//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: My Little Dashie: The Return // by Brony MACH //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash awoke with a start. She was sweating profusely, and her heart was pounding in her chest. A sharp pain in her head caught her attention as she let out a soft gasp. This particular headache was much worse than the ones she experienced before. After a few moments, the pegasus relaxed as the pain left her body and opened her eyes. She took a glance outside her bedroom window, unsure of how long she had been slumbering. The sky was still dark, and much of Ponyville was asleep, save for a couple late nighters whose house lights shone in the night. Rainbow Dash fell back onto her back and stared at her ceiling. The dream was too much for her mind to handle, and whatever answers she hoped to gain from it simply spawned more questions. After several minutes passed by, the blue pegasus jumped out of bed. There was no use in trying to go back to bed; her mind was far too active. She lamented the absence of her usually fun filled dream. Still, there would always be a chance to dream again. Rainbow Dash walked out her front door, the cool night air hitting her face. A nice fly over Ponyville should clear up her mind, she thought to herself. Rainbow Dash stretched her wings, which were slightly stiff from lying in bed for a couple hours. With a leap and a bound, the blue pegasus took to the night skies. The feeling of the wind in her mane was truly refreshing to Rainbow Dash. She soared over the quiet houses of Ponyville, letting the tranquility of the night fill her mind. With all the drama she was going through, Rainbow Dash definitely needed some relaxation time for herself. The sky was clear, the moon shone brightly, and the air was the perfect temperature. In fact, Rainbow Dash was fine with not going back to bed at all. Suddenly, something caught Rainbow Dash’s attention down below. On the empty streets of Ponyville, a single light was moving slowly along. The light seemed to be emitted from a lantern carried by a solitary mare. Whoever she was, she seemed to be heading toward town square. As Rainbow Dash scanned the vicinity, she also noticed 4 other lights, all of which seemed to be heading toward town square. Soon, the 5 lights had converged near the fountain and were set on the ground. Up in the air, she was very curious as to who could be meeting this late at night. Rainbow Dash dived stealthily toward town square. She spotted a nearby rooftop and landed without a sound. The pegasus slowly peeked her head over the apex of the roof toward the five lights that congregated close by. As her eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight, she could make out five ponies congregating in a circle. Rainbow Dash had to cover her mouth from gasping to loudly. It was her five friends. What are they doing here? she thought to herself. And why wasn’t I invited? Near the fountain, the five other ponies set their lanterns down and exchanged greetings. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” said Twilight in a hushed tone. “Well your letter sounded so terribly urgent that I just had to see what was the matter,” commented Rarity. “Aye, but you gotta make it quick. I have to wake up bright and early tomorrow to clean up the barn,” said Applejack. “Don’t worry girls. I’ll keep it short,” replied Twilight. “So, Twilight, what are we meeting about. Are we planning a surprise for Rainbow Dash? Your letter told us we were meeting to talk about her!” asked Pinkie Pie. “Shhhh, not so loud, Pinkie!” said Twilight in a whispered shout. “Oh, my bad, Twilight. I promise to be very, very quiet,” said Pinkie Pie at a barely audible volume. Rainbow Dash listened intently to her friends’ conversation. A secret letter about me? What are they up to? she thought. Perhaps they were, in fact, planning a secret party. Or maybe Twilight was going to explain the setup for her ultimate revenge prank against Rainbow Dash. The blue pegasus listened on with a piqued interest. Twilight turned to the others present “Alright, girls. Tonight’s meeting is in fact about Rainbow Dash. There are a couple matters of utmost importance I need to discuss with all of you. But first, you must all promise me that you will not tell Rainbow Dash about this meeting.” “Ah promise,” said Applejack. “Not a word,” added Rarity. “Ummm, I’ll try my best to keep quiet,” replied Fluttershy. “Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye!” said Pinkie Pie excitedly. “Excellent,” said Twilight with a nod, “This afternoon, Rainbow Dash came to me with a rather odd problem. She’s been having weird visions and dreams lately, saying that a voice has been following her around.” “That’s very strange indeed,” commented Fluttershy, “Oh…I’m sorry Twilight, keep going.” “It’s ok, Fluttershy. That’s exactly what I thought when she told me about her troubles,” said Twilight. Rainbow Dash listened closely from the rooftop. Really, her friends were talking behind her back about her problems? The blue pegasus felt a twinge of anger at the secrecy her friends decided to pursue despite their repeated assurances over the years that they “don’t keep secrets.” What is the meaning of this? she thought, as she continued to watch the meeting from a distance. “At first I thought it was some minor sickness or temporary mental lapse,” continued Twilight. “I searched my library for all sorts of diseases that could be affecting our friend. But after she said something, I realized the truth. The terrible and horrible truth.” The rest of the ponies in the group gasped. “Oh, dear Celestia! What evil has been brought upon our loyal friend Rainbow Dash? What did she say?” cried Rarity in a dramatic tone. Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes and said solemnly, “The voice called her ‘My Little Dashie’.” A series of stifled gasps followed as all the other ponies widened their eyes in surprise. “That means…that the…” began Applejack. “Yes, Applejack. The memory spell is dying,” replied Twilight quietly. Everypony in the group fell silent as they let that last statement sink in. There were no gasps, screams, or even sighs from the rest of Twilight’s friends. They all simply stared at the ground for a minute or two, realizing how this would change their relationships with Rainbow Dash forever. “What do we do now?” asked Applejack. “I’m...I’m not sure,” Twilight said. “I’m still trying to ascertain why the memory spell failed and how to fix it. The best thing you girls can do is act normally toward Rainbow Dash. Try and make her forget about what happened the past few days. However, under no circumstances can you let her know about her past life.” All of the other ponies nodded, unaware of a watching figure behind a nearby house. Upon hearing of the memory spell, Rainbow Dash ducked behind the roof and covered her mouth as tears began to form in her eyes. Silently, she took off into the night sky, leaving Twilight and the rest of her friends to their midnight meeting. Rainbow Dash flew to a nearby cloud and collapsed into its folds, weeping bitterly. Her friends…Her closest, most dear friends had betrayed her. These were the very friends that she fought with side by side against the evil Nightmare Moon and vile Discord. These were the friends that cheered her on during the Young Flier’s competition, despite her own nervousness and lack of confidence. And these were the friends for whom she sacrificed so much, whether it was helping Pinkie Pie at the bakery or inspiring Fluttershy to be more assertive. Did that mean nothing to them? Twilight Sparkle had lied to her face. The unicorn had known all along exactly why these things were happening, yet she chose to keep it a secret. In fact, everyone had known. Every single one of her friends had been keeping the secret of behind her experiences…or memories as she just found it. Where was the trust? Where was the friendship that held them together inseparably? “Why?” said Rainbow Dash out loud through her tears. “Why did you do this to me? I thought we were friends…” It was at the moment when something snapped inside Rainbow Dash’s brain. The confusion, the frustration, and the betrayal had pushed the young pegasus past her breaking point and a familiar pain rushed through her head as she clenched her eyes shut. The sadness within her slowly transformed into anger. Anger at her friends for concealing the truth from her. Anger at Twilight for openly deceiving her and abusing her trust. Even anger at the faceless male in her dreams that would not leave her alone! Rainbow Dash wiped the tears from her eyes and gritted her teeth as adrenaline rushed through her body. She looked down toward town square and caught glimpse of the 5 lights separating into different direction. She spied the light moving toward the Ponyville library, giving out a low growl as she stretched her wings. With an audible whoosh, she took off into the air, catching up to the light but trailing its unaware owner quietly. “You owe me some answers,” Dash whispered to herself angrily, “And you will give them to me, one way or another.” * * * Twilight Sparkle closed the door behind her quietly. Her mind was still flooded with questions and theories concerning Rainbow Dash’s memories. Never in her entire magic career did she have a memory spell fail, even a little bit. What made Rainbow Dash’s mind special? Was there any hope of restoring the memory spell permanently, or would Twilight be forced to recast the spell every so often? And what about the worst case scenario: if Rainbow Dash did find out about her alternate life? Twilight tried hard to sort all of these out. There was also the box to deal with. The Princess had charged Twilight with keeping the box safe, but if the memory spell was indeed failing, there would be dire consequences if Rainbow Dash found the box. Twilight walked toward the back bookshelf, making sure the box was still there. Perhaps she could hand it over to Princess Celestia if it was absolutely necessary. knock knock Twilight nearly jumped. It was almost one o'clock in the morning, extremely late for anyone to be out and about. “Who is it?” Twilight shouted. BAM BAM BAM Twilight Sparkle quickly ran upstairs to her bedroom. She quietly opened her balcony door and peered over the edge of the railing. There, she could easily make out Rainbow Dash pounding on her door. BAM BAM BAM “Twilight Sparkle, I know you’re in there!” screamed Rainbow Dash as she continued to pound on the library door. Twilight Sparkle quickly snuck back into her bedroom, closing the balcony doors behind her. “What is Rainbow Dash doing here?” she asked herself. The unicorn suddenly froze as she realized the possibility that her meeting may not have been as secret as she had hoped. Still, it was very unlikely that Rainbow Dash would wake up in the middle of the night, as the pegasus worked very hard during the daytime and was a heavy sleeper. Tentatively, Twilight walked back downstairs and to the front door. She turned the lock and inched it open so that a tiny portion of Rainbow Dash’s face was visible. “Rainbow Dash? What’s going on?” asked Twilight through the opening. Of all the responses Rainbow Dash could have given, Twilight was least expecting the one that she received. With a loud smash, Rainbow Dash’s hind hooves struck the door with high velocity. Twilight was thrown onto her back as the door swung wide open, one of its hinges shattering. Splinters flew through the air, landing around the bewildered unicorn. In the doorway stood Rainbow Dash. A very mad and furious Rainbow Dash. “Twilight Sparkle! You lied to me!” shouted Rainbow Dash. The unicorn pulled herself up, wincing at the cuts and bruises she sustained from the impact. There was a look of complete fear in her eyes; nopony had witnessed Rainbow Dash this angry. “What…what do you mean?” the unicorn asked nervously. “Don’t give me that!” yelled Rainbow Dash angrily as she stomped her hoof on the ground, “You know exactly what I mean!!” “No, please…I don’t understand…” said Twilight Sparkle as she backed away slowly. “Why are you so angry?” “Don’t understand, eh?” Rainbow Dash retorted in a sarcastic tone. “Then maybe I should ask somepony else about this ‘memory spell.’” Twilight Sparkle’s eyes widened as she realized her secret meeting did indeed have a clandestine eavesdropper. She looked nervously about her library, trying to find a way to dodge her friend’s question. Out of options, Twilight put her head down and stared at the ground. The worst case scenario had just been realized. There was nowhere to hide now. The unicorn closed her eyes and said solemnly, “I’m so sorry, Rainbow Dash…” The angry pegasus advanced on her friend. “Sorry isn’t going to cut it, Twilight. I want answers! What memories did you erase? Where did I go? Who is he??” asked Rainbow Dash with a stern tone. “Dashie…I’m sorry that we’ve kept this secret so long.” said Twilight with a shaky voice. Rainbow Dash winced as a sudden headache gripped her. “Who is he???” “I’m sorry that I lied to you when I knew the truth,” replied Twilight. Rainbow Dash shouted at the top of her lungs “WHO. IS. HE?????” Tears formed in Twilight Sparkle’s eyes as she gazed into Rainbow Dash’s angry expression. “And I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, because I can’t answer your question.” Rainbow Dash was completely taken aback by her friend’s audacity. “What do you mean you can’t answer my question? I know you know exactly who he is!” she shouted angrily. “Yes I do know whose voice has followed you in your dreams and in waking. But I cannot tell you,” replied Twilight with resolve in her voice. This response only served to enrage Rainbow Dash even further. “No…NO! I’ve been through far too much for you to hide answers from me! I’m being haunted by this…thing and you refuse to help me?? Twilight, what kind of friend are you?” she said as she advanced upon the unicorn. “No, Dashie, please try and understand…I can’t tell you who he is…” cried Twilight as she was forced toward the back of the library. Rainbow Dash winced again at that name. “Don’t call me that! You don’t deserve to call me by that name!!” she yelled as tears of rage formed in her eyes. “TELL ME WHO HE IS!!!” Rainbow Dash reared herself onto her hind legs and stomped the floor with both her front hooves. The force of the impact threw Twilight off balance. The unicorn stumbled back until she hit the bookshelf behind her. The back of her head smashed straight into one of the wooden shelves, which shattered under the blow. The entire bookshelf began to rock back and forth, and books fell all around the now barely conscious Twilight. Rainbow Dash watched her friend fall under the rain of books. She had snapped out of her blinding rage, aware of the fact that her friend might be seriously injured. The pegasus began to run forward towards the bookshelf when something landed in front of her. A small cardboard box struck the ground and spilled its contents on the floor. Rainbow Dash paused to examine the small objects that fell out. There was something about them that drew her attention, something that she couldn’t quite put her hoof on. She picked up a small toy racecar and began to examine it carefully. Twilight Sparkle’s head was throbbing immensely. Judging by the stinging sensation near the back of her skull, she was also bleeding. The blow had also temporarily damaged her vision, and she could only make out blurry shapes in front of her. She shoved the mess of books on top of her to the side and stood up. Even though she could hardly keep her balance and barely make out Rainbow Dash, she was prepared to do anything to protect the secret of the pegasus’ memories. But as her vision refocused, she was not ready to receive the sight in front of her. “Rainbow Dash, no!” she cried. Rainbow Dash held up a toy car to her face. “This…I’ve never seen a car like this in Ponyville. Yet I remember having this as a kid. I had a whole collection of these in my room as a filly! But how? Where did I get this?” she asked inquisitively. “No, stop looking!” shouted Twilight Sparkle. She attempted to summon her magic to pull the box and the objects away from her, but she could not concentrate sufficiently due to her head injuries. “And this,” said Rainbow Dash, as she held up a ticket to the Indy 500, “I clearly remember being given this when I was a bit older. I don’t think Cloudsdale hosts a race called the Indy 500 though. I wonder who gave this to me.” “No!” screamed Twilight as she collapsed back onto the floor. The memories were slowly coming back to Rainbow Dash. “Wait…I remember now. Some guy gave it to me…at his house! That house…no…it’s the same house as in my dreams. That means that the guy who gave me this ticket is the voice that’s been following me around,” continued Rainbow Dash. She was suddenly cut short by a searing pain in her head, many times worse that the headaches she had been experiencing in the past few days. “Ah!” cried the pegasus as she grasped her head with her hooves and struggled to continue talking. “He gave me that ticket, and promised me that we would go see the race. He said he would always care for…no…that’s impossible. I grew up on my own in Cloudsdale. He was never with me then.” Nevertheless, Rainbow Dash continued remembered bits and pieces of time she spent with him. She soon realized that he wasn’t a pony or a monkey or any other animal she had known before. “He’s a…man.” said Rainbow Dash, “but…what’s a man? How did I know that?” Twilight could not bear to witness the cataclysm of events that would soon follow. Resigned to defeat, the unicorn buried her head in her hooves and whispered, “I’m sorry, Princess…” Rainbow Dash turned her attention to a small photograph on the ground. She picked it up and examined it closely, trying her hardest to ignore the pulsating pain in her head. On the right side was herself, smiling joyfully at the camera. On the left side, there was that same face that appeared in her dream, one that Rainbow Dash had sworn she had never seen before. “Wait,” she said, “that face…that’s the face I’ve been seeing in my dreams! That’s the face of the man whose been talking to me! That’s the face of…” Rainbow Dash paused midsentence as two of the most unexpected words formed in her mouth. “…my father.” Suddenly, the already unbearable pain in Rainbow Dash’s head tripled in magnitude. She dropped the photograph and screamed in complete agony. “Twilight, what’s happening to me?! What did you do to me?!” she yelled. Twilight looked her friend in the eye with a tearful expression. “I’m so sorry, Dashie…” With the pain rapidly increasing, Rainbow Dash stood up on her back hooves, her forehooves grasping her head desperately. She stumbled around the library, knocking down tables and screaming in anguish. The pain finally forced the pegasus onto her knees as tears streamed down her face. “Twilight, help me!” she cried. It was then something strange began to happen. A white halo began to form around Rainbow Dash’s head. A faint glow began to emanate from her shut eyes. As the pegasus’ screams grew louder, the glow grew brighter. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash stood on her back hooves and opened her eyes, unleashing the energy within. Rainbow Dash suddenly found her mind assailed with memories. She saw the flash of the lightning bolt that transported her to the human world and the darkness of the box in which she ended up. She saw the first moment her father’s face looked down on her. The house in her dreams now presented itself in her mind as the stream of memories continued. Memories of her childhood rushed through, from the time she learned how to fly to the time she watched her first car race. She remembered the day she discovered her ‘true’ identity as a pegasus of Ponyville and renounced her loyalty to her father. She also saw the day in the forest where they mended their broken friendship. The last memory to pass through her mind was the day when she was taken back to her own world. With this rush of memories also came a rush of emotions. Joy, anger, depression, and sadness assaulted Rainbow Dash’s mind. With the glow from her eyes growing more intense every second, her mind began to collapse from sensory overload. The last thing she remembered feeling before blacking out was the feeling of…love. The white halo also grew brighter as Rainbow Dash’s memories came flooding back. Twilight had to shield her eyes as the rays of emitted light became eye-searingly bright. Soon, the entire library became filled with a brilliant white light. Twilight feared for the worst as she saw her friend consumed by this magical energy. But as soon as it had come, the light disappeared. Rainbow Dash was left standing in a daze, the contents of the box strewn around her. The halo had disappeared completely, as did the glow in her eyes. White fragments of magic drifted from her head to the ground before disappearing into nothingness. And just like that, the memory spelled had died.