The stars sparkled in the night sky like miniature crystals. The air was still, as if the very atmosphere itself was holding its breath. Down below lay the peaceful town of Ponyville and its sleeping residents, all oblivious to the bright spectacle that had just occurred. Everypony was slumbering in their houses, save one pegasus and one unicorn in the Ponyville Library.
Twilight Sparkle stood herself up as she regained her physical strength. She gazed over to the middle of the room toward her pegasus friend, who stood wide eyed, mouth open toward the ceiling. Tears rain down Rainbow Dash’s face as she gasped for air after her painful ordeal. Twilight slowly limped over to her friend’s side. “Rainbow Dash,” she whispered, “Can you hear me?”
“Yes…I can hear you, Twilight,” replied the pegasus, eyes still wide open.
Twilight reached for her friend’s hoof and took in her own. “I never meant for any of this to happen. Everything I did was to protect you,” Twilight said. To this, Rainbow Dash gave no response.
A tear began to form in Twilight’s eye as she realized the consequences of these recent events. Celestia had given her possibly the most important mission that she would ever receive, and she failed. She had failed to keep the existence of Rainbow Dash’s alternate life unknown; furthermore, the very memories that Celestia said would jeopardize the pegasus’s mental state had been reawakened. Worst of all, Twilight had failed in her responsibilities as a friend, lying directly to Rainbow Dash’s face and abusing her trust.
As these thoughts ran through Twilight’s head, she collapsed on the ground as tears flowed freely from her eyes. “I’m so sorry Princess Celestia. I’m so sorry, Dashie,” she whispered. Her friend continued to wear the same dazed expression, seemingly staring into empty space. A few silent minutes passed by before Rainbow Dash spoke again.
“This is all very weird. I remember growing up with this man, just me and…my father by ourselves. But how is that possible, when I also remember growing up in Cloudsdale with my pony friends? There was one day in a park when he was teaching me how to fly. That was the day I got my cutie mark. No, wait...I got my cutie mark during a race in junior flight school. It’s as if this whole time, I’ve been living two lives,” She said very slowly and deliberately.
Rainbow Dash finally broke her gaze with the ceiling at looked down at the ground. “But the memories of my life with him just stop at a certain point in the past. The last thing I remember was…you girls…and the princess…coming to take me back.”
“Yes, this is all true,” said Twilight through her tears.
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes as a sudden wave of sadness coursed through her body. It was not long before the pegasus herself was fighting back tears.
“I was lost in a scary place, young and defenseless. But this man saved me and took me in as one of his own. He housed me, fed me, and took care of me for fifteen long years. He loved me like a daughter, and I loved him like a father. We were happy together,” said Rainbow Dash as she choked up.
The pegasus paused for a bit to regain her composure. Then she turned to Twilight and addressed her directly. “But you took me away and erased all traces of my time with him. You erased all my memories of his love.”
“We had no choice,” replied Twilight.
Rainbow Dash wished she could object to this statement, but her memories supported her friend’s assertion. “Yes…that’s right. I was living in a world where I didn’t belong. As much as he loved me, I couldn’t stay with him,” she said solemnly.
The memories of the man’s care continue to run through Rainbow Dash’s mind. Sleeping in his arms during stormy nights. Drinking a bowl of his homemade soup as he helped her fight sickness. Laughing and smiling with him as they discussed the latest NASCAR races. Emotions that had been suppressed by Twilight’s memory spell now flowed freely through Rainbow Dash’s mind.
She experienced the happiness and peace of her past life, and the anger and sorrow of her departure. She once more felt the confusion that occupied the days following her return but there was one emotion that slowly began to take over here mind: fear. She had just discovered her alternative life; what future would come for a pony of two pasts? Who was she going to become…or, who was she meant to become?
After a moment of silence, the pegasus knew what she had to do.
Rainbow Dash held her head up and glanced at the broken bookshelf in front of her. “Twilight,” she said, “I need to go back.”
Twilight Sparkle stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. The ongoing chain of events was playing out just as she feared. “No. you can’t go back,” she replied.
“Twilight, please,” said Rainbow Dash, “I’m not going to leave you. I know I belong here. I just want to go back…and talk to my father one last time.”
Twilight shook her head. “We cannot let you do this. Enough damage has been done already by your accidental appearance in the human world,” she replied.
Rainbow Dash turned toward her friend with a fiery look in her eyes. “You don’t understand! This man…my father gave15 years of his life to take care of me. I must go back and repay his kindness, even if I am unable to fully return his love,” she declared, “and…I need his advice. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me now that the memory spell is broken.”
“Dashie, as much as the Princess, me and the rest of our friends wish you could go back, there simply is no way,” said Twilight.
“Nonsense, Twilight!” shouted Rainbow Dash. “You used magic to take me away from him. You can use magic to send me back again!” The pegasus’s anger began to boil within her again and she slowly advanced on her unicorn friend.
Twilight began to back away slowly. “What I tell you is the whole and honest truth. There are rules and forces beyond your control that dictate what can and cannot be done.”
“Take me to my father!” screamed Rainbow Dash as she cornered Twilight between two bookshelves.
A white glow began to emit from Twilight’s horn. Pretty soon, sparks of magic began to fly out of the tip and around her body. As the glow grew brighter, the sparks meshed together, forming a network of blue trails around the unicorn. “Please, Rainbow Dash…no more.”
“Twilight!!!” shouted Rainbow Dash as she dived toward her friend.
As the pegasus soared through the air, a brilliant purple flash discharged from Twilight’s horn. The light shined brightly for a fraction of a second before disappearing along with the purple unicorn.
Rainbow Dash landed on her stomach with a groan, in the exact spot that Twilight had been standing in half a second before. “TWILIGHT!!!!” she screamed as tears streamed from her eyes. “TAKE ME TO MY FATHER!!” Rainbow Dashed lashed out in anger, toppling bookcases and throwing over tables with her hooves. The anger within her mind was almost as painful as the feeling of the memory spell breaking.
After a moment, Rainbow Dash’s anger subsided, and the pegasus lay on the floor of the Ponyville Library, sobbing quietly.
“Daddy…”
* * *
As the first sunrays broke over the distant mountains, the residents of Ponyville began to stir. The early risers could already be seen walking up and down the streets. The air was cool, and the morning dew on the trees could be seen glistening in the sunlight. A little while later, the sun had risen clear of the mountaintops and bathed the town in its warm light. By this time, everypony was up and about, minding their business like any other day.
In an isolated cloudbank near the outskirts of Ponyville, a house floated peacefully along with the wind. This magnificent structure was none other than the dwelling of Rainbow Dash, Equestria’s best flyer. At least, that’s what she remembered in this life.
Rainbow Dash sat on her cloud bed, trying to uncover the true extent of her memories with her father. Her eyes were red from the many tears shed the night before. Although the pegasus was exhausted, she had no desire to sleep, or to dream. All Rainbow Dash could think about was her father. The memories were so fresh, so strong that she could almost feel his presence by her side. Alas, she knew that he was still worlds away.
In the distance, she could distinguish birds chirping. As a random breeze blew through her house, she could hear the hum of the clean spring air. Soon after, these two sounds were joined by the sound of the pegasus singing quietly.
“Hush, my little Dashie, it’s time to go to bed,
“Pull up your blankets and lay down your head,
“Hush, my little Dashie, and rest for the night
“Until you catch glimpse of morning’s first light.
“Although we come from worlds apart,
“I love you, my Dashie, with all of my heart.”
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and continued to sing softly to herself. The words were naught but memories, yet they carried so much power. At last, for the first time in days, Rainbow Dash felt at ease. She closed her eyes and continued the melody, unaware of a flash of purple light behind her.
“Rainbow Dash,” spoke Twilight from the door of the bedroom. The unicorn’s call went unheeded, as her friend continued to sing until she reached the end of the song once more.
“Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight again, in a more confident tone.
The pegasus opened her eyes and gazed out her window. “He used to sing that to me every night before I went to sleep. That song had the power to cure all my worries and doubts like magic,” she said, “I wish I could hear his voice just one more time.”
“Rainbow Dash, the Princess wishes to see you,” declared Twilight. “She is waiting in town hall.”
“Oh…The Princess wants to see me?” replied Rainbow Dash in a melancholy tone.
“Yes. She says it is a matter of utmost importance. You must hurry,” said Twilight.
Rainbow Dash turned toward her awaiting friend and gazed at the bedroom floor. “I guess I’ll be there then,” she muttered.
“Good,” replied Twilight, “We’ll be in town hall waiting for you.” Then, without another word, the unicorn vanished into thin air with a flash.
Rainbow Dash slowly dragged herself out of bed. The pegasus had been drained of nearly all of her willpower, and had to force her legs to walk her outside. She methodically stretched her wings, feeling the spring air drift through her feathers. At once, she took off into the skies in the direction of town hall, humming the familiar melody of a long lost lullaby.
* * *
Rainbow Dash opened the door to town hall and entered. Inside, Princess Celestia stood waiting, Twilight Sparkle at her side. In addition the rest of her friends were also present, standing on either side of the princess. All of them looked at Rainbow Dash with a solemn expression as the pegasus walked towards them.
Rainbow Dash stopped in front the princess and bowed her head politely. “Princess Celestia, you wanted to see me?” she asked solemnly.
The prostrate Rainbow Dash could hear the sound of the princess’s hoofsteps approaching until they stopped just in front of her. There was a pause before the princess spoke.
“Twilight has informed me of the events of the past few days,” Celestia began, “Above all, I want you to know that you have my deepest and most sincere apologies for your suffering. If there is anypony who is to blame for your tribulations, it is I. I was the one who charged Twilight Sparkle with the mission of keeping your second life a secret.”
Rainbow Dash lifted her head and gazed into the sympathetic eyes of the princess. “It’s fine…I’ll be alright.”
The princess took a step backward and spoke again as the other ponies turned their gaze away from the blue pegasus. “It was wrong of us to separate you and your loving caretaker. But Twilight was right; we were left without a choice,” said Celestia.
Rainbow Dash turned her eyes toward the ground as a feeling of sadness welled up inside her.
The princess continued, “But this time, a choice has been given to us.” A long pause followed this remark as the princess prepared for her next statement. Twilight looked inquisitively at her teacher, wondering what she would say. The other ponies turned to each other with anticipation, ready for almost anything to come out of the princess’s mouth. “And I, Princess Celestia, choose to let you bring your father from his world and allow him to reside in Ponyville for the rest of his days.”
A collective gasp burst from all the other ponies present. Everypony stared at the princess with an utterly bewildered expression. Rainbow Dash was especially surprised by the princess’s statement and looked at her in shock. It was already very rare to have visitors from other cities in Ponyville, but to have visitor from another world was absolutely unheard of. Twilight quickly leaped in between Rainbow Dash and the Princess and began to speak hastily.
“Princess Celestia, will all due honor and respect, are you completely out of your mind??” she asked with a serious tone.
“In light of recent events, I believe this is the best course of action,” replied the white alicorn.
“Best course of action? Princess, I don’t understand how this could even be a course of action! You’re talking about bringing a human into Equestria. Have you even thought about the consequences of your choice? What happened to keeping our worlds separate?” argued Twilight with a confused look on her face.
The princess stared intently at her questioning student. “I understand the risks of bringing a new visitor into our world, but I have trust in the human,” she stated.
Twilight took a step back. “Trust? You hardly even know him. Nobody in Equestria knows what humans are like. For all we know, these beings could be evil, hateful and selfish. How can you be so sure of his integrity?” she protested quite loudly. The other ponies nodded in agreement with this last question.
The princess looked at the blue pegasus behind Twilight. “Because of Rainbow Dash.” she said, “For fifteen years he took care of my little Rainbow Dash as his own daughter. To sacrifice this much for another is proof enough that his heart is filled with kindness and love.”
Twilight bit her lipped as she thought about the princess’s last statement. The unicorn could hardly object to Celestia’s reasoning; she herself remembered discovering Rainbow Dash in the gentle care of the human. Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie also began to grasp the princess’s line of thought. Perhaps it wasn’t so unreasonable after all.
“Well…even if he did come here, he’d be a complete stranger. How would he fit in?” asked Twilight.
“When Rainbow Dash was thrown into that unknown world, he became her guide and mentor. I believe that Rainbow Dash is willing to do the same for him,” replied Princess Celestia
“Yes!” interjected the pegasus finally. “I will take care of him, as he took care of me in my time of need.” Rainbow Dash finally began showing signs of excitement after her past few days of suffering.
“Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” said the princess, “I am truly grateful for your assistance in this matter.”
Suddenly, Fluttershy spoke too, “Um…excuse me Princess, but I think I could help him get comfortable with living in Ponyville, too. I’ll show him all the lovely birds and animals that live here.”
Applejack stepped forward. “I’ll make sure he has all the food he needs. The Apple family would never let a guest go hungry,” she said confidently.
“I could definitely spare some fabric to make him some clothing,” declared Rarity, “Although he shall have to inform me about human fashion standards…”
“And I can show him all around Ponyville and introduce him to all our friends!” said Pinkie Pie with exhilaration in her voice, “Oh! Oh! We can even throw him a welcome party! Ahhhh, I’m so excited!!”
Twilight looked at all of her friends in amazement. How could they be willing to trust a complete stranger, who on top of that wasn’t even from Equestria? Still, she had little choice but to yield to the Princess. “Very well…I guess he can use the library if he needs quiet space or is looking for something interesting to read,” said the unicorn begrudgingly.
“Thank you all, my friends,” spoke the princess as she bowed to the six ponies in front of her.
“Princess, allow me to ask one question though,” requested Twilight.
“Yes, my faithful student?” asked Celestia as she raised her head.
“Why do you want him to stay here? Does he not belong in his own world?”
“The kindness and love I saw inside that human’s heart…I believe we have much we can learn from his actions. In my thousands of years as princess of Equestria, never have I witnesses a sacrifice of this magnitude. And given the opportunity to live in a world of friendship and harmony, I highly doubt that he will object.” The princess then turned her head toward Rainbow Dash. “Moreover, I believe that there are few things stronger than the bond between father and daughter. To keep Rainbow Dash and the human separated would be an affront to the very ideals of friendship we hold dear,” said Celestia confidently.
Rainbow Dash jumped up and rushed to hug the white alicorn. “Thank you so much, Princess. This means so much to me and my father. How could we ever repay you?” she said as she fought back tears.
“You have already done so much for me and Ponyville,” replied the princess, “and he has already done me a great service by taking care of you during your time in his world.”
Rainbow Dash released her embrace on the princess. “Thank you, Princess Celestia,” she said once more.
The Princess turned to all of the ponies present at the meeting. “Now, we must make haste. The flow of time is drastically different in his world compared to ours. When a day goes by in Equestria, a year has already passed in the human realm.” The princess turned to an old chest laying in the corner of the hall. She summoned her magic to move it through the air and place it before the six on-looking ponies.
With a click, the chest opened wide. “These are the Elements of Harmony. Like last time, we will need to use them to create a bridge to his world; however, this time only one of you will be able to go,” declared Celestia.
Rainbow Dash stepped forward. “I’ll go and bring him back. But I don’t understand why we all can’t go.”
Celestia called upon her magic and removed a small gem from the chest containing the elements. “This is a carrier stone. While the magic of the elements was more than sufficient to bring you back from his world to your home, Equestria, we will need a more powerful spell to take the human out of his home into our world. The six of us who remain here will need to stabilize the bridge in order to ensure his safe arrival. You, however, will have an easier task. Simply have your father hold the stone in his hand, and we will be able to channel the magic of the elements through it to transport him here.”
Rainbow Dash watched as the stone floated through the air into her hoof. It was no bigger than an apple, and it seemed to emit a faint blue glow. “Ok, that seems easy enough!” she replied as she tucked the stone under her wing.
“Everypony, retrieve your element and get ready,” instructed the princess. A rush of hoofsteps followed as each pony grabbed their respective element and formed a circle. Celestia removed the empty chest and turned her eyes toward the other ponies. To her left stood Twilight, the Element of Magic and Applejack, the Element of Honesty. To the princess’ right stood Fluttershy, the Element of Kindess; Rarity, the Element of Generosity; and Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter. Directly across from Celestia stood the Element of Loyalty and the chosen traveler, Rainbow Dash.
Celestia turned to the blue pegasus and spoke, “Listen well to what I have to say next. Our magic is limited and will only be able to sustain your presence in the human world for a short time. You will have no more than an hour to find the human and give him the carrier stone. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Princess!” stated Rainbow Dash as she stood proudly.
“Excellent. Now, we will transport you to the exact location of the human’s house. Should he no longer be residing at that place, return to Equestria as quickly as possible and we will track him down. You must move fast, as time is working against us,” she said with a serious tone. “Rainbow Dash, are you ready?”
“Yes, Princess,” replied the pegasus confidently.
Princess Celestia stepped forward and stared intently into Rainbow Dash’s eyes. “You will soon be reunited with the father you love, I promise that,” she said.
Rainbow Dash gave a smile and a bow as the princess stepped back into her original position.
“Very well. Everypony, let us begin,” stated Princess Celestia.
All seven ponies closed their eyes and began to call upon the ancient magic within the Elements. A gust of wind began to circle around the group, causing the ceiling chandeliers to sway and the curtains to flail wildly. The Elements themselves began to glow, and soon a small ray of light from each pony shot into the center of the circle. Where these rays intersected, a white sphere began to form. As each pony concentrated their powers, the sphere began to grow until it reached the size of a large pony.
Princess Celestia suddenly opened her eyes, revealing two brilliant beams of white light. With a shout, the Princess opened her wings as her horn began to glow with the colors of the rainbow. This spectrum traveled along the ray connecting the princess and the white sphere in the middle until the sphere itself began to flash with vibrant colors. “Go now!” yelled Princess Celestia.
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and saw the open portal in front of her. With slow and deliberate steps, she stepped through the light into the other side.