//------------------------------// // 10: Onward, Brave Knight... // Story: Trixie's Horrible Error; Twilight's Fading Light // by Honey Heart the filly //------------------------------// Twilight awoke in a room that was blindingly white. She moaned as the light hurt her eyes, causing her to squint. She flailed around, looking for Trixie. "I'm right here, my little Sparkle, calm down love," a voice said a short distance behind her. She turned to look and sighed, spotting Trixie and instantly calming down. She reached out and grasped Trixie's hoof, weakly pulling her to her side. She looked around again, this time realizing where she was, and whimpered, curling into her lover in fear. "I-Is something wrong with me?" The only reason Twilight would be in the hospital would be if she were hurt, but Trixie just shook her head. "You were brought in for observation after the Nightmare left you. You seem fine, so they'll discharge you in a few minutes, when they realize you're awake. In the meantime..." Trixie leaned in to kiss Twilight, and she kissed back eagerly, happy they were together. They were still kissing when the doctor pony walked in. He coughed, and the two broke the kiss, abashed. "Right, sorry for the wait, madams, but everything checked out. The Nightmare left no residual damage to her mind, her memories will return when they find her. You're free to go, Miss Sparkle." Twilight smiled and nodded her thanks to the doctor, following an insistent Trixie out into the street. They were still in Canterlot, she saw with a sigh. She still didn't quite know what to make of Princess Celestia or Luna. All she knew was that it was a little better than Ponyville, where she could be attacked in an alley by that ruffian earth pony...Applejack, was it? She gasped, her mind white with pain, yet it was soothed by the memories returning. Everything she had ever known about Applejack clicked into her mind like it had never left. She came to lying on her back, Trixie shaking her violently, causing her head to roll back and forth on the pavement, which wasn't helping things. "TWILIGHT?! TWILIGHT!!" Trixie almost seemed panicked. She was screaming her name over and over, until she blinked and batted her hooves away. She looked confused. _____________________ "I'm fine, Trixie, I just got some of my memories back. Pertaining to a certain earth pony named Applejack. She and I are...friends? But it's that same pony that kidnapped me in Ponyville. Odd." She dashed to the train station, Trixie following as fast as she could. They got there just as the Ponyville train pulled into the station, which was a stroke of luck for them. She paid for the tickets and they hopped on board the train. Trixie sat in one of the seats, and Twilight curled up beside her, her head in her lap. Trixie stroked her mane as they traveled, gently kissing her forehead. "We'll be there soon, Twilight." With those soothing words, Twilight promptly fell asleep under Trixie's soft hoof. Trixie held her the entire time, happy that they were still together after the whole Nightmare incident. She couldn't wait for them to get home. As they pulled into the station, Trixie bent over and whispered into her ear. "Alright, wakey wakey, love." Twilight yawned cutely as she woke up, staring happily up at Trixie. They both giggled before getting up and off the train. They trotted happily down the street, until a familiar orange earth pony stepped into the road. She lowered her head, dragging her hoof menacingly against the ground, snorting angrily. Twilight stepped forward, staring her down. "Hello, Applejack. Long time, no see." The change was instant, as Applejack realized what had to have happened. She stared, falling back on her flank. She was wide-eyed. "T-Twilight? Is it really you?" Applejack reached out a hoof, which Twilight took with a smile. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. She knew Applejack, at least, and that was worth mentioning. "Yes, I remember you, Applejack. Only you, though...So don't go running around spouting nonsense about my memory returning, because it isn't complete. I need more time." Twilight looked down at that, wondering how many other friends she would have to remember, and if they would all make her feel so horrible for forgetting. She leaned into Trixie a bit as they walked away, into the library they called home. Applejack went on her way, a spring in her hooves. Inside, Twilight broke down, crying into Trixie's mane. "That was the worst experience I could ever imagine. I feel so terrible for forgetting all my friends." She was inconsolable, and Trixie tried so hard to be considerate and calm her down a bit. Eventually, she settled for stroking the lavender mare's mane as she continued crying. "There, there, Twilight, everything will be just fine..." Eventually, Twilight cried herself out and fell asleep. Trixie sighed, holding her as she went upstairs, tucking her into bed. She went to whip up some oatmeal, cause she was hungry, and Twilight probably was as well. In her dream, Twilight was running. Before her were the shadows of four ponies and Applejack, as well as Trixie, and behind her was a black fog that consumed everything. However, as often happens in dreams, after a while, she realized she was getting no closer to them, and the fog was gaining on her. Suddenly, she could see...color in the shadows. One pony was pink, one was a rainbow, one was a deep cherry red, and one was purple. She blinked, and it changed, showing one yellow, one blue, one pink and one white, instead. She didn't know what to think of it, but as she tried to think, the black fog swept over her. She sat up in bed as she woke up, screaming, and she fell out onto the floor facefirst. "Ow...." she moaned, getting up carefully. She had shooting pains in her leg, the one that had been broken. It pained her to walk, but she managed to stagger downstairs as Trixie finished making the oatmeal. She looked up in surprise, seeing Twilight up and about so soon. "Twilight, you really shouldn't be up and about. I was going to bring dinner up to you, so you could eat when you woke up." Twilight looked up, and the pained look on her face was enough to shut Trixie's trap, at least for a few moments. She could never understand, because she had never had friends. "I need to find my other friends, all I got for hints are some colors." As she described the dream to Trixie, her eyes got wider and wider, but she looked confused. She held up her hoof as she got to the colors. "You say you remember nothing of your other friends, except Applejack. So, you think your starting to subconsciously remember things, and the dream showed you what you knew. The fact that there's four plus Applejack, and some colors. You have no idea what those colors could be. It could be eight colors of manes or furs, or four furs and manes. In any order. So, you're going to look for ponies with any of those colors. Do you know how many ponies in Equestria have atleast one of those colors in their body? Though the rainbow one could only be one person, that I know of." Trixie gasped for breath, having not stopped talking to breathe the entire time. Twilight, however, seemed determined. It wouldn't do to try and dissuade her. "At least eat before you go, then. Here." Trixie handed her a bowl of oatmeal, which Twilight grudgingly sat down to eat. Trixie smiled, sitting down to enjoy her own bowl of oatmeal. It was a happy meal, and Trixie finished first. She sat back and waited for Twilight to finish, then took their bowls and put them in the sink. She then went back to Twilight and kissed her gently on the lips. "Okay, Trixie, now that I've eaten, can we go?" Trixie didn't know or understand why Twilight was in such a hurry, but nevertheless, they walked out into the street. Immediately, they saw a pegasus with yellow fur and a pink mane. Twilight gasped. "That matches my dream! It can not be a mere coincidence..." Trixie sighed, calling out to her, and she squeaked, hiding behind a house. Twilight ran after her, and Trixie had no choice but to follow, or risk losing Twilight in the twists and turns of Ponyville. When she rounded the corner, she could only stare at Twilight and the yellow pegasus. Twilight was staring her down, but she seemed to be holding her own against it, completely disregarding how shy she had just acted. Then, suddenly, Twilight collapsed again. The same look crossed her face as last time. When she woke up, she got to her hooves instantly. "Fl...Flutter...Fluttershy?" It took her a moment to get the whole name out, and Twilight was shaking like a leaf in the wind. It seemed that whatever was happening was affecting her physically. Twilight reached out a tentative hoof towards Fluttershy, who proceeded to hug her tightly. Okay, then... was all Trixie could think. When they separated, Twilight seemed to feel a little better, and they parted after a few minutes. They cantered down the street, as it seemed to be getting dark, but Twilight wasn't about to give up. They looked up as an explosion rocked the entire town. They had looked up just in time to see the shockwave of rainbow tear through the sky, with the contrail extending forward out of it. A cyan dot contrasted against the night sky at the very tip of said contrail. Twilight gasped in wonder. "I wonder who could've done that? Let's go meet them!" With that, Twilight takes off, galloping down the street in the same direction as the rainboom contrail.