//------------------------------// // The Light // Story: Amnesia // by Mad Hattie //------------------------------// Chapter 5 Fluttershy had awoken just like any other morning. Her mane was frazzled from a poor slumber filled with tossing, turning, screaming and crying, her eyes dark and bruised. Angel had taken to sleeping on the pillow next to Fluttershy, making sure that she had somepony there for her whenever she woke in the dead of night, her eyes glazed over, not sure which nightmare she was in, the ones in her dreams, or the ones in reality. Fluttershy didn’t sing to her animals like she may have done in the past, there was no spring in her step as she placed new food down for them to enjoy. She simply did what was needed of her, nothing more. She didn’t see the point in exhausting herself any further. After her chores had been completed, the butter Pegasus perched herself on the sofa, allowing her eyes to droop as she watched her animals nervously move out of their habitats. None of them were comfortable with Fluttershy’s new personality; some would only come out once she had left the cottage. Angel sat next to her; his stubborn eating habits had been washed away the day he saw Fluttershy’s change in character. The day he saw her crying openly, not because she wanted to, but because she simply had no choice. The white rabbit hopped onto Fluttershy’s lap gently, a carrot in his right paw. Carefully, he pressed the carrot against Fluttershy’s hoof, silently willing her to eat something. But like every morning, Fluttershy didn’t take the offer. She simply stroked Angel a little roughly with her hoof as he sat there patiently, waiting for her next move. There was no use in complaining, Fluttershy would simply break down into tears again. She wasn’t strong like she used to be, she hadn’t even attempted to use her trademark stare since the tragedy. The morning had barely begun, the sky was still dark, the sun only faint in the horizon. Fluttershy glanced out of her window blearily before lifting Angel from her lap. Staying in her cottage longer than necessary was suffocating her. She would have flown somewhere if the sky hadn’t reminded her so much of Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy choked back another sob as she reached a hoof out for her front door. She’d go back to the grave; she had to. It was the only place she felt needed. Angel hopped along to her side, he didn’t like following her out to the graveyard, but he did find it necessary to make sure she didn’t break down on the way. Fluttershy’s heart and soul had broken on that fateful day; she could fall apart at any moment. Angel had to be ready to assist her if need be. Yes, a morning like any other, except perhaps for the fact that on this morning, a shadow of a pony took shape on the other side of the cottage door. Fluttershy barely noticed, for a moment she blankly wondered if it might be Twilight. She didn’t seem to care either way; instead she pulled the door open, her eyes downcast. Angel let out a squeal from somewhere to her side. Fluttershy’s bleary eyes focused for a moment as a frown creased her forehead. There was a pair of cyan hooves in her line of vision, though there was a lot of mud encrusted on them… but, yes, she was sure of it. Blue, they were blue! Fluttershy’s heart accelerated in her chest as she forced her stiff neck upwards. Slowly, her eyes swept over the front of the form that stood in her way. A cyan coat, a pair of wings, dirt covering almost everything, but no, she was sure of it. Stitches were lined around ruffled feathers, more reached from the underside all the way to the chest. And then… A dirty face with a pair of still rose eyes, a ruffled rainbow mane that stuck in every-which direction. The form before her - in a way at least - was… “R-Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy squeaked. The Pegasus in question didn’t speak, she didn’t even flinch. Her eyes remained focused on Fluttershy’s face, almost curious. Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but instead of words a terrible shriek left her lips. Her legs felt like jelly as she swayed on the spot. The last thing she saw were those penetrating rose eyes and then… darkness. * “I’ve failed.” Spike was at a loss of what to do. Twilight hadn’t slept that night; she had simply sat upright on her bed and rocked back and forth back and forth like some kind of deranged jack-in-the-box. Her lavender eyes were wide and bloodshot; her lips trembled every time she spoke the phrase. “I’ve failed.” Spike had given up asking her what she meant. It was clear to anypony that Twilight had regressed back to the zombie state that had plagued her only a few days previously. Spike bit back tears as Twilight murmured the sentence again. “I’ve failed.” When Twilight had first turned up at the doorstep to the Library in the early hours of the morning, Spike had assumed she had been at Zecora’s, but after sending her to her bedroom, he’d taken an unrelenting curiosity to Twilight’s ruffled saddlebag. He’d looked inside only to find a piece of chalk and nothing more. He had wondered about the chalk, to be honest, he’d wondered about Twilight’s behaviour in general ever since she’d woken up without a single nightmare. She’d gone shopping, but refused to tell Spike what she’d purchased, she’d been at Zecora’s almost every waking hour of every day for two days and… Well, Spike wasn’t sure what had happened to it, but Rainbow Dash’s necklace was missing from the glass casing. Spike had wanted to go and visit Zecora and ask what she’d been doing with Twilight, he’d wanted to go to the graveyard and ask Fluttershy what she had seen… but, it all seemed rather pointless. Twilight was in no fit state to be left alone, it was almost as if she was in some deep state of shock. Nothing Spike did could aid her, but he couldn’t just leave her. It was times like this when Spike wished his letters from Princess Celestia had been more helpful than a simple empty condolence on a sheet of parchment. Just as these thoughts crossed the baby dragon’s mind, a sharp knock came from the front door. And suddenly, Twilight let out a shriek. “OH CELESTIA, NO!” She wailed, kicking her hooves rapidly at her sheets, drawing herself up to her headboard. Her breath came out hard and ragged, her bloodshot eyes widening to unfathomable reaches. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fail!” She cried, her voice cracking as an unstoppable stream of tears began to spill from her eyes. Spike’s heart raced in his chest as he looked first to where Twilight was convulsing and then towards the front door. What had Twilight done? What had she seen? Twilight had known her fate was set the moment the spell had backfired, the moment she’d seen the scorched grass where the necklace had once been. Luna had set her a task and she had failed. It was only right that she should be punished for it. Maybe locked up by the Royal Night Guard, left somewhere deep in the bowels of the Castle to rot in the darkness, never to see sunlight again. Twilight let out another wail. She had ruined everything. Dash wouldn’t be coming back and now there was no hope left for Equestria. This was it. This was the end of her very existence. Suddenly, she felt small scaly fingers trace the fur on her cheek. In her mind’s eye, she knew it was Spike, but she couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes. “Twilight?” Spike asked, his voice shaking. Twilight knew she’d upset him, but she couldn’t care. Her mind was far too fevered with severed thoughts of her inevitable demise at the hooves of the Princesses. “Twilight… please. Somepony’s at the door I’ll-” “NO!” Luna was at the door, it had to be! She’d ruined the spell and now Luna was here to apprehend her! “Twilight, sh, it’s fine.” Spike tried to sooth, but Twilight was having none of it. She squirmed under his touch, lifting her hooves towards his face. Spike jumped back, knowing fully well what to expect if he tried to get any closer. He subconsciously probed at the scar on his right cheek. He sighed and turned to walk downstairs; hoping with all his might that whoever was at the door would be able to help. Spike could still hear Twilight’s wails as he entered the main Library area. A second knock sounded at the front door. “I’m coming!” Spike called, careful to make sure his voice didn’t crack. “Hold on a second!” Spike grabbed the door with his claw and opened it carefully, expecting at the very most a pony wishing to check out a book or maybe even Fluttershy coming to see Twilight. Instead, Spike was very nearly blinded by the sight that lay before him. A fierce jet of white light shot out from behind the door, stretching out further as the door opened with it. Spike let out a yelp of surprise, holding his arms over his face as he stumbled backwards. The door was opening by itself now, allowing the bright light to flood into every nook and cranny that it could find. Twilight’s ear twitched as she heard Spike yelp from downstairs. Her stomach knotted up inside of her as her heart plummeted from her chest. Spike had just confirmed it; the pony at the door would be none other than Princess Luna. Twilight pulled herself up from the bed, trembling all over. Despite her panic attack, despite her descent into madness, she needed to be calm now. If Luna was at the door, she would have to approach her respectfully. She had to explain what had happened. Maybe there was hope for her… or maybe she was doomed. Either way, the lavender unicorn found herself walking across her bedroom, descending the stairs and finally walking out into the hallway, only to let out a cry of pain as the brightest light she had ever seen exploded in front of her eyes. “Twilight?” Spike called from within the white light. “Spike?” Twilight asked, her heart racing, “What’s happening?” Spike let out a yell, “Don’t look at it Twilight, it’s too bright!” But Twilight couldn’t move. Now that she had entered the light, it didn’t seem to want to let her go. Her entire body locked up as she closed her eyes against the brightness. Her eyes felt like they were burning. She screamed. And then, the light vanished. Spike was sat at the centre of the library, dazed. He rubbed his eyes slowly, blinking rapidly, only to see bright spots dancing across his vision. Twilight’s body regained control of itself and promptly, her forelegs gave out on her. Twilight fell to the ground, grazing her chin against the wood. She let out a few steady breaths, though she was anything but. She was shaking all over, her stomach was churning and she could feel the start of a migraine crawling through her skull. She let out a groan, too exhausted to even think about the events that had just happened; too tired to remember why she’d been so terrified in the first place. “Twilight!” Spike suddenly called, “Twilight, are you alright?” “No.” Twilight moaned, rubbing her face into the wood. “Twilight, it’s still here.” “What?” Twilight’s head snapped up at Spike’s words, “What do you…?” But Twilight didn’t need to finish, for now her eyes were adjusting, she was able to see what had Spike so concerned. The bright white light hadn’t disappeared; it had simply receded into a small ball. It stood by the doorway, suspended half way in the air. Spike didn’t like it. For whatever reason, he felt as though it was looking at him. Twilight immediately descended the stairs and trotted to Spike’s side. Her foreleg whipped out in front of Spike, stopping him before he could reach out for it, “No, Spike.” Twilight said, her eyes bright with recognition, “I-I think it’s for me.” * Fluttershy awoke in the very same position she had fallen, face down on her own wooden floor. Somewhere in her subconscious mind, she had managed to tell herself that it had all been a dream. That, in fact, she had never woken up that morning at all. She’d been hoping against all odds that she’d wake up in her bed in her usual dazed stupor, Angel bunny snoring softly at her side. But that wasn’t the case. Instead, Fluttershy had awoken to a pair of quizzical rose eyes. They didn’t blink, they didn’t move. It was as if the only thing they found mildly interesting were the features of Fluttershy’s snout. Truthfully, Fluttershy didn’t know how to react. She lifted herself onto all fours, gaining no help from the creature that sat before her, and tried to clear her head. The creature in front of her bore the same image as Rainbow Dash, there was no denying that. She had the same cyan coat, the same rainbow mane, the same rose eyes. But apart from that… it just couldn’t be her. Rainbow Dash was a brash adventurous soul who preferred action over logic. She was fast, she was foolhardy and sometimes she was downright stupid; but above all else: Rainbow Dash was loyal. She wouldn’t abandon her friends and she most certainly would not have left them when they were down. Which was what left Fluttershy dumbfounded. When she looked into this creature’s eyes, she saw… nothing. Simply, nothing. There was no emotion, no hardness, no strength. No underlying insecurity, just darkness. Fluttershy opened her mouth, but no words came. Her legs quaked from underneath her, but she couldn’t bring herself to move or even to sit down. She was trapped in this strange creature’s gaze. It hadn’t moved from its position looking down on her, it still stood just as tall, just as rigid with not one lick of emotion across its features. Like a… Zombie. Fluttershy’s heart hammered in her chest as this thought came to mind. No, you’re being silly. A quiet voice reprimanded, there are no such thing as zombies. Still, zombie or not, Fluttershy felt it not only uncomfortable, but downright rude not to say anything at this point. Carefully, she opened her mouth. “H-Hello?” She asked in her softest voice. The creature cocked its head, a movement that almost made Fluttershy stumble backwards in surprise. For some reason, she’d kidded herself into believing it couldn’t move. The creature’s mouth opened for a brief second before closing again. For a moment, Fluttershy detected something within its eyes. Fear? Or no… maybe, confusion? Then it was gone and the creature was simply a creature once more. “Can you speak?” Fluttershy forced herself to sound stronger, “Can you tell me what you are?” The creature’s eyes hardened against Fluttershy’s and it opened its mouth once more, but again, no words came. This time Fluttershy caught the look in its eyes. Frustration. It was frustrated. “Can you understand me?” Fluttershy asked, feeling tears leaking from her eyes, “Can you nod… s-shake your head?” The creature processed this before it began to nod. The gesture was slow and stiff and by the end of it, the creature was wincing in evident pain. Fluttershy swallowed hard, “Is it…?” she couldn’t bring herself to say it. There was no point in asking, the thing in front of her couldn’t be who she thought it was. Just a look-a-like, just a trickster that got in from Everfree Forest. She was nothing but a trick. But then she felt a pang from somewhere inside of her… she had to know for sure. “I-Is it really you, Rainbow Dash?” The creature looked at her, its eyes cold and hard. Fluttershy shied away from it, her ears splayed back against her head. She honestly didn’t know why she’d asked it that question. Of course it wasn’t Rainbow Dash… how could it be? But then, the creature did something unexpected. It looked towards the ground, wincing again, then, it looked back up. As their eyes met once more, Fluttershy detected something new behind that stare. The coldness had lifted somewhat, though the darkness still remained. Fluttershy took in a startled breath as she watched the creature process her question. The creature took its time, its eyes never leaving the wary gaze of the butter Pegasus in front of it. Fluttershy refused to look away; she had to know the answer. Her heart was racing in her chest, her breath was coming out too fast, too panicked, but she had to know the truth, because – somewhere inside of her – she already knew. Then, after what felt like an age, the creature blinked. Its hard rose gaze softened and with a visible effort its lips pulled apart to reveal a grotesquely strained smile; but a smile nonetheless. It seemed it was all Fluttershy needed to validate her answer, for the moment she saw the creature’s attempt, a flash flood of tears rose from her eyes. She let out a wail before lunging at the filthy Pegasus before her, wrapping her forelegs around its tangled, dirtied mane. The creature that was Rainbow Dash kept smiling, unable to stop, and hesitantly, she lifted a strained hoof around Fluttershy in return. Though the mangled, filthy remains of Rainbow Dash felt Fluttershy in her arms she was unable to feel her warmth, she was unable to feel the happiness that should have come from this moment. Yes, it seemed as though Rainbow Dash had been reunited... though she failed to shed a single tear.