//------------------------------// // Chapter 06 - Rainbow Sky // Story: Fragments of Memories // by Starwin //------------------------------// Fragments of Memories By Starwin Chapter 06 – Rainbow Sky There was a name whispered to her through the darkness. Even though she couldn’t understand its meaning, the words made her angry. It always forgot her and she didn’t like that. It spoke again - shouting this time - but still the wrong name. “Twilight, are you alright? Can you hear me!” cried the panicked words. “No,” she grunted back. Her voice raspy and quiet, rather than the shout she had intended. Slowly, her awareness was returning, but something felt wrong, empty somehow. It felt like an important piece of her was absent. Yet, without it, she couldn’t give the missing thing a name. “No what?” asked the words. “You aren’t alright, or you can’t hear me?” “I’m not Twilight,” she said at last. She could hear hurried steps back away from her. No other words spoke… no, that was wrong. No other voices spoke but she could feel an ominous tension in the air around her. In truth, she wasn’t entirely sure who she was. She wasn’t Twilight, that much she was mostly, almost... sort of…? sure about… maybe. But, if she wasn’t Twilight, who was she? She searched her thoughts for a name, but all she found was silence. Even the name she’d known a moment ago - the name she was not - had slipped away from her. There would be time to remember her name later . For now, she needed to focus on… something… All her thoughts felt slow and disoriented. It was as if she had just woken up. A realization flickered to life in her mind. She was waking up. She had been asleep! That’s why everything was so mixed up! The pony opened her eyes and winced against the glowing firefly light. The brightness softened after a moment and she was greeted with a very strange sight. Perhaps she wasn’t really awake after all. Three figures were hanging from the ceiling right in front of her. The ceiling, of course, she should have known. Briefly she wondered if the missing names had been taken by the ceiling, but the silly idea was cast away before she could properly rationalize it. Her attention returned to the impossibility standing… hanging…? before her. The group was just waiting there, defying gravity and apparently fine with it. They looked very concerned, but somehow, she didn’t think it was about being upside-down… nor did it seem like their worry was about the ceiling. Her brain gave a sharp kick and she tilted her head to the side. Suddenly the three were back on the floor. It was her who was upside-down, lying on her back. She could feel the bouncy springs of a couch beneath her. Somepony must have moved her because she didn’t remember going to sleep here. Although, she didn’t remember going to sleep at all. She turned her attention back towards the small group watching her. The nearest one was… the name was there, but she just couldn’t reach it. In any case, she was sure he had been the one calling out for... the pony that she wasn’t. Behind him by only a few steps was the silver and gold maned doctor - she couldn’t recall her name either. And standing in the very back, was… She knew this one! She really and truly knew the tall dark pony’s name! She just needed to remember it first. “What happened?” asked the nameless pony at last. Trying to reason out her situation seemed to be getting her nowhere. Even her own thoughts were just running her around in circles. Somepony needed to tell her what the hay was going on! “You passed out,” answered the little dragon. “But I caught you! Sort of. Twil…” His words trailed off into a heavy silence as the expression of worry on his face deepened. An uncomfortable pause lingered in the air, with nopony seeming to want to say anything. She didn’t know what to say herself. She had so many questions and yet… she didn’t want to ask even a single one. She didn’t want to hear whatever terrible answers the others might have for her. “Do you remember your name?” asked the golden coated doctor. Her voice sounded odd, like she was shouting from very far away. But her words made sense and something in their meaning stirred a troubled feeling within the disoriented pony. Yes, she remembered her name. Most of it. The important part of it. “Dash?” answered the pony sounding a little unsure of her own words. Until she had said the name Dash hadn’t realized that it was her name. It was like it had slipped her mind. But her name was back, fixed firmly in her thoughts. Even if it was the only name the pony could remember. The nagging feeling that something was still missing returned. It was stronger this time, bigger too. There was another name she was supposed to know. An important name. It was right in front of her, on the tip of her tongue, but just out of reach in her thoughts. The feeling was so aggravating! Why couldn’t she remember it! “Just Dash?” asked the tall dark pony, a slight quiver of uncertainty in her voice. Dash wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that. What did the tall one mean by just… Twilight! The name slammed back into her mind. Yet, it was more than just a name. it was thoughts and colors, memories and emotions. The void that Dash had felt was abruptly filled with another being. Dash felt groggy all over again as new thoughts poured into her head. Dozens and dozens of names began to fill her mind. No, their mind. It wasn’t just her anymore, it was them. That was Spike who was standing nearest to them. And behind him, Luna! And the third one doctor… something… okay, well, two out of three wasn’t bad. “Uhg, what happened?” groaned a groggy voice that was part Dash and part somepony else. Dash was aware of it and yet not really part of it. She was an observer of her own incomprehensible thoughts and uncontrolled words. “Why are you all upside-down?” Dash felt a momentary jolt as she experienced waking up a second time from the strange position of already being awake. An overwhelming cacophony of thoughts exploded within their mind. They were Twilight Dash once again as both halves of them were finally awake. “They aren’t upside-down, we are!” answered Twilight Dash. “Why are we upside-down?” “We have no idea, why are we asking us?” “We aren’t, we’re asking them!” “Why are we upside-down?!” “Uh, Twilight… Dash?” asked Spike. “Oh, now you remember that I’m here too,” said Twilight Dash, rolling their eyes. “Dash! Don’t be mean to him!” “He keeps forgetting about me! And why were you calling out for Twilight anyhow? And why are we laying on the couch!” “You passed out!” blurted out Spike. “First you turned all funny, and started calling yourself—“ for a brief moment Spike’s words were silent. He hadn’t lowered his voice but the when the sound reached their ears it was like it hadn’t existed at all. “—then,” continued Spike, as though nothing strange had just happened. “You started talking about the party we had yesterday with our friends. And you remembered them! Sort of… But you just kind of passed out halfway through talking about one of Pinkie’s party games and—” “Thank you Spike,” interjected the golden mare. Her tone was soft, yet stern. “I think smaller, more direct, explanations may be better at the moment.” Twilight Dash had caught maybe half of Spike’s ramblings. He had nearly been talking as fast as Pinkie, which they hadn’t thought possible. He had mentioned the party they couldn’t remember, and their friends being there, and… passing out? “Twilight Dash… TD. Can you tell me the last thing you can clearly recall?” asked the doctor pony… Wild… something… Brain? No, Wild Heart… that sounded right. “Um… we were flying,” began Twilight Dash. “But not really flying.” “Yeah, just remembering that we were flying.” “And you asked us to fly backwards.” “Or to remember flying backwards.” “And we did!” “Anything else?” asked Wild Heart, the slightest frown upon her face. Twilight Dash thought for a moment. After the sky had moved backwards, the next thing they could remember was waking-up, upside-down. There was something else, like a lingering dream, but it had faded away almost completely now. “Not really,” answered Twilight Dash uneasily. “What happened to us?” “Spike is correct. You did indeed faint during your recounting of events,” explained Wild Heart. “But I’m not entirely sure it was you we were talking to when that happened.” Twilight Dash looked at the doctor in confusion. “I cannot be certain,” continued Wild Heart. “We are in uncharted territory here as your case is extremely unique. To my knowledge, there is no precedent for it.” Twilight Dash noticed Luna’s gaze shift uncomfortably to Wild Heart, but she didn’t say anything and the doctor did not see. “I think that we might have spoken with another part of your mind,” suggested Wild Heart. “One that you, yourselves are unaware of.” “What?!” exclaimed Twilight Dash in alarm. “You’re saying there is another us, inside of us?” “That’s… what? How?” “How did something like this happen?” “I do not know yet,” answered Wild Heart with a slight shake of her head. “As I’ve said, there has never been anything like this.” She let out a sigh and looked down at the floor briefly. Somewhere, in the back part of their mind, they recognized this as bad news. “I’ll be honest, I am unsure that I can… fix… this,” said Wild Heart, wincing slightly at her own words. Her eyes finally moved up to look at Twilight Dash with all seriousness. “Yet, I do not believe this is something that will resolve itself on its own. You may never go back to the way you used to be.” “We… we know,” answered Twilight Dash softly. “But I still want to continue to try and help,” said Wild Heart. “If you’re willing to let me. I think it may be best to relocate you to Canterlot, so that you can be treated at the Canterlot Magical Emergency Medical Center.” Spike started to protest, but Twilight Dash cut him off. “You want us to leave Ponyville?!” exclaimed Twilight Dash, nearly toppling off the couch in surprise. “But our friends are here!” “Our home is here!” “Where would we stay?” “Who would look after the library?” “And Tank!” “And Owl—” “I know there are many things you believe need tending to here,” interrupted Wild Heart. “But if you continue to deteriorate, there will be nopony to look after those things. I’m sure arrangements can be made to handle your affairs while you’re away.” “Will… will our friends come along?” asked Twilight Dash, unable to hide the note of hurt in their voice. “I am sure that they will want to be at your side,” said Luna reassuringly. “They haven’t so far,” mumbled Twilight Dash. “Well, I’ll be there for you!” exclaimed Spike excitedly. “I suppose, if you think it is best,” said Twilight Dash after a moment. “Both of you?” asked Wild Heart. “I don’t know,” answered Twilight Dash. They felt conflicted. They knew something needed to be done but they were still unsure as to what. Did they really need to leave Ponyville? Did they really have to let this doctor tinker around in their head? And did they want anypony else to talk to other parts of their mind? “Can you give us time to decide?” “Of course,” replied Wild Heart with a kind smile. “But do not wait too long. I fear the more time that passes, the more difficult our task ahead will become.” Twilight Dash wrapped their hooves around themself and turned away from the others, so that they wouldn’t have to look at the upside-down ponies anymore. There was another part of them. Something that had taken over when neither Dash nor Twilight was there to stop it. “We… we would like to go to bed now,” said Twilight Dash, not turning back over to look at their guests. A new, terrible sensation had spread through them. They were afraid of themself. “Yes, perhaps that is enough for tonight,” agreed Luna as she looked upon the curled up pony. The princess’s horn glowed softly with a ghostly blue magic. From a door upstairs, a soft white cloud-bed emerged before drifting down to a gentle stop beside the couch. “I think sleep will do the both of you a great deal of good. We will await your answer when you are ready to give it.” Spike helped Twilight Dash move from the solid furniture to the cloud bed. The cloud started to drift upwards as the mixed up mare settled down, but Spike grabbed it and held it down. “I’ll take them to their room,” said Spike, giving the cloud a little tug. “We will see ourselves out,” said Luna. “Good night Spike. Sleep well, Twilight Dash.” Luna led the way out, not waiting for Spike to return. Doctor Heart followed close behind without a word. The younger mare looked like she was lost in thought. The two of them climbed back into the waiting chariot. Wordlessly, Luna signaled for her guards to take them home. Their wings flapped and the chariot raced up into the glittering night sky. For a long while, they flew in silence under the stars with only the wind whispering in their ears. Doctor Heart still seemed to be considering the events of the past few hours. But Luna felt compelled to talk about it. “What do you think is wrong?” asked Luna. Doctor Heart stirred slowly from her thoughts. “It’s hard to know for sure,” answered Doctor Heart. “As I said before, there has never been a case of anything like this. I honestly do not know what to expect. It seems like their mind has been fragmented and put back together. But not all of the pieces are in the right spots. “However, the brain is very adaptable,” continued Doctor Heart. “I have seen amazing recoveries from things I’ve believed to be impossible to recover from. As to Twilight Dash… I simply do not know enough yet to be able to give you an answer.” They lapsed back into silence. Luna looked up towards the stars, hoping they might give her some guidance, but the sky was quiet as always. She kept her gaze fixed upwards as she spoke her next words. “This has happened before,” said Luna softly, hoping the wind might carry her words away. “What? Who! When?” cried Doctor Heart in shock. “Are there documents about the incident! Anything we have might help, even if the doctors of the time did not think the notes were valuable!” “No,” answered Luna sadly with a shake of her head. “No there aren’t any notes?” asked Doctor Heart, sounding slightly puzzled. “I shouldn’t have told you that,” said Luna. “I shouldn’t have brought you to Ponyville! When my sister learns what I have done...” “Your sister does not control you,” reassured Doctor Heart kindly. “She does not desire to control you, Luna. It is you who see the expectation where none exists. She cares for you, she will understand.” “Not in this matter,” answered Luna with a shake of her head. “She forbade me from taking any action towards Twilight Dash without her direct consent. I gave her my word that I would not… “But I could not stand by and do nothing! I watched night after night as they punished themselves. And now, seeing them – speaking with them – it is far worse than I imagined.” “You must tell your sister,” said Doctor Heart. “She may be upset with you, but she will forgive you. And perhaps she does not know things have gone so wrong.” “Perhaps…” mused Luna. “But unlikely.” Her gaze shifted back to Doctor Heart. “I cannot give you the documents you seek. They are sealed within the Eternity Vault. It can only be opened by both my sister and I together. However, there may be one with a first hand account…” “A pony who survived this?” exclaimed Doctor Heart in shock. “No… not exactly,” said Luna. “However, for that I must consult my sister. Such information will come with both great risk and a high price, of that I am certain.” Luna let the conversation slip into silence once more. She could see the lights of Canterlot ahead of them now, faint, but growing brighter. It would not be long now before they were home. “Did you learn anything else about Twilight Dash?” asked Luna, looking to move away from the previous, uncomfortable, subject. “Much,” said Doctor Heart cryptically. “And?” asked Luna when the doctor did not elaborate. “Oh, of course, sorry I was lost in thought for a moment,” said Doctor Heart, shaking her head. “Beyond their apparent inability to remember their friends, I noticed several other things that may be important. Their difficulty walking and flying for example. “And the names that Rainbow Sparkle used to describe her friends at the party. Apple-Hat, Uncommon, Pink-Party and Really-Shy. All variants on her friends’ names and traits. “It’s like the connections are all hooked up wrong. Or, like their unconscious mind simply isn’t there. Whatever the case, they have two very active minds competing with each other, even if that’s not what they want. “However,” warned Doctor Heart shaking her head. “That is purely speculation. I don’t know for sure. There are so many possibilities with the brain. I need time and more information to really be able to help. But, at least their connection to magic appears to be just fine.” “But they said they hadn’t cast even a single spell,” offered Luna in surprise. “True, but not due to any damage or disability with their horn,” explained Doctor Heart. “My spell would not have worked if they were unable to channel magic. While we were connected I could feel their energy. It is very strong and very healthy but… odd…” “Odd how?” asked Luna. “I can’t explain it in any rational terms,” answered Doctor Heart. “Odd like smelling a flower you know should have a particular scent, but tasting the color blue instead. Like I said it is difficult to put into words. “Ah, seemeck is just ahead,” said Doctor Heart pointing a hoof towards a building in the distance. It glowed with light, like many of the others but it also had the letters CMEMC across the top. “If you could drop me off, I have several things that need attending to.” “Certainly,” said Luna. Without a word and only the slightest gesture, her pegasus pulling the chariot changed direction and headed towards the hospital. “How do they do that?” asked Doctor Heart in amazement. “Lots of practice,” offered Luna simply. “Also, they can hear us.” One of the pegasus from up front gave Wild Heart a wink over his shoulder. They landed on the nearly empty street in front of the medical center. The wheels touched down with only the slightest of sounds against the smooth stone street. With expert skill, the chariot came to a stop less than a dozen hooves from the brightly lit front entrance of the building. “Thank you again,” said Luna as Doctor Heart stepped out of the chariot. “For all that you have done.” The mare smiled. “Goodnight Princess,” called Doctor Heart with a wave as she made her way towards the main doors to the medical center. Luna watched her enter and walk across the lobby to the stairs. But even after Doctor Heart was gone, Luna continued to stare, almost as if she expected the mare to reappear at any moment. For a long while the night passed around Luna and the empty streets sat silently. “My Princess, is everything alright?” asked one of the guards. They had been waiting silently for her to give them an order, yet she had not moved for… Had it been minutes? Hours? She was unsure herself. Her guards were here, yet, she felt alone. “I will fly myself back to the castle,” instructed Luna, stepping out of the chariot. “Please take this back to the stable, then you both have the rest of the night off.” “Yes, your highness, thank you,” answered the other pegasus with a bow. Then they were off, soaring high above a building and in a moment more they were out of sight completely. Luna took one last glance back at the front doors of the CMEMC, but she saw no ponies inside. At last she flapped her wings and flew high up into the sky. In seconds she was far above the sleeping city of Canterlot. All around her were stars both in the sky and on the ground. She closed her eyes. Even more stars flickered into her vision. But these were a different kind of star. These were minds burning brightly with dreams. Streams of glowing mist flowed between them, like unseen rivers made from fireflies. The streams twisted and moved, snaking throughout the town and across the darkened landscape below. Slowly, reluctantly, Luna turned her closed eyes towards Ponyville. Many tiny stars glinted there as well, but they were almost impossible to see against the massive ball of fire that twisted and churned like the sun brought close. It was that mind that she now so often visited. That mind that was so prominent against the others. She could sense the makings of bad dreams there, stronger than any other mind. But she had to resist the urge to go to their aid once again. There were others that needed her help, others that needed their nightmares quelled. Luna let her eyes open and the dream-stars flickered away. She turned her body and dove down towards the castle below. She would tend to a few matters that needed her attention, then make her rounds through the most troubled dreams, excluding perhaps Twilight Dash, if she could stay away. And then, when the sun was ready to rise, she would tell her sister what she had done. That was something she wasn’t looking forward to. The castle rushed up at her out of the darkness. Its many glowing orbs of magical light made it easily visible from the front and sides, but not so much from above. However, Luna’s night vision was superb and she had no trouble seeing the spot in which she wished to land. Gracefully, she touched down softly on a balcony that connected to a main hallway. This was her favorite entrance. It was usually quiet, had a great view of both the castle and the city and was very close to her room. However, much to Luna’s surprise, there was a pony waiting for her on the balcony. For one terrible moment she thought it might be her sister, but no, the colors were all wrong. It was a guard pony that waited for her. A captain of the Nights Lookout. He saluted her as she landed. “Princess,” said the captain gruffly. “A visitor is waiting at you quarters to speak with you. He has been here for several hours.” “Thank you captain, I will see him at once,” answered Luna. “Are there any other matters that need attending to?” “No my princess, your sister has dealt with all the urgent matters of state,” answered the captain. Luna let out a sigh. “Of course she has,” mumbled Luna, low enough that the captain couldn’t properly make out her words. The guardspony thankfully did not follow Luna as she trotted back towards her room. A visitor, she so rarely got those. Very few, if any ponies ever came to see her, or spend time with her. Really, beyond the guards, her sister was almost the only pony she ever saw anymore… except for maybe Doctor Heart… and Twilight Sparkle… Luna felt a jolt of surprise as she saw the pony waiting in the hall for her. It was not completely unusual for visitors to call upon her during the night, though it was rare. Most ponies went to see her sister during the day and those that often found themselves at her door were either desperate or lost. What had surprised Luna was the way this pony looked. He was a pegasus, middle aged with dark blue, almost purplish fur. But it was his mane and tale that really caught Luna’s attention, for they were the color of rainbows. “Princess,” said the pony with the slightest of bows. “I must speak with you at once! Something has happened to my daughter!” There was an urgency in his voice that suggested both desperation and frustration. “Of course,” said Luna with a nod. “We may speak in my chambers.” The guards at her door pushed open the two tall wooden panels for Luna and her guest to enter. Luna made her way over to a sitting area, where food and drink had been laid out for her and any guests that came to join her. Mostly, it was just her. The stallion stayed at the door, looking extremely anxious. His eyes wandered around the room, like he expected something to jump out at him. “Come, sit,” offered Luna, holding out a hoof towards a spot across from her. “And we shall talk.” The pegasus nodded and walked slowly towards where Luna waited for him. Luna’s chambers were decorated in crystal. When it was dark, with just a little bit of light, the walls and ceiling shimmered with faint reflections that looked like stars. The carpet was dark blue and patterned with silver stars. Her bed sheets matched the carpet, and the chairs, and the curtains, and her pajamas. Although, the last one was out of sight in her closet. The pony came to a stop in front of Luna, his eyes finally making their way to her. Luna waved a hoof for him to be seated. They sat at the same time, laying upon soft, comfy floor pillows. “I am unsure where to begin,” said the pony. “Perhaps, we should start with a name,” suggested Luna kindly. “Oh, of course! My apologies Princess,” said the pony, bowing his head awkwardly. “My name, is Rainbow Sky. I’ve flown a long way from Cloudsdale to speak with… You…” he finished lamely. He had obviously meant to say Celestia. “It is alright,” said Luna, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. “Speak your mind. What brings you to me at such a late hour?” “I know that you and your sister are busy,” explained Rainbow Sky. “I would not have come if it wasn’t important. I tried to see the Prin… I mean, Princess Celestia. But there were so many others gathered there as well that the guards had to turn me away. They said I could return tomorrow, or…” his eyes lifted to Luna. “Or, you could speak with me,” finished Luna. She smiled, but it was a false smile. She was never the first choice to seek for aid. They always went to her sister. Luna tried not to dwell on the thought. “You mentioned your daughter, what has happened?” “That’s the thing, uh, your highness,” said the pegasus. “Luna is fine,” suggest Luna with a smile. “There is no court here, you can relax.” “I’ve never asked a Princess for help,” said Rainbow Sky. “I’m not really sure what to say, or how to say it.” “I would imagine it is much like asking anypony else,” said Luna warmly. “Now, tell me, what is wrong.” “My daughter,” explained the pony at last. “I have not heard from her in nearly two weeks. It is really unlike her.” Luna remained quiet and listened. “So I went to her home, in Ponyville. But she wasn’t there! Her house was deserted. It looks like she hasn’t been there for a while. “I asked around town if anypony had seen her, but none of them had,” continued Rainbow Sky, his words becoming more upset the longer he talked. “At last, a pony told me that there had been a terrible accident and that she had… she…” His voice broke and Luna could see tears on his face. Quickly he wiped them away. “I went to Ponyville General Hospital,” continued Rainbow Sky. “But they said they couldn’t tell me what happened to her. I told them I’m her father! But still they refused me. Her records have been sealed…” his eyes finally came back up to meet Luna’s and there was something like anger in them. “…by royal order.”