Chapter 4: The Same, But a Little Different
“SURPRISE!!!”
Skylight jumped up, startled off the ground. “Oh--! Wow, alright... um Hello everypony!”
“Were you surprised? I bet you were!” Pinkie Pie bounced towards her. “Even though I already told you I was planning a super fun party for you! I still surprised you!! I am good!”
“Hello, there Skylight! Welcome ta Ponyville!” An orange earth pony with a cowboy hat said. “I’m Applejack, and this here’s Rarity, Rainbow Dash,” A white unicorn bowed, and a blue pegasus with multi-colored mane nodded her head. “and it looks like you’ve already met Pinkie Pie an’ Twilight, oh and this is our friend--”
“Fluttershy!!” Skylight lunged forward.
“Eep!” Fluttershy ducked beneath a table.
“Fluttershy! It’s me! Skylight! . . .” She said with genuine confusion in her voice. “From the Everfree Forest?”
Fluttershy peeked her head out from underneath the table. “Um, I’m sorry but I don’t think...”
“I-- I’m friends with Night Arrow. . . ?” Skylight began to plead “We had a sleep over in my locker room. . . ?” Skylight’s ears dropped back sadly. “You... you really don’t remember any of this, do you....?”
The rest of the ponies looked at Fluttershy for a response. “I’m so sorry, I think you have the wrong pegasus.”
Skylight sat down in defeat.
“Well, I have just about no clue what’s going on here,” Rarity said “but I do think it’s rather rude to harass somepony you’ve just met.”
“What? I didn’t mean to harass--” Skylight began.
“Girls, please... I have disturbing news.” Twilight interupted before things got worse.
“What is it, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
“First off, Skylight isn’t exactly a new pony at all. She’s actually my twin sister, Skylight Sparkle”
“What!?” Everypony gasped.
Rainbow Dash flew down, landing in front of Skylight “Ppfch, yeah right!” She aggressively surveyed her up and down. “She may look just like you, but she’s a pegasus pony... you’re a unicorn! That’s not even possible.”
Pinkie Pie suddenly stood up between them, holding the Cake’s twin foals. “Um, helllooooooo!? Ever hear of Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake!? Unicorn-Pegasus twins are now CANON!”
Raindow Dash stopped her skepticism. “Oh yeah. Wait, what does ‘canon’ mea-- you know what? Nevermind.”
“Well it’s Nice to meetcha, Skylight! Any sister of Twi’s is a sister of mine!” Applejack smiled.
“Thank you, really but...”
Twilight interrupted again, “--We have a problem though, girls.”
Rarity stepped forward, still uneasy about Skylight. “Well, what is it darling? I’m sure any problem you have can be taken care of easily by all of us.”
“Yup! Just name it!” Applejack fixed her hat.
Twilight hesitated for a moment. “Discord is free...”
‘Why doesn’t Fluttershy remember me??’ Skylight thought to herself, ignoring the obvious concern among the six friends, ‘What is going on? Could it be a different yellow pegasus with long wavy pink mane and thick eyelashes who also happens to be named Fluttershy--? No, that’s stupid... I just need to--’
“Hey Twily,” Shining Armor said walking through the entrance to Sugar Cube Corner, “Look who I found!”
Standing in the doorway was the dark teal pegasus himself. Green mane, and his trademark violet, baggy eyes.
“Night Arrow!!” Skylight lunged herself at him. “I’m so glad to see you! You would not believe the day I’ve had!!”
Night Arrow stood, unmoved both physically nor emotionally. He wore Roya Lunar Armor, and looked more annoyed than anything.
“Captain Shining Armor, please get your little sister off of me. I just cleaned this armor.”
Skylight’s eyes sprung open. Her pupils shrank, and here eyes filled with tears. She was disappointed about Fluttershy not recognizing her, but Night Arrow? She was absolutely devastated. This day couldn’t possibly get any worst. She wasn’t feeling like herself, she had lost her ability to fly fast, and now her best friend in the whole world didn’t even recognize her...*
“Arrow...? But-- No! NO! You HAVE to remember me!! We grew up together!! We’re in the Shadowbolts!! We live in the Everfree Forest! In the old abandoned stadium!!”
“First of all, that’s Lieutenant Nightl Arrow to you. And secondly, The Shadowbolts? That silly side-project Princess Luna is trying to form just to spite Princess Celestia’s Wonderbolts? How do you even know about that? And why would I join a ragtag group of would-be flyers like that?”
Skylight sat down, clearly distraught. Applejack came over and comforted her.
Lt. Night Arrow continued, “Please, Shining Armor, can you tell me what I’m doing at a Ponyville filly’s--” He looks around the room at Pinkie’s decorations, “--what is this, a birthday party?”
“Twilight told me to bring you here, and Celestia seems to trust her judgement on most things, so I feel I should give her the benefit of the doubt.” Shining Armor replied.
Skylight wasn’t listening anymore. ‘Rag-tag team of... would-be flyers?’ his words echoed painfully in her mind. She was crushed... sure she’d gained her family, but she had lost *everything* about her old self in the process. No more racing, no more flying through Everfree in the middle of the night, or fighting off timberwolves... no more playing pranks on Night Arrow... no more Shadowbolts... was a family that she never even really knew worth losing all that . . . ?
“Everything is gonna be alright, Sugarcube.” Applejack said, patting Skylight on the shoulder. “Trust me.”
Rarity was still not buying it. “Honestly, Twilight. This pony is claiming to be your sister, but I don’t recall you ever mentioning a sister, far less a twin sister! Are you sure she’s not just trying to deceive you or something?”
“It’s . . . a touchy subject.” Twilight said, looking at Shining Armor “She had gone missing back when we were very young... it was back when we lived in Canterlot.”
Rainbow Dash added, “I don’t know, this all sounds kinda sketchy, Twilight. She’s saying she knows Fluttershy, and now this Night Arrow guy... but nopony seems to remember her! How do we know this isn’t one of Discord’s stupid games?”
Applejack stepped forward towards the center of the group. “Now, Rainbow, I can see it in Skylight’s eyes. She’s telling the truth.” Rainbow Dash stopped hovering and sat on the floor next to Rarity. “She’s just a victim of all this. There’s no need to attack her.”
Skylight forced a smile. “Thank you, Applejack...”
“I’ve got it! Magic-proof glass!” Twilight exclaimed.
“A who what now?” Rarity turned her head, confused.
“Magic-proof glass!!” She repeated slower. “It cannot be affected by magic of any sorts! I have one in my library! But since that also means I can’t move it using my horn, I’m gonna need some help getting it out. . .”
“And uh, what exactly does this glass do?” Applejack asked.
“I’ll explain when we get to the library, just trust me!”
Night Arrow’s patience was clearly running thin. “Well this seems like the most fun, pretty much ever, but I should be getting back to Canterlot--”
“--You’re not going anywhere yet, Arrow.” Shining Armor blocked his path. “I think we still need you with us.”
Night Arrow scowled “Uggh, Sir yes sir...” He saluted sarcastically. “But if Princess Luna beckons, and I’m not there, it’s *your* flank, Shining Armor.”
“Come on girls, gentlecolts,” Twilight motioned to her brother and Night Arrow, “Let’s get to the library.”
Pinkie Pie looked up from the cake she was in the middle of devouring “Aww! But the party just started!”