//------------------------------// // Date // Story: One Last Trick // by Cloud Hop //------------------------------// "Guess I kinda left you hanging there, huh?" says Rainbow Dash through a mouthful of food. It's late, and we're having dinner together by the hospital bed. Or rather, Rainbow Dash is. I'm sucking a slurry of questionable origin through a straw, leaning back against the pillow and trying to ignore a dull ache in my bruised and broken limbs. At my request, the doctors had agreed to lower my pain medication as much as they could while still keeping me comfortable. I like being able to actually feel things against my fur, and the sooner I'm off whatever potent brew of chemicals they have flowing through me, the better. I haven't asked yet, but given my condition, they probably still have me on some hardcore narcotic, like morphine or aurora. Those kinds of drugs can really screw you up. Honestly, I'd expected Rainbow Dash to agree with me, but she seemed very reluctant to let me off the painkillers. She kept asking pointed questions about what they could do if the pain suddenly got worse. Only after the doctors assured her that they could quickly adjust the dosage as needed did she relent. "So, are you still feeling ok?" asks Rainbow Dash after swallowing her hayfries. She keeps asking me that same question and I can't help but think it's got something to do with the guilty look in her eyes. She'd never do this to anypony else. She'd tell them to suck it up and work through the pain like a mare. I mean, I'm grateful that she cares about me, and I always did want ponies to care about me, but... not like this. Not like some kind of cripple. "...Yeah," I eventually reply. "Yeah, I'm ok." She raises an eyebrow. "You hesitated. Are you sure you're ok?" "What do you want me to say?" I shoot back, "Oh sure, I'm feeling just dandy after having my wings torn off! Everything's just bucking peachy!" Rainbow Dash winces and begins examining the floor with great interest. "I'm... I'm sorry," she croaks, "I just don't want this to be any worse than it already is." I let out a huff. "Treating me like a foal isn't going to change the fact that my life is ruined." "You're right, I'm sorry, I just…” She sighs. “I don't know what to do. There's nothing I can do. I'll just... I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She starts moving towards the doorway. Part of me wants to reach out, to stop her, to bring back the one pony I can share my pain with. Another part is sick of pretending that everything is going to be okay now. Nothing's going to be okay. Nothing will ever be okay for the rest of my life. A tinge of guilt colors my mood, making me wonder if, perhaps, I shouldn't have snapped at her. I remind myself that, in the sum total of my entire life's experiences, right now is the one time being in a bad mood is entirely reasonable. I let her leave, never saying a word. My head turns to the darkness outside the window, not quite having chased off the remnants of the sun's glory. Picking my way through my memories was not helping my mood in the slightest. All it did was remind me of how close I had come to having a fairy tale ending, of having the life I had always wanted. Now I have nothing but the darkness lingering in my soul, growing ever darker as the days roll by, just as the dying remnants of light are overtaken by Luna's blanket. They had turned on the TV for me, but I wasn't paying attention. Something about an assassination attempt by a crazed mare who tried to blow up the Night Court, then blasted some poor bystander with an amnesia spell. It sounds like a tragedy, but I don't care. I have my own tragedy to deal with. It was almost noon when Rainbow Dash finally returned. At first I thought I had scared her off, but I could sense a disturbance in the hospital. A commotion somewhere in the ICU, trickling through the hallways and down the stairs. Nurses trotted slightly faster, and there was a sense of tension in the air that always seemed just out of reach. I was wondering if it had something to do with what I'd seen on TV last night when Rainbow Dash walked in. "Hey," she says, a touch of annoyance coloring her words. At first, I fear they are meant for me, but her gaze flickers back towards the door, and I relax. Whatever it was, it wasn't me, though I still feel a bit guilty for snapping at her yesterday. "Something keep you?" I ask, shifting around on my bed. It’s both an unspoken acknowledgement that she is late, and an invitation for her to vent her frustration at whatever had impaired her progress. Her tail flicks, and she slowly makes her way to my side. "Some kinda commotion in the lobby. Looks like somepony pretty important got beat up. The whole hospital is on the fritz." For a moment, I hear the old Rainbow Dash, peeking through the mask of despondency. I feel like a pony stranded in the desert, desperate for water, finding a precious few drops beneath an overhang. It is like the spring's sweetest nectar, warm and rich and sweet and real. Then, it is gone, and Rainbow Dash is drooping again, her entire form sagging like an old bookshelf with too many stories. The weight of the world is too much, and she buckles under its load, until the only thing left is a sad pegasus, full of regret. "Huh," I say. It is an empty, worthless statement. It's almost as worthless as I feel. For a moment, nothing is said, and the only conversation comes from the quiet beeping of my heart monitor. Between us, our grand adventures are forgotten. Our daring tricks and wild flights fade into a dull gray void, buried underneath the inevitable passage of time. We are two lost souls with dying sparks, devoid of life. We are homunculi, drudging through every minute of every hour with no reason or purpose. With a start, I realize the implications of this. The two of us are now forever connected, tied together by a tragedy that took something from both of us. I pause and ask myself, What did Rainbow Dash lose? Why does it feel like something is now missing from her? I'm the one whose life had ended. I lost my wings, my hopes, my dreams. I lost everything. She is still Rainbow Dash. She is still the fastest pegasus anypony had ever seen. She is still the Element of Loyalty. Is it possible that this is not why she remains by my side? Is it possible that she's not staying with me out of loyalty, but because she is desperately searching for something she has lost? "So, uh, what's up?" asks Rainbow Dash. I realize I had been staring at my bedsheets intently, having thoroughly lost myself in thought. "U-uh, n-n-nothing," I stutter, leaning back into my pillow. "Just... thinking. About stuff," I add. She nods. "Been doing a lot of that myself, honestly. Got a lotta stuff to think about..." Her ears droop again. I'm quiet again. I lean back and stare at the ceiling for a minute or so before the silence becomes unbearable. "So, the day of the opening ceremonies was pretty rad, if I remember correctly." Rainbow Dash's ears perk up, and I feel a warm rush flow through me. "Heh, yeah, it was pretty awesome." Her voice cracks, but there is a glimmer in her eyes. I sit up... I didn't sleep much last night. It's surprising how hard it is to sleep when the mare of your dreams wants to see the Wonderbolt opening ceremonies with you after lunch. My mind is more hyper than an over-caffeinated squirrel on crack. My heart is hammering in my chest as I think about the two of us flying into the stands. It flutters as I wonder just how far into the night that impromptu date will go, and if she has any plans after the ceremony. How long will that magical moment last? I can barely brush my teeth in the morning, and breakfast is nothing more than a fleeting moment. I gleefully gallop out the doors of my hotel and launch myself into the air, letting a warm breeze carry me away into the city to drift amongst the steel spires of the metropolis. An uncountable multitude of little glass squares rocket past me as I dance through the streets. One hard turn later, I catch a thermal’s gust, and spiral up towards the heavens, slicing my way through the air to visit the crown of the world. A thousand feet above the earth, the clouds are scarce, with only a few lonely vagrants roaming the skies. Coasting gently on the air currents, I find an island of vapor to call my own. Settling down, I peer over the side, towards the concrete jungle beneath me. Neat little grids criss-cross the landscape, and tall brick spires burst from the ground in tiny boxes. Far too neat and orderly for my tastes. I scan the skies for other pegasi, and spot a few pairs of wings that seem familiar. Sadly, none have the magical rainbow I’m looking for, that incomprehensible eruption of color that trails behind the one pegasus mare I want to see. Huffing in annoyance, I leap off my miniature cloud and dive towards the ground. A roaring gale tears at my face, but I pay it no heed. I want to go faster. Faster! A scant few heartbeats before I crash into the street, I flare my wings out to their full extent, and redirect my momentum. G-forces pull at my guts, and a thousand pounds of force slam into my feathers. For the briefest of moments, I’m not sure if I’ll survive, or if my wings will buckle under the strain. My heart skips a beat, and the one second between me and the ground turns into an eternity, an endless moment where I feel suspended in time, free to look at the frozen scene in front of me, a snapshot of everyday life. A mother and her foal trotting down the street, an old stallion reading a newspaper, a guardspony looking in my direction with a disapproving glare. But my wings hold, just like they always do, and soon my brush with death is forgotten as I hurtle through the streets like a bullet, already thirsting for another death-defying stunt. Curving towards the blue dome above me, I twist around, narrowly dodging a sign. My wings cry out in protest, but I am merciless. I do a 180, curving back on my own cloud trail. I spot a bell tower in the distance, and a ghost of a smile plays across my lips. Turning towards it, I approach from slightly below, curving upwards. As I near the top of the tower, I give one more powerful flap and snap my wings to my sides, sending myself hurtling through the stone structure. I feel the cold stone tickle my fur, and once again, time screeches to a halt. I am floating past an enormous brass knocker suspended beneath the bell, a hairsbreadth away from smashing into it. A bird is looking curiously at the strange object speeding by it. A few distant pegasi dance through the air. Then I’m through, and my heart remembers to beat again. I laugh with glee, spiraling down towards the buildings below, once again forgetting my near-miss. Beating my wings, I spend the rest of the time until lunch terrorizing the air currents and dancing through thermal pillars rising into the stratosphere. Before long, I realize the sun has almost reached its zenith. I figure now is as good a time as any to head over to the park, and bank to the left. In a matter of minutes, I’m hovering over the large clearing where the stunt fliers had gathered yesterday, peering through the masses of pegasi flying around. Sadly, there is no sign of the multicolored mare I’m looking for, and I resign myself to laying on a nearby cloud, peering down every now and then at the new arrivals. I’d passed a large clock on my way here, and I’m pretty sure it’s at least ten past noon by now. Then again, Rainbow Dash doesn’t exactly seem like the type to be on time, so this really isn’t all that surprising. Still, I’m a tad disappointed, given how eager I am to see her again. Another uneventful five minutes pass by, and I’m lying on the cloud, staring up at the sky, when my ears perk up. “O-oh, hey! Uh, yeah, I’m Rainbow Dash! The most awesome flier around! At least until the Wonderbolts show up, of course. Anyway, I’m looking for somepony right now, so... maybe later?” I scramble to the edge of the cloud and look down. Sitting in the center of a crowd of gaggling pegasi with a brilliant rainbow mane shimmering in the sunlight, Rainbow Dash is impossible to miss. Normally, she’d probably be basking in all the attention, but today, she seems a bit distracted. Even… nervous? My heart hammers against my chest as I try in vain to keep my cool. She is totally asking me out! She’s actually nervous because she’s taking me on a date! Holy crap holy crap holy crap holy cra— I slap myself. Snap out of it and fly over there already! I take a deep breath and leap off the cloud, trying my best to glide over to Rainbow Dash as gracefully as possible. I come to a stop just slightly above her and flash her a smile. “Is somepony looking for me?” Her eyes immediately light up. “There you are!” she says, pretending to be frustrated. “Where were you five minutes ago?” I blink, my brain momentarily caught off guard by her nonsensical demand. “I, uh, I was, uh, j-just over th—” “It was a rhetorical question, you doofus!” she interrupts, earning scattered bits of laughter from the crowd. I scratch the back of my head and look sheepish, because if a girl thinks you’re a doofus, then you’re a doofus, no matter how little sense they’re actually making. “Now, come on, I’ve got a date with the sky and I don’t plan on missing it!” I am momentarily disoriented by what can only be described as an explosion of air, as Rainbow Dash shoots upwards faster than any pegasus I’ve ever seen. Have I mentioned that she is unimaginably fast? Because she is unimaginably fast. Really. I take a moment to orient myself, only to realize that the entire crowd is now staring at me. I’m now the second most important pony on this side of Manehatten, and if I’m going to survive the next few days with my dignity intact, I’ll have to earn it. “See you fillies later,” I say, giving them a curt salute, before launching myself towards the sky. My wings burn and my eyes water, but I keep pumping my feathers for all they’re worth. As I near the clouds, I spare a look back and realize that I’ve done a fairly good job of emulating Rainbow Dash. Then, I nearly run into her. “Whoa!” yelps Rainbow Dash, tumbling backwards as I smash through the cloud. I immediately start to brake, and eventually manage to land next to her. “Getting a little excited there, are we?” she asks, dusting herself off. “U-uh, sorry,” I mumble. “Sorry about that show I put on down there.” I raise an eyebrow. “Okay, okay, I’m not sorry,” she admits, “but I am sorry for putting you on the spot; s’not what I usually do. I like the spotlight on me, instead.” “Gee, I didn’t notice,” I quip, walking towards the edge of the cloud alongside her. Turning to face me, Rainbow Dash bats her eyelashes at me. “You know me too well, and we only just met. What lovely things are you going to do to this innocent little filly?” I stop at the cloudy precipice and stare blankly at her. She bursts out laughing. “Hahahaha, the look on your face!” She wipes the tears from her eyes and spreads her wings, flashing a smile at me. “Now get your fat flank behind me and try to keep up!” Rainbow Dash takes off, and I gleefully follow. We tumble through the sky like a pair of doves, spiraling around each other, giggling and laughing and riding the thermals down towards the streets below. It almost seems like we might crash into the concrete floor, but I flare my wings at the last moment, and glide to a graceful landing, right next to Rainbow Dash, who manages an even more graceful landing. “So, uh, what were you planning to do for lunch?” I ask, folding my wings to my side and following Rainbow Dash down a nearby sidewalk. “Errrrrr…” Rainbow Dash slows down and gives me a sheepish look. “I kind of… already ate. I thought we’d be trying to get some early seats for the Wonderbolt performance. Sorry.” I blink. Part of me is surprised, since she did say to meet her at noon. The other part of me isn’t surprised at all, because she’s Rainbow Dash. “Oh, well, uh, I can just pick something up on the way there.” I offer, and look around the street. “I think I spot some tofu dogs up there.” “O-oh, yeah. Yeah! Um, we can go get some tofu dogs!” Rainbow Dash starts trotting towards the stand at a rather brisk pace. “I mean, you can get a tofu dog, because I totally already ate. Yeah.” The thankfully short walk to the tofu stand is spent in an awkward silence, which is interrupted by a bombastic greeting given by the salesmare behind the stand. “Ahoy there, partners! Lookin’ to buy some tofu dogs for the each of yah?” “Ah, no, just uh, one for him, actually.” She glances at me. “You just want one, right?” I barely have time to start nodding before the salesmare starts preparing a bun. “Alrighty then, one tofu dog for the coltfriend, coming right up!” Almost immediately, Rainbow Dash makes a noise that can only be described as a cross between gasping and choking. “N-n-no!” she protests, “we’re not, uh, together, yet. I mean,” Rainbow Dash is tripping over her own words. “No, wait, I don’t mean—! We’re just, friends! And, um, we’re seeing, uh…” “Ohhh~ I see,” says the salesmare with a wink. “It’s just gonna be a lil’ romp in the hay then, eh?” My snickering abruptly turns into a “What?!”, and I join Rainbow Dash in an attempt to not turn into a tomato. We are not particularly successful. “Errrr, I don’t think—” I begin, only to have a tofu dog thrust in front of my muzzle. “There you go, sir, have a nice evening!” The salespony gives us a cheerful wave, and I mutter an unintelligible thanks before shuffling off to a nearby table. “Well, heh, that was awkward,” observes Rainbow Dash. I let out a snort and bite into my tofu dog. Despite the emotional wrangling I had been subjected to by the salesmare, it’s a really good tofu dog. The conversation lapses into another awkward silence as I scarf down my tofu dog. Not because I’m starving, but rather because I just want to put this whole thing behind me as quickly as possible. I inhale the last shred of the tofu dog and wave a hoof in the general direction of the stadium. “So—” I am interrupted by a loud burp from my rebellious stomach. “Uh, are we headed to the stadium now? I’m sure you want some good seats.” “Oh? Oh yeah! Yeah. Definitely. Line. We should get in it. Yeah.” Rainbow Dash grabs hold of the conversational liferaft in a heroic attempt to forget what just transpired. “So, what about those Wonderbolts?” I eagerly follow her, glad to have anything else to talk about, even if we’ve talked about how awesome Spitfire is three times already. By the time we get to the stadium, the line is already three blocks long. We double check that we have our tickets and sit down at the end. “I’m soooooo booooooooooored~” moans Rainbow Dash. It’s been almost an hour since we got in line, which now stretches all the way around the stadium walls, at least 12 blocks in total. Thankfully, I notice that the very front of the line has just started moving. “Hey,” I say, pointing a hoof towards the front, “I think they’re finally moving.” “Oh thank Celestia!” Rainbow Dash rolls over and looks towards the head of the line. “...That’s not moving very fast.” It takes another ten minutes, but we eventually reach the entrance of the stadium, where two enormous obsidian doors tower above us. I take out a golden ticket and show it to the inspector, who nods and waves me through. I pause until Rainbow Dash is through, and together we trot through the massive gates into the Manehatten Stadium. Enormous stands spiral towards the ceiling, supported by massive pillars made of magically reinforced marble. Rainbow Dash walks beside me, giggling like a schoolfilly in a candy store. "Come on, come on!" she urges, pulling me towards one end of the stadium after leaping into the air. I snicker and take off after her, gliding across the field to the stands on the other side. Rainbow Dash starts examining seat rows with fanatical precision, until finally settling on one just between the middle and the front. She plops down in the center of the row and waves me over. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" she squeals in delight and anticipation, and I start to wonder if she's going to explode from excitement. "This is going to be awesome, huh?" I ask with a playful nudge. "Awesome?" asks Rainbow Dash, who suddenly has a deathly serious look on her face. "This is going to be unreal! This is going to be the most super impossibly amazing awesome-est thing ever to happen in the history of forever!" I am momentarily taken aback. "I, uh, y-yeah...?" She bursts out laughing. "Come on, man, put some feeling into it! We're gonna see the Wonderbolts!" "Well, in twenty minutes, after the rest of the stadium fills up," I point out. "Pshaw," she gives me a light knock on the shoulder, "I was waiting weeks for this. Twenty minutes is nothing." I roll my eyes. "Says the mare who can't sit still." "Since when can I ever sit still?!" "Touché." As we banter back and forth, the stadium slowly begins to fill with ponies. Lots of pegasi, but quite a few unicorns and earth ponies too. Several pegasi are trying to catch a free show from above the stadium, but mostly they’re just playing catch-me-if-you-can with half a dozen pegasus guardsponies. Given that most of the freeloaders are also aspiring stunt fliers, the guards are not having a very good time. "Fillies and gentlecolts!” announces a magically amplified voice. "I'm Top Box, and I'll be your announcer for this afternoon! And what a show I have in store for you!" "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" Rainbow Dash is clopping her hooves together with anticipation, but my eyes are staring at the gates towards the far end of the stadium. "Straight from the cerulean skies of Cloudsdale, coming in with the force of a hurricane, allow me to introduce... THE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONDERBOLTS!" The stadium erupts in a deafening roar as the crowd screams its approval. The great sapphire gates on the opposite end of the field begin to creak open, followed by a series of yellow and blue blurs hurtling out. The Wonderbolts tear through the stadium at speeds I had only ever seen Rainbow Dash pull off, holding a neat formation as they approach the opposite end and bank upwards. They scream past the stands, splitting apart, and four uniformed pegasi twist away from Spitfire, looping up in a huge array of half circles. The two farthest Wonderbolts corkscrew inwards at the crest of their loop, as do Soarin and Fleetfoot, until all five pegasi are once again in a neat formation, rushing towards the opposite end of the field. Right before they reach the end, they make a hairpin turn and start circling around the very edge of the stadium. Several begin waving to the screaming crowd below before preparing for their next trick… "... And then Soarin was like whoosh and Fleetfoot flipped right over him and it was so awesome!" Rainbow Dash squeals with glee while hovering several feet in the air, her wings buzzing with excitement. “Totally,” I agree, not quite matching her display of enthusiasm for the past two hours, but still attempting to quell my racing heart. I let Rainbow Dash babble on about the performance for several minutes while trotting away from the stadium. We make it to a small bridge overlooking a river by the time her endless torrent of words finally hits a lull. There’s a quartet of owls perched on the other balcony whistling a cute song, and it makes the moment seem almost romantic. “So, what did you have in mind for the rest of today?” I ask, sitting down in the center of the bridge. “The rest of today?” Rainbow Dash sits down beside me, looking momentarily caught off-guard. “I, er, well… I do have reservations at the Neigh de Aplomb tonight,” she offers, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. I am taken aback by the romantic moment I seem to be sharing, made even more apparent by the serendipitous singing of the owls on the other side of the bridge. Was there another side to Rainbow Dash? Was this truly the start of a wonderfully romantic evening, filled with wine and proper food? “Oh, that sounds great! What are we doing until then?” I ask. She flashes a mischievous grin at me. “We race, and you lose.” Before I can blink, she launches herself into the air, creating such an explosion of air the poor owls are knocked off the banister. Silly me, I think, kicking off the bridge in an ill-fated attempt to catch up to the mare I had fallen for, she’s Rainbow Dash—she doesn’t do romantic. Rainbow Dash is waiting for me near a lone white cloud. We take off towards the center of town, laughing and reveling in the joy of being far above the world, of being voyagers into the infinite blue, of being free. I stretch my wings, and soar. I don’t know what I’d do without my wings. I don’t know what I’d do without my wings… “Prism? Prism?!” Rainbow’s words seem distant, indistinct. I can’t focus. Hot tears spill down my cheeks, and I realize I’m sobbing, half my face buried in my pillow, unable to curl up. “Please, Prism, it’s going to be okay, I promise! I’m here for you, okay? Prism?” Warm cyan fur drapes across my cheek. A hoof slides across my chest, and I feel Rainbow Dash nuzzling me, whispering reassurances in my ear. “Can’t C-Celestia fix this?” I choke out. “C-c-can’t she just c-cast a spell and f-fix my wings?” I felt Rainbow Dash tense up. “I… no, Prism, it doesn’t work that way, I’m sorry, I just—” “Why not?!” I cry out, trying to choke back my sobs long enough to speak. “W-why can’t she just fix everything?! I-is it because I’m a bad pony? I’ll be different now, I swear, I’ll never do another stunt again, just please give me my wings back!” I dissolve into tears once again, and Rainbow Dash’s mouth is half-open. She seems conflicted, like she doesn’t know what to say. Eventually, after I’ve progressed into quiet sniffling, she speaks. “You and I both know that no spell in the world can regrow a limb,” says Rainbow Dash. She says it with conviction, as though she were explaining that the sky is blue. Her statement is simply, undeniably true, and it hurts. “Not even Princess Celestia can heal something that isn’t there.” “Please!” I beg, “p-please, I just want to fly again. There has to be a way, there has to be! I’ll do anything! J-just let me f-fly again…” This time, Rainbow Dash does not respond. Instead, she wraps me in a warm hug, and I hold on to her tightly with one hoof. We stay like that for a while, until she finally speaks up again. “I’m going to go get some dinner, ok?” I node mutely, and watch her leave the room. All I want is to be able to fly again. I would trade anything for it. Anything! Would you trade Rainbow Dash? I feel conflicted and confused when I can’t bring myself to answer. Why do I hesitate? What could possibly be more important to me than flying? My thoughts are interrupted by Rainbow Dash returning with a banana-strawberry smoothie that immediately makes my mouth water, and I decide that, right now, that banana-strawberry smoothie is the most important thing in the universe. I feel better after dinner. Still hopelessly depressed and lost and broken with a ruined life, but still a bit better. Better enough that I can keep going. “We can always do this tomorrow,” insists Rainbow Dash, but I shake my head. “No, I’m getting closer. I want to know. I have to know. I need to know… what happened.” Rainbow Dash’s ears fall back, and she returns to staring at the floor. Figuring this is as good a time as any, I dredge up the rest of my memories... “So, where is this?” Rainbow Dash shoots me a look. “You really don’t know where the Neigh de Aplomb is?” “Come on, girl, it’s not like I live here.” I flap my wings until we’re flying right next to each other. Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash banks hard to the left. “Excuses, excuses. Anyway, it’s just over here.” Once again, I find myself trailing behind her. We gently land on the sidewalk in front of a large and very fancy looking restaurant. I let out a low whistle. “Boy, this is fancy.” Rainbow Dash snerks. “I hope it isn’t too fancy for a vagrant like you.” “How dare you suggest that I am a reckless stunt flier! I’ll have you know I almost killed myself three times today!” She laughs, and I trot up the steps towards an entryway carved out of ancient mahogany wood. My hoof reaches for the door— My mouth freezes, half open. "Is something wrong?" asks Rainbow Dash. I find my voice again. "That's it. It's over. It's gone. There's nothing else." Rainbow Dash frowns. "Waddya mean?" I shake my head. "I mean, I can't remember anything else. We walk into the cafe and then I wake up in a hospital bed. It's just gone." Rainbow Dash stares at me, and I see a look of horror slowly overtake her features. "...What? What?! Are you serious?!" "The accident," I blurt out, "when did it happen? The next day?" Rainbow Dash sucks in a breath through clenched teeth. "It was late in the afternoon, so maybe... 20 hours?" My heart skips a beat. "The doc, he said..." "...that you'd never remember the last 24 hours before the accident," finishes Rainbow Dash. She stares at me as though I were a ghost. "No,” she whispers. "What?" "No no no no no nononononoNO!" She stomps a hoof on the ground with surprising force. “No no no NO NO NO!” Then she falls to the floor and starts crying. “No... n-no, no—no... n-no,” she mumbles, choking and hiccuping between sobs. I’m too stunned to have a proper reaction. I just stare at the despondent pegasus on the floor, wondering what could possibly be so terrible. What have I forgotten? Why is she so upset about it? Surely she could just tell me about whatever I’ve forgotten, right? What on earth could have happened she couldn’t simply tell me abo— My heart seizes. Something is beeping rapidly by my bed, but I don’t notice. My mind is blank, except for one thought, one all-encompassing notion swirling around my head. I forgot our first kiss.