//------------------------------// // Another Pony's Memories // Story: To Make Old Friends // by Incidental Pegasus No. 5 //------------------------------// Fluttershy awoke, unnerved by strange dreams she couldn't remember. Most mornings, she needed to remind herself that, as comfortable as her cloud mattress was, she had responsibilities and couldn't just sleep as late as she wanted, but today she arose eagerly. The longer she lay there, the more she was going to dwell on this uncomfortable feeling. The light of Celestia's sun shone through her window and she felt its warm glow on her coat. Fluttershy pushed her doubts to the back of her mind. They were just dreams, after all, and she wasn't going to let them ruin her day. Today was going to be a beautiful day. She would make sure of it. She began to make a couple of slices of hay toast for breakfast as she looked out the window at the city. Cloudsdale was a beautiful place to look at, but there were always so many other ponies about, and it made her uncomfortable. She was glad that her house was near the outskirts of town. It was much quieter out here. She liked quiet. As she left her house, she noticed that the mailpony had been by, as a letter had been left for her. It looked like it was from Soarin'. The two had been introduced at one of her parents' parties. While it seemed her father hoped something would come of it, her shy nature and his busy schedule with the Wonderbolts ensured that their relationship remained simply a friendly one. Fluttershy greatly appreciated his friendship, even if it was a long-distance one. She didn't have many friends. She regretted that she wouldn't have time to read the letter now if she wanted to get to work on time as she went back inside to leave it on her desk. She had some clouds to clear. ---------------------------- "Good morning, Cloud Kicker." "Hello, Fluttershy. Another sunny day on the schedule?" "Yes. Let's go make sure that everypony in Ponyville has a bright, sunny sky to enjoy." She was happy the schedule today had her working with Cloud Kicker. She knew that many of the other pegasi on the weather team resented her position. Being in charge of the weather detail for a town, even an unremarkable one like Ponyville, was a prestigious position that usually went to somepony more experienced. While there were exceptions – Spitfire had held the position in Hoofington before she was discovered by the Wonderbolts – they were generally made for ponies with incredible flying skills, and Fluttershy had never seemed any better than average. There were whispers that her job was the result of her father pulling some strings. The thing about rumors is that, every so often, they turn out to more or less be true. She hadn't been happy when he had told her about the "great opportunity" he was able to set up for her. And it was a great opportunity, she had to admit, but Fluttershy wanted to succeed on her own abilities. She wanted to be her own pony, not just "Giltwing's daughter". But at the same time, it seemed so important to him that she couldn't bring herself to say no. She just told him she didn't want him to do it again... if that was alright with him. Cloud Kicker wasn't like some of the others, though. When Fluttershy first started, she had accepted her and didn't care how she'd gotten the job. She was always ready with a cheerful smile, and the two soon became fast friends. If Fluttershy was asked, she would probably say that she considered Cloud Kicker to be her best friend. Of course, as the head of the weather team, Fluttershy could have easily made the work schedules say whatever she wanted them to, but she didn't think that would be fair to the other ponies or to Cloud Kicker. She didn't want the rest of the team to start resenting her as well. As she and Cloud Kicker got to work clearing the sky, Fluttershy found the unease from that morning creeping back into her mind. What bothered her the most was that, although her dreams distressed her, she couldn't actually remember what they were, just that they seemed like they were important. Even if she confided in somepony, it would be hard to explain that she was bothered by something she didn't know anything about. She was so distracted that she didn't realize that Cloud Kicker was talking to her. "Fluttershy? Are you okay?" Fluttershy nodded. "I was just wondering if you could help me collect a few of these clouds. My parents asked if my sister could stay with me for a couple of days and I need the extra mattress." Fluttershy agreed and the two began to push a few of the smaller clouds over towards a bigger one. As the yellow pegasus flew up to grab another, she glanced downwards at the larger cloud. There was something about the way the cloud looked struck her as familiar. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but something about its shape... Fluttershy was overwhelmed as a flood of images poured into her mind. ---------------------------- "Fluttershy! Fluttershy, wake up!" Fluttershy regained consciousness and found herself laying on her back on a cloud. Cloud Kicker was kneeling next to her, looking frantic. Groggily, she sat up, her friend aiding her. "Wh-what happened?" "You were just going after a cloud, and all of a sudden, you just... stopped," the blonde pegasus said, not sure how else to explain it. "You got this strange look on your face, and you wouldn't say anything, and then you stopped flapping your wings, and – and – I almost wasn't able to catch you." Fluttershy noticed that her friend's grayish-purple coloring was grayer than usual. She reached her forelegs out and wrapped them around the worried pony's frame. "You saved my life. Thank you." This helped calm Cloud Kicker, and her expression of panic changed to one of concern. "I've never seen anything like that. What happened?" Fluttershy opened her mouth to explain, but stopped when she realized she wasn't sure how to explain. These visions in her mind felt like memories, but they were memories of things that never happened, of things that never could have happened. How could she be remembering things that didn't happen? She knew there had to be an explanation, even if she had no idea what it could be. Searching her new memories, if memories were even what they were, for anything that might serve as a clue, she realized that the same five mares kept showing up. Four of them were complete strangers to her, but the fifth was an old foalhood friend of hers, Rainbow Dash. They had drifted apart as they grew older, and she hadn't seen her in a few years, but there was no mistaking any other pony for Rainbow Dash. Since Dash was a real pony, Fluttershy thought, that meant the others are probably real, too. If she could find them, maybe she could understand what was going on. She realized that, while she had been trying to work things out, her friend was still waiting expectantly. "I'm sorry. I don't really understand myself." She explained as best she could about the not-memories. "In them, I'm still Fluttershy, but a different Fluttershy, if that makes sense. Whatever they are, they've stopped now. I want to find out more about them, but I feel fine." That wasn't entirely true. Physically, she felt fine, but what really troubled her was this feeling she couldn't shake that the vague flashes were somehow right, and the memories she was so sure of were wrong. What's worse, Cloud Kicker barely appeared in them, if at all. She couldn't bear to tell her best friend that. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Fluttershy thought for a moment. "Do you remember Rainbow Dash from flight school?" ---------------------------- Fortunately, Cloud Kicker knew where Rainbow Dash worked now, so Fluttershy found herself headed back to Cloudsdale. Cloud Kicker insisted on accompanying her. Fluttershy had tried to talk her out of it. "You really don't have to. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble. The clouds aren't–" "Don't worry about the clouds. We don't have anything complicated like a storm today. I can take care of those when we're done with this. Besides, what's important is making sure whatever happened this morning doesn't happen when nopony's around to catch you." "Well, if you're sure it's alright..." The trip itself was uneventful. The two ponies spent most of the time making small talk, trying to keep their minds off of the strange incident that had led to this point. When they had nearly arrived, however, Cloud Kicker asked, "So, why Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy tried to figure out what her friend had meant by that. She hoped the question didn't have the unasked implication "Why not me?", but she couldn't be sure. She had to answer carefully; she didn't want to hurt Cloud Kicker's feelings. "Some of the ponies I saw were ones I've never met, and Rainbow Dash was there as an adult when I've never seen her as one. They're the most out of place, so I thought if I met them, I might find some answers." This seemed to solve the problem, as Cloud Kicker agreed that that made sense. She didn't appear to be upset. Fluttershy was relieved. Soon, they landed outside the warehouse of the Equestrian Express delivery company in Cloudsdale. A blue-maned yellow pegasus mare was walking out the front door carrying a clipboard. Although visibly annoyed at the mention of Rainbow Dash's name, she directed them to the loading docks in the back. Back there, a team of pegasi were loading a pallet of boxes into the back of a van. Amongst them, there was a blue mare with a familiar chromatic mane. For the first time in years, Fluttershy laid eyes on her old friend Rainbow Dash. ---------------------------- Fluttershy was heading back to her cottage after meeting Twilight for lunch when she heard a whooshing sound overhead. In front of her, a familiar sky blue pegasus landed. "Hey, Fluttershy." "Oh, Rainbow Dash! You startled me." Rainbow Dash chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that." "It's alright. So, how was your day with the Wonderbolts?" It had been a few days since the Best Young Fliers competition, and Dash had gotten the chance to enjoy her prize. "Totally awesome! I got a chance to show them some of my moves. I think Spitfire really liked them. This could be my big chance to join them!" "Really? I'm so happy for you." "Thanks. But that's not why I was looking for you. I wanted to thank you. For all your help, you know, cheering me on and everything. Even though," she continued, embarrassed, "I was a bit rough on you. Maybe more than a bit." She placed a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "You stood by me, and that really means a lot." Fluttershy smiled. "Of course, Rainbow. I love watching you fly and I'm glad I was able to help. You don't have to apologize, I know you were under a lot of stress." "Thanks, Fluttershy." ---------------------------- Fluttershy paused. What had just happened? The memories of Other Fluttershy, as that was how she had decided to think of them at least until she knew more about what was going on, appeared to have gotten a little clearer, at least where Rainbow Dash was concerned. Cloud Kicker must have thought her inaction was nervousness, as she had flown over to where the mover pegasi were working and was talking to Dash, gesturing to where Fluttershy was standing. After a few moments, her foalhood friend headed over towards her. She started to panic. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. What was she supposed to say? Hello, Rainbow Dash. I know we haven't seen each other in years but I was just wondering if you've been hallucinating that we've been hanging out with a bunch of complete strangers. She wanted to run away, or at least try to dig into the clouds and hide there. She knew that wouldn't be possible, though. This was the only way she had to figure out what was going on. At any rate, Rainbow Dash had seen her and was already on her way over. Even if she was half as determined and half as fast as when they were younger, Fluttershy knew that Rainbow would have no trouble going after or catching her, and that would only make the inevitable conversation even more awkward. By the time her old friend arrived, Fluttershy's nerves had her trembling like a leaf. She tried to speak, but only was able to express herself in high-pitched squeaking noises. Eventually, the other pegasus grew tired of waiting. "CK said you wanted to talk to me about something?" The timid pegasus's attention was drawn from the cloud floor to her conversation partner. Seeing her up close for the first time, Fluttershy noticed she was somewhat different from what she expected. The Rainbow Dash Other Fluttershy knew was built for speed. She could tell, even through sparse and spotty memories, that the cyan pegasus had clearly put a lot of time and effort into shaping her body into the peak physical condition necessary for aerial racing and stunt performances. However, the pony before her didn't look like that at all. She looked, if such a word can be used about somepony whose mane shone with all the colors of the rainbow, ordinary. Not by any means out of shape, but not an athlete's build, either. She looked just like everypony else. "So... can I help you?" Lost in her reflections, Fluttershy had looked at Dash, but had neglected to respond to her. "Oh! I-I'm sorry. Hello, Rainbow Dash." After a pause, she could see that something more was needed, so she continued, "Well, I was just thinking about you, and flight camp, a-a-and I was wondering how you were doing..." She trailed off for a moment before picking up again. "So I thought that I would come see you. To see how you were doing. How are you doing?" She could tell from Dash's expression that such a general question about the well-being of an old friend was not exactly what she had been expecting. Fluttershy wished she knew what Cloud Kicker had said to her. "I'm doing okay. Great, really. I've been working here since flight school. What about you?" "I'm alright. I'm working as part of the weather team for Ponyville. I'm actually in charge of the team." Fluttershy offered the last information as if she was admitting to a horribly embarrassing secret rather than sharing an accomplishment. "You have your own weather team? That's great. Congratulations," Rainbow Dash said wistfully. "I knew you'd be a strong flier someday." "Well, that isn't really," Fluttershy stammered, "I mean, I'm not–" "Daddy, huh?" Rainbow Dash responded with a knowing look. "Yeah." "You shouldn't wor–" Dash began, before a gruff voice cut her off. "Hey! Rainbow Dash! You gonna be joining us today or what?" The speaker was a large brown stallion wearing a black ballcap. Behind him, the mover ponies had finished loading up the van. Everypony looked annoyed except for Cloud Kicker, who looked uncomfortable, and a gray pegasus mare who was happily eating a muffin, completely unconcerned about the mood surrounding her. Fluttershy heard muttering amongst the group, but they were too far away for her to make out what they were saying. "Looks like I gotta go." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you in trouble." "Don't worry about it, I don't really care. It was great seeing you again, Fluttershy. We should hang out sometime," she added politely. Fluttershy was so concerned with her old friend's boss being angry with her that she almost didn't realize that she hadn't actually had the chance to talk to her about the real reason she had come. She was still nervous, but there wasn't anything to do but just go ahead and try to ask as best she could. "Rainbow Dash, wait." The other mare turned back to look at her. She spoke at a whisper. "Have you felt anything strange lately? Like the way things are isn't how they should be? That everything's supposed to be different?" Rainbow's curious expression turned to ice. "No. I'm sorry, I have work I have to do. Goodbye, Fluttershy." With that, she turned and flew back to where her co-workers were waiting. Fluttershy, defeated, turned and flew away. ---------------------------- "Are you alright? How did it go?" It hadn't taken long for Cloud Kicker to catch up. They headed to Fluttershy's house, where she described her conversation with Rainbow Dash to her friend while preparing some tea. "I'm no closer to understanding what happened this morning and now she's mad at me. I didn't even get the chance to ask her if she knew the other ponies." "I could go talk to her later." "No, thank you," Fluttershy sighed, "I think going back would only make things worse." She gathered up all her resolve. "If I want to figure this out, somehow, I'm going to have to find the others myself." Cloud Kicker looked concerned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if you–" "It's alright. The others aren't pegasi, so I won't have to fly anywhere to find them. They're probably in Ponyville." "Ponyville? You think so?" The thistle-colored pegasus brightened. "Maybe I know them. Do you know what they're supposed to look like?" Fluttershy tried to picture the mysterious ponies in her head. She started by describing what she could remember about a purple unicorn, but her friend couldn't recall anypony like that. The bouncy pink earth pony, too, did not sound familiar to her. Cloud Kicker knew several white unicorns, but when this one was described as a mare of style and elegance, she had to admit that none of them sounded like that. Finally, while she knew a tan-coated blonde earth pony named Apple Cobbler, she didn't know any orange ones. "So, I guess they don't live in Ponyville after all." "They still might. It's not like I know everypony in Ponyville." Cloud Kicker hesitated. "Well, there might be one other thing. When you described those ponies, you never mentioned their cutie marks. Are they – sorry." "No, it's alright. I guess I just didn't think of it. Let's see, there was a starburst pattern, balloons, diamonds, and apples." "Apples? That one's probably Apple family, then. You should try asking at Sweet Apple Acres. If she doesn't live there, they'll probably at least know who she is." "Sweet Apple Acres? That's where I'll start."