//------------------------------// // Chapter 22 – Divided Part 2 // Story: Fragments of Memories // by Starwin //------------------------------// Fragments of Memories By Starwin Chapter 22 – Divided Part 2 It wasn’t like waking up. It was like… like, becoming real. Like they had vanished and been replaced by somepony that looked and spoke like them. For the briefest moment, nothing made sense. Not the cold, not the sound, not the feeling of motion. The lingering world of the dream drifted in and out from their vision. The crumbling castle, the fields, the moon, the river… It was all there, mixed up with reality and they couldn’t tell which one they were in. In one jarring moment, Twilight Dash was fully awake; a nightmare made real churning all around them. The lower half of their body was freezing. They were in water, a river. The sky was dark with clouds, or perhaps night. And in their forelegs, trembling uncontrollably, was Fluttershy. Their very sore hind legs kicked, trying to maneuver them, but it did little good. They tried flapping their wings, but they couldn’t get any lift from under the surface. They tried their horn. THUD. Something hard slammed into their back, nearly knocking the breath out of them. The impact sent them spinning in the rough water. Fluttershy was whimpering in their grasp, she was afraid of them. They held her tighter, trying to reassure her. They tried to speak to her, but their words were lost in the roar of the rapids. THUD. There was pain this time, and dizziness. Their thoughts swam unfocused in their head, while their body struggled to stay afloat. As they spun, they noticed a pink pony galloping along side them on the river bank… they knew her, but they couldn’t remember her. She was shouting at them, trying to say something… She was going ahead to catch them. They watched as the pink pony hurried down river. She hopped expertly across the rocks, bridging herself over a spot that Twilight Dash and Fluttershy were headed towards. As they approached, the current caught them, pulling them away from the pink pony. She couldn’t reach them and they couldn’t get to her. Twilight Dash flapped their wings, trying to use them like paddles. But it was no good, the current was simply too strong. The waters pulled them right, dragging them away from their would-be savior. They remembered Fluttershy, clenched in their arms. The divide drew closer. They pushed, shoving the pegasus as hard as they could towards the far side of the river. She hit the rock as they were sucked past it. As they rounded the rapid, they could see that the pink pony had caught… the yellow one… what had been her name? In one terrible moment, the sound of the river changed. It was no longer simply the tumult of water slamming into rocks, or rapids tumbling over each other. This was a roar. A roar like the edge of the world. They spun in the water and saw where the river ended and the sky began. There was nothing they could do as they were swept over the edge into the nothingness below. Their wings flapped uselessly, one faster than the other. The motion sent them spinning, rather than lifting. Far below, they could see the points of the jagged rocks rushing up at them. Teleport, they could teleport to safety! Yet, their magic would not come. Still they fell. With each passing moment, time felt like it was getting slower and slower. They half expected their lives to flash before their eyes, yet, it was simply emptiness. Their lives had been stolen from them. There was nothing left to remember. No pony was coming to save them. They had no friends to rescue them. Their wings wouldn’t work, their magic wouldn’t cast. This… this really was the end… And yet, something strange was happening around them. The falling drops of river tumbled down but the water appeared almost frozen in time. “I can save you,” said a voice. As it spoke the waterfall vanished. Twilight and Dash were standing back in the Castle of the Two Sisters. The ground trembled beneath their hooves. The walls tumbled down around them. Standing in front of them, just a small as ever, was Rainbow Sparkle. She was looking up at the two ponies that stood before her. “You mean save yourself?” said Dash. The small pony shook her head. “Look, I’m sorry,” said the little filly. “I really am. I know I’ve gone about this all wrong. But I really can save you. And I know I can’t say anything that-” “How can you save us?” interrupted Twilight. The imaginary castle continued to shake and collapse all around them. “You have to let me merge with you,” said Rainbow Sparkle. “From here, the best I’ve been able to do is speed up your thoughts, making time seem like its going slower. But if I merge with you then I can order your thoughts, I can help you focus. Where the two of you are in chaos, I can bring you structure.” “No way!” said Dash. She looked at Twilight. “Come on, we just got her out! Now she wants right back in? What if we become Nightmare Twilight Harmony Dash?! And why is my name always last!” “Luna’s gone, so we won’t be a nightmare anything,” said Twilight, looking over at Dash. Twilight glared seriously at the white filly. “But why should we trust you? What’s to stop you from trying to fuse with anypony else?” “I won’t be in control,” said the filly. “Both of you will still be you. When you’re safe… when we’re safe… I guess it’s up to you what happens to me.” “We want our friends back,” said Dash. “And our memories. AND my name!” “Our names,” corrected Twilight. “But if you can help us, I think I know a way we can help you.” The filly nodded. “Alright,” said Dash, nodding to Twilight. “Let’s get this over with.” The filly shimmered away. Then Dash vanished as well. A moment later Twilight felt her thoughts waking back up. She could feel a third mind spreading throughout their head. They were no longer Twilight and Dash, but Twilight Dash and Rainbow Sparkle, all feeling, all existing, as one. The crumbling stone walls of the castle changed. The dream world melted away into falling water. The ground beneath their hooves became air, and they continued to plummet downwards. Time resumed its normal pace as they were forced back into reality. “As one,” said their voice and their thoughts together. “Flap our wings.” All together they moved their wings. They felt their feathers catch the air, their body became light. Their wings beat in sync, their thoughts aligned. They were thinking like one pony. They pulled up. Yet, it wasn’t enough! They weren’t going to make it! They had acted too late! The jagged rocks raced towards them and in a flash of purple light, the whole world vanished. In the distance around Canterlot, the rain continued to fall. But overhead the sky remained clear. The clouds stretched from one horizon to the other, save for directly above. Here, an enormous circle of bright blue sky held the clouds back and the rain refused to fall. Far below, on the edge of a cliff, beside a waterfall, a large group of ponies waited in silence. Some stood, some sat, but no pony spoke, no pony moved. Pinkie was at the very edge, watching intently for any motion, or any sign of their friends. “Maybe they’re okay,” suggested Spike. He still stood atop Applejack’s back. “Maybe they were able to fly away!” “No,” said Pinkie. “I watched them fall… they didn’t…” Fluttershy put a hoof around Pinkie, while the pony continued to sit there in shock. “It… it can’t end… not like this,” said Applejack. “Do not be sad little one,” said Luna, looking up into the sky. “This is not over yet.” Spike followed her gaze, as did several other ponies. The dark gray storm clouds overhead swirled menacingly, but they did not close the gap in the sky. Other than the sun however, the sky remained empty. Then — Spike was sure he had seen it — there was a bright flash of purple light. And a moment later, from the center of the sun, flying down towards them, was... “TWILIGHT!” shouted Spike, leaping off Applejack’s back. Cheers and cries of relief went up from all around them as the pony descended. Pinkie bounced for joy, hugging Fluttershy tightly, Rarity wept and Applejack smiled sadly. “Uh, I don’t think she’s slowing down,” said Applejack. A soft distant voice came down from overhead… “Look out! Look out! Look out! LOOK OUT!” shouted Twilight Dash. Rarity, Luna and Doctor Heart all reacted before anypony else. Their magic reached up and caught Twilight Dash mid fall, stopping her a dozen hooves above the ground. Carefully, they lowered her down. She stood on wobbly legs for only a second before Pinkie charged the pony and wrapped both forelegs around her. Rarity and Spike both hurried forward as well, followed by both Twilight and Dash’s parents. Even Fluttershy managed to add herself to the group hug. Only Applejack and Luna stood apart. “OHMYGOSH? WHATHAPPEND? AREYOUALRIGHT? WESAWYOUGOVERAND THENYOUVANISHEDAND-” rambled Pinkie. “Pinkie,” interrupted Rarity. “Perhaps you should let her tell us what happened.” “Oh, right. What happened?” asked Pinkie. “How did you guys make it out?” “It’s kind of hard to explained,” said Twilight Dash. “First,” interrupted Luna, drawing the attention of everypony. “I think we should ask who they are.” Standing around the friends, was a wall of palace guards. A group of pegasus also circled above, preventing any escape by air. “She’s Twilight Dash,” said Spike, stepping forward to stand between Luna and the mare. The other ponies that had been tangled up in the hug looked outward at the guards that surrounded them. “I wish to hear them say it,” said Luna. “It’s us,” said Twilight Dash. “Twilight.” “And Dash.” “And… Rainbow Sparkle.” “Who?” asked Applejack. “What about Harmony?” “Harmony’s gone,” said Twilight Dash. “I mean, sort of.” “She’s not really gone so much as not really Harmony, at the moment.” Applejack looked confused. “She only existed while Nightmare Moon was in our head.” “I’m just Rainbow Sparkle now.” “Wait… You’re… what? What the hay are you talking about?” asked Applejack. Luna held out a hoof for silence. “What have you done,” asked Luna seriously. “We went over the falls, we couldn’t fly, we couldn’t cast,” explained Twilight Dash. “We were falling and there was nothing we could do.” “They, we, them… us…? Couldn’t focus. Their thoughts were everywhere, so, I merge with them and helped them fly and teleport away.” Luna had a dark expression across her face. “So what will you do now?” asked Luna. “Have you decided to remain joined with Rainbow Sparkle?” “No, you’re right,” said Twilight Dash after a long pause. “She can’t stay, not with us.” “They don’t want me here anyhow.” “But we aren’t going to just kick you out either. Twilight… has a sort of compromise.” The pony was quiet for a long moment. “And, you’re really okay with it?” “No. Not really.” “Then we can find an-” “But like you said, what other choice do we really have?” “What are you talking about?” asked Spike, turning to face Twilight Dash again. “Twilight, what are you going to do?” “Celestia once separated three fused ponies into two,” explained Twilight Dash. “I think that I can do… the opposite. I think I can split the two of us into three.” “What?” cried Spike and Rarity together. Fluttershy could only gasp and Pinkie’s mouth simply hung open. “I… how… is that even possible?” asked Applejack. “When Dash and I fused together, the parts of us that didn’t end up on the outside were transformed into energy,” explained Twilight Dash. “So my awesome blue coat is in there someplace.” “Well, sort of, I mean, it could be. It’s just energy at the moment, floating around inside us. It’s indistinguishable from my mane or anything else that used to be part of either of us when we were separate.” “So… so you’re giving her Dash’s body?” asked Spike. Twilight Dash shook her head. “No, we’re giving her part of our energy, from the both of us,” said Twilight Dash. “We’re going to make a new body for Rainbow Sparkle.” “Wait… really?” “Yes.” “I… I can’t believe you would do that for me…” "Wait, wait, wait," said Spike, waving his small arms in the air. "I thought that if you and Dash went back to the way you were... wouldn't Dash... uh... go back to how she was before you fused?" "Well," said Twilight Dash. "Not exactly how we were. Two divided by three isn't two. So we are going to be a little different than how we were before we fused together." "Wait, how different?" "Uh, shorter... maybe?" “But you'll both be separate, right? You and Dash?” asked Fluttershy quietly. “Yes,” said Twilight Dash. “I think.” “You think?” “Well I said it might work!” “Woah, woah, might work?” cried Applejack. “You don’t know for sure?” “Nothing like this has ever been tried before,” said Twilight Dash. “Celestia is the only pony that has ever attempted a similar spell…” “And even she couldn’t get it right.” “Dash! Or… wait, was that Rainbow Sparkle…?” “You are correct,” said Luna. “My sister’s gift of magic is strong. But such a task as this, even for her, I fear would be impossible.” “That’s why we need all of you,” explained Twilight Dash. “I think we can use the Elements of Harmony. Together, I believe we can do it. I know we can do it.” “And with my help they should be able to focus the spell and the elements at once.” “Yes, that’s a key part. With three minds working our magic together, I think it should be doable.” “I don’t think this is a good idea,” said Applejack shaking her head. Spike glared at her. “What! You can’t all just be going along with this!” The others were quiet for a long moment. “I mean, what if something goes wrong, what if it all goes wrong? What happens to you then?” Twilight Dash didn’t answer, but the expression on their face told Applejack that nothing good would be the result of failure. “Perhaps… perhaps Applejack is right,” agreed Rarity. Spike turned on her too, shock and disbelief in his eyes. “There must be another way besides this. Maybe just get her to leave?” “If she left our mind, she would have no body to go to, no physical form to take,” said Twilight Dash. “She would vanish,” whispered Twilight Dash, her eyes focused on the ground before moving up to Rarity. “She may have done bad things to us. But you were right. I don’t want to hurt her back. Pushing her out, making her disappear forever. That doesn’t fix anything. And that’s not the pony that I am.” “That we are.” Rarity nodded slowly but said nothing. “Anypony else,” asked Twilight Dash. “It really is now or never.” “Why?” asked Applejack. “Why would you do this? You don’t even know this pony. She took you away from us. She took us away from you! And you want to give her everything and let her go?” “Not… not exactly,” said Twilight Dash. “Twilight thinks that when we split, everything that Harm… uh, Rainbow Sparkle, has taken will be able to return to us.” “It will.” “And you trust that she’s going to do that?” asked Pinkie, adding her objections for the first time. “Hello! Were you paying attention at all when Discord betrayed us! Why should we trust her! She’s his sister!” “I’m not Discord!” cried Twilight Dash, before clapping a hoof over her mouth. “Sorry I didn’t…” “It’s alright.” “Do you really think you can trust her?” asked Fluttershy quietly. “We don’t know,” said Twilight Dash. “I’m not lying.” “We just have her word.” “So… so you want to risk everything, just so you can remember us?” asked Applejack. “Just to have a shot at getting back all the good times we had together.” “And the bad,” said Twilight Dash. “Err, not specifically the bad.” “We just meant, everything.” “We want to remember you. We want our friends back.” “…” “We are trusting you to do the right thing.” “I… I will.” “I’ll help you,” said Applejack. “If you think this is really the best way.” Twilight Dash nodded. “Oh! Oh! Me too!” said Pinkie. “I love helping! And when you remember us, I’ll bake you a cake-pie!” Pinkie wrapped her hooves around Twilight Dash’s neck and hugged her tightly. Twilight Dash looked towards Rarity and Fluttershy. “I will help however I can,” said Rarity. Fluttershy simply nodded, but didn’t say anything. “And all of us will still be here to support you,” said Doctor Heart, motioning to their parents, Spike and Luna. “No matter the outcome.” “Thank you,” said Twilight Dash, teary-eyed. “Ready girls?” The four ponies nodded. The friends spread out, standing in a very small circle around Twilight Dash. She shut her eyes tight and bit her lip as she willed magic to flow to her horn. Sparks flittered and crackled as she tried to force the spell out. For a moment, it seemed like nothing was going to happen… then the elements began to glow. The gems around Fluttershy and Applejack’s necks ignited with light. The two golden bracers leapt from Twilight Dash’s front legs and sped through the air before clicking into place on Rarity and Pinkie. The Element of Loyalty around Twilight Dash’s neck glowed with a red light and the Element of Magic emerged from within her chest. Twilight Dash’s eyes snapped open and magic pour from her horn. The power of the elements flowed in a rainbow spiral, engulfing the friends in blinding light. Some of the ponies gathered nearby had to shield their eyes, while others took a step back. The rainbow light raced through Twilight Dash. Her eyes glowed white and her body shimmered as if she were fading away. An orb of white light wrapped around her, spinning with blazing magic. The orb spun, intertwining with the rainbow magic of the elements. After what felt like minutes, but was really only seconds, a portion of the orb broke off. It spun faster than a top, but floated gently like a leaf through the air before landing a dozen hooves away. As it touched the ground, the orb burst softly, dispersing into tiny golden shards of light that were swept away in the breeze. Where the orb had been was a small silver filly, not much bigger than Spike. She had a silver and gold mane, but didn’t seem to have either wings or a horn. The larger orb continued to spin and twist. It too began to pull apart into two halves. However, just as the parts were about to separate, the rainbow magic faltered. The two orb violently smashed back together. The reformed orb began to wobble as the hum of the magic changed in pitch to an almost earsplitting screech. The rainbow light flickered and the spell broke. White hot energy exploded out in all directions, flinging out shards of sunlight. The elements stopped glowing and the magic evaporated in a bright flash, forcing Spike to look away. When the glow faded, Spike frowned at the sight before him. The spell… hadn’t worked… Twilight and Dash were still fused together, although, something about them looked… different. “Twilight,” cried Spike, hurrying towards her. Twilight Dash did not answer, instead she looked towards the little filly laying peacefully only a few hooves away. “What happened?” asked Applejack. “Why didn’t you two separate?” “Couldn’t…” said Twilight Dash, her voice strained. She swayed on her hooves. Spike, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy and even Applejack all hurried forward to catch her. But who actually managed to catch her, Twilight Dash did not see. There were voices chattering away in their head. Strange, unfamiliar sounds that spoke in a language they couldn’t understand. The words were hollow and floaty. They couldn’t distinguish one voice from the other. “Are her eyes going to stay like that?” asked a pink pony hovering in front of their face. Reality suddenly snapped into place. About a dozen ponies were gathered around them, looking at them. At first, Twilight Dash wasn’t entirely sure where they were. The room was hung with dark swaths of blue that glittered. They were on some kind of enormous draped bed with a blanket patterned in stars… Luna’s room! This was Luna’s room! This was Luna’s bed! Twilight Dash felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. They tried to get up, but instantly felt their head spin and a hoof gently coax them back down. “It’s alright, don’t try to move,” said the golden unicorn at their bedside. There were a lot of unfamiliar ponies here. Just beside the golden unicorn was a pink earth pony, and beside her, a white unicorn. Further back there were two more unicorns, one a soft lavender and the other a light blue. They wanted to call them mom and dad. On the other side of the bed was a small purple dragon, hanging off the side. Next to him was a yellow pegasus and an orange earth pony. Just, behind them were two pegasus, a silver one with wispy clouds for hair and a sky blue one, with a rainbow mane… they also wanted to call them mom and dad. And at the end of the bed, watching them with keen interest, was Princess Luna… and Princess Celestia. “Princess!” cried Twilight Dash, sitting up a second time. “Ouch!” and then laying back down. “Rest now, my dear little pony,” said Princess Celestia. “As my sister tells me, you have had quite the adventure these past few days.” “How long have we been asleep,” asked Twilight Dash. “And what am I doing here?” Twilight Dash felt themself blush again. “A few hours,” said the golden pony by the bed side. She was a Doctor, but they couldn’t remember her name… “I considered transporting you to the Canterlot Magical Emergency Medical Center. However, you simply appear to have fainted from exhaustion and were in no immediate danger. So Luna insisted that we bring you to the castle instead and this room was the closest.” “What happened to Rainbow Sparkle,” asked Twilight Dash. Celestia’s smile strained slightly. “She is unharmed,” said Celestia. “Although under heavy guard for the moment. When you… attempted to divide yourself, her magic in the south faded away. The Crystal Mist is gone and I returned home at once to discover what had happened. However, those ponies that were touched by the spell still remain frozen.” “Please don’t turn her to stone,” begged Twilight Dash. Princess Celestia frowned. “I did not think you believed me to be so heartless,” said the princess softly. “Like you, I took the actions I thought were best. Harmony has no magic. No power. She is not a threat to anypony. But she has still broken our laws and harmed many ponies, yourself included. “However, my sister agrees with you,” continued Princess Celestia, quickly throwing a glance towards Luna, who looked away. “For now, Harmony will remain on the castle grounds, not a prisoner, but… a guest.” Twilight Dash nodded, feeling too exhausted to argue just now. They guessed that was as good as they could have hoped for. They settled back on the pillow behind their head, closing their eyes. “TD,” asked a voice off to their right. They turned their head, glancing towards the orange earth pony that looked at them with sad eyes. “Do ya… do you know who I am?” They looked over the pony’s freckle dotted face, her blond mane, her bright green eyes. She was so familiar and yet… they felt like they almost knew her name… like they had met her in a past life… at a farm… tasting pie… and… a race… may the best pony… “Applejack…?” said Twilight Dash. Applejack let out a choked cry of joy. Part laugh, part tears. Their eyes moved on towards the yellow pegasus. She had found her conducting a choir of birds and hiding at her approach. They remember the small filly being tormented by bullies as she stood up for her. “Fluttershy…” whispered Twilight Dash. Her eyes shifted to the baby dragon that had been her companion her whole life, her baby brother… “Spike…” “OH ME! DO ME NEXT!” cried Pinkie from the other side. “Pinkie! Hush!” said Rarity. “I remember all of you,” said Twilight Dash, smiling at her friends. “Rarity, Pinkie. Mom, Dad… and uh, Mom and Dad.” Twilight Dash held up a hoof, looking at it as though they had never seen it before. Something about it was… odd. “We feel… different,” said Twilight Dash. “But still the same…” “Well you look different!” said Pinkie. Rarity nudged the pink pony in the side. “Different… how?” asked Twilight Dash with a frown. The ponies gathered around them seemed hesitant to answer. “Perhaps a mirror might be the easiest way for you to see,” suggested the Doctor pony. “Do you think you can stand?” Twilight Dash nodded. This time, they sat up slowly. They still felt a little groggy, but the world didn’t spin so badly. The Doctor moved aside, so that they could slide themself out of bed. They paused at the edge. With both legs hanging over the side, their hooves weren’t even close to touching the ground. This bed really was huge. Rarity offered them a hoof as they hopped down onto the floor. For some odd reason, Rarity seemed… taller than normal. “Over here,” said the Doctor in a soft tone, motioning to a very large, silver etched, wall mirror. With careful steps, Twilight Dash moved towards it. Their legs felt shaky, but their coordination much improved over past attempts. They didn’t have to think about every step. They didn’t stumble, trip or fall. Walking felt like walking again. Like they had done it all their lives. They stopped in front of the mirror. Something… something was odd, but they couldn’t but a hoof on it. Not until their friends appeared behind their reflection. Everypony had gotten taller. “No… we’ve gotten shorter!” cried Twilight Dash. “Technically, younger?” “Wait! What?” They trotted around in a circle examining themself in the mirror. Their legs were shorter, their body smaller and their wings weren’t as big. Thankfully, both cutie marks, Dash’s on one flank and Twilight’s on the other, remained. But the most striking feature of this new form was the pointed patch of slightly darker purple on their chest, shaped like the Element of Magic. “How did we get younger!” exclaimed Twilight Dash, their eyes still glancing around their body in confusion. “Well…” “Twilight! What did you do! I thought we were supposed to be separated!” “I tried! I really did! I was able to split Rainbow Sparkle off without too much trouble, but once she left… things got… tricky. I tried to get you out too, but it didn’t work! It was like… like…” “Like she did not want to go,” suggested Celestia, trotting into view behind them. She was now much, much taller than they were. Yet this felt oddly familiar. Twilight had met the Princess when she had been very young and somehow, she had always thought of Celestia this way. “What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy softly. “When I divided Discord and Harmony, they were two very different thoughts within the whole,” explained Celestia. “They may have been one pony at the time, but even then I could sense how different they were. They wanted to be separate, to be apart from each other. “I suspect that… Rainbow Sparkle… was much the same when you gave her part of yourself,” continued Celestia. “A little more than I would have liked,” mumbled Twilight Dash. “She was ready to no longer be a part of you. But I do not think that is true for the both of you,” said Celestia. “I think that you did not want to be split apart. That you want to stay the way you are.” “That’s ridiculous,” said Applejack. “Course they want to be back to their old selves! Don’t ya?” She added, seeing the frown on Twilight Dash’s face. “We… sort of,” said Twilight Dash nervously. Applejack looked at them in confusion. “This is the way we are, we’ve kind of accepted that.” “Plus, I didn’t really want to be a small filly again anyhow! Could you imaging what Scootaloo would think? She might explode from the excitement of being the same age as me.” “So you want to stay like this?” asked Fluttershy quietly. “Honestly, we aren’t sure yet,” said Twilight Dash. “We know the elements have the power to split us apart. But we just aren’t ready, not yet.” “Besides, we can always try again later.” They turned again, looking at their smaller body in the mirror. “Seriously though Twilight, you couldn’t make our mane and tail match?” “What’s wrong with my tail?” Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy giggled. “I think your tail looks fine, darlings,” said Rarity. “And if this is how you want to be, we support the both of you in whatever decision you make. Although, others might not be as… happy with it.” Rarity glanced back at Rainbow Sky, who had been frowning most of the conversation. Twilight Dash turned away from the mirror, seeing all four of their parents. Twilight’s parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet were smiling, although weakly. However, Dash’s parents, especially Sky, did not look happy. “Dad,” said Twilight Dash softly. “I know it’s hard to accept. But, it’s how I am. How we are.” “But you don’t have to be,” said Sky. “You have a choice. You said you can be normal again, just like everypony else.” “We are normal,” said Twilight Dash a little defensively. “I’m still your little girl on the inside. But we’re also more than that. I’m not gone, just different.” Sky shook his head before turning and trotting off. They started after him but their mother, Breeze, gently stopped them. “He isn’t ready,” said Breeze. “Trying to force him to change his mind will just push him further away. Just because he doesn’t understand your choice though, doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you.” “And you, mom,” said Twilight Dash, unbidden tears at the edges of their eyes. “What do you think of us?” Breeze smiled sadly. “I miss my little Dash,” said Breeze. “But I’ll always love you, no matter how you look on the outside. But I do want you back, the real you.” “This is the real me,” said Twilight Dash. Breeze just smiled and gave them a light hug. “We will always support you,” said Velvet, drawing their attention away from Breeze. “In any choice you make.” She and Night Light both hugged Twilight Dash, who was caught off guard. They relaxed and hugged their parents back. “Thanks,” said Twilight Dash. “I know not everypony is going to be happy with how we are...” “Or even accept it.” “But we’re fine with it.” “So what are you going to do now?” asked Celestia. “Will you return to Ponyville? Can she?” The princess looked towards the Doctor. “I see no reason that Twilight Dash cannot return home,” said the Doctor. “But I would still like to come and check in on you from time to time.” “Sure,” said Twilight Dash. “And me as well,” said Luna. “If you want.” “We’re always happy to have you visit,” said Twilight Dash. “Just, uh, do it outside of our dreams, okay?” The friends said their goodbyes to parents and princesses before departing the castle. Rainbow Sky had offered only a mumbled farewell, which made Twilight Dash feel both angry and sad at the same time. Their dad had always supported them. Having him so firmly against them now made Twilight Dash feel like they had done something terrible to him. Right now, he didn’t want to listen, but maybe as time went on they could help him understand. Princess Celestia had suggested they might like to stay the night in the castle, but Twilight Dash was not eager to return to her old room. They wanted to get back to the library in Ponyville. They wanted to sleep in their own cloud bed. They also wanted to get back to a normal life. Well, as normal a life as they ever had. The group caught a taxi carriage to the train station, so that Twilight Dash wouldn’t have to walk. While they had little trouble walking, now that Harmony was no longer mucking about in their head, the magical ordeal had left them exhausted. And the Doctor, whose name they had remembered only after they had left, had suggested they take it easy for a few days. The train was waiting for them as they arrived. Fluttershy went off to buy the tickets as neither Spike, Rarity or Pinkie had any money left on them. The friends found their seats as they waited for Fluttershy to return and the train to depart. Applejack and Spike sat on opposite sides of the train car, their interest in speaking to one another still tenuous at best. Twilight Dash wondered what had transpired between them to make the two so bitter towards each other, but they decided that could wait. For the moment, just having all their friends around them, and knowing their names, was enough. Fluttershy returned with their tickets and passed them out before taking a seat beside Applejack. It wasn’t long before the whistle blew and the train began to pull away from Canterlot station, bound towards Ponyville. “It looks like we made it just in time,” said Rarity with a smile. “I can’t say how glad I am to finally be heading back home. Why my shop… MY SHOP!” cried Rarity in a moment of panic. “I didn’t tell Sweetie where I was going! Oh, I hope she’s alright!” “Rarity, I’m sure she’s fine,” said Spike, reaching out a claw to touch her hoof. However, he stopped himself before he did, putting his claw awkwardly down on the table instead. “Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are probably helping her out.” Rarity’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh no! You’re right! We have to make the train go faster!” cried Rarity in distress. “Don’t worry silly,” said Pinkie with a giggle. “I took care of all that before we left, Sweetie Belle is staying with the Cakes at my place. And I let Big Mac know that Applejack was going to be away and I asked if he understood and he said yep.” “And my animals?” asked Fluttershy. “Oh, don’t worry about that, I got that covered too,” said Pinkie. “I asked the cutie mark crusaders to look after them.” Fluttershy’s face went pale with horror. “Maybe we should ask if they can make the train go faster!” suggested Fluttershy. The other ponies giggled and Applejack put a supportive hoof around Fluttershy. “Don’t worry, I’m sure your animals are fine,” said Applejack. “And we’ll all give you a hoof with any, uh, clean up.” The group fell into a long silence as the train chugged down the mountain. The view out the window was amazing, with green fields and sun touched rivers. The Canterlot Weather Patrol had cleared most of the clouds and only a few stragglers dotted the otherwise brilliant blue sky. Twilight Dash watched the scenery pass by absently. They saw it, but really, they were looking at their own reflection in the glass. It made them sad. It wasn’t how they looked that made them feel this way, because they looked cool. It was a memory that didn’t seem to really belong to them that flitted through their mind. The unfamiliar reflection. “So Harmony is really gone?” asked Spike from beside them. They jumped slightly, and their reflection slipped out of their view. “Yes,” said Twilight Dash. “And there are no other crazy things hiding inside your head?” pressed Spike. “Spike! No,” said Twilight Dash. “Just making sure,” said Spike. He paused for a long moment. “She really gave you everything back?” “More than I thought she would,” said Twilight Dash. “But, not everything. There are still things we don’t really remember. We guess she did the best she could.” “But that just means we can make new memories!” said Pinkie. “And have new adventures! Together! I can even throw you a new friends’ party all over again!” “I… we, would like that,” said Twilight Dash with a smile.