Jane Pony spent the next few weeks in Ponyville and living at the library. When Twilight had finally woken up from her nap on the first day she had immediately started reeling off everything she had learned about amnesia and magic that affected cutie marks. Most of it she rambled out so fast that it left Jane Pony trying to decipher what she had said long after she rattled on to something else. According to Twilight, Jane Pony didn't fit into the normal category of amnesia since such memory loss victims also have trouble learning new things but Jane Pony had no such problem. Most were caused by head wounds but Jane Pony had suffered no major blows to to her head and it was in fact the least injured part of her. If one overlooked the loss of her entire memory she was a normal pony.
Twilight first tried scanning Jane Pony with a magic detection spell but the little remnant magic she found could tell her nothing because it looked like nothing more than a normal blast. After that she tried multiple memory spells but nothing worked. Though Twilight didn't say it outright it was as if memory was just gone. Not suppressed, just gone. An idea that made a lump rise in Jane Pony's throat and her legs feel weak. Twilight assured her that they had no proof of that and had quickly moved on.
Even though she could find no spells on Jane Pony she cast every reversing and canceling spell that she knew already or had discovered in her books. From the way they phased out without taking any effect whatsoever it showed that there were no lingering spells at all. Not even her cutie mark tried to appear.
Twilight went over her books on spells that affected cutie marks and recanted her own experience with spells that affected them but there was nothing that she knew of that could remove one and leave nothing in its place. She tried different spells to bring it back anyway but to no avail.
As evening came they both were exhausted, especially Twilight and they decided just to try again tomorrow. Twilight pulled out an extra bed she had and used for sleep overs and called it a night.
* * *
The next morning Twilight slept late into the day. Spike and Jane Pony let her sleep. He led Jane Pony downstairs to cook breakfast with the help of a pet owl Twilight had. Spike chatted away while they worked with him telling her all about their adventures with their other five friends. Jane Pony wished she could add more to the conversation but with only having two days of memory and not much knowledge about herself personally she really didn't have much to talk about. Especially next to the stories he had to tell. Breakfast was ready by the time Twilight came downstairs complaining that they should have woken her. Afterwards they went back to trying figure out how to bring back Jane Pony’s memory and cutie mark. The days fell into a routine surrounding Twilight's attempts to find out what was caused Jane Pony’s memory loss and reverse it. Her friends came by often to check up on her or give suggestions quite often either in groups or alone. On the third day Pinkie Pie had suggested that in books amnesia is caused by a bonk on the head and they were cured by a second bonk on the head so they should just try that. Twilight had replied that that idea was just from stories written by ponies who didn't know or care about real medical facts. Not only that Jane Pony had no head injuries. Pinkie Pie though was already running around the room trying to find a suitable item. Applejack and Twilight ended up tackling her and Rainbow Dash had to fly after Jane Pony who had thought it wise to make a break for it.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took turns flying with Jane Pony in ever widening circles around Ponyville hoping she would see something familiar that could jog her memory. Everything was new though and it irked Jane Pony that she could be looking at places that was her home and not know it.
Rainbow Dash wasn’t able to find the mysterious ugly unicorn nor anypony who had known or seen him. She did take her up to Cloudsdale though and also made her work on her flying because they were by Rainbow's view not very good. She had commented that even Fluttershy and Twilight flew better. Jane Pony's wings had not been badly damaged. She had had strained muscles and bruising but nothing serious. She did notice though like Rainbow Dash that she really was a weak flyer. The problem turned out to be that she had very underdeveloped wing muscles. From the kind of soreness she had in them when she had woken up on the mountain she must have been using them prior to whatever happened but it was obvious that she was not used to using them all that much.
"I mean seriously," Rainbow Dash had commented in her usual brash way. Jane Pony had by now gotten used to it and actually she rather appreciated her tendency to push her to try harder. Rainbow Dash also never forgot to encourage as well. "You’re obviously built for flying but it's like you've done little to none, ever! Your smaller than most pegasus but your wings are about the same size as a regular pegasus. If you got those wings strong I bet you could propel yourself like a rocket. I mean you could never be good as me but wow! I'd bet that you could be amazing!" Rainbow Dash had said spreading her hooves apart as they flew for emphasis.
"Well I do have a clean slate now to try it." Jane Pony said. Right after the words came out of her mouth she was surprised. She hadn’t really thought about that before. It was true though, whatever her life before she had a clean slate to start over on. Sometimes she considered that if she did recover her memory she might not be happy with what her life was before. One thing that she had discovered in the days that Rainbow Dash took her flying was that while her wings were weak her legs were fairly strong. Not good for running or apple bucking but much stronger than her wings. Was she a pegasus that just walked? Whatever it was she didn't have to be it now. Even if her memories were regained and she didn't like it she still could start over.
It was a thought that made her pause and lag in midair, then she grinned and pounded her wings at the air and shot forward. The wind blew though her mane as she heard Rainbow Dash's, "Yeeeah! Go for it!" Following after her. It wasn’t long before her wings were feeling strain, she was panting and her heart was pounding hard with that familiar awkward throb. She flew on though, she flew and flew. She kept flying until every last ounce of energy was gone and she was forced to land. She circled and landed clumsily on the ground where she sat panting so hard she could not speak and her heart pounding so hard she was slightly shaking but she wore a smile on her face.
* * *
The training with Rainbow Dash became as much an important part of her days in Ponyville as Twilight’s trying to find a cure for her memory loss. After many fruitless attempts she took to writing the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia for advice who sent back more books and ideas from her royal professors of magic. Celestia also selected officials to go through the entire record of ponies born in Equestria going even a little further back than Jane Pony could have possibly been born. It was a task that would take a while. She also sent pegasus messengers out with copies of a picture of Jane Pony that Twilight had sent her to ask if anypony knew her. She didn't have them tell why though. It in case of any creepy pony falsely claiming to know her. If they knew her they would know she was missing and be delighted to see that she was found.
Jane Pony was a little surprised to learn that her new friends knew the ruler of the country and that one was not only her student but a princess. Spike had mentioned them knowing a princess and adventures in the royal castle the second day but Jane Pony hadn't been sure if she should believe him. From the humble abode she would have never guessed. Then again what did she know? When Twilight realized that she also knew nothing about Equestria she took it upon herself to teach her at least the minim that she needed to know from history to current laws and who's who. It became just another part of her daily routine Most of her activities, little by little drew her attention from the matter of her memory. Aside from flying lessons with Rainbow Dash, being a mannequin for Rarity, apple bucking with Apple Jack and helping Fluttershy with her animals she was also occasionally kidnapped by the Cutie Mark Crusaders who tried to help her find her cutie mark. She laughed every time she thought of it. Jane Pony had been just out for a walk around the town alone when the three fillies had literally jumped out of an alleyway and drug her in. It was something they could do as a trio with her small size.
Apple Bloom had waived a hoof for her to follow saying, "Come on, you have to come with us!" In a very serious and urgent tone. Jane Pony had galloped after them wondering what in the world this was about. They had led her to their tree house where Apple Bloom marched up to the podium with an air of official grace. Jane Pony was left sitting between Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo thinking she had just gotten drug into some filly's game.
"Hear ye, hear ye, I now call this meeting to order. As you know this pony has lost her cutie mark and I declare that it is our duty as the Cutie Mark Crusaders to help her find it once again."
From there they had Jane Pony running races, swimming, diving, sky diving, bowling, baking, kung fu fighting and about anything you could think of, or rather anything they could think of. Jane Pony was happy to go along but had to draw the line at manticore catching though. For the most part she enjoyed the time she spent with them and she admitted to herself that she held out some small hope that after one of their ideas she would look at her flank and see her cutie mark there.
And yes Pinkie Pie threw her a "Make the new mare feel welcome" party. Jane Pony enjoyed the party even though she was pretty sure that some of the ponies were there only for the party and not for her. She didn't really care. Jane Pony did not need to be the center of attention. The party itself was awesome. She didn't know if she had even been at a great party before but she was sure that this was the best one she had ever had hoofs down.
All of this pulled her attention away from the dwindling hope that she would ever find out who she was. Where she would have despaired, she had no time to. Even when she had the time to think about it she could not feel lost. Days turned into weeks and before she knew it Jane Pony had been in Ponyville more than a month and despite all of Twilight’s efforts she was nowhere closer to learning who she was than when she had first woken up. This entered her mind every time she lay down to sleep at night. It was a depressing thought but she could not feel depressed. It would have been emotionally painful to lay down at night with utterly nothing, even no memories and yet in this time that so short compared to whatever life that she had before was filled with so many wonderful memories that it did not matter. It was the dedication of Twilight to a perfect stranger, Rarity’s generosity Applejack's company, Fluttershy's kindness hiding a surprising assertiveness which was often itself a kindness.
Rainbow Dash despite her being so blunt had pushed her to fly to her limits and each day she was getting stronger and stronger and oh, how she loved flying. Without Rainbow telling her bluntly instead of just trying to be nice Jane Pony would have never gotten to where she was in flying. Rainbow Dash had not just taken the time to make this weak pegasus a strong flyer but went out nearly every day to search for her attacker. She was a friend anypony would want. They all were. Pinkie Pie made her laugh and the antics and the adventures with Cutie Mark Crusaders made her smile each time she thought about them. The open and willing friendship to a complete stranger from all of them was the best gift out of all of it. For a pony who had nothing she always fell asleep with a smile on her face.