//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Forever Loyal 
// by xxGamer101xx 
//------------------------------//

"This is Sweet Apple Acres," beamed Pinkie as she and Rainbow Dash stopped in front of huge red barn. They stood in front of an arch covered with leaves and you guessed it, apples. A brown wooden sign with an apple carved in it hung from the arch. Rainbow looked in awe as hundreds of apple trees could be seen behind the giant red barn, "The home of all of Equestria's best apples and apple related products."

"Wow," gasped Rainbow as she stopped and marveled at the display of what seemed to be acres and acres of land filled with apples, "So, they harvest all these apples?"

"Depends what ya want to harvest," said a familiar southern voice. Rainbow looked over and saw Applejack put down a rope and trotted over to her friends, "What are y'all doing here?"

"I'm showing Dashie all of Ponyville," smiled Pinkie as she looked at her earth pony friend. Pinkie had noticed that Applejack had her roping gear out, "What were you doing with that rope?"

Applejack tipped her hat and simply responded to her friends, "Ah was just training for the next rodeo."

"So, back to the apple harvest thing." interrupted Rainbow. She wondered on what kind could be harvest here? How they did? She quickly gathered her thoughts and asked, "Like what kind of apples are there?"

Applejack shrugged and gave her friend a simple response, "All kinds of apples. We got some Red Delicious, Golden Delicious. Got some Granny Smiths to make pie with too. Ya name, we got it."

"Hey AJ, tell Rainbow about the Zap Apples," beamed Pinkie as her smile grew.

"What are Zap Apples?" asked Rainbow in disbelief as such a thing could ever exist.

Applejack gave her friends a nod, "Follow me and Ah'll show ya what a Zap Apple is."

Rainbow nodded and began to follow Applejack throughout the apple orchards. As the walked through what seemed to be acres of had stopped and looked at a draft horse whose mane was orange with a red coat wearing a yoke bucking an apple tree. She noticed right next to yoke wearing stallion a yellow coated and red filly looked in awe of the stallion.

"Don't mind that. Just Big Mac teaching Apple Bloom how to buck apple trees," Applejack said as she noticed Rainbow had stopped, "She doesn't seem to get it. She just needs a little practice is all."

Rainbow had nodded and trotted to Applejack, "Who are those two?"

Applejack had stopped and looked at her friend with a confused look, "Those two over there are mah brother and sister."

"Oh," Rainbow had said as she looked down on the ground with a defeated look.

"Don't worry Rainbow, ya'll get your memory real soon." said the earth pony giving her a reassuring smile, "We aren't that far from the Zap Apple trees, so keep up."

The trio then countied on their walk to the Zap Apple trees. Eventually, the trio had stopped walking as Applejack was showing her friends the dark purple trees with electrical currents flowing through them. Instead of normal apples in the trees, there were bright dots all over the leaves.

"Wow," said Rainbow in amazement as she looked at the odd apple trees, "How do you harvest those?"

"When there is a thunderstorm, then that is the best time to harvest some Zap Apples," explained Applejack as she gave her friends a smile, "Every Apple knows, never harvest a Zap Apple alone."

"How do you know when they're ripe?" asked Rainbow as she marveled at the strange look of the trees.

"When they from an apple," Applejack laughed, "A Zap Apple looks like a normal apple. Instead of being red, their colors are in that of a rainbow."

"That's neat," said the cyan pegaus still looking at the trees in awe.

"Ah think Granny Smith still has some of her famous Zap Apple pie," offered Applejack as she smiled at Rainbow.

"Granny Smith's pies are the best!" beamed Pinkie. Rainbow did found it odd that Pinkie had been quiet for this long. Pinkie then quickly said, "Hey Rainbow, did you know AJ and I are cousins?"

Applejack gave the bright pink pony an annoyed look, "Pinkie, don't be spreading false information like that."

"I'm not, I swear," Pinkie shouted back in a defensive tone and did three strange gestures,, "I even Pinkie Promise!"

"What's a Pinkie Promise?" asked Rainbow in confusion and wanted to find an answer to what those strange gestures Pinkie was doing were.

Pinkie had given her a dramatic gasp and said frantically, "You don't what a Pinkie Promise is?!"

The orange earth pony just sighed and muttered, "Oh great this again."

Pinkie trotted over to Rainbow, "A Pinkie Promise The most sacred promise anyone can give. When broken, you lose your friend forever." She had stood right in front of Rainbow, "Follow and repeat what I'm doing and saying. "

"I cross my heart," Rainbow crossed her hoof over her heart, "Hope to fly," Rainbow had spread her wings and gave a flap,"Stick a cupcake in my eye," she put a hoof to her eye.

"There," the energetic earth pony had said smiled towards Rainbow, "You just did a Pinkie Promise!"

"What did I promise too?" Rainbow asked.

"Well duh,"said Pinkie as she stuck out her tongue and laughed, "You promise me to stay on my tour of Ponyville till the very end! To reintroduce you to all our friends and find your missing memory!"

Rainbow had shrugged and pondered, "Well, we already got Applejack and Twilight down. You're the one giving me the tour. So, how bad can the other two be?"

"Y'all going to need a full day to recover from Rarity," snorted Applejack, "Fluttershy isn't that bad. She's just so shy and bashful."

"Why?" asked Rainbow in confusion, "You don't like Rarity?"

"She's too snooty," replied Applejack bluntly. She ignored the looks she was getting from her friends and shook her head, "What do y'all expect, I have the Element of Honesty." She ignored the looks again and changed the subject, "Ya'll still want some of Granny Smith's Zap Apple pie?

"We would love to have some AJ, but were running on a tight schedule." said Pinkie in a strange serious tone.

Applejack gave her friends a simple nod and began to walk away, "Ah understand, if y'all need me, ya know where to find me."

"Okay Dashie, next stop is Carousel Boutique. Home of the Ponyville's finest fashionista," said Pinkie as she began trotting away from the Zap Apple trees, "Come on silly, follow me. Ponyville is this way."

Rainbow nodded at Pinkie's response and soon followed her. The two began walking back to Ponyville and towards Carousel Boutique. The cyan pegasus was still confused on what her dreams had were about and she began thinking a lot as the duo were walking, "What did Princess Luna mean, but "his" return?"

As they arrived in Ponyville, a new thought crossed her mind. "Why do Rarity and Applejack don't get along?" she thought as she began thinking of all the reason why the two might not get along, "From what I seen recently, Applejack seems more down to earth and doesn't really care much for luxury items. Rarity however, seems to care very much about her appearance." She shrugged and brush the thought off and began to look off into space.
***

"Rainbow Dash, stand still!" said an annoyed voice that belonged to a white coated unicorn with a curly purple and a three diamonded cutie mark, "You still haven't told me yet, how do you want your dress to look like?"

Rainbow Dash whined as fidgeted around, "Come on Rarity, you know I don't like standing still for long periods of time."

Rarity had sighed and moved the tape measure around Rainbow, "There! All done, was that really that hard?"

"Finally!" Rainbow sighed and relief and was able to move around again, "Why don't you make my dress the same like you did for the gala?"

Rarity had sighed again, using her magic to levitate various colors of fabric, "This is for the royal wedding. Wearing a dress to the Grand Gala is one thing, a royal wedding is a different thing."

Rainbow had shrugged and simply started, "Whatever, just make my dress about twenty percent cooler."

The unicorn looked at her friend with a confused look, "I have no idea what any of that means, you have to be more clear."

"I can't explain it, just work your magic Rarity."

"Fine," the unicorn said in a huff moving the fabric to her sewing table, "Rainbow dear, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Aren't you at all a little fazed that Twilight hasn't told us at all that she had a brother until just recently?" Rarity had asked as she finished organized the fabric where it should be on her sewing table.

Rainbow nodded in agreement, "I thought I was the only one that was phased about that."

"Twilight is our friend, yes? Then why didn't she trust us to say that she has a sibling!"

Rainbow took a moment to answer back, she shrugged, "Maybe she was didn't have the time. I mean Twilight kinda has a lot on her plate."

Rarity nodded as well, "I suppose you're right."

"Her brother sounds pretty cool if you ask me, Captain of the Royal Guard," said Rainbow as she began to trail off, "Then there's Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's chosen egghead."

"Rainbow Dash!" said Rarity in a hushed voice, "You shouldn't be saying things like that."

Rainbow shrugged, "Come on Rarity, you know that Twilight is the biggest egghead there is. She's like queen of the eggheads!"

Rarity had just sighed and moved towards her sewing table to begin work on the many dresses she had to work on for the others, "Goodbye Rainbow Dash."
***

"Equestria to Rainbow," Pinkie said as she was waving a hoof in front of Rainbow's face, "You there Dashie?"

"Huh?" said Rainbow as she just surprised look at Pinkie's hoof waving in front of her face,

"Sorry Pinkie, I guess I was daydreaming."

"Oh, okay!" beamed Pinkie in her usual happy go lucky tone and, "We're here!"

Rainbow looked in front of her and saw an elegant building that resembled that of castle. The three story building was designs ranging from bows to integrate designs. In the center of the building was a sketch of pony wearing a dress and a bridle. She looked on top and saw two statued ponies around the top, like a carousel and on the very top was a little flag flowing. The colors of the building were mostly oranges, purples, and blues.

"I'm just going to take a guess and say modesty isn't Rarity's thing." noted Rainbow as she noticed the complex designs on the castle like building, "I mean all it's missing is moat."

"You're on the ball with that one." laughed Pinkie as she walked towards the door and began knocking it with her head.

A unicorn filly with a white coat and a curly purple and pink mane answered the door and said something that sounding like it has been recited multiple times, "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where you will find the finest dresses in all of Equestria. How may I may help you?"

Pinkie had put her hoof on her chin and thought for a moment. She then declared in her usual happy tone, "Make me your finest Lederhosen!"

The unicorn filly looked at her with confused emerald green eyes, "We don't make lederhosens, sorry."

"I demand to speak with your supervisor!" shouted Pinkie as she stuck her head up high.

"Okay," the filly said in a soft voice as she closed the door, "Rarity!" she shouted-well more like whinned loudly, "Somepony wants to see you!"

"Can it wait?" shouted another voice.

"No!"

"Why did they want to talk to me!?"

"They said something about wanting a lederhosen!"

Several moments had passed until a different pony had opened the door. This time the pony was a unicorn was curly purple mane and the same white coat. The white unicorn had sighed heavily and looked straight towards Pinkie, "Pinkie, we have been over this multiple times. I do not nor will I ever make lederhosens."

"I don't see why you hate lederhosens so much." said Pinkie as she shrugged, "I think Lederhosens are just find if you ask me."

"Pinkie, are you going to buy a dress or not?"

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

"To reintroduce Rainbow to all our friends."

"Fine, you may enter. Promise me one thing."

"Okay, what is it?"

Rarity had looked at her friend with a stern look, "If you mention lederhosens one more time, you are banned from here forever."

"Fine." Pinkie sighed and entered into the building and did her strange Pinkie Promise. Rainbow soon entered the building saw various fabrics all over the place.

"I do apologize for the mess, I have been swamped with work. My mother has took it upon herself to advertise my business. She gets me all this work and now my parents are getting ready to go another trip." huffed Rarity has she levitated the various fabrics in an attempt to make the area more neat, "They also left in me the care of my sister as well."

"That's what happens when you're the older sister," smirked Pinkie, "Good thing I'm the youngest."

"Rarity?" asked the unicorn filly.

"What is it Sweetie?"

"Can I go and play with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom now?"

"Yes, you may," Rarity had said and the unicorn filly smiled.

"Yay! We are going to earn our cutie marks in beekeeping today!"

"Don't get hurt Sweetie and be home before dinner."

"Okay, see you before dinner," said Sweetie Belle as she trotted happily out of Carousel Boutique.

"Oh, there is my little fashionista," declared a voice in Maneonesotan accent which belonged to an older unicorn mare with a pink coat, with a purple done up in a beehive, "Look at all you all grown up now," the unicorn then wrapped Rarity around a hug.

"Hi, Mrs. Rarity's Mom." waved Pinkie who was oblivious to what was going on.

"Oh, you must be Rarity's friends," the mare had said as she was done hugging Rarity, "I just what you two to know, that I am not like most moms. I'm a cool mom."

Rarity who had look mortified on what her mother had just spoken, hastily said, "Mother, don't you have packing to do?"

"Oh don't be ridiculous, we don't leave for another week," her mother said as turned her attention to her daughter's friends, "What's the 411 girls?"

"If you need me, I'll be in my be in my room. Slowly dying," announced Rarity as she walked passed her friends and mother not saying anything or looking. She then went off up the stairs to never return.

"Was that necessary?" asked Rainbow as she rolled her eyes at Rarity's reaction to her mother.

"Oh Rarity, always being dramatic." laughed her mother and she smiled towards Rainbow and Pinkie, "What are your names?"

As Pinkie was just about to say something, Rainbow quickly covered her mouth and said, "Sorry, but something came up and we have to go." The two ran towards the door and quickly closed the door behind them, "The only thing I learned about Rarity is that she has an embarrassing mom." Rainbow then looked towards Pinkie, "Where does Fluttershy live?"

"She lives in a cottage, follow me." declared Pinkie has she happily bounced towards the direction of Fluttershy's house, "Wait, why do you need to be reintroduced to Fluttershy? You two are like best friends."

"We are?" asked Rainbow as she trotted along her bouncing friend, "Since when?"

"Since the both of you were fillies."
***
"Good morning class," said a red coated and white maned pegasus as he greeted his class everyday but this day was unlike the rest. Rather than going over the safeties of flying, he had another task to do. He had a new student to introduce to the class. Right next to him stood a shy little filly whose coat was yellow and mane was pink, "This is our new student. Her name is Fluttershy."

"Hello Fluttershy." the class had said in unison and all looked rather bored and uninterested into what the teacher was saying.

"Fluttershy, don't be shy now. Why don't you tell the class a bit about yourself?"

"I….um…." the filly didn't say anything, or if she did nopony could heard her as her voice was to soft and she hid behind her mane.

"Fluttershy, there is no reason to be shy," the older pegasus had said as he knelt down and tried to comfort her.

"I don't know anypony," Fluttershy had said meekly and softly, "I get nervous when I don't know anypony."

"Well, we have to fix that problem won't we?" smiled the teacher as he stood up, "Follow me."

Fluttershy did what she was told and followed the teacher to the desk that belonged to another pegasus filly. Her mane was cyan blue and her mane was a brilliant rainbow. The cyan filly looked at the teacher first and at Fluttershy second. When she had made eye contact with her, Fluttershy went straight into hiding behind the teacher. The teacher had called her name and Fluttershy looked up.

"Fluttershy, I want you to meet Rainbow Dash," the teacher had said as he looked at Fluttershy. The teacher went to look at Rainbow Dash and said, "Rainbow Dash, I want you to meet Fluttershy."

"There Fluttershy," said the teacher as he smiled towards her, "You know somepony now."

"Hi." Rainbow Dash had said as she smiled towards Fluttershy.

Fluttershy slowly came out of hiding and greeted her fellow student, "Hi." she softly said.

"My name is Rainbow Dash and I like to fly." beamed the cyan pegasus as she offered her a toothy grin, "What do you like to do?"

"My name is Fluttershy and I like animals." replied the skittish filly as she offered her new friend a sheepish smile.
***
Rainbow's eyes had widened and with a surprised look said, "I remember now."

"Remembered what?" asked Pinkie as she tore her glance away from the door and towards Rainbow.

"I remember when I first met Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash for a first time in a long while smiled.

"See Dashie, you are getting your memory back!" smiled Pinkie giving her friend a huge grin, "Oh and we're at Fluttershy's house."

"Man, I need to stop daydreaming." mumbled Rainbow as she shook her head and looked at the house. It was a simple and modest house, much fitting for the pegasus that had lived there. Various bird houses her on the house and Rainbow noticed that various animals were all over the place. She then spoke more clearly so her friend could understand, "I thought this was Fluttershy's house, not Snow White's."

"Oh, Fluttershy loves to care for the animals," explained Pinkie as she offered her friend another smile, "She's really good at it."

Rainbow had just simply nodded and impatiently said, "What are you waiting for Pinkie? Knock on the door."

"Oh, right. Sorry." said Pinkie has she focused on the door again and began knocking with her head.

"Doesn't that hurt?" asked Rainbow with a look of concern on her face.

Pinkie shrugged and offered her friend a smile, "You get use to it after a while."

"Um...hello." a soft voice answered the door belonged to yellow coated pegasus whose pink mane hung over her face and covered one of her green eyes.

"Fluttershy, I remember you!" shouted Rainbow with a smile, "I mean I did remember you before, but now I remember the first time we met!"

"Oh, that's good." smiled Fluttershy as she still spoke softly.

"Isn't that great? Rainbow is getting her memory back?" said Pinkie as her smile grew even bigger, "I'm so happy, I could cry!" So the pink earth pony did cry but while she was crying, she was also laughing and smiling.

"Uh…" uttered Rainbow as she was unsure what she was supposed to do or what in Equestria's name Pinkie was even doing.

"Oh don't worry about Pinkie, she does that she gets really happy," smiled Fluttershy but still speaking softly.

"Hey Fluttershy, do you know where my house is?" asked Rainbow, "I'm going to have to sleep somewhere and I'll it be in my house."

"Oh, you live in the sky." said Fluttershy as she exited her house and towards Rainbow and Pinkie. She pointed towards the sky and clouds, "In one of those clouds."

"I do? That is so cool." said Rainbow as she looked up at the sky where Fluttershy was pointing and found her house.

"Don't you remember Rainbow Dash? You're the captain of the weather team."

"I am? That is so awesome!" remarked Rainbow as she smiling and focusing more on her house then her friends, "What does the weather team do?"

"I'm not really sure to be honest, sorry." The skittish pegasus said, "You just make sure all the weather is safe for all of the ponies in Ponyville."

Fluttershy spoke to quiet for Rainbow to hear he. She was too busy marveling at the awesomeness that was her house. She looked at the fortress made of clouds and gasped how awesome it was. The base was a cloud and the building was supported by the supports found on the others clouds that were all over her house. She also saw that a rainbow was constantly going through her house and ending at the base where there was what seemed to be a rainbow pool, "Man, I am one cool pegasus. I guess you can I'm …." Rainbow thought for moment before she finished her sentence, "What percent of cool I am?"

"Rainbow," said Fluttershy a bit more louder than usual hoping that you friend could hear her, "Are you twenty percent cooler?"

Rainbow didn't hear she was in her own little world. Rainbow had put her hoof on her chin and thought for moment, "fifteen is little and nineteen doesn't sound right? What is the right percentage of my coolness?"

Fluttershy had cleared her throat and took a deep breath. She spoke even louder, loud enough so she could hear over Pinkie's crying and loud enough to get her out of her thoughts, "Rainbow, are you twenty percent cooler?"

Rainbow had gasped, "That's perfect amount. It sounds so right and it like comes right off the tongue." She smiled even brighter than before, "Yup, I am so in fact, twenty percent cooler."

Fluttershy smiled at her friend, "I'm glad you like it."

"Where did you come up with something so genius like that?"

Fluttershy took a moment to answer. She just simply smiled and shrugged, "A little birdie told me that's what you like to say all the time."

"Well, that is so awesome!"

"She said the thing! She said the thing!" smiled Pinkie as she was longer crying and bouncing all over the place, "Rainbow, you just said the thing!"

"What thing?"

"The thing you always say!" shouted Pinkie had she wrapped her pegasus friends in a hug, "Oh Dashie, you're one step close to finding your memories."

Rainbow was the first to break from Pinkie's hug. She then gave her two friends a huge smile, "You're right Pinkie! I am!" She then looked again at the cloud fortress, "I bet if I go to my house, even more memories will come."

Pinkie nodded in agreement and excitedly said, "Yeah Dashie, you go and do that!"

With a dash, Rainbow was up in the air flying again. "Man, does this feel amazing!" thought Rainbow as she flying through the sky to reach her mighty cloud fortress. It felt nice to fly again, she felt invincible in the sky. She had stopped and landed at the base of the cloud her house was on. She quickly laughed and opened the door and entered into her house.

"Oh Rainbow Dash, I'm so glad you remembered where you live!" said a familiar voice that rang in her head, "It seems like only yesterday you had no idea who you were. Well look at that you now, talking to your friends and finding where your house is. I'll say aren't you the little pony that could!"

She had gasped, she knew who the voice was,"I know you! You're the creature that was in my dreams," thought Rainbow as she franticly paced all over the place as her thoughts were racing through her mind, "What are you doing in my thoughts?"

"I have a name you know," the sinister voice said as the voice got louder and louder in Rainbow's head, "Oh right, how rude of me, you lost your memory. Here let me refresh your mind, my name is Discord."

"You were in my dream." Rainbow had thought back in order to combat the sinister being that was laughing in her head.

"The great Rainbow Dash had a dream about me?" laughed the creature of chaos and disharmony with a sinister tone, "Well I say Rainbow my dear, this was quite an eventful visit I must say. I look forward for more of our visits, until then my dear. Take care."

Just like that, the voice was no longer in her head. Rainbow had looked in confusion on what had just happened and tried to shake it off. She walked and looked around her house, trying to get rid of the uneasy feeling she was having. She looked on the mantle on there was a letter and next to the letter there were two tickets for some sort of event. Rainbow quickly examined the letter:

Hey Rainbow, you forgot these in the hospital. No worries, I got them back for you.

-Derpy

P.S. I can't believe you got a VIP ticket for a Wonderbolts show, you are one of the luckiest mares in all of Equestria.

Rainbow had put the tickets and the VIP access ticket in a place where she was sure she'll remembered it. The thought of Discord in her mind had still made her feel uneasy. Thoughts continued to race through her mind, "Is Discord the "he" Luna was talking about?" Rainbow had thought over and over and wanted to know the meaning of this. She looked out of the window and noticed it was time. She yawned and stretched, looking for a bed to sleep on, "Maybe Luna will be in my dream again? Maybe she can better explain this." She yawned even louder and threw the covers over as she went in and got comfortable on her bed. She tossed and turn, but eventually she closed her eyes and was able to go to sleep.

In her dream, she was standing in the same place as last time. Standing and looking straight at the crystal tree she no idea was. She looked around to see the environment around the tree and saw all the trees were a dark blue, almost black. Right behind she was there was bridge and saw a familiar alicorn coming towards her, across the bridge.

"Hello again Rainbow Dash." boomed the familiar voice of Princess Luna has she became closer and closer to Rainbow, "How does the night treat you?"

"Where are we?"

"What exactly do you mean?" asked Luna in confusion.

"The location we are in, where is it?"

"Oh, I see now. You are in Everfree Forest." explained Luna, "I believe you now a spell casting zebra that lives in Everfree, am I correct?"

Rainbow shook her head in response, "You're asking the wrong pony Princess."

Luna nodded, "I see, is there anything you want to ask me?"

"When I went over to my house, I heard Discord talking to me in my thoughts."

Luna had gasped at what Rainbow had said, "What did we want to know?"

Rainbow had shrugged in response, "He said something about can't waiting to have more visits with me, whatever that means."

"I see," said Luna as she began to pace around. Eventually she had stopped and turned towards Rainbow, "If memory serves me right, you have tickets to see a Wonderbolts showing. Correct?"

Rainbow nodded, "Yeah, I do. How do you know?"

"Twilight often writes about your love of the Wonderbolts."

"Oh, okay."

"After the showing in Canterlot, come towards the castle to talk to me and my sister." replied the Princess of Night has she spread her wings, "Our time is almost done Rainbow, I await to see you soon." said Luna as she began to fly away.

Before Rainbow could say anything, she heard a loud beeping noise that began to shake her and the crystal. She woke up in a dash as she looked at the beeping of her alarm clock. She groaned and went to it the snooze button. She quickly got out of bed and got ready for the day, "I should tell Twilight about what just happened," she thought as she brushed her mane. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw there were bags that began forming under her eyes. She yawned, "Maybe Twilight has a spell that can help me sleep better too."

Rainbow had put down the brush and got ready for day out and about. She opened the door and began to fly back down to Ponyville. She loved the feeling she had felt as she flew down and zipped throughout Ponyville. If she was this good at flying, she wondered, how did she crash and fall? Rainbow just shook the thought out of head as she slowed down as she was getting closer to Twilight's treehouse. She quickly landed to the ground and knocked on Twilight's door.

She was greeted the familiar purple unicorn who answered the door with a smile, "Hello Rainbow, what brings you here?"

"Twilight, do you mind if I come in and talk to you for a bit?"

"No, not at all." responded Twilight with a soft smile. She made a gesture for Rainbow to come in, "There's something I need to talk to you about as well."

Rainbow had smiled as well as she went into Twilight's library, "Well, that's convenient."