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// Back home 
// Story: Lost 
// by AJapple 
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The sky was streaked with blood colored clouds and orange fire. The rainbow haired mare dove through the sunset her wings spread out and the wind ruffling blue feathers. Her mind raced with pictures of times lost long ago, all with one orange pony. Her name burned on her tongue. Applejack, the pony whose face kept appearing in flashes of memory. It was confusing, to say the least. She knew that this pony, this farm mare was only one of many friends. Though Rainbowdash was hesitant just to leave Applejack as just a friend. She was more than that, her memories told her that they were close, closer than most. But her memories were also clouded with darkness, and she was sure that some were twisted. It pained her to realize that she was fighting something that could so easily destroy her. She was fighting for something she barely knew, ponies she could not remember and yet she pushed forwards, her desire to find these unknown ponies stronger than ever. The hope that she would be able to save them ached in her tired mind as she flew, the monotonous sound of wingbeats the only thing to be heard in the vastness of open sky. 
Hours ago she had woken to the sounds of birdsong and the thudding of hoof falls. She had jolted awake from a dream, one that had both brought joy and fear into her weary heart. She had rushed to the nearest public place and asked about the apple based farm she had visited in her dream, Sweet Apple Acres. The ponies had been kind to her, pointing her in the direction of the beloved farm. 
It was now that she flew, high in the color streaked clouds, that she began to worry. She had seen the outline of a town from miles back, and now as she got closer she wondered what the reactions would be. After all if she had been missing and if this town was full of ponies she had once known, ponies who liked her and missed her...it was a little frightening. 
Rainbowdash squinted as she made out the shapes of buildings and houses directly ahead. She swooped lower as she grew nearer and finally landed just outside the little town. It was bustling with ponies, all completely oblivious to the anxious pegasus peering out from behind a tree. 
“YOU’RE BACK!” An explosion of sound nearly knocked the pegasus off her hooves. She blinked back surprise as she stared at the pink pony in front of her. The mare was humming with bottled energy and her mane was sticking out in all directions. “You’re back! You’re back!” The pink pony cried happily, throwing her arms around the confused pegasus.  She pried herself away from the pink pony and studied her, waiting for some hint of memory to surface. Nothing happened and she was left to wait. The pony frowned before tilting her head. “Dashie?” She questioned hesitantly. “A-Are you okay?” There was fear in her tone, startling shock and sudden horror spread across the pink ponies face. “You….You don’t remember me?” She sputtered, large tears welling in her electric blue eyes. Rainbowdash felt terrible, it was obvious that this was a pony that had cared about her and she herself had probably cared for her at one point. 
“I-I’m sorry.” She said quietly, her bravado nowhere to be found. “I don’t remember much of anything.” Rainbowdash continued. The pink pony nodded, was her hair deflating? 
“Well,” she pawed the ground seemingly defeated until she bounced up and down as if struck by some invisible force. “I know who can fix this!” She shouted excitedy. “Everypony will want to know you’re back! And I know that she can fix you!” Rainbowdash felt a strange mix of elation and hesitance as the pink pony nodded toward the town. “C’mon! The faster we get there the faster Twilight can fix your head! And-” she paused. “If she can’t...we can...we can do everything over again! We can become friends all over again and I can tell you all my old jokes ‘cause you won’t remember them of course!” Her voice was loud and the pegasus flattened her ears against the attack on her eardrums. 
“Okay.” she muttered, allowing the pink pony to lead her into town. 
“Oh my name’s Pinkie Pie by the way.” She added hurriedly. “But I’m sure you’ll remember, just wait until we get to the castle!” Rainbowdash nodded mutely and decided to stare at the town all around her. Or rather, the town stared at her. Ponies stopped what they were doing and stared. They whispered amongst themselves before bursting out with shouts and tears, calling her name over and over again. 
Well, Rainbowdash thought, at least I have somewhere I belong. She closed her eyes and let their excitement soak in. She had no idea who in the hay they all were, but it seemed cruel to take away their hopes too soon. Pinkie shook her head and shooed them all away insisting that they needed to get to the castle as soon as they could. So they did, they looked a little scared of the pink pony, Rainbowdash noted. Pinkie Pie ran fast that was for sure. Along the way she darted into a clothing shop of sorts and soon after a white unicorn burst out with mascara tinged tears falling freely from underneath long black lashes. 
“Oh Rainbow!” She exclaimed, throwing her hooves around the cyan pegasus. “We’ve missed you so much darling!” Rainbowdash nodded and gave her a weak smile. 
“I-I guess I did too?” She said though it was phrased as a question. The unicorn pulled away dabbing her eyes with a cloth. 
“Of course dear, Pinkie told me about your memory.” She glanced warily at said pony and Rainbowdash noticed the uncertainty in the unicorn’s eyes. “I’m Rarity.” She spoke, her eyes finding rose ones again. “I do hope Twilight can help you...it would be so tragic to think that after all we’ve gone through….this is how we are repaid. By the disappearance of our friend, followed by a memory wipe.” She shook her head. “Let's go now shall we? I want to know what you’ve been through, so we can find the unfathomable evil that is Sombra and how shall I say this, kick his butt.” Rainbowdash nodded and followed the two ponies. 
It wasn’t hard to find the castle, it towered above the town, glowing in the evening sun. The heavy doors were surprisingly easy to open and Rainbowdash stood in the foyer, staring at the high vaulted ceilings and intricate crystallized designs built into the walls. Rarity nudged her. 
“it’s beautiful isn’t it.” She mused pushing the pegasus down the hallway gently. They ended up in the throne room, where Twilight was looking over the table map. 
“TWILIGHT!” Pinkie shouted, accompanied by the rocketing of a party cannon. The purple alicorn jerked her head up and her raw eyes focused on the pegasus. 
“Wha-?” She muttered scuttling from around the other side of the table. “You're...you’re here?” She asked sounding very surprised. “I thought...I thought you didn’t remember anything?”
“I don’t.” Rainbowdash confirmed flapping her wings to loosen some of the nervous tension that had built up there. “I know my name….and I know….” She looked away noticing the absence of a certain pink pony. “Where did Pinkie go?” She wrinkled her brow. The alicorn shrugged. 
“Probably to get Fluttershy and Applejack.” 
“Her! I know her! Applejack.” Rainbow blurted. Twilight raised an eyebrow and shook her head. 
“Alright, that’s a start I guess.” A new energy had spread throughout Twilight’s body and she had already figured that Rainbowdash had come to recover her lost memories. She could not afford to fail, not now. “Come on then...we can wait for the others to get here and then...then I can perform a basic memory spell.” Rainbowdash nodded her heart racing in her chest. Soon she would know who these ponies were. Soon she would have her whole life back. Soon she would see Applejack.