G.N.D: A My Little Dashie Sequel

by Nibrudly

Feels like the First Time

“Today is a special day.” That’s all I can seem to think about. I mean, of course it is, I’m turning twenty today. But that doesn’t feel like it’s the cause of why today is going to be so special. It also doesn’t feel like it’s the flight show we’re going to see. I mean, that’s going to be awesome, but it just doesn’t seem…”big” enough. I don’t know, it just feels like something unexpected and life altering is around the corner but I can’t put my hoof on it. Whatever this “event” is though, it doesn’t matter; I have to get ready. I’m going to an air show with my dad.

Now I’ve seen airplanes before, but not like I’m going to be able to today. I’m going to have the best seat in the house. Everybody is going to have to sit in the grand stands, but not me. Nope, I get to sit up in the sky and see them up close and in action! For that reason, Dad wisely decided to invest in some heavy duty ear protection so I don’t go deaf from the roar of all those engines firing point blank at my ear drums. As I put the industrial-grade earmuffs inside my bag, there’s a knock on our front door. Nobody knocks on our door. Not a single visitor since we moved into the new house. This isn’t good! We didn’t even plan something for a situation like this!

Before I can do anything, Dad just calmly tells me to go to my room. I quickly fly up the stair well, bolt for my bedroom and lock my door behind me. For the next five minutes I keep my ear to the door trying to listen to the muffled voices coming from down stairs. I can’t understand a single word until Dad starts shouting. I have no idea who it could be, but it takes a lot to get a reaction like that from Dad. I should know; I’ve played countless pranks on him over the years. I know exactly where his line of tolerance is, and whoever it is down there just crossed it. And it takes something especially antagonizing to get him to that point.

I have no idea who it is down there: hikers, insurance salesmen, heck, maybe even cops. But if Dad has already blown his top, then he needs help.

“Dad? Is everything alright?”

The voices stop, I hear absolutely nothing. My face is flat against the door as I wait for a response. I know in reality it’s only been thirty seconds, but it feels like hours waiting for his reply.

“Dad?”

“Yeah Dashie, I’m coming up. We…” there’s a pause in his voice; he’s definitely shaken up. “…we need to talk.”

I unlock my door as I hear his footsteps on the stairs. I’m sitting on my bed as he walks through the door. I don’t think I have ever seen him look more serious. Not even on the day he told me the truth about where I came from. And that was as serious as I thought he could get. I can only begin to imagine, or maybe the better term would be dread, what could possibly have happened downstairs.

“Hey Dashie?”

“Yeah, Dad?”

“I don’t really know how to say this, but…we’re not going to the air show.”

“Okay,” I figured that, what I couldn’t figure out is why he couldn’t come out and tell me what was going on. After what happened under the tree, you’d think he could tell me anything. “Could you clue me in as to who’s downstairs?”

With this, Dad goes over to my widow and just stares out into space. This is definitely worse than when I got the truth. After a few minutes he faces me, it seems like the life is gone from his eyes.

“Dashie…I don’t know how to make the words come out…but it’s time. Your friends are here.”

I just sit there as I let this sink in. Then I double over in laughter at the obvious joke. Ha! Like they’d actually be here! My sides hurt and I’m having trouble catching my breath by the time I can finally respond.

“Ha ha…whew! Good one, Dad! You had me going there!” I wipe a tear from my eye as I try to catch my breath, “Now, seriously; who’s downstairs?”

His expression remains the same. The smile on my face gradually fades as I realize he isn’t joking. He’s actually serious. I hop off my bed and go for the stairs. I can hear Dad right behind me, trying to keep up with my pace. This can’t be happening, this has to be a joke; a sick, twisted joke. It’s been fifteen years! I haven’t seen one piece of evidence suggesting any other ponies exist outside the show! As I turn the corner my disbelief turns to shock. They’re real, all of them. And they’re sitting in my living room. You could cut the tension with a knife. Before anyone can break the silence, it’s shattered by a loud-”

“DASHIE!”

My eyes shoot open upon hearing my name. I can tell the voice belongs to Pinkie Pie, who else would call me “Dashie?” Well…that guy in my dream did; who was he? Dang it, I only just woke up and I’m already forgetting. Eh, it’s not like it was important anyway. Dreams are just dreams.

“RISE AND SHINE!”

Speaking of, I still wish I was dreaming. Despite having one of the comfier beds in Ponyville I still feel tired. And that overly enthusiastic screaming is doing wonders for my motivation. I decide to pretend I didn’t hear anything and just pull the blankets over my head. Ah, sweet slumber.

“I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!”

Well that destroys any chance I had. I just know I’m a few seconds away from Pinkie Pie busting through my door or something worse. Hoping to avoid this, I groggily make my way towards my window. As I arrive and look out, I see a rather odd device being set up by Pinkie. I see speakers, air horns and other obnoxious noise making devices. That’s definitely “worse.”

“I’m up! I’m up, I’m up. What is it, Pinkie?” I have a newfound alertness from the adrenaline now coursing through my system.

“Took you long enough! And I had just hooked up the sound system too. Oh well!”

I rub the fatigue from my eyes as Pinkie starts dismantling her complicated noise maker. Just how did she lug all that equipment out here?

“I just thought I’d make sure you didn’t sleep through the whole morning.”

“What are you talking about Pinkie? It’s not that-“ I drop the last word as I take notice of the sun’s position in the sky. It’s late morning, really late morning. Oh, am I gonna get it! I’ve been late before, but never this late! I can only imagine all the complaints that will soon spill into the weather office about “punctuality,” and “professional responsibility.” But not from the residents, no; they don’t really care so long as things are done. No, I’m going to have to answer to her. That’s always so much fun.

I rush into my bathroom, try to do something with my bed-head, jam a tooth brush in my mouth, then rinse and spit. Satisfied with my semi-presentable appearance, I rush to my kitchen, grab for whatever foodstuff is closest, and bolt for the door. As I burst out the door, I can see Pinkie is almost finished putting away her contraption. Where does she put it all? It doesn't matter how she does it, I'm just glad she did me this favor. I just may be able to get out of this if I hurry.

“Thanks Pinkie!” I barely manage to get out before I dash away.

I turn and look over my shoulder to see her waving goodbye as she shrinks into the distance. The trees are varying blurs of green as I make my way to Ponyville. Now usually I could fly slower and take in all the vibrant colors of the houses and the numerous ponies that are going about their day. Unfortunately I just don’t have the time. As I fly right above the market place, a familiar sound reaches my ears. I’m not sure, but I think I hear…cheering? Sure enough, as I slow down and look below me, everypony is cheering and waving at me. Now I know I’m the most awesome pony in town, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them cheer like this unless I was participating in some sort of competition. And they are getting very enthusiastic. As much as I would love to give them a show, I need to hurry up and get to work!

As I land in front of the Ponyville Weather Department, I brace myself for all the whining and criticism that most likely awaits me. I just know some cloud wasn’t in just the right spot, or somepony decided we needed a morning shower without my consent. I swing open the doors and start spewing my excuse.

“Good morning guys. Sorry I’m so late, I had a rough night. I’ll make sure I’m here earlier…tomorrow.” Everypony is staring at me, their jaws hanging from their skulls.

“What? Is my mane a wreck? Do I have something on my face?”

I just stand there waiting for the crowd to snap out of it. While everypony is still trying to collect themselves, a blonde maned, periwinkle coated pegasi approaches me with a scowl on her face. Her name is Cloud Kicker and she is one of the more pleasant, and helpful ponies in the weather patrol. She not only writes up the daily schedule, but enthusiastically enforces it. So Celestia forbid you forget to do something or, in my case, show up late. I braced myself for the coming hurricane.

“Where the hay have you been?! Do you have any idea how far behind we are?! And just what kind of manager decides to take a vacation one day, just right out of the blue, and doesn’t even tell her weather team about it?!”

Vacation? Ha, that’s a good one. Four hours late and I’m on vacation. I can only imagine what taking off the whole day equates too.

“Alright, I get it. I’m sorry. Can you give me my schedule now?”

Cloud spends the next few agonizing moments just staring at me. Anger and annoyance is plastered all over her muzzle, but eventually she just rolls her eyes and sighs.

“Fine,” Her face and body visibly relax, and she unfurls her left wing to pull out a clipboard tucked underneath it. She waves a hoof to indicate that I should follow her, and then begins walking towards one of the hallways. I quickly fall in step beside her.

“We need to get the rain schedule from the Storm Committee, and then you need to fill out some paper work for the Equestrian Weather Bureau-as if they haven’t waited long enough already…”

Over the course of working with Cloud Kicker, I have mastered the art of tuning out her voice. She likes to ramble and she always has something to criticize. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she keeps us all on task, but she just goes on and on and on. The words keep flowing as we walk down the hallway. Every pony we pass either has the same shocked expression as before, or they have this weird grin on their muzzle. A few of the more friendly members of the team greets me with a “Welcome back.” Nice, they’re all in on it. It’s so funny I forgot to laugh. As if I could; I’m still exhausted. What was I doing last night?

Eventually we reach the end of the hallway, the doors of the committee room before us. I just stand there, waiting for Cloud to finally finish talking. I just keep silent and nod my head when I’m supposed to.

“…and that’s just the least of our-have you listened to a single thing I said?”

I just nod, hoping she buys it.

“What was the last thing you heard?”

“Um…Storm committee?”

She facehoofs and sighs. “Okay. Here’s all you have to worry about today: rain schedule; report to the Weather Bureau, cloud wrangling. Got that?”

“Hmm…could you say it one more time?”

With a roll of the eyes she just leaves me standing there, a smirk on my face. With a small chuckle I open the doors and my eyes are met by pure chaos. Ponies are shouting and cursing at each other from across the room, throwing stacks of paper and pens at each other; multiple pairs of stallions are at each other’s throats and wrestling on the floor; and a small group of the more timid committee members are huddled under the main conference table, waiting out the storm.

Now I’m the head of this committee, and if word got out about this I’d never be able to walk in here with my head held high. They have warranted my upmost wrath.

Expelling all the air from my lungs, I bellow “Alright you overgrown foals! Break it up!”

A pause comes over the room; looks of shock are on everyponys’ face as they stare in my direction. The group that was hiding under the conference table slowly comes out.

“I don’t know how this all started, but I’m ending it! I will not have my committee fighting like a bunch of three-year old foals! I don’t care about your excuses, this ends now! We are a team, and by Celestia we are going to act like it!”

With this they all hang their heads, expressions of shame spread out across the room. I give a large sigh as I switch tactics.

“I’m going to pretend I never saw that petty display. So just pick up this mess and take your seats. We have a rain schedule to make.”

Within minutes, the room is just the way the janitors had left it: spic and span. It’s like the fracas from before had never happened. This carries over to our meeting. Yes, a few disgruntled members try to start an argument, but I take care of them before anything can happen. After three hours, we manage to finish the storm schedule for the next three months. As we clear out, everypony is back to their usual, friendly selves. Why it only took them four hours without me to go completely crazy is beyond me. I groan as I head to my office to perform my next task: filling out that report to the Weather Bureau.

Although I hate bureaucracy-the tedious task of having to fill out a wad of papers with layers upon layers of redundancy-it’s actually relaxing today. My mind just goes blank and I forget about the numerous forms and reports in front of me, I forget about the Storm Committee, and, most importantly, I forget about Cloud Kicker’s unending list of complaints. After I finish crossing the last “t” and dotting the last “i”, I double-check the whole stack to make I didn’t forget anything, sign it, date it, and put it in the mailbox.

With the boring stuff now out of the way, I can finally get to the most anticipated job on my list. I know it seems silly, finding so much enjoyment in such a mundane task, but I just can’t help but feel myself unwind whenever I start pulverizing a bunch of clouds. I don’t know if it’s because I actually get to clobber something without reproach, or whether I just like being able to move after being stuck in the office for more than four hours at a time. Whatever the reason, I already feel rejuvenated as I make my way for the door.

Fresh air and a sunny sky greet my senses as I walk out of the Weather Office. There’s a gentle breeze, the leaves on the trees sway back and forth in time with the tempo of the wind. The clouds-despite their guaranteed destruction-add onto the atmosphere by casting their unique shadows, the various patches of shade offering some contrast to the bright hues of the buildings. Despite this, Celestia’s Sun continues to enhance every color that meets my eye; Ponyville easily rivals my own colorful mane. It’s a good day to fly.

I take it slow as I take off from the ground, don’t know why, I just feel like it today. As I fly over town I can’t help but marvel at the sight below me. I know I’ve seen it hundreds of times, and yet…I don’t know; for some odd reason it feels like it’s the first time in a long time that I’ve seen it. Whatever feelings of marvel I have disappear from my mind as a lone cloud enters my field of vision; my first victim. I put on speed as the distance between me and my target drastically reduces. I ram through the cloud, bits of fluff falling out of my mane as I continue to pick up speed. Coincidentally, with the way they’re spaced, the various clouds hovering over Ponyville look like a racing course. Bring it on!

Oh yes, this is awesome! It feels like I haven’t gone so fast in forever! As I punch through cloud after cloud, my smile continues to widen. This is why I like cloud wrangling so much. Not because I get to obliterate piles of fluff, not because I finally get to flex my wings, but because it’s one of the few jobs where I can really go fast! As I take out the final cloud, I just continue to increase my speed. I pull up into the higher levels of the sky; barely any traffic or clouds to get in my way. I start pulling out every flight trick in my book, turning and twisting across the sky. I do loops, barrel rolls, my “Filly Flash,” and my “Buccaneer Blaze.” I think about doing a Sonic Rainboom, but those are more for competitions and special occasions. Besides, I already feel fatigued from this most recent performance. And I have finished the last thing on my list for today. I think I’ve earned a nap.

Since I came to Ponyville, I have become very good at finding the best places to take a nap. Granted, anywhere can be a place to nap when you have a cloud, but I prefer to have something sturdier underneath me. And besides, I just demolished every cloud within the radius of Ponyville; I’m not putting in extra effort to find a cloud when I have plenty other places available to me. Out of all the places to take a nap, trees would have to be my favorite. Not just any tree, of course, I always make sure the limb is solid and it’s wide enough so I don’t immediately fall off. But just having that natural canopy above you and still retaining the ability to be suspended in the air, it just feels more natural to me. Plus, I hear plenty of gossip as everypony walks under me, completely oblivious to my presence. Oh, the secrets I could tell.

I have two main locations with suitable trees for napping. One is the park; the other is Sweet Apple Acres. The park trees have thinner limbs, but I definitely hear a lot more interesting tidbits of conversation. And likewise, Sweet Apple Acres, although not as abundant in juicy gossip, definitely has the better trees. And since they’re having a concert in the park today, it looks like I’m going for quality over amusement. Which works out for the better anyway, I’m still tired. Not just from my display, but I just can’t seem to shake the earlier exhaustion from this morning. Plus I have a slight migraine, but that’s probably just from listening to Cloud Kicker.

As I fly over the Apple orchards I can see Applejack and Big Mac bucking trees left and right. From what I can see, they’ve already cleared out the section closest to the main barn. And that’s just perfect. I have a secret spot in the barn loft where I keep my pillow. I have a similar hiding place atop the gazebo in the park. So now I don’t only have the benefit of a shorter flight, but I also don’t have to worry about getting bucked out of a tree. I hope this streak of luck continues and I get a cooler dream than I had this morning.

I find a tree that’s close enough to hear anypony talking by the barn, but far away enough that nopony could spot me directly. As I prop my pillow up against a branch, I feel a wave of fatigue come over me. I get myself secured and close my eyes, waiting for the rejuvenating power of sleep to wash over me.

-------

This is the day! It may have taken me two hundred and forty-seven tries, but today is the day I finally fly! I’ve gotten really good at climbing up the tree I use as my launch pad… and I’ve gotten used to hitting the sand below me from all my failed attempts in the past. But every bump, every cut, every band-aid will be behind me after today!

Daddy is sitting on a bench across the park, offering words of encouragement. I can’t wait to see his eyes pop out once he sees me fly. I make my climb up to my launch pad and go over my checklist.

Wings? I give them a flap; there are a few bruises, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Check.

Wind? I feel a slight breeze but it shouldn’t give me trouble. Check.

Attitude? I am awesome. I am a great flyer. I am going to fly! Check!

I put all thoughts out of my head as I prepare for lucky number two hundred forty-eight. It is just me and the sky, nothing else exists. I scrunch into a ball, turning my legs into springs. I wait a few seconds while psyching myself up, and then I launch myself off the branch into the wild blue yonder! I’m flapping my wings as hard as I can; I’m staying in the air. I’m doing it! I’m flying! I’m actually-oh no. No. No! I start falling towards the ground. I try to make a good landing, but that’s hard when you’re falling like a rock. A great, big, dumb rock.

As I hit the sand, I feel pain spread out all over me. I just lay there for a few seconds until it passes. I try to get up, but I just can’t. I’m fine, but I just don’t want to do it anymore.

“You alright, Dashie?” Nope. Not at all. I just failed for the eighth time today.

“Yeah, I’m alright Daddy.” On the outside that is. I feel really bad on the inside. I’ve been trying to fly for months now, and all I’ve been able to do is fall out of that dumb tree! I thought I would at least be able to fly a few feet, but no, all I can do is fall, fall, fall!

“I think I’m ready to go home, Daddy.”

“Are you sure? It’s not even close to lunchtime yet.”

“I’m ready, Daddy. I want to go home.”

He gets up from the bench and he starts walking over to me. I pick my stupid body out of the sand and join him by his side. Now comes the part I hate; that stupid dog costume. It itches really badly and it smells funny. Daddy washes it, but it still smells funny anyway. And I look so stupid with those floppy ears and that skinny tail. I don’t know what the costume people were thinkin’, but this looks nothing like a dog. I’ve seen dogs; either out the window or on the TV. And all of them don’t look nearly as dumb as I do. But I may as well wear it; it matches my feelings right now.

All those books Daddy read, all those boring nature shows, two hundred and forty-eight jumps off that dumb tree and I’m no closer to flying than when I started. My head droops and stays that way the whole walk back to the house. I finally get to take the stupid costume off once we walk through the door. I’ve asked Daddy hundreds of times why I have to keep wearing it, but all he says is “You can stop wearing it once to learn how to fly.” I’m feeling really bad now. Maybe Spongebob is on, I know that will make me happy. I switch on the TV and you know what I see? Dumb “Dora the Explorer!” Can nothing go right today?

I turn off the TV and jump up into my chair. I cross my forelegs and pout. Why can’t I just glide? If I could do that I could figure the rest out. I mean, I’ve tried, but that just ends up the same old way. Maybe I should just give up, wait ‘til I’m bigger. But I really want to fly! Why do I want it so badly if I’m such a stinky flyer? While I argue with myself, I close my eyes and feel myself start falling asleep.

“Dashie!”

“Five more minutes…” I wave him off…wherever he is.

“Dashie, it’s dinnertime.”

Dinner?! How long was I sleeping? Why didn’t he wake me up for lunch? Darn it! We we’re supposed to have mac and cheese today; that’s my favorite. Today has been a really bad day. I put my head in my hooves as I sit down at the table. Daddy turns around from the stove and sees me moping.

“What’s the matter, honey?”

“I just had a bad day.”

“Ah, I see.” He grabs two plates from the cupboard and fills them with whatever we’re having for dinner tonight. I just keep staring at the empty place where my plate is going to be. “Maybe this will cheer you up.”

There, right in front of me, is a big plate full of mac and cheese. A big plate! With mac and cheese! This never happens!

“Really?”

With a simple nod, Daddy just says “Really. You missed lunch, plus I think you could use a pick-me up.”

As I scoop the awesome food into my mouth, I ask “Pick-me up? I don’t need to be picked up.”

“No, Dashie,” Daddy sets his plate on the table along with two glasses of water. “You don’t actually pick someone up when you give them a ‘pick-me up.’”

“Zen washt it mean?” I’m careful not to let any of the noodles fall out of my mouth.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” I take a big gulp to clear my mouth for more, “A pick-me up is when you do something to make somebody feel better.”

“Like when you make them mac and cheese?”

“Yeah, or cheer them on when they’re down in the dumps. Like a certain someone who’s been trying like crazy to fly. Don’t think I didn’t see your head was drooped the whole walk back.”

I stop eating and put my fork down. How did he know?

“Dashie, I know it’s been really hard and I haven’t done the best I can to teach you, but you don’t how proud I am every time you get up, brush yourself off and try again. So just keep trying. You’ll get it eventually.”

That’s the best thing I’ve heard today. I jump out of my seat to run over a give him a hug.

“Thank you Daddy; for the pick-me up.”

“No problem, Dashie. No problem at all. I love you very much.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

--------

“I love you too, Daddy…”

The sudden appearance of the voice gave Applejack a start. As she looked up, she saw a napping Rainbow Dash, mumbling incoherently as she rolled over on the tree branch.

“Sure, I have room for dessert.”

What in tarnation is she dreaming about?

Seeing as how Celestia’s sun was sinking into the horizon, Applejack decided to deliver a swift kick to the tree in order to wake the sleeping Pegasus. As she had expected, Rainbow fell out and hit the ground with a thud. Although it wasn’t necessarily the nicest way to wake a pony up, it certainly was the funniest.

“Alright! Who’s the joker who did that?! Come on, let’s go!”

Although Rainbow Dash was ready to go, she was facing the wrong way. At this sight, Applejack couldn’t help but laugh. With a look of chagrin on her face, Rainbow started taking inventory, checking for any noticeable injuries.

“Ha ha, very funny. Thanks for giving me a bruise.”

“Well, I thought you might want to go sleep in your nice warm bed ‘stead of in a wide open tree.”

“Now why would I want to move-“ As she took notice of the sun’s position, Rainbow Dash facehoofed. “Not again! That’s twice today!”

“Are you that tired, Dash? What have you been doin’?”

“Nothing, just had a rough night last night. I had a weird dream.”

“You don’t say,” Applejack leaned against a tree, rubbing an apple on her coat. “What was it about?”

“Well, I don’t really remember. But I do know I was there along with this weird guy.”

Applejack stopped midway from taking a bite. “Weird guy?”

“Yeah, and he was in that other dream too. You know, the one you so kindly woke me from?”

“Uh-huh,” Applejack put the apple down and stood up straight, this was important. “What happened in that one?”

“Well,” Rainbow Dash tried to continue, but the words just wouldn’t come out. She rapped her head trying to will the dream back into existence, but to no avail. “Dang it! How could I have forgotten already?!”

That was a good thing, if Applejack’s suspicions were correct. “Do you remember what he looked like?” with a sly smile she continued, “Was he a handsome stallion?”

“No, he wasn’t a stallion; wasn’t even a pony. He looked more like a monkey. Except he had less hair, was a lot taller, and he could talk. He seemed really familiar, but I don’t remember ever seeing something like him.”

Her suspicions were confirmed; Rainbow’s description matched the image Applejack had in her head. Rainbow was remembering. That wasn’t supposed to be happening yet. However, before Applejack could continue asking questions, Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her head and winced.

“You alright, Dash?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just a headache. Probably from getting knocked out of a tree.”

“Right, sorry ‘bout that. Alright, well I think you should head on home. I hope your head feels better. G’night Rainbow.”

“G’night Applejack, see you tomorrow.”

Applejack continued to wave until Rainbow Dash had disappeared from view. This wasn’t good. She wasn’t supposed to be having any memory of what had happened. Not this early, not like Twilight said she would. Despite the fading sunlight, Applejack needed to report on this new development. With concern and a head full of unanswered questions, Applejack started walking towards Ponyville.

After a nice, casual, evening stroll, Applejack had arrived at the Library. The sun had gone down completely, Luna’s moon casting an ethereal glow on all the buildings, giving life to the numerous shadows that inhabited the night. As she knocked on the door, Applejack tried to compile a list of questions in her head. Hopefully, Twilight could give her some answers. Otherwise, this was going to get much more complicated than it already was. After a couple minutes, Spike answered the door.

“Oh hi, Applejack!”

“Evenin’ Spike. May I come in? I have something I need to tell Twilight.”

“She’s just upstairs; I’ll let her know you’re here.”

“Oh, that’s okay Spike. I’ll just go up to her.”

With a shrug of his shoulders Spike closed the door behind Applejack. As she climbed the steps, Applejack couldn’t help but start worrying. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be going. Twilight had told her she wouldn’t start remembering so soon.

Twilight was oblivious to Applejack’s appearance; her nose was buried in a very thick book. In fact, there were several stacks of thick books piled around her desk. She was in for the long haul.

“Whatcha readin’ there, Twilght?”

She gave a little jump, and then she breathed a sigh of relief. “You scared me, Applejack.”

“Sorry, I thought you heard me come up.”

“I’m reading a book on magical manipulation of the brain. I was hoping it could shed some light on our current situation.”

“Has it?” Applejack waited anxiously, hoping she would hear a “yes.”

“Unfortunately, no. All this book covers is possible forms of mind control and how to magically make yourself smarter. Nothing in here about memories or multiple personas. Why do you ask?”

With this Applejack’s ears drooped and her expression soured. This was not going the way she had hoped it would.

“Because Twilight, I had a talk with Rainbow Dash this evenin’ about some dreams she had today. In both of them, she had a familiar lookin’ guest. She’s remembering, Twilight. She’s remembering her Dad and her life on Earth.”

With this news, Twilight began to freak out.

“What?! But that’s not possible! I should have had at least a couple of weeks before we would even have to worry about something like this! She can’t be reverting this rapidly!”

Twilight began to nibble on the tip of her hoof. She started theorizing about how the regression had come about and what this now meant. She obviously didn’t have a few months anymore. At best she had a few weeks before something bad could happen. And the worst part was she had no idea what was causing it or how far it could go. This was something entirely new; nopony in the history of Equestria had ever had two separate sets of memories; two different lives; two versions of the same pony in their head.

“Twilight! Calm down now. You can figure it out. Did you tell the Princess ‘bout this yet?”
Slightly regaining her composure, Twilight answered her concerned, yet collected friend.

“Yes, I sent her a letter last night explaining what happened. She replied and told me she’s getting the best minds in Canterlot working on this problem. But I don’t know how long it’s going to take to summon them or for them to mobilize. That’s why I’m doing what I can here.”

As Twilight took the next tome from the pile nearest to her, Applejack began to pace.

“I don’t like this Twilight. It just doesn’t seem right. Why can’t we tell her the truth?”

“You know very well why, Applejack. You remember what happened yesterday when we got back.”

That she did. They had only just come back from Earth before Rainbow Dash had started complaining about headaches. For that reason, while everypony else went about their business, Applejack and Twilight stayed by Rainbow’s side to make sure nothing bad would happen. Twilight, because she had used the memory spell and was the one most likely able to do something in the event something did happen; and Applejack because, well, if Rainbow passed out they would need a strong back to carry her on.

They had taken the scenic route to Rainbow’s cloud castle, trying to avoid any public contact until Rainbow could readjust. Unfortunately, they were nowhere near their destination when it happened. It started with a really bad headache; Rainbow had been holding her head and moaning. As the two mares tried to help, their friend collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Seconds later, she started having a seizure. As both mares frantically tried to come up with a solution, Rainbow’s body had stopped seizing. But her chest had stopped rising as well. As Applejack tried to get the air flowing again, Twilight used another spell on Rainbow. Thankfully, only a few agonizing seconds passed before Rainbow started breathing again.

“What did you do?”

“I…I think I just separated her memories.”

“What?!”

“I don’t know! I just think Rainbow and Dashie are separate again! It worked, didn’t it?!” She had a point, but that still seemed extreme despite the current circumstances.

“Well what does that mean?” exasperated, Applejack continued to attend to her unconscious friend. “Does that mean she won’t ever remember Earth again?”

“No! No, thank goodness no. I think I’ve just built a wall. And now the Earth memories are separated from the rest. I think it might have stopped the problem. I don’t think it will last, but it should give me enough time to figure out how to fix this.”

That’s what she had been told. That’s what she thought was going to happen. But now after only one day, Rainbow was far further in regressing than Twilight had predicted. So now Applejack had a friend who not only had no recollection of where she had been or who she had been with for the last fifteen years, but now that same friend had something going on in her head that could do far more damage than any pony could fix.

“What happened Twilight? I thought you was gonna make it so that she could have both sets of memories?”

“I did; at least I thought I did. I thought I had put them together. I don’t know why it didn’t work. It should have.”

“Then what’s the problem? Why can’t we fix this?”

“Because Applejack,” she said as she passed a hoof through her mane, “Magic, no matter how hard you practice, no matter how hard you concentrate, is never an exact science. Especially when applied to the mind of a pony. This is far more complex than I ever thought it would be. I could have made a mistake or Rainbow’s mind didn’t want to change. I just have no clue.”

She closed the book lying on her desk and turned to face her friend, “That’s why until I know how to fix this, we need to stay quiet. I have no idea what would happen if she found out. It might make it better, or it could make it worse. Unless I know it’s going to do more good than harm, I just can’t take that chance.”

“I can understand that.” She turned and headed for the steps.

“But,” she paused, casting a conflicted expression towards Twilight, “She’s gonna find out one way or another, and when she comes lookin’ for answers-‘cause you know she will-I wouldn’t think twice about spilling the beans; even if it’d do more harm than good. Get my drift?”

A simple nod was her reply.

“Alrighty then. Good luck, Twilight. I hope you and all them other eggheads can figure out how to fix this.” As Applejack made her way out, Twilight turned back to her books, resuming her search for answers.

I hope so too, AJ. I hope so too.