> It wasn't a dream, it was a memory.
>  by pegasister16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> When the wonderbolts came
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 years later...

Rainbow Dash soared through the air, the wind rippling through her mane. She laughed, a huge, happy laugh, that came deep from within her. Today was the day! The Wonderbolts were coming to Ponyville, and they were recruiting! She knew she would stand a better chance than anypony, just as long as she performed her 'Sonic Rainboom'. She couldn't understand why she didn't just get chosen for the job though. After all, she did save their lives and perform a Sonic Rainboom all at once! Although, everypony deserves a fair chance.

She began practicing her stunts. She performed 3 perfect loops in mid air. She flew as close to the ground as she could, the fresh spring grass grazing against her belly as she did so. She soared high up into the air, as high as she could get. Ponyville was just a spec in the distance. It was so beautiful, she would have stayed up there all day if she could! The rainbow maned filly took a deep breath, and dived downwards. She pushed and pushed. The wind pulled at her face and stung her eyes with tears. She couldn't remember pulling off this stunt without being a little scared. The ground inched closer and closer to her. At the last minute, she slowed and was flung backwards into the air. She screamed as she realised she couldn't open her wings. She had been thrown with such a force that the only thing she could do was sit and hope she would be OK. 

Applejack was working in the fields at the time. She was just about to kick off from work when she saw a small screaming thing falling from the sky heading closer to her. She squinted, trying to make out what it was.
"Rainbow Dash?" She puzzled. As it drew closer she saw it was definitely her. She wondered if this was part of her act to perform to the Wonderbolts or something. Being an earth pony, she wasn't sure.
"What the hay?!-" She shouted, realizing that this wasn't an act. Applejack was about to run but Rainbow Dash landed right on top of her! Applejack squirmed and managed to break free from under her. She sat up in a daze. What was that filly playing at?! Suddenly, she realized Rainbow was unconscious. She quickly laid her in the recovery position and ran to get help. Maybe Twilight could fix her with her magic or something.

As Rainbow Dash lay there she began to dream. She was tucked up in a bed. It wasn't her bed, she was in some strange room in some strange place. One thing was certain, she wasn't in Equestria anymore. A creature came into the room. He smiled and tucked her in. Without realising she said,
'Why am I going to bed so early?'
'Because tomorrow I'm going to teach you how to fly.' The creature replied.
'Oh, well, goodnight then Daddy. I love you.' Daddy? That 2 legged gangly thing was her Daddy?!

Suddenly, her dream was cut into. Ponies were calling her name.
"Rainbow... Wake up Rainbow..." Slowly, her eyes flickered open. Standing before her were Applejack and Twilight. They were both looking incredibly worried.
"Are you OK Rainbow Dash? You started murmuring something in your sleep." Twilight asked anxiously. 
Rainbow Dash sat up, "D...Daddy?" She mumbled.
"What in the hay are y'all talkin about Rainbow Dash? I ain't your Daddy!"
"No... I was in this room... and my Dad was there. He said he was going to teach me how to fly..."
Twilight stared at her in shock. How did she remember? "Rainbow... your Dad died ages ago... Perhaps this had something to do with The Wonderbolts?" She said, desperately trying to change subject. She hated lying to her friend like that, but it was the only way to protect her.
"THE WONDERBOLTS!" Dash shrieked, "I almost forgot!" And without another word she zoomed off into the distance.
"Ah can't stand lyin' to that girl anymore! I'm the element of honesty!" Applejack turned to Twilight crossly.
"AJ. You know it's for her safety!" Twilight replied, "I'm sure it's not what you think it is..." 


Twilight Sparkle paced up and down her library, wondering what to do. She couldn't even convince herself that she had misunderstood Rainbow Dash. If she was having memories about her father, then something was wrong. How could Celestia's magic be wearing off?
"It seems the only logical thing to do would be to inform the Princess... she'll know what to do!" Twilight rushed to her desk, picking up a paper and a quill. Using her magic, she urgently began to write.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I am writing to inform you of an urgent matter regarding Rainbow Dash. You see, she got into an accident and landed on her head. She woke up from the dream talking about her 'Daddy' and him teaching her how to fly. As you can tell, this is an urgent matter that needs to be addressed immediately. We cannot allow Rainbow Dash to think any further about this, at the risk of putting everyone in danger.  That is why I came to you. What should I do to distract Rainbow Dash from this situation?

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle. x


Rainbow began to panic. Was she late? Had she missed them? She flew through Ponyville with urgency. She passed Derpy the mail pony, she appeared to be the only pony in town! 
"Derpy!" She cried, "Are the Wonderbolts here yet?" 
"Not yet." She replied, "Come on, we'd better hurry up and get there." Derpy quickly abandoned her mail outside Sugarcube corner and followed Rainbow Dash. Normally, Dash would have scolded the Ditzy mare for making such a foolish mistake. But today she couldn't have cared less.

Rainbow Dash and Derpy pushed to the very front of the stage. They ignored angry shouts from ponies. Dash knew it was rude of them, but nopony had been waiting as long for this day as she had. She had never had such a strange mix of excitement, anxiety, and confusion. The confusion was of course, about her dream. She had no idea why she had dreamt about that, and on today of all days! She shook her head. No, today she was going to have to push it to the back of her mind. She had more important things to focus on. Minutes seemed to slow down as she waited for the Wonderbolts to arrive. It was like they were never going to get there!

Finally, the town Mayoress stepped out onto the stage.
"Ladies and Gentlecolts!" She began, before quickly adjusting the microphone. "I know you are all just as excited as I am for this big, big day. As you all know, one of you lucky ponies will be selected to join our favourite flying team! Now, all the way from Canterlot, I proudly present..."
Rainbow Dash bit her lip. 'Here is comes!' she thought. 
"THE WONDERBOLTS!" The mayoress cried. Then, from behind the stage three pegasus ponies shot through the air, leaving a large trail behind them. Rainbow Dash whooped and cheered louder than anyone else. She had met them before, but the sight of her heroes never ceased to amaze her. They flew straight overhead, and Dash managed to leap up and touch a soft feather of Spitfire's bright orange wing. The three ponies did a few more loops in the air before landing back on stage again. 
"Hello everypony!" Soarin' shouted, "Thank you all for coming out here today!" Everyone cheered. Dash screamed.
"Now, as you know, today we will be recruiting one pony from Ponyville to join our team!" Rainbow Dash shrieked in excitement. It was about to happen. As long as she pulled off a sonic rainboom, then she stood a chance of winning! 

The competitors lined up on stage. Rainbow Dash was about to climb onstage when a guard stepped in front of her. 
"Excuse me Miss. You don't have a number." Rainbow checked her back. She was in such a rush, she had forgotten her number! She began to despair. This day could change the rest of her life, and something as stupid as a number was going to screw everything up! Suddenly, a bright orange pegasus mare in a tight, blue and yellow suit came striding over to them. 
"It's OK Jim. I saw her get it. It must have fallen off. Here you go Rainbow Dash." 
"Thank you!" Rainbow replied, overcome with joy. Hurriedly, she hopped on stage. She was the last pony to compete, stood next to a tall stallion. He seemed strong, athletic, and very smug. He looked down at her and sneered. 

"What are you supposed to be? You think you can just walk up here with your fancy rainbow mane, become best friends with the Wonderbolts and win?!"
Rainbow Dash stared at him in shock. "I trained for this the same as everypony else!"
"Oh yeah, you were that dumb filly who fell out of the sky trying to perform a 'sonic rainboom' or something." He replied mockingly. After meeting the friendly competition, Dash knew that she needed to win this. He was judgy, mean, and not a very nice pony to work with! Besides, ponies like him didn't deserve to win! Well, she'd show him! If he knew who she was, he'd know she was one of the most prestigious flyers in all of Equestria! He was just some dumb rookie. She hadn't even seen him at any of her flying competitions!

As pony after pony competed, Twilight Sparkle still paced in her library. It had been an hour since she had sent the letter to the Princess. She usually replied straight away. This was more serious than she thought. If a pony got into the human world again, they could not be as lucky as Rainbow Dash was. Twilight had studied humans for the past 2 years since the day they brought Dash back. They were strange creatures that would probe, torture, imprison, and dissect a pony at any chance they got! It wasn't safe for Rainbow to remember her past. She might try and go back to him, which would only lead to a disaster. They could, supposedly, bring him into their world... but by now he had probably forgotten all about it anyway. Perhaps she was just over reacting... or maybe she wasn't...

The stallion was next in line for the competition. 
"Flame, please step up to compete." The putrid stallion walked onto the stage to join the competition. The judges nodded at him to begin and he leapt into the air, spreading his wings wide. Rainbow Dash didn't want to watch, but she couldn't help herself. Unfortunately for her, he was an expert flyer. He did a perfectly straight upwards line, then zoomed downwards, performing 3 precise loops. Dash noticed that his cutie mark was a flame. Oh, how original!  For his freestyle, he began flying in a circle. He flew faster and faster. Rainbow Dash wondered what he was doing at first. But then she saw it, the flicker of a flame. He flew back down towards the stage again. He had set a ring of cloud on fire! He flew through it. Forwards, backwards, figures of eight. You name it, he did it. He landed back on stage again, took a bow, and left. He sniggered at Dash as he walked past her. She glared at him. He could go ahead and laugh- she'd show him!!

"Rainbow Dash, please step up to compete." The loudspeaker sounded. Suddenly, her world seemed to slow before her very eyes. Her once in a lifetime opportunity had come. She stepped onto the stage. The judges nodded at her to begin. She flew up into the air. She was nervous, and had too much power. She had flown too far up! She knew she would lose marks if the judges couldn't see her. Panicking, she quickly flew down and began 3 shaky loops. Her precision was terrible. She came too close to the ground and scraped her stomach. Wincing in pain, she thrust her wings, and shot skyward.The only thing she had to rely on now was her freestyle. She hovered in mid air for a few seconds, and took a deep breath. All her life she had admired the Wonderbolts. Now was her chance. 

Flying back down again, she flashed. Suddenly, she saw an image of herself as a filly. She was at a rundown park. It looked nothing like Ponyville. The man was there again. She was going to perform a sonic rainboom. "Remember, never slow down! Trust me! You'll be fine!" He called out to her. Filly Dash dived down. Doing as he told her, she sped up. With a loud 'BOOM', she flew back up into the air and landed into his arms. She had broken the sound barrier! On her flank, there appeared a cutie mark of a cloud and a rainbow lightning bolt.

Present Dash opened her eyes again. She looked at her flank again. 'That isn't how I got my cutie mark...' She thought. Snapping back, she drew closer and closer to the audience. The mans words rang in her head again. 'Don't slow down. Trust me'.
"I will Dad." She said. The wind rippled her mane and stung her eyes with tears. Instead of slowing out of fear, she sped up. This was a risky move. If she didn't perform the move correctly, she could land on somepony, and seriously injure them her herself. She ignored every impulse in her body and pushed on. She HAD to do this. She was still falling, closer and closer towards the audience. 
With all her might, she pushed herself up and zoomed toward the clouds.

BOOM!


> Who are you?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash landed back on stage, everypony staring at her in awe. A large rainbow was seen stretching as far east as Fillydelphia, and as far west as Canterlot. She passed Flame with a grin. He stared at her, mouth a gape. The audience were just underneath the point of the Rainboom. Everypony, including the judges, was covered in rainbow colours from head to hoof. After a few minutes of shock, somepony began to clap. This was followed by a few others, and then a chorus of applause stirred up. Rainbow Dash was called back on stage. On the front row, stood Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Spike. Dash smiled at them. It was a bit comical seeing them covered in rainbow colours. Fluttershy especially, was trying to be brave after the loud explosion. But she was still there, supporting her friend. 

"Rainbow Dash," Spitfire began, "That was the most amazing Sonic Rainboom I have ever seen! So much speed and control, especially as you were flying right over the audience! I don't think we need anymore time to judge. Rainbow Dash... Welcome to the Wonderbolts!" Dash's heart nearly stopped. Soarin' walked up to the stage and handed her a Wonderbolt costume. She stood there in shock, just looking at it. Tears formed in her eyes. She stroked the soft blue and yellow costume, hardly believing her eyes. It was hers. All hers. She, Rainbow Dash, was a Wonderbolt.
"Thankyou." Was all she was able to whisper.

Later that day, there was a massive party to celebrate. Rainbow Dash proudly showed off her Wonderbolts costume. This had to be the happiest day of her life! Everypony wanted to talk to her, congratulate her, a few even wanted autographs! Dash had never been this popular since... well... ever. It was the first time in her life that everypony wanted to be around her. Yet, she would just have been happy with her 5 best friends. She wished she could ave some private time with them. 

Pinkie Pie was talking to her when Flame approached.
"Hey Rainbow Dash..." He said awkwardly, "I just wanted to apologize for the way I spoke to you today... And if you ever need anyone to fill in for you-" Rainbow silenced him.
"Thanks, but I think I'll take my chances." She replied.
"Yeah!" Pinkie cut in, "You have to be nice to other people to get what you want! If you weren't such a meanie then maybe she'd have let you!" Somehow, this was all said with a huge smile on her face. Even when Pinkie was angry, she smiled. I was a kind of big, scary smile. There was no laughter in her eyes. It was like a threat, a challenge. Flame glowered at them both before leaving the party.
"Hey, um Rainbow Dash?" Twilight approached, "What exactly happened with your 'Dad' today? You didn't see him again, did you?"
"Well, I flashed a little today but... wait... why do you care so much?"
"Oh... uh... no reason!" Twilight responded unconvincingly. Rainbow Dash sighed.
"I think I'm just gonna go home now... I've had a long day, you know?"
"Oh... Ok... if your sure-" Rainbow Dash had already left.
"Well that was rude!" Pinkie Pie huffed.
"No Pinkie, it's not that..." Twilight said, exasperated. 
"Well what is it then?"
"Nevermind." Twilight sighed, before heading after Rainbow Dash.

Twilight galloped through the cold night after her friend. The wind blew roughly in her mane. Rainbow Dash took to the skies and disappeared into the distance. Twilight remembered the box in Dash's attic. If she remembered her father, then the box seal could have broken. If she found it, it could be all over. For all of them.

Rainbow Dash flew up to her cloud home. Today had been the best day of her life! But why wasn't she happy? Something strange was going on. She wasn't sure what it was, but she wanted to find out. Why did she keep having those dreams and flashes? Who was that man? Just as she was getting to her front door, she had another flash.
Filly Dash lay in bed again. Daddy wasn't there. Rainbow Dash was confused. He was always there. She looked beside her bed, and there, was a gigantic helium balloon. It was dark blue and in big, bright letters encrypted the words;
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!". Dash looked at her bedside table. There was a sticky note. Carefully, she picked it up. It said;
'Happy Birthday Rainbow Dash, Love Dad x'.

Present Dash opened her eyes again. What was happening? Was her fall really THAT bad? She continued to stumble her way through her home. The flashes taking control over her. One after another, they piled on top of eachother. Words raced through her mind, everything became a blur.
"Daddy, do you still love me?"
"It's glorious outside!"
"I can't believe I got my cutie mark!"
Rainbow Dash stumbled backwards through a door. It was a door she'd never been through before, one she had never needed to go through before. The door to her attic.

Twilight began to panic. Rainbow Dash had probably headed to her cloud home. She didn't know what she would do. She knew she was curious about her father. Suddenly, she spotted Fluttershy leaving the party.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight called her.
"Oh, hello Twilight! That was a great party huh? I can't believe Rainbow Dash is finally a Wonderbolt!"
"Fluttershy, listen to me. I need your help."
"M...my help?"
"Yes! Yours! Rainbow Dash landed on her head today and woke up speaking about her father. I'm really worried about her!"
"Oh... dear..."
"I need you to fly up to her home in Cloudsdale, and check that she's ok. You're the only one of us who's able to do that."
Fluttershy swallowed. They were all depending on her, but she had to do it.
"I'm on it!" She said bravely before swooping up to find Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy landed on Rainbow Dash's doorstep. The front door was open.
"Oh dear... this doesn't look good..." She said, anxiously. Nervously, she stepped inside.
"R-Rainbow Dash?" She follwed hoofprints to the door of an unusual room. Fluttershy grew afraid. Whatever was inside was going to be unpleasant. She gulped and opened the attic door. It creaked open and she walked inside. There, on the floor, sat a sniffling rainbow coloured mare.
"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy said softly. Dash was sat in front of an old box labeled 'Give to a good home'. Surrounding her were photos, sticky notes, posters, and old birthday balloons. Fluttershy walked cautiously over to her.
"Oh... y... you opened it." She said worriedly. Rainbow Dash ignored her, and sat staring at a picture of herself and the man in her flashes.
"It wasn't a dream." She said.
"What wasn't?"
"It wasn't a dream. It was a memory." 

Twilight Sparkle cast a spell. There was a flash so bright that Spike had to shield his eyes. And there, before him, stood an Alicorn pony.
"Come on Spike, we have to get to Rainbow Dash! This spell won't last long." Twilight said in a rush. Spike quickly vaulted onto her back. They galloped to the library door and Twilight shot into the air. They made their way to Rainbow Dash's home shakily.
"You really need to get the hang of this flying thing." Spike said. Twilight ignored him and landed on the front porch.
"The door is open..." Twilight said, panicking. They ran inside, and straight into the attic. They came in to find a berserk Rainbow Dash yelling at a terrified Fluttershy.
"AND YOU!" Rainbow Dash turned to face them both, "HOW LONG DID YOU PLAN ON KEEPING THIS FROM ME?"
Twilight looked at the box. It was open. Fluttershy saw Rainbow Dash was distracted and bolted.
"No... this can't be happening.... Rainbow Dash.. We were going to tell you... it's just-"
"Just what? Just that it would be better and way more funnier if you didn't?"
"NO! Rainbow Dash! He's a human! If he ever got into this world, we would all be in danger!"
"He wouldn't hurt you! He wouldn't hurt any of you! I wouldn't let him!" 
"I'm not just talking about him.. if another human got into our world, he might not be as nice."
"I don't want to hear it!" Rainbow Dash screamed. She gathered up her memoirs and ran out of the home. Twilight didn't know where she was going, and to be honest, she didn't care at that moment. She was furious with her friend. She couldn't believe she would put her selfish needs in front of the safety of others!

Rainbow Dash swooped through the air, sobbing. Down below, Applejack had just left the party. She was heading back to the farm with Applebloom when she saw something. It was Rainbow Dash. She was clutching a crumpled picture to her chest. And she was crying. Her, Rainbow Dash, was crying in public.
"She knows. Oh my gosh. She knows."
"What's that big sis?"
"Nothin' sweetie. Go back to the party an' get Big Macintosh to take you home. There's something I gotta do."
"But Applejack!-"
"Just do it." Applejack's kind tone was gone. 
Applebloom ran off in the direction of the party without another word. She hated making Applejack mad.

Rainbow Dash got tired of flying. She got tired of everything. Why would her friends keep something from her like this? He was her own father! She began to wonder how much of her past they were really keeping from her, and how much of it was true. Dash realized that her legs just kept on moving. She wasn't thinking about where she was going, she just knew she had to get away from everything. She carried on running, until she heard a voice behind her.
"Hold on there sugarcube!" It was a voice she thought she could trust. Thought. She wasn't sure if she could even trust Applejack anymore. Still, she gave up. Skidding to a halt, she turned to face the orange mare.
"What do you want?" She asked, flatly. She was too tired of all this. 
"Dash... you know... don't you?"
"Yes, yes I know! I know perfectly well!" Dash then changed her angry tone, "Why did you keep it from me Applejack?" She said, heartbrokenly. She slumped down on a nearby log.
"Sugarcube, ah didn't wanna. More than anything else, ah really wanted to tell you."
"Then why didn't you? We're supposed to be best friends. You're the pony I trust more than anyone. And you're the element of honesty!"
"You don't understand sugarcube. Ah couldn't tell ya, because it would be puttin all of us at risk. Not all humans are as nice as your father."
"I know... But why is Twilight being so rotten about it? She had two perfect parents. My Mom left when I was a kid, because I was so obnoxious. My Dad sent me to flight camp for most of my teen years because he hated me. But then something happened. This... this 'human'... he was more of a Dad then my bilogical Dad ever was to me. But can you at least tell me why I ended up in the human world?"
Applejack sighed. "Well... you deserve to know... in short, it was a spell gone wrong. You were zapped into the human world by Twilight by accident. You were there for 15 human years. It was only 15 days in our world. Celestia wiped your memory clean... but its hard seperatin' a kid from it's parent. Ah should know..."
Rainbow Dash looked at the now teary eyed Applejack.
"Thankyou." She said quietly. Applejack pulled her friend into a hug and they sat there in the early hours of the morning in blissful silence. 







> Daddy?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight just stood in Rainbow Dash's attic, unsure of what to do. 
"Twilight...?" Spike asked nervously.
"Be quiet Spike, I'm thinking."
"But Twilight!-" Spike was cut off. There was a 'pop!' and Twilight's wings disappeared. Twilight had used a different spell to the spell she had used on Rarity a few months back at the Cloudsdale competition. Spike and Twilight began falling to the ground screaming. Twilight hurriedly cast a spell to turn the ground soft. They both landed with a soft thud, passers by staring at them.
"Twilight, don't you think you're being a little hard on Rainbow Dash? I mean, she didn't have perfect parents like you, and her 'Dad' was with her for 15 years! That's like, 5 times my age, or something!"
"No. She needs to grow up! The safety of all the residents of Ponyville depends on her! She shouldn't be remembering him!"
Spike grew cross with his sister. "Twilight! You can't just separate a child from it's parent, and force them to forget about them! It's not natural!"
"Well it's fine then, because he's NOT HER PARENT!" She yelled back, before storming off in a huff. Suddenly, Spike burped.
"Ewww... oh wait..." Then Spike barfed out a scroll. 
"Twilight, wait! It's from the Princess!!" Spike shouted, but Twilight had already stormed off. Out of curiosity, he peeped at the letter. It read;
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I was shocked at what I read about Rainbow Dash. This is indeed an urgent matter that we must deal with immediately. I have spent the whole day thinking of a solution to our problems. Currently, the only solution I can think of is to seal Rainbow Dash off from the rest of the world. Obviously, this won't be forever, just until we can find a way to wipe her memory for good. We cannot allow anypony else to find out about these 'humans'. If the two worlds mix, who knows what could happen? You need to seal Rainbow Dash in an enclosed area for the time being. Preferably straight after reading this letter.
Do not show this letter to anypony else- not even Spike. We cannot risk anypony finding out about this.
-Princess Celestia x
Spike stared at the letter for another moment. He couldn't believe how these ponies were treating Rainbow Dash! There was no way he would risk Twilight seeing this, as sadly, she would not have hesitated to lock her FRIEND in a cell. Spike rushed off to find Rainbow Dash, after first burning the letter so that nopony would see it.

Twilight became anxious. A whole day and not a single letter from the Princess! She sat in her library waiting for Spike to return. Except... he didn't. Was he really that mad at her? Her rational mind began to kick in and she felt a little sorry for Rainbow Dash. She was still her friend after all. Spike was right, she had no idea what she was going through. She had two perfect parents that had done anything to help her succeed. Rainbow Dash's human 'father' really was the closest thing to a parent she ever had. She stood up from where she sat and ran to find her. She needed to go and apologize, find a way out of this mess.

Spike was in the middle of telling Rainbow Dash and Applejack the Princess's plan, when he burped up another scroll.
"What's it say?" Dash asked, not sure if she actually wanted to know. Spike unraveled the scroll.
"Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Seeing as I have not received a letter from you in over an hour, I can see you are struggling with this decision. Let me remind you that this isn't forever, it's to keep Rainbow Dash safe. I advise you follow my instructions promptly.
-Princess Celestia" Spike read in disgust.
"They can't do this to me! Not when I've just become a Wonderbolt!" Dash cried.
"Don't worry sugarcube. Twilight wouldn't do such a thing anyway. Celestia just don't realize what she's doin' that's all."
"Twilight wouldn't do what?" From behind the bushes, a purple unicorn approached. The three all exchanged a worried look. Finally, Spike stepped forward.
"The Princess sent me a letter regarding Rainbow Dash." he began.
"Really? Let me see!" Twilight held a hoof out eagerly towards Spike.
"That's the thing... I kind of... burnt it..."
"You did WHAT?!" Twilight asked in horror.
"Yeah, he burnt it!" Dash finally spoke up, "But it's only because it was instructing you to lock me up!"
Twilight stood in stunned silence. "B..but Celestia wouldn't order me to do something like that..."
Spike handed Twilight the other scroll. She read it and her eyes grew wide.
"I... well... I... I can't disobey the Princess..." She mumbled. Rainbow Dash began to panic.
"N..no! I-"
"But you're my friend. And you're more important to me than following orders." Twilight smiled, crumpling up the letter. She wrapped Rainbow Dash in a big hug.

Princess Celestia, on the other hand, was outraged. Her most faithful student had still not replied to her. She knew that she was choosing to disobey her teacher- her PRINCESS! And totally disregard the safety of the citizens of Equestria! She didn't want to do this, but she decided to take matters into her own hooves. Using her magic, she telelported herself into Ponyville. Thankfully, it was 4am by this time, so very few ponies were going to swarm her. She flew high in the sky, searching for the disobedient unicorn. Suddenly, she spotted a small group of ponies and a dragon. She could see who they were instantly. She was about to swoop down and pay them a visit, when a little white unicorn galloped below her. 
"Princess Celestia?" She called in amazement.
"Please Rarity," She said as politely as possible, "Not now." Rarity had no idea what the Princess was doing out at this time. She continued to gallop below her.
"What are you doing out this late? Surely Princesses need their beauty sleep?"
Celestia sighed and flew down. She scowled at the unicorn mare.
"If you must know, I'm on my way to see Rainbow Dash. I need to umm... congratulate her on joining the Wonderbolts."
"Oh... she left the party ages ago. You should go again tomorrow darling."
"Oh no dear, that won't be necessary. In fact, I think I can see her over there!" Celestia galloped off into the distance, but Rarity galloped after her. Something was up, and she needed to find out what it was.

Twilight unwrapped from her hug upon hearing a noise. 
"What's the matter Twilight?" Applejack asked in confusion.
"I think I can hear something... or someone..." Twilight replied nervously. Suddenly, a pale unicorn with a purple mane and tail stepped from behind the bushes.
"Rarity!" Spike cried happily.
"Yes, yes darling it's me. Listen, something's happened with Celestia." She said in a rush.
"What are you talking about?" Rainbow Dash said fearfully.
"I've just seen her now. She's acting all funny. Saying she was going to pay you a 'visit' or something." Everypony panicked. They were about to run, when Celestia stepped out behind them.
"Twilight Sparkle!" She said angrily, "How dare you disobey your princess!"
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried, "I'm so sorry! But I just couldn't do it! I can't lock any of my friends up, for however long!"
"Twilight." Celestia said more softly this time, "You and I both know that it's for the safety of everypony in Equestria. If a human gets in then-"
"But he won't get in!" Rainbow Dash interrupted, not caring who it was she was talking to, "All I want to know is why you took me from my Daddy! This has nothing to do with him getting into Equestria and you know it! If I could just see him one last time, then I'd forget about this whole damn thing!"
Celestia was stunned. Nopony, not even her sister, had dared to speak to her in that way. She was after all, the Princess of all Equestria. But instead of being filled with anger or rage, she was filled with sadness and pity. This pony had after all saved Equestria many many times. She may as well give her what she wanted.

The next day, 6 ponies packed their things and prepared to leave their world.  Pinkie Pie jumped up and down in excitment.
"Oh my gosh! It's been ages since we've been to the human world I mean I can't even remember what it's like I wonder if it's changed hey Fluttershy do you think it's changed of course it probably has I mean seriously why wouldn't it Equestria changes all the-" Pinkie Pie was so excited that Applejack had to shove a hoof in her friend's mouth to shut her up. Rarity walked over to Rainbow Dash, who was eagerly packing.
"Darling, you don't need to wear your Wonderbolt costume where we're going!" She laughed.
"No. I just want to show this to my Daddy." She replied.
"You know Rainbow Dash... you shouldn't be too disappointed if he... doesn't remember you or anything. It has been 2 years." Fluttershy said softly.
"Don't worry. I know he can't forget his own daughter."

Rainbow Dash walked up the path to the house. She could remember this place well. Over the past few days, her memories had cleared up a little. She remembered that her Daddy had bought this house just for her, so that they could be together in a quiet place. As she neared the door, she grew more and more nervous. What if Fluttershy was right? What if he didn't remember her? Twilight walked up to her shoulder.
"Rainbow Dash. Remember, the Princess only sent us here for 10 minutes. Don't get too attached, OK?"
Dash nodded silently. Princess Celestia was only doing this to make her shut up about her father, she knew that. The Princess had a reputation to keep up, and if the other ponies found out that she had planned to keep her locked up for such a reason, they wouldn't be happy.

Rainbow Dash reached the front porch. She knocked on the door. Her nerves boiled up inside her. Slowly, the door creaked open. Standing there, was the man from her flashes. He just stood there, staring at her in shock.

"Daddy?" 
 
> Holding on to the memory.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

He just stood there, staring at her. A little blue pegasus pony with big, bright, magenta eyes looked up at him hopefully.
"Daddy?" She asked nervously. He couldn't respond. Just seconds ago, he had been at his home, watching television, when there was a knock on his door. He ran to open it, and he saw it. It was her. He had kind of anticipated this happening, his little girl coming home to him. He had left er room exactly the same as it was when she left him. He knew he shouldn't have, but it was hard to let go. After all, it had been fifteen years!
"Are you my Daddy... or not?" She asked again. Finally, he spoke.
"Y...yes I am... how did you remember me?"
"I fell on my head and remembered everything. I guess it was in the back of my mind all along." Dash said shyly.
He pulled her up into a big embrace.
"My little Dashie." He laughed. Tears beginning to form in the back of his eyes. Dash sniffed and began to cry. Her memory was finally cleared. At peace with her past, she could finally move on. She could forgive everyone for their misjudgement. She could officially begin her career as a wonderbolt. She pulled away from his hug.
"We have 6 minutes Rainbow Dash" said Twilight anxiously. His heart sank. He should've known that this wouldn't be forever. Why else would the other ponies be here? 

Rainbow Dash pulled something out of her saddlebag. 
"Daddy look!" She began in excitement, "I'm an official member of the Wonderbolts!!" 
He smiled at how she communicated with him. All it took was one hug, and she was talking to him in the way she used to. He was an older man now. In his 50's. 2 years for her had been too many for him. He was surprised that she remembered him so well.
"I'm so so proud of you Dashie! When did this happen?" 
"About 2 days ago at a flying competition. Although, I suppose it was 2 years for you." She smiled awkwardly.
"We have 2 more minutes Rainbow Dash" Twilight said sadly. 
"But...I'm not ready to say goodbye yet."
"Rainbow Dash. We promised the Princess."
Dash began to tear up again. She wasn't ready to end this. Not yet. Quickly, she pulled a photo out of her pocket. He looked at it. It was a picture of them together on the day she got her cutie mark. He smiled. His smile dropped when she tore it in half.
She kept one piece for herself and gave the other to him. She scribbled something on the back of his piece.
"I love you Daddy." He turned it over. It was a picture of her. In her hand she held the crumpled picture of him.
"It's so we never forget eachother." She said with a smile.
"I won't ever forget you Dashie." He said.
"We have to go." Twilight said. He pulled her into a hug. They held eachother for the last time.
"Goodbye Daddy" Rainbow Dash sobbed.
"Goodbye my little Dashie" He said, tears forming in his eyes. "We'll meet again someday. I promise." 

Twilight's horn began to glow. One by one, the ponies began to fade away. Filled with pity, Twilight ensured that Rainbow Dash was the last one to fade away. When they were the last ones in the room, he whispered softly in her ear.
"Have fun in the Wonderbolts."
The last words Rainbow Dash heard before a flash of white light was "I love you".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rainbow Dash flew in front of the rest of the Wonderbolts. As she zoomed past her friends she smiled and waved. She knew that her big and busy job wouldn't put a strain on their friendship. If they were prepared to go to another world with her, then they would be prepared to do anything!

He placed his photo frame carefully on top of his scrap book beside his bed. Tomorrow, he was going to paint her room over. He and his fiance were moving in together and he wanted the place to look spotless. It wouldn't be the same as having Dashie in the house, but it would be nice to have another person there. Some people had judged him for marrying late and having no children. He didn't listen to them. He had had a daughter many years ago. She wasn't human, but she was a daughter to him all the same. He knew she was gone. But he was OK with that. She was happy. And he knew he would see her again someday... someday.

Rainbow Dash stepped out of her bath and dried herself off. It had been a long, hard day and every bone in her body still ached. It didn't mean she wasn't happy though. She had the job she had always dreamed about, she was back with her friends again, and she was at peace.

Oh, and as for her job as a weather pony, Derpy had that one covered.


AUTHORS NOTE: Yeah... I know this chapter was really, really short. But I couldn't think of a good way to end this.
It took me maybe a week and a half to write, probably because I'm a really, really slow writer. This is my best fic so far (I think) and I did have to hold off a story I was writing for this. But it's only a short so it'll be out soon. As you can tell, Dashie is in most of my stories. :3 Yeah, this is really inaccurate. I mean, if it had been 2 years for Dashie, then he'd be dead. But anyways, hope you enjoyed :/
-Ps16