She's broken, her memories shattered. Her name, Rainbowdash, she forgot. She's Bolt now, and she doesn't remember who she is, or where she came from. All she knows is that she has to get away from him. She doesn't now how much she really matters
Rainbowdash is missing. Plain and simple. Her memories are gone, stolen by a powerful force that the elements of Harmony were lucky to escape from with their lives. Rainbowdash doesn't remember who she is, or who the ponies are who keep talking to her in her dreams, or the mysterious memory of one pony in particular. The pony whose memory helps to calm her down and to remember that there are things worth fighting for.
The walls were made of jagged rock and towered above the cluster of ponies. They huddled together, fear wrapping around them with oily tendrils. A dark shadow appeared on the wall much larger than expected.
“W-What is that?” Rainbowdash whispered shakily, nudging the purple alicorn in front of her. Swallowing hard Twilight opened her mouth to speak when a deep booming voice spoke.
“Not an It. A he.” it thundered. A flash of white fangs against shadow caused more than one pony to scream. “And here you were supposed to be the bearers of the elements. Celestia’s chosen knights.” it mused the presence inching ever closer. Whimpering, Fluttershy clung to Pinkie Pie’s side, as the pink pony stared up defiantly at the inky blackness.
“We are.” Twilight whispered before clearing her throat. Speaking out more clearly she repeated her words. “We are the bearers of the elements of harmony.” The thing merely chuckled.
“Your cute little rainbows won’t work on me. I already know all about friendship. I have so many friends.” Each of the ponies ears pricked at the sounds of hoofsteps. “They want to meet you.” the voice continued smoothly.
“How the hay can you have any friends?” a twanging voice rang out.
“Oh Applejack, you’ll understand soon enough.” the voice said, it’s grin a bright smudge in the darkness.
“Sure I will.” she muttered. She felt a comforting hoof on her shoulder and smiled at the pegasus, though she couldn’t see her.
“We aren’t afraid of you!” Rainbowdash yelled, her voice cracking.
“Aren’t you?” the shadowy figure asked incredulously. The ponies felt a tremor underneath their hooves. “Try to defeat me little ponies. No one’s been able to do it. Maybe you’ll be the ones to finally put me underground.” Despite the terror Rarity could still scoff.
“We’re already underground.” she muttered. “And it’s wet and slimy down here!” she complained.
“Ah yes, I must agree that this place isn’t prime living conditions.” the voice sympathised. “I must apologize for such rudeness, but it can’t be helped when you’ve been reduced to nothing more than a shadow.” it paused. “Actually I was blown to bits.” his tone was cold. “But you don’t care about that. You were there after all.”
“Wait…” Twilight said mind racing. “Who are you?” There was a long sighing noise.
“You seriously don’t know? How observant are you dear? Didn’t Celestia tell you? Or did you just stumble into these caves?”
“I wouldn’t call it ‘stumbling. Perhaps a more appropriate way of putting it would be ‘chasing after Rainbowdash and Applejack as they try to out dare each other by running into dark caves’.” Rarity grumbled earning a shove from Applejack.
“Sombra.” Twilight said suddenly. “You’re Sombra.”
“There we go! Now where is that idiot dragon? I would love to rip him apart.” the voice snarled.
“You ain’t touching him, or anypony else.” Applejack said sternly.
“He’s not here is he?” Sombra asked.
“Eenope!” was his answer.
“Fine!” he snapped. “Even so, I’m known for my temper and right now…” he licked his lips. “I would love to see a certain group of ponies screaming in terror. It’ll be good for my whole terrifying image.” The hoofsteps were much closer now, a thundering of never ending drum beats. “Don’t worry.” He said as the bearers of the elements were grabbed rather roughly. There was much struggling and screaming before they were subdued. “It’ll be fun.”
Life isn’t fair, never has been, never will be. This is a lesson that Applejack had to learn early on. Since the day the darkness painted the orchard red with blood and the farmhouse black with grief. Life could be taken away just as fast as it’s given.
Applejack knew the sharp pain of saying goodbye. It never really went away, once it’s there. Digging at the back of the mind, desperate for attention. Applejack shut that part out, she had long ago refused to fall victim to the blackness, the pit of despair that too many fall into. The farm pony had become stronger, iron filling her bones and the echos of warm memories drove her every day. She couldn’t give up, for that would dishonor them and what they stood for. Be strong, be honest, be kind, be loyal. Be everything they wanted. So she was.
Except she didn’t know if she could be. Not after what had happened. She shuddered, images of that hell hole flashing across her mind. She hadn’t know Sombra was that powerful. How the hay did he get that powerful? She didn’t understand. Sombra had died hadn’t he? When the crystal heart was returned right? Unless whoever had kept them prisoner had lied. But she would’ve sensed it. Applejack was awfully good at picking out lies. “You’re a terrible liar, how come you can sniff them out like some sort of dog? Is it that whole element of honesty thing? How come I can’t tell if someone’s not being loyal?” Rainbowdash asked her lips pulled into a pout. Applejack chuckled.
“Dunno, maybe ya just haven’t met anyone who ain’t loyal.”
The conversation played out in the farm pony’s head, the last one she’d had with Rainbowdash since they found that cave. It had lead to those dares. If they hadn’t argued over who was the most daring pony than none of that pain would have happened. Applejack gulped. And Rainbowdash would’ve gone missing.
The farm pony rolled over, the clock’s hands reading sometime after one. She groaned. Rainbowdash was all she could think about. That and the nightmare of the cave. Closing her eyes she smiled remembering Rainbow’s soft lips on hers. Applejack missed her, though she didn’t quite understand what was going on between them. She sighed, her searches weren’t doing a lick of good and she could tell that she’d have to go farther if she wanted to find the pegasus.
“Come back Rainbow.” she pleaded to the open air. “Please.”
Cold water saturated the earth, tiny droplets assaulting the dry dirt, penetrating the skin and sinking further into the depths of soil. The sky above flashed angrily, nets of lightning outlining the dark clouds.
A lone pegasus stood with her wings spread, letting the rain wash away the grime that clung to the feathers. Water soaked her fur, down to the very skin but that was fine. It was fine, all of it. The storm was just a reminder of a day long ago, when everything had gone wrong. But, all she could do was fly. To soar away, faster and faster. Leave behind what had plagued her for so long.
Rose eyes stared at the puffy grey shape below her hooves, poking at it tiredly. She’d been flying for hours now and the horizon was choked with thick darkness. She raised her head to the sky, blinking from underneath sopping wet rainbow colored strands of hair. Tonight she would have to stop running, if only until the storm stopped.
The pegasus glanced down at the small town below her, cheery yellow lights daring to shine in this dismal weather. One house was not lit, the windows long ago shattered and the door bolted shut. The pegasus readied herself before launching from the cloud, her strong wings propelling her forward as she prepared for a dive.
The booming of thunder did not faze her as she closed her eyes and let herself fall, her body relaxed and she let out a long sigh before twisting and tensing. Her wings folding to her sides as she rocketed headfirst downwards. The ground was a smear of brown and green as she pulled out from the dive, landing safely in front of the house.
The structure wasn’t very impressive. Grey walls with a thatched roof. Nothing special. She pushed on the door only to find it shut tightly, her eyes flicked to the heavy metal padlock chained to the door and sighed. The windows on this level were boarded up, but she had noticed that all of the upper level windows were broken, leaving a way to get in….or a way out.
She beat her wings and landed skillfully on the small patch of roof outside one window. She eyed the opening and waved a cautious hoof inside the window, knowing full well she may not be the only one using this abandoned home as a shelter for the night. When nothing popped out at her, the pegasus slipped through the jagged hole left in the glass, stepping lightly on the old floorboards.
Peering around, the pegasus found the room to be completely empty except an old armchair that had been tipped on it’s side. Pushing it over, the pegasus sat down, her wet body shivering in the icy wind blowing in through the window, but there was nowhere else to go. She was too tired to inspect other places to try and rest, and if she met anything threatening, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to fight it off. Not like this.
The pegasus closed her eyes, the image of another place filling her mind. Warm and welcoming, a cosy fire crackling and a body pressed against her side as she dozed off. The feeling filled her with happiness but one crack of thunder and it was gone.
The heat melting and hardening into ice. The pegasus could picture the pony, and the background blurred behind her, but the face. She couldn’t think of anyone she knew with that face. That beautiful freckled face. With a spike of fear, she couldn’t think of anyone she remembered….except the one she’d failed. The thought spiraled through her mind, the pulse of panic spreading over her body. She’d met other ponies on her hurried journey, but their faces, their expressions were lost in a soupy haze. All she could remember was him, and he was anything but comforting. The pegasus stifled a sob, she didn’t cry, not anymore. Just wait a little more. She assured herself, and then you can keep going, all the way to the end of Equestria. They won’t find you that way. As the wind howled and the storm raged, a pegasus fell asleep, the image of a forgotten pony sinking into her dreams.
It wasn’t time for applebucking season, but Applejack felt like kicking something. The sun was hidden behind clouds, painting everything with a grey light. Those clouds shouldn’t be there, she scowled at the sky. Rainbowdash should've taken care of the fluffed menaces. That way the sun could shine on her trees and her apples could grow.
The clouds should be gone and the apples should be growing and that good for nothing pegasus should be napping in one of the trees. That were how things used to be, how they should be.
“Ah!” she yelled through gritted teeth. Didn’t want anyone to hear her. Her hoof connected with the rough bark and she could feel the tremor work it’s way from her hooves to the shuddering limbs above. Of course they weren’t any apples at the moment, just tiny unopened blossoms. Mac would hate it if she was bucking this early but at the moment the farm pony didn’t care. It was a way to get rid of the pain, and help clear her mind. Nowadays she needed a clearer mind. It seemed she was the only one who cared about her mental stability.
Twilight was being her crazy, obsessed self, trying to find their missing friend. Rarity was freaking out, so much so she forgot to eat. It was all Applejack and Sweetie Belle could do to keep the poor mare from starving.
Fluttershy was directing her animals to search the whole forest and beyond, all the while holed up in her cottage bawling her eyes out.
Pinkie Pie was just scary. Applejack had always known how unstable Pinkie Pie was, but the disappearance of Rainbowdash had turned her for the worse. Hair flat and legs sporting various cuts from dangerous escapades into the forest screaming the name of the cyan pegasus. It was obvious Pinkie care about her friends, maybe a little too much. She wasn’t even allowed to live with the Cakes anymore. Of course the mental issues could be leftover from their time in the realm of King Sombra.
It was his fault that Rainbowdash was gone, that everything had fallen to pieces.
Applejack kicked the tree again, harder and harder until she heard the unmistakable crack of wood as the whole tree toppled over.
“Damn it!”
Applejack spat squeezing her eyes shut. The urge to cry bulit up in her chest and she forced the grief back down. It wouldn’t help to cry, tears wouldn’t bring her back. The farm pony turned her face to the sun, which had finally broke through the clouds. “I miss you Rainbow.” she whispered. “We all need ya….who’s gonna annoy me to death huh?” a ghost of smile flickered across her lips before disappearing. “You promised me a flight ‘round Ponyville remember?” Applejack whispered.
Rainbowdash had been there for her, all through the pain of Sombra’s tricks. Both the pegasus and earth pony relied on each other to help get them out of there, and Applejack had failed her friend. The guilt weighed down her shoulders and gnawed at the hidden doubts tucked away in the back of Applejack’s mind, leftover from days of a blood soaked past. The farm pony straightened herself and wiped at the faintest drop of water adorning her cheek.
She stared at the serenity of the orchards and the familiar sun kissed farmhouse settled comfortably in the center of it all. This place was her home, a place of comfort and peace. There was nothing she wouldn’t do to protect it and the ponies living within its large boundaries. Applejack hesitantly touched the scar resting on her muzzle, she’d fought long and hard to keep this place safe, to keep her family safe. Rainbowdash was part of her family, just as Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy were. Except, Rainbowdash seemed like something more. Applejack felt the need to rescue her, to care for her. Applejack lifted her chin, there was nothing she wouldn’t do to protect her family and she was about to prove how deeply that belief ran.
The morning sun was bright and warm on the pegasus's face and she snuggled deeper into the fabric of the chair.Everything was so warm and comfy here. She let out a long sigh, her whole body felt weighed down, sunken into the chair. It took a second to realize that there was something on top of her. The pegasus let out a strangled yelp flailing her legs and flapping her wings wildly. The thing was flung across the room and the pegasus lept into the air. She misjudged the distance between the chair and ceiling however, her head connecting with a wooden beam with a loud bang. Moaning the pegasus rubbed at the back of her head glaring at the thing that had dared to disturb her rest. The intruder in question lay dejected on the dusty floorboards, and the pegasus felt her cheeks heat up. A blanket had startled her, a blanket!
The pegasus shook her head, kicking the blanket away in disgust. Someone had draped the cloth over her during the night….but who? Obviously there was another pony in this house but why would they give her a blanket and not kick her out? The pegasus mulled over the question, starting to hover. Flying always cleared her mind a bit and it kept her relaxed.
“You’re awake.” a cool voice said from behind her. Whirling around the pegasus adopted a defensive stance.
“Who are you?” she growled. The pony chuckled, taking a step forward, his face the only thing bathed in light. The rest of his body hid in shadow.
“I’m nobody important. If I was then I wouldn’t be in this house now would I?” his tone was both hard and welcoming at the same time. The pegasus let herself fall into a relaxed position though she was ready to bolt any moment. Huh, Bolt. Sounded cool. It was certainly better than ‘my servant’ as the lord Sombra had called her. Yes, Bolt would do for a name she decided.
“Yeah.” the pegasus agreed eyeing him suspiciously. “Are you the pony who put that blanket on me?” the stallion raised an eyebrow.
“No it was a fairy.” he muttered flatly. The pegasus scowled.
“You’re hilarious.” a smile flickered across the stallion's face.
“Thank you.” he commented lifting his chin. “I’m Mistake. Who are you?” The pegasus hesitated.
“I’m Bolt.” she frowned. “Why are you called Mistake?” she blurted. The stallion didn’t blink though a small sigh escaped his lips as though he’d heard this question many times.
“Because of this.” he took another step forward, his whole body coming into view. Bolt’s mouth hung open in shock. He only had one wing. The other side of his body was smooth blue fur. The wing looked malformed and the feathers were speckled with white. Bolt glanced back at her own wings as if to make sure that they were still working. The stallion stared into her rose eyes. “Your wings are strong.” he noted. Bolt nodded finding the grey eyed stare a little unnerving. Mistake tilted his head. “You have rainbow hair.” he said surprise seeping into his voice. Bolt felt really uncomfortable now.
“Y-Yeah. Is that a problem?” she stuttered. The stallion wasn’t listening his face contorted into a look of concentration.
“Hmmm, Bolt? Why would she…?” he mumbled wing trembling. Bolt felt a spike of fear. Somehow this stallion was connected with Sombra and now he was going to take her back. She started to back away the windows offering freedom. Mistake’s head shot up.
“Where are you going Rainbowdash?” he nearly whispered. Bolt froze. That name, it followed her everywhere she went. Ponies had always called her that until she corrected them. Even then she could see the doubt clouding their faces.
“I’m not…” Bolt choked on her words. “I’m not Rainbowdash!” she croaked. Mistake’s eyebrow rose. The action reminded Bolt of somepony, but the image was blurred.
“Not Rainbowdash huh? You have her cutie mark.”
“Some ponies have the same cutie mark.” Bolt pointed it out. Mistake shook his head, short black mane falling into his eyes.
“Not that one.” he gestured to Bolt’s flank. Bolt covered her cutie mark with her tail.
“I’m not Rainbowdash!” she protested. She frowned, the name felt so familiar and normal like it belonged to her. It didn’t she thought, Rainbowdash was gone. Sombra had told her so. He had killed her. Mistake just shook his head slowly.
“You poor thing.” he muttered. “You’re lost. It’s because of him isn’t it? Sombra?” Bolt felt sweat roll down the side of her face.
“H-How do you know? How can you know?” she stuttered, and Mistake chuckled.
“It’s not that hard. I’ve spent a fair amount of time with him. I know when ponies are under his control...when their minds have been shaped to his liking.” Bolt chewed on her lip.
“Is that how you got to be like that?” she gestured to his wingless side. Mistake’s face hardened.
“He had nothing to do with my...condition.” He paused a pained look replacing the cold stone of his face. “I was born this way.” Bolt didn’t understand, how could somepony be born with one wing?
“What?” she asked numbly. Mistake rolled his eyes.
“My mom was a pegasus, my dad an earth pony. Sometimes genes from two different types of ponies don’t mix well. Most times, when an earth pony and a pegasus have a foal, the kid either has wings or they don’t. I was lucky enough to land with one wing.”
“Oh.” was all Bolt could manage. Mistake smiled.
“I was never popular as a kid. I was the weird one, and of course my wing isn’t formed quite right.” his expression turned bitter. “My parents always talked about fancy operations to get it removed. They never once asked me about what I wanted.” he shut his mouth and looked away. “You don’t want to hear my sob story.” he mumbled.
“It’s interesting.” Bolt said quickly. “But I need to get going.” Mistake stared at her, eyes narrowed to slits.
“You can’t just run away.” he said sharply. Bolt smirked.
“I’m not running, I’m flying.” Mistake’s limp wing twitched.
“You don’t understand. He won’t let you get away. Not if you’re so open about it.” Bolt gritted her teeth. Who was he to tell her what to do?
“I’m not listening to you! I don’t even know you!” she yelled inching toward the open window. Mistake’s eyes lit with urgency.
“Please! If he finds you again, you’re going to die. The world needs you, Rainbowdash. You’re too important for Equestria to lose.” Bolt felt anger heat her cheeks. She touched down right in front of him, their muzzles mere inches apart.
“I don’t know why you’re so insistent on calling me Rainbowdash, she’s dead. Sombra killed her a long time ago. He’s powerful, if you were ever with him...you know. I can’t risk getting caught.” a sob rose in her throat. “I just want to be free...from everything.” Mistake’s eyes were dark pools, swirling with trails of sadness.
“I know. But I can help you.” he swallowed. “I was wiped of my memory once too. Course when I got it back, it was very disappointing. My life turned out to be nothing but shit.” Bolt wiped a few watery tears from her coat.
“That’s kind of you, but I can’t endanger you by staying here. You escaped him and you deserve your freedom.” Mistake shook his head.
“I didn’t escape...I was let go.” he whispered. Bolt’s eyes widened and a gasp escaped her open mouth.
Nothing was working and she was almost dead. That was what she had figured anyways, by the lack of sleep and food. But what else was she supposed to do? If she slept all she would see is failure. If she ate, the food would sit in her belly like rocks. Water was helpful, it kept her awake at least, but Spike was keeping her from her observations.
“Spike!” she howled banging against the door with a tired hoof. “I need to get back to my papers! The fate of my friend depends on it!” she cried.
“No way Twilight! I’m not letting you out until you promise to take a nap!” Spike’s voice was broken with worry. “Please! You’re exhausted!” he whined.
Twilight sighed giving in. She bit her lip levitating an old spell book in front of her nose. If she could get this to work...than she’d be able to find Rainbow Dash. However if it went wrong she may never be able to get back. The risks were high but she felt responsible for what had happened to Rainbow Dash. Of course part of the blame laid on the pegasus’s shoulders. She’d flown off into the cave without a second thought, Applejack right behind her. So much for adventures.
Twilight muttered a few incoherent words before casting the spell. A pink glow enveloped her body but faded almost immediately. Twilight crawled over to her bed and collapsed, her purple eyes rolling back into her head.
***
The lavender alicorn blinked, the world was a dazzling white. She turned around, her mind sharper than it had been.
“Okay focus. She’s around here somewhere.” Twilight muttered taking a few cautious steps forward. She imagined her friend, brash and competitive but also loyal and brave. Rainbow hair flying behind her as she dove through the air with ease. Rose eyes scanning the ground below and the sky above making note of everything.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called desperately. “Where are you?” Then the whiteness faded and was replaced by splashing rain. Each drop felt like a tiny stone as the water bounced from Twilight’s coat. But she only gritted her teeth and screamed her friend’s name louder.
“Rainbow Dash!” The insistent rain only got worse, it’s hissing sound seemed to be saying something.
“Go away!” a voice yelled. “Get out of my head!” Twilight felt relief turn her body to jelly. She felt tears mingle with the stinging rain.
“Rainbow Dash!” she repeated for the third time, the name warm in her mouth.
“Get out!” was the reply. “I’m not Rainbow Dash!” Twilight’s eyes widened.
“No! It’s me! You know me!” she cried feeling mental walls slam down on either side of her.
“You’re tricking me! I-I” the voice of her friend faded as the connection wavered. “You’re hurting me.” the voice whispered. “My head feels like it’s going to explode.” then without warning she screamed. “Who are you!” Twilight felt sobs building and she bit her tongue to keep them from spilling over.
“Twilight!” she choked. “Your friend.”
“But…” Twilight could hear the hiccups of the pegasus. “I don’t know you.” Then the rain stopped and Twilight was sucked back into eternal brightness.
***
Bolt jerked upwards, her body stiff and her head hurt, a lot. Mistake was leaning over her with a concerned look.
“You okay kid? You just kinda toppled over.” he said. Bolt laid back.
“No…” she couldn’t hide her terrified expression as she spit out her next words. “There was somepony in my mind.” She coughed touching her head gingerly. “And she called me Rainbow Dash, told me she was my friend.” Mistake pursed his lips and sat down beside her.
“I think it was someone from your past, and by that I mean from before you met Sombra.” Bolt swallowed and curled into a ball.
“I don’t even know her and she just barged into my dreams.”
“You do know her. At least you did.” Mistake pointed out. Bolt scowled at him and closed her eyes. She hadn’t seen the pony in question but the voice had been familiar. She knew she’d heard it before. She ran through blurry images of ponies that her mind had stored away. Of all the faces only one was clear. That face didn’t belong to the voice, because it just didn’t, it couldn’t. The face, that beautiful face, was special. Whoever she was, she was special. Those emerald eyes and freckles....
“Kid.” Mistake’s rough tone got her attention.
“Huh?” she grunted.
“You can’t just ignore that. Your memories are important.” Bolt scoffed and rolled over, her back facing the stallion.
“I know I’m not important.” she muttered. Mistake chewed on his lip.
“I could tell you you are, and exactly why…” he stopped and looked away. “But you need someone you actually knew to tell you. I mean you should.” he corrected himself. Bolt laughed bitterly.
“Then you’re too late. I know all about Rainbow Dash. How she’s part of the elements of harmony and she’s the best young flier ever or something like that.” Mistake adopted a saddened manner.
“I’m sorry then, that they took that away from you. Your chance at remembrance.” Bolt turned and scrunched her eyebrows.
“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m never going to remember who I was?” Mistake sighed and shook his head.
“You already know who you are. You’re Rainbow Dash, you just can’t except that.”
“Of course I can!” Bolt shot back with a sudden surge of competitiveness. Mistake cleverly hid his smile.
“Well you seem to deny the fact that your memories are wiped and that whoever contacted you is your friend.” Bolt felt like she was thrown from a warm fire into the icy cold of the snow.
“I-I.” she started. Mistake watched her with a grim expression.
“If you can’t figure out who you are you’ll stay lost forever and it’ll be so much easier for him to find you again. The best thing for you is to find whoever spoke to you.” Bolt swallowed and gnawed nervously on her hoof.
“I don’t know if I can.” she mumbled. Mistake’s eyebrow rose.
“Why not?” Bolt hesitated trying to choose her next words carefully.
“I’m not sure I want to go back to being her.” she glanced at the open window, where the clouds were outlined against a bright blue sky. Every trace of the previous night’s storm was erased with the slanting rays of sunshine. Her mind was like the rain, dried up. The pieces of her memory laid in puddles and if she looked close enough she could see the faces of ponies and the scenes of home.
“You have to.” Mistake said coldly. Bolt shook her head.
“I don’t have to go back.” she exclaimed getting to her hooves. “And you can’t make me.” Mistake hung his head.
“I know.” he muttered softly. “Just remember this, you’ll always be confused and lost. You’re supposed to be someone else.” Bolt sighed.
“Thanks for your help Mistake.” she turned to the window, the warm wind ruffling her feathers. Then a thought hit her. “Wait, why did you say that because of me you got let go?” Mistake lifted his chin and stared directly into her eyes.
“You were more important to him. He wanted to ruin you more than he wanted to keep me as a slave. He tortured everyone else, the ponies you were with I mean, but for some reason he really wanted to convert you.” Bolt grimaced.
“Thanks for that helpful tip.” she exclaimed.
“Your welcome!” Mistake growled. “You’re making a huge….” he paused. “Mistake.”
“Wow, take you all week to come up with that one?” Bolt spat anger heating up her cheeks.
“You don’t understand do you? Whoever you were with when you were captured? They’re going to be looking for you. After a while they’ll think you’re dead. You’ll put them in a position of pain and suffering.” he looked directly into her eyes. “You’ll hurt yourself too. Ponies won’t stop calling you Rainbow Dash.” Bolt set her jaw.
“I don’t care.” she said. Mistake shook his head catching the conflict behind the rosey gaze.
“You do.” he persisted. “Please consider trying to find them. For yourself….and for the ponies you’re selfishly leaving behind.”
“Goodbye Mistake.” Bolt hissed flapping her wings and carefully exiting the building. The stallion watched her go, his eyes becoming darker and angrier.
“Goodbye.” he spat turning around and trotting into the depths of the broken house.
Sweat trickled down the freckled cheeks of the farm pony as she trudged up the dusty hill. Her hat sagged down over her eyes and her hooves dragged over the ground tiredly. Her saddle bags felt like they’d been filled with boulders and the sun beat mercilessly on her back.
“The things I do for ya Rainbow.” she muttered a sleepy smile spread over her face. She’d been walking for more than half a day and she hadn’t even hit another town. Applejack reached the top of the hill and set down her bags. She dug around in one of them until she found a bottle of water. Draining half the container in one thirsty gulp she capped the bottle and put it back into the folds of the saddle bag.
Taking off her hat, she wiped a hood along her brow. Sweat wasn’t anything new to her, she’d worked longer and harder than this before and ended up absolutely drenched. Course that was doing something she actually enjoyed.
Her friends, especially Rainbow, were always asking if she ever got bored bucking apples everyday. Applejack could answer that question easily. No, she didn’t get bored. She had been bucking apples since she was first able to after all. The act was comforting, and it brought warm memories of her father. Besides if she didn’t applebuck everyday than their farm would fall through and they’d be homeless.
Now, the walk was boring and every step was hard. She was traveling farther and farther away from home. It had been established as a young filly that she didn’t do well when away from home, and alone. Granted she’d gone off for days on trips and such but most of those was with friends. This time it was a solitary trip. Why? To find that son of a gun pegasus that had plagued her thoughts for the past few weeks. Before the whole Sombra disaster, it had seemed like Rainbow Dash had been paying more attention to her. Applejack had caught the flyer staring at her flank many times. Of course Applejack admitted to checking out the pegasus on occasion. They were both nervous, darting around the subject of dating and love. Neither wanting to own up to their own feelings. It had been nerve racking.
Then one night after a few cups of liquid courage, otherwise know as good old hard cider, they’d finally shared a kiss. A warm one. Soft and delicate. The moment was ruined by the echoing calls of their friends, trying to invite them out for a night on the town.
Applejack took a deep breath, and shook away the fuzzy memories of that night. The night before everything had gone south. The farm pony reached back into her bags and pulled out a map. Huh, she was closer to Canterlot than she’d thought. Well, she knew her friend wouldn’t be anywhere near there. If she had to take a guess, she'd say Rainbow Dash was somewhere up north. By Cloudsdale.
However the fact remained that Applejack was tired and she knew that she needed a night’s rest before making the journey north. Her lip curled in distaste as she thought about staying in Canterlot.
Applejack had nothing against the city, it was just how sophisticated it was there. She always had the impression that ponies were talking behind her back.
Oh look at the muddy old farm pony!
Is she lost?
What’s she doing here? Doesn’t she know this place is for the higher class?
The city was the royal city after all, the princesses lived there! At least the princesses were kind, and didn’t think of her as some country hick.
Deciding it was the best choice of action, Applejack headed for Canterlot.
Canterlot was huge, it was busy and it smelled like artificial perfumes. Applejack navigated her way down crowded streets, her bedraggled appearance giving her a wide path as ponies stepped out of her way. It might not have been the dirt caking her hooves or the messiness of her mane that steered them away. No it was probably the fierce expression she wore. She didn’t want to be here, at all. She shouldered her way through a crowd of chatting unicorns and ignored the sniffles of distaste as she passed.
“Oh look at that earth pony!” she heard one whisper. “She looks like she was run over!”
“Kinda looks like she runs a farm.” another said as if running a farm was the worst thing that Applejack could do.
“Aren’t farms all….gross?” the first said.
“Well yeah, there’s all sorts of mud and stuff. You heard of the Apple family? They have farms all over. Nasty business, farming, guess that’s the reason there is some inbreeding. Can’t find anyone willing to marry those hicks. Except their own family.” a new unicorn scoffed quietly.
“Hey! She has apples on her flank. Probably one of those Apples then.”
“Mmhmm.”
Applejack had never wanted to punch somepony more than right at that moment. Actually, to properly get her opinion across she would deliver a buck to those idiot highfalutin unicorns chests. If she did that, they would probably end up in the hospital and Applejack would be in lots of trouble. So she just kept walking, biting back the string of insults that rested on her tongue.
Clothing shops boasted their bounty with bright flyers and gorgeous dresses hanging in the windows. A few cafes showed off their impressive selection of tiny little fancified food choices. Applejack heard the grumbling of her stomach and frowned. She needed to find some cheap lodgings, not stop for a bite to eat. Although, she mused, it wouldn’t do her any good to be starving as she tried to sleep. Letting out a loose sigh, Applejack entered a tiny corner diner.
The atmosphere was like any diner she’d ever set foot into. Warm and disorderly. With checkered floor tiles and the tang of bleach cleaner mixed with the noise of fryers and the shouts of waiters, waitresses and cooks alike. It was almost like the diner back home. A young waiter hurried up to her, the faintest hint of sweat glistening on his brow.
“Hello miss. May I offer you a table?” He pointed out a two pony table squished in the back by a small window. Applejack nodded
“Thank ya kindly sir.” she added as she sat down. The waiter gave her a smile.
“Anything to drink?” he asked politely. Applejack licked her lips.
“Got any cider?” she questioned and the stallion rubbed at the back of his neck.
“If you’re looking for the alcoholic type of cider-”
“No, no, just the regular stuff.” Applejack reassured him. The stallion sighed with relief.
“Okay I’ll go and get that for you miss.” he said slapping a menu on the table as he rushed away. Applejack smiled, it wasn’t the first time she’d been asked to clarify whether or she had meant hard cider or regular cider. It seemed a bit silly to her, why would she ask for hard cider when the restaurant obviously wouldn’t sell such a drink. Cider didn’t always have to be alcoholic. If anypony knew that, it was her. Heck she made barrels of good old regular cider to sell to some of these restaurants.
Her eyes flicked over the menu and she settled on a hayburger and fries. The waiter came back with a ice cold glass of cider. He placed it in front of the farm pony and smiled nervously at her.
“Do you need more time to decide?” he said glancing back at the stack of plates waiting for him to take them to their respective tables.
“Nah, I think I’ll get one of those hayburgers with fries.” Applejack answered quickly seeing how busy he was.
“I’ll put that in for you right away.” the waiter nodded his head and dashed away. Applejack took a sip of the cider and recoiled at the taste. The cider was too bitter and watery. It definitely wasn’t Sweet Apple Acres cider. She sat back in her seat, closing her eyes. She still had to find a place to sleep for the night and then she had to travel another few hundred miles to reach Cloudsdale. Then she would have to find some pegasus to fly up there and ask around for Rainbowdash. Sweet Celestia this was going to take a while.
It took another fifteen minutes, but her hayburger was delivered to her table. It didn’t take long for the plate to be completely emptied and a pile of bits left in the hooves of the waiter. Applejack raced out the door. Now for the hard part, finding a place to stay.
The wind whipped around, causing her hair to whack her in the face repeatedly. This did nothing to improve her foul mood as she soared high above the cloud line. He didn’t need to tell her how to live her life. It was her choice anyways! Mistake had no say in what she decided to do. Then again, he did make a valid point. She didn’t feel quite right, like there was something missing inside her.
Her memories.
The pegasus kept flying, pumping her wings faster and faster. Who cared! They were nothing but blurred faces inside raindrops. Nothing to her, at least not anymore. But if that was true, why did she feel her wings pull her in one direction. The pull had lead her further and further away from that sleepy little town and somewhere a little southwest. It was a little scary, the feeling of belonging leading her somewhere, and she could sense that it would connect her to her past. She wanted to turn around, to fly as far away as she could, to the horizon but found herself staring ahead still following that quiet hum of importance.
She closed her eyes and scenery flashed across her eyelids. A puffy cloud house with streams of rainbows hung around it, a comfy little bakery that carried the smells of sweet things, a great castle looming over the roofs of a town, where ponies scampered around and laughed. A farm with thousands of trees sporting juicy apples and there in front of a large red barn were a cluster of ponies. Pink, yellow, white, purple all mixing together but she stood out. A splash of orange against red backdrop. Face speckled with light freckles and golden hair hung around her shoulders. Green eyes stared at her with warmth and love, inviting her to join them.
Bolt opened her eyes and all of it disappeared, the sky empty and darkening. She had been flying for so long, her muscles screamed at her to stop, to rest, but she didn’t want to. Something drove her forward, an overwhelming desire to return to the place she had lost, to fix her mistake. To tell them she was sorry for leaving and that she would never desert them again. For she hadn’t been loyal and that was something she couldn’t do for much longer. It was this moment when she felt the name bubble to the surface of her brain, Rainbow Dash.
You want to play like that? You think you can escape without my knowledge? Let’s see how well you do when I’m through with you!
It wasn’t a shout, it had been barely above a whisper but it startled her. The voice was smooth and arrogant, but it was powerful. She let out a raspy scream as static buzzed through her brain. Her wings slowed, keeping her aloft, but her head felt like splitting. He had found her! He was back, and he was going to make sure that she forgot everything. Fear gripped her as she felt her wings falter.
“Please.” she muttered. “Don’t do this.” The wicked laughter merged with the static and it only got louder. The pegasus could feel him sapping her strength and soon she’d plummet to her death. Groaning she lowered herself in the sky, but with the headache it was hard to make sense of anything she was doing.
Blackness swallowed her thoughts and she felt her body go limp right before her eyes rolled up in her head and her body fell downward.
She had been falling, that was all she remembered. Nothing more than the whistling of air in her ears and the screaming in her head.
The pegasus sat up groggily, the constant beep of a heart monitor grating at her sanity. A blank faced doctor stood over her bed checking the machine hooked up to her throat.
“You took quite a fall.” he muttered clamping something in place. The pegasus’s breathing became more rapid and her heartbeat thundered in her chest.
“Where am I?” she said fearfully eyes darting all around the white walled room, looking for some sort of escape route. The doctor put his hoof on her shoulder and instructed her to take deep breaths.
“You are in the hospital. Calm down.” he said in a monotone. The pegasus didn’t calm down.
“I don’t know who I am!” she shouted. “I don’t know who you are, I-I can only-”
“Memory loss, a normal occurrence when someone hits their head to hard. In your case somepony caught you while still fifty feet from the ground, and well it wasn’t good for both of you.” the doctor said as he backed away from the bed. “I’ll let you be so you can, uh, quiet yourself.” he said shutting the door rather forcefully. The pegasus shivered and swallowed as she tried to call up even the slightest shred of memory and found almost nothing. Except a glimmer of gold. It hung there, a strand of light in the dark, emptiness of her mind. The pegasus wondered what it meant, and she still couldn’t figure out who she was. There was no name on her tongue, of either pony or place. She sat back and blinked at the bright lights above her. What had happened to leave her this way? The doctor had told her memory loss, but would her memories return?
“Hullo?” a timid voice spoke from the slight crack in the door. It widened until a shy looking white mare stepped forward. Her light green mane was pulled into a messy bun and her ocean green eyes searched the pegasus worriedly.
“Hi.” the pegasus grumbled and pursed her lips. The mare carefully approached the bedside and her eyes flicked over the machines next to it.
“I’m very sorry.” she dipped her head causing an eyeroll from the pegasus.
“Well it was apparently my own fault.” she scoffed, fiddling with her blankets. The mare hummed and clicked a few buttons on the machines smooth surface.
“You must have been doing some really crazy trick” she said softly.
“I-I?”
“Oh yes, your memory loss. Um, well you’re quite the daredevil. I’ve seen you fly, it’s pretty spectacular.” The pegasus wore a tight frown and the mare stepped back, shuffling her hooves nervously.
“Do you know….what I was called?” the pegasus asked anxiously. The mare jumped and nodded vigorously.
“Yes, you were and I suppose you still are, Rainbowdash.”
The name had rested on her tongue so many times that week that she found herself whispering it as she leaned against the windowsill. The scenery rushed past her, blurry greens and browns. The mare tried to push down the mounting fear that was threatening to overcome her. She had never been so far from home before. She hated to have left the chores to her siblings, one who was barely starting to learn how to buck the apple trees correctly. Most of the chores would weigh on her brother’s broad shoulders and this left Applejack with a sense of guilt.
However the life of her friend may hang in the balance. Applejack remembered the nights spent in the company of Sombra. He had showed her such terrible things, her farm crumbling, her family’s death. A replay of the night her parents died. It was all she could do to keep from going insane.
She didn’t know what Rainbowdash had gone through, they were separated into their own nightmares, but whatever it was...it must have been terrible.
Applejack felt the train begin to slow down meaning she was almost to the Cloudsdale ground port. There she could board a hot air balloon and search for Rainbowdash. She gathered her bags and got ready to face the challenges ahead of her.
The name was alien to her, but it seemed to feel familiar. The nurse watched her with wide eyes and the pegasus frowned.
“Are you sure that’s my name?” she asked. The mare sighed,
“Well I don’t know of any other rainbow maned pegasus.” The pegasus bit her lip, the name was fitting, and she couldn’t help but want to take it and wear it as her own again.
“Then that’s what you can call me.” she said. The nurse smiled.
“Alright...Rainbow Dash. I have to check in with the doctor, he’ll be back shortly.” Rainbow Dash only nodded and watched her leave with curious eyes. She wanted to know more about who she was and try to use the information to jog her memory.
The door opened slowly and a handsome grey stallion entered. His dark mane was pulled back in a oily bun and a few loose strands hung down the sides of his face. His eyes were a ice cold blue and a scar traced it’s way down the length of his chest. Rainbow Dash tensed and eyed him warily.
“Who are you?” she asked. The stallion chuckled and crossed the distance between the door and her bedside in a few strides.
“I am nobody important..at least not to you.” He smiled. “To lots of other ponies I am quite the big deal.” Rainbow Dash crossed her front legs.
“That doesn’t answer my question.” she grumbled. The stallion only chuckled again.
“My name is not important, but you may call me Sam.” Rainbow Dash frowned.
“What are you doing here?” she asked nervously. The stallion settled himself down in a chair.
“I’m surprised you do not remember me.” he said tilting his head. “Curious.”
“What’s curious is why you’re even here.” Rainbow Dash spat. The stallion smiled.
“I was an old friend of yours.” he commented coldly. “But you ran away from me.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow.
“I must have had a good reason.” she said her gaze distrusting. The stallion smiled wider.
“I’m sure you did...but I cannot imagine why.” he said his eyes glinting maliciously. Rainbow Dash struggled against the tubes and wires hooked to her body but every move she made sent sharp pains up and down her wings and legs. The stallion stood and held her shoulder down with one hoof.
“Please, don’t hurt yourself. I only want to talk.” Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth.
“I’m not sure that’s true. I don’t like the way you talk.” The stallion frowned.
“I’m sorry.” he said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” Rainbow Dash didn’t trust the stallion in the least, but she relaxed and nodded.
“It’s just...I woke up to this weird place and then you come in acting like you own me. Excuse me for being a little distrustful.” The stallion laughed and backed away from her bedside. Rainbow Dash exhaled as the pressure of his hoof was relieved.
“I understand child. I do understand, but for the sake of our next meeting, I hope you have enough sense to trust in me.” Rainbow Dash sat up.
“You’re leaving? You just waltz in here and then out again? Who are you?” The stallion shook his head.
“I have already explained that. I need to leave before I am discovered. Expect me to return soon.” With that said his swished his tail importantly and hurried through the door. Rainbow Dash watched the swinging motion of the door and laid back. The stallion’s odd behavior had spurred many new questions about who exactly she was, even if she had only been awake for an hour. She knew that her recovery would take a while, and that her memories would only come in due time, but it still put her on edge. Who was that mysterious stallion, and what did he want with her? More importantly, who was she?
“What do you mean Ah can’t get a ride up to the city?” the orange horse spoke loudly, borderline shouting. The pegasus looked at her expression and cleared his throat forcefully.
“Like I just said, You’re not exactly able to walk on the clouds Miss.” Applejack stomped her hoof, and leaned over the counter.
“Listen, my friend is missing and this is the only place Ah could think of to find her!” Applejack really was shouting now and had attracted the attention of many other pegasi crowding the station. The stallion behind the counter held his hooves up.
“I’m sorry Miss, but unless you’re fixed with a cloudwalking spell or have a pegasus friend that could look for her-”
“I’ll help.” Applejack turned around to face the speaker finding a young pegasus, maybe a little older than Applebloom standing with flared wings and determination flashing in her stormy eyes. Applejack raised an eyebrow.
“Do you know who I’m looking for?” she asked slowly. The young pegasus nodded vigorously.
“Of course I do!” she inched closer to the farm pony. “And I do want to help you.” Applejack sighed seeing no other choice but to trust the child.
“Alright then sugarcube, let's go outside and talk about this okay?” Applejack said adopting the caring tone she used with her sister. The pegasus nodded and ran out the door with Applejack on her heels.
Once outside Applejack was lead toward a secluded area beneath a towering willow tree. The hanging branches swayed slightly in the breeze, sweeping over Applejack’s back as she sat beside the young pegasus who watched her with searching eyes.
“I know you.” she said tilting her head. “You’re Applejack right?” The farm mare nodded.
“Yeah, ya heard about me?” The young pegasus smiled.
“Uh huh, my sister used to talk about you lots.” Applejack’s eyebrows knit together in a frown suspicion itching at the back of her mind.
“Who’s your sister?” she questioned knowing the answer. The young pegasus stared directly into Applejack’s eyes.
“Rainbow Dash.” she said quietly. Applejack sat in stunned silence.
“I didn’t know she had a sister.” The pegasus scoffed.
“Course she wouldn’t tell nobody, I mean it would ruin her image.” Applejack raised an eyebrow and the young pegasus rolled her eyes. “She wants to be the ‘too tough for family’ pony. Besides, dad’s dead and my mom doesn’t want anything to do with her, I mean she’s not her kid so why bother?” Applejack pursed her lips as she stared at the pegas noticing the similarities between her and Rainbow Dash.
They had the same eye shape, though instead of crystalized roses, the younger pegasus’s eyes caught the image of dark storm clouds about to burst with lightning. Her mane was a dark blue streaked with lighter blues and one unique bright green stripe running down the side of her head. It mixed well with the muted sky blue of her coat. There was a slight scar running down her speckled wings and the young pony kept them tucked against her body.
“What’s your name?” Applejack asked and the young pegasus puffed out her chest.
“Fogbow.” she smiled. “You can call me Foggy though.” seeing the confusion on the farm mares face the young pegasus launched into an explanation. “It’s a silly name but it’s a weather term for a rainbow like thing that’s made out of fog.” Applejack nodded.
“Alrighty...uh Foggy.” Fogbow chuckled before her storm cloud eyes searched the farm mare again.
“There’s something wrong with my sister right? Cause you wouldn’t be out here if there wasn’t.” she said seriously. Applejack sighed, holding her trademark hat to her chest.
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid she’s missing.” Fogbow rolled her eyes.
“I know that, I overheard you and the hot air balloon ticket guy.” she paused. “Actually I think everybody in that station heard that conversation.” she allowed herself a giggle or two before focusing back on the farm pony. “Anyways, I’ll get on up there and ask around, I’m sure if she’s there than I’ll find her.” Applejack frowned.
“An’ what am I supposed to do?” she asked irritably not liking the idea of not being able to help. Fogbow shrugged.
“I dunno, ask around the station.” With that she turned and ran full speed toward the station. Applejack watched her go, and realized that the young pegasus had not used her wings since Applejack had met her. This struck her as odd, Rainbow Dash would almost always jump into the air periodically as if she couldn’t stand not being in the sky for long. Of course maybe Fogbow was trying to be polite by staying on the ground like she was, but then why didn’t she just fly on up to the city from here? Why even go back to the station? Applejack stared at the floating city that could be hiding her friend and scowled.
“Jus’ come back already Dash!” she whispered before getting to all four hooves and heading back toward the station.
It hadn’t been that long, had it? The mare blinked at the brightness of the outside world. The hospital had been bright as well, but not as blinding. She stretched her wings, a smile resting on her lips as she realized that she was finally free. Taking a few steps, she launched herself into the air, wings beating and heart racing.
The sky, with reds and pinks of sunrise melting into faded blue, beckoned to her and she darted between clouds and left a rainbow trail weaving through the open atmosphere. Her mind was blissfully blank and she clung to the emptiness as long as she could for she didn’t want to see the images she’d seen in her dreams. Shaking her head, the pegasus bit her lip and forced the thoughts of dreams to the back of her mind. She wanted to enjoy this, without the interruption of blurry faces and haunting screams.
Icy wind rushed past her causing her rose eyes to water. She blinked back the tears which she knew were not only because of the rushing air. The stallion that had visited her in the hospital had come again earlier that morning, promising punishment if she did not do what he asked. The pegasus closed her eyes and pictured his face as he looked at her. Cold and unforgiving. He had told her she wasn’t called Rainbow Dash, that the name had once belonged to another pony, who’d died many years ago. She would’ve believed him, except she had asked the nurse about such a pony and had gotten a strange look.
“But...you’re Rainbow Dash, there has never been anypony else with that name.”
The mare was certain that the name she wore now, was in fact hers, and that whoever the stallion was, he had wanted her to think otherwise. His proposal was sick and twisted, there was no way she would do anything like that. Besides, that pony he’d shown her...she seemed familiar. At least it looked like someone she knew. The doctors had promised her memory would return, and maybe...finding that pony was key to unlocking her mind.
***
The sister of Rainbow Dash had been gone a long time and Applejack was getting impatient. Her hooves itched for some sort of motion, they weren’t used to just standing around. The farm mare sighed, adjusting her hat for the millionth time, while searching the sky for the arrival of a young pegasus. Certainly if Rainbow was in Cloudsdale, Fogbow would be able to find her. Although Applejack had never been to the city, it didn’t look like it was that big but looks could be deceiving.
“Applejack!” a childish voice called from somewhere behind her. Spinning around, Applejack spotted Fogbow almost immediately. The young pegasus looked as if she’d been crying. Applejack felt her older sister instincts kick in and she wrapped her friend’s half sister in her embrace.
“Didn’t find her?” she asked calmly, though she really wanted to buck the nearest tree to the moon out of frustration. The pegasus pulled away from the older mare and sniffled.
“No luck, but I did hear that somebody saw her flying toward Ponyville a while back.” Applejack sat back, her mind racing. Would that mean that Rainbow Dash was already home, and she had traveled all the way up here for nothing? Yeah, probably.
“Well then, I’d best be going.” she said taking a few steps away from Fogbow.
“I’m coming too!” Fogbow cried running to Applejack’s side. “She’s my step sister! I want to see her too!” Applejack paused, she only had enough money for one train ticket and a few snacks, but if the little one came with…
“Do you have any money?” she asked. Fogbow nodded.
“Yeah, I do.”
“With you?” Applejack’s eyebrow rose with the question. Fogbow smiled sheepishly.
“Well no, but if you wait a little bit longer I can go get some.” Rolling her eyes and letting out another tired sigh the farm mare nodded.
“Get up there and grab it then.” she gestured to the sky.
“I will.” Fogbow raced back toward the station which only confirmed Applejack’s suspicions. The pegasus couldn’t fly.
The night air whistled in her ears as she flew, wings beating in a constant motion. Darkened clouds floated by her and stars twinkled overhead. The smell of damp earth filled her nose as she flew over fields and lines of crops. The sweet scent of fruit greeted her as she swooped lower over the fields, flying into what looked like some sort of orchard.
Red, ripened apples dotted the leaves with splashes of color. Rainbow Dash squinted as she saw the glow of light. She pulled up above the tree line and was greeted with the sight of a rustic farmhouse and barn. It’s lights shone against the dark night, illuminating the ground around it. Rainbow Dash came to a halting stop as she touched down outside the front door. Her heart hammered in her chest as she stared at the wooden door. This place felt so familiar and welcoming. She’d been here before, she decided raising a hoof to knock against the wood. The soft taps sounded throughout the house and seemed not to wake anypony so Rainbow tried once more. This time a tired sounding voice called out from inside.
“All right, all right! I’ma comin’.” Rainbow tensed, the voice, that voice…
The door opened to reveal a sleepy looking orange mare. Her blonde hair flowed freely around her shoulders and there were large dark bags beneath her green eyes. Freckles stood out against against an orange muzzle and a quizzical look controlled her features.
“Rainbow? What are ya doing here? It’s the middle of the night.” The cyan pegasus gulped, memories surfacing as she stared at the orange pony. Tears gathered in her rose eyes, and her voice shook as she forced out her next words.
“A-Applejack?” She questioned uneasily, not sure if this was some sort of joke. The farm mare tilted her head.
“What’s wrong sugarcube?” She asked taking Rainbow Dash in her embrace. Sobs racked the pegasus’s body as she slumped against Applejack.
“I-I found you.” She murmured. Applejack frowned.
“Whadda ya mean? I’ve always been right at here at the farm.” Rainbow Dash shook her head.
“No, I know that, but I’ve been gone...so long and I’ve finally found you. Even Sombra couldn’t keep me from you.” The orange mare’s ears flattened.
“Sombra? We defeated him years back, when we were trying ta save the Crystal Empire.” She said, confusion flickering across her face. Rainbow Dash frowned.
“B-But...he captured us….that day in the caves…” Applejack frowned looking over Rainbow with a more critical eye.
“Didja hurt yourself? Hit your head?” She rubbed a hoof over Rainbow’s hair. The cyan pegasus stumbled back.
“No! You don’t remember?” She stuttered.
“Honey I have no idea what your talkin’ bout, honest.” The farm mare responded, worry resting heavily on her muzzle. Rainbow shook her head.
“This isn’t real then….you would know otherwise.” She stared around her at the dark farm and dusted roads.
“Rainbow Dash...I don’t understand.” Applejack stuttered, her hoof reaching out to Rainbow Dash. The pegasus turned to her and yelped.
Where her friend had once stood was a darkened shadow over a grey skeleton. A few strands of whitened hair clung to the skull and it’s voice came in hollow gasps.
“You!” It hissed. “You have broken my memory charm!” It screamed taking a threatening step toward her. “You cannot dream of them! I forbid it!” Rainbow Dash lept into the air, staring at the skeleton.
“Sombra?” She whispered. The skeleton nodded, it’s eyes glowing with green fire.
“You are powerful, especially with the memories of her.” He mused. “And though I cannot fix that...I can prevent her from meeting you once more.” Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth, she had just gotten her memories of the farm pony back and she wasn’t about to let the king of her nightmares take her away again.
“I won’t let you mess with her!” She yelled, as the farm melted away into nothing but blackness.
“We’ll see young pegasus….we’ll see.” Sombra chuckled softly as the pegasus jolted awake.
The dust clouds stung Applejack’s eyes as she pushed through the harsh winds, a exhausted filly resting on her back. The clouds were thick above them, swirling and casting dark shadows over the land.
“A-Applejack….I don’t like this. The weather’s weird.” Fogbow muttered softly, worry seeping into her young voice. Concern creased the older mare’s forehead. She knew it wasn’t safe to be out in the open in a coming storm, but she was miles away from any civilization.
“I’m not fond of it either...but we have ta keep going ‘till we can find some sorta shelter.” Fogbow shivered and drew her wings tighter to her body. Rain had started to fall and it hit them with violent taps. Applejack squinted into the darkness, her breath heavy and uncertainty slowing her hoof movements. There was someone out there...a presence that felt familiar. Cracks of thunder sounded followed by the crackling of lightning, though to Applejack it sounded more like vicious laughter. She came to a stop sliding the filly off her back and holding her protectively as the winds swirled around them. The farm mare knew now that this wasn’t regular weather, this was created by someone or something. Her heart beat loudly in her chest and Applejack was sure whoever made this storm had it in their mind to silence it.
“I’m scared.” Fogbow whimpered pressing her face into Applejack’s leg. The orange mare swallowed and bent her head to give the filly a reassuring nuzzle.
“I’ll protect ya little one.” She whispered into her ear before staring into the storm. She wasn’t about to let Rainbow’s sister die.
“How cute.” A voice slithered into her ears. “You think that you can beat me.” It paused as Applejack stepped back in fright. That voice, she knew that voice. It was in her nightmares.
“Sombra!” She shouted, pushing the filly under her body in order to better protect her from the unseen monster.
“You called?” The voice said again, the clouds parting to reveal a handsome stallion watching them with glowing green eyes. Applejack felt terror worm it’s way down her body, freezing her limbs and causing slight whimpers to escape her lips.
“What do you want?” She yelled, though her voice wavered. Sombra shrugged coming even closer to the pair. He eyed Fogbow, who had her own eyes tightly shut and tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Oh nothing really.” Sombra mused. “You and your friends are such boring playthings. All righteous and brave...it’s really annoying actually. Of course you were all thrown for a loop when your precious Rainbow disappeared.” He chuckled as an angry scowl worked it’s way across Applejack’s face.
“We know you did something to ‘er!” She screamed, a venomous stare aimed at the evil king.
“Of course I did, you guys escaped me, and so I retaliated. She’s important to you and your little element of harmony joke isn’t she? Hmmm, too bad you’ll never see her again.” He smiled seeing the fear flicker behind the angered stare. “Unless of course you can find her. She’s been lost my dear, I took her memories, I took everything from her and yet she still came through. Her love for you is especially infuriating. She wants to find you, which is pretty sweet….but I can’t allow that to happen.”
He stepped closer, smiling to reveal pointed fangs. “Now, I can’t let you go home. That would be the first place she looks for you. No, I’d say kidnapping you is the best way to make sure she never finds you. Sure, she can get help from your friends but my magic is difficult to crack and her apparent love for you seems to be a loophole. A variable I hadn’t considered. Anyways...you and the kid are coming with me.” Applejack shook her head, a determined expression present on her face.
“Never again Sombra, I won’t be your prisoner again!” She charged forward. Sombra blinked in surprise, her move was complete irrational and stupid it was almost funny. However while processing her sudden act of bravery he neglected to dodge a devastating buck to the chest. He flew backwards and looked down at the dent in his chest. Scowling he brushed the dirt off and willed his body back into shape. This was just a physical manifestation of his mind after all, he was dead of course. Another buck to chest and a punch before he decided enough was enough. Sombra’s horn glowed and his aura wrapped around Applejack, slamming her into the ground. He was surprised to find it hadn’t knocked her out. She glared at him from inside the magic bubble her expression a little subdued by the head slam but otherwise just as ticked off as before. Sombra sighed and picked up the filly in his magic.
“You know, I actually don’t want to hurt you. It would be messy, to have your blood dripping everywhere. Especially in my new apartment.” He tutted before walking into the mass of clouds a very pissed off farm mare and scared filly following close behind him.
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.
It wasn’t the cave, or the terrible food, or even the shadow king who’d captured her. It was the waiting, the feeling of utter uselessness that consumed her. She knew that Sombra was only keeping her alive to lure Rainbow and the rest of her friends to their deaths.
Applejack lay curled in the corner of a small cave. She had to admit, Sombra had managed to turn a damp, cold cave into a comfortable living space. The rock flooring was covered with thick rugs and lavish furniture was placed along the walls. A chest full of assorted games and puzzles had been a surprise, but welcome to Fogbow, who’d taken a liking to the puzzles. When asked about the sudden hospitality Sombra had shrugged. “I am a dark lord yes, but even I have manners. You are not here to be tortured, I have already done that, and so it is of no use to me if you expire in one of my...uh, lesser caves. I think you’ll experience enough torment when your friends arrive.” he chuckled then, leaving Applejack seething.
Now, she watched wearily as Fogbow finished another puzzle. Rainbow’s sister had accepted the imprisonment and was trying to make the best of it. “I did it!” she said happily. Applejack nodded, wondering what her own little sister was doing. It had been a week maybe? She hadn’t expected to be gone this long. A sadness washed over her, followed by burning anger. Sombra had been defeated once, he could be killed once more. Hopefully this time for good. Applejack hoped that Twilight had figured something out. And when the five of them came, she’d be ready to join them.
The castle was nice, and so were the ponies who currently occupied it. The alicorn, Twilight, looked exhausted but she kept a smile to her weary face.
“You shouldn’t worry darling, Twilight is very skilled, she will return you to your former glory.” the white unicorn rambled, having taken a seat in one of the crystallized chairs. Rainbow Dash was surprised to find that she also had a throne. It bore her cutie mark and when she sat on it, she felt a certain rush of confidence. She belonged here, among these ponies, at this table.
“I like it here.” she said slowly, not knowing what to say. Twilight nodded.
“I would hope you would.” she said, her eyes holding an anxious energy to them. She’s nervous, thought Rainbow. But, she countered, I would be too.
“Guys!” a loud, worried voice cut through her thoughts. Rainbow turned to see the boisterous pink pony run into the throne room, her eyes wide with alarm. A timid, yellow pegasus followed her, sniffling. Twilight stood straighter, her tone becoming more authoritative.
“What happened?”
“Applejack is missing.” the statement sent a shockwave through the group.
“Are you...are you certain dear?” Rarity said at last, her face scrunched in a mixture of confusion and worry. Pinkie nodded furiously.
“Big Mac said she left a week ago, to try and find Rainbow.” Immediately guilt wormed it’s way through Rainbow Dash’s chest. Applejack was gone because of her.
“You don’t think…” Rarity started, her eyes widening.
“Sombra.” Twilight confirmed, nodding. Her face was pale, though her eyes shone bright with angry fire. “He took her, I’m sure of it.”
“But why?” Fluttershy squeaked. Rainbow swallowed, knowing the answer even if she wasn’t all that sure of who Sombra was.
“Bait. He wants us to charge in to rescue her, only to be killed in the process.” Twilight said grimly. “Then he can attack Equestria with one less threat.” Pinkie managed a smile. “That means he’s scared of us right?” she asked. Twilight shrugged. “Maybe, though he already beat us once, which probably gave him a big head.”
“We don’t have a choice do we? I mean we cannot just leave Applejack in the clutches of such a monster!” Rarity snapped.
“I had no intention of abandoning our friend, but we need to be smart about this.” Twilight responded, turning to Rainbow Dash. “And I think the first course of action would be to restore her memory.”
The world was spinning wildly. A massive blur of disorienting colors and sounds all colliding inside her brain. She was thrown about, back and forth, scenes playing over and over, voices screaming inside her skull. Then it was over and she was lying on the ground, tears drying on her cheeks. Her friends were crowded around her, all with matching expressions of hope and worry.
“Did it work?” Pinkie questioned, and Rainbow’s lips split into a large grin.
