Forgetting by Going Back

Rainbow lay in a bed, usually meant as a guest room, but she believed to be her's.

So odd right now. Didn't she have anything?! Not a single object in these confines told her about the ponyality she owned. No posters of life goals hung. No journals to be found. It's as if this room didn't belong to Dash, even though that didn't make any sense at all.

Closing her eyes, a question was spoken, "Why can't I remember what I even like?!"

...

When she opened them again, a monster floated in the air above her, eliciting a scream and a barrage of pillows at the beast.

As she chucked the soft cushions as if they were rocks, she called out, "Monster! Mom, we've got a monst-"

Discord shut her mouth with his talon, not amused in the slightest, "Now, dear. I'm not a monster, but a simple observer of your life. Just here to do a little checking in on my...work."

Talon off now, Dash, quite scared of him, exclaimed, "You w-watch me?! L-like when I take showers and stuff! Mom, we've got some sort of supernatural pervert who-"

Again, had to cut her words off.

Discord was beginning to see the...annoying consequences of his actions, "Shut it, child. I'm a being of Chaos. Not a monster. And, certainly not your own ponysal pervert! Understand?! Besides, your mother knows me. We're friends. Now...I believe you asked a question of some sort before?"

Dash, free to speak once again, nodded, "Y-yeah...I want to know what I like...since my room didn't give out any answers."

Discord surveyed the room, with its dull grey walls and basic furnishings bringing him to boredom.

Sipping magically-appearing chocolate milk helped him to think of a sensible backstory.

When the idea sprang up, he spewed the liquid all over Dash, "Ah-hah! Your family just moved here, and Flutters hasn't had time to set up your room. But, I'll be delighted to assist!"

A snap of claws modified the room into one suitable for Dash, complete with Wonderbolt detailings (plushies, pictures, and costumes...all stolen from shopping locations, which had been swapped with notes that labeled Fluttershy as the thief) and sky wallpaper.

The new room decor wasn't a priority in Dash's eyes right this minute. Cleaning off the rudely-spat liquid was.

She ran into the guest room's bathroom, locking the door for privacy reasons.

Fluttershy flew upstairs, and bashed into the room, yelling with worry, "What?! Something about a perverted monster?!"

Since Dash wasn't around to speak to Fluttershy, Discord decided to.

Discord pretended to be annoyed, declaring, "Fluttershy, you really should kno-"

"Discord. Should've known you'd be the perverted monster!"

Now, real annoyance showed itself, "Hey! I'm not -- you know what, nevermind. Just going to say I've got plans. And, they need pursuing. So, good bye, my-"

Fluttershy flew over to Discord, and yanked him downstairs by the ear before he could teleport, causing him to constantly shout, "Ow!".

She maneuvered Discord's ear to make him sit in a chair, then asked with a raised eyebrow once freeing him, "What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Luna pulled the bottle of milk from her mouth, then insulted Discord, "He's a moron? Idiot? Fool? Loser? Or, my favorite, pathetic excuse for a combo of animal parts?!"

Discord magically stuck the bottle back into her mouth, angered, "Quiet, brat! I'm not pathetic; you are! Too out of power enough to even get a word in now, aren't you?!"

Luna started to whimper from his words and the lack of words she could form.

Discord sighed, magic releasing its grip on the bottle.

Luna spat the bottle out, saying as she noticed a new attitude from him, "Oh, you...seem to be behaving...angrily, Discord. Why's that?"

Discord growled over unexpected results, "I'm thinking Dash's amnesia destroyed her aggressive nature. Now, she's nothing more than a regular teenager! But, I refuse to give her back her memories, understand?! That make you angry, Flutters?!"

Fluttershy shrugged at him, "Me? Not really. If you don't plan to get her back to normal, Celestia can. So, it's fine with me."

"What?! How can you not be furious at me?! You aren't supposed to like what I've done!"

"I do, though. Dash needs a mother. The only parent she's had is her father. He's nice, but I think Dash could have really used a mother growing up. Poor Dashie's mother died giving birth, I heard-"

"Blah blah blah. Sad story. Too bad I don't care. All I got from that was you aren't upset with me for what I've done. ...Yet, I know of a way to get you there."

And, he was there one second, gone the next.

Hooves over her head, Fluttershy complained to herself, "Well, that worked out great. Like he would've stayed."

...

"What are you talking about? I'm still here," Discord leaned against the kitchen's doorway, smirking.

Fluttershy was utterly confused, "Wait...you never left?"

"I did leave. Only for a second. Want to guess where I went?"

"I'm...not sure I do."

"Oh, but I know you want to know because I know how to do things that make most victims doubt what they know, you know-"

"Alright! Where did you go, Discord?!"

"To Pinkie's."

"Discord! Did you-"

"I didn't regress her that much. She's Dashie's age about now."

"...Hold on, how did you do that in such a short time?!"

"I've got crazy-powerful magic. What else of an answer do you want? A detailed picture of how surprised she looked when I showed up? Or, the confusion when she regressed? Maybe, the fear the Cakes had while watching helplessly from the kitchen?"

"Discord! That's horrible, and this is serious!"

"You know who I am, right? I'm really not known for being serious."

Fluttershy responded with irritation, "Discord...just leave now."

"So glad you're mad, Flutters!", then he proceeded to disappear in a shower of confetti.

Damn him.

Luna remarked, brushing the multi-colored party paper off her face, "Well, he does know how to make an exit. I'll give him that."

Dash stepped downstairs, toweling off her body where the chocolate milk spritzed her.

She stared amazed at the confetti everywhere, "Whoa! The buck happened in here?!"

Fluttershy brought out a broom from the supply closet, tossing it to Dash before getting a second one for herself, "A grand finale of annoyance, that's what. Help me sweep, sweetie, won't you?"

Dash caught the broom, sighing in discontent for the load of labor before her.

Whole area was spotless. Even more so than before.

Fluttershy took both brooms back to their proper space, and was currently contemplating her next move. Dash was lounging in a chair now, back hooves on the table. The foals finished their formulas minutes before, and were bored out of their minds.

Luna bopped at her side-turned bottle, causing it to roll close to the edge of the plastic tray before rolling back her way thanks to the slightly-raised edge. Another tad more forceful bop, and the bottle had a one-way ticket to the floor. Dash noticed this, but waited to see the foal's reaction before doing anything.

Luna didn't seem disturbed by the bottle falling away, just...slightly more bored than before.

Dash whistled, amazed the baby had a level of intelligence to actually be bored.

Rainbow put her back hooves onto the floor again. Reaching over, she picked the foal up out of the highchair. Cradling Luna to her own chest, Dash said rhetorically, "You're a smart wittle foalie, aren't ya, little sis'?"

Luna giggled, cuddling up into the teen's surprisingly warm fur.

Fluttershy suddenly didn't feel like cooking now. Damn Discord got her worried for Pinkie. So...

The mother sprang an idea out of coincidence, "We're going to Sugarcube Corner for dinner!"

Twilight's ears picked up the announcement, yet the other children were focused on other matters.

Dash playing peek-a-boo with Luna in her lap. As juvenile as the activity was, Luna did find it...amusing, not enough to babble incoherently while clapping. Letting out a few short giggles was sufficient.

After seeing the scene, Fluttershy grinned as a proud mother would, "My daughters bonding is such a beautiful sight!"

Dash blushed quite hard, so focused on the game to only now realize their mom watching. Luna stuck her tongue out at Fluttershy, very much against the choice words used to describe herself.

Fluttershy ignored the action, asking Dash instead, "If you're done playing, could you get the stroller from the closet, sweetie?"

Rainbow nodded obediently, glad Fluttershy didn't say anything more on Dash playing with her baby sister, "Sure thing, mom."

"I don't care! Search again! Then, again after that! I will not accept they suddenly disappeared! You must not be doing your jobs correctly, or Twilight and Luna would have been found by now! So, get going!", Celestia ordered, tears daring to flow down her cheeks, and never stop until her loved ones were safe.

She was...a wreck, basically.

Luna and Twilight...vanish. Don't speak to anypony...except that one guard. Didn't get any information out of him besides Twilight practicing an age regression spell, but that didn't matter.

Celestia sighed, teleporting a glass of wine to her waiting hooves.

Downing it in seconds, she felt her nerves calm, just from the alcohol taking effect.

On her fourth glass.

...Usually, she'd stay away from such liquids...unless a very special occasion arose. This may not be a reason to celebrate, but the wine sure did help her resist crying like a baby.

All of a sudden, Discord appeared with a flashy fireworks display, hurting her eyes from the brightness.

Great. Exactly what she needed. A plothole with the power to piss her off.

She asked, wiping red wine from her mouth with...less than her regular class, "Can't you see I'm...not okay right now?!"

Discord rolled his eyes, "Oh, Celly. Drinking before dinner? You'll ruin your appetite for cake, but I'm certain the cooks will appreciate not having to create an entire bakery full tonight."

Celestia began to sob, not from the joke, but that he didn't care how much pain she was in.

Discord's eyes widened in shock. Celestia, of all ponies he loved to annoy, had broken down after one little mock.

He huffed in frustration, "Stop with the waterworks, will you?! Others have taken my comedy far better than you're at this moment. It's pathetic, in all honesty."

Celestia held back the weeping enough to say quickly, "I-it's not that, you bucking idiot! It's that you don't understand how bad I f-feel right now! My sister and student...disappear in the blink of an eye! I feel so much stress about them!"

Discord knew Twilight and Luna were safe with Fluttershy. He'd just gotten from the residence, after all.

Poor Celestia though. He should do something nice for the mare. Tell her his secret knowledge of their location? ...Nope!

Another thought, instead.

Discord began to pat her back, "A little time off from royal work could be beneficial, true? Why don't we bring Cadance and Shining on over? We'll need them after what's about to happen to you."

...Wow. Discord actually showing care for her? Just...amazing.

And, his idea did seem...wonderful, actually. In her state, there wasn't a chance she can rule Equestria well. Actually, at all.

...

Wait...what was that last part he spoke of?

After remembering, Celestia fell asleep with the fact she could add herself to her own mental list of worries.