On a normal Spring day, resplendent with sunshine, Rarity forgot to turn the faucet off after she was done washing her plate after breakfast.
She came back in not a minute later when she turned the ‘CLOSED’ sign on her Boutique to ‘OPEN’ and frowned at the steady trickle of clear water.
“Why, I could have sworn that I…” She shook her head and bemusedly turned the faucet off with a quick pulse of magic. “Ah, one of those mornings, I see.”
She walked back into her store with a carefree hum.
It was nice to talk to a customer who came in knowing what they wanted. So many like Spoiled Rich – who had no clue on what was fashionable but somehow an expert when Rarity suggested something she didn’t like – and Lyra – who was an absolute dear but spent almost an hour just deciding on colour – in Ponyville, but there were a few gems amongst the hesitant rabble.
Like this young, vibrant mare from out of town – Manehattan, if the accent was any indication – who trotted in with a saddlebag at her side and an appreciative eye for a dress. Rarity was absolutely delighted as she picked out a work that went well with the mare’s coat and watched as the mare looked at herself in a full-length mirror, clearly awestruck by what she saw.
“It’s incredible,” The mare turned to her, hiding a giddy smile behind her hoof. “Do you think it’ll be fine to wear to my cousin’s wedding?”
“Darling, if you were any more radiant, you might just outshine the bride,” Rarity thought that this dress complemented the mare perfectly. She was often right about this stuff. “What do you think?”
The mare looked at herself in the mirror one more time before nodding. “I think you got yourself a sale.”
“Splendid!” The bits were only second to the joy Rarity got from helping somepony look their absolute best! “Well, the dress is listed at 2500 bits…”
“No problem – I can pay,” The mare smiled reassuringly and trotted over to where she laid her saddlebag. Rarity trotted over as the mare picked it up. It looked… strangely flat. “2500 bits, right? No worry – I have my…”
Silence.
Rarity knew that look; she had seen it on customers’ faces many times when they couldn’t afford one of her pieces, or… “Have you forgotten something?”
“My bag…” The mare’s face was creased in a grimace of disbelief and embarrassment. “It’s gone.”
Rarity sighed in sympathy. “Your wallet?”
“Everything.”
The mare turned her saddlebag over and shook it frantically before letting it drop. “My bits, my groceries… I-I bought a bouquet of roses from this kiosk selling flowers and they were all in here,” She ran her hoof through her mane, and Rarity felt a stab of empathy – she looked so distressed. “What did I…? Oh no…”
“Is everything okay?”
“When I bought the flowers, I took my stuff out to rearrange and avoid damaging them…” The mare looked towards the boutique’s door. “I must have left it all on the street.”
Rarity blinked in shock at the mare’s forgetfulness. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, so it was odd that she could forget so many things, including the item she just purchased. She doubted even Rainbow Dash could misplace so many things at once.
“… I’m sorry,” The mare murmured after a pause, already removing the dress. “I didn’t mean to waste your time.”
“No, no, darling – it’s no trouble,” Rarity took the dress back when it was offered and carefully placed it on a nearby rack before smiling in reassurance. “Listen – you go and retrieve your things, and I’ll hold the dress for you.”
The mare’s eyes widened. “You’d do that?”
“Certainly. Ponyville is a lovely place, so I’m sure the florist will keep your things safe for you.”
“Th-thank you…” The mare’s eyes went watery. She smiled appreciatively and picked up her empty bag. “Sorry, but it’s just a little embarrassing…”
Rarity assured her it was fine and waved as the unlucky mare rushed out of the store to retrieve her belongings. Her heart went out to her; it couldn’t have been easy to lose one’s things in an unfamiliar place.
Why, Rarity tended to get herself worked up when she misplaced things in her own home.
Later that night, Rarity emerged from her room after a long two hours of struggling to reach the apex of ‘inspiration’, and found Opalescence glaring , and at her from the end of the hallway.
“Oh dear, what sort of face is that?” Opalescence continued scowling and turned to run down the steps. “What on earth is the matter?”
When she got into the kitchen, she found Opalescence’s bowl empty.
“Oh dear…” Rarity’s cheeks went pink as she sheepishly went through her pantry. “I’m so sorry, dear – momma was a bit preoccupied. I know that’s no excuse, but-”
Rarity’s stomach growled.
She had forgotten to eat dinner.
“What a day I had yesterday…”
“Mhm.”
“First, I forget to turn the taps off after having breakfast. No big issue, mind you, but it was a mere precursor as to how the rest of the day turned out,” Rarity sighed melodramatically as the steam room worked its magic and eased the stress out of her pores. Fluttershy sat on the bench across from her, eyes closed and listening to her. Such a polite pegasus to lend an ear like that. “Still, I should count myself fortunate for I encountered one mare from out of town who was unlucky enough to forget the contents of her saddlebag on the street! The poor thing was so embarrassed.”
Fluttershy opened her eyes, concerned. “Is she okay?”
“Yes, yes – she found her things and returned to purchase a dress for her cousin’s wedding,” Rarity used her magic to levitate a large spoon from a barrel of water and splash it on the rocks. Fluttershy stretched her wings out with a sigh. “But I tell you, darling, the rest of my day was just forgetting one thing after the other: my sewing needles, my fabrics – my mind was scattered! Why, I even forgot to feed myself and poor Opalescence.”
“That’s not good.”
Rarity waved off her concerns, though she appreciated them. “Oh, it’s not as if it’s the first time I’ve neglected basic needs to pursue my work. I’m sure we’ve all done that once in our life. Really, the only unusual thing was that I’m rather like clockwork when it comes to feeding Opalescence,” She tittered suddenly. “Heaven forbid I forget that kitty’s meals.”
Fluttershy nodded, smiled in amusement, and looked down at the rocks for a moment. “It’s kind of funny you mention all of that, actually,” Rarity looked at her, silently urging her to continue. “Yesterday, I forgot to give Angel his nightly brush.”
“Oh my…” Rarity sighed, immediately feeling bad that Fluttershy had to put up with such a demanding creature. “How was he?”
“… He didn’t do anything.”
Rarity blinked. “Why?”
Fluttershy’s smile waned a little. “I… I think because he forgot about it, too.”
“Truly?” Rarity’s frown deepened. “I’m guessing that’s unusual for him?” Fluttershy nodded. “Well, we all seem to be having a bit of trouble remembering, hm?”
Fluttershy nodded and before she could respond, the steam room’s door swung inwards, permitting one Aloe carrying some towels. She took one look at them and stopped dead in her tracks with an expression of utter shock.
Rarity cocked her head. “Is something wrong, Aloe? Is our time up already?”
Aloe shook her head slowly, eyes darting between them. “N-no, I… I didn’t think…” Her accent didn’t hide the confusion. “I forgot you two were in here.”
Rarity and Fluttershy shared a look of concern.
“Oh, hey, Rarity and Fluttershy. How’s it going?”
“I’m fine.”
“Hello, Spike – I am in good health. Or, I hope I am…” Rarity coughed and cleared her throat. “So sorry to drop by unexpectedly, but is Twilight available?”
Spike sighed and leaned against the crystal door. “Ugh, is there a wyvern attacking the water tower again?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s… Well, it’s a rather odd thing to be concerned about, but lately…” Rarity briefly exchanged a look with Fluttershy, who nodded assuredly. “Lately there seems to be a trend of ponies… well, forgetting things.”
Spike’s expression quickly turned to interest. “Forgetting things?” He straightened his posture and crossed his arms. “You know… come to think of it… I forgot how to make my special blueberry pancakes this morning. I wrote it down, but it’s the first I’ve ever just flat out forgotten how to make them. Well, come on in – Twilight’s in the library. As usual.”
Rarity entered the castle with Fluttershy, her trepidation reaching new levels after hearing what Spike had to say. It felt there was a lump of ice in her belly, a feeling she only got when she, or her friends were in danger. It was the dread of knowing that something might not have been right, but she didn’t know what.
It didn’t help that she was walking inside Twilight’s castle. Rarity always found Twilight’s new home rather eerie, beauty aside; it was just too large and full of empty space. Twenty ponies could live here and it would still feel spacious; how did Spike and Twilight feel wandering these halls at night?
Rarity looked down a corridor and turned to Spike. “Has Twilight had any bouts of forgetfulness?”
“Not that I know of,” Spike stopped at the double doors to the library and rested his palm against it. “I mean, she forgets to eat sometimes when she’s really into her studies, but that’s pretty normal.”
“Has she eaten today?”
“Yeah, she was there for breakfast. I brought Twilight a plate of sandwiches and they were half gone last I checked in,” He knocked on the door. “Hey, Twilight – Rarity and Fluttershy are here!”
There was no reply for a few seconds. “You can come in!”
Rarity exhaled in relief. She had been dreading something had happened. Spike opened the door – such a gentledragon – and Rarity waited for Fluttershy to go through before entering herself. The library was full of books and had a ‘lived-in’ air that was absent from the rest of the castle; it immediately put her mind at ease. Twilight was sitting on a couch with, as Spike said, a plate on a nearby table. All that was left was crumbs.
“Hey, girls,” Twilight smiled warmly and levitated an orange tag into the book she was reading before placing it to the side. “I wasn’t expecting company. Wait…” Her smile vanished and was replaced by a wary grimace. “The town isn’t being attacked, is it?”
“Not as far as I can tell, no…” Rarity replied. “However, there’s something that’s been bothering us,” Twilight nodded, showing she was listening. “Well, this may sound odd, but it seems as though everypony’s been rather forgetful.”
“Forgetful?” Twilight echoed with a sceptical frown that Rarity had expected. “And by ‘everypony’ you mean…?”
“Well, I don’t mean everypony in Ponyville, but… Ah, this is rather tricky to explain…”
Fluttershy picked up for her. “When we were in the spa, Rarity told me she felt off yesterday: misplacing things, forgetting to eat and feed Opalescence, and then she told me that a mare from out of town came by for a dress but forgot all her things on the street.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s fine, but…” Fluttershy paused and bit her lower lip. “Twilight, I also forgot to give Angel bunny his nightly brush yesterday. He didn’t remember, either.”
“Not to mention…” Rarity added. “One of the spa owners, Aloe, forgot that we were using the steam room. She didn’t even remember signing us in.”
“Plus, I drew a big blank when I tried making blueberry pancakes this morning,” Spike joined in with a concerned frown and a cross of his arms. “I didn’t say anything because it was kinda embarrassing, but that’s totally not like me, right? I remember all the dishes I make.”
Twilight furrowed her brow and rubbed her chin. “That is unlike you.”
“So, you believe there may be something to this?” Rarity asked.
“Well, I think it may just be coincidence, but stranger things have happened,” Twilight turned her head and levitated an entire shelf of books over to the table. “I can’t name anything magical that could cause memory problems off the top of my head, but spells which influence the mind do exist. Plus, there’s a bestiary I saw somewhere detailing a subspecies of cockatrice which induces sedation and lethargy through poison barbs…”
Spike clicked his claws and walked over to another shelf. “I think I know which book you’re talking about.”
“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight opened the first book and shuffled through the pages with a look of concentration. “Rarity, Fluttershy – maybe you could try the hospital? They may have heard of something like this.”
“Okay, we’ll go,” Rarity exhaled, releasing some of the tension from her body. She felt better now that it was being looked into. Even if it was nothing, at least she’d know. “Good luck with your search,” She turned to leave, but realized halfway towards the door that Fluttershy remained in the same spot. “Fluttershy, darling?”
“I can’t move.”
Rarity blinked and walked back. Twilight lowered her book and stared curiously. “Pardon?”
Fluttershy’s legs twitched. Her tail swished to and fro. “I can’t move. I… forgot how to walk.”
Forgetting how to walk? It was such an absurd idea that Rarity almost laughed, convinced that Fluttershy was pulling some strange and uncharacteristic prank to make light of the situation.
But when she walked in front of Fluttershy and saw her face, any humour vanished.
Years ago, Sweetie Belle, barely two years old, tumbled down some stairs at their parents’ home and received a fractured foreleg. The wailing was horrible, but it was the look on Sweetie Belle’s face that haunted Rarity for years after. That look of knowing that something was wrong with you, but being unable to comprehend exactly what or why.
Fluttershy had that same wide-eyed look as she stared down at her trembling hooves, her breathing shallower and quicker than normal. “I-I can’t remember how to walk. I…” Rarity watched Fluttershy’s right foreleg twitch – more of a spasm – and slide an inch across the floor. “I can’t… remember.”
Rarity’s heart felt like it was being squeezed. She turned to Twilight for help. “Wh-what do we do?”
Twilight immediately climbed off the couch and walked over to place her hooves on Fluttershy’s shoulders. “Fluttershy, can you sit down for me?”
“I-I…” Fluttershy swallowed, and Rarity had never been happier to see one of her friends sit without a blanket between rump and floor.
Twilight sighed in relief. “Spike…” She sharply turned her head. “Keep searching for that book,” To Rarity. “Go to the hospital and inform them what’s happened with Fluttershy.”
She nodded firmly. “Right away.”
Rarity turned and galloped out the room, dread turning her insides heavy and cold. She couldn’t run fast enough.
It was hours before Rarity made her way back to the Boutique. The sun was barely visible over the horizon; it painted the sky pink and orange. Rarity might have stopped to admire it any other day, but all that was on her mind was poor Fluttershy.
Twilight ended up having to teleport her to the hospital because Fluttershy just couldn’t remember how to walk no matter what Twilight tried. The doctors and nurses were perplexed by this affliction and kept Fluttershy in for examination. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie immediately came by when they heard of what happened, and waited with Rarity and Twilight in the lobby. It was all for naught, however; Nurse Redheart insisted that they go home and rest, and they reluctantly obeyed after a few initial protests.
They walked together for a while with Rarity and Twilight explaining what had happened, and were alarmed to hear that they had also experienced instances of forgetting things: Rainbow Dash misplaced some clouds while working, Applejack missed an entire row of trees to buck, and Pinkie Pie burned three cakes today after forgetting they were in the oven.
Twilight was now convinced that there was indeed something going on and she suggested that they all sleep together in her castle for safety and to brainstorm what they were going to about this. Everypony agreed.
‘Just have to pick up some necessities and feed Opal,’ Rarity thought to herself. ‘Twilight’s gone to warn the mayor, Pinkie Pie’s gone to feed Fluttershy’s animals… Oh the poor dear, I hope we can get to the bottom of this soon.’
Rarity rounded the corner of a house and spotted a familiar pegasus looking very concerned and lost as he turned around in the empty street. “Good evening, Thunderlane!” He jumped at his name and turned to face her, visibly sagging in relief as she trotted over. “Are you well? You appear distraught.”
“Rarity, am I glad to see you!” Thunderlane swiped his brow with a nervous laugh. “So, I, uh… I can’t remember where I live.”
Rarity’s blood chilled. “Is that so?” She lowered her ears and frowned off to the side briefly before putting on a confident smile. “Fear not – I shall show you.”
Thunderlane’s face lit up. “You know where I live?”
“Of course – I dropped by for Rumble’s last birthday, remember?”
“I…” His face fell again. “No.”
“Ah, I see,” Rarity nodded, trying to not let her worry show – Thunderlane didn’t need anything else to stress over. “Well, I hardly made an impression. Come – let us get there before it’s too dark, hm?”
When Rarity arrived at the castle, she was mildly surprised to see her friends gathered in the entrance hall along with Discord. As one familiar with social cues and interactions, Rarity had learned to read the mood of the room as soon as she walked in.
It was sadness and frustration and it showed on her friends’ faces.
“Fashionably late, I see,” Discord chortled, though Rarity noted his unease. He was standing instead of floating and much like Rainbow Dash, that was always a clue that something was off. “I must say that I’m impressed that you only brought five suitcases.”
Rarity ignored the dig and put her luggage to the side. “Please tell me that you’ve discovered something,” Her friends turned away, downcast, and Discord snorted before checking his nails. Not good. “Even you, Discord?”
“He says he can’t sense anything around Ponyville,” Twilight answered, meeting her eyes. “I thought he could help since he located Tirek, but…”
“Tirek was easy: absorbing the magic of another is like a slap on the shoulder to one such as I,” A white glove appeared and slapped Discord’s shoulder before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. “But if something is too weak, then it’s like a fly landing on your head.”
Rarity tried to keep a straight face as a cat-sized fly with Discord’s face landed on his head. “Yes, thank you for that comparison.”
“And no, I can’t fix Fluttershy,” The fly poofed away, and Discord crossed his arms, now looking as sombre as when they were trapped in Tirek’s magic. “Whatever is causing her to forget how to walk is weak enough that I can’t discern it from her natural magic. I could hurt her if I try to force it out,” He paused. “I don’t want that.”
Rarity nodded. “Of course. Fret not – with all of us working together, I know we can find the solution to this dilemma.”
“Totally,” Rainbow Dash pumped her forehoof with a determined grin. “We’ve beaten all kinds of powerful monsters – no offense-” Discord shrugged. “-so there’s no way we’re going to lose to something lame that’s just making us forget stuff. That’d be so uncool.”
Rarity saw Twilight curl her lip in an unsure grimace. She frowned and made to touch her shoulder reassuringly, but Twilight turned away and walked towards some stairs. “I think we should sleep in the library together. I’ll get Spike to set out some bedrolls.”
“And I will keep guard to make sure no dastardly and not-as-handsome-as-I villains sneak in.” Discord snapped his fingers and split into six copies with big black wigs and a red uniform. All ran off in different directions.
Still, Rarity felt safer than she would in her own home.
Next morning, after a long night of futile studying, Rarity woke to find and her friends had already gotten up, leaving her to catch some more shut-eye. She yawned and stumbled out of the library in time to find Spike running down the corridor with a look of concern and a dust pan and brush in his claws.
“Spike, darling? Whatever is the matter?”
“I was cooking breakfast and forgot the oven was on,” He sighed and shook his head, walking past her without a second glance. “I swear I’d never…”
Rarity winced sympathetically and set off to help him.
“Welcome to Carousel Bou- oh, hello again, Thunderlane. I hope you’re feeling better?”
Thunderlane nodded and smiled very briefly. Rarity could tell he had a lot on his mind. “Yeah, a lot, thanks. So, I dropped by to say I really appreciate you helping me back home. I just…” He laughed awkwardly and waved his hoof near his head. “Like, completely blank on where I live.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Rarity assured him. “It’s important that we watch out for our fellow pony during a time like this,” She went to gesture to her store, only to sheepishly lower her hoof upon remembering nopony else was in. “Well, you get my point.”
“Yeah, definitely,” He nodded again, looking at her empty store before back to her with a puzzled frown. “Looks like everypony’s staying inside like they do with a monster attack. Not sure if you can hide from something like this, though. An epidemic of forgetfulness?” He whistled. “Crazy.”
“Indeed.”
“Well, I should get myself home. Rumble wasn’t happy when I told him I was going out, so better get back before he freaks out,” Thunderlane made for the door, and Rarity followed to see him out – common courtesy. “So yeah, thanks again for helping me last night.”
“Anytime,” Rarity affirmed with a beatific smile. “Do take care of yourself.”
Thunderlane had his hoof on the door when a heavy thud was heard just outside the Boutique.
Rarity’s ears twitched. “Was that…?” She meant to ask if Thunderlane heard it, but the stallion had already opened the door and poked his head out. From her angle, his face was hidden, but she saw the tension that stiffened his muscles. “Is there something outside?”
He didn’t answer; he took off like a loosened arrow.
Alarm bells went off in Rarity’s head as she quickly approached the doorway to see what had set him off so.
The answer was a white pegasus mare with a colourful mane writhing in the dirt, clearly in great pain. Thunderlane was kneeling beside her, carefully moving her body in a way that didn’t place pressure on her wings.
“Oh no…” Rarity gasped, her mind flashing back to how she once saw Rainbow Dash hit the ground hard enough to warrant a hospital trip. She saw the wings, twisted and wrong and horrifying to look at. She immediately darted forwards to help, crying, “S-somepony alert the hospital!”
When she was close enough, the mare – ‘Blossomforth’, Thunderlane cooed reassuringly – sobbed and blubbered words that chilled Rarity’s blood.
“… forgot… I-I forgot how to f-fly…”
“Rarity?”
Her sister’s voice registered, but Rarity didn’t look at her just yet. It was rude, but she needed an extra second to regain her bearings: the image of Blossomforth’s mangled wings, the sound of her panicked breathing was still fresh in her mind. She didn’t expect it to go away after only three hours and a few cups of tea, but she could very well hope for it.
“… Yes, Sweetie?” She said, pulling out a chair with magic so her sibling could sit at the kitchen table, too. Sweetie looked fretful, had been since she came over, but Rarity was too distracted to inquire about it. Guilt weighed heavily on her as a result. “Is something wrong?”
Sweetie Belle sat down in the chair and looked straight at her. “Sis’, everypony’s been forgetting a lot of things.”
Rarity sighed and stared into her empty cup. “Yes, they have,” She paused, then looked back to Sweetie Belle with a small smile. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, though. We’ve faced greater threats and always pulled through. I have no doubt that this will blow over very soon.”
“Yeah…” Sweetie Belle frowned, likely not believing her, before rubbing her foreleg with the other. “So, me and the girls were at our treehouse doing some cleaning and I found my boots next to some shovels.”
“Boots? The purple ones with white flowers?”
“Yeah.”
“I was wondering where they’d gotten to.”
Sweetie Belle’s ears pricked and her eyes widened. “So, do you know why I took them?”
Rarity froze, her blood going cold for the second time that day. “You don’t remember?”
Sweetie Belle paused, her eyes darting from side to side as she searched her memory. Eventually, she shook her head.
“I see,” Rarity sighed again and used her magic to lift a nearby spoon and clink it against the inside of her cup. “Well, if I remember correctly – and I sincerely hope I do – then you took those boots with you to help one of your classmates see if their cutie mark involved landscaping. I’m not certain where you got the shovels from, but since nopony has come knocking down my door, I assume you did it through legitimate means.”
Sweetie Belle leaned against the table. “When did we do this?”
“Just a couple of days ago, I believe.”
Rarity remembered because Sweetie had trekked into the Boutique, muddied and a bit loopy, which was unusual enough that that was probably why Rarity hadn’t forgotten it. Yet.
Sweetie blinked and stared intensely at the tabletop. “… I have to go see Twilight about something.”
“About what?” Rarity exclaimed in shock as Sweetie Belle just got down off her chair and galloped out of the kitchen. “Sweetie, slow down – I’ll accompany you! Ah, what on Earth has gotten into that filly?”
Rarity worked up a sweat chasing after Sweetie Belle, much to her immediate horror when she leaned against the banister of the staircase leading up to Twilight’s library and discovered drops on her brow.
“Ooh, that little…!” She huffed, thumped her hoof on a step, and stormed up the rest. “It’s not as if it’s difficult to take five seconds to explain why you need to go where you need to go,” She passed by several doors, one of which she was mostly positive was Spike’s, and and took a left. “Or at least wait until I’m ready and then explain it on the way.”
She passed a few more doors before ending up at the library doors. They were already open, and when Rarity went through, she was relieved to see Sweetie Belle safe and sound; she was speaking with Twilight. Or rather, at her because Twilight was going through shelves so high that she needed to use her wings to reach.
Rarity’s scolding died on her tongue as she walked closer and listened to what Sweetie Belle was saying. “It doesn’t have to be the whole thing, but just enough to remember where the girls and I went on our last outing,” She turned at that moment and ducked her head with a sheepish grin. “Oh. Hey, Rarity. Sorry I ran without saying anything.”
“I assume you had good reason?” Rarity joined her sister and watched Twilight flutter around, humming and murmuring as she poked around her vast collection of books.
Sweetie nodded. “I can’t remember anything about that outing with the landscaping. I mean, I know a little. I knew we did… something. But that’s really weird that I only remembered a little bit because I remember all of our Crusader adventuring. So, when I heard about everypony forgetting things, I thought maybe I forgot about that,” Twilight suddenly made a sound, and Sweetie Belle glanced up hopefully, only to frown as Twilight shook her head and replaced a book. “Yeah, so, after I found my boots and those shovels, I went and asked Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.”
“What did they have to say?” Rarity questioned.
“Same thing. They only remember a little bit. The colt we took to see about his cutie mark? He didn’t remember anything. It’s like a… big blank or something,” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “No luck there, so I figured I’d try asking you.”
Rarity nodded. “And you came to Twilight after that because…?”
“She wanted to know if there was a spell that could help her remember that event,” Twilight answered, pulling out a thick tome with a triumphant laugh, and then gently floating down to join them. “And there is,” She held her free hoof up at Rarity’s confused frown. “I know what you’re thinking, but this spell is just for remembering recent events, not things from long ago. It wouldn't help Fluttershy remember how to walk because... well, that should be instinctual. Plus, it wouldn’t protect you from whatever it is causing this mass memory loss.”
“Ah, right,” Rarity nodded again. “I should have guessed, otherwise you would have no doubt brought it out during our research last night.”
Twilight’s grin wilted and she cocked her head, one eyelid lowering. “Last night?”
“We gathered together to try and figure out what could cause all this forgetfulness,” Twilight blinked and searched the floor as if the memory would be there. Rarity’s heart sank a little when her friend just sighed sombrely. “Never mind it, darling. Please show us this tome.”
Happy to get into something she was familiar with, Twilight placed the tome on a nearby table and flipped through the pages before landing on one with a vivid illustration of the equine brain. Rarity went green, and Sweetie cooed in wonder.
“This is a tricky spell, but I’m confident that I can perform it,” Twilight said with confidence. “The problem is that sometimes the spell simply doesn’t work on some ponies. Each mind is different and some ponies, even if they’re willing, are resilient to its effects.”
“Sweetie, you seem very adamant on remembering this event.” Rarity said. She knew her sister loved going on adventures and helping others earn their cutie marks, but it felt like there was more to this.
“I have this… feeling,” Sweetie Belle answered. “Like… I feel like whatever me and the girls did last time had something to do with what’s happening now.”
It wouldn’t be the first time that the town suffered due to the Crusaders’ antics, but this was considerably severe compared to minor property damage, disturbing the peace, and spreading hurtful gossip. Rarity couldn’t imagine what the Crusaders could have done to cause this. Even so, it couldn’t hurt to see what Twilight’s magic would uncover. It could have been helpful.
“I can start whenever you’re ready, Sweetie,” Twilight said, looking up from studying the book and moving closer with the tip of her horn igniting. “Rarity, could you take a few steps back? I’d feel more comfortable with a clear space around me.”
“Of course. Er, darling, this isn’t going to hurt her, is it?”
“No, no – it’s perfectly safe. Worst case scenario is that she gets a minor headache afterwards; easily cured by a good rest, or some aspirin. Now, hold still, Sweetie…”
It was a lot less dramatic than what Rarity expected.
Twilight touched her horn to a spot beneath Sweetie Belle’s and they both closed their eyes while a dull white glow lit up the ridges and fluting that ran along the length of bone. There was no noise aside from the predictable chime of active magic and the process didn’t even last a minute before Twilight made a noise of frustration and pulled away, dimming her horn.
“Sorry, Sweetie, but it looks like you’re resistant to the spell. I could try the spell on Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and the friend you were helping, but there’s no guarantee it’ll work on them.”
Sweetie Belle hung her head, disappointed, and Rarity smiled while lightly touching her sister’s head. “Never you mind, Sweetie – there’s still hope, no?”
“Say, I think Spike made some cookies before he left for the comic store,” Twilight added with a gentle smile. “Why don’t you go snag a few? You know where the kitchen is, right?”
“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle lit up at the promise of sweets, as most children did, and took off at a brisk pace. “I’ll get some for you, too, sis’!”
“Without chocolate chips, if possible,” Rarity called after her. Once her sister was gone, she turned back to Twilight; her friend had been hiding frustration since she entered – she could tell – but now it was scrawled across her face, plain as day. “Something is troubling you, darling. You can talk to me.”
“It’s getting worse,” Twilight groaned, rubbing her face. “The memory loss. At first, it was just small things, but now I’m forgetting entire passages from my favourite books. Not to mention, Fluttershy still hasn’t recovered.”
Rarity nodded sadly. “Earlier today… Blossomforth severely injured her wings. She forgot how to fly. Mid-flight.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
“Yes, fortunately. But I can’t help but wonder how long it will be before we forget crucial things, too,” Rarity rubbed her foreleg with the other fretfully. “Have the princesses responded to your letter?”
Twilight nodded and opened her mouth. She closed her mouth and shook her head, eyes glazed and faraway. “I… I can’t remember.”
Rarity grimaced and shrugged, putting on another reassuring smile. “Well, we can just ask Spikey-Wikey, can’t we? Hopefully he can remember.”
“I just hate how little we know. And we know less with each hour that passes,” Twilight sighed. “At least with bad guys, you know what to work towards, but we’re running blind here. Sweetie’s information is the first real lead we have. I hope Scootaloo and Apple Bloom aren’t resistant to this spell, weird as that may sound.”
“Would you like for me to find them? I’ve had no customers all day and I don’t see any coming in soon.”
“I’d really appreciate that, Rarity. The sooner we follow up on this, the better.”
It took some time before she could get Apple Bloom and Scootaloo over to Twilight’s castle. Apple Bloom had chores, and Scootaloo had planned a training session with Rainbow Dash, the latter of whom forgot and only made it in time because Cloudchaser reminded her. It was well past four when Rarity arrived back at the castle with the two other Crusaders plus one Rainbow Dash.
Rarity was back in the library with Sweetie and Rainbow Dash munching on cookies, sending debris flying on the table, much to her revulsion. She long gave up urging them to use napkins.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were sitting on the couch with Twilight, who just finished explaining the spell and was channelling her magic to touch her horn Scootaloo’s forehead. The fillies seemed morose they couldn’t immediately scarf down cookies like the other two.
“So, I dropped in to visit Fluttershy a few hours ago,” Rainbow Dash said after devastating several cookies and their ilk. “Still no luck remembering how to walk. She’s even forgotten how she ended up in there in the first place.”
“Oh dear,” Rarity couldn’t even imagine being confined to a bed, unable to do much but lay there as your memories were taken one by one. She shivered. “She must be so frightened.”
“Fluttershy’s tough,” Rainbow Dash said before pausing and making a face. “Well, ‘tough’ in the way that really matters, you know? There’s a lot of weird stuff going on now. You heard what happened to Blossomforth?”
“I was there. How dreadful.”
“Totally,” Rainbow Dash sighed and briefly looked over her shoulder. Twilight had touched her horn to Scootaloo’s forehead and both their eyes were closed. Apple Bloom sat by and patiently waited by trying to see how many times she could wrap her forelegs around herself. “Keep at it, kid. Anyway, I was at the hospital and somepony in the other room almost missed their medication.”
Rarity grimaced. “They forgot?”
“Nah, the doctor forgot.”
“Goodness gracious,” Rarity shook her head. “This is getting very serious. We must find the cause of this before anything worse hap-”
Scootaloo shrieked.
Not like a shriek of ‘oh Faust, I completely misjudged that jump’, but one of surprise and horror, like discovering the fetid carcass of a possum inside one’s bathtub when the curtain was pulled back.
Rarity turned her gaze sharply as Scootaloo staggered back from a mortified Twilight and clutched her head, eyes wild as she whimpered and panted. “Th-they were right there, they were all right there!”
Everypony scrambled to her side. Rainbow Dash was trying to calm her down, but Scootaloo was clearly panicked by something; she couldn’t stop hyperventilating.
“Who was there, Scoots?” Apple Bloom cried. “We can’t help if ya’ll don’t tell us what’s wrong!”
“Th-they’re… dead,” Scootaloo whimpered, covering her eyes and shaking her head. “They’re standing next to us, but they’re dead. W-we messed up, girls,” To Rarity’s shock, tears started running down her cheeks. “Oh colt, we messed up so bad!”
“Scootaloo, you’re scaring me.” Sweetie Belle whined.
“It’s alright, squirt, your big sister’s here,” Rainbow Dash was smiling, grinning widely, but there was real confusion and fear behind it. “I can totally take anything on, remember?”
“It was an accident,” Scootaloo cried. “We were trying to help that colt, uh… Burgundy Spin? S-Something like that. We were trying to help him get his cutie mark in landscaping. Said he w-wanted to be like his dad. Th-there was a pasture near the treehouse that we went to. It looked like a… like a good place to start. We started digging around, trying to… well, w-we didn’t really know what to do. Except Apple Bloom, but… Sweetie and I still didn’t get it. Neither did Burgundy. So, then… then…
“We went into the woods near the pasture and found this weird clearing with a bunch of twigs and leaves covering it. It was round like… like somepony clearing a bunch of the woods by hoof. Th-there were some weird rocks there; really colourful and smooth. Burgundy wanted some for his sister, so we used the shovels to dig up the sticks and leaves, and then…”
“And then what, Scoots?” Apple Bloom questioned fearfully. “What’d we find?”
Scootaloo took her hooves away, her eyes dark and haunted. “Bones. Lots of bones.”
Rarity shuddered in disgust. She was horrified at the thought of young foals – her sister nonetheless – uncovering such a macabre sight. What in Equestria could that be about?
But when she went to inquire, there was a flash of light and Discord was standing in the room with an intense glare.
“I felt it,” He said, suddenly snapping his talons and producing another wave of magic that made Rarity’s teeth itch as it went through her. “This should keep the castle safe.”
“Safe?” Rarity shrilled. Sweetie Belle moved to her side, and she hugged her protectively. “From what?”
“I don’t know,” Discord admitted. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s old and restless and a lot more powerful than I'd like it to be,” He turned to Twilight. “Whatever you did here really ticked it off because now I sense its magic all over the town. It’s moving.”
“I remembered them,” Scootaloo sniffed, burying her wet snout in Rainbow Dash’s chest. “They don’t like it when we remember. They want us to forget.”
“Maybe you can tell everyone who ‘they’ are by the time I get back,” Discord put his claw over a door handle that appeared in thin air. “I have to go make sure Fluttershy is safe. Nobody leave this castle unless you want to take a shot at fighting ‘them’.”
He turned the handle and opened a square of reality to the hospital’s corridor, where Nurse Redheart could be seen reacting to the sight and dropping her papers. Discord ignored her and looked at them one last time.
“And I’d prefer it if you didn’t.”
With that, he stepped through and closed the ‘door’ behind him.
“What in Equestria is…?” Twilight looked from where Discord had been to Scootaloo, then to the nearby window. “Stay inside?”
Rainbow Dash, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle were comforting Scootaloo, trying to get her to keep talking, so Rarity joined Twilight as she went to look out the glass panes.
Ponies had stopped in the street as a thick, colourless fog rolled in from the south. Some pegasi were trying to push it back, but it seemed to flow around their hooves like putty. Rarity wasn’t high up enough that she couldn’t see their concerned and frustrated faces, at least until the fog billowed past them, and then all she could see were their shadowy forms walking around, unsure what to do.
Rarity could share that sentiment. “As much as I hate to say, I think we should follow Discord’s advice. That doesn’t look natural.”
“No, no!”
Rarity gasped as Scootaloo pushed her to the side and pressed up against the glass with a look of terror. She hadn’t looked this pale since their last camping trip.
“It’s them! Th-the dead ponies!”
Everypony crowded by the window, but the fog was gradually making it harder and harder to see the town. Only the shapes of ponies just outside the castle could be made out and they didn’t move or act like they were dead.
“Where?” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and ascended for a better view. “I don’t see anything!”
“Right there!” Scootaloo cried, tapping her hoof against the window. Rarity followed her gesture, but could only see Ponyville’s residents briskly heading for shelter. “Th-they’re literally coming down the… Oh no… Move!”
The young filly practically lunged at the glass, thumped on it, desperately trying to get the attention of two ponies going by. They were close enough that Rarity could put names to faces – Lyra and Bon-Bon. Neither looked up at Scootaloo’s cry.
“Scoots, what in tarnation has gotten into ya?” Apple Bloom questioned, trying to get her friend to stop hitting the glass. “Jeez, yer freakin’ all of us out!”
Rarity turned away from the window. “Scootaloo, dear, I realize you’ve come across a traumatic discovery, but we can’t help if you don’t-”
“Where’d they go?” Twilight suddenly asked.
When Rarity looked back, Lyra and Bon-Bon were gone. “They… I only looked away for…”
“The dead ponies took them,” Scootaloo whined, her eyes vibrating wildly. “They’re going to take everypony if we don’t stop them!”
Rarity stared at whatever ponies she could see, forcing her eyes to remain open even when they watered so she wouldn’t miss what had happened again.
But it was no use.
Filthy Rich was walking back to his manor. Then he was gone.
Caramel was behind him and jolted backwards in shock, glancing from side to side. Then he was gone.
There was no sound, no flash, no monstrosity bursting from the ground, no phantom limbs unfurling from the fog – they were there one second, then not.
Rainbow Dash suddenly bolted away from the window, and Rarity quickly reached out with her magic to tug on her friend’s tail – an incredibly rude gesture, but it was warranted. “No, no!” Rainbow Dash turned on her, furious. “If even Discord is experiencing trouble with this ghastly force, then we would be wise to heed his advice. Besides, what if you go out and get taken, too?”
Rainbow Dash’s expression turned sullen and she floated back to the floor with a sigh. “You’re right. Sorry. I just… Sorry.”
“I understand you want to help, but it does nopony good if we fall as well,” Rarity felt a firm pressure on her foreleg and looked down with a comforting smile. “It’s alright, Sweetie. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Sweetie Belle frowned uncertainly and hugged her leg tighter. “Y-yeah…”
“Scoots…” Apple Bloom grabbed her friend’s shoulders and firmly turned her from the window. She had a determined stare. “What do ya mean by ‘dead ponies’ and how do we stop them?”
“Th-they’re… dead,” Scootaloo swallowed with some difficulty, took a deep breath, and then continued. “Like… they’re not zombies, but they’re see-through and stuff. Like ghosts!”
“Ghosts don’t…” Twilight started, turning from the window as well, before stopping herself and just giving a nod. “Sorry. Keep going, Scootaloo – I’ll see if I can find anything here. Rainbow, help me.”
Scootaloo went on describing what she saw while Twilight and Rainbow Dash flew up and searched through her books. Rarity went to help, but heard the pop of displaced air and turned in time to see Discord carefully laying Fluttershy on the couch. Her body moved over before she could tell it to, and Sweetie Belle followed.
Discord’s face was dark and stormy as she checked on her friend. “It’s getting worse and I can’t stop it.”
Fluttershy’s eyes were wide and unfocused; she looked up at the ceiling and panted heavily, sweat making her coat sticky and damp. “Gone… Can’t… remember…”
Rarity stifled a sob and grabbed her clammy hoof. “Darling, please stay strong! Remember our trips to the spa? Oh! Do you remember how you saved all of us from that manticore?”
Fluttershy looked at her, lost and confused. “Y-you… Who…?”
“S-something else, then! Do you remember how deep your voice gets when you’re affected by Poison Joke?”
“Uh…” Fluttershy’s face twitched into a vague scowl. “‘barrass… ing…”
“Oh, I’m sure it is, but hold onto that feeling! Let it anchor you,” Rarity turned to Discord pleadingly. “Is there nothing you can do?”
He shook his head. “This magic isn’t as powerful as mine, but it’s refined, elusive – it keeps slipping away. Hardly matters how hard you can squeeze if whatever you’re squeezing slips out of your grasp with the lightest pressure. You ever tried holding a frog with your hooves? No, of course you haven’t.”
“We still need Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Spike!”
“They’re gone.”
Rarity’s jaw dropped and she leaned against the couch for support. “What?”
“But we don’t know if it’s permanent, so focus on that, hm?” He gave a humourless grin and turned his attention to Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “Never have I been happier to see books being thrown about. What has she said?”
She was reeling, stunned, but she pushed through to answer. “S-Scootaloo said she and her friends stumbled across some… I-I presume it was a burial ground for she said there were bones.”
“Pony bones, hm? Plenty of those around, but what makes this one special?” He scratched his chin. “Anything else?”
“The fog rolled in so fast, and then… ponies started disappearing,” Rarity reached out and hugged her sibling, comforting both herself and the filly. “In the blink of an eye, but I never turned away or blinked. They were just gone. Scootaloo said she saw the dead ponies out there. Did you?”
“I saw nothing,” Discord snorted in annoyance. “But while I was getting Fluttershy, I could feel something in the hospital. It entered the room and told me to look away from Fluttershy. I knew it would take her if I did, so I got us out of there as soon as possible. It seems whatever ‘they’ are, they cannot take me nor anyone I am looking at.”
“You heard them speak?”
“Not with words.”
“Found it!”
Twilight’s cry caught everyone’s attention. The princess flew down to the table in front of the couch, spared a brief and very concerned look at Fluttershy, then flipped through the pages before slapping her hoof down on one.
WRAITH(S)
There were many illustrations among the paragraphs: ponies with rotting flesh and glowing eyes, walking skeletons with a fiery blue mane, and disembodied equine heads with trailing spinal cords.
None were pleasant to look at.
Twilight’s hooves were shaking as everypony gathered around. “I think… I think we found this book already, but we forgot.”
“You mean last night?” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “But how do we forget something if we had it right in front of us?”
Twilight ignored her and read aloud.
“‘Wraiths are incredibly rare creatures formed from the remains of a pony’s soul after they have died a violent death and their remains go without a proper burial; all the negative emotions the pony suffered split off from the soul and form a malevolent entity that are forever bound to the bones of their body. A wraith is not much threat on its own, but when grouped together, they can combine their power and create widespread panic and chaos. Battlefields are perfect places for wraiths to form, but any place that has seen violent and numerous deaths will suffice’.”
“Yeah, yeah, just tell us how to get rid of them!” Rainbow Dash cried.
“I’m getting to that. ‘Groups of wraiths can lay dormant for centuries before being awoken…’ Okay, okay, uh… ‘Wraiths are adept at manipulating weather (in large groups) and the minds of their victims: inflicting paranoia, hysteria, and even memory loss. The memory loss can be deadly as it is potent that victims can potentially forget information they learnt mere seconds ago as well as basic locomotive skills. Wraiths can effectively be invisible as they force their victim to forget seeing them entirely…’”
“They were right there…” Scootaloo sniffed, holding her head.
“‘Wraiths display sadistic behaviour and will play with their victims, straining their mental fortitude and feeding off the anguish they inflict until finally, they pull their victim into a thick fog where they will wander aimlessly until… until they expire. Unless they feel threatened, they can continue this cruel teasing for weeks’. M-more trivia… Here! ‘Wraiths are immune to physical assault as well as highly resilient to all forms of magic, but they are bound to their remains: they cannot stray too far and should the remains be disposed of, the wraith will dissipate, too. Common forms of disposal are burying the remains up to ten feet within soft earth, performing a sky burial, or a burial at sea, or cremation’.”
“So, that’s it, right?” Rainbow Dash punched her hooves together. “We just gotta find these bones and burn them. Boom, everything’s back to normal, right?”
“It’s worth a shot,” Twilight closed the book and tucked it to her side with a wing. “Discord, Scootaloo said they were at a field that was near their treehouse. Can you get us there?”
“Of course,” He lifted his talons, preparing to snap. “Simple to…” He suddenly froze and stared straight ahead. “Oh, that’s not good.”
“What?” Rarity asked, holding her sister tighter. “What-”
“–‘s not good?” She blinked and looked around. “Oh.”
In her opinion, the treehouse didn’t look quite as good with such an oppressive overcast.
She turned, counted heads to make sure everypony was there, then looked at Discord, who carried Fluttershy in his arms. “What happened?”
“It seems the little devils can slip through my barriers,” Discord said with an air of begrudging respect. “Alarming.”
“Wraiths aren’t really affected by magic,” Twilight said, her eyes going wide as she looked in the direction of Ponyville. “And if they can get past your magic…”
“What?!” Rainbow Dash yelped. “Then what’s stopping them from just chasing us down?”
“Th-they can only move at certain pace,” Twilight opened her book and flipped through the pages. “We should be able to keep ahead of them if we move fast.”
“Well, get on with it,” Discord nodded to Scootaloo. “Show us the way to the bones.”
Scootaloo nodded, fearful but determined. “Th-this way.”
On normal occasions, Rarity detested working up a sweat. Today, she was only too happy to be sweaty and smelly if that meant they’d get their loved ones back. Taking Discord’s advice, Rarity pushed their fates and wellbeing aside and concentrated on the thump-thump of her hooves on grass as she and the others crashed through the foliage and woods behind the treehouse and emerged into an open meadow.
She could see more woods on the far side, far enough that they appeared small, far enough that Rarity could see just how much of the sky the dark clouds had taken over; it was miles across.
Did the wraiths cause this? What a terrifying thought.
Of their group, Scootaloo was in front, leading the way, and Rainbow Dash was just behind her, flying of course. Apple Bloom was behind her, and Discord behind her, easily keeping pace by slithering through the air like a snake as he clutched Fluttershy’s shivering form to his chest.
Rarity could hear her muttering ‘got the music in me’ over her own strained breathing.
Sweetie Belle had started to slow, so Rarity picked her up with magic and placed her on her back. It was an extra load to bear, but she did it without slowing down or a complaint.
“We just need to burn the bones,” Twilight repeated, opening the book and scanning through again as she flew beside Discord. “That’s the simplest solution. I know a fire spell.”
“Just to be safe, we should burn that part of the forest down,” Discord added. “That’s the step they miss in the movies.”
“… I… We’ll have to see about that.”
Rarity, personally, agreed with Discord.
Suddenly, Sweetie Belle shrieked.
“Look out!”
Rarity looked over her shoulder and felt her bladder quiver warningly as an immense wall of fog billowed over the trees behind them – how large was that thing?! – and gave chase. It was hundreds of yards behind them, but the sheer size made it appear closer, threatening to rise and swallow them entirely.
The clouds seemed to soak up more sunlight, turning the meadow even darker.
“They’re coming after us!” Rarity cried. “Oh dear, they are not happy!”
“Keep running!” Twilight yelled back. “We’ve covered more ground – they can’t catch up!”
And that’s when a smaller fog emerged from the woods in front of them.
Rarity screamed in terror and came to a stop, along with everyone else. She could feel Sweetie Belle’s forelegs clinging to her tightly, feel her little body shivering. She looked back and forth between the fogs, their steady and relentless approach like two prowling chimeras.
“Oh, screw that!” Rainbow Dash zipped back and forth in the air, scowling and shaking with adrenaline.
Discord cackled wildly. “I can’t believe they’re were smart enough to keep a few of their own at the graves. Oh, you… damn devils!” He splayed one hand out and the meadow seemed to grow wider behind them. The fog staggered back several yards before suddenly speeding back up again. He clucked his tongue. "That's not working."
Apple Bloom whimpered and backed up into Twilight as she floated down and lit up her horn, preparing to erect a barrier.
Scootaloo shook her head. “W-wait, there aren’t as many on this side! M-maybe we can slip past them?”
“We can’t teleport past,” Twilight shook her head. “We don’t know this area; we could end up in a tree.”
“Can’t fly over,” Rainbow Dash added. “It’s fog; it goes everywhere!”
“I can see where they are. Just follow what I say,” Scootaloo had tears going down her cheeks, but her eyes were hard as steel. “It’s f-fine so long as Rarity, Twilight, or Discord make it, right?”
It was a dark thing to say… but it was right.
“I’ll run behind all of you,” Discord said, shifting his grip on Fluttershy. “So long as I keep you all in my sight, they can’t take you. Probably best to avoid if you can, though.”
“You’re a cool filly, Scoots,” Rainbow Dash smiled proudly. “Let’s do this, then!”
Apple Bloom swallowed and nodded firmly.
Twilight tucked the book at her side and took a deep breath.
Rarity looked back at her sister, received a nod. “You are so brave, darling.”
She turned back and on Scootaloo’s command, she ran.
Heading face-first into a malevolent fog, the damn thing seemed to reel back, as if shocked by what it was seeing. However, whether she imagined that or not, the anomaly didn’t stop; it billowed forward at the speed of a galloping pony, twisting and swerving in a way that fog should be incapable of by itself.
They were ten yards from it when Scootaloo screamed, “Right!”
Rarity jumped to the right and was enveloped in the fog, but her left side was chilled as if something had narrowly missed her.
“Right!”
She dodged to the right again. Again, her side was chilled.
“Left! I-I mean, no, keep going straight!”
Rarity did so and heard a cry behind her.
“Discord!”
She turned in place, gasping as she saw the draconequus on his knees, glaring down at Fluttershy fiercely. He was trembling as if cold and-
Wait, he wasn’t looking at them!
“Apple Bloom!”
Rarity turned again, saw Twilight staring in horror at an empty spot.
Scootaloo didn’t stop. “Keep running! J-just keep running!”
"Come on, guys!" Rainbow Dash swooped low, just for an instant. "We can't stop now, or-"
Rarity thought she saw Rainbow Dash's face turn to surprise for a brief instant before she, too, disappeared.
“Go…” Discord growled out. “They're trying to make me look away, close my eyes!” He roared and sprouted an extra limb from his torso and slapped it against the ground, letting loose a blast of purple energy. It didn’t seem to help much. “Filthy creatures – I’ve endured far worse than whatever you can throw! You won’t have her!”
Sweetie Belle tugged on her mane and it was only then did Rarity wrench herself away from the sight and run after Scootaloo. Twilight ran alongside her, letting loose random Kinetic Impact spells that blew holes in the grass around them. Rarity didn’t know if it helped, but she hoped it did.
By some miracle, they managed to catch up with Scootaloo without being taken, but their stamina was fading and their limbs were aching. But the woods were so close now and the fog had centred around Discord, meaning they were almost out of its range.
“It’s in here!” Scootaloo cried. “By two big trees with some marks on the trunks! They look like-”
And then she was gone.
Rarity gasped, and Sweetie Belle screamed her friend’s name, but they couldn’t stop.
Rarity barrelled through some foliage, stumbled over a root, caught herself, and darted in and out between trees and bushes, expecting the fog to suddenly catch up and steal her away to a dark and cold world.
Something did catch her, but it was warmer than she expected.
Rarity’s world spun as she was yanked down into a hole just beneath the roots of a large tree; some leaves cushioned her fall, and a hoof over her mouth prevented her from crying out.
“Shhh…” Twilight hissed, sweaty and haggard and just plain terrified. She took her hoof from Rarity’s mouth and pointed out of the hole. “Look.”
Rarity did.
Two hundred yards away, fog – more like a puff of a cloud that never made it off the ground – crept across the forest ground in a manner eerily similar to that of a predator. As Rarity watched, it thinned before disappearing entirely.
“It must have broken off from the main group,” Twilight whispered. “I’m sure it’s just lying in wait for us.”
Rarity swallowed hard, her heart hammering from fear and exhaustion. Sweetie slid off her back, careful not to make a sound. “What do we do?”
Twilight looked to her side and picked up a rock with magic. She tested its weight, stared off at a distant spot, and tossed it. Rarity watched it bounce off the side of a tree in the far distance with a solid thunk.
Immediately, the fog reappeared.
It moved a bit closer to the noise, but it didn’t fully go to investigate; it just stayed there, swirling and slinking around the trunks of trees, utterly silent.
“It didn’t work.” Sweetie Belle whimpered.
Twilight went for another rock, but Rarity looked to the side and quickly reached out to stop her.
“Look.”
More fog was rolling in down an incline. The smaller piece floated over to join the larger collection before it all began spreading across the floor, carefully searching every crevice.
Slowly creeping closer.
Rarity chewed on her lip. ‘Damn it! Think! What can I do?’
She didn’t know many offensive spells: just simple levitation, a spell that used vibrations to weaken stone so she could get at the precious gems hidden beneath, the common Kinetic Impact spell, and a fire spell she learned from Twilight for convenience’s sake. She knew the fire spell would be effective in cremating those bones provided she got enough twigs and leaves, but-
“Rarity.”
“Hm?”
Twilight looked at her seriously. “Rarity, listen to me. I’m going to use the memory spell that I used on Scootaloo.”
“What, on me?”
“Yes. I’m going to use myself as bait and lead the wraiths away from here-”
“What?”
“-and you find those bones and burn them.”
Rarity shook her head. “Please, Twilight – I can’t bear to lose another friend.”
“You have to. I can’t use the spell on myself, and if it works on you, then you can see when it’s safe to run.”
“What if it doesn’t work on me? If anything, you should be the one to find the bones while I distract them.”
That sentence sent ice down her spine.
“I’m faster than you,” Twilight argued. “I can keep them busy for longer. Please, Rarity. This is our only chance right now.”
Oh Faust, what cruelty was this? Forcing her to watch as her friends threw their lives to the wind? To place the lives of so many on her shoulders?
Rarity closed her eyes and exhaled shakily. “… Okay. Do it, Twilight.”
Sweetie piled some leaves around the hole as quietly as she could, and Twilight touched her horn to a spot beneath Rarity’s. Rarity could feel Twilight’s magic and her body instinctively twitched to repel the unfamiliar energy, but Twilight focused her magic, turning it gentle and flowing in a way Rarity had never experienced before; her body didn’t know what to make of it. Using its confusion, Twilight strengthened her magic, and Rarity could feel odd little tugs – like feather flicks – on her head as well as a sense of warmth that seemed to urge her mind to open up and-
REMEMBER
Rarity remembered everything and she bit her lip not to shriek.
Scootaloo was right.
They had been there all along.
/
Later that night, Rarity emerged from her room after a long two hours of struggling to reach the apex of ‘inspiration’, and found Opalescence glaring at the dead stallion at the end of the hallway, and at her from the end of the hallway.
/
Fluttershy stretched her wings out with a sigh. The dead stallion next to her stared at nothing.
/
Rarity looked down a corridor at the dead stallion and turned to Spike. “Has Twilight had any bouts of forgetfulness?”
/
Twilight nodded and opened her mouth. The dead stallion stared at her. She suddenly closed her mouth and shook her head, eyes glazed and faraway. “I… I can’t remember.”
/
Rarity clutched her head, hyperventilating. “Th-they were right there all along, but they made us forget.”
“Rarity, I need you to focus,” Twilight hissed as she pulled the leaves away. “Which way would be best for me to run?”
Rarity looked out and almost screamed.
They were all in the fog: pale white unicorn stallions in antiquated clothing, tattered and torn and bloody, hanging in strips. They walked, they trotted, they crawled along the ground, they scurried up and down trees, always in a jerky and unnatural motion like their bones weren’t properly aligned.
But their eyes were the worst part: they were white and round as a full moon, the sockets around them crusted black with burnt skin that streamed a tar-like substance down their cheeks, pooled in their open-mouthed caricature grins with too many teeth, and dribbled down to the earth only to fade as if it was just a mirage.
They cluttered the forest, at least twenty-two of them, all silent and patrolling the woods for their prey.
Even so, Rarity swallowed her terror and pointed to the west. “Th-there… Run that way.”
Twilight gave her a warm smile. “I know you can do this. I believe in you.”
And with that, she was gone.
Rarity almost cried out, reached for her, but she kept her hoof down and forced herself to watch as Twilight rushed in, cried out for their attention, and every wraith simultaneously turned their head to face her, even if it meant completely twisting it in a full half-circle.
And as one, they gave chase with marionette-like motions that were nonetheless capable of covering a lot of ground. They moved in the fog, and Rarity watched as it gradually emptied the area until there was not one trace left.
Twilight’s cries were fading.
Rarity waited a few more seconds before silently grabbing Sweetie Belle, climbing out of the hole, and sprinting straight ahead.
She forced herself to think of what Scootaloo said: two trees with marks. Marks that looked like… like…
What?
Rarity didn’t have to wait long to find out.
Near two minutes of non-stop running led her to a large clearing where two trees on either side raised their skeletal branches to the dark sky.
And in the middle of the clearing, almost completely covered by leaves and twigs save for one patch, were colourful stones lying atop of cracked and yellowed bones.
The stones…
“Gems?” Rarity walked closer. Sweetie Belle dropped down from her back, lips set in a tight line. “These are gems. And this is…”
She looked closer, ignoring the bones she was nudging aside, and examined the craftsmanship. Some gems were set in decorative receptacles like lockets and portraits. But… not only were there gems…
All those wraiths were unicorns, but when she reached down and pulled out a banner, it was undoubtedly of pegasi craftsmanship: the symbol of Commander Hurricane.
And this sculpture was of earth pony make.
/
pale white unicorn stallions in antiquated clothing, tattered and torn and bloody, hanging in strips
/
Rarity dropped the banner and looked closer at the trees. They had marks on their trunks; marks that looked like…
Scorch marks.
/
But their eyes were the worst part: they were white and round as a full moon, the sockets around them crusted black with burnt skin
/
It dawned on her.
Rage choked her, thick like smoke, and she stomped her hooves, eyes wild as she bunched up leaves and twigs into a pile before stepping back.
“This ends now!” She cried, lighting her horn with furious magic and channelling the spell that-
Drip-drop-drip
Drip-drip-drop-drip-drop
Psssssssshhhhhhhhh
Rarity’s magic died as a torrent of water drenched the area within seconds, turning the soft dirt goopy and thick.
Slowly, she craned her head skywards, unblinkingly watching the rain fall from the dark grey clouds.
“Wh… why? Why now?”
Something in her snapped.
“WHY?!”
“Rarity!”
Rarity turned to the side, panic rising in her breast as white fog billowed over a small hill and raced towards Sweetie, who slipped and fell in the mud as she tried to flee. Rarity let out a cry of dismay and lit her horn to help her sister.
But then she was gone.
Rarity held back no longer: she screamed her heartache to the woods and slapped her hooves against the mud.
“Wasn’t it enough for you?! You stole from the other tribes to feed your own damn greed!”
She picked up a hoofful of mud, threw it somewhere, she didn’t care where. Through rain and tears, she saw the wraiths gathered around the clearing, watching her. Their clothing glittered with jewels and gems.
“And then when that wasn’t enough you killed each other for their share, didn’t you?! You started a fire with your magic that killed all of you!”
The wraiths’ eyes bulged against their burnt sockets and they grinned widely.
“And then the rain came just like it did now, didn’t it?” Rarity sobbed, wiping her face even if it smeared mud and bits of bone into her mane. “Saved your bones so you wouldn’t completely perish… so you can just keep on taking when somepony finally woke you up…”
The wraiths slowly closed in, laughing, a sound like wood cracking beneath intense heat: there was no need to remain silent, she was going nowhere.
Rarity joined them for a moment, her laugh high-strung and lilting. “It’s really a shame, you know…”
With some effort, she stood.
“That it rains so hard to make the ground this soft, but your bones are just too light to be buried.”
One of the wraiths tilted its head.
“A fire is impossible…”
Rarity smirked brokenly.
“Even so… there is something I can do… try, at the very least…”
The other wraiths stopped, something resembling curiosity on their ghoulish faces.
“I’ve never tried it in the rain with the soil this weak before… too dangerous…”
Rarity gave a huge smile and lit up her horn.
“Ah, well. I guess I’ll just have to drag you bastards to Tartarus myself.”
The wraiths suddenly weren’t smiling.
Rarity called on every bit of magic in her body, clung to her memories for strength, and cast two spells in succession.
One to weaken the ground just as she did when she hunted for gems.
The other a simple Kinetic Impact spell.
Centred on the clearing, including herself.
Rarity, along with the bones and the gems and the items stolen from other tribes, was enveloped and crushed from all sides by litres of thick mud; it clogged her ears, nostrils, and mouth, leaving her in darkness.
And she cast another Kinetic Impact spell.
She was pushed down even further, but the howling of some horrible creature still reached her.
But it didn’t bother her.
She had done what she could.
“Rarity!”
Author's Note
Note 1: How many times does 'forget' and 'forgot' pop up in this story? 
