Sorry to all my readers for the lengthy wait. I've been busy due to personal reasons and wasn't able to work on the story as often as I would have liked. I hope you like this chapter, and that you take the time to review and/or ask questions.

tl;dr Chapter late due to AIDS and Stingrays (who also have AIDS). Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Promise

"What in the name of Celestia could the mystery pony"—

"Thundervolt." Fluttershy interrupted.

"Thundervolt." I brushed strands of my purple and pink mane out of my face. "What could Thundervolt want with Rainbow Dash!"

My Rainbow Dash…

"I'm not sure. Those two seem to be familiar with each other though…" Fluttershy stared distantly at the doorway to the room they previously left.

"A little too familiar if you ask me." I muttered under my breath.

"You've no reason to be jealous Twilight. I've seen them together, and that will never happen." Fluttershy stated confidently, if not quietly.

"J-Jealous? What do you"—

"This storm is terrible." Fluttershy said softly, cutting me off. "I'm… I'm lucky to be alive."

"Fluttershy…" I couldn't hide the concern on my face.

"It's true though. Thundervolt found me and led me back here. And Rainbow Dash made sure we got back safely. I would have just stood there and watched."

"You mean like I did…" My head sank.

"Twilight, you're a hero in your own right! You saved his life tonight, just like he saved mine! You made the biggest difference here tonight by far! I could have lost him…" Fluttershy's head sank.

I felt my cheeks turn red as I looked back up towards Fluttershy. She brought her head up to meet me, and her sunny smile reassured me that what she said was true. I focused on the curtains of the library's front windows and they began to glow lavender. I opened them up and peered out into the storm through the relative safety of the glass.

"I'm just glad everypony's alright." I closed my eyes and exhaled a sigh of relief. "I don't know where we'd be without them though. Those two pegasi are something else entirely."

"I completely agree." Fluttershy said with a giggle.

Should I tell her? Fluttershy is Rainbow Dash's best friend. She of all people would know how to handle this…

"Fluttershy, can I… can I ask you something?"

"Is it about your feelings for Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy cocked her eyebrow and gave me a toothy grin.

"What! No! I mean yes! Well, no. I mean I don't…" I let out an exasperated breath. "Is it obvious?"

"Oh, not until you told me just now." Fluttershy smiled cunningly

"Perfect…" I said flatly.

"If Rarity wasn't so busy with her work, she would have probably picked up on this by now. Months ago even. I thought you two were getting closer, but I didn't want to assume anything. Now, what exactly did you want to talk about?"

"We… We kissed. Or I guess I tried to kiss her, messed up and then she kissed me…." I paused, unsure of how Fluttershy would react to this new piece of information.

"Wow!" Fluttershy said with a stunned look on her face.

Looks like it isn't nearly as obvious as I thought. Maybe I've got some dignity left.

"I told her to make her feelings known, but I didn't think things would escalate so quickly!" Fluttershy continued.

"What! You knew she was going to do this?"

"No, like I said, I just told her to talk to you. I wasn't even sure you liked her back, which is why I got that information from you." I glared at Fluttershy, who blushed guiltily before continuing. "Rainbow Dash said she's been dropping hints your way for a while. She was beginning to think that you weren't interested."

"But I am! I am very very very very interested!" I couldn't control myself as my head continued shaking up and down as if agreeing with what I just said.

"I can see that Twilight." Fluttershy smiled. "So if you two kissed… Does that mean you two are"—

"I have no idea!" I yelled before collecting myself. "We didn't get a chance to talk about it."

"Well then what stopped you?"

"Your coltfriend woke up." I said with annoyance.

"C-Coltfriend! That's a little *gulp* presumptuous, don't you think?" Fluttershy stammered.

"I don't think so. He's head over hooves for you, and you're right there with him." I said smugly.

"Oh, well I-I don't kn-know if 'head over hooves' is the right way to describe it…" Fluttershy nervously mumbled.

"Oh, so you're not in loooooooove with him?"

"Twilight! Be quiet! I mean, please.. Uh… If you wouldn't mind. S-Sorry…" Fluttershy's teal eyes clenched shut and her whole body shuddered as she took in stifled breaths.

Maybe you took it a bit far there Twilight…

"Fluttershy, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to make fun of you like that." I put my hoof over her back and stroked her soft pink mane. "Is something the matter between the two of you? Do you want to talk ab"—

"Oh Twilight, I just don't know what to do." Fluttershy sniffed and wiped her now puffy eyes. "How can I love someone I don't know so easily? He doesn't even know himself! When I'm with him I feel better than I've ever been, but I know that I shouldn't. Rarity would say to be aggressive and tell him how I feel, but that's just it! I-I don't know. It should be easy to know if you love someone, right?"

"Fluttershy, you're talking to the mare that just realized she's falling for one of her best friends AND determined that her gender preference isn't quite what she thought it was." I furrowed my brow and looked the distraught pegasus in the eyes with sincerity. "It's not always easy, or obvious for that matter."

I stood staring at Fluttershy. She looked back at me with a blank stare. I smiled at her, and she closed her eyes, dipping her head towards the ground.

"Fluttershy…" I looked up and saw the yellow pegasus breathing irregularly again.

Oh no, she's crying again. I've got to cheer her up somehow. Buck, where is Pinkie Pie when you need her!

"Twilight, you and I are bad at this." Fluttershy said suddenly with a gentle laugh.

"What?" I was caught off guard by Fluttershy's sudden and unprovoked change in demeanor.

"Well I don't know about you, but I've never been with anypony before. Now I'm involved with one that has amnesia and gets struck by lightning."

"I'm not exactly experienced, Fluttershy. I've been buried in books and scrolls all my life. I never went out and socialized, which is why you five ponies were my first real friends. Romance just… never occurred to me." I said half-heartedly.

Fluttershy giggled and looked away, beaming with a newfound cheer.

"What's got you so happy? I inquired.

"It's just… him." Fluttershy glanced towards the next room. "We're only here because he fell out of the sky. You and I would still be bumbling around without anypony special."

I looked at Fluttershy and saw the resolve in her eyes. She was convinced that Thundervolt brought about these changed, and I was starting to believe it too.

'That may be true, but what difference does that make? You and I were happy before, right?"

"I guess so, Twilight. I mean, well… It's just that your brother's wedding really got me thinking about love, and where I was going with my life."

"What are you talking about? You seemed fine without anypony before."

"Everypony seems fine on the surface. I don't like my friends to see me getting upset over something like that, so I do my best to keep my emotions inside."

"But you cry all the time!"

"Yea, but… but… *sniff*" Fluttershy's eyes welled up with tears

OH CELESTIA, NO!

"So how were you holding up before!" I asked hurriedly, trying to interrupt Fluttershy's outburst.

"O-Oh, well… *sniff* I gave all my love to my animal friends. I have plenty of love to give to them, and it's not like I don't cherish every moment with them, it's just…" Fluttershy paused.

"Just what?" I asked curiously.

"It's just that it's so one-sided." Fluttershy said with frustration.

"So you're saying they can't reciprocate."

"I know, that sounds ridiculous…"

"No, I'm saying that makes perfect sense!"

"It does?"

"Yes! I know exactly how you feel!"

"You do?" Fluttershy seemed doubtful.

"Fluttershy, replace 'Animal Friends' with 'Books' and your situation becomes mine. Things that bring us happiness can't always reciprocate those feelings. That's where those two come in." I nodded towards the two pegasi in the next room.

"I'm not sure, Twilight. What if something goes wrong, what if"—

"What if something goes right, what if you end up with a great relationship that makes you happy?"

"But what about"—

"And what if I do the same thing? What if we both get shiny new relationships? We could have double dates Fluttershy! Double dates!"

"I think I get it Twili"—

"We could rule the world!" I was being too ridiculous for my own good, and lost my composure in a sea of laughter.

"Ok, ok! Haha, I get it Twilight. This is an opportunity to pursue something good, and we both need to take it."

"Now you're getting it!" I said ecstatically

"You know what? I think we can do this. No, I know we can do this!" Fluttershy was beaming

"Good, then it's settled. We're both going for it! Now if you're hungry, maybe we could get something to"—

"Stop it! I don't want to hear any more about this!"

I was cut off mid-sentence by none other than Rainbow Dash. She had yelled at Thundervolt in the other, loud enough so that the entire population of Ponyville would have heard had it not been for the storms prevalent sound. By the tone of her voice, I could tell she was angry, and quite possibly hurt.

I took a step towards the source of the outburst, but before I got any closer to the next room a streak of blue whizzed past me and left a rainbow trail headed for the kitchen. I then heard a rushed shuffling coming from the room Rainbow Dash left.

"Wait, come back! I didn't-OOF" Thundervolt stumbled from the room, tangled in his bed sheets before collapsing in a heap of limbs and fabric.

"I've got you!" Fluttershy moved to aid the ensnared Pegasus.

I turned from the two ponies and headed towards the kitchen, after the blue streak.

Let's go get a snack, shall we Twilight?

I expected to see Rainbow Dash fuming with anger. I prepared myself to deal with her stubborn attitude and irrationality. Once I stepped into the kitchen however, I was met with a calm and quiet pegasus I rarely ever saw.

"Hey there Rainbow Dash." I said gently.

"Hey Twilight." The pegasus said with a smile. She was looking at me as though nothing happened.

"So… What are you… up too?" I asked uneasily.

"Nothing. Just chilling here."

"Chilling is good. Much better than speeding. You know, like speeding recklessly through my house." Rainbow Dash winced, indicating my probe hit its mark. "Would you like to tell me about that?"

"Twilight…" The cyan pegasus looked up at me with glistening eyes.

"Dash, are you… crying?"

"What! No!" Rainbow Dash immediately perked up. "I'm just… Ugh. I don't even know what I am."

"Judging by that face you just made, I'd say frustrated." I smiled.

"Haha, sounds about right." Rainbow Dash smiled back.

I paused for a moment and took in rainbow Dash's image. Her shining cyan coat and vibrant rainbow mane were spectacles on their own, both drawing my gaze into her deep magenta eyes. I could feel my pulse quickening and my temperature rising as I lost myself in her features. Features like her red cheeks and awkward smile.

Red cheeks and awkward smile? Oh Celestia, your just staring at her Twilight!

"Oh uh, hello!" I stammered anxiously.

"Hi there, Twilight. You ok?" Rainbow Dash said, holding back what appeared to be a laugh.

"What about you? What was that with you and Thundervolt?" I asked, diverting the conversation away from my 'appreciation' of the rainbow maned pegasus.

"*Sigh* He asked me about Cloudsdale." Rainbow Dash's demeanor turned somber quickly.

"Well, what about it? How does that call for an exit like that?" I pointed my hoof towards the other room.

"Twilight…" The rainbow-maned pegasus closed her eyes. Asecond later, she looked back up and met my stare with an unsure look. "…I can't remember anything specific from the majority of my childhood."

"What!"

Memory spell? Severe head injury? Traumatic childhood event?

"It's like I know the memories are there. I just… I just can't get to them. Every time I try, all I see is grey…"

Memory spell.

Without waiting for consent, I charged some magic into my horn. I focused the energy into my forehead, and channeled it back out through my horn into Rainbow Dash. She was enveloped in a pulsing lavender aura and closed her eyes in surprise. Her eyes stayed closed, but her scrunched features indicated that she was thinking very hard.

"Grey, grey, grey, grey… One year." Dash opened her eyes and wore a flat, disappointed look.

"One year? What do you mean?" I asked urgently.

"My memory… only goes back to one year before I enrolled in Flight School. I can't remember anything specific before that."

"You knew though, didn't you… How long?" I asked, fearing the worst.

"Since that same day. I always know that I lived in Cloudsdale, and that I belonged there. But when I think really hard, I notice that I can't recall much. Now I know that I can't recall anything."

"This isn't good…"

"No, it's not. That must be why Thundervolt would say…" Rainbow Dash trailed off.

"What did he say?" Rainbow Dash snapped out of her blank look and stared directly at me.

"Thundervolt isn't the only pony that needs the stone."

"You want me to recover your memory too!" I was anxious and very hesitant. "What if… What if it hurts you?"

"It's a risk I need to take, Twilight. Something is very wrong here. I'm going to remember what it is if it kills me."

A chill ran down my spine at Rainbow Dash's statement. I'd never thought of her mortality until this moment, always seeing the cyan pegasus as a constant. Rainbow Dash must have picked up on my discomfort, as she suddenly moved in to comfort me.

"Look, don't be afraid. It's just a little forgetfulness. I'll get that stone, get zapped, and everything will be fine!" Rainbow Dash said confidently.

"That kind of optimism from you scares me, haha."

"Well everything is going to be fine. You can hold me to that if you want. Like a promise."

"Is it like a promise, or is it an actual promise?" I inquired, hoping for something I couldn't quite think of.

"Twilight Sparkle, I'm giving you my word that no matter what happens from this point onward, that everything is going to be fine. I will go to all ends of Equestria to make sure that I keep to my word." Rainbow Dash's eyes were filled with honesty and confidence rivaling that of Applejack.

"Promise?" I asked once more to make sure.

"Promise." Rainbow Dash said resolutely.

"Good. Thank you."

"No problem." Rainbow Dash yawned. "Shall we hit the hay?"

"Are you asking me to sleep with you, Rainbow Dash?" I teased the pegasus with a sly smile.

"What! Oh, well no! Well, not no, just not"—

"I'm kidding." I said giggling.

"Thanks for the heart attack!"

"You're welcome. C'mon, let's get some rest."

As I prepared to get some sleep, I couldn't help but drift back towards my worried thoughts.

Something doesn't seem right here. Amnesic ponies followed by newly discovered memory gaps. This can't be a coincidence, can it? It just seems so…strange. The faster we can get both of their memories back, the better…

As I drifted off to sleep, something was floating on the edge of my thoughts, just barely escaping my perception. It had to be something about their memories, something I was missing. Before I could grasp it my eyelids fell shut, leaving the thought to my unconscious mind, and my worries for the morning.