Twilight's Journey: An Outside Force

-Four Months Ago-
>You are Anonymous, and everything is going wrong in your life.
>Femanon walked out while you had been at work, taking all her stuff with her and not even bothering to leave a note. You count yourself lucky that all she took were the things that actually belonged to her.
>She was never that type of person, but the two of you had been drifting apart as of late.
>It's tough to justify trying to hold a relationship together when you just stop liking each other.
>One fight after another led to this point, and you're relieved to see that she's finally out of your life. Saves you the trouble of kicking her out yourself.
>You throw your bag down by the door and let out a sigh as you close it behind you.
>Turning on the lights to your humble apartment, you walk forward and eye what's left.
>Your couch, your TV, the coffee table, the crock pot, probably most of the kitchen ware. You did a lot of the buying while she lived here. Your eyes trail towards the living room, and on the small shelf by your TV there is a small torn picture.
>Approaching it, you quickly realize that it used to be a picture the two of you took together on a date. The half remaining is her side. Her arm is reaching out, grasping something past the tear... your hand.
>You don't know why she did this. The only reason you can think of is so she would remember you. No idea why she would want to do that after the relationship went south. You snag her half of the picture and pocket it.
>Not even bothering to turn the TV on you sit on the couch, stretching out your legs and resting them on your small coffee table.
>Oh well. No use fretting about it now. She's gone and there's nothing you can do about that. Might as well just get on with your life and not worry about it. If you spend each and every day missing the good times then you'll lose the ability to build your own future.
>You'll take a break from the dating scene. It's better to focus on making friends and building real bonds. You just need to stop worrying about having a woman in your life and start worrying about yourself.
>You close your eyes, lean back on the couch, and feel a sense of relief come over you. It's strange, not having her here, but it's probably for the best.
>As you are now you don't exactly have much to your name, and your job isn't taking you anywhere. For now you'll relax, but tomorrow you're going to pick up the shattered remains of your pathetic life and find something better for yourself.
>It's been a month since you've felt this good. Even on this stiff old couch you feel comfortable.
>You think about all the things you have to do as sleep overtakes you.
>Job center, resume, apartment browsing...
>Your consciousness shifts slowly away from you, and you feel like something is pulling at you, but you're not sure what it is.
>...
>It's not long before you slowly open your eyes once more, but you're no longer on the couch. Surrounding you are stalks of wheat, blowing ever so gently in the wind. You can't hear anything, and you can't feel the wind on your face, nor the ground under your feet.
>For all intents and purposes you're not really there.
>A second is enough to realize that this is true. You fell asleep on your couch, so there's no reason for you to be in a field of wheat, especially one that seems endless.
>You are in a lucid dream.
>Aware that you are sleeping, aware that you are in a dreaming state, but able to control your actions.
>This hasn't ever happened to you before, so it's an interesting sensation.
>You start walking, hoping that you'll be able to figure out why you're dreaming of plants. As you move you start to get little sensations that weren't there before. The ones you couldn't feel. The wind, the sun on your face, the wheat trailing on your pants as it's pushed out of the way.
>You feel them, but it's as if they're in a far of place and you are the observer.
>In a dream you cannot get your bearings. In a dream you cannot name the places you are.
>In a dream you cannot hope for answers.
>These strange thoughts are getting out of hand. There's nothing special about this. People lucid dream on accident all the time. It's not like you're able to control what's around you. If you were you would conjure a beer for yourself. God knows you need a drink right now.
>Then again, there's not much to think about when you're all by yourself.
>You look up at the sky.
>There is no sun, but the sky is blue all the same. There are a few clouds, but it's not exactly overcast.
>You think about sitting down to enjoy the peaceful moment, but what's the point when you're already laying in your bed? Instead you continue looking at the sky, as if it holds the answer to some question you haven't thought to ask yet.
>"Excuse me?"
>You turn to the voice.
>It came from a girl who's about your height. She has long brown hair and a couple of books in her arm. A pair of narrow glasses accentuates her features, and she's wearing a rather good-looking black suit. "What are you doing here?" she asks.
>A strange question coming from a figment of your own dream.
"Uh... just... admiring the sky, I guess?"
>She smiles. "Do you mind if I join you? I've had quite the day and I could use a minute to relax."
"Sure, I guess."
>After you give that sub-par answer, she walks to your side, the smile never fading from her face. "I find myself coming here a lot, but I've never seen you before. Do you have a name?"
"Anonymous."
>She frowns, her brow furrowing in confusion, "Huh... I've never heard a name like that before." She slowly descends to the ground, sitting cross legged as she looks up at the sky with you. "I've been keeping a journal of these."
"Of what?"
>You look down at her. Weird that she's sitting like that; she'll ruin her suit.
>"These locations. Wheat field, clock tower, abandoned city, floating islands... a crack in the sea."
"A crack in the sea?"
>That one caught your interest.
>She laughs. It's a light sound, almost melodious. "Sit down and I'll tell you. It couldn't hurt."
>You stare at her for moment, and then she pats the spot next to her.
>She's right, it couldn't hurt. This is your dream, your reality. If your brain wants to take you to strange places, why not let it?
>"I think it started when I was little. I have these... dreams."
>Is she talking about you, or herself? She doesn't exist, right?
>Despite being fully aware, your thought process is still crippled. You're finding it difficult to keep up with the conversation, and you're not sure if you've ever met someone like this girl or not.
>You remember reading something about dreaming...
>When you dream your mind cannot create a face with features that you've never seen before. Perhaps this girl is someone you bumped into at a bus stop, or maybe she's a jumble of random features your brain has put together from the ones you know.
>"My parents always told me these were just dreams, but they're so... beautiful."
"Beautiful, huh? I guess that's one way to describe it."
>"What do you think, Anonymous? A wheat field bathed in sunlight from a non-existent sun, a soft wind blowing, just enough to keep you cool on a warm day. I think I'd like to visit a place like that. It would be interesting."
"Ha, whatever you say, lady."
>"You saw it too, didn't you? You had to."
"Saw what?"
>"Everything. The clock tower, the city. You're a part of this, aren't you?"
"Even if I knew I wouldn't remember."
>"... I see. Well, still, I'm glad this happened. It was starting to get lonely."
>You scoff, turning your gaze back towards the sky.
"Lonely, huh? Tell me about it."
>"You know what I just realized?"
"What did you realize?"
>"I know your name, but I still haven't even introduced myself. My name is..."
>Your eyes snap open, and they're greeted with the sight of a blue sky.
>Slowly, ever so slowly, you sit up, rubbing your head.
>How did you get outside?
>Hadn't you been in your apartment before? Your girlfriend left you a couple of days ago. You were going to go to the job center today, right?
>Your hand pushes against the ground, and you feel grass underneath it.
>A field?
>"What the hay are you?"
>You look up to see the strangest thing. A miniature animal looking thing with rainbow hair.
>Instead of losing your shit, as any sane person would, you respond.
"I could ask you the same thing."
>The thing grins, "Sweet, you can talk."
>You faint.
>Just before you slip away again, you hear, "And now you can't. Great."
--------
>You are Rainbow Dash.
>Ahead of you is a thief with a bag of bits dangling around his neck, flying almost as fast as you are. All you can see of him is that he has a grey coat and a black mane.
>It's really too bad for him that he has no idea who he's messing with.
>He swerves between buildings, cutting his flight to a different direction whenever you start to gain on him. He's trying to throw you off, but you've had way too much training to fall for that bullshit.
>Canterlot is a big city, so his plan had more than likely been to get lost in its large towers and streets.
>You're still a good thirty yards away from him, you're really gonna have to punch it before he tries to get all tricky on you. Your eyes narrow and you take a deep breath. Your heart is beating like crazy. It's been so long since you've done this that you're not sure if you can coax it out or not.
>You have to, though. Twilight is counting on every last one of you to bring her friend back. What kind of example of loyalty would you be if you let her down right now?
>As you concentrate you feel goosebumps trail your skin under your coat. A primal energy flows through you all the way to the tips of your wings.
>There is a pop in your ears, and everything goes completely silent.
>Your body surges forward and your wings flap hard for a final time, resting against your body to allow for better aerodynamics.
>The culprit barely even has time to turn and widen his eyes in shock before you collide into him at the speed of sound.
>He's lucky pegasi are built tough and he was already going pretty fast, else you might have shattered his spine with the impact.
>As the two of you tumble to the ground in a midair struggle, you can see that both his wings are out of commission and blood is trailing down his chin.
>He growls, trying to shove you away, "Get off me, you'll kill us both!"
"I'm not gonna let you die, idiot!"
>To your chagrin he only continues to struggle. You're sure he's full of adrenaline, and the pain in his broken wings is likely just dull as far as he can tell.
>Before you can warn him of his unwise decision, he shoves a hoof over your mouth trying to push you away.
>Dammit.
>You're surprised this dumbass grew to adulthood with how stupid he's being at the moment.
>Due to your already high velocity, the ground is approaching faster than you want it to, and you can feel the sharpness of the air as it whistles past your ears and body.
"Hold... still... you damn hoofbiter!"
>He gives one last push to try and get you off, and then he tries to flap his wings, only to scream out in pain as they twitch in a futile effort to keep him airborne and away from you.
>Finally, you've had enough.
>You rear your head back.
"Just shut up already!"
>And bring it down onto his forehead with as much strength as you can muster. The force of the impact gives you an instant headache, but it knocks the thief cold.
>You've never been one for subtlety.
>Now that he's not struggling anymore you scoop him up in your front hooves, making sure not to put any pressure on his wings.
>You flap your wings once, twice, three times.
>Eventually your tumbling descent is straightened and slows to a comfortable speed. You set him to the ground, then lean down and grab the bag of bits in your teeth, pulling it from his neck.
>You look around and quickly realize you're somewhere in the really rich side of town. Lavish houses and mansions are sprouting in every street, and the one you're standing in seems to be rather busy at the moment.
>Ponies start to slowly surround you in a group, staring at the injured pegasus and whispering amongst themselves.
>You realize too late that it probably looks like you assaulted him and stole his bits.
>Uh oh...
>"Rainbow!"
>You turn to the sound of a familiar voice. Twilight lands about twenty paces away, shoving through the crowd of ponies to get to you.
>You set the bag of bits on the ground.
"I've got our money back, but now we have a new problem."
>"What happened?"
>A sheepish grin is your immediate response.
"Er... I might have broken his wings and forcefully taken the bag. I could really use a princess' pull at the moment."
>Twilight rolls her eyes and steps forward to address the crowd gathering. "Please be calm everypony. This individual was caught stealing."
>The dissent only grows in response.
>"Man, if that happens every time someone steals a few bits I guess thieves won't exist anymore."
>"Are they gonna cut off his hoof next?"
>"Maybe he was just hungry."
>This isn't good.
>Not at all.
"Uh... you might wanna turn the charm up."
>She turns and glares at you.
"Did you HAVE to break him?"
"I was just... I was worried. I didn't wanna let you down."
>You frown and scuff the ground with a hoof. Perhaps you had gone a bit overboard, but he might have gotten away otherwise.
"Okay, I could have dialed it back a little, but this is super important. Our friend is missing and I can't even remember him. The last thing we need on this trip is to get all our money stolen."
>Instead of further addressing the crowd, Twilight wheels around and walks to the unconscious thief. Using her magic, she floats the bag of bits around her neck, then frowns in deep thought as she leans down to examine the damage. "It looks like there are only a few fractures. I would set them myself if it was an emergency, but there's a hospital nearby we can take him to. Grab on."
>You raise an eyebrow.
"Grab... on?"
>She rolls her eyes and steps towards you, setting one hoof on your neck and the other on the thief's back.
>You feel a tingling sensation run through you, and then the murmuring of the crowd is no longer present.
>Then the nausea hits you like a truck.
>You barely manage to hold back throwing up, but a hard swallow and a deep breath helps. Eventually the feeling fades and you finally start to take in your surroundings.
>You're in a back alley, and Twilight is leaning against the wall, out of breath. The thief is still out cold.
"Wh... where did you take us?"
>"Sorry. We're across the street from a nearby hospital." Twilight pushes herself away from the wall with a grunt, "It was the only thing I could think of. I didn't want things to get out of hoof."
"But... they could start to badmouth you. We didn't exactly handle that situation."
>"There are things far more important at stake than my political standing, Rainbow."
"But you're a Princess."
>She turns to you and glares, "And as a princess it is my duty to protect the citizens of Equestria. If someone spreads a false rumor it will hardly stop me from doing my duty."
"Twi, look, I know you're worried about Anon, but you need to slow down... crap, and this is coming from me of all ponies. If you burn yourself out there won't be anyone who remembers him trying to find him. We need you for this."
>She sighs and shuts her eyes, stepping back and falling onto her haunches, "You're right. Of course you're right. I just panicked. I couldn't think of anything to say, so the next best thing was to get us out of there."
"Let's just get this guy to the hospital."
>With a nod she takes position next to the thief and concentrates. Her horn glows and he starts to float up from the ground. "I can't hold his weight for long. The hospital should be across the street."
>It is indeed a short walk. The three of you must be quite the sight, because you're starting to garner even more stares.
>You make it to the hospital unscathed, and nurses immediately grab the thief, tending to him as they throw him on a stretcher and wheel him down a stark white hall.
>Twilight approaches the pony at the front desk, who is currently preoccupied with the pile of papers in front of her. "Excuse me."
>The receptionist doesn't even look up. "If you're here for visitation please fill out the forms in the waiting room. If it's not your first visit I need your name and..." Finally she looks up, and her eyes widen, "P... Princess. I didn't know you were here. I'm so sorry."
>Twilight holds up a hoof. "It's quite alright. How long should it take for me to able to talk to your new guest?"
>"Um... what was his condition?"
>You step forward.
"Both his wings are broken, he probably has bruised ribs, too."
>The receptionist's eyes widen, "Goodness how did he end up like that?"
"I uh... he stole our money and I kind of hit him at the speed of sound."
>"I see," she says, "Well, it'll be a few hours at least. They have to take X-rays and set the bones that are broken."
>"I can wait," says Twilight. She then turns back to you, "Rainbow, I need you to go to the market square and try to find Applejack. I had her looking for a friend who can get us tickets to Manehatten. They also might know something about this thief."
"Who's the old friend."
>She brings a hoof to her mouth and chuckles. "Trust me, you'll know her when you see her."
>You obviously aren't getting anything more out of her, so you decide to leave the thief to her. Hopefully he was just a random pickpocket, but what kind of pickpocket would sneak into the archives to take a bag of bits from the Elements of Harmony?
>No, you know better. He had been targeting you.
>As you head towards the markets you try to remember the past few months. You know that you've been helping Twilight out with some confusing minotaur stuff, but that's honestly all you can remember. You visited Fluttershy a few times, helped AJ on the orchard. Hell you even bit your lip to do some political paper work.
>Nothing about a human named Anon, though.
>So that's it huh? He's really gone. Wiped from existence. Anyone else would mark Twilight as crazy and move on. Hell, she had to cast a spell to verify the memory herself.
>Wait a tic...
>You stop walking when the idea hits you.
>If memories can be recalled and verified using magic, who's to say that magic can't be used to erase them and replace them with something else?
>Twilight DID say a powerful magic is behind this.
>You turn back towards the hospital, forgetting about finding Applejack. If she was sent on a mission by Twilight then she'll see it through. But this... Twilight needs to know this right away.
>With a kick you're in the air, and it only takes you a few seconds before you're landing in front of the hospital. You enter and look around for Twilight, but she's nowhere in sight.
"Twi, where are you!?"
>The receptionist jumps and looks towards you, "Please, try to keep your voice down, Miss. Your friend is on the second floor waiting for the stallion's wings to be set."
>You head towards the stairs, ignoring her as she calls after you to stop.
>When you get to the second floor you see Twilight, calmly sitting on her haunches next to a door, a magazing about literature floating in front of her.
>She turns a page just as you reach her.
"Twilight!"
>And then damn near jumps out of her skin when you shout in her face. The magazine flies up into the air, and then lands right on your head.
>"Gah! Rainbow, what the... I thought I told you to find Applejack."
>You shake the magazine off you, and then frown.
"I was gonna, but then I started thinking about Anon and how you used a memory spell to see if Anon was real!"
>"Wh... what about it?"
"That's the thing, Twi! Back at the library you said there was a powerful magic behind all of this!"
>"Right. It's not normal. Perhaps a fluctuation in the magic over Equestria, but that doesn't explain Willow Moon's wife. Still, someone disappearing and everypony forgetting them. I can't think of any spell that could do that. If we can find what caused Anon's disappearance we can narrow it down to an anomaly, and then we can work to remove that anomaly."
"What if it wasn't random? What if it was a spell?"
>"Like I said, it's not..."
"Listen to me! You don't know of any spells that make someone disappear like this, but what about memory spells that make you forget things?"
>She frowns, "Magic like that is highly forbidden. I don't know much about it, actually. Not to mention it's highly draining. You could use it on a single pony, maybe two, before becoming completely exhausted from the magic you're drawing to yourself. The body can only handle so much."
"Celestia raises the sun, doesn't she? And Luna lowers the moon."
>"Are you saying an alicorn is doing this? Even then, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are the most powerful alicorns we know of. As far as we know they're goddesses. To cast a memory spell over that wide of an area in one night would require mastery of magic the likes of which has never been seen before. Even Starswirl wouldn't be able to do that."
"Anon is gone!"
>Twilight falls silent, looking away from you.
"Twilight... we've seen enough crazy crap in the three years we've known each other. It's not that far of a stretch to assume there's a new threat. We have no leads except maybe whatever you wanna do in Manehatten and a thief who probably doesn't even have anything to do with this."
>"We need to start thinking about other possibilities," she mutters.
"Exactly! We can't just throw things out when they don't fit with what we see. Now, answer me, how powerful would you have to be to cast a spell like that?"
>Twilight looks you dead in the eyes, and without even flinching, answers, "You would have to be a God."