"She didn't use the Memory Stone on you."by LuluCalliopeChapters"She's Our Friend!""Are You Joshing Me?!""Who Could Have Done It?""Why Are You Doing This?""What Are We Doing Here?""Thank You...""We're So Sorry!""She's Our Friend!"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” It was a beautiful, sunny morning, the perfect weather for a day at the beach. And that’s exactly what Spike was doing: spending a day at the beach with his best friends. As he lay sunbathing on a blanket, he peeked at his friends. To his left, perky Pinkie Pie and honest Applejack sat discussing something that would be happening in class tomorrow. To his right, beautiful Rarity and bold Rainbow Dash compared beach blankets to use in their “Best Friends Selfie” for the yearbook. His owner, Twilight Sparkle, put the finishing touches on her “self-selfie-taking” drone while their quiet friend, Fluttershy, went for a quick scuba-diving session. Spike smiled. All they had to do was pick a blanket and wait for... “Done!” Rarity declared as she and Rainbow Dash held up the blanket they had agreed upon. “We’ll use this one in our picture! Is everyone ready?” “Ready!” The girls replied as they gathered in front of Twilight’s now active drone. Spike coughed. “Um...aren’t you guys forgetting something?” “Did I put on the right amount of makeup?” Rarity hissed to Fluttershy. “I hope I got everything calibrated with the drone…” Twilight mused. Spike cleared his throat and tried again. “Aren’t you guys forgetting someONE?” The others blinked in confusion. Spike rolled his eyes. “Guys, come on, Sunset’s going to be really upset if we start taking pictures without her.” “Sunset...Shimmer…?” Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. “That’s a good one, Spike! As if we’d let her be in our Best Friends picture!” “...that’s not funny, Rainbow Dash! You know that this means a lot to her! Why would you want to take this picture without her?” “Um...because she’s not our friend?” Applejack said matter-of-factly. Spike’s eyes widened. “Since when? We were hanging out with her yesterday! We’ve been...how could you say that, Applejack?” “Spike, are you feeling okay?” Fluttershy asked as she knelt down by the puppy. “Maybe it’s transient global amnesia...nothing that a little rest can’t fix…” Spike pulled away from the pink-haired girl, his eyes narrowed. “...you guys aren’t joking?” “Joking about what?” A familiar voice asked. “Sunset Shimmer!” Spike called out as he perked up. He ran towards his friend, his tail swishing back and forth. Twilight and her friends either flinched and moved away from Sunset, or narrowed their eyes into glares and got ready for a confrontation. “What’s she doing here?” “And we were having such a good time!” “Can’t you just leave us alone, Shimmer?” “What’s wrong?” Sunset Shimmer frowned. “What’s gotten into everyone? Did I...do something wrong?” “Sunset, there’s something wrong with them! They’re saying that you’re not our friend!” Spike barked. “Wait, what?!” “Well, it’s true, she isn’t our friend! She’s the Biggest Meanie in our school!” Pinkie exclaimed. “But…” Sunset looked hurt and confused, as well as a little scared. Spike came to her defense again. “I’m telling you guys the truth! Sunset’s our friend! She’s been our friend for as long as we’ve been at Canterlot High, Twilight! Tell me you don’t remember everything we’ve been through! We shared a tent with her at Camp Everfree!” “Spike, stop it,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. She wasn’t even at Camp Everfree!” “Wait a second…” Sunset grabbed Applejack’s arm and gasped as her geode powers activated, allowing her to read the mind of her honest friend. She pulled away after a few minutes, and her cheeks were pale and her eyes were wide and frightened. “It’s like...I’ve been erased!” Applejack yanked her arm away and scowled. “Don’t touch me! What are you up to?!” “I...I just used my magic to see your memories...but those memories aren’t what happened!” “What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked as she folded her arms. “What magic?” “The geode!” Sunset pointed to her magical necklace, one of the seven that the girls had acquired at Camp Everfree. “I got my geode necklace with you girls...that’s how I could see your memories!” “That’s obviously some cheap knockoff of ours!” Rarity scoffed. “But it worked, didn’t it? I could still see your memories!” “You’re just pretending to do that! You’re just pulling some weird, sick, twisted prank on us!” Rainbow accused. And then Fluttershy spoke. “Why are you talking to us?” There was no malice in her voice, only genuine curiosity, but there was a strange, angry glint in her eyes and a small, confused smile on her face. For some reason, this hit Sunset the hardest. She took a step backwards. “I...I gotta go!” “Sunset, wait!” Spike shouted as he chased after her. “Spike, come back here!” Twilight ordered as she prepared to chase her canine companion down. Applejack stopped her. “Let him go, sugarcube,” she said. “He’ll come back.” “He just needs to get his thoughts together,” Fluttershy agreed. “He’ll remember who his real friends are and come back soon.” “I...I hope so…” Twilight smiled, but an ugly thought planted itself in her mind: Could he be telling the truth? Sunset ran from the beach back to Canterlot High (thankfully empty for the weekend) and slumped against the portal between her home world and the world she currently lived in. Spike caught up to her, panting. “Sunset...are you okay?” “I’m fine,” the fiery-haired girl replied as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I guess...I’m scared and confused.” She hugged her knees to her chest. “This is the second time that this has happened to me. Last time it was with Anon-A-Miss...you and Twilight weren’t there...I don’t want to talk about it,” she added when Spike tilted his head to the side, curious to hear more. “And this time...it’s different. Their memories are really different, and I don’t know what to do...everybody’s forgotten that I’ve changed.” She paused, and then her eyes lit up. “Wait...everybody...but not everyone…” She looked down at Spike, a shimmer of hope in her eyes. “Your memories are still the same!” “Yeah...which means...that there must be others who still remember, too!” His tail started to wag. “I don’t know if this will really help, but I have an idea...wait here, I’ll be right back!” He ran away from her, and Sunset opened her backpack and pulled out a journal. She had an idea...and a hope...that there was still somePONY who remembered that she had changed… Fifteen minutes later... “I just checked, and there’s something REALLY weird going on,” Spike announced as he approached the front of the school, where Sunset sat on the front steps. “Because I’m not the only one who remembers that you’re a good person, Sunset.” The former pony looked up from the pages of her magical journal and saw that the purple dog was accompanied by a white rabbit and a brunette dog. “Angel and Winona have spent so much time with you...they HAD to have remembered all the times we spent together!” He explained. “And they have!” As if to confirm Spike’s statements, Winona ran over and licked Sunset’s cheek, and Angel hopped into her lap and made himself comfortable. “That’s a relief,” Sunset said with a smile as she scratched Angel’s ears. “Thanks, Spike! And, as it turns out...there’s one other friend who hasn’t forgotten about the good times with me.” She held up her journal. “You remember Princess Twilight, right?” “How could I forget?” “She remembers me, too! I think we can get to the bottom of this, but I’m gonna need to go back to Equestria.” “WOO HOO!” Spike cheered. “I can’t wait to go!” He charged at the portal, drooling with anticipation...but after a few seconds, he realized that he wasn’t moving towards the portal at all. Sunset was holding him in place by his collar. “Sorry, Spike, but I don’t think you and the others can come with me.” “What?! Oh, come ON!” The canine pouted. “I was told that there’s ANOTHER ME on the other side of that portal...and he’s a DRAGON! How awesome would it be if I could be a dragon?” “I...well, it’s just a theory, but...I need you to touch the portal.” “Oo-kay…” Spike walked up to the portal and pressed his paw to it. He expected it to go right through the stoney surface, like Sunset’s hand had been able to do before. But...when the surface rippled beneath his touch and prevented him from moving past the magical entrance. “What the…?” He grunted and pressed his paw against the portal’s entrance, harder this time. Nothing happened. “Why can’t I go through?” “It’s just as I thought,” Sunset mused. “The only ones who can use the portal...are the ones who originally came from the other side.” She sighed. “Princess Twilight and I are the only ones who can travel back and forth between this world and Equestria. To everyone else...there’s a barrier keeping them from going through.” “Aww…” Spike sulked. Sunset laughed in a good-natured way as she ruffled the fur on top of his head. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. Until I get back, I’m gonna need you, Angel, and Winona to look around for clues...anything that can help us get to the bottom of this. Spike, can you do this for me?” “Yes ma’am!” The dog replied with a salute. Winona barked in agreement and Angel nodded to the flame-haired girl. Sunset giggled and stepped through the portal. “Good luck!” Was the last thing she called out to them before she completely vanished into the statue. Spike turned to Angel and Winona and took charge. “Alright, team, Sunset’s counting on us! Winona, you look around the gym and courtyard. Angel, you take the science labs and library. I’ll go through the classrooms and halls. We meet back here in half an hour. Let’s go!” As they spread out, he thought back to Sunset’s parting words and sighed. We’ll need all the luck we can get... Author's Note Several things: Yes, I'm still working on "Princess Rainbow Dash", don't worry! In all seriousness, this was inspired by the episode of "Aladdin" called "Sandswitch". Without spoiling too much, I'll say this: Agrabah gets turned upside down when reality is altered and two people switch lives. Everyone's memories are affected by this...except the animals. I feel like this special could have been a perfect opportunity for Spike to have gotten some time to shine in "Equestria Girls", but...nope! Transient global amnesia is a real thing. My dad got it in November...it was interesting. (He's recovered.) The way the girls treated Sunset in the "Anon-A-Miss" comics combined with how unwilling they were to believe her in this special really disgusts me. And Fluttershy's line, "Why is she still talking to us?" really set me off, because that's the kind of thing that the bullies at my high school would say if anyone confronted them. "Why are you talking to me?" I know that the writers didn't want it to come off as mean, but...I don't know, I'm probably overreacting. Long story: it didn't sit well with me. My head canon: only Equestrians can go between worlds. Evidence? In "Friendship Games", Human Twilight places her hand on the portal and it ripples, but she doesn't move through it. Later, Sunset's magic is absorbed, which prevents her from using the portal. (I know you're going to say, "But what about in 'Rainbow Rocks' where Human Pinkie put her head through the portal?" That was just a gag. So were the "Friendship Games" bloopers.) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanywhoooooooooooooo... Yeah, this was just a weird idea I had and I decided to go with it. If it gets some support, I'll finish it (it should only be about two or three chapters), but if not, I'll just go back to work on "Princess Rainbow Dash"! Oh! Here's the link to the "Aladdin" episode. Turn on adblock; I don't know what these sites are like with ads... "Aladdin: Sandswitch" "Are You Joshing Me?!"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” It took them about an hour to cover the school, and when Spike reunited with Angel and Winona by the portal, they realized that they had reached the same conclusion: they had no idea what could have caused this predicament. “Bark,” Winona suggested as she scratched her ears. Spike shook his head. “No...I don’t think so. I mean, it’s not like we’re tigers or bears or…” He sighed. “...dragons. Why would anyone want to manipulate our memories?” He looked at Angel and Winona. “You guys weren’t there...but I’ve seen a lot of crazy things. Trust me: if it hadn’t been for Sunset, life would be totally crazy...and not a good kind of crazy. I probably wouldn’t have Twilight to talk to anymore…” He cleared his throat. “I don’t think our memories are being messed with. Someone is messing with the humans’ minds.” He began to pace. “In any case, I think we need to...I don’t know, pretend that nothing is wrong when we’re in front of our owners. Because there IS a chance that someone could change our memories. And we’re Sunset’s only hope here, and…” He stopped in the middle of his Twilight-esque vent as the portal shimmered and Sunset stepped through it. “Oh, good, you’re back!” He ran towards her, but hesitated when he saw she had a strange expression on her face. “Are you okay? Did something happen?” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “Um...sort of...I’ll tell you about it later.” She relaxed and smiled at him. “I have some good news: I know what we’re dealing with now.” She went on to tell him and Angel and Winona about an Equestrian artifact known as “the Memory Stone”. It had once belonged to an evil sorceress, but was banished to the human world. “So that’s basically what’s going on. She didn’t use the Memory Stone on you...whoever it is.” She paused. “And I guess it could be a ‘he’, right? But...probably not.” She shook her head. “It doesn't matter. What matters is: you can remember everything. I think we should go back to the beach and try talking to them again.” Meanwhile… Twilight Sparkle was trying her hardest to enjoy the beautiful weather and relax...but her mind kept wandering back to Sunset Shimmer. She only had one real interaction with the older girl: it was at the Friendship Games, when Sunset had shouted at her for...something important...but what was it? She couldn’t remember...she sighed. From what she heard from the other girls, Sunset Shimmer was just as bad as some of the girls at her old school, Crystal Prep. “YO, SPARKLE!!!” Speak of the Devil… Twilight forced a grin on her face as she sat up. A blue-haired girl ran towards her and the rest of the Canterlot High crew. “He-ey, Indigo Zap.” “Long time, no see!” The Crystal Prep athlete replied. She looked at the other girls and smiled. “I haven’t seen any of you since the Friendship Games! But I heard all about the music video experience, which was awesome! I...hey, where’s that other girl from the video?” She cocked her head to the side in confusion. Pinkie Pie did the same. “What other girl? We’re all here!” “Noooo...there was another girl from Canterlot High in the video, too...what’s her face…” Indigo closed her eyes, trying to remember. “It was...Starbeam Twinkle? Moonlight Luster? Eventide Sheen?” “...Sunset Shimmer?” “Yeah, that’s it!” Indigo Zap snapped her fingers. “Where’s Sunset Shimmer?” “Oh, don’t you get started on that, too!” Pinkie Pie sighed. “How long is she going to keep this act up? How many other people is she going to involve in this?” Applejack demanded. “Is she...blackmailing you to help her play a trick on us?” Fluttershy asked Indigo, concerned. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! WHOA. Hold the phone!” Indigo Zap raised her hands up, trying to prevent everyone from getting worked up. “Are you saying that...wait...I thought Sunset Shimmer was like one of your best friends?” “What in the world gave you that impression, darling?” Rarity asked, eyes narrowed. Indigo Zap snorted. “Um...you’re joking, right? Okay, first off: the Friendship Games.” She looked at Twilight. “I don’t know what’s going on with all this magic...if that’s really what it is...but I saw some FREAKY crap during that motocross race and...I know you did, too!” She pointed at Rainbow Dash. “There was this giant plant monster thing...and it knocked her and Sugarcoat off of their bikes! And it went after Sunset...and then YOU went and saved her and got her back on her bike! And that’s how she was able to beat me in the end!” “I remember the plant monster,” Rainbow Dash admitted. The others murmured in agreement. “But...I didn’t go back to save her. I kept on racing...and that’s how Canterlot won that event…” Indigo facepalmed. “I don’t believe this...okay, Twilight! You turned into a she-demon after our class sang that menacing song and used peer pressure so that we could cheat at a game...by the way, I’m still super sorry about that...but you remember that, right?!” “Sometimes I try not to,” Twilight said in a flat voice. “Okay...but hey, you know, why don’t you tell me about how you changed back to normal?” “Duh! The Magic of Friendship!” Rainbow smirked. “Um...yes...but HOW did the Magic of Friendship appear? How did it get harnessed?” “I...I don’t remember,” Fluttershy mumbled, and the others agreed. “But it doesn’t matter how it happened, right?” Rainbow Dash said. “All that matters is that it happened!” “And Sunset Shimmer certainly had nothing to do with it!” Rarity added. Indigo Zap stared at them, dumbfounded. “Okay...one last time, for the record...you’re not joshing me, are you? YOU ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO TELL ME IF YOU ARE JOSHING ME RIGHT NOW,” she added with extra emphasis as she got up in Twilight’s personal space. “We’re not messing with you!” Rainbow snapped as she pushed Indigo away. “You’re the one who’s messing with us!” “Oh, hold the phone!” Indigo interrupted. With that, she reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone. “Hold the phone for a few minutes,” she added as she held it out to Twilight Sparkle. “Go to my saved videos and look at the Dance Magic music video.” Twilight followed her instructions and her friends peered over her shoulders at the phone’s screen. “Wait...but that looks like…” “Is that…?” “Oh, please!” Everyone jumped and turned to see a newcomer walk past them: a silver-haired girl with blue skin. “This is the girl who managed to make fake pictures of someone trashing our school’s gym! She obviously edited that video and sent it to Indigo Zap!” Trixie smirked. The Canterlot High girls narrowed their eyes at Indigo Zap, who took a step backwards. “...this is freaky.” She turned to leave. She had only taken a few steps when she collided with a familiar face and fell to the ground with her. “Indigo Zap?” The flame-haired girl said as she got to her feet and dusted herself off. “Sunset Shimmer?” “What are you doing here?” The Canterlot High senior helped Indigo to her feet. “Enjoying my last day of vacation,” the blue-haired girl said. “But...okay, either everyone is playing a massive prank on me, or there’s WEIRD magic going on.” “You noticed, huh?” Spike commented. Indigo blinked. “Oh...I forgot about the talking dog…” She sighed. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?” She said to Sunset. Sunset also sighed. “I have so much to tell you.” Later, at Sugarcube Corner… “...so that’s everything,” Sunset Shimmer finished. She sat across from Indigo Zap in a booth. Spike was curled up in her lap. “What do you think?” “Um...I think you blew her mind a little bit when you got to the part about Equestria,” Spike said with a nervous chuckle. Indigo sat perfectly still, her pupils the size of pinpricks. “Hel-lo? Earth to Indigo Zap?” Sunset waved a hand in front of Indigo’s face. “Hold on, I’m okay,” the Crystal Prep girl said in a weak voice. “Just...gotta do something first.” She grabbed cheek and pinched it as hard as she could. “Ow. That hurt. Okay! This is really happening! This is good!” She took a sip of her coffee, then turned to Sunset with a look of determination in her eyes. “I’m going to help you,” Indigo announced. “Wait, really? But...well, I’m glad and grateful, but...why?” “Three reasons.” Indigo held up a finger. “One: classes at Crystal Prep don’t start until Wednesday...it’s part of this weird new program they’re doing, long story...and I’ve got nothing better to do until then,” she said with a smirk. Sunset rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the small smile from appearing on her face. “Fair enough.” “Two: I still don’t know what to think about all this magic stuff...and I think that this will help me reach a decision...for better or for worse.” Sunset nodded. “Three…” Indigo looked away. “...I still feel awful about what happened at the Friendship Games. And...YOU saved our butts from...well, from Sparkle. I owe you one.” She cleared her throat. “So...can I…?” “Yes, we need all the help we can get,” Sunset said. Spike nodded in agreement. “In that case, we’re gonna need some more people to back us up.” Indigo pulled out her phone and began pressing buttons. Author's Note The reason Sunset is acting weird when she leaves Equestria: she got Alicorn wings after the events of "Friendship Games", and this was the first time she and Celestia saw each other in a while, soooooo...Celestia mentioned "coronation", "princess", and other words...she's still taking it all in. And in this story, Human Twilight doesn't have wings in her transformation, because, unlike Princess Twilight, she hasn't learned enough about friendship or done anything fantastic worthy of them, unlike Sunset... ANOTHER THING: witnesses at Crystal Prep Academy! *mic drop* *stance of power* ...I need to stop pretending to be cool... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanywhooooooooooooooooooooooo... I wrote this chapter instead of writing my essay on Beowulf! You're welcome! Also, THANK YOU guys SO much for the support on this story! I've never had such a positive reaction so quickly! I love you all!!! ...okay I'm gonna go to bed now, I've got classes tomorrow. "Who Could Have Done It?"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” About an hour later, two cars pulled up to Sunset Shimmer’s apartment building. Sunset and Indigo, who had been watching from Sunset’s window, ran down to greet the visitors. The first car carried four girls. Three of them jumped out of the car and ran up to Indigo Zap: a beauty with a lavender pixie cut, a stoic student with silver pigtails, and a rocker with hair that looked like it had been dyed with lemon and lime juice. The driver followed her friends, her pink ponytail dancing behind her as she ran up. “We came because we were promised snacks!” Lemon Zest said as she squeezed Indigo in a hug. “Lemon Zest!” The sole occupant of the other car called out as she joined the group. She was trying to act shocked and appalled, but she couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her mouth. “Come on, be serious!” Juniper Montage continued as she gave Sunset Shimmer a small hug. “We’re not here for snacks...we’re here because of…” She lowered her voice. “The you know…” “You can say it,” Sugarcoat droned. “Magic. We’re here about magic.” “Let’s go inside,” Sunset said. “We can talk about it in there...and yes, I have some snacks,” she added with a playful punch to Lemon Zest’s shoulder. She led her guests to the side entrance of her apartment building, where they hopped in the elevator, moved four floors up, and walked to the seventh door on the right side of the hall, which they entered and were greeted by… Spike wagged his tail a little at the sight of the Shadowbolts, but the girl with glasses and blue ponytails caused him to growl. “Juniper Montage? What’s she doing here?!” Sunset held up her hands, calming him down. “Didn’t Twilight tell you? We’re friends with her now!” She snapped her fingers as she realized… “Wait...you weren’t there at the mall when it happened...well, it’s a long story. You can ask Twilight to tell you all about it later…” She glanced at the girls. “Just...make yourselves at home. I’ll get some snacks.” She headed towards her little kitchen area as the Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage sat down on the couch and chairs in front of Sunset’s TV. “So...I know that the music video money that we won was used to fund our awesome Spring Break party,” Indigo Zap called to Sunset. “But what did you guys do with your share of the money?” “They donated their portion to the staff at Camp Everfree for renovations. And they’re totally thankful for that!” Juniper added. “Have you seen them recently?” Sunset called from the kitchen, surprise evident in her voice. “Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce are my cousins,” Juniper Montage said with a small smile. “I see them a lot. Oh! They told me to say hi to you!” “Then they know what’s going on?” Sunset set a tray carrying the promised snacks on her coffee table: glasses of lemonade, a bowl of popcorn, and salsa and chips. “About as much as we know,” Juniper said as she gestured to herself and the four new Shadowbolts. “Which is pretty much nothing,” Sour Sweet grumbled. Indigo Zap and Sunset Shimmer looked at each other. “You explain!” Indigo shouted as she lunged for the bowl of popcorn. One explanation later… The Shadowbolts (sans Indigo Zap) sat as still as statues, their pupils the size of pinpricks. Juniper Montage giggled, and Indigo glanced at her wristwatch. “And their minds will no longer be blown in three...two...one...and…” “Well...alright then,” Sunny Flare said as she cleared her throat. “There’s work to be done...where do we begin?” “I mean, can you think of anyone who hates you enough to do this?” Lemon Zest asked. “If you go back far enough...everyone,” Sunset sighed. “But out everyone, who would be the most likely to have magic at their disposal?” Sunny Flare mused. “I don’t know…” “Wow, what a helpful answer!” Sour Sweet chirped. Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest had Sunset’s freshman yearbook opened. They flipped through the pages, their lips pursed in thought. Juniper Montage twisted a lock of blue hair around her finger with one hand. Her other hand held her cell phone, which she had been using to text Gloriosa. “Gloriosa Daisy said that when she discovered the magic at Camp Everfree, it appeared as a colorful wisp in the sky. She followed it to a cave...and that’s where she found the geodes." “Is that what happened to you?” Sugarcoat asked. Juniper Montage shook her head. “No...well...all I know is, I picked up the mirror...and after a few seconds, I realized that there was something strange about it…” “You two didn’t go looking for magic, like Twilight did,” Sugarcoat reasoned. “Magic found you.” “And this helps us...how?” Sour Sweet asked. “It doesn’t,” Lemon Zest scowled, and Indigo Zap slumped over. “This is hopeless! We’ll never find out who it is!” Juniper Montage was peering over Lemon Zest’s shoulder at the pages of the yearbook...and suddenly, her eyes lit up. “It’s her.” She pointed to a picture. “It’s got to be her.” Everyone crowded around the book and stared at the suspect: a green-haired girl with a face full of freckles. Her name, according to the yearbook, was Wallflower Blush. “What makes you think it’s her?” Sugarcoat asked. Juniper Montage looked down at the ground. “When I found the magic...I felt like my chance to shine had been stolen by Sunset and her friends. I felt...invisible, and I would have done anything to get noticed. When I found the magic mirror, I saw it as an opportunity for both...and Sunset Shimmer, you said that you brought magic into our world because you felt like you had been robbed of an opportunity, right?” “Well...more or less,” Sunset shrugged. Sugarcoat’s eyes lit up. “And Twilight Sparkle unleashed the magic after years of feeling like nothing…” The other Shadowbolts looked away, guilt and remorse present on their faces. “Wallflower Blush?” Sunset looked at the other girls to get a reading on what they thought. “Do you really think it could be her? I mean, I never really picked on her when I was...well, a bully...” "That's just it," Juniper continued. She gestured at the picture, titled "Gardening Club". Wallflower was the only one in the picture. And she looked so alone and sad... "She's the kind of person who I feel like would use this power to do the things I wanted to do...I see a lot of myself in her." "She kind of reminds me of Twilight from when she was in our classes," Indigo said. "She was just really, really quiet and...lonely, I guess..." She sighed. "I feel like we didn't apologize enough for how we treated her." Sugarcoat shrugged and cleared her throat, bringing the girls back to the more pressing matter. “Well, Wallflower IS a lead, and that’s better than nothing. I say we go for it.” “Agreed,” Sunny Flare nodded, and the others murmured in agreement. “Hey, random subject change, but…” Spike cleared his throat, and everyone turned their attention to the purple dog. “Can someone give me a ride back to my home? I’m sure Twilight’s going to want me home when she gets back…” “I’ll do it,” Sugarcoat said with an exasperated sigh, but her stoic expression melted a little when she took Spike into her arms. Everyone knew she had a soft spot for animals. “Hey, that book is glowing,” Sunny Flare said as she pointed at Sunset Shimmer’s magical journal. “Is that...the...Princess Twilight Sparkle…” She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, I’m still wrapping my head around this,” she said as Sunset opened her book. “It seems so weird that everyone has a pony counterpart who is identical in every physical, mental, and emotional aspect...except for Twilight Sparkle. I mean, if she’s nearsighted and wears glasses, shouldn’t her counterpart be nearsighted and wear glasses?” Sugarcoat pointed out. “It’s almost like the glasses are a tool used by some unknown force to distinguish the two because the unknown force thinks the rest of the world is too stupid to tell them apart unless they look different,” Sour Sweet muttered. Everyone (except for Sunset, who had her face buried in the book) stared at her. “I mean...I’m sure there’s a reason for why that is~” She said in a cordial tone. “Is everything okay, Sunset Sweetie~?” Sunset Shimmer shook her head. “What’s wrong?” Lemon Zest and the others moved closer, concerned. Sunset looked up. “We’ve got a problem…” Author's Note Thanks for the feedback, you guys! You all are AWESOME! I'm thinking that there'll be...I don't know, one or two more chapters left? Anyway, I'm glad that everyone seems to be liking this story! Shoutout to River Road for helping me with a plot hole in this chapter. You rock!!! And yeah, I don't like how Human Twilight wears glasses. I feel like it was done because the people behind the projects thought, "Oh, wait, the audience will be too stupid to tell that this is Human Twilight and not Princess Twilight. We should give her glasses so that they'll be able to tell them apart." But, then again, I'm probably overreacting. Here, this video basically summarizes how I feel about it: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaanywhoooooooooooooooooooo... Stay tuned for the next chapters, they're coming soon! "Why Are You Doing This?"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” Monday morning could not come soon enough. Princess Twilight Sparkle had given Sunset Shimmer some bad news. (“What is with the rule of three?!” Indigo Zap had shouted in frustration. “Three days to break a spell, three trials, three parts of the Friendship Games, everywhere I look, the number three! ...or sometimes seven.”) The bad news was that the stolen memories would cease to exist after three days passed. In other words: the memories of Sunset would be lost forever by the end of Monday. Sour Sweet, Lemon Zest, and Juniper Montage had spent Sunday texting Twilight in shifts, supposedly just to say hi, inviting her to the mall for a smoothie...and ultimately, engaging her in conversation about Sunset Shimmer, trying in vain to get her to remember SOMETHING, ANYTHING about their flame-haired girl. Nothing worked. Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, and Sunny Flare had wandered the mall on Sunday, looking for other Canterlot High students and talking to them, trying to jog their memories. Nothing worked. And Spike searched Twilight’s house for evidence of Sunset Shimmer. He remembered, at one point, that there were group photos of the girls on Twilight’s laptop...but when he asked about the laptop, she informed him that the computer was installing updates and wouldn’t be ready to be used for at least a week*. Sunset Shimmer tried to look for Wallflower at the mall, but she had no luck. By the end of Sunday, they realized that they had no choice left: they’d all have to go to Canterlot High and find the Stone themselves. Before they left for the school, they split themselves up into two groups. Group “S”, consisting of Sunset, Sugarcoat, Sunny Flare, and Spike, decided to try the direct approach and confront Wallflower. Everyone else had a more subtle and simple task: to wander the halls of Canterlot High, blending in with everyone, looking for ANYTHING that might help them. Sugarcoat asked a brilliant, possibly mind-saving question before they left Sunset’s apartment that morning: “What if Wallflower erases our memories and we forget what we’re doing at Canterlot?” Juniper had come up the solution: she had given everyone’s phone numbers to Gloriosa. Every hour, the Camp Everfree director would text the girls and deliver an important message. That message would get the girls back on track. In short, they had thought of everything. There was no way their plan could fail… ...right? Everything had seemed so easy on paper… The students at Canterlot High avoided Sunset Shimmer like the plague as she and her companions navigated through the hallways. The Shadowbolts attracted negative attention; some of the students less afraid of Sunset went up to them and demanded to know why they were there and what they were doing with the school’s Biggest Meanie. The cloud of negativity became too much for the group to handle, and eventually Sugarcoat proposed that they go wait in the yearbook club’s room. Sunset had agreed and led the rest of her group there, leaving Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, and Juniper Montage to continue wandering the halls. They had been walking in circles for about an hour, trying not appear creepy from repeatedly peeking into the classrooms, when Lemon Zest suddenly shouted, “DUH! Brain fart!” “Don’t do that!” Juniper Montage scolded. “I thought you saw something dangerous!” “Sorry,” Lemon apologized. “But...I just realized...Wallflower’s the President of the Gardening Club, right? Sooooo...why don’t we check the garden?” “That’s so smart!” Sour Sweet complimented. “And I guess that means we’re all idiots for not realizing it sooner!” “FIRST ONE TO FIND THE GARDEN WINS GO!” Indigo shouted in one breath as she made a dash for the school’s nearest entrance. “It’s not a competition…” Juniper Montage said, but even she didn’t care about Indigo’s eagerness. She and the two Shadowbolts ran after the athlete. They caught up with her outside, in a space that was clearly reserved for gardening. And sitting amongst the plants was none other than… “You’re Wallflower Blush, right?” Sour Sweet said as she strutted towards the green-haired girl. The gardener looked up, surprised that a Shadowbolt was talking to her...surprised that ANYONE was talking to her. “Yes…?” “I’m Sour Sweet,” the Crystal Prep girl introduced herself. “You are JUST the person we were looking for~” “I...am…?” “Yes!” Juniper Montage added with a wide grin. “We are...um…” “Conducting a survey…?” Lemon Zest offered. “Yes! We’re conducting a survey on…” “Rocks!” Indigo chimed in. Her three companions flinched at the athlete’s lack of subtlety, but carried on. “A survey on rocks…” “Stones…” “Gems…” “Gemstones…” “What’s the largest stone you’ve ever seen?” Indigo finally said, getting to the point. “Um...I’m not really the person to ask about this…” Wallflower shrugged. “I think you should try asking Pinkie Pie’s older sister, Maud…” “Oh, but she told us to come here!” Sour Sweet interrupted. “She...she did…?” “She said…” Juniper paused. “...that...since...minerals are abundant in soil...there should be a lot of interesting finds out here!” She and her friends cringed from how bad they all were at lying and trying to get to see the Memory Stone. But what surprised them was that...it actually worked. “I did find one thing…” Wallflower admitted as she reached into her backpack. “It’s the largest rock I’ve ever seen...I think it’s more of a stone!” She held it out for the girls to see: it was a beautiful, oval-shaped stone, larger than her hands. It was turquoise in color and had strange markings on the surface. “It’s beautiful!” Sour Sweet said, her voice earnest. “May we see it for a few minutes?” “Sure, I guess…” Wallflower stood up and approached her visitors. The Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage couldn’t believe it. Despite their terrible acting and terrible lying...Wallflower was actually handing over the thing that they were looking for...or, she would have... “Ever notice how rocks are always the magical items?” Lemon Zest blurted out. “This rock, Sunset’s magic necklace, other magic necklaces, a magic crown with a magic rock...what’s up with that?” Wallflower’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know all that? How did...how did you know that this Stone was magical?” Indigo Zap punched Lemon’s shoulder and forced a toothy grin onto her face. “W-we don’t! Magic? Who said anything about magic? What she meant to say was...um...maaaaaaaaaaaaa...maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagnetic…? No, that’s not it...oh, I’m making things worse, aren’t I…?” She added in a weak voice when it became clear that Wallflower wasn’t falling for her tricks. “Me and my big mouth,” Lemon Zest moaned. “It’s my fault...my bad…” “No kidding, you STUPID IDIOTIC MORON! But don’t worry, it’ll all be forgotten soon, thanks to you~” Sour Sweet chuckled as a bead of nervous sweat slid down her forehead. Wallflower Blush had reached for the Memory Stone and grasped it in her hands. “You’re right,” she said with a small smile. “I think it’s best if you all just forget about this and went home…” “No, wait, please!” Juniper Montage held up her hands. “Listen to me, Wallflower! I know what you’re going through! I know what it’s like to want to be popular, to be noticed...and I know that you think that taking things out on Sunset is going to make things better, but it won’t! Don’t blame her for this...she didn’t know about what you were going through!” Wallflower’s hands trembled. Her resolve seemed to be weakening. She sighed, and then she spoke. “That’s just it, though. She didn’t know about me. No one did. And after this…” Her grip tightened on the Stone as she held it in front of her. “...she’ll understand what it was like...” Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare stood by the yearbook club’s supply closet, going through large cardboard boxes for a measly shred of evidence, a tiny clue, that could direct them towards the Memory Stone. “There’s nothing in here but copies of the previous yearbooks,” Sunny Flare complained as she reached for the last box. “I don’t know what else I thought there would be,” Sugarcoat admitted with a sigh of defeat. “Don’t give up!” Sunset encouraged. She was sitting at a small desk by the room’s window, typing as she stared at the screen of the school’s computer monitor. “Maybe there’s nothing in there, but maybe...there’s something here…” “Looking for something?” A small, sweet voice asked from the room’s entrance. The Shadowbolts turned around, away from the supply closet, to face the speaker. Sunset Shimmer got to her feet and joined them, leaving her backpack slung over the back of her chair. Spike gasped and leapt from Sunset Shimmer’s backpack, but no one seemed to notice, or if they did, they didn’t care. “You can’t do this, Wallflower!” Sunny Flare called out, trying to stall for time so someone could come up with a plan or until the rest of their friends showed up. “There are others here that know about what you’re up to! And if anything happens to us, they’ll know that you were responsible!” Wallflower smirked. “I already found out what they were trying to do! I already erased their memories! Is there anything I’m forgetting?” She blinked. “Did...did I just make a bad joke...wow…” “Actually, there is just one thing left,” Sugarcoat said as she adjusted her glasses. Even in the face of an emotionally unstable student with a magical rock, she remained calm. “Why are you doing this to Sunset?” “I never did anything to you!” Sunset Shimmer added. “And if I did, I apologize! I’m different now! I’m not the person I was when I first came to this school!” Wallflower didn’t answer. “Tell me, what did I do to you?! Honestly, I didn’t even know you! I DON’T know you!” “Exactly! You may have had everyone fooled, but now they all see that you’re still the Biggest Meanie!” “I have to disagree,” Sunny Flare coughed. “She’s clearly changed...but you clearly have no idea how mean a Crystal Prep Shadowbolt can get.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way, dear?” Sugarcoat nodded in silent support of Sunny Flare. “I...I don’t like confrontation…” Wallflower looked away. “Let’s just...forget this ever happened!” “No, don’t!” Sunset pleaded as she reached out one last time... As the girls recovered from what felt like a rude awakening from a long, dreamless sleep, Wallflower slipped out of the room. When they had collected themselves, they heard the lock turn. Author's Note WOO! Over a hundred likes! Huzzah! Hurrah! *throws confetti everywhere* I love you guys!!!!!!! And I have awesome news: SPRING BREAK! WOO! SPRING BREAK! That's what I'm on right now! Time for me to stay inside and do nothing except write fanfiction because I have NO FRIENDS! :D *Also, yeah...my computer installed updates recently. I HATE waking up in the morning, thinking to myself, "I'm gonna watch YouTube while I have my breakfast," and then BAM! get greeted with "We're installing updates...this will just take FOREVER." So! The next chapter is going to be super short, but...I'm making up for it with three endings for the story! (I couldn't decide on one! I liked all three of them so much!) ...yeah! :D There's something else I wanted to say...but I'll probably remember it later, after this chapter has been up for way too long. XD Stay tuned, my friends! "What Are We Doing Here?"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” “Is it just me, or is everything from when we first entered this room coming back as a giant blank?” Sunny Flare asked as she rubbed her temples. “No, it isn’t just you.” Sugarcoat closed her eyes. “The last thing I remember is coming in here to look for evidence against Wallflower.” Sunset smiled a little. “She must have thought that by erasing our memories of being in this room, our memories of her being a suspect would go away, too.” Sunny Flare rolled her eyes. “We’re getting nowhere from just sitting around. We only have a few hours left to see if it really is Wallflower…” Her voice trailed off. She had walked to the door as she talked, but something seemed to be bothering her as she turned the doorknob. “I can’t open the door.” Sugarcoat snorted. “It’s not exactly rocket science,” she said as she joined Sunny Flare. “You just…” Her eyes widened. “We’re locked in.” Sunset Shimmer buried her face in her hands. “And everyone’s gone home for the day…” Sunny Flare’s eyes lit up. “Not everyone…” She pulled out her phone and began texting at a rapid pace. Sugarcoat’s brow furrowed as she realized something was amiss: “Hey, where did Spike go?” Meanwhile... The purple puppy charged down the halls, his eyes peeled for any sign of the other Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage. His sweep of the school’s interior took less than three minutes, and when he couldn’t find anyone, he headed outside, where he eventually stumbled upon the garden and found the girls. “Is everyone okay?! Did Wallflower get to you?” “Who’s Wallflower?” Juniper Montage asked. “No idea!” Indigo Zap shrugged. “I’m just wondering...what the heck are we doing here?” “When did we come to Canterlot High?” Lemon Zest scratched her head. “We live on the other side of the city! Why did we come here?” “Why would we ever want to come back here?” Sour Sweet scoffed. Spike’s eyes widened. “Okay, Wallflower Blush got to you...listen to me! You’re here because someone’s been stealing memories! She’s stolen memories from Sunset Shimmer’s friends, including Twilight Sparkle! You...you do remember Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle, right?” “Pffffft, yeah!” Indigo snorted. “Sunset Shimmer SAVED us all from Twilight Sparkle during the Friendship Games! I saw her the other day at the beach and she was...upset about something…” She groaned. “It was something important, too! Why am I forgetting this?!” “And Sunset Shimmer tried to stop me from going on a power-hungry rampage at the mall…” Juniper Montage flinched at the unpleasant memory. “But...I haven’t seen her in ages…” Spike sighed. “If you don’t believe me...then look at your phones! You should have dozens of texts from Gloriosa Daisy!” Right on cue, everyone’s cell phones vibrated. Sour Sweet pulled out hers and began to read her newest text out loud: “You are at Canterlot High School because someone is stealing memories. Sunset Shimmer, your friend from Canterlot High School, the person who saved the world during the Friendship Games, is in trouble because of whatever’s happening. You are at the school to try to help her and restore any stolen memories. You suspect someone named Wallflower Blush. Attached are photographs to help jog any remains of any stolen memories, if any have been taken from you...” Her voice trailed off. “I...I don’t know how...but I think this is right! I think this happened!” “I think this is what Sunset wanted to talk to me at the beach about!” Indigo added. “It makes sense now!” Spike sighed in relief. One set of memories had been (sort of) restored...everyone’s phones vibrated again, and Juniper Montage gasped after reading the text that appeared on the screen. “Spike, can you show us where the yearbook club room is?” “Just follow me!” Spike charged back inside the school, his head held high. They still had a few hours left...it wasn’t too late! Back in the yearbook room... “I just hope they haven’t left the school yet…” Sunny Flare lingered by the door, peering into the hallway. Sugarcoat had her hand placed on Sunset’s shoulder, a rare act of reassurance from her. “Don’t worry, Sunset. It’s not over yet.” Sunset offered her Crystal Prep friend a bittersweet smile. “Worst case scenario? When the sun goes down and nobody remembers that I’ve changed, I’ll have at least two good friends.” Sunny Flare abandoned her position at the door and joined Sunset, deeply touched, but trying not to show it. “You’d be welcome at Crystal Prep if you wanted to transfer,” she offered, unsure if these words were comforting or unhelpful. It was in that moment that the door rattled once, then opened to reveal three more Crystal Prep girls and a movie theater usher. “Hey, don’t tell me you’ve given up!” Indigo Zap smirked. “Because we haven’t...and we’ve had our memories erased!” "Which probably wouldn't have happened if you had tried to fight back," Sour Sweet muttered. "I mean, what kind of athlete are you? You didn't even try to wrestle the stone away from her?" But her words fell on deaf ears as everyone remained focused on Sunset. “And we’re not leaving until we get our memories back!” Lemon added. “And I’m not letting Twilight and the others forget you!” Spike joined in as he ran up to Sunset. “That’s a promise!” And as they all approached Sunset to discuss their next move, the fire-haired girl felt tears form in her eyes and a smile appear on her face. Better make that seven friends... Author's Note Sorry it took so long everyone, but here it is! And I'm also sorry that it's short, but I wasn't satisfied with cramming everything into one chapter, so I felt like I could stretch it out a little bit! Good news: the next chapter is coming (hopefully) tomorrow, and it'll be a lot longer! Also, I know I said that there would be three alternate endings, but I've been thinking about it...and I've decided that there's really only one ending that would be appropriate for this story. And you'll see what it is and why when we get there! Also, just wanted to clear something up: Wallflower erased different memories from Group S (Sunset, Sunny, and Sugarcoat) and the others (Juniper, Lemon, Sour, and Indigo). With Group S, she didn't realize that they had discovered she was the culprit before coming to Canterlot High. So, she erased their memories of them being in the yearbook club room, thinking that they'd forget about her as a suspect. With the others, they did a little too much talking...and she thought that she'd erase their memories of coming to Canterlot High AND of her being a suspect. Keep in mind: Wallflower isn't exactly the smartest villain we've had in MLP or EQG, sooooo...I don't think this reasoning is too far out of character for her. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnywwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooo... Yeah, this chapter wasn't the best, but trust me, I'm going to make up for it with the next chapter, I am SUPER pumped for it, and I hope you all are, too! Leave your thoughts/suggestions/cookie recipes/whatever if you want to, and I'll see you all tomorrow okay byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye "Thank You..."“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” “So, Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia were just as surprised as we were?” Applejack asked. Sunset nodded in response. She and her six Canterlot friends (and Spike) had gone to Sugarcube Corner to discuss what had happened after the confrontation with Wallflower...more specifically, what had happened to Sunset’s geode necklace. Nobody knew why it had gone from a pendant to a gem in a tiara...so Sunset had returned to Equestria to see what Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia thought. “They don’t know for sure, but they have a theory.” “What is it?” Twilight asked. Spike, who was in her lap, looked at Sunset, just as invested as everyone else was. “Well…” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s a bit complicated to explain...okay, you all know about the Elements of Harmony, right?” The girls and Spike nodded, remembering the Fall Formal (or, in the cases of Twilight and Spike, what they had been told about that event). “There are six Elements of Harmony in Equestria...and now, there are seven over here. One for Honesty…” She pointed to Applejack’s geode necklace. “...one for Generosity…” She pointed at Rarity’s geode. “...Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, and Magic.” She pointed at Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle. “And then...there’s me.” Sunset blushed as she remembered the conversation between herself and the Equestrian princesses. “Empathy? A seventh Element?! I can’t believe it! My mind is officially blown!” Princess Twilight was over the moon, her mind racing with possibilities and theories after hearing Princess Celestia’s thoughts. Sunset’s mouth dropped. “I’m an Element of Harmony? But...how? This doesn’t make sense!” Princess Celestia smiled. “From what I can gather, you proved yourself worthy of being an Alicorn when you redeemed a powerful opponent with the Magic of Friendship. And when you gave a reformed companion the confidence to find the magic within herself, you proved yourself worthy of bearing an Element of Harmony. The magic in your world works differently from the magic in Equestria, so even I can’t explain how or why this is how it turned out...but my theory is that your Element transformed into your crown after you sacrificed your memories to protect your friends.” Celestia looked into the amber Alicorn’s eyes. “And it is that kind of act that defines a princess.” “W...what are you saying…?” “Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…” Sunset coughed. “Long story short, but...you’re now looking at…” She bowed her head. “Sunset Shimmer, Princess of Peace, Element of Empathy, Friendship Ambassador to the Humans…” She mumbled. She peeked at her friends, who stared her with open mouths and wide eyes. “Sunset…” Rarity breathed. “You’re a princess now?!” “Please don’t hate me!” The fire-haired girl blurted out. Pinkie Pie giggled. “Hate you? Why would we hate you, silly?” “I...I don’t know!” She fidgeted with a strand of her hair. “I brought magic to this world on a power-hungry quest to become a princess...and now...I’m actually one...and I...I don’t think I deserve it!” “Now, hold on a minute, sugarcube,” Applejack interrupted as she reached for Sunset’s hand. She gave it a reassuring squeeze as she explained, “You’re a different person from the girl who first arrived in our world three years ago. You’re a princess now because you’ve proven that you’re worthy of it!” “You’re a princess because you DESERVE it!” Rainbow Dash emphasized. “And we’re so proud of you!” Fluttershy beamed. “But...where’s your crown now?” Twilight asked. Sunset reached into her backpack. “It’s right here. I told Princess Celestia that I’d look really...unusual wearing a crown in this world, and Princess Twilight helped me explain why. So, she and Princess Luna made a few minor adjustments, and…” She pulled out a gold necklace that held an orange gem shaped exactly like her cutie mark. “It’s not exactly like the geode necklaces...but it is what it is…you don’t mind? You really don’t mind?” She asked her friends. “Are you kidding? This is so exciting! This calls for a celebration!” Pinkie Pie squeed. “How about we meet at my place tomorrow evening for pizza and milkshakes?” Sunset perked up, but shook her head. “It sounds tempting, but I can’t. The yearbooks are coming tomorrow, and I have to make some special deliveries…” The next day… “No student parking in the faculty lot,” Vice Principal Luna called out as Flash Sentry drove through one of Canterlot High’s parking lots. Sunset stifled a giggle, then turned her attention to the delivery truck that was right behind Flash’s car. When it came to a stop, she hurried to help unload the contents: boxes containing the school’s yearbooks! As everyone lined up to get a copy, she grabbed a stack of the books and slipped away to find her Canterlot friends. She found them hanging out by the portal between worlds, talked with them for a few moments, then headed off to the school’s garden. “I’ve got a special delivery for ‘Best Gardener’!” She called to Wallflower Blush. She handed the green-haired girl a yearbook, which had been autographed by her seven newest friends at Canterlot High. The girl in the striped sweater hugged Sunset in thanks, and then the president of the yearbook committee excused herself. She just had to stop at her locker before heading out, and she walked with a skip in her step through the hallways, not a care in the world until... “Hey!” The silver-haired girl who everyone seemed to adore or hate pushed her way through the crowd of students until she was in front of Sunset Shimmer. “I demand to speak to the yearbook president! I demand an explanation for...this!” She opened her yearbook and shoved it in Sunset’s face...more specifically, the page labeled “Greatest and Most Powerfulest”...which boasted a picture of Trixie in the middle of a fantastic performance. “What? What’s wrong? I thought you wanted this to be in the yearbook,” Sunset folded her arms. “Of course I did! Trixie KNOWS she’s Great and Powerful, but…” She cocked her head to the side. “She’s confused. You were so reluctant to have this picture in the yearbook! You even said that there wasn’t going to be a category for ‘Greatest and Most Powerfulest’...so what changed your mind?” She narrowed her eyes at Sunset, who smiled back. “Well...I realized the other day that not being mean to everyone doesn’t equal automatically being nice to everyone. And if I want people to really see that I’ve become a nice person, I need to put in more of an effort to make them feel important.” Sunset looked Trixie straight in the eyes. “You’re an interesting and energetic person, Trixie, and I’d really like to be your friend. I was hoping that this could be the start of a friendship.” Her phone buzzed, and when she turned her attention to the screen, she gasped. “I gotta go!” She speed-walked down the hallway. Trixie watched her leave, totally stunned. She waited until no one was looking at her, then hugged her yearbook close to her chest and smiled. Later… “Hey Sunset, what’s up?” Indigo Zap greeted as she walked into the fire-haired girl’s apartment. Sunset had texted her, the other Shadowbolts, and Juniper Montage, asking them to meet her at her apartment. Spike had also been invited to come over, and he seemed quite content with having his belly rubbed by Sugarcoat. “I figured out what happened with my necklace...sort of…” Sunset said. Once her guests were all settled in, she explained everything that she could to them. They reacted more-or-less in the same way that her Canterlot friends had reacted. “Should we start calling you ‘Your Majesty’?” Sour Sweet asked, half-joking, half-serious. Sunset snorted. “Please, don’t! Over in Equestria, I may be a princess, but over here...I’m just Sunset Shimmer. And right now, that’s just how I want things to be.” She sighed. “Everything is back to normal…” “I still can’t believe how cool you’ve been about all of this,” Sunny Flare complimented. “If I were you, I’d be at least a little upset over what had happened.” Sunset smirked. “Well…” Sour Sweet’s jaw dropped before she burst out laughing. “Oh my gosh, what did you do?! You sneaky...pony...creature...you!” Meanwhile, back at Canterlot High… “Oh, come on! Seriously?!” Rainbow Dash groaned as she looked at the “Best Friends” picture in her yearbook. The picture of her, Sunset Shimmer, and the rest of their classmate friends had been placed on the page next to Bulk Biceps’ “Best Muscles” portrait. Every time she closed the book, it looked like the girls were kissing him! “I thought I asked her not to do that!” “Maybe she asked me not to do that...or maybe not. I can’t remember,” Sunset said, a coy, mischievous glint in her eyes. The other girls stared at her, surprised by her deviousness, then laughed. “Karma’s a pain, isn’t she?” Lemon Zest snorted. “Is that why you asked us to come here?” Sugarcoat asked. “Just so you could tell us about the necklace and getting even? You could have just called us, you know.” "And you already told me about this yesterday!" Spike added. “I could have,” Sunset said as she stood up and walked into the kitchen. “But then I wouldn’t have been able to give you guys these!” She returned with a stack of seven yearbooks in her arms. She placed them on her coffee table and looked at the girls. “They’re for you.” “For us? Why?” Juniper Montage raised an eyebrow. “We don’t go to your school, uh duuuuuuuuuh,” Lemon Zest said, as if Sunset had forgotten. The former pony smiled. “I’m the president and editor of the yearbook committee. I was able to fit a few small changes into this edition...see for yourselves!” The girls each reached for a yearbook. Spike, who was still curled up in Sugarcoat’s lap, looked at her book as she and the others flipped through the pages. After they turned the page from “Best Muscles”, they found what Sunset had wanted them to look for, and they all froze. Some of them got tears in their eyes, others blushed, but all of them were overwhelmed and touched by what they saw. It was a picture of the Shadowbolts, Juniper Montage, Sunset Shimmer, and Spike, taken on the evening that the stolen memories had been returned. The girls had their equine features and magical wardrobes. Sunset was in the middle of the group, and Spike was in her arms. Everyone had the biggest, happiest smiles on their faces. And above the picture, in bold text, was the label: “Honorary Canterlot Wondercolts and Best Friends”. Author's Note DONE! NAILED IT...or not...whatever! I feel proud of myself! One fanfiction down, only a million others to go, including "Princess Rainbow Dash"! And...well, I'm actually pretty proud of how this turned out, and I'm SUPER touched by the support this story has gotten from the community! You guys are amazing, I mean it! Also, yeah, Sunset was made "Friendship Ambassador to the Humans" by Princess Twilight Sparkle...because it only makes sense! Also, she's the "Princess of Peace", because that's what she's really best at: keeping peace. She always tries to reason with people. She uses her magic to see people's thoughts and help them. Also, Trixie for everyone who wanted to see her! You're welcome! I hope you guys liked this ending! I'll see you all when I update "Princess Rainbow Dash"...whenever that is, amiright? Lulz... <------I went there. But seriously though, I'll be back to "Princess Rainbow Dash" soon! I'll see you all later byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye "We're So Sorry!"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” Sunset and the others had no idea where to find Wallflower Blush, but instinct told Sunset that she’d be in the parking lot. So that’s where the group headed first. And there she was: the girl in the striped sweater was getting ready to leave school...but she froze when Sunset’s voice called out, “Wallflower, stop! Wait!” She whirled around to face seven girls and one dog. “What the...how did you get out? How do you...I erased your memories!” “You actually forgot about someone...you forgot to use the Memory Stone on him!” Sunset’s voice was triumphant as she held up Spike, who wagged his tail and smirked at Wallflower. “And you seriously didn’t think we’d confront someone with the ability to erase memories without a backup plan, did you?” Sugarcoat asked with a raised eyebrow. “We’re smarter than you think.” “We told some other friends about what was going on,” Lemon Zest explained with a wry smile. Sour Sweet smirked. “And it doesn’t matter how many times you erase our memories...because they’ll find you and stop you if we can’t.” Sunset Shimmer stepped closer to the green-haired girl. “Wallflower, listen, I’m so sorry for everything...I used to be just like you. I was popular, but I was lonely.” “I am NOTHING like you, and I am NOT lonely, because I have PLANTS!” Wallflower shouted. She blinked. “That...sounded less lonely in my head...I wanted to teach you a lesson by erasing your friends’ good memories of you! But...you still found people to help you! What if I erase THEIR memories of you, too?!” Wallflower held up the Memory Stone and pointed it at the Shadowbolts, Spike, and Juniper Montage. “What if I erase their memories of Canterlot High altogether?! They won’t remember this place! They won’t remember anything about the Friendship Games! And everyone at Canterlot High STILL won’t remember anything about you! You’ll be alone!” The Memory Stone glowed and a beam of energy shot itself from Wallflower’s hands and soared towards the targets. Everyone gasped as Sunset leapt in between her allies and the magical stream. “NO!” She shouted. “I ruined so many people’s friendships in the past...and I’d rather lose my memories than risk my friends losing the friends they have now!” She dropped to her knees after the magic made contact, and everyone stared in horror at what happened next. She cried out in pain and alarm as her forehead glowed. What looked like an old-fashioned movie reel with pictures of Applejack floated out and towards the Memory Stone. It was followed by a similar one, only with images of Pinkie Pie. Everyone watched in horror as Sunset’s memories of everyone at Canterlot High were drained away...including those of a purple equine that could only be Princess Twilight Sparkle. She turned towards the girls and dog who had helped her in her time of need and reached towards them, as if touching them would keep her memories intact. “Please, please, don’t forget about me or each other!” She cried out as the last of her memories, those of the Shadowbolts, Juniper Montage, and Spike, were stolen. The Memory Stone stopped glowing as it absorbed the last of the intended thoughts. Sunset collapsed to the ground. After a few moments, she stood on her palms and knees, her stance like that of a pony’s, and looked around, confused. “Where...where am I? This isn’t Canterlot! Princess Celestia?” She noticed her body and began to panic. “What’s happened to me? Somepony, help me, please!” There was a shocked, tense silence. Sunset’s friends were at a loss for words, and Wallflower seemed to be regretting what she had just done. Juniper Montage was the first to approach the former pony. “We’re your friends.” “You may not remember who we are…” Sugarcoat started. “But you’ve done so much for us,” Indigo Zap interrupted. “You’ve saved our lives!” Lemon Zest chimed in. “And you’ve taught us so much about magic and friendship,” Sunny Flare said. “And we’ll never forget these lessons...and we’ll never abandon you…” Sour Sweet added. “Because you’re our friend!” The girls exclaimed together. Sunset’s geode necklace started to glow with a magical energy. That energy grew brighter and larger until it surrounded her, Juniper Montage, and the Shadowbolts. Spike watched in awe as the glowing girls underwent a magical transformation that gave them new wardrobes, traded their normal ears for adorable pony ones, and grew their hair until they all had tail-like extensions. Indigo Zap and Sunny Flare even sprouted Pegasus wings, and a larger pair of majestic wings appeared on Sunset’s back. The Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage glanced at each other, then nodded in agreement. The seven girls floated up above Wallflower and joined hands...Sunset, who was in the middle of the girls, in between Indigo Zap and Juniper Montage, hesitated, still confused. But something in the eyes of these girls reassured her and gave her the confidence...so she placed her hands in theirs. Multicolored beams of light projected from the bodies of the floating girls, soared towards Sunset’s necklace, and then charged at the Memory Stone, which Wallflower struggled to hold in her hands. But the colorful beams of energy were too strong, and as the Stone cracked, she was knocked backwards, safe from the magic as it destroyed her beloved possession. And as the Memory Stone crumbled, countless stolen memories flew out. Spike watched as some of them headed to the Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage and a large number of them were returned to Sunset Shimmer. When it was all over, the girls floated to the ground and landed in not-so-graceful positions. “Sunset Shimmer! Are you okay?” Spike ran up to his friend, who had her eyes closed as she massaged her temples. The girl opened a green eye. “Spike…?” Her eyes widened and an overjoyed grin spread across her face as she looked at her six friends. “Girls!” “Sunset Shimmer!” They pulled her into a large group hug. Nothing else needed to be said; they were all just so happy to have their memories back. The moment was interrupted when a familiar truck pulled into the school’s parking lot. It came to a stop and six familiar passengers ran up to Sunset Shimmer. “We remember everything now!” Rainbow Dash said. “Sunset Shimmer...we’re so, so sorry…” Fluttershy added. “Yeah, you should be,” Sour Sweet muttered. Indigo Zap not-so-lightly punched her shoulder. “Ow! I mean...it’ll all be water under the bridge soon~” “I say we just forgive and FORGET!” Lemon Zest shouted as she raised her hand for a high five. Everyone left her hanging. “...too soon...or just not funny…?” “...both…” Juniper admitted with a smile. “Ah. Darn.” Sunset turned to her Canterlot friends. “It’s okay. I’m just glad to have everything back to normal.” She held up her arms, and the girls embraced her. “Twilight.” Sugarcoat’s voice interrupted the moment, but caught the attention of the purple girl with glasses. “We wanted to talk to you about the Friendship Games.” “Well, what happened before that, actually,” Lemon Zest corrected. Sunny Flare cleared her throat. “We never apologized for how we treated you back then, did we?” Twilight didn’t answer, and her former classmate continued with, “Well, that’s just it. We’re…” “Twilight, we’re really sorry!” Indigo blurted as she pulled Twilight out of the Canterlot embrace and pulled her into a hug. Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, and Sugarcoat also joined the hug. “Even if we weren’t exactly mean to you...we weren’t exactly nice to you, either,” Lemon said. “And...well, there’s not much else to it. We’re really, really sorry. And we hope that you can forgive us.” Twilight melted in the arms of her former classmates. “That’s all I ever wanted to hear...and I didn’t realize that until now.” She pulled away and smiled. “It’s okay.” Juniper Montage and Sunset Shimmer stood away from the two groups, somewhat awkwardly. Then the blue-haired girl nudged her companion. “Look.” She pointed a few feet away, where Wallflower sat alone, her knees hugged to her chest, and a small fragment of the destroyed Memory Stone in her hand. As Sunset and Juniper approached her, the other eleven girls stopped hugging and celebrating and walked to join them. Wallflower didn’t turn around to look at any of them, but she spoke when Sunset was right behind her. “I’m so ashamed. When I first found the Memory Stone, I only erased little things...awkward hellos, literally any public speaking…” “We’ve all had moments that we wish we could erase,” Juniper interrupted as she knelt down and placed a hand on Wallflower’s shoulder. She looked at Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle. “Believe me, you’re not the only one. I know how it feels.” Spike placed a paw on Wallflower’s leg, and when she looked at him, he added, “Sometimes we can all feel a little invisible. But the popularity of other people shouldn’t define how we feel about ourselves!” Juniper smiled. “And I know what it’s like to have resentment towards people with more popularity...it didn’t make me happy. It just made me miserable.” Wallflower wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve. “If you’re saying that how I feel about myself is the most important thing...then it’s the worst thing in the world for me.” She bowed her head to hide her teary eyes. “I feel like a monster. And...I’d rather feel invisible than be remembered as a villain.” “It doesn’t have to be like that,” Sunset said. She lifted Wallflower’s chin and looked directly into her eyes. “I’m sorry, too, Wallflower. I stopped being mean, but I realize now that I wasn’t exactly nice to you, either. Everyone matters, Wallflower, no matter how invisible they may feel.” She looked at Juniper Montage, Spike, and her Shadowbolt and Canterlot school friends. “And with friends, you don’t have to feel invisible anymore.” She stepped away from Wallflower, but kept a hand extended as an offer of friendship. Wallflower blushed, hesitated, then placed her hand in Sunset’s. The fire-haired girl pulled the green-haired gardener into a warm hug, welcoming her as her newest friend. Later, at Sunset Shimmer’s apartment… “So that’s basically what happened,” Indigo Zap finished. She looked at Sunset’s open laptop, where a video chat was in process with a young woman with hair the color of raspberries. Juniper Montage and the other Shadowbolts were also there, content smiles on their faces. “What do you think, Gloriosa?” Juniper asked. “I think that I’m glad everything’s back to normal!” The woman on the screen said with a laugh. “And I’m glad I was able to help you girls! Hopefully there won’t be any magical catastrophes soon!” “I don’t know,” Indigo said with a sheepish grin. “I kinda miss my wings!” She and the others laughed, and the call ended not too long after that. “There’s one thing I don’t understand, though,” Sugarcoat admitted. “What’s that?” Sunset asked. “That.” The Shadowbolt pointed to Sunset’s geode, which had been placed on a coffee table. Earlier today, the geode hung on a chain, like the necklaces Sunset’s Canterlot friends wore. But during the magical confrontation with Wallflower, it had transformed into a gem on a tiara. Sunset shrugged. She was just as confused as the others. “I don’t know why, but I have a feeling someone else might know…” Author's Note AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?! What happened to Sunset's necklace?! I guess you'll find out in the epilogue...coming tomorrow! *teehee* *collapses* I thought about this chapter for the longest time...and I'm really pleased with how it turned out! For those of you wondering about the two alternate endings: the first one would have been Sunset not forgiving her Canterlot friends and choosing to go back to Equestria. The second one would have been identical to the special, with the Mane Seven defeating Wallflower as the Shadowbolts, Juniper Montage, and Spike watched. I was seriously contemplating both endings...but I ultimately decided that they weren't appropriate for this story. Sunset Shimmer's biggest strength is her ability to forgive. And she's willing to forgive others because she understands how they see her. She embodies, in my opinion, three forgotten Elements of Harmony: Empathy, Understanding, and Forgiveness. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyywhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... Stay tuned for the epilogue, which should be out tomorrow! Leave your thoughts if you wanna share them! Did you like this ending? Would the alternate ones have worked? What do you think is up with Sunset's geode? Who's the person who can help her figure it out?! SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS PEOPLE, SHARE THEM!! ...I'm hyped up on sugar right now, so I need to go cool down...see you all later byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye One last thing: Sunset's crown is NOT THE ELEMENT OF MAGIC. Okay! Byyyyyyyyyyyye
"She's Our Friend!"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” It was a beautiful, sunny morning, the perfect weather for a day at the beach. And that’s exactly what Spike was doing: spending a day at the beach with his best friends. As he lay sunbathing on a blanket, he peeked at his friends. To his left, perky Pinkie Pie and honest Applejack sat discussing something that would be happening in class tomorrow. To his right, beautiful Rarity and bold Rainbow Dash compared beach blankets to use in their “Best Friends Selfie” for the yearbook. His owner, Twilight Sparkle, put the finishing touches on her “self-selfie-taking” drone while their quiet friend, Fluttershy, went for a quick scuba-diving session. Spike smiled. All they had to do was pick a blanket and wait for... “Done!” Rarity declared as she and Rainbow Dash held up the blanket they had agreed upon. “We’ll use this one in our picture! Is everyone ready?” “Ready!” The girls replied as they gathered in front of Twilight’s now active drone. Spike coughed. “Um...aren’t you guys forgetting something?” “Did I put on the right amount of makeup?” Rarity hissed to Fluttershy. “I hope I got everything calibrated with the drone…” Twilight mused. Spike cleared his throat and tried again. “Aren’t you guys forgetting someONE?” The others blinked in confusion. Spike rolled his eyes. “Guys, come on, Sunset’s going to be really upset if we start taking pictures without her.” “Sunset...Shimmer…?” Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. “That’s a good one, Spike! As if we’d let her be in our Best Friends picture!” “...that’s not funny, Rainbow Dash! You know that this means a lot to her! Why would you want to take this picture without her?” “Um...because she’s not our friend?” Applejack said matter-of-factly. Spike’s eyes widened. “Since when? We were hanging out with her yesterday! We’ve been...how could you say that, Applejack?” “Spike, are you feeling okay?” Fluttershy asked as she knelt down by the puppy. “Maybe it’s transient global amnesia...nothing that a little rest can’t fix…” Spike pulled away from the pink-haired girl, his eyes narrowed. “...you guys aren’t joking?” “Joking about what?” A familiar voice asked. “Sunset Shimmer!” Spike called out as he perked up. He ran towards his friend, his tail swishing back and forth. Twilight and her friends either flinched and moved away from Sunset, or narrowed their eyes into glares and got ready for a confrontation. “What’s she doing here?” “And we were having such a good time!” “Can’t you just leave us alone, Shimmer?” “What’s wrong?” Sunset Shimmer frowned. “What’s gotten into everyone? Did I...do something wrong?” “Sunset, there’s something wrong with them! They’re saying that you’re not our friend!” Spike barked. “Wait, what?!” “Well, it’s true, she isn’t our friend! She’s the Biggest Meanie in our school!” Pinkie exclaimed. “But…” Sunset looked hurt and confused, as well as a little scared. Spike came to her defense again. “I’m telling you guys the truth! Sunset’s our friend! She’s been our friend for as long as we’ve been at Canterlot High, Twilight! Tell me you don’t remember everything we’ve been through! We shared a tent with her at Camp Everfree!” “Spike, stop it,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. She wasn’t even at Camp Everfree!” “Wait a second…” Sunset grabbed Applejack’s arm and gasped as her geode powers activated, allowing her to read the mind of her honest friend. She pulled away after a few minutes, and her cheeks were pale and her eyes were wide and frightened. “It’s like...I’ve been erased!” Applejack yanked her arm away and scowled. “Don’t touch me! What are you up to?!” “I...I just used my magic to see your memories...but those memories aren’t what happened!” “What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked as she folded her arms. “What magic?” “The geode!” Sunset pointed to her magical necklace, one of the seven that the girls had acquired at Camp Everfree. “I got my geode necklace with you girls...that’s how I could see your memories!” “That’s obviously some cheap knockoff of ours!” Rarity scoffed. “But it worked, didn’t it? I could still see your memories!” “You’re just pretending to do that! You’re just pulling some weird, sick, twisted prank on us!” Rainbow accused. And then Fluttershy spoke. “Why are you talking to us?” There was no malice in her voice, only genuine curiosity, but there was a strange, angry glint in her eyes and a small, confused smile on her face. For some reason, this hit Sunset the hardest. She took a step backwards. “I...I gotta go!” “Sunset, wait!” Spike shouted as he chased after her. “Spike, come back here!” Twilight ordered as she prepared to chase her canine companion down. Applejack stopped her. “Let him go, sugarcube,” she said. “He’ll come back.” “He just needs to get his thoughts together,” Fluttershy agreed. “He’ll remember who his real friends are and come back soon.” “I...I hope so…” Twilight smiled, but an ugly thought planted itself in her mind: Could he be telling the truth? Sunset ran from the beach back to Canterlot High (thankfully empty for the weekend) and slumped against the portal between her home world and the world she currently lived in. Spike caught up to her, panting. “Sunset...are you okay?” “I’m fine,” the fiery-haired girl replied as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I guess...I’m scared and confused.” She hugged her knees to her chest. “This is the second time that this has happened to me. Last time it was with Anon-A-Miss...you and Twilight weren’t there...I don’t want to talk about it,” she added when Spike tilted his head to the side, curious to hear more. “And this time...it’s different. Their memories are really different, and I don’t know what to do...everybody’s forgotten that I’ve changed.” She paused, and then her eyes lit up. “Wait...everybody...but not everyone…” She looked down at Spike, a shimmer of hope in her eyes. “Your memories are still the same!” “Yeah...which means...that there must be others who still remember, too!” His tail started to wag. “I don’t know if this will really help, but I have an idea...wait here, I’ll be right back!” He ran away from her, and Sunset opened her backpack and pulled out a journal. She had an idea...and a hope...that there was still somePONY who remembered that she had changed… Fifteen minutes later... “I just checked, and there’s something REALLY weird going on,” Spike announced as he approached the front of the school, where Sunset sat on the front steps. “Because I’m not the only one who remembers that you’re a good person, Sunset.” The former pony looked up from the pages of her magical journal and saw that the purple dog was accompanied by a white rabbit and a brunette dog. “Angel and Winona have spent so much time with you...they HAD to have remembered all the times we spent together!” He explained. “And they have!” As if to confirm Spike’s statements, Winona ran over and licked Sunset’s cheek, and Angel hopped into her lap and made himself comfortable. “That’s a relief,” Sunset said with a smile as she scratched Angel’s ears. “Thanks, Spike! And, as it turns out...there’s one other friend who hasn’t forgotten about the good times with me.” She held up her journal. “You remember Princess Twilight, right?” “How could I forget?” “She remembers me, too! I think we can get to the bottom of this, but I’m gonna need to go back to Equestria.” “WOO HOO!” Spike cheered. “I can’t wait to go!” He charged at the portal, drooling with anticipation...but after a few seconds, he realized that he wasn’t moving towards the portal at all. Sunset was holding him in place by his collar. “Sorry, Spike, but I don’t think you and the others can come with me.” “What?! Oh, come ON!” The canine pouted. “I was told that there’s ANOTHER ME on the other side of that portal...and he’s a DRAGON! How awesome would it be if I could be a dragon?” “I...well, it’s just a theory, but...I need you to touch the portal.” “Oo-kay…” Spike walked up to the portal and pressed his paw to it. He expected it to go right through the stoney surface, like Sunset’s hand had been able to do before. But...when the surface rippled beneath his touch and prevented him from moving past the magical entrance. “What the…?” He grunted and pressed his paw against the portal’s entrance, harder this time. Nothing happened. “Why can’t I go through?” “It’s just as I thought,” Sunset mused. “The only ones who can use the portal...are the ones who originally came from the other side.” She sighed. “Princess Twilight and I are the only ones who can travel back and forth between this world and Equestria. To everyone else...there’s a barrier keeping them from going through.” “Aww…” Spike sulked. Sunset laughed in a good-natured way as she ruffled the fur on top of his head. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. Until I get back, I’m gonna need you, Angel, and Winona to look around for clues...anything that can help us get to the bottom of this. Spike, can you do this for me?” “Yes ma’am!” The dog replied with a salute. Winona barked in agreement and Angel nodded to the flame-haired girl. Sunset giggled and stepped through the portal. “Good luck!” Was the last thing she called out to them before she completely vanished into the statue. Spike turned to Angel and Winona and took charge. “Alright, team, Sunset’s counting on us! Winona, you look around the gym and courtyard. Angel, you take the science labs and library. I’ll go through the classrooms and halls. We meet back here in half an hour. Let’s go!” As they spread out, he thought back to Sunset’s parting words and sighed. We’ll need all the luck we can get... Author's Note Several things: Yes, I'm still working on "Princess Rainbow Dash", don't worry! In all seriousness, this was inspired by the episode of "Aladdin" called "Sandswitch". Without spoiling too much, I'll say this: Agrabah gets turned upside down when reality is altered and two people switch lives. Everyone's memories are affected by this...except the animals. I feel like this special could have been a perfect opportunity for Spike to have gotten some time to shine in "Equestria Girls", but...nope! Transient global amnesia is a real thing. My dad got it in November...it was interesting. (He's recovered.) The way the girls treated Sunset in the "Anon-A-Miss" comics combined with how unwilling they were to believe her in this special really disgusts me. And Fluttershy's line, "Why is she still talking to us?" really set me off, because that's the kind of thing that the bullies at my high school would say if anyone confronted them. "Why are you talking to me?" I know that the writers didn't want it to come off as mean, but...I don't know, I'm probably overreacting. Long story: it didn't sit well with me. My head canon: only Equestrians can go between worlds. Evidence? In "Friendship Games", Human Twilight places her hand on the portal and it ripples, but she doesn't move through it. Later, Sunset's magic is absorbed, which prevents her from using the portal. (I know you're going to say, "But what about in 'Rainbow Rocks' where Human Pinkie put her head through the portal?" That was just a gag. So were the "Friendship Games" bloopers.) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanywhoooooooooooooo... Yeah, this was just a weird idea I had and I decided to go with it. If it gets some support, I'll finish it (it should only be about two or three chapters), but if not, I'll just go back to work on "Princess Rainbow Dash"! Oh! Here's the link to the "Aladdin" episode. Turn on adblock; I don't know what these sites are like with ads... "Aladdin: Sandswitch"
"Are You Joshing Me?!"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” It took them about an hour to cover the school, and when Spike reunited with Angel and Winona by the portal, they realized that they had reached the same conclusion: they had no idea what could have caused this predicament. “Bark,” Winona suggested as she scratched her ears. Spike shook his head. “No...I don’t think so. I mean, it’s not like we’re tigers or bears or…” He sighed. “...dragons. Why would anyone want to manipulate our memories?” He looked at Angel and Winona. “You guys weren’t there...but I’ve seen a lot of crazy things. Trust me: if it hadn’t been for Sunset, life would be totally crazy...and not a good kind of crazy. I probably wouldn’t have Twilight to talk to anymore…” He cleared his throat. “I don’t think our memories are being messed with. Someone is messing with the humans’ minds.” He began to pace. “In any case, I think we need to...I don’t know, pretend that nothing is wrong when we’re in front of our owners. Because there IS a chance that someone could change our memories. And we’re Sunset’s only hope here, and…” He stopped in the middle of his Twilight-esque vent as the portal shimmered and Sunset stepped through it. “Oh, good, you’re back!” He ran towards her, but hesitated when he saw she had a strange expression on her face. “Are you okay? Did something happen?” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “Um...sort of...I’ll tell you about it later.” She relaxed and smiled at him. “I have some good news: I know what we’re dealing with now.” She went on to tell him and Angel and Winona about an Equestrian artifact known as “the Memory Stone”. It had once belonged to an evil sorceress, but was banished to the human world. “So that’s basically what’s going on. She didn’t use the Memory Stone on you...whoever it is.” She paused. “And I guess it could be a ‘he’, right? But...probably not.” She shook her head. “It doesn't matter. What matters is: you can remember everything. I think we should go back to the beach and try talking to them again.” Meanwhile… Twilight Sparkle was trying her hardest to enjoy the beautiful weather and relax...but her mind kept wandering back to Sunset Shimmer. She only had one real interaction with the older girl: it was at the Friendship Games, when Sunset had shouted at her for...something important...but what was it? She couldn’t remember...she sighed. From what she heard from the other girls, Sunset Shimmer was just as bad as some of the girls at her old school, Crystal Prep. “YO, SPARKLE!!!” Speak of the Devil… Twilight forced a grin on her face as she sat up. A blue-haired girl ran towards her and the rest of the Canterlot High crew. “He-ey, Indigo Zap.” “Long time, no see!” The Crystal Prep athlete replied. She looked at the other girls and smiled. “I haven’t seen any of you since the Friendship Games! But I heard all about the music video experience, which was awesome! I...hey, where’s that other girl from the video?” She cocked her head to the side in confusion. Pinkie Pie did the same. “What other girl? We’re all here!” “Noooo...there was another girl from Canterlot High in the video, too...what’s her face…” Indigo closed her eyes, trying to remember. “It was...Starbeam Twinkle? Moonlight Luster? Eventide Sheen?” “...Sunset Shimmer?” “Yeah, that’s it!” Indigo Zap snapped her fingers. “Where’s Sunset Shimmer?” “Oh, don’t you get started on that, too!” Pinkie Pie sighed. “How long is she going to keep this act up? How many other people is she going to involve in this?” Applejack demanded. “Is she...blackmailing you to help her play a trick on us?” Fluttershy asked Indigo, concerned. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! WHOA. Hold the phone!” Indigo Zap raised her hands up, trying to prevent everyone from getting worked up. “Are you saying that...wait...I thought Sunset Shimmer was like one of your best friends?” “What in the world gave you that impression, darling?” Rarity asked, eyes narrowed. Indigo Zap snorted. “Um...you’re joking, right? Okay, first off: the Friendship Games.” She looked at Twilight. “I don’t know what’s going on with all this magic...if that’s really what it is...but I saw some FREAKY crap during that motocross race and...I know you did, too!” She pointed at Rainbow Dash. “There was this giant plant monster thing...and it knocked her and Sugarcoat off of their bikes! And it went after Sunset...and then YOU went and saved her and got her back on her bike! And that’s how she was able to beat me in the end!” “I remember the plant monster,” Rainbow Dash admitted. The others murmured in agreement. “But...I didn’t go back to save her. I kept on racing...and that’s how Canterlot won that event…” Indigo facepalmed. “I don’t believe this...okay, Twilight! You turned into a she-demon after our class sang that menacing song and used peer pressure so that we could cheat at a game...by the way, I’m still super sorry about that...but you remember that, right?!” “Sometimes I try not to,” Twilight said in a flat voice. “Okay...but hey, you know, why don’t you tell me about how you changed back to normal?” “Duh! The Magic of Friendship!” Rainbow smirked. “Um...yes...but HOW did the Magic of Friendship appear? How did it get harnessed?” “I...I don’t remember,” Fluttershy mumbled, and the others agreed. “But it doesn’t matter how it happened, right?” Rainbow Dash said. “All that matters is that it happened!” “And Sunset Shimmer certainly had nothing to do with it!” Rarity added. Indigo Zap stared at them, dumbfounded. “Okay...one last time, for the record...you’re not joshing me, are you? YOU ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO TELL ME IF YOU ARE JOSHING ME RIGHT NOW,” she added with extra emphasis as she got up in Twilight’s personal space. “We’re not messing with you!” Rainbow snapped as she pushed Indigo away. “You’re the one who’s messing with us!” “Oh, hold the phone!” Indigo interrupted. With that, she reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone. “Hold the phone for a few minutes,” she added as she held it out to Twilight Sparkle. “Go to my saved videos and look at the Dance Magic music video.” Twilight followed her instructions and her friends peered over her shoulders at the phone’s screen. “Wait...but that looks like…” “Is that…?” “Oh, please!” Everyone jumped and turned to see a newcomer walk past them: a silver-haired girl with blue skin. “This is the girl who managed to make fake pictures of someone trashing our school’s gym! She obviously edited that video and sent it to Indigo Zap!” Trixie smirked. The Canterlot High girls narrowed their eyes at Indigo Zap, who took a step backwards. “...this is freaky.” She turned to leave. She had only taken a few steps when she collided with a familiar face and fell to the ground with her. “Indigo Zap?” The flame-haired girl said as she got to her feet and dusted herself off. “Sunset Shimmer?” “What are you doing here?” The Canterlot High senior helped Indigo to her feet. “Enjoying my last day of vacation,” the blue-haired girl said. “But...okay, either everyone is playing a massive prank on me, or there’s WEIRD magic going on.” “You noticed, huh?” Spike commented. Indigo blinked. “Oh...I forgot about the talking dog…” She sighed. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?” She said to Sunset. Sunset also sighed. “I have so much to tell you.” Later, at Sugarcube Corner… “...so that’s everything,” Sunset Shimmer finished. She sat across from Indigo Zap in a booth. Spike was curled up in her lap. “What do you think?” “Um...I think you blew her mind a little bit when you got to the part about Equestria,” Spike said with a nervous chuckle. Indigo sat perfectly still, her pupils the size of pinpricks. “Hel-lo? Earth to Indigo Zap?” Sunset waved a hand in front of Indigo’s face. “Hold on, I’m okay,” the Crystal Prep girl said in a weak voice. “Just...gotta do something first.” She grabbed cheek and pinched it as hard as she could. “Ow. That hurt. Okay! This is really happening! This is good!” She took a sip of her coffee, then turned to Sunset with a look of determination in her eyes. “I’m going to help you,” Indigo announced. “Wait, really? But...well, I’m glad and grateful, but...why?” “Three reasons.” Indigo held up a finger. “One: classes at Crystal Prep don’t start until Wednesday...it’s part of this weird new program they’re doing, long story...and I’ve got nothing better to do until then,” she said with a smirk. Sunset rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the small smile from appearing on her face. “Fair enough.” “Two: I still don’t know what to think about all this magic stuff...and I think that this will help me reach a decision...for better or for worse.” Sunset nodded. “Three…” Indigo looked away. “...I still feel awful about what happened at the Friendship Games. And...YOU saved our butts from...well, from Sparkle. I owe you one.” She cleared her throat. “So...can I…?” “Yes, we need all the help we can get,” Sunset said. Spike nodded in agreement. “In that case, we’re gonna need some more people to back us up.” Indigo pulled out her phone and began pressing buttons. Author's Note The reason Sunset is acting weird when she leaves Equestria: she got Alicorn wings after the events of "Friendship Games", and this was the first time she and Celestia saw each other in a while, soooooo...Celestia mentioned "coronation", "princess", and other words...she's still taking it all in. And in this story, Human Twilight doesn't have wings in her transformation, because, unlike Princess Twilight, she hasn't learned enough about friendship or done anything fantastic worthy of them, unlike Sunset... ANOTHER THING: witnesses at Crystal Prep Academy! *mic drop* *stance of power* ...I need to stop pretending to be cool... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanywhooooooooooooooooooooooo... I wrote this chapter instead of writing my essay on Beowulf! You're welcome! Also, THANK YOU guys SO much for the support on this story! I've never had such a positive reaction so quickly! I love you all!!! ...okay I'm gonna go to bed now, I've got classes tomorrow.
"Who Could Have Done It?"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” About an hour later, two cars pulled up to Sunset Shimmer’s apartment building. Sunset and Indigo, who had been watching from Sunset’s window, ran down to greet the visitors. The first car carried four girls. Three of them jumped out of the car and ran up to Indigo Zap: a beauty with a lavender pixie cut, a stoic student with silver pigtails, and a rocker with hair that looked like it had been dyed with lemon and lime juice. The driver followed her friends, her pink ponytail dancing behind her as she ran up. “We came because we were promised snacks!” Lemon Zest said as she squeezed Indigo in a hug. “Lemon Zest!” The sole occupant of the other car called out as she joined the group. She was trying to act shocked and appalled, but she couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her mouth. “Come on, be serious!” Juniper Montage continued as she gave Sunset Shimmer a small hug. “We’re not here for snacks...we’re here because of…” She lowered her voice. “The you know…” “You can say it,” Sugarcoat droned. “Magic. We’re here about magic.” “Let’s go inside,” Sunset said. “We can talk about it in there...and yes, I have some snacks,” she added with a playful punch to Lemon Zest’s shoulder. She led her guests to the side entrance of her apartment building, where they hopped in the elevator, moved four floors up, and walked to the seventh door on the right side of the hall, which they entered and were greeted by… Spike wagged his tail a little at the sight of the Shadowbolts, but the girl with glasses and blue ponytails caused him to growl. “Juniper Montage? What’s she doing here?!” Sunset held up her hands, calming him down. “Didn’t Twilight tell you? We’re friends with her now!” She snapped her fingers as she realized… “Wait...you weren’t there at the mall when it happened...well, it’s a long story. You can ask Twilight to tell you all about it later…” She glanced at the girls. “Just...make yourselves at home. I’ll get some snacks.” She headed towards her little kitchen area as the Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage sat down on the couch and chairs in front of Sunset’s TV. “So...I know that the music video money that we won was used to fund our awesome Spring Break party,” Indigo Zap called to Sunset. “But what did you guys do with your share of the money?” “They donated their portion to the staff at Camp Everfree for renovations. And they’re totally thankful for that!” Juniper added. “Have you seen them recently?” Sunset called from the kitchen, surprise evident in her voice. “Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce are my cousins,” Juniper Montage said with a small smile. “I see them a lot. Oh! They told me to say hi to you!” “Then they know what’s going on?” Sunset set a tray carrying the promised snacks on her coffee table: glasses of lemonade, a bowl of popcorn, and salsa and chips. “About as much as we know,” Juniper said as she gestured to herself and the four new Shadowbolts. “Which is pretty much nothing,” Sour Sweet grumbled. Indigo Zap and Sunset Shimmer looked at each other. “You explain!” Indigo shouted as she lunged for the bowl of popcorn. One explanation later… The Shadowbolts (sans Indigo Zap) sat as still as statues, their pupils the size of pinpricks. Juniper Montage giggled, and Indigo glanced at her wristwatch. “And their minds will no longer be blown in three...two...one...and…” “Well...alright then,” Sunny Flare said as she cleared her throat. “There’s work to be done...where do we begin?” “I mean, can you think of anyone who hates you enough to do this?” Lemon Zest asked. “If you go back far enough...everyone,” Sunset sighed. “But out everyone, who would be the most likely to have magic at their disposal?” Sunny Flare mused. “I don’t know…” “Wow, what a helpful answer!” Sour Sweet chirped. Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest had Sunset’s freshman yearbook opened. They flipped through the pages, their lips pursed in thought. Juniper Montage twisted a lock of blue hair around her finger with one hand. Her other hand held her cell phone, which she had been using to text Gloriosa. “Gloriosa Daisy said that when she discovered the magic at Camp Everfree, it appeared as a colorful wisp in the sky. She followed it to a cave...and that’s where she found the geodes." “Is that what happened to you?” Sugarcoat asked. Juniper Montage shook her head. “No...well...all I know is, I picked up the mirror...and after a few seconds, I realized that there was something strange about it…” “You two didn’t go looking for magic, like Twilight did,” Sugarcoat reasoned. “Magic found you.” “And this helps us...how?” Sour Sweet asked. “It doesn’t,” Lemon Zest scowled, and Indigo Zap slumped over. “This is hopeless! We’ll never find out who it is!” Juniper Montage was peering over Lemon Zest’s shoulder at the pages of the yearbook...and suddenly, her eyes lit up. “It’s her.” She pointed to a picture. “It’s got to be her.” Everyone crowded around the book and stared at the suspect: a green-haired girl with a face full of freckles. Her name, according to the yearbook, was Wallflower Blush. “What makes you think it’s her?” Sugarcoat asked. Juniper Montage looked down at the ground. “When I found the magic...I felt like my chance to shine had been stolen by Sunset and her friends. I felt...invisible, and I would have done anything to get noticed. When I found the magic mirror, I saw it as an opportunity for both...and Sunset Shimmer, you said that you brought magic into our world because you felt like you had been robbed of an opportunity, right?” “Well...more or less,” Sunset shrugged. Sugarcoat’s eyes lit up. “And Twilight Sparkle unleashed the magic after years of feeling like nothing…” The other Shadowbolts looked away, guilt and remorse present on their faces. “Wallflower Blush?” Sunset looked at the other girls to get a reading on what they thought. “Do you really think it could be her? I mean, I never really picked on her when I was...well, a bully...” "That's just it," Juniper continued. She gestured at the picture, titled "Gardening Club". Wallflower was the only one in the picture. And she looked so alone and sad... "She's the kind of person who I feel like would use this power to do the things I wanted to do...I see a lot of myself in her." "She kind of reminds me of Twilight from when she was in our classes," Indigo said. "She was just really, really quiet and...lonely, I guess..." She sighed. "I feel like we didn't apologize enough for how we treated her." Sugarcoat shrugged and cleared her throat, bringing the girls back to the more pressing matter. “Well, Wallflower IS a lead, and that’s better than nothing. I say we go for it.” “Agreed,” Sunny Flare nodded, and the others murmured in agreement. “Hey, random subject change, but…” Spike cleared his throat, and everyone turned their attention to the purple dog. “Can someone give me a ride back to my home? I’m sure Twilight’s going to want me home when she gets back…” “I’ll do it,” Sugarcoat said with an exasperated sigh, but her stoic expression melted a little when she took Spike into her arms. Everyone knew she had a soft spot for animals. “Hey, that book is glowing,” Sunny Flare said as she pointed at Sunset Shimmer’s magical journal. “Is that...the...Princess Twilight Sparkle…” She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, I’m still wrapping my head around this,” she said as Sunset opened her book. “It seems so weird that everyone has a pony counterpart who is identical in every physical, mental, and emotional aspect...except for Twilight Sparkle. I mean, if she’s nearsighted and wears glasses, shouldn’t her counterpart be nearsighted and wear glasses?” Sugarcoat pointed out. “It’s almost like the glasses are a tool used by some unknown force to distinguish the two because the unknown force thinks the rest of the world is too stupid to tell them apart unless they look different,” Sour Sweet muttered. Everyone (except for Sunset, who had her face buried in the book) stared at her. “I mean...I’m sure there’s a reason for why that is~” She said in a cordial tone. “Is everything okay, Sunset Sweetie~?” Sunset Shimmer shook her head. “What’s wrong?” Lemon Zest and the others moved closer, concerned. Sunset looked up. “We’ve got a problem…” Author's Note Thanks for the feedback, you guys! You all are AWESOME! I'm thinking that there'll be...I don't know, one or two more chapters left? Anyway, I'm glad that everyone seems to be liking this story! Shoutout to River Road for helping me with a plot hole in this chapter. You rock!!! And yeah, I don't like how Human Twilight wears glasses. I feel like it was done because the people behind the projects thought, "Oh, wait, the audience will be too stupid to tell that this is Human Twilight and not Princess Twilight. We should give her glasses so that they'll be able to tell them apart." But, then again, I'm probably overreacting. Here, this video basically summarizes how I feel about it: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaanywhoooooooooooooooooooo... Stay tuned for the next chapters, they're coming soon!
"Why Are You Doing This?"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” Monday morning could not come soon enough. Princess Twilight Sparkle had given Sunset Shimmer some bad news. (“What is with the rule of three?!” Indigo Zap had shouted in frustration. “Three days to break a spell, three trials, three parts of the Friendship Games, everywhere I look, the number three! ...or sometimes seven.”) The bad news was that the stolen memories would cease to exist after three days passed. In other words: the memories of Sunset would be lost forever by the end of Monday. Sour Sweet, Lemon Zest, and Juniper Montage had spent Sunday texting Twilight in shifts, supposedly just to say hi, inviting her to the mall for a smoothie...and ultimately, engaging her in conversation about Sunset Shimmer, trying in vain to get her to remember SOMETHING, ANYTHING about their flame-haired girl. Nothing worked. Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, and Sunny Flare had wandered the mall on Sunday, looking for other Canterlot High students and talking to them, trying to jog their memories. Nothing worked. And Spike searched Twilight’s house for evidence of Sunset Shimmer. He remembered, at one point, that there were group photos of the girls on Twilight’s laptop...but when he asked about the laptop, she informed him that the computer was installing updates and wouldn’t be ready to be used for at least a week*. Sunset Shimmer tried to look for Wallflower at the mall, but she had no luck. By the end of Sunday, they realized that they had no choice left: they’d all have to go to Canterlot High and find the Stone themselves. Before they left for the school, they split themselves up into two groups. Group “S”, consisting of Sunset, Sugarcoat, Sunny Flare, and Spike, decided to try the direct approach and confront Wallflower. Everyone else had a more subtle and simple task: to wander the halls of Canterlot High, blending in with everyone, looking for ANYTHING that might help them. Sugarcoat asked a brilliant, possibly mind-saving question before they left Sunset’s apartment that morning: “What if Wallflower erases our memories and we forget what we’re doing at Canterlot?” Juniper had come up the solution: she had given everyone’s phone numbers to Gloriosa. Every hour, the Camp Everfree director would text the girls and deliver an important message. That message would get the girls back on track. In short, they had thought of everything. There was no way their plan could fail… ...right? Everything had seemed so easy on paper… The students at Canterlot High avoided Sunset Shimmer like the plague as she and her companions navigated through the hallways. The Shadowbolts attracted negative attention; some of the students less afraid of Sunset went up to them and demanded to know why they were there and what they were doing with the school’s Biggest Meanie. The cloud of negativity became too much for the group to handle, and eventually Sugarcoat proposed that they go wait in the yearbook club’s room. Sunset had agreed and led the rest of her group there, leaving Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, and Juniper Montage to continue wandering the halls. They had been walking in circles for about an hour, trying not appear creepy from repeatedly peeking into the classrooms, when Lemon Zest suddenly shouted, “DUH! Brain fart!” “Don’t do that!” Juniper Montage scolded. “I thought you saw something dangerous!” “Sorry,” Lemon apologized. “But...I just realized...Wallflower’s the President of the Gardening Club, right? Sooooo...why don’t we check the garden?” “That’s so smart!” Sour Sweet complimented. “And I guess that means we’re all idiots for not realizing it sooner!” “FIRST ONE TO FIND THE GARDEN WINS GO!” Indigo shouted in one breath as she made a dash for the school’s nearest entrance. “It’s not a competition…” Juniper Montage said, but even she didn’t care about Indigo’s eagerness. She and the two Shadowbolts ran after the athlete. They caught up with her outside, in a space that was clearly reserved for gardening. And sitting amongst the plants was none other than… “You’re Wallflower Blush, right?” Sour Sweet said as she strutted towards the green-haired girl. The gardener looked up, surprised that a Shadowbolt was talking to her...surprised that ANYONE was talking to her. “Yes…?” “I’m Sour Sweet,” the Crystal Prep girl introduced herself. “You are JUST the person we were looking for~” “I...am…?” “Yes!” Juniper Montage added with a wide grin. “We are...um…” “Conducting a survey…?” Lemon Zest offered. “Yes! We’re conducting a survey on…” “Rocks!” Indigo chimed in. Her three companions flinched at the athlete’s lack of subtlety, but carried on. “A survey on rocks…” “Stones…” “Gems…” “Gemstones…” “What’s the largest stone you’ve ever seen?” Indigo finally said, getting to the point. “Um...I’m not really the person to ask about this…” Wallflower shrugged. “I think you should try asking Pinkie Pie’s older sister, Maud…” “Oh, but she told us to come here!” Sour Sweet interrupted. “She...she did…?” “She said…” Juniper paused. “...that...since...minerals are abundant in soil...there should be a lot of interesting finds out here!” She and her friends cringed from how bad they all were at lying and trying to get to see the Memory Stone. But what surprised them was that...it actually worked. “I did find one thing…” Wallflower admitted as she reached into her backpack. “It’s the largest rock I’ve ever seen...I think it’s more of a stone!” She held it out for the girls to see: it was a beautiful, oval-shaped stone, larger than her hands. It was turquoise in color and had strange markings on the surface. “It’s beautiful!” Sour Sweet said, her voice earnest. “May we see it for a few minutes?” “Sure, I guess…” Wallflower stood up and approached her visitors. The Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage couldn’t believe it. Despite their terrible acting and terrible lying...Wallflower was actually handing over the thing that they were looking for...or, she would have... “Ever notice how rocks are always the magical items?” Lemon Zest blurted out. “This rock, Sunset’s magic necklace, other magic necklaces, a magic crown with a magic rock...what’s up with that?” Wallflower’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know all that? How did...how did you know that this Stone was magical?” Indigo Zap punched Lemon’s shoulder and forced a toothy grin onto her face. “W-we don’t! Magic? Who said anything about magic? What she meant to say was...um...maaaaaaaaaaaaa...maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagnetic…? No, that’s not it...oh, I’m making things worse, aren’t I…?” She added in a weak voice when it became clear that Wallflower wasn’t falling for her tricks. “Me and my big mouth,” Lemon Zest moaned. “It’s my fault...my bad…” “No kidding, you STUPID IDIOTIC MORON! But don’t worry, it’ll all be forgotten soon, thanks to you~” Sour Sweet chuckled as a bead of nervous sweat slid down her forehead. Wallflower Blush had reached for the Memory Stone and grasped it in her hands. “You’re right,” she said with a small smile. “I think it’s best if you all just forget about this and went home…” “No, wait, please!” Juniper Montage held up her hands. “Listen to me, Wallflower! I know what you’re going through! I know what it’s like to want to be popular, to be noticed...and I know that you think that taking things out on Sunset is going to make things better, but it won’t! Don’t blame her for this...she didn’t know about what you were going through!” Wallflower’s hands trembled. Her resolve seemed to be weakening. She sighed, and then she spoke. “That’s just it, though. She didn’t know about me. No one did. And after this…” Her grip tightened on the Stone as she held it in front of her. “...she’ll understand what it was like...” Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare stood by the yearbook club’s supply closet, going through large cardboard boxes for a measly shred of evidence, a tiny clue, that could direct them towards the Memory Stone. “There’s nothing in here but copies of the previous yearbooks,” Sunny Flare complained as she reached for the last box. “I don’t know what else I thought there would be,” Sugarcoat admitted with a sigh of defeat. “Don’t give up!” Sunset encouraged. She was sitting at a small desk by the room’s window, typing as she stared at the screen of the school’s computer monitor. “Maybe there’s nothing in there, but maybe...there’s something here…” “Looking for something?” A small, sweet voice asked from the room’s entrance. The Shadowbolts turned around, away from the supply closet, to face the speaker. Sunset Shimmer got to her feet and joined them, leaving her backpack slung over the back of her chair. Spike gasped and leapt from Sunset Shimmer’s backpack, but no one seemed to notice, or if they did, they didn’t care. “You can’t do this, Wallflower!” Sunny Flare called out, trying to stall for time so someone could come up with a plan or until the rest of their friends showed up. “There are others here that know about what you’re up to! And if anything happens to us, they’ll know that you were responsible!” Wallflower smirked. “I already found out what they were trying to do! I already erased their memories! Is there anything I’m forgetting?” She blinked. “Did...did I just make a bad joke...wow…” “Actually, there is just one thing left,” Sugarcoat said as she adjusted her glasses. Even in the face of an emotionally unstable student with a magical rock, she remained calm. “Why are you doing this to Sunset?” “I never did anything to you!” Sunset Shimmer added. “And if I did, I apologize! I’m different now! I’m not the person I was when I first came to this school!” Wallflower didn’t answer. “Tell me, what did I do to you?! Honestly, I didn’t even know you! I DON’T know you!” “Exactly! You may have had everyone fooled, but now they all see that you’re still the Biggest Meanie!” “I have to disagree,” Sunny Flare coughed. “She’s clearly changed...but you clearly have no idea how mean a Crystal Prep Shadowbolt can get.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way, dear?” Sugarcoat nodded in silent support of Sunny Flare. “I...I don’t like confrontation…” Wallflower looked away. “Let’s just...forget this ever happened!” “No, don’t!” Sunset pleaded as she reached out one last time... As the girls recovered from what felt like a rude awakening from a long, dreamless sleep, Wallflower slipped out of the room. When they had collected themselves, they heard the lock turn. Author's Note WOO! Over a hundred likes! Huzzah! Hurrah! *throws confetti everywhere* I love you guys!!!!!!! And I have awesome news: SPRING BREAK! WOO! SPRING BREAK! That's what I'm on right now! Time for me to stay inside and do nothing except write fanfiction because I have NO FRIENDS! :D *Also, yeah...my computer installed updates recently. I HATE waking up in the morning, thinking to myself, "I'm gonna watch YouTube while I have my breakfast," and then BAM! get greeted with "We're installing updates...this will just take FOREVER." So! The next chapter is going to be super short, but...I'm making up for it with three endings for the story! (I couldn't decide on one! I liked all three of them so much!) ...yeah! :D There's something else I wanted to say...but I'll probably remember it later, after this chapter has been up for way too long. XD Stay tuned, my friends!
"What Are We Doing Here?"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” “Is it just me, or is everything from when we first entered this room coming back as a giant blank?” Sunny Flare asked as she rubbed her temples. “No, it isn’t just you.” Sugarcoat closed her eyes. “The last thing I remember is coming in here to look for evidence against Wallflower.” Sunset smiled a little. “She must have thought that by erasing our memories of being in this room, our memories of her being a suspect would go away, too.” Sunny Flare rolled her eyes. “We’re getting nowhere from just sitting around. We only have a few hours left to see if it really is Wallflower…” Her voice trailed off. She had walked to the door as she talked, but something seemed to be bothering her as she turned the doorknob. “I can’t open the door.” Sugarcoat snorted. “It’s not exactly rocket science,” she said as she joined Sunny Flare. “You just…” Her eyes widened. “We’re locked in.” Sunset Shimmer buried her face in her hands. “And everyone’s gone home for the day…” Sunny Flare’s eyes lit up. “Not everyone…” She pulled out her phone and began texting at a rapid pace. Sugarcoat’s brow furrowed as she realized something was amiss: “Hey, where did Spike go?” Meanwhile... The purple puppy charged down the halls, his eyes peeled for any sign of the other Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage. His sweep of the school’s interior took less than three minutes, and when he couldn’t find anyone, he headed outside, where he eventually stumbled upon the garden and found the girls. “Is everyone okay?! Did Wallflower get to you?” “Who’s Wallflower?” Juniper Montage asked. “No idea!” Indigo Zap shrugged. “I’m just wondering...what the heck are we doing here?” “When did we come to Canterlot High?” Lemon Zest scratched her head. “We live on the other side of the city! Why did we come here?” “Why would we ever want to come back here?” Sour Sweet scoffed. Spike’s eyes widened. “Okay, Wallflower Blush got to you...listen to me! You’re here because someone’s been stealing memories! She’s stolen memories from Sunset Shimmer’s friends, including Twilight Sparkle! You...you do remember Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle, right?” “Pffffft, yeah!” Indigo snorted. “Sunset Shimmer SAVED us all from Twilight Sparkle during the Friendship Games! I saw her the other day at the beach and she was...upset about something…” She groaned. “It was something important, too! Why am I forgetting this?!” “And Sunset Shimmer tried to stop me from going on a power-hungry rampage at the mall…” Juniper Montage flinched at the unpleasant memory. “But...I haven’t seen her in ages…” Spike sighed. “If you don’t believe me...then look at your phones! You should have dozens of texts from Gloriosa Daisy!” Right on cue, everyone’s cell phones vibrated. Sour Sweet pulled out hers and began to read her newest text out loud: “You are at Canterlot High School because someone is stealing memories. Sunset Shimmer, your friend from Canterlot High School, the person who saved the world during the Friendship Games, is in trouble because of whatever’s happening. You are at the school to try to help her and restore any stolen memories. You suspect someone named Wallflower Blush. Attached are photographs to help jog any remains of any stolen memories, if any have been taken from you...” Her voice trailed off. “I...I don’t know how...but I think this is right! I think this happened!” “I think this is what Sunset wanted to talk to me at the beach about!” Indigo added. “It makes sense now!” Spike sighed in relief. One set of memories had been (sort of) restored...everyone’s phones vibrated again, and Juniper Montage gasped after reading the text that appeared on the screen. “Spike, can you show us where the yearbook club room is?” “Just follow me!” Spike charged back inside the school, his head held high. They still had a few hours left...it wasn’t too late! Back in the yearbook room... “I just hope they haven’t left the school yet…” Sunny Flare lingered by the door, peering into the hallway. Sugarcoat had her hand placed on Sunset’s shoulder, a rare act of reassurance from her. “Don’t worry, Sunset. It’s not over yet.” Sunset offered her Crystal Prep friend a bittersweet smile. “Worst case scenario? When the sun goes down and nobody remembers that I’ve changed, I’ll have at least two good friends.” Sunny Flare abandoned her position at the door and joined Sunset, deeply touched, but trying not to show it. “You’d be welcome at Crystal Prep if you wanted to transfer,” she offered, unsure if these words were comforting or unhelpful. It was in that moment that the door rattled once, then opened to reveal three more Crystal Prep girls and a movie theater usher. “Hey, don’t tell me you’ve given up!” Indigo Zap smirked. “Because we haven’t...and we’ve had our memories erased!” "Which probably wouldn't have happened if you had tried to fight back," Sour Sweet muttered. "I mean, what kind of athlete are you? You didn't even try to wrestle the stone away from her?" But her words fell on deaf ears as everyone remained focused on Sunset. “And we’re not leaving until we get our memories back!” Lemon added. “And I’m not letting Twilight and the others forget you!” Spike joined in as he ran up to Sunset. “That’s a promise!” And as they all approached Sunset to discuss their next move, the fire-haired girl felt tears form in her eyes and a smile appear on her face. Better make that seven friends... Author's Note Sorry it took so long everyone, but here it is! And I'm also sorry that it's short, but I wasn't satisfied with cramming everything into one chapter, so I felt like I could stretch it out a little bit! Good news: the next chapter is coming (hopefully) tomorrow, and it'll be a lot longer! Also, I know I said that there would be three alternate endings, but I've been thinking about it...and I've decided that there's really only one ending that would be appropriate for this story. And you'll see what it is and why when we get there! Also, just wanted to clear something up: Wallflower erased different memories from Group S (Sunset, Sunny, and Sugarcoat) and the others (Juniper, Lemon, Sour, and Indigo). With Group S, she didn't realize that they had discovered she was the culprit before coming to Canterlot High. So, she erased their memories of them being in the yearbook club room, thinking that they'd forget about her as a suspect. With the others, they did a little too much talking...and she thought that she'd erase their memories of coming to Canterlot High AND of her being a suspect. Keep in mind: Wallflower isn't exactly the smartest villain we've had in MLP or EQG, sooooo...I don't think this reasoning is too far out of character for her. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnywwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooo... Yeah, this chapter wasn't the best, but trust me, I'm going to make up for it with the next chapter, I am SUPER pumped for it, and I hope you all are, too! Leave your thoughts/suggestions/cookie recipes/whatever if you want to, and I'll see you all tomorrow okay byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye
"Thank You..."“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” “So, Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia were just as surprised as we were?” Applejack asked. Sunset nodded in response. She and her six Canterlot friends (and Spike) had gone to Sugarcube Corner to discuss what had happened after the confrontation with Wallflower...more specifically, what had happened to Sunset’s geode necklace. Nobody knew why it had gone from a pendant to a gem in a tiara...so Sunset had returned to Equestria to see what Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia thought. “They don’t know for sure, but they have a theory.” “What is it?” Twilight asked. Spike, who was in her lap, looked at Sunset, just as invested as everyone else was. “Well…” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s a bit complicated to explain...okay, you all know about the Elements of Harmony, right?” The girls and Spike nodded, remembering the Fall Formal (or, in the cases of Twilight and Spike, what they had been told about that event). “There are six Elements of Harmony in Equestria...and now, there are seven over here. One for Honesty…” She pointed to Applejack’s geode necklace. “...one for Generosity…” She pointed at Rarity’s geode. “...Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, and Magic.” She pointed at Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle. “And then...there’s me.” Sunset blushed as she remembered the conversation between herself and the Equestrian princesses. “Empathy? A seventh Element?! I can’t believe it! My mind is officially blown!” Princess Twilight was over the moon, her mind racing with possibilities and theories after hearing Princess Celestia’s thoughts. Sunset’s mouth dropped. “I’m an Element of Harmony? But...how? This doesn’t make sense!” Princess Celestia smiled. “From what I can gather, you proved yourself worthy of being an Alicorn when you redeemed a powerful opponent with the Magic of Friendship. And when you gave a reformed companion the confidence to find the magic within herself, you proved yourself worthy of bearing an Element of Harmony. The magic in your world works differently from the magic in Equestria, so even I can’t explain how or why this is how it turned out...but my theory is that your Element transformed into your crown after you sacrificed your memories to protect your friends.” Celestia looked into the amber Alicorn’s eyes. “And it is that kind of act that defines a princess.” “W...what are you saying…?” “Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…” Sunset coughed. “Long story short, but...you’re now looking at…” She bowed her head. “Sunset Shimmer, Princess of Peace, Element of Empathy, Friendship Ambassador to the Humans…” She mumbled. She peeked at her friends, who stared her with open mouths and wide eyes. “Sunset…” Rarity breathed. “You’re a princess now?!” “Please don’t hate me!” The fire-haired girl blurted out. Pinkie Pie giggled. “Hate you? Why would we hate you, silly?” “I...I don’t know!” She fidgeted with a strand of her hair. “I brought magic to this world on a power-hungry quest to become a princess...and now...I’m actually one...and I...I don’t think I deserve it!” “Now, hold on a minute, sugarcube,” Applejack interrupted as she reached for Sunset’s hand. She gave it a reassuring squeeze as she explained, “You’re a different person from the girl who first arrived in our world three years ago. You’re a princess now because you’ve proven that you’re worthy of it!” “You’re a princess because you DESERVE it!” Rainbow Dash emphasized. “And we’re so proud of you!” Fluttershy beamed. “But...where’s your crown now?” Twilight asked. Sunset reached into her backpack. “It’s right here. I told Princess Celestia that I’d look really...unusual wearing a crown in this world, and Princess Twilight helped me explain why. So, she and Princess Luna made a few minor adjustments, and…” She pulled out a gold necklace that held an orange gem shaped exactly like her cutie mark. “It’s not exactly like the geode necklaces...but it is what it is…you don’t mind? You really don’t mind?” She asked her friends. “Are you kidding? This is so exciting! This calls for a celebration!” Pinkie Pie squeed. “How about we meet at my place tomorrow evening for pizza and milkshakes?” Sunset perked up, but shook her head. “It sounds tempting, but I can’t. The yearbooks are coming tomorrow, and I have to make some special deliveries…” The next day… “No student parking in the faculty lot,” Vice Principal Luna called out as Flash Sentry drove through one of Canterlot High’s parking lots. Sunset stifled a giggle, then turned her attention to the delivery truck that was right behind Flash’s car. When it came to a stop, she hurried to help unload the contents: boxes containing the school’s yearbooks! As everyone lined up to get a copy, she grabbed a stack of the books and slipped away to find her Canterlot friends. She found them hanging out by the portal between worlds, talked with them for a few moments, then headed off to the school’s garden. “I’ve got a special delivery for ‘Best Gardener’!” She called to Wallflower Blush. She handed the green-haired girl a yearbook, which had been autographed by her seven newest friends at Canterlot High. The girl in the striped sweater hugged Sunset in thanks, and then the president of the yearbook committee excused herself. She just had to stop at her locker before heading out, and she walked with a skip in her step through the hallways, not a care in the world until... “Hey!” The silver-haired girl who everyone seemed to adore or hate pushed her way through the crowd of students until she was in front of Sunset Shimmer. “I demand to speak to the yearbook president! I demand an explanation for...this!” She opened her yearbook and shoved it in Sunset’s face...more specifically, the page labeled “Greatest and Most Powerfulest”...which boasted a picture of Trixie in the middle of a fantastic performance. “What? What’s wrong? I thought you wanted this to be in the yearbook,” Sunset folded her arms. “Of course I did! Trixie KNOWS she’s Great and Powerful, but…” She cocked her head to the side. “She’s confused. You were so reluctant to have this picture in the yearbook! You even said that there wasn’t going to be a category for ‘Greatest and Most Powerfulest’...so what changed your mind?” She narrowed her eyes at Sunset, who smiled back. “Well...I realized the other day that not being mean to everyone doesn’t equal automatically being nice to everyone. And if I want people to really see that I’ve become a nice person, I need to put in more of an effort to make them feel important.” Sunset looked Trixie straight in the eyes. “You’re an interesting and energetic person, Trixie, and I’d really like to be your friend. I was hoping that this could be the start of a friendship.” Her phone buzzed, and when she turned her attention to the screen, she gasped. “I gotta go!” She speed-walked down the hallway. Trixie watched her leave, totally stunned. She waited until no one was looking at her, then hugged her yearbook close to her chest and smiled. Later… “Hey Sunset, what’s up?” Indigo Zap greeted as she walked into the fire-haired girl’s apartment. Sunset had texted her, the other Shadowbolts, and Juniper Montage, asking them to meet her at her apartment. Spike had also been invited to come over, and he seemed quite content with having his belly rubbed by Sugarcoat. “I figured out what happened with my necklace...sort of…” Sunset said. Once her guests were all settled in, she explained everything that she could to them. They reacted more-or-less in the same way that her Canterlot friends had reacted. “Should we start calling you ‘Your Majesty’?” Sour Sweet asked, half-joking, half-serious. Sunset snorted. “Please, don’t! Over in Equestria, I may be a princess, but over here...I’m just Sunset Shimmer. And right now, that’s just how I want things to be.” She sighed. “Everything is back to normal…” “I still can’t believe how cool you’ve been about all of this,” Sunny Flare complimented. “If I were you, I’d be at least a little upset over what had happened.” Sunset smirked. “Well…” Sour Sweet’s jaw dropped before she burst out laughing. “Oh my gosh, what did you do?! You sneaky...pony...creature...you!” Meanwhile, back at Canterlot High… “Oh, come on! Seriously?!” Rainbow Dash groaned as she looked at the “Best Friends” picture in her yearbook. The picture of her, Sunset Shimmer, and the rest of their classmate friends had been placed on the page next to Bulk Biceps’ “Best Muscles” portrait. Every time she closed the book, it looked like the girls were kissing him! “I thought I asked her not to do that!” “Maybe she asked me not to do that...or maybe not. I can’t remember,” Sunset said, a coy, mischievous glint in her eyes. The other girls stared at her, surprised by her deviousness, then laughed. “Karma’s a pain, isn’t she?” Lemon Zest snorted. “Is that why you asked us to come here?” Sugarcoat asked. “Just so you could tell us about the necklace and getting even? You could have just called us, you know.” "And you already told me about this yesterday!" Spike added. “I could have,” Sunset said as she stood up and walked into the kitchen. “But then I wouldn’t have been able to give you guys these!” She returned with a stack of seven yearbooks in her arms. She placed them on her coffee table and looked at the girls. “They’re for you.” “For us? Why?” Juniper Montage raised an eyebrow. “We don’t go to your school, uh duuuuuuuuuh,” Lemon Zest said, as if Sunset had forgotten. The former pony smiled. “I’m the president and editor of the yearbook committee. I was able to fit a few small changes into this edition...see for yourselves!” The girls each reached for a yearbook. Spike, who was still curled up in Sugarcoat’s lap, looked at her book as she and the others flipped through the pages. After they turned the page from “Best Muscles”, they found what Sunset had wanted them to look for, and they all froze. Some of them got tears in their eyes, others blushed, but all of them were overwhelmed and touched by what they saw. It was a picture of the Shadowbolts, Juniper Montage, Sunset Shimmer, and Spike, taken on the evening that the stolen memories had been returned. The girls had their equine features and magical wardrobes. Sunset was in the middle of the group, and Spike was in her arms. Everyone had the biggest, happiest smiles on their faces. And above the picture, in bold text, was the label: “Honorary Canterlot Wondercolts and Best Friends”. Author's Note DONE! NAILED IT...or not...whatever! I feel proud of myself! One fanfiction down, only a million others to go, including "Princess Rainbow Dash"! And...well, I'm actually pretty proud of how this turned out, and I'm SUPER touched by the support this story has gotten from the community! You guys are amazing, I mean it! Also, yeah, Sunset was made "Friendship Ambassador to the Humans" by Princess Twilight Sparkle...because it only makes sense! Also, she's the "Princess of Peace", because that's what she's really best at: keeping peace. She always tries to reason with people. She uses her magic to see people's thoughts and help them. Also, Trixie for everyone who wanted to see her! You're welcome! I hope you guys liked this ending! I'll see you all when I update "Princess Rainbow Dash"...whenever that is, amiright? Lulz... <------I went there. But seriously though, I'll be back to "Princess Rainbow Dash" soon! I'll see you all later byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye
"We're So Sorry!"“She Didn’t Use the Memory Stone on You.” Sunset and the others had no idea where to find Wallflower Blush, but instinct told Sunset that she’d be in the parking lot. So that’s where the group headed first. And there she was: the girl in the striped sweater was getting ready to leave school...but she froze when Sunset’s voice called out, “Wallflower, stop! Wait!” She whirled around to face seven girls and one dog. “What the...how did you get out? How do you...I erased your memories!” “You actually forgot about someone...you forgot to use the Memory Stone on him!” Sunset’s voice was triumphant as she held up Spike, who wagged his tail and smirked at Wallflower. “And you seriously didn’t think we’d confront someone with the ability to erase memories without a backup plan, did you?” Sugarcoat asked with a raised eyebrow. “We’re smarter than you think.” “We told some other friends about what was going on,” Lemon Zest explained with a wry smile. Sour Sweet smirked. “And it doesn’t matter how many times you erase our memories...because they’ll find you and stop you if we can’t.” Sunset Shimmer stepped closer to the green-haired girl. “Wallflower, listen, I’m so sorry for everything...I used to be just like you. I was popular, but I was lonely.” “I am NOTHING like you, and I am NOT lonely, because I have PLANTS!” Wallflower shouted. She blinked. “That...sounded less lonely in my head...I wanted to teach you a lesson by erasing your friends’ good memories of you! But...you still found people to help you! What if I erase THEIR memories of you, too?!” Wallflower held up the Memory Stone and pointed it at the Shadowbolts, Spike, and Juniper Montage. “What if I erase their memories of Canterlot High altogether?! They won’t remember this place! They won’t remember anything about the Friendship Games! And everyone at Canterlot High STILL won’t remember anything about you! You’ll be alone!” The Memory Stone glowed and a beam of energy shot itself from Wallflower’s hands and soared towards the targets. Everyone gasped as Sunset leapt in between her allies and the magical stream. “NO!” She shouted. “I ruined so many people’s friendships in the past...and I’d rather lose my memories than risk my friends losing the friends they have now!” She dropped to her knees after the magic made contact, and everyone stared in horror at what happened next. She cried out in pain and alarm as her forehead glowed. What looked like an old-fashioned movie reel with pictures of Applejack floated out and towards the Memory Stone. It was followed by a similar one, only with images of Pinkie Pie. Everyone watched in horror as Sunset’s memories of everyone at Canterlot High were drained away...including those of a purple equine that could only be Princess Twilight Sparkle. She turned towards the girls and dog who had helped her in her time of need and reached towards them, as if touching them would keep her memories intact. “Please, please, don’t forget about me or each other!” She cried out as the last of her memories, those of the Shadowbolts, Juniper Montage, and Spike, were stolen. The Memory Stone stopped glowing as it absorbed the last of the intended thoughts. Sunset collapsed to the ground. After a few moments, she stood on her palms and knees, her stance like that of a pony’s, and looked around, confused. “Where...where am I? This isn’t Canterlot! Princess Celestia?” She noticed her body and began to panic. “What’s happened to me? Somepony, help me, please!” There was a shocked, tense silence. Sunset’s friends were at a loss for words, and Wallflower seemed to be regretting what she had just done. Juniper Montage was the first to approach the former pony. “We’re your friends.” “You may not remember who we are…” Sugarcoat started. “But you’ve done so much for us,” Indigo Zap interrupted. “You’ve saved our lives!” Lemon Zest chimed in. “And you’ve taught us so much about magic and friendship,” Sunny Flare said. “And we’ll never forget these lessons...and we’ll never abandon you…” Sour Sweet added. “Because you’re our friend!” The girls exclaimed together. Sunset’s geode necklace started to glow with a magical energy. That energy grew brighter and larger until it surrounded her, Juniper Montage, and the Shadowbolts. Spike watched in awe as the glowing girls underwent a magical transformation that gave them new wardrobes, traded their normal ears for adorable pony ones, and grew their hair until they all had tail-like extensions. Indigo Zap and Sunny Flare even sprouted Pegasus wings, and a larger pair of majestic wings appeared on Sunset’s back. The Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage glanced at each other, then nodded in agreement. The seven girls floated up above Wallflower and joined hands...Sunset, who was in the middle of the girls, in between Indigo Zap and Juniper Montage, hesitated, still confused. But something in the eyes of these girls reassured her and gave her the confidence...so she placed her hands in theirs. Multicolored beams of light projected from the bodies of the floating girls, soared towards Sunset’s necklace, and then charged at the Memory Stone, which Wallflower struggled to hold in her hands. But the colorful beams of energy were too strong, and as the Stone cracked, she was knocked backwards, safe from the magic as it destroyed her beloved possession. And as the Memory Stone crumbled, countless stolen memories flew out. Spike watched as some of them headed to the Shadowbolts and Juniper Montage and a large number of them were returned to Sunset Shimmer. When it was all over, the girls floated to the ground and landed in not-so-graceful positions. “Sunset Shimmer! Are you okay?” Spike ran up to his friend, who had her eyes closed as she massaged her temples. The girl opened a green eye. “Spike…?” Her eyes widened and an overjoyed grin spread across her face as she looked at her six friends. “Girls!” “Sunset Shimmer!” They pulled her into a large group hug. Nothing else needed to be said; they were all just so happy to have their memories back. The moment was interrupted when a familiar truck pulled into the school’s parking lot. It came to a stop and six familiar passengers ran up to Sunset Shimmer. “We remember everything now!” Rainbow Dash said. “Sunset Shimmer...we’re so, so sorry…” Fluttershy added. “Yeah, you should be,” Sour Sweet muttered. Indigo Zap not-so-lightly punched her shoulder. “Ow! I mean...it’ll all be water under the bridge soon~” “I say we just forgive and FORGET!” Lemon Zest shouted as she raised her hand for a high five. Everyone left her hanging. “...too soon...or just not funny…?” “...both…” Juniper admitted with a smile. “Ah. Darn.” Sunset turned to her Canterlot friends. “It’s okay. I’m just glad to have everything back to normal.” She held up her arms, and the girls embraced her. “Twilight.” Sugarcoat’s voice interrupted the moment, but caught the attention of the purple girl with glasses. “We wanted to talk to you about the Friendship Games.” “Well, what happened before that, actually,” Lemon Zest corrected. Sunny Flare cleared her throat. “We never apologized for how we treated you back then, did we?” Twilight didn’t answer, and her former classmate continued with, “Well, that’s just it. We’re…” “Twilight, we’re really sorry!” Indigo blurted as she pulled Twilight out of the Canterlot embrace and pulled her into a hug. Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, and Sugarcoat also joined the hug. “Even if we weren’t exactly mean to you...we weren’t exactly nice to you, either,” Lemon said. “And...well, there’s not much else to it. We’re really, really sorry. And we hope that you can forgive us.” Twilight melted in the arms of her former classmates. “That’s all I ever wanted to hear...and I didn’t realize that until now.” She pulled away and smiled. “It’s okay.” Juniper Montage and Sunset Shimmer stood away from the two groups, somewhat awkwardly. Then the blue-haired girl nudged her companion. “Look.” She pointed a few feet away, where Wallflower sat alone, her knees hugged to her chest, and a small fragment of the destroyed Memory Stone in her hand. As Sunset and Juniper approached her, the other eleven girls stopped hugging and celebrating and walked to join them. Wallflower didn’t turn around to look at any of them, but she spoke when Sunset was right behind her. “I’m so ashamed. When I first found the Memory Stone, I only erased little things...awkward hellos, literally any public speaking…” “We’ve all had moments that we wish we could erase,” Juniper interrupted as she knelt down and placed a hand on Wallflower’s shoulder. She looked at Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle. “Believe me, you’re not the only one. I know how it feels.” Spike placed a paw on Wallflower’s leg, and when she looked at him, he added, “Sometimes we can all feel a little invisible. But the popularity of other people shouldn’t define how we feel about ourselves!” Juniper smiled. “And I know what it’s like to have resentment towards people with more popularity...it didn’t make me happy. It just made me miserable.” Wallflower wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve. “If you’re saying that how I feel about myself is the most important thing...then it’s the worst thing in the world for me.” She bowed her head to hide her teary eyes. “I feel like a monster. And...I’d rather feel invisible than be remembered as a villain.” “It doesn’t have to be like that,” Sunset said. She lifted Wallflower’s chin and looked directly into her eyes. “I’m sorry, too, Wallflower. I stopped being mean, but I realize now that I wasn’t exactly nice to you, either. Everyone matters, Wallflower, no matter how invisible they may feel.” She looked at Juniper Montage, Spike, and her Shadowbolt and Canterlot school friends. “And with friends, you don’t have to feel invisible anymore.” She stepped away from Wallflower, but kept a hand extended as an offer of friendship. Wallflower blushed, hesitated, then placed her hand in Sunset’s. The fire-haired girl pulled the green-haired gardener into a warm hug, welcoming her as her newest friend. Later, at Sunset Shimmer’s apartment… “So that’s basically what happened,” Indigo Zap finished. She looked at Sunset’s open laptop, where a video chat was in process with a young woman with hair the color of raspberries. Juniper Montage and the other Shadowbolts were also there, content smiles on their faces. “What do you think, Gloriosa?” Juniper asked. “I think that I’m glad everything’s back to normal!” The woman on the screen said with a laugh. “And I’m glad I was able to help you girls! Hopefully there won’t be any magical catastrophes soon!” “I don’t know,” Indigo said with a sheepish grin. “I kinda miss my wings!” She and the others laughed, and the call ended not too long after that. “There’s one thing I don’t understand, though,” Sugarcoat admitted. “What’s that?” Sunset asked. “That.” The Shadowbolt pointed to Sunset’s geode, which had been placed on a coffee table. Earlier today, the geode hung on a chain, like the necklaces Sunset’s Canterlot friends wore. But during the magical confrontation with Wallflower, it had transformed into a gem on a tiara. Sunset shrugged. She was just as confused as the others. “I don’t know why, but I have a feeling someone else might know…” Author's Note AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?! What happened to Sunset's necklace?! I guess you'll find out in the epilogue...coming tomorrow! *teehee* *collapses* I thought about this chapter for the longest time...and I'm really pleased with how it turned out! For those of you wondering about the two alternate endings: the first one would have been Sunset not forgiving her Canterlot friends and choosing to go back to Equestria. The second one would have been identical to the special, with the Mane Seven defeating Wallflower as the Shadowbolts, Juniper Montage, and Spike watched. I was seriously contemplating both endings...but I ultimately decided that they weren't appropriate for this story. Sunset Shimmer's biggest strength is her ability to forgive. And she's willing to forgive others because she understands how they see her. She embodies, in my opinion, three forgotten Elements of Harmony: Empathy, Understanding, and Forgiveness. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyywhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... Stay tuned for the epilogue, which should be out tomorrow! Leave your thoughts if you wanna share them! Did you like this ending? Would the alternate ones have worked? What do you think is up with Sunset's geode? Who's the person who can help her figure it out?! SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS PEOPLE, SHARE THEM!! ...I'm hyped up on sugar right now, so I need to go cool down...see you all later byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye One last thing: Sunset's crown is NOT THE ELEMENT OF MAGIC. Okay! Byyyyyyyyyyyye
