Sunset Shimmer burst out the school doors. She was hot on the trail of Wallflower Blush, who had used an ancient Equestrian Memory Stone to steal all the positive memories, moments, adventures, every single thing Twilight and her friends knew was good about Sunset.
She had until the end of the third day from when the violation of them had occurred to destroy the Stone, or forever lost to them the reformed, nice, friend of theirs Sunset Shimmer would be, essentially wiped from existence and reset to the villainous, unpleasant person that they knew previously.
She was panicking and, ignoring the sweat on her brow, pain in her chest and legs, and pure fear filling her mind, screamed as strongly as humanly possible.
“Wallflower Blush!”
The person she addressed felt her heart skip a beat, and she turned to face the voice.
“How do you even know that?” She asked. Sunset panted and confronted her.
“It doesn’t matter.” She sighed.
“What the hay is going on?” Applejack asked.
“I don’t know.” Fluttershy responded. “But it sounds like the meanie has another target.”
“Hilarious, Fluttershy.”
“You didn’t answer me.” Wallflower said indignantly.
“Because of my quick thinking. Or rather, filming you with Twilight’s drone camera.”
“You touched my drone again?” Twilight stamped her foot.
“Everybody quiet!” Sunset snapped at them. She exhaled, composed herself, and again her focus was on her newly developed adversary.
“Wallflower, what you did to my friends, and by extension me, was terrible.” Sunset said bluntly. Wallflower grimaced at her words.
“Uh, what the heck did she do?” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms.
“She stole what you remembered about me. The fact that I wasn’t lying to any of you the last few days. I am a good person, girls.”
Dash, Rarity and AJ all were skeptical. Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy, at best, were staying neutral until this played out completely.
“Well, I suppose you have me cornered.” Wallflower sighed.
“I suppose so,” Sunset said. “But you know, I’ve actually done worse.”
“What?” Wallflower gasped.
“Yes. I stole a...*ahem* magical artifact, and became a power hungry demon, and tried taking over, well, another dimension. All of that, everything I just told you, simply because I didn’t know any better.”
Twilight and the other girls watched from a short distance. They would only approach if they saw any danger, even the slightest hint of things going south.
“B-but I thought,” Wallflower began, struggling to fight back tears. “I thought I could change things, change what my life has been so far, an insignificant, endless nothing, by showing you...”
Wallflower couldn’t keep it in any longer, and began sobbing. Sunset took her right hand and wrapped her own around Wallflower’s back.
“What are you d-doing?” She choked out.
“Keep going. I’m comforting you.” Sunset smiled.
“Maybe if people knew, if I showed them you were the same wretched person, they’d see me, know me, remember me.”
“And you didn’t think that this could have negative consequences? That you could actually hurt someone?”
“No!” Wallflower yelled. Twilight thought Wallflower was in peril by her yell, so she took two steps forward.
“I’ve got this Twi.” Sunset waved her back. “Look at me Wallflower. It sounds an awful lot like you didn’t know any better either.”
Wallflower tried releasing Sunset’s grip. The latter girl read her hint, and took her hands away.
“My mom always said I was a good kid, and her special girl. She often gave me more love and attention than my sister Maeflör. How did I let it slip to this sort of low?”
“I can’t answer that for you.” Sunset answered. “But what I can do is pull you out of this, if you’ll let me.”
Wallflower’s mouth fell open. Twilight did a double take. Sunset cocked her head slightly and gave her a small smile.
“What is it I have to do?” Wallflower asked after a handful of seconds.
“First, and foremost...apologize.”
Wallflower knew that was coming. She peered past Sunset and looked sheepishly at the other six girls.
“I’m...I’m so sorry. I had no intention of causing you harm.”
“We didn’t even know what you were up to until now, Sugarcube.” Applejack sounded more sympathetic than angry.
“Indeed Darling.” Rarity added. “But I, for one, shall forgive you. It is the proper thing to do, after all.”
“Agreed!” Twilight, Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy and AJ all said in unison. Wallflower was stunned at such a positive response.
“You have my forgiveness as well.” Sunset closed the topic. “Next step...”
Sunset stretched her hand out.
“Wallflower Blush...would you like to be my friend?”
The green-haired girl started shaking. The words weren’t registering properly.
“Honey?” Sunset snapped her fingers numerous times.
“Forgiveness...and friendship?” Wallflower hiccuped. “I don’t deserve that!”
Wallflower spun around 180 degrees and was set on retreating into the woods to be with herself.
“Yah!”
The gardener felt a rough yank on her sleeve. She quickly found her head pressed up against Sunset’s chest. The tears came out freely again, and a gentle hand stroked her hair.
“Shhh.”
Sunset looked straight at her.
“Everyone deserves to have someone be their friend. That person to be there and celebrate your best moments. That voice over the phone at two in the morning who listens when you need guidance. That shoulder to cry on. You deserve that Wallflower Blush.”
“...Thank you. Oh my gosh, thank you!”
“We’re not finished yet.”
Wallflower froze like a deer caught in headlights.
“...Give me the Stone,” Sunset said. “I won’t be mean, or aggressive, or raise my voice. But I will take it if you don’t willingly relinquish it.”
Wallflower hesitated, but then lifted her backpack up from where it’d been idly sitting for the last several minutes. She fished through it, made a face that indicated a “eureka!” moment, and presented the Memory Stone.
“This is to establish trust.” Sunset explained. “So I can trust that you’ll not slip and return to this place, and so you can trust that I’m no longer ‘wretched’, or however you pleasantly described me.”
“Did I really say that?”
“Mmhmm.”
The Stone changed hands, and Sunset pondered.
“Now how to deal with this problem?”
Time was short. She didn’t know exactly how long until her friends’ positive memories of her were lost to them, but it was almost surely desperate.
“Aha!” The redhead exclaimed. She spied Flash Sentry heading to his car. “Flash!”
“Huh?” Flash was stupefied. “Oh Sunset, what’s up?”
“I need a massive favor.”
“You wanna get back with me? I knew it. You can’t resist my sick guitar shredding.”
“No!” Sunset went red in the face. “Look, see this pretty glowing rock?”
“Wow!” Flash whistled. “What are ya gonna do with that?”
“I need you to run it over with your pride and joy car.”
“Wait what?”
“Trust me.” Sunset cracked a smile. “Have I ever lied to you?”
Flash turned and scratched his head.
“Besides then?”
“Alright Sunset, you’ve convinced me.” The spiky-haired guitarist relented. He and Sunset strolled over to his Mustang.
“I owe you one bro.” She said, squeezing his hand. Flash nodded and swung down into the driver’s seat. Wallflower, feeling indifferent, decided to watch the spectacle unfold. Twilight and her friends had no intention of missing out. Sunset gently placed the rock on the asphalt.
“Things change.” She hummed. “Every little thing will be alright.”
Flash backed his stallion as far as the parking lot permitted, and revved his engine.
“Reset.”
The Mustang let out a fierce yell, and thundered on. Sunset glanced at the, well, sunset.
“Hurry.”
All of the girls tensed at once and...
*Ka-thump!*
The car stopped just beyond its’ target. Sunset nervously approached. She found the ancient Memory Stone splintered and spread far around where it had been fatally struck. Out of it escaped the ribbons that represented Memories stolen by Wallflower over the previous three days.
They twisted and circled overhead before returning to their rightful owners. Sunset fully expected Twilight to greet her first post-recovery, but Pinkie Pie beat her to the punch, or rather, tackle.
“Urk!”
“Sunny!” Pinkie squealed.
“Never in my life have I been so happy to get a bruise...”
"And we didn't even need to Pony Up this time!" Pinkie turned to her right and winked at something that apparently nobody else could see.
"...I have no idea why...never mind." Sunset returned to her feet. Twilight finally came to her.
“I’m sorry Sunset,” She said. “I should’ve believed you.”
“It’s no worry Twi.” Sunset said, and coughed. Her friends surrounded, and Wallflower stood alone.
“Who’s she?” Flash wondered aloud.
“Somebody who matters.”
Sunset motioned for her new friend, and Wallflower came to her.
“Y-you’re gonna tell Principal Celestia about this, aren’t you?” She asked uneasily.
“Yeah, I have to. You’ll probably get suspended, but I’ll make sure she doesn’t have you expelled. That all can wait, though.”
Finally the curtain closed on daylight.
“Tonight is about friendship.” Sunset said, a joyful tear in her eye.
“I have a lot of explaining to do at home.” Wallflower was fully prepared for a grounding.
“May I walk you home?”
“No, but thank you.”
“Some other time, then.” Sunset winked. “Now let’s all get out of here!”
Many hugs and kisses on the cheek were exchanged. Sunset’s other friends gave their goodbyes. Everything settled on her and her newest pal.
“Well...” Wallflower broke the quiet. “What else is there to say?”
“I think I got everything out.” Sunset pondered.
“Oh, almost forgot!”
“Hmm?”
“Do you...wanna join my gardening club?”
Sunset blinked, and then burst into a fit of laughter.
“Did I say something shameful?” Wallflower couldn’t make sense of that reaction.
“No, no.” Sunset composed herself. “Just a good way to lighten the mood. Day one of our friendship is over, I suppose. Here’s to many more.”
Wallflower gave a satisfied smile. She left Sunset with one last hug, but no further conversation.
“And just like that, everything is back to how it should be. What a wonderful world...”
Author's Note
For those of you wondering, Maeflör Blush is an original character, and Wallflower's younger sister by 3-5 years. And also, I feel like I could've chosen a slightly better way to have the Memory Stone destroyed, but that's all that came to me.
