Forgotten

Twilight held out her hoof to her mother, who took one look at it and stepped back. Her tears were very adamant as they worked their way out of the ducts in her eyes. Her father gave her a shocked look. Nopony had ever dared to speak to him in such a commanding tone before. Yet, through that aspect of this newcomer into his life, he saw such a thorough compassion for their son.

"Please," Twilight said, "I need all the help I can get. We could restore everypony back to the way things are supposed to be. I've got my hoof out. Now I want to see yours out, not just for me, but for Equestria."

Her eyes pled with her parents to hold out their own appendages, but sadly, none of that dream ever came true. She gritted her teeth as she returned her own hoof to the floor. It appeared that her parents either didn't care about the dashed memories of Equestria's citizens, or they were just unwilling to help. It gravely disappointed her, as the parents she knew would give their right foreleg just for the opportunity to be able to do a good deed for somepony.

"I guess I know where we stand," she said sadly. "I'll be going now."

"Wait, please," Night Light said, "it's not that we don't want to help you, it's just that…we're still unsure of who you said you were."

Twilight sighed in exasperation. "Look, I already proved it to you! I knew things about you nopony could possibly know! So, why is it so difficult for you to believe it yourself?!"

She saw her father fight back tears in an attempt to keep his composure. It was futile. "Because I was there when our daughter died," he said shakily, "I saw her small body, completely defenseless to the whims and character of fate, take its final breath and leave this life forever. I saw it all, Twilight Sparkle, and now you come here and dare to claim her name and her place in our lives?! You think we're unfeeling parents?! I think you're an unfeeling pony!"

"Unfeeling?! Oh, so I'm 'unfeeling' because I told you the absolute truth?! Look, whether or not you believe it, the fact remains: I am your daughter…and maybe I don't need as much help as I thought I did."

With that, she shoved her way past her parents and stormed out of the mansion. Tears blinded her vision as she stumbled down the front steps and dashed away through the streets of Canterlot. She galloped as hard as she could, not wanting to return to that terrible place. Equestria had turned into hell, and she needed to find the evil that was in control of it and banish it forever.

But the worst part of all was her parents. She didn't want to believe that they had turned into the avaricious ponies that she had bore witness to. They had eviscerated her brother. She didn't mind them not believing her story about being their daughter as much as she hated the way they were treating Shining Armor. I'm not gonna use that awful name they gave him, she said to herself hotly, he's Shining Armor! He always has been and he always will be…and I'm always gonna love him! He's my brother, after all. I owe him so much…

She finally stopped galloping in a rather uninhabited street on the other side of Canterlot. Thankfully, nopony had seemed to notice her wings and she quickly hid them again. To other ponies, she would be just another unicorn, and she didn't want to attract too much attention. I've gotta think of a plan to get inside and see Celestia, she said to herself. Then she realized with a great deal of horror that Celestia wouldn't know her from the third pony down the street! This thought crushed her spirit.

So she sat there staring at a wall until she heard somepony else trot up behind her and stop. Then she felt a small tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to see Bumble Trot standing there. She nearly fell over. "Uh…um…Bumble Trot!" She finally managed to sputter out, "it's good to see you!" She smiled at the young stallion, and sensed that he was a little more confident than in their exchange from before.

"It's great to see you too, Princess, but I don't have time for fancy pleasantries. I need to talk to you immediately. It's incredibly urgent. But first…where are your parents? I overheard you tell Dr. Greyhoof that you were going to try and get their help. Didn't they want to?"

All the horrible memories from her time with her parents washed over Twilight, and she began sobbing. Bumble Trot stepped forward and put a comforting foreleg around her and pulled her in. "Oh, Bumble Trot," Twilight said, "how could Celestia have ever picked me to be a princess? I can't even get my own family on my side!"

"Look," he said, "I don't know what went on in there, but so what if your parents don't want to help?"

"It's not just that they didn't want to help…they've saddled my brother with a cruel name!"

"Shining Armor?"

"Ye-wait…you know Shining Armor?"

"Of course I do!" Bumble Trot finally blurted out, "I know you're Princess Twilight, the Princess of Friendship, and I knew it long before you told us in camp! I know Shining Armor's your brother, he's married to Princess Cadance, and they have an amazing little filly named Flurry Heart! I know Celestia and Luna are the co-rulers of Equestria! I know all of that!"

"But…how?! How can you be the only other pony in Equestria that remembers the way it's supposed to be?!"

"Because…I cast the spell to make everypony forget everything."

Twilight was in shock. This pony, who had previously only been known to her as just another young stallion, had caused all of this? Her disbelief was topped only by her mounting anger. She suddenly wanted to rip the horn off his head. He had destroyed Equestria for some inexcusable reason, and now he came to her as a blubbering idiot, trying to explain himself?

But, she decided to give him a chance. After all, that's what the Princess of Friendship would do. So, she sat on her haunches and deadlocked eyes with him. He quivered beneath her gaze. "Go on, Bumble Trot," she said solemnly, "explain."

"I've always been a great admirer of yours, Princess Twilight. I've always wanted to meet you. I love the way that you help spread friendship throughout the land, because…I've never had a true friend."

At the beginning of his explanation, Twilight felt her hackles lower. She stood up and sat beside him, nonverbally communicating her compassion. She put her hoof right next to his and smiled at him. He felt better now that she wasn't staring straight at him, and he felt warmth exude from the depths of her bright purple gaze. He swore her eyes were shining.

"Go on, Bumble," she said, "I'm listening."

"I just wanted to do something that would impress you, thinking that maybe it could get your attention and then you'd want to be my friend."

"Oh, Bumble," she said, "if you want to be friends with me, all you have to do is approach me about it."

"Really?"

"Of course! That's how friendship works," here she stopped, and took on a rather sympathetic look, "I'm so sorry that it hasn't been the same for you. You seem like a wonderful pony, and I'd be glad to call you my friend." She smiled at him, and once again, he felt completely warm. "Go on," she urged kindly, so he did.

"Anyway, in this foolish attempt to impress you, I…accidentally cast the wrong spell."

"What spell were you trying?"

"Remembrance…" He finally managed to get out.

Twilight's eyes bugged out and her mouth fell open. She tried her hardest to keep a straight face. She didn't want to hurt Bumble Trot, but he had done something completely reckless. "What?!" She suddenly shouted. Bumble started a bit, but kept his hooves planted beside her. "How high of a magic level are you?!"

"Not very high," he admitted, "I can do some simple spells, but I'm no pony wizard."

"Then why in Equestria were you trying Remembrance?! It's so complex! I've been working on that spell ever since I was a filly!"

"I know!" Bumble said, "I read it in your book 'The Art of Magic,' and I wanted to give it a try!"

"Didn't you read the warning label in the book?"

"Warning label?"

"Yeah, I put a warning label underneath it that explicitly said not to try it if you weren't at the highest level of magic education or if you hadn't had years of experience! You have to do everything just right! If you don't, then you cause the antonymous spell…Wave of Forgetfulness! That's what happened! That was the white wave that washed over Equestria before this entire hellish experience!"

Bumble Trot turned to leave. He knew that the princess was extremely angry with him, and he didn't want to incur her wrath any further. But he wasn't able to. "Bumble Trot, come back here, please," she commanded. So he did, and he shrank before her. He knew he had destroyed their friendship, and it wasn't even a few minutes old.

"I'm so sorry, Princess Twilight," he stammered, "I'll just go now and-"

"No," she said, "you got Equestria into this mess, and you're gonna help get it out!"