That sensation of crossing the portal was something Sunset Shimmer doubted she would ever get used to. The experience of being dragged beyond the limits of the physical world, falling into a spiral of dazzling lights and colors, was disconcerting. Although there was no pain, she could feel her body distorting, losing all senses for an instant, only to be hurled through the air and crash to the ground at the end of the journey.

Our former equine slowly got up, her body aching and her head spinning. It took her a few seconds to reorient herself, but soon, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“Sunset!! Are you okay?!” the voice called out, filled with concern.

Sunset immediately recognized the voice. Even with her blurry vision, she saw a purple blur in front of her. Shaking her head to clear it, the blur resolved into the form of a purple pony standing before her.

“Twilight!” Sunset whispered enthusiastically, though her tone was still weak.

The Princess of Friendship smiled in relief upon seeing her friend conscious. With urgency, Twilight Sparkle approached and hugged her warmly, a gesture Sunset reciprocated without hesitation. For a few seconds, they leaned into each other, finding comfort in the embrace.

When they finally parted, Twilight adopted a serious expression.

“Sunset, tell me, what happened?” she asked, her concern evident.

Sunset’s smile faded as she lowered her gaze. With a sigh, she began to recount what had transpired.

~ Lost Among Memories ~

Minutes passed as Sunset narrated everything that had happened. Both were seated around the magical table that served as a map of Equestria. Twilight sat in her usual throne, while Sunset borrowed one of the nearby chairs.

“This is very serious,” The princess pony said with a worried tone. “Memory spells aren’t impossible, but erasing memories from so many ponies at once, and so specifically to remove only those involving you… It would require extremely powerful magic, if it’s even possible.”

“It is,” Sunset replied sadly. “It happened. Everyone in Crystal has forgotten me, and I don’t know what to do…”

Her voice nearly broke. Twilight, feeling helpless, closed her eyes and held her head in her hooves, trying to think of a solution.

“I have no idea what it could be!” Twilight exclaimed in frustration. “We need to investigate… But none of my books have information about memory spells…”

Sunset remained silent for a few seconds before speaking with determination:

“Then there’s only one place I can go.”

~ Lost Among Memories ~

The day was progressing normally at Crystal Prep. Among the students, a young scientist with thick glasses and a neatly tied ponytail, Twilight Sparkle, was exchanging books at her locker. The routine was interrupted by a familiar voice shouting.

“Twi-Spark!! Twi-Spark!! TWI-SPARK!!” yelled Lemon Zest as she ran towards her.

“For the love of Einstain, Lemon! What’s going on?” The science girl asked, startled by her friend’s sudden entrance.

Lemon Zest, panting to catch her breath, thrust her phone into Twilight’s face.

“It’s Sunset! She's right, she’s in the band!”

Twilight, confused, pushed the phone away to focus on the screen.

“Lemon, what are you talking about?”

“I was watching our Hooftube page! In the videos of our music… Sunset is there! Look!”

In a hurry, Lemon played a couple of videos. Twilight watched in shock as the footage showed Sunset Shimmer playing and singing with them in the band. The videos clearly depicted her presence, but Twilight’s memories didn’t match. In her mind, she only saw herself, Sonata, and Lemon.

“How…?” she whispered, bewildered.

Lemon looked equally disturbed.

“Twilight, something’s wrong. I don’t remember any of this, but I was the one who uploaded those videos. Unless Sunset is a magical hacker, there’s no way they’re fake. She’s part of our band, our friend!” she declared firmly.

Twilight felt an inexplicable chill run through her as she observed the evidence that defied her reality.

~ Lost Among Memories ~

Later, in the school’s backyard, four of Crystal Prep’s five friends gathered along with someone else. Sunny Flare crossed her arms in annoyance as she spoke.

“It’s embarrassing to have to ask for permission to use the bathroom, so let’s talk quickly and get back to class.”

Sonata Dusk tilted her head, confused.

“Did someone really erase our memories? Because I don’t remember somebody doing that.”

A few reproachful looks were directed at Sonata, but no one bothered to explain. The rocker girl raised her phone and showed the videos again.

“I’m telling you! The videos of our band prove it. She was playing with us.”

Indigo Zap entered the area hastily.

“It’s true! I checked the sports club records from last year, and Sunset is listed as a member."

"There are even videos of her playing in a game against Trottingham…" Lightning Dust said, seconding her friend with googles. "But I don’t remember seeing her play.”

"I told you so!" Lemon Zest exclaims. "Something weird is going on! This must be some weird magic again!"

There is silence as everyone seems to think about this. Twilight is slightly distracted to look at the blonde-haired athlete.

"Lightning, why did you come? I thought you didn't like Sunset, regardless of erased memories."

The blonde shrugs her shoulders with a certain indifference.

"Meh any excuse is good enough for me to skip class. Besides, whatever they're doing is certainly more interesting."

Sunny decides to speak up. "Let's focus please. There's no denying the evidence, after all, Sunset has been near the school."

The group fell silent, processing the situation. Twilight looked at her phone, where a photo on her screen displayed her and Sunset, smiling and close. The image stirred a wave of emotion in the scientist.

“Of us…” she murmured, continuing Sunny Flare’s thought.

Lemon stepped forward with determination.

"I'm telling you it's something magical." Lemon exclaims. "It's the only explanation! We have to find out who or what's doing it and give them what they deserve! We have to get our memories back."

Sunny Flare looks worried. "But how are we going to do that? We can't just leave school."

The blonde athlete questions that statement. "Why not? It seems that her pony friend did it. I haven't seen her since morning."

That revelation makes everyone worried, they realize that Lightning is right.

Then Indigo has an idea. "Wait! … if Sunset is our friend, we must have her number!"

The girl with the googles takes her phone and searches through her contacts, smiles when she finds it and immediately calls.

But… there's no answer. She tries a second time, and a third time…

"AGH! No answer…"

This doesn't help improve the group's mood.

Sunny Flare sighs. "We can't do anything from here. And we'll get into trouble if we don't go back to class soon."

The rock girl of the group snorts in annoyance. "Who cares about classes! Sun-Shim needs us!"

"But if we can't communicate with her we don't know what to do." Sunny explains. "We need to think."

The scientist of the group thinks for a moment. "Sunny Flare is right. … if this is magic, Sunset is the only one who would know what steps to take. We don't even know what we're looking for!"

"But we can't leave this like this!"

The green-haired girl speaks again, and then turns to the other equestrian girl of her group.

"Duskie! You're magic! Do you have any plans?"

The blue mermaid seems to get uncomfortable with such a question.

"I... it's usually Adie who makes the plans, I just do what she tells me..."

Indigo looks at her with some hope in her eyes. "Can you call her? Maybe she has some ideas."

"That's a good idea." Twilight seconds looking at Sonata.

The siren of the group nods and soon picks up her
phone.

~ Lost Among Memories ~

The lead siren lies reclined, seemingly asleep in her bed. She is slightly awakened by the sound of her cell phone. She picks it up and answers it.

"... Now what Sonata? … Mh? Of course I remember Sunset, it's not like I can forget her. … what...?"

As she hears what her younger sister is saying to her over the phone, the lead siren quickly sits up and sits on her bed.

"What are you saying?!"

~ Lost Among Memories ~

On the other side of the mirror, in Canterlot, Sunset and Twilight were making their way to the royal castle. Both wore disguises to keep their presence hidden: cloaks covering their backs and cutie marks, scarves over their manes, and dark glasses to hide their eyes.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel a little confused about the need to stay incognito.

"I still don’t understand why we have to go unnoticed, Sunset. I could call Celestia and tell her we need to enter the library," she said, glancing at her friend.

Sunset frowned, clearly frustrated.

"Twilight, I already have enough problems without having to deal with Celestia. I don’t want to talk to her about how I’m the worst student she’s ever had. This is not the time."

Sunset emphasized her words, and her tone made it clear that she didn’t want to discuss it further. Twilight, seeing her reaction, felt a little down but hid it behind her dark glasses.

"Alright, I understand. But… how will we get into the castle without being seen?"

The silence stretched between them as they neared the castle walls, hiding in some bushes. Sunset stared at the smooth wall for a moment as if searching for something.

"If I remember correctly, it should be… here," she muttered.

With a flash of light from her horn, she gently touched the wall. Instantly, the symbol of her Cutie Mark appeared on the surface. Before Twilight could ask what she was doing, the wall seemed to disintegrate, creating a small opening.

"What is that?!" Twilight asked, startled.

"It’s a secret exit I made when I was Celestia’s student. I used it sometimes to sneak out of the castle and study in a more secluded place," Sunset explained with a smile as she ducked down and passed through the opening.

Twilight, though still a bit stunned, followed her without hesitation.

"Does Princess Celestia know about this?" Twilight asked, curiosity in her voice.

"Secret, exit," was Sunset’s brief response.

Once safely inside, they made their way to their destination: the royal library. As they walked through the hallways, Sunset stopped in front of a hall.

"Star Swirl's hall. This place holds the deepest knowledge about that world. Only he can tell us who erased everyone’s memories," Sunset said seriously.

Twilight nodded thoughtfully.

"I understand, Sunset. But I’ve read every book and scroll in this place, and none of them mention the mirror or that world."

Sunset frowned and, after a brief moment of reflection, suggested:

"What about the forbidden secret hall?"

Twilight looked at her, clearly confused.

"Forbidden, secret, hall?"

The princess pony is baffled by such a question. Sunset, not having an answer, approached a bookshelf. Using her magic, she began pulling out all the books at once, which only puzzled Twilight further. The princess stepped closer, still uncertain about what was happening.

"Hey, Sunset, no offense, but I’ve been in this library hundreds of times and I’ve never seen—"

Twilight didn’t finish her sentence, as Sunset returned the last book to its place, something incredible happened: a mark began to glow on the side of each book. Together, the marks formed a spiral with stars, the same one that represented Star Swirl.

The bookshelf began to tremble and, as if by magic, split in two, revealing a passage that led to a staircase lit by torches.

The purple pony, with her mouth open in awe, continued staring at the scene before her.

"-a… secret… forbidden… hall…" she muttered, completely stunned.

Sunset smiled faintly, amused, and gently lifted her hoof to close her friend’s jaw before starting down the staircase. Twilight, still in shock, followed her closely.

The staircase seemed to go on forever, and it took them about a minute to reach the bottom. When they did, they found themselves in what appeared to be an ancient cave carved into the rock. There were more shelves and bookcases, and the air was thick with dust, as if no pony had been there in years.

"Oh my gosh Oh my gosh Oh my gosh Oh my gosh Oh my gosh Oh my gosh Oh my gosh...!" Twilight repeated to herself, overwhelmed by the sight of the books around her.

"So many books... unread! Ancient historical pieces!"

Suddenly, the purple pony began to hyperventilate, her magic acting on its own. Books flew toward her and opened to random pages, and she tried to read them all at once.

"This... is... I can’t..."

Her voice trailed off as she struggled to catch her breath. Sunset, momentarily concerned, couldn’t help but feel a little playful.

"Hey, if you think you can’t handle it, I can keep going alone from here."

No sooner had she spoken than her friend leaped at her, embracing her desperately.

"Don’t take this away from meeeee!" Twilight cried out, a little hurt, her body nearly collapsing under her own weight. Only the grip of her hooves around Sunset’s neck kept her from falling.

Sunset couldn’t help but smile, both amused and touched by the sight.

The princess of friendship begins to run like a colt in a candy store, running from shelf to shelf, pulling out books and examining them with increasing excitement. Her expression, however, started to look somewhat unsettling as she hugged the books she collected.

Despite this, Sunset didn’t let it distract her. She began reviewing the books on her own side, hoping to find anything that could be a clue.

~ Lost Among Memories ~

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed, but Sunset was already feeling the fatigue, especially after having read, seemingly from start to finish, a book so large it was even taller than she was.

"Did you know that Chancellor Puddin Head tried to make carrot juice the national drink? ... I know it, I know it now," Sunset said with clear frustration, crossing her front hooves and leaning on the table next to the enormous, and apparently frustrating, book.

Princess Twilight, a little further behind, watched her with a small smile.

"Aww, looks like you picked the fun books," Twilight commented innocently, causing Sunset to lean more heavily on the table, drained. Twilight even covered a small yawn.

"Maybe we should take a break from the search for a while," The princess suggested.

Sunset sighed in a resigned manner, willing to rest, but then her purple friend came closer and leaned against her side with a triumphant smile.

"Because I already found something~!" she announced in a semi-singing voice. Hearing that and the promise of a clue made Sunset smile with renewed energy. However, Twilight quickly became more serious.

"Have you heard of the 'Seven Forbidden Artifacts of the Dark Age'?"

Sunset seemed slightly surprised and took a few seconds to think.

"I read about that somewhere. You're talking about the Alicorn Amulet, right?"

Twilight opened the book she was holding in her magic and began flipping through some illustrated pages.

"The Alicorn Amulet is one of them, objects that in a past era were used by evil unicorns for their terrible purposes. The Alicorn Amulet, the Sácanas Staff, the Bewitching Bell, and… this, the Memory Stone."

"Memory Stone? That sounds promising," Sunset said, taking the book with her own magic and starting to read what was written. Twilight read aloud with her.

"'The Memory Stone once belonged to a powerful sorceress whose name is unknown, for she used it to erase the memory of anyone who saw or confronted her. Clover Clever, Star Swirl’s apprentice, was tasked with stopping the sorceress and destroying the stone. But every time she managed to find it, the sorceress used the power of the stone to erase her memory and escape. Still, Clover Clever used scraps of parchment to write down everything that happened and to know where to go.'"

"Wow, the girl really lived up to her name, didn’t she?" Sunset remarked.

They shared a smile at that idea before continuing to read.

"'In their final confrontation, the magic of both unicorns opened a vortex that ended up dragging the sorceress and the stone to a place where Clover Clever could never find them…'"

As they read the final part, both friends stared intently at the illustration of a vortex, a portal, and a seemingly terrified mare in its center.

"… Sunset, what if that vortex dragged the sorceress and the stone to the mirror world?" Twilight asked.

Sunset paused thoughtfully, still looking at the illustration.

"If that’s the case… if someone found the stone, they must be using it to erase everyone’s memory. … but—"

"Who?" Twilight interrupted, finishing Sunset’s question. Both of them fell into deep thought.

~ Lost Among Memories ~

Once again, the Crystal Prep girls gathered, this time accompanied by the older sisters of their siren friend.

"So, they erased your memories of Sunset? That’s interesting," Adagio remarked, observing the others with curiosity.

"I wish they would erase my memory," Aria said with a dark expression. "It would help me forget how Sunset humiliated us some time ago."

Sonata, in her usual playful tone, interrupted:

"Please, Arie! We all know you like Sunsite."

Aria scowled, looking at her sister with annoyance, and replied:

"I like her as much as I like you."

She says this in a grumpy tone, and with an annoyed look. But that doesn't affect the blue one, on the contrary.

"Awww! I love you too, sis!"

Sonata let out a laugh and gave her sister a tight hug. Aria blushed for a moment, then became irritated, trying to break free, ready to strike her.

Indigo, visibly tired of the jokes, intervened:

"As sweet as family love is, we need to fix this. We need to find out who did this and fix it. So... Adagio, any ideas?"

Adagio fell silent for a moment, her arms crossed. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

"Me? Are you asking me?" she finally answered, as if she hadn’t expected to be consulted.

Sunny, with a serious expression, added:

"None of us know what to do. And it seems Sunset has left the school. No one has seen her since this morning."

This left Adagio deep in thought. She stayed silent for a few seconds, staring off into space, as if contemplating something. Finally, she murmured:

"Knowing Sunset, I don’t think she ran away. She must be looking for answers, just like you. And if I’m right, there’s only one place she could have gone."

With that, the orange-haired siren turned around and began to walk away, without saying more. Twilight, surprised, called out:

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Adagio, without stopping, replied firmly:

"Aria, let's go! We need to find Sunset before this gets worse. All the rest of you, stay here. If she returns, she will look for all you here."

Twilight, confused, asked:

"But where are you going? Where is Sunset?"

Adagio didn’t answer, continuing to walk with Aria following her. The rest of the group remained there, watching them leave, looking to Sonata for an explanation, but she didn’t have one.

Indigo, frustrated, seemed ready to follow them, but Sunny stopped her:

"Indigo, no. She's right. If Sunset returns, she’ll find us here. We have to wait."

Indigo tried to protest, but couldn’t. The group remained bewildered and worried.

~ Lost Among Memories ~

Sunset was seated, using a quill and ink to take notes on a parchment. There was also a drawing on it, the same one that appeared on the memory stone.

When she finished, the amber pony rolled up the parchment and stored it in her satchel.

"It’s better I return home. Now that I know what I’m looking for, I’ll be able to break this spell," she said, her expression worried, but determined.

Twilight, concerned, asked:

"Are you sure? Maybe we should investigate a bit more. Clover Clever’s books might give us more clues."

Sunset shook her head.

"I don’t think so. The book says the stone was lost beyond that portal. I doubt Clover was able to follow it into my world."

Twilight remained unsure but understood. Sunset, with determination, continued:

"Thank you for your help, princess. I wouldn’t have figured this out without you."

Twilight smiled, but her concern returned.

"Sunset, you must be careful. We don’t know what other magic might be hiding inside that stone."

"It doesn’t matter," Sunset replied firmly. "My friends need me, and I assure you, Twilight, there is nothing and no one in this world or the other that can stop me."

With those words, Sunset turned decisively, but just after taking two steps, her face collided with something soft, white, and fluffy. She raised her head and saw a coat whiter than snow. ... the fiery-maned pony stands there, staring at that fur, looks down and she sees two gold-clad hooves or shoes, she looks up, and sees a pair of pink eyes accompanied by a multi-colored mane, and a crown.

Princess Celestia, the supreme ruler of the kingdom, looked down at her.

Sunset remains still, not moving or speaking. Then, using her magic, she places Twilight in front of her and curls up behind her.

"Um... Sunset..." murmurs the purple princess, glancing over her shoulder.

"Shhh! I think she didn’t see me..." Sunset responds, her whisper barely hiding her urge to shout.

Twilight lifts her gaze, meeting her mentor's eyes. Celestia’s expression is calm, yet there's an air of tension. The young princess tries to calm herself.

"Eh... hehehe... Hello, Princess Celestia! What... what a coincidence to see you... I..." Twilight stumbles over her words, her nervousness is palpable, and the more she tries to speak, the more she gets tangled up.

"Twilight," Princess Celestia’s voice is deep and firm.

The voice from the older princess causes Twilight to shudder, and her coat stands on end.

"Could you give us a moment, please?" Celestia’s request is soft yet clear.

The Princess of Friendship appears worried and looks at her unicorn friend. Sunset, curled up behind her, stays still, enveloped in silence.

"If I don’t see it, it’s not real..." Sunset’s whisper is barely audible from her golden mane.

The purple pony slowly steps back, revealing the trembling figure of thy ambar pony to the older princess. Celestia, with her always solemn expression, directs a look filled with emotion at the young alicorn. Sunset doesn’t dare lift her head, the fear evident in her eyes.

The air feels thick, as if time itself has stopped. Finally, Celestia’s voice breaks the silence.

"Sunset Shimmer, please, could you stand up?" Her tone is soft but commanding.

Sunset, with her heart pounding, stops trembling and slowly stands. Her head remains lowered, and it takes several seconds for her to gather the courage to look at Celestia. The moment seems eternal.

When she finally raises her eyes, Celestia makes a gentle motion, and her crown falls to the floor. Sunset can’t help but turn her head away, closing her eyes, fearful of what will happen.

A soft touch on her face makes her turn back. She opens her eyes and sees the face of her former teacher, calm, full of understanding, but also a subtle sadness. Celestia looks at her with a tenderness that makes Sunset tremble, her eyes reflecting something beyond words.

"I’ve missed you so much, Sunset Shimmer" The sun princess whispers, and with those words, the unicorn’s world seems to crumble.

Sunset can’t move, can’t speak. She just feels how the ancient princess wraps her up with the utmost care, pulling her toward herself. The embrace is soft but firm, and Sunset feels the beat of Celestia’s heart in her chest, the warmth and softness of her being. These feelings, which she thought were lost, return with overwhelming intensity.

She can’t stop herself. She buries her face in the white coat, trying futilely to control the tears that are flowing.

"I’m sorry... I’m sorry..." she murmurs with a broken voice, as her tears fall endlessly.

Celestia holds her even tighter in her embrace, gently stroking her fiery mane and wrapping her in one of her wings like a protective blanket. The warmth from her body fills Sunset, and without strength to resist, she lets the crying take over, shouting in desperation.

"I’M SORRY! I’M SO SORRY! I’M SORRY!" her broken voice cries out with each word, as if all her pain is pouring out with the tears.

Celestia holds her with the tenderness and firmness of a mother, letting her own tears fall as well, embracing the pony with a gentleness that only unconditional love can provide.

Twilight, witnessing the scene, can’t help but be moved. She cries, deeply touched by the moment, while wiping away her own tears with her hooves.

~ Lost Among Memories ~

After what felt like eternities, the three ponies stood facing each other, deep in thought, contemplating the matter at hand.

Princess Celestia’s voice broke the silence. “How my heart wishes our reunion could have been under different circumstances... But I understand the gravity of this situation.”

Twilight Sparkle, visibly insecure and troubled, couldn’t hide her anxiety. “Do you think, Princess Celestia, that the Memory Stone could have fallen into that other world, and is now being used by another pony?”

The sun princess pondered the idea for a moment before responding. “The secrets and mysteries of that world go beyond any record we have in this library. I truly believe anything is possible.”

Sunset Shimmer, hearing this, did not feel any relief. Instead, determination settled across her face. “I have no other choice. I must return and continue my investigation from there. Perhaps no pony in Equestria knows what happened to the stone or the sorceress, but there might be clues in my world—legends, myths... Everything could be useful.”

Twilight hesitated, concern evident in her voice. “Are you going to do this alone? Without your friends...?”

Sunset’s response was firm. “I have no choice. My friends need me, and I can’t let our friendship break again... I know what it feels like to lose it because of another's actions. I won’t let the Anon-a-Miss incident happen again.”

The pirncess of friendship flinched at the mention of the name. The memory of those painful moments weighed heavily on her heart. She lowered her head for a moment before speaking again. “I’ll stay here and keep researching. I may not figure out what happened to the stone after the portal, but maybe I can find a way to counteract its magic and restore your friends' memories.”

The unicorn pony smiled softly, her gratitude clear. “Thank you, Princess. I don’t know what I would do without your help in these matters.”

Twilight blushed, smiling shyly and turning her gaze away. Celestia, meanwhile, couldn’t stop looking at her former student, her face full of both surprise and pride.

“I must say, this is a great change from our last conversation. Sunset Shimmer, I can see how much you’ve grown and learned. I’m proud of the pony you’ve become.”

Sunset stood still, stunned by the words. She opened her mouth to speak but found herself unable to. Her eyes trembled, and for a moment, she seemed on the verge of tears. But she held back, offering a smile to her former mentor.

“Thank you, Princess Celestia... And I... want to apologize for the way I acted in the past... I know you tried to teach me about friendship, and I... failed you. If I had listened to you...”

Celestia interrupted, her voice soft and comforting. “Sunset, you didn’t fail me.” The older princess remains silent for a moment “It was I who failed you, Sunset.”

Both smaller ponies stared at their mentor, completely shocked. They couldn’t understand what she was saying.

“No...!” Sunset stammered. “Celestia, I made the mistake. I was a bad student!”

Celestia’s expression softened. “There are no bad students, Sunset. If a student fails, it’s because they had a poor teacher. And that’s what I was to you. I wanted you to learn, but I never truly taught you. I wanted you to listen to me, but I never spoke to you. I wanted you to follow the path I envisioned, but I never showed you what it was, or why. It took me years to understand that it was my responsibility, not only to teach you but to raise you. Your mistakes were my mistakes. I failed you as a teacher, and that’s what caused our separation.”

Sunset shook her head. “No... Princess, it wasn’t like that! You wanted to teach me! But I didn’t listen! You wanted the best for me, and I just...”

Sun Princess looked at her with regret. “Yes, I wanted the best, but instead of showing you why, I tried to force you to accept it. I treated you like a servant, not as a student. Sunset... I hope one day you can forgive me for everything I put you through, for my mistakes...”

The usually composed Princess Celestia’s voice was filled with guilt and remorse, a stark contrast to her usual poise.

Sunset could not move, her body still as she gazed at Celestia, both astonished and pained. Unable to control herself, she threw herself into a hug, as though trying to melt into her former teacher.

“There’s nothing to forgive! I’m sorry! I’m sorry for everything I did...!”

Celestia wrapped her wing and hoof around the pony, fighting back tears that threatened to fall.

“The past no longer matters. You’ve grown and matured. You’ve become the pony I always knew you would be, and you did it on your own.”

Sunset, still in Celestia’s embrace, whispered softly. “Not entirely on my own.”

She pulled back slightly to approach the other princess of the group, pulling her into an embrace as well.

“I had so many people there to help me.”

Twilight said nothing, but allowed herself to melt into the hug as well. Celestia smiled warmly, watching them.

~ Lost Among Memories ~

The base of the statue emitted a strange sound, and a bright light appeared just as our fiery-haired girl reappeared. She felt the tremor caused by the strange sensation of crossing between worlds. For a moment, she almost lost her balance, but she steadied herself, standing tall. She shook her head before fully registering her surroundings. The day was still present at Canterlot High, but the sun was beginning to set on the horizon.

Almost no one was nearby, except for the Rainbooms...

The girls Sunset knew better than anyone at school were walking toward her, deep in conversation. Even their newest member was with them.

Sunset sighed softly, feeling relief at seeing them approach. However, that relief quickly vanished as soon as the six girls saw her. They were shocked at first, and then, some of them appeared... upset.

“Oh great, look who’s back.” Rainbow Dash's voice held an unmistakable aggression, and Sunset was deeply confused by it. "What do you want now? Traitor?”

Sunset froze, feeling as if her body had gone cold at hearing that word.

"A'h thought you were gone for good." Applejack's voice carries the same feeling as Rainbow's. "Can’t ya leave us oncefor all?"

Sunset speaks, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “W-What? What are you talking about?”

Rainbow frowns and looks more upset. “What do you want now? Are you here to expose more secrets? Or hit more people? Because if that’s the case, believe me, I’ll be happy to return the favor.”

Rainbow cracked her knuckles, looking ready to fight.

Sunset starts to shake

“Girls, what’s going on?! Why are you acting like this?!”

Sunset’s confusion and desperation were growing with every second.

Rainbow just exclaim “Don’t play dumb! Anon-a-Miss!”

Sunset freeze...

That name... that damn name... It caused everyone to fall silent. Sunset could see nothing but the hateful glares from the girls who used to be her closest friends...

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie... all of them wore expressions of disdain, anger, and even disappointment.

A sixth stare, that of Sunseen, showed no emotion, but didn’t dare look at her twin.

Sunset couldn’t hear anything else. Gradually, her awareness began to fade. The world around her was consumed by a dark hole that swallowed all the light... her mind drifted back to the painful memories of betrayal and hatred that she had tried to bury.

She felt herself falling into an abyss... slow... very slow... and then... nothing.

... To Be Continued...

Author's Note

Hello! Thanks for reading this chapter. I hope you liked it.

Just a note to mention a few things.

The plot of the original special fails in terms of showing the lack of physical evidence about the friendship with Sunset, I tried to make that better.

Another point, Celestia's reunion, and the way she 'helped' the plot, was a waste, since the reunion was not emotional and Celestia did nothing that any other character could have done. That's why I made Sunset herself the one who knew about the restricted section and put a reunion more like what I would have liked to see.

Speaking of the section, I don't understand why the stone records are in such a hidden place, when other things like the sirens, or even the magic clock from another special are in normal books in the Twilight library. I don't see the point of hiding the stone so much, and that's why I wanted to add something to it, placing a "subplot" about forbidden artifacts, the stone being one of them, makes sense that the information is hidden.

That's all for now, I hope you like it and if you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I'll answer them
Rrad you later, bye!