ACT 4 - FINAL MEMORIES

CHAPTER 10 - Remember me?

And the world said: I don’t need you.

And I asked: Then why am I here?

There was a certain coldness, a certain unease in the air of the library that lingered after Sunset Shimmer was dragged away from there in chains.

Twilight Sparkle watched her the entire way, until she disappeared in the hallways of the palace. She compelled herself to look– to not look away from the strange set of sensations that were derived from seeing such a scene.

For her, it was easy to rationalize and explain away any feelings she might have stirred over it, no matter how deep they cut.

In the end, it could all be a ploy. A devious infiltration of the Umbrum on their very minds that forced them to experience further grief, further pain, and the strangest of longings.

“A word, my student.” Celestia called out from across the library, accompanied by Luna. The words she spoke were heavy, and held a sorrow she suppressed with every step.

“I… Can I check something in my room first?”

“We must finish our work here tonight, then you may rest.” Celestia responded without even looking at her, beckoning her with a wing.

The Princess of Friendship was compelled to follow, but she was briefly stopped. “Hey Twi, um… Where are they taking her?” Pinkie couldn’t help but ask, as she pointed at the great set of doors in the library that Sunset had been dragged out of– All of her friends looked uneasy and ashamed.

“Detainment. Please just don’t do anything, okay–”

“Twilight.” Celestia reaffirmed, tapping a hoof on the floor.

“I’ll be right back. Stay here, all of you!” The Princess nodded at her friends, who sat idly by, surrounded by empty tables, watching the many guards that had gathered for the ambush disperse and leave the library.

Luna had a scowl– A grimace, if not of frustration, of annoyance. “I thought you promised no more secrets, sister.” She sneered, suppressing her own anger. “Your original pupil– That is a pretty big secret. I would have appreciated it if she would not have blindsided us like this.”

“Her return is as much of a surprise to you as it is to me!” Her sorrow turned to indignation, as she led the way to one of the largest corners of the library, supported by enormous stained glass windows, where they had more privacy. “I have simply no clue how she could have possibly escaped from whence she came– I can only speculate on what the Umbrum have done to her in her time of banishment– But clearly, the years have not been kind on her…” And again, anger turned to sorrow, as she looked away. “A-at the very least… She is home now. Better late than never…”

“I do not appreciate being pulled from my nightly duties– But for it to be caused by somepony I have never heard of– Omitting that you trained a pupil before Twilight is a far too steep of a secret, sister!” She spread her wings in irritation. “The captain and several of the guards are hospitalized, the storm rages on, and we are no closer to discovering what the Umbrum were planning!!”

“Forgive me, sister– But you are being rather harsh, for we have stopped their ploy, and this night has taken its toll on all of us, don’t you see?!”

“...Who was she?”Twilight asked simply, looking at the door. “...Who was she, really…? Before she did this. And why did I not know about her…?”

A moment of hesitation passed, where Celestia calculated her answer, one where Twilight shook her head. “...I have to go check something in my room.” She affirmed, but the Queen of the Sun immediately halted her.

“Twilight. You must know– I never intended to keep Sunset from you– From either of you.” She apologized with profound shame. “In fact, I… I wanted to… Wait, didn’t I…?” Her vision blurred as she looked at the floor. “...Twilight, didn’t you…?”

“I should have presumed you did not luck out on the pupil department in the first go.” Luna scoffed, shaking her head. “But to have one possessed by the Umbrum– That is rather valuable information for us both to know, do you not think?!”

“B-but I…” She stopped, blinking, folding her wings close. “I wanted to… I wanted Twilight to save her. When she was ready. I wanted to. But why didn’t she… why didn’t I…”

“...If you want me to cleanse the shadows from inside her, I know the spell…” The Princess muttered, still looking at the door. “But something else might be going on here. She seemed in control of her faculties, and incredibly capable. And she seemed scared…”

“The Umbrum will cheat, lie, possess and deceit, in any way they can to achieve their goals. They might have discovered a tool we do not yet know to make Sunset seem more like a normal pony.” The Queen of the Night sighed, looking at the shadows beyond the windows in the stormy night. “...Sister, it may be wise to relocate the Elements of Harmony, just in case.”

“Y-yes, indeed, I…” She murmured, shaking her head, the imagery of her daughter in chains still vivid in her mind. “Forgive me, but… It seems my… it seems that something might be wrong. Dreadfully wrong… But I do not know what.”

“Understatement of the millenia.” Luna rolled her eyes. “I have got nightly duties to attend to– See that the castle does not burn before I am gone, will you? And ensure that you’ve gotten rest, both of you. You both could use some sleep– Tomorrow, we will get to the bottom of this whole Sunset Shimmer debacle.”

“...Where did you hide the Elements?” Twilight muttered quietly, still looking away.

With a sigh, Celestia shook her head. “A secret place in this library. It is best if you do not know of it.”

And finally, the Princess of Friendship turned her head to look Celestia in the eye. “...Why did she call you mom?”

There was a pause– A moment, where the Queen of the Sun’s breathing was unstable. “...The Umbrum were attempting to play with my emotions. Nothing more.” She affirmed in a shaky breath. “I believe I… I believe we could all use some rest. Tomorrow, we will unravel what is really happening here. Twilight… Ensure that your friends have proper quarters here, if you please. And ensure that they do not get as easily tricked by our potential adversaries in the future.”

“I will. I just need to check something in my room–”

“Please give them the proper accommodations first, Twilight. You are the Princess of Friendship, after all.” Celestia let out a short, ironic chuckle, but her smile quickly faded. “...I will return to my chambers after I relocate the elements, and see you all at the next sunrise. Tomorrow, I– We… Discover why Sunset Shimmer is really here.”

“Hm.” Luna hummed in affirmation, and began walking at one of the exits in a pace ready to return to her routine. “And if there are any other monsters in your closet, sister, I’d like to know in advance. Sunset Shimmer should have been freed from the Umbrum’s control long ago.”

“Y-yes. She should have… Why wasn’t she…?Why didn’t I…”She murmured to herself, grimacing in grief. But then quickly shaking her head. “...Goodnight, my student. Oversee your guests, if you please.”

And just like that, Twilight was alone with her friends. But she did not yet acknowledge them.

She kept replaying in her mind the recent scenes she had witnessed.

That mare, Sunset Shimmer, fighting with the determination and ferocity of a beast– Only to freeze like a deer in the headlights when confronted with the Princess of Friendship.

The fear and the grief on her face felt real. Too real.

But were they real enough to not be simulated by the enemy?

And why did seeing her hurt felt so wrong?

“Twilight darling, are you alright?” Rarity approached, followed by the others. “You seem exhausted. We all are, really. How are you feeling?”

“I’m… I'm not sure. I’m not sure of anything right now.” She murmured, looking down, ears low. “...I need to check something in my room…”

“So… Sunset was just playing us the whole time?” The bard pouted, leaning on a table. “I don’t know. It feels wrong. Why would she want to get the elements of watchamacallit?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure.” Twilight stated robotically, leading the way out of the room, and her friends followed.

“Um, well partner, I think we could all use some sleep.” Applejack let Rarity lean on her as they walked. “That was… One of our stranger little debacles.”

“You said it, AJ.” Rainbow blew raspberries. “I was hoping that for a cool adventure with all of us, there’d be more fighting or whatever... We didn’t even get to do anything! At this point, reading books woulda been less boring. Whatever…”

“Well, apart from being deceived by a stranger feigning to be our friend, nothing particularly bad happened.” Rarity huffed, and then yawned. “Please tell me that you are leading us to our own quarters for the night, Twilight– And that me and Applejack will have our privacy.”

“Yeah, yeah…” The Princess responded absentmindedly.

“Anypony else feel like we’re making a big mistake in not trusting Sunset?” Pinkie murmured warily. “I’m getting the tingles. My tail is shivering and I feel like we made a big mistake…!”

“Pinkie.” Twilight immediately called out sternly. “If Queen Chrysalis had asked really nicely to be let inside the castle, would you have complied because she said ‘pretty please’?!”

“W-well, probably not, but–”

“--Look. I’m not mad at all of you, I’m just disappointed.” Looking down, Twilight shook her head. “At times like these, we all need to adhere to logic and reasoning! I hoped you all wouldn’t be this gullible– I don’t know what Sunset really is, but she’s dangerous.”

“She said she loves you.”

The entire group stopped talking and looked at Fluttershy, who had been quietly but attentively listening to everything until now. She froze when all eyes were on her, but mustered the courage to repeat herself.

“Sunset. Um, she said she loves you, Twilight.” She looked down, a bit embarrassed. “And, um, she sounded like she meant it.”

There was a moment of silence, where the Princess evaluated the words in her mind, assigned and discarded meaning to them several times– Having to process the stirring and the suppressing of the stirring of any feelings that statement could rise within her.

Then she just shrugged. “...Well that’s dumb. We’ve never even met before.”

“That’s not what she said!” Pinkie affirmed without hesitation. “She said she was the captain of your royal guard and you two were secret lovers! Getting freaky when nopony’s looking, hihi.”

“Pinkie, please be quiet.” She had both irritation and exhaustion in her voice. “In fact– Can we not talk about this or her anymore today?? I’m just– Mentally, this day just wrecked me. I feel awful, and I could use some sleep, okay? Just– Just let me rest.”

Tail tuckered swiftly between her legs, Pinkie nodded, and the rest of the girls agreed shamefully.

Twilight led them to their respective guest rooms, in motions they all had rehearsed, the castle had ample quarters for visitors, and they had done this before.

“Alright darlings, please all get some rest.”

“G’nite, ya’ll.”

“Peace.”

“U-um… I hope nothing bad happens to Sunset...”

Pinkie was the last one, who paused before entering her room. “...I know I’m a bit gullible, Twilight, but… I don’t think Sunset was lying.”

The Princess allowed herself a single second to sigh with exhaustion. “Pinkie, she cut a bloody swath through the royal guard only a few hours ago. There are several of them with limbs twisted the wrong way being tended to right now. I’m not having this conversation.”

“I-I’m just saying, she… You have to have noticed that something’s wrong with our memories, right?”

“I’m not adhering to conspiracy theories. Nothing that we’ve seen and felt today can’t be explained with a simple thought process.” She shook her head, looking away, huffing. “Our enemies would use any tactic to throw us off balance. And I'm not letting them.”

With a disappointed sigh, Pinkie pouted. “...Soooo… where’s ‘detainment’ anyways?”

“You’re not breaking her out.” Twilight affirmed immediately, turning around. “Good night, Pinkie. We’ll get to the bottom of this tomorrow, okay?”

Without any more words, she left with haste. After all, she had business elsewhere, and was exhausted.

It was long after midnight. She’d probably get little sleep before sunrise.

Arriving in her room, she let out an enormous, weary sigh, beholding it.

The bed was huge for only one pony. Had it always been that big?

She shook those thoughts aside.

There was something more important she needed to verify.

She opened her closet doors.

In the corner, past many of her clothes, hung a leather jacket.

“Remember me?”

Sunset narrowed her eyes, with unsteady breaths stiffened by her muzzle, rattling the tight chains that bound her.

The mare on the outside of her jail cell did not look familiar. A three-legged, green and exhausted looking Earth Pony. Her hair was messy and unkempt, like she hadn’t taken care of herself in days, or maybe longer; Her eyes indicated the lack of sleep, and her body did not inspire any confidence in her exercising with regularity.

And again, she looked down to that missing front leg.

Slowly, Wallflower took out the memory stone from her cloak, and placed it on the floor, right before Sunset, outside of her cell.

She began fidgeting with it. Looking at it pensively, but not calmly. There was a quiet manicness about her– Like she had waited so long for this night, but barely knew what to say.

“...When I was given the memory stone by my mom, I didn’t think I’d ever use it.” She muttered quietly, fiddling with it with her spare leg. “...After all, why would I want to use an artifact that takes memories away? I’m not good at magic. I’m not good at anything. I’m an Earth Pony– This would have no use for me.”

Sunset rattled against her chains; her breathing was uneasy, as her eyes widened. She tried coming closer, but her binds held her back. “Who are you?!”

Wallflower ignored her. “...My mom, she said… She said that it was a family heirloom. Decades, maybe centuries of earth ponies in our family could use it, and only us. That we were meant to keep it safe. Our legacy…” She huffed, looking away. “...What a stupid legacy. She didn’t even know who made it or why. Centuries of a family holding onto a rock that only takes and takes and takes. And well, the bloodline is going to end with me anyway, so… Who cares? Who cares about us? Who cares about me… Who cares about this.”

“What is that fucking stone?!” Sunset snarled, struggling against the chains. “And who the fuck are you?!”

“I guess the joke’s on me. Because I started using it.” She made eye contact– Filled with anger and resentment, but most of all, exhaustion. “...When I first started using it, I only erased little things. Awkward hellos, Saying the wrong thing… P-public speaking… It became a routine, I suppose… And I was bad at it. Most times, it didn’t even work.”

Again, she desperately tried putting a name to the face. Again, she failed. “WHO are you?!”

“Hell. It often didn’t work on you.” Wallflower tapped the stone, tilting her head. “I would desperately hope that the Paladin with a death glare wouldn’t remember the many times she trampled over my flowers, and then threatened to do the same to me. But you always seemed to target me… I guess maybe you just liked that I was weak and small, even if you forgot. Easy to hurt. Easy target.”

She blinked several times, connecting the dots slowly in her head.

“You asked who I am. How about you guess? Do you need a hint?” She pointed at the stump that resided near her chest, mismatched. “Here’s your hint: I had four legs before I met you.”

“...You’re the gardener, aren’t you…? When I turned into a demon, I… oh no…” Sunset grimaced, leaning back.

An ironic, weary, nervous chuckle came out of Wallflower, as she fidgeted. “L-look at that. I’m so flattered. You actually remember.”

Sunset’s gaze went to the memory stone. Then back at her. “...You did this, didn’t you? You erased all their memories of me before my banishment!!? Why?! I don’t even know you!!--”

“Are you K-KIDDING ME?!”Her clumsy indignation and anger exploded as she gritted her teeth with a grimace. “Y-you’re asking WHY?! Do you know how it feels, whenever you stumble and fall, being reminded of a monster that tore one of your limbs off with a smile?! Can you even imagine how every chore, every movement, every trip– All of it reminded me of you?! Because it’s all harder! It's all an inconvenience now! Every single second of my days–” She winced, inhaled, shaking her head. “I can’t even garden like I used to. You took one of the only things I had– One of the only things that brought me any joy. You took it. You r-ruined me… And you never even knew my name…! T-that’s the worst part, isn’t it?? Y-you ruined me… And you never even knew my name.”

Sunset had no response, she just observed the grief and fear on the Earth Pony’s face carefully. “--It’s Wallflower Blush, by the way. That’s my name. I figure you should know, since you ruined my life. I bet you won’t forget it now, though… Now that I ruined yours.”

“The Umbrum are using you.” Sunset swallowed her rage, and tried to appeal. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with. The second you’re not useful anymore, they’ll crush you– You’re just a tool to them, just like I was!!”

“I-I know. We’re using each other…” Quietly, Wallflower pointed at her shadow on the floor, barely perceptible, lit by distant torchlight. Her shade moved on its own, and waved. Sunset’s eyes widened. The Umbrum were here, and they were listening. “I never would have managed to take any memory like this if it wasn’t for them… B-but you know how it is… In for a penny…”

“Y-you little SHIT!” The Unicorn rattled her chains in anger. “YOU SIDED WITH ELDRITCH MONSTERS FROM THE MOON JUST TO GET REVENGE ON ME?!”

She recoiled fearfully, and inhaled, trying not to be shaken. The chains that bound Sunset and the bars of the cell that divided provided her plenty of safety, but not emotional safety.

“I-I had nightmares about you, you know...” The Gardener looked at the floor, fidgeting with the memory stone. “Almost every night, for months, after you were banished. I thought… I thought, if nothing else, I could have peace of mind, knowing that you were gone… But it didn’t last. One year, and you were back… And the nightmares came back. The Queen and the Princess, with their weird fixations on you… They brought you here…. The castle didn’t feel safe anymore. Every time I saw you walking the halls, I was reminded of it. I was terrified of the day you’d come back to finish the job.”

“W-why would I?! I’m not that thing anymore?! I’m just a unicorn!”

“The Umbrum showed me your thoughts, your dreams…” She mulled over, looking away to the darkness. “They showed me how little remorse you feel for everything you’ve done. Every person you hurt, you killed…” She sighed, shaking her head. “What’s a few less bandits, cultists or even changelings in the world? What’s a gardener missing a leg, to the great Sunset Shimmer…?”

“I’m not who you think I am, the Umbrum lied to you!! T-they’re manipulating you, just like they did to me!!”

“P-people don’t change. Not really.” She stuttered over her words, gritting her teeth. “Look at yourself. It took one bad day, and you rampaged through the castle again. How long until you break your new no-killing rule? I’m right here now, d-don’t you want to finish the job?”

The thought had indeed crossed her mind, in raging flares of teeth. If this gardener was the source of all her problems, Sunset wanted to strangle the life out of her.

“You had everyone fooled.” Wallflower stated with a scowl. “But now they all know you’re still a monster– A monster in a cage. Just like how you always were. You won't hurt anyone like you did me ever again.”

“S-so this was what, some misguided sense of justice!?”She struggled against her chains, glaring at Wallflower.

“...N-no, it was revenge.” She looked down almost shamefully, closing her eyes. “I’m not going to pretend that I care about a-anything else. I don’t have anything else. I can’t throw a punch. I can’t even gallop. B-but I beat you.”

The sheep had beaten the wolf.

Sunset grunted and snarled in frustration, but then breathed deeply. “Y-you proved your point. You got me. Just give my family their memories back, please!” Through her anger, she managed to plead.

“Oh, yeah, a zero sum where you get to have everything back and then crush my skull under your hoof? I-I don’t think so.” She shook her head, huffing. “You don’t get it, do you? It’s over, it’s already done.”

Her breathing quickened, as her anger boiled. It was getting progressively harder to pretend she didn’t want to brutalize this gardener. “...You brought that Umbrum vessel here in the morning, didn’t you? The fucking parlay– it was you.”

“Okay, answer this:” A little smile manifested in her face, barely perceptive. “How does an Umbrum vessel as small as a helmet get into the Canterlot Palace?”

“Y-you… it was you.”

“...You walk through the front gates with it.” She replied, with a shrug and a light raspy chuckle. “It wasn’t hard. No one even notices me anymore– And I work here, after all. Well… I used to. Everyone sees me as a gardener, but… I’m invisible.”

“A-and my quarters…!” Once again, she bared her teeth.

“I can walk by almost anything just by saying ‘excuse me!’ and passing through. How hard do you think it was to sneak into your quarters and burn it down?”

Her heart pounded in anger, faster and faster. Her breathing akin to a wild animal. “You burned everything I had. For petty revenge.”

“I can erase memories, n-not memorabilia.” She shrugged, fidgeting with the stone. “We knew we needed all evidence of you as a captain gone so you could be replaced, and especially evidence of you living in the castle… Plus, the added bonus of causing you pain. Three birds, one memory stone.”

“W-why Flash?!” Sunset shook her head, trying to come closer. “Why Flash Sentry?! Why make him captain?!”

“Funny story.” She almost chuckled, fidgeting. “Moving memories is so, so, so much harder than just taking them… And I couldn’t have taken anything substantial without the Umbrum’s help, too.” With a sigh, she shrugged. “Originally, they wanted me to replace you with one of their own. A captain of the royal guard that’s a vessel or an ally to the Umbrum. I met her, too… Some maniac with a broken horn.” She tilted her head, grimacing. “But I convinced them of something better. You don’t need to sabotage anything from the inside, if the person on the job is an incompetent buffoon. Plus, there’s no impostor to discover.”

“So it was just for sabotage?!”

“You must have rattled Stygian pretty good.” She looked away into the darkness, as if there was something there. “He said that the palace’s security was becoming impregnable, and that they needed you gone, one way or another. With someone not qualified for the job, the royal guard will slowly but certainly be reduced to its former incompetency. The Umbrum are patient, and memory is fickle– I don’t even think he’s going to get fired for doing bad at the job, they’ll just think… He was always the captain, so why change?”

“Why, why him.”

“Because he’s your ex.” She affirmed coldly. “And although I’m pretty bad at moving memories… I wondered how much it would hurt you, if he and your Princess fell in love.”

Sunset’s heart stopped, and her eyes widened.

“It would be a strange, unrequited love, their memories betraying their instincts, but… Who knows?” She took pleasure in seeing the expression in Sunset’s face. “...At least he can fly with her.”

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!!”

Her agonized scream and thrashing against the chains that bound her was so violent that Wallflower fell backwards in fear.

Sunset continued to struggle and pull against the chains, violently yanking at them, yelling, snarling, gritting her teeth against the muzzle that made her struggle to speak.

And Wallflower cowered on the floor, shivering, eyes closed.

Half a minute passed with Sunset’s haggard breathing observing her prey, until the gardener finally managed to speak up. “...W-welcome back, monster.” She stuttered in fear.“...T-that wasn’t so hard…!”

“This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”Sunset snarled, trying to get closer, being held back by her chains. “Tomorrow, I’ll explain to them everything. They’ll believe me. Then I’m coming for you.”

“Heh, yeah, so here’s the thing about that…” She fidgeted with an awkward, nervous smile. “I’m not just here to gloat. And I didn’t just cast one spell… I cast another, today... A much more definitive one.”

“W-what?!”

“When the sun next rises today… In a few hours, I believe, every single memory anyone in Equestria has ever had of you will be erased. Even from before your banishment. Every single one– Even the ones they made today.” Her glare was cold, it was filled with resentment and finality, but especially fear. “What I did? Setting back the clock to right after your banishment…? That was just the beginning.”

“N-no, no, no, no, no…”

“Meaning… To anyone that sees you here, you’ll just be a raving mad prisoner in chains. A stranger they’ve never met, speaking nonsense. A monster.” She affirmed with all the confidence she could muster. “No one is coming for you. T-this is your new home now.”

“H-how, no, no, no. You can’t. It’s not going to work–” Memories of the assault she had just done– her existence and return, stolen. Memories of her childhood, all taken from her caretakers and mother.

Everything.

Everything that she was.

“And I know what you’re thinking, maybe you can stop it. Break the memory stone, or kill me… But that’s not how it works. You break the stone, the spell still takes its delayed effect, and the memories are lost forever.” She affirmed as coldly as she could, still shaking. “Kill me, and there’s no one that can use the memory stone alive in the world to bring those memories back.”

“T-there’s more evidence of me existing out there. There’s a LOT more!” Sunset snarled, shaking with rage. “Y-you haven’t burned all of it!! You barely erased a FRACTION of my footprint in this world!!”

“So what?” She shrugged again, looking away despondently. “You know what I discovered, when using the memory stone…? That people don’t care. Once you take away one memory, they’ll just… Ignore evidence that it ever existed by choice. They’ll see your face in pictures, yes. They’ll see your name in papers. And they’ll just think… ‘I wonder who that was?’ And move on. It’s like you don’t even exist. I speak from personal experience.”

Sunset had no response, as once again, it dawned on her just how far she had fallen.

“You’ll see… People like us, we weren’t ever meant to matter. You should have never been captain, and I should have never been anything more than a gardener.”

In that, they agreed.

“You and I will be the only ones that remember you, in the entire world.” She affirmed, coming even closer to the cage. “Well… And the Umbrum, I suppose. Even with their help, I couldn’t make a spell that reaches all the way to the moon.”

No response, just a death glare.

“So yeah. Enjoy your dark little cell… or don’t. Break out and come kill me, and well… Nothing will have changed. You can’t solve this problem with violence.” She rejoiced on the last jab, even if she wasn’t brave enough to smile. “And well…. T-that’s about it.” With an exhale, the gardener shuddered. “It’s done, then. G-goodbye.”

Before she could walk away, her own shadow pulled her. From below, she was pulled back onto the floor with a yelp, and forced to sit before Sunset, who beheld the scene analytically.

The shadow forced her down, and whispered something unintelligible before releasing her.

Wallflower wasn’t a vessel. But she was far from free.

With a whimper, she sat up, looking down, breathing fearfully, being forced to speak.

Eye contact. “...If you want me to give your friends their memories back… Come to the temple of the moon before sunrise. Stygian is waiting for you. Now that you’ve lost everything… it’s time for another parlay.” She muttered in frustration. “...W-we’ll be waiting.”

The maniacal grin that Sunset had in her face was almost sarcastic. “Oh, I’d go, but you’ll have to free me off these chains first. Otherwise I’m stuck here.”

“I-I’m not letting you get me that easily.” Wallflower shook her head with a fearful stutter. “W-we both know that this prison can’t hold you.”

“When I get there.” Sunset snarled coldly, unthinkingly. “I’m going to tear you limb from limb.”

“Y-yeah. I know. I know.” She shivered and shuddered, nodding, in complete acceptance. “P-people like us… We don't get happy endings. You know that better than anyone.”

Slowly, she walked towards the darkest corner of the room, not before giving Sunset a final glance. “My advice? Stay here. What Stygian wants to do to you is far worse than this.”

Her own shadow engulfed her. “G-goodbye.”

And just like that, she was no longer there.

Sunset was alone, with her own shallow breaths, glaring at nothing, seeing red.

In only a few hours, maybe less time, every single memory trace of her would be erased from the world– Even the progress she made today. And her only solution was to walk back into the belly of the beast.

She allowed no time for doubts or hesitation. Breathing faster and faster, she began doing what Celestia had taught her. Despite the magic-nullifying cuff restraining her horn, she still focused her magic at the furthest end of her horn.

It began burning, as her head began pounding. With a movement of her neck, she entangled her horn into one of the chains that bound her.

Slowly but surely, the heat began spreading to the metal. It began superheating it– Like an invisible blowtorch.

She was sweating, she was straining, she was in pain, she gritted her teeth and suppressed the urge to scream.

Her horn, burning red, melted through the chain. Shaking her head, pulling with her body, it came loose.

She took only one second to breathe and immediately entangled her horn in a new set of chains, continuing the painful process.

Once her front legs were free, she might be able to free herself from the binds on her horn. Then the rest would be easier, she would leave that place, and–

“...You’re already trying to escape…?”

That deeply familiar voice sounded from outside the cage.

Twilight Sparkle had walked in on her, and she didn’t even notice. She was carrying a large bag with her, and looked wary, and yet… Mournful.

“T-Twilight. Y-you just missed the witch of the Umbrum. She was here! If you hurry–”

“How convenient. S-stop that.” The Princess huffed, looking away. “I’m talking now, okay? Don’t try anything.”

Sunset remained silent, still, watching her every moment carefully. Her anger, her adrenaline, ceasing nearly instantly, replaced with tremendous apprehension.

“It’s funny…” She placed the bag down, and from it, removed a helmet. Sunset’s white paladin helmet. “...When we were searching the rubble of the captain’s quarters, we found this… And I remember at the time, I wondered… Why would a captain that’s a pegasus have armor that’s meant for an unicorn…?”

She clutched that helmet, looking at it, wondering. “I remember how easily my mind made excuses for it. Oh, it’s just a display model. Or we just need to make some changes for it. We sent it to get cleaned from the ash, and didn’t think of it any longer… Isn’t that just… Strange?”

Sunset didn’t dare respond. She watched as her love calmly placed the helmet on the floor, pointed at her.

“...Of course, it feels silly now. All this, all these jumbled thoughts and memories… And then I found this.” Slowly, she showed Sunset a picture.

It was all seven of them, in front of the finished new Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight, Sunset, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow. All smiling, all huddled together for a picture, all smiling truly.

Sunset was wearing her armor– Removing only the helmet for the picture, it laid next to her. She was nuzzling Twilight, both didn’t even look at the camera– just each other.

Mournfully, wordlessly, the captain regarded the picture, then The Princess.

“I-it… was in your jacket. In my closet.” She murmured, looking back at the picture, fixated on the image of them both together. “You… It would be a lot of work to falsify this. I don’t even know how you could…” There was doubt in her voice, as she sighed.

And still, Sunset remained quiet. Hoping for the best, fearing the worst.

“Okay… I’m going to ask you two things, and I want you to answer them truthfully, okay? No lies, no… No avoiding the question.”

“O-okay.”

Calmly, gently, The Princess used the magic to remove the muzzle from Sunset’s face.

“...What were you to me…?”

The captain inhaled. Choosing her words incredibly carefully, not daring to smile. “...Earlier this morning, you… You told me you loved me.” Slowly, she looked down in shame. “...And I was too scared to say it back.”

Twilight’s eyebrows shot up, and her breathing was weaker for a moment. but outside of that, no other reaction.

“We made a spell with Cadance. One that makes it so… you can call me from anywhere.” She muttered carefully. “I’m not sure you ever needed to write it down. Y-you’d abuse it so often, call me from my quarters to yours. You wanted to sleep holding me, and I never, ever regreted it, following your commands, keeping you company, satisfying you…” She stuttered over her words, looking away.

“T-that’s dumb.” Twilight pouted, shaking her head. “I-I’m not even attracted to mares. And I’ve never done… S-stuff like that.”

There was a sting in her heart as she realized how fruitless it was to try to argue against a hole in her memories. “Y-yeah, well… As your captain, that spell came in handy more than once.”

“Why didn’t you have a spell to call me..?”

Shamefully, Sunset looked away. “...I… I didn’t think we’d need it. I thought my job was to serve you, nothing else– I… I thought you were superior to me. I…I didn’t know.”

“How convenient.” She huffed quietly, as her ears flattened. “That would prove it for sure.”

“Q-Queen Luna, she… She and you told me that you dreamt of me whenever you had a nightmare. Whether the Umbrum were targeting you, or… Or anything, really, your mind went to me, somehow.” She regarded the Princess with hope and desperation. “I… I always thought that was perfect. That I could keep you safe, even in your dreams…!”

With a pout, looking away, Twilight narrowed her eyes. “...I don’t remember any of that.”

Sunset was grasping at straws. “...Cadance told me she’s pregnant at the grand galloping gala yesterday.”

“W-wh– You weren’t even there?!” Annoyed, the Princess stepped closer. “If Cadance was pregnant, she would have told me.”

“S-she… She said it was a secret because me and her were family. Because we’re cousins.” She hung her head low. “Since I’m… Celestia’s daughter.”

“The Queen never said anything about that.”

“B-because you don’t remember. I… This is pointless, isn’t it…?” She let out an enormous, exhausted sigh. “I… None of this matters. It’s over.”

Twilight watched that grief and felt as if it was her own. She wasn’t going to let her emotions betray her, and wanted to think strictly logically about this.

But it was getting difficult.

She inhaled, steeling herself, and asked the other burning question.

“Okay, but… What am I to you…?”

“Everything.”

There was a small moment of shock– one that was short lived, because Sunset kept talking. “You’re the reason I became better– That I became a captain. You’re the reason I woke up smiling every day for the past year. You’re the reason I even tried to become better. You’re the reason I stopped drinking, that I stopped killing, that I… You’re the reason for every single one of the best things about me. And you always made it look so effortless, too…”

Twilight processed every word, and didn’t respond, taking it all into account carefully.

“W-when you first found me, I was a wild animal. But you gave me purpose.”

The Princess came closer, right outside of the jail cell.

“You’re… You are so kind, and you make it look easy. You forgave me without knowing me. You spared me and saved me like it was just another day for you– 'Sparkles don’t hold grudges'.” She let out a quick, short, ironic, weary laughter. “I would follow you anywhere, and I know you’d never lead me astray. I trust you with everything I have. I trust you with my life.”

Twilight got teary eyed, as she pursed her lips– The words weren’t meant to mean anything to her from a stranger, and yet, they did.

“I-I knew, I knew, I knew that our time together was probably limited…” Sunset shuddered, looking down. “I just wish… I just wish I knew that the last time I kissed you would be the last.”

No more words. With her magic, Twilight opened the cell doors, and carefully began freeing Sunset of the many chains that bound her. She sniffled once, and with an inhale, centered herself. “Okay, before anything else… I want you to know that the Twilight who was in love with you is not me.” She affirmed with shaky breaths. “I don’t know you, and I’m not saying I believe you, but… I’m choosing to trust you.”

“O-okay.”

“Okay. Walk me through it. Who cursed you?...”

“It was a spell, actually. A witch called Wallflower Blush– She works in the castle gardens.” Sunset tried her best not to react and to remain still as her love freed her. “She visited me shortly before you came, actually… You just missed her.”

“How convenient.” Twilight huffed, frowning.

“She’s working with the Umbrum to get revenge on me.” Sunset continued looking forward, being compliant as the Princess freed her. “And I'm not. I promise you I’m their enemy.”

“I… Trust you. I think. Not entirely, but…” With a final, swift magical movement, Sunset was freed.

“T-thank you…!”With all of her might, she stopped herself from hugging her.

“So… What are you going to do now…?” Hesitantly, Twilight took a step back, wary of the Captain’s movements.

Sunset took her helmet, and the rest of her armor that the Princess had left unattended, and began adorning it with determined, unflinching movements. “Wallflower said that when the sun rises, every single memory of me is being erased– From everyone, everywhere.” She no longer hesitated over any of her words. “...And she also said that if I want all of you to have your memories back… I need to meet with the Umbrum in the temple of the moon tonight.”

“B-but that’s obviously a trap, you know that, right?” She stepped forward, regarding her with immense concern. “There’s no way they’ll uphold any deal or– Or anything!”

“I know. I'll burn that bridge when I get to it-- It’s either this, or trying to stop Celestia from raising the sun.” She connected her chestplate, and readied up fully, her white armor reflecting the little light there was on that room. “I’m done running. If they take every memory of me, well… Then there’s no reason for me to live anymore. W-which I guess is exactly what they wanted.”

“A-and this witch, she… Do you think you could convince her to give us our memories back…? I… I want to remember you.” She muttered carefully, with a pout, seeing the paladin before her, seeing the picture she held.

“I… I don’t know. I’m not sure.” She gritted her teeth, suppressing how much she wanted to kill Wallflower Blush. “I don’t think I can.” She didn’t know if she wanted to.

“...Well, if I did love you, it can’t have been for nothing. I bet you have really good diplomatic skills.” Twilight let out a short, ironic, cute chuckle.

Sunset blinked in surprise. Even now, the Princess trusted her to do better. To be better.

“A-and, um, you look really good in armor too…” Twilight blushed slightly, her gaze leading down. “I-I mean. This fits perfectly. It’s yours, that much I c-can tell.”

“I’m sorry for breaking into your palace twice in the same night. I’m sorry for bringing our friends into this. Y-your friends, I suppose.” She gritted her teeth, looking away mournfully. “And I’m sorry for… I’m sorry that I wasn’t good enough to see this coming. I’m sorry I couldn’t say it back.”

Twilight hesitated, looking down, then back to her. “I’m… Sorry that I can’t remember you.”

There was nothing else she could say. She couldn’t stay here, looking at her, but not being able to hold her. “I-it’s okay. It’s okay. I… I have to go.”

“W-wait! Your picture!” Quietly, The Princess extended it to Sunset, one of the few remaining bits of evidence that she existed.

“Keep it.” She responded without turning around. “I-if I die, well… No one will remember me to mourn me. But if you keep that picture, I…. I don’t know.”

Twilight had no response, just hesitation.

She shuddered, gritting her teeth in sorrow. “M-maybe… Maybe it’s better that none of you will miss me. It… It’s better to know that… That you won’t… Y-you won’t miss me when I’m gone.”

Knowing that Twilight wouldn’t hurt with her absence had to be some form of consolation, anything.

The absence of mourning would be a gift.

She wanted, above all else, to never, ever hurt her.

“...Goodbye, Sparkles.”

With unflinching movements, Sunset ran at one of the high windows, pried the bars off of them, and ran into the night.

Twilight sighed, alone.

She sat there, looking at that picture, looking at it intently.

With an exhale, she shook her head, and began her long walk back to the palace.

Author's Note

Well, here we go, then. Final act.

Twilight's adherence to a logical mindset makes her hard to convince. Buuuut with some evidence, facts and logic...

Finally after so goddamn long, 10 goddamn chapters was what it took for Sunset and Wallflower to talk. I hope you're all enjoying how this is going, because the climax is NOW.

With the true stakes established, Sunset's complete erasure from the world, we descend into the final showdown.

...Maaaaybe I'll write a one-shot first, heh.