//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Memory Lost and Found // by BoredAuthor817 //------------------------------// It took some coaxing and time to calm down the frantic and scared Sunset Shimmer. Which had to be done all over again when she discovered she had lost her magic, and her horn. Thankfully, though, their ponied-up forms didn't last for very long and they were swiftly returned to normal teen-aged girls. With some encouragement, the girls got Sunset to her feet and they made their way to the Sweet Shoppe. If anything, a sip of her favorite drink might help soothe the pony. The girls seated themselves at their usual table. They spread themselves out as much as they could; careful not to crowd Sunset Shimmer, who was still getting used to the feel of her “new” body. Still, she seemed to react positively to Twilight and hung onto her every chance she had. “Here you go,” smiled Pinkie Pie, setting a hot drink before Sunset. “This is your favorite. You order it most every time you come here.” Sunset Shimmer looked cautiously at the light brown concoction with whipped cream and a golden syrup of some kind. Carefully, she examined the container before exploring its contents further. She took a sniff at the liquid. “What is it?” she asked. “Dark roasted coffee with a dollop of cream, a dash of sugar (raw only) and a shot of espresso all topped with whipped cream, and a drizzle of caramel.” Pinkie Pie smiled broadly with the widest eyes Sunset had ever seen. “Well,” Sunset sighed, carefully dipping a spoon in to the drink, “here goes nothing.” She placed the spoon in her mouth and allowed a moment for her tongue to register the flavors of the coffee. Almost instantly, she began hacking. She was handed a napkin with which she promptly wiped her mouth. “I drink this?” she cried. “Quite frequently” replied Rainbow Dash. “W-why?” “Coffee generally wakes you up” explained Twilight, “Many people drink it for the caffeine.” “Well,” gagged Sunset, “if the caffeine doesn't wake you up, the taste certainly will. Have they no tea?” “Right!” Pinkie jumped, “Your favorite tea coming right up!” She was stopped by Sunset before she could run off again. “I don't know what you think my favorite tea is. Just dandelion will be fine.” Pinkie let out another smile. “Right!” Sunset scrunched her nose at the coffee one last time before moving the vile liquid away from her. Placing her hooves on the table, she laid her head down. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You okay?” a soft voice said. Sunset had to take a moment to register just who was talking to her. This was the one they called “Fluttershy”. Sunset let out a muffled groan. “I've got the most horrible headache.” “I can imagine after what you've been through.” Twilight said. “Please,” Sunset whimpered, “I just want to go home.” “We're not sure if that's such a good idea right now,” said Applejack, “For one, we have no way of gettin' ya back to Equestria right now. And, considerin' the state yer in, we'd rather you not make the trip alone.” “You can stay at my place tonight” offered Twilight. “No!” Sunset slammed her hooves on the table, causing everyone and everything to jump, “No offense, but I don't want to stay anywhere! I want to go home, to my own room, to my own bed.” She took in deep breaths, all she could to keep from crying again. Fluttershy turned to Rarity and said in a hushed voice, “You suppose Princess Twilight could help?” “Obviously,” Rarity replied in the same quiet tone, “but, without knowing where Sunset left her journal, there's no way of getting in contact with her.” Fluttershy nodded. “Sunset,” she said aloud, “you have a book you carry around with you. You say you use it to talk to the princess.” Sunset's ears instantly perked and a light flashed in her eyes. “My journal!” she happily cried, “You know of my journal?” “Quite well” replied Rarity, “You wouldn't happen to remember where you last left it, would you?” Sunset's smile quickly faded as she shook her head. “I always keep it in my saddlebag, which I most always wear.” Her mood fell, “Except for now.” “Well,” Fluttershy said, “we know what both your journal and bag look like. We can certainly find it for you.” A brightness briefly came to Sunset's face. “All-righty!” sang Pinkie Pie, “One hot cup of dandelion tea here we go!” She placed the mug before Sunset who gladly took it with both hands. However, after one sip, she was spitting that out as well. “Ugh!” she wiped her tongue, “Doesn't taste right.” She pushed away a plate of carrot cake she had been nibbling on. “Nothing tastes right. Why does nothing taste right?” She slumped in her seat and dove her hands into her jacket pockets. Her fingers made contact with something and her curiosity surged. Pulling it out, she found a piece of paper had been crumpled up and placed in her pocket. Flattening it out, she saw it was a note of some kind. “Who is Trixie?” “The Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie!” said Rarity in a mocking tone, mimicking the stage performer with stunning accuracy, “She's the school's resident magician. Not the best, by any means. Really, a little too full of herself for her own good. Why do you ask?” “Apparently,” replied Sunset rereading her note, “I left her locked in the...” she squinted to read the word, “year book room.” “What?” came a collective cry from the other around the table. “Oh, the poor dear!” Fluttershy gasped, “She'll be there all night.” Twilight rose from her seat. “I'll go get her. Maybe Sunset's book bag and journal are in there as well.” “I'll go with you” Sunset rose from her seat, but was quickly set back down. “I'm faster if I go alone. Plus, better if one of us gets into trouble breaking into the school at this time than all of us.” “Then I'll come, too” said Rainbow, “You're gonna need a lookout.” Twilight held up her hands. “I'll be fine by myself, thanks.” She gave a gentle look to Sunset, “I'll be right back.” “In the meantime,” Applejack leaned onto the table towards Sunset, “what else do you have in your pockets?” Sunset shrugged and began fishing through her various pockets. To everyone's surprise, quite a few items soon found their way onto the table. Articles among the pile included: a faux leather wallet; keys; cellphone; a small folding knife; a USB drive; some candies; a flip notepad and golfer's pencil; a small packet of tissues; some loose coins; guitar picks; and a set of earbuds. “Geez, Sunset,” Rainbow said, sorting through the lot, “how many pockets have ya got?” “I dunno.” She checked the last of her clothes. “I think that's everything.” “Well,” Rarity began, “take a look at this. See if this jogs any memories.” “I somewhat doubt it” Sunset sighed, taking the wallet from Rarity. She opened it to view its contents. Inside, she found some bills and punch cards to various eateries. Most notably, she saw what appeared to be some sort of identification card. A picture was on it; of who, Sunset was unsure. Though, she imagined that's what she would look like as a version of...whatever these creatures were. She returned the wallet to as it was and replaced it on the table. “Nothing.” “Okay,” continued Pinkie Pie, handing over the cellphone with the photo gallery open, “how about this?” Sunset took the device and examined it, unsure what to make of this strange technology. “What sort of magic is this?” “It's no magic, silly” Pinkie giggled, “It's...Well, I'm not quite sure what it is, but I'm sure Twilight can explain it to you.” “Just look at the pictures, darling” Rarity coaxed. Sunset turned the device over to once again view the screen. It took a little time, but she soon learned how to navigate between the images. They were mostly of these new creatures she was now with, including the one that looked strangely like her. “Well,” smiled Fluttershy, “anything?” Sadly, Sunset laid the phone back on the table and shook her head. She slid down in her seat, crossed her arms and let out a long sigh. “Thanks, but I don't think any of this is working. I don't remember you, or any of this. I just want to go home.” Fluttershy moved next to Sunset and pulled her into a gentle hug. “We're working on that, sweetie. You just need to be patient, but we'll be with you as long as you're here.” “What are you looking at, Rainbow?” asked Rarity, noticing that the athlete had been rather studiously focused on a sheet of paper. “It's the paper that Wallflower Bush gave me” replied Rainbow, “She said she found it with the Memory Stone. I'm trying to read what it says, but can't make heads or tails of it.” “Then how did Wallflower know how to use it?” asked Applejack. Rainbow laid down the paper and pointed to various illustrations. “These pictures give hints as to how to use the stone. She must have figured it out that way. What I'm curious about is what all this writing says.” “May I?” Sunset said in similar excitement as when they inquired on her journal. “You can read it?” Rainbow asked, sliding the paper over. “Well,” Sunset let out the first smile the girls had seen all night. She sat up, and for a moment, the old Sunset Shimmer seemed to reappear. “you are talking to Princess Celestia's own private student. (Not that that really means anything to you.) Point is:” she pointed to the script with a hoof, “This is Old Ponish, the ancient language of my people. Don't ask me to pronounce it, but, yes, I can read it.” She glanced at the text before reaching for her notepad and pencil. After some frustration, she managed to move the pencil with her teeth to make notes. After a short while, she spat out the pencil and let out a joyous laugh. “Oh, ho, ho! Clever!” The other girls pounced. “What?” Sunset let out a smirk. “It's a code. See, on the surface, these are basic instructions. But, these words are misspelled and these misspellings appear enough consistent enough to be deliberate. In other instances, this was usually a hint towards this being a cypher.” She rubbed her hooves together, “Oh, do I love a challenge!” and quickly set to working. “Odd, though...” she lightly pondered, “This is certainly from Equestria. What is it doing here?” “Well,” Rainbow whispered to the others, “as long as she's happy.” “How's it going?” asked Twilight as she approached the table with Sunset's book bag in hand. Pinkie shrugged. “Eh” and pointed to Sunset. “See you found the journal” Rarity pointed to the bag on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight nodded and placed the bag on the seat. “I've already sent a message to the Princess.” Sunset's head shot up. “And?” “She knows where we are and is coming to here to get you.” Sunset wiped the tears from her eyes. “Thanks!” “Sunset Shimmer?” came a quivering voice. Sunset looked up to see a blue girl with silver hair. “Trixie?” she asked. The magician's eyes lit up. “You remember me?” However, any hope she may have had was quickly lost when Sunset shook her head. “Lucky guess,” replied the pony, “Twilight said she was going to retrieve somebody named Trixie. Logic would assume you were her.” Trixie's shoulder's slumped. “Oh...Well, never fear” She straightened and raised a firm finger to the air, “The Grreat and Powerful Trrrixie never turns away from her Pretty Decent Assistant-Detective-Helper-Person.” Sunset blinked. “That's a mouthful.” “It's a working title” Trixie shrugged. Twilight was looking over at Sunset's scribbles. “What are you working on?” “Piece of paper Wallflower gave Rainbow” replied Pinkie, finishing off her drink. “Sunset thinks its a cipher of some kind” continued Fluttershy. The bookworm cocked her head. “Any progress?” “Some,” Sunset said, reading over her translation, “but it doesn't make any sense! 'Under the brown howl of the alligator moon'? What in Celestia's name does it mean?” She gave frustrated growl to the notepad. “Hey, girls!” said a familiar voice. Sunset looked up to see a purple girl walking up to their table. She had a big smile on her face and the other girls seemed to be happy to see her. Sunset watched the new girl intently. Her brow furled. “Twilight Sparkle?” The new girl's smile broadened. “Why, yes, Sunset Shimmer, that's correct.” “But,” Sunset pointed to the first Twilight Sparkle she met who wore glasses, “you're Twilight Sparkle.” “She is” said the new Twilight Sparkle. “She lives in this world while I live in Equestria.” A knot formed in her gut. Having only read human Twilight's vague message, she had no idea what she may be in for. She knelt next to her friend. “Sunset, do you not remember me?” Sunset only sadly shook her head. “But, you say you're from Equestria. Does that mean Princess Celestia is with you?” “Princess Celestia was unable to make the trip. She's waiting for you on the other side of the portal. I'm to bring you to her.” Sunset shuffled uncomfortably away. “How do I know if I can trust you? Who are you? What's your title?” “You can trust me” Princess Twilight said, cautiously. She was becoming unsure what state the memory stone had left Sunset. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am an assistant to Princess Celestia.” “No, you're not!” Sunset raised in her seat, “I know every assistant and everypony on the palace staff. But, I don't know you.” She pressed an accusatory hoof into the princess's chest. “I'm new...?” She gave a large, toothy grin. Sunset frowned. Princess Twilight signed. “Sunset Shimmer, you can trust me. You need to trust me. We're in a mirror world of Equestria. I know my way around here. That's why Princess Celestia sent me through to get you. She's waiting for you, Sunset.” She reached out her hand. Sunset looked to the other girls for guidance. They seemed to be okay with this newcomer. Perhaps, she could trust their judgment. She grabbed her bag and dumped her things into it. “Okay.” It was a quiet walk back to Canterlot High. Trixie was unable to join them since it was approaching dinner time and her parents always expected her home. Still, she gave Sunset the biggest hug that was deserving of a “Pretty Decent Assistant-Detective-Helper-Person”. As they walked, Sunset hung tightly to human Twilight. “I wish you could come with me” she said, “I don't know why, but I feel better when I'm with you.” Twilight bit her lip. She wanted to tell Sunset everything. How, even with her own memories gone, she still felt some sort of connection to Sunset. Fearing she may only frighten Sunset further, she swallowed her words back down. With Sunset safely with human Twilight, Princess Twilight took the opportunity to speak with the other girls. “I don't know what to tell you” she said, rubbing her chin, “With the stone destroyed, her memories should have returned.” “Might this have somethin' to do with Equestrian magic not always workin' the way it should in this world?” asked Applejack. “It's quite possible. However, even in Equestria, somepony inadvertently taking in that much magic doesn't always end well.” Rainbow took a step in front of the princess, effectively stopping her path. “What do you mean?” Fear over-toned her voice. Twilight's shoulders slouched. “I mean, I don't know if, or how, the spell may have been corrupted. From what you tell me, Sunset received a spell that would have erased memories of three to five years, six times. Now, how exactly it manifested itself it Sunset remains to be seen.” Rarity hesitated before she spoke. “What are you trying to tell us?” “What I'm trying to say is: I may not be able to fix this.” She looked ahead with a brokenhearted sigh. “And the Sunset Shimmer we have come to know, and love, is gone.”