//------------------------------// // Chapter 17 // Story: Memory Lost and Found // by BoredAuthor817 //------------------------------// Sunset dragged herself into the foyer. The last few steps were grueling. She barely had enough strength to use her magic to open the door. Every last muscle in her body ached. With a groan, she laid upon the cold stone floor. Instant relief flowed over her burning muscles. “I thought you weren't supposed to hurt till the morning after.” “Sunset!” chimed Twilight. 'Sweet Celestia,' Sunset winced, 'Not now.' “You're back! How was it?” “I will never eat another apple as long as I live.” “Oh, come now!” the princess chortled, “I doubt it was that bad.” “Those ponies are masochists! And sadists! And insane.” She sucked in a breath as she stretched out. “I think I may have pulled something bucking apples.” “Well,” Starlight said, sympathetically, remembering when Twilight had sent her to help out on the Apple farm, “That's very easy to do if you don't quite know what you're doing. How about we see about getting you into a hot bath?” “Anything!” Sunset cried, “Please!” She leaned against Starlight as the two made their way upstairs. Twilight watched on with a sad smile. Her spirits slightly lifted with a voice from the doorway. “Princess Celestia!” her tone was bittersweet, “About time you showed up!” The elder princess have a remorseful sigh. “I'm sorry, Twilight, but getting away is easier said than done. The chancellors have been trying to cram everything in before the court goes on its annual vacation. All my time has been tied up in that.” She lowered her head, “But, I did promise Sunset I would come visit when I could. Now, with my schedule (finally) under control, I can be here a few days.” "Good" Twilight's voice grew stern, "Because we need to talk." She led the way to the map room and instructed her mentor to sit down. "This has gone on long enough" she declared, "Sunset needs to be told the truth." Princess Celestia didn't say anything. Instead, she sadly stared at the magic map on the table. The silence infuriated Twilight. So much so that felt herself ready to explode. "You said this would only for a few days. We're coming up on a week! I agreed to go along with 'life as usual' for two, maybe three days, because we thought we would have some answers by then. Well, here we are, and we've got more questions than answers! "I'm tired, Starlight's tired, we're all tired! "I've had enough of the lies! You haven't been here. You don't have to deal with the 'tell the truth' speeches from everypony. You weren't the one who got lectured by Applejack. My ears are still ringing! "What's more," she sighed, "despite our best efforts to preoccupy her, Sunset is beginning to suspect something." She unrolled Sunset's daily reports for Celestia to read. "She does her best to hide it from us, but she's crying out for help. She senses something is wrong and either doesn't trust us, or is too afraid to ask." Celestia glanced over Sunset's notes. For the most part, they seemed pretty typical of what Sunset used to write. However, underneath the writing, she could see remnants a word or phrase that had been written, but later erased. All of which hinted to a panic lurking beneath the surface. Most telling was the paper from the day before. Celestia squinted as she tried to read the words. "Ballad... years...?" Twilight nodded. "Any idea what that means?" Celestia let out a sigh as she rolled up the scrolls. "I remember a student named Ballad. She and Sunset were in the same class. I can't recall the exact details, but the two got into a huge fight over an incantation mishap. "I was away on a diplomatic trip and had only heard about it after the fact." "Ballad must have been in Ponyville yesterday" Twilight sighed, "They must have bumped into each other... "There's no use trying hiding it now. Sunset must be told." She was caught slightly off guard by her mentor's further silence. Looking to Celestia, Twilight got the feeling there was something else. Something the old teacher wasn't telling. Suddenly, it dawned upon Twilight. Her eyes darted back and forth as all the pieces of the puzzle came together. With a picture finally before her, it all made perfect sense. "Unless..." she said, "you're afraid of something..." "Twilight," Celestia's voice cracked, "please--" "No you don't!" Twilight snapped, "Fear has caused you to hold back before. You delayed sending me to Ponyville because you feared for my safety. I can see now that fear has been a part of this whole mess. Or, perhaps, it's been a major player this whole time? "I hadn't thought much about it before, but it's all coming clear now! Why you never once reached out to Sunset after her reformation. Why you gave me your journal to communicate with her without any explanation. Why you never asked me once how she was doing outside of that night! "In fact, do you know anything of how Sunset has changed beyond your meeting last week? Because I do!" She fired up her magic and materialized her communication journals onto the map table. Sliding the books to Celestia, she flipped through various passages in which Sunset had recorded testaments of her new nature. "See all this?" Twilight shouted, "This is the Sunset Shimmer who is brave, loyal, selfless. This is the Sunset Shimmer who, even though they either didn't understand, or care, told her friends that they had had their memories stolen. "This is the Sunset Shimmer I know, the one that Starlight knows, the one you met last week, and the one we're trying to save! I'm certain that, once you've read them, you'll come to understand just how much this week has eaten us away from the inside!" Seeing her mentor on the verge of tears, Twilight swallowed down her own. "Princess Celestia, please" she said gently, "Help me help Sunset. But, in order to do that, I need to know what is going on. I need to know the truth." "I'm sorry, Twilight" the elder mare broke down, "I'm so very sorry." Twilight remained silent, but moved closer to her mentor to offer support. "I just... I can't lose her!" "It's okay," Twilight coaxed, "just start from the beginning." "The beginning? That's where it all started. Ever since day one, it was about loneliness. Sunset and I found each other when we were both lonely. Our relationship was founded on it. I wanted somepony to love and to care for. She just wanted to be loved. We were so desperate for it, we were blind to each other's shortcomings. "Much like with Luna, I didn't see the problem until it was too late. When it all fell apart, there was nothing I could do. Sending her away was the hardest thing I had done since banishing my sister to the moon. And, it ripped as big a hole in me as it did then." "But, then," said Twilight, "you should have been overjoyed by my report the first time I crossed the portal." "I was--in so far as that she was alive and well." "But, not that she had changed." Celestia's head hung low. "She had pretended to be 'reformed' so many times before, I thought it was just another act. That's why I gave you the journal. I couldn't bear to learn for myself that she was just up to her old ways." Twilight frowned. "So, that display in the throne room last week..." "Was a test to see if she was sincere. You can't imagine the happiness I felt when she proved herself true." "And then, a few days later..." Celestia clenched her teeth, allowing new tears to fall. "When I first heard the news, I panicked! I didn't want to lose her. Not again. Not like this. "But, when I got here, and assessed the situation, I truly had Sunset's best interests in mind." Twilight's tone turned serious, yet remained gentle. "Well, now, you risk her leaving again and, this time, it will be forever." She moved to face her mentor, "You need to be the one to break the news Sunset. You started this, only you can end it. Do it while she still has some faith and trust in you." Princess Celestia said nothing, but wiped her tears with a nod. "I'm sorry, Twilight." "Don't apologize to me! Apologize to Sunset! She's the one most hurt in all this!" Twilight let out a long breath. It felt good to get everything out. "Now, that only leaves the matter of Wallflower Blush...” She paused when she noticed a strange look on Celestia's face. "What?" “Um... about that... I'm sorry, Twilight, I thought you knew.” “Knew what?” “Wallflower is in Canterlot.” Twilight struggled to control her outburst. “What?” “Luna found her last night, wandering around between Canterlot and Ponyville. She's been with Luna ever since. I thought for sure she had told you.” “She must've gotten sidetracked by something." The younger princess relaxed. “Well, that certainly is a relief. I'd better let the girls in the other world know. They've been searching for her all day. Wonder how she managed to sneak in...” “She didn't say. But, I'm sure your friends will be happy to know she's safe.” Twilight let out a slight snort. “Probably not as much as me. But, we both know she can't stay here. The authorities in her world already involved. She needs to go back.” “That may be easier said than done. I'm afraid the situation has progressed. Wallflower has been teetering between between herself and Sunset quite frequently.” Twilight felt her anxiety grow again. “That's... a bit concerning.” Celestia gave a single nod. “Luna would also rather Wallflower not be left alone.” She stepped back slightly as Twilight melted onto the floor. "The two spent the whole day together." “Your sister say anything else?” A sadness fell over Celestia. “She calculates that, at this rate, Sunset's memories will fully overtake Wallflower's in roughly three days.” Nothing could have prepared Twilight for that. --- Twilight trotted back and forth on the library floor. “This is bad. This is really bad!” Sunburst lowered his head onto the table. “Please stop. You're making me dizzy.” “Three days” Twilight mumbled with each turn, “Three days. Maybe less.” “Okay” said Starlight, “that's certainly bad, but there is also the possibility of more.” “I agree with Twilight” Moondancer looked over their notes, “Princess Luna says three days to complete the process. Whether more or less, either way, that does not give us much time.” Twilight continued her pacing. “Three days... two days... one days... no days...” Spike stood up from the table with a sigh. “I'd better try to stop her before she wears a groove into the floor.” Moondancer shuffled through the pages of notes. “We've only just scratched the surface of this thing.” “We still don't know which alphabet to use” added Sunburst, “The message can be written in either Northern or Southern Old Ponish. And, while many words are similar, there are still many more that are not.” “Of that, I'm painfully aware. Our best course of action would be to make two separate translations.” She nodded to Starlight, who used a duplicating spell to make copies of the notes. Within seconds, there were four stacks of notes on the table. Moondancer pushed one to Sunburst. Sunburst took his stack and adjusted his glasses to better focus. “You seem to have a better handle of the Northern spellings than me. I'll try to decipher using the Southern, and we'll see what we come up with.” Moondancer nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” "May I make a suggestion?" Starlight spoke up, glancing through the notes, "We've been working off the assumption that this is just another text written in Old Ponish. What if it's a spell?" "Hmm..." the stallion stroked his goatee, "That is a possibility..." Moondancer seemed concur. "It would explain why we've been having so many problems. We would have been working in the wrong language." "Okay, Starlight," Sunburst smiled, "you run with that theory. Moondancer and I will give the Old Ponish another shot. Hopefully, one of will come up with something." He glanced over to see Twilight still pacing back and forth, dragging a tiny dragon behind her. “Shouldn't we help?” “No,” the mares replied, “they'll be fine.” --- Finally, through much coercion, and a large, hot pot of tea, Twilight was able to settle down. In an effort to maintain her composure, she resided herself to a huddle in a corner with her journal and pen. As her friends worked, she sat quietly briefing her human counterpart with the latest developments. This is bad, Twilight. Appeared the response after several lengthy paragraphs. “I know.” This is really bad. “I know.” Never, had Princess Twilight thought she could ever be frustrated conversing with herself. I mean, it's good that Wallflower is safe, and not out wandering the streets. But, three days doesn't give us much time. Have you explored alternatives? “Hard to without fully knowing how the stone worked. Or, what went wrong to cause Sunset's memories to go into Wallflower. "Even with all my studying on the subject, this is still something beyond me, and a bit beyond even Princess Celestia.” You mean to tell me you have no memory spells over there? “We do.” She grumbled. Though, she was only slightly annoyed. After all, she couldn't expect a non-magical being to fully understand magic. She quickly dispensed with the explanation: “But, they all work differently. Most of those spells are designed to suppress or block memories. Yes, there are those that can remove a full memory, but they are generally only effective on memories created within a certain time span. And, even then, those memories become lost forever. Of what I've found, none of them involve using magical objects or vessels. "I should also note that many of these spells involve dark magic.” She let out a long sigh, allowing herself to calm down. “That's what made the Memory Stone so dangerous. It seems to have been able to remove any memory, or fragment of, no matter how long ago it was.” There was a brief pause. So, you've got nothing else... “Well,” Twilight tapped her quill upon the page hesitantly. Dare she even bring it up? “I was thinking, couldn't Sunset use her new magic on Wallflower?” Her agitation grew as she stared intently upon the empty space below her writing. She had herself so worked up, that she was startled when new lettering glowed upon the page. Even if she can still use the geode, she will very likely only get fragments of a memory, not the whole. If my research has proved anything, it's that memory is a very complex thing. Yes, there is the actual audio-visual and, at times, tactile witnessing of an event, which can be shared, but there are thoughts and feelings that only the individual can know. While Sunset claimed to be able to experience all the above, there remains some question as to the limitations. Sometimes, she'd experience just the audio and/or visual, sometimes just the thoughts. And, before you ask, she's explained her experiences in Pinkie's mind as a fluke (ie. Pinkie Pie). “But, it is a possibility.” That still leaves Wallflower. Sunset wouldn't be re-taking her memories, she'd just be getting second-hand copies of her own--that is, is she doesn't also accidentally snag some of Wallflower's. And, need I stress, in past, Sunset could only see memories that were pertinent to a given situation. There is also so much that can go wrong--especially if you're expecting this "younger" Sunset to wield the geode. It took us all a while to finetune how to use the power within them. And the only way we did that was by embracing the magic and allowing ourselves to be susceptible to it. Sunset's magic is based upon an empathy she has for others. Something, which I gather, she is currently incapable of. Whatever you come up with, it needs to work fully, and reliably, for both. Twilight let out a gruff growl. She didn't need to be reminded that, right now, two lives depended upon her. “I'm doing what I can.” It seemed like hours before the page lit up again. I'm sorry. Twilight was slightly taken aback. I know you're stressed... and worried. Maybe even overwhelmed... and a bit scared. A flutter wound its way within Twilight's breast. Her quill quivered in her magic with hesitation. “What? How could you...?” I'm you, remember? ...well... sorta you... I know exactly how you get when faced with a problem you can't seem to solve. Or when you're feeling overwhelmed. And... I'm feeling exactly same way. A smile crept across Twilight's lips. Twilight Sparkle's words made her relax slightly. Of course an alternate version of herself would know how she felt. She sought comfort in the fact that, at least, one other understood. But you don't need to be. You have those there who can help you. Let them. Don't feel like you need to bear this burden alone. The princess let out a sigh. She peered across the room to where three ponies and a dragon were busily pouring through books and scrolls. “I don't think I need to. They have already taken charge. I'm the one not willing to let go.” I know what that's like. :) Twilight took in a deep breath and slowly released it. It provided the calm she so greatly needed. “So, how are things on your end?” Well, like I said, the police showed up at Fluttershy's animal fundraiser and questioned all the girls. Somehow, they found out where I was and called my hotel room. I had a short talk with one of the detectives on the case. He seemed content with what I told him. Though, I doubt I've heard the last of him. “He still suspects Wallflower to be a runaway, right?” He made no hint of it to me, but I still believe so. I hope so. It would make everything much easier to explain after the fact. In the meantime, the girls and I are going to try our best to try to keep any mention of magic out of it. That's the last thing the authorities need to know about. Which brings me to my next portion. We've devised a plan to explain Sunset' s sudden disappearance from this world, but we'll need her cellphone to implement it. Any chance we can arrange for a drop-off? Twilight raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Just let me know when. Either Starlight, Spike, or myself will bring it through." A thought hit her. "Do you suppose the girls to look after Wallflower?" What do you mean? "Wallflower can't stay here and, if her family is looking for her, then she needs to contact them. While the obvious would be just to send her back to her home, she needs to be monitored. Think you girls could handle it?" What kind of question is that? ;)