//------------------------------// // More To Things // Story: My Little Mages: Omitted Tie // by Foxhelm //------------------------------// Trixie and Sunset blinked as they looked around, “What was I saying? I'm sure it was something brilliant.” she said as she held her chin in thought. She then looked out the window and saw that it was only an hour or so before sunset. She gasped, “We last two hours! How did we lose two hours?!” she asked in a panic. Sunset looked right in front of her blankly, “I... don't remember.” she said as she looked on like she was caught in a large light. She then lowered her gaze towards the floor. “If we don’t figure out who has the Stone, I may lose my girlfriend forever,” she said as she fell to her knees and then to her rear. She then pulled her legs in to cover her face. Trixie leaned against the wall and took some time to think. “How are we gonna catch someone who can erase our memory every time we get close to catching them?” she asked as she pointed out the major conundrum that the two-faced. Sunset sighed and raised her hands to her face. She saw the note that she had written on her left hand. She then looked to her chest and saw the gem she used to record everything. She smiled as she showed both to Trixie, “Follow Clover’s example and be clever!” she answered. Trixie opened her mouth and raised her eyebrow in confusion. Sunset then pointed with her right index finger to the little message that was still just able to be read, “I wrote myself a note.” “Play the recording gem,” Trixie read and then looked at the gem that Sunset had in her other hand, “Oh, you used that gem to record all that happened?” Sunset pressed the gem, “I don't remember doing it, but I must have realized our memories would get erased, so I made sure to record!” she said as the gem projected images and rewound what was recorded to when Sunset spotted the pale and gardening tools that Wallflower had. The Wallflower in the recording said “Yes,” to Sunset’s question. She then took a step back, “Well, technically it’s a royal garden,” Trixie tapped Sunset on the shoulder, “Um...Who's that?” she asked not recognizing Wallflower in the projection. Sunset looked to Trixie and then back to the recording, “That’s Wallflower Blush.” she answered. Trixie rubbed her chin as she tried to think about the answer Sunset gave her, “Name's not ringing a bell.” she said after a couple of seconds of thought. The Wallflower in the recording then started to sing, “You don't see me fitting in…” Trixie placed her finger in the bottom right corner of the gem, “Ugh,” she groaned as the recording started to fast forward through the song. As the two watched, “Long song, huh?” she asked. She then lifted her finger as Sunset pressed the bottom center of the gem and the projected started to play the recording again. The scene Sunset started to play was while she and Sunset were struggling with Wallflower’s bag. “What did I do to you?! Honestly, I don't even know you!” the recorded Sunset shouted. As the recorded Wallflower managed to her bag from Sunset, “Exactly! You had everyone fooled, but now they know you're still the Biggest Meanie!” Sunset then saw the recording of herself as her focus gem and eyes flashed green and red at the same time and red and green encompassed her hands. “You're about to see how mean I can get!” Trixie then pressed just left from the bottom center of the gem and paused the projection. Trixie then turned to Sunset, she took a breath, “You’re not going to like hearing this, but Wise and Moralizing Trixie has to agree with Wallflower.” Sunset raised an eyebrow in disbelief, “Let Trixie explain.” she said as she took a step back, “Now you like to be viewed as a nice person, right?” she asked. Sunset nodded, “and that you didn’t do anything, meaning you weren’t mean to her.” As Sunset was about to protest, Trixie placed her right index on Sunset’s lips keeping her quiet. “But you have to admit that it takes more to be a nice person than just not doing mean things, that you would have to actually demonstrate the kindness to people, even those you might otherwise have written off.” Sunset could only sigh at first, “I guess you’re right, but where could she be?” Sunset asked. Trixie looked at the gem, “You know if I had an object that someone was looking for and I managed to give them the slip,” Trixie said as she rubbed her chin, “I’d put the object back where I found it and lie low until everything blew over.” Sunset looked at Trixie and had both her eyebrows raised, “And you think Wallflower will do what you would?” she asked not believing it. Trixie shrugged her shoulders. Sunset groaned, “Well it’s the best lead I have.” She turned to leave, “Thanks Trixie, I owe you!” she shouted as she ran. Trixie smiled to herself, “Time to prepare my grand entrance.” Sunset ran out of the castle itself and spotted Wallflower heading towards the forest. Also, there was Sci-Twi who happened to be comparing plants in a survival guidebook. “WALLFLOWER! PLEASE! STOP!” Sunset shouted to the girl. Wallflower stopped and turned around and saw Sunset. Wallflower was utterly perplexed about what was going on. She knew she used the memory stone and yet Sunset had managed to follow her. “I am sorry,” Sunset said as she caught up to Wallflower and started to breathe heavily. “Wo-ho,” she said as she caught her breath. “I don't know what you're talking about,” Wallflower lied as she hoped that this was a bluff. Sunset looked up to Wallflower as she righted herself, “I don't actually remember everything,” she confessed as she held out the recording gem. She then pressed it and it projected everything from when Sunset started recording and stopped at the start of Wallflower's song. She fast-forwarded to the scuffle and paused it when Sunset was about to lash out at Wallflower. “You're right to be angry with me, to feel hurt by me, and to not forgive me,” Sunset confessed and acknowledged in the hope that this olive branch would open the door. “But you know in heart and soul that erasing everyone's positive memories of me is just… wrong.” Wallflower took a step back, “But there's much more, Wallflower, I too know what's it's like to be lonely, yes people knew me and feared me, but you know that being alone and feeling lonely aren't the same.” Wallflower scowled at Sunset, “You're nothing like me,” she declared as she pointed at Sunset. She then turned and closed her eyes as she continued, “and I'm not lonely, because I have…” she opened her eyes as she realized she didn’t have something. She struggled for about two seconds, “plants!” she shouted. There was a second of silence. “That sounded less lonely in my head.” Wallflower acknowledged as she hid her face with her hands. Sunset reached out and took Wallflower’s right hand, “Wallflower, what I did to you in the past was wrong, and it was wrong of me to not do what I should have done.” she took a breath and closed her eyes. “I am sorry.” Wallflower pulled her hand out of Sunset’s own. She glared at the pyromancer as she also spotted Sci-Twi who just happened to be watching the scene. “No, you're not,” she challenged Sunset. She then pointed towards Sci-Twi, “You're just trying to look good in front of others! And it's working!” she then rubbed her hair in frustration. “Gah! How am I supposed to get back at you if nothing I do matters?!” she asked rhetorically out of ire, all the while her eyes were closed. Wallflower then opened her eyes, her pupils constricted in hate, “I hate you!” she shouted. This shocked Sunset as she gasped. Wallflower, however, was also horrified by her recent declaration. Wallflower then reached into her bag, “I wanted to teach you a lesson by erasing all the good memories of you.” she said just as she pulled the stone out. “But obviously that didn't work.” she looked from Sunset to Sci-Twi, “But what if I erased all her memories of you?” she asked as she let her bag drop as a sinister grin formed on her face. Sunset stepped in front of Wallflower and held her arms out as if to be a barrier for Sci-Twi, “You can't! You'd be stealing not only that but all her memories of her life!” Sunset pleaded as she knew that pretty much every memory of Sci-Twi had her in it and Sci-Twi’s life, even if one were to include the time her soul was housed in an oak tree, was only a handful of months. Wallflower rolled her eyes, as she aimed the gem around Sunset, “She'll think of you the way you think of me! Which is not at all!” she shouted as the stone sent out a light blue beam towards Sci-Twi. “Nooo!” Sunset shouted as she got in front of the Memory Stone intercepting its magic and her body seemed to absorb all of it. Sci-Twi gasped at the sight. Sunset fell to her knees, “I can’t let you erase all her memories. I’d rather my memories of her than for her to remember nothing!” Sunset declared. Sunset then dropped to her knees as she started to cry in pain. “AH!” she grunted as she tried to fight the stone’s magic. But it was no use as after almost a minute the beam began to pull itself out of Sunset. Sunset turned towards Sci-Twi, “Twilight, please don’t forget me!” she said as she reached out but was forced to bend over as the beam appeared to have Sci-Twi’s Aura Mark in it. Sci-Twi gasped at the sight. After another second, Sunset groaned as she started to sit up, she gasped as she looked around, “Where am I? What’s going on?” she asked in a clear panic. She started to hyperventilate. Sci-Twi then stepped forward and placed her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “Who are you?” Sunset asked as she saw a face that didn’t know. A tear formed in Sci-Twi’s eyes, “I’m … your… girlfriend.” she trailed off as she tried to find the right word. She then helped Sunset to her feet. “I might not remember you, but you just sacrificed all your memories to save the few I had,” she confessed. She took a chance to glare at Wallflower, and then returned to a comforting smile to Sunset, “No one would have done that, unless they really loved someone!:” she declared and kissed Sunset. Sunset smiled as she cried and the two pulled each other into a hug. Once the kiss and embrace ended Sunset was then bathed in light as she transformed into her demigod form. Sci-Twi and Wallflower both gasped at the sight, “Oh my… you’re an… an angel.” Sci-Twi said as she covered her mouth. Sunset looked at what of herself she could see, “No, I think I’m a demigoddess.” she then turned to Wallflower. Her focus shifted to only the Memory Stone in Wallflower’s hand. Somehow it seemed familiar, but not welcoming, like an old foe. Sunset raised her left hand as she glared at the stone. In the palm of the hand, she pulled her magic into the form of an orb before she blasted the stone, obliterating it. With the stone shattered a light blue mist appeared and then started to spread out at a speed that rivaled light. As the mist reached each person the memories that the stone had taken were returned. In Sunset’s case, she remembered everything. From when she tried to steal Princess Twilight’s crown, to the battle with the Sirens, to the confrontations with Midnight Sparkle and then Gaea Everfree, and more, even her run-in with Wallflower before seeing the Daring Do movie. Most importantly she remembered… “Twilight... Sparkle? Sci-Twi?” she asked as she turned to face her girlfriend. “Oh, Sunset!” Sci-Twi was in tears as the two hugged. “I am so sorry I forgot about...us,” she whispered. “It’s okay,” Sunset whispered. “I'm just glad to have you back.” They two slowly ended their embrace and turned to see Wallflower balled up. Sci-Twi was about to walk over and strike the girl. However, Sunset took her hand and shook her head. Sci-Twi took a breath and sighed with a reluctant nod. Sunset then pointed to herself and then place her finger on her own lips and shook her head. Sci-Twi brought her hand to her lips and turned her hand like she was locking her mouth. Sunset smiled and then took a breath as she closed her eyes and focused until she returned to normal form. She then walked over to Wallflower and placed her hand on Wallflower’s shoulder. Wallflower lifted her head and showed that in her left hand was a small piece of the Memory Stone. “When I first found the Memory Stone, I only erased little things – awkward hellos, saying the wrong thing, literally any public speaking…” Wallflower started before she dropped the piece of stone. “Even using it unintentionally.” she then covered her face as tears dripped from her palms. “I am so ashamed,” she whispered weakly. Sunset placed both of her hands on Wallflower, causing her to look up to Sunset, “We all have moments that we wish could be erased,” she said with an understanding smile and soft forgiving eyes. Wallflower turned away, “That’s no excuse,” she sighed, “I was so used to erasing memories that I got completely carried away.” she stated. She guilt-fully and remorsefully turned to look back and up towards Sunset and to Sci-Twi, “I'm sorry for everything.” Sunset’s understanding smile never wavered, “It's okay. I'm sorry, too. I may have stopped being mean, but a Great and Powerful friend helped me realize I still wasn't very nice to you.” she fully acknowledged. “Everyone matters, Wallflower. No matter how insignificant or invisible they feel.” Sunset reached her hand out to Wallflower’s hand. Cautiously Wallflower took the hand and was pulled into a hug by Sunset. The following night, in the castle’s courtyard, Sunset stood on the stage that was in the center, “Thank you all for attending.” she said as spoke into the microphone in her hand. “Tonight we kick off the celebration of the first naming day of our current baroness, Baroness Sunny Flare!” Everyone cheered and applauded as they turned to see the baroness stand up. She seemed to legitimately blush in modesty, unlike her late mother. Sunset then raised her hand and everyone fell silent, “I couldn't have set this up without my partner, Wallflower Blush,” Sunset shouted as she pointed towards Wallflower. The latter was dressed in a short skirt dress that was layered black then white then bright green then white again. The top of the dress was black and corset-like with what seemed to be a white cloth that went over each of her breasts and around her neck. On Wallflower’s feet were high-heeled boots that went short of her knees. Wallflower’s get-up was completed with a set of detached bright green sleeves that had black cuffs and golden bands on the upper arm. Everyone cheered as Wallflower stepped onto the stage and joined Sunset. “WAY TO GO, SIS!” was the loudest cheer. Wallflower blushed that her sister, Fuschia, cheered her on. Sunset then handed the microphone to Wallflower and nodded. Wallflower took the microphone and spoke into it, “Thank you, now let’s give a warm welcome to our opening act, Tonight’s showing of The Great and Powerful Trixie’s Cross the Mirror Tour!” Wallflower announced as a smoke bomb went off not far in front of the two and Trixie appeared as the smoke cleared. Sunset elected to leave the stage and met up with Sci-Twi. The two took each other’s hands and went to their own seats, part of Sunset’s mind thought about what she was to write Princess Twilight, ‘Dear Princess Twilight, you can add a new ending to the archives. The Memory Stone is no more. Thank you for your help, and, of course, thank my mom, Princess Celestia. I'm happy to say everything is back how it used to be.’ There was a pause in her thought as they watched Trixie perform. Sunset was awed by the show, and how Wallflower effortlessly managed the rest of the show until she felt her face move to look at Sci-Twi. Sci-Twi presented a ring with a gem that was shaped to look like a merger of Sunset’s Aura Mark and Sci-Twi’s. Sci-Twi looked away, it was clear to her that she was nervous. Sunset accepted the ring and placed it on her left ring finger. Sci-Twi then kissed Sunset, ‘Well, not exactly how it used to be.’