Didn't I Come Her to RELAX?!
___________________________________________________________
“Hellllo, Sunset Shimmer!”
Sunset cries out in alarm, flopping out of her bed and tumbling down her loft til she’s laying on the floor.
She looks up with an unamused expression as I float cross-legged in the air. “You couldn’t have waited til tomorrow?”
I shrug. “What’s the fun in making a surprise entrance if it isn’t too much of a surprise?”
“Why’re you here, anyway, Screwball?” the human Equestrian asks as she gets up, dusting herself off and straightening her pyjamas. “Why aren’t you hanging with your sisters and mother?”
I blow a raspberry. “They never get startled when I just pop in anymore. Besides, I wanted to hang with you.”
Sunset deadpans. “Lucky me.”
“So, what crazy hi-jinx have you crazy kids been doing while I was off dealing with the return of Star Swirl the No Longer Keeping that Stick Up His Ass?” I ask, floating down and putting my arms behind my head.
“Not much, real… Wait.” Sunset frowns at me. “When you say Star Swirl, you don’t mean…?”
I nod.
She just stares at me blankly for several moments, before her eyes go wide and she grabs me by the shoulders. “What? But, how? He died around a thousand years ago! Did you go back in time or something?!”
I shake my head. “Nope. He’s alive in modern times. I didn’t even have anything to do with it. That was all Twilight and Sunburst’s idea.”
She falters, before panic fills her face. “Twilight and Sunburst pulled Star Swirl out of time?! Do they not realize how much of a paradox taking someone who died that long ago from his death could cause?!”
“If he had died, yes,” I say matter-of-factly. “However, he did not die a thousand years ago. He and the Pillars merely locked themselves in limbo.” I frown, rubbing my chin. “I really should look into this world’s Star Swirl. See what happened to him. Not to mention all the other EQG worlds.”
Sunset blinks, before slowly pulling her arms from me, before facepalming. “It’s too late for this.”
“So, I ask again, what have you crazy kids been up to?” I ask, now sitting with my legs hanging from her loft.
Sunset looks up at me, arms folded, before sighing and starts climbing the stairs to her loft. “Like I said, not much. After you helped us with the whole Juniper Mirror thing, nothing much has happened. We’ve had a few small instances of Equestrian Magic messing with things, but nothing big. It’s been pretty quiet, to be honest.”
I blink, before glancing in confusion at her as she reaches the top. “Uh… what about earlier?”
She pauses, glancing at me. “Um… unless you’re referring to the others using their powers in small bits today while we were working on the Year Book, I don’t see what you mean.”
I cock an eyebrow, before pointing with a thumb out the window. “So… none of you had anything to do with the magical residue I’m sensing off towards the woods near the school?”
Now Sunset looks confused. “No?”
I frown, folding my arms. “Whelp. So much for a quiet, relaxing time.” I stretch, giving a loud yawn. “Oh well. No point worrying about it til tomorrow.”
I snap my fingers and a bed appears floating in the air and I jump in, snuggling under the covers.
Sunset folds her arms, frowning, before she sighs. “Fine. Tomorrow the girls and I are going to the beach. You can come with me but you’re explaining the whole Star Swirl thing on the way, got it?”
I yawn, waving a hand.
___________________________________________________________
“That… is insane,” Sunset shakes her head as we get to the beach. “Star Swirl and the Pillars were in limbo for all that time?”
I nod, hands behind me head. Sunset and I are in swim suits. Hers is black (not the best colour, if you ask me, since black absorbs the heat of the sun) with her Cutie Mark with a sunset themed towel wrapped around her waist and mine is a simple two piece pink bikini with my mark on my top and crotch. “It is crazy, even for me. Still, who knows what’ll happen now they’re in Equestria again.”
She nods, before frowning. “By the way, why did you seem confused when you came back from using the little girls’ room on the drive here?”
I blink, before folding my arms, frowning. “I… honestly don’t know.”
This morning, while Sunset was packing the car before we’d drive over here to the beach, I’d had to take a quick toilet break. Since Sunset had already closed her house up, I’d just gone to a public rest room nearby. Next thing I knew, I was standing by the sinks with my hand outstretched at nothing in particular with no clue how I’d gotten there.
Sunset smiles as the girls come into view and we decide to put it out of our minds.
A drone flies near the girls, before coming over to us, myself blinking and quickly checking the future before sighing in relief. Thankfully, this isn’t a world where Sci-Twi’s creating artificial intelligence causes a Terminator like future. No Sky Net in this timeline, thank goodness.
“Oh. Twilight, you got the Selfie Sensor working?”
I’m pulled back in time to see… Sci-Twi’s drone beep in fear before flying behind its creator?
Sunset looks confused, as am I. “O... kay,” she puts it aside and smiles. “So, who’s ready to take a “Best Friends” picture?”
There’s a pause as the girls just stare at us, glancing at each other in confusion, Fluttershy even hiding behind Rarity for some odd reason.
Dash and AJ are even giving me odd looks in particular, as if they’re asking me why I’m doing something without actually saying it… and I have no idea what it is I’m doing that they’re silently asking about.
Rarity’s looking very disapproving and… why does Sci-Twi seem almost as anxious as Fluttershy?
Okay. I’m lost. Can someone please fill me in on the joke?
Sunset gives an understanding smile and puts her hands on her hips. “Uh-oh. What did I do?”
Applejack and Pinkie glance at each other, the latter giving a confused look and shrug.
Spike seems as confused as the two of us though, glancing around at everyone with a raised eyebrow.
“Should we do it now, or... did you wanna swim first?” Sunset asks, getting more uncertain and I don’t blame her. This is really weird. “How’s the water?”
“Sunset Shimmer? Askin’ to be in our “Best Friends” picture?” Applejack asks, putting her hands on her hips. “Heh. Now I’ve heard it all.”
“Am I missing the joke here?” Sunset asks the very thing I’m thinking.
“The only joke is whatever this is you’re playing on us,” Rarity waves a hand disapprovingly, “acting all nice like you’re our friend.”
Wait. Come again?
Spike glances at Rarity like she just grew a second head… and I don’t blame him. What?
Fluttershy stands up, folding her arms and frowning, but still stays behind Applejack. “And it’s not funny!”
“Because you aren’t nice,” Dash says with folded arms as Pinkie turns her head away, pouting.
Applejack points a finger at Sunset. “And we ain’t friends.”
“Wait. What?!” Sunset, Spike and I say in unison.
“You got applesauce in your ears? I said, we ain’t fr— Whoa!” Applejack starts, but is cut off when Sunset rushes forward and grabs her arms and I sense Sunset’s Memory Viewing Magic kick in.
Curious, I decide to peak at what she’s seeing… and my jaw drops.
She’s getting glimpses of Applejack’s memories from the thing with Juniper and the events from Legends of Everfree, Friendship Games and Rainbow Rocks… but Sunset isn’t their friend in any of them. It’s like she just vanished.
Sunset gasps as she lets go and I shake my head. “It’s like I’ve been... erased!”
I just shake my head again. This literally doesn’t make any sense. How could Applejack, and apparently all the gang expect it seems Spike, forget everything that happened with Sunset up to now?
“This has to be a bad dream,” Sunset says, putting her hands on her head. “Wake up, Sunset. Wake up! Ow!” she winces as Pinkie hops over and gives her a pinch on the arm.
“Nope. You’re awake,” the pink girl chirps, before pinching herself. “Ow!” She giggles. “Me, too!”
Sunset looks to Rainbow Dash and grabs her arm. “What about you? No!” Sunset looks frantic as she lets go of Rainbow’s arm. “Rainbow Dash, you saved me in that race!”
Dash just looks confused. “What are you talking about?”
Sunset looks at them all with worry. “I can see your memories, and I’m not in them!”
Applejack wags a finger in her direction. “And exactly how is it you can see our memories, if you don’t mind me askin’?”
Again, Spike gives her a very confused look.
Sunset holds up her pendant. “With this!”
Rarity scoffs. “Oh, pfft! It’s obviously a cheap knockoff of ours.”
I deadpan at her. “Really, Rarity? Where exactly would one go for a “cheap knockoff” of a magical pendant caused by Equestrian Magic leaking into this world that actually works?”
“Why are you even with her, Screwy?” Dash gives me a questioning look. “Did Princess Twilight tell you to check on Sunset Shimmer or something?”
Sunset looks around at them all. “We got them together. You were there, remember?”
“Why is she still talking to us?” Fluttershy whispers to Applejack.
“More like what are you all talking about?” Spike finally asks, walking forward and turning to look at them all, an eyebrow raised. “Twilight, you and Sunset were both held by Gloriosa in that cave, remember? That’s where we learned about the geodes.”
Applejack just gives Spike a raised eyebrow. “Have you been smellin’ the cider mah family throws out after it goes off again?”
The dog and I share a glance. This is just making less and less sense with every second that passes.
Sunset thinks, before smiling. “Pinkie Pie, what about when I came to your sleepover before the Battle of the Bands?”
Pinkie just glares. “Ha! The closest you’ve ever come to a party of mine is freshman year, when you pretended to be Applejack and texted me, Your party is lamer than a hungry duck in snow boots.”
Applejack snorts. “Like Ah’d ever say that.”
Pinkie looks sad. “It really hurt my feelings.”
“And it wasn’t very nice to the ducks, either,” Fluttershy pipes up.
Sunset looks hurt by the old wound being brought up. “That was a long time ago. Twilight, you remember me, right? We’ve been through so much together.” Sunset’s expression actually breaks my heart. “Please...”
Twilight looks away. “I only met you once, when you yelled at me at the Games.”
“What?!” Spike looks both shocked and annoyed. “Twilight, what in the world are you talking about? Sunset was the one who helped free you from Midnight Sparkle at the Friendship Games. She was your tent partner at Everfree. She’s the one who texted you about the cave where we learned Gloriosa was pretending to be Gaia Everfree. Sunset’s the one who was the final key when you all got captured by Juniper Montage. What is wrong with you?”
“Wrong with her?” Dash looks accusingly at the dog. “What’s wrong with you, Spike? Why’re you siding with Sunset of all people? And what are you even talking about?”
Sunset looks around frantically. “Doesn’t anyone remember that I’ve changed?!”
Okay. I’ve had enough. “Check your phones’ photos.” I point at each of them. “Now!”
The girls all look at each other, then me in confusion.
“Why?” Rarity asks.
“Just do it!” I yell, causing them, Spike and Sunset to flinch, along with everyone else at the beach to glance our way.
The girls all look at each other again, before shrugging and pull out their phones and start scrolling through their galleries… before all getting very perplexed looks.
“Is this some kind of sick joke, Screwball?” Rarity shows her phone, it displaying a photo from all the back during the sleepover from Rainbow Rocks, it showing Sunset sharing in the selfie with Rarity, Fluttershy and Equestria’s Spike photo-bombing in the background.
I shake my head, before going through the motions of a Pinkie Promise. “I Pinkie Promise, you took that photo Rarity and I haven’t used any of my magic to alter it.”
There’s a gasp of shock as they all realize the severity of what I just did. No one breaks a Pinkie Promise, in either world.
“Look at all these photos,” Dash says in shock, showing a bunch from Everfree, so many showing them happy with Sunset. “I remember taking these, but I don’t remember Sunset being in any of them. She wasn’t even at camp.”
“Um… yeah, she was,” Spike shakes his head. “Seriously, what’s wrong with all of you?”
“Ah… is there sumthin’ wrong with us?” Applejack asks, looking around the group. “These… these photos aren’t how Ah remember them.”
“And… and you’re serious,” Pinkie is staring at me with wide eyes. “You made a Pinkie Promise… and you mean it.”
I nod, indicating to the three of us, myself, Spike and Sunset. “If it were just me or Sunset saying it, I could understand you all not believing it, but even Spike is telling you something is up. Twilight, have you ever known Spike to want to hurt you?”
Said girl looks aghast. “What? No! I fully trust Spike! He’d never do anything to hurt me!”
“Then trust me when I say something is seriously wrong here,” Spike says, looking around at the girls. “All morning I’d thought it odd none of you seemed to be wondering why Sunset was taking so long to get here. You didn’t even seem to be aware she’d be coming. Now I understand why. Somehow, you’ve all forgotten all your good memories with her!”
“But… how?” Dash asks, before looking to the dog. “And how come you can apparently remember everything, but we can’t?”
“Okay. Say we believe you, Sunset, that we’re friends and somehow have just forgotten,” Applejack says, though she sounds extremely sceptical. “How could that have happened? One o’ us, Ah’d understand, but all o’ us?”
“Oh no,” Sunset’s eyes widen and she looks to me. “Screwball, the magic you were talking about last night. That must’ve been the cause.”
I glance at Sunset… now confused at her. “Um… what? I never said anything about sensing magic last night.”
She blinks in confusion. “Yes, you did. Remember, after you decided to appear in my room and scare the daylights out of me, you asked if the girls and I had been doing anything big with magic because you sensed something in the woods by the school?”
I cock my head. “I did?” I frown, thinking back to last night… before becoming worried. “Um… I remember scaring you, but… after that, next thing I remember is waking up this morning.”
“Even Screwball is forgetting things involving Sunset?” Fluttershy asks worriedly.
I frown, doing a quick sweep of beach, which is full of Canterlot High kids, before getting nervous. “It’s not just you girls. No one on this beach remembers anything good about Sunset anymore. It’s like no one remembers she’s changed at all!”
Sunset frowns, before her eyes light up. “Maybe not anyone.” Sunset pulls out her journal, which causes the girls to gasp. “What?”
“Why do you have that?” Rarity gasps. “Princess Twilight said it was the only reason she was able to open the portal!”
“And how exactly did Princess Twilight learn about the journal to begin with?” I ask.
Rarity opens her mouth to answer, before closing it, looking anxious.
Yeah. Sunset was the only reason the journal was ever brought up. If all memories of her as a good person have been completely erased from their memories, they wouldn’t know how they figured out the journal was the way to get a message to Twilight or that it was the thing allowing the portal to stay open.
Sunset starts writing in the journal. “Dear Princess Twilight, this is gonna sound crazy, but... are we friends? Am I... nice? Please answer...”
I glare at the others as they look uncertainly at Sunset, before looking away in shame. Yeah. You tell me that’s the same Sunset Shimmer when she sounds like her heart’s breaking as she asks that question.
The book shimmers and we all ground behind Sunset to look over her shoulder.
Of course we’re friends! the words that appear say, causing Sunset to sigh with relief. Are you okay? What’s going on?
Sunset sighs again as she starts writing. Kinda hard to explain. Might be easier in person. Well, not “person”, so to speak...
Sunset looks to us. “I’m heading for Equestria. Screwball, can you stay with Spike and the girls?”
“Considering something is going around erasing specific memories?” I nod. “No way am I leaving my friends alone with that kind of threat on the loose.”
Sunset nods, handing her journal to me. “This way, we’ll be able to inform you of anything we find right away, before I get back.”
I nod, taking the book and, after giving one last sad glance at her friends, she runs off.
As she fades out of sight, I frown, turning around and looking at the girls with curiosity. “What do you girls remember about the Fall Formal? Specifically, what do you remember happening after you all Ponied Up for the first time?”
The girls all glance at each other, Sci-Twi and Spike being the only confused ones, since neither of them had been present that night. After a few moments, they look to me in bewilderment.
Deciding to give a visual for the two who hadn’t been there, I make a window appear in front of the girls, displaying their memories of that night… and leaving me just as baffled as they look.
Most of it plays out exactly the same as I remember it… except Sunset isn’t in the crater made by being blasted with the Elements. In fact, she isn’t there for any of the memories of that night from that point onward, even the part where Twilight is asking them to watch over Sunset and Rarity stating she wants an apology for the debacle at the Spring Fling.
Barely any of those memories are there, and those that are are so fragmented and nonsensical that it hurts just trying to process how the girls’ minds didn’t shut down the moment their memories were removed.
“This… What happened to us?” Dash asks, looking around at us all.
I rub my chin. “Did anything odd happen yesterday? Like, any encounters that might seem suspicious?”
The girls all glance at each other, rubbing their chins, before Dash gets a confused look, before shaking her head. “Nah. Couldn’t be.”
“Care to share?” Spike asks.
Dash folds her arms, frowning. “It’s not quite clear, but… does anyone remember Trixie saying something about revenge against Sunset?”
The group all glance around at each other as Spike nods.
“Yep,” the dog answers. “She definitely said that after Sunset refused to make a Most Great and Powerfulest supplement and she’d tried bringing up Sunset’s past.”
I frown, folding my arms. “Nah. I don’t think so. I’ll admit, this world’s Trixie does seem to possess some type of magic —”
“She does?” they all look confused.
“—but it’s nowhere near on this high a level,” I finish, ignoring their confusion.
“What was that about Trixie’s magic not being on a high level?!”
I deadpan, facepalming. I do not need this right now.
Turning around we see a stern looking Trixie walking towards us, Snips and Snails following diligently behind her.
My deadpan deepens. Wow. Their EQG counterparts are more spineless than their pony selves. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
“Trixie will have you know that no one is more great and powerful in this world!” Trixie does a flourishing motion.
I just cock an eyebrow at her.
She pouts, folding her arms as she looks away. “Trixie did say in this world, did she not?”
“If this is about your being made “The Greatest and Most Powerful”, the answer is no,” Rarity says, before uncertainly enters her expression. “And… didn’t we have this conversation yesterday? I can’t quite remember.”
“Uh...” Applejack shrugs.
Fluttershy rubs her arm. “Hmm.”
Trixie waves a hand lazily. “Maybe we did, maybe we didn’t. Memory is such a fickle thing. You never know when you’ll forget something important.”
At once, Twilight, Spike and I share a glance. Interesting choice of words, Trixie.
Rarity groans. “I’ll think about it.”
Trixie gives a satisfied smirk. “That’s all I ask.”
She walks off as the rest of us shares looks.
“Think I’m just making assumptions now?” Dash asks me.
“Trixie’s choice of words is definitely suspicious, given the circumstances,” I murmur, rubbing my chin, before getting an idea. “Okay. I’m gonna go back in time to last night, right after I fell asleep at Sunset’s. If I see Trixie around, it’ll be clear she’s the one who’s messed with our memories.”
“Wait, “ours”?” Dash looks confused.
Applejack just gives her a deadpan stare, arms folded. “Did ya’ll forget how Screwball admitted she don’t remember saying she sensed magic in the woods, despite Sunset claiming Screwball mentioned something about it last night?”
Dash blinks. “Oh.”
“But, what if Trixie wipes your memories on sight?” Fluttershy asks worriedly. “If she makes you forget why you went back in time, it could end up even worse!”
Sci-Twi nods. “Fluttershy has a point. Even if you go back in time and find proof Trixie is the one behind our memory problem, if she realizes you’re on to her, she could just erase your memories again and then there’s no telling what would happen.”
“What if Screwy put in a failsafe?” we all turn to the pink girl as she grins around at us.
“What kind of failsafe?” Rarity asks, before Sci-Twi snaps her fingers.
“Of course. If Screwball set something in place, like she gets sent back here if something happens to her memories, she’ll at least be back here and we can bring her up to speed depending on how much memory she loses.”
I think it over before nodding. “See you guys in a bit.”
I snap my fingers.
___________________________________________________________
I find myself falling face first in sand, my head spinning.
I can hear voices from above and arms picking me up, but I can’t quite pinpoint anything.
Shaking my head after a few moments, my vision clears… to show the Humane 7 girls, sans Sunset, in beach attire, with Spike by their side.
They’re all crowded around me, looks of worry on their faces.
Wait. Why am I in the EQG world? And why am I dressed in beach attire?
“What… what’s going on?” I ask, Applejack slowly helping me to sit up. “Last thing I remember, I was in Equestria after we beat the Pony of Shadows… but everything’s a blur after that.”
“Oh no,” Fluttershy murmurs. “It did happen.”
“How in the world can Trixie wipe the memories of a Princes of Chaos?” Dash asks, flabbergasted… and leaving me very confused.
“Um, can someone back up and clarify things for me, please?” I ask, looking around in annoyed confusion. I don’t like being kept in the dark.
The group then explain.
I frown once they’ve finished. “So, somehow, Trixie is wiping memories. First she removed all good memories of Sunset from you girls, but not Spike and hit me when I went to investigate last night?”
“Would seem so,” Applejack glares at the magician laying on a foldout sunbed several metres away.
“Uh, what’s that on your arm?” I glance down at Spike on my left and notice he’s indicating to that arm.
Lifting it, I blink in surprise as I notice writing on there. “This is my handwriting,” the other gather around me.
“Not Trixie,” Twilight reads, glancing to me. “You must have found the culprit and when they started erasing your memories, you quickly wrote that on your arm before the failsafe brought you back, so you’d remember something.”
“Apparently,” I say, frowning at the message. “Though all it tells us for sure is that the memory wiper isn’t Trixie.”
“But, if’n it ain’t Trixie…” Applejack asks, glancing around the beach.
“Who is?” Dash finishes as we all stand defensively, scanning for any signs of someone who might’ve wanted to erase the memories of others.
As the day moves on, we all decide we’re not in the beach mood and pack up, heading for the mall instead.
It’s as we’re sitting in the food court, suggestinhg theories as to who could be behind this, from enemies the girls have made to possibly some other villain from Equestria Star Swirl convinently forgot to mention he’d banished here, when the journal starts vibrating.
I open it out on the table for everyone to read.
Screwball, this is Twilight. Are you familiar with The Seven Trials of Clover the Clever?
All eyes fall on me, but I shake my head and write, Sorry, Twilight. Never had a chance to think about it. Didn’t seem like it would be relevant to me. I’m guessing I was wrong?
The princess replies. Well, you could say that. First of all, these date back to before the founding of Equestria. Look at this.
An image appears on the page beneath her words, along with three others.
“The Memory Stone,” Applejack reads. “That sounds promisin’.”
Twilight continues. It belonged to an evil sorceress who was practically invincible. With the Memory Stone, she could erase any memory from anypony. Even fragments of memories.
“Fragments like... memories of Sunset being nice?” Fluttershy asks worriedly and I write her words.
Mm-hmm. Clover the Clever knew the sorceress had to be stopped and the Stone destroyed, so he chased her across land and sea. But every time he got close, the sorceress would erase his memory and escape. But he kept finding her.
“How?” the others ask as I write.
Scraps of parchment. He secretly wrote everything down so he’d know what had happened and where to go next. Like a trail of bread crumbs.
“Clever!” Dash says, before blinking. “Ohhhh. Clover the—” she deadpans. “Yeah, got it. What happened on the other side of this portal? ”
Twilight’s next words are worrying. The last page is missing. Clover must’ve hid it to keep anypony else from finding the Memory Stone. Girls, what if the Memory Stone ended up in your world?
“And someone is using it to make everyone hate Sunset again?” Spike asks.
“But who?” we all ask, looking around at each other.
That, I’m afraid I can’t answer, Twilight replies. Sunset’s heading back to Ponyville now to go through the portal, but she won’t be re-joining you.
“What? But why?” Rarity asks, concerned. “Since it seems she’s indeed told the truth about us being friends, why wouldn’t she want to hang around with us so we can help?”
“Because it would draw suspicion,” the others all look to Sci-Twi, who’s figured it out right away too. “Whomever did this, they intentionally made sure we didn’t remember Sunset is our friend. If she suddenly starts hanging around us again, they’ll realize we’re onto them.”
“Wouldn’t they already know?” Dash indicates to me. “Screwball already confronted them and they erased her memory. Wouldn’t they know we know?”
Sci-Twi shakes her head. “As far as they’re aware, they’ve erased any knowledge Screwball had about the memory wipe and she probably didn’t let on we know about the memory wipe too. They might even think they erased Screwball’s good memories of Sunset.”
“So, for now, we have to pretend we don’t like Sunset at all?” Dash asks, before glaring. “That’s not cool.”
“I agree,” I growl, clenching a fist on the table. “But if we’re gonna find this person without them wiping our memories again, we need to do it. I don’t like it either, but Sunset clearly understands the stakes.”
That night, I stay at Sci-Twi’s place. We spend as much time before bed as possible trying to figure out the culprit, but get nowhere.
The next two days… don’t go too well. Avoiding Sunset on the Sunday was bad enough, but the next day we see Sunset is clearly frustrated she has to do things separately from us and, without the support of her friendship with the girls, her old tendencies are starting to come back, like her anger and lashing out at people when they treat her wrong.
Interestingly, while the girls and I act like nothing’s different and that we don’t know someone’s messing with memories, I notice Sunset and Trixie start hanging out.
Eavesdropping on them during lunch, I learn Trixie seems to want to help Sunset. Don’t know why, but the two seem to start getting along.
Well, at the very least, whomever caused this mess helped one new friendship form, which is something, I guess.
“I feel just awful,” Fluttershy says as we’re all walking through the corridor later that day.
“Yeah,” Applejack says dejectedly. “Knowin’ Sunset’s changed, but havin’ ta ignore her an’ pretend Ah still don’t like her? It ain’t right.”
“I know,” I say through gritted teeth. “But, until we have some clue as to who has the Memory Stone, there’s nothing we can —”
I’m cut off by my backpack vibrating.
“Princess Twilight must’ve found something!” Dash says as I pull out the book and open it, before she becomes scared by my horrified expression. “Screwball, what is it?!”
“Clover the Clever buried the Stone!” I read Twilight’s words. “There’s rock formation that must be somewhere in this world. But it doesn’t say how to get our memories back. It comes with a quote from Clover himself”
“Something tells me it isn’t good news,” Rarity says anxiously.
“Perhaps if I had destroyed the Stone right away, some of my memories could have returned. But when the sun sets by the third day after a memory has been taken, it is erased forever,” I look to the others, my eyes wide with terror.
“Wait. If we lost our memories on Saturday before we went to the beach…” Applejack looks around at us all, not needing to finish.
“We gotta find and destroy that stone ASAP!!” Dash gasps.
“Gimme a sec,” I say, closing my eyes. “I’ll teleport us to somewhere with something like these stones. I should be able to zero in on it.”
We teleport, only to find ourselves standing in the woods.
“Over here!” we all turn to Spike, who’s sniffing around a trio of stones.
I glance down at the journal, nodding. “They match. This is where the Memory Stone was buried.”
“I hate that you used past tense there,” Dash gulps.
“Yeah,” Applejack looks around at the garden we’re standing in. “Whomever made this garden clearly is the one who found it.” Her expression becomes sheepish. “Um, anyone remember anythin’ about gardens bein’ mentioned around school.”
The others shake their heads.
“So, what do we do now?” Rarity looks to me. “Do we wait to see whom owns this garden?”
I shake my head. “There’s no telling how long that could take and we don’t have very long.”
“We’ve likely approximately until just after sunset before our memories will be lost forever,” Sci-Twi says as she looks at her watch. “After that, we’ll never be able to get our memories back.”
I nod. “Not even my Chaos Magic will be able to bring them back. Believe me, I’ve been trying since I found myself face first in the sand with you all around me.”
“Whatever the case, there has to be a clue around here somewhere,” Rarity says, kneeling down to examine some soil.
“This isn’t one of your Shadow Spade novels, Rarity!” Dash says. “This is real life and we’re in real danger of having our memories screwed over for the rest of our lives if we don’t fix this!”
“Guys, calm down,” I say, standing up. “I know this is frustrating, believe me, but if we start fighting amongst each other then— Whoa!”
I’m tingling all over as I sense magic… coming from the school!
“Screwball?” Rarity asks.
“The Memory Stone!” I cry, looking in the school’s direction. “Whoever has it just used it again!”
“Then let’s go!” Dash and Applejack say together.
I nod and we all start running. Why don’t I just teleport us? I get the feeling things will work out better if I don’t.
As we reach the carpark a girl I don’t recognize hurries out of one of the smaller school entrances and starts going past us.
Seconds later, Sunset bursts through the same doors. “Wallflower?” She stars running towards us and I realize she’s talking to the girl who just passed by. “Wallflower, stop!”
This Wallflower stops, turning around with a look of shock. “You remember my name?”
At once, my eyes narrow. Don’t tell me…
Sunset nods. “I remember everything! The Memory Stone, how I acted, all of it!”
“What?!” Wallflower yells. “How?! I erased the whole afternoon!”
I grit my teeth. Oh, bad idea, girl.
She seems to notice my glare and the others’ stares and blushes.
Sunset glances between us, before looking to Wallflower. “Listen. I used to be just like you. Sure, I was popular, but I was lonely.”
Wallflower points at her. “You’re nothing like me, and I’m not lonely, because I have... plants!” Her face goes blank and she facepalms. “That sounded less lonely in my head.”
Sunset reaches forward. “I’m sorry, Wallflower.”
“No, you’re not,” Wallflower says firmly. “You’re just trying to look good in front of your friends!” She glances our way, before throwing her hands in the air. “And it’s working! Gah! How am I supposed to get back at you if nothing I do matters?! I hate you!”
Soon as the last words leave her lips she seems shocked herself, putting her hands over her mouth.
“Why?” I ask, stepping forward. “After all this time, what reason do you still have to hate Sunset?”
Wallflower ignores me, I feel like that’s ironic, for some reason, as she takes off her backpack. “I wanted to teach you a lesson by erasing your friends’ good memories of you. But obviously that didn’t work.” She reaches into her bag, pulling out what is clearly the Memory Stone.
I snap my fingers to teleport it to me, but feel resistance. Doing a quick magical scan, I realized it’s locked to her energies. But why? Why would an Equestrian magical artefact lock onto a human?
I do a quick scan of Wallflower that I run through a magic index of Equestria… and find myself deadpanning. Oh, you have got to be kidding me.
Wallflower is the EQG counterpart to the soccerores from Equestria who created the Memory Stone. That is just… Fate, you love fucking with me at times, don’t you?
“But what if I erased all their memories of high school?”
I’m pulled back to the present by those words, the girls gasping and my eyes widen in both shock and anger. Is she out of her mind? Does she not realize just how fucked up that is?
If she erased ALL the girls memories of high school, that’s a full four years of their lives that just vanish.
They’d become Middle School kids in High Schoolers bodies. They’d be beyond confused and scared.
And that’s not even counting Sci-Twi. She didn’t start going to CHS til a few months ago. Without any of her high school memories, she’ll be in an area she is completely unfamiliar with, with no idea how she got here.
And then there’s me! What would happen if she erased all my memories of high school? My memories of CHS are tied so closely with all my other memories, I’d probably go insane!
What the fuck is wrong with this Wallflower that she’d think this is a smart move?!
“You can’t!” Sunset cries. “You’d be stealing their memories of each other!”
Wallflower just gives her a cold stare as she starts moving til Sunset is further away. “They’ll think of each other the way you think of me! Which is not at all!”
She aims the stone and a beam of greenish-blue magic shoots forth, heading for all of us.
Before I can even react, Sunset runs in front of us, screaming
“Nooo!”, taking the blast.
She falls to ground, glowing with the magic. “I’ve ruined their friendship once before. I’d rather give up my own memories than let it happen again!” She grunts as a yellow trail flies out of her head, struggling weakly to try and grab it. “Fluttershy!”
The trail flies into the Memory Stone.
We’re all frozen in horror as we watch her memories of Applejack, Rarity, Dash and Pinkie follow suit, then, me and Spike.
Sunset turns back to us, specifically Sci-Twi, her being the only one she has any memories of left, her expression pleading. “Twilight! Don’t… forget me!”
The last of her memories gone, Sunset’s expression blanks and she collapses forward.
Even Wallflower looks shocked, as if she hadn’t thought it would be that horrible to watch someone losing all their memories of… wait a minute.
My eyes widen in horror. If Sunset just lost all her memories since she started high school here in this world...
Sunset stirs, opening her eyes… but she doesn’t stand up. She remains on all fours, glancing around in confusion, before she gasps. “This isn’t Canterlot. Where am I? Princess Celestia?”
My hand covers my mouth in horror. Sweet Celestia. Sunset literally doesn’t remember anything now. As far as she’s aware, she was a pony seconds ago somewhere in Canterlot, still Celestia’s student.
Wallflower has literally turned her into a young pony not only in a foreign area, but a foreign world and body. That is sick on so many levels. Even she seems worried, as if it finally sunk in just how fucked up what she did was.
“What’s happened to me?” Sunset asks in fear, looking down at her hand, before shutting her eyes and hunching down, her voice pleading in a way that breaks my heart. “Somepony, help me!”
The air suddenly grows hot as my sight zeros in on Wallflower, her noticing and freezing in place, her eyes wide with fear, before I feel a hand on my shoulder.
Glancing back, Applejack shakes her head and I blink, trying to calm down.
Sci-Twi kneels down to Sunset, the pony in a human body recoiling slightly in fear. “Who are you?”
The lavender girl smiling warmly. “We’re your friends.” She then looks up, glaring at Wallflower.
Applejack stands closer. “We may not remember you...”
“But after seeing what you did...” Pinkie gives Wallflower a very unamused look.
“...the sacrifice you made for us...” Rarity gives Wallflower a smirk, one that tell her her plan has failed.
Fluttershy holds her hands to her chest. “...we’d be proud to call you...”
As one they say, “...our friend!”
The moment they do, putting their hands on Sunset to comfort her, I sense Harmonic Magic, before I’m forced to Pony Up and turn to see their gems glowing brighter than ever before as they take on the forms they did back at Everfree.
As they float into the air, Sunset looking beyond confused, Sci-Twi looks down at the girl responsible for all of this. “Wallflower! You have magic you do not understand! But it is nothing compared to the Magic of—!”
“Yeah, yeah, we get it,” Pinkie interrupts. “Light her up, ladies!”
They all glow, before a beam of magic fires from them, slamming into the Memory Stone. It resists for several moments, before it shatters, streams of magic bursting forth and flying in all directions.
Several beams slam into my forehead and suddenly, all my memories since I arrived in Sunset’s bedroom return, even the one of myself finding Wallflower in the garden yesterday and confronting her.
Once all the memories have flown to where I assume their owners are, the girl lands, Sunset putting a hand to her head, before turning around, uncertainty mixed with joy in her expression. “Twilight... Sparkle?”
Sci-Twil smiles brightly. “Sunset Shimmer!”
The girls all cheer, hugging each other, while my eyes are on the girl who is kneeling down, her back to us.
I clear my throat, getting their attention in point with a thumb. Sunset, Sci-Twi and I walk over, myself giving a none too pleased look at the green girl.
Wallflower glances behind at us, before looking down. “I’m so ashamed. When I first found the Memory Stone,” she holds one of the shards, “I only erased little things – awkward hellos, saying the wrong thing, literally any public speaking...”
I frown. “And you got angry at Sunset for that?”
“Huh?” she looks back at me, confused.
I shake my head. “You were angry at Sunset for not remembering you, so wanted revenge on her for it, but you were the very reason she couldn’t remember you!”
She cocks an eyebrow. “What… do you mean?”
Sci-Twi picks up what I’m getting at. “Wallflower, how could you expect someone to remember you if you always erased every memory they had of interacting with you?”
“Now, suddenly those confusing gaps in my memories from the last couple of years make more sense,” Sunset says, thinking about it. “Those must have been times either you and I interacted, or I’d been among the crowd when you erased their memories.”
“You literally wanted revenge on someone for not remembering you because you made them never remember you,” I say sternly. “You realize how pathetic that is?”
“When you say it like that…” Wallflower sags, not meeting our eyes, “it does sound pretty pathetic.”
Sci-Twi closes her eyes. “I’ve had plenty of awkward moments I wish I could erase, too.”
Wallflower sighs. “But it’s no excuse. I was so used to erasing memories that I got completely carried away… even to the point I failed to realize it was only making things worse for me. I’m sorry for everything.”
Sunset smiles in understanding. “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. Even if I couldn’t remember who you were, I should’ve at least been more willing to think before I spoke. Everyone matters, Wallflower. No matter how insignificant or invisible they feel.”
I blink, before facepalming.
“What’s up?” Dash asks, noticing.
“I just realized there’s more Memory Stones I have to go deal with,” I say, my voice muffled by my hand. “Alternate timelines,” I add in answer to the confused and worried looks I get. “After this, I’m going home.”
“Already?” Pinkie asks, confused.
“But you just got all your memories back,” Rarity states.
I nod, putting a hand to my head. “Yeah, but I came here to relax after dealing with the Pony of Shadows. I got the opposite of relaxing.”
“Come on, guys, it’s her world,” Spike says, shrugging. “She can go back whenever she wants. It’s not like anything really bad could’ve happened since she left, right?”
I ignore Spike’s words and snap my fingers, reappearing in the garden I confronted Wallflower in yesterday, only now I’m in the timeline where Sunset lost everything and the Fall Formal had yet to happen, though by now, it probably has and they’re heading towards the events of Rainbow Rocks, but without the worry of the Sirens.
From what Wallflower said when we first encountered each other and she erased my memory, she’d let slip enough for me to figure out she doesn’t find the Memory Stone until after the Friendship Games, so it should still be buried here.
Snapping my fingers, a piece of cloth flies out from the ground, hovering before me. Another snap and it’s now in the Wasteland Equestria.
Just a few more EQG worlds to stop in, sending all the Memory Stones to the Wasteland and I’m done. I need some time to relax already.