It was a scream unlike anything Twilight had ever heard before. A high pitched, pain filled wail that held nothing back and eclipsed any other noise in the parking lot. She thought at first that some other kind of Equestrian creature had come, perhaps to aid Wallflower in the fight that was about to happen. The girl never expected it to come from Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset’s body buckled, arching up like a cat as her scream continued, her fingers digging into the ground beneath her. A shock wave of red magic burst out of Sunset, the near physical aura of power knocking down Twilight, her friends, and even Wallflower with how powerful it was. It rose the Equestrian into the air, her scream unending before flame wrapped about her form, the sun marked pendant around her neck flashing with dark power.
Dark, bat like wings burst out from the cocoon of fire, flapping in their new found freedom. Sharp talon like hands the color of rust thrust forward, pushing away the magic that was surrounding her. The piercing scream was replaced by a dark laughter, small at first but coming stronger as the magic dissipated. The girl that Twilight knew as Sunset Shimmer was gone, replaced instead by a demon with dark eyes and a snarl on her lips.
“W-what in the world?” Wallflower squeaked out while she pushed herself up from the ground, eyes wide.
“Ain’t from our world,” Applejack whispered, moving with Rainbow Dash to make sure that the less aggressive of the girls were well defended.
The demon landed on the ground, head snapping back and forth in confusion. She glared down at Wallflower, the girls, and then Twilight in turn. It was with the her that Sunset stopped, baring sharp teeth and flames leaping up from her hands. “You!” She snarled out, her voice tinged with such hatred that made white hot fear run through Twilight’s blood. The demon’s wings beat once, sending her back into the air. “I don’t know how you’ve changed the world around us, Princess, but it’s not going to help you at all!”
“Change? What in the hell is she talking about?” Rainbow asked, sparing a confused glance to her friends.
“My stars…” Rarity gasped, eyes wide. “It’s her memory. She doesn’t remember anything after the Fall Formal.”
“Oooooh, so that’s why she’s all demony!” Pinkie said in sudden understanding. The pink skinned girl even crossed her arms and nodded, making a show of having figured everything out. “She isn’t good anymore and has access to magic like she did with the crown! So now she’s all powered up without it! Annnnd… that’s not a good thing, is it?”
Her answer came with Sunset dropping down with all the force of a meteor between the girls, blasting the six of them back with another shock wave of her landing alone. Twilight rolled as she landed on the hard blacktop, pain flaring up in her left shoulder. She barely got herself upright before her vision was filled with the demonic wings of her attacker. “Wait... Sunset!” Twilight said, trying to raise her hand to stop her forgotten friend.
Snarling in answer, Sunset coated her claws in fire once more, bringing it down on Twilight’s head. A white diamond forming out of thin air was the only thing that saved the genius girl from a quick death, blocking the attack entirely.
“Girls, we’ve got to get Sunset under control!” Rarity shouted out, her pendant alight with power. She used her magic to push Sunset back away from Twilight, even as the enraged girl started clawing and punching at the magical shield.
Rainbow, of course, was the first to respond to her friends call for aid. Where as her speed had done nothing in the search for the stone before, now the sporty teen could use it in a fight, something she was much better equipped to deal with. “Sorry, Sunset, but this is for your own good!” Dash yelled, running circles around the demon to the point of looking little more than a swirling rainbow. The girls fists flew, faster than anything that Twilight had ever seen, each one connecting and pushing back the demon girl.
It took another wave of pure magic to push back the speedster, Sunset’s eyes wide and crazed with anger. “How do you have magic?! I should be the only one!” she demanded. Her answer was a bunch of birds dive bombing her, pigeons, robins and at least one seagull pecking at her head. She swiped and clawed at the avians, forcing them off her scalp. A sharp whistle from Fluttershy called them back as Sunset’s hands burst into flames once more.
“It doesn’t matter WHAT you little cretins do!” The demon snarled, throwing another ball of fire at the birds, missing the scattered animals by scant inches. “None of your powers compare to mine! I will get my revenge! I WILL conquer Equestria!”
“You WILL get your face full of cupcakes!”
Sunset turned in complete confusion to the follow up to her rant, being greeted with sight of Pinkie Pie. The party planner was grinning wide as she sat in Applejacks palm, curled up like a ball. With a mighty heave, Aj threw her friend, Pinkie screaming “FASTBALL SPECIAL!” at the top of her lungs. She slammed with all of her sizable weight against the demon, shoving a pair of cupcakes into her face and using Sunset’s body as a springboard to leap off her and roll onto the ground. An explosion followed up soon after as her magic took place, sending the demon crashing into the ground.
Throughout all of this, Twilight watched, torn in her emotions. Part of the genius wanted nothing more to stop her friends, to help the poor girl that had been transformed against her will. Another part wanted to join in the fight, to stop Sunset before she did something she couldn’t take back. But the emotion that warred the most in her heart was anguish. It tore at her gut and made her sick to see her friend while her heart ached. Was it the love that Sunset herself confessed, Twilight’s heart remembering despite being unable to recall the memories? She felt paralyzed by indecision, unable to decide the best course.
A small growl escaped the prone demon, claws digging into the blacktop beneath her. She forced herself up with a wobble, clearly worn down by the battle. “Y-you… little…” She gasped, holding one arm close to her frame, blood trailing down the elbow. Eyes blackened by magic searched each face of her foes before landing on Wallflower, the girl closest to where she had been struck down. A feral grin full of sharp teeth lined her mouth as she leaped, covering the distance in a single bound.
Wallflower let out the smallest of squeaks as she was lifted up by the neck, demonic claw tips just barely digging into the flesh. Sunset turned to taunt the girls, about to use her hostage when her black eyes went a solid white, standing stock still.
“Now! While she’s distracted!” Rainbow growled.
“Wait, Rainbow!” Twilight shouted, throwing her hand in front of her friend before she could blitz into another fight. “I think Sunset’s reading Wallflowers memories!”
A loud gasp escaped the she-demon, releasing the green skinned girl and letting her drop like a sack of potatoes. Her body shook and her breath came out in shuddering, pain laced pants, barely able to contain the rage that contorted her face. Wallflower was crying at her feet, edging away from Sunset as best she could.
“You… did this…” Sunset hissed through gritted teeth, the trembling of her arms and fists shaking her entire body. Flames leaped from her hands, creating a head sized crater beside the trembling girl, the enraged demon taking another step closer. “You… ERASED EVERYTHING!” She screamed, ready to strike Wallflower down when the Memory Stone caught her eye. Sunset turned immediately to the magical artifact, hands filling with a fireball the size of her torso. She screamed her next words as she brought down the magic. “And you’ll NEVER erase anything ever again!”
There was the sound of a large crack as the super heated flame washed over the Memory Stone. Magic tore at the artifact, overpowering it before the entire thing exploded with disrupted power. From the crater that had once been a source of Equestrian magic flew out magical strips of film, each one being a string of stolen memories. Red strips with Sunset Shimmer’s face flew through the air, returning to their original owners. One in particular found it’s way to Twilight’s mind.
In a flash, everything she had ever forgotten about Sunset filled her mind. How Sunset had transformed into an angel to save her when Twilight had surrendered to magic and created Midnight. Sunset holding her tight, whispering soft words when her fears about that very same magic had nearly overwhelmed her at Camp Everfree. The heart filling, overwhelming joy when the two had finally confessed their feelings for each other at the lone tree atop the hill on the outskirts of town. Secret kisses and warm hugs during school and the embarrassment when their friends found out that the two were dating. Twilight remembered it all.
But the elation of regaining her lost memories didn’t last long. The soft sound of crying broke through the haze of having almost half a year returned to her. Sunset sat now, curled up in a ball on the ground near Wallflower, still locked in her demonic form.
“Sunset!” Twilight called out, heart and mind joined as one once more. She ran towards her friend, her lover, wanting nothing more than to hug her, kiss her, and banish those tears away.
“Get away, Twilight!” Sunset shouted out, her voice strained and just barely muffled by her legs. It was the pain in it that stopped Twilight in her tracks. The transformed woman curled up even tighter, wings and tail forming a weak shield around her altered state. Clawed hands came to her head, grasping it tight. “Even after all I’ve done… trying to put it behind me… I’m still a demon.”
She flinched as she felt a hand against her own, grasping it softly. Sunset dared a glance upward, being greeted with Twilight’s smiling face, her lavender fingers gripping around her hellfire red ones. An ache filled her heart when she saw the pain filling her girlfriends magically blackened eyes.Five other hands reached out and joined Twilight’s hand before she was even able to speak, each one gripping tight in friendship, lending their strength.
“Yer sure as shooting are not, Sunset. Ya had no control over yerself at all here.” Applejack, her voice rough but strong.
“Aj’s right! Besides, look at all the good you’ve done since the last time you were like this. That’s gotta count for something!” Rainbow Dash, closest of the girls outside Twilight.
“You did everything you could to try to help us with our memories, darling. A demon wouldn’t have cared at all about what we remembered.” Rarity, tears streaked down her face, not at all caring about how she looked.
“I don’t think just anyone would have jump in the way of the magic blast for us.” Fluttershy, her tone barely above a whisper.
“You didn’t even think of yourself, you wanted nothing more than to protect us…” Pinkie Pie, trying to get as much of a hug out of the group as possible.
Twilight smiled softly, pressing her forehead against Sunsets, breathing softly as she looked into her girlfriends eyes. They held no fear for her. “More than ever before, we know one thing, Sunset. That you’re our friend. Nothing will ever change that.”
A small smile broke past Sunset’s anguished face, the girl burrowing close to Twilight’s body. The rest of the girls all came in, offering the warmth of their bonds and the strength of friendship. None of them noticed the light glowing off their pendants until it overtook their friend.
Unlike all the times before, there was no powerful rainbow, no transformation of wings, pony ears, or longer hair. It was just a soft, warm light that flowed out from the six girls towards the girl in their circle. Hell-burnt skin quickly returned to it’s natural amber hue, eyes dyed black becoming purified with white, leathery wings fading away into nothingness. Soon, all that remained was Sunset Shimmer, holding tightly to her friends.
The girls broke from Sunset, helping her stand up. Twilight could see the elated look on her girlfriends face, making a hot warmth fill her chest. In any other situation, she would have kissed the girl right then and there. Instead, she brought Sunset into another hug, holding her tight while she turned her attention to Wallflower, seeing her curled up at the edge of the blacktop.
Part of her wanted nothing to do with the girl that had caused so much trouble, to forget about the person who had sought out to erase Sunset from their memories. Twilight also couldn’t deny there was also an angry pit in her core that wanted to lash out at the girl. She soon saw that she wasn’t the only one harboring such emotions.
“Now… what to do with this slimy, yellow-bellied salamander?” Applejack said, standing straight and breaking away from her friends. The farmers tone was stone cold, unlike anything Twilight had ever heard before from her normally cheerful friend. From the way that Wallflower flinched, the girl heard it too, even edging back a bit on her hands and knees.
Cracking her knuckles one at a time, Rainbow Dash walked along side AJ, the sporty girl glaring daggers at the prone girl. “She’s got a thing for memory, right? I say we make it so no one forgets her or what she did for a long damn time!” She snapped.
Sunset struggled, pulling out of Twilight’s grasp before she could even blink. Even as exhausted as she was, the Equestrian ran before her angry friends. She flung her arms out before the prone girl, acting as a shield for Wallflower. Confusion swirled in Twilight’s head, wondering for what reason her girlfriend would defend this… witch.
“I don’t get it…” Wallflower said, just as confused as the rest of them. “Why are you defending me? Why are you protecting me?”
Turning to Wallflower, Sunset offered a small smile as she knelt down and offered the prone girl her hand. “Because I’ve changed. I’m different from how I was when I first came to Canterlot High. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from everything we’ve been through, it’s that people and ponies aren’t static. Our experiences shape us and change us. And I think you can see that now, can’t you?”
Wallflower hesitated before nodding, taking Sunset’s hand, being pulled up gently onto her feet. She let out a small sigh before looking at the only thing that remained of the Memory stone, a tiny pebble that had a single carving on it. “I… think that I changed for the worst myself. I used to only erase the little things. Awkward hellos, wrong answers… any form of public speaking… I just let everything get away from me.”
“You’re damn right you let things get away from you!” Twilight snarled, finally finding her voice and words. The young genius stomped over to the pair, glaring the entire way at Wallflower. She stopped right before them and took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping as she worked to cool her emotions and put a more neutral look on her face. “But… Sunset isn’t wrong. We’ve all done things we’ve regretted, or that we wanted to take back. And while I’m still furious about you making me forget everything about my girlfriend… If Sunset wants to give you a chance…”
Sunset gave her an honest smile, a small lopsided thing that Twilight had come to love in their time together. It chased away some of the burning anger that smoldered in her gut and replaced it with happiness. “I do, Twilight. Besides, can you really say that what I did wasn’t just as bad? And you girls still all forgave me.”
“It’s true that we tend to forgive a lot of the villains we’ve had,” Pinkie Pie pointed out with a shrug. That got most of the others all agreeing, remembering how most of the magical mishaps they’ve gone up against was usually the result of someone getting a hold of and being overwhelmed by Equestrian magic.
A deep, heavy sigh came from Applejack as she nodded, finally relaxing herself. “Ah guess we can’t really do less considering,” She said softly. She turned her head to Sunset, looking at the girl with a warm smile. “Just know this, sugarcube, should any of this malarkey happen again. Yer kin to the Apples, ya hear?”
“Thanks, Applejack.” Sunset responded, that happy smile growing all the wider. It was the one thing, Twilight knew, that her girlfriend had always really wanted out of life. A family.
“So… what happens now?” Wallflower asked, shoulders hunched and looking worriedly back and forth between the magical girls.
“What happens next is that we keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t pull this shit again,” Rainbow Dash stated plainly, crossing her arms against her chest. The sporty teen broke into a smirk a moment later and let out a small chuckle. “But other than that? We treat you like a friend.”
No longer feeling threatened, Wallflower straightened up and smiled at the other girls. Rarity took that moment to clap her hands, speaking up. “Well, I don’t know about you, darlings, but I think we should perhaps just all head home for the day. After all this mess, I very much think some relaxation is in order.”
A chorus of agreement went up among the girls, leading to a round of goodbyes as each one of them went their respective ways. Twilight reached out for Sunset and held her hand, keeping the girl from leaving. Soon, it was just the two of them alone, only the setting sun in the mountains keeping them company.
“Are you alright, Twilight?” Sunset asked, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand softly.
Twilight shook her head, taking a moment to settle her breath before wrapping her arms tight around the other girls middle, squeezing. The genius buried her face against Sunset’s chest and focused on the warmth coming from the other woman, her scent. It let all those memories, the thoughts that had been so carelessly removed come rushing back to the forefront. “I… I’m so sorry, Sunset…” she whispered, clutching that jacket tightly. “I should have… done something more.”
A soft kiss against her forehead brought her attention back up to Sunset’s face, that lopsided smile once again on her lips. “Twilight… It’s ok…” she whispered, holding the smaller girl close. She rocked back and forth, the simple movement curving Twilight’s lips into a smile, remembering the time the amber skinned woman had done this before to calm her down from a small panic attack. “You can’t blame yourself for something Equestrian magic did.”
Nodding in agreement, Twilight moved her arms from her girlfriends middle to her neck, gazing up into those aqua eyes. Seeing the love and care in them soothed Twilight’s nerves, making her muscles relax. She brought Sunset in for a kiss, pressing tightly against the other girl, wanting to never let go. Sunset responded in kind, one hand pressing against the back of Twilight’s head to keep the kiss locked.
They broke it a moment later, both girls gasping for air. “I… will always… fight for you…” Twilight whispered, recalling that sensation… that feeling of something missing when her memories were gone. It was here now, that feeling of love for this wonderful woman holding her. Nothing would ever take that away.
“I know you will… and I’d do the same…” Sunset answered, pressing their foreheads together. It made Twilight feel warm all the way down to her toes, knowing that she could count on her girlfriend to do just that.
The two lovers kissed each other once more, holding onto one another tightly. It would be something they would hold tight in their minds and hearts, knowing that no matter what, their love for each other would never be forgotten.