The climb from the Underworld was quiet, mostly. The chains had been removed from the three remaining Athanatoi, but they still asked where they were and where they were being led to every so often, nervously looking around, trying to make sense of what they were seeing. Sunset Shimmer was making similar faces and taking hesitant steps as she followed close to Gauge.
Something had happened to her. She knew that for fact because her body had hurt and had been leaking... a dark red liquid. The others, the… alicorns, the ones with wings and a horn, had done something to make the pain go away, which was good. She did not like pain, she was sure of that. No, not she, they had called her a word, a name. Sunset, Sunset Shimmer, yes, it sounded, right, good. Everything around her was so sharp and clear, including her mind, but for some reason… she could not remember anything about herself, or… well except for some very basic things, anything about anything!
Finally, after what felt like hours of walking, the top of the stairs could be seen and the group exited to the rocky wasteland outside. Sunset wrinkled her nose at the unpleasant burnt smell outside. At least the sky was pleasing, the colors were similar to, to her, to the… what was this stuff coming from her head again?
“Princesses!” the airship crew sprang to their hooves and bowed, quickly beginning to break down the camp. “I was going to give it another fifteen minutes before I sent word to Princess Cadence that we had heard no new update.”
“Thank you for your patience and diligence, captain,” Twilight said, trying with all her will to stay composed. Apparently, successful enough because the crystal pony nodded and turned to bark orders at the crew.
Luna stayed back and waited until everypony had cleared the stairwell. Upon further inspection she was not entirely sure how to make the door close since the hole her horn had been in was now in the ground. Perhaps just a simple application of power or a levitation?
“Please, allow me.”
Luna turned to find her mother, Aine, standing next to her. The black and white alicorn touched her horn to the side of the rock and the door began to slide up from the ground. It sealed with a hiss, the bas relief taking on a glow once more before fading to simple stone carvings as they had been previously.
“And should I ever wish to return here and open it again? How do I close it?”
Aine looked down at Luna, an eyebrow arched quizzically. “Why would you ever want to do that? There is nothing down there worth the trouble of accidentally leaving the way open.”
Luna scowled harshly. “Maybe perchance this one wished to see and speak to thy sister again? You know, Celestia, or has thou already forgotten your first born of a mortal sire?”
Aine huffed and walked away, shaking her head. She stopped near the camp that was being dismantled and bowed to Twilight who was whispering something to Sunset. Aine next turned her attention to her other three children who were looking upon her with child-like awe much as they had when she had first molded them into forms of her likeness. Then, she did a quick recount.
“Where is Balius?”
Twilight raised her hoof as Flurry moved to speak, anger clearly burning in the youngest alicorn's eyes. “We had a complication. While we were able to get the other three to drink, Balius broke free. He…” Twilight shuddered, but regained her royal mask, reminding herself that now was not the time to breakdown. There would be time for tears later. “He attacked us and nearly reached the city. Then, the river… consumed him. It was… horrific, to be honest.”
Aine sighed and nodded her understanding. “Yes, of course. Balius was made of water from the first river. By bathing in it, it broke him down back to his elemental components. It would have happened to any of them under such circumstances.” Aine turned her attention to Sunset who was staring at her with unblinking eyes. “I believe, congratulations are in order, Sunset Shimmer, you accomplished the impossible and once again came out on top. However, you promised me all four of my children. I believer some sort of compensation is in order, don’t you think?”
“What?!” shouted Twilight.
“How DARE you!” snarled Luna. Flurry’s horn began to glow and all the airship crew stopped and froze, unsure if they should watch or dive for cover. Both guard captains slowly began to inch closer to their respective princesses.
The tension broke like a bubble when Sunset began to giggle. All eyes turned to her as she continued to look upon Aine with wide teal eyes. “Wow, you are really… big! I can see right up your… what’s that called again? The part in the front with the holes.”
“Nose, dear,” Luna replied sadly, her ears flat and eyes downcast.
Aine glanced between them all and then looked closer at Sunset, seeing her in a different perspective that no mortal could see. After a moment she nodded in understanding. “I see. She drank from the river as well.”
“Balius tried to kill me, tried to kill all of us. Sunset tried to get him to drink, but... he, he, he dragged her in and below the water. I... I didn't... Is… is there anything you can do for her? Is there a way to recover her memory?” asked Twilight, her eyes filled with desperate hope, pleading for even a sliver of a chance.
Aine quickly crushed that hope with a shake of her head. “No, child. The river consumes all. I can see that her soul is intact, but the waters took Sunset’s memories and washed them away to the cosmic ether as it did my son.” Aine sighed, Twilight was unsure if that was sorrow or just a pinch of guilt on her face. The large alicorn was more difficult to read that even Celestia. “Perhaps, it is best this way, that she never remember me and all that I have taken from her. She will be happier this way.”
Twilight’s jaw hung open, her body began to shake. To Tartarus with appearances in front of others and common citizens, she thought as her anger boiled over. “Happier? HAPPIER?! What about our happiness?! What about the Sunset Shimmer we know and we loved! She’s gone! Because she tried to do YOU a favor showing mercy to your little… monsters over there!”
Aine scowled and drew herself up, wings extended as she turned fully to Twilight Sparkle. “Are you insinuating that I am to blame for this? Consequences, be they good or ill, are a result of any action taken, Twilight Sparkle. Always. As I explained to Celestia long ago, If you are to rule a land you must make hard choices. Sunset made her choice to fight back and though I was not there I must I assume her current state was a result of a choice SHE made. She yet lives, and live long she shall. Be happy for that, it is more than many others have. It is more than my son has.”
Aine turned away from Twilight, leaving the purple alicorn seething with tears staining her face again. Twilight gasped and jumped slightly when Sunset touched her, her eyes pleading for Twilight to calm down. Twilight smiled at Sunset and wrapped her in a wing hug, but the tears continued to fall.
“I do not believe anything else needs to be said on this matter. I will honor the bargain struck and take my children somewhere else that they will not be a danger to any creature or themselves. None of you will see me again in your lifetimes.” Aine turned back to her youngest daughter. “Luna, would you honor me with a hug?”
“Choices have consequences, mother, your choice to do nothing, no matter your reasons, cost me my sister and now my niece. You’ll forgive me if I wish to do no more than shake your hoof and say, good day.”
Aine nodded and stepped away. She smiled at Aethon, Scylla, and Epona who were unsure what to make of the large alicorn. “Hello, my children, do not be afraid.”
“Are, are you really our mother?” asked Epona with wide, glassy eyes.
Aine smiled warmly. “I am, and I am going to take care of you and show you wonders you could never imagine.” Without looking back on the world she had created or the many inhabitants who no longer felt they needed her, Aine pulled her three children close and they disappeared in a bright flash.
The remaining ponies glanced about and at each other until Flurry finally spat at the ground and said, “Bitch.”
“I concur,” said Luna, moving towards the airship.
Twilight gently nudged Sunset with her wing, encouraging her to follow. “Come on, we have a lot to talk about.”
----------
Twilight Sparkle sat poised as she waited for the nobles and honored members of the merchant’s guilds to exit the throne room. It was the first full day of court activities to return to some semblance of normal. It had been five days since the Athanatoi had attacked, five days since they killed Celestia, five days since their defeat, five days since Sunset Shimmer had lost all memory of who she was.
The first order of business after they had returned to Canterlot had been to oversee reconstruction of the palace and to address the public on Celestia’s death. Celestia’s body had been recovered and properly attended to so as to be entombed.
Using the most pure and white marble to be found, Celestia's mausoleum was erected next to the old oak tree on the hill overseeing the maze garden. It was one of her favorite spots on the palace grounds to read and relax. Twilight remembered talking to Sunset about how when she was a filly and had just been accepted as Celestia’s personal student they would sit out there after court and read together until duty would call her away again. Sunset smiled and recanted a few similar tales, adding how she had often pretended that at the time they were just a mother and daughter like other ponies. Irony.
While the structure was large, it was not overly extravagant because those that knew her best knew she would not want such opulence, especially in such a serene location. The stone was adorn with just simple carvings of Celestia's face and Equestrian motifs, topped with an eternally burning flame in the shape of her cutie mark. Every day following the initial service, viewing, and entombment, hundreds of flowers and letters had been placed at the foot of the stone and were easily beginning to pile up. No doubt it would continue on for months to come as word spread to the more distant lands.
There were, naturally, many questions in regards to what had happened since the only witnesses to the final moments had been Isabella Windsong and Princess Flurry Heart. Twilight had sworn the other princesses and those privy to the truth to strictest of secrecy and the official cause of death had been dealt by Scylla and the rest of the Athanatoi during the attack on the palace. That was how history would tell the story and those that knew otherwise would take the truth to their graves.
Following that same line of burying the truth, the Athanatoi were reported to be simply ancient creatures from legend whose escape from stone prisons was a complete coincidence to Celestia’s failing health and Flurry Heart’s erratic and sometimes violent behavior. Having to pile half truths on top of lies made Twilight’s stomach turn and mouth taste of acid and bile every time she was left with her private thoughts on the matter. She contemplated appointing Luna as temporary regent so that she could go process and blow off her frustrations for a month or two in a deserted part of the world. If not for taking care of Sunset, she would have.
There had been many difficult questions regarding Sunset Shimmer, especially when she did not speak at her own mother’s funeral. While it had been easy to explain to the nobles and onlookers that she was far too devastated to speak, it had been harder to sell it when Sunset had forgotten how to look somber and fake her facial expressions. Instead, Twilight spent most of the funeral and various conferences that followed reminding Sunset to not look around and keep her eyes closed or downcast. Twilight was certain at least a half dozen observant nobles and a few investigative reporters were on to the fact that Sunset was acting odd. The fact that the night court was still suspended was only making the matter harder to keep under wraps.
Twilight knew at some point she was going to have to give an official statement that the coronation was going to be delayed, significantly, because Sunset had suffered a ‘catastrophic blow to the head’ or something along those lines and was suffering from a bout of total amnesia. Another half truth to be added to the growing pile in the back of her head.
Once the throne room was secured, Isabella signaled the guards to open the back entrance, taking her position to lead Twilight through the corridor to the newly renovated private dining hall. When Twilight saw the wonderful spread that had been set out for lunch she grimaced and turned to her assistant.
“I thought we already went through this, Isa. I want to have my lunch with Sunset.”
The griffon sighed, signaling the guards to exit the room. Once they were alone, Isabella mentally prepared herself for the explosive reaction she was certain to receive. “Twilight, I say this as a friend who loves you, but you need to accept that the Sunset Shimmer you knew is gone.”
“SHE’S NOT DEAD, ISA!”
Isabella shook her head and straitened her crest feathers. No one ever got used to the Royal Canterlot Voice in their face. “I am aware of that, Your Highness, but for the past few days you have take away from your, quite frankly, overloaded work schedule to visit Sunset in the hospital and after every time you leave it takes another twenty minutes or more to recompose yourself before you are ready to see the commoner petitioners. You are literally wrecking yourself trying to come to terms with the fact that, for the foreseeable future, Sunset Shimmer has the personality of a child and remembers nothing of her life before, including you.”
“And the more time I spend with her the faster she will relearn how to do everything! She needs that!”
“Twilight, she was reading a child’s basic reading book on phonetics yesterday.”
“Exactly! In less than five days she has already learned a slew of basic words and functions and caught back up on her alphabet and numbers. Oh, and levitation! I taught her that and she has already remastered it!”
Isabella nodded, but her face remained carefully neutral. “Yes, compared to a foal she is learning quickly. As I understand it, Sunset had a perfect memory and was a fast learner before, but if we keep pushing her hard she will, just like any child, eventually push back and become burnt out on the overwhelming material you have given her. That will likely lead to resentment, possibly even hostility on her part. You must remember, her aggressive behavior and short temper are most likely still there, they just have not been tested yet.
"Under normal circumstances I would never suggest it, but she may require an inhibitor ring in the future until she has a better understanding of how much power she has at her disposal. If I am to be completely honest, I think if you were to distance yourself from her it would be best for both of you. It will let you focus on your duties and let her continue at her own pace. Not to mention, you are falling drastically behind on your prior commitments and promises and I can only use the same old excuses with the nobles and council for so long.”
“Right, because that worked out sooooo well for Celestia, putting up a wall between her and her daughter,” Twilight growled. After a few calming breaths, Twilight shook her head and sighed. “I'm sorry Isa, that was... I’m going to have to tell them about Sunset.”
“Yes, Your Highness, and apology accepted. I already took the liberty of informing the councilors you had an important update to give regarding Princess Sunset’s health, coronation, and other related topics.”
Twilight nodded, ears flat and eyes closed, fighting to keep the tears from flowing again. Once she was certain she could do so, Twilight stepped over to the table and assembled herself two tomato, basil, and sliced cheese sandwiches along with a side of deep fried onion rings and a large bowl of tossed salad. She turned her tired gaze back to Isabella. “I’m going to visit Sunset, come get me in forty minutes.” Before Isabella could protest, Twilight disappeared in a flash.
When Twilight and the others had returned to Canterlot after leaving the remains of Tartarus, Luna had taken it upon herself to see to Sunset's care. However, with so much turmoil following the attack and then the announcement of Celestia’s passing, Luna had found herself being hounded by reporters and creatures of all kinds during the day and combating troubled dreams of those that felt distraught and saddened at night. To make matters worse, Sunset had forgotten she had alicorn strength and broke three doors just opening them and cracked the stone and foundation in a few places just stepping wrong. After two days of that non-stop, Luna had been unable to see to her niece properly and asked for help.
It was then that Twilight had asked Celestia’s former personal attendant, Guiding Light, to look after Sunset and keep her condition secret from the public. The doctor had quietly taken Sunset to a rehabilitation and recovery hospital that was located on a plateau of the Unicorn Range not far from Canterlot proper. Most of the patients there were those that had suffered catastrophic injuries that could not be healed easily with magic or at all. The hospital specialized in helping with coping and rehabilitation of those injuries and had nurses on hoof for those suffering various brain injuries or mental illness. Between the security and the seclusion it was the best place to take care of Sunset for the time being.
Or so Twilight tried to convince herself. If she were being honest with herself and those around her, she absolutely hated having Sunset out of her sight. She was still very much in love with the goldenrod alicorn and it broke her heart immensely that she did not remember any of their past experiences, especially the night they shared Twilight’s bed together.
Twilight had once again first met with Doctor Guiding Light briefly, getting an update on Sunset’s condition before moving to the garden where she found her lover lying down under a tree with a few books nearby. Upon approach, Twilight noticed a thestral mare in a light duty scout vest named Sable Nimbus, if she remembered correctly, standing nearby, but mostly out of sight like a statue. Twilight nodded her thanks for Sable's continued dedicated service. The personal guard/attendant bowed her head respectfully in turn.
When Sunset noticed Twilight, she smiled and sat up and then bowed awkwardly. Twilight brought the food over and set it down next to the books. “I told you last time, Sunset, you are a princess too, you do not have to bow to me.”
Sunset smiled sheepishly, blushing a bit. “Oh, sorry, Your Hi, er, I mean, Twilight, it’s just that all the others do it so I figured it was the right thing to do is all. All these different rules on who does what and what not to do. It’s just a lot to take in.”
“It’s fine. You are doing fine. I brought lunch. I hope you are hungry.”
“I felt my stomach make that gurgle noise not long ago so I’m going to say yes.”
Twilight passed over to Sunset one of the plates and took a moment to skim over the book cover titles. Her heart sank when she realized they were all for fillies and colts who were about to enter magical kindergarten or such equivalent. An improvement over yesterday, but still slow going. Sunset had once told Twilight she had learned to read Old Ponish spell books by the time she was eleven.
“Mmmmmmm!” Sunset smiled as she held her sandwich in a levitation field. “What is this? It’s really good!”
“It’s really nothing special, just all I had time to grab before having to jump back into the grinder.”
Sunset shrugged. “Well, I like it. I… I think I’m suppose to say, ‘thank you’ when somepony does something nice. That’s what Luna said and a few of the books I read too… so, thank you.”
Twilight smiled, but after a moment Sunset’s ears flattened. Twilight, set her food down. “What’s the matter?”
“You are making that face again. You’ve made it a few times now when you look at me. Doctor Guiding Light told me that ponies and even other creatures can say things even without saying things. She called it… body language? Yeah, I think that’s what she said. I seem to be doing pretty good at remembering things, but there is so much new stuff coming at me it's hard to keep it all straight! But anyhow, you make that face when you are sad and I think… I think I’m the one making you sad.”
Twilight grimaced. If Twilight had to be truthful, Isabella was mostly right when it came to how much she was hurting herself. In addition to her emotional strife, Twilight had also missed out on large portions of sleep, spending hours every night trying to find some way to reverse the damage the river had done to Sunset. Even after tearing through a small mountain of material on the mind, memory, and clever ways to preserve or copy memories she had come across nothing even remotely close to being helpful on lost memory restoration. Twilight had to stop her research after Tempest had caught and confronted her while combing the Star Swirl the Bearded archives on time magic. The guard captain had rightly scolded her.
Since she knew all too well how dangerous time travel was the only sliver of hope Twilight still held desperately to was that maybe if Sunset relearned enough material that MAYBE some piece of who she was would recover. Twilight was fairly certain that Sunset had retained her ability to empathically read minds even if she currently did not know how to activate it. It would not be the same, but perhaps if someday Sunset could see Twilight’s memories of the two of them together, she would understand why and how much she meant to the purple princess.
So far though, nothing had helped and there had not been enough hours in the day to dedicate more time to helping Sunset without drawing closer scrutiny by the nobility and general public. Once the truth was made public, Twilight had little to no doubt the nobles' first move would be to strip Sunset of her title and possibly try to once again denounce her as illegitimate since Celestia was gone and Sunset had been sired out of wedlock. They had done similar to other children of lesser status and title, none of which had a claim to a throne. It was not like Sunset had many friends among the guilds or council to come to her aid and Twilight was unsure if her word would be enough given Sunset's mental condition. Problems for another day.
Twilight tried to recover what face she had left, but Sunset’s sad pout was breaking her heart. “No, nononono, it’s not that, not that simple, Sunny. I’m just… trying to recover from all the things that have happened. My life is so hectic right now.”
Sunset nodded, but her eyes were downcast. She set her sandwich down and turned her eyes to the garden. “I don’t know what ‘hectic’ means, but I know you are sad because you lost friends. You are sad because I was somepony else and now I can’t remember who I am. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no, no, please don’t apologize.” Twilight could feel tears about to fall and tried to fight them down, but failed. She sniffled and wiped the tears, streaking and staining her fur again just like she had done every day.
“I still don’t understand. Why do you come see me if I make you sad? It doesn't make sense. I think you would smile more and be happy if you didn’t come see me.”
Twilight pulled Sunset into a hug and whispered, “You don’t make me sad. You make me the happiest pony in the world and I’m glad I get to see you every day. I know you don’t understand this right now, but I love you very much. Just remember that above all else, okay?”
Sunset nodded, but said nothing. After a minute of holding Sunset close and wishing she could do more, Twilight let her go so they could finish eating. Twilight even offered some of the fried onions to Sable who graciously accepted, but remained a respectful distance back from the two princesses. Afterwards, they sat together quietly under the tree with Twilight draping her wing over Sunset’s barrel while the fire haired alicorn continued to work on her basic reading skills, mumbling different phrases under her breath. Twilight was about to drift off, finding soothing comfort in the feel of Sunset's body and quiet voice.
Sable’s large, furry bat ears twitched and turned. She then jumped over the two alicorns causing Sunset to drop her book and Twilight to gasp in surprise. The thestral smacked the two hidden switches on the black gauntlets that had been strapped to her forehooves and two blades extended while she assumed a defensive fighting stance. It was then that Twilight heard the flapping of wings from above.
“Excellent reaction time and form, lieutenant,” said Captain Gauge as he came to land before the princesses and bowed.
“I told you to let me go first, how else was I suppose to properly test her?” said Isabella before she bowed respectfully as well.
Sable retracted her blades and relaxed, nodding her respect. “I heard you both long before you came in for a landing. Ears like these don't miss much. Captain, Isabella.”
Twilight sighed, her wings sagging and hair losing its magical wave. “Is it time already?”
Isabella glanced at Sunset who immediately turned her eyes to the grass. “Actually, I postponed the commons petitions.”
“What? Why?”
Isabella tapped the tips of her talons together nervously. “I’m afraid something has come up that requires your immediate attention. It… may also require Sunset's as well.”
“Huh? Me? Is this about those broken doors again? I said I was sorry, I’m pretty sure I have this strength thing under control… now.”
“Just speak frank, Isa. What’s going on?”
“There is… I use the term loosely, music blaring from Sunset’s room and no one can get through the wards on the door to go in and turn it off. It is beginning to disturb the staff. I was going to fetch Luna, but I thought, perhaps you would like to escort Sunset yourself.”
“I have a room?” Sunset said, her face as surprised as it was confused. “As in my own room, not a hospital room?”
Twilight arched an eyebrow before her eyes suddenly grew to the size of dinner plates. “Music from… Oh no…”
“Twilight?”
“I FORGOT ABOUT RAVEN!”
----------
When they retuned to the castle Twilight asked Isabella to run interference with the court and the line of grumbling petitioners, assuring them that she would see them today, but there were emergency matters to attend. Gauge had ordered Sable to stay with the princesses while he updated Captain Fury and personally cordoned off the hallway to Sunset's room so as to provide a level of privacy.
Twilight could hear the racket coming from down the hall before they had rounded the corner to Sunset’s room. Sunset didn't seem to mind the muffled noise and instead admired the wooden door that bore the same symbol that was on her flank. She knew they were called cutie marks after asking about them the other day.
“When Tempest and I came to retrieve Celestia I set Raven down on her charger pad and then completely forgot about her! She just kept asking me questions at the time about Sunset and what happened I just... I didn't have it in me to deal with her. She must have started making all the noise to get somepony’s attention. I must have relocked the door with security wards out of habit and the cleaning staff couldn’t get through them.”
“I have no idea what any of that means.”
Twilight smiled sympathetically at Sunset. “I know, just… be ready for a bit of a shock.”
The wards disappeared as and the music grew exponentially louder, even vibrating the stonework. Apparently there had been some intricate noise dampening spells woven into the lock. Clever and elegant, definitely Sunset's work, Twilight thought with just a twinge of melancholy. When the door opened she immediately found the source of the noise. Twilight had forgotten in the blur of the week they had also moved Sunset’s speakers to her room instead of the lab or even the better insulated music room. Raven must have found a way to reconnect to them and had turned up the volume until it was enough to rattle the walls beyond the wards.
Once the door swung open, the music ceased. Sable went in first with her ears still flat to her skull. She scanned the room and then confirmed it was safe, gesturing for the princesses to enter. Twilight and Sunset slowly entered to find that the room was still in decent order.
“FINALLY!” Sunset jumped at the sound of the posh voice that she did not recognize and could not see who had said it. “I have been staring at this ceiling for FIVE DAYS! FIVE BLOODY DAYS! Do you not realize how completely boring that is?! If I had not had access to Sunset’s games I probably would have gone insane by now. As it is, I have now beaten all her top scores or completed play throughs in record time.”
“I am so, so sorry, Raven!” Twilight pleaded. “I have been so crazy busy this week and one thing led to another and I just completely forgot about you.”
“You forgot about me? Me? The only functioning AI in the whole world with enough knowledge and processing power to run a small country. Out of morbid curiosity, Your Highness, does Equestria have any arch enemies or rival nations I could sell myself to that would NOT forget about me and appreciate my genius and splendor?”
“Uhhhh…”
“Wow,” Sunset said, “I don’t know where that is coming from, but she sure sounds angry.”
“Sunset?” Raven’s voice was immediately softer, almost pleading. “Sunset is that you? Could someone or pony or whatever please lift me up to where I can see?”
Twilight propped the PAAL up against the wall so that the camera could see the room. “Better?”
The screen came to life and a small, holographic pony head appeared on the glass. She had a white cream colored coat, brown mane that was pinned back with bands and chopsticks, and had brown eyes that were behind black rim glasses. Twilight had never seen the phone do that before and was astonished at the respectable recreation of Raven Inkwell.
“You, you have a face?”
“When you spend five days with nothing else to do you get creative. I have always had the ability to create an avatar, but Sunset never requested I use one so it was never a priority.” When she spoke the avatar’s mouth moved in perfect sync. Twilight could tell she was examining Sunset who was looking at her with child like wonder. “Sunset, I thought you had perished after the others returned from the underworld. Twilight was so distraught she never answered any of my questions and then just left me here. I ran simulations of different possible scenarios and disliked all of them. With each passing day that you did not return my predicted odds of your survival dropped dramatically. It pleases me greatly to see you again. Were you in the hospital? If so, you seem to have recovered well from any injuries you sustained.”
“There is a tiny talking pony in the glass piece,” Sunset said with a grin. “Neat!”
Raven turned her eyes to Twilight. “That was not the response I was anticipating. Did Sunset by chance suffer a blow to the head? Honestly, what was the point of her wearing a magical helmet if it did not protect her brain?”
Twilight grimaced. “Yes, in a manner of speaking. After she left you in the care of Cadence and Isabella we took the Athanatoi into the Underworld just like we planned. But Balius got free from his inhibitor ring. He tried to kill me, but Sunset stopped him and ended up in the river as well. She…” Twilight shuddered, but took a breath. “She swallowed too much water and lost her memory as well. She doesn’t remember you any more than she remembers any of us.”
“I’m sorry, Raven, was it?” Sunset glanced about the room. None of it looked familiar. It felt warm, not physically, but welcoming. The paintings, the furniture layout, even the color choices, this was more than just a room to sleep in like the hospitals she had been staying at. This was a living space. This was a home. Near where the PAAL was propped up were photos in frames. Sunset examined them and found pictures of herself and a pony that looked like a kid sister of Twilight's with glasses. Next to them were two other ponies that were absolutely adorable. Sunset wondered who they were and why she had pictures of them.
Raven nodded. “I see. Complete factory reset. Twilight,” Raven waited until the princess looked at her, “I have a message Sunset recorded prior to the battle. She asked that it be played for you in case she did not survive. While it is good that she is physically alive, without her memories she is not the Sunset I knew these past few years. With your permission, princess, I will play the message for you.”
Hesitantly, Twilight looked towards the thestral bodyguard who had said nothing while standing near the door. “Could you… would you please wait outside the room, Sable?” The thestral bowed and exited, closing the door behind her.
Twilight turned back to Raven. Her avatar disappeared and Twilight choked on her sob for a moment when Sunset Shimmer appeared on screen with safety goggles on her head, face slightly smudge with a chemical powder or reagent.
“Are you recording?”
“Of course I am recording. I am always recording you. Would you like to know how many times you call out Twilight’s name in your sleep?”
Sunset rolled her eyes with a smile then cleared her throat. She removed the goggles and replaced her circlet crown, taking a moment to fix her mane before turning to fully face the camera. “Hey, Twily. I never thought I would have to record one of these, but well, this week has been a bit of a shit show so I guess I can’t be too surprised. Anyhow, if you are seeing this message it means that I’m dead and thankfully, you are not. I asked Raven to only show this to you, so you don’t have to worry about Luna or Cadence or Flurry seeing this before you. Not that there is anything wrong with showing this to them later, it’s just… well, without you it won’t matter as much. Sorry, I’m rambling and that's usually your thing."
Sunset closed her eyes for a moment then those gorgeous teal orbs opened full of confidence, staring directly into the camera, a small, quirky smile on her face. “I love you, Twilight Sparkle. I know I haven’t said it to your face yet and if that is weighing on your mind at least let me get that out of the way first. I love your big brain, I love your big butt, I love that you care so much about everypony and Equestria and all the other creatures that make it the wonderful place it is now. After I lost my girls and Twi… I never thought I would fall in love again. But, you opened your heart to me. You showed me that I still had plenty of life left to live and dammit I wanted to live it by your side. I wanted to kiss you when I raised the moon and kiss you again when I brought it to rest. I wanted to make love to you in that big tub of yours and under the stars. I wanted more than anything to just make you smile and be happy every single day. I wanted to show you, just like you showed me, that every day since you saved me by kicking my ass and pulling me out of that crater that life is a gift and worth smiling about.”
Sunset paused to wipe her tears and Twilight found that she needed to wipe her own. When she looked to her right, she found Sunset staring at the image of herself intently, her expression unreadable.
“As you may already know, Mom’s body is in a stasis field in my room. Please, make sure she is seen to properly and that everypony knows she loved them all no matter what. As far as me, if there is anything left of me? I don’t know, maybe throw a huge drunken Irish wake with food and alcohol and bad stories. Those are great, we did something like that when Granny Smith passed and it really helped AJ and her family with the loss. That’s how a funeral should be, you know? Remembering the good times, telling stories, not just crying about how sad it is. A celebration of life and all that jazz.
“Okay, so that’s what I want you to do for me, celebrate life. So, in closing, assuming we won and Equestria is not a burning cinder of a world, I want you to take care of Raven for me. Honestly, it’s not hard, she just needs to be charged every now and then and show her the world, that will shut her up.”
“You know I am staring right at you.”
Sunset flashed a familiar smirk and posed. “Best view you will ever see, baby. Oh, and before I forget. I’m sorry I broke my promise about coming back for my rings. I guess I should have Pinkie Promised that after all. They were special to me in a way I don’t think any… anyone can really understand. Not without knowing me and Twi that is. But, when you are ready, just pull them out of the bag and put them around your neck. Then, you will understand. Goodbye, Twily. Know that if there really is an Elysium like Aine says I will be standing there waiting for you when it’s time. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Twilight barely managed to say between her sobs. The recording returned to the avatar face. Twilight’s legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor and sobbed harder. Eventually, Sunset sat next to her and wrapped a wing over her just like Twilight had done numerous times for her.
“I’m… I’m sorry I’m not her. I… I want to be. Maybe someday I will be that strong and ready to stand by you.”
Twilight smiled through her tears and hugged Sunset. “Thank you.”
“Twilight,” Raven said after the purple princess had managed to get her sobs and shakes under control, “do you by chance have the bag with the rings?”
Twilight nodded. “It’s in my room.”
“I believe you should give it to Sunset.”
“That’s… yes, that’s a good idea. I know she would have wanted them back and it seems wrong of me to hold onto it now.” Twilight closed her eyes and imagined the cinch sack in her study desk drawer. Her horn took on a magenta glow and the pouch appeared in a teleport flash in front of her forelegs.
“What’s that?”
Twilight smiled at Sunset again. “I should explain as best I can. You, Sunset Shimmer, are actually older than me, not by much, but you are. We are both more than one hundred years old. You spent quite a bit of that time in another dimension, the world that Raven comes from. It’s why she is so different from all the other technology you have seen in Equestria. While you were living in that other world you eventually married another… being. She was a lot like me, but still unique, her own person. You two were very happy and had two beautiful daughters.” Sunset glanced back over to the pictures on the wall and connected the dots. Twilight carefully opened the bag and grabbed the rings on a chain with her magic. “You symbolized your love and commitment to one another with these two rings.”
Twilight pulled the rings from the bag and then paused before continuing. That's strange... Did they always glow like that?
“Ohhh! Pretty.”
“Huh, I should probably run a scan on them. It looks like you added some sort of enchantment to them before you passed them over to me.”
Twilight was about to cast a detection spell when Sunset reached out with a hoof and touched the rings. The moment both rings came in contact with her, Sunset eyes flashed white and she screamed.