//------------------------------//
// chapter 1: shattered (edited by Autum breeze) 
// Story: lost Sunset 
// by horizon-redeemer 
//------------------------------//

Author notes: Autum Breeze was gracious enough to edit this for me. so please be sure you thank him for making this story better. 

“I hate you!”

Today was not Sunset’s day as she was stuck between a literal rock and a hard place as she stood between her friends who hated her and an angry Wallflower blush, who pulled out a powerful equestrian artifact from her bag. An artifact that could easily wipe the memory of anyone it was used on forever if not reversed before the time was up.

The Memory Stone.

A terrible magical artifact once thought a myth, a figment of people’s imagination even by Celestia. Yet it was now Sunset’s nightmare as it had wiped all the good memories her friends had of her, leaving only the bad memories of the terrible things she had done. Causing them to abandon her as they only remembered the demon that once haunted the school. A demon that Wallflower clearly still resented.

Behind Sunset, her friends, even Flash sentry from his car, watched on in a mixture of confusion and shock seeing what was going on as they observed the confrontation.

Though even now Sunset knew that they didn’t trust her, hated her even as they only remember who she was. A fact that only compounded her need to hurry as there was no telling just how little time was left before her friend's memories would be lost forever.

Though their emotions paled in comparison to her own. Sunset could feel a cold sweat pouring down her brow and back. Her heart beating in her chest like Pinkie Pie’s drum set on a solo. She could feel every muscle in her body go weak on the verge of collapse. She also felt faint, light-headed even, as she stared down the proverbial gun barrel in front of her.

Sunset was scared… no, terrified of the Memory Stone’s power, wishing she was several counties away from the awful little rock.

She wasn’t scared of her own mortality, or no more than anyone else was. But she always believed that even in death she would still be herself. But the idea of losing one’s self, to change as a person like her friends had been changed against their wills scared her more than anything at that moment.

Even at her worst, she never once considered using such power on anyone, too afraid of it backfiring. In fact, the only time she ever used a similar ability was when the demon took control over her, lowering her inhibitions and getting her to do things she never would normally. She would never fling around power so carelessly because it was too tempting to abuse it, as Wallflower was demonstrating before everyone’s eyes.

Now, not only was she dealing with a girl who had given in to that temptation, but she was running out of time to save her friend's memories with sunset fast approaching.

“I wanted to easer your friend’s good memories of you, but, obviously, that didn’t work,” the green-haired girl explained, an angry fire in her eyes as she held the stone before them like a weapon.

Sunset reeled at the sight of the thing as though it were a gun from those safety films they showed in school about crime or bullying. No longer would she be laughing or thinking the reactions of the actors in those films to be unrealistic anymore, as she was now living one.

Behind her, all her friends reeled in shock as they saw Wallflowers’ true colors begin to unfold. The air around them began to turn cold as they began to realize not only their perception of Sunset may have been wrong, but also a sense of danger as they started questioning their safety.

Then, Sunset saw an evil glint in Wallflowers eyes that made her shudder as the girl seemed to come up with an idea. “But what if I erase all their memories of high school?” the girl self questioned.

Sunset felt her eyes go wide in her skull, blood running cold as the words left Wallflowers lips. She knew that Wallflower was mad at her, something she could understand after all she had done, but this was too far. 

At the same time, shocked gasps, as well as expressions of confused fear overcame the others near enough to hear what was happening. But none noticed the growing number of eyes watching from afar in curiosity as the event transpired.

“You can’t! You will be stealing their memories of each other,” Sunset gasped out, pleading for the girl to stop, not wanting her friends to suffer any more than they had already.

Wallflower, however, only looked angrier at this remark as she began to move around the human shield Sunset was making of herself. The girl moving with purpose, anger barring no hesitation at their actions.

“They will think of each other the way you think of me.” Wallflower declared as she wielded the stone in her hands with a fluidity that could only come from experience. “Which is not at all!” she added raising the stone over her head before thrusting it down like a wand.

With this, the Memory Stone began to glow a blue-green light as it charged up its magic. Several magic circles formed before the relic as the familiar hum of magic that Sunset had rarely sensed coming to this parallel world began to hum. The relic was going to fire and there was nothing she could do to stop it without her Equestrian Magic.

As Sunset stared at the relic as it charged to fire, she felt her heart race. Time seemingly stopped for a brief moment as the Memory Stone began to project its power forward.

She was out of time, she knew it. Any minute now the sun would set, both on the world as well as on her friend's good memories of her’, and who knows how many other people’s memories that had been stolen. even worse there was nothing stopping Wallflower from just taking her memories of the Memory Stone before making a getaway. She needed to stop the girl now before it was too late. Before anyone else got hurt.

This has to stop. This has to end. I can’t let my friends pay for my mistakes again, not like this. 

With equal parts dreaded reluctance, as well as equal parts determination, she made her choice as she thought of her friends one last time.

Sunset blinked as time seemed to move again. Her body moved forward, towards Wallflower and the Memory Stone. Swiftly in tandem, she dug a hand into her pocket, fishing for the small swiss army survival tool, one she started carrying with her after the incident at Everfree.

In a single leap, she was in front of Wallflower grabbing onto the girl’s arm with her left hand, making the green-haired girl gasp in surprise. This in turn locked herself in the Memory Stone’s line of fire, just as the energy discharged into her chest.

“Ahhhh!” she screamed as the point-blank blast struck her. The energy felt like electricity as it flowed throughout her body making her body cry out in agony. Even when the beam stopped only a second later, the pain did not, her body feeling as though it was on fire, tears pouring from her eyes.

“What are you doing?!” Wallflower demanded, her voice practically spitting poison as she tried to wrench her arm free.

Yet it was to no avail as Sunset was far stronger than Wallflower, who held on with an iron grip despite the pain. At the same time, she grabbed her swiss army knife, pulling it out flicking the blade forwards in a well practice motion below Wallflowers line of sight.

“I’ve ruined their friendship once before,” she began, deep-set guilt forming in her chest at the memories as the effects of the memory stony began to take hold of her, mind-numbing over. But she hid these away as she looked to the girl with a protective glare making her gasp in surprise. “I’d rather give up my own memories than let it happen again!”

With that, Sunset, despite the pain she was in, despite her mind beginning to drain away before her very eyes, held the girl’s arm in a death grip. The action made Wallflower cry out in pain as she brought the knife up. The sight of the short blade made the girl’s cry go quiet, her eyes going wide thinking that Sunset planned to stab her as she tried to pull away in vain.

At the same time, the girls behind them reeled in shock, some, like Fluttershy, paralyzed by fear. Others like Rainbow and Applejack justifiably thought that Sunset was going to Hurt Wallflower, preparing to rush to the girl’s defense.

But it was too late. By the time Rainbow even called upon her speed enough to move, the blade came down. Though not upon Wallflower, but the Memory Stone.

The blade, though not made to cut such a hard substance, plunged a fraction of an inch into the stone’s surface. While to an ordinary stone, the damage would only count as mild defacing. But to one constructed by magic, one that was in use no less the damage was catastrophic. And Sunset knew this.

Within seconds, the once largely under control power of the stone began to arc all over the place as if it were a tesla coil. Large fractures began forming all along the rock’s surface following the chip, glowing brightly as they grew. Small beams of light began to appear on the stone making it look like a disco ball. All while a small orb of energy began to encompass the stone, alongside Sunset and Wallflower’s hands.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” Wallflower demanded.

She received no answer though, as the deed was done.

Sunset let go, her body no longer able to support itself from the pain she was in no longer able to fight it. As she began to fall, she saw some of her memories orbiting the stone, but unable to be drawn within due to the damage to it.

With a tired sigh, knowing what was happening she closed her eyes, a smile upon her face, satisfied that she had saved her friends from a fate worse than death. 

Just before her mind went black she thought of her friends one last time. “Please don’t forget… me,” she wheezed, her last thought passing her lips just loud enough for her friends to hear.

Not a moment later, as Sunset passed out, a loud explosion rocked the school, rattling both ears alongside windows, setting off car alarms, as well as panicking all those that heard it.

A bright flash accompanied the explosion, akin to lightning, blinding all those unfortunate enough to be looking in the direction of the Memory Stone, as well as kicking up a massive cloud of dirt as the stone shattered like a grenade.

The blast knocked Wallflower, as well as the Rainbooms, back upon the ground in heaps, taken off guard by the blast with startled screams.

Yet Sunset saw non of this, nor did anyone else see the dozens of memories that were stolen returns to their rightful owners all across town. People who would quickly be overtaken with both confusion as well as headache as they remembered things in a flash that should not have been forgotten. Though most of all, they would remember Wallflower, who wielded a strange glowing stone at them.

But, of the dozens of memories that began to find their way home after the destruction of the stone, one set of memories did not return, having never entered the stone to begin with.

Sunset’s.