Canterlot Beach front. The best place the hang by the ocean, go for a swim, build a sandcastle and just be yourself on a perfect day. As for today, the sun was shining, the wind being a gentle but refreshing breeze and despite the sun being fully out, it wasn't so bright that it turned every surface into a thousand degree frying pan.
The Rainbooms weren't the only ones that had chosen to spend the day at the beach, as the place was packed with members of the school. But it was the Rainbooms who were having the most fun, especially Flash as he threw a frisbee for Springer the chase after. The pup leapt as he caught it in his mouth before running back to Flash. "Good boy," he chuckled while patting the dog before removing the frisbee. As he did this, a snapping sound made them both turn to see a drone device flying above and pointing its camera at them. He smirked as the drone flew back over to Twilight, who was dressed in her swimsuit, the girl posing as the drone took a picture of her.
Once taken, it flew over and she cheered, "Group picture, practice run number thirty six A, attempt seven, success!" But as she said this, the drone started to stumble, "Oh no!" She grabbed the device and tried to get it to work properly, grunting as she fought against it. As she did this, Applejack just stared at her as Twilight deadpanned, "Your eyes do not deceive you. I finally invented a selfie-sensing camera." The drone started fighting against her again. "It hovers into position whenever it detects a selfie opportunity."
Applejack raised an eyebrow at her, "Ah prefer to take selfies mah-self...ie." Flash laughed at this before walking over to a nearby ice cream stand, getting one and a tub for Springer.
"Hey you!" He then heard, making him turn to see Sunset walking up in a swim suit with her bag over her shoulder.
As she got close though, Flash threw her a frown. "And what are you doing here?" Sunset raised an eyebrow at this, only to see Flash chuckle, "Just kidding. Glad to see you finally made it." Flash gestured to the ice cream in his hand, "You want one?"
"No thanks," she replied, "With my luck, I'll drop it on my suit before we have to take the picture." They both laughed at this and began to make their way back to the others, spotting Fluttershy covered in seaweed while walking out of the ocean. When they got within range, the girls all noticed the pair, all staring as they saw Flash laugh at something Sunset said.
"What are you doing with her?" Rainbow asked, the duo raising an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?"
"Flash," Rarity stood up from her deckchair, "Darling, I know you haven't been as school very long, but you must know by now that she's not someone you talk and walk with."
"Uh...why not?"
"Yeah?" Sunset nodded as she noticed Twilight's drone. "Oh. Twilight, you got the Selfie Sensor working?" Twilight frowned as the machine flew toward her and she caught it, "What's going on? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"That's a question we should be askin' you," Applejack responded, "What's yer game, Sunset?"
Flash and Sunset shared a glance, only for Sunset to ask, "Am I missing a joke here?"
Rarity crossed her arms, "The only joke is whatever this is. Why is Sunset acting all nice like you're our friend?"
"And it's not funny!" Fluttershy added before hiding behind Applejack.
"Because you aren't nice," Rainbow continued.
"And we ain't friends," Applejack finished, the two's eyes going wide at hearing this.
"Wait, what?!" Sunset turned to Flash, the teen staring at his friends and seeing that they looked completely serious.
Rarity walked up to them at this, "I don't know how you tricked poor old Flash, but this is a new low." She put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "What, are you trying to steal Twilight's boyfriend just because of what Princess Twilight did to you?!"
Twilight's eyes shrunk at this while Flash gave her a 'did you really just say that' look. "This is nuts," Flash whispered before turning to Sunset. "What the heck is going on here?"
"What's goin on is this varmint's clearly brainwashed yah!" Applejack cried as she stepped up, "She did the same thing to the school when she-HEY!" She yelped as Sunset grabbed her arm, her eyes glowing for a second until Applejack pulled it free. "Are yah nuts?!"
Sunset's eyes returned to normal and her expression was not a happy one. "It's like I've been...erased!"
"Erased?" Flash asked, "What do you mean?"
Sunset backpedaled at this, "This has to be a bad dream," she grabbed her head, "Wake up, Sunset. Wake up!" But then, Pinkie reached over and pinched her. "Ow!"
"Nope. You're awake." She then pinched herself, "Ow!" She giggled "Me, too!" She giggled again.
"Sunset," Flash grabbed her shoulder, "What did you see?"
"All of their memories," she replied, "It's like someone photo-shopped me out of them." She then stared up at him, "Except for you."
"Me?! Why would I be different?" Flash asked before turning to the others, seeing the glares coming off of them, "Girls, you really don't remember everything you've been through with Sunset?"
"The only thing we've been through with her is when she turned into a demon and brainwashed our entire school," Rainbow replied.
"After that," Flash countered, "Like uh...when you beat the Dazzlings. You told me all about it."
"She had nothing to do with beating them," Rarity spat.
"Really?" Flash asked, "Then how did you beat them? I remember you telling me and Twilight. The five of you, plus Twilight and my Pony selves banded together and fought against in a music battle. But then they overpowered you." The girls thought back to that as he continued, "What happened after that? You were down, your magic not strong enough. How did you overcome it?"
The girls turned to one another before Pinkie asked, "Didn't pony you do something?"
"He did they flashy golden tornado thing," Rainbow pointed out.
"But then he collapsed in exhaustion," Rarity remembered. "Then we...we...we..."
"It's kind of a blank," Applejack hummed, "Ah remember being down...then the next moment we beat the Dazzlings."
"But you don't know how?" Flash asked, "That's not something you just forget."
The girls all shared another glance at this, only for Sunset to speak up, "Pinkie Pie, what about when I came to your sleepover before the Battle of the Bands?"
"Ha!" Pinkie turned away and crossed her arms, "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.'!"
"Like ah'd ever say that," Applejack yelped.
"It really hurt my feelings," Pinkie looked ready to cry.
"And it wasn't very nice to the ducks either," Fluttershy added.
"That was a long time ago," Sunset replied, "Twilight," the girl flinched as Sunset turned to her, "You remember me, right? We've been through so much together. Please..."
"I only met you once," Twilight responded, "When you yelled at me at the Games."
"That's not what happened!" Flash groaned, "Come on Twilight, you have a photographic memory. If anyone could remember, it's you. Think back. Really think back. When you turned into Midnight Sparkle, you opened a bunch of portals and threatened to destroy this world to go to Equestria. What happened after that?"
"You stopped me," Twilight replied, "You leapt into the portal and came out in that pony form."
"I did jump into the portal, but I didn't stop you. Think back. What do you remember?"
Twilight closed her eyes at this, only to shake her head. "I...I don't know. I just...remember you flying out of the portal, then turning back to human."
"But what about between that?" Flash asked, "I didn't turn you back to human. It was Sunset." Twilight went wide-eyed at this, making Flash sigh. That is, till a bulb went off in his head, "Wait a minute." He threw his now melted ice cream into a bin before running to his bag, ruffling through it, "Ha!" He pulled out his phone and clicked onto his wallpaper, showing it to the girls. "See?!"
They all took a closer look, only to go wide-eyed as they saw them, the Royal Knights and...Sunset, all gathered in front of the Wondercolts statue looking happy. Twilight raised an eyebrow when she saw Sunset with her arm around her. "I...remember this?" Rainbow stated. "When you and Twilight first transferred to our school."
"And Sunset was there," Flash added, "You should all have the same picture. Check them." The girls did so, taking out their phones and looking through their albums until they found the image Flash told them about. They all had the same one and looked exactly the same with Sunset, "See?"
The girls wanted to say that it was a fake, but then they kept scrolling through their albums and saw several more different images with Sunset in them. Some the girls remembered taking, but others they didn't. "Okay," Applejack scratched her head, "This is kinda weird."
"How'd we know these aren't fake?" Rainbow asked, "She's tried to use fake photos before. Heck, she almost got Twilight kicked out of the Fall Formal because of them."
Flash face-palmed at this, "Okay...and how exactly did she get them into your phone albums?! Even if you can hack into someone's phone to do that, does Sunset really seem like the kind of person who has the skills to do that? Twilight couldn't even do that."
The girls all frowned at this as Rarity added, "I mean...no offense darling, but it's just so hard to believe. After everything she's done, how do you expect us to believe that she's changed?"
"Because it's true!" Flash yelped, "What more proof do you need?!"
"Then why are you the only one who seems to remember?" Rainbow asked.
Those words made Sunset gasp and go wide-eyed, "Maybe not the only one." She grabbed her bag and spun around, "I'll be right back!"
With that, she ran off while the Rainbooms crossed her arms. "Don't hurry back, darling!" Rarity told her, getting a glare from Flash. "What?"
"You girls better have actually lost your memories and aren't playing a prank on us!" Flash yelled, "Because if you are..." He stopped himself for a second, only to sigh, "Why is it so hard to believe that what we're saying is true? We've faced giant killer plants, a woman that can control nature and a drama queen turned literal drama queen. Compared to that, something like this would be small potatoes!"
The girls shared a glance, only for Twilight to continue looking through her phone before chiming in, "Hey, look." They turned to her and saw she had pulled up a video which also had Sunset on it. She pressed play and they quickly realized it was the video that had been recorded during the Camp Everfree ball, where the Rainbooms had played. And Sunset was there on stage, playing her guitar.
"There's no way she's in our band!" Rainbow commented, "I'm the guitar player, not her!"
"Then how is that song supposed to go?" Flash asked, knowing that the song was written with Sunset, "And that's not the only one. Look up Dance Magic online."
But before they could, Sunset ran back to them. "Twilight remembers!" They turned to her as she held up a book, "Okay, not this Twilight. Princess Twilight. She remembers she and I used to be friends!"
"And how would you know this?" Rarity asked before Sunset rolled her eyes and opened the book, "What is that?"
"A magic journal that's connected to one in Equestria, which me and Twilight use to communicate. Don't you remember? This is how we told her about the Dazzlings back when they showed up."
The Rainbooms all went wide-eyed at this, Rainbow asking, "How...how did Twilight find out about the Dazzlings?"
"I...I can't remember," Fluttershy muttered, "I remember we agreed we needed Twilight's help, but that the portal was shut."
"But then Twilight showed up through the portal," Pinkie smiled happily. "She...she..." Her facial expression became one Flash had only seen himself do when he was on the toilet, the girl trying to force the memory out of her brain. "How did she open the portal?!" She almost screamed, "And how did she know to come here?!"
"Now do you see that something's wrong?" Sunset asked before putting the book away, "I'm going back to Equestria. Hopefully, Twilight and I can figure out what's going on."
"I'll keep working on these girls," Flash told her while gesturing to the Rainbooms. "Hopefully, I can make them remember something." Sunset nodded before running off, the girls just staring at her retreating form before Flash turned to them. "I know you girls don't trust her right now, but you have to trust me. She's our friend and she's saved our butt a hundred times."
The girls frowned at this, only for Twilight to nod, "I trust you Flash. If you say she's someone we're supposed to care about, I believe it." She then looked down at her phone, "And these photos are proof of that." They showed her and Sunset doing a variety of different things, including being at Camp Everfree. Twilight knew she had a bunk-mate during that time, but she couldn't remember who. "Someone's been tampering with our memories, and if that's the case, we need to find out who they are and how they're doing it."
The others nodded, only for Rainbow to ask, "How do we find out who did it?"
"I guess there's nothing we can do until Sunset gets back from Equestria," Flash replied, "In the meantime, I'm going to tell you girls exactly what happened during all the times you've forgotten." They nodded back, all looking forward to hearing this story.
As soon as Sunset changed out of the beachwear, she ran over to school. After storing her journal in her locker, she headed out to the portal and took a deep breath before stepping through it. In a flash of light, she transformed from human to pony, finding herself walking out of the magical mirror inside Twilight's castle library.
"Twilight!" She gasped as she saw the purple alicorn waiting at the mirror, soon trying to hug her, only to start staggering.
"Sunset?" The princess asked as Sunset landed on her front hooves.
"Oops!" She let out a laugh, "I was trying to hug you. Sorry...been a while since I've been in this form."
"No problem." Twilight replied as she hugged her, only to pull back, "So, what's been happening?" Sunset frowned and explained everything, about her friends suddenly treating her like an enemy and about their memories of her being erased and how Flash seemed to be the only one of the group unaffected and was now trying to persuade the girls she was telling the truth.
"That's when I thought...maybe you'd remember. If it is magic causing this, maybe it only affected the human world. Looks like I was right."
"This is bad Sunset," Twilight replied as they walked out of the library. "It's way beyond anything I've ever heard of." The princess blinked at this, only to add, "Although..."
"What?"
"I just had an idea. But you might not like it."
Sunset got right into her face. "I'll do anything to get my friends back, Twilight."
The princess nodded. "There is one pony who might be able to help, but I don't know if you two want to see each other."
"Who?" Sunset said, only for her eyes to go wide, "...oh."
Back at the beach, Flash continued to tell the girls everything that had happened during the gaps in their memories. "Sunset managed to get Twilight to trust in her magic and in herself, allowing her to overcome her fears. That last step was what allowed us to finally gain our geodes and pony up." Flash stared at the girls as they carefully listened while also enjoying some snacks Pinkie had brought. "Is any of this ringing a bell?"
"No," Twilight shook her head, "But it does feel like it makes sense. I remember being afraid of my magic. But when I try to remember when I overcame it, I can't for the life of me remember anything. I just jump from being afraid to being comfortable with it."
"Huh," Rainbow nodded, "Same. Can't remember how we stopped being worried about losing control."
"That's because Sunset was the one to help you gain control," Flash added, "You girls sung a whole song about it. At least...that's what you told me. I wasn't there for that."
"There's just one thin' ah don't get," Applejack chimed in, "How come ya'll remember all this when we don't?"
The others nodded, Flash shrugging, "No idea. Maybe whoever stole your memories only wanted you girls to forget." He thought for a moment, then noticed someone he recognized from school. "Hey, Derpy!" The girls stopped and turned to him, "What's your opinion on Sunset Shimmer?"
The girls frowned, "Total bully. She was always making fun of my eyes!"
"When did that happen last?" Derpy blinked at him, only to reply, "The last time she made fun of me was...just before the fall formal. I haven't seen her since then."
With that, she walked off as Flash said, "That settles it. Sunset was there when the chemistry club won that contest and congratulated Derpy for finding the solution."
"By accident," Twilight replied, "And I don't remember Sunset being there."
"Which just proves I'm the only one not affected by...whatever's doing all this."
"Which begs the question of...why are you the only one?" Rarity asked, Flash shrugging again.
"No idea."
Back in Equestria...
Twilight and Sunset had taken a Rune Gate to Canterlot Castle. Sunset's head spun after that weird form of transportation, but what she felt in her head was nothing compared to what she felt in her heart as they arrived at a pair of large doors.
"You ready?" Twilight asked, Sunset taking a deep breath.
"Let's do this." Twilight nodded and opened the doors, stepping into the throne room. As soon as she did, Sunset was greeted to the sight of the pony she had betrayed so long ago.
Princess Celestia, Princess Luna by her side, stood in front of the throne with her wings raised and a stern look on her face. When Sunset was younger, she had often admired and coveted the power this princess gave off. The power to disintegrate you with a single look. But now that that look was squared straight at her, Sunset didn't find it admirable.
The pair slowly walked up, Twilight looking like she was about to have a meltdown seeing her teacher that way. "Sooo, Princess Celestia..." She let out a nervous laugh, "You'll never guess who's back! Actually, maybe you can guess, 'cause she's right here. But, um..." Celestia continued to stare at them stoically, Twilight whispering to Sunset. "Am I helping?"
Sunset let out a sigh before stepping up, "Princess Celestia, the last time we saw each other, I was your snide little pupil who betrayed and abandoned you."
"I wouldn't have said it that way." Twilight whispered, only to clear her throat and spoke up, "What Sunset meant to say is-"
"I mean that I come before you a changed pony," she interrupted before bowing her head. "Humbly asking for forgiveness, guidance, and knowledge." Celestia continued to remain quiet, though she did close her wings. She then stepped down, standing right in front of Sunset, the pony quivering at her presence. "Or I can just go, and you never have to see me again." She was about to do just that, but then she felt Celestia put her hoof under her chin and lifted her gaze.
When she did, Celestia's cold expression melted away to reveal the motherly one Sunset remembered from so long ago. "I've missed you, Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset almost cried at hearing this. "I...I'm so sorry." Celestia smiled and pulled her into a hug, Twilight letting out a tiny squeal and a smile so big you would think they had just released the sequel to Everything You Need to Know About Aardvarks. This whole situation with her friend's memories might be bad, but at least it had allowed her to finally reconcile with her old mentor.