Lost and Found
Twilight woke up early the next morning, shutting off her alarm before it even went off and slipping out of bed. A grim line of determination crossed her lips as she went about her daily ritual to get ready, dressing in her casual outfit, tucking in her blue blouse and making sure that her purple skirt was on tight. A small sigh escaped her when she finished putting her hair in its customary ponytail before looking over at the side of her dresser where the locket that held her geode lay.
It was that geode that had been one of the major parts of Twilight’s focus the night before. After she and her friends had finished making plans, the young scientist had spent the majority of her time before bed writing down each and every part of her memory that she couldn’t recall. The Friendship games, of course, had been the start of the blank spots, but it extended out so much further than that.
Twilight had been terrified of Midnight Sparkle to the point of nightmares and withdrawing away from her friends. But that was all gone by the end of her time at Camp Everfree, when they had gotten the geodes and their new ‘pony up’ forms. And yet, how she was able to get over those feelings, to find the strength to face those fears… it was all gone. All that she could remember clearly was spending a lot of time in her tent, alone, and the eventual fight against Gloriosia.
And that wasn’t even the end of it. There were solid chunks of her life in the last few months that were just erased from her mind. There were entire days that her brain told her she had gone out that day, but couldn’t recall a single event after that until she had returned home later that night. There were small pockets of things she could recall, usually when it involved her friends, but other than that, they were simply gone. It was like someone had taken a portion of her mind and just cut it free.
The sound of a cars horn blaring outside her normally quiet neighborhood brought Twilight out of her thoughts, drawing her attention to the rattling old truck sitting outside the curb of her house. It’s engine gave a small little puttering sound while it’s owner, Applejack, sat in the drivers seat and waved down her friend. Twilight was soon rushing out the door, though she spared a quick glance at her neighbors just in case the farmers loud vehicle woke them.
“Thanks for picking me up, Aj.” Twilight told her, hopping into the passenger seat and smiling at her friend.
“Aw, tain’t nothing, Twi.” The farmer responded with a grin of her own, clutching the stick of the truck and putting it into the next gear before pulling back out onto the road. “Ah’m an early riser as is, so it didn’t bother me none ta come out and get ya. So, what’s the plan today?”
“More searching, though I think we should be using our powers a bit more this time around,” Twilight said, her face becoming serious once more as she pulled up a map on her phone. “We stuck mostly around the beach and none of us really used the geodes at all. With Rainbow Dash’s super speed, Fluttershy’s animal empathy, and my telekinesis, I’m certain we can cover a lot more ground.”
Applejack nodded, humming to herself, flipping the turn signal before moving onto the main road. “Sounds like a plan. Ah’m pretty sure Rarity and Pinkie Pie are also callin’ up everyone they know ta see if they’ve seen Sunset, and between those two social butterflies, that’s a lot of folks ta talk to.”
“I’m just hoping we find her before she does something drastic...” Twilight muttered, clutching her phone a bit harder as she recalled Sunset’s face from the previous day. It had been a near heartbroken look, eyes glossy with tears and a quaver in her voice. It was something Twilight had seen many times before in her mirror when the days at Crystal Prep had been at their hardest, with only Spike to really confide into. The lavender skinned girl recalled just what state her mind had been in, how she had done her best to hide her anguish and despair behind her intellect.
But Sunset’s situation was different. Instead of never having friends and being abused by those she knew, the girl ended up losing all the friends she had ever known in a single day. To have everyone you cared for turn against you and act like you didn’t exist… it just made Twilight hope that their search didn’t end at the bottom of a river or at the end of a knife.
Applejack remained silent for the rest of the car ride, clearly not willing to add her own thoughts into the mix. The farmer, even after the night before, still had reservations about helping the girl that she could only remember as a bully. From what Twilight had been able to learn by being Aj’s friend, the blonde woman considered everyone of their group to be family. And for the Apples, family was more important than anyone else. Sunset had ruined that family, once upon a time.
As the pair pulled into the parking lot of Central Canterlot Park, a wide open area roughly 3 miles in length, Twilight pulled out her phone and turned it on. The locked screen’s image was that of Sunset, another piece of physical evidence (Along with all the other pictures in her phone) that things weren’t as they were meant to be. “We’ve got roughly an hour or so before school starts,” Twilight said, pulling out the stack of papers from her bag and handing half of them to Applejack. The girl’s Super Strength, while a useful ability, would do little and less to help them track down Sunset. “You take the west side of the Park and I’ll take the east. We’ll meet in the middle and see if anyone has seen her. With luck, we can at least get a lead before the first bell.”
The farmer nodded, grabbing the stack before turning about and heading into the park proper. From the quiet way she held herself, Twilight couldn’t help but worry about Applejack. There wasn’t anything to do about it now, though. The girls had a more important task on hand. Taking what remained of the fliers, Twilight grabbed at her pendant and focused.
Almost immediately, her geode lit up with a pale purple light, the aura flowing around the papers before her. Each slip quickly hovered before her, allowing Twilight to see Sunset’s face plastered on each one. With an effort of will, all of the papers flew out into the park, adhering themselves to trees, telephone poles, and at least one large truck. With that task done, it was time for the scientist to test out her magic in a new way. She wasn’t certain if it was going to even work but desperate times called for new strategies. Focusing on the levitation power once more, Twilight let out a small gasp as she felt her feet leave the ground, her entire body floating a solid half foot off in the air.
“Looks like I can lift myself…” The girl whispered to herself, frowning as she focused a bit more. She could feel the strain on her magic growing as she raised herself into the air, even wobbling to and fro as she forced past the limits of her power. It became almost unbearable by the time she reached the treetops and Twilight decided not to push it anymore. Testing her skills further, Twilight was happy to find that she could move through the air, albeit slowly.
Floating through the sky now, Twilight began her search for Sunset, using her vantage point in the air see as much of the land as possible. When her power began to wane, the scientist landed on the strongest branch of the nearest tree, letting her mind and magic recover. She sent off texts to her friends to gauge their own progress when she landed on the tree at the edge of the park. The results were lackluster to say the least.
Even with Rainbow Dash possessing super speed, Canterlot was among the biggest cities in the country, making it incredibly hard to find a single girl even at her top speeds. Fluttershy’s animal empathy had also turned up negative, with none of the animals the pink-haired teen had talked to had seen Sunset in the last few days. Pinkie and Rarity also reported no luck on their side of things, their own contacts having either not seen the girl at all or having no interest in helping the girls once they learned who they were looking for.
With a small grunt of annoyance, Twilight continued her slow levitation through the trees for the rest of her allotted hour, using her vantage point as best as she could. In the end, though, she ended up just gliding down to where Aj had parked her truck, rubbing her temples at the throbbing headache that had set in from using her powers too much.
“Ah take it from the look on yer face y’all didn’t have any luck neither?” Aj asked, her tone rough and agitated from the other side of the car. The farmer tossed what remained of her fliers into the passenger seat, not really caring as several them landed on the floor instead.
Twilight shook her head, letting out a small whine as she did. “Not even a single clue. I just don’t understand it.”
Applejack gave a small grunt, shrugging her broad shoulders as she leaned against her truck. “Ah don’t think there’s much ta understand. After yesterday, Ah’m sure as sugar wouldn’t want ta deal with anyone, much less the girls that Ah thought were my friends turning on me.”
Biting her lip, Twilight couldn’t stop the unsettled knot of worry in her stomach from growing. Were they really too late to do anything for Sunset? Had she gone and left Canterlot never to return? Or had she resorted to a more permanent means of solving her issues? Twilight just wasn’t sure if she could stand not knowing.
Opening the door to the driver side of the truck, Applejack shook her head to her friend, a frown twisting her lips. “We should probably get a move on, Twilight. If we dawdle around any longer, we’re going to be late for class.”
Nodding, Twilight took one last look to the park behind her, hoping to see some glimpse of Sunset before stepping into the truck.
~oOo~
Classes for the day went by at a snails pace. It didn’t matter how important the subjects were or how much she enjoyed her normal day of learning, Twilight just didn’t have the heart to focus at all. Instead, she sat in the back of the class brooding, trying to think of other ways to find Sunset. More than one of her teachers took notice of the girls change in demeanor and even approached her about it, though luckily they all accepted the excuse that Twilight simply didn’t feel well.
Except… it wasn’t just an excuse. There was this constant sick feeling in Twilight’s body that grew with each passing hour and it only became worse when she thought of Sunset. It felt like a horrible combination of worry, confusion, and a bit of fear. She knew it wasn’t just the possibility of losing a friend she once had either. Something more resided within her, locked away within the erased memories. Not knowing what was slowing driving her crazy!
She had been halfway towards the cafeteria when she heard the shouting coming from the hall she passed, one voice she recognized in an instant. Spinning around on the spot, Twilight dashed back to find Sunset Shimmer sitting on the floor, the girls face twisted with anguish as she talked to Trixie of all people. “Sunset!” She cried, running over to the pair.
The flame-haired woman’s head shot up as she heard the call, staring right at Twilight. Standing straight, a small smile crossed her face before returning to that hurt frown, Sunset grabbing one arm with her hand, looking away. Beside her Trixie looked back and forth between the two, tilting her head in confusion. “Hey, Twilight...” Sunset said at last.
“Sunset, We’ve been looking all over for you!” Twilight exclaimed, feeling relieved for the first time in over a day. To see the girl healthy and whole before her, it made that sick sensation evaporate.
“You have?” Sunset asked, confusion filling her tone. A light in her eyes shown as she took a trembling step forward, hand reaching out. “Wait, does that mean… Twilight, do you remember me?”
Twilight winced at the question, even more so at that hopeful look in the girls face. “I’m sorry, Sunset, but I don’t. But that doesn’t mean we don’t believe you. After you left, we realized we couldn’t remember things like the Friendship Games or Camp Everfree. We found proof in Rarity’s Sketchpad and Pinkie's planner that something isn’t right.” Twilight explained in a rush, wanting to do anything to prevent the pained look in Sunset’s eyes from returning. “We believe you. Something did mess with our memories.”
Sunset remained quiet for a long moment before closing her eyes. A pair of tears made their way down her cheeks before she swiped at them with the back of her hand. “I can’t tell you… how much that means to me.” The girl choked out, giving an extra large sniff.
“If I didn’t believe you before...” Trixie said, her tone subdued, the haughty gaze she normally wore being replaced by quiet shock. “I believe you now. The Sunset I knew would have never cried like this.”
Twilight nodded in agreement. There was no way that the girl that had yelled at her at the beginning of the games would be acting so frail. The girl in her memories was haughty, angry and forceful. “And now we’re here to help you out, Sunset. Tell me what you need us to do to fix this.”
“For now? I want you and the girls to be careful.” Sunset stated, her brow furrowing. “Whoever is causing all this has an Equestrian artifact known as the Memory Stone. They’ve used it to take away every memory of all the good I’ve ever done and they can also use it to erase the memory of us ever chasing them in the first place. I want you girls to keep low profile. I don’t want whose ever doing this to erase even more of your memories.”
“But what about you? We can’t just leave you to fix this all by yourself.” Twilight pointed out, even as that sick filling she had in her body returned. It screamed out to her, demanding that she should do anything but let Sunset out of her sight and find the memory thief on her own.
“Have no fear, Twilight Sparkle.” Trixie spoke up suddenly, waving her arms before her in a dramatic faction. The magician gave then gave wide grin before pointing to the sky in heartfelt proclamation. “Your friend shall not go onto this mission alone for I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, have pledged my aid in recovering the lost memories!”
The entire thing left the scientist gaping. From what little she knew of Trixie, the girl had never exactly been friendly to Sunset… or the rest of the girls for that matter. Mostly it seemed to her that the magician was mostly focused on getting people to come to her shows and often shouting at the top of her lungs just how great and powerful she was. “Are… you sure?” She asked eventually, turning to Sunset.
“She did offer. And for all of her… flair, there is more to her than I thought.” Sunset admitted with a small grin. It left as quickly as it came, the flame-haired teen taking a small breath before looking straight at Twilight. “More than anything else, I want you and the girls safe. Alright?”
Twilight nodded to her friend, offering a small smile even as her innards rebelled against the idea, nearly overwhelming her with the sheer strength of the sensation. Her will was strong, though, and she pushed it down and hid it. “Just make sure you be careful too, Sunset.” Twilight responded, keeping her voice calm. “I don’t want to forget anymore about you.”
That odd emotion flicked in Sunset’s eyes once more and before Twilight knew it she found herself captured in a tight hug. The smell of well worn leather and floral shampoo filled her nose, making her yearn for… something. It should mean something to her, she knew… but what? A blush had settled on Sunset’s face when she finally pulled away, her hand reaching up for a moment before pulling away. “Please… Stay safe.” she whispered.
She stood motionless, watching as Trixie and Sunset headed down the hall and out of sight, not at all caring that the bell had rung. Twilight found her legs working automatically, taking off to her next class, even as her inner emotions fought against it. One thing had been clear to her, the thoughts running constantly through her intelligent mind. The way Sunset had said those final words sounded like a goodbye…
Twilight could only hope that she was wrong.
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Glad Sunny's okay, and that Twilight et al. are starting to come around.
Can't wait for the next chapter and I hope it goes well
I wonde rif Twi will go berserk on Wall Flower once ehr ememories are returned, sounds like they were dating and very close...this will enrage Sci Twi for having her memories taken.
Slowly.
Maybe “whomever is” or just “who’s”
I think you can write it this way, but it may actually be, “constantly running”.
I wonder when the next chapter will be out?
10264521
Okej, maybe investigate wasn't the word to use. I meant it more like what she has been doing so far. "What memories are missing? What can I do to hel? What are these feelings coming from?" mm. Definately not going all Rarity on this.
Anyway. My complaint was mostly that the whole gang was convinced at the same time. I'm afraid they'll take time away from Sci-twi realising her feelings. Especially when you're following the special so closely and they didn't really do anything.
10266197
That's what I hopefully conveyed with Twilight in this chapter, as she does go over some of her memories to realize things aren't adding up. That she's got some gaping holes where there should be life.
As for the other girls being convinced, I personally think that while some of them wouldn't like it, it's kinda hard to disprove something like Rarity's designs as fake considering that's so something personal to her. Add in the personalities of the girls and the only one I felt that would really be uncertain about the entire thing even with that proof is Applejack, whom I made sure had some moments in this chapter.
Really, when it comes down to it, could I have written it that the girls needed more time to be convinced or delved deeper into the missing memories they had? Almost certainly. But I felt like that wouldn't be true to the characters or how they would act. Twilight, once she figured out something was going on, would DO something about it. She might fret and worry about things, which I felt like I showed, but she wouldn't just sit around. And her friends, even if they still have misgivings about the whole ordeal, would still help her. And that's my personal stance as a writer, even if I'm doing something like a shipping, I'm going to be as true to the characters as i can be.
So, I’ve noticed that you’ve toned down the LUS. Great. Now, as for the ‘said tag’ problem, it doesn’t just apply to the word ‘said.’ It applies to most ‘speaking’ verb. For instance:
And so on. Furthermore, the improper nouns that follow the dialogue should not be in uppercase.
One more thing. Applejack’s nickname is AJ, not Aj. Both letters should be in uppercase, since it’s her initials.
Again, I don’t mean to be rude, I just want to help.
10271030
Hmmm, I've got a question for you then in that case. When would be the right time to have a period in a characters dialog? Cuz the way you're stating things right now, it feels like that unless I'm not doing the 'Twilight said' or what not after the sentience, there should be never a case where I end it with a period. I feel like I've seen some other authors doing it, both fan and official, but I could be misremembering.
Also, I don't feel like you're being rude at all! You're helping me improve... that said I'd actually like to know what you think of the story so far as well! Fixing some of my writing flaws is good and fine, but I'd like to know if the base story itself is remotely entertaining.
10271693
When the 'said tag' precedes the dialogue.
Like that.
As for the story itself. I like the idea. Forgotten Friendship was full of plot holes, and I love the idea of having Twilight abuse those plot holes. I like the story. Keep it up.
There shouldn't be an apostrophe here; it's not possessive, just referring to the truck.
"It's" is short for "it is", and "it is engine gave" makes no sense - just a little something that tends to trip a lot of people up, I've found.
Something else that trips a lot of people up is the past tense of "to lead", which is "led". It's not like "read", yet I've seen so many people treat it as such - not that this is relevant here in any way, but still...