This story is a sequel to Late-Night Conversations
Cover art by SwordTune! Re-edited 17 April 2022. Now featured on Equestria Daily!
A spinoff short story, featuring Wallflower, Roseluck and Derpy, is now published! Click here to read.
It's been a year since Wallflower Blush tried to purge the memory of Sunset's reformation from the entire student body of Canterlot High. But despite Sunset's initial effort to steer the lonely, embittered girl onto a new path—and, indeed, Wallflower has developed a reasonable social life with several new close friends—the two of them remain haunted by the events of those three days, each embodying some of the darkest moments of the others' lives, and spend their school days at a stark distance from each other.
But as graduation looms, threatening the possibility that they might never get over their anxieties, the two decide it's time for a real, genuine conversation about what happened, why things still hurt and how they can move on—if it's even possible.
Timeline Notes: Forgotten Friendship takes place at the end of junior year, with Rollercoaster of Friendship the following summer. Senior year includes Sunset's Backstage Pass early in the year (along with some of the Starswirled Music Festival episodes of the digital series), followed by Holidays Unwrapped and the rest of the digital series' second season. I'm not sure exactly where Spring Breakdown happens, but it's not especially relevant here. The events of the novels and comics are not canon to my stories.
Takes place two days after "Late-Night Conversations", which is strongly recommended reading for this story.
Ok, this is... Interesting? I don't really know. I guess reading the other story is more required than I thought.
There's a lot of preamble and kind of irrelevant world-building around what seems to be the main plot of the story, so even if it's just 2k per chapter, it seems like very little is progressing in what the description hints.
Speaking of, unless, as I said, the prequel hints to something more, it seems to be a rather simple plot, so I don't know why the story is taking so long to start it. Or at least hint to what each of them want out of the talk the story build up so much about.
Maybe saying the prequel isn't required is not the case in this one, but I'll at least see where the next chapter is trying to go for.
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I’ve updated the description to indicate reading the first story beforehand is “strongly recommended”. I’ve also slightly advanced the publishing schedule so we get to the meat of the story quicker.
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Ok, reading the prequel helped a lot, specially that Epilogue that I don't think should've just been skipped here. It makes more sense of the build up since we now know why it's the last day they can have the conversation, that changes the dynamic a lot.
However, if you allow me a critique. The story doesn't seem to really acknowledge Wallflower's side of the story. Yes, I get that the story is about how much the event traumatized Sunset, but the narration keeps depicting her as a monster too much, which is kind of hypocritical considering Sunset wanted to conquer two entire dimensions and Twilight almost destroyed the universe as we knew it. That's a fault I see a lot of stories make when it comes to these kind of things. In here, it creates a sort of strawman situation, the whole confrontation with Wallflower seems to be mostly just so Sunset can get some sort of comeuppance rather than what it seems the first story suggested. Sunset is angry at her, very understandable, Wallflower doesn't feel like she deserves forgiveness, also very in character with her, but if the characters and the narration themselves favor Sunset as being the one that has the high ground, the story is just about how horrible Wallflower is and nothing more, which is, I hope, not the intention of the whole story.
I'll add, I'm saying this because I've seen it in other stories, and it's not pretty when the comment section starts taking out pitchforks if that wasn't your original intention.
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Without getting into spoilers, you’re listing off a lot of the reasons I wanted to write this sequel story. The first story is naturally lopsided toward Sunset's perspective, given Wallflower doesn’t appear in that one. (Though FWIW, it does acknowledge that Sunset was once very much in the position of needing forgiveness herself.) It’s partially because that story (the original three chapters, anyway) was originally written as a sample of a larger story that would have involved Wallflower, but I ended up scrapping the idea and retooled it into a standalone. But anyway, I hope you keep reading.
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Yeah, I could see that you wanted the world to feel like there's stuff happening outside of the current drama, which is very important for a wider story and I have to give you props for it. And that little bit in the prequel was what convinced me you didn't want to go that route with Wallflower.
I'll definitely keep reading to the end, I'm very invested.
Great way to start this much needed conversation between the two. As it's put here, evading things like this due to them being difficult to confront leaves oneself open to a lot of ifs, maybes, and distortions of events, which end up creating something much worse that just grows in you the more time passes. Because ignoring a problem is not the same as getting closure from it, which is what Sunset and Wallflower need to truly move past those three days.
You're handling it very well, and I'm really excited to see how things go from here.
Ok, I'm really liking this. Not only addressing the mind control Sunset did to the students, but also the disconnection of Sunset and the students, which is something I feel not many stories really address. There's a big difference between the two worlds despite the inhabitants being mirrors of each other, and Sunset thinking she was in hell is also a very reasonable conclusion to make.
I'll need to check your other and future works because you seem to have a good grasp on these things and it isn't very common.
Also very curious to see what Sunset saw in Wally. Definitely reading ti tomorrow!
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You respond to these so quickly! Really glad to hear you’re enjoying this. Of my other stories, “Sunset & Twilight’s Winter Holidate” (which is in the same continuity) is the closest in spirit to this series; the other two are moreso me goofing off. (If you’ve noticed the half-dozen+ Simpsons references sprinkled in this story, it probably won’t surprise you to learn I made a story that’s an EqG riff on “Steamed Hams”.)
I’ve read a few of yours (“Balloon to the Moon” is adorable) and I’ll have to check out more; the problem is I tend to write more than I read here.
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No worries, I'm in a similar situation myself (mostly because I pre-read for a lot of people) unless a story really interests me. And I'm glad you liked it, I would suggest The Cutest Deliverer since it's in a similar style to that one.
And I respond quickly because I'm waiting for them to be published. It's been a while since I've read something like this.
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I generally post right about 4pm PT, so you know when to look. Also, idk how much people respond to endorsements on this website, but if you want to promote this at all please do. I’m relatively new to the MLP fandom (I got sucked into EqG - and eventually binged FiM - after watching A New Generation on a lark) and I’m not sure how to get readership to take off.
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Sadly it's a matter of content and time, but I'll share it around once it's completed.
Best of luck!
*slow claps*
Nothing like I expected and much better for it. This was a beautiful conclusion, and a true example of how to do forgiveness and redemption. Definitely glad I kept reading and I'll be sure to share it around once the Epilogue goes out.
Great work!
An in-universe PSA comic may be the most brilliant way I’ve seen to simultaneously acknowledge and dismiss Anon-A-Miss. Nice one.
A lovely follow-up to the prequel. The parallels between Sunset and Wallflower work to a painful degree, and their reconciliation feels wonderfully earned. You excel at beautiful, genuine emotional moments. Thank you for another excellent example of that.
Also, high-quality Best Human, which I always appreciate.
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Thanks for the compliments! I'm outlining some stories that are definitely on the emotional side so it's always good to have the encouragement
Just leave her be.
I feel the same about you as well.
That's a damn good one!
Good, those rock formations don't deserve to be there.
Damn.
I mean, I'd not to have her in mine, I have enough shit to deal with.
I don't blame the girls for doing that stuff for Sunset. No, and I mean no one, deserves to be forgotten!
I'll always hate you Wallflower. Your my least fav eqg character.
She'd probably think she's a lunatic.
They were shorts, not a skirt.
Huh.
Mhm.
Maybe...
I read the first and this one back to back, and I say, "well done you!"
The vignette style, showing small moments strung together over time, fits the 'slice of life' feel and the redemption story you're telling. I love these both!!!
Thank you for sharing!!!
Muffins, the patter of sad souls.
Now I'm kind of interested how these three girls came to be friends, but there won't be probably an extra fic for this. Nice start of the sequel
Time to put this story into an Anon-a-Miss group folder and see the chaos evolve
Five years later, as robots were taking over the world, Scootaloo leaned over Micro Chips' ear and whispered: Told you so.
Honestly, if there was a person who would be able to read my past and current thoughts at will, I would make sure to keep distance. It's a creepy power if you think about it
But oof, you pointed out well the heaviness of the usage of the memory stone. It has so much implications…
And the emotional talk was… emotional.
Yep, I'm so creative in wordsWhy don't we see who is better?
We don't have to be one and the same thing…
Wait, wrong characters.
I know the fic has been edited and there probably weren't these open quotations previously, but seeing the "missing end quotation" to signal that the speech is still going on, but later on an insert being used to remind who is speaking, threw me of the reading flow several times. I guess it still works when action tags are being used, but in cases like these where the sentence is being interrupted, it's kind of a hinderance
Mainly how Princi… Princess Celestia was supposed to move the sun. How was that supposed to work? Oh, right, the emotional talk…
That's somehow beautiful. Still creepy, but beautiful nonetheless
Sunset: So, about that fetish you have…
Sorry, had to make the jokeAnd that concludes the opening up and clearing themselves of Sunset and Wallflower. I like how it was both similar yet different from each other, and how much thought was put into this. Definitely a thought through fic about something the special treated kind of too lightly.
She wrote "Considering how much has happened over the last years, considering how I can run at the speed of sound, science should stop torturing me with their equations, as the question of what the equation of speed is can be easily answered with: Magic."
And now it became a more believable forgiveness and Sunset becoming friends with Wallflower. Power of fanfictions
This imagery makes me wonder what Sunset's mindscape would look like. Maybe something like flickering flame and the image of Twilight's outstretched hand being the center.
'Let it ra-a-a-ain' and now I've got it stuck in my head again.
Awesome work on both of these!
Something I adore about this chapter is Sunset acknowledging how her own feelings took a backseat in favor of forgiving her friends. They all 180'd on her, only for all of them to 180 once again 3 days later and anyone in that position would be terrified of losing everything again, and would feel (unintentionally) pressured to accept any amount of apologizing, even at the expense of ignoring the gaping emotional wound that'd leave.
Excellent work on that bit!
oof! but yeah, i’d’ve been tempted to do the same at her age lol
oof that is quite some discomfort!
hehe, very useful that the characters express their character developments in song form
dang just where is this school’s door repair budget?
it would be a bit strange for the school to officially recognize a fan club for some of its students
dang both of them are dreading this convo!
gottem!
oh yeah, definitely an understandable reaction to a mind-reader. honestly, Sunset has some interrogation to do herself about the ethics of using her stone-enabled magic powers!
very Wallflower event and thoughts
so true actually, that is how i feel as well
very reasonable conclusion actually. that must have really been a trip for a literal child to go through!
one of the best lines from the show or whatever
aww, friendship!
aww, so that’s where she got that!
aww, they do have that in common!
so true. why is Sunset going on about that egghead stuff, Rainbow is clearly fine!
aww why is she making Rarity noises?
oof, a lot of changes coming!
oh this was written after G5 came out? where is my sense of time
aww, glad she is in a better place now! there's definitely a lot of guilt to get over based on the implied sheer amount of memories Wallflower destroyed in all those around her, and it takes a lot more to do that than a clasped hand and an uplifting montage.