My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Forgotten Friendship

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Forgotten Friendship is the first of two hour-long Equestria Girls specials.

In this special, Sunset Shimmer discovers that she's been erased from her friends' memories and must race to find the magic and the perpetrator responsible.

Production
Sandbar, appearing both in this special and in My Little Pony Friendship is Magic season eight, was previewed in a 2018 "MY LITTLE PONY SERIES" image within Hasbro 2017 Investor Day webcast presentations from August 3, 2017.

A novelization of the special, titled A Friendship to Remember, was published on December 5, 2017.

Quincy the turtle is named after Ryan Quincy, creator of the Disney XD animated series Future-Worm!, which Nick Confalone also writes for.

Flash Sentry's cameo in the special is "a remnant of an early draft where Wallflower was driving away in a crowded parking lot instead of walking to [the] garden." According to Katrina Hadley, "[t]he confrontation was supposed to be in front of a crowd", but it was decided it wasn't needed and might look like too dangerous for younger viewers.

Part 1
The special begins with Sunset Shimmer, president of the Canterlot High School yearbook committee, walking around the school taking pictures of her friends and the other students for the yearbook, all while she and her friends sing We've Come So Far in the background. In the yearbook room, Sunset bumps into Wallflower Blush, a quiet girl whom Sunset has known since ninth grade but has a tendency to be ignored. She presents Sunset with the votes for the yearbook "Superlatives"—"Best", "Most", "Most Likely", etc.—and the girls discover that they were voted "Best Friends". Rarity suggests they take a group picture for the yearbook at the beach on Saturday.

Suddenly, Trixie angrily bursts into the room, demanding to know why she was not voted "Greatest and Most Powerfulest" in the yearbook. Sunset Shimmer says that category does not exist, and when refuses to put it in the yearbook, Trixie vows revenge and leaves by smoke bomb. Sunset and her friends leave the room as well and turn out the lights, unintentionally leaving Wallflower alone in the dark. That night, Sunset writes to Princess Twilight Sparkle in her magic journal and catches her up on recent events. When she finishes writing and goes to bed, a strange magic swirls through the night sky and gathers in the forest outside Canterlot High School.

On Saturday, the girls gather together at the beach, and human Twilight brings her self-selfie-taking camera drone for their yearbook picture. Rarity and Rainbow Dash decide which beach blanket to use for the photo, and Fluttershy partakes in some scuba diving. When Sunset arrives to join them, they are confused by her friendly behavior and act hostile toward her, denying that they are her friends. Sunset touches Applejack's arm to read her mind with her geode powers, and she sees past events like the Friendship Games, the trip to Camp Everfree, and the Battle of the Bands. However, where Sunset would appear in these memories, there is only a vacant space.

"It's like I've been... erased!"

- Sunset Shimmer

Part 2
Sunset tries to convince the rest of the girls that she's their friend, citing the magical geodes they all wear and the times they've shared. However, they only remember her as the bully who tormented them during freshman year, and Twilight only remembers when Sunset yelled at her during the Friendship Games. Getting an idea, Sunset writes to Twilight in her journal and asks if they are friends, to which Twilight replies yes and asks what's wrong. Sunset decides to explain in more detail in person, and she uses the portal outside Canterlot High to return to Equestria.

At the Castle of Friendship, Sunset explains the situation to Twilight, and Twilight suggests they turn to a certain pony for help. At Canterlot Castle, they appear before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and Sunset apologizes to Celestia for everything she did before running away to the human world for the first time. Celestia forgives Sunset, and the two share a warm hug. After hearing about Sunset's situation, Celestia suspects that Equestrian magic is the culprit, and she leads Sunset and Twilight to the restricted section of the Canterlot Library.

After some time researching, Twilight and Sunset discover the ancient writings of Clover the Clever, which mention a magical object called the Memory Stone. Long ago, an evil sorceress used the Memory Stone to erase others' memories, and whenever Clover came close to stopping her, she erased his memories and escaped. To counteract this, Clover secretly wrote everything down so that he'd know the sorceress's next move after his memories were erased. Clover's last known action was chasing the sorceress through a portal, but the last page of his writings is missing. Twilight theorizes that the Memory Stone ended up in the human world and that someone is using it to erase everyone's memories and make them hate Sunset Shimmer again.

"But who?"

- Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle

Part 3
Back at the beach in the human world, Twilight expresses some worry about Sunset Shimmer, but Trixie—hanging out nearby with Snips and Snails—tells the girls not to concern themselves with someone pretending to be their friend. Trixie says that, with Sunset away, responsibility for the school yearbook falls to Rarity, and she once again brings up her request to be "Greatest and Most Powerfulest" in the yearbook. Rarity has a vague memory of Trixie bringing this up before, and when Trixie gets more pushy with her request, Rarity says she'll think about it.

Back in Equestria, Sunset Shimmer thanks Princess Twilight and Celestia for their help and decides to return to the human world to find out who has the Memory Stone. In the meantime, Twilight decides to search the library again for a way to restore Sunset's friends' memories. Sunset returns to the beach during the girls' volleyball game, and she tries once again to convince them that she is their friend, showing them photos of all of them together on her phone. Unfortunately, the girls are still skeptical, and Trixie reminds them that Sunset made fake photos in the past. When Sunset trips on a beach ball and accidentally breaks Twilight's camera drone, the girls become even more distrustful of her.

At school on the following Monday, the students all avoid Sunset, and when she tries to help up Micro Chips after knocking him over, he gives her his lunch money, much to her frustration. She confronts Trixie at her locker, believing she is using the Memory Stone as payback for Sunset refusing to put her in the yearbook. However, Trixie doesn't know what Sunset is talking about. As Sunset grows more desperate, Trixie starts to understand her dilemma and sympathizes with her. She offers to help Sunset find the Memory Stone—in exchange for Sunset putting her in the yearbook as "Greatest and Most Powerfulest".

Meanwhile, Princess Twilight finds the missing page of Clover the Clever's writings and learns that he buried the stone in the middle of a rock formation somewhere in the human world. She also learns that if someone's memories are erased for longer than three days, they stay erased forever. Twilight tries to warn Sunset via her magic journal, but Sunset forgets the journal in her locker.

Part 4
In the school cafeteria, Sunset and Trixie discuss possible suspects for holding a grudge against Sunset, but with everyone's good memories of her erased, everyone is a suspect. They ask around school about the Memory Stone, but their investigation doesn't turns up any leads. All the while, Sunset watches her friends having fun without her. Back in the yearbook office, Sunset looks through the yearbook for more potential suspects and realizes they never questioned Wallflower Blush, who had been sitting in the corner of the room the entire time. As Trixie talks with Wallflower, Sunset finally reads Princess Twilight's message about the Memory Stone's three-day time limit, meaning she only has until the end of the day to restore her friends' memories.

In the screensaver on Wallflower's computer, Sunset notices a photo of the rock formation where the Memory Stone was buried. When Sunset asks about the photo, Wallflower says it was taken in the school gardens for the Gardening Club—of which she is the only member. As Wallflower makes a picture for the school yearbook, Sunset reads her mind and sees memories of Wallflower constantly being ignored and unnoticed by the other students. In her solitude, she picked up gardening as a hobby and made a small garden outside the school. One day, she accidentally dug up the Memory Stone and a cloth with instructions on how to use it. Resentful of all the attention Sunset Shimmer gets now, Wallflower used the Stone to erase her friends' memories of her.

Through the song Invisible, Wallflower expresses her bitterness of always being ignored, even by people she has known for years. As she sings, Sunset tries to retrieve the Memory Stone from her backpack, but Wallflower notices and grabs it away. Sunset gets angry and tries to take the Stone by force, but Wallflower uses it to erase her and Trixie's memories of the past few hours. Sunset and Trixie are left locked inside the yearbook room with no memory of when or how they got there.

Part 5
Sunset tries calling someone outside the room, but everyone has already left for the day. Remembering the trials of Clover the Clever, Sunset finds a note in her pocket addressed to herself telling her to "check the video". She plays a video on Twilight's nearby camera drone, which Sunset left recording the whole time in case her memory was erased, and she and Trixie discover that Wallflower Blush has been behind all the memory-erasing. Watching Wallflower's bitterness and Sunset's anger on the video, Trixie realizes it isn't enough just to not be mean to someone—one must also reach out with niceness. When Sunset says she is glad to still have one friend in Trixie when the time limit runs out, Trixie is inspired to use her stage magic to free Sunset from the locked room so she can save her friends.

In the school parking lot, Sunset catches up with Wallflower and tries again to reason with her. When Wallflower reveals that she used the Memory Stone to erase Sunset's memories, the rest of the girls overhear. Sunset reaches out to Wallflower, but she refuses to listen and decides to use the Memory Stone to erase all of Sunset's friends' memories of high school. Realizing this would erase their friendship entirely, Sunset jumps in the way and sacrifices her own memories, much to the other girls' horror. With all of her memories of the human world erased, Sunset awakens in unfamiliar surroundings, believing she is still a pony in Canterlot.

The rest of the Mane Seven are moved by Sunset's sacrifice and approach her to help, calling her their friend. All of a sudden, the magic of the geodes combines, resulting in brand new magical transformations and wardrobes. Their combined magic creates a blast of light that destroys the Memory Stone and restores their memories. With their memories restored, Sunset and her friends celebrate with a group hug. Wallflower, deeply ashamed in herself, apologizes for what she's done, and Sunset apologizes in return for making her feel invisible for all these years.

Some time later, Sunset writes to Princess Twilight about what happened and thanks her again for her help. The new CHS yearbooks are finished, and Trixie is surprised to discover that Sunset approved her request to be put in the yearbook. Meanwhile, "Best Gardener" Wallflower's Gardening Club has several new members, and her copy of the yearbook has signatures from all of her new friends.

Quotes

 * Wallflower Blush: Excuse me.
 * Sunset Shimmer: I'm sorry. I didn't see you there.
 * Wallflower Blush: I've been here awhile.
 * Sunset Shimmer: I didn't realize—
 * Wallflower Blush: I've been trying to get your attention for like half the song.


 * Applejack: [softly] Ain't she a quiet one?
 * Rainbow Dash: Yeah. And we know some pretty shy people, am I right?
 * Fluttershy: We do? Who?


 * Sunset Shimmer: Am I missing the joke here?
 * Rarity: The only joke is whatever this is you're playing on us, acting all nice like you're our friend.
 * Fluttershy: And it's not funny!


 * Sunset Shimmer: [sighs] Princess Celestia, the last time we saw each other, I was your snide little pupil who betrayed and abandoned you.
 * Princess Twilight Sparkle: [whispering] I wouldn't have said it that way. [clears throat] What Sunset means to say is—
 * Sunset Shimmer: I mean that I come before you a changed pony, humbly asking for forgiveness, guidance, and knowledge.


 * Princess Celestia: I am not familiar with the exact spell that could have erased your friends' memories. But it sounds like Equestrian magic is at work in your world.
 * Princess Luna: Hmm. Indeed. The toilings of this nefarious enchantment could portend unimaginable catastrophe if left unchecked.
 * Sunset Shimmer: [stifles giggle]
 * [slap!]
 * Sunset Shimmer: Sorry. I'm just used to hearing you say no student parking in the faculty lot. Heh heh.
 * Princess Luna: This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power.


 * Princess Twilight Sparkle: [prolonged gasp] Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh! So many books all unread! Ancient historical artifacts! [gasps] I just... I thought...! I can't...! [wheezes]
 * Sunset Shimmer: You sure you're up for helping me go through all this stuff?
 * Princess Twilight Sparkle: Don't take this away from me! No way! Can you believe they have Canterlot Cantabiles Volume Thirty-One? You heard me! Thirty-One! Sunset, that's when it gets goooooooood! [gasps] Over here! An original Windigo Weather Warning from the pre-Equestrian era! Oh, my goodness! I can't! I just can't!
 * Sunset Shimmer and Princess Celestia: [laugh]


 * Twilight Sparkle: I've been thinking... Should we be worried about Sunset Shimmer?
 * Trixie Lulamoon: Yeah! Worried she comes back! I think it’s a shame the way she's treating you, pretending to be your friend. She's obviously up to something. Sunset Shimmer thinks the whole school exists just to serve her. [snaps, to Snips and Snails] Water please!


 * Princess Celestia: This is quite a contrast from the last time we parted ways. But you are not that way anymore. With every choice you make, you prove yourself to possess a kind heart.
 * Sunset Shimmer: I guess I had a good teacher.
 * Princess Twilight Sparkle: You were a good student.
 * Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle: [laugh]
 * Princess Celestia: [angrily] Are you saying I wasn't a good teacher?


 * Princess Celestia: [laughs]
 * Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle: [join in laughter]
 * Sunset Shimmer: Princess Celestia has a sense of humor? Looks like I'm not the only one who's changed.


 * Pinkie Pie: Bring it on, Rainbow Dash! You and Rarity just bought your team a one-way ticket on the express train to You're Going Down!


 * Sunset Shimmer: So... here we are.
 * Trixie Lulamoon: Here we do are.


 * Sunset Shimmer: Where's the Memory Stone? You turned my friends against me just because I wouldn't put you in the yearbook as the Greatest and Powerfullest?! "Powerfullest" isn't even a word!
 * Trixie Lulamoon: What are you talking about?
 * Sunset Shimmer: It's not a word!
 * Trixie Lulamoon: No. What Memory Stone?
 * Sunset Shimmer: The one you used to erase everyone's memory, you manipulative... blowhard!
 * Trixie Lulamoon: A stone that could make everyone forget all the bad tricks I've done...? Which is no tricks. Your puny rock pales in comparison to the Great and Powerful Trixie!


 * Trixie Lulamoon: So you have this idea of who you're supposed to be, but no one in school sees you that way. Is that it? Trust me. I get it.


 * Princess Twilight Sparkle: I've looked everywhere! Why can't I find the missing pages? I've always been good to you, library!


 * Trixie Lulamoon: Let's talk motive. Who here hates you enough to erase everyone's good memories of you?
 * Sunset Shimmer: If you go back far enough... everyone. [sighs]
 * Trixie Lulamoon: [writing] "Known enemies: all."


 * Trixie Lulamoon: Uh, who are you?
 * Wallflower Blush: [sighs] Wallfower. I've known you since third grade.
 * Trixie Lulamoon: Ahh! I remember third grade. Not you specifically, but what a grade it was. The Great and Powerful Trrrrixie debuted her disappearing frog trick! You know, a lot of people don't know how much work goes into raising tadpoles.


 * Wallflower Blush: [sighs] Why should you notice me? After all, you're Sunset Shimmer. Everybody loves you now. [sighs] Why can't they see you haven't changed?


 * Trixie Lulamoon: Actually, the Wise and Moralizing Trixie was making a point. You said you didn't do anything.
 * Sunset Shimmer: I didn't! I wasn't mean to her at all!
 * Trixie Lulamoon: But maybe it's not good enough to not be mean to someone. Maybe you have to be nice.


 * Sunset Shimmer: [sighs] At least when the sun goes down and everyone hates me forever, I'll still have one friend in the morning.
 * Trixie Lulamoon: Huh?
 * Sunset Shimmer: And I mean, she is the Greatest and Powerfullest Canterlot High School has to offer, so I guess I can't complain.
 * Trixie Lulamoon: You poor fool! You actually believed me when I was pretending to give up? Mere stage banter! The Great and Powerful Trixie never gives up on herself... or her friends. I mean, her Pretty Decent Assistant-Detective-Helper People.


 * Sunset Shimmer: Listen, I used to be just like you. Sure, I was popular, but I was lonely.
 * Wallflower Blush: You're nothing like me, and I'm not lonely, because I have... plants! [beat] That sounded less lonely in my head.


 * Sunset Shimmer: I've ruined their friendship once before. I'd rather give up my own memories than let it happen again!


 * Sunset Shimmer: Who are you?
 * Twilight Sparkle: We are your friends.
 * Applejack: We may not remember you...
 * Pinkie Pie: But after seeing what you did...
 * Rarity: ...the sacrifice you made for us...
 * Fluttershy: ...we'd be proud to call you...
 * Rest of the Equestria Girls: ...our friend!


 * Twilight Sparkle: Wallflower! You have magic you do not understand, but it is nothing compared with the Magic of—
 * Pinkie Pie: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We get it! Light her up, ladies!


 * Trixie Lulamoon: I demand to speak to the yearbook president! How did this get in here?
 * Sunset Shimmer: A yearbook president never reveals her secrets!