Not in the Picture

The sun was shining on the surf, and Twilight Sparkle was happily posing for a photo as her friends gathered around. A camera drone hovered in front of her and clicked. Twilight patted it. “Success!” she exclaimed, checking out the photo.

She had invented the best selfie device ever! Now it would be easy to get a group picture of all their friends together. Except that the camera drone sputtered for some reason. Applejack looked worried.

“Your eyes do not deceive you,” Twilight said confidently. “I finally invented a Selfie Sensing camera. It hovers into position whenever you want a selfie!” She wrangled the camera down to the sand as it tried to take off.

Applejack watched her struggle. “What was wrong with the old-fashioned way?” She mimed holding a camera at arm’s length away from her.

Twilight Sparkle let go of her camera, and it stabilized, hovering in front of her. A sensor light turned green, a switch flicked on, and click! Twilight Sparkle posed just in time.

“The future’s bright, Applejack!” she said happily.

The camera flashed. “Ah!” shouted Twilight. “Too bright! Too bright!”

Rarity had arrived with two blankets. “Which one should we use for the photograph?” she asked the other girls.

Rainbow Dash was confused. “You mean the white one? Or the white one?”

“This is toasted oat!” protested Rarity, holding up one of the blankets. “And this one is linen lamb’s wool.…” She pulled four more white blankets out of her shoulder bag. “Ivory cream, old lace, champagne, and, well, I suppose this one actually is white.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said with a laugh. “That’s the one I’m talking about.”

A gust of wind caught the blanket and whipped it into the air toward the ocean. Spike barked and chased after it.

“Don’t worry, Rarity!” he called over his shoulder. “I got it!”

Pinkie Pie was headed toward the water, too, ready to splash in the waves. “No, I got it! I got it!”

“I got it! I got it!” Spike yipped.

A huge wave crashed over both of their heads, and they emerged from the surf soaking wet. The blanket floated out to sea.

“I don’t got it.” Pinkie sighed, disappointed.

“I don’t got it,” echoed Spike.

The blanket bobbed over a wave and suddenly started heading back toward them. A horrible raspy sound came from inside it.

“Ocean monster!” Pinkie screeched, splashing toward the shore.

A strange face emerged from underneath the blanket. It was Fluttershy wearing a mask and breathing through a snorkel! “Quincy the sea turtle says there’s some big waves coming that would be perfect for our picture,” she told the others.

Sunset Shimmer saw all the girls getting into position as she hurried down the beach. This was a big moment for her. This was the yearbook photo she wanted everyone to remember. “All right!” she shouted to the others. “Who’s ready to take a Best Friends photo?”

Twilight Sparkle whirled around and stared at her. She whispered something to Rarity, who shrugged. Applejack’s eyes narrowed. Spike growled.

“What do you want, Sunset Shimmer?” Applejack asked.

Fluttershy twisted her hands nervously. “Please don’t ruin our picture,” she begged.

Sunset Shimmer laughed and went over to join her friends. She noticed the camera drone. “Oh,” she said, delighted. “You got the Selfie Sensor working, Twilight?” She posed with a big smile on her face.

The drone zipped away from her and hovered behind Twilight Sparkle. What was going on?

“Okay…” said Sunset Shimmer. Was she late? “Uh-oh, what did I do?”

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms defensively. “We’re just trying to take a picture for the yearbook, okay?”

Sunset Shimmer agreed and nodded. “Should we do it now?”

None of the girls said a word. They all glared at her. Sunset Shimmer started to feel uncomfortable, but she had no idea what was the matter.

Applejack finally exploded, her face red. “Sunset Shimmer? Asking to be in our Best Friends picture? Now I’ve heard it all!”

Sunset Shimmer looked from one girl to the other. “Am I missing the joke here?”

“The only joke,” Rarity said through gritted teeth, “is whatever this is you’re playing on us, acting all nice like you’re our friend.”

“And it’s not funny!” cried Fluttershy, upset.

“Because you aren’t nice,” added Rainbow Dash.

“And we ain’t friends.” To make her point, Applejack linked her arm through Rainbow Dash’s.

“Wait,” spluttered Sunset Shimmer. She felt dizzy and strange. Everything was topsy-turvy. “What? Why?” She could hardly get out the words. Why were the other girls being so mean to her?

“You got applesauce in yer ears?” asked Applejack.

Sunset Shimmer touched the geode around her neck, and it glowed. It gave her the ability to read people’s minds—if she touched them. She reached her hand out to Applejack.

What she saw devastated her. She saw herself as the she-demon, but she couldn’t see herself apologizing to all the girls. She saw the Friendship Games but not the conversation she had with Twilight Sparkle about forgiveness. She saw everyone trying to save Twilight at Camp Everfree—except herself. She just wasn’t in the picture. She jerked her hand away. She couldn’t take it anymore. Why wasn’t she in any of Applejack’s memories?

“It’s like I’ve been erased!” She shuddered.

All the slumber parties and games and laughter and jokes and friendship. All of it was gone. The only thing anyone remembered about her was that she was the Biggest Meanie.