Guilt or exhaustion? Twilight wasn’t sure which made her more irritable. It had been a long day. Her hands and eyes hurt. And no matter how much she justified her actions, the guilt still gnawed at her heartstrings.

It’ll be fine. You just have to make sure everything goes right. Make this all worth it.

“Ouch!” Her hand snapped back as a stray spark of electricity bounced up her glove and shocked the exposed part of her skin.

“Are you alright?” Moondancer called.

“I’m fine!” Twilight snapped. She was more angry at the magical electricity, but the last thing she wanted was Moondancer’s concern.

They were in the basement that housed the Deus Ex Machina. Said machine was out of its armory and lying on a workbench. Twilight tinkered with the exposed wiring, following the schematics Moondancer and Starlight had drawn up and making minor tweaks to it. Rearranging some of the conduits would theoretically increase the magical output by one percent. It wasn’t much, but if this was the weapon to defeat Tirek, every bit of power counted.

She picked up the soldering iron and resumed her work. There wasn’t a lot left to do—Moondancer had been working on this for over a year. The last thing remaining was to test it, and Twilight had no idea where or how they would do that.

She flinched at the idea of testing, and the soldering iron hit a wire and sent another jolt of magical electricity flying through the air. This time, it bounced off Twilight’s goggles, though she still yelped at the crackling ball of energy attacking her face.

“Twilight!” Moondancer rushed over from the console. “Are you—”

“I’m fine!” Twilight said hotly, swatting the stray bolt away. “It’s just some static discharge.”

Moondancer stopped an arm’s length away and stood awkwardly. “If you’re sure. Yes, the wiring can be surprisingly finicky. I cannot count the times I was shocked myself.”

She’s trying to make small talk again, Twilight thought, rolling her eyes. She made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat to acknowledge she heard Moondancer but otherwise remained silent.

Moondancer sighed and walked back over to the control panel. “I heard you and Starlight are conducting your first portal test soon. Congratulations.”

Twilight flinched again. Thankfully, she hasn’t started the soldering iron yet. Yes, she and Starlight were entering the next phase of the Arcane Access Project. Today had been what could be argued the most critical step in their endeavor: taking magic from the statue portal.

It hadn’t been a lot, at least, Starlight said it hadn’t been a lot. But when Twilight watched as Starlight not only revealed that she too had a shard from the Staff of Sacancas, but proceeded to siphon the magic from Sunset’s gate home, the guilt threatened to overwhelm her.

Still, she soldiered on. It was far too late to back out now. Starlight was going to open a portal to magic one way or another. The least Twilight could do was be there to make sure that’s all she did.

When they returned to the lab, work began immediately on a way to redirect the power they had absorbed into a dedicated machine. Twilight had told Starlight the portal was geared toward one destination only.

“Perhaps. But that’s because it’s attuned to the magic of that world. If we gave it a different focal point…”

Twilight had excused herself halfway through the initial construction phase. Depending on how fast Starlight worked, they could be running preliminary tests by tomorrow.

It’d be great if it worked off the bat. But what if we open a portal to Equestria instead? What would Starlight do? How much restraint would she have over the idea of studying magic-laden ponies? Could Twilight stop her? She shook her head. One step at a time. First, they needed to see if they could even harness this power.

“Twilight, are you okay?” Moondancer asked.

Twilight looked over at her. “I told you, I’m fine,” she said tersely. “It was just a little shock.”

“No, I mean how are you doing? You’re tense.”

“No I’m not!” She heard the defensiveness in her voice and grumbled. “It’s nothing.”

“Twilight… you don’t have to do this,” Moondancer said softly.

“Yes, I do. Because you’re right; Tirek is going to come back sooner or later, and the last thing I want is for my friends to fight him. And if they do have to fight…” She clenched her fist. “I want us to have every advantage we can get.”

Moondancer bowed her head. Just when Twilight thought the conversation was over, she whispered, “You just don’t seem like yourself.”

Twilight gnashed her teeth and slammed the soldering iron onto the workbench. “I’m sorry. I’m working with morally dubious people doing morally questionable things, trying to revive a soul-sucking warlock, and lying to my friends all the while! So you’ll have to forgive me if I’m a little high-strung!” She hated to admit it, but she took some satisfaction watching Moondancer flinch.

“I’m sorry,” Moondancer said. She didn’t speak again.

With a composing breath, Twilight picked up her tool and resumed working. Every night since she had become embroiled in this conspiracy, she had contemplated telling her friends everything she had learned and what she was doing. But her initial conversation with Moondancer stopped her from going through with it. Someone someday was going to have to fight Tirek. And if her friends found the Rainbow of Light and did it, they would either lose or push the problem off to a future generation. Twilight couldn’t let them stop Moondancer and Starlight yet. And if she told them now with nothing to show for her deception, they would only be upset with her, Sunset most of all.

“One way through,” Twilight whispered to herself. “I’ll help finish off Tirek and give the world magic again.”

*******

Sunset awoke to the clunking sound of her phone vibrating against her nightstand. She rolled over and picked it up, finding a text from Rarity and only mildly disappointed it wasn’t from Twilight. Rarity wanted to know if everyone could meet up at Sunset’s house in an hour, she had something critical to discuss.

Interest peaked and stomach empty, Sunset rose from bed and started her day. She had a plan today: ask—not demand, but firmly request—Twilight spend actual time with her.

Just because you’re nicer does not make you a doormat. Go and get your girl, filly!

Sunset firmly nodded to herself in the mirror as she brushed the bedhead out of her hair. She had just enough time to finish getting dressed and eat breakfast before the first of her friends knocked on the door.

“Howdy, Sunset,” Applejack said as she crossed the threshold.

“Morning, A.J. Any idea of what Rarity wants to talk about?”

“Not a clue.”

“Maybe she’s finally made the greatest dress in existence!” Pinkie suggested.

“Gah!” Sunset jumped back and looked toward the front door she swore she had closed. “Pinkie, when did you get here?”

Pinkie skipped by her. “I came in behind Applejack, silly!”

Sunset looked at Applejack. Applejack shook her head. Sunset decided to drop it.

The doorbell rang again not long after, and Sunset’s stomach fluttered when she opened it and saw Twilight.

“Hi, Sunnykins.” She leaned up and gave Sunset a quick kiss.

Sunset’s mouth went dry and her stomach dropped to her toes. It was like she had been hurdled eight months back in time to when they first started dating and everything was new and exciting and terrifying.

“H-hey, Sparky.” Sunset frowned. She could see the first traces of bags under Twilight’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

Twilight looked quizzically at her. “Of course, I’m f—” A powerful yawn cut her off. “I’m fine.”

Sunset crossed her arms and gave Twilight a patient look.

“I’m just a little tired,” Twilight reassured. “I have a lot going on, you know that.”

“Yeah, I do,” Sunset said, stepping aside to let Twilight in. “And I kinda want to talk about it later.”

Twilight fumbled with her backpack as she set it down. “O-oh?” She let out a nervous laugh. “Am I in trouble?”

Sunset cocked her head. “What? Of course not. I just feel like—”

The doorbell rang again, and Sunset sighed in annoyance. “I promise, you’re not in trouble or anything. Let’s just talk after this, okay?”

Twilight gave a hesitant smile and nodded before heading to the living room. Sunset knew from experience a partner wanting to ‘talk’ was an ill omen but she hoped Twilight didn’t work herself up over it.

One after another, the rest of her friends arrived, and the Lulamoons joined them around the table. Rarity stood up and clasped her hands together.

“Thank you for meeting on rather short notice. But, I have a theory—"

"Hypothesis," Twilight corrected, pushing her glasses up.

"Hypothesis, yes," Rarity repeated, holding back a sigh. "I would like to test and would like all of you to witness it in case I’m right. Artemis, sir, could we see the Rainbow of Light chest, please?”

“But of course. Just a second.” Artemis pulled the wizard hat off his head and reached inside, rummaging around like it was an office drawer. “Ah, here it is!”

He pulled out the crystal chest and set it on the table. Each of its six sides shone, even without a central light on it.

Rarity reached into her handbag and pulled out a fine red beret. She took a deep breath and crossed the fingers on her free hand, then brought the beret up to the chest. Everyone leaned forward to get a close look.

But nothing happened.

Rarity pursed her lips. “I was certain…” She tapped the beret against the chest.

One of the keyholes emitted a purple glow that grew in luminosity until it concentrated into a straight beam that hit the red beret. Just like with Pinkie’s wristband, a ball of white light rose from the hat and floated over Rarity’s hand. The light expanded and formed a shape before dissipating, leaving behind a golden key with a handle shaped like three interlocked diamonds and a single, thin tooth that looked like a sewing needle.

It fell neatly into Rarity’s hand and she smiled from ear to ear. “I knew it!”

Artemis jumped to his feet. “Incredible! We have two keys now! How did you figure it out?”

Rarity set the beret triumphantly on her head and spoke in a quick, excited voice, “Yesterday, Coco came to the store and she brought me this as a gift. But, after she handed it to me, I swear I saw a rainbow light flitter over it. And I had this feeling—this warmth inside of me. Then, I remembered what Twilight uncovered and about the virtues of the world aligning.”

She took a sobering breath and said in a steadier tone, “I took advantage of Coco before. But, I learned from that mistake and made up for it by doing everything I could to give her the support she needed. I think that personal growth—me tapping into the truest part of myself—I think that’s what gave me my key!”

Sunset steepled her fingers and pressed them to her lips. “The Elements of Harmony already picked you to represent them in this world. It’s like, you just needed to prove yourselves again. That you really resonate with your virtues.”

“Okay,” Rainbow said slowly, “but, why the hat?”

“Well, you never just find the key to something,” Artemis reasoned. “They’re given. These keys have to be given as gifts, perhaps from the person who you helped or helped you learn a lesson.”

Rainbow threw her hands out. “So, we have to help someone, learn something about ourselves along the way, and hope that person gives us a thank you present afterward? Six times? Seriously, it’s like Merlin didn’t want anyone to use this thing again.”

She crossed her arms and threw herself back in her chair, a petulant frown on her face. Her eyes drifted downward and her frown eased up as a curious light shone in her eye.

“Nah, no way. Too easy.” She lifted the tassel of the scarf she wore around her waist and tapped it against the chest.

Just like with Rarity, a keyhole lit up with a sky blue light before it turned into a beam and struck Rainbow’s scarf. A ball of light floated up, and the key it produced had a cloud-shaped handle while its body was shaped like a lightning bolt.

Rainbow reached out and took it, mouth open in awe. She turned it over, then held it out for everyone else. “Awesome.” She looked over at Fluttershy specifically and smiled from ear to ear. “Awesome!”

“We have three keys,” Selena said breathlessly. “I don’t believe it.”

Applejack took her hat off and removed a red brooch Sunset had never seen before. After giving it a once over, Applejack leaned in and tapped the chest with it. Her keyhole shone orange. Light hit the brooch and from it, a key with an apple handle and a leaf for the tooth materialized.

“Four!” Trixie shouted. “Four keys to the Rainbow of Light!”

Sunset couldn’t believe their luck. Or was this destiny at work? Either way, they were two steps away from stopping Tempest’s plans in their tracks.

“Umm…” Every head snapped toward Fluttershy, who flinched under the sudden spotlight. “I… might have my key? Maybe? It’s…”

She slid a silver bracelet off her wrist and pressed it against the box. For the fourth time that day, the chest glowed, pink this time. With a singular beam and a ball of light, Fluttershy’s key came into existence, one with a butterfly handle and a heart-shaped tooth.

“Five keys!” Pinkie yelled, pulling hers out of her hair. “One more and we win!”

Artemis pat his chest, looking like he was seconds away from passing out. “All my life I dreamed… but to actually be the generation of Lulamoons to find, reclaim, and see the Rainbow of Light…”

Rainbow turned to Twilight. “So then it’s you, right?”

Twilight, who looked discernibly pale, jumped in her seat. “What? What do you mean?”

“Like, you have the last key. Or you will. ‘Cause, Princess Twilight isn’t here, and it would be really stupid if the last key was actually hers since she lives in another world.”

“Umm, Y-yes, logically that would make sense, but…. I don’t have magic, so…” She was visibly shaking. Sunset put an arm around her, but Twilight only tensed up further.

“In that case, prepared to be shocked and awed!” Trixie said, jumping to her feet. “Trixie is now certain that the sixth key goes to her! The dawn of our victory is nigh!” She reached into her blouse and produced the crescent moon necklace Sunset had gotten for her yesterday.

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath as she stooped down and touched her necklace to the crystal surface.

There was no reaction.

“What?” Trixie tapped it several more times. “Come on! Trixie wants to be a key-bearer!”

Artemis rested a hand on her shoulder. “It’s all right, sweetie. You’re a Lulamoon; that alone is a grand enough title! You are a guardian of the Rainbow of Light!”

Trixie straightened up and crossed her arms. “Trixie wants to be more than just a guardian,” she grumbled.

Applejack spoke up. “Well then, it’s Sunset, ain’t it?”

Sunset looked at everyone looking at her and shifted in her seat. “I mean… it’s a possibility. I would prefer it to be one of us over the princess, but, I don’t know. The best we can do is keep an eye out.”

It was certainly possible that Sunset could inherit the last key. She, who had fought against demons both inner and external to redeem herself and find a place among her friends. Now, the only reason she didn’t want it was to spare Twilight’s feelings.

“Hopefully, we find it soon,” Rainbow said, twirling her key around her finger. “Otherwise, it’s gonna be real inconvenient if we all have to run back here halfway through our first semester. I mean, I’d be cool with it but, you know.”

“What should we do with our keys in the meantime?” Fluttershy asked.

“We need to keep them somewhere safe,” Rarity said. “After coming this far to get them, it would be criminal for us to lose one.”

“Rainbow,” Applejack said out of the corner of her mouth.

“Hey, I can be responsible for something this important!” The key flew off her finger and clattered onto the coffee table. She scrabbled over, grabbed it, and held it against her chest, eyes narrowed at Applejack.

“Maybe you all should keep the keys and the chest together,” Sunset suggested. “That way we know where everything is.”

Artemis tapped the brim of his hat. “I promise on our family’s honor to keep them safe.”

Rainbow released a defeated sigh. “Fine.” She reached over and stuck her key into one of the locks.

The other girls followed suit, locking in five of the six keyholes. Sunset almost thought it was comical; the blue chest with five golden handles sticking out of it almost looked like an overturned bug.

Artemis levitated the box up and into his hat, the mouth widening to accommodate the box’s size. “Whatever happens next, I’m proud and delighted to have met each and every one of you! You girls truly are spectacular!”

“Heck yeah, we are!” Rainbow said, pumping her fist. “One more key and we save the world! Again!”

“I, for one, can’t wait to put this Tirek business behind us,” Rarity said. “It’s causing a layer of stress that has been terrible for my skin. Actually, would anyone like to accompany Coco and I to the spa later today?”

Fluttershy raised her hand. “Oh, I would love to!”

“Hard pass,” Rainbow said, firmly crossing her arms.

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “I’ll get you in there someday, Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight stood up but kept her eyes on the floor. “I actually should be going. Busy day at the lab.”

Applejack got up too and stretched. “Yeah, Ah got farm work to do.”

“And I’m gonna go visit Sonata and Aria!” Pinkie proclaimed. “Ooooh! I should get Sonata a gift for getting me a key!”

Everyone prepared to head their separate ways, Rarity pestering Rainbow one more time. Sunset spotted Twilight ducking out of the living room without giving anyone a proper goodbye.

“You know you don’t need magic to get one of these keys,” Sunset said, catching Twilight before she could reach the door. “You just need a pure heart. And I don’t think hearts get any purer than yours, Sparky.”

Twilight looked back, and Sunset wasn’t sure what to make of her expression. Was it discomfort? Fear? Whatever it was, Twilight quickly covered it with a tired smile.

“I appreciate it, Sunset. It’s fine, really. I don’t need a key. I just…” Her smile fell and she looked at the floor again.

Sunset stepped closer. “What is it?”

“I… it’s just…” She bit her lip. “Do you really think this is the only way to beat Tirek?”

Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “I mean, it’s the easiest way to beat him, right? Unless you came up with something else?”

Twilight frantically shook her head. “No, no! I just, um… noticed a pattern. Megan used the Rainbow of Light and sealed him away, only for him to come back. And then Merlin did the same thing. Now, he’s coming back again…”

“Hey, if we could find Tempest and stop him before he even gets here, we would. But if Tirek does find a way to come back with a body, we’ll stop him before any harm is done.”

Twilight looked up at Sunset, an odd look of dread in her eyes. “But aren’t we just putting off the problem by sealing him away again?”

Sunset slowly raised an eyebrow. “Not if we put him somewhere no one will find him. What are you getting at, Twilight?”

“I’m just considering… maybe we need a more… permanent solution?”

Sunset leaned away from the insinuation Twilight had dropped. She blinked once, and in the split second of darkness saw her demonic self hurling a murderous fireball at six girls and laughing all the while. Sunset shuddered and turned away.

“The old me might have agreed with you,” she said in a subdued voice. “But I can’t do that, no matter how bad Tirek is. We stop Tempest if we can, and if not, we use the Rainbow of Light and put Tirek and his amulet somewhere no one will ever find.”

A hand reached out and touched her arm. “I’m sorry, Sunset. I’m just scared of what we might have to face to win.”

Sunset turned back toward Twilight. “I know it’s scary. But, my people don’t believe in the death penalty. And after what I’ve gone through, neither do I. Tirek probably can’t be redeemed, but we’re not executioners. I’m kinda surprised you would bring up the idea.”

Twilight looked away. “Sorry. I was just thinking… I don’t know. Maybe I’m working too hard.”

Sunset reached out and cupped her face. “Which is what I wanted to talk to you about. I know how much that internship means to you, and I’m glad you’re doing it. But… we haven’t done anything together in almost a month. I really miss you, Sparky. And I would really like to do something with you tonight.”

She could feel the heat from Twilight’s cheek as it turned red. “Oh… I guess it has been a while since we did something other than a chess match, huh?” She leaned into Sunset’s hand.

“You’re busy, I get it. But, you’re leaving soon, and…” Sunset closed her mouth, feeling a lump form in her throat.

Twilight reached up and brushed a tear from the corner of Sunset’s eye. “I’m sorry. I never meant to neglect you. I’ve been…” She took a deep breath. “You’re right. Let’s do something tonight, just the two of us. Oh, I know! We can have a movie night and finally watch Revenge of the Sith!”

She cupped a hand over her mouth and said in a falsely labored voice. “Soon, your transition to the nerd side will be complete.”

Sunset giggled, then laughed, then doubled over, clutching her sides. “Sweet Celestia, you’re such a dork! I love you!”

Twilight giggled in turn. “Love you, too. So, it’s a date?”

“Definitely!”

“Awesome! Glad you two worked that out!” The girls turned and found Rainbow and the rest of their friends waiting at the kitchen threshold. Rainbow gave them a facetious smirk. “Now, can you stop blocking the door?”

*******

Twilight clung to the idea of having a date night with Sunset. It was her only life preserver in the raging sea of stress and fear. But even with it, she felt like she was drowning. It had taken every ounce of willpower not to have a panic attack as her friends revealed their keys at the Lulamoon house. They were one key away from having the power Moondancer warned against. Even with Pinkie’s key appearing a month ago, it had felt like a lofty dream.

Now, the fantasy was suddenly very tangible.

And Sunset… Twilight knew it was a longshot, but Sunset rejecting any other plan to stop Tirek besides the Rainbow of Light confirmed Twilight’s fears: that Moondancer was right, and if Twilight did tell her friends what she was doing, they would put a stop to it.

Twilight got off the bus and walked up the hill to Equilibrium Labs, shoulders hunched and head low. She couldn’t imagine Sunset’s reaction if she found out about everything Twilight had done--everything she was about to do. And while she desperately looked forward to a simple night of watching movies with her girlfriend, Twilight would have to put on the facade that everything was fine.

Even if everything does play out in Moondancer’s favor, what will Sunset think when she finds out I played a part in killing Tirek?’

There’s no doubt she would be disappointed. But, the good of getting rid of Tirek outweighed the bad of how they got rid of him, didn’t it? And Twilight would still rather face a little ire than watch her friends fight the most dangerous person to walk the earth.

Twilight entered the lab, waved hello to Amber, and went to her locker. She pulled her lab coat out and threw it over her shoulders.

“One way through.” Some said it was easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Twilight had never subscribed to that belief before but felt it was applicable now. She would apologize as many times as she needed after her friends and family were safe.

“First, we have to change the world.” She made her way to the elevator and called it with her key card. Down in the lab proper, Starlight and a host of scientists were in an offshoot, making final preparations on their first portal device.

Twilight could see components of the linear particle accelerator making up the new, bulky machine. With its wiring still exposed in places and long cables connecting it to the magic containment unit in the other room, Twilight thought it looked like someone’s interpretation of a futuristic ray gun.

The barrel had tesla rings coiling around it and a flat disk near the open nozzle. Its base was plated in gold metal and had two open slots with the shard of Sacanas inserted into the back one. On the back of the machine was a panel with only two buttons and a dial.

A glass partition split the room in half. Twilight stood with the others and the machine on one side, while the nozzle of said device had been fitted through a small hole cut in the center.

“The first model is always crude,” Starlight said as Twilight approached. She typed in a few notes onto her tablet before giving Twilight her full attention. “Welcome! Rough design aside, what do you think?”

Twilight gave the portal machine another once-over. “I mean, as long as it functions properly. It isn’t like we’re trying to market this.”

“Exactly! And you showed up at the perfect time, Twilight! We just need to do a few final checks before we can test this baby!”

Twilight inhaled deep through her nose and tried to exhale the butterflies in her stomach. “I’ll help however I can. But I still have doubts about where the portal will open up to.”

Starlight walked over to the portal device. “I understand your trepidation. But, I hypothesize that, if the magic is removed from its primary unit, that being the statue, and given a new focal point, it would act like new coordinates. The statue is the focal point for the portal magic to link specifically to Sunset’s homeworld. Well, if we give it a new focal point of earth magic, maybe it will open a portal to where the rest of it is!”

“Interesting hypothesis,” Twilight said, nodding. “But that’s assuming the magic that powers the portal and the magic that opens it to Equ--Sunset’s home are two different things.”

“True. But with magic, we’re always making assumptions until we’re proven right or wrong.”

Starlight ran Twilight through some of the more technical aspects of the experiment while they finished putting the portal device together. When the last of the plating had been welded on, Night Glider rolled out another long cable and attached it to the open slot in front of the shard of Sacanas.

“We’re going to channel magic directly from the containment unit into the focus chamber,” Starlight said, strapping a pair of goggles over her eyes. Twilight and the others followed suit and gathered behind her as she stepped up to the control panel. “I want copious notes, Double Diamond!”

Diamond gave a dutiful salute and held up his tablet.

“Alright, Arcane Access portal test number one! Let’s make some science, people!” Starlight turned the dial a fraction and hit the green button.

The lights in the room immediately dimmed as the portal device began to whir loudly. A few pops and crackles from within made Twilight fidget. She was not in the mood to explode.

The machine rattled and hummed louder, and from the nozzle, a white beam shot out and struck the back wall. From the point of impact, a twisting splotch of white energy formed and grew, like a cloud of gas. The glass partition began to rattle, and Twilight felt gravity shift forward.

“Come on, stabilize,” Starlight grunted.

The miasma continued to writhe. Instead of holding form, it began to flicker and distort.

“Increasing output by ten percent!” Starlight called as the machine grew louder. She twisted the dial and the beam grew brighter. Wind whistled through the gaps in the partition. Still, the portal struggled to hold a form.

“Pushing to thirty percent!”

The miasma grew wider, almost forming into a circle, yet it still blinked in and out of existence, and Twilight could see nothing beyond the veil of white light.

“Forty percent!”

The beam sputtered. The machine let out a loud hiss and whirred like an overheated computer. Overhead, the lights blinked on and off. The circle of white collapsed back into a blob and started to break apart. Twilight’s hair pulled toward the collapsing hole.

“Starlight!” she yelled.

Starlight gave a frustrated huff but turned the dial down and hit the red button. The beam ceased and instantly, the portal vanished. The lights returned to normal, and Twilight’s tress fell back against her cheeks.

With a sigh, Starlight lifted her goggles and turned to face the others. “Well, nothing exploded, so I would say our first test went fairly well. DD, did you get everything?”

Diamond, who was still furiously typing, nodded his head.

“Excellent. Once we go over our notes, maybe we can figure out why it wouldn’t stabilize. We were so close!”

Twilight raised her hand. “I might have an idea.”

Starlight smiled eagerly and nodded for Twilight to go ahead.

“The magic that operates the portal is based on the cycles of the moons, both ours and Sunset’s. According to her, they need to both be full, which happens every two and a half years or so. And remember, these are all assumptions, but maybe the magic we siphoned from the portal still has that caveat as well?”

Starlight rubbed her chin. “That muddles my hypothesis that the magic for the portal and the magic for the destination are separate.”

“Not entirely. They could still be two separate components that have some overlap.”

“But that still leaves us with the problem of completely separating that element of the spell. If we could do that, I’m certain we can get this portal to work.”

Twilight closed her eyes in thought. The shard of Sacanas copied the magic of the portal verbatim. If they could take just the base idea of it and rebuild on top of it, then Starlight was right; they could make a new portal easily.

A simpler version of the staff.

Twilight snapped her eyes open. “Dr. Starlight, the machine that Moondancer is using! How exactly does it work?”

Starlight blinked, taken aback. “It’s like a storage device. It was meant to absorb and accumulate magic.”

“Like the Staff of Sacanas?” Twilight asked, leading her on.

“Not quite. We didn’t have the Staff of Sacanas when we built it, so that machine just takes magic and stores it as raw energy.”

“So it breaks down magic into a simpler form?”

Starlight gave a slow, understanding nod. “Hypothetically, yes. But we haven’t been feeding it anything very complicated. At least, Moondancer hasn’t mentioned powering it with anything high-level.”

Twilight bounced up and down on her toes. “What if we did feed it something more complex though? With the shard, we could make a modified device that could potentially break down the magic of the portal! From there, we could have a new power source that could bypass the moon limitation, or at the very least, amplify the power of the machine!”

Starlight clapped her hands together and popped a heel. “Oh, Twilight! What would we do without you?”

Twilight stopped bouncing and blushed. “You would have figured it out eventually.”

“Maybe so, but you figured it out first. Don’t sell yourself short.” Starlight turned to the rest of the group. “You heard the scientist. Let’s get back to work! Before this week is over, we will have a portal open!”

*******

Sunset ran the brush through her hair a few more times before smiling in satisfaction.

“You know, I’m still kinda mad at sword lady for the unwanted barber cut,” Shimmer said, leaning on the open bathroom door, “but I gotta admit, this short hair is a lot less maintenance.”

“Yeah, the pixie cut looks good on us,” Sunset said, spritzing herself with a hint of perfume.

“Looks good on me.”

“Sure, sure.” Not even Shimmer’s endless snark could rain on Sunset’s parade.

“Gotta admit, this is the happiest I’ve seen you in a while. Is watching a movie with your girlfriend really that important to you?”

Sunset slipped past and ducked into her room to grab her vest. “I’m just happy to spend time with her. That’s all I want.”

“Huh.” Shimmer looked quizzically at her. “You really love this nerd, don’t you?”

Sunset gave Spot a pat on the head then walked out to the hall. “Yeah. Was that not clear before?”

Shimmer shrugged. “I dunno. I guess I’ve just never been in love before. Horny, sure, but I’ve never loved any of the guys I slept with.”

“Sometimes I can’t believe we’re the same person.” Sunset headed down the stairs. “I’m off. Probably won’t be back until late. If I’m really lucky, I can get through the entire night without hearing how smart and cool Starlight Glimmer is.”

“What?”

Sunset froze at the pitch Shimmer’s voice had reached. She looked up and saw her doppelgänger’s face pale with fear.

“Uh, Starlight Glimmer,” Sunset said slowly, a hot stone of dread dropping into her stomach. “Twilight’s boss at her internship.”

“Twilight works for that maniac?”

“Maniac? Why is she a maniac? What do you know about her?”

Shimmer took the stairs three at a time and grabbed Sunset’s collar when she reached the bottom.

“It was her! She’s the one who split your soul in half! She’s the one who put that demon inside me! She calls herself a scientist but she’s just a lunatic!”

Sunset slumped back, held up only by Shimmer’s firm grip. “Tartarus below,” she whispered hoarsely. This entire time, she had assumed it was Tempest. But apparently, Tempest had more allies than just Moondancer.

And Twilight was working for one…

Did she know? She couldn’t know, could she? Twilight wouldn’t knowingly work for someone allied with Tempest. Did Starlight know who Twilight was? Whether she did or not, Twilight was in trouble!

“What else do you know about her?”

Shimmer released her grip. “Not a lot. She’s researching magic and souls and all this other mumbo jumbo. She’s got a whole team.”

Sunset pressed her fingers to her temples. “And you didn’t think to tell us this before?”

“I didn’t think I needed to! You all had plans and stuff and were already fighting Tempest and her goons! Plus, I did tell you they had a lab underground somewhere!”

“Auugh!” Sunset yelled in frustration. She grabbed her keys off the counter and ran to the door. “Go tell the Lulamoons what you just told me and anything else that might be helpful. I gotta go tell Twilight.”

She ran out and slammed the door before Shimmer could answer. Barely giving the engine time to start, she revved her motorcycle and peeled out of the driveway. Sunset’s thoughts raced faster than her bike, and like the wheels, circled over and over again.

Twilight wouldn’t know. She would have said something. But what if Starlight knows? Why hasn’t she done anything? Twilight’s in trouble either way.

The setting sun painted the sky in luminous hues of orange and pink, a mocking tranquility to Sunset’s state of mind. She reached Twilight’s house in record time, hopped off her motorcycle, and ran up the steps. She rang the doorbell twice and tapped her foot impatiently, waiting a short eternity for Twilight to answer.

“Hi, Sunnykins,” Twilight said perkily as she swung the door open. “Ready for—”

“Starlight works for Tempest!”

Twilight’s bright smile dissolved as her face paled. She stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind her. “W-what do you mean?”

“She works for Tempest!” Sunset started pacing the length of the porch. “Tempest took my soul out but apparently, Starlight is the one who experimented on it! Shimmer just told me! She probably has something to do with how they want to resurrect Tirek! I’m so sorry you had to find out this way, Twilight! “

Sunset took her by the shoulders. “She hasn’t hurt you, right?”

“N-no! Of course not!” Twilight gently moved Sunset’s hands off her shoulders. Her fingers were damp and clammy. “Is Shimmer sure it was Starlight?”

“Yeah, she seemed pretty damn sure. I don’t think you would forget who placed a demon inside you.”

Twilight tapped her fingers together. “Th-that’s true. Umm… maybe I should go talk to her about this—”

“You can’t go back there!” Sunset said incredulously. “If you tell Starlight you know, what do you think is going to happen?”

“I don’t know! But I can’t just not show up anymore!”

“Twilight, they could just use you to get to the rest of us!”

“I mean, she hasn’t so far, right? Maybe she doesn’t know who I am.”

“All the more reason not to go back there! Why would you want to after…” Sunset gave Twilight a thorough look. She stood duckfooted, fidgeting with her fingers, and was looking everywhere but into Sunset’s eyes.

“You knew?” Sunset whispered, an iron fist closing around her chest.

Twilight jumped and finally looked at her. “N-no! I mean, I had some suspicions but… I… I… I didn’t know about the soul part,” she finished meekly, shoulder bowed.

Sunset pressed her hands against her cheeks to stop herself from screaming. She took a constricted breath and asked in her most controlled voice, “How long have you known?”

“A little over a week.”

Sunset threw her arms up and let them drop to her sides. “Cool. So, is that what we’re doing now? We’re keeping secrets from each other?”

Twilight flinched. “It’s-it’s not like I wanted to. But I… I just—”

“Okay then,” Sunset said, an unfamiliar heat rising through the cold grip around her chest “What exactly is this ‘internship’ about?”

Twilight kowtowed further. “I can’t tell you.”

“Excuse me?”

“I signed an NDA—”

“That’s bullshit, Twilight—this woman split my soul! Don’t try to hide behind the law for crap like this!”

Twilight cupped her hands over her eyes, fingernails clawing just above her eyebrows. She threw her arms out and shouted, “Magic! We’re studying magic! We’re doing the thing I’ve been dying to do all year!”

“Congratulations, you’re studying magic with a crazy person who’s complicit in trying to help a warlock take over the world, and you lied to me about it!”

“I had to!”

“Why? To what end?”

“I can’t tell you!”

“Why not?”

“Because you would stop me!”

Sunset jabbed a finger. “If you know that I would stop you then it must be a dumb idea!”

Twilight swatted her hand away. “Why is it when I do something dangerous, it’s a dumb idea?”

“Because so far, that’s what the track record’s proven! You ran off to fight Adagio on your own, and now, you’re working for Starlight Glimmer and by proxy, Tempest and Moondancer!”

“I have to work with them! It’s for the greater good!”

“And what ‘greater good’ is that?”

“We’re going to stop Tirek!”

Sunset threw her arms out again. “That’s what the Rainbow of Light is for!”

“It’s not going to work!”

“According to who?”

“Moondancer—”

Sunset’s nostrils flared. “So you’re going to listen to Moondancer over me? Over the rest of your friends?”

“Only when she’s right!” Twilight stamped her foot. “The Rainbow of Light isn’t a permanent solution!”

“That’s what you meant before? You’re going behind our backs and working with the people we’re trying to stop so you can figure out how to weaponize magic to kill Tirek?”

“It’s more complicated than that!”

“Oh yeah? Then explain it to me!”

“I can’t! Especially if this is how you’re reacting already! I can’t trust you not to interfere with this!”

Sunset leaned back, a furious jolt running through her. “You can’t trust me?”

Twilight tried to take a calm breath, but when she exhaled, all she succeeded in was fogging her glasses. She turned her shoulder to Sunset. “I’m sorry. But I promise, everything I’m doing, I’m doing for you and the girls.”

Sunset clenched her jaw. “That’s really hard to believe right now.”

“Well, I don’t know what you want from me.”

She wasn’t sure what impulse drove her to do it. There were too many crowded and angry thoughts. But Sunset ponied up in a flash of golden light, struck her arm out, and grabbed Twilight’s wrist.

“Science powered by magic! The new great equalizer!”

She watched Starlight with her arms stretched wide. This was everything she had wanted. The study of magic. The betterment of humanity. And Twilight could help.

The scene shifted in a whirl of colors.

Twilight paced her room, still coming down from everything that had been thrown at her today. Starlight, Moondancer, Tirek. Was she doing the right thing? She wanted to believe she was. At least, she was doing this for the right reasons. She was going to help revolutionize the world. She was going to make sure her friends didn’t risk their lives again!

She clenched her fist. This time, she wasn’t going to be useless.

“Let go!” a distant voice cried. The scene shifted again.

Canterlot High School. Twilight stood with Starlight and Double Diamond in front of the marble white statue at the front of the school. Twilight looked up at the rearing horse. Was it a coincidence that this particular statue led to a world populated by talking ponies? Or had the original maker of the portal done this thinking they were funny? How old was the portal anyway?

She shook her head. This wasn’t the time for leisurely curiosity. She watched as Starlight held up her shard piece. It was bigger than Adagio’s—a solid diamond-shaped chunk with sharpened points. Starlight pressed one of the edges against the flat surface of the plinth.

Twilight bit her lip, watching arcs of white energy pull away from the portal and into the crystal shard. Starlight gave a full-toothed smile of triumph, the light show reflecting in her eyes.

“Okay, I think that’s enough,” Twilight said.

Starlight evidently didn’t hear her, because she kept draining the magic away. Perhaps it was Twilight’s imagination, but the ivory base seemed to be growing dimmer.

“Starlight, please—

“Stop!” Twilight yelled, ripping her arm free from Sunset’s grasp.

Sunset stumbled backward. Her heel slipped off the top step of the porch, and she tumbled down onto the stone walkway, the back of her head smacking the pavement. When the stars faded from her vision, she looked up to see Twilight glaring at her, devoid of any sympathy.

“I can’t believe you!” Twilight said, voice cracking. “You just… just violated my thoughts!”

“What else was I supposed to do?” Sunset snapped back, rubbing the back of her head. “You won’t tell me anything!”

“That gives you no right to use your powers like that! You know I hate that!”

“Oh no, don’t you dare guilt me!” Sunset got to her feet. She could feel her phoenix form trying to burst free, but she tightened her grip on her powers. “What did Starlight do to the mirror portal?”

Twilight winced, her visible anger giving way to guilt. “It’s just an experiment—”

“Just an experiment? Twilight that’s my only way home! And you just let her drain magic from it? Have you lost your mind?”

“I’ll be able to open you a portal to Equestria any time if we can get this to work!”

Sunset opened her mouth to yell more, but no words came out. Static crackled through her mind. Molten fury coursed through her veins. This was all dangerously wrong. She had never yelled at Twilight like this. She never had a reason to.

She didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t think of anything else to say. Twilight had crossed so many lines in such a short span of time, it made Sunset dizzy.

“I don’t know what to do with you,” Sunset said breathlessly, stepping back from the house. “I don’t even know who you are right now.”

Tears streamed down Twilight’s face. She balled her fists and yelled, “I’m doing this for your sake!”

“I didn’t ask you to do any of this!” Sunset yelled back. “You’re going behind my back and you’re playing with things you don’t understand!”

“Don’t tell me I don’t understand! I know what I’m doing! I want to understand!”

“Okay. Then understand this…” Sunset tried to breathe in, but her tightened chest wouldn’t allow it. “As long as you’re working with Starlight… you’re not dating me.”

The sun had fully set. Sunset stood in shadow as the street lamp behind her flickered on. The porch light turned on and illuminated half of Twilight’s face. A pain like Sunset had never seen before was etched in her eyes.

Twilight choked out a sob and said, “You don’t really mean that.”

Sunset grabbed her own arm and dug her nails into her skin to stop herself from crying too. “Yeah, I do.”

“I’m trying to help! I’m going to make the world a better place!” With the cracks in her voice, Twilight sounded half mad.

All Sunset could do was shake her head. She turned away. “Then you can do it without me.”

Twilight shouted her name, but Sunset put her helmet on, revved her motorcycle, and rode off. She didn’t know how she made it back home with tears in her eyes. She ignored the Lulamoons when they called out to her after she crossed the front door.

She made it to her bedroom, slammed the door behind her, and collapsed onto her bed. Only then did Sunset finally cry. She cried harder than she ever had in her life.

Author's Note

Alternate Chapter Title: ~~Happily~~ Happy? ~~Ever~~ Never. ~~After~~ Again.