It took a while to get the lab door open. Applejack’s powers came back in short spurts, lasting five to ten seconds at a time. Eventually, she managed to uncrimp the door and push it open just enough for people to start squeezing out.

No one was sure what to do about Starlight. Within the parameters of the law, she technically hadn’t done anything illegal. And while Sunset would have loved to tie her up and toss her somewhere where she couldn’t help Tirek, they had no means by which to do it.

Both parties could only glare at each other as the remains of the Spectacular Seven showed themselves out of the laboratory, Moondancer awkwardly following behind them.

“All of our hard work,” Sunset heard Starlight bemoan to her two assistants. “It’s going to take months to fix our containment unit alone!”

Sunset’s temper flared. She almost turned around to go scream some more at Starlight, but Rarity’s ginger hand around her shoulder kept her moving forward, half carried by her friends.

The six of them crowded into the elevator. Moondancer stopped at the threshold and stepped back. “I’ll just… wait for the next one,” she said in a hoarse whisper, her bloodshot eyes on the floor.

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but the doors closed in Moondancer’s face and carried them up to the ground floor.

The rest of the building appeared empty. No other scientist confronted them. The receptionist was still out to lunch. There weren’t even any police, which had briefly crossed Sunset’s mind in the elevator.

“What are we going to do now?” Pinkie asked as they crossed through the lobby.

Sunset didn’t answer. Her throat hurt from crying. Starlight’s machine broke, so she wouldn't be opening a portal anytime soon. That evened the odds against Tirek. If they could get the Rainbow of Light back, they still had a chance to turn things in their favor.

But they did still have the police and the public to deal with. When the frog spell wore off and the guards learned of the girls’ escape, their families would be the first to be questioned.

And speaking of families, what was Sunset supposed to tell Twilight’s? How could she explain that their daughter had been pulled into collapsing portal?

Sunset stumbled, held up only by Rarity and Rainbow. She wanted to stop. She wanted to sleep. She wanted time to think, to grieve. But, she knew she had to keep going. They had to plan and act quickly.

The girls stepped out to the front lawn, just as quiet as the inside of the building. The sun was beginning to go down, casting rays of orange light through the trees.

“So, what exactly happened back there with our magic?” Rainbow asked. “And why is it so hard for us to pony up now?”

“Starlight’s portal malfunctioned,” Moondancer said, coming up behind them. She stopped at the edge of the curb and stared off into the trees. “It did open a portal to this world’s lost magic. But for whatever reason, it began pulling the magic away instead of pouring back in.”

“Why?” Rainbow asked again.

Sunset’s muddled thoughts mashed together. Even in her exhausted and depressed state, her mind couldn’t help but ponder an answer. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for her to stumble on one.

“Magic begets magic,” she said emotionlessly. “Smaller magic is attracted to a larger magical source. There’s probably a lot more magic in that pocket dimension than there is out here.”

Moondancer grimly nodded. “Sounds believable. So, the magic tried to go back to its source. And because of that, Twilight… Twilight…” She cupped a hand over her mouth and fell to her knees, sobbing anew.

Fluttershy ran over and put an arm around Moondancer’s shoulder. Sunset quirked an eyebrow. Even in Fluttershy’s near-infinite kindness, something about that seemed weird. She didn’t have the energy to care at the moment. Rainbow looked like she too wanted to protest, but likewise, rolled her eyes in dismissal.

“We should probably get back to the, uh… somewhere safe,” Applejack said. “Hopefully, the Lulamoons have done somethin’ about Adagio.”

“Yeah,” said Sunset. Then, Artemis could be in charge, at least for a little while.

She took a few steps forward, then stopped and pressed a palm to her forehead. A pressure was building, and Sunset felt it quickly spread throughout her whole body. Her skin tingled and her spine bent. It was like a lightning storm was approaching, and intensifying gravity as it got closer.

“Okay, you all feel that too, right?” Rainbow asked, looking around.

Rarity nodded. “I’m getting an uncomfortable feeling of deja vu.”

“Sshhh!” Sunset held a finger up. “Do you hear that?”

Everyone held their breath and strained their ears. Even Moondancer held her sobs in and looked around. Faintly, the tinkle of glass drifted on the evening breeze. It sounded like something was cracking ever-so-slightly.

“What is it this time?” Applejack whispered.

Sunset’s pony ears burst to life on top of her head, and her exhaustion burned away like she had taken a shot of pure adrenaline. Around her, her friends ponied up as well, and judging by the surprise on their faces, it hadn’t been intentional.

“Did our magic just come back?” Rainbow asked.

“Maybe the effects were temporary?” Rarity guessed.

“Girls, what’s that?” Pinkie pointed to a spot out on the front lawn. Sunset stepped closer and rubbed her eyes, unable to process what they were seeing.

A jagged, glowing crack stretched across the grass, with offshoots splintering out like the branches of a tree. Sunset looked on with horrid fascination, watching the grass the crack spread over dissolve into glittering dust. The more the break in reality spread, the stronger the pressure became.

“Is Starlight doing this?” Rainbow asked.

Sunset shook her head, ominous dread pooling in her core. “No… I don’t think so.”

The cracking intensified, the splintered lines spreading out until it resembled a jagged spiderweb. When it had spread over almost half of the front lawn, it finally shattered like glass, shards of earth and grass falling into a white void. Wind rushed out and knocked everyone to the ground.

The gale only increased, and Sunset felt the exact opposite of what she had experienced inside the lab. Magic was flowing. It felt like she was in Equestria again. It was a different kind of magic, but it permeated her being and filled her lungs.

She forced herself up and edged closer to the hole in the earth. At first, all she saw was white nothingness. Then, a figure emerged, slowly rising out on wings of the deepest night.

Her skin was dark purple, with her hair another shade darker. It billowed upward like wildfire and sported familiar highlights of pink and violet. She wore a purple dress with a low neckline, long, fingerless gloves, torn stockings, and heels that glowed with an unearthly pale light. That same light made up the grooved, spiraled horn sprouting from her forehead. A long tail hypnotically swished from side to side behind her.

The creature rose higher into the air, eyes closed, arms spread like she was in a trance. Sunset looked up at her, in awe, in confusion, in horror. She felt the missing tether in her soul reattach itself.

“Twilight?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The creature opened her eyes, revealing small red pupils that almost vanished in a sea of teal, while magical flame ignited around them like a sinister pair of glasses. She let out a soft chuckle, then gripped her head and let out a mad cackle.

“I understand, hahahaha!” she said, a slight gravely distortion in her voice, “I understand everything now!”

She laughed again, and the pressure around everyone increased, forcing Sunset down on one knee. She kept her head up, heart pounding as she kept her gaze locked on the familiar presence above her.

“Twilight, is that you?”

The figure looked down at her and gasped, delight dancing in her dilated eyes. “Sunnykins! My love!”

Rainbow pushed herself onto her hands and knees. “No way. That’s Twilight?”

Twilight clasped her hands next to her cheek, noticing the entire crowd before her for the first time. “My friends! You’re all here! I missed you all so much!”

Applejack, strong enough to stand, asked, “Sweetheart… what happened to you?”

Twilight laughed. It wasn’t the laugh Sunset knew: the shy giggle whenever Sunset kissed her, or the jubilant chuckle whenever Twilight found something truly funny. There was an unhingedness to this new laugh; an edge that made Sunset’s insides turn.

“I found the magic,” Twilight said with excited delirium. “Well, it’s more accurate to say, I fell into the magic. I floated there for what felt like forever! But the magic came to me. So much magic came to me! And then, I understood. Every formula, every function, every contradiction!”

She held her hand out. A mote of blue fire burst to life. Before everyone’s eyes, it solidified into a chicken egg. The egg wiggled and cracked, and a tiny blue whale crawled out on a set of six insect legs. The whale then turned into bubbles that sank toward the ground.

“I can do anything now,” Twilight whispered. “This world’s magic makes no sense. But I can make it make sense.”

The pressure in the air alleviated, and Sunset got back to her feet. “Twilight, I’m… I’m really happy for you. I’m glad you’re okay. I…” Sunset didn’t know how she felt. Yes, she was overjoyed Twilight was still alive. But, was this actually Twilight? Sunset could feel the magic radiating off of her. And one look into Twilight’s eyes told her the magic had done more than just change Twilight’s appearance.

Twilight drifted down to Sunset and placed a hand on her cheek. Despite its warmth, Sunset’s entire body shivered and her breathing quickened.

“I missed you,” Twilight whispered into Sunset’s ear. “I wanted so badly to see you. To show you what I can do now. You don’t have to fight. When I’m done, you’ll never have to fight again.”

Sunset swallowed. “Done with what?”

Twilight looked her straight in the eyes. “Remaking the world.”

“What?”

Removing her hand, Twilight drifted back into the air. “This world is chaos. And so is its magic. So, I am going to reset both. I will create a new, orderly paradise, with new, orderly magic to go with it. I told you: only I can make it make sense,” she said with a perfectly calm veneer.

Pinkie slowly tilted her head to one side. “Aaaand…. What’s gonna happen to this world?”

“It’ll be erased,” Twilight said simply. “Out with the old, in with the new. Of course, you’ll all be fine. I’m taking you all with me. Even you, Moony!”

Moondancer, down on her knees with a look of horror on her face, shook her head. “You can’t do that.”

A manic smile broke out across Twilight’s face. “Of course I can! I have the power of ruin and creation in the palm of my hand! I can do anything!”

She struck her arm out to the side, and everything from the elbow up appeared to have vanished into nothing. Twilight pulled back and watched her arm slide into view like it had been hidden behind a curtain. She held in her hand what appeared to be a moon rock.

“I can warp space!”

Twilight closed her fingers around it. When she opened it again, a solid gold bar sat in her palm. It bubbled and liquified, losing its color as it melted between Twilight’s fingers, turning into water. The streams coiled up one arm and down the other before settling into a ball above her opposite hand.

“Reconstruct matter!”

She tossed the ball up into the sky. Sunset followed it, gasping at the scene above her. She was staring down at herself and all of her friends gathered in front of Equilibrium Labs. She looked down again, seeing open air, and let out a yell as she dropped. It was a short fall, as she and everyone else landed exactly where they had been.

“Bend reality!” Twilight drummed her fingers together in front of her mouth. “So yes, I think I can do that.”

Sunset took a step forward and raised her hands in a non-threatening fashion. “Twilight… I’m happy you have magic. But maybe, you have too much of it.”

“Too much?” Twilight blinked out of existence and reappeared right in front of Sunset. She reached out and pinched Sunset’s cheek. “Is someone jealous? Are you sad that I’m not your damsel in distress anymore?”

Sunset stepped back. “No, that’s not it. It’s just…” She shook her head. “You’re messing with forces you don’t understand.”

“I understand better than you!” Twilight snapped, her cordiality vanishing instantly. “I did the research! I tried to put the pieces together! I have been rewarded with pure power! All my efforts to make sense of this chaotic mess have finally come to fruition!”

Twilight hovered back and clenched her teeth. “But of course, you’re not happy for me. Anytime I do something a little dangerous, it’s a dumb idea.’”

Sunset flinched. “Twilight, this idea isn’t dumb, it’s crazy. The world isn’t perfect, but you can’t destroy it!”

“I prefer the term ‘remake’. And I don’t know why you’re complaining. You’re coming with me! All my friends and family! Everyone important to them! The smartest people in the world! All of the innocent! All of the worthy!”

Twilight extended her hand.

“But you most of all. I want you, Sunnykins, to rule by my side. Think about: a perfect world! No more sickness, no more injury, no more death! Just us, studying the secrets of the universe with everyone we care about in pure bliss.”

“And everyone else?” Sunset asked, dreading the answer.

Twilight gave an uncaring shrug. “Whatever happens to the leftovers of this world, happens.”

Sunset stepped back. She thought losing Twilight had been the worst pain she had ever experienced. But seeing Twilight like this, twisted and maniacal and cold. Sunset felt sick. “Twilight, this isn’t you.”

Twilight scowled. “Yes, it is. This is the ultimate form of me. I have been blessed by magic and unlocked my full potential!”

“I know that’s what it feels like right now,” Sunset said slowly. “I know what it feels like to have that much magic coursing through you. I’ve been there, I’ve had that power! You feel like you can have everything you’ve ever wanted! Twilight, I made that same mistake—you know I have! You know how that magic overwhelmed me! That’s what’s happening to you right now!”

“Except I’m not overwhelmed!” Twilight snarled, her hair surging and snapping in all directions. “Unlike you, I can have everything I want! I’m not a failure anymore!”

Sunset put her hands together pleadingly. “No one ever thought of you as a failure, sweetie.”

Twilight raised a glowing blue hand and curled her fingers. The same light appeared on the corner of Sunset’s vest, and she was jerked into the air and hoisted in front of Twilight.

“Sunset!” Rarity called.

Her friends all took uncertain steps closer, but the fire around Twilight’s eyes flared, and a wicked tempest burst forth, throwing them all into the parking lot. Twilight turned her red eyes back to Sunset.

“You think I’m a failure,” she said in a manic whisper. “You couldn’t trust me. You didn’t think I knew what I was doing. You always thought I needed to be rescued.”

“That’s not true,” Sunset said with a shaky breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. But you didn’t give me a good reason—”

“Sometimes you have to take risks to get results!” Twilight shouted. Her magic shook Sunset by the collar. “Everything I did, I did for you! I wanted to understand how magic worked! I wanted to help bring it back into this world, not just so I could have it, but so anyone could! So I would never have to see you or Shining or anyone else in a hospital again! So that we could have enough power to kill Tirek and permanently end this cycle!”

Twilight raised a gentle hand and ran her thumb along Sunset’s cheek, stopping just below her lip. “I wanted the power to protect you,” she said softly.

Ice ran down Sunset’s spine. Twilight’s touch was warm and loving. Yet, Sunset felt only twisted perversion on her skin. “I’m glad you have it. But I need you to let a little bit of it go.”

Twilight’s thumb dug into one side of Sunset’s chin, and her remaining four fingers followed suit on the other. “You really do just want me to remain on the sidelines. To remain helpless! You’re so desperate to keep playing the hero!”

Sunset reached for Twilight’s arm. “No, I just—” She had forgotten she had ponied up. Her fingers curled around Twilight’s wrist, and the scenery around them vanished in a pool of light.

No other scene resurfaced. There was only nothingness.

She was falling, drowning. She could breathe but every breath was fire and the pressure crushed her lungs. Her skin tingled, then buzzed, then rippled. Something was trying to get in; it was blanketing her from all sides. Angry claws dug into her mind, prying it open and letting in more pain.

No, not pain. Knowledge!

But why did the knowledge hurt so much? She couldn’t make sense of it. Millions of images flashed in her assaulted mind. Whispers flowed into her ears. Tales of the impossible. Deeds done and undone. Past, present, and future spoken in one breath.

She could see infinity reaching out before her, reaching out to her. She could touch the seams of reality. The secrets of the universe flooded every fiber of her being, drowning her senses. She was everything and nothing. The void smothered her further, burning, stretching, remaking. Twilight screamed.

And Sunset screamed with her, ripping her hand free.

Her eyes returned from pandemonium and found Twilight looking at her with an almost sultry pout.

“You see now? It hurt. It hurt so much. But it was worth it, to come back to you like this. What truly hurts is you not understanding what I’m trying to do.”

Sunset took deep gulps of air. “Twilight, I do understand—”

“No you don’t!” Twilight flung Sunset to the ground. She skidded and landed on her back, right at the feet of Applejack who pulled her up.

“This world is broken!” Twilight yelled. “The magic is broken! I’m the only one who can see it, so I’m the only one who can fix it! I can fix everything! I can protect everyone! I can build paradise! Why won’t you let me?”

“Twi, the world may not be perfect,” Applejack said, “but it don’t need that type of extreme fixin’! You’re talkin’ about lettin’ other people die!”

“Only the bad ones!”

“And who’s going to decide that?” Rarity asked. “You can’t be judge, jury, and executioner for all of humanity!”

Twilight’s face darkened. “So you’re all going to reject me, too? I should have known better. We all picked Sunset to be the leader, didn’t we? She always knows best, so of course you side with her.”

Fluttershy sniffled. “No, Twilight, we just think—”

“Silence!” Twilight’s magnified voice shook the pine trees surrounding the campus. Birds fled from the branches, only Sunset couldn’t hear any panicked cries. She couldn’t hear her own breathing. She looked at her friends. Rainbow opened her mouth to yell, but nothing came out.

Smirking in satisfaction, Twilight drifted over to the curbside where Moondancer still sat on her knees. She stared at Twilight as she approached, an utterly haunted look on her face.

“You’ll join me though, won’t you, Moony?” Twilight asked in a syrupy sweet voice.

“Join you?” Moondancer’s shuddering voice broke through the silent barrier.

“I can bring her back, Moondancer. I can bring them both back. Your parents. You can live happy and free in my new world.” Twilight extended her hand down. “Just believe in me.”

Moondancer looked absently at Twilight’s outstretched hand. Her lips trembled. “Believe… in you…”

“Moondancer, don’t!” Sunset begged, but the words were smothered in the silence.

“I…” Moondancer looked down and gripped the hem of her white dress. “Tempest told me I could have my mother back. Tirek told me he would give them both back. I just had to join them. I just had to obey.” She let out a jittery laugh and her voice went up a pitch.

“I’m so tired of making deals with devils.”

“It’s not a deal, Moony. It’s a promise,” Twilight whispered.

Moondancer snapped her head up. “They promised me, too. But they were only lying.”

Twilight pouted. “I would never lie to you. We’re friends.”

“No, we’re not!” Moondancer slammed her fists against the ground. “You’re not Twilight! You’re not my Twilight! You may sound like her, but you’re not!”

Moondancer’s eyes vanished into a lake of white energy. She got to her feet, pearly wings sprouting from her back. “I will not be used by another monster! I won’t be lied to anymore! I won’t be anyone else’s puppet!”

She rose into the air and put her palms together. “Return my friend to me!” She fired a beam of white light at Twilight.

Twilight held her palm up, and a small portal ripped open in front of it. Moondancer’s attack was sucked in, and from behind her, another portal opened and unleashed the beam into Moondancer’s back.

Moondancer screamed once in pain, then again in frustration. A white rapier materialized in her hand, and she charged at Twilight with a flurry of slashes and stabs.

With effortless grace, Twilight evaded each attack, her smile growing wider with each of Moondancer’s misses. Moondancer made a broad downward slash, and Twilight folded her wings in front of herself. Moondancer’s rapier recoiled with a sharp ring like she had struck a steel wall.

Twilight emerged from her wings and struck her hand out, grabbing Moondancer’s sword hand. She twisted until Moondancer dropped her blade, then spun around her back and whispered into her ear.

Whatever she said sent Moondancer into a screaming rage. She flipped forward, heels kicking into Twilight’s chin. Moondancer followed up by spinning around and blasting Twilight in the chest, knocking her higher into the sky.

The blast looked like it hadn’t done any damage, however. Twilight brushed some of the scuff off and looked at Moondancer with a crooked smile. “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

Twilight disappeared and popped up behind Moondancer, a sphere of pulsing purple energy in her hand. She fired and caught Moondancer in the back, then teleported again, appearing on Moondancer’s right. She fired again, scoring another hit, then teleported above and attacked again. On and on, Twilight danced around Moondancer, laughing with every shot she took. Moondancer tried to fight back, but every time she fired, Twilight had already moved onto the next position and struck back.

Twilight appeared above Moondancer again, but instead of a magic attack, she dove down and slammed her heel into Moondancer’s chest. The poor girl shot out of the sky and hit the grass, rolling to a stop at the lip of the hole in reality. She didn’t get back up.

“Now then, there will be no more debate on this topic.” Twilight turned her attention back to the girls. “I have the magic now, and I’m going to do as I see fit. You will thank me later.” Her last words sounded more like a threat than a reassurance.

Sunset felt her voice return. Tears building behind her eyes, she said, “Twilight… you know we can’t let you do this.”

Twilight covered her mouth and giggled, sending goosebumps across Sunset’s skin. “You’re going to try and stop me, Sunnykins? Pray tell, how?”

Sunset clenched her jaw, body shaking.

“Hahahaha! See? You can’t! You wouldn’t lift a finger against me!” Twilight teleported, appearing once again right in front of Sunset. Only this time, she stood upside-down in midair, her Chesire grin reversed into an ecstatic frown. “Or would you?”

“Don’t test me, Twilight,” Sunset said, trying her hardest to keep an edge to her voice.

Twilight turned her cheek toward her. “Go ahead then. Hit me.”

Sunset could barely close her fist. This creature barely sounded like Twilight, barely looked like Twilight, but Sunset’s soul knew this was indeed Twilight Sparkle.

“I’m waiting!” Twilight brought her face closer.

Sunset lifted her hand, tiny embers jumping across her knuckles. But she couldn’t phoenix up. She couldn’t even finish her swing.

Twilight pouted. “Maybe you just need some help.”

Fire engulfed Sunset’s hand, though it didn’t burn her. It felt like her own powers, warm and comforting. Yet, like with Twilight’s touches, there was a perversion hidden beneath the heat.

Twilight moved her cheek an inch from Sunset’s fist. “There! If I’m the bad guy, then fight me!”

Sunset’s hand trembled. She unclenched her fist and looked away. “I can’t.”

“Hehehe…. Hahahahahaha!” Twilight laughed in Sunset’s face. She gently tapped Sunset on the forehead, and the force was enough to drop her to the floor.

“Twilight, stop!” Rainbow yelled. “We’re your friends; what are you doing?”

“Proving that I’m in control now!” She teleported and wound up hovering over Pinkie’s shoulder. “Proving that I’m not helpless!”

She warped again, returning to hover in the air above everyone. “Proving that you can’t stop me,” she growled, eyes narrowed. She raised her hands, holding them inches apart from one another. In between her palms, a small orb formed, colorless before transitioning from pink to purple to indigo. It grew in size from a soccer ball to a beach ball.

The wind picked up and swirled around Twilight’s magic. Sunset got back up, skin prickling again from the magical output. She wanted to phoenix up and disrupt whatever spell Twilight was generating. But without knowing what it was, Sunset feared it would only make things worse.

Twilight flashed them a feral grin. She held a hand under the swirling mass of purple energy and hurled it up into the evening sky. Even as it grew more distant, it continued to grow in size.

“What is that?” Pinkie asked.

Holding her hands against her cheeks, Twilight released a dreamy sigh. “The beginning.”

“No!” Sunset yelled. “Twilight, you can’t—”

“Enough!” Twilight’s magnified voice echoed again. “No more debate! No more of your prattling!”

“Twilight, please!”

“And enough of that name! Twilight Sparkle was too weak to protect herself or anything she cared about. But not I. I am her evolution! I will reshape the world to magical perfection, and I will protect everyone in it, even my poor, ungrateful friends!”

Her horn glowed brighter, and the flames around her eyes danced. “It is the start of a new day… and the end of an old one. A new era is coming! And I am that bridge. I am the end and the beginning! The zeroth hour!” She flared her wings out and stared hungrily at her orb of magic, now resembling a second moon in the sky.

“I am Midnight.”

Rainbow’s blue aura brightened. “That’s it! This is for your own good, Twi!” She zipped into the air, leaving a rainbow contrail behind.

A blur whipped past Midnight, leaving her recoiled as she clutched her stomach. The blur came back around and struck from behind this time. On the third pass through, Midnight moved to one side and slashed open a portal. Rainbow tried to draw to a halt, but had already crossed through the tear when Midnight sealed it again with a trace of her fingers.

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy screamed. “Where did you send her?”

“Paraguay, I think,” Midnight said with a shrug. She threw her head back and laughed. “Oh don’t worry. Little Rainbow will find her way back eventually.”

Sunset couldn’t take anymore. With an agonized yell, her phoenix powers ignited and she launched herself into the air. “Twilight, enough is enough! You need to stop this!”

Midnight dangerously narrowed her eyes. “It’s Midnight now. And I refuse! I’m doing what Twilight never could! I’m going to help the world!”

“You’ve already helped the world! You’ve helped our friends!” Sunset pressed her hands over her heart. “You’ve helped me! You’ve helped since the first day we met! If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know if I would have made it this far! You wanted to be my friend, not because someone else asked you to be, but out of the compassion in your own heart. Even after learning all the terrible stuff I did, you still stuck beside me.”

Sunset teared up and her throat tightened, strangling the words trying to get out. “You put up with all of my brooding and temper tantrums. You love me despite what I am and what I’ve been. You, Twilight; you’re what I dreamed about when my soul was trapped. You’re the reason I found my way back. You’re the reason I keep fighting! You’rethe reason we even had a chance to beat the Sirens! You’re the reason we found out about what happened to this world’s magic!

“I’m sorry if we ever made you feel like you were stuck on the sidelines! And I’m sorry I didn’t trust you before! But I need you to trust me now! All that magic you have is warping your mind! You can’t remake the world! So please, stop. Come back to me, Sparky. I love you.”

Midnight had watched her, unblinking, face inscrutable. When Sunset finished, a soft smile graced her lips. She floated closer and cupped Sunset’s face.

“I forgive you. And I love you, too, Sunnykins.”

Sunset froze mid-smile. Something hard and cold was creeping along her cheek. Her entire body was stiffening. She turned her head. Purple crystal was creeping down her neck and across her shoulder. She stretched an arm out. “Twilight, stop!”

“I love you,” Midnight repeated. “And that’s why I’m doing all of this. To make a better world for us. But I know you. Maybe you won’t fight me, but you’ll try to stop me. Always needing to play the hero.”

The crystal had coated Sunset’s entire left arm and was spreading across her chest and torso. It crawled up her back, putting out her wings and tail.

“So, I need to make sure you can’t interfere.” Midnight’s insane grin reappeared. “Don’t worry! You’ll make an adorable trophy girlfriend!”

“Twili—!” Sunset’s cry was cut off. The crystal encased her mouth and the rest of her body shortly after. Yet, she was still conscious. Through her crystal prison, she could still see the world, albeit tinted through purple fractals. She couldn’t breathe, yet she didn’t need air. And despite her ears being covered up, she could still hear Midnight laughing.

She was set on the ground, one arm outstretched in desperation, the other still pressed against her heart. She was forced to stare straight ahead at the hole in the ground, Moondancer still lying at its edge.

“Twilight, how could you?” Rarity shouted.

“Continue to object and you’ll share the same fate!” Midnight snarled. “Why is it so hard for you girls to understand that I’m trying to help humanity!”

A pause.

“In fact, if you’re not going to understand, I should get someone who does.”

Right on the cusp of Sunset’s line of sight, Starlight phased up through the ground and landed feet first on the lawn. Eyes wide, she quickly patted herself down, as if to make sure she was all there.

“What… what happened?”

“Doctor Starlight!” Midnight sang. “It’s so good to see you again!”

Sunset took brief pleasure in seeing the shadow of fear in Starlight’s eyes. “Who are you? What are you?”

Midnight floated into view. “I was once Twilight Sparkle. Our portal machine did work! I was taken to the lost magic and it has chosen me as its new host!”

Starlight looked from her to the chasm in the ground. Curiosity quickly eclipsed any fear. “Fascinating…” she whispered.

“I understand its secrets now, Doctor. And the secret is, none of it makes sense. Just like this world, the magic is twisted and wild. Corrupted! But I can remake both!” Midnight pointed to the sky. “I will create a new world of perfect order and magic!”

“Please, don’t listen to her!” Pinkie shouted. “She’s still our best friend, but she’s completely loco in the coco right now!”

Midnight pointed a finger past Sunset’s head and fired a quick jolt. She expected to hear a scream or cries of distress, but no sound reached her ears.

Looking content, Midnight continued, “I have the power now, Starlight. You don’t need Tirek. Join me, and I will return Sunburst to you.”

“Deal,” Starlight said with no hesitation. A giddy smile danced across her face. “Sunburst! A world of magic! Humanity at its apex! Of course I’ll help!”

Sunset tried to scream, but her vocal cords were completely crystallized.

Midnight looked over to the girls just outside of Sunset’s range. “You see, friends? See how easy it is just to accept change? Such loyalty deserves a reward!”

A pale flame appeared over Midnight’s palm. It circled in her hand before blasting out and striking Starlight in the chest. Starlight staggered back, looking winded. She took several deep breaths. Then, a smile crept across her face.

“Magic,” she whispered.

“My first task for you, Starlight, is to start gathering those you believe worthy to go to the new world! Starting with—”

A firecracker struck Midnight in the head, the only proof Sunset had that her friends were still in commission.

Midnight let out a ferocious growl, hair billowing again. “Starting with my ungrateful friends!”

Both Starlight and Midnight left Sunset’s field of view. She could hear blasts of magic. Yet she remained immobilized, helpless to render aid.

I need to get out! I need to stop her!

Sunset didn’t want to fight Twilight. She was the last person in the world Sunset wanted to face. But if she didn’t do something, the entire world was going to get torn apart.

But how was she going to get out of this prison? She couldn’t move, she couldn’t even struggle.

Physically, I can’t. But maybe…

Heat blazed in Sunset’s chest. She drew on her phoenix fire, letting it run through her veins. She imagined breaking free from the crystal, her magic surging and giving her strength. She could feel it rising, giving her the energy to struggle and chip pieces of the crystal.

“Applejack!” Fluttershy cried, breaking her friends’ silence.

She wasn’t working fast enough! She needed more fire! She needed the strongest heat she could produce to even have a chance at breaking out!

If she could furrow her eyebrows, she would. She didn’t want to do it, but Sunset thought back to her emotions when Twilight had first disappeared into the aether. Her pain, her fury at Starlight, her fresh grief.

A new heat surged. Sunset clung to it, remembering how badly she wanted to make Starlight feel what she felt. Her anger at knowing she had failed to save her girlfriend.

The crystal chipped and cracked. Sunset inwardly roared. She imagined what would happen if she failed now; if Twilight got away with her insane plan.

The crystal shattered, Sunset emerging with a vicious yell, her wings and tail blazing. She spun around, finding her friends hiding inside Rarity’s diamond dome with Starlight and Midnight assaulting from both sides with bolts of magic. Everyone froze and stared at the newly freed Sunset.

Midnight’s shocked expression gave way to a bemused smile. “Ha… haha... hahahahahaha! Of course you broke out, Sunnykins! Only you could!”

She blinked away from Rarity’s barrier and reappeared just over Sunset’s shoulder, casually lounging in midair. She stroked Sunset’s fiery locks. “Oh, Sunnykins. It looks like I’m going to have to break that rebellious spirit of yours. Even if it is one of your cutest attributes. If crystal can’t hold you, I’ll have to think of something more creative.”

Sunset swatted at her, striking air as Midnight warped away again. A blast of magic struck her from behind and threw her onto the blacktop of the parking lot. She scrambled to her feet and looked around, but Midnight was nowhere to be seen.

Something burbled under Sunset. She looked down to see pavement bubbling and threw herself into the air as the whole parking lot regressed into a tar pit. Another force of magic struck Sunset in the head, and she flew down toward the gurgling sludge. The area just beneath her twisted and rose as if to embrace her.

A diamond manifested in between Sunset and the ground, catching and speeding her to safety over the grass. Rarity had forgone their protective dome, leaving Pinkie and Applejack to duel Starlight and her burgeoning powers.

Without Midnight to back her up, Starlight was quickly overwhelmed. Pinkie hit her in the chest with a firework, and Applejack followed up with a haymaker, knocking Starlight into a light post. She groaned and slumped to the ground.

Midnight tutted into Sunset’s ear. “We’ll have to work on that.” Sunset spun around, finding no one.

“Oh, friends,” Midnight said in a sing-song voice that came from every direction, “you’re starting to get on my nerves!”

Dusk was falling. The shadows were lengthening. And Midnight’s sphere of magic colored the night sky with a purplish hue.

Sunset made a short rotation, hands raised in defense. “Girls, I think it’s time for you to go.”

“Hold on,” Applejack said. “What about you?”

“Right now, Twilight wants me the most. I’ll cover your escape.”

“See?” Midnight’s voice dripped from the shadows. “Always needing to be the hero. The self-sacrificing play. It’s cliché, don’t you think, love?”

Midnight burst from nothing and tackled Sunset to the ground, pinning her arms. “But if you really want some alone time with me, who am I to decline!”

Rarity threw a diamond at her. But with a flash of Midnight’s horn, the projectile bounced off a purple barrier and fell to the side.

“Sassaflash!” Pinkie cried, firing a volley of fireworks from her fingertips.

Midnight folded her wings around herself and Sunset, blocking out their friends and the rest of the noise. “What’s it going to take for you to join me?” she asked with a purr.

“I can’t,” Sunset said, shaking her head. “I can’t help you destroy the world.”

“Remake,” Midnight corrected. She leaned in closer, lips centimeters away from Sunset’s. Her breath was warm and odorless. “Please, love. Join me. We can rule together. Perfect order. Perfect harmony.”

“I’ve seen harmony, Twilight,” Sunset said, her entire body quivering. “And what you’re talking about, isn’t it.”

Before Midnight could rebuttal, she was shoved off by a charging Applejack. With a furious snort, she rose into the air and aimed a finger at the cowgirl.

Sunset stood in between the two and threw her arms up, raising a wall of fire between herself and her friends. “Go, tell the Lulamoons what happened!”

“But, Sunset!” Fluttershy called from beyond the flames.

“I’ll be fine, I promise.”

She heard Applejack stomp her boot. “Consarnit, Sunset! Fine, but we’re comin’ back for you! For both of you!”

Sunset heard the flap of wings, the hum of magic, and the crack of fireworks, and knew her friends were on the move. She focused all her attention on Midnight who returned a lazy smirk.

“I could go after them, you know. Just to prove you wrong. But, I’ll take your bait, Sunnykins. Now what?”

Sunset lowered the firewall. “Now we talk, one last time. I get wanting to fix the world, but is destroying it and creating a new one really the best option?”

“It’s certainly the most efficient one.” Midnight held up her hand, and a small model of Earth appeared. “Who knows what’ll happen if we just try to integrate magic into the world as is? We’ve already seen how unpredictable it can be. And your Equestrian influence hasn’t helped.”

She closed her fist, crushing the planet. “But if we start at zero and build from the ground up! Weave magic into the foundation of the world! We can create a perfect system!”

“The world doesn’t need to be perfect.”

“It needs to be better!” Midnight’s eyes flashed a deeper shade of red. “So why not aim for perfection?”

“Because you’re not a god, Twilight!” Sunset stomped her foot. “You can’t be the one to decide these things! No one should!”

Midnight folded one arm under her bust and held her cheek in the other, contemplating. “What makes a god? Is it divinity? But then, what is divinity? I certainly have the powers of a god.”

A new smile stretched over her face. “Midnight Sparkle, Goddess of Magic. I like the sound of that.” Midnight began to laugh, and a gale whipped up. The magical pressure returned, and it felt like someone was pushing on Sunset’s spine.

“Come, Sunset! Bow before your new goddess!” Midnight said, spreading her arms.

Sunset dug her feet into the ground and straightened her back. “I bow to one person. And you’re not her.”

Midnight’s smile dissolved into a sneer. “Then if you won’t bow, you’ll cower!” Electricity crackled around her right hand, and a purple blade of energy snapped to life in her grasp. She rushed and slashed at Sunset.

Sunset beat her wings and flew backward, feeling the heat of Midnight’s saber as it grazed her shirt. Midnight vanished, and it was only from watching Moondancer’s fight that Sunset knew Midnight would strike from a new angle. She leaped forward, hearing the static of the blade hum past her ear.

She heard Midnight’s giggle from above and jumped to the side as she came down and struck the earth, shooting purple sparks up from her strike.

“What’s the matter, Sunny? Aren’t you going to fight back?” She spun on the tip of her heel and slashed again.

Sunset didn’t answer. She jumped back and raised another wall of fire between them, then took flight toward the treeline. The world rippled around her like water, and Sunset found herself flying straight into the grass, hitting it face-first.

She spit out a clump of grass and stood up. Midnight’s purple blade slammed into Sunset’s gut, sending a paralyzing current through her whole body. Her nerves seized up and spasmed, and the point of impact left a crispy burn mark.

Sunset flew back from the force and collapsed near the void. She wheezed and managed to prop herself up on one arm. “Twilight, stop,” she coughed.

Midnight hovered above her. “I don’t want to. I don't want to hurt you either, but you continue to be obstinate.”

Sunset pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing at her burn. “You can’t remake—”

“Stop telling me what I can and can’t do!” Midnight screeched, bringing her blade down.

It was instinctual self-defense. Sunset raised her hands and turned away. Gouts of fire erupted from her palms, and she heard Twilight screech in agony. Sunset quickly closed her fists to stop the fire, but it appeared too late. Soot danced in the air, and ash lay scattered on the ground.

Sunset hyperventilated. She crawled over to the ash-stained grass Midnight had hovered over only a moment ago. Static crackled through her mind, preventing her from processing the true weight of what had just happened. “Twilight?”

Nausea riled her stomach. She wildly looked about. “Twilight? No! No!” Sunset looked down at her hands in horror.

I can’t… I can’t have… I didn’t mean to…

“Just kidding,” a gleeful voice sang in her ear.

The blistering burn and convulsing shock of Midnight’s blade struck into her back and threw Sunset across the lawn again. She spasmed painfully for several seconds before her muscles relaxed and she could breathe again.

“You can’t hurt me, Sunnkykins,” Midnight said with a condescending laugh. “But you should have seen the look on your face!”

Sunset balled her fists and pushed herself up. In one swift motion, she spun up and threw her hand out to strike.

Midnight caught her arm and hoisted her in the air. She pursed her lips and said, “Did you actually try and hit me that time? I don’t know if I’m hurt or impressed.” Her grip tightened.

Sunset tried to wrench her arm free, kicking her legs and pulling on Midnight’s arm. She sucked in a deep breath when Midnight squeezed even harder.

“Oh, Sunset. What to do with you?”

A whine was Sunset’s only response. Midnight’s grip was ironclad now. Sunset could feel her muscle and bone bruising.

“I really want to show you the utopia I can see in my head.” Midnight gazed longingly past Sunset, eyes wide, pupils tiny. “If you saw it, you’d understand. All the knowledge I have. All the power I have. I could do it. And look at this world. Disease, war, corruption, death. So much suffering and pain. I have to do it.”

“Twilight, please, don’t,” Sunset begged.

The grip tightened. Dark shadows crossed Midnight’s face. “‘Twilight’ isn’t doing anything anymore. My name is Midnight now. Tell me you at least understand that.”

“Twilight—”

Snap!

“It’s. Midnight.”

Sunset opened her mouth, letting out a soundless scream. Sharp ringing pierced her ears, and black lines crossed her vision. She had never known pain this intense, this concentrated before. Her fire extinguished, and her aura flickered out.

“Hmm, so high amounts of pain can nullify your magic. Ah, there’s always more to learn!” Midnight said.

Sunset beat a weak fist against the hand holding her. “Please… let go.”

Midnight frowned. “Even now, you’re still fighting against me. You’re going to keep trying, even though you can’t win. It really does hurt to see you struggle like this.” She quickly brightened. “I know what to do with you.”

She brought Sunset over to the edge of the broken hole in the world. The white light of the void lit up the darkened grounds. Midnight looked down at Moondancer, hand hanging off the edge.

“Poor Moony. She’s already suffered so much. I think this will be good for her, too.” Midnight nudged Moondancer with her foot and rolled her off into the chasm. Sunset watched in shock and dread as Moondancer sank into the portal.

Midnight turned her attention back to Sunset. “Don’t worry. I can get you out whenever I want to. Think of this as a little time-out. I’m going to build a whole new world! And when it’s done, I’ll come and get you both! Then you’ll see I was right all along!”

She held Sunset over the pit. Sunset desperately dug her fingers into Midnight’s arm. “Twilight, don’t!”

“See you soon, Sunnykins!” Midnight released Sunset’s arm.

Sunset hung on to Midnight, sweat coating her palm. She made the fatal mistake of moving her free arm. Pain burst from the break Midnight had created and sent a shockwave through the rest of Sunset’s body that almost blacked her out. Her grip weakened, and a simple shake from Midnight cast her down into the void.

“Twilight! Twilight!” Sunset screamed, watching the human world drift further away. The edges of the portal closed in, obscuring her view until all she could see was Midnight and the purple orb hanging in the sky behind her.

Sunset reached her hand out, but Midnight merely laughed. She waved as Sunset fell backward, the human world drifting further away. With a snap of Midnight’s fingers, the portal sealed shut, leaving Sunset to sink ever downward into the abyss.

Volume IV

End

Author's Note

Playtime's over. See you all soon...

Volume IV Closing Theme