Author's Note

For the first time in the series, the point of view in this chapter is told from someone other than SciTwi or Sunset.

Former Book 7 of the SciTwi Shimmer Series, it has since been removed from the series and placed on hiatus.

A Glimmer Of Hope

"Princess Twilight! We have a problem!" I shouted as I carried the journal she used to communicate with Sunset to the Friendship Chamber as fast as I could.

"What is it, Starlight?" Twilight asked me frantically as she took the book from me and levitated it in front of her face.

"What's it say, Twi?" Applejack asked her.

"It says 'Dear Princess Twilight. This is your human counterpart writing to you. Four days ago, Sunny and I were hit broadside on the way to a planning dinner with the other girls. We're both fine for the most part. I've got a broken foot and some bruised ribs. Sunny broke her arm and is partially paralyzed from the waist down. But the real reason I'm writing is that last night Sunny tricked us into surrendering our geodes to her under the ruse that it would completely heal her. Unfortunately she revealed herself to be under control of some Equestrian demon once the geodes were all together. As of right now there's only me, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are missing. I know you're busy but we need help soon. Twilight Sparkle.'"

"That doesn't sound good," Spike said. "Could she really have been taken over by her demon persona?"

"It's possible," Twilight replied as she rubbed her chin with her left hoof in thought. "But how? And why?"

"Maybe it's evil magic on the loose because there's no evil magic going on right now here and so there might some over there because there's none here-" Pinkie rambled.

"We get the picture, Pinkie," Rainbow interrupted, rolling her eyes.

"I really don't think that's what's going on over there, darling," Rarity assumed.

"What if that is what's happening though?" I asked. "They're our friends and we need to do something."

"Starlight's right, everypony," Twilight agreed. "I'm going to go there, try to find Applejack and Rainbow then try joining the Elements of Harmony from the human realm together to stop this issue in its tracks."

"I don't really think that's a good idea," Rainbow Dash argued.

"And why is that?" Rarity inquired.

"Duh, there's a psycho demon on the loose there," Rainbow answered arrogantly. "Plus two of the humans you need are nowhere to be found."

Twilight sighed as she hopped down off her throne and headed out of the room. Spike, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and myself followed a few feet behind her as we made our way down the main corridor to the room where she keeps the portal.

"Is there anything that I'll be able to help with?" I asked eagerly as we entered the room.

"Once I'm through the mirror, I need you to close the portal," Twilight instructed.

No sooner the words left her mouth, her and I were tackled by Rainbow Dash and Applejack. I tried teleporting from under Applejack but somehow my magic was being blocked. It wasn't making sense.

"Everything's going to plan, AJ," Rainbow boasted.

"Eeyup! 'Fore long Sunset will be here ta git what she was promised years ago," Applejack chuckled.

"Wait! You're the human Applejack and Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked them.

Rainbow Dash hovered in front of the mirror and nodded her head as she crossed her forelegs. "Sure did a good job fooling you, didn't we? Ha!"

"And ta answer th' question yer wond'rin', Sunset's got spell surrounding us that nullifies y'all's magic," Applejack laughed. "Sunset figured you'd try closin' th' portal so she sent us ta make sure it don't happen."

"Starlight if you can get free, head to the mirror and try dislodging the book to close the portal," Twilight shouted.

"I'm trying," I groaned. "She's just too strong and that magic block won't let me teleport."

A minute later a purple blur caught Applejack in the left side of her neck, causing her to ease the pressure she was placing on my chest. It just enough that I was able to shimmy loose and make a break for the mirror. I took a leap of faith and aimed directly at Rainbow's chest as she blocked the portal. My forehooves connected, knocking the wind out of her but there was just enough momentum to send us both to the human realm.

A minute later I was rolling across the concrete in front of CHS as the portal spit me out just after Rainbow Dash. Somehow I was undetected by the red demon hovering above me. I looked up at the human form of Rainbow Dash as she slowly shook her head before looking up.

"Sunset we-" was all Rainbow got out before I tackled her to the ground, causing her head to bounce off the concrete and rendering her unconscious. I sat up on my heels and looked at my human friend. She just laid motionless, her eyes closed and a small trickle of blood running from her mouth.

What... what have I done? I thought as both my hands covered my mouth in shock. I took off toward the bushes to hide from the sight of what I had done.

"Hahaha! It's about time you showed up!" Demon Shimmer cackled above us. I didn't know if she was referring to me or the remaining members of the group that had just arrived.

Twilight Sparkle and Demon Shimmer exchanged a brief conversation before Demon formed a magical energy ball, raised it above her head and threw it at Twilight. I saw something fly from Twilight's hands and land near the bush I was hiding in. After reaching out and grabbing the object that Twilight lost, I looked back toward the statue and saw the energy ball expand and engulf Twilight. Through the light I saw the silhouette of her begin to change. Her hair stood up like fire, a tail extended from her back and a pair of wings sprouted from between her shoulders.

"M-M-M-Midnight Sparkle!" Fluttershy squeaked as Pinkie Pie suddenly put Rarity in sleeper hold.

"Pinkie! What are you doing?!" Rarity shouted before being hit by a magical beam from Demon Shimmer.

"Run, Fluttershy!" said as I revealed my presence from the bushes, grabbed Sunset's journal that had fallen to the ground and lead the frightened girl off the school grounds.

As Fluttershy and I hid in a secluded area of a nearby park, I handed her the journal to send a message to Princess Twilight because I can't write worth a damn in this world.

"What do you want me to write?" Fluttershy asked as she held the quill, I mean, pen to the first blank page.

"Tell her that Sunset turned Twilight into Midnight Sparkle and will probably be entering Equestria along through one of the rifts that she has started creating. Also let her know that this world's Rainbow Dash has been knocked unconscious and Pinkie Pie and Rarity are under Sunset Shimmer's control," I replied as I watched her scribble the words as quick as she could.

"I hope she gets the message quickly and tells us what to do," Fluttershy whispered as she finished writing the message and then closed the journal.

We both huddled together hoping none of the others would be able to find us. Minutes later we heard something that made us both jump. I looked down to see the journal glowing and buzzing. I opened it up and read her response just loud enough for Fluttershy to hear me.

Starlight,

The other girls managed to help turn the tables on the human Applejack and we currently have her tied up. With her representing the Element of Honesty, we were able to get her to tell us Sunset's plan. Cadence and I are working on sealing any rifts while Celestia and Luna try to extract the Elements of Harmony from the Tree of Harmony.

Keep Fluttershy with you at all times and try using the pendant from Twilight to suck the magic from any other rifts that we aren't able to close. If and when you get an opening, use the pendant on Demon Shimmer. It will pull all the magic from the geodes from her and hopefully return everyone else to normal.

Princess Twilight

"Oh my. It's worse than we thought," Fluttershy said in response.

"It won't be that bad once Sunset Shimmer has control of Equestria."

We turned around to see Rarity and Pinkie Pie approaching us from behind, both of them with their eyes glowing teal.

"Run!" I shouted as I grabbed Fluttershy's hand and pulled her in the opposite direction.

Rarity and Pinkie gave chase as we tried escaping back to the school. Just as we rounded the last corner before the school, Fluttershy tripped and fell on her knees which made me stop and help lift her back up, costing us valuable ground.

Once we reached the school, I saw Midnight Sparkle opening interdimensional rifts only for them to be closed almost instantly. Twilight and Cadence really were keeping up with that.

"They're back, babe!" Midnight shouted toward Demon, bringing a smile to the demon's face.

Fluttershy and I stood in awe of the two demons working together to destroy both realms. Moments later, the two of us were ambushed by Pinkie Pie and Rarity, putting both of us in choke holds.

"Two more warriors for my battle against Celestia. Hahaha!" Demon cackled maniacally. "And one of them is one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria. Perfect!" Demon fired an energy blast similar to the one that she used on Rarity at the two of us, causing me to close my eyes to wait for the inevitable. It never came.

I cracked my eyes to see that Twilight's pendant had opened on it's own and absorbed the beam aimed at me.

"Shit!" Demon swore. "Babe, I need three rifts at once. That's the only way I'm getting to Equestria."

Midnight rose up higher than Demon and opened two rifts next to the statue and a third directly behind Demon simultaneously. As the two next to the statue were being closed from the other side, Demon escaped through the third rift.

"Nooo!!" I screamed as Midnight cackled like the psycho she was. Then came a pulling on my neck causing me to look and see Fluttershy trying to pull the pendant off from around my neck. I thought back to the human self-defense tips that Sunset had given me and elbowed Rarity as hard as I could causing her to release me from the chokehold. I wrestled the pendant from Fluttershy's grasp and climbed on the base of the Wondercolts statue.

If I grab Midnight's legs and use them as a swing, I might be able to get through that rift before Twilight or Cadence close it, I thought as I bent my knees, readying myself to jump. Just as lept from the marble, someone grabbed one of my feet causing me to fall to the ground.

"Good job, Pinkie Pie!" Midnight praised our hypnotized friend.

Something caught my attention to my right as a tried rolling on my back to fight off Pinkie. Rainbow Dash. She had finally regained consciousness.

Shit! I'm never going to make it back to Equestria now, I thought as Midnight closed the rift and Rainbow Dash shook the cobwebs from her head, blood still dripping from her mouth. Rainbow looked my direction just before seeing Pinkie Pie land a right hook on my left cheek.

"I'm coming, Starlight!" Rainbow Dash hollered as she sprinted my direction. Seconds later, Rainbow had knocked Pinkie Pie off of me and had her pinned down. "Use the magic in the pendant, Starlight!"

"How?" I asked.

"Push the button on top. I saw how Twilight did it at the Friendship Games," Rainbow Dash told me as a faint pair of wings appeared on her back. Fluttershy and Rarity then attacked Rainbow Dash, knocking her off Pinkie Pie.

What if I try using the pendant on the girls? I thought as an idea popped into my head. I carefully aimed it at Rarity who was closest and pushed the buttons on the sides, causing it to open and collect the magic from her and breaking Demon's spell. Midnight opened another rift to Equestria as Rainbow's wings continued to solidify as her strength returned.

"Starlight! Give me the pendant. I'll give you a boost so you can grab onto Midnight Sparkle," Rainbow Dash said.

Moments later I found myself slipping from Midnight Sparkle's leg as my hooves couldn't hold onto her. I just couldn't hold on and finally began to plummet to the ground head first.

"Gotcha!" said Princess Twilight as she caught me before I hit the ground. "Why didn't you use a teleportation spell when you returned to your pony form?"

"I changed from human to pony the instant we crossed through the rift," I explained as we landed. "It disoriented me and I didn't feel the magic until I was panicking on the way to the ground."

"Where's the pendant?" Twilight asked me.

"I left it with Rainbow Dash," I replied.

"WHAT?!"

"I think when I accidentally knocked her unconscious it somehow broke the spell she was under," I told her. "The pendant can break the hypnosis spells on the girls, so Rainbow is taking care of that."

"That's good to know," Twilight replied before continuing in a worried tone. "I haven't heard anything from Celestia or Luna regarding their attempts to retrieve the Elements from the Tree of Harmony."

"Shouldn't they be able retrieve them? They were the original bearers, right?" I asked.

"That's what I-" Twilight began before being interrupted by a bright yellow flash of light.

"Twilight, we have a problem."