The warm glow of candle-light radiated out of every window in Ponyville, as the sun gently set beyond the horizon. All over, there was an air of calm and quiet, as the day was finally done, giving way for families to simply spend time with one another. Such was the case especially within the confines of the Golden Oak Library, as Twilight walked up the stairs to the upper level, and behind her, walking happily, was Spike. The young dragon bore a smile upon his face as he followed his Mother upwards, and she, in turn, smiled back to him. It wasn't long before they were at their destination, the door that led to the small drake's bedroom. Opening it, Twilight watched as her son entered, taking one last moment to look back to her.
"Goodnight, Mom."
Twilight chuckled briefly.
"Goodnight, Spike. Sleep well."
And with that, the door was closed, leaving Twilight waiting just a few moments to hear the sounds of her son making his way to his bed. When the sounds were heard, she sighed, turning right around and heading back downstairs. But, contrary to what one might have thought, this did not mean she was alone in this moment. For once she'd reached the ground floor, she looked forward to see her friend, Fluttershy, sitting quietly beside the central table of the library, smiling to her as she re-entered the room.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
Twilight nodded back.
"Yeah. Won't be long before he's sound asleep now."
The young unicorn too began to sit at the table, and looked over to Fluttershy with an appreciative expression.
"Thanks for coming over, Fluttershy. It's nice having a friend close by."
Fluttershy giggled slightly.
"It's no problem. Things have been so quiet around here lately that I've actually been looking to get out a few times."
Twilight considered that.
"Trust me, things being quiet is no problem here."
Fluttershy looked back, her smile fading a little.
"Oh! I'm sorry. I forgot."
But Twilight raised a hoof, stopping her.
"It's no problem. The Changeling attack was some time ago now. I'm over it."
Fluttershy nodded, accepting her friend's word over that. In the silence that followed, the pegasus took a small sip of the glass of water that was nearby, before glancing back to her colleague.
"By the way, how have things been during your meetings with the Ambassador lately?"
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped when, all of a sudden, there was a nearby sound, prompting both mares to turn towards the front door. There, they saw, to their surprise, that a letter was now sliding in from the underside of said door, leading to Twilight getting up from her chair.
"That's odd. Who delivers mail at this time of night?"
Fluttershy soon joined her, and together, they drew closer to the door. Lighting up her horn, Twilight levitated the letter close to her face, though she did not open it. Instead, she took on a look of curiosity, and stepped forward, opening the door and looking outside. There was nopony there, not close to the library or anywhere else in the nearby streets. Naturally, this caused her some confusion, and so she re-entered her home, closing the door behind her. For a time, she stared at the letter, uncertain of what to do with it. Then, again using magic, she opened it up, pulling out the paper that lay within. Opening it fully, her expression became one of both surprise and confusion, as she read the only words written there.
"Meet me tonight. You know where."
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.
"Who's it from? Is there a name?"
Twilight shook her head.
"No, but...I know that writing."
She looked up from the letter, frowning slightly.
"...It's Trixie."
Naturally, Fluttershy was shocked by this, and took a slight step backwards.
"Trixie?! But...why's she writing to you?"
Twilight sighed.
"I don't know. But whatever it is...I think it might be important."
A brief moment of silence passed between them, and Fluttershy soon turned her attention to the letter.
"So...where does she want to meet you?"
Using her magic, Twilight flipped the paper over, allowing Fluttershy to see the side where the writing was. To the latter's confusion, there seemed to be a small leaf taped to the lower end of the letter, causing her to look back up to Twilight for clarification, which the unicorn soon gave.
"She wants to meet me...in the Everfree Forest."
Of course, words like that did not go over well with her pegasus friend, and she took a step closer to Twilight, speaking in a clearly concerned manner.
"You're not actually going, are you?!"
Twilight looked away briefly, giving Fluttershy an opening to continue.
"I don't want to sound paranoid, Twilight...but Trixie was spying on you and all of us for months! This could be a trap!"
Twilight nodded, looking back to her.
"Maybe...but she also saved my life."
Fluttershy paused at that, seeing the uncertainty in Twilight's expression as she carried on.
"I owe her, Fluttershy. I have to give her the benefit of the doubt."
The other mare was very clearly uncertain of what to do here, but, after a while of considering Twilight's words, she let out a long sigh.
"Alright...if that's what you want."
Twilight offered her a small but thankful smile.
"Thank you, Fluttershy."
Then, a thought came to her, and she turned her attention over to the stairs leading up to the bedrooms.
"I'm sorry to have to ask this of you, but..."
But this time, it was Twilight's turn to be halted, as Fluttershy, now returning the smile, spoke up.
"Don't worry. I'll look after him while you're gone."
Twilight nodded.
"Thanks."
She turned, only to stop when her friend spoke up again.
"Are you sure you want to go alone?"
Twilight looked back to her, shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't want to...but I think this is the only way she'll speak to me about...whatever it is she wants to speak to me about."
Though reluctant, Fluttershy nodded.
"Okay then. Good luck, Twilight."
Taking a breath, Twilight opened her door, closing it behind her as she exited the library. In the cold night air, she shivered slightly, before starting to look around. It wasn't long before she soon spotted the Everfree off in the distance, down a particular stretch of road, and she began to frown slightly upon seeing it, adjusting her glasses slightly.
"Okay, Trixie...lets hear what you have to say."
Even by the usual standards of "bad ideas", this right here was a pretty bad idea. A single pony, all alone, with no backup, no weapons, fumbling around at night in the middle of the Everfree Forest. If somepony were asked "what situation would you most likely be killed in", this would be the answer they'd come up with. And yet, this was where Twilight now walked, with the darkness around her kept at bay only by the bright light of the moon above her, which, thankfully, was allowed to shine down due to the clear skies tonight. The air remained cold and, somehow, seemed to get even more so as she'd entered the forest in earnest. Animal noises could be heard all around her, and with every step she took, she felt more and more alone. Her expression, as one would probably guess, was one of regret, as her eyes drifted to every shadow that seemed to move or flicker.
"Ugh! This is bad! This is very, very bad! What was I thinking?!"
And yet, in spite of that clear unhappiness at being here, on she went, travelling a path that, at the very least, was familiar to her. It was one she'd walked once before, when she journeyed with her brother, Captain Aurora and their respective soldiers, all in order to face a rogue dragon that had taken residence here. Thankfully, she doubted that she'd encounter any dragons on this journey, but that didn't stop her from looking as cautious as she could be. Forward she walked, until, all of a sudden, she stopped, turning her head to the right, looking at a particularly thick-looking collection of trees and undergrowth.
"This place..."
Slowly, she closed her eyes, stretching out her hoof, just short of actually touching the nearest tree. After a brief bout of silence, she shivered, though not from the cold, and opened her eyes once more.
"Yeah...this is the place."
She took a step forward, ready to force her way through whatever ancient and overgrown vegetation she found in this place. However, to her shock, she soon found that this was no longer necessary. For without warning, the vines, shrubbery and branches before her seemed to start moving of their own accord, creaking loudly as they did so. Naturally, Twilight was rather disturbed by this, and took a step or two backwards, watching with shock as the plants continued to move on their own. Soon enough, the movement stopped, and where once there was a near-impassable wall of ancient plant-life, now there was a cleared path exactly in the direction Twilight needed to go. Staring at it for a few moments, the young unicorn blinked slowly.
"Okay...that's definitely strange...though not necessarily foreboding."
And so, with that debatable sense of optimism, Twilight once more resumed her journey, entering the passage that had been made for her, making sure to keep her eyes on every branch and vine, just in case they decided then and there to move back while she was in there. After Twilight had moved far enough within the passage, however, she started to once more talk to herself.
"Okay, Twilight, calm down. It's just a forest...full of self-moving plants...and dangerous animals probably all around me...leading to a known spy from a powerful rival nation. Absolutely nothing to worry about."
Her failed attempt at a pep talk had the expected effect, as both her ears began to droop down slightly. But, she'd already gone this far, so she mentally convinced herself to just keep on moving at this point. What most disturbed her about her current circumstances though was that, unlike her initial time in the forest, this new section appeared to be completely silent, which, strangely, worried her more than where she'd been previously. But, a time soon came when she stopped, squinting ahead to something she'd just spotted.
"Is that...light?"
Her eyes were not deceiving her. There was indeed a small glimmer of light at the end of this passageway. And so, having something to aim for, Twilight doubled her efforts, moving further through the plants, getting a few scratches from stray thorns here and there for her trouble. But soon, she was out at the other side, and when she stepped out, her eyes widened. For she now found herself in a small clearing, almost perfectly circular, with the ancient trees all around. At its centre was what appeared to be a small pond, and the light she'd seen earlier was none other than the light of the full moon reflecting off it. Taking a few further steps inside the clearing, Twilight glanced around, seeing nopony here, and yet soon kept her eyes firmly on the bright water before her.
"Beautiful," she commented.
"Indeed it is."
The sound of the second voice caused Twilight to step back slightly, her eyes darting in every direction around her. She could see nopony, just as always, and yet, there now appeared to be the distinct sound of hooves approaching her, though from which direction she could not say. She prepared herself, ready to flee if necessary, but it seemed as though she didn't have to wait long for whatever or whoever was approaching. For there was now a small rustling in the bushes and branches on the opposite side of the pond from her, causing her to squint her eyes at it. Moments later, a figure emerged, clad in a dark cloak.
"Long time no see."
Twilight raised an eyebrow.
"...Trixie?"
The figure raised a hoof, lowering her hood, and showing that, yes, it was Trixie underneath. The blue mare stepped closer to the pond, to Twilight, and formed a small smile.
"It's good to see you again, Twilight."
Twilight paused, then let out a sigh, relaxing her posture a bit.
"Yeah...you too."
But, the moment passed, and her frown from earlier returned to her.
"Why did you call me here?"
Trixie said nothing to that, instead turning her head, to the direction she'd just come from. Twilight opened her mouth to speak again, only to stop when, to her surprise, a second voice was now heard.
"She called you here for a matter of great importance, Twilight Sparkle."
As before, Twilight assumed a more worried stance, watching with concern as another figure emerged from the tree-line. Like Trixie, this person, who sounded like she was also a mare, was likewise clad in a dark cloak, and walked just a bit further than Trixie before stopping. Twilight, seeing this new arrival, frowned.
"Who are you?"
A chuckle was heard, and the new figure raised a hoof, lowering her hood just as Trixie had done mere moments ago. When this was done, Twilight looked upon an unfamiliar face. It was indeed a mare, and a unicorn at that, with light-orange fur and a mane that combined both yellow and red. Seeing Twilight across the pond, the mystery mare smirked slightly.
"My name is Sunset Shimmer...and it's high time we met."
Understandably, a great deal of concern had gripped Twilight, as she stood on one side of that moonlit pond. Staring out at her opposite number, Trixie, and this newcomer, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight suddenly felt very, very alone. For a time, nopony said anything, but, after a good deal of simply staring at one another, the lavender unicorn finally turned her gaze to Trixie specifically.
"I thought it would just be you here."
Trixie rolled her eyes slightly.
"Don't worry, this isn't an ambush, Twilight."
She might have spoken further, but the other mare, Sunset, now took a step forward, speaking in a somewhat more serious tone.
"Tell me...do you know who I am?"
Looking to her, Twilight shook her head.
"You said you were Sunset Shimmer, right?"
Sunset frowned slightly.
"Yes...but I want to know if you know who I am."
Naturally, Twilight seemed confused by this.
"I'm sorry...but I don't understand."
Sunset sighed, looking, strangely enough, disappointed.
"No...of course not. I should have known Celestia wouldn't tell you about me."
To that, Twilight returned the frown.
"What do you know about the Princess?"
Sunset chuckled in response to that.
"Oh, I know more than you could imagine, Twilight. For you see..."
She looked Twilight right in the eye.
"...you are not her first apprentice."
It took a few moments, but Twilight's eyes soon widened with realisation, and she took a step backwards.
"You're...you're...?"
Sunset nodded.
"Yes...Celestia was once my teacher, just as she is to you today."
As one would expect, this was rather shocking information to Twilight, who still looked as though she was struggling to get her head around all of this. But, through all of that confusion, there was one question that seemed to be burning on her lips.
"But...why? Why are you here? With her? With them?"
Sunset raised an eyebrow, never saying a word, as though the answer Twilight sought would simply come to her. And sure enough, it did, as Twilight herself now appeared to be deep in thought over something.
"Princess Celestia, she...she said something. About how Queen Moon took somepony special from her."
Her eyes narrowed onto Sunset.
"It was you she was talking about."
As before, Sunset let out a hearty laugh.
"I see my old mentor has gained a rather selective memory since we parted."
Her serious expression from earlier returned.
"No, Twilight, the Queen never took me. I went to her of my own choice."
Hearing that, Twilight opened her mouth to speak, only to be halted by a raised hoof from Sunset.
"Trust me...it's a long story."
For a time, it looked like Sunset was going to say something else, as there was just the tiniest flicker in her eyes. But, the moment was soon passed, and instead, the other mare stepped forward yet again, addressing Twilight in a voice that was louder than before.
"Twilight, as you know, we've been watching you for some time now."
Twilight cast a somewhat irritated glance in Trixie's direction at that.
"Yeah...I know."
Trixie frowned in response to this, but kept quiet as Sunset carried on.
"And what we've learned has been more than enough to interest the Queen."
This time, it was Twilight's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Interest her? How?"
A smirk crept onto Sunset's face.
"Tell me...have you been having odd dreams lately?"
Again, Twilight looked over to Trixie, seeming more confused than irritated this time.
"My dreams? That was information worth sending to your Queen?"
Trixie let out a brief laugh, but soon sighed and shook her head.
"Oh, you have no idea, Twilight."
Looking back to Sunset, Twilight awaited her explanation, which was soon given.
"Out of curiosity...did your dream happen to involve Celestia and Queen Moon? Or perhaps...an additional figure?"
Twilight's eyes widened slightly.
"The...the third alicorn?"
Sunset, upon hearing that, looked back to Trixie.
"So, she did see it."
Twilight let out a grunt of annoyance, causing the other mares to look back at her.
"Okay, will somepony please tell me what's going on here?!"
After giving Trixie another quick glance, Sunset gave Twilight a short nod.
"Alright then. Put simply, that dream you had, of a third alicorn standing between the other two, is not a dream only you have had, Twilight."
Twilight tilted her head to the side, prompting Sunset to continue.
"Anypony who's ever had a true affinity and connection to magic has had that dream at some point in their lives."
Slowly, she glanced down at the reflection of the moon in the pond.
"The third alicorn. The mare of dawn and dusk. The one who stands between. All these titles and more have been given to that mystery mare over the centuries. And many peoples have seen it as a sign of things to come."
Twilight gained a somewhat sceptical look.
"So...is that why you called me here? Why the Queen has an interest in me? She wants me to help her find this mare?"
Sunset stared at Twilight for a time, then Trixie, and the latter gave her a knowing look, which Sunset soon returned. Looking back to Twilight, Sunset carried on.
"The Queen is convinced that the third alicorn will reveal herself in time, with or without your help."
She narrowed her eyes.
"But finding her is not what we called you here for, nor are we here to discuss who or what she is. All the dream proves is that you have a connection to magic far above most others. And that is what has caught the Queen's eye."
Twilight rolled her eyes.
"I may be Celestia's student, but I'm not that special."
Sunset's smirk returned.
"No? So you don't feel it then? This place?"
At first, Twilight was confused. Bu then, after the silence of the moment began to sink in for her, she started glancing around the clearing they were all standing in. She'd felt something about this place, something that had drawn her here to begin with, but now that she was here in earnest, that feeling was stronger. And as she looked around, Sunset kept her eyes on her.
"You do feel it, don't you? This place is but one of many magical focal points in our world. A place that is, for lack of a better term, pure."
Twilight looked to her as she continued.
"Magic gathers here, and those with a real connection to it can feel it, far more than they can in other places. If you can feel it, then your prowess with magic is far greater than even you suspect."
For a time, Twilight considered those words, but afterwards, she let out a long sigh.
"...What do you want?"
Getting back to business, Sunset once more narrowed her eyes.
"The Queen feels that your talents are wasted as Celestia's apprentice. You could be so much more, do so much more. So...she offers you the chance...to learn."
Twilight was, naturally, taken aback by this, but nevertheless stood firm.
"You want me to abandon Celestia? My people? To serve the Queen instead?"
Sunset nodded.
"She's giving you a chance to become far more powerful than you could ever hope to be under your...current teacher."
Looking up at the sky, she continued.
“Myself, Trixie and others, we belong to an elite group of unicorns under her command. The Order of the Stars. We serve as her most able unicorns. Her foremost agents. This is the opportunity she grants to you.”
She frowned.
"And you know that, when she says she can aid your progress, she speaks the truth. You've seen the Queen's abilities, how they go beyond what Celestia can do."
Twilight frowned right back.
"Perhaps...but I can't accept."
Silence returned once more, and the three mares looked to one another from across that pond for a little while. Sunset, looking to Twilight, saw the intent and honesty in her eyes as she'd said that, and so, let out a sigh of her own.
"I see. Well...that's disappointing."
A brief but empty laugh escaped her as she mused on Twilight’s answer.
“I thought like you once. So sure in Celestia.”
She looked back to Twilight.
“You’ll learn...one day.”
But Twilight, ignoring that jab at her mentor, raised a hoof.
"I appreciate that the Queen has that kind of faith in me...but that's not an offer I can just go along with."
Sunset nodded.
"I had a feeling that's what you'd say. Can't say I'm looking forward to delivering the news to her. Although..."
She looked up, to the full moon above them.
"...chances are, she already knows."
Twilight too looked back at the moon, only to look back down as Sunset, after sighing again, began to turn around, heading back over to Trixie.
"Come on, Trix. We've done our part here. Shouldn’t keep the Queen waiting."
Trixie nodded, but, before she could say anything, Twilight stepped forward.
“Wait...that’s it? I say no and you accept it? Just like that?”
Sunset paused, looking back to her with a somewhat dismissive expression.
“I’m not here to force anything, Twilight. I was asked to deliver a message...and it has been delivered.”
She carried on, looking quite certain that this was all she had to say. As for Trixie, she then looked back to Twilight, her expression a mixed one.
"See you around, Twilight."
Twilight nodded back to her, then watched as she started to walk off, leaving Sunset to be the one to speak next.
"The offer stands...if you ever change your mind."
Briefly, Twilight kept silent, but, as she watched them go, she felt compelled to speak out one last time.
"Wait! The vines! The forest letting me in here...how did you do that?"
The other mares stopped, looking back to her with confusion. Then, after a while, Sunset gained a look of realisation, then started to chuckle, much to the continued confusion of the others.
"So...even Zecora is watching all of this," she mused.
She shook her head
“Don’t worry yourself, Twilight. It’s just...one more long story.”
The others had no idea what she meant by that, and so kept quiet as, at long last, Sunset began to head back into the trees, leaving Trixie to give Twilight one final look before she too began to depart. As for Twilight, she stayed where she was, watching as the others walked further and further away. After a time, they were finally gone, leaving her all alone in this place. She stood there, taking in all the sounds of the forest, from the gentle blowing of the wind to the way the water of the pond lapped against its sides. Then, after all of this, she exhaled deeply, looking back to the pond itself, and her reflection.
"...What have I gotten myself into?"
