Canterlot High, next to Crystal Prep, looked a lot less impressive. One two-story building with a rotunda one a much smaller campus could not match the full grounds for grandeur, and as an aging public school, it lacked the high end materials to give it the layer of wealthy opulence befitting a private school for the children of the rich and famous. Yet the sight of it outside the bus was an oasis in a desert to Twilight, a beacon of hope…

“Ugh,” she heard Suri complain loudly from the back of the bus. “What a dump!”

“What I want to know,” another girl asked, “is how they could afford their statue? It must have cost more than they’re yearly budget.”

Twilight frowned, wringing her hands, some part of her screaming at her to defend Sunset’s school. Her mouth felt glued shut, however, and she settled for trying to breathe normally as she waited anxiously for them to be allowed to leave.

Next to her, Indigo was messing with her phone. “Trying to send her a text,” she whispered. “Let her know we need to talk to her. I realized still had her number from the other week.”

Why hadn’t she thought of that? Twilight retrieved her phone from her pocket as well, but before she could even unlock the screen, hands plucked the device from her grip. “There will be none of that, Miss Sparkle,” the Vice Principal, Mr. Silverthorn, said firmly, his expression his normal severe scowl…though a bit of…malice seemed to glitter in his dark eyes. “You as well, Miss Zap. You are here to compete in the events and represent our school, not fritter away your time with technology. I’ll be holding onto these until the end of the day.” He looked around the bus. “That goes for anyone I catch on their phone,” he said, as tittering laughter traveled through the bus.

Her friend was on her feet in an instant. “Hey!” she challenged, balling her fists. “You can't do that! Those are our property and used to communicate to our parents! Give it back or we’re gonna have more problems than just the Friendship Games, you hear me?”

He loomed, his visage cast in harsh shadows that didn’t feel right and made Twilight shiver with unease. “You will sit back down and shut your mouth, Indigo Zap,” he snarled, “or I will make you shut it, and by this time tomorrow, you will have an expulsion to explain to those parents of yours.”

There was a real threat here, and it wasn’t expulsion, Twilight realized, and she grabbed Indigo’s arm, pulling her down. “Let it go, Indigo,” she urged. “Please.”

“Listen to your friend,” Silverthorn urged dangerously.

Indigo complied with Twilight’s pleading, but it was clear she was ready to fight a man who outweighed her by probably a hundred pounds. “Fucking bastard,” she growled once he had moved down the aisle, searching for more phones to confiscate.

“I don't like this,” Twilight whispered. “He was willing to hurt you, Indigo. And…he felt…wrong. What is really going on?”

“I dunno…but we need to get off this bus and into that school.”

All around, the students were restless, waiting for the signal to disembark the bus. Principal Cinch stood up from a seat near the front, raising her hand imperiously, and everyone stilled in seconds, turning to face her obediently.

“Today is an important day,” she began. “A day in which we will prove ourselves before all eyes and the annals of history. The year has not been without its struggles…losses…” Her eyes swept slowly over the bus and seemed to land on Twilight and Indigo. “…and betrayals…and yet, you are here now. You are all here, chosen to stand and represent us.” She took a moment to adjust her glasses. “You represent our reputation, our skill, our superior brilliance of body and mind. Your actions today will ensure the success of yourselves and all those who come after you.”

Indigo sneered under her breath, “It's not the Olympics, you hag…”

Twilight nodded her agreement—she had never seen the point of the Games herself—but a flash from CHS caught her attention. It was a little thing, several of the windows lighting up with a flood of color, but on its heels came a vibration that passed through the bus like a faint earthquake. Except this vibration…was soothing to her mind. It touched her anxiety and melted some of it off. Even Indigo relaxed a hair. Her principal and several of the teachers went pale, however.

Principal Cinch recovered her momentum after only a slightly extended pause, and something about the way she spoke made Twilight’s stomach twist itself into a complicated pretzel. One of the woman’s hands made a sweeping gesture at the school they were parked in front of. “Gaze well upon this sight, all those who are true to the ideals of Crystal Prep, where there is no room for anything except excellence. Fix this in your minds, for this! This is the sight of failure. Of weakness, mediocrity, stupidity, and above all, a lack of true breeding of worth and value.” Her gaze was icy, dispassionate for all the acidic fire that oozed through her tone, and it swept across the assembled passengers in the cramped confines of the bus, lingering here and there upon one or other of the figures for no reason Twilight could discern. “Listen and mark my words well. There will be no failure from my people, from those who wear our colors…you will end this day victorious…or consider yourselves mine no longer.”

“Yeesh,” Indigo muttered, before giving a mocking salute with her middle finger. “Hail, Caesar, we who are about to die salute you. Mierda, could she get any more melodramatic and arrogant? She’s not some kind of feudal queen.”

Twilight shook her head, gripping her knees in a white knuckled grip. She desperately wanted to find Sunset, apologize, and beg her parents to take her home and get her out of CPA. There had to be another way to keep her GPA from being ruined by the Principal of Crystal Prep. The teen struggled to keep her breathing even and not spiral off into a panic attack that would leave her even more vulnerable to whatever madness was going on.

The universe finally took pity on her, as the students began to file off the bus. Indigo put an arm around her protectively—there was something strangely comforting about the fact that her friend took her promise to Sunset so seriously—and stayed firmly at her side as they made their way up the aisle to the front, and then down the steps to the sidewalk.

“All right,” Indigo started to say as they got close to the marble statue. “First, we need—”

Suddenly their principal was there, snapping her fingers to get their attention. “Miss Sparkle,” she addressed Twilight, and like Vice Principal Silverthorn, she loomed over them, her shadow falling across them in the early morning light. “Let me make myself perfectly clear, in case you did not understand. You are here to serve for a Crystal Prep Victory…not to spend time fraternizing with any so-called ‘friends’ you feel you might have at this facility. I care not one whit for your perceived…’personal feelings’…on the matter. Today, you are mine. Do you understand me, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight opened and closed her mouth, feeling like her throat was unaccountably dry at the way the words were directed at her in that harsh, authoritative tone. It was nothing like the soft utterances of the same phrase from Sunset, which was always warm and rough with desire. This was cold and hard, like metal in winter.

“You will acknowledge me when I speak to you! Now!” Her principal’s expression grew dark and intense, and Twilight felt actual fear in that moment.

Pain dragged across the inside of her skull and from somewhere deep inside her that she might have called her soul, a sensation like barbed, slimy fingers trying to dig into her being at the root of it. It demanded she surrender the words Abacus Cinch wanted to hear, to give her what she wanted.

She could not. The words would not come, and her throat seized up. There was some kind of battle of wills going on, but Twilight was not the competitor—she was the prize. A squeak of agony escaped her, as those terrible eyes bored into her, and the pain increased as the air grew heavy and still. If she could just give in, it would stop.

I think not…you are not hers, and you know that very well…whispered a soft voice that sounded like herself, but older, wiser, as her vision blurred. Something rose up in her to push back, and the pain ended, broken by whatever it had done. Twilight shook with barely contained terror, and her vision cleared to give her an even worse shock.

Where her principal should be, for just a few seconds—the span between one heartbeat and the next—there was a monster. Far too tall and thin, with withered skin and narrow pointed features, elfin ears and overly large eyes…Its face was a parody of a human grin with its sadistic baring of teeth. The monster, wearing Cinch’s clothes, spoke with a voice that was the principal’s and not. “Know your place, Twilight Sparkle…you answer to me. You belong to me. Remember that, and today will pass smoothly.”

And she was the principal again, turning smoothly to go address a group of students several yards away. Indigo grabbed Twilight around the arm and dragged her towards the doors of the school. Her other hand was hurriedly crossing herself. “Did you see that? Think I prefer your friend’s look—I almost pissed myself!”

Unconsciously, Twilight’s hand went to her chest, seeking the starry lanyard and familiar, comforting outline of machined metal, only to find only fabric. A raw, keening sound of agony escaped her lips, as her mind reminded her in exacting detail where exactly she had seen The Key, and what she had done to not have it anymore. Her knees threatened to buckle, and only her friend’s sturdy grip kept her on her feet…not that Indigo looked any better, muttering a prayer and apologizing to her grandmother in hasty Spanish, crossing herself and making a gesture that Twilight dimly noted might be the one to ward off ‘The Evil Eye.’ “…I…” she choked out, her throat finally seeming to work.

Indigo gave her a supportive side hug. “If she were right here, she’d tell you to breathe. So breathe for me, okay? Deep and slow, like she’d tell you.”

Jerking her head in a slight nod, Twilight put her fist to her chest and ran through her go to breathing exercise about a dozen times, before she had calmed enough to speak. “…I want Sunny,” she whispered brokenly, feeling tears build at the corners of her eyes. “…I want my mom and dad…I want to go home…”

Determination filled Indigo’s eyes when she glanced up at the building a moment. “Then we go find her and get you out of here. Fuck the Games, and fuck CPA. I’m done. Let’s go, Sparkle.”

Turning, they reached for the front doors…

At Rainbow’s words, they all broke and crowded the window. Sure enough, there were several buses parked in front of the school, a horde of foreign students streaming from them, all in the ugly colors of their rival school. Even from this distance, she could feel the wrongness exuded from the students, dark magics from their school soaked into skin and hair far too strongly to be just from exposure to ambient energy.

Rarity touched her elbow. “Is that what you felt when you were there, darling? It's foul.”

“This is nothing compared to that…but it's too much for there not to be active spellwork. It's showtime, girls. We were right. They make their move today.” Sunset scanned them intently, seeking the familiar dark hair and lavender skin, ears twitching as she heard Fluttershy talking into the walkie-talkie earpiece Flash had presented her the other day. If Twilight was here…

“There she is! Omigosh! It really is another Twilight! Hi other Twilight!” Pinkie jumped up and down in front of the glass and pointed.

Sunset found her a split second after Pinkie, and her heart broke all over again at the anxious, jittery figure being led off the bus by Indigo. “Oh, Sparky…” she whispered, not realizing she had shoved her friends out of the way to press both hands to the glass.

Miss Luna let out a displeased sound behind her. “She is here then.”

“I need to call Mom,” Cady said angrily.

She watched Twilight, eyes devouring the slim form with a hunger that should have made her uneasy, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Not after how things had been left between them, not with her admission of how she felt about the dark haired human girl in the privacy of the loft, not after almost two weeks without her touch, without the kisses and affection she had discovered she craved the way most people craved food and drink. She looked as exhausted as Sunset felt, her eyes dark and shadowed behind her glasses and her hair looking frizzy, tangled, and in desperate need of a wash….but the sight of her?

It was like water to a mare dying of thirst.

At least…it was until Abacus Cinch stepped to Twilight’s side, and began talking, looming over both girls intimidatingly. Sunset’s blood boiled, and the crowded space around her suddenly became free real estate as fire ignited around her in a blood colored halo. “Get away from her!” she hissed, ears flat to her skull. “Swamp sucking, parasprite infested spawn of a harpy and a bog beast!” she uttered, her temper starting to ramp up as she felt it—dark magic, with Principal Cinch as the source, trying to dig itself into Twilight, to crack her mind open like an egg.

—We have to get to Them, horn-head! Now! Go! Get to Them!— the voice thrashed in its cage with such ferocious and unexpected terror that the edges of it began to crack. —Stop fighting against yourself! We have to protect Them, or We lose everything!—

Sunset realized she was pounding furiously on the glass, practically screaming a diatribe of foul curses and implications of what the Crystal Prep Principal’s parents liked to do with a timberwolf and a sea serpent only when she was hauled backwards by Applejack’s super strength and Pinkie’s arms around her from in front.

She didn't care.

Sunset fought her friends’ hold. Twilight was in terrible danger, and her magic screamed into the aether.

Something stirred. Something that felt…important and impossible. A flicker, like a dragon opening its eye, except this was magic, it was like theirs, but it wasn't the girls or her…and that little flicker of power answered the call, pushing the tendrils away from Twilight.

And then Twilight and Indigo were fleeing for the steps of the school, the Principal no longer focused on them. Sunset sagged, her voice rough and raspy. “I have to get to her…”

“Miss Shimmer,” Luna said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Your best place to cross her path is in the gym. Abacus will be directing her students there, and my sister will be seeking that horrible woman out to keep an eye on her.”

Shaking herself violently and pulling away from her friends, Sunset fixed her jacket and pushed her magic down until the flames went out. “I…yeah. We need to get there anyway.” She looked up at Cadence. “If…if I can get to her, I won't leave her side—”

“Ya mean we won't leave her side,” Applejack drawled, tipping her hat to Cadence. “We’ll see yer sister safe, one way or another.”

“Yeah!” Dash did a flip in the air, before landing. “We’re sticking with you, Shimmer!”

Cadence nodded and addressed all of them. “Thank you…all of you.” Then she looked at Sunset. “I need to call Mom, but something’s wrong with my phone. I will be finding you and Twily as soon as I get done doing that.”

Luna touched the pink skinned woman’s elbow. “We have a hardline in the office. It should work just fine.”

Looking between Miss Luna and Cady, Sunset forced herself to focus. “Be careful. I have no idea exactly what we’re dealing with, but it's big, and it’s dangerous. I’m afraid it hasn’t even made a real move and it's already more deadly than the Sirens.” Then the urge could not be ignored, and called to her friends, “Let’s go girls!”

As the group of teenagers vacated the room, Cadence cast Luna a worried look. “…Lu,” she said, her voice wavering. “…did…did you see her eyes when she turned around? It was…just for a second…but…”

Her best friend nodded grimly. “I did.”

“…is Sunset…okay?”

Luna, who had seen eyes like that once before, shivered at the memory of glowing turquoise on a field of night. “…I fear…that if Abacus Cinch does something to Twilight Sparkle, she will unleash something far more terrifying than whatever dark power she commands…”

The dark skinned woman paused, the words hanging heavy in the air, before she added, “Pray it does not come to that.”

Twilight felt cool air wash over her as she and Indigo stepped into Canterlot High. The big open space matched the one from the grainy cell phone video she had spent hours dissecting, and she could even see the places on the wall where fresh paint had been applied over the repaired structure. She could see photos and trophies and displays of student accomplishments and events out in the open, and plenty of students hanging around, although the atmosphere was not as lively as she might’ve expected. They were chatting in groups, wearing school spirit wear and headbands with pony ears and belts with pony tails almost to the very last one, but the laughter was subdued, and each group of older students seemed to take turns scanning the Crystal Prep students that were invading their school.

Indigo glanced around. “…you ever feel like you missed something important and no one wants to fill you in?”

“All the time,” she confessed in a whisper.

The taller girl made a noise in her throat. “I’m feeling like that now. Like everyone here knows what's going on, and we’re in the dark.” She made a face. “I don't like it.”

Privately, Twilight agreed with her, though if magic had been abused and used at this school since last fall at the very least, then they probably would have a better grasp of the whole thing. Before she could voice any of it, however, someone smacked into her and sent her, Indigo, and at least three other bodies slamming to the ground.

Amidst yelps and laughter from other peers, Twilight pushed herself to her knees, and found herself face to face with several middle school aged students. “Sorry!” A round faced boy said loudly, before he began speaking a mile a minute, mostly to Indigo.

The two girls helped Twilight up, and used it as the opportunity for one to whisper hurriedly to her, “Sorry for knocking into you, Princess. It was the only way they wouldn't ask questions about you talking to us.”

Princess? What?

“Yeah,” said the other, acting like she was helping dust off Twilight’s sleeve. “I wish Sunset had told us you were going undercover, but it makes sense why she wouldn't. We just want you to know that the students are ready, and they're going to make sure everyone is safe if you and the Rainbooms have to save the day.”

“Save the…day?” she questioned. “And what do you mean everyone is ready?”

A nod. “Like with the sirens or when Sunset went all evil! And the older students will get everyone to safe spots where the bad magic cant go. I heard Flash Sentry and Lyra&Bon are in charge, cuz Sunset is busy leading the Rainbooms with her magic while you're back at your home.”

Sunset…

“Do you know where she is? I…need to find her. It’s extremely important I get to her, as soon as possible.”

The first girl smiled. “She's in the magic room—have you seen it yet? They did the big rainbow thing once, and the room that used to have all the ancient TVs and stuff got the best upgrade!”

She shook her head. “…which way…?”

“Upstairs, by the music room.”

That didn't help much, but it was something.

“Good, I have to—”

Suddenly fingers were digging painfully into her arm, and she realized Sugarcoat was hauling her back away from the middle schoolers. “What you have to do, Twilight Sparkle, is not go wandering off. Are your ears functional? You are here for Crystal Prep.” Her eyes flicked to the middle schoolers. “Not to babysit the spawn of the working class. And if that means I have to stick with you, I will. Not that I want to, but I want to make Principal Cinch mad even less.”

Indigo whipped around when Twilight yelped in pain. “Hey!” she barked. “Let go of her, you psycho!” She attempted to shove Sugarcoat away, but the slim girl barely swayed.

“I think not. The two of you seem rather insistent on ruining today for us, which means the rest of us will have to keep you from doing that.” A motion with her hand and they were encircled by Crystal Prep uniforms. Twilight’s heart sank—she couldn't get away now. In desperation, she found the gap between two shoulders where one of the middle schoolers was looking at her and gave the girl a pleading look with her eyes. Please, she begged mentally. Go get Sunset!

The girl seemed to register what Twilight’s eyes were telling her, and she darted off down one of the halls at a flat out run.

Twilight could only hope she found Sunset quickly.

The group made it as far as the stairs when Sunset’s backpack started glowing and shaking, and quickly grew so violent she was forced to skid to a halt and drop it to the floor. “What in the world?” Applejack asked, confused.

Sunset scowled. “I don't know, but we don't have time for this!” She jerked it open and found the journal to Equestria buzzing and glowing so bright it was hard to look at. The magic was coming from it in fits and bursts, and it was starting to steam a little at the edges.

Fluttershy winced a little. “Oh my…that can't be good.”

“It’s not.” She flipped it open in a hurry to deactivate the alert spell, and found herself staring at a new message, written in horn-writing she hadn't seen fresh in years. Anxiety ripped through her. “It’s from Princess Celestia…”

“Princess Celestia? Has something happened to Twilight?”

She started to read.

My dearest little sun,

I pray this warning reaches you, and you take it as just that, rather than a condemnation of yourself. Stay where you are, in the world you now call home. You will be safe there, from the darkness that is coming with Nightmare Moon’s release from her prison.

You were always a treasure, Sunset Shimmer, and whatever anger was between us when last we spoke…I hope you have forgiven me. I know I have forgiven you.

For your safety, and that of your new home…I will destroy the mirror. I failed you before, my precious foal…but I will save you from what my sister has become.

Live well, and be happy.

All my love,

Celestia

Her voice had given out from shock by the second paragraph, and she couldn't wrap her head around what she was seeing. Nightmare Moon? Had Princess Luna fallen again? And why was it Celestia writing instead of Twi? “This…doesn't make any sense…” she said. “The mirror is in Twi’s castle, and so is the book. How…did Princess Celestia get it again yet somehow dodge her sister falling to darkness a second time…?” The redhead was deliberately avoiding the rest of the meaning in the message—Celestia had never signed off her letters like that. Not with love, and certainly never with the glyph a mare would use for her foals.

Then the book twitched in her grip, and she realized the words were…fading, until she could barely make it out. Instead, a new writing style came through.

Sunset Shimmer,

It is with a heavy heart I must bear to you bad news. In the war against the Dark Crystal Empire, Princess Celestia has fallen. Her body was recovered at great cost, and shall be laid to rest under the last of the Whispering Firs in the Castle gardens in a private ceremony. At present, she is succeeded by her sister, who remains in the north to hold back the tide of the King of the Dark Crystals.

In her final will and testament, Princess Celestia requested you be contacted, and that you be instructed to stay where you are, safe from the Shadow King’s tyranny. I have also been instructed to inform you that upon the fourth day following this missive, the Lunar Lock Mirror and numerous other artifacts of ancient power are to be destroyed.

Stay well, and stay safe, Sunset Shimmer. That was her Highness’ greatest wish for you…and know she loved you dearly.

With regret,

Raven Inkwell

It was like being punched in the gut, hearing that the mare who raised her was dead…but it made everything make even less sense. “Something is wrong here,” she said, giving the girls a summary of the two messages, even as the book vibrated again.

Another message, in yet a third writing style, this one somewhat aggressive.

How very interesting…Celestia had a daughter all this time, and no one told me? How…delightfully amusing. Especially since no one seems to even remember who you are…Sunset…Shimmer, was it?

As soon as I find out where you are, little pony, I’m coming for you—your mother will regret the suffering she put me through and the deaths of thousands of my children. She will regret crossing the Changeling Queen.

Be afraid, little foal. Your death will be neither swift nor painless.

She couldn't read the rest because it faded sharply, joining the other overlaid mishmash of messages that had become a gray blotch on the paper. Yet another took its place, in a horn writing style and glyphs that were practically Old Ponish.

My little starfilly,

I know you would come home if I asked it of you, to fight at my side, but I will not. My sister’s anger burns bright, and I will not see you burned. Nor will I take you from the beautiful world you have come to love or those there you have bonded to.

In Equestria’s burning hour, I will hope that those I have sent to seek bearers for the Elements will succeed…but I will not take chances. The mirror and this journal, and all the most dangerous artifacts will be hidden, somewhere safe, somewhere she will not know of.

Be safe, my daughter, and know that as long as the stars shine, my love for you remains.

Now, I must complete my work, and see this well hidden…for The Daybreaker comes.

With all my love,

Mother

“The Daybreaker…? What…” Sunset shook her head. “All these messages, some for me, some for ponies I don't know…” By now, the messages were appearing and disappearing too fast to read.

Rarity frowned. “It's almost as though…different Equestrias are connecting to your book somehow. Is…that possible?”

“Not normally, but to be fair, magic governing things like time and the fabric of reality…are a bit restricted. For a reason. The portal is kinda a state secret I found out by snooping where I shouldn't have…” Sunset growled. “And this is the worst possible time for this!”

“SUNSET SHIMMER!”

They turned towards the frantic cry, and saw one of the middle schoolers crashing to her knees at the top of the stairs. “You have to come quickly! I think the Crystal Prep students figured out that Princess Twilight is undercover as one of them. One of them grabbed her and was hurting her and now they have her surrounded and won’t let her leave! And she said had something super important to talk to you about!”

It took all of five seconds for her to realize that the girl had seen Sparky, not Twi, and that Sparky was in even more danger than she thought. She thrust the book and her bag at Fluttershy, cramming her emotions around Equestria, around Princess Celestia, about all of it down into a tiny box in the back of her mind. I can't do this…not now. Maybe not ever… “Put…put it in my locker…please. Leave the book open on the top shelf to avoid drawing attention…I just…Whatever is going on Equestria or the book has to wait. We can't deal with it now. People…Twilight…is in danger…and that has to come first. Our duty to the school…has to be our priority.”

Tossing her mane back and squaring her shoulders, she pivoted towards the girl who'd come to warn them. “You did a great job warning me…take me to her.” Her voice was firm and unwavering and a part of her winced at how much it sounded like her old bossy self. Sunset had no want to go back to being that mare again, for any reason…but as she looked at the girl’s face, expecting to see fear or discomfort like was common a year ago, instead, she saw something quite different.

It was relief, the kind she had seen on the faces of ponies who had a problem that the princess had to step up and help solve. Ponies who looked on the princess as leader, role model, and guide in their darkest hours. Sunset swallowed hard; she had spent years wanting ponies to look at her that way, had tried hard to emulate Celestia so she would be worthy of being Celestia’s daughter…It was something she had completely given up on after her experience with the Crown of Magic.

Yet, here, now, she was on the receiving end of that look, and as her eyes flitted around the hall, she saw it on other faces that weren’t the girls. The students didn't just trust her to protect them from magic…they saw her as a leader, someone who had their interests at heart, and trusted her to do what was necessary to keep them happy and safe. Deep inside, the part of her that always saw herself as the Daughter of the Sun stretched its proverbial wings, waking from a long time asleep in the depths of her psyche. If that was how they looked to her, then she would take her cue from Celestia—both of them—and assume the mantle for as long as she had to to keep everyone safe.

They needed Sunset Shimmer to be the Daughter of the Sun…and for them, the students who had every reason to hate her forever but had instead rallied behind her, she would. They had given her their trust and loyalty, and she would not let them down.

Meeting the girl’s eyes, she nodded, and the girl immediately sped back down the stairs, back towards where Twilight had been.

Sunset Shimmer, now a very different kind of leader at Canterlot High, was fast on her heels.

Her arm hurt—Twilight was certain that she’d have a handprint shaped bruise in a few hours from where she’d tried to get out of Sugarcoat’s grip. The slight girl who was even shorter than herself had a grip like iron, and pulled her along forcefully, unimpressed with Twilight and Indigo’s actions. By this point the athlete was being restrained by a group of boys Twilight thought might have been on one of the sports teams, all bulky, brawny, muscular seniors. They hemmed her in, moving a strange sort of blank eyed, emotionless lockstep…something that seemed to be true of a good portion of the crowd of students around them.

Once again trying to twist free, Twilight found herself biting back a cry—not that it would have mattered if she had. Somehow, she was incapable of making any sound at all. It was as though something had rendered her vocal chords unable to utter even the tiniest of noises, let alone speech.

Sugarcoat sighed. “Seriously?” she stated flatly. “It didn't work the other nine times. Why do you keep trying? You of all humans should know the definition of insanity is attempting the same thing over and expecting different results. You need to just accept that you aren't going anywhere and stop fighting.”

Twilight glared at the girl, despite the ice in her guts. She remembered Sunset’s lessons, and one stood out. They had been discussing strategy and superior foes.

“Never surrender, Sparky. Never give in, thinking they will stop. Bide time if you have to, maneuver, look for your opportunity, but don't give up. The instant you give up, is the instant you lose all agency, and they can do anything they want and feel like they have that right. Even if you go down fighting, make them pay for every inch.” Sunset’s eyes had gone distant, and at the time, Twilight wondered what the bullies of her past had done. Now, she wondered if it had been the bullies…or Sunset herself.

Steeling herself despite the trembling in her knees, she lifted her chin defiantly and did something she’d seen only in movies. She spat at Sugarcoat—it was ineffective, since Twilight wasn't exactly one who had practiced hitting a ranged target with saliva, but it still made her point.

“Suit yourself.” Sugarcoat went back to dragging her along in the middle of the pack of students, heading…somewhere. The dark haired girl wasn't sure where.

From behind them, something rippled through the crowd of Canterlot High students. It was a strange hush, a respectful quiet as though the mass of teenagers was holding their collective breath. And then Twilight heard it…the question, seemingly innocent, from Sour Sweet. “Oh my…Suri…isn't that the girl that the princess went off with? I’d recognize looks like that anywhere!” She breathed under her breath, “Biker dyke street rat…”

“Mmm…I think you’re right,” Twilight’s bully purred in utter delight. “I think I’m going to have a little word with Princess Sparkle’s ugly rug-muncher.”

Sunset? Twilight fought to see through the crowd.

“This should prove interesting,” Sugarcoat said, and made a gesture. “Make a hole. I want to watch this.”

The first glimpse of Sunset in a week made Twilight’s heart jump, and she felt tears gathering in her eyes, wanting Sunset to spot her and help her get away from the crowd. Her girlfriend was striding forward, head high and shoulders back with a commanding presence that rolled off her. She was flanked by two of her friends—Rainbow Dash, and the one with the Stetson and boots who looked like she bent iron bars into pretzels for fun. Applejack? That sounded right.

“Well well well, if it isn't little dorky Princess Sparkle’s dyke friend…should have known you went to a hole like this.”

Sunset let her gaze rove over the Crystal Prep Student who was now blocking her way. What she saw did not impress her—the girl was about four inches shorter than her, and slightly on the plump side, but in the way that said she fought a battle with her weight—she’d seen it a time or two, when Rarity had pointed it out in magazines and stores, trying to bring the former unicorn up to speed on some human cultural things she had missed learning about. Her hair was a dull shade of purple held back by a hairband, and her skin a somewhat unpleasant shade of pink that clashed with the colors of her uniform….not to mention the top was a size too small.

The ugly sneer on her face didn't help her looks any. “Hellooo,” she said, when Sunset’s inspection meant she didn't immediately respond. “Did you even hear me?”

Arching one eyebrow, Sunset leaned back slightly on her heels. “Oh, I heard you.” Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for Twilight, only half paying attention to the girl who had seemed to decide Sunset was a target.

“Well, it's rude to ignore someone talking to you, mmkay? Do you have any idea who I am?”

The nasally tone gave the vaguest impression that the speaker was attempting to sound intimidating, but from where she was sitting, it was whiny and overly impressed with her own self importance. “You act as though I should care in the slightest,” she responded, voice cool and dispassionate, for all that her temper and the voice in her head demanded she just stomp this interruption into the tiles with her own hooves. Boots. Whatever. “Now, you are in my way, and I’m too busy to deal with a whiny brat high on the scent of her own manure. I’m only going to tell you once: get out of my way.”

Before the girl could open her mouth, Rarity’s voice approached from behind Sunset. “Why Suri Polomare, is that you?” She paused next to Applejack, pointedly looping an arm with the amazonian farmer, and smiled winningly. “What on earth are you still doing at Crystal Prep, darling? I would have thought you would have graduated ages ago.”

Suri—and now Sunset recognized who this must be, because Twilight had complained about her—gave Rarity a somewhat dismissive once over. “Rarity Belle,” she said with false friendliness.

“Suri here was a fellow camper, a few years above Applejack and I when we went to a girl scout camp in fourth grade,” Rarity told Sunset, never losing the warm smile and ladylike demeanor. “Quite an invigorating two weeks that was.” Her blue eyes drifted to her suddenly glowering partner. “You remember that, don't you, dearest?”

“Ah sure as shit do,” AJ said firmly. “Ah seem ta remember she was a bully then too, picking on you and Ra-Ra til ya both wanted ta go home early.” Her lips curled up into a faint smile at the corners. “Ah beat her ass one night behind the toilets, told her ta stay away from mah best friend and new friend, or Ah wouldn’t stop the thrashin’ next time.”

Sunset just looked Suri over again, and resisted the voice telling her, —If you aren't going to smack her, horn-head, let Applejack have a turn. She looks like a pissed off thunderwyrm with a toothache.—

Instead, the former bully leaned in really close to Suri, as if inspecting her much more thoroughly; it was satisfying to see how Suri took a step back, looking more than a little uncomfortable. “Hmm,” she mused. “I wasn't sure what I was expecting from the girl who likes bullying my best friend, but I have to admit it wasn’t something quite so…disappointing. I’ll have to tell her that a washed up, miserable, lonely person whose only method for coping with how much she hates herself is to pick on someone who is too nice to hurt her feelings…is not really even worth noticing.” Her eyes hardened, boring into Suri’s. “Because you're not. You are an annoyance, like a horsefly that irritates, but can’t do any actual damage and is easily squashed. Twilight is a hundred times the person you will ever be, and in ten years, when you're still struggling to make people care you exist, she’ll be a household name for changing the world.”

She could see those eyes widening a fraction as she cut right to the heart of the older girl’s insecurities and laid them bare in a precise, surgical tone. It felt cruel, but another part of her remembered her own bullying, and how she had needed to have the lies stripped away. “You are a bully, Polomare,” she pointed out. “You hurt others to avoid the problem…and the problem is you. You have done nothing worth noticing or remembering. Once Twilight no longer has to see you, in a few months, she won't think of you at all—and that kills you inside. You want people to notice you. To care about the fact that you exist, draw breath, and have thoughts and ideas of your own. Doing what you’ve been? It won’t. Instead, be someone worth knowing. Find something you're actually good at—as a bully, you're mediocre and trite. Find a skill, a hobby, anything, that you excel at, and do that. Push your limits in that skill, learn new things, teach others. Be someone that actually matters.”

Sunset straightened. “Or don't. In the end, I don't really care, because after today, I don’t think it's going to matter in the slightest. Twilight will never have to look at you again. Now be so kind as to go find somewhere out of the way to process that, because I have a best friend to track down.”

Her magic had been building as she spoke, remembering with crystal clarity her own fall at the hands of the girls, of that white space that stood outside of time—or maybe inside her soul—and that dry voice that had told her to know herself, to see what she had become the way others saw her, and as she held Suri’s faltering, unsure gaze, she pushed that same feeling into her magic out of some instinct. See yourself as others do, Suri, she pleaded in a mental whisper. Know yourself for who you really are…before it's too late.

The hall was silent, as if everyone was afraid to breathe, and in that silence, her magic obeyed, a small flicker of it lancing out like an arrow to hit the girl standing in front of her. Brown eyes finally looked away, looked down, and Suri crumpled to her knees. “I-I…oh god…” the bully whispered, wrapping arms around herself, face gone pale and eyes brimming with sudden tears as they stared at nothing.

She could feel the silence break with Suri’s utterance, and her sensitive ears caught the approving murmur from the Canterlot High students at her back. The Crystal Prep students were a mix between shocked and angry, and as she scanned them, she finally spotted the girl her soul had been screaming at her to find.

Twilight was there, purple eyes meeting hers with desperation, her arm being held in a white knuckled grip by a girl with pigtails and glasses. As Sunset looked her over for damage, Twilight tried to wrench herself free like she wanted to run towards Sunset, but the girl holding onto her tightened her grip and pulled Twilight closer. One booted foot began to step past Suri Polomare and the two girls who had kneeled to try and talk to her, only for a wall of muscle, bone, and dark magic to block her.

The redheaded teen looked up into the thunderous face of one of the Crystal Prep teachers who had decided that this was the best time to intervene, and that seemed to be his cue to attempt to cow her into compliance. “What is going on here?!” he demanded, voice raised. “What did you do, you little delinquent?!”

“Told her the truth,” Sunset responded tightly, “after she came up to me to start some kind of fight.” She attempted to side step him to continue to Twilight, and saw the hole in the crowd of Crystal Prep students was closing fast. “And maybe you should be more concerned with your students physically restraining each other with physical force than the fact that a bully is busy revisiting her life choices.”

He barely glanced over his shoulder, even as he stuck his arm out to prevent her progress. “What I see is a bullying troublemaker right in front of me trying to assault members of Crystal Prep’s Friendship Games team in some desperate attempt to gain an edge in a competition that your school has already lost. My students are simply protecting their most vulnerable teammates from your poor behavior.” Dark, beady eyes met hers. “I think this needs to be brought up to your principal. What is your name?”

This again? Sunset rolled her eyes. She reached through the annals of Equestrian history and plucked out the name of a famous mare at random. “Gusty the Great,” she deadpanned. “What’s yours, so I can tell my friend’s parents who to have arrested for accessory to assault and battery of their daughter?”

“If anyone is going to be carted out of here in handcuffs, little girl, it's going to be you. Now tell me your name!” He loomed over her, a towering figure with red skin and bright silver hair.

Sunset could feel the rising tension, and not just her own. An ugly, dangerous murmur was rising from her classmates, and she could tell several of them were on the verge of…helping.

And then Flash called from somewhere in the crowd. “That's Princess Leia and our stand-in Chewbacca. So does that make you the fat frog or the old guy who looked like the ass of a hairless cat?”

“Naw man,” called Brawly, getting in on things. “He’s not important enough to be the big bad! He’s like…a discount minion angling for a promotion!”

Soon suggestions were flying from all over, names of fictional characters and pop culture references clogging the air from her classmates. The man was a very unhealthy plum shade by now, and he bellowed at all of them, “YOU WILL BE SILENT!”

“Why?” Sunset countered, crossing her arms. “You're not our teacher, and you're yelling at me for something your student did, and now you're mad because no one at my school is interested in letting you. Why should they be silent against someone abusing their power?” She arched a brow, considering the situation. “Well, trying to, anyways, while simultaneously ignoring the actual crime going on against someone who is supposed to be your responsibility to protect.” She scowled at him, anger growing more and more by the second. “I can't say as I’m surprised—if I’ve learned anything in the last few months, it's that Crystal Prep is full of bullies and bad people, who only care about themselves.”

The dark magic oozing off him was plain to her senses, and strong. He was a source—maybe not the only source, but one of them, and her magic pulsed around her, invisible fire starting to eat away at the toxic energy before her. She could see him seething and that dark power rose in a wave that washed over her like oil…and was burned away by the magic emanating from Sunset and her cluster of friends. What little hit the other students was repulsed by the girls’ magic, hemmed in and flushed back towards the group from Crystal Prep. “Unlike you, I’ve learned my lesson about having power—that it's nothing if you don't use it for the right reasons. So call whoever you want on me, I don't care. I’m going to do what’s right and stop your students from hurting my friend.”

With that said, Sunset pushed past him, heading for where she knew Twilight still was. She had to get to her, and soon, because she wanted to get the other girl to safety before everything blew up…and right now, the situation was an unstable spell matrix one spark of power away from exploding on her. Sparky, she decided. I don't care if you're still angry at me, I’m getting you out of here however I have to. If it means you hate me after…that's okay.

What the redhead had not counted on was the Crystal Prep teacher’s reaction. As she moved by him, his face, still purple with fury, twisted into a nasty expression. “I refuse to be ignored,” he hissed, “by the gutter-born flesh suit for a delusional deamhain with a desire to be a leanan sidhe!” His hand, with dark power wreathed around it, pulsing with hungry eagerness, grabbed her, feeling like a thousand acid covered knives being driven into her flesh. “You will be lucky if you're allowed to lick my boots when He has finished with you!”

Sunset bit down on the pain, refusing to cry out, as time slowed to a crawl. Her magic responded to the invasion, tearing into the dark, warped energy with extreme prejudice, burning it back and out of her before turning the surprise attack into a battle of mind and magic between two powerful individuals. This…whatever he was…had a lot of magic for something in this world. The reservoir in him was deep and poisonous, and his command of his power, for all his blustering and intimidation, was precise and calculated. It reminded her of how the experienced unicorns in the Guard sparred, each attack delivered to gain the maximum effect from minimum cost. All executed by ponies who had trained and drilled for hours, for years, at using their magic in exactly that fashion, masters of their own artform.

Because of that, she was forced to delve into some of her more esoteric studies as a magical prodigy to counter him. For all her ability to boast as the youngest certified Magus to come out of CSGU, her specialty had never been combative magic of any kind—abjuration was one of her worst areas, and all her engagements with other ponies prodding too deeply into her magic had ended…explosively. Her counters now were creative solutions, things barely meant for what she was doing, fighting against her human body’s limitations to twist the magic in her veins into primitive spellforms or an invisible burning lash that seared the power sent at her. More than ever, she wished she had her real body, one where she could actually channel the vast store of thaumic power inside her into real spells—as a unicorn, she could have overcome him with sheer power, instead of in a defensive stalemate.

In that space where time had slowed to a crawl, she could feel sweat on her brow, but she couldn't break away. Could not retreat. There was no one else that could handle a magical battle like this—for all her friends powers, the Elements were a showy, very very tailored set of powers, and none of them except maybe Rarity, had shown any inclination towards the more deft mental end of the arcane arts…and none of them had the training. They were apprentices, in their first year of being under Sunset’s tutelage…and throwing them into the manticore’s mouth in a hallway packed with students who had no magic to defend themselves would have been an unmitigated disaster. Sunset had to hold the line and find a way to stop him, before someone got hurt or this kicked off the free-for-all between both sides that was brewing.

Then she realized there was something moving at normal speed in a world where time felt like it had stopped. A blur of color and a voice that came through clear body-checked into the man holding Sunset. “Get your hands off my friend!” Rainbow yelled, and in that moment her magic blazed like both a thunderbolt and a lightning rod, drawing in magic from the rest of the girls and pouring raw, furious Harmonic energy into Sunset’s opponent.

Inside that shirtsleeve, something gave a gruesome wet sounding SNAP, and her nostrils picked up a strange scent like wet earth and mold. It was enough to break his assault, and Sunset forced herself to act despite the shocked surprise at what Dash had done. Her magic poured into him, burning as much as she could without destroying him, stripping away the excess power to prevent another attack, even as she followed through with the physical reaction of bringing him to the ground. The redhead twisted his good arm behind him and pressed her one knee into the small of his back.

Sunset leaned forward, pressing his face into the tile as time finally moved at normal speed again. He made a sound of pain, his voice rough and wheezy. “…how?” came the weak demand.

She spoke quietly, her voice intense—Sunset knew very well what he was asking, because she, in the moment of her fall, had asked the same question, and craved the same answer about something she could never have understood at the time…but just like Princess Twilight, she gave him an answer…albeit, one that was less friendship speech and did not show too much of their hand. They still had the rest of their opposition to deal with, after all. “Because you are not a threat to us,” she told him. “You are a problem to be solved, something that upsets the Harmony of this world and does not belong. We know all too well what power you have, what you think is going to make your victory absolute…but you will fail. That power will abandon you in the worst moment, and you will end up less than nothing. Whatever you have planned today? It doesn't matter—by coming here, threatening my school and my friends, you have ensured that we will do everything and anything in our power to stop you.”

He stilled, and the former unicorn was concerned he was gearing up for another assault or to attempt to break her hold. Not that he would have gotten far—beside her, Applejack had joined Dash in looming over her and the Crystal Prep teacher, and the faint orange glow and extra foot or so of blonde braid told her AJ was ready to turn the guy into a pretzel if he moved wrong.

“Mr. Silverthorn!”

Sunset went tense, looking up to see that Principal Celestia had arrived with Abacus Cinch. Without thinking, Celestia asked, “Sunset, what is going on here?”

Cinch’s eyes gleamed and Sunset cursed internally, but Rarity stepped in smoothly, eyeing Abacus Cinch with a disdainful, appraising stare before addressing Principal Celestia. “There was a verbal altercation started by a Crystal Prep student that did not end the way she desired,” she said primly, gesturing to where Suri had been coaxed to sit, leaning against the lockers with one of her posse on either side of her. “Upon that dismissal, this…Mr. Silverthorn, you said? He accosted us quite aggressively, and when he did not like the answers he received, he got physical in a way I must protest.” Blue eyes cut to Cinch, Rarity’s mouth twisting into the kind of expression that she probably would have used upon finding a decomposing animal on the floor of a ballroom. “It was highly inappropriate, grabbing a female student physically in such a manner, particularly with the comments he made about her social status and what he felt she was suited for. Had Rainbow not acted quite so swiftly I would have stepped in myself.”

The principal of CPA frowned, and that snakelike gaze slid to the man on the floor. “You have been warned about your behavior, Mr. Silverthorn. You are no longer serving at an institution that caters to the educational reform of aggressive juvenile delinquents, and such behavior has now gotten away from you.” She moved her focus to Sunset. “If you would release him…he will be taken back to the buses, where he can wait until I have time to…deal…with him.” The black look given her subordinate spoke to how dire those consequences would likely be, and she snapped her fingers.

Reluctantly, Sunset let him go, standing up with her friends. The man dubbed ‘Mr. Silverthorn’ rose slowly, his shoulders slumped and the arm Rainbow had hit was limp and tucked close to his body. He looked around, at Sunset and her friends, then at Cinch…and then he started to laugh. It began as a low, rough chuckle, but escalated quickly into a ragged laugh. “Itheadair-Anam, tá deireadh curtha agat linn go léir! Tá muid le dearmad deannaigh mar gheall ort!” he declared, as two of his startled looking coworkers manhandled him by the shoulders and arm to take him outside. He fought them for long enough to point at Cinch, his laughter mocking. “Mallacht ort, a Itheadair, agus mallacht an Deamhain Rí na Scáth! Glacfaidh sí a Choróin agus a Ríocht, go léir ar son na ndaoine seo a d'éiligh sí!” He managed a half bow, like some kind of theater performer right as they grabbed him again, and called out, “Beannachtaí do Thiarna deiridh na Sidhe, Mór na n-Amadán!”

Crystal Prep’s principal watched him go, her face twisting momentarily into an expression that could curdle milk. Then the mask fell back into place, smoothed over and she exhaled. “I regret that I must offer…an apology for Mr. Silverthorn’s insults and actions as his superior,” she said in a strained voice, “for while they…were not sanctioned, he was still under my aegis, and his choices in the last few minutes reflect poorly on Crystal Prep.”

“If you really want to apologize,” Sunset growled back, “you can stop your students from holding Twilight Sparkle against her will! Have them let her go! They're hurting her!” It was an opportunity she could not pass up.

Those eyes flashed again. “Are they now? That simply will not do.” Cinch turned towards the mass of students in Crystal Prep uniforms, and her hand twitched imperiously. “You heard the girl. Release Twilight Sparkle at once. Miss Sparkle. Come here.”

Twilight crept forward as the sea of students parted away from Cinch’s annoyance. She was rubbing her arm and her breathing was coming in short, fast bursts, like she was trying to avoid the world’s worst panic attack. Sunset met her eyes and saw nothing but anxious fear there, and her heart, already a collection of shards in her chest, fragmented further. Oh, Sparky… her mind despaired.

—We’re not out of the hydra infested swamp yet, horn-head. Focus on our enemy!— the voice warned her.

Blue-green eyes moved to Abacus Cinch, and there was something…calculating there. “Given the circumstances, I trust that we can move forwards towards resolving this particular point of friction between us. Miss Sparkle is free from their handling, and I can assure you that those responsible for such insult and…harm…to yourself and those you have…claimed…connection to…will be receiving further discipline after the Friendship Games conclude. Does this satisfy your honor?”

Magic pulsed, tugging on Sunset’s psyche and soul from within. She found herself wanting to agree, despite the fact that Twilight was still in danger.

—You don't have a choice, horn-head. She offered to apologize, and you set the terms. The terms were met, to the letter, by her. No more. No less. That's how it works. You can't twist out of it—the consequences of trying could be dire.— Her inner demon growled. —You have to accept her apology, but take care how you word it! Promise nothing!—

Right. The voice seemed to have a better understanding here than her, and it was better to be cautious. She dug deep, remembering times when Princess Celestia gave non-answers.

“It is refreshing to know that some people from Crystal Prep are capable of admitting when a mistake has been made,” Sunset responded, head high and shoulders back, further cloaking herself in the persona she had developed as Celestia’s student and Daughter of the Sun in her own mind. Her eyes never moved from the woman’s, her magic flaring with the touch of Fluttershy’s hand on her back and her friends close by. Harmonic power pressed the dark aura back, until the hallway was clear of its taint beyond the sources of it. “In this instance, I consider the matter of Mr. Silverthorn’s words and actions against my person to be dealt with.” She let her lips quirk ever so slightly into a smile the princess would have been proud of. “Your apology is…appreciated…”

—Itheadair-Anam. In all that overblown ass’ babble, he spoke Cinch’s Name! Use it!—

It couldn't hurt. “…Itheadair-Anam, was it?” Sunset was careful to give the words as close to the same pronunciation as she could. She could not understand this fixation on names, but…in a situation like this, every advantage counted.

Cinch’s facial muscles twitched, and the look in her eyes changed. Calculation was replaced by…resignation? That didn't make any sense to the former unicorn, but she was dealing in unknowns here. “Very well then,” she said, bringing her hand up to settle on Twilight’s back, at the base of her neck. “As Miss Sparkle seems to have nothing to add to this conversation, and the day is moving along at a rapid pace, might I suggest we head into the gymnasium to kick off the Friendship Games?”

Seeing the woman touch Twilight made Sunset go rigid, her magic seething under her skin like a volcano ready to blow. It was everything she could do not to grab Twilight and pull her away physically. Then a comparatively cool hand landed on her shoulder—Principal Celestia, who had joined the girls in giving silent support to the former unicorn. She glanced over at her principal, seeing the same core of steel she remembered in the princess as the woman gave her a slight nod. “I believe,” Principal Celestia said in that calm manner that helped Sunset rein in her rage, “that is a sound idea, ladies.”

Letting her breath out in a slow and steady exhale, Sunset composed herself—her mask had almost slipped, and she knew Abacus Cinch—or whatever her name really was—had seen the fury in her eyes for just a second. And so had Twilight. “Yeah,” she said tightly, hands curling into fists. “The sooner we get this started, the sooner we can end it. I’m tired of waiting.”

There was a barely perceptible flinch from Twilight, and the shards of her heart stabbed into one another savagely. Oh, Sparky, no…not you…I’m so sorry…her mind cried in anguish she refused to let show. I promised I’d protect you, and I’m trying my best. Just hold on a bit longer…

Abacus Cinch inclined her head. “May the most deserving side win the day then,” she murmured, before turning to pass through the crowd of her students to enter the gym, Twilight swept silently up in her wake.

Dash hissed in Sunset’s ear, “What the hell, Shimmer!? You're just going to let her walk away with your girl?! Are you nuts?”

Her jaw clenched. “Look around you, Dash. A crowded hall, packed with students who don't have magic, no room to maneuver. We can't fight here. I made a promise to keep everyone as safe as possible—no matter how much it kills me inside, we have to hold off, time this just right. Up on the stage, we’ll have a better chance. Just…be ready when I give you the signal.”

Then she watched as the girl who meant so much to her disappeared through the gymnasium doors and her sight, hoping desperately that she had made the right call.

Author's Note

Hooo boy. This was one hell of a chapter, wasnt it?

So much to unpack.

First, a translation of the words spoken by Silverthorn, for those that wish to know what he said:

"You have brought an end to us all! We are to be forgotten dust because of you! Curse you, Itheadair-Anam, and curse the Demon King of Shadow! She will take His Crown and His Kingdom, all for these humans she has Claimed!

All Hail the last Lord of the Sidhe, The Greatest of Fools!"

Second, I will freely admit that Silverthorn's moment there, where he laughs was inspired by an amazing scene from the Last Unicorn (which, if you haven't seen, I will ALWAYS recommend. Its a beautiful piece of animation, an amazing story, and how can you go wrong with a piece where Christopher Lee showed up with the book in hand and dictated to the director which dialogue from it was non-negotiable and had to be included?)

Which scene?
This scene: Specifically the bit with Mabruk.

I have to admit, I loved the bit towards the beginning, where Cinch gives the big speech on the bus. It was a delightful inversion of a common trope--the "Rousing Speech" given to the "heroic characters" before they go up against impossible odds in the eleventh hour. ID4, Star Wars, Braveheart, its in dozens of places, and having it be done by the villains rather than the plucky heroes and rebels...Well. It was fun.

Something seems to be going on with Twilight. I'm sure its nothing important...haha. Or that I haven't basically given it away in previous chapters if you look close.

Right. Now on to the bits I know people are going to be giddy over.

Suri Polomare. A minor character who has made several appearances, and whose presence has more been felt by the impact its had on Twilight's life at school than by her actually being on camera. I know people have been wanting to see her get hers for a while, and here it is. She had a showdown with Canterlot High's former Queen Bitch, and she lost...

But how she lost was more important than her losing.

(Though I will admit, Rarity throwing shade as only a proper lady can was SO MUCH GODDAMNED FUN to write. Done in the absolute style of old southern grace, where "Bless your heart" is effectively calling someone an ignorant dumbass. And AJ, just ignoring that in favor of "Yup, I beat her ass for being a bitch to my friends." Anyone remember Wallflower joking about Suri's nose being crooked? Now you know why.)

There's also a Ra-Ra mention there--and the fact that she wasn't just friends with AJ, but Rarity too! :P I'm sure that one wont come up in the future. Haha.

Lessee. Cadence saw Sunset's eyes do a thing. Luna's words are pretty ominous.

And Mr. Silverthorn. (His name is a book reference, because I can.) Looks like the fae aren't playing games anymore. Shit's getting real. Lucky for Sunset, humans dont believe in fair fights. Or at least, not when death is on the line.

His break with Cinch is....something. Its big. Especially for beings who hold to their words like the fae do...and for one as old as that.

And Cinch....publicly forced to shoulder responsibility for an underling's actions...and offer an apology to their enemy. I wouldnt want to be Silverthorn later. Yikes.

Word to the wise: dont make deals with the fae. Dont promise them anything. Dont give them gifts. Dont accept gifts from them. Theyre a slippery lot.

And Sunset knows Cinch's Name now.

This just keeps getting more interesting, doesnt it?

*rubs paws together.*

I can't wait til next week.