To say that Twilight Sparkle wasn't nervous would be lying, because the teenager was terrified.
Standing in front of the Wondercolt statue (that she'd destroyed, no less), she felt her palms dripping with sweat as her entire body shook. It wasn't just the fact that she was going back to Equestria that scared her, though the idea wasn't exactly pleasant. She'd been turned into a small horse out of a little girl's cartoon once before, and she would willingly admit it hadn't been the best experience of her life. No offense to Sunset or anything, but ponies were just downright bizarre. The way their hooves could bend, and the horn she could constantly feel poking out of her skull, all combined was just too much for Twilight. She supposed it could've been worse--she could've ended up stuck there forever--but she hadn't been eager to try it again.
However, that wasn't the main reason her nerves were failing her at the moment. After all, unless the portal somehow fell apart or something, they'd only be there for a short time. No, that would be due to the reason they were going.
She knew this...she didn't know what to call it, would probably be good for her, considering how long it had been, and the nightmares still hadn't stopped. Sunset had managed to get her to fess up when she'd come to school looking like she hadn't slept just a few times too many, and as a result, her friend had set this little appointment up. Twilight was grateful, and she would say that without shame, but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid.
She stared into the flat, unassuming grey surface, aware of the powerful magic that lay buried within the concrete. Twilight sighed, closing her eyes and tossing her head backwards. Magic. Ever since the Friendship Games, it had become an integral part of her life, for better or worse. It was thanks to magic that she could now levitate objects with her mind. It was thanks to magic that she could now say she'd joined with her best friends to fire powerful rainbow lasers at enemies who threatened innocent lives (cross that one off the bucket list). It was thanks to magic that her dog could talk to her now.
Twilight smiled sadly as she thought of Spike, wishing she'd brought him along for this little escapade. The dog had quite an effect on her, relaxing her and elevating her confidence to levels she'd never reach alone. There was a reason he'd been her only friend going through Crystal Prep. Now that he could talk, their bond seemed that much deeper. But when she'd pitched the idea to Sunset, the former unicorn had actually managed to talk her out of it, claiming that Spike might interfere in some way, like waking her up early, and this was something Twilight needed to face for herself. Twilight saw the logic in that argument, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
She felt a hand kindly rest on her shoulder, and Twilight turned to face Sunset Shimmer, who gave her a sympathetic smile. Twilight felt a brief flash of anger towards her friend. Sure, Sunset wasn't subjecting Twilight to anything she wasn't about to go through herself, but Sunset had grown up around magic. This had to be easier for her in some way. Then Twilight remembered Sunset's personal recounting of her own tribulations, and she felt guilt set in as the anger evaporated.
"You okay?" asked Sunset.
"Not exactly," Twilight admitted, deciding that a lie wouldn't be best for this situation, not to mention the former unicorn would probably see right through it anyway. "I just...I don't know."
"I promise you, Princess Luna knows exactly what to do. Besides, none of us are going to be in any real danger."
Twilight considered responding with 'That's what Cinch told me,' but bit her tongue instead. Sunset was only trying to be helpful, not blackmailing her in order to win some stupid school contest.
"What if I'm not strong enough?" she finally asked. "What if I just can't do it? What if it doesn't help?"
"Then we'll try again when you're sure you're ready," Sunset responded. "And I promise you, there's no shame in being afraid. I'm scared, too, but I'm sure this will help us get better." She looked down at the floor. "And if it doesn't help you...we'll find something else, I promise."
Twilight shivered slightly. Sunset, to her, sometimes seemed unstoppable. She hadn't even flinched in fear when facing down Midnight Sparkle. She'd adjusted remarkably well to living in a completely different universe, something Twilight couldn't see herself doing. She faced down monsters formed from Equestrian magic all the time, and Twilight had never seen an indication of terror present in the other girl. If she was afraid of this, it was serious.
Her emotions must've been written on her face, because Sunset suddenly spoke up. "If...if you really don't want to do this, I won't force you. Nobody will force you."
Twilight knew that. She'd known from the beginning that, even as much as she'd insisted on this, Sunset would never compel her to undergo this. Yet, she was stopped from retreating by the existence of one simple fact: she would know. She would forever be burdened with the knowledge that, when it came time to face what was probably her greatest fear, she had chickened out. And Twilight didn't know how she could live with that.
"Don't worry. I...I'll try," she promised to herself, as well as Sunset.
The fiery-haired girl smiled happily in return. Reaching down, she grasped Twilight's hand with her own, giving her a reassuring squeeze. With one last look between them, the two stepped through the portal.
The dimensional transportation was difficult for Sunset. Sure, she'd been through the portal quite a few times by now, visiting Princess Twilight on multiple occasions, but none of those visits had carried as much apprehension as this one. The flashing lights seemed to overwhelm her senses as she fell through, the dimensional tunnel distorting her body and tossing her to and fro as she passed through. The only solution Sunset could think of was the clamp her eyes shut and hum, cycling through various Rainboom songs she'd helped to write. It calmed her down a bit, and she didn't slam down quite as hard as she could've when she emerged from the mirror.
Stumbling outwards, Sunset wobbled, briefly attempting to balance on her back legs alone, before remembering she was supposed to be a quadruped now, and landing squarely on all four hooves. As faded mirages of the tunnel lights danced before her eyes, Sunset blinked repeatedly, driving them away, and gave her head a quick shake.
She glanced around the room. Princess Twilight's crystal castle was always beautiful to look at, even on the inside. The walls were formed out of flawless crystal, not marred anywhere by dents from crude carving tools. She quietly wished Princess Twilight herself could've been here for this, feeling as though her presence would've calmed Sunset down ever so slightly. Unfortunately, the Princess of Friendship was off on a mission at the moment, and Princess Luna wasn't sure when she could get another free evening. So they'd have to do it without her.
"Ah, Sunset Shimmer. Alternate Twilight Sparkle. I am glad to see you made the journey alright."
Sunset looked towards the source of the voice, not surprised at all to see the midnight blue alicorn standing before her. Princess Luna looked much as she had the last time she'd visited, which was also predictable, all things considered. Sunset started to drop into a low bow, before a blue magical aura surrounded her and lifted her back up.
"There is no need for that, Sunset Shimmer," said Princess Luna. "Today, I stand before you not as a princess, but as your guide."
"Thanks for that," came Twilight's voice. "Because I still haven't figured out entirely how to operate in this body."
Sunset turned to look at her friend. Twilight looked much like Princess Twilight, as expected. If it hadn't been for the glasses, and the fact that this Twilight lacked wings, the two would've been indistinguishable. Currently, Twilight, having much less experience with her pony body, was trying to balance on her hooves without face-planting into the floor. Sunset's kind nature showing itself, she ignited her horn (it was true, you never did forget) and gently pushed Twilight up into a better stance with her magic.
"Thanks," Twilight said again, giving Sunset an appreciative nod.
"You're welcome," said Sunset. She turned back to Princess Luna. "So...I guess we're really doing this, aren't we?"
"I hope you are not getting apprehensive this late in the game, Sunset," replied Luna, though her smile betrayed the fact that she was just making a joke.
Sunset put on a smile to appease her. If she was being honest, Sunset had been nervous about doing this from the beginning, even as she herself had suggested it to Twilight. Sure, she'd gone through the process of recovery, buried the dark parts away in the closet where they couldn't hurt her, but the prospect of digging them up and looking them directly in the eye...suffice to say, she hadn't been lying when she told Twilight she was afraid as well. Sunset swallowed, trying to project an aura of confidence to the others.
"I'm ready to go through with it," she stated, keeping her voice as level as possible. "We need to be asleep to get started, don't we?"
"Indeed," replied Luna, activating her horn. She levitated over two large, comfortable beds, along with a pair of glasses, containing a white liquid. "We predicated that you might have trouble falling into slumber on command, so Princess Twilight and Zecora were kind enough to prepare a sleeping potion. Do no be concerned, there are no side effects. It will simply place you in a state of unconsciousness for a lengthy period of time. Once you have entered the realm of dreams, I will activate the spell. From there, the rest is up to you."
"Uh, quick question," chimed in Twilight, sticking one hoof into the air. "Will we have any contact with each other? Like will we have connected dreams or anything like that?"
Luna shook her head. "I will not create a joint dream between you two. After much deliberation, I decided that doing so could cause much more harm than good. Your interference in each other's dreams could stunt the healing process, and I believe that private thoughts might be broadcast that you may not wish to be known, even to each other. The process is just too personal for you two to perform together."
Sunset felt her stomach sink a little bit more as she realized she would truly be alone to face her nightmares. At the same time, she could see the logic in Luna's plan. There were thoughts she definitely didn't want Twilight to get into, and she guessed that her friend was in the same situation. It wasn't that they didn't trust each other, it was simply nature. Nobody--or nopony--ever told their friends every single thought they ever had.
Twilight shivered a little, but she nonetheless took the glass in her hooves, climbing into one of the beds. Sunset took the other.
"Well, here's to healing, I guess," said Twilight, before attempting to tilt the glass backwards towards her mouth. Unfortunately for her, her inexperience with her pony limbs kicked in, and she couldn't get into a position where she wouldn't pour the liquid all over herself.
"Here, let me," prompted Sunset, levitating the glass. She tipped it backwards slowly, to the point where the rim grazed Twilight's mouth. The purple unicorn drank the potion in a couple of sips, before leaning backwards, allowing her head to come to a rest on the pillows.
"I think I can feel it working already..." she mumbled, as her eyelids slowly dropped down in front of her eyes. In seconds, Twilight was snoring away.
Sunset looked down at the peacefully sleeping unicorn, a small smile gracing her face.
"My past is not today," Sunset, affirmed to herself, before swallowing her own potion. Soon, she had joined Twilight in the throes of sleep.
Luna watched the sleeping ponies for a minute, before her horn ignited with blue light.
It was time.
Twilight found herself in her childhood bedroom, just the way she remembered it. Her work desk, piled with books she'd meticulously sorted. Her computer sat quietly by itself, turned off. Her bed, neatly made as always. Spike's food dish sat in one corner, but the dog himself was nowhere in sight. Twilight wasn't surprised at that. Where she was right now was no place for Spike, even an imaginary version of him. She glanced out the window, unsurprised to see what looked like the depths of space. This wasn't the real world, after all.
"Well, hello there, cutie!" came a cackling voice.
Twilight's blood turned to ice where she stood. Slowly, she turned on her heel, finding the exact figure she'd been expecting all this time. She looked exactly the same as she had that day. The same dress, the same raven wings, the same jagged horn of pure magic emerging from her skull, and of course, that manic gleam always present in her eyes.
For the first few seconds, the girls simply stared each other down, Twilight's head dripping with sweat as she saw pure, insane glee reflected in her opponent's face (she was an opponent, of course). Neither seemed willing to break the silence, Twilight out of fear, her opposing force getting some perverse pleasure out of watching her squirm. Finally, Twilight worked up the courage to speak.
"Midnight," she said with a swallow. "You look well."
Midnight Sparkle chuckled to herself, as she calmly did the backstroke in midair. "Well, it's not like I've been up to anything unsavory lately!" she laughed, "considering that I'm trapped here, in the depths of your brain. But don't worry, Twily, I forgive you."
Twilight clenched both fists. "Don't call me that," she snapped. "You're not my brother, or my friend. You don't get to call me cutesy nicknames."
Midnight Sparkle's aura of crazed joy seemed to crack a little, as the smile faded from her face. She floated over so she was almost nose-to-nose with Twilight, and it took all of the girl's willpower not to turn away.
"Hmph. You're no fun," Midnight complained. She drifted away from Twilight, leaning against the back wall. "You don't have to be so rude, you know. All I ever did was try to fulfill your desire to understand magic. You're welcome, by the way."
"Welcome?! For you tearing holes in the fabric of reality?! For putting innocent people in danger?! I never wanted that and you know it!" Twilight felt her anger surging through her system, clenching her fists so hard that her fingernails dug into her palms, drawing blood. She didn't care. This was a dream, after all.
Midnight Sparkle snarled in response, flaring her magical aura, her wings spread as far as physically possible. Twilight wasn't intimidated. Her anger was too great to allow her to back down.
"I wouldn't test my patience, if I were you," Midnight spat. Bolts of purple electricity began to arc around her body, dancing between her fingers, as she stared down her counterpart.
Twilight took a deep breath. This wasn't getting her anywhere. Anger would only feed Midnight, make her more volatile. She needed a new approach. A way to try and actually communicate with this entity, as insane as that sounded.
"We both need to calm down," Twilight stated. "Come on, have a seat." She snapped her fingers, summoning a pair of chairs behind herself and Midnight. She activated her geode, telekinetically pushing Midnight into the chair. Twilight followed suit, sitting down herself.
"What-?! How...?!" Midnight protested.
"We're inside my mind," Twilight reminded her. "I have all the power here. Besides, you're basically just a memory."
Midnight pouted. "A memory? Is that really all you think of me? Your dreams beg to differ."
Twilight flinched, but not in surprise. If Midnight was part of her, it made sense that Midnight could recall her own memories and dreams. No, she was flinching at the memories of those nightmares, where Midnight regained control of their shared body, and tore apart the universe in pursuit of power and knowledge. It wasn't something that could happen, as long as she trusted in her friendships with the others, but that didn't mean they couldn't affect her.
Forcing her mind to return to the topic at hand, Twilight spoke, "Look, I suppose I should cut you a little bit of slack. Relatively, you were 'born' less than a year ago, and it seems to me that your brain isn't fully developed."
"Hey!" Midnight shouted. "Are you calling me an idiot?!"
"Stop putting words in my mouth," Twilight answered, calmly but firmly. "Look at yourself. Your goal is to understand magic, but the best way you could think of to go about that was to tear holes in reality, nearly ripping our home dimension apart and spilling it into Equestria. You weren't even really paying attention to exactly what your powers could do, you just caused chaos. You've been in my head, so you know that wasn't what I wanted. Are you with me so far?"
Midnight grudgingly nodded, looking more annoyed than anything, but she didn't interrupt.
"Right. Now, if you truly are a part of me, obviously, I can't destroy you. However, if you're going to live inside my head, we need to establish a few ground rules."
Twilight hoped Midnight wouldn't notice that she was talking faster than normal in an attempt to keep herself calm. The truth was, Twilight was still terrified of Midnight, and what she would do if she ever managed to regain control. Speaking this way, disciplining Midnight like a bratty child, seemed the best way to keep her from going berserk. So far, it was working, though Midnight clearly wasn't happy about it.
"Now, if you really want to learn about magic, there's research that Sunset and I are working on. I know you have access to it in our head. If it's knowledge that you want, I'd say you're getting a lot of it already."
"But research is boring!" Midnight complained, leaning backwards in her chair and rolling her eyes. "Whatever happened to studying things the practical way, you know? Blasting stuff to see what happens?"
Twilight groaned, quietly wondering exactly how her own mind had managed to spawn someone like this.
"You know a lot of our experiments involve examining the effects of our geodes, right?"
"Yeah, but where's the flashy stuff? Where's the power we could wield? You saw how strong we were at the Friendship Games! Why not rebuild your device and—"
"You know we couldn't control it," Twilight cut her off. "Besides, taking in that much magic could distort me and let you take control again. You know exactly why I won't allow that."
"I'm not seeing a downside," grumbled Midnight.
Twilight slapped her own forehead in exasperation. "See, this is why I put you in here! Because you don't care about anybody or anything but yourself. You want nothing but the chance to destroy everything, so that you can somehow learn about magic from it. Even if you were born from my curiosity, that's no excuse. You should know better!"
"Oh, I only care about me?!" snapped Midnight. "You know, I would've taken out Cinch for you back at the Friendship Games if Buzzkill Shimmer hadn't interrupted. What do you say to that?"
"You're not listening!" shouted Twilight. "I don't want Cinch dead, even if I do hate her guts! You deal with problems the way a little kid would! You're immature, you don't think things through, you stupid—!"
Twilight shouted in fury, rubbing both eyes with her hands. This was driving her insane. Midnight just refused to listen to logic or any kind of reason. Some deep part of Twilight that she refused to acknowledge had been hoping that, if she had to live with an evil magical demon inside her brain, they could at least come to some sort of understanding. However, said demon turned out to be completely unhinged, meaning the effort was doomed from the start. Twilight mentally kicked herself for not seeing this coming. She'd hoped that, by talking Midnight down, maybe they'd come to some sort of agreement, and Twilight could finally stop having those nightmares. Right now, that dream seemed more and more like an impossibility.
"You don't get it," Midnight growled, her hands glowing with pure magic. "I'm a part of you, Sparkle! I'll always be here, no matter how much you wish me away! Someday, you'll come crawling back to me, begging—"
"Shut up," Twilight cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Just. Shut. Up."
A roll of duct tape appeared out of nowhere, unrolling itself and slapping the end over Midnight's mouth. The roll spun around the magical being, wrapping up her arms, legs, and wings, before leaving her as a duct tape mummy, silent and immobile.
"You're never going to get control back, so stop thinking about it," Twilight declared. "You're going to stay in here, until you learn to grow up. Good-bye, Midnight."
With another few gestures, Twilight opened the door to the closet, shoved Midnight inside, and slammed it shut. Then she sat down on the chair again, taking several deep breaths, relieved that she'd had the guts to actually pull that off. Then, the full realization kicked in, and Twilight buried her face in her hands.
Sunset didn't know what she'd been expecting. As she opened her eyes, she found herself back in her human body, standing in front of the portal to Equestria, right beside Canterlot High. The front of the school had been reduced to a heap of rubble yet again, and Sunset didn't think she'd be winning any prizes for guessing who was responsible for that. She swallowed nervously, looking around the area, searching for her target.
As if on cue, a ring of flame burst to life beneath her feet, and Sunset jumped back. The concrete dissolved in the midst of the fire, and from the black hole that remained, a pale red claw emerged, quickly followed by a second. The claws tensed as they pulled, and from the burning pit popped a fearsomely familiar face.
"Hello, Sunset!" cackled her demon form, climbing all the way out to stand beside her counterpart.
Sunset steeled herself not to turn around and run, or even flinch. Her teeth clamped down on her tongue to stop herself from crying out. She'd been preparing for this reunion for weeks, she wasn't about to fail now.
The demonic beast spread her bright crimson wings, lifting her body up, yet keeping her head level with Sunset's. "Hmm," she muttered, dragging one talon across her fangs. "Don't look too different, I must admit. I was expecting you'd have lost a lot of weight by this point."
"Are you trying to call me fat?" Sunset asked, with a roll of her eyes. They'd barely started, and already, insults were being thrown. Not a promising beginning.
"Eh, that doesn't matter," responded Demon Shimmer. "The point is, you finally came back to me! Now we can finally figure out a way to take down Twilight Sparkle and those morons she calls friends—"
SMACK!
The entire area reverberated with the sound of Sunset's fist colliding with Demon Shimmer's jaw. The demon actually stumbled back in midair, clutching her face with one claw, bright green eyes staring in shock at the girl. Sunset, for her part, kept her breathing level, even as she internally seethed with fury. She was determined not to show any emotions that could be used against her, not this time.
"You don't get to talk like that about them," Sunset stated, calm but firm. "They're my friends now, and you have no right to—"
"Are you kidding me?!" demanded Demon Shimmer, an aura of flame flaring around her body. "You're actually buying into this friendship bull crap?! Unbelievable! Sunny, what have they done to you?!"
"Clearly, you weren't paying attention," Sunset snapped. "It was friendship that beat you that day. It was friendship that prevented you from using the full power of the Element of Magic. It was friendship that gave me a new life, a life where I'm happier than I ever could've dreamed. Something you could never offer me."
"Oh, that's cute!" Demon Shimmer laughed, floating backwards in the air. "You referring to me as something separate, I mean. You turned into me, remember? Quite willingly, I might add. I didn't just lose that day, we did. It wasn't just me brainwashing teenagers and throwing fireballs around, Sunny. It was you."
Sunset felt sweat drip down the back of her neck as she fought to keep herself calm. Demon Shimmer was right, of course. She'd slipped up, failing to fully acknowledge her part in the incident. However, she wasn't sunk yet. She refused to give up in the face of that mistake.
"You really think your 'friends' have just forgiven you for trying to burn them alive? Much less for breaking apart their friendships and bullying them for years? Just like that?" asked Demon Shimmer. "If so, you're not naive, you're a moron."
"I know they've forgiven me," Sunset snapped back, "they've told me so. Maybe it's time I figure out how to forgive myself."
"Oh, that's rich!" cackled the demon, rolling onto her back in midair. "How do you plan to do that, Sunny? What, do you think I was influencing you, whispering in your ear, making you do all those things? I didn't exist before you swiped that crown, little lady. Everything you did leading up to that moment, you did on your own. Sure, I might've helped you be a little more homicidal in the moments after, but that was what you wanted then. Don't try to deny it."
"I'm not," Sunset responded. "I know I've done terrible things. I know that I can't undo all the wrong I've done. But I also know that I've decided to put all of that behind me. I know that I'm happier now than I ever could've been if I'd become a princess. I know that I don't want anything to do with you, or that side of me ever again."
The two of them said nothing for a few moments, merely glaring at each other with fire and passion in their eyes. Sunset was still afraid of the beast she'd once been, but now that fear seemed weaker, unable to control her. She no longer felt part of her screaming and begging to take off and flee from this nightmare. She faced her counterpart, fists clenched, her body standing tall, showing absolutely no signs of weakness.
"So..." Demon Shimmer growled, lazily raking one claw against the ground, "you came all this way, into the depths of your own being, just to tell me to screw off." She floated backwards, examining her nails. "I wish I could say I'm angry, but to be honest, I'm more disappointed. You've really lost your edge, Sunny."
Sunset said nothing.
"I mean, if that's true, why'd you even come and find me? To prove something to yourself? So that you can look at your reflection and say, without fear of contradiction that you're done with me?"
"Partially," Sunset admitted. "Mostly, I wanted to look you in the eye and let you know. See, you may have only been born on that day, but you represent everything I was before." Sunset reached forward, seizing Demon Shimmer by the neck of her dress and yanking her forward so that the two were nose-to-nose. "I'm telling you, here and now, that I'm done with you. I'm never going to be the greedy, self-centered, cruel, vindictive, heartless person I was before. You're going to remain here, locked in the pit of my memory, forever. Is that clear?"
Demon Shimmer clenched her fangs, clearly attempting to come up with some sort of retort, but the look in her eyes revealed she was finding none. Despite all her bravado, she ultimately held no sway over Sunset, something that would irritate her to no end. She had nothing left to fight with, and Sunset knew it.
"Crystal," she finally growled.
"Good," Sunset replied, snapping her fingers.
The flaming portal Demon Shimmer had emerged from reappeared on the ground. Sunset stomped over to it, still holding her counterpart by her dress, reared back, and slammed the beast head-first into the portal, leaving her jammed halfway in and halfway out. Demon Shimmer groaned, more out of annoyance than pain, as she slid down into the pit, which slowly sealed shut behind her. Only then did Sunset sit down on her rear, breathing a sigh of relief.
Sunset bolted up in the bed, her horn sparking with loose magic, but she managed to shut it up rather quickly. She glanced around the room, noticing that Twilight was in a similar state as she, except her horn wasn't going off. If Sunset had to guess the reason, she'd say it was because the human-turned-pony hadn't activated her magic yet, so her body wasn't used to accustomed to using magic, leaving it unable to fire off on it's own. Sunset had to admit she was thankful for that. After what they'd just been through, it probably wouldn't be good for Twilight to have sparks shooting out of her horn without control.
"Well, that did not take too long," said Princess Luna, trotting over to the two ponies. "May I assume your missions were successful?"
"I think so," Sunset replied, thinking back to how she'd practically flipped her demonic counterpart. Ideally, she'd have preferred an exorcism, but that wasn't a realistic possibility in this case. She turned to Twilight. "How'd it go for you?"
The other unicorn hesitated for a moment, adjusting her glasses clumsily with one hoof. "I, er..." she stammered, "I'd say it went...pretty well."
Sunset felt her smile droop a little at that response. She'd set up this little affair with Twilight more in mind than herself, after all. If it hadn't worked out for her, and Midnight Sparkle remained as prevalent in her mind as ever, Sunset felt as though she'd let her friend down.
"Well, at least it's over," said the unicorn, climbing out of the bed. Twilight attempted to mirror her actions, only to slip and fall on her stomach. Sunset sympathetically levitated her back onto her hooves. Then she turned to Princess Luna. "Once again, thank you so much for doing this for us. I appreciate it."
The dark alicorn gave a simple nod. "It was my pleasure, Sunset Shimmer."
Twilight spoke up next. "Is there anything we can do to repay you—"
Luna cut her off with a wave of one hoof. "There is no need. If my efforts helped you to feel better, I am satisfied."
Sunset smiled. She'd never known Princess Luna in the time she was Celestia's student, considering she'd been trapped inside the moon, but she was happy to see that the Princess of the Moon was just as kind as her elder sister, as well as her human counterpart.
"Well, we'd better start making our way back," said Sunset. "Tests to study for, you know?"
Luna nodded in understanding, waving good-bye as the two ponies made their way back to the mirror portal, and stepped through, the glass in the mirror rippling behind them.
Twilight grunted as she emerged from the portal. She found herself grateful she hadn't been a pony for long, and her brain remembered how her human body worked, and she was able to brace herself with her hands, preventing herself from face-planting. As she looked up, she noticed it was evening, showing that they hadn't been in Equestria for long.
"Well..." Sunset said, rather awkwardly, "that was...something, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess," replied Twilight. Honestly, what did Sunset expect her to say? They'd just been through a magical therapy session of talking to their demonic counterparts. What could one really say about that?
"So, er..." Sunset paused, as though she were searching for the perfect words to say, "you wanna get something to eat? I'm paying."
Twilight considered it for only a second. "No thanks, Sunset. It's been kind of a long day, and right now, I'm more interested in going to bed. I think I'm gonna need some rest after that little escapade, hopefully with Midnight-less nightmares."
She immediately regretted what she'd said. She wanted to give Sunset no sign that the session had gone anything better than perfect, out of fear of upsetting her friend. But she'd let it slip, and Sunset was far too smart to just let that slither past her. The former unicorn's face turned rather downcast.
"Twilight, what went wrong?" asked the native Equestrian. "Should we not have gone ahead with this? Did Midnight freak you out too much? Did—"
"You know I'm not that much of a pathetic wreck, right?" Twilight snapped. "I'm not such a wimp that I can't deal with Midnight without you holding my hand."
Twilight clenched her teeth, angry at the way Sunset had addressed her, but the flames of rage died down as she saw how her friend flinched backwards as though struck. Twilight bit her tongue, realizing that Sunset really had meant no harm by asking that question, it had just been a concern. Plus, considering how fearful she'd been of Midnight at Camp Everfree, that attitude wasn't wholly unjustified.
"I'm sorry," Twilight immediately apologized. "I didn't mean to bite your head off."
Sunset didn't say anything, but her smile did creep back onto her face, and she breathed a quick sigh of relief.
"It's just..." Twilight struggled to find the words. She knew how much Sunset had placed on this experiment, and she had no desire to let her down. At the same time, Twilight had to take her own mental health into consideration, and lying about it and burying the truth would only make it worse for her. She was no Applejack, but she understood the importance of honesty.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Sunset interrupted her thoughts, "You have a right to your privacy—"
"No, you went to all this trouble for me, you deserve to know," Twilight replied. "Midnight is...more childish than I expected. She doesn't really understand things like consideration for others, or, y'know, not destroying the world to get magic. So talking to her didn't really work out. That's when I ended up smacking her around, and locking her back inside the depths of my brain again."
Sunset nodded, as though this were a normal, everyday conversation. She motioned for Twilight to continue.
"At first, it felt good, right? Like I was taking that part of me responsible for all the chaos at the Friendship Games and throwing it in the trash. It felt vindicating, and it seemed like I was throwing some sort of gigantic burden off my back.
"But then, after a few minutes, reality started to set in, you know what I mean? I couldn't talk Midnight down, and she's still gonna be haunting my nightmares. Also, truth be told, I can blame Midnight all I want for that insanity. I can lock her in my head forever and say I'm done with her, that's all fun and good. But I still did those things. I still messed around with my device and took your magic. I'm the one who opened it, and created Midnight in the first place. Sure, you can talk about how Cinch blackmailed me and all that crap, but at the end of the day, it was my decision. Release a potentially dangerous force I know nothing about, or be denied entrance to some stupid study program? Really, this shouldn't be a moral dilemma."
Sunset opened her mouth to interrupt, but Twilight held up a hand, silencing her.
"I can't just lock Midnight away and say that's the end of it. I think what I need to work on is finding a way to forgive myself, and that's why this didn't really resolve anything for me. I'm sorry, Sunset, but I think I need to find another form of therapy for this."
Sunset's face went through several emotions, before she finally settled on acceptance, giving Twilight a small smile. "Alright, I understand. If I'm gonna be honest, the way you described your reunion with Midnight is kinda how my time with Demon Shimmer went down. I sort of set this up so I could tell her to her face that I'm not like her anymore, and that I'm better off now. So I locked her back in the depths of my brain.
"Now, for me, that actually helped. Demon Shimmer...to me, she represents everything I was before Princess Twilight came along. Smacking her around felt like I was affirming to myself that she wasn't who I am anymore, like I'd proven to myself that I've changed. I guess, in the end, it didn't work out that way for you and Midnight. I'm sorry I pressured you into this, Twilight."
"No, you didn't force me or anything," Twilight insisted. "Heck, I thought this was actually a good idea, even if I was terrified of seeing Midnight again. It just didn't turn out the way we expected. That isn't your fault, or Luna's fault, or anybody's fault. It's just how things turned out."
The lavender girl walked up and hugged Sunset, as if to affirm what she'd been saying. Sunset returned the gesture in kind. It was a gentle, soothing hug, allowing the two to finally relax. In that moment, the two girls who'd become demons knew everything would be alright.
