Diablo III: Fall of Equestria

When Sunset woke up, everything hurt. Her eyes were scratchy, her mouth felt like sandpaper, the hairs of her coat were hypersensitive, her joints were slightly swollen, and she had a pounding headache. Sunset closed her eyes and sighed. Her best guess, she was suffering from a rather severe case of Magic Exhaustion and dehydration. Her whole body felt like a dried up sponge. As she lay in the soft bed, Sunset’s eyes suddenly snapped open and she shot up. Once the wave of dizziness passed, she winced from the pounding in her skull and looked around. Clearly she was not in her apartment, nor lying in the remains of a burned out cavern deep underground. The sun shone warmly through the closed drapes, causing the room to light up with muted colors and deep shadows.

Sunset noticed a glass of water and a pitcher on the nightstand, and she almost fell out of the bed in her mad scramble. It was all she could do to not gulp down the pitcher and make herself sick. Sunset finally came up for air and let out a sigh of relief.

“Careful. You wouldn’t want to make yourself sick,” a raspy voice gently called out.

Sunset let out a little shriek in surprise and nearly dumped the pitcher on the bed. The raspy voice chuckled and Sunset glared at the shadows. “Who’s there?” she called out. When she tried to use her horn, it only sparked and sputtered. A spike of pain deep between her eyes caused Sunset to grab her head in agony.

“Try not to over exert yourself. Your magic still hasn’t recovered yet,” the voice said.

“Gee, thanks for pointing that out,” Sunset muttered. Suddenly, she gasped. “Starlight! What about Starlight?”

“Relax,” the voice soothed. “Starlight Glimmer will be fine, physically at least. It will take much longer for her mind to recover from her ordeal.”

Memories of what happened came flooding back. “So that really happened, huh?” Sunset asked and looked down at her hooves sadly.

“Yes,” the voice affirmed.

Sunset slowly looked to the ceiling. Somehow, it felt wrong for her to be sitting on this comfortable bed and relaxing, while Celestia-knows-what was happening out there. “Is what Unum said true?” Sunset asked hesitantly. She was afraid of the answer. Part of her hoped that this was all just a bad dream.

“Yes,” the voice replied.

Sunset squeezed her eyes shut and let out a deep sigh. Questions began to fill her mind. As if knowing her thoughts, the voice stated, “You have questions.”

“Many,” Sunset nodded. “I suppose the first question ought to be, who are you?”

The shadows shifted and a tall, humanoid figure appeared. Sunset couldn’t really tell, but it looked like a person, a human, wearing a long, dark poncho. Two lights, one red and the other blue, shone brightly from the depths of the hood.

“My name is Nyx. I am a Hunter Guardian and a friend of Hildr,” Nyx said.

Sunset’s eyes went wide and she gasped. “You know Hildr?”

Nyx nodded. “I do. I also know of you, Sunset Shimmer. Hildr speaks of you often and quite fondly.”

This caused a deep blush to appear on Sunset’s face. She shook her head and frowned. “Why are you here? How are you here?”

Nyx pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. What little lighting there was in the room revealed to Sunset that Nyx was wearing light armor under her poncho. What really grabbed Sunset’s attention was Nyx’s scarred face. Nyx noticed Sunset staring and cocked her head to the side. “Does my appearance bother you?” she asked and gently drew her fingers down her cheek.

Sunset frowned. “Not as much as the rest of you.” She leaned forward to get a closer look. “What are you?”

Nyx hummed to herself. “I am an Exo. Perhaps I used to be a human, but not anymore.”

“What does that mean?” Sunset asked.

“Exactly what I said,” Nyx said simply. “I might have been a human, but it was so long ago, I simply can’t remember.” She sat back and folded her hands in her lap. “You are taking this surprisingly well.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m freaking out a little on the inside,” Sunset admitted. Her body shivered and she rubbed her foreleg with her hoof. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I find you unsettling.”

“I’ve been accused of worse,” Nyx replied.

“But you said you were a friend of Hildr, so I guess that’s good enough for me,” Sunset said. “I take it you were the one who brought us back.”

“Indeed,” Nyx nodded.

Sunset thought for a moment, then asked, “Back to my earlier question, why are you here and how did you get here?”

“To answer that requires a bit of a story first,” Nyx said. “But first let me ask you this: What if I told you there is more than one crystal mirror portal?”

Sunset’s eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. “But how-“

Nyx held up a hand to interrupt. “Just dwell on that thought for a moment. I was asked, very politely I might add, by a little Pink Balloon to come here and take care of a very particular problem. As I am sure you are aware, every action has consequences. The reason I am here in Equestria now, is the consequence of those actions.”

Sunset’s brain spun in circles trying to figure out just what Nyx was telling her. “So, basically you came here as a favor, did something of questionable behavior, and now you are here because of it?”

“For the most part,” Nyx nodded.

Sunset started to put two and two together. “So Celestia wasn’t lying then.” Sunset looked up at Nyx with a bit of fear in her eyes. “Did you really come here to cause mayhem and bring misfortune to Equestria?”

Nyx sighed. “No more than Discord on a Sunday afternoon. Celestia greatly exaggerated my actions to prove her point, and cut off my head.” She drew her finger across her throat to emphasize her point.

“But since you’re a Guardian, you came back to life,” Sunset stated. She sighed and rubbed her face with her hooves. “Why is it every time I come here to visit, something always goes wrong?”

“But then the Story wouldn’t be as interesting,” Nyx reasoned. “Of course there are fans of Slice of Life, but everyone likes a good action story, with compelling characters and amazing fights.”

Sunset stared stupidly at Nyx. “Sorry. That was a strange thing to say,” Nyx apologized.

Sunset pushed the blankets back and rolled out of bed with a groan. “Starlight is probably in the kitchen,” Nyx said, also getting to her feet. As she walked through the castle with Nyx following behind, Sunset idly wondered what Hildr was up to. She chuckled at the thought of Hildr administering first aid, or fighting off a small army of Vex. What would Hildr do if she were here? Probably kick down the door to the throne room and try and beat some sense into Celestia. Watching two titans of the Sun throwing down would be amazing and terrifying at the same time.

Hildr never mentioned other types of Guardians. How many were there? How many of them were like Hildr? And just what was a Hunter anyway? Based on Nyx’s appearance, Sunset guessed if Warlocks were mages, Hunters must be scouts and spies. She glanced over her shoulder at Nyx. She wasn’t lying when she said Nyx made her uncomfortable. Was it her scarred face, mismatched eyes, or the fact she was neither human or pony? Her unblinking gaze seemed to look through you, like she was staring into your soul, trying to learn your innermost secrets. What secrets did Nyx hold? What things has she seen? Unlike Hildr who wore her emotions on her sleeve, Nyx was a closely guarded secret.

Sunset was still pondering these things when she arrived in the kitchen. Although the castle could support a sizeable staff, Twilight still lived alone with Spike. Therefore, the kitchen was very large which made Starlight Glimmer seem even smaller in comparison. She sat alone at the table, staring blankly at the plate of muffins and fruit in front of her. Her coat was dull and unbrushed, her mane hung limply around her face. Starlight looked pitiful and Sunset couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. She walked up and gently rubbed Starlight on the back. “Hey Starlight,”

Starlight let out a sigh and turned to look away from Sunset.

Sunset wasn’t sure what to do. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” Starlight replied softly.

Sunset moved closer and put her forelegs around Starlight, who flinched slightly at the contact. “I need you Starlight. Twilight is missing and you’re the only one I can count on.” Sunset gently pulled Starlight into a hug. “Help me help you.”

Starlight shook herself free of Sunset’s embrace. “Don’t touch me!” she hissed. “Don’t look at me, don’t talk to me. You want to help? Leave me alone!”

Sunset frowned. “I’m pretty sure that’s the last thing you need right now.”

“How would you know?” Starlight shouted. “You don’t know what it’s like to have your mind taken over, to be a passenger in your own body.” Tears began streaming down her face as she choked back angry sobs. “That monster, that…thing…took something from me that I will never get back!”

Sunset’s heart broke as she watched Starlight collapse under the weight of her grief. Her own sorrow was tinged with anger over what happened to Starlight. “What happened?” she asked.

“What happened?” Starlight shouted and angrily turned on Sunset. “You were there! That thing RAPED me Sunset! It violated me with that vile and disgusting thing. It used me like some king of sick breeding incubator!” Starlight collapsed to the floor and wailed loudly. “I can still feel that disgusting sliminess. It penetrated deep inside me to places I didn’t think could be reached.” Caught up in her memories, Starlight started to dry heave. She lay on the floor completely spent. “No matter how many baths I take, no matter how hard I scrub, the dirty greasy feeling never goes away.” Starlight closed her eyes and sighed. “And you want to know the worst part? I couldn’t stop it. I was aware of everything the whole time, and could do nothing. I tried to stop it. I almost killed you.” Her breathing slowed and became steadier as she calmed down. “I did unspeakable things. Where do you think all of the blood came from? Do you think Fluttershy will notice all of her animals are missing?”

Sunset’s mind was completely blank. She literally could not process what Starlight was telling her. It was beyond her comprehension. “But, that wasn’t you. You were possessed by a demon or something right?” It sounded pathetic, even to Sunset’s ears.

Starlight opened her eyes and glared up at Sunset. “Is that what you tell yourself?” she asked, slowly getting standing up. “’It wasn’t me that stole the crown and turned into a demon.’ ‘That wasn’t me who brainwashed an entire school.’ ‘It wasn’t me that tried to kill Twilight and her human friends.’” With each accusation, Starlight slowly walked toward Sunset, until she was right in the orange unicorn’s face. “IS THAT YOUR EXCUSE?”

“No,” Sunset mumbled and looked away, unable to meet Starlight’s eyes. “It sounded pathetic as soon as I said it.”

“THEN WHY WOULD YOU THINK TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!” Starlight shouted. She shook her head and turned away. “I’m not hungry.” Starlight walked the long way around the table, making a show of putting as much distance between her and Sunset as possible. “Where are you going?” Sunset asked meekly.

“To take a bath,” Starlight replied angrily. “I know it won’t help, but it makes me feel better.” With that, Starlight left, letting the door close loudly behind her, causing Sunset to flinch.

“That could have gone better,” Sunset muttered and collapsed into a chair.

“Let Starlight have her grief,” Nyx said, slowly peeling an orange.

Sunset turned to look at the Hunter. “How long have you been here?” she asked.

“The whole time,” Nyx replied simply, and pushed the plate of orange slices toward Sunset, who stared down at them. “I’m not very hungry,” she said.

“I already peeled it and I don’t need to eat, so too bad,” Nyx replied with a shrug.

Sunset rolled her eyes and reluctantly bit into the offered fruit. “I wish I could help Starlight.”

“You are,” Nyx replied, picking up an apple. She hefted it in her hand, then pulled out her knife and started cutting. “You of all people should know that being there and being a shoulder to cry on is more than enough.”

“But I don’t even know what she’s going through,” Sunset protested, rather lamely in Nyx’s opinion. “Maybe not her exact circumstances, but you know what it’s like to be completely consumed and turned into something you don’t even recognize,” Nyx said.

“But it’s not the same!” Sunset insisted. “If I used my Empathy touch, maybe-“

“Yeah, that’s a hard ‘NO.’” Nyx interrupted, crossing her arms in an X in front of her.

“Why?” Sunset asked, clearly confused.

Nyx leaned forward and counted on her fingers. “One: I didn’t know you were a hard-core masochist. Two: Seeing Starlight’s memories and experiencing her emotions against her will makes you no better than the demon that possessed her. Three: Empathy is not experiencing someone’s pain, it’s understanding and relating to their pain, thoughts or feelings. It’s hard enough trying to manage your own. And four: Starlight is just one individual. I am willing to bet dimes to dollars that this exact thing is happening, not just in Equestria, but all over the world. Are you going to do this for all of the victims?” Nyx finished cutting and peeling the apple and slid the plate across the table. Sunset saw the apple skin had been cut to look like bunny ears. “What’s this?” she asked.

“An attempt at brevity and light heartedness in these troubling times,” Nyx replied. “Is it working?”

“I don’t know,” Sunset replied and took a bite of apple. She ate in silence and Nyx watched with bored interest. “So you really don’t eat?” Sunset finally asked.

“No,” Nyx replied.

“So how do you not die or whatever?” Sunset asked and immediately face-hooved. “That didn’t come out right.”

Nyx cocked her head to the side. “Why the sudden interest?”

“I don’t know,” Sunset shrugged. “Something to do I guess.”

“Isn’t there something we should be doing instead?” Nyx suggested.

“Like what?” Sunset exasperated. “Everyone is missing and Equestria is falling apart!” She slumped on the table, knocking over several plates. “I don’t know what to do.”

“What happened with you and Hildr?” Nyx asked.

“That was different,” Sunset insisted. “I happened to find her and got caught up in her situation.”

Nyx leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers. “Based on what you DO know, what do you think should be done?”

“Go to Canterlot and speak with Princess Celestia?” Sunset guessed.

Nyx considered this. “Not a bad thought, but since Celestia has been acting way out of character, do you think talking to her would provide anything useful?”

At this, Sunset frowned. “Perhaps not. But it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Nyx spread her arms in an empty gesture. “I can’t stop you, but I won’t go with you. As far as Celestia knows, I’m dead and I would like to keep it that way.”

Sunset stared long and hard at Nyx. “Why? It’s not like she can kill you permanently. What’s stopping you from going up there right now?” Sunset hopped out of her chair and walked right up to Nyx. “What do you know that you aren’t telling?”

Nyx leaned down until her face was inches from Sunset’s. She pulled off her glove and held up her hand, saying, “Take a look if you really want to know.”

Hildr’s Stare was heavy and oppressive, like it wanted to grind you into dust and burn the rest, whereas Nyx’s Stare was sharp and piercing. It cut straight to the soul with surgical precision, and Sunset could feel the electricity building in the air. For the first time, Sunset realized just how dangerous Nyx truly was. She was a coiled serpent, waiting for the right moment to strike with ruthless efficiency. Sunset had no doubt Nyx could kill her and not think twice about it. A chill came over Sunset and she shivered. “I…I’m going to go now,” she stammered and left Nyx alone in the kitchen.