The Swish of the Scythe

Chapters

Prologue - part 1
Prologue - part 2
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

Prologue - part 1

Twilight Sparkle picked up the knife and looked at her sister, Starlight Glimmer, as she lay on the hospital bed. She clearly wasn't going to make it. The demon of illness and plague that had made so many suffer slow, painful deaths over the last few weeks was toying with her, making her suffering as long as possible.

Twilight believed in demons. She had seen one, briefly, as its scythe claimed the life of her grandmother. It had allowed Twilight to talk to her grandmother one last time before they flew away together. Now, as she sat alone in the hospital room, she was going to play demon and end her sister's fight. She didn't want to do it, but knew that it was for the best. Twilight had lived through the plague, had developed an immunity to it. Starlight wasn't going to.

"Starlight?" asked Twilight, rousing her sister from her lethargy.
"Twilight," replied Starlight sleepily. "Shouldn't you have gone for supper with Mother and Father and Shining Armour?"
"No. I need to be here with you. It's your time."
"I can't see a light or anything."
"No. I can't watch you die slowly."
Starlight saw the knife in her sister's hand and her eyes widened. "Really? You're... Seriously not... Going to... No. I can survive a bit longer."
"I want to end your suffering," Twilight told her sister firmly. She pulled down her sister's hospital gown, found the right spot and dug the knife into her sister's heart.
As her life force ebbed away, Starlight gasped, "You twisted thing. You ended it early. Thank you."
"I'm coming with you," said Twilight, digging the knife into her own heart. She removed the weapon, crawled on the bed and they hugged as they died together.

A demon materialised and swung a long scythe over Starlight and Twilight's heads. It made a swishing sound. Their spirits slowly sat up together, their bodies remaining still. They lost interest in everything that existed, had no thoughts, obeyed every command given and always gave the right answer to questions.
"Starlight Glimmer," the demon spoke in a rough voice. "Your soul is pure. You may choose to walk this earth as a ghost forever, or continue to the afterlife and wait for your loved ones."
"Continue to the afterlife, please," said Starlight automatically. Although she was disinterested in the situation, she could still form logical thoughts.
The demon turned to Twilight. "Twilight Sparkle, you have killed without mercy in an effort to show mercy. You are kind, but your evil deed must not go unpunished. Your punishment is as follows: you shall live, but it shall be without ailments and in a new body that shall never fail you. By day, you shall be a human and walk the earth. You shall see everything as it is for human eyes on a normal day, except some humans shall have the symbol of the skull and crossbones on their chest. At moonrise, you shall become a demon and must kill one or more persons marked with the skull and crossbones before sunrise. You must aim to kill as many as possible. If you fail, your soul shall be lost and you shall never see your deceased loved ones in the afterlife. Your punishment shall end when you are killed. Your aim is to not be killed. You must continue your punishment for as long as possible in order to gain rewards when you die. Suicide or asking someone to kill you is cheating and shall also end in your soul being lost. Once every century, you may spend from sunrise to sunset in the afterlife before resuming your duties. Do make myself clear?"
"Yes," answered Twilight, bored. She was unsure why she was not upset. She had no reason to be upset. She hugged Starlight on autopilot and then it hit her. She was not allowed to go with her sister to whatever was on the other side of life.
"Wait, Starlight!" cried Twilight as her sister went to leave with the demon. She stopped.
"I have to leave," Starlight said.
"I know, but... Don't forget me."
"I won't."
"You say that like you are a machine. Why can't you say it properly?"
"I am unable to do anything other than act like a machine until I enter the afterlife."
"Can't I come with you?"
The demon answered. "You may join your sister Starlight Glimmer in the afterlife for the equivalent of one hour. Then your old body shall be destroyed, your new body shall be ready and you shall start your punishment. Is that clear?"
"Yes." Anything to be with her sister, even for a short amount of time.
"Then we must journey to the afterlife. The clock is already ticking." Starlight and Twilight held hands. She linked arms with the demon, he swished his scythe and they walked into the afterlife together.

It was perfect. There was everything that anyone could want and all the time in the world. No time had to be spent eating, sleeping or doing anything that you did not want to do. There was no pain, no fear, no negativity. Starlight woke from her daze immediately and the two sisters spent as much time as they could together. They found Starlight a cave in a cliff to call home when she wanted a place to call home, and, at the end of the hour, Twilight did not want to leave. The demon tore the sisters apart and took Twilight's shoulders, steering her to the human world again.

Her new body was there. It was almost just like the old one, except this one had no sign of the hole in her chest where the knife had been. Through the window, Twilight could see that sunset was not far off. She did not want to become a demon in front of her family.
"You will have certain powers," said the demon suddenly. Twilight jumped and turned to face him. "You will be able to pause time for the equivalent of ten minutes. You will be able to erase memories, so that it your victims may see you. You will have extra strength and speed and will not feel much pain, none when you are a demon. You can only be killed between sunrise and moonrise, when you are human. You never have to sleep again. Your punishment starts at moonrise tonight. Humans will call you Twilight, but your true name, the name I shall call you is Midnight Sparkle. When I call your name, I shall always expect an immediate answer." He disappeared.

Twilight stepped into her new body, knowing that there would be many centuries to come before she rested.

Prologue - part 2

Twilight crawled into bed as soon as she arrived home at sunset that night, pretending to fall asleep. She wanted to sleep. She wasn't tired, but she wanted to wake up and realise that the whole day had been a dream. She wanted her sister to be alive, to be alive herself, in her old body, free of her new enslavement. Sleep never came, however, and the truth settled upon her. She was a prisoner to a demon, and a demon herself.

As the moon rose, Twilight stood and watched it cast its beautiful light over the land. 1870's London was not pretty, but its streets covered in blackened coal did not look as sooty in the moonlight. She could see all of the little skulls and crossbones through walls and and rooves. She hated that sight. She did not want to do this.

Suddenly, the window opened and Twilight was sucked out of her room. She floated higher and higher, surrounded by a magical aura. She lost her vision. It felt like she had lost consciousness, yet she could feel all of the changes happening to her. She felt huge wings growing out of her back, feathered wings, but these were no angel's wings. She felt her clothes change: her dress, her shoes, a pair of long gloves. Something else was on her back. Her hair was thrown upwards by the wind and something circled her eyes. Finally, a single horn grew out of her forehead.

She opened her eyes. She felt different. She felt that the name Twilight Sparkle no longer suited her. No. She was Midnight Sparkle now. She saw all the little skulls and crossbones, and smiled. All she could think about was serving her purpose: killing. These people had done unspeakable things, and their souls would be lost once they died. She felt the scythe strapped to her back. That was how Midnight Sparkle would do her job.

She flew down to the street, wondering who to silence first. She spotted a skull and crossbones and stepped through a window. Curious, she stuck her arm through the wall and drew it back. She was solid, yet the wall seemed to part for her and her alone. A few cracks showed where it had parted. She could find anyone this way.

Midnight turned to the sleeping man in his bed. He was a murderer, one of the ones who hadn't been caught. She took the scythe from her back. It was not strapped, as she had previously thought; it seemed to stick between her wings like a pin being attracted to a magnet. She looked at the man, and beheaded him, the scythe making that soft swish that she loved. She swished the scythe over his head and body, and his spirit sat up.
"You are evil," she told him, "and have tainted the world by harming the innocent. Your spirit shall be lost until you have paid the price." The spirit seemed to evaporate in front of her eyes.

Part of Midnight Sparkle felt strange. She didn't want to kill, yet felt compelled to do so. She decided to continue. She dealt with thieves and cheaters, liars and killers that night. She was disappointed when the moon started to cross the horizon and disappear. She wanted to continue, yet she knew the rules. She could kill as a human, but could not get caught. She was allowed to be seen as a demon a few times, to spread rumours and stop people from being evil, but she knew that it was best that she wasn't seen.

She flew back to her house - she no longer saw it as a home - and blacked out again. She felt the scythe and the wings disappear, then the rings of flame around her eyes and the horn. Her clothes changed back and she fell onto her bed. She panted and realised that she could see again.

Twilight recalled the events of the previous night. She had killed ten people: four men and six women. Moreover, she remembered that she had wanted to do so. She had loved listening to the swish of the scythe as it entered someone's heart or took their head. She had loved watching the blood trickle. She had enjoyed every moment of the night, except knowing that she would be human again in the morning. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked around and saw all of those skulls and crossbones. She was no longer human. She was a monster.

"Midnight Sparkle," the demon said. She felt the rings of flame burn around her eyes and turned to face him. She said, "How can I help you?" She did not want to but did as he said. He had cast some kind of curse to stop her from disobeying his orders.
"I came to congratulate you on your first night. It went very smoothly. Ten. That's a lot of people for the first night."
"I aim to finish as many tasks as possible every night," said Twilight immediately. No. Midnight. That was her name now. "This is only the beginning of what I can do, but I need to warm up and practise before I can do my job more efficiently."
"I admire your ambitions and your work. You do not disappoint."
"Thank you." She did not want to respond. She seemed to before she could even think about it.
"I shall be in touch, but only when you are alone," he told her before disappearing. She turned away and caught her reflection in the mirror.

She was disgusted as looked in the mirror. For just ten seconds, she saw her demon self: her complexion, of a darker shade of purple than normal; the dark blue wings and her scythe; her deep purple dress with hints of dark pink; the blue flames at her eyes, which were completely light blue save for her dark blue, cat-like retinas; her purple and pink hair tousled and thrown upwards, now with some black streaks; and the long, gnarled, light blue horn. She blinked and it was all gone, just a bad memory, a bad taste in her mouth. Except it was not. She would become that thing every night until she was killed. She hated herself.

She turned and saw a skull and crossbones coming from her parents' bedroom.

Chapter 1

Twilight dressed for school, as she did on any other day. She had just killed the presenter of a popular television show. She didn't care. She had been a slave for so long that she cared about nothing. She had killed her whole family in the end; after Starlight's death, they had had some difficult times and turned to crime. She had killed hundreds over her reign of terror, spanning over a century. She was human by day, and demon by night. It was a routine that she had settled into. Being a psychopath was nothing personal. If a death ended up in the local newspaper, she would either write a letter or pay a visit to the family.

She took the bus to Canterlot High School, in the rural town of Canterlot. She had moved to America about fifty years previously, spending most of her time in Florida. She had moved to the top of the country. Canterlot wasn't even considered part of a state, it was so utterly isolated. Instead, it was known as one of the Equestrian Districts of the North, an area known traditionally for farming and horse-riding. She had wanted a horse for a while now, but was scared that she would do something while she was in her demon form. She no longer saw herself and Twilight by day and Midnight by night; she was Twilight and Midnight. The demon who had cursed her to this life of slavery rarely visited, so she was rarely referred to as Midnight. However, when he called her, she was like a well-trained dog - oblivious to anything else and acting immediately.

The bus stopped outside Canterlot High School. Twilight stepped off and stopped momentarily to admire the horse statue, nicknamed the Wondercolt. It was sculpted well, rearing on its hind legs and halfway through a whinny. It looked as though it was a mythical creature of immense power, and Twilight always imagined it with a long horn and feathered wings. Not the gnarled horn and blue-black wings of her demon self, but a pearlescent spiralled horn and white wings not unlike those of a dove. She loved the Wondercolt.

She found her friends by the entrance. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie waved as she approached them. They knew a little about her dark secret, but not the full extent of it.
"Hey Twilight," said Pinkie, "how are you?"
"Good, but annoyed," Twilight replied.
"Have you heard the news?" asked Rarity. She was clearly upset about something.
"What news?" Twilight questioned her. She had a feeling that Rarity would say -
"The presenter of my favourite music programme has died!" she cried. "How shall I get all my news on the latest hits now?!"
"Come on Rarity, now you can use that radio I bought you for Christmas and listen to some Kerrang!" whined Rainbow Dash.
"Twilight, sugarcube," said Applejack, her voice merely a whisper, "you're looking a little worried."
"It was me," whispered Twilight. She hugged Rarity. "You know what it's like, I can't control myself. It's a curse."
"Now darling, do you think that I would take it out on you?" Rarity said. "He was ill, anyway, he can rest now." Twilight had not informed them that the souls of those she went after as a demon were lost, sometimes forever. She did not want to scare them.

The school bell rang, signalling that there were ten minutes until lessons started. Applejack, Fluttershy and Twilight had double science first. While Applejack was used to gruesome sights because worked on her family's farm, and Twilight was immune to all things disgusting considering her life at night, Fluttershy did not like biology. She wanted to work with animals, but was yet to get over her fear of dissection. Fortunately, as they arrived, the three of them realised that there were no experiments.
"Good morning, everyone," came the voice of Cadence, the supply teacher, as everyone sat down. She was liked by most of the students as they could use her first name and always supported them. "Mr. Bill is unwell so I am teaching today. I am delighted to introduce you to the latest student at Canterlot High."
Everyone turned to the front, silent. Twilight thought hard. A new student could mean trouble if they found out anywhere near the truth. She had been caught on camera in demon form a few nights ago. With any luck, they were marked with a skull and crossbones. However, that would mean a new vacancy. She caught herself and said inside her head, Concentrate.

A girl with bushy red and yellow hair walked into the room. Her cyan eyes held a confidence that few new students could muster, and many boys stared at her golden complexion. She wore a black leather jacket over her mint green blouse, and had cyan leggings. She wore leather boots to finish her look of serenity and confidence.
"Morning, everyone," the girl said cheerfully, "I am Sunset Shimmer, your new classmate. I've transferred from Crystal Prep Academy because they're a load of - I can't use better words at school - rubbish, and I'm a Wondercolt." Everyone laughed at the comment. Crystal Prep Academy were the nearby private school, and they were known for their never wavering rivalry with Canterlot High.
When everyone had settled down, Cadence asked Applejack and Fluttershy to hand out the chemistry textbooks. Sunset sat in the vacant seat next to Twilight. Twilight looked at her using the gap above her glasses. No skull and crossbones. Twilight would not have to get rid of her. Yet.

About ten minutes before the lesson ended, when the level of chatter rose, Sunset whispered, "Hey, bookworm."
Twilight jumped and said, "What?!"
"It's me, Newbie Shimmer."
"Oh Sunset, you scared me."
"Care to introduce yourself?"
"I'm Twilight Sparkle."
"Good to meet you Twilight."
"Know anyone yet?"
"You mean, did I meet anyone before lessons? Nope. I saw you and your five friends hanging out near the Wondercolt."
"Fancy hanging out at break?"
"Sure. Oh my. That TV presenter, the one who everyone called Jazzy, died on the same day as my arrival here! A sign of," her voice dropped, "evil." Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her seat. This girl was a threat to her survival, and she was unsure whether to welcome or fear that.

Chapter 2

At break, Twilight and her friends met up by the school playing fields. Sure enough, Sunset strolled over, being watched by many boys.
"Hey," she said casually. "How are you all?"
"Good," replied Twilight.
"I'm super good," answered Pinkie in her high pitched squeal.
"Fine, sugarcube," said Applejack in her southern accent.
"Cool as usual," came Rainbow's answer.
"Fabulous," said Rarity.
"I'm okay," Fluttershy whispered nervously.
"That's good to know," said Sunset. "So, introduce yourselves. Which girls have earned the pleasure of my company?"

"So," began Twilight, "we've already met, and this is -"
"Pinkie Pie! Most people call me Pinkie. I'm the one who's always making everyone laugh. If you need me, just shout my name and I'll be here in a dash."
"Applejack. Ah live on one of the local farms."
"Rainbow Dash, coolest girl on the block, sports extroadinare. By the way, Pinkie, I am the Dash."
"I am Rarity, dear."
"I'm Fluttershy," whispered Fluttershy.
"What the what the?" asked Sunset.
"Fluttershy."
"This is Fluttershy," said Applejack, wrapping an arm around her scared friend, "she's the sensitive one in the group. She takes a while to warm up to new people but if Ah know her in a few weeks she'll be talking to you like she's known you for years. Ain't that right, sugarcube?"
"Sorry," said Fluttershy.
"Don't worry, I'm not some kind of demon," Sunset told her. Twilight fought not to throw up. Thankfully, she was stood behind Sunset, who didn't notice a thing. The rest of the girls acted normally, although Twilight had a feeling that they were worried too.

Unfortunately for Twilight, the new girl was in almost all of the same lessons as her, and insisted on staying nearby for the whole school day. As the final bell rang, Sunset said to Twilight, "We make quite an awesome team, you and your friends and I."
No, thought Twilight, we do not. You keep on mentioning evil and demons. It's almost as if you KNOW that I'm a demon. Fortunately, Sunset headed straight home, so that Twilight could meet up with her friends. Meet at my place, it's urgent, she texted to all of them.Come asap and MAKE SURE YOU AREN'T FOLLOWED BY SUNSET. If one of you can't come until late, we'll have a movie marathon until they get here/it's dark. I know that none of you are on the list because I've seen you all at night. I can control myself.

Two hours later, all five of Twilight's friends had arrived at her home and were sat on the two sofas in her living room. They were all nervous about what Twilight had to say.
"So, girls," she said as she began pacing, "we have a new threat, Sunset Shimmer. Somehow, she seems to know about my secret and keeps leaving subtle hints. Fluttershy, when you introduced yourself, what did she say?"
"Don't worry, I'm not some kind of demon."
"Even before that, she left a hint. She made a comment about how that TV presenter had died on the same day as her starting at Canterlot High. She said that it was a sign of evil. What kind of girl makes these random comments?!"
"I don't know, Twilight," Fluttershy said, "it sounds like a coincidence to me." This earned her an angry glare. Twilight's eyes took their demon form, turning completely blue with dark blue slits for pupils. She squirmed in her seat, not wanting to upset her friend. Rainbow Dash wrapped a protective arm around her, and she felt more comfortable.
"Now Twilight, sugarcube, calm down," Applejack said slowly. "Remember, we're all friends here. We all want to help. Ah can see how Sunset Shimmer is creeping you out. She's just... Weird. The confidence she has... She acts like she owns the place."

Twilight's eyes returned to normal. "I'm so sorry, I never meant for that to happen. I lost it there. It's so hard to control myself." She sat on one of the sofas, next to Rarity, who hugged her and whispered, "It's alright, darling. We understand."

"Twilight," Rainbow commented, "I agree. All the boys fall in love with her just by looking at her, all the girls are too afraid to upset her - I haven't even heard "The Great and Powerful" Trixie Lulamoon make a nasty comment to her - she's intelligent, she's a nice enough girl, and she is absolutely adored by the teachers. She's perfect! In absolutely every way, she's perfect! She's the best of everyone she meets! Even I can't stop thinking about her."
"She's off," added Pinkie. "The moment I saw her, I just wanted to make her happy. Who else just wanted to please her when you saw her?"
Everyone murmured their assent.
"It's like she exists to be this all-powerful goddess," groaned Rarity.
"I didn't notice it at first, but now I can see it really clearly. I didn't want to be unkind to her, but then I don't like being unkind to anybody," Fluttershy told the group. "How are we ever going to shake her off?"
Silence.
"Put her in a huge party cannon and blast her to Australia?" asked Pinkie Pie hopefully. Everyone sighed. "Oh well," she shrugged.

It was nearly dark so Twilight sent her friends home. A few minutes after they left, she turned into Midnight Sparkle, and searched for a new victim. She was not allowed to kill anyone without the skull and crossbones, yet a new primal urge led her to Sunset's bedroom. The red-haired girl lay peacefully, tucked under her duvet. She was beautiful, and Midnight knew that there was no way that she could harm this girl.
"Midnight Sparkle."

Midnight turned to see the demon. "Yes? How can I help you?" she asked, reluctant to stop looking at the girl.
"Do you remember the conditions of your punishment?"
"All of them."
"Including the one stating that you can only kill those who have done wrong, marked with the skull and crossbones, and not in broad daylight?"
"Yes."
"And the one that you must not get killed?"
"I must stay alive to serve you."
"This rule overrides the previous two. You may kill in human form, but only if your own life is threatened. The girl in front of you could be a threat to your life, but do not kill unless she threatens your life. Do you understand this?"
"Understood."
"Good." He disappeared.

The next morning, she recalled this and frowned. She did not want to kill Sunset Shimmer. Nor did she want to live forever by obliterating all of her enemies. The demon in her listened to the demon who had enslaved her, but the human in her just wanted to be with her family. However, she did not want to do anything radical, as her soul would be lost and she would never see her family again. She was at an impasse and would have to wait for the opposition to make their move first.

Chapter 3

Sunset sat in bed that night, pretending to be asleep. Being supernatural had its perks: being able to see what others could not; a whole load of magic; and being kept alive and healthy by this magic, meaning that she never had to eat, go to the gym or sleep. However, she had to look like she was sleeping when Twilight/Midnight Sparkle came to visit. She knew it would happen. She had let slip that she knew. It was entirely accidental, but still, she wanted to look innocent. Thankfully, she had no skull and crossbones, so Midnight would be unable to harm her. For the moment.

Midnight stared at her, not wanting to let Sunset live but knowing that she had to or her soul would be lost. She felt sorry for Twilight and the state she was in. The human in her wanted to die and rest in peace with her family. The demon in her had a primal urge for survival. Sunset knew that she had to kill her, but that she could be taken out as well if she wasn't careful.

She had known what Twilight was from first sight. As she had been sapping positivity and radiating it again in the classroom, she had seen Twilight as she really was: half human and half demon. Thankfully, Twilight had not immediately seen Sunset as a threat. However, after those two little slips, she knew she was in danger. Killing demons was a risky job anyway, but she preferred to do it when the demon was unaware that they were in danger. For the last two hundred years, she had been doing this line of work. Some demons had been around for millennia. Those were usually the hardest to kill: they were fully grown, knew how to go about her business unnoticed and could kill fifty people in the blink of an eye. Juveniles were a lot easier, but only when they did not know they were in danger.

She heard Midnight talking to another demon, and her worst fears were realised. Both Midnight and a fully grown demon knew that Sunset was a threat. Ouch. Sunset was going to have a lot of work. She doubted her ability to wipe out both of them, yet knew that at least one had to be gotten rid of.

For the first time in about a hundred and fifty years, she thought about her life choice as a demon slayer. She had done so well so far, yet she knew that she needed something else. Friendship. She made friends while tracking a demon, then left when it was dealt with. Now, however, she felt that she needed true friends to stay with. Maybe Twilight's friends? That wouldbe cruel, though. She also felt bad about killing an innocent girl. She had killed half demons before, but she had recently learned how to separate demons from the host. This would leave Twilight as a supernatural, as she would have abilities that ordinary humans didn't, but she would be free of Midnight Sparkle, who could subsequently be killed. That was how Sunset had gained her powers. Many supernaturals were born, but there were always the exceptions.

When both demons had left, Sunset got out of bed and pulled out her diary. It had a brown leather cover adorned with a picture of the sun, one half red and the other half yellow. It was similar to the Yin and Yang symbol. The cover could be removed and put on a new set of bound pages, so she would never need to buy an new one. She grabbed her enchanted pen, the ink of which could only be seen by supernaturals, and began to write. When she was finished, she reread her entry.

3/4/2020
Today was my first day at Canterlot High. It was cool, better than Crystal Prep Academy, where the rules were stricter and life was not as fun. Hopefully, now that the Principal, Abacus Cinch, has been separated from her demon, she will be kinder to her students. However, the situation at Crystal Prep is not worrying me as much as the thought of another half demon. Her name is Twilight Sparkle, demon name is Midnight. Juvenile demon (less than 250 years since she became a half demon) so it should be easier to separate the two than it was with Cinch. However, both she and the demon who cursed her now recognise me as a threat, and Midnight has permission to kill me if I attack her. What I hope to do is separate her from Twilight so that Midnight is easier to kill and Twilight can stay alive. I'm hoping that we can be friends, but so far, I am worried that she will turn me away because I know her secret. She is unaware of the fact that I am a supernatural, as she can only see sinners, but I still worry.

I also yearn for a break in hunting the demons that plague the Earth. I yearn for friendship, true friendship, and to live like a normal person for a while. My friendships usually only last the length of time it takes to kill a demon, then I move on. I am fed up of that now. I need to settle down somewhere, maybe have a relationship. I have not thought about settling down fot a century and a half. I wasn't ready then, but I think I am now. I long for the uncertainty to end. It's very unlikely to end, as I am often tracked down by demons who wish to kill me for harming their friends, but I don't want to travel any more. There's more to life than this. I will make a decision once I have helped Twilight.
Sunset.

Sunset snuggled under the duvet again and thought about how she would tell Twilight that she only wanted to help. Half demons under 250 years old were the easiest to talk to, as the demon was not fully in control. She thought happy thoughts, and stepped over into the realm of the afterlife. It truly was heaven. She visited Twilight's family, and told them what she was going to do. They were happy with it. Good. Now all she needed to do was talk to the girl. She knew that this would be how it always was: easier said than done.

Author's Note

Please comment if there are any errors.

Chapter 4 Author's Note

I have used this paragraph as an experiment for a new method of spacing. Tell me what you think in the comments. If a majority likes it, I will use it in all my stories from now on. If not, I guess I'll just have to go back to the drawing board.

Chapter 4

The next day, Sunset decided to hang out with a few different people to make Twilight less suspicious. She met "The Great and Powerful" Trixie Lulamoon, a supposed professional of magic tricks. She was no good, and she was definitely not a supernatural. If she was, then she would master every trick first time. She met Snips and Snails, two scrawny kids who existed to be servants of the popular students. They barely took their eyes off Sunset. She told them that she needed the toilet and left them.

She found a load of girls in the music rooms. DJ Pon-3 was an amazing mixer and could combine just about any collection of songs. Then, in the piano room, she met Lyra Heartstrings and Octavia, best friends and known as the best piano and singing duet in the school. They both played and sang like angels. Sunset could see an aura around them that highlighted them as supernaturals like herself. However, they were unaware of the magic that they possessed and were thus untrained. She did not have enough time to train two supernaturals from scratch. It took years. Anyway, it seemed that they had unconsciously put their magic into their music. She left them to it. There were no trained supernaturals in the school.

She paused. She could hear Twilight and her friends around the corner. Thankfully, there was nobody else in the corridor and the music rooms were soundproofed.
"I dunno," said Pinkie in a hushed voice, "she's toolikeable. It's like she's using some kind of strange magic to make everyone like her."
"What in the hay, Pinkie?" asked Applejack.
"What what?" came the excitable girl's innocent reply.
"How do you of all people come up with that?! Does magic even exist?!"
"Oh, I just guessed. Pinkie Sense."

Sunset fought her instinct to gasp. That was one of the most obvious signs of someone with supernatural powers. Then she realised that the others could wield magic too. She squinted and peered around the corner, having to stifle a cry of shock at what she saw. Ancient symbols floated above them, and they were surrounded by those magical auras. Pinkie's was a lot stronger, signalling that she knew of her abilities but Sunset put two and two together and realised that Pinkie had not told her friends. She needed to talk to that girl. How had she not noticed before?!

After school, she pulled Pinkie to one side before she could leave the classroom.
"Psst!" Sunset hissed.
"What?" asked a surprised Pinkie Pie.
"You know the Pinkie Sense?"
"Ohhh," she whispered. "The magic stuff. You have Pinkie Sense too. I knew that you were different!"
"Do you know about your other friends' magic?"
"Uh huh. Not had a chance to tell them. We all know about Midnight Sparkle though. Twilight told us."
"I need all of you except Twilight to find out. I have a plan to separate Twilight and Midnight Sparkle. That's the main reason why I showed up at Canterlot High."
"Cool. I'll tell everyone except for Twilight to meet at mine at six. Is that okay with you Sunset?"
"Yep. Where is your place?"
Pinkie took Sunset's phone, went on Google and typed in the address of a flat not far from Canterlot Mall. It came up with the route.
"Twilight's not asked us round tonight, so we're okay."
"Good. See you at six."

At six o'clock, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity arrived at Pinkie's flat. Sunset had texted and decided to arrive half an hour early. She let them all in, then locked the door and drew the curtains shut so quickly that she nearly pulled the curtain poles down.
"Right girls," she said menacingly to everyone except Sunset, who had not sat down on the small sofa. "You lot are not leaving until we teach you something."
"Uh, Pinkie, sugarcube, why are you crazier than normal?" questioned Applejack, not hiding the skepticism from her voice.
"Right you lot. Sunset has something to say regarding Pinkie Sense."
Everyone looked at Sunset.
"Girls, I have been hiding something from all of you. So has Pinkie. The truth is... We both have somewhat strange abilities, and the four of you do as well. Sorcery, magic, supernatural power, call it what you want. You have all recognised that everyone who meets me, even you, wants to please me. This is one of my powers from my... Narcissistic days. I had a somewhat misspent youth. Pinkie realised what was going on, which is a sign that she has powers. She also has her "Pinkie Sense," so she knows things that others don't."

"Woah, woah, wait a second," interrupted Rainbow Dash. "Are you telling us that we all have magic?"
"Yes, Rainbow, we are," answered Sunset. "And the reason that I didn't want Twilight here is that I have dedicated my life to destroying demons. I don't want you to worry about your friend, if all goes well I can separate the demon from her, and all that's left of it afterwards is a bad memory and supernatural powers for Twilight. However, if she finds out before I separate the demon from her, then there's a high chance that we could all be killed."
"I don't like those odds," said Rarity. "However, I think that we ought to help Twilight. She trusted us with the knowledge that she is Midnight Sparkle, now we need to help her get rid of her inner demon. What do you think, Fluttershy?"
"I - I think - it's a lot to - take in b - but I agree." She went to get up but found that she could not. Some kind of band that stretched across the sofa was stopping her and the other girls from moving.
"Sorry," Sunset told the four girls, "I can't let you leave. You have to go before moonrise, but I have to do something first. I know that not all of you are good at lying, but even those of you who are efficient at it can crack under pressure. None of you will like this, but it has to be done."

She clicked her fingers and the scene around them dissolved. They were transported to an underground room. In this room, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were all on separate chairs and in booths separated by planks of wood. They could not see each other, but could see Pinkie and Sunset.
"What are you doing to us?" asked Rarity, trying not to sound scared.
"I need us all to make a blood pact, to stop all of us from telling Midnight Sparkle," explained Sunset, "but of course, for that, you need blood."

Chapter 5

Three of the four girls were agast. Fluttershy screamed a long, high pitched squeal that lasted for an five seconds but felt longer.
"Ah must say, Ah had a feeling that this would happen," Applejack told Sunset and Pinkie. "And Ah ain't scared in the slightest because Ah know that you want to help Twilight. Ah can tell that you ain't lying. Ah think that it's the magic or whatever it's called, and Ah'm glad to have it. Ah ain't scared of a little blood, even if it means that I have to fight my instincts and lie."
"Good to know, Applejack," Sunset replied, breaking the silence. "To be honest, I really didn't expect the rest of you to react this way. Pinkie was really calm about it. She said that it was fine because she wanted to help Twilight."

Pinkie pulled a trolley into the girls' vision. The sight was unnerving: a glint of metal could be seen next to a glass vial. Fluttershy was scared the most by this. She disagreed with the harming or neglect of all animals and people.
"I don't want to do this," she whispered.
"Fluttershy, shh," Sunset told the scared girl as she approached her, blade and vial in hand, "I am going to do you first. I have enchanted this knife so that it doesn't hurt as much, and it heals really quickly. You can look away if you want. Just remember, this is for Twilight."

"Wait!" shouted Rainbow Dash from her booth. Sunset paused to hear what the girl had to say. "Midnight and Twilight are the same person right now. It's possible that it won't work until Midnight is separated from Twilight. Why take that risk of being found out?"
Sunset told her calmly, "This has been done before, albeit by more powerful supernaturals than I. However, a dash of confidence - and not loads, because that's arrogance just a dash - never hurts. I have just enough faith in my abilities. Plus, although you are untrained supernaturals, I know that you can and will work with me."
"Okay, you can continue."
Fluttershy looked away, felt Sunset turn her hand and take a small bead of blood from her index finger to place in the vial. She untied the restraints, released Fluttershy and moved to Rainbow's booth. She put on a brave face and Sunset took the bead of blood, then let her friend leave the booth. Applejack was completely unfazed and even smiled as she watched Sunset. She had always believed in magic and now knew that her beliefs were true. Rarity was not comfortable in the slightest, but said, "This is for you, Twilight," and did not struggle when she saw the knife. Lastly, she took Pinkie's blood and then took her own. She placed the knife back on the trolley, then asked the girls to make a ring.

Before she joined the circle, Sunset told them, "We don't have long until moonrise, so we need to make this quick. I need all of you to say, when I step into the circle, "I promise never to divulge to the entity known as Midnight Sparkle, regardless of whether she is with her host Twilight Sparkle, that I am a supernatural working to destroy her and prevent her from hurting others." It's not the easiest sentence in the world, but it's enough to make sure that she can't get anything out of us. We'll say it as soon as I'm a part of the circle."
The girls nodded. Sunset counted to three in her head and stepped in between Rarity and the now calm Fluttershy.
"I promise," they all said, "never to divulge to the entity known as Midnight Sparkle, regardless of whether she is with her host Twilight Sparkle, that I am a supernatural working to destroy her and prevent her from hurting others."

A magical stream of light spread from their hands. Each stream connected, then all of the light flowed into the glass vial in Sunset's hands, forming a stopper. When Sunset tried to pull it off, it stayed. She placed the bottle on the floor, and jumped on it. Miraculously, it didn't break. The other girls stared, but Sunset acted as though it was perfectly normal.
"Blood pacts cannot be broken unless everyone who made the pact wishes to break it," she told them. "Now we are a lot safer than we were twenty minutes ago."

They travelled back to Pinkie's flat using magic, and Pinkie sent everyone home. Sunset used magic to travel to her bungalow. She undressed, put on her pajamas and snuggled under the covers. It was likely that Midnight would come to check on her every night. Demons were unable to tell if someone was supernatural or not unless the person revealed their powers. Only Sunset and Twilight's friends knew about their gifts, so they were safe.

Twilight was beginning to transform into Midnight when she had a sudden thought. Why? Why did she allow this to happen? So she fought, and then she heard the demon.
"Midnight Sparkle."
"How can I help you?"
"Do not fight. Become your true self."
"This is not my true self," she said after struggling with herself.
"You wish to see your family again, I know you do. Follow my instructions or you will never see them again."

Twilight allowed herself to become Midnight. This was why she killed without mercy and did not ask questions. She wanted to see her family. Yet, she knew that the demon would never let that happen. He was taunting her, forcing her to kill and controlling her like a puppet. Midnight knew that she deserved it, but Twilight knew that she deserved better, and that she would have to continue with this internal struggle until somebody managed to free her from her misery. Midnight killed two people very early that night, in order to visit Sunset Shimmer. Midnight did not want to die, she wanted to continue doing this. Twilight just wanted to have a normal life and fall asleep and not wake up one day. With any luck, Sunset would be the one to bring her some hope.

Chapter 6

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 7

"Woah," said Rainbow Dash, "Mr Starswirl, we heard all of that. I would just like to say," she ran across the room faster than Starswirl could blink and turned off the projector, "that we all want to learn this magic stuff. I don't like what you said about us, and I want to change your mind." The look on her face was one of fierce determination.

"Finally a trace of power. I thought that Sunset was lying when she said that you were supernaturals," Starswirl told himself. It was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Fine, Starswirl," Sunset snapped at him. "We're leaving. I don't care what you have to say. If you can't be kind, don't be unkind to us either." She prepared to transport her friends back to her bungalow.

"Dear, oh dear, Sunset, my student. Such defiance. I expected this. You know that there is no way that you can do this without my help. I promise to help you teach your friends -" she shot him a glare, "and be nicer when giving my opinion."

They all sat down again and Starswirl turned on the projector. The images were black and white, but some sort of demon could be seen writhing in a net trap. It slashed through the net and Starswirl turned the projector off.

"That," said Starswirl, "was a net trap that I used on a demon. It failed spectacularly. However, some ropes that are used in nets are better than others. There is a type of rope that will never be cut through and never break. The more it is pulled, the stronger it becomes. I do not have enough of it to make a net, although I could buy a net made of it fairly cheap. However, my very unpopular opinion is that we should not use a net at all. Instead, we should just hurt Twilight enough that Midnight will want to leave, then heal her and apologise afterwards. Once Midnight has no host, she will be vulnerable."

"Merlin, we have two issues with that," mused Sunset, silently furious with him for saying that. The others stared at her and him. "Yep, meet Merlin Starswirl. The very same Merlin from the legends about King Arthur. Most of the stuff in the legends is nonsense, but my mentor is a wizard if sorts. Now, the two issues with that plan.

"The first is that I don't want to hurt Twilight. This is not just because it would take time to heal her, but also because she's our friend. The second issue: Midnight transforms into her true self whenever she is granted control. She already has a form that she transforms into. Demons are known for their little tricks, so what would stop her from building her own body? Actually, I told a lie. There's a third issue. Midnight has permission to take over during the day and kill innocent people if they threaten her. We don't want her to do that."

"To blazes with that. I am a fully trained supernatural, you are a two hundred and fifty year old supernatural who has nearly completed her training, and we have five untrained supernaturals who won't leave us alone and want to tag along - I mean help."

"I hate you."

"I know."

"Get out."

"I will."

"We're going home."

She transported all of them back to her bungalow and let her friends leave. However, when Starswirl went to leave, she grabbed his cape.

"No. You are not going to hurt my friends," she told him firmly.

"There is no other way, Sunset," was his answer.

"There must be. You don't care about hurting others. You do it all the time, both physically and emotionally. I really don't want you to help, but I know that I cannot take down two demons on my own. That's the only reason I haven't thrown you to Tartarus where you can kill as many demons as you want. There's plenty there."

"Sunset-"

"Don't you Sunset me," she warned.

"Daydream."

She froze. She had once been called Daydream by a close friend, back even before she was a half demon, and it held good memories. Her flashback was stoped abruptly by Starswirl punching her jaw. She held a hand to it as he said to her, "You fool. You hold connections with others. You have friends. Friends let you down. I suggest that you move on as soon as possible when this is all over." He disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a smell of ozone behind.

She scowled at the spot where he had stood. To Tartarus with him. He wanted to hurt Twilight and he despised her friends. He had punched her. He hadn't punched her for at least thirty years. The blows never got any softer. She always tried not to annoy or upset him, but occasionally she did. This was one of those times. She looked in her freezer and held a bag of sweetcorn to her jaw to stop the pain and bruising. Sometimes, Merlin Starswirl could be a nutcase. Then again, so could anyone who had been alive for over a thousand years.

She saw the moon rising. Midnight Sparkle, and so many other demons and half demons around the world, were ready to ruin people's lives. She had studied with Starswirl in a futile attempt to eradicate them for good, but it was impossible. There were always more. She started to regret not spending more time with normal people. Being this magical, god-like superhuman was all well and good, but there was more to life than that. Love. Friendship. Happiness. Starswirl did not trust anyone and could not keep his mouth shut long enough to form a bond with someone. Thus, he believed that friends and lovers were a waste of time and spent his time ridding the world of unpleasant creatures and sometimes people. Sunset was not going to turn down his help and his plan, but she wanted to prove that her friends were good people as well.

"Hello," came the voice of Midnight Sparkle.

Author's Note

:trollestia: Merlin Starswirl is not a very likeable person. I wanted to portray him as a grumpy old man who thinks he knows best. I think I succeeded.

Chapter 8

Midnight giggled as she danced around the room. She knew that watching Sunset for all this time would eventually pay off.

"Midnight, what do you want?" Sunset demanded, her eyes glancing around at the hysterical dancing demon.

"I wanted to come and see you," the demon revealed slowly, momentarily pausing to laugh with a sneer. "My friends have been talking about me behind my back with you. Care to tell me...why?"

"You're a demon,” Sunset responded, without a moment of hesitation, as her eyes narrowed with obvious suspicion. “Of course not!"

"Oh, I really thought that you would be nicer than that.” Midnight sighed, shaking her head slowly at the choice made by Sunset. “Oh well…I wish that I could have put you out of your misery. Sadly, that’s against the rules."

"You demons and your rules," Sunset spat with contempt, turning her head away from the demon’s gaze.

"Yes, we are quite bound to them, Sunset. I wish that I wasn't. It would have been so much fun," the ghastly demon replied, indifferent to Sunset’s reaction. “However, I did something naughty…and this is the cruel way I have to take to make amends.”

"What did you do, Midnight?" Sunset turned back, curiosity glinting in her eyes.

"Well, it was a long time ago," the demon said with relish. "My sister was on her deathbed, and I couldn't watch her suffering any longer. While my parents and my brother were eating, I slipped a knife into both of our hearts. My sister was allowed to go to the afterlife, or heaven, or whatever you call it, but because I killed the both of us, the demons decided that I was good at it and made me one of them."

"What does Twilight think?"

"Oh, I am Twilight,” the demon proclaimed. “She just has…slightly different opinions to myself. Apparently…what she wants is to be with her family. However, that does not concern me AT ALL! I am a wonderful demon, killer for hire, and will wipe out anyone who's done anyone else wrong."

"Wow," Sunset responded at the incredulousness of the demon’s words, although the arrogance in its voice was obvious.

"I know. I am wow,” the demon spoke, before helping itself with a short giggle as its mind reminded itself of its own profound powers. “I can erase memories, I can walk through solid objects, I can fly with these huge wings of mine and I have a cool scythe."

"It is impressive," Sunset murmured, sat on the table, Midnight's scythe in one hand, running the index finger of her other hand along the blade yet miraculously not drawing any blood. "I want to be your friend, you know."

"How did you get that? Wait, what? Why do you want to be friends with me?" the demon snapped quickly, frowning at both the fact that her scythe had been stolen and the sudden proposal of friendship.

"Oh! I took your scythe because I happen to be a fast runner, and I'm quick-witted. Plus, you were too confident in your abilities to realise that-" Sunset rattled on without thinking it through thoroughly, until she stopped herself dead in her tracks, recognising that she was wading in dangerous waters. The sudden, eerie silence deafened her, as she tried to frantically think of a way out of this mess. She could almost feel the cold sweat dripping down from her forehead.

"Uhh…sorry. I'm a little cranky," Sunset backpedalled all of a sudden, trying desperately to reduce the tension lingering in the air around her. "My teacher has really wound me up. He needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut."

"Well…demons aren't usually the forgiving type, but I don't mind a small slip, especially when you're upset,” the demon replied awkwardly, before realising the logic that it decided to adopt did not seem to make much sense to her brain. She heard a disturbance outside and turned her head. Through the window she could see a man with a skull and crossbones on his chest, and a knife in his hand. “But, can I have my scythe back? There's an annoying killer outside who seems to have taken an interest in you."

Midnight seized the scythe back from the mortal before it and dashed through the wall with urgency to meet whoever was stood outside. Sunset watched through the window as they both fought valiantly. But Sunset knew that it was ultimately a one-sided duel. In a matter of moments, the man ended up on the floor, his face lying despondently flat on the ground, with the scythe embedded cruelly into him.

As his soul slowly ebbed away into nothingness, Midnight spoke, with an air of authority, "I am a killer, just like you, but unlike you, I only kill the killers, whereas you always pick on the innocent. You have made a grave mistake, and you shall pay for that."

She pulled the scythe out of him, and waved it ceremoniously over his head. In a blink of Sunset’s eye, his body and blood disappeared into thin air.

She leapt back into the house and turned to meet Sunset right in her eyes.

"I only have to bump off one a night, so I can spend the rest of the night doing whatever I want now," Midnight uttered, its face emotionless despite the atrocity it had committed mere minutes ago.

This piqued Sunset's interest. "What do you do?"

"Muck about with other demons, usually. Get rid of a few more people. It can get boring, without anyone to talk to,” Midnight exhaled deeply, thinking that despite its awesome powers, it was still encased in the mundane rules it had to follow ever so strictly. “You know, maybe I shouldn't kill you. You seem like you just want to help."

"Eh…yeah, of course. That's all I want to do," Sunset immediately replied, trying to string some sort of favourable response to the satisfaction of the demon, as she wiped her sweat off her forehead in much relief.

“Very well,” Midnight spoke slowly, as it was trying to distance itself from this strange conversation. “Then, if you would excuse me, I will be going off now…”

With that remark, the demon vanished, leaving a stunned Sunset behind to reflect upon this bizarre encounter. Despite the answers she managed to extract from that demon, more questions inevitably flooded her already confused mind. She was torn between following her head and heart, wanting to make the decision that was best for everyone. She was supposed to be killing this thing, but she couldn't bring herself to do it now. Midnight Sparkle, despite the fact that she was essentially a murderer, was not that much different from Twilight.

Would it be enough to separate the two? That way, Midnight would be able to get on with her business without worrying Twilight. But Sunset still did not fully understand how it could potentially work out. There were so many ways that it could go wrong, yet there was a shred of confidence in her mind that human and demon could coexist, together.

I just want to help, she thought. Maybe it's time that I helped the demons. They are technically correct and only want to help others, they're just misguided.

Author's Note

Many thanks to Stinium_Ruide for proofreading this and suggesting ways to make it 3000 times better. :pinkiehappy:

Chapter 9

Midnight was sat on a rooftop, the moon framing her silhouette perfectly, digesting that long awkward conversation she had just had with the elusive Sunset Shimmer. She had not gleaned much from the encounter, and was befuddled at the offer of friendship. As a demon, she distrusted the newcomer, but as a human, she wanted so badly to accept the offer. Sunset was still a mystery to her, but she could only solve this mystery if she made a new acquaintance with the girl who frightened her.

Did she just think that?! She did. As much as the monster hated using those words, she feared what could go wrong if she let her guard down around the stranger. She hid this by exuding arrogance, but inside, her feelings were still the same. She recalled not becoming angry at the girl for insulting her. Was that due to fear, or the shred of hope that they could get along because Sunset knew what Twilight became at night? The other matter on her mind regarding this girl was how she knew that she was actually Twilight. One of her friends could have been pressured into telling, for example Applejack. Midnight would not press charges when she became Twilight in the morning. Sunset was sensible. She wouldn't spill to the whole school unless she was forced, or felt threatened by Midnight. As long as she was careful, they could easily be friends.

The next morning, on the bus to school, Twilight thought again about Sunset Shimmer. She decided to be friends. If the demon who controlled her thought otherwise, then she would have to stay away from the girl who she had grown to like. If not, then great.

"Hey, Twilight."

"AAH!" Twilight gave a small shout before realising that it was Sunset who had surprised her. "When did you get here?"

Sunset shrugged. "I just got on this bus. It was nice talking to you last night. You're not a bad person, even when you're a demon."

"Thanks. When I turn into Midnight, I... Let go, I suppose. I'm not proud of what I do, but it's instinct."

"I understand." Her voice dropped. "I want to tell you a secret," she whispered. "But I need to know something about you first."

"What do you need to know?"

"Do you enjoy being Midnight Sparkle?"

Twilight hesitated. She enjoyed the feeling of being emotionless, of being immortal. She liked those long beautiful nights, but every morning, she hated herself for the crimes that she committed, and hated being under the other demon's control. She mused that she was having something along the lines of a crisis of faith.

"I have grown used to it but..." She paused, "no. I hate myself every morning."

"Good. That's all I need to know. I can help you. I can't tell you right now, but if we organise something with your friends, I'm sure that we can help you."

Twilight's intuitive distrust in this girl doubled with those words, but Sunset wanted to "help." She had no idea what Sunset had in mind, but was curious nonetheless. She could feel the demon in her cursing the girl next to her, but kept her composure.

Later, Sunset, Twilight and their friends met in the lunch hall. They decided to go to the music rooms to discuss the whole Midnight Sparkle situation. Twilight knew that the others wanted to discuss something in private, but had not been told what. She assumed that they were just trying to help her cope with being half demon and essentially immortal. Still, the idea of her friends - especially Sunset - hiding secrets from her made her uneasy.

"I take it you want me to stay behind for a few minutes," Twilight said with a disappointed frown. "I understand, but I feel a bit left out, like a child who's watching other people playing a board game but is not allowed to take part."

"It's okay." Sunset whispered kindly in an effort to cheer up her new friend and not be heard by unwelcome ears. She laid a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "We just have to work out how we're going to do all this. We know something that we... Might need to tell you. I want to help you, but I'm worried about what my actions could lead to."

"I understand," Twilight repeated, this time smiling. She watched her friends leave the lunch hall, then decided to enjoy her food slowly in order to keep any boredom at bay.

In the music room, Sunset cast a spell to ensure that nobody outside could hear the six girls talking. Now, how to explain her situation. She drew in a deep breath before she told the others, "Midnight Sparkle visited me last night, and now I don't want to have to kill her."

The others stared at her: not the reaction that she had hoped for. "Continue, darling, I can tell that there's more," Rarity encouraged her.

"Also, I think I like Twilight. When this is over, I might take her on a date, providing all of us are still alive."

"Woah, woah!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Let me process that. You, who are supposed to be killing Twilight's evil alter ego, like Twilight, and don't want to kill her alter ego. That's a bit weird."

"Understandable," Rarity mused. "You're a hundred years or so older than her, but still understandable. She's likely to accept. What else?"

"I'm not sure whether to go ahead and get rid of Midnight and free Twilight, or whether to just separate the two and let Midnight go. The former upsets the other demons, which I have already done countless times. The latter upsets the demons and Starswirl, which I did last night. I nearly forgot how hard his punches are."

Pinkie, who had been drinking a bottle of water, spat out its contents over the floor. "Merlin Starswirl did WHAT?!"

"He punched me. He was raised a thousand years ago, when that was encouraged. Don't worry, he doesn't do it often. The last time was thirty years ago. I consider myself lucky, because I got a lot more than that when I worked in that cotton factory aged five..." She shuddered at the memory, then reminded herself of the matter at hand. "Anyways, what do we do with Midnight, and what is Twilight allowed to know?"

"Sugarcube, tell Twilight about us lot having these powers and you training us. Don't tell about Starswirl, or your plan to separate Twilight and Midnight. That way, we're all safe. Ah don't like lying, but these are special circumstances. Who agrees?" Applejack asked the others.

Everyone nodded.

"Now let's go tell Twilight," said Sunset with determination. Finally, she had an answer - sort of. They left for the lunch hall just as the bell to signal the end of lunch made its fateful toll. "After school, then," she sighed.

Author's Note

Sorry I haven't written anything for this story for a while. I just got really bad writer's block and decided to do some other stuff. Thanks again to Stinium_Ruide for proofreading.