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.