The Light of the Night

Two eyes slowly opened as Starbeam Glitter looked around. She knew she was dreaming, the emptiness of the world around her with nothing but the thick fog hovering below her feet. Her mind was racing, trying to grasp what was going on. As she looked around, she found she was the only person in the surrounding area and not a single other soul within sight.

“Where exactly am I?” Starbeam asked herself. “And why does this feel… familiar?”

Starbeam did not have long to think when a light appears before her. She had to fold an arm over her eyes to keep the blinding radiance from hitting her directly in the eyes. Like trying to adjust to the sun after a period of exploring the deepest, darkest caves. Add to the fact she barely moved an inch when the very light itself appeared so suddenly.

“Maybe I’ll find something if I go through it,” She thought aloud. “Better than standing around.”

Starbeam Glitter slowly walked into the light, but some invisible force hit her catching her by surprise.

“Huh?”

Starbeam Glitter tried to force her way in, trying to push against the invisible barrier. But it seemed as if it would not allow her to go through. Starbeam backs up a couple feet, before making a run for it… But the force was so strong it pushed her back, knocking her head over heels.

“Ow…”

Starbeam groaned as she massaged her aching forehead, her eyes never leaving from the blinding light. It just stood there as if it were silently mocking her efforts to pass. Taking a deep breath, she thrust her hands toward the light and tried to pry it apart hoping to make an opening for herself. After a few more tries, and through sheer will, Starbeam managed to make an opening big enough for her to get through.

Once she was through the barrier, which disappeared behind her, Starbeam dusted herself after her previous failed attempts. As she looks ahead, what she saw both confused and surprised her. Initially, Starbeam expected to enter some other-worldly dimension yet before her eyes that wasn’t the case. She found herself inside a kitchen with all the trimmings: A rectangular table with four chairs, an oven in the corner, a fridge on the side wall, and the smell of pancake batter cooked on a pan. Starbeam felt this sense of déjà vu, with little to no understanding why.

“Why do I feel like I know this place?” Starbeam asked, looking around.

“Starbeam…”

The girl was taken by surprise when she heard her name called out.

“Mom?” She called out.

She turned around, and sure enough there was her mother, Twilight Sparkle. She was wearing a white cooking apron with a matching chef’s hat. A single plate with a lid over it was in one hand as she smiled toward her daughter.

“I was wondering where you were,” Twilight replied. “You’re just in time for breakfast.”

Before Starbeam could speak out, before she could grasp what was going on, she was forcibly moved toward the tale and with her free hand Twilight pushed her daughter into the one empty seat at the table. Once Starbeam was seated, Twilight lowers the plate in front of her and takes the handle with one hand.

“I made you your favorite, my famous ‘Every-Berry-Any-Chip-Surprise’ hotcakes.”

“Oh, um… thank you—” Starbeam answered, puzzled. “W-Wait. But I thought that was Aunt Pinkie’s—”

She was cut off when her eyes saw what was on her plate. But instead of breakfast, something horrible nearly made her gag. There was a hotcake, except it had the tiny bodies of Twilight’s friends caught in the burning batter as if the plate itself was still cooking it. They were all screaming in agony, yet their cries were high-pitched that it nearly made Starbeam’s ears bleed.

The worst part was that she couldn’t lift her arms because straps suddenly appeared on the arms of the chair, locking her in place. She struggled to pry herself free, but it felt as if the bonds were getting tighter and tighter, like a blood pressure pad squeezing her.

“M-Mom! Why… What…?”

But what lied before her next, it was not her mother but something far worse. Her mother’s face had turned a darker shade of purple, an elongated tongue stuck out like a snake’s, and both the chef’s hat and apron were black with red splotches all over. She laughed maniacally before the helpless little girl imprisoned in the chair.

“You really are gullible, just like your mother,” Midnight Sparkle snickered. “Then again, you are part of her… No matter. Like mother like daughter, trusting your ‘family’ has its benefits.”

The demoness drew closer toward Starbeam, sliding her nails along the trapped girl. One set of nails scratched along her neck, while the other drew along one of her arms.

“Scared, Starbeam? Am I close? No... that seems out of character. To think, she sacrificed so much to have you thinking it would keep me away… so much for caring for your wellbeing.”

As Midnight Sparkle spoke, the surroundings all around the changed. The setting of a kitchen on a beautiful morning fell apart as the walls crashed down, the tiled floor shattered into ash, and the light faded into clouded darkness. Drawing the two figures back into the darkness.

“What do you want from me?!” Starbeam asked. “What did I ever do?!”

“Playing innocent? Don’t you know it’s a sin to lie?”

Soon Midnight Sparkle was fully transformed back into her former self, the very same sinister grin plastered on her face.

“You know what you did. Your mother, my former host, lost her powers because of you. Fortunately, a part of me was transferred from the very day you were ‘born’. Now… I just want what is rightfully might. In order to do that, I need…”

Midnight Sparkle grabs her by the neck, tearing her away from the bonds of the chair, and lifting her up in the air, their faces uncomfortably close.

“… You!”

<>

In the outside world, Sunset Shimmer was sound asleep when stirring and moaning awake her. She opens her eyes and noticed something was off. Her daughter, Starbeam Glitter, was tossing about and muttering in her sleep. Sunset reached for her shoulders trying to wake her.

“Starbeam! Starbeam, what’s happening?” Sunset called out. “Starbeam, I’m right here. I told you I’ll always be here, and I am… Wake up, please!”

Sunset shook and shook with all her might, but Starbeam wouldn’t wake up. All at once, an ominous glow over her shoulder causes Sunset Shimmer to look around. An aura forms around the two women, the glow growing darker the stronger it became. Sunset recognized this as a sign of bad things to come.

“Oh no…” Sunset whispered, turning back to Starbeam. “Starbeam, don’t let her control you! I know you’re scared, but you’ve got to fight back! I’m here for you, let me help you! Starbeam, please wake up! Starbeam!!!”

<>

Starbeam heard her mother’s cry, bellowing in the darkness. Her hands start to glow, and she struggles against Midnight’s clawed grip. With all her might, Starbeam fires a burst of magic from her hands and cast Midnight Sparkle back. Not enough to do physical harm to the demoness, but more than enough for Starbeam to escape her grip, clutching her neck as she could feel the deep scratch marks.

“Leave me alone!” She yelled, gasping. “I won’t let you hurt my family!”

“Please… Like you really believe that will stop me?” Midnight asked, chuckling. “I’m not that same nightmare from ten years ago. I was foolish back then; I let my own ego get to me. I won’t be making that mistake again.”

All at once, Midnight Sparkle disappeared in a blink of an eye. Before Starbeam Glitter could move, a barrier suddenly appears around her, as she looked around for an escape. But the barrier itself starts to slowly close on her, like walls moving in on her. Soon, she found it hard to traverse much less breathe as if a wave of claustrophobia was getting to her.

“I… I can’t move…!” Starbeam gasped frantically. “Mom… Rainbow Dash… Anyone… HELP ME!!!”

“It’s no use screaming, Little Star… I’m in control now…”

<>

“Mom…”

“Starbeam!” Sunset sighed in relief. “You had me worried for a minute…”

But Sunset Shimmer stopped, when one look at her daughter’s face made her pupils shrink. For what she was seeing before her eyes, it clearly wasn’t her daughter. Starbeam’s face was twisted, a sinister grin formed revealing sharp fangs, and blue flames began to appear around her now darkened glowing eyes. Reacting quickly, Sunset used her own magic to hold her down even as her ‘daughter’ struggled against the suppressing force.

“I’m sorry, Starbeam…” Sunset spoke. “This is going to hurt… But I know it’s not your doing. Please come back… I can only hold her for so long.”

<>

As Sunset’s voice ringed in her mind, Starbeam tried everything in her power to escape. She hurled her magic aura against the barrier, but even her strongest attacks could not destroy it. It seemed to absorb every bit of magic and it glowed every time her shots made contact. Eventually, the strain of trying to break free was taking its toll on Starbeam who found herself barely able to stand as she felt weak. All the while, Midnight Sparkle watched from the sidelines, amused with the girl’s efforts.

“I’d conserve your energy if I were you,” Midnight advised. “That barrier was designed to be impenetrable; nothing goes in or out. Besides, the fun hasn’t even started yet. By the time I’m done with them, your ‘mothers’, I have so many names to go down… those who’ve had it coming for FAR too long… I wonder…”

<>

Sunset tried to hold her daughter down on the bed, as long as she could. But then, a force of magic propels her into the air and sends her crashing onto the floor, rolling backward. Sunset picked herself up, clutching her aching shoulder from the harsh landing.

“Hello, Sunset.”

Sunset gasped, as her eyes widen the moment she heard her daughter speak. Only, it did not sound like the Starbeam she knew. But rather, her distorted voice felt like a blend between her daughter’s and… Midnight.

“It’s been ages since we’ve last seen each other,” She continued, looking around. “Speaking of which…”

Before Sunset’s very eyes, she watched as her possessed daughter proceeds to alter the very atmosphere all around them through the magic flowing within her fingertips. Sunset darted her eyes, side to side, seeing everything shift before her gaze trying to see what was going on. The magic was so strong, the very detail of the floor she stood on disappeared, yet she still stood as if there was an invisible surface beneath her bare feet.

“Is this… the dream world?” Sunset thought. “What could Midnight have to show me here?”

“Hey there, sweetie.”

Her eyes widen, Sunset Shimmer slowly turns around toward the source of the call. And just over her shoulder, she was surprised to see Twilight Sparkle… standing there… smiling at her.

“Twilight?!” Sunset called out. “What are you doing here?”

But there was clearly something off about Twilight Sparkle. There was no mistake that it truly looked like her, even the glasses slightly slant upon the bridge of her nose. But still, there was this aura shining behind her and she seemed completely oblivious to it.

“You seem stressed Sunset,” Twilight Sparkle continued. “You want a hug? You know you needn’t ask—”

GASP!!!

Just before Twilight Sparkle could finish, a violet beam pierced straight through Twilight’s chest. Time seemed to slow down, as Sunset stared with her jaw agape and tears forming in her eyes. As Twilight Sparkle slowly leaned forward, their daughter Starbeam Glitter, under Midnight’s control, stood behind Twilight with a finger pointed.

“NO!!!!” Sunset shouted.

Sunset quickly raced toward Twilight and caught her wife within her grasp. Yet, as Sunset tearfully looked down upon Twilight, she was neither shocked nor even in pain. When she looked at her face, how her smile still hung over her lips, Twilight Sparkle seemed so calm… so happy.

“Oh… Guess I misunderstood you,” Twilight smiled. “But you had your reasons… I’m not mad at you…”

As her final words were spoken, Twilight Sparkle’s form completely faded to the point Sunset was holding nothing but empty air. Sunset’s body quaked with grief, a boiling anger seeping deep within her. Whether this was real or not, seeing the terrible fate of her life broke Sunset in more ways than she could ever imagine.

“No… No, no, no!!! I can’t lose the two most important people in my life… Not now…”

A child’s laughter drew Sunset’s attention back to Starbeam, her laugh in tune with the maniacal chuckle of the mad demoness.

“It’s so funny: Even after all the times you try to save her, Twilight Sparkle will still get hurt… Let me show you one more thing.”

With a flick of her wrist, Starbeam Glitter altered the atmosphere around the two once more. Sure enough, Sunset Shimmer found herself in an all too familiar place: Canterlot High. The old hallways of the school, Sunset’s head turned side to side recognizing every detail of her former grounds. But then she turned, and she saw a younger version of herself, the old attire she used to wear during her ‘post-evil’ days sadly walking down the halls while all the students just glared at her, even the teachers were unsure about her.

She remembered those days very well, the mockery when she was no longer the Queen of the School… The cruelty they displayed as payback for how she acted… To this day, even in her attempts to reform, she recalled some students who never truly forgave her no matter what she did. Things were much different now than it was back then, but still… This made Sunset glare further.

“Out of everything about my past… All the constant ridicule I’ve ever endured…” Sunset spoke through her teeth. “You pick this day…”

Sunset Shimmer glared towards ‘Midnight’, who responds with a huge grin forcibly displayed on Starbeam’s face.

“I’m sorry… Did I strike a nerve?” Midnight asked mockingly. “What are you going to do about it?”

Sunset looked down, the tears falling toward the ground. Her fists clench with intensity as a golden aura formed around her. Slowly, she lifts her head, sending a death glare toward Midnight Sparkle.

“Oh, I know exactly what I’m going to do to you…” Sunset growled, changing into her other form. “I’m going to erase you from existence!!!”

<>

A groan escapes Starbeam’s lips, as the barrier disappeared, and she plopped toward the ground. She looks up as Midnight Sparkle floated over her, smiling deviously toward her.

“Now that the stage is complete,” Midnight Sparkle declared. “Let’s see how you fare against this.”

<>

Taking a moment to adjust, Starbeam Glitter eventually woke up, not sure was just happened. But as she looked around, she found herself back in her old bedroom… Or at least, what she thought as it appeared to be distorted.

“I’m… I’m back?” Starbeam asked herself, uncertain.

Suddenly, Starbeam head a growl from someone in front of her. She slowly turns as her eyes catch her mother, Sunset Shimmer, right before her. However, she noticed something was severely off.

“Oh, I know exactly what I’m going to do to you…” Sunset growled, changing into her other form. “I’m going to erase you from existence!!!”

As if her mother’s own words wasn’t confusing enough, Sunset Shimmer had assumed an unfamiliar form: Daydream Shimmer. She wore a pink dress with thin white and meet cloth sheets along the bottom. She appeared to wear heels with her cutie mark on the buckles and wings resembling a phoenix. A silvery horn protrudes and shine from her forehead and golden sparkly wings sprout from her back. Her cutie mark also appeared around the collar of her neck, the bracelets atop of her elbows, and she wore light mint fingerless gloves. A red streak crosses both her eyes as she glares toward her daughter.

“Mom?” Starbeam spoke.

All of a sudden, flames appear to spout before her hands and before Starbeam could react, she hurls her arms out shooting fireballs at her. Starbeam ducked and rolled, barely avoiding the blasts that ignited against the walls. Starbeam tried to get back on her feet, only for a huge fireball to strike her in the chest sending her flying back to a wall before falling to the ground.

"What did you hope to accomplish by coming back, Midnight Sparkle?” Daydream asked.

“Mom... It’s me… Star—”

“Do you get a kick out of torturing those weaker than you are?” Daydream interrupted. “Now, let me show you how it feels when you’re the one who’s attacked!”

Starbeam felt herself back into the wall, scared beyond comprehension. She watched the flames form again around her mother’s hands, ready to fire at her if she made any sudden movements.

“Mom! It’s me… Starbeam! I’m still here!” Starbeam called out. “Whatever I did to make you upset… I’m sorry! Please, snap out of it…!”

<>

But as it turns out, all of the child’s pleas fell on deaf ears. It seemed that Sunset Shimmer couldn’t hear her own daughter, crying for her. But instead, she just heard Midnight Sparkle laugh through her daughter, revealing she was still trapped within her own mind. Unable to speak up, unable to control her very actions. For this was Midnight at her peak, in full control of a helpless child for her own gain.

“If that was supposed to kill me, you’re grown weaker since our last encounter,” Midnight taunted. “I thought I’d face you at your best; I overestimated you.”

“That was to savor the moment, Midnight Sparkle!” Daydream Shimmer warned. “But you’re right; I’m done screwing around! This ends right now!”

“DO IT, THEN! Prove how strong you truly are!!!”

Midnight Sparkle stood there laughing maniacally, as Daydream Shimmer charged forward ready to attack her at just the right moment. She raised her arm, ready to hurl the killing blow…

<>

“MOMMY, PLEASE SNAP OUT OF IT!!!”

<>

The words echoed in Daydream Shimmer’s mind, stopping her attack inches away from her daughter’s face. Daydream Shimmer’s form, in complete shock, disappeared instantly as Sunset Shimmer returned to reality, horrified beyond words as she stared at her daughter.

“What the hell…?” Sunset asked herself.

But there was no mistake, there was her daughter, back to herself. Only her daughter was whimpering, crying on the floor while holding her knees to her chest. Her aura completely down, Sunset Shimmer crawled toward her daughter. She reached out to comfort her, but Starbeam leaned farther back as if worried her mother would strike her. Sunset pulled her arm back, sighing regretfully for scaring her daughter to death… And a million other things.

“Starbeam… I’m so sorry,” Sunset apologized quietly. “I’m sorry you had to see that; I don’t know what came over me. One minute, Midnight was right there in front of me… But it turned out she was using you to get to me.”

Looking around, Sunset Shimmer could see the effects their battle had. The scorch marks on the walls, the books flown all over, furniture turned over, and everything else knocked out of place. It was a miracle that Twilight Sparkle did not hear all this going on unless Midnight was determined to keep this battle just between them. It only proved that Midnight was getting stronger, this Sunset could confirm.

She turns her attention back toward her daughter, who covered her head and kept crying.

“I did you wrong, Starbeam,” Sunset continued. “I’m so sorry. Everything I said, and everything I did, they were not meant for you. That still doesn’t excuse what I did… But I would never hurt you, never you.”

“I’m sorry, mom…” Starbeam cried. “I’m sorry, mom… I’m sorry, mom… I’m sorry, mom…”

Those three little words were all Starbeam could say, her voice cracked in between. Sunset Shimmer felt extremely guilty, putting her daughter through all that. Whether Midnight Sparkle was to blame or not, Starbeam had officially become caught in the middle of the battle and was paying a price for it. Sunset eventually worked the courage to wrap her arms around her daughter, who leaned against her and hugged her back as she cried.

“Do not apologize for what I did, Starbeam,” Sunset said. “You didn’t do anything wrong; I did. But don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise.”

Sunset massaged Starbeam’s back as she held her close, brushing her arm up and down. A sigh escapes Sunset’s lips, knowing that it’s been getting far worse than they imagined. In that moment, she knew there was only one thing they could do.

“It’s time we paid a visit to an old friend of mine,” Sunset Shimmer declared. “If there’s anyone I know who’d have the knowledge on how to stop dark magic, it’s her.”

Starbeam’s shivering slowed down, as she took deep steady breathes. Her tears disappear as she gives her full attention to her mother.

“I realize it’ll be difficult to forgive me, maybe even trust me,” Sunset continued. “But I need you to be brave. Not just for me, for both of us. The only way to find an escape from this dilemma is if we work together. Can you do that?”

Starbeam silently nodded, wiping away the tears. She put up the best brave face she could possibly give to her mother. Nonetheless, Sunset Shimmer was more than pleased to see her daughter try.

“That’s the brave girl I know and love. Your mom and I know how strong you truly are. Will you help me, Starbeam?”

Sunset extended her hand out to her daughter, who takes her mother’s hand and nods. As they climb to their feet, Starbeam acknowledges all the chaos around the bedroom. Sunset also saw the mess, and she actually chuckled much to Starbeam’s confusion.

“Mama Twilight is going to be so mad when she wakes up,” Sunset spoke humorously.

That actually made Starbeam smile, as a small laugh was released.

“Yeah she will,” Starbeam chuckled. “I know mom very well.”

“In any case, you should put some warm clothes on before you head out,” Sunset advised, noting the single nightdress. “I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”

Starbeam nods, as Sunset Shimmer closes the door behind her, leaving her daughter in her room to change. Moving slightly away from the door, Sunset pressed her back against the wall, leaning down onto the floor. A deep sigh escapes her lips as her thoughts raced over recent events.

“How am I going to explain this to the other Twilight?” Sunset thought, placing a hand to her chest. “I promised everything would be okay… I have to keep it this way. I really hope she can help her, she’s just like her mother… So kind. I’ve just got to remain calm…”

As she finished her thoughts, the door opened and Sunset turns. Her daughter steps out of her room, dressed in her usual garbs but otherwise she should be warm enough.

“Wow! You certainly dress quick,” Sunset replied.

“Um… Thanks… I guess?” Starbeam answered awkwardly. “You think this friend of yours will be up at this hour?”

“Knowing her, I’d be more surprised if she wasn’t. If there’s one thing I know about her, she’s known to pull all-nighters. Especially with her studies.”

To say that Starbeam was confused was an understatement but given the severity of their situation she did not question it further. It wasn’t long before Sunset Shimmer had led Starbeam Glitter to the backyard. Fortunately, even without the gate surrounding the yard, no one else was up at this hour and so they had all the privacy they would need for the time being. Around her shoulder, Sunset carried a bag over her shoulder, one of which she left on the counter in the kitchen. Starbeam, meanwhile, looked around, as if something ached across her mind.

“Why are we even out here?” She asked. “Shouldn’t we be going to the car?”

“Cars?” Sunset asked, digging into her bag. “Where we’re going, we won’t need cars.”

Sunset Shimmer then pulls out a mirror and her old journal, handed down to her from her oldest friend. She then approaches the single tree in the backyard, finding a nail embedded on the bark (Which was high enough so not a soul could accidentally crash their head on it). As she positions the top handle of the mirror, hanging it over the nail, Starbeam stands there quietly trying to process her mother’s intentions.

“What’s all this for?” Starbeam asked.

“Let’s just say this is the quickest way to where we’re going,” Sunset replied. “Just… Try not to move, I haven’t used this spell in a while.”

Starbeam nodded, with a hint of uncertainty but nevertheless trusted her mom’s judgment. Once the mirror was set, Sunset Shimmer proceeds to write a message within the journal, finishes it with a ‘period’ and then they wait. After a few seconds, the mirror suddenly starts to glow nearly blinding Starbeam Glitter as she folds a hand over her eyes. But then Sunset grasps her daughter’s hand, causing her to look as Sunset silently assures it’ll be okay. They soon become embedded within the glow of the mirror’s life until…

They disappear…