Now, Sunset Shimmer wasn't exactly afraid of attention, in fact, at times, she actively sought it out, the way ponies admired her openly always giving her a bit of a boost on a bad day. Some days, though, Sunset actively preferred not to be the focal point of attention, when the fuse keeping her anger in check was running low, or simply when she would rather be researching. Today was, luckily, for the latter reason, but that didn't make Sunset any happier as she walked down the carpet behind Princess Celestia, Hope and Cadance to her left. Sunset raised her eyes both to the ceiling, and to make sure her fire-coloured mane was still as perfectly styled as it had been when she'd left Strawberry Clipper's studio, the Royal Mane Stylist, though as she did she felt a nudge that threatened to send her off balance. Recovering quickly, Sunset cast a murderous glare left, but it melted the moment Radiant Hope's giggles reached her ears. Sunset paused for a moment, surprised by the sudden refusal of her anger, before shaking her head and continuing to walk.

"I hate you two."

"Awww, come on, you love us really!"

"Maybe just not as much as that one gentlemare~!"

Sunset's head snapped back up as she stared at Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Princess Cadance, a bright pink alicorn with a tricolour prink, purple and yellow mane and a heart-shaped blue crystal for a cutie mark, and Sunset tried to guess how far Cadance was willing to go.

"You wouldn't-"

"I would."

Sunset had told Cadance by accident, when she was drunk one night during her one-pony-pity-party after Hope and Celestia had left on a long research trip. It wasn't that Sunset didn't know about her own crush, but she tried her best to deny it to herself, and so the strength of it often surprised her. That night, she hadn't even registered she was drunk until after she'd spilled to Cadance.

Hope looked between the two of them, curiosity in her eyes.

"ooooo Cadance you have to tell me, tell me tell me tellme-"

"Welllll-"

Cadance paused for a moment, closing her eyes in thought, and Hope caught Sunset's eyes with a mischievous glint before ducking down.

"She was aaaA-"

Cadance was promptly cut off with a squeal as Sunset pounced, knocking the alicorn over onto her side. Hope's giggles took over Sunset's ears, and some part of her was glad they were already inside and away from the view of the cameras and press. Sunset froze as a disappointed, but amused sigh reached her ears, and in a moment she was back on all four hooves on Hope's right, like she'd never moved at all, practiced neutrality on all three faces.

"Girls, when I said to enjoy yourselves, I meant by being social."

"Yes Princess.," came the reply from three very professional ponies of the royal court, who definitely hadn't been jumping on each other moments ago.

Celestia simply rolled her eyes and continued walking, Sunset glancing up for a moment before blowing a strand of her mane back into place. Another second of stoicism, then the three began laughing again.

When they'd calmed down, though, Sunset's thoughts began to drift again, this time to the group that threatened her friends - no, her family, in the palace.

The Nightmare Cult, as Celestia referred to them, was a topic Sunset wasn't as familiar with, given that most tomes regarding them were both in the restricted section, and not something Sunset had been that interested by previously. She knew they were primarily unicorns- most likely unicorns powered by the moonlight. Within the Unicorn tribe, there were a few subsections based around when each individual unicorns power was strongest, with some being midnight, some midday, some sunrise, and some, like Sunset Shimmer herself, the sunset.

So, she thought, keep an eye on night-powered unicorns.

Though that wouldn't solve the problem entirely; there still Pegasi who enjoyed the cooler, less busy nighttime for flying, and the most fanatical flyers of them might join, and a few Earth Ponies who'd grown disillusioned with their farms or jobs. Effectively, the Nightmare Cult drew from all aspects of society, which only made Sunset's job harder. If that wasn't enough, said Cult wanted to bring about the return of Nightmare Moon, blessed be her na-

Sunset froze.

No. That wasn't right. No no no- where? How? What- where did that come from?

Sunset felt panic rising in her.

That wasn't my thought - I wouldn't - couldn't -

There was a pressure at her side, and she was dimly aware of being led to the edge of the room.

"Sunset, Listen to my voice. Okay? You're okay."

It was Hope. Sunset felt the panic lighten slightly, but she was still trying to steady her breathing.

"Okay, Sunset. I can help you out of this, but I need you to listen to me, okay?"

She nodded.

The Nightmare Cult, no, The Cult of the Eternal Moon-

No, no! How do I know that? I don't know that!

"Sunset! Deep breaths. Copy me. Come on, you're okay."

Sunset blinked tears from her eyes and began trying to copy Hope's breathing, but she was shivering now, shuddering, and that made it harder.

"This is bad, Sunset. This is worse than usual. I can stop this, but it might get a bit intimate. Are you fine with that?"

A nod.

Just get me out of this.

Sunset shuddered as she felt Hope's magic begin to brush against her own, feeling for Sunset's emotions before soothing them steadily. Her breaths began deepening, and Sunset stopped shivering before letting out a relieved sigh. Hope stepped away, concern in her eyes.

"Sunset, that was dark magic. Whatever you're doing in the restricted section is affecting you."

Sunset flinched. She'd known it was a risk, dark magic always left its mark, and while Hope wasn't quite versed in that area of magic enough to know it meant Sunset had tried a few of the spells she'd come across, if Celestia found out she'd be gone in an instant.

"You can't tell Celestia - or Cadance. Please, Hope. I need this."

I need to know more, Cult or No Cult.

Hope gave her another concerned look.

"Okay."

The stallion looked down at Sunset Shimmer from the balcony with a smile. The Oracle had been right, the student had indeed messed with dark magic, and that left her vulnerable, especially with no teaching from Celestia on how to counter or detect it. All he'd had to do was a small, tiny awakening curse, and he'd sent her into a panic attack. And even after it, when the curse was done, she'd still wanted to learn more dark magic. Whatever she was after would only strengthen what he'd tapped.

The Oracle would be pleased. That small of a curse for that big of a reaction meant they had what they needed.

The Nightmare's spirit had touched Sunset Shimmer, and it would make her theirs.

Sunset wasn't quite sure how many drinks she'd had. She'd been advised not to go too crazy, but they had a hotel room nearby and hadn't actually been given a hard limit by either Princess, so Hope and Sunset, all for pushing the boundaries, found themselves at the bar, giggling to each other. She wasn't quite sure what time it was now, only that the night had truly settled in the sky. Dimmed ceiling lights lit the floor, and Sunset leaned against the wooden bar with a content sigh, eyes dancing around the room as she admired the decorations. They were extravagant, but not overly so, present, but not over the top, subdued, but vibrant. Then there was Sunset's favourite decoration.

Radiant Hope herself.

In all her pretty purple glory.

Not that she'd ever say it out loud. Or admit it to herself. At least not while sober, and still probably not while drunk. Sunset shook her head, breaking her stare and instead lifting the glass back to her lips and tipping, feeling the burn of alcohol at the back of her throat.

So why was it that she was admitting it to herself now? Sure, she was borderline blackout drunk and wouldn't remember a word of the night in the morning, but she normally still managed to refuse the feelings. The warm, bubbly feeling. The butterflies in her stomach, the electricity when they touched-

Okay. Stop. Get a hold of yourself, Sunset.

She wasn't looking to become the next scandal of Canterlot.
I mean, fuck, a bisexual in the royal circle? Unheard of.
She'd be kicked out at best. Sunset sighed, and her empty glass thumped against the counter a bit harder than she'd expected it to. She startled a little before letting out a groan, resting her head on the counter and raising a hoof.

"Bartenderrrrr! Wone more!"

A sigh.

"No, Sunset. That's enough. You've been doing two for every one of mine, and I'm already far more drunk than either of us should be."

Sunset frowned and narrowed her eyes at Hope. She wanted another drink, drinks made her mind stop working. Drinks let her relax. But she couldn't say no to Hope.

"Fyneee. Where's home?"

"Walk with me, Sunset."

"Mmmmh."

Sunset half stood, half slid out of her chair, eyelids drooping as her head began to pound.

"Woah. Too fast."

Hope sighed and rolled her eyes at somepony over Sunset's shoulder, but Sunset was too distracted by the smile on her face.

"Come on clumsy. Lean on me."

"No, I couldn't-"

"Sunset."

"Mmh.'

She stood once more, but this time followed Hope's command, leaning heavily on the other unicorn. It felt like fire was spreading over her, and she couldn't help the blush from conquering her cheeks.

"You're soft. And cozy. And warm~"

Hope giggled.

"I'm glad you think so."

Sunset lifted one of her hooves, staggering as she did so, to wave at Hope.

"Anypony who doesn't is wrong."

This time it was Hope's turn to blush, but she turned away quickly enough that Sunset thought she might have been imagining it.

"Yes, well... let's get you back to the hotel."

"Mmkay. Only for you."

"Not Cadance?"

"Mmmh, no."

"Not Celestia?"

"No, you. Just you."

The duo staggered out of the front door, Hope not being entirely sober herself making the task more difficult than it should have been. They wandered in silence, and Sunset looked up to the sky with a sigh and a shiver, wishing she could see the stars. It wasn't that she disliked the city, but she was a country pony by birth. And there, the stars ruled the sky, bathed the world in a soft silver. She shivered again, and Hope pressed closer to Sunset, as though to try and counteract them. Sunset let out a soft, content sigh and nuzzled against Hope, rewarding herself with a blush from the unicorn.

"Come on, Sunset. We're almost there."

"Kay."

She yawned, the night's dancing and drinking finally starting to catch up with her. Eventually, Hope ushered Sunset through a doorway and waited patiently while she fumbled with the room key in her magic before she finally got it open. Sunset found herself stumbling over to the bed before collapsing onto it and rolling, so she lay on her side facing the doorway. She watched Hope move to close the door, wishing she'd-

"Stay."

"Hmm?"

"Hope, stay."

The unicorn watched Sunset with what seemed like curious eyes.

"Cold. Dark, don't like-"

A yawn.

"-dark. Stay."

Hope tilted her head, thinking, but Sunset knew she'd find truth in her words. The Everglow Crystal was a prominent piece in her room, a room Hope had been in before, and once she'd finally started getting her hooves on dark magic, the nights had gotten worse, with nightmares occasionally working their way in. Moments like those made her especially grateful for her crystal. But here, in Manehattan? No crystal.

After another minute of thinking, Hope sighed and stepped into the room, whatever internal fight she'd been having settled with a winner. The door closed and Hope made her way over to the bed before climbing in next to Sunset, who let out a small squee of happiness. The light clicked off, and Sunset felt her breath catch in her throat for a moment before she felt Hope's comforting hoof on her.

"You're okay, Sunset. I'm here."

Sunset felt herself relax instantly, rising heartbeat settling and a soft sigh escaping her lips. Eventually, her eyes finally shut, the last thing she saw being Hope's own cyan staring back at her.

"I'll keep you safe."

Author's Note

[Note Copied from Archive]

SOOOOO thats the rewrite for the first chapter done, except i split it in two and doubled it lmao
I think im gonna focus on this work primarily for now, and put Dying Rays on the backburner. As much as I enjoy writing that, I think it makes far more sense for me to work on this series chronologically (crazy, right?) which means focusing on ICMIAA and other Dying Rays Prequels before I go on to finish that, ALTHOUGH I will still do Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie's chapters first so the first section of it is done, and so I can put a notice on there that this is now my focus.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed (and if you never saw the original version of this, unlucky lmao)
I LOVE YOU ALL GOOD DAY (because I still have the Daily Ticket for today to write, and that'll have a goodnight lol)
BAI