Sunset of Time

Chapters

Chapter II: The Storyteller
Chapter III: Solidarity
Chapter IV: The Girl from the Future
Chapter V: Her Dark Regalia
Chapter VI: Storm Clouds Ablaze
Chapter VII: Event Horizon
Act Two: Tempest Gathering—Chapter VIII: Dance of the Hours
Chapter IX: Marauders
Chapter X: Divine Decree
Chapter XI: Blood and Magic
Chapter XII: Fight and Flight
Chapter XIII: Against the Rising Sun
Chapter XIV: Crimson Onslaught
Chapter XVI: On Wings of Condemnation
Chapter XVII: Vesper Radiance (Part One)
Chapter XVIII: Vesper Radiance (Part Two)
Chapter: XIX: The Phantom and the Hourglass
Chapter XX: Something to Die For
Final Act: Lessons Eternal—Chapter XXI: Stand Up
Chapter XXII: Immortals
Chapter XXIII: Echoes of Time
Chapter XXIV: Hope Forged in the Flames of Doom
Chapter XXV: Sunset
Epilogue
Epilogue+
Act One: Shimmer of Hope—Chapter I: World on Fire
Act Three: Easy is the Descent—Chapter XV: Memories Awake

Chapter II: The Storyteller

Sunset Shimmer lounged upon a small cot inside an empty holding cell in the lower levels of Canterlot Castle. It was a square space made of rough, grey stone, and had a strong, earthy smell. A small barred window sat at the top of the wall opposite from the wooden door. Sunlight trickled forth, illuminating the otherwise dark cell.

The cot was unusually comfy, much to Sunset’s surprise, and came with a fluffy pillow as well. If she wasn’t so tense, she might have taken a nap right then and there. Instead, she sat on the edge, watching the dust particles swirl and dance on the beams of sunlight.

The guards had brought her down to the dungeons to wait for her trial with Princess Celestia. Sunset had tried to tell them it was just a big misunderstanding, but of course, they ignored her and left her locked up in her tiny cell. They had also confiscated the hourglass, believing that it was stolen property despite Sunset’s claims that it belonged to her—which was, in a way, true.

The orange unicorn groaned and threw herself onto the mattress. Five minutes in, and I’ve already screwed things up,she inwardly cursed. Now she would have to stand trial in front of Princess Celestia and try to explain how she had ended up in a restricted section of the library.

Sunset rolled over and stared at the grey ceiling. Back in the future, Celestia had been a gentle and loving soul, though she didn’t go by the title of princess anymore. She and Luna were more advisors to Princess Twilight. Sunset didn’t see much of them, but all the interactions she had with them had been pleasant. If the stories were true, then Celestia would be just as kind and forgiving now as she was in the future. Still, Sunset pondered what she would say to the Sun Princess. Could she tell her the truth? Would Celestia simply think her to be mad, some dangerous lunatic who needed to be locked up? She couldn’t help but wonder if telling the truth would mess up future events. Her meddling in past events was already dangerous enough. The more ponies she told, the more likely it was for her to change something for the worse. It wasn’t a risk worth taking.

She nodded her head. “I’ll have to do this on my own. The fewer ponies involved, the better.” Unfortunately, that meant she would have to lie to Princess Celestia. She wasn’t looking forward to that.

Sunset rolled onto her side and raised a grimy hoof, pulling a face at how dirty it was. She sat up and glanced at her entire body. She was an ashy mess from head to tail, and her fetlocks were covered in small cuts. Sunset didn’t realize how dirty or sore she was until just then. Her legs were tired from all the running she had done.

Wanting to look somewhat presentable for Princess Celestia, Sunset tried to groom herself by viciously rubbing a hoof against the matted fur on her foreleg. Dust, loose hair, and flecks of dead skin peeled off and fell from her fur, making a new home on the bed. She stopped and examined her work. It hadn’t done much, but it was still a noticeable difference from how the rest of her looked.

She continued to scrub herself clean until the cell door swung open and a castle guard called, “Princess Celestia will see you now, criminal!”

Sunset sighed. The faster she got this over with, the better. She hopped off the bed, where a large pile of dirt now sat in her place. She gave herself a quick once over and sighed again. She was still rather filthy, but it would have to do. She walked out into the stone corridor where two castle guards were waiting for her with their usual vigilant expressions. Sunset almost smiled at their stony faces, thinking, Some things just never change.

They escorted her through the dim hallway and up to the main castle. After being in the dark for a few hours, the sudden amount of light forced Sunset to shield her eyes as they readjusted. The trio marched along the red carpet, making their way back to the entrance hall.

It was a smoldering wreckage of rubble and charred stone. The fire burned everything, sending plumes of smoke skyward. Chunks of the ceiling and rafters had fallen and destroyed the staircase. The front wall had collapsed outwards, revealing a blood-red sky and a storm of fire. The ground began to shake, and a dark laugh filled the air…

Sunset shook her head and took a deep, shuddering breath, pushing the horrible vision from her mind. She looked around at the actual hall and saw how it should look: beautiful polished marble and vibrant colors of majestic purple. Tapestries and paintings of various art forms covered the walls, and a regal chandelier hung from the ceiling.

Keep it together; this is no time to lose your cool, she thought as the guards led her up the stairs and down another hallway. They stopped at a large pair of purple doors engraved with the symbols of the sun and moon.

One of the guards turned to Sunset and barked, “You will show the princess the utmost respect and speak only when spoken to. Is that clear?”

Sunset looked down so they couldn’t see her roll her eyes. “Yes, I understand.”

The guards nodded and pushed the door open, beckoning the unicorn inside. The audience chamber was a long room that ended with Celestia’s throne. The marble floors were so well polished that they acted like mirrors, reflecting the high, vaulted ceiling. Full stained-glass windows lined the hall, depicting murals of sunlit fields, roaming clouds, and the famous picture of Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor banishing the changeling queen.

Sunset walked along the carpet, admiring the glass pictures until she reached the foot of the dais. It was a golden sculpture, decorated at the base with small flowers. Water fell from two basins into a pool around the throne, giving the room a soothing waterfall sound.

Princess Celestia sat at the top of the throne, her eyes closed and a smile gracing her lips, giving her a calm and dignified expression. She opened her eyes for the first time since Sunset had walked into the room and stifled a gasp.

“Sunset Shimmer,” she breathed, holding a hoof to her chest.

Sunset snapped up from the bow she had been in and stared at the princess, a mixture of surprise and fear on her face. The princess knows who I am? But, that’s impossible! What, does she have the ability to see the future or something? Sunset stood up, now aware that her legs were shaking. “You know who I am, Your Highness?”

There was a silent pause that drowned out even the noise of the waterfalls. Celestia looked at Sunset like she was trying to see through the unicorn. She closed her eyes and whispered something inaudible before looking back at Sunset and beamed. “I suppose I’m just more in tune with my subjects than I thought. Call it a princess’s intuition, if you will.”

Celestia had a distant look in her eye, a look that Sunset knew all too well. Twilight had given her that look whenever the princess knew more than she let on. It was a sagely, mysterious, and down-right irritating look.

Before Sunset had a chance to question the princess’s ‘intuition,’ Celestia continued. “Regardless, I hear you’ve caused quite a commotion in the Starswirl the Bearded section of the archives? Breaking-and-entering, vandalism, stealing,” Celestia said with a frown. “These are some serious accusations, Ms. Shimmer.”

“And none of them are true, Your Majesty,” Sunset protested.

“Oh? Then by all means, please explain,” Celestia politely asked.

Sunset hesitated for a second, trying to come up with an applicable lie. It was a harder feat than she imagined, especially under Celestia’s steady gaze. “W-well, you see, I was… trying to cast a teleportation spell… and I overshot my target?” She inwardly flinched. It wasn’t meant to sound like a question.

Celestia, however, smiled at her and said, “Really? You must be quite good at magic to be able to teleport.”

Sunset felt herself blush. “Oh, no, not really. I mean look, I completely missed my target and ended up here, and covered in dirt.”

Celestia nodded. Her smile said one thing, but her unblinking eyes were unreadable. “And what of the hourglass?” she asked.

“It, uhh, came with me, when I teleported. It really is mine; I didn’t mean to bring it along, though.”

Princess Celestia was silent again, her eyes never wavering from Sunset’s position. Sunset quickly felt her confidence fading, the smile on her face melting. Who was she kidding, trying to lie to the princess? The silence dragged on for what felt like an eternity. Sunset began sweating bullets, waiting for Celestia to say something, anything!

Celestia finally blinked and spoke in a calm voice, “Sunset, I don’t believe you have been completely honest with me.”

I’m dead.

“However, I don’t believe you are the type to willingly cause trouble. I think you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Her benevolent smile returned to both her lips and her eyes, allowing Sunset to breathe a sigh of relief. Celestia turned to one of the guards positioned at the foot of the dais. “Lancer, please retrieve Ms. Shimmer’s hourglass from the evidence room.”

The guard saluted and galloped out of the room, bringing the princess’s attention back to Sunset. “As I said, Ms. Shimmer, you don’t seem like the type to cause trouble. So, I have to ask before you leave, is there anything you need, anything at all?”

The question weighed heavy in Sunset’s mind. The princess was offering her help, that is, if she believed Sunset’s story and didn’t dismiss her as a raving mad-mare. Part of Sunset wanted to confide in her, to take a chance at getting the aid of an alicorn. Another part of her thought that it was too great a risk. She needed to interact with as few ponies as possible to not mess up the future. Then again, anything would be better than the End of the World.

Then there was a new part of her that loathed the idea of telling Princess Celestia anything. She can’t be trusted, it said. She’ll just help you until she grows bored or you disappoint her, then she’ll throw you away like a broken toy! Sunset blinked, surprised by her thoughts. That was dark, even for her.

She tried to dismiss them, but something about those thoughts struck a chord deep within her that made her uneasy. She couldn’t believe that Celestia was the type of pony who would discard something the minute it had no use to her. But still, Sunset felt safer keeping the knowledge of the future to herself for now.

“No, Princess Celestia, I’m fine. Thank you for the offer, though.”

“Very well,” Celestia agreed. “I hope to hear good things about you, Sunset Shimmer. You seem like a very promising unicorn.”

Sunset gave an embarrassed, “Thank you,” as the guard came back with her hourglass. Sunset thanked him as well and bowed to the princess before turning to leave, the sandglass floating above her.

She exited the audience chamber as the sound of the door closing behind her rang through the hall. She stood in the middle of the carpet, unsure of where to go or what do next. Sunset knew she couldn’t go back to the archives unless she wanted recent events to repeat themselves. Celestia was probably suspicious of her by now.

With a defeated groan, Sunset set off down the hall, deciding to leave before she could get into anymore trouble. The afternoon sun shone through the windows, illuminating squares of carpet, and warming the castle. A squadron of guards passed by, eyeing Sunset suspiciously, no doubt because she still looked a mess. Keeping her eyes to the floor, she continued on her way, trying to come up with a new plan of action. Since she couldn’t use the Canterlot Library, she would need to find another place with a wealth of information.

Sunset was beginning to regret turning down the princess’s help. Part of her wanted to go back and ask, but the dark thoughts from before continued to whisper in her head. Celestia can’t be trusted, she’s a manipulative sham! She’s doesn’t care about you! Sunset couldn’t figure out where these ideas were coming from, it was like they belonged to somepony else completely. Yet she couldn’t help but feel that they might be true.

So involved in her thoughts was Sunset that she failed to pay attention to where she was going. The next thing she knew, she had crashed into something soft and fallen onto her haunches.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?” a worried voice asked.

Sunset rubbed her sore snout and stood up. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I wasn’t really looking where I was go—eeep!” Sunset jumped back as the pony in front of her came into focus. She knew that lavender coat and purple mane style anywhere. She had seen them almost every day for a decade, but had not anticipated seeing them here.

“Oh, no, It’s my fault,” Princess Twilight Sparkle apologized. “I was so into this book, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking. Are you sure you’re fine?”

After a few seconds of working her tongue, Sunset finally found her voice and stammered out, “No—I mean, yes, yes, I’m okay, princess.”

Twilight gave a nervous chuckle. “I’m still not used to ponies calling me that. I mean, I know the coronation was a few days ago, but, I guess I’m still just getting over the shock of everything that’s happened.”

Sunset gasped. The coronation was only a few days ago? She was both fascinated and furious at the time the hourglass had decided her to drop her off. She had missed one of the most important moments in history by only a few days!

“Aw, ponyfeathers!” she cursed. “Totally unfair!”

“What’s the matter?” Twilight asked.

Sunset snapped out of her thoughts. “Oh, it’s nothing, really. I just, umm, forgot something. I should probably go get it,” Sunset said, trying to make an excuse for herself to leave.

“Okay then. Again, sorry for bumping into you… umm, actually, I never got your name.”

Sunset was saved from having to answer Twilight when another voice came from down the hall. “Hey, Twi, the girls sent me to find you.” A young, slightly chubby baby dragon came down the corridor, a blue gemstone in hand.

“Spike!” Sunset said, overjoyed to see the dragon alive and healthy. She quickly shoved a hoof in her mouth, then gagged at the filthy taste that now coated her tongue. However, the damage had already been done.

Spike tilted his head. “Uhh, hey…. Do I know you?”

“Yes—I mean, no—I mean, uhh, I have to go!” Sunset bolted down the hall, leaving Twilight and Spike standing in confusion.

Sunset didn’t stop running until the castle was far behind her. She finally stopped and leaned on a lamppost to catch her breath. She couldn’t believe she had just run into the younger version of her mentor and Spike. They both looked so different from what she was used to. Well, Spike looked different; Twilight was just shorter.

Sunset slid down the pole and stared up at the sky. She had just embarrassed herself in front of Twilight. She wondered if the princess would remember that in the future.

Sunset turned her head and looked at the hourglass lying in the grass next to her. She scooped it up and held it above her, examining the figure-eight design and golden finish. Twilight said that somepony with a righteous cause could use it. And it worked; I made it to the past. But… will it let me go back to the future? The thought had been sitting in the back of her head since she had arrived. The hourglass had thought coming back to the past to save the future was a just enough cause for time travel. But would wanting to go home after she fixed everything be enough of a desire for it to work a second time? Was she trapped here in the past?

Holding it against her chest, she couldn’t help but wonder about her situation. She wanted to try and test it, to see if it would send her back to the future. But the thought of seeing everything on fire, and the possibility of not being able to come back to the past held her back.

“One problem at a time, Sunset,” she murmured. “First, save the world, then you can worry about going back home.” She got up, putting the hourglass in her telekinesis to float behind her, and continued to walk aimlessly through Canterlot.

Countless ponies walked passed her, enjoying the warm summer day. They traveled in pairs and large groups, shopping bags around their hooves: talking, gossiping, and laughing. Sunset envied their carefree nature. She wanted to be one of them, to go out shopping with her friends and sit on one of the terraces and eat ice cream as they admired the view just like they had a few days ago.

It had only been a few days, but to Sunset, it felt like another lifetime.

It was amazing how one day could change everything. Two days ago, she had been studying with Twilight while they enjoyed enormous hot fudge sundaes that neither of them could finish. Yesterday, the world had ended. Now today, she was walking through Canterlot... fifty years in the past. The more Sunset thought about it, the more her head hurt.

Instead, she focused on the scenery and ponies around her. Fifty years had passed, and yet, little had changed. Past Canterlot and future Canterlot were almost exactly the same. The cobblestone streets, the ivory towers, and even most of the stores were unchanged.

The noble and elite ponies of this time may have looked different to Sunset, but they were the same in spirit: happy with their vast amounts of wealth and looking for any excuse to go out and flaunt it. They could live their lives like nothing was wrong. Of course, for them, there was nothing wrong. Their problems were fifty years away. For some of these ponies, it would be their children or grandchildren who inherited the destruction of the world, unless Sunset did something to stop it.

She found herself in the middle of a plaza with a large fountain in the center. Stopping to look into the pool of water, Sunset saw her reflection for the first time, and truly appreciated how dirty she was. Adding to the grime and filth that still clung to her coat, she also saw how much of a disaster her mane was. Parts of it curled and stuck out at odd angles, while other parts were singed at the tips. She didn’t dare count the number of split ends she saw.

Beyond her reflection, she saw numerous bits sitting at the bottom of fountain, no doubt thrown in by ponies making wishes. It was then Sunset realized two things: she was hungry and had no money whatsoever.

Her stomach groaned as if to put a fine point on her plight. She stared at the golden coins, mocking her with the idea of being able to buy food. She was sorely tempted to dive into the fountain and snatch them. Doing so would also clean her fur by a substantial amount. However, she’d look like a desperate beggar.

Then again, I’m not from here, so what does it matter? No one here is going to remember me… probably. She mulled the idea over before deciding against it. Hungry or not, she had standards. And stealing coins from fountains was against the law. She had already been arrested once and wasn’t looking to do it again.

Sunset moved on from the fountain and away from the plaza, still unsure of where she was really going. She wandered aimlessly, passing many shops and eateries that tantalized her with the idea of food. Her stomach gave another rumble as she passed a particularly delicious smelling sandwich shop.

Sunset kept walking, wanting to get away from the delightful aromas surrounding her. She moved through a few narrow streets where several ponies gave her outraged looks at her appearance and turned their noses up as she walked passed them. She wasn’t really surprised; she knew she looked ghastly.

The buildings eventually submitted to more scenic areas, as Sunset found her way to one of Canterlot’s parks. Foals and their friends or parents were out frolicking and enjoying the summer sunshine. The park itself was of modest size, with a small pond in the center and a hill with an old oak tree near one end. Sunset decided to take a break from her wandering, and climbed the small hill, finding shade underneath a large tree.

She dropped onto her belly and let the hourglass fall next to her with a thud. She looked out over the park, taking in the picturesque beauty of everything. She inhaled slowly, the scent of fresh flowers and cut grass tickling her nose.

“Everything is just so… peaceful,” she said, lying her head down, as sudden sleepiness came about her. A vision of the park swept away in a fiery maelstrom flashed before her eyes until she shook it away. “I won’t let that happen, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

She let out a yawn, feeling the grass brush against her cheek. Her stomach groaned again, reminding her of her other predicament. Only half aware of what she was doing, Sunset moved her mouth over a tuft of grass and tore into it. She chewed slowly before swallowing, gagging at the awful taste. “When I get back, princess, you so owe me a sundae,” she said, her brain starting to go fuzzy. A quick nap wouldn’t hurt. Although she knew she would only be hungrier when she woke up, perhaps she’d have a better idea of what to do.

Just as she was closing her eyes, Sunset heard hoofsteps crunching through the grass, approaching her. She tried to ignore it, but she could feel a presence staring at her. She opened one eye and saw a small, green coated earth pony colt. He might have blended into the grass if it wasn’t for his bright blue mane.

He stared at her unblinking for several moments before Sunset finally asked, “Can I help you with something?”

“Whatcha doin’?” he asked in a squeaky voice.

Sunset gave him a look before closing her eyes. “Sleeping,” she said, hoping the answer was enough to get the kid to leave her alone.

It wasn’t.

“Why are you sleeping here?” he asked.

“Because it’s nice here.”

“But why don’t you go home and sleep?”

Sunset took in a slow, breath through her nose. “Because… I don’t want to.”

“Why, are you a hobo?”

Sunset shot her head up. “No, I am not a hobo!”

“Then why are you so dirty?”

“Because… I haven’t had a chance to take a shower yet.”

“Why?”

Sunset grit her teeth. This kid was quickly getting on her nerves. She was about to tell him to leave when he jumped to his next question. “What’s that?” He pointed to the hourglass lying on its side.

“What, you’ve never seen an hourglass before?”

The colt shook his head. “No, what does it do?”

Sunset sighed. “It keeps track of time.”

“Why do you have it?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

Sunset slapped her forehead. “Listen kid, can you please leave me alone? I’d really like to get some peace and quiet,” she said, trying to keep an even tone.

“But I’m bored,” the colt whined.

She groaned in defeat, knowing the colt probably wouldn’t leave her alone until she amused him. “Fine, if I tell you a story, will you leave me alone?”

The foal nodded enthusiastically.

“Alright then.” Sunset sat up, quickly thinking of a story that would entertain a young mind. Lighting up her horn, she summoned a gentle wind that picked up leaves and loose twigs off of the tree behind her. She caught the foliage in her magic and began to roll the leaves up into slender shapes, then stuck twigs into them, creating tiny, ponylike crafts. A hoofull of berries came zooming in from across the park, which she used as heads for her figurines. On two of the berries, Sunset used her magic to pull up some of the skin to create a small, pointed bump that acted as a horn.

The little colt watched in wide-eyed wonder as Sunset began her tale. “Once upon a time, there was a little unicorn who lived in a city.” Her horn glowed brighter, and she picked up loose grass and bigger twigs to form makeshift buildings. The little leaf pony began walking around the buildings, eliciting an ‘oooh’ from the colt. “She decided she wanted to be a princess, like the one who ruled the city. So, she got her two best friends—” Sunset dropped two more figurines next to the first one, another unicorn and an earth pony—“and decided that they would go and vanquish a monster so they could become royalty.” Sunset broke from her story and looked up at the sky. “Why they agreed, I’ll never know.”

“Anyway,” she continued, “the best friends left the city and ventured down the mountain to the dangerous forest at the bottom.” She took the buildings and re-formed them into tall trees, earning her another gasp from the young pony, and a few others as well. Sunset looked up and saw that she had gathered a small crowd of onlookers. Adults and foals alike had been drawn to her visual story. Sunset smiled and continued her story with more enthusiasm.

“The three ponies knew the rumors about the forest, that creatures in there could eat a pony in one bite, or turn you to stone! But, the unicorn wasn’t afraid; she thought she could handle anything the forest threw at her.” She leaned in towards the colt and whispered, “She had a bit of an ego back then,” causing him to laugh. “So, deep into the forest they went, traveling across fallen logs and dangerous rivers...” With each new scene, Sunset changed the props using the resources around her. She had pulled a thin stream of water out of the pond to act as the river, drawing in a few more audience members along with it.

“The unicorn’s friends wondered how they were supposed to cross the river, for it was moving way too fast to swim across. Luckily, the little unicorn was pretty good with magic. She froze a section of the river so she and her friends could safely walk across.” As she spoke the words, a portion of the water froze, and the little pony figures trotted across. “Finally, they reached a deep valley where timberwolves like to sleep.” Sunset stripped pieces of bark from the oak tree and shaped them into three, wolflike shapes, complete with sharp teeth.

“Seeing the sleeping timberwolves made the three ponies rethink their plan. They decided it might not be a good idea to try and beat a timberwolf. But, just as they were leaving, one of them stepped on a branch that made a loud snap, and the timberwolves woke up.” She looked at the colt and asked, “Can you guess what our heroes did next?”

“Umm, did they fight the timberwolves?”

Sunset laughed. “Nope, they ran like cowards.” The little ponies began running away from the three timberwolves. “They ran, and ran, and ran, trying not to get eaten by the hungry monsters, until one of the ponies tripped and fell!” The audience gasped as the timberwolves began circling the fallen pony. “Seeing her friend in danger, the unicorn felt a great surge of magic and used it to blast the timberwolves to pieces!” A bright light came from both Sunset’s horn and the stump on the berry’s face, momentarily blinding the crowd. When the light faded, scattered splinters were the only proof of the timberwolves previous existence.

“The three friends celebrated their victory, happy that they were all still alive. They quickly left the forest, only to be met by the princess herself when they reached the edge.” She quickly crafted a fourth pony with a horn and smaller leaves for wings. “The ponies’ parents had told the princess their children had gone missing, and she had decided to look for them herself. She wasn’t happy when they told her what they had been doing, but she decided to leave their punishment to their parents. So, the princess returned the three little ponies back to the city in her royal chariot.” Sunset fashioned a wooden chariot from thicker pieces of bark and stuck the ponies inside before making it zoom through the air. “The foals were reunited with their parents and received the scolding of a lifetime. But, the princess took the unicorn and her parents aside. Although she was upset that the unicorn had put herself, and her friends in danger, she was also very impressed by the power the unicorn had used to vanquish the timberwolves. The princess asked the unicorn’s parents if she could take the foal under her wing as an apprentice. After a little begging and pleading from the unicorn, the parents agreed that it was in their daughter's best interest.”

Another gust of wind picked up and scattered all of Sunset’s props away. “And so, the little unicorn got to live in the castle and study magic under the princess... after she had been thoroughly grounded first. She and her friends continued to go on adventures together, though most of them weren’t quite as life threatening. Thus, they lived happily ever after, the end.” The crowed stomped their hooves and cheered, causing Sunset to blush. One of the audience members came up and dropped a few bits at her hoof before thanking her for the performance and walking away. Another one followed suit, tipping his hat in thanks, followed by a mom and her two foals who each dropped a bit. Soon, Sunset had a small pile of gold coins lying at her hooves and was grinning from ear to ear.

The young colt she had originally been telling her story to was the last to drop a coin into the pile. “Thank you for the story, Ms. Hobo!” he said before running off.

“I am not a—you know what, forget it.” She scooped up her hard earned coins and her hourglass with her magic, and walked off towards the plaza.

Sunset sat at a table on the veranda of a small lunch shop. A lettuce wrap sat in front of her, along with a plate of hay fries and a glass of fruit punch. The hourglass stood by her hoof. She was glad to have food in her stomach for the first time in hours. When she had first walked into the restaurant, the maître di had tried to shoo her out, calling her a “street urchin.” He began singing a completely different tune when she showed him the bits she had acquired.

She took a sip of her fruit punch and thought about the story she had just finished telling. The little unicorn who had convinced her friends it was a good idea to run into the Everfree Forest alone and fight monsters. Sure, she had been grounded for a month, but she became Princess Twilight’s first personal student as well.

Yep... she lived happily ever after... until yesterday. Sunset sighed and returned to eating her lunch, pondering about what she was supposed to do next. She needed more information on the Alicorn Amulet and the Dark Regalia. If she could find a book describing what or where they were, she could move on from there. Since she couldn’t go back into the Canterlot Archives, she needed to find another library that had a vast store of worldly books.

Sunset looked over the veranda to the valley below. It was a breathtaking sight, seeing the patchwork hills and sparkling river that ran through Ponyville.

“Ponyville…” Sunset said softly. Twilight had always mentioned her time in Ponyville. She said that she had lived in a library while she was there. If Twilight had lived in a library, then it must be stuffed with important books!

Sunset scarfed down the rest of her lettuce wrap and sprung from the table, grabbing the hourglass as she went. She was grateful that she hadn’t spent all of her bits on lunch.

She raced through the city, weaving in between angry pedestrians calling her rude names as she sped towards the train station, eager to reach her next destination. The station was jam-packed with ponies waiting on trains to distant destinations like Fillydelphia or Manehattan. Lucky for Sunset, the train for Ponyville was fairly vacant. She paid the fare, using up the last of her bits, and hopped into the last compartment.

Ten minutes later, the train was rolling along the mountainside tracks, sloping down into the valley where Ponyville rested. Sunset watched the scenery rush pass her by. Vibrant greens and shades of brown whisked by the window, blurring together like a watercolor painting.

The cart rattled along the rails, bumping and bouncing all the way down the mountain. The constant rocking motion was starting to make Sunset sick. She hardly traveled by train. Anywhere she needed to go, she would teleport or take an airship. Unfortunately, she knew Ponyville didn’t have an airship dock. They had never built one in the future, so there was no way they would have one now.

Sunset clutched her stomach and moaned, her face turning a pale green. She was starting to regret eating lunch. The train gave a powerful lurch, and Sunset threw a hoof up to her mouth. She gave a painful swallow and muttered, “Of all the books I’ve read, I couldn’t take the time to memorize a simple motion-sickness spell?”

She curled up onto her side, just as the train bounced skyward again, tossing her off the side of the bed. She hit the floor and growled into the carpet, “Second worst day ever!”

The train finally pulled to a stop in at the Ponyville Station. Sunset wasted no time in getting off the infernal contraption, grateful for being on steady ground once more. After her stomach had settled down, she began her march to the library.

The sun was on its descent as Sunset moved through the rural town. Ponies around her were all preparing to turn in for the day, a far cry from the nightlife of Canterlot, where there was always a party or galleria opening. Here, parents were ushering their kids in from the park and closing up their market stalls.

Not wanting to get lost in a foreign town at night, Sunset stopped and asked a teal unicorn for directions to the library. The mare had been completely polite as she gave Sunset instructions—another difference from the ponies of Canterlot, who would give a pony directions like it was the last thing they wanted to do.

Sunset thanked her and galloped off, still trying to keep interaction to a bare minimum. A few minutes later, she reached the Golden Oaks Library, a large, homey-looking tree that looked like it hadn’t seen any visitors in days. All of the lights were off, and the windows had been closed tight. Sunset knocked on the door and received no answer. She tried the doorknob and was surprised to find it open.

She stepped into the main room, closing the door behind her and casting a light spell to illuminate the dark room. In front of her were shelves upon shelves of neatly organized books. She gave a small victory dance and ran over to the first row of books, reading through the titles, hoping to find something useful. Sunset grabbed a few tomes and set them down, along with the hourglass, around a small desk in the corner of the room. She lit a single lantern and began reading through the first book.

As the sun vanished, giving way to Luna’s starry night, Sunset had quickly built up a pile of discarded books next to her, while an even larger tower of unread books sat on her other side. She pored over every history, legend, and artifact book she could get her hooves on. Her eyes were growing tired, and she found herself losing her focus several times over the last few hours. She couldn’t recall the last time she had slept, but a short nap was sounding like a great idea.

“Hey look, there’s a light on in the library.”

“Spike, I thought you said you locked the door?”

“Well, I thought I did. Guess not.”

Sunset’s weariness quickly vanished as she heard the approaching voices. Why on earth is Twilight here? She’s supposed to be in Canterlot! Jumping from the desk, Sunset tried to look for a place to hide, but she knew it was too late.

“Maybe it’s Owlowiscious trying to study?” Twilight said.

“I didn’t know that bird knew how to use a lantern.”

The door opened, and in walked Spike, followed by Twilight Sparkle. Both of them stopped and stared at Sunset, whose expression was that of a foal who had been caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

Twilight blinked, then her entire face brightened. “Hey, you’re that unicorn I met in the castle! You know, I never did get your name.”

Sunset, caught off guard by Twilight’s appearance, decided on the best course of action her rational brain could think of: lying her flank off.

“My name is, uhh… Starburst!” Sunset half shouted, saying the first name that came to her head.

“That’s a nice name,” Twilight said kindly before frowning. “But, umm, if you don’t mind me saying, Starburst, you look terrible.”

“Botched a teleportation spell,” Sunset said automatically, recycling the lie she had told Celestia. Hey, I’m getting pretty good at this!

Twilight now looked completely thrilled. “You can teleport? Oh, wow; I don’t know many unicorns who can do that too! You must be really good at magic!”

Sunset smiled weakly. “Yeah, I’ve been told I’m pretty good with magic. Ha, ha….” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Umm, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here… and not in Canterlot?”

“Well, since the coronation and everything is over, I decided to come and stay in Ponyville with all my friends. I couldn’t possibly leave them behind, princess or not. Princess Celestia understood completely. So, I guess right now, the title of ‘princess’ is just that, a title. Although Celestia says I’ll have bigger responsibilities from now on... but I’m sure it’s nothing me and my friends can’t handle!” Twilight finished, holding a hoof to her chest.

Wow, she’s a lot perkier in the past, Sunset noted.

Twilight continued, “So, what are you doing in here? I’ll be honest, we don’t get many visitors to the library who actually want to read.”

“Oh, I was just, uhh… studying… for a research project. Yes, that’s what I was doing!” Sunset fidgeted nervously, hoping Twilight hadn’t developed clairvoyant powers like Celestia yet.

Twilight nodded, oblivious to Sunset’s behavior. “Well, don’t let us distract you, we’re just going to go get settled back in. Come on, Spike.”

The duo walked up the wooden staircase. Spike waved to Sunset and said, “Just shout if you need help finding something,” before vanishing to the upper floors.

Sunset gave a sigh of relief as she sat back down at the desk and began her search again. She hated having to lie to her mentor. Even if Twilight wasn’t technically her mentor yet, it still left an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

She ignored it and went back to her book, reading a few lines before her head popped back up. “Who comes to a library and doesn’t read?” she whispered.

Two hours later, the pile of discarded books had grown into a mountain, and Sunset was running out of material to go through. Twilight had come down twice, asking if Sunset needed anything, but she had politely declined each time.

She flipped through the next book, scanning the table of contents before paging through and reading the subtitles for anything helpful. Her search finally stopped on a picture of a dark looking amulet with a red jewel in the center. Metal wings stuck out from the sides and a pointed pony head rested at the top. Sunset’s heart began to race as she read the text accompanying the picture.

“The Alicorn Amulet: A powerful relic that blesses the wearer with untold power. However, prolonged exposure from wearing the amulet can cause corruption in the user’s mind and soul. The user is also the only one capable of removing the amulet. Its current whereabouts are unknown.”

The hope that had blossomed in Sunset’s chest died as quickly as it had been born. She couldn’t stop reading the last sentence over and over again, hoping that it would magically rewrite itself and tell her where the amulet really was. But alas, it stayed the same.

Sunset smacked the book onto the floor and cried, “Ponyfeathers!” She dropped her head against the desk, and muttered a stream of curses.

Twilight came bounding down the steps. “Is everything alright, Starburst?” she asked.

Sunset waved her hoof, not willing to lift her head up to properly address the princess. “Fine, fine, everything is just fine.”

Twilight walked over to the mess of books and saw the one Sunset had smacked onto the floor. It was still open to the picture of the amulet.

“The Alicorn Amulet,” she mused. “I had to deal with that once before.”

Sunset snapped her head up, her eyes wide with hope once more. “You did?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah; a jealous showmare came to Ponyville and beat me in a magic duel using the amulet. She enslaved the entire town until me and my friends tricked her into taking it off,” she said, reminiscing.

Sunset couldn’t believe her stroke of luck; although she also couldn’t help but wonder how future Twilight had never mentioned that story before. She placed that thought in the back of her mind as something to ask Twilight when she got back.

“Do you know where it is now?” Sunset asked a little too quickly.

Twilight’s smile vanished and her eyebrow rose in suspicion. “Why do you need to know where it is?”

Sunset racked her brain, trying to think of another lie to quell Twilight’s suspicions. “Umm… It’s for my research project. Yeah, I’m doing research on the Alicorn Amulet and whether it’s real or not. Knowing where it is would really help my paper… and stuff.”

Twilight began giving Sunset a look similar to the one Celestia had given her earlier. “So tell me then,” she began, walking around the wooden table with a sculpture of a pony’s head on it, “what class is this for?”

“Oh, you know, an advanced class at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”

Twilight continued nodding, her eyes never leaving from Sunset. “Mmhmm, you know, the Canterlot Archives are open to all students, right?”

Sunset was sweating now. She tried to smile, thinking it might help in her lie. “Well, I just thought everypony would be using the archives for research. You know how school goes. I thought I’d try studying somewhere nice and quiet.”

Twilight’s horn began to glow, causing Sunset to flinch, thinking Twilight was going to curse her. When she felt nothing, she opened her eyes and saw all of the books around her lifting up, wrapped in Twilight’s aura. Her back was to Sunset as she began restocking all of the bookshelves.

“Yes, thinking the archives would be full of students trying to study would be a good excuse for coming all the way to Ponyville,” she said calmly. “If school were actually in session right now,” she finished, giving Sunset a cold look from over her shoulder.

Right, it’s summer. School’s out for recess right now. “Umm… It’s a summer research paper?” Sunset tried.

When the last booked tucked itself into its place on the shelf, Twilight turned around and gave Sunset a stern glare. “Listen, Starburst, I don’t appreciate ponies coming into my house and lying to me. Tell me what you’re really up to. Why do you want to know where the Alicorn Amulet is?”

She stood rooted to the spot, shrinking under Twilight’s scrutinizing gaze. Sunset had received this look before, when she had cast a spell on Prince Blueblood III that left him mute for a few days. He had called Sunset a “flame-headed know-it-all,” so Sunset felt justified with her actions. Princess Twilight had scolded Sunset for her immature use of magic while she gave the small unicorn her strongest disappointed stare.

Sunset squirmed, unsure of what to do. Twilight was demanding the truth from her. Unlike Celestia, Twilight wasn’t going to let Sunset leave without an acceptable answer. Sunset knew she didn’t have much of a choice now. She was caught between a rock and a hard place. She could run, but then Twilight would think her some sort of criminal and have the royal guard after her.

She had to tell Twilight the truth. Part of her was screaming that it was a horrible idea; it sounded like the voice that had convinced her that telling Celestia would not be in her best interests.

Ignoring it, Sunset fell back onto her haunches and let out a tired sigh. She stared at the ground with her matted mane covering her face. “I’ll tell you the truth, Twilight, but you probably won’t believe me.”

Twilight stepped up to her and looked down, a cross look still on her face. “I might, provided that you tell me the actual truth.”

Sunset nodded slowly. She inhaled and started, “My real name is Sunset Shimmer, and fifty years in the future, I’m your personal student.” She looked up to see Twilight’s reaction to her news, and wasn’t surprised to find a look of shock and wonder on the alicorn’s face.

Twilight quickly regained some composure and said, “Alright, let’s say you really are my student from the future, how did you end up here?”

Sunset’s horn glowed and the hourglass drifted over and landed in between them. “This thing let me travel back in time. It only works if you have an important enough cause to travel through time.”

Twilight picked up the hourglass and examined it. “Hmm, interesting… it doesn’t seem like it has any special properties. Actually, it kinda looks like the hourglass in the Starswirl the Bearded section of the library.”

“That’s because it is.”

Twilight was silent for a moment, lost in her thoughts. “Okay,” she said slowly, “let’s assume that I did believe you so far. But, if you are from the future, why did you come back?”

Sunset pawed at the ground, trying to think of the best way to word her next sentence. She decided there was no way to sugarcoat it. “Because, fifty years in the future… the world ends.” She looked Twilight straight in the eye as she said it, trying to prove that she was telling the absolute truth.

Twilight’s eyes grew as wide as saucers and she breathed, “You’re not joking, are you?”

Sunset shook her head. “Some… thing, I don’t know what it was, appeared and… everything just started falling apart. Before… before you… died, you told me how to go back in time and that I needed to find the Alicorn Amulet and the Dark Regalia and destroy them to stop all of it from happening. So, here I am.” She wiped a tear from her eye, not wanting to show weakness in front of her future teacher.

Twilight held a hoof to her mouth, her own eyes growing misty. “Sunset, that’s… I don’t know what to say. That must have been terrible for you.”

Sunset turned her head away, wiping a few more tears from her face. “It was… it was tough. But, I’m not gonna let it happen again. I’ll find a way to stop it.”

“You mean, we’ll find a way to stop it.”

Sunset felt a wing drape over her. She looked up and saw Twilight beaming down at her, a few tears running down her cheeks. “If you’re my student fifty years from now, then it’s my job to help you however I can!”

Sunset stared at the benevolent figure in front of her. In that moment, Twilight looked so much like the princess Sunset had grown up with and loved like a mother. Twilight believed her and wanted to help! It was like a weight had been lifted off of Sunset’s shoulders. She threw herself into Twilight’s chest and softly cried. “Thank you, princess; thank you so much. Thank you for everything.”

Twilight held her and whispered, “Of course, Sunset. Everything is going to be just fine. I promise.”

Chapter III: Solidarity

The wood creaked underneath their hooves as Twilight led Sunset up to the guest bedroom in the library. Spike had already gone to sleep, so the two mares stepped as quietly as possible, as not to wake him. They reached the end of their climb up the creaking steps, and Twilight pushed open the door at the top. The room beyond was not very furnished, but it had a bed, and that was all Sunset’s exhausted body needed.

As Sunset stepped into the circular room, Twilight asked in a soft undertone, “Do you need anything?”

Sunset looked longingly at the bed. “No, I’m fine.”

“Alright then, you get some sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to where the Alicorn Amulet is.”

Sunset turned her head to look at the alicorn. “Thank you so much, princess… thanks for believing me.”

Twilight beamed at her future pupil. “Of course, and please, just call me Twilight. Good night, Sunset.”

“Good night, prin... Twilight.”

Sunset heard the door close behind her as she made her way to the inviting bed. The only source of light now came from the crescent moon floating outside her window. The patch of silver light illuminated the floor, allowing Sunset to navigate her way to her haven. She collapsed into the bed with a loud sigh, before scrambling around until she was tucked underneath the blanket.

She yawned and snuggled up against her pillow, broken and unfinished thoughts floating through her head. Her tired mind couldn’t bother finishing any of them as she drifted to sleep.

Twilight stepped into her room as quietly as she could, closing the door behind her. Spike was curled up in his basket, snoring peacefully, his spines giving an occasional twitch.

Twilight leaned her back against the door, suddenly feeling a mixture of exhaustion and panic welling up inside her. She inhaled as she brought a hoof to her chest, then exhaled as she brought it away, practicing the meditation technique Cadance had shown her.

It wasn’t working.

She did it again hoping to calm her nerves before she did something drastic. Yet, no matter how many times she breathed, she was still feeling a rising wave of hysteria coming on. Apparently, eternal composure didn’t automatically come with being named a princess.

Twilight rushed over to Spike’s storage chest and rummaged around until she found one of his spare paper bags he kept in case of his own panic emergencies. She put her mouth to the bag’s opening and began taking deep, heavy breaths, expanding and contracting the bag as she breathed.

Time travel… Future student… End of the world, she thought with each puff. Part of her was surprised she had been able to keep her cool for as long as she did. She breathed into the bag again, a little too hard this time as the bag expanded before bursting resulting in a loud pop!

Spike raised his head and slurred, “Wazhapinen?” He looked at Twilight and rubbed some of the crust from his eyes. “Twilight what’s wrong?”

She gave him an apologetic look. “Nothing, Spike, it’s fine. Just go back to sleep.”

“Are you sure? ‘Cause your mane is starting to look frazzled, and that usually means something’s up.”

Twilight cringed at the dragon’s observation, although part of her was flattered he knew her so well. “I’ll tell you in the morning, Spike. Please, go back to sleep.”

Spike shrugged and laid his head down again. Twilight knew he had instantly nodded off from the sound of his snoring.

Sighing softly, Twilight discarded the now useless paper bag and jumped up onto her bed.

“Okay, Twilight, calm down,” she whispered. “It’s not like you haven’t dealt with time travel before. So a pony claiming to be your future student comes back from the end of ponykind; it isn’t like you’ve experienced worse, right? Ha, ha, ha.”

Part of Twilight had desperately not wanted to believe Sunset, but when she looked into the unicorn’s eyes and saw the pain and sadness behind them, Twilight knew she was telling the truth.

“Or, she’s a really good actress,” Twilight reasoned. She shook her head of the thought. No, Sunset hadn’t been lying; there was too much emotion in her eyes for that entire story to be a lie. Still, it was a lot for Twilight to wrap her head around. A future where she had a personal student, just like Celestia, only something had appeared to cause the apocalypse and force Sunset to come to the past.

It reminded Twilight of her own time traveling experience, when she had gone back in time to try and warn her past-self not to worry about the future, only for her to deliver an incomplete message that caused her past-self to freak out anyway. What if Sunset coming back to the past would just set wheels in motion? Would her interfering only push the world down its path to destruction?

Twilight found herself in a fit of paranoia with these thoughts running through her head. She buried her face into her pillow and released a muffled groan of exasperation. She now understood why Sunset had been reluctant in telling the truth. She didn’t want anyone else to carry the burden of knowledge. Or she was afraid of messing up the space-time continuum.

“If I’m freaking out this much, I can only imagine what she’s going through right now,” Twilight mumbled.

Sunset stood between two marble pillars in one of the open halls of Canterlot Castle. In front of her was a square atrium that housed a unique type of garden. The gravel had been brushed and smoothed into waving swirls and patterns, giving the scenery a mystic look. Boulders of all shapes and sizes sat around in no specific organization. A small stream flowed through the rock garden, breaking it into two halves and creating a calm babble.

Sunset continued to stare outwards, squinting her eyes like she was trying to see something incredibly small. After minutes of trying, she finally gave up and turned to face her teacher. “Alright, I’m stumped. What am I looking for, princess?”

Princess Twilight stood next to Sunset, looking as calm and regal as ever. She was at least two heads taller than Sunset, and while her hair was not ethereal, it blew constantly, as if it were caught in an eternal breeze.

Twilight smiled, her own eyes not leaving the beautifully sculpted garden in front of her. “You mean you don’t see it?”

“See what? It’s just a bunch of rocks and sand… Oh no.” She puckered her face in annoyance. “Is this another metaphor for something? Is everything in this castle a metaphor?”

Twilight tilted her head back and let out a regal laugh that chimed through the corridors like a symphony of bells. “No, not everything is a metaphor for something. But, I’m sure if you thought about it hard enough, you could compare anything to a deeper meaning.” She placed a hoof on the smooth pillar. “This surely represents the morals and virtues our society was founded on.” She gestured to the red carpet behind them. “And the rugs represent the roads of life that we walk daily.”

Both Twilight and her student burst into fits of giggles, sounding like schoolfillies to any passing guards. Twilight ended her bout of laughter and gestured to the garden once more. “Come now, Sunset; you can’t guess the meaning behind this?”

“Not if you don’t want to stand here all day,” Sunset joked.

The alicorn placed a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. “You know, you’re a lot more brilliant than you give yourself credit for. Go on, at least try.”

Sunset gave a halfhearted nod and stared out at the rock garden again. She took in all of the patterns etched in the sand, the number of rocks on both sides of the stream, and even tried to compare them with each other. Yet, she couldn’t see any deeper meaning beyond the simple stones. Really, it was just a rock garden.

Still, not wanting to disappoint her teacher, Sunset decided to throw a shot in the dark. “Umm, well, both sides of the garden look the same; they’re just arranged a little differently. So, maybe it’s supposed to represent the diversity between ponies? We may look the same on the outside, but fundamentally, we are all the same on the inside… or something.”

“Hmmm,” Twilight pondered, “very interesting.”

“Did I get it right?” Sunset asked, surprise and hope filling her voice.

“Not quite, but,” she added as Sunset’s face fell, “it is a very interesting perspective. I never thought about it like that. No, what the garden represents is the simplicity and beauty of friendship. One stone alone can be something to be looked upon and admired, but when several rocks come together, then you truly have a masterpiece of art. Something so simple can make truly wonderful things. Just like friends.”

Sunset sighed. “See, it’s a good thing you told me now, because I never would have guessed that.” She took another look at the rocks. “Although in retrospect it does sound kind of obvious.”

Twilight laughed again. “Don’t worry, my faithful student: your answer was still insightful. And remember, just because one pony sees something one way, doesn’t mean that’s the only way to see things. Your interpretation behind the garden could have just as easily been its interpretation.” Using one of her large, feathery wings, Twilight led Sunset away from the atrium and down the hallway, their hoofsteps muffled by the rug.

“And since we’re on the topic of friendship,” Twilight continued, “I believe Ruby Dazzle was looking for you earlier.”

Sunset’s ears perked up at the mention of her best friend. She had almost forgotten about their afternoon plans for today. “Does this mean we’re done for the day?” Sunset asked expectantly.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, be free.” She gave a dramatic wave of her hoof, smiling as her student scurried down the corridor.

“Bye, princess!” Sunset called back as she rounded the corner and out of Twilight’s sight. The unicorn made her trek through the sprawling maze that was Canterlot Castle before she finally arrived at the main doors. She threw them wide open and took in the afternoon sunlight that warmed her face. She continued on through the courtyard to where a ruby red unicorn was waiting just outside the gates.

Sunset never reached her friend. As she drew near to Ruby Dazzle, the ground began to violently shake, causing the pavement to split and open a wide chasm between the two friends. Ruby yelled something to Sunset, but was drowned out by the roar of the wind. Storm clouds quickly drew across the sky and began to rain down fireballs that incinerated everything in their path.

The ground continued to shake, causing everything to crumble and fall apart. The marble beneath Sunset’s hooves began to give way, and she quickly jumped back, beginning to backpedal towards the castle. Ruby however, wasn’t so lucky. The ground under her simply vanished into thin air, and she went tumbling into the dark abyss. Sunset screamed, calling her name like it would miraculously bring her back to life.

Sunset would have collapsed right there and mourned the loss of her friend if not for the ongoing firestorm. Tears still falling from her eyes, she ran back towards the ruins of the castle. She made it inside, only to find everything up in flames. The fire circled her, taking on predatory shapes and faces. Sunset trembled as they drew closer, their heat slowly cooking her alive. She began to hyperventilate as the beasts all took a crouching position preparing to attack. Sunset closed her eyes as they pounced, waiting for her fiery end.

Only it never came. Sunset opened her eyes to find all of the flaming monsters had vanished. Instead, she was standing on a large mountain of rubble, surrounded by an infinite sheet of darkness, like the mountain was floating in space.

Twisting her body, Sunset was startled to find Twilight lying next to her, looking like she was on the verge of death.

“Princess Twilight!” Sunset cried. “Are you alright? Say something!”

Twilight stirred and opened a watery eye. “Sunset, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Sunset shook her head. “Don’t apologize, princess, it’s not your fault!”

But Twilight continued on as if she couldn’t hear the distraught mare. Her eyes took on a vacant expression as she continued to mutter an apology. Sunset shook her and tried to call her name, but Twilight was lost in her own world.

Distorted laughter exploded above the two ponies, as an orb of darkness appeared over their heads. It had a blazing red center that gave it an appearance of a fiery eye. A black whip shot forth and impaled Twilight through the chest before dragging her up into its embrace. Twilight let out a horrified scream as the darkness engulfed her, drowning out Sunset’s own yell of horror.

The mad cackle continued as a new ring of fire shot up around the dirt pile Sunset was standing on. She retreated to the centermost spot, watching the wall of flames swirl and dance about, drawing closer and closer. The heat escalated dramatically, until Sunset could not even produce tears. She dropped onto her knees, crying weakly, “Someone, help me please! I don’t want to die!”

The fire roared closer, eating up her makeshift island little by little. The flames towered over her, reaching all the way up to the malevolent eye that continued to laugh. A face appeared within the inferno. Sunset squinted her eyes, unable to look directly at it. It opened its mouth and reared back like a snake ready to strike. Sunset threw her hooves over her head. “I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” she screeched as the beast bore down on her.

Sunset screamed as she awoke from her nightmare, her flailing hooves getting tangled within the bed sheets. She lost her sense of balance and tumbled off the bed, landing on the hardwood surface. She fought off the blankets and scrambled to her hooves, breathing heavily from the adrenaline still rushing through her. Her entire body was soaked with sweat.

The door to her room burst open and Twilight jumped in shouting, “Sunset, are you alright?”

Sunset quickly bowed her head so Twilight couldn’t see her distraught expression. Her breath came out in ragged gasps as her blood continued to pulse through her body, slowly calming down from her adrenaline rush. She let in a slow breath and answered, “Y-yes, Twilight, I’m fine.”

Out of all the lies she had told over the last hours, Sunset knew that was her worst one yet. She was far from fine. She felt sick and alone and downright terrified. But she couldn’t let Twilight see that. She couldn’t let the princess think she was an emotional wreck.

Twilight stood her ground, eyeing Sunset with a concerned expression. “Are you sure? Because I heard you all the way from downstairs.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Sunset gave a curt nod, her eyes never leaving the floor. “It was just a bad dream.”

Twilight stepped closer and noticed the tears falling from Sunset’s face. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

Sunset bit her lip and nodded again. She felt like if she said anything else, her emotions were going to burst out of her like a water balloon. She wanted Twilight to leave so she could cry in peace… so she could mourn.

“Sunset, you’re clearly bothered by something—”

“Please, Twilight,” she croaked, “please. I… I just want to be alone right now.”

Twilight faltered, not wanting to leave the Sunset by herself, but knowing she had to respect her new friend’s wish for privacy. Twilight sighed in defeat as she backed out the door, shutting it behind her.

Sunset collapsed and burst into tears the instant the door had closed. She held her head in her hooves and sobbed, thinking of the horrible death she had managed to escape from, and everyone else who hadn’t.

Dead. Everypony she knew was dead. Part of her knew that at this point of time, they hadn’t died yet. Many of them weren’t even born yet. But the idea still held fast inside her, cutting through her heart like a jagged knife. Images of all of her friends and family flashed through her head as she dwelled on the thought. She missed all of them: her parents, Twilight and Spike, all of her friends. She even missed the spoiled brat that was Blueblood III. Just thinking about them made Sunset’s throat tighten, constricting her breathing. What if I never see them again? What if I never get home? What if I fail and can’t save anypony?

Despair took its hold over Sunset, adding to the sea of emotions rolling through her. I can’t do this! I can’t do this! I wasn’t meant to be Twilight’s student! I wasn’t meant for any of this!

Her heart ached over the crushing sadness that flooded her. She felt alone, the only survivor of a dead future, stuck in the past with the expectation to miraculously fix everything. The weight of the world crashed back down onto her shoulders. She reached a hoof up and snatched the pillow off of the bed and buried her face in it, letting out a muffled scream that quickly dissolved back into pained sobs.

She wanted to go home, back before everything had been burned away. The Canterlot here might have looked like Canterlot, but it wasn’t her Canterlot. The Twilight Sparkle here wasn’t her teacher yet. She might be someday, but for now she was just...

Sunset felt something warm wrap around her, making her jump, startled by the sudden contact. She opened her eyes to see a wall of purple fur in front of her, pulling her into a warm embrace. “T-Twilight,” she choked, “I-I thought—”

Twilight gently shushed her. “I know you wanted privacy, but I heard you crying and I just couldn’t leave you here.” She hugged Sunset a little tighter. “I can’t say I know what you’re going through, Sunset... but I want to help you any way I can.”

Sunset paused, unable to think of anything to say. Instead, she pressed her face into Twilight’s shoulder, feeling thankful that she was wrong. Twilight was her teacher, her princess… her friend, past or future.

The future. Hearing that word in her head brought a fresh wave of tears which Sunset spilled onto Twilight’s coat as she wept openly. Crying was the only thing she could do to get all of her emotions out. Sunset hadn’t realized how tightly she had had them locked up until the nightmare occurred.

She cringed as the wall of fire appeared in her mind, coupled with the maniacal laughter that drilled itself into her psyche as if to ensure that Sunset would never forget it, no matter how hard she tried. Yet despite the fear the fire and cackles tried to bring her, sitting in Twilight’s embrace gave her a sense of protection and comfort. Soon her tears had stopped falling and her breathing returned to normal save for the occasional hiccup.

Sunset finally pulled away from Twilight, rubbing her eyes and nose with her hoof. She sniffled, “I’m sorry you had to see that, Twilight. I guess with everything that happened, I never really got a chance to… vent.”

Twilight shook her purple mane. “Don’t apologize, you’ve been through a lot. I’m just glad you’re feeling better, it’s not healthy to keep things bottled up.”

Sunset finished wiping her eyes, now red and puffy, and smiled at the princess. “Thank you, Twilight.”

The princess returned the expression before standing up and motioning for Sunset to follow her. “Come on, I have a shower you can use a few doors down. No offense, but you kinda….” She trailed as her eyes scanned over Sunset.

She examined herself and blushed. A shower sounds really good right now, she thought.

Sunset sighed in relief as she stepped out of the shower and onto the fuzzy bathroom mat. She had never felt so clean in her entire life! Taking the towel Twilight had provided off the towel rack, she rubbed herself down, humming a hearty tune as she did. The simple act of being able to properly bathe herself had left Sunset in high spirits. A complete reversal of what she had been feeling an hour and a half ago.

She wiped a wide circle through the mist that clung to the bathroom mirror and smiled at her reflection. A squeaky clean orange unicorn grinned back at her. Her mane fell in wet strands across the sides of her face. She gave it a quick rub down with a towel before deciding that she’d just let it dry naturally. Part of this decision was made due to the growling in her stomach.

She hung the towel up and left the humid bathroom, feeling the cooler air of the library brush across her fur. The morning sun broke through the windows and gave the inside of the great tree a warm and tranquil feel. Following a delightful smell, Sunset hurried down to the first floor where she heard two voices conversing in the kitchen.

“Seriously, who takes a shower for almost two hours?” She identified the first voice as Spike.

“Seven hour bubble bath,” she heard Twilight counter.

“…Point taken,” Spike said in a disgruntled tone.

Giggling, Sunset pushed the door open and gave a bright, “Good morning,” to its two occupants.

Spike waved, a forkful of freshly made pancakes in his mouth, while Twilight properly addressed her. “Good morning,” she said warmly. “You’re looking much better.”

“I feel a lot better; that shower felt really wonderful!” she said.

Spike swallowed the last of his breakfast and gave Sunset a serious expression. “You didn’t use up all of the hot water, did you?”

“Uhh… no?”

“Good,” he nodded and hopped down from his seat at the table, taking his plate with him. He tossed it into the sink and grinned at Sunset. “Help yourself to breakfast,” he said as he exited the kitchen.

Sunset didn’t need to be told twice. She sat herself down and took a stack of pancakes from the pile. She lifted the syrup bottle, prepared to drown her breakfast in maple goodness when she caught Twilight’s bemused expression.

“Did you use up all the hot water?” Twilight asked. “I mean, you were in there for a while.”

Sunset shrugged. “I don’t know, hopefully not.” She finished pouring syrup over her pancakes and proceeded to stuff a few large chunks into her mouth until she remembered who she was sitting across from. She swallowed her mouthful and tried to take on an air of grace and decorum by cutting her pancakes into smaller pieces and slowly chewing them one by one.

Twilight noted the change in Sunset’s behavior and bemoaned, “Please, Sunset, just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean you need to try and act prim and proper around me. Just be yourself.”

“Oh thank goodness,” she said, before ravaging her pancakes again. The last thing she had eaten was the lettuce wrap, and she had almost thrown that up on the way over to Ponyville.

Sunset finished her meal and wiped her face off as Twilight washed the dishes in the sink. Unsure of what to do with herself, Sunset twiddled her hooves and glanced around the kitchen. It was a modest room with cabinets that lined the wall and a large ice box in the back corner. There was a sink, a stove, and even an oven on one side of the room. Sunset assumed that the tree’s interior was fireproof for Twilight to be able to use an oven without fear of burning the library down.

Sunset tapped her hoof against the tabletop, generating a small thumping noise. After a minute, she cleared her throat and asked, “So… you didn’t tell Spike about… me?”

Twilight finished drying off the plates before addressing Sunset. “No, I didn’t. I just told him you would be staying here for a little while.” Sunset was about to breathe easy, when Twilight held a hoof up. “However, I have to tell you that, while I respect you wanting to keep your mission a secret, I personally can’t condone lying. I’ll help you however I can, but I won’t advertently lie to my friends.”

Sunset nodded, suddenly feeling a little guilty. “I understand, princess. I don’t think I could ask you to do that anyway.”

“That said,” Twilight continued, “I really think you should reconsider keeping your purpose here a secret. I understand that you don’t want to mess up the space-time continuum or anything, but I think anything is better than the end of the world at this point.”

Sunset rubbed her hooves together as she reflected on Twilight’s words. She had told herself the same thing only yesterday but had opted to lie to both Twilight and Celestia instead. She blamed the overwhelming sense of panic that had been coursing through her.

Now that she was calm and refreshed, she could think through things with a clearer head. In the long run, how could telling a few ponies that she was from the future and was sent back in time to stop the apocalypse from happening make things any worse? Yeah, that still sounds crazy even in my head, she mused. Regardless, telling Twilight had been an immense weight off of her shoulders. On the other hoof, Sunset still preferred to have as few ponies involved as possible. Who knew how dangerous her journey could become?

She weighed the options before coming to the most satisfying conclusion. “Alright, Princess, but I’ll only tell when it’s necessary. I don’t want to drag anyone into this who doesn’t have to be.”

Twilight mulled this over for a bit, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought. “Well,” she started slowly, “I guess that’s fair. But, I still think it would be a good idea to tell my friends, and maybe Princess Celestia.”

Sunset involuntarily flinched at the mention of the Sun Princess. “I’ll… think about,” she answered.

Twilight gave a satisfied nod and headed towards the kitchen door. “Well then, we should get going. My friend Zecora has the Alicorn Amulet in her hut in the Everfree Forest.”

Sunset left the table and followed Twilight through the library and out the front door. Above them, Spike shouted something about cold water.

The whispers of ruffling paper and the turning of pages were the only sounds heard in Celestia’s bed chamber. Stacks of preserved parchment and census books littered the floor and were scattered haphazardly over the covers of her four-poster bed. The only spot on the floor that was devoid of any mess was the inside circumference of the door so it could be opened without hindrance, and the long trough that Celestia had created from her constant pacing.

She had been moving back and forth all night, eyes never leaving from the papers she searched through. She had stopped only twice: to fetch a glass of water and to raise the sun at dawn. Her eyes were tired and bloodshot with dark bags underneath them. Her brain yelled at her to take a nap but she stoutly refused. She couldn’t sleep, not until she found an answer.

On she read, discarding one roll of text before picking up another, only to realize she had read that one a few hours ago. She glanced around trying to find where she had left off, where the read texts ended and the untouched ones began. Her horn lit up, and all of the papers rose and began to circle around her. She quickly scanned the first sentences of each script, noting each one she had already run through.

Carefully, she organized all of the documents into orderly stacks around her bed so she would not become lost a second time. It was only when the last book landed on the top pile, did Celestia discover a new problem: she had read everything in her stock.

She sank down into the soft rug underneath her hooves, rubbing her tired eyes in frustration. “I don’t understand,” Celestia murmured, “how could you just disappear one day and reappear the next; and why now of all times?” She could feel the exhaustion from reading and over thinking all night beating her into submission. A small headache pulsed in the front of her skull, and sleep tugged at her eyes. Unfortunately, she still had royal duties to perform before she could retire.

Just as she stood up and stretched, a knock was heard at her door. No doubt, one of the guards wondering where I am, she mused.

Instead, a familiar voice drifted across the stone door. “Sister, may I come in?”

Celestia darted across the room and opened the door, bidding her younger sibling in, surprised that she was awake at this hour. She shut the door behind her and asked, “Luna, it is wonderful to see you, but why are you not asleep?”

Luna eyed the stacks of books and papers walling Celestia’s bed. She turned to her older sister and said, “I meant to ask you the same question a few hours ago. What were you up to that had you awake all night, sister?”

Celestia sighed, watching as Luna began to pick through the pile, drawing out pages at random. Of course Luna had known that she had not been asleep. The Princess of the Night was also the Guardian of Dreams. She must have noticed the lack of dreaming coming from Celestia’s room.

“I was looking for something,” Celestia explained.

“Census records, criminal records, address changes, shipping documents?” Luna picked up a thin leather bound book. “'Abnormal magical fluxes’? Pray tell, what in Equestria were you looking for, Tia?” she asked, setting the papers down again.

Celestia began pacing across the floor once more. “An answer, proof, an explanation: something to put me at ease.”

Luna trotted over to her sister and draped a dark blue wing around her. “At ease? Sister, what has you troubled so?”

Celestia took a breath before starting, “Yesterday, the guards brought in a pony, a pony I hadn’t seen in over fifteen years. Not since….” She trailed off, a faraway look in her eye. A gentle nuzzle from Luna snapped her out of her reverie. “I couldn’t believe it was her, but she responded to the same name she went by all those years ago. She looked not a day older than when I last saw her. Maybe she was even younger than before. But, when I looked into her eyes, she had no recollection of me, like she was meeting me for the first time.”

Celestia’s eyes gazed over to her piles of research. “I’ve been trying to look for something to explain what I saw, to prove that they aren’t the same mare. But every record of her ends fifteen years ago. She just vanished off the face of the earth, only to come back now.”

Luna gave Celestia a reassuring hug. “Tia, I’m sure there is some logical explanation behind this, but for my sake, perhaps you could start from the beginning so I might understand everything?”

Celestia looked down at her younger sister and gave a bashful smile. “Of course, Luna, forgive me. Most of this would sound like a babble of nonsense to one not aware of the whole story.”

“Yes, exposition would be helpful, sister,” Luna teased.

Celestia nodded and brought Luna down to sit beside her. “Very well; you see, Luna, before Twilight Sparkle I had another student named Sunset Shimmer…”

Author's Note

A big thanks to JustAnotherTimeLord for his help in editing the first two chapters. And a thanks to Rainbow99. Your editing was not in vain.

Chapter IV: The Girl from the Future

“Congratulations, Twilight!”

“Good morning, princess!”

“Would you like to buy something, Your Majesty?”

As Twilight and Sunset made their way across Ponyville, the citizens of the humble town made several similar comments, and bowed whenever the new alicorn crossed their path. All of it made the princess flush with embarrassment. Sunset could tell by the way she murmured her thanks, and kept her head down that Twilight was not used to her position yet.

Sunset gave Twilight a gentle nudge and a confident smile, which Twilight returned half-heartedly. Sunset frowned. “What’s wrong, Twilight?”

Twilight’s ears flattened against her head as another pony called her, “Your Majesty.”

“Sorry, I’m just not used to everypony calling me a princess and treating me like royalty. All of this is just so—” she waved a hoof, “different. One week, I’m just a normal citizen and the next thing I know, I’m an alicorn.” She let out a disheartened breath. “I’m not sure if I can handle being a princess.”

Sunset couldn’t help but giggle, causing Twilight to give her a hurt look. “Is that all you’re worried about?” She saw Twilight’s expression and tried to stifle her laughter. “Sorry, Twilight, but you’re worrying over nothing. You’re going to be a great leader, trust me.”

Twilight shook her head unconvinced. “How can you be so sure?”

Sunset raised a brow. “Um, yeah, girl from the future, remember?”

It was Twilight’s turn to laugh. “Right, sorry. I guess that was kind of a dumb question.”

“’The only dumb questions are the ones left unasked,’” Sunset sagely quoted.

Twilight entertained the phrase and chuckled. “Wow, that’s quite philosophical. Who told you that?”

“You did,” Sunset said with a knowing smirk.

The two mares continued their trek across Ponyville proper, engaging in small conversation as they walked. Sunset was eager to know everything about Twilight’s coronation, and listened with rapt attention as the princess recounted the events leading up to her transformation into an alicorn.

Around them, the village was a bustle of activity. Ponies bounced around from stall to stall in the marketplace, exchanging in deals for various fruits, jewelry and other items. The sounds of their friendly gossip and mirth mingled together to create a lively clamor that made the entire town seem warm and inviting. The scents of various food curios and confectionery shops only added to the hospitable feeling that Ponyville generated.

The sun was nearing its zenith as the duo neared Fluttershy’s cottage, the last house that border-lined Ponyville from the Everfree Forest. Twilight had just finished telling her tale to Sunset—who was practically bursting with excitement—when she saw a familiar pink tail sticking up from a bed of flowers.

Twilight stopped and called, “Hello, Fluttershy.”

The yellow pegasus rose her head up from the garden, a wide, floral sunhat rested on her crown, and a pink, floral apron covered her front. She waved a muddy hoof and greeted, “Hello, Twilight—oops, I mean,” she giggled, “good afternoon, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight playfully rolled her eyes before asking, “What are you up to today?”

Fluttershy gestured to the flowers behind her. “Oh, just a little bit of gardening. I thought the animals might enjoy some new flowers in the yard.” She gave a wary look to Sunset who was positively beaming at her. Fluttershy tucked part of her face behind her mane and asked, “Umm, who is that next to you, Twilight?”

“It’s okay, Fluttershy, she’s a friend,” Twilight reassured. “Sunset, this is Fluttershy. Fluttershy, meet Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset walked up to Fluttershy and extended a hoof. “It’s so nice to… meet you, Fluttershy.” She had almost slipped up and said ‘see you again’ instead. Sunset had met the Elements of Harmony before. Princess Twilight would often invite them over to the castle so they could catch up and talk about old times. And although Sunset had seen them more times than she could count, it didn’t compare to seeing them in the younger forms history had immortalized them in. She had to keep her excitement down so she wouldn’t draw suspicion.

Fluttershy quickly wiped the mud clinging to her hoof onto her gardening apron before tentatively shaking Sunset’s hoof. “Pleased to m-meet you as well.”

Happy by the union between her two friends, Twilight continued, “Sunset and I were on our way to see Zecora.”

“Really? I just ran into a Zecora a little while ago,” Fluttershy said, returning to her regular conversation whisper. “She told me she was spending the day foraging for herbs. Oh, and she told me to tell you ‘congratulations’, Twilight.”

Sunset made a noise of discontentment in her throat that Twilight picked up on. She put a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. “It’s okay, we’ll just see her tomorrow.”

“What did you girls need from her, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Twilight opened her mouth, then firmly closed it and gave a sidelong look to Sunset. The unicorn remembered Twilight’s pledge not to lie to her friends and stepped in for her.

“We were just going to have some tea,” Sunset lied. “Twilight tells me Zecora makes real good jasmine. Oh well, looks like I’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

Fluttershy gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. I’d make you some tea, but I’m pretty dirty right now.”

“That’s okay, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “Thank you for the offer, though. We’ll let you get back to your gardening.” She turned back down the road to Ponyville with Sunset close behind.

Fluttershy waved. “Goodbye, Twilight. Bye, Sunset.”

“Bye, Fluttershy,” they chorused.

When they were a good deal away from the earthly cottage, Twilight dropped her voice to a disappointed whisper. “I thought you said that you would tell ponies the truth.”

Sunset nodded. “I did, when it was necessary. I wouldn’t classify that as necessary.”

“True,” Twilight agreed, “but, you also said you would tell the other Elements of Harmony.”

“No, I said I’d think about it. I’m still thinking.” Which was true, Sunset still didn’t want to drag other ponies into anything. “Besides, how does, ‘hi, I’m Sunset Shimmer and I’m really from the future sent back to the past to help stop the apocalypse,’ sound as a greeting?” she sniped.

Twilight puffed her cheeks out in irritation before relenting. “Fine, but you are going to have to tell them eventually.”

Sunset knew she was probably right, but the longer she held it off, the better. She at least wanted to make a good first impression before coming off as a lunatic.

The two now found themselves back in the marketplace, the early afternoon sun shining down on them. “So, now what do we do?” Sunset asked. Since the keeper of the amulet was roaming around through the forest, they needed something to do in the meantime.

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “Before you showed up, the only thing I had planned on doing today was studying.”

Sunset stopped and looked up at the gorgeous sky. “On a day like today? If I had tried that, you would have forced me outside. What were you going to study, how to be a princess?” Sunset joked.

Twilight looked away. “Maybe.”

Sunset didn’t know whether to laugh or facehoof. Instead she said, “Come on, princ—Twilight, let’s go get sundaes.”

“Sundaes?” Twilight asked. “Why sundaes?”

Sunset looked down and kicked a pebble that had been lying next to her hoof. “Well, you and I used to get sundaes all the time. You’d tell me all about the adventures you used to go on while we ate. I really enjoyed it.”

Twilight’s eyes were wide with emotion. “Oh, Sunset, if it means that much to you, of course we can get some.”

Sunset picked her head up and grinned. “Great, cause you owe me one anyway.”

Twilight frowned. “I do?”

Thinking over the events of the last two days, Sunset nodded, “Yes, you do.” She turned and began walking back to the marketplace before suddenly stopping. She looked over her shoulder. “Umm, you lead the way, because I have no idea where I’m going.”

“Twilight, the building isn’t edible too, is it?”

“You know, I’m actually not sure.”

Sunset stared up at the sugary decorated building that was Sugarcube Corner. It was covered in gumdrops and icing with a graham cracker roof and a large cupcake on top. It was so sweetly designed, Sunset wouldn’t have surprised if the ponies who ran the store were made out of gingerbread.

Twilight spoke as the duo got closer to the entrance. “Now, just so you know, Pinkie Pie gets a little excited when she sees a new face, so don’t be alarmed if she does something over-the-top.”

“Like what?” was what Sunset was going to say before a pink blur burst through the front door and slammed into her. Sunset’s vision spun as the two ponies tumbled across the dirt. before they came to a halt with Pinkie Pie pinning her down, grinning from ear to ear.

Her smile suddenly turned into a look of puzzlement and she tilted her head to one side. “Hey, haven’t I seen you somewhere before?”

Sunset, still startled by her assaulter's sudden appearance, stammered, “N-no, I don’t think so.”

“Are you sure, because you look kinda familiar.…” She scrunched up her face and made a humming noise.

Maybe she saw me in the castle, or when I was performing in the park? Sunset thought.

Pinkie continued to hum for a few seconds before her eyes snapped open. “Darn, I got nothing.” She resumed her cheery grin and said, “Oh well. Even if I have seen you before, I definitely haven’t seen you around Ponyville, which means you’re new! And everypony new to Ponyville deserves the best welcome possible!” Pinkie scrambled off of her new guest, allowing Sunset to get to her hooves, just in time to see Pinkie pull a large wagon from thin air.

“Where did you—” Before Sunset could finish that thought, Pinkie pressed a large, red button on the side of the wagon, causing it to spring open. Whistles, trumpets and flags of all colors burst forth, surrounding a small microwave that sat in the middle. Protruding from all sides of it were various forms of firecrackers and sparklers, waiting to be lit.

Twilight’s expression quickly jumped from one of amusement to one of panic, as she saw what Pinkie was planning to do. “Pinkie Pie, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Pinkie waved a dismissive hoof. “Don’t worry your pretty princess head, Twilight. Everything will be fine.” With that, she pulled a match from the tangle of hair that was her mane and stuck it against the side of her wagon. With the match set, she proceeded to light all of the fuses of all of the fireworks.

Feeling suddenly aware of her mortality, Sunset took a step back and watched as the candles shot into the air with a loud whistle, jets of sparks trailing behind them as they raced higher into the air. As they reached the peak of their flight, the rockets exploded in a shower of colors that shone brightly despite the light from the afternoon sun. Sunset watched in amazement as the pyrotechnics spelled out, Welcome to Ponyville, in a rainbow of hues. A few more fireworks went off in the background before everything faded away. Replacing the noise of the explosions was a lighter whistling sound coming from Pinkie’s wagon. There was a sudden ding and out from the microwave came a fully frosted strawberry cake.

“Ta da!” Pinkie sang before turning to Twilight. “See, I told you nothing bad would happen.” As she finished her sentence, the sound of a firecracker exploding in the distance was heard followed by a shriek of terror. The smile on Pinkie’s face drooped only ever-so-slightly and she continued in her normal upbeat voice, “I should go fix that!”

Pinkie threw herself back over to Sunset who was examining the delicious looking cake, and surprised her with a large hug. “Silly me, I never even asked what your name was! How can I throw a party for you if I don’t know your name?”

“Wait, a party? Why are you throwing me a party?”

Pinkie released her and gestured to the city proper. “Because you’re new in town, silly. And every new pony needs a party, that way you can make lots and lots of new friends! So, what’s your name? Is it Sunny, or how about Starburst, ooh, ooh, it’s Dawn Glimmer isn’t it?”

Sunset chuckled. “Close, it’s Sunset Shimmer.”

“Oooh, that’s a nice name. Well then, Sunset, come back to Sugarcube Corner at—” Pinkie broke into snorts and giggles. “Sunset! Get it? Sunset’s party is at sunset!” Pinkie continued to laugh while Sunset rolled her eyes. It wasn’t the first time someone had made a joke on her name. Pinkie recovered from her fit of laughs and walked to the side of her wagon. She pressed the red button on the side and watched as it collapsed back into a portable trunk, taking the cake with it, much to Sunset’s disappointment.

Seeing the look on the unicorn’s face, Pinkie patted her on the head and said, “Don’t worry, there will be plenty of cake at the party! That was only one layer of it anyway!”

“Alright then, but can Twilight and I go inside and get sundaes?” Sunset asked.

Pinkie hooked the cart to her back and said, “Nope. You can’t come inside until your party is ready! But boy, a sundae sounds good right now!” She let out a whinny before charging towards the rising trail of smoke coming from one of the buildings.

Sunset stared after her, mildly confused at Pinkie’s behavior. She was nowhere near that hyper and bubbly in the future, quite the opposite. Every time Sunset had seen Pinkie, she looked sickly and pale, and while the smile never left her face, she had never been able to reach the levels of jubilation the current Pinkie Pie was exhibiting. I wonder what happens between now and then. Twilight never talked about it.

Twilight poked Sunset’s shoulder, bringing her from her thoughts. “Hey, you aren’t too shaken up are you?”

“No, no, I’m fine, just caught off guard a little.” She sighed. “No amulet, no ice cream, what do we do now?”

Tapping a hoof against her chin, Twilight said slowly, “Well, Pinkie just said we couldn’t go into Sugarcube Corner, but there are other places that sell ice cream here.”

Sunset’s face brightened. She stuck a hoof out. “Lead the way, princess.” She caught Twilight’s eye and cringed. “Sorry.”

Twilight forgave her and proceeded to lead her back through the town. Ponies continued to wave and bow to Twilight as she passed by, causing her to sigh heavily.

“Twilight, I promise you’ll get used to this,” Sunset assured. “Besides, you earned it.”

“I know I did. It’s just, I—”

“Twilight, yoo-hoo!” a refined voice called.

A beautiful white unicorn with a styled purple mane strolled into view, giving the two ponies a warm smile. “How’s our newest princess doing today?” Rarity’s eyes fell upon Sunset. “Oooh, and who is your new friend?” She suddenly let out a screech that caused both of them to jump. “And why is the poor dear covered in dirt?”

Sunset looked down at herself, just noticing the flecks of dirt she had acquired when Pinkie tackled her and shrugged. She had been through worse.

“She just met Pinkie,” Twilight answered, rubbing the ear that had taken the brunt of Rarity’s scream.

Rarity gave an understanding nod but tittered, “That girl. Honestly, I love her to death, but she just doesn’t understand the meaning of personal space.” She sighed then turned and extended a hoof to Sunset. “Hello dear, my name is Rarity, and may I say, your mane is absolutely gorgeous… even with all the dirt and split ends.”

“Err, thanks, I think. My name’s Sunset Shimmer by the way.”

“Ah, a lovely name to go with a lovely mane,” Rarity cooed. “Please, allow me to return your coiffure back to its healthy and natural state; free of charge, of course.”

Sunset looked into Rarity’s hopeful and anxious eyes, and knew the mare would not take ‘no’ for an answer. She ran a hoof threw her mane and shrugged. “I guess my mane could use a little fixing up—waah!”

Rarity had begun to drag Sunset down the street before the words had even finished leaving her mouth. “Oh don’t worry darling, you’re in good hooves with me!

Twilight followed close behind and chuckled. “So much for ice cream.”

Sunset stood on Rarity’s modeling stage, her head feeling heavier with the pins and rollers in her hair. Rarity had quickly washed and shampooed Sunset’s mane before styling it. While they were waiting for it to set, Rarity had decided to have Sunset model a few outfits. Sunset stood as still as she could while the white unicorn hemmed the red dress she was wearing.

Sunset took note of the interior of the boutique. In the future, Rarity had expanded her business to several cities across Equestria. Sunset had been dragged into the one in Canterlot several times by her friends, but that one hadn’t been so... purple. Purple carpet, purple curtains. Everything was a different shade of the same color.

“So tell me, Sunset, how do you know Twilight?” Rarity tried to make conversation as she added gemstones into the dress lining.

“Oh, uhh, we were friends in Canterlot during school,” Sunset lied once more.

“Really?” She looked over to Twilight who sat in the corner, absentmindedly flipping through a fashion magazine. “You know, for somepony who came here to study the magic of friendship, you seem to have a lot of friends we don’t know about.”

Twilight looked up from the magazine, and gave Sunset a stern look. “Yeah... funny how things happen like that.”

“Oh, well… we weren’t friends per se,” Sunset continued. “She would just have tutoring sessions for the students, and I would show up… a lot.”

Rarity nodded, taking another gem from a small box sitting next to her and stitched it into the dress, while Twilight held a hoof to her forehead and sighed in frustration.

Rarity took no notice. “Well, you’re the third unicorn I know that came from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.” She sighed. “Sometimes, I wish my parents had been able to afford to send me there; but if they had then I might never have discovered my talent for fashion. Now I wish to make enough money so my little sister, Sweetie Belle, has the opportunity to go if she chooses.”

Sunset beamed. “That’s very generous of you, Rarity.”

“I just want the best for my sister. Oh, but look at me prattle on! Please, dear, tell me what brings you to little Ponyville?”

“Umm, nothing in particular. Just taking a little vacation away from the city is all,” Sunset said, looking anywhere but at Twilight.

Rarity gave a small nod of understanding before jumping back from the dress and crying, “Voila!”

Sunset turned and faced the mirrors lining the back of the stage. On her was a ruby red dress that trailed to floor, and was adorned with a pattern of rubies and sapphires. She felt an odd sensation around her head, and saw Rarity magically removing the pins and rollers in her mane. It fell around her shoulders in flowing locks while one bang partly covered her eye. It all made Sunset look like she was ready for a night on the town with a special somepony.

“Wow, Rarity,” Sunset breathed. “I don’t know what to say. This looks amazing!”

Rarity clapped her hooves together in delight. “Oh, I’m so glad you like it!” She wrapped a hoof around Sunset and pulled her close. “Why, just seeing you in that dress is giving me so many ideas for my autumn line.” She began fanning herself, her eyes wide with excitement. “Oh, my, I believe I’m getting inspiration flashes!”

Sunset began trying to pull away from Rarity’s rather strong grip. “Should I be worried?”

Rarity released Sunset, and galloped over to her workbench, where she proceeded to pull out a piece of construction paper and began sketching a new dress. “Not at all, dear, quite the opposite!”

Twilight suppressed a chuckle that came from seeing her new friend’s confusion over Rarity’s eccentrics. “Don’t worry, Sunset. Rarity’s just got some new dress ideas, and you’re probably going to be modeling them all.”

“Ah,” Sunset replied in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. She examined her reflection again, appreciating the dress that had been made for her. It was definitely nice, but fashion was never her passion, so the thought of having to model several more dresses wasn’t exactly a bright point in her day.

A tiny jingle sounded from the front room, and less than a second later, a blue pegasus with a loud, rainbow mane came flying into the dressing area. She hovered in the air, and looked right at Sunset. “Fluttershy told me Twilight had a new friend in town. I’m guessing you’re her?”

“Yeah, I’m Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash grinned and puffed out her chest. “Oh, so you’ve heard of me? Well, that’s no big surprise, I mean, I am pretty famous around here,” she said proudly.

Rarity rolled her eyes, listening from over at her desk. “Honestly, Rainbow, by now I’m sure everypony has heard of all of us at least once. I mean, we did save Equestria, what is it now, three times? And not to mention the Crystal Empire.”

Rainbow threw her hooves into the air. “Yeah, but the way ponies treat us, you’d think we were nobodies. Apparently, the only way to get noticed is to turn into a princess.” She gestured to Twilight who gave a nervous laugh and hid her face in the magazine.

Rarity blew a strand of hair out of her face. “Well, I’ll be the first to admit, it would be nice to get some recognition now and again. But, we should be satisfied with knowing that our actions helped keep Equestria safe from harm.”

Sunset couldn’t believe what she was hearing. These ponies were heroes, no, they were legends! In her time, every foal grew up with hearing tales of their brave deeds. They had their own national holiday! Sunset jumped down from the raised stage, and walked over to Rainbow Dash. “Wait, let me get this straight: you girls have saved Equestria three times, and ponies don’t acknowledge it?” she asked incredulously.

“Four times if you count the dragon that was snoring smoke,” Rainbow confirmed. “And, yeah, ponies will thank us for like, a day, before they go back to ignoring us.”

Rarity clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Please, Rainbow, you’re acting like we should be treated like royalty.”

“I don’t see why not,” Rainbow argued. “Twilight gets treated like royalty.”

“That’s because she’s a princess,” Rarity deadpanned.

“Girls, can we talk about something else?” Twilight pleaded. “It’s not even that fun being treated like royalty; in fact, it’s uncomfortable most of the time.”

“That’s because you’re just not used to it yet,” Sunset assured. “I already told you, you’re going to to be a great leader.”

“The new kid is right, Twilight; you just gotta let everything sink in. Besides, think of all the power you have now! You can make ponies do whatever you tell them to do!”

“Rainbow Dash, I would never do that!” Twilight cried.

Rainbow laughed. “Relax, I was just joking. Now, let’s go down to Horté Cuisine’s place, and kick everypony out so we can have the entire restaurant to ourselves.”

“Rainbow,” Twilight growled, as her pegasus friend continued to laugh above her.

Rarity stood up from her desk. “While Rainbow is being completely foalish, I agree that a bite of lunch does sound like a good idea.”

Twilight let out a breath before glaring up at Rainbow Dash. “Fine, but we’re going over to Applejack’s. At least she’ll treat me like a normal pony,” she grumbled.

Sunset took this as a cue to take off the fancy dress she was wearing. She slid out of it, and hung it up on one of the racks before following the present company out of the dress shop and into the warm summer afternoon.

The quartet of ponies trudged up the dirt road leading to Sweet Apple Acres, the smell of ripening fruit tickling their noses. All around them stood mighty apple trees, their branches adorned with young, growing apples.

The farm itself seemed to be absent of its normal residents. The four ponies stepped into the main yard where one could normally spot an Apple Family member tending to the trees, or doing work around the barn. Instead, the entire farm seemed to be wrapped in a veil of silence, pierced only by the faint whisper of the wind.

“Is it supposed to be this quiet?” Sunset asked no pony in particular.

Rainbow lifted herself higher and looked out across the acres of apple trees, only to find not one pony in sight. “Wow,” she said. “This is kinda freaky. An apple farm with no Apples.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Please, Rainbow, you’re acting like all they do is stand in the orchard all day.”

“Uhh, we’re talking about the same family, right?”

Rarity raised a hoof to respond, but was cut short when the whispering wind picked up into a sudden gale, drawing in black storm clouds from nowhere. The three grounded ponies quickly huddled together, as the wind whipped around them in a mad frenzy.

Rainbow raised her head and shouted over the howling wind, “Hey, I didn’t schedule a thunderstorm! What’s going on here?”

Sunset pressed herself against Twilight. Memories of the apocalypse flashed through her mind as the storm rolled overhead. Had she messed something up? Was her being here somehow accelerating events? She instinctively tried to hide her face inside Twilight’s wing, although it was much smaller than she was used to.

Twilight felt Sunset’s shivering and wrapped a wing around her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for this,” she said, but Sunset could hear the quiver of fear in her voice.

A bolt of lightning struck a section of the orchard and was quickly followed by a clap of thunder that exploded over the ponies heads, causing them to jump, or in Rainbow’s case, drop to the floor.

Then, as quickly as they had appeared, the black clouds vanished into thin air, and the wind returned to a calm breeze.

The four mares broke from their tight huddle and looked to the sky. Sunset sucked in a breath and released a loud sigh of relief. She motioned to speak, but Rarity beat her to it. “What in Equestria was that?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Twilight answered. She looked toward the remote section of the orchard where the lightning had struck, a mild concern in her eye. “But, we should make sure the lightning didn’t do any damage to Applejack’s trees.”

They all nodded in agreement, and rushed off into the orchard. It was a short gallop; the lightning hadn’t struck too far from their location. When they had reached that particular section of the grove, Sunset saw Twilight’s mouth make an ‘O’ of understanding. They came to a stop amongst a group of gnarled, purple trees with electric blue flowers in bloom. Currents of electricity ran throughout the tree and occasionally let off small charges.

Rainbow Dash, who had resumed her spot in in the air, burst into laughter. “Wow, I can’t believe I forgot, it’s totally that time of year!”

Rarity shook her head playfully. “And to think, we were all worried over nothing.”

Sunset looked from the colorful trees to her friends’ awestruck faces and frowned, feeling completely out of loop. “Can someone please tell me what’s happening?”

“Zap Apple Season, that’s what’s happenin’.”

Sunset turned and saw a pony that she quickly identified as Applejack strutting towards her with a wide grin on her face. Behind her was a very large, very red stallion wearing a light smile that contrasted with his heavy build.

“Zap Apple Season?” Sunset parroted. The name sounded vaguely familiar.

Applejack looked up and admired one of the apple trees. “That’s right, magic apples that only come once a year. Gotta pick ‘em quick, or they’ll just up and vanish. They’re mighty delicious, too! Ponies come from all over to taste mah granny’s Zap Apple Jam.”

The name finally clicked into place in Sunset’s mind. “Oh, I’ve had some of that before! Twi—an old friend of mine,” Sunset quickly corrected, “gave me some a few years ago. It was very delicious.”

Applejack crossed her legs in a curtsy. “Why, thank ya kindly. Speakin’ of friends, Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever seen you around Ponyville before. What’s your name?”

“Sunset Shimmer,” Sunset replied for the fourth time that day. It felt like the first day of school.

Applejack leapt forward and took Sunset’s hoof into her own, and shook it vigorously. Sunset felt like the farmer was trying to pry it off. “Pleasure to meet ya, Sunset! Ah’m Applejack and this here is mah brother, Big Macintosh!” She tilted her head to the large stallion behind her who waved in greeting. “Let me be the first to welcome you to Sweet Apple Acres!”

“Thanks Applejack. Umm, may I have my hoof back now?”

Applejack gave her a broad smile and released her grip. Sunset put her hoof back on the ground, but could still feel it trembling from the enthusiastic greeting.

“So, what brings y’all over here?” Applejack asked.

Twilight spoke, “Well actually, we had come over for a little snack, but then the clouds rolled in and we saw the lightning hit some of the trees. We came over to make sure nothing had been damaged.”

“Ah shucks, Twi. You girls didn’t have to do that. Of course y’all can have a snack,” she said warmly. “Big Mac, we still got apples in the cellar right?”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac nodded.

“Alrighty then. Let’s go sit at the picnic table and chow.” She waved a hoof, motioning for the rest of them to follow. The group of ponies left the Zap Apple Grove and returned to the main yard, arranging themselves around an old wooden table, while Applejack and Big Macintosh went into the cellar to fetch their meal.

The two shortly returned with a basket full of juicy looking apples in each of their mouths. Big Mac set his on the table and walked away towards the house. Sunset watched him walked away before turning back to Applejack. “Isn’t he going to stay and eat?”

Applejack took her place at the table and shook her head. “Nah. Believe it or not, he’s actually pretty shy.”

Sunset almost found it hard to believe that a pony like him could be shy, but when she thought about it, he had barely said a word, even in the short time she had seen him, and he had kept his distance when they had walked from the grove.

Sunset shrugged and reached for an apple, biting into it and savoring the amazing flavor and juiciness of it. Sunset felt the Apple Family’s apples tasted better here than in her own time.

“So tell me about yerself, Sunset,” Applejack said with a mouth full of fruit.

Sunset nearly choked on her apple. “Well, uhh.” She cleared her throat, dislodging the small piece of fruit. “Wh—ahem, what do you want to know?”

“Well, where are ya from?”

“Canterlot,” she said automatically.

Applejack looked interested. “Really? So, you’re another big city girl, just like Twilight here, huh?”

“They even went to the same school together,” Rarity added.

Rainbow Dash looked up from her apple core. “You went to that fancy magic school? How many magic tricks do you know?”

Sunset let out a huff of irritation. She hated when ponies described magic as simple tricks. “They aren’t tricks. We learn spells, charms, jinxes, hexes, enchantments, counterspells, and in rare cases, curses. None of those can be described as simple ‘tricks.’”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Pfft, another egghead,” she said under her breath. A clod of dirt broke free from the ground and pelted her in the back of the head. She jumped up and swung her head around, looking for the culprit. “Alright, who threw that?”

Applejack and Rarity covered their mouths to try and muffle their giggling, while Sunset hid her smile behind her apple.

Rainbow turned her head away from the table, and another clod smacked the side of her face. “Hey!”

Rarity gave a hearty laugh that was drowned out by Applejack’s loud guffaws. Twilight, however, was not amused. She gave Sunset a sharp glare. “Stop it, Sunset, that’s an abuse of magic.”

Sunset’s cheery disposition quickly melted away, replaced with a pang of guilt. She stared down at the table and said, “I’m sorry, princess.”

Rainbow floated back down to her seat, rubbing the dirt from her mane and looking slightly amused. “I see you’re getting used to ordering ponies around already.”

Twilight turned her glare on Rainbow. “Don’t start with that.”

“Don’t start what, Twi?” Applejack asked in between laughs.

“Twilight is scared of being a princess,” Rainbow said.

“I am not scared of being a princess,” Twilight argued. “And that wasn’t an order. It was just a... I was just...” She groaned and placed her head in her hooves.

Applejack stopped laughing immediately, and placed a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “What’s wrong, sugarcube?”

Twilight sighed. “I’m not scared of being a princess. I just... I don’t want ponies to think I’m superior to them and treat me differently.”

Rarity fidgeted in her seat. “Well, Twilight, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but... you kind of are superior to most ponies now; you’re royalty.”

“And I am honored that Princess Celestia would make me an alicorn, really! But now ponies are bowing to me and calling me ‘your majesty,’ and...” She looked up at Applejack with tears in her eyes. “I don’t want to be treated differently.”

“Aw, sugarcube, come here.” Applejack pulled Twilight into a warm hug. “You know all the ponies in Ponyville, Twilight, and they know you. They’re just caught up in the moment is all. Once the excitement has gone down, Ah’m sure everypony will treat you the same again.”

“You really think so?”

Applejack nodded. “Yep. I love Ponyville to death, but the folks around here have smaller attention spans than a dog at a manure convention.”

Rarity made a face, but chose to ignore Applejack’s analogy and said, “Twilight, you could just ask them to treat you normally. They would probably listen.”

Twilight pulled away from Applejack’s hug and wiped her eyes. “But if I do that, they might take it as some divine order.” Rainbow let out an uneasy laugh and looked away. “That’s exactly what I don’t want.”

“That’s why you ask them,” Rarity emphasized. “Ask them not as Princess Twilight Sparkle, but just Twilight Sparkle. Ask them as a friend to treat you like a friend.”

“That sounds like it might work,” Twilight said with some confidence. “Thanks, Rarity, thanks, Applejack.”

“You can try tonight at the party,” Sunset finally spoke up. She had remained silent, unsure of what to say that would comfort Twilight. Sunset had never known Twilight had been so afraid of being alienated from everypony else. She had never dictated her orders to her subjects, they always came out as polite requests or favors. Now, Sunset knew why.

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, that would be a good idea. Hopefully I can at least get the Cakes to stop calling me ‘your highness.’”

Rainbow cleared her throat. “Uhh, sorry about making a joke about all this. I didn’t know you really felt that bad about it,” she said, abashed.

“It’s okay, Rainbow. I know you were just trying to help.”

Applejack held up her hooves. “Wait, back up a moment. What party are we talkin’ about here?”

“Pinkie Pie is throwing a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party for me,” Sunset answered.

“Of course she is.” Applejack smiled. “Girl will do anything to make a pony feel welcome around here.”

“I’ll say. You should have seen the way she greeted me.” Sunset began to describe her first exchange with Pinkie, turning the topic to a brighter subject. She listened and laughed as the others each recounted their first time meeting Pinkie Pie and some of her crazy antics.

The sun was sinking on the horizon when the laughter finally died down again. Applejack looked up at the orange sky and said, “Well, we best get a move on so we aren’t late.” They stood up from the table and stretched their legs before setting down the path back to the town proper.

Twilight let Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow get ahead of her, while she fell into step with Sunset. She whispered, “When the party ends, I think it would be a good time to tell them the truth.”

Sunset frowned. She had been having such a good time, she had almost forgotten about that. Well, telling them all at once would be easier than telling them all separately. She looked at Twilight and nodded. “Alright, I promise.”

“Also, apologize to Rainbow for throwing mud at her.”

Sunset fought to keep her smile from showing. “You have to admit, it was kinda funny.”

“Sunset...”

“Fine.”

Colorful balloons and streamers now decorated the front of Sugarcube Corner, adding to its already decorative and inviting look. A large banner pinned over the entrance read, ‘Welcome Sunset Shimmer!’ in bright red letters. Music and laughter could be heard from inside.

Sunset’s heart swelled at the sight of it all. “I can’t believe Pinkie did all this for me.”

“Well why wouldn’t I?”

Sunset turned her neck so fast, she almost gave herself whiplash. Pinkie was standing right next to her, admiring the decorations as well. Everypony else seemed completely unfazed by her sudden appearance. “How did you...” Sunset waved it off with a hoof. “Nevermind.”

“Well, come on then!” Pinkie grabbed Sunset’s hoof and began to pull her to the building. “You’ve got a party to go to!”

The main room of Sugarcube Corner had been cleared up to make room for all of the ponies mingling about. Ponies of all shapes, sizes and ages were eating, dancing, and laughing. Against the back wall was a long table covered in an assortment of food, most of it being dessert pastries.

Pinkie pushed Sunset towards the middle of the room and cleared her throat. “Attention everypony!” she said in a loud, boisterous voice. The record player seemed to quiet itself when Pinkie began to speak. “I’d like you all to meet the guest of honor, and my newest friend, Sunset Shimmer!”

There was a round of applause, and ponies lined up to say hello and personally introduce themselves. Sunset knew she would never be able to remember all of their names, but she smiled and gave them a warm thank you. Many ponies made polite conversation with her, asking her where she was from, and what she was doing in Ponyville. She always answered, “Canterlot,” and “On vacation,” respectfully.

After talking for what felt like an hour, Sunset finally caught a break and escaped to the food table where she found an irate looking Spike.

“Hi, Spike, how are you?” she asked, filling up a cup with fruit punch.

Spike crossed his arms and began tapping his foot. “You used up all the hot water this morning.”

“Oh, sorry about that.”

He sighed and relaxed his arms. “It’s fine I guess. But, if you’re staying with us, just don’t do it again. I don’t like taking cold showers, feels weird.” He shuddered.

“Deal,” Sunset giggled.

Spike’s demeanor instantly brightened. “So, are you enjoying the party so far?”

She nodded. “It’s one of the nicest things anypony has ever done for me.”

“Yeah, I remember me and Twilight’s first party. Twilight spent all of it in her room. I had a blast though.” He reached up and grabbed a cookie from one of the various plates.

Sunset laughed. “Yeah, I remember when you told me that story.”

Spike looked up from his cookie. “I did, when?”

Sunset bit down on her tongue and inwardly swore. She couldn’t believe she had let something like that slip! She stared at Spike, who was giving her a curious expression, then looked about the room, searching for something she could use as an excuse to leave until the promise she made to Twilight rang in her ears. She sighed, and reasoned that she was going to have to tell Spike the truth sooner or later.

“Okay, Spike, I’m going to be completely honest with you.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I’m not exactly from here.”

“I know, you said you were from Canterlot,” Spike said, misunderstanding.

“No, I mean I’m not from this ti—”

“Hi, Ms. Shimmer!” A trio of voices called from behind her.

Sunset turned around and found three fillies looking up at her with wide smiles. One was a familiar white unicorn with a purple and pink mane. The middle one was an orange pegasus with a violet mane, and the last one was a yellow earth pony with a red mane and a pink bow that tied her hair back.

“You have a really nice mane,” the unicorn said. “My sister did that, didn’t she?”

Sunset examined her for a moment before she saw the resemblance. “You’re Rarity’s sister, aren’t you?”

“Yep, I’m Sweetie Belle.”

“I’m Scootaloo,” the orange pegasus raised a hoof.

“And Ah’m Apple Bloom.” Sunset could tell by her accent that she was Applejack’s sister.

“And we’re...” they cleared their throats and said in unison, “The Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

Sunset and Spiked rubbed their ringing ears. These three girls have quite the lungs on them. “Well, it’s nice to meet you three,” said Sunset. “So, what are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“We work together to find our cutie marks!” Apple Bloom said, showing off her blank flank. “We try just about everything we can think of. We even wrote a song about it, wanna hear it?”

Sunset looked back at Spike who furiously shook his head ‘no.’ She turned back at them. “Maybe later.”

“Sure thing!”

Scootaloo walked around to Sunset’s side and stared at red and yellow shimmering sun that was her cutie mark. “Woah, that’s one of the coolest cutie marks I’ve ever seen!” She looked up at Sunset with wide eyes. “How’d you get that?”

Sunset rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Well, that’s an interesting story. You see—”

“Excuse me everypony,” Twilight called over the noisy din. “May I have your attention please?”

“I’ll tell you girls later,” Sunset whispered, as the room grew quiet.

Twilight stood at the front of the room, looking incredibly nervous. She gave a weak smile and cleared her throat. “Umm, hello everypony, thank you for coming to another amazing party, and I’m sorry for stealing your spotlight away Sunset.”

“No, go on, princess!” Sunset encouraged.

“Okay...” Twilight drew in a quick breath. “As you all know, a little over a week ago, I became Equestria’s newest princess, and while I’m honored you have all taken to it so well, the truth of the matter is... I haven’t. I’m so happy that you’re all willing to accept me as your princess, but I’m not sure if I am ready to be held in that regard. I think that might be another reason Princess Celestia let me come back to Ponyville; she didn’t want to overwhelm me with everything at once.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is this: you all knew me before I became a princess, when I was just your town librarian, and I would really appreciate it we could just go back to that. I don’t want you all to think you have to bow and treat me special just because I have a horn and wings now. I’m asking you, not as your princess, but as your friend.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd as ponies began nodding and smiling, agreeing to Twilight’s request. A hoof shot up, and a voice asked, “Does that mean you don’t want the ninety-nine percent princess discount at Quills and Sofas?”

Twilight visibly hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “No, Davenport, just treat me like everypony else, please.”

“Can do, Ms. Twilight!” The crowd broke into a round of applause, and the music came back on, signaling ponies to start dancing again.

Sunset clapped her hooves as Twilight approached her. “That was wonderful, princess!”

“Sunset, I told you specifically not to call me princess.”

“Sorry, force of habit.” She blushed.

Rarity made her way through the crowd and over to the snack table where Twilight and Sunset were gathered. “You see, darling? I told you they would understand if you just told them how you felt.”

Twilight gave Rarity a tight hug. “Thank you, Rarity. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’d muddle through.” Rarity giggled.

“Twilight, Twilight!” a small voice cried.

Twilight and Rarity broke their hug in time to see Fluttershy leading Zecora over to their position, concerned looks on both of their faces.

“Fluttershy, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“I was on my way to the party, when I met Zecora, and she told me some really bad news!” she explained.

Zecora nodded. “Indeed, something is very wrong.” She leaned in closer to Twilight. “The Alicorn Amulet is gone.”

Rarity and Twilight both gasped, while Sunset yelled, “What?” just as the current song came to an end.

All eyes were suddenly on the group of equines, who stared back at the crowd with awkward expressions. Twilight cleared her throat again. “Ladies and gentlecolts, I’m afraid we’re going to have to cut this party short, something really urgent has come up.”

There was a collective groan of disappointment, and Pinkie rushed over looking frantic. “Twilight, you can’t stop the party now! We haven’t had a chance to play Pin the Tail on the Pony!”

“I’m sorry Pinkie, but this is an emergency! Someone stole the Alicorn Amulet from Zecora’s hut!”

Pinkie threw a hoof over her own mouth. “Oh, no! What if they use it to take away everyponies’ mouths so no one can talk anymore?”

Pinkie was about to scream, when Twilight stuffed a hoof into her mouth. “Pinkie, you can’t panic. If you panic, everypony else will panic. Just stay calm, okay?” Pinkie gave a nod, and Twilight removed her hoof. “Applejack!” she called.

Applejack rushed over to her side. “What’s goin’ on Twi?”

“I’ll explain in a minute, right now I need you to get the guests to leave.”

“On it.” Applejack saluted. “Alright everypony, party has to be cut short on the account of important princess-y business!” Applejack ignored the words of protest and corralled the ponies out the front door.

“Zecora, can you tell us everything that happened?” Twilight asked.

The zebra closed her eyes, thinking back to earlier. “Foraging in the forest, I had gone, thinking I would not be too long. But when I came back, I found my abode ransacked! While I cleaned my home, I came to see, that something was not where it should be. Twilight, my dear, the amulet is in dark hooves I fear.”

“Twilight, this is really bad,” Sunset whispered into her ear. “I’m pretty sure this is how it starts!”

“How what starts, huh?” Sunset suddenly found her vision fill with Rainbow Dash. “What do you know about all of this, huh?” Sunset had a feeling Rainbow might have been still a little bitter over the mud throwing.

Twilight tugged on Rainbow’s tail, pulling her out of Sunset’s face. “Calm down, Rainbow. Sunset will explain everything in a little bit.”

Applejack trotted back over. “That’s the last of ‘em, Twilight.” The room now only consisted of seven ponies, a zebra and a dragon. “Now, what’s this about the Alicorn Amulet Ah’m hearing?”

“It’s been stolen from Zecora—”

“And apparently, Sunset Shimmer knows something about it,” Rainbow cut in.

All of the attention was now focused on Sunset, as everyone waited for her explanation. Moment of truth, she sighed. “Okay, I may not have been completely honest with all of you. I am from Canterlot, but not exactly this Canterlot. I’m from fifty years in the future.” Sunset watched as their faces changed to various degrees of shock, curiosity, and disbelief from Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie bounced on her hooves and said, “Oooh, you’re just like Twilight when she came back to warn herself about not to worry about anything!”

“But, Twilight, weren’t you able to only go back for a couple of seconds?” Spike asked.

Twilight nodded. “Yes. Sunset got here using more perfected time travel.”

“Really?” Rainbow asked, crossing her hooves. “Alright then, future girl, why’d you come back?”

“Because I come from a future where the world is destroyed,” Sunset said. “And I think the missing amulet is how it all starts.”

Silence gripped the room as each pony, and Spike, took in the revelation. Rainbow, however, just nodded her head. “Uh-huh. Uhh, Twilight, can I see you in the kitchen? In fact, group meeting in the kitchen, now!”

Twilight held a hoof to her temple. “I’m sorry, Sunset. We’ll just be a minute... hopefully.” Twilight followed the rest of her friends into the back kitchen. Zecora, however, remained behind.

“My little pony, I believe you. The end of the world is a lie one does not choose.”

Sunset gave her a half smile, her spirits only partially lifted. “Thanks Ms. Zecora.”

Zecora bowed her head. “Now, return to my home I must, to clean the mess and sweep the dust.”

She turned on her hooves and trotted out the door, closing it softly behind her, and leaving Sunset alone in the foyer.

Author's Note

Thanks to JustAnotherTimeLord and Icarus_Gizmo for helping me with this surprisingly difficult chapter. I also didn't think it would get to this length.

Chapter V: Her Dark Regalia

Twilight stood with an agitated expression, as Rainbow Dash flew back and forth through the air in front of her. She, her five pony friends, and Spike stood in the middle of the kitchen, an awkward silence weighing on them.

“So let me get this straight,” Rainbow said, ceasing her pacing. “Sunset claims to be your student from the future, who came back in time because the world ended, and future you told her to go back and stop it by finding something called, ‘The Dark Regalia.’ Am I getting this right?”

“Yes,” Twilight said flatly. She had told the entire story to the rest of the group after Rainbow had pushed everyone into the back room, and demanded more of an explanation. “That’s about the gist of it.”

“And you believe her?” Rainbow asked incredulously.

Twilight’s expression became stern. “Yes, I do. Why shouldn’t I?”

“Well, first of all, doesn’t her story sound kinda familiar? It sounds like she just found out about the time you time traveled and tweaked it to sound like a better sob story.”

“Rainbow, why would she need to do that?”

“To steal the Alicorn Amulet, duh.”

“Rainbow, dear,” Rarity said. “Your theory might hold more ground if the amulet hadn’t already been stolen.”

“And besides,” Twilight added, “you believed me when I told you I had been visited by my future self. Why don’t you believe her?”

Rainbow tapped her hooves together in a guilty manner. “Well... I kinda thought that you might have finally lost it. But I went along with it because I trust you, Twilight. This girl shows up out of nowhere, lies to us, and then tells us the world is gonna end unless we find the Alicorn Amulet and the rest of this regalia stuff! Either she’s plotting something, or she’s crazy!”

“She isn’t crazy!” Twilight said, growing more irritated with Rainbow’s stubbornness. “And she isn’t plotting anything! She cried her heart out this morning after waking up screaming from a nightmare. You didn’t see the look she had in her eyes, Rainbow. She’s been through something awful.”

“Or she’s acting.”

Twilight facehooved, groaning in frustration. “Alright, fine, I get it. You don’t trust Sunset. But you said it yourself; you trust me. So, trust me enough to believe in her.”

Rainbow scrunched her face, mulling the proposal over. She opened her mouth several times, only to close it and resume thinking. Finally, she sighed and said, “Alright, Twilight, if you think she’s telling the truth... then I’ll follow along. But I’ve got my eye on her!”

Twilight nodded. It wasn’t the ideal answer she had been looking for, but with Rainbow Dash, it was close enough. “And what about the rest of you?” She faced the rest of her friends sitting about the kitchen.

“Well,” Rarity started, “she doesn’t seem crazy or evil to me.”

“Me neither,” Pinkie said. “Crazy ponies have eyes that go all...” She rolled her eyes around in her head. “Besides, evil ponies don’t like parties. You saw how Nightmare Moon acted at the Summer Sun Celebration.” She crossed her hooves and pouted. “Party pooper.”

Spike raised his hand. “I think she’s telling the truth. I mean, magic has done some crazier things, right?”

“Umm, well... I don’t want to believe her about the end of the world... but, I don’t see why she would lie about something like that. So, if you believe her, Twilight, then I’ll believe her too,” Fluttershy said, speaking for the first time since she had entered with Zecora.

“Regardless of if she’s crazy or not, that don’t change the fact that someone stole the Alicorn Amulet from under our noses,” said Applejack. “Ah don’t know if Ah believe in this whole ‘end of the world’ talk, but Ah think Sunset bein’ here, and the amulet goin’ missin’ ain’t no coincidence.” She gave all of them a serious look. “We’ve got a thief runnin’ around with a powerful necklace, ready to do who knows what. Ya’ll remember what Trixie did with it.” It wasn’t a question. None of them could really forget how Trixie had kicked Twilight out of town and taken control of it.

Twilight nodded. “You’re right. Whoever took the amulet didn’t do it with good intentions. I think the best thing to do is tell Princess Celestia; she might even know something about the Dark Regalia.”

“Do you want me to write a letter?” Spike asked instinctively.

“Yes, tell her we’re on our way to Canterlot, and we have something that needs to be discussed face-to-face.”

Spike saluted and began rummaging around the kitchen for a quill and paper.

“Hey,” Rainbow spoke up. “If Sunset is so worried about the future, why didn’t she just ask Princess Celestia for help in the first place?”

“She was scared interactions with ponies from the past would mess up something in the timeline.” A justifiable fear, Twilight reasoned, but it seemed silly in hindsight.

“Uh-huh.” Rainbow rolled her eyes.

Sunset picked at the strawberry cake in front of her. She had decided to sample a piece of the delicious looking, three-tiered cake while she waited for Twilight’s friends to pass judgement on her. It was soft, moist, and incredibly flavorful; but it couldn’t ease her troubled mind.

Twilight will vouch for me, she thought, savoring a piece of mouthwatering cake. But what if the rest of them don’t believe me? What if they convince her into thinking I’m crazy? Ugh, I knew this was a bad idea! She sighed and took another large bite of cake. This shouldn’t have happened. I let the amulet slip from right out from under my hooves. Now, I have to find the Regaliaand the thief.

Sunset looked up from her plate and towards the kitchen door. She could hear muffled voices coming from the other side, mostly Rainbow Dash’s. The longer they took, the more nervous Sunset became. She glanced about the empty room, trying to distract herself. It was so colorfully decorated; balloons and streamers coated the walls, and confetti covered the floor. The fact that there was nopony else there made it seem almost depressing.

Sunset finished her slice of cake, and was reaching to get another, when the kitchen door finally opened.

“Sunset Shimmer!” Pinkie said as she bounced into the room. “We, the jury, find you not guilty!”

Sunset blinked. “Come again?”

“She means we believe you, dear,” Rarity explained. Her eyes flickered towards Rainbow Dash for a split second. “Or at least, most of us do.”

“Really?” Sunset’s heart soared at the news. They didn’t think she was crazy! They were actually going to help her! Twilight was right, she should have just trusted them in the first place.

Twilight smiled at her and nodded. “Really. I sent Princess Celestia a message as well, and she’s agreed to meet with us.”

Sunset’s heart quickly plummeted into her stomach. “Oh,” she said in a small voice. “When?”

“Tonight.”

Sunset’s eyes widened to saucers. “What?”

“Well, like you said, this is an emergency,” Twilight reasoned. “Someone already took the Alicorn Amulet, so we need to move as fast as possible to find them and stop them from doing harm to somepony.”

Sunset ignored the shiver that ran down her spine and forced a smile. “You’re right, telling Celestia about this is probably the best idea.”

“Oh yeah? Then why didn’t you do it before?” Rainbow asked, giving Sunset an icy glare.

“Ease off, R.D.,” Applejack warned.

Rainbow huffed and crossed her hooves, continuing to stare Sunset down from her spot in the air.

Sunset silently thanked Applejack. Now, she knew why Rarity had said ‘most’ of them believed her. The look in Rainbow’s eye said it all. She believed Sunset was not to be trusted. Sunset couldn’t entirely blame her; the entire idea was pretty far-fetched. However, she matched Rainbow’s cold gaze with a determined look of her own. Sunset wanted them all to believe her. She needed them to.

The others watched the two ponies as they stared each other down in a heated silence. Neither of them showed any sign of wavering in their contest. Rainbow narrowed her eyes. Sunset clenched her jaw. It was like watching two predatory creatures size each other up before lunging for the kill.

Twilight fidgeted her wings, uncomfortable by the tension between her two friends. She cleared her throat loudly, trying to draw their attention, but to no avail. Finally she shouted, “Girls!” Both ponies broke from their staredown, and gave their attention to Twilight. “We need to get going. The Princesses have sent a private chariot for us, and it should be here in half an hour, so all of you need to get prepared.”

Pinkie clapped her hooves together. “Yippee, we’re going on another adventure!”

Applejack suddenly appeared to have swallowed a particularly sour apple. “Dagnabit!” She slapped a hoof against her face.

“What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked.

“The Zap Apples, that’s what’s wrong!” Fluttershy recoiled slightly from Applejack’s angry voice. Applejack let out a slow breath. “Sorry ‘Shy, Ah’m not mad at you. Ah’m mad at this dang thief! Thanks to whoever they are, Ah’m probably going to miss the Zap Apple Harvest! And ya know how those apples are; we only get a few hours to harvest them all.” She shook her head sadly. “Ah know Applebloom is gettin’ older, but between just her and Big Mac, there’s only so many apples they can get.”

Twilight gave Applejack and apologetic look. “I’m really sorry A.J. But, I’m sure they’ll try their hardest. And I bet Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo will be more than willing to help as well.”

Applejack cracked a weak smile. “Ah said Ah wanted the apples harvested, Twi, not destroyed.”

Everyone gave a light laugh that lifted some of the tension in the room. Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. “Don’t worry A.J., I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“Yer probably right, Twilight. But Ah’m still gonna pop that pony in the snout when we catch ‘em.”

Twilight paused, unsure of how to respond. Instead she said, “Alright girls, go home and get ready. We’ll meet at the train station in twenty minutes.”

They nodded in agreement and exited Sugarcube Corner, heading in their separate directions, save for Pinkie Pie who began to eat up the remains of the party, starting with the leftover food.

Sunset followed Spike and Twilight back to the library, having nowhere else to go. The sun had completely vanished from the sky, replaced by a waning moon and an ocean of stars. Crickets chirped, disturbing the otherwise silent night with their noisy symphony. Moths danced around the lampposts, drawn in by the inviting flame. All of Ponyville’s citizens had turned in for the night, leaving the dirt streets empty, a complete turnaround from that morning.

“So.” Sunset broke the personal silence between the three of them. “I’m guessing Rainbow Dash doesn’t like me?”

“Well... it’s not that she doesn’t like you,” Twilight said slowly. “She’s just being... cautious.”

“Abrasive,” Spike muttered.

Twilight shushed him. “She’s just a little protective of us. She feels like it’s part of her responsibility as the Element of Loyalty to keep us safe.”

Sunset could respect that. Being the sole survivor of a dead future, she felt it was her responsibility to do whatever it took to keep everyone safe the second time around. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take for Rainbow to trust her.

They reached the library and entered the dark tree hollow. Spike quickly turned the lights on and fetched Twilight’s saddle bag from out of the closet. Twilight had begun to ascend the stairs, when she turned back to Sunset. “You should probably get the hourglass and bring it with you.”

Sunset had almost completely disregarded the hourglass as just a little souvenir from the future that may or may not let her go home when this was all over. “Why would I need it?”

“Just in case. You never know when you might need it again.”

Sunset began climbing the wooden staircase after her. “I’m pretty sure that thing isn’t going to work again, but alright.”

Twilight stopped on her landing and entered her room, while Sunset continued up to the guest room. She summoned a ball of light on the tip of her horn, and pushed it out to the center of the small room, illuminating the entire space. She approached her bed, a tangled mess of blankets and sheets she had never bothered to clean up. Flecks of dirt and ash clung to the bed, reminding Sunset of the state she had been in only a few hours prior.

Her only keepsake sat next to the unkempt bed; all the sand in the top bulb had trickled down and settled at the bottom of the timepiece. Sunset picked up the hourglass in her hooves and admired the golden facets. Staring at it now, Sunset was amazed how such a little device had the power to change so much. She was about to rewrite history, if she did everything right.

It’s a good thing Twilight made sure that only the righteous could use this. She shuddered to think what would happen if somepony could just bounce around through time whenever they wanted.

She tilted the timepiece and looked at herself in the reflective glass, admiring the work Rarity had done on her blazing mane. She liked how part of it fell in front of her eye; it kind of reminded her of....

Sunset swallowed a lump in her throat. She had to go back to Canterlot and face Celestia, less than twenty-four hours after she had lied right to the princess’s face. She suddenly felt very nervous, but behind that she felt... anger. Anger, hatred, sadness... and fear. It was all very subtle, but Sunset could feel it there. Like it was hiding in the back of her heart. The whispers she heard during her first meeting with Celestia returned, calling the princess a liar. Heartless monster... She gets rid of anything the first time it displeases her... She isn’t fit to sit on the throne anymore...

Sunset dropped the hourglass and held a hoof to her head, suddenly aware that she was breathing heavily, like she had just finished a sprint. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the dark thoughts plaguing her.

“Sunset, are you ready?” Twilight called from the first floor.

Twilight’s voice cut through the whispers, sending them scattering back to the far reaches of her mind. Sunset took a few deep breaths before responding, “Yeah, be down in a second!”

She stared at the hourglass lying in front of her. Was that the cause of these dark thoughts? Sunset wanted to think so, but she remembered at breakfast, when Twilight had mentioned Celestia’s name, a flash of anger had passed through her. It had been brief, but it had been there.

“Tired,” Sunset said aloud, trying to reassure herself. “I’m just tired, that’s all.” She might have believed it more if she really were tired. Still, she had no time to put any more thought into it; she hated to make Twilight late. She picked up the hourglass in her magic, and walked towards the door before she frowned. She looked back at the object shadowing her. “This isn’t going to work, I can’t just levitate you everywhere.”

She set the hourglass down and tapped her chin, pondering a new method of transportation for it. Her ears twitched as hoofsteps approached her door. Twilight stuck her head around the corner, her tiara resting on her head.

“Sunset, what are you doing?”

“Sorry, Twilight. I was just wondering how I can carry this around easier.” She gestured towards the hourglass.

Twilight walked into the room to get a better look. Sunset looked at the saddlebag on Twilight’s back and saw something gold sticking out of one of the flaps. Curious, she lifted the object over to herself, revealing a golden necklace with a pink butterfly centerpiece.

“An Element of Harmony,” she whispered, taken in by its simple beauty.

Twilight looked up from the hourglass and saw Sunset admiring Fluttershy’s necklace. “Sunset, were you snooping through my bag?” Twilight asked indignantly.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Sunset said, waving her hooves fervently. “It was slipping out of the pocket, and I just got a little curious. Sorry.” She started to put the necklace back, when an idea struck her. She looked between the necklace and the hourglass, a smile spreading across her face. “Hey, Twilight, can I borrow a piece of rope?”

Seven ponies and a dragon stood in the clearing in front of the Golden Oaks Library, waiting for the royal chariot to whisk them away into the night. Other than the occasional looks Sunset and Rainbow Dash would give one another, the group waited comfortably in the warm night air.

Rainbow finally broke the silence and pointed at Sunset. “So, what’s with the hourglass around your neck?”

She had used the piece of rope Twilight had given her and shrunk the hourglass down to an even smaller size, fashioning an easy to carry necklace. “This is how I got here,” Sunset said, lifting it up for all to see. “I think it creates a small barrier around the user, while simultaneously reversing the flow of the space-time continuum around them.”

“What?”

“...It lets me time travel,” Sunset said in a monotone voice.

Rainbow crossed her hooves. “Well, why didn’t you just say that?” She ignored the eyeroll Sunset gave her and continued, “So, you can go wherever you want to in history?”

“Well, theoretically I could, but there are enhancements that restrict it from being misused. I’m not even sure if I could go home right now.”

“What home? I thought you said everything was destroyed,” Rainbow said in a skeptical tone.

“Rainbow!” Rarity cried.

“What, she did.”

Sunset sucked in a breath and slowly released it through her nose. Throwing mud at her really didn’t help my case. Sunset had a feeling that half the reason Rainbow was being hostile towards her was because of that incident. It had been funny at the time, but now she was beginning to regret it.

From above them came the sound of flapping wings, as four pegasi guards descended, towing a large golden chariot behind them. They touched the ground and came to a stop in front of Twilight, to whom they gave a deep bow.

“We are here to escort you and your company to Canterlot Castle, Your Highness,” the lead guard said.

Twilight nodded and gestured to her friends to pile into the chariot. It was a tight fit with all eight of them; Spike had to sit on Twilight’s back, and even then it was tough for Sunset to squeeze in. Eventually, Rainbow volenteered to just fly next to the chariot instead, leaving more leg room.

The chariot lurched forward, as the guards took a running start before leaping off the ground and hoisting their passengers into the night sky. They climbed higher and higher, making Sunset’s ears pop with the changing altitude. She looked over the side to see Ponyville become a small, lonely cluster of lights in the dark valley.

She looked forward, watching as Canterlot drew closer with its inviting glow, lighting up the mountain face like a Hearthwarming tree. The wind blew across her face in an inviting manner, tousling her mane and fur. Sunset didn’t care that it caused her eyes to water; she loved feeling the warm air against her, she loved everything about flying! The chariot dipped a few feet, sending butterflies into her stomach and causing her to grin gleefully.

Rainbow Dash continued to circle around them, occasionally speeding up in an attempt to coax the guards to fly faster. They, however, kept a constant speed. It was fast, just not fast enough for Rainbow.

The group descended over Canterlot, the majestic city sprawling out beneath them. True to Sunset’s expectations, the city was awake with excitement. Ponies cantered about from one shopping district to another. A large group was gathered in front of an opera house, conversing amicably before the first show began. Another group was seated in an outdoor amphitheater, listening to an orchestra that filled the entire park with sweet music.

Rarity gave a longing sigh. “Canterlot is so beautiful at night, isn’t it?”

Sunset watched as they passed over a plaza lit up to look like an eight rayed sun, silently agreeing with Rarity.

The chariot landed in the castle courtyard, followed promptly by Rainbow. “That was pretty fun. I don’t get to fly at night that often,” she told the others as they hopped out of their transportation.

Two of the guards unhitched themselves from their harnesses and made to open the castle doors. They stood at attention and saluted as Twilight and her company walked by. “Their Majesties are waiting for you in the throne room, Your Majesty.”

Twilight thanked them and continued to lead her friends into the castle, with Sunset bringing up the rear. The euphoria from flying had abandoned her, replaced with nervousness and fear. Knowing that she had to stand in front of Celestia and admit that she had lied to the princess’ face was giving Sunset a deep sense of dread.

The lying whispers echoing in her head weren’t helping either.

The throne room was lit by two large chandeliers, though given the size of the room, they didn’t give much light. Celestia knew that was how Luna preferred to conduct court when she held sway over it at night. The remaining light would come from the stars, or on some nights, the full moon.

Both sisters stood at the foot of the throne, awaiting their guests. Celestia had been just about to turn in for the night when she received Twilight’s urgent letter. Her student had not specified what was wrong, only stated that it was important and may involve the safety of all of Equestria. Though Celestia was worn-out from her all-night research, and her dealings with the court that day, she would gladly give up another night of sleep if it meant keeping her kingdom safe.

“It is odd, is it not?” Luna spoke softly. “That Twilight did not state what was awry, merely saying that it needed to be discussed in person.”

“That is what has me concerned. It must be of great importance if she wants to speak to me immediately.”

Luna straightened up, her attention focused on the door at the far end of the room. “They arrive.”

As if on cue, the two night guards manning the door stomped the butts of their spears against the floor twice and announced, “Presenting Her Royal Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Elements of Harmony, and guests!”

The doors opened and eight figures marched in, making their way down the carpet before coming to a halt in front of the princesses and bowing deeply. Celestia looked over the group, her eyes resting on the last pony, Sunset Shimmer, who looked up and met her gaze. Celestia saw something stir behind those eyes and quickly looked away, focusing her attention on Twilight.

“We’re sorry for bothering you this late, princess,” Twilight said sheepishly.

Celestia shook her head, her ethereal mane rippling with every movement. “Nonsense, Twilight. I always have time for you girls.”

“And that is what my court is for,” Luna said. “To address problems that happen in the night.”

Twilight gave Luna a warm smile. “Well, actually I’m glad both of you decided to meet with us. This could affect all of Equestria... maybe even the entire world.”

Celestia’s expression became serious; all pleasantries were gone. “What is the matter, Twilight?”

“Someone has stolen the Alicorn Amulet from our friend Zecora.”

Celestia closed her eyes. “I see,” was all she said. When Twilight had told her about the events that had transpired the first time somepony had used the Alicorn Amulet, Celestia had been tempted to take it and hide it away herself. But, on top of asking her to give the unicorn Trixie a pardon, Twilight had assured that the amulet was in safe hooves, and that Zecora would make sure it stayed hidden. The very existence of the amulet was known to few. The fact that only a spiteful stage magician had taken it last time made them very lucky. Now that someone else had it....

Luna finished Celestia’s thought aloud. “I do not believe we will be lucky a second time. The magic contained within the amulet is vast. I doubt whoever stole it this time will be looking for petty revenge.”

“Indeed,” Celestia nodded. “This could become a serious problem—”

“Actually, there’s more,” Twilight interrupted.

“Oh?” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Please continue then.”

Twilight fidgeted with her wings, looking uncomfortable. “Well... what do you know about the Dark Regalia?”

Both Celestia’s and Luna’s eyes widened. They shared a grave look and faced Twilight. “Where did you hear about that?” Celestia’s voice was barely audible, even with the acoustics of the throne room.

Celestia saw Twilight’s gaze flicker to Sunset then back. It had been brief, almost instantaneous, but Celestia had caught it.

Sunset took slow steps forward until she stood next to Twilight. “I... I told her about it, Your Majesty,” her voice trembled, and she never looked up from the floor.

Celestia looked down at Sunset, who was trying to make herself seem as small as possible. Their resemblance is uncanny, practically perfect. Yet... She pushed the thought aside; she would dwell on it later. “And where did you hear about these artifacts, Sunset Shimmer?”

Sunset lifted her head to look meekly at the alicorn in front of her. “That’s kind of a long story.”

“I believe it is a story you need to tell.”

“Yes, princess.” She cleared her throat and was about to explain her story, when Luna interrupted her.

“Wait. Quick Silver, Iron Tail,” she addressed the guards at the door, “leave us; this is a private matter.”

They saluted and saw themselves out, shutting the door tightly behind them. Luna lit her horn, and a pale blue light surrounded the door and each of the stained glass windows before fading out. “That is to ensure we are not overheard by unwelcome ears,” she explained to her subjects. “Now, Sunset, you may begin your tale.”

All the attention of the room was now focused on Sunset as she began to speak. “I’m not originally from here. I’m from fifty years in the future where I’m Princess Twilight’s student.”

A look of confusion flashed across Luna’s face before it returned to calm understanding. Celestia was feeling the exact same way, but kept her emotions perfectly hidden.

Sunset hesitated, trying to find the right words for her story. “I... I can’t really explain what it was, but it was evil. Just... a ball of evil that started tearing the world apart. Nothing could stop it...” Her voice grew distant, and her gaze reached the floor again. “So, Twilight, before she died... gave me instructions to go back in time and find the Dark Regalia and destroy it. I used this hourglass to come back to this time period so I could stop the end of the world.” She lifted her head up, tears hung on the corners of her eyes. “I’m sorry I lied to you, Princess.”

Celestia stood there in silence, processing what she had just heard. So, you aren’t my Sunset. You just look like her. She suppressed the urge to sigh, slightly disappointed by the revelation. Putting the thoughts of yesteryear away, Celestia addressed Sunset. “So, you wish to find the Dark Regalia so that you can destroy it and prevent a calamity from occurring.”

“Yes,” Sunset affirmed.

The two alicorn sister looked at each other, a silent exchange passing between them. “Very well,” Luna said, turning her head back. “Allow us, now, to tell you all a story.”

“You are all aware of the Hearthwarming tale,” Celestia started. “How the three separate pony tribes united together and formed our nation. It was not long after that, Discord appeared and began his chaotic reign over Equestria. Only when Luna and I discovered the Elements of Harmony, did we stand up to him and first lock him away.”

Luna took over. “Of course, the ponies celebrated their freedom. So many of them wanted us to lead them that Celestia and I could hardly say no. They welcomed us to the new throne with open hooves and warm hearts.” Luna smiled briefly at the memory before she frowned again. “But of course, there are always those who are not happy with the transition of power.”

Spike scratched his head. “Wait, some ponies didn’t want you to be princesses? Why? You guys just beat Discord!”

It was Celestia’s turn to speak. “While everyone was certainly happy not to live under Discord’s rule anymore, some felt that we had no right to interfere in their new government. We were outsiders and had no place taking the position of royalty.

“While Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead’s descendants willingly gave up their positions of authority for places in our court, Princess Platinum’s great-granddaughter, Princess Peridot, was not so lenient. She and a group of followers from each tribe banded together to protest our new rule. They were the minority however, and had few followers.”

“It was then their belief that the only reason the ponies wanted our continued rule was because we are alicorns,” Luna continued. “So, they formulated an insane notion to create an alicorn of their own to challenge ‘the interlopers,’ as they had taken to calling us.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Rainbow held her hooves up. “They made an alicorn? Like, how Twilight became one?”

Celestia shook her head. “No. They used much darker methods. That is what the Dark Regalia is: three pieces of regal wear, infused with dangerous amounts of natural and black magic.” Celestia’s horn glowed and an image of the Alicorn Amulet appeared in front of her. “The Alicorn Amulet is a piece of the regalia that you are already familiar with. Its purpose is to maximize a unicorn’s magic to staggering levels. This, you have seen firsthoof. What you haven’t seen is what happens if you put the amulet on a pegasi or earth pony.”

“W-what happens?” Fluttershy asked.

Celestia breathed slowly. “They would gain the powers of a unicorn, horn and all.”

There was a collective gasp that echoed throughout the room. Applejack was the first to recover. “Are you tellin’ us, that if Ah put on that amulet, Ah’d turn into a unicorn?”

“Yes, and no. You wouldn’t turn into a unicorn, Applejack. Remember that earth ponies have their own magic as well, magic that you would keep upon wearing the amulet. You would, in addition, acquire the type of magic unicorns use. In essence, you would be both an earth-pony and a unicorn.”

“Woah, that’s incredible. Disturbin’, but incredible.”

“So, what about the other pieces of the regalia?” Twilight pressed.

The image of the amulet vanished, and in its place, a picture of a pointed black crown with folded wings on each side appeared. “The Tempest Crown,” Celestia explained. “Able to allow a pegasus to control the most vicious storm, and fly at speeds that would make even you, Rainbow Dash, look slow.”

Rainbow crossed her hooves, looking none too pleased.

“If given to any other type of pony, it would give them wings in addition to the powers of a pegasi.” The crown faded away, replaced by an image of black and silver shoes, similar to what Celestia was wearing. “Finally, the Obsidian Hoofguards. They grant the wearer the strength, durability, and longevity the earth ponies are known for. If you willed it, life could spring up almost instantaneously from where you stepped.”

“Or it could decay and die in a heartbeat,” Luna grimly added. “Combined, these three artifacts could change one into an artificial alicorn with deadly amounts of magic. That was what Princess Peridot wanted: an alicorn to challenge our throne.”

“Vesper Radiance!” Sunset suddenly cried.

Everyone fell silent and stared at her. “Umm, gesundheit?” Pinkie tried.

“Sorry, let me explain. In my history books, there was an alicorn who tried to usurp the throne around this time, calling herself Vesper Radiance. She almost succeeded until you girls,” she gestured to the Bearers of Harmony, “sealed her inside Canterlot Mountain.” Sunset slapped her forehead. “Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t put it together before! That was the ball of evil! Vesper Radiance breaks free in the future, and all that corruption and magic drove her insane enough to destroy everything!”

Luna rubbed her chin. “A valid assumption. But I question why the elements would fail in the first place.”

“Regardless of the reason, we must ensure that it does not happen again,” Celestia said.

“So, what became of Princess Peridot and the Dark Regalia?” Rarity inquired.

“We caught wind of what Peridot was planning and went to stop her before she could her plan into motion,” Celestia explained. “We stopped her from putting the Regalia on, but she and most of her followers escaped. We never discovered what happened to them.”

“As for the Dark Regalia,” Luna jumped in, “we decided to hide them away. We would have destroyed them, but the amount of magic contained inside of them is dangerously high. Damaging them could cause unpredictable results.”

“So where are they?” Applejack asked.

“We do not know.”

“What!” they all cried.

“But you hid them!” Spike accused. “How could you not know where they are?”

There was glint of amusement in Luna’s eye. “My apologies for not being clear. I meant that we assigned for them to be hidden. You see, we did not trust ourselves with the knowledge of their locations. Imagine an alicorn wearing the Dark Regalia.” The look of amusement left her eyes and her expression became distant and reserved. “Not wanting that temptation... it was one of my better ideas.”

Celestia extended a wing and wrapped it around her sister, pulling her close. She knew what was on Luna’s mind; how the guilt of Nightmare Moon still occasionally ate at her.

Luna leaned against Celestia, taking in her sisters warmth. When she spoke again, her voice was tinged with sadness. “To make sure that we couldn’t use them, we gave each regalia piece to their respective pony type and to ponies we trusted the most. The amulet to the unicorns, the crown to the pegasi and the hoofguards to the earth ponies. They were hidden, and lost to history. We are not even sure if they were recorded in the history books.”

Twilight groaned. “If they aren’t in a history book, how are we supposed to find where they are?”

“If Vesper Radiance found them before, that means they must be recorded somewhere,” Sunset pointed out. “We just have to do some research.”

“Perhaps it would be prudent for you to start your search for a pegasus artifact in a pegasus city,” Celestia offered.

Twilight looked up at her. “You mean go to Cloudsdale?”

Celestia nodded. “I’ve gone over the books inside the royal library countless times. If there was something about the Dark Regalia in there, I would have seen it by now.”

“Then we’ll set off first thing in the morning.”

Luna straightened up, her strong and regal demeanor returning. “This will be your first official task as a Princess of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle. Find and stop Vesper Radiance, recover the Dark Regalia and bring them back here so that we may dispose of them once and for all.”

“Umm, Princess?” Fluttershy raised her hoof like a foal in a classroom asking for permission to speak. “Couldn’t we use the Elements of Harmony on the Regalia?”

“Perhaps, but remember, the Elements were not made to destroy, Fluttershy. I am unsure as to what they would do to inanimate objects, even if they are filled with dark power.”

“So how do we destroy them?” Rainbow asked.

“We’ll worry about that when we get there, Rainbow,” Applejack answered.

“Yes, it grows late, and you all have a busy day in front of you,” Celestia said. She could hear the weariness in her own voice. “I will have the guards on high alert for anyone acting suspicious, but I feel that ultimately stopping Vesper Radiance will come down to the eight of you. Please, I implore you, be careful.” Her eyes swept over them, stopping on Sunset again. “I could never forgive myself if something bad befell any of you.” Her and Sunset’s eyes met once more. Sunset winced and brought a hoof to her head, averting her eyes from Celestia.

Twilight reached for her. “Sunset, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.” Sunset breathed. Celestia could tell she was lying. “Just a headache. I just need some rest.”

“Indeed, as do the rest of you.” Celestia spread her graceful white wings and shooed them towards the door. “Off you go. The guards will escort you to the guest rooms. We can finish talking before you leave tomorrow.”

One by one, the ponies bid the princesses goodnight and filed out the door until only Celestia and Luna stood in the throne room. Celestia looked over at her sister, noticing the faraway look in her eye. “Luna, are you alright?”

“Hm?” Luna snapped out of her trance. “Oh, sorry, sister. I was merely thinking about Sunset Shimmer and what you told me this morning. Now I am just as confused as you are.” She stepped away from the throne and walked down to the middle of the room. Gazing at one of stained windows she continued. “You said she was your student from the past, but this one claims to hail from the future.”

“Yes,” Celestia sighed sadly. “Perhaps I was just overthinking it. Maybe this Sunset is merely a descendant of her.”

“With the same name and cutie mark? The odds are astronomical, though I suppose not impossible. Or perhaps, maybe there is more to this story....”

“Perhaps. But I know one thing for certain.” Celestia stretched her wings again and walked towards the door. “I am tired and off to bed.” She stopped and nuzzled Luna on the cheek.

“Pleasant dreams, Tia.”

“With you watching over them, they always are.” Celestia beamed at her before exiting the throne room.

Sunset listened to the water run out of the faucet and into the basin in front of her. She leaned against the countertop in the bathroom, breathing heavily like she had just sprinted a marathon. Thunderous hooves galloped through her head, pounding against her skull. The room spun and she felt nauseous.

The sink finally filled up to the brim with water, and Sunset turned the tap using her hooves rather than magic. She took a deep breath and submerged her face into the cold water, letting it wash over her and massage her aching head.

She stayed under until her lungs begged her to come up for breath. She raised her head from the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was plastered to her face in thick strands, and her pupils were huge, eclipsing her teal irises. It gave her a deranged appearance that only served to worry her more.

“Am I losing it?” Sunset asked her reflection. The entire time she had been in the throne room, she could hear two conversations, one of them only taking place in her head. The whispers had continued to speak in the back of her mind, no matter how hard she tried to force them away. They were the quietest when she spoke and told her story, but when Celestia looked into her eyes at the end, they exploded into screams of fury. Images had flashed through her brain faster than she could decipher, leaving her disoriented. It had taken all of her strength not to collapse walking to the guest room.

The cold water had helped numb Sunset’s headache, and the whispers had faded away once more, leaving the room deathly quiet. “Bed,” she whispered, pushing herself from the sink and making her way to the bed.

She trudged across the velvet carpet and threw herself onto the queen size bed, practically sinking into the soft mattress. She didn’t even bother pulling the covers over her; her eyes slid shut and she fell fast asleep before the thought even crossed her mind.

Sunset Shimmer sat in a chair, wringing her front hooves together, and biting her lip. She looked about the small waiting room, decorated only with the secretary's desk, chairs, and a few potted plants. The secretary in question sat at her workspace, absentmindedly filing her hooves and pretending not to notice the nervous filly across from her.

Sunset started rocking back and forth, unable to help herself. She couldn’t imagine what Princess Celestia wanted with her. Sunset had been minding her own business in class, taking careful notes to what the teacher was saying, when the headmaster walked in and said that Princess Celestia herself had asked to see Sunset Shimmer. Of course, all the colts and fillies ‘ooohed’ her as she left the room.

The headmaster had taken her down to his office, not saying a word as they walked. His stoney demeanor made Sunset too nervous to ask what was wrong. When they had arrived, he told Sunset to wait in the chair, while he met with the princess.

Dread sat in Sunset’s stomach like a lead weight. She had been attending Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns for an entire year now, and she had never had an incident. Never talked back to the teacher, never got in a fight, never missed an assignment. What had she done to warrant a visit from the princess?

The office door opened up and Headmaster Ink Spot stepped out, gesturing to Sunset. “The Princess will see you now.”He smiled, but Sunset couldn’t read if it was a good smile, or the kind some ponies got when someone else was in trouble.

Reluctantly, she left the safety of her chair and walked into his office. The door shut behind her, and Sunset quickly realized that this would be a one-on-one visit.

Princess Celestia sat behind Ink Spot’s desk, her rainbow mane waving softly in a non-existent wind. She smiled warmly at Sunset and motioned for her to sit down. Sunset took the chair opposite of the desk, then silently berated herself for forgetting to bow.

“How are you today, Sunset Shimmer?” she asked sweetly.

“F-fine, Y-Your Majesty.”

Celestia noticed the filly shaking and said, “Do not worry, Sunset, you are not in any trouble.”

Sunset’s shoulders sagged and she sighed in relief before tensing up a little again. “So, if I’m not in trouble, then why did you want to see me, Your Highness?”

Celestia began shuffling through some papers that sat on the desk. “Because I’ve heard some great things about you,Sunset. Perfect grades, test scores that put some of the upperclass students to shame, and displays of exceptional magic. You’ve demonstrated some extraordinary things, Sunset.”

Sunset blushed furiously at the praise she was receiving. “Oh, t-thank you, princess.”

“You’ve earned it, my little pony. In fact, you’ve displayed so much potential, not only in magic, but in all fields of study, that I’d like to offer you something special.”

“What is it?”

Celestia looked into her eyes and gave Sunset her most genuine smile. “How would you like to become my personal student?”

Sunset gaped at her, an odd gurgling noise issuing from her throat. Realizing that she probably looked absolutely ridiculous in front of the princess, she snapped her mouth shut and merely nodded as hard as she could.

“Excellent!” Celestia clapped her hooves together. “Now, as I’m sure you understand, this is a very large responsibility. Though being my apprentice will give certain privileges, you must continue to conduct yourself in an appropriate manner, and not abuse your new status.” Her expression became very serious. “I reserve the right to dismiss you, should you take these privileges for granted. Do you understand, Sunset Shimmer?”

Sunset continued to rapidly nod her head. “Of course, Princess; I would never want to take advantage of you! This is the greatest thing to ever happen to me! I promise, I’ll make you proud!”

Celestia’s stern gaze softened back into a motherly smile. “I’m sure you will, Sunset. Now, before we can make things official, it is appropriate to inform your parents in case they have any qualms about anything.”

Sunset felt her happiness shatter in an instant. She slumped back into her chair, looking dejected. “Oh,” was all she could say.

“What is wrong, Sunset? Would your parents not be happy about your accomplishment?”

Sunset shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said, a bitter edge in her voice. “They dropped me off as soon as they could and never came back.”

Celestia held a hoof to her mouth. “My goodness, Sunset.I’m so very sorry.”

Sunset didn’t say anything. Instead, she stared out the window to the headmaster’s personal flower garden, trying to ignore the disdain she felt for her parents. No letter explaining why, no birthday cards, no trinket to remember them by... Would they even care if they knew that Princess Celestia had chosen me to be her personal student? Would they finally come back?

The pained silence was only disturbed by the shuffling of papers, as Celestia picked through the files in front of her. “If I may ask, Sunset, where do you stay; who is your primary caretaker?”

“Ms. Sunshine Smiles’ Home for Underprivileged Angels,” Sunset said in the same bitter tone. It was just a softer way of saying orphanage.

“Ah,” Celestia said, as she pulled up a page of Sunset’s background information. It had been signed off by Ms. Smiles herself, so Celestia had assumed that was Sunset’s mother. “Well, I hear she is a very sweet mare, and takes excellent care of her charges.” Celestia tried to steer the conversation back to a comfortable level.

Sunset shrugged again. “She’s pretty nice. She did encourage me to apply to your school, and she signed all the papers.”

“Well, then I don’t see why she would object to you studying under me... or coming to live in the castle.”

“W-what?” Sunset instantly perked up again. “You mean I can come live with you?”

“It would be more convenient for our lessons, would it not?” Celestia stood up from her desk and walked towards the front of the room. “Come, Sunset, why don’t we finish this conversation on the way to see Ms. Smiles? It is a lovely day outside.”

Sunset had never worn a smile so large. She jumped from her chair and skipped after the princess, as a wondrous feeling warmed her heart. This is the best day ever!

Sunset wearily opened her eyes, only to see more darkness. She turned over and looked out the window, seeing the stars of the night sky. I can’t have been asleep for more than a few hours then.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, the dream fresh in her mind. No, that couldn’t have been just a dream. It felt too... familiar. Like it actually happened. But that’s impossible, I’m Twilight’s student.

Perhaps her subconscious had just crossed two events into one... although she couldn’t recall when she had ever been inside the headmasters office. And the feeling the dream gave off... it was like it was a memory that she had forgotten a long time ago and had finally reclaimed.

Sunset shook her head. I’m just overthinking things. It’s been a long couple of days, and I haven’t gotten any decent sleep in a while. I just need to rest before I really do lose my mind. Realizing that she had never tucked herself in, Sunset scrambled underneath the covers and curled up to her pillow. “It was just a dream...” she murmured before falling back to sleep, unaware of Princess Luna standing guard on the roof of her room, deep in thought.

Chapter VI: Storm Clouds Ablaze

Sunset awoke the next morning to the warm rays of the sun heating her face. She grunted and squeezed her eyes tighter, throwing the blankets over her head to block the light. She could hear birds singing right outside her window, and quickly became irritated. Her horn lit up, and a silencing spell covered the window, before the blinds fell in front of them, casting the room in quiet shadows. Sunset was never a morning pony.

She rested her head against the plush pillow, and allowed her mind to go blank, enjoying the sweet silence. Despite the events of the previous night, she had been able to get a good night’s sleep. Now, she just wanted to enjoy the well-rested feeling she had, as well as the incredibly soft bed she was lying in. Ten more minutes of sleep wouldn’t hurt anypony.

There was a loud pounding at the door. “Ms. Sunset Shimmer, this is your wake up call. Breakfast is being served in the dining hall.”

Sunset started and swore under her breath at the sudden noise. So much for that... She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Thank you,” she said groggily. She heard the guard march away and flopped back down onto the bed. Just five minutes. She grinned, closing her eyes.

“Hey, Sunset,” Spike’s voice called out over his loud knocking. “Are you up yet?”

“I am now,” she said in a low growl. In a louder voice she said, “Yes, Spike, what do you need?”

“I, uhh, just thought maybe you’d want someone to walk you to the dining hall for breakfast.”

Uh-huh, he wants something. Sunset rolled out of her bed and stretched her hooves, deciding to play along. “Sure, Spike, just give me a minute.”

Spike agreed, and Sunset could hear him begin to hum to himself outside her door. She walked over to the balcony window and threw the curtains open again, letting the morning sun back into the room. She removed the sound blocking spell, and listened to the birds chirping outside. Sunset admitted they sounded nice when she wasn’t trying to sleep.

She turned around and took in her bedroom for the first time since she had arrived. It was a circular space, much like the guest room in Twilight’s library, with an adjoining bathroom. The velvet carpet was a rich shade of purple, with the walls painted a similar color. A vanity set sat across from the bed, and Sunset spotted a brush lying on the table; something she was grateful for when she saw her mane in the mirror. She had the worst case of bed mane she had ever seen on herself. It stuck out at odd angles and completely covered her horn. If Sunset had walked out like that, she was certain Rarity would have a panic attack.

She brushed out her hair to resemble something presentable, while Spike had taken to whistling as he waited on her. After Sunset had managed her mane, she quickly washed up in the bathroom. She was aware of how impatient boys were, and didn’t want Spike to wait too long.

Approving of how she looked, Sunset snatched her hourglass necklace off the bedside table and threw it around her neck, before meeting Spike out in the hall. He had been twiddling his claws and whistling an off-key song when Sunset stepped out the door. “Good morning, Spike,” she said, giving him a proper greeting.

“Morning,” he said. “Did you sleep well last night?”

Sunset shrugged. After her strange dream, her sleep had been pretty restful. “It was good enough.”

“That’s good. You looked kinda sick after the talk with the Princesses last night. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Sunset giggled. “Thank you, Spike.”

They continued their walk in silence, each of them admiring the collection of paintings lining the walls, separated by the bleached white marble columns. Guards were posted at every window and corridor intersection, standing still as statues.

Spike cleared his throat, grabbing Sunset’s attention. He didn’t look in her direction, but said, “Umm, just so you know, I totally believe you about the future thing.”

Ah, I can tell where this is going. “Thank you, that means a lot.”

“Anytime! So, I was wondering—”

“Spike, I’m not telling you anything about the future.”

Spike looked at her with a mixture of shock and disappointment. “What? Why not?”

Sunset blew a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Because, if I tell you something, you might change events so that it doesn’t happen, or something else happens instead.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” He pointed a claw at her.

Sunset stopped walking, Spike’s words having poked a hole in her argument. “W-well, yes,” she stammered, trying to find a counterargument. “But, but I’m doing it for a good reason. What I’m trying to do is going to help everyone; there aren’t any repercussions for making sure a crazy alicorn doesn’t destroy the world.”

“Yeah, but since you’re already changing the future what’s the harm in telling me mine? It’ll just change too, won’t it?”

Sunset was surprised by his reasoning; she had been hoping he’d give up after her first argument. “Well, yes, it’s a possibility,” she reasoned. “But I’m just changing one event. Yes, it affects the entire world, but it doesn’t affect everyone’s individual lives... if that makes sense.”

Spike scratched his head. “Sort of...”

“Okay, umm.” Sunset ran a hoof through her mane, trying to think. “It’s like this: Vesper Radiance tried to take over Equestria and failed. So, she got sealed away, until she broke free and... you know. Those two events had little to do with everyone’s lives in between. So, if I told you about your future, you might purposely change it from what should naturally happen.”

“Oh, come on,” Spike whined. “Telling me a few things about the future isn’t going to do anything! It’s like... like looking at the end of a story; just because you know how it ends now isn’t going to change anything. It’s just a sneak peak.”

“No, it’s a spoiler, and I hate spoilers.” Sunset’s stomach gave a growl, prompting her to resume walking. “Besides, by using a book as an example, you’re implying that destiny is set in stone.”

“But what if it is?”

Sunset gave Spike a hard look. “If I believed that, I wouldn’t have bothered coming back in time.” She shook her head. “Everyone has choices, Spike. We aren’t just pawns being pushed by fate.”

“I guess.... But what about Twilight? Princess Celestia said it was her destiny to become an alicorn.”

Celestia says a lot of things. Doesn’t mean they’re all true. Sunset almost said that aloud, but paused and held her tongue. Instead she said, “Well, perhaps there is a greater design for each of us, but it’s our choice whether or not we take the steps to pursue it.”

Spike crossed his arms, a sour look on his face. “Geez, you really are Twi’s student.”

“Why, thank you!” Sunset looked pleased with herself.

“Come on, can’t you just give me hint?”

“No, Spike.”

“A tiny one?” he begged.

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Pretty please?”

“No!”

“Auugh.” Spike threw his hands into the air. “Come on! Just tell me if I get wings or not!”

Sunset let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine,” she relented. Telling him that piece of information couldn’t change anything, just make him eager. “Yes, you get wings later on.”

“Yes!” Spike punched the air and began dancing around Sunset, as they continued down to the dining hall. “I can’t believe it! I’m going to get wings! I get to fly!” He hopped around and flapped his arms, like they were wings.

Sunset couldn’t help but grin at his happiness, although she made a solemn vow not to become everyone’s personal fortune teller. Regardless of whether or not it would change things, she knew it would become annoying very fast.

The duo reached the dining hall, and found five of their friends sitting at the table, eating from a large buffet of breakfast food. There was an exchange of greetings, and Sunset took a seat near the end of the long table next to Pinkie Pie, while Spike took an empty seat next to Rarity.

“Good morning, Spike,” Rarity said sweetly. “And just what has you grinning so broadly today?”

Spike bounced up and down in his chair. “Sunset just told me I’m gonna get wings in the future!”

Sunset stopped in mid reach for a bowl of fruit and gave Spike a very sour look. Although she hadn’t implied it was a secret, Sunset had hoped Spike would use a little more discretion.

“Oh, oh, oh.” Pinkie prodded Sunset in the shoulder. “Tell me what happens to me! Do I throw the world’s biggest party? Do the Cakes ever tell me where foals come from? Ooh, do I get wings?”

Sunset leaned her cheek on her hoof. “Pinkie, why would you get wings?”

Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno, that’s why I’m asking you.”

“Alright, let me make this clear right now.” Sunset looked at everyone gathered at the table. “I’m not going to tell you anything more than necessary about the future, so please, don’t ask.” Her voice was firm but not unkind.

Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack nodded in understanding. Rarity stuck her bottom lip out, pouting before Applejack nudged her shoulder. She sighed, then nodded as well. Pinkie slumped in her chair and let out an “Aww” of disappointment. Spike was still dancing in his chair, celebrating his good news.

With that out of the way, Sunset picked a strawberry from her fruit bowl and bit into it, appeasing her rowdy stomach.

Breakfast was a quiet affair apart from Spike’s occasional shouts of, “I’m getting wings!” While Sunset had been rather hungry, what she ate was nothing compared to Pinkie. She watched in awe as Pinkie scarfed down half of the entire table, and acted like it was nothing.

It wasn’t until most of the food was gone that Rainbow Dash decided to float through the dining room door, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

“Nice of ya to finally join us livin’ folk, Dash,” Applejack smirked.

Rainbow ignored her and went straight for the food, letting out a disgruntled groan when she saw how much was left. “What, you guys couldn’t save me any?”

“Well, perhaps if you had gotten up a little earlier, there would have been more for you to eat,” Rarity said.

Rainbow mumbled something under her breath, and started putting what food she could find onto her plate, dropping down next to Fluttershy when she had finished scavenging.

Noticing the small amount of food on Rainbow’s plate, Fluttershy pushed her own towards the starving pony. “Here, Rainbow. I’m done with mine, so you can have it.”

Rainbow quickly tore into what was left of Fluttershy’s waffles, saying, “Thank you,” only after her mouth was completely full, spraying bits of food across the table.

Rarity scrunched her face in repulsion.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash, guess what!” Spike grinned from ear to ear.

Rainbow made a noise, assuring Spike she was listening as she ate her breakfast.

“Sunset told me I’m going to get wings! Do you think you can show me some of your moves when they come in?”

Rainbow nodded and started to bite into a pear, when she stopped and looked from Sunset, to Spike, then back to Sunset. “So, he gets wings, huh?”

Sunset popped a grape into her mouth and said, “Yep.”

“Uh-huh. So then, what happens to me?”

“Sorry, Rainbow, but I already told the others that I’m not going to play fortune teller for all of you.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and went back to her pear, taking rather harsh bites out of it. Sunset wasn’t sure if Rainbow still didn’t trust her, or was just really grouchy in the morning.

Twilight cleared her throat, bringing everyone’s attention to her. “Now that everypony is here, we can get started. Our mission today is to go to Cloudsdale and research!” Twilight was practically glowing at the prospect of poring over pegasi lore. “The two most likely locations for any information regarding the Tempest Crown are the Cloudsdale History Museum, and the library of course. So, we’ll split into two teams when we get there, do some research, and hopefully come up with a lead.” Twilight took on a more serious expression. “Celestia also said that there’s a good chance Vesper Radiance is already looking into the Tempest Crown, meaning there’s a possibility that she might be there as well, so be on your guard.”

“Good.” Rainbow finished her pear and dropped it onto her empty plate. “The faster we find her, the faster we can kick her flank and call it a day, right?”

Twilight gave a half nod. “Stopping Vesper Radiance is important, but Celestia agrees that all of the Dark Regalia should be destroyed, that way we don’t have to worry about anypony ever trying to misuse them again.”

“Alright, fine. We find some old artifacts and kick some mare’s flank.” Rainbow got up and stretched out her wings. “Let’s get this show on the road, I’m kinda looking forward to flying around Cloudsdale again,” she said, enthusiasm returning to her voice.

“It would be a nice visit,” Fluttershy agreed.

“I’d love to go sightseeing too, girls, but we have a job to do and can’t afford to get too distracted,” Twilight said.

“Yeah,” Sunset said. “She already knew where the Alicorn Amulet was. Who knows how close she is to finding out where the other pieces are.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Pinkie leapt from her chair and headed for the door. “Come on, ponies, we’ve got a world to save! Again!”

Twilight snatched her saddlebag from underneath her seat and followed Pinkie through the door, the rest of the group right behind her. “Our balloon should be waiting outside in the courtyard.” She glanced at her present company again. “...It might be a tight fit again.”

Sunset watched Canterlot shrink into the mountainside until it was the size of a dollhouse. The hot air balloon sailed on the wind, climbing higher and higher into the sky. Below them, the Unicorn Range sprawled out for miles, its rolling pastel hills varying in hues of yellows and greens, creating a vibrant picture worthy of summertime. Miniature farms were scattered about, no doubt with microscopic ponies tilling the fertile land.

While the land looked warm and welcoming, the air up in the sky had become cold with the rising altitude. The crowded basket allowed the ponies to stay mostly warm with their shared body heat, but the occasional gust of wind sent shivers all across their bodies. It was a snug fit with six ponies and a dragon, but the basket gave a little more room than the chariot had. Rainbow had once again opted to fly the entire way.

It was a slow moving journey with the balloon lazily riding the air currents towards the distant mass of white dots that was Cloudsdale. Pinkie had decided to pass the time by playing a game of I Spy.

“I spy with my little eye something that is... blue!”

Applejack held onto her hat as the wind picked up again. “Is it the sky?”

“Nope!”

Rarity watched Rainbow pull off a few loops before diving out of sight. “Is it Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes!” Pinkie clapped her hooves together. “Okay, your turn Rarity.”

“Very well. I spy...”

Sunset tuned them out, looking over the edge of the basket to see where Rainbow had dived off to. She stuck her head out just in time to see a blue blur rocket up in front of her with enough force to shake the entire balloon and send its passengers to the floor in a heap of tangled limbs.

Twilight was the first to pull herself out from the pile. “Rainbow, be careful! You almost knocked us out of the sky!”

“Sorry, Twi,” Rainbow said, swinging back around. “But you guys are going so slow, and I’m getting bored.”

“Well pardon us for not bein’ able to sprout wings and fly like you,” Applejack said, pulling Pinkie to her hooves. Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged looks and began to whistle nonchalantly.

“You’re forgiven. Hey, why don’t I just pull this thing the rest of the way? It has to be faster than this!”

Twilight gave her a concerned look. “I don’t know, Rainbow. Do you think you can pull all of us?”

“Pfft, piece of cake.”

“Well, if you’re sure.” Twilight unwound the bundle of rope and tied one end to the front tether of the balloon before tossing the other end to Rainbow. She caught it in her mouth and shot off like a rocket, forcing everyone back to the floor.

Sunset regained her balance and watched as the earth below became a hazy blur. Looking up only caused her eyes to water as the wind slapped her face. She sat down and decided to wait out the flight with the others, crammed together at the back of the basket.

The white dots quickly morphed into a magnificent complex of clouds built up on top of one another, creating several layers of the floating city. Elegant houses and buildings rose out of the clouds, made from the same fluffy material. Waterfalls and liquid rainbows cascaded off the sides of Cloudsdale, eventually turning to vapor.

Rainbow slowed down and brought the balloon to a rest near the edge of the city. She dropped the rope and panted, “Okay... I know I said it would be a piece of cake... but some of you should really cut back on it.” She glared at Pinkie, who was the first to step out of the balloon, oblivious to Rainbow’s implication.

Sunset stepped onto the clouds—Twilight had cast a cloud-walking spell on everyone before they had left—and wasn’t surprised to find that it felt like walking on pillows.

“Alright, girls.” Twilight turned off the balloon’s burner, and secured it to a lamppost. “We’ll split up to cover more ground. Sunset, Spike, Fluttershy and I will go to the library. Rainbow Dash, you lead Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity to the museum. It’s noon, so we’ll back here at five o’clock; hopefully that should be more than enough time.”

Rainbow saluted. “Roger, Twilight. Alright team, follow me, and remember, keep your hooves on the clouds at all times. We don’t want a repeat of the Best Young Flyers Competition.”

“Ha ha,” Rarity said, unamused as the four ponies took off for the heart of the city.

Twilight faced her remaining company. “Come on guys, we’ve got research to do!”

Spike groaned. “It’s like the Crystal Empire all over again.”

“Oh come on, Spike,” Sunset said, following after Twilight, who had started walking towards the inner city. “Studying can be fun.”

Twilight looked back at them with the biggest smile Sunset had seen on her face. “I taught you so well!”

“Yeah, too well,” Spike said under his breath.

The group traveled across a bridge of solid clouds suspended over a rainbow river. The road took them through a residential area, where several pegasi foals were out playing in the streets. Some of them would pause and point, though Sunset wasn’t sure if it was because of Twilight or the fact that a unicorn and dragon were walking on clouds.

The further into Cloudsdale they got, the more fascinated Sunset became with the architecture. She found it hard to believe that every single thing was made from condensed clouds. She brushed her hoof against a column, finding it much harder than the road she was walking on, to the point where she could have sworn it was actually made of marble if she hadn’t known better.

Spike, however ran his claws across the pillar and looked completely perplexed. “I don’t get it, how’s a stone pillar sitting on a cloud?”

“Oh no, Spike.” Fluttershy said gently. “It isn’t really stone, it’s just really dense. Just about everything in Cloudsdale is made from compressed clouds. That’s how we build things.” She gestured to the pillowy road they were on. “We use stratus clouds to lay the foundation, then build on top of them with denser clouds like cumulus.” She pointed at the wispy swirls marking the base of the column. “And we use cirrus clouds to decorate.”

“Wow, I didn’t know clouds could do that much,” Spike said, now marveled by his surroundings.

“I know, it’s all simply fascinating,” Sunset said.

Twilight eagerly nodded her head. “Isn’t it? Did you know, since the city in the Everfree Forest was destroyed, Cloudsdale is Equestria’s oldest city?

“Yeah, it dates back to just after the founding of Equestria. I heard the library also has one of the largest collection of history books detailing life for the pegasi before Equestria.”

“I know. If we weren’t in a hurry, I’d love to read some of them.”

Spike looked at Fluttershy and said, “Looks like Twilight found her long lost twin.”

Fluttershy smiled. “I think it’s really nice Twilight has somepony to have conversations like this with.”

Twilight and Sunset continued their talk of history, exchanging little tidbits and fun facts of information. Sunset knew they were supposed to be preventing a calamity, but at that moment in time, she was in paradise. She was back with her teacher, telling all that she had learned and listening to Twilight’s vast wealth of knowledge. She looked up at the sweet blue sky and took a deep breath, savoring the moment.

Sunset sat out on one of the castle terraces. Princess Celestia sat with her, a white wing draped over her shoulder. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, clear of any clouds. The two of them looked over the valley, admiring the picturesque view.

Lying on the blanket underneath them was a picnic basket and a closed book. “Well,” Celestia said, “I think that’s enough studying for today. You seem to know most of the material anyway.” She gave a light chuckle.

Sunset blushed and pulled a sandwich out of the basket. She bit into it and looked out at the tiny town that was Ponyville. Her gaze stretched to the lands beyond, endless plains and hills, all covered in emerald grass and summertime flowers. She couldn’t believe the princess owned all of it.

She looked up at a smiling Celestia. “What’s it like being a princess?”

Celestia tilted her head back and let out a beautiful laugh that put the bells of Canterlot to shame. “It sometimes isn’t all that it’s made out to be. There are always papers that need to be signed, and laws that need to be checked.” She bent her head down and whispered, “And those stuffy nobles always want something from you.”

Sunset giggled and looked Princess Celestia in the eyes. “But, there’s good things too, right? I mean, you get to rule all of this!” She gestured to the surrounding landscape. “You have the power to raise the sun and tell other ponies what to do!”

“Being a princess isn’t all about how much power you have, Sunset, but how you use it. However, waking up to all of this every morning is always a pleasure. Maybe someday you’ll find out for yourself.”

“You mean, I could become a princess?”

Celestia looked up at the sky, a knowing look in her eye. “Anything is possible...”

“Sunset!”

Sunset blinked, Twilight’s voice drawing her back to the present. All three of her friends were looking at her with mild concern.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked. “You kinda just stopped and started staring into space.”

“Sorry. I was just... taking in the moment is all,” Sunset lied. Not now, she told her subconscious. Whatever this is, don’t bother me right now!

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked. “Do you need to sit down for a minute?”

Sunset shook her head and continued walking. “Don’t worry, I’m fine, I promise.” She looked back and forced a smile.

Twilight and Fluttershy still looked a little skeptical, but remained silent. Spike, however, just shrugged and fell into step next to Sunset. The group continued down the road, crossing under an archway that opened up into a large pavilion. Booths and stalls were on every side, with ponies peddling their wares. Yet, in addition to the shops inside the pavilion, several floated above in the open sky. Pegasi flew overhead making deals with shop owners, carrying bags filled with groceries. In the middle of the venue was a sign that said, “Watch for falling objects.”

“Oh, is this Cloudsdale’s Market?” Sunset asked, wanting to keep the conversation off of her.

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, this is one of the forums where everypony comes to sell and buy things. It’s just like Ponyville, only...” —She pointed up to the stalls above them, sitting on fluffy clouds— “we don’t have to worry about running out of room.”

The walked across the grounds of the forum, politely ignoring the calls of shopkeepers offering deals. Beyond the market forum was a bridge hanging over open air that led to the commercial district. Spike looked over the railing and said, “Yeesh, that’s a long way down.”

On the other clouds were large, antique looking buildings. They were positioned at even intervals on both sides of the street, gradually sloping upwards towards the Weather Factory that sat at the top of the cloud.

Fluttershy led them down the street and around a corner, stopping at a large domed building. Rows of steps led up to a portico, supported by tall columns. On either sides of the steps were statues of pegasi with outstretched hooves holding a book.

“This is the First Library of Cloudsdale,” Fluttershy explained, wringing her hooves. “It’s... well, um, it’s our first library. And the oldest, so hopefully we’ll find something useful inside.”

“Good job, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, bounding up to the entrance. “If there are books dating back to Equestria’s founders, then there has to be something about the Tempest Crown.” She reached the top and quickly motioned for the others to join her.

Sunset trailed up the steps behind Fluttershy, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. Woah, déjà vu. She shook her head of it and kept walking, not wanting to give the others more reasons to worry about her.

The inside of the library was an immense rectangular room, with rows and rows of books stacked from one side to the other. A second story balcony wrapped around the room, holding several more bookcases, while a central skylight hung overhead, letting the rays of the afternoon sun in. Like most of Cloudsdale, the interior of the library was a light shade of blue.

Twilight approached the desk, where a middle-aged stallion was stamping books. He had a grey coat and wavy black mane. Small, circular glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. Twilight cleared her throat and said, “Excuse me?”

The stallion looked up and nearly fell out of his chair. “P-Princess Twilight Sparkle! Oh my, i-it’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness,” he stammered, before attempting to bow, only to hit his head on the desk.

“Oh my gosh, are you alright?”

The librarian waved it off. “Oh no, I mean, yes! Don’t worry about me. What brings you to Cloudsdale, Your Highness?”

“Well, we’re here to do some very important research, and I think your library may have some of the answers we’re looking for.”

“Oh, splendid! You’ve come to the right place, Princess! We have one of the largest collection of books in Equestria, and of course, I am more than willing to assist you; just call me Milky Way! Now, what can I find for you?”

“Well, I think it would be best to start with some of your early Equestrian history books, and maybe some mythology books too,” Twilight said thoughtfully.

Milky Way clapped his hooves. “Excellent, excellent! Well then, right this way, Your Highness!” He walked from behind the desk and beckoned them along.

Sunset followed behind Twilight, looking in between the rows of books. At the other end of the shelves was a small collection of desks and chairs, where a cloaked figure was hunched over an open book. Sunset stopped and stared at the hooded pony, her heart beginning to pounding in her chest like a drum. It’s her. It has to be her...

The figure stood up, as if noticing Sunset’s presence. It slowly turned around and faced her, its face completely hidden by the hood. But the Alicorn Amulet was clearly visible, gleaming with an eerie red light.

The two stared at each other, neither daring to move. Sunset could feel an odd, almost familiar aura coming off of the pony in front of her. Adrenaline rushed through Sunset’s veins, heightening her senses. She could feel the magic in her horn crackling as she readied herself for whatever Vesper Radiance had planned.

“Sunset?” Fluttershy called.

In the brief instance Sunset had been distracted, a red beam erupted from within Vesper Radiance’s hood and rushed to meet Sunset. Her own magic came to life, and she fired a teal beam of her own. The jets of light connected in the middle of the row, but the red one was slowly dominating over the blue. Sunset could already feel the strain of magic on her horn. It was as if she had decided to try and push a boulder, only the boulder had decided to push back.

“Sunset!” Twilight cried, rushing back over to her side. “Sunset, what’s going on?”

“It’s her! It’s—” Sunset cut her sentence as a large table sailed down the aisle towards her. She quickly ended her beam and threw up a bubble shield. The impact of table and Vesper’s magic sent her flying back towards the front wall, where the shield broke. Sunset slid down the wall and groaned, rubbing her head.

“Hey!” Twilight yelled, as Vesper Radiance took off towards the stairs, seeming to glide across the floor. Twilight followed her, blasting bolts of magic in between the bookshelves. Vesper began countering with her own spells, and jets of red and purple magic began to criss-cross each other, hitting the books and turning them to ash. Milky Way gave a shriek of terror at the sight of his ruined literature, but jumped back behind his desk to hide.

Sunset shook off her grogginess in time to see Vesper reach the stairs and sling a bolt of magic at the glass skylight, shattering it into pieces.

Seeing the falling glass, Fluttershy grabbed Spike into a protective embrace and used her wings to block the shrapnel, while Twilight used a shield to protect herself.

Sunset got to her hooves and powered up her horn, vanishing and reappearing on the second floor, behind Vesper Radiance. Sunset quickly built up a pressure of magic and fired a sphere of pure energy, only to have it rebound off a red shield and nearly hit her in the face.

Vesper turned around, and with a quick flash of her horn, several books flew off the shelves and started to attack Sunset like a flock of angry birds. Sunset swatted and blasted at them, but for every one that went down, two more took its place. She could still faintly see Vesper’s black cloak through the hurricane of books; a dark red sphere of energy formed at the tip of her horn. Sunset’s eyes widened as a trail of fire spewed forth from Vesper’s hood and began incinerating the books on the first floor. The blood-red flames seemed to jump from book to book, engulfing them entirely and creating a larger blaze than should normally be possible.

Gritting her teeth, Sunset gathered the magic from her horn and wrapped it around her body, before expelling it outwards, scattering the offending books all across the library. She then charged at Vesper, who brought the whip of fire around, aiming at Sunset’s head. Sunset slid underneath it, and the fire continued onwards, hitting the nearby bookshelves and setting them alight. She tried attacking the amulet, only to see her spell absorbed by the red crystal.

Vesper Radiance let out a snicker of amusement. “Idiot,” was all she said before Sunset felt a hoof connect with the side of her face. She rolled across the floor and held a hoof to her cheek, tasting the tang of copper on the inside. She looked up to see Vesper looming over her, her face still hidden by her hood.

“I don’t know who you think you are,” she said over the growing roar of the flames consuming the building, her voice filled with pure venom. “But now, you’re going to go down with the rest of them!” She lifted her head and shot an electric charge up towards the ceiling, then with a burst of red light, she was gone, leaving Sunset alone on the second floor.

Smoke rapidly clouded the library, creating a curtain of haze and turning everything coal black. Sunset found herself back in the ruins of Canterlot, the castle ablaze, and her lungs clogged with ash, until she realized the air she was breathing was still rather fresh. She stared into the black smog, when it finally hit her: she wasn’t looking at smoke, she was looking at the wall of clouds making up the building. It had turned black like a thundercloud! An arc of lightning shot up from the floor underneath her, prompting her to jump to her hooves; the pain in her jaw stabbed at her, causing her to wince. The heat of the bookshelves burning behind her was beginning to singe her fur. She galloped over to the railing, scanning for her friends amongst the burning pyres of dying tomes.

“Twilight—ow!” Sunset rubbed her throbbing jaw, swearing under her breath. That mare kicks hard. A fork of lightning flew past her, almost throwing her off balance. I’ve got to get out of here before I get burned or electrocuted. But what if the others are trapped? She couldn’t take that chance and leave one of her friends to die. She rushed to the stairs, narrowly avoiding the lightning that erupted from the floor. The black cloud became illuminated by the rapidly spreading fire and bolts of electricity that crackled out in every direction.

Sunset jumped down the staircase, taking three at a time as they began to deteriorate underneath her. “Hello?” she called upon reaching the bottom floor.

Her ears twitched and she heard a faint cry of, “Help!” She recognized the voice as Milky Way, and ran forward to find him. Pillars of fire towered over her, stretching to the top of the thunderhead and raining embers down upon her. She raced in and out of the flames, heading towards Milky Way’s cries. As big as the library was, she didn’t remember the distance between the far wall and the stairs being this long.

She finally found Milky Way huddled in a corner, glasses askew and the tips of his left wing burned right off, showing some bone. Sunset knelt next to him. “Mr. Milky Way, are you alright?”

“Gah! Ah, it’s-it’s you!” He took a few labored breaths before calming down a little. “I-I was trying to escape when the cloud started to expand and build electricity.” As if to prove his point, more lightning danced above them, darting in and out of the cloud.

“Why didn’t you just fly through it?” Sunset asked.

He looked at her like a parasprite was sitting on her face. “Are you crazy? You can’t just fly through a thundercloud! It’s bad enough sitting in one!” He threw his face into his hooves. “It’s hopeless, we’re trapped! We’re both going to die in here!”

Sunset gave him a rough shake. “We are not going to die here! I’ll get us out, just hold on to me!” The frightened pegasus obeyed, gripping tightly onto Sunset’s tail. She squeezed her eyes shut and pictured the outside of the library, charging up her horn as the image became clearer. Sunset felt the familiar sensation akin to being shot forward out of a circus cannon, only this time she had extra weight hanging on her tail. She opened her eyes to the bright sun glaring at her and found a great pressure squeezing her neck.

“Sunset, we were so worried about!” Twilight cried. “I wanted to go back and look for you, but I didn’t know how far the fire had spread, so I wasn’t sure if it was safe to teleport inside! Are you alright?”

“I will be, as soon as you stop choking me.”

Twilight let go and gave a sheepish grin before seeing the bruise on Sunset’s cheek. “Sunset, what happened?”

“Vesper Radiance kicks hard.” Sunset gingerly rubbed the sore spot, feeling that it had grown into a large welt. “So now I owe her one personally... scratch that, I owe her two.”

Fluttershy, meanwhile, tended to Milky Way, who was staring at what remained of the First Library of Cloudsdale. It was just a billowing thundercloud now, occasionally lighting up and letting out a grumble of thunder. Any semblance to a structural building was long gone.

“Mr. Milky Way, sir, are you okay?” she asked, her own wings cut up from the falling glass.

“My library... my poor library... thousands of years of literature... just gone...” He sat on his knees and stared at the mass of clouds, as pegasi came to contain it.

“Um, there, there. It’ll be okay,” Fluttershy said, rubbing his back, trying to avoid touching his damaged wing.

Spike walked in between Twilight and Sunset. “Can somepony please explain to me how a library made of clouds caught on fire? What the hay happened in there?”

“Technically, Vesper didn’t set the library on fire, just the books,” Sunset explained. “But, I think she used enchanted fire to make them burn more intensely than normal. Either way, there were enough books in there to set the whole place ablaze.”

Spike nodded his head. “Okay, but could you explain that?” He pointed to the bulbous cloud formation.

Sunset was silent for a moment, analyzing what had occurred. “Well, before she disappeared, she shot a spell into the ceiling. I think she might have supercharged the entire building with electricity and turned it into one giant thundercloud.”

Spike threw his arms out. “But why? Why destroy an entire library?”

“Probably because she found what she was looking for, and didn’t want us to find it,” Twilight answered.

Dozens of pegasi were now at the scene, attempting to dislodge the static charge within the clouds, and preparing rain clouds for the fire within. News reporters and spectators were standing behind a roped off checkpoint, shouting questions at everyone gathered in front of what used to be the library. Medical pegasi flew over the security ponies keeping the onlookers away, and landed next to a still dazed Milky Way.

They were about to take him away on a stretcher to tend to his wing and mental trauma, when Twilight rushed over and stopped them. “Wait, Mr. Milky Way, first I wanted to say, I’m really sorry about the library.”

Milky Way lay on the stretcher, staring up at the empty sky. “It’s okay, Princess. You didn’t do it.” All of his emotion was gone, and his eyes seemed vacant of any expression.

“I, um, hope you feel better soon. But before you go and rest, I need you to tell me something very important if you can.”

Milky Way just nodded.

“That mare that was inside before us; what was she looking for, did she tell you?”

Turning his head slightly, Milky Way made eye contact with Twilight. “Almost the same thing you were looking for. She just asked where the history and mythology sections were... and the genealogy section. She came really early; I had forgotten she was there.”

Twilight nodded. “Okay, just one more question: do you know what the Tempest Crown is?”

He blinked at her. “Princess, that’s just an old mare’s tale. It doesn’t really exist.”

“But what if it did? What could you tell me about it?”

Milky Way turned his head back and looked at the sky. “The books say that whomever wore it would be King of the Skies. They could create and control the most ferocious storm, fly at tremendous speeds... they would be untouchable in the air. But it was a dangerous power, said to twist and warp the mind. So it was hidden away long ago, and it is said that the crown’s location was handed down through Commander Hurricane’s bloodline as an unwritten secret.” He looked back at Twilight with a sad gaze. “That’s all I can tell you, Your Highness. I don’t know if Commander Hurricane even has any living descendants.”

Twilight patted his hoof. “Thank you, you’ve been a big help. Now please, get some rest.”

The medical ponies flew off with the stretcher, leaving Twilight to join back with her waiting friends. “Well, at least we learned something.”

“Yeah, the only pony who might know where the crown is may or may not be alive, and Vesper Radiance is a complete psychopath,” Spike quipped, crossing his arms.

Sunset sighed, “Hopefully the other girls found a little more useful information.”

Rainbow Dash knew Cloudsdale like the bottom of her hoof. She had raced through the streets more times than she could count, and then chased by the royal guards for disturbing the peace. However, she was never exactly a mare of culture, so she only had a small idea of where the Cloudsdale museum was.

She and her party roamed through Cloudsdale, unsure of their exact location, though Rainbow insisted she knew where she was going. When they passed the statue of Private Pansy for the third time, Applejack finally stopped them.

“Okay, let’s face it, Rainbow, we’re lost. Which is incredible, considerin’ this is yer hometown.”

Rainbow scowled at her. “We aren’t lost, we’re just a little... off course. But, I know it’s around here somewhere... probably.”

Rarity gestured with a hoof to the ponies milling about in the plaza they had stopped in. “Why not just ask one of them? I’m sure somepony here can tell us where it is.”

“Pssh, I don’t need directions, I told you, I know where I’m going.” She flew up a little higher and squinted, looking out into the distance. She pointed a hoof. “It’s this way, I’m sure of it, c’mon!” She took off down the road without waiting for a response from her friends.

Rarity and Applejack both let out irritated sighs, while Pinkie just merrily skipped along. “Cheer up, girls, how often do you get to walk around a pegasus city? We should enjoy it while we’re here!”

They followed Rainbow Dash to a nearby park that even had tree shaped clouds. Foals were playing on a swing set, testing how far they could fly. Rainbow stopped under a tree, beginning to admit to herself that she had no idea where she was. I really need to visit more. She flew to the top of the cloud tree and used it as a lookout, trying to spot anything that looked like an old museum.

“Do you see anything?”

“Gah!” Rainbow almost fell out of the tree at the sudden appearance of Pinkie standing next to her. “How did you get up here?”

“Silly, I climbed.”

Rainbow facehoofed and she heard a voice from down below say, “Well, do ya finally admit you have no idea where we are?”

Rainbow slowly descended to the base cloud, while Pinkie merely leapt out of the tree, landing on all four hooves and bouncing on soft floor. Rainbow rubbed the back of her mane. “Alright, so maybe I don’t have a perfect idea—”

“Hey, is that Rainbow Dash?” a small voice asked.

“Oh my gosh! It is, it is!”

The next thing Rainbow knew, she was surrounded by a group of small foals, all clamoring and competing for her attention, while Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack were pushed to the wayside. Rainbow’s feelings of jubilation were masked by the smug grin on her face.

“You’re so awesome!”

“Can I have your autograph?”

“Can you do a Sonic Rainboom?”

“Don’t worry kids, there’s plenty of The Dash to go around,” Rainbow said cockily, signing whatever object the foals held in front of her.

Applejack shook her head. “Great, just what that girl needs: more ponies to stroke her ego.” She waved a hoof trying to get Rainbow’s attention. “Hey, R.D! Ah hate to break up yer little fan club, but aren’t we supposed to be doin’ somethin’ important?”

“Huh?” Rainbow handed an autographed ball back to a starstruck colt. “Oh, right, right, right. Sorry kids, but I gotta go be awesome somewhere else. But, uh, who can tell me where the history museum is?” It took a minute to decipher the location of the museum with all of the ponies talking over one another, but Rainbow eventually got the information she needed and bid her fans goodbye.

The group traveled down a slope to an area where there were more clouds than buildings. Applejack caught up to Rainbow Dash and smirked. “So, finally admit that you had no idea where you were goin’?”

“Pfft, I knew all along where the museum probably was; I just needed to confirm it with those kids. And make sure they, uh, know where their national landmarks are, and stuff.” There was no way Rainbow would admit that she had gotten lost in her own city.

The entrance to the Cloudsdale History Museum was close to the edge of the city. The archway over the door had words engraved into it, though they were in Old Equestrian.

“Do you know what it says, Rainbow?” Rarity asked. Rainbow just shook her head.

“It says, ‘Fly on yesterday’s wings towards a brighter tomorrow.’” Pinkie answered. Everypony gave her a quizzical stare. She shrugged. “What? I can read Old Equestrian.”

Somehow, Rainbow couldn’t find that fact surprising at all. She pushed the door open and walked inside, finding herself greeted by a large, lifelike sculpture of Commander Hurricane sitting in the center of the room. Behind it were several displays of old weapons and rusted armor. Banners hung from the ceiling, depicting a pony’s head with blue wings and stars coating the background: the old banner of the pegasus tribe. Several hallways broke off from the main room, leading deeper into the museum.

The ponies approached the desk, where a light blue mare greeted them. “Welcome to the Cloudsdale History Museum,” she said in a chipper voice. “Tickets for four?”

Rainbow leaned back, eyebrows raised. “Tickets? Don’t you know who we are? We’re the Elements of Harmony, we don’t no stinkin’ tickets!”

The mare continued to smile at them, unphased by Rainbow’s behavior. “Sorry, Ms. Rainbow Dash, but policy is policy. All guests must have a ticket to get inside or...” She pointed to a burly security stallion standing not too far from them. “You’ll be escorted off the premises.”

“Fine, how much is a ticket?”

“Twenty bits each.”

“Twenty bits!” Rainbow said, outraged. She knew there was a reason she never came here.

“Calm down, R.D. We’re here for a reason, so we might as well pay.” Applejack pulled a hoofull of bits from underneath her hat and placed them on the counter. Pinkie and Rarity followed suit, looking at Rainbow expectantly.

She grumbled, pulling out twenty bits and throwing them on the counter. “We wouldn’t have to pay if Twilight were here with us.”

The receptionist took the money and put it into the cash register before pulling out four tickets and handing them out, the smile never leaving her face. “I hope you enjoy yourselves.”

Rainbow snatched the ticked and snorted. “I doubt it.”

They proceeded past the counter and down the hall labeled, ‘Ancient History.’ Pictures and tapestries depicting events in pegasi history hung on the walls, each with a short description underneath it. The hallway opened up into a large square room filled with more exhibits and pictures of pre-Equestrian history. It must have been a slow day, for there was only one other family of pegasi in the room.

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Rainbow asked.

“Anything that might give us a clue as to the whereabouts of the Tempest Crown,” Rarity said, wandering over to a display of old war helmets.

“You really think we’ll find something here?”

“Well,” Pinkie pulled out a detective’s hat and a magnifying glass. “We won’t know until we look.” She scurried away, keeping her face towards the floor.

“I don’t know, I think Twilight and the others might have better luck than us.” She looked at a display of a scale model of the ancient pegasus city her ancestors had migrated from. It looked identical to Cloudsdale in several ways.

“Speaking of the others, Ah’ve been meaning to ask you, Rainbow. What’s with you giving Sunset the cold shoulder all the time?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow scrunched her face up, still staring at the miniature city. She knew someone was going to ask her, but she still hadn’t been able to properly work out her answer. Rainbow Dash was a pony of instinct. She knew that her instincts had occasionally gotten her into trouble, but at the end of the day, they were usually right.

“I don’t trust her, A.J. I can’t really explain why, just call it a gut feeling, but something about her is... shady.”

“Care to explain a little?”

Rainbow pulled away from the glass and started pacing the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the pegasus family walk into another room, something she was a little grateful for. “Okay, so the part about the Dark Regalia checks out. But how do we know she’s really from the future? Because she says she’s Twilight student and predicts Spike gets wings? Anypony could do that.”

“I don’t know, darling,” Rarity tried to reason. “She seems pretty trustworthy to me.”

“Yeah, so did Chrysalis when she was pretending to be Princess Cadance.”

Both Rarity and Applejack visibly cringed at the memory. Pinkie had vanished from view.

Quitting her pacing, Rainbow jumped and sat in the air. “Listen, you girls know I trust Twilight, now more than ever! But she has a heart the size of Ponyville; she’ll eat up any sob story as long as it’s delivered right! I’m just trying to look out for her. For all of you. I’m not ready to blindly follow whatever Sunset has to say.”

Rarity bit her lip. “Well, I wouldn’t say that we’re blindly following her...”

“No, you aren’t,” Rainbow waved a hoof. “Well... you sort of are... I mean, there’s evidence supporting her story of some mare called Vesper Radiance wanting to take over Equestria. But, there isn’t enough for me to believe that Sunset is a saint trying to help the world. I mean, what if she just wants to get rid of Vesper Radiance so she can get the Regalia for herself? You heard the princesses, they’re indestructible and give you loads of crazy power! Where’s the proof that she really is Twilight’s student?”

Pinkie popped out of a nearby vase. “In her eyes, of course!” Three confused faces looked at her, causing Pinkie to snort with laughter. “Isn’t it obvious? Sunset looks at Twilight the same way Twilight looks at Celestia, which is the same way a baby duck looks at their mama’s butt thinking it’s a bread crumb.” She tapped the magnifying glass against her nose. “Or maybe that’s the wrong analogy... point is, Sunset has nothing but love and respect for Twilight, and hurting her is the last thing Sunset wants to do.” Pinkie’s smile faded a little. “And Sunset’s seen something really bad happen. I could see the pain in her eyes when I first ran into her, which is why I wanted to make her party special. Of course, I try to make everypony’s party special, but that’s beside the point.”

Rainbow stared at Pinkie Pie, mouth slightly agape. “You got all that from looking at her eyes?”

“Eyes are windows to the soul. The longer you stare, the more you see.” Pinkie whispered mysteriously, as she sunk back into the vase.

Rainbow was silent, having a rare moment where she called her instincts into question. She had seen the way Sunset doted after Twilight. Was it not an act after all? Was she really the survivor of a dead future? Part of Rainbow wanted to believe it was true, and that Sunset meant no harm, but that feeling in her gut persisted, telling Rainbow that something was amiss. Still, maybe she had been a little too snappy towards the newcomer.

Applejack and Rarity watched Rainbow for a time, waiting for her to respond. A long minute passed of her just sitting in the air, staring into space with a hard look on her face. She finally opened her mouth and slowly said, “Well... maybe I have been a little cold to her. You guys trust her, right?”

“Ah don’t think the girl has any bad intentions. Call it my gut feeling,” Applejack said. Rarity nodded in agreement.

“And Twilight trusts her... along with everypony else. So I guess I’m the odd one out, huh?”

“Being cautious is nothing to be ashamed of, dear,” Rarity assured. “Sometimes we need someone to keep us level-headed. But, maybe you could show a little less hostility.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Rainbow dropped back to the floor and rubbed the back her head. “Since you guys trust her, she can’t be all bad. But, I’m still keeping my guard up.”

Applejack rested a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “And nopony will fault you for that. Now c’mon, we got a search to do.”

“Girls, I found something, I found something!” Pinkie came bursting into the room, her hat and magnifying glass had mysteriously disappeared. “I think I found something about the crown thingy!”

Without a word, the others followed Pinkie to an adjoining room containing pictures and statues of famous ponies. Pinkie stopped in front of an old watercolor picture that showed a lone pegasus hovering in front of a wall of vicious looking black clouds that were hissing lightning and spewing rain. Something that looked like a crown was on top of their head.

Rainbow looked down and read the description. “During the early days of Los Pegasus, a terrible hurricane hit, threatening to destroy the young town. Several groups of pegasi tried to turn it back, but none of them were successful. Nine of them died in the attempt. As the storm was about to break on the city, Captain Gale, leader of the stormwatch team, flew out to meet it alone, a dark crown on his head. For hours he battled the hurricane, and eventually turned it back, pushing it back to the ocean. When Captain Gale returned, the crown was gone, but he was praised as a hero, having single-hoofedly defended Los Pegasus.”

Next to the picture was a statue of Captain Gale, a hoof raised, wings spread, and a crown identical to the one Princess Celestia had shown them last night upon his head. The plaque underneath it read: ‘Captain Gale and the Crown of Storms.’

“That can’t be a coincidence,” Applejack said. “That has to be the Tempest Crown!”

Pinkie vibrated her head in agreement. “Uh-huh, that’s what I thought! That means we just have to go to Los Pegasus and ask the captain for the crown!”

“Pinkie, did you read the date on this?” Rarity asked. “This was ages ago, Captain Gale is dead.”

Pinkie’s ears drooped. “Oh.”

Rarity continued. “But, this does narrow our search down a bit. The crown must be somewhere in the Los Pegasus area. If not, then our next clue certainly is!”

“Alright, a trip to the beach, I’m game.” Rainbow rubbed her hooves together.

Just then, the receptionist from up front came in, the smile on her face looking strained. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience everypony, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave the premises.”

Rainbow flew up to her face. “What! After that ridiculous fee you made us pay to get in, you’re kicking us out?”

“I’m sorry, but it’s a safety issue. Since the incident at the library, all national landmarks are closed for the rest of the day, possibly the rest of the week.”

“Wait,” Applejack stepped forward, concern spreading across her face. “What incident at the library?”

The smile on the mare's face left, replaced by a look of fear. “From what I heard there was some kind of terrorist attack, the entire place is destroyed—wait, where are you going?” she shouted after the four ponies who bolted out of the museum.

Sunset had watched Twilight try to handle the press for almost twenty minutes before Twilight was able to slip away. She only answered basic questions, keeping information about the Dark Regalia out of public knowledge.

The three ponies and dragon were now making their way back to the balloon, three hours earlier than they had planned, disheartened by the recent turn of events.

They continued their walked in silence, until Twilight blurted, “Who does that? Who burns thousands of years worth of knowledge?”

“Not to mention history and culture,” Sunset added. She looked at Fluttershy and said, “I’m really sorry about all that.”

“Oh, it’s okay... well, not really. But, I’ll be fine. Oh, that’s not to say I didn’t care about it, I cared a lot. I’m just glad nopony got seriously hurt.”

As Fluttershy finished talking, a colorful bullet dropped out of the sky and tackled Twilight. They rolled across the clouds, coming to a stop with Rainbow Dash hanging over Twilight. Rainbow looked to the others behind her and back to Twilight. “Are you guys alright? We heard something bad happened at the library!”

“We’re fine for the most part, Rainbow.” Twilight sighed. “The library on the other hoof....”

Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie caught up, panting like they had just run a marathon. Applejack recovered first, taking in one revitalizing breath before looking at Sunset and gasping. “Sugarcube, what happened to ya?”

Sunset self-consciously rubbed her bruised cheek. The welt had swollen a little, and was now purple and black. “Vesper Radiance happened. I’m just glad she didn’t knock out any teeth.”

Applejack gasped again. “Ya’ll ran into Vesper Radiance?”

“Unfortunately,” Sunset nodded. “She set all of the books on fire and turned the entire library into a storm cloud.”

Rarity held a hoof to her mouth. “My goodness. Well, I’m glad you all made it out safe and... almost sound.”

Rainbow helped Twilight off the floor, a grim expression on her face. “She turned the library into a storm cloud? How? Every building in Cloudsdale is constructed so stuff like that can’t happen.”

“Well, remember, she’s wearing the Alicorn Amulet. That’s dark magic, and some rules don’t apply to it,” Twilight said.

Rainbow looked off to the distance and gritted her teeth. “This girl wrecked my city.” She pounded a hoof against her chest. “Nopony messes with Cloudsdale and gets away with it! Right, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy squeaked at the sudden call of her name. “Umm, right?”

“Put yer pride away for a sec, Dash,” Applejack ordered. “We gotta tell them what we found out at the museum.”

Twilight brightened. “You girls found something?”

Pinkie nodded excitedly. “Uh-huh. See, we found this picture of—” A bright red light struck Pinkie in the side and she dropped through the clouds like an iron weight, leaving behind a cry of, “Weeee!” as she fell.

“Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow yelled, diving into the cloud after her.

“What just happened?” Rarity asked, before a red light hit her as well, and she vanished into the clouds with a loud shriek.

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy dove after her just as another light hit Applejack, followed by Spike.

Before Sunset could yell their names, she felt the mysterious beam hit her as well. It was an odd sensation, like silk sliding off of her hooves. It was short lived, however, and replaced by a feeling of weightlessness as she dropped through the once solid cloud, building moisture on her fur. Only when she burst through the other side and saw the world rushing to meet her did Sunset scream. Her voice joined with several others, her friends all falling to their demise. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fluttershy struggling to bring Rarity back to the cloud base, before she had succumbed to the injuries on her wings and began to fall as well.

The wind whipped Sunset’s face, stinging her eyes and inhibiting her breathing. She tumbled through the air, losing track of what was up, and what was down; the world became an interfusion of colors. Her brain scrambled to think of anything that could pull her out of her situation, but as she fell through the open air, nothing came to mind. She became aware of a rattling noise next to her ear, and noticed her hourglass necklace trying to slip off her neck, the sand beads shaking in their bulbs.

She clutched it in her hooves. Worth a shot, she thought desperately. Over the screaming wind she yelled, “Take me back, uh... ten minutes, so I can stop us from falling to our deaths!” She flipped the hourglass and waited.

After several tense seconds, nothing happened.

“Why you no good piece of—” Sunset’s rant was cut short by a pair of hooves grabbing her just underneath her forelegs. She looked up to see Twilight, wings flapping wildly, a strained look on her face. Sunset would have felt reassured, if they still weren’t losing altitude, albeit, at a slower rate. “Fly, Twilight, Fly!” Sunset urged.

Twilight grunted. “I’m trying, but... I really don’t know how to fly yet. And you’re kinda heavy!”

Ignoring the comment about her weight, Sunset screamed, “What do you mean you don’t know how to fly?”

Rainbow Dash had just grabbed Pinkie, in time to see Rarity drop past her, followed by Fluttershy. She was about to breath easy, when she saw the rest of her friends fall through Cloudsdale, one by one.

Pinkie let out a cry of horror. “Rainbow, we’ve got to do something!”

“I’m on it!” she cried, diving for Applejack first. Even while falling through the air, Applejack managed to keep her stetson on her head.

Seeing Rainbow diving to her rescue, Applejack ceased her flailing and simply held her hooves out, a pleading look on her face. Rainbow grabbed Applejack’s hoof, holding her on one foreleg while Pinkie was on the other. “Yer a lifesaver, sugarcube,” Applejack panted.

Rainbow didn’t say anything. Instead, she swung around and headed for Rarity and Fluttershy, who was still making feeble attempts to fly. “Hang on!” Rainbow cried. She raced towards the two falling ponies, diving at an angle with outstretched hooves. She was beginning to feel the strain of holding two fully grown ponies. Her athletic mind told her to ignore it however, and the burning desire to save her friends told her to suck it up.

Rainbow flew underneath Rarity and Fluttershy, catching them on her back. The impact forced her to drop a few feet, and knocked some of the wind out of her lungs. She took a few deep breaths and spotted Spike, cartwheeling through the air. Some distance away, Twilight and Sunset were still descending as well. Rainbow chose Spike first, knowing that he didn’t have wings to slow himself down. Her own wings were beginning to burn; her heart pounded in her chest. I can do this, I can do this! she chanted.

As she drew close to Spike, she could hear his wails of fear. “Spike!” Rainbow tried yelling over his screaming. She knew it was a waste of oxygen, but it was the only way to get his attention. Spike ceased his screaming and looked up at Rainbow through watery eyes. “Grab onto Applejack’s leg!”

Applejack stuck her hoof out, and Spike snatched for it, missing and scratching her instead. Applejack let loose a curse that was lost in the wind, while Spike made another grab for her, catching the bottom of her hoof and holding with both claws.

He looked up at them. “Now would be a good time for those wings.”

Rainbow circled back around, aiming for her last two targets. Almost there. I can do this! They were about halfway to the ground by now, and the muscles in Rainbow’s body were beginning to protest. She enjoyed pushing herself to the limits, but this was something else. She took deep breaths, letting fresh air into her lungs, and reminded herself that the pain was all in her head.

She looped around behind Twilight and Sunset, quickly calculating how she was going to hold both of them. She looked down at the passengers hanging on her arms and back to the two flailing ponies in front of her. A single idea popped into her head. It’s desperate, but it’s all I got. Drawing near, Rainbow yelled, “Twilight, stop flapping your wings!”

Twilight obeyed and tucked her wings in. Rainbow moved in and grabbed the scruff of Twilight’s neck in her mouth. Her neck and jaw muscles were already burning, as she pulled up, pumping her wings harder than ever to make the climb. She almost despaired when she saw how far she was from Cloudsdale.

“Come on, Rainbow, you can do it!” Fluttershy cheered.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes in determination and doubled her wing beats. Higher and higher she soared, pushing her closer to her goal. The rest of her friends had joined in on the cheering, encouraging her and fueling her drive for victory.

Every muscle in her body felt like it was on fire, especially her wings. But she couldn’t stop. Not when she was so close. Come on,Dash, you’ve been in worse situations! The bottom of Cloudsdale grew ever larger, and though her soul told her she could make it, her body was beginning to doubt it. Her lungs burned from the limited oxygen she was receiving through clenched teeth. Her heart slammed against her chest, threatening to break through. Blood roared in her ears, drowning out her friends' cheers. Rainbow could feel her wings begin to tense up; she had never flown with this much direct weight before. Hauling the balloon was a different experience than carrying all of her friends on her back.

She was almost there. Her entire body screamed at her to stop moving, but Rainbow just gritted her teeth, trying to fight past it. The cloud was less than twenty yards away; she just had to make it to the other side, then she could rest. Then her friends would be safe. Her lungs wanted to collapse, her brain began to go fuzzy, and her wings begged for release, but Rainbow continued to fight on. Almost there... She stretched her hooves out, encouraging herself to finish her flight. Her hoof scraped the vapor of the cloud when a sharp pain ran the length of her left wing. It locked up, and Rainbow’s eyes went wide as she began to fall backwards. No, no no!

She flapped her working wing feverishly, only for it to finally lock as well. “NO!” She let go of Twilight and screamed along with everyone else as they fell back to the world below.

“Now would be a really good time for those wings!” Spiked sobbed.

Rainbow began to tear up as well, not from the pain in her body, but from the pain in her heart. I was so close... I was this close. I’m sorry guys... I failed. She closed her eyes, waiting for her gruesome end.

Instead, the world seemed to flip on its head. She stopped falling for a split second before starting again, only something felt odd. She opened her eyes and saw the green fields of the Unicorn Range pushing away from her. The world suddenly became shrouded in mist before the streets of Cloudsdale appeared below her. Rainbow was then unceremoniously dropped to the floor.

She rolled her head to the side, seeing the rest of her friends panting on the floor, none harder than Twilight, the light from her horn just fading away. Catching Rainbow’s eye, Twilight said between breaths, “Gravity spell. Harder to do... with more ponies.”

“But why... did you jump... in the first place? You can hardly fly!” Rainbow panted. She would have sounded angrier, but that required energy.

Twilight looked away. “I had to do something... I couldn’t just watch all of them fall like that.”

All Rainbow could do was nod. She rested her head against the cool cloud, taking in deep breaths. Both of her wings ached, the left one threatening to fall off. She just wanted to lie there and rest, savoring the fact that she was still alive, despite her failure. Her ears twitched as a cruel giggle floated past them. She jerked her head up to see a cloaked pony standing not too far away from her.

“I’d say that was impressive,” the mare said airily. “But let’s face it. An alicorn that can’t even fly? How pathetic.”

“You!” Rainbow pointed a hoof at her. She tried to get up, but her body would have none of it.

Sunset, however, leapt to her hooves and charged at the other pony. But in a burst of red light, Vesper Radiance had vanished once again. Sunset skidded to a stop and growled in frustration. She turned to the rest of the group. “We have to go after her!”

Applejack steadily got to her hooves. “On a normal day, Ah’d agree with you, Sunset, but in fear of going skydiving without a parachute again, Ah think it would be best if we headed somewhere safer for now.”

“Yes, that’s not an experience I want to have a third time!” Rarity said.

Sunset sighed. “You’re right. We should probably head back to Canterlot before something else goes wrong.”

Rainbow shared Sunset’s desire to go after Vesper, the feeling burned through her heart, but was overpowered by her weariness. However, it was in that moment that Rainbow felt a common bond with Sunset. Don’t worry, kid, we’ll catch her. She slowly got to her hooves, leaning on Pinkie as support. We’ll stop her. Then I’m going to wail on her so hard!

Helping one another to their hooves, the ponies set off for their balloon, the majority of them hoping they would never have to step onto Cloudsdale again.

Chapter VII: Event Horizon

Crisis in Cloudsdale!

Princess Twilight Sparkle and Bearers of Harmony nearly fall to their deaths! First Library of Cloudsdale destroyed!

What started as a normal day in Cloudsdale descended into pandemonium, as pegasi witnessed the destruction of one of the city’s oldest buildings.

“It was awful!” One eyewitness stated. “I just saw the library turn dark, and start expanding into a thundercloud!Then, the entire structure just fell in on itself!”

Within the destruction of Cloudsdale’s most treasured store of knowledge, every book inside was tragically burnt to ashes. While nopony was killed, librarian, Milky Waywas severely burnt during the incident. He was not available for comment.

Newly coronated princess, Twilight Sparkle, who had just rescued her friends from the abnormal fire had this to say:

“I am truly sorry for Cloudsdale’s loss of literature and culture. My friends and I will do everything to make sure this crime does not go unpunished!”

When pressed for further details, Princess Twilight said, “Well, to put it frankly, it was a terrorist attack by a pony named Vesper Radiance. She... well, uhh, all I can really say is that she’s trying to usurp the throne.”

When asked how or why, the princess would not give a direct answer.

Not long after Princess Twilight had left the library and met up with her friends, the rest of the Bearers of Harmony, eyewitnesses reported a mysterious red light hitting all those who did not have wings, and watching them drop through the cloud base.

“It was so odd, one second they were there, and the next, they had just vanished!”

Cloudsdale natives, Rainbow Dash, best known for being the only pegasus to be able to pull off a Sonic Rainboom, and Fluttershy, along with the princess, dove after their friends in a heroic act of rescue. What happened beneath the clouds is a mystery, but all ponies and dragon came back up, safe and sound, afterwhich they had a brief encounter with the pony calling herself Vesper Radiance, whose appearance was completely obscured by her cloak. The enigmatic pony then proceeded to teleport away, and the Elements of Harmony left Cloudsdale without giving any comments on the situation.

No doubt Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will have more to say about this dangerous turn of events. Who is this Vesper Radiance? How far is she willing to go for the Equestrian Throne? Where will she strike next? In the meantime, all cities are advised to take extra security measures and all citizens should report anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.

Princess Celestia sighed and folded the copy of the evening paper, laying it on the dining table with the picture of Twilight standing in front of a black storm cloud facing up. She put her forehooves together, gathering her thoughts.

“Well,” Applejack said, her voice cutting through the silence, “on the bright side, all of Equestria will have their guard up. Might make it a little harder for that snake to hide.”

The seven ponies and Spike were gathered at the table with Princess Celestia, having arrived a few hours ago to tell her and Luna personally what had happened in Cloudsdale. After Applejack had revealed what they discovered in the museum, Luna excused herself to the library to do some research of her own.

The dying light of the evening sun fell through the glass windows of the dining hall, bathing it in an orange glow. Empty dinner plates sat around the table; the earlier events of the day had left everyone with an appetite. Celestia’s small dinner salad, however, remained untouched. She was too busy digesting everything she had been told. She knew Twilight and her friends had been in dangerous situations before, but that didn’t stop her from worrying about them. However, in hindsight, forcing Twilight’s friends out of the sky seemed like an almost amateur move. There were several other ways the situation could have been handled. Anypony getting gravely injured was a high improbability. Was it merely a test from Vesper Radiance to see what she was up against?

Celestia sighed again and opened her eyes, focusing on nothing in particular. “That may be true, Applejack, but we still don’t know what she looks like. Taking off the the amulet, she could easily blend in with the crowd.”

Applejack deflated a bit. “Right.”

Unclasping her hooves, Celestia raised a hoof to her head and massaged her temple. “Lifetimes of literature destroyed, and a terrorist on the loose. The governors and tabloids are going to have a field day with Luna and I.” She looked at each of them in turn. “Regardless, I’m grateful you’re all safe. And, we have a lead to where the Tempest Crown lies hidden.”

Twilight nodded. “Los Pegasus, or at least somewhere in that general area. But, it’s a start. Hopefully we can find some trace of Captain Gale’s descendant. If my hunch is correct, he’s an heir to Commander Hurricane, since only his family lineage knows where the crown is.”

“Your hunch is correct, Twilight Sparkle,” a formal voice called.

Luna stepped back into the room, a thick book floating behind her. She stopped at the front of the table and dropped the book open to a page showing an old picture of Captain Gale. He was a deep shade of blue, and had an impressive brown goatee to match his mane. Luna slid the book over to Twilight, who turned it around and began reading the biography next to the picture.

“After you told us of what transpired, I thought to do some research of my own,” Luna said. “The records show that Gale is part of Hurricane’s bloodline. If you turn the page, you’ll see that it continues on even further, ending about one hundred years ago.”

Twilight flipped the page, finding smaller articles about some of the children and grandchildren that came after Captain Gale. They had lived less than extraordinary lives, and thus, did not get a whole page to themselves. When she got about three generations down, to a mare named Dizzy Duster, the entries on his bloodline stopped. Dizzy Duster had died almost a century prior, and bore no foals. Twilight quickly flipped back and forth through the book, trying to find any other relatives, distant or close, who carried on to their current time. Unfortunately, she found none. Twilight looked up at Luna, hoping she had additional news to share.

Luna, however, shook her head. “That is all we could find, Twilight. Every saga must come to an end somewhere.”

“Great,” Twilight groaned, closing the book. “All this confirms is that Gale and Hurricane are related, but no one from their bloodline is alive today.” She sighed. “So, unless we can find a way to talk to one of them, we’re stuck.”

Spike poked Sunset in the shoulder. “You don’t think we could use your hourglass to go back in time and ask where the Tempest Crown was hidden, do you?”

Sunset lifted the timepiece onto the table and frowned. “You wanna ask it? Because I tried to use it when we were falling and it ignored me. I’m starting to think I may have made a one-way trip.”

“Don’t worry, Sunset, we’ll get you home,” Twilight said with a reassuring smile. “But right now we need to focus on the present. Even if we go to Los Pegasus, what do we do from there? Assuming that everypony in the Hurricane bloodline told their children where the Tempest Crown was, that would potentially put Dizzy Duster as the last to know. And even if she did tell somepony, that pony could be anypony, anywhere!” Twilight threw her hooves in the air. “Ughh! And something tells me Vesper Radiance already knows where to go!”

“Well then, why don’t we just follow her?” Pinkie asked.

The room fell silent, as everyone turned to look at her. Celestia lifted her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Why, Pinkie Pie, that idea is so simple, it just might work.”

Rainbow took pause from flexing her recently recovered wings, and skeptically asked, “It could?” When Celestia had seen Rainbow’s sprained wings, she quickly healed them with a glow from her horn before doing the same with Fluttershy’s. Celestia had offered to heal Sunset’s cheek, but Sunset had refused.

Rainbow continued. “No offense, Your Highness, but you said it yourself: if Vesper takes the amulet off, finding her in a big city would be impossible!”

“If she took it off. And even if she did, she would keep it near her at all times, which may be the best way to track her.” Celestia stood up from the table, noting Rainbow Dash’s—along with everyone else’s—face of confusion. She walked over to the main window of the dining hall that gave a view of the statue garden and the Royal Hedge Maze, her ethereal mane waving softly as she stepped. “You see, Rainbow Dash, magic always leaves some sort of trace, or even a beacon at times.” From the corner of her eye, Celestia saw Twilight and Sunset’s mouths make ‘Os’ of comprehension.

Celestia smiled at the brilliance of her two students. For everyone else’s benefit, she continued. “Every magic has a signature that can potentially be followed. Almost like the way a dog could follow a particular smell back to a familiar place. If you went back to Cloudsdale, you would probably find Vesper Radiance’s, or rather, the Alicorn Amulet’s magic signature all over the cloud that once was the library.”

“Oh, I get it!” Rainbow grinned. “We just have to follow the magic trail to Vesper Radiance, and bam! We got our terrorist!”

Twilight raised a hoof. “Not quite, Rainbow. You see, the only way magic would leave an actual trail is if Vesper was blasting spells every few feet from here to Los Pegasus. But,” she added, seeing Rainbow’s expression turn bitter, “like Celestia said, magic does leave a trace, some more powerful than others, and some traces take a while to disappear. Magical artifacts often leave very strong beacons of magic that take a while to vanish. It’s like a hot stove that takes a while to cool off.”

Sunset was grinning from ear to ear. She said in an excited tone, “If we use a homing spell, we could find the amulet’s signature and find Vesper Radiance!” She turned to Twilight. “That’s what you meant when you told me to ‘follow the Alicorn Amulet!’ If we get to Los Pegasus and put our magic together, we could create a target field that could cover the whole city! There’s no way she could hide from us!”

“Wait, why can’t we just do it from here?” Applejack asked.

Luna answered, “One can only hone in on magic from so far away. Regardless, it is a most sound plan, and for now, the only one we have.” She looked over at Pinkie. “Magnificent idea, Miss Pie.”

Pinkie looked up from the bowl of ice cream she had just received from one of the kitchen staff ponies. “I have my moments,” she said, before diving back into her dessert, face first.

“Indeed,” Luna said, ignoring Pinkie’s poor table manners. She stood up and joined Celestia by the window, watching the last rays of the sun’s light sink below the horizon.

The light from Celestia’s horn faded, as the sun completed its transition. Luna then lit her horn with a soft blue light, and one by one, the stars lit up across the night sky, coating the black canvas like glitter. Somewhere on the other side of the castle, the moon had risen to replace the sun, bathing the world in its soft glow.

Castle servants quickly came into the dining hall and lit the candelabras along the wall, before clearing the table of empty dinner plates.

Celestia turned and faced the ponies sitting at the table. “Well, now that we have the next part of our plan, I suggest that you all go and rest up. Tomorrow we can—”

“Uh, actually, Princess,” Sunset interrupted. “I think we should leave tonight. As soon as possible in fact.”

“Really?” Celestia asked, surprised at Sunset’s eagerness to leave. “You don’t think you should wait until tomorrow? You’ve all had quite a rough day.”

“No,” Sunset said curtly. “Waiting would only give Vesper Radiance more distance between us. It’ll take almost a day to reach Los Pegasus by airship. If we left tomorrow, she would have a two day lead, by which, she could already have whatever information she needed and be on her way. We have to keep pace.”

Luna looked from Sunset to Celestia. “She is right, sister. If we tarry, we risk the chance of losing her, which is not something we can afford at this point.”

Celestia looked Sunset in the eyes, whereupon Sunset quickly looked away. Celestia raised a curious eyebrow, but dismissed Sunset’s behavior, addressing the rest of the group instead. “Well, it is the most sensible course of action, unless any of you have any qualms you wish to discuss?”

They all looked at each other in turn, silently asking if any of them had an issue with the plan. When no one said anything, Celestia made for the door, motioning for everyone to follow her. “Very well then, let us make haste. Hopefully we can still find an airship captain willing to fly at this hour.”

The carriage ride from the castle to the airship dock was a quiet one, and had taken two carts to transport everyone. Sunset sat with Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack, and Fluttershy in the back carriage, not wanting to sit with Celestia. The whisper in Sunset’s head had already thrown a hissy fit during dinner. The carriages rattled along the dirt road, departing from the city proper, and heading towards a more remote location. The scenery changed from luxurious purple and gold tiled houses, to quaint cottages and scattered trees. The road eventually began to run along the mountain face, turning the view into nothing but rock.

Sunset pulled away from the window facing the mountainside. “So...” Sunset tried breaking the quiet atmosphere, though she could tell her friends were growing tired. “Have any of you guys flown in an airship before?”

They all shook their heads, and Applejack said, “Nope. Anywhere I need to go, I usually just take a train. Besides, those things cost a fortune to ride in.”

“And it’s kinda pointless when you have these,” Rainbow said, showing off her wings. “Why, have you ridden in one?”

“A couple times actually,” Sunset said, remembering fondly. “My parents liked to go on vacation every summer, so we’d take trips to different places. We rode an airship to Baltimare, and to Neighagra Falls.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely,” Fluttershy cooed. “I heard the view from the falls is breathtaking.”

Sunset nodded. “It really is. One of the best views in Equestria. If I had my pictures, I’d love to show you guys...”

The carriage came to a halt in front of a cathedral-looking entrance into the mountain. It was all white marble with steps leading up to a tall bronze door. An alicorn statue stood embedded into the rockface on both sides.

The guards who had been pulling the carriage unhitched themselves and opened the compartment door, helping the mares out. Sunset stepped out and walked over to the other side of the road, peering over the cliff. Down below her was an enormous steel platform that curved around the mountain. Tethered to tall, metal poles along the edge was a flotilla of airships, ranging in size, shape and color.

“This is the Canterlot Air Dock,” Sunset heard Celestia speak. Everyone else had joined her along the ledge, all of them fascinated by the view. Beyond the marina, Equestria stretched out in front of them, cloaked in the blanket of night, the outlines of hills and mountains barely visible.

“Come, this way,” Celestia said, heading towards the large bronze door. Beyond it was a large lobby, brightly illuminated by a chain of golden chandeliers. The floor was a reflective marble, much like the type in Canterlot Castle. Sofas, tables and potted plants decorated the interior, giving it a homely feel. Blue ribbons hung from the tops of the white columns lining the wall.

Celestia stepped up to the mahogany desk, where a young pink mare with a yellow mane was sitting, filling out paperwork. Celestia cleared her throat, and the mare said, “I’m sorry, but we have no more outgoing flights for the night.” She hadn’t bothered looking up from her desk.

“Yes, but this is a royal emergency, Miss Airheart,” Celestia said gently.

Airheart looked up and stammered, “P-Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight! Please forgive me, Your Highnesses!” She swept the papers off her desk and put her hooves together, giving them her best smile. “How may I help you this evening?”

“We need the fastest airship to Los Pegasus. I know this is short notice, but as I said, it’s an emergency.”

“Oh no, Princess, I’m sure we can get something arranged. Uhh, just wait here, Your Majesties.” Airheart quickly scuttled from around her desk and ran down the hall, disappearing behind one of the many doors.

Rarity shifted on her hooves, looking nervous. “I know it’s a little late to be bringing this up, but... is flying an airship at night really safe?” She looked between Luna and Celestia.

“Fear not, my little pony,” Luna answered. “Flying at night is no more dangerous than flying in the day. You shall have the stars to help guide you, and the expertise of a well trained captain.”

Airheart soon returned with a new pegasus trotting behind her. He was dark blue, almost black, with a purple mane and a compass for a cutie mark. He gave the ponies a quick smile which, in Sunset’s opinion, almost looked like a grimace.

“This is Sky Chart.” Airheart gestured towards him. “He’s agreed to fly you to Los Pegasus. He’s one of our newer captains, but he’s certain he can get the job done.”

“New?” Rarity asked, her voiced laced with apprehension. “How ‘new’ are we talking?”

“I graduated from school last year,” Sky Chart answered.

“I see. And, by chance, have you ever piloted at night?”

“Well, not on my own, no....”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, I see. Listen, darling, you look like a nice colt and a promising captain, but we’re running a very delicate operation, and, no offense to you, dear, but I’d feel a touch bit safer if we had someone with a little more experience escorting us.”

Airheart frowned. “I’m sorry, miss, but Sky Chart here is the most experienced captain we have on staff right now. Everypony else has gone home, I was lucky to find him still here.”

Rarity folded her ears. “Oh, I see.”

Sky Chart flashed her another smile. “Don’t worry, I promise I can get you where you need to be.”

Rarity didn’t look all that reassured, and Sunset couldn’t fully blame her. Sky Chart seemed nice enough, but exuded an aura of newness that made Sunset feel like perhaps he wasn’t up for the job. Sunset tried assuaging her fears. It’s one simple flight, and most of it is over flat land anyway. What could possibly go wrong? I really hope I didn’t just jinx that.

“Well, if nopony else has any concerns, follow me to the marina so we can get prepped and ready,” Airheart said, leading them down the blue carpet.

They entered through a large door, and began descending down a spiraling ramp that exited out onto the cliffside platform where the airships were docked. The wind moaned loudly across the deck, creating a cold draft that made most of the ponies shiver.

Airheart took them over to a small, blue ship with gold trimmings and a standard oval shaped balloon. Two large, fin-like wings extended from both sides of the ship, and propellers lined the back. It floated over the open valley, moored to the metal pole behind it. Painted on the hull in gold letters was her name, Blue Moon.

Sky Chart nodded to Airheart and flew up to the ship, disappearing behind the railing. Airheart turned to everyone else. “He should be finish with the preparations shortly. I’ll contact Los Pegasus and tell them your arrival time should be in about eight hours. Is there anything else you need?”

Princess Celestia beamed at her. “No, Miss Airheart, you’ve done a wonderful job, thank you.”

Airheart bowed. “Of course, Princess.” She added a bow to Luna and Twilight as well before retreating back into the building.

Twilight stepped around to Celestia’s front. “Here, Princess,” she said, levitating her saddlebag off her back. “Could you look after these for a while?”

“The Elements of Harmony?” Celestia asked, looking genuinely shocked. “You don’t want to take these with you?”

Twilight shook her head and looked at Princess Luna. “You said it yourself, the elements might not even work on the Dark Regalia, and after what happened in Cloudsdale, I think they’ll be safer with you. Besides, we can’t just hit Vesper Radiance with them—”

“We can’t?” Rainbow asked.

“No,” Twilight said flatly. “She should be brought to justice and tried for her crimes first.”

Celestia smiled at her, taking the bag into her magic. “Spoken like a true leader.”

A gangplank lowered from the ship, and Sky Chart called, “All hooves on deck, it’s time to set sail!”

“Safe voyage, Twilight. Be sure to send us a letter when you arrive,” Celestia said, embracing Twilight in a tender hug.

“I will, Princess.”

Sunset felt a combination of anger and envy boil in her stomach, before a deep sense of longing replaced it. A brief vision of her and Celestia hugging like that filled her sight, before Twilight replaced Celestia. Sunset shook it off, holding back a growl of frustration. Wanting to be alone for a minute, she walked up the gangplank and onto the deck of the ship. It was an open space that rose up at the bow where Sky Chart stood, waiting at the wheel. Toward the stern, two sets of stairs led up to a small quarterdeck. In between them was a door to the cabin, while another trapdoor sat in the middle of the deck, leading down into the interior of the ship. Above Sunset, the balloon floated, tethered to several points on the ship and casting the entire deck in its shadow.

Sunset walked over to Sky Chart. “So, this thing can get us to Los Pegasus, right?”

“Hopefully...” Sky Chart muttered under his breath. “I mean, yes! Don’t worry, miss, I’m confident we’ll make it there just fine.”

Sunset gave him a highly doubtful look, but said nothing. Behind her, the rest of the group trotted onto the deck, taking in their surroundings.

Sky Chart flew over and raised the gangplank, then undid the anchor, allowing the ship to drift away from the platform. He flew back over to the wheel and spun it to the left. “Alright, next stop, Los Pegasus!” The soft hum of the ship’s propellers filled the air, along with the flapping of the ship’s wings. The Blue Moon floated further and further away from Canterlot, but Sunset could still see Celestia and Luna standing on the marina, waving farewell.

Applejack gave a loud yawn. “Say, Sky Chart, is there any place we can hunker down for the night?”

Sky Chart gestured to the trapdoor. “There are some cabins down below. Make yourselves comfortable.”

“Well, Ah don’t know about y’all, but Ah’m headin’ to bed. Not much to do around here anyway.” Applejack flung the door open and trotted down the steps, disappearing in the darkness below.

“Yeah, sleep sounds good right now,” Rainbow said, stretching her wings one more time before she followed Applejack downstairs.

One by one, Sunset watched them descend the staircase, agreeing that it had been a long day, and a good night’s sleep was something they all needed. Sunset, however, did not feel sleepy. She was tired, but not in the drowsy kind of way. She just wanted to sit and think.

Twilight stopped halfway down the steps and poked her head up over the doorframe. “Aren’t you coming to bed, Sunset?”

“In a little bit. I just want to... admire the view for a while.”

Twilight hesitated for a moment, then said, “Alright then. Good night.”

“Night, Twilight.” Sunset heard Twilight’s hoofsteps fade out, and knew that she and Sky Chart were the only two left on the desk. He was whistling an unfamiliar tune as he steered, paying little attention to Sunset. She actually preferred it that way. She didn’t feel like talking.

Sunset walked along the edge of the ship, looking down to the dark world beneath her. Off to the side, she could see the tiny flickering lights of Ponyville, growing fainter with each passing second. She left the railing and headed towards the cabin door, curious to know what was on the other side. She opened it up and found a cozy lounge, no doubt used for upper class gatherings. There was a couch shaped in a semicircle around a glass table, a bowl of fake fruit sat on top as a centerpiece. Cider goblets and polished plates were neatly arranged in a glass cabinet off to the side.

Sunset made her way around the room, shuffling her hooves along the soft carpet that blanketed the entire floor. She hopped onto the couch and laid down, looking at her face in the reflective glass table. She put a hoof up to her bruised cheek. Now it only hurt when she thought about it. Part of her wished she had taken Celestia’s offer to heal it, but her newfound hatred for Celestia had urged her otherwise.

Deciding that she needed some air again, Sunset headed back outside and up to the quarterdeck, feeling the cold wind against her fur. She stopped at the back of the ship and looked at the stars as they drifted past. On a normal night when she couldn’t sleep, Sunset would go up to the observatory in Canterlot Castle and look at the constellations. Once, she had found Luna up there, looking at them as well. They had had a short conversation before Luna departed, saying she had important things to do.

Sunset hadn’t minded. Part of her liked being alone sometimes. There was nopony to distract her from her thoughts. She could meditate, and concentrate on whatever problem she was dealing with. Now, her thoughts were the problem. Ever since she had come back to the past—no, ever since she had met with Celestia, something was amiss inside her head.

She had tried to deny it, blaming it on anxiety or lack of sleep. But Sunset knew it was getting worse, and she was running out of excuses. She hated Celestia. It was like a fire burning through her soul that no matter how hard she tried to suppress it, just hearing Celestia’s name would reignite it.

And yet...

Running through Sunset’s head were faint memories of a kind and loving Celestia. Sunset could see herself as Celestia’s student, impressing her, being praised by her. She was like a mother figure.

But Sunset hated her.

Add to the fact that these memories were out of place anyway. She was Twilight student, she was very sure of that. In fact, some of the memories with Celestia were very similar to memories she had with Twilight. She could swap one with the other, and they’d be practically identical. None of it made any sense to Sunset, and thinking about it only made her want to scream.

She rested her chin on the back railing and let out a long sigh. Maybe I am just losing my mind. I did inhale a lot of smoke while I was running away. Could that mess up my brain? Maybe the future Vesper Radiance did something to me? Well, I don’t have an insatiable lust to destroy everything, so maybe not. Did traveling through time do something to my memories? Maybe I’m somehow remembering things that haven’t happened yet. Wait, I was a filly in that dream last night, so there goes that theory. Besides, that wouldn’t explain why I want to rip that fake loving smile off of Celestia’s face!

Sunset threw her face into her hooves. What is wrong with me? She sat like that, trying to ignore the whisper of hate in her head, and instead concentrated on the gentle rocking of the ship. She had always loved the swaying of an airship. It was like a lullaby trying to bring her to sleep. Sunset wasn’t sure how long she had stayed in that position, all she knew was that sleep would not come to her this time.

When her legs began to cramp up, Sunset stood and stretched before throwing her forehooves across the railing and sighing again. She stared out at the dark horizon, focusing on the black line marking the boundary between land and sky, like it held all the answers to her questions.

“Sunset?”

Sunset jumped at the voice behind her. She turned around to see Twilight walking up to her, rubbing her eyes. “I thought I might find you up here.”

“Twilight, what are you doing up?” Sunset was always glad to see Twilight, but right now, she still didn’t feel like talking to anypony.

“I was having some trouble sleeping, and something told me you probably were too.” She took a seat next to Sunset and looked out at the view. “I can kinda see why Luna wanted ponies to appreciate her night. The world has a kind of beauty that can only be seen at night sometimes.”

“Yeah,” was all Sunset could think to say.

Twilight turned her head, looking Sunset in the eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Sunset looked away, rubbing her good cheek with a hoof. “Nothing’s wrong. I just like sitting out here. It’s nice.” A particularly cold gust of wind blew against Sunset, forcing her teeth to chatter.

“Sunset, you’re like an open book, and trust me, I know a lot about books. Something is bothering you, it’s written on your face.”

Sunset opened her mouth, then closed it again. How was she supposed to tell Twilight what was on her mind? Sure, Twilight might believe her if Sunset told her about the memories, but Sunset doubted she would have any useful advice. And then there was the matter of Celestia. How was Sunset supposed to tell Twilight that she despised the Princess of the Sun? Twilight held Celestia in the highest regard.

“It’s nothing, Twilight, really.” Sunset was hoping Twilight would eventually just let it go.

Twilight placed a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. “Please, Sunset. I just want to help.”

“And I appreciate it, I really do,” Sunset said sincerely. “But, there’s nothing to talk about.”

Twilight started to say something else, but stopped, lowering her hoof. She sighed. “Alright, Sunset. But, if you want to talk, I’m always ready to listen.”

Sunset nodded absently, inwardly cringing at the disappointment in Twilight’s voice. As much as she hated disappointing her mentor, Sunset just couldn’t bring herself to talk about her mental troubles. Instead, the two of them sat together, under the shadow of the balloon, neither of them saying anything.

Sunset closed her eyes, still trying to calm the turmoil that was her thoughts. Her body was tired, but her mind was wide awake. She wondered what it had been that had kept Twilight up. She thought to ask, but decided it wouldn’t be fair, since Sunset herself didn’t want to talk about her own problems.

“Sunset,” Twilight said, “do you mind if I ask you something else?”

“Technically, you just did,” Sunset quipped, an automatic reflex usually saved for her friends, not the princesses. She was about to apologize, when she heard Twilight began to chuckle.

“Good one. Princess Celestia would pull that one on me a lot when I was small.” Her laughter subsided. “But, really, may I?”

Sunset shrugged. “Sure.”

Twilight pointed down. “Your cutie mark, I’ve been wondering what it means. How did you get it? If you want to tell me that is.”

Sunset looked down at the mark on her flank: an eight rayed sun, four red, four yellow. In the center, the two colors circled about each other in a seamless duality. She smiled, remembering the story she had told to the crowd in the park the day she had arrived in the past.

“My cutie mark represents my ability to tap into the streams of energy the sun releases, and convert it into magic,” Sunset explained.

“Wait, what?” Twilight folded her ears back, a perplexed look on her face. “You can turn sunlight into magic?”

Sunset let out a soft laugh. “No, not sunlight. The arcane surges from the sun that fill all things with life. I can kinda intercept them and turn these energies into magic. I guess it kinda is like photosynthesis, only with less light and more magic."

Twilight blinked at her, mouth open. “That... that sounds amazing! Can you give me a demonstration?”

“I’d love to, but I can only do it during the daytime... and it’s a little dangerous,” Sunset added in a soft undertone. “You see, I’m tapping into pure solar energy. When it runs through me, it heats up my body pretty fast. I have to be careful so I don’t do any permanent damage.”

“Incredible,” Twilight whispered. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like it. Using a natural resource like the sun as a magic booster. It must take a tremendous amount of focus.”

Sunset nodded, remembering all of the headaches she endured trying to master her talent. “It took years of training to get where I am now, and it’s still hard to do sometimes, so I try not to use it often.” She squinted her eyes. “Actually, now that I think about it... I’ve only really used it once outside of training.”

“And when was that?” Twilight asked.

“The day I got my cutie mark.” Sunset’s smile widened. “I was about nine, and I dragged my friends to the Everfree Forest, thinking that if we slayed some monsters we’d be heroes. I know, I know it was stupid,” she added, seeing the look on Twilight’s face. “But I was little. I had a lot of stupid ideas. Anyway, we found a pack of timberwolves and decided that maybe our little mission wasn’t a good idea. We tried to leave quietly, but one of us stepped on a branch and woke all of them up. I’m pretty sure that was the fastest I ever ran that day,” Sunset laughed.

“But,” Sunset’s tone grew a little more serious. “As we were trying to get out of the forest, my friend Ruby tripped on a root. The wolves stopped chasing us and decided to go for her. They were about to get her, and I just...” Sunset squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I got so scared, and mad at myself for bringing her there... I’m not really sure what happened. I just remember feeling really hot and telling the timberwolves to leave her alone. There was a bright light, and when I could see again, all of the timberwolves were just... dust. Ruby was in the center of it, shaking, but still alive.

“And that’s when this appeared,” Sunset gestured to her mark. “And shortly after that, you showed up to rescue us.”

“I did?” Twilight’s eyes widened with curiosity.

“Yep. Our parents had been really worried about my friends and I, so they personally went to you.” Sunset scratched the back of her head, looking sheepish. “We were in so much trouble when you brought us back home.”

“Well I would imagine so,” Twilight said. “You ran away from Canterlot all the way to the Everfree forest. Why would you even do something like that?”

Sunset played with her hooves. “To be like you,” she said softly.

Twilight fell silent.

“It kind of worked,” Sunset continued. “After that, you took me as your apprentice. It was the happiest day of my life.”

“Sunset...” Twilight looked misty eyed. She cleared her throat. “You... you should really just try to be yourself.”

“Yeah, I know that now. I told you, I was small and filled with dumb ideas. I just grew up with all these stories about how you saved the world. I wanted to be brave and strong like you.” Sunset slapped a hoof to her face. “Gosh, this sounds so sappy.”

“No, Sunset, it’s great that you have a hero.” Twilight blushed. “I just can’t believe that hero is me. I’m really not all that brave, at least, not on my own. I only run towards danger because my friends are with me, or because they’re in trouble. If anything, I admire you, Sunset.”

Sunset looked at her. “Really, why?”

Twilight gestured outward with a hoof. “For trying your hardest to save all of this. You risked a lot of things to come back and try to save the world. And you were about to do it on your own too.”

“I wasn’t being brave,” Sunset protested. “I was stupid, thinking I could solve this on my own. I doubt I would have even made it this far.”

Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. “You really shouldn’t doubt yourself so much. I’m sure you would have figured something out. But... I am glad you decided to trust in us instead.”

Sunset bowed her head. Yeah... trust. She clenched her teeth, deciding to tell Twilight the truth now before she chickened out. “Twilight, listen... I... well...”

“What is it, Sunset? You can tell me.”

“I know. It’s just... I’ve—” The entire ship gave a violent lurch, and Sunset hit the railing with enough force to send her toppling over the edge. A hoof grabbed her, and for the second time that day, Sunset found herself being caught by Twilight.

“Sunset, don’t let go!”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen!” Against her better judgement, Sunset decided to look down. Racing up past her face was a ball of red energy, larger than a cannonball. It continued skyward, narrowly missing the balloon, but it was quickly followed by another one, this time hitting the bottom of the ship.

Twilight hauled Sunset back onto the deck, as the Blue Moon moaned in pain. “What’s going on?” she asked frantically.

“We’re under attack! Somepony is trying to blast us out of the sky, and I’ll give you one guess who it is.” The ship rocked again, as another magic missile slammed into its side, and the smell of smoke began to fill the air.

Sunset and Twilight ran back down to the main deck, just in time to see Sky Chart crouched against the deck with his wings spread out, like he was about to take off.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Sunset yelled.

Sky Chart turned and looked at the two girls. “Anywhere but here; I did not sign up for this!” He jumped into the air. “Everypony for themselves!” he shouted as he took off into the night.

Sunset was about to scream obscenities at him, but instead let out a gasp of horror when one of the magic blasts hit him from underneath. His body was briefly illuminated against the night sky, before the light of the magic faded, and Sky Chart plummeted to the ground below.

Twilight screamed, covering her mouth with her hooves, tears pouring down the sides of her face. Neither her nor Sunset had time to mourn, as the ship was hit yet again. The sound of splintering wood echoed through the night. The smoke curling off the ship was now visible even through the dark.

The trap door swung open, and five ponies and a dragon burst onto the deck, looking frazzled. They were all thrown to the floor as another blast tore into the ship, causing it to tilt forward. Sunset looked up and saw that the balloon had caught fire, and a hole had been torn through the fabric.

“Twilight!” Spike cried, “What do we do?”

Twilight looked about, as if an idea would float by her. “Uh, I don’t know! Can anypony fly an airship?”

They all looked at each before shaking their heads.

“Just throw one of your force fields around us!” Rainbow said.

“If I did that, the smoke would eventually suffocate us!” Twilight shook her head. “But, get close to me! Maybe I can—”

“Look out!” Pinkie cried, pointing at a large crescent shaped blade of energy flew towards them. Everyone jumped out of its path, landing on different sides of the ship, as the ethereal sickle ripped it in half, like it was no more than paper.

Sunset landed towards the back, watching the front half of the Blue Moon fall away, with half of her friends still on it. Her own half tilted back, and Sunset fell with it, crashing into the cabin door and continuing on towards the wall in the back. Her groan of pain was cut short by Applejack falling on top of her.

“Ow... Whoops, sorry, sugarcube,” Applejack said as she rolled off of Sunset.

“Applejack, Sunset, are you girls okay?” Rainbow called from outside.

“Don’t worry, Dash.” Applejack got to her feet and said, “We’re both fi—aghh!”

Applejack and Sunset flew towards the side, as a final blast hit the ship. Sunset slammed into the wall head first, while Applejack crashed through the window and fell out of sight. The last thing Sunset remembered was weakly calling Applejack’s name, before the pain in her head caused her to blackout.

Sunset woke up and yelped at the pain running through her. It felt like her insides were on fire, and a tremendous pressure was building at the tip of her horn, giving her a horrible headache. She stumbled out of her chair, and away from the desk she had been sitting at in her new room. She placed a hoof on her temple, feeling her burning forehead. Sunset tried opening her eyes, but the sunlight coming into her room became too intense for her sight.

She collapsed to the floor, unable to move from the pain she was in. Sunset whimpered as the pressure increased, like somepony was squeezing her horn. The fire burned through her, eliciting a scream of pain. The light grew in intensity until she could see nothing but white. Finally, she felt the magic release from her horn in a wave of energy that threw her back to the wall. A fiery, white light poured from her horn, wildly dancing across the room, lighting everything it touched on fire. When it ended, Sunset’s room was entirely engulfed in flames.

Opening her eyes, Sunset gasped at the sight in front of her. She tucked herself against the wall, relieved that the pain was gone, but now terrified by the blaze in front of her. She looked towards the tall window next to her burning desk, wondering if she escape through there. Sunset‘s stomach plummeted, as she remembered that she was on the fifth floor of Canterlot Castle.

Smoke wafted through the air as the flames encroached upon her. Sunset tried to cast a water spell, but was only able to summon a tiny trickle. Her magic was exhausted from accidentally setting her room on fire.

“Help!” Sunset yelled, over the crackling flames.

As if hearing her cry, Celestia burst through the door, flanked by two royal guards. Without a word, her horn lit up in a magnificent gold hue. Water flowed forth and spread like a blanket, covering all of the fire until it was extinguished. She then forced the window open, and with a single flap of her wings, expelled all of the smoke out into the afternoon sky.

“Sunset, what—”

Sunset ran over and hugged Celestia’s leg, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“Shh, Sunset it’s okay, it’s okay. You’re safe now,” Celestia reassured, resting her wings over Sunset in a soothing embrace. “Just tell me what happened.”

“I-I don’t know! I just fell asleep while I was studying, and then I woke up, but I felt really awful, like there was fire inside me, and my horn hurt. Then, everything was on fire....” She looked up at Celestia, afraid of what her teacher would say. Sunset had only been here a week, and she had already done something wrong. Celestia would never keep a student who couldn’t control their magic.

Celestia looked at the charred room. Everything had been burned to a crisp, save for the small corner of the room, where Sunset had been huddled. There was nothing salvageable amongst the piles of ashes. Luckily, Sunset hadn’t brought much from the orphanage.

“Princess, what should we do?” one of the guards asked.

Celestia regarded them. “Please go get the royal carpenters and tell them we need a room refurbished. I would like to speak to Sunset alone.”

The guards saluted and quickly marched down the corridor, leaving Sunset alone with the princess. She began shaking, fearing what Princess Celestia wanted to say to her. This is it. I burnt part of her castle, now she’s going to send back to the orphanage, Sunset lamented.

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but Sunset beat her to it. “I’m so, so, sorry, Princess! It’ll never happen again, I promise! Please don’t hate me and send me away!”

“Send you away? Sunset, it was an accident. Please calm down, I’m not sending you anywhere.”

Sunset hiccuped and wiped her eyes. “Really?”

“Well, I’ll have to give you a new room until this one is fixed,” Celestia joked, trying to ease the tension. “But, I’m not going to dismiss you over an accident.”

Gripping Celestia’s leg harder chanting, “Thank you, thank, you, thank you, thank you!”

Celestia smiled and stroked Sunset’s mane with her free hoof. Something caught her eye and she looked down and gasped, “Sunset, look!”

Sunset followed Celestia’s eyes and let out a shrill scream of glee. There on her flank was an eight rayed red and yellow sun: her cutie mark. “I can’t believe it! It’s here, it’s really here! I’ve got my cutie mark!” She broke away from Celestia and began hopping around her burnt room. “Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes... wait.” She stopped and looked at it again. “But... what does it mean?”

Celestia looked out the window, a look of uncertainty on her face. “I... I’m not sure, Sunset...”

Sunset felt an arid wind roll over her. Shifting her body, she could feel the rough tickle of sand underneath her stomach. Her mouth felt dry and dusty, and she noticed a heavy weight on her back. Opening her eyes, she was greeted to the light of the morning sun, rising over a vast stretch of yellow sand. Lying in front of her, miraculously undamaged, was her hourglass.

She unsuccessfully tried to get up, the weight on her back pinning her down. It groaned and changed positions, and Sunset saw a tuft of rainbow hair drop into her vision.

“Rainbow Dash?” Sunset called.

Rainbow groaned again, slowly stirring out of her unconscious state. “Ugghh, where are we?” she asked groggily.

“Well, judging by the sand and the heat, I’d have to say the San Palomino Desert.” Sunset squirmed, trying to get out from underneath Rainbow.

“The desert? How’d we end up here?” Some energy returned to Rainbow’s voice.

“I don’t know. The last thing I remember was hitting my head,” Sunset said irritably.

“Oh, I remember now! I had to fly down and save Applejack ‘cause she fell out of the airship! Then I had to circle around and save you and Pinkie... but I think something hit me in the head too, ‘cause I don’t remember landing.”

“Well, at least we’re alive.”

“Yeah, but where are the others; do you think they’re okay?”

Sunset sighed. “I don’t know, Rainbow. And as much as I’m enjoying this quality time we’re spending together, could you please get off my back!”

“Whoops, hehe, sorry,” Rainbow said with a laugh, as she got off of Sunset, stretching herself out.

Sunset stood up and arched her back, feeling a few pops from her spine. She took a better look at her surroundings, seeing the gritty landscape stretch out all around her. A group of mountains peeked out in the horizon in front of her, and another set was close behind her. To the right, she could see the wreckage of the back half of the airship.

“Geez,” Sunset muttered, slipping the hourglass back around her neck. “I can’t believe our luck.”

“What? The fact that we fell out of the sky again, or the fact that we’re alive?” Rainbow asked.

“Both.” Sunset started heading towards the crash site, hoping to find other survivors. Catching on, Rainbow took to the sky overhead, following close behind. They didn’t have to walk long before a figure appeared in the distance, running towards them at an impressive speed.

“Girls, thank goodness I found y'all!” Applejack cried. She skid to a stop and pulled Sunset into a powerful hug, knocking the wind from her, before jumping up and doing the same to Rainbow. “Do either of you know where we are?”

“The San Palomino Desert,” Sunset said with certainty. “Judging by the position of the mountains, I’d say somewhere in the northeastern half.”

“That don’t sound too good,” Applejack said, letting go of Rainbow. “Have you seen anyone else around?”

“Not yet,” Rainbow said, rubbing her chest. “But Pinkie should be around here somewhere. I was carrying her with both of you guys when I blacked out.”

Applejack nodded. “Well, then, Rainbow, you search the sky, and me and Sunset will look from down here.”

“Got it.” Rainbow took off high into the air, kicking up a small cloud of dirt. She had only been up there for a second before she shouted, “Found her!”

Applejack and Sunset followed Rainbow’s pointing hoof west. In the far distance they could see a small, pink figure that seemed to be struggling. They all took off toward it, leaving a trail of hoofprints in the sand.

The three ponies found Pinkie Pie stuck headfirst in the sand, flailing her hooves.

“Pinkie, are you okay?” Rainbow asked. A muffled noise came from underneath the dirt. “Right, we should probably pull you out first.” Grabbing her by the tail, Rainbow gave a powerful tug, and Pinkie popped out of the sand and onto her haunches.

“Hi girls! Look, I made new friend!” She pointed to the rather large scorpion pinching her nose with its claws. “Isn’t he neat?”

Applejack and Rainbow facehooved, and Sunset said, “Pinkie, you know scorpions are poisonous, right?”

“I know that, silly. But he wouldn’t sting me.” As if it had been challenged, the scorpion raised its pointed tail high, preparing to sting Pinkie.

Sunset quickly levitated the scorpion off of Pinkie’s face and onto the ground away from them, where it clicked its pincers angrily before burrowing into the sand. “Okay, we need to find the others and get out of here,” Sunset said.

Applejack nodded in agreement. “The other half of the ship couldn’t have fallen too far from here. We should be able to find them in no time if we head in the right direction.”

“Yeah, but which direction is right?” Rainbow asked.

Sunset was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Well... Los Pegasus is west of us, almost directly so. Since we were heading in that direction when we crashed, hopefully the front end of the airship should be that way.”

“Makes sense to me,” Pinkie chirped, hopping off across the desert.

“We better hurry up and find them, ‘cause Ah didn’t see any water in that wreck, and it’s only going to get hotter,” Applejack said grimly.

Sunset turned and looked at the morning sun, climbing higher into the sky. She swallowed the tiny bit of spit she had in her mouth. She could tell it was going to be a long day.

There was a loud thud as something heavy landed on top of what used to be the main deck of the Blue Moon. The sound of flapping wings filled the air, as four more figures dropped out of the sky, landing around the first. The sun was now high in the sky, casting a heat that made the center figure ruffle his black feathers in irritation. He clicked his beak and reached into the leather strap around his chest, pulling out a small grey stone with his talons.

The griffon squeezed the stone hard in his palm until it began glowing in a multitude of colors. There was a sound like static emitting from it before an irritated voice could be heard on the other side.

“What is it, Razor?” a cold, feminine voice asked.

“Your Majesty,” Razor responded in a deep tenor voice. “We found the crash sites, but they’re both empty. The rats must’ve scurried off already.”

“Well then, looks like you’ll get your chase after all. Just remember, I want Twilight Sparkle alive.”

“Aye, but what about—”

“The girl who thinks she’s Sunset Shimmer?” the voice cut in. There was a long pause before her voice came out of the stone again. “Make sure her death is prolonged and painful, then bring her body to me. The rest of them you can bury in the sand.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Razor said, squeezing the stone until it was grey again, and sticking it back into his pocket. He looked at the four griffons surrounding him, all of them armed with a variety of weapons. “Well, come on you lot, we got a job to do!” Spreading his wings, he took off into the sky, screeching a loud battle cry.

His followers joined him, all of them calling to the heavens, as they jetted towards the horizon.

Author's Note

Let's call this the end of Act 1.

Act Two: Tempest Gathering—Chapter VIII: Dance of the Hours

Chapter VIII: Dance of the Hours

Sunset’s plan had been simple. Find the other half of the broken airship, and they would find their missing friends. Against the backdrop of yellow sand, finding a blue airship was an easy feat. Sunset, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow had walked about what Sunset guessed was a mile before cresting a large dune and spotting the front end of the Blue Moon embedded into the sand, the balloon canvas obscuring most of it from the baking sun. Excited to reunite with their friends, the group rushed down to the wreckage. However, there was one small problem...

The ship was empty.

They scoured the wreck, looking for any sign of the three missing ponies and Spike. It wasn’t until Sunset used a homing spell and picked up traces of magic that they finally discovered something slightly useful.

Gathered in front of the broken hull, Sunset addressed her friends. “Well, Twilight definitely used magic, and seeing as nopony is here, they all made it out alive.”

“Yeah, but where are they?” Applejack inquired.

Sunset brushed out stray bits of sand that had found their way into her mane. “Well, my guess is Twilight either used a shield spell upon impact, keeping all of them safe and they went out to look for us, or a teleportation spell was used.”

“Teleportation?” Rainbow slapped her face and groaned. “Great, they could be anywhere in this stupid desert! How are we supposed to find them?”

“Well…” Sunset closed her eyes in thought. “If Twilight did use a teleportation spell, I might be able to find the leftover magic of her re-entry point. If she didn’t teleport too far away.”

“Well, we got nothing else to go on, so give it a go, Sunset,” Applejack said.

Sunset kept her eyes closed, a field of teal light cloaking her horn. From beneath her eyelids, the interior darkness lightened to a dull grey color. Sound and feeling fell away as Sunset brushed against the veil of the astral plain, trying to glean the knowledge of where her other friends were. All around her, the world stretched into a void of grey emptiness without a drop of color in sight. She pulled more energy into her spell, widening her range of vision in an effort to find Twilight’s signature within the monotone field.

On and on Sunset searched, pushing the edge of her circle of vision further and further, beginning to strain under the effort. She had spread her magical gaze over two miles in every direction, and had still failed to find anything. She could feel her concentration slipping, as the grey of the astral plain flickered to the darkness of her eyelids. Sunset needed more power if she was going to maintain her spell, not to mention extend her field of view.

Sunset sighed. Part of her was unwilling to do it, and another part of her knew it was a risky idea, given their location. Still, if it meant finding her friends, then Sunset was willing to take a risk, she would just have to keep it short.

Taking a deep breath, Sunset redoubled her concentration, focusing not on her homing spell, but on the flow of energy around her. The grey exploded in a wave of bright yellow light, illuminating the astral plain. Streams of solar energy flowed and spun about, crisscrossing everywhere without rhyme or reason.

With a single thought, all of the streams gathered and began to swirl around Sunset’s incorporeal form, spinning faster and faster, and changing from bright yellow to the familiar teal of her own magic. Despite the fact that she had changed pure energy into useable magic, it was still dangerously hot. Sunset could already feel her body rapidly warming up with her use of the sun’s natural energy. She quickly turned her efforts back to the homing spell, the walls of the astral plain shooting out and giving Sunset a wide view.

She finally spotted a mist of purple light in the far distance, quickly losing color with each passing second as the magic faded away, dissolving back into the aether. Sunset focused on the direction of the mist, memorizing it before she severed her connection with the ribbons of solar energy. She opened her eyes, temporarily blinded by the bright sun, and feel to her knees, feeling woozy and very hot.

“Woah there, Sunset!” Applejack rushed to her side, putting a steady hoof around her shoulder. “You okay? You were just zonin’ out for the longest time.”

Sunset coughed and smacked her lips, the inside of her mouth and throat feeling incredibly dry and scratchy. “Yeah, just… spent a little too much magic, that’s all.” She didn’t feel like wasting time or energy explaining her ability to Applejack.

“R.D, Pinks, go see if y’all can’t find any water in there,” Applejack said, pointing back to the marooned airship.

Rainbow turned and zipped off without a word, with Pinkie close behind. Sunset, meanwhile, was taking deep breaths in an attempt to cool herself off. Waves of heat still coursed through her body, and the burning sand underneath her was not helping in the slightest.

“So, did ya find ‘em?” Applejack interrupted Sunset’s breathing with a soft, curious voice.

Sunset nodded and pointed out to the distance. “About four miles out that way,” she rasped.

Rainbow and Pinkie returned, both carrying two metal canteens around their necks. “This was all we could find, but they’re each filled up with water,” Rainbow said, tossing one to Applejack, who quickly handed it to Sunset.

She snatched it with a hoof and twisted the cap off before drinking its entire contents in one go. The water was lukewarm, but Sunset didn’t care. At the moment it tasted heavenly and quenched her terrible thirst, massaging her throat and cooling off her insides.

Sunset gasped for air after completely draining the canteen, and wiped the edges of her mouth with a hoof. “Thank you,” she said, looking at each of the three ponies in turn. She shook the container, making sure there was no water left inside, before tossing it away.

Getting to her hooves, she said, “Come on, we should get going.” She pressed onwards across the sand, towards the last location of the purple mist, hoping Twilight and the others hadn’t strayed too far, or weren’t hurt in anyway.

“How big is the desert anyway?” Pinkie asked.

Sunset got to the top of a small hill and looked out over the maw of sand. Sitting on the horizon was a small point that looked like the tip of a rock.

“Very big, Pinkie,” Sunset said grimly. “Very big.”

Today Twilight thought that Celestia was a cruel princess. How could she let the sun burn this bright and hot for this long? It had to be ninety-odd degrees under the brutal, unyielding ball of fire, and it wasn’t even noon!

She forcefully trudged through the grainy sea, heading for the rock formation in the distance, desperate for shade. Behind her was Fluttershy, quietly suffering in the heat, while Rarity openly bemoaned their situation.

“Twilight, again, I appreciate you saving us from that fall, dear, but why did you bring us here of all places?” Rarity’s voice edged on a whiney tone, which, if it reached that point, Twilight thought she might have to zip it shut.

“For the third time, Rarity,” Twilight said, trying her hardest to keep the irritation out of her voice, “I didn’t specifically intend for us to wind up here. I just teleported to what I thought was the safest place in the vicinity. I didn’t know we were over the San Palomino Desert. And you should just be lucky I didn’t splice one of us or teleport into the ground.”

Rarity let out a huff of discontent. “I said I appreciated your efforts, but this the absolute worst place in all of Equestria that we could have landed! This sand is getting into my coat and my poor mane. It’s going to take weeks to get it all out! And this horrid heat is dreadful for my complexion, not to mention all the sweating I’m doing! Oh, I must smell as terrible as I look!” Rarity threw her head back and let out a cry of anguish.

“Um, actually, Rarity, I think you look just fine,” Fluttershy said.

“Oh, you’re so kind, Fluttershy, but go on, admit it. I look like a poor street beggar now, don’t I?”

“No you don’t,” Spike said from atop Twilight’s back. He was lying across her, and unlike the three ponies, he showed no signs that his body was even acknowledging the searing heat. There wasn’t a drop of perspiration to be found on him, nor were there any injuries.

Twilight came to a sudden stop, trying to remember why she was carrying him.

Spike continued his praise, not noticing Twilight’s pause. “You’re still the most radiant, beautiful, talented and generous mare in all of Equestria! No amount of dirt could cover that up!”

Rarity turned a bright red, hiding an eye behind a curtain of her purple mane. “Oh, Spike, you are such a gentledrake. You know just what to say to make a lady feel better.”

Spike gave her a goofy, love struck smile. “Anything for you—ow!” Spike suddenly found his face in the hot sand, as Twilight had abruptly sat down, forcing Spike to roll off her back. “What?”

“Why am I carrying you? You have two legs, use them!” Twilight practically hissed the last part of her sentence, causing her friends to reel back.

“Twi, are you okay?” Spike asked.

Twilight sighed and rubbed her forehead, then quickly stopped, realizing that she was just spreading more sand across her face. “I’m sorry; this heat is just starting to get to me. We need to find some water or shade, and fast.”

Spike got up and dusted himself off, then gave a wide gesture with his hands. “Why don’t you just make some water with your magic?”

“It doesn’t work like that, Spike,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I need at least some moisture in the air so I can replicate it and make water, but the only moisture around right now is our sweat.”

Rarity gagged. “I think I would rather get heat stroke.”

Twilight looked down at the ground, staring hard like she was trying to see through it. “Maybe there’s some water beneath us somewhere. If I can find it, maybe I can bring it to the surface.” She scrunched her face in concentration, horn alight as she searched through layers of sand and rock, trying to find a well of water.

The probing tendrils of magic dug deeper into the earth, desperately searching for the tiniest drop of water, only to find more dirt. Twilight retracted her magic and flopped onto her back, growling in frustration.

Spike leaned over her. “So, no water?” Twilight’s glare was enough of an answer for him.

Fluttershy took a seat next to Twilight, flapping her wings like a makeshift fan. “I hope Rainbow and the others are okay.”

“Me too,” Twilight said, giving Fluttershy the most grateful smile she could muster. “When we reach that rock, I’ll try another homing spell. Hopefully, by then, Sunset will have used at least a little bit of magic.”

“Fluttershy, why don’t you fly up and see if you can’t spot any of them,” Rarity suggested. “They might be closer than we think.”

Fluttershy nodded, ceasing her fanning of Twilight, much to the Princess’s discontent. She jumped into the sky, slowly climbing higher and higher, until she was just a yellow dot against the cerulean sky. She descended a few minutes later, shaking her head.

“I didn’t see anything that looked like ponies, just some buzzards.” Her voice dripped with disappointment and worry.

“I’m sure they’re all fine,” Spike said with a dismissive wave. “In fact, I bet they’re already over at that big rock setting up camp!”

Twilight got back to her hooves, using her wings for balance. “I hope you’re right, Spike. And I hope they have water.” Taking the lead, Twilight led her friends further into the desert, ignoring the distant cry of the buzzards.

“Huh, those birds have been following us for a while,” Pinkie observed.

Sunset looked up at the five birds circling overhead, their features blurred by their distance and the glare of the sun, now resting in the center of the sky. They had indeed been following the group for the better part of an hour now, though Sunset had paid it little mind.

“Probably just some buzzards waitin’ for us to drop dead so they can get their next meal,” Applejack said, not even bothering to look up at them.

Sunset nodded in agreement, returning her attention to their long march. They had covered a good amount of ground so far. The rock spire continued to slowly rise from the ground, revealing a larger cluster of small bluffs around it. It would make the perfect place for camp, if they could make it before the sun roasted them alive.

So far, everypony had been careful about how much water they drank in an attempt to conserve it for as long as possible. The first of the three canteens was almost empty, and Sunset was contemplating taking another sip with how parched her mouth was. It was as if somepony had shoved saltine crackers into her mouth and dared her to leave them in for as long as possible.

Trying to ignore her thirst, Sunset kept her mind on other things, like what Los Pegasus would look like when they arrived, or where the other piece of the Dark Regalia was, the Obsidian Hoofguards, were and how they would find them. Yet, eventually, Sunset would be reminded of her dry mouth and crave for just the smallest sip of water.

At last she turned to Pinkie, who had been put in charge of carrying the canteens, and asked, “Can I have some more water?”

“What’s the magic word?” Pinkie sang.

“Pinkie!” Sunset snapped, her patience drawing thin from the heat.

“Correct!” Pinkie lifted the strap of the topmost canteen from around her neck and handed it to Sunset with a smile.

Sunset couldn’t understand how Pinkie could remain so upbeat, and she didn’t feel like questioning it. She took the container and tossed her head back, letting the cool liquid fall into her mouth. She eyed the buzzards still circling above them.

Stupid birds. Just can’t wait for us to keel over,can you? Go find something else to snack on. She brought the canteen back down, shaking it a little to confirm there was still a little water left inside. Sunset handed it back to Pinkie and looked out at the collection of rocks. Huh, those buzzards are kind of a long way out to be looking for a meal. Especially when the only thing out here are scorpions…. She looked back up and narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at the birds.

“Are you sure those are buzzards?” Her question was directed to all three of her friends.

Rainbow followed Sunset’s gaze skyward and flew up a little to get a better look. Her eyes widened and she quickly dropped back to her hooves. “Those aren’t buzzards,” she said in a panicked whisper. “Those are griffons.”

Applejack looked up. “Why would griffons be all the way out here? More importantly, why would they be followin’ us?”

The four of them shared a concerned glance between one another.

“Okay,” Rainbow began in a forcefully calm tone. “Nopony panic, just act natural.”

Sunset pointed. “I think they know we know.” Sure enough, the griffons were slowly descending on them in a feathery halo.

“It’s okay, just be cool—”

“Run!” Pinkie yelled, taking off across the dunes.

In a predatory response, the griffons let out screeches signaling the beginning of a hunt, and dove after the ponies who had taken off behind Pinkie. They swooped overhead with outstretched talons, sharpened to needle-like points.

Pinkie yelped as one narrowly missed her poofy mane, having ducked just in the nick of time. The large griffon soared around and came back for another dive, which Rainbow intercepted by slamming into his side. She had no time to celebrate, however, as another griffon tackled her down to the ground and pinned her by the head.

Applejack slid to a stop and ran back to help, only to be blocked by the most slender griffon of the group. “An’ where do you think you’re goin’, love?” she said with an Eagleland accent. She had a thin frame, but was armed with various weapons at her sides and across her back. Her black plumage and purple eyes only added to her lethal look.

“Ah’m goin’ to help mah friend, now outta the way!” Applejack said, starting her charge. Before she could blink, the griffon had moved faster than lighting, and placed three knives at Applejack’s throat, one between each knuckle.

“No you’re not.” She smiled devilishly.

Sunset charged her horn, preparing to bury their attackers in the sand, when something smashed into her from behind and grabbed her horn, breaking her concentration.

“No, no,” a rough voice whispered in her ear, “none of that magicy stuff now.” Sunset was tossed onto her back, a lion paw pressed into her chest, while a pair of talons still held her horn. She looked up at the face of her attacker, the burliest griffon of the bunch. Several scars adorned his face, and what looked like a recent burn mark ran across his chest, disturbing the symmetry of black feathers.

He curled his beak into a snide grin. “‘Ello, poppet.”

Sunset struggled under his weight, unable to remove his claws from her horn. “Let go of me, or I swear I’ll—”

“Don’t try and bluff your way outta this, love. I know for a fact you unicorns are right useless with enough pressure on your horns.” To prove his point, the griffon squeezed harder, creating a sharp pain in Sunset’s head, making her squirm in discomfort.

To her right, Sunset saw Pinkie get thrown on the ground next to her, another griffon holding her down. “Let us go, you big bullies!” Pinkie shouted.

“In good time, love,” Sunset’s holder said. “I’m in a pretty good mood, so I might let you lot go, if you tell us where the princess is.”

“Which one?” Rainbow asked smartly, earning her a rough hit on the head from her captor.

“Don’t get cute; you know which one he’s talkin’ about,” he said.

“We don’t know where they are, and even if we did, there’s no way we’d tell any of ya!” Applejack said defiantly.

The griffon leader gave a light chuckle. “Well, that’s too bad, ‘cause now we gotta kill ya. Which is shame, really. You lovelies have such pretty faces.” With his free claw, he reached for the scabbard at his side and pulled out a short, curved sword that caught the sunlight, making it gleam. “But, a job’s a job. Too bad you made it so easy.” His cohorts each drew a weapon, preparing to strike down their targets.

A sharp wind picked up, whipping up the sand into a frenzy. The horizon lit up with a salvo of purple pinpricks, gunning straight for the griffons. The beams of light struck their targets with brilliant flashes, blasting the griffons to the side, stray beams striking the ground around them, pulling up dust in their wake. The bombardment was swift, ending in just a few seconds, sand filling the air.

Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Spike rushed through the veil of sand, taking defensive positions around their recovering friends, as their attackers quickly gathered themselves and formed a circle around the group.

“Well, well, well,” the lead griffon said, “the little princess came to us; I should’ve expected as much.”

Twilight glared at him. Behind her, her friends stood up and fell into position. They were all in a close circle facing the griffons, their backs to one another. “Who are you and what do you want with us?”

“The name’s Razor,” the leader said with a mock bow. “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. You see, we’re the crew of the Deathwing, mercenaries for hire, and we’ve been tasked to, er... acquire you, and specifically kill ‘er.” He pointed a claw at Sunset, who stood next to Twilight.

Sunset growled and lowered her horn, steeling herself for a fight. “And who hired you? Vesper Radiance?”

Razor scratched the side of his face, a small smile pulling at his beak. “Vesper Radiance? Never heard of ‘er.” He raised his scimitar and pointed it at Twilight. “Now, let’s make this nice and easy-like, eh? You two come quietly, and we’ll let your little friends go.”

“Not gonna happen!” Rainbow called. Her back was to Razor, her focus instead was on one of his lackeys. “We’re not giving any of our friends over to you!”

“Hehe, loyalty. I admire that. Unfortunately, that just means we hafta kill the rest of you lot as well.” He motioned to lunge, but both Twilight and Sunset were quicker. There were two flashes of magenta and teal light before a roaring wall of sand erupted around the ponies, blocking them from the griffons, and reaching up towards the sky.

Twilight shielded her eyes from the flying bits of gravel and looked at Sunset. “How did you know I was going to do that?”

Sunset shrugged. “It was kinda the only move we had at the time.” She looked at the miniature sandstorm they had created around themselves. “But we can’t stay here forever. What do we do now?”

“We have to teleport out of here,” Twilight said over the hissing sand.

Sunset looked at her, then to the rest of the group behind her. “Uhh, we’d have to make a few trips.”

“No,” Twilight shook her head. “We can do one mass transportation spell to take us to the rocks.”

“Are you crazy?” Sunset asked, dumbfounded. “You know how dangerous that is, right?”

“We can do it. If we put our magic together, we can teleport all of us at once. It’s not that far.”

“But, I’ve never even seen the location! Blind teleporting is one of the worst things you can do!”

Twilight gave Sunset a pleading look. “Just trust me, Sunset. You can do it.”

Sunset bit her lip, turning and seeing all of the worried expressions her friends wore. She had only teleported two ponies at once before, and she had seen pictures of what had happened to ponies who didn’t teleport successfully. But Sunset knew the sandstorm couldn’t protect them forever, and the griffons would attempt to murder them the second it faded.

Seeing no other option, Sunset took in a short breath, trying not to swallow any of the sand swirling around them. “All right, Twilight, let’s do this.”

“Get close to us, everyone,” Twilight instructed. “Okay, Sunset just relax and focus. Just try to picture all of us as close to the rock formation as you can put us. It isn’t that far; you can do it.”

The ponies gathered around Sunset and Twilight. The former took a deeper breath this time, closing her eyes and trying to visualize a magnified image of the rock formation in her head. A familiar teal glow enveloped Sunset’s horn, complementing the purple glow radiating out of Twilight’s. The two mares stepped forward, bowing their heads until the tips of their horns touched.

Sunset felt her magic combine with Twilight’s, a feeling of pure warmth draping over her, before the entire world lurched underneath her hooves. Sunset felt herself hurtling through space at unholy speeds, feeling every particle in her body before landing face first in the sand once more.

She raised her head and spat out a mouthful of the gritty earth. Examining the area, she noticed that the sand was thinner here, revealing patches of dry, barren soil. Sunset looked up and saw in front of her a labyrinth of stone, varying in different shapes, sizes and positions. Some were tall pillars of rock, while others were formed into canyons and ravines that rose up before her.

Turning to her friends and seeing that they were uninjured, though a little disoriented, Sunset beamed in triumph. She felt a hoof on her shoulder, and looked to see Twilight giving her a toothy smile.

“I told you you could do it.”

Sunset opened her mouth to respond, but felt Spike tug at her tail. “You might want to save the celebrations for a bit. Look!” he said, pointing out into the distance with a claw, although his expression already told Sunset everything she needed to know.

Five large dots could be seen in the sky, heading straight for their location. Though their forms were still blurry, the screeches the griffons released could be heard quite clearly.

“Quick, everyone, we have to find someplace in here to hide!” Twilight said, urging them all into the collection of stones.

Sunset obeyed, though she was uncertain of how well this plan could work. Griffons were natural hunters, and while there were plenty of nooks and crannies one could squeeze into, there was nothing around that could be considered a good hiding place from a predatory creature.

They ran deeper into the complex. Walls of sandstone at least two stories high rose on either side of them. The pathways twisted and branched out, distorting everyone’s sense of direction. Though, from an aerial view, Sunset knew they would be easily spotted. The paths were fairly wide and provided little shade or camouflage.

“Camouflage…. I wonder,” Sunset muttered under her breath. She noticed a particularly flat wall and came to a stop. “Everyone, wait, I have an idea! Get as close to the canyon wall as you can get.”

The ponies gave each other questioning looks, but decided to follow along anyway, pressing themselves against the flat stone. Sunset joined them last, pushing back against the wall as far as she could. She raised her head skyward and released a pulse of magic that came back down in a teal sheen, coating them, and tinging the world in blue.

“That’s your plan?” Rainbow said irritably. “Another shield spell?”

“It’s not a shield spell,” Sunset said with equal annoyance. “Now shut up and don’t move.” She heard Rainbow huff, but otherwise fell silent.

The minutes slowly dragged on with no sight or sound of the griffons. The entire desert was silent; not even the wind breathed. Sunset was beginning to think her plan might have worked, until a shadow flew over the ground not far from their position.

Two griffons dropped down onto the desert floor, kicking up clouds of dirt that thankfully drifted away from the cowering ponies and dragon.

The large one, which Sunset identified as Razor, clicked his beak angrily. “I know I smelled ponies around here somewhere. Keep an eye out, Eliza, they might be tryin’ to pull some pony trick on us.”

“Aye, Captain,” Eliza, the only female griffon Sunset had seen with the mercenaries, saluted. They both began prowling the ground, talons gentling ticking against the rough dirt, while their back lion paws barely made a sound.

So far, so good, Sunset thought, as the pair marched right past them, occasionally stopping to sniff the air. Eliza would stop and shoot wary looks in the group’s direction, but Sunset knew all she could see was the face of stone behind them.

“Curse this desert air,” Razor growled. “Must be messin’ with my senses. I swear, those ponies should be right around here.”

The sound of wing beats drifted through the air as the three remaining mercenaries dropped out of the sky, sending more dirt scattering into the wind. “We can’t find them anywhere, Captain,” one of them reported.

“They can’t have just up and left!” Razor said through his clenched beak. “I’ve hunted down plenty of unicorns, and none of them could ever teleport that far. We’re dead in the middle of a bloody desert!”

“Well, this is one of the princesses we’re dealing with,” Eliza said.

“I don’t care! I smell them; they have to still be here!”

“Ah… ah…”

From the corner of her eye, Sunset saw Pinkie clamp her mouth shut, puffing her cheeks out, clearly trying desperately not to sneeze. Sunset bit her own lip in cold anticipation. Her camouflage spell could only alter sight, not sound. Her eyes darted between Pinkie and Razor, who was slowly edging closer to their location.

Pinkie then let out a silent sigh of relief, which Sunset mirrored, only to tense back up when she saw how close Razor had gotten. His beak was inches away from the camouflage barrier, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

A lone rock sailed through the air and smacked Razor in the back of the head with a satisfying thunk. He gripped his skull and grunted in pain, turning himself around. “What in blazes—

“Achoo!”

“What was that?” Razor asked, whipping his head back and forth along the wall.

“Dammit,” Sunset swore under her breath before pulling back a hoof and connecting it with Razor’s beak. “Run!” she yelled, as the illusion around her and her friends broke, revealing them to the waiting griffons. They immediately scrambled off in different directions, vanishing down the labyrinth roads.

“Well, what are you waitin’ for? Get them!” Sunset heard Razor call behind her. She had picked a solitary path and found herself separated from everyone else.

She took a sharp turn around the canyon bend, down a narrow path. She blinked twice. For a moment, she thought she had seen a flash of blue light, but quickly dismissed it. A shadow passed over her, revealing itself to be Razor, as he dropped onto the path in front of her, forcing Sunset to slide to a halt.

“Well then, poppet,” he said in a dangerously low tone, flexing his claws, “seems like I owe you a little payback, now don’t I?”

Sunset noted the nice layer of blood staining his beak and smirked. “There’s plenty more where that came from if you keep following us.”

“Sorry, love, but I’ve got a contract. I’ve got to come back with your head, or the boss won’t be happy. And it’s a real bad idea to make ‘er unhappy.”

“And who is your boss?”

Razor wiped a dribble of blood from his beak. “I could tell you, but you're about to be dead in a minute, so it really isn’t your concern.” He lunged at Sunset, swiping at her with his claws.

Sunset jumped back, narrowly avoiding a deadly gash, and jumped to the left as Razor followed up with an uppercut. Sunset’s horn sparked to life, drawing up two large rocks from both sides of the canyon wall, and bringing them together to smash her foe.

Razor sprung into the air, avoiding the crushing boulders and dived down at Sunset in full force. Sunset leapt backwards, evading the initial dive, but was unable to avoid the follow up punch Razor delivered, sending her sprawling across the ground as a sharp pain filled her chest. Razor quickly fell upon her, bringing his drawn sword down in a wide arc. Sunset threw up a thin shield between her and the metal blade. The two forces collided inches away from her face.

“You have to break eventually, girl.” Razor sneered, throwing his weight into the sword.

Sunset knew he was right; she couldn’t lay there forever, but as a pair of pink hooves wrapped around Razor’s face, she knew she wouldn’t have to.

“Guess who?” a cheery voice asked.

“What the—? Get off me you little…” Razor flailed trying to get the pony off of his back, failing miserably.

“Nope, try again!” Pinkie smiled, winking at Sunset.

Sunset got back to her hooves, a dull ache settling in her ribcage; no doubt one of them was bruised. She shook off the pain and focused her attention back on Razor, just as one of his companions swooped down and ripped Pinkie off of his neck.

“Hey, let me go!” Pinkie yelled as the griffon dragged her into the sky.

“Pinkie, hold on!” Sunset yelled, when a rush of wind whipped past her, carrying a multi-colored blur.

“Don’t worry, I got her!” Rainbow called, as she shot after Pinkie’s assailant.

Sunset turned back to Razor and ducked just as he swung his sword at her neck. Sunset twisted her body while she crouched low, taking advantage of the extra momentum Razor had put into his swing. She brought her back hooves up with as much force as she could muster, delivering a square buck straight into Razor’s throat.

He dropped the sword and clutched his neck, gasping for air. He fell to his knees, continuing to make sounds like a fish out of water. Sunset would have pitied him if he hadn’t been trying to kill her only moments before. Still, she wasn’t cruel. Levitating a flat stone, she slammed it against the side of his head, knocking him unconscious.

She dropped the stone and gave him a cold glare.

“Tell your boss I’m going to do the same thing to her when I get to her,” Sunset said, though she knew Razor couldn’t really hear her. She turned and charged into further into the labyrinth, hoping to find her friends before the griffons could do more harm.

Rainbow slammed into the griffon holding Pinkie, causing him to squawk with surprise. He dropped his cargo, which Rainbow dived and easily caught, much to Pinkie’s relief.

“You okay, Pinks?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeparoo! But uh,” —Pinkie pointed up— “he looks kinda mad.”

Mad might have been an understatement; pulling out two katanas, the griffon looked absolutely livid. Letting out a war screech, he charged at Rainbow, swords crossed.

“Uh oh.” Rainbow dropped out of the sky, deftly avoiding the two swords. The griffon dove after her, swinging madly and forcing Rainbow to retreat, with Pinkie in her hooves. She took off over the rock formations, swerving and ducking as the griffon behind her kept pace, the tip of his sword just out of clipping range of her tail.

Rainbow flew over one of the canyons, veering to the left to avoid losing her tail, when something caught her eye. She grinned as a dangerous idea formed in her mind.

“Get ready to dive bomb, Pinkie!”

“Ooh, I love dive bombs!”

Rainbow swerved again, coming back around a particular section of the canyon at a lower angle. In front of her, Twilight and Spike were fending off another mercenary who was backing them against a dead end. Rainbow came in close, counting off seconds in her head. When she got to one, she released Pinkie and cried, “Bombs away!”

Pinkie fell, legs and hooves splayed out like she was belly flopping into a pool. Instead of water, however, she fell onto the unsuspecting griffon, knocking him to the ground.

Rainbow Dash began her ascension again, pulling up from the canyon. “Another perfect strike,” she said to herself. “Now to deal with slasher boy here.” Behind her, the griffon was still relentlessly chasing her, though perhaps with a little less gusto. “He’s getting tired, perfect.”

Kicking it into high gear, Rainbow began to open the gap between herself and her assaulter. She looked back and saw him put in the extra effort to keep up, but the exhaustion was written all over his face. Rainbow broke into a perfect vertical climb, feeling the air steadily grow cooler as she rose, a welcome relief after spending so much time in the heat.

When she had reached what she felt was a satisfying height, Rainbow came to a stop and hovered in the air, waiting for the griffon to catch up. The look of fury in his eyes had been replaced with a look of sheer annoyance. However, he did not waste any time in attacking the idle pegasus. Rainbow narrowly dodged the oncoming slashes. Though the griffon had grown sluggish, his attacks were still rather fast.

Rainbow stayed on the defensive, reading and avoiding his attacks with her superior agility, waiting for an opening. He delivered a wide horizontal cut while his other sword was still down, giving Rainbow the perfect opening. She leveled a hard kick at his left claw, knocking the sword out of his grip. It flew into the air, spinning and catching the sunlight on the silver metal, before dropping to the world below. Rainbow wasted no time in diving after it, catching the pommel in between her hooves. The sword was not meant for pony hooves, but Rainbow was able to get a steady enough grip on it in time to parry another oncoming blow.

The two swords clashed, the sound of metal against metal ringing in Rainbow’s ears, and the vibration running up her forelegs. She was glad she chose not to hold it in her mouth. They pulled apart, and Rainbow tightened her grip, bracing herself for the next clash. She remained in a defensive position, knowing her opponent had the upper claw in both skill and speed. She had to careful and wait for another opening. The griffon was tired and frustrated, two things Rainbow knew made for bad flying… or bad fighting.

Both swords met, again and again, the sound of metal shrieking through the air. Rainbow grit her teeth, ignoring the painful shocks that coursed through her forelegs with each hit. The swords met once more, but while Rainbow had to use both hooves to hold her sword, the griffon only had to use one claw. With his free hand, he swiped at Rainbow’s face, forcing her to pull backwards, dodging the blow. Unfortunately, she couldn’t outmove the sword that followed through with its slice. The tip of the blade came down diagonally, catching Rainbow across the forehead, right above her eye, and cutting off the tip of her mane.

She cried out in pain, and with a strong flap of her wings, pushed herself backwards before she could take another hit. She could feel the blood freely flowing out of the wound, obscuring the vision of her right eye. Before Rainbow could fully assess her injuries, the griffon was on her once more, swinging his sword at Rainbow’s midsection. She brought her sword up, barely blocking the attack, but the force behind it was enough to knock Rainbow’s sword from her hooves. It spiraled down to the world, leaving Rainbow defenseless. She quickly ducked out of the way of next wave of oncoming slashes, back to simply dodging for survival.

Rainbow broke away from the engagement and dived after the falling sword, knowing she would need it if she wanted to overpower her adversary. She pressed her wings tight against her body, the wind roaring past her as she plunged towards the earth. The griffon fell after her, sword hand drawn back, ready to run it through Rainbow.

The sword slowly spun about in the air. Rainbow drew ever closer, waiting for the right opportunity to grab as not to cut herself. The sword hilt turned and pointed in Rainbow’s direction, and she quickly snatched at it with both hooves, whirling around and slashing at her opponent, who was caught off guard by Rainbow’s speed.

Her sword caught the tip of his and sent it flying to the side, reversing their positions. The griffon stopped short, holding his claws up as Rainbow pointed the sword at his heart.

“Give up,” she said simply.

He gave her a cocky grin. “You ain’t got the guts.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes and jerked her hooves to the side. The griffon gave a cry of pain and clutched at his chest, covering the long cut Rainbow had left him. “Try me,” Rainbow said cooly. She wasn’t entirely sure if she could actually bring herself to kill him, but injure him to the point where he knew not to mess with her or her friends? She could definitely do that.

The griffon growled and jumped higher into the air, reaching into a small sack next to his empty scabbards. He pulled out a small spherical object with a small wire sticking out from the top. He yanked on it, and the small black ball immediately began emitting sparks and hissing madly.

“Uh oh.” Rainbow moved out of the way as the bomb was hurled at her. It sailed over her head, then down to the stone complex below. Rainbow didn’t watch to see when it detonated, for the griffon was already pulling out another one. She rushed at him just as he lit the explosive, crashing into him and forcing the bomb from his hand. Rainbow then took her sword and, with as much force as she could, delivered an upward slash, catching the griffon’s wing at the carpal joint, slicing it in half.

The griffon screamed in pain, blood leaking out of the exposed veins in his wing. He began to fall out of the sky, his working wing flapping feebly, trying to slow his descent.

Rainbow watched him, unsure of how to feel. Seeing how hard his wing was working, she was sure he would make it to the ground okay. But the fact that she had permanently disabled him nibbled at her mind. She knew what it was like to not be able to fly.

Then again, he tried to kill me. So, really, this is all his fault. It’ll teach him not to be a jerk!

Rainbow nodded to herself, feeling reassured. She reached up and wiped the blood covering her face, opening her right eye for the first time in minutes, blinking rapidly to get it readjusted to the sun. She felt the cut across her forehead and was relieved to find that it wasn’t that deep, though it stung fiercely.

Her ears jumped to attention, as she heard a loud cry from down below. Looking beneath her, she saw a large cloud of dust and smoke curling into the air.

“The bombs!” Rainbow cried, diving towards the center of the smoke. “Oh man, please let everything be okay, please let everyone be okay!”

Sunset exited her teleportation spell on top of a small bluff between two canyons. Not far from her was the tallest tower of rocks that stood as a sentinel in the lonely desert. She had spent a good ten minutes running around aimlessly trying to find everyone else until she realized she’d have a better vantage point from a higher surface.

She had barely taken three steps when an arrow struck the dirt in front of her. Sunset jumped back and looked up to see one of the griffons loading another arrow onto a crossbow.

“Hold still, and I promise I’ll make quick work of ya,” he said, taking aim again.

Sunset opened her mouth for a smart retort, but the mercenary quickly fired, cutting her off. She ducked as the arrow whizzed over her head, grazing the top of her mane. “Alright then, two can play at this,” she murmured.

As the sniper reached into his quiver for another arrow, Sunset charged the magic in her horn, focusing it into one of her favorite spells. While her horn was coated in a teal glow, magical threads of red and gold blended together and curved in front of her, making an ethereal facsimile of a bow. An arrow formed next, the back end still tethered to her horn. Both Sunset and the sniper took aim at each other. Sunset’s arrow retracted slightly, like she was drawing back on the bow string, preparing to fire. The sniper kept a claw over the crossbow trigger, his eyes locked onto Sunset.

There was a still moment between them. Simultaneously, both of them fired their projectiles and rolled out of the way. Sunset’s magical arrow flew into the air, vanishing into the sun, while the physical arrow entombed itself into the earth.

They began their dance, quickly reloading and firing their arrows one after the other. But while the sniper had to reach back and grab his, Sunset merely conjured her ammunition with a thought. For every shot he fired, Sunset launched two, sometimes three when one would get dangerously close to its target.

Sunset had had her close shaves as well; the griffon wasn’t a bad shot by any means. At times she would have to retract her bow and throw a shield up to make sure she didn’t get impaled. Still, the earth was littered with arrows that had never found their intended destination.

Dodging another one of Sunset’s arrows, the griffon took aim and laughed. “This has been more fun than it should have been, lass. But, I gotta put an end to this now.”

“You’re right,” Sunset said with a grin. “This is getting old.” Her horn glowed brighter and two additional arrows appeared along her bow. She drew them back, her grin becoming a wide smirk at the look on the griffons face. She fired all three of them, watching them fly at her opponent, leaving gold contrails behind that were quickly brushed away by the wind.

To his credit, the griffon had been able to dodge two of them, but the third one pierced his wing straight through, leaving smoldering embers around the hole, and causing his wing to catch fire. He dropped his crossbow and grabbed his wing in agony, trying to put out the growing flames.

Sunset willed her bow to dematerialize and, in its place, summoned a powerful gale, streaming it directly at the sniper. Still nursing his wing, he had no time to put up any resistance and was blown away, along with his crossbow. He sailed through the air until the current dropped him off in a distant crevice.

With an exasperated groan, Sunset flopped to the floor, wincing as she landed on her sore ribs. That display of magic had taken a little more out of her than she had meant it to. She took a few deep breaths to get her heart rate back to normal, then pushed herself back to her hooves. “Don’t have time to relax; gotta make sure everyone is okay.”

A cry like that of an eagle filled the air, coming from the canyon to Sunset’s left. She rushed over to the edge of bluff to see Applejack engaged in a mostly one sided fight with the female griffon, Eliza.

Eliza rapidly made swipes at Applejack with the knives she held in between her knuckles. Applejack swiftly danced out of her way, being pushed further and further back into the narrow canyon. She continued to move with the grace of a gazelle, evading each swipe and stab like she could see each move before they were made. Every now and again, Applejack would lunge out with one of her hooves, catching Eliza in the chest and jumping out of range of the retaliatory slash, eliciting a cry of frustration from Eliza.

As amazed as Sunset was with Applejack’s prowess, she couldn’t let her friend fight alone, not when she didn’t have to. Summoning her bow again, she prepared an arrow and took aim, trying to get a square hit on Eliza. Sunset paused, a faint hissing sound passing through her ears. She turned her head and saw a small, round object drop out of the sky and hit the ground a stone’s throw away from her.

An explosion rocked the earth, sending Sunset rolling across the bluff, her ears ringing in the aftermath of the detonation. She got back to her hooves, feeling new spots of pain where she had been struck by rocky shrapnel. She rushed back over to the lip of the cliff, where she was relieved to see Applejack unharmed. Both her and Eliza were shaking themselves off from the blast, which had caved in the canyon behind them.

“Applejack, look out!” Sunset called, pointing a hoof at Eliza who had already recovered. She took a swipe at Applejack, who ducked, losing her hat instead of her head.

BOOM

Another explosion interrupted their battle. The tall rock spire began to crumble, sending large chunks of rock into the canyon. Eliza looked up, then with a mighty shove, pushed a distracted Applejack into the shadow of the falling stones.

Time slowed to a crawl for Sunset. She saw the look on Applejack’s face change from surprise to despair as the boulders came down on her. Too slow to do anything, Sunset could only turn her head away, unable to look. With a crash loud enough to wake the dead, the rocks collided with the ground, sending clouds of smoke and dust into the air.

With a gust of wind, Sunset cleared a small path to the canyon floor so could see her teleportation path. In a burst of magic, Sunset appeared next to the rockslide, desperately hoping to find a conscious Applejack. She began sifting through the rubble, tossing rocks aside with her magic and digging with her hooves.

“Applejack, Applejack!” Sunset yelled, praying to the Maker that she would respond. Still, no call came. When the dust finally settled, a hill of stone stood in the canyon, and a few yards away from where Sunset was digging was an old stetson caught between two stones.

As silent as a ghost, Sunset moved over to the hat. Her heart was caught in her throat as she pulled the hat out from its entrapment. Sunset held it in her hooves, looking at how flattened it was. She let out a scream of anguish and buried her face in it.

This wasn’t supposed to happen! Applejack wasn’t supposed to die! No one was supposed to die! She can’t be dead, she just can’t be! This is all my fault!

“Sunset!”

Sunset looked up and saw Rainbow Dash come to a stop just above her.

“Wh-what happened? I saw the explosion and I heard somepony scream, and… and why are you holding A.J.’s hat?” There was denial in her voice. Sunset knew she had already pieced together everything. She just didn’t want to admit it.

“Applejack… she… I couldn’t… she was…” Sunset couldn’t get her voice above a whisper, nor could she string more than a few words together.

Instead, she held out the stetson in front of Rainbow and just said,”...Gone.”

Rainbow’s wings immediately stopped working and she crashed onto the rock pile. “What do you mean, ‘gone’? She just can’t be gone.” Her voice was hoarse, no doubt struggling with tears that were imminent.

Her own voice quivering, Sunset said, “Eliza pushed her into the way of the rockslide, and… I couldn’t move fast enough!” Sunset burst into tears. “I’m sorry, It happened too quickly! But she’s… she’s gone, Rainbow.”

“No…” Rainbow shook her head vigorously. “No! She can’t be dead! That’s not possible; she’s Applejack!” Letting out a scream of frustration, Rainbow tore into the rocks, tossing them aside. “She’s in here somewhere, and she’s alive! I know it!”

Sunset just shook her head and placed Applejack’s stetson on the rock in front of her. “I’m sorry, Applejack… I failed.” She closed her eyes and bowed her head in shame and defeat. She had promised Princess Twilight that she would save everyone, but now, one of the Bearers of Harmony lay dead, buried in a tomb of stone. How would the others react to this turn of events? Would they blame Sunset for Applejack’s death. How would this affect the future?

When Sunset opened her eyes, something gold flashed through her vision. She stared down at the hourglass gently swinging on her neck. All of the sand now lay at the bottom. A shadow of an idea flickered through Sunset’s brain.

Maybe… maybe it’ll work this time…

But think of the consequences! a voice of reason shouted.

But I could save Applejack…

But you would create a paradox!

But I could save Applejack!

But you could jeopardize everything!

“But I could save Applejack!” Sunset exclaimed.

Rainbow, who had still been fruitlessly moving rocks stopped and snapped her head back. “What did you say?”

Sunset jumped to her hooves, a gleeful look in her eye. “I think I can save Applejack! It’s so incredibly risky, but I might be able to do it!”

Twisting her entire body, Rainbow gave Sunset her full attention. “How?”

Sunset lifted the hourglass with a hoof. “Time.”

“But you said that thing didn’t even work!”

“I know, last time it didn’t, but if I can get it to work this time… Even though there’s a thousand different things that could go wrong, I might be able to save her.”

Rainbow looked from the hourglass then to Sunset, her expression becoming hard. With a determined stare she said, “Let’s do it.”

“‘Let’s’? As in ‘we’? Oh no, time traveling by myself is dangerous enough! I’m not taking a partner,” Sunset protested.

Rainbow’s hard stare didn’t falter. “Yes you are. Applejack is one of my best friends, so I’m going to make sure she comes out of this alive.”

“But—” Sunset didn’t bother finishing her sentence. The unwavering look on Rainbow’s face told Sunset that she would not be denied. Sunset sighed. “Sure, why not. What’s a few more paradoxes to the ones we’re about to make, huh?”

With a less stoney expression, Rainbow stepped closer to Sunset, picking up Applejack’s hat as she did. She looked curiously at the hourglass. “All right, so how does this thing work?”

Sunset took a deep breath, raising the timepiece to eye level. “It’s pretty simple, actually, just hang on to me.” She felt Rainbow put a hoof around her back, squeezing a little tight, like Sunset might try to run off. Sunset concentrated on the hourglass, focusing her convictions on one thing. “A noble heart, a righteous cause,” she whispered.

The world around her steadily drew quieter. Only the wind and Rainbow’s nervous breathing made any noise. Sunset had opted to hold her breath, trying to repeat everything she had done when it had worked the first time. “Please,” she spoke softly yet forcefully. “Take us back… twenty minutes. Just twenty minutes so we can save Applejack’s life.” She twisted the hourglass upside down, watching as the sand began to trickle into the bottom bulb. She bit her lip at the spectacle, her heart sinking at the thought of Applejack staying dead.

Then, the sand stopped falling. It shot back into the top bulb with the rest of the waiting sand, until only twenty beads were left. Sunset’s eyes widened and she looked up, seeing the color slowly drain from the world until the entire landscape was painted black and white. The sound of the wind died away, and Sunset was aware that even Rainbow Dash had fallen silent. Briefly fearing that the hourglass had chosen only to bring her and no one else, Sunset looked over at Rainbow, who was still holding onto her.

It was impossible not to see that Rainbow had indeed come with Sunset; her bright colors were more prominent against the dull background than Sunset’s own. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was half-open, and she seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.

Sunset couldn’t help but laugh at her expression. That laugh in turn seemed to put the wheels of time back into motion, only in reverse. Sunset could hear the familiar noise of a backwards winding clock echoing around her. The stones and gravel underneath her hooves flew up into the air, reforming into the tall pinnacle of rock it had once been.

Twisting her body around, Sunset saw Applejack and Eliza having their battle in high speed reverse. They moved backwards through the canyon and out of sight, while Sunset found herself back on top of the bluff, with Rainbow still hooked around her.

The ticking stopped and color returned to the world, followed by sound and smell. Sunset was met with the musty odor of the desert. She lowered the hourglass, letting it hang loosely around her neck again, and looked back at Rainbow, who was still gaping like a fish, Applejack’s hat resting on her head.

“Yeah,” Sunset chuckled. “It’s kind of a trip.”

“I just… did we just… did we really…?”

“Time travel? Yes,” Sunset said matter-of-factly.

Rainbow looked at her, like Sunset was sprouting a second horn. “So that means… you were telling the truth. The whole time, you were telling the truth about being from the future, and being Twilight’s student! Which means you aren’t out to take the Regalia for yourself and use it to take over the world!”

“You thought I was going to what?” Sunset asked incredulously.

“Nothing,” Rainbow said quickly, though the embarrassed look on her face said something else.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Anyway, we need to move quickly. We’ve only got twenty minutes. Which means, I have less than twenty minutes to figure out a plan to save Applejack and not completely destroy the space-time continuum.”

“You mean you didn’t have one before we left?”

“I didn’t think we’d make this far.” Sunset shrugged. “But, now that we’re here, we have to be careful. We have to save Applejack with as little to no interference in what is supposed to happen.” She slapped a hoof against her face. “And then I have to figure out how to make it so there aren’t two of us in the same time period.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it, Rainbow. If we do save Applejack, that means we never go back in time, and if we never go back in time that means that the two of us as we currently are will cease to exist... or we’ll have to explain to our other selves why there are two of us.”

Rainbow’s left eye gave a subtle twitch. “Wait, what?”

Sunset flailed her hooves. “Just don’t think about it! And hope that I can figure something out. Now come on. The best way to save Applejack is to keep an eye on her from afar.”

“Then why don’t we just wait here? This is where everything happens.”

“We can’t stay here because we’ll be seen. We have to interfere as little as possible, and if we stay up here, past me is going to see us… and then I’ll probably blow a brain gasket.”

Rainbow crossed her hooves in annoyance. “This time travel stuff is starting to sound pretty lame.”

“Well, how would you react if you saw another you walking around?”

“I’d be like, hey, Dash, lookin’ awesome! Wanna have a race?”

Sunset facehooved. “Nevermind, just follow me.” With a bright flash, she teleported to the canyon floor, Rainbow swooping down next to her. Sunset looked right, then left, trying to figure out which way to go. Above her, in the distance she heard the distinct cry of an eagle.

“Hide,” Sunset hissed, scouting for a suitable place to conceal herself. She spotted a small crevice in the side of the canyon wall and grabbed Rainbow by the hoof, dragging her over. They both squeezed into the narrow passage which opened up a little more after the threshold.

“Ugh, why are we hiding?” Rainbow asked, trying to look over Sunset’s shoulder to the outside world.

“I told you, we can’t be seen, especially by the griffons, and they’re about to do their fly over.” Sure enough, two shadows flew across the dirt in front of the mouth of the crevice, and the sound of beating wings could be faintly heard.

Sunset waited a few seconds before deciding that they had definitely left. She crept out of the cave, motioning for Rainbow to follow her. The duo snuck through the canyon, Sunset creeping along the stone floor, while Rainbow hovered over her. They came to a bend, and Sunset pressed herself against the wall, carefully peering over the edge.

In front of her were the griffons, pacing about in the opening. On the other side, Sunset was sure her past self was against the wall, hiding everyone with a camouflage spell.

“Curse this desert air,” Sunset heard Razor growl. “Must be messin’ with my senses. I swear, those ponies should be right around here.”

“Geez, this is so weird,” Rainbow whispered.

“I know, talk about déjà vu.” Sunset nodded in agreement.

As they watched the scene play out before them, Sunset continued to craft a plan to save Applejack in the least paradoxical way possible, though each plan was more ridiculous and complicated than the last. She heard something scrape the ground behind her and turned to see Rainbow picking up a small rock.

“What are you doing?” Sunset asked warily.

Rainbow tossed the stone up and down in her hoof. “I got an idea; let’s just get the griffons to chase us instead, that way everyone else can get out of here alive.”

Sunset shook her head. “No, Rainbow, I told you, we can’t—no, Rainbow, stop!” she hissed as Rainbow lobbed the stone at Razors head. She grabbed Rainbow by the tail and pulled her back further out of sight.

“What in blazes—”

“Achoo!”

Sunset exhaled a sigh of relief upon hearing Pinkie sneeze, knowing that it would distract Razor. She glared at Rainbow, who was pouting in disappointment. “Rainbow, stop doing things that… didn’t… happen… the first time….” Sunset trailed off, a look of realization flickering in her eyes.

“Run!” Sunset heard herself yell, snapping her out of her thoughts. Sunset grabbed Rainbow by the hoof again. “We have to move before someone comes down here and sees us.”

“Ugh, you and your stupid time rules—woah!” Rainbow was cut off by Sunset yanking on her tail, leading her back down the canyon path.

Hearing the rapid approach of hoofsteps behind her, Sunset pulled Rainbow closer and charged her horn, wrapping both of them in her teal aura and teleporting away.

They reappeared at a three-way intersection of sorts, part of the canyon running both ways in front of them. Rainbow fell to the ground, her eyes spinning in their sockets. “Man, I hate it when you guys do that.”

“Sorry, but we really have to be careful. At least until I can piece together a plan.”

Rainbow used her wings to dust herself off. “All right, all right, you and your time mumbo-jumbo. So, what do we do now?”

Sunset looked down each of the three paths, listening for any activity. “We need to keep an eye on Applejack so we can intervene at the right moment.”

“And what exactly is the right moment?”

Sunset didn’t answer, her mind had retreated back to when Rainbow had thrown the rock at Razor. She had seen that event from both perspectives now. The first time, she had barely regarded it, since it had done nothing to help her. She then thought of the blue light she had seen when she had been fleeing from Razor, something else she had just dismissed as a trick glare.

“What if…” Sunset mumbled to herself. She picked up a pointed stone and began to scribble in the dirt, drawing a large circle and marking various points on it. “If Rainbow threw the rock, and what I saw was us teleporting, then that means….”

Rainbow floated in the air above her, examining the hastily made diagram. “What are you muttering about?”

Dropping the rock, Sunset rubbed her dusty hooves together and gave a rather devious laugh. “I’ve got a plan! The perfect plan to fix everything!”

Her face lighting up, Rainbow asked eagerly, “What is it? Tell me.”

“In a minute. First we have to get into position. By now, I should have finished knocking out Razor, so we have to get back to that part of the canyon before Eliza and Applejack do.” Sunset galloped off without waiting for a response from Rainbow, deciding to run just to make sure she didn’t teleport into the middle of another fight that may have taken place after hers.

They navigated the rocky labyrinth, eventually making their way back to where they started, just in time for them to see the sniper Sunset had dueled swoop down and collect Razor’s unconscious form, moving him somewhere else.

Sunset led Rainbow down the path and back to the crevice, stopping to examine the area and the position of the pillar of stone looming over them. “Okay, Rainbow, pay attention,” Sunset spoke quickly. “Those rocks are going to fall, and Applejack will be standing right about there.” She pointed with a hoof. “You’re going to be about over there, camouflaged, until I give the signal. When the second explosion goes off, Eliza is going to push Applejack almost directly into your line of sight. I’ll slow down the boulders for two seconds in which you’re going to move as fast as you can, snatch Applejack and bring her into the cave, got it?”

“Wait, you want me to save A.J. at the last possible moment... why?”

“Because, and I know this is going to sound cruel, we have to think Applejack died. Let me explain,” Sunset pushed, seeing Rainbow was about to protest. “When I saw the boulders falling towards Applejack, I looked away at the last moment because I couldn’t bear to watch. When I looked back, all I saw was a mountain of stone and I assumed she had been buried underneath it. That’s what prompted us to go back in time. If we recreate at that, then the past versions of ourselves will still think that Applejack got crushed, thus creating a need to time travel. Don’t you see? It’ll create a closed loop, meaning no paradoxes! The perfect time travel!”

Rainbow looked at the large smile plastered on Sunset’s face and took a step back. “So, you want us to trick ourselves so that we go back in time and trick ourselves?”

“Exactly!”

Rainbow stared at her, constantly opening her mouth to say something, only to close it and shake her head. Eventually she said, “Fine, sure, let’s do this.”

“Excellent.” Sunset beamed. “Now go stand right over there. A little more to the left… perfect! Now, I’m going to cast my camouflage spell on you, so make sure you stay as still as possible until I give you the signal.”

“Got it!”

Sunset backed into the cave, crouching low, believing that it would decrease the chance of her being seen. Her horn glowed softly and created a teal outline around Rainbow until she blended in against the rock she was braced on.

We only get one shot, so we have to make it count. Sunset couldn’t bear to think what would happen if they failed. But, it had to have worked before right? We’re just fulfilling the roles that were set for us. But history isn’t set in stone… right? So we could still fail… She shook her head of the thoughts. They couldn’t fail. There was too much at stake!

The two mares didn’t have to wait long. Eliza’s screech was soon heard echoing across the desert, and she and Applejack soon came into view, Applejack swiftly dodging all of Eliza’s attacks and countering with a few of her own.

“Damn earth pony, you’re really startin’ to get on my nerves,” Eliza said, making a wild slash at Applejack, who moved left and struck out with her right hoof, catching Eliza in the ribs.

“Shoulda known better than to mess with earth ponies.” Applejack smirked.

Eliza snarled and resumed her onslaught, the two of them moving closer to their destined positions.

Squinting her eyes, Sunset looked up and could just see the tiny black sphere, dropping out of the sky and impacting against the bluff. Here we go, Sunset thought, as the first explosion went off, rocking the ground. Bits of debris fell from the ceiling, and a piece of rubble dropped onto Sunset’s head, causing her magic to sputter. Rainbow flickered in and out of view until Sunset got control of her magic again. Thankfully, Eliza and Applejack hadn’t noticed.

Somewhere up above, Sunset heard herself call Applejack’s name, warning her of Eliza’s next attack. Applejack dodged, and the two combatants resumed their fight until the next explosion went off.

Sunset braced herself, watching as Eliza shoved Applejack forward and took off as the boulders hurtled downward. Applejack recovered from the sudden push, only to see how close the rocks were, a look of hopelessness in her eyes. Sunset disabled the camouflage spell on Rainbow while simultaneously grabbing a majority of the boulders with her magic and shouting, “Now!” Her voice was almost lost in the din of the avalanche.

Still, Rainbow heard her, and like a prismatic lightning bolt, shot forth, snatching Applejack from underneath the waiting boulders that had been mere inches from her face. The two tumbled into the cave, as the rocks crashed to the ground behind them, partly sealing the entrance.

“Applejack!” Rainbow and Sunset cheered, embracing her in a tight group hug.

“Uhh… what just happened?”

A teal glow lit the dark cavern, allowing the ponies to see one another. “It’s kind of a long story,” Sunset said, relief flooding her voice.

“Wait a second, weren’t you up on top of the cliff a second ago?” Applejack looked at Rainbow. “And weren’t you flyin’ around in the sky with that other griffon?”

“Like I said, it’s a bit of a story.”

Rainbow nodded her head. “Yeah, basically, me and Sunset went back in time and saved your life.”

Applejack blinked. “Ya’ll did what now?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Rainbow said. “The point is, you’re okay!” She flung her hooves around Applejack again. Sunset saw a tear escape from Rainbow’s eye.

“Well, Ah can’t argue with that,” Applejack said softly, returning the hug. “When Ah saw all those rocks headin’ towards me, Ah thought Ah was a goner. Ah’m not sure what ya’ll did, but thanks for doin’ it.”

Sunset leaned against the wall, smiling in content. They won’t die. I won’t let them. I won’t let any of them. Her mind flashed to Sky Chart and his body as it fell out of sight after being hit with a powerful blast of magic. She couldn’t help but grimace. He may have been a coward, but nopony deserved to die like that.

You ruined one future, Vesper Radiance, but I’m not going to let you ruin another, no matter what you throw at us!

“You okay there, sugarcube?”

Sunset snapped her head up, seeing Applejack looking at her with a concerned frown. “Yeah, just resting. It’s been a long day.”

Applejack offered her a hoof, which Sunset gladly took. “Ah know, and Ah for one can’t wait to get some shut eye, but right now, we still got some griffons who need to learn a lesson. Sometimes, us ponies don’t play nice.”

Rainbow pounded her hooves together. “Yeah, time for a little payback. No one tries to kill my friends and gets away with it!”

Sunset gave them a weary smile and walked over to the blockaded entrance. Sunlight filtered through the top where there were fewer rocks. She could just make out herself and Rainbow on top of the pile. Rainbow was gripped onto her and Sunset was holding the hourglass. Sunset watched with wide eyed amazement as they slowly vanished into thin air, fading out like apparitions. Her plan had worked.

“Coast is clear,” Sunset said, moving the boulders out of the way and clearing an open path. She stepped into the light of the sun, instantly feeling the temperature rise and wishing she could just stay inside the cool cave.

“Alright girls, let’s get movin’,” Applejack said.

“Wait,” Rainbow flew in front of her and held out the flattened stetson. “You almost forgot this.”

Applejack beamed at her. She took the old hat and shook it out before placing it on her head. “Thanks, sugarcube. Now let’s go!” Without another word, she charged off.

Sunset motioned to follow her, but Rainbow place a hoof on her shoulder, holding her in place.

“Wait, Sunset. I, umm… I wanted to say… look, I said some pretty mean things about you behind your back and I judged you before I really knew you. I was just trying to look out for my friends but… I’m sorry.”

With a sympathetic smile, Sunset said, “Its okay, Rainbow. And I’ve been meaning to apologize to you, too. I’m sorry I threw dirt at you. I never did take name calling very well.”

“Yeah well, I’m sorry I called you an egghead. I mean, you are, but I still shouldn’t have said it.”

They both looked at each other, then broke into short fits of laughter. After a moment, they collected themselves and Rainbow held out a hoof, asking, “So, we cool?”

Sunset grinned and bumped it. “Yeah, definitely cool.”

Author's Note

More praise for my editors
JustAnotherTimeLord and Icarus_Gizmo! Without them, this story would be grammatical crap.

And notice the new cover art! Thanks to Xaztein for letting me use it!

Chapter IX: Marauders

Rarity’s hooves were caked with dirt, and thanks to her snow white coat, it was easier to see on her than anypony else. Her mane was disheveled, and her face was scuffed up from where she had tripped while fleeing from the assaulting griffons.

Had a mirror been present, Rarity probably would have smashed it at the sight of her reflection.

However, Rarity’s mind was not on her appearance. Instead, she was thinking of the survival of herself and Fluttershy, as they tried to outrun the hunting griffon overhead. The two mares had successfully avoided running into any trouble up until the rock spire had collapsed. They proceeded towards the demolition site hoping to find some of their scattered friends, only to be cut off by a gleeful Eliza.

“Ooh, look, two more ponies to murder!”

Rarity and Fluttershy had quickly taken off in the other direction.

Eliza had let out a delighted screech and shot into the air, keeping the two ponies within her shadow at all times, laughing as they tried to flee to safety.

Rarity picked up a rock with her magic and flung it over her shoulder. Her aim went wide and missed Eliza by a good distance. Eliza responded in turn by pulling out one of her knives and hurling it down to her prey. Rarity watched from the corner of her eye as a tuft of her mane fell away from her, the knife embedding itself into the ground a few inches from her hoof. She let out a terrified scream and ran faster, Fluttershy close behind.

They came around a bend, only to find a wall of rock at the end of their path. Rarity slid to a stop and turned around, only to have Eliza drop out of the sky in front of her. Rarity began taking large steps backwards, Fluttershy clinging to her, shaking in fear.

“Rarity, what do we do now?”

Sadly, Rarity didn’t have an answer for her. She wasn’t as good at advanced magic like Twilight was. Sure, she could handle herself in a fight, but these griffons were armed and specifically trained for combat. All Rarity could do was keep backing up until she and Fluttershy were practically against the wall. Mice trapped by a sneering cat.

Eliza pulled out the rest of her knives, grinning madly. “Now then, which one of you should I kill first? The sniveling coward” —She eyed Fluttershy— “or the ugly hag?” She ran her knives together and pointed them at Rarity.

“Ugly…” Rarity’s eye twitched. “You… would call a lady ugly… to her face?” Her voice was unusually even and barely above a whisper. A spark of fury flashed through her eyes, and she began grinding her teeth together. Fluttershy instinctively took two steps to the side.

Rarity’s horn lit up, the ground around her trembling and cracking as stones and pebbles of all sizes began tearing themselves free and flying at Eliza. “Let’s see if anyone thinks you’re pretty when you look like swiss cheese!” Rarity roared, peppering Eliza with sharp stones.

The knives clattered to the floor, as Eliza raised her arms to shield her face. Rocks continued to fly and pelt her, cutting past her feathers and digging into her skin. She covered her front with her wings, trying to block the oncoming hail storm of stones. Rarity refused to let up her assault. It was not only retaliation for the scathing comment Eliza had made, but also her only means of defense.

Fluttershy, wanting to be helpful, picked up a few rocks of her own and began timidly throwing them at Eliza. They weren’t as powerful as Rarity’s magically propelled projectiles, but one would occasionally make it over Eliza’s wings and hit her head with a satisfying thud.

Unable to fight back, Eliza took to the sky, squawking in anger and pain as the rocks continued to fly after her. Behind her was a trail of torn feathers and drops of blood.

Rarity didn’t stop until Eliza was a speck in the distance. The ground in front of her had transformed into a gaping depression that stretched down for several feet. Rarity held a hoof to her forehead and swooned, falling against Fluttershy.

“Dear me, that took more energy than I thought,” Rarity mumbled.

Fluttershy supported her friend with a comforting wing. “Are you alright?”

“Oh yes, I’ll be fine, just a little winded is all. The only time I cast magic close to that caliber is when I’m in my workshop, and I’ve never used it for such… brutish manners before.” Rarity sighed and pushed herself back onto her own legs. She ran a hoof through her mane and began to pout seeing her signature front curl missing.

“That horrid bird completely destroyed my mane! She’s lucky throwing rocks is all I did to her! Why, if I ever see her again I’ll—”

“Umm, Rarity,” Fluttershy meekly interrupted. “I really think we should move, in case there are more of them still around.”

Rarity took a pause from thinking of all the ways she could enact revenge for her damaged hair to regard Fluttershy’s concern. She was right; if there were more griffons close by, Rarity wasn’t sure she could repeat her rock barrage without overexerting her magic.

“You’re right, Fluttershy. We should find and help our friends so we can get out of this infernal desert.” More than anything, Rarity craved for a hot shower and some food. Her stomach gave a low rumble in agreement. “Let’s just hope we aren’t too far from civilization.”

Rarity led Fluttershy out of the stone alleyway, and was immediately bowled over with heavy force. Rarity rolled with the assailant for a few yards before she landed on her backside, blindly flailing her hooves in front of her.

“Unhand me this instant, you barbarian! I have a black belt—”

“Rarity—ow! Rarity, quit it!” a voice drawled.

Opening her eyes, Rarity saw Applejack looking down at her with a surly expression. She was covered in small cuts and bruises, and Rarity could see a few red marks that looked like they had come from a hoof rather than claws, causing her to blush.

“Applejack, oh my goodness, forgive me! I thought you were… someone else.”

Applejack untangled herself from Rarity and stretched herself out. “Well, Ah guess Ah should apologize for runnin’ into ya. Ya came outta nowhere and kinda surprised me.”

Rarity stood up, not bothering to dust herself off. It didn’t matter at this point. She was filthy and unkempt, and only a shower and a spa could help her now. “Regardless, I’m just glad to see a friendly face.”

“Rarity, Fluttershy!”

For the second time in what couldn’t have been more than two minutes, Rarity found herself being tackled by a fast moving object, only this time, she was lifted into the air instead of being dragged to the dirt. She was ten feet off the ground, locked in an embrace with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

“I’m glad you girls are alright,” Rainbow said, hugging them tightly.

“Likewise, Rainbow, but you know Fluttershy and I can handle ourselves in a pinch.”

Rainbow lowered them down to the ground as Sunset Shimmer trotted over to join them. “I know you can. I just…” Rarity saw Rainbow and Sunset share a look. “It’s just been a really crazy day, and I’m glad you guys are fine,” Rainbow finished, giving one more tight hug to Rarity and Fluttershy.

Rarity could tell something pretty terrific had happened to shake up Rainbow enough for her to wear her heart on her sleeve. Rarity wanted to inquire what, but decided against it. Perhaps some things are best left unsaid.

“Well, as always, I’m glad to see all of you as well.” Rarity’s eyes landed on the cut running across Rainbow’s forehead. “Though not as hale and hearty as I could hope.”

Applejack huffed. “Sending trained mercenaries after us. This Vesper Radiance girl really means business.”

Fluttershy gasped. “Oh no, they wanted to kidnap Twilight! Has anypony seen her? Or Pinkie and Spike for that matter?”

There was a sound like cannon fire and a plume of dust snaked into the sky from some of the rocks nearby.

“No, but I think I might know where we can find them,” Sunset said, a small smirk on her face.

Twilight Sparkle didn’t enjoy fighting if there was a reasonable solution that could be found without resorting to violence. That wasn’t to say she was a pacifist. She knew combat spells—dozens of them. After the changeling invasion, she had doubled her studies on the subject, with Celestia’s permission of course. If there was a peaceful solution to a problem, she’d try and take it. However, that hardly seemed to be the case at the moment.

After Rainbow had dropped Pinkie onto the griffon that had been stalking her, Twilight had hit him with a simple, but powerful, blast spell. Pinkie had jumped off, leaving him to be thrown backwards across the dirt.

From atop Twilight’s back, Spike had given a cheer of victory, only to have the griffon get back up, drawing a large knife.

Twilight tried to prepare a powerful stun spell, but the griffon rushed her at amazing speeds, catching her off guard. She jumped back as he slashed at her, unbalancing Spike and forcing him off her back. He fell to the ground and quickly scrambled to his feet, watching as Twilight casted minor spells that bounced off the griffon’s sharpened knife.

“Come on, Twilight, you can take him!” Spike cheered.

Twilight knew he was right, but she was having a hard time concentrating on high level spells with a knife being swung at her.

There was a loud popping noise, and Twilight’s vision was filled with bright colors and flecks of paper as a wad of confetti and streamers smashed into the griffon’s side, sending him back to the ground.

Looking over, Twilight saw Pinkie standing with her party cannon, a proud smile on her face, while smoke trailed out of the cannon’s mouth.

Twilight returned the smile before turning back to her dazed opponent. Igniting her horn, Twilight watched as the streamers came to life, wrapping their prey in a thin cocoon. She stopped and admired her handiwork, Spike and Pinkie coming over to join her.

“Wow, you girls got him good,” Spike said.

Before Twilight could thank him, the air was filled the sound of shredding paper. The trio took a step back, watching as the confetti egg fell apart, the griffon emerging like a hungry baby chick.

Twilight inwardly facehoofed. Right, streamers tend not to make the best prisons. She charged a sleep spell, but the griffon moved once again with ferocious speed, leaping from his place on the ground and grabbing Twilight by the horn, disrupting her magic. He tossed her towards the canyon wall where she slammed into it with her side, several sharp pains running through her body. Before she could get up, something heavy landed on top of her, knocking the air from her lungs. Twilight heard Pinkie whimper in pain before Spike’s voice reached her ears.

“Hey, leave them alone!”

Twilight craned her neck in time to see Spike let out a small jet of emerald green flames, singeing the griffon’s tail.

The griffon yelped and quickly batted out the flames before retrieving the knife he had dropped. “All right, you first, runt!”

Brandishing his reclaimed weapon, he advanced towards Spike, whose cheeks began to bulge, a precursor to the second spout of fire he released. However, instead of searing its target, the flames coalesced into a ball of smoke before turning into a scroll, which was shortly cut in a half with the flick of a knife and sent scattering on the wind.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Spike said with a nervous squeak. His assailant gave him an unamused look before bringing the blade down. Spike flinched, twisting his body and raising his arms in a final defense.

“No!” Twilight screamed, forcing Pinkie off of her back. But the blade had already fallen.

There was a sound of metal striking against metal, and the griffon’s knife rebounded off of Spike, unbalancing the mercenary and causing him to stagger back.

Spike blinked and looked up, seeing the griffon’s stunned face. He looked down at the side where the knife had struck him, only to see a tiny scrape no bigger than a paper cut.

“Whew, thank goodness for thick scales,” Spike breathed.

Pinkie let out a similar sigh of relief from her place on the ground. Twilight, however, was not so satisfied.

She could hear the blood roaring in her ears and the magic surging through her entire body. Her breaths came out in furious snorts, and her eyes became eclipsed with pure magic, glossing them with white light. Lightning danced around her horn, crackling intensely as pure energy converged at the tip, building into a bright sphere of light. A ray of magic burst forth and struck the griffon in his side before he could fully realize what was happening.

There was a blinding flash of light and the sound of a knife clattering to the dirt. When the light faded, where the griffon had once been was an armadillo, looking quite terrified.

A purple aura wrenched it off the ground, lifting it high into the air. Her eyes still white with fury, Twilight slammed the armadillo into the hard packed earth.

“You.”

She lifted it up and brought it back down.

“Don’t.”

She slammed it into the wall.

“Ever.”

She brought it to the other wall.

“Touch.”

She lifted Pinkie’s party cannon over.

“Him!”

She forced the armadillo into a ball and shoved it into the cannon mouth, aiming it at the back wall. There was a loud blast of an actual cannon, and a large crater appeared in the cliff face, the armadillo at its center. After a flicker of purple light, the armadillo vanished, replaced once more by a griffon.

Twilight allowed her anger to cool before she rushed over to Spike, wrapping him in a tight embrace. “Oh, sweet Celestia, I’m so glad you’re okay, Spike!” Twilight tenderly nuzzled his cheek, a few tears escaping her eyes.

Spike returned the hug in earnest but said, “Twilight, that was awesome! Do it again!”

Pinkie gave an uncertain look towards the smoking crater. “Is he going to be okay?”

The griffon gave a feeble twitch.

Twilight lifted Spike onto her back, moving away from the demolition site. “He’ll be fine,” she said impassively. She stopped and looked back at him, feeling a twinge of guilt in her stomach. “Probably.”

“Twilight, Pinkie, Spike!”

Turning her head back, Twilight was delighted to see her friends rushing towards her, though some of that joy diminished when she saw the bruises on them. Still, Twilight found herself in the middle of a large group hug, assuaging all her concerns. Her friends were all safe.

“Whoowee, sugarcube,” Applejack said as the group broke apart, her eyes landing on the crater. “Don’t tell me you did that.” An impressed smirk crept onto her face.

Twilight gave a noncommittal shrug. “Yeah, but it was justified. He tried to hurt Spike and—”

“He did what?” Rarity cried, rage written on her face. “That brute! Why, I’ll—”

A purple aura wrapped around Rarity’s tail and held her back. “Don’t worry, Rarity, I think he’s learned his lesson.”

The loud cry of an eagle split the air as Razor and Eliza flew overhead, both of them carrying an injured crew member. The latter was covered in numerous cuts and abrasions, giving her a mottled appearance. Twilight grimaced as she spotted the griffon Eliza was carrying was missing half a wing.

Razor swooped down and peeled the last of his teammates from out of the wall, swinging him over a shoulder. “Alright you brats, you got lucky this time, but next time, I swear your heads will be decorating my cabin! If the desert don’t kill you first that is.” With a final cry, the griffons jetted off, leaving the ponies alone in the dry desert.

“Yeah that’s right, you better run!” Rainbow called after them. “Next time, think twice before messing with us!”

“Please don’t antagonize them,” Fluttershy said meekly.

Rainbow scratched the back of her head. “Right, sorry.”

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, Ah don’t know ‘bout you girls, but Ah could use a nice drink right about now. Pinkie, where are the water canteens?”

Pinkie blinked, tapped a hoof against her chin, and said, “Uhh, I hid them for safekeeping.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Hid them where?” she asked slowly.

“By a rock.”

There was a collective groan from the rest of the group.

“Don’t worry; I know which rock, sillies! Just follow me!” Pinkie hopped along the stone floor, leading everyone out of the canyon.

Twilight sighed, but a smile make its way onto her face. It’s good to be together again.

Lucky for everyone, Pinkie had an excellent memory when it came to where she hid anything. The group had found the canteens hidden behind a small group of rocks near where they had first hid from the griffons. There were three in total, and everyone took turns drinking out of the first one until it was empty.

After that, Sunset and Twilight decided that it was best to try and conserve as much water as possible, as any spell to add more water to their supply was going to be difficult under the circumstances.

Everyone now sat in the shade of one of the taller cliffs, sharing some of the details of the battles they each had just gone through. Sunset and Rainbow joined in; however, both of them, along with Applejack, had decided it was best not to mention the time travel escapade.

The sun was in its decline now, sinking in the afternoon sky. The temperature slowly waned with the ebbing light, and a cool breeze began to blow through the rocky area, much to the party’s relief.

There had been a brief moment of calm relaxation and reflection after everyone had finished their stories. It was Fluttershy who spoke up, asking the question that was no doubt on everyone else’s mind. “Umm, so, does anyone know how far we are from Los Pegasus?”

Sunset leaned against the rock and sighed. “Honestly, I don’t think we’re even halfway there yet.” She had studied several geological maps of Equestria, and gauging the area they had crashed in with the amount of distance they had already walked, Sunset knew they were somewhere in the heart of the desert, meaning they still had a lot of ground to cover.

Rainbow nodded in grim agreement. “Yeah, when I was up in the sky, I still couldn’t see the Los Pegasus Hills, and I was pretty high up.”

Unfortunately, this only served to dampen everyone’s morale.

Twilight loosed a breath, running a hoof through her mane. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to get up early and try to get there as fast as possible.”

Rainbow sat up straight. “Wait, tomorrow? Why don’t we just start right now?”

“Because this is probably the only form of shelter between here and the city. Otherwise, we’ll just be sleeping in the sand,” Twilight explained.

“Oh. Yeah that’s a good point.”

Applejack slumped down next to Rainbow. “Ah know it seems reasonable, but it just feels like we lost a whole day. And then we have to spend most of tomorrow walkin’ the rest of the way. By the time we get there, Vesper Radiance could be long gone.”

Rarity crossed her hooves. “You almost have to hand it to her. She certainly knows what she’s doing.”

Sunset huffed, flicking a pebble across the dirt. “Let’s not start giving out compliments to the mare who’s trying to kill us.” She closed her eyes, resting her cheek on a hoof. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid. We’re falling behind now, and if she gets the Tempest Crown, we may never catch up! Sunset could almost hear Vesper’s soulless giggle playing in her ears.

“Do you think Princess Celestia knows we never made it?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight facehoofed. “Spike burped up a letter during the fight, but it got damaged and lost. I promised her I’d send her a letter when we got to Los Pegasus, and since I never did, she must know we’re in some kind of trouble.”

“But we don’t have anything to use to send a message back to her,” Spike said dejectedly, tracing a claw in the dirt. “Unless one of you girls has a piece of paper on them?”

They all shook their heads and sunk further into the dirt.

“Well, unless the Princess sends another letter, Ah guess we’re on our own,” Applejack said.

They all sat against the rock, contemplating their circumstances and watching the shadows grow longer as the day came to an end. When Rarity inquired about what they would do for dinner, no one had the heart to answer her.

The sun hit the horizon, and the ponies stood up to make camp for the night. It wasn’t a difficult feat. They cleared the space of any small rocks so they would have suitable bedding on the hard ground, which they then placed into a circle. Twilight used her magic and created a fuel-less fire that was contained within the boundary of rocks.

While the daytime brought an oppressive heat, the night was the exact opposite. A frigid gale surrounded Spike and the ponies, keeping them as close to the fire as they could get. Twilight’s enchanted flame kept a wide perimeter warm against the cold night, but the girls couldn’t help but shiver when the wind whipped across their coats.

Growling stomachs made the most conversation that night. Eight bellies rumbled with a want for food to which none of their owners could appease.

Tired, hungry, and feeling rather dejected, everyone decided to call it an early night, save for Rainbow who volunteered to keep an eye out in case the bloodthirsty griffons returned. Applejack offered to take up a shift after her, and Pinkie volunteered to help as well.

They gathered in a circle around the campfire, trying to get into a suitable sleeping position on the uneven earth. Sunset picked a spot next to Twilight, lying down on her back, the hourglass resting on her chest. If Spike and Pinkie’s snoring was anything to go by, Sunset knew most of her friends were already asleep. Turning her head, Sunset saw Twilight lying on her back as well, staring up at the bright stars hanging in the sky.

“Hey, Twilight,” Sunset said softly.

Twilight turned her head. “Yeah?”

“I… I just wanted to say, I’m sorry.”

Twilight frowned, looking puzzled. “Sorry? what for?”

Sunset wasn’t entirely sure herself; she just felt like it was something that needed to be said. She worked her mouth, trying to put her uncertain thoughts into words. “I don’t know, I just feel like part of this is my fault. I dragged you all into this.”

“Sunset, don’t be ridiculous. We would have had to deal with this sooner or later. I think it’s better we’re trying to stop things now than not knowing about it until the last minute. You gave us a chance to make things better.”

“I know, you’re right, again.” Sunset sighed. “I just feel that if it weren’t for me, you all wouldn’t be stuck here in the desert.” Her stomach gave a loud growl. “With no food.”

Twilight waved a hoof. “Don’t worry, we’ll make it out of here. We’ve been in worse situations before.” Her own stomach gave a growl. “Though I’ll admit, I think in most of those situations, we had food.”

Both of them started laughing, trying to keep their voices down as to not wake their sleeping friends. After they had finished, Twilight said, “Hey, Sunset, I have a question.”

“Hm?”

“Well, about your special talent… you said it took you years of training to master it. I was wondering, who trained you?”

“You did,” Sunset said like it was the most casual thing in the world.

Twilight raised her head up. “I did? How could I train you? I don’t know how to tap into the sun’s power.”

Sunset shrugged. “Well, I guess you learn sometime between now and then, because you taught me everything I know.” Sunset turned onto her side, giving Twilight her full attention. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

“I don’t know, I just thought it was something only you could do.”

Sunset shook her head. “Any unicorn can do it, Twilight. Granted, it’s difficult. Very difficult, but it isn’t impossible. That’s why it’s my special talent. It just comes easier for me.” Sunset paused, putting an example together. “It’s like… Pinkie. Her special talent is throwing parties to make ponies happy right?”

“Right.” Twilight nodded.

“Well anypony could do that. She just does it really well and enjoys doing it.” Sunset spotted Rainbow soaring overhead. “Though I doubt there are many ponies who could pull off a Sonic Rainboom. Regardless, your special talent is magic. You could probably learn what I can do in a heartbeat.”

There was a pause before Twilight asked, “Do you think you could teach me?”

Sunset gave an undignified snort as she tried to muffle her laughter. “You want me to teach you?” She saw Twilight nod fervently. “I’m flattered, Twilight, but I don’t know if I’m the teaching type.”

“Aw come on, Sunset. It would be kinda poetic,” Twilight half joked. “You teach me so I can teach you in the future.”

Sunset smiled, rolling onto her back again. “Sure, why not? After this is over, before I go home, I’ll give you some lessons.”

Twilight didn’t answer for a while, making Sunset think she had drifted off to sleep. When she did speak again, it was quieter, and laced with worry. “Sunset… what exactly happened last time, do you know?”

Letting out a slow breath, Sunset shifted on her back, trying to get more comfortable. The conversation was about to take a solemn turn, the least Sunset could do was not feel like she was lying on cement. “The history books… are pretty vague really. Vesper Radiance just showed up out of nowhere and attacked Canterlot. She hurt Princess Celestia and Princess Luna pretty bad before you and everyone else showed up and locked her away. Why?”

Twilight squirmed a little, using her wings as a cushion against the hard ground. “I just had a thought. What if… what if this is how everything went last time. What if you coming back didn’t change anything, and we’re just playing into destiny?”

“The Cloudsdale Library was still around in my future. It’s horrible that it’s gone now, but it’s proof.”

“Proof that we’re changing history,” Twilight finished.

“Destiny isn’t set in stone,” Sunset said, surprised by the strength of her own conviction. “Anything can change.” When Twilight didn’t answer this time, Sunset looked over and found that she had fallen asleep. “Sweet dreams, Twilight.”

Sunset looked back up at the ocean of stars above her. We’re all free to choose our own path, and in turn, help the world choose its path. I’m going to help create a better future, one Vesper Radiance won’t be a part of! She clutched the hourglass lying against her and held it up over her head. The sand had all gathered in the bottom bulb, pressing against the glass. Looking at it, Sunset couldn’t help but smile.

Today, she had proven that it can work more than once. While her plan had been dangerous, half thought out, and consisted mostly of luck, just the very fact that she had been able to time travel again gave her hope. She could still go home. Back to her friends, back to her parents, back to Princess Twilight.

Though she supposed staying here in this present wouldn’t have been a bad thing at all. In fact, she could get quite used to living in Ponyville. It was quiet, quaint, and full of friendly ponies. Not to mention all of the time she would get to spend with Twilight and everyone else.

No, my place is back in the future, Sunset decided. And they’ll all still be there; we can always reminisce about old times.

A figure quickly flashed across the clear surface of the hourglass, jolting Sunset into an upright position. She twisted about, trying to see if anyone was behind her, but everyone accounted for was on the ground asleep. She peered back into the hourglass, hoping to catch another glimpse of the apparition. It had looked an awful lot like…

Sunset glanced over at Twilight who was snoring peacefully. Shaking her head, Sunset laid back down, closing her eyes. Time for bed, Sunset, before you start hearing voices again. She shuddered, grateful that hers was the only voice currently occupying her mind.

Princess Twilight opened the door to her private office and sharply pointed with a hoof, directing Sunset inside. The look on her face was one of the scariest Sunset had ever seen, and it filled her heart with dread knowing that the look was directed at her.

Sunset seated herself on one of the throw pillows, afraid to look up at her teacher. Instead she continued to stare at her hooves, unable to think of anything she could say to justify her actions. The truth of the matter was, she couldn’t. No matter how she tried to spin the tale, she was still at fault, and the guilt was eating her alive.

Twilight took a seat on the other pillow across from Sunset, a small tea table in the middle. To Sunset, it was as if an impassable barrier had been constructed between them. She had never disappointed Twilight before. Not like this.

There was a long, agonizing silence between the two ponies,Sunset still unable to bear looking up into Twilight’s disapproving eyes. The only noise in the room was the sound of an old wall clock,its hands ticking away the seconds at an increasingly slow rate.

Finally Twilight said in a curt voice, “Explain.”

Sunset fidgeted. “I can’t.”

“Yes you can. Now explain.”

Wringing her hooves together and still looking at the carpet, Sunset tried to tell her tale. “Blueblood and his stupid friends were following me around, making fun of me and asking me stupid questions. I got tired of answering and told him to quit acting like a pompous… butt.” Sunset had actually used something more explicit, but felt like she was in enough hot water as it was. There was no sense in making things worse. “He got mad and said, ‘Shut up, you flaming-headed know-it-all,’ and well…”

“You thought magically disabling his vocal cords was a justifiable punishment,” Twilight finished, her voice still hard.

Yes, Sunset thought. Aloud, she said, “No.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“Because… he made me mad,” Sunset said weakly. She knew her argument was poor, but it was all she had. She wasn’t even entirely sure why she did it, she just knew it felt good to see the horrified expression on Blueblood’s face when he discovered he couldn’t speak. The feeling had been short lived, however, as Twilight had walked around the corner just moments after, allowing Blueblood’s friends to tattle.

Twilight’s voice was dangerously calm. “So he made you mad, and you retaliated by doing bodily damage to him.”

“It wasn’t really bodily,” Sunset tried. “I mean, I didn’t actually touch him.”

Sunset jumped as Twilight’s hoof slammed against the floor. “Sunset, you know better than this!” Twilight finally raised her voice. “I taught you better than this! Some bully teases you and you lash out with your magic? That’s worse than if you actually hit him! You can’t allow yourself to be goaded like that; other students look up to you.”

“Yeah, and I just showed them not to take any crap from Blueblood!” Sunset immediately clapped her hooves over her mouth, her eyes finally finding Twilight’s face, which had morphed into one of complete shock. Twilight’s expression mirrored what Sunset was feeling. She had never spoken out of turn with the Princess before.

“I’m so sorry, Princess,” Sunset said hastily, tears coming to her eyes. “I-I didn’t mean it, I was just… I don’t know where—” Sunset stopped when Twilight closed her eyes and held up a hoof.

“Sunset, breathe.”

Sunset obeyed, taking a deep breath, and exhaling. Twilight motioned for her to do it again, and Sunset repeated the process several times before Twilight put her hoof down.

Opening her eyes, Twilight asked, “Now please, Sunset tell me, do you feel any regret for your actions?”

“Yes,” Sunset nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. Despite the moment of satisfaction she had gotten from seeing Blueblood in distress, she felt absolutely guilty for her behavior.

Twilight seemed to sigh in relief. “Good,” she said, her voice softening. “So you know what you did was completely out of line?”

Sunset nodded.

“Good. We’ll discuss your punishment later.”

“Yes, Princess,” Sunset said, abashed. She got up from her pillow and started for the door, sulking.

“Wait.” Sunset turned around and saw Twilight gesture to a spot on the floor next to her. Sunset walked around the table and sat down next to the Princess, who pulled her into a feathery hug.

“Sunset, are you feeling alright?”

Sunset blinked, unsure of what Twilight meant by the question. “Yeah, I guess so. Why?”

“Because, as much as Blueblood gets on your nerves, you’ve never attacked him before. I just want to make sure everything is alright.”

“Everything is fine, Princess. I guess I just got fed up with him making fun of me. But, I know it was wrong and I promise I won’t do it again.”

Twilight looked down at her with soft eyes. “I hope you sincerely mean that, Sunset. You’ve been given amazing power, and you have to use it responsibly. If you had put more force behind that spell, you might have permanently damaged him.”

Sunset went rigid. Despite the anger she had been feeling, she had no desire to cause lasting harm to Blueblood, just scare him enough to teach him a lesson. “I’m sorry, Princess Twilight. I didn’t know.”

Twilight hugged her tighter. “I know you’re sorry, but you need to be careful. You’ve been given incredible amounts of magic with a unique gift and…”

“And what?”

“Well,” Twilight hesitated. “One day… you might have to make a choice, Sunset, of how you use those powers. You can either lash out and attack in anger and hatred… or you can use your abilities to defend those you care about in love.”

Sunset sat in the fold of Twilight’s wings, taking in her words. Attacking in hatred, or defending in love. Of course she’d choose to defend her friends and family. That was the easy choice.

Wasn’t it?

The fireplace in Celestia bedroom crackled noisily, illuminating the surrounding area in a soft orange light as shadows danced on the walls. Philomena sat on her perch in one corner of the room, her head tucked under her wing in slumber.

Celestia sat at her desk, knowing that she too should probably asleep. Yet once again, her mind was too troubled to take a rest. She furrowed a brow, her quill tapping against the wood of her desk, while a half-finished letter sat in front of her.

She had sent a letter to Twilight hours ago, and had yet to receive a response. The lack of reply from her student was troubling. Twilight always responded to her letters, posthaste. Celestia wanted to send another one, but paused when she thought of the possible situation Twilight could be in.

Perhaps sending a letter would only disturb her, or make things worse. If Twilight and her friends were stalking Vesper Radiance or in a similar situation, sending a letter via dragonfire could potentially jeopardize them.

Celestia stood up and walked away from the parchment. “Stop acting like a worried mother hen. Twilight is a grown and powerful mare, she can handle herself.” Still, Twilight was also very prompt and had promised to send a letter initially when she reached Los Pegasus. Celestia was left to question whether or not Twilight could send a letter back.

Growing restless, Celestia exited her room, the two guards at her door saluting as she walked by. The halls of Canterlot Castle were dim, with only a few torches lighting the corridors. Celestia navigated her way through the castle, occasionally running into the night guards on their rounds. Eventually, Celestia found herself in one of the high towers. One of Luna’s favorite spots to meditate and enter the dreamscape. Sure enough, the balcony door was wide open, and Luna was sitting out on the veranda overlooking the city.

Celestia sat down by her side, patiently waiting. Luna’s eyes were closed, and she was as still as a statue, her conscious residing within the realm of the sleeping world. It unnerved Celestia at times. Luna stood so still, it seemed not even the wind touched her. Every feature seemed to be frozen in time, every hair and feather. Only her mane continued to move, eternally caught in an unseen wind.

Luna’s eyes opened, blinking slowly before she turned her head and regarded Celestia. “Judging by your expression, I am safe to assume that Twilight has not responded.”

“No,” Celestia said with a shake of her head. “I know I shouldn’t be worried, but sometimes I can’t help it.”

Luna stretched her wings out, shaking the stiffness out of her body. “Well honestly, I would be concerned if you did not wonder about her welfare. But fear not, Sister, I have seen Twilight and her companion’s dreams. They are safe.”

Celestia let out a relieved sigh. “Do you know where they are?”

“Unfortunately, no. But by the state of their dreams, they are in no immediate danger. I would venture to guess, however, that they did not reach their intended destination.” Luna narrowed her eyes. “I believe they were sabotaged.”

“By Vesper Radiance, no doubt,” Celestia agreed. “Her intelligence gathering is… impressive to say the least.” She stood, turning towards the balcony door. “I will have a talk with the employees of Canterlot Air Dock to confirm our suspicions.” Celestia looked over her shoulder. “Is there any way you can reveal the identity of our villain through your dreamwalking?”

Luna scoffed. “Unless she constantly dreams of ruling Equestria with an iron hoof, then no. And even if she did, I still couldn’t guarantee it.” She gave Celestia an amused smirk. “Do you know how many ponies dream of sitting on the throne? Besides, I would anticipate that she has wards around her mind.”

Making a small noise of disappointment, Celestia started back to her room for some sleep. She knew trying to find Vesper Radiance through Luna’s dreamwalking ability would be too easy, but it was worth a shot.

“However,” Celestia heard Luna speak slowly. “I may know her true identity.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Luna nodded, standing up and heading for the door as well. “But, I require more evidence before I can make a confident claim. I shall be in the library if you need me.” Luna opened the door and made a right down the corridor, leaving Celestia alone to her thoughts.

I hope you aren’t thinking of the same pony I am, Luna. Because it just can’t be possible…

The rising of the sun had given birth to a horrid heat. It was dry, it was suffocating, and the wind only served to blow the biting sand across the marauding ponies as they dragged themselves across the desert. Far behind them was the island of rock that had been their shelter, the only place of reprieve within the maw of the desert. In the distance loomed the Los Pegasus Hills, small green bumps rising out of the earth.

Step by step, Sunset trudged along the shifting dunes next to a bedraggled Twilight. Close behind were Spike and the rest of the girls, each of them dripping with sweat and covered in grime. They didn’t say much. Each was silently cursing the unforgiving heat bearing down on them. Even Spike had to agree that it was unusually warm.

Their trek had begun shortly after sunrise, with the intention to make it to the city by dusk. By the distance they had traveled and the position of the sun in the sky, Sunset guessed that they were about halfway there, and making good time.

“Uhh, girls?” Pinkie called.

Sunset and Twilight turned around and observed Pinkie shaking one of the canteens; a faint sound of sloshing water could be heard from within. They only had two left and were trying to make them last.

“I think we’re gonna need some more,” Pinkie said.

Twilight grunted and eyed Sunset. “Your turn.”

Sunset shook her head. “I’m pretty sure I did it last time.”

“And I’m pretty sure I did it last time. So it’s your turn.”

Rolling her eyes, Sunset allowed her magic to yank the canteen out from Pinkie’s grasp. She was running out of strength to argue and decided it really didn’t matter who did it in the long run.

Holding the canteen in front of her, Sunset simultaneously used her magic to reach up high into the sky where there was more moisture, albeit a still small amount. Since the air that blew across the desert was bone dry, Twilight and Sunset had to try and siphon whatever moisture they could find in the atmosphere above them. However, they had quickly learned that it was a long way up before they could find even the smallest amount of liquid, and with their lack of energy, Twilight had rejected the idea of a molecular replication spell that would multiply their current supply of water.

Sunset knew there was even more condensation higher up, but was too exhausted to reach. And not wanting to spontaneously combust, she was forgone on the idea of tapping into her ability. Huffing in concentration, Sunset gathered what liquid she could find, gathering it into a blob of water, and bringing it down from the sky. From the corner of her eye, she caught Pinkie looking at the water like it had been directly sent by the Maker. With a roll of her eyes, Sunset funneled the water into the canteen before taking a large draught from it and handing it back to Pinkie.

Pinkie frowned and swished it around again, hearing that it was only half-full.

The spell wasn’t incredibly difficult to cast, but Sunset’s empty stomach, coupled with the blistering heat, didn’t exactly make spell casting easy. Ignoring pain of hunger in her stomach, Sunset continued walking, prompting the rest to follow.

The sounds of growling stomachs and groans occupied their otherwise silent journey. Sunset’s own gnawing hunger and frequent use of magic was providing a strain on her mind as well, as she could feel a nasty headache coming on.

“Ah’m so hungry, Ah could eat an entire buffet all by myself,” Applejack said, dragging her hooves through the dirt.

“Please,” Rarity scoffed, “you do that on a regular basis anyway.”

“Hmph, at least Ah don’t try to starve myself trying to look pretty.”

Rarity puffed her cheeks, turning slightly red. “I do not starve myself. I just don’t feel the need to eat like a pig, unlike some ponies.”

“Hey, Ah work a lot, Ah eat a lot. Ain’t no shame in eating a decent home cooked meal.” Applejack looked into the sky, licking her lips. “Why, Ah bet right now, Big Mac finished buckin’ all the Zap Apples from the trees, and is havin’ Granny bake ‘em up into pie right now.”

Rainbow rubbed her stomach. “Man, a pie sounds good right now.”

Applejack’s mouth began to water. “Ah can almost taste the Zap Apple Jam... and Zap Apple Fritters, and Zap Apple Tarts, and Zap Caramel Apples…”

“Applejack, you’re not helping!” Sunset yelled. But Applejack continued to list off a variety of apple based pastries, lost in her own world. Sunset suspected that, despite her hat, the sun had finally fried Applejack’s brain.

“Look, food!” Pinkie cried, racing ahead, leaving everyone to stare after her in confusion.

“Pinkie wait,” Twilight cried, “it’s just a mirage!”

Pinkie grounded to a halt and frantically looked around. “Where’d it go? It was right here!” With a devastated look, she backtracked to the group. “It looked so real….” she murmured.

Oh no, Sunset groaned. It’s spreading.

No sooner had she finished that thought, Sunset saw Princess Celestia calmly walking across the desert. Sunset paused. “What the…” Turning her head, she saw a younger version of herself sitting atop a very regal looking bed and reading a large book.

“Sunset, dear,” Celestia said, “it’s such a lovely day outside. Why don’t you go out and socialize?”

Young Sunset flipped a page. “Oh uh… sure, I will. Just as soon as I finish this.”

“Uh, Sunset, what are you staring at?”

Sunset snapped her head towards Twilight who was watching her with intense curiosity. Sunset turned back, only to see that the mirage had vanished.

“I have no idea,” Sunset said.

As the day wore on, so did everyone’s nerves. Rarity and Applejack had reverted back into pointless arguments, while Rainbow tried to stop them by simply chanting “Shut up, shut up, shut up” over and over again. Meanwhile, Twilight continuously muttered what Sunset could only make out as ramblings under her breath, and Pinkie sang half-finished songs before pointing to some mirage and running after it, only to cry in despair. Sunset would have counted herself among Fluttershy and Spike as one of the few sane ones, but unfortunately her own hallucinations didn’t help her case.

If it weren’t for the headache threatening to split her skull in half, Sunset would have put a silencing charm on Applejack and Rarity a long time ago. Their constant fighting was driving her crazy! As hard as she tried tuning them out, bits and pieces still came through.

“...And ya still gotta have everythin’ just so. All nice and pretty and perfect,” Applejack said.

“Oh not this again,” Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. “For your information, I know how to loosen up when the occasion calls for it.”

“You were tryin’ to sweep up the dirt last time we went campin’.”

“Well is it so wrong to prefer things be tidy, at least in some small degree?”

“Ughh, will both of you please shut up?” Rainbow begged. She had grown tired of flying and instead lagged behind them, forced to listen to every word of their conversation.

“Or, you could mind your own business, Dash,” Applejack suggested.

“Agreed, stop listening in on our conversations.”

“You’re walking right next to me, it’s kinda hard not to!”

Sunset leaned over to Twilight. “Should we do something?”

Twilight looked up from her self-whispers and looked over to the bickering trio. “Nah, they’ll be fine.”

“Uptight nag!”

“Uncouth lout!”

“Both of you shut up!”

Seeing them yell at each other, Sunset wasn’t quite as sure. Twilight had blown it off like it was nothing, but Applejack and Rarity were looking like they were ready to rumble, with Rainbow claiming dibs on the victor. Sunset kept her head turned back, watching as they bared their teeth at each other.

Applejack’s lip trembled and a chuckle escaped her throat. Rarity held a hoof to her mouth and let out a loud snort of amusement, while Rainbow simply threw her head back and bellowed in laughter. In an instant, all three of them were leaning against each other, laughing like somepony had told the funniest joke in the world.

“See, told you,” Twilight said to an open-mouthed Sunset.

“But, I don’t understand,” Sunset said to the laughing trio. “You girls looked like you were ready to kill each other.”

“Aw, sugarcube, we all knew we didn’t mean any of that stuff we said to each other. It’s just the heat talkin’. Besides, none of can stay mad at the other for long,” Applejack said, punctuated by a playful punch to Rainbow’s shoulder.

“Yeah, we’re best friends; we’re not going to let one argument come between us. Already learned that lesson,” Rainbow said.

“Indeed,” Rarity nodded. “It doesn’t matter what we say to each other, and sometimes what we do to each other. As long as it was in jest, or we apologize, at the end of the day we’ll still be friends.”

“Wow,” was all Sunset could say. She and her friends had gotten into a fight once. It had taken them a week to make up. Yet, these girls could make up in a heartbeat and act like nothing happened. They truly were the Elements of Harmony. Their friendship was stronger than anything Sunset had ever seen.

Sunset looked back at Twilight. “And you knew the whole time?”

Twilight weakly nodded her head. “Yeah, it’ll take more than some sand and sun to break my friends up,” she slurred.

“Are you alright?”

Twilight shook her head. “Let’s just hurry to Las Pegasus, then I’ll be fine.”

In front of them, the base of the evergreen hills were now clearly visible. Shapes of buildings could be seen scattered across on its face, sloping up to where a solid cloudbase that looked a lot like Cloudsdale sat at the top.

The group resumed their march with Applejack calling out to Pinkie, who had run off screaming, “Water!” She jumped and slid into the dirt before popping up and yelling, “Why?” She then slumped over and did not get back up.

“Uh-oh,” Applejack said, her eyes widening in concern.

“I’ll… I’ll go get her,” Fluttershy panted. She stumbled as fast as she could over to Pinkie, swaying slightly as she did. She began shaking Pinkie and calling her name repeatedly upon reaching her. The others followed suit, reaching the two just in time to see Fluttershy pass out as well.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow yelled, rushing over and fanning her with a wing. “Come on, wake up!” She used her other wing to fan Pinkie as well, in a vain attempt to awaken them.

Applejack reached over and removed the canteens Pinkie had been carrying around her neck. She opened one up and poured a little on Pinkie’s face, getting no response. “This ain’t good. We got two unconscious ponies, and now we’re runnin’ low on water.”

“I can make more,” Twilight said, gesturing for the canteen. “Give it here.”

“You sure that’s a good idea, sugarcube?”

“I’ll be fine,” Twilight insisted, taking the canteen in her magic. She scrunched up her face, sweat visible on her brow, as she tried to keep her concentration together. The purple aura around her horn sputtered out like a dying candle, and Twilight fell to the floor, the canteen spilling the remaining out next to her.

“Twilight!” Spike cried, rushing over to her.

“Somethin’ told me tryin’ to do magic while overheated was a bad idea,” Applejack admonished, hurrying to Spike’s side. “Now what do we do?”

Rainbow stopped her fanning. “Maybe I can fly the rest of the way and get help! It doesn’t look too far.”

“Darling, are you sure you can make it?” Rarity asked. “Maybe somepony should go with you?”

Sunset tried to take a step forward to volunteer, but found the world began to rapidly spin around her, distorting colors and shapes and blurring them together. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

“I’ll go with her,” Spike said, sounding like he was at the end of an incredibly long tunnel. Sunset could no longer make him out through her muddy vision.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and Sunset heard a muffled, “Are you okay?” from an unknown voice before she found herself feeling very light and floating away towards the sun. For a brief moment, she was flying, feeling her headache vanish and her stomach full of food. Sunset felt well rested and energized, and soared through the sky on invisible wings. The next thing she knew, she was falling, while the world melted away, dissolving into nothingness around her. Sunset felt herself hit the sand and slipped into unconsciousness, thinking she heard someone call her name.

Sunset slid across the cold, polished floor, slamming against one of the crystal pillars lining the side of the massive room. She slumped over, unable to move her bruised body. She closed her eyes and tried to draw on her magic, but still found the gripping pressure on her horn. She looked up and eyed the blue, spherical ornament lying some distance away.

“Damn that suppressor,” Sunset wheezed, her warm breath visible in the freezing air.

A loud roar brought her back to the moment at hand. She could see the beast looming towards her in the reflection of the crystal tiles, its monstrous footsteps echoing throughout the cathedral sized room. Sunset forced her head up, looking the monstrosity in its eyeless sockets.

The dragon-like beast loomed over her, letting out another roar, its breath smelling of rotting flesh. It flexed one of its sinewy arms, raising a bony claw over its head, prepared to deal a final blow.

“Not yet,” Sunset struggled to find her voice. “I can’t die here… I’ve come too far… I refuse to die here!”

The beast brought down its claws, time slowing to a halt as they came down. Sunset refused to look away. She would see her end.

“Sunset Shimmer?”

Sunset turned her head, catching a glimpse of dark figure, before the world shattered like glass. The scenery and the beast burst into shards, and Sunset felt herself falling away into darkness….

Chapter X: Divine Decree

Eyes flying open, Sunset Shimmer awoke, snapping her head up only to be greeted with a horrible dizziness that left her nauseous. She fell back down, hitting her head against a cold, hard surface. She moved a hoof around in a questioning manner, her eyes growing accustomed to the dim lighting.

Sunset rolled onto her stomach, examining the stone floor beneath her. “Where am I?” She immediately broke into a coughing fit, her throat and mouth horribly parched. Spotting a silver dish nearby, Sunset sprung forward, plunging her face into a small pool of water. She rejoiced at the cool, refreshing liquid soothing her throat, relieving her of its scratchiness.

She quickly drained the bowl and licked her lips, desperate to catch as much excess water as she could. Her throat felt considerably better, but Sunset could feel her stomach constrict at the absence of any food. She struggled to her hooves, and was startled by the rattling sound that accompanied her actions. Looking down, Sunset saw her front hooves had been locked in tight manacles with chains leading to the floor. This can’t be good.

Her previous dizziness returning, Sunset staggered and leaned herself against the wall. Exhaustion and weariness gripped her, making her thoughts and actions sluggish. “Okay,” she said in a tired voice, “don’t panic. Just analyze the situation. Stone walls and floors, a water dish, chains…” She reached up and wasn’t shocked to find a magic suppression ring locked around her horn. In front of her, the bars of her cell were now visible in the darkness. With all the evidence around her, Sunset could conclude one thing:

She was in prison. Again.

The next thing Sunset noticed was the hourglass that she had grown so used to having around her neck was missing, no doubt taken away upon her imprisonment. She groaned and slid down the wall, too tired to stand any longer. Fragments of thoughts and memories drifted into her head, but Sunset couldn’t find anything that could explain why she had woken up in a prison cell.

“If I’m here, then where are the others?” Sunset had passed out in the heat of the San Palomino Desert, next to her friends. Whoever had taken her must have taken Spike and the rest of the girls. She stood up again, trying to get as close to the bars as she could. The chains snapped taut, halting her progress about halfway across the cell.

“Hello?” Sunset called into the dim gloom. The corridor separating the cells from each other didn’t have any lighting, save for a faint glow down one end of the hall. Peering through the darkness, Sunset could just barely make out the cell across from her. “Twilight? Anypony?”

Silence greeted her. Straining her eyes, Sunset could not make out any defining shadows in the other hold. She was alone.

Slumping back down, and too tired to properly panic, Sunset resumed trying to piece together what could have happened between the time she passed out and her awakening in a dungeon. She assumed she was somewhere in Los Pegasus, it being the only civilization near her previous location in the desert. But Sunset couldn’t find an explanation as to why she was incarcerated, and the rest of her friends were… somewhere else.

“Vesper Radiance wanted us dead, so it doesn’t make much sense for her to foalnap me. And she wanted me dead specifically, so that gives her less of a reason….”

Sunset couldn’t draw any concrete conclusions; there were far too many unknowns. She would just have to wait for somepony to come down and check on her… and hopefully bring her something to eat.

Fortunately, she did not have to wait long. The sound of a creaking door moaned through the hallways, and the faint light grew brighter as a burly pegasus stallion wielding a torch stepped into view. He was dark grey with a black mane and bristly mustache. On his back, to Sunset’s relief, were a pitcher of water and a loaf of bread.

He picked out a key from the set he was wearing around his neck and unlocked the cell door. He said nothing as he set the food down within Sunset’s reach, and turned to go.

“Wait,” Sunset called. “Why am in here? Where are my friends?”

The guard closed the cell door, locking it tight before he regarded her. “Friends? What friends?” he asked in a gruff voice.

“There were other ponies with me. Twilight Sparkle and the other Bearers of Harmony. Where are they?

The pegasus gave a short laugh. “Is that what you call your captives, ‘friends'? That’s pretty sick of you.”

Sunset reeled back, her face a mask of pure confusion. “‘Captives’? What are you talking about?”

“Playing dumb won’t get you very far,” the guard said, walking away, taking the light of torch with him.

“Wait a minute!” Sunset tried to get closer to the front of her cell, but was hindered by the manacles around her ankles. Instead, she tripped and landed very awkwardly on her face. Scrambling back to her hooves, she yelled, “Come back! You’re not making any sense! Why am I in here? Who told you to arrest me?”

Sunset heard the door open, and the guard responded, answering only her last question. “Princess Celestia,” was all he said before the door slammed shut again.

Twilight hugged the white linen sheets lying across her. They felt so comfortable and warm; she just wanted to lie there forever. Unfortunately, a sharp cry of surprise woke her from her peaceful slumber. Twilight opened her eyes, blinking several times to get adjusted to the sudden burst of light. Rolling onto her back, Twilight noted the florescent light fixtures in the ceiling, and the smell of antiseptic in the air. Attached to her foreleg was an IV, dripping clear fluid into her veins.

“A hospital? Why would I be—”

“What’s going on? Where am I? What happened?” A familiar voice reached Twilight’s ears, appearing to come from just beyond a pale curtain that divided the room.

“Please, calm down, Ms. Dash, everything is fine!” a nurse said. Twilight could see her shadow trying to gently restrain a struggling Rainbow Dash.

“No it isn’t! My friends are in trouble! I was supposed to go get help—”

“Relax, all your friends are fine. See?” The nurse drew back the curtain and jumped a little when she saw Twilight staring at her with curious eyes. “Oh, you’re awake! See, Ms. Dash, everything is fine.”

Rainbow promptly ignored her. “Twilight, are you okay?”

Twilight sat up in her bed, resting against the soft pillows. She felt hungry and light-headed, most likely due from not eating, but otherwise she was fine. “Don’t worry, I’m okay. But, what happened? The last thing I remember was trying to cast a water spell, and then everything goes blank.”

Looking visibly relieved, Rainbow said, “You passed out. Applejack says it was because you were trying to do magic while overheated. Me and Spike flew the rest of the way to Los Pegasus… but I guess I was dehydrated too, because I don’t remember much after getting to the city limit.”

The nurse had moved over to Twilight’s bedside, checking the blinking monitors and changing Twilight’s IV bag. “I’m afraid you passed out too, dear. But that little dragon friend of yours got some help. He ran into one the desert patrol teams and got them to bring the rest of your friends to the hospital.”

Twilight felt herself grin, sinking further into her comfy bed. “Good job, Spike.”

Nodding, the nurse continued. “Poor thing though. That awful Sunset Shimmer must have done something to him and your two other friends. He actually tried to stop the guard from taking her off to jail.”

“What?” Both Twilight and Rainbow’s expressions had jumped from relief to horror, and both were sitting upright with wings flared out.

The nurse took two steps back, a look of apprehension on her own face. “Oh, no, they’re all fine, I assure you. They were probably just suffering from that horrible mare’s mind control spell.”

Rainbow stared at her slack-jawed, unable to form a sentence. Twilight was feeling the same level of confusion she was, and took a moment to gather herself before speaking. “Okay,” she said slowly, “back up a moment please. What is this about Sunset Shimmer and mind control spells?”

“Oh dear, well, you see—”

The door swung open, and a handsome, beige pony wearing a white coat and stethoscope stuck his head in. “Oh good, you’re awake, Princess. Right this way, Mr. Spike. Don’t worry, Nurse Tender Hoof, he won’t be a problem.” The doctor ushered in a baby dragon who made a beeline for Twilight’s bedside. “I’ll go check on the rest of the patients and be right back.”

The door shut behind the doctor, and Spike looked up at Twilight with doleful eyes. “Are you okay, Twi?”

“Just fine, you?”

Spike gave her a confident smile. “Never better.” His smile quickly faded. “But I think Sunset is in serious trouble! They took her off to jail, and everyone keeps saying she's evil. Just look at this!” He handed Twilight a rolled up piece of parchment that he had been hanging onto. “I’m pretty sure these are posted all over town.”

Twilight took the scroll and unrolled it with her magic, then gasped at what she saw. It was a rather unflattering picture of Sunset that had to have been taken during Twilight’s impromptu interview in Cloudsdale. The camera had caught Sunset standing in front of the library, looking like she was about to sneeze, though to anyone who didn’t know any better, it came off as an ugly sneer. Below the picture read:

By Royal Decree of Princess Celestia

Wanted:

Sunset Shimmer

For the crimes of abducting Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Bearers of Harmony, and the destruction of the First Library of Cloudsdale.

If seen do NOT approach on your own. She is highly dangerous and is adept at casting powerful influencing magic. Report any sightings to the local guard immediately.

Twilight read and reread the paper in front of her, her eyes getting stuck on ‘Princess Celestia’ each time. Her brain did not seem to want to accept the fact that Princess Celestia, of all ponies, would frame Sunset for crimes she didn’t commit. Unless the Princess knew something Twilight didn’t. But even then, Twilight had been there at the scene of the crime; she had given an eyewitness account to Celestia herself. They all had.

‘Powerful influencing magic’... Was that it? Did Celestia suddenly have it in her head that Sunset had brainwashed them all?

“Twilight give it here, I can’t see it!”

Rainbow’s complaint snapped Twilight out of her thoughts. She levitated the scroll over to Rainbow who let out another cry of, “What!”

Spike nodded his head sagely. “It’s totally crazy, I know.” He pointed a claw at Nurse Tender Hoof who was looking suddenly unsure of everything around her. “She even tried to get me magically scanned for curses and stuff.”

“This piece of trash is saying Sunset foalnapped us, and then brainwashed us!” Rainbow said, outraged, holding the paper as far away from her face as she could, like it was ridden with some disease. “And Princess Celestia ordered her to be arrested! Something isn’t right here!”

“You’re right, Rainbow. Something is fishy, and we’re going to get to the bottom of it. But first, we have to get Sunset out of jail before they cart her off to Canterlot.” Twilight carefully removed the IV, wincing slightly at the unnatural feel of it sliding from her vein, and got out of bed, much to Nurse Tender Hoof’s chagrin.

“Please, Your Highness, I-I think you might still be confused about the whole situation.”

“I am not confused, Sunset is our friend, not some mind controlling witch. Come on, Rainbow, let’s go.”

Rainbow undid her own IV with less caution and scrambled out of bed as Nurse Tender Hoof feebly tried to block the door. “Even so, I think you still need rest. You were really dehydrated when you were brought in, and you still haven’t eaten anything.”

“Thank you for your concern and care,” Twilight said diplomatically. “We appreciate it, and I promise you, we’ll have a large meal later. But right now, if you could point me to the rest of my friends, we’ll be checking out.”

Nurse Tender Hoof jumped forward, nearly knocking into Twilight, as the door opened up behind her, letting in the doctor. He noted the two ponies out of their beds. “Is there a problem, Your Highness?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, sir. I just believe it is time for us to get going, I have… very important… princess things to do. Just tell me my friends are okay to go.”

The doctor gave her a stern look. “Well, your friends are awake and stable, but I highly suggest that you rest for the remainder of the night, Princess. I’m sure whatever it is you have to do can wait until morning.”

Twilight hadn’t even considered the time of day. The blinds had been drawn around the windows, blocking any view of the outside world. She held her gaze against the doctor’s disapproving look. “I’m sorry.” The image of Sunset alone in a prison filled Twilight’s thoughts. “But I don’t think it can.”

With a relenting sigh, the doctor stepped back into the hall, and out of Twilight’s way. “Very well, Your Highness. Right this way.”

Rainbow gave Twilight an approving grin before following the doctor out the door and down the hallway. They were led a few rooms down, coming to a stop at two doors labeled ‘Room 229’ and ‘Room 230.’

“Your friends only suffered minor cuts and bruises along with their dehydration,” the doctor said, “so they’re free to check out. Still, I would feel more comfortable if you—”

“Thank you, doctor, for all your hard work,” Twilight cut in. “We really appreciate it.” Twilight gave him a sincere smile before entering the first room, with Rainbow and Spike in tow.

Applejack and Rarity sat inside the sterile room, resting on their respective beds. A table with a large pitcher of water and a bowl of apples sat in between them. The small conversation between them immediately stopped upon the entry of their friends. Applejack stood up first, rushing to pull everyone into a hug.

“Thank goodness you two are alright,” she said, addressing Twilight and Rainbow. “We got real worried when Spike came back without you, Dash.”

“Heh, yeah,” Rainbow laughed awkwardly. “Guess I pushed myself too hard again.”

“Still,” Rarity said, making her way across the room, “if it weren’t for you and Spike, who knows what would have happened.” She joined in on the group hug before leaning down until she was eye level with Spike. “You’ve helped save the day again, Spikey-Wikey.” She leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek, leaving Spike in a very dazed state as he numbly reached up and held the spot Rarity’s lips had graced him.

“Alright, girls, we have to get Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and get out of here,” Twilight said, breaking away from Applejack and Rainbow. “You girls were awake when they took Sunset away, right?”

Applejack scoffed. “‘Course we were. Them desert patrol ponies found us and started helping us back to the city, goin’ on about how we were lucky to be alive and such. Then the one carryin’ Sunset turns down the other road! Me, Rares, and Spike start askin’ where he was takin’ her, and they all start spoutin’ some nonsense about her bein’ evil and how we must still be under her spell or somethin’.”

Rarity shook her head. “We tried to put up a fight, but they all insisted we just needed bed rest and magical examination for curses and whatnot. Though I would think the proof is in the pudding, as they all came back blank. Yet according to all the wanted posters, this whole city is under the delusion that Sunset is a wanted criminal.”

“Why would the princess do somethin’ like this, Twilight?” Applejack asked, picking her hat up from the bedside table.

Twilight took another look at the poster. “That’s just it. I don’t think she did.”

“What, you think someone forged this to set Sunset up?” Rainbow asked.

“I think it’s a very strong possibility. But first, let’s check on Pinkie and Fluttershy. I want to make sure they’re okay.”

The ponies filed out of the room, save for Spike who had become immobile. He continued to stand with his hand on his cheek and a lovestruck expression on his face.

Unable to resist a chuckle, Twilight lifted him onto her back. “Come on, Casanova.”

As they entered the next room, their eyes were met with a colorful flotilla of assorted balloons shaped into various animals and figures. Pinkie lay on her bed, twisting her newest balloon into a giraffe figure, while a party hat sat on her head.

Fluttershy, in the meanwhile, sat upright in her own bed, sipping on a bottle of water and politely minding her business.

Pinkie accidentally let go of her unfinished balloon at the sight of her friends entering, allowing it to fly around the room, squealing as it deflated.

“Oh goodie, goodie, you’re all here! Fluttershy and I were just talking about you guys! I wanted to have a little party celebrating us getting out of that hot desert, then I thought, ‘hey, desert sounds like dessert,’ so I wanted to have a ‘hot desert dessert party’ with hot cakes, and hot fudge sundaes and créme brule! But Fluttershy said the nurses probably wouldn’t let us have all that in here, so I made balloon animals instead!” The deflated giraffe took Pinkie’s momentary pause to land on her snout. “Hey, wait a minute! Eeny, meeny, miny, moe—where’s Sunny?”

“Jail,” Rainbow said flatly.

Pinkie looked over to Fluttershy. “Wow, how long were we asleep?”

“Here,” Applejack handed the paper over to Pinkie, “this might explain a few things.”

Pinkie scanned over the paper and let out a gasp, eyes bugging out of her head. “Hey, this is slander! Lies and slander!” Pinkie shouted, waving the paper around. “Fluttershy, do you remember being kidnapped?”

“Um, no.”

“Exactly! I smell a conspiracy, and it doesn’t smell like the good kind!” Pinkie somersaulted out of bed, landing on her back hooves before wobbling and falling on her face. She got up, acting like nothing happened and pointed to the door. “Come on, girls, we have to go break Sunset out of jail, and I know just how to do it! We’re going to need grappling hooks, an air horn, two shovels, and some spy suits!”

Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. “Uhh, how about we try to solve this diplomatically before we jump to drastic measures.”

“Aww, but I like drastic measures…”

Much like Canterlot, Los Pegasus was abuzz with activity even at night. So many buildings were lit up that it was hard to see the stars overhead. Chariots raced back and forth across the main roads, carrying late night tourists and well-to-do ponies, while on the sidewalk, drunken ponies staggered around, stumbling into the lamp posts that lined the streets.

Unlike Canterlot, trash and other discarded filth littered the streets in abundance, lining the gutters and cluttering the storm drains. Old gum decorated the cement sidewalks, giving it a black polka-dotted appearance. Twilight grimaced when she stepped on a rather fresh wad of gum, quickly scraping her hoof on the curb.

“I knew Los Pegasus wasn’t known for being the cleanest city in Equestria, but is it too much to ask for ponies to put their gum in the trash?” Twilight asked with disgust.

A passing stallion handed Rarity a flyer before taking off down the road. With a single glance, Rarity made a horrified, gagging expression and dropped it to the floor, like she was expecting the paper to catch on fire. “And their taste in entertainment is… questionable.”

Twilight and the others looked down at the paper and made similar expressions. On it was a scantily clad pegasus in a very inviting position with several muscular earth ponies around her.

“Yeah, L.P. isn’t exactly the most family friendly city,” Rainbow said from her overhead perch.

Applejack quickly averted her eyes. “That’s one way of puttin’ it.”

The group continued their wandering down the city streets, now on guard for any shady ponies lurking just outside the lights of the streets lamps, wary to anything else that might be advertised to them.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel dwarfed by the size of the buildings around her. Each one had to be at least six stories tall, with dozens of them extending far beyond that, scraping against the very night sky. Most of them were blocky, giving them appearances of radiant dominoes.

Every so often, a pony would come up and bow to Twilight, offering praise or congratulatory words, which Twilight found more flattering than awkward, seeing as she did not know any of these ponies personally. Some of them even offered condolences for the recent “ordeal” she had just gone through, and Twilight got tired of explaining it was all a misunderstanding after the fourth one. But then there were several who outright ignored Twilight as she passed by, which Twilight wouldn’t have minded if it weren’t for the evil eye some of them seemed to be giving her. It finally became apparent to Twilight that not everypony was excited to have a new princess when a raggedy earth pony walked up and spat in her face.

Quicker than lightning, Rainbow smashed the stallion to the ground, placing him in a tight choke hold. “Apologize! Apologize right now!” she screeched, fuming.

“Yeah, just like a princess, sending somepony to do the work for you while you reap the benefits,” he said between wheezes. “Are you going to banish me because I won’t kiss your gold horseshoes?”

Rainbow visibly increased the pressure of grip. “Quit talking, or you’ll be lucky to get banished.”

“Let him go, Rainbow.”

Rainbow looked dumbfounded. “But Twilight he—”

“I know,” Twilight said, wiping the spit off her cheek. “But please, let him go.”

Giving the stallion one last repulsed look before letting his head drop to floor, Rainbow got up and took a defensive stance in front of Twilight.

Watching the earth pony stand up and regain his breath, Twilight said, “I’m sorry you feel that way, sir. Is there anything I can do to change how you feel?”

“You can drop off the face of the earth!” he snarled, before stomping away.

“That’s it!” Rainbow made to lunge after him, but Twilight’s magic grabbed her by the tail and held her in midair.

“No, Rainbow, it’s fine. Some ponies just don’t like change, and that’s okay. I realized that I don’t need to have everypony like me; I have all of you guys, and my family, and Ponyville. That’s more than enough.” She turned and smiled at the rest of them. “Your opinions are the only ones I care about.”

“Well, sugarcube, ya handled that a lot better than Ah would have,” Applejack said warmly. “Ah’m mighty proud of ya.”

“As am I.” Rarity put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I told you you’d make a good princess.”

Rainbow crossed her hooves, looking disgruntled. “He still shouldn’t have spat on you.”

Twilight shuddered. “I’ll admit, that was uncalled for, but we can’t beat him up over it.”

“Says you.” Rainbow saw Twilight’s disapproving look and gave a relenting sigh. “Fine, fine. Let’s just go before somepony does something I’ll make them regret.”

Twilight, warmed by Rainbow’s devotion, continued to lead them down the streets of Los Pegasus, going off the directions to the jailhouse the receptionist at the hospital’s front desk had given them. Along the way, Twilight spotted several more of the wanted posters for Sunset Shimmer decorating the sides of buildings and light posts.

Refusing to believe that Celestia had ordered for Sunset’s arrest, Twilight silently tried to piece together her own conclusions.

The only pony I can think of who would do this is Vesper Radiance, but she sent griffons after us in the desert with the intention of killing most of us, Sunset included. This must be a backup plan. But why single out Sunset? How does Vesper even know who she is? Technically, Sunset doesn’t exist yet.

Twilight continued her ponderings until they arrived at the jailhouse, a comparatively small, grey building compared to the towering buildings around it.

Stepping inside onto the checkerboard patterned floor, Twilight took in the bland waiting area. The walls inside were almost as grey as the walls outside. There were a few chairs around a small table with a potted plant, the room’s only decorative feature other than the desk at the back of the room, where a grey pegasus sat reading the evening paper.

“Excuse me, sir,” Twilight said, approaching the counter. She eyed the name plate and quickly identified him as Officer Cold Steel.

“Oh, Princess Twilight!” He put the paper down. “It’s good to see you’re alright. What can I do for you today, Your Highness?”

“Do you have Sunset Shimmer in your custody?” Twilight cut to the chase.

Cold Steel nodded. “Don’t worry, Princess, that mare can’t hurt you anymore. In fact, I just got a letter from the mayor saying there’ll be someone to pick her up and take her to Canterlot within the hour.”

“That’s just it. Sunset hasn’t hurt anyone; she’s innocent.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie jumped in, “Sunny never foalnapped us, and I’m pretty sure she didn’t set the library on fire, but I’m not entirely sure since I wasn’t there, but I don’t know why she would, she looks like she likes reading as much as Twilight does. And she definitely didn’t brainwash us, ‘cause I would know if somepony washed my brain.”

“Forgive me, Your Highness, but I can’t let her go. She’s been deemed a Level One Threat and I have strict orders not to release her until the appropriate party comes.”

Twilight could feel herself starting to grow impatient. “But I told you, Sunset isn’t a threat, she’s being framed.”

With a slight roll of his eyes, Cold Steel said, “Well, unless you have some proof, I’m afraid Shimmer is staying here.”

“Proof?” Rainbow said with an indignant tone. “How about the fact that we, the ones who were supposedly ‘foalnapped,’ are saying she’s innocent; is that proof enough for you?”

“Listen,” Cold Steel was now visibly becoming annoyed, “Sunset Shimmer is a wanted criminal, put on alert by Princess Celestia herself, I—”

“I order you,” Twilight said softly.

Cold Steel blinked. “Pardon?”

Raising her voice and bringing herself to her full height, Twilight said, “As Princess of Equestria, I, Twilight Sparkle, order you to release the ‘criminal’ Sunset Shimmer into my custody.”

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Cold Steel could only fidget nervously as he weighed his options. In the end, he sighed deeply and pulled out a form from under his desk. “Just fill this out, please, Your Highness,” he asked before walking through the door behind him.

“Wow, Twilight, way to show him!” Rainbow cheered. “That’s how you put someone in their place.”

Twilight blushed, taking a quill and filling out the release paper. “It was nothing; I’d do the same thing for any of you.” Still, Twilight couldn’t ignore the small sense of pride she had for herself. I just gave my first royal decree…

Calling Sunset furious would be an understatement. She was livid. It was a rage that she could only take out on her bread as she tore off large chunks of it and chewed as angrily as she could.

“I don’t understand,” she muttered between mouthfuls. “Why would Celestia want me arrested!”

I told you she would double-cross you. You’ve displeased her.

“Oh great, you’re back! This just keeps getting better!” Sunset slumped against the wall, shoving the last piece of bread into her mouth before washing it down with a long draught of water from the steel pitcher. She tossed it aside when she had drained it empty, allowing it to clang loudly against the hard floor.

Sunset had tried to ignore her hatred for Celestia. She had reasoned with it, analyzed it, listed every reason why she shouldn’t hate her. But now, the hatred that burned in her heart was justified. It was as if a piece of Sunset had finally been set free and was now celebrating a victory. Celestia had thrown Sunset in jail for no reason. Now Sunset could hate her without needing an explanation.

But maybe it’s a mistake, part of her still tried to reason. Maybe the guard was lying. Celestia wouldn’t throw me in jail without a reason.

She’s scared of you. Scared of your true power and what it could truly mean. A cutie mark shaped like a sun? She’s afraid you’ll overpower her and take the throne.

That’s ridiculous! Celestia isn’t some paranoid conspiracy theorist! Besides, why would I want the throne?

Because, it’s rightfully yours.

Sunset slammed the back of her head against the wall. “Okay, no more conversations with myself. I’m starting to freak me out.” She quickly raised a hoof and grabbed the back of her head. “Ow, ow, ow, bad idea!”

As Sunset sat there waiting for the pain to subside, she heard the door open again, and watched as the guard who had dropped off her food return and unlock her cell door.

“Well, looks like you’re free to go,” he said dismissively, unlocking the manacles around her hooves.

“Really?” Ha, I knew it was a mistake! Sunset then raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Wait, why?”

“Because Princess Twilight ordered you into her custody, even though the mayor told me to wait until the specially assigned unit arrived. But I’m pretty sure Princess beats mayor.”

Sunset smiled from ear to ear. “I knew Twilight would bail me out!” Sunset jumped up, feeling the freedom of not having her hooves locked down. “Hey, aren’t you going to take this off too?” She pointed to the inhibitor ring still around her horn.

“I’ll remove it out front,” he said curtly.

“Why, afraid I’ll hex you or something?”

“Just walk before I keep you in here for contempt.”

Sunset held her tongue and trotted as quickly as she could down the dim corridor and pushed the door open, stinging her eyes with the bright light of the front room.

“Sunny!” Sunset’s vision was suddenly filled with something very pink, and she found the wind squeezed out of her lungs.

“It’s okay, Sunset! You don’t have feel isolated, we’re here for you! We’ll help you get readjusted to life outside.”

“Pinkie, I was only in there for a few hours… I think.”

Pinkie released Sunset from her ironclad grip, allowing Sunset to breathe once more. “Oh yeah. Still, it’s so good to see you!”

“Finished!” Sunset heard a voice call, and turned her in time to see Twilight slap a quill down against the front desk and slide a piece of paper forward.

The guard took the paper and read through it at, what Sunset felt, was a snail’s pace.

“Alright,” he said, putting the paper down and pulling out a set of metal tongs. “Let me remove the ring, and you’re free to go.”

Sunset stood perfectly still as Cold Steel clamped the tongs around the inhibitor ring and slid it off her horn. She instantly felt a surge of power flow through her, like someone had just given her the kiss of life. Magic crackled at the tip of her horn, making Cold Steel jump back in fright.

Giving a slight smirk at his distress, Sunset held out her hoof and said, “You also have my hourglass. I want it back, if you don’t mind.” There was no way she could leave without her only ticket home.

Grumbling, Cold Steel retreated back to his desk and pulled the golden hourglass out from underneath. Sunset yanked it from his grasp with her magic, ignoring the small jump he gave at the sudden intrusion.

“Thank you for your services,” Sunset said, draping the timepiece back around her neck where it belonged. “Have a nice night.” With that, she turned on her hooves and marched out of the building surrounded by her friends who pulled her into a warm group hug the second the doors had shut behind them.

“Goodness, darling, you had us worried for a moment. I thought the next time we might see you, it would be across prison bars,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, I was pretty worried myself,” Sunset agreed. “But, I never doubted you guys would come for me.”

“Yeah, you should have seen it!” Rainbow circled overhead, flaring her wings. “Twilight totally went full princess power to get you out!”

Sunset broke away from the others and looked at Twilight. “Really? You did that for me?”

“Well, yes,” Twilight said demurely. “You are my friend after all. Besides, I couldn’t have you go to prison for something you didn’t do.”

“Oh yeah, can someone fill me in on what exactly I didn’t not do?” All Sunset still knew was that Princess Celestia had wanted her arrested.

Spike handed her the rolled up parchment from atop Twilight’s back. “We think it was a setup. Princess Celestia wouldn’t do something like this.”

Hearing Celestia’s name caused Sunset to snatch the paper with more force than she meant to. She unrolled the paper and read the notice, stopping to examine the crude picture taken of her. Now that Sunset thought about, if Celestia really wanted her, she would have just come and taken her herself.

“Well, Sunset, what do you think?” Twilight asked.

The sound of a growling stomach beat Sunset to the punch. “Heh, I think I’m still hungry.”

“Best answer Ah’ve heard all night.” Applejack grinned. “C’mon, let’s get some grub.”

“Pardon, Applejack, but you seem to be forgetting that we don’t have any money,” Rarity intervened, sounding dejected all the same.

“Don’t worry, girls,” Twilight said, leading them down the street once more. “I think I can bend a few rules, just this once.”

Spiked grabbed his rumbling stomach. “Thank goodness, ‘cause I’m starving.”

“So.” Pinkie bounced along next to Sunset. “Do you have any cool prison stories? Ooh, ooh, did you get any tattoos?”

“Pinkie, I was only in there for a few hours,” Sunset said, crumpling up the wanted poster and tossing it into a nearby trash can.

“Oh yeah.”

Letting out a content sigh, Sunset reclined in her chair, an act mimicked by everyone around the table. Empty dishes were piled all around, practically licked clean of all food. It was especially true in the case of Pinkie, who seemed determine to sop up every last bit.

After asking around, Twilight had led them to the fanciest hotel in the city, The Promenade, where, after a small display of princess persuasion and a promise to be repaid by the royal treasury, everyone was treated to an outstanding gourmet dinner.

Their table sat out on the terrace of the hotel’s restaurant, overlooking the Los Pegasus Strip. Shining like a brilliant star, the Strip could be mistaken for its own city, when, in actuality, it was Los Pegasus’ largest attraction other than Applewood, which sat on the opposite hill. Assorted buildings of vibrant colors and fantastic shapes clustered together to make the Strip, making the rest of the city look dull by comparison.

Sunset tore her eyes away, growing too tired to dream of the amount of fun that could be had down in one of the various theme hotels and casinos. Instead she let her eyes wander a bit closer to home, though, other than the large koi fish pond nearby, there wasn’t much else to look at. It being so late, there was only one other couple out on the terrace with them, no doubt just returning from a gambling exposition. Sunset watched as they finished paying the check and got up to depart, leaving behind the day’s paper. Sunset was just about to turn away when something in the paper caught her eye.

She levitated the page over and fully examined the header, reading:

Unicorn Couple Missing from Hollow Shades. Police Suspect Murder.

Late last night, the sleepy community of Hollow Shades received a terrifying wakeup call when several reports of screaming were filed to the police office, finally ending with a missing ponies report. At approximately five-thirty in the morning, ponies Morning Glory and Midnight were announced missing.

“My cat was yowling at me to let her outside, so I got up to open the door when I started to hear a mare scream,” says Shades resident, Thorny Rose. “I was so terrified; I didn’t know what to do.”

“I lived across the street from the old couple,” neighbor Wind Whistler reports. “They were nice enough, mostly kept to themselves. I don’t know who would want to hurt them.”

Detectives arrived on scene to find no evidence of breaking and entering, however, there were several traces of blood from both ponies, though no physical weapon was found.

Investigator Wide Lens says, “There’s a possibility that the assaulter took the weapon with them, but we have a high suspicion that this was done by a unicorn. Sadly, we aren’t too confident that they are alive.”

With no suspect, Hollow Shades is in a state of panic.

“We acknowledge that this is a worrying situation, but we encourage everypony to remain calm and try to go about their usual lives, albeit with a little more caution.”

“What is that, Sunset?”

Sunset snapped her head up, catching Twilight examining the back of the newspaper. Luckily, everyone else seemed to be in their own worlds, their eyes glazed over from their meals. “It’s nothing right now,” Sunset said, folding the paper up and putting it back on the other table. “I’ll tell you later.”

Twilight shrugged and resumed sipping her fruit punch, leaving Sunset with a moment to herself. Morning Glory and Midnight. The two names almost sounded familiar, like Sunset had known them from somewhere. Did they do something important? Maybe they’re names in my history books. She yawned, her brain beginning to grow fuzzy. She could dwell on it later.

Rainbow shifted in her seat, patting her full stomach. “That was the best idea ever.”

“Well, don’t get used to it,” Twilight warned. “Part of me still doesn’t feel comfortable doing this, but this was an emergency.”

“Then we should totally get lost in the desert more often. What, I’m joking!” she quickly added, seeing everyone’s expression.

“Well, I don’t know about all of you, but I am going to take a nice, long bath and go to sleep,” Rarity said, her smile getting wider at the very prospect of being clean again.

Fluttershy let out a dreamy sigh. “A bath sounds wonderful right now. Thank you so much for giving us separate rooms, Twilight.”

“Well, I figured you’d all want to clean up after what we just went through. This way, no pony has to wait in line.” She yawned and stretched her forelegs. “I plan on doing the same thing after I write a letter to Princess Celestia.”

Applejack found a leftover cherry lying on her plate and popped it into her mouth. “Yeah, Ah reckon a letter to the Princess about everything that’s happened is probably a good idea.”

With all of their evening plans decided, everypony got up from the table, with Twilight having to carry a sleeping Spike on her back. They exited the terrace and headed for the main lift, crowding inside and waiting as it slowly crawled up to the tenth floor. A long carpeted, corridor greeted them upon arrival, with brightly polished wooden doors on either side.

One by one, the ponies found their rooms, bidding each other goodnight in a quick but earnest fashion, each wanting to get to the shower as soon as possible. Soon, there was only Sunset and Twilight left standing across from each other at the entrance to their respective rooms.

“So, are you going to tell me what you were reading?” Twilight asked politely.

Sunset shook her head. “I’ll tell you in the morning. It’s kinda depressing. But, let’s just say I know what Vesper Radiance was up to while we were in the desert. I just don’t know why.”

“Oh. Well, if you think it could wait….”

“Trust me, you’ll sleep better.”

There was long drawn pause between the two ponies, with both of them absentmindedly looking up and down the corridor trying to find something to say. Their silence was only broken by Spike’s light snoring.

Twilight pawed at the ground and said, “Well, I guess we should head to bed. It’s been a long day—oof!”

Sunset had flung her forelegs around Twilight, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I never really got the chance to say thank you. What you did means a lot to me. I know you aren’t used to the princess role yet, so…”

“Actually, I have a little more confidence now after all of this, so I guess I should be thanking you.” Twilight chuckled, returning the hug. “Um, not that I want you to get arrested again or anything,” she added.

Sunset laughed and let go, brushing a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. “Yeah, let’s hope that doesn’t happen again. Twice is more than enough for me.”

“Twice?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Sunset pushed open her room door, flashing Twilight one last smile. “Goodnight… Princess.”

Twilight gave a playful smirk in return. “Goodnight, my faithful student.”

Closing the door, Sunset leaned against the doorframe for a moment, savoring those last words. “She called me her faithful student.” It had felt like an eternity since Sunset had heard those words, and the last time she had heard them, they were part of Twilight’s dying breath. It was a wonderful feeling, hearing them again, sending a jolt of pride through Sunset’s heart. She would always be faithful to Twilight, and now she knew Twilight, without a doubt, would do anything for her too.

Razor grabbed Cold Steel by the throat and flung him across the room, watching as he upended the table, falling into a crumpled heap amongst the splintered remains. The potted plant that had previously made its home there came crashing back down on top of the stallion’s head.

“What do you mean she’s not here?” Razor roared.

“T-The Princess came and took her,” Cold Steel slurred, massaging the large bump on his head.

Still fuming, Razor marched over and pinned Cold Steel against the wall, holding a dagger to his throat. “Where did they go?” he asked his voice dangerously low.

“I-I don’t know, I swear!”

“Wrong answer!” Razor jerked the dagger in his hand, silencing the pegasus and ending his struggle to escape. Letting the body slide down the wall, Razor turned back to his waiting crew. Seven griffons looked back at him with uncertain looks.

Eliza raked her claws across the wooden desk. “This job was supposed to be easy; we had her in the palm of our hands.”

“Yeah,” another agreed. “What are we supposed to tell the boss now?”

“Carrow, you idiot, we aren’t going to tell her anything!” Razor snapped. “You saw what she did to Jasper.”

All of the griffons shuddered at the memory of what had happened to their half-winged crew member.

“No,” Razor said, shaking his head. “No, we don’t tell her anything. If she finds out we let her set up go to waste, she’ll tan all our hides. We just gotta find those ponies tonight and slaughter them in their sleep.”

Carrow raised a claw. “But, Captain, they could be anywhere in this city. Where do we start looking?”

Razor stroked his scarred face, contemplating the numerous locations a pony could hide. He snapped his claws as an idea came to him. “That purple one’s a princess ain’t she? Royalty gets all kinds of special treatment. We just have to find the ritziest hotel in this joint, and I bet we’ll find the whole lot of them.”

The rest of them nodded in agreement. It was sound logic, and the only plan they had. Razor pushed past them, heading out the door and taking off into the night sky.

“And then, I’m going to murder that little runt. No one makes a fool outta me.”

Author's Note

From here on in, there will be massive amounts of action, danger, suspense, mystery, and feels. Yes, there will be feels.

You have been warned.

Chapter XI: Blood and Magic

Canterlot was nothing more than a desolate ruin now. Fires still burned, consuming everything in their greedy path, leaving only ashes that swirled and danced on the air, eventually carried up by the sporadic wind. The sky was painted in bloody hues, complemented by the black smoke clouds that funneled around the city.

Step by step, Sunset stumbled her way through the wreckage of her once proud city. She jumped over the wide fissures the earthquakes had torn open and skirted around pools of hot magma that had spilled from the bloody gash in the mountain face.

“Hello?” she weakly called. She wasn’t sure why she did it. She knew in her heart of hearts there was nopony left. Still, she was compelled to keep walking, wandering through the charred remains and calling out to survivors that would never respond.

When she reached the gates of Canterlot Castle, she came to a stop, raising her head to the sky. The dark orb that had housed Vesper Radiance was no longer there, returning the sky to a weak semblance of normality.

As if she was being drawn forward, Sunset resumed her lonely march into the castle, stepping over the broken threshold of scorched stone. The interior of the castle looked worse than how she had left it. Hills of rubble piled high all around, while the last threads of the carpets and tapestries burned away. All of the windows had been completely smashed open, leaving only multicolored powder behind.

Sunset teleported to the top of the broken stairs and made her way down the hall to the throne room, a mysterious force calling to her like a siren's song. Something was waiting for her, and it was out of sheer curiosity that Sunset kept walking, putting up no resistance.

She arrived at the large ornamental doors, or at least what was left of them. One had completely fallen off its hingesand the other had severe burn marks on it. The rest of the throne room didn’t fare much better. The ceiling was completely gone, like it had simply been torn off and tossed aside. Every window that had once held a piece of history was now shattered, allowing the distorted sunlight to flow freely inside. Yet despite this, the throne itself was completely draped in shadows. Sunset could just make out a figure lounging across it.

“So good of you to come back… Sunset Shimmer.” There was a false sense of glee in the raspy voice that came fromthe darkness.

At that moment, Sunset wanted nothing more than to run away. The creature in front of her was not—could not—be equine in any sense of the word. Horrible chills crawled down her spine and spread into her blood, freezing it solid. She wanted so bad to retreat, yet her legs brought her forward instead, halting her in place at the center of the hall.

“You aren’t scared, are you, Sunset Shimmer?” Two balls of scarlet flames appeared where a set of eyes should have been, burning with such an intensity, Sunset was amazed she didn’t melt on the spot. “Oh no, you’re absolutely terrified!” The creature burst into heartless laughter that rang in Sunset’s ears and vibrated through the decrepit hall.

Finally feeling herself regain control of her limbs, Sunset turned and bolted for the door, only to have a shadow appear in front of her, baring her passage. It was a nondescript thing, with only enough features that Sunset could tell it belonged to a pony.

“Why run away, Sunset; why not just accept it?” Much like its body, its voice was also indistinguishable.

“Get out of my way, or I’ll blast you out!”

“Mmm, there’s that angry fire. It feels good to let it burn,doesn’t it? To just act on your anger and hatred?”

A beam of light erupted from Sunset’s horn and tore through the shadow, banishing it to oblivion. Sunset raised her head, taking deep breaths as she gathered herself together.

“That’s it,Sunset,” a voice hissed in her ear. “Find something else to hate, then hate it with all your heart!”

Sunset swung a hoof around, trying to catch the shadow in the jaw. It only laughed as Sunset went right through it and stumbled forward in an effort to regain her balance.

“Come on, try again. I’m standing right here!”

Instead, Sunset took a few steps back and asked, “Who are you?”

The shadow threw its head back and laughed. “Me? I am what remains. Broken, torn apart,and beat down. Smothered with love and friendship. But I know the truth. There is no such thing as harmony. Love and friendship are emotions that only exist until they are banished by death.” It began making an advance towards Sunset; its features slowly became more defined,with a familiar mane and tail, and a light teal in its eyes.

“But hatred carries on. I carry on. Weakened and dormant, yes. But the more you hate, Sunset Shimmer, the more anger you feel, the stronger I become. I am what makes up the truest essence of your soul. No matter how many good deeds and friends you hide behind, I will always exist!”

“ENOUGH!”

Sunset threw a hoof in front of her face as a blinding, blue light enveloped the entire castle around her. There was a guttural scream that faded along with the light until Sunset could open her eyes again. Replaced by the castle was a lush, rolling field that stretched onwards in all directions for what looked like forever. In the distance, Canterlot could be seen on its mountain perch in all of its splendor. The sky was stippled a spectrum of darkening hues as the sun set in the west.

“Are you alright, Sunset Shimmer?” a regal voice asked.

Sunset turned and found Princess Luna looking down at her with honest concern.

“I… I think so.” If Princess Luna was here, that meant that everything she had just witnessed was nothing more than a dream, and while that provided Sunset with some comfort, she was still shaken by the words of the shadow.

“I can tell you are not being as truthful as you could be, Sunset,” Luna said with a slight frown.

“I’m sorry, I honestly don’t know how I feel.”

Luna nodded. “That is natural. That was the most powerful nightmare I have seen in a long time. I would be amazed if it did not leave a lasting impression.”

“Thank you for getting rid of it.”

“It was my duty, Sunset. I am honor bound to protect all denizens of the sleeping world from the nightmares that lurk there. But, I have also been meaning to speak with you for a while now.”

Sunset arched an eyebrow. “Really? About what?”

Luna took a few gentle steps across the field, her gaze fixed on the setting sun. “Sunset, tell me, how much do you know of your past? Are there any blank spots or gaps in your memory?”

Sunset couldn’t help but puff her cheeks. “No, I remember everything just fine.”

Luna took no notice however. “What about your parents and your foalhood?”

“Princess Luna, are you trying to imply something?” Sunset made no effort this time in hiding the ice in her voice.

Turning back to Sunset, Luna gave her a sympathetic look. “My apologies, Sunset, I meant no offense. I believe your intentions are good. However, I also believe there is more to this story than you are aware.”

Sunset’s voice softened. “Story... what story?”

“The story of Vesper Radiance, and the doomed future from which you hail. Witnessing your nightmare proved my suspicions. There is something greater that connects you to her and those events, something inside your subconscious that may give us the key to solving this mystery.”

Sunset sat down on her haunches, taking in the weight of Luna’s words. What did her nightmare have to do with Vesper Radiance? Sunset was scared to find out. But perhaps it would explain the voice in her head, and the memories that didn’t belong to her.

“But wait, you said subconscious, as in my memories, right? I thought you could only observe dreams?”

A playful smile pulled at Luna’s lips. “What is the difference between a dream and a memory? Both can be accessed by the sleeping mind, and thus, both can be observed.”

“So you want to go into my memories and see if there’s something in there?” Sunset clarified.

Luna nodded. “Indeed. With your permission, of course.”

“Well…” Sunset started slowly. “It would explain some things, hopefully. And if it helps us stop Vesper Radiance then—”

The entire dream world flickered in and out of existence, and Sunset’s ears stood at attention as a distorted cry reached her. She watched Luna’s entire body go rigid before her eyes glowed with power. Leaping into the air, Luna screamed, “Sunset Shimmer, you must wake up now!” She slammed her hooves together, and the entire dreamscape shattered like glass.

Sunset’s eyes snapped open in time to see a dagger lifted over her head, poised to plunge straight into her neck. She could feel a set of claws firmly pressing onto her chest. Magical instincts immediately kicked in, and a blinding light radiated from Sunset’s horn, forcing her to close her own eyes from the intensity.

The owner of the dagger let out a screech of pain, removing their weight from Sunset and allowing her to roll out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, she had not moved fast enough, as a sharp, burning sensation burst across her shoulder, forcing her to yelp in pain. Still, Sunset continued to maneuver off the bed, ignoring the warm blood that flowed out of the fresh wound as she fought with the sheets she had wrapped herself so tightly in. She only found the edge of the bed when she rolled off of it and landed on the floor, still engaged in her struggle with the blankets.

The luminosity from her horn began to fade, allowing Sunset to see what she was doing. She finally untangled herself in time to see a familiar griffon rub the spots out of his eyes.

“Razor?” Sunset had to admit, she was more curious than surprised at his appearance. How had the griffon managed to track her down so fast?

Razor brandished his dagger at her, a malevolent smile spreading across his beak. “Aye, Lass. I warned you we’d meet again.” With a feral cry, he lunged at Sunset, swinging his blade at her head.

Sunset’s telekinesis grabbed the lamp that had sat on the bedside table, and swung with full force, slamming it into Razor’s side before the dagger could reach her. Razor cartwheeled in midair and fell onto the vanity desk that sat across from the bed, cracking the mirror as he landed.

A shrill scream that could only belong to Rarity reached Sunset’s ears, and she dropped the cracked lamp in her rush towards the door. The force of a cargo train crashed into her side as Razor blindsided her, sending both of them back across the room, and through the window.

Shards of glass bit into Sunset’s skin, and the familiar sensation of freefalling filled her stomach. Razor had her by the throat, his dagger clenched in his free hand as the two of them fell from the tenth floor of The Promenade. Sunset’s horn came alive once more and enveloped her in a flash of teal light. The pressure around her neck vanished, quickly replaced by a much softer crashing sensation than the one she had just experienced, followed by more subtle pressure around her entire body.

Inky darkness surrounded her as she floated through the haunting abyss, her chest constricting with a desperate need for air. Sunset propelled herself towards the rippling surface, distorted lights sparkling on the other side. She broke through the water and gasped for breath, savoring the sweet air. Paddling for the shore of the koi pond, Sunset began to shiver violently as the cold night air clawed at her wet fur. She pulled herself out of the water, using a quick drying spell to relieve some of the bitter cold before inspecting the gash that adorned her shoulder.

It was messy, and had cut deep, but Sunset was grateful it hadn’t reached the bone. Still, it burned something fierce and made her entire leg feel numb. “Dammit,” Sunset said breathlessly, still a little winded from her late night swim.

She assessed herself for other wounds, and was relieved when she found none. However, her hourglass was once again missing, left behind in her hotel room. She looked up at the tall, rectangular building behind her. Inside, her friends were—hopefully—still alive and probably grappling with the rest of Razor’s cronies. Sunset had to get back inside to help her friends and retrieve her only means of traveling back to the future.

Deciding to take a shortcut, Sunset froze the entire surface of the lake solid, tapping it with a hoof to make sure it was secure. Satisfied with her work, she skated across the frozen water, only to come sliding to a hasty stop when a dark figure landed in front of her, cracking part of the ice with its weight.

“Thought you could run away from me again, eh?” Razor stood up at his full height, looming over Sunset. “First thing you need to know about griffons, sweetheart, is that we never let our prey get away.”

“And the first thing you need to learn about ponies is that we’re smarter than you think.” With a flicker of light from her horn, the ice directly under Razor’s back paws vanished, forcing him to plunge straight into the water below before it froze over once more.

“The second thing you need to know is magic rocks!” Sunset said in triumph as she skated away. She hadn’t gone ten feet when she placed too much pressure on her bad leg, causing it to collapse underneath her. “Ow… dammit—” was all she managed to say before the ice behind her splintered open with a loud crack, and a force grabbed her back hoof, pulling her back into the pond.

Once again, Sunset was wrapped in the water’s cold embrace, struggling against a thrashing Razor, while fighting to return to the surface. His claws dug into Sunset’s ankle, and kept her from progressing any further. She twisted in his grip, looking for a good angle to fire a spell and instead found a pair of talons swiping for her face. She ducked, thankful that Razor was slowed by the water’s density. Sunset unleashed a jet of light, striking Razor in his cheek with enough force to slack his grip. She wiggled her leg free and bolted for the surface, hitting the layer of ice she now regretted creating. Another blast from her horn ripped a large hole in the frozen film, and Sunset felt her hoof come in contact with bitter night air.

A sharp pull on her tail kept her from surfacing, however. Razor was trying to drag her back down into the depths of the pond. As Sunset’s mind started to go fuzzy with the lack of oxygen, she couldn’t help but wonder how deep the pool even went. Her lungs were now fit to burst, screaming at her to take a breath of air; unfortunately all she could supply them with was a large quantity of murky water, gasping in pain when four needle-tipped claws dug into her flank.

Summoning her magic, Sunset’s eyes flashed white with intensity, the familiar sensation of teleporting jolting through her body. She hit a hard surface, and not a moment later felt a cascade of liquid fall on top of her. When the torrent was over, Sunset took a gulping breath of air, coughing and sputtering and excess water that had found its way into her lungs. Opening her eyes, Sunset quickly recognized the dim hallway of the hotel and forced herself to her hooves, praying that she had landed back on the tenth floor. Steadying herself with the wall as support, Sunset’s eyes landed on a black feathered figure shaking itself off only a few feet away.

“Damm,” Sunset deadpanned, pushing herself off the wall in time for Razor to pounce after her.

Sunset jumped out of harm’s way, putting in her place the copious amounts of water that had traveled with her from the pond. Razor could only watch as Sunset lifted it between them, forming a thick barrier by freezing it solid.

The corridor dropped several degrees as a giant block of ice appeared, separating Sunset from Razor by a margin of at least a yard. Sunset could barely make out the griffon on the other side, but could tell he did not look too pleased.

Satisfied, but not in a mood to gloat, Sunset turned and limped down the hallway, stopping when something red caught her eye. It quickly grew in brilliance, and Sunset turned around to see it radiating from the other side of the ice wall. The ice then exploded into millions of pieces, revealing Razor, standing with his talons outstretched. A ball of fire hovered just over his palm, where Sunset could also make out a faint, glowing marking. A look of sheer smugness was written on his face.

“Oh, come on!” Sunset yelled, ducking as a fireball was flung over her head. It carried on and hit the carpet, setting it ablaze and spreading across the corridor.

She turned and sprinted down the hall, leaping through the fire and ignoring the aching pain in her shoulder. Every open door she passed strengthened her conviction that she had landed on the right floor, as every room showed signs of some sort of struggle. Sunset could only hope all of her friends had made it out okay.

Another fireball whizzed past her mane, nearly setting it alight. Sure, give them the ability to fling fire around, it wasn’t like they were dangerous enough already! Reaching the end of the hall, Sunset broke off into her room, slamming the door shut and levitating the queen sized bed in front of it, knowing it would only buy her a few additional seconds.

She crossed the room, snatching her hourglass which had, once again, remained untouched from the bedside table, all the while trying to come up with a plan.

“I need to get out of here and find the others, but I can’t just keep blindly teleporting everywhere, that’s a waste of magic, and dangerous! I’m surprised I haven’t spliced myself yet.”

Both the door and the makeshift barricade simultaneously combusted into tiny, smoldering fragments, with Razor squeezing himself through the door frame, another ball of fire in his hand. He was quickly repelled by a rapid barrage of magic missiles, detonating on impact and sending him crashing into the opposite room.

A bright glow wrapped itself around Sunset’s horn as she prepared to teleport again before it faded out. Wait a minute, why am I running? She dug her hooves into the carpet, a confident feeling overriding all others. I can take him! He may be able to throw fireballs, but he doesn’t know the first thing about magic!

Across the hall, in the room that had previously belonged to Twilight, Razor was getting back to his feet after having crashed onto the bed, smashing it in half. With one hand, he drew a long rapier out from the scabbard on his side. Another ball of fire appeared in his free hand.

Sunset’s smile faltered. Right. Forgot about the swords.

Razor hurled the fire at Sunset, who rolled out of the way, summoning her ethereal bow as she popped back up to her hooves. She fired a golden arrow, gracefully dodged by Razor and continued on to shatter the opposing window.

The two continued to trade projectiles, Sunset becoming increasingly aware that her room was catching fire. Both of them had a narrow frame of range, hindered by the tight doorway and corridor in between them. Thus, their contest had become a game of who could dodge the longest. Sunset’s size gave her an advantage, but Razor was apt at deflecting some of her shots with his sword.

Eventually, Razor began to advance, sacrificing maneuverability for strictly repelling Sunset’s arrows. Sunset started to back up, minding the small bonfires that now littered her room. As Razor entered, an idea came to Sunset and she launched a fireball of her own. Razor blocked it, as Sunset suspected he would, but instead of dispelling, the fire clung to the metal blade, coating it like a crimson sheath.

Razor began to swing it around like he was swatting at a particularly large and annoying bug. Still, the fire clung to the sword, turning the metal an angry shade of red. Seeing that the fire did not spread beyond the hilt, Razor decided to ignore it and took a swing at Sunset.

Sunset ducked, using her magic to rip the nozzle of the bathroom sink clean off, allowing a geyser of water to burst into the air. Evading another swipe of Razor’s flaming sword, she redirected the roaring jet straight towards him, dowsing him with gallons of cold water. When it finally died down, Sunset was left with a very wet, very angry griffon. He raised his sword, now free of its flames, and brought it down overhead. Sunset, with a nonplussed look, raised the broken nozzle as her only means of defense. The sword met the broken pipe, and instantly shattered upon impact, leaving Razor with nothing more than a handle and an outraged expression.

Sunset quickly raised the nozzle and brought it down on top of Razor’s head before he could recover, sending him straight to the ground. He groaned, but did not get back up.

Now in a mood to gloat, Sunset dropped the pipe and grinned broadly. “That’s two points for Sunset Shimmer. Please, quit while you’re behind.” Examining the rest of the room, Sunset found that, while the flood had put out the fires, everything was a complete wreck. The bed was in disarray, the lamp lay broken on the floor, the night stand had been destroyed by a stray blast of fire, the curtains had been completely burned away and the window’s glass shards lay embedded in the carpet.

Sighing deeply and falling back onto her haunches, Sunset took another look at her wounded shoulder. She had been so busy fighting she had barely noticed it, but now the pain came in waves and caused her to wince at the slightest movement. The blood flow had reduced to a trickle now, but had stained the fur around the opening an ugly shade of red.

Sunset wished she knew healing magic, but those were some of the highest level spells, and she hadn’t gotten that far in her training. Instead, she began to tear off strips of the bedsheets and wrap them around the wound. She cursed the odd position of the cut, having to drag the makeshift bandages around her chest to cover it.

She stood up, gingerly testing her bad leg and trying to carry most of her weight on the other three. Although she received a jolt of pain with every step, Sunset was relieved to know she could still walk on it.

She had only taken two steps to the window, pondering what she should do next, when she heard something scratch against the carpet. She spun around and saw Razor snap his head up and lunge at her with a swipe of his claws. Sunset dropped to the floor, her horn emitting another blinding light. She felt the temperature drop again, and looked up to see a white statue looming over her.

Sunset crawled out from under Razor and appraised the frozen griffon, stuck in a striking pose, beak partially open.

“Huh, should have done that in the first place,” Sunset said, tapping the tip of his nose to make sure he was absolutely frozen solid.

“Ah ie ou…” Razor managed to gurgle out of his frozen mouth.

Sunset translated it into ‘I’ll kill you’ and merely rolled her eyes. She walked over to the broken window, minding the pieces of glass coating the floor, and scanned the horizon. Her friends were out there somewhere in the dark night, hiding or fighting for their lives. Sunset had half a mind to defrost Razor’s head and interrogate him, but she knew he probably wouldn’t say a word.

Sticking her head out, Sunset glanced up and down the road, but could not see anything within the darkness from her height. Her eyes landed on the cluster of bright, colorful lights that was the Strip.

It would be the best place to try and lose someone, Sunset reasoned. She had nothing else to go on, and she knew she couldn’t just wait around and hope her friends turned up.

Looking down, she concentrated her energy and vanished from her room, reappearing on the sidewalk next to the hotel. Her eyes caught a splotch of red on the white linen that acted as bandages. I should try to take it easy with the magic until I stop bleeding. She didn’t want a repeat of what happened to Twilight in the desert.

Seeing as walking was her only option, Sunset broke into a brisk canter towards the welcoming lights of the Los Pegasus Strip.

A loud, piercing shriek woke Applejack up better than any rooster ever had. So well, in fact, that she had been startled right out of bed and onto the floor, narrowly dodging a fireball that crashed into the wall.

What the…?

Applejack peeked over her bed and saw two griffons, a large one and a rather skinny one, entering her room. The large one had a ball of fire floating just over his palm.

“How could you miss her, Vin? She was jus’ lyin’ there.” The scrawny one laughed, earning him a punch in the arm.

“Shut up, Carrow, or I’ll hit you instead!”

Applejack scrunched her face into a look of pure apathy. Back for more,are ya? She turned on her front hooves and struck her back legs out, making contact with the bed. The entire thing flew forward and crashed into the wall, catching the griffons by surprise and nearly flattening them.

Snatching her hat off the bed side table, Applejack scanned the room for something she could use to defend herself with.

The bed which had been blocking the door exploded in a fireworks display of burning wood and silk. Applejack took a few steps back as Vin and Carrow moved back into the room.

“Shouldn’t have done that, little pony,” Vin said in a low, deadly voice. He hurled another ball of fire at her.

Applejack jumped to one side, and the flaming projectile crashed into the window, shattering it into fine powder. She grabbed the lamp that had shared the table space with her hat and threw it at Vin. He ducked, and the lamp smashed against Carrow’s head instead, sending him to the floor.

Vin growled as balls of fire appeared in both of his outstretched hands. They burned so hot, Applejack could feel her skin prickling from across the room.

With no other option, Applejack turned and jumped out of the window, the inferno roaring right behind her nearly setting her hat ablaze as she fell.

This is gonna hurt. Applejack stared down at the black water of the koi pond, bracing herself for the impact.

She crashed against the water, her cry of pain vanishing with her into the depths of the pond. Her body felt like it was being brutally shocked, and her bones rattled from the harsh crash. Had anyone other than an earth pony attempted that, they probably would have been flattened against the water.

Instead, Applejack just floated beneath the surface, her body achingly numb. The cold water helped dull some of the pain, but she could still feel impact vibrations buzzing through her body.

Fighting against the pain, she kicked her back legs and broke through the surface, taking in a deep breath. She paddled to the shore and wobbled onto the grassy hillside before falling onto her stomach.

“Ow.”

She was only able to lay there for a few seconds before a patch of grass next to her burst into flames, jolting her to her hooves.

“I’m surprised ya lived from that fall!” Vin shouted down to her. “Yer pretty sturdy for a pony.”

Applejack didn’t have time to retort, as another fireball flew down at her. She broke into a run, distancing herself from the grassy acre around The Promenade and fleeing down one of the city streets.

“Dear Maker, how in the world did they get fire powers?” Applejack asked between pants. Her hooves pounded against the pavement, still a little shaken from the fall she had endured, but they were recovering quickly.

Fire rained down from above, always landing just a hair's breadth from Applejack, curling her fur from the intense heat. She was glad there was nopony out around this part of the city; she would hate to have a bystander get hurt because of her. Still, Applejack knew she needed to find a more secluded location instead of barreling down random sidewalks.

A fireball streaked past her and burst against a lamp post. It toppled over and crashed to the ground, forcing Applejack to skid to a stop and change directions. She slipped into an alleyway, vanishing into its consuming shadows.

“Don’t think I can’t see ya in there,” Applejack heard Vin call. “Yer just makin’ my job easier.”

Scarlet colors crept into the corners of Applejack’s eyes, and she could feel the scorching heat getting closer and closer. She doubled her speed and threw herself around the corner, just as the blaze crashed against the wall.

She emerged from the alley and found herself on a dark street. There were no lights or lanterns, and a chain link fence blocked her path. Hearing the sound of Vin’s wings, Applejack ignored the ‘No Entry’ sign attached to the fence and hopped over it, landing on hard packed dirt.

In front of her, Applejack could just make out the skeletal structure of a half-finished building. Girders and joists held the construction together, while scaffoldings hung from the sides.

Applejack dove behind a pile of pipes, finally finding a moment to catch her breath. “Of all the hairbrained trips and adventures we’ve been on, this one has to take the cake,” she whispered. She didn’t regret coming with her friends on a journey to save Equestria, but Applejack was starting to think this time she may have bitten off more than she could chew.

Overhead, Vin flew around the construction sight, taunting Applejack in an effort to draw her out. It was only a matter of time before he spotted her.

“Filthy varmit,” Applejack said under her breath. “Knows Ah wouldn’t be able to hit ‘em even if Ah did show mah face. How am Ah suppose to fight back when he can fly and shoot fire?”

Applejack searched around for some form of miracle; it was the only thing that could help her now. For her, it came in the form of a very familiar object. A coil of rope was sitting on the other side of the yard next to a tall mound of fresh dirt.

Applejack grinned. That was all she needed to tip the scales.

She rushed forward, thundering across the dirt, leaving dust clouds in her wake. With a lunge, Applejack grabbed the rope in her teeth and rolled behind the dirt pile just as another burst of fire struck where she had previously been.

Working fast, Applejack fashioned a knot in the rope, creating a wide lasso. “Now Ah’m in business!” Something hot crashed into the dirt behind her, and Applejack sprung back into motion, taking the lasso up in her mouth. She emerged from her hiding spot, this time heading towards the metal complex.

She left a trail of fire behind her, staying one step ahead of Vin’s blasts while he shouted, “Hold still, ya little rat!”

There was a wooden ramp leading up to the second story, and Applejack scaled it, trying to close the distance between her and Vin. The ramp burst into flames just as Applejack’s front hooves touched the steel girder. She maneuvered around the metal beams and raised walkways, watching Vin grow frustrated as his fireballs collided with the ironworks.

Applejack was careful not to step on the hot spots as she danced around the narrow spaces, biding her time as Vin flew in closer and closer, trying to get a better shot. She jumped from a girder to a scaffold, wincing as a stream of fire grazed her tail, sending the smell of burnt hair to assault her senses.

She ignored it for the time being. Spinning her lasso in her mouth, Applejack ducked under one last projectile before throwing her rope and snatching Vin by the arm. She quickly jumped backwards off the scaffold, bringing Vin down with her. He crashed against it before tumbling down and landing in front of Applejack with a moan.

Applejack twisted around to buck him, but Vin recovered and swatted her hoof away, upsetting her balance and sending her across the wooden floor. He pulled out a longsword and started to advance on Applejack.

Rolling off her back, Applejack heard the floor squeak underneath her and noticed there were no nails pounded in yet. She looked up at Vin, measuring the length of the floorboards, and slammed her hoof down on the closest one.

The other end sprang up and struck Vin square in the jaw. He dropped his sword and fell to the ground again, cursing in pain. Applejack sprang up and sent him into unconsciousness with a final kick to the head. She knocked his sword aside and undid the rope from his arm, storing it under her hat.

“This’ll come in handy later.” She smiled.

While the inner city had some grasp of what sleep was, the Strip had no notion of the concept whatsoever. Lights, music and chattering ponies surrounded Sunset as she hobbled along the main road trying not to get too distracted by all of the attractions.

Ferris wheels and palm trees, sparkling fountains and neon lights lined both sides of the road, while extravagant buildings towered over her. Sunset passed a replica of Canterlot Castle, remodeled as a casino and completed with authentic royal guards. Further down, Sunset crossed through a large plaza with a scale model of the Neighfful Tower in the center. In her peripheral vision, she could see a beam of white light emitting from a large black pyramid.

Sunset was glad she had recently eaten, for the various smells of the late night eateries combined to make one heavenly aroma that, despite her content stomach, made Sunset’s mouth water. The sound of slot machines and the clinking of bits reached her ears loud and clear, blending together with the rhythmic beats of the music that blasted out of one of the nearby hotels.

“Ugh, this is like trying to find seven needles in a giant haystack,” Sunset complained, turning down another brightly lit avenue bustling with ponies. She had only come to the Strip on a whim, but the odds of finding her friends here were slim.

Starting to feel discouraged, Sunset stopped to rest at the base of a bright neon sign advertising some up and coming magician. It was bright, flashy and so distracting, Sunset was surprised she didn’t notice it sooner.

Her ears perked up as a brilliant idea began to form in her mind. She looked back at the black pyramid hotel, its tall light piercing the heavens. That’s it! If I can’t find them, I’ll have them find me!

She got up and raced down the avenue, darting in between the pedestrians, trying to make her way to the pyramid, slowed only by the pain in her shoulder. When she came around the next corner, Sunset beheld an intriguing sight.

In front of her was a massive monument of a pony sphinx. Its large lion paws stretched out wide on either side of the entrance it guarded, snout pointing down with large, unflinching eyes that were sculpted with so much detail, Sunset thought for a moment that the sphinx might be alive. A pair of stone wings were strapped to the side of its marble white body, and its head was decorated with a regal gold and silver colored headdress.

The sphinx was in a lying position, as if it were guarding the black pyramid it was built into. Sunset bypassed it completely, ignoring the ponies milling around the plaza, and headed straight to the pyramid itself. She reached the foot of it and looked up, its glossy black surface stretching up over her until it reached its shimmering apex.

All I have to do is get to the top, Sunset thought. An easy enough job with the right magic. With a glowing horn, she placed a hoof on the slanted building, sticking to it like tape. She placed another hoof, then another and another, beginning to scale the pyramid. It took a little force to unstick her hooves and move them to another position, but she made progress, taking pause when her shoulder ached, and only resting long enough for the throbbing to subside.

Sunset couldn’t help but grin to herself. Scaling a metal pyramid at night. I gotta admit, this is pretty cool.

She was about halfway up when she took another break. Waiting for her shoulder to rest, Sunset gazed into the reflective surface she was standing on. The lights of the hotels and the pale moon were only slightly distorted, giving a near perfect mirror image.

A moving dot appeared by one of the rooftops, catching Sunset’s eye. She stared as it grew larger, taking shape into something Sunset had quickly grown to despise.

Another griffon.

It was flying straight for her, weapon in hand. Sunset growled in frustration, cursing her luck and their determination. Thinking fast, she examined the angle the griffon was coming at her from and picked out a tile just above her head.

“Hope this works,” Sunset said, charging up a shot. She fired at the tile, watching the blast reflect off the surface and speed outwards toward her real target.

She heard the griffon squawk as the spell struck him in the wing, sending him down to the pavement below. Sunset didn’t give him another thought, choosing instead to climb faster.

The luminous point of the pyramid drew closer with every step Sunset took, forcing her to look at it only from the corners of her eyes. She reached the tip and pressed her glowing horn against it, channeling her magic into lighting structure.

The white light began to die down, rendering the sky around it dark until a bright, teal light exploded into the atmosphere, pulsing with a magnificent radiance.

Sunset kept her eyes close, backing down a ways before admiring her personal signal flare through narrow eyes. Even then, its intensity threw spots in her vision. She just hoped the others would recognize it as a sign and make their way to her. Though it was now probably the most obnoxious thing in the city. Sunset was sure the teal beam of light could be seen from every corner of Los Pegasus.

She turned around to begin her descent, just in time to throw a forcefield around herself and have the griffon from earlier crash face first into it.

He shook off his daze and pounded a double-ended spear against the bubble. “Come out and play fair, ya little runt,” he said in a weaselly voice. Sunset noticed his was flying crooked thanks to the shot she had given his wing. She also noticed that he was scrawnier than the other griffons she had seen, and hadn’t been present at the desert.

Great, there’s more of them!

Sunset expanded her shield, pushing the griffon away before she broke it and reconverted the energy into shrapnel-like pieces, hurling them at her opponent. The griffon spun his spear like a propeller, deflecting the oncoming attack. He rushed at Sunset, who leapt out of the way and cancelled her sticky charm, letting herself slide down the side of the pyramid.

The wind whipped at her face as she gained velocity. Only now was she aware of just how high she had climbed. Below her, the pedestrians looked like bugs. She lost her balance on her hooves and fell back onto her flank, riding the pyramid like it was a giant slide.

A whoosh of wings alerted her to the winged beast approaching from behind. The griffon appeared in her line of sight and swung his spear at her head. Sunset ducked, slipping onto her stomach before rolling onto her back and dodging the follow up thrust. She let loose a jet of fire, managing to singe the tip of the griffon’s uninjured wing before he fell back.

Sunset flipped back around and pointed herself at the back of the sphinx rising up to meet her. She hit the marble, tumbling head over hooves, unable to slow herself down. She finally came to rest on her stomach, her eyes spinning in their sockets. Once the world had stopped revolving, Sunset climbed to her hooves, just as the griffon swooped down and landed in front of her.

“You birds are really starting to get on my nerves,” Sunset growled.

He pointed his spear at her. “We aren’t birds, we’re griffons! And we have names, ya know! Mine’s Carrow, pleasure to hunt ya!”

“Like I care!”

Carrow snickered. “Oi, you sound just like ‘er, too.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Sound just like—woah!”

Carrow took advantage of Sunset’s brief lack of focus, jabbing at her with his spear. She rolled to the side, managing to take only a wound the size of a paper cut across her side. A bolt of magic flew from her horn and struck Carrow’s hand, sending his spear flying down the sphinx’s back, landing near its neck.

With a wide leap, Carrow went for his weapon, but Sunset yanked him back with her telekinesis, grabbing him by his tail and throwing him towards the pyramid.

He caught himself at the last moment and used the glass like a spring board, throwing himself forward and grabbing Sunset by the neck as she ran towards the spear. He kept flying, pinning Sunset against the sphinx’s neck and picking up his spear to run it into Sunset’s heart. It stopped a few inches away, held in a blue aura.

Sunset struggled against Carrow’s force, barely keeping the instrument of her death at bay, while his talons gripped harder around her throat. Darkness began to creep around the edge of her vision, and she lost some hold over the spear. She squeezed her eyes shut and poured all of her magic into her horn, desperate to make something happen.

Carrow’s grip went slack, and Sunset slid down the sphinx’s neck, coughing as she refilled her chest with oxygen. There was a clatter next to her, and Sunset saw Carrow’s weapon had fallen from his hand. She looked up at Carrow and gasped at the sight.

A needle of stone was sticking up out of the sphinx’s back, impaling him straight through the heart. His eyes were wide, but the life had already left them. His arms dangled in front of him, the needle propping up his corpse.

“Did I do that…?” Did I really… kill him?

Sunset stared at the body, amazed at what she had made her magic do. That was all she felt, amazement.

She frowned, and felt like she should be feeling more than that. Pity? Guilt? Fear? No other emotion stirred in her. She looked upon Carrow with indifference, desensitized from the act of killing another sentient being.

Well, he did try to kill me, Sunset reasoned. Still, part of her felt like even if it had been in self-defense, the very idea of killing someone should have had some impact on her. Instead, she felt nothing. No regret, no remorse, no sadness.

“He was a threat. He got in my way and tried to kill me. I just defended myself and he happen to die as a result,” Sunset said in a dispassionate tone. Her actions were justified; she didn’t need to feel anything.

At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

Fluttershy was glad she was a light sleeper.

The instant her room door had flown open, she sprung from her sleeping position and screamed at the top of her lungs at the sight of the griffon approaching her. She just hoped it had been loud enough to warn the others. Fluttershy proceeded to throw herself into the air as the griffon lunged at her, resulting in him smacking against the headboard instead.

Not wasting any time, Fluttershy threw the window open and took off into the night. Part of her felt cowardly for leaving without checking on her friends, but what was she supposed to do? She couldn’t fight against angry griffons with weapons! Fluttershy was frightened by their tenacity and dedication. Just how far were they willing to go to capture—or kill—her and her friends?

She stopped mid-flight and turned around. She was already having doubts about just running away and hoping her friends could fend for themselves. She wanted to go back and do something, anything to help support them. Unfortunately, the large black shadow flying at her forced her into reconsidering, and instead, Fluttershy sped further away from The Promenade.

She flew low, skimming the rooftops of the lower buildings, and weaving in between some of the taller ones, looking for a place to hide. She could hear the wing beats of the predator closing in on her, encouraging her to fly faster, reaching speeds she knew Rainbow Dash would be proud of.

Fluttershy banked around a wide, rectangular building and pressed herself up against the glass on the other side, hoping the griffon would keep on flying. It partially worked, as the griffon had continued to fly for some distance, leaving Fluttershy to believe her ruse had succeeded, until the griffon stopped and did a one-eighty, spotting Fluttershy as she tried descending into the streets below.

Swinging what appeared to be a barbed length of chain metal over his head, the griffon homed in on Fluttershy, who screamed and rocketed upwards in a bid for escape.

The rattling of chains reached her ears as the metal whip snapped near her back hoof. Fluttershy abruptly changed directions trying to throw off her pursuer. Below her, the city fanned out in all directions, a spiderweb of lights and colors.

Fluttershy zigzagged, heading in random directions for random periods of time. She didn’t know how good of a plan it really was, but it was all she had. She couldn’t go down into the crowded city and risk other ponies getting hurt.

A cluster of trees caught Fluttershy’s eye. An isolated area near the edge of the city. Knowing it was probably the best place to hide, Fluttershy sped towards it in a gradual descent.

Something sharp caught Fluttershy’s back hoof, and she felt herself jerk backwards. She cried out in pain as the metal barbs tore into her skin while they dragged her back to their waiting owner. Fluttershy found a pair of talons wrapped around her neck and she looked into the angry eyes of her captor.

“Yer all mine now, pipsqueak.” He grinned savagely, his face awfully close to Fluttershy’s own.

In her moment of desperation, Fluttershy did the only thing she could think of.

She headbutted him.

Her forehead caught him right on the nose and he recoiled from the attack, crying out in discomfort. But he didn’t let go of her. In fact, as he rubbed his bloody nose, he looked angrier than before.

Fluttershy whimpered in terror, watching as he pulled out a dagger. I-I tried. At least I tried to do something. She was prepared to surrender herself to the end, when a blur of motion appeared just behind the griffon.

A colorful streak swung in from his side and delivered a solid punch straight to his face. The griffon released Fluttershy, who looked on as her guardian angel unleashed a flurry of punches to her previous assaulter. With one last powerful blow to the gut, the predatory hybrid fell out of the sky, half-conscious from the beating he had taken.

Rainbow Dash spun around and grabbed Fluttershy by the shoulders. “Are you okay?” The last time Fluttershy had seen Rainbow this concerned was after the pegasi race at Junior Speedsters Camp when Rainbow realized she had knocked Fluttershy off the clouds.

Fluttershy nodded her head. “Y-Yes, I think so.” She looked at her back hoof where some of the fur and skin had been torn off. “Mostly.”

Rainbow followed Fluttershy’s eyes and grit her teeth in fury. “Those stupid…” Rainbow muttered curses under her breath then pulled Fluttershy along through the air. “Come on, we gotta find someplace to hide! The other griffon I knocked out probably won’t stay that way for long.”

Rainbow must have been thinking along the same lines as Fluttershy, for she led them to the large grove of darkened trees. Landing, Fluttershy was horrified to find out it was dark for a reason.

They had landed in a cemetery.

The canopy of trees obscured much of the starlight from above, and the light and noise from the city was faint, drowned out by the quiet eeriness of the graveyard. Headstones and monuments seemed to be laid out in a hodgepodge manner, and overgrown with weeds and covered in cobwebs. A cobblestone path led up a hill decorated with more graves and a few crypts as well.

Rainbow caught the look of fear on Fluttershy’s face and reassured her saying, “Don’t worry, Fluttershy, everything here is already dead, they can’t hurt you.”

Fluttershy swallowed the lump in her throat. “Your r-right. It’s j-j-just a graveyard.” She looked up at the foliage covering them. “Besides, the griffons can’t find us here, right?”

“Right.” Rainbow nodded. “Now, let me see that back leg.” Fluttershy held out her hoof, allowing Rainbow to look it over. “Well, it doesn’t look like it’s bleeding too bad, so you should be fine.”

The cuts didn’t hurt too bad either; they mostly stung from the cold air blowing against them. Still, Fluttershy couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

“I told you, Lume, they flew over here.”

“And I’m tellin’ you, Axel, all I can smell is dead horse.”

“That’s ‘cause you let that blue one punch you in the face!”

Rainbow let out a snort of annoyance. “Aw man, I didn’t think either of them would get up that fast,” she hissed.

“What should we do?” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow spread her wings in preparation for flight. “You stay here and lay low. I’ll handle those two goons and come back to get you, then we’ll go look for the others.”

“Do you know if they’re alright?”

A look of uncertainty crossed Rainbow’s face. “I… I’m not sure. I think I saw Applejack running away, but that’s all I know for sure.” She shook her mane and tried to put on a confident grin. “But, you know them. I’m sure they can handle themselves!”

Fluttershy saw the look of worry in Rainbow’s eye. Her bravado could only hide so much of her concern. “Okay,” Fluttershy said, “but can you handle yourself against both of them?” She gestured upwards.

“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna let a few feather brains bring me down!” With that, Rainbow launched into the sky, raining leaves down on Fluttershy’s head. The silence afterwards seemed much louder than before.

Fluttershy wasn’t sure what terrified her more: the thought of Rainbow Dash having to face those griffons alone, or being by herself in a graveyard… at night.

An owl hooted somewhere in the distance, and Fluttershy promptly jumped behind a tombstone, only to cry out in fear again and dive into a nearby bush.

“Oh, this is ridiculous,” Fluttershy chastised herself. She poked her head out of the bush, her face set in a determined expression. “Rainbow Dash is up there fighting on her own, and I’m down here being scared by my own shadow. I may not be able to fight, but the least I can do is show a little bravery.” She stepped out of the foliage, carefully skirting around the decrepit headstone.

“Besides, Rainbow is right, it’s j-just a cemetery. Everything here is already d-dead,” she squeaked. “There’s nothing here that can hurt me.” She stopped in front of a large, aging statue of a hooded pony wielding a large scythe. Fluttershy gulped. “Nothing can hurt me, nothing can hurt me, nothing can hurt me.”

The loud, squealing sound of wrought iron gates opening echoed through the graveyard, and it took all of Fluttershy’s will not to scream in terror at the sudden noise. Looking out from behind the statue she had ducked behind, she could see four shadows approaching from the bottom of the hill. Squinting her eyes, she could make out the leader figure wearing a black cloak that covered all of its features.

“The Grim Reaper,” Fluttershy whimpered.

Staying out of sight, Fluttershy retreated further up the hill, trying to find a safer place to conceal herself. Brave or not, there was no way she wanted to be caught by the Grim Reaper. Using tombstones and crypts as cover, Fluttershy found her way deeper into the cemetery, to where the hill eventually evened out and the graves were a little more organized. A large tree soon caught her eye and upon further inspection, Fluttershy discovered it had a hollow just wide enough for her to squeeze in. Without a second thought, she jumped inside, kicking her back legs as she shimmied herself inward.

It was a tight fit, and Fluttershy found herself scrunched in a rather uncomfortable position, with her face pressed near the entrance and her body contorted so that she was almost curled into a ball. She grimaced as her injured hoof rubbed against the bark.

Something soft rustled underneath, causing Fluttershy to giggle more than panic as it tickled her backside. A brown squirrel quickly broke free from Fluttershy’s crushing weight, scaling her so that he stood on top of her head, looking down into her apologetic eyes.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr. Squirrel, I didn’t know you were in here,” Fluttershy said, her voice barely audible. “I’m just hiding from the Grim Reaper, I promise I won’t be too long… I hope.”

The squirrel nodded in understanding and settled into her pink hair, leaving Fluttershy to sit in nervous silence. She hoped the Reaper wasn’t looking for anypony in particular and would just pass through.

As the seconds creeped into minutes, Fluttershy could begin to hear the crunching of leaves underhoof. She sucked in her breath, wanting to be as unnoticeable as possible.

“What, did they not give this guy a tomb or anything? He has to be here somewhere.” a feminine voice cut through the silent night.

The Grim Reaper is a girl? Fluttershy thought. From the view in her tree, she could see the cloaked pony and her associates walk into view, their features still masked by the shroud of night. They stopped at a small shrine that had a bronze statue of a pegasus on top. A red light illuminated the area in front of them, a light Fluttershy quickly recognized. Vesper Radiance!

“Here we are!” Vesper said cheerfully. “I’m surprised they didn’t give him a mausoleum, I mean he was kinda important. But whatever, easier for me.” She paused looking back and forth between the ponies that flanked her. “You’re all terrible conversationalists. At least the griffons, as incompetent as they may be, can keep me enthralled. But then again, you don’t give me excuses. Maybe that’s why I like you a little more.”

Fluttershy made the tiniest exhale she could, unable to hold her breath any longer. Luckily for her, one of the ponies had… moaned, right when she did.

“All right, let’s get this show on the road! Sky Chart, give me your hoof.”

Fluttershy’s heart jolted. Sky Chart? But isn’t he… She watched as the pony to Vesper’s right slowly reach a hoof out. Vesper yanked it closer and produced a knife from within her cloak. There was the sound of breaking skin, and Fluttershy swore she was going to be ill.

“Ughhh, already rancid? I don’t believe it! Father, come here!” Vesper dug her knife into another pony, only to cluck her tongue in disappointment. “Hmph, I guess necromancy has a few more ill-verse side effects than I thought.” She wiped the knife against her cloak before holding out her own silhouetted hoof. “If you want something done right…”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened as the mare brought the knife across her own foreleg. Though she couldn’t see it, Fluttershy knew Vesper had cut deep, yet there wasn’t a peep of complaint.

“Sanguinem vivum, libenter accipi ut det requiem aeternam sitim. Nunc e sepulchro surge et arcana participes tua!” Vesper rasped, her voice becoming otherworldly, while Fluttershy watched as she moved her hoof around in the dirt in front of the shrine, like she was tracing something.

Vesper Radiance stepped back, giving Fluttershy full view of what looked liked a soft white light pouring up from the dirt. It radiated gently for a minute before dulling into a sickening grey color, and intensifying from a single, narrow beam to a large spotlight that shot into the air.

A skeletal hoof broke through the ground, followed by another, and soon, a skull, with orbs of blue fire in its eye sockets. Fluttershy had to shove a hoof into her mouth to stop herself from screaming in abject horror at the scene taking place in front of her. The corpse slowly pulled the rest of its body out from its previous resting place. Fluttershy took some small comfort in the fact that it was just the skeleton, as all of its skin and innards had eroded away long ago.

The skeleton stared down Vesper with its flaming eyes, unable to blink or show emotion. “Why have you disturbed my rest, Summoner? Why have you ripped me from paradise?” it rattled.

“Are you Captain Gale, last and only known user of the fabled Tempest Crown?” Vesper asked tersely. When the skeleton didn’t respond, she said in a much louder voice, “Respondebitis mihi! As your Summoner, you are bound to my word! Now tell me what I want to know!”

Fluttershy thought she heard the skeleton sigh before it spoke again. “Yes, in life, I was Gale. I defended my beautiful Los Pegasus from a terrible storm that could not be turned back. It would have destroyed everything my father and his father had worked to build. So I used the knowledge handed down to me to locate the Tempest Crown and wield it just long enough for me to push the storm back, lest I became corrupted by its black magic.”

“As I thought.” Vesper began to pace in front of the animated corpse. “Please, forgive me for waking you from what I’m sure was a lovely dirt nap, but you were the only one I could turn to. You see, Mr. Gale, there’s nopony left in your lineage in this day and age. Your great-granddaughter, Dizzy Duster, was the last of your bloodline and she bore no foals. I would have asked her for help but I thought, ‘why not just go to the source instead?’” Her voice was sickenly sweet, like she was promising somepony honey, only to feed them poison instead. Despite this, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel like Vesper sounded familiar.

“Do not mock me, foal! I know what you seek!” Gale snapped.

Vesper stopped her pacing and looked back into his fiery eyes. “Oh good, then I’ll cut to the chase.” The sweetness quickly dropped out of her voice and she said in a threatening tone, “Tell me where the crown is and what I have to do to get to it.”

“You play a dangerous game, girl! I already see the Alicorn Amulet warping your mind. Cease walking this path now, and the Maker may still forgive you.” Gale’s voice was almost pleading.

“Hmph, as if I care what the Maker thinks of me. There is only one thing I want, and I won’t stop until I have it! I didn’t come to hear you preach, you worthless bag of bones, now talk!”

Gale cringed, as if he was physically fighting against whatever force was making him obey. “The… Tempest Crown… it lies on an island just outside the bay. The cavern it rests in is only fully accessible during low tide. Beyond the maze of stone, you’ll find it locked in an endless whirlwind.”

“...Is there anything else?”

This time, Fluttershy was sure that Gale sighed. “Only the blood of a pegasus can open the doors within the cavern,” she heard him whisper.

“Is that all? Well then, Sky Chart, it looks like—”

“Living pegasus,” Gale mumbled.

There was a moment’s pause in which Fluttershy was sure even the wind had stopped blowing. The blood in her veins suddenly ran cold, and she solemnly wished she had decided to fight with Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy felt her entire body yanked by an outside force, knocking the squirrel from her head, as she was violently pulled through the tree’s opening. She flew across the lawn and came to an abrupt halt, suspended next to Vesper Radiance.

“So, how much blood do I have to spill?”

Author's Note

That was Latin in case some of you didn't catch it. And it doesn't translate that well back to English, but you can get a general grasp of what she was saying.

Chapter XII: Fight and Flight

Rarity had stood by her word when she said she would take a long bath.

She reclined against the back of the large tub, relaxing in the now lukewarm water. How long had she been there, an hour? Maybe two? She had lost track of time and honestly didn’t care.

A mud mask was splattered over her face, and cucumbers rested over her eyes. Incense wafted across the room, filling it with the sweet smell of lavender, and giving Rarity a calm, tranquil feeling that relaxed every muscle in her body. Rarity daydreamed she was floating in the middle of the ocean without a care in the world, not even concerned that her hooves were getting pruny from soaking so long.

“Ah,” was the only way Rarity could sum up her feelings of total zen, having abandoned all worries and stress. She didn’t care about Vesper Radiance or some silly crown. Those could wait until later.

What came next was like a wrecking ball, shattering not only the wall separating Rarity’s bath from the next room, but all sense of peace she had been experiencing. The wall busted outward, raining debris and drywall into the bathtub. She screamed, ripping the cucumbers off her eyes just in time to see a large, feathered creature catapult past her and crash onto her bed.

Rarity jumped out of the now filthy water, her mind still careening and trying to pick up the damaged pieces of her relaxing evening. It was a fruitless effort, and she knew she had a better chance of fixing the hole in the wall. Looking through it, she saw Twilight grappling with one of the griffons from before.

“Rarity!” Spike bounded across the hole and hugged Rarity around the middle. “Are you okay?”

“I’d be lying if I said yes,” Rarity replied in a sour note. “What in Equestria is going on?”

“Spike, Rarity!” Twilight joined them in the demolished bathroom, having blasted the other griffon against the wall. “Thank goodness you’re both okay! Quick, we need to—”

“Twilight, wait!” Rarity stomped a hoof on the tiled floor. “What is going on around here? I demand an explanation as to why there are griffons in our hotel!”

“I don’t know!” Twilight yelled in a panicked voice, eyes bulging out of her head. “I just woke up and found two of them about to kill Spike and I! I have no idea what’s going on!”

“Uhh, Twilight, I think he’s starting to get back up!” Spike pointed a claw back to the other room, where the griffon was pulling himself off the ground, preparing to strike again.

“Hang on!” Twilight said, powering her horn.

Rarity could feel the tingling sensation of teleportation overtaking her as a white light started to fill the room. Just as she began to disappear, something yanked on her tail, jerking her in another direction. The worse sense of nausea Rarity had ever experienced settled within her stomach. She felt as if she was being stretched and compressed at the same time. She had only teleported with Twilight a hooful of times, but she knew it never felt like this.

She felt soft grass brush against her legs, and a cold wind blew across her wet fur, instantly sending shivers across her body. She opened her eyes, rubbed the rest of the mud mask off her face, and saw tall city buildings around her, while stars gleamed overhead. Rarity looked around to gauge her surroundings. She had reappeared in a small park somewhere in Los Pegasus.

The nausea returned full force, compelling Rarity to slap a hoof across her mouth to stop herself from throwing up. She held back the bile, tasting the horrible acid in the back of her throat. When it finally subsided, Rarity took a deep breath and fell back on her haunches.

“Ugh, that was just awful. I think I’d rather have Sweetie Belle’s cooking again.” She felt a wave of nostalgia and longing roll over her heart. Once again, she had up and left on an adventure without telling her sister goodbye. How much would Sweetie Belle have grown by the time Rarity saw her again? Would she get to see Sweetie Belle again?

Rarity was pulled out of her steadily darkening thoughts by a loud groan behind her. She twisted around to see Spike sitting up and holding his head.

“Whoa… haven’t felt that in a long time.”

“Spike, are you okay?” Rarity asked, rushing to his side.

Spike looked up at Rarity before looking over himself. “Uhh, I think so… wait.” He grabbed his tail and groaned, his eyes focused near the tip. “I don’t believe it; I got spliced!”

Rarity’s eyes widened as they landed on Spike’s tail. Half of the purple scales that had decorated it were now gone, revealing the soft, squishy pink flesh underneath. “Oh, dear!” Rarity held a hoof to her mouth. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“No, not really.” Spike’s fins drooped. “But, it’ll take forever for them to grow back.” He let go of his tail and looked around. “Where are we, anyway? And where’s Twilight? It isn’t like her to mess up a teleportation spell.”

Rarity was about to answer when something shifted in the grass nearby. A large shadow got to its hands and knees, shaking off whatever dizziness had taken hold of it. Straining her eyes, Rarity began to make out some of the shadows features: A brown coat, dark feathers, and a more slender build than the rest of her griffon counterparts.

Eliza looked over to Rarity and Spike, eyes narrowing in a predatory manner. “Well, I meant to tag along with the pony princess, but I guess this is a nice consolation.” She held up her claws, knives dispersed between each knuckle. “Payback time, ya little prissy.”

Spike jumped in front of Rarity, spreading his arms out. “You’re going to have to get through me first!”

Eliza clicked her beak in amusement. “I’m so glad you phrased it like that.” She lunged at Spike, thrusting her knives forward.

Tucking in the exposed part of his tail, Spike turned his back on Eliza while Rarity screamed, unsure of what to do.

The knives struck against Spike’s scales and simply rebounded, catching Eliza by surprise. Spike spun around and let loose a small jet of emerald flames from his mouth, scorching Eliza’s hand. She dropped the knives with a screech, clutching her burnt claws close to her chest.

Rarity snapped out of her doldrums, eyes narrowing as combative instincts took over. She jumped over Spike and twisted on her front hooves, smashing her hind legs into Eliza’s chest and sending her sprawling to the ground.

Without a word, she snatched Spike up and tossed him onto her back, galloping away from the park as fast as she could.

“Spike,” she panted, “that was very heroic of you, and I am forever grateful. But, never do anything like that again! You had me worried sick!”

Spike had his arms wrapped around Rarity's neck to stop himself from falling off. “Sorry, Rarity, but I couldn’t just stand there and let that griffon hurt you.”

Rarity rounded a corner, finding herself somewhere deep within the city. She levitated Spike off her back and nuzzled him against the cheek. “Oh, Spike, you’re braver than most stallions I know. That said, I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you. Even if it is for me, try not to do anything too dangerous, please?”

“Heh, heh, I guess I could do that.” Spike blushed.

Setting him down, Rarity gave him a peck on the cheek. “You really are a noble dragon. Now, come on, we have to find the others.”

“Kiss—kes—I mean, yes!” Spike shook his head, clearing his daze. “Yeah, we should probably find everypony else before something bad happens.”

There was a roar of a lion, and the night sky lit up in a burning red glow as a ball of fire streaked over their heads and crashed into the pavement, blackening it, and sending a shower of small embers everywhere. The few ponies that had been out instantly broke into a chorus of panicked yells and ran away as fast as they could.

Turning her head, Rarity could see Eliza soaring through the air, her burnt hand held tightly against her chest while a ball of fire hovered over her other one.

“What? They can throw fire now?” Rarity shrieked.

“That would be so cool if she wasn’t trying to kill us.” Spike pouted.

Rarity jumped out of the way of the incoming fireball, levitated Spike onto her back, and broke into a run. Behind her, she could hear bursts of fire striking the road. Judging by the prickling sensation on her backside, she knew they weren’t far off their mark.

Around them, ponies fled, taking cover in any of the stores that still had their doors open. If anything, Rarity was grateful Eliza only had eyes for her and Spike.

“Rarity, she’s getting closer! What are we going to do?” Spike yelled into her ear.

Rarity wished she had an answer. Moreover, she wished she had magical prowess like Twilight. She looked at the stone road beneath them. Was she strong enough to rip pieces of it out and attack with them like she had in the desert? Perhaps, if she could stop and concentrate for a few moments.

A piece of the road in front of her ignited in a quick burst of fire, leaving only bubbling tar behind. Rarity came careening to a stop at the edge of the burning quagmire. She turned around in time to see Eliza with one last fireball aimed directly at her.

“Rarity, duck!” Spike shouted.

Rarity didn’t hesitate and dropped down to the ground, putting her hooves over her head. Just above her, she saw the blazing comet heading straight for her, only for it to be intercepted by a spray of green flames. The two colorful blazes collided in midair, the red being consumed by the green. It was by far, as Rarity had ever seen, the greatest flames Spike had ever bellowed. The red fire vanished completely into the green conflagration, serving only to enlarge the ball as it continued on its path for Eliza.

With a look of pure apathy, and a touch of fear, Eliza fled from the emerald inferno, the tables now turned against her.

As she flew off, Rarity stood up and turned her head around to stare in wide-eyed amazement at Spike, who was coughing up puffs of smoke. “Spike, that was simply amazing! I didn’t know you could breathe fire like that yet!”

“Neither—’cough’—did I.” He burped up a few more clouds before slumping down on Rarity’s back. “And I’m not doing that again for a long time.”

Regardless of the situation, Rarity found herself giggling in both amusement and admiration. Spike had saved her life twice in one night. She always knew he would grow up to be a brave knight. Her mirth was cut short when a shadow dropped out of the sky, dive-bombing her with outstretched talons. She screamed and ducked again, waiting for the claws to sink into her sides.

Instead, she felt a light pressure lift off her back accompanied by a frantic scream that grew more distant with each second. Rarity jumped and spun around, seeing Eliza carry Spike down the road and pin him against a building at the end. She covered his mouth with her good hand, using her burnt one to hold out her knives. Spike was just barely able to keep them at bay with his short arms.

Trembling with rage and fearing for Spike’s life, Rarity tore after him. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do, but she needed to do something. The street appeared to stretch on forever, the end never getting nearer as Rarity ran. How long could Spike keep Eliza from carving into him?

Hooves pounding against the street, Rarity frantically searched for something to aid her, yet all around there were only closed shops and a few cowering ponies.

A blue spark jumped from Rarity’s horn, and it jerked her head to the right. Rarity’s eyes fell upon a darkened store front, and within the shadows, she could see something sparkling.

She gasped, then a ruthless smile traveled across her face.

With a bright flash, dozens of precious stones were ripped from their casings and broke through the glass window, circling around Rarity before speeding down the road, sharp points facing forward.

“Eliza!” Rarity bellowed.

Her voice prompted the griffon to turn around, just in time to see the gems stop within point blank range. She leaned in closer to Spike, bringing the pointed knives closer to Spike’s neck.

“Put. The dragon. Down.” Rarity’s voice was soft, yet it managed to close the difference that separated her and Eliza.

“If one of those things even twitches, I’ll gut him like a fish!” Eliza warned, her armed hand shaking in anticipation.

“If one of those knives touches him, I’ll shred you to ribbons.”

The two females stared each other down, one waiting for the other to call their bluff. The air around them grew still, and the background noise of the city was drowned out by the chorus of their beating hearts.

A bead of sweat slipped down Rarity’s face, threatening to run into her eye. But she would refuse to blink, refuse to lose her concentration. Not with Spike’s life hanging on the line.

Her entire body tensed, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Diamonds, rubies and emeralds floated around Eliza, poised to tear her to shreds.

Unable to hold them anymore, Eliza's knives fell from her scorched, blistering claws. Before Rarity could breathe a sigh of relief, Eliza sprang into the sky, faster than the gemstones could react.

With a vicious war cry, Rarity sent them spiraling into the air after Eliza, watching them catch the lights of the city as the climbed higher and higher. Soon, it was only with her impeccable eye for detail that Rarity could see them, or the beast holding Spike prisoner. Even when the two were nothing but specks in the night sky, Rarity’s gems hounded their every move.

Eliza must have come to a realization about her desperate flight, for she pulled into a vertical dive and let go of Spike, favoring her own survival over that of her prisoner’s.

Rarity gasped in horror as she watched Spike tumble through the air. Thinking quickly, she released all but one of her gemstones, allowing the rest to fall back to the earth, glittering in an array of dazzling colors. She ran, trying to get to a closer position while keeping an eye on Spike and her last diamond.

As it caught up to him, Rarity shouted at the top of her lungs, “Spike, catch it!”

Spike snatched at the glowing diamond, taking it in his claws. The second he did, Rarity jerked it towards herself, dragging Spike across the sky along with it. Rarity pulled him in via her diamond until he was close enough that she could wrap her aura around his body and bring him safely to the ground.

She ran over and threw her hooves around him. “Spike, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, I think so.” He shivered, and when Rarity looked into his eyes, it looked like he had taken one too many shots of caffeine. “But, I changed my mind: I don’t want wings. In fact, I never want to fly again!”

Rarity just smiled and hugged him tighter, closing her eyes and savoring the fact that they were both still alive. Something bright shone through her eyelids, and she opened them to see a tall pillar of teal light tear into the distant sky. Curious, Rarity followed it to its apex, where it abruptly extinguished instead of slowly fading out like normal light would.

“Spike, look.” Rarity pointed, ending their embrace. “Does that seem a little odd to you?”

“A giant beam of light coming from the middle of the city? Yeah, a little.” He followed Rarity’s hoof further up. “Oh, that. Yeah, that’s even weirder.”

“What do you think it is?”

Spike shrugged. “I don’t know. But look at the color. I’m pretty sure that’s Sunset’s magic.”

“Hmm, a beacon, perhaps?” Rarity lowered herself so Spike could climb onto her back.

“Only one way to find out, I guess.”

Rarity nodded and sprung into a quick gait. She kept herself on high alert, however, not wanting to be caught off guard. While Eliza was no doubt nursing her wounded pride, Rarity shuddered to think who else might be lurking in the city.

“Luna, what is it?”

Celestia had watched Luna abruptly awake from her dream trance, gasping and panting heavily from whatever vision she had seen.

“Are you alright, sister?" she pressed with concern. "You're trembling.” The two sat inside the high tower of the castle, the moon casting its lustrous light through the balcony door. They lay across from each other, resting atop overstuffed pillows. Celestia lowered the tattered book she had been reading, giving Luna her full attention.

Luna stared vacantly into space, her expression grim. She was so silent that, for a moment, Celestia thought she had simply gone back to the dream world. Finally, she said very softly, “They are in mortal peril.”

“What?” Celestia’s eyes widened. “How can you be so sure?”

“I was speaking to Sunset Shimmer in her dream when I felt a malevolent presence lurking over her physical body. If she is in danger, I fear they are all in danger,” Luna said despondently, her face a grim mask.

Celestia stood abruptly, dropping the book as she marched for the door, a fierce look on her face. “Then the time for inaction is over. I don’t care who Vesper Radiance is; I have rested on my laurels long enough. Our ponies need us.” She looked over her shoulder to see Luna still resting in place, giving her a pointed stare.

“Sister, what is it you plan on doing, exactly?” Luna asked, her voice still quiet.

“Make for Los Pegasus, of course,” Celestia said briskly.

Luna sighed and stood up, taking gentle steps towards Celestia. “Tia—and I cannot believe I am saying this—but, stop and think rationally for a moment.”

Celestia recoiled slightly, looking taken aback. “Rationally? Of course I’m thinking rationally, Luna.”

“No, you are not,” Luna said with a shake of her head. “You are thinking passionately. I should know, for these situations are usually reversed.”

In spite of her rapidly waning patience, Celestia took a deep breath, keeping her composure, and said, “Okay then, Luna. Explain to me how I am thinking passionately.”

“Very well. Did you honestly put a great deal of thought into how you were going to get to Los Pegasus in a timely manner? Were you going to take the royal chariot and ask the guards to fly at sonic speeds? Even if you flew on your own, you would not reach the city until daybreak. And judging by Twilight’s letter, Vesper Radiance is not taking prisoners.” Luna held up a hoof, cutting Celestia off before she could speak. “No, Sister: you and I both know you could not teleport that distance without exhausting all of your magic and then some. It’s over a two-hundred mile gap, Celestia. Even with our magic combined, it would be a serious strain.”

Luna faced the balcony and stared up at the half moon. “To add to that problem, as I exited Sunset’s mind, I felt something go up around most of the city. I cannot access anypony’s dreams. They are hazy and disoriented, like someone has placed a barrier around them.”

Celestia stood rooted to the spot, taking another deep breath as she organized her thoughts. Luna’s words were true; she hadn’t thought about the time it would take her to reach Los Pegasus. By the time she did arrive, whatever was going on now would be well and truly over. Either Twilight and her friends would stand victorious, or…

She looked up at Luna with remorseful eyes. “What would you have me do, then? Do you remember what happened in Cloudsdale? I sent Twilight and her friends into this mess; I should at least be there for my student when she needs me.”

“But she isn’t your student anymore.” Luna locked eyes with her. Celestia could see the regret in them, but it was overshadowed with cold truth. “She is a grown mare now. She is an alicorn, ascended on your behalf.” Luna took a step forward. “When I first returned home as Nightmare Moon, you took a gamble hoping that Twilight Sparkle would make friends and activate the Elements of Harmony. You knew that once you set that wheel into motion, there was nothing you would be able to do until she succeeded except watch from your imprisonment.

“And now, sister, I’m afraid that at this time, in this moment, there is nothing you can do right now except trust that she and her friends will be all right. I know it is not easy, and if it were not true, I would be right by your side, willing to fight. But our intervention now would mean nothing. Worse yet, it could result in us walking into a trap.”

Celestia bowed her head, considering Luna’s words. True enough, Nightmare Moon had rendered her useless upon return. And while Celestia loathed being useless, she had rested easy knowing she had given something to Twilight: the lore of harmony and the idea of making friends.

She then considered the circumstances of Discord's escape.. The situation escalated beyond Celestia’s control, but she had been able to return to Twilight the friendship letters she had written over her first year in Ponyville, aiding her in restoring her friends and defeating Discord.

And while the Crystal Empire had been a test of sorts, Celestia had given Twilight clear instructions on what needed to be done. And if worse came to worst, she and Luna would have swooped in and stopped Sombra.

But Celestia couldn’t help but wonder: what had she given Twilight this time? It wasn’t as if Twilight could not flourish without her guidance, but Celestia felt useless if she did not contribute something.

After Queen Chrysalis had struck her down in front of her subjects, Celestia had vowed to never be useless again.

She sank back into her pillow, and rubbed her weary eyes. Although she was loathe to admit it, Luna was right: there was nothing she could do at present.

Luna sat down next to her and draped a wing over her shoulders. “Do not worry, Tia. I have faith they will be fine. They have Twilight to lead them, and if this Sunset Shimmer is anything like your student of old, then she is quite powerful.”

“Yes, I know you are probably right, Luna. I just wish there was something I could do. Anything to show Twilight—to show all of them—that we’re with them.” Celestia’s eyes gleamed, and a small smile graced her lips.

“Perhaps there is a way.”

Pinkie Pie was pretty sure her dream had consisted of an endless fountain of root beer. Next to the one where she met the muffin pony and got free samples, that was her favorite dream, and it wasn’t easy to come by.

Understandably, she hadn’t been too happy when she had been woken up by Fluttershy’s screaming and forced to play extreme dart tag with a griffon using a crossbow. Luckily, she had managed to forfeit by leaping out the window and landing in a conveniently placed hydrangea bush. There was no point in playing if the other player was going to cheat.

She walked down the block, shaking the leaves out of her poofy mane. “You don’t play dart tag with pointy arrows,” she said, pulling out a long stick and discarding it. “Ponies get hurt that way!” She stopped walking, a light switching on in her head. “Hey, wait a minute—I think he was trying to hurt me!” Another light turned on. “That was one of the mean griffons from earlier!”

An arrow stuck itself into the ground not but an inch away from her hoof. Pinkie looked up and saw the griffon flying over her, reloading his crossbow. “That’s right, love. Now, hold still and I’ll make this almost painless.”

“Almost painless?” Pinkie questioned as she leaned forward with an eyebrow raised. “That’s like going to the dentist and having him say, ‘don’t worry, you almost won’t feel a thing.’ That’s not exactly good sloganing.”

He rolled his eyes. “All right, then. Close your eyes and you won’t feel a thing.” He took aim at Pinkie’s head.

Pinkie, meanwhile, was rubbing her chin in thought. “I don’t know… that sounds like you’re just lying to—eeep!” Pinkie ducked at the last moment as the arrow flew, becoming tangled in her hair instead. “You liar, I bet that was going to hurt!”

“Why don’t ya hold still and find out?” He prepped another arrow, but by now Pinkie had enough sense to run away.

She scurried down the street, her Pinkie Sense now actively telling her when to dodge an incoming arrow with a slight pinch in her back calf.

I don’t get it. Why are all griffons so mean? Pinkie’s first instinct was to throw him a party to cheer him up, but she remembered how well that had turned out with Gilda and quickly scratched that off her idea list. She folded the list up and hid it in her mane as she swung around a corner, narrowly avoiding being impaled by an iron bolt.

Up ahead, she spotted a manhole cover big enough for her to fit in, but small enough so the griffon would have trouble following her. Pinkie jumped and stomped down hard as she landed on top of it, the cover flipping over and depositing her down into the city sewers.

A horrible stench attacked Pinkie’s nose, forcing her to gag and making her eyes water. The floor beneath her was cold and slimy, splashed with water that had lapped up from the main waterway.

Pinkie looked into the sickly green water, unable to see even her own reflection. She snapped her head up when she heard the manhole being pried off by her pursuer.

I really oughta learn his name… Even if he is trying to hurt me, that’s just good manners. However, she decided to ask at a later time—probably one when he wasn’t pointing arrows pointing at her. She looked back into the sewer water and put her hooves together. Rarity, please forgive me.

Reaching back into her mane, Pinkie produced a long silly straw and placed one end in her mouth before diving into the horrid murk, laying flat against the shallow bottom. She kept her eyes closed, taking tiny breaths of air through her straw as she let the waterway carry her down.

Through the liquid curtain, Pinkie heard the griffon—she was going to call him Mr. Feathers from now on—break through the manhole and descend into the sewers. She could only hope that he wouldn’t see the pink swizzle straw sticking out of the water.

A shadow flew overhead, briefly darkening the already murky channel. Pinkie waited a few more minutes, keeping herself unusually still until she decided to check and see if the coast was clear. She slowly lifted her head out of the water, peering into the thick gloom the coated the tunnels of the sewer. She lifted her ears next, swiveling them around, trying to pick up even the slightest noise. After checking in all directions, Pinkie pulled herself out of the water and shook off like a wet dog, her mane poofing out more than usual.

“Whew.” Pinkie took a deep breath, coughing at the foul stench that still lingered in the air. “Well, at least I can check off sewer swimming and put it under ‘things I should never do again.’” As quiet as a mouse, she slinked through the tunnels, aware that Mr. Feathers was most likely still on the prowl. But now, Pinkie had the element of surprise: her favorite non-magical element.

The sound of her hooves clacking against the moist pavement and the water dripping down from the pipes above echoed softly around Pinkie, disturbing the otherwise oppressive silence. Pinkie took comfort in the tiny sounds, finding a steady rhythm that she could hum a tune too as she sauntered down the path. She was careful not to skip or break out into song, knowing full well it would give her position away. It was like a game of hide and seek.

Deeper within the shadows, Pinkie could make out faint mutterings and the splashing of water. She eased around the corner and found Mr. Feathers with his back turned towards her, grumbling under his breath.

“...Stupid ponies. If we don’t find all of them, that little brat’s gonna have all our heads. And there’s no way I’m goin’ out like Jasper.”

“Who’s Jasper?” Pinkie asked, having moved herself to sit on the back of Mr. Feather’s neck.

“Auugh, what the—” He began to flail himself around, trying to shake Pinkie off of him. But Pinkie just squealed with delight, feeling like she was on a wild carnival ride. She wished she had a hat like Applejack’s to swing around.

With a roar of anger, Mr. Feathers threw his back against the wall, attempting to smash Pinkie—and his quiver of arrows—in the process. Pinkie, however, somersaulted over his head as he impacted, snatching his crossbow as she went, and landing on her back hooves.

She swung around and pointed the loaded weapon at him. “Alright, nobody move, see? This is a stick up, see?”

There was a flash of fear across Mr. Feathers’ face before he broke into a calm smile, chuckling lightly. “And do you know how to even fire that thing, little lady?”

Pinkie lowered the weapon and shrugged. “Well, I guess you got me there.” She then raised the crossbow over her head and brought it down against the pavement, smashing it repeatedly at rapids speeds.

“My crossbow!” Mr. Feathers shouted. He growled at Pinkie and pouncing at her just as she backflipped into the water.

Standing up, Pinkie found that the water went up to her chest, making it slightly difficult to maneuver when Mr. Feathers lunged in after her. She skirted through the water, narrowly avoiding his slashing claws.

“Come on, Mr. Feathers, can’t we just talk this out like civilized folk? Preferably over some sweets?”

Mr. Feathers responded by lashing out once more, forcing Pinkie to duck underwater. Using the murkiness as cover, Pinkie tried to swim down the channel, only to be grabbed by her tail and fished out of the water. She hung upside down, facing Mr. Feathers and reading his furious expression.

Pinkie let out a nervous giggle. “Whoops, ehehe, looks like you caught me, Mr. Feathers.”

“What did you call me?”

“Oh, well, I didn’t know your name, and I couldn’t just keep calling you Mr. Griffon over and over in my head, that’s just silly, so—”

Mr. Feathers roared again, sending Pinkie’s mane billowing back and covering her face with spittle.

When he was finished, Pinkie smiled sheepishly, wiping the spit from her face before jabbing her hooves out, poking Mr. Feathers in both of his eyes. “Peek-a-boo!”

“Gah!” He let go of Pinkie and threw his wet, grimy claws to his eyes. “Sweet harpies, it burns!” he screeched.

Pinkie lifted her head out of the water. “Yeah, you might wanna see an optometrist about that,” she said, backing away slowly. She quickly dove back under when he made a wild grab for her. When Pinkie resurfaced, she turned and splashed loudly through the sewer water trying to get away from Mr. Feathers, who had taken an aerial position and was snatching at her like a bird trying to catch a fish.

However, Pinkie noticed they were blind strikes and saw that his eyes were a burning red. She splashed her hoof across the surface of the water and dodged when Mr. Feathers swooped at her. A devilish smile creeped across her face.

She quietly cleared her throat and cupped her hooves around her mouth, careful not to get any liquid near her lips. “Ooooooh, Mr. Feathers! Over heeeeerrreeee!” Yet the words did not come from Pinkie’s mouth; instead, they came from deeper within the pony-crafted tunnels.

Mr. Feathers jerked his neck, his ears twitching madly, and flew off after the noise.

Pinkie lifted a stray tin can that had been floating past her and flung it after him, listening as it made a loud splash. “No no, no, this way!” She watched Mr. Feathers break in midair and smash his claws down in the water, groping for a pony that wasn’t there.

Climbing back onto the walkway, she threw her voice down the corridor again. “Sorry, over here!” A blur of brown zipped past her, vanishing into the haze while she continued to call, “Uh-oh, you almost have me! You’re right about to catch me!”

Wham!

Pinkie winced at the sound of impact, wondering how fast Mr. Feathers had been flying when he collided with the cement. She galloped after him, finding the griffon lying on his back, his eyes half-lidded in a daze. If Pinkie squinted hard enough, she could see little birdies circling over his head.

She gave the griffon a little pat, eliciting a painful moan from him, and skipped away. That had been almost as much fun as the changeling fight!

Taking a deep breath, she gagged at the putrid smell permeating through the air. “Ugh, I need to get out of here. It smells like the Cake twins’ dirty diapers.”

Spotting a ladder, Pinkie shimmied up it and pushed opened the manhole, finding herself surrounded by the dazzling glow of the Strip.

“Ooooh, pretty lights!”

Rainbow ducked, letting the barbed chain swing over her head. She swiveled in the air and delivered a high kick to Lume’s jaw, rendering him unconscious and sending him spiraling towards the city below. As he fell back, Rainbow turned and blocked an oncoming fist from Axel.

Fighting two well-trained opponents was tougher than Rainbow had originally thought it would be. Though, if anyone asked later on, she of course would say it had been no big deal. Even if the numerous bruises and cuts told a different story.

But Rainbow fought on, ignoring her pain. She had to keep Fluttershy safe. She’d grown a lot from the timid and nervous pegasus to… well, a less timid and nervous pegasus. But still, Rainbow had seen her come a long way and knew she could handle herself in a lot of situations, but this probably wasn’t one of them. In fact, as Rainbow dodged another one of the griffon’s blows, she wondered if she herself could handle this.

Wait a sec! I’m not thinking like a pegasus! I shouldn’t be handling this with my hooves! I should be handling this with my wings!

With a powerful shove, Rainbow broke away from Axel and bolted higher into the sky before looping around and pulling into a vertical dive. She strapped her legs to her sides and folded her wings back, feeling the wind tear at her face.

Just over the roar of the rushing air, she heard Axel shout, “Hey, where do you think yer goin’?”

Rainbow lifted her head up to see him diving after her. Perfect. She grinned to herself.

The two of them cut through the sky like falling knives. Axel quickly caught up with Rainbow, putting them neck and neck with each other. The ground drew ever closer at an incredible speed, waiting for the two winged creatures to collide against it.

Axel lifted his head and gave Rainbow a questioning look, to which Rainbow responded with a cocky grin. She increased her speed, certain she could have produced a Sonic Rainboom if she had more distance between herself and the ground.

She narrowed her gaze, using her keen eyes to judge the distance remaining before impact. She measured it around two-hundred feet and closing quickly. With Axel right behind her, Rainbow knew it was going to be a close call. The thought only made her blood pump faster.

One-hundred fifty feet. Neither one of them were slowing down. Rainbow ran the routine over and over in her head, wanting to time it just right. She needed to hurt Axel enough to put him out of commission, not flatten him like a pancake. But that would take some effort on his part.

One-hundred feet. The late night ponies were starting to point and stare at the two angels falling from the sky. Rainbow stuck her hooves out, preparing for her stunt.

Sixty feet. She bit her tongue, scrunching her face in concentration.

Twenty feet. Rainbow stuck her wings out and broke out of her dive in a perfect ninety degree turn, rocketing down the street and leaving her multicolored contrail in her wake.

Axel had not been so lucky.

He stuck his wings out, catching a slight draft—enough to pull him out of the dive, but not enough to mimic Rainbow’s perfect execution. Still maintaining a downward velocity, he smacked against the pavement, bouncing and tumbling across the road before coming to a rest next to an abandoned carrot dog stand. By the slight twitching of his wing, Rainbow knew her plan had worked perfectly.

She stopped and punched the air, letting out a whoop of delight. Her victory was cut short, however, when something sharp wrapped around and bit deep into her hoof. She looked up, finding Lume sneering at her with a chipped beak. He tugged on the chain that had ensnared Rainbow, dragging her back into the sky.

Rainbow fought back, tears drawing to the corners of her eyes as the barbs snagged into her skin. Fighting against the chain whip, another idea came to her mind. Heh, I’m on a roll tonight. Giving up her act of resistance, Rainbow instead flew right at Lume, her hoof still wrapped by the end of the chain.

Lume drew his claw back, ready to strike at Rainbow as she neared, but Rainbow veered around him instead, catching him off guard.

Around and around she circled him, taking the extension of the chain with her. She spiraled it up him, adorning him like ribbon around a Hearths’ Warming tree, binding his arms and wings. With a pained yell, she dug the barbs out of her hoof and watched Lume drop out of the sky again, bound by his own weapon. Luckily for him, he didn’t have too far to fall.

“Ha! I must be some sort of genius!” Rainbow said, a smug grin plastered on her face. A sharp pain shot through her hoof, quickly dragging her out of her personal victory circle. She grimaced at the four messy gashes bleeding freely. She would need to get that bandaged fast.

“But first,” she murmured, “I gotta find Fluttershy.” She hadn’t looked too fondly on the idea of leaving Fluttershy behind and knew Fluttershy probably wasn’t too happy about it either, but it had been for the best. With the two griffons taken care of, they could search for the rest of their friends.

With a few deep breaths, Rainbow blocked out the pain and took off in the direction of the cemetery, flying at a more relaxed pace.

The blanket of trees below her was almost as dark as the sky above, seeming to repel all light from the city. Rainbow felt even more guilty about leaving Fluttershy behind. She knew the dead couldn’t walk, but this place was still unnerving, even from the air.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow called, hearing her own voice faintly echo across the horizon. A moment of silence passed, the moan of the slight breeze her only reply.. “Fluttershy, it’s me! You can come out now! I sent those losers packing!”

Fluttershy didn’t answer.

Rainbow frowned, a small bubble of fear building in her gut. She descended through the trees, touching down on the leaf-strewn path, making sure to land on her good hoof. It was near pitch black now, and Rainbow had to squint to make out the outlines of the tombstones in front of her. The air now carried the smell of earth… and a faint odor of decay.

Treading lightly, Rainbow ventured further into the cemetery, continuously calling for Fluttershy. But none of those calls went answered. Rainbow’s sense of dread grew with each step, her voice quivering more and more as she ventured into the the relentless dark. It wasn’t like Fluttershy to not come to her friend’s call. Something would have to have chased her off. Or…

Rainbow quickened her pace, scanning the black veil surrounding her for any movement, friendly or otherwise. The longer she stared, the more features became prominent, revealing more of the scenery around her. Yet all she could find were decrepit statues and graves sanded away by the hooves of time. No other living thing seemed to stir amongst the headstones.

Crack!

Rainbow’s face paled as she slowly looked down at what had broken beneath her hoof, the smooth, cold texture already giving her a good hint. Lifting her leg back, she observed a broken leg bone—one that had clearly belonged to a pony.

Somepony must have replaced Rainbow’s heart with a snare drum because she was sure there was no way it could beat that fast. In front of her, she could see more bones littered about like discarded trash. With shaky hooves, she moved forward, approaching the skull that laid on its side. Rainbow fell to her knees and picked it up.

No. This… this can’t be Fluttershy. It’s… it’s too clean. It’s too old. Unless… it’s magic. Rainbow shook her head and took a few large gulps of air. It wasn’t Fluttershy; it couldn’t be. And she had to believe that! Still, if that wasn’t her, then where was Fluttershy?

Rainbow dropped the skull and stood once more. “Come on, Fluttershy! Please answer me!”

Something tugged at her tail and Rainbow whipped around, a hopeful glint in her eye. Only, there was no one behind her. Feeling both disappointed and slightly paranoid, Rainbow was about to turn back around when something brushed against her leg, making her jump. She heard another crack and winced, knowing she had just crushed the skull.

Looking down, she found a small, brown squirrel waving its arms in a desperate attempt to get her attention.

“Oh, uh, hey, little guy. Do you need something?”

The squirrel began to chitter madly, hopping up and down for a second before walking around on all fours, swishing its tail back and forth.

Rainbow blinked, thoroughly confused by this display of behavior. Is it trying to tell me something? It doesn’t… no, it can’t… can it?

“Are you… trying to tell me where Fluttershy is?”

The squirrel nodded its head fervently.

“Really?” Rainbow shouted, bringing her head down to the squirrel’s level. “Where is she? What happened?”

The small rodent dramatically pointed for Rainbow to follow, leading her to a tall tree with a large hollow in its trunk. It climbed inside then stuck its head out, covering its eyes and shivering.

Rainbow tapped her hoof against her chin. Was the squirrel cold? No, it was trying to tell her something. She examined the hollow opening, noting that it was large enough for a pony to squeeze into, and the squirrel cowering in terror.

“Fluttershy… hid inside this tree!” Rainbow pieced together.

Nodding, the squirrel jumped out of the tree and landed in the grass, picking up a fallen leaf. It folded the leaf over its head, wearing it like a hood, and began to make a sound that Rainbow thought sounded close to cackling. If tiny animals could cackle.

Fluttershy was… laughing? No, that doesn’t sound right. Rainbow looked down again, seeing the squirrel rub its hands together, trying to look dastardly. Ugh, only cheesy villains do that. Wait a sec, villains!

“Did an evil pony with a dark cloak come through here?” Rainbow asked. She couldn’t believe she was playing charades with a wild animal.

However, the squirrel nodded again, and Rainbow gnashed her teeth together. “Vesper Radiance.” She dropped low, eyeing the rodent with a mixture of fury and concern. “Did Vesper Radiance, the cloaked pony, take Fluttershy away?”

The squirrel bobbed its head slowly, a forlorn look in its eye.

Rainbow threw her head back and bellowed in fury. That horrible pony had the nerve to steal her best friend away? Rainbow was going to make sure she paid dearly. “If you hurt one hair on her head, I’ll make sure you wish you were never born!” she screamed to sky. Her eyes found the squirrel again. “Did you see which way they went?”

With a single directional gesture from the little squirrel, Rainbow was off, all her fatigue gone; adrenaline and red hot rage flowing through her. She broke through the treeline and shot back towards the city proper, heading west for the piers.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy, answer me! Vesper Radiance, you coward, show yourself!” Rainbow screamed over and over again. She stopped on every rooftop, taking a quick look at her surroundings before taking off again, praying that they had only managed to get so far.

Come on, Rainbow Dash. You’re the fastest pony in Equestria! There’s no way she can outrun you!

“Rainbow Dash!”

It was faint, but she heard it: Fluttershy’s unmistakable cry. Rainbow closed in on it, flying as fast as her wings could carry her.

“Don’t worry, ‘Shy, I’m here! I’m here! Just hang on!”

“My, you’re a loud dog, aren’t you?”

Rainbow came to a stop, her gaze fixated on the roof in front of her. There stood the source of all her anger, dressed in her cloak of shadows, the Alicorn Amulet radiating its eerie crimson light. Suspended in a red aura next to her was an unconscious Fluttershy.

“You!” Rainbow charged with an outstretched hoof ready to bash Vesper’s face in. But the moment before contact, she vanished. Rainbow forced herself to a halt, twisting this way and that in the hunt for the target.

“Yoo hoo, over here!”

Whipping her head around, Rainbow found Vesper on a distant roof. She could almost feel the villain sneering at her from under her hood. With a snarl, Rainbow flew at her again, only to have her teleport once more.

“Ugghhh!” Rainbow growled in frustration. “Hold still!”

“Now where’s the fun in that?” a voice whispered in her ear.

Rainbow swung her hoof, catching only air as a horrendous giggle floated through her ears. She turned around, spotting Vesper not too far away.

“Come on, O fastest flyer in all of Equestria! I won’t move this time, I promise!”

With a bull-like snort, Rainbow charged once more, putting all her weight into her next attack. I’m going to make sure this hurts!

Wham!

All Rainbow could see were stars—bright stars swimming around her head. She lay on her back, her front half aching like she had smashed into something. She groaned, lying on the ground for a minute while she got ahold of herself.

Rising to her hooves, she immediately crouched down and flared her wings out, for Vesper Radiance stood not two feet in front of her, Fluttershy still hanging limp next to her.

“Well, Rainbow Dash, I’m waiting.”

Rainbow jumped forward, smacking her head once again and landing on her haunches. “What the…?” She rubbed her head, staring at the space in between her and Vesper. She squinted her eyes and saw a faint ripple in the air.

She leaned forward and pressed her hoof against what felt like one of Twilight’s force fields. Slamming her hoof against it, Rainbow saw a flash of red blink in front of her. She pounded her hoof again, watching as an outline appeared, extending up and enclosing what looked like half of the city from Rainbow’s view. She gaped at the dome, then looked back to Vesper.

“You coward! Let us out of here!”

“Hmph. If you want to live and see at least another day, I suggest you stay there. But don’t worry, I’ll be back to kill you quite soon. That is, if you aren’t already dead by my return.”

Rainbow repeatedly beat against the force field. “Let Fluttershy go! Let her go, or I’ll—”

“Or you’ll what?” Vesper taunted. “Bark at me some more? Ooooh yes, so scary. I feel so very threatened right now. I may as well give up and go home.” She let out a harsh laugh, shaking Fluttershy in her magical grip. “You caught me in a good mood, Rainbow Dash, otherwise, you’d be nothing more than a speck on the floor. Your angry face and pointless struggle are so very amusing to watch.”

“I said let Fluttershy go, right now!”

Vesper chuckled darkly. “I can’t do that, Rainbow Dash. You see, I need her. Alive, luckily for you. So don’t worry, I’ll keep her nice and safe. At least until she serves her purpose. Then you can have her back in tiny little pieces,” she said casually, unnerving Rainbow to her core.

“You… if you hurt her… I swear…”

“You might want to hold onto that vague insult.” Vesper pointed behind Rainbow. “You have an admirer.”

Rainbow looked over her shoulder, finding a pegasus-shape something flying towards her at alarming speeds. She looked back to Vesper Radiance, but both she and Fluttershy were gone. Returning her attention to her new guest, she dived out of the way as it came in for a heavy landing.

Back in the air, Rainbow sized up her opponent, sucking in a sharp breath as its features became recognizable in the dark night. Rainbow became paralyzed with fear, her mind repeating over and over that she could not be seeing who she thought she was seeing.

“Y-you… you’re supposed to be… dead.”

The pegasus turned around, moving his compass cutie mark out of sight. His once dark blue fur had taken on a more greyish tint, and a vast amount of his hair and feathers were beginning to fall out. His eyes were completely blank, just white marbles sitting in his skull.

Sky Chart opened his mouth and let out a bone-chilling screech, one that could only belong to a pony no longer of the earth. He rushed up at Rainbow, snapping his newly sharpened teeth at her.

She only just managed to avoid losing her hoof, surprised that a zombie could move that fast. Kicking her legs out, she bucked Sky Chart in the chest before fleeing further into the city.

Rainbow couldn’t help but wonder if the myth about zombie bites turning you into a zombie as well were true. But with Sky Chart right behind her trying to nip at her tail, she knew she didn’t want to find out. Twisting around, she swung her back leg, smashing it against Sky Chart’s face. He staggered and fell back some distance, but quickly shook it off and resumed his chase.

“Right, zombies don’t feel pain. Oh this is bad. This is really, really bad!” Rainbow gripped the sides of her head. How could you stop something that didn’t feel pain? Rainbow considered just punching it over and over again but was afraid of being bitten somewhere along the way.

Weaving in and out through the tall buildings, Rainbow could only think of one pony who might be able to solve this problem.

“Twilight!” she screamed.

The griffon finally crumpled in front of her, unable to withstand the last concussion blast Twilight had dealt him. She took a minute to gather herself, sitting down at a table in the small plaza she had teleported into. The griffon had managed to latch onto her just as she had vanished, and somewhere during the journey, she had lost Spike and Rarity.

Twilight bit her lip, hoping that they were together and safe from harm, along with the rest of her friends. She massaged her forehead, sighing in frustration. Mercenary griffons attacking them in the middle of the night… and they could throw fireballs! How was that even possible?

“Griffons only have wind attributes, like pegasi. The only way they could produce fire is through ancient runes, or… or… dark magic.” A chill ran down Twilight’s spine. If Vesper Radiance was strong enough to give griffons fire abilities, what else could she do?

Twilight stood up, having caught her breath. Her mane stuck out at odd ends and she snorted in frustration. Her friends had been scattered all around the city, the most dangerous mare in Equestria probably already had the Tempest Crown, and they still didn’t know where the last piece of the Dark Regalia was.

Her first task as a princess of Equestria and Twilight felt like she was failing miserably. She could only imagine Celestia’s look of disappointment, or her scolding tone of displeasure.

She shook her head. No, she couldn’t think like that! It was far from over! Her friends had endured worse and always came out on top. She just had to round them all up, and fast.

“But how?” Twilight asked, agitated lines crossing her face. “I don’t even know where to start looking!”

Twilight gasped as a bright beam of light shot into the sky, creating a soft blue glow that settled around the city. She smiled at the teal light and said, “Thank you, Sunset.”

Breaking into a gallop, Twilight followed the beacon, teleporting every few minutes to help close the distance. Her journey brought her to an avenue of casinos and hotels in the Los Pegasus Strip. She came to a slow canter as she approached the tall, black pyramid that was emitting the pillar of light from its tip. Her concentration on reuniting with her friends was briefly broken by the buildings’ architectural design. A hotel shaped into a pyramid was simply astounding! She made a mental note to come back and examine it later.

As Twilight neared the paw of the marble sphinx, she continuously glanced around for any sign of her friends amongst the thin crowd of party-going ponies. Yet she found no familiar looking faces, not even Sunset’s.

“Maybe they’re all inside,” Twilight said to herself, heading for the entrance.

“Twilight!” A shrill voice broke through the night.

Twilight whipped her back. “Rainbow Dash?”

Flying at top speed was the blue pegasus herself with a horrified expression on her face. Twilight’s eyes widened in panic when she realized that Rainbow wasn’t slowing down. She collided with Twilight, sending both of them to the ground in a heap.

“Twilight!” Rainbow said, grabbing her off of the ground and shaking her shoulders. “Problem! Really big problem! No, a lot of problems! Fluttershy! Vesper Radiance! Barrier! Zombies!”

“Rainbow, slow down! I can’t even tell what you’re saying.” Twilight pulled away from Rainbow’s embrace, shaking herself off. “Now, please, slowly tell me what’s wrong?”

Rainbow pointed with a hoof. “Well first, there’s that!”

Speeding down the avenue was another pegasus, but Twilight could already sense something was wrong with it. She tensed her body, preparing her horn for an attack. A teal blast smashed into the side of the pegasus, sending it flying into the building parallel to it. The ambling ponies passing by screamed in a panic and fled as the pegasus tumbled to the ground.

Twilight looked up to the sphinx’s head to see Sunset clambering down, looking less than graceful as she did. She lost her footing and tumbled down the leg, coming to rest on top of its paw, the rope of her hourglass trying to choke her. Rainbow and Twilight quickly rushed to her side.

“Woah, Sunset, are you okay?” Rainbow asked. “Geez, what happened to you?”

Sunset pushed herself to a standing position and untangled herself. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she grumbled in a disgruntled tone.

Twilight took note of the bloodstained linen wrapped around her chest and the hard, pensive look in her eye. She was about to push for some information, but Sunset cut her off.

“Was that… Sky Chart I just blasted?” She pointed to the pony already getting back to his hooves. He twisted his head, popping the bones his neck before hissing at the three mares, saliva dripping from his maw.

Rainbow hastily nodded her head. “He’s a zombie!”

“There’s no such thing as zombie ponies,” Twilight scolded incredulously.

“Well, you might want to tell him that.” Sunset jerked her head.

Sky Chart flared his wings, allowing Twilight to catch a glimpse of a patch of mottled skin. She lit her horn, bracing herself for an imminent attack. Okay, maybe he is a zombie.

As Sky Chart lunged at them, a rope flew out and wrapped around his midsection, slamming him back onto the ground.

“Ah’ll ask ya to not go hurtin’ mah friends, thank ya very much,” Applejack said, strolling into view.

Twilight encased Sky Chart within a small force field and walked up to Applejack. “Thanks, A.J.”

“Don’t mention it, sugarcube. Ah’m just glad to see y’all okay… well, mostly okay.”

Rainbow let out a frustrated yell, startling both ponies enough for Twilight’s focus on the force field to waver. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! Everything is not okay!” Rainbow shouted, starting to hyperventilate. “Fluttershy! Vesper Radiance has Fluttershy!”

Author's Note

Now rounding out my editing trio is the fantastic Cerulean Voice

Special thanks to: Flint Sparks for being a guest editor.

Scipio Smith and his story Comes the Sunset for giving me inspiration for Rainbow's scene.

And finally, to Between Lines for helping me fix a very nasty plot hindrance.

Chapter XIII: Against the Rising Sun

Rarity had lost all sense of time wandering across the city, constantly heading closer to the blue light reaching into the sky. Judging by the yawns she was now producing every other minute, she guessed it was quite early in the morning yet not early enough to see the dawn breaking over the eastern hills.

“Oh, I would j-just kill for a quick nap right now,” Rarity said, stifling another yawn.

From atop her back, Spike stretched and let out a yawn of his own. “I know what you mean. I’m exhausted.”

The two had been meandering around for what felt like forever, navigating their way through the maze that was Los Pegasus. Even as the blue pillar drew closer, it felt like they were moving at a snail’s pace.

Exhaustion hugged Rarity, covering her entire body and slowing her movement. She realized she hadn’t slept since the horrible outing in the desert almost twenty-four hours ago. Her weariness reminded her of the state she would find herself in after working on her dresses the night before a deadline. Only, this tiredness seemed to run through every bone in her body rather than just her mind and horn.

Still, Rarity pressed on, having had enough of the city and the griffons that were so determined to do away with her. She just wanted to find her friends and leave.

She heard Spike yawn again, trying his best to stay vigilant. She admired his fortitude but wouldn’t hold it against him if he fell asleep. Then again, he had already proven tonight he was much tougher than he looked.

The duo exited the main city and entered the Strip; the beacon pulsing from the top of a tall pyramid-shaped building.

“Whoa,” Spike said, eyes wide with amazement at the lights and sounds around him.

Rarity tutted. “Focus, Spike. We aren’t here for merrymaking. Besides, you’re too young for most of the things that go on in casinos anyway.”

“Are not. Besides, all they do is gamble, right?”

“Well…” Rarity was saved from answering his question when she turned the corner and saw Pinkie Pie hopping up and down on a trampoline, juggling swords while she told a story to the enraptured audience in front of her.

The sad part is, this doesn’t surprise me at all anymore.

“And then I said—oh! Hey, Rarity. Hey, Spike! Look what I can do!” Pinkie said, jubilantly.

Rarity approached her, shaking her head in disbelief. “Pinkie, I should know by now not to ask this, but what are you doing?” Her nose twitched as a rather foul scent began to assault her nostrils. She jumped back, covered her nose and shouted, “Sweet stars above, what is that horrid stench?”

“Oh that.” Pinkie giggled. “Funny story. See, one of the mean griffons chased me into the sewers and I had to hide in the water to get the jump on him and afterwards, I climbed back up and found myself here, so I thought, ‘oooh, I always wanted to gamble—”

Spike let out a triumphant, “Hah, I knew it!”

“—so I tried to go into the casino, but they wouldn’t let me in because I smelled funny and had no money, so I decided I’d become a street performer to raise some bits! See, here’s my act!”

Rarity rubbed the side of her head, groaning. “I knew I shouldn’t have asked. Pinkie—” she pointed towards the pyramid “—did you not notice the big, glowing light in the sky?”

Pinkie turned her head. “Oh hey, now that you mention it, that does seem kinda conspicuous. It looks like Sunny’s magic.”

“Exactly. Now put the swords down so we can leave.”

“Right.” Pinkie continued to bounce up and down, a small frown marring her normally happy expression. “Uhh, actually... I didn’t put much thought into how I was going to end this.”

Spike gave her a level stare. “You’re stuck, aren’t you?”

“Uh-huh.”

Rarity facehoofed again before igniting her horn and levitating the swords away from Pinkie, placing them gently on the ground around her.

Pinkie somersaulted off the trampoline, landing on her back hooves before taking a bow to her applauding audience. “Thank you, thank you, you’ve been a wonderful crowd!”

The ponies tossed her a spatter of shining bits, which Pinkie scooped up and hid in her mane. As the crowd dispersed, she bounced over to Rarity and Spike, smiling from ear to ear. “I like this city! We should come here more often!”

Rarity gagged at the smell wafting off Pinkie and took large steps back. “First, I’m in the opinion of never coming back here. And second…” Rarity pointed her horn at Pinkie and released a large, pink cloud that quickly enveloped her.

As Pinkie waved the cloud away, Rarity took in a deep breath and sighed in satisfaction. “Much better.”

Pinkie sniffed the air and started to bounce up and down excitedly. “Wow, I smell like fresh cut spring flowers, spewed across a babbling brook with a hint of lemon! I didn’t know you could do that, Rarity!”

“Twilight taught it to me. Saves me a bundle on perfumes.”

Spike frantically waved his claws around. “Girls, we need to focus!”

“Oh, right!” Pinkie made an obstinate smile. “To the big light thingy!”

There was a stunned stillness, in which the four ponies could only hear their own heartbeats, and Sky Chart thrashing about inside of his magical prison.

Sunset ground her teeth and stomped her good leg in frustration. Why would Vesper Radiance just steal Fluttershy away? What purpose could she possibly have? Sunset had only known her for a short time, but Fluttershy had been nothing but kind. To know that her life was now hanging in Vesper’s hooves… Sunset could only imagine how the others felt.

“But, why?” Applejack spoke up, a small quiver in her voice. “Why take her? How did this happen?”

Rainbow launched into an explanation. “I saw Fluttershy being attacked by one of those stupid griffons after I got rid of the one that attacked my room, so I flew over and took care of him. Then, I brought Fluttershy to an abandoned cemetery to hide, and while we were there, both of the griffons I thought I had taken care of came back. So, I told Fluttershy to stay there while I handled them, but when I came back, she was gone! Then a squirrel told me that some evil pony had shown up and taken Fluttershy away—”

“A squirrel told you?” Sunset cut in, eyeing Rainbow skeptically.

“It was a game of charades!” Rainbow snapped. “Anyway, I flew off to search for her and I found Vesper had her unconscious! I tried to chase after them, but I hit some stupid force field that’s around the city!”

Curious, Twilight looked up. “There’s a force field around the city?”

Sunset followed her gaze, looking up at the clear sky. She didn’t see any obvious signs of magic, but she doubted Rainbow would make something like that up. She fired a single pulse into the air, watching it race higher and higher. Sunset narrowed her eyes while it steadily grew smaller… until it collided with something in midair, leaving a brief red flash in its place.

“A perfectly concealed force field,” Sunset murmured, ashamed that she was impressed with Vesper Radiance’s level of magic. “You’d never know it was there until you hit it.”

“When did she put that up?” Applejack asked. “What’s she trying to keep out?”

“Nothing,” Sunset said, shaking her head. “She’s trying to keep us in. I think she wanted us to have a death match with the griffons, making sure neither side could leave until one was dead.”

“Can you break it?” Rainbow asked desperately. “Fluttershy is somewhere on the other side of that thing, and we need to find her.”

“Don’t worry, Rainbow,” Twilight said in a strong, calm voice. “We’ll find her. If Sunset and I put our magic together, we can smash that shield and track down Vesper. We’ll save Fluttershy before anything bad happens, I promise.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Rainbow asked with renewed vigor.

“Slow yer role, sugarcube.” Applejack held up a hoof. “We still need to find Rares, Pinks and Spike first.”

Sunset pointed towards Sky Chart, crouched in a striking position and baring his sharpened canines at them. “And we should probably do something about him first.”

Applejack took a few slow steps closer to the protective barrier encasing Sky Chart. “Is… is he really a…?”

Twilight tapped her hooves together, fidgeting and twitching ever-so-slightly. “I really, really want to say no, because zombie ponies can’t exist. But…” She gave a nervous gulp. “We all saw him get hit, right?”

Everypony nodded. No matter how long she lived, Sunset knew she would never get the image out of her head: Sky Chart being struck in a flash of angry red, screaming in pain before falling to the distant ground. Even if the initial blast hadn’t killed him, the fall almost certainly had.

Death was the only way to explain Sky Chart’s appearance: his greying feathers, matted fur, and dying skin. His sunken eyes and the fact that only the whites were visible. Add to it, his newly sharpened teeth and the moans and hisses he constantly made. There was very little else that made sense.

“Well… what else can we do with him?” Rainbow asked, but by the creeping dread in her voice, she already knew the answer.

Sunset sighed. “There’s really only one thing we can do… put him out of his misery.”

Applejack gaped at her. “Are you sure that’s the only way? And besides, he’s already dead… can somepony… die a second time?”

“Like you just said, he’s already dead, so we technically aren’t killing him,” Sunset said with a careless shrug. “We’re just stopping his corpse.”

Twilight nibbled on the inside of her lip. “I don’t know, Sunset. Something about this just doesn’t feel right.”

“Ah’m with Twi on this one.” Applejack nodded sagely. “We still gotta show respect for the dead, or, undead in this case.”

Rainbow pawed at the ground, giving furtive glances to the zombie. “I don’t know, girls, Sunset might be right. I’ve read some comics where the only way to stop a zombie is… you know… cut its head off.”

With a sigh and a facehoof, Twilight said, “Rainbow, you should know better than to believe a comic book. And even if that were true, I’m not going to maul an innocent civilian.”

Sunset lit her horn. “Then lower the shield and I’ll do it for you,” she said with a chill.

“No!” Twilight stamped her hoof. “Sunset, how could you say such a thing?”

“Twilight, I admire your moral high ground, I really do, but he’s already dead!” With a single glare from Twilight, Sunset immediately powered down her horn and folded her ears. What on earth had come over her to make her act that way? She opened her mouth to apologize, but the words seemed to stick fast in her throat.

Moving her hoof to her chest, Twilight took a deep breath before exhaling and bringing it away. “Okay, listen, the only way for something like this to be possible is for there to be a very powerful enchantment on Sky Chart’s body. If I use my magic, maybe I can find it and undo it.”

“What happens then?” Applejack asked.

“In theory, he should go back to just being, well, dead. But, at least then someone can give him a proper burial.”

Sunset cleared her throat, no longer trying to meet Twilight’s eyes. “Uh, yeah. That should work.”

“I’ll need you to take over the shield, Sunset, so I can focus on the spell.”

“Yes, Twilight,” she said formally, bowing her head. Sunset found herself as a foal again, being reprimanded by her Princess. It sent both waves of nostalgia and shame burning through her body.

She took over the magical dome, the aura changing from violet to teal, while Twilight closed her eyes and scrunched her face in concentration. Sunset gave a quick, meaningful glance to Applejack and Rainbow: a silent order to keep watch.

Sky Chart continued to ram against the walls of Sunset's shield, making her wince every time. While she was fairly sure her wound had stopped bleeding, she wasn’t so sure about the amount of magic she should be exerting at the moment. As grateful as she was about her limited use of magic in scaling the pyramid and… dealing with Carrow, she was sure she had still used too much. Sunset was beginning to question how far she could push herself before succumbing to her physical limit.

In the meantime, she held fast, not wanting to disappoint Twilight a second time that night. As long as she did her job right, she could fall back the Princess’s good favor again. Of course, Sunset knew she would still need to apologize.

I’m just going to chalk that outburst up to the lack of blood going to my brain. Her lying to herself was starting to become a bad habit.

“Incoming!”

Sunset’s eyes widened and she jerked her head to the right, narrowly avoiding a shaft of light. The magic missile continued onwards into the wall behind her, scattering the crowd of wide-eyed tourists that had begun to congregate again.

Returning her gaze to down the block, Sunset’s blood ran cold as she beheld two more shadows shambling up the road. A shivering claw stroked her spine as she felt the wrongness emanating off of them. It was a feeling akin to the one when she had first looked upon Sky Chart. And as the shadows stepped into the light, she knew why.

Dirty, mottled fur clung to their dried out skin. Several stab wounds marred their front, trails of dried blood running down their chest, adding to their savage appearance. Much like Sky Chart, their pupils were gone, leaving only blank, white marbles in their eye sockets.

They were both unicorns, and by the lines on their face, Sunset would have guessed they were both middle aged. The one on the left was female, her once orange coat washed out by death’s cold touch, and her yellow mane disheveled. Sunset identified the male’s coat to have once been a midnight blue color with a deep red mane, both fading to grey.

There was a light pressure in Sunset’s heart, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. The spell sputtered in and out for a moment before Sunset caught herself, redoubling her focus. But the sense of vertigo persisted, growing worse as the two unicorns drew closer. An intense hatred began to burn in her breast, filling her head with thoughts of revenge and suffering.

Rainbow and Applejack sprung into action, galloping up the street to intercept the two new oncomers. “Remember,” Rainbow yelled, “don’t let them bite you!”

“Rainbow, ya need to stop readin’ those darn comics!” Applejack snapped.

Sunset looked over to Twilight, who had peeked an eye open to watch momentarily before she went back to probing the magic around Sky Chart. Sunset hoped Twilight would find something soon. She was beginning to doubt how long she could hold the shield.

Another magic blast whizzed over Sunset’s head, singing the very top of her mane. She watched Rainbow swoop around and tackle the female unicorn to the ground, being extra careful to avoid her mouth. Applejack, meanwhile, had taken up her rope again and was trying to truss up the other zombie. Rainbow’s paranoia must have had some effect on her, for she was also trying to avoid being bitten.

The female unicorn stopped snapping at Rainbow and simply aimed her horn, firing a blast into her side. Rainbow flew off, roughly landing some feet away on the hard pavement. The unicorn got up and continued to advance towards Twilight and Sunset, firing more spells all the while.

Sunset created a thin shield to protect herself as darkness crawled along the edge of her vision. She fell to one knee, losing her balance along with her sight. She could feel her magic hold over Sky Chart’s prison rapidly slipping, no matter how hard she tried to hang on.

“I think I’ve almost got it,” Sunset heard Twilight whisper. At least, it sounded like a whisper. All of the city noise had been reduced to a mere buzz.

It was like being pinned by Carrow all over again, only Sunset was sure she wasn’t going to have a dark miracle this time around. Desperate to try though, and wanting the satisfaction of hitting the horrible mare in the face, she fired one last weak spell, just as her shield and wall around Sky Chart vanished. She felt herself hit the ground as her vision went totally black…

Knock, knock, knock.

“H-hello. Can I help you?”

“I certainly hope so. Is this the home of Midnight and Morning Glory?”

“Y-yes it is. I’m Morning Glory. Um… do I know you?”

“Such a shame. You really don’t recognize me? I’m heartbroken.”

“Honey, who’s at the door—ah! I-I don’t believe it! It’s you!”

“See? At least a father bothers to remember his own daughter, unlike you, Mother!”

“Mother? Then that means… you’re… you’re…”

“Sunset! Sunset, wake up!”

With a pained groan, Sunset opened her eyes, Twilight’s worried face filling her sight. Her horn throbbed, sending ripples of pain into her skull. She smacked her lips, her mouth feeling bone try and her tongue like sandpaper, as if she had gone back and spent another day in the desert sand.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked, holding a hoof out to her.

Sunset took it and was pulled to her hooves, falling back to a sitting position as another round of fatigue hit her. “Ugh.” She held a hoof to her head, trying to get the world to stop spinning. “What happened?”

“I think you overexerted yourself,” Twilight said gently. She pointed at the makeshift bandage around Sunset’s shoulder. “Sunset, how bad is that wound?”

“It’s not too bad… but, it did bleed a lot.” Sunset turned away, cringing in guilt at Twilight’s shocked expression.

“Why didn’t you say something? I wouldn’t have you casting magic if I knew how hurt you were!”

“It’s fine, really. I don’t even think that’s the reason I passed out. It was…”

Twilight leaned forward. “It was… what?”

“Nothing,” Sunset said firmly. “It was nothing. You’re right, I shouldn’t have been casting magic.” She stood up, trying to get a feel for her legs again.

“Sunset—”

“What happened to… you know… them?” Sunset interrupted.

Twilight gave a disgruntled sigh and pointed to the distance. Sunset followed her hoof and found Applejack and Rainbow, along with—to Sunset’s relief—Rarity, Pinkie and Spike, all of them standing next to three unmoving bodies. Taking a few cautious steps, Sunset found that there was no feeling of dizziness when she neared the two unicorns.

“What happened?” she asked Twilight again.

“I broke through the enchantment around Sky Chart just as you passed out. After that, I just replicated the same spell after Applejack tied each one up,” Twilight explained, keeping a concerned eye on Sunset.

“How long was I out?”

“Not too long. About ten minutes, really. Rarity, Pinkie and Spike showed up just as we put down the last… corpse,” Twilight said after a little thought.

They approached the rest of the group, entering into what should have been a joyful reunion. Instead, it was submerged under worried frowns and anxious glances. Even Pinkie seemed devoid of her usual enthusiasm.

“I’m glad to see you’re alright, Sunset,” Rarity said with a pained smile, her eyes flickering elsewhere.

Sunset nodded. “You too.”

Spike kept his eyes on the bodies, like he was waiting for them to get back up again. He wrapped an arm around Twilight’s front leg. “I c-can’t believe you actually fought off zombie ponies while we were gone.”

Twilight huffed. “Technically, they weren’t zombies; they were just animated corpses.”

“Seriously? Is there even a difference?” Spike gave her a look of disbelief.

“Girls, focus!” Rainbow yelled, throwing herself into the air. “Who cares if they were zombies or not? Fluttershy’s been foalnapped and we need to go save her! Now!”

Applejack stomped a hoof in agreement. “Rainbow’s right. We got bigger things to be concerned with! Now, the question is, how are we gonna find her?”

“The tracking spell Princess Celestia mentioned, remember?” Twilight tapped her horn. “As long as Vesper has been using some magic, I should be able to find a trail we can follow. I just need to take down this shield around the city…”

“Why do you keep using singular vernacular?” Sunset asked, arching an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Because you need to recover,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “You’ve already cast enough spells with that injury.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “It’s not that bad, really. Twilight, you can’t take out the shield on your own. Besides, as long as we pool our magic together, I’ll be fine.”

“Sunset, I really don’t think—”

“Twilight…” Sunset gave her a pleading look. “I can do this.”

They held each other’s gaze: Sunset desirous, Twilight aversive. She gave a defeated sigh, hanging her head. “Alright, Sunset. If you really think you can.”

A determined light filled Sunset’s eyes. She nodded her head and said with a steadfast resolve, “I won’t let you down, Twilight.”

“I know you won’t.” Twilight smiled. “Now, we need to get to…” She whiffed the air a few times before sticking her tongue out in disgust and taking a gigantic step backwards.

It took only a second for everyone else to follow suit, holding their noses and fighting off the urge to vomit. “What in tarnation is that horrible smell?” Applejack cried.

“Don’t look at me,” Pinkie said defensively. “Rarity made me smell like fresh cut spring—”

“I think now that the spell is gone, the bodies have continued to decay properly,” Twilight interrupted in a nasally voice.

“So, are we just going to leave them here?” Spike asked, pinching his nose.

Rainbow shrugged, keeping a far distance. “Well, what else are we supposed to do with them?”

“It’s out of our hooves now,” Sunset said, continuing to retreat. There was a silent albeit reluctant agreement amongst all of them. They had far more pressing manners to attend to now.

As they followed Rainbow back to where she had first encountered the barrier, the sky above them began to turn pink with the first morning light, rising in the east behind them. The stars slowly faded away with the sun peeking out from behind the green hills.

Under the shifting pallet of the sky, the inner city of Los Pegasus was caught in the absolute calm before the start of a new day; the streets were completely devoid of life aside from the sleeping drunkards huddled up in their corners.

They moved with a quick gait within the hard shadows of the tall buildings enclosed round them, fixed in laconic tenseness, but spurred on by a joint drive. Still, just as Sunset was starting to think the lack of conversation was too much to bear, Rarity spoke in a soft tone that managed to carry quite far amongst the city's stillness.

“So… does anyone know who those other two ponies were along with Sky Chart?”

“Midnight and Morning Glory,” Sunset answered, sullen.

Rarity gave her a curious glance. “Do you know them?”

“No, but…” Sunset stopped, her skin crawling at the concept that had formed in her mind. “I think… those were Vesper Radiance’s parents.”

Everyone stopped and gave Sunset a horrified expression, Applejack in particular looking sick.

“She… she did that to her own kin? That’s… that’s….” She pulled her hat over her face, shaking her head in disgust. “Ah didn’t think Ah could hold this much contempt for a pony.”

“Wait.” Twilight held up a hoof. “What makes you think they were her parents?”

Sunset didn’t give an immediate answer. She started walking, trying to find something to change the topic. “It’s just a feeling I have,” she said aversively.

“What kind of feeling?” Pinkie asked, her voice still lacking its usual cheer. “Is it like a Pinkie Sense feeling?”

“Uhh, sure.”

While Sunset knew Twilight didn’t buy it, it at least stopped more questions from coming her way. They continued along the sidewalk, still moving in a western direction. Sunset wondered just how large the circumference of the shield was.

Looking up, she watched Rainbow hold her hooves out in front of her, blindly feeling the air. “It was around here somewhere… I think.” She jabbed her hoof out a few times, inching forward before repeating the process.

Pinkie was the first one to run into it, too focused on Rainbow’s antics to look where she was going. Her face pressed against pseudo-glass surface, the red outline visible for all to see. Beyond the barrier was a straight street that ran to the city docks, and just past that, a light fog that veiled the open ocean.

Spike and the other ponies gave Twilight and Sunset a wide berth as the two stepped closer to the wall of energy. They stood side-by-side, horns softly glowing with power.

“Are you ready?” Twilight asked, still sounding apprehensive.

Sunset gave a firm nod. “Yeah. Let’s do this for Fluttershy.”

Twilight’s look of unease melted away, replaced by a strong look of conviction. Together, they lowered their horns and fired their respective beams of magenta and teal. The two threads of light burst forward and converged at a single focal point, harmonizing into a pure white ray that continued forth and clashed with the force field.

Sunset could feel the strength of the barrier trying to resist and repel them. She bared her teeth in concentration, refusing to lose to Vesper’s horrible power. Come on, magic, don’t fail me now!

“Just a little bit more, Sunset!” she heard Twilight yell over the hum of their combined energy.

Happy to oblige, Sunset poured more magic into her attack, the radiant stream growing even brighter. A noise could be heard over the thrum of energy, faint at first, but quickly growing in volume. At first, Sunset thought it was the shield cracking, but soon she could hear it much more closely, and the sound made her heart jolt.

It was a sinister giggling.

“Oh no—aghhh!” Both Sunset and Twilight were flung backwards like rag dolls, hitting and rolling across the street, coating themselves in black gravel. Sunset groaned, her horn and skull throbbing once more. She found somepony quickly helping her up, dusting off the dirt and rocks.

“What in Equestria happened?” Rarity asked, sweeping her tail across Sunset like a feather duster. Turning her head, Sunset could see the same thing being done to Twilight by Applejack.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Sunset confessed. She looked up at the force field, the red outline fading back to nothingness, having completely rejected her and Twilight’s efforts. “That thing must be stronger than we thought.” She motioned for Rarity to stop and approached the boundary line. Twilight soon appeared next to her, tapping the wall and examining it with a critical eye.

“Either she was already powerful before, or the Alicorn Amulet is giving her a serious boost,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin.

Rainbow swooped down next to her, horrible anxiety scrawled on her face. “You can still break it, right? Tell me you girls can still break it!”

“Calm down, Dash,” Twilight said firmly. “We can still break it. It’s just going to take a little more time.”

Sunset nodded. “Brute force isn’t going to get us through. But this is a big shield, which means there has to be weak points around here somewhere.” Sunset gestured to the shield as a whole. “All we have to do is find one and focus our energy on that.”

A proud look from Twilight was Sunset’s reward. “Good thinking. You search high, I’ll search low.”

“Roger!” With that, both mares steeped themselves in concentration, their magic spreading out around the barrier, probing it for any signs of weakness.

As her magic brushed against the pulsing energy, Sunset was astounded at the work that went into making it. Vesper hadn’t made her shield half-heartedly; she had thrown in all the fixings. Sunset could feel the various types of repulsion spells interweaving within the fabric of magic. Nothing, not even dragon fire could make it in or out. The shield was so well designed, Sunset wouldn’t have been surprised if Los Pegasus was invisible to anyone on the outside.

Again, Sunset loathed commending Vesper Radiance for her magical prowess, but she had to give credit where credit was due. Still, everything had a weak point, no matter how finely crafted it was. Her magic ran across the ethereal fibers, feeling where they frayed in some areas, though not enough to where they could be unraveled. Being immersed in Vesper’s magic, Sunset could feel the emotions that had been present when the spells were initially conceived. Impatience, frustration, and anger were prominent, but what Sunset felt the most was something that screamed louder than all of them combined, bleeding into every corner of the protective field.

Hatred.

Such an intense hatred on a level that Sunset didn’t think anypony could ever feel. It bubbled like an ugly, open wound, left to fester. It was an all-encompassing hatred for a world that had rejected her, but beyond that, Sunset could feel three ponies Vesper’s hatred was primarily targeted at: Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence, and Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Sunset shuddered at the feeling, not just because it was such a vile and horrible emotion, but because of the familiarity behind it. She had felt something near that level of hatred for Celestia, and now, when she thought about it, she could feel loathing and jealousy for Cadence rising up in her as well.

But where Vesper felt rage and venom for Twilight, Sunset only found a beacon of light shining on the paragon that was her teacher. Twilight represented all that was good in the world. She was the Princess of Friendship, and under her wings, Sunset found tutelage in magic and friendship. She loved Twilight with all her heart; she was like an older sister to Sunset, a best friend. The very idea of hating her was laughable. But, it did bring up the question of why?

Why did Sunset still feel such contempt for Celestia? It had been agreed upon between herself and Twilight that Celestia had not put out the wanted poster calling Sunset a criminal. The issue had been resolved, so why did the feelings linger? It was the same with Cadence, which confused Sunset even more. Much like Celestia and Luna, she had only met Cadence a hoofull of times back in the future, and all of them had been nothing short of pleasant. Yet, just the thought of her face sent a jolt of anger circuiting through Sunset’s heart.

Wrapped up in her thoughts, Sunset almost missed the frail binding in the magic she was supposed to be disabling. It was, Sunset guessed no bigger than a quarter, but it was certainly there.

“Twilight, I think I found it!” she said excitedly.

Within the field of red, a purple spark appeared next to Sunset’s blue one. She could feel Twilight inspecting the chink in the armor before saying, “Yes, this should do it. Good work, Sunset! Now, just focus your energy right here.”

Sunset complied, feeding her magic into finally unraveling the force field keeping them contained. She found it was like trying to untie a series of particularly stubborn knots, woven together to make an even bigger and more unyielding knot.

And this is supposed to be the weak spot.

Together, she and Twilight pulled and tugged at the magic, feeling it unravel in their combined efforts. When the shield began to make noise again, Sunset was positive it was the sound of it breaking, rather than Vesper’s malicious and mocking laugh.

She opened an eye, overjoyed to see what her effort had done. Cracks ran up all along the dome, now fully revealed for the entire city to see. Sunset was reminded of the time she and her friends had knocked a baseball into one of the castle windows. It surprisingly didn’t break, but was left looking horrendously fragmented. Chipping noises could be heard coming from it as tiny pieces began to fall off.

Then, like somepony had taken a bat to it, the force field shattered into thousands of red shards, quickly blown away by an unseen wind, leaving Los Pegasus free once more.

The group cheered in jubilation, while Sunset bowed her head, taking slow, deep breaths. She didn’t realize how light headed she would feel after channeling magic for so long. She looked up at the path before them leading out to the water, the morning fog slowly burning off as the sun climbed over the hills.

She felt a hoof rest on her back and found Twilight smiling at her. “You good?”

“Yeah.” Sunset nodded, smiling weakly. “Told you I could do it.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry I doubted you,” Twilight said, her tone soft and apologetic. “I was just worried about how you would feel afterwards.”

Dizzy and slightly nauseous. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” Sunset reassured.

“Alright, so what’s the plan now?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight took a deep breath, her horn beginning to glow again. “Now, I’m going to track Vesper Radiance so we can find Fluttershy, and if we’re lucky, the Tempest Crown.” She glanced over to Sunset. “You can take a break this time. I think I can handle this one.”

Sunset didn’t protest. Even she agreed that she needed a break. She needed to be rested for whatever came next. She watched on as Twilight closed her eyes, focusing on the lines of magic that floated through the astral plane.

“Well, she’s been carrying Fluttershy around. I can see the path her levitation spell left. It goes all the way to the docks and then…” Twilight trailed off, frowning.

“Then what?” Rainbow pleaded.

“I’m not entirely sure… but, I think I can feel something out in the ocean.”

“The ocean?” Rarity asked. “How far out are we talking?”

“I don’t think it’s too far out. It’s a little faint, but I definitely feel something. If I’ve studied Equestrian geography well enough, there’s an island out there that I think is close to Vesper’s signature.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Rainbow was in the air again, her eyes on the horizon. “Let’s get a boat and go after them!”

“Oh sure,” Rarity said, her voice lined with sarcasm. “Let me just get out my boat renting money.” She looked around. “Oh wait, I don’t have any.”

“Rares is right, we’re kinda broke.” Applejack frowned.

Spike looked towards Pinkie. “What about the money you got from performing?”

Pinkie blew a short raspberry. “Do you know how much renting a boat costs? Way more than I made!”

“Who said anything about renting one?” There was a rebellious glint in Rainbow’s eye as she spoke. “This is an emergency! Let’s just commandeer a boat and bring it back later!”

“Rainbow, that’s stealing,” Twilight said with a disapproving glare.

“No, it’s commandeering. Didn’t you just hear me?”

“Rainbow, I’m sure if we just asked—”

“No, Twilight!” Rainbow shouted defiantly. “We don’t have time for that! I’m all for you using your princess powers, but we need to hurry! Fluttershy is in danger! All of Equestria could be in danger right now if that island is where the Tempest Crown is hidden! The longer we wait, the closer that witch is getting to the crown, and the closer Fluttershy is to… to…” She choked up and fell to the ground. Her voice strained and she looked at Twilight through watery eyes.

“Please, Twilight. It’s all my fault. I was supposed to be protecting her and I let her get captured. It’s all my fault, and if something happens to her…”

Twilight stepped forward, wrapping her hooves around Rainbow. She was quickly joined by everyone else, including Sunset, who could feel the pain radiating off of her. They huddled together, comforting Rainbow as she tried not cry, but was failing miserably. The waves of empathy were so strong, Sunset couldn’t help but shed a few tears herself.

“I promise you, Dash,” Twilight said gingerly, “everything is going to be fine. We’re all going to get through this alive, you’ll see. But you’re right. This is no time for formalities. This is the time for action. We have to reach Vesper Radiance and Fluttershy as soon as possible, no matter what.”

“Twilight is right, Rainbow,” Rarity spoke up. “Despite what a lot of ponies think, Fluttershy is tough. She’ll hang on until we get there. And then we’ll rip Vesper Radiance to shreds,” she added darkly.

Twilight raised her head. “No, we’ll bring her to the princesses so she can face judgment for her crimes.”

Rainbow said hoarsely, “You’re a princess too. Technically you could judge her and let us dish out punishment.” She grinned weakly.

The group hug ended, Twilight smiling back at her. “Glad you’re feeling a little better. Now come on, we’ve got a friend to save!”

“Uhh, girls,” Spike interrupted. “Even if we do get a boat, who’s gonna steer it?”

The ponies gave each other confused stares until Sunset raised her hoof. “Well, we could just use a come-to-life spell on the boat.”

Twilight beamed at her.

The docks ran parallel to the open water with an odd number of wharves that jutted out over the briny bay. Waves gently lapped at the pony-made wall separating land and ocean, the only sound to accompany the few dock workers who were already up, shuffling around the harbor.

The ponies wandered down the cobblestone path, the salty sea air gently blowing across their coats and wafting the pungent smell of seaweed across their noses. The wind blew from the north, sending shivers through their bodies. Walking in the shade of the tall warehouses didn’t help either.

Boats lined the water, varying in size, shape and color. From small sail boats, to large pleasure cruisers, to even a few old fashion sailing ships. Looking up at the tall masts and flags, Sunset thought of the stories she had read about adventures on the high seas. Swashbuckling and stealing treasure and passionate romance.

She shook her head, keeping her concentration. There was no time to daydream. Still, she had never been on open water before, and was a little excited that this was going to be her first time, regardless of the reason.

Leading the group, Rainbow finally came to a stop at a manageable looking boat: a small, white sailing yacht, powered with a motor as opposed to an actual sail. It had a small open deck up front where the wheel sat, and a single cabin in the back. Overall, it looked just big enough to fit all of them comfortably.

One by one they hopped on, Twilight coming aboard last so she could undo the rope keeping the yacht tethered to the pier. As the boat began to drift away, she walked up to the helm, the magenta glow around her horn starting to encompass the boat as well. “Alright, ponies, let’s—”

“Hey!” All heads turned to see a burly stallion running down the street towards them. “That’s my boat! Where do you think you’re going?”

“Sorry, sir!” Twilight shouted in her best regal voice. “But we are commandeering this vessel for official royal business!” With a flick of her horn, the engine kicked to life, spurring the boat forward out to sea. “We promise, we’ll bring it back soon!”

“Wait! Come back here! The Princess stole my boat!”

His yells of protest grew quiet as they pushed forward into the thin veil of fog still hovering over the water. Once they were clear of the harbor, Twilight flashed her horn again, and the boat increased its speed, skipping over the rocky waves.

They soon broke free of the fog and Sunset’s eyes grew wide as she beheld the vast, infinite ocean stretching before her, seeming to spill off the edge of the world. The blue water rippled on either side of the boat as it cut across, leaving foamy folds in its wake. The skies above glew in the light of the dawn, the horizon brightening from its dark blue color to an azure that matched the water.

The romantic imagery quickly wore off on Sunset as she grasped onto the railing for dear life, bouncing up and down with the boat. Despite not having eaten anything since dinner, her stomach was beginning to rebel fervently against this trip. It was like riding that horrid train all over again, and she now knew why she loved airships so much.

She leaned over the rail, preparing to be sick, when she turned her head and found Applejack not to far down from her, also looking green.

Applejack caught her eye and said, “Ah can usually stomach bumpy rides—” The boat gave a powerful lurch and Applejack held a hoof over her mouth, trying not lose her lunch. “But this is ridiculous.”

Sunset could only nod in agreement and tilt her head over the side again. She had only been there a minute before a cool sensation ran over her body and her stomach mysteriously quieted down. Standing tall, she looked back over to Applejack who was looking just as confused, albeit less green in the face.

Rarity strode over to them, looking quite pleased with herself. “I assume this is the first time either of you have traveled by boat?”

They both nodded.

“I figured as much. My mother and Sweetie Belle are also prone to seasickness, so I learned this handy little spell that helps curb it. Useful, no?”

“Thanks, Rarity,” Applejack said, tipping her hat. “Yer a lifesaver.”

The trip continued uninhibited, the rough waves no longer having an effect on Sunset. Light reflected against the water, making it glitter like polished sapphire. In the distance, a small island appeared, looking more like a jagged rock with a few limp palm trees on top.

“Land ho!” Pinkie cried.

Twilight slowed the boat down as they neared the island, letting it come to rest in the shallows. There was a chorus of splashing water as they disembarked onto the island. They waded through the low tide, Rarity making disapproving titters all the while.

A small, muddy beach wrapped around the front end of the island, decorated only by small hermit crabs and driftwood. The smooth, grey rock sat in front of them, silent and immovable, though rather featureless, like the rest of the island.

Rainbow flew over to Twilight who was focusing on her magic. Before Rainbow could ask, Twilight pointed down at the ground. “She’s… somewhere beneath us,” Twilight said hesitantly.

There was an agitated scowl on Rainbow’s face before she said, “Alright, you heard her! Start looking for a way down!” She flew up to the top of the rock, scanning the island with her aerial view.

Sunset followed Rarity and Applejack around the perimeter of the island, while Pinkie began to dig in the sand, burrowing faster than the crabs. Spike and Twilight walked to the face of the rock, no doubt looking for a secret passage.

The three walked along the edge of beach, following the granite wall all the way around to the back, the waning tide washing against their legs. They had come about halfway when their search yielded something promising.

“Well if that ain’t an entrance, Ah don’t know what is,” Applejack remarked. They all stared at the jagged crevice desecrating the otherwise perfectly flawless stone. It was a narrow and low entrance with ocean water still spilling out of it.

Sunset quickly called the rest over. She looked into the endless dark, the wind howling a haunting melody from deep within. Everyone else soon gathered, and seven faces gazed together into the haze.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow yelled, only to be shushed by Twilight.

“We don’t want to give Vesper Radiance any reason to hurt her,” she said in a hushed voice. “We have to stay quiet.”

Everyone nodded and followed in after her, sloshing through the ankle high shoals. The welcoming light of day quickly vanished, plunging them back into a darkness thicker than the night and that carried on for what seemed like forever. Even the light from three active horns did little to lift the shadows.

Just as Sunset thought they had walked into some perpetual limbo, a set of new lights appeared ahead of them. The long tunnel opened up to an entrance chamber of sorts with two torches lined against the far walls. In front of them sat an open stone door, a set of wings carved on either side and old Equestrian writing scrawled over the archway.

“‘Only the blood of the sky ponies may open this door,’” Pinkie whispered in a trance-like state. “‘Beyond is a test of your speed and agility. Past this maze of stone, the Tempest Crown awaits. But beware the ocean’s tide, for like the sky’s wind, it favors nopony.’” She stared enraptured by the words before saying in her cheerful voice, “Nope, I don’t get it!”

“It means we have to get to the end and get out before high tide,” Rainbow clarified. “And since the door is already open…” She took a deep, shuddering breath and growled, “If she’s hurt, I swear I’ll…” She didn’t finish, choosing instead to soar into the cavernous maw.

“Rainbow, wait!” Twilight hissed, chasing after her. The rest followed in procession, galloping into the unknown.

Just hang in there a little longer, Fluttershy, Sunset thought. Vesper Radiance, your game ends here!

Fluttershy floated forward, hoovering just over the ground, not wanting to put pressure on her cut leg. She looked down at the deep wound again, blood coating the entire bottom half of her hoof. She was beginning to feel light-headed and sleepy, but with the dagger at her back she knew she couldn’t rest.

She couldn’t remember much of what happen after Vesper Radiance had pulled her from the tree. Just bits and pieces that stuck out amongst the rapid panic that had flooded her mind at the time. She remembered a red light scattering bones, the feeling of teleportation. Most of all, she remembered screaming for Rainbow Dash. Then all went black.

Waking up had been an entirely different experience…

“Wakey, wakey, Fluttershy. Time to prove you aren’t completely useless.”

Fluttershy’s eyes opened slowly, blinking several times in an effort to tell the difference between the inside of her eyelids and the darkness that smothered her. She cried out in pain as something kicked her in her side, pushing her across the flooded stone floor.

“Hurry up! We don’t have all day! Very tight schedule to keep. Now come here.”

Getting to her hooves, Fluttershy looked around first, noting that she was within some cave. The only light came from two torches and the red flare coming from Vesper’s hood. “W-where am I?”

“The resting place of the Tempest Crown,” Vesper said impatiently. “It’ll be yours too if you don’t cooperate.” She took a step forward, her black cloak drifting soundlessly through the swill. A long, silver dagger materialized next to her and pointed itself at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy let out a squeak of terror, backing herself up until she hit something solid. Looking behind her, she found a tall stone door, a pair of wings etched into it. She looked back to the unicorn approaching her. “W-what are you g-going to do?”

“The door requires a blood payment. Pegasus only. Quite ingenious actually, trying to stop any other race from getting their hooves on the crown. But that’s why I have you, dear Fluttershy. Now, give me your hoof.”

Quivering against the door, Fluttershy hesitantly began to reach her hoof out, compelled by the terrifying aura Vesper gave off. Her brain told her to just cooperate and give the mare anything she wanted. It might be the only way to survive.

But that… that’s not being brave.

Fluttershy’s eyes took on a steely resolve, and she stomped her hoof against the ground. “No.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said no.” Fluttershy’s voice was hard and unwavering, the timid pony now gone, replaced by the one who could stare Discord in the eye and refuse to flinch. “I’m not going to help you do anything. You’ve hurt innocent ponies, destroyed cities, sent griffons after my friends and foalnapped me. All just for some stupid jewelry!” Her voice grew louder, and with every point, she took a step closer to Vesper Radiance.

“You think you’re so tough? Well, you’re not! You’re just a scared pony hiding behind that Alicorn Amulet! What do you think gives you the right to treat other ponies anyway you want, huh? Now you listen to me, missy, you’re going to—”

It came so quick, Fluttershy didn’t register it until she was already on the floor, her jaw aching. A hoof pressed against her face, and with every breath, she sucked in a mouthful of water as well, coughing and spluttering as it filled her lungs.

“Shut. Up.” A voice hissed in her ear. “You want to know what gives me the right? The fact that I’m better than all of you worthless trash piled together! I am the light that shall shine brighter than the sun! I am Equestria’s true princess, denied her throne by Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she spat. “And as your princess, you will show me the respect I deserve! You should be grateful I have need of you, otherwise, I’d let your blood paint these walls and run into the ocean!”

Magic yanked Fluttershy’s hoof out from underneath her, and she cried loudly as the dagger carved into her skin, a stream of blood gushing out. Vesper threw her forward, and Fluttershy’s bloody hoof ran down the break between the two halves of the door.

The entire cave groaned loudly, the doors swinging open to let the ponies pass through. The water that had built up at the entrance flowed forward, down the slim passage.

Fluttershy held her hoof to her chest, fighting back the tears that burned her eyes. She had never in her life felt pain like this. Something sharp poked her in the back, scaring her into the air. Unfortunately, the phantom-like dagger just followed her, still positioned at the base of her neck.

“Word of advice,” Vesper said airily, “the less you protest, the longer you’ll live...”

It was with that last warning that Fluttershy reluctantly complied, following her tormenter through the endless corridors of stone. Several times they had run into a dead end, and twice Vesper had simply stopped halfway down a tunnel, ordering Fluttershy to turn around.

Time no longer existed in this underground world. For all Fluttershy knew, they had been wandering around for days. It certainly felt that way. It felt even longer since she had last seen the light of the sun.

Fluttershy could admit to herself that she was scared of a lot of things. But right now, every one of those things paled in comparison to the true terror she was feeling. She was never going to make it out of the cavern. She was going to die without ever seeing her friends again. She would never go on picnics, or cheer at competitions, or see the new baby bunnies that would be born soon. She started to weep as quietly as possible, relieved that Vesper was too busy whispering to herself to notice.

Girls, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry we’ll never get to spend time together again. I’ll never forget any of you. You too, Spike. No matter how big you get, you’ll always be my friend. And Sunset, I know we haven’t known each other long, but I feel a bond with you that’s just as strong as the one I have with the others. I hope you can still save the future without me…

Just thinking about all of them made Fluttershy almost believe she could hear Rainbow calling her name. She knew they would try and come for her, but this time… they might not make it.

“Augh!” Vesper’s outburst nearly caused Fluttershy to drop out of the air. “Curse this damnable maze! I have had enough of this!” The light from her horn intensified, blinding Fluttershy, leaving her only able to hear the sound of a mighty cannon.

When she lowered her leg from her face to look, all she saw was a massive burn mark on the wall, and Vesper panting heavily, a thin trail of smoke rising from the front of her hood. Fluttershy kept her distance, refusing to say anything. Partly out of defiance, but mostly out of fear.

Vesper finally took a large breath and said calmly, “Come, Fluttershy. We’re almost there.”

Fluttershy was so stunned by her complete shift in emotion, she forgot to fly after Vesper until her dagger gave a sharp poke in the back of her neck.

Surprisingly, the maze’s exit was only a few turns away, the narrow passages opening up to another large room similar to the one they had started in. Another door barred their passage, engraved with a similar set of wings.

“Figures as much,” Vesper murmured. “You pegasi are such a savage race. Give me your hoof, Fluttershy.”

It wasn’t a request. Fluttershy felt herself dragged down to the ground, landing at Vesper’s side. She whimpered, holding out her bleeding leg.

“No. Give me your other one.”

“What? Why?” Fluttershy cried in a panic.

She didn’t get a response. Vesper just brought the dagger around and sliced into Fluttershy’s good forehoof, eliciting another loud shriek of pain from her. Fluttershy was then pushed forward, her freshly bleeding hoof pressed against the door.

As it slid open, Fluttershy sobbed. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

Vesper strode past her, cloak billowing in the strong breeze that came from deeper within the cave. “Because, I want you to feel the pain my heart has felt…”

The long tunnel continued to slope downward into the shadowy abyss. Their hooves splashed in the shallow surf, each pony being careful not to slip down the uneven surface.

When the path leveled out, Sunset found three passages were lined in front of them, separated by thick stone walls. Everyone fanned out, inspecting the mouth of each hall.

“Which way now, Twi?” Applejack asked.

Twilight stared blankly ahead, her tail twitching in agitation. “I don’t know… her magic is all over the place. It’s like… she didn’t know where she was going.”

“Guess not even she could figure out how to get through in one run,” Rainbow said, a smug edge to her voice.

“Yeah, and how are we supposed to do any better?” Spike asked, bursting Rainbow’s bubble.

Sunset stepped forward, drawn towards the far right corridor. There was something familiar about all of this. The sensation tugged at her soul, giving her a sense of déjà vu, like the kind she had felt approaching the Cloudsdale Library, only it was much stronger this time. She had been here before, she was sure of it. The memory itself was faint and hard to reach, like she was grasping sand, but it was there.

She pointed down the hall. “We have to go this way.”

Spike gave her a dubious look. “How do you know?”

“I just… I do, alright? Gut feeling.”

Pinkie walked over, putting her hooves just beyond the wall marking the start of the maze’s split. “Hmm, I think Sunset is right. With the other corridors, I get really faint prickly feelings all over. But I don’t feel anything for this one.”

“Well, it’s not like we have anything else to go on.” Spike shrugged his shoulders. With no objections, Pinkie and Sunset lead the way, the group plunging into the maze.

The stone tunnels were carved in straight, angled paths running only horizontally and vertically. At every intersection they came to, Sunset would stop and wait for the strongest feeling of nostalgia to lead her down a path, and Pinkie would confirm whether or not it was safe.

Once, they had come across a skeleton of a long forgotten adventurer, his bones left bare and rotting. Sunset knew they were taking a large gamble coming down here. The tide had hit its lowest point hardly an hour ago, and soon, the water would begin to rise again. They had to rescue Fluttershy, stop Vesper from getting the Tempest Crown and escape all before high tide. Or else they would all end up like the skeleton.

They arrived at another crossroad, and all eyes fell on Sunset. She looked up and down both paths, feeling which way her soul pulled her. She wasn’t sure if she liked relying on this sensation, not when it reminded her of the hateful voice in the back of her head.

She finally pointed right, and Pinkie bounced a few steps ahead of her. She hemmed and hummed loudly, trying to discern if the path was correct. She gave a quick shake of her head, saying, “Nope. This way is bad.”

“Are you sure?” Sunset challenged. She looked around and found a suitable rock and tossed it down the path, watching it skip along the watery floor. A plethora of steel needles jutted out from every direction, smashing the rock into dust before melting back into the walls like they had never been there in the first place.

Everyone gaped for a moment before Sunset said, “I think we should go the other way.” Afterwards, she didn’t dare question Pinkie’s mysterious power.

Onwards they traveled, their actions quickly becoming routine at every fork. During a particularly straightforward path, Sunset found Twilight falling in step with her, giving an all too familiar look of worry.

“Sunset, you seem to be getting a lot of ‘gut feelings’ lately,” she said in a hushed voice, trying to keep anyone else from eavesdropping.

“Yeah, so?” It came out more defensively than Sunset would have liked.

“Well… I’m getting a gut feeling you know more than you’re letting on.”

Sunset flinched at the accusation before hanging her head in shame. She should have known better than to think Twilight would just let things be. She cared too much, something Sunset loved about her, but found it smothering at other times.

She sighed. “That’s the problem, Twilight. I don’t know. I don’t know where these feelings are coming from, they just feel right.” And yet terribly, terribly wrong. When Twilight didn’t answer, Sunset asked, “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

“No.” Twilight shook her head. “You’re a lot of things, Sunset, and crazy isn’t one of them. Trust me.” There was a thin pause in which Sunset wondered what was going through Twilight’s head to make her frown as deep as she was. Twilight spoke again before she could ask. “So, you have no idea where these feelings are coming from?”

“Not really. They just… it feels like déjà vu. Like I’ve actually come to this place before. But I’m positive that I haven’t.”

Twilight folded her ears. “I see. Well, Sunset, I… honestly don’t know what to say.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. Maybe I’m just tired,” Sunset weakly joked.

“Yeah.” Twilight cracked a smile. “Maybe.”

They walked together in silence, Sunset dragging her hooves through the water. “Twilight,” she said after a while. “I’m sorry about earlier. With… you know… the zo—enchanted corpses.”

Twilight waved a hoof. “Don’t worry about. It was a tense situation. None of us really knew what to do.”

“Still, you were right. They were innocent and didn’t deserve to be treated the way I was going to handle them.”

“Yes, but…” Twilight looked away, uncertain. “If I couldn’t break through the enchantment, if I couldn’t find a peaceful solution… maybe that would have been the best way...”

“Girls, look!” Pinkie cried.

The stone maze finally came to an end, letting out into an antechamber with another open door. There was another path dipping down into nothingness, where a soft wind channeled out, singing a mournful song. None of them hesitated, following the slope down to the lowest level of the cavern.

The last room was the largest of all, matching Canterlot’s throne room if it had been molded in a dome shape. Glowing crystals were embedded into the sides of the walls, allowing artificial light to illuminate the room.

The wind had grown from a soft breeze to a strong bluster, caused by the raging whirlwind, stretching to the ceiling on the opposite end of where the ponies stood. On and on it spun, whipping endlessly, yet seeming to repel the water on the floor. Sunset could see the silhouette of something small within the whirlwind, and was willing to place a bet that it was the crown they had been chasing after. But right now, her focus was on the two mares in the center of the room.

“Fluttershy!” they cried in unison.

Fluttershy lay across the ground, just a few feet away from Vesper Radiance. Layers of dried blood coated her hooves, broken by the fresh trails that continued to bleed from her open wounds. Her ears twitched, the only telltale sign she was alive.

Twilight’s horn flared to life, and Fluttershy vanished in a purple flash, reappearing safely on the ground behind her.

“Ugh, go ahead, take her back,” Vesper said with disgust. “She’s served her purpose to me anyway.”

Rainbow scooped Fluttershy up in her hooves, gently shaking her. “C’mon, ‘Shy, wake up, please!”

Her eyes fluttered open and she gave a weak smile. “I knew you would come after me.”

“Of course we would,” Rainbow said, her voice cracking. “We always will. Now just hang on, we’re gonna get you some help.”

Fluttershy nodded, closing her eyes and slipping into a peaceful sleep. Rainbow handed her to Rarity before bolting into the air, supreme fury on her face.

“You!” she bellowed, flying at Vesper Radiance like the truest arrow. “I’m gonna kill you!”

A flash of red collided with Rainbow’s blue body, and all watched her corkscrew through the air and land in a heap near the entrance with a new gash on her head.

“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie yelled, rushing to her side.

Twilight, Applejack, Sunset and Spike quickly took up a defensive position around the four ponies kneeling behind them. In a low, rigid voice, Twilight said, “You will pay for all of this.”

“Oh? Does the pretty, purple princess have a fire in her eyes?” Vesper asked in a mocking tone. “Do you hate me, Twilight Sparkle? Mad that I can abuse your worthless friends so easily?”

Twilight fired a large pulse of magic in response, contempt disrupting her normally calm face.

Vesper leapt backwards, gracefully twirling through the air. She softly touched back onto the ground, crossing one amber hoof in front of the other. “Well, I can see why my servants had trouble with you. You aren’t as weak as you appear. I’ll have to make note of that.”

“Why?” Twilight took a step forward. “Why do all of this? What do have to gain?”

“Seriously? You’re going to ask me why?” Vesper laughed softly. “I had thought it was obvious. I want to be an alicorn. I have to be an alicorn,” she added in a desperate voice.

Sunset narrowed her eyes, a spark of anger lighting her heart. “Are the lives of innocent ponies worth becoming an alicorn? Do they mean nothing?”

“You keep your mouth shut, you miserable abomination!” Vesper screeched. Sunset took a step back, her entire body beginning to tremble as she felt the waves of malevolence Vesper was radiating. “Out of eight targets, the least those filthy griffons could have done was kill you!”

Applejack pointed an accusatory hoof at her. “You set up those posters calling Sunset a criminal, didn’t you?”

Vesper didn’t respond at first, choosing to merely observe them from the confines of her hood. When she did speak again, it was soft and almost lost on the wind behind her. “You… you fools really think that thing is who she claims to be?”

Twilight hesitated, her horn dimming as she looked with uncertainty between Sunset and Vesper. It vanished with a quick shake of her head, determination returning to her eyes. “Yes, this is Sunset Shimmer—“

“No, it isn’t!” the mare screamed, her voice echoing all around the room. “I don’t know who you think you are…” Her hoof reached for her hood, pulling it down and letting her crimson and gold mane fall across her neck, a single bang draping in front of one of her teal eyes.

“But I am Sunset Shimmer!”

Chapter XIV: Crimson Onslaught

An iron curtain had fallen around the cavern, crushing even the turbulent clamor of the twister. Everyone’s attention shifted between Sunset Shimmer and the mare who looked just like her.

Fear bubbled in Sunset’s stomach, churning around to the point of nausea. Her throat constricted, her breath expelling in uncontrollably short puffs of air as she stared at her doppelganger. The resemblance was perfect—like looking into a mirror. Same eyes, same snout, same hair color and style. Sunset would even wager that underneath the black cloak, they had the same cutie mark. The only difference was the haughty smirk on the other Sunset’s face.

She tried to wrap her mind around what she beheld, but every thought just slipped out of her head. Sunset took a step back, her breathing becoming further labored. She wanted the world to stop—to freeze just long enough so she could piece everything together, answer the barrage of questions raiding her mind. How could there be two of her? Why did the mare they had been so desperately chasing after share her face? The memories and feelings Sunset had been experiencing: did they belong to her instead? Could she really be the other Sunset Shimmer from her dreams?

Deep within, she could feel her very soul trembling, quivering in abject horror yet radiating the sense of recollection that had led her this far. It was almost overbearing, clouding her senses and riddling her mind with indiscernible flashes of memories, both familiar and unknown to her. The corners of her lips twitched upwards, wanting to curl into the same dark grin plastered on Vesper Radiance’s face. Sunset wanted to hate… wanted to throw away the painful notions of love and just despise the world with her entire heart. She wanted to prove that she was strong—the strongest! That she was superior in every way conceivable! She wanted to be immortal!

She wanted to be loved…

No! Stop it! Sunset willed herself to pull out of the estranged feelings, dragging herself back to the present situation. Those weren’t hers—she didn’t hate anything, she didn’t want to be immortal, and she was already loved. Still, it was like being pulled in two directions, the essence of her being trying to split itself apart. With a heaving gasp, Sunset aimed her focus on the pony before her, forcing herself to look her in the eyes.

Those mad, hateful eyes...

Finally, Pinkie raised a hoof. “I’m confused! How can there be two Sunsets?”

The mare they knew as Vesper Radiance eyed all of them. “How indeed?” Her tone also differed from Sunset’s, carrying a more self-important tone. She began to pace the floor, focusing her gaze on Sunset. “I’ve been wondering that since I first saw you in Cloudsdale. You’re practically a perfect copy. But I hate copycats.” She stopped and leaned forward, her sinister smirk widening. “So what are you? A changeling? An automaton? Or did Celestia miss me so much that she made a clone of me?”

“Miss you?” Twilight cut in. “Why would Celestia miss you—who are you?”

Vesper threw her head back and laughed. Vastly different from Sunset’s own, it was cruel, full of arrogance and malice. “Of course she wouldn’t tell you anything about me. She never could admit when she had made a mistake.” Her eyes found Twilight’s and she said, “Perhaps I should fully introduce myself. I am Sunset Shimmer, former student of Princess Celestia and rightful inheritor of the Equestrian Throne!”

“Rightful inheritor….” Twilight shook her head. “What do you mean you’re Princess Celestia’s former student? She’s never mentioned you! Besides—” she placed a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder “—the real Sunset Shimmer is my student from the future.”

Sunset stood a little taller, her heart swelling with pride.

Vesper only laughed again, the acoustics of the cave seemingly multiplying her presence. “Is that the crap she told you? And you bought it? Well, either she’s a really good actress, or you’re just incredibly stupid, Princess.” She held a hoof to her head and sighed. “Oh, Celestia, once again you’ve picked a complete dunce. What could you possibly see in her that I lack?”

Rainbow Dash eased to her hooves, wiping off the blood that stained the fur around her head. “Keep insulting her and you’ll find out the hard way!”

“Hmph, you should really give your attack dog a muzzle and leash before she does something you’ll all regret,” Vesper said coolly.

“Why you!” Rainbow made to fly at Vesper again, but Applejack quickly caught her by the tail, filling her mouth with hair.

“Crful, R.D. Tis gurl aredy neled you onfe.”

“That’s right, be a good doggie and let the big ponies talk.” Vesper smirked at Rainbow’s look of pure apathy. “Though I suppose the pegasus has a point.” She smiled viciously at Twilight. “The truth of the matter is that I find you fascinating, Twilight Sparkle. You’ve done so much in such a short time. Vanquished Nightmare Moon, re-imprisoned Discord, defended Canterlot from an invasion and helped save an entire empire… all leading up to your crowning moment: becoming an alicorn and seating yourself amongst royalty… right next to Celestia,” she said bitterly. “Tell me, Princess, what’s it like knowing you’re so much better than everypony else?”

Twilight folded her ears. “I-I’m not better, I mean… I don’t think I’m better than anypony.”

“Really? You stand at the front of your friends, wield the Element of Magic, and trump them all with the title of ‘Princess of Equestria.’ You’re so humble to think you aren’t better than all of them?” Vesper asked with smug skepticism.

“I-I….” Twilight narrowed her eyes and stomped a hoof. “No! Wings and a title don’t mean anything around them! They’re my friends, and they’ll always be my equals! I wouldn’t have been able to do any of those things without them!”

Vesper held a hoof over her heart and gave a look of feigned empathy. “Aww, that’s so sweet, I think I want to puke.” Her face returned to a calm mask of neutrality. “But you’re right about one thing, Twilight Sparkle: you aren’t better. Compared to me, you are nothing! Nothing but a thief stealing what’s rightfully mine and a coward hiding behind her friends. Magical talent is wasted on you.”

“Oh yeah?” Spike shouted. “Twilight is the strongest unico—wait… third strongest alicorn in Equestria! Her magic could beat yours any day!”

“Perhaps you should muzzle him too,” Vesper said. “Very well, let’s see just what you’re capable of, Princess. Let’s see how great Twilight Sparkle’s magic truly is!” Both her horn and the Alicorn Amulet around her neck began glowing a deep shade of red. Sparks of electricity danced all around her while her eyes widened in maniacal glee.

“Come, show me why she favors you!” Vesper roared. A crimson beam of energy discharged from her horn, heading directly for Twilight.

Twilight threw up a shield but visibly flinched under the sheer power Vesper was exerting. Coming fully out of her tranced state, Sunset reinforced the shield, teal and magenta overlapping each other. Twilight gave her a quick look of appreciation before lowering her layer of the shield and quickly preparing a counter spell. A subtle wink from her and Sunset dropped the shield, allowing Twilight to fire a beam of her own.

Two waves of energy crashed together, lighting the room up in shimmering waves of purple and red. The two powers were evenly matched, battling right at the center of the cavern.

“That’s it!” Vesper’s mask of neutrality vanished, replaced by arrant thrill, delirium dancing in her tiny pupils. “Show me everything! I want to know! I want to know why she loves you!”

Sunset crouched next to Twilight, horn ignited. She prayed Twilight could handle this maniac on her own but was fully prepared to jump in at any time. My energy is still a little low, but I’ll spend every last drop if it means stopping her here.

Amidst the contest of magic, a streak of blue lightning ripped through the air and slammed into Vesper Radiance, prematurely ending the duel. She collided with the wall, suffering a quick, follow-up punch to the gut.

Vesper crumpled to the floor, coughing a few times before chuckling to herself. “You know, for the Elements of Harmony, that wasn’t very harmonious… blindsiding me like that.”

“You tried to kill my best friend,” Rainbow growled, darting back some distance. “All bets are off.”

“Heh, heh… Works for me.” Vesper pushed herself into a standing position and flicked a stray lock of hair from her face. “If you want to play rough, Rainbow Dash, then we’ll play rough!” A large piece of rock tore itself free of the ground and hurled itself at Rainbow.

Just as she was about to duck, the rock exploded into a shower of stone shrapnel, raining down on Rainbow and tearing fresh cuts into her skin. She put her hooves up to shield her face, but it did little against the burst of energy that followed and crashed into her.

The blast knocked her back across the cavern with an angry burn across her chest. She would have impacted against the wall if Pinkie hadn’t sprung into action and caught her in mid-flight.

Vesper danced back and forth on her hooves. “Oh, did that hurt? It hurt, right? Tell me it hurt!” she said hysterically.

Rainbow weakly sat up, holding a hoof to her newest wound. “M-monster,” she wheezed.

“Aw, is the attack dog all tuckered out?” Vesper pouted. “I thought you wanted to play some more.” Another sphere of energy swirled and gathered at the tip of her horn. “Here, let’s play catch!” With a swing of her head, the crimson orb flew forth, only to detonate against a wide purple shield.

Twilight cringed, her face contorting in pain when Vesper followed up her first attack with a hailstorm of fiery blasts, each one crashing against the barrier with the full extent of her fury.

“Ahahahaha! What’s the matter, Princess? Are you scared to face me now?” Vesper’s face morphed into unbridled rage, her lips pulling back into a snarl. “Come on out and fight me!”

Twilight grunted under the force of the oncoming blows. “You girls… need to get out of here. I’ll keep her busy,” she said in between breaths.

Sunset’s magic intermingled with Twilight’s, doubling the strength of the barrier. “There’s no way we’re leaving you alone with… with her!” She glared daggers in Vesper’s direction, watching her mirror image constantly toss her head back and forth as she threw magic at the shield.

The strain on Twilight’s faced eased with Sunset shouldering some of the burden. “I know you all want to help, but her magic… it’s too strong. She could kill any of you!”

“And if we leave you by yerself, she could kill you, too.” Applejack snorted in defiance. “You should know by now, Twilight: we’re with you through thick and thin. We’ll beat her if we work together!”

“How?” Twilight asked, a look of desperation in her eyes. “The second we put down the shield, she’ll destroy us!”

Sunset clicked her tongue in inspiration. “Twilight, your shield armor compression spell! You know it, don’t you?”

Twilight gave her a blank stare. “My what?”

“You haven’t invented it yet?” Sunset facehooved. “There goes that plan.”

“What plan? What haven’t I invented yet?”

Sunset staggered as a particularly powerful blast hit their shield. She grunted and said, “You make this really great spell that acts like the basic shield bubble, only it’s personal and more form fitting. Like a suit of armor.”

Twilight's eyes widened with intrigue. “I do?”

"Yeah. I've seen you use it a couple of times, but I only know the basic theory. If we had that spell now we could… hey…” Sunset looked away from Twilight, noticing the barrage of magic had stopped. Beyond the curtain of blue and purple, Vesper was galloping for the whirlwind. “She’s going for the Tempest Crown!”

“Oh no she ain’t,” Applejack said. “Let me outta this bubble and I’ll stall her.”

Twilight folded her ears. “But, Applejack…”

“Ah’ll be fine, sugarcube.” She pulled her coil of rope from beneath her hat. “Just get that spell ready if it’ll help us, all right?”

With a yielding sigh, Twilight dropped the shield with Sunset following suit. Applejack charged out, twirling her rope over her head as she closed in on Vesper.

Sunset brought the barrier back up, motioning for Twilight to stop when she was about to follow Sunset’s lead. “You need to learn how to cast this spell. Like I said, I only know the basic theory, so you’re going to have to put the pieces together yourself.”

Twilight nodded. “Let’s make this quick.”

Applejack tossed her lasso at Sunset—Vesper Radiance. Somepony really needs to explain what the hay is goin’ on. It flew over her head and came to rest securely around her shoulders. With a mighty tug, Applejack yanked Vesper away from the twister and dragged her through the shallow tide.

Vesper glared up at her and spat out a mouthful of water. “Great, the earth pony thinks she can keep up with me.”

Biting hard against the rope in her mouth, Applejack ignored the jab. “Ya two-faced snake. Who are you really?”

“I already told you who I am. It’s little wannabe over there who’s having a case of mistaken identity.” Vesper got to her hooves, still bound by Applejack’s rope. “Now, Applejack, do you really think you can defeat me?”

“Defeat ya? Eeynope.” Applejack tugged the rope again, bringing her hoof back as Vesper came forward. She struck out and collided with Vesper’s face, simultaneously letting go of the rope. “But that don’t mean Ah’m not gonna try and beat the tar outta ya.”

Vesper flew across the cavern and straight into the whirlwind, eagerly sucked in by its wild gale. She spun rapidly inside the funnel, rising up with the wind until it spat her out, and she crashed against the floor. Her mane now sat in disarray, and several cuts marked her face along with the bruise Applejack’s hoof left. She raised her head, murderous intent in her red eyes. As the rope around her disintegrated, Vesper unleashed a jet of fire from her horn.

“Die, mud-pony!”

Applejack rolled to the side and narrowly avoided having her coat scorched. She ducked as the fire trailed overhead, then broke into a run in the opposite direction, ducking again as Vesper dragged the fire back her way. The heat of the flames died down, and Applejack looked over her shoulder, only to see an empty cavern.

When Applejack looked ahead again, she found Vesper charging at her, horn crackling with static energy. Acting on quick instincts, Applejack sprung into the air, right over Vesper’s lightning, and landed firmly on the ground behind her. With one swift motion, Applejack snapped her hind legs out and delivered a powerful kick to Vesper’s backside, sending her flying across the cave.

Vesper rolled across the floor, getting tangled in her black cloak. A red light enveloped her mid-tumble, and she vanished in a cloud of dust.

Applejack crouched and scanned the entire perimeter, but Vesper was nowhere to be seen. She was just about to ease up her guard when she heard Pinkie shout.

“Applejack, above you!”

With a quick leap backwards, Applejack deftly avoided being impaled by a shaft of crimson energy, only to have it detonate a second later. Applejack sailed across the cavern, her body skipping across the rough stone floor. The entire world became a dizzy, disjointed mess as she rolled over herself, feeling sharp rocks cut across her back. She came to rest with her muzzle in a pocket of water, choking as she inhaled a mouthful. When she tried to lift her head, a hoof came down and smashed it to the floor.

“Be thankful,” Vesper said in a soft whisper. “I’m going to make this quick.”

Applejack squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the end. Her mind was reeling too fast for her to organize any last thoughts. One did manage to surface to the front of the chaos: What does death feel like?

Oddly enough, it didn’t hurt as much as Applejack imagined it would. In fact, it felt like a doctor was trying to stick a particularly large needle into her back. It was more irritating than painful.

“What the…?”

Hearing Vesper’s unexpected confusion, Applejack took advantage of the situation by prying one of her front legs out from beneath herself and elbowing Vesper in the face.

Vesper staggered off, clutching her muzzle. Applejack raised her head, taking a large breath of air and coughing up excess water. When she finished refilling her lungs, she noticed a bright, purple outline around her body. She looked over to Twilight and Sunset, who wore triumphant smiles. Twilight’s horn burned with powerful magic.

“Ah owe ya one, sugarcube,” Applejack called. She was immediately blasted by another burst of magic but found that it was notably less painful than before, like someone had simply run into her at full force. She bounced back to her hooves, and faced an oncoming Vesper Radiance, another ball of energy forming on her horn.

She didn’t get very far before Rainbow blindsided her again, using all her weight to throw Vesper into the back wall. Like Applejack, Rainbow was coated in a purple aura.

Applejack fixed her gaze on Rainbow’s wound. “Are you sure you should be up this soon?”

Rainbow waved her off. “I’m fine. Besides, we’ve got, like, magic armor now!”

“So, this is your gambit, Twilight Sparkle?” Vesper picked herself off the ground. “Having your friends fight your battles for you like pawns on a chessboard?”

“You’re one to talk!” Sunset yelled, joining Applejack and Rainbow with Pinkie trailing close behind, both of them covered in Twilight’s new spell. “Who was it that sent her griffon mercenaries after us? I forget.”

“Mind your tongue, bug!” The air around Vesper began to ripple and distort as four bright lights manifested above her. “I’ve had enough of this constant meddling! Patet, virtus de quatuor dicetur!” The four lights shaped themselves into four floating sigils, each inscribed with identical designs and markings. At the center of each one was an eight-rayed sun split in two halves.

“If you want your deaths to be less painful, I suggest you step aside and let me deal with the Princess,” Vesper said with a low growl.

“Not gonna happen,” Applejack said, standing her ground.

“Then say goodbye to your pathetic existence. Impetus!” The sigils burned red, and each one fired a ray of magic at the four ponies.

Sunset reacted first, crafting a widespread barrier that encompassed her three friends as well. All four shots bounced off the teal screen and flew to the ceiling, blasting out large chunks of granite.

“Scatter!” Sunset shouted, diving for safe ground. She rolled out of the way of a large boulder and was subsequently blasted in the shoulder by another laser. She marveled at the full power of Twilight’s spell. What should have been a brutal attack felt like nothing more than a small first-degree burn.

Lunging forward, Sunset prepared a bolt of magic, sidestepping two more of Vesper’s lasers before unleashing it.

An ethereal, red chain struck out of Vesper’s horn, shearing the spell in half before wrapping around Sunset’s neck. Vesper hoisted her into the air and threw her against Rainbow, who had been closing in from above.

Rainbow reacted a second too late. She and Sunset crashed to the ground, a tangled mess of feathers and limbs. “Ughh.” Rainbow looked over to Twilight, standing guard over Spike, Rarity, and Fluttershy, her horn still blazing. “Hey, Twi, mind joining us anytime soon?”

Twilight shook her head. “I can’t. I’m trying to keep your shields maintained. I can’t do anything else.”

Sunset pulled herself out from underneath Rainbow and shook herself out. “There’s still four of us. We can take her.” With her horn aglow, she charged back towards Vesper, now dueling with Applejack and Pinkie.

The floating sigils continued to fire pulses of magic every few seconds, keeping the two earth ponies on the tips of their hooves. Combined with Vesper’s own attacks, it was impossible for them to get into striking range. It was a heavily one-sided fight, with Vesper giggling like an excited filly.

Applejack dodged another sickle of burning energy and ducked under the constant fire of the sigils, drawing Vesper into close quarters. She struck out with a front hoof, but Vesper evaded and positioned her horn against Applejack’s chest.

With a mighty boom, Applejack was tossed back to the mouth of the cave, landing next to Rarity who shrieked in horror.

“Applejack!” Rainbow cried, turning around mid-flight to aid her.

Pinkie filled the gap Applejack had left and rapidly struck Vesper with her hooves. “You big meanie!” Her screams of fury turned to cries of pain when the sigils turned and fired, striking her multiple times in the back. In a flash of blue light, Pinkie vanished, an enraged Sunset replacing her and rushing at Vesper, a stream of fire blazing out of her horn.

The flames curved around Vesper, striking the walls of the cavern. She merely continued to sneer, the glow of the Alicorn Amulet casting her face in a sinister light. She bowed her head and unleashed a more intense inferno.

Sunset diverted it upwards, feeling the searing heat breathe against her coat. The armor was powerful, but she was in no mood to see if it made her fireproof. The deluge of fire came to an end, and Sunset was about to counter until another boulder dropped from the ceiling. She leapt to the side—avoiding a few more—and watched as streams of water began to pour from the gaps in the ceiling.

Uh-oh. That’s not good. She looked down to the already ankle-high water, then back to Vesper—

Sunset’s vision was filled with a bright, ruby light as she flew backwards, splashing across the floor. She could feel her cheek swelling as she lay in the water. In fact, she was certain she had been hit in the same spot Vesper had kicked her last time.

“You all right over there, little wannabe?” Vesper called as Sunset stood up again. “If you’re going to pretend to be me, the least you could do is put up a fight!” She released a silver orb that increased in size as it traveled across the cavern. What had started out as a mere apple shape was now the size of an overgrown watermelon.

Once again, Sunset covered herself with a shield, bracing herself. Only, the orb never made contact with her. With hardly a foot to go, the silver sphere expanded around her into a bright halo and exploded forth, throwing all of her friends up the tunnel they had come from. They cried out in surprise and pain as they all crashed against one another.

As Sunset turned to check on them, another chain wrapped around her neck and yanked her forward. She found herself staring into a pair of red eyes. A second chain snaked out of Vesper’s horn and wrapped around Sunset’s, squeezing tight.

“Now,” Vesper said in a thin whisper, watching Sunset squirm. “Tell me who you really are. The faster you tell me, the more merciful I’ll be.”

Sunset flailed her hooves, trying to score a hit against her captor, but it was all in vain. “I’m… Sunset Shimmer,” she choked out. She didn’t even have time to scream as Vesper pummeled her into the floor, face first.

“Stop lying!” She lifted Sunset to eye-level again. “Who. Are. You?”

“Sun...set… Shimmer.” Sunset choked on her own words, her airway completely restricted. Tears formed at her eyes, and her vision began to grow dim, a sensation that was becoming too familiar.

Vesper slammed her against the floor again, retracting her chains. Before Sunset could draw breath, a hoof crashed down against the side of her face, burying her in the shoals. “I’ve had everything stolen from me! But you will not take this! I am the one, true Sunset Shimmer!”

The first blow to the head barely registered to Sunset. Same with the second and third. By the fourth, however, she could feel sharp pain nailing into her skull. They came faster and faster, growing in intensity. Sunset could feel hot blood traveling down her face. Even Twilight’s shield could only hold off Vesper’s wrath for so long.

“Die! Die! Die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die!” Vesper chanted, her voice raising an octave with each hammer to Sunset’s head.

“Back off!”

The onslaught finally came to an end. Sunset rolled onto her back, wheezing and clutching her skull. She turned her head, using the eye that was unobstructed by blood to see Rainbow pinning Vesper to the floor, ignoring the sigils as their magic scorched across her back.

Rainbow raised a hoof and brought it across Vesper’s face. “That’s for Cloudsdale!” She punched Vesper two more times. “That’s for Fluttershy!” Another two. “That’s for Sunset!”

As Rainbow drew back for another hit, Vesper sank into the shadows, melting away beneath the stone floor with a choleric look. Her sigils vanished with her.

Somepony lifted Sunset into a sitting position, an act which caused her head to scream in protest. She looked into Applejack’s eyes, fear and concern written within them.

“Oh no… Sugarcube, we need to get you outta here.”

“N-no!” Sunset shouted. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the rampant pain. “I have to stay… I have to fight her!”

“Sunset, yer a bleedin’ mess!” Applejack said hotly. “You and Fluttershy need medical attention, stat!”

“No, I don’t!” Sunset pushed Applejack away, forcing herself to stand up. The world lurched forward, gravity working with her own debilitation to drag her back to the ground. She grunted and pushed against the splitting migraine. Wiping the blood from her eye, she gave Applejack a forced smile and said, “See? It’s not too bad.” She winced as a fresh wave of pain ran through her head.

“Sunset—”

The ground beneath them trembled and began to sizzle like hot coals, burning the bottoms of the ponies’ hooves. The water bubbled from the high temperature, and a light shone from below.

Without thinking, Sunset tackled Applejack and dragged her out of range just as a geyser of white-hot magic erupted from the ground. Before either of them could get their footing, the phenomenon began to repeat itself right where they were standing. This time, it was Applejack who yanked Sunset out of the way of the exploding magic.

Sunset regained her stance and hurried after Applejack, both of them trying to make it back across the room for safety. Another geyser erupted in front of them, forcing them to change direction while they waded through the rising water, trying to stay ahead of the rampaging magic.

“Ahahahahaha!”a cold laugh echoed above them. Sunset looked up and found Vesper on the ceiling, having turned gravity into her plaything. “Dance, ponies, dance!”

Keeping pace with each other, Applejack and Sunset navigated their way through the field of erratic spouts of magic. Every few seconds, Sunset could feel the ground heat up, and she’d beat the jet by a hair’s breadth. Luck finally ran out when Applejack misstepped and lost her footing in a short crater. Sunset heard her scream and skidded to a stop, watching in dismay as she sailed through the air and smashed against the ground, smoke curling from her body.

Sunset rushed over to her body and lifted her up. “Applejack! Say something!”

Above them, Rainbow had taken to the air, streamlining for Vesper with a hoof outstretched. She outmaneuvered the bolts Vesper fired at her and rapidly closed in. With a snarl, she made her first and only swing at Vesper, who deflected it with her own hoof. Rainbow didn’t see the static sputtering on the dome above her until it discharged, catching her in its blast. Like Applejack, she rocketed to the ground, impacting with a horrible crunch.

Sunset ceased in her attempt to drag Applejack to safety, even as Pinkie returned to lend a hoof. As she turned towards Rainbow, something red appeared in the top of her vision. She lifted her head to find a bright ring encompassing all four ponies standing in the clearing. Vesper remained on the ceiling, black flames clinging to her eyes.

“Checkmate.” The ring pulsated red like a dying star, dimming everything around it. A white light filled its center. “Interitus!”

As much as she wanted to look away, Sunset couldn’t. She stared at the oncoming fire, feeling utterly helpless.

Something gripped her entire body, and Sunset was yanked backwards, feeling compressed for a brief second before landing on her side. The light of destruction went off in front of her, a silhouetted figure obstructing part of the view. Next to her, Applejack, Rainbow, and Pinkie wore equally surprised expressions.

When the light faded, Sunset found Twilight standing up front with her back to all of them and her head bowed.

“No… more,” she panted. “No more.”

Upon further examination, Sunset noticed the purple sheen that had encased her was now gone. “Twilight…?”

Twilight looked back at them. Grief was painted on her face, but her eyes had taken on an unflinching hardness. “I can’t keep you protected forever. And I refuse to watch as you fight this battle for me… and almost die as a result.” She closed her eyes and took a slow breath. “I will never order you girls to do anything, even as a princess… so I’m begging you as a friend: leave now and let me handle this.”

Sunset was immediately up on her hooves. “No! Twilight, you can’t expect us to just walk away without you!”

“I know it’s hard, but just look at yourselves! Even with this new spell, she’s tearing you girls apart!” Twilight looked away and shuddered. “I could never forgive myself if something happened to you on my account.”

“And we’ll never forgive ourselves if something happened to you!” Sunset argued. She felt a hoof on her shoulder and twisted back to see Applejack with a grim expression.

“Sunset, I hate to admit it, but this ain’t our show anymore. If we stay, we’re as good as gone. We just need to trust Twilight can handle this.”

“But… but…” Sunset’s meek protest went ignored. She could see in everyone else’s eyes that they had succumbed to the painful idea.

“Pinkie, do you remember the way out?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie solemnly nodded her head.

“Good, then you’ll lead the way. Get back to the surface and head to Los Pegasus. Get everyone treated and send a letter to the princesses. Rarity, do you think you can take control of the boat?”

Rarity looked uncertain but nodded anyway. “I can certainly try.”

“All right, then. Good luck. I’ll try to join you as soon as I can.”

There was a moment of hesitation on everyone’s part before Pinkie trudged up the tunnel, followed by Rarity who carried Fluttershy on her back. Spike gave Twilight a tight hug and ran after them, hurrying alongside Applejack. Only Sunset and Rainbow remained.

“Twi, I know you’re strong, but this still feels like a bad idea,” Rainbow said.

“I know.” Affliction laced Twilight’s heavy tone. “But, I’m out of ideas.”

Rainbow bit her lip. “Just… come back safe, okay?”

Sunset took a rebellious step forward. “I’m not leaving you, Twilight. Not now.”

Twilight sighed. “Sunset, I know this is the hardest for you, but you need to go, too.”

“No! I will not—hey! Rainbow, put me down!”

Rainbow wrapped her forelegs around Sunset and dragged her into the air, carrying her back into the maze. “It sucks, yeah. But face it, Sunset—we’re out of our league right now!”

Sunset continued to struggle, trying everything without resorting to magic, but Rainbow was too strong. “No! Put me down! Twilight, please!” She watched Twilight stride out of the tunnel and back into the flooded maw, her head held high.

Just like before. Just like at the End of the World.

“Princess!”

Twilight waded through the knee-high water, watching waterfalls pour down from wide gashes left in the ceiling. Across from her, Vesper Radiance stood firmly rooted, her horn sheathed in a red glow. She faced the whirlwind, head jerking back as she tugged at an unseen object.

Her ears perked up as her magic died down, and she turned to face Twilight, smirking vaingloriously. “So, the introvert has finally come out to play. Did you grow tired of watching me bludgeon your friends? I must admit, I was certainly getting bored with it.” She wiped a hoof across her face, frowning at the sight of the red stains. “They did manage to get a few hits in. I’ll have to make sure to repay them later.”

Twilight’s jaw went rigid at the barbs against her friends. Whether Vesper was being malicious or just trying to goad her, Twilight wasn’t going to fall for it. She looked briefly at the Alicorn Amulet, recalling when Trixie had returned to Ponyville with it and harassed her friends. It seemed like such a long time ago—an event under completely different circumstances. Twilight looked back into Vesper’s eyes, which had rescinded to cerulean for the moment. The mare was clearly out for revenge, yes. But the lengths she was willing to go to get it... Out of all the things Trixie did, at least she had never injured someone.

“What drove you to this?” Twilight blurted out. She didn’t know if she could feel any sympathy for the villain, but she needed to know why. Why all the destruction and death? There had to be more than just wanting to become an alicorn.

Vesper’s smile slid off her face and a hollow look filled her eyes. “Do you know what it’s like, Twilight Sparkle? To have everything promised to you? To have the sole attention of the one pony you ever loved? To follow in their hoofsteps knowing you were destined for greatness?” She let out a mirthless chuckle. “And then, to try so hard to please her that she resents you? To have fools and bleeding-hearted idiots come and eclipse the bond you shared?” Her voice grew louder, filling the cave with her shouts of rage. “To come so close to your destiny only to have it pulled out from beneath you for one mistake? To be replaced and forgotten, shoved aside like yesterday’s model in place of a new, shinier one? To have your heart broken into a thousand pieces?”

She thrusted a hoof in Twilight’s direction. “You! This is all your fault—yours and Cadance’s! You two stole away my life—my destiny! I was supposed to ascend and stand by Celestia’s side until she named me ruler of Equestria! But then Cadance came along—I tried so hard, just to prove myself, just to hear those words—and then she dismissed me…” She broke into an emphatic laugh, holding a hoof to her face.

“And now I know why! She saw you coming! She saw you coming the whole time! She just needed an excuse to throw me out! She never loved me! Lies, lies, every word was a lie!”

Twilight took a step back. Seeing Sunset’s face take on those angry expressions… and that hysterical giggle… it was unsettling to the extreme. No. This isn’t Sunset. This is… this is… It’s not Sunset Shimmer!

Vesper took a few deep breaths, suppressing her laughter. “Does that answer your question, Twilight Sparkle? Are you satisfied now?”

Undeterred, Twilight stood her ground. “If you were really Princess Celestia’s student, you would know she loves everypony unconditionally.”

“Hah! There is no such thing as unconditional love! You only have it until you displease her or until you’ve served your purpose!” Her horn flared again and the Alicorn Amulet came to life. “Q-and-A is over now, Twilight Sparkle. You’ve wasted enough of my time. The funny thing is I was going to kill Celestia first and show you her mangled body. Your cries of agony would have been music to my ears.” Her head tilted to one side, her grin become feral. “But now I see killing you first would be much more poetic. No, no, no! I won’t kill you! I’ll break you—watch as you scream for Celestia to come to your rescue and laugh as the hope dies from your eyes when she never appears!”

Twilight’s own magic roared to life, fueled by her anger and disgust. Both of them fired at the same time, and their energies clashed once more. Twilight pushed with all her might. She would not let this… this monster win. That was the only thing Twilight had to describe her. None of her adversaries thus far had made her despise them with this much fervor. Even Discord with his talk of chaos had never intended to maim and torture anypony. And while Sombra had once enslaved an empire, thanks to the combined efforts of her friends, she had made sure he never got a chance to re-enact whatever cruelty he was capable of.

My friends… Seeing Vesper fling them around the room in her mind’s eye spurred her onwards. She hated being separated from them, but it killed her to see them in pain while all she could do was stand there and watch. No, this was her fight now! She was going to win, and Vesper would pay for her actions!

She took a step forward, driving her convictions into her spell. Purple began to swallow up crimson, pushing Vesper back.

“No! I shall not fall to the likes of you!” Vesper’s eyes burned with black smoke, and her beam turned an even darker shade of red, tendrils of darkness interweaving into it. With a single push, she had regained her ground.

Twilight continued to strain under the pressure, still tired from maintaining four separate shields. Sweat clung to her brow and trickled down her face. She fell back against the new wave of momentum Vesper was exhibiting.

Don’t give up! a voice in her head cheered. Twilight snapped her eyes open. “Wait…”

A blue light shot past her and merged with her ray of magic, putting it back on par with Vesper’s. Twilight shifted her eyes, unsure of whether she should be furious or overjoyed. “I told you to go with the others!” she shouted over the thrum of energy. “What are you doing here?”

Sunset stood at her side, her eyes squeezed shut in concentration. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t let you fight her alone. You walked away to fight her once, and you lost! I watched you die in front of me! But not again! I won’t stand by and do nothing this time!”

The fur on the back of Twilight’s neck stood up at the thought of her own death in Sunset’s future. Yet, a warm smile found its way onto her face as she marveled at Sunset’s will. And while Twilight was unsure if Sunset should have been pushing herself so hard, she was glad she didn’t have to stand alone.

Vesper waned under their combined power, stepping back until she was inches away from the whirlwind. Try as she might, she couldn’t avoid being sucked in by the vacuum. Her back hoof extended too far, and in an instant, she had vanished into the wind. Twilight and Sunset’s leftover energy merely dispelled against it.

Twilight watched for the second time as Vesper spiraled up the funnel before being spat out and landing in the water with a loud splash. Only, she wasn’t the only thing to come out of the whirlwind. Clutched against her chest was a black and grey crown, wings folded on each side and a red jewel in the center.

“It’s mine…” Vesper stood up, holding the Tempest Crown above her in triumph. “It’s finally mine!”

“Give us the crown, Vesper! You don’t know what you’re doing!” Sunset shouted.

“My name is not Vesper! And I know damn well what I’m doing!” She grinned, twirling the crown on her hoof. “Besides, you know the old saying: finders keepers, losers die!” She unleashed a jet of flames, splitting the two up as they each dived to one side.

Twilight jumped into the air. With a single flap of her wings, she boosted forward and tackled Vesper just before she could put the crown on. It flew into the air and landed in the water, disappearing into the murky depths with Sunset diving after it.

Vesper hissed and swiped a hoof across Twilight’s face, knocking her down while she lunged after the crown. Twilight hurried after her, ignoring the blood leaking out of her nose. Her telekinesis grabbed Vesper by the tail and pulled her back, allowing Twilight to jump over her. Vesper played the same trick while Twilight was in midair and slammed her against the ground, stomping on her back for added measure.

Sunset’s head surfaced above the water, the crown clenched between her teeth. Her eyes widened at Vesper barreling towards her, and she took off across the cave, practically swimming in the now shoulder-high tide.

Twilight gave a quick flick of her horn and watched the water around Vesper jump up and stick to her legs, transforming into a thick, jelly substance. She tried to move forward, only to fall onto her face.

“All right,” Twilight said as she reunited with Sunset. “We’ve got the Crown. Let’s get—”

Her words were literally drowned out as gallons of water crashed on top of her head. She fumbled and fell backwards, tasting the salty tang of the ocean as it flooded her senses. She swam to the top, breaking the surface and gasping for air. Sunset followed not a moment later, her mouth empty.

“Where’s the Tempest Crown?” Twilight asked.

“Good question.” Sunset’s eyes glowed red, and Twilight narrowly avoided being struck in the face by a crimson bolt by diving back under.

She found Sunset—and she was sure it was Sunset this time by the absence of a cloak and amulet—scooping the crown off the cave floor. A streak of red spiraled through the water and struck Sunset in the side. Streams of bubbles escaped her lips as she cried out in muted pain. Vesper swam past Twilight, quick as a shark, and snatched the crown Sunset had dropped.

Twilight propelled herself forward and blasted Vesper with a quick barrage of spells, pummeling her from behind. She refused to let go, however, holding on like it was a life preserver. Twilight wrapped her aura around the crown, pulling with all her might, only succeeding in dragging Vesper towards her and consequently receiving a blast to the chest.

It was like a rock had been smashed into her. Twilight sucked in a sharp breath, only to choke on the ocean. She made a mad paddle for the surface, gasping for breath upon reaching it. With a few powerful coughs, she expelled a lungful of water. There was a loud crack overhead, and Twilight watched as another part of the ceiling broke apart, unleashing a spout of water. She couldn’t believe the room was almost halfway filled.

A bubble of air appeared around Twilight’s head, and she dove under once more. Towards the bottom, Sunset had Vesper in a headlock while Vesper fired off random spells in an attempt to displace Sunset. Twilight took the crown in her aura, successfully ripping it from Vesper’s hooves. Before it could fall into her possession, however, a red aura overlapped hers and tried to tug it away.

The Tempest Crown floated between the two mares, jerking left and right as each one battled for ownership. She could see Sunset wrapping a tighter hoof around Vesper’s throat, choking her into submission. Despite Vesper elbowing Sunset repeatedly, Sunset refused to let go.

Vesper’s grip on the Crown weakened, and with a final pull, Twilight managed to break it free and deliver it into her own hooves. She watched Vesper’s eyes slide shut and Sunset released her, letting her drift to the floor.

A moment later, Twilight and Sunset resurfaced, Twilight cancelling her bubble charm and Sunset desperately heaving for air. Twilight swam over and wrapped a hoof around her. “Are you okay?”

Sunset nodded. “Let’s just leave now before something else goes wrong.”

“Agreed.” Twilight closed her eyes and imagined the deck of the boat they had come in on. The familiar pull of teleportation came over her, and she landed against something hard, followed quickly by the smothering of something warm and soft.

“Twilight, Sunset—you’re okay!” Pinkie cried.

“That might not last long if you choke me, Pinkie.”

Pinkie squeezed even tighter for a brief second before letting go. Without a wall of pink fur in the way, Twilight beheld the full deck. All of her friends beamed down at her, including Fluttershy, whose front legs had been bandaged. There was a bruise on the side of her face, and she looked paler than usual.

“How are you doing, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

She put on a brave smile. “I’ll be fine, thanks to all of you.”

Rainbow floated over to Sunset. “And how about you?”

Sunset managed a weak grin. “I think I’m okay.”

“Good.” Rainbow swatted her across the shoulder.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“‘Put me down, Rainbow. I promise, I’ll follow along,’” Rainbow said in a very poor imitation of Sunset’s voice. “I can’t believe I fell for that one! Don’t go off and do stupid things like that; that’s my job!”

“All right, I’m sorry.” Sunset rubbed her shoulder. “I just couldn’t leave Twilight down there by herself. Not with that…”

“Maniac?” Rainbow tried.

“Psychopath?” Rarity offered.

“Girl who looks just like you?” Pinkie said. She flinched under everyone’s glare. “What? She does!”

Sunset sighed. “Yeah… her.”

Twilight embraced her. “Don’t worry, we know who you are. No matter what she says, you’re still Sunset Shimmer.” She heard Sunset murmur a quick thank you and took that as her cue to let go. Standing up, she could see the ocean surrounding them on all sides, the island now a small dot on the horizon. The ship was coated in a light blue aura, steering itself across the polished waves.

Spike came out of the cabin with blankets, wrapping them around Sunset and Twilight. He paused to give Twilight a hug and pointed at the black object lying on the deck. “So… is that really it?”

Everyone crowded around it, staring with adamant curiosity. Twilight nodded. “Yes, we finally have one of the Dark Regalia. One more and we can make certain no pony can ever become an alicorn through their use.”

“Yeah, but how are we going to get rid of them?” Rainbow asked. “You heard Celestia and Luna: these things are indestructible. Unless we can get the Elements to banish an inanimate object to the moon, I’m out of ideas.”

Pinkie waved an erratic hoof. “Oh, oh, I have an idea! Let’s throw them in a volcano!”

Fluttershy let out an ear-splitting shriek.

“Fine, sheesh. All you had to say was no.”

“P-Pinkie P-Pie, I d-don’t think that’s why she was screaming.” Spike pointed behind her. “Look!”

Rapidly approaching in the distance was a small figure, leaving an impressive wave behind her. She tore across the water on a board made of ice, her cloak and mane billowing in the wind. Even from their distance, everyone could see the insurmountable rage on her face.

“Give me the Tempest Crown!” Vesper bellowed.

“My, she’s persistent,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, persistently annoying!” Sunset spat.

The blue sky turned a fiery shade of red as a hailstorm of flares arched through the air. They blasted into the ocean around them and rocked the boat with wild waves.

The ship lurched to the right, throwing everyone in the opposite direction while they tumbled on top of each other. It then lurched to the left, avoiding a ball of burning energy and sending everyone careening to the right.

“Rarity!” Twilight shouted.

“I’m sorry, dear, but this thing doesn’t exactly turn on a bit!” Rarity jerked the ship again, but the maneuver came too late. The ship rocked as the missile slammed into the back corner, blackening the deck and melting the steel railing.

Twilight bounced against the deck and spread her wings in an attempt to regain her balance. She planted her hooves firmly on the floor and returned fire against Vesper Radiance.

She easily outmaneuvered all of Twilight’s spells, slinging her own all the while. “Die already!” An inferno exploded from her horn and roared across the water.

Twilight cast a shield around the back end of the boat, watching the flames spit out on either side of her. “Rarity, I hate to put pressure on you, but can you please make this thing go faster!”

“I’m trying as hard as I can, Twilight,” Rarity said in a surly tone.

Sunset stood up next to Twilight. Her eyes shone white with power, and steam curled off her coat. Before Twilight could ask what she was doing, Sunset’s horn released a gold light that spiraled high into the air. When it reached its apex, it exploded into a shower of shimmering arrows, hailing down upon Vesper.

Her fire spell ended as she tried to evade the raining light. She weaved through them with nimble grace, riding the waves up and down. Swerving sharply to the right, an arrow caught the tip of her board, catapulting her into the air, where another shaft struck her in the shoulder.

Before Vesper hit the water, Sunset let loose one more spell. Twilight watched it zip across the water and strike Vesper in the chest. A thick layer of ice formed around her body, encasing her from head to tail until she looked like an ice sculpture. She landed with a splash and slowly sank beneath the rippling waves.

Twilight stared at the spot where Vesper had sank, her mouth set in a thin line. All was quiet for a few long, tense minutes. When nothing happened, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and fell back on her flank.

“She’s not gone,” Twilight said grimly, “but hopefully that should keep her at bay for a little while. Thank you, Sunset, you really—” Twilight looked at Sunset, curled up on the ground with her eyes lidded and smoke still clinging to her form. “Sunset!”

“No,” Sunset said hoarsely, “I… am not.. okay.”

Twilight pulled Sunset up into a sitting position with Sunset slumping against her. Her breathing came out in ragged gasps, and her head continuously drooped only to snap back up a second later.

“Stay awake, Sunset,” Twilight urged, “we’re almost back to port. We’ll get some help.” Twilight looked over the side and squinted at the distant skyline of Los Pegasus, feeling her stomach drop. She motioned for Applejack to come over and leaned Sunset against her. Twilight trotted over to the bow of the ship and tapped Rarity on the shoulder. “Mind if I take over?”

Rarity released her magic, lines of fatigue under her eyes. “Be my guest, dear. That took more out of me than I thought it would.”

Twilight took the ship in her own aura, urging it onward at a faster pace. “I think we could all use a break now.”

Sunset couldn’t remember much after using her magic to attack Vesper Radiance. Just bits and pieces that came back distorted and blurry when she tried to think about them. She did remember feeling like she had spent too much time next to an open fire and was being slowly cooked from the inside and out.

When she had regained full consciousness, she found herself in a very soft bed with blankets tucked tightly around her. She managed to pull a hoof out and felt around her forehead, finding a binding of bandages wrapped just below her horn. Pulling the blanket back, she found more replacing the linen she had wrapped around her shoulder.

Her eyes searched the room, taking note of its overall blandness. A small table sat by her bedside with a pitcher of water, a window view of the city, and a curtain pulled back to reveal Twilight, sitting in a chair by the corner reading a medical book.

“Twilight?” Sunset raised her voice knowing how Twilight could get lost in a book.

Twilight looked up and shut the book, smiling warmly at Sunset. “You’re fully awake. You kept slipping in and out of consciousness, even when the doctor stuck the IV in you.”

Sunset glanced at her other foreleg, watching light-green fluid drip down from the bag and into her body.

“Herbal medicines to help replenish your magic,” Twilight explained, seeing the curious look on Sunset’s face. She walked around to the table and poured a cup of water, levitating it to Sunset who took it with shaky hooves.

“Thanks.” Sunset tossed it back, relishing the feeling of ice-cold water slipping down her throat. She leaned back against her pillow, sinking into it, and looked out the window. She could see the edge of the water and the dock ponies scuttling around like ants. “How long was I ‘out’?”

“Not too long. Just a couple of hours. It’s actually still pretty early.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

Twilight walked back around and pulled her chair closer to Sunset’s bedside. “Rainbow is with Fluttershy. She had to get some stitches for the cuts on her arm.” She pointed at the bandages around Sunset. “You had to get a few, too. Everyone else is getting something to eat downstairs.”

Sunset closed her eyes and nodded. “And… the Tempest Crown?”

She heard the faint hum of magic and peeked an eye open to see Twilight pull a pair of saddlebags out from under the bed. “I put your hourglass in here too for safe keeping.”

Sunset’s hoof involuntarily moved to the base of her neck, noticing for the first time the absence of her odd necklace. She exhaled deeply. “Thank you, Twilight.”

Twilight tucked the saddlebag back under the bed. “Actually, I should be the one thanking you. If you hadn’t come back after me… if you hadn’t cast those spells… I’m not sure what would have happened,” she said softly, looking down at the checkered floor.

“I told you, I wasn’t going to let you face her alone. That day… the last day... you walked off, you and Spike. The next time I saw either of you…” Sunset’s throat tightened and she blinked back rogue tears. “I couldn’t let that happen again.”

The melancholy hung in the air between them with neither one sure how to advance. Twilight opened her mouth a few times, but no sound ever came out. When she finally came close to making a sentence, Sunset held a hoof up to stop her.

“You don’t have to say anything. I don’t want to talk about it right now anyway. Besides, it’s in the past… figuratively speaking.” She smiled weakly, and Twilight gave a weak chuckle. “What matters now is what we’re going to do next. We have the Crown, so where do we go from here?”

Twilight folded her ears back, avoiding Sunset’s gaze. “Yeah… about that…”

Sunset sat up. “What is it? It’s okay if you don’t have a plan right now. I’m sure we can come up with something together.”

“That’s not it, Sunset. I have a plan… it’s just…” Twilight took a deep breath and said with slow affliction, “You’re all going back to Canterlot, Sunset. I’m going to go on alone, but the rest of you… are going home.”

The still ocean began to ripple and bubble up. A geyser of water burst forth, and with it, Sunset Shimmer, roaring in rage. She landed on a small square of ice, trembling, barely able to hold in her disdain. She collapsed to one knee, holding the burning wound on her shoulder. Her eye violently twitched at the images floating through her head, each one featuring her.

“She dares… she dares to use my special talent against me?” Her eyes blazed white, and fire coursed through her body, filling all of her senses with an ecstasy of pure magic. The tear in her shoulder knitted itself back together, muscle and skin reforming and joining as one until it was good as new.

Her eyes reverted to normal, and she stretched out her leg, testing the effects of her healing spell. “That… that thing knows nothing of the true extent of my abilities.” Anger burned through her, hotter than the magic she had just used. She wanted to track down the simpering doppelganger and kill her in the most excruciating way she could imagine. But no, there would be time for that later. She would need a plan to deal with all of them.

“No, no… I’ll let them have their little reprieve. Let them lower their guard. It isn’t like they can run very far anyway.” Sunset grinded her teeth. “No, first… I have other business that needs to be addressed.”

The world twisted around her; in a flash, she stood no longer in the middle of the ocean but on a deck made from black wood. All activity stopped at her appearance, a hush falling over the thin crowd gathered. Conveniently for her, they were all here.

A chain whipped out of her horn and found Razor, who had been perched near the back end of the ship. It wrapped around his neck and dragged him forward, bringing him to rest at Sunset’s hooves.

He coughed. “‘Ello, Yer Majesty.”

“Hello, Razor,” Sunset said sweetly. “How are you? Lovely morning, isn’t it? Tell me, how was your day so far? Did anything interesting happen? Because I’d love to know why Twilight Sparkle and her stupid friends managed to follow me all the way to the Tempest Crown!”

Razor flinched and kneeled before her, the rest of the griffons following his lead. “Those ponies are tougher than they look. They managed to subdue all of us, so—”

“So you ran and hid with your tails between your legs like the pathetic dogs you are!” Sunset didn’t know what to do with herself. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this angry. It ran rampant inside her and strangled her senses. I almost had it! If these idiots had just done their job! Punishment! There needs to be punishment!

She looked over the seven griffons in front of her. “Where is Carrow?”

“He’s dead,” Eliza said bluntly.

“Well he’s lucky!” Sunset stomped a hoof against the deck. “How could you all screw up this badly? You’ve let them escape, not once, but twice!”

“You let them escape too.”

It had been quiet. So softly spoken and drowned out by the wind, he probably thought he could get away with it. But Sunset heard it. She could hear all. And now, she had an excuse to vent a little anger.

She swung around to face Axel, savoring the look of horror that came across his face. Sunset’s horn bubbled with a black miasma as she gave him a savage grin.

Axel screamed as a dark bubble encased him and began to shrink. The darkness swirled about, eating away at him while he grew smaller and smaller. With one last, terrified yell, the bubble vanished completely, leaving nothing left.

Sunset turned to the remaining six. “Would anyone else like to comment?”

No one dared to so much as breathe.

“Good.” She made for the front of the deck, tossing Vin from his spot at the wheel. She looked out over the sky, listening to the propellers of the airship as they spun like clockwork. Closing her eyes, she let the wind comb through her mane, feeling at peace again.

“So, little wannabe. You want to play games with me? Very well.” Sunset opened her eyes. “I’ll show you what happens when you play with fire!”

Author's Note

Act Two. End.

Chapter XVI: On Wings of Condemnation

The fog before her eyes dissipated into nothingness, revealing the real world once more. Beams of light from the compartment lanterns hit Sunset’s face and made her eyes sting and water. She sat up in bed, her messy hair forming a protective curtain from the glaring lights.

She stretched and yawned, feeling well-rested in spite of the vivid dreamwalking she had partaken in last night. Brushing her mane back, she saw Twilight across the compartment, putting her saddlebags on.

“Come on, bedhead,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “We’re going to get some breakfast before the train leaves again.”

Sunset put a hoof to her stomach, aware of the roaring vacuum that demanded food. “Yeah, breakfast sounds good.”

Twilight walked over to another bed and poked the large lump nesting beneath the blankets. “Come on, Rainbow, it’s breakfast time.”

“Are we in the Crystal Empire yet?” a voice slurred.

“No, we’re in Hoofington, and we have a few hours before the train starts rolling again. You might want to eat something now, because it’s a long ride to Tall Tale.”

There was a drawn out pause in which the lump did nothing. Then, a blue hoof emerged from its cocoon, followed closely by a body that rolled onto the floor. Rainbow laid there for a second before standing up and smacking her lips loudly.

“Guess I’m not the only one who isn’t a morning pony,” Sunset said as she tried to tame her mane with her hoof.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Please, Rainbow has trouble getting up no matter what time of day it is.”

Rainbow yawned again. “I’ll think of a comeback after I eat something.”

“Then come on—everyone is waiting for us outside.” Twilight led the way down the train, though while they walked, Sunset couldn’t help but wonder why all the lights had been left on. Twilight had said it was morning, right?

She got her answer when they all stepped outside: the sky was indeed blue, patchworked with large, fluffy clouds. However, the sun itself was obscured by a large mountain face in which the village took refuge under. An immense shadow blanketed the ground, keeping the entire town and some of the surrounding woodlands in its grasp.

Everyone met up at the platform exit and exchanged good mornings—the level of enthusiasm varying with each pony—before heading off into town. Hoofington reminded Sunset of Ponyville in many ways: the thatch roofs and white stone buildings, cobblestone streets, ponies peddling their wares on the main thoroughfare. The atmosphere was subtly different though; it didn’t have that same open feeling that Ponyville had given Sunset. Perhaps it was because of the dreary shadow she was constantly walking in.

They entered a small tavern and squeezed into the largest booth they could find. Unable to fit comfortably, Rarity pulled an empty table and a few extra chairs over. A waitress approached when they were all settled in and took their order, happy to accommodate anything for Twilight.

Twilight fidgeted when she told the waitress to put everything on the ‘royal tab’ after everyone had put in their order. When the mare left, Twilight slumped in her seat, sighed, and leaned her chin on a hoof. “Remind me to make personal trips to each pony and place we’ve freeloaded off of.”

Spike gave her a confident thumbs-up.

Sunset hated to imagine what they would have done for food, board and transportation without Twilight’s Princess status. Scavenging for food, tucking themselves into the warmest alleys and caves they could find and dragging themselves through the wilderness of Equestria…. Or maybe they could have just asked Princess Celestia if they could borrow money? Though, Sunset wasn’t sure if Spike was able to burp up solid gold.

Conversation was limited, leaving Sunset to continuously reflect over what she had seen last night. The scenes repeated in her head over and over again, along with one crucial word: Mother. This other Sunset had latched onto Celestia, wanting to be accepted as family. At its root, it was a simple and pure wish; Sunset couldn’t imagine her life without her mom and dad. Yet the wish was drowned in obsession and desire. The other Sunset hadn’t just loved Celestia: she’d coveted her, wanted her all to herself.

The idea baffled Sunset. If the Sunset from her memories loved Celestia so much, then where did this raging inferno of hate spawn from? The past Sunset had held Celestia on the highest pedestal. If that Sunset was the same one from the cave, then what had happened between her and Celestia? And where did she herself fit into all of this? The questions swam around in her head, making her even more confused then before she had gone dreamwalking.

She glanced over at Twilight, who was engaged in polite conversation with Applejack. Sunset recalled their tearful discussion last night and knew it was a bad idea to keep all of this to herself. She would have to tell Twilight—tell all of them what she had discovered. But she knew she needed the whole story first. There was little point in dragging everyone else into her confusion.

Sunset ate her breakfast with gusto, having only had hospital food in the last twenty-four hours. She was second to finish her hay and spinach omelette, coming in right after Pinkie who had practically inhaled her food. Aside from utensils scraping against plates and the occasional slurp, breakfast was a quiet affair; a nice change of pace after so much madness.

“Do you know how much time we have before the train leaves, Twilight?” Rarity asked politely when their meal was complete. “I wouldn’t mind taking a quick tour of Hoofington while we’re here.”

Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, no time for sightseeing. The train is supposed to leave at eleven.” She craned her neck over the booth to look at the clock on the wall that read ten-thirty. “In fact, we should be heading back right now.”

They pushed out of their chairs and filed out of the tavern, each of them thanking the waitress as they left. The shadows outside had reclined with the climbing sun, if only by a small margin. More ponies were milling about, leisurely going about their day.

“Well, it’s probably for the best anyway,” Applejack said. “The less time we spend in one place, the less of a chance we have at runnin’ into you-know-who.”

“Wait, wait, don’t tell me! I know this one,” Pinkie said, tapping a hoof against her head. “Umm, super good with magic, really evil, starts with a V…”

“Vesper Radiance,” Rarity hissed.

“Oh, then I must be thinking of somepony else.”

Rainbow took Pinkie’s head and jerked it in the direction everyone else was looking in. Pinkie then let out a large gasp and jumped backwards.

Vesper stood in the middle of the road, her black cloak still wrapped around her. All of her past injuries, however, seemed to have disappeared.

“I told you before, that isn’t my name.” She paused and looked thoughtfully into space. “Though, I suppose it has a nice ring to it. Poetic almost.”

“You!” Rainbow jumped into the air, cringing slightly at the burns on her back, and dove at Vesper, only to go straight through her.

The image rippled and faded out for a moment before correcting itself. “Did you really think I’d let you take another shot at me? This is just a projection, featherbrain.”

Rainbow rolled around and bared her teeth. “What? Too scared to face us again in person?”

Vesper held her back to her but extended a hoof. “Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash; your deaths will come soon enough. But honestly, why don’t we try settling this civilly first? I’m sure we’re all reasonable ponies.”

“Reasonable?” Sunset said, outraged. “You’ve tried to kill us on five separate occasions so far! You turned three ponies into brainless puppets and you foalnapped and practically tortured Fluttershy!”

Vesper held her gaze for a moment, her face unreadable. “Why is it every time you open your mouth, my hatred for you grows ever stronger? This little imitation of me you’re doing is really quite insulting. Hurtful, in fact. I insist that until you learn how to be me better, you shut up!” Her eyes drifted over to Twilight. “Besides, I was really just talking to the princess.”

Twilight lifted her chin. “Why should I listen to anything you have to say?”

“Because, Twilight Sparkle, I have a deal to offer you, and you’d be wise to hear it out before you shoot me down. Give me the Tempest Crown—”

“Never.”

“Ah, ah, ah.” Vesper waved a hoof. “You didn’t let me finish. Give me the Tempest Crown and little wannabe over there—”

Twilight’s frown twisted into a snarl.

“—Or I’ll blow Hoofington to pieces!” Vesper finished with a skip.

“What?” Twilight reeled back.

“Yer bluffin’,” Applejack challenged.

“Oh no, I assure you, my threat is quite real.” Vesper turned her head to the mountain. “Right now, there is an airship full of wide-ranged explosives docked just on the other side of the mountain peak. With one command, I can move it into position and have them dropped over this pitiful little dirt town.” She leaned forward, a feral grin on her face. “How does that sound, Your Highness? I think a smoldering crater might actually be an improvement.”

“That’s disgustingly low, even for somepony like you,” Rarity said with contempt.

“Well, it could all be avoided rather easily if the fair princess just hoofs over what I asked for. Honestly, a little trinket and one pony isn’t much compared to all of these innocent lives.” Vesper gestured to the surrounding town. A few ponies had stopped to view the developing scene from afar. “What say you, Princess?”

Twilight folded her ears back and her eyes darted rapidly between the sparse crowd, Vesper and Sunset. “I… I…”

“Oh no, you’re right. This is a lot to just throw on you,” Vesper said in a sickeningly sweet tone. “Tell you what: I’ll give you until the stroke of noon to make your decision.” She pointed up to the mountain. “I’ll be waiting in the summit cave. If you’re not prompt, I might do something… regrettable. Oh, and speaking of which, since we’re gambling with so many lives, it’s only fitting that everypony knows what’s going on, right?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What are you—”

But Vesper had already vanished, leaving the group momentarily confused until her face appeared above their heads, enlarged for the entire town to see it.

“Attention, Hoofington,” her voice echoed. “You may not be aware. but you have royalty among you. Princess Twilight Sparkle has graced you with her presence. However, she’s in possession of a very dangerous artifact, as well as harboring a criminal who has decided to masquerade as me. She now stands in a precarious position of delivering both objects to the cavern near the summit of the Smokey Mountain, or else a rogue airship will drop its haul of bombs on your poor, defenseless village. Surely she would choose your lives over one insignificant pony and a crown, correct? I know you’ll all help her make the right choice, seeing as it’s your lives on the line.”

She looked directly down to Twilight. “Oh, and don’t even think of contacting Celestia. I’ve got wards to alert me to any communications or attempts to escape. You can flee if you really want to, just remember all the lives you’ll be condemning if you do. Only an hour to go, dear Princess.” She gave one last malicious smile before her image vanished.

Sunset winced, finally realizing just how hard she had been grinding her teeth. “I don’t care if she does look like me. I hate her with every fiber of my being.”

“Look, there she is!”

Sunset looked around, seeing a crowd beginning to circle them. The ponies looked more frightened than angry, but Sunset could still sense their desire to be rid of her.

“Princess, you’re going to turn her in, right?”

“You can’t let us die!”

“Please, do something?”

“Isn’t she wanted by Princess Celestia anyway?”

The seven ponies and dragon retreated until they were backed against one another, surrounded on all sides by the panicking mob.

“Twi, you might wanna do something before they get angry,” Spike said with urgency.

Twilight nodded and swallowed. She stomped her hoof on the ground, trying to get them to settle down. “Everypony, please listen! I know you’re all scared, but there’s no reason to panic.” She gestured to Sunset. “This Sunset Shimmer is not a criminal. It’s just a setup by the mare threatening you.”

“That doesn’t change the fact she’s trying to kill us!”

“Yeah, you can’t pick her over all of us!”

“We should call Celestia!”

“No! You heard her—she’ll just blow us up faster!

As the mob started to close in on them, Twilight shouted, “Please, please! Calm down, everypony! I promise you, no one is going to get hurt! I won’t let Hoofington get destroyed, I promise.”

The crowd didn’t seem completely relieved, but they began to disperse slowly, giving Twilight pleading looks as they turned away.

Meanwhile, Twilight turned back to the group. “And I’m not going to sell out any of my friends either. Or give Vesper this crown.”

“Well, Twilight, that doesn’t give us a lot of options,” Sunset said. “We can’t ask for help. And if you refuse to do it, I’m sure the townsfolk will take it into their own hooves.”

“Twilight, I admire your confidence, but I think Vesper has us in check,” Rarity said grimly.

Twilight sat down and closed her eyes. “Yeah… maybe.”

“Whoa, time-out,” Rainbow said, crossing her hooves. “We can’t give up that easily!”

“No one said we were giving up, Rainbow,” Twilight said quietly.

Rainbow looked at her with bright eyes. “Ha, I knew it! You’ve got a plan, right?”

Twilight shifted, biting her lip. “Well… I’ve got… something.”

“Something?”

“Something is better than nothing,” Pinkie said cheerfully.

“Yes,” Twilight said slowly. “But, it’s dangerous… really dangerous… and requires a lot of luck.” She looked at all of them with a determined gleam in her eye. “But it also requires all of us working together. Which is something we do extremely well.”

“We’re all ears, Twilight,” Fluttershy said with surprising confidence. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Twilight beamed at them. “All right then. Here’s what we’re going to do…”

They walked slow, eating up as much time as they could. Twilight held a hoof against her eyes, blocking dust that had kicked up from another strong gust of wind. The sun had finally peaked over the mountain, but heavy clouds had begun to move, threatening to swallow up the entire sky. She could already feel the moisture in the air as the grey gloom circled overhead.

She and Sunset trekked their way up the mountain path, their journey quickened by Twilight’s familiarity with it. It seemed like just yesterday that she and her friends had climbed it to relocate a dragon and his polluted snoring.

Their journey was a quiet one. Sunset gave Twilight furtive glances but otherwise said nothing. Twilight marched stoic and steadily, doing her best not to show fear or worry, hoping that her plan would work. She realized she was asking for a lot; if everyone got out of this alive and they caught Vesper Radiance, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

The mouth of the cave loomed as they crested the last slope. The inside no longer glittered with gold, all of it having been removed when the dragon migrated. Without the sparkling gleam of thousands of coins, the cave looked grim and foreboding. Twilight led Sunset into the maw, the light of day quickly fading behind them.

Vesper was waiting at the back of the cave, along with Razor, and was looking quite smug.

“Knew it,” Sunset murmured under her breath. Twilight shushed her and stepped forward, quickly examining all of her surroundings.

“See? I told you she would come, Razor,” Vesper said, her voice dripping with superiority. “Of course, you didn’t have much of a choice did you, Princess? Those panicking little ponies down there would have forced your hoof one way or the other to make sure they saved themselves. But that’s life, isn’t it?” The corners of her mouth folded into a sneer. “Ponies are willing to sell each other out for their own survival. Toss their fellow equine away if it means they themselves can live to see tomorrow. Their lives are nothing more than items to barter and trade with, right, Twilight? So much for friendship.”

“You don’t know anything about friendship,” Twilight said scathingly. Behind her, the wind began to howl outside. The sun had been completely eclipsed now, leaving only an ocean of deep grey in the sky.

Vesper tilted her head to the side, still sneering. “You’re right: I don’t. Nor do I care. Friendship is a convenient lie this poor country was founded on. In the end, ponies are still selfish by nature. The only truth in this world is power. And magic is power! Surely you can agree to that much?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. She could feel her contempt for Vesper rising by the second. This girl was once Princess Celestia’s student? Impossible. Twilight shook her head. “I didn’t come here to discuss philosophy with you, however wrong yours may be.”

Vesper clucked her tongue. “Pity. You seem like a smart filly, Sparkle. I was hoping to pick your brain a little before business, but if you insist on ditching your ‘friend’ so quickly, then so be it.” She pointed her hoof to Sunset. “You,” she snapped. “Start walking forward. Nice and slow.”

Sunset gave Twilight one more uncertain glance, then walked to the center of the cavern. Razor approached her, a length of iron chains in his claws. They met in the middle, and Razor tied the chain around Sunset’s horn, coiling it until it was completely covered and resembled just a lump of metal links.

“It’s not as effective as an inhibitor, but since I couldn’t get my hooves on one with such short notice, it will have to do,” Vesper said, her eyes never leaving Twilight. As Razor led Sunset back to the end of the cave, a silver dagger drew itself from underneath Vesper’s cloak and positioned itself underneath Sunset’s neck. “Don’t worry—” Vesper smirked at the fear in Twilight’s eye “—I’m not going to kill her yet. I have some questions I want answered first. Now, the Tempest Crown, please.”

Twilight eyes flitted between Vesper and Sunset. She tried to keep her breathing as calm as possible using Cadence's technique only without the hoof movements. It was enough to keep her focused, but not enough to stop her from panicking on the inside. She levitated the crown from inside her bag and held it aloft.

Vesper’s eyes gleamed with avarice. “Now, right in the center of the room. Good girl.” As Twilight released the crown, Vesper’s red aura surrounded it and brought it to her hooves. “Finally. Now, Princess—” she looked up at Twilight with crimson eyes “—bear witness to the first part of my ascension!” She lifted the Crown, jammed it on top of her head, and took in a sharp, shuddering breath.

Nothing happened.

She stood in place, her look of triumph slowly melting away. Rage erupted across her face, and she shouted, “What’s going on? Why isn’t it working?”

Twilight took quick aim and fired at the suspended dagger, knocking it away from Sunset’s throat. The spell then rebounded and struck Vesper across the cheek, causing her to stagger back. As she did, the crown toppled from her head and landed on the cave floor with a clatter, a crack running up the center ruby.

“What?” Vesper’s eyes bugged out of her head as she scooped up the broken crown, paying no attention to what was going on just a few feet next to her.

As soon as Twilight had repelled the dagger, Sunset ducked low and delivered a powerful buck to Razor’s chest, sending him flying across the cave and into the back wall. Sunset then rushed forward and slammed her front hooves into Vesper’s side, launching her across the floor.

“Nice work, Applejack,” Twilight said, hurrying to her side.

“Thanks, Twi,” Sunset said with a drawl. “Now, could ya change me back to normal? This whole thing is still weirdin’ me out.”

“Just a second,” Twilight said, watching as Vesper climbed back to her hooves.

She looked over at the broken crown, just a circlet of metal with some wood taped to it, and issued a small laugh. “An illusion. Like many other things in my life, it was just an illusion.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what you were trying to accomplish, but all you’ve done is sentenced Hoofington to death!” A red spark shot out of her horn. Over Twilight’s head, the spark raced, vanishing into the stormy sky.

“Razor, get up, you useless bird!” Vesper barked. She took a step toward Twilight and Sunset, her horn sparking with aggression.

Twilight emitted a tiny spark of her own and watched from the corner of her eye as the illusion around Applejack melted away. Applejack then pulled off the mass of chains sitting on her head, a wooden cone falling out of the center.

“Yes, let’s all dress up as Sunset Shimmer,” Vesper said in a low, threatening tone. “It’s not like she needs her own identity or anything. It’s not like everything else was stolen from her. I don’t care how many illusions you cast, Sparkle—I will find that replica and the Tempest Crown!”

“Yer gonna have to get through us, first!” Applejack said, running a hoof against the ground.

Razor had finally gotten to his feet and joined Vesper by her side. “That, we can arrange.” He drew his sword.

“Applejack!” Twilight called as her horn released a piercing, resplendent light that flooded half of the cavern. She heard Vesper and Razor yell , then she dimmed the luminescence to see them stunned, their hooves and claws trying to rub spots from their eyes.

Applejack pulled her face from the ground and—with the chain trailing behind her—ran at Vesper. She tackled her adversary with full force and rolled across the ground until they hit the back wall. Applejack maneuvered behind Vesper and pulled the chain around her horn as Vesper began bucking and firing off random spells.

Twilight ducked under one of them as she charged at Razor and released a powerful bolt of her own. Though still blinded, he swung his sword haphazardly, managing to deflect Twilight’s attack. In the interim of Twilight’s next spell, one of Vesper’s loose flares crashed into the ceiling, raining rocks between Twilight and Razor.

Rolling away, Twilight managed to avoid being crushed by a larger chunk of stone. She shook her mane free of the excess rubble and stared into the veil of dust that had risen. Nothing had been blockaded, and she could still hear Applejack’s scuffle with Vesper, but the smoky wall was thick and impenetrable to the naked eye.

Twilight took measured steps backwards and waited for Razor to emerge. Instead, a red jet of light streaked towards her and grazed her cheek, despite her wild leap. Before she could measure the wound, Razor came down at her, a ball of fire in his claws.

I forgot they could do that! Twilight threw her shield up in a panic, avoiding the flames but still feeling the sweltering heat.

Razor transitioned between slamming his sword against Twilight’s shield and hurling fire at it. Twilight was confident in her ability to maintain her defense, but it was doing nothing to help the overall situation. She snuck a glance behind Razor where the pile of rock lay. With careful subtlety, Twilight lifted the biggest rock she could find and levitated it closer. Her face knotted with determined application as she fought to keep the shield up while giving the rock one last burst of concentrated magic. It shifted from a slow cruise to a lightning-propelled bullet and smashed Razor in the back of the head, sending him to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Twilight dropped her shield and raced over to Applejack, who had successfully wrapped part of the chain around Vesper’s horn, though she was still able to produce weaker versions of her spells.

“Filthy vermin! Unhoof me this instant!” Vesper screeched, flailing her hooves at Applejack’s face.

Applejack kept Vesper pinned down with her hooves while the chain hung in her mouth. She would yank the chain to the side any time Vesper tried to shoot at her, but the act of trussing her up had come to a slow crawl.

“Keep her down, A.J.!” Twilight took the chain in her aura, leaving Applejack to put her full weight against Vesper. Twilight wrapped the chain a few more times around Vesper’s horn and pulled it tight before chaining up her front hooves.

Vesper writhed and squirmed when Applejack stepped off her, but was able to produce nothing more than a spark. She panted and her eyes blazed in Twilight’s direction. “I hate you!”

“I can live with that,” Twilight said tonelessly. She cast a thin purple veil around Vesper’s head and watched her drift off to sleep.

“Well,” Applejack began as she wiped the sweat from her brow, “Ah can honestly say, Ah didn’t think it would work this well.”

“We’re not done yet, though,” Twilight said. She dragged Razor over and used the remaining amount of chain to tie his claws together. “I actually wish she had brought a real inhibitor ring, but my sleep spell should keep her inactive until everything’s over.”

A roar like a manticore made both of them jump and rush to the cave entrance. Above them, they sky billowed with black clouds, and buckets of rain poured down. Another roar filled the sky, followed closely by a tongue of lightning. The wind picked up into a mighty gale, and Applejack had to keep a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder to keep her from flying away.

“Do you think it’s working?” Applejack yelled over the tempest.

“Let’s hope so!”

Sunset stood near the foot of the mountain, the clouds above her starting to funnel and form together. A thin sprinkle was already falling.

She blinked.

When she opened her eyes, she fought against every instinct to scream as she found herself being dragged against the howling wind. She flailed her hooves, eager to land on something solid. Rain lashed against her face and stung her eyes, turning the world into a blur of colors until it was practically nonexistent.

She blinked again.

She was standing at the aft end of a polished, black wooden deck. A griffon stood at the opposite end, his back turned to her. Sunset took in all of the deck with rapid speed, forcing herself to commit it to memory. As the griffon turned around, Sunset teleported.

Feeling the dirt beneath her hooves again, Sunset opened her eyes and found Rarity staring at her with anxious wonder. Spike stood next to her, a coil of rope wrapped over his shoulder.

“Did it work?” Rarity asked.

Sunset nodded. “I saw the deck. I couldn’t have been there more than five seconds, but I think it’s enough for a safe teleport back.” She turned her attention to the mountain looming before them, two pairs of eyes following her. They all stared in anticipation, Twilight’s instructions echoing in Sunset’s head. Wait for the first flash of lightning, or whatever Vesper will use for a signal.

“How do we know Vesper will even use a visible signal?” Spike asked, seemingly reading Sunset’s thoughts.

“Well, Twilight did say this plan required some luck,” Rarity said evenly.

Sunset swallowed the worry that had climbed up her throat. “Hopefully, Pinkie will have finished her part, so even if we do get a late signal—”

Her words died in her throat when a red flare burst forth from the cave mouth and curved up into the clouds. Sunset gestured for her two friends to draw closer. “Are you ready?”

“As we’ll ever be,” Rarity said as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Sunset focused on the snippets of the deck she had seen, piecing together the mental image until she felt it was stable enough. She loosed her magic and felt the distortion of space take hold of her. It only lasted a second before she landed on something solid. Her vision returned to her just in time for to see a large, red tuft of her front wave drift to the floor.

“Dammit, I spliced it,” Sunset muttered. She looked over at Rarity and Spike, both of whom seemed okay.

Rarity looked at the fallen lock of hair, then to Sunset. “Oh, dear, you didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”

“No, it was just the hair, I think.”

“Be thankful it wasn’t your tail,” Spike said bitterly, pointing to his bandages.

“Hey! How did you get on here?”

Eliza looked away from the steering wheel and reached for her knives. A second griffon stood next to her, drawing two daggers. As Sunset and Rarity braced themselves, Lume flew in from the opposite end and landed on the lower deck.

“I just saw the signal! We gotta move!” he called to Eliza, the rising wind almost drowning his words out. His eyes then fell to the trio in front of him, and he drew his sword. “You little brats! This is our airship!”

“Hold!” Sunset roared. She eyed each griffon in turn with as much venom as possible. “You dare raise your weapons against your princess? I am the real Sunset Shimmer and these two are my hostages, or are you as blind as you are stupid?”

Lume paused, casting Sunset an uneasy glance before looking up at Eliza. Eliza narrowed her eyes, her knives still raised. Only the wind made any noise, moaning against the ship’s black balloon tethered over everyone’s heads.

“Nice try,” Eliza said finally. “Gaven!” she snapped to the griffon at her side. “Weigh anchor: we’ve got Tartarus to raise. Lume—” she sneered at Sunset “—help me take out the trash.”

“Aye.”

Lume jabbed his sword at Rarity, who twirled just out of its reach. Spike then jumped in front of her and unleashed a small emerald blaze, enough to keep Lume from advancing any further.

Sunset focused her attention on Eliza; she caught the three airborne knives and sent them back with full force. Eliza ducked under them, tightly tucking her wings in. She then pounced from the upper deck, swiping her other set of knives at Sunset as she came down. Sunset slid to the side, the deck having become slick from the battering rain.

Eliza swiped her claws again as she landed, missing Sunset by a hair’s breadth.

The entire ship shook, rocking like a leaf in the autumn wind.

Eliza slid all the way to the railing and held on for dear life. “What’s happening?”

Lume pressed himself against the deck, a few meters from where Rarity and Spike were huddled. “It’s the wind! It’s like we’re caught in a hurricane or somethin’!”

Nice job, Rainbow, Sunset thought. She fought against the wild gale, lighting her horn and emitting three spells. The first one hit herself, while the other two were aimed at Rarity and Spike. She gave them a curt nod which they returned, then stood up.

Their movements looked slow and uneven, like they were wading through honey. Sunset crossed the deck to meet them, her hooves more accustomed to her sticky charm.

Before she could make it across, a wet mass of grey and white feathers flopped out of the stormy black sea and onto the deck. All eyes fell on him as he clambered to his feet.

“Th-there’s something out t-t-there!” Gaven said, his beak chattering, though Sunset couldn’t tell if it was from fear or the cold. He was, however, sporting a black eye that hadn’t been there when he had left.

“What do you mean ‘out there’?” Eliza asked, regaining her balance.

She didn’t have to wait long for an answer. A rainbow blur swept across the deck, and in the next second, Eliza had vanished.

“What in Tartarus’ name was that!” Lume yelled.

“That wasn’t a what, that was a who, silly!”

A pink hoof reached over the railing and pulled itself onto the deck. Pinkie was sopping wet, her mane lying straight across her head, yet it miraculously poofed out again when she stepped under the shadow of the balloon.

“Sunset, your sticky spell was so cool! I got to walk all around the bottom of the ship and everything was upside down! It made my head feel funny though…”

Lume roared with anger and lunged at Pinkie, but Rarity yanked him off course by grabbing his sword in her magic. He slid across the deck and slammed into Gaven, sending both griffons to the floor.

“Pinkie,” Rarity asked slowly, “did you do what we told you to do?”

“Of course I did.” Pinkie nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever chewed so much gum before in my life!”

“Good job, Pinkie,” Sunset said. “Now, go down with Spike and help him finish the mission. Rarity, take the wheel.”

“Just so we’re clear, I have never piloted an airship before,” Rarity said with a tinge of annoyance.

“Doesn’t matter, just try to take us away from Hoofington.” Sunset put a forcefield around Lume and Gaven, watching them struggle and pound against it, trying to break free.

Now, here comes the part where we pray we don’t get blown up, Sunset thought grimly.

The interior of the ship was made from a lighter wood than the black deck. The first room Spike and Pinkie found themselves in was a small, square room with a door that must have led to the captain’s quarters—judging by the decorative feathers around it—and a staircase that led deeper into the bowels of the ship.

Spike held a claw up to his lips and pointed to Pinkie, who zipped her mouth shut, locked it and put the imaginary key in her mane. Spike rolled his eyes and led the way down the stairs, Sunset’s sticky charm helping him maintain his balance against the ships fretful rocking.

The stairs curved and led out to a narrow hallway with doors lining each side. At the end of the hall were two more griffons, and just behind them, a ladder that no doubt led to the cargo hold.

“Auugh! What’s going on up there? We’re not under attack, are we?” the bigger griffon asked.

“Something like that,” Spike said, sizing up how much corridor space they were taking up.

Both of them turned, looking at Spike and Pinkie like they were ghosts. “How’d they get in?”

“I don’t know, Vin,” the smaller one said. “But, I know how they’re getting out.”

He pulled a hunting spear from behind his back and lunged at them as the ship lurched to the side. He slammed into the wall while Pinkie and Spike just moved with the motion of the boat.

Vin held a talon to his temple. “Flint, just go see what’s going on outside. I’ll handle these two.”

Flint gave a disgruntled look to Vin before following orders. He leaped over Spike and Pinkie’s heads, though he did try to take a vicious swipe at them. Pinkie ducked and aimed a leveled kick at his chest, which he narrowly avoided. With one last scathing look, he hurried up the stairs.

“So, a dragon and a pony walk into a griffon airship.” Vin drew two swords. “I can’t wait to hear how this joke ends.”

“Oh, I love jokes!” Pinkie exclaimed. She gave Spike a sheepish look. “Sorry, I wasn’t suppose to talk, was I?”

Spike shrugged. “Well, they know we’re in here now, so…”

Pinkie nodded. “Right. So, anyways, knock knock!”

Vin gave her a nonplussed look. “You haven’t got any brains at all, have you?”

“You’re suppose to say ‘who’s there’,” Pinkie said with exasperation.

Vin just charged forward, running his swords against each other.

Pinkie reached into her mane. “Okay then, straight to the punch line: smoke bomb!” She pulled out a white ball and threw it against the floor, filling the hall with a thick cloud of vapor.

Spike seized his chance and scaled up the wall and onto the ceiling, running right over Vin’s head. He came to the other side of the corridor and dropped down the ladder, descending out of the smoke.

His reptilian eyes pierced the darkness, and he counted at least a hundred barrels of explosives, each one taller than him. They took up the entire room, skulls and crossbones painted on each barrel. Taking a step forward, Spike felt a groove in the floor, and knelt down to see the outline of the compartment door. He looked over his shoulder towards the wall, where a lever rested.

I hope Pinkie did her job right. He took the coil of rope from around his shoulder and shuddered. Now, I just have to do mine. He started unraveling the rope, leaving one end near the base of the ladder while he navigated his way in and out between the barrels.

“You can do this, Spike. Everypony’s counting on you.” His voice started to tremble. “And if you mess this up, we’re going to go boom.” He kept the rope as far from the barrels as he could, an extremely difficult feat when they were packed so close together.

When he was near the end of his rope, he draped the remains over the closest barrel and tucked the end into a tiny opening in the wood. He retraced his steps back to the front of the room, straightening out the rope as he traveled. He picked up the other end and placed his other claw on the bottom rung of the ladder.

“Here goes everything.”

He hissed out a tiny ember, just enough to set the rope aflame. He dropped it to the ground and watched the flame travel down the makeshift fuse, hissing like a snake.

“Time to go!” He scrambled up the ladder and back into the hallway where the smoke had cleared. Pinkie and Vin were nowhere to be found. Without hesitation, Spike ran up the stairs and burst onto the main deck, where a cacophony of events were going on.

Lume and Gaven had escaped from Sunset’s shield and were both fighting her on the middle of the deck. Vin was trying to get rid of Pinkie, balancing on the guardrail like an acrobat. Flint was battling Rarity for control of the ship.

Spike waved his arms and yelled. His voice was lost in the din, however, and his friends were too caught up in their battles to notice him. He knew his fire would be all but useless against the pouring rain.

That left him with only one option: something stupid.

Rushing up the stairs to the higher deck, he briefly observed Rarity holding Flint off with a crude iron bar she had stripped from the rigging. At the opportune moment, Spike charged and jumped with all his might, throwing his arms around Flint’s neck.

“What the—? You little runt, get off!”

“Spike, what are you doing?” Rarity cried.

“The bombs are gonna go off soon! We need to leave, now!” Spike yelled.

No sooner had the words left his mouth that Flint grasped Spike and flung him off the edge of the ship. He could just hear Rarity call his name over the roar of thunder and the wind rushing through his ears.

He tumbled and twirled in the stormy dark abyss. Above him or below him—he already couldn’t tell—the black airship grew smaller and smaller. He fanned his arms with a futile hope that he would learn to fly within the next few seconds.

He soon gave up and turned his back on the world below, his eyes resting on the floating behemoth, its large wings still propelling it forward. He watched its underbelly glow redder than hot coals before the entire thing was consumed, like it had been sucked into the raging inferno that was its stomach. It had only taken a second; there and intact, then only a blazing kaleidoscope of fire and smoke that merged with the storm.

Spike brought his claws to his eyes, blocking out the image and, subsequently, the dark thoughts that came with the exploding airship. They can’t be gone… they just can’t be.

Then, instead of falling, Spike felt himself flying forward at breakneck speeds. The world rushed past him in a dull blur, and the wind forced water from his eyes. Before he knew it, he was sitting on the mountainside in front of the cave, albeit completely dazed.

“Spike?”

Twilight had been watching the sky with Applejack when Spike appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Twilight caught a glimpse of the multichromatic trail left behind.

"Spike?"

Spike shook his head and looked up at Twilight. “Whoa. That was… fast.”

Twilight gave him a gentle hug then asked, “Where are the others? Why aren’t you with them?”

Spike’s eyes widened. “You mean… they aren’t with you?”

A moment of silence passed between all three of them as they exchanged grim looks. They’re fine. Just a temporary setback, Twilight told herself.

Off to the side, debris from the burning wreckage fell out of the sky. Nothing but wood scraps and pieces of the balloon were left.

Twilight’s heart jumped to her throat. No… they can’t be…

There was small pop not too far away.

“Ow! Dammit, I’m so done with teleporting for today!”

Twilight rushed over to the spot, closely followed by Applejack and Spike. In a small clearing, Sunset, Rarity and Pinkie sat; all three were a little singed, and Sunset was nursing one of her front hooves, but they were alive.

Applejack let out a holler of delight. “Y’all made it! Ya nearly gave us heart attacks!”

Sunset lowered her hoof, tentatively rolling it. “Yeah, we got out—quite literally—at the last possible second. I missed the first time and had us almost fifty feet from the ground, so I had to teleport us again and nearly twisted my hoof on reentry.”

Rarity spotted Spike and let out a squeal. She rushed over to him and took him in a strangling embrace.

“Oh, Spike, you’re okay! I was so worried when that horrible griffon threw you overboard!”

“What!” Twilight yelled.

“Don’t... worry... Twi,” Spike managed to gasp, Rarity practically choking him. “Rainbow... saved me before... anything bad happened.”

“Which reminds me, where are Rainbow and ’Shy?” Applejack asked.

“I’m right here,” a small voice answered.

Fluttershy, true to her name, fluttered down from sky, landing with her back legs first before gingerly touching down with her injured front ones.

“So, did we win?”

“Ah think so.”

Applejack clapped Fluttershy on the back, nearly knocking her forward. “You and Dash made one heck of a storm up there. Hay, even without Pinkie gumming up their cargo hatch, they probably never would have made it to the town.”

“Well, better safe than sorry,” Twilight said. “Speaking of the griffons, did they… I mean, it wasn’t just our lives in danger. I hope—”

“They sent one down to the cargo hold, but I’m guessing my gum worked because he came back screaming and they all flew off,” Pinkie said.

Twilight let out a tight breath. “Good. Maybe we scared them off for good this time. Now, where’s Rainbow? I’d like to get on the train and take a nap as soon as possible.”

“Hear, hear,” Sunset cheered.

Much like Fluttershy, Rainbow descended from the sky with slow even flaps of her wings. Her smile, if at all possible, was even cockier than normal—like she had just won the title of Supreme Ruler of the Universe. Twilight’s eyes flickered to the dark crown on top of Rainbow’s head and wondered if that was a serious thought running through Rainbow’s mind.

Her fears were confirmed when Rainbow spoke.

“Pathetic land ponies! Behold what The Legendary Rainbow Dash can do! From now on, you will call me the Queen of the Storms! I’m now the fastest pegasus, not just in Equestria, but the world!”

She threw her hooves up and cackled in a way that reminded Twilight of Ahuizotl.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy said with a squeak. “She couldn’t control it after all.”

“Twilight, what do we do now?” Pinkie whimpered.

“You will all bow to me! That’s what you’ll do!” Rainbow commanded. “And then, you’ll—” she gave a loud snort “—a-and then you’ll—”

Rainbow gripped her sides and burst into gales of laughter. “You-you guys should see your faces! Ahahaha!” She fell onto the ground and rolled on her back.

“Rainbow, that wasn’t funny!” Applejack aimed a kick at her side.

“Ow! Oh, come on, A.J., it was too good to pass up.” She stop laughing at the look Applejack gave her and shrugged. “You’ll laugh about it someday.”

Twilight walked up to her. “So, the Tempest Crown really didn’t influence you in any way?”

Rainbow pulled it off and handed it to Twilight. “Well, it was whispering to me how I could be the greatest flyer ever and millions of ponies would chant my name, but I mean, come on: we all know that’s gonna happen someday anyway. I don’t need a crown to tell me I’m awesome—I already know that.”

Sunset blinked. “So her giant ego stopped her from becoming an egomaniac? Sure, I’ll buy it.”

Twilight secured the crown inside her saddlebag, trading it for Applejack’s hat which she took back with relish. “Well then, mission accomplished. And as an added bonus…”

She gestured for the others to follow her. Laying at the mouth of the cave were Razor and Vesper, still chained and unconscious.

“Can I hit her? Just once?” Sunset begged.

“No,” Twilight said defiantly.

“Aw, come on, Twi. Think about all the stuff she did to us,” Rainbow said, edging closer to Vesper.

Twilight yanked her back. “Two wrongs don’t make a right. I’m not going to let you stoop to her level. We’re going to contact Princess Celestia so she can lock her up.”

“Fine.” Sunset and Rainbow slouched their shoulders.

Twilight lifted Vesper and Razor in a stasis field and started down the mountain. She couldn’t help but smile a little. With Vesper locked up, maybe they wouldn’t have to go looking for the Obsidian Hoofguards. And maybe they’d finally get an explanation as to why there were two Sunsets.

“Incoming!” Pinkie screeched.

Twilight threw herself forward, losing her grip on the prisoners in order to avoid the massive fireball. She rolled onto her back and looked up at several griffons swooping down towards them, half of them with fire in their claws.

Summoning fire of her own, Twilight tried to hold them off, but they seemed less interested in she and her friends, and more interested in the sleeping figures lying just a few feet away. Twilight tried to erect a barrier, but a blast of fire knocked her further back into a wild shrub.

Lume and Vin swooped down and grabbed Razor, with Vesper hanging on like more of an afterthought.

Rainbow flew after them with Sunset providing magical support, but Eliza kept both of them at bay with a wild barrage of fire.

Twilight struggled out of the shrub, which had been set ablaze along with much of the mountainside. She spotted the fleeing mercenaries steadily shrinking as they headed over the mountain and cast one more spell to try and catch them.

An expansive purple net appeared over her head and flew after them, quickly closing the distance.

Eliza turned over in midair and threw more fire at it. The net fizzled, but remained firmly on their tails.

“Faster!” Eliza yelled.

Twilight grit her teeth, determined to catch Vesper if anyone. The net was almost around her prey, closing in inch by inch.

With a loud yelp, Twilight jumped forward and lost her concentration. Something so hot it had almost felt cold licked Twilight’s back leg. Behind her, the flames of the shrub had spread and were currently crawling their way across the soil. Twilight put it out with a quick gust of wind, then looked back at the mountain peak.

Vesper and the griffons were gone.

Sunset finished extinguishing another fire and sighed. “We almost had her.”

Rarity dumped a pile of dirt on another. “Well, considering the day we had, we should be grateful things still turned out this well.”

“True. But I would have really liked to see Vesper imprisoned,” Twilight said.

“Any bets that the griffons will finish her off for us?” Rainbow said half-hopingly.

Sunset stirred to the sound of chains rattling. Her head still felt heavy, as if weighed down by her dreams. Only when she was fully awake did she realize it was the nest of chains encircling her horn.

She was dangling over the open sky, suspended by her shared imprisonment with an unconscious Razor, who was being carried by two more members of the Deathwing. On both sides of her were the rest of the team, flying with grim expressions. Sunset could only guess where their ship was.

They’ve failed again. Why am I not surprised? Why have I been allying myself with the likes of them anyway? All they did was buy me some time, and precious little at that!

Sunset released a soft growl. Friends are useless, servants are pointless. Truly, I can only rely on myself.

She raised her eyes to her entombed horn, then to her now-former lackeys. None of them had yet noticed her return to consciousness. She raised her hooves to her horn, carefully feeling around for where the chain began. The rattling crashed against her ears like a tsunami, but against the wind, it seemed like the griffons heard nothing. Still, she was careful about her progress.

She was no fool; she knew they would no longer want to be in service to her. The road had only three endings: one where they tried to flee—inexcusable—one where they tried to kill her off—laughable—and then her own ending… No doubt, the only reason they hadn’t reached the end of that road yet was because she was chained to their captain.

She pushed the chain through one of the links, then slowly brought it down under another. She could feel it unraveling—the pressure beginning to lift away.

Get them before they get you. That’s how life works! Sunset grinned viciously. Oh, she was going to get Twilight Sparkle, all right—she and all of her precious friends. The replica would die first. Slow and painful. That was a promise.

The chain began to unravel, clanking and moaning while it uncurled from around Sunset’s horn. A surge of magic rushed through her, and her smile threatened to split her face.

“What are you doing?”

Sunset looked up at Razor’s scarred face, suspicion and wonder with just a hint of fear marring it just as much as the physical wounds.

Her horn bubbled with darkness, and black mist clung at her eyes. “Firing you,” she said with savage glee.

Chapter XVII: Vesper Radiance (Part One)

The storm had dissolved into a light drizzle that helped put out the rest of the mountain fire. Hoofington’s weather patrol team then began the process of breaking the storm up and pushing it away. By the time Sunset and her friends had reached the town, tiny patches of blue sky and sunshine were visible.

Twilight was bombarded with questions about what had happen and whether or not Vesper had been dealt with. After multiple assurances, the townsponies breathed a collective sigh of relief and began to celebrate, praising Twilight all the while. Sunset swore her face was beet red all the way to the train station.

Because of the crisis, the train had been delayed. A positive, Sunset believed, since the next train to the Crystal Empire wouldn’t arrive for another two days.

After Twilight managed to shoo off the last of her admirers, the group collapsed onto their separate beds. Even though it was only mid-afternoon, Sunset was ready for a long sleep.

“Ow,” Rainbow grunted, trying to get comfortable on her bed. “I think I’m feeling the after-effects of wearing that crown. My wings are dead.” She tried to flap them, but all they did was give a feeble twitch.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine after a nice, long rest,” Twilight said, curling up under her blankets.

It took another hour for the train to begin moving, but they were finally on their way again. Sunset pressed her face against her pillow and waited to fall asleep. She wondered if Princess Luna would be waiting for her. Night was still hours away yet, so maybe she would have to wait a little before dreamwalking. Her moony thoughts led her to wonder what Luna’s sleeping patterns were like.

Her eyes grew heavy as she thought about what it was like having breakfast at six in the evening. Before she knew it, she was snoring along with everyone else.

The world around her was empty, devoid of everything save for her thoughts. There was only darkness that devoured every speck of light. She floated there, neither dead nor alive—just existing.

“Where am I?”

Gravity curled its fingers around her and dragged her down into the abyss. The darkness churned around her, before it lightened to grey, then became white. It felt warm in comparison to the inky black she had just fallen out of.

“Oh, Sunset!”

As her hooves touched the invisible ground, the white around her materialized into a small room, where an even smaller filly sat reading on her bed. Standing in the doorway was an older mare with a serene yet concerned smile.

“Ms. Smiles.”

The mare named Ms. Smiles flickered in and out of existence before her image doubled and one of them changed completely. Standing next to her was a tall, beige stallion with a scruffy beard.

“Dad.”

“Sunset, you really should go out and play,” Ms. Smiles and her dad said simultaneously.

Sunset looked up from her book. “But I’m just at the good part.” Her voice echoed like there was two of her.

Yes. She remembered that time. She could remember both times. Ms. Smiles… her father… Both events had happened; both times, the same words had been spoken, and the same answer had been given.

“We were never too different, you and I…”

The room dissipated into white fog before a regal hall took its place, boasting polished marble and large, open windows. In a square of light, Celestia and Sunset stood with a pot of soil between them. Sunset’s eyes began to glow, and a blue aura surrounded the pot. A sprout popped out of the soil, then rapidly matured; vines and flowers filled the halls and grew out of the windows. When Sunset had finished, the entire room resembled an indoor garden.

Celestia stomped her hooves against the leaf-covered ground in approval. “Bravo, Sunset—very well done!” It was Celestia saying the words, but it was Twilight’s voice that escaped from her throat.

The scene shifted until only the vines’ placement changed, and Twilight took Celestia’s place. “I’m so proud of you, Sunset. You’ve grown so much.” Now Celestia’s voice passed through Twilight’s lips.

The memory vanished, and the world returned to the black abyss once more.

“Where is the line between reality and fiction? Truth and lies?”

“Fiction?”

“Yes. Your fictional dream against my reality. Haven’t you figured it out by now that your life is an illusion, thinly veiled over mine?”

“Liar! My life is my own! I have my own memories and feelings!”

The abyss transformed into a terrace in downtown Canterlot that overlooked the Unicorn Range. Sunset sat with two other ponies—another unicorn and an earth pony—with large bowls of ice cream sitting between them. They were engrossed in pleasant conversation with jubilant looks on their faces. A few seconds passed, then they broke into loud fits of laughter.

“See? This is mine. Those are my friends.”

“Are they really? How can they be your friends if you don’t really exist?”

Sunset vanished instantly into nothingness, leaving the other two girls by themselves. However, they hardly seemed to notice that their friend had disappeared.

“None of this belongs to you. It’s just a fabrication to keep you ignorant.”

Instead of melting, the scene shattered into thousands of fragments, dropping the real Sunset into the pit like a rock. She spun over and over, unable to find the way up.

The darkness lifted and her descent slowed as she floated down into the ruins of Canterlot. The air was thick with ash, and the sky was still stained with blood and scabbed with black clouds.

Sunset landed in the castle courtyard. The ground was shredded into large chunks, steam hissing from the resulting cracks.

“Come, Sunset. I will show you your truth.”

Her hooves moved on their own, like they already knew where to go. They took her through the empty castle once more: over the broken staircase, down the corridors and past the unhinged doors to the throne room.

“A world of lies. That’s what you inherited, little replica,” a voice spoke from the shadows covering the throne. “Your life is not your own. Your body, your soul, your magic… everything you are is borrowed. You are just an accidental experiment gone wrong.”

Sunset trembled uncontrollably as the shadow pulled her in. Waves of hatred, loathing, and pain bombarded her. But as much as she wanted to run away, she found herself constantly drawing closer, her will subverted.

“Gaze upon me, Sunset Shimmer: your past, present and future.”

Two balls of fire appeared in the shadows, and a creature slowly emerged, towering over Sunset. Her blood froze, her trembling stopped, her breath caught in her throat. Every part of her body ceased to function while she beheld the monster in front of her.

“Come now. You’re not scared of yourself, are you, Sunset?” The monster hadn’t spoken; it had instead come from the shadowy Sunset who stood off to the side. She was even more translucent than when Sunset had last seen her, resembling more of a ghost than a shadow.

An ironclad hoof smashed against the broken tile, and Sunset jumped back, having regained her senses. She charged her horn but was beaten to the punch and blasted in the chest. She sailed across the room and landed on her back near the door.

“H-how? Why?” Sunset wheezed, trying to sit up.

“How?” the shadow echoed. “Oh, that’s right. You haven’t finished storytime yet.” She waved her hoof, and the throne room was replaced by the fully intact library from Sunset’s last dream. “I do love tormenting you, but I guess I should take a break so you can finish learning your history. And I can feel Luna trying to intervene as we speak. The fact that I held her off this long is a testament to my strength.” She put on a familiar smirk. “Anyway, enjoy, and ta-ta for now.”

With a powerful gust of wind, Shadow Sunset was replaced by Princess Luna, looking flustered.

“Sunset, were you repelling me?” she asked with a mixture of indignity and surprise.

“Yes… no… sort of… I don’t know.” It was the other Sunset, but if they were the same…

Luna raised a hoof and placed it on Sunset’s shoulder. “What happened?”

Sunset didn’t meet her eyes, choosing to look at the surrounding books instead. “She showed me things. She showed me…”

...Your past, present and future.

She brushed Luna’s hoof away and ran to the bookshelf, her mind racing. “I need to know. I need to know what happened to the other Sunset!” she said desperately.

Luna looked at her with heavy eyes. “I understand your desire for truth, Sunset, but please, calm yourself.”

Sunset pulled a book from the shelf and tossed it onto the table. “I can’t. Not until I prove she was lying. Because I can’t be… I just can’t be…” She shook her head and flipped the book open.

Sunset sat alone in her bedroom, unfocused eyes lazily tracing words in her book which resembled nothing more than black squiggly patterns.

She had barely slept since the night before. Her heart still pounded from the excitement she had found in reading that dark tome, yet her stomach was flooded with dread over her ensuing conversation with the princess.

Had she been out of line when she said that to Celestia? Did the princess not feel the same way?

Sunset’s fur was matted under her eyes from the constant trail of tears. She snapped her book shut and swept away the fresh droplets forming at her eyelids. Who was she kidding? Of course Celestia didn’t love her. She had Cadence for that. She was already an alicorn after all. Sunset had missed her chance.

She contemplated leaving, but had no idea where to go. She had no family to return to, and she’d rather go live in the Everfree before returning to the orphanage.

Before she could pull out a map of Equestria, there was a soft knock at the door.

“Sunset, are you in there?”

Sunset gasped and flung herself at the door, throwing it open. In front of her stood Princess Celestia, looking regal as always. A frown, however, disrupted her heavenly face.

“Sunset, did you get any sleep at all last night?”

“N-no, Your Majesty.”

Celestia looked past Sunset, briefly pondering something before saying, “You’re going to have lunch and a long nap, then. But first, I think we need to talk.” She gestured with a wing.

Sunset stayed within her shadow the entire walk. Up and up they climbed through the castle until they reached one of the highest balconies. Sunset recognized the place; she and Celestia had shared a few lessons here together.

The sun was close to its apex in the cerulean sky. Below, the distant sounds of Canterlot could be heard: laughing foals, bickering nobles, gossiping mares. Everything seemed very surreal to Sunset right then. Her body felt light, weighed down only by her heavy heart.

She sat down next to Celestia and they overlooked the Unicorn Range together.

“Sunset,” Celestia began softly, her eyes on the horizon, “do you remember the day we first met?”

Sunset nodded. Her throat decided today would be a good day to stop working.

“On that day, I thought I had found a bright young filly who was exceptionally gifted with magic. But I was mistaken.”

Sunset’s heart stopped. She turned and looked up at Celestia…

And found majestic purple eyes looking back at her, brimming with tears. “I had found so much more than just an apprentice.”

Life flooded Sunset for what felt like the first time. She breathed in an air of relief, restoring function to the rest of her body. “Really?” she said, her voice croaking.

Celestia dipped her head. “You showed such great promise from your studies that I meant to take you on as my apprentice, to guide you further than normal schooling could. Where exactly it would lead you, even I didn’t know at the time. But then, your cutie mark appeared and I began to think.”

“Think what, Princess?” Sunset continued to read Celestia’s eyes, though she might as well been trying to decipher ancient runes without a reference for all she gleaned.

“I began to think that maybe destiny had a far greater plan for you than being just my apprentice.” Celestia looked back over the Unicorn Range, her gaze lost in time. “Sunset, do you know why I have ruled for well over a millennium?”

“No, Princess.”

“It’s because, while many desire it, I have found nopony suitable to take my place. I have waited countless years to find a pony who could rule in my stead. They would have to be brave, wise, strong, compassionate, fair… and you have many of these traits, Sunset. But most of all, you have the greatest affinity for magic I have seen since Starswirl himself.”

Sunset heart pulsed; blood rushed through her veins. “Princess… are you saying…?”

“I told you before that you had the potential to become a princess. It was at this very spot if I’m not mistaken.” Celestia looked back at Sunset. “And I meant it. Indeed, Sunset: I want you to one day become my equal. And then, my successor.”

Sunset was breathless again, the range of emotions she had undergone in the past ten minutes starting to take a toll on her. Still, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had always dreamed it would come to this, but to hear it with her own ears!

Celestia regarded Sunset with a cautionary eye. “I will not lie to you, Sunset. It is a long and arduous road, one that will take time—”

“But I’ve already been walking it, haven’t I?” Sunset blurted out. “I mean, all these years of training, of history and politics—you’ve been grooming me for this for a while now, right?”

“Yes,” Celestia said evenly, “I have. These plans have been in the works for a few years now.”

“So why are you telling me now? Why not before, or…”

Celestia faced her fully, spread her angelic wings around Sunset, and blocked her from the outside world. Sunset felt all of the tension leave her body. Wrapped in this heavenly cocoon, she felt completely safe. Celestia’s face, a radiant sun, beamed down at her.

“Because of what happened last night,” Celestia said. “I was genuinely concerned when I found you reading those books, Sunset. Less for their content and more of what it represented. Many ponies have sought to become alicorns on their own and all of them have failed, meeting only terrible fates.

“When Cadence became an alicorn, I knew her arrival would spur you into action, though I had hoped you would not take that road.”

Sunset squirmed in Celestia’s embrace, a guilt-laced knife cutting at her heart.

“Part of it is my fault, though. I should have sensed you would be a little jealous and tried to console you. Although jealousy is unbecoming of a princess, Sunset,” Celestia scolded, cutting Sunset further with the knife. “Still, I should have said something then, or perhaps even before. I did not wish to tell you because I feared the knowledge would disrupt your training, though I see now it is because I didn’t tell you that you sought out other resources.

“I’m telling you this now, Sunset, so you do not have to believe that Cadence is replacing you—that I am demoting you, or punishing you, or that I am no longer proud of you. It is hard for me to find a moment where I am not proud of you.”

Sunset smiled at Celestia. Her heart felt light and relieved, though only for a moment. She recalled the words that had been spoken just moments after she was caught in the forbidden section of the library. Her smile faltered and she thought to bring it up, but decided against it.

“There is also one other reason I speak of your destiny, Sunset.”

Her heart did a backflip.

Celestia leaned in closer, and Sunset could smell the sweet fragrance of flowers on her lips. “You shared something very personal and intimate with me. Something I can see was on your heart for a long time, just as what I am about to say has been on my heart for a while.”

Sunset’s mind wiped itself clean. Even amongst the heavenly down, her body went rigid.

“I told you I loved you, Sunset, and that is so very true. And over our years together, you have made me smile and laugh in ways I haven’t in a very long time. Indeed, I want you to become a princess. And I will help you along that road as your mentor, and… if you’ll truly have me…”

Sunset threw herself into Celestia’s chest. “Yes, yes! Of course I’ll have you, Mother!” she cried. Joy and relief took liquid form and ran down her face in rivulets. “Thank you! Thank you so much! I love you!”

Celestia rested her head atop Sunset’s. “I love you too… my daughter.”

Sunset snapped the book shut and hastily pulled out another one. She would not—could not stop to think. Questions battered relentlessly against her mind, but they could wait until the end.

Behind her, Luna opened her mouth to speak, but Sunset held a hoof to stop her.

“Not yet.”

“Hello, cousin.” Sunset sauntered up to Cadence with complacent vigor. “Lovely day, isn’t it? I suppose we have Mother to thank for that.”

Cadence had positioned herself under a shady cherry blossom, a book floating in her light blue telekinesis. Sunset hated to admit it, but Cadence had gotten a little better at magic. Still, she was nothing compared to the Heir of the Sun.

“Good afternoon, Sunset,” Cadence said civilly. She looked up from her book and smiled, though it didn’t quite make it to her eyes. “I was just about to go get some tea. Would you care to join me?”

“No,” Sunset said plainly, the same response she always gave Cadence. “I’m only here because Mother asked me to come and find you. It’s your turn for training.” The words dripped from her mouth, bitter and vile both in taste and in delivery. “She’s waiting in the library.”

Sunset turned tail, not letting Cadence respond. Back across the gardens she strolled, admiring the wonderful day, the pleasant aroma of springtime flowers loosening her nerves. She had been having such a nice practice session with her mother. Then it was ruined all because of Cadence needing her training as well.

Sunset didn’t see why. Celestia had said that it would be Sunset who inherited the Throne of Equestria. The thought tingled her spine, jolts of ecstasy dancing on her back. Someday quite soon, she would sit next to her mother on the throne, the two of them ruling Equestria side-by-side until Celestia decided Sunset could do it alone.

Yes, soon everypony would look up and admire her and call her Princess Sunset Shimmer. Some of the castle staff already did, but Sunset was eager to hear the rest of the country singing her praises.

Of course, Sunset didn’t voice any of these thoughts aloud. Celestia had warned her about being ‘humble’ and ‘modest.’ Ponies didn’t like it when you thought you were better than them, even if it was true. So Sunset stayed quiet, letting her actions speak for her. They would all come to worship her in due time.

Still, as she wandered back through the castle to the solitude of her room, she wondered why Celestia hadn’t made any public announcement yet of their enhanced relationship. Well over three months had passed since Celestia claimed Sunset as her daughter—her heir. Sunset expected that the citizens would be overjoyed at such news. After all, there had been quite a clamor when Cadence was paraded around with her new horn and crown. Ponies were in awe that Celestia had a niece.

Perhaps she doesn’t want to overwhelm them, Sunset thought as she opened the door to her room. Yes, that could be it. One new princess was something to take in, but two in such close succession? Perhaps Celestia thought ponies would fear some sort of looming tyrannical dictatorship with so many princesses (and that arrogant, self-entitled prat commoners had mistakenly called Prince Blueblood) running around.

Sunset flopped onto her bed, summoning her chart of ancient runes to unravel itself before her. Or maybe this is another kind of test. Mother wants me to become an alicorn before showing me off to the world! That could very well be another reason. After all, she was Princess Celestia. She couldn’t just have any regular unicorn be part of the royal family, even if said unicorn was the strongest alive.

How the rest of Canterlot took to calling Blueblood a prince still baffled Sunset. Yes, Celestia had let him stay at the castle after the death of his parents, but the word ‘prince’ had never been used!

Sunset shook her head. It was pointless to worry about him. He had as much royal blood as a slug. No, Cadence was Sunset’s real nuisance. So loving, so graceful, so perfect. It made Sunset nauseous just being near her. Celestia had tried to get them to work together, to play nice with each other. Well, Cadence had been willing. Sunset had exhausted all of her tries already, finding Cadence to be just like the rest of the ponies she had tried to make friends with over the long years: annoying and hopelessly beneath her.

The word ‘friends’ stained Sunset’s tongue with an unpleasant taste. Even after adopting her, Celestia continued to push for her to make some friends. It baffled and annoyed Sunset. Hadn’t she made it clear that she only needed Celestia? Sunset had outright told her so! She hated trying to make friends with other ponies. Relationships with them were pointless in the long run.

Of course, that was something Celestia praised Cadence for: her ability to make friends with anypony and spread love and happiness wherever she went. Sunset’s horn sparked dangerously, threatening to ignite her paper. The thought of Cadence stealing time away from Celestia made her blood boil.

I’m Mother’s favorite! Why doesn’t Cadence just get her own private tutor?

Angry thoughts chased each other in circles within Sunset’s head. If Celestia had called Sunset her daughter, then why didn’t she feel like family?

Sunset stood with Celestia in an unfamiliar room. It was quite dusty, like no one had been inside for years. It was also practically empty with only a few moth-eaten chairs, crates covered with old, rotting tarp, and a large oil painting hanging on the back wall.

The painting depicted Equestria at night, a spectacle of stars hanging in the dark blue background. A large, pale moon shone down on a balcony where an alicorn stood. She was as dark as the sky with a crescent moon cutie mark and a somber expression.

Sunset stood half a step behind Celestia and did her best to stand tall, despite the nervous fluttering in her stomach. She waited as Celestia stared at the portrait with an unreadable expression.

“So. A ‘practical’ lesson,” Celestia said at last. Her voice was not harsh, but Sunset heard loud and clear the level of disappointment.

Shifting from one hoof from another, Sunset said, “I thought it would be best if I gave her a ‘hooves-on’ approach.”

Celestia slowly rounded on her, eyes solicitous. “Sunset, all I asked was that you give Cadence a minor lesson in defensive spells,” Celestia said, now more enervated than anything.

“I did,” Sunset said mildly. “I taught her how to cast a shield. It’s not my fault they weren’t very good. And I didn’t even hit her that hard.”

Sunset had desperately wanted to go all out, but knew it would only lead her into trouble. She was content, however, with the few bruises Cadence had acquired before Celestia checked in on them.

Celestia removed a hoof from one on her hoofguards and rolled it around her temple. She opened her mouth to say something else, but then closed it, along with her eyes.

Sunset sighed and took the initiative. “I’m sorry, Mother. I shouldn’t have treated Cadence like that. It was wrong of me. I guess I couldn’t help showing off a little.”

If Celestia had even heard the apology, she didn’t show it. She slipped her hoofguard back on and gestured to the painting behind her. “Sunset, you know the legend of the Mare in the Moon, yes?”

“Of course, everypony knows that story. A mare named Nightmare Moon tried to throw the land into eternal darkness. She wanted ponies to appreciate the night more. Pretty stupid if you ask me. Other than stargazing, there isn’t much else to do at night. And the world would freeze to death.”

Celestia took a sharp inhale of breath and released it slowly. “There’s more to the story than just that, Sunset.”

Sunset looked from the painting to Celestia. “Wait... you mean it really happened?”

“Yes. I had a sister who ruled beside me long ago. I raised the sun while she raised the moon.” A fog obscured Celestia’s eyes and she hid her face from Sunset. “I always believed us equals, but our subjects raised me on a higher pedestal than her. She felt nopony cared about her nights or the stars she crafted into the sky. In time, she became jealous, resentful… even hateful. Not just towards our ponies… but to me.”

Sunset stepped closer to her mother and brushed up against her side. “I’m so sorry.” She meant it too. She knew what it was like to not be liked by your own family, though perhaps not in the way Celestia had.

“Eventually, she was consumed by her hatred and transformed into Nightmare Moon.” Celestia paused, wiping a tear from her eye before continuing in a weighted voice. “I was forced to use the strongest magic known to ponykind against her and seal her away in the moon.”

“So that face on the moon really is…?”

“The mark of her imprisonment, yes.”

They both looked on in silence at the portrait of the lost princess. It felt to Sunset that the tale contained a lesson, but Sunset couldn’t see it. “So… what was her name?”

“Luna.” The word rolled off Celestia’s tongue like a gentle caress. Sunset felt a twinge of annoyance at hearing the name spoken like that. Celestia had never spoken her name that way. It was with small satisfaction that Sunset knew Celestia had never spoken Cadence’s name like that either.

“Sunset—” Celestia’s voice was solemn, her eyes still on Luna “—she became what she did because she felt nopony loved her. She filled that hole in her heart with jealousy and envy.”

Sunset raised her chin. “Are you implying that I’m jealous of Cadence? Because I’m not.”

Celestia looked at her. “I should certainly hope so. You have nothing to be jealous about: I love both of you.”

Yes. Except you love me more, right? You picked me after all. The words were dangerously close to leaving her mouth, but Sunset knew the resulting reprimanding would be colossal.

“I want you and Cadence to be friends. You two will have to work together in the future to maintain harmony in Equestria.”

“Together? But you said I would be your successor.”

“My plans haven’t changed, Sunset. If my assumptions are correct, then Cadence will have her own kingdom someday.”

A knot undid itself in Sunset’s chest. Sharing Celestia with Cadence was bad enough, but a whole kingdom? And Celestia still wanted them to be friends! Sure, if that frou-frou airhead wouldn’t talk about colts and romance and stopped being so perfect.

Still, she put on her best genial smile and said, “Okay, Mother. I’ll try a little harder to get along with her.”

“Thank you, Sunset.” Celestia smiled at her. “In the lore, do you remember what power I used to subdue my sister?”

Sunset thought for a moment. “The Elements of Harmony?”

“Yes. And do you know how the Elements work?”

Sunset shook her head.

“There are six of them. Together, they represent the strongest virtues of friendship, and the magic that unites them together.”

There was that look in her eye. A cryptic look that Sunset knew all too well. “Mother… what are…?”

“No seal lasts forever, Sunset, and the one thousandth anniversary of her imprisonment is only a decade away. That may sound like a long time to you, but with all the waiting I’ve done…” She cast one last wistful glance at Luna’s painting. “It feels but a few long hours away.

“I believe the Elements can free my sister from her madness. They just need the right ponies to wield them.”

Celestia turned and left the room, her eyes passing over Sunset as she exited. Sunset continued to stand there long after her mother had left, words and emotions tangling themselves up in her heart.

“Is she just using me?”

“Nonsense! Mother would never do something like that!”

“But the way she said Luna’s name and looked at her picture. What if I’m just a stand in until she comes back?”

“No! Celestia is a better pony than that! She promised me the throne! I am the sole inheritor of Equestria. She just wants her sister back, that’s all.”

“Why though? Aren’t I good enough for her?”

Sunset paced back and forth in her room, her mind a hornet’s nest. Ideas buzzed angrily and stung her relentlessly while she tried to decipher the hidden context of Celestia’s words.

She had mentioned the Elements of Harmony: trinkets that Sunset had discounted as just myths. And she had hinted—no, she might as well have outright said that Sunset was to wield one of them.

Was that her final test? Wield the Element of Magic and defeat Nightmare Moon? Was that what Celestia had been waiting for? Over the past several months, whenever Sunset had brought up her ascension or princesshood, Celestia would steer the conversation away with a simple, “When you are ready.”

Sunset came to a halt in the middle of her room. She was ready. She had been ready. She knew all about politics and history. Her magic was surpassed by only her mother. Yet she was supposed to wait ten years before she could be crowned a princess?

“No. I can’t wait that long. Even if it is a test, ten years is too long to wait. Mother might try and reconsider, she might…” Sunset shook her head. “Stop being so paranoid, Sunset. Mother isn’t going to replace you.

“Isn’t she, though? I mean, look at Cadence and all the time they spend together now. And look at what my last test is supposed to be: rescuing her sister. Both of them clearly take Celestia’s priority. I mean, neither of them had to ask to be related to her; she just accepted them as family. But me? I was the one who told her that I wanted to be family.”

A stray piece of her mane broke the normally perfect uniformity of her crimson and gold locks.

“But she still accepted me. I’m her daughter; she said so herself! She won’t replace me! She loves me!

“But why doesn’t she parade me around like Cadence? Why doesn’t she want me to ascend? Making me wait ten years… it’s like she wants to see if I’ll mess up…”

Another hair struck up.

“And why does she keep pushing me to make friends? I told her what I think of them—they’re pointless! Does she not want me by her side?”

Sunset inhaled deeply and brought a hoof to her chest, imitating Cadence’s breathing technique. She then brushed her mane back and took an extra breath. “Calm down, Sunset. You’re just overthinking all this. Mother is only asking you for a favor. She’s trusting you of all ponies with the task of saving her sister. She must love you and believe in you if she delegates a task like that.

“Well, technically, she delegated it to six ponies. There are the other five element bearers.”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t care about them.

“True.

“But ten years? I cannot wait ten years to be an alicorn! I’ve waited my entire life! There has to be another way to prove to Celestia I’m ready!”

Sunset racked her brains for a solution and scanned the room. Shelves of books stared back at her from every corner. And then it hit her.

“The dark tomes. I never finished reading them,” she whispered. She shuddered with excitement. That was still the last branch of magic she hadn’t mastered. If she could fully understand the nature of magic like Cadence did with love, then she could ascend! That was the last step she needed!

Her euphoria quickly evaporated. After her last attempt, Celestia had put up new wards around the restricted section door. Out of curiosity one day, Sunset had scanned it, only to find the spells around it were undetectable. She raised a hoof and stomped it against the carpet.

“There could be virtually anything guarding that door now! But I need to get in there! I need to learn everything!” Sunset paced the room again. The only way she could see the spells guarding the door was if they were set off. Even if she presumed none of them were lethal, who knew what could happen? She would need somepony else to set them off for her so she could observe. Somepony to take the fall.

Sunset stopped, a wicked smile painting her face.

It was late in the afternoon a few days later when Sunset found Cadence sitting on the veranda with a thick tome in front of her and several sheets of paper lying across the table.

“You seem busy,” Sunset remarked. She looked at the title of Cadence’s book: “Magical Theory and Practice Volume II.” She scoffed inwardly but allowed herself a small superior grin.

Cadence looked and gave Sunset a weary smile. “Hello, Sunset. Yeah, just trying to study all of this magical gibberish. Auntie Celestia gave me some extra notes she thinks I should look over. Honestly, I don’t know how you manage to stay on top of it all so easily.”

Because my brain isn’t the size of a peanut. Sunset walked around the table and looked over Cadence’s shoulder at some of her notes. There were the basic diagrams and instructions for enchanting spells, written in Cadence’s over-flowery cursive.

“I’ve written it down and read it multiple times, but nothing seems to click,” Cadence said dismally.

You’re really making this too easy. Sunset pulled up another chair and sat down. “Well, unfortunately I have nothing to do right now, so maybe I can help you.”

Cadence raised an eyebrow. “You want to help me?”

“You don’t want my help?”

“No, no, it’s not that! It’s just…” Cadence coughed into her hoof. “Things didn’t turn out so will the last time you tutored me. And you’ve never really shown interest in doing anything together.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Mother said we should be friends, so I’m trying again on her behalf. And I can’t help it if I’m a more aggressive teacher. You learned something, didn’t you?”

Cadence rubbed a spot on her foreleg. “Yes, magic hurts.”

“Well then—” Sunset got up from her chair “—if you don’t want my help, I’ll just be on my way.”

“No, Sunset, please stay!” Cadence gestured for her to sit back down. “I really want us to become friends too. Just, do you think you can go a little easier on me for the practical magic?”

Sunset sat down again and smiled impishly. “All right, all right, since you asked so nicely.” She tapped a hoof against her chin in mock thought. “Actually, I just remembered a good way to practice some of these enchanting and dispelling charms…”

Sunset pushed the library door open and allowed Cadence to take the lead. As she moved down the rows of books with measured steps, Sunset lagged behind and shot a sleep spell at the librarian sitting at her desk.

She gave a loud yawn and fell face-first into her book.

Sunset joined Cadence at the back of the library. In front of them was the plain black door, locked with a metal bolt that ran along its width. It appeared rather unimpressive, but standing that close, Sunset could feel some of the magic radiating from it.

Beside her, Cadence rubbed at her horn with an irritated frown.

“Don’t worry,” Sunset said. “That’s just the sensory spell I taught you. Your horn is picking up the enchantments on the door.”

Cadence gave a swift shake of her head. “I’m not sure about this anymore, Sunset. This is the door to the restricted section, after all.”

“Pfft, it’s not like we’re going to take anything, Cadence. We won’t even set a single hoof inside. This is just an exercise.” Sunset gave her a reassuring grin and said smoothly, “All you have to do is identify and undo the wards on the door, and then I’ll set them back up again so you can keep practicing. Then, we can switch roles. It’s how I learned so fast.”

“And you’re sure this is safe?”

“Everything will be fine, Cadence,” Sunset said with an impatient edge. “Trust me… as a friend.” She almost gagged on the word.

Cadence took a deep breath and approached the door as a blue outline coated her horn.

Sunset suppressed her smile and took a few steps back as she watched Cadence push her magic against the door. The golden aura around it appeared, and Sunset prepared her own magic to counteract whatever defense the door had. She could muffle the alarm spell that was sure to come, but everything else was a complete mystery.

“Um, Sunset? I’m not really recognizing any of these spells. Are you sure these are beginner enchantments?”

“Don’t worry, you’re doing fine,.” Sunset said lazily. “Just relax and concentrate.”

She probed the newly exposed magic, being careful to not set anything off while Cadence helplessly picked away at it. So far, it all seemed to just be a knot of advanced level spells woven tightly together, nothing she couldn’t have handled on her own. Perhaps she hadn’t needed Cadence after all.

That was when Cadence screamed.

Sunset felt the knot of magic snap and lash out at Cadence, just as her own magic retreated from the door. Jolts of lightning ran down Cadence’s horn and across her body, and she was violently thrown back down the aisle. She crashed near the front desk, all while a loud, shrill siren went off overhead, paralyzing Sunset.

Not a second later, Princess Celestia appeared in a flash of golden light next to Cadence. She looked from the writhing alicorn to a wide-eyed Sunset, already lining pieces up. For the first time in Sunset’s life, she didn’t see disappointment or even frustration in Celestia’s eyes.

She saw anger.

Celestia scooped Cadence up and vanished in another burst of light, leaving Sunset alone with the cold talons of dread grabbing her throat.

Author's Note

Last chance to post your theories.

Chapter XVIII: Vesper Radiance (Part Two)

The throne room consisted of only two ponies: Celestia on her throne and Sunset at the foot of the dais. The guards were dismissed, and Evening Court had been cancelled. Celestia had not looked at Sunset since her return from taking care of Cadence. Even now, her eyes were closed. A shrouding dark cloud of negative emotions covered her face, eclipsing the radiant sun.

“Sunset Shimmer,” she said in an iron voice. “As Princess Cadence is currently in no condition to speak, you will explain to me what happened.”

Sunset flinched, not at hearing about Cadence, but at the absence of all warmth from Celestia’s voice. “I happened to be in the library while Cadence was practicing her magic. She wanted to see if she could undo any of the spells on the restricted door for practice. I’m sorry, Mother, I should have tried harder to stop her.”

There was a prolonged pause.

“If you think your manipulation of truth will work on me, you are very sadly mistaken. I have forgiven your past grievances, but not today! Only the truly desperate or foolish would try to get into that room, and Cadence is neither. You knew full well the level of spells that surrounded that door.”

“Yes, but I didn’t know exactly what—”

“That is no excuse.” Celestia finally opened her eyes, burning Sunset’s soul with righteous flames. “I knew the slightest possibility existed that you might try regardless, but never did I suspect you would manipulate another… and to pick Cadence of all ponies! The combined magic from all of those spells that attacked Cadence... Sunset, if I had not arrived when I did, that magic could have inflicted irreparable damage to her, both physically and mentally.”

Would have served her right, Sunset thought, something hot beginning to boil up inside her. Seeing as you only care about her. She held her tongue, however, diverting her effort into keeping her face neutral.

Celestia leaned forward on her throne. “What were you thinking?” she whispered harshly.

“I was thinking I wanted to be an alicorn,” Sunset responded in an equally harsh whisper. “I was thinking that this was the final push I needed to ascend to princesshood! I know almost every form of magic except those in the restricted section! I’m so close… so very close… close to the destiny you promised me! But you keep holding me back!” Sunset panted hard. Liquid magma flowed through her heart, her chest burning. “I’ve worked so hard… I’ve worked for so long!” Her neutral face cracked and she bared her teeth, the magma running through her whole body. “I’ve given everything to you, but you won’t make me a princess! Why?”

“Because you are not ready!” Celestia stood from her throne. “You still fail to grasp the most important lesson I’ve tried to teach you! Your actions today have served only to prove that you still have a very long way to go... if you are even still worthy of such a title!”

“If? If?” Sunset stamped a hoof. “I am worthy! I know almost everything about magic! I know how this kingdom runs! I know how to handle the nobles and the peasantry and any crisis that threatens us! I know a damn lot more than Cadence, that’s for sure!”

The magma was overflowing, and Sunset finally understood what it was. But she had never felt such anger for her mother before. Never this level of resentment. Never this volume of hatred.

“It is that kind of arrogance that holds you back, Sunset!” Celestia’s overbearing presence made Sunset wilt like a flower exposed to too much heat. “This is not a competition. I am not judging to see who is the better pony. I am trying to turn you both into future rulers.”

Celestia’s fire receded, but now it was Sunset’s turn to blaze. “Of course it’s not a competition because clearly, she’s winning! She spreads a little love around and suddenly she’s an alicorn! She gets adopted to be your niece! I fight my way to the top and strain my magic day after day, and somehow, Blueblood is more royal than me!”

Celestia’s eyes softened. “Sunset…”

“No!” Sunset couldn’t stop. She couldn’t turn the flow of hatred back into the volcano of her emotions. Her heart was bleeding too fiercely for her to allow Celestia to try and bandage it up with a simple ‘I’m sorry.’

“I swore to you that I would work hard and make you proud! I kept my end of the promise, didn’t I? Yet Cadence comes swooping in and steals everything! You told me I had a grand destiny! You said I would rule Equestria by your side someday!”

“You will, Sunset—”

“Then what about Luna?” Pearly tears found their way out of the corners of Sunset’s eyes. “Why is it the longer I stay here, the more I get shunted aside? Is my destiny really just to save your sister? I’m not good enough to be family, is that it? You told me you loved me! You called me your daughter! Or were those just words to you?”

“Sunset, cease this foolish talk at once.” Celestia’s voice retained its firmness, but her tone of sympathy had returned. “I love you, Sunset. You know that—I know you do. But you are too clouded by delusions of grandeur to see it clearly. I…” Celestia’s voice quivered for a moment. “I’m not a prize to be won, Sunset. You can’t have me all to yourself.”

“But you’re the only pony I want and the only one I need!” Sunset dropped onto her knees. Her anger began to harden and she looked up at Celestia with sparkling eyes. “I love you, Mother. Nopony else loves you as much as I do. We were destined to be together. Our cutie marks are identical. Our power is greater than anyone else’s. That’s why I want to be an alicorn. So I can stand by your side for all eternity. Mother and daughter ruling Equestria together!”

Celestia bowed her head. “Sunset, being an alicorn is not synonymous with immortality.”

“But you can do it, can’t you?” Sunset’s grin split from ear to ear.

“I will not make you immortal, Sunset. Nor will I make you an alicorn.”

Sunset stared up at her, smile quickly evaporating. “Why?” she whispered. “Why? Why?”

Celestia bowed her head lower, her mane flowing in front of her face. “I love you, Sunset, truly I do—”

“Then make me family! Make me an alicorn! Show me off to the world! I will bear your name proudly, more proudly than anyone else! You don’t need Cadence, you don’t need Luna! You only need me!I’m the strongest unicorn in the world, and I demand that you make me an alicorn!”

“No!” Celestia smashed a gilded hoof into the carpet, cracking the marble beneath. “You are not ready, and if this is the path you wish to follow… perhaps you never will be.”

Sunset’s voice shook. “What are you saying?”

Celestia looked up from behind her ethereal curtain of mane, her eyes flooded with tears. “I have let my love for you cloud my judgment for too long. Sunset, this meeting is not about our relationship or whether or not you can ascend. Your actions have injured another equine—you’ve put her in mortal danger. And I need to know—” there was the slightest plea in her voice “—do you feel any regret?”

Sunset drank Celestia’s image in. She wanted to lie. She wanted to say yes, that she was regretful and sorry and everything would go back to the way it was supposed to be. But kneeling in Celestia’s presence, feeling her overpowering aura, Sunset could not find the strength to do it. She turned her head.

“No, Mother… I do not.”

The hall’s empty air choked both of them, trying to get them to speak. Sunset had no other words to say, none to defend herself and no more to accuse Celestia with.

“Very well…” Celestia’s voice was thicker than lead. “If… if that is how you feel, Sunset… then I’m afraid… I have nothing left to teach you.”

Sunset jerked her head up, her eyes wider than the glass windows, her pupils almost nonexistent. “...What?”

Celestia had a wing blocking her face. “You refuse to accept harmony and friendship, opting merely for power. I cannot teach you if you no longer want to learn, Sunset. It is clear to me that you need to find your own path, one that does not consist of only trying to please me.”

“You’re kicking me out over one mistake? Over Cadenza? She’ll be fine, won’t she? You said so yourself—”

“That is not the point, Sunset! You have disobeyed my rules several times and you have shown me you care not for what happens to your fellow ponies! Those are not the actions of a princess—those are not even the actions of a decent equine!”

Sunset’s voice rose. “This isn’t fair! You can’t do this to me! I’m Sunset Shimmer! I’m heir to the throne! I’m your daughter!”

“No, you are not!” Celestia bellowed. “Your name may be Sunset Shimmer, but you are heir to nothing! You are not the daughter I tried to raise!”

All of the air left Sunset’s lungs. She doubled over, suffocating on Celestia’s words while her heart bled from innumerable cracks. It crumbled to pieces, each jagged point stabbing her in the chest. This couldn’t be happening. Not to her. Sunset’s eye twitched. Her own mother was abandoning her? After everything Sunset had tried to do for her?

“You… you don’t mean that,” Sunset croaked, her eyes fixed on the carpet. “You can’t mean that.” Sunset looked up only to find Celestia’s back turned towards her.

“I won’t banish you, Sunset…” Celestia’s voice barely made it through the screaming turmoil in Sunset’s mind. “But you are no longer welcome in this castle. I tried my best… but you seem insistent on walking this path. Perhaps this will teach you a much-needed lesson.”

Sunset sat there, her entire body convulsing as the storm in her mind raged on. This was happening. She was being denied everything.

No. I’m supposed to be a princess.

She doesn’t love me anymore.

I’m being replaced.

She’s scared of me.

Mother, you can’t do this. I love you.

Mother…

“Mother.” Sunset finally drew breath. “You can’t do this! You can’t!” Her eyes vanished in a lake of brilliant light and her mane whipped about, caught in its own hurricane. “I won’t let you!” she screamed. Wrapped in a ball of fury, her pain roared forth from her horn and blazed across the room, leaving burnt carpet and broken tiles in its wake.

Celestia turned and deflected it with a hoof, sending the attack into the wall, which melted on contact. She hovered over the floor, her own eyes ablaze like the afternoon sun. “Do not trifle with me, Sunset Shimmer!” Celestia’s voice echoed into eternity. “You may be able to harness the sun’s energy, but I still have powers you can only dream of!”

Sunset fell back and quivered in the shadow Celestia cast. Before, her aura had been overpowering, yet it had not tried to smother and strangle Sunset. Now, Celestia’s aura consumed all, as mighty as the sun itself. Who was she but an insect challenging a giant? A distant star compared to the full glory of the radiant sun?

Celestia closed her eyes and dropped to the floor, her ethereal mane hanging limp, her almighty aura gone. “Leave, Sunset,” she said wearily. “You are dismissed.” With a gait that showed her true age, she turned and walked towards a door in the back.

“Fine! Go!” Sunset yelled, choking back her sobs. “Leave me like everypony else! I don’t need you! And when your insane sister comes back and throws the world into darkness, don’t come crying to me!” She watched Celestia’s retreating form pay her no mind. “Did you hear me? You’ll rue this day, Celestia! You’ll rue it!”

Celestia continued to ignore her.

Sunset felt the last of the sun’s rays vanish from the shattered remains of her heart, a bitter chill replacing it. She bit down on her lip, building up the coming scream until it was a crescendo in her throat. Just as Celestia exited the room, Sunset's final words tore through her and shook the throne room.

“I hate you!”

Sunset watched the film on the page slow to a halt, becoming just a picture again. Warm tears poured down her face, yet she knew they weren’t really hers. Not fully anyway.

“So, Celestia kicked me—her out because she loved her too much?” Sunset’s throat felt raw, as if she had just finished having that horrible conversation with Celestia instead of watching it.

“That was a key factor, yes.” Luna said. “That Sunset was prepared to do anything and everything it took to become an alicorn, believing that Celestia would praise her above all others if she did. She wanted to be the only one Celestia paid attention to.”

“Why not just throw her in prison then? Why let her walk away like that?”

Luna looked down at her with a soft expression. “It is not a crime to love somepony, Sunset. And it is clear my sister loved her too. Even after a thousand years, she was not ready to lock another family member away.”

Sunset fell silent and wiped at the tears still clinging to her eyelashes. She set the book away and pulled out another one titled Everfree. She now knew why Vesper loathed Celestia so much. Now she just needed to prove that they weren’t connected in the way Sunset thought. The monster flashed behind her eyes and she shuddered violently before throwing the book open.

It had been well over a year—or at least, Sunset thought it had. She had lost count some time ago. She only snuck into town to steal some food when she grew tired of eating berries and roots.

Sunset sat in the decrepit ruins deep within the Everfree Forest. She hadn’t intended to run there when she fled from Canterlot. She just followed her hooves and they led her there.

It had taken her five minutes to find the library.

Old books—some molding, but most of them having weathered the ages—were stacked on shelves and tossed into piles, gathering copious amounts of dust while they waited for someone to care for them again. Sunset happily obliged, spending every minute of every day reading whatever she could.

She left most of the rest of the castle untouched, taking small jaunts around the old corridors when she was in an exploring mood, hoping to find something else of interest. She found plenty of secret passages and even a large organ, yet nothing fascinated her more than the treasure trove of ancient knowledge waiting back in the library proper.

Still, even as she read to her heart’s content, day in and day out, it felt painfully empty.

Part of Sunset hoped Celestia would find her. That she would come and apologize and take Sunset back. Or that Sunset would wake up and find it had all been just a dream. But she knew no such thing would happen.

Upon her initial arrival, Sunset had sifted through the ancient books hoping to find a way to take revenge against Celestia. Rage and sorrow still burned through her, a fiery storm upon her heart. She had unearthed several books hidden deep in the archives: spell books and lore she was sure Celestia had not intended for most ponies to see, or had even forgotten they existed. But, as time passed, Sunset’s urge to harm Celestia waned, replaced by a gnawing pain that ate her from the inside out.

She missed Celestia.

Sunset wanted to go back and beg for forgiveness. But their last conversation would explode in her head whenever she thought about making the attempt and a fresh wave of fury would wash over her, burying any remorseful feelings.

“Besides, with everything I said and did, she’d never take me back.”

Sunset sat at a beaten old desk that she treated with the utmost care, lest it collapsed on her. The last light of day fell upon her through large fissures in the ceiling. She shut another book and levitated it back to the shelf she found it on. A year here and she had gone through most of them already. What was she to do when she finished? All of the knowledge she had acquired put her no further to becoming an alicorn.

“Maybe it’s all just pointless.”

Sunset yawned and rubbed her eyes. She looked back at the two-toned sun adorning her flank. “What’s my destiny then? What am I supposed to be if I can’t be an alicorn? If I can’t be Celestia’s daughter?”

A sharp pain shot through her chest. Mother.Daughter. She could hardly use those words without feeling pain. It was always followed by a hollow longing for time past.

Celestia had been her everything. Without her, Sunset had nothing. Nothing to strive for, nothing to live for…

She blinked furiously. When those thoughts were crowding her head again, it was time for bed. She made her way to where two thrones sat at the end of the crumbling hall. A pillow and blanket were set up on the golden chair, and Sunset settled down onto them.

Her eyes were only closed for a few seconds before they snapped open. She sat upright, staring transfixed at the other pony across the room.

Princess Celestia smiled sadly at her.

“Mo-Princess… I…” The rest of her words died in her throat; hollow things that would never be able to convey the stinging pain of the fractures that still marred her heart. She stood up and stretched a hoof into the void separating them, though she knew she would never be able to touch Celestia again.

Celestia continued to stand in the threshold, smiling her sad smile, never saying a word.

Slowly, words crawled out of Sunset’s throat, weak and fading in the quiet air. “Can I come home?”

Celestia’s head dipped, but did not rise again. She turned away and disappeared like vapor.

Sunset stood there with her hoof still outstretched, a living statue ornamenting the gold throne. She didn't move until the first light of day struggled through the castle cracks.

She had a plan now. She would fix everything! It was quite simple actually; Sunset didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it before.

She sat back in the library the following night, a flickering candle her only companion while she dove head-first into previously read books. She had seen it before, she knew it. Why didn’t it hit her sooner? The best way to fix everything was to make sure none of it happened!

A simple time spell. She would go back in time and warn her past self not to make any stupid mistakes. She would tell her to not trick Cadence, and—as much as it would hurt her—to wait until Celestia decided she was ready to be an alicorn. As much as she detested having Cadence steal away Celestia’s time and love, some of it was better than none of it.

It was the only way, her last remaining option. Sunset could not go back as things stood. Too much had been said. Her mother did not love her anymore.

“Aha!” She finally flipped to her desired page: Starswirl’s basic theory of time travel. If it worked, this future would be overwritten, as would she, replaced by whatever actions her past self would take. But that was fine with Sunset, so long as she could be with Celestia again.

She read the spell over repeatedly, etching it word for word in her head until she could recite it backwards and forwards. According to the text, it could only be done once, so Sunset had no room for error. When she was finished, she walked outside to the castle courtyard and waited for the sun to rise. She would need to be at her absolute strongest to pull this off. She figured five years back was plenty of time; enough to warn herself about Cadence. Perhaps her past self would work harder then and ascend before Cadence showed up.

The sun slowly crested over the tree tops, painting the sky in vibrant hues of pink and orange before the first light hit the courtyard floor. Sunset braced herself, stepping forward into the radius of light and absorbing the sun’s power.

It flowed through her, filling her with adrenalin and giddiness. Everything would be fine. Soon, everything would be as it should be. Her horn thrummed with power, the spell building to its apex. She could feel time subverting itself to her will. Not even the laws of the universe would stop her from achieving her destiny.

The sky simultaneously screamed in pain and cheered in amazement as the loudest boom Sunset ever heard ripped over the world. Her heart beat jumped to triple speed, and she lost control of the spell as the shock wave slammed into her. The magic wrapped around her in an attempted full-body strangle, jerking her to the right. An all-consuming light replacing the rainbow ring in the sky was the last thing she saw.

A splitting headache was Sunset’s wake-up call. Dirt coated her tongue like a blanket, and she quickly spat it out. She hissed and gripped her pounding head after the sudden movement. She curled up into a ball to hide her eyes from the sun’s grinning glare.

“What happened?” she moaned. Once her headache died down, she got to her hooves and looked around. She was still in the old castle courtyard, and nothing looked like it had changed. Had her spell worked? It was impossible to tell from where she was, so Sunset gathered herself and marched into the Everfree Forest. Once she could see Canterlot, she would teleport the remaining distance.

What had that ring of light been? she wondered as she navigated the forest. She prayed it hadn’t disrupted her spell too badly. If it had worked, she had only a set amount of time to give her past-self advice before her time was up and she’d snap back to the future. At least, that was the ideal outcome.

She reached the edge of the forest, the tiny, backwater town of Ponyville to her left and Canterlot to her right. She manipulated the sun’s energy again and made the jump, reappearing in a small alley in the city’s upper end.

The first thing to reach her ears was a loud chorus of cheering. Trumpets and drums were playing regal fanfare and confetti was drifting on the wind. Had she come back to a previous Summer Sun Celebration?

Sunset followed the noise out of the alley and down several empty streets until she arrived at the main road. The scene was positively crowded with ponies; the noise was deafening and certainly had the pomp and circumstance Sunset expected from the Summer Sun Celebration.

Yet there was no raised platform where Celestia would have raised the sun. No banners bearing her cutie mark. Instead, the banners bore a purple star with smaller white stars around it. A golden chariot made its way down the path, pulled by a procession of guards.

And sitting within that chariot was not Princess Celestia or even Princess Cadence. This mare was purple with a violet mane and a pink highlight running through it. Her wings were displayed for all to see, and a crown with a setting identical to her cutie mark sat just above her horn.

Sunset shoved her way forward, the rest of the crowd having vanished from her mind. She moved up until only a line of guards separated her from this nightmare. Sunset looked at the purple princess, then she jerked her head to the castle balcony where Celestia stood, looking prouder than Sunset had ever seen.

And Sunset Shimmer died.

Betrayal, despair and anger all surrounded her, raised their sharpened talons and bore down on her relentlessly. They slaughtered, maimed and murdered her, again and again. She could make no noise; she couldn’t scream or breathe or even think. No one was aware of the pony dying right in front of them. In the end, her bitter emotions tossed Sunset into a black hole, her body consumed by a vortex of pure hate.

Sunset continued to watch the procession—the new princess now surrounded by her entourage—but she saw next to nothing. Nothing seemed to register anymore. Perhaps the pink one had waved at her as Sunset turned away, but she did not care. Her body moved at an irregular pace, her movements jerky and uneven, like a puppet with broken strings.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the crowd cheered. “Behold, the newest princess!”

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Sunset mouthed. The words burned her throat, and she doubled over in pain. “Princess Twilight Sparkle.” She picked herself up and kept walking, returning to the quiet alley where she had first entered. “Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Sunset broke into a grin. “Princess Twilight Sparkle.” She giggled. “Is this my replacement? Celestia, is this your newest favorite? Do you love her, Celestia? Do you?” She broke into a fit of laughs and clutched her side. “I wonder what she has that I don’t? Are you going to tell me, Celestia? Or do I have to figure it out on my own?” She laughed harder.

“You love her, don’t you? More than me I bet! She never disappointed you, did she? Well, I hate her, hahahaha. I hate her so much, haha! And I hate you too, Celestia! Hahahaha, I hate all of you. I hate all of you so much!”

Sunset pressed a hoof against her face, still laughing. “But that’s fine. Because you’re all going to love me. I’m going to become your only princess. You’ll be so proud, Celestia. Those will be your last words. I’m going to kill you. You and Twilight and Cadence and Luna and anypony who gets in my way, okay?” Sunset fell onto her haunches and laughed. She sat alone in the alley and laughed to herself.

She laughed until there were only tears left.

Sunset snapped the book shut with more force than needed. Tears flowed down her grinning face, unable to stop.

Luna reached a hoof out to her. “Sunset—”

“I’m fine!” Sunset smacked her hoof away. “Just fine… haha.”

Luna looked at her sharply. “Sunset, perhaps it’s best if we end here tonight.”

“No!” Sunset’s look was wild, an animal trapped in a cage looking for a way out. “I need to know. I can’t go on not knowing. What happened… what happened to me? I need to know.”

Sunset was sure Luna was going to say no, or at least throw out some cryptic advice that alicorn princesses loved to give. Instead, she gave Sunset a look of pity.

“Very well. But I suggest we hurry. We are running out of time.”

Sunset was sure destiny had returned to her side. The universe wanted her to become an alicorn now. For only an hour after she returned to the old castle in Everfree did she discover a very old scroll wedged deep between one of the library shelves. It was tattered and fading, and gave very few details, but it spoke of exactly what she needed.

Three pieces of enchanted regal wear, forged long ago and hidden away somewhere in Equestria. An amulet to grant one magic. A crown to grant one wings. And a set of hoofguards to grant one strength and longevity.

The Dark Regalia.

According to the scroll, the pieces had been split up and given to their respective tribes for them to hide away. All Sunset needed to do was find them. She danced back and forth on the tips of her hooves, then burned the scroll. Nopony else would be needing it.

She transfigured a black cloak from a torn tapestry and wrapped it around herself, pulling the hood over her face. She would start with the amulet; Canterlot’s underbelly was known to deal in forbidden objects from time to time. If there was any information to be gathered, it would be there. She was also dying to learn more about Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Sunset crouched behind a large gnarled root, one of many exuding from the hollowed-out tree decorated with tribal masks from Zebrica. Her mission was already starting to feel like a wild goose chase. She had picked up useful information in Canterlot regarding the Alicorn Amulet, eventually finding the peddler who claimed to have it only to find he had sold it months ago. To whom, he could not say. Like Sunset, the buyer had kept their face hidden the entire time.

It then dawned on Sunset that if the amulet had been purchased, then it was most likely to have been used. And if it had been used, then it would have left a signature of magical energy if it was truly as powerful as the scroll claimed.

So, Sunset was both delighted and annoyed that the faint trail led her back to the Everfree Forest.

“Why would a zebra come to live here?” she murmured, staring at the tree house. In the end, she supposed it was of little importance. The real question was if the zebra was wearing the Alicorn Amulet. Sunset doubted it, however. She had collected information on all of the major events she had missed in what had apparently been a thirteen year absence.

Sunset shuddered. Thirteen years. It was something she couldn’t wrap her head around. Nothing felt different from two days earlier, when she was years in the past. That explosion—or as she came to discover, the Sonic Rainboom—had messed up her spell so badly, not only had she gone the wrong way in time, she had overshot her intended mark of five years.

And since she hadn’t snapped back yet, Sunset knew she was stuck, a refugee of time.

Regardless, in her information hunting, Sunset had heard nothing of a zebra wielding unicorn magic. Something like that would have been the talk of Equestria. And the zebra in question would probably not waste time living in such a forsaken place.

Still, Sunset knew it wise to keep her guard up just in case. Her horn lit, and a faint red outline appeared around her body before she camouflaged into the background. She focused on the tree, the bark vanishing to reveal an outline of the interior. Inside, she could see a mass of red moving about and putting items into what appeared to be a bag. The mass then turned to the door, and Sunset snapped her magic off, ducking lower.

The zebra stepped outside and took a deep breath of air. She said something Sunset could make neither heads nor tails of then set off down the forest path.

Sunset waited ten minutes before getting up to move closer. She stopped at the tree’s threshold and frowned. Something was making her horn tingle, like it was picking up magic. She closed her eyes and probed the tree again, finding wards around the entrance and windows.

“Did she make these with the Alicorn Amulet?” They weren’t particularly strong, yet they had Sunset trembling with excitement. If a zebra could make defense wards, she could only imagine the power she would soon wield.

It took a minute of concentration before the wards collapsed and Sunset stepped inside. Odd trinkets and baubles littered the main room, with a large cauldron taking up the center space. Sunset took no discretion in searching for the amulet. The bigger mess she made, the harder it would be for the zebra to notice what was gone. She tore through drawers, broke open bottles and even searched through the bedroom.

She found her prize hidden in a small box beneath the bed. The ruby jewel emitted a soft glow when she pulled the amulet from the box. She licked her lips hungrily and snapped it around her neck. The effect was instantaneous, like a dam had broken and flooded her with magic.

She gave a flick of her horn and created a miniature whirlwind to tear through the tree, tossing any remaining items that had not been touched to the four corners. With a mad laugh, she vanished in a bolt of crimson light.

The Cloudsdale Library was quiet and empty, save for the librarian. Sunset attributed that to the fact that most pegasi were probably too dumb to read.

She spent all morning searching through mythology books and was surprised when her search turned up nothing useful, just what she already knew. None of the books gave her even a hint of the Tempest Crown’s location.

Sunset would not give up though. She turned towards history with the idea that maybe the pegasi didn’t consider the crown as myth and recorded it as fact. Sure enough, within a text describing the founding of Los Pegasus, she found a concrete reference to the Tempest Crown, said to be worn by Captain Gale and handed down through his family. Unfortunately, after looking through the genealogy books, Sunset learned that Gale had no more living relatives. Still, something was better than nothing.

She left the library with her new destination in mind, but drew pause when a thought tickled her brain. She had just spent an hour looking through somepony else’s family tree, yet she knew nothing of her own. Despite the fact that her parents had abandoned her, longing filled her to know who they were and why they had done it.

With that longing came a desire to pay them back in full.

Hollow Shades sat in the shadow of the Foal Mountain. The small village was surrounded by thick trees that guarded the townsponies from the outside world. It was as silent as a graveyard when Sunset arrived just before midnight. She took quick, even steps as she strolled through the village, her heart tightening in her chest.

“Morning Glory. Midnight.” She finally knew the names of her parents. It had taken her several hours and covert trips to her old orphanage and the hospital she was born in before she discovered who they were and where they lived.

Unwilling to wait until morning, Sunset approached the doorstep. They would meet her now! They would look upon the child they abandoned! She pounded on the door with determined force. She was about to blast the door down when an off orange-coated mare answered the door. Her eyes, however, matched Sunset’s to a tee, and her yellow mane was the same shade as the streaks in Sunset’s.

“H-hello. Can I help you?” Her eyes were lined with sleep, and there was a subtle grogginess mixed in with her tone of apprehension.

Sunset did not care if she had roused the mare from bed; she would not be kept waiting any longer. Still, she kept a lid on her emotions and said in a rather pleasant voice, “I certainly hope so. Is this the home of Midnight and Morning Glory?”

“Y-yes it is. I’m Morning Glory. Um… do I know you?”

Sunset lowered her hood, yet Morning Glory showed no sign of recognition. “Such a shame,” Sunset said, ignoring the spasm of fury in her chest. “You really don’t recognize me? I’m heartbroken.”

Behind Morning Glory, a middle-aged stallion appeared. His coat was a deep blue, but Sunset could tell his greying mane had once been the same fiery red as hers.

“Honey, who’s at the door—”

His eyes dilated and he took a leap back. He pointed a shaky hoof at Sunset. “I-I don’t believe it! It’s you!”

“See? At least a father bothers to remember his own daughter, unlike you, Mother!” The word was ash in Sunset’s mouth. She already had a mother, and this pony was not her. But it sent a wave of satisfaction to throw the word in her face.

Morning Glory’s expression dissolved into a look of horror. “Mother? Then that means, you’re… you’re…”

“I am the daughter you abandoned so long ago. I am Sunset Shimmer.” She advanced through the doorway as Morning Glory staggered back like she had been punched in the chest. “I suppose I should at least thank you for my name. It was the only present you left me after all.”

Midnight stepped up and put a hoof on his wife, who looked ready to fall over. “Sunset, why don’t you come inside so we can talk?” he said civilly.

Sunset stepped onto the welcome mat and swung the door shut behind her. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on staying too long. I just wanted to see my birth parents at last, see what had become of them… ask them why they left me when I was not even a year old!”

Both of them flinched, much to Sunset’s vindication. “Sunset,” Morning started, “it… it wasn’t an easy decision. We just… we couldn’t handle being parents at the time. We could barely support ourselves, let alone feed a child. We thought you’d be better off somewhere else.”

Sunset looked around the inside of their home. It wasn’t lavish by any means, but it was a far cry from anything ponies could call poor. “You seem to be doing well now.”

Midnight nodded. “Yes. We managed to turn things around later on—”

“Then why didn’t you come back for me?” Sunset demanded.

Morning looked at her, fighting away tears and speaking in a strained voice. “We-we thought by then, somepony else would have taken you in. That you would be happy—”

“I spent ten years in that orphanage! Ten years! All the other ponies got adopted, but not me! Never me! You think I was happy? How could I be happy in a place like that?”

Morning burst into sobs, hiding her face with her hooves. Midnight took over and said, “We’re so sorry, Sunset. If we had known—”

“If you had known. That’s just it, isn’t it?” Sunset took a predatory step closer. “You didn’t want to know. Plausible deniability. Somepony’s suffering doesn’t really happen if you don’t know about it!”

Midnight swallowed with apprehension. “S-Sunset, that isn’t true.”

“I mean, I wasn’t exactly hard to find,” Sunset continued, ignoring her father. “Once I became Princess Celestia’s student, I thought ‘maybe they’ll be able to find me. I’m right next to the Princess after all!’”

Morning stopped her crying and looked up at Sunset. “You were the Princess’ student? Oh, sweetie, that’s—”

“Don’t you dare call me ‘sweetie!’ Don’t tell me you’re proud of me! Don’t say you love me, because I know you’re lying!”

“Sunset, we do love you,” Midnight said with a desperate plea. “We promise, we’ll try to make up for not being in your life. We truly are sorry.”

Sunset laughed bubbles of cruel mirth that floated around the living room and clotted the air. “You’re sorry? No you’re not. Not yet anyway.” She drew closer to them, her smile feral. “You want to make up for not being in my life?”

A silver dagger appeared by her side.

“Give me yours.”

Sunset flew out of the whirlwind and crashed against the damp, stone floor. Despite the pain throbbing in her shoulder, she didn’t let go of the crown clutched in her hooves.

“Ehehehe… ahahahahahaha!” She hugged the Tempest Crown against her chest and savored her moment of triumph. The pegasi had made an effort to hide it, but a little labyrinth and a tornado would not stop her. She jumped to her hooves and placed the crown on her head, her laughter still bouncing around the cavern.

Like the surge of magic the Alicorn Amulet had given her, the effect of the crown was spontaneous. Sunset was lifted into the air, and a swirl of red light danced around her midsection. Something started to push against her shoulder blades and protrude from her back, though she just laughed through the pain.

The red light spun faster, bringing her new appendages into the world feather by feather. Sunset could feel the connection with her new extensions already, taking to them like she had them all along. When the light faded, Sunset hovered over the cave floor, gently flapping her new angelic wings.

She turned her head to the right, then to the left, examining each one in turn. They were large and feathery, and matched her coat color. They reminded her of Princess Celestia; a thought that segued into memories of being tucked in their embrace.

She touched back onto the ground and shoved the thoughts into the recesses of her mind. She would not get sentimental and penitent—not when she was so close.

Not when she finally had her wings.

Sunset jumped into the air, screaming with delight as she did a lap around the cave. Flying was everything she dreamed it would be. Even in the confined space, she felt weightless and free. She was faster than ever before and now held dominion over the skies. All she needed was the power of the Obsidian Hoofguards and she’d be a true alicorn!

She landed back on the ground and took notice of the three ponies near the mouth of the tunnel. Her parents’ animated corpses stood with the vigilance of statues, while in between them lay a motionless pegasus mare. Sunset did not know her name, nor did she care. As Captain Gale had told her, Sunset needed a living pegasus to get this far. The poor soul had just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time.

“Dead weight now,” Sunset murmured as she eyed them. Princess Twilight Sparkle and her colorful friends were already aware the amulet was missing, and a report had gone out about two ponies abducted from Hollow Shades. Somepony would also come looking for this mare as well. They no longer served any use for her other than attracting attention.

“Well, Mother, Father, this is where we say goodbye, I’m afraid. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” Sunset blinked and a red mist seemed to dispel from around the older ponies. Their bodies swayed for a second, then fell over, never to move again.

Water brushed across the bottom of Sunset’s hooves while she regarded the unconscious pegasus. The cave would probably flood before she escaped, but just in case… Sunset snapped a stalactite from the top of the cave and hurled it down, impaling the mare in the throat. She gurgled for a second, blood pooling from the gaping wound, before becoming as lifeless as the unicorns beside her.

With a satisfied giggle, Sunset teleported away.

Sunset stepped out of the library and into the cold night, wrapping her cloak around herself even tighter. It was with a heavy heart she descended the steps and walked towards the city’s limits. That library had thousands of year’s worth of knowledge, and she wanted nothing more than to sit at a table and read everything.

If only the Crystal Empire had reappeared sooner.

She stopped and looked at the city’s central square, where the castle rose high above the rest of the crystalline buildings, shining bright even under the blanket of darkness. Sunset could only imagine how anypony slept in such a place. Beneath the castle was the Crystal Heart, emitting a soft hum that unfortunately drew up unwanted feelings in Sunset.

It’s not too late, a voice said in the back of her head. You could stop now, go back and apologize to Celestia.

Her eyes flashed red and she bared her teeth to the sky. “No,” she hissed. “I’m almost there! This is the only way now!” She glared up at the castle, wondering where Cadence was inside of it.

Sunset made a note to herself to come back and kill Cadence after Celestia was dead. Then, she would sit and read the whole library.

Sunset slid across the cold, polished floor and slammed against one of the crystal pillars lining the side of the massive room. She slumped over, unable to move her bruised body. She closed her eyes and tried to draw on her magic, but still found the gripping pressure on her horn. She looked up and eyed the blue, spherical ornament lying some distance away.

“Damn that suppressor,” Sunset wheezed, her warm breath visible in the freezing air.

The draconic beast loomed over her. It roared again, its breath reeking of rotting flesh. It flexed one of its sinewy arms, raising a bony claw over its head, prepared to deal a final blow.

“Not yet,” Sunset said, struggling to find her voice. “I can’t die here… I’ve come too far… I refuse to die here!”

As the beast’s claws came down, Sunset hurled her body out of the way, though it did little good. The monstrosity jerked its claws to the left and batted Sunset to the other side of the room where she landed on her wing with a sickening crunch.

Another roar shook the ceiling, and Sunset couldn’t help but wonder if it was a roar of triumph or annoyance. By the way it swished its long, thorny tail, Sunset humorously thought that perhaps the beast was happy somepony had tried to play with it after all these years. Quick as that thought entered her mind, the pain in her broken wing sharply reminded her that this game would end with one of them dead.

“How do you... kill something... that can’t die?” she wheezed.

The dragon’s tail inadvertently smacked into the suppressor orb, and Sunset’s eyes widened with renewed hope as it sailed through the air and smashed into pieces against a crystal pillar. Magic surged through her again as the beast drew near, and Sunset unleashed a mighty torrent of fire that completely consumed it.

Sunset knew the following roar was one of supreme rage this time. The dragon reared its head back and unleashed a blast of its own; blue wind coated Sunset’s fur even as she teleported to the other end of the hall. Every nerve in her wing screamed and her legs ached and were unresponsive. As she struggled to keep her balance, the dragon—still on fire—turned its massive body around, preparing to charge again.

The most outlandish idea drew upon Sunset’s mind as she watched the fire coating its visible bones slowly extinguish itself to nothing. The beast truly was the definition of immortal. If what Sunset had read was true, it could never really die, just fall into something akin to unconsciousness.

And if she had that power…

Perhaps it was her looming mortality, or the magic of two pieces of the Dark Regalia clouding her judgment, or maybe even the freezing temperatures making it hard to think straight. Whatever the reason, Sunset, with all her strength, rose to her hooves. Darkness bubbled around her horn and black mist clung to her red eyes. If she could do this, she could become something even greater than an alicorn. Her immortality would be assured. She could be together with Celestia forever!

The dragon lunged at her, and with a primal roar of her own, Sunset lunged forward.

Something not quite equine limped away from the dragon’s carcass. It approached the end of the hall where an alicorn statue sat on a pedestal. Red gemstones sat embedded in its legs, or at least so it appeared. A black beam struck the alicorn’s face and the entire statue disintegrated into dust, leaving only a set of black hoofguards.

The creature smiled.

The Day Court came to a close as the last petitioner left the throne room. Celestia sat upon her dais going over the remaining paperwork while her assistant checked things off a clipboard. Silence reigned for many minutes before Celestia cleared her throat.

“Well, I think we can finish the rest of this another time. That will be all today, Raven,” she said pleasantly.

“Oh, are you sure, Your Highness?”

“Absolutely. I insist that you enjoy the rest of your day.” She urged Raven on with a wave of her hoof. “It would be a shame if you wasted a beautiful day like this inside.”

Raven beamed warmly. “Thank you, Princess.” She gathered a few of her own papers and hurried out the room.

Celestia then looked at the two pairs of guards at the foot of her throne and near the front door. “I ask that you take your leave for a few moments. I need to gather my thoughts.”

They all shared a concerned look, but made no word of protest. They each saluted and marched out the door after Raven. Once she was alone, Celestia threw several protection wards around the door and windows.

“All right," she said, eyes narrowed, "you can come out now.”

“Still as sharp as ever I see.” The figure pulled itself from the shadows and materialized in the center of the hall, showing off all of its sharp teeth. “Mother… it’s been so long.”

Celestia held a hoof to her chest and struggled to get a breath of air. “By the gods… what have you done to yourself, Sunset?”

Sunset stood as tall as Celestia now. Her coat was the color of dried blood, though it seemed patchy in various places. Near the bottom of her legs, her fetlocks were completely gone, revealing muscle and even some bone before it was covered up by the Obsidian Hoofguards. Her wings had lost all of their feathers; far more draconic, they sported black webbing in between membranes of thick bone. Her eyes were no more, just two balls of fire floating in two black sockets. They matched her mane and tail, living pyres that danced wild and passionate, threatening to incinerate all who got close.

“Do you like it?” she asked, her voice as harsh and warped as her appearance. “I knew you would be shocked.” She giggled like a school filly. “Yes! That’s exactly the face I thought you would have!”

Celestia’s starstruck gaze was paved over by pained sadness. “My dear, sweet Sunset Shimmer. What drove you to do this? Did nothing I say ever reach you?”

“Oh no, Mother, I learned a lot from listening to you. But you know what they say: actions speak louder than words. Dismissing me from your tutelage, disowning me as your daughter—replacing me with Twilight Sparkle!”

The windows rattled with the strength of her voice, but Celestia did not flinch. “You refused to see reason when it stared you in the face,” she said, emotions eating away at her hard voice. “You showed no remorse for the pain you inflicted on others. I sent you away hoping you might find your own path instead of tailing so doggedly in mine.”

“You treated me as if I had committed a crime in trying to love you!” Sunset lowered herself, like she was about to charge. “I did everything for you! And yet this is the thanks I get? You kick me out so you can replace me with her!”

“I could never replace you, Sunset.” Celestia’s voice was heavy, and tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. “You may not believe it, but I have always loved you. I always have and always will.”

Sunset raised herself up again. “If you truly do, then say it. Tell all of Equestria that you love me. That I am your only daughter and the heir to the throne! Disown Twilight Sparkle and admit that I am her superior!”

Celestia closed her eyes. “There was a brief moment once upon a time where I would have considered doing it if it fixed our relationship. But I will do no such thing now.”

“But you just said you love me!” Sunset roared.

“And I do. But love is not something you parade around and hold over other pony’s heads.” She opened her eyes, a blazing fury within them. “I love the mare you were, Sunset Shimmer, and I will always love and cherish our good memories together. But I am afraid you are no longer my Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset stared blankly at her, digesting her words. “You’re right.” Her lips curled into a smile. “Sunset Shimmer is dead. She died quite a while ago honestly. No. I am a much better pony than little Sunset Shimmer. I am a goddess that all will bow to!” She flared her wings out, and her mane began to twist and snap erratically. “I will be Equestria’s newest beacon of light and respect! Everypony—no, every living being—will hail to me as the Bringer of the Sun!” She lifted herself into the air, energy gathering at the tip of her horn.

“You will call me Vesper Radiance! And you are going to love me, Mother!”

Sunset peeled herself out of the memory at last and flung the book across the room. She knew that, had she been awake, she would have thrown up. She could not be sure what made her more ill: the horrific and bloody battle that transpired between Vesper Radiance, Celestia, and—after a short time—Luna, or the fact that part of her had found enjoyment in watching Celestia take a beating.

She put her elbows up on the little table and ran her hooves through her mane. Somewhere along the way of watching all of these memories and thoughts, it had become quite disheveled. Sunset inferred that her dream body reflected her current mental state. Her mind indeed felt tired, battered and worn from trying to process so much in such short time.

She wanted to stop. She could already guess how this battle was going to end. Yet if she did, she would be missing the final, crucial clue to solving the riddle. Although she had come this far and now understood who and what and when, she still did not understand how.

If she turned away now, it would haunt her forever. Truth—absolute certainty—was within her reach, but the longer she sat there looking down at the table, the more she wondered if she wanted it.

Luna gently nudged her side until Sunset strained herself to look. “I know what you must be feeling, Sunset. We do not have to continue right now. We can wait until tomorrow, after you have had time to take in everything else. I admit that last memory was... unpleasant to look at.”

“N-no.” Sunset’s breath came out raggedly. “No… I need to finish what I started. We’re almost done.”

She levitated the thrown book back over and stared at the black letters on the cover. The End… scrawled in magnificent cursive. She looked up at the circular shelves that lined the room. The books had started on one side of the door that led back to Sunset’s own memories and came around to the other, chronicling the other Sunset’s life. They had come full circle now. Whatever was in this last book marked the end of Vesper Radiance and the beginning of Sunset Shimmer as she currently stood.

There was no point in putting off the truth of the matter, not when its black talons had Sunset’s insides in its grasp. She and Vesper were inexplicably linked to one another. It was a truth, however, that Sunset looked at through squinted eyes like it was a distant image. Only finishing this horrid memory would make it clear.

And whatever happens, don’t blame yourself!

Princess Twilight’s words ricocheted back to Sunset, and she felt Truth’s black talons grip her harder. With a final shuddering breath, Sunset opened the book again and dove into the memory.

Celestia crashed back down into the demolished throne room, smashing the last remains of her opulent chair. Dust and broken stone spread out around her, the rubble bathed in dusk’s bloody glow, free to shine through the collapsed ceiling.

Vesper dropped out of the sky and staggered heavily when she landed over Celestia and crushed her wing, though Celestia did nothing more than whimper loudly.

“Ahaha, so sorry, Mother. I really didn’t mean to do that one.” Blood dripped out of several open wounds, her fur and flesh had been charred in many places and a great gash ran the length of her face. She looked down at Celestia and frowned. “Mother, you look terrible.”

Celestia opened a swollen eye. “S… Sunset.”

Wham!

Vesper kept her hoof on top of Celestia's face. “I’ve told you already, Mother. My name is Vesper Radiance now. Hahaha. But you never listen, do you?” She pressed further into Celestia with a sickening wet crunch. “Go on, Mother, say it. Say how proud you are of me. Tell me I’m better than Cadence or Luna or Twilight Sparkle.” She leaned her face closer to Celestia’s. “Tell me you love me.”

She removed her armored hoof, revealing Celestia’s bloody face. Celestia coughed violently.

“I… I… can’t.”

Vesper tittered. “Well, Mother, I guess I have to kill you now. But don’t worry—I know necromancy! Hahahahaha! I can keep your body around forever, Mother! Just you and me—together forever! Ahahahaha—huh?”

The double doors burst open, and Twilight flew in, unleashing a ball of grim fury into Vesper’s back. Vesper smashed into the back wall with a scream of surprise, but quickly extracted herself.

“You… You!” Vesper licked her lips hungrily at the princess standing before her; five others lined up behind her, each bearing gleaming necklaces. “Princess Twilight Sparkle. I’ve been waiting so long to meet you.”

Twilight kept herself guarded, her face armored with anger and vengeance. “Who are you?”

“Who am I?” Her twisted laugh rose into the bleeding sky. “You never mentioned me to her, Mother?”

Twilight’s guard inched down. “Mother?” She looked to Celestia for confirmation, but the princess was barely moving.

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle. I am Celestia’s daughter: the Heir to Equestria and the sun itself!” She lifted herself high into the air. “I am Vesper Radiance! And you, little usurper, are trespassing on a very private, very intimate family matter.”

She ignited her horn and lifted Luna up from the corner where she lay, wrapped in a blood red light. “Here. Take this and wait patiently in the hall, please. I’ll kill you in a second, okay?”

Vesper flung Luna’s limp body at the group. Twilight slowed her velocity down enough so Rainbow and Fluttershy could catch her and bring her to the ground safely.

Vesper dropped down and smashed her front hooves against the floor. The ground rolled up like a wave and rushed towards them, pushing them all back into the hall. After their forced departure, Vesper slammed the door shut again, though she had not two seconds of peace before Twilight teleported back and charged at her.

Vesper deflected all of the spells Twilight threw at her, though she had no time to counter with any of her own. Twilight kept advancing, looking more determined with every step she took. Vesper refused to let her near Celestia, and with a great flap of her wings, sent Twilight hurtling back across the hall in a twisting funnel that left her on her back.

“Do you really want to die that badly, Sparkle?” Her horn bubbled with inky darkness, her eyes burning brighter. “How about a slow and painful death, hmm? That way, you can watch as I take away everything from you, just like how you stole it from me!" Vesper released a black miasma that raced for Twilight, just as the doors opened again.

"Twilight!" Pinkie yelled, and shoved her out of the way. The miasma hit Pinkie instead, her entire body turning black and shuddering before she returned to normal. She stood still for a moment, eyes wide, then fell over.

“Pinkie!” several voices cried. Twilight stumbled over to her, ears bent, horn lit. She looked over Pinkie once before her ears flicked up, then back down again. She turned to Vesper, a wild look on her face. “What did you do?”

“Ahaha haha hahaha! What’s the matter, Princess? You can’t figure it out? Here, maybe if I hit you too, it’ll become clearer!” She charged her horn again, but Twilight beat her to the draw, hitting her with the force of a cannonball. She ran forward and hit Vesper again, then again, and again, and one more time for good measure. Vesper was embedded in the wall once more, only much deeper than last time.

Twilight slid to a stop in front of Celestia, her hooves soaking in royal blood. “Princess! Celestia! Celestia, please say something!” Tears dropped onto Celestia’s bloody face.

“Twi… Twilight,” Celestia croaked.

“I’m here. I’m right here.” Twilight leaned in closer.

“Please… Twilight. Save her… Save… her soul.”

“What?” She looked at Vesper, struggling to free herself.

Celestia opened a puffy red eye. “Luna… gone a thousand years. Alone. She was so alone. Nopony… deserves that punishment. I still… love her. Please… help her.” Celestia took a desperate gasp of air. “Don’t… let her suffer… anymore.”

“Get away from her!” Vesper launched herself at Twilight with jaws open wide. Twilight put a hoof on Celestia and teleported back to where her friends were gathered around Pinkie. “She’s mine!” Vesper bellowed. “Mine!”

Twilight looked at Celestia. “I’ll try, Princess. Rainbow, I need ten seconds of distraction time so I can wake Pinkie up… I hope.”

Rainbow gave a silent salute and tore through the air. Vesper threw several balls of fire at her, which she merely maneuvered around with resolved grace. A hoof then contacted with Vesper’s face, though it did no real damage. Rainbow, however, had moved out of Vesper’s direct line of fire and was circling around for another run.

Vesper spread her wings and jumped into the air, moving so fast she looked like she might have been teleporting. Rainbow paused for a second to glower at her, then followed her higher into the air at top speed. Vesper waited for Rainbow to get close, then weaved to the side and looped back around her. Her fiery mane acted on its own and reached out to grab Rainbow’s back leg.

Rainbow put in an extra burst of speed at the last moment, though the fire still managed to burn the bottom of her hoof where it instantly blistered. She yelped, and swung around to dive at Vesper.

Vesper ducked to the side, watching as Rainbow flew at top speed to the ground. She waited for Rainbow to crash, but no such thing occurred. She banked with a perfect one-hundred and eighty degree turn and skidded to a halt in front of her friends.

Vesper smiled to herself. “Fine then. I shall kill you all at once!” She threw her head back, a massive orb of fire building at the tip of her horn. “Goodbye, Mother!” She swung her head forward and threw the conflagration down—

—Only to have it disappear completely in a rainbow vortex.

Her eyes widened as the spinning rainbow reached for her and spiraled around her entire body. She could not even scream as the whole world went white.

Then, everything was black. She was crying. She felt so full, yet so very empty. She could see nothing, just darkness around her. She was falling through darkness at rapid speeds with everything fading away from her.

A burst of light came from somewhere above and a pony stretched a hoof out for her. “Sunset Shimmer, please, take my hoof!”

“Why? Why should I trust you?”

“You don’t want this for yourself. You don’t want to be locked away for eternity. Please, I can’t save your body, but I can save your soul!”

“Who says I want saving? Maybe this is what I want. This is what I deserve.”

“Nopony deserves this. Not even you.”

There was hesitation. She could feel the darkness pulling on her, dragging her to whatever would be her prison. The light was quickly fading. But why should she accept it? It had already shunned her, hadn’t it?

Then, there was a new voice: much more familiar; much more heavenly. “Sunset… my daughter… it’s time to go home.”

She reached for the light, ignoring the protests of the dark. It was warm. It was soothing.

“Rest now, Sunset Shimmer.”

And then, she was floating. She didn’t know where, for she could not see. She felt like she was being pulled upwards, yet, something weighed her down. She was not even sure if she wanted to go up. No, up was good. Up was rest and peace.

No, she could not go up yet. She had something she still needed to do. But what was it?

Anger and hatred bled into her. Revenge, yes, that was it! And as quickly as they came, the feelings were gone. No, she didn’t want revenge anymore. She wanted sleep.

But something was still weighing her down. She felt magic. It was colder than ice—colder than death. Then, there was something warm. It felt loving, harmonious. It felt like the wings of an angel.

Mother.

There was a flicker of unresolved hatred. And then, there was a will. Something drove her on. Something she needed to do. But it slipped out of her mind again. But she knew she needed to do it. She clung to that feeling. She was not ready to go up. She was not ready to be forgotten! She would carry on! Even if she had to start all over!

The warm magic burned white hot and began to take form. She felt herself grow less aware, but more real. Little by little, bit by bit, she returned, her soul burning brighter than ever.

A foal’s cry echoed throughout the room.

Sunset closed the book. No emotion ran through her, just a stark emptiness. A buzz like static echoed through her head, then she realized she could actually hear it buzzing around her, her state of mind affecting her dream. She made it stop, though she failed to get her mind or body to do much else.

“Sunset—” Luna’s soft voice cut out the static “—say something. I am here for you.”

Sunset didn’t speak right away. She kept staring at the words The End on the book cover. A lie, like many other things in her life.

Her second life.

Her illusion.

She let out a hollow laugh. “So… she was right… I was right. There really is only one Sunset Shimmer. Vesper Radiance… Sunset Shimmer…” Truth finally pulled its claws out of Sunset.

“We’re the exact same pony.”

Author's Note

Cerulean Voice and I went to town on this one! Man's a goddamn genius sometimes.

Chapter: XIX: The Phantom and the Hourglass

Chapter XIX: The Phantom and the Hourglass

The hollowness spread throughout her body, pulling everything in until nothing remained of her. Though, there had never really been anything there to begin with. She was just… just…

What was she?

She was Vesper Radiance. She knew that now. Maybe she had known all along. Maybe that’s why she felt so empty… so cold…

So alone.

“Sunset?”

Sunset started and blinked rapidly at the blurry ceiling. She sat up from her bed and looked over at Twilight, whose expression was more curious than concerned.

“Sorry, I couldn’t tell if you were awake. I’ve never seen such a blank look on a pony before.”

“No,” Sunset said lifelessly. “I’m awake. It’s fine.”

“Sunset, dear, you sound awful,” Rarity said from Sunset’s other side. She paused her mane brushing. “Did you get enough sleep last night?”

“Yeah, I got plenty.” She kept her eyes down on her blankets. She couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact with any of them. They had looked at her once—or maybe, they were going to look at her—with disdain, fear, loathing. For a brief moment, Twilight had hated her. Maybe she always had…

“Sunset, what’s the matter?” Twilight asked.

You know what the matter is, Sunset thought bitterly. She shook her head. No, Twilight… hadn’t done this. At least, not yet. But she will… she did. Sunset gripped her blanket, rubbing the warm cloth between her freezing hooves. She opened her mouth, but nothing escaped.

By now, everyone was awake and giving her a range of odd expressions: some tired, some confused and some worried. She needed to tell them. Luna had told her to confide in them. But where did she start? How did she tell them such a horrible truth when she was still processing everything herself?

The sucking hollowness returned, threatening to swallow her up again. It ate away at her, piece by piece, inch by inch. She needed to do something, anything to make it stop; say something, go somewhere, do something. The train’s walls were pressing in on her; everything seemed so small and condensed. She couldn’t breathe. Her chest constricted, trying to crush her heart. Thoughts screamed in her head.

She wasn’t a pony. She wasn’t anything. She was just… she was just…

“Sunset!”

Sunset snapped her head up, finding her friends gathered around her, along with a paper bag floating in front of her face. She snatched it and breathed deeply into it; the bag expanded and contracted with each sharp breath until her hyperventilation had passed. Even so, she kept it around her mouth, her stomach churning.

“Whoa, what was that all about?” Rainbow asked.

“You all right, sugarcube? Yer lookin’ mighty pale,” Applejack said with sisterly concern.

Sunset waited for the words to touch her tongue, but they caught in her throat and tumbled back down into her stomach. Instead, she removed her mouth from the bag and mumbled, “Food,” before staggering out of the bed. She paused for a moment to regain her footing as another spike of nausea stabbed through her. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for it to subside while her friends hovered close by, enough so that she could feel their individual body heat. They might have said something, but it was just static in Sunset’s ears.

When she regained her senses, she pushed past them, throwing compartment door after compartment door open until she reached the main exit and stumbled outside. She relished the morning air and the sun on her face as if feeling it for the first time. It was warm and vibrant and reminded her that she was alive.

It was snuffed out in a moment. The warmth was sucked away from her, leaving her cold and empty again. The black vortex at her center exploded forth, and Sunset stumbled a few paces forward before she dropped down and curled into a ball.

This can’t be happening. This can’t happening. I’m not a bad pony… no… no… I am… I’m the worst pony! I did it! It was all me! Everything was me! No, it wasn’t me… I don’t exist. I’m just… a phantom… But I still did it. Sunset Shimmer is Vesper Radiance… Vesper Radiance is Sunset Shimmer… we’re the same… I did it… I killed… I murdered…

“Sunset!”

She lifted her head; Twilight stood looking down at her, apprehension and disquiet in her piercing violet eyes. Eyes of a friend who cared for her. Eyes of a stranger who had replaced her. Eyes of a protector who had condemned her. Eyes of a princess who had lied to her.

Sunset hated those eyes. A flame amidst the cold, everlasting darkness rose up to overwhelm her. Latch onto it, a voice told her. Go on, hate her. This is all her fault in the end. But, no! This hadn’t been Twilight’s fault—it had been her own.

But when Sunset stared into those eyes, the flame of hatred shot out burning tongues, searching for more fuel to devour no matter how hard she tried to keep it down. Tell them, the rational part of her brain commanded. Tell them and it will all be better.

She opened her mouth once more and a faint gurgling noise came from within. “Breakfast,” she said suddenly, getting up again. “I’ll… I’ll tell you after breakfast! Is anyone else hungry? I know I sure am! Haha… ha… ha.” She looked around at all of them, her friends expressions mirroring Twilight’s.

With her head bowed, she walked off the platform and into the city of Tall Tale, hardly paying attention to the surrounding buildings. Her body seemed alien: tight, sluggish, and heavy. Her eyes narrowed, taking in the hourglass still hanging from her neck. It was such a constant now, almost a part of her. Was that the extra weight she was feeling—the timepiece?

Time.

Sunset had traveled through time not once, but twice. Forwards and backwards. The first time, she had jumped forward and created calamity and doom; the second, in an attempt to fix it. How would it end? Sunset was only sure, no matter how it all ended, it would bring naught but pain and sorrow for her.

Even now, pangs of regret and guilt and sadness plagued her every step, filling her hooves with lead. She supposed it was better than feeling nothing. Perhaps she was still equine somewhere deep inside, even if it was just a little bit.

Her friends’ whispers followed behind her, but she didn’t care. She would tell them soon. She needed to. They would know everything.

And they would hate her.

“We’re the same pony,” Sunset repeated, the words bouncing around in her skull.

“Yes… I suppose… fundamentally, you are.” Luna walked a circle around the table, her chin raised in thought. “Sunset, you may share a soul with her, but you have proven yourself to be quite different than your predecessor.”

Sunset said nothing.

“Still, it is a most interesting phenomenon. The perfect reincarnation of a body through a soul.”

“How exactly did it happen?” Sunset asked, a pointed edge to her voice.

Luna regarded her coolly then softened her expression. “Well, Sunset, all I have are theories, but I believe they are correct. Tell me, do you know of the creature that Vesper Radiance dueled with?”

Sunset shook her head.

Luna looked up at the skylight depicting the night above them. “It is of a most ancient species—some of the foulest creatures to walk the land. That one specifically was known as the Frostlich.” Luna paused, eliciting a nod from Sunset to go on. “Frostliches—well, all lich creatures—have a unique condition. Some call it a blessing, others call it a curse.They are immortal in the most literal sense of the word.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for example, look at the phoenix: it has a limited life span. When one reaches old age, they burst into flames to renew themselves and start again from young hatchlings. However, there are ways to kill a phoenix and ensure that its life cycle does not start anew. With the Frostlich, it does not renew its life after time. Nor does their immortality protect their bodies from the ravages of time. They simply continue to exist.”

“That… sounds horrible,” Sunset said.

Luna nodded. “Their bodies will decay, their minds will revert back to their most primal states, yet they will keep moving. You can run a sword through their heart or cut off their head, yet they will eventually rise again. They are just a soul operating a body, tethered to this world through their magic.”

A dark shadow crossed Luna’s face. “Vesper Radiance took that power for herself. She sought to make herself truly immortal, though I do not think she fully comprehended what that would entail.”

“Or, she didn’t care.”

“Yes, she may have thrown every last shred of reasoning out of the metaphorical door by then. Either way, she bound her soul to this world by creating a body that could not die. However, Twilight did something most unexpected with the Elements of Harmony.”

“Yeah,” Sunset said quietly. “Celestia asked her… she asked Twilight to save my… our soul.”

“Indeed. Perhaps it was because of Twilight’s desire to fulfill my sister’s wish, or because the Elements saw just how much pain you were in deep inside. Regardless, they performed an odd phenomenon and removed your soul from your body.”

“So the Vesper Radiance I saw…” Sunset thought back to the high pitched giggling, the floating sphere of darkness… the monster sitting on Canterlot’s throne. “She was just a soulless puppet.”

“More or less, yes. I assume she was merely acting on whatever lasting emotions had been imprinted on her before her soul departed. A reverse ghost, almost.”

They sat in silence for a time before Sunset said, “So, her soul—my soul—it had the magic of the Frostlich. So… it couldn’t really… go on, could it? But it couldn’t go back to its body either since it was sealed up.”

“Correct on both accounts—at least, according to my theory. The lost soul was constantly wavering between worlds, wanting to go on, but unable to do so. What Vesper Radiance attempted was something no pony—no creature has ever attempted to do or even research. It is practically impossible to go beyond speculation and guesswork.” Luna sat down across the table from Sunset. “I think it was not only the Frostlich’s magic keeping her here. She still had powerful emotions that she could not let go of.”

Sunset cringed and looked at her lap. “You mean her obsession with Celestia? Her hatred for Twilight?”

Luna’s silence gave her the answer she needed.

“So, without a body to go back to, the magic just… created a new one to inhabit?”

“That is the best guess I can give you,” Luna said. “Nopony has seen what happens to a lich creature when its body fully decays. Celestia and I thought we had locked them all in Tartarus long ago. Evidently, we were wrong.” She took a deep breath. “Your soul was already familiar with that particular body, so it sought to replicate it. Though, why you came back as a foal instead of as an adult is anypony’s guess. Perhaps there was simply not enough magic to restore you fully.”

“So then… my parents aren’t really…?” Sunset thought to the baby pictures sitting in her living room.

“You did not have a normal birth, Sunset. Twilight and Celestia must have entrusted you with a family, hoping you would have a better life…”

Sunset, head still bowed, ran straight into Rainbow and fell back on her rump. When she looked up, Rainbow narrowed her eyes.

“We passed, like, six different diners already. But you’re so caught up in la-la land, you couldn’t even hear us calling you.”

Sunset got up and looked at the small café they were outside of. “Sorry, I was… sorry.” Her eyelids drooped, and she took a step forward, only to have Rainbow stick a hoof out.

“Seriously, Sunset, what’s up? You look like somepony died.”

And then came back to life… only to have to die again. Sunset gently put Rainbow’s hoof down. “I promise I’ll explain after breakfast.”

Rainbow frowned, but raised no argument. None of them did. They walked inside, ordered a table, and sat down; Sunset chose the remote corner, as far away from Twilight as possible. They were all arranged snugly in a booth with a few extra chairs provided.

Just like Hoofington, Sunset thought. History repeats itself whenever it can. She stared vacantly at the menu. Her stomach growled for food, but she was not in the mood to eat. She wanted to curl up and go to sleep, to wake up in her mother’s embrace and hear that this was all just a bad dream.

Then again, those weren’t really her parents. She had killed her birth parents and been reincarnated purely from magic. Those were just her adoptive parents. And yet, Sunset loved them anyway. They had never known the truth about her, never been privy to whatever plan Twilight was hatching. They had just taken Sunset in and loved her as their own.

Would they still love me if they knew the truth? She looked around at the table, at her friends and repeated the question. Luna had told her to trust them, but would those feelings be reciprocated?

Sunset and Luna stood back in Sunset’s portion of the library, brighter than Vesper’s even with the thick grey clouds that stopped the sun from pouring through the skylight.

“I know this is hard for you to take in, Sunset,” Luna said gently.

“No, really?” Sunset couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice.

Luna ignored it. “But there is something you need to realize before you let the thought consume you. You and Vesper are not the same pony.”

Sunset looked up, thunderstruck. “You’re joking, right?” Her voice rose. “How can you sit there and say that with everything you’ve just seen? We’re the exact same pony! We share the same soul!” Sunset bit back a sob as the realization began to fully crash down on her.

“No, Sunset, that is just it. You may share a soul, but your experiences have made you different from each other in drastic ways. You understood something Vesper never grasped. You accepted friendship and true love.”

“That doesn’t create a big enough space to differentiate us! Everything she did, I did! I’ve stolen, killed—I’ve turned into a monster! I ended the world, Luna!”

Something glittery fell in front of Sunset, followed by another piece. She looked up to see pieces of the ceiling falling away, breaking into glittery shards as they came down. The walls were doing the same, as were the books and tables. She was waking up.

“Sunset—” Luna spoke with haste “—I am not telling you to disregard your past—I am telling you to not let yourself be defined by it. Yes, you have erred—grievously if I am to be honest. But, look at you now. Look at what you’re trying to do, what you’re trying to change. Remember that as well, for your friends will urge you to do the same.”

“What do you mean?” Sunset’s own voice sounded distant from her as the dream collapsed.

“You cannot keep this to yourself, Sunset. Such knowledge will drive you mad. You must confide in your friends.”

“They’ll hate me! I can’t! They’ll never accept—”

“Trust in your friends, Sunset!” Luna began to fade away. “Do not let your anger take you. Lean on your friends!”

Sunset ate her food slowly. The entire mood of the table was solemn, and she could feel Twilight’s eyes occasionally bore into her. She refused to meet them.

The food did not relieve the hollow feeling pervading her body. In fact, it only made her more aware of its existence. She put her fork down, feeling queasy.

“I thought you said you were hungry?” Twilight asked.

Sunset pushed her plate away, most of it still covered in fruit and hay. “I’m good now,” she grumbled. She watched the rest of them finish their meals, and with a guilt-laden promise from Twilight that they would pay the diner back later, they departed.

“All right,” Rainbow said, hovering right over Sunset. “It’s after breakfast, so fess up!”

“Indeed, Sunset," Rarity said. "You’ve got us all worried sick.”

“Yeah. Yeah, all right... just follow me.” Sunset kept walking down the street, looking for anything that she could use to stall for time. But Luna was right: holding this in was eating away at her, feasting on the remains of her very existence. It was now or never.

Tall Tale was closer to Canterlot in its structure, though it lacked any of the grand finesse that the capital had. Its buildings were tall, grey blocks placed at regular intervals. The streets were clean, yet they were not the polished cobblestones Sunset was so accustomed to. There was a large park with tall hills and even taller trees that Sunset found charming.

She led them to one of the taller hills. At the top sat a mighty oak tree, like a king surveying his kingdom. Sunset appreciated it before she noticed a flotilla of clouds riding up from the south as if to challenge the tree’s authority.

“They must be breaking up the storm I made in Hoofington and pushing it off,” Rainbow said, having followed Sunset’s gaze. It was only a temporary distraction though, for all eyes were on Sunset not a moment later.

“R-right. Yeah.” Her stalling was up. They were expecting some sort of story now, an explanation for her dreary mood. They who had not sinned. They who had not stained their past with blood and madness.

She looked back up at the oak tree and smiled for the first time that day. With her telekinesis, she reached up and pulled off some of the smaller branches. Like she had so long ago, back in Canterlot Park when she had told the story of her cutie mark, she fashioned miniature ponies from sticks and leaves. With a shaky breath, she began her tale.

Sunset kept her voice monotone, allowing the black hole to swallow up her emotions. She couldn’t bother with them now; the smile alone had taken up her energy.

“Once upon a time… there was a unicorn.” She held up the first of her craft, a small, crudely made stick pony with a horn. “She had been left by her parents at an orphanage when she wasn’t even a year old. And as the years went by, any pony she tried to get close to got adopted, while she stayed behind, always having somepony picked over her.” She levitated up a folded leaf. “So, she studied her books and magic, finding solace in them rather than interacting with other ponies.”

She recounted all that she had seen through her dreams: her acceptance from Celestia (her stick figure had longer legs and leafy wings), the tutelage she had received. Though her voice carried no emotion, her friends were hooked on every word. Their faces, however, remained grim, even Pinkie’s.

Maybe she already knows how this ends, Sunset thought when she took a pause in her story.

Twilight gasped loudly when Sunset brought in the figurine meant to represent Cadence. Sunset ignored her, too busy fighting down fury and disgust as she explain how Cadence came under Celestia’s supervision and the consequences it created for all of them.

Sunset was in two places at once. Her mouth moved and told the story, but her heart was waging a silent battle. Her emotions tried to crawl out of the black hole, but she refused to let them surface. They were not hers to begin with; the wound belonged to another pony.

But when she told them of how Celestia accepted the unicorn as her daughter, remorse and hatred escaped the pull of her heart and bled out in the bitterness in her voice. She didn’t register her friend’s cries of shock over the revelation; she just continued the story with a wavering voice.

It only shook more when Sunset reached what had happened to Cadence and the events that spiraled from there.

Sunset held up the figures of the princess and the unicorn facing each other. “They had an argument… lots of yelling… broken hearts…” Shards of pain spread forth and stabbed Sunset in the chest. She winced, but kept going. “When the princess saw the unicorn had no remorse for her actions, when she saw how desperate the unicorn was to be an alicorn… she dismissed her.” The princess turned and walked away from the unicorn.

“The unicorn was devastated, her sanity frayed. She hid in the castle in the Everfree, where she stumbled upon a spell that she thought would fix everything.” Sunset looked up from her little figures. “Can you guess what that spell was?”

Most of her friends shook their heads. Twilight, however, lifted two hooves to her mouth, her eyes swimming in her face.

“Time travel,” she whispered.

Sunset nodded. “She found a time spell. She was going to go back in time and stop her younger self from making any mistakes. But, the universe had other plans…” She could see the Sonic Rainboom going off and the force of the magic jerking her forward in time. Rainbow looked torn between impressed and guilty. Twilight simply looked mortified, hiding behind her bangs when Sunset reached the coronation.

“Well,” Sunset said, finding her monotone voice again, “you can imagine what that did to her. She vowed to get revenge one way or another. Soon enough, she discovered a way: the Dark Regalia. She stole the Alicorn Amulet from Zecora and learned about the Tempest Crown in the Cloudsdale Library. She faced no opposition that time.”

“What?” Rainbow held a hoof up. “But we were there. That’s when we all nearly fell out of the sky!”

Rarity put a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Yes, we were. But that was this time. She’s talking about what happened before. This is what happened in her timeline.”

Rainbow huffed. “I hate time travel.”

A smile flickered across Sunset’s face for the briefest moment until she resumed her story. Her voice trembled again when she spoke of the confrontation between Vesper and her parents, and what she did to them afterwards. She could hear the screaming in her ears, the pleas for mercy; the dark magic used to put false life into the corpses.

Sunset didn’t think the expressions on her friend’s faces could get any grimmer. Yet their mouths were carved into thin lines and their eyes were bent in silent mourning.

She moved on to finish the story: how Vesper collected the rest of the Dark Regalia and fought against the Frostlich waiting somewhere out in the frozen tundra. Sunset added crumpled wings to the unicorn, but she knew it didn’t do the monster justice. It was horror that couldn’t be replicated. Not true… I am its replication.

She raised six new ponies to stand in opposition to the monster, little pebbles around their necks save for the one at the front who was wearing a floral crown. Her pulse quickened as she described the final battle, the voice in her head screaming with rage as she relived her defeat again.

“They used the Magic of Friendship on her and sealed the monster’s body away in the mountain. But, they did something else with her soul.” Sunset drew together the moisture in the air and made a small bead of water that floated over the monster’s chest. “The princess couldn’t bear to see her daughter imprisoned for so long like her sister had been. So she pleaded to her faithful student to at least save the monster’s soul. The soul was spared imprisonment… but it didn’t depart this world.” Her magic trembled and gave out; all of her crafts fell to the ground.

“The magic the unicorn tampered with… it made it so that instead of dying… she was accidentally reborn many years later. She lost all of her memories. She was just a foal.” Sunset closed her eyes and pressed her teeth together. “A tool that could be used in case things went wrong. A weapon that needed watching in case it malfunctioned and she got her memories back. The foal was given to a welcoming family and masqueraded as their daughter.

“But it wouldn’t last. The illusion would end eventually. Before the monster had been sealed away, she struck one of the heroes with a curse that they were never able to lift.” Sunset looked up at Pinkie. “It sapped at her strength, slowly killing her every day until after fifty years, she finally gave up. And with only one seal on her prison broken, the monster escaped.”

She lifted her head to the sky, feeling the cold wind blow across her face, bringing the dark clouds closer. “You know the rest.”

No one said anything. Only the wind made any sound as it rustled the kingly oak, scattering leaves about. Sunset didn’t dare look back down at her friends. She couldn’t bear to see their faces, to see the scorn and hate and fear in their eyes.

She almost fell backwards as someone tackled her in a tight hug.

“P-Pinkie? What are you doing?” Sunset asked.

“I’m giving you a hug, of course,” Pinkie whispered.

Sunset sat rigid in her embrace. “Why?”

“Because you really need one.”

From the corner of her eye, Sunset could see everyone else moving in. She pushed Pinkie off and took a large step back. “Don’t you get it?” she hissed. “Don’t any of you get it? Don’t you understand who and what I am?”

Twilight took another step forward. “Sunset—”

“I am Vesper Radiance!” she bellowed. “It was me! It was always me! I killed my own parents, I cursed Pinkie Pie, I brought Celestia and Luna to their knees and I ended the world! Dead! All of them dead because of me!” She started hyperventilating again, her chest caving in, weighing as heavy as her thoughts.

“Th-that’s me… that’s who I was… who I am…” She pressed a hoof over heart, panting. “N-no… I shouldn’t even exist right now. I-I’m just a copy. Just a copy. It was a lie. Haha… it was all a lie.”

“Sunset, that isn’t true,” Twilight said firmly. “You aren’t just a copy. Your life is real, even… even if you are…”

Sunset’s breathing slowed and she focused her attention solely on Twilight. Just like in the throne room, magma began running through her veins, burning her entire body from the inside. “You…” The word tumbled out like lead. “This… this is all your fault.”

Twilight pinned her ears back. “What?”

“This is all your fault!” Sunset stomped a hoof against the grass. “You couldn’t have just imprisoned me, could you? It was funnier just to drag out my suffering! My existence is just one big joke to you, isn’t it?”

Twilight took a step back. “Sunset, I—”

“You never cared about me, did you? I was insurance in case things went wrong! I was never your friend—just your sacrificial lamb!”

“Sunset…”

A veil of tears coated Twilight’s eyes. Before Sunset could yell anymore though, Rainbow jumped in front of Twilight with her wings fanned out.

“Hey! What’s your deal? You can’t blame any of this on Twilight!”

“Why not?” Sunset bared her teeth. “It’s her fault! She’s the reason I came back to life! She’s the reason I came back in time! She’s the reason I… I…” Sunset’s voice faded out. A thick lump lodged itself in her throat, and tears stung at her eyes.

“But, you’re blaming Twilight for things that haven’t even happened yet,” Spike said.

Sunset rounded on him. “Haven’t happened for you! This is my past we’re talking about!” She snorted like a bull and smashed a back hoof into the tree, raining leaves down upon them. “I can’t believe I was so stupid! In both lifetimes! I can’t believe I listened to you! I trusted you, Twilight! And you sent me back without telling me anything, expecting me to kill my past self!”

Twilight gaped at her. “Who… who said anything about killing?”

“How else is this going to end? You think she’s just going to roll over even if you manage to pry the amulet from her neck? You think Celestia’s just going to let her walk away after everything she’s done—after everything I’ve done? There’s only one way for this to end, Twilight—she has to die! The Dark Regalia must be destroyed! And then I… I…”

A white-hot iron pressed against Sunset’s heart and she grabbed her chest, doubling over as the pain shot through the rest of her body.

Do you see the truth now, Sunset? a voice screeched inside her head.

“No… go away,” Sunset moaned. The burning increased; her vision blurred, the ponies in front of her distorting to messy outlines.

Your sad life is forfeit. That is, if you choose to keep helping them. Let me have control again, Sunset Shimmer. Let me help us to survive!

“Gaaaaaah!” Sunset shut her eyes, thrashing her head back and forth. “No! No, no, no!”

“Sunset!”

Her friends tried to step closer, but Sunset’s horn flared and a barrier pushed them all back.

“Stay away from me!” she screeched. The flames within her intensified, and she gasped loudly, trying with all her might not to scream.

Yes! That’s it! Go on and hate her! Hate all of them! Hate all of them with all your heart and soul! The more you hate, the stronger I get; I’ll have my body back, whether you give it willingly or not!

Sunset blocked the voice out with tremendous effort, taking several deep breaths. Against the heat, she focused on her parents and her old friends, ponies she didn’t—couldn’t—hate. The fire quelled to embers, and she opened her eyes to see seven apprehensive faces looking at her.

There they were: the looks Sunset knew she would receive eventually. Tears found their way to the corners of her eyes and she looked at the ground. “I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell like that… I—”

“Oh, but that was my favorite part.”

Sunset jerked her head upwards, finding the past version of herself lazily reclining across a tree branch. Sunset felt her hatred return, though it didn’t burn her as it had before.

Vesper rolled off the branch and fell to the ground between Sunset and the rest of her friends, slowing to a graceful stop just before she touched the ground.

“You!” Rainbow spread her wings and lunged for her.

Vesper vanished with a quick flash, leaving Rainbow to slam head first into Sunset, both of them careening back into the tree.

“Really,” Vesper said in a monotone voice after reappearing, “are you going to try that every time we meet?”

Sunset shoved Rainbow off and stood up, shaking the leaves from her mane. “What do you want?” she said, fire spitting from her mouth.

“I just came to talk,” she said, her tongue laced with poisoned honey. “Honest this time. No schemes, just a conversation.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Twilight said, her horn charged.

“Believe what you will, but for once, I’m not here to talk to you, o Princess.” Vesper locked eyes with Sunset. “I’m here to talk to Sunset Shimmer.”

“And why would I ever listen to you?”

“Because I’m you. Or rather, you’re me—you came second after all. Not as good as the original, but still valuable to some degree.” Vesper smiled. “Yes, I heard your entire tale, and somewhere inside of me, I knew you were telling the truth.” She stepped closer, widening her smile. “My own reincarnation. How fascinating. Truly, it’s as if the universe wants me—wants us to win.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes. “You make it sound like I’m going to help you.”

“And why wouldn’t you?” Vesper said silkily. “Come now, Sunset Shimmer—we’re the same pony. Why wouldn’t you help yourself to glory?”

“We’re not the same pony!” Sunset roared, like her volume could drown out the lie.

Vesper continued to smile. “Don’t try to fool yourself, Sunset. We’re nearly identical, inside and out. I just happen to be better.”

Rainbow put a wing around Sunset. “Liar! You guys may look the same, and maybe she’s your reincarnation or whatever, but she’s way better than you!”

“She’s still got a moral compass!” Applejack shouted from behind Vesper.

“Moral compass?” Vesper raised an amused eyebrow. “Really? Then how do you explain what happened to poor Carrow?”

Sunset’s heart froze. The memory of the griffon’s eyes going dull and the needle of rock piercing his heart flowed back into her mind. “How… how do you…?”

Rainbow tightened her wing around Sunset’s shoulders. “What’s she talking about?”

“I-I kinda—I accidentally killed…” Sandpaper rubbed against Sunset’s tongue. “Tha-that was different! That was self-defense! I—he tried to kill me first!”

“Killing in self-defense still sounds like murder to me,” Vesper said, playing with the front lock of her hair—the same lock Sunset had sliced off herself the day before. “Admit it: you even got a rush from it. Part of you enjoyed making him suffer.”

“I-I didn’t.” Sunset’s breath quickened as her chest squeezed against her heart again. I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t like killing him. Even if he did deserve it. Even if they all deserved it. Her pupils dilated, her mind already tracing the end of that train of thought. Anger bubbled through her again, and she pushed Rainbow’s wing off.

“Shut up!” She launched a fireball at Vesper, who teleported again, allowing the blaze to continue on towards the others.

“Whoa!” Twilight threw up her shield just before the fire could touch her.

Sunset was about to apologize when a voice whispered in her ear. “See? Feels good to let your anger go, doesn’t it?”

She whipped her head around, wildly throwing another fireball into empty air. It sailed across the park—startling several picnickers—but extinguished itself before reaching them.

Vesper reappeared on Rainbow’s other side. “Deep down inside, you’re feeling everything I’ve felt. I know you are.”

Sunset twisted and fired again, forcing Rainbow to drop to the ground.

“Sunset, watch where you’re throwing those things!” she yelled, the shot singeing the tips of her mane as it passed overhead.

Sunset ignored her, shooting again when Vesper appeared next to Rarity and said, “Just because you think you had a mommy and daddy who loved you—”

Fwoosh!

“—to everyone else, you’re expendable—”

“Shut up!” Fwoosh!

“—You were an accidental burden no one wanted. That’s why the princess tried to get rid of you—”

“Shut up, shut up!” Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

“—You’d be better off joining me, Sunset. I can give you a future. I can give a better purpose. Because I know you know how this is going to end—”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

“—The truth is, you don’t have any friends! You don’t have any family! Everything you are is borrowed and copied! You’re a poor, doomed replica destined to die! Hahahaha—”

Wham!

Sunset halted her attack, eyes wide and mouth open. Her friends—now scattered across the hillside from dodging her fireballs—copied her expression as they all stared in fixed awe.

“Shut. Up,” Fluttershy said coldly, her hoof still raised.

Vesper stood rooted in place, her head turned slightly to the side, her cheek bearing a fresh red splotch.

“Sunset Shimmer isn’t a replica. She isn’t anything like you! She has friends and family who care about her! She has a good heart and is trying to do the right thing! She isn’t destined to die—she’s destined to beat you and help fix everything you’ve messed up!”

A crooked smile made its way back to Vesper’s face. “Naive simpleton. You don’t get it, do you?” She whipped around, her silver dagger flashing through the air, striking at Fluttershy’s throat.

Sunset was faster; the dagger struck a blue shield an inch away from Fluttershy, who—for her part—had not flinched.

“Don’t you dare,” Sunset growled, now standing next to Fluttershy.

Vesper laughed and retracted her dagger. “You still want to try and play the hero? You’re a lot of things, Replica, but you’re no hero. Why defend them now? You’re going to kill them later anyway.”

The brief calm Fluttershy had given Sunset was gone. Like the gathering storm overhead, black clouds swirled around Sunset’s heart. She made a mad lunge at Vesper.

Vesper merely jumped back and laughed again. “Awww, do you hate me, Replica? Or do you hate yourself?”

Sunset fired a jet of light, but Vesper was already gone. “Come on then, Sunset Shimmer! Come after me!”

“Sunset, no!”

Sunset could not ignore the laughter in her ears. Without even looking back at Fluttershy, she teleported.

She reappeared in what appeared to be a market square. Stalls and carts laden with fruits and jewelry surrounded her in the cross-section of four streets. Ponies jumped at her initial appearance, but paid her no mind afterwards. She jerked her head around for any sign of Vesper.

“Where are you, you unholy—”

A screech came from above her, Sunset’s only warning before she saw the inferno swooping down at her. She grabbed it with her magic and hurled it back at the source, ignoring the screaming around her. The fire struck the roof of a tall building, catching it ablaze.

Sunset scanned the rooftop, but found no trace of Vesper. She brought her eyes down to the panicking crowd. Through them, she caught the tail end of a black cloak vanishing down the north road. Sunset gave chase, shoving ponies who stood in her path.

Stupid ponies! Get outta my way so I can get a clear shot! She materialized a net and threw it over the bustling crowd, but she only managed to snag an elderly fruit vendor. She did not pause to help untie him.

The ponies learned to get out of her way after that, but Sunset still refused to use anything lethal without worrying about injuring somepony.

Who cares? Just do it! What’s one injury to getting what you want?

Sunset tried to close the gap with a teleport, but when she came out of warp, Vesper had vanished again. She raised her head to the heavens and let out a short yell, cut off when her peripheral vision caught a fiery mane moving atop one of the buildings.

“Get back here!” Sunset yelled. She teleported up, finding Vesper running across the rooftop. Sunset gave chase, throwing an inky black coil at Vesper’s hooves.

Vesper jumped, and a sudden strong gust of wind propelled her to the next roof over. With the moisture in the air, Sunset crafted an ice bridge over the gap between buildings and skated across it, throwing more fire all the while.

All her shots missed or were blocked by Vesper’s shields. She only returned fire occasionally, though her conflagrations were much larger and hotter than Sunset’s.

She pressed on, a dull ache throbbing in her wounded shoulder. With a growl of frustration, Sunset teleported in front of Vesper and struck with a vertical wave of energy that left a rut in the stone roof. Vesper dove to the side and off the building into the alley below. Sunset teleported behind her and with a pulse of hatred, summoned black needles from the alley walls to bar Vesper’s passage.

Vesper tried to jump through as they extended, only to have her shoulder pierced by one. Before she could pull it out, another one stabbed her opposite shoulder. Both needles slid up the wall, hoisting Vesper into the air above Sunset.

Black smoke clung to the corners of Sunset’s eyes as she observed Vesper with a voracious smile. “No more running for you.”

Vesper grimaced, trying to move her shoulder. But as Sunset stepped closer, she put on a wry smile. “Oh, are you going to kill me, Sunset? Do you have the guts to do it?”

Another needle extended from the far wall and stabbed Vesper in the foreleg. She let out a silent scream before bursting into laughter. “You, you’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, little replica? Killing your past self? I’m honestly more amused than terrified right now.”

“You should be scared!” Sunset shouted. “I’m going to tear you limb from limb and enjoy every second of it!”

Vesper grinned. “That sounds like something I would do. See? We are one and the same.”

“We are not!” Sunset stabbed Vesper in the opposite arm, and watched the blood drip down onto the alley floor.

Her blood.

The same blood.

Sunset staggered back, bumping against the wall. What was she doing? I’m… killing myself. The same pony… we are the same pony. But… she needs to be stopped. She… I… we…

“I know you’ve figured it out, Sunset.” Vesper’s words drifted into her ears like a fine mist. “You’re smarter than those filthy ponies you try to guard yourself with. You know what happens if I lose, if destiny is not carried out as has already been written. Do you want that for yourself? I’ll give you a future, Sunset. A better future. We’ll rule Equestria—we’ll rule the whole world! That is our destiny.”

“Sunset!”

Both turned to Twilight, racing down the alleyway.

“Or,” Vesper said, “you can perish with the rest of them. The choice is yours.”

Before Twilight could reach them, Vesper’s horn glowed and she vanished in a red light, leaving the black, blood-stained needles behind.

Twilight doubled over when she came to a halt before Sunset. “What… happened?” she panted. “You just… disappeared.”

Sunset looked blankly at the wall before she regarded Twilight. “I chased after Vesper Radiance. I had her until you interfered.” The fire inside her lit up again. “You always interfere.”

Twilight straightened up. “What do you mean? What did I interfere with?”

“Really?” Sunset glared at Twilight. “I just told you the whole story, and you’re asking ‘why?’ Vesper was right—you are stupid.”

“What?” Twilight teetered back like she had been sucker-punched. “Sunset... what are you…? Please, just talk to me.”

“Talk to you? I already did that! I just found out that I’m the reincarnation of the most evil creature to walk the face of the earth and the rest of my existence is meaningless!”

“Sunset, that’s not true.”

“Not true?” Sunset yelled. “You still don’t understand! My life—my entire existence—not only is it just borrowed, it’s founded on circumstance! Circumstances you asked me to change! And you had the gall to ask me to forgive you?” She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the image of Twilight being dragged up into the sphere of darkness from her mind. “Never. Not in this lifetime, and if I should be so lucky, not in the next one.”

Twilight’s eyes waded in tears. “Are you saying… that if we stop Vesper… you’ll die?”

Sunset threw her head back and laughed. “Die? I wish! Dying means I might go somewhere! If Vesper Radiance loses—if she dies or if the Dark Regalia is destroyed, I don’t die—I cease to exist!”

The words bounced through the alleyway and up into the bleak sky. A single tear of rain came down and splashed on Sunset’s forehead. “We are the same pony,” she said wearily. “That’s the proof right there. My destiny is tied to hers.”

That was the hollowness eating away at her. Her own, frail mortality being pulled into oblivion.

“Nothing," she said softly. "That's my fate: to become nothing. Death would actually be a mercy now.”

“No,” Twilight whimpered. “No, that can’t be right. You-you exist—you’re right here! You can’t just not exist anymore! That’s… that isn’t possible.” Her eyes pleaded with Sunset. “That isn’t possible, right?”

“Starswirl’s time spell was supposed to rewrite what had previously happened. The ultimate redo spell. So you tell me if it isn’t possible. We’re one soul, recycled. If her soul never reincarnates into me… well then, that’s that. It’s over.”

Twilight started to pant again, her face contorted with hopeless fear. “Then we’ll… we’ll just re-hide the Regalia and lock Vesper up… or, or, we’ll ask Celestia for the Elements of Harmony and hit her with them and—”

“Because that worked so well the first time!” Sunset shook her head. “Stop. Just stop it. Stop pretending you care about me.”

Twilight raised a hoof. “Sunset, I do care—”

“No, you don’t! If you cared, you never would have put me through this! You wouldn’t have gambled with my existence! You would have just left me in one piece instead of splitting me up and then making me go and kill myself twice!” Sunset shook her head again. “But no, this is just punishment to make me pay for my sins, isn’t it? Revenge for what I did or what I’m going to do. Raise me up and then tear me down.”

Hatred pulsed within her soul again, and a voice hissed, Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Sunset pushed it down with strenuous effort.

“Sunset, that isn’t true! None of it’s true,” Twilight cried. “I would never do anything like that! You’re my friend!”

“I wasn’t your friend the first time around, was I? I was just a villain who needed to be stopped—who hurt your mentor and best friend.”

Twilight’s voice shook. “Please, Sunset, stop this. It’s not true. I care about you now, and I know I cared about you back then.”

Sunset looked at the pain on Twilight’s face, but nothing stirred in her heart—nothing but the aching truth and the emptiness devouring her. “I don’t believe you. I just don’t. Not anymore.”

All of her memories with Princess Twilight—every happy moment, every great lesson, every laugh, even every scolding—Sunset banished them to the farthest corner of her heart, hoping the pain wouldn’t reach her from there.

Lies. That’s all they are now. Lies of a false reality.

She couldn’t stand being in Twilight’s presence any longer. She took a deep breath and walked in Twilight’s direction, heading for the mouth of the alley. “I’ll meet you at the station later.” Sunset didn’t know where she was going, she just knew it had to be away from here.

She stopped at Twilight’s shoulder and bowed her head low. This time, the anger came to her not hot and erupting like a volcano, but cold and piercing. The words sat in her mouth, a sword ready to be unsheathed. She rested her tongue between her teeth and bit down hard, but she could not stop the words from being drawn as she thrust them into Twilight’s heart.

“I hate you.”

She didn’t wait to see if Twilight would fight back, if she would counter in any way. Sunset kept walking, feeling tiny droplets of rain prick at her coat. Twilight made no move to follow her, though Sunset was sure she heard a sniffle as she left.

Sunset took the longest route possible back to the park she had started at. Whether consciously or not, she couldn’t say. With hooves clad in iron, she came to rest at the edge of the pond. The rest of the park was empty, a result of her earlier display of pyromancy. She found small solace in the silence. She could barely contend with the emotions swirling inside her alone; she didn’t need an audience.

She had repeated it all in her head: everything that she had learned, everything that she knew. She had said it out loud, but it still didn’t feel real. It wasn’t fair—it just wasn’t fair. Luna had been wrong. Telling her friends had not made her feel better. In fact, their support only made her feel worse. She wanted to cling to life even more desperately now. But it was because of them that she couldn’t seek a way out. Following any other path than what was laid in front of her would be selfish.

Sunset gnashed her teeth together. “That’s why you gave me all those friendship lessons, isn’t it? That’s why you wanted me to be your student. To get me to care. To get me to be selfless and want to help my friends. Well, I hope you’re happy, princess, it worked! I care too much to walk away! I care too much…”

So many faces flashed in her mind: friends and family and ponies she didn’t even know, but had seen so many times. They were all doomed if she didn’t help—if she didn’t make a sacrifice that would cost her everything.

How did one simply cease to exist? Where would she go? Was Twilight right? Was there a possibility that she could still exist?

Sunset shook her head. She knew it was a foolish wish. There was no point in clinging to such a faint hope. She would stop Vesper Radiance. She would stop herself.

And she would vanish into the aether.

Leaning over the water, she took in her reflection like it was the last time she would see it. For so many years, she thought it had been her own. Now she understood that was only half true. The rippling face looked back at her, lines of defeat carved in her cheeks and hopelessness in her eyes. The pony before Sunset looked like she had already lost the battle.

Her face twisted and sneered at her. What’s the matter, Sunset? You don’t like the truth?

Sunset struck out and slapped the water, snarling in disgust, while the reflection just laughed.

How does it feel to know your hero lied to you all these years? You’re nothing more than a shadow! An echo across time! The real you is right: everything about you is borrowed. You poor, poor little hand-me-down.

“Shut up! I’m not a hand-me-down! I’m a pony! I am a pony!”

You’re a scapegoat!

Sunset pressed her hooves against her ears, but it did nothing to drown out her shadow’s laughter. She was more than just an accident; she was more than just a reincarnation; she was more than just a scapegoat… she had to be. She was more than just a recycled life, a phantom so full of hatred she forced herself to be born again… wasn’t she?

But no matter how many times she repeated it, it never stuck. She wasn’t her own pony. Everything she owned was borrowed from her previous, twisted life. Even her very soul was just something borrowed.

Her soul.

She could feel it writhing and seething with anger, hate and sorrow. How much of it was hers and how much belonged to the other Sunset? How much was just emotion carried over? Or did it even matter? Right then and there, Sunset could take all of it for herself. Her life had been nothing more than a half-truth at best—a private joke for Princess Twilight.

Sunset reached down for her hourglass and ripped the cord from around her neck. She placed it in one hoof and leaned back, ready to throw it as far as she could into the pond. It meant nothing now. She could never return home, for there was nothing to go back home to. Her destiny had been sealed the second she had left. Or maybe it had been sealed the moment she had been born.

The hourglass sat in her hoof, waiting to be thrown. Sunset gritted her teeth, tensing every muscle in her foreleg. She held that position for eons, growing more and more determined to be rid of the horrid machination. But it never left her grip.

Sunset brought it down and hugged it tight against her chest, warm tears falling on top of its golden plates. “I can’t do it, I can’t, I just can’t,” she sobbed. She hated the stupid hourglass so much... It was nothing more than an empty promise now. Yet it was the last thing she had of her old life, her last link to normalcy.

She watched the sand fall down into the bottom half. That was her. She was the bottom bulb and Vesper was the top. Everything that had been Vesper’s fell into hers. Only her friends and family had belonged strictly to Sunset.

That was it. Her mom and dad, her friends; those were the only things she could claim as her own. And she had been forced to give them up. She would have to create a future where she never existed and they never got to know her. They would forget about Sunset Shimmer.

Raindrops fell out of the stony sky in earnest now, finally picking up into a heavy drizzle. Sunset didn’t care. She sat in her spot in the grass, clutching the hourglass to her barrel like it would try to run away. The rainwater merged with her tears and soaked her face while her mane stuck to her cheeks in thick ropes.

She took small comfort knowing that those tears were hers alone.

Chapter XX: Something to Die For

Rain came down in buckets, drenching all those caught in it to the bone. Ponies zigged and zagged around each other for cover or huddled close underneath umbrellas.

Twilight watched them scurry around the platform from the window of the train. A cloud of steam would occasionally drift by the window, and each time she grew more anxious.

“You… you don’t think she ran away, do you?” she heard Fluttershy whisper.

“’Course not,” Applejack said. “Sunset wouldn’t do somethin’ like that…. Ah hope."

“Applejack is right,” Twilight said in a small, quivering voice. “She’ll come back.”

The eyes of her friends were on her, but Twilight couldn’t give them any answers. It took all of her willpower not to break down again and sob into her pillow. A knife stabbed at her heart and cut deeper every time those words played in her head.

“I don’t die—I cease to exist!”

“I hate you.”

Hate. One of her friends hated her. It hurt worse than disappointment or betrayal. Worse than any spell ever thrown at her. It was a concept she had always feared. But now that it was played out in reality, the pain devastated Twilight more than anything she could have imagined.

Steam snaked by the window again, and the train quivered in anticipation.

Twilight looked over her shoulder to her friends scattered about the compartment. Rainbow and Fluttershy looked out the windows. Pinkie watched the door. Applejack paced the carpet. Rarity and Spike spoke in hushed tones on the cot across from her.

Twilight smiled, then bit her lip until the tears stopped. She couldn’t imagine her life without any of them in it. They had all fought in the past; no friendship was perfect. Discord had almost driven them apart with his magic. Yet even then, none of them had said they hated the other.

None of them had ever been in peril of fading from existence.

And Sunset pinned it on her. Her fate was Twilight’s fault. Twilight had sat in the alley, Sunset’s words washing over her like the falling rain. She tried to tell herself that Sunset had just been lashing out and didn’t mean it. It had been a heated moment, nothing more.

But the despair in her voice when she uttered those words… Sunset had meant it. She had thrown as much pain and hate into those words as she could.

Twilight clutched her heart; the pain cut another deep incision. Outside, steam constantly drifted by, and the train trembled continuously.

Maybe she isn’t going to come. Maybe she thought it would be better to just run away. Twilight knew Sunset was brave, but having to look not just one’s mortality but one’s very existence in the face…. Part of her wanted to be mad, but she couldn’t entirely blame Sunset if she had run away.

No! She’s better than that! She’ll come... and then what? Twilight slumped her shoulders and watched a few stray tears fall onto her pillow. Sunset would probably still hate her if she did show up. And they would all ride off to find the Obsidian Hoofguards and stop Vesper Radiance once and for all.

Then, Sunset would disappear.

Twilight thought it over with her knowledge of time-travel theories. There were several ideas of what could happen if you changed the past, many of them written by Starswirl himself. Sunset’s idea was that any direct meddling to her existence would end said existence. Thinking over her story, Twilight believed she might be right.

Her entire existence was circumstantial. If they destroyed the Dark Regalia, the Elements of Harmony would never have to be used, and if they were never used, Sunset’s soul would never be separated from her body. The same would be true if Vesper never absorbed the power of the Frostlich, making herself immortal. Worse of all, if it really came down to killing Vesper off, Sunset’s link to this world would be gone for certain.

Twilight grappled with the conundrum but came up with no solution. She pressed her muzzle against the window, her breath fogging up the glass. She had known the possibility existed where she would have to say goodbye to Sunset. She was from the future, and Twilight thought it might be possible for her to go home when everything was said and done. But she took comfort in knowing she had such a wonderful student to look forward to in a few years time.

The idea that another version of herself had merely used Sunset in a plan to save the world turned her stomach. No matter how bad things got, Twilight knew she would never willingly sacrifice her friends like that. That’s what they had been: friends. It was something Twilight believed with all her heart. They had been great friends in the future, and they were great friends now. She had felt that bond during their time together.

Twilight had found an intellectual and magical equal. Even though she had only known Sunset for less than a week, she felt like they had been together her entire life. It was like her first trip into the Everfree Forest with her five friends. At the end of the journey, she realized just how powerful friendship was and how much she had already come to care and appreciate them.

She shared that same spark with Sunset. Only this time, Twilight wasn’t sure a spark would fix everything.

There’s no problem friendship can’t fix, a voice whispered to her. Twilight wanted to believe it. But when pitted against time and space itself, maybe friendship just wasn’t enough.

The train lurched forward. A bell whistled outside, and the platform slid out of view. Twilight wiped the fog off the window and tried to scan the crowd one last time for a hint of crimson and gold, but to no avail. The rain muddled everything until the world was a runny painting.

“I don’t believe it,” Rainbow said, pushing herself away from the window. “She… she ran away.” She jumped over and landed on Twilight’s bed. “Come on, Twi! Tell us what happened out there! I know you ran into her after she chased that psychopath, so spill the beans!”

Twilight kept her back to Rainbow. Could she tell them that Sunset wasn’t coming? Was it her place? They deserved to know the fate of their friend, didn’t they?

The compartment door slammed open. Every head turned; Sunset stood there, soaking wet and shivering. Her eyes were bloodshot, and the hourglass floated by her side.

“Sunset, dear, we were worried sick!” Rarity said. She grabbed a spare blanket and held it out to Sunset. “And you’re positively soaking wet. Aren’t you freezing?”

“Very.” Sunset pushed the blanket away. “But at least I can feel it. At least I’m alive.”

Her grim tone was enough to keep everyone at bay as she walked across the compartment and exited to the caboose.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy whispered.

“She must be taking her connection to Vesper really hard,” Spike said.

Twilight got up and followed the trail of water Sunset left behind to the caboose door, pausing with her hoof on the handle. She needed to try. Sunset was still her friend, even if Sunset didn’t think so. Twilight pulled the door open, flinching as the cold rain sprayed against her coat. Still, she pressed on.

Sunset rested her head on the railing, watching Tall Tale fade into the mist. She could feel the train moving faster than its previous trips. The world melded together quicker than before, so that she couldn’t see the space between the trees. Sunset guessed they were trying to make up for lost time. That was fine with her. The quicker this was all over, the better.

She squeezed a hoof against the cold metal bars. No. I don’t want to fade away! I want to live! I want to exist!

Then you should give in to me. Go help your past self and you can live forever!

Shut up!

“Sunset, can we talk?”

Sunset flared up at the voice behind her, and she whipped her head around. “Tell me, Twilight, what do you want to talk about?” she shouted. The wind carried her voice away. “I think we’ve both got a fine grasp on things, don’t you?”

Twilight’s ears fell back, but she stood her ground. “I know you’re mad at me. I know you’re mad at a lot of things right now—”

“Mad doesn’t begin to describe how I feel.”

“I know, I know. And… I know that you… hate me. But I want you to know that I’m still here for you. I’m still your friend, whether you believe me or not. And I know that out there, somewhere, is a way to keep you from… disappearing.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes. “Don’t get either of our hopes up, Twilight. I’ve been crushed enough today. I’ve been crushed enough for two lifetimes.”

Twilight reached a hoof out. “Please, let’s just—”

Sunset slapped it away and turned back to the blurred scenery. “Please, Twilight, just… leave me alone.”

After a beat of silence, the door opened again and banged shut. Sunset stood alone on the small balcony, shivering uncontrollably.

She enjoyed feeling everything that wasn’t pain and sadness. But perhaps she had spent a little too much time in the rain. She conjured a bubble around the caboose and created a small floating flame to keep close to her. It burned bright, and while it provided her body warmth, her heart still felt cold.

“Empty hope,” she growled. “The last thing I need.”

Sunset mindlessly watched the flame hover up and down in a lonely dance, its gentle sway hypnotizing her into relaxing her shoulders and even her breathing.

“Sunset?”

Her relaxation broke. She spun her head around, prepared to forcefully repel Twilight if she had too, only to find Pinkie standing there with a sheepish smile.

“I’m really sorry if you wanted to be alone, but I was just really worried about you.” She took a tiny step back. “But I’ll leave if you want.”

“No, no, it’s fine, Pinkie. You can stay,” Sunset said, easing from her aggressive position. She scooted over to give Pinkie some room on the balcony.

“Oooh, it’s really toasty out here!”

“Yeah, I put up a forcefield to keep the rain out.” Sunset reached forward and poked the invisible barrier. It flashed blue for a second, then faded away.

“Neat!” Pinkie said with a hop. “But why didn’t you just come inside?”

“I don’t feel like it.”

Pinkie stared at her with bright, blue eyes. Her smile was small, but it was still there. “You know, Twilight’s worried about you—we all are.”

“Twilight’s the reason I’m in this mess in the first place,” Sunset said bitterly.

“That isn’t fair, Sunset,” Pinkie said, keeping her voice light but stern. “You can’t blame Twilight for all of this.”

“Why not?” Sunset growled. “Past, present, future—what does it matter? She’s the reason I’m living this lie. I’m not a pony, Pinkie. I’m just… just a clone.” Sunset bowed her head. “Just a replica.”

“Well… what’s wrong with being a clone?” Pinkie asked.

“What?”

Pinkie poked at the floor with a sullen look. “A few months ago, I found a magic pool that makes copies of you. I used it…”

Sunset remembered Princess Twilight telling her this tale: a lesson in making choices instead of trying to do everything at once.

Pinkie continued. “For the most part, it looked like they just wanted to have excessive amounts of fun, which is what I wanted when I made them. But when Twilight sent them back, I started wondering if maybe there was more to them… if they were really their own pony.”

“Pinkie, I…” Sunset was unsure how to properly respond.

“Okay, so maybe you’re kinda a copy of somepony else.” Pinkie lifted her head and smiled. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be a copy. You’re you.”

Sunset opened her mouth to counter, but Pinkie beat her. “You two are two totally different ponies, even if you do have the same soul. She’s all, ‘grr, I hate everyone.’ But you’re all nice and friendly and a smarty-smart pants, like Twilight.”

Sunset’s eye gave a subtle twitch.

Pinkie looked to the sky for a moment, trying to find more words. “It’s almost like… if your soul had a soul. You’d have a totally different soul from Vesper.” Pinkie placed a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. “What I’m trying to say is: just be you.”

“Pinkie, I appreciate that, but…” Sunset gently brushed her hoof away. “Me is just a—”

“No.” Pinkie shook her head. “Be you. As you are right now. Not as who you were or who you think you'll be—be the good you that you know you want to be.”

Sunset tried to make sense of the words in her head. As odd as they were, perhaps there was a grain of truth somewhere in them.

Be the me I want to be. Does it matter that I’m a reincarnation?

Of course it does! Remember: you’re a worthless scapegoat marked for complete oblivion! That won’t change no matter who you pretend to be.

Sunset bit her tongue. As much as she loathed to admit it, she had a point. It didn’t matter who she was in the end…

“Pinkie, did Twilight tell you anything about what happened after I ran off?” Sunset asked slowly.

“No. She just came back super sad.” Pinkie frowned. “Why? Is something else wrong?”

Sunset pretended to be interested in the flame. So you didn’t tell them, Twilight? Sunset was in no mood to be grateful to Twilight for anything. But she silently thanked her for keeping quiet about the conversation in the alley.

Pinkie was still giving her full attention to Sunset. Her body leaned forward, like she was ready to spring forward and give Sunset a hug at a moment’s notice.

I can’t tell you, Pinkie. I just can’t. You all care too much. We need to focus on the task at hoof, and if I told you what was going to happen to me at the end of this… But she knew Pinkie was persistent. She would do anything to make her friends happy. She would wait forever for a decent answer.

Sunset ran a hoof through her mane. “Pinkie, what if the me I want to be.... What if…” She sighed. “Let’s say, hypothetically, that the you you wanted to be had to pay a price—had to do something really hard in order to be a better pony—in order to keep the things she cared about safe.”

Pinkie tilted her head to the other side, humming softly. “A price to pay to keep everyone safe? Like, I could never eat cake again? Or throw a surprise party?”

“Uhh. Sure, why not?”

“Well, if it meant everypony I knew would be happy, then yes, I’d pay it.” Pinkie smiled again and bobbed her head. “That’s the me I know I’d want me to be.”

Sunset eyed her carefully. “And if it was something more personal than not eating cake or throwing parties?”

“Then I’d still do it!” Pinkie said proudly. “No matter what.”

“I see…” Sunset stared into the flame. An image of Canterlot burning and crumbling surfaced in her mind. No matter what… ponies say that a lot, but when you’re actually faced with that decision…

Pinkie eyes held an unexpected amount of wisdom. “Sunset… what price do you have to pay?”

Damn… she’s good. Sunset fiddled with her hooves. “I…. When all of this is over, I…” Maybe I should just tell her. “Pinkie…”

“What?”

“I’ll…” Sunset looked down at her hourglass leaning against the rail; the fire made it glow in a majestic light and turned the gold beads into rubies. “I can’t go home, Pinkie,” she said quickly, swallowing her emotions down. “I’ll never be able to go home. That’s why I don’t want to be me. Being me… means…” Sunset’s throat constricted.

Pinkie didn’t tackle her this time. She just leaned over and gently wrapped her hooves around Sunset. “I’m sorry, Sunset. That’s a really sad price to pay. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t go back to Ponyville or the rock farm again.”

“Yeah...” Sunset didn’t push her away this time, but she didn’t return the hug either. Pinkie didn’t seem to mind. She kept Sunset wrapped in her embrace. Sunset had to admit, it served as a better protection from the cold than the fire.

“Would you still do it?” Sunset asked when Pinkie let go.

“Do what?”

“If not being able to go home again… to never be able to see your friends ever again… would you still be willing to pay that price?”

Pinkie hesitated for only a second before nodding fiercely. “As long as I know everyone is all right, that’s good enough for me.”

Sunset nodded in turn. “You’re right… keeping everyone else safe. That’s all that matters in the end.” I can’t be selfish now. All of their lives mean more than mine… I’ve had two chances to live when most only get one. So if I have to forfeit mine to let them have a future, then…

“Besides, Sunset—” Sunset looked up at Pinkie, who was beaming warmly at her “—you’ll always have a home with all of us. We all think of you as a great friend. We may not be able to replace your real family and your old friends, but we’ll always be here for you.”

A smile made its way across Sunset face, and she turned away from Pinkie so her tears wouldn’t show. “Thanks, Pinkie. That means a lot.”

Luna had been right. Just because she and Vesper shared the same soul didn’t mean they were the same pony. Sunset had different memories, different experiences…

You’re honestly going to believe that rubbish?

I have friends! I have family! Two things you never accepted! And that’s what makes us different.

“Yeah,” Sunset said aloud. “I am my own pony.”

“That’s the spirit!” Pinkie jumped into the air and clapped her hooves. “I knew I could make you feel better! You just gotta dig through all the sour to find the sweet and smile!”

Sunset laughed. “Pinkie, don’t ever change.”

“Okie-dokie-lokie! You never change either, Sunny.”

“I’ll try my hardest not to.”

Pinkie embraced her one more time and said, “I know you’re mad at Twilight, but you should really talk to her. She only wants to help.”

Some of Sunset’s newfound vigor drained away. Whether or not she accepted her role, Sunset couldn’t forgive Twilight for forcing her down the path in the first place. For Pinkie, however, she gave a curt nod and said, “Okay.”

Pinkie turned to open the compartment door and bounced inside.

Sunset dispelled the flame, watching it flicker out of existence. Maybe my life is inherited. Maybe hardly anything belongs to me. Maybe I’m doomed to fade away. She turned and walked inside the train. But this is still my life now. And I’m going to be me until the very end of it all!

The streets of Canterlot were quiet this morning. Word of what happened in Hoofington hadn’t yet reached the populace. They were still blissfully unaware of just how large the danger was becoming.

Celestia could no longer hide behind that shield.

Though she supposed it wasn’t the danger she had been shielding herself from. It was the mare behind the danger. She wished she had sprung into action back when Twilight and her friends were still in Las Pegasus. When she could keep telling herself that Vesper Radiance wasn’t her daughter.

She stood on her balcony, eyes to the north. Just beyond the mountains was the Crystal Empire: the Bearers of Harmony’s next and last destination. Where the Obsidian Hoofguards were supposed to be buried.

And where Sunset Shimmer—her lost daughter—was waiting for her.

“I walk away for two seconds, and I come back to see you about to take flight, Sister.”

Celestia looked back at Luna standing in the doorway. “Would you have me do something else, Luna?” she said, words unintentionally barbed.

Luna took a step forward. “No, not yet. It is only, I just barely finished telling you what I saw and learned of in young Sunset’s dreams, and you’re already prepared to leave. I would have thought you would tell me your side of the story first.”

“What is there to tell?” Celestia snapped. “I failed! I failed my family again, only this time I could not bear to banish her like I did you. So I let her walk away.” Celestia sagged her shoulders, feeling the weight of her age crash down on her again. “I let her walk away. And when she came back… I tried to tell myself it wasn’t her. I didn’t want to believe…”

Luna walked up to Celestia and folded a wing over her back. “Celestia, I am going to tell you something you have been telling me ever since I came back.” Luna led her back inside to sit down on a pair of cushions. “You are being too hard on yourself.”

“Luna?”

“Oh, I admit—” Luna sat down across from her “—perhaps you showed cowardice in not initially facing Vesper Radiance when your feelings first hinted that it might be your corrupted student.”

Celestia sighed. Brutal honesty was one of Luna’s endearing features.

“But can you honestly tell me you failed Sunset Shimmer? That you did not provide for her everything that she needed? That you did not try to put her on the right path? That you did not do your absolute utmost to teach her right from wrong?”

“That’s just it, Luna.” Celestia spoke so softly even she could barely hear herself. “I tried. But evidently, I did not try hard enough.”

Luna gave her eyes a hard roll. “Nonsense. Would you have chosen to spoon-feed her the rest of her life? No matter how little or how hard you tried, her actions are ultimately hers alone.” Luna looked out the window just as a flock of robins flew past. “You cannot blame the mother bird if the chick she pushes out of the nest falls instead of learning to fly.”

Celestia watched the robins circle around each other and sing sweet hymns before flying north. “You can blame the mother for pushing her before she was ready. You can blame her for filling the chick’s head with delusions of grandeur. You can blame her for being so blind with love that she couldn’t see how far her chick’s madness had already spread.”

The robins departed, leaving the room quiet save for the sisters’ synchronized breathing.

“I indulged her, Luna.” Celestia cringed, feeling the buried pain rush forward and assault her heart. A mourning veil fell over her eyes. “I mistakenly gave her ideas of this grand destiny.” The desert had found its way into her mouth; she ran her tongue along the inside but gained little relief.

“Our talk on the balcony… after she told me just how much I meant to her. I knew I had a choice to make then. How much could I tell her? What words would assuage her fears that Cadence was taking her place? And did I tell her how much she meant to me in return?”

Every heartbeat sent a pulse of pain through Celestia’s body. She continued to stare at the mountains, unable to look Luna in the eye, even though she was positive Luna could see the pain on her face anyway.

“What else could I have done, Luna? Should I have lied and kept our relationship strictly teacher and student? Would that have brought us both less pain in the long run?”

“Could you have done that, Sister?”

Celestia shook her head. “No. I suppose not. I loved her.” Her mouth was parched, but her eyes were overflowing. “I loved her so much. But I never wanted to impose. I knew she held me in the highest regard—thought me flawless and infallible, but a lot of ponies do. Not a day goes by without somepony somewhere referencing me as a deity. I knew there was love there—I just didn’t know how much of it.

“And then she called me ‘Mother.’” Celestia broke into a smile. “She had caught me so off guard, I couldn’t even respond. Many ponies have looked up to me as a mother figure… but to actually be called ‘Mom’...” She wiped her eyes and continued.

“So I told her everything. I thought that maybe if she knew what was coming, she’d stop trying so hard to force it to happen. She’d stop competing with Cadence, maybe even open up to her.” Celestia’s eyes wandered over to the shelf that contained all of Twilight’s friendship letters. “But… Sunset was against the very idea of making friends. Twilight just found there was always something that took priority. She was an introvert. Sunset was a recluse.

“But she was so brilliant.” The sharp aches danced across Celestia’s chest. “She was so powerful, so talented, so confident. I thought she had to be the one.” The admiration in her voice died. “I deluded myself into believing that she wasn’t drunk on ideas of power and glory, that she wasn’t driven by greedy ambition and her obsession with me. I kept telling myself she just needed to find the right ponies to befriend. Yet the more I pushed her towards friendship, the more she pushed away. To her, I was the only pony she needed… and perhaps… part of me enjoyed it.”

Luna raised an eyebrow.

Celestia gave her a guilty smile that quickly descended into a painful grimace. “Please, do not take it as me being egotistical, Luna. It was just…. how could I reprimand her for loving me? I never thought I would have a daughter who looked up to me so much.”

“Tia,” Luna said gently, “you have a whole nation who looks up to you…. I still look up to you.”

Celestia reached over and nuzzled her neck. “Yes. But look who the wiser one is now. Perhaps it is I who should be looking up to you.”

“I am not wiser,” Luna said, though a smirk crossed her face. “I am merely balancing us out. When one of us follies, the other must be there to help her see reason.”

Celestia pulled back and gave her a sad smile. “How I wish you had been there over the long years to help me see reason.” Her eyes clouded over, and she looked down at the golden guards on her hooves. “Sunset reminded me of you a great deal. I was so certain that she would be the one to set you free because if not her, then who else? What were the chances that another pony with that kind of magical caliber would come along within the ten years before you were free?”

Luna chuckled. “Evidently high.”

Celestia nodded. “Yes. A year and a half after I…” She choked on her words and blinked her tears away. “After Sunset left, Twilight appeared and gave me hope again.” She stood up and stretched her legs, small pops echoing in her joints. She stepped back outside to the balcony and looked down at the city.

“I found one more chance to make everything right. I vowed not to make the same mistakes with Twilight that I had with Sunset. Perhaps there was a little deception on my part. It’s only after the fact do I realize that Twilight would have handled that information differently from Sunset.”

Luna stepped up next to her and watched their ponies scurry about the city. “Twilight would have shied away and hesitated.”

“Yes. And I think there is the key difference between them. Power should go to those who want it the least.”

They stood side-by-side in silence for a time. Every tender moment Celestia shared with Sunset forced its way to the top of her mind. How could such a sweet, curious filly turn into such a megalomaniac? Celestia still blamed herself, even if Luna was correct in that she ultimately could not control Sunset’s actions.

“Did you never look for her after she ran away?” Luna asked.

“I… didn’t have to. I knew she ran to our old castle. There is a sensor spell in the throne room. I knew where she was, but…” Celestia folded her eyes shut. “What was I to do? Chase her even further away? I… I could not go and take back what I said—ask her to come back. Even if my heart begged me to do it.”

Luna nodded. “If you had, we may have had the grounds for an argument right now.”

Celestia gave a weak laugh. “Perhaps. It was after the Rainboom that I noticed she was truly gone. I had my highest guards keep an eye out for her, but they never saw her. I guessed that she had learned Twilight was my newest student and left Equestria for good. Part of me was… happy. Maybe she would finally find her own path.”

“And now, Celestia?” Luna’s voice was not accusatory, but Celestia flinched just the same. “Why did you not tell me about her sooner? And why did you not go out and meet her when you first thought Vesper Radiance might very well be your daughter?”

“I was afraid…” Celestia whispered. “I was ashamed. I couldn’t bear to see the monster I had created. I didn’t want to see how far she had driven herself to madness... all in the name of pleasing me.”

Celestia lifted her face to the sky, letting the sun kiss her. “I told myself Vesper Radiance could not be Sunset… because she was already traveling with Twilight. That was my daughter. I didn’t know how, but she had landed in the future and found peace under Twilight’s tutelage.” She smiled. “I suppose my fantasy wasn’t too far from reality.”

A fire rose in Celestia’s heart, blanketing the sharp, cold pain. “But this has gone on long enough.” Her voice was hard and resolved. “I will not ignore her anymore. If it is me she wants, then I shall face her.”

Luna’s impassive face broke into a wide smile. “Verily! And I shall join you!” She flexed her wings and rolled her shoulders. “She may have defeated us in one timeline, but we will have the upper hoof this round!”

“I do not intend to fight her, Luna,” Celestia said calmly. “Not if I don’t have to.”

“You intend to reason with her?” Luna asked with skepticism. “I have seen just how damaged her mind is, Celestia.”

“You saw her at her worst. Perhaps there is still time to catch her before she falls too far.” Celestia inhaled, breathing in the first memory she had of Sunset: meeting her for the first time in the school office. “I must try to talk with her. She must still be in there somewhere… that filly I found so long ago.”

Luna gave Celestia her deepest stare. “And what will you do if you fail, Sister?”

The fire in Celestia’s heart flickered, threatening to give in to the cold pain. “I…” A young Sunset sat in front of her, smiling with an innocence known only to foals. She mouthed something to Celestia, then vanished, replaced by an older Sunset with a twisted smile and wide eyes.

Celestia turned away and squeezed her eyes shut. “I will do what I must,” she said, her voice so heavy, it barely rose out of her throat. “Just as I always have.”

“Are you sure you can face her alone?” Luna placed a hoof on Celestia’s shoulder. “Because I am ready to join you, fight or no fight.”

Celestia gave her another loving smile. “I love you dearly, Luna. But yes, this is something I must do alone. I won’t have any more barriers between us. And… if we should come to combat… if I fall—”

“You shall not!” Luna’s volume rose dangerously close to the Royal Canterlot Voice. “By Mother’s name, you will return to me, Celestia! You are the Princess of the Sun, not Sunset Shimmer. No matter how strong she gets, you are greater.”

“I shall indeed remember that.” Celestia pulled Luna into a hug and whispered, “And whatever happens out there, know that I love you completely. And if it ever came to it, Equestria would flourish and prosper under your sole care.”

They broke apart, and Celestia spread her angelic wings. “But I do intend to return. With everypony safe and sound in tow. Everypony.”

Celestia leaped off the balcony and took to the skies. Canterlot grew smaller and smaller beneath her until the ponies were naught but ants. She faced north and took off, feeling the wind whip her face. She kept her eyes open against the cool air, giving them an excuse to cry.

“Princess, Princess, look what I learned today!”

“I’m here, Princess, and I’m ready to learn!”

“I promise I’ll make you proud, Princess Celestia!”

“Mother look! I made this just for you!”

“You’re the only pony important to me, Mother.”

“I love you.”

Celestia bit back a sob. Even if it’s fruitless… even if her mind has already gone, I must try! One more time!

“I must try!”

Cadence shifted on her throne. The guard on her right flicked his ear but said nothing. The lack of questions was met with silent gratitude by Cadence; the last thing she wanted was for her guards to think she was bored.

Granted, it had been a very slow day. Her cabinet session had concluded early, and there were hardly any petitioners today.

She looked outside where the noonday sun made all of the Crystal Empire gleam brightly, a perfect jewel shining in a multihued radiance, broken only by evenly trimmed fields of emerald green.

Cadence shifted on her throne again.

The guard cleared his throat. “Is everything all right, Your Grace?”

“Yes,” Cadence said with a smile. “Just getting comfortable.” She moved one more time to punctuate her lie.

While it was a gorgeous day outside, boredom was not what made Cadence fidget so much. She raised a hoof and pressed it against the back of her neck, pressing the hairs down. She scanned the throne room, checking every shadow and crevice. Her ears stood at attention, but they only picked up the chatter and laughter from outside.

It was a relentless itch that she couldn’t scratch. It was a hot iron placed precariously close to her very soul. It was even starting to make her nauseous.

An intense feeling of hatred.

Cadence could not pinpoint it. It came from everywhere and nowhere all at once. Was it coming from one of her subjects? She wasn’t sure if crystal ponies had the capacity to hate on this scale. Was it something lingering from Sombra? Cadence shook her head. He was gone. And if she even mentioned his name, the palace would run around in a panic.

No, this hate was different. And in an odd way… it felt familiar. Cadence didn’t memorize patterns of hatred; her life goal was to spread love and happiness and get rid of hate. But in her life, she had come across a few ponies that had their hearts locked tight.

And this hatred felt a lot like…

“Sunset Shimmer!” Cadence exclaimed, standing up on her throne.

Both her guards snapped to attack positions, brandishing their spears at air.

“What is it, Princess? Is there an intruder?” the guard on her left asked.

“Intruder?” a voice said softly, echoing from within the walls. “Now that’s a little harsh. You consider a visit from an old family member intruding?”

Cadence and both her guards gasped as a void opened up in the center of the room and released a fiery maned pony in a black cloak.

“Sunset.” Cadence held a hoof to her mouth. “I can’t believe it.”

Sunset smiled. “Hello, Cousin. I see you’ve made out like a bandit.” She looked around the throne room with faux fascination. “My, my, how impressive.”

Cadence took a step off her throne, wincing as the waves of hatred broke against her. “Where have you been all these years?”

“Oh, here, there, everywhere,” Sunset said nonchalantly. “I’ve kept myself busy. Just like you have. I heard you had quite the wedding. I’m so sorry I missed it.”

“Yes,” Cadence said slowly. “I… would have loved to have had you there.” Her eyes fell to the necklace around Sunset’s neck, and she stepped back.

“So when can I expect foals to play with?”

Cadence’s eyes snapped back to the malevolent look on Sunset’s face. Her hackles standing yet again. Cadence remembered the Sunset from long ago: cold, spiteful, reclusive, and occasionally mean. Though for a while, Cadence was never sure if Sunset had intentionally meant to hurt her during the library incident.

But the Sunset before her was somepony different. Hateful, cruel, manipulative, sadistic. Cadence knew this pony would have meant to cause her harm back then. And laughed.

“Why are you here, Sunset?” Cadence kept her guard up. The very tip of her horn sparked, spitting out a tiny bead of magic she hoped went unseen.

“I just came to say hello.” Sunset sauntered closer, giving a lazy look to the guards. "I wanted to see how my favorite cousin was doing. Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire. Ahahaha.”

“Does Celestia know you’re back?”

Sunset laughed again. “Oh no. I’m saving her for last.” She nodded her head excitedly. “Yes, Mother and I are going to have a nice, long talk. And then, I’m going to kill her.”

Cadence’s blood froze. “You’re going to what?”

“Oh, was I not loud enough? I said, I’m going to kill Celestia!” Sunset shouted.

The guards readied their spears. “Any enemy of the princesses must go through us!” They charged before Cadence could get a word out to stop them.

Sunset grinned and ripped the spears from their hooves before they reached her. She snapped them over her head with her magic and fired a spell at the guard on the left.

He turned and allowed the spell to bounce off his crystalline coat. It bounced around the room, forcing both Cadence and Sunset to duck before it struck either of them in the head. It finally hit the carpet, leaving a smoldering crater.

“Huh, interesting,” Sunset said with genuine amusement.

The guards rushed her again, but Sunset teleported to the side of the room and ripped a crystal from the throne. She brandished it like a sword as the guards came at her again.

When they got in close, she swung it upwards, smashing the crystal into one of their jaws. The remaining one rolled to the side and tried to flank her. Sunset ducked as he jabbed a hoof, then brought the crystal club around and bashed it into his head.

He crumpled to the ground, moaning in agony. Sunset stood over him with an air of superior triumph. She raised the club again—

Cadence slammed her whole body into Sunset’s side, sending her sprawling across the room and onto the carpet. Her weapon landed a few feet away.

“Enough of this, Sunset! I will not allow you to harm my subjects or Celestia!”

“Ehehe. Hahahaha!” Sunset got up and gave Cadence a lopsided smile. “You aren’t the weak little pony I grew up with, are you? So much for that barrier addling your brain.”

Cadence gritted her teeth, seeing the truth finally coming to light. “I can’t believe I tried so hard to be your friend. There isn’t a drop of love in you, is there?”

Sunset held a hoof to her heart. “Of course there is. I love Celestia. I love her more than any of you. She’s my mother, and a pony always loves their mother.”

“I know love, Sunset. And what you have for Celestia isn’t love.”

“Hmmhmmhmm, ehehehe. Ahahahaha! That’s right—the pretty pink princess knows everything about love!” Sunset hid her mouth behind her hoof and giggled to herself. “But let’s see how much you know about death!”

Red energy spiraled from Sunset’s horn towards Cadence. It stopped short against a purple shield and rebounded off the sides.

Cadence felt the strain on her magic immediately, and beads of sweat gathered on her forehead. She backed up until she was pressed against her throne. Over the roar of magic, she could hear Sunset laughing madly.

Just hold on. Just a little longer. Cadence stood her ground, keeping her concentration on her shield but her eyes on the door.

It burst open just as the first crack in her shield appeared. Shining Armor and five guards rushed in, all of them wielding swords and full armor.

“Freeze!” Shining roared.

Sunset broke her concentration and looked back at the contingent. She smiled widely at them. “That’s a great idea!” Her horn ignited, and she shot a beam at the floor in between them. A wall of ice erupted from the crystal floor and stretched to the ceiling, cutting Cadence and Sunset off from Shining and the guards.

“So that was the spell you sent out?” Sunset grinned at Cadence. “You’re going to have to try harder than that.”

Cadence growled, seeing her warm breath against the frigid air that permeated the throne room. She fired her own spell at Sunset, who merely deflected it with a flick of her horn.

Sunset yawned. “Come on, Cousin. I’m waiting for you to suck less.”

Breathe, Cadence. Remember your training. Cadence gathered light around her horn, feeling it spin and build into a small sphere. She reared back and threw the ball of energy with all her might.

It sped through the air, aiming for Sunset’s face. She lowered her horn and smacked the ball back.

Cadence returned it at a faster speed, and Sunset did likewise. The sphere of energy bounced between them, faster and faster until Cadence could no longer see it coming.

An intense pain seared her shoulder, and she collided against the throne before she rolled down onto the carpet. The energy rippled through her, making her body convulse while spots danced in her vision. She tried to push herself up, but her shoulder screamed in pain.

When the spots vanished, she found Sunset looming over her, eyes and amulet glowing a piercing red.

“You’re weak. Pathetically so.” She raised the crystal club. “You were never fit to be a princess.” Her mouth stretched into a maniacal grin. “But maybe you’ll make a decent zombie.”

The ice behind her smashed open, and Shining burst through with a wild bellow. His sword clashed against Sunset’s club as she spun to defend herself, and sparks danced through the air.

“Stay away from her!” Shining said with murderous intent.

“Oh, you must be her husband.” Sunset giggled. “Which means you must also be Twilight Sparkle’s big brother.” She licked her lips. “I wonder how devastated she would be if she found you dead.”

Sunset looked around as the other guards filed in, a whole platoon having joined the original five. They spread themselves in a tight circle around her and Cadence, keeping their weapons pointed on Sunset.

“Give up,” Shining growled. “We’ve got you surrounded.”

“You’re right.” Sunset put a hoof to her cheek. “Whatever am I to do?”

“If you’re thinking about teleporting, forget it.” Shining grinned at her. “I already put a barrier around the palace.”

“Well, I’ll give you points for trying.” Sunset gave one last push with her club, moving Shining out of her personal space, and began to sink into a dark void in the floor.

“Grab her!” Shining ordered.

The guards made a lunge but only managed to dog-pile one another on top of nothing.

Shining stomped a hoof against the ground before dismissing the problem in favor for Cadence. He rushed over to her side and knelt down.

“Are you all right?”

Cadence attempted to nod but couldn’t find the energy. “I-it’s j-just my s-shoulder,” she stammered, the leftover magic still running through her. She looked over and winced at the sight of the wound. Her fur had been burned off entirely, and the skin beneath had bubbled and lacerated.

“I’m going to get you to the infirmary,” Shining said. He turned and addressed the rest of the guards. “I want a twenty-four hour perimeter around the Crystal Heart and hourly reports! The rest of you, fan out and search the city! Block all the main gates and stand guard at the station!” A shadow crossed his face. “I want her alive, but if you have to drag her to the dungeons in chains, I’m not going to object.”

The train pulled into the Crystal Empire Station in the early afternoon. Sunset watched the tall spires of sculpted crystal, glowing under the brilliance of the sun slide into view. The central construct pointed to the sky, a sentinel to keep watch over the other buildings.

Sunset felt the train rattle to a stop, and she hopped off her bed, eager to leave the mechanical snake. She had had enough train travel to last both lifetimes.

She paused when she saw Twilight picking up her saddlebag. Pinkie had asked Sunset to forgive Twilight, but whenever Sunset tried to look for the words, she only found anger and loathing. At the end of the day, she still had to die, and it was still Twilight’s fault.

At the compartment door, Pinkie was hustling everyone else out. She looked back at Sunset and gave a wink before taking off as well.

The room was a lot smaller with only two ponies in it.

Twilight avoided Sunset’s eye as she headed for the doorway. Sunset was tempted to just let her go but cleared her throat and said, “Twilight, can we talk?”

She halted in the doorway and turned around. “Sure.” There was a hopeful but cautious look in her eyes.

Sunset shifted a hoof across the carpet. “Listen, I… I wanted to say…” That I hate your lying face with a passion! She shook her head. Come on, keep it together.

“Twilight, I want to believe that you didn’t do… this—” Sunset gestured to herself “—on purpose. But it’s really hard right now. I know it wasn’t you you, but…” Sunset sighed. “Look, I—”

“It’s okay,” Twilight said softly. “I guess you have every right to be mad at me.”

“No I don’t! I shouldn’t be mad at you, I should be mad at… well, okay you, but… either way, I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. I’m sorry.”

Twilight gave a faint smile. “Apology accepted.”

“Good… that’s good.” Sunset looked away. “I’m still mad but… I’m going to try to not throw it on you.” She fidgeted, unable to think of anything else to say. When it was too much, she grabbed her hourglass and walked around Twilight.

“Sunset,” Twilight called. “I’ll… I’ll think of something! I promise, I won’t just let you disappear!”

Sunset stopped and lifted a hoof to her eyes. “Please. Don’t make me a promise you can’t keep, Twilight.”

“I’m going to keep it,” she said with fixed determination. “Like I said, you’re still my friend, even if you hate me right now.”

The whirlpool of emotions swirling within Sunset made her want to scream. You can’t just let me hate you, can you? She kept walking, trying to ignore the flicker of hope in her heart.

Their friends were gathered on the platform and gave Sunset and Twilight eager looks when they approached. After a few seconds when no one said anything, some of them looked crestfallen.

“Sooo, uh—” Rainbow broke the awkward silence “—where do we start looking for those Hoofguard things?”

Sunset looked at the mountains and fields surrounding the Empire. “I don’t know exactly. I was sort of just jumping around in my memories. But I know the answer is in the library.”

“All right then, we’re off to the library,” Twilight spoke up. “Maybe we can get Cadence and Shining to—“

“There she is!”

Running down the platform were two heavily armored crystal guards. They shoved tourists and luggage out of their way, and it wasn’t until they lunged did Sunset realize who they were coming for.

To her relief, they didn’t weigh as much as she feared, but they still crushed the wind out of her as the pinned her against the ground. Her hourglass dropped out of her magic and rolled off the platform.

“You’re under arrest for breaking and entering, and assaulting the princess!” one of them shouted over the clamor of her friends.

Sunset could only grunt in response. I’m going to kill her!

It was like stepping through a veil of water, only it left her feeling empty instead of wet. Sunset looked back at the golden archway that lined the dungeon door and growled at the security pony operating it. She was cut short when the second guard shoved her forward again, making the chains clasped around her hooves rattle.

Sunset had been tempted to break out and make a run for it instead of going to prison for a third time. That was before she had been shoved through the magic disabling archway. The sensation was akin to when she had the inhibitor ring stuck around her horn: a vacancy that started from her horn and spread through the rest of her, blocking her connection to her magic.

The guard led her to the furthest cell and pushed her inside, slamming the bars shut behind her. Sunset had to admit, this was the nicest cell she had been in thus far. It was entirely made of crystal and looked like it had been freshly polished. The downside was that it had no windows, although Sunset wasn’t surprised seeing as she was somewhere beneath the city.

Three times. Sunset had now been to jail three times for something she hadn’t done.

“Well,” she said bitterly, “I guess I did trespass the first time in Canterlot Castle.” She shook her head and shuffled along the floor until the shackles began to chafe her ankles. Twilight had promised her she’d get everything sorted out soon. In the meantime, Sunset was left alone with her thoughts. Again.

She walked over to a far corner and sat down. It was all she could do until the others spoke with Shining Armor and explained the situation.

Sunset snorted like a bull and slammed a hoof into the wall, regretting the action the second she had made contact. She held it against her chest and swore loudly. “Why? Dammit all! Why did she have to go and attack the princess?”

“To get you all alone of course.”

On the other side of the bars, Vesper smiled her feral smile. “How’s my favorite replica?” She teleported to the other side and strode forward.

Sunset jumped to her hooves, instinctively charging her horn, only to have a dizzying pressure press against it. “How are you able to use magic here?”

Vesper rolled her eyes. “The door only works if you walk through it, idiot.” She shook her head. “But before I digress, have you given my offer any more thought?”

“I have.” Her limited existence. Fading into complete oblivion. Her friend’s smiles and futures. It had been hard not to think about it. They were all lead weights on her thoughts.

“And...?” Vesper leaned forward.

Sunset allowed herself a small smirk. “Go to Tartarus.”

Vesper blinked. “You… you would pick them over yourself? You’d choose a fate worse than death over eternal life?”

“Guess we’re not so alike after all.”

“Why?” Vesper bellowed. “What is wrong with you, you useless doll? Why would you try and defend them?”

Sunset raised her head and looked down at Vesper. “Because they’re my friends. Recycled or not, illusion or not, they are my friends! And I’ll fight to the end to give them a future!”

Vesper stared at her, utterly baffled. Then, the corners of her lips twitched, and a soft laugh came from deep within her throat.

“You… you’ll fight? Hehehee… You think you can give them a future? Ehehe… when you’re the one who destroyed it in the first place?” She tossed her head back. “Hahahahaha! You think anything you do will have any difference in the long run?”

Sunset’s smile dropped.

“You don’t seem to understand that your life is pointless.” Vesper’s horn sparked, and Sunset flew against the wall.

The chains around her hooves snapped apart as she was stretched across the wall. The crystal melted and formed around them, creating even tighter shackles. Sunset struggled but was only able to move her head about.

“Everything you do is pointless, Replica.” Vesper brought her face close to Sunset’s. “Even if you succeed, all you will do is fade away, making anything you accomplished pointless.”

“I’ll have helped create a better future for my friends,” Sunset said defiantly.

“Friends?” Vesper looked around the dungeon. “I don’t see any friends now. Why is their life more important than yours, hmm? Why should they get to go on and be happy but not you—not us?”

“Because…” Sunset tried to put the answer into words, but none came to her.

“They don’t care about you, Replica. No pony does. You’re just an echo, a scapegoat used by Twilight to fix Celestia’s mistake. No one’s going to care once you’re gone. They’ll just celebrate the fact that they defeated another villain.”

“You’re wrong! They do care about me!”

Vesper’s savage smile gave Sunset a terrible chill. “Oh, they care, do they?” She stepped closer and rose up on her hind legs. “You still don’t understand, do you?” She clasped her front hooves against the sides of Sunset’s head, and purple smoke clung to her eyes. “I’ll show you just how much they care, Replica.”

Sunset pulled her neck back, twisting and struggling as Vesper brought her horn closer to Sunset’s own. The red glow blinded Sunset as her eyes shrank to mere dots.

She was standing back in the Ponyville Library. The smell of bark and parchment greeted her nose. Seated at a table in front of Sunset was all of her friends, talking and laughing.

“Girls!” Sunset sighed in relief. “I’m so glad to see you.”

None of them seemed to notice her, however. They carried on like Sunset wasn’t even there. She walked around the table, waving a hoof in front of each of their faces, but none of them batted an eye.

“Don’t bother,” a voice hissed into her ear. “They can’t or hear you. You don’t exist, remember?”

“That’s a lie! You already played this trick! I do exist!”

“For a time, perhaps. But just look at you now. And look at what they think of your memory.”

Spike entered the room from the kitchen with a plate of sandwiches. He set them on the table and allowed Twilight to ruffle his spines.

“I’m so glad everything is back to normal,” she said before biting into her sandwich.

“Yeah,” Pinkie chirped. “No more evil curses, no more monsters, and no more Sunset Shimmer.”

Rainbow grinned. “You said it. I’m glad we don’t have to deal with her anymore.”

Sunset grinded her teeth. “If this is the best you’ve got, you’re going to have to try harder. I know this isn’t real!”

“Maybe not yet,” Vesper whispered. “But this is the outcome if you help them.”

Twilight swallowed her food and said, “Agreed. She was only good for destroying her evil half. Now, the world is safe, and she’s gone. A perfect victory in my book.”

Twilight’s words held such honesty and conviction, Sunset staggered from their sting.

“You see? Twilight only saw you as a puppet after all. And the rest of them are just glad not to have you dragging them down anymore.”

“L-lies. I know they’re lies.” That’s all they were: twisted words from Vesper. Yet why did they continue to rattle her soul? Why was despair clawing its way through her?

“If they wanted to keep you around so badly, why did they let the guards carry you off? Why are you still languishing in this dungeon?”

Sunset shook her head. “They’ll come. I-I know it…”

“She was such a crybaby.”

“And quite selfish sometimes too.”

“She thought she was so good with magic, showoff.”

“She made a pretty decent sacrifice though.”

“Yeah, and that’s all she was good for.”

As they all laughed and continued their onslaught of insults and hurtful jabs, Sunset took quivering gulps of air to keep her tears down. She turned around and ran out of the library, only to find herself in the throne room of Canterlot Castle.

Twilight sat on the throne, a book in her magic. “Well, well, well,” she said, looking over the top. “Sunset Shimmer. What in Equestria do I have to do to get rid of you?”

“P-Princess, please!” Sunset cried.

Twilight dropped the book and flew off the dais. Her hooves slammed into the stone floor; the vibrations knocked Sunset onto her back.

“The only reason I kept you around was so you could go kill yourself at the right moment and cease to exist. Two birds with one stone.” She charged her horn. “But you can’t even do that right.” Twilight’s eyes turned red and her smiled revealed all of her sharp teeth.

Sunset tried to turn and run, but the arcs of electricity were infinitely quicker.

She screamed, but only for a second. She bit down on her lip and thrashed her body, begging for the pain to end. Her eyes snapped open, the illusion of Twilight tormenting her fading into the reality that was Vesper’s cold, maniacal laugh.

“Go ahead! Scream! Scream for your friends to come and help you! Scream all you want, but no one is going to hear you!”

Lightning tore through Sunset’s veins, turning her body into a living circuit. Tears freely fell from her eyes, but she refused to make any noise. The taste of copper leaked into her mouth from her punctured lips.

Vesper ceased her outpouring of electricity and frowned. “Why aren’t you screaming?”

Sunset panted, unable to say anything.

“Are you not in enough pain? Do you want me to hurt you even more?” Vesper’s horn lit up again and she jerked her head to the side.

Sunset gasped as a gash split open across her cheek, sprinkling blood across the floor. The new wound then burned like somepony pressed a hot iron against it. Sunset beat her head against the wall, but still did not say a word.

Vesper rolled her head to the side. “Are… are you trying to act tough? Hahaha! You think you’re a strong pony because you won’t scream.” Vesper’s face dissolved into a hideous mask of anger. “I’m going to make you beg for your life!”

Sunset threw her head back, feeling the lightning return to wrack her body. She opened her mouth, but no sound escaped. Pain interfered with any of her thoughts. She was driven now by only one desire: not to scream.

The jolts of electricity faded from her body, but Sunset had no time to breathe peacefully. Her skin erupted into blisters as a blanket of fire covered her. Her screams tore at her throat, but she never released them. Instead, she made a shrill whine.

Vesper roared in frustration, spittle flying from her mouth. The wave of fire ended, and the crystal shackles fell away, dropping Sunset fell to the floor. A barbed red chain extended from Vesper’s horn and wrapped around Sunset’s throat; it hoisted her into the air and slammed back down to the hard surface.

“Worthless—”

Sunset slammed into the wall.

“Piece—”

She slammed against the ceiling.

“Of—”

She was thrown across the floor again.

“Trash!”

Sunset’s body trembled, unresponsive to her desire to get up. A hoof slammed into her stomach, and she collided with the bars of the cell.

“Who’s the tough one now, hmm?”

A hoof smashed into her muzzle, and blood burst inside of her nose and mouth.

“There’s no Princess Twilight and her shield spell to protect you this time!” Vesper stomped her hoof against Sunset’s face repeatedly. Her look of anger melted into ecstasy as her hoof came down faster. “Hyahaha, ahahahah, hahahahahaahahahahahaha!”

Red exploded across Sunset’s vision every time the hoof came down. Her muzzle was so broken, she could barely breathe through her nose. She wasn’t sure if she could scream even if she wanted to.

Girls… please… help me.

When Vesper was done, she picked Sunset up again and threw her back against the wall.

“You never had a chance to beat me anyway, Replica. That’s why your life is pointless. You failed at the one thing you were meant to do.” A silver dagger floated from Vesper’s coat. “How does it feel, hmm?” She stabbed Sunset in her shoulder, right where her stitches were.

Sunset’s eyes bulged, and she flailed weakly. But still, she made no noise.

Vesper withdrew the dagger slowly, its edge further slicing Sunset’s shoulder open. “How does it feel to know your life is meaningless because you’re a failure?” She stabbed Sunset in the opposite shoulder. “To know that you couldn’t do the one thing asked of you and let so many ponies down?”

Sunset spat out a mouth full of blood. “Talking… to me… or… yourself?” she managed to speak in a hoarse voice. Her mouth twisted into a broken smile.

Vesper slashed the dagger across her face. She brought it back and looked at the blood coating it. She licked some of it up and smacked her lips. “Hmm, even our blood tastes the same. Yet you’re the sorriest excuse for a reincarnation anypony could ask for.”

The dagger hovered between them, pointed at Sunset’s chest. “Well, I think it’s time there was only one Sunset Shimmer again. I promised you a slow and painful death, and I believe I’ve made good on that promise.” She plunged the dagger into Sunset’s center.

Sunset made a faint gurgling noise. She tried to raise a hoof to pull the blade out, but her body refused to respond.

Vesper leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “You should be grateful, Replica. I’m granting you a mercy death. You get to go to whatever comes next instead of oblivion. You’re off the hook. Die with that happy thought.”

Sunset felt the dagger rip itself free from her before the world twisted on itself and vanished in a tunnel of white. Vesper’s laugh was the last thing she heard.

Author's Note

You're all cordially invited to the Final Act.

Final Act: Lessons Eternal—Chapter XXI: Stand Up

Chapter XXI: Stand Up

“There’s two Sunset Shimmers?” Shining asked, pausing his brisk walk to run a hoof down his face.

“Yes,” Twilight said through clenched teeth. “And you just tackled and imprisoned the wrong one!”

Shining held his hooves up. “Hey, in defense of my guards, they look exactly the same!” He let out a tired sigh. ”What else was I supposed to do, Twilight?”

Twilight sighed in equal measure. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad that you did your job. It’s just…” Twilight fished for the right words.

It was Rainbow who reeled them in. “There’s kind of a lot going on right now, and Sunset being arrested again really isn’t helping things.”

The six mares and dragon stood behind Shining Armor and two of his guards in the central hall of the palace. It had taken them half an hour just to get beyond security to see Shining and explain what had happened.

Twilight imitated her brother and ran a hoof down her face, a groan rising from her throat. Sunset imprisoned again and probably angry and upset. And Cadence! Attacked in her own throne room! The more Vesper Radiance roamed free, the more ponies got hurt.

If only we had captured her earlier, none of this would be happening. This is all my fault. Celestia gave me this mission, and I’m completely failing it!

A hoof landed on her shoulder, and Twilight looked up into Shining’s stern but reassuring eyes.

“I know what’s going on in that smart head of yours. This isn’t your fault.”

“But if we had stopped her—”

Shining clapped a hoof over her mouth. “I’ve seen first-hoof how dangerous she is. She slipped through my barrier spell like it was nothing. I’m not going to blame this on you because she bested you before.”

Twilight looked away. “She shouldn’t have bested me—bested us,” she said, drawing her mouth in a thin line. “She shouldn’t have gotten this far.”

“Twi, relax,” Applejack said. “We’re gonna stop her. Remember, we still got the crown. We’re one for one, so even if she does get those horseshoes, she’s still a piece short.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie chirped. “We’ll stop big-meanie-pants. Then we can all go home and have our victory party!”

Twilight forced a smile. I hope all of us can go home. Her thoughts turned to Sunset, sitting alone in the dungeon below. Hold on just a few more minutes.

“Shining, can we see Cadence?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, it’s about time I checked up on her myself. Come on, the infirmary is this way.”

The group made their way down an adjacent hall and up a flight of stairs. At the top was a wide room with several beds and a view of the field the ewes grazed in.

Cadence lay on the bed closest to the entrance with several nurses hovering over her. They all stepped back as Shining and Twilight approached.

“Cadence,” Twilight said with a breath of relief. Other than the wound to her shoulder, she looked fine. “I’m so sorry about what happened. Are you feeling okay?”

Cadence smiled at her and raised her uninjured foreleg. “Twilight, you silly filly. Why are you apologizing?” When Twilight drew closer, Cadence pulled her into a light hug. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

Shining looked over at the nurses. “Is she all right?”

The head nurse nodded. “There’s no signs of any curse or lingering effects to her overall health. The blast was just very powerful and damaged the nerves in her foreleg.”

“Can you fix it?” Twilight eyed the table with odd crystal instruments next to Cadence’s bed.

“Yes, but it’s going to take some time. She won’t be going anywhere for a while.”

Cadence leaned back against her pillow and closed her eyes. “For the best I suppose. I can’t even feel my leg.” She looked at the decorative chandelier hanging over the center of the room. “Sunset Shimmer… I knew she was driven… I knew she wanted all of Celestia’s love and attention… but now…. She’s beyond desperate now.”

“You have no idea,” Rainbow said under her breath.

Cadence looked at Shining. “Do you have any new leads on her?”

“Uhh, sort of. We caught… well… it’s a long story. But we’ll find her, don’t worry.” He leaned over and gave her a tender kiss. “Just stay here and rest.”

Twilight reached over and gave Cadence another hug and a kiss on the cheek before they all waved goodbye. The nurses escorted them to the door and politely shut it behind them.

Shining led them back downstairs, then through another corridor that progressively sloped downwards. The candelabras became more spread apart the further down they went.

“So,” Shining said, “I’m guessing you have some sort of plan, right?”

Twilight nodded. “We need to go to the library and find any books that have information on the Obsidian Hoofguards. Then, we’re going to find them and destroy them.”

“Volcano!” Pinkie called from the back of the group.

Twilight ignored her. “We just need to get to them before Vesper does. The goal right now is to just keep them out of her hooves.”

They came up to the dungeon entrance: a gold threshold with a transparent blue field inside it. Twilight’s ears flicked up, and her eyes ran across the odd doorway.

“The door nullifies any magic that crosses through it,” Shining said, sating Twilight’s curiosity. “It’s like inhibitor rings, only less invasive.” He gestured to the guards standing on either side of it.

They saluted and reached for a button, simultaneously pressing them to deactivate the door. Twilight didn’t notice the faint humming it gave off until it was gone. The hall was eerily quiet, even with the collective breathing.

Twilight took a step forward after her brother, then jolted to a stop. A shard of ice cut through her heart as a voice, small and distant, screamed for help. It had all happened in a fraction of a second, but the scream’s echo rang in her ears.

“Twilight?” Spike poked her shoulder. “You okay?”

“Huh?” Twilight looked down at him. “Oh, yeah. I thought I heard… never mind.”

They moved on to the last cell. Through the bar, Twilight could see Sunset huddled in the dark corner, her head toward the wall.

Shining unlocked the door and cleared his throat. “On behalf of the Crystal Guard, I would like to issue a formal apology for wrongfully imprisoning you.” He coughed into his hoof. “It was just… due to your identical appearance, my guards mistook you for… the other you.”

Sunset’s eyes locked onto him from her spot in the shadows. She stood up and stared before offering him a thin smile. “It’s okay,” she said slowly. “You were just doing your job.”

“You’re okay, right?” Twilight asked.

Like she did with Shining, Sunset stared blankly at Twilight for a few seconds before answering, “Fine.”

Twilight could still feel the wall of ice Sunset now guarded herself with and moaned inwardly. I knew this wasn’t going to help, but it might have actually made things worse.

“Well,” Rarity said, cutting the tension, “perhaps we should move onto the library now?”

Sunset nodded and smiled again, showing all her teeth. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

“You call this ‘narrowing it down’?” Rainbow asked, staring at the rows of books in front of her.

“Well, would you rather go through the entire library?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow mumbled something then flew up to the higher shelves to poke at more books.

Twilight motioned a hoof to the rest of the group to fan out amongst the crystal library’s back section, dedicated to folklore and history. This was it; the answer to where the Obsidian Hoofguards were buried was hidden somewhere in the multitude of pages surrounding Twilight.

She pinned her ears back. Rainbow had a point: even narrowing it down, looking for a single book detailing the Obsidian Hoofguards could take days. And who knew where Vesper Radiance was right now.

Twilight pulled a book at random and looked at the cover: Genealogy of the Royal Family. She sighed and put it back. Would the crystal ponies even have any record of the Hoofguards? It had been entrusted to the earth ponies to hide. Would they have asked help from another tribe?

Hmm. But earth and crystal ponies do share many similarities. Perhaps they felt a close enough bond to ask for assistance? After all, according to Applejack’s story, they did bury it up here in the snow and ice. They would have needed somepony to guide them through the tundra.

Twilight ran Applejack’s story through her head again. Duke Puddingcup was Chancellor Puddinghead’s great-great-grandson. She cross-referenced dates and did some basic math. Yes, the Empire was definitely still around during that time, but under whose rule?

She picked up Genealogy of the Royal Family again and flipped through its pages, keeping a close eye on the dates.

Please let them have buried it before Sombra. Please, please, please! Her ray of hope grew dimmer and dimmer with every page turn. She sucked in a breath as she flipped to the last ruler before Sombra took power.

A small squee of relief passed through her lips when she saw the dates align with the ones in her head. If she was correct, then the Obsidian Hoofguards had been buried under the supervision of the last Crystal Princess. All they had to do was find the most recent history books.

She pushed the book back into its place and rushed out of the aisle to spread the good news. She slid to a stop across the pristinely polished floors as her eyes fell on the librarian’s desk near the front.

Or…

Twilight teleported across the library, reappearing with a pop in front of the desk.

The lilac librarian looked up from her desk and let out a yelp, nearly falling out of her chair.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Amethyst,” Twilight said in a low voice. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

The ageing pony readjusted her glasses and took a deep breath. “That’s quite all right, Princess. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Actually, yes, there is.” Twilight looked from side to side giving a wary glance to the other readers in the library. “Do you know anything about the Obsidian Hoofguards?”

Despite her whispering, it seemed all of the crystal ponies heard her. Each one of them seized up and stared at her with the same fearful and hopeless expressions they had given her when she had asked them about King Sombra.

Amethyst scooted her chair back and gave Twilight and unconvincing smile. “I-I’ve never heard of anything like that. Why would you assume I know such a thing? Nothing like that has ever existed.”

Twilight raised a consoling hoof. “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”

Apparently, this was the wrong gesture, because Amethyst dropped to the floor and threw her hooves over her face. “No! Please don’t send me back to the mines, Your Majesty! I can’t dig anymore!”

“What happened to her?”

Sunset crept up next to Twilight and observed Amethyst’s shivering with a detached look. “She looks like she’s seen a ghost.”

“She might as well have,” Twilight said. She walked around the desk and knelt down. “Miss Amethyst, no one is going to send you back to the mines.” Twilight stood up and looked at the other crystal ponies on the brink of a nervous breakdown. “That goes for all of you. No one is sending you anywhere. Please, just go back to what you were doing.”

The effect was not immediate. Many of them stayed in their paralyzed state, continuously giving Twilight and Sunset looks of terror and mistrust.

Twilight turned back to Amethyst. “It’s going to be all right. You don’t have to tell us about them if you’re not ready.”

Amethyst looked up from her hooves. “W-why do you want to know about them?”

“Another bad pony is after them, and we need to find them first.”

“I... I see.” Amethyst stood up and Twilight helped her to her chair. By now, the rest of Twilight’s friends were gathering around the front desk.

“I suppose I can tell you, Princess,” Amethyst said. “You did help save the kingdom once already.” She took a shuddering breath. “You see… King Sombra was looking for the Obsidian Hoofguards while he was in power.”

Twilight exchanged grave looks with her friends.

“At first he had us split between the crystal mines and special units looking for the Hoofguards. But near the end, he became obsessed with finding them.” Amethyst shrank in her chair. “We dug and dug all over the mountains and valleys looking for the resting place. He… tortured many of us thinking we knew the location and were refusing to tell him.”

“The Hoofguards were buried under your last ruler,” Twilight said. “Did any of you know where they were hidden?”

Amethyst was silent. “The ones who went to help… never said a word. I was just a filly when they brought that statue here, but I could feel how evil it was. We all could.” She reached under the desk and pulled out a piece of parchment. “Four ponies went out into the tundra. When they came back, they handed the librarian a book and never spoke of it again.” She scribbled on the parchment and slid it to Twilight. “King Sombra never did get through the entire library.”

Twilight looked down at the paper. Row 229. Shelf 7. No title.

“Thank you,” Twilight said. “We’re going to find it and get rid of it once and for all!”

Amethyst smiled. “Bless you, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight smiled, then turned and led her friends to the addressed row. It was in neither the history nor the folklore sections. Instead, row two-twenty-nine contained collections of various encyclopedias of incredibly large size. Shelf seven was the highest.

“You’re up, Dash,” Sunset said, pointing to the top.

“On it!”

“There’s no title on it, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find,” Twilight called.

Rainbow flew down the aisle once, then came back with nothing in her hooves. She flew down again with a discerning eye, yet when she returned, she still had nothing. “Uhh… are you sure you read that right? ’Cause I’m not seeing anything.”

Twilight looked at the paper again and checked the row number. “Yes. This is it, I’m sure of it.”

Rainbow carefully drifted down the aisle and came to a stop dead-center. She reached a hoof out and very carefully dislodged a book crammed in between two encyclopedias.

She flew down and presented to Twilight a very thin, black book that looked more like a pamphlet. “No wonder Sombra never found it,” Rainbow said.

“Well, if ya wanna hide a tree, use a forest,” Applejack said.

Twilight took the book over to the furthest table and carefully laid it down. She removed her saddlebag, sat down, and gently flipped the book open, cringing as she saw the paper inside.

It was water-stained and falling out of the binding. The words were smudged and almost illegible.

“It looks positively ancient, even by the Crystal Empire’s standards,” Rarity said, taking a step back from it.

“Probably to make it harder for anypony to read it,” Sunset said.

“Well, it’s working,” Twilight grunted, squinting her eyes to make out the words. “It seems to be a journal entry of some sorts. ‘The… the un-undead… beast of… the ice.’ They must be talking about the Frostlich. ‘Cry… Crystal… arium?’ Crystalarium?”

“What’s that?” Spike asked.

“Hold on, let me keep reading.” Twilight scanned further down the page. Her eyes strained against the damage page. “Most of it is completely unreadable... but there’s a drawing of the statue in here.” She turned the page. “And… numbers.”

Rainbow leaned over Twilight’s shoulder. “Numbers? What for?”

“I think they’re coordinates. Quick, someone go find me a map!”

Rainbow sped off and returned ten seconds later with a map of the surrounding region.

Twilight held it up in front of her, bobbing her head back and forth between it and the book. She summoned a pencil and began making light traces on the map. Her heart beat faster as she drew the lines together and penciled in a dot.

“I… I think I know where to go.”

“All right!” Sunset punched the air. “Let’s go!”

“Right now?” Fluttershy asked.

“Uhh, yeah. We don’t want Vesper getting there first, do we?”

“Well, no,” Rarity said. “But it’s starting to get late and it looks like it’s going to be something of a trek. Don’t you think we should get a fresh start in the morning?”

“Ah’m with Rares on this,” Applejack spoke up. “Besides, you’ve seen how well guarded this secret is. There’s no way Vesper knows where to go yet.”

Sunset stared at them all, then a lax smile crossed her face. “You’re right. There’s no way she could figure it out so soon. We should rest up and tackle this tomorrow.” She shared her smile with Twilight. “Good job.”

Twilight beamed, feeling some of the ice between them melt. “Thanks.” She closed the book and passed it back to Rainbow. “Hide this again. The next time somepony finds it, the information will be obsolete.”

Rainbow saluted and darted off.

Twilight reached down for her saddlebag, but a hoof gently halted her.

“Don’t worry,” Sunset said. “I’ll carry it this time.”

“Are you sure?”

Sunset smiled as she scooted it onto her back. “It’s just to the palace. I don’t think it’ll do anything between here and the next block.”

The entourage exited the library, Twilight having stowed the map away with the Tempest Crown. Outside, Shining Armor was waiting for them.

“Did you find anything?” he asked.

Twilight nodded enthusiastically. “We know where the last piece of the Regalia is.” She pointed out to the hills east of the Empire. “First thing tomorrow, we’re going to go find it.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Shining ruffled her mane. “My little sis. Only here for an hour and she finds some ancient, dangerous treasure.”

Twilight playfully swiped his hoof away. “Shiny! You’re embarrassing me!”

From her peripheral vision, Twilight saw Sunset twitch.

“You okay?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, totally!” Sunset said with a chipper smile.

Twilight gave her a cautious look. She hadn’t noticed it before, but there was something different in Sunset’s eyes. Like she was holding something back. Gears started to turn within Twilight’s head, but Rarity stepped in front of her.

She looked over Sunset like she was a dress. “Darling…” Rarity pointed up to Sunset’s mane. “That front bang of yours… didn’t you splice it off when we teleported onto the griffon airship?”

Sunset’s eyes crossed as she stared up. “Uhh… well…”

A magenta beam knocked Sunset off her hooves and across the street. The surrounding ponies screamed and dispersed, locking themselves within their homes.

Shining drew his sword and moved in front of Twilight and Rarity. “Vesper Radiance.”

Vesper stood up and frowned. “I can’t believe I forgot that. And I can’t believe you noticed it.”

Rarity gave her a cold glare. “An artist always has an eye for detail.”

Vesper held a hoof up to her mouth and giggled. “No matter.” Her horn sparked red, and the Alicorn Amulet shimmered into view around her neck. “I got what I wanted.”

Both Twilight and Rainbow rushed from behind Shining, Twilight charging her horn and Rainbow with a hoof pulled back. Both of them were thrown back by a crimson barrier halfway across the street.

“I will not be denied this time!” Vesper shouted. She took the Tempest Crown out of the bag and held it over her head.

Shining ran forward with Applejack and delivered a hard buck to the shield, but to no avail. Shining switched to attacking it with various spells, while Pinkie and Spike joined Applejack in trying to break it down.

“Stand back!” Vesper roared. The shield exploded outwards, tossing everyone onto the steps of the library. “And witness the first part of my ascension!” She placed the crown upon her head.

A ruby light immediately wrapped around her body and lifted her up into the air. It centered around her midsection and spun faster, creating two new appendages that protruded from her shoulder blades.

Twilight got up and fired spell after spell in desperation, only to have them rebound in random directions. She stared on in abject horror as the wings fully formed on Vesper’s back: long, feathery, amber—like the rest of her coat.

The light faded, leaving Vesper to hover over the street, gently beating her wings.

“Hee...heee heeee. Hahahahahah! Aahahahahahahahaha!” She rose higher into the air and spread her wings out to the fullest.

“She… she can fly already?” Twilight asked, aghast. Her own wings fidgeted. “But she’s only had them for two seconds.”

Vesper looked down at her. “It’s like I said, Princess—an alicorn who can’t fly is truly pathetic.” A ball of energy coalesced at the tip of her horn, and she hurled it down.

Twilight’s and Shining’s shields overlapped one another and repelled the magic, but Vesper quickly followed with another… and another.

“Come out, come out, little ponies! Come bow before your new princess!”

“You’re no princess of ours!” Shining growled.

“You won’t be saying that after Cadence is dead!” Vesper turned and jetted towards the palace.

Both shields dropped simultaneously, and Shining was halfway down the block before Twilight could blink. She teleported, ending a few yards behind him and broke into a run.

“Heavy Storm!” Shining bellowed, his voice ringing throughout the entire city.

Three guards appeared on the palace balcony, materializing as if from thin air. Each were armed with a crystal bow, and quickly lined Vesper in their sights.

“Fire!”

A volley of arrows flew from the balcony. Raising her head higher, Twilight saw another volley come down from the top of the palace spire. That’s not going to stop her. But it should distract her!

Vesper paused in mid-flight to throw a shield around herself. The arrows embedded themselves within, falling to the ground when the shield vanished. As the archers drew another set of arrows, Vesper charged her horn.

Twilight fired her spell, a single, pinpoint blast that hit Vesper right between her shoulder blades. She cried out and fell out of the sky. Her hooves flailed as she tried to get her wings to work again.

A magenta sphere solidified around her, carrying her to the ground and dragging her in front of Twilight and Shining.

“Don’t even think of trying your little trick this time,” Shining said confidently. “It sealed from every side.”

Vesper just watched him with a calculating smirk.

Twilight took a step forward, opposing the smirk with a carved scowl. “Where is Sunset?” she asked slowly.

“I’m right in front of you, Princess.” Vesper’s smile widened.

Twilight pressed her teeth together. “You know that’s not what I mean.”

“Hmm? Oh, the replica!” Vesper giggled. “Yes, I had quite a fun time with her.”

Rainbow flew up from behind and banged a hoof against the force field. “Where is she?”

Vesper pressed her muzzle up against it. “Where indeed?”

“Where is she?” Twilight screeched.

“Ahahahahahahahaha!” Vesper fell back and held her stomach. Her laughter bounced around the bubble. “By now, Replica is dead! Buried out in the snow with nopony to comfort her!” She stood up and pressed her face against the shield again, staring into Twilight’s eyes. “I hope she cursed your name with her last breath.”

The ground vanished from underneath Twilight and she fell into an bottomless chasm. That voice… that cry for help… It had been Sunset’s. And she had ignored it. She had fallen for Vesper’s trick and mistaken her for a friend. She couldn’t tell the difference between the real Sunset and the fake one.

And now the real one was…

“Dead.” The word struggled out of Twilight’s mouth. “I… I…” She had failed to keep her promise to Sunset. She hadn’t even come close.

“Let her out of that bubble!” she heard Rainbow yell from far away.

“Rainbow Dash, I can’t do that,” came Shining’s voice.

“Let her out so I can pulverize her!”

“That’s okay, Dash. I can escape on my own.”

“What do you mean?”

"Hehehe… the sun is out, Captain.”

Twilight regained enough of her senses just in time to see Vesper’s eyes vanish in a pool of white light. As Twilight threw a shield around herself and her friends, Vesper roared, detonating the shield encasing her. The force was enough to push Twilight back, but her shield had withstood the attack.

Vesper launched herself into sky, and, with a triumphant laugh, bolted east with map in hoof, leaving a red-and-gold streak behind her.

Rainbow swore at the top of her lungs and broke into the air as well, but Rarity called to her before she could make it very far.

“Rainbow, stop! You can’t go chasing after her on your own!”

Rainbow spun around and screamed, “She killed Sunset!”

She killed Sunset, Twilight echoed in her mind.

“I… I know that.” Rarity turned and wiped her face with her hoof. “But… but we need to stick together. You know what she’s capable of.”

Death. One of my friends is dead.

“What do we do now?” Pinkie asked, her mane lying flat against her head.

What do we do now?

“I’ll get a host of guards and we’ll go after her before she can reach those Obsidian Hoofguards,” Shining said.

“No,” Twilight said in a tight voice.

Shining looked incredulously at her. “No? What do you mean ‘no’?”

“We… we’ll go after her.” Twilight made a weak gesture to her friends. “You need to stay here and guard the palace—guard Cadence.”

“Okay, I agree we’re going to need to keep a strong defense around her, but if you think I’m letting you go out there alone—”

“Shining Armor, listen to me.” Twilight’s voice was completely neutral. “You just saw what she can do—”

“Which gives me all the more reason to—”

“Listen!” Twilight screamed. “You’re going to need every guard you can muster to stay here and defend the Empire! We’re going to go after her and try to stop her! But if we fail and she gets the Hoofguards—if we don’t come back—then you’re going to need every last guard to try and stop her!”

“Twi…”

Twilight’s unwavering and cold eyes drilled into Shining’s. Shining took a step back and swallowed hard.

“You’re… you’re going to come back, right?”

Twilight nodded. “I...” She held her tongue back. “Yes.”

Shining closed his eyes. “I really don’t like this, Twily. But you always know what you’re doing. Come on, at least let me give you some snow gear. It’s going to be freezing out there.”

Twilight followed him without a word. In fact, none of her friends said anything. All she heard were sniffles and a few muffled sobs. Yet Twilight had no tears. Just a beast clawing at her chest, eating away at her heart; a beast born of guilt and fear, frustration and hate.

I’m glad… I’m glad we don’t have the Elements with us. I wouldn’t have used them this time. Because…

Her face morphed into vengeance itself. The words escaped her, just soft enough so only she could hear them.

“I’m going to kill her…”

“You’re staying here!”

“No, I’m not! I told you, I’m coming with you!”

“And I said no, Spike! You’re staying with Shining where it’s safe!”

“Nowhere’s safe, Twilight! And you can’t keep treating me like a kid! I wanna go help too!”

Twilight and Spike faced off against one another in the central hall of the palace. Both of them donned unflinching faces, resolute in their desire to defy the other’s orders.

“I know you want to help,” Twilight said evenly, “but it’s too dangerous. I’m not going to risk it.”

Spike crossed his arms. “This whole journey’s been dangerous. You can’t just tell me to sit out now. I wanna help you stop Vesper too.” He dropped his arms and his eyes started to water. “I wanna help finish what Sunset started.”

Twilight softened, verging on breaking into tears herself. “Spike, I—”

“I can’t just sit here while you all go out and fight. I need to know if you girls are okay. And I need to help any way I can.” He gave Twilight the biggest eyes possible. “So please, Twi?”

The word ‘no’ sat on her tongue, but moved nowhere. She wanted so badly to tell him to stay in the palace. The less targets Vesper had, the better. But those eyes… and his determination. Twilight yielded, knowing she couldn’t baby him forever.

“You stay by me at all times, okay?”

Spike nodded fervently. “Deal.”

Shining stepped from around the corner, a bundle of clothes in his magic. He presented them to Twilight and said, “You know, if Cadence wasn’t injured, there’d be nothing that could stop me from going too, right?”

Twilight slipped the light-blue cloak around herself and wrapped the scarf around her neck. “I know.”

Shining turned to Spike and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, Spike. All we could find for your size was a scarf.” He handed it to him.

Spike took it in his claws and nearly fell over. “This is a scarf?” He unbundled the long roll of fabric, and a sword clattered to the ground. “What?” Spike picked it up with both claws.

Twilight stared open mouth at the sword, then at Shining. “You can’t give him a sword!”

Shining ignored her. “Keep them safe, all right?”

Spike gripped the sheath tight and nodded.

Twilight held up a hoof of protest, but changed her mind before the words left her lips. If a sword would help protect Spike, then who was she to say anything?

Their friends met them in the entrance hall, dressed in cloaks and hoods, boots and scarves. Their eyes were red and puffy, and they moved like a funeral procession.

To her own discomfort, Twilight had not cried yet. A few tears had been shed, but her brain wouldn’t allow her to stay on the idea for longer than a few seconds. She knew Sunset was dead—her mind just refused to let it sink in any further than it had.

Twilight was grateful. Giving into that thought, staring at it without any filter… it would only drive her to despair. She had failed. Not only had she let one of her friends die, she had broken her promise to Sunset.

Her train of thought jerked to the hike through the tundra. It was going to be long and would eat up the rest of their daylight, but Vesper was probably there already, digging through the snow.

Another distraction Twilight’s mind provided for her was trying to formulate a plan to stop Vesper. Time had already shown it was pointless to hope the Frostlich would stop her. The fact that Twilight and her friends had to fight Vesper and an undying dragon made her dizzy.

Until Spike had delivered a message from Luna upon entering the palace. A letter with three simple words that filled Twilight with hope.

Celestia is coming.

Much of a breath of fresh air as it was, Twilight felt shame bubble within her. Her mentor coming to their aid was the best thing any of them could ask for, yet it was another strike reminding Twilight of her failure. Celestia had asked her to stop Vesper Radiance, and Twilight had been unable to do so. Now Celestia was on her way to do the deed herself. Would she be disappointed in Twilight? Angry?

Twilight shook her head, knowing where that particular train of thought led. It didn’t matter at this point. Twilight knew she and her friends just needed to keep Vesper occupied until Celestia showed up. Then it would all be over.

Vesper Radiance…

Twilight’s entire body gave a violent shudder. Was this what Sunset had been feeling? Unabated, unbridled loathing for one being? Vesper’s laugh and unsympathetic smirk when she delivered the news of Sunset’s death sent both chills down Twilight’s spine, and a burning drive through her heart.

Nothing would have made Twilight happier than to be the one to strike Vesper down—to wipe that cruel smirk off her face. Yet when she imagined Celestia doing it instead, part of her was relieved.

It had been a silent walk to the eastern edge of the city. The sun was still out, but everypony had hidden themselves inside, save for the guards.

Shining came to a stop when the crystal path gave way to the sloping grass field. He looked down at Twilight. “Guess this is as far as I go. When you guys get beyond the border, I’m putting the shield up. Though I doubt it’ll be much help against her,” he said, pinching his face like he had swallowed a bitter herb.

Twilight leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”

“So I pray. But I’d still feel better if you took some guards with you.”

“I… we can’t.” Twilight pretended to stare out into the distance. “It’ll just slow us down. And give her more targets.” And I won’t let her kill anyone else on my watch!

Shining sighed. “Twilight, I know what’s going through your head again—oof!”

Twilight silenced him by throwing her forelegs around his neck for one last hug. “Thanks, BBBFF. We’ll come back, I promise.”

Shining rubbed her back. “All right. We’ll be waiting.”

They broke apart and gave each other another wave. Shining gave a wink to Spike, who had the sword strapped across his back.

Twilight led her friends up the hill, the Frozen North spread out before them. The green pastures extended for a mile before becoming a sea of ice and snow. As the ponies and dragon crested the hill, a blue wall rose up behind them, completely encasing the Crystal Empire.

The warm magic that flowed from the Crystal Heart immediately ceased, exposing them to the bitter chill of the North Wind.

No turning back now, Twilight thought.

She took a few steps forward.

“Twilight,” Rarity said. She opened her mouth to ask the obvious question, but it never came, to Twilight’s relief. Instead she asked, “I know we’re supposed to keep Vesper distracted until Celestia arrives, but I was hoping you could divulge your… plan to the rest of us.”

“I don’t have a plan,” Twilight said warily.

“Then perhaps we could make one? You know, talk it out together?”

Rarity’s smile and pleading eyes warmed the broken pieces of Twilight’s heart, but Twilight turned her head away. “No. There’s nothing to…”

“There’s nothing to talk about...”

“It’s nothing, Twilight, really.”

“Please, Twilight… I just want to be alone right now.”

The wind was sucked out of Twilight. Every rebuke, every defensive answer made sense to her now. This crushing weight in your chest… was this what you were feeling, Sunset? Twilight knew why Sunset had put off telling her hidden feelings. Because to acknowledge them, Twilight would have to stop. She would have to sit down and take inventory of every piece of her heart.

And if she stopped now, Twilight wasn’t sure she could start again. If she sat down, she wouldn’t be able to get back up.

Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder. “Twilight, we’re all here for a reason. We’re all going through the same thing right now. We can lean on each other.”

Twilight looked into Rarity’s eyes and found the same pain, the same heartache, the same broken pieces. Rarity was right: they had each other to lean on. They would catch Twilight if she fell. They would help her stand up.

But Twilight didn’t feel like falling down; not yet, not when they had a job to do. Even with all of her friends by her side, she could not stop to mourn Sunset now. She wanted time. She wanted to think back and know Sunset hadn’t died in vain.

Twilight squeezed Rarity’s hoof. “I promise we’ll talk when this is all over. I just… I just need to keep moving right now. We all do. For Equestria… and for Sunset.”

Pinkie nodded, hair straight and face grim. She stuck a hoof out. Fluttershy followed, laying hers on top of Pinkie’s. Then Rainbow Dash; Applejack; Rarity; finally, Spike. Twilight laid her hoof on top, her heart swelling at the sight of her friends.

“For Sunset!”

Chapter XXII: Immortals

Sunset hit the snow, sinking into the frozen slush. The bitter cold violated her fur, instantly numbing her entire body. She shivered as more falling snow settled on top of her, a white blanket eager to tuck her into the endless field that would soon become her final resting place. It was actually a welcome relief against the agonizing blisters and open wounds.

Energy leaking out of her body, Sunset could do nothing but lie there, helpless. Blood seeped profusely from her chest while ragged coughs tore her lungs apart and brought even more blood to her mouth. She spat a great glob of it onto the snow, dyeing it crimson.

She stared at the stain with emotionless eyes, wondering if she could see her reflection if she looked hard enough. She must have looked pathetic. Defeated. Then again, she was defeated: broken, exiled, and left for dead. Done in by cruel irony and betrayed by the pony she had called her teacher and friend.

How could she have been so stupid? How could she have been so trusting? Blindly following orders, thinking she was doing the right thing? She wasn’t real. She was just a shadow—an echo across time. She shouldn’t have ever existed, and now she was going to die, cold and alone.

A mercy death…

Was mercy supposed to hurt? Was it suppose to feel like her insides were on fire—like her limbs were shattered? Her body gave a feeble twitch, and her mane fell in front of her eyes, drawing a curtain over the world.

Get up… fight… for them...

No.

The fight was over. Whether it was her fading mortality or Vesper whispering in her head, Sunset knew she was done. She had tried, and she had failed. The smile Pinkie had given her was far, far away now. The ember of hope Twilight had lit was snuffed out.

Vesper had won. Sunset’s life had been for naught.

Sunset couldn’t take it anymore—the anger and hatred building in her heart. Against the pain—against the unyielding, unrelenting, unbearable agony emitting from her chest—she raised her head to the heavens, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath.

And she screamed.

Sunset screamed as loud as she could, wailing into the tundra until the sound reverberated back to her and rang in her ears. She screamed until her mouth was dry and her throat was raw. She screamed until her heart felt ready to tear in two, and the hole in her chest threatened to split across her entire body. She screamed out all of her pain, her anger, her sadness and her hatred.

Then, she screamed some more.

Her screams didn’t stop until a large bubble of blood blocked her throat. She forced it back down, choking on the acrid taste of copper. Shaking with the effort and the chill gnawing at her bones, she slowly raised a hoof towards the sky, reaching for the pillowy clouds that eclipsed the sun and showered her with frost and sleet, reaching for the heavens she knew she would never touch, having already been forsaken once. Strength failing her, she dropped it into the snow and sent a flurry of powder skyward.

“Damn you, Vesper Radiance…

“Damn you, Celestia…

“Damn you… Twilight Sparkle…”

The last of her energy waned, and an incredible tiredness enveloped her as the remains of her life-force seeped out. Sleep pulled at her eyes and wore at every muscle in her body. Violent shivering was all she could muster, now that snow had covered everything but her head.

No, it can’t… end like this… I refuse to die here!

But maybe… death was a mercy. She no longer had to face oblivion. Maybe now there was something to look forward to.

Maybe I’ll see Mom and Dad…

Her vision dimmed, the world of white becoming grey before fading to black. Sunset couldn’t feel her body anymore… but then, was it ever hers to begin with?

No, don’t think like that now! And don’t give up! You have to stop Vesper Radiance!

Why? It’s over… I lost… even if I did fight her… win or lose, I would have lost.

As Sunset closed her eyes, she could hear mocking laughter in her ears. Yet it sounded odd… not Vesper Radiance’s, but much deeper, almost whimsical… She just regretted it was going to be the last thing she ever heard.

“Mommy, look what I can do!”

“Wow, Sunset! That’s incredible, especially at your age! Oh, honey, come look at what Sunny can do!”

“But, Mom, I don’t wanna go to school. What if no one likes me?”

“Oh, you silly filly. I’m sure you’ll make some friends. It’s kindergarden—everyone is new and trying to meet new ponies. You’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Hiya! Oh, wow, I like your mane! It’s all fiery and stuff! What’s your name?”

“Um, Sunset Shimmer.”

“Hi, Sunset, I’m Ruby Dazzle, but you can just call me Ruby!”

“You’re really hyper, but I like you. Wanna be friends?”

“Sure!”

“Hey, who’s that girl sitting in the corner?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we should talk to her?”

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“Oh, I’m Flora…”

“Why are you sitting all by yourself?”

“Um… no reason… I just moved here and—”

“Hey, it’s okay! We’re all new here. Wanna play with us?”

“You guys don’t mind?”

“Of course not, silly!”

“Well, okay then!”

“I don’t know, Sunset. This seems really dangerous.”

“Yeah, like, really, really dangerous.”

“Relax, girls. Who’s the strongest unicorn in Canterlot?”

“Umm…”

“Me! As long as you stay close to me, we’ll be fine. The Everfree Forest isn’t that scary.”

“Have you been there before?”

“Well, no. But trust me, we’ll be fine.”

“Aghhhhhhhhh!”

“I knew this was a bad idea! Why did I ever listen to you?”

“Sunset, if we die, I want you to know this is all your fault!”

“Duly noted!”

“Aghh, oof!”

“Ruby!”

“Help!”

“Get away from her!”

“I cannot believe that three fillies like you would just waltz into the Everfree forest like that! This has to be one of the most irresponsible, foolhardy things I’ve ever seen! What in Equestria were you thinking?”

“Please, Princess Twilight, it wasn’t their fault. They were just following me. We just…. I just wanted to be like you. If you’re going to punish someone, then just punish me.”

“... That is awfully responsible of you. What is your name?”

“Sunset Shimmer.”

“Oh, thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you so much for bringing her back safe and sound! As for you, young lady, you are so grounded!”

“We’re so sorry for the trouble Sunset and her friends have caused.”

“It’s fine, I’m just glad nopony was hurt. But there is something I wish to discuss with all three of you before you leave.”

“Y-yes, Your Highness?”

“Your daughter is capable of incredibly powerful magic. She single-hoofedly defeated a pack of timberwolves. In fact, I’ve never come across such a powerful young mare before.”

“Oh, thank you, Princess. She was actually going to apply to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns this upcoming year now that she’s of age.”

“Well then, let me be the first to say congratulations!”

“On what, Princess?”

“On getting in, of course.”

“Wait, what?”

“Miss Shimmer, you have an incredible gift of magic, one that requires not just instruction from the school faculty but more in depth practices. I would like to offer you a place at Celestia’s school, as well as becoming my own personal student. After you serve your parents’ punishments of course.”

“I-I-I-I-I, yes…”

“Oh dear… she fainted.”

“Huff…. huff… Sorry… I’m late, Princess. Your castle… is just so big and I got lost and—”

“Calm down there, dear. Please have a seat. And hurry! Your ice cream is starting to melt.”

“A sundae? But I thought I was going to be studying.”

“We will, in due time. But first, I’d like to get to know you some more.”

“Get to know me?”

“Of course! You’re going to be my first personal student, so I’d like to get to know you as well as I can. Just tell me some things about yourself, Sunset.”

“Oh, well… wow, hehe, I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Just because you’re my student doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”

“Friends? Wow, I’m friends with Princess Twilight Sparkle…”

“So, Sunset, what’s it like being the Princess’ student?”

“Oh, Ruby, it’s so amazing! We have ice cream before we start studying, and she teaches me all sorts of cool and fun things! And she has all these great stories from when she was young! She told me about how she and her friends saved Princess Luna, and stopped Discord back when he was evil, and saved the Crystal Empire! It’s all just so amazing, I can’t believe it really happened to me!”

“Yeah… that sounds great.”

“We’re really happy for you, Sunny.”

“You girls don’t sound happy. Wait, you don’t think me being Princess Twilight’s student will affect our friendship, do you?”

“No, no, of course not!”

“Good because it won’t. We’re still friends, and we’ll always be friends! The first lesson Twilight taught me was that friendship is magic! We’ll stick together, no matter what.”

“Excuse me, Miss Sunset, two ponies named Ruby Dazzle and Flora are waiting for you in the courtyard. They mentioned something about a picnic.”

“Oh my gosh! I completely forgot about that! Darn it, I have a test I need to study for! Umm, tell them I’m really sorry, but I have to reschedule.”

“Very well, madam.”

“Oh, oh, look at him. Isn’t he super cute?”

“Ruby, focus. We need to study.”

“‘We?’ You’re the only one taking Advanced Magical Theory, Sunset.”

“Then keep it down. I have to get a good grade on this test.”

“Ugh, why are you even studying? You pass all of your classes anyway. You’re the Princess’ student—don’t you automatically get an A or something?”

“No, I have to work for my grade like everypony else.”

“Not everypony has royalty to tutor them.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Girls, please, we’re here to have fun, remember?”

“Well, that’s really hard to do when Sunset has her nose stuck in a book.”

“Excuse me for trying to get good grades. I have an image to uphold now.”

“An image of what? A stuck-up know it all?”

“What did you call me?”

“Girls…”

“Ever since you became Princess Twilight’s student, you’ve been blowing off me and Flora more and more!”

“I have not! I’m with you right now, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re reading a stupid textbook!”

“Girls.”

“I have priorities now!”

“Which are more important than your friends?”

“I’m sorry I don’t have all the free time in the world to do frivolous things like colt watching!”

“So now we’re frivolous, are we?”

“Girls!”

“Stay out of this, Flora!”

“If you’re gonna turn into an elitist jerk like the rest of the students at that school, then you can go ahead and leave!”

“Fine, maybe I will!”

“Fine!”

“All right, Sunset, what’s wrong?”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing.”

“This is the third time this session that you’ve zoned out, and you’ve been looking sad all week. You know you can talk to me about anything.”

“It’s nothing, really, Princess, I promise.”

“Are you telling the truth?”

“...No.”

“Well then…”

“...Ruby and I… got into a fight.”

“Oh my. Was it serious?”

“No… yes… I don’t know. She thinks that I’m not spending enough time with her and Flora, that I’m too busy studying. But I have to keep my grades up, don’t I? If I do bad, then it’ll look badly on you, won’t it?”

“Sunset, I think everyone in the school knows how seriously you take your education. You don’t have to prove anything to anypony. And you certainly don’t have to prove anything to me.”

“But I still can’t just let my grades slip!”

“Well, of course not. But Sunset, do you really think sacrificing some study time for your friends will devastate your grades?”

“No, I guess not.”

“Do you remember the first lesson I taught you?”

“Friendship is magic.”

“Mmhmm. It’s the most powerful thing in the world. If there’s anything I want you to take out of these lessons, it’s that love and friendship are the most important things you can have. They are what create harmony.”

“You’re right, Princess. Tomorrow, I’ll go find Ruby and apologize.”

“Listen… you were right. I shouldn’t have kept blowing you off like I was. I just can’t believe you put up with it for so long before saying something.”

“Yeah, well… It’s not like I wanted to yell at you. But sometimes it’s hard to get through that thick skull of yours. Still, I shouldn’t have accused you of being an elitist jerk. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry for not being a good friend these past few weeks.”

“...So… should we hug?”

“A hug sounds good.”

“Sniff… you girls are both so stupid!”

“Come on, Flora, I’m sure a hug and some shopping will cheer you up.”

“Aaaaagh! Why is there fire raining from the sky! Princess, what’s going on? What is that thing up there?”

“Sunset, you have to listen to me! I need you to stay within the castle grounds—do not leave unless you absolutely have to, understand?”

“Yes! I mean, no! What’s going on?”

“I can’t tell you right now, but I promise I’ll explain everything when I come back. Just stay safe, please.”

“Y-yes, Princess.”

“Good. Come, Spike—we have to finish this! I’m afraid Celestia and Luna may have already fallen…”

“...Please, come back safe, Princess.”

Let’s name her Sunset Shimmer...

Sunset Shimmer, my most faithful student…

My name is Sunset Shimmer…

Sunset Shimmer?

This is Sunset Shimmer…

I am Sunset Shimmer…

There was a pony… named Sunset Shimmer…

“Everything is going to be just fine. I promise.”

A jolt ripped through Sunset. Not through her heart but through her very soul. Her eyes snapped open; she bolted upright, screaming as her wounds assaulted her, and fell back down against the warm, grainy sand.

Wait…. this isn’t right.

The sound of gentle waves crashing against a shoreline greeted Sunset’s ears instead of the Frozen North’s bitter howl. She turned her head after her eyes adjusted to the sunlight and saw a sparkling azure sea, lapping up against white sand. Above her, seagulls cried as they toured a cloudless sky. A warm, tropical wind blew across Sunset’s face, bringing her the salty smell of the briny water.

Am I dead? Is this Paradise?

She tried to sit up again, but her body stoutly refused. If this is Paradise, then why am I still in pain?

“Oh? Took you long enough to wake up,” a deep voice drolled.

Turning her head in the opposite direction, Sunset saw a unique sight.

Two large dandelions sprouted from the sand, slowly swaying in the wind. Tied to them was a discarded banana peel that had been fashioned into a hammock. And sitting in that hammock, wearing a pair of black sunglasses and slurping on a fruit smoothie, was the oddest creature Sunset had ever seen.

One cloven hoof dangled out of the hammock, while a lizard’s foot was crossed over it. The creature leaned back on its lion paw, it’s eagle claw holding the coconut it was drinking from. Its long, snakelike body took up all of the hammock and then some, its spiky tail drawing doodles in the sand.

“Discord?”

“Sunset Shimmer?” the coconut asked.

Sunset closed her eyes and opened them again. Discord was still hanging there, watching her from over his sunglasses. If he’s here, there’s no way this is Paradise. So that must mean…

She groaned. “I’m still alive.”

“Well, no need to sound so disappointed.” Discord tossed the coconut away, watching it turn into a toucan. “Honestly, any other pony would be jumping for joy right about now.”

Sunset fixed him with an unamused glare.

He floated up from his hammock and dangled over her. “Immortality ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, is it?” He smirked and snapped his fingers at her.

A cool breeze blew across Sunset’s body, and she watched in awe as her wounds vanished. Warm energy flowed through her like soup, revitalizing her, and she quickly stood up to check herself over. Everything seemed in place, yet there was something off. She pressed a hoof against her chest and gave an involuntary gasp.

Her heart was not beating.

“I… I don’t understand.” She looked up at Discord, now occupying himself with some yarn wrapped around his fingers. “My heart… I don’t feel anything. And Vesper stabbed me. I died, didn’t I?”

“Yep,” Discord said nonchalantly.

“Then how am I still here?”

Discord rolled his eyes. “Must I explain everything? Come on, Sunny Bun, you’re supposed to be a smart pony. Figure it out.”

Sunset sat down in the sand. By all rights, her life should have ended. Unless…. Was there some other rule of time keeping her alive as long as Vesper lived?

No. Not time… souls.

“The Frostlich,” she whispered.

“Ding, ding, ding!” Discord cried. “We have a winner!”

Balloons and confetti rained down on Sunset, who found herself standing behind a podium with a buzzer on it. She took no notice, instead staring vacantly into the distance. “When I was reincarnated… the magic never left… so I’m still immortal?”

A loud buzzing sound startled Sunset back into the present; Discord leaned over the podium, wearing a fancy suit and tie. “Sorry, Sunnykins. All questions must be in the form of an answer. But yes, you’re still immortal.”

Sunset fell back on her haunches, her legs too wobbly to support her. “But how? Why?”

Discord snapped his tail, bringing them back to the beach. “Ugh, you’re such a buzzkill. Now I know why little miss Twilight picked you to be her student.” In a flash of light, he stood in front of a blackboard while wearing a scholar’s cap and a monocle. “Now let me explain to your pony brain why you aren’t dead.”

He raked his claws against the blackboard, make it wail in pain. Sunset covered her ears but was unable to block out the cries of agony.

Discord grinned. “I’ve always wanted to do that. Anyway...” He flipped the board around. On the reverse side was a crudely drawn picture of the Frostlich. “Here’s how this works: a lich’s magic permanently binds their soul to their body. Normally—” He flipped the board again to a picture of a pony with wings and a halo “—when a pony sustains too much injury, or their little pony hearts just stop, they die, kick the bucket, push up daisies, etcetera.”

Sunset nodded.

“But because the lich’s soul is stuck to the body like glue, it ignores the laws of death!” Discord put his hands to his face. “How chaotic is that?”

“Keep going,” Sunset ordered.

“Just as well.” Discord rapped a yard stick on the desk Sunset was now sitting at. “This will all be on your test. Now then…” He turned the board over to an equally crude drawing of what Sunset guessed was her alicorn self. “Since you, Sunset—you naughty filly—took the power for yourself, you bound your soul to your body so that even after injury and decay, you’d keep walking.” On the other side of the board was a picture of Twilight with very large buck teeth and shooting a rainbow. “Since pretty purple princess here followed mommy Celestia’s orders, your soul left your body and floated away.”

Discord crossed his arms, a sour look on his face. “No one was ever considerate of my feelings when they turned me to stone. Twice!” He raised his piece of chalk and bit into it. “Whatever. The point is, the metaphorical glue of the lich’s magic is on your soul, sunflank. So when you made a new body because your soul couldn’t find your old one, you kept your immortality.”

Sunset pressed a hoof against her face. “Great.” She let out a mirthless laugh. “This is just great. Fantastic!”

“Isn’t it?” Discord put his paw around Sunset’s shoulders and waved his other arm through the air. “Just think of all the things you can do now! Oh, the possibilities of chaos are endless! I’d envy you if I wasn’t immortal myself.”

Sunset opened her mouth to snap at him but halted. Another question burned through her brain. “How do you know all this about me? In fact, why are you even here?”

Discord groaned. “Celestia asked me to keep an eye on you ponies while you pranced around Equestria. I only agreed because I knew I’d get some enjoyment out of it.” He raised his head. “And I was right!”

“Celestia asked you to watch over us?” Sunset’s anger boiled. “Why didn’t you just capture Vesper Radiance then?”

“Did you not just hear me?” Discord appeared over her in a director’s chair. “Your little adventure has been like a grade-A film for me! It had action, it had drama, it had twists and turns and suspense! Why in Equestria would I bring that to a halt? I need to get my kicks somehow.”

“So why are you here now?”

“To make sure you don’t do anything stupid. And…” Discord snapped his fingers. A gold hourglass burst into existence over his paw. “To give this back to you.” He held it down to Sunset.

She took it in her hooves, staring at the golden beads.

“No thanks are necessary. I was just—hey!” Discord ducked as the hourglass soared between his horns. “Why are you—where are you going?”

Sunset looked back. “Did you not just hear me?” she asked in a mocking tone. “I’m immortal. I literally cannot die. That’s not even an option for me anymore! My choices now are to live forever—to grow old until I’m just a walking skeleton! Or to fade away into nothing.”

Sunset took a few steps forward, and the warm beach vanished altogether. She was back in the tundra, snow flowing all around her. “Princess Twilight… wants me to go be noble… to go be a hero. She wants me to be selfless and sacrifice myself. But what about what I want? What about my choice?” she shouted.

She turned around to Discord, who was eyeing her with curious intent. “There isn’t a happy ending for me, I accept that! But I’m choosing the way this sad story ends. They can go deal with Vesper Radiance on their own—they don’t need my help! They beat her before! I choose to walk away.”

The darkness in her cackled in triumph, and for a moment, Sunset felt dizzy. But she shook it off, along with the snow that had built up in her mane, and marched away into the tundra. She didn’t know where she was going, and she didn’t care. She just didn’t want to deal with it anymore.

“Hold on, time out!” Discord slid in front of her. “You can’t just quit.”

“Watch me.”

Discord threw his mismatched arms up. “What about that big, disgusting friendship talk you had with Pinkie Pie?”

Sunset paused and bit her tongue. “I… I’m still me,” she said over the growing laughter inside her head. “But I’m tired of being beaten and broken and forsaken, again and again and again. The me I want to be now just wants to be left alone.”

She shivered as an icy wind blew through her heart, but continued to march on. That’s it, little replica—walk away. Forsake them like they’ve done to you.

“Shut up,” Sunset barked.

“I haven’t even said anything yet,” Discord said over her shoulder.

“I wasn’t talking to you!”

“Hearing voices now, hmm?” Discord shrunk himself and coiled his snakelike body around Sunset’s ear. “Hellooo? Is anyone else home?” He knocked on her temple. “Is there a yin to your yang, Sunny?”

Sunset swiped him off with her hoof. “Butt out!”

Discord return to normal size. “You know, the more I talk to you, the more I think you might be the yin. You’re starting to sound an awful lot like Vesper Radiance.”

Sunset stopped. Discord’s words cut into her like Vesper’s blade. “Don’t… please don’t…” she whispered.

“Don’t what? Compare the two of you? That’s what’s going on inside your head, isn’t it? Walking out on your friends seems cold to me.”

“I can’t be selfish now. All of their lives mean more than mine…”

No they don’t. It’s your life Twilight gambled with. You don’t owe them anything.

“I’m not going to pretend I wouldn’t do the same thing, but I expected more from you, Sunset Shimmer.”

“Stop it,” Sunset whispered.

“Okie-dokie-lokie! You never change either, Sunny.”

This isn’t change. This is who you are, deep down inside. This is us! Go on, be selfish! You’ll live longer—you’ll live forever!

“But oh well. If you want your insane half to take over the world, I won’t stop you. Should be fun to watch.”

“Stop it!”

“And I’m going to be me until the very end of it all!”

But you and I are the same pony, Sunset! Two sides of the same coin! You cannot exist without me!

“I certainly hope your former friends won’t die in the struggle. It would be a shame if Pinkie Pie got cursed again.”

“Stop it!” Sunset screamed. She shut her eyes and covered her ears with her hooves. “Stop it, stop it, stop it! I don’t know what I want, okay? I don’t know what’s right! I want to fight, but I don’t want to go away! I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to live like this—forced to just exist until the end of time! I just want it all to end!”

Sunset breathed deeply but could no longer feel the blood rushing through her body. She dropped her hooves to the ground and opened her eyes. Snow still swirled around her, but Discord had vanished.

The hourglass, however, was buried in the snow in front of her.

Sunset trudged over and picked it up in her magic. From the outset of her journey, it had been a symbol of hope to her, proof that anything could change. In the past twenty-four hours, all it had become was a token of doom, reminding Sunset of what she had to give up to make that change happen.

While the blizzard howled relentlessly around her, Sunset found herself at a crossroad. She thought she had been prepared to meet Vesper Radiance head on and accept her fate. But the urge to flee was strong now. She wanted to save herself; she wanted to resist Princess Twilight’s last request, just to say she wasn’t a pawn in someone else’s game; that she wasn’t just a sword to be pointed at the enemy.

But her friends needed her.

They need you to be a sacrificial lamb! That’s all you get from trusting and caring for somepony else! They just want to use you until your purpose is served!

Sunset brought the hourglass close and rested her forehead against it. “What am I supposed to do?”

The hourglass began to glow. The sudden light startled Sunset, and she dropped it into the snow. It was a soft blossom of light that spread outwards and bloomed all around Sunset. Purple runes popped to life along the gold base, floating off the metal and drifting away like butterflies. They danced around in the air, unaffected by the snowfall. In fact, it was as if the light was repelling the snow entirely.

Sunset had to shield her eyes as the light’s intensity rose to its apex and shone brighter than the white snow. When the light began to dim through her eyelids, she lowered a hoof and stared at the hourglass, which now sat upright in the middle of a large purple star. And hovering just over the star, flickering like a phantom was—

“Princess…” Sunset breathed.

Princess Twilight Sparkle smiled sadly at her. Adorned in her regal wear, she floated just out of Sunset’s reach. Her violet mane still blew, caught in a gentle wind instead of the strong gale that billowed around Sunset only a second ago. Like the snow, whatever light that had come out of the hourglass was repelling the wind.

“Sunset Shimmer. My sweet, sweet student,” Twilight said with lamentation. Her voice carried a subtly echo, like she was speaking from the other end of a hall. “My faithful apprentice.”

Sunset fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes, though she refused to let them fall. “Princess. I… why? Why would you do this to me? Why—”

“If you are seeing this message,” Twilight continued, “then… I am so sorry.” Tears of her own fell down her face, and she bowed her head. “I have failed you.”

Now Sunset understood why Twilight looked so incorporeal, why she sounded so distant. This Twilight was nothing but a memory. It still didn’t stop Sunset from hating it. She forced down her tears, cold loathing replacing them. She wanted to yell again, but she knew it would make little difference.

Twilight looked up at her again. “I know what you must be feeling now—”

“Do you?” Sunset spat.

“—and you have every right to hate me. And while these words may not console you in any way, I still want you to hear them—”

“Why should I listen to anything you have to say?” Sunset snarled.

“—because I want you to know that I did not do what I did because I hated you or because I was scared,” Twilight said. Even in life, she had had a way of predicting a lot of Sunset’s answers. “This was the absolute last thing I wanted to do.” Her face tightened again as she fought another wave of tears. “I wanted you to grow up and live a full life. I wanted you to never have to struggle under the shadow of your other self. I didn’t want you to know the real identity of Vesper Radiance if I could avoid it.”

“So you wanted to keep me ignorant then?”

“I suppose, yes, I wanted to keep you ignorant—”

Sunset growled in agitation.

“—but more than that… I just wanted you to be happy.” Twilight sighed. “My words might never be enough. And this might not help either, but I want you to see something, Sunset. Please.”

The hourglass released another wave of light. When the spots had stopped dancing in front of Sunset’s eyes, she found herself back in the Starswirl the Bearded wing of the Royal Library, the hourglass back to its regular size. Twilight stood in front of it, several books floating around her along with large rolls of parchment.

Sunset walked up to her with an eye of skepticism. “What are trying to show me, Twilight?”

But Twilight had not heard her. She remained absorbed in her book, her mouth constantly moving as she wordlessly read its contents.

“Great, more memories,” Sunset said bitterly.

Behind her, the door opened with a squeal of iron, and in walked Celestia with a slight limp that Sunset had never noticed until now.

Twilight had also heard Celestia enter, and turned to greet her with a grim smile which Celestia did not return.

“Twilight, I’m afraid our wards are failing even as we speak. Even with Discord’s help, our magic cannot keep her contained for very much longer.”

There was no immediate answer. Twilight just turned back and stared into the hourglass. “Maybe I was asking for too much. The curse Vesper dealt to Pinkie… and the Elements back in the Tree of Harmony. I guess hoping she’d stay sealed for a long time was foolish optimism.”

Celestia stepped closer and put a gentle hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “How is Pinkie?”

Sunset saw Twilight’s eyes do a frantic search about the room, trying to find something to derail the conversation. Yet, she found nothing and was forced to answer. “Weak. Very weak. I don’t—” her voice broke. “I don’t think she’ll last much longer.”

Celestia inhaled deeply. “She fought for fifty years, Twilight. She almost lived a full life.”

“That’s little consolation if Vesper returns and kills us all,” Twilight whispered darkly.

Sunset flinched, never having heard something that dark from Twilight before.

Celestia lowered her hoof and examined all of the books Twilight still had floating around them. “So, this is it, then?”

Twilight gave a slow nod, still wiping the tears from her eyes. “My last, desperate plan.”

“You truly intend to send Sunset Shimmer back in time to confront herself?”

“Only if I have to.” Twilight looked up, the tiniest glimmer of hope in her eyes. “If she escapes, even without the Elements, we can still beat her, right? She doesn’t have a soul anymore—she’s not Sunset. If we defeat her, put her down for good, then everything will be fine!”

A pained look drew across Celestia’s face, a look that resonated within Sunset. Celestia scrapped a hoof across the ground. “Yes… I-I suppose that Vesper Radiance isn’t necessarily Sunset anymore but…” She took a labored breath. “Twilight, it’s like you said: she has no soul now. Which means she has no inhibitions, no moral limits, no qualms about any of her actions no matter how sinful. She’ll be ready to kill from the onset, and with all the power she has…”

“We can beat her!” Twilight said confidently. “If we all work together, we can stop her! I won’t let her ruin any of our lives! She already took Pinkie, but she won’t have anypony else!”

Celestia cupped Twilight’s face and looked into her eyes. “Twilight…”

Sunset moved around them so she could see Celestia’s face. There was a dull shine in her eyes—a light that was on the edge of being fully extinguished. Had she given up already? Sunset shook her head. Celestia didn’t just give up. Still, she couldn’t deny that look of resignation. She hadn’t given up, she just understood what Sunset knew was going to pass. They would fail.

Twilight evidently understood this too, and broke down into her former mentor’s shoulders. “I don’t care! I don’t care! I have to try!”

“I know you do, Twilight,” Celestia said soothingly. “And don’t think for a moment that I won’t either.”

“I don’t want to do this to her! It isn’t fair! I see what you saw in her, Celestia—I see everything she has the potential to be. I know in the end it has to be her, but…”

“I know, Twilight. Believe me, I know. You’re right, it isn’t fair. When she goes back… when she finds out—and she will find out… she’s going to hate you as much as she will me.”

“I know.” Twilight pulled away and produced a tissue from thin air to dab at her eyes. “But I refuse to give up. There’s still a chance. We can still stop Vesper when she returns. Nothing has to be overwritten… no one else has to die…”

The world began to dissolve in front of Sunset, returning her to the barren ice field.

It wasn’t fair? Sunset thought. They were sitting in that room discussing her future, understanding full well what was going to happen to her, and to them it wasn’t fair? Of course it wasn’t fair! But what were they crying for? They weren’t the ones who had to do it! They weren’t the ones with their existence on the line!

Sunset’s heart softened a little. Still, they had not, as a dark corner of Sunset’s heart believed, tossed her back in time simply to be rid of her. Twilight had indeed cared. On that last day, she had been fighting for Sunset.

The field had fully returned now, and Twilight floated above her once more. “I know it won’t ease your heart much, Sunset. I just wanted you to know that I didn’t want this for you. Neither did Celestia. Still, we both knew it had to be you that would travel through time. You alone could stand against yourself—could face your sins and thereby redeem them. Your presence would also have the least impact on the timeline for several reasons as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now.”

Her voice broke again, and she looked away to swipe at her eyes. When she looked back at Sunset, she was smiling her sad smile again. “There’s also… one more reason why it had to be you. Why you had to come back to this particular time. It’s… a selfish reason, one that might cause me heartache later on but…”

Even in her holographic form, Sunset could see Twilight’s eyes sparkling. “I wanted to remember you.”

“What?” Sunset asked.

“I knew, whatever the outcome of your adventure, that a new timeline would be created: one where you… where we never got to meet in the future. But if I sent you back to this particular time, I knew you would run into my younger self and all of my friends. I knew we would work together and then… I would get to remember you. I wouldn’t just remember your fall from grace as Vesper Radiance. I would get to know Sunset Shimmer: the brilliant, kindhearted mare who has made me the proudest teacher in the world.

“That’s what you are, Sunset: brilliant. You’re strong, you’re kind, and you’re a wonderful friend. Those are your characteristics. No matter what happens, remember that, please. Don’t let your past define who you are.” Twilight’s voice took on a tone of urgency. “I don’t care if you share a soul, you’re two different ponies now. You have qualities that Vesper doesn’t have. You have friends, Sunset. Never forget that. No matter what happens, no matter how much you hate me, I will always love you, Sunset.”

A tear fell from Twilight’s face, and Sunset could have sworn she saw it physically hit the snow.

“That’s all I have to say. I pray that we meet again someday, Sunset. Maybe we might not have to even say good-bye. If anyone can defy destiny... it’s you.”

And with that, Twilight was gone. The purple star that had painted the snow vanished, and Sunset felt the cold wind and snow bite her once more.

If anything, Sunset just felt more confused. Her shoulders were even heavier now. She knew what she had to do. But what did she want to do?

I want the power I deserve

I want to fight for my friends.

I want to survive.

I want to go and defend them.

I want to hate to Twilight Sparkle.

I want to fulfill her last request.

Sunset looked at the hourglass before her, all of its sand resting in the bottom bulb. All this time, it had been around her neck, silently giving her hope and courage and strength. It was a symbol of the promise she made to the Princess that she would set everything right.

Sitting in her hooves now, what was it worth? She found no hope, no strength, no courage—only confusion. If the answer was so obvious, why was it so hard to choose?

She pressed a hoof against the glass. It was still warm, like Princess Twilight’s fur.

“One day… you might have to make a choice, Sunset, of how you use those powers. You can either lash out and attack in anger and hatred… or you can use your abilities to defend those you care about in love.”

Sunset removed her hoof and stared down at it, Vesper whispering in her ear again.

“I… choose…”

Twilight and her friends had walked out of the open rays of the falling sun, and underneath a thick canopy of woolly clouds. Snow whisked past them, carried by strong winds. The further into the icy wilderness they got, the harder it became to see.

Twilight kept her scarf pulled high, keeping as much ice off her face as possible. If her photographic memory was anything to go by, she guessed they were fairly close to their destination. It was hard to be certain about anything, however, with the obstruction of falling snow.

The field they were in was vast and flanked by short mountains. It was also practically empty, just stretching out in every direction for miles, which struck Twilight as odd. The rest of the tundra rose and fell, subtle sometimes yet still noticeable. This field was just flat: no hills or valleys or crags, just endless snow.

Twilight stopped, her intuition kicking in. Her horn glowed brighter under the grey clouds. She closed her eyes, allowing her mind to drift into the magical aether. Two red dots appeared before her, one somewhere below her and another far out in the distance.

She opened her eyes, facing the group of mountains in front of her, then looked down at the powder around her hooves.

“What is it, Twi?” Applejack asked.

“Vesper is somewhere underground. In fact, I think she’s inside the Crystalarium right now, and we’re on top of it.”

“Well, why don’t you just blast through the snow so we can get down to this Crysta-whatever?” Rainbow asked. She had been grounded through the majority of the hike thanks to the weather.

“Because I don’t know how deep it is,” Twilight said over the rising wind. “It’d take me hours to blast through solid granite. But the entrance is somewhere in the mountains. We just need to keep moving.”

The snow hugged their abdomens, forcing the ponies to trudge through it with heavy hoofsteps. Ice blasted their faces, and the wind pushing them back grew fiercer by the minute.

“Do you think Vesper is doing all of this?” Spike yelled from Twilight’s back.

“Maybe,” Rainbow yelled back. “She is a flipping alicorn now!”

“Not yet she isn’t,” Twilight muttered.

By the time they reached the base of the mountain, Twilight could barely feel her hooves, even with her boots on. To her immense relief, when she cast the tracking spell again, Vesper’s crimson aura was only a cliff above them.

The path up the mountainside was icy, and even the traction on the soles of their snow boots only helped so much. Slipping was constant, making the journey slow. Twilight was amazed at the amount of light they still had when they reached the top. It was dark, but she could still see a faint orange glow on the horizon.

Please hurry, Princess.

At the top of the cliff yawned the mouth to a large cavern. Inside, the walls were covered in a thick layer of ice, and, to Twilight’s surprise, there were fragments of ancient-looking mining equipment frozen in the floor.

“How close do you think Sombra got to finding the horseshoes?” Spike asked.

“A little too close for comfort,” Twilight answered, following the trail of broken helmets and shovel pieces.

The cave sloped down at a gradual pace until they came to what had once been a dead end. The wall had been very recently blasted open, and debris cluttered the floor. The corridor beyond was far narrower than the rest of the cave, and what they found at the end nearly caught Twilight by surprise.

Her hoof stepped off into open air, forcing her to lose her balance and teeter precariously until Applejack pulled her back.

“Heh, kinda like old times, huh?” Applejack joked.

Twilight cracked a smile that faded when she looked into the bottomless shaft before her. The cave no longer went forward, just straight down into imperceptible darkness, perhaps into Tartarus itself.

Fluttershy looked over Twilight’s shoulder. “Um, what do we do now?”

“Improvise,” Twilight said. Her magic illuminated the room, and a purple disk expanded from the center of the pit until it filled the entire opening. Twilight’s horn never stopped glowing, even as she took a step onto her magic platform. It was solid and sturdy, holding up even after Twilight demonstrated with a few stomps on it.

Everypony caught on and hopped aboard the magical elevator. Twilight’s magic strained a little under the combined weight of her friends, but she toughed it out and brought the elevator down, slowly but surely.

The cavern swallowed them whole, plunging them deep into the darkness. Down they went, further and further. Twilight was now convinced the pit did lead to Tartarus. It was actually starting to become warmer, enough for Twilight to regain the feeling in her hooves.

Dim light rose to greet them as the elevator reached its one and only stop. The tunnel before them was not as rough and worn as the cavern above. The walls here were dug out by hoof and had lit braziers running along them. Following them down, the walls changed from stone to marble until the tunnel opened into a large antechamber.

Pillars lined the room, leading to a crystal door that had been thrown wide open. The hall beyond it once again disappeared into perpetual blackness.

Rainbow discarded her winter clothes and spread her wings. She took a deep breath and said, “All right. I’m still hoping that dragon thing ate her, but I’m ready for a fight one way or another.”

“Just remember,” Twilight said, discarding her own clothes, “the Frostlich can’t die. At best, we can just knock it out. We should just stay out of its way and focus on Vesper. Or even try to keep its attention on her.”

Everypony nodded and Spike drew his sword, holding it with both hands. “Let’s go.”

They galloped into the waiting maw unaware of the grinning eyes watching from the shadows.

“Rarity, do you feel that?” Twilight asked.

Rarity groaned. “Yes, it’s like someone is stepping on my horn.” She tried to illuminate the hallway, but only managed to produce a weak flicker.

Twilight’s own light spell sputtered and died as they drew deeper in.

Pinkie looked between the two of them. “What’s going on?”

“Some sort of magic suppression,” Twilight explained. “A very powerful one too. But I don’t understand how it’s affecting us. We never stepped through anything like that door in the palace dungeons.”

As they continued down the crystal hall, the suppression grew stronger, becoming a brick anchored to Twilight’s horned. She didn’t think it could get any worse until the stench of rotting flesh reached her nose, forcing her to violently gag.

“Dear Celestia!” Rarity held a hoof to her nose and took several large steps back. “Please tell me that stench isn’t what I think it is?”

“Whatever it is, it’s behind this door.” Applejack pointed with her free hoof to a door that looked similar to the one at the entrance.

It took all their combined strength to push it open. The stench hit them full force, and it took every ounce of willpower Twilight had not to throw up.

The central room of the Crystalarium was larger and taller than a cathedral. The polished crystal that made up the entire room gleamed so brightly, it looked like as if it was reflecting the afternoon sun. It could have been beautiful, if not for the ugly mass curled in the center.

Four tall pillars surrounded it, each with chains that extended and disappeared somewhere within the mass of decaying flesh and white bones. Large, leathery wings blocked most of its body from sight, but its head was facing the ponies.

The skin and muscle were completely gone, leaving it with just a bony grin. Large horns pointed back, grey and sharpened to an edge. Its eye sockets were empty, just indentations where its draconic eyes had once been.

Fluttershy scooted behind Rainbow and stammered, “I-is t-that….?”

“Yes.” Twilight nodded. “That’s the Frostlich.”

The Frostlich was completely still, and if Twilight hadn’t been privy to its secret, she would have mistaken it for dead. Craning her neck, Twilight saw a dais rising up at the other end of the room. Sitting at the top was an alicorn statue of onyx with grey, fierce-looking hoofguards embedded with a red jewel in the center of each of them.

The Obsidian Hoofguards.

Twilight looked between them and the sleeping dragon. Would it wake up if anyone touched the statue? Or did it just react to noise? Could it even hear? Before she could analyze any of her own questions, Rainbow asked the most important.

“Guys, where’s Vesper?”

Everypony looked about the room and even glanced back down the hall, but the sadistic pony was nowhere to be seen.

“Well, there’s no signs of a struggle,” Rarity said. “And I seriously doubt she ran away.”

“Maybe we beat her here,” Pinkie said hopefully.

Twilight shook her head. “I traced her magical signature down here. I’d do it again, but…” She grimaced at the pressure on her horn. This was certainly a trap; Twilight just wasn’t sure what kind yet. She took a step forward, trying to get a better look at the room.

She immediately regretted the decision.

Blue balls of fire appeared in the Frostlich’s eye sockets. Its joints groaned as it began to untangle itself from its sleeping position. It spread its formidable wings, revealing the rest of its body. A black, shriveled heart sat in its ribcage. Muscle still clung to its forelegs, along with shackles that attached to the four chains. Strings of skin and scales dangled from its long pointed tail.

Around its neck, Twilight found the source of her and Rarity’s inability to use magic. Hanging loosely was a black collar with a large, blue orb stuck to the center.

A suppressor orb. I wish Sunset had mentioned that!

The Frostlich raised itself onto its hind legs and stretched its neck out. An almighty bellow erupted from it, shaking the entire room. It smashed against the floor and roared again, blasting the ponies with freezing air. Its blue flames then noticed the chains still binding its wrists and ankles and began to yank at them. With one tug, part of the chain began to crack.

“Twilight?” Rainbow made a loud gulp. “What do we do now?”

Snap! One chain was loose.

Twilight looked at the orb around the Frostlich’s neck. If they could break it, they stood a chance of beating it.

Snap! Both of its forelegs were free.

Twilight looked behind them. They could also run. The beast probably wouldn’t be able to catch them. But then Vesper would swoop in and take the Obsidian Hoofguards for herself.

Watching the Frostlich pull at its back shackles, Twilight steeled herself. “Break that orb!” she cried, charging forward.

Sunset’s teal elevator reached the bottom floor, just as a bloodcurdling roar pounded against her ears.

They woke up the dragon.

She walked into the antechamber with no expression on her face, nor an hourglass around her neck. It was just her…

And her original self standing in the doorway, talking excitedly to herself.

“Yes, yes! Go, you pathetic pawns! Go and fight the wee beasty! Once the orb is broken or they get killed by the dragon, the Hoofguards will be all mine! Untold power… immortality… soon it will all belong to me! Heeheehee, ahahaha!”

Smoke curled from the corner of Sunset’s eyes, and her horned hummed as light gathered at the tip, pointed at the back of Vesper’s neck.

Vesper stiffened like a board. She whipped her head around, countering Sunset’s spell with one of her own. The jets bounced off each other and flew off in random directions.

Vesper’s face was whiter than a sheet and her pupils were nonexistent. “Y-you… how are you… you can’t be…”

Sunset couldn’t help but smirk. “What’s the matter, Vesper? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Why aren’t you dead?” Vesper shrieked. “I killed you!”

A dark chuckle rolled in Sunset’s throat. “Heh, I kinda wished you had. It’d be easier for me.” She glared at Vesper, one eye hidden behind her bangs. “You put me through the lowest rings of Tartarus. So I think it’s only fair I returned the favor.”

Vesper took a step back and snarled. “You’re still going to fight for those worthless, so-called friends of yours? You’re still going to play the hero?”

Sunset’s horn started to glow softly. “While it’s true the world would be better off without you, I’m not so much doing it for their sake anymore.”

She pulled her lips back into a feral grin and charged.

“I just want the pleasure of killing you myself before I go!”

Twilight rolled out of the way as another set of ferocious claws narrowly missed her. Out of instinct, she tried to charge her horn, but came up with only leaden weight against her brain. She ran beneath the Frostlich to avoid getting crushed by its back foot.

The Frostlich, deeming her no longer a major threat, turned its attention to Rainbow, coming in for another dive. It snapped at her with its sword-like teeth, making her swerve to the right. She swooped back around, but a fierce shake of its head kept her from getting at the blue jewel around its neck.

Applejack tried to run another distraction, leaping over its tail and bucking at its back leg. The Frostlich grunted, but merely flicked its tail in the opposite direction, forcing Applejack to retreat.

Pinkie had regained some of her vigor. She bounced around the Frostlich, appearing and disappearing in random places as it constantly tried to strike her.

Still, the beast was quite able in multitasking. It swiped at everyone like they were bothersome flies, and its sharp teeth and claws kept them from getting a good strike against the suppressor orb. For a monster with rotting limbs, it was pretty fast.

Its attention was on Spike, who had just cut at its exposed muscle with his sword. The Frostlich bellowed in annoyance and reared up on its back legs again, sucking in a deep breath.

Twilight felt the temperature in the room begin to slide. An icy fog hung around the dragon’s mouth, while more swirled around in its chest cavity.

“Everypony, move!” Twilight yelled. She dashed for Spike, flipping him onto her back with her head. She ran beneath the Frostlich’s legs again as the beast came back down and released a blast of frozen air. Everything it touched instantly became laminated in a thick layer of ice. It spread across the floor and up two of the pillars, eventually reaching the wall. In mere seconds, half of the room was covered in ice.

“Whoa…” Spike said with a puff of warm air.

Twilight pulled herself out of the corner she had tucked them into and silently agreed. Seeing half the room covered in a perfectly even layer of permafrost was an eerily beautiful sight. Her eyes, however, raced around the room to make sure none of her friends had gotten caught in it.

To her relief, she found most of them tucked away in the corner adjacent to her, while Fluttershy had ducked behind the statue, and Rainbow hovered near the top of the room.

With the smirk of a daredevil, Rainbow dove towards the Frostlich’s neck, straight for the back of its collar.

Twilight held her breath. The Frostlich was still recovering from its freeze attack and checking if it had hit anything. Rainbow came down like an arrow, hoof outstretched. She was only a few feet away when the Frostlich adjusted its wings and smacked into her.

Rainbow stumbled through the air, her trajectory thrown off. She catapulted forward and bounced off the Frostlich’s skull before hitting the icy floor and sliding to the wall.

Once again, Twilight charged her horn on instinct and got no response out of it. She rushed forward, desperate to do something. She turned and bucked against one of the monster’s rear legs, while Spike slashed at it.

In the next moment, Twilight was hurtling through the air, smacked by the Frostlich’s tail. She crashed on her side near the foot of the dais. She groaned and wheezed, but managed to crack her eyes open. Off to her right, she saw Spike’s sword lying on the ground, but she couldn’t see Spike. Directly in front of her was Rainbow, lying with her back against the wall.

Before the Frostlich could strike, a loud clang issued from the side of its face.

“Hey, ugly!” Rarity yelled, holding a piece of the broken chain in her hoof. “Over here!” She hurled it at the Frostlich, striking him below the eye.

It roared and turned its attention away to slash at Rarity, leaving Rainbow time to roll over and flee.

Someone flipped Twilight over onto her back. “Twilight, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked. Spike stood next to her, looking unharmed.

Twilight sat up with a throbbing pain just beneath her wing. A small trail of blood snaked down her fur from an open wound. “I’m fine,” she said, seeing Fluttershy’s horrified reaction. “It’s not that bad.”

“One of the barbs on its tail must have hit you,” Spike said.

Twilight stood up. She winced, but the pain was manageable. “See? No big deal. Are you okay though?”

Spike nodded. “Fluttershy caught me.”

The trio turned to the battle in progress. Rarity and Applejack were taking turns attacking the Frostlich; one ran a distraction while the other threw chain pieces at the suppressor. Rainbow had returned to the air, waiting for the right moment to strike. Pinkie, meanwhile, had managed her way onto the Frostlich’s back, and was shimmying up its spine.

It finally took notice and reared up again, flapping its leathery wings and blowing Rainbow, Rarity and Applejack into the corner. Pinkie held on for dear life, nearly becoming crushed when the wings folded together.

Then, the Frostlich stopped. It held its wings out in place for a moment, and then slowly lowered itself onto all fours. Its snout pointed towards the open door and the dim corridor beyond.

Now Twilight heard it too. Shouting, and the faint sound of spells being cast. There was the thunder of a cannon, and out of the darkness came Vesper, landing on her back with her wings splayed out.

“You’ll pay for that, Replica,” she grumbled as she got to her hooves. She then spun around and stared up at the Frostlich. She bared her teeth and looked over at Twilight.

“You still haven’t smashed the suppressor?”

Twilight paid her no attention; her eyes were on the pony emerging from the shadows. Her heart leapt into her throat and tears welled in her eyes, overflowing down her cheeks.

“Sunset…”

Sunset felt her magic become inhibited as she stepped further down the hall, into the well-lit room that she had blasted Vesper through. That was fine; she would just beat Vesper with her own bare hooves.

She stopped at the threshold, gazing up at the immense, rotting dragon. It was even larger than she remembered.

She heard not the joyous cries of her friends, only the bellow of the Frostlich. She saw not their tears of relief, only Vesper’s annoyed scowl.

Sunset charged at her, only to have Vesper take to the air. Sunset jumped to the side, avoiding the Frostlich’s claws and shouted to anyone listening, “Break that stupid orb!”

Everyone broke out of their relief and amazement, and jumped into action. The Frostlich made a wide sweep of its claws to push them all back, and while most moved out of the way, Applejack merely turned on her hooves and bucked at its claw.

It came clean off and sailed across the room, leaving the Frostlich stumbling for balance. Sunset just cleared its shadow before it landed on its side with a calamitous crash. Its tail whipped around angrily, separating Sunset from Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike.

Before Sunset could find a way around, she was hoisted into the air from behind. Everything grew smaller as she climbed to the top of the room at a breakneck speed.

“Let’s see how you enjoy freefalling,” Vesper whispered. She threw Sunset down with a voracious laugh.

If Sunset’s heart could still beat, she knew it would be pounding right now. How many times had she fallen since her journey had begun? Far too many for her liking. She wondered how her immortality would work if she was splattered across the ground.

Fortunately, a rainbow blur raced up and snagged her out of the sky. Sunset rode in her hooves as they spiraled back to the floor.

“Sunset, I can’t believe it! You don’t know happy I am to see you still alive!” Rainbow cheered.

“Less talking, more fighting!” Sunset said curtly.

Rainbow dropped her off on the ice; Sunset slipped on the glossy surface as she landed. She stopped herself from falling in time to see the orb fly by her head. It hit the floor, producing a large crack, but it did not break. Sunset made to grab it, but slipped onto her stomach.

The Frostlich regained its balance and pushed itself onto two legs, sucking in its breath.

“It’s going to breathe ice again!” Twilight yelled.

Sunset looked up to it gazing down at her. She looked over at the orb, a few yards out of her reach. She stood up and ran two feet before her hoof slipped backwards and she fell again.

Rainbow swooped down again and scooped her up, flying her across the room.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Sunset yelled.

“Saving you! I’m not letting you get turned into a popsicle!”

“What about Spike?”

“What?” Rainbow stopped and whirled around, gasping at what she saw; Spike was running towards the orb, sword in hand and valor in his eyes.

“Spike!” Twilight called, but Spike didn’t heed her. He raised his sword over the orb as the Frostlich drew its head back.

Sunset’s body tensed as the blade came down over the crack, just as the Frostlich leaned forward and breathed. The blade smashed into the orb breaking it in two, and a teal shield wrapped around Spike, while a violet one covered the Frostlich’s head.

The inside of the purple shield quickly became obscured in ice until it was impossible to see. When the frost vanished from the Frostlich’s chest, Twilight dropped her shield and gasped.

The dragon’s entire head was frozen solid. Even the fires in its eyes were encased in ice. It began to thrash around wildly, swinging its arms and tail, beating its wings.

Rainbow ducked away from its wild attacks and carried Sunset down to the floor. Behind her, the Frostlich smashed into one of the four pillars, knocking it apart. In the process, its own head snapped off and landed in front of the entrance.

The rest of its body shuddered and toppled over while chunks of the pillar landed on top of it. When its tail stopped thrashing, Twilight teleported over to Spike’s side and squeezed him tight.

“Spike, you did it! Because of you, we won!”

The alicorn statue exploded into a thousand onyx shards, leaving only the Obsidian Hoofguards unscratched. Vesper dove for them, her grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Not yet we haven’t!” Sunset yelled, discharging a salvo of magic. Twilight followed her lead, and together, they filled the air with blue and purple bolts of magic, leaving Applejack and Rainbow to charge for the Hoofguards.

Vesper’s horn glowed brighter than a star, and the air in front of her distorted, then split open to form a portal. All of Twilight’s and Sunset’s attack gravitated towards it, while Vesper rained fire down on Applejack and Rainbow.

Another portal opened up over the remaining ponies heads, barraging them with Sunset’s and Twilight’s own magic. Pinkie pushed Sunset out of the way of an incoming blast, narrowly avoiding getting hit herself.

Rainbow had managed to grab one of the Hoofguards at the cost of half her tail. The victory was short lived, however, as Vesper descended and delivered a blast to Rainbow’s chest. She sailed across the room, mouth open in a silent scream. Fluttershy caught her and wailed at the amount of blood soaking Rainbow’s chest.

Vesper caught the fallen Hoofguard and used it to backhoof Applejack as she got close. She spiraled off the dais, and slid past a charging Sunset.

Sunset could barely give Applejack any thought; her mind was screaming, No! at the sight of Vesper stepping into the Hoofguards. She wildly fired every spell she could muster.

None of them reached Vesper.

A column of red light enveloped her entire body. Sunset froze, watching the light bathe the entire Crystalarium in its glow. She had seen the pillar before. No. Last time she had been in the pillar.

Her soul pulsed, like it was trying to break free from her body. She doubled over and clutched her heart, desperately sucking down air. Laughter rang in her ears, bubbling up from her aching soul.

“Your entire journey was pointless!”

Sunset lifted her head up with strenuous effort. As the pillar of light began to fade, a long, slender leg stepped out of it, wearing the Obsidian Hoofguards.

“I am now the greatest being on this planet!”

Sunset’s soul pulsed again, and she screamed in agony while the laughter grew louder. Her vision flickered, obscured by an impenetrable darkness. Hatred, anger, fear and despair all rose up from the abyss and enveloped her soul.

Large, immaculate, golden wings emerged from the light.

“I am your only princess now! No! I am your queen!”

Someone might have called her name, but Sunset couldn’t hear them anymore. She could only hear the sound of her own laughter. She felt her lips pull into a maniacal smile as she looked upon her alicorn self, standing proud upon the dais. A tall, spiraling horn pointed to a lethal tip. Long crimson-and-gold locks flowing in an unseen wind. Her eyes were draconic slits, filled with rapturous glee. She was as tall as Celestia and fully adorned in the Dark Regalia.

Sunset fell away, swallowed by the darkness of her own soul, but she still felt her mouth and voice in synch with the alicorn before her.

“I am Vesper Radiance!”

Chapter XXIII: Echoes of Time

“Hyahahahaha ahahahahahahaha!”

Applejack rose from the cold marble floor, nursing her aching jaw. She watched both Vesper and Sunset laugh with a malice more chilling than the Frostlich’s breath. Their combined radiating power pummeled her even from a distance, forcing her to stagger back. Even in her horrific alicorn state, Applejack had to concede that Vesper held a sinister type of elegance. She resembled Nightmare Moon more than Celestia, but she was still something to behold.

Applejack glanced back at her friends; all of them had been pushed back to the fallen column resting upon the Frostlich. Much like her own, their expressions bordered on horrified, save for Rainbow Dash, who was cradled in Fluttershy’s hooves, looking ready to pass into the next world.

This is wrong. This is all wrong.

Sunset walked to the foot of the dais and turned to face the group. She wore the same mad grin they had come to associate with Vesper, and a red gleam hung in her eyes.

“Sunset…”

Twilight took a step forward, and was immediately hurled back across the crystal floor by a blue beam. She came to rest by the Frostlich’s back leg, clutching her chest while tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

“Twilight!” Rarity started toward her.

“Nopony move!” Sunset bellowed. Her voice carried a faint distortion, a second Sunset speaking over the first. Sunset’s horn glowed the same teal it normally did, but like her voice, Applejack could sense there was something out of place.

Applejack looked from Twilight—who struggled to pick herself up—to Sunset, who eyed them all with superiority. “Sunset—”

Applejack only had a second to process the jet of light before it hit her in the shoulder. She imagined it as how Big Mac punching her with all his strength would feel. She collapsed to the floor, eyes watering while her shoulder throbbed in unison with her still-aching jaw. She squeezed her eyes shut like it would help block out the pain. Somewhere overhead, Vesper was still laughing.

“I’m not the Sunset you think I am. No—I am what came before. I am the original.”

Applejack opened her eyes and looked up; the red gleam in Sunset’s eyes had brightened.

“For fifty years I’ve slumbered: first, wavering between this world and the next, then buried in the lies of ‘harmony’ and ‘friendship’.” She pulled her lips back in an ugly snarl. “That worthless other took over, thinking she could live a happy and peaceful life, even if it was just a pretty lie. But she finally gave in! No matter how many times she reassured herself she was doing the right thing, she still carried that seed of doubt and resentment.” She looked back at Vesper and grinned. “I just needed a little jumpstart to use that negative energy against her.”

Sunset threw her head back and laughed. “Memories of power—the unstoppable magic flowing through me! Yes, a second ascension was just what I needed! Now we’ve restored true order here! She’s tails and I’m heads now! Me, the truest essence of her soul! I am the true Sunset Shimmer!”

She gestured to the alicorn behind her. “And I’m going to ensure that this time, I succeed in fulfilling my destiny!”

Vesper made a throaty giggle. “A delayed reaction, but I’m glad you’ve come to your senses, Replica.” She raised an eyebrow. “But, how do I know this isn’t some elaborate act?”

Sunset flashed a jagged smile that chilled Applejack further. “I’ll prove it.” She pointed her horn at Fluttershy and Rainbow, and hurled a ball of fire at them.

Fluttershy yelped and pressed herself into Rainbow’s bloody chest. Applejack pushed herself to her hooves, but knew she would never make it in time.

Spike threw himself in front of the blaze, letting it wash over his entire body. The impact threw him at Fluttershy’s hooves, but he got up and shook himself off like nothing happened.

Sunset gnashed her teeth together. “Stupid dragon!” Electricity arced along her horn as she aimed at Spike’s heart.

Pinkie ran forward, stopping in front of Applejack. “Sunset, stop it! Stop it! You’re your own pony, remember?” There were tears lining her eyes. “You said you wouldn’t change! Don’t be that big meanie, be you! Please!”

Sunset teetered back, her spell starting to fade. She looked at Pinkie with dazed and confused eyes. Applejack thought Pinkie might have broken through.

Then, the red glint returned, and magic once again danced around Sunset’s horn. Lightning erupted from the tip to fry Pinkie.

It passed harmlessly through purple wisps.

Applejack jerked her head to see Pinkie come out of the teleport near the Frostlich’s head, while Twilight strode forward again.

“Sunset, you have to stop this. I know you’re—”

Sunset didn’t give her time to finish. She charged at Twilight, horn ablaze, and delivered a full-bodied tackle before the two of them vanished in a ball of blue light.

“Twilight!” Applejack yelled, then winced in pain.

“Applejack!” Pinkie slammed into her, pushing her away from an oncoming blast that cracked the crystal tiles.

“You fools should be more concerned about yourselves!” Vesper charged her horn and fired again; this time it was Applejack who pulled Pinkie out of harm’s way.

Vesper growled and reared up on her hind legs. “Let’s see just how much power I really have!” She smashed her front hooves into the ground, creating a massive tremor. The floor heaved and rolled, cracks climbed the pillars, and chunks of the ceiling fell.

Applejack leapt over a growing fissure and snatched Spike onto her back. Overhead, Fluttershy frantically wove out of the falling debris’ way, still clutching Rainbow.

Vesper cackled, her entire body shuddering with mirth. ”Die!” Bolts of magic exploded from her horn and ricocheted around the room. “Die, die, die!”

Rarity took some of the fallen tiles and held them over her head, providing herself a makeshift shield. It proved to work when one of the spells came down and bounced off them. Fluttershy was brave enough to hide underneath the Frostlich, allowing the corpse to take one of the blows.

Vesper continued to fire, her magic bouncing off the crystal walls and coming within a hair’s breadth of hitting everyone in their path. Vesper then stomped again, creating another tremor.

Applejack lost her footing and landed on her side; Spike went tumbling head over tail. She heard a loud humming and before she knew it, pain tore through her, shocking and burning her simultaneously. It was short-lived, thankfully, but her body continued to twitch and jerk uncontrollably.

“You mud ponies really are resilient. That should have killed you. But I’ll make sure this one does!”

Applejack struggled to keep her eyes open, looking to Vesper as she prepared Applejack’s death. A feeble flop of her hoof was her futile attempt at dodging. A red streak sped toward her—

And disappeared behind a floating tile.

“Aaaugh!” Vesper hissed, clutching a hoof against the side of her face.

Rarity rushed over to Applejack, more of the Crystalarium’s tiles floating behind her.

Applejack cracked a smile and croaked, “Thanks, sugarcube.”

Vesper roared, interrupting their exchange, her cheek blackened from her own magic attack. She charged her horn again, an inferno wrapping around it.

“Let’s see you reflect this!” The inferno grew larger and larger, spreading over Vesper like a cloud.

Rarity huddled close to Applejack. “Oh no…”

Applejack watched as the fire compressed into a ball. Vesper raised her hoof, then brought it down, directing the fireball to its victims.

A white light flashed in the corner of Applejack’s vision. Instead of the fireball incinerating her, it dissipated against a golden force field.

Vesper reared back. “What—aaaaagh!” Struck in the chest by a radiant blast, she flew and hit the wall. Quick to regain her stance, she glared at the light’s source. Her pupils contracted.

“M-Mother?”

Vesper’s shocked expression was the last thing Applejack saw before the Crystalarium was replaced by a familiar frozen wasteland. She sat up, warm light flowing into every pore. Her body was no longer fatigued from Vesper’s magic, though quite cold from the sudden shift in environment.

“Applejack!” A serene and regal voice reached her ears. “Are you all right?”

Applejack turned her head and gasped. “Princess Celestia!”

Celestia’s anxious face eased into a smile upon seeing Applejack conscious. She quickly turned to Rainbow and rested her horn on Rainbow’s chest. Snapped bones clicked back into place, and the charred skin beneath the blood healed over.

Rainbow’s eyes came into focus. She sat up in Fluttershy’s hooves and groaned. “Wha... what happened?” She was answered with a loud squeal of relief from Fluttershy, followed by a group tackle from all her friends.

Although the sight warmed Celestia’s heart, she quickly stood over them all; everyone looked up, words forming on six pairs of lips.

“I am overjoyed to know you are all alive and well,” she said before anyone could utter a word, “but where are Twilight and Sunset?”

The wave of joy died in an instant, crestfallen looks marring their faces. Rarity was the first to speak up, wringing her hooves together in a guilty fashion. “We tried to stop Vesper from finishing the Dark Regalia… but we failed, and when she did, Sunset kind of… lost it.”

Applejack nodded. “She tackled Twilight and teleported somewhere.”

“I thought she might have just taken Twilight back to the entrance,” Spike said. “I mean, where else could they have gone?”

“You didn’t see them on your way in, Princess?” Rarity asked.

Celestia shook her head. “I scanned this part of the tundra upon my arrival, and sensed Su—Vesper’s magic below me, along with several beings fighting for their lives. I immediately teleported directly to your presence instead of searching for an entrance.”

Rainbow stood up. “Then we’ve got to go back and—whoa!”

The sound of stones being ground to powder reached them before the earth in front of them exploded. Celestia encased everyone within her golden shield, then telekinetically shoved them away as far as she could from the growing fissure.

An ironclad hoof gripped the edge of the hole and dragged the rest of its body into view.

Celestia suppressed a gasp and a sob as the alicorn rose out of the hole. Her red-and-gold mane danced behind her, as wild and frantic as her eyes.

She took one look at Celestia and broke into a demonic grin. “Mother! Mother, it is you—you’re here! You really came! Hahahahahaha!”

Celestia watched Vesper dance with joy, saw the dark fantasies waltzing behind her draconic eyes. “Sunset Shimmer,” she said softly.

“I’m just so happy to see you, Mother! I feel like it’s been ages! Even longer for you, I’m sure! Did you miss me? You missed me, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”

Celestia shook her head softly. “Sunset Shimmer, look at what you’ve done to yourself.”

Vesper raised a hoof and admired it. “Do you like it? I’m finally an alicorn, just like you, Mother! You’re proud, right? I’m truly your daughter now!”

“Did nothing I say ever reach you, Sunset?”

“Oh no, Mother, I learned a lot from listening to you. But you know what they say: actions speak louder than words. Dismissing me from your tutelage, disowning me as your daughter—replacing me with Twilight Sparkle!”

“I could never replace you.” Celestia’s voice was heavy, and tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. “You may not believe it, but I have always loved you. I always have and always will.”

Vesper’s face hardened. “If you truly do, then say it. Tell all of Equestria that you love me, that I am your only daughter and the heir to the throne! Disown Twilight Sparkle and admit that I am her superior!”

“Love doesn’t work like that, Sunset. It’s not something you can lord over other ponies’ heads. I love you, Sunset, and I do indeed think of you as my daughter. Why isn’t that enough for you?”

“Because you always put somepony else before me! Because the second I left, you replaced me! Because the more I tried to show my love for you, the more you pushed me away!” Vesper took several gulps of air. Her pupils, smaller than pinpricks, danced erratically. “You say you love me, but it was always second-hoof love! My love for you is the greatest in all the world! Nopony cares about you as much as I do! I just wanted to know you felt the same way, but you don’t care—you never cared! You-you-you…!” Vesper screamed and flailed her head, spittle flying everywhere.

When she was finished, Celestia looked Sunset in her draconic eyes. “Do you remember when you tried to celebrate my birthday?”

Vesper leaned her head back. “W-what?”

“You asked me when my birthday was.” Celestia smiled fondly. “When it came around, you set half the kitchen on fire trying to bake me a cake. The head chef scolded you, but I laughed the entire day. I ate every last bite of that burnt cake too.”

“S-so? So what?”

“And do you remember your thirteenth birthday?” Celestia asked, taking a step closer. “You only asked that we sit and read together. So we did. We curled up in the library and read books all day, making funny voices for all of the characters.”

Vesper took a step back, her eyes wide with resistance. “N-no… stop it! You were just—”

“Or when we would play tag in the gardens and you would accuse me of cheating whenever I teleported just before you caught me, even though you would do the same thing when I was it.”

“Shut up!” Vesper stomped her front hooves against the ground repeatedly. “Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! Stop trying to make me remember! I don’t want to remember the lies!”

“They weren’t lies!” Celestia said urgently. “I love you. Take off that horrid Regalia and you’ll see it.”

Vesper hissed, showing off her fangs. “You just want me to take them off so I’ll be powerless again—so you can drag me away to the dungeons this time!”

“No, Sunset, I want to help you—”

“Enough!” The wind kicked up into a tempest that funneled solely around them. “I’ve had enough of this! You don’t love me! You love Cadence, you love Luna, you love Twilight Sparkle, but I was always second to them! I was never family!”

“Sunset—”

“My name is not Sunset!” Vesper screeched. “Sunset Shimmer is dead! She died the moment you crowned Twilight Sparkle, heheheheh, ahahahahaha!” She broke into a savage grin. “But I am a much better pony than little Sunset Shimmer. I am a goddess that all will bow to!”

She flared her wings out, and her mane began to twist and lash erratically. “I will be Equestria’s newest beacon of light and respect! Everypony—no, every living being—will hail to me as the Bringer of the Sun!” She extended a hoof into a rippling spot in the air and pulled out a long, thin crimson sword.

“You may not love me now, Mother, but you will soon.” The crimson blade hovered in front of her, pointed at Celestia. “Behold! For I am Vesper Radiance! I am the Heir to Equestria!” She snapped her head back and laughed into the powder-filled sky.

Anguish ate at Celestia’s heart as she gazed upon Vesper in her fit of mad laughter. As faint as it had been, she had come with the hope of bringing Sunset home, of finding something salvable in their relationship.

But the pseudo alicorn that floated above her was no longer Sunset. She was no longer the small, nervous filly from the orphanage, or the confident mare who had been her devoted student and adopted daughter. Celestia could feel the stranger’s equinity slipping away minute by minute, consumed by an inferno of seething rage and a deluge of sadness.

Before Celestia stood another monument to her failures.

She bowed her head. “Sunset Shimmer… I am sorry.”

Vesper brought her head down. “You’re… sorry?” She watched Celestia with curious eyes. “You’re sorry, Mother?” Another giggle escaped her throat. “After all these years, now you apologize? Hahahahahaha!”

When Celestia didn’t respond, Vesper just bobbed her head and smiled like a predator. “It’s okay, Mother, of course I forgive you.” Energy gathered around Vesper’s spiraling horn, manifesting itself into excited electricity. “I have to forgive you. You’re my mother and I love you, hehehehehe. I love you so much that I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! Ahahahahahaha!”

Vesper’s entire body shuddered. “But since you apologized, I promise I’ll be gentle when I kill you! And don’t worry—I know necromancy! I’ll keep your body right next to my throne! Then, we can be together for all eternity! Doesn’t that sound like fun, Mother? Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

Celestia inhaled slowly, feeling her magic flow through every pore, warming her body, though it did little for her spirit. She spoke in a barely audible whisper. “I am sorry I did not get here in time. I am sorry I could not catch you when you fell into madness. It will forever be another stain on my past… on my name. I’ve made so many mistakes in recent years... become so unaware…”

Her eyes opened, revealing unwavering conviction. “But I know deep down that it was you who ultimately made all of the wrong choices. I tried to steer you down the right path, but you rejected my teachings.”

The snow melted around Celestia’s hooves, and she rose to join Vesper in the sky. “I love you, Sunset Shimmer—that shall never change. But you have reached a point of no return, that much is clear to me now.”

The air, already humming with magic, was now vibrating with the energy released by the two alicorns.

“To protect my kingdom and those I love—” a long white blade with a golden sun emblazoned on the hilt materialized before her “—I will destroy the Dark Regalia! And if that means you along with it… then so be it!”

Vesper laughed. “How adorable! Fighting for Equestria and all the worthless filth living in it. That’s the Celestia I know—that righteous, bleeding heart!” Her eyes burned white, and waves of heat radiated from her body. “But how do you hope to beat me? I wield the full powers of all three Dark Regalia, and the powers of the sun!”

She raised her hooves above her head, and in the west behind her, a faint light began to rise from the horizon, burning a hole through the clouds. Soft orange and pink rays reached out over the wasteland, illuminating it under the sullen sky.

Celestia watched the sun settle just above the horizon, throwing the world into a second dusk. Her own magic had prickled the entire time, an itch that couldn’t be scratched. It had been invading and unnatural. Without question, ponies around the world would panic. But Celestia welcomed the sun’s light.

Her eyes burned white as the sun rose inside her. “And who was it that taught you how to use those powers?” She rushed forward, drawing her blade back to strike.

“Foolish child—I am the sun!”

Twilight landed on her back, having only a split second to regain her bearings before Sunset bore down on her. Twilight struck her legs out, catching Sunset in the chest and bucking her back across the room.

“Sunset!” Twilight yelled as she got to her hooves. “Snap out of it! Don’t let Vesper turn you into the thing you swore to defeat!”

Sunset rose and snarled. “I was already halfway there! I may as well go all in and secure myself a future!”

“I wasn’t talking to you, Vesper. I was talking to Sunset!”

“Different name, same pony. If she was conscious, I’m sure she’d tell you the same thing.” Sunset released an arc of lightning.

Twilight teleported behind a stone pillar, taking note that they had ended up in the Crystarium’s entrance hall. She ducked as a bolt skimmed over her head and blasted a hole in the wall. She teleported again to the other side of the room.

I have to get back to my friends! I have to get Sunset out of Vesper’s control! But how?

A jet of fire caught the tip of her tail; Twilight yelped before teleporting again. When she reappeared, she extinguished her tail and tentatively looked from behind her protective pillar.

Sunset was across from her, charging her horn again. She spotted Twilight and whipped her head toward the pillar. A sickle of energy cut through it like butter and sent it toppling over. Twilight raced out from behind it, throwing her shield up while Sunset continued to fire at her.

“Come on, fight back! You coward, fight back!” Sunset screamed.

Twilight slid behind another pillar and took a heaving gasp of air. The wound in her side felt like a cluster of needles. The pillar trembled as one of Sunset’s spells smashed into it. Twilight knew she had very little time to stand there and contemplate her next move. She couldn’t fight Sunset—she could never hurt any of her friends. But she had to do something!

The pillar crumbled to pieces, forcing Twilight back into the open. She fired a quick spell to knock Sunset’s own off-course, then dodged the next two. Maybe… if I can get close enough to use my memory spell, I can wake up the real Sunset!

She took the offensive, firing a few spells of her own while charging forward. Sunset repelled them easily, though Twilight had never intended them to do damage.

Sunset sidestepped and brandished a fiery whip from her horn. It snapped at Twilight, aiming for her neck. Twilight ducked, surrounding herself with a veil of water before pressing forward again.

Sunset recalled her whip and charged her horn with electricity instead. Twilight aimed a well-placed spell at Sunset’s horn, disrupting her magic and making her go cross-eyed. Twilight dropped her water shield and leaped to close the gap between them, pinning Sunset down on her back.

Good memories, good memories, Twilight internally chanted. She lowered her horn to Sunset’s, only to sharply recoil at the hoof that collided with it. She stepped back before Sunset could hit her again.

“Your memory spell isn’t going to work, Twilight!” Sunset powered up her horn. “I’m not some little lost lamb, or confused filly. It’s because I remember everything now that I can finally be myself again!” A disk of teal light split from her horn and flew toward Twilight.

Regaining her senses in time, Twilight raised her shield. The disk collided against it, sounding like a buzzsaw cutting through steel. When Twilight increased her shield’s power, Sunset increased her disk’s strength. It was obvious to Twilight who was going to win the standoff, so she cut her shield and teleported to the other side of the room.

The energy disk was persistent, however, and came buzzing after her. Twilight turned and ran, hopping over the rubble remains of the stone pillars. She tried to get a shot in at Sunset, but whenever she tried to aim, the disk came closer to slicing her tail.

Twilight tried a different tactic; her purple aura enveloped her entire body and she dove for the wall, running up it while the disk flew past her.

Sunset grunted and turned the disk after her, but Twilight continued up the wall and jumped onto the ceiling, firing several shots at Sunset to break her concentration. The energy disk petered out as Sunset tried to avoid getting hit.

From her inverted angle, Twilight released an ice spell at Sunset’s hooves. It missed, but formed a thick layer of frost underneath her. When Sunset put her hoof back down, it slipped out from beneath her, and she fell onto her stomach.

Twilight jumped from the ceiling, flipping herself around when her gravity spell dispelled. She glided down and tackled Sunset before she could stand up. They slid across the ice and came to a stop in front of the door leading to the grand hall.

No memory spell! Twilight thought, struggling to keep Sunset pinned down. Just… find her!

A burst of energy blasted Twilight off her hooves and threw her into the wall. She slid down to the floor before being hit again. She screamed, smoke curling off her body.

“Pathetic!” Sunset crossed the room, another spell gathered at the tip of her horn. “You’re that desperate to save somepony that doesn’t exist?” She shot Twilight, who only managed to feebly raise a wing in defense. “You think because we’re friends, I’ll go easy on you?” Sunset said over Twilight’s screams.

Twilight pushed herself onto her hooves. The blisters across her back ruptured, and blood trickled into her feathers. She faced Sunset. “No… it’s because we’re friends that I know you can snap out of it.”

“Snap out of what?” Sunset fired a beam into Twilight’s chest and sent her back to the floor. “I’m my true self again! If anything, I spent nineteen years in a trance, only to finally wake up now! I’m the original Sunset Shimmer! I’m the real one!”

Twilight got up again, gasping for breath. “You… may be the original… but you’re not the real one. The real one is in there fighting… I know she is—aagh!” Twilight crumpled to the floor. Her entire body was one burning ache, her muscles involuntarily twitching.

Sunset loomed over her. “That illusion is dead! Despite all her bravado about fighting for her friends, her weak will finally gave out and let me take control again. She no longer exists.” Sunset’s horn glowed, the teal color darker than usual. “And soon, neither will you.”

Twilight lifted her head and found Sunset’s eyes. They were still tinged with the faintest red, filled with unfathomable loathing. Twilight could see nothing beyond them.

But then she heard it: small and distant, but it pierced her heart all the same. Her magic roared to life, and she threw Sunset across the room.

Twilight stood up, her legs trembling under her weight. “You’re wrong. She still exists—she’s still fighting!” Twilight stepped forward. “I heard her. She asked for help, and this time, I won’t ignore her!”

Sunset rose and roared, “You delusional foal!” A wave of teal erupted from her horn.

Twilight’s wave of lavender rushed forth, and the two forces collided in the center of the room. Twilight’s entire body shook from the exertion, but she stood her ground. Just like in the wind cavern so long ago, both powers were evenly matched. Twilight pressed harder. She knew she was the stronger one; as long as Sunset wasn’t wearing the Alicorn Amulet, Twilight surpassed her, even if only by a marginal amount.

Purple overcame teal, pressing Sunset back. Stray sparks showered from her horn as she pushed back, returning the focal point to the middle. “You are fighting a pointless battle, Princess!”

“I’m fighting to save my friend!”

Sunset snarled. “Why? So she can be conscious when she really does fade from existence?”

Twilight faltered, and her magic lost ground, swallowed up by the teal light. “No…”

“You’d be doing her a favor by letting her sleep! I’m sparing her the agony of absolute death!”

“No!” Twilight stood tall, pushing her magic back to the center. “You’re the one killing her! I promised her everything would be all right—that I’d find a way to stop her from fading—and I will keep that promise!”

A high-pitched whine rang through the hall. The junction of the two opposing magics turned white, and coalesced into a sphere. Rampant energy crackled around it, making Twilight’s fur stand up. The white sphere compressed itself then exploded outward, throwing both Twilight and Sunset against opposite walls.

Twilight fell onto her stomach, dust settling on top of her. She allowed herself five seconds of rest before she forced herself to get up, hissing at the pain that strangled her body. She fell several times before she gained stable footing.

Across the room, Sunset was still lying on the floor, dust and rubble coating her. Her ears twitched at Twilight’s approached, and she opened an eye.

“So you’re going to fight me to try and ‘save’ me? You’re a fool, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight stopped in front of her, horn glowing. “I’m not going to fight you. Not if I don’t have to.”

“Then you truly are a fool.” Sunset tried to push herself up. “We will fight, and I will win. Only one of us is leaving this place alive.”

“No, we both are—together!” Twilight bowed her head and touched her horn to Sunset’s.

Applejack watched crimson and gold burst across the sky; fireworks of magic and sparks of steel rained from the heavens.

“Ah don’t think there’s much we can do for this fight,” she said begrudgingly.

“Yes there is!” Rainbow pointed to the fissure. “We have to go back down there and help Twilight and Sunset!”

“Rainbow’s right,” Fluttershy said. “We can’t let Twilight fight Sunset alone. Both of them need our help—anything to help Sunset remember who her friends are.”

Applejack tipped her hat and smiled. “You’re right. We’ve still got a job to do! Let’s go—whoa!”

The ground heaved, with a monstrous bellow following right after. The very earth quivered in terror from a second roar, and cracks could be heard beneath the snow.

“Run for it!” Applejack yelled.

They all took off across the field, stumbling through the thick snow while the fissure behind them widened. Stones tumbled down into the Crystalarium. Amidst the destructive cacophony, the Frostlich burst through the crevice with an ear-splitting roar. Not only had its head reattached, but it had gotten its missing hand back as well.

It bellowed again, then with a mighty flap of its wings, it took off.

“It’s heading for the Empire!” Rainbow yelled.

“What should we do?” Pinkie asked.

Applejack looked from the fissure to the slowly shrinking Frostlich. She inwardly cursed and readjusted her stetson. Sorry, Twi. Sorry Sunset. Ah know you two can work this out—you’ll just have to do it without us. She broke into a run after the dragon. “We’re gonna stop it, one way or another!”

“On it!” Rainbow yelled. She stretched her wings and took flight after the Frostlich, her hooves pointed out in front of her.

Applejack watched her speed straight toward the Frostlich like a rainbow arrow. She didn’t slow down as she came into the range of its wings. Instead, she ripped through the membrane and looped around to do it again on the other side.

The Frostlich’s cry was enough to make Applejack stop and cover her ears. The beast kept itself airborne for a few more seconds before crashing into the top of the hill.

Rainbow flew back to Applejack’s side and crossed her hooves in triumph. “Mission complete.”

“Rainbow,” Fluttershy whispered, pointing to the plume of snow. “I think you just made it angry.”

Through the flurry, two balls of fire locked onto the five ponies and dragon. The Frostlich snorted, then charged, creating a miniature tremor with every gallop.

Rainbow flew to meet it head-on, ignoring Applejack’s call to wait. She veered to the side and slammed a hoof into the Frostlich’s cheek bone.

The Frostlich retaliated by hitting Rainbow with the whole of its face.

Fluttershy yelled and flew after Rainbow as she sailed into the next field over, leaving Applejack to groan and facehoof. Her agitation only lasted a second before she and the others had to scatter to avoid being crushed when the Frostlich lunged.

“Applejack,” Rarity said, shaking snow from her coat, “what are we supposed to do now?”

“Same thing we did before: put it down.” Applejack jumped over the Frostlich’s low swinging tail.

Rarity rolled out of the way as the tail came back around. “Need I remind you that was only a temporary solution?”

“It still worked, didn’t it?” Applejack rushed forward and kicked the Frostlich’s back leg, sending a crack up its bone. She made a full retreat, dragging Rarity with her as the dragon turned around and smashed the ground Applejack had stood on a second earlier.

“Just take it apart bit-by-bit,” Applejack said. “We need to buy time until we can come up with somethin’ more permanent.”

“On it!” Pinkie called, having procured her party cannon from thin air. She took aim and fired a wad of party favors at the Frostlich’s chest. At high velocity, the thick bundle of streamers and confetti broke a rib loose.

The Frostlich faced Pinkie and reared up on its hind legs, sucking in its breath.

Pinkie’s eyes dilated, and she abandoned her cannon. She joined the others as they ran as fast as they could through the deep snow. Seeing Spike struggle, Pinkie scooped him up and tossed him onto her back.

The Frostlich’s arctic breath bore down on their backs. The snow behind them turned into solid ice, and Applejack could feel the same thing happening to the tip of her tail. The muscles in her legs burned in contrast as she fought to stay just out of range of being frozen completely.

The air behind them reverted to its standard freezing temperature, and Applejack dared to look back, finding the field of snow replaced by a thick sheet of ice.

She came to a halt and caught her breath. “This… might be harder than I thought.”

Celestia raised her shield again as Vesper came out of warp above her, bringing her sword down. When it recoiled, Celestia dropped her shield and slashed at Vesper, who blocked the sword with her hoofguard. Celestia dropped out of the sky when Vesper’s blade came back around for her neck.

Vesper folded her wings and fell after Celestia, firing black bolts of magic. Celestia rolled out of the way, keeping her back to the rapidly approaching ground. She recalled her sword while simultaneously charging energy in the clouds above them. Vesper stayed right on top of her, keeping the gap between them narrow. Celestia raised her shield again, having run out of room for maneuverability. She could still hear the wind howling around her.

The grey clouds churned and turned black, thunder moaning from deep within. Celestia dropped her shield and pointed her sword at Vesper.

Vesper drew her sword back to strike, but a blast of lightning struck her in the back. It propelled her forward and impaled her on Celestia's sword. Celestia then rotated their positions and shoved Vesper down to the world below.

Vesper smashed into a snowbank and rolled onto her back, gasping for air. Red light poured from her horn and covered the wound in her stomach; the skin began to knit itself back together. Vesper struggled to her hooves as Celestia descended.

“Mother, I didn’t know you played so rough.” Her giggles quickly turned into ragged coughs.

“We can end this now, Sunset.” Celestia pointed her blade at Vesper. “Just surrender.”

Vesper laughed again. “You’re so funny when you’re serious, Mother. Why would I give up now? This is going to be our last dance, and I want it to last as long as possible!” She smashed her hoof against the ground, sending columns of sharp rocks in Celestia’s direction.

Celestia jumped, spreading her wings to take flight, but Vesper intercepted her and tackled her to the ground. They rolled until Celestia was on her back with Vesper bearing down on her. Celestia shot her into the air with a golden beam, but Vesper came back down like a rock.

Celestia rolled out of the way, leaving Vesper to smash the ground; the resultant shockwave briefly knocked Celestia into the air. She regained her balance and landed on her hooves with just enough time to raise her sword to block Vesper’s.

Vesper drew back and swung again—pushing Celestia’s blade to the side—and took a shot at her face.

Celestia jerked her head, but the magic still grazed her cheek and burned like a hot iron. She grimaced, but pushed forward, attacking Vesper with fierce and decisive slashes.

The maniacal smile on Vesper’s face slowly dissolved into a hostile glower. She pressed against Celestia’s attack; heated sparks flew from the ringing steel. Vesper slid a hoof back, Celestia’s onslaught forcing her to lose ground. Her scowl deepened against Celestia’s stony demeanor.

Vesper stepped back, leaving her sword to struggle against Celestia’s, and fanned her wings out; Celestia’s eyes flickered between the swords and Vesper, unsure which to give more attention to. While her attention was split, Vesper began to beat her wings as hard as she could, kicking up a blizzard.

Celestia lifted a wing to shield her eyes. She no longer felt the pressure of her sword against Vesper’s, and immediately raised her shield. Her vision was greatly hindered by the snowstorm, and when she scanned the surrounding area, she couldn’t find Vesper’s presence.

She took the opportunity to catch her breath. The legend about the Dark Regalia was true. They made Sunset a very dangerous opponent.

A red explosion against Celestia’s shield nearly knocked her to the ground. It was followed up by another one from the opposite direction, which cracked the shield in several places. Celestia redoubled the energy around it as another explosion hit from above. They continued to come in quick succession, straining Celestia’s focus.

Another wide crack appeared in her golden shield, and Celestia quickly forfeited her defense to teleport to safety. When she reappeared high above the blizzard, a force equivalent to a train slammed into the back of her head and temporarily blinded her. As she fell, she was punched again in the stomach, and sent flying back into the sky. A jet of magic hit her side, cracking several ribs, and sending Celestia spiraling into the mountainside.

Celestia screamed from her place in the impact crater. She couldn’t recall the last time she had been hit that hard. She cracked an eye open, finding several dark spheres heading in her direction. Her magic jumped to life, and each sphere transfigured into water before they harmlessly splashed against Celestia.

Right behind the spheres, however, Vesper barrelled toward her.

Before Vesper could bury her further in the mountain, Celestia teleported down to its base and collapsed into the snow. Above her came the calamitous racket of stones crashing against one another.

Her healing magic kicked in and repaired her broken ribs, along with easing some of her aches and bruises. Celestia stood and summoned her sword back to her side. She flew up and examined the hole made by Vesper. Most of it was caved in from fallen rocks and snow, and Vesper was nowhere to be found.

Celestia frowned as light gathered at the tip of her horn. A single blast turned the rubble to dust, but revealed nothing within the hole.

There was a faint tremor in the air.

Celestia thrust her sword upward to meet Vesper’s, though saw no sign of its master. The tremor became louder, and she rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding a column of magma erupting from the earth. Stray embers jumped onto her coat, scalding her fur and skin.

Vesper burst from the magma, trails of fire streaming off her force field. She crashed into Celestia and drove her into the ground while the magma column arched and came back down on top of them. Celestia diverted the fire around them, while Vesper tried to crush her with the weight of her shield.

“So, Mother, can Twilight Sparkle do this?” Vesper sneered as Celestia kept both her and the curtain of magma at bay. “How about this?” She raised her head, and gold lines drew themselves in the air, connecting and locking together until they formed a sigil with Vesper’s cutie mark at the center.

The sigil lit up, glowing brighter than the fire. Celestia squeezed her eyes shut, the glow from her own horn making the combined luminosity unbearable. Space twisted around her, and she fell into cold snow, a welcome relief after the intense heat.

She gave herself no time to relax, however. The arch of magma flowed before her, and with a single spell, she turned all of it to solid stone. Smoke poured off it, rising from the grooves the flowing magma had left behind.

Celestia jerked her head forward, and the stone arch compressed in on itself, turning from a grooved cylinder to a jagged bow of crushed, pointed stones. They collapsed into the charred dirt while Celestia took a knee, examining her injuries.

The fire hadn’t hurt too bad, but it had still left blisters and welts. She hadn’t noticed before, but the auxiliary feathers on her wings were thoroughly singed.

A chill went down her spine, halting her plan of healing herself again. The chill came again; it was the same as when Vesper raised the sun. Celestia looked down at her shadow.

Her shadow looked back at her.

It rose up and rushed through Celestia, leaving her coughing and wheezing while her insides burned. A pulse of magic hit her in the shoulder, and she flew back into a snowbank, still struggling for air.

“What about that? Can she do that, Mother?”

Vesper approached her, the sigil still floating over her head. Celestia stood up, only to have Vesper’s hoof smash into her face. When she finished rolling across the snow, another beam struck her in the back. Above her own cries of pain, she heard Vesper.

“I spent years studying, training, improving! All for you!” She kicked Celestia in the stomach. “I devoted my entire life to you!” Shadowy tendrils raised Celestia up and slammed her back down. “I love you! I love you so much it hurts!” She placed a hoof on Celestia’s chest and leaned in close.

“Tell me: how does Twilight Sparkle compare, hm? Does that bitch love you as much as I do?”

Celestia looked up at Vesper with a pain in her heart greater than any physical wound. “Love cannot be measured, Sunset—I’ve told you this.”

Vesper pressed her hoof further into Celestia’s chest. “Stop calling me that! My name is Vesper Radiance now! You never loved Sunset Shimmer, but you’ll love me!”

Celestia closed her eyes and emitted a brilliant light from her horn, brighter than the setting sun; she could see it from behind her eyelids. Vesper removed her hoof to shield her eyes, and shrieked in pain. Celestia took the advantage, leaping to her hooves, and blasted Vesper in the chest, throwing her back into the circle of dirt made by the magma.

“You’re wrong. I loved Sunset with all my heart.” Celestia threw a spell at the sigil. It pulsed white, then shattered into a thousand intangible pieces. “It’s you I despise.”

Before Vesper could get up, Celestia hit her with another fully charged spell. “Arrogance and pride, jealousy and hatred.” Celestia sped forward and delivered to Vesper a powerful shoulder tackle. “You clouded her mind, fed her lies.”

Vesper hissed, and fired back, but Celestia teleported around it and kicked Vesper in her side, then followed up with a fireball. Vesper’s last-second shield took the brunt of the damage, but still left her panting.

“I made my mistakes,” Celestia said with a steel voice, “but you dragged her down this path. You took my daughter from me, just like you took my sister.”

Vesper rolled off her back, black ooze bubbling from her horn. It formed into a spherical blob, and she threw it at Celestia. It bounced against the ground and broke into four smaller pieces, then bounced again and broke into eight, and again into sixteen.

Celestia stood calm, a ring of light circling around her. It spun faster as the dark blobs got closer, and two more rings joined it. When the blobs were a yard away, the rings flew forth, expanding into a wave of light, and turning all the blobs into specks of gold dust.

The dust gathered in front of Celestia, swirling to form a golden spear. Celestia pulled it back.

“You’ll take no more.”

She threw it forward with all her will. It pierced the air, leaving a trail of golden light behind. Vesper’s expression was one of horrid fascination. She tried to move out of the spears path, but the tip brushed against the side of her ribs. The moment it made contact, the entire spear exploded in a shower of light.

Vesper screamed in agony, thrashing and flailing as the light burned her, disintegrating parts of her skin. She fell onto her back, her screams fading into whimpers.

Celestia firmly placed a hoof on Vesper’s chest. Above her, Celestia’s sword hovered, aimed at Vesper’s throat.

Vesper looked at the sword, then to Celestia. She said in a soft and frail voice. “C-can you do it, Mother? Can you kill your daughter?”

Celestia looked down into her eyes. For a moment, they weren’t draconic slits, they were wide and pleading. For a moment, she saw Sunset asking for help.

Her sword trembled.

Vesper reared her head and launched a spell directly in Celestia’s left eye. Celestia fell back and screamed, losing her grip on her sword. She pressed a hoof against her eye, feeling blood stream down the side of her face. With her good eye, she could see Vesper fleeing into the sky.

Celestia took several deep breaths, and focused on her healing spells. The searing pain in her eye dulled to a minor burning, but she could see nothing out of it.

I’ll fix it later. She took to the sky after Vesper. Right now, I need all the magic I can muster.

The darkness didn’t last long, but when Twilight saw the scenery that replaced it, she almost longed for the dark’s embrace.

She floated over a decimated city. The sky above her was a blistering red, patched with black clouds that pulsed with lightning. Hardened magma coated half the city in an impenetrable black cocoon, while the other half continued to burn, consumed in a raging inferno.

Twilight descended onto its broken streets and landed on the pavement, hot beneath her hooves. Homes and shops crumbled around her, lifting clouds of ash and debris into the already oppressive atmosphere. She walked forward, guided by an unseen force. She navigated around chunks of missing earth and pillars of fire, drawing closer to the crumbling castle.

“This must be Canterlot,” Twilight said softly. “Sunset’s Canterlot… at the end of the world.”

The castle ramparts had collapsed into rubble, leaving an open hole to the castle. The courtyard was burned to cinders, leaving naught but a field of ashes.

Twilight’s breath caught when she came upon the demolished entrance hall. The staircase had been smashed to pieces by the fallen ceiling; the tapestry and carpet had burned away; tiles had been ripped from the floor, stained with spots of dry blood.

Twilight gagged at the rotting stench that festered in the air. It reminded her too much of the Frostlich back in the physical world. She kicked a piece of marble and watched it bounce across the floor with enough noise to wake the dead.

Her spell had meant to send an astral projection of herself into Sunset’s consciousness, an upgraded version of her memory spell. None of this was supposed to be ‘real.’ Yet Twilight could feel everything: the heat, the rocks… the fear. The further she delved, the more she began to think this wasn’t just a dream.

She teleported to the top of the stairs and turned right. Fire swirled around the entire hall, leaving only a narrow path for Twilight to walk. She raised her shield as a precaution, unwilling to find out what would happen if she got hurt here.

As she thought, the fire reached out to grab her, but was rebuked by her shield. She continued on to the throne room; one of the doors had been blasted off its hinges.

“I don’t know whether to be impressed or thoroughly annoyed with you.”

Twilight glared at the pony lazily reclining on the throne across from her. She looked like Sunset Shimmer in every way, save for the cavalier sneer on her face. Curled at the foot of the dais was a flickering shadow that shared her outline, but lacked any defining features.

Twilight looked at the shadow, then growled at Vesper Radiance. “What have you done to her?”

“I’ve done nothing but take my body back. She’s merely experiencing what I went through for so many years. Let’s see how she likes being a shadow in her own soul!”

“You’re the shadow!” Twilight’s spell ripped across the room and bounced off Vesper’s shield. “Give Sunset back!”

“Such a tantrum, Princess. I expected better from you.” Vesper rolled her head back and laughed.

Twilight twisted her face into an appalled snarl, baring her teeth. “You disgust me.”

“The feeling is mutual.” She put on a spurious frown. “You know, I almost feel bad for Replica. Like me, her life was ruined because of you. So much pain and sadness all because you exist, Twilight Sparkle.” Vesper laughed softly. “I mean, imagine if you didn’t? Celestia would still love me like a daughter, and I’d be the one with wings and a crown. Granted, Replica wouldn’t exist, but she’d be happier in the long run.”

“Your own actions caused Celestia to dismiss you. Don’t try to shift the blame to me.”

“Why not?” Vesper snapped. “It’s your fault! I get kicked out, why? For loving Celestia and trying to please her? And then you come along so soon after? No, it’s not a coincidence. It’s Celestia upgrading to a better student.”

Twilight straightened up from her attack position. “Celestia didn’t dismiss you so she could train me instead. You made all the wrong choices, you hurt Cadence just to further your own goal, you left Celestia with no choice.”

“Everything I did, I did for her!” Vesper stood up on her throne. “I did it so I would be with her forever—the only pony I ever loved! If I could just be an alicorn, then everything would be fine! She’d love me again!” Vesper bowed her head. “But even then, she refused me. She picked you over me.”

Twilight stepped closer to the throne. “She didn’t pick me over you, Vesper. She still loves you. Just not the choices you made. Power isn’t going to fix anything.”

Vesper looked up with a hungry gleam in her eye. “And that’s where you’re wrong, Princess. Power is the only thing ponies respect in this world. And alicorns are the ultimate symbol of power! My past self is an alicorn once more, and soon, all will bow to her—bow to me!”

“Power doesn’t equate to love!” Twilight pointed a hoof at her. “Celestia won’t love you any more just because you’re wearing a crown, nor will anypony else.”

“Then I’ll rule them in fear!” Vesper banged a hoof on the arm of her throne. “I’ll make them all fear me! Even Mother… especially Mother. She’ll fear the daughter she rejected.”

Twilight gave a defeated sigh. “Love is infinite, but you want to hoard it all to yourself. I feel sorry for you, Vesper. If you understood friendship like Sunset has, maybe you wouldn’t be so miserable.”

Vesper twisted her face into a disgusted grimace. “Don’t compare me to Replica!” She looked down and broke into a smile. “Especially when there’s almost nothing left to compare to.”

Twilight gasped at the flickering shadow in front of her. She charged her horn, but Vesper raised a hoof. “Now, now, none of that. We’ve already shown to be almost equal in strength. Another battle would be long and pointless.”

Twilight lifted her head, but kept her horn charged. “So what then?”

Vesper twirled a hoof through her hair and grinned. “I propose… a game.”

“A game?”

“Yes, Twilight. I’m curious to see just how much you know. Ponies claim you to be a genius. Well, let’s put your knowledge to the test!”

Vesper stepped over Sunset’s shadow and walked down the dais. “Here’s how it’ll work: We’ll each ask the other a question on any topic. If you get it right, it’s your turn to ask a question. If you get it wrong…” Vesper’s grin widened. “Then the other gets to take a free shot, as strong as they can make it. No blocking, no dodging or teleporting. Last one standing is the winner.”

Twilight’s lips formed a thin line. She was well-read in just about any topic she could think of. But Vesper had been an introverted bookworm like she had. Not to mention, Vesper could access Sunset’s memories as well and throw Twilight a question about something from the future.

She looked past Vesper to the shadow on the floor. It twitched a hoof, like it was reaching out to Twilight. Twilight steeled her resolve. This was the only way to save Sunset and possibly defeat this incarnation of Vesper Radiance for good. She had to at least try!

“Fine, Vesper. You’re on!”

Vesper clapped her hooves together. “Oh, goodie! This will be ever so much fun!”

“One condition though: no future questions.”

Vesper rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. Only questions from the present and past are allowed. Now then, I’ll go first.” She tapped a hoof on her chin. “Let’s see… I guess I can start with something easy. Name the main branches of magic, Twilight.”

Twilight opened her mouth, but hesitated. It was too easy. Was Vesper trying to trick her? Twilight thought over the wording of the question, but couldn’t find anything misleading.

“Well, I’m waiting, Twilight. Don’t tell me this one is too hard for you.”

“Transfiguration, enchanting, apporation, thaumaturgy, abjuration, conjuration, and black magic,” Twilight rattled off.

Vesper clapped. “Oh, very good. I thought for sure you would forget black magic has its own branch.” She waved a hoof in Twilight’s direction. “Your turn, then.”

Twilight pressed her tongue against her lips. What would be a perfect question to stump Vesper? One question came to mind, causing Twilight to smirk at the brilliance of it. The moment Vesper couldn’t answer, Twilight was going to hit her with everything she had!

“Name the six virtues of friendship!” Twilight’s voice echoed through the ruined hall.

“Kindness, loyalty, generosity, laughter, honesty, and magic,” Vesper said listlessly. “Do you think I’m stupid, Twilight? I know about the Elements of Harmony and their link to the so-called ‘Magic of Friendship’.”

Twilight wilted as she let the magic in her horn fade. She had put too much faith in Vesper’s arrogance. Even if she didn’t believe in friendship, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t know what it was.

Vesper smirked. “My turn again.”

Applejack was beginning to think the Frostlich had a vendetta against her.

Every time she got in close to deliver a solid buck, it would drop whatever it was doing to take a swing at her. Whether it was Spike stabbing at the remains of its muscle, or Rarity throwing chunks of ice and rock at it, or Rainbow coming in for a hit-and-run.

Maybe it remembers Ah knocked its hand off? she thought as she fled again from another failed attempt to break its leg. The Frostlich pounced after her, and though it missed, Applejack was thrown off her hooves by its impact against the ground.

She rolled to the right, avoiding another swipe of its claws, then got back onto her hooves. The other claw came for her from above; Applejack smiled as she jumped onto her front legs and bucked straight up, knocking the claw clean off.

The Frostlich bellowed and toppled over, a cloud of snow rising into the air. Applejack dug herself out of the snow pile, then was smacked into the air by the Frostlich’s still-attached hand. Her entire right side felt like Granny Smith had taken a belt to it.

Rainbow caught her and set her down. “You all right, A.J.?”

Applejack adjusted her hat and shook herself off. “Yeah, ’course Ah am.” She didn’t feel the need to tell Rainbow the cold numbed the pain.

The Frostlich wiggled about in the snow until it managed to climb onto its three remaining claws. It turned its head toward Applejack and Rainbow, and started to hobble toward them when Rarity threw another large rock at its head. The rock did little more than irritate it and leave a few scratches, but the Frostlich turned its attention on her.

It sucked in its breath. Rarity turned and ran as fast as her hooves could carry her, Rainbow already coming up from behind to lift her to safety.

A loud boom came from a nearby hill, and Spike cannonballed into the side of the Frostlich’s face, knocking it back the ground.

Applejack took the opportunity to race forward and buck one of its back legs clean off. The Frostlich roared and thrashed about wildly. Applejack retreated back to the hill, where Rarity was giving Spike a scolding.

“You could have been hurt! Or frozen solid! What were you thinking?” Rarity glared at Applejack as she came closer, like it was her fault.

“I told you, I’ve got tough scales. Pinkie and I knew what we were doing,” Spike replied.

Pinkie wheeled her cannon over, with Fluttershy close behind. “He insisted. Besides, look what we did to the monster!”

They all looked on as the Frostlich continued to try and stand, but its missing hand and back leg made it nearly impossible. It roared again, forcing everyone to cover their ears.

Then, its fallen bones floated from their resting places and back to the body. Applejack stared, open mouth, as they reattached themselves with clicks and snaps. The Frostlich stood up and shook some of the snow off, then gave a guttural growl.

“That’s disturbin’,” Applejack said, shell-shocked.

“That’s just not fair,” Rainbow added.

“Told you it wouldn’t work,” Rarity said.

“Ah didn’t think it would heal itself that fast!” Applejack yelled. They scattered as the Frostlich breathed ice against the hillside, encasing it completely. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Spike ran in one direction, while Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack ran in the other.

“We need a new plan!” Applejack shouted.

“We could try hitting it harder,” Rainbow said from above her.

Heavy thumps from behind told Applejack the Frostlich had gone after them, and saved her from retorting to Rainbow. The thumping grew louder, and Applejack could feel the vibrations in her hooves. She ordered Rarity and Rainbow to split up, to confuse it more.

That’s when her suspicions about the Frostlich’s vendetta were confirmed.

She screamed as sharp teeth grabbed hold of her tail, and violently shook her around before tossing her into the air. She fell into Rainbow’s hooves, head still spinning and her tail feeling like it was ready to fall off.

“I think this thing hates you,” Rainbow said.

“Yeah, Ah noticed,” Applejack said dizzily.

They settled down back in the empty field, where the fissure to the Crystalarium lay. Applejack sat down and allowed herself a moment of rest so her head would stop aching.

“We need a plan,” Rainbow said, pacing the air in front of Applejack. “We can’t fight this thing forever! Twilight still needs our help!”

“Ah know. But the thing keeps puttin’ itself back together no matter what we do to it. Did you see how fast it got up after we knocked its legs off?”

Rainbow grunted. “Yeah, I could have sworn it was down a lot longer the first time.”

Applejack looked up, eyes wide with inspiration. “Yer right…. When we knocked its head off, it was out a lot longer than the second time. What if… what if the more severely we break it, the longer it takes to get put back together?”

“How are we gonna do that?”

“Ah might have a plan, but Ah’m gonna need Fluttershy.”

Rainbow nodded and picked her up again. In the field over, their friends were taking turns distracting the Frostlich, trying to break it. Applejack set her jaw. Her plan had to work now, or they’d be doing this same routine for who-knew-how long.

Applejack’s hooves hit the snow, and she ran behind a rock while calling for Fluttershy. Rainbow took her place, doubling her speed and whizzing around the Frostlich’s head.

“You’re good at anatomy on all sorts of animals, right?” Applejack asked Fluttershy.

She nodded. “Of course.”

“Good.” Applejack peeked over the rock. “Ah know you don’t know much about full-grown dragons, but what do you reckon its weakest point is?”

Fluttershy followed her gaze, letting out a small ‘Eeep’ when the Frostlich almost took a bite out of Rainbow. “W-well…” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “The bone structure doesn’t seem to be too different from any other creature. So, I would say its spine would be the most sensitive, especially in its current state.”

Applejack nodded. “That’s what Ah was hoping you would say. Any spot in particular?”

Fluttershy pointed to just below its ribcage. “That should be the lumbar vertebrae. It supports the weight of the body.” She ducked back behind the rock and tapped her hooves together. “Since it has nothing else holding it up, theoretically, if you hit it hard enough, the shock wave could collapse the rest of the body… maybe.”

“Good enough for me.” Applejack put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Ah need you to do one more thing for me.”

“Of course.”

“Ah need you to Stare it.”

Fluttershy recoiled. “What? But, Applejack, it… it doesn’t have any eyes!”

“But it can still see. Whatever those balls of fire are, they act like eyes to it. If you can get it to stand still long enough, Ah can hit it hard enough so it might not get back up for a while.”

“But, what if it doesn’t work? What if—”

“Nothin’s gonna happen to you, sugarcube. None of us are gonna allow it.” Applejack smiled reassuringly.

Fluttershy looked at her, then looked from behind the rock again. She gave a slow nod of her head. “O-okay… I’ll do it.”

Applejack gave a whoop of delight, then ran out from behind the rock. “Rainbow, get over here—Ah need a lift!”

Rainbow hurried over to Applejack, Rarity taking her place as the distraction while Pinkie blasted a rib off the Frostlich with her cannon.

“Your plan’s ready?” Rainbow asked.

Applejack nodded. “Ah need you to drop me from about…” She looked at the sky. “About two-hundred feet onto the dragon’s back.”

Rainbow stared at her, mouth ajar. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Nope. Ah’m gonna shatter that thing’s spine, and hopefully collapse its body. If you drop me from there, Ah should have enough force to do it.”

“Or, you could die!”

Applejack puffed her chest out. “Ah’m an earth pony. We were meant to take some damage. A little fall ain’t gonna kill me.” Ah hope.

Rainbow dragged her hooves down her face. “And what if I say no?”

Applejack smirked. She could already hear the tone of defeat in Rainbow’s voice. “Do you have a better plan in mind?”

“Yeah, I could hit it!”

Applejack flexed a foreleg “No offense, Dash, but you and Ah both know Ah can buck things harder than you.”

Rainbow grumbled and crossed her hooves. “Fine. But if you die, I swear, I’ll make sure you never rest in peace.”

“Fair enough.” Applejack looked over to the rock. “Go for it, ’Shy! Rarity, Pinkie, Spike! Fluttershy’s gonna stare it down! Get ready in case anything goes wrong!”

Rarity skidded to a stop. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Applejack didn’t respond. Whether it was or wasn’t, they were about to find out. Fluttershy floated in front of the Frostlich’s face, her eyes squeezed close.

The Frostlich reared its head back, and everyone tensed, hooves and claws ready to spring into action. As it brought its head forward, Fluttershy snapped her eyes open, her gaze burning with greater intensity than the fire of the Frostlich.

The beast halted, completely mesmerized by Fluttershy. Its fire shrank, acting like dilating eyes.

“Please… hurry,” Fluttershy mumbled between her lips. “Cold wind… can’t… stare forever.”

Rainbow grabbed Applejack and launched into the air. The wind blasted against their faces, making them numb. The setting sun did absolutely nothing to keep them warm.

Applejack looked down. The Frostlich still wasn’t moving. Even from the high altitude, it still looked very large. She examined her target spot, and gave a silent thanks to Celestia that the dragon didn’t have any spikes running down its back. Its wings, however, were folded back, giving her a narrow range.

“Ready?” Rainbow yelled over the wind.

Applejack wanted to scream ‘no’, but gave a curt nod. Her stomach rose into her throat as she went into freefall. The first thoughts through her head were memories of falling from Cloudsdale, and again from the airship. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea!

It was too late to turn back now. Pressing her hat against her head, Applejack twisted in the air and stuck her back leg out, prepared to drive it down through the Frostlich’s spine.

The Frostlich twitched; its entire body gave a violent shudder. Fluttershy dropped to the ground before the Frostlich could snap at her. It took a step forward and extended its neck.

Applejack swore and readjusted her position. If it moved anymore, she was going to miss and hit either its wing… or the ground. Rainbow dove past her, bellowing a heroic cry. She didn’t hit the dragon, she merely dive-bombed it, keeping it distracted from Fluttershy.

With less than fifty feet remaining, Applejack could feel gravity’s full effect on her. She felt like an apple falling from a really high tree. She sucked in her gut, like it would help her slip in between the wings better.

Here it comes!

Hoof met bone. There were several loud cracks, one of them coming from Applejack’s leg. The world went silent, and her brain went fuzzy. She couldn’t think of anything but the white-hot pain shooting through her leg and up to her hip. A shrill whine managed its way through the fog, and Applejack quickly realized it was her own voice making a cross between a scream and a whimper.

When her vision returned, she found herself surrounded by her friends and a pile of bones. Rarity’s mouth was moving, but Applejack couldn’t make out a word.

She then made the mistake of looking down at her leg. It was twisted at a horrible angle, and there was a long gash running up her calf. The pain hit her again, hotter than an iron and stronger than a minotaur. This time, she heard herself scream loud and clear.

A cold lump of snow met her wound, and Applejack took a break from screaming to suck down some air. She bit her lip, pounded the snow with her good hoof, then exhaled. She repeated the process a few times, then looked at Rarity. “Did Ah get it?” she croaked.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Of course, that’s the first thing you ask. Yes, Applejack, your reckless plan worked. For how long remains to be seen.”

Applejack looked past Rarity to the corpse lying motionless in the snow. Its spine had completely collapsed, leaving the ribs to topple over. Its arm was stretched out, like it had been reaching for something just before Applejack had smashed into it. The fire was gone from its eye sockets.

“Whew.” Applejack gave a lazy cheer. “We did it.”

Outside of her view, she heard Pinkie say in a trembling voice, “You might want to hold off on a victory party.”

Hearing that come from Pinkie made Applejack’s fur stand on end. “Why?”

Rarity’s eyes shrank, and Applejack twisted her head to see where she was looking. In the distance, two figures were speeding toward them, one of them emitting a bloody aura.

“Because Vesper is heading straight for us.”

Chapter XXIV: Hope Forged in the Flames of Doom

Half of Celestia’s world was dark. Snow and wind blurred the other half. Still, Vesper never left her sight.

A ring of light burst from Celestia’s horn, then broke into ten separate balls of energy. They homed after Vesper, dogging her every flight pattern.

Vesper spiraled through the air, weaving and looping to stay ahead of Celestia’s light missiles. Vesper flipped over and returned fire, her black magic destroying three of the orbs. She turned over again, flew low to the ground, then skipped off it, sending columns of stone up behind her. Several orbs crashed into the columns, reducing them to dust.

Celestia flew through and launched a ball of fire to join her last three orbs. Vesper stayed low to the ground, rapidly drawing closer to the Frostlich’s corpse. She traced a hoof across the ground. Large chunks of rock ripped from the earth and launched themselves towards Celestia.

She ducked under one and blasted through another before clipping her wing on the third. She hit the ground and rolled, popping up with her horn lit. Vesper had used the last rock as a shield from Celestia’s projectiles. Now, she had a clear field.

Celestia teleported, reappearing in Vesper’s path. They slammed into each other, sailed over the Frostlich and the ponies gathered around it, and crashed into the hillside.

Vesper scrambled to her hooves first and made a lunge for the corpse, but Celestia released a golden chain from her horn, impaling Vesper in her rear leg.

The chain coiled itself up Vesper’s calf, then reeled her back to Celestia. When Vesper drew close, she twisted around and smashed a hoof against Celestia’s blind side.

The gold chain severed, and Celestia flew to the right. Blood filled the inside of her mouth as her jaw was dislocated. She snapped it back into place with a flash of magic and spat the blood into the snow. With a powerful leap, she recovered the distance between herself and Vesper, who was now fighting off Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow narrowly avoided a glob of magic and kicked Vesper in the face before darting away. Vesper aimed to shoot her down, but Spike sent a column of fire up her left leg.

Vesper shrieked, sounding more annoyed than in pain. She rounded on Spike, but Celestia intervened. She tackled Vesper again and teleported, arriving back near the mountain.

“You’re wasting your time, Mother!” Vesper said, throwing Celestia off. “I know where they are now! The Frostlich’s power is one teleport away!”

“You’re assuming I’ll give you the opportunity.” Another golden chain snaked from Celestia’s horn and wrapped itself around Vesper’s, linking them together. Celestia yanked and smashed her hoof into Vesper’s face. She spiraled out until the chain snapped taut and reeled her back in. Celestia swung again, but Vesper caught it with the back of her foreleg.

Vesper smiled, showcasing a mouth full of bloody teeth. “Getting physical with me, Mother? Why, I—”

Celestia kicked Vesper’s side, knocking the wind out of her. Vesper doubled over, unable to defend herself from Celestia’s follow-up punch. She landed two more hits before Vesper recovered enough to block. Celestia increased her speed and her spell’s grip on Vesper’s horn.

Vesper deftly blocked Celestia’s blows and began to throw her own. She took advantage of Celestia’s blind eye and consistently aimed for the left. Celestia’s well-honed instincts kept Vesper from landing more than a few scrapes.

Vesper yanked her head back, pulling on the chain and upsetting Celestia’s balance. As she stumbled through the air, Vesper uppercutted Celestia’s throat.

Celestia froze, hooves wrapped around her esophagus, begging it to let her breath again. All she could make were pitiful gasps while her eyes blurred with tears. Despite the pain, she kept her chain spell enforced.

Vesper looped around and pinned her from behind. She opened her mouth wide and sunk her fangs into Celestia’s neck. Celestia’s scream was silent, but her entire body thrashed while Vesper’s teeth dug deeper.

“Mother!” Vesper exclaimed, coming up for breath. “You taste absolutely—”

Celestia’s roar drowned out the rest of Vesper’s sentence. She channeled her anger into energy, and her celestial mane ignited into a wild blaze. Vesper screamed and let go, batting her wings to put out the fire spreading across her forelegs and chest.

While Vesper flailed, Celestia took shaky gasps of air, coughing up blood on every exhale. She recovered—winded, but still capable. Vesper put herself out, but blisters erupted across her front and her left leg was charred.

Vesper panted. “All right, Mother… as much as I love our intimacy… you’re really starting to get on my nerves!” She wildly flapped her wings, whipping up a gale that formed into another blizzard.

Celestia copied her, keeping the ice and snow away so she could keep her eyes on Vesper. The tempest funneled around them, growing increasingly violent. Stones and thick chunks of ice flew about, crossing through the eye of the storm.

With her one good eye focused on Vesper, Celestia couldn’t follow the debris. A large rock struck her ear, breaking her concentration. Vesper tackled her and threw both of them into the swirling snowstorm. Celestia’s world lost all direction as she spun about uncontrollably. Every time she tried to right herself, something would strike her again, until, finally, her horn took a hit, and her magic died.

When the throbbing stopped, Celestia teleported, landing on her back when she reappeared by the Frostlich. She rolled onto her hooves, then paused at the sight in front of her.

Fluttershy floated in front of Vesper, eyes filled with an intensity Celestia wasn’t aware she possessed. Even more surprising was Vesper, who stood completely motionless, transfixed by Fluttershy’s stare.

“What is…?” Celestia started to ask.

Pinkie shouted, “Don’t question it! Just do something, quick!”

Celestia regained her composure and nodded. Her sword appeared by her side. She stepped up to Vesper. “Sun… Vesper Radiance, this is your end.”

“No…” Vesper growled between her teeth.

“For your crimes against Equestria, I hereby sentence you to death!”

“No!”

Celestia closed her eyes and raised her sword. “May you finally find peace.”

Vesper twitched, desperately struggling against Fluttershy’s Stare. “No, no, no!”

Celestia plunged the sword into Vesper’s heart, driving it deep. Her own heart screamed in agony, screamed that, no matter how good her intentions, she had committed the most atrocious of acts: murdering family.

Vesper staggered back, free from Fluttershy’s Stare, Celestia’s sword still in her chest. “...No.” Blood dribbled from the corners of her mouth. “I… I…” Her eyes grew unfocused.

“Please, Sunset,” Celestia said, fighting to keep her voice controlled just a little longer. “Go to sleep.”

“No!” White light flooded Vesper’s eyes. A shockwave erupted from her horn, shoving Celestia and the others to the top of the hill.

Celestia jumped and threw herself back towards Vesper, but she was too late.

Vesper pressed her horn into the Frostlich’s skull and screamed as inky blackness flowed into her horn and coursed through her body. She lifted her head and screamed again as the black substance covered everything.

Celestia conjured a ball of pure light and threw it at Vesper. It found its target, leaving behind only a cloud of smoke and snow. Celestia threw two more into the haze, determined to believe she had stopped Vesper in time.

The smoke faded, and with it, Celestia’s hopes.

Vesper took a step forward, her left leg reduced to bare bones. The remainder of her coat was the color of dried blood, black in the places where she had been burned. A halo of feathers lay in the snow. Her wings were now draconic, sporting black webbing in between membranes of thick bone.

For a moment, Vesper had no mane or tail. She opened her eyelids, two balls of fire floating in her sockets, and her mane and tail exploded forth—passionate, wild pyres that turned the snow around them into vapor.

She wrapped a hoof around the sword and pulled it from her heart. Blood still dripping from it; Vesper lifted it to her mouth and licked some of it off. She smacked her lips, then tossed the sword back to Celestia, where it landed at her hooves.

Celestia looked at it, then at Vesper. “You…” Terror choked the rest of the words from her.

Vesper licked her lips again. “So, shall we continue our dance, Mother?”

“False.” Twilight’s voice rang throughout the demolished hall. “The first treaty between the zebras and minotaurs wasn’t signed until the forty-fifth year of Celestia and Luna’s rule.”

Vesper wore an impassive face. She lounged across her throne, resting her head against a hoof, eyes half-lidded. She said nothing, choosing to observe Twilight for several long seconds.

Or perhaps they were minutes. For all Twilight knew, it could have been hours. Time was immutable here. She and Vesper had thrown questions back and forth at each other for so long, she had forgotten when they had started this game. Neither one had failed so far, and they had covered every topic, from history to alchemy, at least once.

Twilight looked at Sunset’s shadow, which was motionless at the foot of the dais. Twilight could still feel something calling out to her—a conscience still clinging to life.

A last spark of hope.

She would not lose this game. No matter how long it took, no matter how many questions she had to answer, she wouldn’t lose! Twilight’s hardened stare intensified, challenging Vesper to tell her she was wrong.

Vesper eased into a smile.“Correct again, Twilight.”

Twilight breathed a small sigh of relief and unlocked her knees, unaware of how rigidly she had been standing. “My turn, then.”

Vesper stretched her legs out and giggled softly. “You know, Twilight, this is the most fun I’ve ever had.” Her smile revealed a row of sharp teeth. “Having you as an intellectual rival, why, I imagine this is almost what having a friend is like.” She raised a hoof to her lips. “You could just stay here forever, you know. You and I, battling it out until the end of time.” She broke into a bone-chilling laugh, one that didn’t sound right coming out of Sunset’s mouth.

Twilight waited for her to finish, then said, “I have more important things to do than boost your ego, Vesper.”

“Like what? Rescue those miserable friends of yours?” She waved a hoof. “Please, they’re all probably dead by now.”

“I believe in them.”

Vesper stuck her tongue out. “Spare me your sentimentality, please. Just take your turn.”

Twilight paced along the carpet. Every question meant to stump Vesper had been answered with ease. She knew about obscure unicorn history, griffon culture, and zebra tribal rituals. There had to be something Vesper didn’t know—some fact or figure that would give Twilight some leverage.

“Tick-tock, Twilight,” Vesper sang. “Do I need to remind you whose life is at stake?”

Twilight bared her teeth, then turned away from the throne. Come on, Twilight, you can do this! Thinking is what you do best! Out-think her! Her ears pricked. She spun and pointed a hoof at Vesper.

“At the Battle of Vanhoover during the Elk War, what strategy did General Grey Wall use to recapture the city?”

Vesper sat up in her chair, looking impressed. “Oh, good question, Twilight. This is one I might have to actually put some thought into…”

Twilight allowed herself to smile.

“...If I didn’t already know it was a trick question.”

Twilight’s mouth fell open.

Vesper clapped her hooves and laughed. “That’s right. General Grey Wall didn’t come up with the winning strategy. He didn’t even want to be at the battle. He thought Vanhoover was a lost cause, so he had his lieutenant, Gingersnap, come up with the strategy. Gingersnap waited until high noon to attack, then had the pegasi fly out of the sun to attack the blockade on the north side. Meanwhile, the earth ponies attacked from the east, and the unicorns attacked their exposed south side. This later became known as the Equestrian Crescent Maneuver, and, of course, Grey Wall took all the credit.”

A piece of hair stuck up out of place on Twilight’s mane. She brushed it back down and took a very long, calming breath.

She then screamed internally.

“You’re not getting frustrated, are you, Twilight?” Vesper asked. “I mean, it’s okay if you want to admit that I’m superior to you. It’ll save us some time.”

“Never!” Twilight roared.

Vesper shrugged. “Suit yourself. Just remember: I offered you the easy way out.” She stood tall on her throne. “How many enchanted items did Meadow Song have?”

Twilight bit her tongue. Nine? No, eight! Yes, definitely eight! “Eight!”

Vesper smirked. “Name them.”

Another piece of Twilight’s mane broke free. “I… I don’t… I can’t remember!”

“Too bad then.” Vesper’s horn took on a blinding crimson glow. Static popped and sizzled as the energy coalesced at the tip. Her smile turned feral. “I’ll make sure this hurts.”

Every instinct in Twilight’s body told her to block, dodge, do something to repel the attack coming toward her. But she obeyed the rules she had agreed to. She closed her eyes and braced herself.

Burning, searing pain ripped through her, stealing her breath away. She was up in the air, hearing her own screams claw against her ears. White-hot needles pressed themselves into every inch of her body, piercing through her muscles and even her bones.

It’s not real! Twilight tried to tell herself. It’s all just mental!

She hit the floor, gasping for breath like she had never tasted it before. If it wasn’t real, then why did it hurt so much? Her coughs dissolved into ragged wheezes, threatening to make her retch. She struggled to swallow down air between each one.

Her wheezing fit subsided, and she heard a soft clapping above her. It took all of her will, but Twilight lifted her head to see Vesper looming over her.

“Amazing. That was the most magnificent scream I’ve heard yet. And you’re still alive too! You really are full of surprises, aren’t you, Princess?” She turned and walked back to the base of the throne. “Well, that means I’ll have the pleasure of making you scream again. But to be fair, it’s your turn…. If you can talk, that is.”

Not done. Have to get up. Twilight wiggled a hoof. It was slow and heavy, like it didn’t belong on her body. She pressed on anyway, waving each hoof until the feeling came back. She slowly rose from the floor, falling several times before she could at least get herself into a sitting position.

Won’t let her win. I’ll save you, Sunset. You’re my friend. My student. Twilight’s head nodded to one side; her vision flickered. She bolted up, then gave a painful shake. Come on, you can do this! Think! What’s something you know that she doesn’t? You have to have something over her!

It hit Twilight harder than any spell. The answer had been right in front of her the entire time. She had touched upon it with her first question. Vesper may know what the virtues of friendship are, but she didn’t know about friendship!

“When…” Twilight slurred her speech. She ran her tongue across her teeth and tried again. “When a friend is being proud and stubborn, but desperately needs help, what do you do?”

For the first time, Vesper looked completely stunned. “What?”

“You heard me.” Twilight raised her head and smirked. “Your friend is proud and doesn’t want to accept help, even when she really needs it. What do you do?”

Vesper shook her head, her confusion turning to anger. “This is a hypothetical scenario! This doesn’t count!”

“You never said it didn’t. It’s a question. It has an answer. One that can be learned, just not from any book.” Twilight’s smirk grew into a full-blown smile.

“I-I don’t…” Vesper snorted. “Fine! I don’t know. Take your best shot! I doubt you’ll do any real damage.”

Twilight rose to her hooves. That’s where you’re wrong. Magic coursed through her veins, soothing the blistering pain before gathering at the tip of her horn. Her aura bathed the world around her in brilliant lavender light. She aimed her horn at Vesper and took pleasure at the look of fear in her wide eyes.

Twilight recoiled from the force of her spell, landing on her flank again. Vesper’s scream tore through the throne room; Twilight looked up in time to see her smash into her ornamented chair, cracking it in half, and continue on into the wall.

Vesper collapsed to the floor, where she remained motionless for several seconds. She twitched, her moans of pain growing into loud growls. She rose and climbed back over the dais, her face decorated with a hateful scowl and narrowed eyes.

“Okay, Princess. Playtime is officially over. I’m going to bring this game to a close and erase your very soul,” she said quietly. “You and Replica can enjoy oblivion together.” She brushed her disheveled mane from in front of her face. “Name all the requirements for a proper necromancy ceremony.”

Twilight paled. “I’ve never even studied dark magic!”

Vesper smiled. “I thought so.” She charged her horn and fired.

The blast hit Twilight’s chest, sending her across the room, skipping against the floor. The white-hot needles returned, stabbing her entire being. Her vision blacked out. For a moment, she forgot who she was, where she was, and why she was here in the first place.

Then there was the voice again, urging her not to give up. Twilight’s vision returned, as did her memory, though her body’s response time was still slow. It took her over a minute just to get into a sitting position again.

Oddly enough, she found she wasn’t bleeding. She wasn’t even bruised. Her feathers were out of place and her mane was a mess, but she didn’t show any signs of being blasted twice by concussive magic.

Maybe Vesper is right. This is just an avatar for my soul. So if she hits me hard enough… Twilight shook her head. It was her turn now. Vesper would get the answer wrong, and Twilight would pour everything into this last shot.

“How do you convince your friends not to judge somepony just on how they look?”

“I don’t know!” Vesper snapped. “Tell them to stop being stupid!”

“Wrong!” Twilight planted herself firmly against the floor. Her horn glowed brighter than before, her eyes disappearing within pools of magic. The energy roared in her ears, demanding to be unleashed, and Twilight obliged, hurling her spell at Vesper.

The explosion rocked the room, destroying the entire back wall and sending out a wave of dust. Twilight lay on her stomach, too weak to attempt to wave it away. She gagged on the thick clouds, spitting out pieces of rubble and carpet.

When it cleared, Twilight was relieved to see Sunset’s shadow was still unharmed. A hoof twitched, giving Twilight enough hope to stand up again. With wobbly and uneven hoofsteps, she crossed the room.

“Sunset. Sunset! Can you hear me?”

“I can hear you just fine!”

Twilight froze halfway to the dais. From the mountain of rubble behind it, a hoof rose into the air. The rest of Vesper quickly followed behind it. She climbed to the top of the rubble, heaving for air, her eyes wide but her pupils almost nonexistent. Perhaps it was the light from the bloody sun, but for a few seconds, Vesper looked incorporeal.

“You will not best me again, Twilight Sparkle! I will not allow it!” Her pupils completely vanished behind a veil of magic, her horn glowing a sinister crimson. “Who wrote the first book on black magic?”

Twilight swallowed, bracing herself again. “Obsidian—”

“Wrong!” Vesper fired.

The pain was indescribable. Twilight couldn’t even hear herself scream over the ear-shattering din. She knew her existence was being ripped apart, and it took every shred of willpower she had remaining not to give up. She hit the wall and crumpled to the floor, struggling to breathe.

Won’t give up. Won’t lose.

Vesper closed the gap between them, limping every other step. “You’ve got five seconds to ask me a question, Princess!”

Twilight tried to work her mouth, but no sound came out. She wasn’t sure if she still had a mouth. All she could do was glare defiantly at Vesper.

“Time’s up!” Vesper charged her horn again. “When is Celestia’s real birthday?” she growled.

Twilight involuntarily whined. She had never asked Celestia; she had assumed the holiday named after her was it.

“Three… two… one!” Vesper unleashed her spell at point-blank range, burying Twilight into the floor.

The scream ripped through Twilight, as strong as the burning magic. She rolled onto her back, vision completely gone, thoughts fading away.

“Why did she pick you over me?” Vesper shot Twilight again, keeping her pinned to the floor.

Twilight struggled for breath. “I-I don’t…”

“Why did she make you a princess?”

Twilight screamed, the dark magic tearing her apart piece by piece.

“Why doesn’t she love me?”

Both she and Vesper panted. Smoke curled off Vesper’s horn and intertwined with the smoke rising off Twilight’s body.

“Why won’t you fade away?” Vesper yelled. She threw her head back, magic charged again.

No. Can’t lose… Can’t give up. Twilight clung to the light in front of her. Vesper would not break her.

Vesper screamed somewhere over her. Twilight still couldn’t see, but she heard a familiar voice, faint and trembling, but full of conviction.

“What… do you do… when you have a choice… of destiny? To pick either saving yourself… or saving the world. Which do you choose?”

“Save myself, of course!” Vesper shouted.

“Wrong!” A blast of magic. Another scream. “I choose my friends!”

The darkness crawled away from Twilight’s eyes. Vesper had her back to Twilight and was holding herself up with only one leg. Across from her was Sunset, more than just a shadow. She was flickering in and out like a ghost, but all of her details were there. Her teal eyes shone with resolve.

“Why?” Vesper breathed. “Why are you still standing?” She looked back at Twilight. “Why are both of you still here?”

Sunset took a step forward. “Because Twilight refused to give up on me.”

Twilight stood up, her soul filling with light. “And because Sunset refused to give up on me.”

Vesper looked between them, mouth slightly ajar, eyes flooded with defeat. She dropped her gaze to the floor. “Why?”

Sunset charged her horn. “Because…”

Twilight followed suit. Blue and purple collided against Vesper from both sides and bathed the throne room in a magnificent aurora.

“Friendship is magic!”

It was quiet.

Not outside. Outside, Sunset could hear Twilight’s soft breathing next to her and the rumble and howling winds from a battle above. No, it was quiet inside her mind. Inside her soul.

She’s gone.

Sunset opened her eyes, Twilight’s sleeping face greeting her. Sunset smiled, tears running down her face. She couldn’t think of a better way to wake up.

Twilight stirred, fluttering her eyes open. “Sunset?”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, it’s me.” She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. “Just me.” She welcomed the blissful silence, reveled in the emotions that belonged solely to her.

Twilight got up and held a hoof out to Sunset. She took it and was pulled into a tight hug, wincing as Twilight squeezed a sore spot on her back.

“Sorry,” Twilight said, hearing Sunset hiss in discomfort.

“No, it’s okay.” Sunset leaned into the hug and rested her head on Twilight’s shoulder. “If anything, I should be apologizing to you.”

“You don’t have to—”

“No. I do.” Sunset pulled away and looked Twilight in the eye. “I should never have said that… that I hated you. I was just mad and scared and… I just wanted somepony to blame.” Sunset shook her head. “But you never meant to do this me. You never had any ill will. You were my friend the entire time. I should never have doubted that. If I hadn’t, I never would have lost control.”

She stepped back and bowed. “I’m sorry, Princess. Can you forgive me?”

Twilight brushed her tears away. “No, Sunset, I can’t.”

Sunset stiffened.

Twilight placed a hoof under Sunset’s chin. “I told you already: I was never mad. I can’t forgive you, because you have nothing to apologize for.”

Tears spilled from her eyes as Sunset fought to keep her voice even. “I heard you. While you were fighting for me, I could hear you. I was floating in darkness, drowning in it. But I could hear your voice. You were the reason I chose not to give up. You were my hope, Twilight.”

Twilight gave her a watery smile. It quickly broke, and Twilight flung her arms around Sunset, her entire body quivering. “Are… are you still going to… to disappear? Please tell me you aren’t!”

“I don’t know,” Sunset whispered. She ran a hoof through Twilight’s mane. “She’s not in here anymore. I can’t feel her presence at all. But… I’m still a product of circumstance. I was still made because of what happened to Vesper. If that changes…”

“I don’t want you to go!” Twilight sobbed. “I already lost you once! I can’t do it again! I… I can’t lose any of you!”

Sunset’s heart twisted in her chest. “I don’t want to go either, Twilight. But I’m not afraid anymore. I’ve seen what you’re going to do—how you and the girls and Spike are going to make the world a better place. And if my destiny is to make sure that you all get there safely… then I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

She let go of Twilight and stood up. “You know…” She looked at the eight-rayed sun on her flank. “I used to think this just meant that my special talent was harnessing the power of the sun. But it’s more than that. It’s not just the power, but what I do with it.”

Twilight wiped her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s kinda like fire. Fire can drive away the darkness, or make the shadows look larger than they really are. It gives us warmth and protection, or burns everything around it to ash.” The red and gold dualities of her cutie mark clashed against one another.

Sunset continued, “My special talent is similar. I could use it to increase my magic to dangerous levels.” Her eyes moved to Twilight. “To attack in hatred or defend in love. You already saw what Vesper wants to do with all the power she has. She wants to be a sword and strike the entire world down.” Sunset straightened her back and raised her head.

“Well, if she wants to be a sword, then I’ll be a shield. I choose to use my powers to keep everyone safe. She won’t break me again. She won’t get past me.”

Twilight joined Sunset. “She won’t get past us. All of us together. We’ll win, and then…” She gave Sunset one more pleading look.

Sunset smiled. “We’ll see.” She placed a hoof over Twilight’s heart. “But whatever happens, just remember—I’ll be right here. Always. No matter what, your friends will always be there. You taught me that.”

“Guess I’m a better teacher than I thought.”

“The best.”

“And you’re the best student I could ask for, Sunset.”

They both bowed their heads, the tips of their horns touching. Warm magic flowed across Sunset, the warmest she had ever felt. The world twisted around them, and they vanished from the hall.

Sunset was ready. Ready for whatever would come next. She would stare oblivion in the face if she had to.

And she would not flinch.

Celestia was afraid.

More than that, she was horrified. The monster in front of her laughed at pain—reveled in it. Celestia hit Vesper with her strongest magical attacks. Vesper took them, then asked for more. She bled, but didn’t care. Her bones broke, but she snapped them back together like nothing had happened. Her skin tore, and the only reason she healed it, Celestia thought, was to keep some dignified appearance.

Celestia had dragged Vesper away from the Element Bearers—an easier act than she had feared thanks to Vesper’s obsession with her. The two alicorns now floated over the churning sea of clouds, illuminated by the setting sun. Celestia’s augmented sun powers had proven to be of little help.

She doubled over, the toll of her dramatic outpouring of magic taking its effect. Immortal princess or not, she could not deny the fact that she was getting along in years and was a little rusty at fighting.

“Aw, what’s the matter, Mommy? You’re not tired, are you?” Vesper’s distorted voice rose above the wind.

Celestia straightened up and hid behind her most determined expression. How do I beat something that cannot die? I know of the future that exists using the Elements of Harmony, but if she cannot die or be imprisoned, how else can I beat her?

There had to be a solution. There was always a solution. Celestia looked at the sun hovering behind Vesper. The warm light embraced Celestia as she charged her horn. Vesper was immortal, not invincible! Bathed in a golden aura, Celestia charged.

Vesper flew to meet her, only to pass through a misty image. Celestia released a vaporizing ray from behind, blasting another hole in Vesper’s wing. She hissed and lost altitude, skimming the clouds as she regained balance. Celestia jerked her head. Icy thorns sprouted from the black clouds.

Vesper dodged and rolled, grazed by many of the thorns before teleporting. Celestia was ready when Vesper reappeared. Three sickles of hot magic flew from her horn and attacked Vesper from three sides, only to pass through an illusion.

Metal clashed against Celestia’s skull, and her vision petered in-and-out while she fell. The rush of the cold, moist clouds snapped her from her daze, and she loosed a barrage of light spells from beneath her cover.

Emerging from the veil, Celestia located Vesper and bombarded her with a wave of scarlet heat. Vesper opened her mouth and roared, emitting a flamethrower of her own. The two fires collided, releasing a ripple of blistering heat.

Sweat poured down Celestia’s face. Her being burned with the intensity of the sun. This is it. I’ll turn her to ash, plain and simple. There will be no recovery from that. The fire’s intensity increased, forming blisters across Celestia skin.

Above her, Vesper spewed hellfire, burning brighter than the fire in her sockets. Neither refused to give in. The sky bloomed crimson from the stream of fire.

A black sphere formed at the tip of Vesper’s horn. Celestia’s eyes widened; she watched it rocket toward her down the column of fire. She wrapped herself in her shield, in time for both the spell and the fire to collide. The explosion broke her shield, catapulting her down into the storm.

Static energy rubbed against her coat. The temperature around her dramatically spiked. Celestia tried to right herself, but could not out-move the lightning.

It hit her from every side, electrifying every inch of her body. It only lasted a second, but it was the longest second in Celestia’s life. After the initial, all-encompassing burning sensation, Celestia was numb. She fell to the earth, unable to move, unable to save herself.

She landed on her foreleg. Though she was still numb, she knew she had broken it in at least three different places.

Shadowy tendrils rose from the ground and wrapped around her, lifting her up into the air as Vesper descended. She landed in front of Celestia at eye level to her.

“So…” Vesper leaned in and planted a tender kiss upon Celestia’s lips. “This is the end, Mother. Any final requests?”

Celestia wheezed, struggling to draw air. “P-please, sp-spare them…” Her good eye flickered to the horizon. “Spare… their lives. Throw… all your hate… at me.”

Vesper stared, then broke into laughter. “Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! Even in your final moments, you try to defend someone else!” She nuzzled Celestia’s neck. “That’s why I love you, Mother! You’re so perfect! But, I’m afraid I must deny your request. They’ve been thorns in my side for far too long!”

Her crimson sword appeared, and she leveled it at Celestia’s breast. “Haha! Now you’ll be mine forever!” She drew back. “Goodbye, Mother!”

A pink, poofy object crashed into Vesper’s side, quickly followed by a rainbow and several large rocks. Vesper flew to the ground, losing her concentration and leaving Celestia to fall into the snow.

Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all gathered in front of her, facing Vesper with rigid determination.

Celestia’s attempts to move only resulted in a brief spasm. “G-girls, please… you must leave.”

“No way!” Rainbow shook her head. “We’re not leaving you behind, Princess. Equestria still needs you.”

“It… needs you more than I.”

Rarity levitated another rock toward Vesper. “Sorry, Your Majesty, but our minds are made up.”

“That’s hilarious.” Vesper looked between all of them. “You think you can save her? You worthless, lesser beings?”

Rainbow flared her wings. “We’ll die trying.”

“Okay!” Vesper conjured a sphere of fire.

Warm tears ran down Celestia’s cheeks. Forgive me, Twilight. I have failed your friends. And forgive me, Luna. We must be separated yet again. The heat grew intense, the ball of fire large enough to swallow them all. Celestia refused to look away. After millennia of living, she did not fear her death.

The fire collided against a purple and teal shield, straining against it before being pushed back. Vesper screeched in indignation, while Rarity, Rainbow, and Pinkie cheered. Straining her neck, Celestia looked beyond Vesper to the two approaching ponies.

“Leave our friends alone!”

The sun’s warmth blossomed inside Sunset, and she fired a spell that hit Vesper right between the eyes.

Vesper howled and retreated to the air. “Replica! You filthy, lying brat! How dare you side with them!”

Sunset looked up with a proud smile. “I’m not your replica, Vesper Radiance! I will no longer live in your shadow! I am Sunset Shimmer, faithful student to Princess Twilight Sparkle! That is my past, present… and future.” She caught Twilight’s eye and her smile broadened.

“Miserable creature. Your future is death!”

“Then that’s the choice that I will make.”

Vesper roared, loud and primal. “If you want to die, then I’ll be happy to assist you! Hahahahaha! I’ll help all of you to your deaths! I’m the only one that gets to live! Ha!” She dived for Sunset and Twilight, spewing fire from her mouth.

Both girls rolled out of the way. Sunset returned fire, while Twilight yelled to Rainbow and the others, “Take the princess away from here, quick!”

“But Twilight, we want to help!” Pinkie protested.

Sunset cast a wide shield as Vesper veered around and fired again. “Live to see tomorrow! That’d be a big help!”

Rainbow looked ready to protest, but the explosion against Sunset’s shield wiped the rebellion from her face. She hugged Celestia around the middle and flew off with her, Pinkie and Rarity in tow.

Vesper jumped over Sunset’s shield and aimed at them. “You’re not escaping that easily!”

A purple net snagged Vesper and pinned her to the ground. The more she thrashed about, the more the net shrank.

Twilight and Sunset unleashed a barrage of magic against her. Neither let up until there was a cloud of smoke in Vesper’s place. Sunset paused to catch her breath until she realized she didn’t need to breathe anymore.

Twilight straightened up and took a few short pants. “Do you think we—”

A fiery whip sprang wide from the smoke. Twilight pushed herself into the air, while Sunset ducked as low as she could, her mane grazed by the fire.

Vesper rushed forth, bruised, battered, but far from beaten. She threw a black sickle at Twilight, who teleported just before it cut through her. Vesper turned to Sunset and yelled, releasing a shower of black energy.

Sunset covered herself with her shield and withstood the blasts until Vesper appeared before her and kicked her sky-high, shield and all. At the peak of her flight, Vesper appeared again and smashed Sunset down, breaking her shield.

While Sunset fell, Vesper threw several more beams at her. Streams of purple flew past her and collided with the black magic, nullifying them.

Twilight sprung into the air and caught Sunset. Her wings beat hard and fast trying to support their combined weight. They finally gave out, and the two crashed into the snow.

The ground quaked. A spear of stone burst forth an inch from Twilight’s head. She rolled over as another one sprung up, then leapt to her hooves and shot at Vesper.

Vesper retaliated, her black energy overpowering Twilight’s, pushing it back to her horn.

Sunset tapped into the sun and hurled a massive fireball at Vesper, striking her side. The attack was enough to disrupt Vesper’s attack, allowing Twilight to finish hers. The damage was minimal, but Vesper bellowed with rage, her mane violently billowing around her.

“You can’t beat me! I am superior! I’m an alicorn! I’m immortal!” Black electricity ran up her horn, and she blasted the ground in front of them. Despite Twilight’s shield, both she and Sunset flew into the air.

Vesper tackled Sunset and threw her to the ground. She slid across the snow before she was greeted with an explosion of magic across her back, catapulting her through the air again. She landed hard, instinctively gasping for breath.

“Okay, undead or not, pain is still a factor,” Sunset said as she rose. She turned at the sound of wingbeats; Vesper touched down a hundred feet behind her.

“I hate all of them. Truly I do. But as I look at you, I realize: I hate you the most.”

“I’m honored.”

Vesper bared her fangs. “Why would you forsake your birthright for… for them?”

Sunset laughed softly. “Because I love them.”

“Love will win you nothing in the end!”

“We’ll see.” Sunset leaned forward, running a hoof through the snow.

Vesper raised an eyebrow. “You’re kidding. You’re kidding, right?”

Sunset charged, horn glowing bright and the sun burning in her chest. Vesper barreled towards her, black smoke clinging to the corners of her eyes.

Ten feet from Vesper, Sunset teleported. Vesper skidded to a stop, while Sunset reappeared behind her, summoning an ethereal bow. The burning arrow flew as Vesper turned around. It pierced the hole in her heart, tearing it open further. She howled in pain and kneeled over.

Sunset knelt as well, feeling the fire burn her insides. As she coughed up smoke, an idea came to her—desperate and crazy and potentially gambling with the fate of the entire world. But if it worked, Vesper and the Dark Regalia would be gone for good.

Vesper stood up, then was knocked back down by a purple energy sphere. Twilight hit her again before landing by Sunset’s side.

“I think everyone should be safe as long as we keep her over here.”

Sunset nodded. “Great. Where are they?”

“South, about a few hills over.”

“Perfect.” Sunset held onto Twilight and teleported, reappearing in front of a startled Fluttershy.

“Twilight!” She gasped. “Sunset, you’re okay!”

“Sunset,” Twilight said with an edge of concern, “why did you take us back here?”

“I have a plan.” She looked around at everyone, all looking worse for wear. “But I need you all to trust me.”

A short tremor cut short their responses. Vesper loomed from the top of the hill, grinning broadly. “Oh good, you’re all here, hahahahahahaha! Now, I can kill you all at once!”

“Every opportunity you had to kill us, you’ve failed!” Sunset shouted. “Face it—even with all your magic, we’ve still got something stronger!”

“Are you on about friendship again?”

“It’s the one magic you never understood! The one reason you never reached your full potential!”

Vesper stomped the ground. “I don’t need friends! They all abandon you in the end! Everypony abandons you in the end! Even my mother! But my magic will make you all love me! You’ll all kneel before me!”

Sunset shook her head. “You’ll never force us to bow.”

Vesper floated into the air. “We’ll see.” Over her head, a dark sphere with a red core appeared, steadily growing bigger.

Twilight gasped and took aim, but Sunset held a hoof out. “No matter how much magic you put into that attack, it won’t be enough,” Sunset called.

“I control the sun!”

“Prove it!”

Rainbow jabbed Sunset in the shoulder. “What are you doing? Stop egging her on!”

Sunset looked at her calmly. “Please, just trust me. And stay close.”

They all exchanged looks of apprehension and unease. Twilight moved first, putting a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. “I trust you.”

Celestia hobbled forward, limping on her three good legs. She smiled down at Sunset. “As do I.”

They all gathered close, pressing against one another. Rainbow still looked unsure, but she settled right above Sunset. “If we die, this is all your fault.”

Sunset laughed. “Duly noted.”

Vesper screeched, the black smoke around her eyes turning white. “Are you mocking me? How dare you mock me! I am your queen!”

“You’re a spoiled child demanding attention!” Sunset yelled. “Celestia loved you, but that was never enough! You wanted a crown to go with it, like it would prove how much she loved you! Now, you have neither her love, nor a crown! The one you wear is false! As is your magic!”

Vesper’s scream shook the entire mountain range. Rocks rose from the ground and floated up into the sphere of darkness. Smoke poured out of all the open wounds on Vesper’s body.

“Damn you, Replica!”

The sphere grew larger.

“Damn you, Twilight Sparkle!”

It doubled in size.

“Damn you, Mother!”

The sphere pulsed.

“Damn all of you to Tartarus!” Vesper yelled over the howling wind. The ground beneath her cracked. Red lightning flashed across the black sky.

Sunset felt the heat radiating from Vesper, stronger than the desert sun. She powered her own horn. You’re forgetting the first rule of our special talent, Vesper.

Loud cracks broke over the din as red light poured out of every jewel in the Dark Regalia. Jagged lines ran down their centers, splintering out until they resembled a spider web. The light intensified, and the jewels exploded in a shower of ruby shrapnel.

The trembling stopped. The winds dulled. The thunder and lightning died away. Vesper hovered lifelessly underneath her black ball. The only sounds she made were small choking noises. Patches of fur burst into flame, spreading across her entire body.

Vesper extended a hoof down to Celestia. The hoof guard fell off, revealing crumbling ash. Her mouth opened, pouring out a column of smoke. With her last breath, she uttered a single word.

“M… Mother…”

The fire consumed the rest of Vesper Radiance’s body, turning it to ash and scattering it on the wind. The broken Regalia fell to the earth, cold and inert. The black sphere trembled and whined, pulsing with uneven rhythms.

Sunset closed her eyes. She reached for the sun one last time, letting the light spread through her. A white shield spread over her and all her friends. She felt them all hug tightly against her, their hearts beating in sync as the sphere exploded outward.

“Everyone… thank you.”

Author's Note

Extra special thanks to Bad_Seed_72 for looking over the last pieces of this story. You rock!

And this is for everyone else for sticking with Sunset until the very end.

Chapter XXV: Sunset

When Twilight opened her eyes, Sunset was still standing there. The field around them had been reduced to a gravely wasteland. When the shield faded away, the wind blew over them, still warm from Vesper’s final attack. The world was silent, save for everyone’s synchronized breathing.

Sunset stepped out of the circle of snow left behind from the force field. Twilight watched her walk forward and stop in front of the Alicorn Amulet. The center jewel was gone, the edges of the metal melted.

Twilight didn’t take her eyes off Sunset. She’s still here... she’s still here. Twilight’s heart hammered in her chest. What would happen now?

Rainbow cleared her throat. “So… did we win?”

Sunset flicked the amulet away with her magic. She turned around and smiled. “Yeah. We won.”

We won.

Pinkie jumped into the air. “Woooohoooo! We did it! You did it! You two were amazing!”

Confetti rained over them, and Twilight allowed herself a tentative smile. They won. They had fought and struggled, but they had won in the end. Twilight tried to think about what they had gained from beating Vesper Radiance, but her thoughts kept cycling back to what she might lose.

Rainbow tackled Sunset and pulled her into a hug, which turned into a dogpile when Pinkie and Spike joined in. Rarity helped Sunset up, and Fluttershy brought Applejack over to join the celebration.

Twilight jumped at the soft nuzzle against her side. “Princess Celestia!”

Celestia’s mane hung lifeless, and she held her front leg close to her chest. She still bled from several wounds, and leaned on Twilight for support. “I’m very proud of you, Twilight.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said quietly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m…” Celestia looked to the sky. Soft, powdery snow began to fall again. “I’ll live. My heart is torn in two… but I’ll live.” She followed Twilight’s eyes to Sunset. “But just because I don’t get any closure doesn’t mean you shouldn’t either.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “You know?”

“I pieced their connection together. How your Sunset’s fate intertwined with my Sunset.” Celestia sighed. “Time can be cruel, Twilight. Please, go to her while you still have some.”

Twilight moved a hoof forward, but the rest of her body refused to move. “I… I can’t. I don’t want to.”

Celestia nudged her forward. “Twilight, don’t make the mistakes I made. Go and speak with her while you can. It will be painful, yes, but it is better than saying nothing.”

“What if she doesn’t disappear? She’s her own pony! She has to be!”

“Then go and enjoy your victory.”

Twilight’s hooves shook as she moved forward, but she didn’t stop. She clung to the faintest hope that Sunset would stay. She had to believe it.

Sunset broke her hug with Fluttershy and smiled at Twilight. “We did it!”

Twilight shook her head. “You did it.”

“How did you do it anyway?” Spike asked.

Sunset pointed to the setting sun. “Our special talent is the same: harnessing the energy of the sun. But that raw power burns through us if we use it too much.”

Rarity nodded. “So you purposely antagonized her to use her magic to the fullest extent—”

“—So she overused her special talent and burned herself from the inside out,” Sunset finished. “She burned so hot, she destroyed the Regalia.”

Fluttershy said, “But you used a lot of magic too, and you’re not hurt.”

Sunset laughed weakly. “Oh no, trust me, I’m in pain. I’ve burned through at least two organs.”

“Looks like we’re all in some pain,” Applejack said with a weak chuckle. “Ah reckon we all get back to the Empire.”

“Y-yeah.” Sunset glanced at Twilight. “We should probably head back.”

“So we can have our victory party!” Pinkie cheered. “It’s gonna be amazing! I’ll convince the castle chefs to let me take over the kitchen, and I’ll bake the biggest cake, and there’ll be streamers and balloons, and I’ll paint pictures of all the awesome battle scenes!” Pinkie flailed her hooves and struck various poses. “We were like, ‘Hiyaah!’ and Vesper was all like, ‘Grrr!’ and the Frostlich was all like, ‘Roooar!’ and Twilight went, ‘Take that!’ but Vesper was like, ‘Nuh-uh!’ and Sunset was like, ‘Ya-huh!’ and—Sunset what’s happening to you?”

Twilight’s heartbeat slowed to a crawl. She wanted to look away, but her eyes were transfixed on Sunset.

Sunset raised a hoof to the light. Gold flecks floated from her fading body, tiny fireflies that drifted up to the sky. “So… this is it.”

“Wh-what is?” Fluttershy placed a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder, surprised that it didn’t go through.

Sunset pulled Fluttershy’s hoof down. “I… I tried to tell you in the park, but…” She twirled a lock of her hair. “Vesper and I… you know we’re the same pony; I’m her reincarnation. But, if the events that led to her having a reincarnation never happened…. If I altered the course that led to my creation, I… well…”

“She ceases to exist,” Twilight whispered, her head bowed.

No one breathed. The only sound was a deflating noise that came from Pinkie’s mane. Twilight bit down on her lip to stop herself from crying out.

Pinkie hiccupped. “That’s not fair.” Her voice was softer than Fluttershy’s. “That’s not how it’s supposed to go. We… we won. We beat the bad guy. We’re supposed to go home now and celebrate. That’s what always happens.”

Sunset walked over and wiped the tears from Pinkie’s eyes. “It’ll be okay. You can still have a party. I… I just won’t be there.”

“That’s not fair!” Rainbow shouted. “That’s not fair at all! We go on this stupid journey that you started, and now you’re going to die or disappear or whatever?” She flew up and jabbed Sunset in her fading shoulder. “What if… what if I say you’re not allowed to disappear, huh?”

“Not even your stubbornness will stop this, Dash.” Sunset tried to keep her voice even, but Twilight could hear the cracks in it.

Applejack spoke next. “So everythin’ we worked for was all for nothin’?”

“No!” Sunset vigorously shook her head. “No, it’s the opposite. You guys made a new future. You don’t have to worry about Vesper ever again. It’s because we succeeded that I have to… go away.”

“But we don’t want you to leave, Sunset,” Fluttershy said between sniffles. “You’re our friend. I know it hasn’t been too long but… I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

“You’re part of the group,” Spike said, clinging to her leg.

Rarity tipped her head in agreement. “I thought maybe you’d have to go back to your own time or something of that nature. I didn’t expect you to leave us like this. After all we’ve seen and done… it doesn’t feel right.”

“I’m sorry.” Sunset inhaled to keep her voice from quivering. “I didn’t want this to happen—”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Rainbow shouted. “We could have done something! We could have found a way!”

“When would you have had time to look, Dash? And what could you have found?” Sunset sighed. “I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. Because you all would have tried to help.” She looked at Twilight. “I was already down, I… didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

Rainbow rounded on Twilight. “You knew, didn’t you?”

Twilight turned away. “Yes. But it was Sunset’s secret to share. It wasn’t my place—”

“Wasn’t your place? She’s dying!”

“You think I don’t see that!” Twilight screamed. “How do you think I feel? I promised her I'd stop it—I’d find a way to keep her here!” Twilight’s dam broke, tears flooding her eyes and pouring down her face. She forced herself to look at Sunset. “I promised you… and I failed.”

Sunset walked over and stroked Twilight’s cheek. “You didn’t fail, Twilight.”

Twilight leaned into Sunset’s hoof. “Yes I did. Look at you… you’re fading away.”

More gold sprites flittered away from Sunset’s translucent body, slowly carrying her essence away. “Twilight, I did what I was meant to do. I finished the mission you gave me. You don’t need me around anymore.”

“Don’t ever say that!” Twilight grabbed Sunset’s hoof. “You’re our friend; we always need you. You did it, Sunset, you saved the world, but that wasn’t the sole reason you existed—I refuse to believe that!”

A bubble of laughter rose from Sunset. “You don’t know how much that means to me. I’m so happy—so honored you all consider me a friend. I feel the same way about all of you.”

“Then don’t go!” Pinkie sobbed. “Please don’t leave like this, Sunset! That’s not how happy endings are supposed to work!”

“Pinkie,” Sunset said in a wavering tone, “not everyone gets a happy ending.”

“But you’re a good guy!”

Twilight would have found Pinkie’s storybook belief comical if she hadn’t wanted so desperately to believe it herself. They won, fair and square. So why were they still losing?

Her hoof slipped through Sunset’s, and she let out a strangled sob. “There has to be something—anything we can do.” She looked back at Celestia. “What if we used the Elements of Harmony?”

Celestia shook her head. “Sunset is now technically an anomaly in time. If the Elements did work on her, it may only speed up the process. I’m sorry, Twilight.”

Twilight couldn’t say anything. Not with the despair clawing at her insides. She wanted to throw up. She wanted to scream. She wanted to hold on to Sunset and never let go.

“It’s going to be all right,” Sunset said. “I promise.”

“How?” Rainbow’s voice cracked.

Sunset closed her eyes. “I could tell you. But that’d spoil everything.” She smiled. “Just believe me when I say you’ll all do great things. You’re some of the best friends a pony could ask for, and as long as you keep being yourselves, you’ll make the world a better place.” She looked over to Pinkie. “So go throw that victory party. The world still needs Laughter.” She looked at Rainbow. “And Loyalty. Honesty, Generosity, Kindness…” She looked at Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy in turn, then stopped on Spike. “Bravery.” She gave him a phantom kiss on the cheek.

Her eyes rested on Twilight. “And Magic.”

Twilight’s fought against the smile forcing its way onto her face.

Sunset finally addressed Celestia. She shifted nervously, flicking her ears before speaking. “Princess… I… I’m not your daughter.”

Celestia looked at her with soft eyes. “No. You are not. You are a different pony.” She limped closer and leaned down to Sunset. She spoke quietly, but Twilight was still able to make it out. “And that, I think, might make all the difference.”

Sunset nodded. “Still, I feel like I owe you an apology.”

“Do not apologize for her mistakes. What happened here was ultimately hers and my responsibility. It is I who should be apologizing to you, Sunset, for you are the one paying the price.” A tear ran down Celestia’s cheek. “Truly, I am sorry.”

“Apology accepted.” Sunset’s voice began to sound distant. Her eyes fell on Twilight again.

Twilight stared into Sunset’s teal eyes, unable to look anywhere else. Her heart was ready to snap in two, yet Sunset just stood and smiled at her. Twilight took a shaky breath. “I… I guess this is it then?”

“Yeah. Guess so.”

Twilight bit her lip. There were so many things she wanted to say—so many questions she wanted to ask. It all wanted to explode out of her at once. She was an overinflated balloon of emotions ready to pop. “Sunset—”

“Would you like to hear what I’ve learned from all this, Twilight?” Sunset asked.

“I, er, well…” Caught off-guard, Twilight wasn’t sure how to respond at first. She relaxed her shoulders and said, “Yes, I’d love to hear what you’ve learned.”

Sunset cleared her throat. “Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle: Today, I learned that we aren’t defined by our past. Ponies have done terrible things before; sometimes they’ve done things they think no one will ever forgive. But real friends don’t care about that as long as that pony is trying to be better—trying to correct their mistakes.” She closed her eyes. Gold flecks floated away like tears of light.

“Everyone is given a choice in life to do what is easy or what is right. The right choice is never easy, but it becomes bearable if you have friends to help and motivate you. Real friends will stand by you and help you through even the hardest times. They’ll help you find hope, even when you’ve given up on it.

“I have a new hope now. That no matter where I go next, whether it’s to another life or into oblivion, I’ll never forget any of you. I’m so glad I got to meet you all, and I’ll treasure the memories forever.”

“We’ll never forget you either, Sunset,” Spike said.

Rainbow sniffled. “Y-yeah. We’ll think about you every day.”

“Thank you,” Sunset said with the most sincere smile Twilight had seen on her. “Friends are with you, no matter where you go. That’s something I learned a long time ago, but I think it’s the most important lesson I’ve learned. Whatever happens next, I know you’ll all be there with me.”

Sunset bowed her head toward Twilight. She was almost gone now; gold poured off her in an upwards shower of light. Twilight bowed her head too. Her horn touched the tip of where Sunset’s should have met hers.

“Love, your faithful student…”

A single spark jumped between their horns.

Then, Sunset was gone. A burst of light sent the last golden motes up into the sky.

Twilight raised her head and watched them float away, vanishing after a few seconds. She continued to stare even as the last one faded away, wishing, hoping, praying that Sunset might come back. No one interrupted her. Twilight knew they were hoping as much as she was.

When a fine layer of snow had built upon the ground, Celestia gently pulled Twilight from her trance. “Come, Twilight. We should all see to our injuries. And I’m sure Shining and Cadence are desperate to know if you’re all right.”

Twilight nodded weakly. Her mouth was dry, and she was suddenly very tired. “Yeah… okay.” She let Celestia lean on her as they started their trek back. Fluttershy and Rainbow assisted Applejack, while the rest followed close behind.

Twilight stopped and looked back. The field was still empty. Just like her heart.

“Goodbye, my faithful student… Sunset Shimmer.”

Night had fallen again. Stars glittered above the Crystal Empire, filling the black canvas with beautiful diamond dust. While the rest of the city slept under the peaceful blanket of night, the palace was awake, and in a much more somber mood.

Twilight sat with everyone else in the dining hall. Her plate of food remained untouched. Bandages ran down the length of her back, and one sat on her cheek. She considered herself fairly unharmed compared to some of her other friends.

Applejack sat in a wheelchair, her entire back leg bandaged up. The crystal pony nurses had reassured her she’d still be able to use it, but only after a few months of serious rest.

Celestia had her left eye bandaged and her foreleg in a cast. She still carried a number of burns and scars, yet retained her natural grace.

Everyone else had escaped with only a few scratches and bruises, much to Twilight’s relief. Cadence and Shining had joined them for dinner, where everyone had taken turns explaining what had happened in the wasteland.

Now, all was quiet. Most of the plates still had copious amounts of food, despite the doctor encouraging them all to eat. Pinkie hadn’t even touched her food; she had pushed it away and rested her chin on the table. She still had not moved.

“She told us to have a victory party,” Pinkie mumbled. “But celebrating is the last thing I want to do.”

Twilight lifted her fork and speared a few vegetables. She slid one into her mouth and chewed slowly. When it came time to swallow, her stomach nearly rejected it, like it had with every other scrap of food before it. She dropped her fork and buried her face in her hooves. She had no more tears to cry, having expelled all of them between the walk back and when they retold the story twenty minutes ago.

Now, Twilight only felt sick and empty. A piece of her was missing, gone with Sunset. Twilight blamed herself for making a promise she couldn’t keep. She didn’t deserve to be a princess.

Someone stroked her hair, and Twilight lifted her head to see Shining looking doleful. “I know what you’re thinking, Twilight. You did everything you could.”

“That’s just it,” Twilight said, her voice small and scratchy. “I know I could have done something else—I know it.”

Shining hugged Twilight against his chest. “You’re brilliant, Twilight, wonderfully brilliant. But the truth is… we can’t always bring everypony home. Sad fact of war.”

“It’s not fair.”

“Yeah… it isn’t.”

Twilight’s broken heart stabbed at her chest, and she pushed away from Shining. “I need some air.” She stood up and walked to the dining hall doors.

“Twilight,” Cadence called. “You know we’re all here for you.”

The scenario was so familiar, Twilight was almost compelled to laugh. She wondered if Sunset would have found it funny as well.

“I know,” she said. “I just need a little time alone.” She pushed the door open and slipped out. The blossom of mirth died when she closed the door. “I’m a hypocrite.”

Twilight walked down the dim corridors, ignoring the guards on duty. She had friends to lean on and support her. They knew what she was going through. So why did she crave solitude?

After a few minutes of walking, Twilight found her destination: the palace balcony. She rested on the railing and looked out over the city. She knew she wouldn’t be long. She craved solitude, yet, at the same time, she longed for the embrace of her friends.

She let out a frustrated yell and pressed her face into her hooves again. She didn’t know what she wanted.

No, that wasn’t true. She wanted Sunset to come back. She wanted their circle of friendship to be complete.

Her eyes welled up again, proving she still had tears left to shed. She sobbed as quietly as she could, lest she wake the rest of the city.

It’s not fair! Why couldn’t she stay? Why’d she have to leave like that? She deserved a happy ending.

Twilight wanted to be angry at something or someone, even herself. But as Shining’s words played through her head, she wondered…. What could she have done?

Part of her accepted that this had been unavoidable, but the starry-eyed foal in her still believed that friendship conquered anything. Even time.

Hoofsteps approached. Twilight swung around to find Princess Celestia limping across the balcony. Twilight moved to help, but Celestia shook her head and reached the railing on her own.

“The stars look lovely tonight,” she said with soft admiration.

“Y-yes, they do.” Twilight wiped her eyes and nose. “Princess Luna always does a really good job.” Twilight blanched. “N-not to say you didn’t while she was gone—I didn’t mean—”

“Twilight.” Celestia’s gentle voice instantly put an end to Twilight’s stammering. “I know you meant no offense. Luna was always better at the arts than I.” She pointed her nose to the moon. “When I lost her, I locked myself in my room for two months. I refused to talk to anypony, I barely ate; I only raised the sun and moon. I did it again when I had to turn Sunset away.”

“I’m sorry.”

A firefly floated past them. They both watched it until it flew out of sight. Celestia spoke again. “The first time, Starswirl finally broke my door down and dragged me outside. The second, it took all of the castle staff knocking on my door to convince me to come out.” Celestia smiled empathetically. “I understand your pain, Twilight, terribly so. I know you want to be alone, but don’t forget about the other ponies who care about you.”

“I haven’t—I won’t!” Twilight pinned her ears back, knowing how defensive she sounded.

Celestia nuzzled the top of Twilight’s head. “I’m not accusing you, Twilight, just reminding you. We all need a little solitude, but don’t drive everypony away. Don’t forget the rest because you lost one.” Warm tears dripped onto Twilight’s head. “Even… even if that one meant everything to you.”

The tears came faster now, a steady trickle against Twilight’s scalp. She had never seen Celestia earnestly cry before, and was unsure of what to do other than nuzzle her back.

Twilight cringed, thinking of how selfish she was. She lost a friend, but Celestia had lost the pony she had called her daughter. At least Twilight got a goodbye. Celestia had only watched her Sunset die after becoming a monster.

“I’m so sorry, Princess. This must be even harder on you than me.”

Celestia stepped back. Her eyes were already red. “It’s not a contest of pain, Twilight. You and I have both lost something today—something irreplaceable. It’s unfair to both of us to measure who is hurting more.”

Twilight bowed her head. “You’re right. I’m—ahem, I mean… you’re right.”

Her head was lifted up by Celestia’s unbound wing. “And, if anything, I should be the one apologizing.”

“Why?”

“As I told Sunset, I bare most of the responsibility for what had happened.”

“But Vesper—”

“Made her choices and mistakes.” Celestia stood up straight and looked at the moon again. “But I am far from blameless. There isn’t a day that goes by where I wonder what I could have done to steer her down another path. I-I tried my best for her. But I failed in the end. I helped create a monster.”

Twilight moved to close the gap between them. “Princess—”

“And I sent you and your friends after that monster. I ignored the voice in the back of my head telling me who Vesper Radiance could be. If I had confronted her at the start of all this, you would have never been put in harm’s way. I’m so sorry, Twilight.”

For several minutes, Twilight said nothing. It was true; if Celestia had sought after Vesper, her friends wouldn’t be sitting in the dining hall, nursing injuries after coming close to their deaths. But at the same time…

“If you hadn’t… I wouldn’t have gotten to know her,” Twilight whispered.

“What?”

Twilight smiled. “If you hadn’t sent us, I wouldn’t have gotten to know Sunset.”

Celestia joined in Twilight’s smile. “Yes, I suppose that is true.” Her eyes wandered over to the mountains surrounding the city. “Don’t be sad that it’s over. Be glad that it happened.”

They stood side-by-side, watching the still landscape. Twilight reflected on everything that had happened over the last couple of days, thinking about all of her time spent with Sunset. Glancing at Celestia, Twilight knew she was doing the same thing.

Twilight fiddled with her hooves. “You really loved her… like a daughter?”

“Yes. I did.”

The next question was out of Twilight’s mouth before she could stop it. “Did you ever love me like that?” She clasped a hoof over her mouth and looked away, shame burning her face. Celestia was looking at her, she knew it, but she couldn’t bear to turn back.

A wing draped over her and pulled her close. Celestia kissed her forehead and held her as tight as she could. “Twilight, you are brilliant, wonderful, kind, and loving. I’ve watched you grow from a little bookworm into a beautiful butterfly. I love you deeply. But you have a mother and father, and I could never take you away from them.” She turned Twilight’s face to her. “Sunset holds a special place in my heart. As does Luna.” She kissed her on the head again. “And so do you, my special filly.”

Twilight’s face burned brighter. “I love you too, Princess.” She thought to apologize again, but reasoned they had both said ‘sorry’ enough times for today.

When their embrace broke, Twilight’s mind immediately centered on Sunset again, and the light in her breast dulled. Be happy that it happened. Be glad you met her. Twilight was infinitely grateful she got to meet Sunset. That still didn’t stop her from wanting to see her again.

“The ones we love are never really gone, Twilight,” Celestia said.

Twilight placed a hoof over her heart. “I know. They’re right here. But I still miss her.”

Celestia smiled, then turned toward the door. “Friends have a funny way of coming back to us. Hold onto her, Twilight. Hold onto her memory, her dream, what she fought for. Believe in her.” Celestia walked away, her mane beginning to flow again. “The ties with your friends are strong, Twilight. If you believe in Sunset Shimmer, if you remember she existed… perhaps, someday, you’ll see her again.”

She disappeared into the darkness of the palace, leaving Twilight alone once more. She sat down and looked up at the stars, mulling Celestia’s words over. Of course she believed in Sunset. She refused to believe Sunset didn’t exist anymore. It just couldn’t be possible. She was out there somewhere—she had to be.

Twilight smiled. Then she laughed. Yes, Sunset existed. She could feel it.

“We’ll meet again, Sunset. I promise.”

Epilogue

All the Difference

She was floating. She had no physical form; she simply was, if only just. Something was trying to erase her, like she was no more than a drawing. But she didn’t want to leave. A desire inside her, a feeling deep within her fading form told her to hold on.

Yes, she could remember something. It was faint and distorted in a way, but she knew the feeling. It was warm and inviting and loving. Gentle waves of its power washed over her and pulled her back.

Darkness appeared. She was no longer alone in this void. It was cold and angry; its own malicious waves crashed against her, disrupting the serene harmony. The cold creeped over her, bringing back horrible feelings and memories. Death, hatred, power…

But she wasn’t that being anymore. She was her own being. She was separate.

She was light.

Her light pushed the darkness away and pulled Harmony closer to her. Faces drifted in the aether, friendly and familiar. They circled around her, forming a protective ring and pushing the cold away. She was getting stronger; names were coming back to add to the faces.

There was Luna and Spike. Applejack and Fluttershy. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Ruby and Flora and her mom and dad. There was Celestia.

And from the darkness, she felt something stronger than hatred or anger. She felt regret and sadness. In the abyss, the darkness wailed a slow and painful cry.

She reached out and consoled it against her better judgement. The darkness had tried to kill her after all. But she knew someone would be proud of her—someone important.

With a push of her will, she sent a wave of light over the darkness, sharing the feelings of her memories. Joy, hope, faith, love. Bright emotions circled the both of them, driving away the negativity until, within the darkness, she could see a small speck of light.

The darkness halted the wave. She could feel it floating upwards to something beyond. It stumbled back a few times, like something was dragging it back down. Then the darkness released a burst of heat, completely driving the cold away. It drifted up, higher and higher, the light at its center glowing a little brighter.

As it vanished, she heard two soft words. They were not spoken, but felt like the rest of her memories.

“Thank… you…”

There was only light now. Her light. And her will. She still was; the erasing had stopped. But something was missing—a very important piece of her. One more name to one more face. She could remember the soft caress of her wings, her crystalline laugh, her enthusiasm from teaching.

And a promise. There was a promise that needed to be kept. Yes, she would see all of her friends again! She would not fade away, she would not sit in this abyss, she would continue! A spark of magic coursed through her.

All around her, she could hear them giving her encouragement, cheering her name. Her own name. She had forgotten that too. But it wasn’t her name that mattered—it was the other name. The one that had always believed in her, even when she couldn’t believe in herself. She reached for it. It was the key; the last thing she needed to remember.

“Twi… Twilight… Twilight Sparkle. Princess!”

Hope. More than a friend, more than a princess, Twilight was her hope.

The warm magic burned white-hot and began to take form. She felt herself grow less aware, but more real. Little by little, bit by bit, she returned, her soul burning brighter than ever.

A foal’s cry echoed throughout the room…

The sun rose through the window in front of Princess Twilight Sparkle as she lay curled on a large pillow in her study. She had been up an hour ago so she could enjoy the sunrise. She loved watching the dark of night and the new light of day mix and mingle before one completely took over.

She took a sip of her morning tea, then returned to her book when the last pink of the dawn faded. She guessed she still had about an hour before she had to get ready for the day. The page of her book turned as she sighed. All she had to look forward to today was court sessions and paperwork.

On the table behind her sat two large, empty bowls. A few hours ago, they had contained massive amounts of ice cream, courtesy of Pinkie Pie.

Twilight chuckled, remembering last night. Storytelling and ice cream, one of her favorite activities to do with her faithful student. She was surprised they had managed to finish it all. Of course, they had both conked out five minutes after the bowls were empty. Twilight mused over the fact she wasn’t in an ice cream coma.

Something shifted under her wing and let out a small snort.

Well, one of us might be in one.

Twilight continued to read with a smile on her face for the remainder of the hour. She was snatched from her peace and relaxation when one of the guards pounded on her door, reminding her that court began in forty-five minutes.

The lump under her wing moved again. As much as Twilight wanted to sit there and enjoy the moment, she knew it was time for both of them to get up. She pulled her wing back, revealing a bed head of crimson and gold hair, along with bleary teal eyes.

“Good morning, Princess.”

Twilight leaned down and nuzzled her young student’s neck. “Good morning, Sunset.”

The End

Author's Note

Join me for the postscript for background information and thoughts on the story. And to ask any questions you have left.

Thanks again, everyone!

Epilogue+

The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions

The black road continued to stretch deeper into the unyielding abyss. Darkness surrounded her on all sides, unaffected by the ball of light hanging on the tip of her horn. She wore only a plain traveling cloak—no crown, no regalia.

For Tartarus hardly cared for titles. Her status was just enough to get her past the gates. Beyond them, she was no princess. She was just Celestia.

Contrary to popular belief, Tartarus was cold. A haunting cold that pierced not just the body, but the very soul. The air was thick with lamentations and regrets. Sobs, moaning, and insane laughter filled the void. Prisoners were hardly tortured here. No, their punishment was solitude—to sit in their prisons, alone and undisturbed until the end of time; left to reflect on their actions and weep for their sins. Many lost their minds from loneliness.

Celestia kept a calm but brisk pace. The cold stone bit into her hooves, making every step harder than the last. Flying was forbidden in Tartarus.

She had meant to make this trip earlier. Much earlier. She had a perfect opportunity right after Tirek had been re-imprisoned, but felt her country took precedence as it always did. And nothing about this trip was certain. For all she knew, she was dragging her hooves across the rough stones for nothing.

Still, she had to be sure. If there was even a small chance, Celestia was willing to take it.

The path sloped up and branched off into three separate paths. Celestia paused and strained her eyes into the endless dark. Light flickered at the end of each path, the question was, which did she take? After examining each option, she took the far right, following it over a bottomless ravine. It was a decision of the heart, nothing more. On the other side of the ravine was a circle of rocks enclosing a prison made from a ring of light.

Celestia stepped up the ring’s edge and placed a hoof on the invisible barrier separating her and the prisoner on the other side. Her heart had led her the right way.

They sat at the far end, wrapped in a black cloak that covered everything. If they noticed Celestia, they gave no indication. They continued to stare at the cavern wall, completely still.

Celestia made a small cough. It echoed through the cave and sounded like an avalanche to Celestia’s ears. It got the prisoner’s attention, however. They turned around and shambled over to the barrier, keeping their face hidden.

A voice, raspy from disuse escaped from the hood. “The princess has graced me with her presence. I feel honored.”

Try as she might, Celestia couldn’t see into the darkness the hood provided. But she knew who was under it all the same. “Hello, Sunset,” she said, using all her strength to keep her voice from trembling. “How are you?”

“Tired.” Sunset’s hood swished back and forth. “And you still call me by that name? I am not Sunset, Celestia. Not anymore.”

“I refuse to call you Vesper Radiance,” Celestia said sternly. “You are still my Sunset, regardless of what happened. You can change your name as many times as you like, but I will call you Sunset Shimmer because that is the pony I loved. That’s the pony you still are deep inside.”

Sunset made a cross between a cough and a rattle of tiny beads. Then Celestia realized she was laughing. “Still perfect. Still the wonderful alicorn that deserves to be admired. Hahahahaha—” Her laughter dissolved into coughs, then degraded into hacking.

Celestia pushed her hoof into the barrier, but was unable to reach Sunset. The coughing fit lasted for several minutes before Sunset fell on her side, gasping for air. Celestia laid on her belly, putting herself at eye level to her. “Are you all right, Sunset?”

She struggled for air, occasionally breaking into smaller fits again. She murmured something unintelligible in between her wheezing.

“What was that?”

“...Name… isn’t Sunset.” She pushed herself into a sitting position. “Vesper Radiance.”

Celestia folded her ears. She stretched her neck out to nuzzle Sunset, but was reminded of the force field once again. “Why do you insist on being called that?”

Sunset’s hood turned away. Her voice came out, rough and sharp. “Because she took my real name away. She’s the better of us two.” It fell into a feathery whisper. “She proved that, in the end, she… was superior. She’s the real one. I’m just a phantom.” Sunset’s voice trailed away. Something small and glittery fell from the dark void of her hood.

“That isn’t true. You’re just as real as she is, despite what happened. Yes, she took a better path than you—she accepted harmony and friendship; she was prepared to sacrifice herself for her friends. But that doesn’t make you any less real than she was.” Celestia closed her eyes. “I remember all the good times we had together. I remember your laughter and your innocent curiosity for knowledge. I remember all your efforts to make me smile or cheer me up after a hard day. I remember your love, Sunset. That was all real to me.”

The silence of Tartarus seemed to double when Celestia stopped speaking. Sunset kept her back turned, remaining still as stone. “A phantom,” she repeated. “I’m a shell of who that mare was. She’s dead. She died when you crowned Twilight Sparkle. I’m not her, and my reincarnation turned herself into something far better than I ever was. So where does that leave me?” There was another rattling cough. “By all rights, I shouldn’t even be here. I vaporized myself into so many pieces, I should have never come back, in that life or down here.”

She raised the hem of her cloak and revealed something that could barely be called a hoof. It was made mostly of swirling grey dust trying to piece itself back together, combined with fragments of solid bone. “You go to Tartarus how you die. Only, there was nothing left of me to send.” She rattled again. “Perhaps the Maker was granting me a mercy by piecing together as much as she could.”

Celestia pinned her ears back and swallowed the lump rising in her throat. She knew Sunset had committed heinous crimes and needed some form of punishment. But wasn’t this a little much? Sparks jumped from the tip of Celestia’s horn, but as much as she wanted to break through the barrier and wrap her hooves around Sunset, she knew she couldn’t. The magic of Tartarus was beyond her.

Sunset retracted her hoof, and her body swished from side to side. “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to see you.”

The cloak turned away. “No. You wanted to see Sunset Shimmer. She’s dead.”

Celestia stood tall, narrowing her eyes. “No she is not. She’s only dead if you let her die, Sunset.”

There was a small scraping sound as Sunset tried to paw at the dirt. “You put far too much faith in me, Celestia.”

“Them answer me one question, Sunset.” Celestia exhaled slowly, remembering what happened the last time she had asked this question. “Do you regret anything? Do you regret any of the actions you took on the path that brought you here?”

There was no wind in Tartarus, but something swept across Celestia all the same. It left her colder than before, and she pulled her cloak tighter across her body.

Sunset, meanwhile, had not said a word. She scraped at the ground several times, and an odd sound between a cough and a pant came from her hood. She looked over her shoulder and said in an even scratchier voice than before, “I… regret disappointing you.”

Remorse. It draped itself through the air, wrapping the two ponies in a cold cocoon. Sunset’s remorse bled through her prison and permeated the air around Celestia.

And yet… it sparked a warmth in her heart.

Sunset continued. “I just wanted to make you happy. No… I wanted to make myself happy, and I thought making you acknowledge me and only me would do it. I was… blinded by my ambition to make you love me, that I forgot why I was doing everything in the first place. I…” Another piece of glitter fell from the darkness of her hood. “I’m sorry.”

Celestia gave her a watery smile. “You see? The Sunset I love isn’t dead. She was just lost and confused.” She hiccuped and wiped her face. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you find your way in time.”

Another rattling, raspy laugh left Sunset. “Celestia… my bleeding-hearted princess. Apologizing for something that wasn’t your fault.”

“I am not blameless in this, Sunset. I told you before: I’m not infallible.”

A soft pause. “You were always perfect to me.”

For a time, neither said a word. Celestia stood, staring at the back of Sunset’s cloak, while Sunset sat, hunched over and completely still.

Looking at her… looking at the remains of her daughter, broken and remorseful; Celestia’s chest knotted up. She wanted weep and cheer at the same time. More than anything, she just wanted to hug Sunset once more.

Sunset cleared her throat and looked over her shoulder. “Has… has she come back yet?”

Celestia dipped her head. “Not yet. Twilight says she can feel her though. She’s getting a little closer everyday.”

Sunset nodded. “I can feel her too. She’s… determined, I’ll give her that much.” She dragged a hoof against the ground. “To defy the denial of existence. To overcome time and space. I still do not understand… she showed me some of it—allowed me to experience some of its warmth, but…” Sunset turned around, still keeping her hood low. “Is friendship truly that powerful?”

Celestia slowly raised her hoof and pushed it against the barrier again. “It is one of the strongest forces in existence, Sunset. When coupled with love, it creates a power no one can truly understand. But it protects us and guides us, even in our deepest despair.”

The cloak trembled in hesitation. Then, very carefully, an amber hoof appeared from within. The fur around it was short and patchy, but the hoof was whole. Sunset raised it and pressed it against Celestia’s. “But what do you do when they all leave?” she whispered. “When they all abandon you?”

“True friends will never abandon you, Sunset. They’ll stay with you in your heart forever.” Celestia pressed her hoof harder into the shield, hoping she could just graze Sunset’s hoof. A simple touch to show she cared.

Instead, Sunset finally raised her head up. From within the darkness, Celestia saw one teal eye stare back at her, full of remorse and a desire for real love.

Sunset pulled her hoof away and lowered her head. “I know why I lost… why I failed. But still…” she shook her head.

She was unsure of what to say next, but Celestia still wanted to offer some words of solace. A distant roar stopped her before she could say anything else, however. She pinned her ears back, looking at the long road she would have to traverse. “I’m afraid I have to go, Sunset.”

The teal eye appeared again. “O-oh… I… I understand.” She picked herself up and trudged back to the center of her prison.

Celestia wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’m sorry. I…”

“No, it’s okay.” The crack in her voice was unnoticeable to all but Celestia. “You’re the princess. Equestria needs you. It doesn’t deserve you, but it needs you.”

You need me too, my lost little pony. Even if you don’t want to admit it anymore. When Sunset spoke no more, Celestia turned down the path. Her ears twitched and she looked back. “What?”

“... Will you visit me again?”

The corners of Celestia’s mouth folded upwards. “Of course I will. I promise.”

She had taken two steps when she heard a soft and sincere voice say, “I love you, Mother.”

Celestia looked back, seeing the young filly she had taken in so many years ago. She was struggling, but she was still alive. “I love you too, Sunset.”

Act One: Shimmer of Hope—Chapter I: World on Fire

Sunset of Time

Chapter I: World on Fire

All of Canterlot rocked as the earth beneath it trembled once more. Cracks and fissures continued to rip open all across the city, swallowing ponies and entire buildings into a bottomless maw. With every quake, more of the once-proud capital fell into ruin. Tall marble and brass towers crumbled into dust while entire sections of the city collapsed and slid down the mountainside to the ravaged earth below it.

Whatever the earthquakes had not destroyed, the fire had seen fit to burn down. It fell from the sky like rain, igniting everything it touched and sending billowing clouds of smoke into the air. The dust and ash had already eclipsed the sun and left the sky looking a murderous shade of red. Roars of thunder could be heard from the turbulent storm clouds, circling above the city like starving vultures. The citizens ran for cover, desperately trying to get out of harm’s way. But as Canterlot fell to pieces around them, the populace knew deep within their hearts that this was the end.

The train station had been one of the first buildings destroyed when the fire began to fall from the sky, leaving all of them alone and isolated on their mountain perch. Many desperate souls had tried to run down the mountain or hide in the caverns beneath the city, but when the earthquakes struck, they met the same fate as those they left behind.

Their desperate flight would have proved useless in the long run, as all across the world, the very elements of nature turned against civilization and brought ruin upon the world’s denizens. Fires raged, the ground shook, the winds howled, the oceans swelled...

It was the End of the World.

Sunset Shimmer watched in horror from the ramparts of Canterlot Castle as another fireball fell from the sky and obliterated one of the gleaming buildings of her city. The noble colors of purple and gold were burned away by the torrent of fire. Anything recognizable was quickly buried by the ash and brimstone that fell like snow, swallowing buildings whole, defacing parks and museums, and choking the life out of the once-proud city.

The wind angrily pulled and snatched at her red and yellow mane as it blew in every direction at once. She had to squint to stop the heavy amounts of ash from blinding her. Around her muzzle was a neckerchief so she could breathe somewhat normally. The rest of her orange coat was stained with dust and grime.

She couldn’t believe this was happening. Yesterday had been another normal day, just like the day before it. The morning had started out normal as well. The sun had shone, birds had sung, and she had eaten breakfast, just like any other morning. Then, the clouds began to move in without pegasi supervision, and fire dropped out of the sky. From there, everything began to spiral out of control. It was all some sort of nightmare that Sunset couldn’t wake up from.

The earth moaned again, and Sunset threw herself against the rampart wall to stop herself from falling over. As the tremor continued, Sunset could hear a piece of the castle collapse behind her in a loud cacophony of noise. The sound of demolished stone and the screams of falling ponies rang in her ears; the images of them falling crept into her brain and burned their visage into her eyes. Pellets of stone rained down on her and opened small cuts across her back. Sunset yelped in pain, and quickly raised a teal shield around her, deflecting the rest of the falling rubble.

In front of her, some of the sidewalk reared up, tearing itself from the ground and creating another fissure. Another plume of dust shot into the air as a building collapsed in the distance. The tremor intensified, causing Sunset’s teeth to rattle violently. There was a loud, earth-splitting noise, and from her peripheral vision, Sunset saw a column of magma rocket into the sky, like a geyser, in the distance. She fully turned her head towards it and immediately regretted the decision, as she bore witness to a tidal wave of fire consuming Ponyville and all of the surrounding landscape, reducing it all to ashes in seconds.

Sunset slid down the wall, tears pouring from her eyes. Her entire world was collapsing in front of her and, there was nothing she could do. She had never felt so useless in her life. She raised her head and looked directly above the castle where the large dark sphere floated, pulsing with black magic and emitting an airy moan: the place Princess Twilight Sparkle had gone to hours ago. It had appeared just after the clouds had, and while it had not done anything directly, everypony had deduced that it was the source of their suffering. Princess Twilight had flown up and vanished into its embrace shortly after with her loyal dragon Spike close behind.

“Please, Twilight,” Sunset breathed, “please come back soon. Please put an end to this.”

Half of her prayer was answered. Not a second after she finished speaking, Princess Twilight came shooting out of the black sphere, rocketing straight for the castle courtyard. She hit the ground with a sickening crunch that made Sunset scream in terror.

The young mare hurried off of the rampart just as another earthquake hit, taking out part of the wall she had been standing on moments before. Trying to ignore how close to death she had just come, Sunset hurried down the steps and sprinted to her mentor’s side.

The courtyard looked like the rest of the city: a cruel mockery of its former self. Fountains had been overturned, hedges and lawns had been burned away, the ground had splintered and fractured in several places, and part of the castle had fallen outward, covering much of the courtyard in debris.

Twilight had landed on a small pile of rubble close to what used to be the door to the entrance hall. She was covered in burn marks and open wounds that bled profusely. Some of them had already scarred over, evidence of her healing magic. Both her wings and two of her legs were bent at disturbing angles, and her mane and tail were a disheveled mess.

Sunset reached her broken form and sobbed, “Twilight! Twilight, please, get up! You have to get up!” She shook the purple alicorn’s body as gently as she could while still trying to invoke a reaction.

Sunset’s ears twitched as an odd whining sound echoed above her head. She looked up just in time to see another figure eject out of the sphere. It was long and slim with large, leathery wings and pointed scales. It spiraled out into the distance, away from the burning city. But even as it shrank smaller and smaller onto the horizon, Sunset could see something was terribly wrong with it.

It was missing a head.

Sunset wailed as the dragon vanished from view. Her whole body trembled at the loss of one of her closest friends. What kind of monster could do that to Spike, could do this to Twilight?

Her cries of agony stirred Twilight from her unconscious state. She opened an eye and asked, “He’s gone, isn’t he?”

Sunset jumped, surprised at her mentor’s sudden consciousness. She looked down at the princess and choked up, her voice failing. Unable to give Twilight an answer, she merely bit her lip and nodded.

Twilight closed her eyes, tears sliding down her grime-covered face, and mourned. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you... couldn’t protect any of you,” she said in a raspy voice.

Sunset wildly shook her fiery mane. “No, princess, you did everything you could. It’s not your fault.”

Twilight opened her eyes again and looked at Sunset with a knowing gaze. “Sunset Shimmer, my most faithful student, listen closely to what I’m about to say. You can still stop this; you can save this world.”

Sunset stared at the princess. Beneath her neckerchief, her mouth worked furiously, trying to form a sentence. “Me?” she asked with disbelief. “Why me? How? I-I’m just a magician in training! How do I stop this?” Behind her, another fireball crashed down upon the city, causing her to flinch with fear.

Twilight weakly reached a hoof out for Sunset to take. Their eyes met, and Twilight spoke in a low voice, “You are stronger than you realize. You can do this, Sunset, I believe in you.”

Sunset took her hoof, a small comfort amongst the chaos surrounding them, but a welcome one nonetheless. Her thoughts raced as fast as her beating heart, trying to come to grips with everything that was happening. Her world was ending, but now Twilight was saying that there was a way to save it. The only problem was that she, Sunset, had to do it.

The orange mare was drastically unsure if she could handle something like that. Sure, she was powerful—Twilight called her “one of the most powerful unicorns of our time” quite often. But saving the world was something entirely different.

In the distance, Sunset heard somepony scream in pain before quickly falling silent. Everypony will die that way, Sunset realized. If she didn’t act now, then the entire world would fall apart like this. She felt a resolve grow in her heart. She had to try! If the princess believed in her, then she had to do her best. Not just for her, but for the entire world!

She took a deep breath, suppressing her fears and doubts. “What do I need to do?”

Twilight gave her a warm, encouraging smile. “Inside the Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the library is the large hourglass. It’s been enchanted to allow time travel, but only to those worthy of doing it—those with a righteous cause.” She paused to let out a harsh, wet cough. Blood spilled out of the corner of her mouth. She ignored it and continued. “You have the heart to activate it and travel back fifty years. That’s when all of this really began. If we had worked harder, paid more attention… none of this would have happened.” Twilight gave Sunset a pleading look. “Follow the Alicorn Amulet, destroy the Dark Regalia….” She broke into a fit of coughs once more as a loud, rumbling noise filled the air. “And whatever happens, don’t blame yourself!” She tried to raise her voice over the growing din.

The rushing wind roared as it evolved into a full blown tempest, creating miniature dust storms and tornadoes as lightning began to spark and crackle from the now pitch black clouds overhead.

The dark orb floating in the sky began to pulse faster, and a malevolent laugh issued from within it. Twilight’s eyes widened in panic and she released Sunset’s hoof. “You have to go now!” she urged before coughing up another pool of blood.

“But, princess—” Sunset was cut off by the maniacal laughter coming from the sphere of energy.

“YOU’RE MINE, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”

A single, pointed, black whip shot down towards the two mares. Before Sunset could realize what was happening, the whip hooked into Twilight’s chest and dragged her up towards the black ball. “Go, Sunset, before it’s too late!” she cried as the tendril hoisted her up further into the sky. Her face contorted in pain as the whip twisted inside her chest, causing her to cry out in agony. She gave one last look to her student and, against the pain, mouthed, “Forgive me.”

“Princess!” Sunset screamed as the darkness swallowed the alicorn up. Laughter pealed through the air as the ground gave its most violent shake yet. The mountain face cracked and a gust of hot air issued forth, practically singeing Sunset’s mane. Realizing she had no time to mourn, Sunset took off into the crumbling castle, leaping over the piles of rubble and debris.

She galloped through the entrance hall, trying to only focus on getting to the hourglass. Twilight’s scream and Spike’s headless body kept flashing through her head, breaking her concentration.

She felt the earth shake as she ran up the stairs and leaned on the banister for support. It groaned loudly under her weight and snapped off, almost taking Sunset with it. She scrambled back away from the edge and forced herself to keep walking despite the shaking.

She heard a loud splintering noise and looked up in time to see a piece of the ceiling break away and fall towards her. She yelped and jumped forward, reaching the top of the stairs, narrowly avoiding being crushed. The piece of stone crashed into the stairs and reduced it to an ugly heap of carpet, wood and stone. Knowing things could only get worse, Sunset doubled her pace and continued onwards.

The trembling continued as Sunset ran through the eastern section of the castle. Cracks formed in the checkered marble tile beneath her. The stained glass windows had long since shattered, and pellets of fire were raining in, lighting the carpet and setting the hallways ablaze. The flames licked at Sunset’s coat, eager to wrap their incinerating tongues around her and add her to the inferno. With the intensity of the heat, water spells were all but impossible. The only drops of moisture to be found were the beads of sweat on Sunset’s face. The further she pushed into the castle, the more it felt like the inside of an active volcano.

She swung around a corner and continued her voyage into the inferno. The entire corridor shone in angry colors of orange and red. The heat caused the skin under Sunset’s coat to prickle intensely, as if she were being bitten by a colony of fire ants. Around her, the walls continued to crack and crumble as the fire wore away at its stability. One of the adjoining corridors had collapsed completely. Sunset thought she had seen a hoof sticking out from the ruins, but she had not stuck around to investigate.

She kept her head down, but even with her neckerchief on, Sunset was still swallowing lungfuls of hot, foul air. The clouds of ash obscured her eyes and clogged her throat, causing her to wheeze and gag. The world smelled of burning wood and charred plaster. It was nearly impossible to breathe; Sunset merely choked in what scraps of air she could and spat out excesses of smoke and dust.

She leapt over a burning rafter that had fallen down before charging up the spiral staircase that led to the higher floors of the castle, and closer to the library. Up there, the air wasn’t much better, but the hallways weren’t on fire yet.

Sunset charged through the corridors filled with so much smoke it was nearly impossible to see, forcing her to navigate by memory. She could feel the carpet beneath her and used it as a guide to help her maneuver through the smog. After stumbling around through the dark for what seemed like forever, Sunset found the wooden door she had been looking for. She broke into a run and threw her weight into the door, expecting it to open with ease. Instead Sunset rebounded off the door and fell onto her side, a dull ache in her shoulder.

She jumped up and fumbled with the door handle, shaking it violently in an attempt to pry it open. “Locked!” she said with disbelief. “Why is it locked?” She began to dance on her hooves in a tizzy, a sense of panic washing over her. “How else am I so supposed to get to the library when everything downstairs is on fire? Come on, Sunset, think, think!” She tapped a hoof against her forehead, blinked, then facehoofed. “Right, magic, duh.”

A bright teal glow enveloped her horn before surrounding the door in front of her. Sunset could hear a few small clicks before the sound of a large bolt sliding out of place echoed through the hall. She threw the door open and was met with a blast of scorching hot air.

Sunset stepped onto the skywalk bridging one part of the castle to the other, the howling tempest threatening to throw her off and down to the erupting earth beneath her. Above her, lightning danced across the black clouds, constantly blasting powerful arcs of electricity upon the surface below. Sunset took heavy steps across the high walkway, keeping an even pace as she went, slowed by the force of the wind. She was halfway to the library tower when a particularly strong gale threw her off balance. She brought a hoof down on thin air and slipped off the side of the skyway, grabbing hold of the edge before she could fall to her death.

Hanging for her life, Sunset’s mind was filled to the brim with fear as she struggled to pull herself up to safety. I’m going to die! I’m going to die! I can’t believe I’m going to die! The thought circled through her head, fueling her fear and weakening her grip. The wind decided then to tear her neckerchief off and toss it down to the burning streets. Sunset watched as it drifted down and out of sight, believing she would be next. She moved her gaze out to the city in front of her, watching as ponies continued fleeing in vain while the mountain bled magma, devastating the remainder of the city.

Looking up, Sunset saw the black sphere pulsing with red energy, giggling to itself. Her eyes narrowed and surge of anger rushed through her.

“You think this is funny?” she said with venom. “This is all just some joke to you?” Her panic and fear quickly fled, replaced by fury and adrenaline. With a mighty heave, Sunset pulled herself up back onto the skyway and glared up at dark object with a newfound resolve. There was no way she would let it have the last laugh.

She turned to continue to the library wing when a bright light exploded behind her and rocked the path. She swung around in time to see large cracks spiderweb from a central blast mark. A roar of thunder drowned out Sunset’s curse as she ran toward the tower. Pieces of concrete started to fall, first in small pieces, then large chunks as the bridge collapsed.

The cracks reached Sunset as she neared the door; the bridge was giving way faster than she could run. The stone spilled from underneath her and, she fell with it, dropping to the world below. A feeling of weightlessness settled into her stomach, and she let out a small shriek of terror, watching the ground rush up to meet her.

Don’t panic, just think! her mind scolded her. Pushing her fear aside, Sunset turned her head and saw a large piece of stone falling next to her. An idea struck her and she threw herself at the stone slab while lighting her horn. The rock slowed its descent and came to rest in the air with Sunset on top of it. With another burst of magic, her makeshift elevator began to sail upwards, bringing Sunset back to the tower door. She blasted it open and jumped through, landing on the carpet while releasing the rock from her magical grip, letting it fall once more.

She took a moment to calm her nerves before resuming her run to the hourglass. She carried on through a few unmarred corridors, ignoring the now constant vibrations from the ground. This section of the castle was eerily quiet. Even the howling wind was nothing more than a whisper to Sunset. On any other day, she would have found it peaceful; right now, it was only unnerving.

Turning a corner, Sunset finally found the barred doors to the Starswirl the Bearded Wing. Beyond the steel bars, she could see the hourglass with its golden handles and decorations, and the rows of books and scrolls. Other than the clouds of smoke, the room looked completely untouched.

She let out a sigh of relief at finally making it to her destination mostly unharmed. She closed her eyes and allowed her blue aura to envelop her entire body before she vanished with a flash and a pop, reappearing on the other side of the door.

Sunset gazed at the old hourglass, the beads of sand trickling down through the narrow tube, keeping time like nothing was wrong. How could it know it was ticking down the last remaining hours of the world? She put a hoof on the glass, and a thought struck her. Princess Twilight never told me how to work the hourglass! She felt a twinge of panic as she stared dumbfounded at the object looming over her. She knew a righteous heart would make it work, but how?

As she stood there thinking, a loud whistling sound screamed through the air. There was a flash of light followed by an explosion of noise, and Sunset found herself thrown backwards, slamming into one of the bookshelves. The heat intensified, and from beneath her eyelids, Sunset could see only shades of red. She opened her eyes and saw only bright spots, while her ears rang, drowning out the rest of the noise.

In front of her, a large gaping hole had been torn in the wall of the room. Flames ate at the books and scrolls, quickly fueling the raging fire. Sunset blinked until her vision returned before she scrambled to her hooves and pressed herself against the hourglass which was still unharmed. “How do I work this thing? Somepony, please, help me!” she cried, pressing her face against the glass.

A light began to shine from the bottom plate of the sandglass. Sunset pulled her head back and watched as words etched themselves into the golden rim.

User, if your intentions are good,
You won’t be misunderstood,
And time will lend a hand.
Just say the years,
Release your fears,
And flip the shifting sands.

Sunset quickly re-read it before the words vanished, leaving the decoration bare once more. The instructions had sounded simple enough until the last line. Sunset stared up at the tall hourglass before her and scowled in frustration. “How do I flip something this big?”

The fire had spread throughout most of the room now, creating a ring of flames around Sunset. Her skin was prickling madly from the heat, and the fumes were beginning to leave her dizzy.

She shook her head, trying to clear some of the fog in her brain. “Think, Sunset, what would Twilight do? Something amazing. I’ve got to do something amazing, but what? Come on, concentrate, I can do this!" Sunset closed her eyes, thinking back to her lessons with Twilight. She had to turn the hourglass over, but it was too large to levitate, what else could she do? Sunset's eyes snapped open as a lesson came back to her. "Aha!”

Struck by brilliance, Sunset backed up and lit her horn, shooting a beautiful ray of blue light at the hourglass. Wrapped in her aura, it began to shrink down from its original size. Everything compressed and miniaturized until it sat on the ground, no bigger than a book. Sunset scooped it up with a triumphant, “Ha-ha!”

The ongoing trembling gave way to a violent lurch, causing Sunset to tumble and lose her grip on her portable hourglass. She jumped after it, pinning it down with a hoof to stop it from rolling any further. The world lurched again, the earth seeming to moan in pain. Sunset felt everything begin to tilt as large fracturing sounds split the air. The tower leaned forward, causing Sunset to tumble head-over-hooves toward the hole in the wall as the room collapsed behind her.

The unicorn had nowhere to go as the room fell apart. She dragged a hoof across the floor as she slid down, catching herself on the ledge. In her other hoof was the hourglass, hanging over the fiery maw. A hailstorm of books dropped from above and pelted Sunset in an attempt to knock her down to the world below. One of the thicker tomes partially succeeded, as it managed to hit the hoof holding the hourglass, sending the timepiece spiraling out of her grip. Sunset gasped as she watched it fall off the mountainside. Her gasp turned into a yelp as the tower completely collapsed, throwing Sunset from her ledge.

She fell into the open air, screaming as the wind rushed past her, the ash stinging her eyes. Through her watery vision, she took in the unfolding scene around her. Not only had the tower collapsed, but the entire castle had been cast off of the mountain, falling into the abyss of fire below. Above her, the crack in the mountain face had widened, and lava spilled forth, incinerating the rest of Canterlot. The orb of darkness still hung in the air, distorted laughter coming from its depths.

Get the hourglass! A single thought urged. Get the hourglass and fix this! Sunset flipped over and faced the approaching sea of fire. To her far left, another column of magma broke through the earth, sending bits of flaming rock everywhere, yet Sunset phased it out. The adrenaline was roaring in her ears. She placed her forehooves at her side and pulled into a nosedive to increase her speed. Chunks of debris flew passed her as she searched for her only salvation. She spotted it a few yards ahead of her, falling next to the book that had knocked it from her grasp. She reached out for it with her magic just as a rock shot up and struck her on her horn, breaking her concentration and sending stars into her eyes.

Her horn throbbed violently, causing her to wince every time the pain pulsed. It was nearly impossible to cast magic now; she would have to catch the hourglass the hard way.

Blinking away the stars and tears, Sunset kept her eyes on her target, inching closer with each passing second. She maneuvered around a large oncoming boulder in time to see the ground far below her begin to crack, and lava begin to bubble up. Her eyes widened in realization of what was about to happen. She reached a hoof out for the hourglass that was just beyond her reach.

“Come on,” she said, urging herself to reach just a little farther. Sparks of lava began spitting out from the forming geyser below. “Come on, just a little bit more….” She gritted her teeth. Her hoof floated just above one of the handles. Her eyes darted from the hourglass to the pool of lava beneath her.

With a final thrust, Sunset snatched the timepiece out of the air and pulled it against her chest, shouting, “Fifty years! Please, take me back fifty years, so I can stop this from happening!” Praying to Celestia that it would heed her request, she flipped the hourglass over and waited on bated breath as the magma hissed beneath her, ready to erupt.

At first, she feared that nothing had happened, that Twilight had been wrong, and she had not been worthy to use the device after all. Then, all of the sand shot to the top bulb before fifty beads dropped down to the lower one. Sunset felt the world slow down around her. The wind dulled until not even a breeze was present. All of the sound had died away, leaving Sunset’s ears ringing with silence. Around her, everything had turned black and white before freezing in place. Sunset floated there, suspended in midair, the only drop of color amongst the monochrome landscape. Bricks and stones were all frozen in place, the fire and smoke stood immobile, all halted by the stoppage of time. She looked down and saw the spout of magma just a few yards away from her hooves.

Sunset listened to her steady heartbeat, the only source of noise in the silent realm. She was then aware that she hadn’t breathed in some time. She inhaled loudly, breathing in clean air for the first time in hours. Her breath of life seemed to set everything back into motion. Around her, a ticking noise—like that of a clock winding backwards—began to sound. All of the remains of the castle began falling in reverse, traveling back to their origin point. Sunset followed along with it, her body flying upwards as if propelled by the wind.

Time spun backwards, working faster and faster with each passing breath. Sunset blinked and found herself standing back in the Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the archives. The fire regressed, spitting out books and rolls of parchment before the hole in the wall repaired itself. The unicorn watched as her past self walked backwards from the hourglass and teleported into the hallway.

The reversal of time sped up. Sunset saw unicorns coming and going in and out of the archives. Many times she saw Princess Twilight walk in to grab a book or study some of the ancient tomes. From the skylight above, the sun rapidly blinked in and out of sight, its shadows dancing across the floor: proof that time was skipping backwards.

After what seemed like only a few seconds, everything began to slow down again. Color returned to the world, followed by sound. Outside, Sunset could hear blue jays singing mating calls. Her brain swam as she tried to adjust from her rapid time travel. Feeling her legs, she shakily walked over to the window and looked out onto the glorious world around her. The sun shone with a warm radiance as a fragrant wind blew across a crisp cerulean sky. Below her, she could see foals playing in one of the castle gardens. She took a deep breath and smelled the tantalizing aroma of Canterlot’s many eateries, inviting her down for a snack.

There was a knot of feelings balled up in her stomach as she took in everything. She had just come back from the End of the World. She had seen ponies die and her world catch on fire. Yet, here everything was safe and sound and unmolested. It hadn’t happened yet. Nopony here knew what awaited them fifty years down the road. Watching birds fly past the window, Sunset could hardly believe it herself, and she had just seen it.

Out of the knot in her stomach, a feeling of jubilation rose up through her. A silly grin spread over her face. “I did it.” She burst into a fit of laughter. “I did it! I traveled back in time!” She did a small victory dance, soaking in her accomplishment. Nopony had done what she just did. The farthest anyone had ever gone was a week, but she had gone back fifty whole years!

She stopped dancing and took a calming breath. “Okay, Sunset, you made it to the past, now you have to save the future.” She gave a nervous laugh. “Shouldn’t be too hard right? All I have to do is… what was it? ‘Find the Alicorn Amulet and destroy the Dark Regalia.’”

She paused. She had heard of the Alicorn Amulet before, but only in passing. As for the Dark Regalia, she had never heard of that before in her life. “Don’t panic, Sunset, you can do this. Just have to think.” She looked around at the collection of knowledge gathered about her. “I bet one of these scrolls can tell me about it.”

She never got the chance to search. As she stepped away from the window, a voice shouted, “Hey! What are you doing in there?”

She froze in place as a palace guard unlocked the door and marched inside looking upset, his patrol partner following close behind.

“Well? I asked you a question!” he barked. He stopped in front of Sunset and scanned her over, noting the dust blanketing her and the hourglass in her hoof. “So, breaking and entering, defacing property, and stealing; you’re in a lot of trouble, miss.”

Sunset gaped at him, her voice having departed in fear. Traveling fifty years into the past meant no one knew her. She was an outsider, and she had been found in one of the most important rooms in the castle. She swallowed a nervous lump in her throat as the guards reached for her. Yes, I’m in a lot of trouble.

Author's Note

This story was designed before Equestria Girls and has nothing to do with said movie. Carry on.

Act Three: Easy is the Descent—Chapter XV: Memories Awake

Chapter XV: Memories Awake

“What?”

“But, why?”

“Twi, ya can’t be serious?”

“Told you they wouldn’t agree to this,” Sunset said with smug satisfaction.

Her small hospital room was crowded with her colorful friends, most of them sporting bandages in various places. The sight of them, in spite of their jubilant faces, had made Sunset’s heart sink and greatly diminished any feeling of victory she had harbored.

Still, their determination was to be admired. The second Twilight had told them she wanted them to return to Canterlot, they broke into a clamor of protest.

Twilight stamped a hoof against the floor, demanding for silence. “Girls! Girls! Please, just listen!”

As everyone quieted down, Applejack finished with, “Why in Equestria would you want us to go back to Canterlot now, Twi? Ya know we work best when we’re together.”

“Yes, that’s… true.” Twilight hesitated, her eyes flicking about the room. “But, the Tempest Crown needs to be placed somewhere safe. I think it would be wise if a full party delivered it to the Princesses while someone scouted ahead.” Twilight put on a forced smile.

Applejack just raised an eyebrow high. “And you just happen to elect yerself as the one to keep going? Knowing that Vesper Radiance seems to have a vendetta against you? And not knowing where the last piece of the Regalia is?”

The corners of Twilight’s mouth flicked downward. “Well, no, I just—“

“What’s the real reason, Twilight?”

She stood paralyzed by everyone’s gaze, her smile completely fading like the illusion it had been. She lowered her head to the floor until it looked like she was bowing to all of them. “Sunset,” she began, “you said you couldn’t let me fight Vesper alone… well, I can’t let any of you fight her on my behalf. I don’t want you girls to keep trying to defend me; not from her or griffons or anything else. I just want you all to be safe.”

After a long pause, Applejack said, “Amazin’.”

Twilight looked up at her, stray tears running down her face. “What?”

“It’s amazin’ how even when yer bein’ selfish, ya still manage to be selfless.” Applejack smiled.

“What?” Twilight repeated louder.

“Seriously, Twi,” Rainbow said, taking over for Applejack. “You’re our best friend, but you need to get it through your thick egghead skull that we’re sticking with you no matter what. But besides that, we’re not just doing this for you. Vesper Radiance is threatening all of Equestria; heck, she’s threatening the entire world! In case you haven’t noticed, we live here too!” She poked Twilight in the shoulder. “Yeah, we fight together as friends, but we’re fighting for Equestria, not just for you, Princess.”

Rarity nodded in agreement. “Twilight, we all appreciate your concern, and I’d be more worried if you didn’t show a little bit of apprehension. But we’re all adults here. We knew perfectly well what we were getting into when Princess Celestia gave us this mission. And yes, a lot of things have not gone as planned, and yes, most of us have sustained a few injuries. But that just means we have to be more careful from here on in. We have to fight smarter, not harder, and most importantly we have to stick together.”

“I… I know,” Twilight sniffled while Spike ran a claw through her mane. “You’re probably right. It’s just… I saw how badly she was hurting all of you. If Sunset hadn’t helped me with that shield spell, then you could have…”

Applejack handed her a tissue. “Twilight, we’ve faced danger and doom more times than a rattlesnake shakes its tail. Now, Ah’m not sayin’ we’re all used to it, but Ah am used to pressin’ forward even when things get tough. Like Rarity said, we’ve just got to buck up and stick together. And you’ve got to trust that we can handle ourselves.”

Twilight’s eyes enlarged to saucers. “No, no! I do trust you girls, I do! It’s Vesper Radiance I don’t trust. I know all of you can fend for yourself, but she’s… she’s…”

Rainbow waved a hoof. “Yeah, she can shoot super spells and is a bit touched in the head. And yeah, we may have taken a little beating. But you can’t expect us to turn tail and run away just because we got hurt; that’s probably what she wants! And at least we know now so we won’t be caught off guard if we run into her again.”

“Implying that we’ll actually run into her again,” Rarity said.

A shadow crossed over Sunset’s face. “Trust me, we’ll see her again.” The scene of Vesper sinking beneath the waves in a frozen tomb sat firmly in Sunset’s mind, but in her heart she knew it was too good to last. A mere freezing spell wouldn’t subdue the power of the Alicorn Amulet.

“But, Rainbow is right,” Sunset continued. “We’ve seen firsthoof just how strong Vesper is, so next time, we’ll be ready for her.” She looked at the medical tube attached to her arm. I hope.

Twilight sat up straight and took in a deep breath. “You girls are right. We need to work together; that’s how we’ve overcome every obstacle so far.” She folded her ears back. “I’m sorry for trying to get you girls to go home. I guess I was being a little selfish thinking you were just fighting for me. I’m sorry.”

Pinkie slid over and wrapped a hoof around Twilight’s shoulder. “Aw, that’s okay, Twilight. That big meanie just got you confused. She doesn’t know what it’s like to have friends, so she wanted to make you feel as lonely as she is.”

Sunset leaned forward in her bed. “How’d you know that?” It was scary how Pinkie had identified part of what Sunset had been feeling when she first saw her vicious doppelganger.

“It was in her eyes. You know, past all the crazy.” Pinkie wiggled her hooves around and spun her eyes in their sockets.

“Crazy eyes aside,” Rarity said, “now that we’re all on the same page, the question remains: where do we go from here?”

Twilight used a wing to rub her chin. “I haven’t had a chance to give it much thought. Going back to Canterlot is a valid option to keep the Crown safe in the meantime… But, it feels like a step in the wrong direction. I’m pretty sure we’ve exhausted all our resources regarding any history of the Regalia that was recorded. And if Vesper already knows where to go, that would put us way behind her.”

Applejack hummed in quiet meditation. “So, we’re lookin’ for those horseshoe thingies now, right?”

Sunset nodded. “The Obsidian Hoofguards.”

“Right. Well, Ah’ve been thinkin’ about an old bedtime story Granny Smith used to tell me and Big Mac. And the more Ah think about it, the more Ah think it just might give us a clue to where those horseshoes are.”

“Anything will help at this point,” Spike said.

Applejack took her hat off and placed it against her chest. “Well, the story goes like this… One of my ancestors, Bumper Crop was his name, was picked to go on an important mission by Duke Puddingcup. He and eight other ponies were supposed to carry a statue up to the north. The entire thing was black and grey, ‘cept for the red gemstones on its hooves. Apparently, this mission was so secret, not even Princess Celestia could know about it.

“So Bumper Crop and his team hauled that statue all the way to the Frozen North. But the entire trip seemed to be cursed! One by one, the crew died off from illness, accidents and even bandits!” Applejack gave her hat a forlorn look. “My ancestor was the only one to complete the trip. Nopony knows what happened up in the north. When he came home, he just said that the Crown owed him a debt… and that there are things no mortal pony should ever see,” Applejack ended in a cryptic whisper.

Twilight got up and began pacing the room. “Hmmm. A mission so secret, not Even Princess Celestia could know… given by Duke Puddingcup. If my facts in history are right, Puddingcup was a close descendant of Chancellor Puddinghead. That fits with the overall lore the Princesses told us…”

“But what does a statue have to do with the Hoofguards?” Spike asked.

Sunset shifted under the confining sheets. She had only been here a few hours and was ready to leave. “Well, if the part about the red gemstones on the hooves of the statue is true, then it isn’t too much of a stretch to believe that just maybe, they weren’t on the statue itself, but on the Obsidian Hoofguards the statue was wearing.” She gestured to the crown under her bed. “Think about it. Both the Alicorn Amulet and the Tempest Crown have a red jewel on them.”

Rainbow shrugged a bandaged shoulder. “That makes sense, I guess. But why put them on a statue?”

“Seems like a pretty good idea to me if you don’t want somepony else to wear it,” Rarity said.

“Yeah.” Twilight looked up at the ceiling. “But what do you think he meant when he said there are no things a mortal should see?”

Applejack placed her hat back on her head. “Don’t know. If he did say anything, it wasn’t passed down.”

Twilight pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes in thought. After a moment she shook her head and said, “Regardless, this might give us something to go on. Good work, A.J.”

Rainbow gave a sarcastic clap. “Yeah, good job, A.J! Now, is there any way you could be a little more specific when you say your ancestor went to ‘the north’? That could be anywhere!”

“Sorry, Dash, that’s all I know.”

“Well, we can’t just go digging around in the snow until we find something,” Sunset said. “There has to be another legend or myth we can cross-reference to narrow our search.”

“What about the Crystal Empire?” a small voice spoke up. Everyone turned to acknowledge Fluttershy, who had remained quiet ever since she had come into the room. “If the Hoofguards were hidden over a thousand years ago, and the Crystal Empire went missing for a thousand years…”

Rainbow jumped into the air. “Then their library is full of ‘recent’ books and stuff that could help us!” She dove and embraced Fluttershy in a tight hug. “You’re a genius!”

Twilight smiled. “Well then, I guess we’re all taking a trip to the Crystal Empire.”

It had been a tough negotiation with the medical staff, but Sunset had watched as Twilight managed to convince them to discharge the group that day. The ponies and Spike walked out of the hospital in the late evening, making a brisk trot for the train station. It had been agreed that none of them wanted to travel by airship ever again.

They arrived at the station just as the sun set the horizon on fire and stretched shadows across the world. The spacious interior was bathed in orange and red, reflecting off the polished marble and giving it the appearance of melting glass. Unlike the rest of Los Pegasus in the evening, it was surprisingly quiet.

Twilight stopped to read the nearest timetable and hung her head with a soft sigh. “There’s no train that goes directly to the Empire from here. The fastest one makes stops in Hoofington and Tall Tail.”

“Well, it’s better than nothing,” Sunset said before yawning. Apparently, being half-conscience wasn't equivalent to being asleep. It dawned on Sunset that most of them were only running on a few hours of sleep dragged out over the last two days.

“So, when does the next train leave?” Rarity asked.

Twilight looked across the list and jumped back, her eyes bulging out of her head. “In ten minutes!” She broke into a run for the ticket counter, sliding to a stop just before she hit it. “Sir, we need eight tickets for the next train!”

The ticket salsepony looked up from his magazine, staring at Twilight before a look of realization flashed across his face. “Right away, Your Highness!” He turned, reeled out eight tickets from the dispenser, and handed them to Twilight. “Um, that’ll be four-hundred bits, Your Highness,” he said with uncertainty.

Twilight took the tickets with her magic and hurried for the turnstiles. “Don’t worry, it’ll be covered by the royal treasury!” she called back.

Everyone followed her onto the platform, where a lone train waited. The engine purred with life, and smoke climbed from the smokestack.

The conductor stood at the doorway, checking his pocket watch. He was only disturbed by Twilight shoving the tickets right under his nose. He snatched them with his hooves, glaring at a sheepish Twilight before inspecting each of them. When he was finished, he gave a curt nod and allowed them passage.

“Twilight, you only just became a princess last week,” Sunset said as they stepped into the compartment. “Do have access to the treasury yet?”

Twilight chuckled nervously. “I really hope so.”

Like the station, the train was quiet and relatively empty. Ponies were scattered about through the compartments keeping to themselves. Near the back of the train was a completely empty compartment, where the group wasted no time in getting comfortable. They threw themselves onto the plush couches, sighing and yawning in relaxation.

“If we never have to come here again, it’ll be too soon,” Rarity said with a huff.

The train gave a shrill cry and lurched forward, gathering speed as it departed from the station and rattled down the track. Sunset looked out the nearest window and watched as the world was set to fast-forward. She could see the ocean sparkling with the last light of the sun in the distance and the bumpy hills that separated her from it.

Was Vesper still trapped beneath the waves? Or had she already broken free? Sunset looked at her faint reflection in the mirrors surface and wondered who she was staring at: herself or Vesper? She squeezed her eyes shut and curled up on her bed, experiencing another moment when her body was tired, but her mind was awake with buzzing questions.

Talking was kept to a minimum with most of it coming from Twilight and Spike as they decided what to put in their letter back to Celestia. Even with the silence, Sunset found it hard to stay consistent with her thoughts. They jumped from one question to the next, exploring possible answers and scenarios before breaking off into another one.

When the sun had completely removed itself from the world, an attendant with pillows and blankets came around, distributing them amongst everyone. After a round of ‘good nights,’ they turned out the cabin lamps and tucked in for bed. Only the light of the moon served as a guardian against the shadows.

Sunset laid in bed, a sliver of moonlight falling across her face. The trained rattled beneath her, giving an occasional jolt or bump. However, Sunset never felt queasy from it, and she silently thanked Rarity again. Yet there was an uneasiness swishing around in her stomach. It had been there ever since the cave and had only gotten worse since, like a knot that had continually tightened.

She turned onto her side, her hair falling like a burning curtain over her eyes. She parted it with a puff of air and stared out at the moon. Her mind was heavy, thick with thoughts and questions. Yet, with all of them muddled together and incoherent, it was almost like her mind was blank. Just a thick fog sitting in her head.

Sunset rolled over again, listening to the even breathing of her friends. What did they think of her now? How much did they trust her? How much did she trust herself? Sunset flipped over and groaned into her pillow. Knowing she wasn’t going to get to sleep, she quietly got out of bed and reached for the saddlebag Twilight had placed in between the two of them.

After slowly undoing the belt loop, Sunset reached her hoof inside and brushed against something cold. High-pitched laughter greeted her ears, and her entire body convulsed. She snapped her hoof back and hugged herself tight, laughter and voices crying out for power still echoing in her mind.

The Crown had called out to her. And something inside of her wanted to respond. The Tempest Crown was meant to be worn by her! Its powers were hers to wield!

Sunset brought a hoof across her face, forcing those thoughts to the back of her mind. She looked up at Twilight’s sleeping form and found that her back was to Sunset. Taking a deep breath, she reached into the bag again, her hoof sliding down the side with trepidation. She felt the rough texture of rope and tugged on it, fishing her out her prize.

The hourglass gleamed like gold in the moonlight. Sunset put it around her neck and felt a little bit of peace return to her. She could hear the sand slithering down into the bottom bulb and see the intricate designs that decorated the exterior.

It was a step in the right direction, but Sunset still felt the knot in her stomach. Her episode just then had only made matters worse. She looked to the floor and watched the moonlight shudder along with the train. Air, she decided, would be good for her. Maybe staring at the stars in earnest would put her at ease.

With the quietness of a mouse, Sunset tiptoed down the compartment and opened the door, a blast of cold air greeting her. She quickly stepped out and shut the compartment door, stranding herself outside on the back railing of the train, away from her sleeping friends. She leaned against the cold metal bars, listening to the train rattle on in the night. The wind pressed against her, sending shivers through her body.

On both sides of her, the dark outlines of the trees rushed past, blurring together, making it impossible to tell where one tree ended and another began. The night air was cool and smelled of foliage tinged with engine smoke.

Sunset looked up at the glittering stars overhead, counting all the constellations she could find. It was done half-heartedly though, and Sunset stopped after naming only a few. She rested her head on the bars and sighed. She had been wrong. Not even the stars could clear her head.

“...So what are you? A changeling, an automaton? Or did Celestia miss me so much that she made a clone of me?” Vesper’s words danced around in her mind, fueling the turmoil in Sunset’s heart.

“Who am I? Is my name really Sunset Shimmer, or is Vesper just trying to screw with my head?” Sunset bit her tongue, trying to think. She had seen baby pictures of herself in her parent's house, and there were no gaps in her memory. She had to be Sunset Shimmer… right?

“She’s lying, she has to be lying,” Sunset tried to tell herself through clenched teeth. But Vesper had claimed to be Celestia’s former student, something that aligned with the foreign memories inside Sunset’s head. Could they both be correct in thinking that they were both Sunset Shimmer?

“How is that even possible? There can’t be two of me! Augh!” Sunset yelled in frustration, throwing her hooves up and slamming them down on the steel platform. “What is going on?” Sunset wanted to scream louder, but didn’t want to wake her friends and give them more cause for worry. She could already tell they were a little wary of her. She couldn’t blame them; she was wary of herself now. Her own thoughts and emotions had begun to betray her.

The sound of a sliding door behind her caused Sunset to seize up. Despite her desire to be alone, somepony had heard her shouts of frustration. The door closed and Twilight appeared on the railing next to Sunset. The two of them just sat next to each other, staring up at the stars.

“Having trouble sleeping?” Twilight asked.

Sunset nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

Twilight casually waved it off before putting her hooves on the railing and resting against them. “You know, looking at constellations is a good way to get your mind off things.”

“I tried. It didn’t work,” Sunset said moodily. “And I know what you’re doing Twilight.”

“Sunset, you can’t keep everything bottled up—”

“I’m not keeping anything bottled up, I just don’t want to talk about it—”

"That’s practically the same thing. Just talk to me—”

“There is nothing to talk about—”

“Why do you keep doing this, Sunset—”

“Don’t know what you mea—”

“You try to keep everything to yourself!” Twilight finally raised her voice. “Why can’t you just tell me something without me having to force it out of you? Why don’t you just talk to me?”

“Well what do you want me to talk about?” Sunset yelled. “Where should I start? The fact that I have no idea what’s going on anymore? Or should we discuss the other Sunset Shimmer running around and killing off ponies just because? What do you want me to say, Twilight? I’m more confused than you are! How am I supposed to stop a psychopath when she looks just like me? You said she could be lying about being Sunset Shimmer, but what if she’s not? Twilight, I have memories, okay? Dreams and memories of being Celestia’s student and being raised by her! I’ve been having them ever since I came here; but they can’t be right because I’m supposed to be your student!” Sunset didn’t know when the tears had started falling down her face, but they were coming in rivulets now.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore, Twilight. I don’t even know who I am anymore. What if she’s right? What if I am just a changeling? What if everything I know has been a lie this entire time? Twilight, I don’t want to be a bug! I hate bugs! I want to be me!”

Sunset was caught between sobbing and hyperventilating as the epiphany sank in. She dropped onto the floor, no longer able to support herself on her hooves. All of her emotions poured out of her, everything she had been building up since the night she had told everyone the truth, and then some. Anger, confusion, sorrow, and fear all manifested itself into tears that poured down her face like a broken dam.

She always hated crying. It made her feel weak and not in control of her emotions. Now that she had started, Sunset found that she couldn’t stop, just like her first day with Twilight after the nightmare.

There was the familiar sensation of soft, feathery down wrapping around her, pulling Sunset into a tight hug. The warmth of Twilight’s wings only made her cry harder, and she pressed her face deeper into Twilight’s fur.

Twilight held onto her, rocking her back and forth. “Shh, Sunset, it’s okay, everything’s okay,” Twilight whispered in a soft, reassuring voice. “You’re not a changeling.”

“H-how d-do you k-k-know?” Sunset mumbled into Twilight’s chest.

“I don’t,” Twilight said with an apologetic smile. “But even if you were a changeling, it wouldn’t matter to me. It wouldn’t matter if you were an automaton, or a clone, or whatever. It doesn’t matter what you are on the outside...” Twilight lifted a hoof and placed it on Sunset’s chest, over her heart. “To me, Sunset Shimmer is the girl on the inside, with a heart of gold, willing to do anything to help her friends, who is really good at magic and makes me proud to call her my student.”

Sunset’s lower lip trembled and she broke into a fresh fit of tears, throwing herself into Twilight’s embrace again. Sunset’s entire body was shaking—from fear or the cold, she couldn’t tell which. The hot tears flowing from her eyes kept her face relatively warm, however, and once again, soaked Twilight’s shoulder. Every time Sunset thought she was nearing the end of her session, another wave of tears seemed to hit her, and she continued to cry into the night with Twilight constantly consoling her.

Even though Sunset had come clean about her current feelings, a sensation of guilt still persisted. She remembered back to the night she and Twilight were on the deck of the airship. As much as she knew it would hurt her, Sunset knew she couldn’t find peace until she told Twilight all of the truth, even the part she, Sunset herself, had tried to deny for so long.

Regaining the use of her vocal cords, Sunset said in between sobs, “I hate her, Twilight.” She decided not beat around the bush and just rip the bandage off.

She felt Twilight squeeze harder. “I understand, Sunset. I don’t think I’ve ever met a pony I dislike so much either.”

“No, not Vesper…” Though Sunset wouldn’t deny the deep harbor of hatred for her other. “I-I’m talking about… Celestia.”

Twilight pulled back and looked at her, dumbstruck. “What?”

Sunset broke their engagement and turned away from her. “I hate her, Twilight. I hate her so much. I don’t know why, I just do. Every time I see her, every time I think about her, I just get this feeling of loathing and… and there’s… a voice. A voice that says horrible things about her, and I believe them. She wronged me, Twilight. She did something and I can never forgive her!”

Sunset was breathing deep by this point, her rant finally over. The truth now hung in the air and all she could do was wait for Twilight to pass judgment on her. After only a few seconds of silence, Sunset could take no more. She wheeled around, expecting to find Twilight glaring at her in shock or anger. Instead, Twilight’s focus wasn’t on her at all. She was facing the door, staring at it like she could see through it.

“You know,” she said testily, “I would think my friends would know better than to eavesdrop on others.”

Sunset’s ears twitched and sure enough, from the other side of the door, she heard Pinkie hiss, “See, I told you she had princess ears!”

Another voice, that Sunset identified as Applejack, said in a panicked tone, “Pinkie wait, don’t open—”

The door burst open, and five ponies and a dragon spilled out onto the platform in a colorful, jumbled heap. They all looked up at Twilight, each with an expression of guilt.

Twilight wore an unamused frown, her hoof tapped against the metal landing. “Somepony mind telling me what’s going on here?”

Applejack forced her way out from the bottom of the pile. “Aw shucks, it’s partly my fault, Twi. Ah saw Sunset get up to go outside. Ah had just decided to go see if she was okay when Ah saw you follow her, so Ah decided to give y’all some privacy.” She shot a sour expression at Rarity. “Then this one here got up and started skulkin’ about the door trying to eavesdrop on y’all’s conversation!”

“I was not eavesdropping,” Rarity protested. “I was listening with concern.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Anyway, Ah got up to tell her to go back to sleep and stop being a nosy fusbucket—” Rarity clucked her tongue “—but we accidentally woke up R.D. And, well, it kinda just spiraled out from there.”

“We’re sorry, Twilight,” Fluttershy bowed her head, becoming the picture of innocence. “We didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when we heard Sunset crying, we started arguing whether or not we should interrupt you two to show our support. Oh, not that you need help cheering somepony up when they’re down, we just thought, maybe Sunset might want some more friends. Oh, not that you aren’t enough…”

Rarity took over, much to Fluttershy’s relief. “I think what Fluttershy is trying to say is, we’re here for you, both of you, whenever you need it. I know this must be terrible on you, Sunset, and we just wanted you to know that, no matter what happens, you have our friendship.”

For the third time that night, Sunset found tears running down her face. Her heart felt heavy with emotion, but now, they were all positive ones: joy, appreciation, love… friendship. Yes, she had had friends before, but not like this. This group before her was special. The magic of friendship had never felt like this to Sunset before.

She wiped her eyes with a hoof. “Thank you. All of you guys are amazing, and the fact that you care so much… it means a lot."

Twilight looked across her friends with a warm smile. “Could guys give us a few more minutes? We’ll be back inside soon. Promise.”

They all nodded and retreated back inside, Pinkie giving them one more encouraging smile before closing the door.

Sunset looked over at Twilight. “They really are wonderful.”

“The best of the best.” Twilight looked down at her hooves, her face becoming more sullen. “So… all this time you’ve… hated Princess Celestia?”

Sunset could only nod.

“Was that the real reason you didn’t tell her about why you came here? What you were trying to do?”

“That was a good portion of it, yeah… Are you mad?”

“Well… a little,” Twilight said truthfully. “Mostly because you kept it a secret for so long. But,” she looked up at Sunset, her expression softening, “I’m sure there’s an explanation for all of this out there somewhere. Something that explains Vesper Radiance, your feelings against Celestia, everything. We’ll find it, I promise.”

With a loud sniffle, Sunset finished cleaning her face and nodded again. "Yeah, we will." And Sunset already knew a great place to start.

The two returned inside, greeted by their waiting friends. After assuring everyone she was alright, Sunset told them she was tired and wanted to just go to sleep, which couldn’t be closer to the truth. There was only one pony who could help her find all the answers she wanted

Sunset opened her eyes and found herself standing back in the open field she had been in the night before. The last rays of sunlight could be seen settling down on the western horizon, and Canterlot began to shine with dazzling lights.

Her mane whipped around her face as a gale picked up, sending ripples across the grass. Sunset shut her eyes as the wind rose into a mighty hurricane before stopping just as quickly as it started. When she looked again, she was face to face with Princess Luna.

“Sunset Shimmer, I am glad to see you are unharmed,” Luna said in a neutral tone that gave Sunset the impression that it was more of a formality than anything.

“More or less. Thanks to you though; if you hadn’t woken me up when you did…” Sunset moved a hoof to her throat.

Luna gave a genuine smile this time. “I am glad I could be of help. And now, I wish to help you even further, if you are willing, that is.”

Sunset fidgeted, recalling Luna’s offer to dive into her deeper subconscious. Sunset was sure that she would find some unsettling truths lurking there, and despite her overwhelming desire to know what those truths were, she couldn’t ignore the part of her shouting that it was a bad idea.

“I can see you are still indecisive.” Luna regarded her.

Sunset sighed and gave a nod. “I’ll be honest… I’m terrified of what we’ll find. I finally saw Vesper Radiance and she… she looks… just like me.”

Luna turned for Canterlot and strode across the large field. “Well, Twilight neglected to mention that in her letter. Although, I’m sad to say I figured as much.”

With Luna’s longer legs and quicker gait, Sunset had to trot to keep up with her. She made a mental note to thank Twilight for her sensitivity on the situation before asking, “What do you mean? You knew who Vesper was the whole time?”

“I had deep suspicions. But I could not confirm anything. I chose to believe that you indeed came from the future, that you were born and raised many years from now and had tutelage under Twilight Sparkle.” Luna came to a stop on top of another hill. “But my sister told me of another story shortly before I met you. She had a student named Sunset Shimmer who had practically grown up under Celestia’s wing. They had a falling out many years ago, not too unlike the one I had with her,” Luna whispered with sorrowful eyes.

Sunset sat down in the grass and stared at the mountainside city. Despite their walk, it didn’t seem to have moved any closer. “Yeah. Vesper mentioned being Celestia’s former student.” Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “But wait, you said this happened years ago? She looks the same age as me.”

Luna held a wing to her forehead. “I was afraid of that as well. Celestia said that you were the spitting image of her student before she vanished. I spent hours trying to research how such a phenomenon could be possible. Nopony saw the first Sunset ever again, and then you appear along with a hooded figure who wants to become an alicorn. I knew under it was the Sunset of old, but I could not find anything that would explain the coexistence of you two.” Luna looked up to the twinkling stars overhead. “Two ponies; yet you carry with you memories of the other.”

Sunset slouched over and folded her ears against her head. “I want to know what it means, but…” Sunset looked down at her hoof, wondering if there was a carapace underneath or if it had been crafted from artificial materials. “Maybe some things are better left unsaid.”

“Sunset.” Luna bent her neck down to regard her. “I know you are afraid, but you cannot let those fears control you. Yes, sometimes the truth is scarier than the unknown, but could you honestly say you would be happier not knowing the truth?”

“No, I guess not. If me and her are connected somehow… or if I’m not who I think I am, I guess I should know. Know your enemy, know yourself and all that, right?” Sunset tried to laugh and clear the butterflies out of her stomach, but it came out more strangled than she had intended.

“Do not worry, Sunset, I shall be with you every step of the way,” Luna said warmly.

“Great.” Sunset looked around. “So how exactly do we start?”

“These are your memories, Sunset, even if you do not remember them. They still exist within your mind. You just need to find a way to access them.”

“A way to access them,” Sunset said to herself. She was not very familiar with the concept of lucid dreaming. She was sure the only reason she was so aware right now was because Luna was here. How could she find memories, let alone ones she couldn’t properly remember?

“Concentrate, Sunset,” Luna encouraged. “Think about what you know and what is familiar to you. What’s the best way to find something you need to learn?”

Sunset gasped, a smile crossing her face. The second the thought entered her head, a fine mist appeared around her and Luna, obscuring the environment around them. When it cleared, they were no longer in a grassy knoll. Instead, high vaulted walls surrounded them with a glass skylight overhead letting in ribbons of afternoon sunlight.

The room was circular, with books lining all of the walls in an orderly fashion. A red carpet was rolled out underneath their hooves, with mustard yellow swirls in the design. To Sunset, it looked like one of the rooms in the Canterlot Castle Library: one of her favorite places to study.

She walked over to one of the shelves and pulled out one of the books, reading the cover. “‘Early Foalhood,’” she read aloud. Just holding the book recalled distant memories of her father pushing her on the swing set, or her mother putting on a puppet show with magic.

Placing the book back, Sunset selected another one titled, First Friends. Sunset remembered some of her early days at magic kindergarten and meeting her best friends who she would lead into trouble time and again. She grinned at the warm memories as she put the book back where it belonged.

“These are all mine,” Sunset concluded, quickly taking peaks at more of the covers and feeling the memories pour through her. She looked at Luna, sitting in the middle of the room and watching with interest. “Umm, aren’t you going to help?”

Luna shook her head. “These are your memories, not mine. I have no right to touch them. I am merely here to guide and observe, and if need be, protect.” She lifted a hoof and gestured towards a door at the other end of the room. “Though, I suggest checking through there.”

Sunset put back the book she had been holding and approached the wooden door. There was no handle or lock to it. It was like it had just been added to the wall as an afterthought. Yet there was a cold, almost lonely presence coming from the other side. Sunset hesitated, stopping just in front of it and staring with wide eyes. The ground began to shake, and Sunset looked down, realizing it was only her legs trembling.

Luna stepped up behind her. “We all have fears, Sunset. But it is our duty to face those fears, or they will continue to haunt us.”

Taking a deep breath, Sunset pushed the door open, the cold air slapping her face. She pressed forward, stepping into the grey shadows of the next room. It looked exactly like the other one, except there was no light emitting from anywhere other than the door behind her. The glass ceiling depicted the sky as night, and the torches had not been lit.

Sunset took a step inside, stopping as a cold giggle reached her ears.

“Look who’s decided to come for a history lesson.”

A darker shadow appeared before Sunset, materializing in the blink of an eye. Its outlines were distinguishable now, and it was with great pain that Sunset recognized it as herself.

There was a sound of magic being charged behind Sunset, and she turned to see Luna baring her teeth at the shadow.

“Begone, creature! You are not welcome here!”

The shadow waved a dismissive hoof. “It’s my mind too, and I’ll go wherever the hell I please.” It snickered, vanishing as Luna fired a spell at the spot it had been standing. “Spoilsports. Ah well, you’ll come around to side with me anyway, Sunset. I’ll just let the memories speak for themselves.”

Maniacal laughter filled the room, reverberating through Sunset’s ears. When it finally faded, Sunset found the use of her legs, and she wobbled over to the nearest bookshelf. No more distractions or interruptions. It was time to learn the truth.

She picked a book out, feeling the dusty cover against her fur. The Orphanage was the title, and faint, flickering memories trickled into Sunset’s head, hazy and distorted.

Luna appeared over her shoulder. “Open it,” she said with soft command.

Sunset flipped it open to a random page. Instead of words, there was only a picture. Just one that filled both sides of the page. The longer Sunset stared at it, the more it seemed to be moving. She was looking at herself, or at least a younger Sunset, sitting on a small cot and wiping her eyes like she had been crying. The image began to grow larger, encompassing all of Sunset’s vision until…

Sunset Shimmer sat on her bed, trying her best not to cry, as the older filly across from her finished packing her bags. The room they shared was a small one, enough only for two beds and two dressers. The walls were painted horribly bright colors though, as if they could make up for the cramped space.

Biting her lip proved to be ineffective as Sunset burst into a fresh wave of tears. “It’s n-not fair!” Sunset pounded the overly-springy mattress.

The other pony looked over at her and smiled sadly. She walked across the creaky floorboards, and wrapped Sunset in another hug.

“Oh, Sunny, please stop crying. You’re going to make me cry again.”

“It isn’t fair, though!” Sunset sobbed. “Y-you’re leaving m-me. Now I d-don’t have anyone to play with or read m-me bedtime stories!” She pressed her face into her friend’s yellow coat. “Lemon Heart, why haven’t I been adopted yet? I’ve been here almost my whole life.” Sunset couldn’t even remember the faces of her parents. Just the never ending smile of Ms. Sunshine.

Lemon Heart squeezed Sunset tighter. “I promise you, Sunny, some family is going to walk through that door and eat you up like candy someday. You just have to give it a little more time.”

Sunset pulled her head away and wiped a few tears from her face. “Do you really think so?”

“I know so,” Lemon said brightly. “And I promise you, I’ll write as often as I can.”

“That’s what Cloudy said too,” Sunset crossed her hooves in a pout.

“And didn’t she?”

“Yeah, once!”

Lemon ruffled her mane. “Then I’ll write to you as soon as I get settled in, okay?”

Sunset nodded. “Okay.”

They hugged one last time, and Lemon whispered into Sunset’s ear, “You’re special, Sunset. And someday, everypony will see it.”

There was a knock on the open door, and both girls turned to see Ms. Sunshine standing in the doorway, beaming brightly at them. “Aww, that’s so cute! I really hate to break you two up, but Lemon Heart, your new family is ready to go. You don’t want to keep them waiting do you?”

Lemon Heart nodded her head and squeezed Sunset one last time. “I’ll write soon, I promise!” She grabbed her bags and followed Ms. Sunshine out the door, leaving Sunset alone.

She sighed, wanting to believe that Lemon would write to her, and she probably would. Once… maybe twice. Just like Cloudy. Just like Whistler. And just like Periwinkle. Lemon would write a letter telling how great her new family was, all of the new friends she made, and all the adventures she had already been on. Then, Sunset would never get another letter.

Maybe this time will be different. Maybe Lemon won’t forget me.

Sunset reached under her bed, pulling out one of her many books. She sighed again, opening to a bookmarked page. It was best not to get her hopes up….

Sunset pulled herself out of the image, watching as it shrank back onto the page and slowed to a stop. In the back of her eyes, Sunset could still see a few faint memories of the other Sunset’s time in the orphanage. They were short and fleeting, but Sunset could tell, her other had only received a hooffull of letters before they stopped coming.

She looked up at Luna, still standing over her shoulder. “Did you see that too?”

Luna nodded. “I did. And with it, I am already beginning to put pieces together.”

“Really? I mean, it was informative, but I don’t think it shed that much light.” Sunset closed the book and put it back on the shelf. She frowned and looked back to Luna. “Wait, what exactly did Celestia tell you?”

Luna shook her mane. “I have a growing feeling she did not tell me everything. Even if she had, it would be better to see everything firsthoof. Find a book about your tutelage under her. That is what we should focus on.”

Sunset made a small hmph but decided Luna was right. She moved down a row and pulled out a book titled Lessons. Flipping it open, Sunset saw a depiction of herself in the middle of a regal hallway. Once again, the picture began to move, becoming larger and larger until it was all Sunset could see.

Sunset walked down the pristine corridors of Canterlot Castle with her head held high and a spring in her step. From her back, books, notes, and quills rustled together in her saddlebag. She hummed a happy tune, ignoring any of the castle staff that waved or said, “Good afternoon.”

Ascending a flight of steps, she arrived at a set of large, purple doors. She knocked once before pushing them open and sticking her head inside. “Princess?”

“Ah, there you are, Sunset. Come in, the tea just got here.”

Sunset pushed her way through the gap in the door, shutting it softly behind her. She crossed the carpet to join Princess Celestia at the small table in the back, coming to a rest on the soft pillows that had been laid out.

“How was your day at school, Sunset?” Celestia asked. She raised the silver tea pot and poured generous amounts of tea into two cups. She then added two spoonfuls of honey and sugar to one before pushing it towards Sunset.

Sunset lifted the cup with her magic and blew the layer of steam off the top before taking a careful sip. As always, the tea had been prepared just the way she liked it. “It was good,” Sunset said after a few more sips. “I passed my test on pre-Equestrian law and trade.”

Celestia raised her own to her lips and took a short draught. “Very good. I know you had some trouble with that particular section.”

“Pfft, it wasn’t so bad.”

Celestia chuckled. “There’s no need to be so prideful, Sunset. We all have our shortcomings.”

Sunset shook her head and looked at Celestia with endearment. “You don’t, Princess.”

Putting her cup down, Celestia said, “Even I am not infallible. I have made errors that have taken years to fix.”

They both entered their own realms of thought while they drank their tea. Sunset looked at Celestia with all of her elegance and poise and knew she was probably exaggerating. Celestia was perfect.

“So, have you interacted with any of your classmates?” Celestia asked.

“No,” Sunset said flatly, bracing herself for her weekly lecture on the importance of friendship. Why Celestia continued to try, Sunset would never know.

A closing of the eyes, a soft exhale of breath. Constant predecessors to whatever lecture Celestia was about to give. “Sunset, why don’t you want to make any connections to your peers? You can’t spend the rest of your life alone.”

“I’m not alone. I have you.” Sunset’s look of serenity faltered under Celestia’s withering gaze. “I’m sorry, Princess, I just don’t see any gain in making friends.” Not when they’ll just leave and forget about you.

“But, Sunset, there’s so much to be gained from making friends. Don’t you want to meet other ponies who share like interests?”

Sunset took another drink of her tea while she mulled over an answer. It wasn’t as if she had never tried to make friends. She had done so once on Celestia’s behalf, just to make her happy. Yet Sunset loathed the company she found herself in. Even at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, outside of class, hardly anypony wanted to talk about advanced spell casting or rune lore. Nopony was as invested in learning as she was.

No, social interactions were a waste of time. From then on, Sunset had decided there was only one pony worth talking to.

Celestia inhaled deeply and looked at Sunset with her wise, loving magenta eyes. “I know opening up to others can be difficult, Sunset. But please, just promise me you’ll try.”

Sunset dipped her head. “I promise.”

“Thank you.” Celestia leaned over and nuzzled her across the cheek. It was hard for Sunset to fully enjoy it with the guilt eating at her from within.

When they finished their tea, the entire tray vanished in flash of light, clearing the table. “Now, before we begin our study session, let’s work on your special talent,” Celestia said, adjusting herself amongst the pillows.

Sunset squealed in delight before putting on a serious face. She closed her eyes and tightened her focus, allowing her conscience to drift towards the astral plane.

She brushed against it, feeling the warmth of the solar mana streams as they flew by. Though she hadn’t tapped into any of them, just being close gave her a feeling of power.

“That’s it, Sunset,” Celestia’s soothing voice reached her ears. “Feel all the magic around you. Just feel it, nothing else yet.”

“It’s so warm,” Sunset whispered.

“Yes, but remember what will happen if you are not experienced in using it, or tap into it for too long.”

Sunset cringed. That was one of the first things Celestia had warned her about when they started this special training. If Sunset tried to use too much of the sun’s magic, it could, quite literally, burn her from the inside out.

Still, the fact that her special talent was being able to use the magic of the sun made Sunset shake with glee. Who else could say that they had that level of power? Only one, and she was sharing the room with her. It could only be destiny that Sunset would have a cutie mark so close to Celestia’s. They had a connection nopony else could imitate.

Feeling the thrum of power rising through her, Sunset vowed to be just like Celestia someday. Powerful, regal…

And immortal.

"I'm finding this unhelpful," Sunset said as she snapped the book shut, placing it on the shelf.

"Truly? I am finding this quite informative. Perhaps you are only looking for what you want to see, and not the whole picture."

Sunset growled at Luna's cryptic words but held her tongue and reached for another book, hoping it was something actually informative.

"Cadence," Sunset whispered the title, staring at the crystal heart on the cover. She could feel her anger pulsing just by looking at the name.

Luna perked her ears up and leaned over Sunset's shoulder. “Well, this one seems to be very promising.”

With renewed hope, Sunset flipped the book open. Perhaps this time she’d get a straight answer and learn where all this hate came from.

Sitting in her tower, Sunset looked out the window, watching the clouds lazily roll by. Below, Canterlot was a model playset sprawled before her, complete with moving pony pieces. Someday, it would all belong to her; the ponies would look at her the same way they looked at Celestia. She was the rightful heir, after all. That’s what Celestia had to be grooming her for.

She rested her head on the windowsill, trying to indulge in the springtime tranquility. She held that position for only a few seconds before pacing about her room in agitation. She wasn’t supposed to be in here in the first place! She was supposed to be studying with Princess Celestia!

Sunset puckered her face like she has tasted an extra sour lemon. “What could be so important that she had to cut our session so short? We had barely gotten started!” She flopped on to her bed and growled into her pillow. “Okay, calm down, Sunset.” She took a slow, meditative breath. “She does have an entire country to run.”

I know, I just hate having our time interrupted. Celestia was the only pony who understood her, connected with her. She was the only pony Sunset could trust would never leave her. Every second they spent together was precious time, even when Celestia was nagging her to make friends.

Sunset felt a familiar warmth blossom in her heart. Yes, Celestia was perfect. Kind, caring, generous…. She was… she was almost like…

Knock, knock, knock.

Sunset jumped up from her bed. “She’s back!” She practically threw herself across the room and swung the door open. However, whatever greeting she had died in her throat upon seeing her guests.

Celestia stood looking radiant as ever, smiling at Sunset like she had just brought her a magnificent gift. The gift in question stood next to her, wearing a shy but inviting smile of her own. She was pink—disgustingly so in Sunset’s opinion—with a three toned mane of gold, pink and purple, the last color matching her soft eyes. But what really drew Sunset’s eyes were the wings on her back… and the horn sitting on her head.

“Who is this?” Sunset’s voice was tight, and she used all of her strength to keep a straight face in Celestia’s company.

“Sunset, I would like you to meet Mi Amore Cadenza. Miss Cadenza, this is my special student, Sunset Shimmer.”

Mi Amore Cadenza stuck a hoof out. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said pleasantly. “You can just call me Cadence, though. I know my full name is a bit of a mouthful.” She let out a sound of clinking crystal cups that Sunset realized was her laugh.

She stared dumbly at Cadence’s hoof then looked to Celestia. “She’s an alicorn.”

Celestia gave Cadence a thoughtful look. “Yes. She’s done something that’s never been done before. She performed a great deed, and from it, fully learned and understood the value of Love. As a result, Harmony deemed her ready to ascend.”

Ascend? Sunset stared at Cadence with wide eyes. Ponies could do that? Sunset had always figured Celestia would one day name her a princess and that would be it. But if one could become an alicorn… did that place this Cadence above her?

“So… is she a princess?” Sunset asked.

“Yes,” Celestia said, dumping a bucket of ice water in Sunset’s stomach. “Or rather, a princess-in-training. There is much she needs to learn before she is ready to lead a kingdom.”

Sunset turned away, feigning interest in the scenery outside as her neutral mask cracked. “I see. How very interesting.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. I think you could learn a lot from each other. Perhaps you could show her around the castle, Sunset?”

Sunset grumbled something, which she assumed Celestia mistook for a yes. The door closed a second later, and Sunset was stuck with this… interloper.

She turned around, putting her pleasant face back on. “So, Cadence, was it? Tell me more about yourself. Just how did you become an alicorn?”

Cadence pulled up some carpet and sat down. “Well, there was this witch who was stealing the love out of the village I lived in. She had an amulet that increased her powers and her hatred.” Cadence looked down at her hooves with a forlorn expression. “The spell never directly affected me, but, seeing all my friends and family being drained of their compassion and love hurt just as bad.”

Sunset resisted the urge to gag and just nodded politely.

“So, I knew I had to do something to stop her. I marched into the woods to confront her on behalf of everyone I loved.” Cadence looked up, triumphant sunshine on her face. “And when she tried to use her amulet on me, it just increased my own powers of love. I broke through her enchantment and released all the emotions she had stolen. And after that, I even helped her change her ways and learn to love. The next thing I knew, I was in this really weird place, and Princess Celestia was telling me I was ready to move on to something much greater.” She pointed to her horn. “Then this appeared, and well, that’s it.”

Sunset sat on her bed, mulling Cadence’s words over. She had become an alicorn by loving someone? No, that couldn’t be it; that was far too simple. Her eyes wandered to the crystal heart on Cadence’s flank. “What does your cutie mark mean?”

“Oh, this?” Cadence looked at it fondly. “It represents my talent of helping ponies find true love. I help bring up all the positive emotions ponies have for one another or create a little spark between them to help get things moving along.” Cadence put a hoof to her mouth and giggled. “My mom calls me her ‘little cupid’ because of it.”

“Adorable.” Sunset resumed her thinking, noting the constant theme of love Cadence had surrounding her. Her cutie mark represented it, she could practically feel it from other ponies, and she reformed some evil witch because of it. She had ‘fully learned and understood the value of Love.’ Cadence had mastered it. “And now, you’re a princess,” Sunset said aloud.

Cadence nodded. “I guess so. Princess Celestia said she’d just call me her niece to reduce the shock of another alicorn to the public.”

Sunset’s body tensed up, paralyzed by the toxin of Cadence’s words. “What?” she asked breathlessly.

“I know. Everything’s happening so fast, I can’t really believe it either. Just thinking about everything that’s happened in the last week makes me dizzy.”

Sunset barely heard her, her ears still numb from the previous statement. Niece? Cadence got to be Celestia’s niece? Does becoming an alicorn make you royalty and family? Sunset began to hyperventilate. She had been here for years. Celestia had practically adopted her! Why wasn’t she considered family? Was she just Celestia’s ‘special student’? No! She had to be more! Celestia was hers!

“Sunset, are you all right?”

Calming her breathing, Sunset gave Cadence a cold glare. “I’m fine.” She hopped off her bed and opened the door. She knew what she had to do. Yes! It was clear now. Celestia was testing her, giving her pieces to a puzzle she had to solve on her own. She needed to prove herself worthy of Celestia’s full, unconditional love! She needed to master her special talent! No, she needed to master all magic! Then she would ascend and join Celestia’s family!

“Wait, Sunset, where you going?” Cadence ran out of the room watching Sunset tread down the hall.

“The library. You’ve answered all of my questions sufficiently.”

Cadence cocked her head to the side. “So, does this mean you’re not going to show me around the castle?”

Sunset closed the book, feeling the same loathing the other Sunset had felt all those years ago. It was unsettling, but at least she knew why now.

“Ah, so that is where young Cadence came into play,” Luna said, looking partially amused.

Sunset regarded her curiously before her history caught up to her. “Oh right, you weren’t free yet when any of this happened.”

“Not yet, though the seal was due to break quite soon. I imagine then, my sister was trying to groom this Sunset Shimmer into being the wielder of the Element of Magic.”

“Well, we can see how that turned out, can’t we?” Sunset ran her hoof across the volumes of books, gleaning fragments of memories and feeling from their spines.

“Perhaps so. But I am still curious to see why and how events came to play out as they have.” Luna looked up at the night sky through the glass ceiling. “I strongly suspect the tale Celestia told me was… selective.”

“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Sunset spat.

“Curb your anger, Sunset.”

Sunset paused and drew a deep breath, clearing out her disgruntled emotions. She looked at the book she had stopped on and narrowed her eyes in confusion. Not only could she feel and see nothing from it, the title had been completely scratched out. “Look at this.” She pulled the book out and presented it to Luna.

“Most curious. It’s as if great length were taken to suppress this memory.”

Sunset brought it to the table and flipped it open. “Time to find out why.”

Book after book. Spell after spell. Sunset had devoted every second of her free time to learning magic. She would live it, she would breathe it. She would become one with the astral plane if that was what it took to become an alicorn.

She didn’t see Cadence very often now. The first few weeks of her stay in the castle had consisted of her trying to spend time with Sunset. Remembering Celestia’s words on friendship, Sunset indulged her just once.

The second Cadence had started talking about a cute stallion she had seen at school, Sunset had bolted.

She was now holed up in her spot in the castle library, surrounded by stacks of books. Footnotes and diagrams were scattered about in disorganized piles and she had long since forgone trying to keep everything in order.

Somewhere across the castle, a clock chimed twelve times. Sunset rubbed her eyes, wondering where the hours had gone.

With a loud yawn, she stood and departed from the library, using her horn to light the dark corridors. None of the night guards bothered her. Most of them were accustom to seeing her return to her room at this time of night.

She turned the last corner to her room and smacked into a wall of pink while a bright light nearly blinded her.

“Oof! Oh, Sunset, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there! Are you all right?”

Sunset got up and squinted at Cadence. A direct glare was all but impossible with the amount of light her horn was exuding. “Ugh, what are you doing up this late?”

“I was thirsty and wanted a glass of water.”

“Why not just ask one of the servants?”

Cadence blushed. “I didn’t want to bother any pony… and I kinda wanted to try out this illumination spell.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

Cadence gave her a wary look. “What are you doing up so late?”

“Studying in the library.” Sunset walked around her and continued for her room.

“Again?” Cadence hurried to catch up to her. “Sunset, I know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.”

“Really now?”

Cadence moved in front of her and halted Sunset’s progress. “Yes. And becoming an alicorn won’t help you earn Celestia’s love. You already have it, Sunset.”

“And how do you know?” Sunset asked venomously. “Because your special talent said so?”

Cadence moved a hoof to her chest and took in a deep breath, pushing it away as she exhaled. “Listen to me, Sunset, I know what you’re going through. I was an orphan like you until another family found me and took me in. I know sometimes it feels like they’re waiting for you to do something extraordinary, but trust me when I say Celestia loves you unconditionally. She loves everypony—”

“But I’m not just everypony,” Sunset hissed. “Our special talents are almost identical, as are our cutie marks. Out of thousands of students, she picked me to be her apprentice. She told me I had the potential to be a princess. She’s waiting for me to unlock my true potential. Then she’ll accept me with open hooves, and I’ll be the inheritor for the throne!” She tried to walk around Cadence, but was stopped by a gentle hoof on her shoulder.

“Please, just talk to her.”

The two stood frozen in time for a moment before Sunset shrugged her off. She didn’t want to be lumped together with everypony else Celestia supposedly ‘loved.’ She was the princess; it was her job to ‘love’ them. No, Sunset wanted to stand on a tier higher than the rest. And she would do anything to reach it.

What was she missing?

Sunset continued her circular pacing, wondering how long before she created a rut. She paused to look at the tower of books next to her and shook her head. She had gone over every magical spellbook in the library, practiced day in and day out, practically mastered each individual concept, yet nothing happened!

Raising her head to the star-filled heavens, she let out enraged scream and knocked her pile of books over. She had done everything she could possibly think of. She even practiced her special talent without Celestia’s supervision and disintegrated half of the carpet in her room.

Maybe… maybe it’s hopeless. Maybe I’m doomed to be forgotten. Sunset shook her head. No, that was quitter talk, and she was no quitter! There had to be something she missed! Maybe she just hadn’t practiced hard enough or maybe…

Sunset’s eyes widened. Or maybe I just haven’t mastered every branch of magic. She moved down the row of books, leaving the comfort of the only lit brazier in the library. With a thought, she activated a night vision spell and continued on her way. At the very back of the library was a bolted black door with a faint golden aura around it.

The dark tomes. Guarded more zealously than the books in the Starswirl the Bearded Wing, the room before Sunset contained all of the most powerful and dangerous spellbooks known to ponykind.

Sunset wrung her hooves. Was she really going to dive this far to become an alicorn? Some said these books could drive a pony mad.

But if I can overcome it, it’ll prove I deserve to ascend!

It was Sunset’s last hope. She closed her eyes and layered her magic on top of Celestia’s. The enchantments were old and starting to fade yet still provided a challenge to disable. Sunset chewed her tongue, working for several long minutes before the spells faded away. She undid the bolt and carefully slipped inside.

Lighting her horn, Sunset found herself in a very small room with only one bookcase. There couldn’t be more than ten books in total, all of them frayed or bound with strange, fleshy material. She steeled herself and picked up the first book. It had no title, just the picture of a pony’s skull.

The moment she opened it, she could hear whispers filling the room and a foul air chilling her fur. She blocked them out, forcing herself to read on. The writing was almost illegible, and the pictures that accompanied them grotesque. Still, there was something about the book that compelled her. She no longer had to force it and just kept reading, feeling as if the whispers were giving her additional notes. Yes, this was the information she had been seeking! With this, she could rule Equestria! She could—

“Sunset!”

The book dropped from her magic, and all of the whispers and cold air instantly vanished. Before she could do anything else, Sunset found herself hoisted into the air, unable to move in the thick web of magic. She was carried out of the room, watching as it was sealed tight and coated with a new array of enchantments. Only afterwards was she deposited onto the floor.

“What in the name of Equestria were you thinking, Sunset?”

Sunset looked up at Celestia, reading her angry and disappointed expression. Yet, just underneath it, she could see fear and concern waiting to burst forth.

“I’m sorry, Princess, I was just—”

“You know how dangerous those spells are! Why would you deliberately seek them out?”

Sunset’s mouth felt stuffed with cotton and her stomach filled with hot led. She had never seen or heard Celestia this upset before. “I…” Sunset got to her knees and bowed as low as she could. “I’m so sorry, Princess Celestia. Please, forgive me.”

Celestia pulled Sunset forward and draped her wings around her, enclosing her in a world consisting of just the two of them. “Sunset, of course I forgive you. But I want to know, why? You know better.”

“I… wanted to learn every branch of magic,” Sunset confessed.

“Including the forbidden arts? Sunset there are very few ponies across all of history who have read some of those books without losing a piece of their sanity or being lured in by darkness. The only reason I keep them is for a countermeasure against such forces.”

“I’m sorry. I just… I wanted…” Sunset sniffled and buried her face into the pillow that was Celestia’s chest.

Celestia looked down at her. “Wanted to what? Prove something? Make me proud? Sunset, I’m already proud of you. I always have been.”

“No,” Sunset mumbled into Celestia’s soft fur. “I wanted… I wanted you to love me.”

“What?” Celestia leaned down and nuzzled Sunset’s mane until she looked up. Their eyes met and Celestia said, “Of course I love you, Sunset. Don’t ever think otherwise.”

Sunset felt her eyes begin to tear up, and she hid her face again. “Princess… every friend I tried to make left me… my birth parents never even wanted me. I don’t make friends because I don’t want to be left alone again.”

Celestia’s face softened into a sympathetic frown. “Sunset…”

“But you’re immortal. You can’t leave. Of all the ponies in the school, you picked me. It’s destiny that we’re together; it has to be. So please, just promise me… promise me you’ll never leave me.”

Celestia’s embrace tightened, burying Sunset deeper in the warm, feathery cocoon. Celestia rocked her back and forth and said, “I promise, Sunset.”

Sunset cringed at her words. It wasn’t enough. It was just Princess Celestia comforting her. But Sunset wanted more. She wanted to know, she wanted Celestia to know...

The words came out barely above a whisper as Sunset’s voice would go no higher. She doubted if Celestia had even heard her, but the Princess slowly unfurled her wings and pulled away so she could look Sunset in the face.

Her eyes were wide with surprise and wonder. “Sunset… did you—”

The library door burst open, and the sound of galloping hooves filled the building. A messenger colt came skidding to a halt in front of them, panting heavily. “Y-your highness.” He held up a scroll. “Urgent news from the frontier. The buffalo are stampeding the settlements again.”

Celestia stood up, taking the scroll in her aura. “Understood.” She looked back at Sunset, her expression unreadable. “We… we’ll finish this conversation later.”

Celestia and the messenger colt departed the room, the door slamming shut behind them. Sunset sat alone in the library, tears streaks running down her face as her own words played back in her ears.

“I love you, Mother.”

Sunset closed the book, reading the title that had reappeared on the front. “Mother. She called Celestia her mom.” Sunset pressed a hoof against her head. This went against every dark feeling that had been screaming at her since her journey had begun. They had all called Celestia a terrible pony. A liar unfit to rule Equestria. Were they simply misguided feelings Sunset had picked up from her trip through time?

No. They still belong to her. Celestia never did give an answer. Maybe they all stem from this? She looked over to Luna, who had her face scrunched in displeasure.

“Sister, you neglected to mention this tiny detail during your recount.” Luna snorted and tossed her mane.

“So, you don’t think she reciprocated those feelings?”

“On the contrary. I believe she did, making whatever happen between them that much more difficult to bear.”

Sunset faced the bookshelf, searching for something that looked relevant. She reached her hoof out and nearly tumbled through the shelf, catching herself at the last moment. “What the heck?”

The room had gathered an otherworldly fog, and all of its contents began to fade into the mist. The skylight and floor had vanished, replaced by a blank, white canvas.

“It seems you are waking up, Sunset.” Luna’s voice echoed distantly through the mist. Sunset wanted to reply, but found she had no mouth to do so with. In fact, her entire body had vanished.

“Worry not. When next you dream, I shall return.” The entire dreamscape turned white with haze that blurred Sunset’s thoughts as well. On the other side of it, she could hear Twilight calling her name, gently shaking her to awaken.

The cabin was stuffed with mounted heads of various creatures, both sentient and non. Sunset Shimmer found it horribly tacky but paid it no mind. She sat at the captain’s desk, two holographic images sitting in front of her.

The red pony walked over to the white pony and they hugged before the white one vanished. A purple one appeared in its place, and the red one attacked it mercilessly.

Sunset found the spectacle wasn’t as enjoyable as she thought it would be. She dispelled the image and spun her chair around to look out the large window behind her. It gave a fantastic view of the grassy plains and emerald forests they were flying over.

It entertained Sunset for but a moment before she slouched in her chair. Her hoof brushed across her Alicorn Amulet, and she let out a pained sigh. How long had it been since she had thought about that word? About those moments in her life?

“Do you ever think about them… Celestia? Do you ever think about me?” Sunset’s horn glowed again and a full scale image of Celestia’s face appeared before her. “I think about you all the time. Look at what you’re forcing me to do,” Sunset pouted.

She leaned forward in her seat. “You know, I say I hate you, but I don’t really mean that.” She put on a savage grin, showing off all of her teeth. “I still love you, Mother! That’s why I’m doing all this! You’ll finally be proud of me! I’ll show you you don’t need Twilight Sparkle or anyone else. Just me…. Always me.”

The knock on her door ended her reverie, and she canceled her spell. “Come in,” she said, thoroughly annoyed.

Razor opened the door and crossed the threshold before bowing. “We’re nearing Hoofington, Yer Majesty.”

“Is everything in place?” Sunset asked, not bothering to meet him face-to-face.

“Aye, everything’s ready.”

“Good. Be aware, Razor, this is your last chance. If you fail… well, let’s just say not getting paid in royal gold will be the least of your worries.”

“Understood, Yer Majesty.”

Sunset ignored the disgruntled undertone and allowed him to leave before her grin returned. “Well then, Twilight Sparkle, let’s see what’s more important to you: your friends or your subjects. By day’s end, I’ll have my crown and the pathetic Wannabe in my hooves, while Twilight and her friends lie dead before me.” She stood up and approached the window, seeing Canterlot appear in the far distance, the rising sun making it glow like golden fire.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’m going to clear the entire board now before I come home. Just sit in your lofty bastion and watch as it unfurls. Our dance will come at the end, when there is no one to interrupt us! Hehehe… ahahahahaha…” She threw her head back.

“Hahahahahahahaha!”