Twilight spent the next few days deep in research, struggling to find any information she could about the changelings. She scoured the castle library, but was left was nothing. It turns out Silverhorn wasn’t far off in his estimation of what information the empire had about changelings. She had only managed to find a small pile of books that even mentioned the race, and even then, there was no information. Anthologies of old legends, ancient stories, and fairy tales told centuries ago. She had even made her way down to her old hiding spot, but even amongst the hidden books, she had no better luck. Anything concrete information about the changelings had been lost, destroyed, or simply forgotten. Great.
The only thing she learned on her trip down to the library was that the city was still suffering from the plague. Poor Neighples could barely function. The massive amounts of surrounding water had cut off all safe travel save for occasional pegasus supply drops. The Empire was still dying, and Twilight wasn’t sure that she could trust Silverhorn to help her fix it.
The team was making progress, however. They had managed to isolate different strands of the plague and were now analyzing them for similarities. Some of the members theorized that there was some magic element to it, but nothing was confirmed yet. Twilight looked into it during her free time, since her life was so busy. But how could the mare leave such an important task to an unknown agent like Silverhorn?
She needed information, and the only pony who might hold some insight: Queen Luna. After striking out once more in her research, Twilight made her way to the elevator, making her way to the tower. During Twilight’s research days, the Queen had been cleared to return to her room, although was still asked to take it easy. So she waited, as the clicking gears carried her higher and higher. During her wait, Twilight began thinking about what Luna’s response would be. Would she be surprised that Twilight found out on her own? Would she be upset that a royal secret had gotten out? And what if, goddesses forbid, Luna actually didn’t know about Silverhorn?
Twilight ran over the times she and Luna had talked about Silverhorn and found herself drawing a blank. In the past, they had rarely focused on Silverhorn himself. Mostly he was paired with Cadence, which was the pony that Luna usually talked about. From those conversations, Twilight would guess that the Queen had a begrudging respect for Silverhorn, but Twilight had no evidence that Luna liked him in the slightest.
Maybe Silverhorn’s hidden nature was the reason for Luna’s avoidance during conversation. By all other accounts, including the Queen, Silverhorn treated ponies well. Even when he tried to kiss Twilight, he hadn’t lashed out at her for rejecting him, instantly backing off and leaving the room. He didn’t try to con her into anything either. Even in rejection, Silverhorn was a respectable pony.
Perhaps Twilight overthought this. Luna had been struggling with the nobles for ages; Silverhorn’s title could be the reason she so rarely talked about him. Enemies rarely make for calming conversation. Twilight herself would rather avoid talking about Blueblood for the same reason.
As the elevator clicked into place, Twilight took a deep breath, steeling herself one last time. As Twilight opened her eyes, she saw Luna’s sanctum descend into view for the first time in months. With the Queen returning the day before, this was the first chance Twilight had to visit her lover. The Queen was working at a desk a few feet away, hunched over a pile of paperwork. She had begun to resume some of the duties of rulership, and she had thrown herself into it. As the elevator locked into place, Twilight noticed Luna’s ear twitch. With a long sigh, she straightened up and dropped her quill onto the desk. Without rising, she turned to face her visitor, and once she saw her student, Twilight saw the irritation and frustration that dominated her demeanor slip away.
“Student, what a pleasant surprise,” Luna sighed, as a tired, weak smile spread across her muzzle. “I was sure that I was going to have to deal with my dear sister yet again, and I doubt that I have the energy to deal with her overly sunny disposition. But you?” Luna rose from her chair, her right forehoof extending for a hug. “You’re just what the doctored ordered. Come here, love.”
Twilight happily obeyed, closing the distance between the lift and Luna’s embrace in an instant. Luna pulled Twilight tight, pressing their bodies against each other. For a moment, the two breathed deep, feeling the other’s heart beating. Twilight took in Luna’s scent, catching the faint hints of hospital room that still remained. After, Luna loosened her grip, signaling Twilight to look up at her mention. The two locked eyes before closing them once more for a kiss, more chaste than passionate.
After mere seconds, their lips parted and Luna pulled Twilight in to continue their embrace. She cradled Twilight body, one hoof softly stroking Twilight’s mane. Twilight closed her eyes and nuzzled against Luna’s taller form. The hug enflamed neither of their passions, but it had a calming effect for Twilight. She felt completely at ease, so at ease that she nearly forgot that she had come to Luna’s room for more than just a great hug.
Eventually, the hug broke, and the two parted. “Now, I assume that you came up here for more than just a hug. So, my love, what can I help you with?” Luna asked, her eyes danced over Twilight’s body, seemingly scanning for something.
Twilight breathed deep, trying to find the steel that got lost in the embrace. “I came to talk to you about a certain noble: Silverhorn.”
“Oh?” Luna unconsciously muttered, signaling a recognition of asked, her countenance changing.
“Yes, I’ve know him as Duke Silverhorn, the politician fighting with Cadence for common pony recognition, but a few days ago, I found out that you know something else about him. A certain secret of his.”
Recognition and surprise flared up in Luna’s eyes. The Queen sharply inhaled and bowed her head. “I suppose you have found out. If you know, you must have spoken with him, correct?”
Twilight nodded in response. “I caught him with his disguise down, and he told me all about his race and how they survive. He also told me that you and Celestia are the only ponies who know. Can we trust him, Luna?” she asked directly. “I have spent the last couple of days searching for any proof of what he says, but I’ve found nothing. What if Silverhorn feeds on pain instead of love, and he has been sabotaging our attempts at a cure to continue the suffering? He has been a great pony, but you would know far better than I.” Twilight walked closer to her Queen, peering into her eyes. “Is there any reason that Silverhorn might be a traitor?”
For a few seconds, the two stared in silence, the only sound in the room being the clock on Luna’s wall. Finally, with a sigh, Luna broke her glance. “I’ve know of his condition for years Twilight. How else is a pony granted a Dukedom? I can still remember the day we met. We were having a meeting with a foreign ambassador and his translator. Or, so we thought. Once we got behind closed doors, and we found out that the foreign ambassador was just a blind pony who couldn’t understand our language. In that room, he revealed himself, and I did something I’m not proud of. I saw him as an enemy, unable to hear the words he was saying. At the time, I thought that it was for the Empire, but looking back at it now, I realize that it was just instant xenophobia. That was my first instinct.”
“My sister and I have our fights, but I love her, and that day is just one of the reasons. When I reached out to kill him, Celestia stopped me. She continued the meeting, while I sat in anger as an agreement was reached. He would become Duke Silverhorn, and in exchange, he would fight for the common pony. Had I realized what he would become, I wouldn’t have thought so little of him. I almost killed one of the greatest nobles that I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with.”
“Silverhorn’s a good pony. He has never held my hate against me, but I still can’t forgive myself. I can’t forgive the anger that took over.” Luna’s reminiscing eyes turned back towards Twilight. “Do not fall into the same trap I did, Student. Otherwise, you’ll just be left with regret.” Luna finished, resolute.
Twilight’s mind raced. At first, she was overwhelmed. She had only been thinking about the city, and Luna was scolding her for that. Then she lashed out. Who was Luna to talk about being xenophobic? She had just led a war against the griffins for the actions of one of them. She even hated all of the nobles for the actions of a few. But, Twilight knew she was right. She had listened to Silverhorn, heard the truth in his words, and turned against them because she was afraid of him. Deep down, that’s what she couldn’t admit. It wasn’t Silverhorn who held any sinister intentions, it was Twilight.
Eventually, the unicorn nodded. “Right. Thank you, Luna. He’s a good friend and even though I haven’t been one to him lately, I’m glad I’m in the know so to speak. I’ll have to talk to him and apologize again. The revelation was a little less than kind on my part,” she admitted, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Luna arched an eyebrow and pulled Twilight back close. “Oh? Tell me about it,” she urged, the hint of a smile playing at the edge of her lips.
Twilight flushed deep and swallowed hard. “Well,” she starting, “I, um, didn’t react too positively. I, um, held him against the ground with telekinesis until he bled from his chitin.” Twilight couldn’t look at Luna. “But, I only acted to save Silverhorn. I saw this new form speaking in Silverhorn’s voice, and all I could think was that Silverhorn was gone. In my mind, he was in danger, and I had to do something. But, I could have just held him instead of trying to squish him.”
Luna let out a soft chuckle. “Oh Student, you have much to learn, much like I did. I had convinced myself that when I saw him, a shapeshifter, I had just seen the greatest threat to my Empire, never mind the fact that he was revealing himself to my sister and me. But at least you had the sense to not try something lethal. Were Celestia not there, Silverhorn wouldn’t have had the chance to explain anything.” Luna reassured her. “But, knowing him, Silverhorn forgave you, yes?”
“Yes, he forgave me, but I still feel bad. I can’t imagine how painful it must have been!” Twilight feebly protested. “What’s wrong with me? Even though I had the wrong impression, I should have just held him. Squeezing him that way wouldn’t have helped me get answers. It only satisfied my own urges. This is exactly the kind of snap decision that causes all my issues with the nobles!” she complained. Twilight took slow steps towards the balcony as she spoke, Luna following.
Twilight slumped against the railing, looking out over the city with a long sigh. “That isn’t who I am, Luna; at least, that’s not who I was. I grew up surrounded by pegasi, earth ponies, even griffons. I thought I was better than this. And I know that now, I’m looking back and assuring myself that I was worried about Silverhorn, but I’m afraid that, deep down, I’m really just a hateful pony,” Twilight finished, burying her head in her hooves.
Luna’s hoof rested on Twilight’s shoulder, rubbing gentle circles on her coat. “Twilight, I know you, as a Student, a lover, and as a pony, and I know that you aren’t a hateful pony. I know that you acted out of love for Silverhorn because I know how strong your love is. I know what it means to act out of hatred, and you, dear Student, are not one to act as such.”
Twilight took her head out of her hooves and looked up at Luna’s blue eyes, filled with kindness. “Really?”
“Of course! You said it yourself, didn’t you? You were afraid about what could have happened to Silverhorn; that doesn’t sound like hate to me.” Twilight tried to turn her head back, but Luna gently kept Twilight’s head up, still staring at her Student with love. “How about we try a different approach, hm? Why don’t you tell me what you felt when you saw him for the first time?” Luna coaxed, petting her mane all the while.
Twilight nodded and swallowed, breathing in again. “Well… I was confused, and a little scared. I really shouldn’t have been since I had my magic and all, but I was still frightened to see some unknown creature in Silverhorn’s office. Then I got really worried. I mean, I didn’t know where SIlverhorn was at that point. I thought that some strange creature had captured him and was trying to take his place.
“And what about after?” Luna queried, her petting slowing to a step. She lifted a wing, wrapping it tight around Twilight’s side and squeezing her close.
Twilight felt much more positively about this one. She relaxed as she began to recount the rest of her tale, breathing a little easier. “Well, I felt a lot of regret, like I mentioned. And worry that I hurt him. But at the same time, I was really, really relieved that Silverhorn would be safe. I thought that he would be gone for good for a little while, and the relief felt amazing. So um, I would say good as a whole,” she explained. Twilight kept her head up on her own, proud enough of that answer.
“Good,” Luna said, gently rubbing her side with the wing. “I think you have nothing to worry about my dear. I think your feelings were perfectly natural and showed that you were a good person in the end. You were simply worried about a friend,” Luna soothed. With a small smile, she nuzzled down against Twilight, their height difference forcing the Queen down. “Regardless, how about we change subjects to something more pleasant?” Luna asked, muzzle right next to Twilight’s ear.
With a quiet shiver, Twilight nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight waited at her table, playing with the cafe’s cutlery as she waited for Sunset. This was the first time she’d been out of the castle in weeks, and Sunset. Twilight was waiting in the posh place, waiting for her guest. During the night of the party, Sunset had insisted on getting lunch, and Twilight not only agreed, but happily so. Despite previously finding Sunset’s friendliness insufferable, after months of separation, Twilight couldn’t help but miss the mare she grew up with. It really was true that Twilight only knew what she had when it was gone.
Besides the good food and good company, however, this was a chance for Twilight to relax. Luna kept insisting that her Student needed to take time for herself, but between her studies, her work with the plague, and all the struggles she had been through in the recent weeks, the young mare barely had time to think about taking time off, let alone doing it. Taking lunch to spend with a loved pony felt like the compromise that Twilight needed.
Twilight lazily levitated her fork as she looked around the room. The cafe buzzed with conversation at the cute tables scattered throughout the room. The cafe itself wasn’t very large or fancy, but that’s what made it so great. In one corner, a first burned low, just large enough to warm up the small room. An elevated platform hugged the wide windows at the storefront, which had a few tables one it to look over the street. Rather than one of those, however, Twilight had gone with the table furthest from the door. It afforded her more privacy while also immersing her in the ambiance of the room. Beyond the padded chairs and white clothed-topped tables, the rest of the room was kept simple, with only the smallest decorations to brighten the room, like small potted plants. Instead of filling the room with candles, they let the smell of coffee, fresh bread, and the crackling fireplace speak for themselves.
The bell hanging on the door rang as a familiar voice called out, “Yoohoo! Twilight!” Twilight’s head darted up, catching sight of the familiar mare. Sunset wore a brown coat that covered most of her body, but hinted at the shape underneath, and a beautiful wide-brimmed hat. As she approached, the mare shrugged her coat off, revealing the simple yet stylish white blouse and black skirt combination. Even with the fading scar, she looked more businessmare than soldier.
In stark contrast, Twilight had forgone a complete outfit. The pegasi planned a storm later so Twilight had worn a long coat and nothing more. Her only accessory today was Eclipse, which she wore hidden underneath her coat. On any other occasion, she would have never brought her sword into a quaint cafe like this, but the whispers had started again. They were still too faint for Twilight to make it out, but they got stronger every day, leading her to believe that it had simply run out of juice. While that was nice to know, however, around the time Eclipse had started murmuring again, Luna had resumed expressing her displeasure at the sword once more, although she still wouldn’t divulge about their shared past. Twilight knew that Luna would never do something with Eclipse behind her back, but she thought Luna would probably relish the opportunity to be far away from it.
Sunset took the seat opposite Twilight and sat with a long sigh. “Oh, it’s so good to see you, dear!” Sunset started, just as cheerful as before. “How have you been? Oh, I’m really sorry that we haven’t gotten the chance to sit down sooner, but everything has been so busy! I hope you understand.”
Twilight waved a hoof. “No, please, I completely get it. Once you're in the capital, it’s hard to get away from the flood of responsibilities. I’m just happy that we found the time,” Twilight answered. “I hope you don’t mind, but while I was waiting, I ordered you something to drink. You still like tea, right?” she asked, magically pushing over one of the two teacups on the table.
Sunset nodded, her smile growing wider. “Of course, dear. I haven’t changed that much.” The two unicorns grabbed their respective cups and sipped. “So, Twilight, how have you been recently? I’ve heard that you’ve had a rough time as of late.”
Twilight raised her eyebrow over her cup. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” Sunset leaned in and lowered her voice, “I heard about your run-in with Silverhorn-”
Sunset stopped as the waiter approached. “Hello ladies, my name is Stalwart Steward, and I’ll be your waiter tonight. Are we ready to order?”
“Well, I’m ready to eat. I’ve never been here before, so Stalwart, what do you recommend?”
“Well, I really love everything on the menu, but no pony could go wrong with our vegetable quiche paired with our tomato soup.”
“Perfect, I’ll have that. What about you Twilight?”
Sunset turned back towards Twilight, who had been holding her breath since the mention of Silverhorn. Did Sunset know? How did she find out? If she knew, how many other ponies knew? How would everypony react when they found out about Silverhorn’s secret. For the love of Equest-
“Twilight, do you need more time?”
The purple mare looked from Sunset to her waiter. For a awkward moment, she just stared at him before managing to force herself to speak. “I’ll have the same.”
“Excellent! I’ll have those right out for you.” Stalwart turned his focus on another table, leaving the two alone once more.
Once the two ponies were left alone once more, Sunset began speaking once more. “Anyway, I heard about your tiff with Silverhorn. An argument over some sort of legislation or another. I heard some of the senators whispering about it. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious, though. I’ve had the chance to talk with Silverhorn over the past couple of days, and he seems like a great stallion.”
The tension Twilight held was released. Nothing too big. It was just about the argument in the senate. “Yes, well, that’s all in the past now,” Twilight answered. “We’ve talked it over and everything is in order again. He blocked a bill that I supported with Fleur’s party, and we had a little scuffle over it. Just comes with being on opposite sides of a bill, that’s all.
Sunset surprised Twilight by shaking her head. “Dear, I know that I haven’t been in the capital for quite some time, but I’m not sure if your association with that crowd is such a great idea. I’ve heard the general consensus surrounding Fleur, and what I’ve heard… well, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture. Now, I’m sure you’ve done your due diligence, but honestly Twilight, Fleur seems like the exact kind of pony you would normally hate. She seems self-serving, conniving, a pony in it for herself and herself alone. I don’t mean to try to guilt trip you or anything, dear, but your whole relationship with her worries me. I’m not saying that you’re going to become a carbon copy of her or something like that, but everypony is defined by those we choose to associate with, and is Fleur really one of the ponies you want to be defined by?” Sunset end, meeting Twilight's eyes with a piercing glare.
Twilight shifted in her seat. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she flushed with anger. How dare Sunset try to lecture her like that! About something she doesn’t know, no less. Twilight wasn’t only an adult, but also a statesman. While Sunset was off fighting griffons, Twilight had been learning about the intricacies of the court and the many different positions every Senator held. She had gotten to know Fleur, and Sunset was trying to tell her off based on rumors! It took everything she had to not lash out at Sunset and her stupid attempt at a glare.
Twilight took a deep breath to quell her rage. “I appreciate your concern, Sunset, I really do, but, with all due respect, I have to disagree with you. You just don’t know Fleur. She and I have come to an understanding concerning policies and politics. We don’t agree with every idea or belief that the other has, but we work together to better Equestria. And it’s not like I can go with the other parties either. You know I can’t support Charlemane’s party and its wars, especially after the last one. And, while I fell in with Cadence early on, once I was faced with the realities of governing an empire as massive and diverse as Equestria, I had to go with the doers, not the dreamers.”
Seeing Sunset’s expression sour, Twilight hesitated for a brief second before continuing. “More importantly, however, I don’t think your characterization of Fleur is fair. I know her better than most, and she really isn’t a bad pony. I know that from the rumors, you’d think she’d breath fire and spit acid. I mean, honestly, she’s still a mare like the two of us, but everypony talks about her like she’s some kind of demon!” Twilight dropped her head, looking away from Sunset. “In fact, you-”
“Excuse me, ladies,” a stallion’s voice interrupted her own. Twilight looked back up, startled and surprised to see their waiter levitating two steaming bowls of soup. Sunset didn’t jump, however, apparently; evidently, she had seen Stalwart’s approach. Twilight’s stomach growled at the smell, not quite realizing how hungry she had become. Twilight accepted her still-warm plate in her magic, setting in front of her as Sunset did the same.
Their waiter bowed his head. “Enjoy your soup, ladies. I’ll be back with your entrees soon.” he added, smoothly. With that, Stalwart departed just as quickly as he came, leaving the two with their food.
For a second, neither of them spoke, alternating between looking at each other and sipping their soups. Eventually, Twilight, who couldn’t bare the awkward moment for any longer, broke the silence. “Er, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to attack you or anything. I got way too aggressive. I guess I’m just tired of having everypony second guess all of my decisions, especially the ones that I’ve put so much thought into. I guess it comes with the territory when you're a young Student of the Night.”
Sunset reasserted her smile on her muzzle and nodded. “It’s perfectly fine, dear,” Sunset answered back, meeting her gaze again. “Look, why don’t we forget all that nastiness and just enjoy our meal. We have all the time in the world to talk about politics; why ruin a quaint lunch like this with such talk? Besides, I would prefer to hear about your life since Shining and I went off to war. It’s been too long!” Sunset explained, smile gentle and reassuring.
Twilight nodded, ready to get away from shop-talk, but one more question ate at her. “Of course, Sunset; I’d be happy to talk about something else. But, before that, I have to ask: why have you been spending so much time with Silverhorn of all ponies?”
Sunset hesitated, dropping her spoon back in the soup. “Well, since I’ve returned, I’ve wanted to do something more, so, I was thinking about joining their party,” Sunset said, almost uneasy. “But, before you jump down my throa-”
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Stalwart interrupted, tapping Sunset’s shoulder from behind.
Instantly, Sunset shrieked. Her horn glowed gold, a spear extended from the tip of her horn directly towards the waiter. Twilight reacted just as fast. Just before the spear hit, purple and gold magic collided. Twilight felt a driving pain at her forehead, but she held strong until the spear faded from existence. Just as quickly as it begun, it ended, leaving a terrified waiter and a horrified cafe.
Panicking, Twilight’s horn flashed and the two of them winked out of existence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight fucked up. She had grown so adept at teleportation that she was sure that teleporting two would be as simple as teleporting one. She even doubled the magic required to teleport. The problem was that she put in too much magic. Way too much. This was her first time teleporting for two, but her estimation was off. And so, just like her first failure, she faced the void, only this time, she had another pony along for the ride.
Distantly, Twilight could still feel Sunset’s presence. It was as if they were simultaneously far away and close enough to touch. Twilight’s mind couldn’t, wouldn’t make sense of such an odd sensation. Luckily for her, however, Twilight didn’t need to understand her situation; instead, she was forced to deal with the visions, which were impossible to bear. These weren’t dreams of a hopeful future; these were nightmares.
Luna’s maniacal laugh resounded in Twilight’s head as the scene materialized. Twilight saw her body prostrated before a dark version of her Queen. Luna had grown in ferocity. The calm night sky in her mane was replaced with a tempest of stars. Fangs accented her sinister smile as her eyes glinted in glee at the sight of the fallen Student. Out the window, storm clouds gathered in the distance, the air tinted a harsh green. Had it not be so vivid, Twilight would have scoffed at such a cliched display, but, with her mind caught in the rapturing bells of the aether, she couldn’t help but tremble at the horrifying lie she saw before her.
Twilight watched her double start to stand, Eclipse brought to bare. The purple mare grit her teeth in an attempt to stand strong against her quivering legs. Her Queen, her eternal love, looked down on her with a mocking leer, distorting the gentle visage Twilight normally saw. With a feral scream, Twilight charged, brandishing Eclipse, ready to strike. She flew faster than Twilight had ever done before, but she was still much too slow to avoid being impaled by a lancing ray of darkness.
As the dark passed through Twilight, her body crumpled once more, and the vision melted away.
Finally free from her own nightmare, Twilight managed to focus on her friend just in time to witness her own horrors. Feeling the heat radiate around her, Sunset surfaced from the darkness surrounded by flames. She was watching the city burn, just like Twilight had years ago, but much more intimately. She was actually in the fire, dashing madly through the streets. As she ran, buildings were consumed as the inferno raged beyond control. It seemed like not even an emergency pegasus storm could quell this blaze. Just as Sunset turned towards the upper district, a building collapse, sending flaming debris towards the yellow mare. With an quick reaction, a wave of yellow magic shield Sunset from fiery death. As Sunset pushed the chunks off of her shield, she saw the tower of the old library sink into itself. The ancient building began to fall as a shockwave rippled through the streets, causing even more buildings to give way. Another golden shield was the only thing that protected the mare, although, judging from the buckets of sweat, the heat was beginning to chip at Sunset’s stamina.
With gritted teeth, Sunset began to run again, tearing through the streets again. Rounding another corner, the sound of a crowd somehow overwhelmed the sound of the dying city. Ahead of her, ponies blocked the streets. One of the many great gates that separated the lower and upper districts of the city had been slammed shut and sealed tight. In front of it, ponies screamed and panicked, jostling and pushing against each other in a mad panic to try to force the gates open. But it was no use; the gates were bound shut by pillars of wood and chains of magic. Nothing these poor ponies could do could even put a scratch on it. They would have had better luck trying to push the walls open.
Tears tore down Sunset’s cheeks, dropping to the ground and instantly evaporating. She looked at the ponies around her, some dealing with burns and others with gashes and broken bones. A poor earth filly fell at Sunset’s feet, unable to move any further. Seeing the poor filly, a warcry sounded out of Sunset, somehow overwhelming the pandemonium around her. A golden glow surrounded her brightly, magic gathering at the tip of a white horn. With a pained yell, a wave of golden magic surged out, driving into the gate. At first, the spells tried to defend against her attack, but even the proud, tall gate could do nothing against such a force, and the wood splintered open.
The wooden shards flew back towards the upper district, clearing a path for the formerly forsaken ponies. At once, the mob rushed forward, fighting and struggling to make their way to salvation. Sunset, however, could barely move a muscle. Her eyes sagged, limbs felt weak. With quivering legs, she fell to the ground, energy drained to nothingness. She breathed haggardly as she turned towards the earth filly, who had lost the light in her eyes. This time, however, Sunset couldn’t scream. Instead, she was forced to sob.
Sunset faded from Twilight’s view just as the world came rushing back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With a shared scream, the two mares blinked into existence a few feet above Twilight’s balcony. That scream was interrupted as the two slammed into the ground, the stone rushing up to greet them. Their momentum carried them towards the entrance. Sunset thudded against the wall to the side, while Twilight rolled right through, skidding to a stop as her face meet the carpet. Pain ruined Twilight’s awareness, the only tangible feeling she could discern being the sheath that dug in at her side.
The two remained in their respective heaps for a few minutes, panting and gasping for air. The void tended to leave its victims breathless. Eventually, Sunset broke the silence, struggling to her feet before entering Twilight’s room. “What in the name of Equestria was that?” she exclaimed, voice raspy from their journey through the aether. “Twilight, I, I saw things. What was that?”
Part of Twilight wanted to focus on Sunset’s outburst, but the void seemed slightly more pressing. Twilight flopped onto her back, looking up at the yellow mare, worry consuming her blue eyes. “That was the aether. It happens when somepony messes up a teleportation spell. You, um, see things.”
The worry in Sunset’s eyes transformed into fear. “Wait, does that mean what I saw was real? Like, a prophecy of some kind?” The elder mare had begun to hyperventilate.
Seeing that fear, Twilight ignored the pain and stood. “No. Sunset, I’m positive that what I saw wasn’t real.” Twilight said, although she wasn’t entirely sure of that herself. “The aether likes to play tricks on ponies, I’m sure of it. It wants you to stay in it, so it lies to keep you there. The seers are the unicorns who learn to parse the truth, that’s all.”
Twilight walked across the room to embrace Sunset. “But the seers-”
“The seers are the unicorns who learn to see through the lies of the aether. It’s a skill they need to hone, like learning a language. I mean, I saw Luna betraying me for Equestria’s sake! You and I know that would never, ever happen, right?”
“Right.” Twilight felt Sunset’s breathing return to normal as she returned Twilight’s embrace. For a few moments, the two stood in silence, forehooves wrapped around one another, before Sunset broke the embrace. “Thanks Twilight. It just seemed so real and disturbing.”
“Speaking of disturbing, what happened with you back at the restaurant?” Twilight asked. Sunset’s relaxed demeanor immediately seized up, her breathing becoming unstable once more.
“I-I… It scared me,” Sunset started. “We, um, back during the war, we were ambushed once. The griffins appeared out of nowhere. That’s where I got this injury.” Sunset’s hoof rose to touch her scar. They, they killed two of my friends,” Sunset explained, each word a struggle. “For a second, it all came flooding back, like I was back there, like I was going to watch them…”
Twilight looked on with worry, heart thumping in her chest. Empathy surged through her, and she couldn’t blame Sunset for her reaction. Twilight scooted closer, aiming to close the gap between them.
But Sunset recoiled, shaking her head. Tears had already started to stream down Sunset’s muzzle, fresh, ugly tears in little rivulets down her cheeks. “You don’t understand. That’s how we had to fight in the war. If I didn’t fight back, if I didn’t go for the throat, they would have gotten Shining too!” Twilight recoiled at the mention of Shining. “He w-was trying to protect Akyio, but she had already died. He just didn’t realize it. They were going to stab him. It was either them or him. I had to take them out first or Shining would have di-”
“Sunset!” Twilight interrupted. She pulled the older mare into a tight embrace once more, unable to hear any more of her nightmares. Sunset began to wheeze for air as her tears meet Twilight's coat. As Sunset sobbed on, Twilight continued to hold her. It was all that she could do. The young mare couldn’t even bare to hear the horror stories. She couldn’t even imagine what it was like to live through something like that. All the Student could do was hold her old friend in her arms. It made Twilight appreciate her situation. She had been insulated in her ivory tower, and she had foolishly believed that just because she was getting her friends back alive that meant she was getting them back uninjured. What a fool she had been
The hug continued as Sunset cried in Twilight’s arms. After a few moments, the sobbing subsided, and Sunset broke the embrace. “Sorry,” she mumbled, wiping tears from her muzzle. “I get carried away sometimes. I’m trying to be strong and deal with it. Like, I’m just trying to be normal again, but I’m just not there yet. Even looking normal is a challenge. I never wanted anypony to see me like this, especially you, Twilight. You shouldn’t have to carry what we have to.”
“No,” Twilight interjected. “I’m sorry that you felt like you had to carry it all alone.” Twilight tried to say more, but to no avail. She awkwardly let the words die in her muzzle as her eyes drifted towards the floor.
Sunset gave a weak smile before continuing on. “I’m not the only one, Twilight. Shining’s just as bad as I am.” Twilight’s head jerked up at the mention of her brother. “He wouldn’t want me telling you this, but since you know I have it, it’s only a matter of time until you piece it together, so it’s probably better that I tell you instead of him having to. He still wakes up at night, screaming about one horror or another. Most of the Valkyries are like that, but it feels like there’s nopony we can turn to for help. We’re supposed to be heroes and heroes aren’t supposed to wake up at night screaming. Isn’t that some shit?” she asked bitterly.
Twilight’s heart squeezed, her eyes now wet with tears. “Yea… Yea, that’s messed up,” Twilight agreed, having no idea what else to say. For that matter, what could she have said? Twilight was a sheltered academic, not a battle-scarred veteran. This wasn’t something that she could deal with by reading books. It felt like nothing she could do would allow her to properly empathize with the pony standing before her. Even dueling felt like an insulting imitation. “Is there, um, anything that I can do?” Twilight asked, looking up at Sunset with sad, confused eyes.
“I don’t think so, Twilight. It feels like we just have to keep marching on. I’ve asked some of the older veterans, and they say that eventually, the nightmares don’t wake you up as much. As long as you can keep surviving every day without finding another way out.”
Hopelessness filled the room as the two stood in silence, neither wanting to address the bomb that Sunset had just dropped. The only sound was the wind coming through the balcony door and the ticking of Twilight’s clock. The seconds stretched on into minutes, and all the while, Twilight couldn’t look the yellow mare in the eye.
After a painful eternity, Sunset broke the silence. “I suppose we should explain the situation to the shopkeeper. Plus, we should probably pay for the meal, right? Can’t have the city thinking the Student of the Night is a dine-and-dasher, can we?”
Twilight giggled; even during a moment like this, she couldn’t help but giggle at a good joke. “No, I suppose not. Otherwise, Luna might really betray me!” And despite the dour mood, the two mares genuinely laughed.