The Sun Never Sets

by Mr Fislewait

The Monster They Want Me To Be

Eventide stood nose to nose with Applejack, a sneer on her face. Behind the farmer was a surprised looking Twilight, an embarrassed Spike and a very confused looking Paula Apple. Over the years Spike had managed to grow to be a full head taller than his sister figure, though in fairness he was standing on two legs. Curiously though he had not yet come to grow a pair of wings, perhaps he was entirely the wrong type of dragon? Eventide had certainly asked him if it was a matter he'd be interested in having her look into but ever since her fourteenth birthday party the dragon hadn't seemed to be able to look at her the same way. While she still liked to consider the dragon a friend and was ambivalent towards the filly she frankly couldn't stand the other two mares, and that meant it was show time.

"Ah, Applejack, always a pleasure to be seeing you," Eventide said adopting her fake accent. "Might I be suggesting though that you send the little one home? I am thinking some of the words we shall be speaking are not suitable for the ears of one so young," Applejack's gaze hardened on her, fire in her eyes.

"Paula, get back to the farm, me an Twilight can take things from here sugarcube," Applejack didn't even turn to the filly as she spoke, instead keeping her gaze locked firmly on Eventide. Behind her the little filly nodded and sprinted off down the road. "Okay, Eventide, Paula's gone so drop the accent and start talkin, whadidja want with Bon Bon and Lyra and why were ya comin back from Fluttershy's? If you hurt even one hair on that poor mare's head then ah swear-"

Eventide cut Applejack off with a hollow laugh, practically a cackle. "Oh, Applejack, do you really think I'd stoop so low? I would never hurt a friend, and Fluttershy made it quite clear today that she still considers me a friend. As for Lyra believe it or not I've actually been helping her with getting her music heard, anything for a good friend."

"Yeah well what about Bon Bon huh? Accordin' ta Paula Bon Bon seemed to be actin mighty uncomfortable about you bein in her shop," while Applejack was getting up in Eventide's face Twilight had slowly walked closer to them, a concerned look on her face.

"Well that is between me and her, don't worry though I have never hurt that mare," Eventide paused briefly before whispering one final word, "physically." Applejack practically reared up on her hind legs in anger. Keeping her calm Eventide simply took a step back and tilted her head slightly to the side with a smile. "Relax AJ, I'm just kidding. Just a little joke between friends."

"You ain't no friend a mine missy!"

"I'm shocked, AJ!" Eventide gasped with mock horror. "I thought you were meant to be the element of loyalty! We were friends once upon a time weren't we? Don't you have any loyalty to your old friends?"

"Honesty, Eventide, ah was the element of honesty," to her delight Eventide could actually hear Applejack grinding her teeth.

"Well if that's the case, Applejack, how about you be honest with me right now? How about you tell me exactly what happened five years ago? Not the lies that Celestia lets the public believe, not the half truths that our oh so benevolent Princess of Friendship has been spewing to me. I want the truth, what really happened out there in the badlands?" Eventide's voice spat venom and for a moment it seemed as though Applejack was going to strike the younger mare.

"ENOUGH!" Twilight yelled. "Enough... Eventide, I know you are hurting but please, don't go taking your anger out on other ponies. This isn't the mare your mother wanted you to grow up to be," her voice was filled with sympathy and a touch of disappointment.

"You're right, Sparkle. She never wanted this for me, too bad isn't it? Sure I could be a better mare, but you know what? It's just so much easier to just act the way everypony expects me to! Oh those first few years I played things your way, Sparkle, I was nice and quiet, kept to myself and tried to avoid rising to all of the baits," she stepped around to get closer to Twilight, looking her in the eye was difficult with the height difference but she tried her best to look intimidating. "You know what happened though? Nopony cared! My side of the story was an elaborate fiction! The lies of a deranged mare trying to deny the truth about her lover!" She physically spat the last word causing Twilight to raise a hoof to her face to clean off the saliva. "What wonderful friends you all were when I had daily callers asking about my sex life, or if I'd learned dark magic, oh and my favorite, 'what were you really up to on your expeditions?'" She let out another mad cackle, a few tears trickling down her cheeks. "Over the course of a single week every contribution I had ever made was put under scrutiny, my whole career disowned, my name scrubbed off of the museum displays! I had to change my address to get away from all the hatemail from changelings and changeling sympathizers! Just where were you then, Princess?"

Applejack moved to stand between the two of them but with a single movement of her wing Twilight stopped her in her tracks. "Eventide, my door has always been open to you these past five years, I've sent you letters asking you to visit to speak with me. I've always wanted to help you but you've been pushing me away. If there is anything within my power that I can do to help you then I'll try. I can't make any promises but I'll do my best."

"Starswirl's time travel spell," the words came out instantly, catching twilight off guard. "If you care about me and mom, if you ever cared about us, then travel back to six years ago and this time be the friend you were supposed to be. Go back, and this time act like you give a damn, go back and fix this for everybody. Go back and actually listen to what Pinkie Pie had to say instead of just blindly following Celestia like the little sheep you are!" She may not have been a magical prodigy but Eventide didn't need spells to hurt other ponies, she could twist words like a knife if she felt like it.

"I'm sorry, Eventide, even if we still had the spell time travel doesn't work that way, it's a highly theoretical field and nopony really understands how it works."

"Lets say I could get you an intact copy of the spell though, would you and Starlight be able to try and use it to fix everything?"

"No, Eventide, and even if we could I don't think we would. Time travel is dangerous and frankly I don't think it is possible to use it to achieve your desires, if anything it seems naturally predisposed to causing chaos and disaster."

"Well then," Eventide muttered being sure to let Twilight hear the bitterness in her voice. "I really don't see what use you are to me." Eventide pushed her way past Twilight and Applejack, flashing Spike a smile and batting her eyelashes as she passed.

"Evey!" Twilight called, stopping the mare in her tracks. "Who told you about Pinkie Pie warning me?" Eventide didn't answer immediately, taking time to make sure she didn't let anything important slip.

"Pinkie told me in person, too late for me to do anything about it but, before the...unpleasantness."

"One more thing before you leave, Evey," the unicorn sighed in exasperation. "Zecora warned me that the alicorn amulet has gone missing, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

"Sparkle, it's so nice to know you have the same low opinion of my character as everypony else." She lifted a hoof to her chin and tilted her head back carefully thinking on how best to answer. "Sparkle, if I had ever put on the amulet then I'm pretty sure you'd have heard about the mysterious and untimely death of Honest Quill. So no, Sparkle, no I don't know about your magical amulet. Maybe next time try keeping it someplace safe, it's a pretty sorry state of affairs if one cursed artifact can go missing twice in so short a span of time." With nothing more to say, Eventide marched off towards the train station, not wanting either of the other mares to see the tears she had been so desperately holding in.

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That evening Twilight dug out an old box of fire damaged belongings from the castle's storerooms. She had tried to return them to Eventide on several occasions but every time Evey had refused her. As she looked over the remnants of a life that seemed lost to time she couldn't help but wonder when everything had gone wrong. Inside the box were old foal's toys, children's books, a few old party dresses and what had survived of the little filly's diary. So little had been saved from the fire but what little Twilight still had seemed to belong to an entirely different mare to the one she had met today. She flicked the diary open to a random page and looked over the contents.

Dear Diary,

Me and mommy visited Manehatten today! There were lots and lots of cool things like big buildings and a very pretty statue. We went on all of the best rides at the fairground except for the ones that mommy was too tall for or I was too small for. We had lunch by the sea and I got to see one of Miss Rarity's shops! It was smaller than the one in Canterlot but mommy found me a very nice sunhat. After we bought it though mommy got in an argument with one of the mares who worked there about mommy's cloak, she said it wasn't very fashionable and made mum look 'round'. Mommy stormed off and we got a lot of funny looks from some ponies on the streets. When we got back to our wagon somepony called us gypsies and that made mommy very sad. I don't know what the word means but I'm sure the next time I see aunt Twilight I'll make sure to ask her.

This evening mommy asked me where I wanted to go next. I said I'd like to see Griffonstone and she agreed! We are going to start traveling tomorrow morning. My mommy is the bestest mommy in the world, she shows me all of these cool things and we get to travel to fun and exciting new places. She says that if I want we can visit the dragons someday, or even go to Zebrica! I want to see all of the world someday! Miss Dash gave me lots and lots of books about this pegasus called Daring Do who goes on exciting adventures all across Equestria. I'm still reading them now, I hope they have a happy ending. When I grow up I want to be just like Daring Do!

I miss flying. Mommy says we aren't allowed to fly in cities, she says it is very bad and might get us in a lot of trouble. She promises that there is a lot of road between here and Griffonstone though, so there will be lots of opportunities for us to fly before we get there. I'm not a good filly, diary, and i don't deserve to be allowed to fly. Mommy asked if I had seen her mirror and I said no, but actually I'd hid it under the bed. It was very naughty and when we are in Ponyville I will tell aunt Twilight that I was bad but only for a good reason. If I don't hide the mirror then sad mommy turns up, I don't know how to make sad mommy happy so for now I'll just keep hiding the mirror.

Evey

A few tears dripped onto the page before Twilight closed the diary. All of the signs had been there but she had done nothing.

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Returning to Canterlot Eventide walked through the slums to her second property. It was very rare that she came here but the building wasn't without use. She had purchased it under a false name and to her knowledge not even Twilight knew about its existence. Quickly checking that she wasn't being followed she unlocked the door and stepped inside. Though it had been a burnt out ruin when she had first purchased it she had since managed to fix the worst of the damage and board up the windows. It had ample basement space for her purposes and was far enough out of the way that it was unlikely that the royal guard would stumble upon it by mistake.

With a few swift movements of her magic she opened a wall safe on the ground floor and checked the contents. Despite the fears that Twilight had managed to place in her mind the contents were undisturbed. She levitated the ominous silver and red amulet out of the safe and over to her body. She could practically feel the dark magic radiating off of it. For a few brief moments she levitated it over her neck and considered fastening the clasp, it would be simplicity itself, don the amulet and go out in a blaze of glory. How many of them would it take to put her down? Equestria was just waiting for an excuse to be rid of her, why not speed up the process?

Sighing, Eventide levitated the amulet away. No. Not tonight, the amulet would prove useful, but this was neither the right time or the right place. She had done her research and made her plans, she could wait a little longer for the rest of the pieces to fall into place. Content that her lair hadn't been discovered she levitated the amulet back into the safe to sit with the other five identical amulets that were stored inside. She slammed the door of the safe shut and smiled to herself. Soon, not now, but soon, very soon.

Comments

[Revan]

"Sad Mommy"???