Rain beat down upon the black tarmac, green turf and brown earth that formed the front courtyard of Canterlot High. Pockmarks and craters studded the landscape from hours of shelling and Sunset's earlier rampage, causing it to resemble more a colorful moonscape than the building Sunset called home.
Not that much color was left to be had, in the gray light filtering through the storm. Black and heavy, it looked to be gaining a second wind, the inbound horizon notably shadowed. Rivulets of water streamed from piles of rubble where the school had been blown outwards, and outcroppings dangled, dripping moisture from their chaotic construction.
The horizon was free of military personnel. Noises pierced the storm's din from behind, accompanied by titanic flashes of red light, and Sunset presumed the Sirens were winning. Not a single vehicle was to be seen; if Twilight had left, there would be no chance to catch up. Sunset ran forward anyway, crying out as her hurt leg took more weight than it was ready to bear.
The Wondercolt statue stood dead ahead. It was more or less as intact as she had seen it last, base cracked and gouged but otherwise still standing. In front of it stood a tall black tent, and in front of that stood a girl with soggy purple-and-blue hair, back to Sunset, speaking vehemently into a microphone.
"Competition brings corruption and loss! What some cannot have, none deserve! It is not too late to turn your back on selfishness! Choose the truth, and yearn not for what is not yours! Know your place, so that others may know theirs, and you will not be risen above! Leave the sacred pillars of our society undefiled by your hands, so that they may endure forever!"
Sunset grimaced. Her, huh?
Her, indeed! Demon Sunset chirped. What about her?
She's the first one we run into after "Luna's" warning, Sunset answered. If whoever set this up wants me to listen to whatever she's about to tell me... I'd give her about a ninety percent chance of being the culprit, or at least in on whatever's happening. I... wish I could say I was more surprised.
Meh. She should be a joke, then. Remind me why she's not just some random nobody?
Sunset raised an eyebrow. Have you not been paying attention? She's Twilight's brand-new, reformed villain of a student! The pony one, at least. Which would pretty much have to be who this is.
Is that a true story? And you think she's the villain? Sunset, do you have any idea how many fun and annoying angles I could spin on that?
Please don't. She might not have noticed me yet, and I need to have as much of a plan as possible...
Demon Sunset predictably ignored Sunset's request. Just going to assume she's the bad guy, Sunny? Don't believe she could change, like you want me to think you have? What a fancy bit of hypocrisy that is!
Sunset felt her temper flare. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt! It just doesn't look good! ...Kind of like how you make me not look good. So you know what? I'll do it, I'm serious. Starlight wants to talk? Well, here I come.
Sunset! Wait! I was just trying to lighten the mood! Don't go making dumb tactical decisions on my behalf, I have just as much of an interest in you not getting turned into meatcake as you do!
It was too late. As Sunset drew near, Starlight held her microphone out to the side at arms' reach. She flicked a switch, dropped it, and laid her arm at rest. Then she swung around to look at Sunset, face a picture of exuberance turned to confusion.
"Sunset, I- Sunset? Is that you? What happened? Are you all right?" Starlight stared at her, but didn't move from in front of the tent.
"Nngh..." Sunset wheezed, dripping with rain, trying her best to act as if she hadn't just been plotting behind Starlight's back. "I haven't been. Starlight, I've been possessed. I'm free now, but I'm hurt. What do you want?"
"Sunset, I'm sorry," Starlight said, voice shaking. "When the barrier disappeared, I thought... I thought you'd left us. That you'd left this project, this world we were building. Everything I said to you earlier, and did, I thought you took it to heart..."
Sunset raised an eyebrow, but let her continue.
"That wasn't what I intended! It wasn't ever. You were horrible, Sunset. A monster. But I believed in you, and thought I could put that evil to use for good... but I had to reach you first! I had to reach you, and nothing I tried got through, and so I resorted to using your own language! But I guess I took it too far..."
Sunset stared at Starlight, processing what she was saying. Starlight continued, "I... I need you back, Sunset. We could do so much good together, make such a perfect world... and on your own, you'll bring nothing but more pain and sadness! So, I... I got you a gift, to apologize. Here."
Starlight stepped back, and yanked hard on the tent canvas. With a flourish and a flap of wind, it blew off, revealing a thick, lone stake stuck in the ground. High up, tied to the stake, was Twilight Sparkle. Bound at the arms and legs, she wore a thick gag, frantically struggling against her bonds at the sight of Sunset.
Sunset looked up, eyes wide and shoulders limp. Aaand there's the trap. Of course this is all about getting revenge on Twilight. Of course she'd lie her way out of a tight spot, then turn on her the moment she found something she could use against her... and that something is me. I wonder what she's been telling her, and what she's going to ask me to do...
Starlight paced forward, talking. "When you tried to take her for yourself, I... There's nothing in my ideals that says you can do that. Absolutely nothing. But compromise... That's what building bridges is about, isn't it? I can't have my way by myself. I'm not strong enough. But if you'll help me, even if I have to sacrifice some of my ideals and make exceptions for you, it'll be worth it.
"Earlier, when I found this girl after you had... had your way with her, we talked for a bit. I left her in the Principal's office, which I thought would be the safest place for her. But when I was setting up to try to stop the Sirens' show, I found her escaping, and... her heart had hardened. Clearly, she didn't take what you did to her well.
"I tried to calm her down, but it became apparent that not only was she upset, she was far more skilled with words than me. I became afraid that she would exploit my dislike for what you were doing, stoke my anger, and cause me to forget about everything I was doing here to fight you instead. She nearly did. I couldn't take that risk, so I had to subdue her.
"That's why she's gagged. And I must request, for all of our safety, that you do not remove it. With her tongue, she could steal your mind, and to go above mere mind control... to change what a person wants, to leave them with merely the illusion of free will is the most heinous crime imaginable. It will hurt you. It has hurt me before. And nothing good can come of a society built on it.
"So, Sunset Shimmer, here she is. I got her for you. But with the amount of hatred within her, I'm not even sure if it's wise to have anything to do with that girl. It's your decision." Starlight reached into her boot, and withdrew a slim sword from a concealed sheath. Holding it by the flat of the blade, she offered its handle to Sunset.
Sunset stared at the blade. Starlight explained, "This girl is in your hands now. It's your choice. You may keep her, and all of her anger, and in doing so fulfill your every desire. None will be able to turn away. You'll be able to get everything you've ever wanted... at the price of the instability of hatred. You'll never know peace, never be free from risk, never be able to truly partake in the gift of friendship.
"Or, you can turn away from her forever, and close this chapter in your life. By sacrificing your desires, your wants, in the name of the greater good, you will no longer be inhibited by yourself. You'll have won over your worse nature. You will be free, and I will stand proudly at your side.
"This is your choice. I won't try to change your answer, because only you deserve to change your fate. Show me what you're made of, Sunset Shimmer."
Starlight, having finished, handed the sword to Sunset and walked around the statue to bring over a stepladder. Sunset looked at the sword in her hand, and stammered. "Y-you want me to kill her?"
"Nothing so drastic will be necessary," Starlight said, returning and placing the ladder. "Though you're correct about my preferred option. All you need to do to reject her- to reject yourself, and become a better you- is make her feel pain she will never forget. A permanent memory, a reminder, nothing more. She represents your wants. In rejecting her, you reject them, and this shall serve forever as a reminder of that."
Sunset looked at Starlight, then at Twilight again. Starlight was holding an impossibly well-honed poker face. Twilight was looking on in desperation.
Okay, this makes no sense, Sunset thought, almost hoping her demon would weigh in. She obviously wants me to hurt Twilight... to betray her. Probably some demonstration of the futility of friendship, or something. But why is she giving me a choice? To make Twilight think I didn't have to do this, but wanted to anyway? If I cut Twilight free, what's the catch? This has to be a trap, it has to...
Gripping the sword, Sunset climbed the ladder. Soon she stood face to face with Twilight Sparkle, bound and gagged. Twilight met Sunset's gaze. "Twilight," Sunset whispered. "I'm going to get us out of this. I'm going to help you."
Twilight's bonds held her head steady. She glanced very deliberately downward, allowed her gaze to drift, and poked back down, indicating below with her eyes.
Sunset followed her gaze, eyes coming to rest on a small lump in Twilight's shirt. "The pendant..." she breathed.
Twilight winked.
A tear rose to the corner of Sunset's eye. "You're still on my side..."
"Well?" Starlight asked from below, watching Sunset's sword hand. "Have you made your choice?"
Quickly, Twilight glanced at Starlight, then furrowed her brow at Sunset, eyes hard and shadowed with worry. She repeated the gesture several times.
"Don't trust her?" Sunset whispered. Twilight winked again.
Sunset nodded. Swiftly, she moved so that her body blocked Starlight's vision. Sliding a finger under Twilight's collar, she found a metal chain around her neck, and pulled. A small dusky capsule with a glowing lavender star rose up. Reaching up, Sunset slid in the sword to slice at the chain.
"NO!" Starlight slammed into her side, sending Sunset toppling off the ladder. The sword flew free from her grasp as she crashed painfully to the ground, impacting her hurt leg and crying out in pain.
Starlight loomed above her, fury written on her face. "No necks! I said you shouldn't kill her, Sunset Shimmer!" She slammed a booted foot into Sunset's prone form, and Sunset screamed, rolling over. Twilight's eyes widened, and she thrashed at her bonds.
"You've thrown away your last chance," Starlight roared, winding up to strike Sunset again. Gasping, Sunset rolled out of the way at the last second, getting her hands underneath her. "Over and over I've tried, and you've rejected my every attempt at harmony!"
"Really, now?" said a new voice from behind them. Starlight whirled. "Is that what passes for harmony in Equestria these days?"
Adagio Dazzle stood on the school steps, radiating a crackling red aura that beat back the rain around her. Translucent wings glowed from her back, and she sported a pair of sharp yellow ears. "Evening, ladies," she greeted with a wave, swaying forwards.
Starlight turned on Adagio, glaring at the Siren leader. "What do you want? I'm busy!"
"Oh, I can see that," Adagio sang. "And I'm just here to offer a little thanks. While I'd never say no to a battle as lovely as the one you just gave us, Equestrian magic is really where it's at!" She flashed her wings, pacing toward Sunset, hips swaying seductively.
"...Wha? How did you-" Sunset stammered as Adagio reached down to stroke her chin. She pulled back, wincing from her leg. "I wasn't even paying attention to your song! I don't even have anyone here to fight with! How did you get my magic?"
"Oh, it wasn't your magic we fed on," Adagio crooned, grabbing Sunset's sword from the ground where it landed and flipping it in the air, catching it deftly. "You see... there was another Equestrian, a very angry one, who was foolish enough to spread their vitriol around through a convenient sound system! And that, well, we had no trouble devouring." She turned to Twilight. Sunset and Starlight tensed.
"...Just kidding!" Adagio spun and flicked off Starlight's hat with the tip of her stolen sword.
Starlight snarled. Atop her head, under where her hat had been, sat the Element of Magic, between a pair of pink pony ears. A large bundle of held-up hair fell loose, forming a tail.
With a yell of frustration, she withdrew another sword from her other boot and lunged at Adagio. Adagio parried effortlessly, catching Starlight's in such a way that it was twisted from her grasp and flung away. Sunset dove for it. "Really, now?" Adagio laughed. "Those things have been the weapon of choice for most of this world's history, and I've been through a lot of wars. Are you sure you want to dance this dance, sweetheart?"
In answer, Starlight snapped her fingers. The Element of Magic on her head strobed, a beam flew forward, and suddenly Adagio found herself encased in a solid chunk of lavender mana, unable to move. Starlight spun back to Sunset, who was climbing the ladder to Twilight once again, sword in hand.
"Freeze!" Starlight bellowed, grabbing Sunset in a field of telekinesis and dragging her into the air. Sunset flailed and grasped at the ladder, managing to nick Twilight's bonds with the sword on her way up before dropping it.
"I knew it!" Sunset panted. "You're Equestria's Starlight! You're responsible for this whole world, aren't you!?"
"I am," Starlight said, frowning. "And you're Equestria's Sunset. And I'm here to stop you."
"Me?" Sunset thrashed, struggling in vain against Starlight's powerful telekinesis. "But... but Twilight! You're her enemy, not mine! I don't even know you!"
"Don't you dare question my loyalty to Twilight!" Starlight snarled, jerking Sunset sideways and causing her to cry out. "I was happy! I had found someone for whom friendship wasn't a breath in the wind, something that could be extinguished by the slightest twist of fate! I had finally found acceptance again, lasting friendship, and then you had to show up and threaten to take it all away! You think I was just going to stand by and let you trample my life again?"
"What in Equestria are you talking about?" Sunset thrashed at her telekinetic bonds. "Threaten to take what away? I've been Twilight's friend for way longer than you have! She saved me, Starlight, more than once! I used to be horrible!"
"Well, I'll say you were," Starlight deadpanned, "if you're so used to getting what you want that you don't even remember the ponies you took it from!"
"No, I don't!" Sunset gasped, fighting for breath as telekinesis pressed the book sharply into her chest. "And if you were someone I hurt, Starlight, I'm sorry! I regret what I've done, I regret my past, but I'm a different person now! Give me a chance, Starlight! I've changed! I want to make it up to you!"
"You're not, you haven't, and you don't!" Starlight stomped, the blinding rain doing nothing to cool her anger. "When I found out you were a part of her life, I wanted to believe you'd changed too! If Twilight could save me, I had hope for you as well! But it was too big of a risk, so I tested you, and you failed, failed, failed! I took you back to the moment in your life I was surest you would renounce, but you loved it! You kept that crown and that disgusting body, you tried to steal Twilight and hoard her away for yourself, you had the audacity to hit on me!"
"I was possessed!" Sunset screamed, fighting to retain focus as brutal winds whipped around her. "I wasn't in control, I couldn't do what I wanted! That wasn't me!"
"A likely story," Starlight scoffed. "Why did you take off this crown, then? Felt remorse for what you had done? I was hoping you had. I kept trying, Sunset. Even after I had passed the point of no return and allowed you to irreparably harm Twilight, I kept searching for good in you... trying to bring out something worth saving, or at the very least convince you to protect Twilight from yourself on your own! But each and every time, you wouldn't- gaahaaaughh!"
A shower of sparks burst from the crown on Starlight's head, and the gem set into it flickered darkly. Starlight clutched her head and teetered, hissing in pain.
Sunset's eyes went wide as the telekinetic field holding her in the air wobbled. "Starlight, take that crown off!" she cried, panic seeping into her voice. "You can't use it! It turned me into a monster, and it could do the same to you!"
"Nngh... c-chaos..." Starlight moaned. Her eyes flew open with a flash. "I won't! The moment I take this off, you'll be free, and can do whatever you want! I-I can fight it... I can..."
"Starlight!" Sunset resumed thrashing, struggling frantically to free herself. "I promise I won't go anywhere! Take it off, and we can talk this out! I'm sorry I hurt you, but this is a big misunderstanding! When I wore that crown, I never even had a choice, and you won't either!"
"N-Nonsense," Starlight rasped, voice tinged with pain. Steam rose from her head where rain touched her sodden hair, and her pupils were the size of marbles. "I've held on... held on through chaos before. Do you see me growing... wings, Sunset Shimmer? Turning into a demon?"
"Take it off!" Sunset roared. The pressure from yelling, the wind and the telekinesis caused a tear to form in her suit around a corner of the book, and water slid in like an icy knife. "Starlight, you have to listen to me!"
"No I don't, Sunset Ssshimmer," Starlight hissed, a bolt of darkness lancing across her face. "I've been like this before, I know how it goes! I may not be as sane as sane can be, but I'm in control of my actions and have no intention of losing it! But this h-hurts so badly, so if you really want to get it over with..." She spun in a slow circle. Upon coming around, her face had been transformed from a mask of pain to twisted glee. "Then let's get you over with."
With a snap of her fingers, the telekinetic field around Sunset doubled in force, squeezing the breath from her lungs.
"Starlight, no!" Having freed a hand, Twilight had managed to tear off her gag. Nearby, Sunset gasped like a fish, completely unable to inhale any air. "Sunset's right, you need to take that crown off! It'll-"
Starlight's head turned mechanically. "Sorry, Twilight, but I can't take any risks. This is for your own good." And she fired a beam of lavender energy at Twilight, whose eyes widened at the incoming projectile.
The beam struck, encasing Twilight in a manacrystal just like Adagio. In the instant before it hit, Twilight threw her pendant with all her might at Sunset, who was choking in Starlight's grasp. It bounced to a rest on the ground beneath her.
While Starlight's attention was on Twilight, Sunset reached into her pockets and pulled out the small, hard chunk of portal. Fighting the telekinesis, she lobbed it as hard as she could at Starlight. It struck the side of the pink girl's head, causing her to briefly lose concentration in a fit of sparks and coughing and drop Sunset.
Sunset hit the ground with a crack, crying out in pain. Casting around for the pendant, she finally felt and grabbed it just as Starlight prepared to fire another beam of magic at her. Snapping it out in front, Sunset opened the pendant.
Concentric rings of harmonic energy radiated out, swirling around eachother like gimbals before constricting on Sunset. A five-color rainbow of energy enveloped her, blocking Starlight's attack, washing over her cold and sodden limbs, mending the damages in her leg and the chills she had endured. Her clothing melted away, the book falling to the ground, and was replaced by a gleaming white-and-yellow dress with a short skirt and long train. The color around Sunset's eyes darkened, and a horn and wings of pure light flashed into existence. She landed on the ground, the rain repelled by her aura.
"You've misunderstood me, Starlight Glimmer. I was telling the truth earlier, I had been possessed. But if you really want to see me use the magic of friendship... Take off that crown, or you will leave me no choice." Sunset pointed to her blazing glory, and she began conjuring a great fireball in her hand.
Starlight's eyes narrowed, and the crown on her head regained its glow. "So we're going to do this the long way, Sunset? Not as altruistic as you make yourself out to be, are you! Well, transformations won't help you here... But if that's the best you can do?" Lavender energy crackled and pooled in her hands. "It'll at least make for a fitting burial gown." She flung a mass of telekinesis forward, aiming for Sunset's head.
Sunset juked, flipping out of the way, and returned fire with a beam of her own. Starlight reached out with her telekinesis and grabbed Twilight's pendant, holding it in front of her as a ward. The pendant absorbed every bit of Sunset's blast, leaving Starlight unscathed. Sunset growled.
"Does it hurt?" Starlight laughed, a mad gleam in her eye, jaw hung crooked with glee. "I bet it does. It hurts because friendship and its magic won't work for a pathetic villain like you!"
With an explosion of light accelerating her, Sunset rocketed into Starlight like a cannonblast, grabbing her and kicking off the ground. The two flew forward and upward, crashing through an unbroken window and tumbling back into the collapsing school.