//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14 - Corruption 
// Story: Solar Eclipse 
// by hattafan2593 
//------------------------------//

"Twilight, this just came from Princess Celestia!"

Twilight Sparkle jumped in shock at suddenly hearing her number one assistant's voice, the sudden movement causing several dozen papers to fall to the floor.

She had been searching for hours through tomes and ancient scrolls - half of which she couldn't even read because the ink had faded - desperately trying to find something that would open the portal.

But....if it was from Celestia...it must be important.

She gently levitated the letter from Spike and opened it. Her eyes widen as she quickly read the contents. "Spike! This is it! Celestia's found the spell we need!"

She read out loud:

"Dear Twilight,

Luna and I have been searching the remains of our old castle in the Everfree Forest, hoping to find something of Starswirl's that I might have missed after relocating. Sure enough, we found a scroll hidden inside a secret cache. If the date on the scroll is correct, we can roughly estimate that this is one of the last spells he wrote before his passing.

The scroll, after being translated, appears to be an updated version of the spell he used to banish the sirens, including instructions on how to perform the spell."

Twilight frowned as she read the next paragraph, "However, be advised that we don't know if this spell has been tested yet, so it is unclear if it will actually work or not."

Twilight and Spike shared an uneasy look before she continued, "That said, I acknowledge that, as a Princess of Equestria, you must make decisions that you believe are best.

All I ask is that you be careful, my former student.

I wish you well.

Signed, 

Celestia, Princess of the Sun."


Twilight slowly set the letter down to look at the scroll that came with it, her brows furrowed.

"Twilight? Are....are you sure about this?"

Twilight sighed, then turned to Spike. "No....but it's the only chance I have."

Levitating the scroll so she could read the instructions, she opened a drawer with her magic and pulled out a piece of chalk.

Slowly, she drew a circle on the floor as she recited the words on the paper.

"Voco Magia ad creare Porta
Odium verba divides de lapsi sarcire ruinas
Omnium mortalium unire somnia
Harmonia autem est in omni receperint aestus
"

As Twilight read the spell, her voice reverberated throughout the room.  The chalk circle glowed a bright blue and enveloped her in light. Each word she read off the scroll glowed and  literally flew off the scroll. They flew around her, glowing gold, as they spun around and around. 

"Aperi Porta Harmonia
Aperi Porta Harmonia
APERI PORTA HARMONIA!!!"

The room glowed white, and she was gone, leaving poor Spike looking about the room in fright and confusion.









Twilight landed in the snow on her hands and knees. Daring to look up she deduced that, yes, she was in the right place.....and in one piece, but that something was terribly terribly wrong. For one thing, the sky was green. And glowing. For another, there was a pile of charred rubble next her, still smoking.

The portal.....

"Twilight!"

Twilight turned towards the familiar voice and saw several cars and people in uniform outside the force-field. Police officers, she realized. Among them, she saw two familiar figures, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, looking both shocked and relieved to see her.

As she stood up, it hit her that it was freezing cold, and apparently she wasn't wearing a jacket. Wrapping her arms around her, she ran over to the two women.

"Twilight....how? How are you here? We saw-"

"That's not important right now. Celestia, what happened? Where are my friends?"

Celestia gave a pained look. "I don't know where Miss Pie, Miss Shy, and Miss Applejack are. They didn't come to school. But Sunset....Twilight....Sunset, she...."

Celestia turned away, unable to continue. Luna placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Twilight reeled back as if struck. She was too late.

Steeling her resolve, she took a deep breath. There would be time to mourn later.

Placing a hand on the force-field, Twilight vowed, "I promise, I will find the monster behind this and end this madness. Sunset won't have died in vain."

Celestia's eyes widened. "Died? No...no Twilight...you don't understand, Sunset-"

But Twilight had already taken off towards the school.




As Twilight entered the main doors - she was surprised to find them unlocked - and slowly walked down the dark and empty main hallway, she wondered about this new threat to Canterlot High. If Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were absent from school, then using the Elements would be a problem.

And then there was Sunset.....

Twilight steeled herself. No. Even with Sunset...gone....the Magic of Friendship was still there. All she had to do was find a way to disable the force-field and gather the others together-

"So you are here. Can't say I'm surprised."

Twilight's head snapped up to see a hunched over silhouette a few feet away from her. She could distinctly make out two bat-like wings.

Twilight clenched her fists. "So you're the one behind this! Show yourself!"

The figure paused, then chuckled softly. "They really need to fix the lighting in this school. That's twice now we've met in a dark hallway."

The figure stepped forward, and revealed a twisted, sickly, but all too familiar face.

"S....Sunset?!"

Were it not for the red hair, and the single yellow streak left amongst the black, she wouldn't have believed it. But it was indeed Sunset Shimmer.  Her hair was a mess, and covered half of her face, which was pale and gray. The single eye showing had black sclera and a golden iris. She appeared to be wearing some sort of black bodysuit. 

Sunset gave a weary smile. "...Hey Twilight."

Twilight felt sick. "Sunset......I don't understand.....how-"

"-did it get like this? Honestly, I've been asking myself that for the past few days."

Sunset gazed down at her blackened hand. "Let's just say I've been having literally the worse week of my life." She touched the wall and it began to glow white. "Maybe it's best if you see for yourself."

Twilight looked between Sunset, then the glowing wall, then back, before slowly hesitantly, touching a single finger to it-




You're Anon-A-Miss!

How could you do this? After everything we've been through?

Secret stealer!

You're not our friend!

What part of leave us alone didn't you understand?!

And what do you do with a dog that starts biting the hand holding its  leash?  Get rid of it.  They've been playing you like a pipe since day  one. 

Hope you had fun messing with us.  Now it’s our turn.

I was stupid.....so stupid.....





Twilight opened her eyes to find she was on the floor. She shakily sat up, panting, her face burning with tears.

She saw it. She felt it. All of it. Everything Sunset had been through. Getting rejected by her friends not once, but twice, getting shunned by the school again, getting lured into a trap with the express purpose of doing her harm, and worse of all, learning that Rainbow Dash had been part of it.

Twilight covered her mouth, resisting the urge to vomit.

"Sorry. Probably should've warned you."

Twilight looked up to see Sunset looking at her, her expression unreadable.

"Sunset, I...I'm so....if I'd known....if I'd been here-"

"It wouldn't have made a difference. They had made up their minds. Nothing you did would have changed it."

Twilight stood up slowly as she gazed at her friend. She sounded like Sunset, but she sounded......wrong. "Sunset......where are our friends?"

"Your friends."

"Huh?"

"Were you not watching the same memories I was? Those girls are not my friends, and they never were. They only put up with me because of you." Twilight flinched at the accusatory tone. "But to answer your question, Applejack and Pinkie are at home, don't know where Fluttershy is, nor do I care, and Rainbow Dash and Rarity are....around, somewhere in the school. They're all alive, though they probably wished they weren't."

Twilight gaped, unable to comprehend the absolute apathy Sunset was showing.

"Sunset, you need to stop this."

Sunset's face twisted in contempt. "And how exactly do you propose I do that? This," she gestured to her corrupted form. "doesn't exactly have an off switch!"

"Sunset, this has gotten completely out of control! There are police outside!"

"Hm. Wondered what those sirens were. Again, what do you want me to do?"

"Take down the force-field! Let everyone go! Let our friends go!"

"They're. Not. My. Friends!" Sunset ground out, and Twilight noticed that her fangs were growing longer. "But sure, Twilight, I'll just take down the force-field, let the police in, and I can explain that it was just one big misunderstanding! Then we can all hold hands and sing one big rousing musical number!"

"Sunset, stop! This isn't you!"

"Maybe it is me! Maybe I like hurting people! Maybe I was lying to you and myself about friendship being worth a shit! Did you ever think about that?!" Sunset slammed her fist into the wall, leaving large cracks. Twilight jumped back, shocked.

Suddenly, Sunset gripped her head and screamed in pain. A giant horn sprouted from her forehead. Sunset's wings flared out as she shook her head violently.

Twilight reached out a hand in concern, but it was swatted away by black claws. "Don't TOUCH me!"

Twilight's eyes widened as she looked at Sunset's face. Half of it was completely black, and there were tiny black veins crawling over to cover the other half.

Sunset suddenly looked frightened, and took a step back. "You can't fix this, Twilight. You can't fix me. Please....just go."

Twilight shook her head. "No Sunset. I won't leave you like this."

As Twilight walked forward, Sunset snarled a warning, "Twilight....."

"I know that things are bad. I know you've been hurt. But this isn't the way! Lashing out won't make you feel better! I know you feel alone now, but you're not. You have me. Friendship isn't always easy, but believe me, it's always worth fighting f-"

"Shut UUUUUUUUUPPPPPP!!!!! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!"

With a roar, Sunset's wings flared out, and bright green flames surrounded the two in a large circle.

Sunset began to laugh. "Heh. Heheheheheh. I destroy the portal, and you come anyway. I tell you to go and you don't. LISTEN! Well, fine. FINE! You wanna stay? Then STAY!!!!"

Sunset made a throwing motion. Twilight instinctively threw out her arms only to lower them when she heard a clanging sound at her feet. She look down to see a sword.

Twilight's pupils turned to pinpricks as she whispered, "....no."

She looked up to see Sunset holding a sword of her own, sheathed in green magic. "Oh yeah. It's round two, Princess. And this time, only one of us gets out alive!"