Sunset’s hoofsteps pattered ceaselessly against the throne room’s crystal floor, pacing back and forth without pause.
“I don’t understand! Why an alicorn? Why me? Why now? What did I even do to deserve this? It just makes no sense!” As she continued her diatribe, Twilight stood off to the side and stared, a slight frown crossing her face.
“Sunset, I should know more than anypony that it’s a lot to take in,” said Twilight, “but you’ve been doing this for nearly an hour. I’m starting to get a little bit worried about you.”
Sunset stopped in her tracks, a soft sigh pushing past her lips. “I just don’t know how I’m supposed feel about this. Princess Celestia always told me that an alicorn’s ascension warranted some great deed, but what did I do? Steal all my friend’s souls and try to take over Equestria, and only just stop myself at the last minute? What’s so great about that?”
“But that wasn’t you,” said Twilight. “You can’t blame yourself for that.”
“Just because it was only half of me doesn’t mean it wasn’t me,” Sunset countered. “It may have only been one part of myself, but it was still ultimately myself doing that. I just... I don’t know. Just before I left Equestria, I pretty much demanded that Princess Celestia make me an alicorn. But now that I finally am one, I couldn’t feel less ready for it. Just what am I supposed to do now?”
Twilight stepped forward, approaching Sunset with bright, compassionate eyes. They really are beautiful, Sunset thought.
“To be honest, I don’t know how to answer that question,” said Twilight. “What you do with your new wings is up to you. But whatever your choice is, I’ll always be here to help you figure it out.” She smiled softly, placing a gentle hoof on Sunset’s shoulder.
Sunset felt a sudden warmth in her cheeks. She reached up to her mane, brushing it away as a smile crept onto her lips. “Thanks, Twilight. I... I really appreciate it. It really does mean the world to me, having you here with me right now.”
The two stared into each other’s eyes, and Sunset’s heart fluttered as she saw Twilight cheeks begin to flush. For a moment, she could almost swear that her face was moving closer to Twilight’s.
A sudden knocking came at the door, and Starlight Glimmer walked in, carrying Spike on her back. “Is everything okay, Twilight? We got your message, and— WHOA!”
Sunset’s rapidly around to face their two new visitors, gazing back at the astonished glares she was receiving.
“Oh, right,” said Sunset. “I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?”
————————
Later that evening, Sunset had been brought to a field in Ponyville’s local park. By then the sun had already returned to its normal state, and the ponies of the town had returned to their daily lives as though nothing had happened. If Sunset had to guess, they’d all just gotten used to seeing strange things since Twilight moved in.
Of course, that didn’t stop Sunset’s new wings from receiving stares from every pony she passed. Everywhere she went, the attention was squarely on her, she couldn’t help but feel her stomach crawl at it.
The field itself was set up with a quaint celebration, several picnic tables arranged with apple cider, cupcakes, at least two regular cakes, and balloons. In the center of the gathering was a pair of plastic poles, with a banner hung between them reading “CONGRATULATIONS ON LEARNING SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND BECOMING AN ALICORN, SUNSET!” She wasn’t sure how Pinkie even managed to fit the entire message on the banner, given its dimensions.
Regardless, seeing the celebration her friends put on for her brought a warmth to her heart. It wasn’t anything large or extravagant (though Pinkie would have certainly done more if she had more time to plan it out), but it was enough.
“You really didn’t have to do this for me,” said Sunset. She stood with a circle of ponies, Twilight and her fellow bearers of the Elements joined by Starlight and Spike.
“Nonsense!” said Pinkie. “You did great out there, Sunset! All’s well that ends well, right?”
Sunset winced, recalling to mind the spiteful streak that her darker half had committed. “But I’m not so sure it did. I tried to burn down Applejack’s entire farm, remember? And I did so many other things to hurt you, too.”
“Shucks Sunset, is that what you’re worried about?” said Applejack. “It’ll take a heck of a lot more than a little fire to kill them apple trees. All they need is an earth pony’s touch, and they’ll be right as rain!”
Sunset blinked. “W-well okay, yeah, but what about Fluttershy? I stabbed her! With a knife!”
“U-um, it actually wasn’t that bad,” said Fluttershy. There was still a bandage wrapped around her chest, as she’d only just been let out of the hospital. “It didn’t even hurt, strangely enough. I was just so shocked by the whole thing that I couldn’t help but pass out.”
“It... it didn’t? But that makes no sense! How could it not—” Sunset exhaled loudly, shaking her head. “I’ll worry about that later. Rainbow, what about what I did to you? That had to have hurt, right?”
“Well yeah, of course it did,” said Rainbow. “But do you have any idea just how many times I’ve been struck by lightning while practicing? That wasn’t even in, like, the top one hundred worst lightning bolts I’ve felt.”
“I... But...” Sunset felt her words try to slip through her grasp as she desperately reached in to find them. “Rarity. I-I impaled you with my horn!”
“Yes, you did,” said Rarity. “And unless your horn is either made from silver or a wooden stake, I don’t see how that could possibly leave any lasting damage.”
“What?” said Sunset. “What does that have to do with anything?” Now that she thought about it, Rarity didn’t even seem to have any sign of injury on her at all.
Rarity grinned, baring her teeth. As she did, Sunset noticed a pair of sharp, piercing fangs that she was absolutely certain hadn’t been there a moment before. “You tell me, darling.”
“I... A vampony. You’re a vampony,” said Sunset. “Right, okay. Vamponies are real now. As if my day wasn’t weird enough already.” She placed a hoof against her forehead, nursing a sudden pain that had formed just beneath her horn. “Are none of you mad at me? Not even a little?”
“Well, Sunset,” said Applejack, “the way Ah see it, that half of you weren’t in the right mind while you were separate, so there ain’t no sense acting like you’re the same way now that you’re one pony.”
“We’re still your friends, Sunset,” Twilight reassured. “And we’re still here for you. And besides, everything worked out in the end. That’s what matters, isn’t it?”
“I...” Sunset sniffed slightly. She could already feel a dampness in the corner of her eye, but there was no sadness to be found within. “Twilight, I...”
Before she could even speak any further, Twilight moved in, wrapping her hooves around Sunset in a tight hug. Sunset eagerly returned the gesture, and the two shared in each other’s warmth. Butterflies formed in Sunset’s stomach at Twilight’s slightest touch, and as they embraced she felt almost giddy with an excitement she couldn’t quite explain. She had a pretty good guess what it meant, though.
“Um,” said Fluttershy. “N-not to interrupt your moment, but what about Discord?”
A chill ran down Sunset’s spine. She pulled away from the hug, her entire body going rigid as she stared at Fluttershy’s wide, vulnerable eyes.
“I... I heard he disappeared after I was injured,” said Fluttershy. “He... he’s not gone forever, is he?”
A lump began to form in Sunset’s throat. “I... I don’t...”
“Au contraire, mon petit poney! Heeeeeeeeeeeeee’s back!”
A flash of light and magic pierced through the air, and Discord popped into existence, brandishing a brass trumpet and dressed in a full mariachi outfit, complete with a comically wide sombrero. A full band of mariachi ponies had appeared alongside him, backing him up as he blew a loud, celebratory note that sounded more appropriate coming out of a plastic vuvuzela.
Sunset jumped back in surprise, only to find herself immediately surrounded by two identical clones of Twilight Sparkle. On her left was a clone Princess Twilight, who wrapped her wing around Sunset’s shoulder. The second clone was a unicorn, with a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and her mane tied into a bun. Both clones smiled, their half-lidded gazes bringing a wide variety of less-than-appropriate suggestions to Sunset’s imagination.
The real Twilight’s face became so reddened that it could have been reasonably mistaken for a tomato. “Discord! You put them back where you found them this instant!”
Discord rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine.” With a snap of his fingers, both Twilight clones disappeared.
“All of it,” said Twilight.
“Bah! You’re such a killjoy.” Despite his complaints, Discord complied, and with another snap of his fingers, all of his other conjurations disappeared. Now without his band or mariachi gear, he turned to face Sunset.
“So! It looks like you’ve changed a fair bit since I last saw you. Tell me, are you a pretty pony princess yet, or does the coronation come later?”
“W-what!? No!” said Sunset. “I’m not a princess! I don’t even want a coronation! And how are you even here?”
“Really? I honestly thought you’d have guessed by now,” said Discord. He bent over, his body snaking out like a crazy straw his head approached Sunset. His hand followed, poking Sunset on the snout with an audible ‘boop’ noise. “Spoiler alert: I was only humoring you with the disappearing act.”
“Wait, really?” said Sunset.
Discord’s body retracted to his normal length, making the sound of a zipper as he stood upright. “Well, obviously. I’m the Spirit of Chaos! I can see into a pony’s true soul just by looking at them. And as soon as I saw your little personified id, I knew she was up to no good. So when you tried to hurt my dear Fluttershy, I cast a spell to protect her vital organs and shield her from any pain you might inflict. Then I phased myself out, so I could come back when you least expect it!”
As he said the words ‘least expect it,’ Discord’s suddenly donned a bright red outfit consisting of a cloak and matching wide-brimmed hat. Around his neck was a gold necklace, carrying a small golden amulet shaped like eight arrows in a radial pattern.
“Hasn’t that reference already been done to death?” Pinkie chimed in.
Discord’s eyes went wide. “Reference? What are you talking about? You couldn’t possibly even know what I’m referring to!”
“Nope!” said Pinkie. “But I have a feeling there are a loooooot of nerds out there who probably do.” She turned, and pointed in a direction that didn’t appear to have anything of note, but brought Sunset an odd feeling of being watched when attention was drawn to it.
“That’s... What... Oh come on!” said Discord. “You couldn’t possibly know about that! That makes no sense!”
“Nope! But it’s more fun that way, isn’t it?”
“I...” Discord held up a finger and opened his mouth to speak. When words apparently failed him, he reversed the gesture. “Touché. Anyway, since I no longer have any need to return for my dramatic rescue, I think I’ll be on my way. That, and I clearly need to spend some time working on my routine. I’ll leave your order of Wings Sunny-Side Up to deal with your little party.”
Another snap of his fingers, and Discord vanished. An uncomfortable silence hung in the atmosphere.
“So, uh... are there going to be any more party crashers?” said Rainbow Dash. “’Cause there’s a whole bunch of cider waiting out there with my name on it!”
“Just remember to save some for everypony else this time,” said Applejack. “You remember what happened last month, when...” She paused, her ears twitching as they swiveled around, as though searching for something that they couldn’t quite pick up. “...Hold on, do y’all hear something?”
Sunset’s own ears twitched as she paused to listen to whatever sound Applejack was talking about. Sure enough, just on the edge of her hearing was a distinct, metallic scraping sound. As it grew louder and louder, Sunset’s mind for some reason jumped to the image of a house key scraping against piano wire. And she was certain she’d heard the sound on television before, but couldn’t recall where.
Before she could question the source of the sudden noise, the image of a stallion began fading into view. He had a brown coat, a darker brown mane, an cutie mark shaped like an hourglass, and wore a disembodied white collar with a green necktie. All the other ponies could do nothing but stare as he materialized, seemingly from nowhere.
His eyes gleamed in the sunlight as he turned to face Sunset. Despite their brightness, Sunset had the unexplainable sense that they were impossibly old.
“Ah, hello Miss Shimmer! Or Sunset, if you prefer.” He reached up and offered a hoofshake. When Sunset took it she was astonished by how powerful his grip. “Glad to see I made it on time. How are your new wings, by the way?”
“I... I’m sorry,” said Sunset, “have I met you before?”
“For a given definition of ‘you,’ yes,” said the stallion.
Twilight loudly cleared her throat, approaching the pair. “Sunset, this is Doctor Time Turner. He’s the other planeswalker I told you about.”
“Oh,” said Sunset. Now that she had the chance to look at him again, there was no denying it. She could feel the magic radiating off of him, magic unlike any other earth pony she had ever seen. A mild tingle of anxiety welled within her as she recalled what Twilight said of his age. “It’s, uh... nice to meet you, Mister Time Turner.”
“Doctor Time Turner,” Time Turner corrected. “Or just Doctor. Either way, the doctorate’s the important part, and I’m willing to correct other ponies as many times as I need before they get that drilled into their heads. But enough about that, there’s another reason I came here.” He grinned widely, and turned to face Twilight. “How are you feeling, Twilight? Is everything alright?”
“Um...” Twilight’s eyes darted back and forth. “W-well, I’m a bit bruised from a recent scuffle, but I should be okay. Why?”
“Hmm...” Time Turner paused, looking to be deep in contemplation. He then reached into his mane and pulled out a tattered, yellowed piece of parchment, eyes narrowing as he scanned its contents. Then, placing it back into his mane, he turned to Twilight.
Without any hesitation, Time Turner trotted up to Twilight. “Now then, Princess, would it be alright if I took a look at your chest for a moment? There’s something I need confirm, for the sake of your health.”
Instinctively, Sunset’s body seized up. “H-hey! What do you think you’re doing!”
“Now, now, no need to get defensive,” said Time Turner. “She doesn’t have a human chest, so nothing inappropriate to look at there. Not that I’d be interested in that kind of nonsense anyway. Much too messy for me.”
“Now hold on just a minute!”
“Sunset, it’s fine,” said Twilight. “Most ponies don’t have the same, er... paraphilia for the body part you’re probably thinking of. The Doctor may be odd, but I trust his intentions.” She turned to face Time Turner. “So what exactly do you need to look at, anyway? Do you even have a medical doctorate?”
Time Turner grinned. “I do, actually. Granted, it’s probably useless now, given the rapid advancement of medicine in the four hundred years that have passed since then, but I’m not going to be strictly looking at your body. I’ll need to see what’s happening with your soul, and aside from the brain, the heart is the point where the soul is most concentrated. Would it be alright if I took a closer look?”
“My soul?” said Twilight, a slight edge to her voice. “W-well, if you think something might be wrong with my soul, than you can go ahead.”
“Twilight, hold on—”
“It’s okay, Sunset. I said I trust him, remember?”
“Right...”
Despite the objections she wanted to raise, Sunset watched as the doctor pressed an eye uncomfortably close to Twilight’s chest, right above her heart. Several tense seconds passed, and Sunset wished for the routine to end with every passing one.
Finally, Time Turner pulled away, a grave expression written on his face. “It’s just as I thought, I’m afraid. Your planeswalker spark’s been damaged.”
“What!?” The cry came simultaneously from several ponies at once, not least of which were Sunset and Twilight themselves.
“Now, calm down,” said Time Turner. “It’s not extensive damage by any means, and it’s not irreversible. In fact, given your soul’s proximity to Harmony, I believe it should naturally heal itself within in three months. But until then, I would strongly recommend you avoid any sort of planeswalking, as the consequences could very well be lethal. You wouldn’t want your spark to stop working while you’re still out in the middle of the Blind Eternities, after all.”
“N-no,” said Twilight. “I wouldn’t.” As Twilight’s ears folded against the back of her head, Sunset recalled seeing Twilight’s memory of being trapped in interplanar space without the Planar Amulet, and how she sincerely believed those would be her last moments.
“Then it’s decided!” said Time Turner. “You’ll just stay in Ungula for the next three months, and before you know it you’ll be ready to walk the planes again. Now then, I must be off. I believe Miss Doo has been waiting for my return.”
Without another word Time Turner trotted off in the direction of Ponyville’s residential districts, leaving Sunset and her friends to stare as he disappeared into the horizon.
“Guess I’m not going to be visiting you in Anthropia for a while,” said Twilight. “Especially after the portal’s been destroyed. I’m sorry Sunset, I was really looking forward to seeing you more frequently.”
“That’s okay, Twilight,” Sunset reassured. She hesitated momentarily when a thought came to her mind. “Actually, now that you mention it, I actually don’t know who destroyed the portal. I just told you I did it to throw off your suspicions.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide. “Wait! So someone knew about the connection between our planes, and went out of their way to eliminate it?”
“Apparently so,” said Sunset. “And now that I think about it, that’s... probably not a good sign. I need to go back and investigate, especially since my friends don’t even know what happened to when I left.” Her eyes glanced backwards, over to her very non-clothed pony body. “I’m definitely going to need some clothes, though.”
Twilight giggled. “Oh, well that’s an easy fix,” she said. “I have an illusion spell that—”
“Nope, nuh-uh,” said Sunset abruptly cutting Twilight off. “No illusions. I’m terrible with illusion spells, and I’d still be naked even if nobody can see it. I’m not going to risk having someone accidentally touch me in... places.”
A look of dawning comprehension slowly began to fade in on Twilight’s face. “Oh,” she said.
“What’s the big deal?” said Rainbow Dash. “Not wearing clothes is awesome! No itching or chafing, feeling the wind between your legs... Um, no offense, Rarity.”
“None taken, dear,” said Rarity. “Although I do have to wonder why you need clothes to visit the human world. You’ve never really seemed like a pony interested in dressing up, outside of maybe a few fancier occasions.”
“Humans have very little body hair, Rarity,” Sunset replied. “We’re pretty much entirely exposed to the elements without clothing. That, and we don’t have any magic to hide our, uh... parts when we’re not using them.”
Everyone went silent, and their faces went very, very red. All of them except Spike, who simply stared.
“Wait, ‘parts?’ Twilight, what is she—”
Starlight suddenly clasped her hooves against Spike’s ears. “Oh, would you look at that! I just remembered Spike and I have to go over to the other table and, um... eat some cake! Wouldn’t that be fun, Spike?”
“What? Hey! Put me down!” Spike’s protests were ignored as he was carried onto Starlight’s back as she trotted over to the farthest picnic table. “I’d better be getting an extra big slice of cake for this!”
Another tense silence followed. Rarity was the first to speak up, a slight cough breaking the tension.
“Right. I suppose you’ll be needing some clothes, then. I can make something for you if you give me a reference, but it will probably take a week for me to finish it and get it to you. Would that be alright?”
“I...” Sunset paused. A slight shudder ran down her spine. The last conversation she had with her friends at Canterlot High replayed through her memory, and she recalled in particular the vial of glistening oil. “I’m not sure. I have a feeling something bad will happen if I don’t find out who destroyed the portal. But I can’t go back without clothes either, so... I guess I’m stuck here until then.”
“Well hey, look on the bright side!” said Pinkie. “That means you get to spend more time with us! Ooh, maybe we could go to the skinnie convention later this week! It’ll be a blast!”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “’Skinnie?’”
“Yep!” said Pinkie. “It’s when you’re super into fictional characters that don’t have fur, feathers, hooves, chitin, or scales! Why, just last year I went with Lyra and—”
“Aaaaaaand I suddenly don’t want to know,” said Sunset. “Maybe there’s something else we can do instead. Plus, there’s someone else I want to talk to before I leave. Someone I...”
Sunset’s chest suddenly felt unbearably heavy. She couldn’t bring herself to finish her sentence.
“You want to talk to Princess Celestia?” said Twilight.
“Yeah,” said Sunset. “I do.”
————————
The rest of the week was spent among her friends. She’d spent time studying magic with Twilight, learning how to fly and preen her new feathers from Rainbow, relaxing at the spa with Rarity, planning parties with Pinkie, and even going out birdwatching with Fluttershy. Applejack had little time to spare, as the harvest season was approaching, but she was more than willing to have Sunset over for dinner.
In many ways, spending time among them felt just like spending time among their human counterparts, but every so often an oddity popped up that reminded her of how different the two worlds she’d spent her life being tossed between were. It was strange how much better hay tasted when she had the body of a pony, how nobody minded at all if you were completely naked, and how much the animals seemed to be able to think and reason on a similar level to ponies.
Everywhere she went, of course, she received the same stares from passerby at her new wings. Many inquisitive ponies asked her if she was the latest princess, and when the invitations to her coronation would be coming out. Sunset replied that she wasn’t a princess, and that there wouldn’t be any coronation, but nobody ever seemed to believe her. Didn’t they think Equestria had enough princesses already?
It was at the end of the week, after she’d received her full set of clothes from Rarity, that her final appointment came up. It was the one that she was most looking forward to making, but at the same time was the one she most dreaded.
When the train reached its destination in Canterlot, she slung her saddlebags over her, and departed into the city proper. She walked through it at a leisurely pace, observing the scenery of her childhood for one last time. A commotion rapidly formed everywhere she went, as the ponies who no doubt heard the rumors of a new princess gathered just for a chance to see her. Ignoring them, Sunset pushed her way past the crowds and towards the palace.
She was escorted into the doorway by a pair of Royal Guards, who she had to specifically instruct not to bow to her. Similar incidents occurred with most of the castle staff she encountered along the way. She would have been lying if she said it didn’t bother her, but her mind was focused on much more important things.
Finally, she reached the door to the throne room, flanked by one last pair of guards. She gave them a nod, and they responded with a salute. Sunset held her breath and reached out with her magic, pushing the massive doors open. Her eyes remained closed as she walked in.
The doors echoed cacophonously behind her the moment she entered the chamber. Sunset opened her eyes, and gasped at what she saw. There, Princess Celestia sat on her throne, though her body was covered in multiple signs of injury. Several bandages were wrapped around her chest, her right wing was encased in a cast, and a temporary eyepatch had been placed over her right eye. Yet somehow, despite everything that had happened to her, the smile on her face seemed no less serene, and no less genuine.
“Ah, Sunset! It’s good to see you at last. I would have contacted you earlier, but I was momentarily occupied in the Royal Infirmary.”
“Princess! I...” Sunset gaped in horrified shock. “I... Did I do this? I’m so sorry!”
“Don’t be,” said Celestia. Despite her injuries, she left the throne with the same grace as ever, approaching Sunset with gentle, yet profoundly saddened eyes. “I have suffered many injuries across my lifetime, Sunset. But the pain you’ve inflicted on me pales in comparison to what I’ve inflicted on you. If anything, you are the one who deserves an apology.”
“M-me?” said Sunset. “B-but, I...”
“I turned you away because I thought I failed you as a teacher,” said Celestia. “Because I failed to teach you how to think of others just as much as you think of yourself. But I didn’t stop to think how I’d be leaving you without anypony to truly care for you. I didn’t fail you as a teacher, but as a family. And I’m sorry.”
Without another word, Celestia leaned over, lowering her head in a nuzzling gesture. But before she could make contact, Sunset involuntarily flinched away, a small whine escaping her lips.
Celestia’s eyes went wide as she pulled away. “Sunset?”
“I-I’m sorry Princess,” said Sunset. “But the reason I came here is because I wanted to say that... I-I need to get away from you for a while. My darker half was right about how much you hurt me. I just... I can’t just forget about that, no matter how much I want to. I-I still love you dearly, but I just... I need some space until I can sort these feelings out. Do you think you could give that to me?”
Celestia’s uninjured eye closed deep. For the briefest moment, Sunset could see a single tear trailing down her face. With a deep breath, she looked down at Sunset once more.
“I understand,” she said. “If that is what you need, I will give it to you. Do whatever you need to heal, and do not think for a moment you are obligated to forgive. Your friends have forgiven you because, in their deepest hearts, that is how they truly feel about you. But I cannot dictate how you should feel, nor can I demand you change those feelings for me.”
“I...” Sunset felt a tear form in her own eye. “I just... maybe I’ll come back to your side someday, but not right now. We’ll see. But right now, I have to go. My friends in Anthropia are waiting for me, and they’re probably really worried about where I went. I need to go back to them.”
“Then I will not keep you any longer,” said Princess Celestia. “I wish you well on your travels.”
Sunset wiped off the corner of her eye. “Thank you, Princess.” She turned to face the doorway, and departed without another word.
————————
After her meeting with Princess Celestia, Sunset quickly made her way to the castle’s changing room, where she had spent many nights before formal events under her former mentor’s tutelage, putting on obnoxiously frilly dresses to meet the lofty social expectations of Canterlot’s high society.
Thankfully, the outfit she’d packed into her saddlebags was much less unnecessarily fancy. It was a simple purple t-shirt with her cutie mark on it, a pair of socks, some sneakers, and a pair of blue-jeans. They very clearly didn’t fit her pony body at all, especially not so with her wings painfully tucked beneath the garments on her torso. Even straining to bend her spine to stand upright didn’t help matters any, but she was confident that her human body would accommodate her outfit. Of course, there were also the especially uncomfortable undergarments she wore, the very concept of which she had to explain to Rarity multiple times. It was a miracle she managed to create a bra and panties that were otherwise indistinguishable from human-produced ones, but Rarity was very quick to boast about being a miracle worker.
With her clothes fully donned, Sunset gave herself one last look over in the mirror. Unable to stand the discomfort any longer, she planeswalked away, keeping the image of Canterlot High firmly in her mind. Her perceptions faded in a burst of light, and felt her form dissolving into nothing, before reconstituting itself afterward.
When she arrived, Sunset gave one quick look over herself. She was human again, thankfully, and her clothes were a perfect fit, making her think briefly that pony Rarity really was a miracle worker.
But Sunset wasn’t prepared to see what stood before her when she lifted her eyes off her body.
Superficially, it resembled Canterlot High. The same general building shape was there, and she could see all of the windows in the places that they normally were, as well as the space in the front where the portal had been removed. But all the bright assortment of colors had faded to a uniform concrete grey, and there were now multiple smokestacks coming out of the rooftops, pouring out so much pollution that the entire sky had been blotted out by ashen grey clouds. And worst of all, there was no sign of any other living person. The entire building had been transformed from a vibrant, bustling high school to an oppressive, brutalist work of architecture.
And then, Sunset saw the symbol painted above the front entrance. A single letter phi, scrawled across the building in slick green ooze. Below it, a single sentence, written as both threat and promise.
ALL WILL BE ONE
————————
Phyrexian High School
Land
T: Add C to your mana pool.
5, T, pay 2 life: Target creature gains infect until end of turn. (It deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
Where independent thought goes to die.