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// Prologue: When shadows grow. 
// Story: True Harmony 
// by Saturni_Rose 
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A legend exists, told to all those who wander out past sunset. It is said that on that fateful day so long ago, queen Celestia was reluctant to fight the monster her little sister had become. In that reluctance, she held back the full weight of her might, even when dealing the final blow. 
Seeing a gap in her conviction, a small portion of Nightmare Moon’s essence was able to escape the lunar banishment. And when Celestia abandoned their old castle once again, it was left alone to wander the empty halls and bide its time. To this very day, it skulks out from the ancient castle grounds once Celestia’s watchful sun has set, looking to stalk unsuspecting foals who don’t mind their parents. 
A soft rain began to fall, and Sunset Shimmer stepped between the pillars of the crumbling castle, long forgotten by the rest of the world. Through a gracious hole in the walling, she watched the sun sink beneath the dark clouds to make for the horizon. And she found herself wondering why it was she suddenly remembered this silly fairytale her own parents would tell her now and again when putting her to bed. 
“What am I even doing out here?” she asked of no one in particular. With a shake of her head, she found some rubble to sit on, and placed her slumping chin into her hooves. 
The part she didn’t want to say out loud, even if she felt she was alone, was that she was hoping that in snooping around the ancestral home of the royal alicorn sisters, she might be able to pick out some dirt on Luna. She still felt so off about her, how everyone seemed fine with adulating, and pretending the doom she once spelled for Equestria never happened. 
“Am I doing the right thing?” Unslouching her head, she looked at her hooves. What happened to all this patience and temperance garbage Celestia taught her, and then made her the avatar of? Maybe it was never really there at all, and she had just been good at faking it, as long as the accolades kept coming. So when they started going to another--no, worse yet, when the affections of the one who looked up to her most, admired her the most, when that went to her, it boiled her blood to a froth. 
Had all her ire simply been misplaced? She hadn’t even given Luna a chance. Luna, who was the first, and loudest one to remind others of the sins of her past. Sunset’s lip trembled, revealing gritted teeth. “She didn’t make a fool out of me, I did this to myself.” She sighed, frustrations turning inward. “Maybe Celestia was wrong about me, all along.” 
Sunset stood up. It would be dusk soon, and Canterlot castle would be missing her. Twilight would be missing her. Drawing her hood up tight, she made a silent promise to herself to set things right, and maybe have some difficult conversations of her own. 
That’s when she saw it, from the corner of her eye. It was this shrouded shape of a figure with sad white eyes that oozed downward like an everflowing font of melting wax. In deafening silence, it seemingly stood on its lack of feet, watching from a crumbling doorway. The hallway beyond the portal was so dark, she hadn’t noticed this shadowy, ambiguous shape. And turning to face it, she couldn’t help but gasp as her heart leapt into her throat. 
She soon wished she hadn’t let this thing get so close, however. Darkness bled out from all around it, and quickly covered her up when she tried to take off. Struggle as she might, her muscles strained for naught. Her vision faded as inky black of and unknowable abyss blotted out all of her senses. The hearing, though, that remained, for a brief, bitter moment. 
The voice sounded as though it once demanded respect and authority. But now, it was angry, sorrowful, and desperate all at once. It seemed to echo off the fading bricks, overtaking the patter of rain. Coldly, it said to her: “Relax. I only need to borrow you for a little while. Let me strengthen my connection to her, and you can be on your way.” 
All else faded. There was no sight. There were no sounds. And just as Sunset thought she might not be able to breathe any longer, she gasped, rising to a cool, dark room. The room, in fact, was her own. She was in bed, panting, cold sweat on her brow. With a start, she told herself: “D-dream. It was just a dream. I’m fine.” 
Something did not sit right with that explanation, though. Even as Sunset tried to lie back down and convince herself, something was off. A few minutes passed, and sleep refused to find her again. That horrid dripping rang louder than it ever should. So she sat up in bed, throwing off the sheets to go inspect. Her eyes darted around as they became used to the dark. 
When she noticed the dark, nebulous shape slumped over her desk, panic set in all over again. Sunset calmed her frantic heart, though. The shape did not move. So she cast forth a minor orb of light. This revealed the inky blob for what it was this time: her rain slicked cloak, dripping water onto the floorboards. 
The gears turned. Canterlot had no rain scheduled today, but the weather above the Everfree Forest, that always had a mind all its own. And there, this afternoon, it surely rained. She remembered. 
“But why can’t I remember anything else?” she groaned, straining her aching head. Her temples pulsed with pain. “W-wait… ‘Strengthen my connection to her?’ What does…” 
Sunset’s eyes went wide with horror. The legend, it must be true. Which means there was only one mare that little message could have been meant for. She ran her hooves through her messy head of hair, and squeaked: “What have I done?” 
Bolting for her door, Sunset threw it open with a slam. She dashed by a very confused pair of castle guards on her way to Twilight’s room. Twilight was the smartest mare she knew, and an expert in the arcane. If anyone could help her fix this, it was her. 
Soon enough, though, Twilight would not be the only mare due for an unpleasant awakening…