Tuesday's sky was the color of ash. There was no rain, but neither was there sun - Celestia's or otherwise.
There was no bright aura around Sunset today, either. Despite having the biggest coffee she could grab from Sugarcube Corner in her hand, it wasn't enough to crack through her tired eyes.
A slow, silent trudge to Canterlot High was brought to an abrupt halt as both Equestrians froze before the school. Outside was a gathering around the stone plinth - dozens of students and a few teachers. Some milled about, many sat in little clusters. They were as grey as the sky, most seeming to talk quietly to themselves rather than the others around.
Sunset's eyes narrowed, scanning the crowd before picking out a drape of purple and magenta hair. "...Twilight," she half-muttered. Then - a turn and a crouch to be eye-level with Cozy Glow. "Go inside. Get to class."
"But--"
"Go," Sunset repeated. "I just..." Her eyes flitted for a moment back to the crowd. "I just need to catch up with Twilight real quick, okay? I'll see you at lunch." She hesitated before adding a plaintive "Please."
Cozy's stomach churned with dread. Maybe she had been evil - maybe she still was - but there were some things a pony's soul could pick out as Wrong. Something here was Wrong. And in the moment, her tentative plan was forgotten. She nodded and fled inside.
Unlike the courtyard, the halls of Canterlot were empty. The wall clocks declared that classes would start in under five minutes, but Cozy's run didn't take her past another soul. Her classroom was more populated but barely so - no Miss Cheerilee teaching, and both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were missing. By the time the bell rang, the class of twenty-four was only seven and still lacked a teacher. The few that were there watched one another nervously, each hoping someone else would take the first step and figure out what to do.
Then out of the corner of her eye, movement caught Cozy Glow's attention. Instinctively her gaze flicked to the window - to the courtyard - to the mass of people there - to the smoke. Blue smoke that seemed to hold the coherent shape of a tall, long-limbed unicorn.
Cozy's soul shuddered and screamed again that this was Wrong. The thin window was enough to let her fight it down this time - at least enough for her to remember her plans. She had been waiting for another magical crisis to give her an opening. This was certainly a magical crisis and...
She leaned forward, getting a better angle on the scene. There - by the base of the statue - was a shock of red and gold hair. Sunset Shimmer, curled up in a ball with her arms clutching her knees tight.
This was the opening.
A gentle breeze blew over the courtyard, carrying with it the chill of approaching winter. It cut into Cozy, held back only by her thin second-hand windbreaker. The students and teachers around her huddled and shivered rather than seek shelter.
"I know you're here," she said to the air. "Come out." Cozy hoped the tremble in her bones didn't carry in her voice.
She called, and it came. From behind the plinth, the creature walked. Closer now, Cozy could see it better. The shape was undeniably unicorn, tall and lean like a Princess but without the wings. It was weirdly two-dimensional, as if pressed flat against a surface that Cozy couldn't see. The outer edges were defined by the blue smoke that swirled and flowed behind as it walked, but inside that border was different. It seemed a nothing at first - a void with only the hints of stars. But as the thing moved closer it brushed its barrel against a numb-faced Wallflower Blush. The interior of the thing lit up like Sunset's television.
Sunset Shimmer was curled up on the edge of the school's roof, crying. Below and across the parking lot, her friends chatted among themselves. Sunset looked down to them, trying to find words that wouldn't immediately fail again. Rarity, in turn, looked up and caught sight of the amber girl. With a haughty snort of disdain, the fashinista turned away as soon as their eyes met. It was just another icy knife into Sunset's heart. With nothing left, she stood.
At the edge of the trees beside the parking lot, Wallflower screamed.
In a heap amidst the students, Wallflower screamed.
The creature strode away from the gardener, leaving a thin tendril of smoke behind. The lack of eyes turned on Cozy Glow and stared through her. It didn't speak but she understood none the less - she knew it was the Tantabus. It had once been a part of Princess Luna, built from dreamstuff to torture herself. Fed off of regret of past acts and guilt of possible ones, it had grown powerful and fat in her psyche. But on the verge of breaking out, she had forgiven herself and re-absorbed the Tantabus.
Cozy reeled as the smoke--the Tantabus simply looked at her and made her know things. Her head felt as if she'd just woken up seconds before and was still full of dream-fog. "But if she absorbed you, how are you here?"
An echo of a thought was Cozy's reply in a skin-crawlingly wrong version of Sunset Shimmer's voice. "Redemption is a journey, Cozy."
Pale scarlet eyes looked to where Sunset was still balled up on the ground. Another shiver ran up Cozy's spine - and then she scolded herself for being so weak. She had faced down Chrysalis and Tirek and Sombra and Grogar. She was stronger than this!
But she also knew it was the truth. It took a moment to say you forgive yourself but actually doing so took a long time. And she knew that the Tantabus had suffered in that time, starving as Luna's guilt fed it less and less.
Until the portal.
Until it had sensed something that was Luna but not Luna.
Something that the Tantabus had latched onto, escaping the Princess.
"...The Vice-Principal," Cozy surmised quietly. "You lept from one Luna to the other."
And so Cozy understood. She was smart enough to fill in the blanks for the rest.
Cozy paused. "Um, actually? No I'm not. I don't understand why you're telling me this." Another pause. "Thinking this at me." And another, with rising anger. "Why is this happening?!"
The Tantabus meandered as Cozy's frustration rose, touching a leg against Twilight Sparkle and--
Twilight cackled. But it wasn't quite her - the raven wings and glasses of iridescent flame gave that much away. Reaching down, she slipped a lithe finger under Princess Twilight Sparkle's chin and forced the pony-turned-girl to look up at her. "I should have done this in the first place. If I wanted to understand magic, why not take it directly from the source?"
The Princess looked up at her mirror self. "Please. Don't do this."
"The march of knowledge requires some sacrifices," Twilight noted with chill detachment. Then her hand shoved into the other Twilight's chest, grabbing hold of the Equestrian's very essence and yanking to rip it from her thrashing body.
Twilight Sparkle started to cry anew.
Another thin wisp of blue smoke trailed behind the Tantabus as it leisurely walked away from the girl-who-was-not-a-princess. It slowly meandered towards Sunset Shimmer, because it wanted to go home. Just like Cozy Glow did, the Tantabus needed to return to Equestria. It could grow strong off the fears of a people that had no Princess to defend them and finally manifest outside - but at the same time it also could not survive in this magic-less world. It was a bonfire, burning strong but fast. Only by returning to Equestria before its flame was quenched could the Tantabus live outside of dreams. But it could not cross the portal on its own - that required a physical body to carry it. Sunset Shimmer had been the first choice, but she was too stubborn.
The Tantabus grazed Sunset with its mane. Within the smoke the stars gave way to--
The lanky red demon hovered over the burning wreck of Canterlot High's front doors. A horde of glowing-eyed students staggered about, slowly obeying the demon's will and forming battle lines. The only ones present who did not were Twilight Sparkle and her friends - their own defensive cluster stood strong, facing down the demon.
Flames formed in the demon's hands, crackling with the dark magic that summoned them. "Twilight has interfered with my plans one too many times. She needs to be dealt with!" A fireball the size of a pony hurled towards Twilight and--
Dissipated.
A single mote of light gleamed from a crystal in the center of the demon's chest. Tiny, transparent and flickering. Inside it was a miniature Sunset Shimmer. And she sang.
"You're never gonna bring me down./You're never gonna break this part of me." Her song was quiet and weak, but Sunset's true voice cut through the nightmare and pierced out of what the Tantabus created.
Above her, the Tantabus managed a snarl on a face that didn't exist. It lifted a hoof and slammed it against Sunset's forehead with enough force to push her over.
Sunset Shimmer glared daggers at Princess Celestia as the guards surrounded her. "This is the biggest mistake you'll make in your entire life," she snarled as they started to drag her away.
But while Sunset's eyes were full of hate, Princess Celestia's look was far more complex. Disappointment. Fear. Self-doubt. Sorrow. Regrets that stretched across centuries.
Sunset Shimmer whimpered, even as she struggled.
The deepest pony part of Cozy Glow wrenched against her again, crying out to flee. She forced herself to stand strong - this was it. Her opportunity. It was freedom. Her jailor was disabled, the portal would soon be available, and she had access to something that would clear her escape route. All she had to do was use the book to contact Equestria and have them open the portal. Then carry the Tantabus through and all would be complete. She would be home again, and it could turn all of Equestria into a living nightmare!
A smoky tendril of mane reached out to Cozy, stroking her cheek. Now they could--
"Every step of the way, guided by the older, wiser and more experienced? Hm?" Rarity batted her eyelashes.
The Tantabus recoiled.
Rarity's words echoed in Cozy's memory just as the moment flashed across the Tantabus' form. She was right. If Cozy took this chance, it wouldn't be her doing. It would just be riding along with someone else's victory and picking up the scraps for herself. Again.
Her hesitation didn't stop the Tantabus. It reached out again, this time with more force. After all, did it matter how she got it? Cozy would have her revenge on those who had dared to--
"If you don't care how they feel, then why's it important that they feel bad?" From anyone else it would have been an accusation. But Pinkie Pie's cheerful lilt made it a simple factual inquiry without judgment.
A playful wind blasted across the courtyard, dispersing the smoke of the Tantabus for a heartbeat moment.
And... Pinkie Pie was right. Cozy knew it. Revenge might feel nice for a moment, but was it really worth it? She had briefly felt it against Princess Twilight - and the joy had faded as quickly as it came. This was a lot for such a small high.. and then what would she have?
She would have a land of nightmares, all under the Tantabus as it grew strong off the fears of ponies. This time the Tantabus grabbed hold of Cozy with both hooves, pulling her in. There was no other way, after all. They would bow to it, and in turn to her. All would suffer for what had--
"You're only mean because you think you have to be mean to be loved."
The phantasmal Fluttershy's voice cut into the Tantabus like a blade, nearly slicing it in half.
The Tantabus was using her, Cozy understood that. In a land of living nightmare, there was no room for a filly. It would betray her the moment they crossed the portal and no longer needed her.
Her heart rallied. The pony soul within Cozy remembered lessons long lost - tales of Hearth's Warming and of ancient Cloudsdale and of Princesses who--
The Tantabus tackled Cozy to the ground with a weight that was not smoke. For if she was not an accomplice, then she was fuel for the fire.
Down on the ground, Cozy Glow struggled as much mentally as she did physically. She could feel it as the thing plucked at her mind, as if trying to find loose threads on a sweater that could be pulled to unravel it. Each pinch yanked a little more free - a moment of hesitation here; a second thought there; the slight regret of watching the consequences of her actions.
Then the Tantabus found something tangible and Cozy's mind flooded with the memory of the seconds it took to be enveloped in stone. The terror of feeling her body petrify. The knowledge of how her actions had led to that moment. The--
A few feet away, Sunset Shimmer rallied herself. Her voice feebly took up defiant song again and at a whisper sang a tune that was purely her.
"I may not know what the future holds,/but hear me when I say/that my past does not define me--"
"Deal," Scootaloo replied, cutting Apple Bloom off. The other two shot her a look, and the orange girl just shrugged. "We gotta start somewhere. She'll never be able to prove she's changed if we don't give her the chance to show it."
The last stanza slipped from Sunset and Cozy's lips at the same time.
"'Cause my past is not today."
Perhaps it was strength of will or the power of a heartsong or the tiny bit of pegasus magic still in her Equestrian soul - but Cozy Glow's hands touched the smoke like it was cloud and she pushed.
As the Tantabus stumbled backwards there was an audible snap.
It was followed in nearly the same instant by a loud gasp just to Cozy's side. The thin tendril of smoke between the Tantabus and Sunset Shimmer had broken, and the other Equestrian was struggling to her feet and free of the dream.
Not that it would help. It was useless to resist something so powerful. But Cozy still reached out and steadied Sunset. Even if her acts were meaningless. One could not fight something as ephemeral as a dream, after all.
Then Cozy Glow whipped around and punched the Tantabus anyway.
It stumbled sideways from the blow, wobbling. A smoky stretch of mane grabbed hold of the nearest students to stabilize and gain strength back from the dream that--
The MyStable profile page sat in front of them. Apple Bloom looked to Sweetie Belle looked to Scootaloo looked to Apple Bloom. This was it. This was the moment.
On the screen was the first post of Anon-A-Miss, composed and ready to go. They just had to hit the button and make it happen.
Then there would be no going back.
"We gotta," Apple Bloom noted. "For our sisters."
The other two nodded solemnly.
"For our sisters," they repeated.
Cozy Glow grabbed Sunset by the arm. "Your phone! I've got an idea!"
The device came out in an instant. Cozy snapped a selfie of Sunset and herself together, and Sunset's fingers flew with the speed of a teenager used to texting.
Three Crusader phones pinged aloud.
The cursor swept down to the Post button. But before it could be clicked, all three of their phones went off.
The three girls looked at their phones.
The three girls looked at their phones.
Staring back at them was a MyStable friend invite from Sunset Shimmer, complete with a picture of her and Cozy Glow together. Under it was a simple message - 'Our Past Is Not Today, And Neither Is Yours'.
snapsnapsnap
Three Crusaders blinked in shock, and the Tantabus howled as its connections to them broke.
Sunset turned to grab Twilight Sparkle while Cozy ran to the trio. She offered her hand to Scootaloo, helping her up. Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to ask a question - but was headed off. "No time," Cozy hurriedly commanded. "Go help your sisters!" That was enough of a rallying cry, and the crusade was launched.
The creature tried to right itself under Cozy Glow's fierce glare. Unsteady hooves of smoke found purchase just moments before the next blow hit.
One snap after another cascaded through the air, coming faster and faster as more students were freed to free others in turn.
Lyra kissed Bon-Bon deeply before whispering that who she was before didn't matter. snap
Whiz Kid hugged Curly Winds tightly. "Of course I love you, you big lug." snap
The Tantabus grasped wildly, trying to take hold of anyone it could reach. Its strength was falling away each time someone was pulled from the nightmare - at this rate it would lose the ability to manifest soon and then--
A rock flew through the Tantabus, affecting it almost exactly as one would expect a rock would affect a cloud of smoke. It was more the principle of the thing for Wallflower Blush as she grabbed another. "How DARE YOU!" Trixie grabbed the gardener to hold her back. She didn't manage much. "If I still had the Memory Stone, I would ERASE YOU FROM EXISTENCE!" The second rock did just as little as the first, but the green girl's rage was searingly potent to the dream-creature. It hissed angrily.
Nearby there were seven flashes of light - pony ears growing from the tops of heads.
The Tantabus ran. It galloped and weaved through the awakening students in full retreat. It had lost the battle, and the magic-less human world couldn't sustain the creature for much longer. There was only one safe haven.
The Tantabus lept at Vice-Principal Luna, blue smoke splashing across her face, disappearing into her and burying into the deep recesses of her psyche.
It was only then the dark woman finally opened her bloodshot and pained eyes.