//------------------------------// // No Chance for Friendship // Story: When the Sun Sets // by Deep //------------------------------// That night, Sunset stayed awake, unable to sleep. She thought back to her spa date. After she’d broken down in front of Celestia, the princess had asked her what was wrong, only for her to stay silent. She hated herself for not having the courage to speak up, since Celestia was surely still worried over what had happened. But it was too late for the truth now. If Sunset told Celestia what she had done to try to remove Twilight, and what she planned to do, then she would be kicked out herself.  It was too late for her to apologize to Twilight as well. Twilight wouldn’t believe any apology, nor should she. Any chance Sunset had for friendship was gone forever, killed the moment she tried to get rid of her first potential friend. The only path left for  her now was one of deceit. At the very least, if Twilight was removed, Sunset would get the crown someday. Even if she hated herself for what she had to do to get that power, she’d still have it, and that was worth more than anything.  Proving her mother wrong was worth more than anything and everything. So how do I get rid of Twilight? With a sigh, Sunset began scheming. It only took her a few minutes to come up with a plan. …………………………….. The next morning, Twi woke up early again to help Celestia out with her tasks. She couldn’t deny that a part of her was doing this as a way to show that she was the superior student, and not Sunset. However, as manipulative as she fancied herself to be, she couldn’t deny that her main reason for helping the princess was simple gratitude. As much as Twilight missed her family and her simple life with them, the princess had brought her into the palace more as a daughter than a student, and given her an opportunity many would kill for. For this, Twilight owed the princess a lifetime of thanks and gratitude, a debt she was eager to pay back.  As she went through the list of tasks the princess had given her, she thought back to her encounter with Sunset yesterday evening. Despite the stern exterior she had shown, Twilight had felt like crying during the confrontation. Not because of how Sunset had hurt her, but because of how she had hurt her rival. Despite everything--the betrayal, the insults, the manipulation--Twilight couldn’t help but yearn to be Sunset’s friend, and she felt pathetic for feeling this way. She had every right to be mad at Sunset, and every right to want her to suffer, and yet she was more worried about her enemy’s feelings than her own. Perhaps this was because Twilight had no real friends other than her brother, and Sunset offered the chance for actual friendship. She couldn’t deny that her biggest fear in life was to go through it without any friends, and she also couldn’t deny that every time she tried to make one, she’d either get made fun of or bullied. Was Twilight really this pathetic, that the only reason she felt sad was because she was lonely?  No, Twilight couldn’t help but feel that there was a deeper reason. She cared for Sunset, because as scummy as she was, she was still a pony deserving of forgiveness and redemption. As Twilight spent the day toiling away to make Celestia’s life easier, this feeling of regret over her hurtful words grew. It caused her to stay silent when the palace staff asked her how her day was going, and it made her unable to force a smile. And the worst part of it was that her innate love of friendship was why she was uniquely prepared to absolutely crush Sunset. Despite being an introvert--and a pretty awkward one at that--Twilight had been able to figure out that Sunset was a self-loathing mess. And she had also realized that the best way to ruin such a self-hating pony was amplifying this hate. And to accomplish this, all Twilight had to do was… nothing. As long as Twilight continued following her heart--showing Celestia gratitude, being the best student she could, being grateful for this once in a lifetime chance--Sunset would inevitably implode. Sunset would continue to try her various schemes and plans, but as they failed, she’d begin to realize that there was no driving Twilight away. And once she realized that, her desperation would grow. What Sunset would do after that, Twilight wasn’t sure. Perhaps Sunset would do something so stupid that it’d cause her to immediately get kicked out. Or maybe Sunset would simply realize that she would forever be doomed to be second-best, a fate which would surely drive her mad.  Twilight hated herself for even thinking this way, but she reminded herself that Sunset was the one who’d started this feud. If anything, Twilight should’ve been this vindictive back in magic kindergarten instead of acting like a weakling. She should’ve fought back against her bullies instead of being a victim and waiting for her teachers to give help which never came. Perhaps then she would've been deserving of friendship. And if she still wasn’t, then at least she would’ve gotten sweet revenge. Besides, there would always be new ponies to meet and befriend. Even now, it wasn’t as if Sunset was Twilight’s only hope for friendship. There were so many other students in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns that Twilight could meet and befriend. Twilight didn’t need Sunset. She didn’t need any single pony for friendship.  Thankful that she’d finally seen the light regarding friendship, Twilight continued going through the list until late afternoon, when a royal guard called for her. “Hi, there,” she said, smiling at the chance to help a soldier. “What do you need?” The guard just stared at her, as if he was some sort of mindless state. Twilight’s gut told her to back away from him, but she decided to go with her heart, which brushed off the weird behavior as just sleepiness. “Follow me,” the guard said, his voice lacking any emotion. Once again, Twilight went with her heart and followed him. Perhaps it was because she was drunk with joy, so gleeful over her new role in life, that she went against the warnings her mind was giving her to run away. “Where are we going? Does Princess Celestia want me back in the throne room for something?” Twilight said, bouncing with glee.  “Keep following.” The guard led her into the dungeons, where Twilight snapped out of her euphoria and froze. She began to run away, but the guard charged after her.  “Help!” Twilight screamed out, but there was nopony nearby. Barely anypony entered the dungeons anymore, and when they did, it was mostly just to clear excess spider webbing.  It only took a few seconds for the guard to grab Twilight. Powering up her horn to its maximum, she tried her hardest to magically push him away. Come on, where is that special power Princess Celestia was talking about? But the guard’s grip was too strong for her to break free from.  As Twilight continued to struggle, a cyan magical aura enveloped her. The aura was like a tight rope tied around her body. She couldn’t move and could barely breathe. “He… lp…” Twilight could barely speak and began to suffocate. The world began to spin, until darkness consumed her. When she woke back up, she found herself lying trapped in a dungeon cell. Sunset was standing in front of her, on the other side of the grimy metal bars of the cell. Sunset was hanging her head, causing her mane and the shadowy darkness of the hallway to hide her face. In a voice consumed by sadness, Sunset said only one thing before walking away. “You win.”  Despite her best efforts to remain calm, it only took Twilight a few seconds to panic. “Help! Somepony, help me!” She didn’t know how long she screamed for, only that nopony came. The dungeon was pitch black, so dark that Twilight couldn’t even see her own body. It made her panic more. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and she could barely breathe. It was as if she was suffocating all over again.  No, I can’t let her win.  Determined, Twilight took a deep breath and calmed herself. She began to survey the situation. Okay, Twilight, think. Based on the darkness, I have to be in the deepest section of the dungeons. Just based on how thick the webbing is here, I’m confident that this isn’t a place the guards or staff go to regularly, meaning I’m stuck here until Princess Celestia realizes I’m missing. But that’s the thing… It won’t take the princess long to realize that I’m gone, so why would Sunset trap me here?  Okay, let’s put myself in her hooves. She hypnotized that royal guard, trapped me here… but then what? To have me die of dehydration? If she wanted me dead, she’d want it done faster. It’d take me at least three days to die of dehydration, more than enough time for the princess to find me.  And why did Sunset say that? That I won? Forget about Sunset. Focus on the situation. I’m in this dungeon, most likely so I’m killed. But whatever is supposed to kill me has to be coming soon.  That was when Twilight felt them, the creatures crawling all around her. There were dozens of them crawling out of the tiny holes in the wall, all squirming around like a mass of mutated bugs straight out of her nightmares. She froze, but that only made it easier for them to crawl over her, right over her eyes. Their legs pricked at her skin, and she could feel their sharp teeth brush against her coat as they covered her body. She powered up the horn, illuminating the cell with a faint light. A part of her was too scared to learn how they looked, but she willed herself to keep her eyes open. The creatures crawling over her were like a mass of meaty, furry insects. The sight caused her to tremble, and that was when the creatures’ let out a loud hiss that reverberated throughout the hall.  The creatures began to gnaw into her body, causing her to scream with pain. She shook as intensely as she could to get them off. Most of them fell off, and what few remained, she used her magic to throw away. The horde descended upon her once again a moment later. She squished any that came close, and used her magic to push back as many as she could, at least until more began squirming toward her. The creatures surrounded her.  Teleportation! Maybe that’ll work.  Twilight gathered her magic to try teleporting outside of the cell. She had only heard about the spell from Celestia, but it was better than nothing. When her magic was gathered, mere moments from being consumed by the horde of creatures, she activated the spell. She could feel her body being taken to another place. Yes, yes, get me out of here. But when she reappeared, she was only halfway out of the cell. Her body was stuck between the metal bars, and that was when the pain took hold of her. Due to her failed teleportation, two of the bars were going through her body, hitting her with a pain she couldn’t begin to describe. Her innards were being stabbed by unbendable bars of grimy, rotten metal, sending her into shock. At the same time, hundreds of the creatures jumped on to her and began to gnaw on her skin. Coughing up blood, she let out a scream too terrifying for her darkest nightmares. The pain caused her to lose consciousness, and she was glad for that. If she was to die, she didn’t want it to be through agony. She wanted to drift into the night asleep. And asleep she went, until her eyes began to glow white. The light illuminated the hall, and despite being unconscious, she involuntarily used her magic to turn the metal bars into butterflies. With a hiss, the creatures fled back into the dark holes they came from.  The overwhelming power left Twilight a moment later, and she snapped back to consciousness. I’m alive?  She looked around the hall, feeling the gentle flutter of butterflies. It happened again. The same power that helped me get into the school. The relief only lasted a moment, until the pain returned. She coughed up more blood, but the pain was manageable somehow. Perhaps because she knew it was her turn for revenge.   Gritting her teeth through the pain, she sprinted through the hall and used her magic to open the exit door, which led to the higher floors of the dungeons. The butterflies led the way toward the light shining from the upper floors. Twilight continued running, not giving a damn for the globs of blood she was spitting out, until she reached the throne room and burst through its door. Inside stood Celestia and Sunset.