//------------------------------// // We're Not Special // Story: In the Absence of Twilight Sparkle // by MyHobby //------------------------------// Double Diamond watched with a slack jaw as Dr. Sombra clashed blades with the monster making a ruckus in the middle of town. A few of the ether mages were still lobbing spells at the foe, distracting him from attacking pedestrians, but most of the crystalline terror’s attention was on the professor. Their blades—Dr. Sombra’s a glistening purple and the enemy’s a glossy black—danced in the midday light. Their inner magic shimmered with the fire in their souls as they matched mettle for mettle. Double Diamond realized very quickly that if he were to step in, he would be mincemeat pie. Still, he had other things to occupy his time. There was still a horde of people with nowhere to go. There was still the future king and his prime minister hunkered down in their wrecked limo. There was still a strange woman who looked a heck of a lot like Principal Celestia catching her breath near the sidewalk. There was a news reporter and a cameraman making a beeline right for the duel. “Oh, son of a—” Double Diamond raced for the reporter in the blink of an eye and reached out his arms so they couldn’t sneak past. “Do you have a death wish? Can’t you see you’re in over your head?” The reporter held a microphone up to his mouth. “Excuse me, sir! I’m Ace, your ace reporter! Can you tell me anything about the attack on the prince?” Double put his arms forward in an attempt to herd the woman without touching her. “Look, all I know is that smokey guy tried to kill the prince and we’re trying to save him. If you’ll just—” “The people you arrived with are exhibiting amazing powers!” The microphone zipped to Ace’s mouth just long enough to catch her words. “What can you tell me about your people and your abilities?” “They’re not my people—” Double Diamond jerked his head around at the sound of a bone-splitting crackle. A chunk of crystal the size of a man rebounded off of the strange woman’s magic shield and sailed skyward. A sky mage juked around it, shouting for people to look out below. Double Diamond followed its trajectory and noted that yes, it was headed straight for him. He braced his legs, pushed the reporter and her cameraman back, and tensed every muscle he had. He threw a single punch just as the crystal reached him, fracturing it to bits. The reporter’s eyes lit up as she turned to the camera. “So as you can see, the Highborn Isles’ real-life superheroes are operating at levels far above that of a normal human—” “No! Hold on, no!” Double Diamond winced as he rubbed his hand. He might have actually broken it. He’d have to get it checked out as soon as their lives weren’t in jeopardy. “First of all, get away from the seven-foot death knight! Second of all, we’re not special!” Ace furrowed her brow as she was ushered away by Coldstone and Fleetfoot. “Huh? Did you miss the part where you punched a boulder out of the sky?” Coldstone gestured towards the sidewalk, indicating the cameraman should follow. “What he means is that there ain’t nothing different about any of us. All of this magic stuff is something everybody can do with a little training.” “Sure,” Fleetfoot said. “I was just a former jet pilot. Now I fly on my own wings.” Several earth mages directed the remaining crowd, moving aside debris and busted vehicles to clear a path. Double Diamond put his shoulder to a black SUV and tilted it over to put a barrier between the thickest bulk of people and the continuing fight. “I was a dropout, just getting by. Dr. Sombra over there was one of the most influential people in the country. We both have untapped depths to our magic.” Double Diamond crossed his arms, heaving a sigh. “If you gotta report on this, do it right. Allegiance doesn’t matter. Race doesn’t matter. Riches or living situation or bloodlines or anything don’t matter. We’ve all got magic in us, and it just takes a little coaxing to make it show itself.” A sky mage flew down carrying two people in their arms, helping some former protestors off of a nearby roof. A particularly gutsy ether mage shot a flash-bang spell straight into the evil knight’s face, blinding him long enough for Dr. Sombra to gash his knee. Double Diamond pointed right at the cameraman. “Whatever else you hear today, that’s the most important thing: We’re not special. Anybody can learn. Everybody’s capable of magic.” Without another word, Double Diamond moved towards the rear of the crowd, where a particular bunch sat holed up behind a particular mound of rubble. He waved to the armed soldiers guarding Prince Blueblood and called out. “Hey! We can help get you guys out of there!” Fancy Pants stuck his head out of a busted limousine window. “Why the blazes should we trust you? I know who you are, Double Diamond! For all I know, you brought that monster to life yourself!” “Look, alright—” Double Diamond resisted the urge to throw rocks at the man. “You can stay here and be smug about hating me, or you can follow me and get away from the crystal golem. Your choice.” Prince Blueblood crawled out of the window next to Fancy’s. “All due respect, Fancy Pants, but I’d rather put my trust in the magical bolder-punching man than your wit. Besides…” He pointed at the purple-clad knight just down the street. “I do tend to trust Professor Sombra with my life. As do you.” Fancy Pants rubbed the dust from his moustache. “On your head be it, Your Highness.” “Don’t be daft, Minister Pants.” Blueblood straightened his tie as his bodyguards flanked him. “I’m quite certain both our heads will roll.” *** Dr. Sombra was outmatched. Even fitted with the finest armor magic was capable of, his squishy human body was still far more vulnerable than the mountain of a man he faced. Princess Celestia knew this to be a fact. Though her heart cried out for another solution, she knew that in order to win the day, she would need to do something she found abominable. King Sombra kicked the doctor, which caused him to stagger out of measure. With his foe at a distance, the king prepared a bolt of fury to blast his counterpart from the face of the earth. Celestia stepped between them with a magical shield raised. “Sombra! Please tell me you’re still in there!” A downward slice with his blade was all the answer Princess Celestia would get. She raised her walking stick and his sword bit deep into the wood. She twisted the sword out of his hand and flung it away. She could sense movement behind her; Dr. Sombra was circling around behind the beast. Princess Celestia gripped her staff with both hands. “This is your last chance! Surrender!” “I have already surrendered to the pain, Celestia!” He stomped a foot. Crystals erupted from the roadway and nearly skewered both Dr. Sombra and Princess Celestia. “Now end my suffering!” Celestia twisted her staff until it clicked. She split it apart and drew a long, crystalline blade from beneath its concealing sheath. She menaced King Sombra with her sword, but did not come close enough to strike. “Don’t make me do this!” King Sombra grasped one of his black spikes and ripped it from the ground. He hefted it like a spear. He struck at Dr. Sombra and hit him in his injured leg, sending him to the ground. He raised his blade again for the killing blow. In a last-ditch effort, Dr. Sombra sat up and thrust his sword into the underside of the king’s chest. The king was distracted enough to stumble back, allowing the doctor to crawl away on all fours. King Sombra laughed and lunged after the doctor, but was again halted by the tip of Princess Celestia’s blade. He pulled the blade from his chest and used it to bat her tip away. She stepped forward to pierce, but it was a halfhearted attempt easily rebuffed. Dr. Sombra stood, but it was clear he was winded. He was moving too sluggishly to continue to fight, but Princess Celestia knew that he wouldn’t retreat. Just like the king, the doctor was too stubborn to fall back. They would both fight until they were dead. *** Principal Celestia leaned on a nearby storefront for support. She held a hand to where she was sure she had broken ribs. She jumped as Princess Twilight screamed across the roadway. “What are you waiting for, Celestia? You have a clear shot!” Princess Twilight winced as she clutched the wound in her shoulder and turned away from the battle. She checked the phone again, but found no messages or calls. Little Spike bit her dress and tugged. “You need to sit down, Twilight! You’re gonna hurt yourself even worse!” “I need to do something!” Princess Twilight slumped to the sidewalk with a huff. “But I’m even more useless than I was when Sunny was kidnapped.” “You think you got it bad? I’m a dog!” He sat beside her and scanned the battlefield, his writing utensils discarded by the side of the road. “All I can do is stay by your side and protect you.” Celestia watched her counterpart and Sombra’s counterpart circle each other. Brief, searching thrusts were made, but no contact could be found between the two of them. Every chance he got, the king broke away from Celestia and attacked Dr. Sombra. Her Sombra. “Neither of them wants to fight each other.” Princess Twilight looked up at the principal. “What do you mean?” “Look at them. They’re barely looking at each other.” Celestia blinked a tear from her eye as she gazed at her Sombra hauling himself upright. She turned to Twilight and placed a hand on her good shoulder. “Is there a spell you can teach me? One to let me fight? You might not be able to use it, but I’ve recently discovered magic. Maybe I can make just the slightest difference.” Princess Twilight touched a hand to Celestia’s. “I’m sorry, but without the ambient magic of Equestria, I don’t have a chance. And with your injuries… You’d hurt yourself far more than you’d hurt the enemy.” Celestia sighed, wiping rainwater from her forehead. She looked up to the rainclouds overhead, which were thin enough to let light through, but thick enough to cover the city in mist. “There’s got to be something…” Little Spike pawed at Shining Armor’s phone. He furrowed his brow. “They’ll call once they made landfall, right?” “I don’t know. It’s not like we made plans.” Princess Twilight balled up a fist and slapped it against the wet sidewalk. “We’re going nowhere. Without ambient magic—” The sun broke through the clouds. It touched Principal Celestia’s pale skin with its usual warm, tingling sensation. The feeling of vitamins and vigor being pumped directly into her body. Celestia closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “Amazing. It feels just like magic.” Her eyes shot back open to zero in on King Sombra. “It’s just like magic. It is magic!” The sun hid behind a cloud. Celestia jumped up and grasped Princess Twilight’s hand. “Twilight! There is ambient magic in this world. It’s just another form of energy! It can be transferred, measured, felt.” Princess Twilight’s gaze jumped between the principal and the sky. “Collected?” Celestia found another sunbeam and stood within it. She felt strength return to her limbs. Life return to her muscles. Fervor return to her heart. The pain in her side faded ever so slightly as she focused on the power of the sun flooding her. “There is magic in this world.” She turned to Dr. Sombra with a faint sigh. “If you know where to look for it.” Dr. Sombra threw the king back with a lance through what should have been his kidney. The crystal king shrugged it off like any other blow. The princess hung back as the doctor and his duplicate circled. “You’re fighting a losing battle!” Dr. Sombra’s breath was ragged as sweat poured down his face. His breath fogged against the face plate of his helmet. “Why do you carry on? There is nothing to be gained from this!” King Sombra clutched his head in his claws, letting out a shrieking roar that struck terror into all who heard it. He was past words, now. Past reason. He was little more than an animal lashing out in desperation. What little remained of the old king was so far buried that he couldn’t even manifest a muttered word. He drew power to his claws and lunged at Dr. Sombra. He tackled the doctor and dragged him to the ground, clawing and scraping his nearly-impregnable armor. Even with all the magic at his disposal, cracks formed at the joints. “Get off him!” King Sombra looked up, his eyes fogged with purple tendrils of magic. His reddish pupils had faded, replaced by a deep green glow. Principal Celestia approached him with a glowing, outstretched hand. It shone with pure sunlight. “Leave him be!” King Sombra rose from Dr Sombra’s body with his shoulders hunched. He coiled his legs as drool dribbled from his fanged mouth. Magic lanced its way through his body as he leaped across three lanes of road, his talons ready to shred the principal. Princess Celestia screamed and threw out a hand, but she was too late to stop him. Principal Celestia closed her hand. A flash lit up the makeshift battlefield. A beam of pure sunlight descended between her and the fallen king. The pure celestial magic struck the king, forcing him screaming to his knees. The purple miasma surrounding him was cast away by the overwhelming tide of sunlight. The crystal that made up his body cracked and crumbled, until only a skeletal outline remained. His face appeared as the helmet dissolved, looking far too much like the handsome, chiseled face of Dr. Sombra in his younger years. A heart beat firmly in his chest; yet it was cracked and chipped, discolored by the dark magic that made up most of his being. The glow faded as Celestia’s body was overtaken by exhaustion. The smog returned to the king’s body, building up crystal growths and returning him to his bestial form. King Sombra turned his head to look behind, his eyes pleading with Princess Celestia. “Celestia, my love! You will not get another chance like this… End it!” The human Celestia’s legs failed her. She sank to the ground mere feet from the king. He clutched his clawed hands to his chest as he was surrounded by the dark magic of the Tantabus. “My power returns! No one is safe! Everyone, flee! Flee for your lives—!” Princess Celestia’s sword plunged deep into his chest, striking his heart. Celestia looked up to meet her royal counterpart eye-to-eye. In that moment, she could see straight into her soul. Pain like no other wracked her to the very core. The princess stood still, her hands gripping the hilt of her crystal blade. Her feet sat wide apart, her lunge having achieved its maximum reach. Tears poured from her eyes as she gazed upon the king. The smoke around King Sombra faded. His eyes lost their sinister green glow. He heaved a sigh as deep as an ocean. “Thank you.” He fell back into Princess Celestia’s arms. She dropped her sword and caught him. She cradled him as she laid him across the road, and nestled his head in her lap. He kept breathing light, quick breaths. Her hiccupped sobs matched his pace. King Sombra closed bone-thin claws around Princess Celestia’s fingers. “The sword… you designed it to destroy the Tantabus. The perfect counter-spell.” Princess Celestia brought his hand to her cheek. Tears trickled down his arm. “I never… I never stopped believing that I could… That one day, I would save you.” She pulled a strip of paper from a pouch. It was tied with a string on one end. She knotted it around his fingers and closed her hand around his. “I’ve brought you so much pain—” “No.” King Sombra shook his head, his smile faint. “No, you could never bring me pain. Our stolen moments were all that was keeping the fire in my heart from going out.” He brought the paper slip close to his chest and opened his hand. The word “Always” could be seen scrawled across it in careful, loving cursive; a handwriting that matched Principal Celestia’s down to a “T”. “Even now, we have one last stolen moment to share.” His hands crumbled to small shards of crystal, first just at the tip of his claws, then slowly gaining speed as it carried up his arm. The “Always” slipped through his ribcage to rest on his jittering heart. Princess Celestia’s arms shook as her burden became lighter. “When I was in the beam of sunlight,” he whispered, “I was shown a vision. We were standing together in a beautiful garden. Just the two of us. No burden of duty hung overhead. No time limit threatened to tear us apart. No cataclysm could hide us from one another. We stood, hoof in hoof, and faced the sunrise.” He smiled at the “Always” resting on his heart. “These threads tied our hooves together, unbroken. I believe that…” His ribcage crumbled to dust. His eyes took on a distant glaze. “I believe that this time will come soon. Until next we meet, I love—” Princess Celestia knelt in a pile of shards and dust. Her hands cupped the “Always” and caught her tears. She bowed until her forehead touched the ground. Little Spike and Princess Twilight rushed up to her to wrap their arms around her. The three sat in silence as cheers rose from the crowd, safety having been restored to Roc. Principal Celestia rose to her feet when Dr. Sombra touched a hand to her shoulder. He removed his helmet and allowed it to dissolve into mist. She took his hand in hers and held him tight. “I haven’t been honest with you,” she said quietly. “I never thought we would be able to work out. I thought that at the end of this visit, we would both quietly return to our own lives. Following the path that our dreams led us down. But…” She touched her palm to his chest. “I also haven’t been honest with myself. I don’t want that to happen. Not after what I’ve seen today. Not after finally finding you again.” Sombra wrapped his arms around her. She peered over her shoulder to see the princesses kneeling over the lost king. “Stolen moments… No longer stolen. I give you my heart freely. I love you, Sombra.” “I freely give you my heart as well,” he said, from the depths of his soul. “No more regrets. No more lost memories. From now until always.” *** Neighsay ran through the city streets. The commotion from the crystal monster may have overtaken the rest of the school, but he was getting the heck out of the Isles. The portal’s location was etched into his memory, just north and to the west of Roc, hidden amongst ancient ruins once inhabited by druids. Most of the structures were destroyed by progress and economic growth, but a scarce few had been preserved by activist groups. He didn’t so much as reach the outskirts of Roc before he ran into Double Diamond and a crowd of angry magic students. Double Diamond pointed a finger right at Neighsay’s chest. “That’s him. That’s the man who killed Raven. He and his accomplices also killed Wallflower, Night Glider, and Party Favor.” A second glance told Neighsay that police officers were also among the students. One officer in particular he recognized as a earth mage from Double Diamond’s advanced class. Coldstone walked forward and pushed his cap back. “Neighsay, I think it’s safe to say that you’re under arrest.” Sugar Belle lit her fingernails with a ready spell. “I’d suggest you don’t fight it, buddy. We’re not letting you get away.” Neighsay raised his arms and rested his hands on the back of his head. He knelt down as Coldstone clasped handcuffs around his wrists. Sugar Belle took a step forward to keep the prisoner in view. “So? Where’s Chrysalis? I thought she was with you.” “She ran off the instant she sensed trouble.” Neighsay bowed his head. “She’s long gone by now.” Double Diamond crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re just lucky the gallows are out of style.” “Believe you me,” Neighsay muttered. “If word gets back to Dr. Sparkle about this, the gallows would be a mercy.” *** Sunset Shimmer gazed at her bonds with a growing fury. She was nearly through, but that just made the wait even more agonizing. Only a few more layers remained of the binding spell. Dr. Twilight drummed her fingers as she waited for a bar to load on her readout. When it reached one-hundred percent, her hands danced across a keyboard. She muttered equations to herself while a pen wrote down notes, guided by a telekinetic spell. She turned a dial, and the thrum of magic rose to match. The tubes glowed as if they were lanterns. The fairy strings within had their own shine, but the two sources of light were bleeding into each other. The thrum became a steady pulse, like three heartbeats strumming in synch. “Come on, come on… Yes!” Dr. Twilight raced to the leftmost cylinder and tightened a clamp. “No mistakes. Not this time.” It was now or never. Sunset let magic pour from her fingernails with no thought to stealth. She turned away from the blinding glow, keeping an eye on the doctor. The rope hissed, then tore itself apart as the magic within dissipated. She slumped to the floor, free at last, rubbing the burn marks on her wrists and trying to get blood flowing. The doctor’s concentration broke, and her pen clattered to the ground. She turned to see Sunset lying on the floor. Her eyes blazed. “Stay back! It’s almost ready!” Sunset pushed herself to her feet. She stumbled at the sharp pangs of sleeping limbs. “Shut it down, Tw—!” Dr. Twilight threw a hand out. A dark purple spell exploded from her hand and struck Sunset right in the chest. Sparks of pain wracked her body as she was thrown into the wall. The doctor walked close to her, her hand glowing, still sending magic jetting through Sunset’s body, igniting every nerve. “I said stay back! And stay down! I’m not stopping!” One last pulse to make sure she stayed on the ground, and the doctor ran back to the council. She flipped switches in a combination that increased the rumble in the air. She gripped the sides of her control console and watched the fairy strings closely. “Observe. The magic I’ve been pumping into the nutrient fluid has been irradiating the fairy strings. When I activate the sequence, the cylinders will open, and the irradiated fairy strings will break down into pure energy. The device will lace the strings into my body, reconfiguring it to match.” Sunset rolled onto her side, clutching her arms to her chest. “It’s just as likely to turn you to mush!” Dr. Twilight ignored her and hit a large red button. The threefold heartbeat turned into a frenzied tattoo while the school’s lights dimmed to nothing. Dr. Twilight stepped onto a metal plate between the cylinders and spread her arms out to receive the magic. Sunset clawed at the wall to bring herself upright. She lurched towards Dr. Twilight with the intent to rip her away from the machine by her hair if necessary. She never got that far. The readout screen turned red as an alarm blared. Dr. Twilight’s head swiveled around. She screamed in disbelief. “No! Not again!” She ran to the console and flipped the switches to the off position. Nothing changed. “No! I did everything right this time, I’m sure of it! I fixed it!” She punched the control panel with a scream of rage. “I fixed it!” Cracks appeared on the surface of the cylinders. Magic leaked through like a trickle of water from a dam; promising an oncoming deluge. Sunset stood still, her feet firmly planted, unsure of whether she should run or continue trying to stop the doctor. Dr. Twilight dropped to the floor and covered her head with her hands. With that, Sunset knew it was too late to run. She pointed her palms towards the Alicorn Device and crafted as strong a barrier as she was capable of. Then she continued to pour magic into it, her heart fit to burst with the magic she was generating. In Equestria, the barrier would have withstood a crashing airship. On Earth, it was far, far weaker. The Alicorn Device became an eruption of flame and shrapnel. Sunset grasped the doctor’s body in a bubble and dragged her behind the shield just before the first shockwave hit. Her bones creaked as her magic pushed back against the tide of destruction. Her shoes slid across the floor from the force of the blow. She braced herself and poured yet more magic into the shield. Cracks appeared along its surface as shrapnel threatened to pierce it like buckshot through skin. The nutrient liquid ignited and created the second shockwave. The fairy strings vaporized in a ball of fire, their magic rendered useless. Heat coated Sunset Shimmer from head to foot. Her clothing blazed. She was sure she was about to inhale flames and die. “No!” She couldn’t leave Shining a widower and Sunny motherless. She had to live! She held her breath and fought to quell the flames with a temperature-control spell. She didn’t have the reserves. She didn’t have the skill—not in this world. She needed ambient magic, but it was nowhere to be found. But didn’t she feel a touch of power beyond the shriek of the catastrophic failure? A glimmer of pure energy? A glimpse of hope? She opened her eyes and stared through the ash and flame, past her scorched sleeves and her magic barrier, to what remained of the Alicorn Device. The contraption was powered by magic, wasn’t it? Isn’t that what Dr. Twilight had said? It had to be. It had magic flowing into it from a source that the doctor had assembled. The magic battery—the syphon at the center of the cylinders—was cracking and crumbling. It leaked energy into the air. The next blast would either atomize Sunset and the doctor, or be their salvation. The magic syphon released a sound too loud for Sunset Shimmer to register as it expired. It shone with a light too bright to perceive. It released magic too strong to calculate. The magic hit her barrier, but rather than repel it, she allowed it to seep through. She reached her arm out to touch the magic with her own. After a moment’s hesitation, she dove in. Her fairy strings ached as the power surged throughout her body. They traced golden lines across her skin as her heart was filled to bursting with the energy. The fire threatening to devour her body competed with the fires within, each pushing against the other. She did not hold it back. She did not try to expel it. She did not try to control it. Doing any of these things would cause her to blast apart just like the Alicorn Device. Instead, she let it flow like a river. Into her arms, through her heart, and out her fingertips. She maintained the barrier protecting her and the doctor from shrapnel. She kept up the cooling enchantments on their skin. The spells were amplified by the ambient magic, strengthened and sharpened. It wasn’t enough to merely stay alive. She had to push back. The Alicorn Device was still in the middle of its detonation. Even with all her abilities and knowledge, Sunset Shimmer couldn’t hold out for much longer. If she couldn’t contain the explosion… could she redirect it? She stretched out her arms, and the barrier stretched out to match. She circled it around the burning machine. She pressed inward, compressing the violent decompression through sheer force of will. The third shockwave hit the instant she completed her barrier. The pressure built up more and more as she held it back. She could feel the bones in her forearms tremble, threatening to break. She reached up to the metal ceiling and peeled it away with a wave of her hand and a single-minded determination. She lifted both arms to the sky and pushed with all her magical might. The orb of fire and steel rose into the air as the magic barrier crumbled. With a shout that could be heard across the island, Sunset released the machine in midair. Flames danced across the sky and bathed her in their glow as the Alicorn Device erupted with the force of a sonic boom. The aftershocks echoed into the distance, and silence reasserted itself with a hiss from the sea. *** Twilight Sparkle leaped to her feet as the horizon blazed with fire. “No!” Starlight Glimmer jumped at the sound, her eyes wide. “Are we too late?” “I refuse to believe that!” Shining Armor leapt from the boat to the docks. He began to tied the lines, securing the vessel. “Come on! We might still be able to help them!” Viscount Dulcimer shut the engines down as the others clambered out of the vessel. Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor led the charge towards the school, with Edgy Spike hot on their heels. Starlight hung back just enough to keep an eye on Dulcimer. Big Mac hung back just enough to keep an eye on both of them. Twilight closed her eyes and poured her whole heart into racing for the school. “Please be okay. Sunset, please be alive.” *** Sunset sank to her knees, too sore to stand. Burns coated her body and left her smelling of smoke. But the burns were light, as if she’d merely spent too long in the sun. Her clothes were darkened, but mostly intact. Her hair danced in front of her eyes, shimmering with a sunlit glow. As a matter of fact, her whole body shone with an inner power. Her skin appeared golden. Her fingernails reflected with a mirror-like quality. She could see her own face in them, radiating magic like a candle emits light. She stood up slowly, examining her body as she went. Her aches and pains faded into the background. It wasn’t just some sort of illusion; she was literally overflowing with magic. But it didn’t hurt. She didn’t feel the usual weight of magic exhaustion. She didn’t feel like her fairy strings were about to burst. She was as alive as she could possibly be. “How is that possible?” The doctor cowered against the wall, staring up at her with wide, glowing eyes. She hugged herself tight as she stared at the woman who had just saved her life. “How could you possibly control that much magic? How have you not been vaporized?” Sunset looked at her palm. Flames licked at her, but did not burn. They were lit from her own heartbeat. “I suppose I’ve been starving for magic for so long… I didn’t try to control it, Twilight. I could never control it. I just let it flow through me. I used my body as a conduit.” “It should still have…” The doctor trailed off and turned to the charred hole in the floor where the Alicorn Device once stood. “It was supposed to work this time.” Sunset felt the fire in her heart burn hot. She clenched a fist in an effort to hold back the blaze. “You… you said that you’d tried this before. In your world, right?” Dr. Twilight paid her no mind. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs. She looked at nothing, her eyes glazed over. “How many people have you killed, Twilight?” Sunset snapped her fingers in the doctor’s face. “How many?” “It doesn’t matter.” Dr. Twilight rested her chin on her knees. “It never mattered at all. Did it?” “You listen to me,” Sunset snapped. “It stops here and now!” Dr. Twilight broke out of her reverie. She cast a dim glare at Sunset Shimmer, curling a lip. “You can’t deny it, Sunset. If you lived my life, you would have come to the same conclusions. Performed the same atrocities. You can stand there all high and mighty—” “Shut up! You just shut up for a second!” Sunset pointed a finger at Dr. Twilight’s chest. Fire flared out from her back like wings. “I did live your life, Twilight! I lived it beat for beat!” “You don’t know the half of—” “We were both orphaned at a young age!” Sunset slapped a palm against her chest. “We watched our parents die right in front of us! You know what that can do to a child, Twilight. It hurt. It hurt so much.” She knelt down in front of the doctor, meeting her eye-to-eye. “But we were rescued by a noble pony who loved us with all their heart. Who worked tirelessly to make sure we had a chance for a good life.” Sunset swallowed the lump in her throat. She could almost see Princess Celestia’s smile right in front of her. “But we learned of the secret to immortality, and it became our obsession. It drove us to hours of study and endless isolation. When we found out what it would cost, we were both horrified…” Dr. Twilight pressed her lips tight and snarled. “But we eventually decided it was worth the price.” “Yes!” Sunset reached out to cup the doctor’s shoulder. Dr. Twilight squirmed away. “Yes, but we were wrong, and we knew it!” Sunset’s hands glowed, and Dr. Twilight was forced to sit still. She struggled, but only for a moment before settling down to listen. “When our teachers found out,” Sunset sighed, “they shut it down immediately. Before it could progress too far. Before we could become murderers.” She looked at her reflection in her thumbnail. Echoes of a monster still waited on the wings of her visage, etched into her wrinkles over the course of several years. “While you continued the experiment in secret, I rebelled openly. I left the world entirely. I was planning to find my path here, harvesting fairy strings and achieving immortality, but the world lacked magic. I thought it dead.” She wiped sweat from her forehead. “I thought myself dead.” Sunset Shimmer stood up and cast an illusion spell. Her body was colored a deep blood red. Her teeth became fangs. Her fiery wings degenerated into draconic webs. “I stole the Element of Magic and sought to continue my ascension. I was stopped.” She narrowed her eyes, now marred by split pupils. “You were stopped too, weren’t you? By King Sombra, or by your friends…” “Yes,” Dr. Twilight hissed. “It’s why I ran. It’s why I came to this world.” “You were given an opportunity to turn away from your mistakes.” Sunset’s illusion melted away, and she forced the crawling feeling of guilt to fade with it. “You were presented with a new life, new friends, and a new hope. We both were, Twilight.” She lowered herself to Dr. Twilight’s level, down on one knee. “I took that chance. You didn’t.” Dr. Twilight sucked in a breath. Was it anger? Was it a sob? Sunset couldn’t tell. “So that makes you better than me?” “No.” Sunset took in a gentle breath to steady herself. “It makes me the same as you.” She reached out a shimmering hand. The flames turned to a mist of blue, to match her eyes. “I know what can lead a person to do what you’ve done. I know what can lead them away from it. Neither of us can run from the consequences of our actions… but I can stand by your side as you push forward. If you start down this path, it will be difficult, arduous. You will reach the breaking point again and again. But I promise to be with you through it. Turn yourself in, admit your mistakes, and life can finally begin.” She smiled at the doctor, even as her heart ached. “Your problems are not unique, Twilight. Many people have fought the same fight as you, and they’ve won. We’re not special. I can help you break away from this cycle of pain. Take my—” Dr. Twilight slapped her hand away. Sunset watched Dr. Twilight curl up against the wall, turning her face away. The doctor shut her eyes and covered her head with her hands. They sat in silence for a breath. “Go back home,” Dr Twilight whispered, “to your child.” Sunset Shimmer stood up. She looked down on the small doctor with a tearful frown. “You’re going to pay for your crimes. With my help or without, it’s your choice.” “Sunset!” A deep, familiar voice echoed from the courtyard. “Sunset, can you hear me?” Sunset’s ears prickled as her heartbeat reached a feverous pitch. That voice… her favorite in all the world. In any world. She ran out of the room to the walkway and clasped her hands on the railing. She saw her husband front and center in a procession through the courtyard. His smiling face beamed up at her as relief flooded every facet of his body. Twilight Sparkle skidded to a stop alongside him, grasping his arm for support. She laughed as her eyes met Sunset’s. A vaguely-familiar dog wagged his tail as he stared wide-eyed at the second-floor of the school. Sunset leaned her weight on the rail and allowed her body to finally relax, even if just a little bit. She didn’t know how it had come to be, but they had been reunited. She could question the blessing later. For now, she could feel real joy. A sharp pain jabbed her back. A harsh pressure built up in her gut. It felt as though her legs went to sleep in a fraction of a second. She wobbled, her balance having left her. She felt lightheaded. She furrowed her brow as Shining screamed. Strange, he didn’t seem to be making a sound. She looked down to see a shard of black crystal jutting out of her stomach. Blood collected on the walkway beneath her feet. The floor rose to meet her. She turned her head to see Dr. Twilight Sparkle standing in the doorway. She had her hand outstretched. A sinister lavender glow flowed around her as she poured hatred into the spell. The edges of Sunset Shimmer’s vision faded to white, before she was overcome by a blanket of darkness.