//------------------------------//
// The Light 
// Story: Under The Light of Dusk 
// by applejackofalltrades 
//------------------------------//

The portal was closed. As if the world was actively trying to ruin her day, the portal was closed. Since when did it even close? It was usually open when Twilight and Sunset weren’t talking, and they hadn’t been talking. She wanted to surprise her friend in Equestria, and she was sure the portal would be open, but it wasn’t. Her hand pressed on smooth stone, her reflection stared back at her with a look of disappointment. She was disappointed, for sure, and kind of annoyed. This was the perfect time to go visit Equestria. It had been a year and a half since she last wrote to Twilight. 

Well, that wasn’t necessarily true. She wrote to Twilight, but Twilight rarely wrote back, and when she did, it was short sentences and conversation stoppers. Sunset figured she must be busy with Princess duties, or the magical map inside of her castle. But it was still strange. They always made time to write to one another at least once a week, but it had been radio silence for months. If anything, that made her even more eager to check in on Equestria. What if something was wrong? What if Twilight was in trouble? 

She thought about the last time the portal opened on its own and calculated 30 moons from that. It had been a few years ago, and according to her calculations, the portal should be opening again within the next week, and so she bided her time until then. She thought about all of the possible things that could be happening in Equestria, each more worrying than the last. If Twilight was in trouble, then what could Sunset Shimmer even do to help? She hadn’t used unicorn magic in years. Could she remember?

Of course she could, and she would. She was Princess Celestia’s prized student at some point for a reason, and if magic was anything like riding a bicycle, she would remember quickly. She had to. If she couldn’t, then was she ever really even good at magic? Her desire to learn more, to have more, brought her to this world, and her need to check in on her friends would bring her back. She snorted as she gazed at her reflection. Who would have thought? Sunset Shimmer having friends? Not even she would have ever guessed it, especially when she first abandoned her studies. If there’s anything this world had, it was surprises, and the biggest one of all might have been how much she would eventually change.

In the meantime, days passed and nights soared by. Sunset marked off her calendar until the first day the portal would open naturally. Her hopes were a rollercoaster, in the morning she would be hopeful that everything was fine and it was some kind of misunderstanding, and late into the night, she would be lying on her side with so much nausea from assuming the worst that she threatened to vomit. The in-between was somehow worse, though, just like on a real rollercoaster. Going up is scary, and the end of a drop is jarring, but the dropping is the worst part.

Finally, the day came when she had to make the trip back to her old high school again. She was almost worried the universe would fuck her over even more and somehow decide the portal just wouldn’t open, so she took in a deep breath and held it. She stuck out her hand and brought it closer to where the portal should be. She hesitated before touching it, her arm trembling with fear. With a frown, Sunset retracted her hand. She checked the saddlebag she awkwardly held in her arms with an embroidered image of her cutie mark on it. She still had some Equestrian bits, and the magic journal with her, just in case.

She took a moment to gather herself, steeling herself for the moment of truth. Nausea came back, and Sunset nearly backed out. But she knew this was important. Something inside her was telling her that she had to go through. She knew that Twilight was in trouble. So she reached out once again, her entire body tensed up in a protective state. She pushed through it and closed the space between her hand and the monument. Her hand didn’t stop though, it went through. The portal was opened.

Sunset nearly cheered in celebration but it was dark out and she didn’t want to draw any attention to herself. She smiled instead and braced herself for the horrible feeling of her body ceasing to exist and being overwhelmingly real at the same time. She walked through the portal, and the instantaneous moment felt like an eternity. She fell out of the other side, failing to catch herself with her hands. This was, of course, because she no longer had hands, she had hooves. Even though she had been expecting it, it was a shock. She rose to her feet, or hooves rather, and took an uneasy step forward. The room was eerily quiet, and the lights were off. Dust seemed to gather on the equipment Twilight built so she could open the portal at any time. Now she knew why the portal wasn’t open. Nobody had been in this room in forever. 

She put on her saddlebag awkwardly, still getting used to her new body. To say it was new was wrong though. She was still getting used to her original body. It almost felt like Sunset had been two different people somehow. She was completely different before going to human Canterlot, and the amount she had changed was basically a rebirth. She had lived two lives, and somehow, neither of them really felt right. She put the thought behind her. There was no time for existentialism. 

She raised a hoof to stroke her horn. It was strange, having another part of your body. It wasn’t like hair, though. She could feel it was there. It was new, and yet she was used to it. The feeling of magic coursing through your body was inexplicable, though. It was a surge of energy that was so vibrant and yet so dull at the same time, reminiscent of when she and her friends would ‘pony up’ except the feeling was constant and less defined. She could feel the magic flow like molasses through her body, it peaked at her horn where it seemed heavier, and reached her hooves where it seemed lighter. It was a strange feeling, and she could never put it into words. She definitely never noticed it before having gone to the human world though.

With the newfound familiar sense of magic in her body, she decided to remember how to use it. A simple levitation spell would do the trick, and so she took out a handful—or a hoofful, rather—of her bits from her bag and laid them out on the floor in front of her. She coerced the magic to focus at the tip of her horn, and focused it on one of the bits and made it float in the air. Child’s play. She lifted five at the same time and circled them around each other. It became progressively easier as she became re-accustomed to the sensation. She knew levitating was one of the simplest spells, though, but she was satisfied. She didn’t want to risk anything too noisy, after all. The bits glowed blue as she placed them back into her bag. 

Once she felt comfortable on her hooves, she walked quietly to the door. Something was off, she knew it, so she wanted to be as careful as possible. The door, despite her wishes, creaked loudly as she opened it. She winced and cursed at herself for not using magic to open it silently instead. She might have felt comfortable with her magic once again, but it still wasn’t second nature to her. She peeked out of the room and looked down both ends of the hallway. Luckily, it was empty, and it seemed that nopony heard her. She took a cautious step out of the room and this time used magic to shut the door behind her silently.  

It had been a while since she'd been inside Twilight’s castle, and it was just as confusing as ever. There were no indications of where one was heading, and no way of telling apart the hallways. Some were darker than others, and some were especially unused. The dust on the occasional floors were the only signs that Sunset had of where to go. She walked slowly, quietly, and carefully down the empty hallways. Something was definitely not right. Her hoofsteps were quiet, but the hallways were even more so. The echoes of her hooves hitting the hard floor were faint but made Sunset uneasy regardless. 

After what were the longest ten minutes of Sunset's life, she heard louder hoofsteps, hoofsteps that were not afraid to be heard. But Sunset was, so she ducked silently behind a wall. The hoofsteps reached about halfway down the hallway before stopping. There was a huff of exasperation, and then a stomp. 

"For the last time, there is nopony down there." 

Sunset froze. It couldn't be. But it sounded like it. But it couldn't be. She took her chances and looked around the corner where her eyes fell on the backside of a lavender pony. Not just any type of pony, however, an alicorn. It was unmistakably Twilight. Sunset wanted to run out to greet her and be glad she was okay, but her instincts glued her hooves to the floor and wired her jaw shut. 

"I'm not going to check," Twilight spoke again. Sunset narrowed her eyes and looked around the area where Twilight stood, but she seemed to be alone. There was no other voice to suggest somepony she couldn't see. "You can't make me." 

Who can't make you? Sunset frowned as confusion set in. She watched Twilight closely. The purple alicorn glared down the hallway at something that Sunset couldn't see, and then her entire body tensed for a second and then relaxed, although her posture changed. She stood straighter and her face was blank. 

When she spoke, it was wrong. It still sounded like Twilight, but sounded distorted, as if someone spoke over her. "I can make you do anything I want." A shudder went down Twilight’s body as she shook her head. "Don't do that," she demanded. Her voice was normal again, but a lot colder and angrier than Sunset had ever heard it be. 

Sunset clenched her jaw. Possession? She couldn't think of another explanation on the spot. Something was definitely wrong with Twilight, and if that was the case, then Twilight was probably what was wrong with Equestria. She had come to Equestria expecting to save Twilight from trouble. She hadn't expected Twilight to be the trouble. 

Sunset leaned forward more in an attempt to acquire a better view of Twilight in case there was something physically wrong with her. Her bag tilted and she turned her head fast enough to notice a bit sliding out of the pocket. It fell towards the floor, but before it could hit it, it was surrounded by a blue aura. Sunset bit her lip as she floated it back inside her bag and remembered to properly close the button. In hindsight, that was a mistake. The button clicked, and Sunset's head swiveled immediately to Twilight, whose ear flicked before her entire head turned at breakneck speed to glare in Sunset's direction. 

Sunset hissed inwardly and hid behind the wall again, but she knew she was too slow. The sound of the hoofsteps returned, but they were calm and leisurely. Sunset almost wished that they would be rushed and quick, somehow that seemed more appealing. She listened carefully and internally panicked about what to do. The hoofsteps grew closer and in a last-minute decision, she scrunched her face in concentration and shut her eyes. Her horn glowed for a moment and with an electrifying poof, she was gone. 

She was too afraid to open her eyes, but she knew she should. There was wind, which indicated she was outside, and the faint sound of leaves that rustled also tipped her off. Frozen in place, Sunset reluctantly opened one eye, then the next. She looked around and found she seemed to have teleported herself right outside of Twilight’s castle. It definitely was not as far as she had hoped to go, and she could only blame inexperience for the lack of refined magic. 

She didn't see any ponies, which was normal enough for Ponyville at night, but still, it felt wrong. Despite the time and the moon resting directly overhead, there ought to have been at least some ponies walking around and having fun, but there was nothing. No sounds, no anything. Sunset strained her ears and tried to catch any sound that would indicate that Ponyville was in fact inhabited but all she heard was the wind. 

And then, a single hoofstep. She nearly jumped, but upon realizing that it came from in the distance, she relaxed. It couldn't have been Twilight, and that meant that there was indeed somepony else alive! Sunset shook her head and told herself she was working herself up over nothing. She walked over to the origin of the noise and turned the corner and came face to face with another pony. She had a light lavender coat and a pale blue mane with white streaks in it. Her eyes were light purple and she sported a passive smile. Another rush of relief overcame Sunset. At least it isn't somepony intimidating. 

"Uh, do I know you?" The mare spoke while she tilted her head and frowned. "I don't think I've seen you around… You must be new. I'm Cloud Chaser." Cloud Chaser extended a hoof with a nervous smile. 

Sunset hesitated before raising her hoof to Cloud Chaser's for a hoofshake. "Sunset Shimmer." She took the opportunity to look around properly, her eyes more adjusted to the dark. "Where is everyone? I know it's the middle of the night, but it seems way too quiet." 

Cloud Chaser frowned. "What do you mean? Most ponies are patrolling. My station is over near the old Town Hall, but I came back to switch shifts. Did you not get your assignment yet?" She eyed Sunset and leaned in closer to take a good look at her eyes. Sunset noticed that the other mare's appeared to be bloodshot. 

Sunset swallowed dryly. The relief she felt upon initially meeting Cloud Chaser disappeared. There was definitely something wrong. "Patrolling?" She echoed. 

Cloud Chaser took a step back. "You must be really new. Who brought you in?" She looked over Sunset's body, making Sunset want to disappear again. But she needed answers. 

Sunset's mouth dried up. "Oh, I came here by myself," she said coolly. "I haven't gotten a chance to talk to anyb–pony yet, which is why I don't have an assignment." Fuck. That was a terrible lie. 

Cloud Chaser blinked, then perked up. "By yourself? Did you come from Sweet Apple Acres?" She rolled her eyes as she spoke the name of the Apples’ farm. Sunset nodded in the assumption that she wouldn't have to explain herself if she agreed. 

Cloud Chaser groaned and confirmed Sunset's suspicions as she kept talking. "I came from there too. They had me under some ridiculous illusion that they were doing what was best for everypony. I can't believe I bought into it," she spat as she laughed dryly. She took a deep breath and her laughter stopped abruptly. "That is until Dusk Sparkle showed me the path of righteousness. I never noticed how much in the darkness the rebellion was until Dusk Sparkle graciously brought me into her light." Her voice became almost monotone at the end. It sounded as if she was reading off of a script. 

Shivers ran down Sunset's back. She forced herself to remain calm, though. If she seemed creeped out by this, she'd be exposed for being out of place, and she didn't want to think about what could happen to her. She just nodded again and hoped that would prompt Cloud Chaser into speaking again. But she just looked at her in confused anticipation. Sunset quirked her head and Cloud Chaser's mouth opened, then shut as she stood up as perfect as a mannequin. Her eyes shut and she looked straight ahead. When her eyes opened again, her sclera dimly glowed red as she turned her gaze back on Sunset. Her irises glowed white against the red of her sclera. She wasn't at all taller than Sunset, but she all of a sudden held the aura of a tall, commanding pony. 

"Sunset Shimmer," a voice called. It came from Cloud Chaser, but it was not the voice she heard before. It was Twilight’s. "I thought you'd never come, although I'm surprised you're here and not with the pitiful rebels." 

Sunset didn't dare move and her voice came out in a whisper. "Twilight?" 

Cloud Chaser's body moved to fit the laugh that came from her throat. "It's Dusk Sparkle now, Sunset. I've changed. I've become better." 

Despite knowing that she could probably easily defeat this body, she was still afraid. Defeating Cloud Chaser would not defeat Twil—Dusk Sparkle. She racked her mind for a solution, anything she could do, but it came up blank. "What are you doing, Twilight? This isn't like you." 

Cloud Chaser frowned deeply, her eyes narrowed into slits before they flashed and they became normal again, although tinted an even deeper red than before. The mare collapsed forward onto the floor and stayed there. If Sunset couldn't see her breathing, she would have thought she was dead. 

Behind her was a snap. The unmistakable noise of teleportation. Sunset's heart dropped as she spun around faster than lightning. She was staring directly at a purple alicorn, although she seemed to be a few shades darker than what she normally looked like. Dusk Sparkle looked down on Sunset. Even with Sunset's taller than average height, Twilight still stood taller. Her face was cold and her eyes were the same as when Cloud Chaser's eyes changed. 

"I'm not Twilight Sparkle anymore. I'm Dusk Sparkle," the deep purple alicorn spoke. Her voice was distorted in the same way that Sunset had heard in the hallway before. "You shouldn't be here, and yet I'm not complaining." Dusk Sparkle took a step closer to Sunset, who glared in response. She looked the unicorn over, eyes deep in thought. "You will make a great addition to my army.”

Sunset shook her head, focusing on a large rock next to Dusk Sparkle. She concentrated all of her magical energy on it. "Why would I ever join you? You're not the Twilight I remember. You're not my friend," she growled. She launched the rock at Dusk Sparkle's head with all of her might. It traveled through the air as fast as Sunset could make it. 

There was no impact. The rock was encased in a magnificent magenta glow that completely snuffed the teal aura of Sunset's magic. The rock floated effortlessly next to Dusk Sparkle's ear. "You're right, I'm not your friend." Her ear flicked as the rock flew at Sunset in a blur. 

Sunset braced for impact, for what could very well be the sweet release of death, but the rock hit the ground inches away from her. She looked over, completely bewildered, and saw the rock lying in the ditch it had made on impact. Sunset's nostrils flared in a silent gasp. 

Dusk Sparkle was unbothered, glancing casually at the rock as the glow disappeared from her horn. "And you don't have a choice." She shot a beam of magic at Sunset, who even with the fastest of reactions, could not escape it. She shot up a last-second shield spell that immediately fell away, leaving her exposed. 

It hurt for a moment, immensely. Her head pounded with pain for a second, and her entire body was overwhelmed with a feeling Sunset could not describe. She screamed, but no sound came out. Her legs wobbled beneath her and threatened to give out, but still, she dug her hooves deeper into the dirt. A bright light overpowered her vision, even once she closed her eyes. 

And then, nothing. She opened her eyes again, feeling nothing. Sunset looked straight ahead at Dusk Sparkle, who grinned back at her. Sunset blinked and lowered herself to the floor in a bow. 

"I was in the dark until now," Sunset spoke. "Thank you for showing me the light, Dusk Sparkle."