//------------------------------// // Ch 6: Betrayal // Story: All These Shining Lights // by InkyTalon //------------------------------// It happened so suddenly. Everything was interrupted by the sound of—... …Sobbing. Sunset and Starlight simultaneously snapped their heads to watch Rarity tearfully flop down, curling up into a ball on the floor and holding onto her tail, stroking it as if to comfort herself. A panicked Spike was rubbing her back. "Where is my fainting couch when I need i-i-iiiit?!" she wailed. Immediately the music cut off, and everypony rushed to encircle the distressed dressmaker to find out what was going on with her. "Oh no! Rarity, what's wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked, sounding more serious and concerned than perhaps ever. The pink mare galloped over to Rarity, petting her mane, attempting to pass her a balloon. "A balloon always cheers me up…" "What dumb, fancy stallion do I have to beat up?" Rainbow Dash asked daringly as she swooped in, punching the air with her hooves. "Nopony makes my friend cry!" Rarity couldn't respond, only sobbed and wailed harder. Twilight stepped forward, appearing fearful… the knowing sort of fearful. "Whatever it is Rarity, we're here for ya. We got your back!" Applejack chimed in, disguising her worry with her usual peppy can-do attitude. "You can tell us! We can fix it together—" "PRINCESS CELESTIA IS SICK!" Rarity screeched suddenly. The whole room went dead silent. Pinkie Pie's balloon deflated noisily. Rarity was panting and staring ahead sightlessly, feral grief twisting the features of her mascara-stained face. "... Oh. I guess we can't." Applejack said slowly, looking down and taking off her hat, holding it against her heart. "We're doomed, I tell you!" Rarity melted back into hysterics. "Doooomed!" Sunset couldn't believe what she'd just heard. She was stunned, frozen. Couldn't speak or think. And then it hit her like a mallet… This is what Twilight asked her here for. She felt like she was shattering… and almost by default her entire self burned with the emotion she knew best… anger. She turned to Starlight, that anger blazing behind her cyan eyes. "Princess Celestia is sick? Did you know about this?" The lilac unicorn shrank back, ashamed. She wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. She could only think to give a nervous shrug and smile. "Eh-heh…" Sunset shook her head, and sped towards Twilight, leaving a frazzled Starlight behind. She didn't have time for this. In her panicked mind, all Sunset could think of was Celestia, her mentor that loved and guided her, wasting away… and she needed to do something about it. "I'm sorry, Twilight!" Spike rushed to explain. "Rarity and I just were talking, and I couldn't stop thinking about Princess Celestia, and—" "It's alright, Spike. It isn't your fault." Twilight said, slow and somber. She alighted off the ground, flying to perch on top of the DJ set where all could see her. She closed her eyes, preparing her words. Rarity gradually quieted down. Everyone in the room, even Discord, was watching Twilight with grave anticipation. "It's true," Twilight said, her voice carrying a kind of authority and wisdom that neither she or her friends were used to. "I am so sorry I didn't tell you all right away. With Sunset coming, I was thinking of her when I had Pinkie throw this party. I wanted her to be welcomed, for everybody to have a fun time, and for Spike and Starlight to have something to make them feel better. ...And… If I'm honest…" Twilight lowered her head, her own deep sadness edging back into her voice. "It was for me, too." "Could it be a curse, like poison joke?" Discord asked, to everyone's surprise showing great concern. "Or a common illness, like the pony pox?" The draconequus snapped his fingers, turning himself a shade of blue. "Or like when I had the dreaded Blue Flu?" Everyone glared at him at that. "Oh right, I suppose I was faking that one," Discord admitted. He actually wasn't trying to make a joke that time. He'd just forgot. "But the point is... alicorns like Celestia live a long, long time. Isn't it something she could weather out?" Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "Nopony knows what has infected her, but it's serious and she's very weak. I visited her at the castle; I've seen her symptoms. It doesn't seem to be magic-related, or any kind of curse, or any illness ever documented in Equestria. I don't think it's anything anypony has seen before." "What can we do?" asked Fluttershy. "Tell us, Twilight..!" "We'll do anything for the Princess!" affirmed Rainbow. Twilight sighed, appearing defeated. That authority and wisdom, that aura she carried as the Princess of Friendship… had gone. Her voice was hollow when she replied. "I don't think there's anything we can do." Fluttershy whimpered, and others murmured, but nopony doubted Twilight, as she'd probably read countless books on rare and magical diseases that can afflict ponies. Nopony, that is, except Sunset Shimmer. "A doctor will be able to diagnose her, though, right?" Sunset asked. "Is she going to a doctor?" "Yes, she is. She's probably getting checked into the Canterlot Hospital as we speak. She said she'd send a letter." A letter? Even delivered by teleportation spells or by dragon fire, writing out and sending a letter just seemed so archaic and slow to Sunset. And risky… that letter could end up anywhere if there was any mistake. In her adopted world, all you needed was a cell phone to send a quick, instantaneous text to someone. And then something far, far more worrying hit her… what if Equestria's medicine wasn't evolved enough, either? Technology in the human world was so advanced compared to here. What if Twilight was right, and Equestrian doctors couldn't treat the Princess? With that in mind, a sudden, inescapable sense of duty fell upon Sunset, and she trotted over to her backpack, attempted to pick it up with her hooves, failed, and then promptly levitated it with her magic to put it on herself. "What are you doing, Sunset?" Twilight flew down to meet her, confusion and worry riddling her expression. "I'm going home." Everypony gasped. "You can't do that." Twilight said sternly. "You agreed to come here, and—" "Celestia is sick, Twilight! Your ruler is sick. We can't just sit here and party and expect for it to go away, or trust your doctors to take care of it! You said it yourself – it's a disease nopony in Equestria has seen before. We have to do something." Twilight Sparkle furrowed her brows, her ears flattening against her head as she stared at Sunset, appalled. "If there was a way we thought could help, Celestia knows we would be fighting off whatever villain that cursed her, or travel to the ends of Equestria to track down the cure. So is this what you think is helping? Leaving when Princess Celestia asked to see you?" Sunset had already started her walk towards the portal, but she froze at that. Slowly, she turned to face Twilight. Her lips parted in disbelief. "She asked… for me?" "Yes, she did. She wants to see you. She misses you." The taller alicorn nodded, taking a step towards Sunset, her violet eyes pleading. "We don't know how much longer she'll be with us," Twilight continued, her voice cracking with emotion. "She needs you, Sunset Shimmer." Sunset had to take a moment to process this. Princess Celestia wanted to see her. Her, of all ponies. Had Celestia truly forgiven her for everything she'd done? It was now that Sunset struggled with what to do. Every fiber of her being was being pulled to Canterlot, to Celestia. She wanted to run to her. If they really didn't know how long she had left… … But these ponies didn't know what the human world's doctors could do. Sunset did. And if she didn't at least try to save her… Twilight could hate her. They could all think she was a coward, think she didn't want to face Celestia. Even Starlight. That would hurt… so, so much. All she wanted was to be accepted by the inhabitants of this world. But she'd be wasting precious time trying to explain herself. Sunset raised her head, a look of determination and no shortage of pain in her eyes. "She does need me." And with that, Sunset turned, and continued walking towards the magic mirror that would bring her back home. Twilight watched her go, rigid and upset. The thought that Sunset would walk away from Celestia a second time was enough to make her momentarily forget all the good Sunset had done. "I thought you had changed." Sunset paused again, but did not turn around. The hurt and sense of betrayal in Twilight's voice was enough to absolutely break Sunset's heart. She could forget trying to impress Twilight, being her student, or being close to her ever again. Fighting back the tears that stung at her eyes, Sunset leapt through the portal without looking back. Starlight had been quiet that whole time, watching the sorrow and drama that unfolded from a distance. After Sunset got angry with her, she just… felt useless. She'd made the wrong call… again. She'd failed Twilight's friendship lesson, but more importantly… she'd failed Sunset. Starlight had only just met Sunset, but she'd grown closer to the golden unicorn than she ever thought was possible in such a short amount of time. They got each other, maybe even more than she and Trixie did. And now she'd screwed it all up. She shouldn't have second guessed herself, and been such a coward. Why was it so easy to follow her instincts when it comes to magical schemes, but so hard when it comes to friendship? She should have told her. The lilac unicorn sat, defeated, as Twilight explained to everypony what was wrong with Celestia. Her gaze remained trained on Sunset, hoping the other unicorn would give her a second look, and forgive her. But she seemed far too upset and determined to pay her any mind. Who could blame her? And then her teacher and Sunset were fighting, and it hurt even more to see that. She couldn't understand what had Sunset so determined to return to her world, but she couldn't believe it was to abandon Celestia. She just couldn't. I thought you had changed. This struck Starlight most of all. It was like a flashback to how Twilight treated Trixie when Starlight made friends with her. Twilight hadn't gotten rid of her grudge towards Trixie until she saw how important Starlight was to her. And clearly, Twilight still had doubts about Sunset. She wasn't trusting her, even though Twilight said Sunset accomplished so much. What did that say about Twilight's relationship with her? Did Twilight secretly not trust her own student, even after all this time has passed? How many times would she have to rise up and prove herself, how much would she have to accomplish, before Twilight truly accepts her? Starlight didn't want to think about it. Right now, Sunset needed a friend more than ever. Even Starlight, being rusty at friendship, could recognize that. Without a second thought, she stood, and started galloping towards the portal. "Starlight!" Twilight cried out to her student in alarm, reaching for her. But it was too late. Starlight sprung, and she shut her eyes as her hooves and face passed through the mirror like it was nothing more a pool of water. She surrendered herself to the madly swirling vortex… ... and Starlight Glimmer was gone.