It was the middle of the night. Twilight sat quietly in Sunset's bedroom, keeping watch on the injured unicorn lying asleep in her bed.
It would be an understatement to say that Twilight was worried. She couldn't bear to see Sunset like this. Even though Sunset was still alive, the fact that she still hadn't woken up had Twilight deeply concerned.
Memories of that night two days ago started to flash across her mind again...
"No... no no no NO!!! Sunset Shimmer! Please wake up! Please!"
Twilight knelt down beside her apprentice, holding her in her arms and brushing her mane out of her closed eyes. The hat and mask lay discarded on the floor beside her. Sunset's costume was filled with rips and tears, and her face was heavily bruised, her mane disheveled and one of her eyes blackened and swollen. Except for her shallow breathing, she was completely motionless.
"Celestia dammit! Please wake up!" Twilight cried out, tears starting to flow from her eyes. Around her, four other ponies looked on in concern. Fluttershy was sobbing quietly, while Daring Do and Dusty Runes watched the scene unfold, their eyes widened in shock. Moon Dusk remained silent, but he could not stop the tears flowing from his eyes as he watched Twilight hold Sunset Shimmer close.
"Please... I'm begging you... please wake up, Sunset Shimmer..." Twilight whispered, cradling Sunset in her forearms as she continued crying.
I couldn't believe my eyes... Sunset normally doesn't get injured this badly while fighting. At worst, it's just a few minor bruises, maybe a black eye... but this is the first time she's been beaten to the point of blacking out. What happened back there with Night Sh... Star Gazer?
Twilight sighed. Moon Dusk had told her about Star Gazer: she used to study under Princess Celestia until an incident involving her friend, Sparkly Skies, caused her to go mad. Unfortunately, he didn't know exactly what happened, only that it was an experiment gone wrong, and Sparkly happened to get caught in the middle of it. Twilight sent out a letter to Princess Celestia at the first opportunity she got, asking her to explain what happened. She was currently at the Griffon Kingdom on a diplomatic meeting, but she replied to Twilight's letter, promising to stop by the castle the first chance she got.
The sound of flapping wings brought Twilight out of her thoughts. She looked out the balcony window, jumping out of her seat in surprise. "Rainbow Dash?"
Twilight galloped over and opened the doors, allowing the cyan pegasus to swoop in and land. Rainbow Dash was still sporting her cadet uniform and her flight goggles, which she promptly lifted above her eyes.
"Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked in surprise. "Aren't you supposed to be at the Academy?"
"Captain Spitfire was really impressed with how the last week of training went," Rainbow Dash answered, looking smug as usual. "So she decided to give us the weekend off. I got your letter about Sunset, and I decided to come here and check up on her." She trotted over to Sunset's bed, glancing at the sleeping unicorn. A bandage was wrapped around her forehead, and though some of the bruises on her face had faded, she was still sporting a few, along with a swollen eye.
"Jeez," Rainbow muttered, unable to believe that her awesome superhero friend was in such a condition. "Looks like she had it rough."
"Star Gazer really did a number on her," Twilight told her as she stepped up to Rainbow's side. "She's never been this badly injured before."
"Star Gazer?" Rainbow raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Who's that? One of Night Shade's lackeys?"
"Actually, Rainbow... Star Gazer IS Night Shade," Twilight told the pegasus, who stared at her in shock. "Turns out, she used to study under Princess Celestia, until-"
"Hold up," Rainbow interrupted as she held up her forehoof. "You mean to tell me that Sunset Shimmer, a student of Princess Celestia gone bad, is fighting ANOTHER student gone bad?!"
Twilight shook her head. "Not necessarily. Sunset only turned against the Princess because she wasn't getting what she wanted. With Star Gazer, however, it wasn't for completely selfish reasons. There was some sort of accident that her friend was caught in."
Rainbow tilted her head, her face showing signs of curiosity. "What kind of accident?"
"I don't know the specifics," Twilight admitted as she began to pace around the room. "I've already sent out a letter to Princess Celestia, there's a chance she might know what happened. She's currently at the Griffon Kingdom on a diplomatic meeting, but she promised to come to the castle the first opportunity she gets to tell us what happened. Whatever it was, it must've been too much for Star Gazer to handle, and it caused her to snap. I'm guessing it was brought up while she and Sunset were fighting, and it put her in a rampage that Sunset couldn't defend herself from."
"And this was without that Celestial Amulet thing." Rainbow turned to Twilight with a concerned look. "If Star Gazer managed to do this on her own..."
"There's no telling how much damage she'll be able to do once she gets all three Relics," Twilight finished. "Remember Stray Wind and the damage they said she was able to cause once she had the Earth Relic? We need to find the last one, and fast."
"Any plans for that?"
"Daring Do and Dusty already found out where it is. It's somewhere in the Everfree Forest," Twilight said.
Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise. "The Everfree Forest? You're kidding, right?"
"That's where the other two Relics pointed, so it must be there," said Twilight. "Daring and Dusty already set off yesterday to look for it, and Applejack's accompanying them."
"She already left?! And Applejack's with her?! Awww...!" Rainbow threw her hooves up and flopped onto the floor, groaning loudly in disappointment while an unamused Twilight rolled her eyes. "Come on!"
"Get a grip, Rainbow Dash," Twilight muttered, walking up to the cyan pegasus. "I'm sure you'll get another chance to go on an adventure with her."
Pausing for a moment, Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. "I know..." she replied as she slowly got to her hooves. She took a quick glance at Sunset and slowly walked up beside her, watching her injured friend with concern.
"Think she'll be okay, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight murmured as she joined Rainbow beside the bed.
"She'll pull through this, Twilight. I'm sure of it," Rainbow Dash replied sternly, brushing Sunset's mane with her forehoof. "There's no keeping a tough mare like her down. She'll be back on her hooves in no time."
"I'm kinda worried about her, though," Twilight admitted. "What if something else happens to her? Something worse?"
Rainbow turned towards Twilight, placing a forehoof on her shoulder. "Twilight."
Twilight turned her head and was surprised to find her friend looking unusually serious. There was no sign of her usual cocky and brash attitude on her face.
"Sunset knew the risks when she decided to become Mare-Do-Well," Rainbow Dash told her. "She knew it would get dangerous, that she would be throwing herself in harm's way."
"I know, Rainbow Dash," Twilight answered. "But-"
"And despite the risks, she stood by her decision," Rainbow continued. "Remember what she said to you that night after she saved those fillies?"
Twilight furrowed her brow, the memories of that fateful Nightmare Night playing in her mind. Twilight was hesitant at first to allow Sunset to become a masked hero, concerned about how much danger it would put her in. She voiced her thoughts about this to Sunset.
Her response was one that Twilight wouldn't forget. Sunset's voice never wavered as she spoke, and on her face was nothing but absolute determination, and a fire burning in her eyes.
"If that means somepony gets to stay safe another day, I don't care. It'll be worth it."
"She told me that she didn't care if she got hurt. Her only concern was keeping other ponies safe," Twilight murmured to herself. "And the look on her face when she told me that... I could tell that she meant it. At that point, I couldn't say no to her."
"I was just as surprised as you were when she said that," Rainbow Dash admitted. "She's come a long way from the selfish, elitist brat she was when she first arrived in Ponyville. If you had told me back then that Sunset Shimmer would become a masked vigilante dedicated to protecting ponies, I would've laughed and called you crazy. But look at her now." A small smile forming on her face, Rainbow glanced towards Sunset. "She's a hero risking her life to help others. And I'll admit... I'm really proud of the pony she's become."
Twilight closed her eyes, taking in Rainbow Dash's words. Memories of Sunset Shimmer flashed across her mind.
"When she first arrived in Ponyville, she was a completely different unicorn. She absolutely hated me, simply because Princess Celestia made me a princess, but not her. And she didn't hesitate to show it." Twilight remembered how Sunset acted once the two ponies laid eyes on each other. Twilight greeted her with a smile, and Sunset just shoved her aside, glaring intensely.
"She felt robbed of something that she felt she deserved, and she was becoming a monster. A monster that would haunt her for years and drive her insane. And it almost killed her..." The talk underneath the stars after Sunset was rescued from the timberwolf. Twilight listened as Sunset broke down in tears, confessing about the nightmares that plagued her the last two years.
"But after giving her an encouraging talk, she decided to give friendship a chance." Twilight held out her forehoof, assuring Sunset that she and her friends would never give up on her. Sunset took it, and a friendship was born. Despite rocky starts (especially when Discord, as a joke, turned Sunset into the monster that was haunting her), she managed to embrace the magic of friendship, and it changed her life. The angry, spoiled unicorn that first arrived in Ponyville vanished, and in her stead was a kind-hearted, happy mare.
"And as she learned more about friendship..." Twilight trotted over beside Sunset, gently holding her forehoof as she tried to keep the tears out of her eyes. "I could see her changing inside. She was becoming happier with each passing day. After what she had gone through before, it was something she absolutely needed."
Of all the happy memories of Sunset she had, the one that stood out the most to Twilight was last year's Grand Galloping Gala. Even though the evening turned out to be an utter disaster, with the castle's party room being reduced to rubble as the result of a cattle stampede instigated by the Cutie Mark Crusaders (who were attempting to get cutie marks in cattle wrangling), Sunset was still smiling as she danced the night away with her friends, laughing and enjoying herself. As Twilight watched, Princess Celestia stood beside her, watching her former student with tear-soaked eyes and a proud look on her face.
"You've done well, Princess Twilight," she said quietly. "I've never seen Sunset Shimmer so happy before. Thank you so much."
"It wasn't just me, Princess Celestia," Twilight replied, also smiling warmly as she watched Sunset dancing with Pinkie Pie. "My friends have also helped show her just how magical friendship is."
Twilight opened her eyes, and she found herself back in the castle, holding Sunset's forehoof as Rainbow Dash stood behind her. She watched the unconscious unicorn lying on the bed in front of her, and smiled.
"I'm... I'm really proud of you... Sunset Shimmer..." she murmured quietly, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Rainbow stepped forward and placed a forehoof on Twilight's shoulder. "She's one special unicorn, alright," she said. "I'm really happy to have somepony like her as a friend."
"Me too, Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied. "Me too."
The two ponies remained by Sunset for a few moments, neither one of them saying a word as they looked at their friend.
It was Rainbow Dash that broke the silence. "Hey Twilight? Why don't you get some rest?"
Twilight glanced back towards the pegasus. "Huh?"
"You look like you haven't slept in days," Rainbow Dash replied, gesturing to the nearby mirror. Twilight took a glance at her reflection, suddenly noticing how groggy she looked.
"But... what about Sun..." Before Twilight could finish her sentence, she let out a huge yawn, blinking her eyes a couple times.
"Don't worry. I'll watch over her, Twilight," Rainbow told her. "She's my friend too. Want me to help get you to your bedroom first?"
Twilight didn't speak, choosing instead to nod her head slowly as she rubbed her eyes.
"Alright then. Off to bed, egghead," Rainbow Dash chuckled.
"Oh shut up," Twilight muttered as she slowly trotted out of the bedroom, Rainbow Dash right behind her.
Neither of them noticed the small smile forming on Sunset Shimmer's face, or the single tear rolling from her eye.
Thank you... my friends...
*Tap tap tap!*
"Huh...?" Rainbow Dash's eyelids slowly opened, her eyes catching the early rays of the sunrise through the balcony window. As she blinked, she noticed something else on the balcony. Or rather, somePONY else. A tall, white somepony with a flowing mane.
"Princess Celestia...?" Rainbow's eyes shot open in an instant as she jumped to her hooves, prying open the balcony door and allowing the alicorn to step into the bedroom.
"My apologies for coming at this hour, Rainbow Dash," the Princess of the Sun answered, bowing down slightly. "But there is something I need to discuss with Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight."
Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, racking her brains. She then clapped her hooves together. "Oh right! Twilight mentioned that she wanted to talk to you about Star Gazer!"
Princess Celestia nodded. "Correct. Unfortunately, I cannot stay long. There are important matters I need to attend to back in Canterlot." She took a glance at the bed on the opposite side of the room, spotting the unconscious Sunset Shimmer. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern for her former student. "And it looks like I arrived at a bad time," Princess Celestia sighed. "I'm saddened to see my former student in such a condition."
"I know, right?" Rainbow Dash muttered, glancing in Sunset's direction. "She's normally the one handing out all the beatings, but this time she was on the receiving end of a brutal one."
"Oh my..." a third voice rang out, causing Rainbow Dash to jump up in surprise. "That looks really bad. I hope she's okay."
"Who is that?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising her eyebrow suspiciously.
"Princess Twilight wanted to hear about Star Gazer's past, correct?" Princess Celestia answered. "I brought with me somepony who could explain the situation better than I could."
Rainbow Dash watched as a pegasus mare stepped out from behind Princess Celestia. Her mane was short and messy, made up of several shades of light blue and white. Her fur was also a deep sky blue color, and on her flank was a cutie mark of a sparkling cloud surrounded by stars.
But something else about her appearance caught Rainbow Dash completely off-guard: the pegasus's wings. Unlike the rest of her body, the wings were completely blackened and stiff, almost like they were paralyzed. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She tried her best to keep her mouth shut, but curiosity got the better of her.
"Holy crap! What happened to your wings?!" she blurted out without thinking. "I mean... they're pitch black!" She suddenly covered her mouth, groaning in frustration. "Gah! Sorry, I didn't mean-!"
But to her surprise, the pegasus merely smiled. "Don't worry, nothing wrong with being curious," she replied, gesturing to her wings. "Happened during an accident a long time ago."
Princess Celestia held out her forehoof. "Rainbow Dash... meet Star Gazer's childhood friend, Sparkly Skies."