It happened in an instant. Each stage lasted but the blink of an eye. A girl pressured into unleashing what she never meant to steal and turning herself into a monster; another summoning the same magic to bind the harmony of all those around her so that she could stand against the other. Gateways splitting reality, threatening to swallow up innocent bystanders; the very same gateways slamming shut and bystanders sheltering one another in their arms. A struggle of both dazzling and frightening magics clashing against one another. One moment would tell you the darkness would prevail, then the next moment would tell you the first lied. In the end, light prevailed and swallowed the two adversaries into its hold.
Both girls remembered the void the drifted in. They remembered a voice speaking to them. But that voice was no longer present; only they were.
Apprehension gripped one. An enemy stared her down... But there was no hate. An enemy's hand reached for her... But there was no threat. Tears fell from her eyes... But there was now sorrow. Within the light they shared, there was only harmony. A harmony they shared as hands met and feelings mingled. The one felt the darkness fade from her as warmth took its place and magic trickled out. But, in that fleeting moment of light fading back to reality, they both heard it.
It was but for a second... But it felt as if it could last forever.
You surprise me.
It's you again.
You always surprise me actually.
I don't know what to say to you... Thank you kinda seems appropriate.
From the moment I met you, I knew you would do wonderful things.
I didn't do a thing that my friends weren't there to help me with.
I am very proud of you, Sunset.
...Who are you, by the way?
Oh! You are listening to me! I thought we were having two different conversations.
No. Heh. I'm listening. I'm just... Still in shock.
Good. Always feel that after you do good. Never lose that feeling of magic.
It's a nice thought... But I really don't want to go against so much evil on a regular basis.
Evil takes on many forms, child. So many sizes and shapes... Treat each one the same as you would this one.
That seems a bit overkill.
Does it?
I think so...
Tell me this: a girl is pushed down by a bigger boy. What do you do?
Help the girl up and go find the bully.
A good start.
A start?
Why is the boy pushing girls down? Why did the girl not call out for help? Why is it you're involved and not someone else? There exists a further answer and solution to everything. You can never know until you treat even the smallest problem as a big issue.
That seems... Tiring.
It does, doesn't it? Then it's good you have friends...
...I do, don't I?
And they have friends too. Friends who could be your friends. It may not seem possible; but a net of friendship can link across the entire world... This one and any other.
You have wider eyes than Fluttershy. Heh.
You are given an opportunity so few others get. You are free to walk two worlds... Your expanse of friendship extends further then most can even fathom.
That's a really long road ahead you're talking about.
A proverb goes that two men each take a boat to a deserted island. When they get there, one man docks his boat in case he would ever want to go home while the other dismantles his own to make firewood and shelter so his stay on the island is more survivable.
Who made the right choice?
The proverb would have you believe the man who made shelter and firewood... But, they both made the right choice.
Really? How?
They're both on the same island.
...Who are you?
Keep rising, Sunset Shimmer. Your past is not today; but you are all the more beautiful because of it...
...I was right, you know?
I... I don't know what to do...
Do nothing.
But...
Then do everything.
...What were you right about?
You. Them. Everything. It's not easy to know everything...
I... I know the feeling... A smaller feeling.
Relating pain is never small, Twilight. You hurt... You hurt because you know you brought hurt to others.
Those other people you spoke of... The ones that used power for good and... evil... Did they learn?
Did you?
...I don't know what I know right now... I'm lost...
So are--were they... They used great powers because they saw something as wrong. Because something to them was out of place. All the while they used the power, one thought came to their minds... The thought took on many shapes, frames, forms, and words, but the idea was always the same...
What was it?
Is it my right.
Their... Right?
Is it my right to force my will on someone else? Should I have the power to force people? Am I using this for the right reasons? Were they better off before this? In their minds, they had always wrestled with the idea if it was them doing the right thing... Or if they were oppressing others.
...Who was right?
No one... But, everyone had a point. At times, the ones doing 'evil' were the ones who were in the right... But that never made it right. A sister harming another sister... Friends casting the other out... Starving another civilization for their civilization... Taking the futures away from millions to satisfy their own self-righteous whims... Putting all the faith in the world on trinkets... It was never right. But, it wasn't wrong.
I don't know what any of that means... But I understand... I just went through a lot of trouble...
It gets better, Twilight. I promise.
How? How can you promise me that? After all I just did! All I tried to do! How can you promise me things will get better?
Twilight...
I just... I'm just... I...
...It's cold out tonight.
...W-what?
Yes. It's cold.
I... I guess...
Good. Then we're both cold. Do you think it'll get any warmer tonight?
...No?
Probably not. The nights are always so cold... And they take forever to just pass. It feels like -at times- all we can do is just sit here and take it. But, you know what?
What?
The sun will rise soon. Then the birds will be out, and the sun will bring some warm air with it. I'm not asking you to accept everything and anything the world throws at you, Twilight... I'm only asking you to make it to tomorrow; to wait for the sunrise. Because no matter how bad things look or how they may be... The sun will always come out, and a new day will shine on your world.
...Who are you?
Someone who wants you to remember to dream, Twilight. Someone who wants you to try every single day on whatever it is you're doing. And someone who means it with the utmost love when they said do good... Do good.
...Thank you... For everything.
Don't thank me... Wait until you see her...
As sudden as they disappeared into the light, the two left it. Wings, horns, and magical changes alike had faded from both their forms. The two, hand in hand, drifted back to the earth below them. Eyes all fell to them; friends and foes alike, many of who had abandoned the notion of enemies. Yet, they all watched the two girls as they met eyes with one another. A hesitation split between them as a second slipped between them. However, this second went by unnoticed.
"I'm so sorry..." A hand broke from their connection, eyes tearing up from her crimes.
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen..." She awaited harsh words; the scolding she deserved.
"I know." Words of kindness left Sunset.
"And going by my own experiences...?" Hands cupped and protected her hurting friend.
"They'll forgive you."
In a single second everything can change. You can spend your whole life reflecting on that second and still never realize every other second that came after. You would need a thousand and one lifetimes to measure out and fully understand the span of one measly moment. And yet, that would maybe be a whole lot of well used lifetimes. Then again, no one wants to live in a memory. A wise old lad once said:
"There are a million pasts, a million futures, and a million presents. Learning is looking to the past, living is heading for the future. Learning to live is watching where you are right now in the present."
So, perhaps you don't need to look into this second forever. Maybe you don't need to work forever this second. The answer could be -strange as it all is- living in this forever second; living in the present for as long as you can.