Age 20
Eventide's train pulled in at the Canterlot station, as she stepped down onto the platform she couldn't help but notice that there was an inordinate amount of chatter among the locals, no doubt about the unusual occurrences of the past day. She'd have to look into those soon but for the time being she was looking forward to a well earned rest and a warm bath, as much as she loved exploring the world there was much to be said about the amenities of home. Thinking of home Eventide constructed a quick mental checklist of things to do while she was back.
1. Long warm bath
2. Well deserved rest
3. Say hi to mom
4. Check in with Flurry
5. Finish writing up latest travel journal for Quill
6. Visit the girls in the human world
7. Construct another mirror
That should tide her over nicely until her next journey. Eventide had seven mirrors now excluding the one to CHS that her mom kept at her place. It was a truly fascinating experiment, so far it had borne no real fruit with three out of the seven mirrors leading to worlds that were effectively empty. Honestly she had been meaning to try making another mirror for sometime but the most recent one had left her unnerved. It had essentially been a close copy of the Equestria that she knew with a few interesting differences. It had all been quite surreal and after a little exploration Eventide had actually begun to consider it a more preferable world than her own; pegasi could only glide, earth ponies were strong but that was it and by unicorn standards Eventide was a veritable magical prodigy. The world had fascinated her up until the point that she realized that there seemed to be a parallel pony in that world for almost everypony in her own, except her it seemed. Ten minutes of research through a newspaper archive told her everything she needed to know, Tragic Runaway Cart Accident Kills Three Foals, the headline read, Sunset Shimmer cut down as a young filly before she had even so much as earned her cutie mark. It had left a bitter taste in her mouth and she had put off any further explorations ever since.
"Eventide!" a burgundy earth pony stallion with an ink pot and quill cutie mark called to her through the crowd as she stepped off of the platform.
"Quill! Wasn't expecting to see you here. What's the occasion?" Quill had been her editor, publisher and agent ever since she her first brush with celebrity status. Sure it had been Mr Stallionson who had helped thrust her into the limelight but it was Quill who got her travel journals into the Canterlot Inquirer, it was Quill who had set her up with meetings with other archeologists and explorers, it was Quill who had pushed the idea of her being the real life Daring Do.
"I was just coming to see how my favorite explorer had fared on her latest adventure!" Quill beamed through his spectacles. "How about we head back to the offices and discuss your trip eh?"
"I was hoping to get a bath," Eventide said sniffing her jacket "but if you can put up with me I suppose I can leave that till later."
"Perfect," Quill grinned as he lead her towards the offices of the Canterlot Inquirer. "I don't suppose you're up to date on current events are you, Eventide?" Quill casually asked with a hint of disinterest as they stepped through the doors of the office.
"Not really, I only just got back into Equestria today. What exactly happened? Did Celestia get drunk or something?"
"Something like that, yes. I don't suppose we could have our little interview in your office do you?" Quill asked in his normal soft tone.
"What's wrong with your office?"
"My secretary can see if I'm drinking in my office," Quill smiled pulling out a large bottle of whisk from his saddlebag. Eventide grinned and lead him to her work space. It wasn't much to look at, a cramped little room filled with stacks of half organized paperwork and souvenirs from her travels, a few personal items littered on her desk. Quill sat down opposite her and the two began talking about Eventide's latest adventure to the unexplored lands beyond Zebrica. The interview was quite friendly and Quill was quite generous with the whisky, he barely touched his own and by the time he was on to his second glass Eventide had already finished her fifth.
"Who's that?" Quill asked pointing a hoof at a photo on the desk while pouring a sixth helping of liquor into Eventide's glass. The photo was a favorite of Eventide's taken only three years ago. It showed what to the casual observer would appear to be two unicorns, both smiling and with one hoof over the others shoulders. Eventide was dressed up in her explorers outfit and had just returned from her latest adventure while Sunset was dressed up in one of her big black cloaks. Eventide loved this particular photo for a few reasons; it was one of the few she had of the two of them since Eventide had grown up, it was one of the few she had in which her mother looked genuinely happy and it was one of about only five where Sunset hadn't hidden her eye either by angling her head away from the camera or leaving her mane in the way. Though Sunset had always remained self conscious about her injury, Eventide found it to be one of her favorite features, there was something beautiful about the cloudy orb.
"That? Oh she's..." Eventide paused and got her thoughts in order, she was feeling a little tipsy and it wouldn't do to let her secrets slip out, "...she's a friend. A good friend." Eventide took another drink from her glass and looked at the photo, recalling how proud Sunset had been at her daughter's success.
"Well she certainly looks like a little more than a very good friend to me," Quill said with a smile that caused Eventide to blush. "She wouldn't happen to be called Sunset would she? Sunset Shimmer?"
"You've... you've met her?" Eventide gulped uncertain how to go about dodging any further questions about it.
"Oh I had a friend who used to go to Celestia's school for gifted unicorns, she mentioned a mare with that name who also used to attend it."
"Right... right of course," that made a sort of sense Eventide mused, her mind hazy, barely noticing that Quill was still taking notes for the interview.
"She's a little old for you don't you think?" Eventide's blush deepened even further, no doubt from where Quill was sitting his thoughts had just been confirmed. "Not judging you at all of course, love conquers all eh? If you don't mind me asking though how did the two of you meet? My friend was under the impression that Miss Shimmer went missing some time ago."
"Oh you know," Eventide waved a hoof dismissively. "I used to travel a lot, she used to travel a lot, we'd run into each other on our travels... We were just good friends though, nothing else!"
"Of course. Did Miss Shimmer ever express an interest in changelings?" Eventide blinked, the question had seemingly come out of nowhere. It really was good whisky though, the expensive stuff not the store bought kind.
As she raised the whisky bottle to her face to read the label she began answering the question. "Hated the filthy little bugs. Love stealing, life ruining monsters, Quill, mark my words Equestria would be better off without them."
"You share similar sentiments then?" Quill asked, continuing to write.
"Course I do, anypony with half a brain should think that, Quill. The changelings are monsters, monsters!"
"I don't suppose as her marefriend you'd know what Sunset did for a living would you?" Quill asked casually.
"Maybe," she replied missing the first half of the sentence entirely. "Oh she was always off on work, here and there, there and here, furthest corners of Equestria looking for monsters and dark magic." It was exceedingly good whiskey.
"Dark magic?"
"Oh yeah! She's a great pony, Quill, stomping out dark magic and putting monsters in their place. Protecting the realm so Princess Twilight Sparkle can have a break," Eventide sneered at the name.
"I assume it was Sunset who told you that she was 'stomping out dark magic'?"
"Of course!" When had the second bottle of whiskey been opened? "She loves me, Quill! An I love her. She'd tell me anything, anything! She'd never lie to me, Quill, she didn't make those stories up if that's what you're thinking."
"The thought never crossed my mind," Quill rose from his seat and walked to the door. "Well I must say that this has certainly been an eye opening experience Eventide, thank you for your time." He stepped out of the room leaving Eventide alone with the rest of the whiskey.
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Present Day
Honest Quill sat at his desk looking over the latest submissions to the Canterlot Inquirer. The work by his regulars made for good fodder but he needed something fresh, something interesting and sensational. The celebrity element did wonders for the papers sales but at present it was sorely lacking. The paper needed a new star, a new pony to elevate it back to its former heights. Changelings were popular right now, they were very much in fashion. Perhaps it was a little late to jump on the bandwagon but if he could get an interesting changeling writing for the paper... it could certainly work.
The wall behind him exploded in a deafening crash.
Chunks of timber and masonry were hurled across the office, his papers scattered to the wind and his body knocked to the ground. Scrambling back up onto his hooves Quill turned to see the source of the disaster flying in the street outside, slowly drifting down into his now ruined office. His ears still rang from the explosion but he could just about make out screaming close by.
"Hello, Quill," the words cut through the chaos as his assailant landed in front of him. His sense returning to him he instantly recognized the pony standing before him. Eventide Trailblazer. The mare was wearing a long black cloak with a strange amulet clasped tightly around her neck, her eyes shone with an eerie red glow and a pair of sinister looking moth wings extended from her back.
"Eventide?" he gasped. "You uh... you look different."
"You like?" Eventide grinned, fluttering her wings gently in the breeze. "It's an old spell I once read about, oh it has all sorts of limitations and it really doesn't go well with heat, but it does feel wonderful to fly!" A red glow gripped Quill by the throat and levitated him into the air, slamming him backwards into one of the surviving walls of his own office.
"You don't want to do this, Eventide!" Quill gasped, barely able to take a single breath with the magic gripping his throat.
"No," Eventide whispered, tilting her head to the side. "No I think I want to do this a great deal, I think I've wanted to do this for a very long time. The difference now, Quill, is that I have the means to do this and won't be suffering any of the consequences for my actions."
"I can-"
"NO. You. Can't." Eventide grinned. "Whatever you have to offer me, what ever halfhearted apologies, whatever bribes or promises you might have are worth nothing to me compared to the immense pleasure I will receive from what I am about to do," her smile widened even further, "goodbye Quill." A small burst of purple light flashed and Quill vanished from the room. "What?" Eventide turned and looked about the room for where Quill had vanished.
"Eventide, stop what you are doing and remove the amulet," with a second flash of light Princess Twilight Sparkle appeared in the room, a look of immense disappointment on her face.
"Sparkle, oh this day just gets better and better!" Eventide mustered a bolt of red magic at the tip of her horn and blasted a wild bolt of energy at the princess, Twilight raised a dome of force to protect herself before it hit though and the energy exploded across the room cutting chunks out of the walls.
"Eventide! You are better than this! Can't you see what the dark magic is doing to you?" Eventide scoffed at Twilight's words, staring down the shielded alicorn.
"Please, Sparkle! I've read your journals! I know exactly how powerful the amulet is. So far I've just taken it for a test run against a lesser Twilight but now, now for the real deal! This time though you can't rely on little tricks and deceptions, I'm wise to your game Sparkle! I'm not taking this off, ever!" A second volley of magic exploded from her horn and fizzled harmlessly on the shield spell.
"You need help, Eventide, just like Sunset did-"
"You shut your mouth! You don't know a damn thing about Sunset and if you think I'll let you help me like you helped her then you can forget it!" Her next blast took out the floor beneath Twilight but the alicorn simply flew in the air, keeping her orb protecting her.
"Eventide, just listen to me, please! Everything I told you about Sunset was the truth, we-"
"I said quiet! I don't need to listen to your lies any longer! With the magic of the alicorn amulet I shall defeat you, free Sunset and then find my father, and you will be powerless to stop me!" Her next shot didn't even hit the shield, Twilight simply stopped it mid air reducing it to nothing.
"Evey! Think about this! You can't free her, I'm sorry but you just can't. The only thing that can undo the magic of the elements is either waiting for their banishment to naturally end or using the elements themselves."
"No!" Eventide screamed firing shot after shot into Twilight's shield.
"Stop, Evey, just stop. You're right, I did need to use trickery to beat Trixie when she had the amulet. But Trixie was naturally a pretty good magician, she may not have been powerful but she knew lots of spells and how to use them. Also when I fought her I was only a unicorn." Evey's barrage ended, the little unicorn panting for air. "Yes the alicorn amulet is powerful Evey, but it's not as strong as the elements, and it's not as strong as an alicorn."
"How? How did you know I was here? Who told you to stop me?" Eventide wasn't even trying anymore, each shot was weaker than the last, a halfhearted effort to stand up to her aunt.
"I didn't. I was in Canterlot to see the princesses about another matter and I heard the commotion. Evey, come with me and we can get you whatever help you-"
"No," she whispered. "No this... this can't be happening. I'm what? A footnote in the history of Princess Twilight Sparkle? Some petty villain you happened to be passing by and decided to thwart? You didn't even care did you? All my work? All my effort? You didn't have a clue did you?" Eventide gave a hollow laugh, a dead laugh. "You didn't plan this, you just showed up, waved your horn and kicked me to the curb like I was nothing. I was meant to be the hero, Sparkle! I was going to save Sunset, I was going to find my father and I was going to finally have my happily ever after!"
"Evey, please come with me," Twilight stared at her with a caring look on her face. Eventide stood uncertainly before her as twilight extended a hoof in friendship. The unicorn's eyes drifted to it and her magic subsided. "Please, Evey." Twilight had almost closed the distance between them, they were within touching distance now...
"No!" With a flash of red light Eventide teleported away, leaving Twilight alone in the ruins of Quill's office.