//------------------------------// // Egress // Story: The Sun Never Sets // by Mr Fislewait //------------------------------// Starlight Glimmer was not in a good mood. Five years of hard work had been ruined in less than an hour. Eventide had seemed to be doing so well, sure she had the occasional slip up, but in general she was honest about her mistakes and had showed a genuine desire to get better. Where had things gone wrong? Was there some sign she had missed? Some outside force that had perhaps been exerting influence on her patient? The books she had borrowed from Pinkie Pie spoke about malingering, but this felt like the opposite, that Eventide has been concealing symptoms as opposed to faking them. The unfortunate truth was that Starlight had failed Eventide, that her patient would be very lucky to ever truly be free. Twilight would no doubt push for Eventide to receive an early parole or a reduced sentence, but even once she had been released she would likely spend the rest of her life under constant surveillance. Ponies didn't dabble in the dark magics without consequence and unlike most ponies Eventide would be unable to plead ignorance, she had read Twilight's friendship journals, she knew exactly what the alicorn amulet was capable of. A flash of purple light outside the room suggested that Twilight had just returned, evidently her duties at the castle had not taken as long as she had been expecting. As the door swung open Starlight was surprised to see not one, but two alicorn princesses. "Princess Celestia!" she squeaked, falling down into a bow. "Rise, Starlight Glimmer. You need not worry about such airs and graces in private. The two of us are here to see Eventide, is she awake?" there was a touch of concern to her voice but it was somewhat overshadowed by the evident worry that both she and Twilight were displaying on their faces. "Mm wake. Hurts to speak. Go away," Eventide croaked from her bed, what little energy she had seemed to be directed into glaring at the two princesses. "Eventide Shimmer," the unicorn winced at Celestia's words, "I have heard of your recent actions from Twilight Sparkle. I am disappointed, Eventide, but I am not angry. Your mother's decision was regrettable and I know it has come to hurt you over these past five years. Given a chance to do it all again there are many things I would do differently but I cannot change what has been done, nopony can." Starlight couldn't help but notice Eventide and Twilight's eyes brief glance in her direction as if challenging the last statement. "I do not believe you are a bad pony at heart, Eventide, you do however need help and we have been trying our best to supply it to you." "Want to help me? Then tell me. What happened?" Each sentence was punctuated by a deep wheezing breath as Eventide's lungs struggled to draw in air. "Eventide..." Celestia sighed, "I have told you the truth, Twilight has told you the truth, nopony has lied to you. We all deeply regret that the public cling to their own little lie, that they find it easier to accept an absolute monster than a fallible princess, but you must accept that the fantasy you have constructed for yourself is just as false." "Prove it. Free her. Let her say it. To my face. Won't believe you unless I hear it from her. She loved me. You're lying." Eventide fell into a coughing fit and Starlight brought her a glass of water, Eventide still had yet to explain to her how she had received the injury that had left her in her current state. "You know we can't do that, Evey, without bearers the elements can't be used, the girls and I have tried, Evey, we really have, but the elements of harmony your mother...acquired...just don't respond to us. Unless a new group of element bearers emerges we won't be able to use them." Twilight bit her lip before she continued, judging from her expression Starlight imagined that she wasn't looking forwards to whatever she had to say next. "Evey, Celestia and I aren't here to discuss Sunset. When you were wearing the alicorn amulet you mentioned something about finding your father. Now it is very important you let us know how you intended to do that as all of Equestria might be in danger." "Buck you, Sparkle. Buck. You. Not telling you shit." Celestia frowned disapprovingly at Eventide's language but she didn't say anything, instead letting Twilight handle the conversation with her niece. "I'm serious, Evey, Princess Luna has had a vision of Tirek destroying Equestria, I believe that the Tirek she saw might be the same one who was victorious in the world where Sunset met your father." "No. My father. Was a hero. He was going to defeat Tirek. Save Equestria. Fix everything," Eventide's voice grew madder with each word. "He's waiting for me. He's alive. I'm going to find him. And have a family again." "Twenty six years Eventide, it's been about twenty six years since Sunset met him. Even if he was alive, even if he has beaten Tirek, do you think he wouldn't have moved on with his life? He doesn't even know you exist Evey, he never knew Sunset was pregnant." "He'll understand. He'll love me. That's what family does, Sparkle. There's nothing, Sparkle, nothing more important than family. And you. You took mine away from me. You took everything I had. And you banished it to the moon." "I didn't-" Twilight rubbed her forehead in consternation, she was tired of having to go through the same conversation with Evey, again and again. "Evey, if we don't stop Tirek a lot of ponies will be hurt. Hate me all you want but do you really want to be accountable for the kind of destruction he would bring?" Evey slumped backwards into her bed in sullen silence. "Where's Flurry? Evey, according to Luna she is one of the first casualties if Tirek does attack. If nothing else at least tell us where we can find her so we can get her to safety, she was here earlier where is she now?" "She left shortly after you Twilight," Starlight answered on Evey's behalf, "she didn't say where she was going but she was very upset about everything that had happened." "House," Evey coughed. "If Luna's right Flurry will be at Sunset's house. That's where I was working." "Thank you, Eventide," Celestia said with a smile. "Come, Twilight, let us go find your niece and then put a stop to whatever-" "Won't work." Evey said with a smirk. "Can't stop it once it's started. Rituals too strong. You'd need to turn it off completely." "What are you talking about Evey?" Twilight couldn't help but notice that Eventide's features had grown more reminiscent of how she had looked in her attack on Quill. "Portals. I've been building portals. Based on Starswirl's, work same way. Open once in thirty moons. Unless you have the spell to turn them on and off." Her features twisted further into a malicious grin. "Left the spell running while I met Quill. Plenty of power down there to charge it. I'm the only one who can close it once it opens. Without me you'll need to wait. For three days. So it closes naturally." "How long has this been going on, Evey?" Twilight gasped, scarcely believing what she was hearing. "Before unpleasantness. Now. Here are my terms..." "Terms?" Twilight recoiled in surprise. "S'right. Terms. You need me. Not doing this for free." The other three occupants of the room exchanged nervous glances but eventually Celestia nodded. "First. The amulet. I want it back. Wont have enough magic if I don't have it. Can barely move right now without it. No amulet, no help." "That is acceptable," Celestia conceded reluctantly. "Second. You stay away from the house. It'll be just the three of us. And Flurry." "Very well, I will however be close at hand in case of trouble," Celestia replied. "Fine. Third. Sparkle tells me the truth. Start to finish. What happened to Sunset." "Evey, I've already-" Twilight tried to explain but Celestia raised a hoof to cut her off. "Also acceptable. Any further demands or is that all?" "Unless you can free Sunset. Or banish me to the moon. Then no. Nothing else." "Very well then," Celestia turned to Twilight and Starlight. "Fetch her the amulet, we have a centaur to stop." ----------------------------------------------- Flurry had been surprised to find the door to Sunset's old house unlocked. As she had expected there was evidence that Evey had been using the building, but it seemed that in her haste to leave she had forgotten to fasten any of the numerous locks that had been placed upon the door. The furnishings inside were sparse, nothing more than the bare essentials of life and a few personal items. There were a few drawers upstairs crammed full of magical formulae and other notes but Flurry had no desire to go rooting around in her friend's writing just yet, she was here with another purpose. Something had set Evey off, pushed her over the edge and led to whatever accident had nearly killed her. Flurry was willing to bet anything that it had happened here. With the ground floor and upstairs quickly searched that left only the basement. She had been putting it off since she had first got to the house, certain that whatever it was she was looking for would be found down there but scared to check. She knew that that burnt and ruined portal apparatus had long ago been removed by Twilight, but there was still something terrifying about the thought of stepping into the room where the Blazing Dusk had actually begun. Slowly, hesitantly, she crept down the stairs, her magic illuminating her path. As she reached the bottom though it became clear that she wouldn't be needing it, the entire basement was lit by a great magical glow that bathed the entire room in a red light. Mirrors, each reminiscent of the one that was said to have been destroyed, stood about the room. Some were covered, others not, but the most prominent of them all stood at the center of the room, great red tendrils of magic snaking across its surface. At the end of each tendril an amulet hovered in the air, channeling power into the mirror. Chalk scrawlings surrounded the mirror, occasionally pulsing with a sickly green light that clashed with the red of the amulets. A curled up scroll also floated in the air, one end tied with what appeared to be red and yellow threads, the other with red and blue. "What were you doing down here, Evey?" Flurry whispered in awe. She could scarcely believe that all of this had been made by her friend. Evey wasn't a magician, she hated magic, and she certainly wasn't evil. Whatever magic was at work here was quite clearly evil, good wholesome magic didn't look like this, it had no reason to look so menacing, so ominous. She was interrupted in her analysis f the room by a frantic knocking from a door in the basement. Flurry hesitated briefly then pulled away a chair that had been keeping the door wedged shut. A stallion and numerous brooms came tumbling out of the closet. "She's mad! absolutely mad!" the stallion raved, running across the room and scooping up a collection of bags. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" "Thank you for freeing me but I'm not dumb enough to stick around and wait for her to get back!" The stallion said, checking over his bags and placing them on his back. "I don't know what she's was doing down here and frankly I don't care. I recommend you make yourself scarce too, I wouldn't want to be around when she gets back." Before Flurry could try to stop him he was rushing up the stairs and out of the house, leaving Flurry alone with the mirrors, the glowing one growing brighter with each passing second.