The Sun Never Sets

by Mr Fislewait

At the End of Her Rope

Starlight and Flurry Hearts had so far failed to find any evidence of where Eventide had gone. None of her usual haunts had showed any signs of recent activity and she had left no note or letter to suggest where she might have been intending to go. The two things that they knew for certain though were that she was still within Canterlot and that she had suffered some manner of accident. With increasingly fewer places to look they had begun to widen their net. They had already checked in at her old house (the one she had been forced to move out of during the publicity storm following the unpleasantness) and a few of her favorite places from when she was a filly, the next stop on the search was Sunset's old house in lower Canterlot. As the pair silently made their way through the streets Starlight felt torn, on the one side she wanted to find Eventide as soon as possible, on the other the house held a lot of very bad memories. It was there that the whole mess had kicked off, most ponies considered Sunset's visit to the Crystal Empire as the starting point for the whole mess it had in truth begun here. She had set her own house on fire and to this day nopony knew why. Approaching the building it was a surprise to see that it was still standing, the fire had ruined its exterior but since then somepony had put in some work to make it almost habitable. If they were lucky then that pony was-

"Evey!" Flurry cried staring down the street at a cloaked figure with insect wings protruding from their back. Starlight had barely even registered the magical pop of the unicorn teleporting into the road but the figure before her was unmistakably Eventide, though she really wished it wasn't.

"Eventide, what happened to you?" Starlight asked. Her cloak appeared torn and bloody, her eyes glowed red and she was clearly using magics well above her normal level of expertise.

"Stay back!" she hissed, raising a bubble to shield herself before Flurry could get close enough to give her a hug. "I don't have time for anymore distractions! My work is nearly complete and the last thing I need is the pair of you getting in the way!"

"Evey, what's wrong?" Flurry asked with hurt upon her face. Starlight was used to hearing the occasional emotional rant from Eventide, it came with the job, but had Eventide ever been this dismissive of her friend before? "Evey, Starlight said you were in trouble, that you might be dying. We've been looking everywhere for you, what happened? Why are you...like this?"

"Like what, Flurry? Like what!? Why am I so upset about being lied to for the past six years? Why am I so hurt? Why am I actually competent at the one thing that makes unicorns special for once in my life!?" Eventide's face curled up into a horrible villainous sneer, an expression Starlight was uncomfortably familiar with, she'd used that face before.

"This isn't you, Eventide," Starlight stepped forwards and pushed Flurry behind her. The young alicorn's magic was powerful but she had no experience in a fight, not like Starlight, if things did get violent Starlight fancied her chances against whatever Eventide was using better than Flurry. "We care for you, Eventide, we were worried, we've turned over half of Canterlot just trying to find you. Please just, stop what you're doing and talk to us, we're your friends, we want to help." With practiced care Starlight slowly approached Eventide. The shield she had set up looked pretty strong but Starlight was willing to bet she could break it if need be.

"I...I... have to do this, Starlight, I have to. There's nothing else left for me now. If I don't do this I have nothing, nothing," the unicorn stammered, she was confused and panicked and apparently packing a lot of magical power, a dangerous combination.

"Evey, don't be silly you-" Starlight subtly raised a hoof to tell Flurry to stop.

"Eventide. Evey. You have us don't you? Flurry and I? You have us don't you? And Cadance, I know you have mixed feelings about her but she worries about you as well. What about Fluttershy? Or Lyra? I know those two care about what happens to you, Evey, they're your friends." Twilight cared about her as well but Starlight knew not to risk dealing with that particular can of worms.

"Friends are just another thing that can let you down," Eventide mumbled, fiddling with an amulet beneath her cloak; the alicorn amulet, Starlight had never seen it herself but she had heard the stories. "If friendship is so great then why did my mom's friends all turn on her so easily?"

"Evey, you know I can't help you with that. I've told you all I can, if you are still having trouble coming to terms with that then I'm afraid I can't say anything that will make things magically better. The friends you do have though, they care for you, they don't want to see you hurt yourself."

"I'm not hurting myself," she whispered. "This is what I want, this is what I've always wanted," there was a lingering hint of uncertainty to her voice and Starlight leaped on it.

"Are you sure about that, Evey? Or is that just the magic talking? I remember a bright little filly who wanted to explore the world, a little filly who didn't care if she was a little different. I remember that little filly growing up into a strong willed young mare who ran off and explored the world and proved everypony else wrong, who showed everyone that she could be as strong as an earth pony and as brave as a pegasus. I don't remember her caring much about magic."

"It's... it's what I want... it...it has to be. I need this, I need this to bring my family back," the shield flickered and faltered around her as Eventide nervously tugged at the amulet.

"Family is whoever you want it to be, Evey. Your mother never knew her birth parents, but she found a lot of family in an unexpected place didn't she? The friends she made on the other side of the portal...they were more than friends to her, Evey. I'd like to think that Flurry and I care about you enough that you might consider us family, does that sound so bad?" Eventide flinched, paused and then slowly shook her head. "Now how about you take the amulet off and we can work through whatever is troubling you like a family? That's what family does, Evey, they help each other." Eventide looked at the two of them and then, slowly at first, began to undo the clasp on the amulet. Starlight breathed a sigh of relief as the clasp gave a satisfying click and the red faded from Eventide's eyes, the amulet falling to the floor.

"Evey!" Flurry screamed. Where before her cry had been one of relief this time it was one of terror as Eventide's eyes rolled backwards in her head and she collapsed, quivering, to the ground.

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Pain. As she began to wake from her slumber the first thing Eventide was aware of was an immense feeling of pain throughout her body. There was a tightness in her chest, and every breath she took felt forced. Something was wrong with her body, that much was clear. The sounds and lights of the room were muffled and uncertain, ponies were talking but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She tried to rise but she felt too tired to do so and something tugged at her limbs restricting her movement. Her attempt had evidently been noticed though as the conversation around her turned silent. Focusing her vision Eventide realized that she was in a hospital, splayed out on her back in a bed. Strapped to her mouth was an oxygen mask and running down her chest was a large surgical plaster over the point where she had fallen on the knife. Her limbs were tethered to the sides of the bed by thick cloth straps and one foreleg had been cuffed to the wall with a manacle.

"Evey?" a familiar pony sighed. Standing at the foot of the bed were Flurry Hearts, Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle. "Why, Evey? Why did you do this?" Twilight shook her head in disappointment, all three of the mares looked sad, from the looks of things Flurry had been crying.

Evey tried to answer but her voice came out as a muffled gurgle, it hurt to even try to speak.

"The doctor said you probably wouldn't be able to speak for a few hours, Eventide. They have some of the best magic and medicine in Equestria trying to get you back on your hooves but..." Starlight paused and sighed, "whatever cut you grazed your heart and punctured a lung Eventide. The dark magic apparently fixed the worst of the damage but you won't be up and about for awhile." Starlight glanced nervously at Twilight and then at Eventide's manacle. Eventide noticed they hadn't stuck an inhibitor on her horn, without the amulet was her magic really considered to be harmless?

"I'm sorry, Evey," Twilight sighed. At her side Flurry had started crying again and though Eventide wanted nothing more than to comfort her she was immobilized on the bed. "Evey, I've been trying to be patient with you, I hoped that perhaps Starlight might be able to help you where I had failed. I've looked the other way on certain incidents you have been involved with, I've tried to hold back the press from bothering you, I've given you space when it became clear that you didn't want to be around me." The princess had a look of resignation on her face, of defeat. "Evey, this latest incident... it went too far. I'm sorry but I can't just sweep this under the rug, attempted murder, Evey. Even with slight mitigating circumstances from being under the influence of dark magic this is still a major crime. I'm sorry, Evey, but you're going to be going to jail, perhaps for a very long time."

Eventide fidgeted in the bed. She couldn't talk back, couldn't answer any questions, she was a captive audience to Twilight handing out her punishment.

"You won't be jailed in the Canterlot dungeons, Eventide, instead I have decided that it would be better for everyone if you were moved to the Crystal Empire and jailed there. I've already spoken with Starlight, she is more than happy to move there to help oversee your recovery and eventual reintegration into Equestrian society. You will be allowed visitors, I hope to arrange things so that Flurry doesn't have to go through too much effort to see you on a regular basis..." Twilight sighed again and rubbed a hoof against her forehead. "I've...I've tried to be as lenient as I can, I know it might not always seem like it but I do care for you, Evey. I...I...have some business to attend to at the castle, I'm already late, I should have been there ages ago," Twilight awkwardly walked towards the door of the room. "I'll be back to see you later, Evey...I...I'm sorry it came to this."

"I think I need some time alone," Flurry mumbled between her tears as Twilight left the room. "Do you think you could keep Evey company, Starlight? I have... I have something I need to do in town," she fled from the room in tears before Starlight could even answer. Eventide slumped backwards in the bed. Just like that, everything was over. Her plans were in ruins, her life was a shambles and the portal forming in her basement would never see use. She was broken in mind, body and spirit. Her life was over.

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"Sorry I'm late," Twilight mumbled as she stepped into the throne room. Celestia and Luna had no doubt been waiting for her for some time. "I ran into Eventide on my way here and...well things went poorly, I won't trouble you with all the details but she-"

"LALALALALALA" Luna flung her hooves to her ears, turned away from Twilight and began drowning her out with the most obnoxious noises she could.

"Does she...does she always have to do that when I talk about-"

"If I cannot hear you, Twilight Sparkle, then I need not conceal what you hast said!" Luna shouted before returning to making her din.

"She is correct, Twilight," Celestia sighed. "I know it is not the most optimal solution but it has been working for these past six years and it would be a shame to ruin that now. Perhaps after we are done resolving the matter with Tirek you might like to speak to me in private about this matter?"

"Of course Princess," Twilight sighed as Luna removed her hooves from her ears. "About Tirek, what exactly do we know? Your letter was a little brief."

"We were woken from our slumber by a vision, Twilight Sparkle. Dire portents of things soon to come. Tirek, returned to his full power and reeking havoc upon Equestria once more," looks of fear were shared between the three princesses.

"I have already dispatched agents to both Tartarus and to the Crystal Empire but there are no signs of his imprisonment weakening, therefore we have concluded that he will be aided in his escape by some outside force." Celestia's concern was evident, the last major attack on Equestria had been the incident six years ago and that barely counted, that had been...an unfortunate misunderstanding.

"Wait.. why are you sending agents to the Empire?" Twilight asked.

"There was another aspect to the vision, Twilight," Luna answered. "I saw... Tirek's first victim Twilight. It was your niece."

"Eventide?"

"No, Twilight, Flurry Hearts." Twilight's heart dropped, Flurry wasn't even in the Empire. Twilight had seen her less than an hour earlier in Eventide's hospital room and- and just like that the pieces began to fall into place. Twilight had barely paid Eventide any attention when she had mentioned finding her father, she had assumed it to be the ravings of a madmare. But if she had been telling the truth, if she had somehow found a way to make her dreams a reality... if that was the case then they didn't need to worry about Tirek breaking out of Tartarus, they needed to worry about him breaking in to Equestria.

Comments

[HB_DS2013]

If Tirek is the father, well we're dead.

[Son of Sanguinius]

Good on you, Eventide, for stopping your mad rampage before anyone got directly hurt. Now, of course, we just have to worry about the most powerful villain Equestria's ever faced taking the entire magic reserve of an alternate Equestria and coming over for a spot of double-or-nothing.
Hm... I wish to make a wild guess. Calling it now: Sunset's going to be freed and fight Tirek.
Spoiler tag used just in case.

[badninja]

So how does it feel Twilight to have bucked up this bad? Not fully enjoying the fact that apparently Celestia is being so dismissive of what happened to Sunset. I think by the end of this story Celestia will have a major political fallout from this. Because now we have a major incident brewing and ponies will be asking questions about how and why Evey did what she did.

[clubbzz]

7411780 Shinning Armor is Evey's father, the one from the timeline where tirek won.

7411836 I think the fact that both princesses are being dismissive like this is a good indicator that they had more to do with what happened with Sunset then let on. And as for Twilight, honestly I no longer know what to think of her anymore.

[badninja]

7411901

So it begs this question, how long until it all hits the fan? I do wonder though just how bad Luna screwed up if she is taking such a childish reaction when she heard the Eviy's name come up. I feel the coverup regarding Sunset is more so that Twilight, Luna, and Celestia can save face and deflect blame for their mistakes.

[clubbzz]

7411967 Doesn't seem like we'll be waiting long for it. Everything seems to be coming together rather quickly now. And I agree, they do seem like they are trying to deflect the blame, but it also seems like they just don't want to face the truth either.

[badninja]

7412026

Hopefully Celestia cannot find a way to sweep the truth. From what I have been able to guess at I think Eviy has found her fathers dimension and she was just trying to get her mother and go there.

[clubbzz]

7412051 I'm hoping that the truth of everything comes out, even if I see Equestria being divided because of it.