The Sun Never Sets

by Mr Fislewait

Sunset

It had been less than a week since Evey had been born, less than a week since Sunset had...had died. In that time Sunset had seen no signs of being followed by anyone from Ponyville or Canterlot, her desire for privacy had apparently been respected. The bits she had saved up while working for Twilight at the library had gone towards a sturdy looking wagon to serve as a home for her and Evey, furnishings, food, a few extra articles of clothing to go alongside what she had brought with her from Ponyville... Her old wardrobe was mostly sufficient for helping her keep her privacy, but it had quickly become clear that many of the dresses would require substantial adjustments to accommodate her new proportions, her collection of cloaks helped but she couldn't help but feel they might give ponies the wrong impression of her.

This evening Sunset had finally gotten around to unpacking the last of her belongings, both new and old. She had largely scrimped on any major luxuries but had made a concession for getting a few plush toys for Evey's crib. Thankfully the little unicorn foal hadn't been too much trouble, sure, getting used to changing nappies and feeding her baby had been a lifestyle adjustment, but little Evey was generally quiet as a mouse and had shown no signs of exhibiting magical surges that she had heard troubled many unicorn mothers. She wasn't unprepared, she'd had a lot of spare time to read up on the subject while she had been working at the library, but caring for a child was proving exhausting. Expensive too. As a student to Celestia she'd never needed to worry about money, as a student at CHS she had been getting by on the sizeable stash of money she'd managed to put together by selling all the gems she'd brought with her, and under Twilight's care she'd never really needed to spend her own money. Now was really the first time she had ever had to worry about her own expenses and it quickly become apparent that without any form of income her savings would quickly dwindle away into nothing. She'd manage though, she always did.

Money would be a problem for tomorrow though, this evening she was exhausted from a long day of pulling the wagon and caring for her daughter. Making sure Evey was safe inside her crib, with a clean nappy and a full stomach, Sunset sorted the last of her belongings out of the boxes. A few books, a guitar, some sentimental gifts from the girls at CHS and a small looking glass. As Sunset unpacked the last of the items and began to set it down at her bedside, she screamed and leaped backwards, flinging the object away from her. The mirror fell to the ground but didn't break, instead coming to rest mirrored side up on the floor of the wagon. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, perhaps it had been some trick of the light, or optical illusion? Cautiously she levitated the mirror back to herself and checked her reflection, the alicorn was still there. With a red coat and leathery wings the reflection in the mirror was unmistakably that of the alicorn from her nightmares, but there were differences too. It's build and height were the same as her own, the same went for the length of its horn, and where the alicorn from her nightmares had always appeared predatory and evil, this one matched her own facial expressions perfectly.

"Here to mock me again?" Sunset snapped at the reflection. To her surprise it mimicked the movements of her face perfectly and offered no words of its own. "Well? Out with it! Why are you here? What do you want?" Once more the image remained the same, a perfect mirror of her on face except for its coloration. "Well say something!" she screamed at the mirror. "Hate me! Scorn me! Tell me I'm awful! Just...just don't look at me like that!" Her grip on the mirror tightened, almost to the point of cracking it, as she stared deep into her own reflection. "You're not me! You're not! You're a monster, I'm...I'm a good pony, a pony who's changed!" Still the mirror remained as it was. "Talk to me or leave me alone, I don't care! Just stop doing that!" Her last scream was accompanied by a juvenile wailing from the crib. "Evey!" Sunset gasped, dropping the mirror and rushing to her daughter's side. "Evey, I wasn't shouting at you! Mommy loves you Evey, she loves you more than anything in the world! Please baby, please be quiet..." she lifted the filly from the crib and began tenderly stroking her mane, gently cooing to her and trying to calm her down, forgetting about the mirror until her daughter was alright again.

---------------------------------------------------

"Evey?" Sunset called into the darkness. "Evey, where are you? Mommy can't find you, come out, Evey!" The wagon was overturned in a ditch at the side of the road, blown over in a heavy storm. Sunset had suffered a few bruises but wasn't really any worse for wear, her daughter however was nowhere to be found. "Evey!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, light from her horn illuminating the bushes in her search for her missing foal. "Evey?" something was rustling in the bushes. From the forest emerged black chitinous pony shaped creatures, their faces twisted into sinister scowls and judging smiles, their eyes glowing green and viscous green blood dripping from their bodies.

"Stay back!" Sunset screamed, recoiling in fear. There was something horribly unpleasant about the changelings, they smelt of burnt hair and skin and each one looked half dead and half alive. "Where's my daughter, what have you done with her?" the Changelings laughed in reply, a quivering high pitch laugh that stung at Sunset's ears. "What have you done with her!?" Before Sunset had a chance to fight them, a great beam of light swung down from the moon reducing the changelings to dust, righting the cart and banishing the storm. Sunset blinked in surprise as Princess Luna stood before her, a smile on her face.

"Greetings Sunset Shimmer, I am Princess Luna, I do not believe we have ever been formally introduced." The elder alicorn smiled and offered Sunset a hoof to shake. Sunset nervously took it, offering a slight bow in the process.

"This...this was a nightmare wasn't it?" she asked, looking around her surroundings.

"Indeed," Luna nodded. "Though curiously it has been your first nightmare since your return to Equestria. Considering the ordeal that my sister says you have been through I find it hard to believe you have had no need for my assistance this past year," with a flick of her mane Luna banished the dream around them, transporting both ponies to a beautiful meadow, lit by a setting sun. "Happy ponies do not abandon their friends and family, Sunset, your abrupt departure from departure was quite distressing to both my sister and to Twilight Sparkle. Tell me, Sunset, are you alright?" Luna took a seat upon the grass and gestured for Sunset to do the same.

"I...I don't know. I just wanted some time to myself, time away from everything to sort my life out. I just... have you ever woken up in the morning and realized you don't like the pony you see looking back at you in the mirror?"

"I believe I can relate to that sentiment. You have doubts about your new status as an alicorn don't you?" Sunset nodded.

"Alicorn...Princess... I guess at some point in my life I got used to the idea that the two words meant pretty much the same thing. Then while I was on the other side of the portal... being a princess was an obsession to me," Sunset winced at the memories of what she had done to win her crowns at CHS. "I know it sounds crazy but I guess I'm worried that now I'm an alicorn I might fall back into my old ways."

"That does not sound crazy at all, Sunset. It sounds like the honest fear of a good pony who is worried of hurting others. That is a key difference between good and evil, Sunset, a truly evil creature never expresses such doubts or concerns, nor do they show regret for their actions. Now, Sunset, let me ask you a question. Why share this fear with me?"

"I..." Sunset sighed, why was she sharing it with Luna? "I can't tell Celestia, I can't even speak to her right now! I mean on the one hand- errr hoof, she saved my life, if it weren't for her I wouldn't be here, Evey wouldn't have her mother. On the other, she went right against my wishes! I didn't want to be an alicorn anymore, that dream was over. And I can't tell Twilight! She'd done so much for me, and it feels like all I ever do is cause her more and more trouble. I just don't want to burden her with anymore of my baggage."

"I see," Luna solemnly answered. "Sunset, I am not here in your dreams to drag you back to Canterlot. I am not here to condemn you for your sudden flight from Ponyville. I am here to help ease your troubled mind and grant you peaceful dreams. Now with your permission I shall inform my sister and her student that you and your daughter are safe and well, I know it would ease their minds no end. I can also promise you, Sunset, that when you do decide to return to them, they shall both welcome you wholeheartedly, during your absence though I ask only this in return," Luna's smile hardened slightly, "if you are ever in need of aid then reach out and contact one of us, whether it be here in the world of dreams or out there in Equestria."

"Thank you," Sunset whispered. "You said...you said I hadn't had any nightmares since my return?"

"That is correct."

"No...no it's not. Luna, ever since I got back my dreams have been haunted by...by an alicorn. A monstrous evil alicorn. I've lost sleep, I've had panic attacks... Luna, why haven't you stopped it?" the hurt in her voice was palpable, why hadn't the Princess of the night come to her aid?

"These nightmares, have they persisted in the week since your ascendance?" Luna asked knowingly.

"No...no the nightmares have stopped," other waking symptoms had perhaps persisted but the nightmares themselves hadn't troubled her this past week.

"And when was the first nightmare?"

"In the Crystal Empire. I don't know how much Celestia and Twilight told you about my journey but I spent a week in a world where Equestria and Sombra were at war. The nightmares started there."

"Then they shall trouble you no longer, Sunset," Luna spoke with a sense of finality. "This alicorn you speak of was a symptom of some nefarious curse, likely obtained from one of Sombra's insidious traps. Sombra delighted in torturing the mind's of ponies, showing them their worst nightmares again and again. When you ascended though any trace of physical sickness or magical corruption should have been purged from your body."

"What about mental sickness?" Sunset hazarded, the alicorn had been surprisingly quiet when she saw it in her mirror. Could it really be that it was just a trick of the mind?

"I'm afraid I cannot say. I have been gone for a thousand years and there is much I am not yet caught up on. In my time these 'mental sicknesses' were oft deemed by many as personal faults. My own faults were discarded by many as the childish and petty jealousy of a younger sister. I am afraid that without further research I could not say." Luna eyed the younger alicorn up curiously. "I take it then that you believe your mind to be 'troubled' in some fashion?"

"I don't know. I just... does self-loathing count?" Sunset chuckled slightly at the thought. "I honestly don't know, maybe it's all just the stress getting to me, maybe not. I mean a few minutes speaking to you and so much of it seems so small compared to... well," Sunset nervously avoided mentioning Nightmare Moon, from what she heard the Princess had moved on from the incident, but mentioning it still felt insensitive.

"I am glad to have been of assistance, Sunset Shimmer. If you ever find yourself needing somepony to talk to, then call to me in your dreams and I shall try to make time to come and listen. I wish to help you overcome your troubles, Sunset, I know firsthoof how dangerous it can be to let such fears go untreated."

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7 Years Later

Sunset looked over the papers on her desk and sighed. Repairs on the cart had really bitten into her savings, schoolbooks had set her back a little too... travel overseas was becoming an increasingly implausible prospect for the two of them. She'd always promised Evey that they'd travel to far off lands together but the furthest they'd really managed so far was Griffonstone and Yakyakistan. They weren't poor, not quite at least, as long as she kept up a disguise Sunset could pass herself off as any of the three tribes opening up a wide variety of different odd jobs wherever they happened to go. At the same time though money was never in an abundance, they managed to scrape by, but that was all. She turned and looked at Evey, the little filly was writing in the diary Pinkie Pie had gotten her, her nose pressed up against the page. Twilight had assured her that she didn't need glasses and that her small size was not a result of a poor diet. Not that Sunset wasn't blameless for her problems, Sunset's reckless use of magic had apparently been the cause of multiple defects for the little filly. She loved her daughter though, and Evey loved her too, which was going to make the next conversation very awkward.

"Evey, could you put your diary away? We need to have a talk." Evey quickly obliged, finishing up what she was writing, popping the diary away and then running across to the table and climbing up onto her chair. "Evey, how do you feel about Cadance and Shining Armor?"

"They're nice, momma. And I lo- ummmm... I really like Flurry and Starburst," love, Sunset knew she had been going to say love. Now was not the time to be opening up those old wounds again though.

"And do you like their home Evey?"

"Uh huh, it isn't as cozy as the wagon but I guess it's nice, Flurry has so much stuff." 'Stuff' that Sunset could never hope to offer her own daughter, not yet at least.

"What about Twilight? Whenever we visit Twilight loves giving you lessons, do you enjoy your time with her?"

"I guess," Evey nervously answered. "Twilight and Spike are great, I prefer my lessons with you though, momma. Oh, or Mrs Cheerilee."

"Cheerilee?"

"Uh huh, the last time I was staying with Twilight she let me go to the school. It was different and there were other foals there too, which was weird, but Mrs Cheerilee was nice."

"Evey, you're a smart little girl and I think you deserve to have a say in what I'm planning for us." Her daughter continued to nervously squirm in her seat, perhaps she already had some inkling of what Sunset had planned? "Evey, we aren't rich, not like Cadance or Twilight, and as a growing young girl you need to learn. I love teaching you, Evey, I really do, but these past couple of months I feel like I've barely had any time to be your mother. Between work, and travel and all the time I need to spend teaching you, it just feels like we have less and less free time together. Evey, how would you like to live with Cadance or Twilight? Permanently. I'd still be around, I'd have a lot more free time to be with you... there would be a few changes but the big one would be that you'd be in school while I'd be at work."

"Did I do bad momma?" Evey whimpered. "I can be a good girl! I don't want you to leave me! I love you and the wagon and traveling! I'll be good momma! I promise!"

"Evey, calm down!" Sunset chuckled. "You did nothing wrong, if you don't want to do that I have another plan. Now, Evey, one of mommy's oldest friends offered her a job."

"Is it a good job?"

"It's... a job that would pay very well. Mommy turned it down though because of personal reasons. Now mommy's friend loves her very much and I think that if I was to talk to her she would probably offer it to me again."

"Do you want the job though?"

Sunset stopped and looked over her daughter, carefully choosing her next words. "It would let us stay together, Evey, not all the time, but more often. If she accepts my offer then we could keep living like this, I'd have more time to spend with you but when I do have to work I'll probably have to drop you off with Cadance or Twilight."

"But I don't mind waiting in the wagon sometimes while you work mommy!"

"This work would be a little different Evey, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you unattended while I was working."

"But we'd have more time together?"

"A lot more time."

"Then it sounds great mommy! Who's the friend?"

"Princess Celestia."

----------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm not sure I follow you Sunset," Celestia said in confusion. She had been overjoyed to see Sunset visit her again, and was thrilled to have her bring up the subject of being crowned a Princess, but now she was lost.

"I'm willing to be crowned Princess, and I I'm willing to take up some duties on behalf of Equestria, but I don't want my status to be publicly known." Sunset was hoping that Celestia would accept her offer, she knew it was unconventional but was counting on her mentor's desire for her to be a Princess to win out.

"Sunset, how would you carry out the duties of a Princess if nopony was allowed to know you were one?" Celestia began pouring the two of them tea but her attention remained glued to Sunset.

"The Mares In Black. I want to work with them," Sunset winced as Celestia began coughing on her drink.

"Sunset, how do you even know about such an organization?"

"I...I was a bad student, I had little regard for your rules, I looked into all sorts of things you didn't want me to. Can we just say I was an unscrupulous little mare and leave it at that?" She really had been awful back then.

"Very well, but that still doesn't explain why you would want to be involved with such a group. I imagine the work they would offer would often take you away from your daughter." Celestia carefully analyzed her former student for any hint of what she was after.

"Honestly? The money would be good, not going to lie about that. But also it would let me pay back one debt I've never really been able to fix. I think I'd be good at the work, I think it'd make good use of my talents and I think I'd be proud to help keep Equestria safe," she meant every word of it.

"I shall consider it, but only on one condition. Tell me Sunset, what debt is this you are speaking of?"

"Twilight Sparkle," Sunset sighed. "I've never really properly paid her back for everything she's done for me. If the MIB had an alicorn working with them then there'd be all sorts of monsters they'd be able to keep at bay. Twilight and her friends have been doing their work for them for so long now, I'm sure she'd appreciate a break from all the monster fighting. I know it isn't what you had in mind for me when you gave me these," Sunset said lifting her wings slightly, "but it's something I'd like to do, something I'd feel proud of doing."

"I see," Celestia replied, clearly deep in thought. "Very well then, Sunset. If this is truly what you wish, I imagine I might be able to accommodate you. I will get into contact with a few of my colleagues and we shall see what we can do for you."

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5 Years Later

Agent Sweetie Drops was, in theory at least, out of the game. She had retired from her work in the MIB, settled down, gotten a marefriend and a normal job... nowadays she would occasionally serve as a liaison to other agents but for the most part she was out. So it was a matter of significant irritation to her that she was having to play host to a teal pegasus in black shades who was going by the horribly unsubtle pseudonym of Jane Doe.

"What's this about Miss Doe? I'm a busy mare," Sweetie said, grinding her teeth as the agent settled down at her kitchen table.

"Oh just a casual visit, nothing major. We wanted your opinion on a few things before we finalized something with one of the other agents." Agent Doe pulled a manila folder out of her saddlebag and began looking through the contents. "We want your personal opinion on Agent Shimmer."

"Agent Shimmer?" there was a lot Sweetie could say about her, she was a nice enough mare, a valued agent, had a lot of influence with the princess... she had actually visited Sweetie on a regular basis to discuss business while she was in Ponyville. She was polite, dedicated to the job and had a lovely young daughter who Lyra had wound up foalsitting on a few occasions. Sweetie hadn't spoken to the filly much herself, but Lyra apparently adored the kid. "Agent Shimmer is a valuable asset and a trusted member of our organization, is there a problem?" Yes, there was many things Sweetie could say about Sunset, but when somepony was having a character analysis that usually meant they were in trouble.

"You seem to think quite highly of her then, I take it you haven't heard some of the reports on her behavior?"

"No, no, I haven't," whatever came next Sweetie doubted it would be good.

"Agent Shimmer is not well loved by a lot of agents. New recruits find her intimidating and unapproachable, the old guard feel she has jumped the ranks by virtue of being an alicorn. Personal opinions aside though she is also borderline psychotic. She is a loose cannon and the higher ups are worried about her becoming an imminent problem. We need to know how to get her out of the way."

"Out of the way?" Sweetie turned her nose up at the prospect.

"Nothing permanent! We just need her gone, for let's say... three years, while we arrange negotiations with the changelings. We are close to making a breakthrough and we don't want her messing things up. You know her well enough Agent Drops, we are going to send her off on a 'mission' to the far corners of Equestria, all we need is a story that she will want to follow."

"Why? I'm not helping you with this unless you tell me why. Why do you need her out of the way?" Three years would be a long time and wherever they sent her Sweetie doubted they would let her bring Eventide along with her.

"In short? Agent Shimmer is a bigot and a speciesist. She has shown no signs of being willing to accept a peaceful solution to the changeling problem, her dealings with them have... gone beyond an acceptable use of force. Running a few checks we confirmed that she has been hunting changelings since before she joined the MIB, some of us have suspicions that she only joined up so that she had a more legal avenue for fighting them." Agent Doe sighed as she flicked through her folder. "According to Princess Naiad the changelings have no knowledge of who has been systematically hunting down their infiltrators, but they do have a name for her. Celestia's pet monster. Understandably it would be poor form to have any little 'accidents' occurring during the negotiation process. All we need is for Agent Shimmer to be somewhere far away from the changelings for a few years while we make a start on hammering out the details. Nothing nasty, nothing unpleasant, just a little false lead to keep her out of Equestria." It felt dirty and underhanded but Sweetie Drops understood the reasoning behind it. Celestia had been working on building a positive relationship with the changelings for years now, they couldn't have that opportunity ruined by one stubborn mare.

"Her daughter," Sweetie reluctantly replied. "She loves her daughter more than anything in the world. Just make her think that the job will keep her daughter safe and she'll do anything you ask of her. Tell her there's some foreign threat, or rumors of some great monster in far off places, then twist the wording so that she considers how it might be a threat to her daughter's safety. She'll take up the job, doesn't matter how long it is or how far it takes her, she'll do what you ask her to."

"Thank you, Agent Drops," Agent Doe said, putting the folder away. "Don't worry, we should be able to have the details sorted out in three years, it might take a little longer to finalize the entire deal but I assure you this is the right choice."

Comments

[Son of Sanguinius]

And here we go, at long last, why everything falls apart. Politics. Always politics.
Probably wasn't a good idea to let Sunset into a black ops unit in the first place. Dang it, Celestia, you should know better. Normal people go crazy from that stuff, and Sunset was already pretty far gone.
Well, now we also know how Evey got such a hold on Sweetie.
Great chapter in a great story. I simply must commend you for doing what I've usually found impossible: making a story about morally ambiguous characters that doesn't devolve into Evil vs. Evil. Your characters are flawed and often screwed up, but they never dip into non-sympathy, and most importantly, keep trying to be good. Keep up the good work!

[HB_DS2013]

I'm guessing that one of the timelines made Sunset speciest towards changelings, especially since that timeline played a part in shattering her sanity.

[badninja]

Agent Doe you had a valid concern but you shoul have brought it to Celestia not Sweetie Drops. I hope Sunset took you out hard. Now we know that most of what caused Sunset's fall and who the big players where but what set her off I wonder? I sense more then a few ponies will be caught in the inferno that Evey has unleashed.

[DelusionalEye]

7421180 probably the peace or prospect of changelings in Equestria. The thought of them living with pony kind(and her daughter) might set her off. Especially if she was uninformed. I'm calling it now. Sunset returns to find changelings in Equestria and went havoc, felt betrayed by the deceit and fury at the danger to her daughter. Probably assumed that the Princesses were involved too.