The Sun Shall Never Set
Twilight Sparkle was rushed off of her hooves dealing with the chaos spreading through Ponyville. The Nightmare Night festivities had been interrupted before they had properly begun and she was having a hard time making heads or tails of what had happened. From the strange solar event that was currently occurring she assumed something had happened to one of the Sisters at Canterlot, but the urgent message she had sent via Spike had yet to receive a reply. She had briefly heard someone mention something about Rainbow Dash taking Fluttershy to hospital and something else about Discord. The Draconequus was meant to be reformed though, and in the past twenty odd years he had shown no signs of returning to his old ways. As princess though, it was Twilight's duty to remain calm, she needed to set a good example to the confused and troubled ponies around her.
A blinding flash of light signaled the arrival of Celestia in Ponyville, and the townsponies bowed in respect. Normally Celestia would make a habit of telling them to stand, that they didn't need such formalities with her, today was different though.
"Twilight Sparkle, round up your friends quickly, I believe we might need them if we are to stop..." Celestia paused briefly, suddenly aware of the fact that she was surrounded by a great many ponies, all of whom were in earshot, "...the Blazing Dusk. She is powerful, but I believe she can be saved and prevented from inflicting any more damage than she already has."
"Blazing Dusk?" Twilight had never heard of that villain before, she'd made a habit of looking up all of Celestia's old enemies after her repeated Run-ins with them but the name Blazing Dusk was new to her, still, it was oddly fitting considering the heat the Sun was putting out.
"It is complicated, Twilight Sparkle, perhaps we might be better off discussing it in private?" Taking the hint Twilight nodded.
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It took a little while to round her friends up and get them to the throne room, mostly because she had trouble finding Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow tried to outright prevent the other pegasus leaving the hospital, but Flutterhsy was insistent that she see Twilight. It was still shocking though when she entered the throne room with her wing bandaged up and in a sling.
"Fluttershy! What in Equestria has happened to you?" Rarity gasped, rushing over to her side. With Fluttershy present that made all six former Element Bearers, Spike and Princess Celestia. Content that everyone who needed to be there, was, Twilight cleared her throat.
"I'm assuming, Celestia, that what you want to talk to us about has something to do with what happened to Fluttershy?" the pegasus slowly took a seat as she was fussed over by her friends.
"Indeed, Twilight Sparkle. It is, with great regret, that I must inform you all that Princess Sunset Shimmer has..." Celestia stopped, uncertain what to say next. "I cannot even find the words," she said with a hollow chuckle. "Such phrases as 'fallen to darkness' seem in poor taste. Sunset has attacked my sister, civilians and your friends, she has frozen the Sun in the sky and refuses to let it move, she has somehow taken the Elements of Harmony to use as her own...but I do not want you to think of her as a villain, not like Tirek or Sombra. From what my sister has told me, Sunset is not in a right state of mind."
"Sunset did this!?" Rainbow Dash yelled, pointing at Fluttershy's wing.
"Regrettably, yes..." the whole table devolved into a hubbub, mostly of Twilight's friends asking Fluttershy what had happened and if she was alright. Slowly and nervously at first, Fluttershy confirmed, filling them in on the details of what had happened at her house.
"So, she thinks that everypony is a changeling?" Pinkie finally asked when the story was complete.
"Not quite, but in essence, yes. Even as we speak she is probably searching for their hive to try and destroy them, or at least I hope that is the case," the assembled gasped in shock at the callous words. "Do not think ill of me my little ponies, I do not wish ill upon the hive, but my understanding is that it is a fortified and well hidden location. It is preferable that she be spending time trying to find it than simply taking her rage out on defenseless citizens whose only crime was to be enjoying Nightmare Night."
"You really think she'd attack foals?" Twilight gasped.
"She already has. Were it not for my sister, she would likely have killed a family, and though unintentional she has already put six ponies into hospital, foals among them. We found her home on fire earlier this evening, it was quickly put out but not before the flames had spread onto some of the neighboring buildings. Nopony died but..." Celestia turned her head away from the others and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Enough of that though, if we are to save the changelings and perhaps rescue Sunset from whatever madness has taken hold of her mind we must act quickly. Her hold on the Sun is powerful, but she lacks my experience, I have been gently tugging at it since she first locked it in place, not enough to break her hold but enough that her magical signature should be easy enough for you to track, Twilight Sparkle. I shall take care of trouble here in Ponyville and Canterlot, you and your friends should make haste to the Badlands to try and stop her."
"How will we catch up with her though? How will we stop her? What if we're too late? I have so many questions!"
"Magic, Twilight, and friendship. I have faith in you, Twilight Sparkle. I know you can save Sunset from herself." With a blinding flash, much like the one that heralded Celestia's arrival, Twilight and her friends found themselves no longer in the throne room, instead standing in the barren wasteland that was the Badlands.
"Well, ah guess there's no prizes for guessin where Sunset is," Applejack muttered, pointing at great plumes of smoke rising from the near distance, a small shining object soaring through the sky above the smoke like a miniature Sun.
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Finding the hive was easy when she knew its secret. Illusions! How had she never considered that before? She must have walked past it a dozen times in her search of the Badlands without realizing it was there. This time was different though, this time the changelings couldn't hide. After she had dispelled the illusion they had actually attempted to fight back, it was laughable really. The little insects flying up to meet her in the air, only to be swatted out of the sky by her magic. They were slow in the intense heat she had brought to the Badlands, while she was powerful, fueled by the strength of the Sun itself. A few of them had gotten close to her, and some had attempted magic of their own, but ultimately none had so far posed her any threat.
With their immediate defense defeated she imagined they were rallying their forces inside, perhaps hoping to fight her in close quarters rather than risking being cut down in the open. She was prepared for such a plan though. Rather than oblige them and fall into their trap she simply glided overhead and began blasting great beams of fire into the heart of the hive, destroying walls and setting chuncks of the interior ablaze. Far below her she saw little black shapes come running from the wreckage, flames clinging to their bodies. Like ants beneath a magnifying glass. Eventually their movements stopped, but not before the flames had died out. Blast after blast bombarded the hive and still no second wave of defense was forthcoming. Perhaps they had already been broken? Perhaps she had won? There was a protrusion at the top of the hive that appeared grander and more ornate than the rest of the structure, a throne room perhaps? Another blast of magic shattered the roof, cracking the room open and allowing Sunset to land amidst its now ruined splendor.
"Greetings, my little pony." She had been right in thinking that it was a throne room, though the style was unfamiliar it was unmistakable in its purpose. A single throne sat at the far end of the room, a full length mirror standing directly behind it. Atop the throne sat Princess Celestia herself, smiling kindly at Sunset despite the ruin that surrounded her and the small piles of green goop that were pooling beneath the fallen masonry. "Come, sit, I am so proud of what-" before Celestia could finish, Sunset blasted her off of the throne with a gout of magical flame, sending her flying backwards into the mirror. She screamed in pain and green fire rolled across her body, revealing her for the changeling she really was. "Well it was worth a shot," she chuckled, slowly getting back onto her hooves. She was taller than the others, her build naturally like that of Celestia, her face feminine and a crown perched atop her head.
"Chrysalis, I presume?" Sunset asked, sending a wave of fire through the doors to the throne room, cutting off the Queen's approaching reinforcements.
"In the flesh," she laughed. "I know who you are of course, if not by name then certainly by reputation. Celestia's attack dog, her pet monster." The changeling queen sneered down at her, trying to maintain a vague sense of regality.
"I'm not the monster here, Chrysalis, you are." Sunset paced the room, keeping an eye out for any further enemies and wondering why Chrysalis made no attempt to defend herself.
"Ha!" she laughed again, cold and malicious. "Have you not looked in the mirror recently, my dear?"
"Constantly," Sunset's answer seemed to throw the queen off guard. "Hasn't changed much in the past twenty years."
"Do you like what you see?" Chrysalis asked as Sunset briefly looked at herself in the mirror.
"No, but that's fine. It's all in my head, Chrysalis, I'm not really a monster, you are." She turned and blasted Chrysalis in the chest, knocking her to the ground, bleeding. "You could at least try to fight."
"Why bother?" she cackled. "I'm starving, my children are starving. We have no fight left in us. I shall not give you the satisfaction of killing me in a fight, nor shall I beg for mercy. If Celestia has sent you to kill me, then do it! But it shall be done in cold blood, like the murder it is!"
"They do say that revenge is a dish best served cold," Sunset mused, resting one hoof on Chrysalis' neck and experimentally pressing down.
"And the ponies call us evil?" she hissed, her words almost choking in her throat.
"It's not evil to kill you, Chrysalis. When you are gone the world will be an objectively better place, even your daughter agrees with that."
"My-" for the first time since Sunset had entered Chrysalis sounded afraid.
"Don't worry, once I'm done with you I'll be sure to go look for her. From the sound of things she is just as treacherous and vile as you. I'll be sure not to leave the hive until I've found the other big changeling and given her the same treatment."
"No...you...can't," Chrysalis gasped for breath as the pressure on her neck increased.
"I thought you said you wouldn't plead?" Sunset smirked, looking down at the monster trapped beneath her hoof.
"Not...for my own...life...but for hers," the queen wheezed out, barely able to breathe. A flash of purple filled the room causing Sunset to look up. Out of nowhere Twilight, Spike and the other Element Bearers... she casually adjusted her crown... former Element Bearers had appeared.
"Sunset! Stop this at once, you're not a monster, you don't have to do this!" Twilight stared at her with fear in her eyes. She didn't need to be afraid though, Sunset had already defeated the monsters, Equestria was safe again. "Let Chrysalis go, and talk to us, Sunset! You need help, I didn't want to admit it, I wanted to think you were okay, that nothing was wrong, but you haven't been well for a long time Sunset! You need help, and this isn't the way to get it. Let her go, Sunset." Sunset looked between Twilight and Chrysalis, Chrysalis and Twilight, slowly back and forth.
"Kay," with a sickening crunch Sunset twisted her hoof sharply to the side, then stepped off of the body, casually wiping goop off of her hoof on the floor of the throne room. Twilight and her friends recoiled, Applejack glaring at her, Rarity turning green in the face, Fluttershy hiding her eyes beneath her one good wing... Sunset smiled.
"If you try to hurt any of my friends again I'll..."
"Don't worry, Twi, I'm not going to harm anypony, I'm not a monster." Sunset spread her wings and took to the sky, hovering in the air above the throne room. "I'm the hero here, Twilight! Granted, I've had to jump through a lot of hoops to find this place... but I've finally done it! I've defeated the last great threat to Equestria! You should all be celebrating!" she laughed...it wasn't a laugh she'd used for a very long time... it felt... nostalgic.
"Fine, Sunset. You've won. Now you can lower the Sun and take off the crown." Twilight and her friends huddled together beneath Sunset, it was almost as though they feared her!
"No. No, I think the Sun can stay up a little longer, just until I'm sure I've gotten them all. If you don't stamp out the whole hive then sooner or later you're going to have the bug problem come back. Besides, I actually quite like the Sun like this, I can almost see why the ponies didn't bother with the night a thousand years ago..."
"Listen to yourself, Sunset! Is this really who you want to be? Is this really how you want to be remembered? Sunset, I defeated you once at CHS, if you won't see reason I'm not afraid to do it again here!"
"CHS, CHS! You just have to bring up old injuries don't you? I've tried to let bygones be bygones but then you go and rub salt in the wound! I'm not that girl anymore, Twilight! I'm the hero here!"
"Sunset, please! Please stop and listen!" Tears were running down her face now, it was pathetic really.
"Girls, step aside. I think it's time that Princess Twilight Sparkle was taught a lesson." Sunset began forming a ball of fire at the tip of her horn, not enough to kill Twilight of course, but enough to teach her a lesson. To her surprise though, rather than stepping away from her, Twilight's friends clustered around her defensively. Sunset shrugged, "So be it." She threw the ball of flame towards the helpless girls below, her leathery wings flapping at her sides, her rightfully earned crown atop her head, her skin red, her hands clawed and her feet...
"No!" Sunset screamed, throwing the fireball harmlessly off into the sky. She dropped out of the air, collapsing to the ground and burying her face beneath her hooves. High above her she let go of the Sun, the black nimbus vanishing and the celestial body instantly dropping beneath the horizon as Celestia took control, the moon quickly rising to take its place. "No! I...I...didn't mean to...I never wanted...I'm not her anymore, Twilight...I'm not her...am I?" Sunset felt a hoof gently rest on her back. Whimpering, she looked up from behind her hooves and saw Twilight and her friends, crowding round her with smiles on their faces.
"I knew you could do it, Sunset. You're not evil, you just need some help, and we're going to make sure you get it." The fear hadn't entirely left the other ponies' faces but it had mostly been replaced with sympathy.
"I...I...hurt a lot of ponies didn't I, Twi, I...I killed..." she shuddered as she caught the sight of Chrysalis' body out of the corner of her eye, necks weren't supposed to bend like that.
"You...yes, you did. But we can fix things, Sunset, with time we can fix things."
"Yeah, Sunny, we all know you wouldn't have done any of that stuff if you'd been thinking straight," Rainbow grinned.
"And I know you wouldn't have done what you did, if you hadn't thought I was a changeling," Fluttershy just about managed a smile but Sunset could see her broken wing all too clearly.
"Darling, you are a wonderful mare who has simply suffered through some...unfortunate experiences, everything will be alright," Rarity patted her on the back.
"Yeah, Sunset, we'll get you straight to the bestest doctor in Equestria and he'll fix you right up and then I can throw you a 'not crazy anymore' party!" Pinkie's smile was the widest of them all.
Sunset turned and looked at Applejack, who had remained oddly silent. Everypony else turned to her too. "Ah can't lie to her, Twi!" she whispered, not quiet enough to escape Sunset's hearing. Both alicorn's faces dropped.
"She's right isn't she..." Sunset muttered. "We can't just wave a horn around and fix all of this...I...I...really bucked up this time." She looked at her hoof, green goop still stained it.
"Perhaps, Sunset. I'll admit things won't be the same as they were, it'll take a lot of ponies some time to forgive you and after what happened here..." Twilight sighed, "...there might have to be a trial of some sort. But considering the mitigating factors they might be lenient. Don't worry Sunset, they'll forgive you sooner or later, they can't stay mad forever. They forgave Luna for being Nightmare Moon after all!" That had taken a thousand years though, Sunset couldn't help but think. "Now then, let's get you all back to Ponyville!" Twilight and her friends separated from the group huddle, the princess getting ready to cast a spell.
"You're right..." Sunset mumbled, "it's just like Luna...they'll forgive me...but...I need to be punished..."
"Sunset?" Fluttershy turned to face her, apparently having heard what she was saying. "What are you-?"
Sunset turned to face the mirror at the back of the room, turned to stare at the red alicorn, stared as it stared back at her. Atop her head she felt the crown heat up, she focused, mustering its power just as she had done against Discord. From atop her head a beam of multicolored energy shot forth from the crown and collided with the surface of the mirror, rebounding off of its surface and flying straight back at her. She smiled, welcoming the oncoming beam of magic. She heard Twilight scream her name, and then...darkness.
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"Sunset!" Twilight screamed as soon as she realized what was happening. She leaped towards her friend but it was too late, the beam struck her and a great wave of light flew through the hole in the roof and up into the night sky. Twilight turned, her eyes following its path as it impacted with the moon, leaving a great alicorn head imprinted upon its surface. "Sunset..." She whispered.
The clattering of gems on stone brought Twilight's attention back to the room, six gemstones had fallen to the floor where Sunset had once stood, the Elements of Harmony, awaiting new bearers.
"Did she...?" Rainbow looked between the stones and the moon, trying to get her head around what had just happened.
"She banished herself to the moon...why would she banish herself? She... she didn't need to...she wasn't evil..." Twilight stared at the stones, it seemed silly that such little things could have such great power.
"What do we do now, Twilight?" Pinkie asked, her mane deflated.
"We...we pick up the pieces," Twilight's eyes remained locked onto the Elements, she couldn't stand to look at the moon. "I'll teleport Fluttershy and Spike back to Ponyville, the two of you can fill Celestia in on what transpired. The rest of us will stay here and keep the Elements safe," she looked at the smoldering remains of the throne room, "and see if we can help the surviving changelings. There should be a changeling princess around here somewhere, she'll need help looking after her subjects." Action, Twilight needed to take action, anything to distract herself from what had just happened. "Evey! Spike, as soon as you get back to Ponyville, take a message and send it to Starlight, she lives in Canterlot. Evey's train will be arriving first thing in the morning, tell Starlight what has happened and make sure she gets Evey somewhere safe and private. I don't want her hearing about this second hoof, I'll...I'll tell her myself." Action, action would delay her having to think about what had happened, action would keep the grief at bay.
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6 Years Later
"...and that's how it happened." Twilight sighed, finishing up her story. She'd had a few interruptions, like when Evey had tried stabbing herself in the eye with one of the shards of mirror, or when Flurry had come down and shouted at them. The younger alicorn was curled up beneath her wing now, still crying to herself. Evey still wasn't moving. They'd had to stand her back up again after Flurry had knocked her over, it didn't feel right just leaving her on the ground like that.
"She just left?" Flurry whispered between tears. "She never even said goodbye?"
"She wasn't in a right state of mind," Twilight sighed. "She had the Elements, she was feeling guilty...she did what she felt was right at the time."
"And Evey paid the price," Flurry growled.
"S' a lie." Flurry, Starlight and Twilight all turned, startled by the sound, despite it being as quiet as it was. "All a lie," slowly backing away from them, Evey was rising back onto her hooves.
"Evey!" Flurry screamed in delight, rushing towards her friend only to be stopped by a barrier of red magic.
"She loved me!" Evey yelled, her voice finally returned to her. "She loved me more than anything in the world! Anything in all the worlds! She loved me! She'd never just leave me! Never abandon me like that! She'd have left a message, a parting word, a letter! Anything! That's how I know you're lying, Twilight, she loved me too much just to leave me like that!"
"Evey, please-" Twilight began to speak but the unicorn was off, darting up to one of the remaining mirrors that she hadn't deactivated.
"No more lies! No more wasted breath! This isn't over, Sparkle! It might take me nine hundred and ninety four years, but I shall return! you haven't seen the last of Eventide Shimmer!" with a wild look in her eyes, Eventide leaped through the portal and her barrier dropped. All three ponies ran after her, but before any of them could pass through the mirror's surface, the alicorn amulet came flying out of it. Red beams flew wildly off of it,striking each remaining portal and closing the gateways, the one Eventide had just stepped through included. Flurry slammed face first into the surface of the mirror, desperately clawing at it with her hooves.
"Evey, no! No, no, no!" Flurry sobbed as Twilight rested a wing across her back.
"Was she telling the truth, will she really come back in a thousand years?" Starlight whispered. "Is she...is she a threat to Equestria?"
"No..." Twilight sighed. "The only way back would be through this portal, we'll keep it under lock and key and if she does come back...if she does come back we'll catch her and get her the help she needs. Maybe in thirty moons, or whenever the portal opens again, maybe we can send someone through to see if they can find her and bring her home. For now though...I just hope she can find happiness wherever it is she's run away to."
The three of them emerged from the basement an hour later, it had taken that long to convince Flurry to leave the mirror alone. There would be a lot of work to be done, inquests to be made, ponies to be interviewed... Celestia would want a full run down of what happened and all of Evey's belongings would need cataloguing. Most of them would have to be locked away in the secret vaults of Canterlot castle. As Twilight stepped out into the cold air of the night she looked up at the moon and gave one more sigh of despair. "I'm sorry, Sunset," she whispered to the moon, "I'm sorry we couldn't save her." One thousand years was a very long time, who knew what might happen? Would Twilight even be around to welcome her home? One thousand years was a very long time, and for one thousand years Twilight would have to think about how one goes about telling somepony that their daughter nearly destroyed the world out of grief...
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Sweet two chapters in one day! I feel sorry for Sunset because when she gets free she will have her heart crushed once again by what her daughter did. All because Celestia could not let Sunset die.
What a way to end. All of the feels, man, all of the feels.
It's been quite a ride. A bleak, depressing ride filled with madness and poor decision-making, but a ride nonetheless.
I'll save final comments for the epilogue, but for now, I think all I can say is I hope Eventide can find some peace wherever she went.
I still think Twilight and Celestia and Luna had a huge hoof in messing up Evey life more then ever.
Why did they not correct what Quill wrote about ehr mother, why did they make Evey stay silent!
I hope Flurry tells her parents the truth on Evey, i'm sure Shining will be heart broken as well as Candance and furious at Quill for the dam ies he spread or misinformation on Evey and Sunset.
but also more furiosu at Twilight and Celestia and Luna for not even correcting trying to stop Quill.
-15th Century nursery rhyme, found around the Canterlot plains, origin unknown.
I hope that Evey will find happiness wherever she is. Goodness knows her mind needs it.
potentially Twilight, Flurry Heart, Luna, Celestia will still be around but will Evie if she makes it accept their word about what happened any better than today. Doubtful will she accept Sunsets word that is questionable as well alot depends on how Evie finds to pass the time.. Will she experience that time or find a way to skip over it
7429748 Yes finally someone says it!
They keep saying they did all they could yet the princesses let both Sunset and Evey be demonized.
Evey especially since she lost not just her mother but her livelihood, her career, and the princesses did nothing...Pathetic...they helped drive Evey into a corner and then act surprised when she lashes out at the injustice of it all.
Quill should have lost his job and been forced to live on the streets at the very least.
They could have used their influence to help Evey get her job back...instead they did nothing and let Evey be treated like crap.