Shimmer: La Jument Revolutionnaire

by GuyWhoWritesThings

Duel Eight: Envy.

Somewhere, deep below...

Crystal roots line the ceiling of a room long forgotten, hanging down in the dim light emanating from a far doorway. From them, black, six-point star crystals dangle like decorations from a hanging chandelier, though they appear to suck in the light around them instead of reflecting it. Framed in the doorway's light are two unicorn ponies, a stallion and mare, gazing up at the crystals, the stallion grinning while the mare remains neutral.

"Are you sure of this plan, Sombra?" The mare asks, stepping forward. Her magenta uniform contrasts against her dark blue coat. A flowing, sapphire mane runs along her neck and down to her hooves. Cyan eyes look up at the crystals, reflecting emotion about as well as the black stars reflect light. "The black crystals are ripe, but..."

"It's our only path forward, Luna." Sombra, Friendship Academy's student counselor, follows suit. "I'll install you as the Crystal Mare, and together we'll obtain the alicorn's power."

Luna turns her head to him. "Do you truly believe that can work? Transferring the power of the Crystal Mare to another?"

His eyes meet hers. "It must work." Said eyes quickly turn away, looking to the crystals above. "Even if I were to win the power of revolution on my own, we both know that I... cannot be trusted to wield it. Such, it must fall to you, Luna, to use that power to free Celestia from the madness that forced us seal her away in her crystal prison, so long ago."

"As you say." Luna walks to the center of the room, eyes darting between the many crystals. "For this task, we'll need powerful Duelists, since you will not enter the Dueling Arena directly."

Sombra reaches one of his hooves up, faintly flicking at the sparkling, magenta gemstone of the Magic Crest hanging from his neck. "Yes. They'll need to be capable of defeating that girl, yet still be willing to yield to our will."

"The answer is obvious, then." Luna smiles faintly. "Let us reawaken the potential in those that once failed to revolutionize this world."

"Yes, that may work." Sombra walks to the room's center, joining Luna. "One of them may have what it takes to defeat the Champion of the Duels, with the right assistance." He then turns, locking eyes with her once more. "Then, once we've seized the Crystal Mare for ourselves... we'll kill her."

---

Sunset Shimmer groans, flopping onto her side. The bed and pillow are soft against her body, but they provide no comfort for the swirl of confusion and emotion that have built up inside her. A week has passed since her her duel with the strange girl, on the night of Rarity's party. After overcoming her initial panic at being alone in the Dueling Arena, worry for Starlight Glimmer sent her racing back to their shared room. Upon arrival, a short, hoof-written note laid taped to the door. It was from Starlight, apologizing, and explaining that she would be moving in to one of the faculty dormitory rooms in the Headmaster's tower. It was a request from the Headmaster herself, and, as Starlight explained, superseded even her duties as the Crystal Mare.

While the two still meet during school, and spend time together after it, Sunset's attempts to get answers about her most recent Magic Duel from Starlight have only left her with more questions. Starlight claims to have never born witness to a Magic Duel on the night of Rarity's party. According to her, she and Sunset climbed the top of the Dueling Arena's tower, and Sunset simply sat, staring at the floating castle in a daze. After being unable to rouse her from her stupor, but knowing the Dueling Arena to be a place safe from any standard interloper, Starlight left, to begin moving her things to the room given to her by the Headmaster and leave the note on her door.

While the story explains how the note was waiting for Sunset when she arrived back at the room, and why all of Starlight's things were indeed missing from the room, Sunset can't reconcile it against her own experience. For it to have been some strange hallucination Sunset had while staring at the castle wouldn't explain the other times she remembers seeing that figure around the Academy, or the time it talked to her while waiting for Rainbow Dash. Unless Sunset somehow also hallucinated all those experiences, that is. No, it had to be real! The way Starlight so quietly, yet so confidently whispered "I believe in you, Sunset Shimmer" had to be real.

I won't accept anything else!

So now, Sunset makes a nightly ritual of her own, after a week of not having to observe the night-time ritual of the Magic Duel. Each night, she plots out everything she knows about the Magic Duels, about the Magic Crest, about the Duelists, about the Dueling Arena, and even about Starlight Glimmer, herself. Now, Sunset feels, deep inside her, she must find the truth, spurred on by Starlight's story, but also something more. "The answer's right here, Sunset Shimmer... all you need to do is seek it out." The words of the girl, the ones whose phrasing so closely match a saying from deep in Sunset's memories - words the alicorn from her past left her with so long ago. She believes both the evocation of them and the slight change in the phrasing are both intentional, and now she follows their advice, just as she's followed the advice of the older phrase all this time, and seeks out an answer that supposedly lies in plain sight.

Scattered across the large table she once shared with Starlight Glimmer are pages and pages of notes. A quill lays haphazardly near the edge of the table nearest the bunk bed, as does a capped ink bottle. Each page contains differing scrawls of theories and facts, pieced together every which way Sunset finds herself able to consider, in attempt after attempt to find some underlying secret to the mess she's now part of. Sunlight begins to peek through the window, casting a gentle light over the piles of Sunset's work. That same sunlight, however, feels much less gentle to Sunset's eyelids, and she clenches her eyes shut, rolling away from it. Soon, however, she lets out a final groan, rising from her bed and reaching a hoof up to scratch behind her ear. Her eyes burn and head-throbs with the telltale signs of exhaustion, as her attempts to piece together the secrets of the Magic Duel often keep her up late into the night as her mind refuses to stop racing.

She steps out of the bed's lower bunk and pulls the nearest chair out with her magic, sitting at the table and looking down at the notes through her early-morning haze. While most of the pages are long disregarded, there are two that Sunset always comes back to - possibly the two most straightforward of the bunch. The first is simply a list of the different aspects of the dueling game, as she understands them. She pulls it up, as she does every morning, hoping that reading it will jog her brain into connecting some dot that's otherwise lost on her:

Magic Crest

*Gemstone is six-point star.

*Given to Duelists via a letter from 'End of the World'.

*Glows to open path to Dueling Arena.

*Received own from another source - not unique to 'End of the World' or dueling game?

Dueling Arena

*Floor emblazoned with six-point star.

*How can this thing even exist?

*Location of the Magic Duel.

Floating Castle

*Largest spire tipped with six-point star.

*'Trick of the Light'. (Rarity said.) (Probably lie.)

*Shines light onto the Dueling Arena.

*Upside-down / Floating / Spinning / Why???

*Contains 'Something Eternal'. (?)

Magic Duel

*Prize is the Crystal Mare. Starlight Glimmer.

*Test. (Girl claims.) (?)

*Elements of Harmony claim it leads to alicornhood / miracle / power / 'something eternal'. (?)

*Arranged by 'End of the World'. (?)

*Won by striking six-point star from opponent's chest.

Spark of Friendship

*Pommel is six-point star.

*Magic. (?)

*Elements of Harmony unable to use it. (?)

*Related to Starlight Glimmer. (?)

*Strange Girl also had one. Not unique?

Crys Starlight Glimmer

*Friend.

*Crystal.

*Defensive about activities.

*Close to Headmaster Twilight Sparkle. (How close?) (?)

*Tends Tree of Harmony.

*Knows more than she can say. (How much does she know?) (?)

*Magenta dress - same color as six-point star.

*Somehow summons the Spark of Friendship for the dueling game. (?)

*Can refuse to give Spark of Friendship to Champion? (?)

*Somehow key to end goal of the 'Magic Duels'???

*Tool??? (Rarity claims.)

*Mirror??? (Rarity claims.) (Please be lie.)

Sunset again tries to piece together the different bits of information together in her mind, adding and subtracting details as she finds necessary in order to create a framework that, for now at least, seems coherent enough for her to understand the events going on around her. This morning, like each other morning, she ends up landing on the same conclusion, however - the same potential causality between the disjointed list of facts at her disposal. The Magic Crest enables a Duelist to enter the Dueling Arena. The Dueling Arena hosts the Magic Duel. The Magic Duel serves as some kind of trial to obtain Starlight Glimmer. For some reason, Starlight Glimmer will offer the Spark of Friendship to certain Duelists, but not others. The Spark of Friendship contains some kind of magic, possibly related to whatever an alicorn truly is. Using the Spark of Friendship, a Duelist can eventually obtain whatever prize actually exists inside the castle above the Dueling Arena.

However, it's an explanation that Sunset doesn't find at all satisfactory. Partly, because it doesn't seem very far removed from the understanding of the Magic Duels she possessed from the beginning. But, more so, because it also forces Sunset to disregard nearly every strange aspect about Starlight Glimmer herself, including the ones told to her by Rarity. While she wants to believe them false, she knows that disregarding both all those and all other aspects related directly to Starlight Glimmer besides her place as a 'prize' in the Magic Duels, either her framework is flawed in some way, or there are other elements to Starlight Glimmer she's yet to learn, or both. None of those options, obviously, sit well with Sunset Shimmer.

While the ubiquity of the phrase 'End of the World' is something that's tugged at Sunset since the start, and does more than ever now after the most recent series of events, an odd thought begins to worm its way into Sunset Shimmer's mind. Am I focusing on the wrong thing? Something stands out to on the page, a detail she hadn't paid as much mind to before now, and one she didn't remember writing down in the manner she has. The six-point star! It's everywhere - on the Magic Crest, on the Dueling Arena, on the Floating Castle, on the Spark of Friendship, and in the Magic Duel, serving as the victory condition. The only place it's not present is... Starlight Glimmer...

While her new idea currently has the same problem as her initial framework, it's something new, and that alone attracts Sunset Shimmer to trying to pursue it. That star has to mean something! She racks her brain, trying to think of other places she may have seen it in the past. It's on the doors that lead to the Dueling Arena... She knocks a hoof against her forehead, directly under her horn. Think! Where else... A realization hits her. The Tree of Harmony! It has a huge piece of crystal missing, carved out in the shape of the six-point star! But... why? Did something used to be there, in the heart of the Tree of Harmony?

"What do I do?" Sunset muses aloud as she slumps back into her chair, rubbing at her eyes with her hooves. The sun now bleeds brightly into her room, enough for Sunset to use her magic to tug the curtains closed to keep it from her eyes. "I suppose I should start seeing if I can find this stupid star anywhere else..." She groans, throwing her head back and staring at her ceiling. "Maybe pay extra attention when Starlight is around, see if I can spot her with it at some point to confirm my theory of it as some unifying insignia..." The thought of doing that, however - of snooping around her friend for some incriminating symbol - makes Sunset's stomach churn. In an effort to distract herself from those feelings, she allows her eyes to drift around the walls of the room. "What time is it, anyway?" Her eyes eventually fall on the clock, then go wide. "School time, is what time it is!" She uses her magic to teleport herself from her chair with a pop, leaving her pajamas behind as she pulls the drawer open and fishes out her Academy uniform. "Holy crap, I am so going to be late!"

---

Sunset sprints the entire length from her room in the 'Magic' Dormitory to Friendship Academy, mixing in a number of shorter-ranged teleports where she feels safe doing so, in a desperate bid to make up for lost time. Grass, trees, and other straggling-but-less-caring students whirl past, and the glistening crystal of the Academy comes ever-closer. Though, Sunset's concerns more than simply being late for school itself. Since her movement to the Headmaster's tower, Starlight now meets Sunset at the bleachers for the sports field that's along the path to the Academy from the dormitory. Being late to that meeting concerns Sunset far more than being late to her class itself, with how much less time she finds herself able to spend with Starlight Glimmer now.

However, upon reaching the bleachers, Sunset curses under her breath. Near the end of the previous week, a certain azure unicorn caught onto their meeting place, and started arriving to meet with Starlight Glimmer herself. This, in itself, isn't Sunset's problem. She's still in favor of Starlight expanding her pool of friends, and on retrospect of their first meeting, she finds Trixie a delightfully energetic presence. Trixie, however...

"Hello, Sunset!" Starlight calls from her seat on the bleachers, rising. Beside her, Trixie's mouth hangs open, clearly halfway through a sentence, watching dumbly as Starlight walks her way down to meet Sunset.

"Hey, Starlight." Sunset greets her, turning her attention to the bleachers. "Hey, Trixie." She greets the still-stunned mare, tentatively waving a hoof in greeting, trying to keep the air between them as natural and friendly as possible, given what Starlight's just done.

Trixie Lulamoon descends the bleacher slowly, approaching the pair. "Hello, Sunset Shimmer." She says, her words evenly measured for basic courtesy yet distance. The words, and their tone, are something Sunset is becoming used to from Trixie. It's her barest attempt at masking her growing disdain of Sunset, one of the reasons that Sunset dreads seeing the mare. Her words, however, are the only thing masked, as the look in Trixie's eyes makes her true feelings clear. Trixie's features, however, brighten as she turns her attention back to Starlight Glimmer. "So! Like I was saying! I've got the greatest tale I've ever spun to add to my show routine, Starlight. I was wondering if you'd want to help me work out some of the visuals for it, if you're not busy, that is." Trixie, by trade, is a showpony, an art that mixes various kinds of magical tricks and ingenuity with captivating storytelling, all in an attempt to entertain a crowd.

Starlight turns to her, giving her the neutral tone and expression that Sunset's come to expect of her when dealing with most ponies. "I'm sorry, Trixie... another time, maybe." Her head nods and she turns back to Sunset, and her lips upturn slightly. "How was your weekend, Sunset?"

"Uh... fine, I guess." Sunset replies, laughing nervously, hoof scratching behind her ear. Behind Starlight, Trixie's limbs quiver as she bites at her lip, her eyes glaring daggers even as Sunset offers her a sheepish, pleading smile.

This exchange is simply emblematic of the second reason Sunset dreads situations with Trixie involved. Initially, Sunset only felt annoyance at Trixie's attempts to dominate conversations when she and Starlight were together. Those feelings, though, soon gave way to pity, the best word to summarize Sunset's current feelings toward the mare as well. No matter what the situation, Starlight dismisses the mare, in way Sunset can best describe as 'politely callous'. She doesn't know if it has to do with the terms the pair separated on or something else, but the constant shut-downs from Starlight are enough to make Sunset uncomfortable, even as just a bystander. Trixie's tenacity against the treatment, however, is something that always surprises Sunset. She's insistent, and never discouraged for long.

And sometimes, Sunset tries to help her along. "What kind of story is it, Trixie?"

Trixie huffs as the three begin walking side-by-side-by-side, Starlight in the middle, with Trixie and Sunset on either side. After her moment of prideful indulgence, however, Trixie decides to accept the conversation hook, though the sidelong look Sunset receives for her trouble definitely doesn't show appreciation. "Trixie was thinking of a tale where she rides the ursa major from her previous adventure into battle against a giant, fire-breathing sea-dragon to fight for the survival of Manehattan." A confident grin finally spreads through her dark demeanor. "A captivating tale of action and heroism! Something easy enough for a crowd to invest into with just enough continuity for the returning fans." She turns her attention to the mare in the middle. "What do you think, Starlight? That's what I wanted your help with - I want to make the visual that goes alongside this one absolutely stunning! A bang-out show of spectacle to catch the crowd!"

"It sounds nice, Trixie." Starlight replies.

With just those four words, Trixie again deflates, well able to understand the true message being Starlight's words. Quickly, however, the confident grin returns, just a tiny bit smaller, and Trixie carries on. "Of course it sounds nice! It'll be more than just nice. It's going to be amazing!"

As the two continue to talk, Sunset finds herself gazing at Starlight, chest tight and stomach knotted, as the conversation between Starlight and Trixie continues along its current back-and-forth path. Looking at the back of her head, Sunset can just barely make out her reflection in Starlight's crystal sheen. "Understand, Sunset Shimmer! The Crystal Mare is just a mirror!" Rarity's words, from their Duel, weeks ago now, find their way back into Sunset's mind. Is this how Starlight truly treats ponies, when not compelled by the Champion of the Duel to do otherwise?

---

Later, and elsewhere...

A round table lays on its side. A line of five chairs looks out from a white, crystal balcony, overlooking the tall, intertwining architecture of Friendship Academy. On the chairs sit four ponies, with a cassette player resting in the middlemost seat. The six-point star emblazoned on the cassette player remains dormant, no hoof moving to the play button. The air of an unmet ritual rests between the gathered ponies, words unspoken and voice unheard.

Tracks from a model train set wrap around the five chairs in an oval. On them, a five-car train chugs slowly along the tracks, its 'toot-toot' breaking the group's silence.

"Rainbow Dash didn't come again, today." Applejack notes, looking to the empty seat at her right. "This marks a week now. She isn't showing at school, either. I hear that mare Lightning Dust has taken over most of her roles with the sports teams for the time being."

"I haven't even seen her leave her room." Rarity's eyes join Applejack's on the empty chair. They then turn up to Fluttershy. "Is she doing okay, dear?"

"Yeah..." Fluttershy's voice trails as she looks skyward. "She's fine. But, now I'm wondering if I shouldn't have gotten Sunset to force her into that duel, after all. She won't even tell me what happened during it."

Rarity rests her left hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "You can't blame yourself, dear. You can't be expected to know how she'll take things. I mean, she was always so blasé about the Magic Duels, compared to the rest of us, including you, Fluttershy. There's no way we could have guessed she would react this badly to losing."

"Yes, but-"

"Fluttershy." Applejack interjects, turning to her. "It's not any of our business, since its not like we're all the most open about it either, but did Rainbow Dash ever tell you why she involved herself in the duels to begin with? I know you and her are close, so..."

Fluttershy shakes her head. "No. She never said, and to be honest, I never really asked." Fluttershy takes a steadying breath. "I don't know why. Maybe I supposed her reason was the same as mine. It seems I have a record of being presumptuous with these sorts of things."

"What about that letter Sunset Shimmer received from End of the World?" Rarity asks. "Anypony got any idea what it may have been about? It looked like a duel challenge, but..."

"No idea, sugarcube." Applejack shakes her head. "A duel challenge was my best guess when she let me read it, too. But, we've all dueled Sunset Shimmer by now, and none of us sent it asking for a rematch, obviously. I don't know about anypony else with Magic Crests, either."

Rarity turns her attention back to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, you said you and Rainbow Dash met Sunset there. Did Rainbow Dash ever say why? It sounds like she might know something the rest of us don't, even if I can't imagine how or why."

"No..." Fluttershy looks to the floor, her mane flowing forward to cover her face. "She wouldn't say anything to me. She just asked me to go with her to the Dueling Tower. Twice, actually. We were there Saturday night, too, but nopony showed up that time..."

"And we aren't getting anymore letters of our own from End of the World, either." Applejack grumbles, crossing her hooves in front of herself. "We're being left out in the wind, by the sounds of it."

The model train hits a break in its tracks. The front car drives off, tipping onto its side and taking the other four pieces of the train with it.

"So, that's it?" Pinkamena finally speaks. For the first time since her lost to Sunset Shimmer, her voice is something besides distant and uninvested. However, it's also not her previous signature, aggression, though the undertones of such as still noticeable. She rises from her seat, walking to the edge of the balcony, rearing up on two legs to rest her front half against the railing. When she speaks again, the others finally distinguish what they hear - determination. "The Dueling Tower opens for an opponent nopony knows the identity of, Rainbow Dash won't leave her room, and the rest of us are just sitting here and doing nothing?" She pulls down from the railing, turning to face the others. "Neigh, I say! We're the Elements of Harmony. Not only does Rainbow Dash need us, but an outside force is attempting to seize the Crystal Mare. We need to act!"

It's Rarity that finds her way out of her surprise at such an outburst from Pinkamena, after the slump she herself has been in since her duel against Sunset Shimmer. "Well, what should we do then? If you have any ideas, we're all ears, darling."

"I think it's simple enough." Pinkamena replies. Her visible eye reflects the emotion in her voice. "For now, Fluttershy will need to continue her part with Rainbow Dash, at least until we can get an idea of what's causing her to act how she is. The rest of us, in the meanwhile, will do some digging on Sunset Shimmer. We need to find a good time for us to get the answers we need out of her, since for once, she's the one who knows more than we do." She smiles, a bit manically. "Let's show End of the World that we're capable of moving without the need to dance to their jig."

---

"I still can't believe we're going have lunch with the Headmaster, Starlight." Sunset Shimmer comments as she walks beside Starlight Glimmer. The noon sun's rays press against their backs as they walk together, making their way to the Headmaster's tower in the center of the Academy. Around them, the crystal of the buildings glitters, and every so often, the shadows cast by the crisscrossing pathways above offer the slight reprieve of shade from the sun's heat. "Meeting the mysterious Headmaster..." She turns to Starlight, grinning. "And, one of your friends, of course." Though, as soon as the words leave Sunset's mouth, her grin sours. She'll be long-time friends with the Headmaster, but not Trixie? Why...?

Starlight giggles to herself, seemingly not noticing Sunset's sudden change of mood. "Does Twilight really have such a reputation around here?" Starlight asks. "She's not an unfriendly or anti-social pony, Sunset. She's just... busy with her work, a lot."

"I'm guessing that's why she has you help her so much?" Sunset asks, doing her best to regain her cheery composure. "What do you do to help her, anyway? If she has you staying in that tower of hers full-time now, it must get pretty intensive."

"Oh, you know..." Starlight trails off, and the two share a look.

"This and that." They both say at the same time.

Sunset sighs. "I understand, you keep everything close to the chest, Starlight. But, you know you can talk to me, right?" Sunset bites her lip, rubbing behind her ear with a hoof. "If something's going on, you know I'm always here to-"

"Hello, Starlight!" A familiar, excited voice calls to them from behind, cutting off the rest of Sunset's sentence, as the pounding of hooves indicates the approach of its owner. That owner being the mare that inhabited Sunset's thoughts only a minute or two ago, Trixie Lulamoon.

"Hello, Trixie." Starlight replies with trademark neutrality. However, there's a slight hesitation to it, one that Sunset can only catch from having gained such an understanding of Starlight's verbal quirks.

"Hey there, Trixie." Sunset greets, doing her best to be friendly, though the attempt only earns her another withering glower from Trixie. She must really hate me... Sunset turns away, not able to hold her gaze long when she has that look in her eye. It's not my fault, but I guess I can't entirely blame her... I can imagine how this situation seems from her point of view, especially without her knowing about all the weirdness surrounding Starlight as a result of the Magic Duels.

"So, what are you up to today, Starlight?" Trixie asks, quickly replacing her disdain for Sunset Shimmer with a warm smile for Starlight Glimmer. "I was thinking, maybe you and I could-"

"Sunset and I are going to meet the Headmaster right now, Trixie." Starlight replies plainly. Though, Sunset swears she can see the faintest hints of regret in her eyes at again brushing off her former-best-friend. It's not something Sunset hasn't caught before, either, but Starlight usually hides it with her immediate turn to talking to her instead of Trixie, only making the problems between the two worse. In times like these, however, where Sunset stays silent enough to prevent that being an option, she can catch these small moments from Starlight.

And if there's regret, there's the proof she's more than what Rarity claimed. Sunset tells herself. Though, I'm not sure if that makes her treatment of Trixie better, or worse... She decides to remain silent, wanting to use this opportunity to better gauge the reactions between the two. It's the first time she's able to easily let herself fall into the proverbial shadows for a reason other than Trixie dominating the conversation, so she wants to make use of it.

"Ah..." Trixie looks hurt, but quickly changes her attack angle, wiping the negative emotions from her face. "Well! Trixie can just come with you, and we can all eat lunch as a group!" She spares Sunset another dark glance before returning to Starlight. "I don't know what awful thing Sunset Shimmer did to get herself called up to the Headmaster during our lunch break, but Trixie commends you for standing with your new friend like this!" While her words sound genuine, the flicker of eye movement that accompanies them at the phrase 'new friend' betrays Trixie's true feelings. "So, in turn, Trixie shall stand with you, her greatest friend, to spread around the support!"

Starlight's eyes remain on the path ahead as she walks. "We're going to have lunch with the Headmaster, Trixie."

Trixie's wind looks swept from her sails at the one-sentence dismissal of everything she's said, but she recovers once more. "Oh, a friendly lunch, is it? Trixie finds this equally acceptable! Why, we can-"

"I'm afraid not, Trixie." Starlight shakes her head, cutting Trixie off for the second time in one day. "The Headmaster is... reclusive." And, on top of it, lying, assuming what she said to Sunset is the truth. "She won't be happy with us if we bring anypony uninvited."

"Oh..." And, in the span of time it takes her utter that one sound, Trixie's repeated attempts to rebound herself culminate in a crestfallen expression, as she turns to stare at the ground. "I see..." She stops in place, as the other two continue walking.

Sunset feels compelled to intervene now, her desire for knowledge no longer worth the pain she sees on the mare's face. "Oh, come on, Starlight, surely, we can-"

"It's fine, Sunset Shimmer." Trixie says, her voice hollow, from behind the other two. "I understand. I'll just go." The mare turns, starting along the path back into the facilities of Friendship Academy, eyes not rising from the path beneath her hooves.

"Trixie..." Sunset mutters, wanting to call back to her, but not sure if the gesture may make the situation worse. She knows a mare like Trixie is prideful, and it'll be easy for her to take offense if she begins correctly believing Sunset is pitying her.

"We'll be late if we don't get moving, Sunset." Starlight says from beside Sunset, pulling Sunset from inner battle with her conscience before either side can declare itself the victor. She begins walking again, taking the lead of the remaining two ponies on the trek to the Headmaster's tower.

"Starlight, why won't you be friends with her again?" Sunset asks, putting herself into gear to follow. She's a few steps behind Starlight, but makes no attempt to close the distance. She'd considered instead trying to ask Starlight about the six-point star that's been eating at her subconscious since this morning, but her concern for situation her friend is in with Trixie supersedes that worry for her right now.

Starlight's neutral mask slips as her eyes turn to the ground. She bites at her lip, hesitating to speak at first, taking some time to find her words. "It's dangerous for uninvolved ponies to be close to me, Sunset."

"You mean, ponies not involved in the Magic Duels?" Sunset asks, filling in the blanks for herself.

"Yes." Starlight confirms with a nod.

"How is it dangerous, Starlight?" Sunset asks. Initially, it's a question of concern, but her need for knowledge soon has her pressing before she even realizes it. "Why can you be friends with the Headmaster, or even Spike, but not with Trixie?" She sighs, realizing what she's done but knowing its too late to take it back. "I'm sorry, Starlight. I just... I'm not trying to judge you. I just want you to be honest with me."

"I am being honest, Sunset." Starlight replies, automatically. Her mouth opens, to say something in follow-up, but then closes again. Sunset decides to wait, allowing Starlight to collect her words and continue the conversation herself. "It's just... it's for the best, Sunset."

'It's for the best', huh? Those are words Sunset is all-too familiar with. "So, what?" She prods, that twinge of righteousness inside her sparking up, aimed at the one pony she'd least expected to aim it at. "Don't you see you're destroying her on the inside? Are you just going to blow her off until she finally gives up on ever being friends with you again?"

"...If I need to." The words from Starlight are faint, quivering slightly.

Trixie's not the only one she's destroying with this behavior... A thought Sunset worms its way into Sunset's mind, one she'd normally never consider. "...What if I were to order you to be friends with her again? You know, with the whole..." Sunset trails, feeling the rest of her thought process is well enough implied.

"...Then I would do it." Starlight nods again, then turns her head to face Sunset's. "Are you ordering me to do it?"

"Do you want me to?" Sunset asks in return, two sides of her conscience warring at even posing the question.

"No, Sunset."

"Good." Sunset turns back to the remainder of the crystal path in front of her. "I wasn't going to do it anyway. You know I'd never be okay with ordering you to do something, Starlight."

"Thank you, Sunset." Starlight turns her head to look at the sky. In this one, fleeting moment, Sunset is able to get a view of Starlight Glimmer with all her defenses lowered, pain and longing clearly etched into her features. You're more than a mirror. Whatever's forcing you to act this way, I'm going to take care of it. Just you wait, Starlight Glimmer.

---

Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer soon reach the tower containing the Headmaster's office, its crystal exterior glistening gently in the sun's rays. They step up the entrance stairway, and Starlight pushes open one of its double doors with a hoof, and the two enter. The ceiling is about five pony-lengths high, or more, at Sunset's best guess, the entrance hallway lined with doors, framed in wood with crystal glass, crystal outcroppings surrounding them on either side. At the far end is one final set of double doors, the same make, but taller, and framed with two white-crystal pillars. These are the doors the two approach, Starlight turning the handle and pulling the door open, slowly. The room on the other side is tiny, barely capable of holding more than three ponies, with no windows, and walls of highly reflective crystal. Starlight steps in and beckons Sunset to join her, the doors closing behind them of their own accord.

"What is-" Sunset starts to ask, but the room lurches, rumbling beneath their hooves and lifting the pair skyward. "Is this... an elevator?" Such pieces of modern technology are rare, and rarer still in crystal-based structures. Too bad that Dueling Arena doesn't have one of these. Sunset can't help but smirk to herself at the thought. The conversation falls silent between the two as they rise higher. Starlight's face is visible in the crystals that make up the contraption, brow furrowed and lip scrunched, but only barely so. She must be really nervous, introducing somepony to the Headmaster like this...

A 'ding' denotes their arrival at the elevator's sole destination, doors opening directly into the Headmaster's office. "Wow..." Sunset mutters as she steps out, taking in the sight before her. The room itself is wide and circular, the walls high and lined with crystals. In its center sits a round table, surrounded by six chairs that can easily be described as thrones. Each is carved from their own outcroppings of crystal, and Sunset soon notices a seventh chair, smaller than the rest, equally carved and situated directly against one of the six. Set on the table is some sort of centerpiece - a carved crystal in the shape of a heart, set on a podium and wrapped twice around with a scroll, whose writing appears long faded. Above the table, hanging down like a chandelier, are what Sunset can only surmise are the roots of an old tree, whose purpose in a room like this Sunset can't begin to fathom.

Sitting in the chair paired with the smaller one is a figure Sunset can only assume to be the Headmaster - a massive unicorn pony, heads above any she's ever seen before, with the horn to match. However, as Sunset further takes in her features, her tenseness changes from being nervous over making a good impression for Starlight Glimmer's sake, to something altogether different. Her coat is a pale mulberry, and her mane is better described as an ethereal cloud than hair - a cloud of blue, striped with violet and rose, sparkling gently under its own light. She wears a magenta jacket, in the same styling as the Elements of Harmony, albeit proportioned for her incredible stature. Her body slightly glistens in the light, glazed over completely in crystal, just as Starlight Glimmer is.

"Ah, hello, Starlight." She says, her voice warm and friendly, though somehow still sounding distant. Her violet eyes twinkle excitedly for just a moment. "And you must be Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset shakes her head clear. That voice... It tugs at Sunset. It's much older, weighed down in the ways only time and experience can be, but at the same time, its resemblance to the one of the girl from the Dueling Arena is strikingly uncanny, a comparison only further driven home by her choice in clothing and the colors running through her mane. But... that, whatever it was, she had hair, and she wasn't crystal... even when Starlight and I somehow ended up in different bodies, Starlight kept her crystal sheen. But, then, why do they...

"Hello, Twilight." Starlight says casually. She nods to her mentor, and begins walking around the length of the round table to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Headmaster!" Sunset blurts out, pulled suddenly from her thoughts. She bows her head slightly in an attempt to make a good first impression. While her appearance has Sunset's mind racing with any number of thoughts, for now, her current intent is to leave a good first impression on somepony clearly important to Starlight Glimmer. Even if the Headmaster is somehow connected to the dueling game and its not just an uncanny resemblance, Sunset knows it won't do her any good to not get in the mare's good graces before trying to press for information.

"Please, Sunset." The Headmaster gives a wry smile. "Call me Twilight, and come sit with us." She motions with her hooves to the other chairs, essentially inviting Sunset to take any of them.

Starlight takes the smaller seat directly next to Twilight Sparkle, while Sunset opts for the one to Starlight's right. Looking at each of the empty chairs, Sunset sees each is emblazoned with some sort of emblem - three diamonds, three apples, three butterflies, and three balloons. Turning her head back, she looks at the one etched into her own chair - a cloud firing a rainbow-colored lightning bolt. I suppose I have a penchant for being the odd one out... Looking to Twilight's chair, Sunset finds herself unable to see whatever emblem may be etched into it, blocked by the Headmaster's large form and flowing mane, while Starlight Glimmer's chair is blank. "Um, Miss Twilight, ma'am? May I ask a question?"

"Yes, Sunset?" Twilight replies. "And please, don't be so formal. It bothers me." A small but friendly smile graces her lips. "Like I said, just Twilight, please."

"What do the symbols on these chairs mean?" Sunset asks, motioning her hoof up at the one above her own head. She imagines, being etched into such regal-looking crystal chairs - in color, no less - and being in the Headmaster's office, they must hold some kind of meaning. There's always the possibility of them just being a stylistic choice, but it's one Sunset doesn't feel is adequate.

"Ah." Twilight nibbles her bottom lip for a moment. "Those are cutie marks, Sunset Shimmer. A long time ago, every pony had one, and they were emblematic of that pony's specific traits and callings. They're a bit of ancient history, though, so it's not surprising if you've never heard about them before now."

Sunset grins and laughs once. "Sure would be nice to have those these days. Life would be a lot simpler, wouldn't it?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Twilight smiles, looking at Sunset warmly, though something about her gaze seems distant. While clearly guarded, she's far more emotive than the smaller crystalline pony beside her, a fact helps put Sunset Shimmer at ease. "Starlight has told me a lot about you, Sunset Shimmer."

"She... has?" Sunset asks, skeptical less about the fact Starlight had done so and more wondering exactly what she might've told Twilight. Does this mean that the Headmaster does know about the Magic Duels, then? Am I about to be in some serious hot water? I'd like to just ask her about them myself, but I can only imagine how the conversation would go if she turns out to be completely uninvolved...

"Yes." Twilight nods. "She says you both spend a lot of time together. It makes me happy to hear, though." Twilight laughs, polite and friendly. "Starlight Glimmer has never really been the type for friends."

Twilight's answer leaves an itch in Sunset's mind, so she casts out another question as a lure. "How long have you and Starlight Glimmer known each other?" She asks. "Starlight Glimmer spoke a little about you, too, and she made it seem like you two have known each other for quite a long time."

"We have." Twilight confirms. "Starlight Glimmer was my first student, a very long time ago."

While she does her best to hide it, Sunset becomes increasingly perturbed. Twilight's answers don't seem to add up against what Sunset herself knows about Starlight. It's possible that Starlight and Trixie's history is from even longer ago, or that she just never told the Headmaster about her. It's not like she told me about Trixie either, I suppose, but...

"May I ask you a question as well, Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight asks, cutting off Sunset's train of thought.

"Um... sure." Sunset nods, slowly, and scratches behind her ear with a hoof.

"What made you become friends with Starlight Glimmer?"

"Oh, well..." Sunset tries to think quickly, doing her best to patch together a story that's mostly the truth while leaving out tales of swords and duels. "I saw her near the Tree of Harmony on my first day in the school, and decided to talk to her since she was by herself and I had a hunch she might be an interesting mare to get to know. Turned out, she ended up becoming my roommate, so it was a good call, since we've been spending way more time together than we might've otherwise."

"I see." Twilight nods, the smile on her lips hopefully meaning the answer is satisfactory. "I apologize, then. Things have gotten more hectic around here, and I've selfishly snatched your friend and roommate away for my own needs. I hope you'll forgive me, Sunset Shimmer." Her head bows slightly, apologetically.

"It's okay, honest!" Sunset assures her, waving her hooves in front of her to reject the apology as she lets out a nervous laugh. "I won't say I don't miss having her around, but I do understand, Hea... Twilight. Keeping everything running around here is a bit more important than me having a roommate, after all."

"Thank you for understanding." Twlight looks to Starlight, sitting by her side, then to the wall above the entryway, then back to Sunset. "It looks like the class period is about to change again. You two should probably get going. You're free to drop by any time you like, including lunch, Sunset Shimmer."

"Ack! Right, class!" Sunset slips from her chair, Starlight following suit, looking to the clock on the wall for herself. Sunset notes that she'll have to be more careful with balancing courtesy with questioning in the future when meeting the Headmaster, since the meetings are on a clock. "Thank you for having us, Twilight."

"It was my pleasure. It's good to see Starlight has such a good friend, these days."

---

The Courtyard of the Tree of Harmony lays empty as the afternoon sun lowers, and a mare walks the hallway of an adjoining building. Her azure hoof presses open a door along that hall, indistinguishable from the other doors lining either end. Inside, an unoccupied desk is immediately visible, with a service bell placed atop. Walking up to it, the mare raps on the bell three times with her hoof. "Hello?" She calls out into the empty room. "Anypony there?"

Scanning the room, she soon spots a door. Hanging from a coat hook on the door is a red, rectangular sign, with 'OPEN' emblazoned across it in white lettering. It's the kind of sign the mare expects from a corner store, but she brushes the strangeness aside, turning the handle and stepping into the room. It's small, only a few pony lengths in any direction, with a single stool set in front of what the mare surmises to be a one-way window with a small ledge in front of it, like some kind of modern confessional. The crystal comprising this room is especially dark, barely reflecting light even when the mare attempts lighting her horn. After a moment's hesitation, she shuts the door behind her and sits on the stool, facing the window.

"Name?" A soft, yet masculine voice says from beyond the window.

"Trixie Lulamoon." She replies. "This is the counseling office, right? I could use a little help right now, and I don't know where else to turn."

"Yes, it is, Miss Lulamoon. Let us begin." As the voice says those words, the room lurches. Trixie's body feels like it's descending downward, being pulled deep into an abyss. "Don't worry. This feeling of descent is just something that we use to help ponies open up about how they feel. Now, what brings you here, today?"

"I'm having some problems with an old friend of mine." Trixie admits, staring at herself in the mirror. The voice says nothing, and she eventually continues of her own accord. "While I'm a very bold and outgoing pony, I'm also the type that's prone to not having many true friends. A long time ago, I had one, though. She was a lot like me in some ways, scorned by a world she felt didn't understand her, and we were able to bond over that. But, at the same time... at the same time, she was everything I wanted to be! Intelligent! Powerful! The only real trait I had over her was my natural charisma. I may have been jealous of her at times, but she was my dearest friend, and she helped me with everything, so it was fine. But now... now..."

The room lurches once Trixie stops talking, sending her forward to grip the ledge of the one-way window, then continues downward. "Your true feelings are still buried, Miss Lulamoon. Dig, deeper..." The voice beckons Trixie to continue, though it needn't have.

"But now, she won't even look at me!" She slams her hoof against the ledge, voice quivering. "I transferred to this school because I heard she was here, but now it's like she never wants to see me again!" She draws a ragged breath, squinting her eyes closed to clear away tears. "It's been a long time... I can understand her having new friends, but she treats me like some clingy stranger she's just too nice to tell to buzz off! She acts like everything between us never happened!" Trixie's body shakes as her voice quivers, the mare no longer trying to keep control of it as she slumps against the windowsill. "It's not fair! What gives her the right to treat me like that?! Toss me aside like dregs?! I just wanted my old friend back! But, no matter what I try... no matter what I do..." Her ranting dies off for only a moment, as she looks at herself in the mirror, eyes red and bleary. "All she does is ignore me!" She squints them back shut as she curls against herself on the stool, her final cry reverberating off the walls, mixing together with the clatter of the elevator arriving at its destination.

Beside her, the door to the room opens, and a dark stallion stands framed in the entryway. Trixie quickly recognizes Sombra, the student counselor, from a pamphlet about the campus she'd read earlier, which eventually led her to where she is now. "I understand, little one. The only choice left for you is to revolutionize the world."

"What...?" Trixie gapes, the negative emotions flooding her mind leaving her unable to process what he's said.

"Come." The stallion says, turning into a far different, darker room than Trixie remembers entering from. "The path you must take has been prepared for you."

Bewildered, and not knowing what else to do, Trixie follows the stallion into the next room. The room she finds herself in now is dimly lit, expansive, but seemingly empty. Sombra steps to the center of the room, and Trixie traces the tilt of his head, eventually spotting the black, six-point star crystals hanging from the ceiling. She takes another few steps forward, until she finally finds her voice. "What is this place?"

"A hallowed ground, of sorts." Sombra explains. "The spirits of those who failed to revolutionize the world now rest here, given form as these black crystals. For those Duelists, and you as well, you could say this is The End of the World." His horn glows, the amber light plucking one of the crystals free and turning back to Trixie. "Normally, these crystals are clear, symbolizing the hopes of those yet to travel the path of the Duelist. Once a Duelist can progress no further on their path, the crystal turns back, the hope consumed by the blackness of their failure." He turns his head to face her. "However, just because one has lost hope doesn't mean they've become impotent at their task. Possibly, it's quite the opposite..." Sombra grins sidelong at her as his eyes narrow, white teeth contrasting against the darkness around him.

Trixie's eyes go wide in disbelief as she steps back. "This is..." She attempts some sort of rebuttal at the things she's seeing and words she's hearing, but she can't find the words needed, and it just gets caught in her throat.

A foreleg then wraps around her, holding her in place. A mare that Trixie doesn't remember seeing before now stands beside her. "You have been chosen, Trixie Lulamoon." She says, as Sombra levitates over the black crystal, the magical grip holding it changing from amber to turquoise as the mare takes grip of it instead. Trixie's breath comes in ragged pants as her heart races, eyes wide as they dart between the mare and the student counselor. Questions whirl through her already emotionally-distraught mind as she tries and fails to comprehend the events unfolding in front of her, culminating in a scream that dies on her lips. "You, Duelist who once sought to revolutionize the world... we shall return to you that heart you once held so dear." The crystal levitates within a hoof's reach of Trixie now, as she panics, attempting in vain to struggle against the unicorn mare's surprisingly powerful grip. "Now... I bestow this black crystal, which forms at The End of the World... to you!"

Trixie's shadow casts long against the wall, this time her voice more than capable of releasing the scream in her chest as the hilt of a sword takes form. The ponies, however, are too far below for anypony else to hear Trixie's cry.

---

Sunset Shimmer sits in her dorm, after the Academy has let out classes for the day. Outside, reds and ambers are slowly giving away to the darker colors of the night sky, the moon slowly becoming visible over the far horizon. She again sits over her pages upon pages of notes, quill aloft in her magical grip as she begins a new page - a page on the Headmaster, Twilight Sparkle. She has biographical pages on each of the Elements of Harmony, and one containing a scrawl of the few things she knows of the strange girl. While she doesn't yet have any evidence the Headmaster is involved in anything, she decides to begin a page on her, anyway, mainly over the coincidental looks she has with the girl from Sunset's most recent Magic Duel. As far as Sunset is concerned, being too cautious is better than being too careless.

A single knock resounds against Sunset's door, snapping her from her notes. As she turns to look over at it, a postcard slips through the space between the door and the floor, piquing Sunset's curiosity. The shadow of a pony is visible walking away, from the light peaking through, and Sunset wills the postcard to her with her magic. One side is decorated with a black, six-point star, and the two sentences on the other are enough to snap Sunset out of her seat. She teleports to the other side of her door without opening it, and sprints down the hallway, trying to catch the sender.

Not taking long to realize her attempt is futile, Sunset returns to her room, slumping back into her chair. On the table, the postcard sits, mixed among all her other papers:

To the Champion of the Duels:

Come to the Dueling Arena at midnight.

She lets out a long sigh of frustration, scratching behind her ear. If I'm lucky, maybe I can at least get some more clues for me to use to try and piece this mess together, from whoever this is this time...

---

The tower looms darkly against the night sky as Sunset Shimmer approaches. Again, Rainbow Dash's broken estoc rests at her side, a precaution against any unforeseen circumstances now that the Magic Duels have taken on an entirely different context in her mind. She pulls out the necklace, shielding her eyes against the light of the doors as they open, then makes her way inside. Once inside the tower, however, Sunset stops, at the base of the tower-in-the-tower.

"How in the world..." Sunset wonders out loud. "The stairs... they're spiraling in the opposite direction now..." Indeed, what had once been a clockwise spiral of stairs, now winds around the inner tower counter-clockwise, instead. "This isn't possible." Sunset shakes her head, but finds the truth to still be in front of her muzzle once she reopens her eyes.

Not seeing any other choice, she climbs the counter-clockwise stairs, scaling the tower, its height enough that it may as well reach for the heavens themselves, the ritual feeling slightly wrong due to the stairs winding the wrong way. Am I going to need to cross another mirror? Sunset wonders to herself, remembering her previous duel with the mysterious girl. As Sunset climbs higher, the light of the castle breaks through, washing down over her, but the perplexingly-midday sky is gone. Instead, the sky is black, twinkling with stars, dark clouds winding around the castle and the Dueling Arena. Sunset reaches the top of the stairs and looks to the sky, the chandelier-like castle still visible. Its light is brighter, cutting through the darkness around it and highlighting the Dueling Arena. Sunset steps forward, away from the darkness behind her and into the light ahead, into the Dueling Arena.

...And, she immediately goes wide-eyed at the bizarre sight before her. Clusters of stools now litter the Dueling Arena, arranged in five-by-five squares, allowing for paths between them. On each stool sits a cone-shaped helmet, royal purple, decorated with a flared swoosh in two lighter tones on either side, each framing a pair of gold stars. Across the 'aisle' created by the stools sits a figure whose silhouette appears to be a mare, with a cornflower mane and azure coat, wearing a green uniform, in the same style as worn by the Elements of Harmony.

Sunset glances to Starlight, confused, but after receiving no verbal or visual clue-in about the situation, turns back to the mystery opponent. "Who are you?" She calls out from across the Dueling Arena.

The mare laughs lowly. "On this black crystal, I do swear..." the mare spins with a flourish, brandishing her weapon in her right hoof and pointing it at Sunset Shimmer, "to win this duel, and kill the Crystal Mare!" The weapon pointed at Sunset is a straight sword, with a curved cross-guard in the shape of a crescent moon, and a hilt with a star pommel, reminiscent of a magic wand. From the star pommel hangs a tassel, a purple cloth adorned with multi-colored stars. However, the entire weapon appears washed out, as if a thin layer of shadow is placed on top of it.

"Wait... Trixie? Why, how are you even here?" Sunset takes a step back in disbelief. "And what are you talking about, kill the Crystal Mare? Don't you realize that's Starlight Glimmer? Aren't you two supposed to be best friends?!"

Trixie simply grins wickedly in reply, eyes narrowing, and its now that Sunset sees her brilliant, violet irises appear unusually dim.

"Sunset..." Starlight says from beside her, her voice forcefully level. "Something... something is very wrong with Trixie."

"Yeah..." Sunset looks to her, sidelong. "I can see that." Her eyes trace Trixie's form, soon spotting the black crystal affixed to her chest. "Black crystal, huh? Could it be that thing's doing?"

Starlight's eyes turn away from the mare across the Dueling Arena. "Trixie..."

Sunset pulls Starlight's face back up to hers with a hoof. "I'll help her somehow, Starlight. I promise."

Starlight nods, pulling a single six-point star crystal from her dress, affixing it to Sunset Shimmer's chest. "A small crystal from deep within me, for you..." Starlight recites the ritualistic line, eyes to the floor the entire time.

"Your sword, Sunset Shimmer!" Trixie yells from across the Dueling Arena, the black crystal serving as her 'fleeting crystal from The End of the World'.

"Right..." Sunset says as Starlight's hoof rests on her shoulder.

Starlight Glimmer closes her eyes. "Spark of Friendship, which lies deep within..." From Starlight's chest, a white light emanates. It grows, brighter and larger, eventually taking the shape of a rod. Its shape solidifies, a curved, ornate guard appearing around the rod - now the hilt of a sword - the six-point star pommel glowing a soft magenta. "Heed me, and come forth..." The hilt takes full shape and extends from Starlight's chest. The blade, still buried within her, glows a fierce white, brimming with energy that sends Sunset's mane billowing.

Sunset reaches for it, gripping the handle in one hoof. She draws it out slowly, feeling the strange power again flow through her body. Once the blade is half-way free, she pulls it out in a swift motion and points it at Trixie. "Grant me the power to revolutionize the world!" The words spill from Sunset's mouth, without her recognition, as if they belong to someone else.

Somewhere, outside the Dueling Arena, a chorus of bells rings, flooding the ears of every pony on the platform.

Both Trixie and Sunset waste no time transitioning their swords to their magic and charging forward, the former in a whirlwind of aggression and the latter pressed forward by an urge to keep Trixie as far away from Starlight Glimmer as possible. Their swords clash, magic pressing against magic as the two stand in the center of the Dueling Arena, eyes locked.

From behind Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer watches the duel, her eyes distant and empty.

"Why, Trixie?" Sunset pleads, trying to snap Trixie to her senses. "Why could you possibly want to do any of this? Kill your best friend?!"

"Because, Sunset Shimmer," Trixie replies, adding a contempt-filled emphasis to her name, "she's no friend! In the end, she's no different than anypony else, willing to toss anypony aside the second they're no longer of use to her! She'll do the same to you!" Trixie presses forward, her magic's sheer force catching Sunset off guard as she steps back and adjusts the angle of her sword to prevent it being caught in the hooks of the crescent-moon cross-guard. "But, I'm going to show everypony! I'll become so powerful that nopony will ever be able to cast me aside again!"

"Trixie!" Sunset furrows her brow as sweat begins dripping down her face, the two unicorns finding themselves evenly matched. "Don't you understand how crazy that sounds?"

"I'm done caring about what anypony else thinks!" Trixie rushes forward, and Sunset matches, the two butting heads as the swords continue to wrestle above them, an inelegant war of brute strength that neither backs down from. "I won't rely on anypony else ever again! My dreams, my desires, my needs - I'll seize them, take them, with my own hooves! I'll take what I want, and I'll show I don't need anypony else to do it!"

The whirl of emotion in Trixie's eyes, the anger - and anguish - clear in her voice, are enough to give Sunset pause. Taking advantage, Trixie headbutts her, sending Sunset stumbling back as she barely maintains her grasp on the Spark of Friendship. She's hurting so much... all because of Starlight Glimmer? Regaining her hoofing, Sunset uses her sword to deflect a thrust from Trixie's own. She stands strong against Trixie's newest assault, the horns of both mares glowing brightly, pink light wrestling against amber, sword against sword. However, she can't find the words to rebuke Trixie. Those feelings are ones that Sunset Shimmer knows too well, and Starlight's actions have left her without anything to work with to try and refute them. As such, she tries a different avenue, hoping to talk some sense into the mare. "I understand how you're feeling, Trixie, but how does killing Starlight Glimmer accomplish any of that?"

Starlight Glimmer sits in front of one of the stools. She reaches her front hooves forward, taking hold of one of helmets, gazing at her face in the freshly-polished surface.

"Because it'll make me feel better! I can keep the memories of my friend without having them stepped on by this terrible mare that she's become!" Trixie reaches into her coat, throwing something to the ground. It explodes, flooding Sunset's vision and lungs with smoke as Trixie pulls away from their most recent clash. "Besides, it's not like Starlight Glimmer hasn't done anything far worse than me over a lost friend!" Trixie's voice moves as she speaks, the mare weaving through the formations of stools as she decides on her best attack vector.

Sunset quickly forces the smoke from her lungs. "That dirty little-" She turns on her hooves, eyes still burning, but able to hear the clop of hooves to her left as she raises her sword in defense. The impact against the sword, however, is enough to not only send a piercing pain through Sunset's horn, but cause her knees to buckle, forcing her to look up at the mare before her as the smoke clears.

"That's right! Bow before the superior unicorn, Sunset Shimmer!" Trixie jeers, but the jeering is nothing to Sunset in contrast to the sight before her. The whites of Trixie's eyes are now green, as shadow flows from the bottoms of her eyes in a cascade. "Knees bent, head to the floor, that's where you and everypony else belongs!"

No! Sunset's eyes go wide in instant recognition. "Trixie, that's dark magic!" She winces, pushing both her magic and her body to their limits as she rises once more to face the crazed mare in front of her. "Don't you know how dangerous dark magic is? Where did you ever learn to us something like that?!"

"As if I'm telling you!" Trixie spins in place, bucking Sunset clean in the side of the face, sending her hurling through one of the clusters of stools. Wood shatters as helmets clatter to the ground around Sunset, one landing haphazardly on her head as she struggles to get back up once more. Her legs slip out from under her, nearly sending her onto her stomach, but she maintains enough balance to stay on her hooves.

"Sunset!" Starlight yells, her voice coming from directly behind Sunset. "Please, Sunset, stop her!" It's a plea that carries more emotion than Sunset's ever heard enter Starlight's voice, and only remembers seeing on her face when she gazed at the sky, during the silent end of their walk to the Headmaster's office.

Sunset finds her hooves as Trixie charges through the carnage of broken stools, meeting the downward arc of Trixie's sword literally head-on, blocking it with the helmet now stuck to her head. Her legs buckle, pain flying through them, all logic telling her she should topple and fall, but somehow, Sunset remains standing. The helmet's lopsided angle and the mess of her mane sticking out of it block nearly half of Sunset's vision, but she still finds herself locking eyes with Trixie. "Can't you hear her, Trixie? I don't know the first thing about what's between you two, but she still cares about you, Trixie! She hasn't just forgotten you!" Sunset focuses her magic, pulling her sword back to her and catching it in one hoof. "So snap out of it, already!"

"Silence!" Trixie swings her weapon horizontally as Sunset ducks, knocking the helmet from her head as Sunset leaps back, landing next to Starlight. "All you ponies, I'm done listening to your lies!"

Sunset's grip on the handle of the Spark of Friendship tightens, instinctively, but the swell of power and the brightening light of the castle that normally accompanies such an action doesn't come. What? The sword... it's not doing anything! Why does it have to stop doing whatever it does now?! If I don't do something soon, we'll both be... Starlight will be...! Panic floods her as Trixie charges once more, both her body and her mind too beaten to keep resisting on her own.

"Here, Sunset!" Starlight beckons, standing next to her, only slightly behind, her head bowed. On the tip of Starlight's horn rests a faint sparkling of magenta.

Instinctively, Sunset understands, spinning the sword in her hoof, resting the blade against Starlight's horn.

The sparkling of magenta extends, flowing along the length of the Spark of Friendship. Upon reaching the hilt, the pommel of the sword glows brightly, followed by the gemstone of the necklace around Sunset's neck. Above them, the light of the castle brightens, blinding light flooding the Dueling Arena. Sunset's body brims with power as her wings snap open, and her body envelops itself in an amber glow. She lunges forward, extending her right hoof as the world around her flies by at an inequine speed, barely perceptible, yet somehow, she knows her target is true. Trixie's charge doesn't cease, her own sword aloft in front of her, aiming directly for Sunset Shimmer. The blades of the swords meet, and Trixie's sword is easily tossed aside, shattering as the blade and hilt spiral through the air in opposite directions.

With one thrust, crystal shatters.

A scream echoes through the Dueling Arena as Sunset wobbles on four, shaky legs. She looks around to find everything - not only her sword and her wings, but also the many stools and helmets - gone, vanished into the aether. Behind her, Trixie lay collapsed and unconscious against the floor, and beside Trixie, Starlight Glimmer sits, gazing down at her old friend, sporting the same look she did at the end of their walk to the Headmaster's tower.

"I'm sorry, Trixie..." Starlight mutters to herself, Sunset only barely hearing.

Sunset's own gaze falls to the Dueling Arena's floor. She steps back, and turns, leaving the Dueling Arena, alone.

Author's Note:

This is the final of the rewrite chapters and the last one in my backlog! I hope the reason I went through with rewriting is obvious to anyone who's read both versions!

I wanted to have had one or two new ones by now to cap these off with but the next chapter is taking longer to write than I'd hoped for a number of reasons. It should be out soon-ish, though!

Comments

[WolfWatcher7]

Another great chapter! I started watching the anime since chapter 2 of the old story and I have gotten to the final episode.... It was awesome....is the story gonna be like the anime????

[GuyWhoWritesThings]

7874919
Depends what you mean by "like the anime".

I'm obviously following broad strokes as they're applicable, but the details and motivations should be becoming increasingly jumbled as the story itself is following my own character motivations and overarching plot. (Part of the rewriting was to help make said details stand out more and make the story feel less like 'the anime but with ponies' as that's not the intent.)

[WolfWatcher7]

Update soon?

[GuyWhoWritesThings]

7979887
I've been trying to get one out, actually!

I just haven't had the time to sit and write or do much else on the site as much as I had been. The most I've been able to do lately is pop on the site's Discord room a bit. Hopefully that changes soon, I'd like to get this story going again.

Sorry for the long wait!

[WolfWatcher7]

Update soon?