Chapter Text

The golden rays of the quickly setting sun washed through the trees of the forest path as Princess Twilight Sparkle sat in her royal carriage, her wings wrapped around her like a safety blanket as she tried to ignore the bear apocalyptic noises of battle ringing throughout Canterlot valley. Marching by the carriage was the armour clad Tempest Shadow, a rugged Unicorn Knight who was the Captain of the Princess’s guard.

The princess had been visiting the neighboring kingdom, along with a small security detail, to attend the Grand Galloping Gala. Usually, she enjoyed such royal engagements, especially in Canterlot; the lavish food and decorations were to die for, not to mention the beautiful dresses she got to wear. She even got to spend some time, no matter how fleeting, with Queen Celestia; she had been the one to help train Twilight in the ways of magic, and had helped facilitate her ascension to Alicorn. This particular gala, however, had been soured by two things. The first was meeting a prince named ‘Timber of the House of Spruce’. Twilight wasn't entirely sure why or how he was related to Canterlot Royalty, but that was not at the forefront of her mind when it came to him. The thing that had knocked her off balance was his wry smile as he mentioned how their parents were considering having them be betrothed to each other. Timber was nice enough, but it was quite a shock to the system; the King and Queen hadn't informed Twilight of this possibility.

The second thing that had soured the Gala was the sudden and brutal attack from the demon.

Twilight’s recollection of the event was already hazy; all she could remember was a sudden burst of flames that shattered the stained glass windows, the smoke… and the screaming. Debris had flown everywhere, hitting several of the assembled royalty. Tempest had grabbed her and rushed her out of the ballroom, the Princess only getting a fleeting view of the blood red monster that had landed into the festivities. Queen Celestia had seemed paralyzed at the sight of the monster but no matter how much Twilight squirmed, demanding they go back to help the Queen, Tempest would not let go of her.

Along with her cohort, they had fled the city, Twilight watching the Demon and the Queen, along with her Pegasus guard, battle through the skies of the mountainside city.

Taking deep breaths, Twilight couldn't stop herself from shaking. Parts of her dress were torn thanks to the falling debris, and flecks of blood lined the right side of the garment. She wasn't sure whose blood it was. She just knew it wasn't hers.

“Are you alright, Princess?”

Tempest had sidled up to the window of the carriage, and was staring at the shivering princess.

“Y-Yes. I'm fine,” she lied. It was one of those lies that both parties knew was a lie, yet neither of them had the heart to acknowledge it due to the circumstances.

Tempest nodded slowly.

“We are going to travel through the night; we should be back home by sunrise. Let me know if you need anything-”

Her reassurances were broken by a sudden sunbright flash of light from behind them, causing all in the convoy to flinch. Tempest spun round, horn crackling, her eyes on the horizon. A few moments after the flash, a thunderous boom shook through the valley, an airburst shaking the trees.

Twilight stood up to try and leave the carriage, but Tempest had placed a hoof against the door.

“Stay inside, Princess…” she growled, as a low rumbling in the distance grew louder.

Tempest's eyes suddenly spiked open.

“EVERYONE DOWN!” she bellowed, dropping to the ground. Twilight squeaked, and dropped to the floor of the carriage as she heard the clanking of her guard’s armour, indicating they had all done the same.

The pitch of the rumble increased as whatever was making it got closer, eventually ending with yet another loud boom as something impacted the woods nearby. Debris rattled down on the carriage roof like heavy rain. The ground shook, Twilight’s hooves held overhead as she prayed the carriage didn't collapse on her.

The terrible shaking was followed by an eerie silence, save for the noises of Twilight's cohort rising to their hooves.

“Is everyone safe?” barked Tempest, and Twilight heard the general murmurings of confirmation.

“Good…” Twilight heard Tempest mutter.

Twilight rose on shaking legs, and leant out of the window of the carriage. She took a sharp inhale of breath as she saw what lay a dozen yards from the path.

A shallow, smoking crater dented the ground, the surrounding trees either felled or splintered. Laying in the crater, a large radiant blade lodged in its side…

The Demon.

Twilight bit her lip as she took in the creature before her. It vaguely resembled a unicorn, with blood red fur with a similar mane, interspliced with strands of gold. Its eyes shone a striking cyan through the black pupils. Its leathery bat wings were mostly folded, the radiant blade piercing through one and into the creature's stomach. It must have been at least 8 feet tall.

The blade itself was one Twilight recognized; it was one of Celestia’s signature moves. She had seen it before; when out flying for the first time with her, a great wyvern had swept down on a shepherd and his sheep. She had twirled her horn, the radiant blade forming above her, before shooting down at the scaled beast. The blade had torn the beast asunder, saving the shepherd whilst terrifying the living daylight out of him.

The hit of the blade in the demon was precise. Twilight knew Celestia well enough to know that she could have used this attack straight away against the beast. And yet…

She didn’t.

She could have ended the battle in an instant… but she held back.

Why?

Twilight could hear the faint, wheezing breath of the creature, as its eyes were squeezed shut. Twilight could see a single, black tear flowing down the monster’s cheek. The colour of the liquid sent a jolt through the Princess’s stomach.

“FORMATION! STEADY!” Tempest barked, and sharply snapped her head back to the carriage as she heard Twilight try to open the door.

“Stay inside, Princess,” she snapped.

“No! I know what this is! I can help! She's made a pact with a Tartarian entity! I know how to-”

Tempest slammed her hoof on the carriage.

“I have a duty of care, Princess," she snarled, “That thing just attacked Canterlot; who knows how many have died under its claws. My priority is to keep you safe.”

“A-And my priority is to help protect the citizens of the Equestrian continent! And I know how to save her!”

“Stand Down, Twilight.”

Twilight gulped as Tempest’s gaze changed to one of terrifying fury. Twilight has very seldom seen it, even less so directed at her.

She shuffled away from the door, bowing her head in submission.

Tempest grunted, and turned her head back to the creature, who hadn’t moved since landing. She made a sign with her foreleg, and began to move closer. Spears raised, the guards moved forward just behind her, ready to launch their weapons at a moment's notice.

As they approached, the wheezing monster slowly opened its eyes. Tempest tensed, her horn starting to spark, as the other soldiers around her readied their weapons.

Tempest and the monster stared at each other for a few moments, the beast’s eyes flicking to the spears pointed her way, and then at the bright translucent blade sticking out of her ribs.

The pain in its eyes was palpable.

“Any sudden movements, and all six of our spears are going into your neck. Do you understand, beast?” growled Tempest.

The beast seemed to understand, its muzzle bearing back in a weak snarl, before its energy seemed to begin to fade. Slowly, it opened its mouth, and spoke.

“... please…” it growled, the pitch of the voice warbling in an unnatural way, almost as if two creatures were talking at the same time. Its eyes were fixated on the spears pointed at her, as it repeated its previous reply.

“Please…”

Twilight gasped as she realized what the monster was asking.

She could see some of the guards starting to get twitchy.

“Hold…” Tempest commanded, “We need to keep it here until Queen Celestia arrives. She will know how to deal with it.”

Upon the mention of Celestia, the demon’s eyes widened with what Twilight could only describe as panic.

It started to move, trying to struggle to its twisted hooves.

“STAY DOWN!”

Tempest lashed her head forward, a wave of lightning flooding out and electrocuting the creature. The beast roared, its horn momentarily lighting up with black fire, as it continued to try and stand.

“THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING! STAND! DOWN!” roared Tempest, as the surrounding guards raised their spears, ready to throw.

Twilight couldn’t stand by any longer. None of this made sense.

Her horn lit, and she teleported out of the carriage, and in front of the monster.

“TWILIGHT SPARKLE! RETURN TO THE CARRIDGE THIS INSTANT!” bellowed Tempest, her teeth bared back in a snarl. The princess stood defiant, flicking her tail, her torn dress gently waving in the wind.

“I COMMAND YOU TO HOLD BACK, KNIGHT!” she instructed.

“Are…” Tempest’s eyes narrowed, “Are you-”

“Pulling rank? Yes. This creature is possessed. It’s like the young pegasus from Hope Hollow that I saved. I’ve done this before, I can do it again.”

Tempest’s nostrils flared, her eyes narrow and furious. Twilight could feel a smug smirk form on her face.

“I fucking hate nobles…” Tempest growled, before carefully signalling to the other guards with her hoof.

“Hold off… but if that thing looks like it's going to strike, you kill it. And if that leads to me getting court martialed for insubordination, then so be it,” she instructed her soldiers, who nodded. Twilight could hear their murmurings of indignation.

Twilight turned her head away from her disgruntled soldiers and towards the demon, who was staring at her, the pain still apparent in its face.

“You’re going to be ok… Just sit still…” she whispered gently, and lit her horn. As she edged forward, the ponies behind her raised their spears.

Again, the demon growled a request.

“Just… kill me…”

Twilight shook her head.

“I can’t. Not when I can save you. Now this…”

Twilight exhaled. She couldn’t sugar coat it.

“This is going to hurt.”

Her horn glowed stronger, and she placed her hooves on the creature’s face. She took a deep breath, and connected her horn with hers.

As their horns touched, the beast let out a mighty scream of pain as bright light began to shine through the forest. The force of the spell created an updraft, jostling Tempest and her soldiers as they watched on, spears still ready to fly at a moments notice.

Twilight focused herself on purging the darkness within as dark streaks of viscous black liquid started to pour out of the monster’s eyes and mouth, rising up into the air before evaporating in the wind. The creature began to shrink, its leathery bat-like wings also dissolving into goo like pouring boiling water onto an ice sculpture. The radiant blade that was lodged in her quickly dissolved into sparks of light, crackling before vanishing entirely.

With one last push of effort, Twilight stumbled backwards, the spell breaking with one final flash. The last droplets of ichor flew off into the woods, evaporating into the surrounding air.
From behind her, she heard a collective gasp from her retinue.

“I don’t believe it…” whispered Tempest. It was common to hear Tempest angry; it was much rarer to hear her surprised.

Twilight took a few deep breaths, and opened her eyes to see who she had just saved.

Her jaw dropped.

She recognized her.

Laying in front of her, sobbing into the mud, her back torn open with the large gashes where her wings used to attach and still with a huge hole in her ribs was Sunset Shimmer.

Twilight had heard the stories, and had even met the Queen’s protege multiple times. At previous galas, the unicorn had been standoffish and arrogant, sticking by the Queen as if joint by the hip. From what she understood, she had been a young orphan in Canterlot before Celestia had taken her in. She was generally well regarded for her magical prowess and martial ability, but many other nobles had much to say of a ‘lowborn’ unicorn living in the Royal Canterlot Palace alongside the Queen. No one had seen her since Celestia’s announcement that she would no longer be studying under her. An official reason was never given, but as tends to happen with nobles, the rumours started flying. Some said she had eloped with one of the crystal empire’s royal guard; some said she had murdered an official of a foreign kingdom; some said she had tried to kill the Queen. It wasn’t soon after this that Twilight’s father had been contacted by the Queen about some special training for Twilight. The princess had always assumed that it was just a coincidence.

One thing was certain: after Celestia’s announcement of her disinheritance, Sunset Shimmer was never seen again

Until today.

The few times they had spoken, she hadn’t been too impressed by the unicorn’s attitude. Sure, she was pretty, but there had always been that unattractive arrogance that had put Twilight off.

Yet here she was, laying in the mud, bleeding out from a wound inflicted from the Queen who raised her.

Twilight gulped, and stood up, eyes fixated on the large hole in her side.

“P-Prepare the carriage. We’ll take her back home, and send word to Celestia that we have her in the morning. I can start to heal her in the carriage.”

Tempest scoffed in disbelief.

“Have you gone insane!? She just attacked Canterlot, probably killed countless innocents and was going to attack us! I am not so naive to understand what a Tartarian pact is, but you can’t commit a pact without intent to harm! She’s still dangerous!” she objected.

“When you betrayed The Storm King, you were even more badly wounded than her, and had probably killed hundreds more than she has. Should we have left you out on that battlefield to die?” Twilight replied. Tempest’s eyes narrowed.

“You little…” she grumbled, but Twilight could see in the clenching of her jaw that she had gotten through to her. Digging her heels into the ground, the knight let out a low groan.

“... prepare the carriage. Once we return, not a word about this to anyone until I say so. Understood?” she commanded her subordinates, who nodded in confirmation. Tempest then strode up to Twilight.

“I shall be informing your father of the way you acted here, Princess.”

Twilight nodded weakly, and turned back to Sunset, who was still breathing weakly. Her cyan eyes opened and shifted to Twilight, regarding her with fear.

“You’re going to be ok…” said Twilight softly, lighting up her horn once more, and started to gently move it over the gaping wound in her side. There was only so much that healing magic could do with an injury this bad, and Twilight was no doctor. However, she was confident she could stabilise her enough to get her back to her father’s castle.

Sunset winced in pain as she worked, but kept her eyes fixed on her. Eventually, she coughed a few times, flecks of blood landing on her dress, as her mouth formed into the closest thing to a smile that she could muster.

“... thank you.” she whispered, the tears still fresh in her eyes.

Twilight’s eyes darted towards her, and she felt her mouth involuntarily curl upwards.

“You’re welcome," she replied, nodding briskly as she finished up with the rib wound and moved onto the cuts on her back. She hissed through her teeth; these were going to leave a nasty scar.

“Dont…”

Twilight looked back over at Sunset’s face, as she felt the unicorn grab her foreleg with her hoof. Taken aback, she inhaled.

“D-Don’t… call… Celestia… please…” the unicorn pleaded.

Twilight bit her lip as she shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Sunset… that’s not my decision… but we aren’t taking you to Canterlot. We’re going to my Father’s kingdom; he is King Night Light of Equinox. We should be there by sunrise, and I will do my best to tend to your wounds on the way. I am not sure what they are going to do with you when we get there, but I’ll make sure that you survive the trip, at least.”

Sunset continued her laboured breaths as she listened, her face contorting with discomfort.

“... fuck.”

Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at this as she moved down to one of her legs, which had another wound near the heel. Using her teeth, she tore a section of the hem of her dress, and used it to tie a tourniquet around her leg. Sunset’s eyes eventually opened once again, staring directly into Twilight’s. Twilight looked at her expectantly as the unicorn’s face was filled with what she could only understand as gratitude.

“I…” Sunset took another deep breath, the light behind her eyes starting to fade, “I am… yours…”

Twilight paused, tilting her head.

“... what?” she replied.

With that final breath, Sunset’s head fell down onto the mud as her consciousness slipped away.

Twilight sat in a stunned silence, staring at the wounded unicorn lying in the mud, mouth ajar.

Did she just…

“Princess. Carriage is ready. Come on. We don’t have much daylight left,” Tempest called from beside it. Twilight nodded.

“C-Coming…” she called back as she gently levitated the bleeding unicorn into the carriage. She hopped in after her, and shut the door.

As the carriage started to move once more, Twilight continued her work on the unicorn’s wounds, her last statement ringing around her head.

Did she just pledge herself to me?

Chapter Text

Sunset could smell sunflowers.

A faint smile crossed her face; it smelt like the home she knew. The window of her room opened up onto Canterlot Gardens, and the sunflowers grew directly under her balcony. She remembered summer days of just sitting there, smelling the fresh air, and watching the city below.

She would have to make sure to tell the gardener to plant more of them this year.

Slowly, the frown left her face as a new smell joined the symphony.

Sulfur.

The smell brought back memories she really wished weren't real.

She heard someone's voice.

A familiar voice.

Coughing quietly, she managed to get a single word out.

“... Mom?”

Silence.

Her head still swimming, she tried to open her eyes, but the exhaustion overwhelmed her. She could see the blurry outlines of two ponies standing over her…

…before she slipped away, back into the darkness.

The next time Sunset came back to the world of the living, the same mix of smells were there. The sunflowers were more prominent, but the foul smelling sulfur still remained on the fringes.

Grunting, she strained herself enough to the point where she could open her eyes.

She was laying on her side, all of her joints and bones in agonizing pain, especially her back and ribs. As her vision focused, she could see a small bedside table along with a flower pot, a white envelope, and a small packet wrapped with brown parchment.

“Oh! Sunset! Hi! Can you hear me?”

Sunset blinked groggily, her head tilting up to see a purple unicorn standing above her.

It took her a few seconds to recognize her, but eventually she got it.

It was the unicorn that had saved her.

In response to her question, she nodded weakly, and tried to get a better view of where she was. She was definitely in a castle, that was for sure, but it wasn't Canterlot.

“Good! Well, it's good that you’re awake! The doctors weren't too sure you would wake up! Turns out having a radiant blade thrust into your ribs does quite a bit of damage, haha- anyway, my name is Twilight! Good to… meet you! Again!” the unicorn chuckled nervously.

Sunset blinked a few times, her memories slowly but surely returning.

“How long..?” she croaked.

“About a week,” replied Twilight, “I've been sure to visit you every day to see how you were doing! You, uhm…” her ears flattened as she grinned awkwardly, “you had a visitor…”

Sunset blinked some more, her eyes darting to the sunflower beside her.

“C-Celestia!?” she squeaked, trying to rise to a sitting position, but every pain receptor in her body screamed at her to lay back down.

“Yeah! She, uhm, explained, well, everything. Up to when you left, I mean. She isn't exactly sure what happened after that, but… it was a Tartarisian pact, right?”

Sunset wasn't really paying attention; she was just staring at the sunflower.

Celestia had been here… and she was still alive?

After all of that?

“Did she… where is she?” Sunset mumbled, eyes pointed to Twilight once more.

“She… left,” Twilight said shortly, “Buuut! We did have a talk, and I managed to work out a deal! Which does lead me to, uhm, some news!”

Sunset's eyes narrowed as she saw the nervousness on Twilight’s face.

“What?” she breathed.

“Well, you know how you… kind of pledged yourself to me?”

Sunset squinted.

“... I what?”

“As you were passing out you…” Twilight smiled coyly, looking down at her nervously as she brushed some of the hair away from her eyes, “said ‘I am yours.’”.

Sunset was about to sit up to begin denying and protesting, before realizing…

… She had totally done that.

The primal gratitude she had felt upon being freed from her transformation had bubbled up to the surface, and like a baby bird imprinting onto the first thing it sees, Sunset had marked this unicorn as her ward.

She had saved her from a fate worse than death… and now she would keep her safe, even if it meant following the stranger to the ends of the earth.

“... I… did do that.”

“Well… I accept your pledge! C-Congratulations!”

With her magic, Twilight levitated the package on her bedside table, and gently opened it. Inside was a purple sash with an unfamiliar crest stitched into it. Sunset froze as she realized what it was.

“Is that-”

“Y-Yes! Welcome to the Equinox royal guard!”

Sunset’s eyes widened, her mouth agape.

“Did you say royal?”

Twilight nodded, beaming.

“Of course! You’re my guard now!”

Sunset, with all her might, sat up.

“Does that mean…” she asked slowly, staring at her unicorn, terrified of what the answer might be.

“Hmm? Oh! Uhm, yes! Sorry, did I not fully introduce myself?” she asked. Sunset shook her head

“I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, heir to the Kingdom of Equinox, pupil of Princess Celestia!” she declared nervously, bowing her head and spreading her wings behind her, as was noble tradition.

Sunset had not realized that she hadn’t been talking to a unicorn.

She has been talking to an Alicorn.

The Alicorn who was her replacement.

The memories flooded back to her; she hadn't really taken them in, but Twilight had told her exactly who she was as she lay bleeding out on the floor. She couldn't blame herself for not remembering; safe to say it had been quite a day.

She looked between her and the sash.

“... I quit,” she said immediately, shaking her weary head, “I… I can't do this. I didn't realize, you- her, Celestia- I can't, I need to leave, go someplace else, I don't deserve… I should be d-dead! Y-You saved me, and then- no we were… I thought I was-you were just some traveling knights or-”

Twilight giggled nervously.

“You did make an oath of redemption to me… aaaaand if you break a pledge to a noble, you can be held in contempt of court and be thrown into the castle dungeons… aaaaaand with what you did, they'd most likely execute you, sooooo…….” Twilight trailed off, unable to take the anxious grin off her face.

Sunset looked her up and down, glaring at her through the pain.

“You're soooo pleased with yourself that you figured out a loophole, aren't you?” she groaned, holding her tired head in her battered hooves. Twilight beamed and nodded.

She grimaced, pulling them back. They were much sharper than they used to be. Mumbling something, she opened her mouth and felt her teeth.

Most herbivores didn't have fangs.

Twilight smiled softly.

“Yeah… uhm… sorry… I could only purge so much of the darkness. Which! Uhm… reminds me, if you're able… j-just so I know for medical records! What was…” Twilight shifted uncomfortably, “the pact you made for that power?”

Sunset felt a dark, deep pit open up in her stomach.

“I…” she started, but the worst seemed to get lost immediately.

“I-It’s ok! You don't have to tell me now. We'll be spending a lot of time with each other, after all!”

Sunset nodded slowly, a slow realization entering her mind.

“Twilight, did I…” she said quietly, looking up from her hooves. Twilight’s frown vanished as she saw the expression Sunset was making.

“When I… I made a deal and I… you saw what I became… did I…” Sunset whispered.

Twilight’s face grew grave as she slowly nodded.

“Hundreds injured… and… yes, a few ponies lost their lives. It's… lucky you and Celestia were so close, otherwise… I don't think I could have convinced her to make this deal."

Just when Sunset had thought she was dealing with the knowledge she had actually killed ponies, she got hit with the sucker punch of Celestia needing to be convinced not to have her executed.

… Then again, it was probably what she deserved.

Sunset stared at the sunflower once again.

Her memory of her transformation still only came to her in waves of visceral emotions and flashes of actions, but through all of that, one thing stuck out.

Celestia wasn't fighting back.

Sunset shut her eyes, and found herself laying back down on the bed.

Celestia had only struck her down once her demon self had started actively targeting the citizens of Canterlot.

Celestia had still believed in her till the very end.

It would have been so much more simple if that was the end.

But that’s the thing about endings.

Most of the time, you have to keep on living despite them.

Celestia had been at her bedside, and had let her live for a reason.

A reason that Sunset could not even begin to fathom after what she had done…

“Sunset… this is… really hard… but… I can tell you didn't want to do any of that. I don't know the full picture, but I heard how frustrated you were getting by the end of your time with Celestia. You… definitely should not have done what you did, and you made deals with entities you shouldn't have, but… you've made your oath of redemption now. So… after some more bed rest… we can get started, ok?”

Slowly, Sunset opened her eyes, and stared up at Twilight. The wind rushing through the window gently blew the Alicorn’s mane to the side, her sweet smile gazing down upon her like a floodlight as the breeze ruffled the feathers on her beautiful wings.

Sunset maintained eye contact for a few more seconds.

Sunset had found her reason.

Chapter Text

Sunset Shimmer hated this.

Sunset Shimmer really hated this.

A day had passed and, thanks to some more healing magic and specially brewed potion, Sunset was back on her hooves. A brief medical exam had surmised that she would not be ready to be officially inducted into the guard for another week, but she would certainly be well enough to tour Castle Equinox with Twilight.

Even with her head kept down, Sunset could still feel all eyes on her. She tried her best to block it all out; why should she care what they thought of her?

Celestia had given her a single reason to keep on living, and she was right in front of her.

“Would you like a cloak? Or… something else to cover up the scars?” Twilight asked as they entered an empty hallway of the castle. Sunset glared.

“Why? Do they upset you?” she asked.

“N-No! Not at all! But you seem a little… uncomfortable?” she replied, smiling softly.

Sunset’s glare remained, her eyes narrowing slightly. It took Twilight an embarrassingly long time to realize.

“OH. Uhm. Yes. I imagine this all might be a bit uncomfortable… but hey! You’re alive! That’s something, right?” she said cheerily.

Sunset’s continued glare made the Princess chuckle awkwardly.

“Aaanyway…”

Twilight trotted further down the corridor, and pointed to one of the many doors that lined the corridor.

“This is your new room! It used to be a servants quarters, but she recently retired!” Twilight continued.

“Are you always this peppy?” grumbled Sunset as she moved to face the door. Twilight just beamed once more.

As she reached the door, she glanced at Twilight.

“Does every guard get their own room?” she asked, trying to see if there was any signage. Twilight shook her head.

“Nope! The rest will be in the barracks. It’s just you and Tempest that get your own rooms! My father said that… well, to be honest he required a bit of convincing to let you stay here, and he doesn’t really trust you to sleep with the other guards.”
“Well you can tell him I don’t want my own room,” Sunset replied, “I don’t want the others accusing me of only being here because of nepotism.”

Twilight just laughed, although Sunset could tell there was some discomfort behind the chuckle. Instead of answering, she just opened the door.

The room was bare, the only furniture being a simple bed, a small bedside cabinet and wardrobe with a broken door. The bed was placed against the wall, right underneath a medium sized window.

“I hope it’s enough!” said Twilight, glancing at the wardrobe, “We can get you a new one! That is, if you, uhm, ever get any clothes or anything.”

Sunset walked into the bland room, sniffing a few times. It smelt somewhat stale; seemed like the scent of the previous resident hadn’t quite aired itself out yet. She pressed her hoof onto the mattress to test its firmness, then looked out of the window.

They were on the second story of the castle, and from here Sunset could see the courtyard below. Right now, a pair of earth ponies were carting in a large wagon of carrots and potatoes through the castle gates. A few guards were milling about, but they seemed pretty lax compared to the Canterlot guards that Sunset was used to seeing. Each wore a dark purple set of armour, adorned with the Equinox crest on the flank. Past the walls, she could see a well trodden road to the castle town. A couple of hundred buildings sprawled out, one side flanked with a forest, the other a river. She could just about make out the cobbled main street, adorned with different tradesponies stores. Tilting her head upwards, she felt an icy pulse run through her veins as she saw her old home.

It was a remarkably clear day, and thus on the horizon, she could just about make out Canterlot Mountain through the haze. Every now and again, she could see the far distant gleam of the sun dancing off the roof of Celestia’s palace.

Sunset stared at it for a good while. Twilight stood by, shuffling her hoof nervously.

“So… Do you like it?” she asked eventually.

Sunset turned to Twilight.

“... It’s more than I deserve,” she said, her head turning back to the view, “... but yes. It’s perfect. T… Thank you.”

Twilight gave a little squeak of satisfaction. “Good! I’m glad! Father wanted you to have your bed in the dungeon, haha! But I managed to convince him otherwise.”

Sunset couldn’t help but feel gratitude towards the princess.

All things considered… keeping just her safe wouldn’t be too bad. She had saved her, after all. Sunset knew she’d never be able to repay her debt.

“Well.. if that’s all, I should really- O-Oh! Sorry, I didn’t hear you!”

Sunset looked to Twilight to see what cut her off…

… only to see that there was someone standing behind her.

The blue stallion stood tall behind Twilight, his equally blue hair parted neatly in the middle. On his muzzle he wore a pair of spectacles. On his back he wore a regal blue and black cloak, adorned with a fluffy yellow trim around the edges. On his head he wore a small coronet adorned with three gemstones. One yellow, two purple.

Sunset looked him up and down; she recognised his appearance from her time with Celestia; he had surely visited Canterlot palace multiple times. Even though she couldn’t recall his identity, it didn’t take a genius to work out who this was.

Old instincts kicked in, and she bowed her head briskly.

“Your majesty,” she said simply.

“Sun-Set Shim-mer,” King Night Light declared, extenuating every syllable. A smug smile formed on his face as he entered the room, Twilight quickly scurrying out of the way. “How the mighty have fallen… It feels like just yesterday that you were boasting about how you were going to be the next Queen of Canterlot…” he said, lowering his glasses to look at her better. Sunset’s eyebrows furrowed, but she remained silent.

“Father…” mumbled Twilight, but she was silenced by just a look.

“You are one of the luckiest ponies I have ever met, Sunset Shimmer. Had you been anypony else at all, you would be for sure laying in the oubliette, awaiting execution. In fact, I have a suspicion that if you were anypony else, you’d already be dead.”

Sunset continued her blank stare as she replied.

“Why are you telling me something I already know?” she asked shortly, which made Twilight’s eyes widen somewhat.

The King just laughed.

“To let you know how precarious your employment here is,” he said darkly, “Fortunately for you, the Princess here has been studying Royal law. Just last week she aced a test about oaths and pledges. Thanks to your little deathbed oath, you are technically immune from the true punishment for your crimes, as Queen Celestia decrees. Your life is, quite literally, in my daughter's hooves. But let me be crystal clear…”

The King took a step towards Sunset, his blue horn lightning up with yellow energy as his golden eyes flashed.

“If you let harm come to even a single hair on my daughter’s head, you will be relieved of your duty on the spot. And I think you know what comes after that, don’t you?”

Sunset felt her hackles raise as the King bore down on her, but managed to maintain her composure.

“Your majesty,” she started, “Celestia gave me a single reason to stay alive, and that reason is Twilight Sparkle. She is all that matters to me right now.”

In the corner of her eye, she saw the Princess flush.

The King’s expression persisted.

“Is that all?” he asked.

“I have nothing else to say,” Sunset replied bluntly. From the corner of her eye, she saw Twilight smirk.

“...”

The King retreated back, extinguishing his horn, a statesman's smile reforming on his muzzle.

“It seems you are focused, at least. Good. Once our doctor has given you a pass, you will undergo your initiation with Knight Captain Tempest Shadow. I hope you will put this same level of detached purpose as you have expressed towards me into guarding the Castle,” the King said curtiously, and turned to leave.

“Come now, Twilight. We have something important to discuss with you regarding a prince from Canterlot…”

Sunset’s ear flicked.

“Guarding Twilight, you mean.”

The King paused mid hoofstep, turning her head around.

“Excuse me?”

“I am going to be Twilight’s royal guard. Not the Castle’s,” she stated firmly.

The King’s eyes narrowed, but Twilight was quick to jump in.

“That is what her oath decrees, Father! She has pledged herself to the protection of me, and must follow my commands! Although, I suppose I could simply order her to watch the castle when requested, too. She would be oathbound to do so!” Twilight pointed out. Her father smiled down at her. Sunset’s moment of relief was quickly turned into one of aggravation towards her ward.

“It is a shame you were born into royalty, my twinkle. You would have made an excellent barrister. On you go.”

Twilight nodded, and cleared her throat.

“Sunset Shimmer! I command you to protect the castle as well as I, as if you were its guard!” she commanded.

Sunset’s eye twitched.

“This wasn’t what I signed up for, princess,” she growled.

“I m-mean, you didn’t really sign up for any of this whatsoever, soo..” Twilight trailed off guiltily.

Sunset’s mouth momentarily curled into a snarl, but she was put in her place as the King burst into laughter.

“Well well well, Sun-Set Shim-Mer, maybe you should have thought of that before trying to raze Canterlot, my dear,” the King interjected, laughing to himself as he left the room.

“Come now, Twilight!”

Twilight mouthed a “sorry!” to Sunset as she followed her father out of the room.

“I will see you later!” she said politely, and shut the door.

Sunset stared at the wooden door, listening to the gentle hoofsteps getting fainter as they disappeared down the hallway.

“...fuck.”

Sunset turned around to the empty room behind her and started to scrape her hoof along the ground in frustration. The delayed reality of her situation had hit her quite hard; she had spent her childhood mocking and evading the palace guards, seeing them as incompetent soldiers who had to do as they were told.

And now here she was.

A mere guard in a castle that was not her own.

It would have been so easy just to leave, Sunset.

Sunset may have had her life, but she had been entirely stripped of her agency. It was something she didn’t truly realize she had until it had been taken away from her. First by the dark entities she had made her pact with… now by the Princess.

The scraping of her hoof got more frantic as the frustration began to build.

You could have just run far away from Canterlot, got on a ship, and sailed away into your namesake. Find a desert island and live there instead, right? But no. You just HAD to get petty revenge, didn’t you? You just HAD to get back at Celestia, no matter what you had to do.

A low growl got caught in her throat as her self destructive rage built up.

Now you’re a lapdog to some peppy Princess who’s continued safety is the only thing between you and a rope around your neck.

Sunset started to shake. She stumbled through the room, leaning against the wall, her eyes squeezed tight.

Pathetic.

Celestia should have killed you.

Letting out a pained bark of rage, Sunset kicked her back leg out, smashing the other door of the wardrobe in two. A few splinters went flying as Sunset stumbled forward, landing next to her bed, the pain in her joints flaring badly at the exertion. She took deep, unsteady breaths as she tried to center herself once more.

Eventually, she crawled off the floor and onto her bed where she sat, staring out the window, allowing the breeze to fill her lungs.

In the far off horizon, the spires of Canterlot glistened.

Sunset had never felt so far from home.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

After showing off her new armour, Sunset had limped down to her room.

With some difficulty, she removed the straps holding her armour on her body with her magic. She was thankful that she still had her horn and the dexterity it gave her.

Unceremoniously throwing the various plates and pauldrons on the floor, she flung herself onto the bed, face down in the lumpy pillow. Letting out a low groan, she tried her best not to think about how bad her scars were aching.

The beat down Tempest had given her had almost certainly added another day to her recovery time and climbing up the the library on the top floor in her new armour had been an exertion upon itself.

She really needed to work out.

She tried to focus herself, reminding herself why she was here; to pay back her unfillable debt to Twilight, and to redeem herself to Celestia… no matter how insurmountable the task may have seemed. If she failed, she would most likely be executed. It was like Tempest had said; sink or swim.

Still… This was going to take a lot of adjustment. In her years alone, she had fended entirely for herself. She stole, ran, fought and survived all on her own, keeping out of major towns and settlements as she searched for the unnatural power she desired.

If Twilight commanded her to jump, she'd have to ask how high.

At least she was kind of cute.

Luckily, Sunset didn't have to do any more of her new duties until tomorrow, allowing her time to rest up, and hopefully have time to build herself to finally read Celestia's letter.

There was a knock at the door.

Ugggh…

Sunset rolled over, looking at the door.

“Yes?” she called tiredly.

The door opened, revealing Twilight Sparkle.

“Good morning Sunset! How did you sleep?” she asked.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed.

“... Wh?” she slurred.

“Uhm, good! Anyway, I was going to visit the castle town today to see if they have any new dresses or hats down at the market, and I'd like you to come with me!”

Sunset sat up, blinking a few times.

“I… I thought I didn't… have to do anything until tomorrow?” she groaned.

Twilight tilted her head, looking between her and the window.

“Uhm… it is tomorrow?” she said, pointing out the window. Sunset looked out in disbelief, only to see the sun hanging low in the sky.

…Had she just slept for 16 hours!?

Then why do I still feel so fucking TIRED!?

Sunset stared at Twilight like a possum that had just been spotted by torchlight.

Twilight coughed a few times.

“Well… I'll see you in the courtyard in 10 minutes?” she asked.

“I thought the doctor said I wasn’t meant to do any more guard duties for a week?” Sunset protested.

“I’m barely asking you to run to Maretime Bay and back, it’s just a five minute walk down the castle road!”

“... Is this a command?”

Twilight grinned.

“If it has to be~”

Sunset stared for a few more seconds, before flopping back onto the bed with a loud groan.

“Fuck………………..”

Twilight giggled.

“Let's… make that 15 minutes?”

Still yawning, Sunset followed Twilight down the road down to the town. It was a five minute walk but adorned in her new armour, it felt like 20. Sunset’s bad mood had been getting steadily worse.

“Do I really need to wear this? It’s just going to slow me down. Can't I just wear the sash or something?” Sunset muttered as she followed the Alicorn.

“Of course! All royal guards have to wear armour whilst on duty, as well as… Wait-”

She paused, looking Sunset up and down.

“Where is your spear?” she asked, sounding almost appalled.

“My what? Why would I need a spear? We’re going dress shopping, Twilight, not monster hunting,” Sunset replied somewhat dismissively.

Twilight pouted.

“It is proper for a royal guard to have a weapon…” she said.

“Well, I've got one,” she replied, pointing to her horn, “Plus, if anypony here actually tried to attack you, you could deal with them yourself if Celestia has been training you.”

“It's not proper for a princess to have to fight unless it is necessary! You know this, you were a princess!” Twilight argued.

“Let me make this very clear. I may have been her pupil and was raised by her, but I was never a princess. She's not my mom,” Sunset grumbled.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed.

“... But…didn't you… Nevermind,” she said quietly, before seemingly deciding not to pursue.

“Ok. Well… as I was saying, Royalty don't fight unless they have to,” she said, and continued walking, “Like my grandfather! He was the one who led the Equinox forces in the Battle of Basalt Beach! That was the one where Celestia intervened for the first time against-”

“We are dress shopping. Not revising.”

“Why not both?”

“Because I don't want to talk about Celestia.”

“You brought her up though-”

“Just shut it, ok?” Sunset snapped, turning her head away.

“Okay…”

It was rare for Sunset to visit a town like this; she had spent almost all of her time in the main city of Canterlot. When on her own, she avoided population centers; she was in constant fear that Celestia would swoop down on her at any moment, dragging her screaming and kicking back to Canterlot.

Another irony is that Sunset viewed guard patrols as one of the lowest forms of threat towards her. From her experience it was easy to evade them, or scare them enough to cause them to flee. A bit of fire and a few party tricks were useful for making a foe fear you, despite being outnumbered.

Now, she was one of them. Trudging behind the princess, who was happily greeting the townsfolk as she went. Most seemed pleasant towards her, although she could see a few eye rolls aimed towards her from various groups.

Sunset herself got some glances; it had been a few years since she had disappeared, but she was still the former pupil of Queen Celestia.

Sunset tried her best to keep a good watch on the area around her, but she was more distracted by how uncomfortable her new defences were. Despite this distraction, the pair had no issues making it to the little dress shop on the main street.

The small bell tinkling, the blue haired earth pony’s eyes lit up as she saw the pair enter from behind her workstation.

“O-Oh! Your Majesty!” she squeaked, standing up and quickly bowing her head, which made Twilight laugh.

“Good morning, Miss Pommel!” she said politely. Sunset shuffled in after her, armour clanking, making the earth pony stare.

Sunset glared back.

“Oh! Yes, this is Sunset! She is my new guard! Anyway, I’d like to see if you had any new green or brown dresses available for purchase, and if not, for commission!” Twilight continued.

“Oh yes! Of course, Princess! I'll go fetch Miss Polomare! Bare with me one moment, please!” replied Miss Pommel, and quickly trotted up a set of well maintained wooden stairs in the corner of the room.

“Why do you need a dress, anyway? If seeing you at the Galas is to be remembered, you already have plenty,” Sunset commented. Twilight looked around at her.

“You remember me from the Galas?” She asked curiously.

“How could I not?” she commented idly, looking at some of the displays in the shop window before realizing what she had said.

“I meant, as in, you were always dressed very extravagantly," she added quickly. Twilight chuckled.

“Well, I do have those dresses! But they don't really fit anymore, haha-” she said, motioning to her wings.

“... Of course,” muttered Sunset.

The memory of her cutting holes in the backs of some of her outfits sprung to mind; she did her best to bury them.

Twilight frowned.

“Sunset-”

“No.”

Sunset just turned away, not even wanting to entertain further conversation for now. Instead, she gazed out of the glass window at the street outside.

She heard Twilight sigh, which made her ear flick, but she was more focused on the hooded pegasus that appeared to be shuffling closer and closer to the unicorn looking closely at some of the produce at the market.

“That guy's about to get robbed,” Sunset commented idly.

“W-What?” Twilight exclaimed, moving over to the window. Sunset pointed with her hoof.

Sure enough, the pegasus flicked its wing out, revealing a small blade fixed at the end. They deftly sliced the Unicorn’s saddlebag, the contents of which spilled out. Before the unicorn could even react, the pegasus scooped up the various coins, food and papers that had fallen out into their wing, and bolted.

The unicorn began to run after the thief, but it was obvious he'd never be able to catch up.

“Sunset!?!?!!!” Twilight cried, looking at her guard with disbelief.

Sunset shook her head.

“Idiot. Shouldn't have left his bag so exposed-”

She suddenly felt Twilight give her a shove.

“Go help him!”

“What?” replied Sunset.

“You’re a guard! Go help him!” cried Twilight.

“I'm not a guard, I’m your guard.”

“You’re still a guard! Go!”

“But what if-”

“SUNSET SHIMMER, I COMMAND YOU TO GO AFTER THAT PEGASUS!”

“FINE!” Sunset yelled, and immediately ran out of the store.

Flicking her head to the side, she could see the pegasus running through the crowd. Shouldn't there be other guards around?

She gave chase, galloping as hard as she could, but the armour was already quickly becoming a hindrance to the untrained unicorn.

What were guards even meant to do during a chase?

“STOP!” she called out after the pegasus; a classic guard move.

The pegasus tilted their head around only to speed up.

Announcing one’s presence probably wasn’t the most effective form of catching a fleeing subject.

Cursing under her breath, Sunset lit her horn. Initially, she planned to just shoot a magically charged shot at the thief, but seeing the amount of bystanders around decided it wasn’t worth the risk; she didn’t want to end up killing any more civilians. Instead, she focused her mind, and teleported further down the street to close the gap.

As she reappeared, she was almost within leaping distance of the pegasus, but immediately found herself crashing to the floor as her sense of balance was completely thrown off whack. Stumbling back up to her hooves, her head jolted back. Down the street, she could see a few ponies staring at the empty suit of armour that now lay strewn on the floor. Sunset hadn't accounted for its mass when she teleported.

“Damn it…” She muttered, but turned to rush after the pegasus, who was now within catching distance. She wasn't too worried about the armour; she was sure Twilight was going to give her an earful for abandoning it, however. Resuming the chase, Sunset saw that they were almost out of town.

Sunset was closing in on the pegasus due to the winged pony stumbling a few times and running into passers by, so much so that she was close enough to make a move.

Remembering how Tempest had repeatedly taken her down the previous day, she whipped her head forward, and lit her horn. She was close enough for her magic to find its grip on the pegasi’s back right hoof. Twisting her head upwards, she yanked.

The pegasus stumbled and fell to the ground as if there was a lasso caught around their back leg. The tightly restrained loot they had stolen scattered across the ground. Before they could get up, Sunset had launched herself into them, pinning their shoulder to the ground. She slammed a hoof on their muzzle, keeping them down, and used her magic to pull back the cloak. It revealed a blue muzzle, with purple-blue hair and a tired face, her dark eyes glaring up at her with resentment.

Sunset, breathing heavily, felt her face fall into a prideful smile.

She had done it!

Mission completed!

“Nice try, thief… next time, you should reallyEAAGHH! FUCK!”

Just as her gloating had begun, the Pegasi raised her wings and used them to slash at Sunset’s sides. The bladed edged didn't run particularly deep, but they were enough to stun Sunset.

If only she had some sort of metal plates between her skin and the blades.

Skillfully twisting her hind legs to buck Sunset off, the Pegasi raised its wings and shot off into the air, swiftly flying away towards the forest, quickly diving down into it to cover her escape.

Sunset was left on her back, panting and grunting in frustration, staring up at the bright morning sky. Eventually, she tilted her head to the side, seeing the pile of stolen goods still lying on the ground. She could hear a few murmurs around her, but only found herself being addressed properly as the white unicorn rushed up to the debris, a wide smile on his face.

“By the Sun! A million thanks to you, ma’am!” he hailed, offering a hoof to help her up, which Sunset accepted, managing to rise up into a sitting position as she glanced back at her sides. They had multiple cuts in them, but they were shallow enough where they hadn't caused any major damage. He quickly started gathering up his things with his horn and placing them in the other side of the saddlebag that was not slashed, but not before graciously floating a few gold coins in front of her.

“What? No, she got away, i- no, I don’t deserve-”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he chuckled, placing the coins into her hoof, “You got me my things back!”

Sunset stared at the coins.

“But-”

“O-Oh! Ma’am, your ribs! You’re bleeding!” The unicorn continued, peering at Sunset’s sides.

“I’m fine. It’s fine, I’ll live. I need to catch that thief-" Sunset began, but was cut off by the sudden cry from half way down the street.

“SUNSET! ARE YOU OK! HOLD ON! I HAVE YOUR ARMOUR!”

Sunset shut her eyes, now feeling the gaze of the street firmly on her as Twilight rushed over, hovering the plated suit just above her head.

Sunset turned to her, digging her hoof into the ground in anger. Her first task and she’d messed it up. She could feel the frustration building up inside of her as Twilight approached.

“She got away, Princess. I’m sorry… I didn't expect her to slice me like that! I- ugh…” Sunset grumbled, biting her lip in frustration, “She was too fast! That stupid armour, I didn’t account for the teleportation, and now I’ve gone and fucked up my first day on the job-”

“It’s fine, Sunset, please! You did your best!” Twilight reassured her, gasping as she saw her wounds. Sunset shuffled away, glaring at the woods.

“If this is my best, then what’s the point of me even being here?” Sunset ranted.

“For goodness sake- Hold on, let me heal your wounds-” Twilight exclaimed, moving closer to her with her horn lit.

“It’s fine. Really, I’ve dealt with worse.” Sunset said as she stood up, aiming to start charging into the woods, but Twilight had already used her hoof to make her sit back down.

“Sunset, stay still! I can fix these pretty easily!” Twilight asked, the impatience in her voice steadily growing.

“No. I don't need more reasons to be in debt to you,” Sunset snapped at her. Twilight’s expression suddenly grew very serious; so serious that Sunset’s rage suddenly turned into muted fear.

“Sunset Shimmer, I command you to sit still! Stop being so difficult and LET ME HELP YOU!” Twilight pleaded, the frustration boiling over as she stomped down her hoof.

Sunset stared at her, a wave of guilt passing over her. The small crowd of onlookers were all staring too, making Sunset feel like the size of a parasprite.

“I… Sorry,” she said, bowing her head in shame.

“Thank you,” Twilight said curtly, and began to gently pass her horn over the wounds. The accelerated healing knitting the shallow cuts back together. They would still need ointments and other medicinal procedures when back at the castle, but she would be good for now.

Sunset watched her silently as she healed, thoughts in her head smashing into each other like bricks, the mental debris flying everywhere.

She was supposed to be an oathbound protector to Twilight Sparkle, yet all she had done today in response to her was groan and complain. When that innocent pony had been robbed, it hadn’t even been her instinct to help. All that had been in her mind today was the imminent threat of her death if she didn’t comply instead of repaying her debt to the mare who had saved her.

Is this really how bad I've become?

She glanced over at her armour, which lay on the floor next to her. If she had been wearing it, the thief would most likely be in custody.

“There,” Twilight said as she finished patching up the last scratch, huffing slightly, “Come on. Let’s get back to the castle; I can put in my dress order another day. I’ll carry your armour.”

Sunset, after a few moments of thought, shook her head.

“No. Let me get it back on. I need to get used to wearing it,” she said, and levitated it over to herself. Twilight nodded idly..

“I… am sorry. About me,” Sunset muttered as she started to place the armour on her back, “You deserve so much more from your guard.”

“It’s fine. Really. I know how much you hate this,” Twilight said, avoiding eye contact.

“I don’t… Okay. I do, Twilight. I really do hate all of this. But…” Sunset took a deep breath, “But this is how it is, and it’s my fault I’m here. If I don’t get used to it, it’s just going to get worse. For me and for you. I’m sorry..”

Twilight finally met her eyes, which momentarily seemed to pierce straight through her, a faint smile crossing her muzzle.

“Thank you, Sunset. I… I’m sorry I asked you to do this today, too. I knew you weren't meant to be doing any proper guard duties yet, so I am also partially to blame,” she said with a nod of her head, “I’m… just trying to make the best of a bad situation. Here, let me help you with that.”

Together, the pair of them quickly put Sunset’s armour back on, and after dispersing the crowd, started to slowly walk back to the castle. The silence between them remained rife with awkward tension. Sunset tried to speak a few times, but failed on each attempt. Luckily, Twilight managed to pull through just as they started to make their way back up to the castle.

“If you don’t mind me asking… Why did you teleport out of your armour? Were you trying to get rid of the weight?” Twilight asked. Sunset shook her head.

“I didn’t mean to; it was all such a rush that I forgot to account for the added mass,” she explained, tugging once again at the neck guard.

“Ah yes… That’s happened to me a few times in the library; I keep on forgetting the books I’m holding! How much weight can you carry with you when you teleport?” Twilight asked.

“The heaviest thing I’ve ever carried with me was… probably this guy I was… kind of seeing. He was in my room when Celesita knocked on the door. I panicked, grabbed him, teleported out onto the roof, threw him off the roof, then teleported back inside, all before she had entered. Would have gotten away with it too if Celestia hadn’t seen him falling past the window.”

Twilight choked a little.

“Y-You threw him off the roof!?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yeah?” Sunset said nonchalantly.

“Was he ok!?” Twilight continued with a slight panic in her voice.

Sunset glanced at her ward.

“He was a pegasus, Twilight.”

Twilight paused, before laughing a little too loudly at herself. Sunset smiled.

It felt a lot better to make her laugh than to make her upset.

“Well… if you’d like, before you begin your duties properly… we could try to do some practise together? I know Tempest would be thrilled to have a guard who knows how to teleport?” she suggested hopefully.

Sunset eventually nodded.

“Sure. We can do that if you want. But… I do need to ask, why aren’t there any guards stationed down in the town?” Sunset asked. Twilight frowned.

“That father… says he doesn’t want there to be an ‘air of oppression’ in the streets, and crime is usually pretty low, so…” Twilight said awkwardly.

“There’s having too many guards, and then there’s having no guards at all. Doesn’t Tempest care?” asked Sunset.

“Oh, she cares. But, she serves my Father like you serve me, so does her best to make the castle secure, at least.”

Sunset frowned, glancing back at the town behind her. If crime was rare, then why did one happen in broad daylight on the first day she was down there?

That couldn’t be a coincidence.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Knight

Chapter Text

Sunset stood in the hallway, staring at the portrait. Specifically, the white unicorn who sat with the family, smiling just as vibrantly as the others.

“Hey,” Sunset said, glancing at a conveniently passing maid, and pointed with her hoof, “Who’s that?”

“That? Oh, don’t you know? That’s Twilight’s older brother! Shining Armour!” said the Pegasus, trotting over and looking up at the portrait fondly.

Sunset blinked.

“Sh- Shining Armour? Seriously!?” she exclaimed.

Even for ponies, that name was a bit much. But that's royalty for you.

“Yes. It’s a shame, really… this is the last portrait they got together before…” the maid replied, her smile fading. Sunset frowned.

“How did he die? If I’m allowed to ask, of course,” Sunset continued.

“Oh, he’s not dead. It’s worse than that…” mused the pegasus.

Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“Then what happened to him?”

The pegasus shook her head.

“I… It really isn’t our place to discuss it.”

The cold night air always helped Sunset think.

Sunset leant over the battlements of the outer castle, gazing up at the moon far above her, the pony shaped outline looming high over the landscape.

“Do you believe what they say?”

Sunset glanced over to Spearhead, her fellow guard on shift that night, who had just finished his loop of the outer walls.

“About the mare on the moon?” replied Sunset, looking back up at the huge rock in the sky.

“Yeah! About Celestia having a long lost sister who got banished to the moon. Do you believe it?”

Sunset sighed, biting her lip.

“I never used to…”

Spearhead chuckled, standing next to her as they both looked upwards.

Eventually, he turned her head back to her, a curious expression on his face.

“What changed?”

Sunset’s ears rang as she lay in the mud, the faint screams from the fleeing townspeople surrounding her. Through her blurry vision, she could see Tempest launching herself at the monstrous Chimera, horn crackling with fury as she struck it on the forehead of its lion-like head, which was malformed and sharpened with the corrupting power of Tartarus. The remaining goat head and snake tail struck down, trying to knock her off, but the maroon unicorn stayed true. The beast roared, the black tears flowing from its six eyes leaving obsidian splatters all over the town square.

Rising to her hooves, Sunset strained on her horn, trying to summon something, but the magic spluttered and failed too quickly for her to complete the spell. Stumbling backwards, she saw Spearhead lying motionless on the ground on the opposite side of the square, the armour around his torso shattered.

A slight trickle of blood started to drip down Sunset’s muzzle.

This is your fault, Sunset.

The thought rang in Sunset's head like a bell.

The beast’s snake tail shot out, striking Tempest off itself. The Captain landed on her side, but rose to her hooves quickly, snarling as she spat the blood out of her muzzle.

“RETREAT TO POSITION C!” the Captain ordered, as she shot a blast of lightning towards the creature.

Sunset began to run backwards, further into the town, but as she ran, it was as if a heavy cloud momentarily blocked out the light from the sky. Her eyes widening with panic, she looked up into the sky.

A cloudless day.

That could only mean one thing.

Something far scarier to Sunset than any Tartarian beast ever could be.

Tempest stood defiant in front of the approaching monster, shooting as many lightning balls with her horn as she could in an attempt to let her guards regroup, but she could already feel her energy starting to run out. She would hold the line for as long as she could.

“STAND BACK, CAPTAIN OF EQUINOX”

It took the unicorn a few moments to comprehend what was going on, but as soon as she recognized the loud, commanding voice, she turned tail and sprinted full pelt away from the beast.

The monster extended its wings out wide, all three heads roaring with modulated screeches, unaware of the radiant fury that was descending on it like a meteor.

A blade made of light formed around her long horn, Queen Celestia struck down onto the cobbled streets, the ground shaking in her wake. The snake tail made a lunge for her, but with a swift slash of her horn, the appendage slammed to the floor, severed from the body. The beast, disorientated but enraged, turned around frantically and lunged for the Alicorn. The goat’s head rammed into the Queen, pushing her back a few meters, but before the creature even had time to rear up, Celestia had thrust back forwards. With a final cleave, she burst through the monster, landing on all four hooves.

Tempest stared up in a rare moment of awe. Celestia smiled at Tempest, somewhat smugly, as the monster behind her fell to the ground with a great crash.

There was a moment of silence… before the assembled guard started cheering. Like a ripple, the townsponies began cheering too. Soon, it felt like the entire town was celebrating.

Celestia exhaled, the radiant blade around her horn sparkling away into light, as Tempest approached her.

The unicorn bowed her head respectfully, free from the usual tinges of resentment she usually reserved for royals. “Thank you, your highness. Truly.”

Celestia bowed her head gently back, but her eyes weren’t focused on the unicorn in front of her.

They were looking for someone in the crowd.

Someone who had already fled back to the castle.

Sunset stood in formation with the other guards of the barracks, watching Tempest walk up and down the line of new recruits.

“As you know, attacks from monsters, bandits, and other destructive forces have been steadily increasing since last month’s attack on Canterlot. Thusly, after much persuasion of our every so generous king, we have decided to take on a more sizable guard force, designed to tackle not just the defence of Equinox and its town, but the villages and towns all across the kingdom,”

As Tempest continued her speech, Sunset’s eyes were fixated on a pony standing amongst the number. He was a pale white earth pony with a lean build, sporting a pink and blue quiff and shaved sides. On his back he wore a grey cloak. On occasion, his blue eyes flicked to Sunset, but every time he saw her looking, he quickly looked away.

Finishing her speech, Tempest stamped her hoof on the floor. “Training starts tomorrow morning at 7am sharp. Don't be late, or you'll be out the door. Sunset Shimmer, show them to the barracks. Dismissed.”

Sunset nodded, and motioned her head towards the castle. Some of the new recruits started muttering amongst themselves upon hearing her name, a few even questioning if she truly was the demon that attacked Canterlot. Sunset’s ears pinned back as she glared at the group, which shut them all up. Once again, she made eye contact with the white earth pony, who visibly jolted.

Sunset's eyes narrowed.

After leading them to the barracks, Sunset held out her hoof in front of the earth pony, who she had managed to wrangle into entering last.

“Follow me, recruit,” she ordered.

The pony gulped, and obeyed.

Sunset led them round the corridor, and flipped around to stare him down.

“Take off your cloak,” she demanded.

The pony gasped, his voice sounding startled and inconsistent, “W-What? No!?”

“Take it off, or I will remove it,” she warned darkly.

The earth pony bit his tongue, before groaning, hanging his head in defeat.

“If I had known you'd be working here, I never would have bothered…” he groaned, his voice somewhat less forced than before, and took off his cloak.

As Sunset expected, she saw a pair of blue, pink and purple wings, as well as a cutie mark that bore a lightning bolt and a crown.

Sunset's serious glare shifted quite quickly into a smirk, eyebrow raised.

“Zephyrina Storm. The runaway Princess…” she mused with surprise, the pony in front of her huffing angrily.

Zephyrina Storm was the princess of Zephyr Heights and heir to the throne. Sunset had spent quite a lot of time with them; her mother, Queen Haven, frequently visited Canterlot. Sunset had spent many a night sneaking out of the castle grounds to go to experience the night life of Canterlot, and had escaped the wrath of the city guard many a time, always managing to be back in their beds before their guardians even knew they were gone. To call them friends may have been a stretch; they were acquaintances with a mischievous streak in common.

A few weeks ago, news reached Equinox Castle that Princess Zepherina had vanished without a trace, and for all to remain vigilant for any information about her whereabouts.

Looks like Sunset had found the lost princess.

From last time Sunset had seen the Princess, they had gone through quite a few changes. They had lost some weight, cut their flowing and well maintained mane, and wore no makeup at all. The changes did a good job to disguise their identity, but not for someone who had spent extended periods of time with the pegasi.

“Like you can talk. At least when I ran off I didn’t try to kill my mother.” Zephyrina snapped back, “and it's Zipp now.”

Sunset felt her horn flicker with a few embers at the jab, but her eyes narrowed with understanding upon hearing the new name. She nodded. “Pronouns?”

Zipp rubbed the back of their neck.

“I'm still working on that. Just use they for now,” they said, nodding shortly. Sunset nodded back.

“Got it. Still Princess?” she asked.

“I guess…”

Sunset’s brow furrowed. “What the hell are you doing here, Zipp. Half of Equestria is looking for you! And might I say, it was a bold choice to pick a Royal Castle to try and get a job!”

“I… I just couldn’t stay home, ok? Mom was talking about some crazy stuff, and she’s… UGH it’s like she’s living in a fantasy world! Refusing to hire more guards, insisting to put the city's budget into more galas and balls, and keeps on trying to find me suitors! Stuff she knows fine well I would hate. Look, it’s just better this way, ok? Phillomena can take the throne; you know she’d fit the mould much better than I ever did, and I can spend my life adventuring and actually helping ponies who need it instead of planning the fourth garden party in 3 days,” Zipp explained, ruffling their wings.

Sunset looked them up and down, her ears flattening back sympathetically.

This felt all too familiar.

“... Zipp, I… I know how rough it must be for a pony like you, but I really think you should talk to Queen Haven before-”

Zipp clopped their hoof down angrily, “I’m not going back. Equinox is the only castle I’ve never actually been to. I’m just going to keep my head down and hope that the royals don’t recognize me.”

Sunset snorted. “Good luck with that, Zipp. You lasted about 10 seconds with me.”

“What, you’re going to snitch on me? Have me dragged back to Zephyr Heights where I’ll have to marry some idiot who doesn’t know how to eat something without it being fed to him with a silver spoon? Get curfewed so I can’t even leave the palace without Mom escorting me? I don’t want to have to survive there. I want to live!” they explained, almost pleading by the end.

Sunset clenched her jaw; Zipp’s frustrations were ones that Sunset understood in her new situation. The desire for agency was one that still rang true deep in Sunset’s mind.

“So you want freedom… and you choose to join the military?” Sunset asked skeptically.

“It’s my freedom to choose, isn’t it?” Zipp pouted.

Sunset sighed. “Fine. I won’t snitch. But you’ll have to face the music at some point, and I don’t know how well I’ll be able to cover for you then, o-”

Sunset was cut off by Zipp suddenly embracing her, squeezing her as hard as they were able to against Sunset’s cold metal armour.

“Thank you, Sunset. Really,” they whispered.

Sunset smiled faintly, wrapping a hoof around her old acquaintance, and new friend.

“You should probably head to the barracks now. I will have to tell Tempest about you; there’s a good chance she’d kill you if she found out you had been lying to her. I’m pretty sure she will keep your secret; she’s not the biggest fan of the whole Equestrian royal structure,” Sunset said, eventually disengaging from the embrace. Zipp nodded with understanding.

“Before that… mind telling me what you’re doing here, too? How the hell did you survive an attack from Celestia? And why the fuck are you a Royal Guard now?” they asked, finally grinning.

Sunset smirked back. “Let's just say, if you end up turning into a demon and crashing into the woods, make sure you don’t land next to the one pony in Equestria who has the knowledge of how to save your life. You might just end up being commanded to be her hoofrest as she reads poetry.”

Zipp blinked.

“... her what?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Chapter Text

“Hey Twi, apparently you’re needed downstairs to see-”

Sunset stopped talking as she entered the room to see Twilight sobbing into a rabbit plush, her eyes red with tears. Sunset’s head tilted over to the table, seeing an open letter sitting on it. She looked back over at Twilight who was still sadly sniffling.

“What’s up?” Sunset asked.

“Come here, please…” whimpered Twilight. Cautiously, Sunset obeyed, moving over to her bed.

“... uhhh-”

Without warning, Twilight flung her forelegs around Sunset and began to sob into her mane. Sunset felt herself seized up, eyes darting between the princess now wrapped around her and the letter on the table.

“Oh, uhm… did… that Timber guy call off the betrothal?” asked Sunset hopefully.

She felt her stomach clench.

Hopefully, Sunset?

Twilight shook her head, sniffling.

“I-It’s from Celestia…”

Two bits of bad news strung together in a fine one two punch.

“...Oh.”

Sunset gently shuffled over and properly sat on the bed, still letting the Princess use her as a tear collector. “What did it say?”

Twilight took a few deep breaths.

“I-In the C-Crystal Empire, there was a b-big attack. A-Apparently, an evil unicorn made a Tartarian pact with some creature… P-Probably an Aboleth, If I had to guess. He almost enveloped the entire empire in shadows,” she explained sorrowfully.

Sunset tensed, guilt washing over her like a tsunami.

An Aboleth?

“Fuck… what happened?” Sunset asked nervously.

“W-Well, Celestia was going to declare an emergency and try to form an army from the kingdoms to go c-contain the threat. She was on her way to collect me to help purge the unicorn but in the end she didn’t need to; a p-pegasus managed to form a Crystal Heart, banishing the unicorn out of the kingdom and back into the umberfoal. Celestia, she’s… s-she’s making the pegasus… shes’... she’s going to m-make her an Alicorn!”

Sunset stared at Twilight, the shock of what she had said slowly setting in.

She had known more were coming from Celestia’s letter, but…

This soon? And to a kingdom not even in the alliance?

Still, she was surprised that Twilight was this upset at the news.

“I’m sorry, Twi… I know, uhm…” she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, “I know how it feels to, uhm… feel special and unique, and, uhm…”

Sunset trailed off; she was trying to empathise, but her example of feeling it was probably the worse possible way to do it.

Surprisingly, Twilight shook her head.

“I-It’s not that, Sunset… I-I’m thrilled! M-More Alicorns will mean more ponies can be protected! It’s that, uhm, t-the pegasus is called Cadence. She’s not a Princess, or even any kind of royalty! And… Uhm, she’s… S-She’s my… My brother’s wife.”

Sunset nodded like she understood.

She didn’t.

“That’s… Shining Armour, right?” she asked carefully. Twilight hiccupped, but nodded.

“Yeah, Shiny…. My big brother. He… he was meant to be the heir, but… f-fell in love with a lowborn pegasus. He and Father had a big fight about it, and he left to be with her, up in the Crystal Empire. Father and Mother got very cross, and removed him from… everywhere. I pleaded with him to keep that one portrait up; he hardly goes to the library so he relented. H-He was always so proud that I was Equestria’s only Alicorn, save Celestia herself… a-and now the second one in a thousand years is married to his biggest shame…”

Sunset listened, silently nodding as she spun this new information around in her head.

She could only imagine the new pressure placed on the Princess after having the succession placed firmly on her shoulders by a family rift.

“I’m sorry, Twilight… she said, carefully placing her hoof around her, and holding her a little closer, “You’re worried about how the King will react?”

Twilight nodded.

“I… I m-miss him, Sunset… he was my best friend growing up, a-and I know that nobles aren’t meant to marry lowborns, but… If it’s for love… I don’t understand what the problem is?” she thought out loud.

Something twinged at the corner of Sunset’s mouth.

“Well, for a start… we don’t really like being called lowborns, you know,” replied Sunset.

Twilight looked up at Sunset for a few moments, before gasping.

“OH! Oh goodness, you’re… sorry, I… oh goodness Sunset I’m so sorry I hadn’t even-” she whimpered, starting to panic, but Sunset squeezed her reassuringly once again.

“It’s ok. I understand. Your family seems… alot, and it’s just how you were brought up. For what it’s worth, you’re already better than most of the royalty I’ve met. I’m sure your brother misses you, too. You could try and meet him and his wife soon? I could even…” Sunset felt a sly smile cross her face.

“I could coordinate with Tempest to make your next trip coincidentally coincide with Celestia and the new Alicorn having a meeting out in the Equinox countryside, along with Shining Armour?” she suggested.

Twilight looked up at her, eyes sparkling with tears.

“... You’d do that?” she whispered.

Sunset nodded.

“I have a duty of care for you, Twilight. I think that can extend to making sure you’re happy, too.”

Twilight sniffled, a big wet smile on her face, as she once again squeezed Sunset tight. Sunset was a little more relaxed this time.

“I-I’m so glad I was able to save you, Sunset…” Twilight exhaled into Sunset.

Sunset’s stomach did a flip.

Slowly, she patted Twilight on the back of the head, feeling her hair with her hoof. “I’m… glad that you did, too…”

Of all the Princesses in Equestria to be bound to, Twilight was for sure the luckiest option Sunset could have ever hoped to have.

“... Twilight, I-”

CCRREEAAAAAKKKKKKK!

Twilight squeaked at the noise of the door and frantically tried to wriggle out of the embrace, but Sunset was too slow on the draw to understand why she was so worried.

“Twilight, I have news about-”

King Night Light had just entered the room to see Twilight quickly dive her head under Sunset’s hoof and leaping off the bed, adjusting her hair frantically.

“Hi! Father! Hi, what news?” she asked quickly, smiling wide and awkwardly. Her father wasn’t looking at her; instead, he was staring directly at her knight, who remained sat on the bed.

“Head down to the main hall, Twilight. We can talk about it more there…” he said darkly. Sunset could already tell that he was in a bad mood about other things; it didn't take a genius to figure out what.

Twilight glanced between the two, before squeaking once more. “Oh! No, father, I- we- you know I-”

“Go, Twilight,” he commanded, pointing a hoof out the door. Lowering her head, and giving an apologetic glance to Sunset, Twilight left the room, the King shutting the door with his back hoof.

Sunset looked at him blankly, trying her best to not show any emotion as he approached her, still sitting on his daughter’s bed.

“What were you doing with my daughter,” he asked bluntly, his eyes flaring with anger. Sunset stood her ground.

“Your majesty,” Sunset said with obviously feigned politeness as she climbed down from the bed, “My oath is to Princess Twilight. If she asks me for comfort, I will give it to her.”

His eyes narrowed. “It is not your job to comfort her. That is the job of her family and friends. It is your job to keep her safe.”

Sunset felt her hoof digging into the wooden floor once again, feeling a dull throbbing at the back of her skull. She knew what he was insinuating, and she continued to bury the feelings associated with it. “If you think that there is something going on between us? I can assure you… there is not. Ask your daughter. She is not attracted to mares. Although, as her father, I would have thought you’d already know that, right?”

The King was taken aback by the sheer audacity of Sunset’s statement. Grabbing her by the metal neckpiece, he pulled her close.

“Speak to me like that again, and you will hang. Do you understand, Miss Shimmer?” he hissed, his horn starting to glow as Sunset felt a gentle constriction start to form around her airways.

“Understood, your highness,” Sunset replied, trying to mask the strain in her breathing.

The King pushed her back, and turned to leave the room. As he left, Sunset piped up one final time.

“Crystal clear.”

The King made one last glare back at Sunset, before shutting the door behind him.

Sunset remained stood in Twilights room for a few minutes, trying her bed to not let her anger bet the better of her.

Sunset took a few deep breaths before steeling herself. She could survive like this, even with the guilt of everything that she's done constantly eating away at her.

Especially the things that only she knew about, the aftereffects of which had already caused much panic, destruction and death.

Sunset held up her hoof, halting the ponies behind her. Sniffing the air, she grinded her teeth; the all too familiar smell of Tartarus was wafting through the woods.

“We’re close…” Sunset announced in a hushed tone, glancing back to her band.

Twilight stood nervously beside Tempest, whose horn had already begun to crackle. Besides them were two soldiers from Zephyr Heights; they had been in the area for forest training and had been specially requested by Tempest due to their experience hunting flying monsters. Sunset had been able to forewarn Zipp, who had made herself scarce for the time being.

Tempest raised her head high, eyes focused ahead, “Remember. Hold it down, and let Twilight purge the darkness from it. If we can't restrain it, we kill it.”

All the gathered ponies nodded, apart from Twilight, who shuffled uncomfortably.

“A-As a last resort. Even if it is just an animal, I’d still like to-”

Her request was interrupted by a sudden roar emanating from further in the woods, accompanied by a shrill scream.

Eyes wide, Tempest and Sunset exchanged a glance.

“Kill on sight; civilians in the combat area!” Tempest barked. Both pegasi nodded and shot ahead, Tempest and Sunset sprinting through the woods after them with Twilight hovering just behind them.

“Stupid… why the hell would you be in the woods at a time like this!? Everyone knows how dangerous it is!” Sunset growled as they went.

“Some ponies are too brave, or too stupid. Sometimes both,” Tempest replied.

There was another unnatural roar, but this time, there was no scream.

Both pegasi had stopped zipping forward, and now hovered in place, apparently confused.

“REPORT!” shouted Tempest, before she too skidded to a halt upon the confusing scene in front of her. Sunset and Twilight were close behind, both squinting.

On the left was their target; a large wolf-like creature with jet black fur. Out of its back were rough and jagged wings, which accompanied its unnaturally numerous razor sharp teeth, glowing red eyes, and a viper like tongue.

Without a doubt a creature afflicted with the dark energies of Tartarus..

However, what was more immediately pressing was the child standing in front of it.

The blue unicorn, who couldn't have been more than about 14, was softly stepping towards the snarling creature, her horn glowing a faint purple.

“Shhh… it’s ok… I can tell you’re scared…” she whispered, moving some of her curly teal hair out of the way of her eye.

“GET BACK, CHILD!”

Tempest had broken out of her stupor and was running full pelt towards the wolf. The unicorn flinched, head turning.

“W-Wait! Stop, please! Stay back! I g-got this!” she squeaked. Tempest did not stop, instead tackling the creature to the ground.

“RUSTLE! LANCE! ON ME! SUNSET! GET THE CHILD! TWILIGHT, BE READY!” she roared, the two pegasi diving in to assist Tempest who had already been thrown off by the wolf.

Sunset obliged, and sprinted towards the child. Grabbing her with her hooves, she teleported both of them to a few dozen meters away, glaring down at her.

“What the hell are you doing this deep in the woods by yourself!? Do you not know how dangerous it is here?” Sunset hissed at the child, who now looked more scared than when she had been facing the wolf.

“I… it's- the wolf- I-it has cubs, and, she's- she doesn't know what's happening, and, I, uhm, I know I-I can calm,- I can m-make- uhm, please I, uhm-” the unicorn whimpered, trying without success to wriggle out of the grasp of Sunset’s hoof.

Sunset couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. Shaking her head, she asked: “There's no possible way for you to know that. Where are your parents?”

“Uhm-”

The unicorn’s head was facing the battle in front of her. The wolf had taken flight, and was using its scorpion-like tail to swipe and jab towards its pursuers. From the ground, Tempest was trying to strike it with her lightning, but the swiftness of the fight made it near impossible for her to aim. Twilight hovered from a distance, ready to swoop in at a moment's notice. Even through the battle, Sunset could see black tears leaking out of the wolf’s eyes.

She couldn't help feeling bad for the creature.

Her eyes snapped back into focus as, out of nowhere, the wolf suddenly launched towards Twilight. It spun around, its wings smashing into the pair of pegasi, with Tempest leaping over to catch the closest one; the spiked wings had slashed the side of her neck. The other had collided hard into a tree, twisting its wing at an awkward angle.

Sunset saw the panic set into the Twilight as she seized up mid air.

The knight moved without thinking, throwing the child to the floor like discarding a used torch and racing towards Twilight. She leapt up high into the air, using her magic to grab onto Twilight’s heels and dragged her down towards the forest floor. She twisted herself mid air, catching Twilight in her forelegs, and collided with the ground, her armoured back skidding through the underbrush. The wolf couldn't change its collision course, and flew at full pelt into a tree, flopping to the floor.

She held onto Twilight in a tight embrace until they stopped, the Princess shaking in her knight’s hooves.

“Are you ok?” asked Sunset hurriedly, looking down at the Alicorn in her arms. Twilight looked up, eyes sparkling with emotion, and nodded. Sunset breathed a quavering sight of relief.

“Th… thank you…” the Princess whispered, her head twisting round, and gasped.

“Sunset!” she cried, pointing to the wolf, who had risen once again, and was stepping purposefully towards the child once more.

It was Sunset’s turn to be paralyzed. In her forelegs lay her ward, who had just had a near death experience. She wanted to keep on holding her and never let go. In front of her was a child, who was fearlessly staring up at the creature with eyes full of… sympathy?

“It's ok! It's okay…” the young unicorn whispered, and reached out a hoof to pet the Monster's muzzle, her horn glowing. Almost immediately, the hackles of the beast dropped, and its ears flicked up. It seemed slightly entranced by the unicorn's eyes, and had stopped all aggressive action.

“PRINCESS! PURGE IT!” Tempest yelled from her spot as she continued to administer first aid to the fallen Pegasus.

Sunset stood up to let the princess move, but she remained frozen on the floor.

“I… c… can't…” she whimpered.

“Take my hoof, Twilight. We’ll go together. I’ll teleport us, and then you can do your thing” said Sunset, looking down at Twilight.

Twilight stared up at her with huge eyes, looking into Sunet’s gently flowing mane, the cyan light from her horn dancing around the mare's armour like a light show. Sunset grinned, showing her fangs.

“I got you,” the unicorn affirmed.

Twilight gulped.

Together, they flashed over to the child, who remained carefully petting the wolf. Frowning, she looked up at Twilight.

“Are you, uhm… please don't hurt her…” she mumbled.

“It will hurt for a moment… but then the wolf will be all better!” Twilight said softly, her voice cracking as she spoke. She took a deep breath, as she lit her horn.

The young unicorn frowned, but nodded, and looked at the wolf.

“Stay calm… I know you’re scared… it's going to be ok…” she said quietly as Twilight placed her horn on the demonic wolf’s forehead and began to purge.

Black ichor began to flow up into the air as the wolf let out a pained growl. Sunset grimaced; she knew all good well the agony the creature was going through. The young unicorn began to whimper, so Sunset picked her up and backed away slightly, her mane being blown in the airflow coming from Twilight’s spell.

Eventually, the wolf creature had shrunk down, and was now laying motionless on the ground, save for its shallow breathing. It’s back was rife with painful looking scars… but the wolf would be ok.

Sunset let out a sigh of relief, sitting down and holding her head.

“Ugh…” she grumbled, before her gaze flicked over the young unicorn. She too had fallen back into a sitting position.

“How did you… do that,” Sunset asked quizzically.

The little unicorn smiled nervously, “U-Uhm… call it a gift! I've… a-always been able to feel emotions from other creatures, and even sometimes calm them down! My, uhm, Caretaker told me it made me powerful, but… it always overwhelms me a bit, heh…” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof.

“Your caretaker? Who are they?” Sunset asked carefully.

“Oh! Uhm… they aren't around anymore,” she said quietly, a slight distant sheen crossing her eyes, “I’ve been on my own for a few weeks now, just trying to find sad ponies to help! I felt something really sad in the woods… and here I am!” she said, frowning as she looked at the wolf.

Sunset tilted her head.

A mysterious child with unexplained ability walking in the dangerous forest alone and unflinchingly calming down a Tartarus infused demon wolf.

“What’s your name, Kiddo?” Sunset asked.

“Oh! It’s Misty,” she replied, sounding a little uncertain.

Sunset looked her up and down.

“... Just Misty?”

“J-Just Misty!”

“... Huh.”

Twilight shuffled back over, smiling softly at Sunset through tired eyes. Sunset opened her mouth to speak, but Twilight just embraced her. Sunset froze a little, once again uncertain of what exactly to do in the situation, staring at the Twilight attached to her like it might explode.

“Can we go home…” she mumbled, “T-That spell really took it out of me…”

Sunset nodded, her gaze falling back onto Misty, who was staring at the pair of them with huge eyes.

“What do we do about the kid?” she asked, “We can’t exactly leave her alone in the woods.”

“Lets… take her back to the castle and… we can… deal with it from there…” mumbled Twilight, a huge hawn escaping from her throat.

Sunset looked over to Tempest. The guard she had been tending to was now sitting up, and seemed like she would be able to make the walk back to the castle unassisted. The other had limped over, and was trying to relocate her wing.

“Captain?” called Sunset.

Tempest just nodded. “Give us five. Then we can move. Good work, everyone,”

“My Knight?” Twilight piped up.

Sunset looked back, her ears perked up and tail twitching slightly as she obediently trotted to her side. Upon arrival, her ears flattened a little, annoyed at how easily she had adopted her new directive. Twilight repressed a small smile.

“I command you to let me lie on your back on the way home.”

Sunset blinked.

“... Like, seriously? Is that an actual order?”” she asked. Twilight nodded.

“Uhhhhhh… sure?” Sunset replied slowly, moving over, half expecting Twilight to admit she was joking.

The admission never came.

Misty’s eyes narrowed, looking at Twilight as she gently clambered onto Sunset’s back, before she inhaled with realization.

“...Oh!”

Sunset glanced over at Misty.

“What?” Sunset asked.

Misty giggled and shook her head. “Oh! Uhm, nothing! Just felt some new emotions, hehe~”

Sunset stared at the child, and shrugged.

Weird kid. Celestia was going to have a field day with her.

Chapter Text

It was strange to think that this was probably the closest she had been to Celestia since she had actively been trying to kill her.

Sunset was sitting in her bedroom, looking down at the courtyard below. The Queen of the Sun had arrived a few hours prior to pick up the young unicorn they had found in the woods. Now, she was calmly strolling out of the castle towards a pegasi drawn carriage, with Misty having to trot to keep up with her long, elegant strides. Soon, they would be off to Canterlot.

Sunset must have been about the same age as Misty was when Celestia took her in. She could almost see an echo of herself in the young unicorn, walking off into the distance with the queen.

Sunset was worried about the kid, thinking of her own experience with Celestia. Would Misty be brought up with the same hopes and expectations as her? Or would Celestia have learnt her lesson?

Sunset exhaled. Whatever the case, Misty would be safer with Celestia than out in the woods. That's all that really mattered.

Sunset wasn’t sure if she’d take her on as a student, or leave her in someone else’s care, but one thing was for sure.

Sunset hoped that the girl wouldn’t end up like her.

As she strode away, Celestia’s head turned back to look at the castle.

Sunset slid away.

She wasn’t sure if she could even handle her gaze right now.

Taking a few deep breaths, she swallowed.

She would talk to her again; she couldn’t avoid it forever, but Sunset would be in control of when it happened and not even a second before she was ready.

Until then, she would do her best to make her proud.

Hopefully proud enough to forgive her.

“How do I look?”

Zipp did a full twirl, showing off their new guard armour, a huge grin showing through the dark grey mask that covered their face. On their head they wore a standard guard helmet.

The regular pegasus one had been a little too bulky for the former Princess; it had restricted her speed a great deal. Initially, Tempest had been dismissive of the complaints, but once she had witnessed Zipp flying a full lap of the town in under a minute, she relented. The Captain had made arrangements with the royal armourer (a titanic earth pony named Trouble Shoes) to forge some specialty cloudsteel armour that would offer adequate protection without sacrificing much speed. It mostly lay on their back, with small anklets with sails on the back of them to aid manoeuvrability. It was the same dark blue as the rest of the Equinox guard.

In their helmet, mask, and armour, they were much harder to identify

“Suits you well,” Sunset confirmed, “I don’t even think that Phillomina could see through it. You’ll fit right in!”

Zipp landed, pulling down the mask, and smiling broadly at Sunset.

“Thank you. Really.”

Sunset smiled along, but a question had been bubbling at the back of her mind for the two weeks that Zipp had been here.

“How long do you think you’ll stay?” she asked eventually.

Zipp frowned, kicking the dirt with her hoof.

“As long as I need to, I guess,” she shrugged, “I don’t really think I want to see my Mom again; it will be too… complicated. I’ll stay here for a year or so, and then start adventuring around, helping who I can… you know. Typical adventurer type stuff.”

Sunset snorted to herself.

She knew what that one felt like.

“Mabye… you could write her a letter? Just so she knows that you’re ok?” Sunset suggested, her tone awkward. Zipp’s eyes narrowed.

“Why are you so insistent about this?” they asked.

Sunset huffed. “Guess I just don’t want history to repeat itself. If you don’t talk to her, you might start to resent her.”

Zipp raised an eyebrow, an ironic smirk forming on their mouth.

“You worried I’m gonna try to kill my Mom?” they teased.

Sunset scowled at her, which earned a laugh from Zipp.

“Ok, ok, I get it. I’ll think about it. It is still quite entertaining hearing all the rumours of where I’ve ended up, though. Did you hear that I’ve apparently become an Assassin for the Kirin?” the pegasus chuckled.

Sunset loosened up, and laughed with her, “Don’t understand why Kirin would need to hire assassins. Isn’t their whole deal that they don’t talk?”

Sunset sprinted down the side street, the pegasus zooming just above the altitude of the houses that lined the road. In her forelegs, she carried a pink unicorn foal with orange locks, who was screaming and thrashing.

The same thief who Sunset had dealt with on her first day was apparently back, and had resorted to stealing children straight out of their mother's arms. Sunset had since learned the name of the pegasus: Swiftsword Slay, captain of the Swiftsword gang.

“I GOT YOU, KID!” she called after her, sending up a flare from her horn high into the air. Others would be on the way shortly.

Swiftword dove into a side alleyway. Sunset skidded to a half a few feet away, glancing back behind her. She sighed in relief upon seeing what she saw.

She made a signal with her hoof, pointing to the sky, twirling it around, and then flashing her horn twice. She then darted into the alleyway.

Sunset stopped as she saw who inhabited the street; an entire gang of bandits. A quick count revealed there had to be at least 10 of them, all brandishing weapons, from swords to spears to horns to wing blades. Swiftsword had the filly in her wings, wing blades close to her throat.

There was a dazzling glint in Sunset’s eyes.

“What are your demands?” she asked, unable to keep the smile from her mouth.

Swiftsword grinned.

“Well, first-”

“On second thoughts, I don’t care. Do you know who I am?” Sunset interjected, standing up straight.

The pegasus blinked.

“Really? You think I care who you are? Our demands are-”

“My name is Sunset Shimmer. Knight of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Former Student of Princess Celestia” she explained, her horn lighting on her forehead. Instead of its usual cyan glow…

It was yellow.

She slashed her horn in a percise pattern, and with a flash of her horn...

The assembled bandits all seemed to freeze up, apart from their leader; Swiftsword bore her teeth.

“So you’ve got a sword. So what?” she spat, moving her wings closer to the filly, who stared up at the glowing blade with terrified awe.

Sunset levitated the light sword out of her mouth, twirling it around as she inched closer.

“Remember when Celestia felled the Chimera? That was with a radiant blade. Remember when she felled the great Purple Worm? That was with a radiant blade. Remember when I felled Swiftsword?”

The pegasus tensed, her eyes squinting hard as to try and hide her emotions.

Sunset grinned menacingly, twirling the sword in the air around her head.

“That was with a radiant blade.”

Grabbing the sword once again, Sunset took steady, threatening steps forward… before with a sudden flash, she teleported.

Reappearing right in front of the pegasus, she grabbed the filly, and threw her up into the air. The filly screamed, only to get caught by a zooming Zipp, who had been waiting by the corner of the alleyway, ready for the sound of Sunset’s teleportation. Sunset used the confusion to kick Swiftsword back towards the rest of the gang, entering a combative stance.

“AUGH! FUCK! GET HER!” Swiftsword yelled, and the bandits quickly charged towards Sunset.

Sunset found herself duelling three ponies at once; two with spears, one with their horn. The spears were easy enough; Sunset corralled them into thrusting towards her at the same time and with a single flick of her head, sliced the wooden shafts of the spears. The guards backed away, rotating their number, as Twilight moved forwards, shooting a beam of energy at the unicorn. The unicorn made a shield, which was swiftly broken by a slash of Sunset’s blade, followed closely by a heavy kick to the muzzle.

Just as she reached the end of the alleyway, Swiftsword had reached the front. Sunset just flashed her fangs at her, and vanished in a burst of cyan.

Reappearing a few meters into the street, she gave a smug little wave as Captain Tempest Shadow took a firm step round the corner, horn crackling with the force of a thunderstorm, blasting the entire gang with a close range spray of thunderbolts and lightning. The sound of thunder crackled through the air, and all that was left in the alleyway was 10 frazzled bandits, legs and wings twitching.

Zipp landed next to Sunset, carefully placing the filly on the ground.

“Good catch!” panted Sunset, unable to take the proud grin off her face.

“Nice throw, and even nicer sword! That was sick as hell!” exclaimed ZIpp. Sunset laughed.

“What can I say… she taught me well…” she mumbled, her eyes flicking over to the distant spires of Canterlot.

Looking back, she saw Tempest cracking her neck, quickly pacifying any of the bandits that were still conscious, pausing as she made eye contact with the Sunset.

The pair of oathbound unicorns smirked at each other with mutual respect.

“Right then…” Sunset declared, lifting the filly onto her back, “Let’s get you back to your mother, shall we?”

The filly nodded, wrapping her hooves around Sunset’s neck.

“You’re so cool…” she whispered softly.

Sunset frowned as she said this, and gently shook her head.

“I'm really not, kid. Just doing what I can to fix a mistake.”

Zipp rolled their eyes.

“Dude, just take the compliment!” they chimed in, giving Sunset a nudge. Sunset sighed.

“Thanks, kid…”

Twilight did something she had never found herself doing before, and especially something that she had never found herself doing towards a mare before.

Staring.

Ever since she had found herself sobbing into her knight, Twilight had started to take notice of her appearance much more than before. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on it; maybe it had something to do with her mane, which perpetually seemed to smell like the warm, calming scent of a gently crackling campfire. Maybe it was her cyan eyes, often staring off into the middle distance whenever Twilight caught her brooding. Maybe it was her tail, and the way it gently twitched every time the princess gave her a command.

When her Canterlot stylist friend had asked her if she had any requests for the coming weeks, Twilight had sent over Sunset’s rough measurements to make a dress for her.

Just in case she needed one.

“Is this really necessary? How often will I even need to wear this?” the knight asked, levitating her guard sash over her torso, looking back into the mirror.

Twilight nodded blankly.

“What if we, uhm, have to attend a royal conference?” Twilight said, staring unblinkingly at ribbon tied tightly around the mare’s waist, her eyes occasionally flicking to Sunset’s flank. Twilight's expression was shifting constantly as she tried to comprehend what was going on in her head.

Sunset snorted, looking back at Twilight, whose eyes immediately shot back up to her face. Sunset maintained eye contact for a few seconds, eyes narrowing. Twilight just smiled awkwardly.

“Then… I'll be wearing my armour in case anyone tries to hurt you?” she replied, looking back at the mirror, frowning as she tilted her body too and fro, “... I do look good though. I'll give you that, at least.”

“Mmhm!” Twilight agreed, nodding quickly, trying her best to keep it cool.

“I mean… I appreciate the gesture, really, but… I don't think I'll be able to effectively protect you the way I need to whilst wearing it. I can still put it in my wardrobe, though. Just in case. It is very well made, far nicer than any of the ones I had back home. Although, maybe just a little tight around the flank-” she commented, adjusting it with her back hoof.

A ticker in Twilight’s brain rang as she realized what the Canterlot dress maker had done.

For GOODNESS sake, Rarity!

Twilight laughed a little too hard. “O-Okay! Well! That's us done, haha! Thank you for indulging me!” Twilight chirped. Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“You commanded me to try it on, Twilight. You essentially threatened me with execution if I didn't,” Sunset replied as she started to take off the dress, a warm smile on her face as she spoke.

Twilight exhaled, smiling back, “Sorry…”

Sunset shook her head as she finished removing the dress. “Don't apologize. Doing everything you say is all I'm still here for. Am I dismissed?”

Twilight nodded, and with a final fang filled grin, Sunset left her bedroom.

Twilight sat in contemplative silence for what felt like hours (but was in reality about 5 minutes), before gingerly shuffling over to her desk. She took one of the books from her locked drawer, opened it, and started to write.

“Dear Diary,
I think I might like girls.”

The pair of ponies sat in the library, quietly reading at the same table.

Sunset was reading a book of different folk tales and rumours of unnatural monsters; many of the beasts that had been cropping up shared a similarity to those described in legends. After another dead end, she sighed, and looked up at Twilight.

Twilight was a very dynamic reader; you could always tell what she was feeling as she went. She was reading a novel; a story of a hunter and a shepherd falling in love.

Sunset watched her, the soft smile on her face growing fonder as she watched her read. At exciting moments, her ears would perk up. At sad ones, they would visibly droop, the Princess pouting without realising it. Sunset saw her eyes widen a few times, the flush on her face visible for all to see.

Sunset had never realized just how fond of Twilight she had become until this very moment. It was a fondness beyond her oath. Beyond her quest for redemption.

The Princess truly was something else wasn’t she?

Sunset breathed a small sigh, which made Twilight look up.

The pair shared some eye contact for a few moments, before both smiling at each other. Not a word had to be said as they looked back down at their books.

Whatever this was, it was good.

Sunset had been here for about two months now.

Sure, it wasn't perfect. Her duties were hard, she had to train a lot, and the amount of injuries she had sustained had been steadily increasing, as had the danger of her work.

But, at the end of each day…

… Twilight was still here.

The unicorn still felt like she didn't deserve her (or anyone else's) forgiveness, but would be eternally grateful that she had been granted it. She would continue to follow and protect her to the ends of the earth.

Sunset had decided that she was going to try her best not to think too hard about how she felt about her ward. Whatever happened, she’d be by her side, protecting her from anything that tried to hurt even a hair on her head.

Well, for the next 15 years and 10 months, at least.

Sunset sighed, happy in the denial that maybe her past mistakes wouldn't come back to bite her in ways harsher than ever.

That final thought was shattered as Zipp burst into the library, bringing some terrible news.

Behind Sunset, the farmhouse was ablaze.

In front of her, three hulking timberwolves, the usual gaps between their bundled limbs extended with black goo, making their size something to behold.

To her left, the orchard’s owner, an earth pony named Applejack, her hooves covered in splinters and black ichor,

To her right, two pegasi guards doing first aid on the owner's brother, their little sister crying into his red fur.

Above her, Zipp flapped, their head constantly flicking around the tree line to see if any more of the beasts were coming. Together, the assembled ponies had been able to kill all fire breathing bats that had initially attacked the barn, but now faced this new threat together.

Sunset felt herself tense, the radiant blade levitating beside her as bright as ever.

“Ready?” Applejack asked, stretching each leg individually.

Sunset nodded. From above, Zipp confirmed with a grunt. “We just need to hold them off until the rest of the guard gets here!”

Thanks to how far away the farm was from the castle, only the Pegasi and Sunset were able to get here quickly enough; Sunset was able to augment her speed with multiple exhausting teleports.

Sunset stared into the dark eyes of the closest timberwolf, seeing its wooden jaw snarling towards her, the black tears pouring out like a fountain, falling into the grass and causing it to quickly decay.

The damage to the orchard would take years to repair, both ecologically and architecturally.

This farm was just one of many locations that had been destroyed by the creature across the Nine Kingdoms.

Sunset bit her lip, the guilt scraping against her insides like a terrible stomach ache.

“HERE THEY COME!” yelled the farmer, and the trio charged.

The fight was tooth and nail, the three adopting the strategy they had discussed. Zipp flew around, using their speed and spear to goad them into focusing on them, as Applejack and Sunset would separate one and take them out together.

Thanks to Sunset’s blade, the first fell relatively quickly. The light blade seemed to be especially effective against the ligaments and limbs of the dark constructs. The second proved more difficult, Sunset needing to teleport herself away to dodge what would have likely been a fatal blow to the head.

Applejack was left on her own, fighting hoof to claw against the creature, showing far more strength than Sunset thought possible from a simple farmer. The farmer successfully smashed its lower jaw with a kick from her hind hooves, but was knocked down as the creature smashed into her, and without intervention, would have for sure finished off the pony.

With a leap and one powerful slice, Sunset’s radiant blade decapitated the monster, its black goo-like limbs bursting everywhere, covering both the farmer and the knight. Sunset did her best to wipe it out of her eyes. Applejack, of course, had her hat to block the worst of it.

Both stood, panting, as Sunset helped the farmer up, before retching at the gross, viscous liquid that now covered her like a second layer of skin.

“Thanks…” Applejack breathed.

“Don’t,” Sunset replied quickly as she spat out some of the goop that had got in her mouth. Applejack raised an eyebrow.

Sunset shook her head, her head twisting back at the burning farm, the flickers of the blaze radiating onto Sunset’s regret stricken face.

“Really. Don't thank me.” repeated Sunset, as she ran off to go help Zipp with the final monster.

“Sunset! You’re back, are you- oh my-”

Twilight was waiting in the courtyard for the returning guard, only to see Sunset trudging in, her mane, armour and fur covered in the black sludge from the fight. She was walking by Applejack, giving her a nod as the farmer and her family were led away by Tempest; they would be able to stay in one of the guest bedrooms of the castle until their farm was declared safe.

Sunset shot Twilight a tired smile, before marching straight towards the castle.

“Uhm- where do you think you're going?” Twilight asked a little too loudly, making some of the other guards take notice.

“To my room?” Sunset said shortly, turning to face the Princess, who just smirked.

“Like that? Nono, we are giving you a bath.”

Sunset's gaze turned to a steely glare.

That sounded like hell. For multiple reasons.

“No.”

Twilight’s smirk grew smugger.

“Suunnnsseeettt!” she replied in a sing song way, taking a hoof step closer. Sunset's eyes shot wide open as she realized what was about to happen.

“No! Absolutely not!”

“Sunset, I-”

“NOPE! NOT HAPPENING! GOODBYE!”

Sunset very quickly started running towards the castle.

“SUNSET SHIMMER! I COMMAND YOU TO LET ME GIVE YOU A BATH!” Twilight yelled after her.

Sunset skidded to a halt, her eyes shut tight.

It was as if the entire castle was now staring directly at her.

Uuuuuuuuuuggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Sunset looked back, her glare persisting as Twilight just beamed back at her.

Eye twitching, she replied “Whatever you say, Princess…”

“Excellent! I will see you in the royal bathroom in 5 minutes!” she chirped, and fluttered into the castle.

Sunset remained very still, painfully aware of all the muttering around her. Even Tempest was chuckling to herself.

“Damn, she really has got you on a leash, doesn't she?” Zipp teased as they passed, giving Sunset a gentle pat on the head with a wing.

Sunset flinched.

Oh no.

“And there we go! See! Doesn't that feel better already?”

As Sunset sat in the warm basin of water, her mane and fur gently being scrubbed by her Princess with a soft sponge, she hated herself so much to acknowledge that yes, it did in fact feel better.

All she responded with was a low growl, which made Twilight giggle.

“You are so funny, Sunset~” she sang as she continued to gently rub the sponge behind her ear.

Sunset turned her head to side eye her. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because you were covered in gunk, my knight!” she said whimsically. Sunset did the best she could to not make her tail wag at being addressed as such.

“I could have done it myself,” Sunset continued, moving her head around to stare in the opposite direction to Twilight.

“I know! But, well… you've been doing such a good job! You've saved countless lives, protected the castle from harm, and even managed to save me multiple times! Plus, you've made me, uhm… find some things about myself, as well!” Twilight explained, getting a little sheepish by the end.

Sunset just tilted her head.

“What?”

“N-Nothing! Anyway, what I'm saying is, you've done such a good job at looking out for me, I thought that it would be nice for me to look out for you for a change!” she explained.

Sunset visibly tensed at this, and shook her head.

“That's not how this works,” she said quietly.

“Well, since I'm in charge, I'm deciding it is!” Twilight chirped.

“No, you… you don't understand, this… this really isn't good. I really don't deserve this,” Sunset whispered.

Twilight stopped scrubbing as she saw Sunset start to take some deep, shuddering breaths.

“... Sunset, are you… crying?”.

Sunset remained quiet for a long while, long enough for Twilight to continue.

“What's up? Talk to me, Sunset…” she said, gently putting a hoof on her back.

“It doesn't matter. Really. Drop it. Please,” Sunset practically begged. Twilight huffed.

“Sunset, I command you to tell m-”

“STOP,” Sunset suddenly cried, whipping round and placing a hoof on Twilight's mouth, the water sloshing around, much of it spilling out of the bath and onto Twilight. The princess was too stunned to continue, her eyes darting to the hoof on her muzzle.

“Please. Please, Twilight. I don't want to have to break my oath to you. I'm fine. Really,” Sunset insisted, keeping her intense eye contact with Twilight. Twilight nodded, eyes still flicking between the hoof and Sunset's face.

Sighing, Sunset took the hoof away and turned around once again, head held low.

“Okay. I won't push it, Sunset, but… if you need me… I'm here, ok?” Twilight said sadly.

Sunset shuddered. “I know, Princess. I know…”

The rest of the cleaning session was somewhat awkward, the only words said being a simple “goodnight” to each other after Sunset had dried herself off with her horn.

As Sunset climbed into her bed, she held the pillows over her ears.

Only 15 years and 10 months left.

She could survive the guilt for that long.

Probably.

Sunset stood paralyzed, the blood dripping down her muzzle starting to get into her eyes. Blinking out the red liquid, she looked at her Princess lying on the ground, a great black spike shooting through her body as she struggled to breathe.

At a loss, Sunset tried to move forward to her, but found that with every hoof step, Twilight got further and further away. Above her, she could see Canterlot Castle in flames, the dark shadow of an Alicorn flooding the night sky, its cold blue eyes focused on the knight.

“S… Sunset?”

Twilight kept on getting further away.

“Twilight- I’m… I’m here…” Sunset whispered, holding out a hoof…

…only to see it sharp and demonic, black goop flowing out of it like a fountain.

Sunset was suddenly wracked with pain as she let out an agonizing roar, feeling herself hit the cold floor of her bedroom as she was suddenly woken up from her dream.

Only the dream hadn’t ended.

Sunset writhed on the floor as she felt the scars on her back flare up in pain, her eyes squeezed shut as black tears began to squeeze out.

The pain was unbearable.

It felt just like the first time.

Sunset did the only thing that her wracked brain could comprehend, and screamed.

Chapter Text

It was 3 o'clock in the morning. Apart from the night guards doing their patrols, the entirety of Equinox castle was dormant.

Twilight’s room was on the 6th floor of the castle, facing out to the west.

Sunset’s room was on the 3rd floor, facing to the west.

There is no conceivable way for Twilight to have heard Sunset’s cry for help.

And yet, Twilight woke up.

Sitting bolt upright in bed, she remained still for a few moments, her ears flicking. Had she dreamt it?

… In the far distance, she heard the cry once more.

Without thinking, she opened her window, and leapt out. Gliding around the castle, she scanned the windows for any signs of any sign of distress.

Eventually, she saw red flashes coming from one of the windows, and it was just the room she was dreading.

Sunset lay on the floor convulsing, a horrible black hue radiating from her body. Her horn was flashing a mix of red and cyan as the colour of her fur appeared to be slowly darkening.

Teleporting through solid material was risky, but at this moment, Twilight did not care.

In a purple flash she was by her side, grabbing her with her hooves.

“SUNSET! Sunset talk to me! I'm here! What's going on!” Twilight cried, trying to keep her from moving too much.

“H.. HELp mE!” Sunset cried, her voice shifting through different unnatural pitches as she writhed, trying to hold on to Twilight as much as she could. From the corner of her eyes, black tears were starting to leak.

Feeling panic rising in her, Twilight nodded briskly, and started to ramble with fear. “Okay! Okay, I- oh goodness, it’s aftershocks! Something must have triggered it! It could just be your increased exposure to other umberfoal creatures, and all of that goop being in your body probably isn't helping, even though I thought we cleaned it pretty well! - Well, that's just a theory a-”

“TWWILIGHHHHTT!” Sunset roared in desperation, baring her teeth.

“R-Right! Stay still! I can purge it! I think!” she said, grabbing Sunset by the cheeks, and staring directly into her eyes, their muzzles inches away.

Gulping, Twilight lit her horn, bright purple light washing the dark room, and placed it against Sunset’s forehead.

Sunset screamed, every vein in her body feeling like it was being pumped full of lava as the darkness was once again purged from her body. Straining, she opened her eyes to see Twilight right in front of her, the Princess’s entire focus being on saving her knight. Their muzzles were touching, Sunset being able to feel the heaving breaths of her savior on her neck.

Once again, the Princess was saving the Knight.

Sunset could feel the pain in her body slowly starting to fade as a whole new one in her heart started to flare.

With one last growl of effort, Twilight's spell flared, and Sunset collapsed backwards onto the floor, coughing up huge chunks of blank gunk onto the floor. She kept on spitting, her body shivering, as she did her very, very best to remain in denial. The guilt that had been festering inside for months had suddenly started to boil over.

“Princess…” she spluttered, turning her head to look up at her exhausted gaze. She opened her mouth to speak, but as usual, words failed her. Instead, she collapsed forward, and began sobbing into her. Twilight gasped, but without a second though embraced her, holding her close.

“It's ok, Sunset… I'm here… you're safe… I got it all… and if it comes back, I can get rid of it again… shhh….” Twilight comforted, her wings extending and wrapping around Sunset in a soft, feathery cocoon. Sunset shivered at the new sensations on her back, especially the feathers gently brushing over her scars, as the heaving sobs continued.

Twilight gulped as she decided to pick her next words very carefully.

“I… don’t want to pry, Sunset, but I know there's something you're not telling me,” she asked delicately, “a-and I'm worried that your silent suffering is making you a target for these creatures. I want to help you, Sunset. Please. Let me help you.”

Sunset’s jolts continued for a few minutes further, as the Princess and her Knight simply existed with each other. Twilight continued to gently rub Sunset’s back with her wings. For the unicorn, it felt like a safety blanket, and she found herself unwittingly nuzzling further into Twilight as she cried. At one point, Twilight’s wings had started to ache, so she adjusted them, which finally prompted a response from the unicorn.

“Please don’t go…” she whispered.

“I’m not going anywhere, Sunset. I’ll stay here all night if I have to,” Twilight replied calmly. Sunset started shaking once more as fresh tears formed in the corners of her eyes. The unicorn nodded, and did her best to take deep breaths as Twilight soothed her.

“Sunset?” Twilight asked after a little more time had passed, “Are you feeling any better?”

Sunset hiccuped a little, shaking her head into Twilight’s shoulder.

“Well, I'll be here until you do,” Twilight stated firmly, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Sunset grumbled something to herself.

“What was that?” asked Twilight.

“... Don't deserve-” Sunset had begun to whisper, but was cut off by a gentle shove from Twilight. The Princess unwrapped her wings from around her, and sat back, staring firmly at Sunset. The gaze was too much for the broken unicorn, who lay on her front, eyes fixated on the floor.

“Sunset, look at me.”

Twilight’s command was firm enough for Sunset to peel her eyes away from the ground and into Twilight’s eyes, which sparkled with the gentle moonlight of the night sky, flooding through the window.

“I know what you've done. It was really bad, but you're better now. Celestia let you live for a reason, and if she thinks you're worthy, then I do, too. Everyone deserves comfort, Sunset. Especially after all you've done for me. So please, please just let me be here for you.”

Sunset felt paralyzed, about fourteen different commands in her head all smashing into each other at once. Eventually, she managed to speak.

“You don't know what I've done, Twilight,” she whispered, managing to sit up.

Twilight's mouth opened in confusion. “I was there. I know-”

“No. You don't. N-not all of it. Y-You don't know what I had to do turn into that monster,” Sunset admitted, her eyes squinting with guilt. Twilight’s face fell. Conflict started to rage on her face as she gently asked:

“What… did you have to do?”

Sunset wiped some tears out of her eyes, her gaze dropping to the floor once more

“... It's my fault all of these new monsters have been appearing, Twilight.”

“W-What? How?” Twilight asked, her breath held.

“I… I broke the seal.”

Deep in the caves of the western mountains, a near incomprehensibly large door stood, carved into the side of a colossal underground ravine’s wall. Standing in front of the great structure was Sunset Shimmer, her horn lit to illuminate her surroundings.

Even from here, she could feel the powerful magic emanating from the door, a greyish sheen sparking to life every now and again. Millennia ago, Starswirl the Bearded had sealed away the door to Tartarus, otherwise known as the Umberfoal, to keep its shadowy denizens locked deep below the surface. The spell had remained strong for a thousand years. Beyond the spell, the door itself was made of infernal steel, which would stand the test of time for another thousand years on its own.

The gate to Tartarus was, for all intents and purposes, impenetrable.

Sunset Shimmer was here to prove that wrong.

“Prepare the bell. Our goal is nearly complete, Sunset Shimmer.”

Nodding at the voice in her head, Sunset went about preparing her ritual.

Out of her large bag, she produced a large, cracked green bell. Obtaining the Bell of Grogar had been a feat in itself; she had to venture to the top of Mount Everhoof, solo. The journey almost killed her, but after tricking a group of Crystal Empire scouts to aid her ascent, she had managed to steal the bell from the tomb and escape, leaving the scouts for dead.

Everything was ready.

Sunset stared up at the door, a pit in her stomach opening. It had taken her the best part of 2 years to get to this point. Not once had she had any doubts; she was going to get her revenge.

And yet…

“You have doubts, Sunset Shimmer?”

The cold, raspy voice that had been accompanying her for months once again echoed around in her head.

“No, Styx. No doubts,” she replied coldly, but still didn't move.

“And yet… you hesitate. Why?” the voice asked, a slight smug tone in its disembodied voice.

Sunset growled.

“It's just… I've been focused on nothing but this for the best part of two years… and this is it. Once I open these gates, the Nine Kingdoms will be overrun by your lot, and I’ll be able to destroy Celestia myself,” the unicorn said, a small smirk crossing her mouth at the thought of Celestia at her hooves.

“I see, I see… and why does this cause you to pause?”

Sunset tensed as she thought. “I… I don't know. It's just… a lot of ponies will die because of me.”

“And that bothers you… why? You will become their new Queen, Sunset Shimmer. Queen of all Equus! And you'll prove Celestia that she was wrong for trying to replace you…”

With that final thought, Sunset’s expression darkened, and without another thought she declared “You’re right.”

She lifted up the bell with her magic, pointed the open end towards the door, and cast the spell.

Like a whirlpool, the white magic surrounding the door began to funnel its way into the bell. The more that was drained, the more the bell shook. Sunset strained, having to focus hard on the levitation spell to keep the bell in place. After a few more seconds of drainage, the protective spell had been completely drained from the door. Sunset exhaled in relief, only for her breath to quicken again as she realized the bell hadn’t stopped shaking. The crack along its side was growing ever larger. The bell now contained almost all of the power of the legendary Grogar, mixed in with the powerful protective spell that Starswirl had cast.

The very same bell that was about to explode.

Sunset had a split second to think, but she formulated a plan. Levitating the bell high into the air, she swung it around three times before throwing it in a high arc towards the door. Not looking back to see it hit the door, Sunset sprinted as far as she could towards the narrow passage that had led her to the ravine.

The sound of the blast behind her was deafening.

Sunset was swept up into the air by the flow of the air, narrowly missing being impaled on the rugged cave wall by teleporting to the floor mid air. Her momentum stayed the same, leading her to skid along the cave floor on her back, howling at the pain. As she came to a stop, she cast a protective bubble around herself and curled up, praying that it would be enough to keep her alive.

The cave continued to shake for a few more minutes, scraps of debris raining from the ceiling like hail, but eventually… all went still once more.

Taking a few deep breaths, Sunset took down the shield, and got to her hooves. Her eyes widened as she saw the cave.

Huge sections of the cave had collapsed in, a few trickles of sunlight being seen far above, but Sunset was more focused on the door.

There was a single crack, right down the middle.

Sunset stood paralyzed as she saw shadowy tendrils start to gently pass their way out like feelers. Eventually, they got close enough to Sunset to where she could smell the awful, sulphurous stench of the umberfoal.

“Sunset Shimmer…”

Sunset found herself unable to move as for the first time, the voice came from outside her own skull. The tendrils extended out as far as they could go, which was a few meters from the crack.

“You have done well, Sunset Shimmer… we did not account for the condition of the bell… the seal remains, and yet our freedom is ever closer…”

Sunset eyed the black goop pouring from the door like a river, and took a step back.

“Come here, Child of Darkness… we are unable to join you… but we will honour our part of the deal. Come. Ascend. Take your place as their ruler… we will free ourselves in time…”

The black tendrils beckoned Sunset, who still hesitated. She glanced back. The exit passage to the door was right there.

“Celestia did not think you could inherit her throne… prove her wrong. Show the world who you truly are, Sunset Shimmer. Show them all you are worthy. Show them all you deserve worship.”

The ringing in Sunset's ears equalised out as the vision of her and Celestia’s final interaction entered her mind's eye.

Her gaze hardened.

“I'll show them all…” she growled to herself, and with an assertive hoof forward took her first step into a doomed destiny.

Twilight stared at Sunset in a stunned silence as the unicorn finished her explanation, her red held her head in shame.

“Does Celestia know?” the Princess asked eventually. Sunset shrugged.

Silence.

Sunset was waiting for Twilight to say something.

Anything.

But nothing.

After what felt like an age of silence, Sunset muttered “It's ok if you leave. I will be gone by morning.”

“Sunset,” Twilight said firmly. Sunset's head tilted up.

“If you were to go back to that moment, would you still break the seal?”

Sunset’s ears flicked. What sort of a question was that?

“O-Of course not?” she replied, unsure of where Twilight was going with this.

Twilight breathed a small sigh of relief.

“That’s all I need to know then,” she said softly, face curling into a small smile, as she moved forward to hug Sunset once more, wrapping her wings around her.

It was now time for Sunset to sit in stunned silence.

“I… I don't…” she mumbled, trying to back away, only to find herself locked in an embrace.

“I am due to see Celestia tomorrow evening. I will ask if it's possible the seal to Tartarus has been cracked, and I won't say it was you. Then, if she wants me to get involved, I'll insist you come, too. So you can feel like you're helping put things right. I can start putting together a letter now” the Princess explained, going to move away, but a jolt from Sunset made her stay.

She was… forgiving her? Just like that? Why?

“Ever since you got here. Sunset, I… I don't know. Ever since Shiny left, I've felt… well, quite lonely. He was the only one who treated me like… like a pony, not an Alicorn. Or a princess. I-Its not something you've had a problem with, either! Haha…,” she continued, smiling softly.

Sunset shivered.

What?

“You’re… I… I don't think I can remember the last time I felt this way towards somepony else. I don't think I ever have…”

What!?

Sunset's heart rate quickened suddenly, thundering in her ears.

Was Twilight about to-

“I… I don’t think I've ever really had a friend like you before...” Twilight finished, nuzzling the back of her head.

Sunset sat, frozen to the spot, Twilight unable to see her expression grow from shock to anguish as the pain in her heart flared up to new highs.

For it was that moment that Sunset finally realized what she had been denying to herself, ever since she had been rescued from that hole in the forest. Through her training, fights, stress, discomfort, guilt, regret and everything between.

Through every groan she had given to one of Twilight’s frivolous commands.

Through every time she had found herself staring at her Princess, seeing the delicateness of her carefully preened wings, the way the breeze ruffled its way through her well maintained mane. Thinking about all the ways she needed to keep her safe.

All the ways she needed to be by her side every night and every day.

Sunset Shimmer could deny it no longer.

She was unequivocally and unconditionally in love with Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight’s wings continued to embrace her. “Just stay calm, Sunset… try and keep breathing… I'll reschedule tomorrow morning… we don't have to meet Timber until the afternoon, ok?”

Of course.

Tomorrow was Twilight’s first true meeting with her future husband.

There were many things that were told in songs and stories that Sunset had heard of, but had never really believed in. Things like love at first sight, one's life flashing before their eyes, or happily ever after endings.

Now, for the first time, Sunset understood the true meaning of heartbreak.

Chapter Text

Shuffling forward excitedly, the young crier extended the royal scroll in his hooves, and began his declaration.

“PRESENTING HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, DUKE OF CANTERLOT, HAROLD BLUEBLOOD OF THE HOUSE OF SPRUCE, PRINCE TIMBER PINE OF THE HOUSE OF SPRUCE, AND PRINCESS GLORIOSA DAISY OF THE HOUSE OF SPRUCE!”

Twilight’s stomach clenched, doing one last adjustment to her pale green dress, and using her magic to tighten the ribbon in her hair. This was it! The day she has been waiting for her entire life!

She was sitting to the right of her father’s throne, the King sitting with his head held high. On the other side of him was her mother, Queen Twilight Velvet, who wore the familiar regal smile that she always did.

Twilight glanced the other way, smiling nervously to her ever loyal Knight, who gave the Princess what she assumed was a supportive smile, although there was a strange detachment behind it. Twilight’s smile faltered; she could only assume Sunset still had a sore head from last night.

Sunset turned her head forward as the door opened, Twilight seeing her eyes narrowing. Twilight quickly did the same.

First to emerge through the door was Harold Blueblood, head of the House of Spruce and the Royal Duke of Canterlot. Although Celestia was the official Queen of the city, she did not partake in any of the daily runnings of the mountainside metropolis; save for Canterlot Palace itself. Instead, the governance of the upper and lower city was overseen by the Duke. He technically answered to Queen Celestia, but any intervention on her part would likely be seen as an overreach of her powers.

The Duke was flanked by an assortment of royal guards, all donning their ornate golden armour as they marched. King Night Light nodded his head respectfully as the Duke entered. Twilight took a moment to bow her head, but her eyes weren't focused on the alabaster white unicorn or his blonde mane. She was focused on the pony just behind him.

Prince Timber of the House of Spruce.

The peach brown earth pony walked in after his father, head held high, his green locks held in place by a small crown on his head. His features were chiseled; the prince had a very strong jawline. He was wearing a green and white military suit along with a cape draped over his side. Twilight felt a little excited tingle in her stomach as his eyes drifted over to her, a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. Twilight shivered; he was so handsome! Even more than she remembered!

Twilight’s ear flicked as she heard Sunset’s armour gently rustling beside her.

On the other side of the Duke walked his older sister, Princess Gloriosa Daisy. The reddish earth pony was practically skipping, Twilight able to see the excitement radiating off of her. The Princess was wearing a dark green dress and a crown of daisies which complimented her flowing red mane.

Bringing up the rear was Captain Tempest, who was eyeing up the Canterlot royal guard with what Twilight could only describe as disdain. She repressed a smile; she had heard the Captain speak many times of how she thought the Canterlot royal guard armour was ‘form over function’ and it's a miracle they didn't have a higher causality rate.

“Duke Blueblood! My old friend!” King Night Light announced, stepping down from his throne and embracing the Duke. The Duke laughed as they did.

“Your royal highness… this has been a long time coming!” the Duke replied, a delighting grin on his muzzle.

“Indeed it has! This agreement will secure our powerful legacy, and join our families together!” the King proclaimed, taking a few steps back. The Duke’s smile only strengthened as he bowed his head.

“And, of course, will bring great joy to our children!” he continued.

King Night Light nodded in agreement. “Speaking of, shall we get onto the matter at hand?”

The Duke turned his head towards Twilight.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle! I present to you! Timber of the House of Spruce!”

The Duke stood aside to officially reveal Timber; Twilight’s future husband. Of course, as this was a ceremonial event, there was a certain level of uprightness in every action. Despite this, Twilight couldn't help but ruffle her wings in excitement.

Timber smiled up at her, his eyes darting to the Duke a few times. The Duke gave a supportive nod, and the earth pony stepped forward.

“Twilight Sparkle! Princess of Equinox! You are as delightful as the day I first set eyes upon you,” he said politely, bowing his head down low. Twilight beamed as she stood up (a little too quickly).

“Timber! Hi! Uhm- I mean, excuse me. I'll try that again-” Twilight spluttered, taking a deep breath. She could feel her father’s steely gaze boring into the back of her head as she composed herself.

“Timber! Thank you for your gracious compliment! You are looking as dashing as ever!” she said with a simple courtesy. Don't ask me how a horse does a courtesy.

Timber smiled back at Twilight, before awkwardly looking at his father, who nodded once again.

“Twilight, as you know, we have been betrothed to each other. As is tradition, I must ask for your permission, so…”

Timber forward, and sat down on his haunches ahead of Twilight. Out of his jacket pocket he produced a small box. The Alicorn’s stomach twisted in excitement.

“Twilight Sparkle, would you do me the honour of being my bride?” he asked, smiling faintly at the Princess as he revealed the golden band, encrusted with green gemstones, sitting in the box.

Twilight shuddered with excitement, and nodded.

“Yes! Of course!” She said, bowing her head. Carefully, Timber took the band and placed it upon Twilight’s horn. It sat neatly about half way down the protrusion, its inside loop slightly tilted to accommodate for the shape of the horn.

There was great cheer as everypony began to stomp their hooves, Timber taking Twilight’s hoof and kissing it gently. Twilight’s face was flushed red as her wings involuntarily shivered.

With the engagement, the ceremonial part of the event was over, meaning the ponies within the great hall could begin to mingle. Countless maids, guards, and other ponies in the room all approached the new fiances, all congratulating them.

“TTWWIIILLIIIGGHHTT!”

Twilight was almost bowled over as she found herself being suddenly embraced from the side. It took a moment to compute that it was Gloriosa Daisy, her future sister in law!

“You. Look. RADIANT! I’m Gloriosa, Timber’s older sister! Oh, you’re going to love it in Canterlot! Timber has been looking for a girlfriend for years, and here one is! Dropped right into his hooves” she chirped. Twilight laughed at her comment, and at seeing how Timber rolled his eyes.

“Gloriosa…” he groaned, laughing awkwardly, “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t be weird?”

“I’m not! I’m just being supportive!” Gloriosa giggled, giving him a nudge before suddenly exclaiming. “LEADWING! HOW ARE YOU!”.

As she skipped off, Timber sighed. “Sorry about her.”

“Oh, don’t worry! My brother’s… much the same,” Twilight replied, her ears flicking back a little. Timber glanced around the room for her brother.

He, of course, wasn’t here.

Throughout all the conversations with various ponies, Twilight’s smile stayed on the whole time, but when she looked at Timber, she could tell that his smile was somewhat forced. Her ears flattened back. Maybe he didn't like crowds?

She beckoned him, and moved over to the King, who was still laughing with Duke Blueblood. “Father… is it ok if I give Timber a tour of the castle?”

“Can't that wait until later, my dear? There are many more ponies we have to-” he started sweetly, but was interrupted by a nudge from Duke Blueblood.

“Oh, let them live, Nighty! They just got engaged!” he said supportively. The King sighed, rolling his eyes, but relented.

“On you go, then…”

Timber’s face filled with relief, “Thank you, Father.”

Twilight bowed in thanks, and nudged Timber.

“I’ll bring a guard to escort us! It will keep Father happy! Sunset! Come with us-” Twilight called, but frowned.

Sunset was nowhere to be seen.

Twilight felt her stomach get a little uneasy as she looked around the room, her eyes finally landing on Tempest, who was alright staring right at her.

“Sunset left shortly after the end of the ceremony. She was complaining of her back hurting. Do you need an escort?” asked Tempest, her voice even more steely than usual. Twilight frowned, her ears flattening back.

“Oh… Yes, please,” she said, slightly forlornly. She had hoped Sunset would have at least given her a nod to say she was leaving…

Tempest called over another guard who went by the name of Leadwing, and the newly engaged couple left the main hall, their escort tailing them a few meters behind to give them some privacy.

As they left, Timer sighed in relief.

“Thank Celestia that's over…” he said, laughing nervously and taking off his ceremonial crown.

“You’re telling me! I love a ceremony, but that was a bit too much, hahah…” she said, trailing off as she laughed nervously.

“Soooo….” he said expectantly.

“OH! Yes, well, if you'll follow me!” she replied, and started to guide him through the castle. As they climbed up the stairs, she began to talk again.

“So! What are you interested in at the moment?” the Princess asked.

“Uhh… plants, I guess,” he replied.

“Oh! Wonderful! What sort?” Twilight asked energetically.

“Flowers, mainly. I was thinking about trying to do a bonsai tree. My sister is much better at it than I am, though,” he said.

“Oh! Cool! Well… do you have a favorite flower? Tulips and red shades are mine! Although lavender and thistles are pretty high on the list, too!” Twilight asked curiously as they reached the top of the landing.

Timber seemed to consider for a few moments.

“Hard to pick just a few… roses are always nice,” he said with a slight shrug.

Twilight looked at him, expecting him to say more… but he didn't.

“Right! Well, at the moment, I'm doing research into the Umberfoal creatures that have started to appear across the world! My friend and I have been working on ways to better defeat them and determine their origin!” she explained, ready to answer any questions asked.

“Oh! That's cool,” he said with a nod.

Twilight once again waited for him to say more…

… And once again, he didn't.

Twilight frowned, and tilted her head.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Yeah, why?” he replied, looking confused.

Twilight stared for a few moments before continuing, “Oh, nothing! I thought maybe you were a bit overwhelmed by all the other ponies… I get a bit overwhelmed when there's loads of others around too, so just wanted to… you know, check in! Haha…”

Timber just laughed.

“Oh, no, it's ok. I just find those things very boring, and was glad to leave. Apart from you, of course! You were by far the best part!” he said, his face lighting up half way through the sentence, as if realizing something. Twilight felt the skepticism wash away as she beamed back, and gave him an awkward peck on the cheek.

Sighing in relief, she laughed nervously. “Thank you! I’d hate for you to be feeling uncomfortable- oh! Sunset! Hi!”

The pair had turned a corner just as Sunset was entering her bedroom. She was frozen mid hoofstep, staring at the new couple, her face blank apart from the slight twitching of her eye.

Twilight trotted up, her smile widening as she did, and gave Sunset a hug.

“Where did you go?” she asked curiously.

Sunset’s face remained blank for a few seconds before she grimaced. “Sorry, Princess. My back started hurting. Tempest gave me permission to leave. Sorry. Won't happen again.”

“Oh no! Is it your, uhm, scars?” she asked, glancing back at Timber.

Timber was staring with wide eyes at her Knight. Twilight just grinned nervously.

“... Yeah. It is,” replied Sunset, who was now squinting at Timber.

“Oh! Oh no, do you think it’s… do you want me to purge you again?” Twilight whispered, her horn lightning up gently.

“NO. no. That's ok. I just need rest,” her Knight replied, pushing the door open.

“Oh! Uhm, We are going to Canterlot in about an hour and I'm going to talk to Celestia about… things! Did… you want to come with us?” she asked hopefully.

Sunset looked back, side eyeing Twilight and the still staring Timber behind her.

“Is that a command?” she asked eventually. Twilight was taken aback.

“Oh! Uhm, no? Just to see if you wanted to…” she trailed off, looking crestfallen.

Sunset exhaled through her nose.

“I think I'll stay here, if that's alright,” she said eventually.

Twilight studied her face, squinting a little. Oh how she wished they had the strange emotion reading powers of that unicorn they had found in the woods.

“Okay… if that's what you want…” said Twilight sadly, “Rest up well, okay? I'll be back tomorrow afternoon!”

Sunset just nodded, and shut the door.

Twilight remained staring at the door for a few moments, her mind whirring away.

She had stayed with Sunset for much of the rest of the night, the unicorn eventually falling asleep in her embrace. She had carefully lifted her Knight onto the bed with her magic. The first time she had seen her during the day was at the ceremony.

She must be hurting a lot more than Twilight had realized…

Carefully, she went to knock on the door.

“Was… sorry, was that- Sunset Shimmer?”

Twilight paused as Timber finally piped up, looking shocked.

“Oh, uhm, yeah. She swore an oath of redemption to me and now she's my Knight! Not only that, but she has been helping the army and guard take out much of the shadow creatures that have been appearing! She's very good at what she does!” Twilight explained.

“Didn't she also destroy half of the Gala?” asked Timber, frowning at the door.

Twilight gritted her teeth subconsciously. “She did… but, she has sworn an oath to protect me, and if she ever breaks it, she will get sent to trial and most likely be executed.”

“And you trust her?” Timber asked finally.

“I…”

Twilight looked back at the door, imaging the pained Sunset Shimmer taking off her armour and laying back down on her bed, wrapping up warm in the cozy blankets Twilight had been sure to leave for her.

“Yes. With my life. She'd do anything for me,” Twilight confirmed with a firm nod.

Timber looked skeptical, but slowly nodded.

“If… you say so, I guess… Can we move on with the tour?” he asked, already starting to walk.

“Oh! Uhm, yes! Of… of course…” the Princess replied, taking one last forlorn look at the door.

“A-Anyway! What were we… oh! Yes, have you got a favorite book? I heard from my father that you are an avid reader!” she continued hopefully.

“Oh, uh… fiction or non fiction?” he asked.

“Either!”

“Well, I read ‘The Shepard’s Edge’, recently,” Timber said after a few moments of thought.

“Oh! Excellent, yes! I love that one! The way that it slowly builds up the two as opposites, but then it flips and they realize they can’t survive without each other! That was my favorite theme, anyway! What was yours?” Twilight said, her face lighting up. Finally! Something they could properly talk about!

“Oh. Uhm. I haven’t really thought about it like that,” he said, smiling at Twilight.

Twilight just smiled in return, but looked away.

He was probably just tired from all the waiting and ceremony.

She was sure he’d light up a bit more when well rested!

As Twilight moved in front of Timber, he piped up once more. “Who made your dress, by the way? It looks great on you!”

Twilight felt a flush quickly cover her face, as she turned around to look at him, looking him up and down. A smile crept over her face as she took in his appearance.

Even if he wasn’t the best at conversation, at least he was kind of hot.

Chapter Text

Sitting in the main hall of Canterlot Palace at a small side table, the young unicorn was staring intently at a book, squinting harshly at the jumble of different shapes and symbols. In all the time she had spent with her previous caretaker, Misty had never been taught how to read.

“U… n… 1? No, that's… uhm…” she mumbled, squinting.

“That's an I, Misty. They look similar to a 1, but do not tend to appear in words,” said Raven Inkwell, assistant to Queen Celestia, as she exhaled through her nose.

Misty looked at her, and frowned, ears flattening back.

“I'm not meaning to make you upset…” she mumbled.

“You aren't! Don't worry! You're doing really well!” insisted the older unicorn.

“Then why are you angry?” asked Misty.

Raven stumbled on her words for a few moments. Thankfully, her boss came in to save her from the awkward moment.

Entering from a side door, Queen Celestia moved gracefully into the room, smiling as she saw the two.

“Good evening, Misty. Good evening, Raven. How are your lessons going?” she asked politely.

Misty smiled as she entered, giving the Queen a small wave.

The last few weeks had been a whirlwind for the strange unicorn. First, she was taken back to a big castle by the nice Unicorn and Alicorn she had met in the woods. Next, Queen Celestia had come to take her to Canterlot! She had asked a lot of questions to Misty about her origins. Some, she knew the answer too; to most, she did not; and to some, Misty lied. She assumed it would be best for Celestia not to know what became of her previous caretaker.

Celestia had taken time aside from each day to teach Misty some basic magic, and further explore her strange ability to read and calm emotions. Misty had never really asked what all of these lessons were for, but she was more than happy just to be somewhere where someone wasn't constantly yelling at her or out in the world where there were always ponies giving her weird looks; that was enough for her.

When Celestia had been busy with her official duties, a rotating group of maids, assistants and guards had been taking care of the young unicorns. Celestia was always there to bid her good night, however.

Misty was always slightly in awe of Celestia; she had been taught about how truly powerful the Alicorn was. Despite this, the being of near mythic power was always slow and polite with her, despite the young Unicorn’s constant stumbling and messing up of social cues.

One thing that Misty has noticed with Celestia is that, no matter what emotion was radiating from her, there was always a tiny tinge of sadness, like a low drone. With most ponies, Misty would just go ahead and ask, but with Celestia, she had the somewhat rational fear of being sliced in half by a mere flick of her horn.

Still… it perplexed Misty. She was the most powerful being in the world, and all of her subjects seemed to adore her. What was there to be sad about?

“Her lessons are going…” Raven started, cutting herself off as she saw Misty’s gaze flick over to her.

Celesita’s assistant shuffled over to her asistee.

“Your highness… I understand why she must be kept close by your side, but I don't quite understand why the spelling job goes to me! I'm an assistant, not a teacher!” she whispered. Celestia just chuckled.

“Can you not spell?” asked Celestia, the flickers of a smirk crossing her regal face.

Raven huffed. “I can. She can't.”

Celestia turned her head to Misty, who gave the pair her usual blank (and slightly unnerving) stare.

“Don't worry, Raven. I have found a new home for her. They should be arriving very soon.”

Misty’s ears flicked up.

“New home?” she asked nervously, “What do you mean a new home?”

Celestia smiled sadly.

“Misty, do you remember how we spoke about how this palace was not a good place for a child to grow up on their own?” the Queen said softly, stopping in front of the young unicorn.

“...yeah?” Misty said nervously.

“Well… I have found you a family who is more than happy to take you in. I will come to visit, of course, and once you have worked on your spelling some more, we can write to each other!" Celestia said encouragingly. Misty’s bottom lip wobbled as she tilted her head like a dog.

“But you’ve already taken me in. Why can't I just stay here with you?” she asked sadly.

Celestia sighed. “I… I am afraid I am not properly equipped to raise anypony, little one. It has been a joy to have you round at the palace, but I think it is time for you to properly settle down! See more of the world! Learn how to make friends!”

Misty’s head tilted the other way. She opened her mouth to speak, but Celestia cut her off by producing the strange tiara.

“I’d also like to give you this. I spoke to one of the artificer’s in the City, and they produced this tiara for you to wear. I remember you complaining that your ability tended to overwhelm you when there are other ponies around…” she said as she gently levitated the tiara onto Misty’s unflinching head. The silver cone slotted perfectly around Misty’s horn.

As soon as it was on, Misty’s eyes bulged. She shivered a little, her head tilting up to look at Celestia.

For the first time in her life, she had no idea what Celestia was feeling.

“Misty… how am I feeling?” Celestia asked, a twinkle in her eye.

“I… I…” Misty said slowly, a smile quickly forming on her sheepish face, “I don’t know!”

“Then it seems like it has worked wonders! The only downside is that when it is on, you will be unable to cast magic, but that is something you and the ponies you will be around will be able to help you practice with. I happen to know a wizard who lives in Zephyr Heights currently; I’m sure he will be able to assist your growth!”

Almost as soon as she had finished speaking, the great doors of the main hall opened, and a royal guard entered the vast room. The Pegasus had blue fur and rainbow hair, which stuck through the grate on her helmet neatly, creating a chromatic mohawk.

“Your Majesty! Princess Twilight and her escort have arrived! Shall I send them in?” she asked with her raspy voice.

Celestia’s ears flicked up in surprise, but she nodded.

“Yes! Yes, of course, Miss Dash. Send them in!” she replied.

Celesita took a deep breath as she positioned herself to face the door.

After a few seconds, Twilight Sparkle passed through the oversized doors, smiling graciously as she saw Celestia. Celestia returned the expression, but it dropped up on seeing that her guard was not who she had been expecting.

Instead of a unicorn, it was a white pegasus, donning some dark blue light armour and with pink and blue hair poking through the slit in their armour.

“Good evening, my dear Twilight,” greeted Celestia, quickly embracing the other Alicorn with her hoof.

Twilight was quick to embrace her mentor, a huge sigh of relief releasing out of her “Good evening, your Majesty!”

Celestia’s gaze moved onto her guard; the unfamiliar white pegasus, who stood motionless upon being acknowledged.

Celesita looked her up and down, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. What is your name?” she asked curiously.

“Zipp, your Majesty,” replied the pegasus gruffly, bowing their head respectfully.

Raven was watching with intrigue, but was slightly put off at the practically vibrating Misty beside her, the unicorn lifting up the tiara above her head like she had just caught it.

“Well, it is good to meet you, Zipp,” replied Celestia, before turning her attention back to Twilight.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked, beckoning her over as she started to walk to her throne.

“Well… it's about the recent increase in attacks from shadow creatures,” explained Twilight, “I'm sure you've noticed it too.”

“Indeed. I have had to intervene throughout the nine kingdoms frequently in the last month, and even outside if occasionally. The ponies of Linlithberg were dealing with a sea dragon that had started polluting their shores. The King over there wasn’t too happy to see me, in his words, ‘interfering’, but I simply told him that no matter his politics, I didn’t want his subjects to suffer due to his inaction. He had… choice words for me, but I doubt he will act on any of his threats. The nine kingdoms remain united, despite our troubles,” Celestia mused, placing her rear down on her throne.

Twilight frowned as she stood in front of her; the hermit island kingdom was one that very few had visited, and ever fewer had left. Despite this, the island stood on top of a powerful mineral deposit of powerful crystals, meaning that the seafaring nation remained a sizable threat. Luckily, they had not sent out any raiding parties or envoys for decades.

Raven had trotted over to Celestia’s side, already taking notes of their conversation. Zipp stayed down near the entrance, looking at Misty, who was, of course, staring right into their eyes, the tiara still held in her hooves like she was cradling a stuffed toy.

Twilight winced a little as she tried to word what she was about to say. “Well… I have a hypothesis about what might be causing the increase in attacks…”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I see. What is this hypothesis?”

“Well, it’s the gates of Tartarus themselves. I fear that somepony, or something, may have broken the seal,” Twilight suggested.

Celestia’s brow furrowed. “That is quite impossible. Even I could not break the seal on Tartarus; Starswirl’s spell is more complex than anything I could ever understand, and the development of a counterspell would take centuries.”

“I know! But… What if someone worked out a way around it? There are objects and effects that stop traditional magic from working, right? Like the regional effect around Maretime Bay? No magic has worked there for centuries!” Twilight continued. She was doing a good job of masking that she knew exactly what happened down at the gates of Tartarus.

Celestia kept her gaze on Twilight for a good while as she considered the possibility.

“I understand your concern, but I find it highly unlikely that anything has broken the gates. Even if they did, the infernal steel doors themselves are nigh impenetrable,” Celestia said thoughtfully, gazing off into the middle distance. Twilight frowned.

“Despite this, I will go to the gates of Tartarus to observe them very soon. Even if there is no rupture, extra protections may be worthwhile as a precaution. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Twilight,” Celestia finished, her face forming into a gentle smile.

Twilight exhaled in relief, and found herself embracing the Queen. “Thank you!”

“Now! You must tell me about your betrothal!” asked Celestia excitedly, her more formal tone falling into one that one would take on if regarding a friend. Twilight stayed quiet for a few seconds before responding.

“Oh! Yes! Timber! He’s wonderful!,” the Princess insisted, beaming up at Celestia, “He was a bit tired when we met, but he is thoughtful and caring! We had a nice chat on the carriage ride here! He likes his plants, haha! And uhm, he…”

Twilight glanced over at Raven, who looked at her neutrally.

“He… seemed to accept that Sunset is my protector, which was one of the few things I was worried about… so, that’s good!” she said cheerily. At the mention of Sunset’s name, Celestia’s ears flicked back.

“... How is she?” she asked quietly.

Twilight’s smile faltered. “She’s… she’s alright. She had quite a bad night last night; some residual umberfoal goop got on her and started triggering something, but I fixed it right away. She has been as loyal as I could have ever hoped, though! She’s a good study partner, too! I understand why you had her as a student!”

Twilight’s description seemed to soothe Celestia.

“That is good to hear. I… had expected her to come with you,” she admitted, glancing over at Zipp. The space between Zipp and Misty had tripled, with Misty seemingly maintaining her stare all the same.

“Her back was hurting quite a lot, so I didn’t force her,” Twilight explained sadly, “I do hope she’s alright…”

Twilight expected a response from Celestia, but there was none. Turning up to look at her, she could see a tear welling up in the corner of her eye.

“Y-Your highness?” she asked uncertainly, which just made Celestia shake her head and wipe out the tear.

“I’m fine, Twilight. I’m just glad she’s somewhere where there are ponies who care about her,” she explained, taking a deep sigh.

Once again, the hall of the main hall door creaked open. A different guard entered the room, this time being a mint green pegasus with an orange mohawk sticking out of their helmet.

“Your Majesty! The group from Zephyr Heights has arrived!” she declared loudly.

“Ah! Excellent! Give us one moment, Miss Lightning Dust! I will give you a message when I am ready!” Celestia replied, rising up from her throne. The pegasus bowed her head, and moved out of the room.

“Zephyr Heights?” asked Twilight curiously, looking up at Celestia.

“Yes, Twilight. I believe I have found a suitable home for young Misty-” Celestia started, before pausing mid hoofstep as she watched Twilight’s guard fly through the room with considerable speed, shooting through one of the doors to the outer balcony, and slamming it behind her.

Celestia’s eyes remained locked on the door for a few moments, but she seemed to dismiss it rather quickly. Twilight looked between Celestia and the door, biting her lip.

“Uhm… Celestia? Is it ok if I…” she trailed off, pointing to the door. Celestia nodded.

“Of course, Twilight. Take as long as you need with the princess,” replied the Alicorn as she continued to walk, her face as stoic as ever.

“Huh? Zipp isn't a-” Twilight started, before slowing down as the gears rapidly whirled in her head.

She really should have seen it sooner.

Twilight blinked a few times, and her head snapped back to the door, “... Goodness me.”

As the Princess rushed off to the balcony doors, the main doors to the hall opened once more. Strutting through the doors was none other than Queen Haven, ruler of Zephyr heights. Her greying hair was pinned back in a tight bob and as she entered, she bowed her head in respect to Celestia, who bowed back.

Behind her was a small cohort of royal guards, and her daughter, the pink pegasus Princess, Philomena Petals, known to most as ‘Pipp’. She wore a gold band wrapping around her head just above the ears, her well maintained purple mane bouncing as she scuttled along after her mother on her stumpy legs. She was wearing a simple purple dress that matched her hair excellently, her fluffy wings folded neatly either side.

“Your majesty! A glorious evening to see you!” Queen Haven regarded flamboyantly, her eyes already gravitating towards Misty, who was regailing her with her usual stare. She still hadn’t put her tiara back on.

“Always a delight to have you in my company, Haven,” Celestia replied warmly, but the pegasi’s attention had already been diverted.

“And you must be Misty!” Haven squealed, prancing over to the young unicorn, and warmly sticking out her hoof.

Misty blinked a few times.

“Why are you sad too? Are all Queens sad?” she asked.

Haven was immediately stunned as Celestia let out an awkward chuckle.

“I think it might be best if we kept your tiara on for the time being, little one,” the Alicorn remarked, quickly levitating the muting tiara onto her horn. Misty nodded slowly, fidgeting with her hooves as she looked between the pair of royals.

“I- uhm, well, I’m a little upset, yes, but that isn’t important!” Queen Haven explained hastily, “I’m here to take you to your new home! You’ll love it in Zephyr Heights, and the palace there is full of hundreds of ponies who will make you feel right at home. Now, let me introduce you to my… daughter?” she said, slowing down as she turned to face her daughter, who seemed to be almost vibrating.

“Philomena?” she asked. The princess just nodded, pointing to her own muzzle.

“...OH! Yes, of course! You can speak now, the grown ups have finished-”

As soon as Haven gave the pony permission, Pipp had suddenly shot towards Misty.

“HI! I’m Pipp, you’re new sister! Kind of! We’re going to have so much fun together! WOW! Look at your mane! It’s sparkling like crystals! What kind of ointments do you put on it?” asked Pipp excitedly as she skipped around the unicorn.

“Uhm,” Misty said idly as she shuffled around to try and keep her eyes on the prancing princess, “Water.”

“Ju- no, JUST Water? Girl, you have got some fire genetics! I’m so jealous! Ughh, we are going to have to do something about those hooves though….” she said, pickup up one of Misty’s front hooves and inspecting it like a jewellery maker would inspect a gemstone.

Misty looked Pipp up and down, unable to get a read on her (quite literally). She fought the temptation of removing her tiara again, but was all too used to her uncanny ability putting those around her off. She was trying to remember what Celestia had taught her about making friends. An encouraging nod from the Alicorn gave her the burst of courage that she needed.

“What are your hobbies and or interests?” Misty asked slightly robotically, staring right at Pipp.

Pipp looked a bit confused, before inhaling sharply. “Oh! Oh yes! Sorry, mother did say that you haven't spoken to that many ponies before! Well, my hobbies are fashion, hoof polish, mental wellbeing, finding my sister, manecare, wing maintenance-”

As Pipp’s ramblings went on, Misty continued staring, the words quickly becoming meaningless as her mind started to drift. Where had Twilight gone?

“Zipp? Zepherina? That is you, isn’t it?”

As she opened the door to the balcony Twilight’s head moved to and fro only to see Zipp sitting right beside the door, their helmet off and mask wrapped off their face. They were taking deep breaths, their hoof on their chest. Twilight’s jaw dropped.

“I-It is you! You’re Zepherina!” she exclaimed.

“Z-Zipp, please.” groaned the pegasus, motioning for Twilight to shut the door. Twilight squeaked and nodded, gently closing the door, and looked at her expectantly.

“Sorry for bolting, I just really wasn’t expecting them to be here. Actually… why the hell are they here? Looking for me? Ugh, I knew this was stupid! Why didn’t Sunset come again?” Zipp complained, looking to Twilight for answers. Unfortunately, it was answers that the Alicorn was searching for, too.

“Zipp, your mother’s in there! She must be worried sick!” Twilight said, sitting down next to Zipp, frowning, “Why are you hiding in Equinox pretending to be a guard?”

Zipp’s despaired expression turned into a glare.

“I’m not pretending, Princess. I am a guard,” they snapped, “And I’m far better than most of the other ones you’ve got waddling around your castle! Half of them can’t tell which end of the spear is the pointy one!”

Twilight leaned away in surprise. The Alicorn wasn’t naive enough to be unaware of the immense privilege she had been born into compared to most of the other creatures across the world. It’s what pushed her to go above and beyond to try and make the kingdom she would one day rule a better place, even before she became an Alicorn. Despite this, she couldn’t fathom why someone would just run away from it all, especially to enlist into the guard of another kingdom.

“I… yes, you are, but… you’re a Princess! How could you just run? You didn’t even tell your mother where you went!” Twilight asked.

“Really?” Zipp’s eyes narrowed, “Twilight, you just got betrothed to a guy you’ve barely even met! And you’re asking me why I wanted out?”

Twilight blinked a few times in confusion.

“I… I’m a Princess! It’s what I’ve dreamt of all my life! Marry a dashing prince, raise a family, rule the kingdom with grace and humility!” she explained.

Zipp sat up straight.

“Do you love him?” she asked shortly.

Twilight stuttered.

“I… I will! It will take a few days to warm up, of course, that’s how it is with anyone, but yes! Of course I will! It’s what my mother did, and her mother before her!” she insisted.

Zipp’s ears flattened back.

“You really don’t get it, do you? You’re not at all worried about how little agency you have?” she breathed quietly, putting her head in her hooves.

Twilight frowned. She understood what Zipp was trying to say, but…

“It’s what Princesses are meant to do. Not… not run away from home…” Twilight said slowly, glancing at the door. She could hear hoofsteps approaching.

Zipp stood up, quickly placing their helmet back on and pulling up their mask, but their gaze remained fixed on Twilight.

“Do you really want to be a trophy wife?” she asked as she flapped around to the other side of the balcony, hidden from sight.

Twilight watched her hide with confusion. Of course she wouldn’t be a trophy wife; she was going to continue her studies, complete any task given to her by Celestia, and help keep the nine kingdoms safe. Even when she was married, she knew Timber would understand her needs.

She turned her head as the door opened, Celestia gracefully striding onto the balcony.

Twilight gave a quick bow of her head. “Your majesty?”

“I wanted to know if your guard was still here, Twilight,” Celestia said, her voice unusually grave, “I wish to speak with them.”

Twilight’s eye twitched a little in confusion, her gaze momentarily flicking to Zipp’s hiding spot. Celestia already knew about Zipp’s identity, so why was she still being coy about it?

“If they are worried, assure them I will not be revealing their identity to anypony in the main hall without their consent,” Celestia continued, her head turning to where she must now know the former Princess was hiding.

Tentatively, Zipp revealed themselves, their head held down in shame, gazing up at Celestia. Celestia’s expression remained grave.

“You have caused your mother much dismay, little one. She does not know if you are alive,” Celesita stated firmly.

“I know…” Zipp replied guiltily.

“I am not going to force anything upon you; I believe that would be to the detriment of all parties. I merely wish to inform you that your mother, sister, and new adopted sister will all be leaving soon,” Celestia explained in a neutral tone.

Zipp’s eyes widened. “New adopted… what?”

“Queen Haven is taking Misty into her care,” explained the Queen.

It was significantly harder to read Zipp’s expression with both her mask and helmet on, but Twilight could still see the pegasus’s legs gently shudder.

“She’s- she’s replacing me?” Zipp took a firm step forward.

Celestia quickly shook her head.

“That is not what is happening. I needed to find a place where Misty could grow up in comfort before she puts her abilities-”

“You facilitated all of this? You saw me here and you- you??” Zipp snapped, moving up to Celestia, her wings spreading out in anger. Twilight squeaked in fear; she had never seen anypony talk to Celestia like this. Celestia’s eyes narrowed as she looked down at the snarling pegasus.

“Typical! Mom missed her old daughter, so what does she do? Oh, just get a new one! Amazing! Fantastic! Well you can tell her I'm alive, and that I NEVER want to see her again! Got it? And if she tries to find me, I’m just going to escape to somewhere where she’ll NEVER be able to touch me again!” they snarled.

Twilight was expecting a calming response from the Alicorn, but instead, Celestia seemed to freeze up. Twilight’s stomach dropped as she remembered the only other time she had seen her like this.

The Grand Galloping Gala.

Zipp jerked their head away and moved over to the edge of the balcony.

“What time do you leave tomorrow, Twilight?” they asked sharply.

Twilight stumbled over her words, “U-uhh, uhm, 11am?” she replied.

“Cool. See you there,” Zipp said flatly, before leaping off the balcony. Twilight ran over to see the Pegasus gliding around the castle and towards the upper city of Canterlot.

The pair of Alicorns stood silently on the balcony for a few minutes.

Both were thinking hard about what the runaway Princess had said.

“Shall I… go after them?” Twilight asked eventually.

“I think… it would be best if you didn’t,” Celstia replied, taking a deep breath, “But… keep an eye on them. I would not want them to do anything rash.”

“I will. Don’t worry,” she said, moving up to Celestia. Wordlessly, she embraced her to the best of her ability. Celestia breathed out.

“Thank you…” she whispered, “Would you… mind tending to Queen Haven and her cohort? I believe I need some time.”

“Of course,” Twilight confirmed. She disengaged from the hug, straightened up her mane and wings, and entered the main hall once again, the thoughts of what Zipp had said to her ringing around her head.

Was all of this what she wanted?

Once alone, Celesita found herself gazing off into the horizon, her eyes being drawn, as always, to the far distant hills that surrounded Equinox Castle.

Wiping away the forming tears, she thought of her own mother, and the pony she had seen as a daughter.

In the far distance, there was a flash of light.

Chapter Text

The Knight had shut the door of her room after her short conversation with Twilight at about 3 pm and flopped onto her bed to stare at the ceiling.

It was now 8pm.

Sunset was still staring at the ceiling and still wearing her armour.

Despite the discomfort, she hadn’t had the fortitude to take it off. A few hours ago, she had heard Twilight leaving with Timber for Canterlot, where she would be staying the night.

Just as she was finally finding a rhythm and starting to somewhat enjoy her new life, everything had been thrown off center by the past, as always, coming back to bite her and new and painful ways. Her newfound realization of her love for the Princess muddied the waters even further, as did her new fiancé.

Timber Pine, of the house of Spruce.

He seemed… fine. From the little Sunset had seen of him, he had acted respectfully and politely (apart from his wide eyed stare upon seeing the fallen unicorn, but that was to be expected). Twilight seemed to like him, too. Despite not really being Sunset’s type, she could see the appeal physically, at least.

Sunset had been secretly hoping he was awful so she’d have a better excuse for wishing he didn’t exist.

One thought lingering in the back of Sunset’s brain was how she couldn’t remember a time when she had actually seen him before. The face triggered a memory, but it certainly wasn’t from a gala or ball that Celestia had brought her too. If he was Canterlot royalty, then how come Sunset had never properly met him before?

None of that really mattered, though. In about a month's time, Twilight Sparkle was going to be married. Where would that leave Sunset? Eternally pining over the one thing she could never have? Did she even want Twilight? Or did she just desire to protect her?

After all Sunset had done…. Twilight deserved far, far better than her, and that was Timber. Right?

Sunset ground her teeth as she felt old thought patterns rear their ugly heads.

‘If only I had attacked the gala from the other side. Maybe then some of the debris would have crushed him.”

As the thought entered her head, she sat bolt upright, her eyes bulging slightly.

Breathing through her teeth, she smacked the side of her head a few times with her hoof, as if it would help remove the unwanted thought from her head.

“You don’t think like that anymore… you don’t think like that anymore, Sunset,” she growled at herself, eventually slamming her hoof down on the bed in frustration. She could feel herself backsliding.

The Knight felt like she was about to burst.

She needed to move.

Without putting much thought into it, she stood up, and marched out of her room, turning right down the corridor.

She needed to do something.

Moving down the stairs, she found her head starting to pound with a headache. She needed to release this energy in the only way she knew how.

She moved out of the castle, past Tempest, who was getting an earful from King Night Light about guard rotations. Past the moat and drawbridge, and into the wooded hills that lined the path down to the town. Slowly, her march turned into a run which turned into a sprint.

Sunset kept running.

Once deep enough in, Sunset felt herself start to hyperventilate. Digging her hooves into the coarse dirt beneath her and baring her fangs, the unicorn let out a growl as she began to cast a spell. Swirling around her horn like a wand, a fireball began to form. Sunset pumped all her frustration, anger and despair into every swing, the ball rising higher and higher into the air as it became more unstable by the second. With a mighty roar, she slashed her head upwards, and the fireball rose into the sky like a miniature sun. It flew for several hundred meters before bursting like a fireworks, lightning up the dark forest with light as bright as daylight.

Sunset stared up at the sky, the embers of the fireball trickling down through the sky, extinguishing before they hit the ground. Baring her teeth once again, she started frantically wiping her eyes with her hooves.

Even though she was alone, she couldn’t face the idea of anyone seeing her cry over something that was never remotely within her reach in the first place.

The release of energy had been good, but she could already feel it building back up. She summoned a radiant blade, caught it in her mouth, and set her eyes on a tree.

A spruce tree.

Running full pelt, she slashed at the tree, the hot light blade making a good sized notch in the trunk of the tree. Circling back, she flipped the blade around, and launched from the other side.

Again and again, she struck the tree, every blow filled with her unresolved anger.

Eventually, and with one last slash, the tree began to buckle. Circling round, she charged head on, and leapt up whilst twisting her body. She struck the trunk with her back hooves, feeling the vibrations painfully move up her leg and into her core, springing back into the air with the kinetic energy. She twisted in the air but messed up the landing, ending up skidding on her side across the ground, but still had the satisfaction of hearing the tree slowly starting to splinter. The creaking intensified as the tree crashed down onto the forest floor, birds nesting in the nearby trees bursting out into the air, squawking and chirping as they flew.

A spiteful grin crossed Sunset’s face as she lay in the dirt.

“Timber…” she uttered ironically, shutting her eyes.

After her lack of sleep the previous night, Sunset felt like she could pass out here and now, in the mud.

Unfortunately, other forces had other ideas.

“Deserting, are we? You did better than I expected; I thought you would have bolted within the first week. ”

Sunset opened her to see Tempest Shadow looming over her, the Captain’s eyes narrowed with disdain.

Sunset slowly tilted herself onto her front, looking up at her tiredly.

“Not deserting. Just deforesting,” she joked, the smile wiped from her face as she saw how deadly serious Tempest looked.

“Was that tree important?” she asked nervously.

Tempest tutted with dismissal. “I don’t give a fuck about the tree. What I do give a fuck about is one of my guards, Twilight’s Knight, lying on the dirty floor of a forest instead of escorting her to Canterlot.”

“She didn’t command me to go. So I didn’t,” Sunset said simply, rising to her hooves, going to pass her Captain, who briskly stepped in front of her.

“I’m not playing this game again. I just want to go back to my room and sleep,” Sunset growled.

“Why are you here, Sunset,” Tempest asked. Sunset bared her fangs.

“We’re doing this again?” she snarled.

“Only if you don’t answer my question,” said Tempest, standing tall in her path.

Sunset huffed. “I’m here to serve Twilight Sparkle. Which I am still doing! I’ve been away from her before, I don’t have to baby sit her every move! Does your precious King Night Light always have you by his side?”

Tempest snorted at this, her horn crackling.

“I am oathbound to this kingdom, not just him. You know fine well that this is different. You are oathbound to her, and you just let her be taken away by a stranger, guarded by an imposter, to go on a four hour journey, just so YOU didn’t have to see Celestia again,” Tempest spat.

Sunset felt her hackles raising.

“This isn’t about Celestia!” she yelled angrily.

Tempest’s face slowly morphed into a satisfied grin.

“I thought it would take you longer to crack than that, Knight Shimmer,” she said smugly.

It took a few seconds for Sunset to register what she was insinuating. Once she did, she looked mortified.

“T-That’s not what I meant! I mean, obviously it's partially about Celestia, but it’s also- well, I had a bit of a relapse last night- and-” she spluttered, hurriedly trying to cover her tracks.

“Ah yes, your little relapse. Twilight told me of this this morning. Having to get purged again sounds painful, and yet you were fine to attend the betrothal ceremony. You left pretty soon after, though… and yet here you are again, cutting down trees. What changed?” she said, grinning.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. She would rather admit to breaking the seal to Tartarus than admit her feelings to Tempest of all ponies.

Tempest eventually just chuckled to herself. “I would advise you to put any personal feelings towards anypony aside, Sunset. Your feelings don’t matter; only your oath. Trust me. The rest of your time will go much smoother if you remember that."

Sunset ground her teeth.

“How would you know?” she asked bitterly.

Tempest’s eyes narrowed as a spark of lightning flew out the end of her fractured horn.

“I know, Sunset,” she hissed, “I know all too well.”

Sunset was a little taken aback by the admission. This wasn’t just Tempest giving her advice; she was trying to stop history from repeating itself.

“And I suppose you won’t be telling me how?” Sunset asked.

Tempest furrowed her brow.

“No.”

Sunset had suspected as much.

“Are you satisfied, then? Can we go back to the castle?” pleaded Sunset, just wanting this so-called lesson to be over.

“I have one more question for you, Sunset,” Tempest stated darkly.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Fine. What.”

Tempest’s gaze was piercing. “You swore an oath to Twilight sparkle. You promised to be there to protect her with every ounce of your mind, body and soul. Today, on her way to Canterolt, what if a wyvern has swept down on her carriage? What if an assassin’s arrow struck true? Could you handle it if she died and you weren’t even there to try and save her?”

Sunset was ready to just give a snarky response and head back to the castle, but the question hit in a way she wasn’t expecting. Fleeting memories of her nightmare reentered her mind's eye, and she found her stomach suddenly churning at the very thought of Twilight being gone.

If Twilight was gone, then what was left of Sunset?

Sunset eventually made eye contact with Tempest again. “... Point taken, Captain.”

Tempest grinned.

“Glad you understand. Come on, soldier. Back to the castle,” she instructed, and waited for Sunset to join her side.

Sunset took one more fleeting glance back at the felled tree.

It was something else she was just going to have to accept about her ever complifying situation.

Twilight Sparkle would never be her Princess, but Sunset Shimmer would have to continue being her knight.

She would have to accept her place, and do all she can to keep the Princess happy. That's all that mattered.

With Twilight’s dream of being married soon on the horizon, it would probably be an easy task.

By the time Twilight had got back to Duke Blueblood’s palace in the upper city of Canterlot, she was ready to go to bed.

As she was leaving the palace, Celestia had taken her aside and requested a message be passed on to Sunset. It was one that Twilight had not been expecting, but it was exciting nevertheless.

However, talking with Zipp and hearing her reaction to the news of Misty had made her all too overactive mind whirr away.

Zipp has spoken about her desire for agency, which wasn't something Twilight had ever really thought about before. As far as she thought, she had complete agency, save for a few royal engagements. She could study, travel, relax, hang out with Sunset, and sleep pretty much whenever she wanted! She was thankful her father had become much more lenient ever since she got her wings.

Maybe that was it; Zipp's mother had always been very upright and regal whenever she had interacted with her, and whenever Twilight had spoken with Zipp before they ran away, they always seemed exhausted with keeping up their royal appearances. Perhaps Zipp truly didn't have the same kind of freedom that Twilight enjoyed, meaning they were pushed to escape by any means.

Despite this processing, Zipp’s last comment kept on bouncing around in Twilight’s head.

Do you love him?

Twilight had never once considered this.

All Kings loved their Queens, and all Queens loved their Kings; that was how it worked. That's what she had read in all of her stories; what her parents had taught her all her life; what her father had promised her when Shining Armour had eloped with the ‘lowborn’.

It was her duty to the Kingdom, and to her father.

And herself, of course.

Of course she'd grow to love him. It was a stupid question. If Zipp didn't believe in it, that was their problem.

Twilight would be fine. Plus, for any parts of Timber that she didn't gel with, she'd at least always have Sunset by her side too.

She shuffled in, nodding to the guards as she entered, and made her way into the main hall. It was late, so she assumed there wouldn't be anypony here.

She was wrong.

Timber sat at one of the long banquet tables, quietly flicking through a large tome. Twilight’s heart rose.

“Hey!” she called, trotting over to the stallion, “What are you reading?”

“Hmm? Oh, hi Twilight. I'm reading a book,” he replied, smiling at her.

Twilight laughed, despite not being sure if it was meant to be a joke.

“I know, hehe! But what's it about?” she asked, sitting down next to him. He stared at her blankly for a few moments.

“... OH, oh sorry you're actually interested?” he said nervously, quickly flipping the book up to show her.

It appeared to be a book on fertilizer.

Twilight’s eyebrows rose.

“Oh! Is this for your greenhouse?” she asked.

Shyly, Timber nodded. “Yeah… I haven't been able to properly cultivate red shades before so I was seeing if there was anything in here that would make them vibrant. The yellow centers really complement the red shades from what I've seen in pictures.”

Twilight blinked a few times, her cheeks starting to flush.

“You’re growing flowers for me?” she asked.

“Well, you did say they were your favorite,” he grinned.

Maybe it was just because she had never had a boyfriend before, let alone fiance, but to Twilight right now? This was the most romantic thing that anyone had ever done for her.

Apart from possibly Sunset allowing her Princess to lie on her back on the way home, but that was different. That was just her knight.

“Thank you!” Twilight chirped, immediately embracing him. Timber stayed still for a few seconds, before tentatively placing his hoof around her. Twilight laughed.

“What's wrong? Never been hugged before?” she giggled.

No response.

“Anyway, I was thinking! I leave tomorrow at about 11am, but before then, we could head down to the lower city and have a little date? I'd like to spend much more time with each other before our wedding!” she suggested as she disengaged from the embrace.

Timber considered it for a few moments but shook his head.

“Oh, no thanks. I don't go to the lower city,” he said simply.

Twilight frowned, crestfallen.

“I know it quite well, though! My friend Moondancer and I always used to go to this cafe called the Blue Lagoon, and it's really nice!” she insisted.

“I prefer to just eat in the palace. We can have breakfast together, though?” he suggested.

Twilight bit her tongue, but smiled anyway.

“Okay! Sure… I want to see your greenhouse before I leave, though. Goodnight, Timber!” she said, turning around to hide the disappointment in her face.

It’s fine.

When she was living here with Timber, for the long term, she could always just command Sunset to go with her; she was sure she'd enjoy it.

Gently heading up the stairs, she turned the corner and was immediately ambushed by Gloriosa, who was shuffling her hooves with excitement.

“You two are such a cute couple! AUGH! I’m so excited for you to be my sister in law!” she squealed.

Twilight coughed a few times in surprise. “You… were watching that?”

“I am always there to support my brother. Oh Twilight, you’re going to do wonders for him! He… really doesn't get out of the palace much!”

Twilight smiled sweetly.

It was a confirmation of something she was already quite sure of.

Twilight listened to Glorisosa’s inane rambling for another few minutes before insisting she had go to sleep, shuffling past her and into the guest bedroom. Even the guest room was almost as luxurious as her own; Canterlot was something else.

Taking off her dress and flopping onto the bed, she held one of her pillows close to her chest.

Tomorrow she'd head home, tell her Knight all about her day, and let her know of Celestia’s unexpected request.

She hoped Sunset wasn't hurting as much as she had been in the morning.

Chapter Text

Sunset was thankful that Tempest hadn’t summoned her for guard duty until midday; below all the steel and rage, her Captain at least understood the value of a lie in.

Upon reequipping her armour, she found herself on wall duty. Despite her obligation to circuit the outer walls twice every 15 minutes, she found herself pacing around the walls to the front gates, tail twitching like a dog waiting for its owner to come back. Ever since Tempest had implanted the idea of Twilight in danger into her mind, she had found herself anxiously checking the road leading up to the castle twelve times a minute.

She was going to be fine. Zipp was a capable guard on their own, not to mention the four other guards escorting her back home. If any danger threatened them, her escort would dispatch them, and if they were too strong, the Knight knew that Zipp was one of the fastest fliers in the nine kingdoms; they'd be able to pass on a message to any would be allies within minutes. Of course, even without her escort, Twilight Sparkle was an Alicorn; that in itself would likely scare off most would be attackers.

Not that she had been trained much in self defense.

Hopefully the would be attackers didn't know that, either.

As the hours passed, Sunset had started getting more and more twitchy. Twilight had left Canterlot at 11am. The trip between there and Equinox took around 4-6 hours depending on conditions. Sunset had spent a few minutes doing the mental maths, and estimated that Twilight should arrive at the castle at about 4:30 pm. As that time hit, every minute after became increasingly stressful for Sunset.

“You ok, Shimmer?” asked Leadwing as he passed her on the walls, his eyes flicking down to her twitching tail and shuffling hooves.

“Yeah,” she said shortly, not taking her eyes off the road. There was still no sign of her- the Princess.

“You sure? You haven't taken a break yet. Want me to ask Rocky to cover for you?” he asked sympathetically.

“No. He wouldn't,” Sunset replied idly, still not making eye contact.

Leadwing huffed. “You know we like you, right?”

This broke Sunset out of her focus, and her head flicked over to him. “What?”

Leadwing smiled.

“I'll admit, most of us weren't too sure of you when you joined, and I know you aren't really too talkative when it comes to your colleagues, but you've more than proved you aren't here just to coast along. I've even overheard the Captain talking about how impressed she is with your improvement… but don't tell her I said that,” he said with a wink.

Sunset stared at him for a few moments, her mouth hanging ever so slightly ajar.

“Thanks,” she said, unable to really process what she was being told, “But I’ll be fine, i-”

She stood up suddenly.

At the bottom of the winding road up to the town, Sunset could see a purple smudge surrounded by an entourage of dark blue plated armour, the guards having left the carriage in the town.

Leadwing had to cover eyes as the flash of Sunset’s teleportation dazzled him.

Sunset sprinted down the path, head bobbing up and down as she dashed towards the Princess.

Her arrival was so meteoric that the guards raised their spears, but quickly dropped them as they realized who it was.

“Sunset! Hi- OH!” Twilight squeaked, taking an excited hoof step forward before having to do a wing powered leap backwards as Sunset skidded to a halt in front of her, almost crashing into the Princess.

“Twilight!! Are you ok?” Sunset asked intensely, face wrought with worry.

Twilight laughed a little, nodding affectionately.

“Good to see you too, my knight!” she giggled.

Sunset didn’t even try to stop her tail from wagging.

“Did anything happen? Are you hurt? I’m so sorry I didn’t come with you, I promise that I won’t let any personal feelings get in the way of keeping you safe again. Can you forgive me?” she rambled hopefully, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying.

Twilight looked confused.

“Personal feelings? I thought it was because of your back?” she asked, tilting her head.

Shit.

Luckily, Sunset was a quick thinker. “You know. Celestia and… All that, as well as my back.”

Twilight gave a hum of understanding, and nodded.

“It’s ok, Sunset. Really! It was just travelling here from Canterlot! We didn’t have any issues, and if we did, Zipp and the others would have been there! Right Zipp?” she explained, looking over to the pegasus. Zipp’s head was down as they side eyed the pair, not doing much more than a small nod to acknowledge. Sunset frowned.

“Zipp?” she asked curiously, but Twilight shook her head.

“Their mother showed up to pick up Misty; Queen Haven is going to look after her. They’re taking it badly,” Twilight whispered, in Sunset’s ear. Sunset’s eyes narrowed in understanding as she made a mental note to talk to Zipp in private later.

“Let’s head up the castle. I’ve got so much to tell you! Timber is wonderful, and his palace is beautiful! Oh, you should see his greenhouse! He’s growing flowers just for me!” Twilight said excitedly.

Sunset could already feel the pit in her stomach open up, but she did her best to push it far down inside of her.

“That's good to hear. I'm glad”, she replied as warmly as she was able.

“-Oh! And! Celestia has a message for you! Well, not really a message more of a task but- look, lets just get back up to the castle, ok!” Twilight continued as she started trotting happily, smiling back as Sunset with that familiar little tingle of excitement.

Sunset stood still for a few moments, watching her walk, unable to wipe the grin off her face.

No matter the emotional trials and tribulations that Twilight’s company brought to her head, being around her couldn’t help but make her feel like everything was going to be ok.

The realization of what the Princess had just told her Knight hit her like a frying pan to the back of the skull.

As the pair moved up to the castle, Twilight explained all that had happened on her trip to Canterlot. Sunset managed to tune out most of the stuff involving Timber; it was easier if she just pretended he didn’t exist.

Hearing of Zipp’s confrontation with Celestia brought back memories to Sunset that she rather weren’t there; Twilight seemed to notice the link too, but had been dancing around spelling it out.

Eventually, after a quick chat with the King (who seemed overjoyed that Twilight had a splendid time with her fiance) and being dismissed by Tempest, the pair went to Sunset’s room. The Knight didn’t quite understand why it had to be her room, but she didn’t mind.

As they entered, Twilight hopped up onto the bed, and faced Sunset.

“Sit down, Sunset,” Twilight requested. Sunset immediately did so, neither of them seeming to realize just how willing she was to sit on command.

By the sun, she was down bad.

Twilight gulped. “So… Celestia’s task…”

Sunset nodded slowly.

A nervous smile crossed the Princess’s face. “She… wants you to train me.”

Sunset stood quite still for a few seconds, the request hitting a brick wall in her mind.

“She wants me… to train you? You’re already far better at magic than me. I don’t know what I’d be able to teach you,” Sunset said, somewhat dismissively.

“I may be good at magic, but I can’t use it like you do. She specifically said that she wants me to be able to fight if I need to. I guess it’s in case we come across any other monsters whilst travelling; I am the only one who can seem to purge darkness, after all! Shiny showed me some basic self defence, but I've become an Alicorn since then? So I suppose it's quite different”, Twilight suggested, smiling.

Sunset’s eyes bulged a little but as she turned around, pretending to be in thought, but in reality was feeling panic rush into her system.

Twilight didn’t know about the threat of Nightmare Moon’s return, and yet Celesita thought that she (and the 8 other Alicorns she wanted to create) would be key to the defeat of the mare on the moon. But that was almost 16 years away; why was the Queen so keen to give Twilight combat training so early?

It was almost as if she feared something could be coming.

She bit her lip. Not only was she having to contend with the constant overbearing knowledge of Twilight’s upcoming wedding, but also the knowledge that Celestia had enough faith in Sunset to ask her to train up her student.

Sunset did her best not to scrape her hoof along the floor in frustration; Celestia knew how to teach combat magic; she had taught Sunset all those years ago. Why her? Was she too busy to train her prize pupil? Just to force Sunset to have to do physical activity with Twilight so she'd be forced to keep herself together?

Sunset took a few moments (and deep breaths) to ground herself once again.

Celestia wanted her to train Twilight. She must have a reason. She wouldn’t be doing this as a punishment. She cared about Twilight just as much as Sunset did.

If that were possible.

The Knight turned back around to face the Princess.

“Okay,” she stated, straightening up, “When do we start?”

“Oh! Well, whenever you want!” Twilight said, her smile widening further.

Sunset’s eyes darted between her and the door.

“Now?” she suggested.

“Sure!” Twilight chirped, “I was hoping you’d say yes!”

Sunset got momentarily distracted by Twilight's energetic grin, feeling it infect her own muzzle as her lips curled upwards.

“Alright! We’ll… I don’t quite know what we’ll do, but we’ll do something! I’ll prepare some spells, work out how the hell I'm meant to teach…” she mumbled, her eyes drifting to Twilight’s perfect wings, “Does she want you to be able to fight, or to be able to avoid getting hurt?”

“She didn't say,” replied the Alicorn, who had gotten to her hooves.

“That’s fine. I guess I’ll just try and teach you what I learned when I was on my own, and some of the combat stuff Tempest taught me. Although, I'm not sure how much help I'll be able to give you with those…” she muttered, “I'm sure I can convince Zipp to help you with flight combat. I'm not really the one to ask about that,” she finished, feeling the rough skin of the scars along her back against the metal plates on her back.

“Okay! Well, I'll see you in the training hall?” she asked perkily.

“Sure! Yeah, uhm, yeah. Sure,” Sunset nodded quickly. Twilight smiled, and gave her a quick hug.

“It's really nice to see my Knight again,” she said, extending a wing around to pat her head. Sunset could feel the perfectly preened feathers tickling her scalp and horn and gently caressing her ears

Sunset was frozen solid, only able to reply with a little nod. As Twilight disengaged, Sunset turned away quickly, moving towards her still broken wardrobe and shuffled around some books that now lined the bottom, pretending to look for something.

“See you in a bit!” Twilight chirped as she trotted out of the room.

Once the door closed behind her, Sunset looked back up, her face beetroot red.

Close call.

Even with her first and only boyfriend, she had never gotten herself this worked up over a simple touch of the top of her ears.

Sunset bit her lip.

Twilight stood slightly awkwardly in the middle of the training hall as Sunset shuffled around near the edge, poring over various training guides and manuals that Tempest had directed her towards. The unicorn was grumbling to herself; she had never seen herself as much of a teacher.

She had considered trying to ‘initiate’ Twilight in the same way Tempest had to her, but she felt like that might break her oath in some way; she was bound to protect, not harm.

Still, something in the same philosophy would give Sunset a good idea of where Twilight needed to improve… and she was going to start with the first thing that Celestia had taught her.

“Okay, Twilight,” Sunset said, shutting the book and moving over to her. Twilight nodded nervously.

“The main thing that you need to be good at is not being hit in the first place. Ponies like me or Tempest have our armour to fall back on, whereas you will probably be without protection. Hopefully, you won't have to ever be in a fight without me there, which means I'll be good to head into the danger head on if you stay back and shoot from a distance,” Sunset explained, standing in front of her. Twilight nodded in understanding.

“Okay… so, first of all. Imagine I'm a monster,” Sunset said, flashing her fangs. Twilight chuckled and nodded.

“Very scary, my knight,” she remarked.

“Thank you, Princess. I'm a monster, and I'm coming towards you, teeth bared, ready to strike at a moment's notice. What do you do to get away?” Sunset asked, taking a hoofstep closer to her.

Twilight's eyes lingered on Sunset’s teeth, but quickly flicked back up to make eye contact.

“Well, I'd want to get away from it as soon as possible, so I’d either try and teleport away, or just fly if that isn't an option. In doing so, I’d also try and work out any weaknesses my opponent may have, and exploit them!” Twilight explained, extending her wings. Sunset took a few moments to stare at them.

“... Yes! Good. And now say that there is an innocent pony who needs protecting. Obviously, best case scenario, you will be able to just pick them up and fly off, but if you strike at the monster, what do you do?” she continued.

“Well… first, I'd try a simple energy shot spell,” Twilight replied, lighting up her horn and turning to one of the targets in the room. Casting the spell, she let the small laser of energy shoot out of her horn, where it hit the edge.

“Well, we’ll work on your aim, but good. What else?” Sunset continued.

“Well, I guess depending on the monster, I could try some sort of paralysis spell? They're tricky, and mostly just work on other ponies, but-” Twilight thought out loud, lighting up her horn again.

“I’d rather you didn't try to cast that on me right now,” Sunset said quickly. Twilight nodded.

“O-Okay! Well… I suppose if it was a pony, I could try and… uh… tackle them?” Twilight suggested, “I-I’m stronger than I seem!”

Sunset snorted a little, but immediately tensed upon seeing Twilight’s pout.

“What?” Twilight asked.

“It’s just… you’re not exactly the ‘tackle a bandit to the ground’ type, Princess,” Sunset said, still sounding like she wanted to laugh.

“Have you ever seen me try to tackle somepony?” asked Twilight indignantly.

“Well, no, but-”

“Then how do you know I’m bad at it?”

Sunset rolled her eyes.

“Alright. Let’s try that then. See how it goes,” replied Sunset, moving herself into a combative stance, “Whenever you’re ready.”

Twilight nodded, copying Sunset’s stance, but didn’t move at all as her face shifted between different levels of confusion.

“You good, Twi?” chuckled Sunset.

“Yeah, I… one moment…” the Princess replied, tilting her head a few times, shuffling herself closer.

“You know, if I were a real monster, I’d have struck you down by now,” Sunset commented as Twilight continued to shuffle forward.

“True… but, luckily, you aren’t. You’re my Knight. And I know you won’t hurt me,” Twilight said, and quickly ran towards Sunset. The unicorn wasn't expecting the sudden rush and was caught off guard. The intense instinct to strike or jump backwards was overwhelmed by the even more intense instinct to let no harm come to the Princess.

Twilight leapt to the side, and pushed Sunset with her front hooves. What would have been a light shove from a regular pony sent Sunset a foot in the air as she was quickly toppled onto her side, landing with a heavy clank of her armour. Sunset grunted in pain, which quickly turned into a cry of surprise as Twilight was on top of her, hooved firmly on her armoured side as she leaned in closer to her Knight, their muzzles inches away.

“Remember, Alicorn’s combine the strength of unicorns, pegasi AND earth ponies, my Knight!” the Princess said with a smug grin.

Sunset was staring up at Twilight, the Princess’s hair gently dangling down and brushing against Sunset’s face.

Sunset Shimmer gulped.

“P-Point taken,” she stammered, nodding idly. Twilight giggled, brushing the hair out of Sunset’s face.

“Sorry, hehe!,” Twilight laughed, taking a step backwards and offering a hoof, “Shining Armour taught me that one! You remind me of him a lot, you know! I guess you are a bit like a sister, huh!”

Sunset suddenly felt the cramping sensation of a griffon gripping her insides with its sharpened claws.

“I…” Sunset coughed, rising to her hooves on without taking Twilight’s help (which made The Princess’s head tilt), “I guess so! Yeah!” she said, smiling the most forced smile she had ever mustered.

“Hehe! Perfect! Well then, what's next, sis?” Twilight laughed, unaware that her word choice was almost a coup de grace to the already wobbling Knight.

“PLEASE! Don’t call me sis,” Sunset said with a little too much force, which made Twilight jump, “Just call me Knight. Please.”

Twilight’s face was immediately full of worry.

“Sunset?” she asked, moving her hoof to hold her face, but Sunset shuffled away.

“Sorry, Princess. I- uhm, I really don’t want to talk about it. J-Just don’t call me sis. Ever,” she reiterated; this wasn’t a lie, of course.

Twilight’s frown remained, but she nodded vigorously. “Of course! Of course, Sunset, I’m so sorry, I had no idea! I’d never do anything to knowingly upset you!”

Somehow, after everything, that last note of Twilight’s apology were the most painful words of all.

“I know, Twilight… I know.”

The first training session ended abruptly, and before long, another tree in the forest by the castle found itself being felled with even more ferocity than the last.

Chapter Text

Sunset could see Zipp in their usual spot; perched atop one of the roofs of the castle. Technically, this was part of their guard duty; if they saw any danger approaching the castle or town, they could dive bomb it. It did, however, make it quite tricky for Sunset to reach them. Taking some deep breaths, she strained her horn and focused. It was far further than she was usually able to teleport, but it was worth a go.

She inhaled deeply, then exhaled. As she did, she teleported through the air, but missed the roof by a few meters. Panicking, Sunset quickly teleported again, landing awkwardly on the roof, getting winded by the point. Zipp tilted their head round curiously. Sunset grinned, before freezing as she heard a distant clattering.

Looking down, she could see her armour falling down into the courtyard in a heap, terrifying a few of the gardeners, who were now glaring up at her angrily. She had once again forgotten to account for the weight of the armour.

“SORRY! I’LL COLLECT IT IN A MINUTE!” she called down to them. Even from up here she could sense their disdain.

“What do you want, Sunset,” asked Zipp tiredly, turning their head back to watching over the castle.

“To make sure you aren’t about to do anything stupid,” Sunset said, unsteadily shuffling over to sit by her, a few tiles falling off the roof.

“Such as?” Zipp replied, sounding almost bored.

“Well, you know… plotting some kind of revenge?” Sunset suggested nervously.

Zipp sighed, and shook their head. “Don’t worry, Sunset. I don’t want to kill my mom. I just never want to ever see her again. You have no idea what it feels like to be replaced.”

Sunset’s fur bristled at the insinuation.

“Who do we both protect again? Oh yeah, Celestia’s New Student. I know exactly how you feel. You feel like you did this big grand act just to show your defiance, and your mother has just brushed it aside, right?” she empathized.

Zipp’s wings bristled in a similar fashion as they jerked their head away in defeat. Sunset smirked; she could feel that she hit the nail on the head.

“Look. Celestia has asked me to train Twilight to fight, and you’re the best flier I know. I need her to be able to fly faster than any attacker could ever be,” Sunset explained.

Zipp glanced back once more. “What has this got to do with anything?"

“I'm giving you a task. Something to dedicate yourself to, at least for a while”, Sunset replied, “When I dedicated myself to something when I was in your position, it ended up with me turning into a demon. I'm not saying you'll do the same, but I'm worried you'll head down a path you regret.”

Zipp’s gaze hardened.

“Do you really think I'll do something extreme?” they asked, seemingly insulted.

“Did you ever think I'd do something as extreme as I did?” Sunset rebutted.

Zipp bit their lip.

“... Point taken,” they replied slowly.

“The next training session is tomorrow at 9am. I'd love for you to be there, and I know Twilight would, too.” Sunset said firmly, giving Zipp a pat on the back.

The pegasus tensed, but nodded.

“Sure.”

Sunset sighed.

“Zipp, I… I'm sorry. Really. But… from what I understand with what Twilight has said about Celesita in regards to me, I know your mother isn’t replacing you. She probably just misses you, and Celestia thought she’d be a good candidate to raise Misty because of the safety of Zephyr Heights.” Sunset explained, trying her best to reassure the pegasus before her.

“That kid is a unicorn, Sunset. She can’t even fucking fly. Why would Zephyr Heights be-”

Zipp started shaking gently, as they jolted a few times. It took a few moments for Sunset to realize that they were crying. They had started frantically wiping their eyes with their hooves, and as Sunset moved closer, they could see the intense resistance to showing the emotion etched onto their face.

Sunset was all too familiar with this.

The unicorn moved up beside them, and extended her hoof around them without touching.

“I know that you usually don’t do contact, but…” she said expectantly.

Zipp sniffled, but nodded. With that, Sunset embraced them, a smile forming on her face.

She felt a little guilty for a few reasons. Part of her felt like it was her fault that Celestia chose not to raise Misty, as not to repeat her ‘mistakes’ with Sunset…

…but an even bigger part of her was wracked with guilt for her motivation in recruiting the runaway princess in helping to train up Twilight.

The more time Zipp spent training instead of Sunset, the less chance there was for any more ‘incidents’ with Twilight that would lead to more deforestation of Equinox’s woods.

Now Zipp was even more upset, yet Sunset still felt relieved that her plan had worked.

She would find a way to make it up to them, even if they never realized anything was wrong in the first place.

Another library study session.

“Is this anything?” asked Sunset, pushing the book over the table to Twilight. Twilight’s eyes skimmed the page.

“Hmm…” she muttered to herself, poring over it, “An invisibubble… I guess that would work, but- no, nevermind. It would hide the location of the gate, sure, but it's not about what we're trying to keep out, it's what we're trying to keep in.”

Sunset’s ears flattened in disappointment as she took the book back. “Right…”

After a few more minutes of silent study, Sunset huffed in frustration, pushing the book away from her, and placing her head firmly on the table with a dull thud, letting out a low whine. Twilight chuckled, closing the book she was reading.

“What?” grumbled Sunset.

“You’re cute when you’re brooding,” Twilight chuckled. Her face dropped at the brief glare that Sunset shot her, the unicorn trying to ignore the tightening of her chest.

“There has to be something in here somewhere, Sunset. We can fix this, and we'll work it out together,” Twilight continued reassuringly.

“Can we?” asked Sunset, tilting her head upwards to match her gaze, “This is ancient magic
You can't just do the same spell again. Only Starswirl knew what the components and incantations were, and he was dead even before Celestia came along. I just hope she can figure out a way to seal it again on her own. Would certainly save me a bunch of stress…”

Sunset placed her head in her hooves as she stared at the wooden table below her, focusing on the grooves of the wood as if they would magically transform into the answer she was looking for.

“Well…” Twilight said slowly, “If Celestia can't seal the gate… We could always… make the spell again ourselves?”

Sunset took a few moments to process what she was saying, finally looking up at her. “What?”

“Well, not to brag but, we are two of the most well informed ponies in the nine kingdoms, both of whom have studied under Princess Celestia. I'm not saying we're on Starswirl’s level, but we can start from scratch… and work from there! I've already finished one of his unfinished spells, so I don't see why we can't remake one of the ones he already cast?”

Sunset maintained her gaze for a few moments, trying to formulate the words to explain why this idea was stupid and would never work.

She couldn't.

Twilight was right.

Sunset nodded, sitting up straight. “It would be a lot of work. We'd need to research every protective spell, find out what plants and animals lived so long ago, figure out what spells derive from the original, if any, and find out how they even developed spells. We'd need a whole bunch of resources. It could take years!”

Twilight smirked.

“Well, in about a month, we’re both moving back to Canterlot, which not only has Timber’s personal collection, but also has the biggest library in the entire world. Also, just to check, have you got anywhere else you need to be in the next ten years?” she asked, eyebrow raised expectantly.

Sunset was momentarily stunned, but her face cracked into a sad smile.

“You know I don't, Twi. But what if I don’t survive the next ten years, what with all of these attacks,” she asked, mostly joking.

Mostly.

Twilight shook her head.

“I command you not to die in the next ten years. How about now?” she said, doing her best to not burst into fits of giggles.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Well when you put it like that, I guess I have no choice, Your Majesty. I shall be sure not to perish, under pain of death.”

The two maintained grave eye contact for a few moments, before both bursting into laughter.

Twilight shuddered as she hovered in the air, the castle below looking the size of a horseshoe box.

“Is this not high enough?” she quibbled, glancing over at Zipp, who shook their head.

“This is the standard combat training height for Canterlot pegasi guards; we need to go higher,” explained Zipp, pulling down their mask to allow them to breathe easier.

“B-But at higher altitudes it becomes harder to breathe!” complained the Princess.

“You’re part pegasus now, Your Majesty; I don't know much about Alicorns, but I'm pretty sure your lungs will be able to handle it,” the former princess replied, and started to beat their wings harder and faster to start rising further up into the air.

Twilight could feel herself getting a little queasy as she shut her eyes and flapped up after Zipp. Despite having bigger and arguably more powerful wings than the natural born pegasus, it was clear who had the most flight experience.

“Come on! Work it, Princess! The manticore would have caught up to you by now!” teased Zipp, diving down and doing several loops around Twilight as she continued to rise, the Alicorn starting to pant.

“Urrgghh, you’re worse than Sunset… at least she will shut up when I command her to…” she groaned, continuing to flap.

Zipp huffed in frustration. “Ugh, come on! You’re still moving your wings like they’re levers! They go more than up and down! You need to rotate them like an old rowing boat!”

“I’m TRYING!” Twilight strained through gritted teeth, finding her wings starting to cramp up, her ascension speed quickly starting to dip. Zipp saw the signs and held out their hoof.

“Okay! Okay that's high enough for now,” Zipp said hastily, and Twilight returned to a hovering state. Zipp bit their lip; Twilight really needed to exercise her wings more if she was to be combat ready.

“Alright. We’re going to do a dive, then we’re heading back down where Sunset can take over again, ok? I'm going to show you some exercises for your wings every morning, too. Will help with your flexibility,” they said, moving closer to the princess, and extending a hoof. Through the exhaustion, Twilight took the hoof graciously.

Together, like they had practiced before, the pair tilted down, holding their wings close to their body as they started to plummet, their connected hooves stretching downwards towards the earth. Twilight felt herself holding her breath as they dove, fighting the instinct to shut her eyes as the ground came up to meet them.

“READY? THREE! TWO! ONE! NOW!”

Both winged ponies extended their wings out to form an air break, but Twilight shot hers out too quickly due to her nerves. This caused her to break far quicker than she was meant to, and the Princess cried out in pain as the air pressure strained her wings. Zipp was quick to swerve up to grab her, but the pair remained tumbling to the ground much faster than they would like.

Luckily for the pair of them, a Knight’s watch is never over.

Both Twilight and Zipp had a sensation similar to falling onto a trampoline; their fall slowed dramatically, but they bounced back up into the air a couple of times. Opening her eyes, Twilight looked down to see Sunset, straining as her horn glowed cyan, projecting a spell out of the tip that acted like a big net.

Slowly, she lowered her horn to get them closer to the ground. With a big exhale, she extinguished her horn, with Zipp and Twilight landing on the floor with a gentle thud.

“Nice catch, dude,” groaned Zipp, head in hoof, but still managing to grin. Twilight on the other hand was immediately on top of Sunset, wrapping her forelegs around her neck.

“NEVER! NEVER AGAIN! I’M NEVER FLYING AGAIN!” she wailed as Sunset chuckled, awkwardly patting her on the back.

“Don’t say that, Princess! What if there is a book on a high shelf and you’re already carrying four other books with your horn? What then?” she teased.

“Then I’ll get you to levitate it down for me,” grumbled Twilight.

“And if I’m not there?” asked Sunset.

“You will be,” Twilight mumbled shortly. Sunset felt her stomach clench.

“It’s… true. No matter where you fall, I’ll be there to catch you,” Sunset sighed, gently shuffling away from the hug, Twilight being left standing with her legs shaking gently.

Eventually, Twilight regained her composure, and tilted her head towards Zipp.

“How did you get so good at flying?”

Zipp smiled nervously, shuffling closer. “When I was a kid, there was a hydra loose in the ravines that surrounded Zephyr Heights. Mom called for aid… and the Wonderbolts arrived.”

Twilight's eyes widened in understanding.

The Nine Kingdoms each had their own armies, but after the Battle of Basalt Beach, it was decided that there should be elite forces based in Canterlot that were able to be deployed rapidly to any kingdom in case of emergency.

There were four in total. One for each of the main pony tribes, and one that was a combination of the three.

The Wonderbolts were the elite pegasi who could use weather as a weapon. The group had dealt with all manner of dangers, from wyverns to invading armies.

“The battle was fierce, and, me being me, I wanted a closer look. So, I broke the lockdown and flapped down to get a better view, only to get whacked into a ravine by one of its heads. It broke my wing, and I thought I was dead, but one of the Wonderbolts shot down like lightning and grabbed me, and got me to a safe inlet in the side of the ravine,” Zipp explained, sitting down as they began flexing their wings out in well choreographed stretches.

Sunset moved closer, intrigued. “Who was it? The one who saved you, I mean.”

“The pegasus was called Spitfire. They could see how terrified I was, so they stuck with me until the monster was right beside us. They stood up, glanced back at me, and flashed their teeth. I’ll never forget the spark in their eyes as they told me to “Watch this.” The other Wonderbolts had already whipped up a dark cloud above the ravine. Spitfire shot up into the air, into the cloud, and as they descended, it was like they were sparking with electricity. As they hit into the monster’s back, a thunderbolt shot down from above, and slammed into the Hydra, paralyzing it long enough for the other Wonderbolts to roll huge boulders onto it, smashing it to bits. Ever since I saw that display I… I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to do that,” Zipp continued, laughing a little to themself, “It’s funny. They were the first pony I ever met who wasn’t binary. I don’t think I even knew they existed before Spitfire; maybe that explained a few things about me, too.”

Sunset bit her lip; it reminded her of when she had first seen Celestia summon a radiant blade and the almost worshipful desire to be just like her.

“Of course, when Spitfire delivered me back to the palace, the first thing I told my mom is that I wanted to be a wonderbolt,” Zipp said, growing more tense as they rolled their eyes.

“But Zepheryna, my dear, You’re going to be the Queen when you’re older! You won’t have time to fight any monsters!” Zipp said, imitating their mother with a silly voice, before blowing a raspberry.

“Didn’t listen to her, of course, and from that point on, decided I was going to train every day… and here I am now,” they said proudly, managing to stick a wide grin onto their face.

Twilight smiled softly at Zipp. “Was… your mother okay with you changing your name? Or…”

Zipp shook their head, “Haven’t spoken to her about it yet, no, but I’m sure it would be the least of her worries. More worried about how Pipp would take it; she’s always adored having a big sister to idolize…”

They trailed off, looking down in discomfort. Twilight frowned, and glanced at Sunset.

Sunset wasn't looking at Twilight; she was looking in the sky. There was a little dot on the horizon, most likely a pegasus flying. What worried Sunset was the rate at which it was getting closer to the three of them.

“Twilight. Get back,” Sunset growled, ears flattening back as her horn lit in readiness. Zipp noticed the incoming blip, and took off into the air, hovering a few meters above Sunset. Twilight backed up a little, frowning, lighting her own horn.

Just in case.

Streaking down towards them before jerking out her wings in a tight breaking manoeuvre, a blue pegasus donning Canterlonian royal guard armour halted mid air a few meters in front of them, the airburst blowing the three ponies manes into the air. Twilight squeaked, desperately trying to neaten it up again.

All three recognized the newcomer with various degrees of familiarity. Twilight recognized her as a guard, Zipp knew her vaguely from a few Canterlot visits, and Sunset recognized her a little more intimately.

Zipp grew slightly more relaxed. “Oh! That's…”

“Rainbow Dash?” Sunset called out, eyes narrowing. The pegasus had been a cadet in the royal guard during Sunset’s time living in Canterlot, and the pair had butted heads a few times whilst out in the Lower City. Looks like she was a fully fledged guard now. Neat.

“That’s me! She said you might be here too! Good to see you, Sunny!” the pegasus nodded, grinning, but there was a frantic look in her eyes.

Her gaze quickly locked onto Twilight, and she flapped closer. “You! Twilight Sparkle right? Yeah, uh, I need you to come with me. Celestia’s in trouble. BIG trouble.”

Twilight gasped, shifting closer. “What kind of trouble?”

“She brought me and a few others to this cave, and some black stuff shot out and hit her pretty hard. We've got medics doing their best but she insists that she needs you! I'm lucky I found you, Lightning Dust must be half way to Canterlot by now, she wanted to make it some kind of race to see who could find you first! Means she’s gonna end up cleaning my bunk for the next-” Rainbow Dash explained but was cut off by Sunset taking a heavy hoofstep forward.

“Where is she,” Sunset barked. Rainbow Dash was snapped back into the severity of the situation.

“About 25 miles west, on the mountains that border Falkirk and the wildlands,” she relayed.

Sunset felt an icy spear piece her stomach.

She exchanged a short glance with Twilight, who had momentarily completely stopped breathing.

Both of them knew what lay deep beneath the mountains there.

The Gate to Tartarus.

Sunset’s mind was racing. If Celestia demanded Twilight, it could only mean that she needed purged, and if she needed to be purged quickly…

“O-Okay! Let's go. Come on!” Twilight said, stretching out her wings a few times in preparation.

Sunset found her brain starting to cloud up, indecision gripping her. She needed to get to Celestia as quickly as she could, but had no easy way. Twilight could get there relatively quickly, but then she wouldn't be able to protect her properly. What was she meant to do?

She began grinding her hoof into the dirt below as she felt her eyes squeeze shut. Suddenly, she felt a hoof on her cheek. She jolted, flinching backwards, opening her eyes to see Twilight in front of her.

“She’s going to be okay. I can do this,” she said reassuringly.

The touch grounded her again. Focus on what’s important.

“I- she can't die, Twilight. It can't be my fault that she dies-” Sunset started to whisper frantically, “a-and I can't let you go without me. I can't let anything happen to you. If Celestia gets corrupted by one of those things, I don't-”

“Zipp and Rainbow Dash will be there, plus the rest of Celestia's guard,” Twilight replied, a wobble in her voice as she did her best to mask the fear.

“They aren't me! They can't… I…” Sunset responded, feeling her stomach begin to spike again.

“Clocks tickin’, Princess!” Rainbow Dash called.

“Rainbow Dash, she’s a slow flier. Do you know how to create a two pony rotating slipstream?” Zipp asked.

Rainbow Dash just laughed.

“Do I know- of COURSE I know! Do I look like some unfledged filly?” Rainbow Dash replied.

Zipp rolled their eyes. “Can you do it?”

“Yeah? Obviously? I’m the fastest flier in Equestria!”

“We’ll see about that. We need to go, Princess,” Zipp concluded, looking at Twilight.

Twilight’s ears flicked back.

“Sunset, head back to the castle and tell my father what is happening, please, and wait there for me. I won’t have you wearing yourself out.” Twilight said, giving Sunset a quick embrace. Sunset didn't respond as the Princess took to the air.

“Okay Princess, you’re going to fly between your guard and I. We’re going to maneuver to create a powerful rifled slipstream, meaning flying will be much faster, and with far less energy” Rainbow Dash explained as they began to rise.

“It will be more like gliding like we practiced earlier,” Zipp continued.

“Keep her safe. Under pain of death,” Sunset called after them.

Rainbow Dash laughed, but Zipp grimaced. “She's not joking, dude.”

Twilight gave a final wave as the three took off high into the sky, leaving Sunset, eternally ground bound, staring up at their ward disappearing into the distance.

Sunset stayed still for a few seconds, eventually starting to slowly shuffle along. Twilight had told her to stay at the castle, and so at the castle-

She paused once again.

Twilight hadn’t commanded her to talk to King Night Light; she had only asked.

So technically…

The unicorn grinned.

Sunset Shimmer loved a loophole.

She did a big dog-like stretch, shaking out each of her legs, before begging to run west, her armour clanking as she went.

25 miles wasn't that far.

Chapter Text

Raven Inkwell had become Celestia’s personal assistant under the understanding that she'd be there for administration, negotiations, diplomacy, and other such royal duties.

She had not become Celestia’s personal assistant to help carry her boss out of a dark terrifying cave.

The secretary stood idly, trying her best to keep her composure, as she stared down at the Queen, two medics frantically tending to her.

The attack had been fast and brutal, coming straight from the crack in the large gate that the Alicorn had guided them to. From the crack, a black, pointed tendril had pierced Celestia through the chest and begun to drag her away, with only the quick thinking from Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust saving her. The pair had quickly dislodged some of the loose debris on the ceiling, and used it to crush the tendril further down the line. This, paired with the radiant light coming from Celestia’s horn, was enough to drive back the attacker, but not before more tendrils began to spill out like an upturned vase of oil. The unlucky unicorn archeologist had been completely enveloped by the tendrils, to which he was dragged into the darkness that was flooding from the crack.

It was fair to say Celestia had vastly underestimated the threat.

Eventually, they were able to return Celestia to the surface, where she collapsed.. It was only then that Raven saw the black remnants of the entity’s attack still lingered in Celestia’s wound… and it appeared to be spreading.

Celestia’s last conscious command had been demanding that Twilight Sparkle be brought to her as soon as possible, and to not attempt to move her before that.

It wasn’t the stress of battle that was getting to the unicorn. Raven had dealt with intense scenarios before; she had been the one to comfort Celestia after her battle with Sunset.

It was what Celestia had whispered to her before she slipped out of consciousness.

“If the darkness spreads to my neck… take one of my knight’s spears, and put me down.”

Raven took stock; Rainbow Dash, Lightning Dust, Clear Skies and Cloud Chaser had all been dispatched out to find Twilight Sparkle, help from any adventurers and soldiers, or both.

Remaining were two medics, who remained tending to Celestia, four earth ponies in heavy armour, and one meek looking unicorn squire who clung close to one of the earth ponies like a magnet. The archeologist with them had been lost to the entities residing below.

It had been about an hour since sending the pegasi away when Raven first heard the noise. A guttural, low growl echoing through the mountainside.

“O-ON GUARD!” cried Raven uncertainly. The remaining warriors moved over to Celestia, forming a tight circle around her.

“M-MISS! UP THERE!” cried the Unicorn squire, pointing up with his green hoof. Raven followed the gaze, and immediately exhaled in relief.

Three pegasi were approaching, two of which were continually rotating back and forth in front of the third.

Twilight had never flown for this long before.

Thanks to the two pegasi’s incredible mastery of their wings, the total journey only lasted about 25 minutes, and the slipstream had made the flaps of her wings feel weightless. Despite this, her morning training session meant that as she and her escorts touched down, Twilight immediately collapsed down onto the floor, gulping for breath as she lay flat on her back. Zipp landed next, also panting, but with a huge grin on their face. Rainbow Dash was the last to land, doing a big dog-like stretch and flexing her wings. The pair of pegasi made eye contact, and nodded with mutual respect at each other.

“Rainbow Dash! Thank goodness, you found her! And-” Raven exclaimed as she approached the trio, pausing as she looked upon Zipp. Twilight frowned to herself as she managed to sit herself up; Celestia had no doubt told Raven of the pegasi’s true identity.

“Zipp,” replied Zipp shortly. Raven gulped, but nodded.

“They’re quite a flyer, Raven! Really! Lightning Dust is going to be SO mad to find out I got to slipstream somepony without her!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly, pouting as Raven marched straight past her and towards Twilight.

“Miss Sparkle. I assume you know why Celestia called for you?” she asked briskly. Twilight nodded, rising to her hooves on unsteady legs, still breathing heavily, and got her first proper look at Celesita.

The sight of her wound almost made her pass out.

Striding as fast as her body would let her, she looked down at the black substance that was slowly crawling out of the wound, having made it half way to her throat and a third of the way down her leg.

“Whatever it is, it’s stopping any sort of healing, even melting bandages,” explained the white earth pony medic frantically, taking a step back, “Holding fire near it seemed to help, but it’s already gotten too far!”

“O-Okay, okay… I… I got this. Stand back. Sunset, I'll need you beside me to-” Twilight announced, but suddenly stopped.

She was so used to having her Knight by her side.

She shook the bad thought out of her head and took a few more deep breaths, her horn lightning up.

The Princess had purged many creatures before, but never tried to heal a wound like this. She hoped it was just the same?

She muttered the phrases, and cast the spell, placing the horn on Celestia’s flank.

There was a bright flash of purple light and an airburst far stronger than any she had experienced before; it was enough to knock all the other surrounding ponies into the air a few meters, crashing to the ground with pain.

Usually, purging a creature felt like flushing out water from a blocked tap, having to put extra effort into making sure all the blockage had been fully removed. This felt more like there was another stream of water pushing back against Twilight.

The Princess’s eyes widened in fear as she saw some of the black goo start to wrap around her own horn. She let out a scream of terror, backing away suddenly, and shaking her head around rapidly, the continued spell managing to dissipate the substance from her horn. Looking back at Celestia, she saw that the darkness had receded, but was still spreading. This was going to take longer than ever.

What kind of monster did this to her?

“I t-think it's using her strength against me!” Twilight exclaimed. It made sense; the stronger a tainted creature, the stronger dark powers it received. Sunset had been far stronger than the wolf they fought.

Twilight didn’t have time to quibble; if Celestia fell, then they’d likely be dealing with full powered umberfoal infused ancient alicorn. There was nothing on this plane of existence that would be able to even come close to competing with that.

Spitting on the floor, Twilight (metaphorically) rolled up her sleeves, and charged back in for a second attempt.

“BRACE!” she cried out, giving a few second warning to the surrounding ponies, and slashed her horn back down.

An airburst of similar strength hit the surrounding area once again, as Twilight started to growl with exertion. She felt the ichor start to pass over to her, but this time, she didn’t stop purging. She could feel her stomach start to twist itself into unpleasant knots as she fought against the dark influence that was already starting to seep into her head.

She wished Sunset was here to support her struggle.

With one last great cry, she slammed her hoof on the floor and flicked her head upwards, blasting off the substance with a purple blast, the dark energies evaporating into black smoke. Panting, she looked down at Celestia.

Despite still having a nasty wound, the darkness was gone.

She was okay.

“M-MEDICS! GO! Do… do your thing…!” she called, falling back onto her rear, head in hoof, an uneasy sensation in her stomach. Regaining their footing, Zipp rushed over to Twilight, and began talking to her. Twilight wasn’t taking it in.

As the medics rushed back in to tend to Celestia (properly, this time), Raven approached Twilight, bowing her head.

“T-Thank you, Princess. Truly,” she breathed, watching the medics begin their work.

Twilight nodded, feeling herself start to shake as the pit in her stomach grew wider and deeper. It was the feeling of losing a loved one; the feeling of a dark night alone; the feeling of needing someone to hold you, but the one pony you want being miles away.

“S…” she mumbled, clutching her chest, “I… is… I… I need…S…”

“P-Princess?” stuttered Raven, quickly moving closer to catch her as she fell onto her side. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open, and was mumbling something that was just outside of Raven’s range.

Zipp tensed as Twilight collapsed into Raven. Stepping closer, she quickly put her first aid training into practice. She was still breathing and despite her heart beating at an elevated rate, she seemed okay. Looks like it was just exhaustion.

“Princess?” they asked.

“I'm… ok… just…” Twilight mumbled, leaning her head into Raven, who flushed with embarrassment.

“Place her into the recovery position,” Zipp instructed, to which Raven blinked a few times.

“Ugh, fine. Rainbow Dash! Over here!” they cried, and with the other pegasus’ help, put Twilight into the recovery position.

“Gotta be real with you, Zipps, you’re already outdoing every stereotype of Equinox Guard,” commented Rainbow Dash, sitting down to catch her breath. Zipp tilted their head.

“Don’t call me Zipps. What stereotype?” they asked.

“You know! A manticore leading a bunch of kittens?” shrugged the pegasus, “Guess your Captain finally understood she needed more than just her to keep your King safe.”

Zipp frowned from beneath their mask. They had heard of the terrifying reputation of the ex-storm empire general from the grapevine, but had never heard of the negative reputation that the Equinox guard apparently had. Sure, the rest of her colleagues (apart from Sunset) weren’t anything extraordinary, but they were competent at their jobs, and had only gotten better since Zipp’s arrival.

“What can I say? We’re full of surprises,” Zipp replied, shrugging as they stretched out their left wing in a rotating motion.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes flicked down, taking in all of Zipp.

“You certainly are. Makes me wonder what else you’re hiding under your armour,” she questioned, winking at Zipp, before trotting off towards the group of earth ponies.

Zipp stared for a few seconds. As they realized what had just happened, they were thankful their mask covered their now flushing cheeks.

They had never been hit on before; at least, not from someone who didn’t already know they were royalty. Their eyes dipped down, briefly checking out Rainbow Dash in return.

Huh.

Shaking their head to clear the thoughts out of their head, they shuffled over to Raven once more.

“You’re Celestia’s assistant, right? What’s the plan?” they asked.

“Well, when I sent Miss Dash to fetch the Princess, I also sent out our other pegasi to bring a flying chariot to transport Her Majesty back to Canterlot, where she can get the medical attention she needs. Hopefully, they will be here soon, and we can escape this horrid place-” she explained, before flinching.

The same low growl that Raven had heard before emanated through the valley once again, Zipp’s ears flicking upwards as they tried to find the source.

It was coming from a cave slightly higher up on the mountain.

“Heavens…” whispered Raven, as Zipp quickly took flight, and with a short boost of speed, landed several meters away from the cave.

Zipp felt a chill run down their spine as they looked into the dark cave, only to a shape even darker than the ambient darkness start to emerge.

Zipp felt a jolt of terror in their heart.

The creature had the general shape of a pony, with a large curled horn, but surrounding their entire form was a shadowy substance like an exoskeleton, constantly shifting and morphing as the entity moved forward. Through the outer shell, Zipp could make out a purple unicorn, their eyes and mouth wide open in an expression that she could only understand as pain as the darkness seemed to flow out of its eyes, ears and mouth.

Zipp had seen creatures corrupted with energy from Tartarus before; they had never seen something like this.

The monster roared as it reared up onto its hind legs. The ground shook as it descended, the dark energies shooting through the ground like tangle vines as it approached Zipp’s position. Broken out of their panicked stupor, Zipp thrust their wings downwards, propelling them up and backwards, zipping backwards and out of the way of the colossal black spike that shot out of the ground. Had they still been earthbound, they would have for sure been impaled.

“WAKE UP THE ALICORNS! QUICK!” they Zipp yelled, “TAKE UP DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!”

“LOOK OUT!” Rainbow Dash yelled back, already zooming towards Zipp, who instinctively shot leftwards with a powerful flap of their wings. The monster had shot a black tendril from its horn like a harpoon, its amorphous mouth opening in a distorted roar. The tendril narrowly missed Zipp, but had already twisted mid air and successfully grabbed onto their back hoof. Zipp had barely registered the panic as Rainbow Dash had slashed through the goo with her bladed wings, Zipp able to free fly once again.

On the ground below, both medics were hurriedly trying to revive Celestia and Twilight, whilst the earth ponies had moved forward, their spears and blades ready to fight. Only the squire stood paralyzed.

“Shit…” growled Rainbow Dash, flying up high next to Zipp, “It’s acting like the spikes that came out of the crack in the gate! Doesn’t look quite as scary, but it’s still pretty bad! And- Is that a guy inside of it?”

“I think so! What do we do? What did Celestia do?” replied Zipp, suddenly kicking her acquaintance out of the way with a hoof to knock her out of the way of another tendril.

“Celestia was able to keep it back with her horn, but that’s like, radiant god heaven firemagic! The fuck are we meant to do against it?” Rainbow Dash complained, “We’ll just have to rely on Lightning Dust showing up with help, I guess!”

“Y… You guess?” Zipp exclaimed.

“She’s never let me down before,” shrugged Rainbow.

“But she’s not here! We need to do this ourselves!” Zipp snapped, hissing through her teeth. Their eyes were focused on the poor unicorn locked in the center of the pulsating mass, “Fall back!”

As the monster slowly advanced on the group on the lower slope, Raven was shaking Twilight.

“Princess! Wake up! We need you! NOW!” cried Raven, the Alicorn in her hooves stirring.

“Not now…” Twilight grumbled, “Sunset can do it…”

“Miss Shimmer isn't here, Princess! Celestia is in danger!” Raven groaned, propping up Twilight’s head to force her gaze upon the approaching monster.

Twilight's vision focused, the size of the creature seemingly giving her a second wind. With a hollow squeak, she managed to rise to her hooves, lighting her horn.

“Is that a pony in there!?” she asked, her voice wobbling.

“Y-Yes! Fossil Year got swallowed up as we were escaping the black substance that was coming out of the cave! We all assumed he was already dead!” Raven explained, “It's getting closer!”

“I-I CAN SEE THAT!” Twilight snapped. She stumbled backwards, watching as Rainbow Dash and Zipp soared through the air around it, narrowly dodging the shadowy tendrils grasping at them like prizes just out of reach.

“I… I need to get close so I can try and purge it! I can still save him!” Twilight whimpered, extending her aching wings, but flinched as she felt something touch her leg. Looking around, she could see Celestia’s mighty hoof touching her, the Queen having opened her eyes.

“Twilight…” she whispered, weakly beckoning her with her front hoof.

Twilight leapt forward and began to fret over her, but Celestia shook her head.

“Do.. what needs to be done… to keep my subjects safe…” she whispered, her horn momentarily flickering to life. Twilight gasped as she saw the string of sunlight morph into a weapon; a glowing spear. Celestia gently rested her head as consciousness left her once again, the spear gently floating to the floor in front of Twilight.

Tentatively, Twilight took the spear in her hooves. It was hot to the touch, and she could imagine that had she not been an Alicorn, it would likely be too much for her to bear.

She looked over at the creature.

Do what needs to be done.

Twilight took a shivering breath, spread her wings, and took flight, holding the spear awkwardly in her hooves as she unsteadily flew up towards Zipp and Rainbow Dash. Upon seeing her approach, both pegasi shot down to meet her. Behind them, Twilight could see the steady advance of the beast, each monstrous hoofstep leaving a toxic remnant, killing all grass it touched.

“Is that a fuckin’ Sunspear!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, eyes sparkling momentarily.

“That’ll be able to fend it off!” Zipp agreed, twisting their head towards the monster, “But how are we going to get that guy out of there?”

Twilight shook her head, and took a deep breath. “I… don’t think we are.”

Both pegasi turned their heads to stare at the princess, who gulped.

“C-Celestia, she… said to do what needs to be done,” Twilight said gravely, repositioning the spear in her hooves, “I should be able to launch it with my magic, but I’m going to need a clear shot. Can you get me one?”

Zipp took a few short breaths, glancing at Rainbow Dash, but nodded firmly.

“Make it count. We can Ready, Dash?” Zipp asked their counterpart.

“Oh, we’re doing nicknames already, are we? You do move fast!” the chromatic pegasi chuckled with a nervous nod.

Zipp flashed a brief grin, before the pair shot down and began to circle the monster like flies, taking occasional passing blows at it. Each glance impacted into the gell like body, causing a ripple, but any damage seemed to immediately repair itself like some kind of gelatinous cube.

“OAKWOOD! ROCKY!” Rainbow Dash yelled, using her wing blades to slice a tendril that was launching towards Zipp.

Two of the earth ponies from below charged forward, one brown and one grey, each carrying a simple sword in their mouths. Immediately, the beast focused on one of them, and slammed a mighty hoof onto the ground, momentarily exposing its underside. A similar flow of tar like liquid spread along the ground towards her, leading her to leap behind a boulder. The boulder was broken into shards of sharp rock, which rained down on the area.

“EVERYPONY! MAKE IT STOMP AGAIN! ZIPP, DASH, BE THERE TO STABILIZE ME!”

Oakwood and Rocky nodded to each other and began to link up, dodging and weaving amongst the vines, tendrils and goo flying at them. Zipp and Dash rushed up to Twilight, holding her steady and aiming her like a cannon as she held the spear above her head. Straining, she drew a shape in the air, and a thread of her purple magic was drawn in the air like a drawstring. She tilted her head back, the spear tugging back against the string like an arrow.

“Steady…” mumbled Zipp, “You’re doing a great job…”

Oakwood and Rocky were standing next to each other, facing inwards, each of them shouting. The creature's head turned to face them and, as expected, it reared up onto its back hooves, letting out an unholy growl.

Twilight took a deep breath, eyes focused on the shape of the pony trapped within the beast.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, as she released the tension from her telekinesis.

The spear sailed through the air, basking the area with ambient shine as it shot straight through the underside of the beast. It passed through the substance like a hot blade through ice as it struck its true target. As it did, the spear exploded in a burst of radiant light.

With one last screech, the creature lost its form, the kinetic energy of the blast flinging the remains of its body high into the air. Oakwood and Rocky fled down the hill as fast as they could to avoid the spray, whereas Zipp and Rainbow Dash dragged the fading Twilight upwards into the air.

After the dust had settled, Twilight looked down with tentative fear at the remains.

She could see the body of the unicorn laying motionless on the ground, the dark liquid splashed over him pulsating slightly.

Twilight didn’t want to get a closer look.

“Nice shot, Princess!” commented Rainbow Dash, smirking to herself about something as they brought the Alicorn down to the ground. Twilight staggered over to Celestia and Raven, where she firmly sat down, exhaling. Raven sat beside her, and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Twilight, are you-”

“I’m fine,” she said shortly, her ear flicking, “I just need a minute.”

As the ponies regrouped together by Celestia, finally able to take a breather, the silence was broken by a sudden whooping noise from the sky.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” growled Rainbow Dash. Twilight looked up to see a shape flying through the air. Her eyes lit up; it was Celestia’s royal carriage! The enchanted wagon had no wheels, instead skating through the air like skis on snow. It would be large enough to fit the entire group inside, and allow the medics to continue their work on the Queen. Fronting a few meters in front of the group of 4 pegasi pulling the cart was Lightning Dust, who Twilight recognized from Canterlot.

As they came in to land, Rainbow Dash immediately ran up to Lightning dust, eyebrows furrowed with fury.

“WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!” she, angrily throwing down her helmet onto the floor as she marched up to Lightning Dust, who landed daintily nearby.

“Hey, I turned up, didn’t I? I brought a carriage to save the Queen?! What did you bring? Ohh, a princess? Pretty little princess in her fancy shoes to come fight a demon? What's she gonna do, prance at them?” Lightning Dust snapped back, her teeth bared back in a snarl as she deftly used her wings to throw off her own helmet.

“Pretty little- SHE’S TWILIGHT SPARKLE? YOU KNOW? THE OTHER ALICORN WE GOT? THE ONE WHO JUST DECKED A BIG SHADOW DEMON THING? Get your PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!” barked Rainbow Dash getting right up in her rival's face, their muzzles inches away.

“SURE, BUT AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, SHE’S A LIL’ SLEEPING BEAUTY RIGHT NOW? SHE’S LITERALLY LYING ON THE FLOOR?” Lighting Dust spat.

“SHE JUST DESTROYED A PONY WITH ONE OF CELESTIA’S SPEARS! GIVE HER A BREAK, BITCH!” Rainbow Dash snarled.

The pair growled at each other for a few seconds…

… before both grinning as they started to make out.

Zipp watched on with dismay.

“Damn it…” they said, kicking a rock.

“Zipp?” asked Twilight tiredly.

“Thought Rainbow Dash was flirting with me earlier,” they said dejectedly.

“Oh, I was,” Rainbow Dash commented in a short break from the kiss. Lightning Dust rolled her eyes.

“Ugh, any chance to try and one up me…” she grumbled.

Zipp blinked a few times. Twilight laughed tiredly.

“I think you dodged an arrow there, Zipp…”

Slowly but surely, the assembled guard began careful loading Celestia into the back of the carriage. Once they had finished their anger fuelled makeout session, Raven instructed Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash to inform the Queen of Falkirk of what had happened and to dispatch the army to set up a perimeter around the cave.

Zipp and Twilight were the last to enter the carriage, where Twilight leant sadly against the window, the thoughts of the unicorn she had slain fresh in her mind. Twilight was thankful she was able to save Celestia, but the noise the spear made as it collided with the poor pony stuck inside of the entity. He was likely already dead, but Twilight had still thrust a spear through his form.

If there was anything she wanted right now, it was a warm hug. Hopefully Timber would be able to supply that to her when she reached Canterlot. The last one she had shared with him had been a little weak; she’d just have to train him to be as good as Sunset was.

As the carriage took off, she breathed out a sad sob. With her horn tingling, she felt her eyelids once again begin to droop as she began to slip into unconsciousness.

However, the tiny little splash of red and orange in the landscape below made her jolt upwards.

She squinted, before gasping.

“...Oh my goodness, she didn’t… that… IDIOT!” mumbled Twilight. Before even telling anyone else what she was doing, she opened the door to the royal carriage, and leapt out.

She heard Zipp call out her name, but Twilight didn’t stop as she glided down to her target.

Landing with a stumble, she trotted as fast as she could do the earthbound unicorn, who was lying on her side as she inhaled deep, laboured breaths.

Sunset Shimmer lay in the dirt, mane and tail drenched in sweat, looking dehydrated and without any energy left to stand.

“Sunset?” Twilight gasped, “W-What in the- h-how!?”

Sunset’s eyes opened, focusing on Twilight, and a wide smile immediately crossed her face.

“Made it…” she mumbled, laughing pathetically as she tried to roll onto her front.

Sunset Shimmer had been running the entire way without stopping once.

Twilight stared down at her in disbelief.

“You… you… all the way? All the way!?” she exclaimed, her face forming into an exasperated smile.

“You… didn’t command me not to…” Sunset breathed, the stupid grin fixated on her spent face.

“Sunset Shimmer, you- Y-You could have died from exhaustion! You could have been ambushed! O-Or attacked by some tartarus monster! You- You are the most idiotic, stupid, imbecilic, braindead pony I have ever met! You- Y-you-” Twilight started, frustration overwhelming her for a brief moment, before she wrapped her forelegs around her, joining her in the dirt, where the emotional toll the day had all came to a head.

“...are just the pony I need right now…”

Sunset let out a deep sigh from her soul, the smirk imprinted on her face remaining. She had done her job.

Twilight needed her, and she was there, no matter how far she had to run.

Chapter Text

Sunset was thankful that she already had a room waiting for her after her night at the hospital had been completed.

Sunset had been put on a general rest order, with her ribs and legs being bruised by just how long she had run with her armour on; something that Twilight had joined the doctor in scolding her for. Sunset didn't mind too much.

Celestia hadn't been so lucky: Neither Twilight nor Sunset had seen her since they had arrived in Canterlot, but Raven had informed them that the Queen was well enough to quell the sun spirits for another day. However, the exertion had drained all of her energy for the day; it would likely be a long, long while before she'd return to her full strength.

Trying her best to stay positive and ignore the existential threat that wounded Celestia had to the 9 kingdoms, Twilight had decided she and Sunset would stay at Duke Blueblood’s palace for the next few days.

Sunset followed Twilight (along with a small detachment of Canterlot Guard) up to the gates of the palace, the unicorn’s strangely smug demeanour fading quickly as they approached.

“You alright?” Twilight asked. Sunset nodded, yawning. She was alright, but her legs were hurting even from the 20 minute walk between palaces.

“I'm fine, Princess,” Sunset insisted.

“You really didn't have to put your armour on for this. You're meant to be on rest!” Twilight commented, her eyes drifting to the Knight's still slightly muddy armour, “And I think that suit needs a clean.”

“But what if any assassins choose now to strike, Twilight? How else would I heroically leap in the way of the explosion spell? Remember, I'm not allowed to die for ten years,” Sunset argued, a sparkle in her eye. Twilight laughed as Sunset let out a small yawn. “I'm just tired, Princess. I Promise,” she admitted.

“You did run a marathon in a full suit of armour for no reason,” Twilight said affectionately.

“I wouldn't say no reason,” grumbled Sunset. Twilight sighed.

Timber was there to greet them. Wings ruffling, Twilight trotted in and gave him a tight hug, which he (after a moment of hesitation) returned.

“How was hospital?” he asked, smiling faintly.

Twilight laughed. “Not bad! Far better than the, uhm, shadow demon I fought and killed! Haha…”

“Oh? A shadow demon? Nice!” Timber replied, patting her back, his eyes flicking up to Sunset, who suddenly had to do her best not to look mad.

“It wasn't… that nice…” mumbled Twilight.

“Oh, sorry. It's a figure of speech,” Timber replied awkwardly, “Anyway! Come on, I have something great to show you in the greenhouse!”

“Oh, uhm…” Twilight shrank away, circling her hoof on the stone floor delicately, “I was hoping we could just… talk? I'm quite tired from yesterday, and a lot has happened, so…”

“That's alright! We can talk as I show you!” he replied sweetly, giving her a brief nuzzle on the head. Sunset tensed as she saw Twilight relax at the action.

“Sure! Sounds good! Sunset, do you want to come see the greenhouse too?” Twilight asked, head turning to her Knight.

Sunset shook her head. “No thanks, Princess. I'd just get in the way. Where are the barracks?”

Timber began to point, but Twilight was quick to laugh.

“Don't be ridiculous, Sunset; my bedroom here has a chaise longue; you can sleep there,” Twilight replied happily.

Sunset tilted her head. “Why? Is me wanting to sleep where guards sleep ridiculous?”

“Because you’re my guard! What if an assassin comes in the night! Who will protect me then?” she said with a grin. Sunset rolled her eyes.

“Whatever you say, Princess,” she said. Twilight laughed; Timber just stared blankly at Sunset.

“Someone can show you where my room is; I'll see you later!” Twilight chirped, and looked at Timber, “Okay! Let's go!”

Sunset waited for them to both be out of the room to exhale.

“How interesting can flowers be…” she mumbled to herself, and turned to find Twilight’s room.

Standing a few meters away was Gloriosa, who had practically appeared out of nowhere, so much so that it made Sunset flinch.

Sunset had interacted with Gloriosa at various events and Galas, and never liked her much. Overly peppy, naive, all sprinkles and sunshine with never even the slightest hint that she'd ever faced any sadness in her life. Sunset thought that either she was hiding something, or she truly had been so coddled her whole life that she'd never had a bad day.

What confused her even more is how she never knew she had a brother.

“Aren't they just the cutest couple?” Gloriosa said happily, wiping a tear from her eye.

Sunset looked her up and down.

“Uh, yeah, sure. Where's Twilight’s bedroom?” she asked.

“Sunset! You can't go asking that! What if you interrupt a moment of privacy later on?” the earth pony replied, feigning shock. Sunset took a moment to realize what she was implying.

“Oh, fuck off,” she growled before thinking. Glorisosa's feigned shock turned to real shock.

“I beg your pardon!?” she exclaimed, suddenly looking very serious.

“Sorry, Princess Gloriosa,” Sunset said sarcastically, "I just find it a bit odd how invested you are in your brother’s love life.”

Gloriosa took a sudden hoofstep forward.

“Well I'm sorry for being happy that someone finally wants to talk to him! Do you have any idea how hard he's had it?” she snapped.

This truly took Sunset off guard, so much so that she tilted her head. “Uhm.. no?”

“His whole life, he's never been able to make friends! He's so lonely! He spends all his time in the greenhouse!” she fumed.

“Oh, uh… okay-” Sunset said awkwardly.

Sunset wasn't sure if this meant that the prince had a traumatic event that meant he only spent time in the greenhouse, or that he only spent all his time in the greenhouse and thus didn't talk to anypony.

“You aren't some big shot protege anymore, Sunset. You’re just a guard,” she said with finality, snorting as she angrily turned away, stomping out of the entrance hall.

Sunset watched her leave, getting the sense that she had seriously struck a nerve.

“So after the fourth attempt, I decided that the Cloudsdale mulch wouldn't be enough, so I moved over to the Appaloosa variant, and it worked much better. They are starting to sprout now, look!” Timber explained as he pointed towards the little green shoots that were passing through the soil.

Twilight was still wearing her smile, although she had to admit, seeing the third tiny little green shoot in the dirt in the Grand greenhouse was somewhat underwhelming.

“Good! I'm glad you worked it out! Will they be ready in time for the wedding?” She asked.

He took a moment but nodded, “Oh! Yes, they should be. How far away is it again?”

“26 days! It's exciting, isn't it!” Twilight responded, ruffling her wings, “I've always dreamed of a Canterlot Wedding…”

“Well, I hope that my flowers can be part of that dream too! If we move over to this next plot…” Timber continued. As he started talking more about his plants, Twilight felt the smile start to fade from her face. Timber must have asked a question, because he was now looking at Twilight expectantly.

Twilight smiled tiredly. “Sorry, Timber. It's just, when I said that I wanted to talk about things, I… kind of didn't mean just your plants.”

Timber blinked. “Oh! I… see. Well, what did you want to talk about?”

Twilight sighed forlornly. “I… Well, it's about the fight against the demon.”

Timber nodded slowly, and motioned over to a small bench within the greenhouse. Together they sat, Twilight looking down at her hooves.

“I wanted to talk to Sunset about it, but I was worried I'd make her upset,” Twilight started.

“You talk to your guard alot?” Timber asked. Twilight felt a weird sensation in the side of her head. It felt like frustration, but that wasn't the sort of thing one was meant to feel about their fiance.

“Of course! Don't you?” she asked, confused.

“Not really. They're here to guard me, not talk to me,” he shrugged.

Twilight stared at him for a few seconds, the same feeling coming back.

“A-Anyway, as I was saying, when we were fighting the entity, I could see that there was a pony inside of it. The tartarian beast was feeding off its energy to manifest. Usually, I'd be able to purge the host of the corruption, but since it came from the source, it was too powerful, so we had to, uhm, kill it. The host.” she said, her wings slowly extending to cover her shoulders like a safety blanket.

Timber frowned, gently patting her on the back. “Oh.”

“Celestia made a spear out of light, and I had to use it like an arrow to kill him. He wasn't dead. He was still alive in there, but Celestia told me to…” she stopped talking for a few moments as she shuddered.

She hadn't been able to stop thinking about the faraway view of the poor archeologist’s body lying on the mountainside. She hadn't brought all of this up to Sunset; she couldn't imagine that the conversation would go down well with a pony who had turned into a demon and killed innocents.

Eventually, Timber spoke up. “That's, rough, Twilight. I'm sorry you had to do that.”

Twilight nodded with a shiver, but still felt awful.

“It's not like we had much of a choice… but I still feel like I could have done more to try and save him, but if we had waited much longer, the thing might have killed somepony else and… I-It’s alot,” she said with a final sigh, covering her eyes with her hooves.

It was a little while before she heard Timber begin to talk again.

“Well… I've never really had to fight anything or anyone before, so I'm not sure how much advice I'll be able to give, but…” he said slowly, trailing off quite quickly.

Twilight waited for the second half of his comforting words to come.

They never came.

Twilight looked over at him. His gaze was fixated on one of the flowers nearby.

The same piercing frustration bit into the side of her head. This time, she wasn't too naive to understand what the feeling could possibly be.

After sweeping the room for assassins (there were none), Sunset took off her armour and flopped onto the chaises longue. She always thought it was a stupid name for a sofa; just call it a therapy sofa and be done with it.

She was glad to have some time alone; yesterday's events were weighing heavily on her mind.

She knew that she should be grateful that Celestia was still alive and, for now, seemed to still be able to perform her heavenly duties. Despite this, she would seemingly be stuck earthbound for the foreseeable future, unable to aid any of the nine kingdoms should any dark creatures prove a big threat.

This was unsettling for sure, but what was making Sunset start to spiral was the knowledge that if her enemies found out about her condition, it could spell doom for the stability of the realm, and by extension, the world.

The Storm Empire had been seemingly dormant for several years, leading some to fear a large attack was incoming, but due to the harsh conditions near their central island, no spies or informants had managed to get close.

The gates to Tartarus needed to be resealed; that was for certain. But with Twilight about to get married, Celestia out for the count, and anyone else of great importance or power now tied up with dealing with the results of the crack…

Who was going to work out a way to fix this brewing calamity?

Sunset growled to herself. Her weary body was screaming at her to go to sleep, but she refused until she saw Twilight safely in her bed.

After a while, when she started to feel her body give in, she heard hoofsteps shuffling down the hallway. Her head shot up, ears rotating like a dog who could hear someone at the door.

Twilight trudged in, throwing the door shut behind her. She marched over, shut the curtains, and dove onto the bed, immediately slamming her face into a pillow and letting out a pathetic whimper.

Sunset stared at the princess for a few moments before speaking up. “Twi? You good?”

Twilight flinched, scrambling to a sitting position, embarrassed flush on her face.

“GAH! HI! Sorry, f-forgot you were in here, haha!” she said briskly, quickly trying to fix her mane. Sunset's eyes narrowed. Twilight’s eyes looked watery.

Sunset bit her lip; she could only assume she and Timber had a fight. The last thing she wanted was to hear Twilight talking about a stupid argument with her stupid fiance. Probably about flowers or something stupid like that. Sunset’s silent suffering would only get worse…

...but she had a duty of care for her Princess.

“What happened?” she asked, quickly moving over to her bed. Twilight shuffled aside, letting her sit beside her as she gave up trying to keep the tears in.

“It's… nothing. Really. I promise,” she sniffled, trying her best to keep herself from crying.

“If it was nothing, then you either wouldn't be crying, or already telling me in excruciating detail,” Sunset replied sagely. Twilight sobbed a laugh, finally letting some soft tears leak out.

“It's… y-yesterdays fight. When I had to… you know…” she mumbled, “I've never even thought that I'd have to do anything like that.”

Sunset exhaled shortly. She felt weirdly relieved that this wasn't about Timber, and then proceeded to mentally chastise herself for thinking like that.

“You did what you had to do, Twilight,” Sunset said, putting a gentle foreleg around Twilight. She froze up as Twilight gently leant into her.

“Did I, though? Maybe I could have saved him! What if he had a family? Oh goodness, Sunset… what if he had kids?” Twilight exhaled, suddenly starting to shake, her breathing starting to quicken.

“Hey. Twilight. Breathe. Deep breaths. Come on,” said Sunset, who fully enveloped Twilight in a tight hug. She was quick to push through any of her own discomfort and focus on soothing her ward.

“If you hadn't done what Celestia told you to do, then more ponies would have died, maybe even Celestia herself. But… that doesn't take away from how horrible a decision it was to have to make. I…”

Sunset paused, a twinge picking at the back of her head. She had been in the reverse of this exact situation, with Celestia having to (attempt to) kill her to save more lives.

Twilight began to whimper. “I'm sorry… I… I didn't want to bring any of this up to you, because… you, uhm… I didn't want you to get upset or mad at yourself or anything…”

Sunset frowned. “You don't need to worry about my feelings in this, Twi. I'm here for you, and only you.”

Twilight shook her head in disagreement but didn't press it.

“I-I’m also worried about Celestia. Like, really worried, and I feel so selfish because I think I'm more worried about myself than her; If she dies, I-I’ll be the only Alicorn! Cadence hasn't ascended yet, and it will be all down to me! What then? Maybe I'd have to learn how to calm the sun spirits! I'd have to lead the alliance! I’m not ready! I'm not ready for any of this!” she sobbed.

Sunset grimaced. She couldn't help but feel every syllable of the irony; Sunset’s whole childhood had been formed around wanting to be in the exact spot that Twilight found herself in. It was an even more cruel twist that it was her fault that Celestia had been wounded so grievously in the first place.

“I'm so, so sorry Twilight. This must all be so much for you. I can hardly imagine, what with everything going on. I… can't promise I'll be able to give you any clean or solid answers, but I promise that I'll be here and ready to listen, no matter what happens ok?” she explained slowly, feeling her cheeks heat up as she did. She was thankful the curtains were shut.

Twilight mumbled, nodding gently as she continued to gently cry into her.

Sunset was thankful there could be no Night Light to disturb the moment.

Eventually, Sunset smirked.

“... And I will, of course, be here to thwart any assassins, too. But mostly your emotional wellbeing.”

It was a stupid joke, but through the tears, Twilight found herself laughing.

“Thank you, my Knight. T-Truly. You’re really, really good at this. Timber… isn't that good at supporting me yet. I'm sure he'll grow into it, but I'm glad I have you here until then.”

Sunset’s stomach clenched, and her eyes shut.

She wanted to point out the ironic idiocy of what she had just said, but had to remember that Twilight wasn't into mares.

That she was her ‘Sister.’

And that would never change.

“I’ll be here until you don't need me anymore, Princess,” Sunset said eventually. Twilight let out another gentle sob of a laugh.

“With Celestia in recovery? I’ve got a feeling I'm going to need a personal guard more than ever, Sunset.”

Chapter Text

The morning meal at the palace was awkward to say the least.

Sunset had been woken up by the sounds of Gloriosa shouting at someone. From the lack of any reply, she assumed it had to be herself, some poor waiting staff, or Timber. It didn’t seem to stir Twilight, who was sleeping softly, hooves wrapped around one of her many pillows. Sunset smiled to herself as she watched her sleep peacefully, trying her best to keep her desire to be that pillow buried deep down inside of her brain.

Eventually, she had awoken, and after helping Sunset equip her armour, they traveled down for breakfast.

Duke Blueblood was already in the entrance hall, who gave an extravagant welcome to Twilight, trotting over and kissing her hoof. He only made a passing disinterested glance at Sunset, who begrudgingly bowed her head, only to be told that there wasn’t any food for her since this wasn’t the barracks. Sunset didn’t care; she just stood a few feet behind Twilight, smirking at the discomfort she was clearly giving to the Duke.

Ten minutes after Twilight had started her breakfast, Timber arrived. Twilight watched him sit down opposite her, but her expression softened as he slid over a small box.

“I am… very sorry about yesterday,” he started earnestly, “I don’t think I did a very good job of making you happy.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“You can say that again,” she said with a dry laugh, opening the small box. Inside was a small array of artisan chocolates and a small note. Opening it, the Princess gasped gently.

“Really?” she said, Sunset hearing a spark of hope reenter her voice.

Timber smiled, “Of course. Least I can do! I…” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “I do need to tend to some of the more tricky plants today, so we can do it tomorrow? You can be sure to show me that, uhm, restaurant you liked?”

Twilight nodded, her wings ruffling.

Sunset's eyes were focused on Timber, who seemed to be repeatedly glancing at his father, who was nodding proudly.

“Well, wonderful! It's a date!” Twilight declared, fluttering over to Timber’s side of the table and kissing him on the cheek. Sunset suddenly pretended to be inspecting her hooves.

Twilight quickly finished her breakfast and trotted past Sunset.

“Come, my Knight!” she chirped. Sunset stayed in place, gaze fixed firmly on Timber for a few moments, before quickly twisting and following Twilight.

“What did the note say?” she asked as she caught up.

“Well, we're going on a date to the lower city tomorrow! Last time he said he didn't go to the lower city, so he's putting himself out of his comfort zone just for me!” Twilight explained cheerily.

Sunset almost stopped walking. He had done the bare minimum and this was enough to get Twilight excited? Rolling her eyes, she followed along.

“And I assume I'll be coming too?” she asked.

“Of course! You deserve a nice relaxing time, too. We can get food and see the sights!” Twilight insisted.

“I'm not sure if third wheeling is my idea of a relaxing time, Twilight,” muttered Sunset, placing a smile on her face to try and mask the bitterness in her voice.

“Well, I need protection, and I don't trust anyone else but you to do so. So, I command you to come along tomorrow. You'll have fun,” Twilight said with finality, “Now come! There is a courtyard outside where we can do some more of my training!”

Sunset groaned quietly. “Whatever you say, Princess…”

At least training meant she got to spend one on one time.

Sunset was taking a somewhat hooves off approach to guarding the Princess today.

As Twilight and Timber walked through the busy streets together, Sunset walked a few meters behind. It wasn't long until she started hearing the whispers of her name.

It was one of the times that she wished she opted to wear a helmet. Part of her wished she could wear a mask like Zipp, too; being able to hide her expression would be equally useful as she watched the fiancees trot down the street.

From what she could tell, Timber was making much more of a concerted effort to listen to Twilight and was doing his best to ask more questions. He even made Twilight laugh, which was something that made Sunset feel weirdly territorial. How dare he make the Princess laugh; that was her job!

Feeling like cutting down another tree, Sunset focused any contempt in glaring at any passers by who tried to approach. They seemed to get the message.

“Timber! What are we thinking? Donut Joe’s, a little bakery, or The Blue Lagoon, who do wonderful oat burgers!” asked Twilight, finishing off her laughter at a joke about the similarities between orchids and roses (Sunset didn't get it).

“What's… a donut?” asked Timber.

Twilight burst into laughter once again. “You really are sheltered, aren't you? Guess that'll be my mission! Come on!”

Turning her head to Sunset, Twilight beamed. “You coming?”

Sunset smiled back, and nodded. Even though she would have preferred oat burgers.

Joining the couple, Sunset steeled herself. This was the bit she dreaded the most, having to sit there as they had their date, and made their awkward small talk as they pretended to fall in love.

Sunset hoped beyond hope that she'd get an escape, even if it was a simple bathroom break.

She immediately got reminded to be careful what you wish for.

“I don't believe it- Sunset! Hey! Sunset Shimmer!”

Sunset jolted, before suddenly groaning. Twilight turned her head, looking just past Sunset at an inevitable awkward moment.

“Who's that, Sunset? Oh, a royal guard?” asked Twilight curiously. Sunset bit her lip.

“No, Twilight its-”

“Sunset! Hi! I heard you might be here! How are you!”

Sunset turned, not even trying to fake a smile anymore, as she saw the blue haired pegasus guard beaming at her like an excited Labrador.

“... Hey, Flash,” she said slightly woodenly.

Flash Sentry. Sunset's ex boyfriend from before she ran off. She had always slightly regretted dating him, but even now, she couldn't deny that the muscular royal guard was a pretty sight.

“Oh! Do you… know each other?” asked Twilight innocently.

Flash chuckled, “Of course! She's my girlfriend!*

Sunset was going to just subtly roll her eyes but the gasp from Twilight was enough to bring her back into reality and hear what he just said.

“W-whhaatat! What? No I'm not? What?” she spluttered, taking a step back towards Twilight.

“Well, you never officially broke up with me, so technically-” Flash said, looking a little smug.

Sunset momentarily glanced at Twilight in slight panic, only to do a double take upon seeing the hard stare she seemed to be giving the pegasus.

Huh.

Anyway.

‘“What do you m- It's been over two years!” Sunset stuttered, feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

“And you left without saying goodbye! Well, if it makes you feel any better, I-” Flash started, but Sunset leapt in before had a chance.

“I’M BREAKING UP WITH YOU!” she snapped. A few passing by ponies glanced over; who didn't love a bit of interguard relationship drama.

Flash didn't wipe the stupid grin off his face.

“Took the words right out of my mouth, Sunny!” he teased.

“Don’t, call me that? Please?” she almost begged.

There was a very awkward beat of silence when, to Sunset’s surprise, Timber was the one to save the day.

“Well, it seems like you two have some catching up to do. We’ll see you inside?” Timber suggested almost as awkwardly as the situation.

Sunset nodded, not taking her eyes off Flash. “What? Oh. Sure.”

She missed Twilight’s expression of internal perplexity as she mumbled a “Ok..” and headed on into Donut Joes with Timber.

Sunset groaned, and sat down outside, Flash sitting next to her. Sunset suddenly found herself looking anywhere but at him.

“So… how is it being back in Canterlot?” he asked eventually.

“... Weird,” she admitted finally, turning to properly look at him. “Look, Flash, about all of that, uhm, stuff, I- I feel awful. I should have said something before I left, but it was quite a quick exit.”

Flash nodded. “You’re telling me. Did you know Celestia called up the army to try and find you? All the cadets too, including me.”

Sunset let out a short surprised laugh, “Wait, did she? Really?”

“Yeah. How far away were you by then?” asked Flash with genuine curiosity.

“Oh, half way to Zephyr Heights. She never would have found me…” Sunset mused, finding herself weakly grinning. It felt like another life entirely.

She supposed it was; her life was not hers anymore.

“Well… I'm glad I finally caught you again, huh? I still insisted you were my girlfriend for at least a month after you left. The other cadets accused me of lying, that I was doing the classic “You wouldn't know her, she goes to another academy,’” Flash continued.

“Yeah, guess I did…” Sunset replied, her face dropping a little.

She couldn't say she had thought about Flash that much since her departure. To her, he had always been just some reprieve from her royal training, someone to complain to, and a warm body to cuddle next to in bed. She did find her eyes occasionally darting to his wings, with many memories of them being dusted gently across her back and ears- his feathers were always surprisingly soft for a jock.

Still not as soft as Twilight’s, though.

Despite this, Sunset could see she had not been a very kind or respectful partner to him. He had very much been a means to an end for her; a disposable resource. She hadn't even said goodbye.

It seemed like she had been living rent free in Flash’s mind for all this time.

Eventually, she heard another sigh coming from Flash.

“You're brooding again,” he commented.

“Shut up, Flash. No I'm not,” she replied, her head tilting up to him once more, a thin smile on her face.

“Ahh, just like old times…” he said ironically.

Sunset cracked a proper smile, chuckling a bit, but stopped as Flash’s face grew quite serious.

“I wasn't part of the group that fought you when you went demon, you know. I was on the ground trying to keep citizens safe,” he said seriously.

Sunset’s face dropped. “We’re going here?”

“Yeah. I remember looking up after a big rumble. You had sent some kind of fireball at a house below. That's when I saw Celestia throw one of her big swords at you. I… thought for sure you were dead,” he explained, looking down at the floor. Sunset felt her stomach drop, twisting with guilt.

“I don't have a clear picture, but… you serve Princess Twilight now, right? She saved you from whatever had possessed you to do all those awful things?” he asked, glancing through the bakery window. Sunset did the same to find Twilight looking right at her. Sunset gave her a little wave, to which she quickly looked back at Timber.

She couldn't bring herself to tell him that she wasn't possessed; that was, mostly, all her.

“Yeah. I may have accidentally pledged my life to her as I lay bleeding out on the floor,” she explained dryly.

“So the ever independent, rulebreaking, royalty disinterested Sunset Shimmer is now a princess’s guard dog?” Flash asked, the jovial grin starting to cross his face again.

Sunset groaned. “Must you word it like that?”

“Well, are you?”

Previously, Sunset would have decided it, but there wasn't much point in that anymore.

“Yes. Yes I am,” she said, her gaze remaining on Twilight, who had started going to town on a large donut (as Timber delicately started dissecting his with a knife and fork.)

“And how is it?” he asked earnestly.

“It's…” Sunset trailed off.

How was it really?

Sunset continued to look at Twilight.

It had been a while since she had actually taken stock of how she felt about her situation, and she couldn't decide if she was in a better or worse place than when she started. Sure, when she started, she was teetering on the edge of wishing that Twilight had left her for dead.

Now, she had a reason to live, but that reason (whose muzzle was now covered in sugar and crumbs) had bridled her with many unwanted emotions she couldn't control, and almost every moment she was reminded of the comfort that she could never truly achieve.

Despite all of it, she still got to be with Twilight every single day.

“It’s good. Better, I mean. At least now I have a goal I can actually achieve,” Sunset replied eventually, only tearing her gaze away from Twilight as the Princess made eye contact with her Knight once again.

Flash Sentry raised an eyebrow.

“And… is she the goal?” he asked slyly.

“Yeah. I-I mean, as in, keeping her safe is the goal!” she quickly insisted.

“Sunset, you’re blushing,” Flash pointed out.

“No I'm not?” Sunset argued, but held a hoof to her face.

She totally was.

Cursing herself, she held her head in her hooves.

“... That obvious?” she mumbled.

“I wouldn't say so. I just think I can read you better than most,” Flash teased once more. Sunset felt a twinge in the side of her head.

“Shut it, ok? Tell anyone and I'll find where your barracks are and throw you off another tall building, got it?” she snapped, her glare towards him very real.

Flash blinked a few times, before extending his wings in response, motioning to them in regards to her threat. “Sunset?”

Sunset maintained the glare, before realizing her error. It was enough to make her burst into laughter, her head in her hooves.

“Fuck off…” she grumbled, grinning.

“Gladly. I've already taken too long off my patrol as it is,” said the royal guard, standing up and stretching. “Well, it was nice to see you again, Sunset. Really. And I'm glad to see that you have a proper goal now that isn't killing your mom,” he commented kindly.

“She's not- ugh. Sorry. Thank you,” she said, meeting his gaze, and smiling softly, “It was nice to see you again too. Sorry I, uh, publically broke up with you.”

Flash just laughed, and extended his hoof to mark a request for an embrace. Sunset considered for a few moments before nodding, letting it happen.

She felt Flash move around to give her a quick hug, wings and all. His feathers glancing over her ears were enough to make her shudder, and she quickly pushed him away.

“F-Flash!” she spluttered, feeling her cheeks heat up. Flash laughed at her once more as he took off into the air.

“Good to say despite how much you've changed, some things stay the same!” he teased, and briskly flew off down the street.

Sunset watched him leave, grumbling at herself. Surely she wasn't that easily flustered, right?

She glanced back into the bakery to see Twilight standing up and doing a big dog-like stretch as she yawned, tail flicking and wings extending wide, showing almost every individual feather. Sunset felt herself blink.

Yes. Yes she was.

After sitting down, Timber had spent most of the time talking about plants he had seen on the walk. It was fair; Twilight had talked most of the way here.

All throughout their meal, Twilight had felt herself zoning out slightly, her thoughts going… elsewhere.

The guards' sudden declaration that Sunset was his girlfriend had irked Twilight in a way she didn't really understand. She already knew Sunset was single, and she highly doubted she had room for anyone else, what with her dedication to being her personal guard, and her reaction had been enough to reassure Twilight that whatever feelings the unicorn once had for the pegasus were long gone.

If this were true, why was watching their conversation through the window still bothering her?

Eventually, she turned back into what Timber was saying, and was mostly able to ignore it. That was until she glanced over outside to see Sunset bursting into laughter at something Flash did. This was something that made Twilight feel weirdly territorial. How dare he make the Knight laugh- that was her job!

As she saw Flash move to hug Sunset, Twilight found herself standing up. She couldn't fathom why it was bothering her, but she decided that it couldn't continue.

She did a big stretch and an over the top yawn.

“Come on, Timber! We have many more sights to see!” she declared, and marched out of the bakery, not even looking at Timber as she opened the door.

She turned to Sunset, who was sitting quietly, staring at the floor.

“My knight! Are you ready to go?” she asked somewhat pointedly, making Sunset flinch. The unicorn stood up quickly, tail gently wagging

“Of course, Princess,” she said quickly.

Twilight saw the flush on her face, and she turned away to check where Timber was. Both Sunset and Twilight saw him awkwardly call on the baker behind the counter to send a waiter to clean their table.

The Princess and the Knight exchanged a glance without even a word spoken between them, they both began to laugh.

Slowly, dots on the opposite sides of Twilight’s mind started to inch their ways towards each other, desperate to connect.

Chapter Text

Swiftsword Slay sat in her cell underneath Equinox Castle, absent mindedly preening her wings.

She had been locked up here for several weeks, with no hope of release; usually, criminals were taken to the central prison in Canterlot or Robastian, but due to the upheaval of the region, logistics had meant she was stuck in the small windowless room for another few days.

Ever since King Knight Light’s new tax on clothing, her family’s hunting and trapping business had gone under thanks to the reduced demand. Despite trying her best to get an audience with him, the pegasus never got the chance. Instead, crime has seemed like the only way to keep herself afloat.

Slowly, she had built up a small bandit camp, focusing on highway robberies and petty theft. However, as food became more scarce, Swiftsword had decided she would try some classic pickpocketing.

Her first attempt had gone poorly; she had almost gotten away with it, but Twilight's brand new guard had foiled her plans. She was lucky the idiot had somehow managed to ditch her own armour, allowing the slicing of her sides to lead to a quick getaway.

From there, Swiftsword’s right hand man, the aptly named ‘Lock Pick’, had suggested they try something bolder; kidnapping.

If the idea had been proposed to her when she started out, she would have ruled it out. However, after her months of criminal activity, this only felt a few steps up from stealing bread.

It would unfortunately be her downfall.

Sunset Shimmer, the guard captain, Tempest, and one of their irritating new pegasi had floored her entire company in one fell swoop, and didn't even injure the child they were saving. Her crew had already been carted away for work in the mines for several months, but as the ringleader, Swiftsword wouldn't be so lucky.

She'd possibly have a life sentence waiting for her.

Not that she'd serve all of it; she knew she'd find a way to escape and enact a plot of revenge on the King and his guard. All of them.

It was as she finished preening her wings for the fourth time that she heard it.

The whispering.

Her head twisted around to the door.

Apart from the sleeping unicorn in the opposite cell, there was nopony around.

She rose to her hooves as the whispering only seemed to get louder. She couldn't make out any individual words; all she knew is that it was starting to give her a headache.

Eventually, scuttling round the corner of the cell was… a mouse?

But not like any mouse she had seen before.

This one was far more… pointy.

Ignoring its eyes streaming with black tears, the rodent had vicious spikes crawling along its back, as well as leathery, tiny, dragon-like wings on its back.

Most surprisingly, it spoke.

“Swift… sword…” it appeared to say, although it felt as if the voice was coming from inside the former bandit’s mind.

“You are… seeking-”

Swiftsword had grabbed the small wooden board used to serve her meals and thrown it directly at the deformed mouse, stamping on it with her hoof.

“Fuck no,” she hissed, “I ain't talking to some demon mouse. Fuck that.”

There was a dull wet splat as she stamped on it once again.

That was that dealt with.

As much as she hates the idea of it, she decided it was probably a good idea to call one of the dungeon guards. Weird freaky demon mice couldn't be good.

Unfortunately, the weird freaky demon mouse had one more trick up its mousy sleeve.

Surging from underneath the plate came a glob of black goo which, before Swiftsword could stop it, attached to her hoof and rose quickly up her leg. Letting out a cry of panic, she desperately tried to scrape it off, only for it to jump to the other hoof. Wings splayed, she jolted, only for it to reach the back of her neck, where she felt herself seize up, unable to move anything below her neck.

“You didn't listen. So we will make you listen,” hissed the voice, once again coming from inside her own head.

“Get the fuck off my back,” Swiftsword snarled, doing all she could to resist, but was powerless against whatever thing was attached to her neck.

“Your bitterness was a beacon, Swift-Sword,” it continued, “Tell us… who are you bitter about?”

“I'm not talking to you unless you get off me,” she repeated.

“... A reasonable request. One we cannot honour, since you killed our messenger. However…”

The mass of the black goo slid down her neck, and back onto her leg. Exhaling loudly, she collapsed into a laying position, staring at her hoof.

“Will you talk now?” came the voice once again, the mass shifting as the words echoed in Swiftsword’s mind.

Cautiously, she spoke. “The King. His ridiculous taxes led my family into ruin. And the Princess’s special little guard dog.”

The unnerving sensation of the voice chuckling thrummed in her head like a drill.

“Ah yes… Sunset Shimmer, and Princess Twilight… you are seeking revenge?”

Swiftsword’s eyes narrowed as she realized what was truly happening.

“You’re one of those things from Tartarus, aren't you? You lure ponies into pacts they can't escape from, bound to serve your goals?” she asked aggressively, already raising her hoof to try and stamp the thing out for food.

“That is a naive version of our deals. We grant power to those who deserve it far more than those who rule. We simply ask them to use the power we give them to do some tasks for us; ones that are mutually beneficial. Should you agree, your task will be a simple one,” the voice explained in its raspy drawl.

“And if I don't?” Swiftsword growled.

“Then we will leave, and you will be stuck in a cell for the rest of your days, never able to stretch your wings again. Think of it. Never feeling the breeze on your face, the wind in your mane, the clouds under your hooves.”

Swiftsword bit her lip.

“... What's the task?” she asked inquisitively.

“Should you accept, your task would be a simple one: one that would cause a great deal of damage to King Night Light and Sunset Shimmer.”

Swiftsword’s eyes narrowed. “What is it?”

“Your task is to kill Twilight Sparkle.”

Tempest kicked the training dummy with her back hooves, sweat beading down her forehead. Some would question why she always wore her padded armour, no matter the weather.

Any who asks would usually receive a blow to the head.

Word had reached Tempest of Celestia’s condition via the King. From what the unicorn understood, it was being kept quiet for as long as possible.

Tempest could only imagine what her old empire would do if they had this information.

She was thankful that the Queen was safe and well, and thankful that Twilight and Sunset were safe, too. She had doubted the Knight’s abilities at first, but no matter how skilled she was, Tempest could respect her determination in protecting her ward.

There was a tiny amount of bitterness coating the respect, however. Tempest was eternally grateful for being saved by Night Light and his guard after her betrayal of the 3rd Storm King.

She just wished she could have sworn an oath to somepony else.

To somepony in particular.

There was a knock at the training hall door.

With one final kick of the training dummy, which was launched across the room, Tempest moved over to the side of the room, wiping her forehead with a rag.

“Enter,” she said shortly.

Peeking round the corner like a nervous puppy was Leadwing.

“Captain?” he said anxiously.

Tempest’s eyes narrowed.

“Is everything alright, soldier?” she asked, already moving purposefully towards him, safe in the knowledge that everything was almost certainly not alright.

Leadwing took a deep breath. “I-It’s the dungeon, Captain. We've… had a breakout.”

Tempest froze mid step.

She had assumed that there was a scuffle between recruits, or bad news from afar.

Slowly, she approached Leadwing, and loomed over him. Horn crackling, she growled: “What do you mean there's been a breakout.”

“S-Seriously, Captain! There is no possible way she should have been able to escape! From what we can tell the cell door wasn't even opened!” stammered Leadwing as Tempest stood in Swiftsword's now empty cell, inspecting the room from top to bottom.

“And there were guards at the stairwell?” she asked, the snarl practically locked onto her face.

“Yes, Captain! No prisoners reported anything unusual either, although their word can't be trusted quite as much,” Leadwing replied, glancing at a few of the other dungeon residents.

Tempest placed a hoof on her temple.

Ponies don't just vanish. There had to be some kind of magic involved.

A straight up teleportation spell didn't make sense: there was little line of sight, and a blind teleportation through multiple meters of dirt and stone was incredibly unlikely.

A summoning spell may have been more likely, but that required a skilled spellcaster, and almost always left a remnant. Here, however, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

“I want a mage here as soon as possible. See if we can get Princess Twilight back, or Shimmer if she is able. I want doubled patrols on-” Tempest started ordering, before her hoof hit something, an object so innocuous, she hadn't even registered it.

The wooden board used to serve prisoners their meals.

Carefully, she picked it up. One side was spotless, save for some dirt.

The other was covered with a thick layer of blood, entrails, and an unknown black substance.

Tempest gave it a sniff.

Sulfur.

The Captain clenched her jaw.

Chapter Text

“Just come in, Sunset! What do you think is going to happen!”

“Are you commanding me to come in with you, Princess?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Then I'll stand outside and wait for you to be finished."

“Aren’t you bound to protect my life at all times of day unless ordered otherwise?”

“If there is one place in all Equestria where I know you’ll be safe, it’s in there.”

Twilight pouted.

“Fine. But If I end up getting taken out by an assassin whilst I’m in there, I’m going to order you to reorganize my dress wardrobe by order preference and colour” she threatened.

Sunset gave her a look. “Your preference or my preference?”

Twilight smirked. “Not telling you. That way, you’ll just have to keep on reorganizing it for all eternity, unsure if you’re following my command.”

Sunset snorted, a smile on her face.

“Even in protesting, you’re ever resourceful. I’m still not going in.”

Twilight rolled her eyes.

“I won’t be long,” she reassured, and with a final nod from Sunset, entered the main hall of Canterlot Palace.

That morning, she had received a message from Raven to come to the palace immediately, delivered by a dehydrated looking Lightning Dust. Twilight could understand her exhaustion; it was an unusually hot day. The Princess hadn’t brought it up to her Knight, but there was a tiny tickling anxiety in the back of her mind that something was wrong with Celestia.

Now walking through the long hallway, she noted that it was deserted, save for Raven herself, who was as always writing on one of her clipboards.

“Ah! Princess!” she called out with a joyful tone. Twilight felt herself relax; she didn’t seem mournful. Taking flight, she zoomed the rest of the way across the hall to land next to her. The royal assistant raised an eyebrow.

“I see your flying has improved,” she commented, placing down the clipboard.

“My training has been going well! Where is Celestia?” Twilight asked, looking around.

Raven smirked. “She’s on the balcony, and she’s not alone.”

Twilight blinked.

Not alone?

Twilight nodded politely, and moved past the throne to the large balcony that overlooked Canterlot valley, the anticipation tying her stomach in unsteadying knots.

Gently, she opened the door, and walked out. Luckily the balcony was currently in the shade, yet it didn’t prevent the hot air from hitting her like a hairdryer.

“Twiley!”

Twilight stared in studded disbelief as she saw her brother, Shining Armour, bounding towards her. She snapped out of it in time to burst into a sprint towards him, the pair crashing in an embrace, and falling onto the floor. It took mere seconds for the tears to start flowing from Twilight as she cried into her brother’s shoulder.

“Y-You’re here! H-How… how are you here! Why! I… Shiny, It’s been y-years! I… are you okay!?” Twilight sobbed, managing to pull away momentarily, her eyebrows momentarily furrowing. “Y-You could have written, you know!” she grumbled.

Shining Armour sighed, smiling sadly, his eyes sparkling with similar tears of reunion. “You really think I didn’t try?”

Twilight looked at him, shock filling her face.

Father had been keeping letters from her?

Before she had time to process this news, her gaze flicked over to the two other figures standing on the balcony.

One was Princess Celestia, who was looking frighteningly gaunt, but still had a smile on her face. Twilight winced as she saw the large bandage that remained wrapped around her chest, interwoven with various crystals and ointments.

Beside her was a pony that Twilight had met before, but only fleetingly. The pink pony looked upon her fondly, smiling as she saw Twilight’s eyes widen, almost popping out of her skull.

It was Cadence! Shining Armour’s wife!

Twilight’s eyes flicked to her forehead, and saw a horn that had not been there before.

“Hello again, Princess Twilight. I’m glad we finally get to meet again!” she said, giving a respectful bow of her head.

Twilight looked between her and Celestia, connecting the jigsaw pieces in her head.

When Celestia had facilitated her ascension deep within Canterlot Mountain, it had required a great deal of energy from the Alicorn. Twilight’s ears flickered back; she could only imagine the strain it had put on Celestia in her condition.

Celestia could seemingly read the expression on Twilight's face as she gently moved forward to comfort her.

“Worry not, Twilight. I am ok. The next few days may be unusually warm, however… the Sun Spirits will be becoming restless,” she said, looking up into the sky, “I would have to go for around 2 weeks without satiating them for them to cause any real damage; I should have recovered by then.”

Twilight briskly nuzzled her brother before quickly moving up to Celestia, her eyes deep with concern.

“Are you sure that you’ll be ok?” she asked anxiously, “T-The world is depending on you, and, uhm-”

“Yes, Twilight. I am sure. Until I fully recover, the Nine Kingdoms will be needing extra protection, which is why I made the decision to facilitate Cadence’s ascension, as planned,” she explained, motioning to Cadence, who smiled nervously.

Twilight nodded slowly, a similar smile crossing her face.

It was a weird feeling, looking at the other Alicorn. Ever since her own ascension, she had felt quite proud; she was the only one save for Celestia. She couldn’t quite explain how she felt seeing a second standing right in front of her. It certainly wasn’t a sad feeling; she was overjoyed that she had someone to share the experience with (a sister in law, too!), not to mention how much safer Equestria would be. Twilight’s anxieties of possibly having to take over from Celestia as the region's sole alicorn protector had also been alleviated, even though Cadence lived in the Crystal Empire. Still, it was a peculiar feeling that Twilight couldn’t quite put her hoof on.

“It’s a lot to get used to. Do all unicorns always feel that constant little fizzing feeling in their horn?” asked the new alicorn, raising her hoof and tapping her horn, causing a few sparks to fly out.

Twilight nodded. “Usually, yes! It got a little more pronounced when I ascended, so I assume the change must be even bigger for you. Have you practised many spells yet?”

“Celestia and her assistants have taught me how to levitate objects and shoot simple magic missiles, yes, but nothing more complex than that. I suppose I will have to learn quickly, of course!” she explained, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked down at Twilight as she seemed to study her. Twilight suddenly felt very self conscious.

“Uhm…” she mumbled. Celestia’s eyebrow raised.

“Cadence,” Celestia chimed in, causing Cadence to flush suddenly.

“I do apologise, Princess. This new horn has come with all sorts of quirks,” she explained gingerly.

“Quirks?” asked Twilight, head tilted.

“I… well, let's just say, someone is a very lucky stallion,” she said with a coy smile.

Twilight blinked.

What was that supposed to mean? Timber?

Behind her, she heard her brother trot up, sighing in relief as he embraced her.

“Twiley… when I heard you were getting married I… I was worried,” admitted the unicorn, but he had a smile on his face.

“Worried? Shiny, I'm 22 years old! I can make my own decisions!” pouted Twilight, still easily leaning into her beloved brother.

“And you're still my silly little sister, wings or not. Which reminds me… would you mind if we had lunch together? We are long overdue a catch-up, after all! And you can introduce me to your Knight?” he asked hopefully.

“My… Knight? How do you know about Sunset?”

“From what we hear up in the Crystal Empire, you two are nearly inseparable!” Cadence chimed in, “given who she is, and who you are, many have their eyes on you two!”

Twilight hadn't realized that she had such celebrity status. She thought she received the normal amount of attention for a princess. What was so strange about a Princess and her Knight being friends?

“Before you depart, Twilight… There is a matter that I must discuss with you. It is one of utmost importance and secrecy…” Celestia announced weakly, her eyes drifting to Shining Armour.

“Oh! Oh, yes, of course. I’ll just… I’ll go see how your assistant is doing! Yes…” he said awkwardly, and with one final squeeze to Twilight, trotted off the balcony.

Cadence shot a quizzical look at Twilight, who shrugged.

Celestia sighed sadly, and turned her firm gaze towards the other two Alicorns.

“Excluding me, the Nine Kingdoms have a sole Alicorn, which is you, Twilight. Now, the second largest kingdom on the Equestrian continent has one, too,” she started to explain, motioning to Twilight then Cadence.

“I fear this will not be enough for what we are to face in the coming years. Over the course of the next decade, I will be finding suitable candidates from each kingdom, and granting ascension to each of them. There will be nine Alicorns in Equestria, in addition to Cadence and I.

Twilight’s eyes almost bugged out.

“N-Nine!?” she exclaimed, standing up very straight as her ears flicked back against her head, “I don’t mean to be zealous, but when you’ve recovered, you are far stronger than any threat the continent could possibly face! What could be so dangerous that there would need to be Nine Alicorns!?”

Celesita’s regal expression dropped as she looked out into Canterlot Valley. I… regret not being transparent about what I am about to tell you. It is my greatest shame, and gravest mistake,” she said sorrowfully. “It is a mistake that has driven many away from me over the years, even those who I cherish the most.”

Twilight frowned, her eyes narrowing a little. Celestia had been keeping something from her?

“What do you mean, Your Highness?” Cadence asked, her wings ruffling with nerves.

Celestia released a deep sigh.

“As you know, I have a sister…”

“Nine, Sunset. Nine. That’s so many! Celestia always explained to me that I would help keep Equestria safe, but not like this! If Nightmare Moon comes back, I’m going to have to be there to try and purge her! Me! Sure, I’m going to try and teach the spell to Celestia and Cadence, but even then, if Celestia is this worried about Nightmare Moon that she needs nine? I can’t even begin to comprehend how dangerous she must be… and why didn’t she tell me? Did she ever tell you?”

Sunset had remained quiet during Twilight’s pacing, watching the Princess move back and forth in front of her, the question breaking the Knight out of her slight stupor.

She wasn’t sure what the right move was, but seeing Twilight stare right at her made her heart squeeze itself into a confession.

“She… didn’t. She never told me the truth about a lot of things,” Sunset admitted, managing to (for now) skirt around that she had found out the truth since.

“I don’t know, Sunset… would I have still accepted these if I knew that I’d have to some day fight Nightmare Moon herself?” Twilight replied, spreading her wings into the air.

Sunset bit her lip. She knew Twilight was just speaking her mind, but she felt some old wounds start to get pried open.

“I… Don’t know, Twilight. I don’t know why she never told you, or me. I think she was afraid of how we’d react,” Sunset said dryly, “Well, how I’d react, more like.”

Sunset was stuck. Of all the subjects, she didn’t want to talk about this one, not right now, at least. Every time she thought of it, she couldn’t help thinking about all the decisions she’d made in her past, and thinking of how she may have acted differently if she had known what was coming in her future.

She felt that little twinge of resentment towards Celestia grow momentarily larger. Celestia’s lack of transparency had eventually led to Sunset breaking the seal, although the Knight knew that she couldn’t blame the Queen.

It had been her decision, after all.

Twilight seemed to sense her Knight’s discomfort, and gently sat next to the unarmoured unicorn, her wings brushing against her side. Sunset felt truly pathetic; ever since her encounter with Flash, she had been trying her best to keep Twilight’s soft feathers out of her mind. This was difficult as she had to be by her side at almost all times of day.

“Sunset… if you had known about Nightmare Moon’s return, do you think you would have stayed with Celestia? Or… at least… not left when you found she wanted another pupil?” asked Twilight softly.

The piercing pain in the side of Sunset’s head jammed further in, translating into a sudden burst of aggression from the unicorn.

“You really do know all the worst questions to ask, don’t you?” she snapped, twisting her head away from Twilight, warranting a slight gasp from the Princess. Regret immediately filled her stomach, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to look back over at her.

“Sorry…” she mumbled, placing a head on her temple, “I, uhm, I probably, wouldn’t have, left, I don’t think, and we might have… it wouldn’t have- you… fuck.”

She quickly felt wings surrounding her as Twilight hugged her, breaking her out of the spiral in an instant as her mind was suddenly elsewhere. She didn’t want comfort right now. She didn’t think she deserved it.

“It’s ok. Don’t worry, please. This isn’t your burden to bear, it’s mine,” whispered Twilight. Sunset shuddered.

“It should have been…” she mumbled, leaning into Twilight as she gave in to her desire for comfort, “It could have been…”

“Well…” Twilight replied eventually, “If I do have to face Nightmare Moon in… about sixteen years…, and of course I know you won’t exactly let me face her without you and your awesome glowing sword. You plan on leaving before then?”

Sunset just laughed dryly in response.

“You know I can’t leave,” she muttered.

Twilight’s ears flicked back.

“... would you? If you did have a choice?” she asked quietly.

Sunset sat very still.

A week ago, she would have been sure of her answer.

With the new pressures constantly pressing down on her, and how painful it was starting to be just existing around her Princess…

Sunset snorted.

Who was she kidding?

She couldn’t leave, not after everything.

It would take a true calamity for that to happen.

Quietly, Sunset’s eyes flicked to the wedding band that sat upon Twilight’s horn.

Sunset, training sword in her muzzle, was sparring with Oakwood Thorn, another knight employed by Duke Blueblood, and one of the ponies that had helped face the shadow creatures by the gates of Tartarus.

Sunset was easily outclassed; Oakwood had clearly been training in swordsmanship for years, whereas Sunset was more used to using her radiant blade to end fights, rather than duelling. It was especially an adjustment as the blade in her maw was much heavier than her usual weapon, which was made of light (and thus, was quite light).

Sunset could feel herself improving, however. She found a sword much easier to use than a spear.

With one last grunt, Oakwood pressed her advantage, and with one great strike, knocked the wooden blade out of Sunset's mouth. She let out a satisfied grunt, only for Sunset to launch herself at Oakwood, trying to knock her down. Oakwood stumbled, but stayed upright as she backed away, her occupied mouth curling into a smile. Taking the sword out of her mouth, she nodded.

“You’re getting better,” she said flatly, “and I appreciate how you still don't give up even when you've lost. Keep training. Maybe someday you’ll be able to best me.”

Sunset smiled back at her, using her magic to levitate a towel to her and used it to dry her hair and face; training under the unusually punishing sun did make one sweat.

“Hey!”

Sunset glanced up to see Zipp descending, looking equally as exhausted. Wearing a mask on a day like this could not be healthy.

Sunset waved, and gave a nod to Oakwood, who returned the gesture and moved away to give them some privacy.

Zipp landed a little unsteadily, graciously accepting the water tankard that Sunset handed them.

The pegasus had been staying in Canterlot like Sunset, technically acting as another guard for Twilight. However, they had been spending most of their time at the flight range with Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust, honing their flight skills to a knife's edge.

“You good?” Sunset asked as they retreaded into the shade of the palace.

“Yeah, I… I'm good, yeah. I wanted an… opinion is all,” they explained, panting. Glancing around, they took off their helmet and lowered their mask. There was nopony else around.

“Well, first of all, Dash n’ Dust have both been accepted for Wonderbolts tryouts! Which is so cool for them! The thing is, they… pulled some strings, and, well…” Zipp couldn't contain the grin that was edging its way onto their face ,”I-Ive been offered a place at the tryouts, too.”

Sunset grinned wide.

“Really! Zipp, that's great! Amazing!” Sunset beamed, giving them a small thump on the arm. Zipp laughed nervously.

“It really is, huh? My lifelong dream… There's only one problem. The Wonderbolts aren't just some guard or army; they're elite. And, being elite, they need to know exactly who they're getting into their ranks… so… if I even sign up, I'll need to tell them who I am, and if I do that, Mom is inevitably going to find out,” they explained, ears flicking down.

Sunset's grin faded as she listened.

It certainly was a tricky spot to be in.

“I see…” said Sunset carefully, “Do Rainbow and Lightning know about you?”

Zipp shook their head, chuckling. “Nah, they're too busy getting mad at each other and then rushing away to the locker rooms. They're codependent in a way I've never quite seen before. The only time that they've ever seemed interested in what's beneath the mask is when they've been flirting with me.”

Sunset laughed, before realizing it wasn't a joke. “Oh. Oh so they've been propositioning you?”

Zipp nodded. “Yep.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“Aaaaand?”

Zipp bit their lip, but shook their head, a thin smile on her face. “Maybe one at a time, but not both together. I'd be worried that I'd start a domestic.”

Sunset chuckled. “And I assume you still don't want to talk to your Mom yet?”

Zipp sighed. “I don't know. I've been thinking a lot since I fought that… thing on the mountainside, you know? What would have happened if I had died there? That would ruin Mom’s life. And I don't even want to think how Pipp would take it. And, on the reverse of that, what happens if Mom dies in some accident when I'm not there?”

Sunset nodded along. She could understand what they were going through all too well.

She did have a plan, though.

“Well… why did you leave?” she asked slowly.

Zipp didn’t look up. “I left because I felt like I was suffocating, and that I couldn’t live up to my potential.”

“Okay… and why are you hesitant about letting your mother know where you are?” Sunset continued.

“Because she’ll just try and drag me back to Zephyr Heights, and get me right back into my ‘Princessly Training’. I also…” they hung their head in shame, “I also… want to get back at her for replacing me so quickly with that Misty kid. Honestly, I don’t know what Celestia was thinking- she’s a Unicorn! She can’t even fly! And more to the point, why the fuck would my mother accept-”

They stopped themselves before the rant continued any further.

“I… want to get back at her, and make her realize she’s wrong. That’s all,” they said with finality.

Sunset felt the little smirk cross her face. It was like during a card game when the exact write cards landed in one’s hoof.

“Well, isn’t joining the wonderbolts the perfect way to get back at her?” Sunset suggested.

Zipp took it in for a moment, looking over at Sunset. “What do you mean?”

“Well… you still want to piss her off, right?” Sunset said with a grin, “Trust me. I know the feeling. Isn’t this the perfect way to keep you out of her reach whilst still letting her know you’re alive and well? Imagine the look on her face if she sees you in full wonderbolt attire!”

Zipp let out a dry laugh. “Oh, she’d be pissed. Real pissed…”

They looked up into the air for a few seconds, letting out a deep sigh.

“... It’s not a bad plan, Sunset, but… I don’t know. It feels like a bit of a leap,” they said finally.

Sunset shook her head. “You’ve already run away from home and survived an attack from a shadow demon. I think you’ve already taken the leap. It might be time for you to soar.”

Zipp nodded slowly, their brow furrowed.

“And… How do you think my mom will take the truth? That I didn’t go missing, I just… ran?”

Sunset dipped her head.

“I think that she needs to know the truth, eventually. The longer you keep the truth hidden away, the more problems it can cause down the line.”

Chapter Text

When Twilight had told Sunset that they were going on a girls shopping trip, the Knight had seriously considered asking if she could go jump into the Canterlot Palace moat instead.

This time, the pair were circling around the upper city. Sunset regarded the area fondly; she had spent much of her teenage years here. She hasn't done much shopping in this time, save the petty theft she had committed with Zipp. She could only imagine the stern words Twilight would have for her if she found out that Sunset had stolen pastries from Gustave Le Grande’s artisan bakery.

Sunset had always seen the giggling groups of upper class mares moving around the different high street shops like a hive minded mob. She had always looked down on them, thinking they were airheaded nepotism fillies, who were only where they were thanks to their luck of being born into the right family. Sunset could now see the irony; the pony who adopted her was God of the Sun.

At least it was a change of scenery. Sunset and Twilight had seldom left Duke Blueblood’s palace over the last week in a frantic mix of wedding planning, research, and training. Each front was going surprisingly well, especially the research. Twilight's brother was an expert in shielding magic, much of his new knowledge being from the libraries of the Crystal Empire, and Twilight had paid for a huge delivery of tomes from the frozen north. Her and Sunset had been pouring through them for hours, and had made some encouraging headway. Together, they had managed to create a basic barrier spell from scratch. It could barely withstand a blade, but it was a good start.

What Sunset hadn’t noticed as much as she should have, however, was that whenever faced with the choice of spending time with her Knight or her fiance, Twilight always seemed to choose her Knight.

It was nice. It at least allowed Sunset to ignore the inevitable for another few hours.

Speaking of the inevitable, Sunset was now sitting silently in a Canterlot Boutique, waiting for Twilight to come out with the latest wedding dress that the seamstress had made for her.

“Sooo… Sunset Shimmer…” coo’d Rarity, the unicorn dressmaker who Sunset found to be a bit too overfamiliar, who had strolled over to her like a predator hunting their prey.

Sunset only responded by a flick of the ear, not moving her gaze on the curtain that obscured her ward. “That's me.”

“Princess Twilight’s special royal guard! You’re the one who she requested I make a dress for, if I remember correctly. Which I do” continued the seamstress, walking in front of Sunset, forcing her to make eye contact.

“You did. Thank you. It's a nice dress. Bit tight, but I don't think Twilight measured me,” Sunset replied before craning her neck to keep her vision on the changing room curtain.

“Ah! Yes, I see it fits perfectly then,” she said alluringly, raising an eyebrow.

Sunset finally broke her concentration and tilted her head towards Rarity.

“... What?”

Rarity just gave a coy smile. “Oh, nothing, dear…”

“Okay! I think this is the one!” came a voice from the changing room.

Sunset watched breathlessly as Twilight came out of the changing room in the wedding dress.

The white dress was beautiful, tracing Twilight’s figure down to the waist, where it bloomed out into a reserved yet delicate skirt. Along the hem were purple gemstones, with the occasional cyan twist of thread.

Sunset just let the smile flow across her face. There was no point trying to hide it.

“Do you like it?” asked Twilight hopefully, doing a spin.

Sunset opened her mouth to speak but was cut off from a cry from outside. Her head twisting around, she could see a cloaked pony rushing away from a mare, carrying a bag.

With a single glance to Twilight, which was replied by a nod, Sunset leapt into action. Horn already sparkling with its cyan glow as she rushed out of the boutique, not even needing a moment to think.

Twilight rushed over to the window, watching her Knight bolt down the street. In moments, Sunset had teleported forward, keeping all her armour on, and tackled the thief. She flinched as she saw the earth pony suddenly wield a blade, but it just hit Sunset’s armour, who quickly bashed the knife out of his mouth with her hoof before placing it firmly down on his muzzle. Soon after, other guards caught up, and Sunset stood back, letting them do their job.

Twilight's fear turned to relief.

“Thank goodness…” she whispered, thinking of how far she had truly come since being her reluctant protector on their first day out together.

“My my, Princess… you are rather fond of your Knight, aren't you?” Rarity remarked, joining her by the window.

“Hmm? Oh, of course!” Twilight said nonchalantly, “She helps keep me safe! Not that I can't handle myself, mind you. She helps me train, study, cook, clean… everything! Like a dedicated personal maid! B-But don’t tell her I called her that.”

She was a little surprised as Rarity gave a gentle laugh.

“What?” Twilight asked, pouting.

Rarity composed herself. “Well you see, darling, I make dresses for many of Cantelot’s royalty and elite, many of whom have personal guards. Even some who are oathbound, like your loyal hound,” explained Rarity, pointing out the window towards Sunset who was guiltily shaking her head at an offer of payment from the victim of the robbery.

“None of them have a closeness like you and your knight. None of them,” Rarity said, a little more firmly now, as Twilight twisted her head to make eye contact. Rarity was looking at her pointedly.

Sunset reentered soon after, and Twilight mentally brushed off the comment as just Rarity being nosy or something like that…

… but ever so slowly, a thought started to ferment in the back of her head, as the trajectory of said dots began to speed up rapidly in the back of her head.

As they walked home, Twilight found herself staring at Sunset more and more, watching how her mane waved with the movement of her walk with attentiveness.

Silence in the library.

Sunset had almost fallen asleep at her book, and had found herself reading and rereading the same sentence about five different times.

“I know what you are.”

“Say it. You have to say it out loud.”

“... Vampire Batpony….”

Sunset blinked a few times, realizing she was reading the wrong book. Shoving it aside, she simply laid her head on the table instead.

The week leading up to the wedding was becoming more and more tiresome, and the pair had little opportunities for their studies. Twilight had promised that they could head to the lower city together tomorrow; maybe even finally getting to the Blue Lagoon. She only had an hour between her final dress fitting and a meeting with Celestia about the order of events at the wedding.

Still, Sunset cherished every moment she got to spend alone with Twilight, having to remind herself that these would get more fleeting as time passed.

She was, however, exhausted. So resting her eyes for a few moments wouldn’t be a problem…

“AHA!”

Sunset jolted awake, banging her head on the table as her eyes flew open, staring at Twilight, who was excitedly floating a book over to her.

“HERE! SUNSET!”

Shaking the fatigue out of her foggy mind, Sunset plucked the book out of the air and placed it in front of her. The book was ancient, but Sunset recognized it as one of the ones from the Crystal Empire that Twilight had specially ordered in.

The text was faded in places, but Sunset could just about make it out.

... Starswirl and his fellow pillars… ..ttle against their greatest foe, the pony of shadows, and banished him into the depths of the ear… Tartarus and the Umberfoal… the 6 ponies working in unison to create the seal for the dark depths…. vanished upon the spell’s completion…

Sunset’s eyes widened.

“The… the Pillars… does this mean the Pillars of Equestria?” she asked, a wondrous smile starting to cross her face.

“Yes!” said Twilight, who scooted round to sit beside her, leaning into her as she pored over the book.

Sunset did her best to keep her eyes on the book too.

To the residents of Equestria, the Pillars of Equestria were akin to an Arthurian Myth. Ancient tales of bold heroes, saving the land from the evils of the day. Of course, there was concrete evidence of their existence; almost every record from the time mentions them. However, the reports were so wildly different in their number, ability, and even names, that the truth has been long shrouded by the mists of time.

“This means…” Sunset muttered, rereading the faded text once more.

“This means we have a new goal! Research the Pillars of Equestria, work out how they did the spell, and see if we can somehow recreate it!” she said excitedly, her wings ruffling as she looked jubilantly to Sunset, her eyes sparkling like pools of sunlit water. Sunset couldn’t help but mirror her expression, the excitement of the revelation taking over, causing her to wrap a hoof around her in a joyful embrace.

Progress had been made!

“Okay! No wonder we didn’t find anything! We’ve been looking at history, and not stories! Ok, where is this dumps fiction section?” Sunset announced, standing up and started to look around the library.

Twilight once again found her eyes drawn to Sunset as she searched, her tail twitching rhythmically, the sudden hopeful excitement radiating off her as she seemingly got a second wind from her excitement.

She tried her best not to let her eyes flick to her flank as she stretched up to read the name of a high up book.

There was an unexpectedly loud knock at the library door.

Sunset turned her head to the door, half way through reading book titles. She felt her hackles raise. How dare anyone interrupt Twilight and Sunset book time. She looked to Twilight, only to see her gaze remaining on her. But… not at her eyes? Upon being rumbled, Twilight quickly jolted her head to the door.

“Come in!” called Twilight briskly.

Sunset thought nothing of it. She was probably just looking at her scars again.

Through the door came Oakwood Thorn, holding an opened letter in her hoof.

“Good morning, Princess. Knight Shimmer,” she said with a respectful bow.

“Oh! Oakwood, yes, do come in! Is that a letter for me?” asked Twilight. Surprisingly, Oakwood shook her head.

“No. It is for Sunset,” she replied. Sunset raised an eyebrow. Who would be sending her letters? Getting down from the shelf, she walked over.

“You’ve been summoned. Canterlot Security is being ramped up fourfold for this wedding, meaning they, apparently, can’t spare any guards to deal with issues in the valley,” explained Oakwood.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Has Celestia-”

“She has no authority on it, unfortunately. Which is why the Captain of the Equinox guard has requested your presence. There has been an attack on the town of Ponyville, which rests in lower Canterlot Valley, where several residents have been kidnapped, along with some fatalities,” Oakwood explained.

Sunset frowned. Oakwood was not a very expressive pony, but she could hear the tones of bitterness in her voice.

“And they can’t send anyone else?” asked Sunset.

“Everypony else is busy in Canterlot, and since you are not bound to any one location, you can go wherever you are ordered. Captain Shadow did call for you specifically. I’m sorry,” finished Oakwood.

Sunset growled to herself, staring down at her hooves.

“How long would I need to be away?” she asked, glancing back at Twilight, who was quick to give her a sad, supportive smile.

“A week.”

The words hit Sunset like a punch to the stomach. A whole week?

The fleeting time that Sunset and Twilight had together felt like it had just been cut short.

“I…” Sunset scraped her hoof along the floor in discomfort, “I… don’t want to do that.”

“Sunset…” Twilight said, moving closer to her, and tapping her on the shoulder. Sunset turned to face her.

“I know you want to stay, and I want you to stay here too! But… if there are ponies that need help, I… wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing that I kept you from helping them,” she said sorrowfully, “It will be ok. We’ll still be able to go to the lower city a day before my wedding, right? You can tell me about all the ponies you saved in Ponyville!”

Sunset studied her face, eventually admitting defeat. She turned her head, and nodded to Oakwood.

“Ok. I can do it. But I want a guard by her side at every moment of every day,” she stated firmly, her head flicking to Twilight. The Alicorn’s training had come far, and against a standard bandit or knife wielding thug, she was confident Twilight would be able to handle it, in theory. But her mind fell back to how Twilight reacted in the woods with the wolf, and the way she seized up under the pressure of combat…

“I will get Zipp before I leave,” Sunset told her Princess. She didn’t trust many of the other guards, not for something this important. They all had skill, but Zipp had more drive and passion than most.

“I think they’re fully booked with Wonderbolt training…” Twilight informed her Knight glumly.

“Then…” Sunset growled at herself once more, before her eyes landed on Oakwood.

“If you wish me to take over your duties, I will speak to the Duke. It would be an honour to be a Princess’s bodyguard, even if the posting would be temporary,” Oakwood replied before Sunset even had to ask the question.

Sunset felt a tiny bit of relief, but the worry was still set within her.

“Thank you, Oakwood. Truly,” she said, before making one final turn to Twilight.

“I’ll see you…” she muttered.

“Y-yeah. I’ll see you soon, my knight. And remember! You’re not allowed to die for sixteen years. So if you go and die when I’m not there, I’m going to find a way to resurrect you just so I can sh-shout at you, got it?” Twilight insisted.

Sunset laughed, and gave her a quick embrace.

“I’ll see you soon, Princess,” she insisted.

At least distance would make the heart grow fonder, right?

Sunset expelled this thought from her head pretty quickly. She wasn’t sure if that was quite what she wanted.

Twilight gave her a soft nuzzle.

“You… better go. Make sure to save lots of ponies! Or else,”

Sunset didn’t return the gesture as she nodded goodbye, leaving the room with Oakwood.

“I will return shortly,” informed the earth pony, who closed the door behind them.

Twilight was left alone with her thoughts.

A whole week without Sunset?

Huffing, she looked back at the huge pile of books behind her.

Maybe Timber could help her read through them?

Ugh. She’d much rather have Sunset than Timber.

…

To help her read the books.

Why did the idea of spending time with her fiancé cause so much dread within her?

She shook the thought out of her head, and sat down, but the two dots in her mind had started to reach terminal velocity, streaking towards each other like revelatory shooting stars.

Twilight sat in the main hall with Timber, her eyes gazing at the letter Sunset had sent her the previous day. It was the first time she had received a letter from her. It was nice to know that her Knight was still thinking of the Princess.

Sunset, Tempest, and a knight in training from Maretime Bay had apparently been helping the town for the last few days, but had come no closer to finding the cause of the disappearances. There had been no pattern to the victims. A librarian, a baker, a scholar had all vanished on the same night, as well as a mare who lived in an animal-filled cottage on the edge of town. What was most troubling was the few bodies that were left.

All of them had been drained of blood.

Sunset had requested that Twilight do an investigation on any bloodsucking creatures that existed in records, official and unofficial.

Batponies were an uncommon type of pony, but one did see them occasionally in equestria. However, some more power hungry of their kind had a natural affinity to dark magic, and there long existed legends of long fanged undead creatures that stalked the dark roads of the 9 kingdoms and beyond.

Twilight was thankful that Sunset was due back tomorrow. She didn’t want anything biting her neck.

She gulped subconsciously.

In the meantime, her and Timber had been having a (to Twilight, at least) surprisingly good time. Timber had helped with some of the research, and (whilst reading a book on plants that he wasn’t meant to be reading), he did find a story about a tree that the Pillars apparently planted deep underground which had warding effects on it. It was a surprising bit of progress that she hadn’t expected. She’d have to look further into it with Sunset later.

The pair had even gone on another date, this time to one of Timber’s favorite restaurants in the upper city: Horizon Pasture. Twilight had to admit it was exquisite, and she may have had a little too much wine as she almost fell asleep on the way home. Timber and Oakwood had to carry her back to her room, where she had apparently mumbled “Bring me my Knight… The Princess needs cuddles…”

She was lucky only Oakwood heard that bit.

At present, Twilight and Timber were planning the finishing touches for the wedding. It was apparently tradition in the Blueblood family for the father of an engaged son to spend 3 days alone together, so that the father may impart wisdom and knowledge onto their kin on the duties of a good husband. Twilight would have thought it should have been a thing he was taught since birth, but she wasn’t in any place to question the traditions of other families.

This did mean, however, that this was the last day that they’d be seeing each other before she was walking down the aisle. But that was ok!

It means that she’d have Sunset for the last 3 days.

She looked at the design for the seating arrangement, looking at all the family and friends who would be visiting. Her ear did flick a little as she observed that her brother wouldn’t be there…

It wasn’t really her choice.

Still, Twilight couldn't help but hum to herself as she looked over the rest of the plans, her wings ruffling loudly. Timber turned to look at her, momentarily looking away from the flower arrangement he had been sketching for the reception.

“You okay?” he asked. Twilight nodded, her smile widening. It was happening so soon! Her wedding! Her happily ever after with her handsome prince!

“I'm just so excited!” Twilight admitted. Timber smiled, and embraced her, giving her a small peck on the cheek.

“You can kiss me on the lips, you know! We are getting married,” laughed Twilight, beaming.

Timber blinked a few times.

“... Really?”

Twilight’s laughter continued. “Yeah! Of course!”

“... Now?”

Twilight stopped as she looked into Timber's eyes, before her face dropped.

Was she about to have her first kiss?

Her first ever proper actual kiss?

Sure, she had kissed others on the cheek and hoof, but never a true, intimate, private kiss.

“Sure! Uhm, yeah, sure, why not!” Twilight said quickly, moving her mane out of her eyes. Timber nodded, and the pair leant in towards each other at a snails pace.

Twilight shut her eyes. You shut your eyes when you kiss, right?

She could feel Timbers breath on her muzzle, and she couldn't deny a slight tingle in her stomach.

Suddenly, her mind went into a panicked frenzy.

She had no idea how to kiss!

It was too late now. Her muzzle was but inches away from his!

She shuddered, remembering the time as a teenager she had snuck into town to buy a book titled “Kissing for Simpletons.” Remembering the lessons of the King of Love, Prince Feather Bangs, Twilight opened her mouth slightly, and held her tongue just outside of her mouth, waiting for it to meet Timber’s.

Twilight’s tongue ended up rubbing against Timber’s lips, who gave a grunt of confusion. Timber opened his mouth a bit, but Twilight had already tried to course correct which ended with him licking his nose slightly, her tongue quickly retreating back into her mouth in panic.

“Oh, s-” Twilight started to say before timber leant further in, now sticking out his tongue, which entered Twilight’s mouth unexpectedly. Twilight flinched and backed away quickly, her wings ruffling as she accidentally bit her own tongue.

The pair both withdrew and stared at each other for a few moments, as Twilight began to laugh nervously.

“W-We’ll have plenty of time to practice that, right?” she chuckled.

Timber blinked a few times, and visibly shuddered. “Uhm… sure, yeah, uhm. Sure. Sorry, I hadn't done that. Uhm. Before.”

Twilight smiled sympathetically.

“It's ok! Uhm, neither have I, but… well, we've got time to learn!”

There were a few moments of awkward tension before Timber laughed.

“You… really are putting a lot of effort into this, aren't you?” he said, smiling as he went back to his planning drawing.

Twilight's own nervous smile faded. “Well, yes? It's my wedding? We're getting married?”

“Not just the wedding! This whole… getting to know each other thing! I didn't really expect it, to be honest!” he said, shrugging. He hadn't looked up yet.

Twilight was stunned.

What?

“I'm sorry, Timber, I don’t really get what you’re saying… you… didn't think that I would… want to get to know my future husband?” she asked slowly, as if he was building up to the punchline of some joke.

Timber looked up at Twilight’s perplexed face, a maddening indifference masked on his own.

“Well, it's not like we’re going to actually love each other or anything, right?” he remarked.

Twilight stared at Timber, his words bouncing into a wall that stood firmly in front of her comprehension. She couldn't fathom what he was saying.

“Timber? We… what?” she asked, feeling a seed of panic planting itself firmly in her stomach.

Timber tilted his head.

“Oh, are… oh. You’re…” he looked away sheepishly, “oh dear…”

Twilight took all her restraint not to grab Timber’s face with her telekinesis and force him to look at her again.

“Timber?”

“You’re only getting married to me because it’s what your family wants, right?” he asked.

“I… no? Well, not really, but, I also… wait, is that why you’re doing it?” Twilight replied. The seed of panic had started to bloom.

“Well… yes?” he said, as if the answer should be obvious, “Father and Gloriosa have always been hounding me to find someone to betrothe myself too, but I always just… hung out in my greenhouse. I wasn't happy when I found out he had gone and found a wife for me, but out of all of the wives to have, you’ll be a good one, I suppose.”

Twilight was standing now.

“You… But… you…”

The cogs that had been whirring in her brain had been yanked apart, preventing any rational thoughts to collect themselves.

Timber smiled sadly.

“Sorry to, uhm, burst your bubble, I guess…” he mumbled, seemingly starting to understand the weight of what he had said.

Twilight took a hoofstep back, her wings dropping to the floor.

“A lie?” she breathed, “Everything… everything you’ve done has been a lie? You… you’ve led me along? For WEEKS!? K-Knowing that you weren’t even going to try and love me!? Just because our families put us together doesn’t mean we can’t love each other, Timber! My mother and father were matchmade by the old king, and their parents before that!”

Timber nodded dumbly. “I know… and they don’t love each other. Father has said as much. Hardly any royal marriages are for love, apparently. You read books, shouldn’t you know this?”

Twilight felt a huge lump form in her throat. It felt like she had been torn out of a cozy chair by the fireplace and thrown into a lake, with grasping plants pulling her underwater.

All the stories she had read about princesses and princes had always ended in happy endings. Sure, history tended to be bleaker than fiction, but even so, she had always been promised by her mother and father that she would fall in love with a real life prince one day.

The same mother and father who had organized the wedding and stopped Twilight from receiving letters from her brother.

Twilight felt another jolt in her stomach.

“Sorry, Twilight. Well, I’m glad you know now, at least!” he said with a smile, standing up to face her properly, “and if it’s any consolation, I do think you’re very pretty and funny! You’ve shown me so much, like Donuts! And Chess! Of all the ponies I’ve met that are going to be my wife, I’m glad it’s you. We can even kiss sometimes if that’s what you’d like!”

Twilight stared at his face. His stupid, handsome blank face, that little smile pasted on like a stamp. After a few seconds, his lips started to move (or talking, as some may call it).

“... do you want to see my flower arrangements for your family’s side of the isle?”

For the first time in her life, Twilight Sparkle experienced a phenomenon she had read about in many romance novel: the ick.

“I… Timber, you… you…”

A million different insults swirled in her head, but only one bubbled up to her lips.

“L-Lying … Bore!”

With that, she spun around, her tail knocking some of the papers off the table, and stormed away, her pace increasing as she fled down the hallway and towards the staircase.

Timber stood still for a few minutes, contemplating her reaction.

Something told him that he probably shouldn’t tell Gloriosa about this one.

She’d flip her lid.

Twilight lay on her bed, staring up at the silk canopy above her, holding her pillow close to her chest as she tried her best to keep it together.

None of it was real.

Timber just wanted his family off his back.

Twilight felt her squeeze the pillow even tighter.

The worst thing was that she couldn't even blame him. He just wanted to sit in his greenhouse and grow plants, and with that, he was a natural. Perhaps in another life, they could have been occasional friends.

But this wasn't some other life. This was her life, and she was living it.

She bit her lip.

Maybe Zipp’s abandonment of their Princesshood duties hadn't been as ridiculous as she had first thought.

Thoughts and memories started circling in her mind.

“Do you love him?”

Zipp's angry question was more relevant than ever, as Twilight knew the answer all too well now.

Had they been given a suitor?

The next time she saw him would be at the wedding.

Her wings splayed out as she finally let out a sob. Her head tilted gently to the sofa in the corner of the room, where her Knight lay most nights in rest.

Twilight wished Sunset was here. She was sure she'd know just what to say.

It was strange. Twilight always imagined that she could go to her future husband for problems like this, but she found it far easier to talk to Sunset. Her Knight seemed to enjoy comforting her, too.

…

…

…

Hang on just a minute.

Twilight sat upright suddenly, blinking a few times.

It was strange.

It was really, really strange. Twilight had never taken the time to actually consider it before. Like an echo down a long narrow cave, the words of her seamstress from the week before surrounding her brain like a tight bandage.

‘None of them have a closeness like you and your knight. None of them.’

Now that Twilight was unburned from her false affection for Timber Spruce, her mental barriers for any other possibilities shattered like panes of glass.

She thought of Sunset's comments on remembering her dresses from past galas.

She thought of the way that she caught Sunset staring at her, only to quickly move her head away.

She thought of the way Sunset shivered whenever she held her close with her wings.

She thought of crying into Sunset, and Sunset crying into her, and how close they felt in that moment.

She thought of the slight awakening she had after seeing Sunset in that dress; something she had assumed would just end up being a fun little fact about herself she could tell at cocktail parties.

She thought of Sunset standing over her, hoof towards her, as they fought the wolf in the woods together.

She thought of her Knight's discomfort at being called a sister.

She thought of Sunset running 25 miles just to collapse in front of her.

She thought of her own dismay at learning she’d be away for an entire week.

She thought of the past few months and, despite all the horrors that they had brought, thought of the shining bright light that had entered her life, falling from the sky with Celestia’s radiant blade impaling her demonic form.

The same light that had repeatedly stared her dead in the eyes and, with that beautiful smile and dazzling fiery mane, declared that she would “Never leave her side.”

All of these thoughts, memories, feelings and emotions all funneled themselves into Twilight’s cheeks, which has quickly formed into a rosy blush.

The two dots finally connected with each other, smashing into each other like comets, their debris and dust cascading far and wide through Twilight’s mind, all coalescing into a single word uttered by the now tearstained Princess of Equinox.

“... Oh.”

Chapter Text

Twilight had barely said a word since she had woken up. She had given a sleepy nod to Oakwood, who didn’t seem to mind the lack of conversation as the pair headed up to Canterlot Palace. Oakwood remained stoic, shooting glares at anyone who tried to approach, much as Sunset did.

For the first time in a long time, Twilight was glad that Sunset wasn’t here. At least until she could try and figure out what in tartarus was going on in her head.

She walked numbly through the Palace gardens, where preparations for the grand wedding were almost complete. She nodded politely at a few ponies who approached her, but as per her orders, Oakwood shooed them away.

She entered the main hall where the wedding was to take place in the near future, looking at the multiple rows of pews that lined the sides of the room, ready to be placed out imminently.

“Ah! Princess! How are you?”

Raven trotted up, hovering three different clipboards around her as she scribbled as she walked.

“I’m, uh, fine… do you know when Mother and Father are getting here?” asked Twilight.

“Hmm? Oh yes, yes one moment…” she mumbled, swerving round a hidden fourth clipboard from behind her, mumbling to herself as she tried to find it on her schedule.

“Ah! Yes! They are due in an hour, but apparently have had to detour due to a giant mole monster digging up the road a few miles ahead of them,” she said nonchalantly, swiveling around to a fifth clipboard that had been levitating under her stomach.

Twilight blinked a few times at the bonus surprise clipboard. “Mole monster?”

“Yes, apparently inflicted by Tartarus magic. Nothing to be concerned about. Anyway, must dash- HEY! CLEAR SKIES, THAT’S NOT WHERE THAT GOES! Ugh, it’s like having forty unruly kittens, honestly! RED YELLOW RED YELLOW BLUE YELLOW RED! NOT YELLOW RED YELLOW BLUE YELLOW RED YELLOW!” Raven suddenly cried, moving swiftly to start shouting at a pegasus putting up decorative flags on the high walls of the hall.

Twilight’s ears flattened. It felt like the entire city was working towards this wedding.

One she was now doubting.

She could feel a migraine coming on as the fog in her mind only intensified. Luckily, she spotted someone standing by the balcony door who was possibly the one pony in all of Equestria who might be able to relate to her current situation.

“Oakwood, you are relieved. Wait here until I come back for you, ok?” Twilight said. Oakwood raised an uncertain eyebrow.

“Knight Shimmer was very firm about me staying by your side, Princess,” she commented. Twilight felt her stomach clench. Once again, that constant affirmation, even if it wasn’t through Sunset’s lips.

“Don’t worry. I’m just going to talk to another guard,” she said reassuringly as she trotted briskly over to the masked pegasi who stood by the balcony door.

Zipp’s eyes lit up as Twilight moved over. Before Twilight could get a word in sideways, Zipp had moved a few steps towards her.

“Twilight! Ugh, just the pony I want to see right now!” they said, sounding a bit frantic.

“I could say the exact same thing to you, Zipp…” Twilight admitted, “You first, though.”

“Well, I had a chat with Sunset, and she gave me a few things to think about, and, well…” they said, and motioned to their armour. Twilight squinted as she saw the new shape emplaced on it.

It was a bronzed emblem of a lightning bolt flanked by wings, with a green stripe down the middle. It took a moment for Twilight to recognize the logo, but once she did, she gasped.

“Zipp! You got in?” she asked, eyes wide as excitement gripped her, almost making her forget her plight for a fleeting moment. The princess could see Zipp’s grin through their mask.

“Sure did! Dashie and Dusty did, too! We’re all going to be cadets together! It’s so exciting! We went out drinking in the lower city, and… well, that's not the point. I got in! Which is also kind of the problem! Haha…” they said hurriedly, clearly seeking to quickly move on.

“How is it a problem? Didn’t you say you always wanted to be in the Wonderbolts?” Twilight asked.

“That’s right! It’s just, well, I had to… reveal who I am to the Wonderbolts, and had to admit to Dashie and Dusty. They were both thrilled they managed to get off with a Princess without even realizing it, at least. But the more ponies who know, the more chances are that word will get back to my Mom. So, I spoke to Celestia, and, well…” they trailed off, their head gazing out to the main doors.

Twilight nodded in understanding.

“Oh! They’re… they’re coming here? Zipp, that’s… great! That’s- wait did you say get off!?” Twilight suddenly spluttered.

Zipp had a sudden moment of realization, and their gaze turned back to Twilight, their eyes wide.

“...uhm.”

Zipp was, however, saved by the door opening just a creak. Twilight’s head turned, her expression now somewhat flustered.

Through the door came Queen Haven, Princess Pipp Petals, young Misty, and an assortment of well dressed Zephyr Heights guards. Raven immediately approached them.

Zipp took a deep breath, shuddering all over.

“Ohhh fuckkk I’m not ready for thisss….” they mumbled, scraping their hoof on the ground in discomfort.

Twilight looked at the hoof. They were doing the exact same thing that Sunset would do when stressed out. She bit her lip.

She didn’t want to burden Zipp with her troubles, not when they were about to do something so monumental. There would hopefully be time before Sunset got back for them to talk properly.

“Zipp Storm. Look at me,” Twilight said, moving Zipp’s muzzle with her hoof. Zipp nodded as they looked into her eyes. “You left to take back control of your life, right?” Twilight asked. Zipp nodded once more, their eyes repeatedly darting over to the group of newcomers.

“Well, this is you taking back control. You can do this. Do you want me to come with you?” she asked firmly.

Zipp gulped, and nodded.

Twilight sighed. “Let’s go then.”

With that, they started to walk together down the hall towards the assembled group.

Twilight felt herself snort with a degree of frustration. It was far easier to be brave and firm when it was somepony else's problem that you were dealing with.

Still, she was more than happy to help.

“I don’t quite understand why Celestia called us up here if she isn’t even well enough to greet us! Honestly!” Queen Haven could be heard complaining.

Raven was looking more stressed by the moment, relief covering her face as she saw the approaching Princesses.

“Ah! Well, I think the reason is just here! Now, if you’ll excuse me…” she said, and shuffled away quite quickly (but still peeking back at the group.)

Zipp had stopped walking a few meters away from the Queen, who was already staring at her with a mix of shock and confusion. A mother would always know their child.

Zipp made one last glance over to Twilight, who gave her a reassuring bump with her hoof. The runaway Princess took a deep breath, and approached their mother, taking off their helmet and mask in front of her, letting it fall to the floor.

“Hey, Mom… Hey sis,” they said quietly.

There was a good few moments of silence, before a loud shrill scream cut through the hall.

“ZEEEPPPPPHHYRRINNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Pipp had apparently only just realised who was here, and had launched herself at her sister, wrapping her hooves around her neck, tears already flowing like streams out of her eye. Zipp jolted, but gently held their sister in a tight embrace, sitting down to the floor.

“Zephyrina, I… goodness me, Zephyrina…” their mother said, her bottom lip wobbling.

“It’s Zipp now, Mom,” Zipp said firmly, their own voice wobbling a bit as they comforted the sobbing pegasus in her hooves, “And I… I’m a wonderbolt now. Just like I always said I would be.”

The Queen took a shallow intake of breath, looking Zipp up and down, her face slowly cracking into a wide smile.

“I don’t care what your name is, or what you’re doing now… what's important is that you're okay!” she said, her hooves stumbling a bit as she moved towards them.

She fell into an embrace of her two sisters, and joined Pipp in crying.

From the side, Twilight smiled as she saw a huge wave of relief crossed their face.

Wiping a tear away, they returned the embrace of their mother. “We, uhm… we should talk, Mom. I’m sorry I didn’t want to before… but I didn’t think you’d listen.”

“I’m listening now, Zeph… Z-Zipp. I’m listening now,” the Queen insisted.

Twilight let the tension release from herself, too, as tears welled up in her eyes. It was a touching scene.

Zipp and their mother would likely have a lot to talk about, and a lot of reconciliation would have to happen, but they had taken the ever so important first step.

The first step towards a better future was always the hardest.

Twilight tried her best to ignore that the one pony who might relate to her current situation had just been preoccupied, likely until after the wedding. Part of her wanted to take the pegasus princess aside to talk… but that wouldn’t be fair.

This was their moment.

It was ok. She could try and talk to Sunset about it-

She felt a wave of nausea flow across her stomach, followed by a second wave of nausea upon realizing the source of the first bit of nausea.

Was just the thought of her affection for her Knight going to make her want to collapse?

“Are you ok?”

Twilight jumped in her place as Misty had silently appeared beside her, looking up at her with her wide unblinking eyes. She took a moment to compose herself.

“I, uh, yes! Of course!” she insisted, nodding, putting on a smile, “I-I’m only crying because I’m happy to see Zipp back with their family!”

Misty’s eyes narrowed. It took a moment for Twilight to realize that she wasn’t wearing her magic suppressing tiara.

“Why are you lying?” she asked in the same tone, but with a hint of sadness in the corners.

“I… uhm…” Twilight took a hoof step back, “I’m not, Misty, it’s just, well… y-you’re too young to, uhm… It doesn’t matter, ok? I’m fine. Really.”

Before the child could ask any more intrusive questions, Twilight quickly took off, soaring across the hall and into one of the side corridors. Once there, her hoofsteps slowed down briskly as she slumped against one of the walls, head in her hooves.

Being psychoanalyzed by an empath child from the woods was not something she wanted to happen today, of all days.

Twilight was thankful that her family had arrived. It invited a sense of normalcy that she hadn’t experienced for the last 12 hours.

Yet something was off.

Twilight knew how to mask.

She had never felt like she had to do it around her family.

As she showed them around the venue, she was all smiles, laughing along with her Father’s jokes and listening to her Mother’s advice, talking about how excited she was for the coming celebration. It all came naturally to her. It felt like she was talking to strangers at one of the various Galas.

She knew none of them would understand if she told them the truth.

Her father kept on repeating how proud of her he was, and how excited he was to finally get a grandson. The thought now made Twilight feel nauseous.

Again and again, he mentioned duty, tradition, honour, and legacy. All of these things had been drilled into Twilight since birth and she had never questioned any of them.

Twilight grew much quieter as she slowly realized how little of her life’s path had been up to her, save for her wings.

It was as they were walking through Canterlot Palace to the King and Queen’s guest bedchambers that Twilight finally brought up the courage to fight back.

“It’s wonderful, Twilight. Just wonderful. You’re everything either of us could have ever wanted in a daughter! A perfect, golden child,” Night Light praised as they walked. Twilight felt her ears pin back. She wasn’t always the golden child; that title long belonged to somepony else.

She took a deep breath, and stopped walking. “I know you’ve been keeping Shiny’s letters from me, father.”

Her father froze mid step, and turned his head back to stare at her.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked, his voice suddenly firm as it always became when his estranged son was mentioned.

“Shiny’s here in Canterlot. I spoke to him. I missed him. And…” Twilight started, clenching her jaw. She couldn’t remember the last time she had truly defied her father like this.

She had slowly felt control slipping out of her hooves for the last few days. She had to take it back.

“I want him at the wedding, Father,” she stated.

Her father’s eyes widened with rage.

“You what!?” he hissed.

“Night…” Velvet said softly, placing a hoof on his shoulder, “Surely… it is her wedding after all…”

The King shot his wife a look. The Queen immediately backed down.

Twilight had seen him do this before, but was now seeing it under a whole new light. This steeled her resolve.

“Twilight, darling… I don’t know what your brother has told you, but I assure you, it is false. He has not sent you a single letter. He probably just wants to be included in the inheritance. I will hear no more of this tripe,” her father said with finality.

Twilight put her hoof down.

“Then the wedding is off, father,” she declared.

There were few times that Twilight had seen her father this full of rage.

He marched up to her with heavy hoofsteps, stopping right in front of her. Twilight shuddered, but stood her ground.

“If Shining Armour and his wife are not allowed at MY wedding, then there will not be a wedding,” Twilight repeated.

“Do you have any idea what you are threatening?” the King hissed, “I would be the laughing stock of the Nine Kingdoms! Two separate children who didn’t live up to their birthright? Do you want my reputation to be tarnished, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight felt that comment hit her stomach like a hammer. It was enough to make her waver.

Was that all she was to him?

“Well then,” she said, her bottom lip trembling as tears welled up in her eyes, “I suppose they will be attending the wedding then?”

Her father glared down at her, disbelief in her eyes.

“This is my wedding, Father,” Twilight stated.

The King shut his eyes tight, turning away and mumbling to himself, shaking with rage.

“... Fine. Fine, he can be there. But he is not sitting on our side of the isle. And if he even tries to talk to me or your mother, we are leaving,” he spat, and without another word, marched into his room, slamming the door shut.

Twilight felt herself fall back down to her hind legs, holding her head in her hooves as she felt tears starting to fall out onto the ground below, the adrenaline she had built up suddenly crashing out of her system. A few moments passed as she heard her mother approaching, embracing her softly. She leant into her, crying into her soft mane.

“It’s ok, my dear, it’s ok…” she whispered calmly, “You know how your father is about… this whole buisness…”

Twilight nodded, a smile creeping on her face, “I d-did it, though. I… I told him no.”

“That you did, darling. It is a very tricky thing to do,” her mother cooed.

Twilight felt a similar thump in her stomach. She thought of all the times that Father had cut Mother off, or not allowed her to speak up…

“Mother…” Twilight asked quietly, “When you got married to Father… did you love him?”

The Princess heard a small gasp from the Queen, and looked up at her. The Queen had a distant look in her eyes.

“Well, I… He took some getting used to, for sure,” she said simply, pursing her lips in a smile.

Twilight didn’t like how much of a non answer it was.

“Do you love him now?” she asked, terrified of what the answer may be.

Twilight waited for what seemed like eternity for an answer.

It never came.

“... Mother?” she asked, but her Mother merely stood up, gave her a small kiss on the forehead, and walked into the room that her Father had vanished into, gently closing the door behind her.

Twilight had never felt more alone.

It was a strange form of isolation. Over the past months when she had felt this way, she had gone to Sunset for comfort, intentionally or not, and she had always delivered.

Now, the one pony she knew could make this all better was the one pony she dreaded seeing the most.

From her parents room, she could hear an argument starting. Silently, she shuffled up, and tentatively placed her ear to the door.

“That stupid, stupid girl. Does she not understand any of this? She's been too busy running around with that ridiculous guard of hers. Wouldn't be surprised if she's poisoning her mind. I never should have allowed her to stay. After she's tied the knot, Sunset Shimmer won't have a reason to constantly ‘keep her safe’. Canterlot is the safest city in Equestria.”

“Night Light… don't you think you're being a bit…”

“A bit what, Velvet?”

“... Twilight is ever so fond of her Knight. Have you not noticed how bright she looks with her around?”

“You don't know what you’re talking about.”

“I'm just saying, wouldn't it be better-”

“Velvet. If this marriage doesn't go well, then the entire legacy of Equinox will be more tarnished than it already is. We're already the laughstock of Equestria with our ridiculous Captain and feeble defenses.”

“... Of course, dear.”

“This marriage will be good for us, and the whole family.”

“Whatever you say, Night.”

Twilight shrank away from the door and quietly walked down the corridor, head hung low as the fairytale she was living in quickly started to break apart. For a pony so smart it was incredible how stupid she had been.

This had always been a political marriage.

Timber was never going to be Twilight’s lover.

And Twilight was stuck right in the middle of it. Taking a quivering breath, she bit her tongue. She didn't have a choice in this. If she didn't go through with the wedding, she'd cause enough chaos and familial destruction to reawaken Discord. If the leadership fell apart, then life would likely get worse for the people of Equinox, the kingdom Twilight would one day inherit.

It was her destiny.

… But she couldn't just ignore Sunset.

The next time they spoke, she would have to calmly explain her feelings to her Knight, and why she wouldn't be able to explore them with her. She'd hate to be dishonest. She was worried at how she'd respond, but knew in her mind that it was the right thing to do. Even if Timber would be a bad husband for Twilight, she'd have Sunset to keep her from insanity.

At least she’d have time to plan what to say.

Destiny told her otherwise.

As she moved towards the main hall once more, she was stopped by a group of soldiers moving past her hurriedly. Twilight's eyebrows raised as she realized the attire they were wearing.

Wonderbolts.

“Form up, attack pattern gamma! The Alicorn is ready for takeoff, ETA to Ponyville from takeoff 30 minutes!”

Twilight jolted.

“E-Excuse me!” she called, “What's happening in Ponyville?”

An older looking pegasus turned their head to answer.

“Some kind of giant Umberfoal bear is smashing the place up! Queen Celestia is sending the new Alicorn to assist, Princess!” they responded, before turning the corner.

Twilight stared at the empty spot they had just occupied.

And then she started to run.

She needed to find Zipp, and hopefully one of her new (apparent) girlfriends.

She needed to get to Ponyville.

She needed to get to Sunset.

Chapter Text

Some ponies may say if it was raining brains, Trixie Lulamoon would stay as dry as a bone.

Trixie didn’t understand what they meant by this.

It was probably a compliment.

The unicorn travelled around the nine kingdoms with her magician's wagon, spreading delight and wonder to all she performed in front of. Many considered her a wizard, but Trixie merely considered herself a stagecraft sensation. Most of her shows had spells, sure, but they were mere amplifications of her toned charisma, expelling from her horn in the form of fireworks, moving images, and three dimensional illusions.

It was one of these said three dimensional illusions that had landed her into what some would call a sticky situation.

Hiding behind her beloved cart, she poked her head around the corner, lifting the brim of her hat slightly to get a better view of the danger.

Trixie knew that she was a skilled illusionist. She didn’t realize that her illusion of an Ursa Minor was accurate enough to somehow attract a fully fledged Ursa Major into the sleepy countryside town of Ponyville.

Trixie had spent much time studying Ursa Minors, even getting close to one with the aid of a naturalist named Fluttershy a few weeks earlier, to get a better grip on what they looked like so she could accurately recreate it in illusionary form. This Ursa Major had a similar makeup as the see through bear, but this one looked wrong in ways that Trixie couldn’t quite put her hoof on. Maybe it was the jet black nature of its astral form, that seemed more like a living bear shaped creature of black liquid, or the grey streaks of decay it left in its wake, of the pure white angry eyes that seemed to be leaking large splodges of black tears in its wake.

Or maybe it was just that it was a little bigger.

There was no way to be sure.

“Oh boyyy, Trixie… you’re really in it now…” she muttered, hiding back behind the cart as the beast’s eyes seemed to lock onto her, its great pawsteps getting closer and closer.

“Shitttt ok! TRIXIE! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!” she yowled, slapping herself repeatedly, “What did that pretty mare in the Crystal Mountains say to you when she found you stealing her apples?”

“If I ever see your sorry mane again, I’m going to make you burst like a gory balloon and throw your deflated corpse into a ravine.”

Trixie blinked. That wasn’t that useful, but the idea did excite her.

Unfortunately, Trixie’s daydream had lost her the valuable time she had, as she found herself blown forward by the huge force of the Ursa Major’s paw smashing down into her precious cart, blowing it to smithereens. Splinters flew as Trixie landed a few meters away, horror flowing through her as she looked at the corpse of her mobile home.

Reality suddenly gripped her, and she found herself paralyzed with fear.

An unnatural screech emanated from the warped monster’s mouth, and it raised a paw to smash down onto Trixie. Trixie shut her eyes.

Trixie Lulamoon could be considered possibly one of the luckiest mares in all of Equestria. Almost every time she found herself in mortal peril, something would always swoop in to save her, and every time she wished that they wouldn’t cut it so close to the mark.

With a flash of bright light, Trixie saw a tall, armoured pony leap in the way of her, and with a slash of her head, send a cascade of lightning towards the Ursa. She then had the peculiar sensation of being grabbed by the scruff of her neck and dragged a good fifty feet away, as the maroon unicorn continued to divert the monster’s attention.

Trixie was dropped, and splatted onto the ground, legs splayed out as she looked up at her saviour.

An orange unicorn with fiery red and yellow mane glared down at her, her gaze furious.

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING? YOU NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!” she screamed at the magician.

Trixie blinked twice. She was so pretty…

“I was, uhm, looking after my wagon…” she said dreamily sitting up to point at it, only to be reminded that her one true love had just been murdered by the beast.

“Oh…” she mumbled.

“You’re wagons gone! You need to get out of here!” her saviour declared, lifting to her hooves, and plopping her down in front of her, her mane blowing dramatically in the wind. A small trickle of blood was dribbling down her forehead onto her muzzle as she took long, heaving breaths.

Trixie blinked twice more.

“Will you marry me?” she asked dumbly.

The fiery unicorn froze in front of her, her expression growing gaunt as she stared deep into Trixie’s eyes.

Trixie was sure the answer was going to be a yes, although as she saw Sunset’s hoof sailing towards her head, she thought a punch was a funny way to accept a marriage proposal.

Sunset watched the magician fall to the floor, unconscious from the single strike to her temple without a single regret in the world. Of all the things to have said to Sunset Shimmer at this moment, a declaration of marriage was the very worst thing. Ever.

“I’M GOING TO TRY AND LURE IT TO THE FOREST, SHIMMER! GET THAT FOOL TO SAFETY!" roared Tempest, Sunset looking up just in time to see the unicorn leap with a powerful kick out of the way of an incoming bite.

“YES CAPTAIN! BE CAREFUL!” Sunset yelled back, her voice already hoarse from shouting, as she scooped up Trixie and placed her on her back, rushing towards the other edge of town where the Squire had directed the other townsfolk.

“M-Miss Shimmer, Sir!” the young orange earth pony called as the Knight approached.

“Report, Starscout,” Sunset replied gruffly, placing Trixie on the floor.

“A-All the residents are accounted for! According to Pinkie Pie, her family’s rock farm is a few miles off to the west, and that it should be safe there for the time being!” replied Sunny Starscout, the Squire from Maretime Bay. She was only meant to be doing a week long ‘placement’ in the countryside so she could prove she could help the local community; she had not expected to be involved in a whole town evacuation.

“Good. Get on your way, Sunny, but be careful. Nightfall is soon,” she instructed, and took a few moments to recompose herself.

The beast had attacked hard and fast, smashing through trees and houses alike to reach the magician’s illusionary bear. It was a miracle that no pony was hurt, most likely due to the incredible distraction that Pinkie Pie (the town’s baker and “party planner”) had created with the incredible use of fireworks and self invented ‘party cannons’ to keep the demonic starbear engaged until the audience of the show could escape.

“Oh Trixie… she gaslit too close to the sun, it seems…” Pinkie said in dismay as she trotted over, nudging Trixie with her hoof. Trixie stirred but didn’t wake up.

“She’ll be fine. She… fell over,” said Sunset shortly, looking back to the Squire.

Sunny tried her best to smile, but flinched as the ground shook with another heavy smash, the roof of a building getting swiped away like an angry filly knocking over a stack of coloured blocks.

“Fuck…” Sunset growled, and flicked her horn. The translucent blade formed in the air and floated a few feet above her head. She flashed a smile at the squire.

“They’ll be looking to you for support. Give them hope,” Sunset affirmed before sprinting off towards the dark shape in the town center.

Sunny gave a small determined huff, and turned to the assembled townsfolk.

“E-Everypony! With me! To the rock farm!” she declared, and drew her shortsword from her scabbard.

Sunset managed to get back into the town as quickly as she could, where she saw Tempest ducking and weaving between the different spread out buildings. Sunset couldn't help but see a level of fear in Tempest that she wasn't used to seeing.

Sunset tensed, her cyan magic glowing bright as she pulled back the blade against a hard cushion of air, like an arrow knocked into a bow. This is how Celestia launched her blades. Sunset’s ones were nowhere near as big as the Queen’s, but that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was precision.

Holding her breath, she aimed carefully, and fired. The blade flew like a streaking comet of light, successfully hitting the spectral bear, her blade flying straight through and bursting into light as it hit the ground. A large chunk of the bear's body flew with it, the hole sealing up like an ooze.

Was there any way to kill this thing?

Tempest shot one last spray of thunderbolts at it before circling around to stand alongside Sunset, panting as she caught her breath.

“Ideas?” she grunted, spitting on the floor as the bear demolished another building.

“None,” said Sunset breathlessly, “I don’t even know if Twilight could purge that thing! Celestia herself would have to exert a lot of force to deal with an Ursa Major, let alone one that’s been infected by umberfoal magic!”

“Where the hell is she…” growled Tempest. Sunset’s ear flicked. She was surprised the truth of her condition hadn’t reached her yet.

“Wait… there!”

Tempest raised her hoof at the sky, just above the ursa major, multiple streaks appearing in the light of the setting sun. There were 3 groups of 5, along with a pair who seemed to be escorting a much slower flier.

“Fucking FINALLY!” growled Tempest, as her horn crackled in frustrated relief.

Sunset felt a similar relief.

The Wonderbolts.

The three groups broke off, each beginning to circle the town in tight patterns. Sunset could see dark clouds starting to form between each of them.

“They need time to form them! Let’s keep that thing distracted until-” Sunset started, only to feel herself get tackled to the ground. The pair had momentarily taken their eyes off the Ursa Major, who had proceeded to swipe at the town hall, sending a wave of debris at her and Tempest. The pair had managed to withstand the brunt of the force, but Tempest had been trapped under several wooden beams and planks from the roofing of the building.

Sunset looked up to see the Ursa Major staring to bound towards them. She activated her horn and frantically started to try and lift the debris off of her, but Tempest shook her head.

“Save yourself, Idiot!” she growled as she tried to get herself free.

“Don’t try to be noble!” snapped Sunset.

“That is a command, Knight Shimmer!” replied Tempest, baring her teeth as she looked up at the oncoming monster.

“Shame I don’t serve you, then-” Sunset started, staring at the rapidly approaching bear. Lighting her horn, she got ready to teleport, using her teeth to try and drag Tempest out.

The Ursa was too close.

Lurching forward, Sunset leapt forward and placed both forelegs around Tempest's neck. She exhaled, and jolted, casting the spell.

Flash.

The corrupted spirit’s paw smashed down on the spot the pair had just been in, reducing it to sawdust, as Sunset and Tempest reappeared a few meters to the right. The pair fell onto their sides. Sunset rose quickly, her face full of relief and surprise. Relief because they were safe; Surprise that it actually worked.

“GET UP!” Sunset cried to Tempest, who was stunned from the sudden nature of the spell, and was stumbling to her hooves, her horn lashing out with sparks uncontrollably. The effect of the magic must have short circuited when combined with Tempest’s fractured horn. Sunset winces as she realized that the teleportation hadn’t caught all of Tempest’s armour; she was missing some of the back plating, as well as the protection for her right flank. For the first time, Sunset saw Tempest’s blank flank.

The knight felt a gust of wind.

As the great beast let out another roar, three pegasi landed between it and the unicorns.

“STEP NO FURTHER, CREATURE OF TARTARUS!”

Sunset’s eyes widened at the bright light she saw in front of her.

It was an Alicorn. But not one she had met.

Cadence stood in front of her, a bright light beaming out of her horn. Sunset watched in awe as a crystal started to form at the horn’s tip. It quickly manifested itself into a pink heart shaped gemstone. With one more stomp of her hoof, the crystal’s spinning sped up to a blur and, forming around it, a pinkish bubble burst out, enveloping the ponies nearby. The Ursa Major slammed its paw down on the bubble, but screeched in pain as it struck. Sunset saw the black goop that made the form of the beast start to dissolve like an ice sculpture, but also noted the wincing from the Alicorn who had landed in front of them.

“Who the hell is that!?” groaned Tempest, who had managed to shake off the confusion.

Sunset took a moment to glance at the other Wonderbolts who had landed alongside cadence. She wasn’t familiar with any of the current wonderbolts so didn’t know them by name, but one was an older looking pegasus with Spikey orange hair, the other being a younger pale blue pony with a dark blue mane.

“It’s Cadence! The new Alicorn!” Sunset explained, moving forward, “Did Celestia send you?”

“Y-Yes! I can… make these little hearts-” she started to explain, but winced in pain as the bear slammed its paw on the bubble once again, melting its paw once more. Sunset watched in dismay as it seemed to regenerate the damage almost instantaneously.

“-T-They can keep dark energy away!” the new Alicorn stuttered. Sunset could tell it was her first time in a real fight.

“You’re doing really well! You can do it! Can you purge that thing?” Sunset asked frantically.

“N-No, I can only make a barrier!” she whimpered.

The word barrier triggered something in Sunset’s mind.

She would need to talk to Cadence about the Gates to Tartarus if they got out of this alive.

No. When. When they got out of this alive.

“We need a plan, and fast,” commented the orange wonderbolt, taking off their flight goggles to look at the forming storm clouds, “It will take another few minutes for those to be ready for lightning strikes… damn it.”

“We can distract that thing until then,” Tempest grunted, stretching herself out as the monster pounded down on the orb once again. Sunset could see cracks forming along the crystal that floated by the tip of Cadence’s horn.

“Right. Split off, don't let it get too close to any one pony. Yell if you need help. Ready?” instructed the orange Wonderbolt.

Sunset nodded, doing a quick stretch, eyes on Tempest.

“Ready, Captain?” she asked.

“Always knew I'd die to one of these things…” the Captain mumbled.

“What?”

“How do you think I lost my horn…” the Unicorn growled, flexing her broad shoulders as she scraped the floor with her hoof like a bull about to charge, “Time for some payback…”

With one more shattering slam, the bubble broke. Cadence cried out in fear, and quickly flew backwards, shooting a few frantic pink beams at the bear. It raised its head upwards and went to swipe, only for Sunset to blast her own shot of energy. As soon as this happened, the orange wonderbolt slammed into its head, making it screech with rage.

The 5 ponies continued this distracting dance for as long as they were able, the creature starting to gain ground with each strike, overwhelmed by the constant attacks from all angles. It seemed to pick a target, and charge.

Before Sunset could truly react, a paw was flying at her.

Sunset put up a shield, but it wasn't enough. The unnatural weight of the paw shattered it like a rock being thrown through a pane of glass. Sunset felt herself take to the air, crashing into the debris of a wrecked building. She tried to light her horn for an emergency teleportation, but she was being jostled around too much to get a hold. She was stopped by crashing through a support beam. Despite her efforts, she failed to hold up the collapsing roof, and was quickly buried under the rubble. For a few moments, she strained and struggled to escape, but quickly felt her sight leaving her, the sound of a thunderbolt fading into the static of unconsciousness.

“Where is she?”

“She was thrown into a building, but I didn’t see. I’m so sorry. We will begin searching through the rubble- P-Princess?”

“I have to find her! She could be hurt!”

“Princess, I think you should-”

“GET OFF OF ME! SUNSET! SUNSET CAN YOU HEAR ME!”

Sunset’s ears were ringing, but weakly, she felt her horn light up on its own.

A few moments of silence…

“That one. She’s there.”

“What? How do you know?”

“Because it’s where she is. Come on! Help me lift it away!”

“I… fine. FINE! Ugh.”

Sunset felt the weight on her body start to lift.

Weakly, she managed to cough.

“THERE! DID YOU HEAR THAT! SHE’S HERE! SUNSET! SUNSET WHERE ARE YOU!”

Purple magic surrounded the debris covering her, and Sunset could see the dim light of the set sun again. Squinting through the dust, a dark shape came into focus.

It was Twilight.

Suddenly, everything was better.

It was bad seeing her in such distress, but she was here.

Behind her was Lightning Dust, looking on in shock. In the air above, Sunset could see various pegasi flying around, clearing storm clouds. One of them dove down suddenly, a loud whoop of joy escaping her mouth.

“HELL YEAH! YOU’RE ALIVE!” cried Rainbow Dash in jubilation as she landed nearby. Behind the chromatic Pegasus was what Sunset could only assume as the remains of the Ursa Major, purged of its Umberfoal influence.

Sunset felt herself get lifted out of the debris and placed onto the soft grass of Ponyville. She spluttered, a trickle of blood coming out of the corner of her mouth as it curled into a smile.

“Hey Princess… not dead yet, don’t worry…” she mumbled, trying to get to her hooves, but found herself barely able to lift her legs off the ground.

“Oh Sunset… Sunset you’re so hurt…” whispered Twilight, tears welling in the corner of her eyes. Her head jerked around, before her gaze landed on a building behind them.

“I’m taking her there. I’ll treat her wounds inside,” Twilight said, and with her magic, levitated Sunset a few feet off the ground and started to walk.

“Uhh, Princess? There will be a medical tent here in about ten minutes, and Zipp will be coming back with the townspeople-” Lightning Dust started, but Sunset watched as Twilight shot a furious glare towards the future wonderbolt.

“I will tend to her wounds. Nopony else is to come in, got it?” she snapped. Lightning Dust backed away, nodding slowly. Sunset heard her lean over to Rainbow Dash and mutter something, which made the other pegasus snicker.

Sunset felt a soft smile form on her bruised face. Twilight always cured her wounds after battles.

“Twilight…” she whispered, “Thank you… so much…”

Twilight gave a short laugh which quickly turned into a sigh. Sunset was confused as to why she didn’t properly respond.

“I hope this place is suitable…” she mumbled, looking up at the building in front of her.

Carefully, levitating Sunset behind her, Twilight pushed the doors of the building open.

A treehouse library would be as good a place as any to have the hardest conversation of either of their lives.

Chapter Text

Twilight moved up the ramp leading to the bedroom area of the Golden Oak Library, placing Sunset down on the double bed. She moved a few items off the dresser; she was sure whoever this library belonged too wouldn't mind.

Sunset let out an exhale as her back met the mattress, looking up at Twilight fussing above her. How many times had she had to carry her from the dirt to a safe place? She was meant to be the protector. Guilt churned in her stomach, and Sunset decided she could just tough out the injuries.

“Twilight, it’s… ok. I’ll be fine, you don’t-” whispered Sunset, but Twilight was having none of it.

“I command you to shut up and let me heal you,” she said firmly. Sunset could feel the pain in her voice, and she complied. She didn’t want to put Twilight in any more distress than she already was.

Carefully, Twilight undid the strap around Sunset’s waist, and pulled it away, quickly moving to the plates on her flank, revealing some heavy bruising along with multiple cuts along her lower leg. Every now and again, the usual pain that came with most healing spells would hit, and Sunset would let out a grunt. When she did, Twilight would hush her in comfort. It didn’t stop the pain but it did certainly calm Sunset down. As she used her horn to press against Sunset’s flank, the unicorn covered her face with a hoof. She could hear Twilight’s breathing quicken somewhat, too.

Guess the wounds must have looked nasty.

Still hoping she could wriggle her way out of the overly intimate situation, Sunset defied her previous order. “If it's upsetting you, you can stop,”

“I told you to stop talking,” Twilight replied curtly. Sunset didn't reply, as she wasn't allowed. Instead, she shut her eyes, and let it happen.

Twilight soon moved onto Sunset side. She delicately pulled away Sunset’s back plating, gently levitating it to the floor beside her, and winced again.

“Ok Sunset… I need you to tell me if this hurts…” she instructed.

Sunset closed her eyes, nodding as she braced herself. Feeling the gentle pressure of Twilight's hoof against one of her top ribs, her level of pain remained the same. Twilight pressed down on two more, with the same response. However, the next one causes Sunset to yelp in agony as she felt a shooting pain that spread throughout that side of her body, causing her to squirm over on to the other side.

“Sorry! Sorry. Ok. That one's broken. Okay. Okay stay still…” Twilight said as she once again pressed her horn on Sunset's rib. This caused Sunset to fidget, but she did her best to keep herself stable. She could feel uncomfortable internal movement inside of her body. It was very disconcerting. Twilight gently ran her wing over Sunset’s scalp, hoping the touch of her feathers could sooth her Knight. It had quite the opposite effect as Sunset had to contain the intense shudder that built up along her spine like a sneeze.

Slowly, Twilight took off the rest of Sunset's armour, placing it on the bed beside her as she continued to work.

“Shiny would always get himself hurt when training and playing… I learned how to heal because of that. Always knew it would come in handy…” Twilight said, laughing weakly.

Again with the sibling comparison. Sunset's already wracked insides constricted further.

Eventually, Sunset was unarmored, laying on her side. Twilight had cast a few more incantations for the pain which would get Sunset through the night. Achingly, Sunset sat up on the bed, watching as Twilight lay down on the floor, clearly exhausted.

“That should be fine for now… we’ll need to get proper medical attention when we get back… to Canterlot…” said Twilight, trailing off as she looked out the window. Canterlot Mountain was clear to see in the distance, the usually sparkling city a dark silhouette on the horizon.

Sunset followed her gaze, but her ear flicked. Slowly, her eyes moved to her Princess’s expression. She could see trepidation in her tired eyes, her ears half flattened, the tremor at the left corner of her mouth. She knew all too well the signs of turmoil.

“Twilight?” Sunset said slowly, starting to crawl off the bed to sit next to her. Twilight immediately sat up again, holding out a hoof to stop her.

“You need rest, Sunset! Lie down!” she instructed. Sunset used all her willpower to resist the command, already feeling her forelegs bending slightly.

“You look… Terrible,” Sunset said bluntly.

“Wow, thank you, my Knight. You look like you just fought a bear and lost,” Twilight replied sarcastically, but paused as she saw Sunset’s tail flop up and down a few times. She stared directly at the tail, and Sunset could have sworn she saw something starting to form on her face.

“I did,” she said shortly, sliding off the bed and sitting next to Twilight, who gave up trying to stop her. Sunset was hesitant, but placed a hoof around Twilight, and leaned into her. Twilight leant back.

“I… missed you,” admitted Twilight.

Sunset felt the fur on the back of her neck stand up on end.

“I missed you too,” she replied quietly.

Would they have another moment like this again?

Sunset tried to fill the silence before any more thoughts entered her mind. “I… hope my time away wasn't too bad?”

Twilight let out a quiet snort and just shrugged.

Sunset’s ears flicked back. Uncomfortable with the silence, she decided to try and fill the air once more. “Ponyville is nice. There's a good bakery here called… well, it was here but I think the Ursa destroyed it. I got to talk to a Squire from Maretime Bay. She's nice. Inexperienced but has a good… heart…”

Sunset slowed down as she felt Twilight start to quiver.

“Twi?” she said, watching Twilight shake her head and place her hooves over her eyes.

“Twilight, did something happen?” Sunset asked, feeling panic rise in her stomach.

After a moment, Twilight nodded.

“Uhm. Yes. Zipp… got into the Wonderbolts, and saw their mother again,” she said. Sunset felt a smile dance on the corners of her mouth, but she could tell Twilight was deflecting.

“That's good. Really good. But… I don't think that's what's bothering you,” Sunset replied.

Twilight started to shake once again, having been well and truly rumbled.

“Shoot…” she laughed weakly, “I'm not very good at lying, am I?”

“Not really, Princess,” Sunset chuckled back, not wanting to admit that she'd kind of been lying to her for a month.

Twilight took a deep breath.

“I'm… not looking forward to the wedding,” the Princess admitted.

Sunset felt her heart miss a beat.

“I… see,” she replied, “Why? Is it because your brother can't be there?”

A sly smile crossed Twilight's face. “Oh, he will be. I had a fight with Father, but… he'll be there.”

Sunset felt a kernel of pride shoot through the discomfort.

“Good job. So… did the fight make you nervous about the wedding?” Sunset asked.

Twilight nodded a little too quickly. “Yes. Yes, that's it! That's all.”

Twilight waited a moment, her eyes flicking to Sunset to see if she had bought it.

She hadn't.

Twilight’s hopeful expression dropped, and she sighed.

“It’s Timber, Sunset.”

Sunset’s ears flicked up, as she involuntarily raised her hackles, anger quickly replacing the pride that had been forming.

What has he done!?

Her eyes scanned her ward, but didn't see any marks. Her immediate worst fears had momentarily been disproven. Still, Sunset had few reservations on being blunt about Timber.

“Do I need to throw him off a balcony for you, Princess?” she asked.

Twilight clearly thought it was a joke with the laugh she gave (it wasn’t). “No, no. He's… well, he… he told me he…”

Sunset was fighting the urge to start running to Canterlot with the intention of punching a noble. “Take as much time as you need, Twilight.”

“He… said that he would never love me. He was surprised that… I had been trying to love him. He told me he was only getting married to get his parents off his back,” Twilight explained, her anguish slowly turning into frustration.

Sunset stared at her, her blood quickly boiling over. She wasn't happy about Timber and Twilight getting married, but she at least had it in the back of her mind that it was what Twilight wanted. For him to outright tell Twilight that he wouldn’t love her was unforgivable.

“... He what?”

Before she even had time to go outside and chop down an entire forest, Twilight let out a shrill, slightly hysterical laugh.

“Thats not even the worst of it! As he was trying to explain himself, it was like… like a veil had been lifted. I realized something, Sunset!”

Twilight started to shake and suddenly slammed her hoof on the wooden floor.

“I realized he’s a fucking BORE!”

Twilight had suddenly leapt up and strutted over to the window, pushing it open, and taking in deep breaths of the evening air. Sunset stared in complete shock. She didn't think she'd ever actually heard the Princess swear before. She stood up, but didn't interrupt as Twilight started to rant like she had never seen her before.

“I hate him, Sunset… he… just stands there like a plank of wood, and then tells me about flowers! I love flowers! Flowers and irrigation are so interesting! But he is so BORING when he’s explaining things about them! But there is more to life than BOTANY! He’s barely left the house all his life! Not because of some dramatic deep dark past, but just because he’s boring!

“He's not even a bad pony, he's just… I don't want to marry him! I don't like him! And he only likes me because nopony else has ever talked to him! What do I do, Sunset? What the hell am I meant to do? He doesn't even care about getting married! He just wants to make his dad happy! How the hell am I meant to stop Nightmare Moon when I'm tied down by somepony who doesn't love me?” she wailed, finally slumping down, as she began to sob, unable to stop shaking as she fidgeted her wings too and fro.

Sunset had frozen up completely. The advice she wanted to give was dancing on the corners of her mouth, but seeing Twilight this distraught was hurting her in ways she didn't think possible. None of her wounds were causing her any pain anymore.

Still, she got the sense there was something more to this; something that made this even worse for her, but Sunset had no idea what it could have been.

She couldn't even fathom it.

“It's like… it's like I'm trapped… Zipp was right. I don't want to be a Princess if it means I have to marry someone just because my dad said so! But I am a Princess. I have to marry him, for the good of the kingdom. So… Sunset… W-What do I… what am I supposed to do?” Twilight asked desperately, her pleading eyes boring into Sunset.

Sunset was forced to respond.

“Leave,” she said.

Twilight hiccuped.

“W-What?”

“Leave. With me,” Sunset continued, moving up to her, “We can leave tonight. Leave the Nine Kingdoms—leave all of this. We can find a way to seal the gate in one of the other kingdoms, and put everything right. I can get a message to Zipp to cover for us. I don't even think Celesita would have a problem-”

Sunset was silenced by a frantic shake of Twilight’s head.

“I can't just leave! I-I’m a princess, Sunset! I have to stay! If I don't, all of my father's work will have been for nothing. Their lives are already ruined enough with my brother leaving, and they're all counting on me! Half of Canterlot has been shut down just to clear a path for the procession, and you've seen how the increased security has affected the others in the valley…” Twilight whimpered, “I can't just back out… I j-just… need to figure out how to deal with it…”

Sunset snapped.

“Your dads an asshole, Twilight! He's just using you as a political pawn so he can cozy up to Canterlot royalty! Maybe even get his lineage on the throne! He was willing to betrothe you to Timber just so he can gain more control! Do you think he really cares about how you feel?” Sunset barked, putting her hoof down.

Twilight squeaked as Sunset began to shout, but stood up to meet her.

“Of course he does! He's my father! He loves me!” she yelled back.

“Yeah, as a political bargaining tool! You saw how he treated your brother after he followed his heart!” Sunset retorted.

“Oh! Yeah! Great point, Sunset! So you suggest I follow in his hoofsteps? Get cast aside from the family? I can't not get married! It's what I was born to do! If this wedding doesn’t go ahead, Equinox will fall into turmoil! I have to do this!” Twilight argued back, not trying to stop the tears falling onto her cheeks.

“WHY? If you don't want to do it, why are you doing it?” Sunset growled, “It doesn't make sense!”

“The same reason you have to do what I say! Because you have to! You didn't even want to be here! You'd rather be miles away, all alone without any stupid royals telling you what to do! You’re only here because of that oath you didn't even mean to make!” Twilight screeched, stamping her hoof down hard on the wooden floor. Her horn flashed, and loose items from across the room momentarily flew into the air.

Sunset exhaled, her mouth twisting up into an exasperated grin. Twilight shrank back in regret.

“You really think that?” she asked, “You think I'm only here because of the oath? Twilight, that oath was the best mistake I've ever made in my entire life!”

“You think I'm here just because I have to be? No, Princess, I'm here because I want to be! I'm here because I like you! I'm here because every time I wake up, I worry about where you are! If something bad has happened to you! If I was too late to protect the most important pony I've ever met! I’m here to keep you safe! And do you know why I want to keep you safe so badly, Twilight? It’s not just because of my oath, it’s because I-”

Sunset caught the word in her throat before it could escape into the world, where it would inevitably cascade into unpredictable turmoil and destruction.

Twilight stared at her, her legs shaking, as she looked Sunset up and down. Sunset's ears pinned back. She knew how obvious it must have been that she had stopped herself.

Twilight gulped, her eyes sparkling with… hope?

“Because you what, Sunset?”

Sunset caved.

“It’s because I love you.”

It was as if everything in the world had stopped moving, the wind outside dying down, the sounds of the ruined village muted against the ears of the library’s occupants. Twilight wasn’t saying anything, she was just staring, her eyes still sparkling.

Sunset couldn’t keep it in any longer.

“I need to be with you. Because I can't imagine a single second without hating myself unless I'm by your side. I can see you running towards a future I know you’ll despise and it hurts me, Twi! It's really fucking hurts! I need you to be happy and safe and alive and okay, and… I… It's…”

The Knight took a deep breath.

“I don't care that you're about to get married. No matter what happens, even if you go through with the wedding, I’m not going anywhere. It’s okay that you don’t feel the same way about me, really, but I… can’t stand by and say nothing when I see you going through all of this.”

The silence grew all the more deafening as Sunset stared at the stunned Twilight.

The Knight wanted to explain everything from the very beginning, but right now, words failed her.

Twilight was just staring at her, mouth slightly ajar, her eyes flicking around her face.

You've fucked it, Sunset.

Sunset fell back into a sitting position, tears welling. Twilight was still staring, her beautiful wings drooping by her side as she continued to look Sunset up and down, slightly inhaling as her eyes sparkled.

Couldn't keep your mouth shut.

Sunset covered her eyes with her hooves.

“Sorry. That wasn’t- that came out wrong, I… just pretend I didn’t say that, please, I… command me to never talk ever again or something. I, I should go. Sorry. That's not- I-”

Sunset heard movement. Opening her eyes back up, she saw Twilight sitting right in front of her, looking petrified yet determined.

Sunset stared back, tears wetting her cheeks, and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Twilight, breathing softly, moved closer, placed a hoof on her knight's cheek, studied her face, and with a quivering breath…

… The Princess kissed her Knight.

Sunset's eyes remained bulging for a good few seconds before they fluttered closed, her hoof gently moving to Twilight’s side.

Was she dreaming?

It wasn't a long kiss, but Sunset felt every moment of it like it was an eternity.

Twilight moved her head backwards after a few seconds, staring at Sunset, the corners of her mouth flicking upwards, her eyes wide and sparkling.

“That’s… how it's meant to feel,” said the Princess.

Sunset stared at Twilight as if she had just thrust a radiant blade through her heart, but the corners of her mouth started to shift upwards, too.

Twilight Sparkle had just kissed her.

The flickerings of joy at the corner of Twilight's mouth quickly dimmed as she stood up, shuffling backwards, hoof on her forehead. Sunset stood up too, watching the Princess’s expression move from horror, to pain, to fear, to terror. Eventually, Twilight looked back at Sunset.

“Twilight, I…” Sunset whispered.

“Sunset. I… I think I, uhm…” Twilight replied in an equally hushed whisper.

Perfect tension.

Broken by a sob from the Princess as her eye drifted to the Equinox coat of arms on Sunset’s armour, laying on the floor beside the unicorn.

“I… Sunset I, I… I shouldn't have… I……”

Sunset’s blood ran cold. “Twilight?”

“I’m so sorry… I… I shouldn’t have done that, Sunset, I… this i-isn’t right… I… oh no…”

As Twilight looked up at Sunset. A single tear rolled down her face, leaving a trail down her cheek before plummeting to the wooden floor.

The tear splashed against the marble below.

The kiss had been too much for Twilight to handle.

Twilight stared down at the droplet, hoping that none of the assembled crowd could see. Carefully wiping her eye with her hoof, she looked back up at the stallion opposite her, who was grinning awkwardly.

“And do you, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equinox, take Timber of the House of Spruce, Prince of Canterlot, as your royal wedded husband?”

“I do,” she said simply.

“And should anyone have a reason for these two royals not to be wed in celestial matrimony, please speak now or forever hold your peace!”

There was a little murmur of laughs in the audience, Twilight on instinct laughing along. It was a purely ceremonial gesture; not once had anyone ever actually objected to a royal marriage. Her eyes flicked from Timber to the crowd.

She saw her, standing at the back of the hall. The unicorn's eyes were fixated on her ward.

If there was one pony who would be bold enough to interrupt a Canterlot Wedding, it was her knight.

After the longest second of Twilight's life, she saw Sunset turn her head away, eyes shutting tight.

Twilight felt her final spark of hope for escape fizzle away.

“Then, without further ado, you may kiss the bride!”

Twilight looked back to the smiling Timber, his lips puckered and ready.

This was right. This was how things were meant to be.

It had to be.

There wasn’t any other choice.

The Princess took a deep breath, and leant in.

It seemed that the true meaning of being a Princess was pretending to be happy.

After all her years of dreaming of this moment, Twilight finally had her ‘happily ever after.’

Chapter Text

Sunset Shimmer considered herself stupid to think it was going to go any other way.

Princesses didn't fall in love with Knights, and both of them knew it.

The Princess and her Knight had barely said a word to each other since their kiss. Any time either of them tried, the words got caught in their throats. Soon after Twilight's realization, she had instructed (not commanded) Sunset to do her best to rest, and that she'd check her wounds in the morning. Sunset obliged.

The carriage back to Canterlot was silent.

The last preparations for the wedding were silent.

Twilight's return to her room the night before was silent.

Even Sunset’s mumble of “Goodnight, Princess” felt silent as the Knight trudged off the barracks of the castle, where she received some sideways looks from the usual guards, not expecting her apparency. Oakwood approached her. Sunset told her to leave her alone.

Everything seemed muted to the Knight. Before, there had been strife, of course, but at least that made her feel something. There was still a little spark of hope that somehow, someway, the wedding wouldn't go ahead, and with Twilight's show of affection, she thought she was free, only to find herself more trapped than ever.

She wanted to scream and shout, shatter every pane of glass in this accursed palace, break every table and chair and throw fire at everyone in the ballroom... but she had done that before. It had ended in a radiant blade through her chest.

This time, she just stood still, watching from the side of the room as Twilight and Timber had their first dance.

She imagined had the circumstances been different, Twilight would have complained about Sunset refusing to take off her armour for the wedding.

Oh how Sunset longed to be told off by her Princess once again.

Sunset watched Twilight twirl on the ballroom floor with Timber, her graceful movement juxtaposing his robotic hoofsteps, like watching a turkey walk next to a dove. Sunset caught only glimpses of Twilight's face and saw the wide smile plastered over it. Every now and again, their eyes would meet, and both of them would look away.

Sunset felt old instincts start to kick in as she fought the overwhelming urge to leave the palace.

Leave the city.

Leave Equestria, to never return.

It wasn't long until she felt someone staring at her. She ignored it until that same someone spoke.

“Sunset Shimmer?”

Sunset felt her jaw clench.

“Go away, Misty.”

She twisted her gaze to the young unicorn, who was peering up at her curiously. The mare was wearing a simple teal dress adorned with a butterfly brooch. Sunset noted she was still wearing her tiara.

Misty tilted her head. “Oh, uhm, ok, I will, but can I talk to you first?”

Sunset glared at her for a few moments.

“...Fine.”

Misty nodded, her eyes shining, her face moving into a smile a few moments afterwards as if it were a delayed response. “Thank you, Sunset Shimmer. Pipp and Haven have been much less sad since Zipp showed up! They were both glad that Zipp hadn't died, they had just run away.”

Sunset’s expression didn't change.

“What's that got to do with me?” she replied woodenly.

“Well, Zipp said that you helped them decide to show themselves, and that you helped them not get found out in your guard, and helped them to not blow up and kill Queen Haven, so that was very nice of you, thanks!” Misty explained, sounding like she was trying to explain her favorite book to a stranger on public transport.

Sunset's expression softened slightly. It was nice to know that Zipp was flourishing, at least.

The Knight’s expression hardened again as she heard Twilight’s laugh pierce through the ambient mumble of the room.

“No worries,” Sunset mumbled, her head turning back to her Princess, who was now talking to Timber’s family. Gloriosa seemed to be having the time of her life, having a gaggle of prissy friends who were excitedly following her every move.

It was a few moments until Sunset’s ear flicked as she heard a little gasp beside her. She turned her head once more to see Misty staring at her in distress. She was using her hoof to hold her magic suppression tiara a few inches above her head. Sunset felt a jolt in her stomach as she lit her horn, harshly picking up the tiara with her telekinesis and thrusting it back down on Misty’s head with a little too much force. Misty let out a little yelp as Sunset turned to her.

“Stay out of my head, Misty. That's not a place you're allowed to see,” she hissed. Misty's eyes flew wide open as she nodded gently, her eyes flicking up to her own forehead. Sunset hadn't even realized she was still applying downward force to the tiara.

She took an immediate hoof step back, extinguishing her horn, guilt seizing her insides.

“Sorry, Kid, I didn't mean-”

Misty had already fled, Sunset’s insides twisting as she saw the child flee out a side corridor towards the restroom.

She almost went after her, but she saw Twilight out of the corner of her eye. The Princess was hugging Shining Armour, who seemed to be surprised at the force of the embrace. Cadence stood nearby, frowning at Twilight.

Sunset took deep breaths as she felt her head start to swim. She could apologize to Misty later. Right now, she had to keep it together.

A few minutes passed until somepony else made the mistake of trying to talk to her.

Wearing a black collared waistcoat that blended flawlessly into a flared skirt, Zipp approached, frowning. Sunset forced a little smile as she kept her gaze on Twilight.

Zipp shuffled their hoof a few times as they seemed to try and find words, but ended up just standing next to Sunset.

“Hey,” they said.

“Hi,” Sunset replied.

The silence between them lingered.

“So… what happened?" Zipp asked quietly, their gaze shifting to Sunset, who remained ever facing forward.

“Nothing.”

Zipp scoffed.

“Come on, dude. I'm not stupid. You're usually all over each other, but I haven't even seen you say a word to one another since before Ponyville. Besides, you look miserable, and furthermore, you made my new sister cry,” Zipp said, their tone growing firmer as they spoke.

Sunset glanced at Zipp. “New sister? You're accepting Misty much quicker than I thought.”

Zipp’s eyes narrowed. “Don't try to change the subject. What did she say to you? What did you say to her?”

“I told her to stop reading my emotions," Sunset replied.

"I'm not talking about Misty! I'm talking about HER!" Zipp snapped quietly as she pointed to the Princess, not wanting to cause a scene.

"Drop it, Zipp. I'll tell you when this is all over,” Sunset replied in a sharp whisper.

Zipp looked them up and down as their expression shifted to a more sympathetic one.

“... Alright, Sunset. Alright. I'm here if you need me, ok? Like you were there for me,” They reassured.

Sunset exhaled, and nodded, keeping her gaze firmly on the bride. On any other day, she would have been grateful for the reassurance.

There was only one pony Sunset needed right now, and had just given herself to someone else.

Zipp remained for a few moments more, before moving off towards their sister (who seemed more excited about being at a Canterlot wedding than a cat about to get fed raw tuna).

Sunset was thankful that nopony else tried to talk to her for the next hour or so, as the festivities continued. She gave a few passing nods to familiar faces, and glared at any royals who gave her funny looks.

Her wounded legs began to ache. She carefully sat down, taking a moment to adjust one of the bandages on her lower leg.

The moment was long enough for her to be completely distracted from the room around her.

It wasn't until a shadow eclipsed light behind her that she realized she had company.

“She is a beautiful bride, is she not?”

Sunset jolted.

The fur on the back of her neck stood up on end as she remained locked in place for a few seconds, squeezing out every moment she could to avoid talking to who had just approached her.

To be honest, she was surprised she had made it this far without having to talk to her again, but the timing could not have been worse.

Slowly, she turned her head, ears flattened back.

Looking down at her, smiling sadly, was Queen Celesita.

She had been absent from the wedding thus far, claiming to have important business to attend to with a diplomat from the Kingdom of Griffonia. Sunset knew the truth of her condition; the Queen was recovering, but doing her duty of keeping the Sun spirits calm was taking a lot out of her.

Celestia's question had been a little too pointed for Sunset’s liking. Then again, Celestia had always seemed to know what Sunset was thinking.

“Uhm…” Sunset said, standing up quickly despite the pain, “Yeah, I guess so.”

Celestia let out a light regal chuckle as she watched Twilight, who was now talking animatedly with Misty, who had re-entered the room. She saw the unicorn start to take off the Tiara again, but Pipp buzzed over to keep it in place.

The pair stood in silence, Sunset getting the feeling she wasn't the only one trying to work out what to say.

“I take it you are recovering well from your wounds?” asked Celestia eventually.

“Yeah,” Sunset replied.

The wounds on her body, anyway.

“And… How are yours?” she asked in return, her eyes moving over to Celestia's chest. She was wearing a regal dress, of course, but could still see the outline of bandages underneath.

Celestia placed a hoof over her heart.

“They are healing. Slower than I would have liked,” she replied softly.

“Good. A-About the healing. Not the… slow… bit”, she said, slowing right down as she made the first true, meaningful eye contact with the Alicorn who raised her for over two years. Sunset's mask cracked, her inner turmoil making waves that were just about reaching the surface.

Celestia inhaled a little as she stared back, emotion suddenly filling her face.

Sunset couldn't handle this.

Old instincts kicked in.

“I… have to go,” she said quickly, and went to move.

“I… would prefer it if you didn't, Sunset,” Celestia said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. Sunset froze up at the touch, and found herself slowly retreating into a sitting position, head hung low.

“... Sorry,” she mumbled, staring at her hooves as if she had never seen them before.

“You do not need to apologize, little one…” replied Celestia calmly, but Sunset could feel the Queen’s voice wobbling.

Sunset felt pressure build up in her head.

“I do though, don't I?” she remarked, fighting to move her head up for that long awaited eye contact once again. Celestia seemed completely disarmed.

“Why did you let me live?” Sunset asked bluntly, “I killed ponies. I tried to kill you. I did horrible things and made deals with creatures that you warned me about my whole life! And yet you still let me live? For what?”

Once again, a carrying laugh from Twilight Sparkle sliced through the tension. Both Celestia and Sunset broke eye contact to look at the Princess, who was laughing along with a few other nobles as Misty stood there, looking as confused as ever. Momentarily, Twilight’s gaze fell upon the pair. Her smile dropped as she stared directly at Sunset, tilting her head very slightly.

It was Sunset's turn to feel completely disarmed.

It was for her that she was still alive.

The unicorn gave a slight nod, and forced a smile.

Twilight looked relieved, yet her frown intensified. Her eyes flicked to one of the nobles next to her and her face burst into the previous performative smile.

Sunset felt her insides get twisted once more.

“I'm glad to see she is fond of you, Sunset,” Celesita commented, seemingly having regained her composure.

“I'm her Knight,” Sunset responded quietly.

Celestia chuckled to herself. “Indeed. And I take it you are fond of her, too?”

As Twilight waved off the group of nobles she was talking to, her smile quickly faded. Sunset felt her throat close up.

“...Yeah. She’s… she’s amazing. Like nopony else I’ve ever met. Worthy of wings, for sure.”

Sunset felt a tinge of the dormant resentment rear it’s ugly head.

“I get why she was my replacement,” she mumbled, but loud enough for Celestia to hear and by the sound of her exhale, she certainly had.

“She was never a replacement for you, Sunset.” replied the Queen, the pain in her voice coming from somewhere that wasn’t her scars.

“Well she took my spot, didn’t she?” Sunset replied, feeling her hackles raise as she shot Celestia a glare.

“She would have never had to take your spot if you hadn’t left,” Celestia replied sharply, a slight of bitterness in her gaze.

Sunset suddenly felt like the size of a parasprite, and she looked down like a nervous puppy, her tail tucking down between her legs. She felt her hoof instinctively scraping along the floor, but she felt Celestia’s own hoof moving to stop it, as she always used to do.

“I’m… sorry, Sunset. I truly am,” Celestia said apologetically, “We… both made mistakes that left us with wounds.”

“You can say that again…” mumbled Sunset, gently moving her own hoof away from Celestia’s.

“I’m glad you like her, Sunset. I knew you would. I have a debt to Princess Twilight that I will never be able to repay.”

Sunset squinted a little. “What debt is that?”

“The same debt you have to her, little one. She saved you in a way I never could and I will forever be grateful.” Celestia explained, “I’m grateful that she gave you the chance to grow and improve, to teach you the lessons I was never able to help you grasp. Despite everything, I have always known you have a good heart. I could not be more proud of you, Sunset. Truly.”

Sunset felt her throat tighten up once again.

She had never expected to hear that from Celestia again.

“... Thanks,” she choked out, rubbing her leg with her other hoof.

Sunset was thankful that King Night Light arrived at that moment, and started to loudly talk to her about the grandeur of the wedding. She looked to Twilight, who was now talking to Rarity, who was eyeing her up and down incredulously. Now and again, the unicorn’s eyes would flick to Sunset. Sunset’s ears shot up as she saw Twilight start to seem somewhat distressed.

Sunset felt a growl grow in her throat, and she got the sudden urge to run over and throw Rarity out of the party. Luckily for her, the unicorn merely bowed her head, and left for the food table.

Sunset could see Twilight sit down, and take a few deep breaths. Her heart was screaming at her to run over and comfort her princess, but her head was keeping her hooves nailed to the floor. Her eye twitched as she saw Timber, who was looking uncomfortable with all the ponies around, sit down next to her, and said a few words. Twilight looked at him, and Sunset saw what she knew to be a genuine smile.

Sunset shut her eyes. It seemed like making her smile was no longer her job.

“Sunset, if you don’t mind me saying…” Celestia piped up, “You seem… unhappy. Twilight had told me a week or so ago that you had been in much higher spirits…”

Sunset looked up at the Queen. She wanted to let everything spill onto the ballroom floor, to collapse into a ball of tears as she wailed to Celestia of her heartburn. Explain in excruciating detail all of the regret, fears, anxieties, dread and issues that had formed in the wake of her confession.

How she felt like she was never going to feel okay again.

She held back.

“I don’t know, Celestia. It just feels like… the end?” Sunset exhaled, “Like… this is it? This is just… how it’s going to be forever?”

The Queen took a few moments to respond as she hummed to herself. Sunset could tell she was trying to figure out what Sunset was actually asking. After a few moments, she inhales a little gasp of understanding, her eyes moving to the Princess. Her eyes locked with Sunset once again, and a sad smile crossed the Princess’s face.

Sunset was pretty sure she understood.

“Well, Sunset… Do you remember what I used to say about endings?” Celestia asked sagely.

Sunset bit her lip, taking one last glance at Twilight, who was looking at the floor distantly. Timber, on the other hoof, looked fine, although he was staring at a nearby bushel of flowers, and adjusting a few of their petals with his hoof.

“That… you have to keep on going despite them?” Sunset replied eventually.

“Exactly, Sunset, and I believe you will. You must. For her, and for yourself.”

Celestia coughed a few times, which made Sunset stand up, but the Alicorn waved away the Knight’s concern.

“I think… I should probably take my leave, little one… but please, do come and see me if anything is troubling you. Or if something is exciting you. Or… if you would like to talk about anything… I think we have a lot to talk about, perhaps when aren’t as… wounded”

Sunset gave a small nod, managing to make eye contact once more.

“I’ll try.”

Celestia hovered for a few moments, seemingly stuck between leaving and asking one more question.

“Little one…” she said, gently extending a hoof, “Would I be so bold as to ask for a-”

Sunset didn't need to be told twice. Celestia suddenly found Sunset embracing her, squeezing a little too tight, the metal plates around her body digging into her legs painfully.

Celestia didn't seem to mind at all.

“I have… missed you, Little Sun.” Celestia whispered.

Sunset sighed.

“Missed you too, Mom…”

Sunset immediately cringed. She hadn’t meant for that to slip out.

Celestia gasped, looking down at Sunset with surprise. Sunset immediately regretted what she had said, and she looked up at the Queen.

“... Wrong word?” asked the Knight, looking into Celestia’s tearful eyes.

Celestia’s surprise turned into a smile.

“No, little one. Not at all.”

Chapter Text

This was a nightmare.

A living, breathing, walking, cackling nightmare.

Twilight had been ready to confess and calmly explain to Sunset why they couldn't be together. 

That was before Twilight took the decision to kiss her Knight. At that moment, it seemed like the perfect decision. Hearing Sunset say those accursed words had hit Twilight in just the right (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) spot, especially since earlier that day her then fiance had said he’d never love her.

Twilight must have just been desperate for affection at that moment.

But if it was just in the moment, then how come she still felt so bad? 

Twilight had done quite well at the wedding, if she did say so herself. But now, standing in their honeymoon suite with Timber, staring at the rose petal covered bed that lay before them, Twilight suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to leap straight out of the window and leave the palace.

Leave the city.

Leave Equestria.

“... Soooo…” Timber said, blinking a few times as he gently sniffed the air. 

Roses.

Twilight didn't say anything, leading Timber to continue.

“You know how we're married now, and, well…” he said, shuffling his hoof on the ground.

Twilight slowly turned her head to Timber, a look of slight disbelief placed atop it. 

“Our families will be expecting us to, you know…” Timber implied, motioning to the bed, “continue the family line?” 

Twilight blinked a few times. 

“Have you ever… done it before?,” she asked, knowing the answer before he even opened his mouth.

“No,” Timber said flatly, confirming Twilight’s suspicions.

“... Me neither,” replied Twilight. She knew, mechanically, how it worked. 

The two stared at the bed, and then at each other. 

Both spoke at the same time.

“I don't think so-” 

“Not tonight, no-” 

Their eyes locked, and they both laughed. It was genuine.

At least there was solidarity. 

“Look, I…” Timber said quietly, looking at his hooves, “I am sorry, Twilight. I… really am. And I promise that's not just me… saying what Gloriosa thinks I should say. I really had no idea you… actually wanted to… you know… get married not just for our families.” 

The laugh died quite quickly, as Twilight looked away.

“It's, uhm, fine,” she replied, her wings ruffling. It was strangely comforting to know that Timber also wasn't exactly happy with the arrangement, even though for an entirely different reason.

Unless he and Sunset had also been having an illicit pre marital emotional love affair. 

Now that would have been a twist. 

Timber let out a little sigh of relief. “Good! I'm glad! I would still like to be friends! And, uhm, we can still kiss sometimes. I wouldn't mind trying it again. Maybe this time with less… licking of each other's noses. Then eventually, we can work up to getting you pregnant?” 

Twilight’s stomach turned.

Her gaze slowly shifted over to look at Timber, incredible discomfort in her eyes.

He had almost got her to appreciate him for his honesty, but even that went too far. 

Timber blinked a few times, Twilight seeing the heavy clockwork ticking in his pea brain. 

“I'm sleeping on the chaise longue, aren't I?” he asked meekly.

“Yeah. You are,” Twilight replied curtly, as she moved over to the bed. Extending her wings, she flapped, the cushion of air created sending the petals flying off the bed and onto the floor.

She fidgeted for a few moments, trying to remove her dress with her horn, before leaning around to unzip it with her hoof. She momentarily lost her balance, making her tilt forward and smack her head off one of the corners of the bed.

“OW!” she cried out loudly, getting back to her hooves and rubbing her forehead gently.

There was a loud bang as the door burst open, making the newly weds jump.

“TWILIGHT!” 

Sunset had burst in, horn glowing and panic in her eyes. She blinked a few times, looking between Timber (who looked terrified) and Twilight.

Twilight felt her stomach drop. 

“Were you standing outside of the room?” Twilight asked, frowning at her Knight. The Knight immediately looked bashful.

“I… yes. Sorry, I thought someone hurt you,” she insisted, her eye momentarily flicking to Timber who was looking at her like a bird had just flown into his living room. 

Twilight's eyes narrowed a little bit. “Well, he didn't. I just tripped. Why were you standing outside of my door?” 

“I…” Sunset trailed off as she started to scrape against the floor. Twilight's ears flattened as she recognized the signs she knew all too well.

“It's fine, Sunset, just…” Twilight said slowly, their eyes meeting. Sunset winced a tiny bit. Twilight sighed, her mind flashing back to their kiss.

It had been perfect.

But she was married, and Sunset was a girl.

“... You don't have to worry about me. I'm going to be ok,” Twilight insisted, cringing to herself as she saw the physical reaction that had on Sunset.

“Worrying about you is my job, Twi…” replied Sunset. Twilight could tell she was doing her best to keep her composure.

“I know. And you’re really good at it-” Twilight stuttered, before frantically trying to find better words. “Wait, no- uhm-”

“It's ok. It's… ok. Just… shout if you need me ok?” Sunset said, managing to make eye contact again.

Twilight wanted to shout. 

So.

So.

Loudly.

Instead, she just nodded.

“O-Of course, my Knight,” she stammered.

Sunset flashed a tiny smile, before turning and walking out of the room, her tail wagging sadly. Twilight could feel tears welling up in her eyes.

“S-Sunset! Wait!” she said, taking a hoof step forward. Sunset froze, turning her head around to look at her with a slight raise in her expression.

“It… it's going to be ok,” Twilight said, “Things will… things will be different for sure, but… we’ll be ok! We can have a study session soon, alright?”

Twilight was mostly just trying to convince herself at this point.

Sunset just stared at her for a few moments. Twilight could see her face contorting as she tried to keep her composure.

“... Whatever you say, Princess.” 

Sunset gently shut the door, and Twilight could hear her slow footsteps leaving. 

Twilight sat down, her wings extending out to cover her face as her tears began to roll down her cheek.

It wasn't going to be ok.

If Twilight had just not taken the stupid, idiotic decision to kiss her Knight, maybe things would have been okay. Difficult, but okay.

Maybe if Twilight had the strength to take up Sunset’s offer to run.

But she couldn't.

She was a Princess. Princesses had their duties.

She was also now a wife.

Timber coughed. “... Sooo… are you two breaking up?”

Twilight's head shot round to him.

“What!?” 

“You know, like… she's no longer your Knight? She seems pretty upset for some reason… oh…” Timber blinked a few times, “You don't think she… oh no, what if she had a… a crush on me? And she feels bad that you've married me?” 

Twilight stared at Timber in complete disbelief. “Timber, you… you-” 

To be honest, she was surprised how close to figuring it all out he was, despite him being as far away from the correct answer as possible.

She also had to fight the urge to violently defenestrate him. 

“Nevermind. Never. Mind. I'm going to sleep. See you in the morning,” she stated, moving to the four poster bed and shutting the curtains. Here in her isolating privacy, she clutched into a pillow, and began to softly sob. 

She wished more than ever for Sunset to come back through that door.

[hr]

The Knight didn't stop walking, even when she passed the Canterlot Guard’s quarters. She dreaded sleep and the nightmares it would inevitably bring.

She walked back through the ballroom, where a much smaller crowd was still milling about. She grabbed an entire bottle of wine from the food table, much to the annoyance of the waiting staff. 

She found herself outside in the palace gardens in her favorite tucked away spot from her childhood. She uncorked the wine, taking a big swig. As some of the chatter from the wedding reception still tinkled in the background, as she stared up at the night sky twinkling above. 

The mare on the moon was staring back down at her, her eternal grin almost smug as it peered down at Sunset’s misfortune.

If Nightmare Moon returned whilst the gates to Tartarus were not resealed, it could mean eternal night for the entire world. 

If that happened, Twilight would certainly not be safe, and it was all her fault. 

Sunset took another swig.

She wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle this. 

She had to keep Twilight safe. That was far more important than keeping herself happy.

The tiniest, faintest seed of an idea entered her mind.