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This is the song that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends ...

CHAPTER 66

Night Light sighed as he watched the pristine white walls that encircled Canterlot slowly disappear from sight as the train rounded a bend in the tracks. Not so much because he was homesick already, but in relief.

Thunderwing had already proven her worth to the group a dozen times over with just this plan alone, sneaking everypony out of the sewers with the aid of the Diamond Dogs and then secretly stashing the entire group in a sealed carriage that, from the outside, looked like a simple cargo unit. Nopony, not even the most paranoid member of the Shadow Court, would think to look for the witness that could get Bluebone thrown behind bars forever in a cargo carriage marked as educational materials on the cargo manifest. And that cover would get them all the way to Neigh York, and the biggest, and most feverently loyal to the Thrones if only for the sheer amount of tax write-offs Celestia had organized for the agricultural community, collection of Apple Clan merchants in the country.

Inside, however … Ponies who were old enough to know better clinked cans of beer or glasses of cheap wine together and laughed as they seated themselves on piles of old but still comfortable cushions as the train rattled on it’s way to their freedom. Twilight Velvet had, once again, snagged Thunderwing and the two mares were ensconced in a corner together, whispering to one another and giving him looks that made Night Light’s blood run cold.

The last time Twilight Velvet looked at me like that, eleven months later Twilight Sparkle came into the world. I don’t even want to think about being a father again at my age … or maybe I should. Thunderwing never did get to have foals of her own, and I shouldn’t deny her the opportunity just because we’re getting long in the tooth.

Spud, for his part, was suffering with his usual good humor as his brides started trying to make some form of sleeping quarters, only for the light sway of the train and the cheer of the rest of the crew to keep derailing them. Vet’kloe, despite her sour and fearful attitude in the sewers, laughed with a sound like glass tinkling before picking up a pillow and battering her ugly mountain of a husband with it when he ‘filched’ a pillow from the Zebra’s pile to seat himself down on.

Well, we’re on our way to toppling the Shadow Court and kicking Bluebone and his cronies square in their proverbials. I just … wish that we were heading in Twilight’s direction, but that’s the first place the Shadow Court and their hirelings would look once they realize we’ve flown the coop and it’s the Royal Guard occupying our residence. Thunderwing assures me that there’s a full contingent of Royal Guard, Night Guard and Royal Agents protecting my little filly, but I still feel like a monster for risking that the Shadow Court might come sniffing around Ponyville on the chance her mother and I might be hiding with our daughter. Night Light turned his attention back to the small window, noting the train steaming it’s way in the opposite direction, heading further and further from the sleepy little village his little girl had gone off to, in what felt like a lifetime ago. We’ll have to swing back past Ponyville by the end of our trip, with the Apple Clan hopefully up in arms at our backs and the Shadow Court soiling themselves at the thought of a ‘peasant’ uprising led by the Elements of Harmony themselves.

“Bit for your thoughts, mate?” Bronze Gong murmured next to Night Light, making the old Stallion twitch at the shock of finding another full-grown Pony standing next to him without warning.

“Faust’s teats! Don’t do that, Gong, my heart isn’t what it used to be and I don’t need to throw my back out now.” Night Light hissed at the off-grey Earth Pony, who simply gave the blue Unicorn a wan smile in return. “And I’m hoping my little girl doesn’t end up in the thick of this, not until she’s got her hooves firmly under her at least.”

“Yeah, well, get your head back in the game mate, we’ve got to go over our speel to the Matriarchs of the Apple Clan, and your daughter’s connection to this ‘Applejack’ character is our best bet to get them to listen to us.” The former intelligence agent pointed out, leading Night Light back to a cluster of old soldiers and one of the Princess’s ‘spare’ PR Ponies, a chubby, constantly smiling Earth Pony mare with bright reddish-brown fur, a blonde mane and tail and a black-and-white masquerade mask as her cutie mark. “Cheery here thinks we might have a tough sell with the current leader of the Matriarchs, a sour old biddy called Turnover, who is reported to be more interested in the bottom line than the usual Apple Clan attitude and could very well be our biggest sticking point in the meeting.”

“And doing nothing as the Shadow Court keeps trying to make all of Equestria sub-servient to the air-headed Nobility in Canterlot doesn’t affect her bottom line?” The retired sniper hissed angrily as he joined the group.

“Apple Turnover is notorious for her ‘bits first, everything else second’ attitude, and so long as the Shadow Court looked like a profitable trade-partner, she’d probably leave them alone until it was too late. She’s a Matriarch by marriage and some very cut-throat political maneuvering, not by blood, and that’s something that’s been a sticking point with the Clan for years. But … she gets results, and brings the Clan more bits than they have ever seen in the past century through her trade agreements and wrangling with the other Tribes and even the Thrones, and because of that she’s been allowed to do as she sees fit for the past ten years as the leading voice of the Clan because none of the other Matriarchs have been willing to risk upsetting the apple-cart by calling her out and maybe souring those trade agreements in the process.” Cheery said, even her tone of voice just screaming I am deliriously happy. “That said, Turnover has made a lot of enemies both within and without the Apple Clan due to her business practices and her … charming personality. It’s only because of her continued financial successes that the other Matriarchs have been willing to leave her mostly unchallenged, and even that’s not guaranteed these days with some of the more savvy Matriarchs seeing that Turnover’s tactics will only work for so long before the rest of Equestria gets sick of the sour old mule. That, and the Thrones believe that Turnover orchestrated a financial coup that broke the backs of several of the more powerful Matriarchs, which in turn allowed her to be the one to build up several failing Apple Clan businesses …”

“And of course, being Apples, the ones Turnover helped financially would have given her their full support when the Matriarchs get together to settle internal squabbles, even if she was openly carrying a sign saying ‘I am a raging evil bitch’ in bright neon lights.” Star Streaks, the former scout, muttered darkly. “I get it’s honourable to repay a debt and stay true to the one that helped you, but this is flat out ridiculous.”

“Our evidence also suggests she’s been blackmailing the children of some of the prouder or economically vulnerable Matriarchs, which in turn means toppling Turnover would result in said Matriarchs being shamed when their children are also exposed, and they might be willing to keep propping her up just to save their own faces from being dragged through the mud.” Cheery pointed out, and Night Light could swore he could feel the diabetes setting in just listening to this mare’s voice.

“Ain’t nobody in my Clan that trusts Turnover, not even her own blood, but she’s woven a web of steel round an round my Clan like the meanest spider in the world.” Autumn Glory spat, the Apple-Mare unconsciously grinding a pillow mercilessly between her front hooves. “We’ll have a battle an’ a half to dislodge her, but Cheery, you say that there’s Royal Agents willin’ to help us out once we reach Neigh York?”

“The entire network is shifting as many resources our way as they can manage actually, but we’re having our best agents in that region dropping their usual tasks to assist us. I can’t say I know the Radiance’s mind, but I am willing to bet my last cupcake that Princess Celestia is counting on us to free the Apple Clan from Turnover’s tyrannical leadership and ease the Clan’s stranglehold on the nation’s agricultural sector, and in doing so open the way for us to not only generate enough public support to topple the Shadow Court, but also give a wake-up call to every Tribalist group in Equestria, be they Pegasi, Earth Ponies or Unicorns, that their shit isn’t going to fly in this day and age.” The chubby mare explained in a sing-song tone. “I can safely say that you’re spear-heading a plan that the Royal Agents have been sitting on for several decades now to dislodge the Tribalist groups in Canterlot, Neigh York, Cloudsdale and the other, larger cities, and you have no idea how thrilled we all are to finally have both official sanction to pursue it and a suitably respectable figurehead that the citizens will want to rally around with minimal prompting.”

“But why now? Why us? Why didn’t the Princess stomp out these groups centuries ago before they put down such deep roots?” Night Light grunted as a particularly large bump in the tracks set everyone into the air for a long second before gravity claimed them again.

“Because her Radiance needed to have access to the Elements of Harmony should dark sorcery become involved in cleansing our nation of this filth. Because her sister is finally returned and there can now be true harmony on the Thrones. If her Radiance has to step down from the Throne to topple these enemies, to sacrifice her crown to save Equestria from racial warfare and outright chaos, then Princess Luna, and now Princess Twilight, along with the rest of the Bearers of the Elements if need be, can step forward and hold the line until her Radiance can reclaim her position.” The chubby mare said with absolute sincerity in her voice. “Besides, you are all decorated veterans, targeted maliciously by a Tribalist group who dreams of the day when everything that isn’t a Unicorn is a servant as best, a possession at worst, and is willing to bribe, murder and slander anyone or anything in their path to that goal. Once we get the Apple Clan on board and can start a grass-roots movement, the media from outside Canterlot will just eat this story up like hot cakes! A band of retired heroes and their spouses, on the run and drumming up support to help their beleaguered Princess of the Sun purge an evil, Tribalist organisation from the beating heart of Equestria. You’ll be like action heroes in a movie, just … more wrinkly and with hopefully less explosions and wanton property damage, please?”

The assembled veterans gave the chubby, eternally cheerful mare a collection of unimpressed stares as a response.

“Please?” Cheery said, finally a note of pleading entering her normally sugary-sweet voice. “The Princess allowed me access to your files in preparation for this mission, and I don’t think my budget for this covers the kind of responses you used to rely on back when you were enlisted with the regular forces of her Radiance’s army.”

“It was just one small crate of C4, and I only knocked over one opera hall, and nopony has ever let me live it down for the past fifteen years!” Bronze Gong huffed, annoyed.

“Wait, I thought she was talking about the home-made tear-gas grenade I used?” Star Streaks said in surprise. “And the … uh … the damage to the dam when the dragon tried to wash it’s mouth out by smashing through said dam to get to the water. Which may have washed half the village away in the process.”

“Huh, I thought Cheery was talking about the time my bear of a husband stole Honeydip, Vet’Kloue and myself away from our fathers to elope … and nearly started a three-way war with the Prench and the Zebrican Tribes over our ‘kidnapping’.” Autumn Glory added, a cheeky grin on her face.

“And that is why I am begging you to not act like you used to back in the day!” Cheer begged, now visibly sweating. “We need to handle this with delicacy and discretion, not just go charging into a politically volatile situation half-cocked!”

Night Light looked around at the assembled ponies, and then craned his neck around to give searching looks to the rest of the crew and their spouses, scattered around the carriage, before turning back to Cheery with a apologetic look on his face.

“I can give you a soft maybe, at best.”

Cheery just sniffled and buried her muzzle in the nearest pillow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rosebush, former Captain Rosebush as she kept reminding herself bitterly, attacked the training dummy with considerable vigor, imagining the dummy, a series of spinning wooden poles and padded flails set on a single pillar on which the protrusions could spin when the dummy was activated, wearing the face of Cadence, or Crysalis, or even Celestia herself as the pegasus slammed and smashed her hooves against coloured circles representing vital areas on the dummy that would incapacitate or cripple the opponent.

I wonder if the fact the three biggest pains in my asses all have names starting with C is a simple fluke, or it’s Faust herself telling me they’re all giant, raging cun~

“Private Rosebush, a word if you please?” Acting Captain Dawn Ray said in a terse voice, the aging warhorse not flinching when Rosebush turned to give him a seething look. Logically she knew that Sunbeam was one of the few officers she’d allow to take command with her removed from the position, but it still stung. Being the Captain of the Royal Palace Guard was her position, one she’d fought tooth and hoof to get, fighting against centuries of tradition that insisted only a Unicorn, and a stallion at that, could assume the position, pushing back against overwhelming political pressure from the various noble factions all maneuvering for a Captain who was sympathetic to their specific intrigues.

And Celestia had replaced Rosebush in less than an hour …

“Captain.” Rosebush said with emphasis, saluting smartly. Bitching at the poor bastard who had to take up the role after I lost control is unworthy of me, and unfair to him. Besides, a week or two of ‘good’ behaviour just to prove to the Princess that this was just a fluke, and this stupid ‘holiday’ Celestia has given me will be rescinded and I’ll be back where I belong.

“At ease, private, this isn’t an official meeting … although the maintenance crew has complained you’re working the training dummies a bit too hard. No, I’m here to let you know about the fact that Princess Cadence and Royal Consort Shining Armor have left Canterlot to go visit Princess Twilight in Ponyville.”

“Forgive my bluntness, Captain, but I fail to see why I need to know that.” The pegasus tried to keep her voice level and emotionless, but Rosebush knew her temper was showing in her body-language at the very least. The thought that Cadence had absconded once again with Rosebush’s boyfriend and was smoozing up to the newest Princess set the Royal Guard’s blood to boiling.

“…” Dawn Ray gave her a searching look before shaking his head sadly. “Cute, Rosebush, but you’re not fooling anypony. The Princess wants me to make sure you’re not going to have a ‘relapse’ if and when you encounter either Princess Cadence or Queen Chrysalis again. Especially Queen Chrysalis given that she’s current under Princess Celestia’s own protection and has a blood-pact in place that will rebound significantly upon any Pony who attacks her or any of the Drones that belong to her Hive.”

Rosebush remained at parade-stance, stone-faced.

Dawn Ray sighed and rubbed at his muzzle with a hoof. “Look, Rosebush, I get it. You’re one of the best, perhaps the best Pegasus the Royal Guard has seen join their ranks in the past century. You’re loyal to a fault, politically astute and your combat scores are all in the top ninety percentile of our soldiers. But this … thing you have with Cadence over Shining Armor has got to stop.” The aging Unicorn said with heat as he gave Rosebush a scorching look that threatened to crack her mask-like expression before the old warhorse turned his gaze away to the mass of Royal Guards practicing formations on the other side of the training field. “You claim that Princess Cadence abused her position and her powers to seduce Shining Armor out from under you, and if it weren’t for the fact that I’d seen Princess Cadence try to hang herself, as a filly, after realizing the harm her reckless attempts to foster love had caused, I might even believe it.”

“If you can’t accept that, regardless of the how that Cadence and Shining ended up together, and that your relationship with Shining Armor ended years ago, then I am afraid your position as the Captain of the Royal Palace Guard will pass permanently to another Pony. All that work to smack those stubborn heads around until they let a Pegasus hold the position, rolling back centuries of tradition and Noble privilege and fighting the status quo every damn day will have been for nothing.” The stallion continued, his voice strong, firm, but worst of all, calm. “And worse still, every tribalist idiot who thinks a pegasus has no business giving orders to unicorns will use your actions as an excuse to discriminate against any other mare or non-unicorn who aims for the top post in the future. So I want you to think very damn hard about the words that will come out of your mouth when you speak to the Princess, because if you can’t put your duty before your personal life, you’ll not only be taking the knife to your own career, but to the careers of every pegasus, earth pony, thestral or any other species that tries to aim for the top spot in Canterlot’s military.”

Rosebush blinked several times, trying to hold back the hot sting of tears. It just wasn’t fair! Shining had been a caring lover, a great friend. Things had only gotten rocky after Rosebush has asked Cadence, newly returned from her ‘convalesence’ with the psychologists and the Princess, to use her newly-stabilized Alicorn powers to see if Shining Armor and Rosebush had a future together, and then the duty roster had been reshuffled for some reason that nopony could or would explain, and Rosebush found herself isolated from both her friend and her lover.

Two months of silence from both the pink Alicorn and Rosebush’s boyfriend had been agonizing to bear, as Shining was suddenly pulled away to permanent ‘escort’ duty that all but ensured he and Rosebush barely even got to see each other at the messhall and the rumor-mills began churning out stories about Princess Cadence taking up, of all things, foal-sitting in her spare time. And then finally, when Rosebush had gotten a day off, she’d gone running to Shining’s home, knowing that on that day, he’d also be assigned a rest-day and they could finally spend some time together, maybe they could finally introduce Rosebush to Shining’s parents, only to see Shining and Cadence hugging each other on the front door-step.

And then they had kissed. A deep, lingering kiss that only those who had been intimate could achieve. Cadence, staring into Shining’s eyes with a half-lidded expression of satisfaction. Shining, grinning back at the Princess with the same goofy look he had used to give Rosebush after their love-making before they would have to rush to the showers to make themselves presentable before going back on duty.

Even now, the pain still struck Rosebush like a physical blow. She’d trusted Cadence, she’d believed in Shining, and yet somehow in a mere two months, that festering pink maggot of a whorse had wiggled into the cracks between Shining and Rosebush and pushed the two soldiers apart. If it had been the unique magic of her position, or being the Alicorn of Love simply made Cadence slicker than a greased-up pickle when it came to seduction, Rosebush didn’t know, couldn’t know, but what she did know is that the moment Cadence had gotten involved, any hope of Rosebush’s happily ever after with the Stallion of her dreams had miscarried into the gutter.

Apparently her feelings hadn’t been buried as deeply as she thought, given how Dawn Ray had paled and taken a step back from her when Rosebush’s attention returned to the outside world.

“I accept that Shining Armor and Cadence are married, sir, and while I admit that I still have tremendous doubts about the accuracy of Cadence’s claims to innocence, I will abide by the decisions made by my Princess on the situation … until proof is more forthcoming.” Rosebush said in her best ‘loyal soldier’ tone, hoping that Dawn Ray would accept her reply. “In regards to my, ah, lack of discipline regarding the Changeling Queen, that will not happen again. Between the stress of having to handle a visiting member of stay attempting to subvert my orders from the Thrones to pursue her own petty vendetta, the Changeling Queen actively trying to pick a fight by poking at my previous relationship with Shining Armor, having the Shadow Court nearly assassinate the mercenaries who represent the best lead we have had in centuries on how to topple those tribalist scum, and then having the Three Generals strip the castle of all my big guns, I was … on edge, to say the least.”

Dawn Ray sighed and nodded once, a sharp, curt gesture. “Fair enough, although I will warn you that the Princess is likely to watch you like a hawk to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Still, unofficially, be prepared to remain as a Private for a few months longer, but the Princess has mentioned she intends to reinstate you once the Changeling Queen’s trial is over and done with.”

“Forgive my asking, but a few months? The Princess really assumes the Changeling’s trial will take that long?” The pegasus whimpered at the implication of months of this shame!

“Considering that she has mentioned at least three other Changeling Queens live on this continent and will likely be busting their chitinous backsides trying to reach Equestria within the time-limit for that amnesty offer? And assuming that the Changeling Queen’s health issues don’t degrade further and Bedside Manner insists we put her on the table immediately to save her life, the Princess believes we will be lucky if the trial takes place this year.” The older unicorn gave Rosebush a sympathetic look as Rosebush’s whimper turned into a low-pitched whine of distress. “And that’s not including the debacle that is Sunset mother-bucking Shimmer squatting in the Cell of Ultimate Confinement and writing letters that are more like novellas about how much she wants to screw Princess Twilight stupid and rule the world with her.”

Rosebush blinked a few times, not entirely sure how she was supposed to respond to that except for hysterical laughter or horrified screaming.

“We’re … not letting that go through to the newest Princess, right? Her file is … Twilight Sparkle is the definitionof neurotic, and has nearly suicidal tendencies when it comes to trying to befriend and redeem the irredeemable. I don’t even want to think about what might happen to her if she tries to purify an obsessive succuponi before her Ascension is complete!”

“Princess Celestia is reviewing every scrap of paper that comes out of that cell personally, both for content and potential infectious materials or corruptive spell-work. Nothing that could send our newest Royal even more around the bend is going anywhere near Ponyville, although it is being stored for Princess Twilight to go over at a later stage.”

“We’re going to let her Brainy-ness go over that drivel? I thought we were trying to prevent a disaster, not cause one!”

“Princess Celestia believes a clue to how Sunset Shimmer was turned into a succuponi, and how she returned to Equestria without triggering any of the thousands of arcane wards, mystical alarms and supernatural traps set around the locations where the barrier between our world and others are at their thinnest might be found in those letters. And if those letters should also be able to help Princess Twilight find a way to convince Sunset Shimmer to accept purification without needing another knock-down brawl like what happened in Ponville, then so much the better.”

“And what happens when our resident she-demon figures out none of her fan-letters are getting delivered and she starts to test the limits of the Cell of Ultimate Confinement?”

“Then the Princess gets to see if the king’s ransom in bits spent designing, developing and building that infernal thing was a sound investment, or just more money being pissed into the wind by Bleak Mountain and his Fourth Circle Magi.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunset Shimmer sighed. She wasn’t angry, not really, but she wasn’t happy either. This ‘Cell of Ultimate Confinement’ didn’t allow her to do any magic beyond simple telekinesis, and allowing her telekinetic field to even brush against the surface of the cell, be it the floor, walls, ceiling or door, produced vicious feedback that could knock her out for hours on end and leave her with migraines that lasted even longer.

But Celestia, whatever her game was, certainly saw to it that Sunset was brought back up to speed on the changes to Equestria since … since …

Sunset put a hoof to her head and winced. Ever since she’d come into this room, the headaches had started, coming on especially strong when she tried to think back to when she had left Equestria, and even worse when she tried to think about the day when everything had gone so wrong, and yet so right.

When Twilight had rallied that alternate world’s version of the Element Bearers and stopped Sunset, when the world around them was being rent by random portals linking Earth to Equestria and to other worlds …

“Gah!” Sunset hissed, dropping her quill as the now-familiar stab of pain beneath her horn sent agony lancing through her skull. Every time she tried to think about what happened after that event, after being purified, Sunset found herself in agony.

It certainly wasn’t the Cell’s defences. That hurt, certainly, but it was a short, sudden burst that faded away the instant her magical fields stopped coming into contact with the Cell’s defences. No, this was something inside Sunset, the same something that had writhed in agony when Celestia’s divine magic had wrapped around Twilight’s library, nearly paralysing Sunset, the same feeling as when this ‘Luna’ character’s barrier had seared the hide from Sunset’s muzzle when Sunset had tried to snatch up Twilight. The pain felt something like the pulses of squirming agony from a broken tooth, screaming at her long after the event itself was over and done with, sickening her to her stomach and making her head foggy with pain and the urge to empty her stomach onto the floor.

Am I a demon? The thought came unbidden as Sunset gritted her teeth against the roiling sensation of pain that crawled down her neck and into her body, almost wishing Celestia had followed the advice from her Magi and cut Sunset’s horn off. At least the pain of a severed horn would fade in a matter of days as the new growth set in and the nerve-endings began to regrow, but this ‘phantom’ pain that seemed set on punished Sunset every time she tried to grasp how her plans had failed was relentless, sadistic and completely the opposite of anything Celestia would use, or approve of using, on a prisoner.

The thought that she might be literally Tartarus-bound gave Sunset pause. Had Gothica, Queen of the Underworld and Warden of Tartarus, decided to skip the formalities and turn Sunset into a fiend, as the old stories claimed happened to the truly wicked, while the unicorn was still alive? Did that even happen?

As much as thinking about it hurt, Sunset couldn’t stop turning the concept over and over in her mind, wondering if perhaps the other Alicorns were right. Sunset wasn’t one of them, but some sort of demonic monster.

But that meant that Twilight Sparkle hadn’t purified Sunset … or something inside Sunset had refused to let go of that corruption.

That sickened Sunset more than the pain did. She knew she was arrogant, but she had reason to be, she was the best of the best, hoof-picked by Princess Celestia herself, trained personally by the Goddess of the Sun … but what did that mean if the powers of Tartarus itself found sufficient ground in Sunset’s soul to resist the Elements of Harmony?

Sunset did not consider herself to be evil, yet the evidence remained that, to all intents and purposes, she was a Fiend. Divine power, such as what was wielded by Alicorns, caused her immense pain now, while when much younger and as Celestia’s personal student, being bathed in Celestia’s radiant magic felt … wholesome, like being forgiven for some horrible crime she hadn’t even know she’d done, like being swallowed up in her long-absent mother’s embrace and snuggled, smothered in love and affection.

And for all the bitterness and anger she felt towards Celestia, Sunset knew that the Solar Princess would give anything to save those weaker than herself, to protect the meek and the small from the powerful and the mighty.

So the fault has to be mine, somehow.Something inside me is still corrupted, and I have to figure out what it is, or the Princess will never let me out of this infernal cell, and I will never be able to tell Twilight just how much she means to me.

Gritting her teeth and using her telekinesis to lift a bed-sheet to wipe the blood that trickled from her nose, ears and tear-ducts from the constant, sickening pain that squirmed through her mind and body, Sunset cast her mind back, unable to stop the wail of pain escaping from her as she used a simple trick Celestia had taught her many years ago, to send her conscious mind back through her memories, to try and find when her corruption had occurred.

If Sunset had thought the pain was awful before, she now considered it a mild annoyance as the pain came on in waves that threatened to make her black out, now joined by a feeling like running into a cloying cloud of thick mist that clawed at her mind and filled Sunset with a sensation of fear and loathing that made her think of a time when she spent every night cowering beneath her blankets for fear of monsters under her bed, but the Unicorn focused her will and her formidable intellect into a sharp lance and drove in against the pain, piercing on and on while, as if at a great distance, she could hear the guard shouting at her and each other, until she came up against something, a solid ‘force’ in her mind that gibbered at her, smashing up against the ‘point’ of Sunset’s will, screaming in tongues at her and struggling to push her back.

No! This is my mind, my soul! I will not be denied!

With a feeling line a metal saw grinding against her skull, Sunset deflected herself against the alien force, grinding past it and then she was free … beyond the pain, beyond the miasma-like feeling.

And suddenly she remembered everything. The years of scraping by in the Human world, the things she’d had to do, to endure, just to put food in her mouth and a roof over her bed. How simple it had been to turn all she’d had to do into power, turning sex into a weapon, weakness into strength, secrets into leverage.

Grief consumed Sunset for a moment as she thought back to the person she’d been before her recklessness and ego sent her through the mirror. That stupid, self-absorbed filly is dead. And I have to live on to make sure that death was not in vain. And then she pushed on, and felt another barrier fail and pass her by, but this one felt less alien, more … familiar. It felt like a lock sliding into a key, and a great weight fell off of Sunset like a rain-heavy cloak as she passed through.

Years of manipulation, of doing hateful things that she had recoiled at during the first few months of her time at Canterlot High until regret turned into acceptance and then twisted into a grim sort of satisfaction at a job well done. Social queens who were used to be masters of all that they surveyed who quavered as Sunset walked past. Jocks and Nerds alike met her eyes with pitiful puppy-dog anticipation that she might make their simple adolescent fantasies come true. Teachers caught her eye and looked away first for fear of what Sunset might do to their careers if they didn’t give her passing grades, or access to another student’s files … all of them hers to use, make or destroy as her whim and needs dictated.

I am not that pony anymore, I refused to be. I accepted that the Humans would lash back at me for years of abuse, but my friends … Sunset hiccupped mentally as she thought of them, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie … they’d stood by Sunset and tried to help her, accepting her intention to be a better person with such a shockingly openness that for a few days, Sunset had been worried it was some sort of elaborate prank to get her to open up to them so they could gut Sunset emotionally in turn.

And it had worked. Sunset would never be popular, never have many friends in Canterlot High. The scars ran too deep, the damage too severe, but the natives had begun to accept that Sunset wasn’t just cowed, but deeply regretful and desperately trying to make amends.

And then … the portal … Sunset had been waiting for the student body to go home so she could sneak into the abandoned shed on the campus grounds she had been using as a bedroom for the past three years, walking around the campus with one of Rarity’s awful romance novels to pass the time and her route had taken her past the statue that served as the Earth-side of the portal. A sudden longing had gripped Sunset, her world narrowing down to the base of the statue, the hope of going home, away from the awful memories, the guilt and the shame and regret that consumed her sleeping hours with nightmares and terrors that left her bolting upright, screaming with tears streaking down her face.

And then three new students that Sunset had just shown around the campus that morning had come out of nowhere, grinning at her like sharks, three massive red gems hanging around their necks, gems that sparkled with magic that was so rare in that alien world …

“Sorry about this, but you overstayed your welcome, and somebody’s paying us in magic to make sure you’re out of the way.”

“And let’s be honest … we need you out of the picture for our own reasons. Sending you off like this is just getting paid for something we’d have to do anyways.”

While the yellow-skinned and pink-skinned girl had gloated, shoving Sunset back against the statue with unnatural strength, her mind racing in a panic even as her body slow struggled to obey Sunset’s commands, the transformed Unicorn finding herself strangely lethargic as the trio pushed her up against the statue. Then the blue-skinned one had given Sunset an apologetic look before rushing forwards and planting her boot straight into Sunset’s belly, doubling her up and pushing Sunset into the base of the statue.

Into the base of the statue and through the stone, which should not have opened into the portal to Equestria for months yet.

But then, the portal wasn’t too Equestria at that moment, at least not directly. What the ones who had been behind it all hadn’t counted on, however, was that Sunset had been exposed to Celestia’s divine magic for years, and despite her actions, that magic had left certain indelible marks on Sunset’s soul, marks that deflected their curse for the most part, funnelling Sunset back up towards home and away from that awful realm, and the Coven, before their awful work was completed.

Sunset screamed and threw herself back out of her mind, the barriers that had almost stymied her before flashing past her, the familiar-feeling barrier of guilt and regret healing seamlessly behind, while the pain-inducing miasma lashed at her mind with tendrils of dark mist again, screaming in gibberish still but remained as damaged as Sunset had left it as the Unicorn rocketed back up to her conscious mind.

When her eyes refocused on the real world, Sunset found herself staring into Celestia’s terrified face, the pure-white Alicorn holding Sunset in her hooves, horn ablaze with golden magic not yet focused onto a single spell or task.

The scene caused Sunset a moment of déjà vu, memories of countless times Celestia had held her like that as a foal crowding Sunset’s mind, threatening to distract her, and regretfully Sunset pushed them aside for now.

“The … Coven.” Sunset croaked, tasting bile and blood at the back of her throat. How much damage did I do to myself piercing the veils? “Coven … found a way. My stupid … attempt to invade Equestria … weakened your barriers from their side.”

“No …” Celestia whispered, eyes going wide in horror as her hoof trailed over Sunset’s cheek, coming away bloodied. Oh. That’s not good. Glad this place doesn’t have a mirror.

“Tried to … bring Earth and Equestria together to invade, thought it was my idea. Your barriers shield Equestria from Tartarus, but not Earth from Tartarus. Coven … wanted to invade Earth, send Humans through the portals, corrupt them, turn them into fiends and …” Sunset coughed heavily, feeling several somethings tear in her chest and a splatter of coppery-tasting fluid inside her mouth. “Humans, Earth, there’s almost no magic on their homeworld, but they can hold limitless amounts of magical energy inside their bodies if they are exposed to it under the right conditions. Coven wanted to … to use humans, drag them through the void between worlds, charge them with magic, drain them to empower the Coven and convert the humans into fiends in the process.”

“So-sorry, Celestia, only wanted to … prove I was good enough. Never wanted to hurt anypony … not really. Coven … has been working on Earth for thousands of years. Feeding them half-truths, nudging them towards conflict, making good leaders make bad … bad calls.”

“Sunset, stop, please, we need to let the healing spells get to work, you’ve nearly killed-“ Celestia whispered, her horn blazing with magic and Sunset’s vision began to grow black around the edges.

Well, either the healing wards are about to drop me into a medical coma, or I’m going to see Gothica directly and get some answers about what I am, assuming I don’t just get immediately shunted into one of the prison-planes of Tartarus for my sins.

“Earth … going to be invaded. Needs help.” Sunset whispered as she felt herself beginning to fade in Celestia’s hooves. “Three girls, red … red stones as necklaces, powerful magic and their voices are so … so strange … couldn’t fight them when they started talking, like my … mind went blank …”

And then the world went dark, Sunset spiralling down into her own mind, but the light followed her, two orbs of solar magic that swirled down with her mind, recoiling as the miasma came roiling up to meet them before rushing past Sunset as she ‘fell’, the orbs screaming in rage and fury as they rushed to meet the miasma and exploded, turning into sheets of golden-white flame that roared across Sunset’s mind, a cleansing fire that consumed the miasma even as voices that were not Sunset’s own screamed in turn, in fear and frustration.

And then Sunset fell into the second barrier, which did not open this time, but instead cushioned her fall, making Sunset feel as if she was falling into warm water that slowed her descent as she went down, down, deeper into the blackness while Celestia’s magic raged above her, burning the miasma away in an aria of fire and fury.

As Sunset’s fall slowed, the Unicoron found herself slipping into the still, calm center of her mind, a place she was not all that well acquainted with, truth be told, because most of her previous contact with this part of her mind kept on showing Sunset just how horrible of a person she had been. And now … she wasn’t alone.

Hello child. I see our daughter is engaged in dealing with the fiends’ work, so we will just keep you down here and out of the way. The poor girl would never forgive herself if she accidentally scorched you while dealing with the parasite planted in your soul. The voice was warm, soft, making Sunset feel as if she was wrapped in Celestia’s magic again, but more so if that were possible, as if she was floating, suspended, in warmth and acceptance, and the feeling that she was safe filled her being in a way that nothing else had.

Who … who are you? Sunset asked, floating weightlessly now. She should have been panicking, she knew that, she was now talking with an alien entity inside her own mind after discovering two very different barriers within her consciousness that appeared to have been sealing parts of her personality and manipulating her, so the fact she was responding like being asked about the weather was concerning.

That … would take too long to properly explain and your mind will not remain receptive to the level of contact we need to reach down to your level for half of that explanation to make sense. Your people call us ‘Faust’, and for now that will suffice for our purposes.

I am talking to God right now?

That is one of the names your people give us, yes. But please, child, focus, we do not have long and there is much to explain. Your destiny still remains viable, despite the attempts to subvert it, but you must regain absolute sovereignty of your own mind and embrace Harmony, or you will fail.

I’ll stay a fiend if I can’t?

No. Even now, Celestia’s spellwork begins to unravel the possession and the nature of her magic is reinforcing the harmonious parts of your soul to counter the side-effects of the possession. It will take months to fully purge the infestation, and you may never again be wholly a Pony on a physical level, but you will not become a Fiend again unless you willingly walk down that path.

An-and my destiny, what is it?

You are the Shimmering Light that will light the way in this world’s darkest hour, and the bulwark against which the Discordant Song shall break and through which the Lonely Voice find Harmony again.

Forgive me, Faust, but that really doesn’t explain much, or fill me with confidence.

We cannot tell you directly, or else we might cause your destiny to fail as surely as the fiends attempted to, because you might seek to fulfil your destiny directly and miss the encounters that would lead you to success normally. The voice became tinged with sadness and Sunset was consumed with the odd need to hug the source of the voice. We have learned this the hard way, when our first child fell from grace because we gave too much too soon, and they became obsessed with bypassing the lessons that would have tempered them into wisdom.

So the prodigy got full of themselves and failed abysmally … wow, hello nostalgia.

Your mistakes were those of a mortal, Sunset, and as such can be fixed by mortal means. If you can embrace true Harmony and learn to live with your past, your destiny will unfold as it is meant to, and history may continue on the course it was always meant to.

And if I can’t?

Then history shall divert down an aberrant course, and all we have made shall be set on the path of corruption and despair.

So, no pressure then? Got it.

Your ability to find humor in this situation fills us with hope that you will persevere, Sunset. The path to redemption will be long, but we have faith in you, and those who will stand at your side.

… Will one of those be Twilight?

Yes, although we are unable to say if the Pillar’s role in your life will be as friend, mate or ally. That is, as ever, up to you and her.

Well, it’s something, at least. Thank you, Faust, but … I’ve got so many questions …

You will get the answers to those questions, but not now. Soon, you must wake and begin to prove yourself to our daughter. If she does not trust you when the Discordant Song returns to your world, the aberrant future will become much closer to reality. You must be standing at the side of the Pillar, the Hope-Bringer, the Lover and the Dreamer without shackles upon you when they stand at the portal, or your destiny will come undone.

Sunset wanted to ask more, but a feeling not unlike extreme fatigue was tugging on her mind, dragging her further down and away from the presence of ‘God’, and the voice of ‘Faust’ was getting fainter.

Remember. You must re-embrance Harmony and be ready to defend our daughters when the time comes. Nothing else matters. Destiny demands you rise to the occasion, Sunset Shimmer, or the whole world will suffer.

I … I’ll try! Sunset tried to shout back as she felt the connection begin to fade, her mind slipping out of that still, calm center.

That is all we have ever asked. Came the final reply before Sunset fading into true unconsciousness, and the connection faded entirely.