1055 AD, November 5th

“Can’t believe I’m more comfortable walking on two legs…”

Sunset Shimmer stretched out the kinks in her limbs and spared a few seconds for muscle memory to kick in. Once she had gotten used to the sensation of not having fingers and toes, she focused and channelled magic into her horn, smirking with pride at the light opal hue that coated the length of bone.

‘Oh yeah – still as strong as ever; that’s one thing I miss about being a unicorn.’

Giving a low chuckle, Sunset reached back and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. Casting a Night Eye spell to see through the darkness of the room, Sunset made her towards the door, and creaked it open an inch.

That preppy little Twilight Sparkle may have been an alicorn, but she had no idea just what Sunset was capable of. That crown was as good as…

‘Wait… who is…?’

Sunset had chosen the opportune time of peeking out and seeing what seemed to be a guard walking down the corridor, his back to her. He was definitely a unicorn; a white light shone forth from his horn, illuminating the path ahead of him.

That wouldn’t have been so unusual – plenty of over-confident thieves thought it was a good idea to try and rob the palace – if it wasn’t for the armor he was wearing.

She was used to the gold and silver of the guards for the day shift or the deep purple and cobalt of the guards for the night shift. This guard’s armor was all black.

It was also a lot more sinister-looking; the edges were sharp instead of rounded and small spikes lined the sides of the cuirass, pauldrons, and the crest of the helmet. The armor also had silver markings etched into the metal in intricate loops and curls.

‘Whoa, when did the guards suddenly become cool?’

The guard’s head twitched to the side and Sunset quickly darted back into the room, holding her breath as the light passed over the door, the rays leaking in through the crack she made. Thankfully, the light went away after a few tense seconds, and she could hear his hoofsteps receding.

Creaking open the door and peering out, Sunset confirmed the hallway was empty, and snuck out, gently closing the door behind her. The guard had given her pause, but it wasn’t as if the Royal Guard had never changed the appearance of their armor before. The last change was back in 853 AD when cuirasses with leather were all the rage, and Celestia…

Sunset shook her head with an annoyed grumble.

She needed to focus. Twilight’s room wasn’t too far away and she didn’t know if she was a light or heavy sleeper; one wrong step and she could kiss her dreams goodbye.

She wasn’t there.

Nopony was in the room!

Sunset felt panic and paranoia creep through her body as she searched under the bed on the off-chance Twilight had very strange sleeping habits. She knew that this was Twilight’s room when she was still Celestia’s student – coincidentally, it had also been Sunset’s – and that she always stayed here when she visited the castle, so why wasn’t she here?!

‘Dammit!’ Sunset slammed a hoof down on the bed covers, her teeth gritted in anger. ‘You can’t have switched; you’re a pony of habit!’

If she wasn’t sleeping in the room then where was she? Was she truly in another room?

Maybe…

Judging by the snippets of information she had gathered from her previous trips through the mirror, Twilight was something of a total bookworm, and often stayed up late to read and re-read books. If that was the case, then it stood to reason the Royal Archives would be the most likely place to look for her.

‘Hmph, it’s 2:00 in the morning; what sort of nerd stays up that late to read books?’ Sunset paused. ‘Yeah, I suppose I did… still do, but that’s different! I have important studies to… oh, whatever.’

With any luck, she was passed out with the crown atop her head.

Sunset turned to exit the room, her destination clear in mind. Telekinetically opening the door and making sure the hall was empty, she stealthily crept out, and started making her way towards the Royal Archives.

As she turned corners, hid in alcoves and under tables, and snuck behind guards, Sunset was beginning to realize that there was definitely something more going on here than she previously thought.

Aside from the change in uniform, the guards seemed far more lackadaisical and rather uninterested in their jobs. They stopped on duty to talk to one another, played around with the furniture, and she even saw one guard trying to do shadow puppets with the light from his horn.

And there were mares.

Out of respect for some ancient tradition, the Royal Guard only accepted stallions, but Sunset definitely saw that some of the guards were female. A change in uniform was one thing, but overturning a millennium-year old tradition in the two weeks since she last came through the mirror?

Another thing was that during their conversations, they mentioned an ‘empress’ instead of a princess. Either they meant another ruler, or maybe Luna went crazy again.

If that was the case, Twilight may not have even been in the castle; she could have been back in Ponyville, in Manehatten, she could have been on the moon for all she knew!

All that planning, all those trips through the mirror to gather information, it would have been all for nothing.

Sunset gritted her teeth and growled deeply within her thr-

“Hey…”

The loudly-coloured unicorn froze. Her eyes shooting wide open at the voice from behind her.

“Hey, who are you?”

Slowly turning her head, Sunset saw a female guard halfway through the doorway she had arrived through.

“I’m…” Sunset cleared her throat and put on a shaky smile. “I’m the Ghost of Canterlot Castle, searching for her elusive killer.”

The female guard raised one eyebrow.

Sunset nodded insistently.

The female guard’s head swiftly turned in the direction she came from. “Hey, we’ve got an intruder in the-”

Sunset’s horn flared and she shot a bolt at the guard, striking her directly in the face. The guard’s words slurred and she dropped to her knees, drool leaking from the corner of her mouth as she fought against the numbness.

‘Damn earth pony resistance!’

Sunset fired a second bolt and the mare was finally downed, though not for very long; Alteration was – to her utmost frustration – not a school she was particularly adept in. She completely understood the inner machinations and theory, but the practical part was out of her reach.

“Flora, was that you?!”

Cursing under her breath as she heard the sound of multiple hoofsteps and clanking armor, Sunset galloped for the mirror. She couldn’t afford to be caught and she didn’t want to cause more harm than necessary, at least in the physical sense.

Because if she couldn’t work up enough Paralysis spells, she’d have to fall back on her true field of expertise…

“All this iron, wood, and soap… What in Equestria was Luna going to do with it anyway?” Ebony shuffled several papers to the front of the stack… and grimaced. “Oh… that’s weird.”

Shoving that unwanted bit of information to the farthest depths of her psyche in the hopes her memory would hide it quickly, Ebony reached out with her magic and levitated several forms towards her desk. They could use the iron for more weapons, most definitely, and the wood could be used… for… carriages?

She shrugged and began filling out the forms, giving a tired shake of her head. Physically enhanced or not, she needed food and sleep, and she hadn’t been getting much lately.

Being the captain of the new guard force, the Eclipse – Haze suggested the name in honour of their previous club – involved a lot more paperwork than she imagined. There were records to update, reports to read, and forms to fill out. She was doing the best she can and applying what Nightmare Moon had taught her about leading, but she still felt out of her depth.

Her friends helped out where they can, but they were busy with their own duties: namely carrying out her commands and making sure Canterlot didn’t devolve into a free-for-all cesspool of criminal activity.

Ebony grumbled and rubbed her eyes, envious of Nightmare Moon’s seemingly limitless stamina and gift for diplomacy and politics. She could only imagine what it must be like to deal with the public and-

“Captain!”

The unicorn jolted in her seat as her office door swung open, revealing a female pegasus. Her pure white coat and sanguine mane seemed familiar, and Ebony struggled to recall her name while simultaneously trying to adopt a professional demeanour.

“Wh-what is it… soldier?”

The pegasus – Fluorspar, that was it! – gestured to the right with one hoof, her expression worried. “We have an intruder! A-a unicorn! She’s… We’re having trouble apprehending her and… and…”

“Where is she?” Ebony quickly came out from behind her desk and approached the mare, only vaguely noting how her increased height seemed to intimidate her. “Take me to her!”

“She wasn’t far,” Fluorspar backed out of the office and flew down the right corridor at a pace that Ebony could keep up with. “But I don’t know if she’s moved or…”

Ebony drowned out her voice as she sent out her thoughts. “Empress, we have an intruder in the castle; I’m on my way there now.”

“Where are you?”

“Heading towards the guest wing.”

“I’ll be there shortly.”

Ebony felt the connection go slack just as she and Fluorspar rounded a corner to-

-be greeted by a plume of fire that she only barely managed to block with a barrier, her reflexes honed by months of vigorous training. She heard the pegasus by her side shriek and fall on her rump, scrabbling back from the hungry flames that pounded against the arcane shield.

Once the plume had died out, Ebony allowed her barrier to dissipate, allowing her a clear view of the scene before her.

As Fluorspar had said, it was a unicorn – a young mare to be exact – and she was surrounded by a dozen Eclipse guards. They were holding back though and with good reason.

The mare had a light amber coat, but beyond that she was unsure of her other colours, as she was literally burning.

Her mane and tail were wreathing infernos, churning out tremendous heat which Ebony could feel even from her spot. More than that, the mare had managed to surround herself with a moat of melted marble, easily wide enough to swallow a pony whole and condemn them to a very unattractive death.

Her cutie mark was of a blazing sun; one half bright yellow and the other half vivid red, the centre being two swirls of light amber and red, similar to a yin-yang symbol, if she remembered the name correctly.

“Stay back!” The unfamiliar unicorn bellowed, her eyes wide and filled with anger and desperation. “I… I don’t want to hurt you, but I will!”

Ebony could see that the guards were one step away from breaking rank and fleeing; it wasn’t much of a surprise as the Eclipse mainly consisted of civilians looking to keep the peace and criminals looking to clear their own rap sheets. It wasn’t the shiny and morally upstanding force the Royal Guard may have been, but it was all they had, and Nightmare Moon said that in time it will grow to be better.

Ebony quickly stepped forward to take charge of the situation. “Everypony, I order you to stand down!”

Even now, it was strange to hear herself give such commands, and even stranger to see them being obeyed almost instantly, relief apparent in the guards’ eyes.

The mare’s head jerked to and fro as her nostrils flared and she pawed at the floor. “Okay…” She looked towards Ebony, giving a sharp nod. “You’re in charge here, right?”

“I am. Who are you and what do you want?”

“I… I just want to leave,” The mare said, her blazing mane and tail calming somewhat. “Your guards chased me and I got turned around.”

“For good reason…”

Ebony didn’t know when her Empress had entered, but her appearance set a significant change in the room. The guards bowed in fear and reverence, the mare’s eyes widened, and it seemed as though the temperature of the room plummeted despite the raging inferno.

“A thief intruding on my property?” Nightmare Moon said in a low, dangerous tone. She stalked closer to the cowering mare, apparently unaffected by the heat. “They were right to pursue. The fact that you resisted only serves to worsen your punishment.”

The mare’s eyes widened at the word and the fires intensified, enough to make Ebony sweat. “P-punishment? No! I’m leaving! I’m going back through the mirror!” She paused.

“Through the mirror?” Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What? How did you get in here? Who are you?”

The mare’s right hind leg took one step back…

… and then she disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing a little ways down the corridor to Ebony’s left at a sprint.

“After her!” Ebony shouted to the Eclipse guards as she teleported, reappearing in front of the retreating mare. “Y-”

“A very foolish thing to do.”

The captain was mildly shocked that her Empress was by her side, apparently having teleported as well. She watched as the alicorn’s horn flashed once and the intruder was paralyzed by an Immobilization Ward.

“Now…” Nightmare Moon grinned evilly. “Let’s have a little chat, shall-”

The intruder’s horn shone and with a sound akin to an electric discharge, the ward was dispelled.

Ebony gaped, having expected the ordeal to be over, and was unprepared when the mare wrapped herself in flames, and galloped towards them.

She started preparing a frost spell, but Nightmare Moon was quicker.

She spread her wings, flapped them, and a magically-augmented gust of wind snuffed out the flames and sent the mare tumbling back head over hooves.

Unfortunately, the intruder wasn’t finished; her horn lit up again when she stopped tumbling, and her hooves struck the floor, sending out a jagged, glowing orange crack that circled her body and erupted into a wall of fire a second later.

“You’re only making this worse for yourself!” Nightmare Moon shouted over the roar of flames as she lashed out with another spell. “Do you truly believe you can match me in magical combat?”

Ebony caught sight of a single lick of flame arcing from the fire before a blanket of ice smothered the inferno.

Floating, it came to an abrupt stop just over her and spread out to form a ring of fire several feet in diameter. Her eyes widened as the ring intensified, heat radiating downwards, and she quickly threw a barrier over her and the distracted Empress.

“Ebony, what-”

Pain lanced through Ebony’s skull as the empty space of the ring was filled with fire that proceeded to rain down in a deadly shower. The strength of the attack was astounding, but thankfully lasted only a few seconds.

“Oww…” Ebony let the barrier collapse and rubbed at the base of her horn.

“Excellent reaction; you have my gratitude,” Nightmare Moon gave her a brief nod and a grin before turning back to the intruder, her expression becoming dark in an instant. “My, such powerful spells, and thrown out with barely any casting time; you are trained well.”

The mare scowled despite her obvious fear. It seemed that those last spells had taken a toll on her; she was breathing heavily and her legs were shaking.

‘Mana Exhaustion…’

“Don’t bother answering,” The Empress chuckled as she reached out with her magic and brought the mare closer, ignoring the squeals and cries of protest. “At least… not yet. Captain, I leave you to sort out this mess; find the mirror this mare was talking about and inform me when you find something.”

Ebony nodded and lowered her head in a small bow. “Understood.”

She looked away at the bright flash which swiftly cut off the mare’s protests and turned to the guards that had kept their distance.

‘Well, to work…’

“You – alert the staff and get this mess cleaned up.”

“O-okay…”

“The rest of you – split into three teams, a unicorn on each one, and search this wing for any and every mirror. When you find one, cast a Detection spell like you were taught in training, and then send a runner to inform me if you find anything suspicious.”

“… N-now?”

“Yes, now! If you don’t sort it out in the next five, no, three seconds, then you’ll be scrubbing latrines for the rest of the month!”

Ebony nodded to herself as the guards quickly got organized. There – that certainly felt very… leader-y. Hopefully, she did everything right, and the mirror would be found without any further complications.

Hopefully.

Sunset yelped in pain as she was thrown to the floor the instant the teleportation ended, the carpeted floor doing little to cushion her fall.
The unicorn tried to stand, but a tremendous pressure was placed on her back, preventing her from gaining an inch in any direction let alone stand. It was physical, cold, and concentrated over a small area; most likely the alicorn’s hoof.

“Who are you?”

Struggling for a little bit more, Sunset collapsed in exhaustion, her cheek pressed up against the carpet as she tried to calm her racing heart and stifle her fear.

“… Sunset. Sunset Shimmer.”

“Sunset…” Nightmare Moon tested the words. “I feel as if I’ve heard that before…”

Sunset’s eyes darted around the room, widening as she realized she recognized this room. She remembered studying in here, eating in here, sleeping in here; this was her former mentor’s room.

Only… not.

Much of the exotic paraphernalia which made Celestia’s private quarters her private quarters were gone. There was still the furniture, the fireplace, and the balcony, but that was it – the bare necessities. It was no longer the comforting place she loved spending time in… at least, once upon a time ago…

‘She’s really taken over.’

“This may… sting.”

“What?” Sunset’s stomach turned to ice at the words. “What do you…?”

The fur on her neck rose and her ears flattened as she felt the alicorn lower her head, a feeling of dread welling up in her chest.

Mother Faust, there was something so inherently wrong about her presence!

Dread turned to terror as she saw a dark muzzle appear in her vision, sharp teeth clenched around an obsidian ring, aiming for her horn.

“No, don’t!”

She thrashed violently, trying to keep her horn away from that thing, knowing she’d be completely helpless if it went on.

Nightmare Moon gave a chilling growl and kept Sunset’s head still with telekinesis. The young mare desperately lit her horn with what little magic she had, but the magical backlashes did nothing to dissuade the alicorn, and only served to make Sunset writhe in pain.

When the ring was pushed down onto the spiralling bone, the pain of the backlashes was overwhelmed by the pain of having her magic cut off. It felt like bands of ice were wrapping around her brain and spreading their chill along every synapse, every nerve in her body. She wailed and cried as it was fitted almost to the base of her horn.

“Now that we don’t have to worry about any foolish notions of escape…” Nightmare Moon said with a mocking sneer as she finally removed her hoof. “I think we can finally get down to playing Twenty Questions, wouldn’t you say?”

Sunset sniffed as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She never thought she would fall so low as to openly weep in front of somepony, but she had never experienced such pain before. The loss of her magic was also an incredibly unpleasant feeling.

“What…” The unicorn peered up at the alicorn, too nauseous to stand. “What do you want to know?”

“Who are you, really?” The alicorn’s long legs carried her in a circle around the writhing mare, eyes ablaze with intrigue. “Is Sunset Shimmer a thief? A fugitive on the run from some distant land? And what about this mirror?”

“… I…”

“Do we really have to do this the hard way? Because…”

Sunset yelped as the alicorn kicked her in the side, sending fresh waves of agony through her midsection, and she curled into the foetal position to protect her ribs.

“Whatever way, I’m getting the information out of you.”

As Nightmare Moon lifted her hoof again, Sunset crumbled, and she scrambled back while yelling, “W-wait, stop! I-I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!”

‘So much for your iron composure…’

‘Shut up! I didn’t expect to be threatened like this! Not by this… whatever she is.’

‘If only everyone back at Canterlot High could see you now; snivelling like a coward, all talk and no bite.’

‘I’ve got plenty of bite!’

‘Sure you do…’

Ignoring the bad taste shame left in her mouth and her own traitorous thoughts, Sunset shakily sat up, fidgeting anxiously as Nightmare Moon put down her leg and fixed her with an intense gaze.

“There’s a mirror in the palace; it’s an Orxoni.”

“A vessel housing a teleportation enchantment…” The alicorn grumbled, mostly to herself. “I should have guessed. Where’s the other Orxoni? The one you came through?”

“… It’s not exactly in Equestria… or this universe, really.”

Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Are you one of the invaders?”

“Invaders?” Sunset shook her head, unsure. “I don’t know what you mean. I was a student of Princess Celestia before I left about six years ago.”

“Ah, yes,” The alicorn gave a single nod, eyes lighting up in recognition. “The rogue prodigy.”

“Is that what she called me?” Sunset had to admit it was a pretty good moniker.

“No, but it’s what you are. You wanted to be an alicorn, correct? And when she didn’t grant your desire, you disappeared without a trace.”

Unwanted memories threatened to surface and Sunset pushed them away while nodding her head. “Yes. I was ready for the responsibilities of becoming a princess, but she couldn’t see that.”

“As much as I loathe casting my enemies in a positive light, I’m afraid I have to agree with her,” Sunset looked up, shocked. Nightmare Moon’s face was full of mocking jeer. “Twilight Sparkle may have been a poor candidate, but from what I’ve heard, you’re even worse.”

“Th-that’s not true!” Her temper flared, allowing her to find the strength to stand up, glaring daggers. “Did Celestia tell you that? What has she said about me?”

“The truth?” Nightmare Moon raised one eyebrow. “She said you were one of the best students she’s ever had. You understood advanced thaumaturgical studies, excelled in the practical portion of magic – the Elemental school especially – and had a flair for leadership.”

Sunset furrowed her brow. “She said that? Even after I…?”

“She also said you had a wicked temper and let anger guide your actions when things didn’t go your way. You became vindictive and resorted to some very petty things in your-”

“How dare you! I am not-”

Nightmare Moon suddenly lunged forwards and snapped her teeth, her lips literally splitting at the sides so her toothy grin was wider than what should have been possible for a pony.

Sunset shrieked and fell backwards, one foreleg coming up to ward off the assault. However, the alicorn merely laughed loudly, her grin turning somewhat normal as her cheeks healed within seconds.

“Either you lack common sense, or you have a very high opinion of yourself to believe you can talk back to somepony like me,” She stopped laughing and lowered her head to the unicorn, grin still present. “But you have proven to me that Celestia was right.”

Sunset’s cheeks glowed red in humiliation and anger, and it was all she could do to keep silent. This wasn’t some jock from Canterlot High, where her barbed tongue and popularity could cull them with ease, this was a powerful and intelligent… creature, and it knew it.
Nightmare Moon could literally finish her by stepping down hard enough and without her magic, Sunset was completely helpless.

It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

“But I don’t wish to discuss your strengths and weaknesses and whether or not you’d make a good ruler; I want to know more about this Orxoni and the world you’ve been hiding in for all this time.”

Sunset grimaced and her entire body shuddered as she finally admitted defeat. She almost choked as she swallowed her pride. “It’s… There’s a lot to cover.”

Nightmare Moon lowered her body as she lay down on the floor, still managing to tower over the unicorn. “I have time. Tell me what happened from when you first entered the mirror.”

“Well… I remember feeling… unbalanced.”

Author's Notes:

Note 1: An Orxoni (Or-zone-eye) is a mirror - usually full-body length - which holds an incredibly powerful teleportation enchantment. The first Orxoni - the Crystal Mirror - was created by King Sombra during his research into dark magic; it was a complete accident, and his unfamiliarity with the vessel resulted in him deeming it useless and hiding it away. When Princess Celestia and Luna turned King Sombra to shadow and his curse caused the Crystal Empire to vanish, the mirror was all that was left behind, seemingly immune to the curse's effects.

Curious, Princess Luna was the first to experiment with the Crystal Mirror. After her banishment to the moon, Celestia took over; the elder sibling was desperate to have her kin back, and this resulted in a brief phase where she dabbled in the same arts King Sombra had. She didn't accomplish anything that may have brought her sister back, but she did manage to create a duplicate of the mirror.

After Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor established their rule in the Crystal Empire, Celestia gave them the duplicate and kept the original.

Many of the castle's staff mentioned that sometimes, Celestia would visit the Orxoni and look at it for long periods of time, her expression melancholic.

Note 2: Many have questioned the ancient tradition which prevents mares from joining the ranks of the Royal Guard, especially since gender inequality has hardly been an issue in Equestria's history. The princesses themselves cannot remember the why and when of this tradition, but it has been around for so long that many feel changing it would be akin to denying the unicorn race's involvement in the Cultural Upheaval of 345 AD.

Naturally, this comparison is met with... varied reactions.