1055 AD, November 12th

“Here!”

Zecora looked up from the tome in time to see a bunch of golden trite flowers slap down against the table. She frowned at the lack of care. “There is no need for… My, my – Sunset, what has happened to-”

“Don’t suppose you could have mentioned that golden trite flowers look very similar to sunshine dandelions?!”

Sunset’s body was covered in a bright yellow, sticky substance that clung to and matted her fur down. Her infuriated expression twitched erratically as the most irritating sensations assaulted her skin; her horn was glowing with magic as she telekinetically manoeuvred a back scratcher to alleviate the terrible itching, albeit temporarily.

Hiding an amused grin behind her forehoof, Zecora replied, “My apologies, Sunset – I was not aware the sunshine dandelions had bloomed so soon. A simple wash is all that is needed to soothe the itching on your tush.”

Sunset was drawn out of the enrapturing act of scratching her rump by a chorus of poorly-stifled giggles. Flushing deeply and glaring intensely at any within her field of vision, she held the scratcher close to her side and stomped her way over to the stairs leading to the upper floor of the treehouse.

“I told her those flowers didn’t look right…” Virtue commented as he closed the library’s main door. “But she insisted that she knew what she was doing.”

“Well, lucky you two found them when you did,” Cotton said from his seat at the table. He inched to the side to make room for Virtue, flushed when he realized that inadvertently moved him closer to Luna, and then quickly moved back, almost shoving his friend to the floor. “Ah heh heh… w-we’re all just waiting on you.”

“We have most of what we need…” Zecora carefully spread out the various items across the table’s surface; they ranged from normal – fragrant flowers, honey, tobacco – to unusual – a piece of wizened tree bark, perfume, a strand of baby lion hair. “The final ingredient is a cleansing joke seed.”

“What is that?” Celestia asked.

“A relative to the poison joke flower but with effects far more medicinal; it cleans one’s body of foreign magic and residuals. Far too weak on its own to match a spirit, but mixed with these ingredients and Nightmare Moon’s power it will inhibit.”

“And it’ll force her out of Twilight’s body? Or anypony else she possesses?” Zecora nodded. “… Will it kill Nightmare Moon?”

Zecora furrowed her brow in thought. “… That depends on how well the cleansing joke blooms at noon. Until then, there is nothing else that can be done, so we all should all get some rest on a job well done.”

It wasn’t that late, but sunlight was short during the winter, and by the time they had retrieved all the ingredients, the stars had begun to paint the black sky.

Glancing out one of the library’s windows, Cotton gave a huge yawn and blinked wearily. “S’pose I should be getting to bed if we’re done then.”

“You can stay here if you want.” Spike offered as he helped Zecora carefully move the ingredients to a secure place.

Cotton shook his head. “Nah – got a bed at an inn. Bloody bunny wouldn’t let me sleep in the cottage. Eh… come to think of it, I’d feel off sleeping in somepony else’s bed anyway,” He gave a shrug and turned to bow towards the princesses. “Your Highnesses.”

Celestia chuckled and gestured for him to rise. “That’s really unnecessary, but thank you, Cotton. You have a good rest.”

“I-I will,” Cotton stiffly rose and nodded at the lunar princess by Celestia’s side. “Goodbye.”

“Farewell and I wish you pleasant dreams.”

“Th-thank you…”

Cotton made for the library’s door after wishing everypony else a good night and exchanging a hoof-bump with Virtue. Once he was out and the door shut tight, Virtue stretched out his muscles with a groan of delight.

“Can’t believe I’m this beat from picking flowers.”

“It’s been an eventful day…” Celestia said with a tired smile. “Not just physically; truths and secrets have been revealed, and it’s quite a lot to process.”

Virtue nodded in agreement. “I tell you, the last thing I expected when I woke up this morning was for all of you to arrive at Ponyville. It’s great to have you all here and it’s so good to have a plan of action.”

“Indeed…” Celestia briefly turned her head to watch Zecora packing the ingredients away before trotting over to the stairs. “If nopony minds, I think I’ll head upstairs.”

“The beds are all set up!” Spike called from the kitchen; the sound of water boiling accompanied his call. “You want some tea or something?!”

“I’m not heading to bed just yet; I was just going to go out on the balcony and…” Celestia momentarily paused on her trek up the stairs, hesitating. “… Think on some things.”

“Okay, uh…” Spike poked his head out questioningly. “Do you want some tea brought up anyway?”

“No. That’s quite alright, thank you.”

She gave him a reassuring smile before disappearing to the upper floor. Spike quirked an eyebrow, no doubt sensing something was off about her.

Luna was impressed with his level of empathy – her sister had quite a poker face, and it took her years to figure out when she was using it.

“Young Spike, surely you will need rest, too?”

“Huh?” He blinked up at her before scoffing and waving his claw dismissively. “Nah, I’m cool. It’s too cold to get up in the morning right away, so I just sleep in; I’m pretty amped to be honest.”

“Says the dragon who falls asleep after boasting he could ‘party until the sun comes up’.” Virtue smirked.

“Hey, who gets scolded by the owl for putting the books where they don’t belong? Hm? Is it me? Oh, you’re just gonna walk away? Yeah, I won this round.”

Luna tittered in amusement. “Very well – I won’t nag. Now if you will excuse me, I must head upstairs for a bit, too…”

Spike simply nodded and watched her go for a bit before returning to the kitchen, slightly perplexed by the sisters’ behaviour.

‘Wonder what’s up with them?’

“…”

“Sister…”

Celestia didn’t turn; she had expected Luna to follow her. “Cotton seems rather smitten with you, doesn’t he?”

“… He is nice, but I am afraid I have no interest in a suitor.”

From the balcony of the library, she had a pretty good view over Ponyville, and Celestia knew Twilight had chosen to set up her telescope there exactly because of that reason. The device was folded up and leaned against the balcony’s railing, sadly gathering dust.

Most of Ponyville’s populace had already returned to their homes, but many lights were still on and Celestia could see a few pegasi flying around, no doubt enjoying the crisp air.

Luna didn’t respond and the silence was deep enough that they could hear the shower running inside the library, despite its distance and the number of walls between them.

“… Earlier you said that we shouldn’t keep secrets from each other anymore,” Celestia wetted her lips and continued looking forwards. “You told me the truth about Nightmare Moon, so it’s only fair I tell you why I lied about not knowing what she was trying to accomplish with… with Twilight.”

Again, Luna didn’t respond, but she moved forwards and stopped by her older sibling’s side. She looked concerned and expectant of bad news.

“I didn’t tell Rainbow Dash the truth because – and believe me when I say this – it wouldn’t have mattered,” Celestia shook her head slightly. “If she and the others knew the truth, it would only make them feel worse, and I couldn’t do that… at least not when they were still hurting so.”

“And what is the truth?”

“… I was desperate to get you back,” Celestia hung her head and shut her eyes as old and familiar shame crept into her heart. “When normal magic failed, I resorted to dark magic; the very same that Sombra used. I… I began experimenting with the Crystal Mirror.”

“The one you gave to Cadence and Shining Armor?”

“That was a duplicate I accidentally formed from the original, the one that was left behind when Sombra cursed the Crystal Empire. Although… I suppose it’s called the Resonator now,” She shrugged. “During my studies of dark magic, I came across a means of… implanting crystals into a pony’s body.”

Luna grimaced as she recalled the gruesome memory of Twilight appearing with those horrific injuries and that dead-eyed stare. “For what reason would anypony do that willingly?”

“Immortality.”

“… What?” Luna blinked a few times and prodded at her ear. “Immortality?”

“It is the only type of magic that can grant it…” Celestia said grimly. “And it is not a clean procedure. The crystals must be rooted deep within flesh and bone for it to take effect and the individual must be strong – physically and mentally. Nightmare Moon said she overestimated Twilight, so the procedure mustn’t have worked. I… I don’t want to think about what might have happened if she didn’t give Twilight some of her essence.”

‘Though would death have been a better fate?’

“But why?” Luna furrowed her brow in revulsion and confusion. “Why would she try to make her immortal?”

“Because at the time, she had us all under her hoof. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack… Twilight – they may bear the Elements of Harmony, but they are still mares. They will age and die. Twilight will live longer, but only slightly, and when all of them are gone, the Elements will disappear and choose six other ponies to be Bearers.”

It was a macabre thought, but Celestia had to face the facts, no matter how much it pained her. Just like with most everything and everypony else, they would age and leave her.

All except Luna.

“Nightmare Moon must have tried to grant them immortality, so that they – and by extension, the Elements – would forever remain in her grasp.”

Luna pondered this for a while, her face scrunched up in distaste. Finally, she shook her head. “But that would give us the time needed to escape the demon’s clutches. It seems a foolish move.”

“I won’t try to understand her reasoning or train of thought, if I even could, but what terrifies me is the idea of those young mares also undergoing the procedure and remaining in custody for the rest of their artificially-extended lives. A life without freedom is no life at all…”

“I’m sure Discord would have interjected with a quip if he were here at this moment…” Luna muttered and turned her gaze towards the horizon.

Celestia gave a humourless grin. “Which is why I gave him that chance at reformation and why my heart goes out to him now. Hmph… words I never thought I would say.”

“… Thank you for telling me this, sister,” Luna turned back with a warm but tired smile. “I appreciate you being honest with me.”

“No more lies between us, Lu-Lu…” The older alicorn returned the smile with just as much love and placed a comforting hoof on her kin’s shoulder. “I promise.”

Sunset thought her old mentor would never go to sleep.

It was two in the morning before she heard Celestia leave that balcony and trot to bed. She had insisted on sleeping downstairs so she could keep an eye and ear out.

Snugly tucked in a sleeping bag, Sunset had kept her face hidden and her breathing controlled, pretending to be dead to the world until she was certain nopony was awake. Spike had gone upstairs to curl into his basket, Zecora tiredly shuffled down into the basement – the zebra, strangely, mentioned having trouble finding rest anywhere but there – Virtue had taken the guest bed, and Luna later got into what was previously Twilight’s bed.

‘Why did the princess of the night go to bed later than somepony who brings the day?’

She didn’t know what Celestia had been doing or thinking about, but it took a long time, and Sunset was beginning to risk falling asleep herself. Her eyelids felt heavy and her mouth was paper-dry.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip…

Sunset’s ears perked at what sounded like Celestia getting into bed alongside Luna – jeez, that bed was sturdy – and she waited in anticipation for a few more minutes.

“…”

When she felt comfortable, Sunset ducked her head into the sleeping bag to hide the light of a spell being cast. Once the Night Eye spell had been implemented, she slowly unzipped the sleeping bag and slinked out; inch by inch she removed herself, frequently pausing to listen out for any irregular sounds, until she was finally out and on her hooves.

‘Okay, now carefully… move…’

It was just like when she had snuck into the castle, but better because at least here she could play it off that she was up for a glass of water or something of the like.

‘Speaking of drinks…’

Sunset reached back into her sleeping bag and pulled out a rucksack she had stashed away earlier before tip-hoofing towards the kitchen. She had to stop every few steps or so in case somepony was a light sleeper, but she grew more confident with every minute that passed without interference.

The kitchen posed a minor obstacle in that she had to open the fridge and pantry cupboards, but soon, her rucksack had a hearty amount of snacks, drinks, and food that didn’t spoil easily.

‘So far, so good.’

Easing the fridge’s door shut, Sunset lightly stepped back out into the library’s main room and – after a bit of confliction – stashed a few books she enjoyed into the bag. That done, she moved onto the check-out counter, and-

“Hmph…”

Sunset’s heart skipped a beat and she froze in place, not even daring to breathe. That came from upstairs and was vaguely masculine – Spike…

How sensitive were dragon ears? From what Sunset had learned, their greatest sense was their eyesight, not their hearing.

Although, high-pitched sounds like the cries of dragon newborns…

“Mm… Twilight… Don’t… don’t leave me, Twi… Hmph…”

Sunset waited another minute before she released a long exhale of relief.

‘Too close.’

Returning to the check-out counter, she grinned at her own good fortune as she came across a small bag in one of the drawers that held a fair amount of round objects and jingled softly. She had an inkling some bits would be around here somewhere; it was by no means a fortune, but it was better than nothing, and she was confident they’d get her as far as she needed to go.

She put those into the bag as well and quickly ran through a mental list before deciding she had gotten everything she needed. A cloak with a hood would have been nice, but she didn’t want to risk staying here any longer than needed.

‘Nopony outside of Nightmare Bitch and her army of simpletons knows what I look like anyway and the cold never bothered me.’

Nodding to herself, Sunset trotted out from behind the counter and headed for the front door. Her right forehoof wrapped around the handle and she gave a gentle pull-

Creak

Sunset cringed at the noise and froze again.

“…”

After shooting a well-deserved glare at the door, Sunset pulled until there was a gap large enough for her to slip out. The bag got caught on the door’s frame, but that was easily rectified with a quick yank, and then Sunset was outside and free to shut the door, revelling in the satisfying click it made.

‘Heh – easy as pie…’

The full moon was out and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, so her path was lit, even without the undulating waves of blue and black that her Night Eye painted the world in. It gave her a headache anyway, so she dispelled it.

Finally…

She was free to walk out of Ponyville and head to the Crystal Empire to-

Fwip

“Who!”

“Wh-?” Sunset held in a startled squeak as a brown-feathered owl swooped in front of her, flapping incessantly and getting in her face. “Sh-shoo!” She flailed one hoof angrily. “Get outta here! Go on!”

“Who! Who!”

“Piss off!” Sunset bared her teeth as she took several steps forward despite the pest buzzing about her head. “Don’t think I won’t set you on fire! I’m not as herbivorous when I’m a human, you know. What, you don’t think I’m serious? Hold still and I’ll-”

Fwoosh

Thump

Sunset’s face fell and her blood turned to ice.

‘Please let that be a big owl…’

Suddenly, she realized that her shadow had been swallowed up by a much larger shadow; it had wings, yes, but the rest of it was… decidedly equine-like.

“Shit.”

“Turn, Sunset Shimmer.”

“…”

Against her better judgement, Sunset turned, and she was mildly surprised to find that it wasn’t Celestia that had caught her.

Luna was precariously balanced on a large branch that jutted out from the tree and just so happened to put her directly in front of the moon. She suddenly seemed a lot larger and more threatening, especially with those glowing white eyes and great wings stretched out to her sides.

“… Is this how you show gratitude?” Luna’s face was shrouded in darkness, but her tone of voice was more than enough to tell Sunset exactly how she felt. “We took you from that demon’s clutches, allowed you a place to sleep, and you respond by stealing away into the night with Twilight’s belongings?”

Sunset almost faltered, but she had had enough of being talked down to. Gathering her courage, she curled her lips into a sneer and curtly replied, “I don’t care what you think of me. I’m not staying here any longer than I have to. You can keep the stupid Elements of Whatever because I’m out.”

She turned away and started walking after telekinetically shoving the owl to the side, eliciting an indignant hoot.

“I was not finished talking to y-”

“Well, I’m finished, so deal with it.”

Sunset heard another gust of wind and the shadow moved so she was bathed in moonlight once more. Unfortunately, the owner of the shadow moved to land directly beside her, easily keeping pace.

“Where will you even go?” Luna murmured in a low tone. Her wings folded back up as she stared down at the other mare.

“I’m going back home. The life I made on the other side of the mirror is way better than what’s here,” Sunset adamantly chose to look straight ahead. “It sucks I didn’t get Twilight’s crown, but I can live with it.”

“Will that mirror even take you to the same place? Will it even work? The Orxoni activates only-”

“I still remember the work we did on the Resonator; I can apply the same knowledge to that.”

“Do you really think Shining Armor and Princess Cadence will allow you that level of access?”

“I’ll think of something.”

“… The journey will be treacherous. Who can say for sure that you will not stumble across an entity from the invading universe?”

“I’ll think of something.”

“You can’t have that much on you. You can’t afford a train ticket from here to there. Do you intend to walk?”

“I’ll think of something.”

“Why don’t you think of it now, hm?”

Sunset stopped as Luna stepped out in front of her. She tried to sidestep, but a large wing blocked her.

“Celestia was right; you act without thinking of the possible consequences,” Luna moved to block her path again, face impassive. “What if a malevolent creature chances upon you? Will you attack? Will you even be strong enough to face it?”

“Get out of my way.”

“How much food did you pack? A week’s worth? There can’t be that much space in that bag. Do you intend to live off the wilderness? Of other ponies’ kindness?”

“Move!”

“Do you have any training in survival whatsoever? Celestia told me you lived a sheltered life and that the instant she didn’t give you the alicorn status you so desperately desired, you fled into the mirror, a mere few doors from where she gave you your very own study room. How do you expect to survive with that kind of up-”

“Fuck you!”

Sunset’s temper flared and she threw all her body weight into a shove. Luna didn’t even flinch, but it did make her go silent.

“What do you know about me?!” Sunset panted and she bared her teeth aggressively. “You don’t know what I’m capable of!”

“I know that you are a spoiled brat that threw a tantrum when she didn’t get what she wanted.”

“I deserve to be an alicorn princess! I worked myself to the bone studying under Celestia. I learned the trades of being a princess, I knew all about diplomatic relations, and I was the most accomplished unicorn in her Faust-damn school! If I wasn’t supposed to follow in her hoofsteps, then why’d she even pick me to be her student?”

“Celestia took on many students in her life,” Luna remarked icily. “None of them were made into alicorns, so why should you be special?”

“Why should Twilight be special?!” Sunset spat. “What’s so great about her? She… Because she learned the ‘magic of friendship’? Bullshit! Anypony can make friends!”

“But not everypony understands the effect friendship has, the role it plays in Equestria. It is a magic far greater than we can understand-”

“Ugh, don’t give me that crap…” Again, Sunset tried pushing past. “Either get out of my way or drag me back because I’m not staying here willingly.”

“You are a foolish mare, Sunset. A foolish and impatient mare who thinks she knows what’s best.”

“Get out of my way or I’ll…” Sunset lit up her horn. “I’ll…!”

“Go then,” Luna took a step forwards, grimly staring down at Sunset as the other mare instinctively took a step back. “You say you’ll ‘think of something’ if your journey is impeded, so think of something and get by me.”

“… Grah!”

Sunset lashed out with pyromancy. Luna safely countered it.

Sunset tried to teleport. Luna easily kept up with her and teleported them both back.

Sunset resorted to her bare hooves. Luna withstood it.

Sunset got angrier and angrier. Luna remained silent and unmoving.

“Let me pass!” Sunset stomped her hoof, her voice cracking and her horn throbbing with pain. “I don’t want to be here! I don’t deserve this!”

Sunset… tried begging.

“Please, just… just let me go. I don’t want to… I don’t want to…”

Her anger boiled over and once she realized she wasn’t getting what she wanted, when she realized Luna couldn’t be intimidated, overpowered, bought off, flirted with, or coerced…

Sunset started crying.

“Wh-why?” She gasped out as she fell to her belly, sobbing out fat tears that splattered against the cold ground. “Wh-why are y-you doing th-this? I d-d-don’t d-deserve th-this… I d-deserve… I d-deserve…”

“And that’s why you aren’t fit to be an alicorn princess,” Luna’s tone had softened but there was still the same amount of firmness. “The greatest traits a leader must have are restraint and humility: restraint to keep from abusing their power and humility to realize that there is always room for error, that nopony is infallible.”

“Sh-shut up…” Sunset sniffed and covered her face in shame. “Y-you did wr-wrong, t-too. Y-you gave Nightmare M-Moon th-the power to… to…”

“Yes, I did, and it eats away at me every single day…” Luna took in a deep breath. “… And I am trying to right my wrongs.”

“… Why are trying to stop me?” Sunset wiped at her eyes as her breathing hitched. “I-I can’t do anything to h-help…”

“You can’t say that for sure.”

“But I d-don’t even want to help. I just w-want to go home.”

“Even so, I can’t just allow you to travel Equestria by yourself,” Luna shook her head. “You are strong, but with the Entropic Fractures allowing dangerous creatures into our world – not to mention the threat of Nightmare Moon herself – I fear that you will meet an untimely end should you leave this village.”

“… Why do you even care?”

“Because my sister cares.”

“…”

“She feels responsible for you, even though your path has been of your own volition, and it would hurt her so much if anything bad happened to you. So please… if there’s any part of you that still cares for her… stay here. At least until things have been sorted. After that, I know that whatever happens next – whether you choose to stay or leave – she’ll rest easier.”

“…”

“Come – you’re a grown mare, so stop acting like a foal.”

“M’not acting like a foal…”

“Then stand up.”

Sunset sniffed a few times, wiped her bloodshot eyes, and rose to her hooves. “I’m pissed, you know,” Luna tilted her head quizzically. “You made me cry like that… I won’t forget it.”

“Hate me all you want, Sunset.”

“I will, you sanctimonious preacher…”

And the two made their way back to the library under the watchful gaze of Owlicious.

“The target’s in sight, Knight Enforcer.”

“Move in.”

Author's Notes:

Note 1: Self-Teleportation (spell) - as the name implies, this spell allows the caster to traverse a distance – great or small – without the ‘monotonous’ task of using one’s limbs.

Close examination reveals that teleportation is not instantaneous as there is a brief moment between the caster vanishing and reappearing in the desired spot, and that this period extends in relation to the amount of distance needing to be travelled. A caster teleporting several yards will only vanish for half a second while a caster teleporting several kilometres will vanish for several moments.

Note 2: An alicorn is gifted with the greatest strengths of the three races and then some: the precise manipulation of magic of the unicorns, the flight capabilities and weather manipulation of the pegasi, and the boundless strength, resilience, and endurance of the earth ponies. Combined with their extended life spans, an alicorn with many years under their belt is a fearsome foe, and many can't fathom a 'lesser' creature matching one in combat.

But if nobody tries, how can this be known for certain?