It was a glorious victory for the pro - Sombra forces. They had been unmolested in their advance in Equestria and had recently captured a famous Wonderbolt. Wind Rider was paraded around and sent back to the Crystal Empire as Twilight ordered. Now, the pro - Sombr forces were preparing to take off and make their next attack.

"Twilight." came a familiar voice.

"Please come in Sunset Shimmer." replied Twilight.

Sunset walked in while Twilight was looking at a map of Equestria.

"Where are we going?" asked Sunset.

"Trottingham." answered Twilight calmly.

"Good. That should be easy." said Sunset.

"Indeed. Our forces are clearly superior so we have no need to worry." said Twilight confident.

"Yeah." agreed Sunset distant.

Twilight groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Now what is wrong?" asked the lavender unicorn annoyed.

"Nothing. I am just thinking about the attack." answered Sunset.

Twilight stared Sunset down looking for signs she might be lying.

"You better not be going soft!" snapped Twilight.

"Of course not! I am as ambitious as ever!" declared Sunset.

Twilight have Sunset Shimmer a glare.

"You better not." said Twilight.

"I promise you I am not." said Sunset.

Twilight shot Sunset an accusatory glare.

"I will not let anyone hinder Master!" declared Twilight.

"Neither shall I." replied Sunset.

Twilight continued glaring at Sunset.

"Do you?" asked Twilight, not believing.

"Yes." answered Sunset.

"Can I trust you?" asked Twilight pointblank .

"Yes." answered Sunset firmly.

"How can I be sure?" asked Twilight.

"I have done nothing to show disloyalty." answered Sunset.

Twilight shook her head.

"You have had an external mask of loyalty." noted Twilight.

"I am loyal!" declared Sunset.

"Don't trust anypony." warned Twilight.

"That seems kind of cold." said Sunset.

"It's the honest truth." replied Twilight.

"I wonder if Somba counts." mused Sunset.

Before she knew what happened, Sunset was slapped in the face by Twilight knocking her to the ground.

"Don't do you dare say that!" screamed Twilight.

Sunset Shimmer got back up.

"I am waiting for an apology." said Twilight.

"I am sorry." said Sunset softly.

"That is better." said Twilight.

"Are you going to tell King Sombra what I said?" asked Sunset uneasily.

Twilight tapped her chin thinking for a minute.

"I can be persuaded to stay silent." answered Twilight.

Sunset gulped nervously at this.

"When we assault Trottingham, I will pick a victim myself and you will kill them in front of me. If you do this then I won't say a word as I'll believe in your loyalty." explained Twilight.

"And...if I don't?" asked Sunset nervously.

"I will tell Master and you'll be executed." answered Twilight.

Sunset froze at this.

"What do you say?" asked Twilight.

"I accept." answered Sunset.

In Ponyville, it seemed like just another ordinary day. The ponies where going about their usual business around their little town. At the Hay and Stay, Rainbow was doing better while telling other ponies a story of how she crashed. However, rumors ran rampant around Ponyville. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Spike popped in to visit.

"Howdy Rainbow!" called AJ.

"Hey guys." replied Rainbow.

Rainbow was on her bed re-reading a Daring Do book.

"It's funny, Twilight got me to read these books." mused Rainbow sadly.

"Let's focus on brighter subjects." proposed Rarity.

"We can't ignore this." said Spike solemn.

"Spike is right." said Rainbow.

The others looked at each other.

"So...where do you begin?" asked Applejack.

"Twilight has joined Sombra. We cannot ignore this fact." answered Rainbow.

"It seems those nasty dark spells really mixed up her mind." sighed Pinkie.

"I just can't believe it." said Fluttershy, broken.

Rainbow beckoned Fluttershy over and Fluttershy walked over to it.

"It's okay Fluttershy. It'll all be okay." said Rainbow.

Rainbow wrapped her forearm around Fluttershy.

"There has to be a way to get her back." said Spike.

"Any chance Discord could help?" asked Rainbow.

"No. He's still effected by the dark magic Twilight used on him." answered Fluttershy.

"Maybe Princess Celestia can help." proposed Pinkie Pie.

"I just don't know anymore." said Spike, shaking his head.

"There has to be something!" cried Pinkie.

"Stay calm Sugarcube." said Applejack.

Pinkie Pie let out a sigh.

"Okay." said Pinkie.

"We can't just stand here." said Spike.

"Darlings, we mustn't forget this Sunset Shimmer is involved." noted Rarity.

"I wonder if she has influenced Twilight." mused Applejack.

"Who cares!" cried Rainbow.

"Rainbow is right. What's important is getting Twilight back." said Applejack.

"How do we do that?" asked Fluttershy.

None of the ponies had an answer to this.

"We're right back to the start." sighed Pinkie Pie sadly.

"We have t think of something!" cried Spike.

"l know what to do." said Rainbow.

"What?" asked Fluttershy.

"'l'll kick some sense into her." answered Rainbow.

Rainbow attempted to take off, but Applejack bit her tail stopping her.

"Applejack!" cried Rainbow.

Applejack released Rainbow who hovered in the air.

"Right now it's too dangerous. She has Sunset, an entire army and Sombra with her." said Applejack.

"I can take them." scoffed Rainbow.

"Not alone." replied Fluttershy.

"Besides, you're injured." added Applejack.

"I'm fine!" snapped Rainbow.

"If you do something this reckless, you'll come back in pieces." said Applejack.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and landed on the ground.

"If we talk to her, maybe she will come around." proposed Rarity.

"It's worth a shot." said Spike.

"We'd need to get Twilight alone." noted Applejack.

"Let's do it. We'll find a way." said Rainbow.

"Yeah." agreed the others.

In Canterlot, life was going on as normal. While word of the invasion had reached the Equestrian capital, most ponies went on as normal not believing that they wouldn't face any sort of damage. In the palace, a quartet of royal where gathered to discuss the situation. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence and Prince Shinning Armor where looking at a map of Equestria.

'The Sombra forces have only captured two cities at the moment." noted Princess Luna.

"Vanhoover and Cloudsdale." added Shinning Armor.

"How...bad the situation?" asked Celestia uneasy.

"Bad. Both have been devastated and many ponies enslaved." answered Cadence saddened.

"What of the Wonderbolts?" asked Luna.

"There attention was purposefully diverted so they could not get involved." answered Shinning Armor.

"He thought of everything." sighed Luna.

"Our...somepony else did." mused Celestia.

The other three ponies winced at this.

"I hate to think that Twily is allied with Sombra." sighed Shinning Armor.

"We are all dear." said Cadence comfortingly.

"I did not necessarily mean Twilight." noted Celestia.

The other where at first confused by this.

"Sunset Shimmer." realized Cadence.

"Indeed. She is bright as well." confirmed Celestia.

"Cadence, did you know her?" asked Shinning.

"Yes." answered Cadence.

"Please, tell us what she is like." requested Luna.

"She was a loner like Twilight. However, she had a very abrasive attitude pushing anypony who tired to get close to her away which included myself." said Cadence.

"Did she lust for power?" asked Luna uneasy.

"Yes." answered Celestia sadly.

Luna hung her head, knowing this all too well.

"You are not Nightmare Moon anymore." stated Celestia.

"I am aware, but this hits close to me." replied Luna.

"We have both of them, Sombra and Chrysalis working together." sighed Shinning Armor.

"Indeed we are facing a most difficult challenge." stated Celestia.

"It seems Manehattan is a likely next target." stated Shinning Armor.

"We cannot ignore another possible diversion." mused Luna.

"If they draw our forces away, then Canterlot would be vulnerable." noted Celestia.

"Yet the ponies don't seem to effected." said Cadence.

"I might have been gone for a thousand years, but somethings never change." chuckled Luna, with a tint of sadness.

The four ponies remained silent as the room went somber. However, a horrifying thought suddenly hit Cadence.

"Do...you think Ponyville is in danger?" asked Cadence worried.

Celestia's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Normally, a settlement as small as Ponyville would not be targeted. However, Twilight does have a connection to it." said Celesta worried.

"Can we spare units to defend it?" asked Shinning Armor.

"That would divert forces from the front." answered Luna.

"We well send troops to the south and position them to defend Canterlot...or Ponyville." decided Celestia.

The others agreed with this.

"Shiny, do your parents know yet?" asked Cadence, carefully.

Shinning Armor physically flinched at this.

"No." answered Shinning.

"At this point we might not be able to keep it from them much longer." noted Celestia.

"This would kill them." noted Shinning worried.

"I'll tell them with you." offered Cadence.

"Fine." relented Shinning.

Suddenly, a royal guard burst into the room.

"Princess! We have news!" declared the guard.

The guard gulped and let out a sigh.

"Trottingham has fallen." answered the guard.

"No." gasped Celestia.

In Trottingham, the city had fallen to the pro-Sombra forces with ease. Having cut through the Crystal Mountains, the Crystal Imperial Army unknowingly skipped Starlight's village and attacked the Griffish Isles. The city of Trottingham fell easy and was quickly taken. A statue of folkhero Robin Hoof as toppled with plans to erect a statue of Sombra instead. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight stood in the middle of the city.

"This was too easy." sighed Twilight disappointed.

"Any victory is important." noted Sunset.

"You're right." replied Twilight.

A small grin came t her face.

"Plus, we still have some work to do." shrugged the lavender unicorn.

"What do you mean?" asked Sunset.

"Ponies and Griffins fled into the Trottngham Forest. I've ordered soldiers to go in and kill them so they cannot resist." answered Twilight.

"We better be careful or else Griffonstone might get involved." mused Sunset.

"I doubt that. Their last known monarch was King Grover and he's long gone. Besides, griffins are lazy and greedy creatures. They would get involved unless they could get Bits." countered Twilight.

"Celestia could bribe them." proposed Sunset.

"If so there is no need to worry. It's not like these are ponies where talking about." scoffed Twilight.

Suddenly, two soldiers dragged a young filly before Twilight and Sunset. She had brown fur with a black mane and tail. She was notable a blank flank.

"Good." said Twilight.

Twilight waved her hoof and the two soldiers left.

"What's going on?" asked Sunset.

"You promised to kill a victim of my choosing so I would not tell Master of your doubts. I chose a blank flank and this specimen has been provided." answered Twilight.

Sunset felt her heart skip a beat as the realization hit her.

"Go ahead and kill her." said Twilight.

Sunset gulped and her horn began to glow.

"Here I go." said Sunset.

Sunset began walking toward the filly.

"Please! Don't kill me!" cried the filly with a thick accent.

Sunset froze as she watched the young filly cower.

"I'm waiting." stated Twilight.

"I'm sorry." said Sunset, distraught.

Sunset fired one blast of magic killing the filly.

Author's Notes:

A/N: That is where we'll end things on that very dark scene. Next time, we continue onward as Sunset tries to cope with what she did. Please review.