The middle aged school principal was performing the same ritual she would almost every other day on her way home for the past two months. She would pull up to the enormous estate of Sunset Shimmer and park in front of the house for a few moments to drop off textbooks, homework, and whatever was needed for the reclusive older teen. She and her sister Luna would alternate between the two, occasionally being forced to stay a bit longer to administer tests as mandated by the school.

Luna had offered to go in Celestia’s stead, but she declined stating she wanted to make sure Sunset was doing okay.

It had been like this for the past few months, this had just become part of her daily routine, checking up on the shut in teenager that was once her student.

Celestia adjusted herself and tightened her winter jacket as she knocked on the gigantic door. In only a few seconds, the door swung open and standing there behind it was an exhausted looking Sunset, her hair a rugged mess, her eyes carrying half a dozen bags, and only wrapped up in a black and white bathrobe.

She gestured for Celestia to enter with only a grunt, to which the woman nodded and stepped inside the lavish home.

Celestia stood awkwardly with books and papers to her chest as she observed a dog run up to sniff her then darted over to Sunset with an eager tail wagging. Reaching down, Sunset gave him an approving pat on the head and then looked back to Celestia with a blank expression. “Want some coffee?”

Celestia nodded causing Sunset to nod in return. “Meet me in the living room,” Sunset instructed plainly. With a sigh, Celestia marched over to the living room and found an armchair to sit herself in.

Once she had sat down she placed the books and papers on the coffee table and waited the few minutes it took for Sunset to return with two mugs. She offered one to Celestia who took it and sipped. It was perfect, the two of them had been through this routine enough times to where Sunset had memorized exactly how Celestia preferred her coffee, she guessed that she likely did the same with her sister Luna as well.

Sunset let out a long yawn before sitting down on the couch herself with a mug in hand. Moon raced over and hopped up next to her before resting his head in her lap, causing a light smile to form on her face as she rubbed behind his ear. The smile subsided just as quickly however as Sunset sipped from her steaming mug, her eyes moved toward Celestia carefully.

“Ahem…” Celestia began as she lowered her cup.

“Welcome… sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I’m just waking up…” Sunset apologized for her demeanor. Truthfully though, this was far from abnormal at this point. Whenever Celestia or Luna would come over, she was always exhausted, and seldom had much to say. There had been times where they showed up and she was still in her underwear or a bathrobe after finally bathing after neglecting it for days on end. Though she never admitted it, there were days where she forgot to eat.

“Yes… well… I brought you your schoolwork… I hope you’re studying for final exams in a few months… The midterms just passed, and I know you did well but I am worried that not being in class for refreshers may make the final exams difficult…” Celestia spoke her concern.

Sunset shrugged. “I’m not worried about it…”

“Yes, but I’m worried about you…” Celestia replied as she took another long sip of her coffee from the mug.

Her concern only caused Sunset to roll her eyes in annoyance, clearly not moved. “I’m cool, promise,” Sunset responded with a bored tone, already tired of this conversation.

Celestia’s worry only grew. “Sunset, it’s not healthy for a girl to lock herself up like this away from her friends and peers… Isolation can make the mind very unstable…”

“Are you saying I’m unstable?” Sunset smirked, a hint of deviousness on her face.

“I haven’t figured that part out yet to be perfectly honest, but your current state isn’t instilling a lot of hope in me if I’m frank…” Celestia admitted.

“What you call unstable, I call…” Sunset paused before sipping her coffee. She finished the sip and smirked with narrowed eyes at Celestia and a face the reeked of smugness before finishing that sentence, “focused…”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Maybe you should focus on school rather than… whatever it is you’re doing here for hours on end when I’m gone? Which apparently has you so focused that you're losing sleep?”

Sunset shrugged and gulped down a large portion of the coffee now that it had cooled off a little. Celestia merely watched as she watched the girl chug the bitter beverage and set the cup down on the coffee table. Celestia’s eyes moved toward the cup to see that it was almost completely empty after that gesture, somewhat impressed by the teen’s coffee drinking skills. She for a brief moment wondered when teenagers became such avid coffee drinkers.

“You know your friends are asking about you? They want to know why they don’t hear from you or if you’re going to be attending the senior ball?” Celestia asked.

Sunset shrugged. “Dunno. I’m preoccupied at the moment, so I can’t tell you what the future holds…”

“Maybe you should call your friends sometime so you'd have a better idea?” Celestia suggested.

“Will that be all, Principal Celestia?” Sunset asked, making sure to emphasize her title as her voice grew more annoyed.

Celestia stood and nodded with a sigh. “Yes… well, I really should be going… Thank you for the coffee.”

Nodding Sunset stood with her and walked alongside her to the front door as Celestia opened it and paused as she stared outside to her car. She looked over her shoulder back at Sunset and spoke. “There is something else…”

Sunset blinked and tilted her head in confusion. “I know Shimmer’s death has you really shaken up… hell, it’s made all of your friends a bit strange in the past few months, but locking yourself away isn’t the answer, Sunset…” Celestia spoke quietly.

With a hushed voice, Sunset replied, “I intend to find my own answers…”

“Be that as it may, I hope you’ll get out some. You’re looking absolutely pale, Sunset. Some sun and fresh air would do you a world of good…” Celestia suggested.

Sunset shrugged. “I’ll think about it…”

Sighing, Celestia nodded as she realized she was fighting a losing battle. “If you need anything give me a call, alright? You know you can trust me.” A smile appeared on her face.

Sunset just nodded and Celestia made her way out the door and closed it behind her. Hearing the sound of her engine start and the car she arrived in move from the driveway, Sunset stared at the closed door. She stood there with an empty expression as she stared into space. “Right now…” she thought out loud, “I can’t trust anyone…”

The sun was already setting as Celestia kept her eyes on the road on her drive home. Looking at the time, it was already 5:28 PM, and she had been up since four that morning. Part of her regretted not sticking around at Sunset’s home to have more of that coffee that she left behind, as she was running on little sleep herself.

Sitting in the passenger seat, her phone began to vibrate. She sighed and picked it up, making sure to keep her eyes on the road as she put it on speakerphone and began to talk.

“Let me guess, you forgot something in your office and you want me to swing back by the school to pick it up for you again?” Celestia spoke annoyance in her voice.

Expecting her younger sister, she was surprised when a softer more nervous sounding voice answered instead. “H-huh?”

Celestia blinked and blushed a bit at the embarrassment caused by the mix-up. “Oh, Twilight… sorry, I thought you were my younger sister…”

“It’s alright, how are you?” Twilight answered.

“Been better, but also been worse, I suppose. How about yourself?” Celestia asked.

“Eh, you know… keeping busy I guess…” Twilight replied plainly.

Celestia smirked as she could sense the awkwardness in the air. “Weird to be calling your principal after school hours?” Celestia guessed.

“A little… Ever since we’ve met, I’ve always known you by your title, so I don’t really know what to call you outside of school…” Twilight admitted awkwardly.

Celestia giggled and shook her head as she pulled up to a stoplight. “You can just call me Celestia outside of school.”

“W-what? But it’s rude to refer to an adult by-“ Twilight was cut off.

“You’re eighteen now, you are an adult,” Celestia reminded.

There was a brief pause followed by Twilight replying very quietly. “That’s true… I suppose…”

Silence fell over the two of them as Celestia sat there waiting for Twilight to address the reason for her call. “Twilight…” Celestia decided to breach the subject for her, “I’m guessing you didn’t call to talk about how to refer to a school faculty member outside of school did you?”

“Well… no, but it is useful information regardless…” Twilight said quietly.

“What do you need, Twilight?” Celestia asked.

She could hear the girl take a deep breath then exhale. “Could you… possibly meet up with me? I know it’s highly unusual but I’d prefer to talk in person, you know?”

Celestia sighed and took another moment to regret not drinking more coffee some more. It looked like it would take some time before she could get home and get some rest. Silently she cursed herself for being so caring about the welfare of her students.

“Yeah, sure. Where are you located?”

“I was walking home from the library, but there’s a McDonalds just down the road from there, I’ll meet you there,” Twilight answered.

Celestia was familiar with the area and nodded to herself as she mentally prepared the directions. “Alright, I’m heading that way now. I’m not far away, so I’ll be there in less than two minutes.”

“Sounds good, see you then,” Twilight responded before a beep could be heard, representing Twilight ending the call.

Making a right turn at the next intersection, Celestia made her way to Twilight’s location as promised. Her home was in the opposite direction, but it was only adding a small detour to her trip home. She promised herself when she got home she’d just skip dinner and go right to bed, knowing she likely would break that promise. Part of her wished she were more like her sister who was more of a night owl, but then again Luna was also a terrible procrastinator and somehow always managed to get everything done at the very last second. Celestia couldn’t live such a life of chance.

Looking up, Celestia could see a familiar set of golden arches and pulled in. She had actually been to this McDonald’s a few times to fetch coffee for her sister, who practically lived on it. Celestia surmised that Luna often substituted sleep for more caffeine, but always wondered why she swore by McDonald’s coffee when there was a Dunkin Donuts only a few blocks from the school itself. Whenever she asked, Luna gave her a long lecture about how it’s about quality not ease of access. Celestia could hardly consider McDonald’s coffee quality though.

Parking, she stepped into the cold and raced inside to get out of the low temperature as quickly as she could.

Her eyes darted around looking for a familiar face before spotting Twilight in a large hoodie from a game that she actually recognized. She recalled Luna went on about it once, but the name escaped her. Over-something, but the hoodie was white and gold with a few accents of black with the word “Mercy” on it.

Walking over casually, Celestia sat down across from Twilight who was sipping on a soda.

“Nice to see you, Twilight.” Celestia smiled.

Twilight returned the smile and nodded. “Likewise.”

An awkward silence filled the air followed by Celestia breaking the ice. “So, have you been studying for finals?”

Twilight nodded and Celestia could see excitement overtake her. “I’ve been studying on a really nifty schedule, every night I have one class, in particular, I study for and then-“

Celestia cut her off and chuckled. “That’s good to hear, Twilight…”

Another silence filled the room requiring Celestia to think of yet another icebreaker. “I like your hoodie.”

“Oh, thanks! I didn’t take you for an Overwatch player though…” Twilight tilted her head.

“Oh I’m not, my sister is…” Celestia shrugged.

“Luna plays Overwatch? No way! What league is she in? I just got Diamond in the last season, myself!” Twilight leaned forward with excitement once more.

Celestia sat back a little and rolled her eyes. “I haven’t the slightest clue what any of that means…”

“Oh right… sorry…” Twilight laughed nervously, realizing she was rambling.

“Twilight… do you mind telling me why we’re here?” Celestia asked curiously.

With a long sigh, Twilight took a sip of her soda and then locked eyes with the principal. “I’m worried about Sunset. She doesn’t answer her phone and when I do get a text from her it’s usually some excuse for why she can’t talk right now or come hang out… We used to be really close, but ever since Shimmer’s death she basically has locked herself away…”

“She took it very hard, Twilight. Shimmer and she had a unique connection clearly, it was the closest thing she had to family here in our world…” Celestia reminded.

Twilight nodded with a frustrated expression. “Yeah I know but… at her funeral… she said something that concerned me…”

“And what would that be?” Celestia raised a curious brow.

Twilight leaned in and spoke quietly. “She said… she would find out who did this… I’m worried that all that time alone is making her obsessed… Solitude does… scary things…”

Celestia nodded in agreement. “You definitely have that right…”

“What’s going on in that house? You’ve been there, you’ve seen her, how is she doing?” Twilight asked.

Celestia let out a big sigh and leaned back. “Unfortunately I’m not entirely sure. She keeps our meetings exceptionally brief, and she seldom disclosing what she’s been up to and she always seems to be in a hurry to get me out of the house. Most of the time she appears as though she hasn’t slept in days… Sadly nothing I say seems to affect her…”

“I’m worried… “ Twilight said.

With another nod, Celestia smiled and leaned forward. “That’s normal. Sunset is just taking a long time to grieve though…”

Twilight shook her head. “No, it’s…” She paused and closed her eyes.

“What is it?” Celestia blinked.

Tears were streaming down Twilight’s face. “I heard about the Fall Formal… forever ago… What happened to her…”

Celestia tilted her head in confusion as to how this related to the current conversation.

“Darkness or dark magic… whatever you want to call it… She gave into once…” Twilight explained.

“What of it?” Celestia asked, remembering the Fall Formal event all too well.

Twilight’s face grew far more serious and somber. Her expression reeked of pain and fear. “I did too once… That little voice in your head… Once you give in, once you let it control you… the fear of it returning is always there… There are still days where I fear I’ll become Midnight Sparkle again…”

Celestia reached forward and placed a hand atop of Twilight's and shook her head. “That will never happen.”

“I’m not so sure… Sunset and I share the fact that we’ve both tasted darkness, I know the kind of feelings it creates, the lure it holds… In moments of extreme weakness like this… It becomes much harder to resist that lure. The darkness can promise things that to someone who is as vulnerable as Sunset is right now… can be too tempting to resist…” Twilight blushed as she thought about it, partially reflecting on her own fears of herself.

“I don’t really understand much about this magic stuff, but I can say that we all saw the darkness leave Sunset’s body, just like your own, right?” Celestia smiled as she reminded Twilight.

Twilight shook her head. “No… I mean yes the darkness left our bodies, but… there is always a small fraction of it left… A tiny part that never truly goes away. I spoke with the Princess regarding it when she came here once. I got the chance to talk to her while she came over to visit. After relaying that I wanted to meet and discuss magic, she sat down with me and we had a relatively lengthy chat, and what she told me… has me more worried now…”

Celestia leaned in with intrigue. “What did she say?”

Looking to Twilight’s hands, Celestia could see she was visibly shaking. “When it comes to dark magic… Once darkness touches you, once you let it inside you… it’s always there. There is no known way to completely remove it. The potential to succumb to it again will always be there. She told me that I have to be strong from now on, but… I don’t know about Sunset anymore… by the way, she’s acting… I fear she’ll give into it again… if I’m not there to protect her from herself…”

Celestia finally understood and placed another hand atop of the one holding Twilight’s. “You’re a good friend, Twilight. However, you’ll just have to wait for Sunset to come around. She’ll call on you if she really needs help and I know you’ll be there…” Celestia smiled.

Twilight nodded and used her free hand to wipe her eyes. “I hope she never gives in… I don’t want to lose her, not like that…”

“I’m sure you’re worried about nothing.” Celestia winked.

“Promise though that if you hear anything important from her, you’ll tell me okay?” Twilight leaned in with serious eyes.

Celestia was tempted to tell her she was worried for no reason, but upon seeing her eyes, she sighed and nodded. “I promise, Twilight.”

Sunset had finally managed to stop shaking as she held the hot coffee in her cold hands. In her head, she saw the horrific events play over and over. She couldn’t erase the image of all the blood from her mind. Her clothing had been ruined, and she was a mess.

The police had brought her down to the station for questioning, and after telling her it would be a while, they allowed her to take a shower there and fetched a change of clothing for her. They had gone to her apartment and retrieved her signature biker jacket, an orange t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans for her.

Now, hours later she was washed up and changed, and just waiting for the police to finally talk to her and tell her what was going on, or at the very least what they knew. It had been over eight hours since Shimmer had been shot, and Sunset was just praying for some kind of news that they were able to revive her at the hospital and that she’d be okay, or at the very least that they caught the person who shot her. She was starting to grow impatient when they finally told her to wait in an interrogation room for an officer to speak with her. Agreeing, she found herself in another half hour or so of waiting. She looked at the clock to see it was already late. She knew she would hardly sleep tonight.

Finally, she heard the door open and her eyes slowly moved to the entrance as a man in a nice suit with blue hair entered. He looked to her and gave a quick smile as he shut the door behind him and walked over to the seat across from her and laid a file he had carried in on the desk. “How’re you?” He began.

“Very confused, what’s going on?” Sunset asked with an annoyed tone.

“Sorry for the wait… We wanted to make sure we gathered all we could before speaking with you.” He smiled.

Sunset didn’t return the smile, instead, she sat there staring at him.

Clearly, he caught that she would rather cut right to the chase and nodded. “My name is Detective Armor. You can refer to me as Shining if you like. I believe my sister and you know each other?”

“Sister?” Sunset tilted her head.

“Twilight Sparkle.” He gestured.

Twilight had mentioned her elder brother was in law enforcement, but she never imagined that this was how they would meet.

“I see… My name is…” She began but he finished her sentence.

“Sunset Shimmer. I’m familiar with your name, sorry I had to do some poking around before we spoke, protocol. I hope you don’t mind.” He smiled yet again.

He seemed friendly enough, so Sunset shrugged, unsure of how to feel.

“I’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances, Sunset…” A frown came to his face.

“It’s fine… Now please tell me what’s going on? Where is Shimmer? Is she alright?” Sunset pleaded.

Shining just shook his head and sighed. “I’m sorry… She’s dead. They rushed her to the ER, but she was pronounced dead on arrival…”

Sunset’s eyes widened as she looked down at the table, her hands clenched into fists as the news sunk in. She knew the odds of her surviving a series of gunshots like that were low, but she was holding out hope for some kind of miracle, that somehow something would keep her alive. She had even spent the last few hours thinking this all was a dream, but it now was painfully obvious, this was real. Shimmer truly was dead.

“I can’t believe it…” Sunset muttered.

Shining nodded. “I’m sorry…”

Sunset looked up at him to see genuine sadness on his face.

“What happened? Who did this?” Sunset asked.

“Well, she was shot with a Remmington Model R-25 GII rifle. The weapon had been equipped with a scope and the shooter shot her from the top of an abandoned apartment complex,” Shining explained as he looked down at the file reading from notes he had taken.

“Can you trace the weapon?” Sunset asked curiously.

He shook his head. “No need, the killer left the weapon at the scene. My guess is it was too cumbersome to make their getaway. We already ran it for prints, no such luck. Looks like the killer wore gloves.”

Sunset frowned. “Did you catch him?”

Shining let out a long sigh and shook his head once more. “Sadly… no. I chased the guy down on foot, but he managed to get away… Do you know anyone that would do this? Someone who would want to cause your sister harm?”

Rolling her eyes, Sunset sat back in her seat. “Half of her family probably… Her parents got rich and a lot of them got jealous and tried to get in on their money. Most of the extended family was cut off for that reason…”

“I see…” He nodded and scribbled in some more notes.

“Well… there is her Aunt Lily, she wanted Shimmer’s money more than anyone else, Shimmer lived with her for a short period of time even and-“ Shining cut her off.

“Not likely.”

“Huh, why not?” Sunset leaned in.

He closed the folder and met her eyes. “Sunset… I chased down this killer. Their speed, their agility… this person… he wasn’t just an ordinary person. He was too quick, he knew to wear gloves, and his agility… it was unreal.”

“So what?” Sunset tilted her head.

“This person was clearly a trained killer. No person can run or jump like that without years of training. We’re looking at someone who is clearly a professional…” Shining explained.

Sunset blinked.

“Do you know anyone who would be like that?” Shining asked.

One name did come to mind, one person she now was aware of that she would put her money on if she had any. It was obviously Ghost, but that name didn’t leave her mouth. She wanted to look at Shimmer’s notes and information before getting the police involved. If there was a chance it related to magic, she knew getting law enforcement involved wasn’t a good idea.

“No one… I’m sorry…” Sunset frowned.

Shining nodded and smiled. “Do you need a place to stay tonight?”

Sunset shook her head. “I have an apartment.”

“Alright, I’ll give you a ride there, okay?” He stood up and offered his hand.

Sunset hesitated for a moment but took it and nodded.

Pulling up to her apartment location, Shining stopped his car and smiled at Sunset. The entire car ride was silent and awkward, but it looked as though he didn’t mind that much. He rested his hands on his lap and spoke.

“You know, my sister talks about you a lot,” he said.

That wasn’t much of a surprise, but it did make Sunset curious. “What kind of things does she say about me?”

He looked up in thought as he placed a hand on his chin thinking it over. “Well… she says you’re an interesting person that’s for sure.”

Sunset rolled her eyes, that did sound like something Twilight would say, she could even imagine the dorky bookworm saying it in her mind.

“She also told me that you’re not from here…” He grew quiet in his tone.

Sunset felt her heart stop for a fraction of a second as a cold sweat ran down her neck. “W-what do you mean?” She gulped, hoping the conversation wasn’t going where she thought it was going.

“That you’re some kind of alien from another world… I have to admit I didn’t believe it at first, but I’m definitely convinced now…” He replied rather plainly for such a reveal.

Sunset already felt herself panicking. Her heart was beating ten times faster, and suddenly she was having a hard time remembering to breathe.

“It’s true then?” He raised a brow as he observed her obvious expression.

“Please…” Sunset began only for him to wave a hand at her.

“Relax; I’m not going to tell anyone. It’s part of why I insisted on working on this case myself. I knew if anyone else poked their nose around enough it might cause problems for you. I intend to keep your secret under wraps, promise. No one has to know.” He placed his hand on his heart to show his sincerity.

Sunset let out a sigh of relief and nodded. “T-thank you…”

Truthfully, Sunset wasn’t sure what she would do if Shining decided he wanted to press the matter, but she imagined she would have to disappear after that. She was thankful he was understanding though.

“Twilight cares about you, that means I have to do what I can to protect you, right? Either way… this killer, since I don’t know their motives yet, I would play it safe. Are you sure you don’t want an officer staked out here looking out for you? I can stay if you want?” He asked with a genuine smile on his face.

Sunset shook her head. “I think I’m safe here…”

Shining shrugged and reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a business card, offering it to her. “If you need me, I’m just a phone call away. Also if you remember anything important even if you don’t think it will help, give me a call.”

Taking the card, Sunset looked it over and then nodded before stuffing it into her pocket.

She opened the car door to step out only to hear Shining’s voice once more. “One last thing…”

She turned as she stepped out of the car to look back in at him.

“I’m going to find who did this, Sunset. I promise you that. They won’t get away with this.”

Sunset smiled and nodded. “Thank you…”

He nodded back and gave a thumbs up before she closed the door and he started his engine. Rolling away, Sunset watched the car leave and sighed. She liked him, and she wanted to trust him, but she knew that it was unlikely that she would be able to confide in a police officer. Even though she genuinely liked Shining, and it seemed like he wanted to help, If Shimmer was correct and this truly was bigger than both of them, there was no way that the police would be able to stop it. She knew the real outcome. This wouldn’t be over until she personally figured out who Ghost was or what he wanted.

Most importantly, she wanted to make him talk herself. She wanted to know why Shimmer was killed, and she wasn’t going to let anyone stand in her way. Clenching her fists tightly, Sunset thought out loud.

“It’s just you and I, Ghost… And I am not going to give up until I find you…”

Twilight had sat down with her princess counterpart in a coffee shop only a small walking distance from the portal in front of the school. The young teen looked across the table at the Princess who smiled back at her and rocked lightly in her seat. Twilight looking her over was always amazed at how not regal the Princess was. Then again she had never seen Equestria and theorized that perhaps its political structure was vastly different.

“So…” The Princess began.

“So,” Twilight replied as she too leaned back.

“Any particular reason you called me here? Something you wanted to talk about specifically?” The Princess asked.

Twilight let out a long sigh and adjusted her glasses and leaned in to speak in a hushed tone, worried that others may hear them. “Magic.”

“How did I know?” The princess rolled her eyes as she too leaned in.

“Not just magic though… specifically… dark magic…” Twilight stated.

The Princess nodded in understanding. “Ah yes, dark magic. Darkness is a powerful force, but it is one that easily can destroy someone.”

“C-can it?” Twilight stuttered and gulped.

The Princess nodded. “Darkness is like a shark in a way, you have to keep feeding it or it gets hungry. Those who give into dark magic are forced to keep feeding it or it devours them. It’s both a powerful force and a weak force at the same time. Those who harness the power of darkness seldom hold it for long.”

“W-what happens when one gives into dark magic?” Twilight asked.

The Princess shrugged. “From my research, which is limited as the subject isn’t very widely discussed in Equestria… Most eventually die, or become slaves to their own power.”

“B-but only certain people can fall to that… right?” Twilight gulped yet again.

The Princess shook her head and sighed. “The truth is, Twilight… anyone with magic can fall to it. Anyone’s power can be manipulated against them. The right motivation and anyone could fall to darkness. It works by exploiting your greatest weaknesses. Take Applejack for example… with her strength, her destructive power… well if she even let her anger control her enough, she too could fall to such temptations… if that happened… I doubt we’d be able to bring her back.”

“The darkness that left me though… is that gone for good?” Twilight was practically holding back tears.

The Princess sighed again and reached forward, taking Twilight’s hand. She gently pet the top of Twilight’s hand and leaned forward with her face growing very serious. “Twilight, listen to me… this isn’t easy to say…”

Twilight already didn’t like where this was going, but she took a breath and listened to the Princess.

“Darkness… when it enters someone… it never truly leaves. That’s why that fear of Midnight Sparkle stuck with you because sadly a part of her will always be with you. When darkness takes a hold of you, it always leaves a bit of itself, in the years of studying dark energy there has never been anyone who successfully removed all of it…” The Princess stated with a plain expression.

“So that means Sunset… too?” Twilight choked on those words.

The Princess nodded slowly. “Yes, I’m afraid. While she pushed most of it out of her, a tiny fragment always exists. It’s like a virus almost. What turned her into the demon that she was… it will always be there…”

Twilight wanted to just curl up and cry, but the Princess leaned in and placed a hand on Twilight’s cheek forcing her to meet her eyes. “Listen to me, Twilight.”

Taking another breath, Twilight nodded and allowed the Princess to finish.

“Darkness can only hurt you if you give into it. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean you have to give in. So long as your heart remains strong enough, you will never have anything to fear. As long as you have a reason to be strong, you know? You have your friends, and Sunset has you. So long as you both stay strong you’ll never have to fear darkness.” The Princess smiled.

Twilight nodded and found a smile forming on her own face. “T-thank you, Princess… that makes me feel… a little better at least…”

“Hey… Midnight Sparkle is never taking you over again, I’m certain of that. You’re stronger than you realize, Twilight.” The Princess winked.

Twilight could only nod in response. She knew so long as she had Sunset and the rest of her friends, she would be okay.

In the basement of the Shimmer estate is where Sunset spent a lot of time these days. Prior to Shimmer’s passing, she didn’t even know what was down there, but in the first few days of being the new owner of the estate, Sunset had gone exploring. Downstairs she had found a plethora of rooms, many of which appeared abandoned such as the staff living quarters. It was clear that Shimmer had opted for cleaning staff to come in on their own time rather than live at the estate. She theorized that this was likely due to her paranoia with magic.

However, she had also located a shooting range that Shimmer’s father used to utilize to practice for hunting and even an armory with several weapons he used for the sport.

Most importantly, however, she had found a gym where Sunset spent much of her time. The entire West wing was filled with mysteries waiting to be discovered.

Sunset when she first discovered the gym downstairs realized it was the only room down there that Shimmer used clearly as it was one of the only rooms not covered with dust. She was more shocked that the television in the room was still running when she found it.

Ever since she would come down for hours on end during the day and exercise. Many days she would get up and head down and by the time she was done, it would be dark outside, only stopping to take a small eating break. To save time, she stocked the mini fridge in the room with some sustenance along with plenty of water.

Sunset pulled herself up on a pull-up bar, counting her reps out loud. “thirty-nine, forty, forty-one…”

The sound of a vibration caught her attention as her eyes darted over to her phone sitting on a table. She hopped off of the bar and walked over to it. She had switched to an iPhone after finding one of Shimmer’s old ones laying around. After fooling around with it for a bit, she became familiar enough to go get one for herself.

Looking at the number she decided to let it keep ringing. Finally, it went to voicemail. Sunset stood there silently waiting for the message to finish recording, then she reached down and played it back.

“Sunset? It’s Twilight. I just wanted to see how you were doing… I’m worried about you… Please call me back when you can… It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you…”

Sunset set the phone back down and sighed before returning to her exercise routine. Her mind was elsewhere, and she couldn’t make herself break focus even to go spend a moment with Twilight. Not to mention, she knew that where she was heading, she couldn’t get anyone else involved. She had to do this alone, even if it killed her.

Another week passed, another update on Sunset's ongoing adventure. Act III is pretty serious stuff, but I promise the mood does lighten up a bit in Act IV. The story will go through serious points, sad points, happy point and much more, so keep in mind with something this long it's kind of intended as sort of a roller coaster or rather imagine a road trip across the world. You will see some places of beautiful splendor, and some of terrible tragedy. Shadows Cast Over the Sunset is intended as a journey for the reader too, you're coming along with Sunset on her journey and what it holds.

Behind the scenes: Ah yes! I finally get to talk about this! The intricacy of dark magic referred too commonly as "the darkness". The name was actually coined from Legend of Everfree where Rainbow Dash specifically refers to the energy that turns Twilight into Midnight Sparkle as "The darkness". I also felt simplicity is often the best way to go.

So darkness as explained is similar to a parasite. Once one gives into it, they more or less are always "infected" in a way. This explains why Twilight was almost able to turn into Midnight Sparkle again in movie four, but was able to narrowly avoid that outcome.

Naturally though anyone who does not have or has been touched by magic is safe from darkness taking them, though they are not safe from being controlled by it.

Darkness isn't inherently people using their magic for evil or bad deads like for example... Starlight in season five. Darkness usually comes to those who seek power beyond their own abilities and thus open their hearts to the idea of gaining said power by any means. Starlight, for example, acquired her abilities through hard work and practice. Sunset, however, sought to steal a crown to make herself more powerful, etc.

The nature of dark magic and its effects will definitely be explained more in detail as the story goes on though. Thanks for reading this obnoxiously long author's note!