Twilight stood staring up at the large monument before her, a sizeable yet simplistic statue of a horse rearing up on its hind legs—the Wondercolts statue, they'd called it. She took it in without really seeing it. No, her mind was elsewhere as her amethyst eyes traced the contours of the majestic marble-made equine specimen.

It was a truly beautiful creature, or so most would say. Twilight, however, couldn't help but frown at how hideous the animal was. When everything had settled and she and her new friends had gotten a moment of reprieve, Twilight had asked about the creature. Finding out this was what equines passed for in this world, Twilight did some further research, and if she was being honest, she hadn't liked what she found. Not in the slightest.

Still, she'd tactfully kept her opinions to herself so as not to cause any problems for those around her. This was a different world with different rules, after all. Who was she to make a ruckus about equine rights? Nopony, that's who. She was an outsider, a stranger in a strange world. What's more, it would've been pointless regardless. Horses in this world—all horses, ponies included, weren't sapient creatures. They were barely even sentient.

Disappointing as all this was, Twilight chose to set it all aside in favor of the other, more pressing thoughts on her mind. Namely, the bitter frustration of not having been able to find him anywhere. So much time wasted, so many opportunities to learn more about this place passed over for an ultimately pointless endeavor. She'd even roped the others into her search despite having only a vague notion of what or who she was even looking for.

It had all been fruitless in the end, and it wasn't like Twilight didn't know why. She'd gone about the search all wrong. She hadn't known anything about the world—and still didn't, really. Twilight didn't understand the resources she was trying to use, despite the assistance from her friends. She should've spent more time learning about how the world worked instead of diving straight into her search. She would have under normal circumstances.

But she was too blind. Too impatient. Too eager for answers to questions she wasn't even sure she should be asking. Twilight clenched her fists at her sides, the aggravation getting the best of her for a moment. She told herself it was aggravation, anyway. Just a bit of irritation at not having found what she'd been looking for and not the soul-crushing existential terror that still had her waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night every time she thought about—

Twilight took a slow, shuddering breath.

Slowly and deliberately, she unclenched her fists and brought her arms up to stare at her shaking hands.

Her... hands.

When she'd chased down the unicorn mare who'd nabbed her crown through that mirror portal, Twilight hadn't known what to expect. It certainly hadn't been the horrifically drastic change to her race, among many, many other factors. Setting aside having to adjust to her new form and the sheer modernity of everything around her, the most shocking revelation Twilight had to deal with was the initial lack of magic. That had changed somewhat in the time she'd spent here, but in the beginning, there was nothing of the sort.

The loss of her own magic, combined with the sight of what had happened to her body, had very nearly sent Twilight into a panic attack. And the anxiety of being lost in a new world without her magical prowess to rely on had left Twilight a mess for some time, but finding her friends, or their human equivalents, had done wonders to ease her mind, especially when all Tartarus broke loose and magic was finally unleashed on the school Twilight had spent almost all her time in.

And on the subject of school, the surrounding students within that school brought to light another detail Twilight found both fascinating and somewhat unsettling. Despite the world being so alien, everything was so... familiar. Names were the same if used in a different context on occasion. There were those Twilight recognized clearly, despite the fact that they weren't ponies. Even the overall atmosphere was similar to Equestria's, even if the world itself wasn't. In fact, Twilight could've argued that the only true difference was the human factor.

And once Twilight found the majority of her footing in this place, it didn't take long for her mind to wander back to him. He was like the rest of them—like what she'd become—wasn't he? A human. He looked the same, dressed the same, walked the same. It would only stand to reason that this was where he came from, right? But no, Twilight realized only too late. Her thinking was flawed from the beginning.

Even if she couldn't find him physically, Twilight had at least held out the hope that she'd be able to find out something about him, but that, too, proved a fruitless endeavor. It was only after the friends she'd made in this world had convinced her to give up her search that the alicorn-turned-human began to really think about what she'd been doing, or rather, attempting to do.

It wasn't until then that she stopped to think back to what she actually knew based on her dreams—dreams, Twilight silently conceded with a bitter grimace, that she hadn't had in well over a month now. It wasn't that her memory of the human was hazy. His dark skin and strange and wild-looking black mane—hair—still stood out starkly in Twilight's mind. It was everything else about her dreams that had turned fuzzy and indistinct over the last few weeks.

What Twilight did remember as she stood there before Canterlot High's strange and ugly horse statue, was that, in every dream she had, the dark-skinned human had been in a drastically different location every time she saw him. He could've been in another section of this world somewhere, sure, but Twilight was beginning to believe that wasn't the case. Why should it be? After all, if one world existed beyond her own, why couldn't there be more?

I'm such an idiot...

Twilight cursed herself, not for the first time since arriving in that strange place full of strange creatures. As she forced herself to stop and think, Twilight understood that she'd become obsessed, and looking deeper within, she understood that it wasn't the human she was truly obsessed with. Not really. No, it was the truth she'd been running herself ragged to find. Even before she'd passed through that mirror, Twilight hadn't stopped in her quest for answers.

Answers to her dreams about the human, answers about what those dreams meant, and why she of all ponies had been plagued with them. Answers as to whether or not they were even dreams to begin with. Answers to why they felt so real. Answers to what that place had been and why she'd been sent there. Answers nopony seemed to have aside from Discord. Twilight was sure the draconequus knew something, but as much as she'd asked—as persistent as she'd been—she hadn't been able to get so much as a snippet out of him.

And so, Twilight was forced to try and put the pieces together on her own.

While she hadn't been able to maintain each and every detail of her dreams about the human in her mind, she remembered that place and everything that happened there with horrifying clarity. How could she not? The experience had been so terrifying in the end that Twilight had all but retreated into herself to hide from the fear. The horror of that unfathomable, unseen presence that had chased her out of wherever she'd found herself.

Twilight had been in a state of catatonia for three days before her friends and loved ones had managed to pull her back to reality. Even then, the primal fear was there, lurking in the back of her mind and making itself known whenever she found herself with a quiet moment to spare. Just like now. Even now it took everything she had just to keep the shaking to her hands alone.

She couldn't go on like this.

Twilight knew she couldn't go on like this, and that was why she hadn't stopped. That was why she continued to push herself, to push her friends, to push Discord. She needed answers. Needed them. If she could just gain some kind of insight, some kind of understanding of whatever was going on behind the scenes... but what more could she do? She had run into an insurmountable wall. The only clue she had to go on, and assuming this was all connected, somehow, was a name—a name provided to Twilight by none other than Twilight herself.

Salvatore...

"Bit for your thoughts?"

Twilight's whole body jerked violently as a hand rested itself on her shoulder. Letting out a sharp yelp, she whipped around to see a wide-eyed Sunset Shimmer raising both hands as she backed up a step in surprise.

"Sunset!" Twilight breathed, putting a hand over her racing heart, "Sweet Celestia you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sheesh, tense much?" the amber-skinned girl muttered, shouldering the stylish black satchel that had slipped down one of her arms. She gave Twilight an apologetic smile as she continued, "Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to scare you like that, honest. I wanted to catch you before you headed back to Equestria, but then I saw you just kind of zoning out in front of the statue. Called your name a few times, but I didn't get a response, so..."

She trailed off with a shrug and her smile fell into a more serious frown, "But seriously, Twilight, you okay? You were pretty out of it there," she paused, then her frown deepened, "Actually, you've been acting all kinds of weird ever since... well... since we got my, ah, issues sorted out."

Sunset gave Twilight a strained smile that spoke volumes of how much was being left unsaid. Her tone was casual, but both girls knew it'd be a long while before anyone forgave Sunset for what she'd tried to do. Nevertheless, Twilight did her best to return Sunset's brittle smile with an earnest smile of her own. She took in Sunset Shimmer, with her clear, bright blue eyes and hair that fell down her back in a fashionable mess of alternating red and yellow streaks.

The change in Sunset's demeanor really had been as drastic as it was abrupt. Gone was the malice. Gone was the spite, the sneers, the cruel words, the vindictiveness, the anger. There'd been so much anger in the pony-turned-teenager. Twilight had seen it from the moment she laid eyes on Sunset. Celestia hadn't given her the full story of the relationship between her and her former protege and Twilight hadn't asked Sunset herself, but there'd clearly been some bad blood between the two.

There still was, if Sunset's refusal to return to Equestria was anything to go by. When Twilight had asked, Sunset had only said that she had no place there anymore after what she'd done. Twilight would've argued the point, and had good reason to given her track record of reformed villains, but she decided not to. Sunset was trying to find her place in this world, and who was Twilight to try and stop her?

Even if the other students of Canterlot High despised Sunset Shimmer now, that would change with time and effort on her part, and until then, she already had a group of friends to help her through the rough patches. Twilight had no qualms about leaving Sunset to the others and, frankly, she couldn't wait to return to Spike and the rest of her friends back in Equestria. It was an interesting experience to be sure, but the unsettling dichotomy of everything and everyone being so familiar yet so different left her with an unease she couldn't quite shake even now.

Never mind the fact that I feel like a stranger in my own skin...

"I'm okay, Sunset," Twilight finally replied with a grin she hoped looked reassuring, "Just... needed some time to myself is all—to think, y'know? Reflect on... everything that happened with you and the crown and all that Equestrian magic..."

"And the fact that you never found anything out about that guy you were looking for?" Sunset added with a concerned frown, "What'd you call him? Salvatore?"

Twilight's grin faltered, then fell, and she gave an awkward chuckle as she replied, "Yeah... there was that too, I guess," she hesitated a moment, then sighed, "Listen, I'm sorry about... pushing that on you, Sunset—all of you. This was my problem and I wound up sending all of us on a wild goose chase with nothing to show for our efforts."

It was only with hindsight that Twilight realized her search was likely doomed to fail from the beginning. She wasn't even sure the human's name was "Salvatore". She'd just been working off of a hunch—a gut feeling that the name and the human were connected despite having no real evidence to back up her suspicions. It hadn't been fair of her to drag the others into her hasty, ill-conceived manhunt.

"It's cool," Sunset replied, waving Twilight's apology away but maintaining her worried frown nonetheless, "I didn't mind, and I'm sure the other girls were happy to help either way, but, Twilight... what's your deal with this guy?" her brows furrowed then, "I mean, you didn't even know this world existed until you stepped through that mirror and I can't imagine you knew what humans were before all of this, and yet you seemed all but convinced this 'Salvatore' was here somewhere. Seriously, what's that all about?"

Twilight fidgeted nervously at Sunset's questions—just a little, but it was noticeable. Even more noticeable was the hesitation to answer. She imagined the silence wasn't doing her any favors, but, honestly, Twilight had no idea how to answer Sunset. Not when she knew so little herself. She hadn't even told the other girls why she'd wanted—needed to find that human. She could've at least made up some excuse, but she'd opted for keeping them in the dark, and now it was biting her in the flank.

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, likely the excuse she'd failed to give earlier, but then sighed and gave a slow shake of her head as she finally replied, "Again, I'm sorry, Sunset, but it's... complicated. I'd like to explain—really, I would—but I... I think I've stumbled into something I'm not prepared to face. Not yet. I don't really have any answers for you or the others, and even if I did, I don't want to drag any of you into whatever it is I'm dealing with."

"Little too late for that, don't you think?" Sunset replied with a small smirk.

Twilight groaned, "I don't want to drag you all any further into this mess. This is my problem to deal with and I'll deal with it back in Equestria," she took in a deep breath and turned to look back at the statue over her shoulder, "And speaking of which, I should probably get going."

Twilight made to turn fully around but Sunset caught her by the shoulder once more to stop her. "Wait, hold up," she said as Twilight looked back at her with a bemused frown. Pulling her hand back, Sunset slipped the satchel she'd been carrying from her shoulder and set it down on the ground, "Before you go, I got something to give you. Call it a present if you want."

"A present?" Twilight asked, her bemused frown turning curious, "What kind of present?"

In response, Sunset untied the drawstrings and pulled open the satchel. Holding open the bag with one hand, she reached in with the other and pulled out a long cylindrical container about half again the size of a forearm. The container was made of a sturdy, translucent plastic material and was capped in silvery metal on both ends. As Sunset raised the container up for her to see, Twilight couldn't help the sudden lurch in her stomach or the shock that left her literally breathless.

"Sunset," Twilight breathed shakily, "Wh-What is that?"

"You like it?" Sunset replied, looking pleased with herself, "Found it in one of the labs back in school a while back. Seemed kind of out of place but I never found a use for it, so—"

"Sunset," Twilight interjected, her words coming out in more of a panicked hiss as she hurriedly stepped closer to examine the elongated luminescent violet crystal resting against the inner wall of the container, "What. Is. That?"

Crystals were a bountiful resource in Equestria, and Twilight had seen plenty of them in her lifetime. Twilight also knew certain crystals had magical properties and others could even be used to absorb and contain spells for later use. Yes, Twilight had seen her fair share of crystals both mundane and arcane, but she'd never seen a crystal like this—rather, she'd never felt a crystal like this, magically speaking.

No, this isn't magic... this is... what is this?!

Ominous, foreboding, dangerous, enticing, alluring. It was all of these things and more, but most horrifying of all, the violet crystal contained within that plastic cylindrical canister felt familiar. Starting at it, Twilight could feel her whole body tremble. She felt her spine grow cold, her heart slam against her chest. She felt like she was back in that place and she desperately fought to drag her mind back and away from that cold, empty, white nothingness.

"I'm... not sure what this is. I just saw that it was overtly magical and decided it was best if you take it back with you to Equestria," Sunset explained, taking a half-nervous, half-wary step back. She looked from her seemingly shell-shocked friend, to the container, then back to her friend, "Um... Twilight? You okay?"

When Twilight didn't answer, Sunset moved to crouch down and lower the cylinder back into her satchel, "Maybe this wasn't a good idea. If you want, I can just—"

"No!" Twilight snapped as she reached down and all but snatched the canister out of Sunset's hands. Twilight winced at her own outburst, a pang of regret and embarrassment welling up in her chest, but she didn't move to give the crystal back, "I-I'm sorry, Sunset. I just... I don't know what came over me, but I..."

She looked from Sunset to the container with a helpless mix of fear, confusion, and frustration as she tried to put her thoughts back in order. The crystal inside terrified in ways and for reasons she couldn't put words to, but at the same time... when Sunset had been about to put it away, something had come over her. An impulse. A need to take the crystal. A need so great that she'd been powerless to help herself in that moment.

"Hey, it's okay," Sunset replied, raising both hands in placation and reassurance as she slowly rose back up to her feet, "It's alright, Twilight, I get it. Well, I don't get it, but—look, don't sweat it, alright? Like I said, it was a present, so feel free to take it with you."

Twilight still looked pained as her eyes settled back on the crystal she was practically hugging to her chest. It took her another moment to answer, but eventually, she cast one final uncertain glance in Sunset's direction as she nearly whispered, "Are you sure? You don't mind if I take this with me? What if—"

"Just take the thing, Twilight," Sunset cut in with an exasperated roll of her eyes, "I don't have any use for it and I get the feeling something like that will only cause more problems in the future anyway."

Twilight went quiet yet again, but the silence didn't last long before she nodded, then smiled gratefully, if a bit nervously. "Alright then, thanks, Sunset. I, ah... I think I'm gonna go now. Back to Equestria. Could you... tell the girls I said goodbye and thanks for all the help?"

"Sure thing, Twilight," Sunset replied with a more genuine smile. She could tell Twilight was still completely off balance, but didn't bring any more attention to it as she nodded towards the statue behind both of them, "Now go on. I'm sure Celestia and your other friends are waiting for you."

Twilight nodded in response, her smile growing a little warmer, and, without another word, turned and headed to the statue. Reaching the statue's base, she stepped into, and through it as a glowing circle of pale blue lit up the stone and enveloped the alicorn-turned-human. Within seconds, Twilight Sparkle was gone, leaving Canterlot High School and the world around it behind. Sunset watched her go and continued to stand there even after the bright blue portal faded from view and left the stone smooth and unmarred.

The whole event had gotten a few stares from some of the surrounding students making their way across the school's front lawn. Sunset herself got more than a few glares as they passed by, but most went about their own business, likely wanting nothing to do with anything magical after what she'd put them through. That was fine with Sunset Shimmer. Did she feel bad about trying to brainwash the entire student body? A little, but she'd never really meant for that to last.

She wasn't looking for forgiveness or redemption. She didn't need either. If the students wanted to hate her that was fine. She'd only been playing a role anyway. It wasn't like she'd ever truly wanted to be a bully, and, frankly, Sunset knew she was bad at it. Really bad. But she'd play her part nonetheless, hating every minute of it, but pulling it off regardless. She had to...

...because the reward had been way too good to pass up.

"So... how'd it go?"

Sunset flinched at the causal tone but didn't bother to face the newcomer suddenly standing right behind her as she continued to watch the Wondercolts statue. Instead, she crossed her arms and decided to put on her own casual air.

"Went off without a hitch," Sunset replied easily, then paused before continuing in a more thoughtful tone, "Not sure what I was supposed to expect, but that freakout was..." she shook her head, "What in Celestia's name was in that thing?"

"Oh?" came the casual voice from behind, the tone tinged with a hint of playfulness, "Couldn't make heads or tails of it, eh? Or perhaps... you couldn't even see it?"

Sunset snorted and finally whipped around to face her visitor, her expression entirely unamused as she replied, "You know I couldn't see it. Do you realize how weird it was seeing Twilight spaz out over an empty container?"

The man before her cracked an amused smile at that.

"Ah, but the container wasn't empty," the man insisted, placing his hands in the pockets of his hoodie as he tilted his head at the fiery-haired girl, "Even if you couldn't see it, I'm sure you could feel it, yes?"

"No, I didn't feel a thing," Sunset ground out, her irritation starting to seep out, "Maybe if you'd provided some of those benefits you promised, then perhaps I would've, but as it stands... Nothing."

"Ah, well, a pity but not unexpected I suppose," the man sighed with a shrug, "It just means you have no innate talent for this sort of thing, but that's okay. Not many do."

"How unfortunate for me," Sunset groused.

She had to remind herself not to sock the guy in the face. She wanted to say he had a punchable face, but that would be a lie. He didn't have a punchable face. He didn't have a handsome face. His features weren't ugly either. In fact, it wasn't only his face, but everything about the man—from his simple blue jeans and plain grey hoodie to his short cut brown hair and dark blue eyes to even the tenor of his voice—was completely and utterly unremarkable.

Sunset had passed hundreds of people like him on the street every day and she knew that, had he walked by, she wouldn't have paid him a single glance. He didn't give off a weird vibe or have an intimidating presence or anything of the sort. He was just... there. A simple man like any other... except he was anything but. Sunset knew this now—had been made to realize it with every fiber of her being.

He'd come to her with an offer, arriving like a ghost in the night, right in the middle of her small apartment living room. She'd taken him for a creep, a burglar, a pervert, but the man had quickly disavowed Sunset of those notions when she tried to attack him in self-defense. Just remembering what had happened next still sent chills down her spine and had her head aching with a phantom migraine. But it had all worked out in the end.

He'd offered something Sunset wanted, something she'd desperately pined for ever since she fled from Equestria into the mirror all those years ago. Fled from her mentor. He made the offer and had proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could and would deliver. All she'd had to do was play her part. Well, Sunset Shimmer had played her part, and now it was time to collect.

"So?" Sunset pressed, unfolding her arms to put both hands on her hips as she eyed the man expectantly, "I did it. I held up my end of the bargain. I played the villain and gave Twilight your stupid empty tube."

"That you did," the man nodded in agreement, his dark blue eyes twinkling with approval as he eyed Sunset in turn, "And a fine job it was. Such good work deserves a reward. A deal is a deal after all."

And with those words, the man removed one hand from the pocket of his hoodie and held it out as if looking for a handshake. Sunset stared at the proffered hand suspiciously. There didn't seem to be anything sinister in the gesture from what she could tell, but she knew that was all part of his too-ordinary presence. She knew what lay behind his unremarkable facade, or had gotten a glimpse at the very least. She knew there'd be more to this than a simple handshake... but what else could she do?

Then a thought struck Sunset and she raised her head to look at the man before asking, "Hey... do you know anyone by the name of Salvatore?"

The man frowned, his brows furrowing thoughtfully.

"Salvatore?" he hummed thoughtfully for a moment before slowly shaking his head, "Can't say I do. A friend of yours?"

Sunset watched the man's face carefully, looking for any hint that he was lying. Like always, she found nothing he hadn't wanted her to see. The only emotion she could see then was simple, mild curiosity. After a brief silence, Sunset shrugged.

"Nah, I don't know him," she finally replied, "Twilight was looking for someone with that name, but, honestly? I'm not even sure the guy actually exists or if that's even his name if he does. Twilight didn't seem too confident on that point when she told us and with the way she was acting after the whole magical demon transformation fiasco, I'm starting to wonder if she was right in the head."

"Well now," the man began with mock reproach, "that's not a very nice thing to say about your companion, now is it? Perhaps she was just tired from having to deal with your little tantrum?"

"And exactly who was it that had me throw such a tantrum?" Sunset hissed through gritted teeth.

The man didn't so much as flinch at her scathing glare.

"Fair enough, fair enough," he chuckled before holding out his hand once more, "Now, I believe it's time we sealed this deal. Come now, I'm a very busy man, you know."

Sunset held the man's placid gaze for another moment, allowing her glare to linger for just a bit longer before she lowered her eyes to the outstretched hand in front of her. She faltered then. It was only for an instant, but in that moment, doubt clouded her mind and she wavered. Thoughts came unbidden of the six girls who'd done their best to help her even as she tried to tear them all down.

A fledgling emotion tried to push its way into her chest, but before it could take root, Sunset viciously stomped it out. She didn't need friends. She didn't need companions. She didn't need forgiveness or redemption or closure or compassion. All she needed was power. All she needed was the strength to reach her full potential, and she couldn't do that with friendship weighing her down. No, she needed this. She needed the power this man could provide.

And she would take it, no matter the cost.

In for a bit, in for a bridle...

With a deep, calming breath, Sunset steeled herself and slapped her hand into his, clamping down as tightly as she could manage. For a second, nothing seemed to happen, but just as she was about to frown and voice her displeasure at having been duped, a shock of something ran up her arm and her entire body seized up. Pain unlike anything Sunset had ever experienced washed through her body in agonizing waves—pain so powerful and all-consuming that she couldn't even scream.

The pain seemed to last for an eternity, and all the while the man stood there with nary a care in the world, his hand clasped in Sunset's as she twitched and jerked in agony under his grip. Face alight with a pleasant, if somewhat vapid, smile, the man watched the girl's mouth fall open in a silent scream, watched her wide blue eyes blaze with an unfathomable light, and his smile widened just a touch.

"Well, Sunset Shimmer," the man said without a hint of malice or malevolence, "You did say you 'wanted in on this', and I'm all too happy to oblige. I just hope you won't come to regret your decision down the road."

And with that, the two vanished in a flash of distorted light, the surrounding students none the wiser as they continued to pass by with eyes and minds focused only on their destination.

Thought it was about time we found out what Twilight was up to.