Usually it was Mondays that Luna cursed the existence of, but this week, it was Thursday. A Thursday morning that she had pried herself out of bed for at an even earlier hour than normal, for once indulging in the breakfast her early-bird of a sister prepared. In her defense, it helped with the hangover—this year had certainly gone a long way to remind her that she wasn't twenty-three anymore, and that her body didn’t appreciate the sudden abuse. Maybe she should look into buying one of those stress balls or something before she became an alcoholic.

As it was, she dumped her things in her office, including some packages she knew full well were technically a violation of school policy—those she locked away in her cabinet in the corner, and hoped they would never be needed. Then she grabbed the sixty-four ounce jumbo coffee that was as black as her mood and as bitter as Abacus Cinch’s soul—if the old bitch had one—and made her way to Celestia’s office. Her sister looked up from the small handheld mirror, clearly having touched up the makeup she wore to conceal the fact that she too was more than a little sleep deprived and hungover. Luna was thankful her own darker complexion hid her state far better than her sunny sister.

“Sunset Shimmer will be along shortly,” she told her sibling. “Cadence just texted me to say the girl left the house a few minutes ago, but she is walking, as her bike is still in the student lot.”

Celestia rubbed her temples. “Please tell me you brought the migraine medicine with you today. I have a feeling I’m going to need it before we even get to the morning announcements.”

Luna smirked and shook a pill bottle at her sister. “I already took some. Preventative maintenance on a day like today. You might consider the same, Tia.”

“To be frank, Lulu, when I went home yesterday afternoon, I didn't expect to learn that the rival school we’re allowing to visit in a month for an academic and sporting competition is located on some kind of real world Hellmouth.” Her older sister grimaced.

She swallowed a mouthful of coffee before answering. “What did you expect me to do, Celestia? This is not the kind of secret I needed to be keeping from you….though the thought crossed my mind. You have been dealing with a lot because of the magic nonsense and how it has affected our school.”

It wasn't a lie. She had considered it during the entire drive home the night before, had been on the fence until she stepped up to the front door that had been their home for their whole lives, and remembered that while she had Cadence and Shining and other friends to watch her back, to confide in, and look out for her…

Celestia didn't.

Her sister had been standing on her own since their parents had been killed in the accident all those years ago. Even swathed in bandages and in a hospital bed, her indomitable older sister had taken charge of everything, including the sobbing teenager whose last words to their parents had been petty teen anger. She had worked so hard to be strong and independent that now, years later, she had nothing else besides her career, the students, and Luna.

And after all that had gone on, Celestia deserved to know. Maybe it would even help her focus, give her something she could fight, instead of the shadows that stalked her sleep, and the worried indecision that seemed to be eating her alive.

That, more than anything, had been what compelled Luna’s response when she got home…

The door closed heavily behind her, and the scent of homemade spaghetti sauce tickled her nose as Luna hung her purse up and shed her shoes. “Tia? I’m home…”

Her sister managed a warm smile as she plated their food in the kitchen. “Perfect timing,” she said. “I’m glad we had the forethought to put sauce in the crockpot. Come sit down, Lulu. You look dead on your feet. Is Sunset Shimmer alright? And her friend?”

Luna looked at the spread on their kitchen table and gave Tia a strained smile in turn as she hiked to the liquor cabinet. She surveyed her options intently for a minute, before selecting the bottle of Father’s favorite top-shelf brand. “It is too early to know. Tell me, sister…do you remember what Grandmother used to say about Crystal Prep?”

Worry flooded Celestia’s voice. “She used to tell anyone who listened that it was cursed. That the Devil himself walked its halls and touched those who entered. That her great-grandfather had challenged the Devil there and barely escaped with his life…Oh no…Luna, what happened?”

She poured two glasses of the scotch, before taking both and the bottle to the table. “It turns out, Grandmother’s story may not have been entirely fantasy. Sunset Shimmer was nearly driven to collapse crossing the threshold of the property, and she confirmed that it was so saturated with ‘dark magic’ that it was all she could perceive.”

The color went out of Celestia’s already pale features, and she took the second glass from Luna readily. “Is she alright?” she asked again. “Are you?”

Nodding, Luna took a bracing swallow of the alcohol, feeling the smooth burn of it going down. Father had always had good taste in liquor. “I’m fine. Sunset…I do not know. I cannot prove it, but I believe she expended a great deal of her own magic to protect us.” She shuddered. “Tia, I saw shadows moving like they were alive…shadows that had no body to cast them.”

Glancing up, she watched her sister shiver and cross herself reflexively. “And Sunset Shimmer has a friend going there daily? The one that’s related to your friends?”

“Not for much longer, if the family has anything to say on it…”

“Thank you all the same for being honest with me, little sister…no matter how troubling the news might have been, I am glad to be aware.” Celestia flicked her gaze over Luna’s shoulder and straightened. “Sunset Shimmer,” she called. “We are in here. Please join us and have a seat.”

The teenager from another world winced, but slipped into the office and shut the door behind her. “Principal Celestia,” she said awkwardly. “…I didn't know I’d be talking to both of you this morning.” Then she seemed to consider it, and added, “But I should have. This isn't exactly a small deal. What did you tell her so far, Miss Luna?”

Luna sat back on the small couch in her sister’s office. “The basics, Miss Shimmer. That we discovered, when I took you over to assist with an emergency involving a CPA student you are involved with at the family’s behest, that Crystal Prep Academy is a place of magic so dark and foul that it frightened even you.”

Celestia spoke up then. “Before anything else, Sunset…are you alright? Luna said that the environment had a strong effect on you.”

Sunset blinked, looking briefly surprised by the question. “I’m okay.”

That earned the redhead led girl a long, searching look. “Are you certain? It's okay to tell us if you are not—there is no need to put on a false front.” Celestia exhaled. “Your well-being is important to us as much as it is to your friends…regardless of anything that has happened…you are still one of my Wondercolts first and foremost.”

Blue-green eyes went wide and the girl went far too still for a good ten seconds or so, making Luna believe that in that moment, her sister may have reminded the girl of a different Celestia…and exactly why the sisters had decided to let Luna field most of the day to day interactions with their otherworldly student. “I…I’m fine,” she finally answered. “Really, Principal Celestia, I am. It was bad at the time, because I accidentally tripped some kind of ward scheme and I had to use my magic to break it. That…took a lot out of me…and it was dangerous, but none of it was permanent. A good night’s sleep and a couple of good meals did a lot to restore my magic.”

“So it was more than just a place with ambient dark magic then?” Luna queried, making note of the reference to wards.

Here, Sunset frowned. “I…don't know. The wards felt…not new. It's hard to explain. They were…faded. Sunken into the earth in a way that says they had been leaving an imprint there a while, maybe a few hundred years? They didn't feel as old as the wards in the palace in Equestria, but that's…not really a fair metric when those wards are several thousand years old. What I can tell you is that they were there, which means someone put them there at one point, and the magic wasn't any type of Equestrian magic I know.” She ran a hand through her hair in a nervous gesture. “Whether that means there's an active source now or if the school is so dark because awful, terrible magic did something in the past, I can't say—there was so much ambient dark magic that I could barely tell the difference between the environment and the people, especially the ones who spend lots of time there.”

That was an unsettling thought. “I know,” Luna commented, “that I felt the same unpleasant…itching…in my mind that happened at both the Fall Formal and with the Battle of the Bands. However, it was as though it came from the other side of a door that I had the choice of opening or not.” Her smile was a grim, tight thing. “As you can infer, I chose to keep the door shut. That still did nothing to…prevent the feeling of needing a shower after, or the sensation of having passed through some kind of oily substance that very much stuck to my skin.”

Sunset tapped her foot restlessly on the ground. “I’m not sure if its because of repeated exposure to both mind altering magics and the power of the Elements, but that sounds like you've built up some defense to it….I wasn't able to push the darkness back as far as you when I was in the nurse’s office with Twilight and Indigo. There was too much there, and I was fighting it the whole time, trying to keep it from attacking Twilight, and I wasn't going to let it have her.” When she looked up at them, her eyes gleamed unnaturally bright, as though her magic was reacting to her emotions somehow. “I’m sorry about that…”

Luna waved off the apology. “Given the circumstances, Miss Shimmer, I can understand your choice perfectly well. I am an adult capable of standing on my own. Twilight Sparkle is not, and she was under assault by dark magic that she had no way of defending against. Besides, for all your statements about not being able to fight off the magic around myself once we separated, I suspect your power did have some kind of ripple effect. Abacus certainly seemed unsettled and borderline ill the entire time, and never have I known her to capitulate so easily.”

The unicorn turned teenage girl furrowed her brows at the description. “What do you mean? What happened before we came out to meet Twilight’s family?”

“I can assure you, I was in no mood to be trifled with after I sent you down the hall…”

“Vice-Principal Luna,” came the frigid voice of Abacus Cinch. “What is the meaning of this intrusion during the middle of the school day? And what's this I hear about you bringing some urchin to my campus?!”

Luna turned sharply and fixed the private school principal with a dark glare. “For once in your life, shut your fool mouth, Abacus!” she snapped, feeling anger rising at the mess this woman had likely caused with her rhetoric. It didn't help that Sunset’s departure had come with that crawling, itching feeling against her brain, like a thousand spiders chittering at her thoughts. “I do not normally put much thought into what kind of school you run or how you choose to operate, but you have officially crossed a line today, and you’ll be lucky to keep your job, let alone stay out of prison.”

There was something incredibly satisfying in watching the woman reel as if Luna had just given her a right hook to the jaw. She’d never liked the woman, or how she encouraged the cutthroat politics of her school, not to mention the family history of hostility against the school and the grounds it occupied and today was just the cherry on top of a generational sundae of spite that was over a century in the making. “…what are you talking about?” Abacus finally managed.

Shouting came faintly from down the hall, but Luna tuned it out. “I am talking about the fact that one of your students contacted one of my students so the two of them could do your nurse’s job—your administration’s job, really—for her. About the fact that at least one felony, possibly two, has been committed in this building, against a girl whose brother is a detective in the CCPD.” She pointed a finger at the sour faced spinster. “You screwed up, Abacus. Big time.”

She watched the woman’s bluish complexion go waxy and ashen gray, her eyes darting towards the hallway, where the yelling kicked up a few notches as someone—the nurse, Luna suspected—tried to take control of the situation—and Sunset Shimmer, which frankly, was an exercise in futility. Even a magical princess and super-powered rainbow laser beam hadn't done that; Sunset had made her own choice to change course. Cinch’s jaw tightened, and the words she bit out seemed falsely conciliatory and a poor attempt at exercising her own control over events. “…I…understand that you believe you have reasons for concern, Miss Solare, however I must confess you have me at a disadvantage. I am completely unaware of what situation you are speaking of, and how my students are…involved.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed, and she refused to play the game the sour old harridan wanted. “And yet, this is your school, and the actions of students and the staff reflect upon you, Principal Cinch,” she pointed out scathingly. “A student in dire straits, beyond your nurse’s capabilities to treat or handle, and the state mandates that the parents be immediately contacted. Instead, your staff have decided that the appropriate response is to berate a child for something beyond their control, and attempt to force them back to class without even attempting to contact the parents. What does it say that the administrator of a school for which they have no children enrolled is more communicative to them than the one they fork out tens of thousands to?”

“I assure you,” Cinch began, taking a step back from Luna’s rising righteous fury, “that my staff are capable of assessing a situa—”

Running footsteps and the Crystal Prep nurse—a stern faced woman as unpleasant as Cinch herself, in Luna’s experience came huffing and puffing out of the hallway looking as though she was being chased by some terrifying monster. Luna couldn't help the faint smirk that tugged at her lips—that was a woman who had run afoul of a determined Sunset Shimmer and lost, and it was somewhat satisfying to know that it wasn't just her sister and herself who had failed to control the redhead when she put her mind to doing something. “Principal Cinch!” came the wheezy gasp from a woman who probably had not moved that fast since she was in high school herself. “There’s an intruder interfering with my work and Indigo Zap refuses to return to class.”

“That intruder,” Luna said while trying to contain her internal glee, “is authorized for exactly what she came here to do, by the parents of the girl whom you refused to contact when she was brought in by a friend with a severe anxiety attack and her medication stolen in an act of vandalism. That intruder, for the record, is my student, and I have been in contact with the parents myself.”

Abacus Cinch’s eyes studied the nurse, and then both of them looked back down the hall, looking even more unsettled by the moment. “Nurse Cherry,” she asked in a very low and shaky voice. “…which student did Miss Zap bring to your office?”

Defeat rang in the response. “Twilight Sparkle, Principal Cinch.”

Now it was Luna’s turn to try and cover her reaction—lucky for her, the two women were still staring pensively down the hall.

Twilight Sparkle…

How had she never realized…?

Her mind sifted through her memories, looking for the time she had met Shining’s baby sister, back in their college days. Vaguely, her mind conjured up the images of a small, anxious child, with washed out lavender skin and dark hair that suggested she needed more time in the sun, peering nervously out from behind her father’s pants leg. She had barely said ten words, all of them in a whisper quiet voice, and had shied away from any contact. It coupled with that same child’s voice in later memories, coming over the phone, exceptionally polite and a touch nasally, sometimes tearful but always shy. And most recently, when the girl had been in tears, asking for Cadence and then pleading for Luna to just fill the silence while she waited…

And while it made a weird sort of sense—especially given Sunset’s apparent secrecy about the girl from her other friends—Luna found it hard to reconcile the memories she possessed with the figure in her mind that was Princess Twilight Sparkle, who had stood tall against monsters and magic to defy them and save the day twice over, who looked and acted more like a young adult than a teenager.

“After that, I spent about half an hour tearing down her excuses and blocking her attempts to go after you and interfere. To that end, I called Twilight Velvet’s number and let her make some not so idle threats.”

Sunset nodded, seeming to slot the information into what she already knew. “Thank you, Miss Luna…for all of that. It took me a while to get Twilight calmed down and someone yelling at us would have just made it worse again.”

Celestia had been fairly quiet. “I have some questions,” she said at last, making them both turn to her. “To begin with…Twilight Sparkle?”

…well, that was for Sunset to field. Luna was alright with letting the otherworldly teen have the first shot at being under her sister’s intense cross-examination.

Sighing, Sunset shuffled in her seat awkwardly. “A lot of people here have Equestrian counterparts--Princess Celestia and Princess Luna aren’t the only examples. I met this world’s Twilight the night of the formal…on my way home from here, actually. There were some guys in the park…” Her fists clenched in her lap and her expression grew dark, and she fell silent for a long time, enough for both sisters to exchange worried looks. Luna had an inkling after a night spent drinking with Shining a few months back, but to find out that such a thing had occurred the same night of Sunset’s demonic transformation was shocking.

“…anyway. After that, she decided that I was her new best friend, and it…kind of went from there.” The teen shrugged. “She’s not the princess, she’s her own person, and no, the girls don't know. I haven’t told Twilight or her family about magic…I need to, but it’s complicated and not entirely my decision, and…”

Luna chuckled, “And it is not easy to admit to the princess that you are dating this world’s version of her, which would definitely come up when you explain your desire to share what are probably state secrets with her.”

Eyes like polished turquoise darted up in brief shock. “How did you—” she started, only for the answer to come to her mid-sentence. “…Cadence. Right. I’m an idiot. Of course she’d tell you.” She rubbed her face with her hands.

“In her defense, neither of us realized you were my student when she first told me. It was not until she mentioned your name as more than ‘Ladybug’s girlfriend’ that I made the connection.” Luna took a long drink of her coffee savoring the bitter bite to it and the way it cleared her muzzy thoughts.

Sunset sighed again. “…good to know. It's…not something we’re wanting to become public knowledge, Miss Luna, Principal Celestia…so…if you could just…keep this between us? It’ll all come out eventually when Twilight transfers, but…it's a process, for so many reasons.”

Celestia leaned forward to rest a reassuring hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “We will do nothing to violate your trust, Sunset. I am just trying to understand what transpired, and what I need to be concerned about in regards to the school.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement as she glanced Luna’s way. “Although I am quite entertained by the fact that my sister never realized Twilight’s identity until now. How did you miss that, sister? You’ve known Cadenza for almost a decade.”

Flushing because she’d struggled to figure out the same thing, Luna groused, “A virtually non-verbal seven year old is a great deal different than a magical pony princess in the body of a high school senior, Celestia. And I only physically met the girl once before yesterday.”

“And the name? Twilight is not that common a first name.” Now her sister was openly needling her, and Luna fought the urge to stick her tongue out. “Especially because Cadenza tells you about her ‘little sister’ all the time.”

Salvation came from a surprising corner. “They…don't call her ‘Twilight’ most of the time,” Sunset explained. “They usually call her Twily, and Cady calls her ‘Ladybug’ sometimes. Plus I think Twilight is a family name on Mrs. Velvet’s side. Her name is Twilight Velvet, and I think Twilight’s grandmother’s name is Twilight…Twinkle? Something like that.”

After a generous swallow of coffee and a minute to squelch a few childish urges to get even with her sister’s teasing, Luna trusted herself enough to respond again. “Hence why hearing and seeing Twilight Sparkle caught me by surprise. Despite Abacus and the nurse saying the name, it was not until you carried her into the main office that it truly sunk in.”

The teenager made a face. “To be fair, Miss Luna, I was just as shocked to learn that the ‘Lu’ from the story about the…’lightsaber’…was the same person who put me in ISS.”

Lightsab—oh.

Rubbing her temples, Luna exhaled slowly. She and Mi Amore Cadenza were going to have a very pointed discussion about what stories were appropriate to share at family dinners and which ones needed to stay between them. “I apologize, Miss Shimmer. Cadenza sometimes fails to understand the concept of professional boundaries and the idea of ‘oversharing.’ I will be having a talk with her about that, now that there is no longer the separation of ignorance between us about my identity as her friend and former roommate.”

Sunset winced. “Boundaries would be good,” she said stiffly. “Cadence…tends to be extremely enthusiastic about the personal anecdotes…” She tucked some hair back behind her ear. “I think it comes from a good place, most of the time, but there's just some things…” The teen trailed off with a huffing snort that spoke volumes.

“I shall endeavor to do my best to remain professional, Miss Shimmer, despite my personal relationship with Cadence. I only ask that you do the same and that you not go…resharing any of her stories with your peers.” With hope, they could gloss over this without drawing overt attention to—

“Lightsaber story?” her sister asked with a note of amusement.

Oh, to have been an only child…that would have been glorious.

She would have to settle for putting rubber snakes in her sister’s bed. Or maybe bribing one of the students into pranking Celestia’s car. Perhaps young Mister Rover and his friends would be up to it…

Luna pulled herself out of her thoughts of abusing her authority for petty revenge to hear Sunset quickly say, “Don't ask, Principal Celestia. There are just some things I do not want to think about, especially involving my vice principal. What happened to her in college needs to stay there.”

There was that damned look in her sister’s eye again. “Ah, yes. Not many people appreciate embarrassing stories being known to many people…though I can say I have never had the opportunity to hear the aforementioned story from my sister. I will have to ask her later.” The long look sent her way told her that Tia would remember to ask later. Then she moved smoothly on to the more important topic. “What should we be doing now that we have confirmation of the dark magic at Crystal Prep?”

Sunset leaned back in her seat, tilting her head up to stare at the ceiling tiles. “First…don't go to CPA. If you need to have a meeting for coordinating the games, do it here, or some neutral ground like wherever the school system has all their central bureaucracy…but stay away from Crystal Prep. I don't fully understand the magic there, but the fainter forms of it on people are practically invisible until they trigger, and by then, it's too late to avoid all of the nasty things it stirs up. Other than that…be on guard. Pay attention to what the people from there ask, and avoid giving them anything that could clue them in about the magic here, or about the girls and me. If there is some conscious mind behind it…”

Celestia frowned, and voiced the thought at the same time it occurred to Luna. “They will make their move at the Friendship Games.”

“That’s what I would have done,” Sunset agreed.

Heavy silence, and her sunny sister straightened suddenly, a steel in her that had been lacking since the Sirens had broken her. “Sunset Shimmer,” she addressed the pensive teenager.

For the second time that morning, Sunset reacted, jolting in her seat from the commanding tone that would not be argued with or ignored. “Y-yes, Prince—Principal! Principal Celestia?”

“My primary concern is the well-being of the students in this school, be they Wondercolts or Shadowcolts.” Power and authority settled over her like a cloak, and even Luna was ready to jump if Celestia asked. “Therefore, I am making that the mandate here. Whatever you and your friends might need to do to ensure their safety against dark magic…you do, without hesitation. Property damage, laws that do not account for magic, defying figures who would otherwise be considered authority…those are acceptable collateral damage if it means keeping students safe…” She exhaled slowly. “That includes the not so secret ‘Student Defense’ group that has been moving under the radar.” She flicked her eyes to Luna, then back to Sunset. “I would also like to meet with you weekly until further notice to be updated on the magic defenses and progress with your research on the subject. I have…wallowed…long enough.”

Sunset relaxed a fraction, but nodded jerkily. “I won't let you down,” she promised.

Celestia reached out and put a hand on the girl’s shoulder again. “I am not worried about that, Sunset. You and your friends have proven yourselves, and I couldn't be more proud of all of you. I am telling you that you are not doing this alone—we are here to support you. I am here to support you.” She paused for effect. “Because you are also one of my Wondercolts, and that matters.”

Luna couldn't tell if it was a trick of the light, but there might have been unshed tears in Sunset’s eyes.

Not much to say about this one, honestly. I know everyone wanted to know about the fallout talk with Luna, and I know a bunch of people have commented on Principal Celestia having seemed to take a step back since the Rainbow Rocks stuff....

Turns out, that's deliberate, for more than one reason.

Now the principals know for sure: CPA is evil, and the Games are gonna suck worse than usual.

Seems like Celestia's done with her pity party though. That's good, right? Also, makes you wonder what VP Luna snuck into the school that she's not supposed to have...

...now what else...?

Right.

As usual, I take the month of December off from stuff to deal with Real Life. Its not going to be be as hellacious as it has been, because the...person...who has made the last several years a nightmare is now on the other side of the country, but its going to have its own stresses and challenges all the same.

I'll be posting like normal until then though, so...yeah. And obviously, posting resumes after the new year like normal.