[FFML] [Fanfic] [MLP] [AU] [Dark] [Gore] [Violence] [Death] [Sad] SunsetL Through a Mirror Darkly

[Ariel Schnee]

Disclaimer : "Here Disclaimer!" *Whistles* "C'mon boy!" *Claps hands now*
"Come here Disclaimer!"

Disclaimer: Really though. I don't own any of the series used here. It would 
be nice if I did. But, I don't. I do own the Dark Goddess of Darkness and 
Shadows. She is my creation. Do not use Her without my given permission.



Sunset - Through a Mirror Darkly

by

Ariel Schnee



Prologue



She was Sunset Shimmer. Proud pupil, and protege, of Princess Celestia. 
Once a lonely orphan, but then picked by the Princess Herself. Taken to the 
palace, and made Her student.

She had been given the opportunity for the education she had so desperately 
wanted. An education that had been unavailable to a lowly orphan. And she 
seized it with both hooves. And she had studied hard, for years. She proved 
herself the better of many of the nobly born fillies and colts.

Decades had passed, and she had grown from a little filly to an adolescent 
of around thirty-three. Just starting to enter her adolescent years.

She was glad she was a pony. Most species only lived close to a hundred 
before they died of old age. Ponies lived to slightly over five-hundred 
before they died of old age.

She was the pony equivalent of one of the those species's teenagers. One 
with great knowledge... and power. And with what, she had thought, was a 
family.

Princess Celestia was like a mother to her. And had confided to her that 
She thought of Sunset as a daughter. She had even called her Her "Little 
Sun".

There were others Sunset was close to as well. Like Cadence. Who she 
thought of like an older sister. Cadence had told her that she thought of 
her like a little sister. And that she'd be there for her.

Shining Armor, a rising star in the royal guard. She thought of him like a 
big brother. He thought of her like a little sister.

Twilight Sparkle. She thought of her like a little sister. Twilight thought 
of her like a big sister. And adored her.

Celestia had looked at her with pride, and told her how proud she was of 
her.

Was...

Was being the operative word. All that was in the past now. They would 
[b]never[/b] look at her that way again.

They had learned the truth. The truth she had tried so hard to keep from 
them. The truth of... [b]what[/b] she really was.

When Princess Celestia had somehow stumbled across her in her secret labs 
conducting her "experiments"... It had been..... bad. When She discovered 
that Sunset had been doing this for years, it had gone [b]really[/b] bad. 
When She discovered that Sunset was hiding her real cutie mark under an 
illusion... And had been for years. And that Sunset's familiar wasn't really 
an eagle, but a... ... ... Yeah. And when they learned of her beliefs. Of 
what particular Dark Goddess she worshipped. Of what ceremonies she 
performed. Of just [b]what[/b] exactly she did with that sacrificial 
altar... It had gone straight to Tartarus then.

Princes Celestia had put her on trial, and forced her to tell the Truth 
with truth-telling magic spellcraft. So, she had told the Truth. She would 
[b]never[/b] forget the looks of disbelief, horror, disgust, disdain, 
loathing, revulsion, and etc.. that She had looked at her with then.

She was questioned by others, tried, and convicted. Now here she was, in 
this cell... somewhere in the Canterlot dungeons. Her magic nullified by the 
magic-nullifier on her horn, chained to the wall, and waiting for it. 
Waiting until the dawn came. And with it, a fate [b]worse[/b] than death.

Sunset sniffled, and let a tear fall down her muzzle. And then the dam 
broke. And she cried, and cried, and cried into the uncaring night.

[hr]

In Her Royal Chambers, a snow-white alicorn was laying on Her bed... 
Sobbing... Powerful, heart-rending, grief-filled sobs of despair... and 
mourning.

"Oh My Little Sun." she mumbled to Herself. "Why? Why did you do it? Why? 
Why?"

She stiffened when She felt a hoof touch Her. Then she heard the voice of 
one She cared about.

"Auntie?" asked Cadence. "Are you alright?"

Celestia whirled Her head around at the stupid question and snarled 
"[b]NO[/b] Cadence! I [b]AM NOT[/b] alright! I just learned that My 
daughter, My  precious Little Sun, is a [b]MONSTER[/b]! A [b]THING[/b]! An 
[b]ABERRATION[/b]! You [b]KNOW[/b] what we do to ponies with [b]THOSE[/b] 
cutie marks! You know [b]WHY[/b]! To let some[b]THING[/b] like [b]THAT[/b] 
live! To let [b]IT[/b] continue being, to do who knows [b]WHAT[/b] to My 
little ponies! I had no [b]CHOICE[/b]! I [b]HAD[/b] to sentence her to exile 
to Tartarus!"

Then Celestia's rage fell away, leaving only the countenance of a 
devastated mare. Then she laid her head back down, and let out a 
heart-rending wail. "[b]MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER! MY LITTLE FILLY! MY LITTLE 
SUN![/b]"

Cadence glomped onto Celestia, offering what comfort she could. Trying to 
comfort the grieving, devastated mare. Trying to do what little she could to 
ease her emotional suffering, and pain, now.

After a while, Celestia's sobs had quieted down.

"Yes, this is a [b]terrible[/b] situation." said Cadence. "But... Remember 
that's she's [b]not[/b] really your daughter. You took her from the 
orphanage, and made her your [b]student[/b]. You never really [b]adopted[/b] 
her."

Celestia just cried. "..." she muttered.

"What?" asked Cadence.

"..." Celestia said in an inaudible tone.

"I couldn't hear that." said Cadence.

"[b]YES SHE IS![/b]" screamed Celestia. "[b]SHE IS MY DAUGHTER! SHE'S MY OWN 
BIOLOGICAL DAUGHTER![/b]"

Cadence just sat there... stunned. "W...W... [b]What?[/b]" she asked in a 
shaky  voice.

"It was the only way." said Celestia in a quite voice. "She was born a 
unicorn. Not an alicorn. She was weak, and helpless. And there was the 
Zebrican assassin's order. The Order of the Red Hoof Blades. They have 
wanted me dead a long, long, long time. But lack the power, ability, or 
items to kill an alicorn. But if they had known she existed... They would 
have struck at her. Just to hurt me emotionally. I had to hide her. My 
pregnancy, and her birth, were secrets. Only a select, and trusted, few knew 
anything. And so I gave birth to her, and her brother. Then cast powerful 
magics to hide their real auras. So that the Red Hoof could not trace them. 
Then I had them sent to an orphanage. So that they would be safe from them 
there. I... I... I only got to hold them for a few minutes. Before I lost 
them by sending them away to keep them safe. Then... Then I got her back. I 
got her back. I was soooooo happy. I had my little filly back again. True, 
as a [b]student[/b]. But... It  was... [b]something[/b]. And today... This 
[b]horrible[/b] day... I have lost her [b]again[/b]! ... ... And tomorrow... 
Tomorrow I... I... I have to... have to... have to [b]DO WORSE THAN TO KILL 
MY OWN DAUGHTER![/b]" Celestia wailed out her despair, and grief. And then 
she fell limp.

"[b]Brother?![/b]" asked Cadence in shock.

Celestia tearfully said "Yes... Her twin brother... Sunburst."

"[b]Sunburst![/b]" exclaimed Cadence. "Starlight Glimmer's 
[b]coltfriend[/b]! [b]That[/b] Sunburst?!"

"Yes." said Celestia.

... ... ... "Wow." said Cadence. "Just... wow. That's..."

Celestia just sniffled.

Moments passed... ... ... ... ... And then Cadence softly asked "Do they 
know?"

Sniffling, Celestia looked at her and asked "What?"

"Do they know?" asked Cadence once again.

"Yes, and no." Celestia said, a single tear falling lonelyly down her 
muzzle. "I told Sunset the truth about being my daughter. About what 
happened, why I did it, and how I felt. I didn't tell her about Sunburst. 
... ... Sunburst doesn't know any of it either. ... ... She... She... She... 
[b]FORGAVE ME![/b]" wailed Celestia. After a while, she calmed down again. 
"She said she understood why I did it. And that she wanted us to be mother, 
and daughter. Even if it had to remain a secret. She told me that she knew I 
loved her. And then she told me that she loved me. That everything's fine 
now, and we could be together."

...

...

...

...

"Why didn't you tell her about her brother?" asked Cadence. "Why didn't you 
tell Sunburst anything?"

Celestia sniffled and said "Sunburst was adopted, and has a happy family 
that he loves deeply. I... I..... didn't want to mess that up. His adopted 
parents don't know anything about it either. It's best not to break up that 
happy family."

...

...

...

...

"Maybe it's not so hopeless..." said Cadence. "Maybe she's not completely 
evil. Maybe there's still hope for her somehow."

Celestia shook Her head. "Cadence, she's a [b]necromancer[/b]. And a 
worshipper of the Dark Goddess Liananna. The Goddess of Darkness and 
Shadows. She was [b]foalnapping[/b] ponies, [b]sacrificing[/b] them, 
animating their [b]dead bodies[/b], binding their [b]souls[/b] to them, and 
making them her [b]undead servants[/b]. She also willingly received the 
'blessing' of her 'Goddess', and became a [b]vampony[/b]. And drank the 
[b]blood[/b] of other ponies. She also [b]willing [i]sacrificed[/i] her 
[i]soul[/i]![/b] [b][i]Destroying[/i] it [i]utterly[/i] to gain 
Immortality![/b] ..... .....  Once a pony's gone [b]that[/b] far, there's 
[b]no[/b] coming back again."

Cadence sighed. "But Auntie, worshippers of Liananna only kill the 
[b]guilty[/b]. They [b]never[/b] kill the innocent. Yes, she foalnapped 
ponies and sacrificed them. But, [b]all[/b] those ponies she sacrificed were 
[b]guilty[/b]. They were [b]murderers[/b], [b]rapists[/b], [b]pimps[/b], 
[b]drug  dealers[/b], and... Ugh. The worst ones of them. Ewww, they were 
[b]foal  molesters[/b]. Sunset actually did us all a [b]favor[/b]. Getting 
rid of ponies like [b]that[/b]."

Celestia sighed. "I know Cadence. If it had just been that... Just been the 
worship of Liananna, and the vampony thing... Then I could go easy on her. 
It's been done before. Worshippers of Liananna are given some leeway. Their 
Goddess would strike them dead Herself rather than let them kill an 
innocent. But, she's a [b]necromancer[/b]. One whose [b]real[/b] cutie mark 
is a talent in [b]subduing[/b], [b]binding[/b], and [b]controlling[/b] the 
dead. ... And that [b]thing[/b] she [b]bonded[/b] to. ..." Celestia 
shudders. "A Shadow Bird..."  she whispers. ... ..... "You [b]know[/b] I 
[b]cannot[/b] let a soulless one like [b]that[/b] roam around free." she 
says in a more normal volume.

"Couldn't you just banish her instead Auntie?" asked Cadence, while 
stroking Celestia's mane very gently.

"No." stated Celestia. "If I did, she'd just start doing the same wherever 
I banished her. It would be an act of [b]war[/b] against whatever country I 
sent her to. Considering what she would do to the poor souls there... 
Literally, the poor [b]souls[/b] there."

"What about Stone Imprisonment?" asked Cadence.

Celestia sighed. "No. It wouldn't work. Her necromantic powers, and 
Immortality, would weaken the Imprisonment in a matter of weeks. The only 
way is to... to... to... to... cast her body... into... Tartarus... to... 
to... b... [b]BURN FOR ETERNITY![b] My... My... [b]My own daughter![/b] ... 
[b]My little  filly![/b]..."

Celestia broke down, and wept again. Cadence held Her, and comforted Her as 
best she could. It was going to be a [b]verrrrry[/b] long night.

[hr]

Sunset had finally got herself under control. She didn't think things could 
get worse. She had lost [b]everything[/b], and [b]everyone[/b], she cared 
about earlier today when her mother had caught her. She had lost them all 
when they heard the Truth from her own lips, and they had all rejected her. 
She was going to be condemned to Tartarus by her [b]own mother[/b] tomorrow! 
[b]Forever[/b]. ... Such is the fate of a necromancer. ...

'[b]No![/b]' she thought. 'I [b]WILL NOT[/b] let this happen! I am Sunset 
Shimmer. I am smart, proud, mighty, majestic, worthy, strong, and many other 
things.'

'I am a brilliant academic, a gifted spellcaster, powerful, driven, 
passionate, etc.. I [b]know[/b] what I want to achieve in life! Er... 
unlife. And I have the skills, and dedication, to [b]get[/b] there!'

'I am the youngest unicorn to achieve the spells I have achieved. I am an 
Elite Necromancer in the Circles of Death. I am a faithful worshipper of the 
Dark Goddess Liananna. The Goddess of Darkness and Shadows. I am well 
regarded amongst those who worship Her. I [b]AM NOT[/b] giving up! I 
[b]WILL[/b] find a way out of this! I [b]WILL[/b] break free!'

She struggled against her bonds, a determined expression on her face. She 
pulled on the chains with all her might. She flexed her muscles, trying to 
weaken the chains' hold.

Then, in a flash of darkness, a bird teleported into the room.

Sunset stopped struggling, and looked at the bird. An expression of wonder, 
relief, happiness, joy, and etc.. spread across her face.

"[b]SNOWBANK![/b]" she exclaimed in happiness. "[b]YOU'RE ALIVE![/b]"

She was crying tears of joy.

"Oh I'm [b]soooooo[/b] glad to see you again my friend." she said, her 
voice one of intense relief. "But... how? I thought She had... killed 
you..."

Snowbank warbled a trilling tone, that was relaxing. Well, to Sunset it was 
relaxing. Most beings would be covering their ears in pain now.

"[b]HA![/b]" she exclaimed. "I should have known not even a Sun Goddess 
would get the better of [b]you[/b]! Think you can help me to escape now?" 
She gestured to the chains with her head.

Snowbank warbled something that might have been interpreted as something 
like 'Of [b]course[/b] I can. [b]What[/b] do you take me for? I am a being 
of [b]Darkness[/b] and [b]Shadows[/b]. It's really easy. I'll have you out 
of there soon.' Of course, Sunset heard it loud and clear. Thanks to their 
telepathic, and empathic, link with each other. A link that had now come 
back. A link that was no longer snapped.

"How?" she asked. "I felt the link the [b]SNAP[/b]! I thought you had 
[b]DIED[/b]!"

"Sorry to worry you Sunset." Snowbank sent. "I had to dive into the Shadow 
Plane to escape Sunbutt's solar laser. I'm sorry that I worried you my 
friend."

"You had to dive into the Shadow Plane?!" Sunset exclaimed. "That's just... 
Wow... You've [b]never[/b] had to do [b]that[/b] before."

"I was never in such danger before." he explained.

"Yeah." she said. "Mom's solar lasers [b]do[/b] pack a punch."

He looked at her. "You still call Her [b]that[/b]?" he asked, with just the 
faintest hint of disapproval there. "After She [b]betrayed[/b] you?"

She sighed. "She might have rejected me..." she explained. "But, she's 
[b]still[/b] my [b]mother[/b]. And... I still [b]care[/b] about Her."

He shook his head. "You're free to feel as you want to feel. Still, I think 
your soft feelings for Her may be your undoing."

"Maybe..." she said. "Hey. How about getting me out of here now, alright?"

"Hold on." he sent. Then his wing started to glow dark. He passed it over 
the chains. The chains crumbled to dust. He did the same for the horn cap. 
And then, it too, crumbled to dust. Sunset's body was completely unharmed.

Sunset fell down to the floor, twisting in mid-air to land on all fours. 
She shook her head, and body, like a dog does. Then she regained her 
balance.

"Let's get out of here." she said.

"Where will we go?" he asked. "You're a wanted criminal with a kill-on-sight 
order just waiting to be issued on you after you escape. There aren't many 
lands that would accept us. Of the ones that would, [b]very[/b] few are 
capable of standing up to Her. Of the ones that [b]are[/b], we'd be in more 
danger from the inhabitants there than we would from Her."

"The mirror." she said. "I know where there's a mirror that opens a 
dimensional tunnel gateway between universes. If we can make it there, we 
have a chance."

"Isn't that the mirror that only opens for three days every thirty moons?" 
he asked.

"Yes, it is." she said. "And tonight's the [b]last[/b] night it will open, 
until another thirty moons. We've got less than [b]two hours[/b] to get 
there, and get through it."

"We're going to just go there [b]now[/b]?" he asked.

"No." she explained. "We've got to get out of here first. Then, we'll loot 
the place a little. No reason to leave empty-hooved afterall. I [b]am[/b] 
Celestia's daughter. That gives me a [b]right[/b] to some of the things 
here."

"Sounds like a plan." he said. "Well, let's get out of here first. Then 
loot the place, get to the mirror room, and go through it to... wherever 
then."

Sunset had her ear pressed against the door. "We'll need to make a stopover 
in the guardroom too." she said. "There are guards in there." She let her 
retractable fangs out. "And I'm feeling rather... hungry."

[hr]

Deke was bored. There wasn't much to do while sitting around the guardroom 
in the dungeons. And playing poker with his buddies was getting... old.

"You gonna make a bet?" asked his buddy Zack.

"Yeah." said Deke, his attention drawn back to the game. "I bet fifteen." He 
put fifteen bits in the betting pile.

"I'll see your fifteen." said his buddy Lance, putting his fifteen in. "And 
raise you fifty." He put another fifty in the betting pile.

"[b]FIFTY![/b]" exclaimed his buddy, Shining Armor. "No way... You can't 
[b]possibly[/b] have [b]that[/b] good a hand."

Deke suddenly wasn't bored anymore.

Lance just smirked.

"I fold." said his buddy Erick.

Lance just smirked even more.

"Fold." said Shining.

Deke looked at Lance, at the bits, at Lance's cards.

"He [b]does not[/b] have a straight." said Shining.

Deke gulped. He made his decision. "Call." he said.

Sighing, Lance turned over his cards. Revealing a [b]very[/b] poor hand. 
Just some twos.

"[b]YES![/b]" Deke exclaimed in joy. He quickly started raking his winnings 
in towards himself.

"How did you know I was bluffing?" asked a resigned Lance.

Deke smirked, and said "It's the way your left eyebrow raises when you 
bluff."

Lance startled, and looked at him shocked.

Deke laughed, and said "Just kidding."

Lanced grumbled good-naturedly, and sat back in his chair.

*CLACK*

Instantly, the guards were alert.

"What was that?" asked Shining.

"Dunno." said Deke. "Go check it out Lance."

"Why me?" asked Lance.

"Because you're the one who lost this poker game tonight." said Deke.

"Fine." said Lance, as he got up to go and check out the noise.

Lance trotted off into the shadows to check the noise.

...

...

...

...

"Lance?" asked Deke. "You okay back there? Did you decide to take a piss, or 
something, dude?"

...

...

"LANCE?" asked Deke a little louder.

...

"[b]LANCE![/b]" Deke shouted.

...

The others all looked at each other.

"Something's not right." said Shining. "Get your weapons ready. There's 
trouble coming here."

The others quickly got their weapons, and armor, ready.

*CLACK* *CLACK* *CLACK* went a little round ball of... something as it 
rolled out. Then it exploded, and filled the room with a thick cloud of 
smoke.

"[b]GET YOUR WEAPONS AND SHIELDS UP![/b]" shouted Lt. Shining Armor. 
"[b]WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! BE READY![/b]"

*[b]GROOOWWWLLL[/b]* some[b]thing[/b] growled in the smoky room.

'I take it back!' thought Deke. 'I'd rather be bored than this!'

"[b]ARRRGGGHHH![/b]" screamed a pony.

"[b]ERICK![/b]" yelled Deke. "[b]ERICK![/b] ... ... [b]IT GOT ERICK![/b]"

"[b]KEEP YOUR GUARD UP![/b]" yelled Shining Armor. "[b]DON'T LET IT GET PAST 
YOU! WHATEVER IT IS, WE CAN'T LET IT GET INTO THE UPPER LEVELS![/b]"

Deke felt some...[b]thing[/b] brush against him. Then he grunted as it 
lunged into him. The last thing he felt was a sharp pain in his neck as his 
consciousness left him. His vision turned black. And then, Deke knew no 
more.

[hr]

Sunset silently crept out of her cell, and into the corridor. She looked up 
and down it. Cells, cells, cells, cells, and more cells. All of them empty. 
Seems nopony else was locked up in the same cell block as the soulless 
vampony. To the south was the supply room. To the north was the guardroom.

Sunset carefully crept into the supply room. She could easily see in the 
darkness. She started searching, and found some things.

'Bingo.' she thought with a scary smile. 'This is [b]just[/b] what I need. 
Yes, this will do nicely.[/b]'

In a soft voice she said "Snowbank, I've got a plan."

Snowbank chuckled softly at what was to come.

[hr]

Sunset heard the guards in the room. They were... playing poker? Ok, that 
would make it easier since they were so distracted now.

She waited until they were joking around a bit. She hefted a rock, and threw 
it into a dark area opposite of where she was.

When the guard went to investigate, she got the drop on him. Quickly sinking 
her fangs into his neck, she drank enough of his blood to weaken him. She 
then laid his unconscious body on the ground. She was as careful as she 
could be. She didn't want to kill him afterall.

When one of the guards started yelling his name, she threw the smoke ball 
she had 'acquired' from the supply room. It filled the room nicely with 
thick black smoke.

She stepped into the room. Everything as clear as possible, thanks to her 
vampony radar. She quickly got another guard, sinking her fangs into him. 
But, not before he let off a yell. Setting the guard down, she then moved to 
another location in the room.

She quickly lunged, and rammed into another guard. She sank her fangs into 
him, weakening him even further. She laid him down when he fell unconscious.

She started heading toward the last guard, when all of a sudden... the smoke 
started clearing.

'Uh oh.' she thought. 'What's going on? It was supposed to last for thirty 
minutes.'

The smoke cleared, and she found herself looking at...

'Oh horseapples.' she thought.

[hr]

Lt. Shining Armor of the Royal Guard was... nervous. Listening, he could 
tell he was the last guard left standing.

'If only this smoke wasn't everywhere.' he thought. 'Then I would be able to 
see. If only it would clear out, then maybe I could...'

He facehooved.

'Shining, you idiot.' he thought to himself. 'Are you a unicorn, or aren't 
you. Cast a spell to get rid of this smoke.'

He quickly cast a spell to make the smoke disperse, really hoping it 
wouldn't reveal the dead bodies of his fellow guards.

The smoke cleared.

And he found himself looking at...

'Oh horseapples.' he thought.

[hr]

Sunset just stared. And stared. And stared. And then she waved, and said "Hi 
Shining."

Shining just looked at her, and snarled. "Traitor." he spat. "So, it's you." 
He looked around, and spotted the bodies of his guards. "Did you kill them?" 
he asked, while glaring at her.

Sunset winced at that glare. And the fact that he thought she would kill 
innocent ponies.

"What kind of monster do you think I am?" she asked in a hurt tone. "I would 
[b]never[/b] kill the innocent! It's against every belief that I have!"

"Do you expect to believe you, you [b]monster[/b]?" snarled Shining.

Sunset felt a tear trickle it's way down her muzzle.

"Shining..." she pleaded.

"You don't have the [b]right[/b] to use my name, you Tartarus spawned 
[b]thing[/b]." he hissed at her.

Sunset reeled back, as if struck by a mighty blow. In a way, she was.

'That [b]hurt[/b].' she thought. 'That really, really, really [b]hurt[/b]. 
Oh Shining, do you truly hate me [b]that[/b] much?'

"You know [b]what[/b] they'll do to me." she said in a shaky voice. "You 
know [b]where[/b] they'll send me. Please... Just, step aside. Please.....?"

"[b]Never![/b]" he snarled. "After [b]what[/b] you have done! It's a place 
you [b]deserve[/b] being sent!"

Sunset closed her eyes, and sniffled. Tears running down her muzzle, from 
both eyes. Then she opened her eyes, a determined expression on her face. 
One that scared most other beings into running. "So be it." she said in a 
resigned voice.

[hr]

Shining just stared. And stared. And stared at the abomination before him. 
And then... it..... waved at him and said "Hi Shining."

Shining looked at the [b]thing[/b] before him. The [b]thing[/b] that had 
caused so much misery/pain/anguish for the ponies that had made the mistake 
of caring for a monster. He snarled at this... this... [b]thing[/b] that had 
dared to wear the body of a filly he had cared for. "Traitor." he spat. "So, 
it's you." He looked around, and spotted the bodies of his guards. Ice 
clenched in his heart. [b]What[/b] had that monster [b]done[/b] to them? 
"Did you kill them?" he asked, while glaring at it.

The... [b]thing[/b] winced at his glare.

"What kind of monster do you think I am?" it asked in an obviously false 
hurt tone. "I would [b]never[/b] kill the innocent! It's against every 
belief that I have!" it lied to him.

"Do you expect to believe you, you monster?" he snarled.

It shed a false tear that trickled it's way down it's muzzle.

"Shining..." it pleaded.

He felt [b]rod hot anger[/b] at that. How [b]dare[/b] this [b]THING[/b] 
address him as that special little filly had. "You don't have the 
[b]right[/b] to use my name, you Tartarus spawned [b]thing[/b]." he hissed 
at it.

It reeled back, as if struck by a mighty blow. He wondered if it really 
thought he was buying it's horrible acting.

He waited for it to attack. Surely, it realized stalling like this was doing 
it no good. So it'd drop the act soon, right?

"You know [b]what[/b] they'll do to me." it said in a real fake shaky voice. 
"You know [b]where[/b] they'll send me. Please... Just, step aside. 
Please.....?"

He thought of the real Sunset. Of what she had meant to him. Of how this... 
[b]thing[/b] had [b]murdered[/b] her, and taken her place. "[b]Never![/b]" 
he snarled at it. "After [b]what[/b] you have done! It's a place you 
[b]deserve[/b] being sent!"

It closed it's eyes, and sniffled. So fake tears running down it's muzzle, 
from both eyes. Then it opened it's eyes, a scary expression on it's face.

He [b]would not[/b] be intimidated by that expression.

"So be it." it said in a resigned voice.

A moment passed...

And then, they charged at each other.

[hr]

Sunset limped her way up the stairs... crying silently, and sniffling.

'I'm sorry BBBFF.' she thought. 'I'm [b]so[/b], [b]so[/b], [b]so[/b] 
sorry... So, so, so, so, so [b]sorry[/b]. You... [b]didn't[/b] leave me 
another way. And now... now you're... you're... ..... .......' She broke 
down crying silently to herself. 'Why? Why? [b]Why didn't you give me 
another way?![/b]' she thought in despair. 'I had [b]no[/b] choice. My 
[b]everything's[/b] at stake. ... ... Why? [b]Why?![/b]'

'Twilight's going to [b]hate[/b] me' she thought. 'Cadance is going to 
[b]hate[/b] me. [b]I[/b] hate me.'

In a daze of sorrow, Sunset crept out of the dungeons... and into the 
palace.

[hr]

Thirty minutes later...



In a flash of darkness, Snowbank appeared in the room.

"Sunset!" he exclaimed. "I did what you said to do. I got as much as I could 
into your Saddlebags of Holding." Then he noticed how down she appeared. 
"Sunset... what's wrong?"

Sunset sniffled, and said "I ran into Shining in the guard room. It... It 
didn't go so well. I was... I was forced to do something I didn't want to 
do." She sniffled some more. A tear ran from her left eye down her muzzle 
slowly.

Snowbank gasped softly. "Sunset. You didn't... Did you?"

Sunset stiffened, and then forced herself to regain her composure. "I don't 
want to talk about it. Not now. Not [b]ever[/b]. ... ..... Let's just get to 
the mirror room. And get out of here."

Snowbank just looked at her, and then nodded. "As you wish. Let's go."

Just as they were about to go, a pony stepped out of the shadows behind 
them.

"Sunset." said the pony.

Gasping, Sunset turned around.

With a startled shriek, Snowbank turned around as well.

Sunset looked at the pony in the dark cloak, hood, and such.

"Who are you?" she asked, preparing herself in case the pony assaulted her.

The pony made a sign with his hooves and said "In Death their is peace. In 
Death there is calm." And then he waited.

"In Death there is light, dark, and grey." said Sunset. "In Death their is 
balance."

"In Death there is Harmony." said the two together.

The pony lowered his hood.

Sunset gasped, and then ran forward and glomped onto him. "[b]Sunburst![/b]" 
she exclaimed in pure happiness. "It's really you!"

"And me as well." another pony said, stepping out of the shadows, and 
lowering her hood.

"[b]Starlight![/b]" Sunset exclaimed. "You as well?"

Starlight joined them, and soon they were in a three-way hug.

After a while, the ponies parted hugging.

"What are you two doing here?" Sunset asked.

"We couldn't let you go without saying goodbye." said Sunburst.

"Same here Sunset." said Starlight.

"Thank you, both of you." said Sunset in happiness.

"I've always felt a 'special' connection with you Sunset." said Sunburst. "A 
very strong, and powerful, one. An [b]intense[/b] one."

Sunset blushed. "Ummm... Sunburst..... You're currently together with 
Starlight. Not that I object to herding. But... I'm [b]not[/b] looking for a 
relationship right now."

Sunburst just gawped at her, and then he blushed. "N...N...[b]No![/b]" he 
stammered. "That's [b]not[/b] what I meant! Not like [b]that![/b]"

Starlight just giggled.

Sunset giggled too.

Sunburst just sulked.

Then Sunset asked "How did you mean it then?"

Sunburst looked at her and said "I have my suspicions. But, I'll need to ask 
you something. Can I have a vial of your blood?"

Sunset looked shocked. "My [b]blood[/b]? But [b]why[/b]?"

"I need to run a test on it." said Sunburst. "It's very vital. It'll explain 
everything."

Sunset just looked at him, and then nodded. "Allright." she said. "I trust 
you Sunburst. And you too Starlight. If it was anypony else, I'd tell them 
'no'. But, I do trust you."

Sunset used her fangs to tear open a gash in her right foreleg, and then 
filled a vial that Sunburst provided.

Sunburst took the vial. "Thank you." he said. He took another vial out of 
his cloak, and then cast his spell. Both vials glowed. An identical color.

Sunburst just nodded. He hoofed Sunset's vial back to her. "The spell 
confirms my suspicions. Alright... Sunset, we're siblings."

Sunset just stared.

So did Starlight.

"[b]What?[/b]" they both said.

"I'm your [b]brother[/b]." said Sunburst. "And you're my [b]sister[/b]. 
[b]That's[/b] our connection."

Sunset was staring in shock. After a while, she shook herself out of it. 
"Why did she never tell me..."

"Why did [b]who[/b] never tell you [b]what[/b]?" he asked, looking at her in 
confusion.

Sunset shook her head. "I've got a story to tell you two. It's a 
[b]doozy[/b]."

[hr]

Timeskip



Sunburst and Starlight were off in a corner, talking to each other. Finally, 
they came back over to her. Sunburst looked at her. "We're going with you." 
he said. Starlight nodded affirmation.

Sunset reared back in shock. "[b]What?![/b]" she exclaimed. "[b]Why[/b] 
would you do [b]that?![/b] You have a [b]family[/b] here! One that 
[b]loves[/b] you! One that [b]you[/b] love!"

Sunburst nodded. "It's [b]precisely[/b] for that reason we must go with 
you." he explained. "Celestia was all ready to send you to Tartarus. 
[b]You.[/b] Her [b]own daughter[/b]. Do you [b]really[/b] think she'll spare 
her [b]son[/b] when she learns I'm in this [b]just as deep[/b] as you are? 
She'll send me to Tartarus too. ... ..... I [b]don't[/b] want to even 
[b]think[/b] about what she might do to my family."

"And I'm [b]not[/b] letting him go without me." said Starlight. "I fully 
intend to [b]marry[/b] him. I [b]can't[/b] do that if I'm not [b]there[/b]."

Sunset just stared at them, and then made her decision. "Alright. Come on 
then. We've only got thirty minutes before the gateway closes. But, I must 
warn you. This will be a [b]one-way[/b] trip [b]only[/b]."

Sunburst nodded then.

So did Starlight.

Sunset whirled around, and headed to the mirror room. Sunburst, and 
Starlight, followed her.

[hr]

The Mirror Room



Sunset looked about the room that she, Snowbank, Sunburst, and Starlight had 
just teleported into.

It was crowded with much magical junk.

Standing on a shallow pedestal, at the opposite end of the small chamber, 
sat a tall oval mirror. Its frame was a stylized horseshoe. Its open side 
pointing down to form a large archway. Sitting atop it was a smaller 
horseshoe facing the opposite direction... Sitting on the larger one like a 
tuning fork. From her research she knew that the parallel continued in its 
function. It acted as a tuning fork for the destination.

"[b]SNOWBANK![/b]" she shouted over the blaring alarm sirens ringing in the 
vault. "[b]WE'VE ONLY GOT A FEW MINUTES UNTIL THE GUARD GETS HERE! YOU KNOW 
WHAT TO DO![/b]"

Snowbank quickly flew up to the tuning fork, and perched himself right atop 
it. He adjusted it to a random destination. Then he attached the special 
package that Sunset had prepared to it, and set it.

"All done!" he shouted.

"Then get back down here!" Sunset yelled. "We've got to go now! We've only 
got minutes left!"

Sunset activated the mirror, and then gestured to it.

"May Liananna watch over us, and may She keep us safe in Her Darkness and 
Shadows." prayed Starlight.

"We've got to go now!" yelled Sunset. "The mirror will lead us to a world 
that can support our existence! Go now, hurry!"

They all prepared themselves. And then they jumped into the mirror. And they 
were gone from Equis, forever.

A few minutes later the package Snowbank attached to the top of the mirror 
detonated. The resulting magical explosion was intense. The mirror was 
utterly, completely, undeniably destroyed. It's physical form, and all it's 
magics too, gone. The gateway sealed, never to be reopened ever again.

---

AN: This is kinda new territory for me. Usually I just slap something in a 
few minutes and post it. This, I've actually taken [b]days[/b] on. ... Wow.

If you can think of anyway I can make it better, let me know. I have no 
proofreader, and to check it I ran it through my email spellchecker. I hope 
I got it all right.

If you spot something that doesn't make sense, tell me. I might have 
intended it to be that way, or I might not have. Any C&C that is 
[b]constructive[/b] will be [b]welcome[/b].^_^

You are probably wondering "Is this it?!"

The answer is "Nope.".

This is just the Prologue for a whole series of stories. There are sooooo 
many destinations the mirror could have landed on. I'm going to write 
stories where they wound up in different locations. Full stories. Alternate 
destinations.

Enjoy!^_^^_^



---

Signature



http://fanficparadise.com/arielschnee/animelist.htm - Animelist

http://fanficparadise.com/arielschnee/sig3.htm - Signature

http://fanficparadise.com/arielschnee/Ariel_Schnee.htm - Ariel Schnee

http://fanficparadise.com/arielschnee/index.htm - Homepage

http://fanficparadise.com/arielschnee/fics.htm - My Fics

http://fanficparadise.com/arielschnee/gallery/Avatars/Weiss04.jpg - Full 
Version Avatar



If you are a believer of Jesus Christ, and are 100% proud of it, put this in 
your sig!!

- Ariel Schnee, twin sister of Weiss Schnee. And  Loyal Servant of The Royal 
Pony Sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna... Forever Equestria!