Hiking After Sundown

The girls were busy making paper lanterns and decorating them. Pinkie Pie’s was covered in marshmallows.

Rarity laughed. “Um, Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?”

“Putting marshmallows in my lantern!” she answered with enthusiasm. “Then when we light them, mine’ll be beautiful and delicious!”

Rainbow Dash stared at her friend for a moment in concern. “You do realize that there’s more to camp than just eating lots of marshmallows, right?”

Twilight was off by herself, working at a different table. Spike padded over to her, concerned. He cocked his head. He whimpered a little. “Hey, why aren’t you with everyone else?” he asked.

A tear spilled out of Twilight’s eye. “Sunset said something at camp is causing the other girls to get new magic.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I think it’s Midnight Sparkle. She’s still a part of me, I can feel it. And I think her magic is infecting my friends.”

“What are we gonna do?” Spike wondered.

“I don’t know what I can do.” Twilight felt overwhelmed.

Gloriosa was walking from table to table—getting glue, offering compliments, lending a hand. “Okay, everyone,” she said at last. “It’s time to watch your lanterns fly.”

The campers headed down to the lake. Twilight’s friends called out to her to join them. Twilight walked reluctantly over to the girls. But she tried to keep far enough away so no magic would happen.

Timber Spruce appeared. “Hey, cool lantern,” he complimented her. “Mine’s my face.” He held it up. On one side he’d painted a silly face. Twilight smiled, but she was still distracted and upset.

“You okay?” asked Timber Spruce. “You don’t seem like yourself tonight.”

Twilight shrugged, but she didn’t offer any explanation.

Gloriosa was ready for the big lantern send-off. “Ready?” she called. “And go!”

All the campers let go of their lanterns and they floated up into the sky. All except for Pinkie Pie’s. Hers didn’t go anywhere. It was too heavy.

Pinkie Pie grinned. “Oh well, now I get to eat it!” She took a big bite. “Yep. Beautiful and delicious.”

Everyone laughed. That was Pinkie Pie’s great gift. She lifted everyone’s spirits. But not Twilight Sparkle’s. She was just too miserable.

Much later that night, after all the campers were in bed, Sunset Shimmer woke up and discovered that Twilight Sparkle wasn’t in her cot.

“Twilight?” she called.

There was no answer.

Sunset Shimmer peered out of the tent window. The moon was rising. Sunset Shimmer saw a shadowy figure running toward the woods.

“Twilight?” she called again.

But there was no answer.

Sunset Shimmer headed out into the night. She raced after the figure. It turned off the forest path. She followed it. It disappeared through the trees. She followed it. It jumped out right in front of her!

Sunset Shimmer screamed. The dark figure screamed.

It was Twilight.

“What are you doing out here?” Sunset Shimmer wanted to know.

Twilight had Spike in her arms. “We’re meeting a cab to take us home.”

Sunset Shimmer couldn’t believe it. She looked at Spike. Why hadn’t he told her?

Spike shrugged. “She thought you’d talk her out of it.”

“Because I would,” said Sunset Shimmer. “Twilight, you can’t leave.” She reached out to take her friend’s hand. But the moment she touched it, something strange happened. Her eyes flashed with sudden knowledge.

She remembered the trail of gem dust by the broken docks. She remembered Twilight disappearing. She saw in her mind’s eye Twilight at the picnic table, worried about turning into Midnight Sparkle. That was it, wasn’t it? Twilight was terrified of turning into a monster again.

“Twilight,” she said sternly. “There is no Midnight Sparkle. There’s only you.”

“How did you know that was what I was thinking?” Twilight asked.

Sunset Shimmer thought for a moment. “When I touched your hand, I could see things. I could understand why you were leaving.” Then it hit her. She got it. “My new magic! This is my new magic! This is incredible!”

“No!” shouted Twilight, even more upset. “It’s not. I’m infecting you now!”

“Twilight, you have to stop looking at this as a bad thing.”

“Easy for you to say!” Twilight’s face crumpled. “Magic turned you into something beautiful. The last time I tried to use it, it turned me into a monster. I’m just so afraid it’s going to happen again.”

“Yeah, last time I turned into something amazing,” agreed Sunset Shimmer, remembering how she had brought Twilight Sparkle back to reality at the end of the Friendship Games. “But I’ve let magic turn me into a monster, too. You heard what I did at the Fall Formal, right?”

Spike spoke up. “You tried to turn everyone into your own personal zombie army.”

“Pretty much,” confirmed Sunset Shimmer. “So, if anyone understands what you are going through, Twilight Sparkle, it’s me. I can help you. And the rest of our friends can be there for you, too. But not if you run away.”

Twilight considered what her friend had said. At last, she answered. “I’ll stay. But I still don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be near the rest of our friends right now. Not until we know why this is happening.”

“Understood,” Sunset agreed.

The girls began heading back to camp. The woods were quiet. All they could hear was their feet crunching over branches and leaves—until, thud.

“What was that?” Sunset tried to see into the darkness.

Very quietly, the girls tiptoed in the direction of the sound. A shaft of moonlight cast the shadow of a figure on the ground. The light glinted off steel. It was an ax. The figure was carrying an ax!