Mircalla recalls the first time she met Sunset Shimmer. It was twenty years ago and Sunset was just a baby. Mircalla chased Sunset's mother through the streets of Canterlot, demanding the baby. Sunset's mother desperately tried to reach the castle and fight her off, but was outmatched. Mircalla said it was nothing personal, but she had her orders. Countess Mircalla freezes the mother in place by causing the unicorn's body to lock up from a vampiric hex and takes the infant Sunset Shimmer. She definitely does not seem happy about having to do this, but repeats the phrase "For my master… To bring about the last shimmer of sunset."
In the present, Nightmare Mircalla is looking in the direction of the fire plume Princess Sunset Shimmer fired into the sky last chapter after escaping with Rodan. Rodan saying the unicorn's name as memory of her own statement overlap, "last shimmer of sunset" and "Sunset Shimmer!"; implying Sunset's name may have actually come from Mircalla's line. She tells her army to get ready to march and retires to her tent. She is not happy because failing to capture or kill Sunset and Rodan will weaken her respect and authority in the Nightmare Army.
She tries to relax by drinking a bottle of preserved blood, but sees her reflection, clad in Nightmare Moon's armor. Disturbed, she tries to remove the helmet, but it is attached to her head by tendrils of dark energy. Mizu appears, traveling through several reflective surfaces before emerging in the physical world. It warns her that the armor has bonded to her and only Nightmare Moon herself can remove it. Annoyed, she remarks she'll just have to get used to it before the army marches on Canterlot. She pulls out her diary, with metal pages to last through the ages, and starts writing in it, but Mizu, looking somewhat angry, asks why so many of the Nightmare Army are undead. To explain, she turns back the diary to one year ago.
One year ago, Countess Mircalla lived in a hidden fortress in the snowy mountains. She was pragmatic. She only fed on lost travelers who were dying. Any healthy ones would be sedated and returned to civilization, to minimize the chances of search parties. There is only a small chance of her victims becoming vampires. The ones who turned would be recruited to her staff, while the ones who didn't would be given proper burials in the crypt.
Her maid Spotless told her she had a visitor, and it was Apostle, a Unicorn warlock, often considered the greatest of Nightmare Moon's generals. He comes with some of his followers. Apostle remarked that it had been about twenty years since they had seen each other. He said Nightmare Moon would return soon and it was time to invade Canterlot. Appalled, Mircalla said it was crazy, and most of her vampire servants have no combat training. Apostle said there was no need, then abruptly revived each of the bodies in the crypt as a zombie, inhabited by the soul of a fallen Nightmare Soldier. Mircalla was absolutely disgusted and argued that the dead deserve to rest, but Apostle said they need to use all of their resources and this would be Mircalla's contribution to make up for her failure to capture Sunset Shimmer twenty years ago.
As the story ends, Bagan controls Mizu directly and expresses his anger, calling the undead abominations. Mircalla agrees, then clarifies that vampires like herself are living beings, not undead. Mizu asks where Apostle is, and she says he has infiltrated Canterlot and waits near Princess Luna's cell. Mizu asks about the pillar of fire and about the mare she had failed to capture twenty years ago. Angry, Mircalla says it is not important, then says she will lead the army from the front and asks Mizu to remain in the tent. She steps outside and finds the direwolves are agitated by Mizu's presence. She asks a guard not to let anything enter or leave.
However, Mizu finds a reflective shield and steps inside, emerging from a puddle near some zombie troops, one of them a warlock. Mizu gathers dark energy and creates a replica of the Alicorn Amulet. Since Bagan had consumed the Electro-Orb and Alicorn Amulet, he can create replicas of them at will. A replica of the Electro-Orb was used to power the summoning pedestal Sunset had destroyed earlier. The warlock gratefully accepts the amulet and puts it on, amplifying his powers. Satisfied, Mizu steps back into the puddle and returns to the tent.
Meanwhile, Sunset has calmed down after lighting that pillar of fire. Rodan asks if she's sure the vampire they faced had killed her mother. Sunset says she doesn't know her name and the last time she saw her, she was a baby, but she remembers. Sunset suddenly charges back toward the camp, seeking revenge. Rodan stops her and asks if she's crazy; even working together, they couldn't even hurt Mircalla. Sunset is adamant, but Rodan wrestles her to the ground and lectures her that her anger and desire for vengeance is blinding her. He's seen how that goes and it leads to ruin. Sunset angrily says if they don't act, the Nightmare Army will soon invade. Suddenly, Rodan realizes that no one is chasing them, even though Mircalla was clearly fast enough to track them. "I didn't get us away, she let us go…"
