Sunset sighed as she wiped down the bar table. It had been only a week since Adagio’s funeral and the girls were still suffering hard as a result. Sonata and Aria had to be convinced by her to attend the reading of Adagio’s will, both of them hating how her possessions were being handed out so soon.

That had turned out not to be the case anyway, as Adagio had left everything to Sonata. The club, the apartments, all the property and wealth she had accumulated, all of her personal possessions, absolutely everything Adagio owned now belonged to Sonata and only Sonata. Her will had explained that without her, Adagio would have had nothing. Either way, Sunset was now running the club. She was the only one who knew how. Sonata had absolutely no objections to that.

Looking over at Aria, who had laid her head on the bar, she reached over and ran a hand through her hair as she heard the doorbell ring.

“You want me to get that?” Aria sighed a bit.

“I’ll just buzz them in,” Sunset said, pressing the intercom, “We’re closed for the night.”

“That is not relevant,” came an all-too familiar voice.

Aria shot up, then let out a groan as she lay back down again, “Fuck my life…”

“Mrs Blaze, you’re not allowed to be here,” Sunset sighed exhaustedly, “The restraining order still stands.”

“It has not. It expired yesterday.”

“Great, now she’s a liar…” Sonata uttered, her voice hoarse.

Sunset sighed, “What do you want, Mrs Blaze?”

“I had heard of that woman’s passing,” Mrs Blaze said coolly, “Maybe now Aria will come to her senses.”

Laying her head on her arms, Aria let out a grunt and didn’t otherwise move or respond. She just didn’t care anymore, nor did she have the strength to fight back. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed with the girls and sleep off the misery.

“I’m not letting you in, Mrs Blaze,” Sunset said as resolutely as she could.

“You are and you will. I demand to see my daughter.”

Sunset took a deep breath. If Adagio was still here, she would have let Mrs Blaze in just so she could see her leave in a humiliated furor. However, Sunset wasn’t sure she could match her late wife in that regard, “You’re not coming in.”

Mrs Blaze scoffed, “You’re clearly enjoying this, aren’t you? Taking the full power that wretched woman once had. Thinking you could take her place. She may have overtook me, but I will not let you do the same. You couldn’t even if you tried.”

Sunset pursed her lips, “You are not coming into my club, Mrs Blaze. And you are not going to torment my wives anymore!”

“Call the cops…” Aria groaned, barely lifting her head.

“I heard that, Aria. How dare you say such a thing about your own mother. I raised you better than this.”

“You’re not getting through that door, Mrs Blaze,” Sunset sighed as she briefly turned back to the Night Guard’s office and pushed open the door, “Hey, can you-”

“YIPE!” the guard jumped out of his chair and fell onto the floor, his eyes still darting rapidly through each camera.

“...Mark, you really need to see a doctor,” Sunset sighed, “If Mrs Blaze isn’t gone in the next thirty minutes, call the police, would you?”

“S-Sure!” the guard said, keeping an eye on the cameras.

Sunset closed the door, muttering to herself as she returned to the intercom, “Haven’t seen him that jumpy since Sonata left her teddy bear in his office.”

There was now very loud knocking at the door, bordering on banging. Aria groaned, holding her head in her hands. Sonata whimpered and held her hands to her ears, trying to block it out. Sunset laid a hand onto Aria’s shoulder and pressed the button again.

“Mrs Blaze, you have a half an hour to make yourself scarce or the police are going to be called,” she said, more firmly.

“You and your bluffs don’t scare me. A young, naive woman like yourself can’t possibly carry this sort of life. You may think you can, but you’re in over your head.”

Sunset growled slightly, “I ran this club just fine when Adagio couldn’t, I can certainly do it now.”

“And what makes you think you can? You probably couldn’t run your way out of a paper bag.”

Sunset sighed and took her finger off the intercom, coming closer to Aria and draping an arm around her shoulder as she kissed her hair and nuzzled her, “I’m so sorry, Aria…”

Aria sighed, nuzzling her back, “It’s okay, Sunny. You’re doing great, really.”

Sunset kissed Aria’s cheek and gently rocked her, feeling somewhat nervous at the prospect of being the emotional rock for someone ten years older than her. Sonata came over, joining the hug and kissing Aria’s cheek. The banging on the door continued, but they ignored it as best they could.

“Sorry we’re such messes…” Aria sighed, wiping her eyes, “It’s just... it’s hard.”

“I know,” Sunset whispered softly, stroking her back, “It’s hard for all of us, Ari-baby.”

Sunset bit her lip, having not intended to use one of Adagio’s many nicknames. It had slipped out from Celestia knows where. This made Aria look up, tears filling her eyes. She sniffled, then clung to Sunset a little tighter as she began to cry. Sonata sniffled, stroking her hair and holding her tightly to attempt at comforting.

Sunset held Aria, rubbing her back in small circles as she tried to drown out the banging on the door outside, and Mrs Blaze’s shouting. It was difficult, however. The banging was getting harder and sharper as she moved from slamming her hand on the metal, to slamming her hand on the glass, which rattled in place.

“D-Don’t… worry, Ari…” Sonata murmured amidst her soft crying, “M-Mommy…. made sure… the building was safe… so no one could… b-break in…”

“Glass can’t stop a rock…” Aria muttered quietly as she buried her face into Sunset’s neck.

“Even if she does get in, she can’t hurt you,” Sunset whispered, stroking her hair.

“Okay…” Aria sniffled.

Sunset gently rubbed Aria’s back as she listened to Mrs Blaze slamming her fist against the door. There was another twenty-five minutes before the watchman was supposed to call the police. And the last thing she wanted to deal with was a broken window.

“...Should I just let her in and see if she tuckers herself out?” Sunset asked nervously.

Sonata sniffled, but nodded as she helped Aria stand up, “I’ll take Ari upstairs…”

“Thanks, Sona,” Sunset whispered as she reached over and pressed the buzzer to unlock the door.

Within moments of Aria and Sonata’s departure, Mrs Blaze came storming in. If not for the serious situation at hand, Sunset would’ve found this hilarious. Mrs Blaze looked terrible, with all of her hair standing on end, her clothing rumpled and disheveled, and one of her lenses broken from her glasses.

“You… You tawdry little harlot…” Mrs Blaze pointed a shaking finger at her, “Just who do you think you are…”

“Mrs Blaze, are you drunk?” Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mrs Blaze stumbled slightly, but glared, “What does it matter to you? Now that that wench has passed… It will give Aria a much needed dose of reality… I knew this day would come… I knew this would never work… She will know how pointless and illogical depending on someone for love truly is…”

“She still has Sonata, and she still has me,” Sunset said firmly, feeling a lot more confident now that she knew that Mrs Blaze was intoxicated.

“A degenerate, regressive woman child, and a naive, passive tart? Hardly. You three have all been nothing but poison to her… She could have achieved wondrous things… Attended a prestigious college, earned a degree, and made a valuable mark in society. But thanks to that heartless wench, she has tossed it all away… I would say it is only sweet justice that she is now dead, ridden from this world… And can no longer ruin her life, nor anyone she comes across!” Mrs Blaze slurred.

“Funny you should say that, because now Aria is the co-owner of a highly successful business, she’s just as famous as Adagio herself was, and has more wealth to her name than you have ever managed to scrape together with your entire, fraudulent excuse for a medical practice,” Sunset narrowed her eyes, catching sight of Aria and Sonata listening from the intercom upstairs, “She had a wife who loved her very much, and supported her a hell of a lot more than you can. Don’t you fucking dare come into my house and spit on her grave.”

“Pretty high and mighty coming from you. You’re nothing but a gold-digger, doing all she could to seduce such a wench of a woman. So you could get ahead, so you could end up where you are now, managing this pigsty of a place. Convenient that she so happened to die and leave it all to you…” Mrs Blaze slurred nastily.

“She didn’t,” Sunset glared, “She left it to Sonata.”

Stumbling back slightly, Mrs Blaze chuckled darkly, “Amazing. Leaving it to the most irresponsible, degenerative, regressive, irritating, and absolute waste of a woman child I have ever known… Perhaps that wench truly did think more with her hormones than proper judgement. She truly did the moment she crossed the line and left with a fifteen-year-old harlot.”

Sunset exhaled deeply as she felt underneath the bar, her hand grazing over something heavy and metal, “Mrs Blaze… this has gone on long enough. Aria has said over and over again that she doesn’t want you coming anywhere near her. You do nothing but insult her family, you’ve said constantly that you don’t even love her,  you made a scene at our wedding, and you’ve been nothing but a nuisance for years.”

“Be quiet, you tart. I will find Aria and drag her back home if I have to…”

Sunset sighed, “Mrs Blaze… did you know Twilight Velvet?”

“...What in the world does that have to do with anything?” Mrs Blaze glared, “And no, I did not. If there is one redeeming factor about your wife, it would be that she never stooped as low as to molest young children.”

“Well, Twilight Velvet learned a very important lesson the hard way,” Sunset said, wrapping her fingers around the handgun under the bar.

“Get to your point already, you tart…”

Sunset pulled the gun out and pointed it directly at Mrs Blaze’s forehead, “Don’t cross your red-head daughter in-law. It’ll end badly for you.”

For the first time, Mrs Blaze faltered and let out a cry of surprise, even stepping back. “...Urk....” She fell to her knees, shaking.

Sunset kept the gun trained on her forehead, “You’re in my home, and I’ve expressed over and over again that I don’t want you here. I can kill you legally.”

Eyes trained on the gun, at least for a second, Mrs Blaze’s eyes glazed over. Before they rolled into her head and she fell back to the floor, fainting. Sunset kept the gun focused on her, breathing heavily as she debated whether or not she should pull the trigger anyway.

Moments later, despite being in a bit of a daze, Aria entered the bar, examining the scene. She went over to her biological mother, and kicked her side lightly. Mrs Blaze didn’t even stir. Letting out an angered grunt, she kicked her again, but harder this time.

“Fuck. You. Bitch!” Aria growled with each kick, “Why do you even care?! You disowned me! But that’s not enough, oh no! You had to make me suffer! For daring ever crossed you! Fuck you to Hell!”

She then came to the bar, fished out Sunset’s pencil case, and rifled through it. Producing a black Sharpie, she went back to her mother, and proceeded to draw on her face.

“Uh… what are you… what are you drawing?” Sunset asked quietly.

“Whatever comes to mind,” Aria muttered, “Hey, break her legs, will you? We’ll cripple her for life.”

“Uh… are you sure about that?” Sunset asked, lowering the gun.

Aria exhaled, drawing phallic symbols along her mother’s face, “I don’t know… but I don’t care either way.”

Sunset hesitated. If she was being completely honest with herself, she’d been bluffing about killing Mrs Blaze. The idea of crippling the woman… she was more conflicted about that. She hadn’t seen a lot of what Mrs Blaze had done to them, only heard about it from Adagio.

After a little while, Aria finished her handiwork, and giggled, “Hey… Sunny… come see what I drew on her face. Oh, it’s going to take forever for her to wash that off… Hee hee… Come see…”

Sunset came over to see that Aria had drawn a series of penises over her biological mother’s face, all aiming toward her mouth, and had written the words ‘DOG DIDDLER’ on her forehead in big, capital letters. Sunset giggled a little, Aria’s juvenile retribution feeling refreshingly welcome.

“Oh, wait, forgot the moustache…” Aria drew on a crude moustache and a van dyke, “Ha ha… Take that, you bitch.”

Sunset laid a head against Aria’s shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist, “...Do you still want to cripple her?”

“...No,” Aria sighed, leaning against her a little, “Much as that’d be nice, I’m not gonna. Wouldn’t solve anything. Besides, she’s already lost everything the moment she ruined our wedding. Dad left her, my brother cut off all ties with her, and pretty much the entire family now think she’s crazy and don’t allow her near them. She’s pathetic. I figure humiliating her a little more will be fine.”

“Alright,” Sunset set the gun down on the counter and held tightly to her, instinctively pulling the older woman into her lap as she sat in one of the big, comfortable armchairs.

Sniffling, Aria relaxed against her, nuzzling her neck, “Thanks for what you did… You were terrific. I think… Ma would’ve been really proud. Wherever she is right now, I bet she’s laughing and wishing she could hug you.”

“Thanks,” Sunset smiled, stroking Aria’s back, “...I miss her so much.”

“Me too…” Aria murmured, sighing, “I don’t think I’ll ever get over her being gone…”

Sunset held tighter to her, “I don’t think anyone could get over that…”

Sniffling, Aria clung to her more as well, “Can we… go upstairs? I want to go to bed…”

“Sure, let’s just heave this bitch out onto the curb,” Sunset sighed, setting Aria in the seat as she hefted Mrs Blaze outside and dropping her face-first onto the pavement. She smirked as she heard a ‘crick’ that told her she’d broken the woman’s nose.

She came back inside and gently lifted Aria to her feet, realizing that, despite the age difference, they were about the same size, “...Do you… want me to carry you?”

“...You sure you can?” Aria blinked, wiping her eyes, “You can try, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Sunset smiled and hoisted Aria up onto her hip, smiling at how light Aria actually was as she carried her toward the stairs, “There we go… just like Mom always did…”

“Wow,” Aria murmured, snuggling against her, “You really can. That’s pretty cool.”

Sunset smiled as she ascended the stairs and entered their apartment, finding Sonata laid back on the couch, staring at the bookshelf.

“Hey Sona…” Sunset smiled, patting her head, “We’re going to bed… you coming?”

Sonata yawned a bit, “Mmm-hmm… you two go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute. I just… want to sing Mommy my favourite lullaby…”

Sunset glanced back at the bookshelf. Sitting there on the middle-shelf, the focal point of the room, was a carved, wooden box with a lock on it. Inside was a ceramic urn, containing Adagio’s ashes. The carving was elegant and careful, a testament to how much Sonata wanted it to be special, considering how much she’d been crying while she was working on it.

“Alright,” Sunset smiled, kissing Sonata’s head as she carried Aria into the bedroom.

“Night, Sonata…” Aria waved to her.

“Night, Ari, Sunny,” Sonata waved back at her.

Sonata was left alone in the living room once again as she stared at her wife’s final resting place, sniffling softly as that haunting phone call still played in her head over and over and over again. Hugging herself a little, tears streamed down her face, as she gazed upon the urn, and a framed photo sitting near it. The photo was of Adagio standing in front of the club, on the very day it had opened. It had been one of their unanimously favourite photos of her ever produced, considering how absolutely joyful Adagio looked. A sweet memory of better times.

Trying to force away the tearful memory, Sonata approached the bookshelf, but stood a couple feet away. Afraid of breaking anything. She closed her eyes, doing all she could to remember better times. A nice send-off for bedtime.

“Mommy… Mommy, can you… sing to me? Please?”

“What shall I sing, Sona-baby? Tell me.”

“...Lavender’s Blue… My… mother used to sing me that when I was little. Can you… sing it for me, please?”

Her eyes shot open as she looked around. No… She wasn’t there. Sonata whimpered, sitting back down again, hugging herself tighter. The apartment was quiet, save for the groaning and creaking of the plumbing and electrical systems that ran all through the night.

Despite the club still being open, the patrons who came only ordered drinks and sat in complete silence. The dancers hadn’t even performed since the funeral, they’d only sat, fully dressed, with the patrons and engaged in very quiet conversation. Adagio had been the life of the club, and everybody was feeling her loss. Sonata hadn’t been downstairs while patrons were still there since the funeral. She couldn’t.

There was a small ‘clink’ as the photo frame that was set against Adagio’s remains fell over and clattered onto the bookshelf.

“No!” Sonata cried. She went over to the bookshelf, picking up the broken frame. While the photo itself wasn’t damaged, the frame was completely broken. Giving a sad sigh, she gathered the pieces to dispose of them, placing the photo against one of the books.

As she bagged the broken bits, she could have sworn she saw something at the corner of her eye. No. Someone. The head of fiery hair, tall stature, and piercing eyes that-

Sonata whirled around. Nothing was there. She sighed sadly, kicking herself, “Seeing things again… Mommy’s gone...”

Sonata finished bagging up the glass and laid back down on the sofa, closing her eyes for a minute as she felt tears brimming, no sound save for the soft hum of the ventilation system. Taking a few deep breaths, she cupped her face in her hands, crying softly.

“Mommy… Why did you leave us… Why…” Sonata whimpered, “I didn’t even get to say goodbye… I’m sorry, Mommy…”

Sonata felt something warm, a blanket, drape over her as a soft, comforting hand stroked her hair. She didn’t look up, continuing to cry into her hands. Nonetheless, the warm sense of comfort was at least welcoming. She shook slightly, sobbing quietly, yet again stricken with the heartbreak. The very fact that Adagio was gone. Forever.

“Mommy…” She whimpered, leaning back against the couch a bit as she tried to lay down.

The stroking against her head was soothing… very soothing. Sonata’s tears slowly subsided as she felt tired. Exhausted. She hadn’t slept properly in a week, but now she felt… relaxed. She could faintly hear a soft, warm humming sound, almost like a lullaby as she felt her eyelids growing heavy.

“I love you, Mommy…” Sonata whispered before she finally drifted off to sleep.

“Mommy loves you too, Sona-baby,” Adagio whispered softly, wiping a tear from her eyes as she gently stroked Sonata’s hair.

“It’s time to go,” came a soft, nurturing voice behind her.

“Just a few more minutes…” Adagio sniffled.

“Of course,” said the woman clad in a green cloak behind her, laying a hand briefly on her shoulder, “I understand.”

Adagio nodded, giving a quiet, “Thank you…” as she leaned down and kissed Sonata’s cheek, rocking her baby to sleep one last time.

Although oblivious, Sonata snuggled against her and the blanket. It was clear by her countenance that she was relaxed, soothed, and likely having a nice dream. Though her cheeks were stained with tears, a small smile was at her lips. Adagio kissed Sonata’s hair and tucked her in, making sure she was as comfortable as she could possibly be.

“Mommy loves you so much, sweetie…” she said, her eyes brimming with tears, “She’s so sorry she hurt you like this…”

Sonata curled up, breathing softly, as she then spoke in her sleep, “Mommy…”

Adagio couldn’t help herself. She dropped to her knees beside the couch and wrapped her arms around Sonata’s shoulders, hugging her tightly as she gave in and began crying softly against her. For some time, she remained this way, as Sonata slept, mumbling occasionally, but that being the only other sound.

Right then, Sonata stirred slightly, then snuggled against her a little more. Adagio wrapped her arms around her precious girl and clung tightly to her, stroking her hair as she kissed her cheek.

“...Mommy?” Sonata blinked her eyes open. She felt… strange, yet, so warm, so cozy. Was this a dream? It had to be. It felt like one. She could feel someone holding her, stroking her hair and kissing her cheek. She even heard crying. “...Mommy?” All at once she could see a head of familiar hair, and her heart skipped. It was unlike other dreams she’d had over the past week. “M-M-Mommy…?”

Sonata jolted upright and… nothing. There was nothing. Nobody in the room with her.

‘CREAK’

Sonata whipped her head around to see Sunset creeping back toward the bedroom, and turned around when she’d realized the noise she made.

“Sorry…” Sunset winced, “I just… I came out to see if you were coming to bed, but… you were already asleep. Just wanted to give you a blanket… and a kiss goodnight.”

“O-Oh… I must have fallen asleep,” Sonata blinked blearily, rubbing her head. She then smiled sadly, nodding, “Thanks for the blanket, Sunny… I think I was dreaming… I… I feel warm… It was like… I don’t know, like Mommy was here beside me. I feel okay…”

Sunset smiled, her eyes shining with tears, “...My mother used to say that when she died she’d be sure to tuck me into bed one last time… I used to laugh at it when I was little, but… that actually sounds really nice… Do you wanna come to bed with us, sweetie?”

“...Yeah, yeah, I’ll come to bed with you guys…” Sonata wiped her eyes, keeping the blanket wrapped around her as she stood up. “Um… I like that, though… It sounds… like a really nice thought.”

Sunset held a hand out to her and led Sonata to their bedroom. She was still getting used to sleeping in Adagio’s bed. She’d always had her own bedroom due to the Master Bedroom having limited space. Now she slept in there with Aria and Sonata. Sunset undressed and climbed into bed, beckoning Sonata to join her and Aria, who was already asleep.

Nodding a little, Sonata gingerly climbed onto the bed, keeping the blanket with her. She sniffed it, realizing then that it smelled like Adagio’s favourite perfume. Settling in next to Sunset, Sonata made herself comfortable and hugged the blanket against herself.

“Nice idea… putting Mommy’s perfume on it…” Sonata whispered, “It smells like her…”

“I didn’t,” Sunset said tiredly as she wrapped her arms around Sonata, kissing her cheek.

“No? Oh… maybe Aria did it… or I did and forgot…” Sonata murmured, nuzzling her.

Sunset smiled, “Maybe Mom came to tuck you in after all…” she kissed Sonata’s cheek as she hugged tightly to her.

“You really think so?” Sonata murmured softly, hugging tightly back, “I was dreaming about that, I think… I felt so warm, so… comforted, and… I swear I heard Mommy’s voice… Whatever I was dreaming, I didn’t want it to stop.”

“That sounds nice…” Sunset murmured as she gently kissed Sonata’s cheek.

Sonata kissed her cheek back, closing her eyes. She paused, hearing a sound. Humming. Opening her eyes, she looked at Sunset, “Sunny? Do you hear that?”

“Hmm?” Sunset looked up, “...I don’t hear anything, sweetie…”

“No? Oh… I guess I’m just hearing things,” Sonata giggled a little, nuzzling her.

“Okay…” Sunset looked confused and just shrugged, hugging Sonata tighter as she felt Aria wrap her arms around her waist. She smiled, settling herself in between them, ‘You left some pretty big shoes to fill, Mom… I hope I can do it...’

“Goodnight, Sunny…” Sonata murmured, closing her eyes, “I love you… I know Mommy would be so proud of you…”

“Goodnight… I love you too.”