Adagio walked through the door of Shimmer's house. After hearing how distraught Adagio had been over the phone, she had asked her dad if he could pick her up for a sleep over. Shimmer stayed on the line until her dad had pulled in. On the way over, Adagio and Mr. Shimmer had talked. He was a nice enough man, Adagio thought. Not the world's brightest as she was able to b.s. her way through most of the conversation with no notice from him. Then again she did have centuries of practice. And now she was here, in Shimmer's place.

"Adagio!" Shimmer called out and ran over to hug her.

"Shimmer. I thanked your dad for letting me spend the night." Adagio turned and waved at Shimmer's dad and winked. He blushed and Shimmer gave him a look that was halfway between confused and angry. Adagio then turned back to Shimmer. "Especially on such short notice."

"It's ok. Besides, I think my folks are just glad I have a friend here. So, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter."

"Wow, Sunny was right; you are very pretty."

Adagio turned around and saw a young girl about ten years old.

"That's my sister Cindy," Shimmer said. Since Adagio already knew how she felt about her, there was no need to be embarrassed.

"Well you and your sister are pretty as well," Adagio said to the girl.

"You can come down to the game room. You play video games don't you?" Shimmer asked.

"Not for a while," not since 1984, Adagio finished in her own head. "I'm willing to give it a go though."

"Cool. Follow me."

********************************************************

Twilight sat on her bed, her eyes closed, head bent forward, hands interlocked in front of her face, the index fingers extended. All around her, objects levitated and spun in a counter clockwise motion. She then began to levitate off her bed. She then extended her arms out to her sides with the palms facing out. She slowly floated down to her bed and all the objects went back to their proper places. She breathed deeply, opened her eyes, and smiled.

"Very impressive Twilight!" Spike said enthusiastically.

"Thanks," Twilight replied grateful for the compliment but still wishing she was better. "It's getting easier to get in the correct mindset and access my powers but it's still taking too long with too much concentration. In a real battle, especially a surprise one, I wouldn't have near enough time to get into the proper state."

"It'll come Twilight. Don't worry."

"Thanks again Spike," she said as she slid down onto the floor beside him. "I just worry though. Now that I have an idea of the power of what we're going against; I don't know. I'm just worried. I'm worried about me, I'm worried about Sunset, I'm worried about the others, I'm just worried."

"You'll get there Twilight. I'm sure the others will too."

"I hope so Spike. I don't know. I'm worried about Sunset. She ditched one day to spend with Adagio and now she's out on a date. I hope she's taking things seriously."

"Wait; are you really worried about Sunset not taking this seriously or not trying her best?"

"I shouldn't be. I guess I'm not but then I guess I am. I don't know. It's, things are so confusing right now."

"Twilight," Spike said sympathetically as he walked over and laid his head on her thigh. "Is something else bothering you?"

Twilight sighed, looked down, then turned her head away. "Just thinking Spike. I've been thinking about having a family. I'm twenty-seven and, I guess it's just that time of life I suppose; but I've been really thinking about what it would be like to get married, have a kid or kids."

"Nothing wrong with that."

"It is when you're a princess charged with protecting the multi-verse. When I first became a princess, I worried if I was good enough, if I deserved it. Then when I accepted that I was; I worried what my role would be. Now that that's sorted, I worry about the impact it will have on those around me or those that will be around me.

"Any husband or child of mine will be forced into a life of constant threat. Things attacking me, attacking them to get to me. A husband, well he can make up his own mind and enter in under his own free will. It won't make it easier; but it will make it fairer. A child on the other hand. A child has no choice on what life it is born into, what circumstances it will face. How can, do I have the right to bring a life into existence knowing all the possible dangers it will face?"

"Well, I don't know. That's a hard decision no matter what. Think about what the average person's best case scenario is - You have kids and they're perfect. Brilliant, strong, fast, attractive, kind, loving, compassionate. They meet another perfect person, marry, have perfect jobs, perfect kids of their own, perfect friends, then the last forty to thirty years of their lives are spent getting older, sicker, weaker, watching the same happen to everyone they love. Then, slowly, everyone they care about starts to die and eventually they do too. Life is short, full of pain and suffering; under the best of conditions."

Twilight just stared at Spike for a while, mouth hanging wide open. "Was that suppose to cheer me up? No offense, but never take a job at a suicide prevention hotline."

Spike shook his head. "You missed my point. If even under the best of circumstances, any child will face loss and hardship, but no one, well very few at least say that is a reason not to have children."

"But my life, the life they'd be born into wouldn't be normal."

"No, it'd be a life full of magic and wonder. Look Twilight, any kids you have would face a life much different than most. Sometimes better, sometimes worse. It's a gamble. It's a gamble every parent takes when they decide to have kids. Nothing is guaranteed and waiting or hoping for a time when they are would be pointless."

"Maybe you're right. I just don't want to cause them any undue pain."

"What parent does? But that's nothing you can control. No parent can. They can try and they do; but in the end life happens. For good or ill."

"You're right," Twilight sighed then smiled. "When did you become so wise?"

"I'm six. In dog years that's forty-two. I'm middle aged."

With that, they both laughed.

*********************************************************************

Adagio and Shimmer finished up the game they were playing and looked at the clock. It was 1:28 in the morning.

"Oh crap! I should be getting to sleep," Adagio said a bit miffed at herself for losing such track at time.

"You can sleep down here. The couch turns into a bed. Orrrrrrrrr you can sleep in my room." Shimmer blushed and looked down as she said that.

Adagio shook her head. "I'm sorry. I already told you I can't."

"But why? You said yourself, your Sunset is straight. She's out on a date with a guy tonight. You'll never be with her. You can be with me, here, tonight. What are you going to do? Stay single and pine after someone you can't have the rest of your life?"

"And how would you feel if I went up with you tonight, made love but it wasn't you I was making love to but her? How would you feel knowing my heart wasn't into it, wasn't into you? And how much would it say about how you feel about me if none of that would bother you? Do you want me, all of me - my heart, my soul, my mind; or just my body?

"If all you want is sex, you know what, fine. I can do that. I haven't done it in a very, VERY, long time, but I should think I'm still really good at it. I can make scream. I can make you orgasm. No sweat. Just say that's all you want, that's all you want me for. Be honest." Adagio's voice cracked with anger and tears. Tears of bitterness and sadness.

Shimmer closed her eyes and bowed her head. "No. No it's not. I was hoping, if we did it, you'd forget about your Sunset and just want me."

"That wouldn't be love, that'd be substitution."

"I know and you're right and I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I led you on first. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it in the first place and I won't do it now. Where ever this goes, it has to get there naturally. Anything other than and it would be a lie."

"I understand and you're right again. Night Adagio."

"Hey, you can still give me a hug and kiss if you want."

Shimmer did just that.