Sunset stood in front of her bathroom mirror. Her sockets were dark (made even more so by the paleness of her complexion). Her eyes were blood shot, her faced lined with worry, fear, and regret; making her look closer to her actual age than the one this body was impersonating. She wondered if this was what death row inmates felt on the morning of their executions. She cursed under breath and bowed her head. Was it a form of prayer or just her wanting to avoid her reflection? She didn't know but she found Christ's line of taking this cup from him in Gethsemane to be quite appropriate to her situation.

"Hey," Adagio said sympathetically from the doorway.

"Hey," Sunset replied without turning around.

"Still time to back out."

Sunset shook her head but still didn't look up or back. "No."

"I can come with you," Adagio offered; trying to think of any way to make this less hard on Sunset.

Sunset shook her head again. "No, I need to do this own my own. Besides, you should be here with Sparkle."

Adagio simply nodded. "As you wish," she said, turned around, and left.

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

The sun was too bright. The sky was too cheerful. The beautiful, early Autumn morning seemed to mock the bottomless sadness the group felt. It should be cloudy, it should be raining, it should be as cold and bleak and desolate as they felt inside. How dare nature not reflect their sorrow? How dare it imply all their pain and sorrow was insignificant to the universe at large? Life, time, existence would go on unaffected by this tragedy? - Blasphemy! Yet here it was; sunny, clear, temperate; which only compounded their grief.

Sunset was the last to arrive. She saw all of them but Apple Jack and Chip standing around the broken statue. They always stood there; but now it seemed to be a more living metaphor for their lives. They instinctually looked up and over at Sunset as she approached. She would normally wave but that seemed to be a too happy a gesture. She simply nodded.

"How to begin?" Sunset said as she came to a stop in front of the group. "I don't know. This is all so different. We're in deep and it's only going to get worse." Sunset paused; searching for the right words to say. None came. Everything she thought of saying felt crass and jarring and inadequate to the moment. If everything she had to say was going to be wrong, she might as well just say it and get it over with.

"I met my human self yesterday. Meeting her now was no coincidence I feel. We met at this time for a reason. I took her back to Equestria where I talked to Princess Celestia. I filled her in what was going on and who we were facing. I tried to get more information out of her but she said only that I would have to ask our Mystic. Apparently Fluttershy can access the information we need in her mystic state. So we're going to have to access that as soon as possible.

"Also, she told me to bring Sparkle back. After school tonight, they'll trade off at my house. Adagio is with her, filling her in on everything that's happened while she was gone. She'll be here with you guys from now on while Twilight and I concentrate on finding Chrysalis."

"Maybe you shoulda done that to begin with," Rainbow said bitterly.

"Rainbow!" Rarity snapped. They were all hurting but lashing out at Sunset and Twilight seemed wrong, even vulgar.

"No," Twilight stepped in, "she's right. I should have been doing nothing but from the first second I came back. I failed you. I failed as a leader."

"Nonsense!" Rarity answered back angrily. "You did what you thought was best. Two Twilights running around, the confusion that could have caused, you didn't let us down. Besides, we've been using this time to work on our powers. I know I'm way more comfortable with mine now than I was at the beginning. Had we met with this Chrysalis early, there's no guarantee we would have been able to beat her. Look at how happy we were when we fought her Saturday night. We struck, she struck back. Now we must strike again for a final time."

Rarity walked over and placed a hand on Sunsets' and Twilights' shoulder. "I still believe in both of you."

"It wasn't your fault," Fluttershy chipped in.

"The only person to blame is Chrysalis," Soarin said, looking at Rainbow who just looked down at the ground.

"So when do we do the séance thing?" Sandalwood asked. He sat beside Fluttershy on the ground, his arm around her shoulders. He knew she was tougher than she let on and that she had to do what she had to for the good of all; but he was still concerned.

"If we had more time," Sunset said, "I'd say now; but I'm thinking Friday night at my house."

"FRIDAY?" Rainbow shouted. "Why so long? I thought we had to do this ASAP? Friday is too far away. I say we do it now."

"And then what Rainbow Dash?" Sunset asked angrily. "That bell is going to ring soon. Apple and Chip aren't even here. You still have to keep up the average school kid shtick until it's absolutely time to strike. We tip our hand to early, one of you gets grounded, gets put in detention, and all this falls apart. I want her dead as much as anyone but we can't be stupid about this."

"I agree Rainbow," Twilight started speaking next. "We still don't know the full extent of what we're facing yet. Sunset and I saw/ fought that face thing we told you about. That wasn't Chrysalis. She might be a player, but this is bigger than even her. We don't know the full size and scope yet of what we're dealing with and something tells me that Shimmer and Sparkle being here isn't a coincidence either. We need them, both of them; and they're going to have to be brought up to date and trained - especially Shimmer who's the newest member here. We can't afford to mess this up. We're only going to get one shot at this.

"Friday gives you four days to work on your parents. At this point I don't think they'll want to let you out of their sight. It's going to take all that you got to change that. We have to think tactically, not emotionally. Chrysalis is a genius. She plans everything out twenty steps ahead. We have to be as smart as she is. Trust me. I fought her before and barely won."

"You know she's right Dashie," Pinky said.

"Fine!" Rainbow fumed. "But whatever happens between now and then is on your heads."

"Fully accepted Rainbow," Twilight said softly.

Sunset turned around and saw Vals' car pull in to the far parking lot. She turned toward the group. "I got to go," she said and left.

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

"Hey there beautiful," Val said full of good cheer as Sunset came walking up to him. "I was beginning to worry something was up when you didn't reply to any of my texts yesterday." He then saw how haggard and sad she looked as she got closer. "Whoa! You ok?" he asked.

She shook her head. "You haven't heard?" she asked, surprised by how happy he sounded.

"No. What? I don't listen to the news or even talk to anybody besides you. What's happened?"

"Apple Jacks' sister and grandmother were murdered late Saturday, early Sunday." Sunset sighed heavily. Not only was she about to break up with him, she also had to tell him this bad news as well.

"What?" Val said in complete shock. "Was it by that monster you're after?"

"Yes," Sunset simply answered. It wasn't quite true but it was all she was willing to say for now.

Val hugged Sunset tight. "I'm so sorry. I know how close you are to Apple Jack." He then pulled away. "How's she doing? I'm mean, sorry, stupid question."

"No, no it's not. It shows you care. Words, at a time like this," Sunset shrugged, " what are they? What are they really worth?"

"Good ones? - quite a lot. But actions speak louder. Sunny, Sunset, I'm, I, I'm so sorry. I wish I could do something, say something to take the pain away, you know, make this right; but I can't. I will do anything you ask me though."

Sunset reached out and touched his cheek. He took her hand and kissed her palm.

"You're perfect," she said softly. "You're so perfect. You're physically amazing; handsome, built. You're funny, smart, with a heart of gold." Tears welled up and streamed down her face as she kept scanning his face with her eyes.

"Nah, I'm just a dude. A dude who'll do anything for you." He smiled as he said that hoping it would make Sunset smile as well. It was breaking his heart seeing her like this.

"You would, wouldn't you? You'd march straight in to Hell and battle the Devil himself if I asked you to."

Val nodded. "After I thanked him for all the righteous tunes he's inspired that is," he said with a laugh.

Sunset hugged him tight, breathed deeply the scent of his cologne. She felt her heart, her very soul being ripped in two, four, a thousand, million different pieces. What was she doing? How could she let him go? Oh God, Goddess, any gods, all gods; please, please; I don't want to do this! Don't make me do this. I can't. Please, anyone, help me , she cried out in her mind but was met with only silence.

Sunset finally pushed away. "Val, I," she paused and breathed deep; as deeply as she could and let out a long, slow exhale. "I can't do this. I can't be with you anymore." She stood and waited for his reply.

Val just looked at her, stunned for a moment. "What? Why? Did I do . . . "

"No, no, you didn't. This isn't on you; it's all me. I started something with you I shouldn't have. I knew I had this thing to find and destroy. I also knew I was going back home after I did this . . ."

"Yeah, you told me and I said I didn't care, that I'd make it work. I told you I'd fight beside you."

"And you would die! Don't you get that? You fight with me, you'd die! I can't allow that. I couldn't take that! I love you too much. God, I've known you for a freakin' week and I'm in love with you already. What the hell?"

"And I love you too! I want to be with you Sunset. I want to stand by your side. And you don't know if I'll die or not. Trust me, I'm as hardcore as they come. I already told you about my training."

"Yes, yes I know. Oh God, you'd be such an asset . . ."

"Then let me be," he said and took her hands.

Sunset pulled them away quickly. "No, because then I'd only be using you."

"Not if I want to. Not if you love me."

"I do, I do. More than you know, more than I can say, I love you. I love you so that's why I have to let you go. I'm too weak to handle your death. And you would die. I know it. This thing, it's worse than I thought. I know who it is now. For all intents and purposes, she's a demigod. I've never faced anyone that powerful or this evil before. I'm not going to risk you. Hate me, curse me, do what you gotta do; but at least you'll be alive to do it."

Val just looked at her. His face then grew dark and twisted. She could see the boiling rage beneath. She steadied herself for the verbal onslaught that he was about to unleash. To her surprise, though, he didn't. He just nodded a bunch of times while pursing his lips. He turned his head to left, then the right, then back to her.

"No. I'm not going to give you that satisfaction. I'm not letting you off the hook. I don't hate, I won't hate you Sunset. I'm going to do something far worse. I'm going to forgive you. You got my number. Call me if you change your mind." He then got in his car and drove away.

"Val! Val! VAL!," Sunset screamed after him as he sped away. She took a couple steps then collapsed to the ground, wailing in uncontrollable tears. She soon felt herself being lifted up. She turned to see it was Twilight.

"Twilight, what did I do?" she sobbed.

Twilight hugged her and said, "What you thought was best."

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

Val sat on a bench in the park. His eyes were open but he saw nothing. He thought nothing. He felt nothing. It was like a waking coma. He didn't know what to do, what to feel, so he felt nothing. It was because of this state he didn't notice the person who sat down next to him on the bench; not until she turned and spoke to him.

"Hey Tiger. I saw what went down back at the school there. I think I might have something for ya."

Val snapped around and looked. Even though it had been almost six months since he had last seen her, there was no mistaking who she was.
"Alright Aria, I'm listening," he said.

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

Celestia sat by Luna, waiting for her plane to board. She felt torn. She wanted to see her sister off on her way to meet her daughter (Celestia's niece); but she also felt the need to be with her students after what had happened over the weekend. Either way, no matter what she had chosen, she would have felt like she had made the wrong choice.

"Thank you again Tia," Luna said softly as she looked down at the ground. "I know you wish you were there to comfort the kids; I do too actually, but this means the world to me."

"I'll have an assembly tomorrow. Zecora can handle it today. Besides, you're my little sister; I can't imagine not being here."

The two smiled at each other and then hugged. At that point boarding announcement came.

Author's Notes:

Next time, the final chapter in Book 4. I'm posting a trigger warning now and will again before the story starts because a lot of people are going to die.