Starlight looked at Sunset not knowing what to say. Her words seemed like nothing more than the air they passed through. Barely sounds with no meaning. Sunburst, dead? What? What did that mean? It meant nothing. How could it? He couldn't be dead. No, this had to be wrong, this Sunset had to be lying.

"I, can't, he can't be . . .," she muttered out. Her brain just couldn't make the connections necessary to process this information; let alone comment on it.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Sunset offered sympathetically. In the intervening years, Sunset had thought very little of Sunburst. She had successfully put him out of her mind. Now, first talking to Twilight, now talking to Starlight; she found that the wounds had dulled very little over time.

"No. NO! I don't believe you! They would have, someone would have told me. You're lying!" Starlight was in a mild rage now. This pony had to be lying. She had to be. Something as big as that, surely someone would have told her.

Sunset new her anger. She had felt it herself. She had no desire to lash out or fight back with the mare. "It's true. His parents were notified. I met with them, cried with them, I don't know why no one informed you."

Starlight had an idea. After Sunburst had left and she stopped hearing from him, she had grown cold and bitter. Eventually she had moved away at a young age, younger than most, and never looked back. It was most more than likely it was then that he had passed away and without letting anyone know where she was going, there was no way to let her know.

The irony hit her like a heavy hammer slamming against an anvil. She had left her town to get away from the hurt and the loneliness and when she did; that's when the information she so desperately wanted came back. It was too cruel, too vile to think that fate could be that hard.

She glared at Sunset. "You, you allowed that to happen. You could have stopped him; should have stopped him. You said you were his girlfriend. Why didn't you tell him he was pushing himself too far?" Sunset was now the focal point of all her rage. She was now the living embodiment of all her pain and sorrow. Every bad/wrong decision she had ever made now found a home on Sunset's back.

Sunset was not quite stunned. She knew that this was something she might encounter. She had hoped she wouldn't, but she had prepared just incase. Starlights' words cut deep but Sunset remained in control. She had to. If she let her emotions get the better of her then this situation could drastically spin out of control and no one needed that.

"I tried," Sunset said in the calmest voice she could muster, "but he was driven. Driven like few others. I told him to stop, to take it easy. But he was so talented, so advanced for his age, he thought and felt like he should go a million miles an hour all the time."

Starlight just looked at Sunset for a second and then blasted at her. She had no desire to hear anything more from this mare. She was going to make her pay. She was going to inflict upon her all the pain she had felt for all these years. Yes, this Sunset Shimmer might be an alicorn, but so what. She had bested Princess Twilight. In fact she had trained for just that sort of thing. Now she would annihilate this pony.

Without even thinking; Sunset instantly teleported out of the way and reappeared behind Starlight. She was so surprised; she didn't have time to act on this advantage. Starlight spun around and blasted at her again. Sunset once again teleported but reappeared over Starlight. Sunset didn't want to hurt Starlight but knew she had to fight back so she blasted a stun beam at Starlight. Starlight in turn didn't teleport but threw up a protection shield. The beam was deflected and Starlight levitated up to face Sunset head on.

The two ponies circled around each other, blasting away. Sunset was doing all in her power to pull her punches while Starlight did everything she could to augment hers'. Sunset saw just how right Twilight had been when she said that Starlight was powerful. The unicorn seemed to have access to powers far above what she should. But then Sunset had been a very powerful unicorn herself. And after her recent battles, she was about ninety percent of what she had been before she had left Equestria for Earth.

The sounds of battle drew the others to the grand hallway in which it took place. Twilight looked up in disbelief. Starlight had just reformed; how could she have reverted back so quickly? Sunset was powerful herself, but out of practice. There was no way she could handle Starlight. She didn't even know if Sunset could have handled Starlight at full strength.

"STARLIGHT! NO! STOP!" Twilight yelled up but to no avail. Would she have to intervene? That seemed unfair. And how would she? Should she blast Starlight? Then what? If she had slipped so soon, how could she trust her not to flip again?

Starlight was too focused on the battle to hear Twilight. All she wanted to do was destroy this talisman of pain. Her blood boiled with unending hate and loathing. Sunset kept holding back but was beginning to lose her temper. Not only that; it was clear now this unicorn would not stop until she was dead. Soon Sunset decided it was time to enter the battle for real.

"Twilight, you have to do something!" Spike said in fear. If things kept going as they were, the castle could be seriously damaged or somepony might get hurt.

"I know Spike, but what? The way they are moving around; I could accidently hit Sunset. Then what? I barely beat Starlight last time. I don't think I could do it again."

Sunset swooped and dove, teleported, blasted, did everything she knew how to do. Her strength was giving out but her anger was growing. Then a stray blast from Starlight caused a bit of the castle roof to fall. Everyone srceamed and ran below but a chunk caught Applejack on the shoulder; knocking her down. That was enough for Sunset. A ball of energy surrounded her. Starlight blasted away but her blasts had no effect. Then the energy ball turned to fire. And with one mighty blast from it, Starlight was sent crashing to the floor. Sunset then pounced on her.

"You, YOU, you think you have suffered? You lost a childhood friend; I lost my first boyfriend, my first true love! I lost my father, my mother, my place in Equestria, Equestria itself!

"Do you have any idea what I had to go through, what I had to do in the human realm to survive? I had the body of a child! I was a walking victim! But I fought and I clawed my way up to where I am!" Sunset put her hoof on Starlight's throat and started to apply pressure. All her former anger and hate came back to her. The demon had been reawakened.

Twilight ran up to her and hugged her. "Sunset, you're better than this! Don't. Please!"

Sunset looked at Twilight and saw the tears in her eyes. Suddenly she was snapped back. She withdrew her hoof and stepped off.

Starlight gasped and choked at first and then started crying. Years of hurt and frustration all came pouring out. She slammed her hoof against the floor, screaming.

"Everypony, could you give us a moment?" Twilight asked with such warmth and caring.

"Are you sure?" asked Sunset, not trusting Starlight.

"Yes. You attend to Applejack. I'll be ok."

Sunset nodded and with the others, walked away with Applejack in tow.

"You should have left her kill me." Starlight sobbed. "Letting me live is a far greater punishment."

"No. That's not me and that not Sunset. Besides, you're still my friend. I learned how differently a pony's life could turn out given the change in various circumstances. I still see the good in you. I won't give up if you don't."

Starlight looked up in sadness. "I won't." she simply said.