Twilight and Sunset climbed up in to their pod. While technically large enough for two; it sure wasn't comfortably made for two. Longer than wide, the two laid head to head with just enough room to mover their arms a bit. The branches were rough and poked them in every area. And while they had brought some blankets, the nigh was colder than they had imagined. They shivered and chattered and hoped their combined body heat would soon warm up their little coffin.

After a bit, Twilight gave up trying to sleep. She was too uncomfortable to fall asleep and still had too much adrenalin coursing through her to pass out. She decided it would be best to try and talk. "Sunset?" she whispered in to the night.

"Thank god you finally said something," Sunset whispered back in relief. "I can't sleep but was afraid to wake you."

Twilight smiled in the dark. "So, what do you think?" Twilight was such an extreme ball of confused emotions right now that she hoped that by talking to Sunset and seeing how she felt, Twilight might be able to sort her own feelings out.

"I don't know," Sunset sighed in depression. "How long has it been? Three hours? Three hours, maybe for since we saw that video?Three hours since we watched our loved ones die; brutally murdered before us? Since finding out we were literal gods incarnate? Since fighting off an army of ghosts? Three hours, maybe four, after a month and a half of playing around thinking we were doing something while Chrysalis made her plans, murdered people. A month and a half and in three hours we're here. The final battle with the entire multiverse at stake. How am I supposed to feel about that?"

"I don't know. That's why I asked you. I feel like I left everyone down; like I failed. I got so distracted that I failed to focus." Twilight left out a deep, sorrowful breath.

"Me too. I knew this was serious but I still allowed myself to be distracted. Flash, Chip, and all, they came before this. Val? - I brought him in afterwards. He might have forgiven me but I can't forgive myself."

"You had no idea who you were facing. Chrysalis is an evil unto herself. I have faced her before. I knew what she was capable of. I should have done more, I should have seen this coming." Twilight winced as bitter tears rolled down her face. They stung in the cold night and she was glad. She felt she deserved to suffer.

"Shoulda, woulda, coulda," Sunset said in an absent yet bitter manner, " the enemies of all hope. Yeah, we all could have done more but we didn't; and now we have to live with that for the rest of our lives."

"Sunset, promise me if you have the chance to take Chrysalis down, do it as quick and painlessly as possible?" More tears poured down as she thought of having to face her greatest enemy while she had the body of her greatest love. "I don't . . . I don't think I can."

"I, I promise. Although I don't think that'll matter. When Val . . .," now Sunset choked up at the mention of Vals' name and the image of him being killed. She breathed deep and tried to collect herself. "When Val killed her in the video, she just jumped into a new body. I can take . . . I can take the body out, but she could just jump again. We're going to have to find a way to capture and kill her spirit." Sunset thought for a bit and decided to give Twilight some false hope. "Maybe we can find a way to get her out of Flash without . . ., you know?"

Twilight just nodded. Sunset didn't know if she actually bought it or was just humoring her. Either way, Sunset accepted it. She then laid there for a bit of how to bring up an idea she had. It was big, bold, and dangerous. She had been thinking of it ever since Sparkle went over all the possible outcomes of trying to change time. After a few more minutes of awkward silence; she decided she just had to go for it.

"Twilight? You know how Sparkle went over what could happen if we tried to change time right?"

"Yes." Twilight suddenly grew very concerned and nervous. She didn't know why but she just felt this was going to go in to a very bad place.

"Remember how she said that one possibility was that as soon as you left to change time, everything would cease to be? You'd effectively destroy the entire universe?"

"Yeeee-esssss. Where are you going with this Sunset Shimmer?"

Sunset laughed. "You haven't called me by my full name in I don't know how long. Battle of the bands I think. 'Sunset Shimmer, we need you!' Hearing you say that changed my whole world. Up until then I was still contemplating changing back to evil. Hearing you say that - it showed me I didn't have to. It showed me I had a place to belong and friends I could count on. Thank you for that Twilight. You saved my life, my soul that day."

"You're welcome; but . . ." Twilight started to say in fearful urgency before she was cut off.

"The entire multiverse is at stake tomorrow. If we fail, if we lose, everyone, everywhere, will be destroyed. Eternal pain and suffering unleashed. No hope, no sanctuary. Everything will literally die. We can't allow that. If things start going south, if we start to lose, I'm going to go back or at least try to go back and change time. If Sparkle is right, that'll cause this universe to be destroyed - including Chrysalis, Morgarith, and the pyramid. The gate would be destroyed and the Black Gods of Death will remain sealed up forever."

"WHAT?!" Twilight shouted in horror and anger. Sunset sh'd her so she wouldn't wake the others or call attention to themselves if Chrysalis was already on her way. Twilight calmed down a little and went on more quietly. "How could you say that, think that? There's over seven billion people on Earth alone! You know, let alone forget about all the other animals and alien species that exist in this universe. You're talking trillions, quadrillions, quintillions of lives snuffed out."

"To save infinitely more," Sunset responded back angrily. "I don't take this lightly. I've been going over and over this in my head. I don't want to but if we can't let The Black Gods be freed. If they are, everything is gone; including this universe."

"So that's it huh? Numbers, math? Kill this many to save this many. It's just an equation huh? So where does it end? Kill one to save a billion? Ok, sure. Ten to save a hundred million? Ok. One hundred for ten million? One thousand for ten million? Ten thousand for a million? What about ten for a hundred or fifty for a hundred? Do you kill fifty to save fifty-one? I mean you are saving one more life than you're taking. At what point does the lives taken equal the lives saved? Is it parity?"

"I don't know Twilight; you tell me? We just killed two people back home to get inside Chrysalis' mansion and we're going to be killing people tomorrow. Don't think for a second we won't be. We'll be killing a few to save countless more."

"We'll be wiping out an entire universe if we try what you want! Innocent men, women, children; completely wiped out."

"To save even more innocent men, women, and children!"

"No, you can't. Besides, that's only one possibility. You could go back and nothing happens or you get stuck in a parallel dimension and we're left to fight without you."

"If I try this, it'll be because the battle is already lost. This is my nuclear option, my final solution . . .,"

"Poor choice of words there Sunset but somehow fitting," Twilight interrupted with bitter sarcasm.

"Ha," Sunset responded equally sarcastic. "You know what I mean. This is, will be my last resort. I'll only do it if I know we're going to lose. I take no comfort in it. I don't want to go down as the greatest murder of all time. Sunset Shimmer, destroyer of not just worlds but entire universes; but what other option do we have? Life is hard and tough and unfair and it often involves choosing between two horrible options and trying to decide which is the least worse and it sucks and I hate it but it doesn't change the fact it is what it is. One universe for all universes? Yes, every and any time."

"Well it won't work," Twilight said tersely. "Before I came here, I was caught in a time loop. Starlight Glimmer kept changing time and our universe didn't end."

"Our universe is different. In our universe, pegasi control the weather and the sun and moon need to be raised and lowered manually. What happens there doesn't apply here." Sunset was cold, yet harsh.

"I can't, I won't allow you to do it," Twilight said with cold, hard, blunt brutality.

"You won't be there to stop me. That's my metric. If I see you die, I'm going for it. I was hoping you'd do the same if you saw me fall." There was real sorrow in Sunsets' voice as she thought about the prospect of Twilight dying.

Twilight grew quiet. Her heart broke. She knew Sunset was acting with the best of intentions. Maybe she was right but then she thought about Cadence and Shinning and their yet to be born. She thought also thought about Maud and Big Macs' child. She thought about every person, everywhere, just trying to live their lives. "Sunset," she said softly, woefully, "I'm sorry, I just can't."

Sunset nodded. "Hopefully it won't come to that." Sunset took one big, deep breath and let it out slowly. "Just don't become a villain trying to be a hero."