Horizon was only lightly sleeping when she felt something that made her open her eyes. A strange feeling overcame her that compelled her to look around her room until she spotted a blurred figure standing at the foot of her large bed. Calmly, the girl sat up, rubbed her eyes, and retrieved her glasses from the end table, perching them on her nose and adjusting them, she took a look at the figure standing there.

The person at her bedside was wearing a rather large black jacket with an interesting collar to it, the rest of is came down to her knees with its length. The rest of their body was covered in a tight black stealth suit, black in color, and upon their face was a gas mask, featuring glowing red eyes.

Horizon blinked and yawned as she gazed at the person standing in her room for a solid few seconds before either of them spoke. “Would you mind removing your mask?” Horizon asked.

The figure shrugged and removed the mask to reveal a gorgeous chiseled face, mature and stern-looking. The female's eyes shined a vibrant reddish-pink and her luscious curly hair cascaded over her as it fell out of the helmet that it had been stuffed into. The young woman gave a gentle wave of her head and ran her hands through her attractive mane after dropping the helmet onto the floor.

Horizon and the woman locked eyes. They stared at each other without saying a word for a few awkward seconds before the visitor broke the silence.

“Do you know who I am?” The woman asked.

Nodding, Horizon didn’t avert her eyes from the figure before her. “You’re Adagio Dazzle.”

“Perceptive...” Adagio smirked before putting her hands on her hips and walking with a gentle sway of her rear. She was tall and lanky, but she had a decent behind. What she lacked in chest she made up for in legs, thighs, and gorgeous hair. Her locks were thick looking and full.

Horizon kept her eyes on the woman as she wandered around Horizon’s bedroom casually without much concern.

“You’re dead,” Horizon stated.

Adagio gave the girl a nod. “That’s correct.”

Such a fact at least explained why she didn't seem to be too concerned about taking her eyes off of Horizon at least.

“Then this is a dream,” Horizon said, her words not phrased as a question, but as a statement.

Shrugging, Adagio placed a hand atop of a vanity in the room and ran it along the fine wood. “That’s hard to say. If I am a dream, then I would be limited only to what you know, or what your imagination can conjure up, correct? That would be the most sensible answer, right?”

“I suppose that’s true, so anything I ask you is subject to that level of scrutiny...” Horizon reasoned.

“I can assure you that I’m not a dream, but that’s all determined by if you believe what you see. Seeing is believing after all, and perception is reality.” Adagio grinned.

“What are you then?” Horizon sat up and asked, crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap.

"What do you think I am?" Adagio smirked as she crossed her legs.

"Don't know." Horizon shrugged.

"Don't trust your perception then?" Adagio asked.

Horizon yawned with her answer. "Perception can be fooled. I'd rather rely on what I can check with others and verify if that makes sense?"

"A woman of facts, I suppose I can respect that..." Adagio nodded in understanding.

"So what are you then?" Horizon asked a second time.

Adagio glanced over at the girl with serious eyes. “An echo of the past. I believe I’ve been referred to as an Adagio Shade by some.”

Horizon tilted her head. “What’s that?”

The tall woman ran her finger along with the mirror in the room, gazing at her own reflection, admiring the details carefully
of her own face before she answered Horizon.

“I’m made up of fragments of Adagio’s memories. I was expelled from her upon her death, and thus I know what she knew,” the woman explained.

“Why are you appearing before me then?” Horizon asked.

Adagio tapped a photograph that was framed on a dresser of Horizon and her mother when she was just a toddler. The woman’s long finger tapped Sunset in the picture.

“Anyone connected to Adagio can see me, and you are connected to Sunset Shimmer, therefore you can see me. Sensible, right?”

Horizon kept her eyes on the woman in her room as she continued her line of questioning. “I suppose it would be a waste of time to ask you if you know anything about what happened to Sunset then?”

Adagio nodded. “Correct. Since I am only a memory fragment, I can not create or retain new memories. Anything that happened after my death is a mystery to me. I cannot know anything that Adagio didn’t know prior to her demise. On top of that, I obviously wouldn't have knowledge of anything that I wasn't even present for as well.”

“I suppose that makes sense, one needs a body and brain to create memories after all...” Horizon rationalized.

Adagio shook her head. “You’re thinking is stunted. Memories are far more powerful than that. One only needs the ability to think, and that doesn’t come from the body or brain, but from somewhere deeper. A brain is merely a tool that transmutes memories into storage for the long term within the body.”

Horizon scratched her head in confusion. “Sounds philosophical, but I think I get it.”

The Adagio shade shrugged.

“Why did you kill Shimmer?” Horizon asked.

Adagio frowned at that question. “I never intended to. I loved Shimmer very dearly, I wanted to be with her again even if it was wrong...”

“Why would it be wrong?” Horizon blinked.

Approaching Horizon, Adagio knelt down to be at eye level with the girl as she spoke. “That’s a complicated story, but the point is that I never wanted to kill her, I didn’t even want to kill Sunset, but I was in a position where I had to, I wanted Shimmer to love me again, and I couldn’t see another way without stealing Sunset’s magic...”

“What does that mean exactly?” Horizon asked curiously.

Standing back up, Adagio shook her head and smirked. “A story for another time. You have so much left to discover, so I don’t want to make everything too easy for you, but you’re on the right path, I would say.”

Placing a hand upon her chin, Horizon pondered everything she had been told and decided to ask a final question. “Where do I go from here then?”

Adagio glanced over at Horizon and grinned from the side of her mouth. Her face looked sly and mischievous. “I’d say look into myself. Everything is connected, and I’m sure you’ll find your answers if you dig deeper. I used to rent an old apartment on the other side of the city almost twenty years ago on Eighth street. If you’re lucky, the owner still lives there and might be able to point you in the right direction.”

“Why’re you helping me though?” Horizon asked.

Adagio shrugged. “Don’t know, but then again I’m just a memory fragment, so I guess I can't explain too much about my thought process.”

Bowing her head, Horizon looked back at the woman only to see that she had vanished into thin air. She spoke her appreciation regardless though. “Thank you.”

Cinder had afforded herself a small apartment, not too far from her job as a farmhand at Applejack’s home. She wanted to keep a relatively low profile, and truthfully there weren’t many things in the world that she needed. So long as she had food and alcohol, she was content.

In her spare time, she would check the library to learn more about the human world that she was now a part of so she could blend in better. Unfortunately, being from the Equestrian universe meant that she had no identification whatsoever, and that limited her a little. The apartment she rented was done with a more vocal agreement, and her job at the farm didn’t require much in the way of background checks. The more she learned about the complications of the human world, the more she wondered how Sunset Shimmer ever survived in such a place.

To keep herself at optimum physical condition, Cinder exercised daily and had a pull-up bar placed in her apartment which she was currently using. Lifting herself up and down with her good arm, she didn’t bother with her mechanical one. It took a great amount of upper body strength to lift herself with just one arm, but Cinder was far from an ordinary woman. She possessed the kind of upper body strength that even many men did not have.

After a good eighty reps she let herself down and looked at the mechanical claw that was her right arm. She opened and closed it a few times and tapped the gemstone that was now embedded in her palm. She had augmented it before she left Equestria, which she hoped would come in handy. It was never a bad idea to be extra prepared after all.

Sitting down on the small loveseat in her home, the woman flipped the television on and leaned back as the news began to play. Televisions were a strange invention to her, a holographic box that would appear when switched on that displayed various things. Still, she found it useful to keep up with the news of the world. She was still getting used to the thing that humans called “the internet”.

Moving things around on her coffee table, Cinder retrieved a stack of papers she had been scribbling notes on from under it and placed them on top as she spread them out.

“Where are you, Eclipse? I really hope you’re okay...” Cinder frowned as she examined her notes.

So far, she had almost nothing on his whereabouts. If his time here was anything like hers, he had no IDs and that meant he likely lived almost completely off the grid, which meant that finding him would be extremely difficult. She hadn’t seen her former student in almost a decade, but she couldn’t turn back. Twilight made it clear to her that this was a one-way trip.

The phone on her wrist began to vibrate, and it took her a moment to remember how to answer it. Technology in this world confused her.

Making a gesture, a holographic headset appeared over her ear as she answered the call. “Hello?”

“Cinder, darling! I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work today!” Rarity’s soothing voice rang in her ear.

“Oh, it’s no trouble. It’s what I’m paid to do after all...” Cinder replied.

“I must say though, darling, I haven’t seen a woman as strong as you since I met Applejack; even she is impressed with your strength. The military certainly made you an impressive specimen!” Rarity praised.

Cinder had to hold back her true abilities, but she still was exceptional by human standards when it came to strength. She could never let anyone know that she could lift objects weighing in the thousands though.

“My family made us work a lot as kids, so continuing to build my strength came naturally...” Cinder told a half-truth.

“Well, I wanted to invite you over for dinner with our family this Friday. You’ve done so much in such a little time with nary a complaint, that I’d be remised if I didn’t try and show our appreciation,” Rarity stated.

Cinder let out a chuckle. “You pay me, that’s thanks enough.”

“Nonsense, darling! You go above and beyond!” Rarity insisted

Sighing, Cinder realized that she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Alright, well I guess I can work that into my schedule, I don’t exactly have anything fancy to wear though...”

“Leave that to me!” Rarity exclaimed.

“Alright...” Cinder gulped as she hung up.

She sighed, realizing she had likely just agreed to be put in some ridiculously elaborate frou-frou outfit of Rarity’s choosing.

Keylime waited patiently for the arrival of Bolt Dash, her new favorite customer. Sure enough, right on time, he approached the entrance to the bakery and found his way inside. Keylime perked up more than usual and leaned over the counter to greet him, her low cut shirt offering a healthy dose of cleavage for his viewing pleasure. “Bolty!”

The boy blushed slightly as he casually nodded and waved while approaching the counter. “Hey girl, what’s up?”

Keylime looked up to the ceiling in earnest and observed what was up there so she could report it to him. “Ummm, light fixtures I think, though I don’t know what your sudden fascination with the... Oh, you meant how am I, duh!” She shook her head and grinned widely at him once she realized her mistake.

He blinked a few times, but had come to expect such things from her. “More or less, what have you been up to?”

“I went to a class for throat singing the other day actually,” she stated.

Bolt’s brow went up at that statement. “I didn’t know you were into that.”

“I’m not, I had a free lesson coupon that I found on a flyer someone left here, figured it was a better way to spend an afternoon than cleaning my room.” She shrugged.

“Your room must be a real nightmare then...” Bolt concluded.

She winked flirtatiously at him. “Maybe you’ll find out someday.”

He chuckled and grinned back at her as he leaned in. “You’re bold.”

“I suppose bold is better than italic isn’t it? Well... Both imply emphasis in the right circumstances though...” She placed a hand on her chin in thought.

There’s really no end to how strange she can be sometimes, is there? Bolt thought.

“Got a second? I wanted to talk to you about something...” Bolt’s eyes glanced over at the curvy woman who called herself Keylime’s mom that was standing at the other end of the counter licking some frosting off of her fingertip. The more he looked at her, the more it was clear to him where Keylime got her attractive figure from.

“I think we will need more than one second...” Keylime replied.

Rolling his eyes, Bolt chuckled. “Fine, do you have several seconds that I could borrow you for?”

She nodded and looked over at her mother as she spoke up. “I’m taking a break, mom.”

“Alright, just make sure you’re back soon, we have a big order later.” Pinkie smiled at the two teenagers.

Once they were given the okay, Bolt and Keylime stepped outside and stood in the alleyway next to the shop while Bolt leaned up against the wall and took a few puffs from his smoking device and exhaled the smoke. Keylime could smell the artificial vanilla.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Keylime was as perky as ever.

Bolt took another long puff before answering. “I know you’re still getting up to speed, but there’s a new development with Horizon’s situation.”

“The plot thickens!” Keylime giggled.

He nodded as he offered her the device. The girl took it carefully and held it awkwardly as she inhaled and coughed. It was clear to Bolt that she had never used one before, which only made him laugh. He adjusted it in her hand to show her how to hold it.

After being corrected, Keylime tried again, and was able to take a drag without looking like a total novice at the activity, to which Bolt nodded approvingly.

“So what’s new?” She offered it back to him.

He took another puff and spoke. “She thinks we need to look deeper into this Adagio Dazzle person. She said that she had an apartment on the other side of town almost twenty years ago. It’s a long shot, but there’s a chance that the guy who owned the place back then is still around. He might know more about her.”

“Adagio is the woman who murdered Horizon’s aunt, right?” Keylime asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, and at one point the two were lovers. Apparently Adagio and Sunset had beef over something too, because Twilight didn’t seem too keen on talking about her. I’d say assuming she’s connected to all of this is probably not too far off.”

“She fucks her and then kills her.” Keylime nodded.

He hadn’t expected such crass language from the girl, but he nodded in agreement regardless. “Seems that way. Adagio knew about magic too, so there’s a good chance that Shimmer did as well. There’s no doubt in any of our minds either that magic was part of the reason why Shimmer and Sunset were both killed.”

“Such a waste...” Keylime sighed.

“Definitely, especially because I’m willing to bet that Sunset’s help would be pretty valuable right now. The people behind that guy killing her must have known that too...” Bolt shook his head.

“Any clues on how to open that box that she left behind?” Keylime asked.

Bolt remembered that they had a few briefings where they explained all they knew to Keylime, but at the time it didn’t look as though she was paying much attention, so he was surprised to hear her say something that revealed she actually had.

He shrugged. “It’s still a mystery. We’re fairly sure that magic is the key to unlocking it, but we don’t know how specifically.”

“Do you think the people who killed Sunset will kill us too?” Keylime asked innocently.

Bolt blinked at the question. He definitely knew it was more than possible, and since one of them had already attempted to kill Horizon, they weren’t above murdering some teenagers, but he didn’t want to worry Keylime.

He grinned and winked at her. “I won’t let them do that to you.”

She smiled back at him. “I feel a lot safer with you protecting me then.”

Walking past him, she patted his shoulder playfully. “I have to get back inside, but message me when we are going to that apartment with Horizon, alright?”

“No problem.” He responded as he watched her skip back inside, his eyes drawn to her rear that bounced with her.

Once she was back inside and out of earshot he thought out loud. “Damn, that girl’s the whole package...”

“So this is the place then?” Starlight asked as Sunburst parked their van at a gas station.

“Looks like it, hard to believe this place could be the end of our search for answers. Not exactly as exotic as all the other places we’ve been, is it?” Sunburst chuckled.

Angel peaked from the back seat to get a better look at the city. Canterlot was far from impressive, if anything it seemed like a fairly bland city, but they had all grown up in California.

“I really hope this place can give us answers, though I’m not sure how we’re going to approach any of the people from my visions without them thinking we’re crazy...” Angel frowned.

Starlight waved her hand to dismiss any fears that Angel had as she shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, we’ll think of something. For now, all we gotta do is blend in, star assimilating into the social network around here and before we know it, we will have excuses to talk to them.”

“How do you figure we should do that?” Angel asked as she opened her door to step out of the van to get some air.

Sunburst opened the driver’s door to go fill up the gas tank, but he looked back and called to Starlight. “Does Nova want anything?”

“She’s sleeping in the back,” Angel answered on her behalf.

Starlight stepped out with Angel and both leaned up against the car next to each other. “Well, I think we first gotta find out what high school their kids go to and enroll Nova into it.”

“Guess that means we have to buy an apartment together then if we’re going to be staying a while...” Angel stated.

Laughing, Starlight nodded. “It’ll be nice to not have to sleep in hotels for a change. Man, we are so lucky that Sunburst is good with numbers, his investment knowledge has really kept the money rolling in so we can bankroll our little adventures...”

“Combined with his ability to count cards at casinos...” Angel rolled her eyes.

Starlight shushed her. “Hey, that is only when we need quick money in a tight spot! Point is that he’s a great provider. When this is all over, I think we’ll try and make more serious investments so we can retire like I always wanted.”

“You have always hated working...” Angel smirked.

Starlight gave a pouting face. “When you have kids you’ll understand! The moment one of them pops out of you, all you want to do is stay at home to be around them.”

“Starlight, I’m in my thirties and I’ve never had sex...” Angel reminded.

“We really gotta get on that...” Starlight chuckled.

“It’s not exactly on my priority list, given the circumstances...” Angel rolled her eyes.

“With how stressful all of this has been, it should be high on your priority list. You need some release, girl.” Starlight teased.

“Doesn’t seem to be doing you much good...” Angel said.

Starlight laughed. “You got me there.”

Ringing the doorbell, Cinder adjusted the white tank top she wore and tried to make herself presentable. A few seconds after her ring, the door opened to reveal a fit woman in a short sleeve green plaid shirt. Her hair was long and somewhat unruly, and Cinder couldn’t help but feel she would look better with a ponytail.

Her green eyes met Cinder and a smile came to her face as she opened the door wider and stepped aside, gesturing with her hand for the woman to enter. “Howdy, Cinder. Supper’s almost ready, come on in.”

Nodding, Cinder stepped inside and past Applejack. She had never actually been in the house before, but her nose guided her to where the dining room was by the smell of food. Once inside, she kept her arms at her sides as she observed a tall blonde teenager setting down plates and silverware around the table.

He saw Cinder and nodded, tipping his stetson to her. She recognized him, he was Applejack’s son, Jasper. They worked together in the fields from time to time, but she didn’t speak with him much, as she was always focused on work or whatever else was on her mind.

“Howdy there, Miss Cinder, pleasure havin’ you over for dinner.” Jasper bowed gently.

Cinder waved her bad hand dismissively. “No need to be so formal, just Cinder is fine. I’m not an old lady.”

Ironically she realized about eight seconds after making that statement that technically by human standards she was. Being over two thousand meant that she was older than all of their grandmothers combined; Cinder was beyond the textbook definition of an old lady, yet as a dragon, she was still young for her species.

Her parents didn’t even reach full size until they were about eight thousand, though she supposed she was not going to grow much more in her human form, given that her biology had morphed somewhat since she arrived.

“I didn’t mean nothin’ by it, just showin’ respect is all.” Jasper grinned.

“You country types are always so overly polite, I swear.” Cinder chuckled as the young man pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

“Nonsense, every lady deserves to be treated.” Jasper smiled and nodded.

As she sat down and saw Rarity coming out with food, followed by Applejack who was assisting her with the rest of the food Cinder observed the couple who stepped together lovingly as they set down the items onto the table. Cinder could already smell a large portion of meat as they entered the room and noted that steaks were being served.

Applejack pulled out a chair for her wife and kissed the attractive woman’s shoulder as Rarity giggled and began to serve steaks onto everyone’s plates, Cinder’s included.

“Steak? Isn’t that a bit much for such a casual dinner?” Cinder blinked.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Y’all would think, but ‘Ah swear to the sun and stars that Rare has an obsession with steak. Don’t make a lick of sense either, the girl eats probably two a week, yet she don’t gain a pound.”

Applejack’s hand ran along Rarity’s waist and gently brushed her behind, causing the girl to flinch slightly and playfully swat her wife’s hand away. Cinder was a virgin, but she could tell when two were in love, and these two reeked of it. Applejack was practically doting over her lovely wife. Hormones were in the air.

“Cinder dear, I have a solution for your outfit, but you’ll need to go and fetch our daughter, Candy from upstairs. She will help you out, and then you two can return, it shouldn’t take too long,” Rarity instructed as she pointed toward the staircase in the other room.

Nodding, Cinder excused herself and made her way up the staircase and poked her head in several bedrooms until she came across one that was decorated almost entirely in a muted purple. Standing in front of a mirror was a young girl whose bouncy wavy hair matched her walls.

She turned and her green eyes met Cinder’s eyes and a smile came across her fresh young face.

Stepping down from a stool, the preteen offered her hand and looked away. “Cinder, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Confused, Cinder took her hand and just held it there, unsure of what to do with it.

Candy opened her eye and glanced at Cinder standing there dumbfounded. “You’re supposed to kiss my hand, stupid.”

“Oh, right...” Cinder nodded and knelt down to kiss the young girl’s hand.

“You really suck at this fancy thing, don’t you?” Candy asked while taking her hand back and placing both of them on her hips.

The girl was fairly short in stature, and Cinder could tell she was in the middle of puberty as her proportions were somewhat awkward, but she was still adorable nonetheless.

Her deep purple lacy dress was certainly something to behold, and the girl sighed and shook her head before letting out a burp and covered her mouth. “Excuse me, I had a lot of soda. Weak spot for that shit, you know?”

Cinder blinked. While she had seen the girl from far away in the house while she worked, this was her first time actually interacting with her directly. Her appearance was elegant, but her mouth was anything but.

“Anyway, let’s get you all fabulous, shall we? Mother prepared an outfit for you and entrusted me to make sure it’s perfect.” She puffed out her chest with pride as she spoke.

Cinder rubbed her neck sheepishly. “Are you sure...?”

The girl grew a minority offended expression. “Listen, I might be a kid, but I’m going to make sure you’re absolutely fucking fabulous, alright? So this will go a lot better if you just cooperate.”

A chuckle escaped Cinder as she nodded in agreement. “Alright, you win.”

“Good, I knew you’d see it my way.” Candy grinned.

It was only eight short minutes before Candy made her way down the stairs before Cinder and stood at the entrance to the dining room. She cleared her throat to get the attention of the table. “Attention, diners!”

The entire group looked back at Candy with interest as she announced Cinder’s entrance. “I, that fabulous Candy Apple, have prepared our dinner guest-“

Jasper cut her off as he gave an annoyed tone. “Mother did most of the work makin’ the outfit...”

Candy stomped her foot and flipped him the bird. “Hey, I’m tryin’ to do a really fancy entrance here, do you mind not being a shithead for a minute?”

“Candy! Language!” Rarity scolded.

The girl pouted as she stomped her feet once more. “But mother! He’s being a jerk! I’m trying to do a dramatic entrance and he’s ruining it!”

“Jasper, be nice to your sis’.” Applejack rolled her eyes at the bickering between the two.

Candy composed herself and started again. “As I was saying, I present to you all, the lovely... Miss Cinder!”

Stepping aside, Candy allowed Cinder to enter the room, with her arms folded in front of her. She had been adorned with a magnificent black kimono with purple flowers decorating it. Her wild hair had been tamed and an orange flower pin had been stuck in it.

She bowed gently as she entered. “How do I look?”

Applejack, Rarity and Jasper all clapped at her entrance. “Darling, you look fabulous! I knew I was right to go with Asian styled garments! It accents you perfectly, and makes a lady out of you, yet!”

Making her way to her seat, Cinder sat herself down, and watched as Candy sat across from her with a wink.

“Thank you, the long sleeves hide my bad arm at least.” Cinder chuckled as she picked up a fork.

“What kinda’ military service did y’all do, Cinder?” Applejack asked curiously.

Cinder looked down at her plate and smiled. “I served under one of my best friends, but the nature of what I did is classified, sorry.”

“It’s good to respect your superiors so much though, good for you!” Applejack praised as she pointed with a fork, Rarity coughing to signal how rude it was.

“Yes, well I wasn’t the real hero anyway...” Cinder admitted as her mind went back to the time she and Princess Twilight spent in Dragon Scar together. While Cinder certainly was invaluable in their campaign, she couldn’t deny that Twilight and the other small entourage of dragons that aided there really were the stars of the show.

Applejack swallowed a bite of food and shook her head. “Modest then, a fine trait to have.”

Cinder never considered if she believed herself to be modest or not, but she shrugged it off as she took another bite out of her food.

Candy had taken note of how much of her mother’s steak was already gone as she commented aloud. “Damn, mother, you inhaled that thing!”

Rarity’s face turned red as she shrunk slightly in her chair. “C-Candy, it’s rude to comment on a lady’s eating...”

“Sure, but damn that was fast!” Candy pointed at Rarity’s plate.

Rarity was clearly trying to contain her embarrassment, but struggling to do so.

Cinder chuckled. “It’s alright, I learned how to eat fast when I was young as well.”

“Military family?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah...” Cinder nodded, realizing she had to keep her story going.

“Not that ‘Ah’m tryin’ to be rude, but yer’ arm is mighty interestin’. It’s very different from the one my friend got when she lost hers’...” Applejack pointed out.

Cinder’s eyes went over to her exposed metallic claw. It definitely did stand out, and while it changed shape slightly to match her human form, it was still very much a noticeable feature upon her. It didn’t exactly look like it was built in a factory somewhere, it definitely looked far more custom built.

Thinking on her toes, Cinder gave an answer. “It’s a special prototype, heavily modified. I’m not supposed to talk about it, but it was built for a unique purpose for the military...”

Applejack nodded as she dropped the subject. “Fair enough. ‘Ah didn’t mean to pry or nothin’.”

Rarity looked across the table and noted that Cinder had drunk most of her beverage. She pulled her chair out and stood up as she came around the table to take Cinder’s glass. “I’ll get you something to drink, darling.”

Looking over at the blue-eyed woman, Cinder nodded. As Rarity left the room, Cinder watched her jet black hair bounce as she swayed her hips. She returned her attention to her food until a few seconds later she could feel vibrations in her metal arm. She felt a pulse of energy about eight times from her palm and she already knew what it was.

While Applejack had engaged her son in conversation, Cinder took advantage of the moment to glance toward the kitchen where Rarity had disappeared to. The woman focused her energy from her arm and as her reptilian eyes narrowed, she could see energy being given off in the kitchen. When Rarity stepped out with a glass in her hand, Cinder could tell there was energy coming from the glass itself and a medallion upon her neck.

There was no mistaking it, it was ice magic, and it was coming from Rarity. Cinder returned her eyes to normal and took the glass from the woman before anyone noticed she had changed. She smiled and gave a nod to her host. “Thank you, very much.”

“It’s no problem, darling.” Rarity smiled back before returning to her seat.

Cinder took a quick glance across the table and noted that Applejack had a similar medallion. There was a distinct possibility that Applejack had magic as well.

Pulling herself away from the table, Cinder bowed to the group. “I need to use the restroom.”

Applejack pointed to the direction of the bathroom. “That way, down the hall.”

Cinder nodded as she exited the room. Once she was behind the wall away from the group, she held out her claw and began to analyze the group at the table in the other room through the wall. A magic projection appeared before her as it gave data on each member.

Cinder squinted as she read the data. If Applejack’s magic level was minimal then it was likely that the source of any of their power was the medallions. She kept examining.

As Cinder figured, the whole family was capable of magic, likely to exposure to the medallions, or some kind of familial connection.

Shaking her head, Cinder looked at Rarity’s data.

Cinder blinked as she re-read what she saw. She would need to consult the internet for more information, but this was definitely interesting information.

When the children went off to bed, Applejack went outside to finish a few chores while Rarity was alone in the kitchen washing dishes. Cinder entered the room with her arms at her sides. Rarity noted her entrance by smelling the freshly cleaned fabrics of the kimono she was wearing.

Neither spoke at first, and there were eight long seconds before Cinder decided to speak. “I know you’re not human.”

Rarity froze with a plate in her gloved hand. She didn’t say a word at first; she wanted to make sure that she had heard the woman correctly.

“I know you heard me...” Cinder said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about...” Rarity had a nervous tone in her voice.

Stepping forward, Cinder grinned. “You’re a bad liar. I have to admit, I was a bit confused when I saw that your blood wasn’t the same as most humans...”

“How can you see what blood I have?” Rarity turned to face the strong woman in her kitchen.

Cinder held up her metal arm and opened her palm. “My arm gives me unique abilities, one of them is I can read people’s biological signs. I had to do a quick search, but your blood is DEA 4. That alone is strange, but your usual appetite and keen sense of smell are also pretty odd... What are you exactly? You have a lot of the traits that a dog has...”

Rarity gulped and tried to think of something to say.

Cinder’s expression turned to a warm one as she lowered her arm. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell your family or anyone what you are.”

Rarity let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you... But why are you even digging into something like this anyway?”

Cinder shook her head. “I wasn’t, it was just something I discovered on accident. So tell me, just what are you?”

Rarity walked past Cinder and glanced around the corner to make sure the children were actually upstairs and Applejack was not in the house. Once she had confirmed that they were gone, she stepped back into the kitchen and spoke in a hushed tone.

“Alright, I’ll tell you, but you can never tell another soul, understand?” Rarity pleaded.

Cinder made a zipping gesture across her lips. “My lips are sealed.”

Rarity gulped as she answered. “I’m... A werewolf...”

“What’s that?” Cinder blinked.

“I can transform into a wolf on command, or during a full moon. I’ve kept it a secret for a long time...” Rarity frowned.

“Why the big secret?” Cinder raised a brow.

Rarity shook her head. “My kind have been hunted and killed for centuries. We managed to convince the world that we’re just a myth a long time ago so that we could co-exist among humans...”

Cinder crossed her arms as she listened. “Interesting... So your family doesn’t know? Won’t your kids find out when they figure out that they’re part werewolf too?”

“It doesn’t work that way. People aren’t born werewolves, they have to become them, it’s a complicated process...” Rarity rubbed her neck.

“Sounds like it, but your secret is safe with me, provided you keep some secrets for me too.” Cinder grinned.

“Anything, name it!” Rarity stepped forward and grabbed Cinder’s good hand.

The girl looked down at her hand and then up at her sad eyes. “I’ll let you know when the time is right, but just know that you can trust me, Rarity, alright?”

Rarity nodded. “Thank you, Cinder. You’re definitely a mysterious woman, and now I’m more curious about who you really are, but I suppose time will tell, yes?”

Cinder chuckled and nodded back. “Indeed.”

With this new information, it gave Cinder at least some kind of leverage and bond with Rarity. That meant that she could divulge a little more about what she knew about magic without fear of Rarity blabbing. It felt a little underhanded, but Cinder needed more leads on how to find her student. She knew he was out there.

Jasper was just about ready to fall asleep after messaging Yuna for a short period.

Jasper: So you have a serious crush on Horizon, huh?

Yuna: Is it too obvious? Do you think she knows?

Jasper: Nah, I wouldn’t worry about it. Horizon is insanely oblivious to that kind of stuff in case you haven’t noticed. I don’t think she’d notice if someone was hitting on her if I’m honest. She’s been like that for a long time.

Yuna: I suppose that’s both a relief and a frustration at the same time. Do you happen to know if she even likes girls? I’m sorry if this is really awkward, we barely know each other and yet I’m asking you such questions...

Jasper: Nah, it’s okay. Honestly, I don’t know. Horizon has never shown any kind of interest one way or the other. She’s a pretty closed book most of the time, I think it has to do with her really weird relationship with her mother. Sunset technically abandoned her twice, so I can’t help but think that affected her more than anyone realizes. Factor that in with her being socially underdeveloped.

Yuna: It’s strange to hear so many negative things about Sunset Shimmer now. My family knew her family only to be good to us. Sunset’s sister donated a large sum of money to my family and that’s how we even have the life we do now. On top of this, Moondancer has nothing but positive things to say about Sunset and the Shimmer family.

Jasper: It’s different when it’s family. I don’t really know why Sunset left either time, but I have a feeling we may eventually find out.

Yuna: I never got to meet her, what kind of person was Sunset Shimmer?

Jasper: It’s been a long time, but I remember her being kind of serious. She only smiled when she was around Horizon or Twilight. I know her and my mom didn’t get along too well, but they both acted civil when we were around. Kind of always gave off this older sister vibe to me.

Yuna: She sounds nothing like Horizon.

Jasper: Yeah, Horizon and her have very little in common for sure. Anyway, I should head to bed, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

Yuna: Sure thing, thanks for talking to me.

Once Jasper finished his texting, he noticed that his door creaked open and in the low lighting, he could make out his mom’s long messy blonde hair. He sat there upright on his bed as the strong woman gently closed the door behind her.

She looked over at Jasper and approached carefully. “Jasper.” She nodded at him.

“Mom.” He nodded back.

Applejack sighed as she came to the side of the bed and stared at her son. “Jasper, ‘Ah don’t really know why, but Rarity thought it was best that ‘Ah give y’all this.”

Reaching around her neck, the woman removed the medallion with the apple emblem upon it and offered it to Jasper. The boy took it with confusion as he feigned not knowing what it did. “What’s this?”

“Y’all already know, don’tcha?” Applejack gave him a stern look for lying.

He let out a sigh and nodded in agreement. “Alright, yeah, I do.”

“Figured as much. Ain’t no way the talk of magic ain’t come up yet, ‘specially since ‘Ah caught wind of y’all sniffin’ around what happened to old Sunset.” Applejack shook her head disapprovingly.

“Sorry mom, I didn’t wanna worry ya’ is all...” Jasper frowned.

“Too late for that, but ‘Ah think Rarity is right. Y’all should take this to keep safe. It’ll take a little practice to learn, but before ya’ know it, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with.” The woman gave a thumbs up to him.

Jasper looked down at the medallion in his hand. He closed his fingers around it and clenched it before placing it around his neck with a confident smile. “Thanks, mom.”

“Take good care of it.” Applejack winked.

“One question though... Why did mother want me to have this now? What happened?” Jasper blinked.

Applejack placed her hands on her hips as she looked away with a look that suggested she was a bit annoyed. “Dunno. After Cinder left Rarity was actin’ weird. She’s all serious all of a sudden and said that ‘Ah should give that to ya’. She’s been really quiet all night...”

“Reckon her and Cinder had it out?” Jasper asked.

Applejack shook her head. “Nah, ‘Ah asked her about Cinder and she said nothin’ but positive things. Rare seems to really like the girl for some reason. Then again, she likes me, so maybe she’s got a thing for the tough girls? Either way, Cinder’s too friendly to offend Rarity for sure, she’s got better manners than me even.”

That much was true from Jasper’s observations, though something about that woman was a bit strange to him. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about her entire presence was off to him.

“Y’all know that what we’re doing is dangerous, right?” Jasper questioned.

Letting out a sigh, Applejack nodded. “Yeah, ‘Ah know. Can’t say that ‘Ah like it, but seems like y’all are already in deep enough to where it can’t be avoided now. Rather than fight it, it’s better to make sure that y’all are protected. Can Horizon and them use magic too?”

Jasper nodded. “Yeah, Twilight gave Horizon her medallion, and Fluttershy and Rainbow gave theirs’ to their sons.”

Laughter filled the room as Applejack gripped her gut and chuckled. “Just like them. Well, if y’all got a bunch like that at yer’ side, guess there ain’t too much to worry about. Just try not to worry your mother too much, alright?”

Jasper gave a thumbs up to her. She nodded in acceptance and began to head toward the exit until Jasper called back to her.

“Mom...”

She turned her head. “Hm?”

“Sunset Shimmer... What kind of person would you say she was?” Jasper asked.

Applejack sighed. “Do y’all really want my opinion?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

Applejack exhaled before speaking again. “Honestly? She’s a selfish brat. The girl abandoned her daughter not once, but twice. She’s been gone for eight years, and not so much as a card. If anythin’, ‘Ah hope she never comes back. The best thing to happen for her daughter would be if Sunset stopped just walkin’ in and outta her life whenever she fancied it.”

There was silence for a moment between the two followed by Applejack apologizing. “Sorry, ‘Ah know that sounds harsh...”

“Gotta speak your mind, and tell the truth in your heart, right?” Jasper smiled sheepishly back at her.

“What do you think?” Applejack asked.

Jasper paused for a moment as he considered it.

“Well, I think what she did was bad, but also that maybe she had good reasons. I think I’d hear her out. I don’t know, I don’t want to think about it so black and white is all...” Jasper shrugged.

Applejack laughed. “You get that from your mother. Y’all ain’t as pigheaded as me. You’re a very forgivin’ boy, Jasper.”

“Maybe, or maybe I’m just a fool.” Jasper shrugged.

She nodded as she placed her hand on the door. “Reckon we all are to an extent.”

With those words, Applejack left the room and allowed her son to go back to bed.

Twilight Sparkle sat with a drink in hoof as she and Starlight gazed out the window in her lounge room. The stars had begun to show themselves, and dusk was giving way for nighttime. The two had shared a few drinks and laughter together on their night off.

Starlight poured her friend another as she tried to contain her giggles, as she finished pouring and passed the beverage to Twilight, she began to ask a question. “Okay, for real, how long did it take before you hooked up with that dragon? Be honest.”

Taking a sip, Twilight rolled her eyes. “Eight weeks.”

“Somewhat of a slow mover then, I still don’t get why you did that, though...” Starlight tilted her head in confusion before returning to normal to take a sip of her drink.

Sighing, Twilight shook her head before downing an eighth of the drink quickly. “I wish I could explain it better. There was tension, excitement, the moment was really strange; trust me, if I could undo it, I would...”

“So you didn’t really like him?” Starlight blinked.

“Of course not, he was an arrogant, self-centered, racist asshole... But what about you? You and that changeling never got it on?” Twilight smirked.

Starlight found herself frowning. “No... But I did try... He really wasn’t like Serenade, honest. He had a good heart under his rough shell, but something was holding him back. Whatever kind of hold Serenade had on him was enough to force his loyalty. I could tell he despised her...”

“It’s a shame you couldn’t convince him to defect then...” Twilight tilted her glass in Starlight’s direction.

“I really miss him, I hope he’s okay out there somewhere...” Starlight nearly whispered.

Twilight just shrugged before finishing her drink and letting out an audible noise of satisfaction. “It’s not like we can look for him either, we don’t have the kind of manpower necessary to track down one creature, especially one that can take the shape of any other creature out there. Changelings are pretty difficult to find when they don’t want to be found, that’s for sure. Then again, if I were him, I wouldn’t want to be found either...”

Starlight offered her guess as to why. “Is it because he didn’t stick around to help Serenade prior to her defeat?”

“I wouldn’t want a creature like Serenade to know I betrayed her. Even imprisoned, if I were him, I probably wouldn’t take any chances...” Twilight explained.

Starlight understood her point, but she couldn’t help but feel sad. Arax and she had a very strange, but unique bond. They felt right together even if the circumstances that had brought them together were beyond abnormal. Arax felt more right to her than anyone she had ever been around, and when she kissed him, she knew there were sparks flying between them.

She wanted to find him, she wanted to be with him again, and she regretted not trying harder to convince him to go with her. Why didn’t he? She could have protected him from Serenade, because with Twilight’s ear, she could speak good of him and explain that any evil he had done, he did so under the threat of Serenade. When he fed on her, their hearts had melded together for a brief moment and she could feel the good inside of him.

When she felt the good in him and when she saw how he treated her so well, she wondered how such a creature could end up serving such a horrid monster.

“I wish I had convinced him not to run away...” Starlight thought out loud.

Finishing her drink, Twilight began pouring another as she spoke up. “Starlight, whatever had driven him to serve Serenade clearly was great enough to keep his loyalty to her. He is a changeling, after all, don’t forget that his kind are very deceptive. It’s possible he just had you fooled.”

“Not Arax, he’s not like the others...” Starlight glared.

Twilight wanted to object and tell her that she was blinded by her emotion, but she thought better of it, even under the influence of alcohol. Twilight knew that Starlight wouldn’t listen and all bringing such a thing up would do is lead to pointless bickering. Starlight had feelings for the changeling, and that meant she would think irrationally when it came to him.

“Either way, what’s done is done, Starlight. Arax is gone, and I doubt he’s coming back...” Twilight spoke quietly.

The unicorn was quiet as she tipped her drink and downed the rest quickly. It burned going down her throat, but she kept her composure before setting the glass down and nodding. “The past can’t be changed after all...”

“Exactly.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

The two mares sat in silence while Twilight finished her second drink. Starlight considered how even in a weakened state, Serenade was still such a massive threat to Arax. The siren had taken considerable damage and lost most of her demonic power in her fight with Glitch. Defeat had weakened her and sapped her strength, yet she was still such a terrifying creature to Arax; enough for him to keep away.

Starlight reached forward and grabbed the bottle before pouring herself and Twilight both another drink. Twilight raised a confused brow as she watched the glasses fill with liquid courage. She looked up at Starlight who was sitting with a bright smile upon her face as she grabbed the glass in her hoof and leaned back in her seat.

The unicorn raised the glass to Twilight. “Let’s drink to Arax, wherever he may be!”

Twilight hesitated for eight seconds before finally nodding and raising her glass as well. The two touched glasses and an audible TINK was heard.

“If he’s that important to you, then I’ll drink to that.” Twilight grinned.

“Thank you, Twilight. I know a lot of ponies think I’m crazy for caring so much about him, and I keep getting told it’s just an after effect of the pheromones, but I know myself well enough to know that my feelings are real...” Starlight said.

Twilight didn’t entirely agree, as she was in the camp that believed it was an effect of the pheromones, but she held her tongue and just nodded.

“The pheromones only make you desire to be fed upon, but it’s more than that for me. I just want to know he’s okay... He didn’t deserve to be stuck with that wretched Serenade, he’s better than that, I can tell. He has a good heart, I know it...” Starlight continued.

Admittedly, it was difficult to remain skeptical when Twilight could see how much Starlight believed in the creature. Arax meant enough for her to continue to get stares and comments of her being a lunatic without so much as a single complaint. It was hard to say that what she was experiencing wasn’t love. Twilight had felt the same thing toward a few in her days, so she couldn’t imagine how some chemical could simulate that feeling so well.

Maybe in another lifetime where he had not been a subordinate of Serenade, the two could have been together.

“I’m sorry that things ended up the way that they did, Starlight. I wish there was more we could do, but there really isn’t. Either way, I’m just glad that he didn’t hurt you.” Twilight smiled.

Starlight giggled and nodded before taking another sip of her drink. “Me too, though I worried more about all of you on a daily basis.”

“Evidently, we both had nothing to worry about. With Arax by your side and Glitch by mine, we were both in good care.” Twilight winked.

Starlight knew that Twilight originally had felt guilty that Starlight had gotten captured and taken in as a slave because of her plan. She likely beat herself up over it for three years before the two were reunited again. When she was first captured, she was certain she’d spend her days chained to a wall and being forced to perform various sex acts, but instead, she was treated almost like royalty.

At the start, Starlight had spent a lot of her time trying to figure out what Arax hoped to accomplish by capturing her in the first place. He has no family or anything to impress, so it’s not like I was just some trophy mare to show off too. On top of that, he treated me too well.

After enough time, the only conclusion that Starlight could draw was that Arax had genuine feelings for her. The only part of that equation that didn’t make sense to her is why he let her go so easily. Whatever Serenade had over him clearly was beyond anything she could comprehend. Even the offer of Twilight’s protection wasn’t enough to make him abandon his master.

It only made Starlight shiver to think of what kind of horrid things Serenade could do to instill that level of loyalty to her subordinates, though clearly she didn’t employ it with all of them as many of them disappeared prior to her defeat, clearly running with their tails between their legs. Twilight had issued a search for any identified agents of Serenade, but they only were able to capture eight. The rest either had fled outside of Equestrian borders or had disguised themselves too well.

Furthermore, they weren’t even entirely certain of how many really worked for Serenade. Not all of her agents showed their faces to the public, so it was difficult to track most of them. It was part of the reason that national security had been increased since anyone could have been a voluntary agent of Serenade, and that meant they had the potential to betray Equestria again.

How could a pony willingly serve such a monster? Starlight couldn’t figure it out, so she determined that most of them were likely put in a position where the alternative was worse. Arax was likely in that same boat, but wherever he was, she prayed he was alright and that she would see him again one day. He had done wrong, but she could feel his heart was still true.

For those curious about Rarity, I would recommend giving Shredded Fabric a read. Also, welcome back everyone! I know it's been a long hiatus.