Adagio Dazzle and her younger sister, Serenade had settled in and found themselves finally living somewhat stress-free. The weight of wondering how they would stay in America had finally been lifted, and with their growing music career, they had achieved true freedom in every sense of the word. They had the ability to stay in the US and the financial freedom to not worry about when their next meal would be.

Everything was going so well for them, that they never would have anticipated what was going to change that day for them. They were completely clueless on how one meeting was going to lead to a myriad of new problems that they would soon face.

The two girls were on their way home from a restaurant, filling themselves up with food and drink, enjoying each other’s company as they walked down the sidewalk in the dark, with only the street lights to illuminate their path.

Across the street, however, two cloaked figures watched the two girls, one wearing a red kabuki mask. The taller of the two that stood next to her spoke in a low voice. “Is that her?”

“No doubt about it…” The red kabuki nodded.

“Then let’s get this done…” Her subordinate said.

Nodding in agreement, the red kabuki placed her hand upon a streetlight next to herself and when a black tendril came from her sleeve, it shut all the lights around them down, blanketing the streets in darkness.

Adagio and her younger sister blinked in confusion as they looked up at the streetlights in confusion. “What’s going on?” Her little sister questioned.

“Must be power outage…” Adagio shrugged.

The red kabuki and her subordinate took advantage of the situation and moved in quickly.

The tall cloaked man removed his hood to show his face. He was a semi-attractive man, but with an eyepatch covering one of his eyes, and the other eye shined red in the night. His hair was hard to see, but it was dark in color and messy. Adagio blinked as he stood before her. “Who are you?”

“Adagio Dazzle?” He asked.

“Yes, why?” She questioned as her hand reached into her purse, gripping the gun she carried with her for protection. Her younger sibling quickly hid behind her for protection.

The man reached forward and tried to grab her, but Adagio pulled her gun from her purse as she stepped back aiming it at him.

“Arax, allow me…” The red kabuki spoke as she gestured for him to step aside.

He nodded and sidestepped so his master could come forward. The red kabuki stood before them silently for a moment just taking in the girl before her. She noted that Adagio stood firm with the gun in her hand, not shaking in the slightest. It was clear that her resolve was strong.

The red kabuki stared at the gun and chuckled lightly. “What’re you going to do? Shoot me? I promise you that if you try, your bullets won’t hit me. Even at this lower power level, I am still more than a match for your human weapons…”

“V’what?” Adagio squinted in confusion.

“Go ahead… Shoot me…” The red kabuki taunted.

“Just go away…” Adagio threatened, not wanting to escalate the situation to that level if unnecessary.

The red kabuki took a step closer. “Do it.”

Adagio didn’t hesitate, she pulled the trigger and the gun went off. The bullet flew from the barrel but a black tendril came out of the cloaked woman’s sleeve and whipped it away, slicing it in half before it ever touched her.

Adagio blinked in astonishment, uncertain of what just happened. It was far too quick for her to see, but when she looked down, she saw a bullet split in half laying there on the pavement. “What the…”

The red kabuki reached forward with her hand and gripped Adagio’s neck. There was a height difference between the two, but the pigmy height of the red kabuki didn’t seem to be much of a problem as they lifted Adagio off of the ground with ease. The girl struggled and gagged as her sister stepped backward in fear.

“W-who are y-you?” Adagio managed to get out between gasps.

With their free hand, the red kabuki lowered her hood to reveal luscious blond hair with red tips and then her mask to show her shining red eye. The other eye was covered by an eyepatch just like her subordinate.

Adagio recognized her face instantly. How was it possible though? She shared the face of her sister, but appeared slightly older. “V’what the hell?” Adagio managed to get out.

Serenade examined Adagio, looking into her eyes she sighed as she released the woman, letting her fall to the ground. Adagio gripped her neck and coughed as she looked at the spitting image of her sister that stood before her in a dark cloak. “Who are you?” She coughed out.

Serenade grinned as she saw her sister standing behind Adagio. “It looks like you’re not the Adagio we’re looking for… Or rather, you are not yet… Maybe she is inside of you, but that’s hard to tell at the moment… We’ll have to come back another time to be sure…”

The young human Serenade saw the face of the woman and covered her mouth in shock. The two shared a face.

The demon stepped past Adagio and smiled as she faced her human counterpart. “Hello there, beautiful…” She began.

The human Serenade stepped back slowly as the demon approached. “Aren’t you gorgeous?” Serenade taunted.

“H-how… Do you have my face?” The young Serenade asked.

She chuckled and shook her head. “How do I put this? I am you, but a different you… A you from another world, a better, stronger version of what you might be one day…” Serenade explained.

“That’s not possible…” The human teenager shook her head in disbelief.

“Why deny greatness?” Serenade asked curiously as she closed the distance between them both, grabbing the girl’s arm as she examined her.

The human girl struggled and tried to break free, but it was to no avail as her demon counterpart was far too strong. With her other hand, she gripped her human counterpart’s forehead and closed her eyes. In that instant, she could sense more about the girl. How she had struggled, and fled Russia as a child with her elder sister, and how the two had come to America together.

The more that Serenade observed of the girl’s memories, the more disgusted she became. Releasing her forehead, Serenade growled in annoyance. “Pathetic… It pisses me off to see such a weak version of myself…”

“W-what?” The human questioned.

“I should kill you for just being such an insult to everything that I have worked to create… However, I have a better idea…” Serenade smirked, her mouth turning to a sinister shape.

Adagio had regained some of her composure and stood up, rushing to her sister’s aid, but Arax stopped her with a punch to her gut, sending her down once more.

A black tendril came out of Serenade’s sleeve and aimed itself at the human girl. “V’w-what are you doing!?” Adagio called out between coughs.

“I’m just giving her a little present… Something that will awaken the greatness in you…” Serenade smirked.

The tendril penetrated the human Serenade’s skin on her neck and wiggled its way into her. She yelped in pain as she felt a burning sensation when it touched her, but then it quickly removed itself and retracted back into the demon’s sleeve.

Dropping the teenager on the ground, the demon Serenade chuckled. “There, maybe now you’ll achieve greatness…”

“V’what did you do?” Adagio interrogated.

“I told you… I just gave her a little present…” Serenade laughed as she casually walked over to where her mask had been dropped and picked it back up.

The woman placed her mask back upon her face and lifted her hood back up; her subordinate did the same as she snapped her fingers for him to follow. “Come on, Arax, we’re leaving. These two don’t have what we want, at least not now… We can come back for them later if necessary…”

Serenade paused as she adjusted her mask with her back to Adagio. “I suggest you forget this meeting happened… Otherwise, we can make life very difficult for you.”

Adagio said nothing as the demon walked away. Once they were out of sight, she quickly rushed to her sibling and began inspecting her. “Are you alright, sister?”

The young Serenade nodded as she rubbed her neck where the tendril had entered. A small mark was left behind, but she did not appear hurt.

The girl whispered as she spoke up to her elder sister. “Who were those people and what did they want? Why did one of them look like me?”

Adagio bit her lip as she thought about it. Her memory flashed back to when she had met that strange redheaded girl who had warned her of another Adagio. Could that mean there was another Serenade too?

“I… I don’t know, but I do know that v’we stumbled onto something bigger than us…” Adagio admitted.

Whatever came next, she had no idea, but she knew that it would only get more out of hand from here.

Sunset pressed her fingers to her temples as she sat on her bedside with the magic journal she used to contact Princess Twilight with in her right hand. She had just explained the situation that was relayed to her by the princess to her wife who was now pacing the room.

It was evident that Twilight didn’t like the news, but she was waiting for Sunset’s word on what she planned to do regarding the escape of Serenade. Sunset hadn’t given many details on what it was like the three years she spent in Equestria trying to stop the demon siren, but from what she had relayed, Twilight knew the situation was out of control back then. It had taken a lot of time for Twilight to forgive her for walking out to attend to that matter, but the two of them had finally been in a place where they could move forward with their life.

“So let me make sure I get this right… The Princess managed to let a demon siren, a demon siren that managed to conquer all of Equestria mind you, escape?” Twilight asked as she bit her thumbnail.

Sunset sighed and nodded. “Yes, but I’m partially to blame for that…”

“You? How!? You caught her! You defeated her! It was the Princess’ job to make sure she didn’t escape!” Twilight growled in annoyance. She hated Sunset’s habit of blaming herself for virtually everything.

Looking up at her wife with serious eyes, Sunset responded. “I had the chance to kill her… I could have stabbed her again with the Siren’s Bane… Right in the heart and it would have finished her… I was trying to show her that we were better than demons, that we didn’t kill just for revenge or spite…”

“You were trying to be a good person…” Twilight reassured her.

“Yeah, well being a good person could now cost us both worlds… I should have killed her. I should have been willing to be the bad person for the sake of everyone… My attempt at being better than her now is going to put even more lives in danger…” Sunset admitted.

Twilight frowned as she approached her redheaded wife. Placing both hands on Sunset’s shoulders she made the girl meet her eyes. “Sunset… You saved Equestria, and you did so with no care for your own well being, you have nothing to be ashamed of…”

“Yes, but now a far worse situation is upon us… Serenade has escaped, and she’s here in our world…” Sunset said quietly.

Sighing, Twilight released her and stepped away. While facing away from her wife, Twilight asked the question that she feared the answer to. “So what happens now?”

Sunset thought about it for a moment as she stared at the floor. Her options weren’t great, that much was certain. If she did nothing, she was almost certain that Serenade would gain whatever it was she was after, and there was little doubt that Sunset was a target.

She couldn’t stay at home. Serenade wasn’t above using hostages to get what she wanted, and she wasn’t above killing children either.

“I… I have to leave…” Sunset said.

Twilight pivoted on her foot and faced Sunset with an incredulous face. “I know I didn’t hear that correctly…”

“Twilight… Serenade knows who I am. She knows that I’m Glitch, she will try and kill me, it’s not safe here…” Sunset explained.

“Everything that the Princess fucks up isn’t your battle, Sunset…” Twilight spoke.

“You think I want this? The reality is that you and Horizon aren’t safe so long as I’m here… Serenade will come here, she will kill you both to get to me. I need to go after her alone…” Sunset replied.

Twilight removed her glasses and wiped tears forming in her eyes. She couldn’t believe this was happening again.

“Sunset… Let us come with you… Your daughter…” Twilight got cut off.

“Isn’t ready. She’s only eight years old… I don’t want this life for her… I don’t want her to be involved with magic or Equestria… I wanted a normal life for her, and that’s why I left before… I don’t want her to live like I do…” Sunset said.

“Just having you as a mother already ensures she will never have a normal life…” Twilight replied.

Standing up, Sunset grabbed her jacket and began searching for her car keys.

“Sunset… What do you want me to tell your daughter? She’s going to ask where mommy went again…” Twilight crossed her arms in annoyance.

“Don’t tell her anything. She doesn’t need to know anything about this. Like I said, she needs a normal life…” Sunset replied after finding her keys and stuffing them in her pocket. The woman slipped on her leather jacket after that and stretched.

Twilight reached forward and grabbed Sunset’s arm, forcing her to turn around and meet her eyes. “Sunset, if you walk out of this house, I can’t promise you’ll be welcome back in… You can’t keep walking in and out of Horizon’s life and expect it to be overlooked… If she doesn’t want you here when you come back… Well… I have to abide by what she wants…”

Sunset felt a sharp pain in her heart. She knew it was the truth, but she didn’t want to hear it out loud. A part of her had hoped that if she never had to hear the words spoken that she could ignore the pain, but it was too late for that now.

The redhead bit her lip momentarily while she considered a response. She didn’t want to leave her eight year old daughter behind, but she couldn’t think of any other way. Serenade had effectively forced her hand with this move.

“I’m sorry, Twilight… I understand what you’re saying, but if I don’t do this… There may not be a world for our daughter to live in at all… She may hate me for this, and I’m fully aware of that, but if it means keeping her safe, alive and potentially living a normal life… I’m willing to take that risk…” Sunset frowned.

Her words said she was okay with the outcome, but Twilight could tell she was shaken inside. The possibility that her daughter wouldn’t forgive her was clearly all she could think about, but she knew her wife all too well. Sunset had a sense of duty that wouldn’t falter. Twilight knew she couldn’t stop her, and she also knew that trying to force her own involvement would certainly endanger their child. As much as she wished she could fight along side her wife this time, she knew it just wasn’t feasible.

Placing her hand upon Sunset’s cheek, Twilight nodded. “I know that you have to do this… Believe me, I do… But life goes on while you’re not here…”

Sunset placed her hand atop of Twilight’s. “I know that, and I wish I chose to kill her back then so I wouldn’t have put you in this situation… Had I known this would happen, I would have killed her and smashed the portal to Equestria so we could be a normal family…”

“We’re far from normal, but maybe that’s what makes us special, right?” Twilight smiled at her.

“I think what makes us special is you…” Sunset smiled back, caressing her hand.

“Regardless of what happens… I’ll always love you, Sunset…” Twilight spoke quietly as she leaned into Sunset’s hand.

Nodding at her, Sunset kissed the girl’s cheek. “I never doubted it for a minute…”

“I’m going to miss you…” Twilight admitted.

Releasing the girl, Sunset stepped back and grinned. “Not a moment will go by where I don’t miss you. The moment this is done, I’ll be back…”

“I just hope that moment is soon…” Twilight replied.

The hot water of the shower ran down Serenade’s back as she relaxed. Her encounter with the girl who looked just like her had shaken her up, but after a few days she had finally calmed down. The girl opened her eyes and noticed her reflection in the bathroom mirror. There on her neck was a small black puncture wound that had never healed.

Her hand gravitated toward the wound and touched it. It was hot to the touch, unnaturally so. She had hoped that it would heal and just be an old memory, but it seemed as though it had begun to form a scar, but a rather unusual one. Why was it as black as midnight? It didn’t make sense.

Serenade blinked and in the mirror she could see the face of the same woman who had given her that scar looking back at her with a sinister smile. She gasped and stepped backward into the wall of the shower. Another blink, and the reflection in the mirror was her own again.

She panted as she placed her hand atop of her beating heart and turned the water off before closing her eyes to take a moment to compose herself. None of this made any sense. How could another version of herself really exist? It had to have a more logical explanation, surely, but Serenade couldn’t think of one.

Touching the area just under her eye, she remembered the eyepatch the woman wore. What happened to her eye? Her strange subordinate, that tall man that she called “Arax”, he too had an eyepatch, was that connected?

The thing that truly worried Serenade though, was the thought that in another world, she could have become just like this woman.

Wrapping a bathrobe around herself she stepped out of the shower and into her bedroom. She sat down on her bed and placed her finger back on the wound.

The moment her finger touched it, she could see the other version of herself standing next to her, just out of the corner of her eye, she could make out the details of a very intricate gothic lolita dress, black and white with red mixed in.

A delicate-looking hand with red nail polish was placed upon her shoulder as the phantom spoke. “You wonder if you could ever become me, don’t you?”

Serenade swallowed hard and answered with a shaky voice. “What exactly are you though?”

“A demon…” The phantom Serenade answered.

“And that Arax guy is a demon too, I take it?” Serenade asked.

The phantom shook her head. “He’s a demon, sure, but nothing like me. He’s my subordinate, my indentured servant if you will… My abilities put me on a level far greater than that bug will ever achieve, so don’t lump us in the same category…”

Keeping herself still, Serenade tried to remain calm as she spoke. “Are you really here right now?”

“No. I’m in your head. I told you before… I left you with a little gift…” The phantom chuckled.

“What do you want from me?” Serenade asked.

“I don’t quite know yet… I suppose that’s to be determined…” The phantom said.

“Why don’t you just leave me alone then?” Serenade asked, finally turning to the woman, only to find that she had completely vanished.

Serenade quickly looked around the room for any sign of the demon, but she had disappeared. Did she imagine the entire thing, or was the creature telling the truth? Feeling the spot on her neck, it was still hot to the touch and it stung a little.

She shuddered and when she blinked again, she noticed for just a fraction of a second, she swore she could see the number eight flash in her room, but it was too quick for her to tell for sure.

Her mind was taken elsewhere though when a monotone voice spoke to her. “The demon lord has plans for you…”

Looking behind her, there on the bed a girl in a white spaghetti strap sundress stood. Serenade took note of her messy shoulder-length hair, a light purple in color with red tips. On her freckled face, a pair of stylish glasses sat as she looked upon Serenade. The expression on her face gave no indication of her emotions, it was the most literal definition of a “neutral” face.

“W-who are you!? How’d you get in here?” Serenade jumped off the bed and stood up.

The girl ignored her question and placed a finger to her lip as she looked up in thought. “You could run, but she will find you…”

“You’re not making any sense…” Serenade pleaded.

Stepping off of the bed, the girl approached, causing Serenade to step backward until her back was to the door of the bedroom. The small girl reached her hand forward and placed a finger upon Serenade’s neck wound, causing the girl to flinch.

“This mark ensures that your involvement is mandatory. That much can’t be helped… There’s nothing I can do to interfere, but I can tell you that perhaps you’d be better off dead…” The girl spoke.

“W-what? How could you say such a thing…?” Serenade could feel tears in her eyes.

“You wish to escape death? What for, I wonder… Death might be the best alternative, that is unless everything is undone…” The girl said.

Serenade shook her head. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand…”

The girl looked her in the eyes placed both hands at her sides. “Serenade… Let me ask you a question…”

“W-what is it?” Serenade trembled.

“Could you erase yourself from reality? Would you be capable of doing such a thing?” The girl asked.

“I… I don’t know… It would be difficult…” Serenade answered.

Nodding, the girl stepped backward. “I suppose it would be easier if the choice was made for you, wouldn’t it? Regardless, would you wager that death is better than never existing?”

“What kind of question is that?” Serenade blinked.

Scratching her nose, the girl turned away. “I suppose it’s not the kind of question that someone in your position could answer. Forget I asked, but thank you for your insight.”

“Who are you?” Serenade questioned.

“Nobody important…” The girl waved her hand and vanished into thin air.

Just what exactly was going on?

After returning from killing a few of Serenade’s henchmen, Sunset sat down in the hotel room that she had rented out while they were in town. Eclipse followed shortly after her entry and quickly made for the fridge where he grabbed a cold beer. Popping it open with his butterfly knife, he began to down the entire drink with no regard.

“You know, you should probably remain sharp and not drink in our down time, you never know where we might need to fight again…” Sunset reminded.

He finished off the entire beer in a matter of seconds and set it next to eight other empty bottles on the counter. “Hey mom, I didn’t ask for your critique…”

Sunset shrugged and turned her attention to several notes she had jotted down on a mess of papers on the coffee table. “Just a thought, but if you get yourself killed because you’re shitfaced, then that’s on you…”

“Ah yes, I wouldn’t want you to feel responsible for anything more than you already do after all.” Eclipse grinned.

You really know how to piss me off, don’t you? Sunset thought to herself.

Checking over her notes, she was starting to get an understanding of everything. Serenade must have enlisted far more subordinates before she came to the human world, most of which hadn’t a clue who she really was. That was why she chose to wear the red kabuki mask. Hiding her identity meant that her subordinates knew little, and that was how she kept them in the dark about her plans.

As if sensing what she was thinking, Eclipse wandered over the couch with another beer in hand and spoke up as he sat down next to her. “So why does Serenade hide herself? I mean what benefit does she gain by not even letting her minions know who she is?”

“It’s an age-old tactic, really… If your underlings don’t know most of the plan, there is little chance they can say too much… It’s clear that Serenade is overly cautious after our last encounter. That unfortunately means we won’t be able to rely on her cockiness to pull a fast one on her this time…” Sunset explained.

“So she’s become aware of her own hubris? That’s something I didn’t expect…” Eclipse raised a brow as he sat back and began pouring the beer down his throat.

“Learning is not beyond her realm of possibilities, unfortunately. Serenade may be arrogant, but not enough to make the same mistake twice… We have to prepare for the possibility that she’s grown smarter…” Sunset explained.

Sighing, Eclipse finished off his beer and leaned in to speak directly with Sunset. “You beat her once before, so you can do it again.”

Sunset shook her head. “Last time, I had an army, and a blade that halted her power, this time I don’t have either of those…”

Tapping her sleeved arm, Eclipse grinned. “Yeah, but you have demonic powers just like her this time.”

Sunset pulled her arm away and clenched it with her good arm. “I’m not so sure that will help any.”

“If it won’t help, then why did you accept such a thing?” Eclipse raised a brow in annoyance.

Sunset was tempted to ask him about his hatred toward her arm, but part of her didn’t want to hear his answer. Instead, she kept silent for a few seconds before giving her answer. “It wasn’t my intention…”

He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Bullshit…”

“Not bullshit.” Sunset growled.

“You can’t own a single decision you make, can you? That arm was your choice, wasn’t it? So own it…” Eclipse said plainly.

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Sunset scowled and looked away from him.

Standing up, Eclipse wandered back to the fridge and nodded as he grabbed another beer and popped the top off of it. “Yeah, and a faggot, and a social reject, I’m well aware…”

He sipped from the bottle and wiped his effeminate lips before giving her a cold stare. “I’m not weak anymore though, and that’s all that matters to me. I don’t need anything else.”

Sunset found herself strangely calmed down as she noticed his demeanor was off. She sat up and looked over the couch at him. “Eclipse… Why do you hate other people so much?”

Eclipse shook his head. “I never needed anyone else… Just one person…” His hand clenched the crystal dangling from his neck as he ended his sentence.

Sunset didn’t get a chance to ask who, because he shook his head and continued. “But, he’s out of the picture now, so I’m stuck with you until we finish this thing…”

“What then?” Sunset asked.

He shrugged. “I guess I can die then. Nothing left for me.”

“That’s a depressing existence… Living for nothing but revenge?” Sunset asked.

“Don’t analyze me, you’re not good at it. Besides, you’re a clusterfuck of mental problems, so you’re not in a position to judge others…” Eclipse rolled his eyes before taking another long swig of his beer.

It seemed like the longer she knew Eclipse, the less she understood about him. His ways were a mystery to everyone that wasn’t himself, and he didn’t open up very often. Sunset wondered if this partnership could really last with such a volatile person. Eclipse and she were so different; Sunset was a wildfire that would burn everything in her path to get to her goal, but Eclipse was a calculated flame that would burn slow and only ignite when it hit its target, then it would use all it had.

Eclipse had fully accepted dying on quest to take down Serenade, something that Sunset had only half accepted. She still had things left to live for, but she also knew that death was a possibility and if it happened, she accepted it, but she wasn’t ready for it.

Leaning her head on the back of the couch, Sunset thought about her family. Twilight’s face was still fresh in her memory, and then there was Horizon, the daughter she loved so dearly, but seemed to do nothing but cause her harm. The girl likely was confused, angry, and even resentful toward her. She did what she had to to protect her, but what did she still feel so guilty about it?

Clearing her throat, she spoke up to the only person she had in her life at that moment. “Eclipse, why are you so eager to die?”

Eclipse downed another portion of his beer before answering. “I never really had a reason to live in the first place.”

“What happened to you before Serenade? If you didn’t have a reason to live, you’d have died a long time ago…” Sunset asked quietly.

Eclipse scoffed and set down a now empty bottle on the counter. “If you’re expecting me to tell you my life story, there isn’t much to tell anyway. I’ve always felt like I had no purpose, and after all that I’ve been through, I’m fairly certain I won’t ever find purpose. It’s as simple as that. I didn’t excel at anything in particular, and I’m not exactly a valuable member to society, here or otherwise…”

“So you are Equestrian then? Just like me?” Sunset asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Eclipse raised a brow.

“In the few years I’ve known you, you’ve never said it out loud…” Sunset reminded.

Eclipse sat at the counter behind the couch. “I figured that you’d figure it out… You’re supposed to be some kind of genius after all…”

“How do you know so much about me?” Sunset questioned.

“Royal archives. I may have perused them a few times… You were a star student of Celestia at one point, I know that. A prodigy when it came to magic, and you mysteriously disappeared years ago… And thus ended up here…” Eclipse explained.

She had a feeling that such was the case.

“Why research me though? Because I’m Glitch?” Sunset asked.

“Of course. If I wanted to kill Serenade, I needed the help of an expert after all…” Eclipse said.

“How did you know she escaped here?” Sunset asked.

“I didn’t, originally I came here to find you so I could convince you to come back to Equestria and kill Serenade as she sat in prison…” Eclipse replied.

Sunset laughed at the idea. “Ironically, that would have been a swell idea…”

“Too bad it’s no longer an option, so how long are you going to keep the story behind that arm a secret?” Eclipse questioned as he pointed to her arm.

Looking at her gloved hand, Sunset closed her fingers and laid down on the couch. “It’s a long story, and I’m not really that interested in reliving it at this moment. Maybe when I have a reason to tell you more about myself, I will…”

“So you’re going to attempt to bribe me with information to probe for more about me then?” Eclipse laughed.

“Call it whatever you like… Quid-quo-pro if you will…” Sunset yawned and closed her eyes. Sleep came all too easy that night.

Dr. Sunset Shimmer made her return to the home of Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze eight days later and checked on the patient. Sonata appeared to be improving health-wise and it seemed as though the panic was over nothing, but the other two girls wanted to be cautious, and Dr. Shimmer could understand their reasoning.

After checking Sonata’s odd vitals, she adjusted her glasses and smiled at the girl who was now able to sit up and sip from a cup of tea. She grinned at Sunset as she spoke, her voice bubbly and full of pep. “So, am I gonna live, doc?”

Sunset laughed and nodded. “I’d say you’re not going to to die today. It looks like you’re almost back to normal health. I imagine it was just a regular ailment, but without treatment it got out of hand. Do try and take better care of yourself, Ms. Dusk.”

Sonata nodded and downed the rest of her tea, but stuck her tongue out huffing when she realized it was far too hot. Sunset chuckled at her clumsiness before looking toward the door of the room. There stood the enigmatic Adagio Dazzle. “What’s up, Dr. Shimmer?”

Coughing and clearing her throat, the good doctor grabbed her medical bag and approached the slender woman. She noted how lanky she was, but somehow it was still appealing to her. She gave off a strong masculine vibe, but mixed with the right amount of femininity.

“It looks like the patient is going to make a full recovery.” Sunset grinned.

“That’s good, what do I owe you?” Adagio asked.

“No charge…” Sunset shook her head.

“I insist.” Adagio reached into her back pocket and retrieved a wad of hundreds, offering it to the woman.

Sunset glanced at the large amount of bills and quickly fingered through it and raised a brow. “There must be around $8,000 here…”

“Is that not enough?” Adagio asked.

“I can’t accept this… I don’t even want to know where you got it from, besides money isn’t really that important to me…” Sunset gave the money back.

Taking it in her hand, Adagio nodded. “That’s right, you’re the daughter of the wealthy Shimmer family… I did a bit of research on you… I guess cash isn’t what it takes to bribe you to keep quiet, is it, Dr. Shimmer?”

“You don’t need to bribe me, I won’t tell a soul about your secret, I promise.” Sunset raised a hand to show she was serious.

“I need more of a guarantee than that…” Adagio crossed her arms.

Sunset smiled as she bashfully adjusted her glasses. “Maybe dinner then?”

“Like a date?” Adagio raised a brow.

“If you want to call it that…” Sunset giggled.

“Doesn’t that violate some kind of doctor-patient relationship?” Adagio asked curiously.

“Well, technically you’re not my patient, Sonata is. So it’s fair game, besides a lot of unethical things are happening in this house, so I won’t tell if you don’t…” Sunset grinned.

Adagio sighed and glanced away. “My kind aren’t exactly supposed to date…”

“Well, you’ve already proven that you’re a rule-breaker, what’s a few more, right?” Sunset asked.

Sighing, Adagio nodded. “Fine, but just dinner and it’s just to keep your mouth shut, got it?”

“My lips are sealed.” Dr. Shimmer gave a zipping motion over her lips to signify her promise.

The two’s dinner date came about quicker than expected. By 8:00 PM, Sunset found herself checking her watch and feeling odd seeing the time. Something about it made her feel somewhat off. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but she was certain that something that she couldn’t explain wasn’t right.

Regardless, she stole herself and adjusted her black dress. The outfit showed off a fair bit of her impressive bust, with plenty of cleavage for any onlookers to get an eyeful, and of course to feed their imagination (something she had secretly hoped that Adagio would indulge in).

A taxi arrived only moments after she parked her car, and out stepped the tall Adagio Dazzle sporting a purple dress with gladiator style shoes to match. Despite her smaller breasts and lanky form, she had a sexy aura about her, perhaps it was her confidence or just her unwillingness to conform to societal standards; confidence was quite sexy after all.

Seeing her standing there as she drew a cigarette from her black purse, Sunset watched in awe, and as she went to light it, something felt oddly familiar. For just a brief second she could see the woman lighting a cigarette in another setting, the two of them laying in bed together, with herself holding the sheets over her naked form. For some reason, the both of them looked far younger though.

When she blinked the image was gone, and for a fraction of a second, she could have sworn she saw a young girl standing behind Adagio. She didn’t get enough time to observe the figure, but she swore it had glasses, purple hair with red tips and a white summer dress.

Trying to compose herself she cleared her throat and locked her car as she approached the tall woman.

“You know that smoking is bad for you, right?” Sunset grinned.

Adagio puffed on the cigarette and gave an aloof expression. “Can you turn being a doctor off?”

Sunset chuckled and removed the cigarette from the woman’s hand and tossed it onto the ground before stamping it out with her heeled shoe. “After so many years of med school, it’s hard to tell your brain to stop.”

Adagio rolled her eyes. “You do realize that I’m an immortal siren, right? Smoking won’t kill me so long as I feed.”

“Fair enough… Shall we?” Sunset gestured toward the restaurant.

“I guess so…” Adagio shrugged.

The two women walked casually to the door, where they were greeted by a server who saw them to their reserved table. As punctual and as prepared as ever, Dr. Shimmer had made sure to make reservations in advance, not wanting to stand waiting for too long.

Before sitting down, Adagio pulled out a chair for Sunset and the woman smiled and nodded before sitting. Adagio took her seat across from her and the two looked over the menu. Both ordered a steak, which surprised Sunset a bit, but she said nothing.

“Oh and I’ll have a triple jack and coke…” Adagio signaled to the waitress, who nodded before taking their menus with her.

Sunset raised a brow. “Quite the alcoholic aren’t you?”

Adagio shrugged. “It’s a lot harder for my kind to get a buzz on weak shit. Our system is built a lot stronger than you humans…”

Sunset chuckled. “I noticed that when examining Sonata…”

Adagio gave a quick grin, but when she looked across the table at Sunset and met her eyes, something appeared in her mind.

In the vision, the two girls were far younger-looking, and the young Sunset pressed her against the wall, forcing a powerful kiss onto her lips. Adagio didn’t resist, instead, she wrapped her arms around the girl and embraced her, as their tongues met and explored each other.

The image was over quickly, but it sent a shiver down Adagio’s spine. Her lips tingled a bit from just the idea and it made her uncomfortable.

Leaning across the table, Adagio spoke in a serious tone. “Sunset… I know this is going to sound weird, but I really feel like we’ve met before or something… I keep having… visions…”

“Visions where the two of us have met already and are… entwined?” Sunset chose her words carefully.

“How did you know?” Adagio questioned.

“The same has been happening to me… It’s very odd, but just like you, I can’t explain it. What do you think about it?” Sunset stated.

Adagio thought about it for a moment and finally responded after a long pause. “I think I need a cigarette…”

Sunset rolled her eyes and leaned in, placing her hands upon the table. “I’m serious, it can’t be a coincidence that the both of us are having these odd visions, can it? What if there’s a reason for it?”

Adagio sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Alright, let’s say you’re right… What would the reason be?”

Sunset frowned and retreated back to her seat. “I… I don’t know… I was hoping you’d have some kind of answer to that…”

Adagio could tell the woman was annoyed at the situation. After another sigh, she sat up straight and spoke her mind. “Look, clearly there is some kind of connection between the two of us. I know you can feel it, and I can obviously feel it as well, there’s no denying that…”

Nodding, Sunset’s frown turned into a light smile. Adagio noted her lips were quite full and the darker color complimented her light skin appropriately.

“I don’t really understand why, but for some reason, I feel… At ease with you, which is really odd for me because I don’t exactly trust anyone…” Adagio looked away, a bit of embarrassment overcoming her.

“What are you saying?” Sunset raised a brow in confusion.

There was a short silence followed by Adagio speaking in a hushed tone. “I’m saying maybe we should stay in touch…”

“Oh?” Sunset tilted her head.

“It’s clear that something is going on, and I don’t really believe that the both of us seeing weird visions like we have is some kind of coincidence. I have given up hope on ever getting back to Equestria a long time ago, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe something magical is happening…” Adagio explained.

“Equestria? That’s your home right?” Sunset asked.

Adagio bit her lip. “If you want to call it that…”

“It’s not your home?” Sunset changed the subject.

“Let’s just say I wasn’t exactly welcome there…” Adagio stated.

Sunset decided it was best not to pry any further as she reached across the table and took Adagio’s hand in her own, gripping it tightly, much to the siren’s chagrin.

“I think something magical is happening too… Something that I think we both need to see through to the end, right?” Sunset asked.

Adagio blushed and stuttered for a brief moment as she spoke. “R-right…”

Releasing her hand, Sunset sat back and grinned. “It’s settled then, from now on you and I will be a team.”

“Heh, a team… With a mortal… That’s something I never imagined I’d do…” Adagio sipped from her drink.

Logically speaking, Adagio and Sunset’s meeting was a universal certainty regardless of circumstance. If I can draw that conclusion, then that makes discerning what follows a little easier.

Still, is it worth the cost? It’s difficult to weigh one outcome against the other. Does one consider lives spared the metric of which to judge the situation or do certain lives contain higher value than others? In a biased manner of speaking, the average person would put their own existence as a high priority, so naturally, that is what I would choose, isn’t it? Except I suppose that as I’ve been told, I’m far from average.

The thought of non-existence isn’t particularly scary, but then is it right of me to not weigh in the fear that others must feel simply because I can not feel it? How did I get this way? I suppose it would be because I never really considered my existence as meaningful from the start.

Emotions are complicated, something that humans seem to exude at any and all times, yet they elude me most of the time. I’m only just now starting to understand, after all.

The threads are all starting to come together, and I believe that my understanding of what has transpired and what can happen is starting to take form.

While I try to understand this all though, I suppose I have begun to ponder the meaning of reality. Some have said that reality is what we perceive, but does that mean that one’s reality can be changed so easily? If something is forgotten does that mean it never existed? Would the removal of that existence constitute destruction of that reality? What is my reality? Do I even exist at all? Perhaps there is a true reality, and I am merely floating inside a faux reality? That is indeed a distinct possibility after all.

The task seems to fall upon my friends to help me understand. One day they will reach this place, and their influence will determine what happens.

I’m getting ahead of myself though, I need to focus on what I understand first.

Sunset Shimmer came to the human world a long time ago, and in doing so her actions ultimately lead to the sirens trying to reclaim their magic. That would eventually result in their defeat which put them in a position that would make Adagio find the human Sunset Shimmer.

That spiraled out of control from there, and things became excessively complicated for all parties involved. Sunset and Shimmer were locked in a dance of balance, and that balance fell apart.

Two Sunsets, that’s reality. Two girls of the same name, the same face, yet completely different lives. Equestria and the human world aren’t perfect parallels.

Now there are two Adagios and two Serenades. All of that must be connected. Is that correct?

“You’re not mistaken. The two Sunsets, two Adagios, and two Serenades are all connected. They each play a crucial part in this, you already understand some of their connection, but you simply do not understand how deep it goes yet.”

How will I begin to understand it? The two Sunsets I think I get, but two Adagios don’t really seem connected at all, nor do the two Serenades…

“You’re not looking at things the correct way. You remember what you learned about Adagio, right?”

What I thought I understood about Adagio wasn’t correct…

“Exactly. Consider this problem through such a lens.”

Okay, so what I understand can’t be trusted, I need to flip the way I’m thinking on its head. If that’s the case, then there is a connection that isn’t directly visible yet? There’s something deeper that I haven’t witnessed yet.

“That could be the truth, yes.”

So if I continue to analyze the data, the answer will come to me.

“I would assert that as an accurate statement.”

As expected, you continue to behave in a manner that I would expect. Our connection is quite unusual, yet agreeable.

“I am glad that you think so. You have yet to fully dissect the information regarding the battle for the title of the demon lord.”

From my understanding, Serenade held that title once, but a new challenger to the throne appeared, right? She claimed she defeated that person though. Who was it?

“An old friend.”

I detect that your reply is somewhat facetious.

“There is a hint of sarcasm in my words, yes.”

So in actuality, their relationship was not exactly a friendly one?

“Correct. Anything but, to be exact.”

Even for a demon, the girl has many enemies, yes?

“Serenade spent centuries gaining enemies. Her allies only serve her after she subjugated them through fear, power, and violence.”

Fear is quite a motivator after all, especially for mortals who fear death.

“Immortals fear death far more than any mortal.”

How so?

“If a mortal is destined to die, he must accept his fate at some point. He has his entire life to do so, however, an immortal was never meant to die. Therefore it creates fear on what happens after death.”

Because what happens to one who was never meant to die…

“Precisely.”

That sounds familiar.

“I believe Adagio mentioned such before.”

Serenade fears death. That much I can understand, she is willing to do virtually anything to escape it. Running from death is a fruitless effort though because eventually, the reaper finds you.

Princess Twilight mentioned that many ponies tried to find a way around death and all failed. I suppose the saying that death is a rock is more accurate than we know. It sits there, and you can not do anything with it. It merely is, always will be, and can not be changed or moved.

“Does such a concept depress you?”

I do not believe so. As I said, the thought of non-existence isn’t a terrifying one. If one never existed, then one can not feel the fear or pain associated with it. Dying is not inherently the same as non-existence though. Death can be painful, agonizing, and traumatizing even.

“And non-existence erases all of that.”

Hm, I suppose that is true. After death, none of those feelings really matter, do they? I suppose death and non-existence are similar.

“Except non-existence as you mentioned means that none will perceive you. Death can only be escaped through memories, the memories that your friends and loved ones have of you cheat death for a little longer.”

And non-existence means that death takes it all. You aren’t even a memory anymore, you aren’t anything. The reaper simply relishes in your non-existence.

“I imagine people would find that concept quite spooky.”

Indeed, I can understand that.

“Knowing this, do you still feel the same way?”

I suppose that I need time to consider that. I wouldn’t want to answer such a complex question without pondering it seriously for some time. One should not be too rash after all.

“Sagacious as always.”

What you consider sagacious others seem to interpret as cold and uncaring.

“Or calculative and manipulative.”

The world turns differently for all, I suppose.

“I think I understand that metaphor.”

Metaphors have never been my forte, but I am starting to understand them slightly better as time goes on.

“Exposure can increase learning after all.”

Speaking of, how do you wager the others will do? Do you think they will make it through the challenges ahead? Or are you already privy to their fates?

“What do you think?”

It is hard for me to say if you contain the same knowledge as me, or if your knowledge is merely the same that I will possess at a later time.

“Ironic that you mention time.”

That is true considering the circumstance we find ourselves in. How much time has passed anyway?

“That is a question that not even I can answer.”

I wonder if immortals can feel the passing of time like mortals can.

“With infinite time, it can become a burden.”

Do you not believe that a creature that does not need to fear the end of their own time would eventually become immune to that burden? A creature that can exist for an indefinite amount of time need not worry about things too much, as eventually their problems will be lost in the sands of time.

They are truly the only creatures that can run from their problems and eventually outrun them.

“I wouldn’t say that’s correct.”

Oh?

“Consider Serenade’s predicament. While she possesses the ability to outlast time itself, she still fears death and runs from it.”

That is true.

“Don’t you remember what happened with the two Adagios?”

It’s odd, but my memories are all jumbled after coming to this place. It’s as if I am remembering things at different moments.

“That is normal, give it time, and you’ll remember everything.”

I feel as though I’m remembering things backward for some reason.

“Memories are precious to most, do you fear losing your memories for good?”

That is what non-existence is, losing one’s memories for good. The memories I’ve made make me who I am, they’re precious to me, so I suppose like anyone else, I would not enjoy losing them. I’d rather hold onto my memories if possible.

“That is not up to me. That’s entirely up to you.”

What would Sunset do?

“That is what you’re trying to find out, isn’t it?”

I suppose I don’t understand her well enough to know what she would do yet. She is an odd mixture of noble behavior and selfishness. Her choices are not always clear.

“She has always been an enigma, that much can be determined.”

Still, she became a demon a long time ago now. That arm of hers, I distinctly recall how she got it. I think the memories are coming back to me, I want to say it was only eight days after she left home. In only eight days she was put in a predicament that she couldn’t get out of.

“Perhaps one could call it a predicament of her choosing?”

Because all choices are our own, right?

“If we consider that, then there really is no such thing as coercion is there? After all, no matter the threat put before us, there is always a choice to die rather than bend one’s will to that of another.”

An interesting philosophy. However, I believe that Sunset’s situation was far more complex than that. The choices put before her would have cost much more to others. Would you not consider it noble to do what needs to be done to protect those around you?

“The thing about being noble is that it’s subjective like everything else. After all, good and bad are merely a matter of opinion. Who is in charge often dictates right and wrong, and they have been subject to change many times throughout history.”

That sounds like the kind of argument that Serenade would make.

“Perhaps some of her philosophies hold a grain of truth?”

That is certainly not a thought that I considered before. Still, I think we’re losing track here. I need to focus, I need to understand this all a bit more.

“Agreed.”

This chapter took a long time to get out, I'm sorry! I'm trying to be more punctual, but work-life and other things are hard to balance haha! Still, chapters always release on Fridays. I'm going to try and not take so long with the next one!

Also, this one was all over the place, and it's a bit confusing, but it's one of those chapters that makes more sense later. We're getting so close to the end, I can almost taste it!