Serenade grunted at Arax to bring her a clean eyepatch. She had gotten hers dirty during her fight with Sunset. The taller man obliged and left the room momentarily while the girl sat atop of an old crate, her legs crossed and her foot gently swaying impatiently while she spoke with another one of her subordinates. The siren cleared her throat before addressing the woman before her.

“You remember when I said that I had high expectations of you when I let you rejoin us?” Serenade began.

The woman before her nodded solemnly. Only a small tuft of her amber hair moved as she did, the rest was styled and sprayed to where it wouldn’t move. Her orange eyes were filled with fear of her master, knowing this second chance was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, failure wasn’t an option.

“Good, then I want you to take care of a little task for me…” Serenade continued.

The woman before her stood up straight and placed her hands behind her back as she stood attentively. She had chosen a full black form-fitting stealth suit for her needs, as she needed to rely on agility and speed, but also she hoped to keep the element of surprise at her disposal. Serenade couldn’t say she agreed with the outfit, but if the woman did her job, it was of little consequence.

Arax returned to the room with a clean leather eyepatch, which Serenade turned around briefly to place on, handing him the soiled one. He took it and placed it in his pocket for cleaning later before taking the demon’s side where he said nothing.

“Sunset will continue to get in my way, but it’s far too soon to fight her head on… My power is strong, but Sunset is cunning, she’s got too many tricks up her sleeve for me to just have a go at right now… I need her out of the way while I deal with those teenagers,” Serenade stated.

The woman before her finally spoke up. “Master, with all due respect, Sunset might team up with those teenagers, I doubt I could take them all on by myself even with the power you’ve given me…”

Serenade rolled her eyes. “I know that, moron. That’s why you need to come up with a way to keep them from joining up. Stall their unification if you will…”

Understanding, the subordinate nodded. “I will do what I can then…”

Serenade grinned. “While I’d love to kill Sunset myself, if you can kill her, that would be acceptable as well…”

The other woman nodded.

“Don’t fuck this up, Lightning Dust… I’m giving you this second chance, and if you fuck it up or desert us again… I will make you wish I killed you. Do we understand each other?” Serenade raised a brow.

Lightning Dust nodded and bowed as she got down on one knee before her master. Serenade offered her hand to the woman, who took it and placed a kiss on the back of it. “I swear that I will not fail you, master. I will do all in my power to eliminate the problem of Sunset Shimmer, and I won’t rest until I prove my usefulness to you and our cause.”

“That’s the kind of talk that I like to hear… You’ve got your orders, now go carry them out.” Serenade instructed.

The woman nodded before coming to a stand. She exited the warehouse they were using as a temporary base of operations hastily to go and carry out that which was expected of her. She would return successfully, or she would not return at all, that much was certain in Lightning’s mind.

Serenade’s eyes followed the girl as she left the room, her trim athletic figure was far from what men would see as “desirable”, but it did give her quite the advantage in a fight. Serenade still preferred looks and style over such things, though. There was little point in being top dog without being beautiful to boot. The queen of the world should also be the most desirable woman after all.

Arax glanced over at the siren before deciding to speak up. “You don’t honestly expect someone like Lightning Dust to accomplish this do you?”

Serenade chuckled and shook her head. “Of course not. I don’t trust her anymore than I trust Sunset herself…”

“If that’s the case, why send her on such an important task? Why let her back in with us at all?” Arax raised a brow.

Serenade looked over at him and smiled deviously. “Something you need to understand about revenge… It’s best done when your enemies don’t see it coming… Lightning Dust abandoned us, she left the cause when we needed all to put in their all. She’s a traitor, and that deserves punishment.”

Arax tilted his head. “Why not just kill her then?”

“That wouldn’t be good enough. No, instead, I’ll let her believe she has a chance at redemption, and get as much use out of her as possible… Then I’ll dispose of her… The look on her face when she realizes that I had been misleading her from the start… That will be far too savory to pass up…” Serenade spoke.

Arax sighed, finding the entire ordeal a bit pedantic. “You know there’s a high chance that Sunset will kill her before you get the chance to?”

Serenade shook her head. “No, Lightning is a coward, she’ll run long before that happens, and Sunset won’t kill her if she runs. She has too much of a heart to kill someone who runs from a fight. She’s not one to strike when one’s back is turned, she’s the pathetic honorable type that prefers to fight you face to face…”

Arax questioned if that assessment was accurate. On one hand, Sunset had spared Serenade’s life despite all around her suggesting it was a poor decision, but now the girl was a demon, and it was hard to say if she would make the same choice again if it were presented before her. On top of that, Sunset stood far more to lose now, in this world her family was here, including her daughter, something that Serenade could exploit, and that could push her into a position of no mercy.

Still, Lightning Dust was far from dependable, even Arax knew that. Serenade was likely right that if push came to shove, she would run once more, hoping that Serenade would fall before Sunset again so she could escape her obligations to her once more, but that was a pipe dream at best. Arax knew that Lightning Dust likely was constantly trying to find a way out once she realized she was in over her head, but Serenade wouldn’t allow it. He would feel bad for her, but at the end of the day, she was a coward that wanted power and when she saw the price of that power, she got cold feet.

“On the off chance that Lightning actually succeeds in killing Sunset?” Arax asked.

Serenade shrugged. “I’ll kill her after. She’ll have served her purpose then. No need to keep her around then.”

“I doubt she’ll be able to anyway,” Serenade added.

“I suppose you’re right…” Arax replied.

It was clear, that there was no path for Lightning to be redeemed. She would fail and die at Sunset’s hands, or she would succeed and die at Serenade’s. The girl’s fate was sealed the moment that Serenade escaped her imprisonment. After that, she made it a point to track down those who had betrayed her. A few other of their subordinates had abandoned the fight in the siege of Canterlot, but all of those they had tracked down and slaughtered. Lightning was a special case, she had been in a position of command, a direct agent to Serenade, therefore it was clear that Serenade felt her punishment needed to be special.

There was nothing that could be done, Lightning Dust’s fate was sealed. She was a dead woman walking, and Arax couldn’t see any way around it. He prayed for her sake that it was Sunset that did her in, that way it would be far quicker, but he doubted she would be so lucky.

“Good luck, Lightning Dust…” Arax spoke to himself out loud.

Serenade nodded. “Though luck won’t be enough.”

Truly, Serenade’s cruelty knew no bounds.

Lightning Dust found herself at a local convenience store. The owner had been giving her the stink eye for some time now as she stood there with a leather jacket over her stealth suit, not exactly the most inconspicuous, so he was concerned she was going to just walk out without paying for sure.

Regardless, Lightning had been examining a set of batteries for a good eight minutes straight. Finally, she spoke up to the owner. “Do you have more of these in stock?”

The owner blinked and nodded. “Uh, yes I think there are some more in the back.”

Lightning nodded back before retrieving a wad of cash from her pocket. “I need eight of them.”

Without hesitation, the owner wandered into the backroom and came back with eight of the batteries she requested. They were fairly large, filling the palm of one’s hand easily. Lightning handed him the wad of bills and bagged the batteries. “Keep the change.”

The owner smiled at her, feeling slightly bad over his previous suspicion. “Yes, thank you, miss.”

Making her way out of the store, Lightning Dust pulled up a hologram on her phone as she made her way into a car. Setting the destination, she examined the hologram, it was a design she had been passed by a tech-savvy friend she had made in the human world. His voice came from her phone as she examined the blueprint.

“So, you got the batteries?” He asked.

“Yeah, I got them. Should power these things for a good few weeks, right?” She asked.

“About eight weeks, yes. Though I’m not sure why you need them to last that long, what are you planning?” He asked.

Lightning looked out her window as she spoke. “I told you, I was tasked with killing Sunset Shimmer.”

“Yeah, and then Serenade will let you off the hook, right?” He asked.

Lightning shook her head. “No. Serenade has no intention of letting me off that easily. There’s little doubt in my mind that she’ll have me killed the moment I give her what she wants.”

“So what do you intend to do then?” He questioned.

Lightning grinned. “I have to have bargaining chips on my side of the table, but for that, I need to tie up some loose ends…”

The voice on the phone got curious. “Loose ends? What do you mean?”

“I can’t risk Serenade figuring out what I’m up to… So I have to get rid of anything that can tip her off… Or anyone…” She said calmly.

“Wait… What?” The voice sounded panicked.

“Nothing personal, kid… But your role is done…” She said plainly.

“Wait! Lightning, I can help you!” His voice was cut off by the sound of gunfire. Lightning hung up the phone shortly after. With his blueprints in her hands, she had no further use for him, and he posed a risk for her plan. If Serenade were to get a hold of him, he would rat her out, and she knew it. She had summoned some mindless demons to take care of him, it only took a small fraction of her power.

She knew the lackeys that worked under her wouldn’t ask enough questions as to why she had ordered them to kill some random human, and even if they did, there was little to connect him to her plan. They were brainless drones, anyway, sucked free of any concept of free thinking. No one would question them, anyway.

Arriving at the old abandoned building she had intended to find, she stepped out of the car and gathered the batteries and a bag of materials. With the hologram of the blueprint still in front of her, she stepped inside and found her way to an old workbench that she had situated.

She looked around the building before setting her supplies down on the table. She thought this building would be perfect for what she had in mind. It had several basement floors, which would be ideal for her plans.

Placing the hologram in front of herself, Lightning began to follow the blueprints and construct the device that she had designed. If all went according to plan, she would have much more leverage. She contemplated what she would do next, but it didn’t matter, so long as she bought herself some time, she could work on a permanent solution to her problem later. Serenade could be dealt with another time.

Yuna composed herself as she held onto the railing of the city bus she found herself on. She was beyond nervous, but she stole herself and took a deep breath. With her eyes on the door, she watched as it opened and allowed her to step off of the bus. When her feet touched the sidewalk she sighed as she pulled up a hologram of a map on her phone.

“She appears to be stationary at the moment. Perhaps she was doing some shopping and now she’s stopped to eat? She is at a cafe according to my readings after all.” Moon’s voice spoke.

Yuna nodded. She glanced over the map one last time before she closed it and began heading in that direction. It would only be an eight-minute walk, but to her good fortune, Sunset was still there when she arrived. The tall redhead sat at a small table for two just outside of a cafe, slurping away at a drink.

Approaching the table, Yuna cleared her throat as she came within range of Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset looked up and removed her sunglasses. Placing them in her jacket pocket, her face lit up with a bright smile. Despite being a demon, and supposedly this vile person who abandoned her daughter, there was a genuine warmth to her. Sunset’s smile made Yuna feel at ease for some reason. She could see a little bit of Horizon in her and wondered if Horizon would look like her more if she ever smiled.

The woman waited patiently for Yuna to state her business.

“M-may I sit here?” Yuna asked.

Sunset gestured with her hand before nodding. Yuna glanced at the leather glove on the woman’s hand before she sat down across from her.

“I had a feeling we’d see each other soon.” Sunset smirked.

“Well, admittedly I didn’t expect it to be this soon…” Yuna blushed.

Sunset just shrugged and took another slurp of her drink. “You’re here now, that’s all that matters.”

Yuna nodded. “So… Where’s Eclipse?”

Sunset rolled her eyes, her expression dipped a little. “Did you really come here to talk about him?”

Rubbing her neck, Yuna shook her head. “I guess not… Just making conversation I suppose, what’s the deal with you two, anyway? Doesn’t sound like you get along…”

Sunset grumbled a bit but answered honestly. “He’s a condescending asshole if I’m honest; never misses a chance to criticize anything I’m doing. Far too uncaring to take beating Serenade seriously, it’s like all he cares about is getting his cock wet…”

“Why do you work with him then?” Yuna blinked, she hadn’t realized how poorly the two got along.

“Unfortunately he’s like a bad cough, it’s next to impossible to shake him, but I’ll admit… one more in the fight can’t hurt… and he can do light magic, so that is a bonus. Oddly enough despite being so lazy, he’s quite skilled with magic, almost like he had a natural talent for it.” Sunset explained.

“A man of strange virtues, I suppose.” Yuna chuckled, feeling the mood lighten slightly.

“If any at all.” Sunset smirked at the thought.

Yuna could tell there was quite a bit of tension between the two, but she decided to say nothing of it.

“Enough about him though, he’s probably off somewhere spreading his seed to whatever man will have it, I’m sure… Why are you here, Yuna?” Sunset’s expression became more relaxed and inviting at those words.

Yuna chewed her thoughts for a brief second, unsure of how to word her thoughts. She sat silently for long enough for Sunset to break it. “Perhaps you need some time to think about it, why don’t you accompany me?”

Blinking, Yuna watched as Sunset stood up and toss her empty drink into a nearby trashcan. She gestured with her finger for Yuna to follow, which she did. Approaching a motorcycle, Yuna flinched at the thought of riding on it. Sunset hopped on without a care, taking the helmet resting on one of the handlebars.

The redhead looked back at Yuna and smirked. “Never ridden on a motorcycle before?”

Yuna shook her head.

“Just hold on tight, I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,” Sunset stated.

Her words filled Yuna with enough confidence to approach and carefully hop onto the back of the bike. Sunset slipped her helmet on and started the engine. She spoke loudly so Yuna could hear her. “Sorry, the other helmet is back at the hotel I stay at.”

Yuna didn’t have it in her to yell back, so she just nodded as she wrapped her arms around Sunset’s midsection. She could feel the older woman’s breasts touching her upper forearm, causing her to blush. Yuna could feel that Sunset was in excellent shape.

As Sunset revved the engine once again, Yuna flinched and gripped tighter. The bike began to move, causing Yuna to close her eyes and hold on tight. Sunset giggled a bit at Yuna’s reaction.

“Just hold on tight,” Sunset stated.

“I can’t believe this! How could you be this stupid!?” Lightning Dust’s father screamed at the eight-year-old filly.

Lightning stood there with her head down, she didn’t dare speak back to her father, though the burning intensity inside of her wanted to scream.

“Your sister doesn’t score like this, why can’t you be more like her? All you ever do is cause trouble in this family, you know that?” Her father scolded.

Lightning gasped as she found herself awake, sweating. She swore under her breath and looked around the desk she fell asleep at. She had been dreaming. The woman put her legs onto the chair and hugged them close to her chest, tears ran down her cheeks as she remembered the pain. It hurt too much to remember, she wished she could forget.

A beeping sound came from, her phone, signaling the arrival of her “guest”. The woman wiped her tears and composed herself. To her surprise, she could see two women pulling up in front of the building. Sighing, Lightning stood up and started gathering her things. The last item was a handgun she had acquired a few days prior, which she placed in a holster around her belt.

“Okay… It’s game time…” Lightning said to herself as she left the room.

Removing her helmet, Sunset ran a hand through her long hair. Yuna watched as she attempted to brush part of it away from her right eye, but to no avail. Sunset was still so incredibly pretty for her age, Yuna thought; good looks ran in the family, obviously.

“What are we doing here?” Yuna asked.

Sunset stepped off of the bike and reached into her jacket and retrieved her 1911. She pulled the clip out and checked it, it was full. Satisfied she placed it back into the weapon and offered it to Yuna. The teen blinked and stared at the gun before looking up at Sunset confused.

“I know you don’t have magic, and it could be dangerous in there,” Sunset stated.

“Why? You still haven’t told me why we’re here.” Yuna blinked.

“I tracked down one of Serenade’s subordinates here, I intend to take her out. One less demon to deal with, remove every advantage that Serenade has.” Sunset grinned.

Yuna pushed the gun back to Sunset. “I’m not a fighter.”

Sunset stuffed the gun back into her jacket and nodded. “You better stay close then, I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“I trust you, Sunset.” Yuna followed closely as they entered the building.

Sunset entered and closed her eyes, trying to sense demonic energy. The place was full of it, there was no doubt, Serenade’s subordinate was definitely there. The stench of demons filled Sunset’s nostrils, she hated it.

Yuna glanced around what appeared to be some kind of office building that had been shut down. Old computers sat atop desks, layers of dust sat atop them, along with office chairs that had been tipped over. Her eyes scanned the room before she saw something move near a hallway.

“Something moved!” Yuna pointed.

Sunset quickly drew her weapon and let off two shots in that direction. She kept her weapon drawn and turned on the attached flashlight. “Stay close, Yuna.”

Yuna gripped Sunset’s arm as the two approached the hallway. Sunset noticed something moved once more down the hallway, which she fired at once more. She called out to whatever was moving down the hall. “Give it up, demon!”

Sunset kept her sight on the target but saw it suddenly vanished out of thin air. “What the hell…?”

She moved her weapon to try and find the target again, noticing what appeared to be a ghostly figure that vanished just as quickly as Sunset saw it, she noted it was heading toward a stairwell heading down.

“That’s new…” Sunset lowered her weapon.

“Do ghosts exist?” Yuna asked.

Sunset shook her head. “In Equestria, there has been extensive research regarding death, no one comes back from it, no matter how much magic they have. The only exception is if they become a demon. Demons can return to the land of the living after they become strong enough, but it’s only temporary, once they die again they’re gone for good.”

“What about everyone else?” Yuna questioned.

Sunset sighed. “Many have tried to answer that question, but even with magic, none have been able to. So many have wasted their whole lives hoping to see those who have already passed…”

“So what happens when we die…?” Yuna asked.

Sunset didn’t answer the question. “We should follow that thing to the basement.”

“Alright, I’ll be right behind you.” Yuna agreed.

“Answer me when I’m talking to you, Lightning Dust!” Her father commanded.

The young filly remained silent. She didn’t dare speak.

Her act of defiance only annoyed him more as he reached out and slapped the girl across her face. She stumbled and fell, but kept quiet. He shook his head in annoyance at her. “I even got you into that private school to help you get better grades, but you screwed that up too. Now you can’t even manage a C average in the public school? What good are you?”

Lightning stayed quiet and still.

Another voice came into the room. “Dad, I’m home!”

Her father’s demeanor changed swiftly. He composed himself and turned around with a smile at the yellow pegasus standing at the entranceway. She was a good eight years Lightning’s senior, with a long orange mane. “Oh hey, Thunder, I didn’t hear you come in. How was school, sweetheart?”

Thunder hugged her father and grinned as he pecked her forehead. “It was good, I made the dean’s list again.”

“That’s fantastic, sweetheart!” Her father spoke with such pride in his voice.

Thunder glanced at Lightning on the ground and tilted her head. “What’s going on here?”

Her father froze for a brief second and glanced over at his younger daughter before speaking. “Oh, uh, Lightning was just trying out a flying move, she still hasn’t quite mastered it yet though.”

“Oh, well maybe next time try it outside?” Thunder smiled.

“Good idea.” Her father chuckled.

Did you ever know, sister? Did you play oblivious? Or did you just trust father so much you couldn’t imagine him being any other way than the way he presented himself to you? Lightning thought to herself as the memory began to fade away.

She hated having to remember it, but it was like a worm in her ear that wouldn’t go away.

Lightning composed herself and reminded herself she needed to focus on the task at hand. She had made her way down to the lower basement level, a good two floors underground; this would be good enough for her plans. Her scans indicated that the teenager with Sunset had no magic capabilities, which was a plus for her plan to work.

She focused and decided it was time to lure her prey to the designated area. She could see the shadow of Sunset coming down the stairwell with a gun drawn, and Yuna at her side.

With remarkable speed, Lightning blazed behind them on the stairs and pushed Sunset down. The woman stumbled with Yuna at her side as they both tumbled down. Upon reaching the bottom Sunset flipped over and faced the top of the stairs with her gun drawn. She fired at Lightning Dust, but the woman moved so quickly that the bullets missed her.

Sunset blinked. She fired again, but as before, Lightning Dust’s body moved quicker than the eye could see. Her speed and reflexes were inhuman.

Helping Yuna up, Sunset kept her weapon drawn, glancing around the room for any sign of the demon. She caught another glimpse and once again fired, but to no avail.

“She’s fast,” Yuna commented.

“Back up, keep our backs to the wall, that way she can only come from so many directions,” Sunset said as the two began to back step until they were in a corner, Sunset aimed her weapon in the hopes of finding a target. “Come on, where are you…? Sunset whispered to herself.

At that moment a high-pitched electronic whine could be heard, causing Sunset and Yuna to both cover their ears. When the whining noise stopped, a pop was heard followed by some kind of force field appearing around them. Sunset blinked as she saw Lightning Dust come into focus. She aimed and unloaded the remainder of her clip on the woman, but the force field stopped the bullets. She quickly reloaded and kept her gun pointed, but Lightning Dust didn’t seem too intimidated.

Realizing it was pointless to fire again, Sunset lowered her weapon. The two locked eyes for an uncomfortable minute. Sunset reached forward toward the barrier only for it to shock her. She retracted her hand quickly and grunted in pain.

Lightning pointed to the barrier. “There’s no point in struggling. This field will lock any living being inside, and it can only be disabled from the outside.” She pointed to a device that had been projecting the barrier. “It has an eight-week battery life, which should be longer than you have…”

“Why? You can’t fight me one-on-one?” Sunset smirked.

Lightning’s expression remained neutral. “I’m not stupid. In a fair fight, I’d stand no chance against you, thus why I devised this plan…”

“So you’ll kill me from behind the safety of your little barrier then?” Sunset asked.

Lightning shook her head. “No, this barrier is meant to preserve you for a while… Having you dead right away won’t serve me…”

“Why would you do that? Serenade wants me dead. Why not just kill me now and report back to your master?” Sunset raised a brow.

“And what purpose would Serenade have for me after that is done?” Lightning replied.

Sunset’s eyes widened as she realized who this woman was now. Her memory quickly returned to her, she had heard stories back in Equestria. “Wait… You’re Lightning Dust, I remember… You ran away like a coward during the final confrontation with Serenade, left her high and dry even…”

“A coward I am, but I’m not foolish. Throwing my life away for Serenade when she was destined to lose is an unnecessary sacrifice…” Lightning explained.

Sunset laughed. “I get it, now you’re in deep with Serenade, you’re hoping for some kind of bargaining power so you need me alive.”

“At least for the time being, mostly I just need you out of the way. If you die in there, it’s not really a concern for me, I just need time is all…” Lightning said.

Sunset smirked and shook her head. “All the time in the world can’t help you now, Lightning Dust. You’re a dead woman walking. You can’t keep me here forever and eventually, Serenade is going to kill you. It’d serve you right too, that’s the price you pay for helping her in the first place, you knew the risks when you got involved.”

“I don’t intend to live beneath Serenade forever, Sunset…” Lightning said.

“Then why not release me? Let me kill Serenade and your problems are over.” Sunset reasoned.

This time Lightning laughed. “You think I’m stupid? Even if you could, you have no reason to spare me. You’ll just kill me as well the moment you get the chance.”

“You’d rather take your chances with Serenade?” Yuna chimed in.

Lightning glared at the teen before speaking. “She’s the evil I at least partially understand…”

“Why delay your death so much? Why not just meet it face to face?” Sunset asked.

Lightning came close to the barrier and spoke in an almost whisper to Sunset. “When this is all over… When I’m free… If you’re not already dead, I’ll come to finish you off, I’m not a monster like her.”

Sunset was quiet as Lightning stepped back and nodded at the two before she began to make her way up the stairs. Sunset cursed as the woman was out of sight. “Shit…”

“Any ideas, Yuna?” Sunset asked.

Yuna already had Moon scanning the barrier but wasn’t coming up with any useful information. “No good, Moon has no reference point for this kind of thing. I think Lightning might be right, the only way to open it is to disable it from the outside…”

“We should call someone then…” Sunset suggested.

Moon’s voice came from Yuna’s phone before a projection of him appeared. “I’m afraid I thought of that already and it’s a no-go. That device seems to be jamming any and all outgoing signals. I can not even connect with Horizon.”

“So we’re trapped then?” Sunset asked.

Moon frowned. “I’m afraid so… Sorry to both of you, I wish I could be of more assistance…”

Yuna gave him a smile, knowing he was trying his best. “It’s alright, Moon. You can’t do much with so little after all.”

Sunset agreed, though begrudgingly. She sighed and sat down on the ground, leaning her back up against the wall. Yuna followed suit and sat down on the floor across from her, sitting atop some kind of storage crate. “So what do we do now?”

“I guess we can just… Wait a little while…” Sunset said before shutting her eyes.

Yuna wanted to be more productive but she couldn’t think of a better plan, so she leaned back and allowed her back and head to rest atop the box she was sitting on and followed Sunset in closing her eyes. She’d think of a way out later, for now, they needed to preserve their strength.

“Your mother is dead because of you! She gave you life and you show your gratitude by being such a pathetic failure!?” Lightning’s father spoke to the now fourteen Lightning Dust.

“You never say that to Thunder…” Lightning commented.

Her father slapped her, but she didn’t fall, she stumbled a bit but stubbornly kept herself standing. She refused to let a tear out or any sign of discomfort, the bastard didn’t deserve it. Instead, she forced a cruel smile on her face.

“Your sister spends her life honoring your mother, doing things that would make her proud, you however can’t seem to stop disappointing anyone can you? I first you kill her with your birth and now you insult her after her death…” He growled.

Lightning felt feisty, she didn’t want to grovel at him anymore. Ever since she had turned thirteen, she promised herself she wouldn’t just stand there and take it anymore. “Maybe because she had someone who believed in her from the start… All I ever got was constantly berating about how I need to be more like her.”

Her father waved a furious hoof at her. “All encouraging you would do is be a waste of breath, your sister was just accepted into Cloudsdale University, something you could never do.”

Fuck you, old man. Lightning thought as she stared at the phone on her wrist. She knew a call from Serenade would come through eventually, but while she sat there trying to figure out what she would say, she found herself lost in memories once again.

Why can’t I just forget? The woman wondered to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard her phone ring and her wrist vibrate. Sighing she answered. “Yeah, it’s me.”

“Where have you been?” An annoyed Serenade asked from the other side.

Lightning held back a yawn as she spoke. “Looking for Sunset Shimmer like I was instructed.”

“Then why haven’t you given me any kind of update yet? I expected a progress report by now!” Serenade hissed.

Lightning felt her ear twitch from the volume of Serenade’s voice. The woman kept her cool though. “Sorry, I’ve been focused on the task, that’s all.”

Serenade pointed a finger at Lightning. “Don’t forget that you’re already on thin ice. I don’t need to remind you what happens if you displease me, do I?”

“I’m well aware, master. I assure you, I was merely occupied with my task, nothing more.” Lightning lied.

Serenade’s temper cooled slightly at the sight of a subordinate submitting to her. “Very well… However, in the future do not keep me waiting, you’ll find I’m not very patient…”

That much was already evident. Lightning thought to herself.

“When I know something, you’ll know right away. Sunset Shimmer isn’t the easiest person to track down.” Lightning coughed.

Letting out a grumble, Serenade agreed, albeit begrudgingly. “I’m aware. She has many tricks up her sleeve, and she knows how to be elusive. Don’t let your guard down around her, or she’ll kill you with ease.”

“Thanks for the advice.” Lightning feigned gratitude.

“If you can bring her to me alive, but weak enough to not resist, that would be more ideal though…”Serenade smirked.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Lightning shrugged.

“Mhm.” Serenade nodded before ending the call.

Lightning let out a long sigh. It was always taxing to deal with her superior. Fortunately for her, she was able to lie well enough to keep Serenade happy. That alone would buy her another day of life.

Eclipse had taken a walk, deciding he had had enough of Sunset Shimmer for a while and thus needed to clear his head. There was so much now to wrap his head around; Sunset’s daughter, Horizon Shimmer now found herself involved in the mission of destroying Serenade, along with her entourage of friends. Did this mean that Sunset and he would now have to work with these teenagers? Or would they be competing for who got the kill first? Either way was acceptable to Eclipse.

The young man took a long drag from an electric cigarette as he kicked a rock off of the sidewalk. He now found himself wondering how much longer their mission would take. Even if Horizon and her friends found themselves in competition for Serenade’s head, he couldn’t deny that it would still benefit them. With more hunting her and her underlings, they stood a much fairer chance of taking her out, though that chance would certainly be greater if they all teamed up; as much as he wasn’t eager to have to work with a bunch of teenagers (especially Bolt).

Taking another puff, Eclipse checked the phone on his wrist for the time: 4:48 PM. It was getting late, he wondered if he should start heading to the hotel where Sunset and he were staying and wait for her return, however, his attention was caught by an app he had installed having a blinking notification. The young man opened the app and a hologram appeared in front of him with a map. The signal was not far from his location.

He had installed an app that Sunset had built which could track magic energy signatures, but this one, in particular, caught his interest, it was being sent out deliberately, and it didn’t appear to be Unicorn in origin, instead, it read off that it was a synthetic signature. Eclipse knew that simulated magic was possible in Equestria, but it usually required the aid of magic relics or uniquely crafted devices that could hone magic. There were only a good few dozen such objects that he knew of, all of which weren’t in the human world.

His intrigue was peaked, after all, whoever was sending this signal out was doing so in the hopes that someone like him would go and find them.

Wasting no time, he made note of the location and closed the hologram. He took one last drag from his cigarette before pocketing it. With haste, he began to run to get to the location as quickly as possible before the signal went away.

Years of training his body meant he could run for long times without getting tired, and he could do so at remarkable speeds. He zipped down the sidewalk, crossed when necessary, and weaved in and out of alleyways between the many structures in the city. Part of him cursed himself for not bringing the other motorcycle that they kept back at the hotel, but there was no time for hindsight.

Eclipse finally found himself at the location of the signal, directly in front of an apartment complex. It was somewhat cheap looking, but not in disrepair. He composed himself and stepped into the front door. Quickly he checked over the names on the mailboxes, and one, in particular, caused him to freeze.

Was it possible? Could there really be a human counterpart to Cinder? If so, why was he drawn to her? Was it a coincidence?

Looking over what floor and apartment she was in, he made his way hastily up the stairs, bolting to her door before stopping in front of it. He froze for a good eight seconds, wondering what he would even say to this counterpart.

Without thinking, his hand reached forward and tapped on the door eight times. It was as if it moved on its own without his input.

From inside, he could hear footsteps, and then the handle turned, causing his heart to race faster and faster in anticipation of what could possibly be behind the door.

When the door swung open, Eclipse instantly recognized the metallic arm of the person standing before him. He had never met anyone with an arm so intricately crafted in his entire life except her. He knew there was no possibility of this being some kind of human counterpart, this was the genuine article.

He blinked a few times in disbelief before the woman tilted her head, speaking in that raspy voice he knew so well. “Yes?”

“It really is you… Master…” Eclipse kneeled down, lowering his head to honor the woman.

Cinder blinked but then his white hair started to look familiar to her. Her eyes widened as she pulled him up and into a hug. He found himself suffocated between her breasts as he squirmed for a second, but ultimately he returned the hug. She stroked his head affectionately as she held him. “You’re still alive… I’m so glad…” she cooed.

Breaking free from the hug, he returned to kneeling before her. “I am, it is good to see you again, master…”

She gestured for him to stand. “On your feet, you needn’t kneel for me, you know that.”

Nodding, Eclipse came to a stand as the woman invited him inside. He followed and sat across from her in her living room. It was a quaint little place without many things decorating it, but he remembered that was how Cinder always was: content with little.

Eclipse recognized her two swords sitting next to her chair and smiled a little.

“Master, what are you doing here? Why are you purposefully letting on a signal to be found?” Eclipse asked.

She gave a toothy grin, her fangs presenting before Eclipse. “I was hoping you’d find me…”

“So it was for me? How did you know I was here?” Eclipse asked.

The dragon woman winked. “You may be quite a student but you have much to learn about covering your tracks. Quite a few know you’re here, Princess Twilight included.”

“Guess the old princess really is a bit more clever than I give her credit for…” Eclipse smirked.

Cinder rolled her eyes. “I know what brought you here, Eclipse…”

The young man became silent.

“Have you told anyone else what you came here for?” Cinder crossed her arms.

“I came here to kill Serenade that’s the only reason…” Eclipse lied.

Cinder shook her head and sighed. “You and I both know that isn’t true.”

Eclipse bit his lip nervously. “Alright, I apologize for lying, Master…”

Cinder sighed. “So you haven’t told her then?”

Eclipse shrugged. “There’s no reason for her to know. It’s better this way…”

“I can’t tell you what to do, but I will say she has a right to know, especially given the circumstances…” Cinder frowned.

The man twitched at those words. “So you know about that, too?”

Cinder grabbed a glass of water nearby and took a sip before she nodded. “I had a feeling after I was informed about the situation. I had seen it before, so unlike those kids, I knew right away…”

Eclipse looked at the floor. “I mean… it’s whatever.”

“Hmmm…” Cinder pondered, not sure of what to make of his response.

“Why did you come here to this place, Master? It couldn’t have just been for me? How are you getting back?” He asked.

Cinder sipped her drink once more. “It’s as I said, I came for you. As for how I’m getting back; I’m not. It’s a one-way trip.”

He frowned. “You came all this way for nothing… I’m not worth you trapping yourself in this hellhole…”

His mentor leaned in with intrigue. “It’s not so bad here, and why do you say that?”

“There’s no reason to keep going for me when this is over. My family is dead, I can’t go back to Equestria… I can’t find any new meaning in existence, the only reason I’m still here is to kill Serenade. When she’s dead, there’s nothing left,” Eclipse explained.

She tilted her head. “Surely your life has some purpose, Eclipse…”

“Yeah, well there’s only so long that getting your dick sucked can make you forget about the burden of existence, Master…”

Cinder found herself chuckling as she covered her mouth. “Quite the playboy then, Eclipse?”

He shrugged. “Look, the reality is it Sunset is a huge disappointment… A self-loathing demon, who spends all of her time abusing herself, neglecting her family, and waiting for the sweet relief of death to absolve her. She’s nothing like I thought she’d be… How does someone so pitiful ever become someone like Glitch was? Glitch was a hero, a leader… Sunset is… a disgrace.”

Cinder shook her head with a frown. “Even as Glitch, she had demons she fought inside. No one is perfect, and I don’t think many envy the position she is in. Most of us never had to make the choices she had before her.”

“We’re all adults, Master. We choose the consequences of our choices and we have to own those consequences…” Eclipse stated plainly.

“So then what? You finish off Serenade and then end yourself? Is that how you see this playing out?” She questioned.

Once again, Eclipse just shrugged as he leaned back in his seat. “I mean if it comes to that… Maybe I’ll get lucky and we’ll both kill each other.”

“Is that how I taught you?” She frowned.

Eclipse’s face became serious. “You taught me how to be a warrior, there is no need for warriors in this world once that monster is dead.”

“I taught you honor.” She corrected.

“Maybe I’m not as great a student then…”

Sighing, Cinder picked up her glass of water once more and finished it off. “No, you were brilliant, I just wasn’t a great teacher. Every failure of my students is my failure as a mentor… I had hoped I gave you purpose… I suppose I didn’t.”

“It wasn’t you… Everything I had faith in kept letting me down. Now, I just want to finish my unfinished business and be done with it all.”

“This is about Galeal isn’t it?” She raised a brow.

Eclipse scoffed. “Why do people keep getting involved in stuff that’s not their business?”

“He hurt you, Eclipse, and you still want a true explanation… But you can’t keep letting what happened with him control you like this…” She reached forward across the table and placed a hand on Eclipse’s knee.

He looked down at her hand and then shook his head. “There’s more going on than just Galeal, that was just the start of the end… I’m not that pathetic you know… So what if Galeal lives in denial? So what if he’s embarrassed to be seen with me? Galeal isn’t my whole life. He helped me through a hard time, but I’m grown up now… I don’t need his approval…”

Cinder was silent.

“Anyway… You’re not going to tell Sunset any of this stuff, right?” He continued.

Cinder shook her head. “I have no reason to. I don’t share the secrets of others… All I can say is I hope you can find more purpose, Eclipse. I’m sorry that I failed you as a mentor… That will weigh heavy on me forever…”

He frowned as he came to a stand. “No, it’s not your fault… I was messed up before we met. I own that.”

“Then I regret not being able to heal you from the burden of your pain…” She said.

Eclipse couldn’t help but smile at those words. Cinder Razorclaw’s personality hadn’t changed at all, once a big sister, always one.

“You’re far too kind, you know that?” He grinned.

“A curse that has cost me much…” She replied quietly.

“I would say it’s worth the price… The world needs more people like you, Master.”

“As it does people like you, Eclipse.”

He wanted to disagree, but seeing her eyes made him bite his lip and nod instead. “Thank you, Master… I appreciate that…”

Doctor Sunset Shimmer had just finished up with the last of her patients for the day, a veteran named Rainbow Dash who had suffered a severe nerve injury in the army. She currently was in a wheelchair, seeking potential new treatment that Doctor Shimmer had been working on, that she hoped would one day potentially restore those who were paralyzed.

She had been compiling her notes on the woman’s specific case diligently. She noted that her body had several other battle wounds that could potentially complicate treatment.

Rainbow T. Dash

Age: Thirty-one

Sex: Female

Patient is five feet, seven inches tall, weighing approximately one hundred and thirty-eight kilos. Blood type information is still being acquired, had an issue communicating with her general practitioner, should be resolved by tomorrow.

Ms. Dash seems quite interested in being a candidate for my upcoming study on the reproduction of damaged nerves. While she is certainly a surly patient, I am not completely sure if she is the ideal viable candidate. More testing will need to be conducted. There is also the concern of the military wishing to utilize my work, so I should be conscious of that as well.

I have told her to return to me at 8:00 AM tomorrow morning for further analysis. I should remember to see if I can find any records of her other treatments for wounds she received while in the army so I can do a full assessment, otherwise I’m not even sure I will be able to proceed.

Sighing, the woman saved her file and turned off her computer. She stretched and came to a stand. With a yawn she removed her jacket and left her office, making her way to the showers.

A few of the doctors who recognized her and weren’t buried in their work gave an approving nod as she walked past them, to which she returned.

The doctor found her way to the showers and opened up a locker she had been assigned the day she finished her residency. Carefully she removed her clothing and placed it within before wandering toward the showers.

When she turned the water on, she felt instant relief. She had been there since eight in the morning and now it was well past midnight. Doctor Shimmer was thankful she didn’t have a family at home waiting for her, as they’d likely have grown sick of waiting for her every single night. She had tried to date a few times, but there just wasn’t enough time. She found herself buried in her work as she was on the cusp of groundbreaking discoveries.

A part of her could feel the filth washing off of her as she cooed contentedly.

The sounds of footsteps caused her to glance in the direction of the entryway to the showers, and she blinked as she saw a young girl wearing a white dress wander in. She wasn’t wearing any shoes and her tiny feet walked so casually. For a girl she had a very unladylike posture about her as she entered the shower, water now soaking her hair and dress, causing it to become somewhat transparent. She was short, and her hair was a mess.

Sunset pointed to her dress. “Your dress is getting soaked.”

The teenager looked down at her soaked form and then back up at Sunset. She held her hand up and watched as water dripped from her fingers. “While my form may get wet, I can not feel it. I can’t tell if the water is hot or cold, I can’t feel the sensation on my skin… Nothing.”

“You’re not a doctor here, are you?” Sunset could instantly ascertain.

The teen shook her head. “No.”

“I don’t know how you got here, but I specialize in the nervous system, I could help you.” Sunset smiled at the girl.

Once again, the girl shook her head. “Your abilities can not do anything for me; I’m not sick. My condition merely comes from my physical form being split like this…”

“What? I don’t understand…” Sunset frowned.

“It’s not necessary for you to understand, fortunately… Miss Shimmer, it’s great to finally meet you…” The girl spoke.

Sunset extended her hand but then retracted it when she realized it wasn’t exactly a formal situation when she was naked. “Likewise… Uhh…” she paused not knowing the girl’s name.

“Horizon.” The girl said.

“Horizon then.” Sunset grinned.

“I apologize for not showing myself sooner, I promise I haven’t been avoiding you…” Horizon stated.

Sunset blinked. “I wasn’t aware we were supposed to meet…”

Horizon shrugged at her. “That’s fair… It seems my abilities like light are limited. Light can only appear in so many places, it must come from a source and it takes time to get there… My abilities are limited like that, and they don’t always seem in my own control…”

“I’m not sure I follow…” Sunset rubbed her head, unsure of what was going on.

“It doesn’t matter, when you leave here, you’ll likely only imagine this as some kind of strange dream, it’s not as though others will take you seriously, I mean a strange girl who managed to bypass all hospital security and vanished just as quickly? Who would believe that…” Horizon said.

Sunset Shimmer was silent.

“My role is solely to extract information,” Horizon added.

“What is it that you want to know, Horizon?” Sunset asked.

Horizon paused but then looked up at the older woman. “Dr. Shimmer, what is the value of one’s life?”

The doctor froze, unsure of what to say. She contemplated it and then gave her answer. “I guess that’s something that only each person can decide for themselves.”

Horizon nodded. “I suppose that’s the kind of answer I expected from you at this point…”

“What do you plan to do with this information?” Sunset asked.

When the woman blinked though, Horizon had completely vanished. She wondered if the entire situation was nothing more than an illusion.

Moondancer found herself going over piles of notes she had made, trying to make sense of it all. Something just wasn’t making sense, and she knew it. She had been conducting some personal research for a few days, and the results were now in front of her not making any sense.

The slender woman adjusted her glasses as she began to look over her findings once more. “It doesn’t make sense… These energy signatures… They’re almost identical to the sample that I got from Moon when Yuna gave it to me…”

She scratched her head in confusion until it finally clicked. There was only a single possibility that made everything make sense. She gasped and covered her mouth as the truth revealed itself to her. “That means… Shit! I have to warn Yuna!” The woman reached into her drawer and retrieved a firearm before getting ready to call her sister.

The phone dialed but no one picked up. “Fuck!” Moondancer cursed.

Hearing a rustle behind her, Moondancer turned around with her gun drawn, to see a figure in the shadows pointing one back at her.

“So I was right… It was you…” Moondancer stood her aim unwavering.

“You won’t kill me, Moondancer, you don’t have the guts to do so…” A masculine voice called back to her.

“Is that what you think?” Moondancer asked.

“It’s nothing personal, I just can’t have you blabbing what you found out, it’d be a hindrance to Serenade’s plan, after all…” The figure spoke.

“All of your kind are the same… puppets,” Moondancer growled.

Bang!

Hello, welcome back!

Who doesn't love a good cliffhanger? Also, yes, the return of Lightning Dust, I'm sure most of you predicted her return.