Eclipse hopped out of the front of Jasper’s truck as he watched Horizon and Cloud step out of Horizon’s vehicle. Cloud seemed annoyed that Eclipse had insisted they deviate from their original planned route. He approached the white-haired man and stood on his tiptoes to match his height. Eclipse almost found it cute how absolutely not intimidating the young teen was. He was cute, but not quite Eclipse’s type. Cloud huffed and looked Eclipse in the eye as he spoke. “What is the big idea? We’re trying to get Bolt somewhere safe so we can heal him!”

Rolling his eyes, Eclipse gave a dismissive gesture. “Relax, it’s just a little detour and we should be able to heal him up faster this way anyway.”

“What’re you talking about? You wouldn’t even explain why we’re here…” Another voice called out to him. The voice belonged to Thorn who had gotten out of Horizon’s car and with Horizon’s help had assisted Bolt in standing.

Bolt glanced around and lifted a brow at Eclipse. “What’re we doing here in suburbia?” He asked.

“As I said, it would have taken too long to explain, it’s better you all find out in person…” Eclipse stated.

“Find out what?” Horizon asked.

“Oh good, you’re here!” From the nearby house, the door had opened and there stood the familiar face of Sunset Shimmer.

The group all froze shy of Eclipse.

“We’ve been looking all over for you!” Bolt growled.

Sunset shook her head. “You’ve got the wrong Sunset, sorry…”

“No that’s not possible… How is there another Sunset?” Bolt asked.

Sunset and Horizon locked eyes. The two stared for a brief eight seconds before Sunset grew a smile and approached Horizon. She placed her hands behind her back and examined the young teen with an approving nod. “Horizon Shimmer…” Sunset spoke.

“Have we met?” Horizon asked.

Sunset giggled and shook her head. “Technically we have… But not in a way you’d be aware of yet. The other Horizons haven’t merged their memories yet after all…”

“What on god’s green earth is she talking about, Horizon?” Jasper asked.

Horizon didn’t answer Jasper, she kept staring at Sunset.

“You’ve seen them, right? The other versions of you?” Sunset asked.

Horizon nodded.

“They said we’d meet eventually, unfortunately, I can’t tell you anything they’ve said to me, but to be fair at one point you’ll know anyway when your memories converge with theirs’.” Sunset explained.

“So you’re not my mother then?” Horizon asked.

Sunset shook her head. “Afraid not, but I understand she’s missing. Hopefully, she’ll turn up.”

“Who are you then?” Horizon tilted her head.

Sunset examined the messy girl and smiled more. She was a bit sloppy, but very pretty when you really looked at her. “Later… right now, I could actually use your help… You and Eclipse both…”

“Help with what?” Horizon asked.

Sunset gestured for the group to follow her inside. Obeying, Horizon gestured for the group to follow, which they did. She aided Thorn in carrying Bolt, and within minutes the group was inside the home where a young Adagio gazed upon all of them with intrigue. She bowed her head respectfully. “Thank you for coming. It means much to me.”

“This is the Adagio from this world for those who are not up to speed,” Eclipse explained.

“Yes. I know other Adagio did horrible things, I am sorry…” The woman frowned and lowered her head in shame.

“You may share a face but you don’t share her actions, there’s no need to apologize.” Candy chimed in with a thumbs-up.

That statement made Adagio perk up just a little bit. “Your words are kind, thank you.”

“Sunset said you needed our help with something?” Horizon asked.

Adagio nodded. “Yes, my sister…” she gestured to the bedroom behind her.

The group poked their heads in and saw a teenage girl who appeared quite ill. Her skin had become pale, her body covered in sweat as she lay there under a thin sheet. Adagio had removed all of her clothing shy of an undershirt and her panties. Her likeness to Serenade was uncanny, just far younger.

“Now that’s freaky…” Bolt commented.

“She looks like Serenade, but I promise you this isn’t the same one. She’s innocent, a child,” Eclipse explained.

Horizon stepped into the room and got a closer look. “What’s wrong with her?”

Sunset crossed her arms. “The other Serenade paid her a visit, and planted some of her dark matter into her, it’s going to really mess her up unless we perform a light spell to contain it. Right now it’s growing… She will lose control of her body and mind…”

“With the three of us, the spell will be far stronger,” Eclipse said.

“You brought us here to save Serenade’s human counterpart? Can’t say there’s no irony in that…” Cloud sighed.

“Please… She only fourteen…” Adagio pleaded.

“As opposed to that two-thousand-year-old piece of trash… Let’s help her, Horizon.” Jasper nodded.

Horizon nodded back in agreement. She stepped forward and came to the left side of the young blonde’s bed, taking Serenade’s left hand in her hand, cupping her other hand over the top of it. On the other side of the bed, Eclipse leaned over her and placed a hand atop of her her head, and Sunset grasped the teen’s right hand tightly.

Eclipse took a deep breath, and Horizon braced herself. “On three…” Sunset instructed.

“One… Two… Three…” Sunset exhaled on three, and the group all focused their inner power on Serenade. Coursing magic through the blonde’s body, the group all closed their eyes, and after eight seconds, they could feel they were done.

Opening their eyes, the three nodded at each other before checking on Serenade. Eclipse felt her forehead once more and grinned. “Her temperature is returning to normal, she just needs some rest now…”

“I would wager we bought her some time… But not an infinite amount…” Sunset frowned.

“How much longer she have?” Adagio asked with hesitation in her tone, clearly, she didn’t actually want an answer to that question.

Eclipse shook his head. “Given the rate of growth… I’d say we bought her about eight weeks… After that… I doubt this will work a second time. We have to get that thing out of her…”

Sunset crossed her arms in concern.

Eclipse looked over at Horizon. “Horizon, perhaps you could perform a dark pull… Remove the piece of darkness within her?”

Horizon shrugged. “I would need more info on it first. Every demon is different, every dark pull is different as a result…”

Thorn stepped forward with a large grin on her face. She ran a hand playfully through her green and black hair and held up a hand, forming a small ball of shadows within her hand. “I suppose this is where my talents come in, after all, I don’t think anyone else can use dark magic.”

“Aren’t we lucky then?” Sunset smiled.

“Leave this one to me!” Thorn stated as she approached Serenade. Feeling her way around, she eventually found the girl’s hand and held it. Thorn smiled and nodded her head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Serenade… Now… Let’s find out what’s going on inside of you…”

Thorn’s dull red eyes stayed stationary as she concentrated her powers. She moved shadows around within Serenade’s body, seeing everything inside of her, Most of her innards were normal until she arrived at an abnormality. “Aha!”

“Found it?” Eclipse asked.

Thorn nodded. “Yeah… It’s in there, it’s a demon vine, I can feel it…”

“Can we remove it?” Sunset asked.

Thorn frowned. “I wouldn’t advise it… The vibe is wrapped around a part of her brain. If you pull it out… It could have very negative consequences…”

“Such as?” Eclipse tilted his head.

“Loss of motor skills… Memory loss, paralysis… maybe even death. There’s no telling what kind of damage we’d do to her brain if we pulled it out. It’s not safe…” Thorn let go of Serenade’s hand. “I’m sorry… There’s nothing we can do… In eight weeks… Well…”

“She turns into one of the other Serenade’s puppets…” Sunset concluded.

“It would seem that way…” Thorn nodded reluctantly.

“This can’t be…” Adagio’s voice was shaky.

“There’s still one way to save her…” Eclipse raised a finger.

“You kill the host, and the demon vine it came from dies with it…” Horizon recalled out loud.

“We kill the other Serenade, and the girl will be fine.” Eclipse nodded in agreement.

“Eight weeks isn’t a whole lot of time… Didn’t it take the other Sunset like… Years to beat her the first time? And we don’t even know where she is…” Jasper questioned.

Eclipse shook his head. “Serenade isn’t as strong this time as she was then… Then again neither is Sunset. Sunset had full access to Equestrian magic and an enchanted spear back then… regardless though… Eight weeks is what we have, so it’s what we have to work with. We either pull it off or this innocent girl is done for… Is that motivation enough for everyone?”

“Quick is what I do…” Bolt groaned.

Horizon wandered back over to Bolt and gestured for Sunset, Cloud, and Eclipse to help her. “We should tend to him now.” She suggested.

The four of them lifted him up and brought him into the other bedroom while the remainder of their group stayed behind to comfort Adagio. When they set Bolt down and focused their powers on him, he could feel his pain slowly melt away. Within a minute or so, he felt completely rejuvenated.

“How’re you feeling?” Cloud asked.

Bolt sat up and flexed his elbow followed by stretching his neck. “Never better…”

“So… Now that business is taken care of…” Eclipse cleared his throat before looking over at Sunset. “Do you mind telling us who you are now?”

“I’m curious too…” Bolt nodded.

Sighing, Sunset rubbed her arm and glanced over at Horizon. Horizon spoke up to her. “If you’re not my mother… Who are you?”

The woman began to twirl her finger around a strand of hair from her long ponytail. “I suppose you can call me Shimmer…”

“That’s not possible. You’re referring to my aunt Shimmer?” Horizon asked.

Shimmer rubbed her neck. “I suppose I am… Sorry, we don’t get to meet under less awkward circumstances. I was sort of hoping to avoid an encounter like this, but I needed your help…”

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead? Shimmer died like twenty years ago…” Cloud asked.

“I guess that’s true… I guess you could say I was reborn?” Shimmer looked away, biting her lip awkwardly.

“That’s nonsense…” Eclipse rolled his eyes. “Everyone knows you die, you’re dead.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but I promise I’m really her, I just was reborn sort of…” She rubbed her neck.

“You remember everything from before you died?” Horizon tilted her head.

Shimmer nodded. “Yeah… I remember that feeling of getting shot… I remember Sunset crying… Everything going dark… All of it.”

“How’d you cheat death, Shimmer, spill it.” Eclipse crossed his arms.

She shook her head. “It’s not like that, I didn’t really get a say in how I came back, and it wasn’t exactly in a… Conventional way…”

“If you’ve been alive this whole time, why didn’t you tell Sunset? She’s been beating herself up over your death for decades now.” Eclipse groaned. “And I’ve had to listen to her because of it?” He added.

Shimmer frowned and bit her lip once more. “I would have loved to do that, but the situation is more complicated than that… Showing myself to her would have only caused more pain and confusion… Besides, I’m only here on a limited capacity… I have only so much power that allows me to stay here, if I use it up too fast, I won’t be able to be much help going forward…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bolt asked.

She frowned and rubbed her arm again. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that yet. There are things you can’t know until it’s time… And I have to conserve my power for when that time comes…”

“I’m getting really tired of people not giving us straight answers…” Bolt rolled his eyes.

“There’s… One last thing you all should know…” Shimmer said.

“Which is?” Horizon asked.

Taking a deep breath the woman took a single step backward. As she exhaled, her body began to glow as it slowly transformed. Her red hair turned blue and formed into twin ponytails, her clothing morphed into a simple white sundress with a pair of gladiator sandals upon her feet. As she opened her eyes, they had changed into a maroon color and her entire face and figure had morphed into another.

“Angel Song?” Horizon asked.

Angel squeaked but nodded. “Y-yes… It’s me…”

“Shimmer has been masquerading as Angel Song?” Cloud asked in awe.

Angel waved her hands frantically. “I-it’s not like that!”

“You better start talking then… And you better start making sense…” Eclipse’s tone was somewhat threatening.

Angel sighed. “I don’t really know how it happened…It’s like… When I gained my powers… She showed up too. At first, I could just hear her voice, but eventually, I could see her… And more recently I have been able to turn into her…”

“So Shimmer is more or less borrowing your body then?” Eclipse asked.

She nodded. “It seems that way…”

“Can we ask her for her side of the story?” Eclipse questioned.

Angel’s soft face shifted to a frown. She had such an innocent face that many imagined it would make a man flood with guilt just to see her cry. “It doesn’t work like that. I can only transform into her when she is willing. I don’t really have any control over her…”

Sighing, Eclipse crossed his arms once more and shook his head. “And I’m guessing she’s probably going to stay as evasive as we’re seeing here…”

Angel looked away shamefully. “Sorry…”

The group fell silent before Angel perked up. “Oh wait! She did tell me something though that is relevant since Horizon is here!”

Horizon tilted her head. “Me?”

Angel stepped forward and grabbed Horizon’s hands happily. She smiled at the girl and nodded. “Yes. She said that you’re the perfect anomaly in all of this.”

“Horizon? How?” Eclipse asked.

“Sunset and Serenade are both partial anomalies in this world, their very existence changed the course of events for this world entirely… But Horizon… You would not have existed were it not for that interference, therefore you have no roots in either world were it not for the anomalies…” Angel began to explain.

“How is that helpful?” Eclipse raised a curious brow.

“Well, being an anomaly means that Horizon is this universe’s potential. She’s not bound by the course of events set forth by the world…” Angel finished.

Cloud squinted in confusion. “So you’re saying you think everything was pre-determined? Like we’re walking along a path?”

Angel shook her head. “No… Not anymore. Shimmer seems to think that we all strayed from the path and now we are shaping a new history, and Horizon is proof of that. She said something about how the universe tries to correct itself, but it can’t…” The woman rubbed the back of her neck. “Admittedly, I don’t understand all of it…”

Horizon blinked, unsure of what to make of this information. After a few seconds though, another voice spoke up. “So Horizon can save me?”

The entire group turned around and saw Serenade was now sitting up, fully awake. Sweat was running down her forehead, but she appeared to be in better health than when the group had arrived to care for her.

Angel looked back at Serenade and then at Horizon once more. “I… I think so… And I think Shimmer thinks so too. It’s like what Eclipse said if they kill the other Serenade…”

“Then the part of her inside of you will die too…” Eclipse finished.

Gently getting out of bed, the young teen approached Horizon and met her eyes. She was a petite young girl, no taller than five feet, and she had such an innocent aura about her. It was difficult to imagine that her Equestrian counterpart was the vile monster they were up against.

“I’ll put my faith in you then, Horizon…” Serenade said softly.

Horizon nodded.

The rest of their group finally entered the room, and all of their faces were covered with confusion. Nova pushed her way to the front of the group with squinted eyes. “Aunt Angel? When did you get here?”

“I guess there’s a lot that we need to go over now…” Angel frowned.

Lightning Dust exited a convenience store with a protein bar in hand. She took a large bite and sighed as she traversed the parking lot and hopped into a car that she had procured. After shutting her door, she could hear all the doors lock. Instinctively, she looked to the passenger seat and there sat a face she had hoped not to see again.

A disheveled man sporting some thin-framed glasses smiled mischievously at her. She recognized that twisted smile anywhere.

“Shit…” Lightning cursed.

Eight Ball sighed and shook his head. “You know, Lightning… You really pissed Serenade off. I mean I rarely see her this annoyed, but you’ve definitely taken the cake.”

“Serenade said I had more time…” Lightning reminded him.

Eight Ball chuckled. “Yeah… About that… She lied. Your time is up. So now… I get to play with you a little…”

“I can still get Sunset Shimmer, just tell Serenade to give me time…” Lightning attempted to bargain.

Eight raised his hand and shook his head. “No more deals, no more bargains… Now we do what needs to be done…”

Reaching into his shirt pocket, the man retrieved a syringe and quickly jabbed Lightning with it, injecting its entire contents into her body. She coughed and groaned in pain as she suddenly felt pain shoot through her entire body. She gasped for air as the needle was removed. Eight tossed the syringe into the back seat and leaned in so she could hear him better.

“A little present that the good doctor cooked up for you… It’ll slowly weaken your body, and pain will be felt from every single nerve in your body, it’ll get so great that you’ll want to rip your throat out…” Eight explained.

Lightning coughed in response.

Ignoring her suffering, Eight continued. “It should take full effect within 48 hours. It’ll start slow at first, but it’ll get worse and worse over time… Let’s see how long it takes before you can’t take anymore and just end yourself…”

Coughing again, Lightning managed to get some words out. “Fuck you… You fucking psychopath…”

Eight just laughed and shook his head. “Some people may call me a psychopath… People who lack vision… Like you…” Quickly he reached over and punched the girl in the throat, causing her to cough and wheeze. “But others… Like Serenade… They see how truly… advanced I am.”

Lightning coughed and held her throat, unable to reply, so Eight Ball just continued on. “The world is nothing but games of chance, don’t you get it? You place your bets on what you think will have the best outcome and roll the dice… The rest of the world just hasn’t figured that out yet, but that’s okay… I’ll show them. I’ll teach them what it means to put everything on the line… What it means to roll the dice…”

Managing to compose herself slightly, Lightning got out a few words between coughs. “I can’t wait to see what happens when you lose one of your coin flips…”

He chuckled and opened the car door to let himself out. “Luck is always on my side, Lightning.”

He peer into the car from the open door and smiled. “The serum should start to take effect soon, as it spreads, it’ll be far more painful. When you’re ready to end your suffering… Call me, I’ll be keeping track of how long you make it… It’ll be fun.”

Eight shut the door and walked off slowly. Lightning cursed under her breath as she looked in his direction. There were few she loathed as much as Serenade, but Eight was high up on the list, even higher now. Her entire plan was falling apart now, she had to make a move quickly.

Turning the key in the ignition, she decided it was best to get to work now.

Bolt stood next to his mother inhaling and exhaling in rhythm with her. The two kept their eyes closed as Rainbow Dash instructed her son. She spoke calmly and Bolt listened, he listened to the person he respected the most.

“You have to remember where your power comes from… The geode represents loyalty. You’re at your strongest when you remember what you’re fighting for. If you forget, just remember your friends, they’ll give you the boost you need.” Rainbow Dash explained.

“But how can I be faster than her?” Bolt asked.

Rainbow shook her head as her eyes opened, she looked straight ahead and her expression remained serious. “It’s not about how. It’s about when. You will be, but only when your will is stronger than hers. Just never forget, you’re looking for your friends. You have to focus on that, the power of that thought will make you faster than you ever imagined.”

Bolt turned to her and tilted his head. “It can’t be that simple, can it?”

Rainbow chuckled and placed a hand atop her son’s head and ruffled his hat. “Son, it’s taken me a long time to realize… It really is that simple. I spent years trying to be better than Applejack, and it wasn’t until I realized it wasn’t necessary that I truly improved myself. Sometimes being the best means knowing when someone else is better suited for a job.”

Bolt scratched his head, unsure of what she meant. “I don’t get it…”

“You will one day.” She laughed.

Inside the house behind the two, Fluttershy was aiding Cloud in perfecting his own magic. The young teen moved water through the air carefully and made it go through hoops and rings that Fluttershy had hung from the ceiling, all without getting a single drop onto a single ring or hoop.

She smiled at her son as she watched him and instructed him. “That’s good… You have to always remember to stay calm. It’s much easier to control when your emotions are in check.”

Cloud nodded in agreement. “It’s so much easier than the first time I tried this…”

His mother kissed his forehead and ran a hand along his hair. “Yes, you’ve improved so much…”

“I needed to… I have to protect Bolt like you told me,” Cloud said.

That was a secret between the two of them. She knew her other son was reckless, hard-headed, and didn’t pay much attention to details. He was the spitting image of a younger Rainbow Dash. The only thing he lacked now as the growth that she had already gone through, but if he was anything like her, that growth wouldn’t happen for some time.

“You’re doing a wonderful job, Cloud…” She smiled at her young son.

Lightning stepped into the building where she was keeping Sunset and Yuna and instantly felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder that spread to her arm. She groan and knelt down before gripping the spot in pain. She coughed and struggled for a brief eight seconds before the pain subsided.

It had already begun. She didn’t have much time. Making her way inside, she quickly found her way to her workstation on the eighth floor. Scrambling through the items on the table, she quickly grabbed a small device no larger than a few quarters with an electrical ribbon attached to it, along with a needle at the end. She began to mess with the settings and activated the device. Once active she set the timer for eighty minutes.

This was it, her contingency plan. If Serenade moved in now, she needed a way to ensure she wouldn’t walk away with a complete victory.

“Damn you, Eight Ball… I should have killed you when I had the chance…” Lightning complained out loud.

Taking the device, Lightning unzipped her outfit and tucked the device inside, before taking the needle and injecting it into herself. She winced in pain for a brief moment, but after the pain subsided, she sighed and zipped her suit back up with the device tucked inside.

“Fuck…” Lightning leaned down in her seat and stared at the floor. She hadn’t anticipated things to go like this. Serenade had been one step ahead of her the entire time, but she had something Serenade didn’t: Sunset Shimmer. Serenade would do anything to get her hands on that woman, and maybe there was a chance that Lightning could use that to her advantage.

There was only one other problem now: Horizon and her friends. They’d come looking for Lightning soon, there was no doubt about that, so she had to take them out now before the pain from the serum became too much.

Lightning Dust figured it was best to finish off that brat who was Rainbow Dash’s kid first. When fighting him, she had gotten a pretty good read on his abilities, and he was nowhere near a level where he could master them. He was a novice boxing in the big leagues, no match for someone of her caliber.

Standing up, Lightning made her way downstairs, and when she made her way down the second flight, she felt a light tinge in her right hand. The pain was just popping up in random places at random intervals. It was no good, she would need to make a quick stop before making it to the basement.

Stepping off on the floor below the one she was on, she made her way to a medical storage area she had procured. She knew there was a high chance of injury, so she had stocked up on medical supplies in advance many weeks ago. Rummaging through a cabinet, she discovered several vials of morphine. It would have to do, regular painkillers were likely no match against the doctor’s serum, he was usually that thorough after all.

Grabbing a syringe, Lightning jabbed it into a bottle and extracted a small dose. She turned her left arm and pushed the sleeve of her outfit up and injected herself. She let out a sigh of relief as she could feel the effects begin within seconds. Calming herself, she grabbed a few extra syringes and a couple more vials to take with her. Opening a fanny pack she had attached to her belt, she placed the items inside.

Once she was satisfied, she made her way back to the stairs and descended all the way down to the basement, the pain subsiding as she did. The morphine would buy her time.

As she entered the basement, she could see Sunset asleep with Yuna at her side. Lightning whistled to get both of their attention, but only Sunset responded with a gentle stir.

“Do either of you have your friend’s numbers?” Lightning asked.

Sunset just spat in her direction.

“I’m going to guess the girl does…” Lightning rolled her eyes and turned her wrist so her phone displayed a projection. “Give me Bolt’s number.”

Sunset sighed and looked over at Yuna and could see she had no energy. Instead, Sunset turned the girl’s phone over and made a display appear with Bolt’s contact info. “I hope he kicks your ass…” Sunset said calmly.

Lightning ignored the insult and added Bolt to her contacts. She nodded and gave the two girls a wry smile before making her way back to the stairs, only for Sunset to flip her off on her way out.

As she made her way up the stairs, she quickly called Bolt. After only two rings, there was an answer. “Hello?”

“Bolt, it’s good to hear from you again…” Lightning cooed.

“Fuck! How did you get my number!? Where are you!?” Bolt barked back.

Lightning turned the volume down so his grating voice wouldn’t hurt her ears. “Relax, you’ll have a shot at me… That’s why I’m calling after all…”

“Release our friends or I’ll bash your fucking balls in!” Bolt growled, then paused before adding. “Metaphorically speaking anyway…”

Lightning rolled her eyes, wondering if all men were this stupid. Bolt definitely didn’t strike her as a brainchild, that was for sure.

“You want a crack at saving them?” She asked.

“Obviously, now tell me where they are!” Bolt demanded.

“Here’s the deal, you meet me, we fight again, winner take all. You win, you get your friend back, I win… Well… You die.” Lightning smirked.

Bolt answered without hesitation. “Tell me where.”

The woman’s eyes widened at his lack of fear, but she composed herself. “You know where 88 Sub Street is?”

Bolt paused for a moment as he thought but then replied. “That’s on the other side of town isn’t it?”

“Correct, you’re not as stupid as you sound… Which is saying something because you sound like an absolute moron…” Lightning replied.

“Man, fuck you.” Bolt hissed over the line.

Lightning adjusted the volume once more to protect her hearing.

“Alright, listen, you meet me there… Alone. One-on-one, bring any of your friends and I am not telling you shit, regardless if you win, got it?” Lightning commanded.

Bolt’s response surprised her. “Or, we can all show up and beat the living shit out of you…”

Lightning’s temper escaped her for a brief second. “Listen here, your little fucking brat, I’m calling the shots. I’m the one with the hostages, so you do what I say or I’ll blow their fucking brains out right now.”

There was a short pause before Bolt answered. “Fine, we do it your way. You and me, no one else. One-on-one. I’ll beat you fair and square…”

“I look forward to it,” Lightning said before hanging up.

Her plan was now in motion. She could kill Bolt, and then work her way through the rest of the group. If she focused on picking them off one at a time, or in smaller groups, she could get rid of them all fairly quickly. Then with those teenagers out of the way, she could focus on how to get rid of Serenade, perhaps there was a way to extract Sunset’s power and use it for herself?

Lightning cleared her mind, she needed to focus on step one first. So she began to make her way upstairs to go and meet Bolt as she had planned. Once she was at the front door, she hastily made her way to her car which she stepped into and set out for her destination.

There wasn’t much time to waste.

Bolt had borrowed his mother’s car, claiming he was going to run to the store to pick up a few things. He didn’t like lying to his mother, but he didn’t want to take the risk of Lightning Dust making good on her threat. If his mother knew he was heading out to fight with her, she would likely tag along, and then Lightning would kill Yuna and Sunset as she said, or at the very least cause them harm.

With his eyes on the GPS that was controlling the vehicle, the teen closed his eyes and remembered the teachings of his mother. He remembered what he was fighting for: to save Yuna and Sunset, and in effect potentially save the entire world. Failure wasn’t an option. He had to crush Lightning Dust.

Opening his eyes, he watched as the car came around a nearby turn that eventually brought him to the location that he and Lightning had agreed upon. When the car parked itself, he stepped out and closed the door before retrieving his metal bat from the back seat.

Taking a few practice swings with his bat, Bolt nodded in confidence as he stepped away from the car and made his way to what appeared to be an empty lot. There would wasn’t a soul around, as it was an abandoned part of town, formerly under construction to cultivate a new suburb, but the project was abandoned years ago due to lack of funding. Now, all that remained were empty lots and half-finished structures that would likely be finished someday in the future but now stood no purpose.

Sure enough, as promised a car pulled up and parked on the other side of the lot. Bolt prepared himself as he watched Lightning Dust step out of the other car and close the door behind herself.

She glanced over at Bolt and smirked as she approached casually. “Glad to see you made it, kid…”

Bolt took a fighting stance before pointing at her with his bat. “I wouldn’t be so glad if I were you, I’m going to beat the shit out of you. I’m going to beat you so bad your fucking ancestors will feel it. I’ll knock the shit out of you so fucking hard that your fucking descendants are going to feel it.”

Lightning rolled her eyes as she cracked her knuckles. “I see boasting runs in the family…”

“Don’t you dare talk shit about my family.” Bolt growled.

“Why not let our fists do the talking then?” Lightning suggested.

“Whatever…” Bolt rolled his eyes.

Without warning, Lightning zipped past the open lot toward Bolt, but even with her lightning speed, Bolt was able to dodge her attack with ease. Lightning blinked and looked behind herself to see that Bolt was behind her now. He had moved so quickly that he was able to return to his original position while still dodging her attack.

She chuckled and nodded. “Not bad… Much better than last time for sure…” Lightning commented.

Not giving him a chance to respond, she bolted backward swiping at him, however, the attack appeared to go right through him. She blinked again, unsure of what was happening.

She swung at him again, and just like before her fist went right through him. “What the…?”

She began a flurry of punches, all of which just continued to go right through him. After the eighth punch, she felt a sharp pain in her gut, as if someone had punched her back.

Groaning she jumped backward and put some distance between the two of them. She recovered from the hit and then squinted trying to figure out what was going on. Bolt just stood confidently, unmoving. “Using illusionary magic? How pathetic…”

Bolt shook his head and smirked. “No illusions… You just keep missing.”

“What…? How…?” She growled before launching another series of attacks, but no matter how many times she struck, they all ended the same, moving right through Bolt, and appearing to do no damage. “WHY CAN’T I HIT YOU!” She growled before delivering another failed kick, this time again feeling like she was punched back, this time in the cheek, causing a small drip of black blood to release from her lip. She wiped the blood away and again put distance between the two of them.

What the hell is going on? Lightning thought as she watched Bolt closely. Still, he appeared to not be moving. If there was no illusion, he could he keep phasing through her attacks.

Bolt yawned, which Lightning was certain was him just taunting her. “Are you giving up already?” Bolt asked.

Lightning looked at the ground under him and noticed the dirt around him had shifted slightly from when their fight started. It was subtle, but she could just barely notice it. That is when it occurred to her what was going on, or at the very least, a possibility.

No way. It’s not possible! He’s moving so fast that I can’t even see him move! That would mean he’s even faster than me! Lightning thought with widened eyes.

Bolt caught her expression and grinned. “Figured it out then?”

“How the hell did you get that much faster from the last time we fought?” Lightning asked.

Bolt turned and placed his bat over his shoulder. “I’ve got a better teacher than you do… And that means, you can’t hit me. And that also means…” He readied his bat and suddenly Lightning felt a brunt hit to her chest which pushed her back, but as before, Bolt didn’t even appear to move.

“You can’t dodge my attacks.” Bolt's words were accompanied by another hit to her, unseen.

Lightning grunted in pain as she realized there was no way to fight back and no way to defend herself from his attacks. He could move unseen, and he could attack without retaliation.

Another blow came to her, this time in her knee, causing her to kneel in pain. “Fuck!” She hissed.

She needed to do something, or she would be beaten to a pulp without so much as landing a single hit on him.

Closing her eyes, Lightning focused on the demonic energy inside of her. She called upon it, pushing it out. She would need every advantage she could get. She needed to boost her speed and awareness.

Slowly, she felt her senses improve and soon she could just barely see trails behind Bolt of where he was moving. Another swing came her way with his bat, but this time she managed to kick and knock it out of the way.

Bolt began to swing ruthlessly, but this time Lightning was able to block and dodge each one. Bolt stopped and blinked in shock. Lightning smirked. “Tapping into my demonic powers lets me increase my awareness. I can see things moving slower than they actually are… Allowing me to see… Even you…”

Bolt chuckled and shook his head. “Just because you can see me, doesn’t mean you can stop me.” He issued another series of attacks which Lightning managed to block. “Eventually you’re going to get tired.”

Lightning and he exchanged blows, both stopping the other each time for a series of minutes before Lightning felt a sharp pain in her left leg. As she reached to grip in, Bolt delivered a punch directly to her face. She stumbled back and fell to the ground, gripping her leg and face. “Fuck!” She hissed in pain. Bolt kicked her while she was down, but she attempted to ignore it as she reached for the morphine, but Bolt kicked it out of her hand.

She struggled to reach for the morphine, but Bolt stomped on her wrist, causing her to scream more in pain. Bolt produced his bat and smacked her a few times on her side, but Lightning felt pain in her chest as well from the serum. She writhed in pain but forced herself to a stand and tried to put distance between her and Bolt, reaching to get another syringe, this time managing to get it out and started to fill it from a vial but Bolt darted forward and gripped her wrist, snatching the vial and punched her in the jaw.

Lightning stumbled and fell onto her behind before Bolt examined the vial. He laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t think so…” He tossed the vial onto the ground, smashing it before delivering more punches into the girl’s chest.

Lightning could do nothing but stand there and take it before Bolt produced his bat and began wailing on her, smacking her all over until he heard bones snap. With her leg broken, Lightning fell to the ground.

Bolt stood over her and grabbed her hair and smacked her face into the ground repeatedly.

The girl spit up blood and rolled over only for Bolt to grip her neck and begin punching her repeatedly in the face.

After a good eight punches, she managed to get words out. “Enough!”

He gave another punch before stopping, his fist still raised ready to deliver another. “Had enough?”

She coughed and blood came out as she nodded gently. “Yeah… It’s too much… I can’t…”

Bolt lowered his fist and turned his head, confused by her sudden surrender. “That’s it? You just give up?”

She nodded gently, her body aching. “Serenade turned on me like I knew she would…” Lightning coughed up black blood between words. “Sent one of her goons after me, injected me with some kind of fucked up serum… It’s going to cause my body to go through extreme pain until I want to die anyway… Even if it doesn’t kill me, Serenade would have finished me off anyway…”

Bolt rolled his eyes. “Tough break…”

“My body is too damaged to recover… I can feel my insides bleeding, I’m a goner no matter what…” She continued.

Bolt was silent.

“You’re strong kid… Definitely Rainbow Dash’s kin… I wished I had learned more from the Rainbow Dash of my world, maybe things wouldn’t have ended up this way…” She hacked up more blood.

Retrieving a tissue from his pocket he wiped her mouth. “It didn’t have to be this way, you know?”

She nodded and smiled. “Yeah… I should have just accepted no matter what I did… I was never going to be good enough. It’s just like with my dad, I keep living in denial, thinking I can measure up…”

Bolt shook his head. “You never needed to in the first place.”

She chuckled through strained breaths. “You’re too kind… I wish we had met under better circumstances… You’d have made one hell of a rival…”

“Same. But there’s still a chance to set things right, you know? Tell me where they are…” Bolt said.

Lightning reached up and unzipped her outfit in the front and retrieved the small device hooked into her. It had a heart rate monitor and a timer underneath it displaying 80 minutes.

“I had a backup plan… If Serenade killed me, she’d definitely go after my prize… I kidnapped them and trapped them so I had one up on Serenade… If she killed me, this heart rate monitor would go off, starting a countdown from eighty minutes. After that… The building they’re in is rigged with explosives… It’d take Serenade out with them…” Lightning explained.

Bolt’s eyes widened. “Where are they, Lightning Dust? You have to let me save them, or you’re just going to die for nothing.”

She rested her head and pulled a key out of her pocket and tossed it to him. “H Street, an abandoned office building on the corner, they’re in the basement, lowest level… If you hurry, you can make it before the explosives go off… I don’t have much time left…”

He nodded but as he turned to leave, she called back to him. “Hey, Bolt…”

Turning back he glanced at her. “Mind giving me that morphine? I at least want to go comfortably…”

He nodded and picked up a syringe and administered it into her arm. After a few seconds, she could feel the effects and nodded. “Thanks, kid… I guess this is what it feels like to lose to someone who is just better than you in every way…”

Bolt smiled and stood up. “I didn’t just wake up and get that way overnight.”

As he ran to his car, Lightning smiled as she closed her eyes. “Give Serenade hell for me, kid…”

After a few seconds, her heart monitor flatlined and the device began its timer. Her body slowly dissolved into a familiar black mist within the moment, leaving no trace of Lightning Dust beyond the device itself, now laying on the pavement just counting down.

Bolt had informed the rest of his friends what was going on, and they all had raced to the location in question. Unfortunately, being on the far side of town with bad traffic, the group managed to arrive with only eight minutes to spare.

Stepping out of the car, Bolt raced over to the rest of the group who were pouring out of Horizon’s car and Jasper’s truck. Once everyone was accounted for, Bolt nodded at the group as he counted heads. Once he was sure everyone was there, he noticed Eclipse pull up on a motorcycle. The young man quickly removed his helmet and gave an approving nod to the group as he parked and approached.

Once everyone was gathered, Bolt checked the time. “Fuck, we don’t have much time, okay, so Yuna and Sunset are in there somewhere. We don’t have much time before the explosives in the building go off.”

Eclipse cleared his throat as he interjected. “I think given the circumstances, only two of us should enter.”

“Huh? Why?” Jasper chimed in.

“We have two people to rescue, and we have no idea what condition they’re in or if they’re even able to walk. Two of us makes it so we have one to carry each if necessary, and no one is going in alone… However, given the building is rigged with explosives, it would be foolish for all of us to go in, that would only make it more difficult to exit when something goes wrong,” Eclipse explained.

Thorn nodded. “No sense in all of us risking our safety, right? Not to mention It would be pointless for me to go in because I’d be a hindrance…”

Bolt shook his head. “You’re not a hindrance, but it would definitely be more dangerous for you… I have to agree with Eclipse’s plan though, two go in, and the rest of us wait out here, we send in more if we don’t see them come out.”

“That way we always have people out here to call for help if needed.” Eclipse nodded.

“Fine… So who goes in?” Jasper asked.

Eclipse pointed at Horizon. “I’ll take Horizon in. Yuna could use a face she would enjoy seeing…”

Horizon tilted her head in confusion. “Huh?”

Rather than explain Yuna’s infatuation with Horizon, which Eclipse knew would be a long discussion about romantic attraction, he decided to wave his hand to dismiss her question.

“Don’t worry about it, point is she’s closer to you. You get her, I get Sunset, fair?” Eclipse asked.

Horizon nodded in agreement. “Alright, sounds good.”

Eclipse gestured to go in. “Alright, we don’t have much time. Let’s go.”

The two ran into the building at full speed. Once inside, they both turned on the light on their phones, illuminating the way. Eclipse searched around until he found a map. Searching it over he located the stairwell. “Okay, looks like the stairs are to the left, they go down two levels, looks like the basement is several floors below the building. The stairs won’t take us all the way to the bottom, I think they changed the building layout after they built this place. We go down two levels via the stairs, then there are another two sets of stairs in different locations on those floors. The layout is a bit complicated but I think I have it memorized.”

Horizon glanced at the map herself to confirm but nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

Racing across the main floor, the two bolted toward the stairs which were several hallways and turns away, but finally, after a few minutes, they were descending the two flights of stairs. It took several minutes to navigate, but the next two floors were like some kind of maze, clearly not designed very well.

Checking their phones, it had taken the two over seven minutes to get down to the final stairwell which now got them to the basement.

Once there, the two gazed upon Sunset and Yuna laying there on the ground behind some kind of forcefield. “What the…?” Eclipse asked.

Horizon approached the devices that were producing the forcefield with intrigue as Eclipse interrogated the two. “Hey! Wake up! We’re here to get you out of here!”

Sunset stirred a bit and after gently opening an eye, she smiled. “Never thought I’d be happy to see you…” She nearly whispered.

“Likewise, now how do we shut this thing down?” Eclipse asked.

Sunset pointed to the device that Horizon was near. “Just destroy those… Then we can leave…”

“Cool, I love when shit is easy.” Eclipse smirked as he approached the other device. At the same time, he and Horizon picked them up and smashed them onto the ground, breaking the barrier to Sunset and Yuna.

Wasting no time, they rushed over to the two and helped them up. Eclipse supported Sunset, and Horizon supported Yuna, carrying her on her back, as she was far weaker than Sunset.

Sunset explained their situation. “She may be weak… She hasn’t eaten in a while…”

Yuna’s eyes opened slightly as she smiled. “Horizon… I knew you’d come…”

Horizon nodded. “Now we have to get you out of here.”

“Okay, back the way we came, come on!” Eclipse commanded.

No sooner than when they made it up the first set of stairs did they hear an explosion followed by a few more. The group stumbled and Eclipse and Horizon both fell, allowing Yuna and Sunset to fall with them. Quickly they picked themselves back up and assisted their respective friend. “Fuck!” Eclipse hissed. “The explosives already went off, this place is gonna fall apart, we have to move faster!”

As they raced through a hallway, another explosion happened and from above them the ceiling fell apart, allowing flames to block their path. “Shit!” Eclipse cursed.

Sunset grumbled for a moment before she placed her right hand close to her face. She grabbed her leather glove with her teeth and ripped it off. “Everyone just touch my body… I can get us past this…”

Following her order, Horizon reached over and placed a hand upon Sunset’s back.

Sunset concentrated and placed her hand on a nearby shadow. Focusing, she moved her body and all those touching her through the shadows only to appear on the other side of the fire.

“One time having demonic powers is useful…” Eclipse commented.

Sunset ignored his comment as the group continued to progress, making their way up the next stairwell. Halfway up the stairs Sunset fell off of Eclipse’s shoulder and fumbled down the stairs, landing on the ground panting gently. Eclipse ran after her and came to her side. She chuckled and smirked at him. “Guess I’m just dead weight after all… Just leave me…”

He shook his head as he forced her up again. “Warriors fight until the battle is over.”

Sunset raised a brow as he began to bring her back up the stairs to reconnect with Horizon and Yuna. “I didn’t teach you that one…” She commented.

Eclipse shook his head. “No, Master Razorclaw did.”

Sunset sighed. “I should have figured… She’s a lot tougher than me…”

“Yes, she is. Now come on.” Eclipse grunted as they made it to the top of the stairs.

“Two more floors,” Horizon stated.

“And the stairs are just on the other side of this floor, then it’s just a straight shot.” Eclipse nodded.

This floor had been damaged far more than the previous two, fire was everywhere, forcing the group to navigate around and take long paths around what would ordinarily be a much quicker path.

Sunset couldn’t walk anymore and fell to the floor. Eclipse tried to get her up, but she swatted him away. “I’m slowing you guys down… Just go… Take her out of her…”

“I told you before…” Eclipse started, but Sunset cut him off.

“I’ll get out… Just give me a minute to rest. Go on without me,” she insisted.

Eclipse stared at her for a brief moment before he sighed and nodded. “You better make it out alive. We still have a need for you, unfortunately.”

She gave a thumbs-up as the three of them ran off ahead of her. She closed her eyes for a moment as she began to recoup.

As the group left her, Eclipse glanced back after she was out of their sight, they had made it to the next staircase. “That bitch better not die on us…”

The group ascended the stairs, and then the next flight before they finally came back to the entrance floor. Without hesitation, they navigated around debris and fire before making their way to the entrance. Pushing through the door, the group cheered as they saw Horizon make it out first with Yuna on her back. Eclipse followed, but Sunset was nowhere to be seen.

Regrouping with the others, they all crowded around Horizon to see Yuna, chanting words of praise and relief at her safety. While they all swarmed her, Jasper gestured for them to back off. “Back off, give her some space guys!”

Horizon walked over to her car and set Yuna down in the front passenger seat. The girl smiled at Horizon gently but said nothing. “She hasn’t eaten for days. Does anyone have any food?”

Bolt produced a few sticks of jerky that he had and passed them to Horizon. She offered one to Yuna after ripping the packaging open, but Yuna could barely lift her arm. “Give me a sec, I have to help her eat this…” Horizon said before she ripped a piece off and placed it in Yuma’s mouth. She moved Yuan’s jaw up and down for her to help before the girl could swallow. Horizon repeated the action over and over as the rest surrounded the car.

“Where’s Sunset?” Bolt asked.

Eclipse looked back at the building. “Still inside… She promised she’d be right behind us… Just give her a minute, she’ll be here, I’m sure of it…”

“You left her behind?” Candy spoke in confusion.

Eclipse shook his head. “She insisted we let her rest and catch up. She’s really weak, and she had to use her powers just to help us get out. I’m sure she’s drained.”

Jasper frowned. “Still… She’s not in a condition to be trying to get out on her own… Shouldn’t one of us go in to get her?”

Eclipse bit his lip and thought it over, realizing Jasper could be right. “Yeah… It’s been a while, she should have been out here by now…”

“Who is going in to get her then?” Bolt asked.

Before Eclipse could answer that question, another explosion happened, this one much larger than the rest. The group ducked instinctively, despite being a good distance from the building.

“Shit! Sunset!” Jasper shouted.

Eclipse stood there frozen. Sunset promised she would make it out, and yet it would appear as though she lied to him. Could she really be dead?

I'm back from the dead once again! Yeah, I wanted this chapter out in May, but I ended up a day late to the show for that. I have classes on top of my job, and I'm juggling a youtube channel and filling out paperwork for my wife to be allowed to stay in my country permanently. So my plate is full, but I still try and make time to squeeze in a few hundred words when I can. It can be challenging when these chapters are averaging between 9,000-10,000 words each. I try to keep them consistent in length so you guys are at least not waiting long periods of time for such tiny chapters.

Yes. Shimmer is back. Who saw that coming? Anyone? What does it mean going forward? I can't tell you, but it's definitely linked to the big finale, which we're approaching quickly.