Yuna turned away from the horrid sight, she didn’t want to look, she thought maybe if she didn’t see it, it would cease to be true. With sobbing eyes, she dug her face into Horizon’s chest. Ordinarily, that would be a very pleasant experience, however, she couldn’t even enjoy it at that moment. Tears leaked from her face as she sobbed uncontrollably. She wanted to wake up, she wanted this nightmare to end. Moondancer couldn’t be dead, she refused to believe it.

Horizon pet Yuna’s head as the girl cried. She didn’t exactly know how to console her or make her feel better, but she stood there allowing her to get her emotions out.

Sunset glanced over at the body in the room and then at Eclipse. He nodded in agreement as he could already tell what she was thinking. She sighed and stepped forward, approaching Yuna. She cleared her throat as she began. “Yuna… I know this is difficult, and I can’t imagine what you’re going through… But Eclipse and I need to search this room if we want any chance of finding out what happened.”

Yuna peaked from her face being buried into Horizon’s chest and spoke between sobs. “What are you talking about?”

Sunset kept her tone cautious so as to not upset the girl any further. “We want to help, and we want to find out what happened to Moondancer, but we will need to investigate this scene before we call the police because the moment they take over, we won’t know anything. We found demonic traces in this house which means a demon did this, and the police aren’t going to know that… So the moment they get here, they’re going to seal up the scene and we won’t find out anything…”

Yuna composed herself briefly and nodded, giving them permission. Horizon helped the girl stand upright and made her make eye contact. “Let’s go in the other room, let Sunset and Eclipse work.”

Nodding, Yuna followed Horizon out of the room. Sunset sighed and pressed her fingers to her forehead before she looked over at the poorly lit silhouette of Eclipse. “This is so fucked…”

Eclipse shrugged as he began to shine his phone around the room, looking for any kind of clues. “It happens, this is what demons do.”

Sunset shook her head. “No, this is my fault, Eclipse. If I wasn’t here, if Serenade wasn’t looking for me, Moondancer would have never gotten involved. I caused this…”

“Can’t undo anything, so we have to move forward. The best thing you can do for this girl now is find out who is responsible for this,” Eclipse explained plainly.

Sighing, Sunset nodded. “Yes, you’re right… As usual…”

Eclipse got close to the body and checked her over. He noted only a single bullet wound. “One hit, directly to the heart, our killer was confident in his abilities, since he didn’t feel the need to double tap…” Standing up, he shrugged. “That or he’s stingy with bullets.”

“Probably the former, since it’s clear time wasn’t a problem, this place is trashed…” Sunset looked over at some computers that had been completely destroyed. “This wasn’t just an assassination, they took the time to destroy all this stuff…”

“Why would they do that?” Eclipse asked.

Sunset noted that a few drives sitting on the counter had been crushed beyond repair. “Something she was working on, they wanted to make sure it didn’t get discovered…”

“We should gather some of this stuff then and see if anything survived,” Eclipse suggested.

Sunset observed that many of the computers had had water dumped on them. She shook her head. “Nah, they were very thorough, I doubt anything survived.”

“What I don’t get is why they didn’t just burn the place down? Wouldn’t have been far easier, fire would melt the drives too,” Eclipse pointed out.

“Would attract too much attention. The fire department would be here quickly, meaning it would make it harder to get away. This way it blurs the exact time of death… Our killer has killed before…” Sunset said.

Eclipse shined his light toward the ceiling and gestured for Sunset to look up. “Uh, Sunset…”

She glanced up and saw that the ceiling had something carved into it with some kind of knife.

Our regards, Glitch.

“Well, we know who they work for now, not that it’s any surprise…” Eclipse spoke.

Starlight pushed her way past guards and was rushing to Twilight’s study. The usual security protocol was causing her annoyance as she was in a hurry. She stood impatiently as a guard checked her hoof bracelet for authenticity. She groaned and tapped her hoof as she waited. “Can we please speed this up? I need to talk to Princess Twilight right away.”

The guard glanced at her as he checked a tome in front of him, while the other guard shook his head. “Ms. Glimmer, you know the security protocol. We can’t be too careful anymore, not after all the security breeches we had in the past, as the royal advisor you know that more than anyone…”

Starlight sighed and rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m aware but it’s obviously me…”

The other guard closed his book and nodded. “She’s clear, let her through.”

The two stepped aside, allowing her to pass. She grumbled on her way past and then proceeded up a spiral staircase that lead to the Princess’ study. Once in front of her door, she composed herself and exhaled before entering. She wanted to make sure she wasn’t too accusatory toward Twilight, so she needed to calm down.

Entering the room, she closed the door behind her and glanced over at Twilight sitting at her desk. She had a quill levitated, scribbling on some parchment in front of her. Her entire desk was covered in papers, and a stack of eight books sat on the corner of the desk. Starlight squinted, for some reason seeing those books made her a tiny bit uneasy, though she couldn’t fathom as to why.

She shook her head and cleared her mind as she stepped closer, Twilight still not noticing her, as her eyes were glued to what she was writing. The glasses on her face sliding down the bridge of her snout, which she pushed back up with her hoof as she continued working. No matter how much changed, Twilight remained a workaholic; dedicated to the grind as one would say.

To get her attention, Starlight cleared her throat.

She got no response, as Twilight was far too absorbed in her work.

Stepping closer, Starlight cleared her throat again, this time, Twilight’s ear twitched and she looked up with a “hm?”

A gentle smile came to the mare’s face as she saw Starlight. She put her quill down and nodded approvingly at her royal advisor and longtime friend. She crossed her hooves and placed them upon the table as she leaned forward to give Starlight her attention.

Her mane was as messy as always, but somehow the look had grown normal to Starlight. They had known each other for decades, and this look had become her signature. Being princess had its perks though, as not a single gray hair sat in her untidy mane. Meanwhile, Starlight was sporting a few.

“Starlight, what do I owe the pleasure? You usually just send a message, it’s quite a walk to my study after all…” Twilight stated.

Starlight nodded. “Forgive my intrusion, but I wanted to discuss something that I don’t think we could do through message. It’s a matter I think there’s a possibility might be something we should keep off paper…”

Twilight removed her glasses and set them aside as she nodded. “Very well, what is it that is troubling you?”

Clearing her throat, Starlight retrieved a familiar book and placed it upon Twilight’s desk. “This looks familiar, right?”

Twilight nodded as she slid the book over to herself and popped it open, checking the newest page. “Yes, this is the book that Sunset uses to relay messages to me, I placed you in charge of it and told you to come to me if she should write.”

“Yes, well… She wrote a bit ago and I am very confused by what she is writing…” Starlight stated as she watched Twilight scan over what was written.

Twilight finished quickly, as she was a fast reader and shrugged as she closed it and placed it back on the table. “What of it?”

“Twilight… I think you and I both know something about that is not normal…” Starlight pointed out.

Twilight let out a sigh, hoping this information would not come out. She nodded and stood up from her desk, pushing her chair out as she walked over to a drawer in the room. She unlocked the drawer with a key that was hidden within a book in her shelf and retrieved a file from the drawer.

Walking back over to her desk with the file in hoof, Twilight placed it upon the table and gently moved it across toward Starlight. “I was hoping I didn’t have to show this to you… But, I suppose now I have no choice.”

Starlight blinked and carefully opened the file and began to read. The two sat in silence for several minutes as Starlight read what was written. The more she read, the more her eyes began to widen. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing, she needed clarity. “Twilight… Is this saying… What I think it is?”

Twilight nodded as she leaned back in her chair. “I lied. Yes.”

“The lying I think is the least of our problems, Twilight this sounds like… The kind of magic that…” Starlight didn’t even want to finish that sentence.

Twilight nodded once more. “I’m aware.”

“It’s not even possible, it shouldn’t be possible!” Starlight continued to read as she spoke.

“I finished a spell. Turns out Melody the Great was close to something when she began her research… She just lacked the last piece, I figured out how to make it work… Turns out it needs a physical conduit…” Twilight explained.

Starlight shook her hoof and slammed the file close. “Don’t say anymore. I don’t want to know how it works… You shouldn’t even know how to make it work…”

Twilight said nothing.

Starlight stepped closer and placed her hooves on Twilight’s desk. “Twilight, this is a serious matter… I need to know… Is this file accurate and did you do this?” Starlight asked.

Twilight only nodded.

Starlight’s tone became harsher. “What were you thinking, Twilight!? This kind of magic is forbidden for a reason!”

“I was correcting a mistake…” Twilight defended.

“It doesn’t matter! You crossed a line!” Starlight growled.

Twilight shrugged. “Many ponies have crossed the line they were told not to. If they all chose to stand by and do nothing, our world would have fallen apart centuries ago…”

“This is different, Twilight! This line of thinking… This type of magic… It could lead to catastrophic results! If this ever fell into the wrong hooves…” Starlight shuddering just imagining it.

The two fell silent once more for a brief moment before Starlight sighed and decided to move forward. “Who else knows about this?”

“Just you,” Twilight said plainly.

“You didn’t tell Celestia or Luna?” Starlight raised a brow.

Twilight shook her head. “I figured they wouldn’t approve.”

“Great… Just great…” Starlight sighed.

“I acted alone, Starlight, you needn’t worry about yourself.” Twilight attempted to calm her.

“I know now though! That makes me an accomplice if I cover for you!” Starlight growled.

“So you don’t plan on telling?” Twilight raised a brow.

Starlight grumbled and composed herself before she shook her head. “No. I don’t. While I blatantly disagree with what you did, when I took this job, I promised I would stand by your judgement and that hasn’t changed… While I question why you did this, I am going to trust your judgement…”

“Thank you.” Twilight smiled.

“However, Twilight…” Starlight turned back to her friend and came close to her as she spoke. “We can never tell anypony of this. If this ever got out, you would lose more than your royal title, you could be imprisoned, or even exiled… I’d be right behind you too just for keeping it a secret…”

“I understand.” Twilight nodded.

“As your advisor and your friend, I advise you against ever telling a soul about this. I advise you to burn this file and forget anything you learned that day… If this got out, it would be the end of you and me…” Starlight explained.

Twilight took the file from her and looked at it for a few moments, just staring as she remembered writing it. “I kept it because eventually, I think people need to know the truth about their princess… One day. Maybe after I’m dead, or on my death bed, I want to be remembered as an honest princess…”

“You will be remembered as a traitor if that file ever gets out, Twilight. Furthermore, that information will only harm the kingdom. Ponies trying to replicate what you did… Or expanding upon it? Think of the consequences,” Starlight pleaded.

Twilight stared for a few more seconds before coming to the conclusion that her friend was correct. She had to accept that some things were better left a secret. Nodding, Twilight cast a quick fire spell and the document began to burn. As it turned to ash, Starlight let out a sigh of relief.

The mare ran a hoof through her now sweaty mane as she gave an approving nod to Twilight. “You are doing the right thing, Twilight. There are some things we shouldn’t be messing with.”

“I suppose you’re right…” Twilight sounded almost defeated in her tone.

Starlight nodded before changing the subject.

“What should I tell Sunset?” Starlight asked.

Twilight bit her lip before answering. “Just tell her that I don’t know…”

“Lie to her, then?” Starlight questioned.

“It wouldn’t be the first time…” Twilight was quiet.

Starlight nodded once more before taking the book bag and stuffed it into her saddle bag. She prepared to leave as she looked back at Twilight from the door. “Twilight…”

Twilight looked over at her friend.

“Don’t think that I don’t understand… I get why you did it, but there are just some things that we’re not meant to meddle with… You have to understand that…” Starlight explained.

“I suppose you know better than I?” Twilight smiled lightly.

Starlight nodded. “I do. Experience has taught me many things…”

“Thank you, Starlight. I’m glad to have you,” Twilight replied.

“A pleasure to help.” Starlight bowed before taking her leave, shutting the door behind her.

Letting out a sigh, Twilight opened a drawer in her desk and retrieved an old bottle of vodka and a small glass. She poured a few shots into it and grasped the cup, taking a sip. Everything eventually would unravel, and she knew it. The truth would get out there eventually, and it once again would be up to Sunset to set things right.

“I’m sorry for being such a shitty friend, Sunset…” Twilight spoke to herself before taking a long sip.

Horizon stood by the entrance to Yuan’s home with Sunset, Yuna, and Eclipse at her side. Eclipse was playing with his butterfly knife as he waited impatiently with the group. He was the first to break the silence. “So, you think that you friend will make a big difference here?”

Nodding, Horizon felt Yuna squeeze her hand tightly. The girl was a nervous wreck, and she needed answers. “Yes, Thorn handles dark magic, she’s the only one of us that does. Sunset may have demonic energy, but her mastery of darkness isn’t as good.”

“What makes this Thorn so attuned then?” Eclipse asked.

“She’s blind. She’s lived her life in darkness, and as a result she has learned to rely on her magic to navigate the world. She definitely will be able to extrapolate more from dark energy than any of us…” Horizon explained.

Eclipse nodded. “Makes sense… A blind girl, huh? Pretty interesting…”

A car suddenly pulled up in front of them, and the driver’s door opened first, followed by a blue-haired woman sporting a pair of shades stepping out and nodding at the group before she came around to the passenger side and opened the door, helping the young Thorn out of the car.

Thorn wagged her walking stick about before resting it and smiling as she stood next to the blue-haired woman. The entire group approached carefully and Sunset smiled at Thorn. “So, you’re Thorn then?”

Thorn nodded and offered a hand. “Thorn Scratch, that’s me.”

Sunset shook her hand and glanced over at the other woman with her. “I’m assuming this is your mother then? Nice to meet you too.” Sunset smiled.

The woman smiled back and nodded.

Eclipse raised a brow in confusion as he watched the exchange. “Cat got her tongue?”

The woman began to make hand gestures at them, causing Eclipse to squint in more confusion. “Uh…?”

Thorn spoke up on her behalf. “She can’t speak. She has a rare condition that caused her vocal chords to not develop properly, so she can’t talk.”

“Anyone here know sign language?” Sunset asked.

The entire group shook their heads. “I think Keylime knows it…” Yuna pointed out.

“So… If she’s mute and you’re blind… How do the two of you communicate?” Eclipse asked.

Thorn’s mother made a hologram from her phone appear before her and gestured toward it. Thorn then spoke on her behalf. “She can talk using her phone, and it sends it to my phone. I mean in this day and age? It’s the 2040s, we have technology for that now.”

Sunset nodded. “Okay, so what would your name be, Ms. Scratch?”

The woman made text appear on the hologram that read “Vinyl”.

“It’s nice to meet you then, Vinyl. We’re sorry for calling you and your daughter out here like this… I’m sure you have things you would rather be doing, but we felt it was important…” Sunset rubbed her neck.

Vinyl waved her hand dismissively.

Thorn spoke up. “So, Moondancer really is dead? Like for real?”

“I’m afraid so…” Sunset frowned.

Thorn frowned and lowered her head. “I’m so sorry, Yuna…”

“That’s why you’re here though… We think one of Serenade’s subordinates is behind this, and we figured your abilities could give us more info on who we’re looking for…” Eclipse explained.

Thorn perked back up and nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“Glad to hear it.” Sunset smiled.

“Shall we investigate then?” Thorn asked.

“Of course.” Sunset nodded.

The group then wandered into the house, leaving Vinyl there by the car. Thorn collapsed her walking stick and put it away as she stepped into the house. With so much darkness, she could take advantage of their surroundings.

Closing her blind eyes, she focused her magic and a picture was painted before her. Everything that was covered in shadows, she could now see a thin outline of. She was starting to see the layout of the house.

Yuna waited at the entranceway with Horizon, not wanting to see her sister’s body again. Sunset and Eclipse walked with Thorn who began to step slowly through the house, taking in what she could sense. “So you can see in the dark?” Sunset asked.

Thorn shook her head. “Not exactly. I can sense where shadows are and get a vague outline of things, however, the less darkness there is, the harder it is. I can see shadows, but I have to actively be thinking about doing it. It takes more magic in the light than the dark. The rest of the time I just use hearing to tell where things are.”

“Quite impressive… I’ve never seen magic used like that…” Eclipse crossed his arms as he listened to her.

She grinned. “What can I say? I’m a special girl.”

The group grew silent as they allowed her to focus. After about eight seconds she spoke up. “Pretty strong energy traces here… Could you take me to the crime scene?”

The two adults nodded as they led the young teen to the room in which Moondancer’s body rested. Upon stepping in, Thorn sniffed the air. The room smelled of dried blood.

She concentrated once more and focused her power, getting a layout of the room and all the energies present within it. A few more seconds passed before the girl spoke up. “This is… Wow… This is bad…”

Sunset stepped forward and placed a hand upon Thorn’s shoulder. The girl was thin, and her shoulders were quite boney.

“What is it?” Sunset asked.

Thorn opened her eyes and stood with a blank stare as usual. “This energy is unreal. Whoever did this is definitely high up on the chain. I’ve never felt energy this strong…”

“You think Serenade herself did this?” Eclipse asked.

Thorn shook her head. “Not likely. While the energy is strong, Serenade can hide her power, so if it was her, she wouldn’t make it this obvious…”

“Who do you think could have done this then?” Sunset asked.

Thorn sighed. “I don’t know, but this wasn’t one of her weaker subordinates. This was one of the stronger ones… That means this was probably a direct assignment from her…”

“So this wasn’t just something to mess with us then… Moondancer really must have known something important… It’s a shame we can’t find out what that is…” Eclipse sighed.

Sunset touched her lip as she thought it over. There was little doubt now that Moondancer had stumbled onto something that would be extremely helpful to know, it was just a shame they didn’t get to her first.

“Guess we should call the police now… I doubt we can learn anything else…” Eclipse suggested.

Sunset nodded in agreement. She wandered over to Moondancer’s body and knelt down to her, touching the girl’s messy hair. She whispered to it. “Don’t worry, Moondancer… We will find who did this… I promise.”

Eight Ball flipped a set of dice between his fingers over and over, rolling them between each of his fingers carefully as he observed the good doctor. He usually had no interest in science, but every time he visited the doctor, he found himself oddly fascinated. The doctor had always developed new and exciting ways to mess with people, something Eight was into.

Doctor Chem Burn grinned as he lifted beaker and checked the fluid within. Eight cleared his throat to get the doctor’s attention. “So Doc… You think you can handle these kids?”

Chem glanced over at Eight, forgetting he was there. “Yes, I am confident that I can dispose of them.”

“You’re positive? I mean they already took Lightning Dust out,” Eight explained.

The doctor turned to Eight and grunted in annoyance. “We’re dealing with teenagers here. Lightning Dust has always been a pathetic washout. She was bound to die sooner or later.”

“So what’s your plan then?” Eight raised a brow curiously.

Chem just grinned and looked over at some of the things he had been working on in his lab. Quite a few interesting specimens laid at the ready for him to put to the test.

“I have a few experiments that I think will be incredible fun to try out…” He stated.

Eight crossed his arms and shrugged. “You better how they are. Our numbers are growing thin, there’s only a handful of us left, and Serenade is expecting results. You don’t deliver, you’ll be the next to go. Most of our guys are gone.”

“How many of us are left?” Chem raised a brow, quite surprised to hear that their numbers had grown so low.

Eight looked away. “There were eight of us this morning…”

“And now?” Chem questioned.

“Serenade was displeased with some of their progress, now it’s down to just three of us. Yourself included… Don’t fuck this up, Chem. I don’t want to have to clean up another mess this week. I vouched for you to get into the order, don’t make me look stupid…” Eight warned.

The doctor gave a dismissive hand gesture. “Serenade wants to get rid of those who were dead weight, I have nothing to worry about. I’ve been supplying her with all the serums and equipment she could ever need, just like I did back during the war. Without my potions and tonics, how else would our soldiers get so powerful?”

Eight squinted in annoyance. “Don’t forget, even with your potions and tonics, we still lost that war. While your loyalty to the cause hasn’t faded the slightest, your work hasn’t been so flawless. You better see to it that you take care of a few of those kids before we talk again, or you’re going to really know what it’s like to get on Serenade’s bad side…”

Chem smiled at Eight. “Perhaps you should watch out for yourself, Eight Ball. Don’t think yourself so high on the totem pole that you can’t disappoint her. Don’t forget that it was with my serum that you were able to bring Lightning Dust down. I will do anything for the cause, yet I wonder what you’re willing to do for it?”

“What do you get out of all of this?” Eight wondered out loud.

“Serenade promised me that when this was all over, I could experiment on the mortals to my heart’s content. As many test subjects as I could possibly ever want…” He smirked.

“I guess we both get our thrills from tormenting others…” Eight grinned back at him.

Sunset gave the motorcycle to Eclipse, and insisted she take Horizon’s car to bring her and Yuna back to Twilight. She knew Horizon was fit to drive (especially given the auto-drive), but she wanted someone to be with Yuna at all times. The girl had just been through the most tragic and traumatic thing to ever happen to her, and she needed to be tended to.

After they got in the car, Horizon, and Yuna sat in the back seat, with Yuna resting her head on Horizon’s lap, closing her puffy eyes. Sunset couldn’t imagine how hard this was on a teenage girl. First being kidnapped and then coming home to see her sister had been murdered, it was perhaps the worst day for the girl.

Horizon sat there staring forward as Sunset adjusted the mirror and set the car’s destination, watching the road as the car pulled out.

The group sat in silence for several minutes before Horizon broke it. “You’re really dying then?”

Sunset blinked and glanced at her daughter from the mirror. “Yeah… It’s just as Eclipse said, I’m only got a little time left. I plan to finish what I started though if that’s your concern.”

Horizon’s expression remained unchanged. Sunset wondered what her daughter would look like if she smiled.

“How come you didn’t tell Twilight?”

Sunset shook her head. “I did. Just, not before all this is all.”

“You were planning on dying alone then?” Horizon asked.

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, it would be easier that way. It’s not like I was a parent to you or a wife to Twilight anyway. I spent most of my life trying to play hero, so I don’t exactly deserve someone at my side while I wait to die.”

“Understandable.” Horizon nodded.

That statement hurt Sunset, but she kept quiet about it.

“I made some bad choices, and now you guys are the ones who are suffering for them; for that, I’m sorry. I never intended it that way, but it is my fault,” Sunset explained.

Horizon looked out the window. “Yeah, it is.”

Ouch. Sunset thought.

Deciding to ignore the hurtful, and perhaps well-deserved comment, Sunset continued driving in silence, however, Horizon’s curiosity didn’t seem to be satisfied.

“So death is inevitable for you then?” Horizon asked.

Sunset nodded as she saw her in the rearview mirror. “Yeah, the amount of darkness in my body is too much to remove, even for someone like you who has the ability. It would just kill you.”

Horizon nodded in agreement. “So you’ve made peace with death?”

Sunset shrugged. “I haven’t, but it’s not like I have a choice. There’s no chance of saving myself. You and Twilight will be better off without me.”

“Twilight won’t.” Horizon’s tone was as monotone as ever despite the words she was saying. Her words, however, caught Sunset by surprise.

“What makes you say that?” Sunset asked.

Horizon looked up and caught Sunset’s reflection in the rearview mirror. “She misses you. She says she doesn’t, and she doesn’t want you to come home, but I see her crying sometimes. I doubt she would be happy to be in a world where you were dead.”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah… She’s a good person like that, but she will be better off. Look, Horizon, I could apologize for how shitty of a mother I’ve been, or how shitty of a wife I’ve been to Twilight, but it won’t change anything. I missed a ton of your life, and I left Twilight to raise you by herself. I thought I was protecting you both, but it doesn’t change the fact that you both have every reason to hate me, and I have to accept that.”

Horizon tilted her head. “Is it really that easy?”

“It’s not, but I’ve had a good eight years to think about it,” Sunset replied.

Horizon looked at the floor of the car in thought.

“I don’t expect forgiveness from either of you. All I can do now is ensure you’re both safe, but I don’t expect to be rewarded, thanked, or praised for it. I’ll finish what I started and then die,” Sunset explained.

Horizon closed her eyes and nodded. She only gave a simple “Okay,” as an answer.

Sunset wanted to probe her deeper, she wanted to know more about what Twilight thought, but she decided she wasn’t worthy to know. Whatever Twilight was feeling, Sunset had no right to pry into. She had betrayed Twilight’s trust and had no right to run back to her again and beg her to be with her. She had to accept that her family had moved on without her. She knew this was a risk she took when she first began her quest to stop Serenade.

Sighing, Sunset nodded and closed her eyes as the car finished the journey on its own, now in complete silence, as there was nothing left to say. No words could change the situation, no words could undo the damage that Sunset had done, and no words could change Horizon’s mind.

This was the world she had to live in now, and her only option was to make peace with it. The past was unchangeable, and the future was finite. Sunset had precious little time left, and there was little to waste on begging for forgiveness. Her family was out of her reach. They were well beyond her ability to get back on her side. The things she had done couldn’t be forgiven, nor forgotten.

She wished she could go back and change how she addressed things, especially since Horizon had gotten involved anyway, despite her attempts to keep her daughter from it. In the end, Sunset only accomplished destroying herself, something that Twilight insisted she was dead set on, and Sunset could not even disagree. She truly was on a path of self-destruction, a path to punish herself for all she had done wrong.

She whispered under her breath as she sat there in thought. “I’m sorry…”

As the group arrived at Horizon’s home, Horizon aided Yuna out of the car, keeping the girl close as she just seemed completely emotionally exhausted. She had been through far too much in the past few days.

They had called the police and allowed them to do their job, there was nothing left to do now but move forward.

As the group exited the car, Sunset followed them to the front door of the large mansion where Horizon entered with Yuna, and sure enough standing there in the foyer was Twilight Shimmer, Sunset’s soon-to-be ex-wife.

She blinked a few times as she watched the group of women enter, but Sunset stood at the doorway. The woman didn’t dare enter, instead, she just clearly wanted to make sure that Horizon made it home alright.

Clearing her throat, she spoke up to Twilight. “These girls have been through a lot, I just wanted to make sure they got home okay… I’ll head out…”

Twilight crossed her arms and replied. “Someone knew you were heading this way.”

“What?” Sunset blinked in confusion until from behind a wall, Eclipse stepped. He smiled and nodded.

“I told her you’d be coming, it’s cool, we can stay here tonight, I talked it over with her,” Eclipse stated.

Sunset could hardly believe what she was hearing. The last place she expected to be allowed to stay was with Twilight. She wondered what kind of things Eclipse must have said to convince her, but instead, she counted her blessings and nodded before bowing gently. “I appreciate it, thank you.”

“You know where the guest rooms are…” Twilight stated as she gestured lazily with her hand.

Deciding it wasn’t worth prying any further, Sunset nodded and made her way to the guest room. Eclipse smirked as he watched Sunset leave, noting Twilight’s attempt to make it seem like she didn’t care, but he watched as her eyes followed Sunset until she was out of sight.

“You’re still not over her, are you?” Eclipse questioned.

Twilight twitched, not expecting him to speak. She turned to him and frowned. “It doesn’t matter…”

Eclipse nodded. “I agree. It really doesn’t matter.”

“I have to know… Is she really dying?” Twilight asked.

“Afraid so. She’s as good as dead. She won’t last much longer, perhaps it’s better to move on now.” Eclipse shrugged.

Twilight looked back in the direction that Sunset had left from. “I wish it was easy to get over her… I love her, but I can’t keep forgiving her…”

“I understand. She’s a piece of work that’s for sure, but can you really live with yourself if you leave things like this, Twilight?” Eclipse asked.

Twilight bit her lip. She didn’t know how to answer that question.

Taking her silence as his answer, he nodded. “I’m sure you’ll know what to do when the time is right, Twilight.”

Eclipse wandered off, with Twilight observing him as he left. There certainly was an odd aura about him, he was a strange man, that was for sure. Before he was out of sight though, Twilight called back to him, “Eclipse.”

He turned his head and looked at her. “Hm?”

“What do you think about Sunset?”

He looked up in thought and shrugged. “Self-loathing, self-destructive, and she has a terrible hero complex… But one thing is sure…”

“Which is?” Twilight tilted her head.

“For all her flaws, she loves you. She may have a piss poor way of saying it, but she never looks at anyone else, she carries a picture of you around, and I see her staring at it a lot before she goes to sleep. You’ve been on her mind this entire time…” Eclipse explained.

Twilight bit her lip, feeling a bit guilty after hearing that. Most of the time that Sunset was gone, she spent a large portion of it cursing her name and speaking ill of her, now only to find that Sunset had sung her such praises.

Eclipse interrupted her thoughts as he spoke again. “You’re pretty lucky, Twilight.”

“Huh, why’s that?”

“I’ve been in love too, but the one that I loved was too ashamed to admit it… Sunset never stops announcing it. You’re lucky to have someone who loves you that much, even if they are a crappy partner and even crappier parent. I wish the person I loved would be as loving to me as Sunset is to you…” Eclipse said.

Twilight found herself blushing at such praise. “Y-you really think so?”

Eclipse smirked. “That girl would die for you, and I know it. She may be messed up, but in her mind, she does all this shit to protect you, even at the cost of herself. She was adamant about not coming back here unless it was absolutely necessary. She wanted to keep Horizon and you away from all of this, but now it seems like we’re all in the same predicament.”

Twilight fell silent as Eclipse turned back around, but then decided to ask something she had been wondering. “Hey, Eclipse… What happened to the person you loved?”

Eclipse didn’t even turn to face her. “I left and never looked back.”

“Do you regret it?” Twilight nearly whispered.

Eclipse didn’t face her as he answered and walked away. “Every day.”

Standing at the podium, next to several photos of Moondancer, Yuna cleared her throat as she continued to speak to the audience sitting silently as she spoke of her sister. “I want to thank everyone for coming today… This has been a very difficult time for me and it’s at least comforting to know that my sister meant so much to all of you… She was my best friend, and I’m going to miss her every single day…”

The girl wiped her teary eyes before continuing. “A few people wanted to speak on her behalf, so I now hand this over to Twilight Shimmer, a family friend.”

Sunset’s eyes widened as she sat in the front row, surprised to hear that Twilight was going to speak at the funeral. Moondancer and she were friends, but not exceptionally close.

As Twilight took the podium, she gave an affirming nod to Yuna and a gentle smile as the girl stepped aside allowing the older woman to speak. Twilight gently set a stack of papers she had brought with her and adjusted her glasses as she began to read.

“Moondancer was not a very sociable girl, but she clearly left a large impression on all of our lives. I think she would be pleased to know how many people loved her so dearly…” She began.

Yuna nodded gently in agreement.

“While preparing for this funeral, I came across something that I felt should be shared, as I’m sure it’s something Moondancer would have wanted to see, but given that she is no longer with us, I think it’s something that would be comforting for all of us to hear…” Twilight continued.

The woman retrieved a paper from her stack and explained further. “As some of you may know, Moondancer was romantically involved with the later Shimmer of the Shimmer family…”

Sunset’s eyes widened, wondering what Twilight had possibly uncovered.

“This was a note prepared by Shimmer that she intended to recite it to Moondancer at some point, but she never got the chance due to her untimely death…” Twilight said.

The crowd seemed to whisper in awe as she read the note.

Moondancer,

I have had many ups and downs in my life. I have endured so much, and I’ve struggled with loving myself and loving other people, but when I am with you, I never have to think about these things. You make me feel so great about myself, and it has been a long time since I’ve felt this much love from another person.

We both have flaws, but you look past my shortcomings and appreciate all that I do. There are few people in the world that I trust like you.

I want the world for you, and I cannot see a future without you in it. The person you make me is the best version of myself, and I never want to go back to who I was before we met. You’re the most important thing in my life, and while many people will think I am rushing into things, I have always been a person who knows what I want and will always chase it right away.

You’re my entire world, and there’s no place I won’t go for you. There’s nothing I won’t do to prove how much I want to deserve your love. We’re both young, but I promise I will provide for you, I will be there to help you achieve your dreams so we can be happy together. I want everything you’ve ever dreamed of to become your reality.

I want to be a part of your dreams, and I hope you’ll help make my own come true.

I’ve been so happy as your girlfriend all this time, but I hope I can make you happy as your wife.

Will you marry me?

The whispers of the crowd had grown and now were accompanied by gasps of shock. Many in the crowd covered their mouths in surprise, Sunset included. She had no idea how strongly Shimmer felt about Moondancer. Her little sister had planned to propose to Moondancer?

Twilight reached into a bag she had brought with her and retrieved a small velvet box, opening it, a ring that sparkled quite magnificently was revealed. Even from a distance, everyone could clearly see that the gemstone was expertly crafted and expensive. It was quite an impressive engagement ring.

She turned and showed the ring to Yuna and spoke politely. “Yuna, on your sister’s behalf, can I ask you to accept this ring for her? To accept Shimmer’s wish?”

Yuna felt tears drip down her face as she nodded and took the ring. Carefully she turned around to the casket and lifted Moondancer’s finger and slid the ring onto it. She found her eyes leaked more as she looked at how beautiful the ring looked on her sister’s finger.

Twilight nodded and returned to face the crowd. “It took a long time, but that ring is now where it belongs… I am sure that Moondancer and Shimmer can finally be together in eternity now…”

Sunset wondered if that really was true. Shimmer was still among them, but the question was, was she truly the Shimmer that Sunset remembered, or was she merely a copy as she suggested? She wondered if the Shimmer that was around now remembered writing this note, or if she had anything to say about it.

Every time Sunset learned more about her little sister, she only realized how little she actually knew her. Shimmer had secrets upon secrets, and Sunset wasn’t in on any of them.

Twilight cleared her throat once more and continued. “Moondancer was loved so much in life, that I feel it’s only fitting that it’s shown beyond any doubt she’s loved even more in death. Moondancer, you have been a wonderful friend, and I’m sorry that your time was cut so short but know that everyone here will treasure all the time they got to spend with you. You’re an amazing person who deserved better than this.”

Yuna nodded and stepped forward before wiping her tears. Twilight squeezed the girl’s hand and smiled before stepping away and allowing Yuna to speak once more.

Yuna stood up straight and composed herself. “Thank you so much for your kind words, Twilight. I’m sure if Moondancer were here to hear them, she would be in tears at how much you cared for her. That being said, someone else wishes to speak on Moondancer’s behalf, the sister of Shimmer, Sunset.”

The audience clapped at the announcement as Sunset came to a stand and stepped toward the stage. Her black dress swayed as she approached and took Yuna’s hand and squeezed it gently. Yuna nodded and smiled gently at Sunset before the redhead took the podium.

As Sunset brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, she looked at the crowd before her with a serious expression. “Moondancer was an amazing person, someone who would go out of her way to help you, and she has been someone who dropped everything to help me many times in the past.”

Yuna smiled as she listened to Sunset speak of her sister.

“She deserved better than this, but something needs to be mentioned here that I think we all must not forget: Moondancer was murdered, and the person who did so still hasn’t faced justice, and I will not rest until they do… Moondancer will be avenged, and I won’t let this go until that person is shot like the filthy animal they are… To harm such an innocent and wonderful girl is a sin beyond forgiveness…” Sunset’s voice began to grow more fierce.

“To the person who did this, I just want you to know… I will find you. I will hunt you down, I won’t rest until you pay for what you did here… This girl was harmless to you, she didn’t deserve this, and I’m going to make sure you suffer… I’m going to make sure that you wish you were never born… I’m going to…”

“Sunset!” Twilight’s voice echoed from the other side of the stage where they were presenting. Sunset glanced over at her and nodded as she realized she lost herself and had perhaps dipped into being a bit inappropriate for a funeral.

“Ahem… Sorry… I am just very upset… The truth is… Moondancer wouldn’t have met this fate had she not been involved with me… And I’m going to do everything in my power to make it up to her and Yuna… I won’t let them get away with this…” Sunset paused before nodding. “Thank you.” She stepped away from the microphone and wandered toward Twilight who took Sunset’s hand and helped her sit down on the steps.

Yuna continued speaking as Sunset and Twilight sat together talking. “You got a little riled up over there…” Twilight said.

Sunset looked at the floor and then at her possessed hand. It was gloved and covered, but Sunset opened and closed it, knowing what was there. “All of this happened because of me… Everyone keeps paying the price for what I did…”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. She placed a hand upon Sunset’s back, rubbing gently. “Moondancer made a choice, Sunset. She chose to help you, and I’m sure she would choose it all over again even if she knew this would be the outcome.”

“How do you know that?” Sunset asked.

“Because she was the kind of person who wouldn’t sit idly by while people got hurt, just like you.” Twilight reminded.

Sunset frowned but nodded in agreement. “It just sickens me to know that Serenade or her goons did this…”

“And you’ll have your chance to get back at them, but you have to control yourself. Anger can be blinding, and I know you, you’re already stubborn enough, you need to remain in control, Sunset.” Twilight explained.

Sunset nodded. “Yeah… You’re right… I just can’t believe this is all…”

“You’ll feel better in time, but for now you have to focus on finishing what you started…” Twilight said.

Sunset blinked and looked over at her in surprise. This was the first time Twilight had ever shown any support for her conquest to defeat Serenade. “What’s gotten into you? You would never support me in this before…”

Twilight smiled wryly as she leaned back. “It doesn’t matter what I think. You always want to be the hero, and that’s just who you are. It may have made it difficult for us to have a relationship, but at the end of the day, this is what you are going to do. What is started has to be finished. Serenade is here now, and you’re already in too deep to quit, right?”

Sunset glanced down at her hand. “Yeah… I can’t go back…”

“So it’s true then, you really are dying?” Twilight questioned.

Somehow even though she had told her before, repeating the bad news to Twilight now seemed far more difficult, like the words would hurt her wife. “Yes…”

“How much time do you have left?” Twilight asked.

“I’m not sure… Originally I thought a few months, but at the rate, I’ve had to use my powers… Maybe a few weeks,” Sunset revealed.

“What’s going to happen then?” Twilight questioned.

Sunset closed her eyes, knowing that there was a strong possibility that something she didn’t want was going to happen. “Eventually, the demonic power will take over me. My body will still be alive for a short period before dying… During that time, I’ll be dangerous… Eclipse was already instructed to destroy me if that happens, but there’s a good chance he won’t be able to alone… As much as I don’t want to think about it… Horizon may have to be the one to do it… Her light magic is far stronger than I ever would have guessed…”

“You’d traumatize your daughter by having her kill her mother?” Twilight raised a brow.

Sunset shook her head. “I don’t want that. I just know it’s a possibility. It’s better that I die by her hands than for her to see what kind of monster I could become before I hurt someone… Or turn into what Serenade is…”

Twilight sighed and nodded. “I won’t say I like it, but I understand. It’s like you’re always caught between a rock and a hard place, huh?”

“Seems that way…” Sunset nodded back at her. That saying probably described a vast majority of Sunset’s life. For as long as she could remember, she was always having to find ways out of difficult situations, but by this point, she was used to it.

“You know I didn’t ask to divorce because I don’t love you, right?” Twilight said, her voice sounded very sincere.

Sunset grinned. “Yeah, I’m aware.”

“Oh? How can you tell?” Twilight asked.

“I can see it on you… You still love me. Your face still lights up when we’re together even if it’s not the same spark as before, I can see the fire is still there… I don’t even really need to ask if there’s been anyone else, because I know there hasn’t.” Sunset smiled.

Twilight felt her face getting hot as she said those words. “I will always love you, Sunset, but you can’t seem to love yourself. You’re too committed to self-destruction.”

“Yeah… You’re right. I can say eight thousand times that the next time will be the last time, but I think we both know me well enough to know that I’ll just jump right back into it when the time comes…” Sunset chuckled.

“It’s just who you are.” Twilight nudged the girl’s shoulder.

“And it would be wrong of me to put you through that. Not that it matters anyway, I’ll be dead in a few weeks.” Sunset closed her eyes.

Twilight reached over and squeezed Sunset’s hand. “I don’t regret meeting you… Even through the hard times, I’m going to try my best to remember the best parts of us.”

Sunset opened her eyes and frowned. “I just wish I could make it all up to you…”

“You can.” Twilight smiled.

“Tell me how, I’ll do anything.”

Twilight planted a kiss on Sunset’s cheek as she whispered softly. “Finish this. Stop Serenade and make the world safe for our daughter. If you can do that, I can let this all go.”

Sunset nodded. “I’ll make sure of it. I’ll put an end to all of this so you can finally have a normal life, even if it’s not with me.”

Twilight leaned in and hugged her wife. Sunset placed an arm around her and closed her eyes. She had lost so much, but she was determined not to lose anything else. Serenade would pay for what she did, that much was certain.

Stepping out of the funeral home, a woman in black robes with a large hood concealing most of her face waited for a car to arrive. Once it did, the window came down and she could see the face of Eight Ball who gestured for her to get in. She nodded and did as she was instructed and got into the passenger seat.

Eight Ball adjusted the mirror before speeding off with her in the seat. She removed her hood to show off her long gorgeous blonde hair. She looked over at Eight Ball with her good eye, not shielded by an eyepatch as she spoke. “It’s always amusing how mortals mourn their dead, despite them doing most of the killing, isn’t it?”

Eight shrugged. “Mortals are weird, why’d you even want to go in the first place? Funerals are boring.”

“I just wanted to observe, that’s all. I guess Sunset is really pissed at me then… Too bad I’m not the one who killed that girl…” Serenade smirked.

There was a short silence followed by Serenade making an accusation. “Was it you, Eight?”

The man just grinned and kept his eyes on the road as he was driving manually. “Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t.”

“I suppose you think it’d be more amusing for me to find out on my own?” Serenade questioned.

“What is life without fun?” He asked.

Serenade broke out into laughter as she nodded in agreement. “You are so very right… Fun is definitely what makes the world go round… I look forward to the fun then…”

Eight Ball grinned. “I’m sure we’re about to see quite a show very soon from the good doctor.”

“I eagerly look forward to it.” Serenade smiled.

Eight Ball glanced over at her and decided to share a tiny morsel with her. “I don’t want to spoil things, but the good doctor showed me a few of his new toys… They should be quite entertaining to watch in action. He’s even set up cameras through the entire facility he plans on letting this go down in.”

“So we’ll have front-row seats then?” Serenade grinned deviously.

“To the most amazing event you’ll ever see.” Eight winked.

Serenade leaned back in her seat with a contented smile. “This will be an interesting endeavor then…”

Eight nodded.

“So… I’m hoping you have plans as well, Eight Ball…” Serenade reminded.

He grinned. “Oh, I have big plans, but I need to get all the pieces in place… You’re going to be amazed at what I have planned.”

“For your sake… I hope you’re right…” Serenade smirked.

We're getting so close to the finale! So so so close.