Twilight adjusted her dress and stepped out of her brother’s car to see her friends gathered all in black attire, even Applejack had sported a black dress with a jacket thrown over it, Rarity smiling at Twilight as she saw her approaching. Rainbow Dash had even decided on wearing something almost entirely feminine as she stood there in a dark dress with gloved hands. She imagined that she didn’t own anything appropriate for the occasion and had to settle on what Rarity had to offer that fit her, which likely wasn’t much. Rarity was good, but not good enough to whip up a dress like that so quickly.

Twilight’s eyes looked at her phone to see it was approaching noon, and then back to her brother who smiled as he waved from his car. “Call me when you need me to pick you up.” He stated.

Twilight merely nodded as he started the engine and drove off.

Approaching the familiar faces, she smiled weakly at her group of friends who pulled her into a group hug before breaking and forming a small circle to converse.

“Sorry, I’m late… had a bit of trouble finding the place…” Twilight admitted, rubbing her neck nervously.

Applejack shook her head and offered a reassuring smile. “The important thing is that ya’ came.”

Twilight smiled a little as well, but it soon faded as she remembered where they were. The atmosphere was awkward, to say the least.

“Has anyone talked to Sunset yet?” Twilight asked curiously, hoping someone would say yes.

The group collectively shook their head. “Nah, she’s made it a point to avoid everyone and only talk to the pastor; can’t get anywhere close to her, but I imagine she’s taking this pretty hard…” Rainbow Dash spoke on behalf of the group.

“How could anyone do something like this? Shimmer was so nice… I mean she had problems and made mistakes, but nothing worthy of… this…” Fluttershy squeaking, fighting back tears as she leaned into Rainbow who wrapped her arms around the girl who started to allow tears to leak from her face.

“She was murdered…” Rarity spoke.

“Rarity!” Applejack nudged her new girlfriend to try and get her to realize what she was saying.

Rarity just shook her head. “No, we need to hear it out loud. We need to accept it and let it sink into our heads… It’s better for us to not pretend… Shimmer was murdered. That means that somewhere out there is a killer, a killer with her blood on their hands. We should all be far more careful from here on out… If they killed her, they may be interested in harming people close to her…”

Applejack frowned and looked away. “’Ah… never considered that…”

“We better start considering it,” Rarity stated.

“Maybe we can talk about this later?” Twilight suggested.

Rarity nodded. “Yes… of course… sorry, I just have been thinking about this for a few days now…”

Applejack reached forward and took Rarity’s hand with a smile. “Ah’ll protect ya’, Rares. Y’all know that.”

Rarity smiled back at the girl and nodded as she kissed her cheek. “I know you will, darling. Still, we should be on our guard…”

Rainbow Dash smirked and chuckled. “Finally you two are together, man that was a train wreck getting here…”

“Perhaps not the best time for this conversation?” Rarity rolled her eyes and gestured toward the rows of chairs lined up sitting on the lightly frosted grass. They had chosen to do the event outside despite being winter, but they had had a very warm day comparatively and decided to go with an outdoor funeral.

Sitting next to Applejack and holding her hand in her own, Rarity inhaled and exhaled before Applejack stroked the top of her hand affectionately as the rest of their friends took their seats, seeing the pastor step out in lavish robes. He cleared his throat as he stood at the podium in front of the closed casket. Applejack’s eyes wandered around the area to see that it was a rather empty funeral, not many to speak of.

Shimmer’s remaining family was her aunt and their family, and some uncle on her father’s side that lived in Europe who couldn’t make it.

On the right side sat Shimmer’s friends and their accompanying family and on the left by themselves sat her Aunt, her husband, and their two sons, all of which looked very unhappy and not the most pleasant of people to Applejack.

Behind them sat Moondancer and her mother, who looked like she hadn’t stopped crying since she arrived and the latter patting her daughter’s head and holding her.

The pastor smiled to the audience and began to speak in a friendly tone. Applejack wondered how someone who dealt with funerals so often could sound so cheery, but she imagined it came from being at peace with the concept of death in general.

“Friends, family, and loved ones… We come here today on an occasion of great sadness. One of God’s children has left us, and her time on this earth was short. A reminder though, that our Lord sometimes has purposes for us that require we come to him sooner. Miss Sunset Shimmer is in the Lord's hands now, looking down at us,” he began.

Applejack could hear the tears among the audience grow before turning her attention to Rarity who was leaning into Applejack, resting her head on her chest, tears smearing her mascara. Applejack ran a hand through her hair soothingly.

“I performed the services for her father and mother, and while it is tragic that this young girl is taken from us so soon, she is finally reunited with her parents. Ready to feel their embrace once more,” He continued.

Twilight was having a hard time paying attention to what he was actually saying as her mind wandered to how Sunset must be feeling as she saw her come out and stand next to the pastor with papers in her hands. She had never seen Sunset look so dead looking, so empty, so lacking of any real expression.

After a few more minutes of his speech, the pastor cleared his throat again and moved his arm over to Sunset and smiled. “Sunset, Miss Shimmer’s surviving sister who was recently reunited with her long-lost twin has prepared something she wishes to say, I ask everyone to listen…”

Sunset nodded and took the podium before shaking the pastor’s hand and looking down at the papers she had prepared and cleared her throat.

“Thank you, father, and thank you to everyone who has come here today.” Sunset looked around at all the faces in the audience and then back to her paper. “We are here today to honor this woman who shares my name, but most of us knew her as Shimmer. Shimmer was someone whom I grew close to in the past few months… She left an impact on my life and it’ll never be the same again, as I’m sure it is with most of you here. She was a quiet girl mostly, keeping to herself, but through all of us, she came out of her shell. We all got to see her grow a little, each of us playing a hand in that…” Sunset paused for a moment and then sighed.

“Her life, however, was cut short… Someone took her life from her, and I shall not remain silent about that… They stole her chance at living, and that is unforgivable. Shimmer was far from perfect, she made mistakes like any one of us, but she deserved a lot better than this… She deserved a chance to live, a chance to love, to marry, to have her own children, to be someone… She was robbed of that chance…” Sunset found herself gripping the podium before calming herself for a moment and continuing.

“Whoever did this… whoever is responsible… they will meet justice. This girl behind me…” Sunset pointed to the casket behind her, “We will honor her by making sure whoever robbed her of her life will never have the chance to do so with anyone else. They will face the consequences for what they have done.” Sunset bowed as she concluded, sobs echoed through the audience as a group of men behind her began to lower the casket into a hole.

People began to stand and meet with one another, as Moondancer approached Sunset, wiping her eyes with a tissue she had stuffed in her pocket. She lacked a proper dress so she chose to wear black slacks and a black blouse to match.

Sunset smiled lightly at the girl. “Thank you for coming…”

Moondancer nodded and let more tears stream down her face. “She’s really gone…”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah… she is…”

“I don’t even know what to do…” Moondancer sobbed.

Sunset reached forward and placed both of her hands on Moondancer’s shoulders, causing the girl to lock eyes with her. “Listen, what you need to do is keep living. This isn’t over yet, somewhere out there is a killer, someone who ended Shimmer’s life… This isn’t over until they meet justice, understand?”

Moondancer nodded. “Okay… I just… I miss her…”

“I do too…” Sunset frowned as she pulled the girl in for a tight hug. She could feel Moondancer squeeze her back with all her might (which wasn’t much), and Sunset pet the girl’s head to comfort her. It was clear this entire ordeal hit her harder than even Sunset. After all, she and Shimmer were intimate prior to this. Shimmer was on the phone with her only seconds before it all happened.

The two broke the hug as Sunset could feel a tap on her shoulder.

She blinked and turned around to see Twilight standing there. “Hey… not to interrupt but is it possible if I can chat with you for just a second?”

Sunset nodded and looked back to Moondancer, “excuse us.”

Moondancer nodded and placed her hands close to her chest as she watched Sunset walk away from her.

Stepping away from the crowd and a bit deeper into the cemetery out of earshot of everyone else, Twilight sighed and spoke up. “I was trying to reach you for a while. You weren’t answering your phone…”

“I was occupied…” Sunset shrugged.

“You’ve been occupied for days then…” Twilight frowned.

“I had a lot to think about…” Sunset sneered.

“I’m worried about you is all…” Twilight admitted.

“Why’s that?” Sunset tilted her head.

“You’re avoiding us… it’s okay to be sad… we’re here for you to have shoulders to cry on…” Twilight frowned.

Sunset shook her head. “It’s fine… I’m not sad… not anymore…”

“Then-“ Twilight was cut off.

“I’m angry,” Sunset responded plainly.

Twilight blinked.

“Whoever did this… they murdered Shimmer. I’m not going to rest until I find out who they are and make them pay…” Sunset replied, her tone extremely serious.

“Even if-“ Twilight got cut off once again.

“Even if that means I have to take matters into my own hands…” Sunset answered the question she knew she’d be asked.

“Sunset…” Twilight frowned, reaching forward in an attempt to grab her friend.

Her friend however just shook her head and patted Twilight on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming, Twilight. If you excuse me… I have some things to think about…”

Twilight sighed and watched as her friend walked away, only feeling more concerned than she had before the conversation.

Sunset stepped into a room lined with books on one wall and various degrees, certificates and framed awards on the other. A long table occupied by a few people was there. On the right was a woman with graying hair, that she vaguely recognized as Shimmer’s aunt from the funeral. She didn’t know much about her, as Shimmer didn’t talk about her too much. Sitting next to her was a chubby looking man with a major receding hairline. He reeked of alcohol, and by the look on his face, he likely had been drinking only a few hours ago if not minutes. His dress shirt was barely tucked in, and he definitely was in need of a shave.

Next to him were two rather fat children, one looking to be older than Sunset, the other looking perhaps a few years her junior. Both had messy haircuts and patchy beards to match their supposed father. The older looking one of the two had a stain on his grey button-up shirt that looked like it had been attempted to be cleaned but to no avail.

Sunset gathered they were a rather messy and unkempt family who didn’t care too much about their appearance to others, and she had already heard that they were less than savory from Shimmer at least once; though she seldom talked about them. She knew the woman’s name was Lilly, but she blanked on the rest.

She sat down a seat away from them, but the contrast between her well-dressed self and them was drastic. Sunset had worn a proper dress and had brushed her hair at least a dozen times that day to make sure she was presentable for this meeting; she had even worn heels.

At the end of the table was a face Sunset had never seen before, Shimmer’s family attorney, who sat there with papers in his hands and a neutral expression.

On the other side of the table sat Moondancer and her mother, who looked a bit shaken, trying to keep herself together. Her mother holding her hand and petting it gently. Her usual messy hair looked like she had made attempts to clean it up, but it was still rather disheveled, but in a rather cute sort of way. Sunset could see how Shimmer appreciated such a trait on her, she was the kind of girl where her imperfections only made her more adorable.

Clearing his throat, Shimmer’s attorney tapped his stack of papers on the table and raised a pair of glasses to his face, adjusting them so he could read.

“I thank you all for coming this morning, I know this is not a very happy occasion…” He began.

Shimmer’s aunt chuckled and smirked. “It’s about to get a lot happier…”

Sunset raised a brow and spoke up. “Hey, a little respect perhaps? Someone just died… Someone that was family to you.”

The woman scowled at Sunset and her face only became that much more unpleasant. “I don’t recall ever hearing about my sister having another child…”

“Look up the paperwork then, it’s all there. Now if you could please keep your mouth shut?” Sunset growled.

The woman scoffed and turned her head back to the attorney who cleared his throat and attempted to continue.

“As you all know, Miss Shimmer has left behind a very large fortune and plenty of assets. As it is advised with anyone who has the kind of assets she has, she was instructed to prepare a will as soon as possible. She was legally declared an adult at a young age, so she was able to declare her will as such…” He continued.

Sunset sighed at all this talk of Shimmer in past tense, not truly wanting to hear it, but her ears perked at the next part.

“However, recently there were some changes to her will…”

The entire group leaned in with interest.

“In the final months of her life, Miss Shimmer made quite a few lengthy changes to her will, and it reads as follows.” He cleared his throat as he began to read.

“I, Sunset Shimmer being of sound state and mind do hereby give my last will and testament. It is my desire that my assets be delivered as followed…” He looked over at Moondancer and her mother and continued. “To Moondancer, I love you dearly, I wanted us to have a future together, I loved you dearly and if we are not married by the time this is read…”

Moondancer placed her hands over her mouth in shock, tears running down her cheeks. “M-married!?”

Her mother held the girl closer and Sunset smiled at her and spoke. “She loved you, Moondancer. She told me that, it was one of the last things she said to me…”

The attorney continued despite the conversation. “I will thirty million dollars to yourself and your mother, this is to be split into ten million in cash and twenty million in stocks and shares. Furthermore, I am willing a financial advisor to assist you in fostering this money into economic prosperity so that you both may live comfortably from here on… It is my wish that your mother finally be able to quit her jobs and get the rest she deserves.”

Moondancer’s mother was the one covering her mouth in awe this time, both of the girls hugging each other tightly, tears flowing freely at the news. Sunset found a small smile coming to her face.

“You two deserve it… Please use the money wisely… Shimmer wanted you both to be happy…” Sunset said.

Moondancer nodded back to her, fighting more tears. “It can never replace her… But I am grateful… I promise to use this to help as many other people as I can…”

Sunset reached forward and took the girl’s hand and gave it a squeeze with an affirming nod. “I know you will. Shimmer cared deeply about you for a reason, and I know you’ll do amazing things, Moondancer…”

A cough caused the attention in the room to shift and for Sunset to release Moondancer’s hand and sit back down looking in the direction of the sound which came from Shimmer’s aunt. “Can we please continue?” She complained.

Sunset rolled her eyes, just eager to be done with ordeal so she could be away from this nasty woman. It sickened her to think she might actually get even a fraction of Shimmer’s fortune.

“Ahem… while they are not present, I would like Sunset Shimmer, my elder sister who shares my name to distribute one hundred thousand dollars to Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy Shy, Applejack Apple, and Rarity Belle in the form of an educational scholarship.” The attorney read.

Sunset blinked, a bit surprised by that order, but nodded. “I… I promise I’ll make sure it reaches them…”

The attorney nodded and looked to Shimmer’s aunt and her family. “To my Aunt Lilly…”

The woman leaned in with a nasty smirk as she greedily awaited her reward for winning the genetic lottery and sharing the same blood as Shimmer.

“Who let me into her home…” He continued slowly.

The woman nodded; the grin on her face only growing bigger and bigger as greed overtook her more and more with each passing second. “Yes, yes…”

“You provided me no safety, no shelter. Your home was nothing more than a prison to me…” He continued.

The woman paused and blinked in shock as he kept reading, her jaw slowly opening until it was hanging there.

“You showed me cruelty when I needed compassion, you showed me greed when I needed love, and you only saw me as nothing more than a means to an end. You attempted to steal all I had for yourself and treated me as nothing more than a nuisance. Some of the worst memories I hold are the ones where I was forced to live in your home… I invited you to this hearing so that you could not only hear that I leave you with absolutely nothing but to witness all you clawed to get be given elsewhere, in my hope that you take this as a lesson in humility; rewards go to those who earn them, not vindictive witches who try to take them…” He finished and set the paper down looking to the now fuming Aunt Lilly.

“That little cretin! We took her in! We cared for her! And this is the thanks we get!?” She hissed.

Sunset couldn’t help but giggle at her anger.

“Come on, we’re leaving!” The woman growled as she grabbed her two children’s arms and tugged them out of their seats violently, her husband bumbling after them as they made their exit.

“You won’t be missed…” Sunset commented under her breath.

The attorney blinked and pulled up the final page of the paper and cleared his throat once more before speaking again.

“Lastly… to Sunset Shimmer, my elder sister…”

Sunset gulped and looked forward with full attention; her heart was already pounding from the entire meeting, but it somehow found a way to go faster still right now. The entire room fell silent as eyes moved toward Sunset with anticipation.

“You have shown me what family and friendship are when I had thought I’d forgotten. You lit the way for me in my darkest time and showed me compassion that I had long since forgotten. You’ve lived up to the definition of not only a sister, but a friend. The time I have spent with you has been remarkable, and I am glad we were able to meet,” he stated, Sunset looked over to Moondancer who was crying, but smiling as she heard the praise to Sunset sang, nodding gently in agreement.

“It is because of all you’ve done that I have found any level of happiness in my life again, and while I hope you never have to hear this letter, in the event that you do, I want you to know that I don’t regret a second of the time we have spent together…” He smiled as he looked to Sunset, clearly moved by the bond the two girls shared before continuing, “that is why I have decided that the remainder of my fortune, estate, and assets all be given to you, Sunset Shimmer. Valued at three hundred and fifty million dollars, everything I own goes to you. I have several financial staff who shall assist you in handling this fortune… I love you sister, and I’m sorry.”

As he set the paper down, Sunset’s eyes grew as she looked at the floor in shock. It was a lot to take in. She had never even considered inheriting Shimmer’s fortune. All the time they had spent together, she had never once thought about getting anything out of Shimmer beyond her affection and admiration. Shimmer’s fortune reminded Sunset of how little she had at times, but she seldom wasted a thought on owning it for herself.

The attorney smiled and nodded. “There is one more thing… I was instructed to give you this video to play on your own. Shimmer had met with me only two weeks prior to her death and had prepared this. She said it was for your eyes only, and in the event of her death to pass it along to you.”

He reached under the tape and handed off a flash drive to Sunset, who took it and held it firmly in her hand. It looked ordinary, nothing out of place about it.

“Congratulations though, Miss Shimmer…” He stated, causing Sunset to turn her head in confusion. “You’re now the richest woman in Canterlot.”

After a good eight hours of signing papers, listening to tons of legal talk, and going through the transfer of assets, Sunset was finally handed the keys to the estate she was now the legal owner of. She was told that the paperwork would take some time, but she could move in right away thanks to most of the groundwork being taken care of.

By the end of all the meetings and talks, she wanted nothing more than to go to the house and crash for the night.

A car from the legal office had taken Sunset from their firm all the way through the front gates of the late Shimmer’s estate all the way up to the front door. The car stopped and the attorney from the meeting earlier regarding Shimmer’s will smiled at her as he looked to the house. “This is where I leave you, Miss Shimmer…”

Sunset blinked and nodded as she looked back at him.

“You know, I knew your sister a little prior to all of this… she was a sweet girl, nothing will ever replace her…” He commented.

Sunset nodded. “Yeah… it’s a shame… She was a great person…”

He nodded like her and closed his eyes with a sigh. “Yes, she was, but we can’t change the past, you know?”

Sunset’s expression remained empty and blank at that comment; a bleak reminder that this was how things were going to stay from now on.

“Try and look on the bright side, she left you with the resources to make a life for yourself, not many eighteen-year-olds get this kind of opportunity, you can turn her untimely death into something… Clearly, she cared deeply about you, Sunset,” he suggested.

Sunset unfastened her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. She shut the door and looked in through the open window as the attorney stared at her glowing vibrant eyes, contrasting with the black leather jacket she wore. “I’ve already got something in mind…” she said.

He opened his mouth to question further, but Sunset stood tall and waved. “Goodbye.”

Sighing, he nodded and focused back on the driveway as he put his hands on the wheel of his Mazda. “Goodbye, and if you need anything or have any questions, just call.”

With one final nod from Sunset, he started his engine and took off down the long driveway, leaving Sunset standing there for a moment. The cold air of winter brushed along her torn up black skinny jeans, and the icy wind ripped through her long red and blonde locks, but she could barely feel the pain of the low temperature. Her brain had numbed her to most of these feelings for days, and her entire body pivoted around to face the large door to a house she was only slightly familiar with.

It had dawned on her that she actually had not seen much of Shimmer’s house when she reached forward with a key she had taken out of her pocket to open the door. Letting herself inside she looked to the stairwell in the atrium, and allowed memories of the past replay in her head.

It was there only a few months ago that she had met Shimmer and saw her walk down those very same stairs questioning who she was.

Sunset found herself stationary, unable to move as she waited, hoping to hear footsteps in heeled shoes come down those lavish steps one more time, but no such luck as the halls remained silent and empty.

She sighed as she took a few steps forward on the marble floor hearing her heeled boots clack against the material.

Eyes looked down the east wing on the bottom floor, realizing she had never gone down that way but decided that now was not the time for exploration. She was exhausted and looking to an old beat up backpack in her left hand that she had dragged in, she remembered she had a task to complete before doing anything else.

She needed to find a computer and utilize the flash drive she was given. She at least knew where Shimmer kept a few of her computers in the house and began to make her way upstairs.

Counting doors on the third floor she managed to find the lab that Shimmer spent a lot of time in, and stepped inside. She paused and looked at the lab coat on the wall. With a nod, Sunset reached for it and threw it over her clothing, Shimmer may have been gone, but she could still honor her little traditions.

Making her way to the computer in the center of the room, Sunset pulled the chair out and sat down.

She tapped the power button and after only a few seconds, the machine started up. To her good fortune, there was no password required.

Plugging the flash drive into a USB hub that had been placed on the desk she looked at the screen to see a password prompt appear on the screen. She cursed lightly and saw a little spot that said “HINT”. Clicking on that with hope, a small bit of text appeared reading “With myself and my friends we are…”

Sunset squinted as she thought if over. Looking at how many letters it allowed her to input she saw it was only five letters.

It took her a moment but then she had it. Carefully she typed in the password: EIGHT.

A smile came to her face as the drive opened revealing a folder with a single file on it. Sunset took a deep breath and clicked on it as she sat back and allowed a video to come up on screen and play.

In the video, Shimmer was sitting in the very same room that Sunset was in now. She looked at the date in the corner and noted that it was several weeks back, far before she had gotten ill and needed to be rushed to Equestria. That meant that Shimmer had expected her own death as at least a minor possibility back then.

Sitting in her lab coat, Shimmer cleared her throat and adjusted the camera before sitting back in her chair and speaking.

“If you are watching this video then chances are that you’re Sunset Shimmer, my elder sister so to speak… If you’re not Sunset Shimmer, then that means either this file has fallen into the wrong hands or the unthinkable has happened and Sunset Shimmer has died and I am now dead as well… I pray that is not the case…” she began.

Sunset’s spine stiffened at the thought. Shimmer had even considered the possibility that both of them would die?

“I’m going to continue as if I am talking to you, Sunset. After all, this video isn’t intended for anyone else…” Shimmer stated.

Sunset crossed her arms as she listened intently to the video, not enjoying where it was going already.

“There are a lot of questions that likely require answering, but in the off chance this file has been intercepted, I can’t tell you anything that I don’t want to be known to my… enemies so to speak. I apologize for what seems like being unnecessarily cryptic, but I can’t be too careful. I hope you understand.” Shimmer’s face formed a frown as she spoke those words, but she continued nonetheless with an adjustment to her glasses.

“If you’re watching this, I’m dead. If that is the case it is more than likely connected to Ghost. A few days ago my server was hacked into and the hacker who goes by the alias of ‘Ghost’ was rooting around in my research. I have since taken all of my work off these main computers including my video logs and moved them to a secure location. Due to the risk of this file being intercepted, I cannot tell you where that is, but you will need to find it on your own. The only clue I can give you is that my family will light the way for you…” Shimmer paused and smirked for a moment.

Sunset was already trying to decipher what that could possibly mean as she kept her eyes glued to the screen.

“Ghost is after something, and I am certain there is more at work here than I could imagine. I suspect Ghost is part of a group, possibly even an organization. If you-know-what is involved and they are after it… it’s safe to assume that they will not stop with my death…” Shimmer stated.

Sunset instantly guessed that “you-know-what” referred to magic, spoken about so vaguely so as to confuse anyone who had no clue what they were talking about.

“Ghost is out there, and it’s up to you to figure out what he wants, and who he is. If he is indeed responsible for my death, then I would automatically assume that you are the next target, Sunset. My suggestion is to tread carefully from here on out. There are some things in the east wing that I think you should check out and familiarize yourself with. I’d also get familiar with the home security system if I were you…” Shimmer said before sighing and shaking her head.

“I’m sorry… I wish I didn’t have to put all of this on you, but it looks like I’m exceptionally good at finding ways to cause problems for you even after death… I pray that this video never has to be viewed, but if it does… there is one last thing I need to tell you…” Shimmer looked directly at the camera. “Don’t trust the police. In the past, they never believed me when it came to matters that involved you-know-what and I am not one hundred percent convinced that Ghost doesn’t have moles in law enforcement or ways to steal information from them…”

Sunset grimaced at the thought but was thankful that she already had a relatively awkward relationship with law enforcement already due to her previous status of being an illegal in the human world.

“Sunset… I’m sorry that this happened, I’m sorry about… well a lot of stuff, but I want you to be safe… please, stop Ghost. If you don’t… there’s no telling how many people he could hurt if he actually manages to get his hands on… well, you know… I love you, sis…” Shimmer reached forward and ended the video.

Sunset sighed and looked down as she felt something brush against her leg. There on the floor was a rather pathetic looking dog with ears drooped and a soft whine as he looked up at her expectantly. Frowning, Sunset turned her chair and rested her hands on her knees as she kneeled down and looked at the dog.

“Looking for your mom, huh?” Sunset asked with a frown on her face.

The canine only whimpered in response.

“I’m sorry little guy… she’s not coming home…” Sunset spoke quietly.

The dog appeared to understand as it whimpered again and rested his head on her lap. Sunset reached down and pet the dog’s head with another sigh. “It’s okay little guy… I know how you feel… now you’re a lot like me… alone.”

The dog closed his eyes and leaned into her petting. “I promise though, whoever did this… they’re going to pay… now’s not the time to be sad, now is the time to be determined. We’re going to find Ghost, and we’re going to make him pay, one way or another. I don’t care what it takes, even if I have to strangle him with my bare hands. Ghost will pay for this, mark my words…” Sunset growled.

Coming to a stand, Sunset looked over at the clock to see the time, 11:08 PM. She yawned and stretched as she approached the front of the room, the dog following, quickly becoming her shadow. Sunset placed the lab coat back on the rack and almost made her way out the door before looking back at the computer and returning to it to pull the flash drive out. She now understood that she couldn’t be too careful and placed the drive in her pocket before going back out the door.

Closing the lab door behind her, Sunset contemplated going to the guest room she usually stayed in when she came over, but then decided instead that she wanted to be closer to Shimmer and made her way to Shimmer’s bedroom.

Arriving at the door, the moment she opened it, she was instantly met with the familiar smell of Shimmer’s scent of perfumes and expensive aromas. Stepping inside she laid down on the canopy bed as Moon followed and hopped on next to her, curling up on the other pillow. Sunset looked over at the end table and saw a framed photo of Shimmer and herself smiling.

She picked it up and allowed the memories of that day fill her head. She held the photo close and let tears soak her face as Moon crawled closer and rested his head against Sunset.

“I’m sorry, Shimmer… I couldn’t protect you… I’m so sorry…” Sunset whispered to herself.

Hey! Welcome back to the main story now that we had 2 weeks of intermissions. Special thanks again to Applety who enjoyed two weeks off from drawing, but it's good to see she hasn't lost her edge!

I think it goes without saying now that Shimmer is indeed 100% confirmed dead now. For those hoping she would somehow turn out not dead after the end of Act II, sorry.

The story is far from over though, Shimmer is going to play an integral role to everything that unfolds from here on out. Stay tuned!