Starlight watched in horror as Twilight was being drained by Serenade. There was nothing she could do. Even if she teleported in to try and pry Twilight out, her magic wasn’t potent enough to break such a powerful hold. It didn’t take much to sense the Serenade’s might was far too much for even Starlight.

In only a few minutes, all of Twilight’s magic would belong to Serenade unless Starlight could think of something, some way to stop what was transpiring before her.

It was as if her thoughts had traveled into the ethos and reached someone who could answer her prayers, as Discord moved from the spot where he had held Serenade distracted only seconds prior and slithered in between the tendril and Twilight, gripping it in his paw and pulling with all his might. His impressive level of magic allowed him to rip it free of Twilight, but soon found another one heading directly toward himself. He couldn’t block it while he held the first one at bay.

When the draconequus freed Twilight of Serenade’s grasp, Starlight acted almost autonomously. She teleported into the arena that the three superpowers had chosen to clash and grabbed Twilight. When the tendril ensnared Discord, he groaned as he could feel his own magic begin to be sucked out of his body. Looking back at the two he nodded. “Get Twilight out of here!” He commanded.

Starlight didn’t give Twilight a chance to protest as she teleported the two. Twilight could only catch a glimpse of Discord giving himself up to save her. She mouthed a simple “I’ll come back for you” before Starlight brought the two away.

Once they were teleported out of the canyon, Starlight helped Twilight walk before poofing them as far as she could, bringing them back to their rendezvous point at the Royal Training Ground, their new safe haven away from the demon that had bested them all.

Twilight was barely conscious, she could hardly even stand upright. Her body was weak and drained, but her pride was the thing that hurt the most. Serenade was far more clever than she anticipated, she never imagined that she’d find a way to turn her own spell back on her, and what was worse was that Serenade had managed to take most of Twilight’s magic in the process, leaving her with a fraction of her original power.

“We have to go back…” Twilight tried to instruct, but Starlight shook her head and forced the mare to walk with her.

“No way, you’re lucky to be alive after that. We need to regroup and devise a new plan, Twilight,” Starlight said.

Twilight’s star student was right. They needed to buy themselves some time so that Twilight could lick her wounds and find a new course of action. Defeating a demon as powerful as Serenade was proving harder than Twilight originally anticipated. Serenade was strong, but not arrogant enough to fall for traps, that would make the entire ordeal far more difficult. Twilight would need to rely on outsmarting the monster.

Starlight helped Twilight up a set of stairs to the foyer of the building, sitting her down on a couch that was there for guests. The mare let out a sigh of discomfort before closing her eyes to relax.

“I failed Discord...” Twilight complained.

Starlight blinked and looked over in the mare’s direction. “How so?”

“He was drained and captured because of me. I failed my mentor...” Twilight frowned.

Shaking her head, Starlight sat down next to Twilight. “You did all you could, Twilight. I’m sure he isn’t mad at you, he chose to save you after all.”

Twilight kept her eyes closed as she thought out loud. “He was counting on me, and I couldn’t defeat Serenade, worse yet, he was taken as her prisoner as a result.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, nopony could have predicted how strong Serenade would be, Twilight. We should wait here for the others to arrive, and you should take some time to recover, a nice hot bath might help you, I’ll run one for you.” Starlight smiled as she gestured for the mare to stand up and follow her.

Though she felt rotten, Twilight knew she had to try and be a little more optimistic, after all, Starlight had managed to help her salvage even a fraction of her power which was more than enough to begin plotting her back up plan.

A bath did indeed sound soothing, something to calm the mare’s nerves and put her at ease. “Yes, a bath does sound lovely...” Twilight replied.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, and out of that armor...” Starlight spoke softly as she held the mare’s hoof to lead her to the bathroom. It was odd that this place had a bath at all, but Starlight supposed that whoever built it must have also liked the soothing calmness that a good bath brought.

It would be a good few hours before the others made it back to the makeshift headquarters. By that point, Twilight had bathed, cleaned her armor and placed it back on (against Starlight’s insistence) as she waited for her friends to arrive. Those few hours were spent re-examining her plans and looking for anything she may have missed, also factoring in the new information she had learned about Serenade’s power.

When the group arrived, Twilight kept good on her word from before and went to check on the unconscious Applejack who had been brought in and placed in a room to be monitored. The group agreed that they would take turns watching her while she was out.

Getting up close, Twilight walked with Starlight by her side to keep her from falling over, Starlight’s hoof in her own. Standing over Applejack, Twilight closed her eyes and gripped her student’s hoof tighter as she focused on Applejack. Her magic reserves were low, and at this point, it was precious power, but it was worth spending to ensure that Applejack was alright.

While Twilight’s knowledge of medical spells was nowhere near that of a doctor’s, she knew enough to check for basic injuries and internal ones. To her good fortune, Applejack seemed to be in good physical health. She let out a sigh she didn’t even know she was holding in before turning back to her friends who had been waiting with bated breath on Applejack’s prognosis.

“She doesn’t appear to have any internal injuries, vitals are fine as well...” Twilight stated.

“Meaning?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head.

“Meaning she is going to be okay, she’s just out for now. She should wake up eventually...” Starlight finished Twilight’s thought, sensing the mare was getting exhausted.

“That’s a relief!” Rarity waved her hoof in a dramatic fashion before placing it to her forehead.

“She’s pretty brave to stand up to Serenade like that... Brave or stupid,” Rainbow suggested.

Twilight chuckled as she knew the answer was likely a little of both.”Either way, Applejack is going to be alright, she just will need some time to recover, that’s all.”

“What do we do now?” Rainbow asked curiously.

Twilight turned toward the group, stumbling a bit, but Starlight caught her and kept the mare upright. “I have to begin planning our next attack on Serenade.”

Rarity frowned at the suggestion. “Twilight, darling, you can barely stand and Applejack is out cold, for the time being, perhaps we should take this time to rest and plan a less... Assault-heavy plan?”

Twilight shook her head as she shoved Starlight away to stand on her own. “Serenade isn’t going to wait. We can’t win by being on the defensive forever. You have to attack if you want to win, so we have to do just that. Give me some time to think and I’ll have a plan ready soon.”

The others didn’t even bother arguing with her, they could see that Twilight was too determined to be talked out of it. She was prepared to go all the way, to push her body until she collapsed and was unable to get back up. Twilight took being the Princess of Friendship more serious than anything she knew. She had a duty to her subjects, and at that moment she was failing them. She needed to bounce back, she needed to come out on top. Serenade may have won the battle, but not the war.

Twilight after a good day or so of being locked away in her quarters at her desk had at least a pile of notes that she had scribbled. Fortunately, the facility made it so that sleep was not necessary, so Twilight was able to go through the night and just jot down note after note. At this point, she had completely lost track of time.

Leaning back in her chair, she retrieved a bottle from her desk and set it on top of it along with a set of glasses that came with it. The bottle was decorated with golden engraved wyverns and bones. Discord had given her the bottle of questionable alcohol some time ago, saying that they would drink together to celebrate their victory, or they would have a drink to mark the end of Equestria if they lost.

She sighed as she remembered his fate, likely locked away somewhere because of her own incompetence, her inability to use her power accordingly.

“I’m sorry, Discord... I really screwed this one up, didn’t I?” Twilight asked out loud to no one in particular.

From the door to her room came a rattling noise that turned out to be the handle turning.

Perking up from her desk, Twilight watched the entrance where a dejected Starlight entered with her head down. “Sorry to disturb you, Twilight...”

Twilight gestured for the mare to enter the room. “Come on in, Starlight.”

Nodding, the light pinkish unicorn stepped into Twilight’s domain carefully, trotting with trepidation as she approached Twilight’s desk. She eyed the bottle of alcohol before looking over at Twilight sitting across from her.

Twilight’s own eyes peered at the bottle before meeting Starlight’s. “A gift from Discord,” she explained.

Starlight nodded before taking a deep breath and exhaling. “Twilight... I have some bad news.”

“The one thing I have more than enough of,” Twilight retorted before turning away from Starlight, choosing instead to focus on the decorations on the wall of her room.

“Twilight, I don’t know how to say this...” Starlight was choking on her words.

“Just give it to me, Starlight,” Twilight said plainly. She had no interest in beating around the bush anymore. She was tired, exhausted, and mentally drained.

Starlight bit her lip but ultimately found the will to speak. “Luna has been defeated. Manehatten has fallen.”

Twilight fell silent. She closed her eyes and allowed the room to grow quiet for a moment.

“That’s it then... The end of Equestria. Serenade now controls pretty much everywhere and she has the magic of all of the princesses now; she’s unstoppable.” Starlight frowned as she admitted this fact out loud.

Exhaling, Twilight opened her eyes and looked over at the bottle and gripped it in her hoof pouring two full glasses. Starlight raised a brow at the gesture to which Twilight smiled. “I can think of no better time than now to take a drink.”

Starlight opened her mouth the protest, but Twilight shoved the drink in the mare’s direction as she took her own in hoof. Closing her mouth, Starlight wrapped her hoof around the glass and nodded as she held it. Twilight raised her glass and Starlight followed suit as Twilight toasted them. “To Discord, who let himself get captured to save my sorry ass.”

Grimacing lightly, Starlight nodded before the two both placed the glass to their lips and began to down the strong liquor. Starlight was a bit shocked at how strong the drink was, but continued to force it down before both of them had finished off their glass, setting them down on the counter. “Wow, that stuff is rough...” Starlight coughed.

Twilight let out a cough of her own and nodded. “Yeah, I suspected it would be. He’s sort of cheeky like that, isn’t he?”

Starlight wiped her mouth and then covered it until her coughing was done. “Yeah, no kidding. Where the hell did he even get this stuff?”

Twilight glanced the bottle over and chuckled. “Looks like it came from a stash he had saved before he was turned to stone according to the date on it. Ironic, he gave me a bottle that was a relic of when his reign of Equestria ended...”

It really was interesting to Twilight how Discord always seemed to have another trick or surprise up his sleeve. There was no end to the surprises that the draconequus possessed it seemed. Years ago, Twilight could never imagine herself spending any amount of time voluntarily with the annoying creature, but here she stood, a student of his teaching and holding him as a dear friend who had proven his loyalty to Twilight. She hated how ironic it was, but at the same time she couldn’t help but smile a bit internally at how much she had misjudged him over the years.

Starlight blinked as she noticed that Twilight was lost in thought as the alicorn stared at the bottle with a gentle smile on her face. “Twilight?”

The purple alicorn sighed and looked up at Starlight from the bottle. “When Applejack wakes up, I want everyone gathered to share my next plan.”

“Next plan? Twilight, it’s over. Serenade has won, there’s barely any magic left in you, and mine isn’t going to be enough to stop her either...” Starlight frowned as she tried to remind Twilight of how dire their situation had become.

Twilight shook her head. “I’m down, but I’m not out yet. I still have cards in my hoof that I can play, and I intend to play them until I have nothing left.”

“What could you possibly-?” Starlight was cut off by a hoof gesture from Twilight signaling for the girl to cease speaking.

“Leave me be, I need to prepare. Alert me when Applejack wakes up, until then, I need time to rejuvenate,” Twilight instructed.

Worry crossed Starlight’s face, but she was in no position to argue with Twilight. She bowed her head respectfully and took her leave, allowing the princess to sit in thought.

Once Starlight had left, Twilight let out a big sigh and thought out loud. “I can’t believe it’s come to this...”

After a few days in the hospital regaining her strength, Sunset was ready to go home, eager to get out of hospital garb and eventually get back to exercising to lose the bit of baby fat she was retaining. She had the good fortune of not retaining much, but that likely was affected by her vegetarian diet.

Speaking of diet, she was craving something that wasn’t hospital food. Sitting in the car with her new bundle of joy in her arms, Sunset gently rocked the child while Twilight drove the two home. It was odd having Twilight drive her around as it was usually the other way around, but it was a pleasant change and it gave Sunset a chance to hold her baby for a bit longer.

The ride home had been a simple one, but Sunset had managed to breastfeed Horizon, converse with her wife, and plan out how the rest of her week would go. With Twilight having school, it meant that Sunset would need to get over the exhaustion of being a new mom quickly, as the baby would require her attention while Twilight attended classes, but the two had agreed to switch care-taking roles when Twilight arrived at home. The plan was simple, Sunset would take care of her during the morning and early afternoon, then they both would do so when Twilight got home for a good two hours, and then Twilight would take the reigns for the rest of the night to give Sunset some time off.

Sunset felt it was important for both of them to have time where both of them were actively involved with Horizon rather than just taking turns, and Twilight agreed.

Staring down at the sleeping baby, Sunset wore a content smile on her face which Twilight noticed from the driver’s seat after peaking over at her redheaded wife.

“You seem happy; excited to almost be home?” Twilight asked, keeping her eyes mostly on the road while stealing peeks at Sunset.

Stroking the baby’s cheek, Sunset nodded gently. “It’s funny, I had so many doubts about what kind of mother I would be, so many thoughts on if I was making a mistake but now as I hold her, I don’t ever want to let go.”

Reaching over and placing a hand on Sunset’s thigh, Twilight shot her a smile from the corner of her mouth. “She’s beautiful, just like you,” Twilight said.

Sunset laughed lightly and placed her own hand atop of Twilight’s. “Better be careful when she gets older then, she might end up chasing after socially awkward bookworms then.”

“Assuming she doesn’t become one, herself.” Twilight pointed out as she took her hand back after a gentle squeeze of her wife’s thigh.

Sunset concurred as the two pulled up to the Shimmer estate. As the gates opened allowing the Mercedes to roll in, Sunset lowered her head to rub her nose to the baby’s forehead. “This is your home, sweetie. I know it seems like a lot, but it’s going to feel a lot more full with you around.”

The car came to a stop in front of the large decorated entrance to the mansion before Twilight turned it off and stepped out. She came around to Sunset’s side and offered her assistance getting the redhead with the child out of the car. Accepting, Sunset took Twilight’s hand and kept her other arm tightly wrapped around the baby as she was assisted.

With her hand in Twilight’s Sunset was guided up the steps and through the front door to her home. She let out a sigh of relief to see something other than the hospital. Having her baby at her own home felt surreal, like what was happening wasn’t just a blissful dream, but her actual reality.

A bark was heard from a hallway to the left of the foyer which was soon revealed to be the duo of Spike and Moon rushing to meet the two women. Twilight and Sunset both kneeled to the dogs’ level and carefully showed the two the newest member of the household. “Hey boys, this is Horizon. She’s our newest family member, so we’re counting on you boys to take care of her and protect her, okay?” Sunset said.

Moon gave an affirming bark before giving the child a gentle lick causing a curious stare to place itself on Horizon’s face. No sounds came from the child, but instead a look of wonder and intrigue.

Spike craned his neck to get a better look and smiled at the child. “She has your nose, Sunset.” He said.

Sunset laughed and nodded as she pulled herself back to a proper stand which Twilight did as well. “I suppose so, I wonder what she’ll look like as she gets older though...” Sunset replied.

“Hopefully not all awkward like me.” Twilight chuckled.

Sunset shook her head and planted a kiss on her wife’s cheek. “Nonsense, you’re absolutely adorable.”

“You’re obligated to say that since we’re married,” Twilight retorted.

“I could take the compliment back if you like?” Sunset teased.

“Ouch.” Twilight frowned.

“It was a joke, babe. Anyway, I’m exhausted... Would you mind taking Horizon for a while so that I can take a much overdo bath and rest up a bit more?” Sunset asked.

Twilight nodded and offered her arms to take the baby which Sunset reluctantly gave up to the other parent. It took a good few seconds of hesitation before Sunset released the child, but eventually, Horizon was rested in Twilight’s capable arms. With a nod and another kiss, she winked at her wife and made her way upstairs, leaving Twilight alone with the dogs and the baby.

With her new child safely in her grasp, Twilight found her way toward the living room before sitting down on the couch and looked down at the baby who stared back at her with cerise eyes. The woman adjusted her glasses and smiled at the baby. “You have no idea how long we waited for you.”

The baby naturally didn’t respond, instead, she just stared. Twilight was a bit impressed at how easy of a baby she had been thus far, very little crying and fussing.

“Horizon... What kind of person will you become? It’s hard to tell, but I do know this: you’re going to be special beyond your own comprehension, maybe even my own.” Twilight thought out loud.

Dear Princess Twilight,

It’s been a long time since we’ve talked and again, I know you haven’t answered any of my previous letters, but I assume you’ve been busy. Being a Princess must be rough, though I wouldn’t know. Either way, I hope you’ve been doing well and I hope when you do get the time to read these that they bring a smile to your face.

I’ve been thinking a lot about where I was going in life and where I’ve been. While I don’t regret my decision to leave Equestria behind, I still miss you dearly as a friend. You were my first friend, Princess and I appreciate everything you’ve done.

It’s because of what you’ve taught me that I was able to welcome the newest member of my family, my daughter Horizon Shimmer. She’s absolutely adorable, very well behaved too for a baby! I never really saw myself as a mother before, but over the years I’ve built up confidence, trust in my friends and in my wife thanks to all you’ve taught me.

I don’t know how to thank you, Princess. I wish there was more I could say that wouldn’t just sound cliched and lame, but it’s because of you that I have this amazing life. I hope you’re doing well, and I get to hear from you soon.

Your friend,

Sunset Shimmer

The alicorn Princess of Friendship let out a long sigh as she read over the last letter sent to her from her student back in the human world. Twilight hadn’t had a chance to read or reply to any of the pony-turned-human’s letters due to her attention being focused on more pressing matters.

She shook her head and closed her eyes before closing the magical tome that allowed the two to communicate between worlds. And set it aside before sinking down to her nose in a hot bath of water.

Reading in the bathtub was a common practice by Twilight, but she was finding it a tad more difficult when she could not use her magic to hold the book. Instead, she had the book placed on an easel near a table next to the tub.

She was glad to have at least caught up on what Sunset had been doing for nearly a year. In that time, she had gotten married, had a child and lived a life free of any and all magical mishaps. In a way, Twilight was envious of her, such a simple and easy life by choosing to leave Equestria behind. There were a few times that she considered the same, perhaps pursue a similar life as Sunset had, but the rational part of herself usually won out when those discussions carried on in her head. She would remind herself that she had responsibilities in Equestria.

Twilight was proud of all of her students, but always in a different way. Starlight had excelled so quickly and had become a beloved friend in her circle, and Sunset, while she had clearly taken time to find herself, she had grown into a woman of respect and intelligence. Sunset had turned into a leader, but not without hitches along the way.

Blowing a few bubbles in the soapy water, Twilight tried to calm her mind before the sound of the door creaking open disturbed her. The mare lifted her head out, her soaked mane draping her head inelegantly.

“Twilight?” The voice of Starlight rang.

Twilight cleared her throat before speaking. “Starlight, come on in.”

Carefully, Starlight entered and blinked as she saw Twilight in the tub. “Taking a bath to clear your head?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, however, I suppose it’s had the opposite effect...” She admitted as new thoughts of what she had been thinking about prior to getting distracted by the journal filled her mind.

“How so?” Starlight blinked and tilted her head.

“I have been doing some thinking of how I’m going to fix a lot of what’s going on, and I’ve realized that I’m going to have to do something so horrible...” Twilight frowned, her eyes losing the normal shining luster they usually had as she laid her head on the ridge of the tub, meeting Starlight with a depressed expression. “It’s going to be pretty bad, and I’ll likely hate myself after...”

“Why would you be so hard on yourself?” Starlight asked, Twilight’s demeanor worrying her.

Twilight didn’t even properly answer the question, instead, tears streamed down her face as she spoke in a hushed tone. “I’ll have to hide my pain, I know that much, but promise me, Starlight... Promise me that you’ll keep me from doing anything stupid...”

“What are you even talking about?” Starlight only grew more confused.

“Please, just promise me that you’ll watch out for me?” Twilight asked.

Biting her lip and nodding, Starlight tried to compose herself, despite the awkward situation.

“Alright, I promise, Twilight. No matter what happens, I’ll be there for you.” Starlight nodded.

Twilight reached up and wiped the tears from her face and nodded as she returned to staring at the ceiling while she wallowed in melancholy. “Good... Leave me be for now then, I have a lot to think about...”

Bowing her head, Starlight made her leave.

Arax trotted contently next to his master as the two explored the Manehatten stronghold that had been fashioned out of an old building which was once a cathedral, now long since retired, but with many signs of being lived in since Princess Luna and her entourage that protected her had taken refuge at this place prior.

Now, however, the only inhabitants were the mind slaves that Serenade had enlisted, who were roaming about looking for anything that might be deemed as useful to Serenade.

Arax peeked over at the demon siren that walked with him and she seemed to have a neutral expression, despite their success. “Master, why so glum? We’ve conquered Manehatten, Equestria is yours.”

To his surprised, Serenade didn’t seem too annoyed by questions today. Instead, her face remained very neutral as she responded. “Arax, I’ll show you something very important, a lesson I learned a long time ago.”

“What do you mean?” He blinked.

Gesturing with her hoof as the two came to a stairwell that led into the basement. She turned toward him with serious eyes. “It’s called not counting your chickens before they hatch, my student.”

This sentence only confused the changeling more. “Ma’am, with all due respect, you’ve won. You control everything.”

Sighing, she shook her head and began going down the many steps. “Let’s hope I can teach you a thing or two in the next few minutes.”

The two fell silent as they descended down the stairs, eventually reaching the bottom where they came to a poorly lit room with a steel cage in it. Inside the cage was a face that Arax had only seen in photos, murals and artwork, the face of the Princess of the Night, Luna.

The mare was far more attractive in person than she was in photos, but Arax didn’t exactly have the time to appreciate it at that point. He blinked as the mare sat on her haunches and gripped the strong metal bares angrily in her hooves, growling at Serenade viciously.

“Serenade Dazzle!” Luna exclaimed.

Serenade chuckled as she stepped forward, “watch and learn, Arax.”

Once she was only a good eight inches from the cage, Serenade gave Luna her best smug grin, a grin that clearly just pissed Luna off far more. The mare tried to squeeze her hooves through the bars but was unsuccessful. There was no doubt in Arax’s mind that Serenade was far too much of a strategist to put herself in a situation where Luna would actually be able to cause harm to her.

“Hello, Princess Luna, a lovely day we’re having isn’t it?” Serenade taunted, not even meeting the mare’s gaze as she poofed a hoof-file in front of herself and began to manicure her front right hoof.

“To Tartarus with you, demon!” Luna spat.

“You’re far more feisty than your sister, I almost like it,” Serenade replied.

“You interest me not, demon spawn...” Luna looked away..

“You don’t even have a clue on what you’re messing with here, Princess. You have yet to even see a fraction of what I could do to you.” Serenade leaned in, coming only a tiny inch from the princess’ face.

“You don’t scare me...” Luna replied harshly.

A devilish grin came to Serenade’s lips. “Let’s see if you don’t change your mind when I send you to your imprisonment.”

“I suppose you’re not too smart if you can’t clearly see that I’m already imprisoned,” Luna retorted.

Serenade let out a hearty laugh. “You think this is where I’m going to keep you? Sorry, but no. This was merely a holding cell while I attended to other things.”

“So what?” Luna raised a brow.

Serenade stepped away from the cage and began trotting in a circle as she explained herself. “You see, Luna, you at one point became a demon, an impure one, but a demon, nonetheless.”

“What of it? I have moved forward with my life.” Luna huffed.

Nodding, Serenade looked back at the mare. “I’m well aware, but the reality is that at one point you became a demon. So long as the potential to turn back into one exists, I can’t take any chances...”

“What are you even talking about?” Luna blinked.

Serenade laughed and shook her head. “I wouldn’t put it past you to give in to dark magic again to give yourself the strength to defeat me.”

“I would never do that again!” Luna protested, offended at the notion that she would even consider becoming the very thing she resented most a second time.

“You say that, but desperation can cause a lot of ponies to do things that they never dreamed of... As a result, though, your prison will have to be different from the others. I could kill you, but it would be a waste, after all, it’s more beneficial to keep you alive to periodically drain you again for more energy. It also has the added bonus of luring out that pesky Twilight Sparkle...” Serenade lectured.

The sound of Twilight’s name struck a chord with Luna as she jumped forward again and gripped the bars. “What are you going to do to her!?”

A smirk crossed Serenade’s lips. “I wouldn’t worry about her when what’s going to happen to you is going to be far worse...”

Luna blinked before she witnessed a black mist surround Serenade, it appeared to be emanating from her body until it filled the entire room. Before she knew it, Luna was surrounded by blackness, a never-ending void that stretched to infinity. “Welcome to your new home, Princess Luna...” Serenade mocked.

“W-where are we?” Luna looked around, trying to find anything to latch onto.

“A realm of pure darkness. In this place there is nothing, time will move at such a slow pace that every minute will feel like a week has passed. There is no way out, either.” Serenade explained.

Luna looked over at the demon with horrified eyes. “Why are you doing this?”

Serenade squinted. “It’s been a long time coming, enjoy your stay here, Princess Luna...”

“Wait!” Luna called out before the mare vanished from sight.

Panicking, she did a full turn trying to see if perhaps the siren had lied and there was a way out. After several seconds and about eight double takes, Luna quickly realized it was true, this place was inescapable.

Falling to her haunches she bowed her head in defeat. How could she have failed her sister?

“Twilight Sparkle, it’s up to you now.”

The streets of Ponthia were as busy as usual. Merchants pedaling goods (some of which likely looted from the hooves of dead travelers), guards doing their patrols through the marketplace, and of course, whores dancing to lure in clients for the brothels that they belonged to. It was what most would define as a typical day in the unicorn city.

Walking through the streets, decorated in fine linens that they had acquired from deceit and manipulation were two young sirens disguised as unicorns.

One, a pristine white coat with a short neck length yellow mane with red tipped ends and a scowl affixed to her face. The ever impossible to please, Serenade Dazzle.

At her side, her consort, and fellow siren, Angelic Duet, or Duet for short. She was a smaller framed mare than even the petite Serenade, with a muted light blue coat that could almost pass as grey, gorgeous white curled locks that were full and luscious and purple shining eyes that often attracted the attention of many stallions.

Angelic Duet was probably the only creature of interest that Serenade knew. She was witty, manipulative, and saw mortals as nothing more than pawns to accomplish her own goals with. She wasn’t one to turn down a chance to pit two stallions against each other for her affection.

During their travels together, she had gotten herself into more trouble than one could possibly imagine. Their recent trip to the Earth Pony land had left her bored and she managed to convince at least eight stallions to leave their wives for her, only to disappear into thin air when they did.

“I definitely prefer the Unicorn Kingdom for sure...” Duet grinned as she eyed up some street performing stallions lifting weights.

“Anything is better than that dirt country,” Serenade responded.

Duet chuckled. “You really didn’t like those earth ponies huh?”

“A bunch of uncivilized dirt farmers. How could anyone live like that? They reeked as well, baths were clearly a luxury to those inbreds.” Serenade scoffed.

Duet nodded and laughed at Serenade’s sentiments. In her entire time of knowing the siren, Duet had never seen a time where Serenade praised anything. To say she was a complainer was an understatement, a good majority of her personality was obviously delivering complaint after complaint and seldom being pleased. The best one could hope for with her was for her to be neutral toward a situation.

The two had known each other and traveled together for a good eight years, and during that time, Duet got to know little about her companion beyond the fact that they were close to the same age and that Serenade despised mortals.

There wasn’t a nice word that left Serenade’s mouth that was attached to mortals, though seldom did nice words leave her mouth anyway.

“You need to relax. We can get some ale if you want?” Duet offered.

Serenade rolled her eyes at the suggestion. “You’re always trying to get me drunk.”

“Drunk Serenade is less of a she-demon than sober Serenade,” Duet informed.

“I assure you, the two are equally annoyed at most given times,” Serenade replied.

“If they had an award for the angriest creature to walk this earth, I think you’d be the running champion several times over.” Duet rolled her eyes.

“Rather that than the dumbest...” Serenade replied.

“So, how about those drinks, huh?” Duet asked.

“Sure, whatever,” Serenade shrugged. Alcohol did sound good at that moment, it would at least allow her to forget about how annoying it was to be forced to interact with these annoying ponies.

“Time to break out the old charm!” Duet winked before the two females made their way to the nearest place to acquire ale and spirits in the poorer part of the city, the brothel. Drink and pleasure were a common combination for those lacking in coin, and as such, the two were often sold together.

Trotting up, a powerful looking stallion squared a brow at the two mares sporting rather elegant looking togas with gold leaf trimmings, a sign of slightly more class than that part of the city was used to. He squinted with suspicion before speaking. “What do you two want?”

“We’re trying to get inside if you’d be so kind?” Duet fluttered her lashes a few times, a trick that often made stallions putty in her hoof.

“What possesses upper-class mares to come here to the slums for sex when you could be frequenting better places in the inner city?” He raised a brow.

“No whores, drinks.” Duet winked.

“You two have any money?” He crossed his hooves, clearly not moved by Duet’s performance.

“We don’t need money, right, Serenade?” Duet looked over at her companion, hoping she would help in swooning the stallion to their favor.

Blinking and coming back from being lost in thought, Serenade shrugged but stepped forward as she spoke awkwardly. “Yeah, sure, what she said.”

He shook his head. “No coin, no entry.”

With a sigh, Duet rolled her eyes before reaching into a small coin pouch that she kept inside of her toga to retrieve a single coin. Offering the token to the pony blocking their way, he examined it for a brief second before signaling for the two to enter. As they passed the guard and into the brothel they were met with the sound of exotic music, customers cheering and enjoying some rather lewd dancing.

The two sirens navigated through the building until they arrived at a bar where Duet tapped the counter to get service.

Serenade pulled herself up to the seat next to Duet and decided to provide her commentary now that they were well out of earshot of the stallion. “Some brilliant negotiating there, I can see why you’re a seductress. You really had him eating out of your hoof.” Serenade taunted.

Duet rolled her eyes and scoffed. “To Tartarus with you, maybe I could have made something happen if you were useful for a change. Instead, you stood there like a complete invalid stammering like you didn’t know which way was up. What kind of seductress are you?”

“The kind stuck with an annoying useless whore,” Serenade replied plainly before the waitress finally came to attend to their needs.

“I’ll have a big mug of your finest spirits!” Duet requested.

The waitress nodded before looking at Serenade. “And for you, maiden?”

“Something bitter and strong,” Serenade instructed.

With another nod, the waitress vanished for a few seconds before returning with the two drinks in some beat up old tankards. The two sirens took the containers and placed some coin on the counter before nodding to each other and took a big sip each.

Serenade was a bit surprised at how bitter her drink actually was. It tasted a bit off, but she suspected that it was likely because the poor ponies of this district likely couldn’t afford the quality stuff. It disgusted her to think she was drinking like some kind of peasant at that moment.

“So, Serenade, we’ve known each other for what... Almost a decade now?” Duet asked before taking another sip.

“Eight years, so what?” Serenade asked.

“You never told me what your thing is,” Duet said.

“My thing?” Serenade raised a brow.

“Yeah, you know, the whole ‘I hate everyone and everything’ thing that you’ve got going on?” Duet asked.

Serenade scolded herself internally for not seeing the conversation head this way. While they were in a public place, most around them were drunk and the music was loud, so it was somewhat safe to discuss their status as sirens so long as some discretion was used.

“I don’t have a thing.” Serenade looked away with more annoyance.

“So you’re just a miserable hag because you were born that way?” Duet chuckled as she leaned over the bar.

“Mortals are the scum of the earth, we’d all be better if they simply stopped existing...” Serenade scoffed, the thought of mortals making her not even want to finish her drink.

“Why do you hate them so much, Serenade? You’ve never told me, I mean sure I can understand why our kind, in general, don’t like them, but you seem to especially hate them.” Duet pointed out as she took a long swig from her tankard that she clutched in her hoof.

“What do you care?” Serenade quizzed.

“Well, we are a pair, and there is strength in unity. I’d like to get to know you better, maybe then you wouldn’t be such an exasperating piece of trash to be around then.” Duet’s tone suggested she was only half serious with the comment.

“You really are annoying, you know that?” Serenade asked, obviously speaking with sarcasm.

“I’m just trying to make our arrangement more comfortable and less awkward.” Duet huffed.

“Well, don’t. I’m comfortable with how it is now. I don’t tell you much about me, and we aren’t required to waste our time talking about stupid nonsense; it’s such a good setup, why are you trying to ruin this perfectly good thing we have going on between us?” Serenade replied.

Duet rolled her eyes and downed half of her drink in a single gulp before shaking her head. “You are the definition of needing to ease up.”

“I’m just not interested in sharing, alright? Mortals are a blight on the world and that’s how I feel. If you were hoping for an explanation, you aren’t getting one.” Serenade crossed her front hooves.

“You’re a heartless harpie, you know that?” Duet stuck her tongue out.

Serenade grunted and looked away. She concentrated on her surroundings before her eyes stopped on a mare in some exotic looking attire performing for a stallion. Serenade couldn’t believe that ponies would deface their own bodies just to please stallions for a little bit of money. Serenade could never see herself doing anything to appease a stallion beyond manipulating one.

The silence was beginning to scream in Serenade’s head before she chose to speak up. “Mortals murdered my mother...”

“What’re you talking about? So what?” Duet blinked.

Among sirens, one’s “mother” was just their birth giver. Sirens mostly raised their number by transferring the power to become a siren to a mare or stallion and they, in turn, would give birth to a baby siren that would one day use its powers to drain the ponies in question.

“I meant my real mother...” Serenade said.

“Real mother? What are you talking about?” Duet asked curiously.

“My mother…” Serenade bit her lip, hushing her tone as she replied. “Slept with a mortal…”

Duet spit out her drink as she leaned in with interest. “WHAT!?”

“Keep it down, would you?” Serenade grumbled, not wanting to draw attention to themselves.

Nodding, Duet hushed her tone as she came closer. “I can’t believe it. Your mother did the unthinkable? We’re not supposed to be sleeping with anybody.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Serenade hissed. “It doesn’t matter anyway, she paid the price for it.”

“What happened to her?” Duet blinked.

“Exactly what happens to every siren who foolishly falls in love… Pain, misery, and despair. She was burned alive while my father did nothing, he cowered and lied that she had been controlling him just to save himself…” Serenade responded, a hint of fury in her voice.

Leaning back in her chair, Duet nodded in agreement. “Typical of mortals, isn’t it? No decency, no testicles.”

“It’s fine…” Serenade replied.

“How so? I’d be pretty upset too if I were you!” Duet smirked, leaning forward and placing a hoof around Serenade’s neck.

“I already got my revenge…” Serenade said.

Duet blinked, unsure of what her consort meant. “What do you mean?”

“Years later, I killed him…” Serenade spoke plainly as if she had just talked about squashing an insect.

Duet pulled back and gulped. “K-killed? You’re joking, right?”

Serenade turned to face her companion siren, her eyes full of fire, a serious scowl plastered on her face. One could feel the sincerity of her words just by looking at her. “Do I ever joke about anything? I came back, I slit his throat and I watched him bleed…”

“Serenade, we can’t just go around killing mortals,” Duet whispered.

“I don’t care, I killed him and I liked it. The satisfaction of watching him bleed out was palpable…” Serenade grew a small grin, reliving the moment in her mind.

It frightened Duet to know that the only time she had ever now seen Serenade smile was when talking about murdering her own father and watching him writhe and suffer moments before he died.

“You’re screwed up, Serenade…” Duet commented.

“Am I? Or am I just the only siren seeing the world for what it is? Why should we be restricted to all these rules just to survive? Ponies don’t follow them. We’re stronger than them.” Serenade grinned.

“They vastly outnumber us, Serenade. You start something with mortals, they will destroy us. They’ll hunt us down and kill every last one of us; even with our powers we can’t stop armies upon armies of ponies…” Duet reminded.

Serenade grunted and looked away. “Maybe not yet… But one day…”

“What are you mumbling about?” Duet asked.

“Don’t worry about it…” Serenade shook her head.

Tossing and turning, Applejack’s unconsciousness had eventually just turned into an unsettling slumber before her eyes shot open and she found herself jerking upright with a gasp. She was surprised to have found a bed was prepared for her which she had been tucked into.

She reached up with a hoof to feel her face. It was all still perfectly fine, unblemished. Her heart was racing, but she took a few breaths and tried to calm herself.

It was all just a dream.

She sighed and closed her eyes.

It felt so real though.

The things she had witnessed, they were almost too much to bear. Serenade turning her into a demon, watching herself destroy Canterlot with her bare hooves. She looked down at her hooves wondering if such a destructive power truly existed within them.

The door to the room she was in creaked open and a gasp came Applejack’s way. The farm mare looked over to see elegant purple curls standing at the doorway with sapphire blue eyes watching her. “Applejack! You’re awake!”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah… How long was ‘Ah out?”

“It’s been around eight days, darling.” Rarity rubbed her neck awkwardly.

Applejack turned and looked forward before chuckling. “Guess that old demon siren did a number on me?”

“We were worried sick… Don’t scare us like that, again…” Rarity frowned.

Applejack nodded before coming to the edge of the bed and setting her hooves on the floor. “Didn’t mean to frighten ya’ none. Honest.”

Sighing in relief, Rarity nodded. “Come along then, Twilight wanted to speak with all of us the moment you woke up.”

Also sighing, Applejack nodded and followed, not even bothering to grab her hat which had been hung up on one of the bedposts, her mane not even tied up in the usual ponytail she kept as she followed the fashion-forward mare.

“So, what happened with the fight? Did we beat Serenade?” Applejack asked curiously.

Rarity bit her lip and frowned before shaking her head. “Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well. Twilight’s spell backfired and caught her in it. Discord saved her but got himself captured and drained. Most of Twilight’s magic was lost in the process as well I’m afraid to say.”

Applejack blinked in astonishment. Twilight had seemed so sure of herself, confident that the plan would work.

“Sheesh, that’s rough…” Applejack frowned.

“It gets worse, darling,” Rarity spoke.

“It always does, don’t it?” Applejack sighed once more.

“Luna has been defeated as well. Serenade is now stronger than ever; Twilight arranged this meeting to discuss what to do next…” Rarity replied.

Applejack twitched at the thought. Serenade? More powerful? She was already strong enough in Applejack’s mind. After seeing just a fraction of what the demon’s power could do, she wasn’t eager to see what an even stronger Serenade was capable of.

Rarity spotted Rainbow standing in the hallway and nodded to her, giving her the signal gather the others now that Applejack was awake. Rainbow stood up straight and gave a silent salute before running off to bring the group together in the agreed upon meeting area.

“What could Twilight possibly have planned to beat her, now? She ain’t got much magic left, y’all said?” Applejack asked.

Rarity shrugged. Twilight was keeping most of her cards very close to her chest, so it was a mystery what her plan was.

“Who knows,” Rarity responded.

The two trotted together in silence before arriving at the meeting room, where Rainbow Dash had successfully gathered the rest of the group, Twilight sitting at the head of the table nodding as Rarity and Applejack entered.

“Applejack, it’s good to see you awake again.” Twilight smiled lightly.

“Good to be awake… So, what’s this all about then?” Applejack blinked.

Twilight nodded and grinned more at Applejack’s eagerness. “Right, straight to the point then… As all of you know, Serenade got the better of me last time, I’m not exactly thrilled to admit that, but it’s the reality we live in. So the question is… Where do we go from here?”

“Understatement of the century.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

Coughing, Twilight regained control of the room. “This next plan is going to be even riskier than the first, I’m not going to lie…”

Applejack already didn’t like the sound of that.

“Primarily it involves all of us sneaking back into my old castle. We will need to retrieve something from there if we hope to make this plan work…” Twilight began.

Rainbow shook her head and blinked. “Wait… Serenade is likely in that castle right now since she’s no doubt trying to figure out how to finish you off. Not to mention it’s going to be swarming with guards!”

“Yes, I know…” Twilight sighed.

“Count me out,” Applejack spoke up.

The entire group turned to Applejack’s direction with shock and surprise. She was the last pony they expected to utter such a statement.

“Say what?” Rainbow asked.

“If’n y’all wanna go on a suicide mission, ‘Ah ain’t interested.” Applejack shook her head.

“Applejack, what are you saying!?” Rainbow gasped.

“Sorry, but Twilight hasn’t exactly proven her plans work in this scenario. ‘Ah warned ya’ about relying on Discord and this cockamamy idea…” Applejack turned away, not wanting to admit the truth.

“Discord saved Twilight!” Fluttershy defended.

“Yeah, and his training didn’t do diddly for her when it came to Serenade! Count me out, ‘Ah ain’t foolish enough to walk right into her hooves. Y’all wanna get yourselves killed, ‘yer more than welcome.” Applejack growled before turning to take a leave.

“Applejack wait!” Fluttershy called out.

Twilight raised a hoof to silence her friend. “Let her go.”

Everyone blinked and turned to Twilight as Applejack left the room. “What?” Fluttershy asked.

“If she has doubts, then it’s better she go her own path. The risks will be high, and I don’t want any pony to have regrets…” Twilight sighed before closing her eyes and re-opening them. “Now… Here’s what is going to happen…”

Wow, this chapter was very difficult to get out in time due to a rather busy week for me. Normally I have them written well in advance, but a few busy weeks have caught up to me to where that just wasn't feasible. Going to try and get back on track to having them written in advance.

A lot of what was planned for this chapter had to be cut out though because it was getting to be too much. I don't want to reach a point where every chapter is well over 10,000 words all the time.

Also, a little more history with Serenade.

Now would be a good time to also bring up that the finale to Act V is coming soonish.