Galeal stirred in his sleep as he tried to get comfortable again, though it was proving difficult as the effeminate stallion wrapped around him slept like a rock and was difficult to shift around, despite his low weight. Ultimately, this resulted in Galeal waking up and looking down at the stallion laying atop of him. He blinked as he examined him, noting that despite the time that had passed since they had met, Eclipse didn’t seem to become anymore masculine as he aged, instead he remained the soft effeminate male that was often mistaken for a mare that he was.

Expectedly, his figure remained slender and gentle, but that was likely due to the poor rations they were given at the camp. Galeal could scarf his poor excuse for food down with little worry, but Eclipse was always fussy about eating them and keeping them down.

His long white mane draped over Galeal as they laid there together. Eclipse had always brushed his mane to one side and tied the very end of it together with a small red ribbon, though Galeal never really knew why. As they got older, he added a small braid to the hair.

No longer were they kids, but teenagers approaching early adulthood, and yet they were stuck spending their youth slaving away for Serenade’s vanity.

Looking at Eclipse, internally, Galeal admitted that he was beautiful. He had such attractive features about him; his small dainty frame, his cute little ears, and his demeanor which came across as hopelessly innocent, yet very aloof, similar to Galeal’s own demeanor.

The two of them seldom seemed to care about the thoughts of others or other ponies and creatures in general.

What the two boys had together was unique, it was magical almost and Galeal wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Reaching down, he ran a claw along Eclipse’s face and traced the stallion’s jawline with a smile on his face. He wondered what kind of things his partner dreamed about, what kind of things he hoped to see if and when they broke free of Serenade’s grasp. He thought “when” but in reality, it was becoming more and more difficult for Galeal to imagine a world where they ever got free of Serenade’s tyranny. The demon had so much power that he didn’t see her ever getting defeated.

As he laid there stroking Eclipse’s cheek, he thought of his home back in Griffonstone, wondering how they were faring compared to their current location. He wondered if he’d ever see his home again.

As he laid there in thought, the flap to the tent opened allowing the piercing morning light to blind him temporarily. He shielded his eyes as he felt Eclipse begin to move and wake up with a “huh?”

Standing there were a set of guards clad in armor pointing to the two. “Alright butt fucks, get your asses up.”

Galeal groaned and rose to a stand with a yawn. “What’s the issue? I thought work didn’t start until eight?”

The taller of the two guards pointed to Eclipse with a grunt. “For this shit nugget, maybe. However, you are being reassigned, griffon.”

“Say what?” Galeal rose a confused brow.

“Do I need to spell it out for you, fuckface? You’re getting moved to another site. We have a new camp in Griffonstone, and Serenade wants all griffons sent there, so it’s your lucky day shit-for-brains, you’re going to be with your own kind again.” The other guard smirked, clearly enjoying his job a little too much.

Eclipse blinked and shook his head in disbelief while Galeal backed into the corner as the guards approached. “I don’t wanna go, fuck that.”

“It’s not negotiable. Now you best get stepping before we break your legs and drag you there.” The taller guard grunted, it seemed as though his patience had worn out very quickly and he wasn’t in the mood to argue with Galeal.

“Your kind are all the same… Worthless pigs. What did Serenade offer you two to make you give up your balls?” Galeal taunted.

Retrieving a baton from a belt around his waist, the shorter of the two guards gripped the weapon in his hoof and cracked Galeal across the jaw with it. “Talk out of turn again and it’ll be worse for you, now I suggest you shut your fucking cock hole and come with us without the sass…”

“Fuck you…” Galeal spat as he rubbed his jaw.

That retort earned him a second smack with the baton which caused the teenager to tumble to the ground. As he groaned and tried to get himself back up, Eclipse gasped in horror, stepping forward to try and help him only for the taller of the two guards to retrieve his own baton and point it at Eclipse.

“Go ahead, girly boy. Give me a reason to destroy that fucking face of yours. I’m not in the mood for games today, so I suggest you stay out of it…” He threatened.

Eclipse gulped but held still, not daring to move before Galeal spoke up. “It’s okay, Eclipse… Don’t get hurt on my account. These assholes just like to feel tough because they can’t satisfy their wives anymore…” Eclipse smirked.

The shorter stallion kicked him in his gut causing him to cough before demanding he rise. “Get your ass up, faggot. I got better things to do today than deal with a couple of queers giving me sass. If I’m late to roll call today, I am beating the shit out of you the entire way to Griffonstone.”

“I’m going, I’m going…” Galeal grumbled before coming to a shaky stand.

Eclipse lifted a hoof to step toward his lover but Galeal shook his head. “Stay here, Eclipse… Don’t give them a reason to hurt you.”

“Galeal…” Eclipse winced, trying to hold back tears.

He smiled at the stallion and winked. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be meeting back up real soon…”

“Please, don’t take him…” Eclipse begged.

The taller guard grunted and waved his baton again. “What did I just say, faggot?”

Galeal reached around his neck and pulled his signature pendant off. He tossed it over the guard and Eclipse stepped backward to catch it. Looking down at it and then back to Galeal who was being ushered out of the tent, the griffon nodded. “We’re always together so long as you have that!”

Eclipse fought back the sniffles and nodded before placing the pendant around his own neck.

Sunset was peacefully rocking her baby to sleep as she sat in her living room on the bottom floor in a comfortable white armchair, gently singing to the child in her toned, but careful arms. Having the baby definitely made her day to day routine change, but she managed to find time to eat, exercise and take care of the dogs.

It had burned through her entire day easily, however, and before she knew it, it was already nearly 4:00 PM, meaning that Twilight would be home from class very soon. Sunset recalled sending her on her way that morning in one of the Benz, though Twilight had nagged her before that she’d prefer a car that didn’t attract so much attention to her when she went to class.

Sunset only giggled at the notion, because she liked others to know that she had the ability to spoil her wife. Fortunately for her, Twilight was a self-conscious girl, so no amount of spoiling would make her materialistic or fat. Sunset had seen Twilight actually say no to bacon that she had been drooling over all because she “felt” like she was getting fat, despite not gaining a single pound. If anything, the girl was still very lanky and scrawny, but still very cute with an attractive rear.

Twilight jogged a little, but for the most part, she wasn’t an exercise addict like Sunset had become over the years.

Looking down at her daughter, Sunset wondered what kind of personality Horizon would develop. Would she be a studious bookworm with a heart of gold like Twilight? Or perhaps she’d be more of a sporty girl like Rainbow Dash? Maybe she would be a strong leader?

It excited Sunset to think of all the wonderful memories she was going to build with her infant child and what kind of person they’d turn into. She would be there, watching her grow, watching her turn into a woman, and she’d play an active role. Somehow, it felt like the most important thing that Sunset would ever do with herself, more so than defeating evil villains bent on taking over the world even.

“You’re going to live an interesting life, I’m sure...” Sunset whispered to the baby who had fallen asleep in her hold.

As if on cue, the sound of the front door opening caused Sunset to turn in that direction and smile at her wife who was entering the building and made her way hastily toward the living room where Sunset had texted her she would be when she got home.

The young woman set her bag down on the floor and walked over with a bright grin on her face, never feeling so excited to be home. She wandered over to her wife and newly born daughter and sat on the arm of the chair that Sunset was seated on, looking down and planting a passionate kiss on her wife’s lips.

The two women leaned into each other, enjoying the savory kiss before allowing it to break, much to both of their dismay. Twilight licked her lip, enjoying the feeling of Sunset’s velvet lips on her own, not wanting that feeling to go away so quickly.

“Still a great kisser...” Sunset commented.

As per usual, that comment solicited a blush from Twilight, causing Sunset to chuckle lightly with pleasure. “So, how was school today?”

“Boring.” Twilight shrugged.

“School? Boring? Who are you and what have you done with my wife?” Sunset raised a suspicious brow.

Twilight shook her head and reached down to the baby in Sunset’s arms, caressing her cheek lightly. “I love school, but when you have something at home that you love more, it definitely makes it feel like it’s dragging.”

“You’re just trying to butter me up for sex...” Sunset smirked.

Twilight’s blush grew but found the courage to tease her wife back. “Is it working?”

“Tell you what, after we put Horizon to bed for the night, I’ll give you the best time of your life,” Sunset replied.

“I’ll hold you to it.” Twilight winked before both of them looked down to their daughter.

The child gently inhaled and exhaled as she laid there in her mother’s embrace. The two women stared at their daughter with smiles on their faces. Twilight reached over and gripped Sunset’s shoulder as she rested her head on the other one with a content sigh. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my entire life...” She cooed.

Sunset nodded in agreement. “Me either, I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”

Eclipse yawned as he was summoned for a meeting with all the workers. Since Galeal’s departure, two things happened to him: he never let Galeal’s pendant leave his sight, and he couldn’t find enough peace to fall asleep properly. He hadn’t realized how much he relied on Galeal for comfort. The barely serviceable cots that they called “beds” were difficult to sleep on, and without the warmth of the griffon, Eclipse couldn’t find any respite from the discomfort.

He was tired and emotionally drained, but he continued to work, trying to bury his mind in work so he wouldn’t have to think about what happened from there.

Rubbing his eyes, Eclipse was gathered into a crowd of other workers as he yawned once more waiting for the announcement, which was more than likely going to be reprimands for poor work ethic or something of that nature, as these meeting usually were.

Eclipse could hear chatter all around him speculating the nature of the meeting, most assuming the same as he did, that they were about to get yelled at for something or other that they weren’t doing well enough.

I heard they want to tear the statue down and start over from scratch.

Where did you hear that?

From my bunk mate!

Eclipse almost chuckled at how ridiculous such a thing sounded. Serenade was vain, but he doubted she was dumb enough to waste so much time and then just start over without much warning, especially when they were so close to finishing. The idea just seemed preposterous to him.

A mare near Eclipse blinked as she examined him. She spoke in a hushed tone. “Hey, aren’t you that pony who was bunked with that gruff looking griffon?”

Eclipse blinked at the mention of Galeal and nodded his head. “Yeah? What of it?” Eclipse asked.

“I saw him getting hauled off the other day...” She frowned.

Eclipse stepped forward and got in the mare’s face. “What did he say? Was he okay?”

The mare winced at how close he was getting but shrugged. “A little banged up, but he was alright. They mentioned they were taking him to Griffonstone.”

Sighing, Eclipse pulled back, a bit sad that he couldn’t learn any new details, though he wasn’t entirely sure what he was expecting. Even if he somehow knew exactly where Galeal was being taken in Griffonstone, it wasn’t like he was going to be able to follow him. Security around them was far too tight and Serenade’s guards were far too watchful for something to slip past them.

The sound of a horn ringing through the air and painfully making Eclipse’s ears ring (along with many others in the crowd) brought attention forward to a stallion clad in a familiar cloak that bore the symbol of Serenade upon it. It seemed as though her higher ups were given such cloaks to signify their loyalty to the demon.

Rubbing his ear, Eclipse focused on the young stallion at the podium who spoke with a booming voice to the entire crowd.

“As many of you know, we have been working hard to build a monument to our new overlord; Serenade Dazzle!” He called out.

Eclipse scoffed at her name.

“This has been a long process, but I am pleased to announce that we are nearing completion, and Master Serenade has seen it fit to release you all to different cities until a new work project demands your attention!” He continued.

Those words sparked murmurs among the crowd, ponies were questioning the validity of what he had just said and if this meant they could seriously leave the work camp. Eclipse, however, already knew there would be a catch.

“Please see the roster over to my left with the guard to find out where you will be heading. A small team shall remain here to finish this job and then also be released. Once you know where you are going, we are expecting you to meet up with your escort group by 8:00 PM tonight!” He commanded, his voice growing more stern with every bit of information he gave out.

Eclipse thought it might actually have been a good chance to make an escape until the next thing he was to relay came out of the cloaked stallion’s mouth. “Anypony who attempts to escape, flee or otherwise cause disruption will be killed on sight, no questions asked.”

The young stallion’s heart dropped as he heard those words, and chatter was all around him at the shock of the threat. Truthfully, Eclipse half expected such a thing, but to actually hear it only discouraged him more.

“Please proceed to the guards to my left and you shall find out where you are to be sent by tonight!” He commanded once more.

Sighing, Eclipse pulled himself together and decided it was best to comply. Mustering up enough determination, he made his way toward one of the guards, finding himself stuck in a line for a period of time while he waited to check the roster.

Standing behind a young mare close to his age, Eclipse sighed once more as he reached up and gripped the pendant that Galeal had given him. It was far from unique, but the simple crystal pendant seemed to stand out around his neck, more-so than Galeal’s even. He was curious about its origin and why Galeal wore it, but he supposed it would be some time before he could ask.

The mare in front of him peeked over her shoulder hearing him sigh and smiled at him. “Hey, cool pendant!”

Eclipse blinked and turned to face her. “Oh, thanks...”

The young mare shot him another smile, emphasizing the monroe piercing on her lower lip. It seemed to match well with her double eyebrow piercing. She had a fair face, one that Eclipse was sure could get more of the boys begging for her attention.

“I used to have a boyfriend who had one like that, but he was kind of a douchebag...” The mare stated.

Eclipse wasn’t particularly interested in the discussion, but feigned interest in the spirit of not coming off as rude. “I’m sorry to hear.”

The young unicorn eyed him up and down. “You’re far cuter too...” She added.

A blush came to his face as he nodded and turned his eyes away from her. “T-thanks...”

Running a hoof along her red mane, she offered it to him. “Name’s Rose Inkscape, and you are?”

Looking at her hoof for a moment, he reached down daintily and took it in his own. “It’s Eclipse...”

She nodded with another reassuring smile in his direction. “That’s a good name, I like it. Maybe we’ll get sent to the same place, Eclipse. Would be beneficial to have someone you know there, right?”

He nodded in return. “Yeah, considering I don’t really know anyone...”

“Oh? What about your parents?” She asked curiously with a raised brow.

“Dead.” He frowned.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear...” She returned the frown.

Eclipse just shrugged, unsure of what else to say. “Serenade killed them... Right in front of me...”

“Now that is beyond fucked up...” She growled.

“I can still hear the sound of them screaming sometimes when I sleep...” He admitted.

Rose reached forward and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s gonna be alright, okay? They’re gone, but you’re still here. You’re gonna make it.”

He blushed at her touch but nodded. “Thanks... I appreciate it...”

She winked at him as she pulled her hoof back. “Any time, cute stuff.”

He was about to respond when the two of them realized their conversation had passed enough time to bring both of them to the front of the line. She turned forward and rushed to check her name on the list. After a few seconds, she nodded and winked at Eclipse before trotting off, spouting a simple “later”, before disappearing.

Gulping, the young stallion stepped forward and cleared his throat as he approached one of the guards holding a clipboard in their hooves.

“Name?” The guard asked.

“Eclipse?” He replied meekly.

The guard lowered his muzzle and scanned the list over with his eyes before looking back up. “You’re heading to Canterlot. I suggest you get your ass toward the escort group leaving from the southeast entrance by 8:00 or you’re going to get the ass whooping of a lifetime.”

Eclipse nodded before taking his leave, finding some irony in being sent back to the exact place he was ripped away from. Canterlot was his home, the only difference is that now he wouldn’t have a home to go back to when he returned.

The young stallion prayed that everything was going better for Galeal.

Twilight was running as quickly as her hooves would carry her, breath exiting her lungs at such an incredible rate that she could barely keep breathing. Never in her life had she been running on almost pure adrenaline for such an extended period of time. Her entire body was in hyper-mode.

There was only just a little bit of distance left before she would come to the chamber where she kept the mirror.

She halted however, when her bag began to vibrate.

Quickly, she turned it upside down and dumped the contents. With horror-filled eyes, she could see every single distress tablet she had given the others had been set off. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, even Rarity, all of them had come face to face with one of Serenade’s henchmen and that meant there was a good chance that all of them had been captured.

Twilight swore under her breath as the urge to go back and try to rescue them clouded her judgement. The alicorn pushed such thoughts out of her mind, though, knowing that at this point it would only be playing into exactly what Serenade would want. The demon siren would use her friends as bargaining chips to get to Twilight, and without the mirror in her grasp, Twilight couldn’t risk leaving the castle or becoming one of Serenade’s captives. Everything relied on her, she needed to get the mirror at all costs now, there was no turning back.

Scooping the contents of her bag back up and fastening it back to her side, Twilight galloped down the hallway, eventually coming to a stairwell which would take her to the appropriate floor. She was almost in the clear, she would just need to wind down the stairs, head straight ahead, turn into the chamber and activate the secret passage hidden via a lantern on the wall.

Making it to the stairs, Twilight hastily trotted down the steps, trying to keep as quiet as possible, only to halt in her tracks at what was waiting for her at the bottom.

There, in a familiar cloak stared shining red eyes attached to an insect-like face. Toothy fangs staring back at her, causing her to hold perfectly still.

“Well, you must be Twilight Sparkle then?” He spoke with a masculine voice.

“Who are you?” She asked.

He chuckled as he kept his eyes locked upon the alicorn. “My name is Arax, I’m Serenade’s second-in-command.”

Twilight had read about him when she went over her notes regarding Serenade. She found it odd that she had chosen a changeling as her right-hoof, but then again nothing about Serenade came off as “ordinary”.

“So you’re another one of Serenade’s puppets then?” Twilight asked, remaining perfectly still.

“Don’t confuse me with the cannon fodder. I assure you that I have more than enough abilities at my disposal to take care of a weakened alicorn princess such as yourself. Serenade only chooses the very best to serve her directly, after all...” He smirked.

“Then how did a reject like you make the cut?” Twilight asked.

He hissed with annoyance. “Feisty, huh? Unfortunately trickery isn’t going to work on me.”

“Are you sure about that? You don’t look tremendously smart to me...” Twilight taunted with a smirk.

“You’re the one who’s more or less walked right into our custody, so you tell me who the dumb one is. Surely you didn’t think I was going to let you leave this place, did you?” Arax replied.

“Well asking nicely was my first plan,” Twilight responded, still enjoying messing with him.

“You’re funny, too bad you won’t be so funny when we’re done with you...” He grinned.

Twilight took a step backward, trying to put a little extra distance between the two of them as she concocted a plan. If this changeling managed to grab her then all hope was lost. Everything would fall on Starlight, and while Twilight believed in her student, she knew the deck was already too stacked against her. If Serenade ever discovered what the mirror did, not even Starlight could stop her.

The mare needed to act quickly, she needed something that could turn the situation in her favor.

“So tell me, why exactly were you stupid enough to come here? What did you hope to accomplish?” Arax questioned.

Twilight saw this as the perfect opportunity; talking with him could stall for time to think. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“While I am curious, I’m not really tremendously so, so if you’re not interested in telling me, I’m sure Master Serenade can squeeze the answer out of you... You’ll find she’s quite good at that...” He smirked.

Realizing that the changeling wasn’t interested in talking, Twilight took a stance, ready to fight if need be. While her magic was limited, she could still get him with general physical attacks if she plotted them correctly. At that moment, she wished she had Applejack’s hind hooves attached to her, but while she lacked Applejack’s strength, she could still deliver a considerable kick after all the months of training. Exercise was a big part of Discord’s routine for her.

Seeing her take a battle stance, Arax rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Do you really believe you have what it takes to beat me? I know all about your magic, it was drained significantly by Master Serenade, you don’t stand a chance against me without it.”

“Maybe I don’t need magic to beat you...” Twilight suggested, keeping her stance.

“Arrogance will be your downfall, but I suppose Master Serenade won’t mind if I bring you to her a little banged up, even though I’m sure she’d like to do that herself... I suppose you’ll just have to get two beatings...” Arax stated, as he took a stance of his own, his curved horn glowing an ominous royal purple aura.

Twilight had seen her fair share of dark magic, but every time she encountered it, she was always in for a new surprise, something else she hadn’t expected. There was no telling what kind of powers Arax possessed, and without most of her own magic, Twilight couldn’t sense if he too was a demon or not. If he was, he was keeping it close to his chest; a wise strategy. Something told Twilight that he was far smarter than he looked, she needed proceed with caution.

Taking a gentle step to her left, Twilight paid close mind to Arax to see what he’d do. Sure enough, the changeling didn’t budge, which told Twilight that he was confident she could not get past him. This either meant he had something up his sleeve or he was overconfident. It was a gamble to find out which; a gamble that Twilight had to take.

Charging to his right side, Twilight turned her body backward and attempted to deliver a back kick, bucking strongly with her hind hooves, hoping for a hit. Her hoof collided with something that felt sturdy. Looking back, she blinked as her mouth hung open at what she saw. The changeling had fallen to his haunches and used his front two hooves to catch her kick between them. He held her hoof there tightly with a sinister grin on his fanged face. With little effort, he flung her upward from her hoof, sending Twilight twirling into the air.

The mare gracefully caught herself before she tumbled to the ground, and positioned herself upright once more, facing the insect-like creature. His strength was far more than the average changeling, that much was certain, but it wasn’t clear if it was become of Serenade’s power of his own doing. She cursed herself for not studying changelings more in depth, but she didn’t believe it would be helpful information.

“You’re pretty tough... For a bug...” Twilight taunted.

“Ironic, because you’re the one that’s about to get squashed, Twilight Sparkle. You can’t beat me, just accept it,” Arax stated.

He may have been right, but Twilight wasn’t about to reveal that to him. There had to be something she could do to get past him, something that would ensure she could make it to the mirror and utilize her pre-made teleportation spell. If she could just do that, she would be able to execute the rest of her plan and maybe, just maybe have a shot at saving Equestria from being ruled by an evil demon siren for all eternity. Everything hinged on this plan, but Twilight saw no way around the changeling.

With a grin, Arax held his right hoof outward. “Let’s make this fun...” he said.

The two apparently had different ideas of fun. While Twilight enjoyed a good book on the couch, Arax’s idea of fun likely involved the violent torturing of those weaker than him.

While his horn glowed, a shining energy formed a blade around his hoof. The magical weapon buzzed and sparkled as energy sparked off of it. Just looking at it, Twilight could tell that such a magical attack could be devastating. It was pretty advanced magic for a changeling, so there was no doubt in her mind now that he was far from an ordinary changeling.

As if she didn’t have enough problems to deal with, this new development meant that even getting close to the creature was a huge risk. That blade could cut her to shreds if she wasn’t careful.

Okay Twilight, you have a supercharged changeling with an energy blade blocking your path and you need to get around him to get to that mirror. If you fail here, then all of Equestria is likely doomed... No pressure then. Twilight thought to herself.

Trying to step to her right, Twilight realized that Arax clearly was right side dominate like herself, so if she focused her efforts on his left side, it might be enough to get past him. She didn’t need to beat him, just get around him and then hopefully outrun him.

Making a break for his left side, Twilight rushed him only to hear the sound of a blade slicing through the air, followed by a mild flash of red.

Falling back, she reached a hoof up and felt her left cheek. Sure enough, blood dripped from it. It was a small wound, but the sting was very real. The weapon created some kind of burning sensation just under her flesh. She gripped the wound, but withheld any obvious signs of pain. She didn’t want to give the bastard any kind of satisfaction from her suffering.

“Damn, I missed...” Arax stated as he held the blade up. “I was hoping to cut your horn off. It would be pretty amusing to stop you from ever doing magic again, don’t you think?”

“You’re twisted...” Twilight replied as she wiped the blood off of her face, certain that the wound would become a scar later.

“Am I? Maybe I am, but then again, maybe like Master Serenade... I just see the world for what it truly is?” Arax proposed.

“Seeing the world through your eyes would be the same as being blind,” Twilight responded, not showing any fear.

“Well, aren’t you a fucking philosopher?” Arax chuckled, blade still ready to strike if she dared to step closer.

It was useless, there was no way around him. With his new weapon, his reach was too great in the narrow hallway for Twilight to get past him. She needed something, anything to give him the slip.

As if someone had heard her thoughts and prayers, a bright light appeared in front of her, slowly taking a shape, until it was equine in appearance. Quickly, it changed hues until it was a pale pinkish purple, and resembled a familiar unicorn. Inevitably it became that very unicorn, causing Twilight to blink in surprise when her student was now standing in front of her.

She looked back at Twilight and nodded with a smile on her face before turning back to Arax with a determined look.

“Starlight? How did you get here!?” Twilight blinked.

Starlight smirked as she recited her own genius. “I sort of reverse engineered your teleport tablet spell and figured out how to use a live creature as a relay. In this case... You. I placed the spell on you before you left, so if you were in trouble I could show up.”

“While I’m impressed with your genius, Starlight, I explicitly told you to wait back at the base while I took care of this.” Twilight scolded.

Starlight shrugged. “I couldn’t just leave you here to get captured, hurt or killed. There is no telling what Serenade will do to you if that happens. Sorry, Twilight but everything you taught me tells me that I can’t abandon you now, even if it’s what you’re telling me to do. Sorry, I don’t mean to disobey you, but I can’t in good faith allow this to happen...”

Twilight sighed, she wanted to be upset with her, but how could she when Starlight had demonstrated that she had taken her lessons with Twilight seriously. She was a shining example of one of Twilight’s many successes.

“Alright, since you put it that way... What’s the plan?” Twilight grinned as the two girls faced Arax.

“Give me the short version of what’s going on?” Starlight asked, keeping her eyes on Arax.

“The others were captured, he’s all that stands in my way now. If I can get past him we can finish the mission...” Twilight explained.

“Then it sounds like I have just the plan...” Starlight whispered.

“Which is?” Twilight raised a brow.

“You go, I’ll distract him,” Starlight stated.

Twilight blinked. “I don’t know about that... Starlight, I have no idea how strong he really is, and that magic blade of his is pretty lethal.”

“We don’t have another option, Twilight. You have to go now if you want to make it to the mirror...” Starlight insisted.

Realizing there was no point (or time) to argue with her, Twilight nodded and accepted this new course of action.

Starlight gave her opponent a confident grin as she stared him down and addressed him. “How’s it going, bug boy?”

Arax raised a brow in confusion. “I suppose that’s supposed to insult me?”

“More like warning you... You think you can handle me, hot stuff?” Starlight replied.

“You’ll find that I have a way with women...” Arax sarcastically responded to her inquiry.

Enjoying the sarcastic conversation perhaps a little too much, Starlight gave him her own sarcastic reply. “Good, because when I win, you’re paying for dinner, got it?”

“And what if I win?” Arax asked.

She shrugged. “What do all guys want? Tell you what, you win, when we get to the bedroom you can do whatever you want.”

Twilight facehoofed at the ridiculous banter the two were having, hoping that Starlight would just get on with it, but it was in her nature to have fun, even when the situation was dire, perhaps it was a coping mechanism.

“I don’t know about any bedrooms, but tying you up definitely is on my to-do list... You’ll make a fine slave, for sure.” Arax grinned.

Starlight stamped her hoof in the ground as her horn glowed, ready to throw down with the powerful changeling. “I guess then if you win, I’ll be calling you ‘Master’ then?”

Arax laughed and nodded. “I’d like that actually, let’s see if I don’t break you first.”

Starlight nodded to Twilight, which was the silent signal to make a run for it the moment the fight started. Twilight got the idea and nodded back as Starlight took a fighting stance, her magic at the ready, conjuring a floating shield in front of herself. While she was not on the levels of a creature like Serenade, Starlight was far beyond what the “average” unicorn was capable of.

“I’ll give you the first strike, ladies first after all...” Arax gestured with his free hoof.

Starlight nodded to him with a grin. “Such a gentlecolt, I’m hoping that will continue when you buy me dinner.”

Arax found himself enjoying the taunting and fake flirting and was keeping in step with it. “Sweetie, I plan on treating you like trash the entire night.”

Starlight chuckled and leaped forward. Arax readied himself to swing at her but blinked and she had vanished in thin air, getting behind him with a teleport spell. Taking advantage of the surprise relocation, she shot a simple blast at him from her horn, which he turned in time to slash out of the way with his mighty blade.

“Not bad, a pretty quick strike for a pony...” He replied as he took a swing at her, slicing up only to be blocked by the floating shield that Starlight had conjured.

“I’m a fast learner!” Starlight responded as she made a sword of her own appear, though her’s was not hoof mounted and instead was a simple magic blade that levitated in the air in front of her. She took a few swipes at the changeling only for him to block each one with his blade.

The two clashed with their weapons and were brought only inches from the other’s face. Arax grunted and stared into the mare’s eyes. “You’re pretty tough for a girl... I like that...”

“Then why do you hang around weaklings like Serenade?” Starlight asked.

Arax used his strength to push Starlight back, and the two stood once again ready to strike when the other moved, weapons at the ready.

“You wouldn’t say that if you knew her... Serenade is way stronger than you can imagine, you haven’t even seen a fraction of her power...” Arax explained.

“Maybe we’re not meant for each other then.” Starlight frowned. “I prefer a stallion who relies on his own power.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed when I keep you as my pet.” Arax laughed.

“Should I meow or bark for you then?” Starlight asked, preparing for another assault.

The two jumped forward meeting blades in the air before coming down to the ground and swapping a few blows. Once their sword clashing ended, he grinned at her, his fangs really making his smile much more sinister. “Sweetheart, you can do whatever you want.”

“How generous of you.” Starlight nodded.

With a flash, Starlight conjured a wall of fire between the two of them. While Arax was trying to figure out how to dispense the wall, Starlight leaped through the flames at him, taking him by surprise, but it was a wasted effort, as Arax reacted fast enough and swatted her out of the way, causing her to tumble. Not wasting his opportunity, he jumped on top of her and placed the blade to her neck.

He didn’t want to take anymore chances with the crafty mare so he quickly cast a binding spell that held her down while he kept the blade pointed at her. “Well, my darling... That was quite a fight.”

“An amazing distraction you mean.” Starlight corrected.

His brow shot up at that remark.

“You forgot all about your other prize. You know? The one that Serenade was actually interested in?” Starlight taunted.

Arax looked behind himself and noted that Twilight Sparkle was gone. He figured that this mare’s plan was merely a distraction, but he had intended to keep an eye on Princess Twilight while he fought. He had allowed Starlight’s banter to get the better of him though, and lost focus.

“It’s not like she’ll make it out of this castle...” Arax stated.

Starlight smirked up at him as she was held down. “So... I guess I’m paying for that first date, huh?”

Arax looked back at her with a serious face. “Sweetie, you’re going to be doing more than that...”

“Oh good, you move fast too, huh? I hate when they take forever just to get to second base, don’t you?” Starlight continued to joke.

Making his blade disappear, Arax’s expression remained serious. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you wait. We’re going to Serenade right now actually...”

“Already taking me to meet your parents, huh?” Starlight teased.

Arax could already tell she was going to be an annoying prisoner.

Angel Song yawned as she looked at her cup of overly sweet coffee, in the to-go cup and sighed. It was tepid at this point, but she was always a slow coffee drinker. Her tongue was far too sensitive to drink hot things too quickly. For as long as she could remember she always had a sensitive tongue, which of course caused many blowjob jokes from her friend Starlight.

Sitting in the driver’s seat slurping down her second cup was Starlight who cooed in content at the warm beverage. “I swear I don’t know how the east coast survives without a Starbucks everywhere...”

Angel shrugged. “I think they are all about Dunkin Donuts?”

Starlight rolled her eyes at the thought. Her friend just giggled as she lifted her hand to her lips, the two gold bangles on her right wrist clacking as she did. “You’re an addict, you know that?”

“Yeah yeah, I’m a basic bitch, I know. I’ve heard it all before.” Starlight replied.

“Well, at least you’re not a basic white bitch?” Angel suggested.

Starlight sighed and shook her head. “I’m pretty sure that the amount of basic shit that I do pretty much has like pushed the Asian out of my body to where now I am 80%, white girl.”

“Your light complexion doesn’t help,” Angel pointed out.

“Thanks for that, you’re a true friend...” Starlight rolled her eyes.

“Relax, I think you look great.” Angel chuckled.

Starlight kept her eyes on the road as she replied. “Thanks, unfortunately, you’re not a guy so that means almost nothing to me, no offense.”

“You are so averse to being a lesbian aren’t you?” Angel asked.

Starlight winced at the question. “I have nothing against them, I just know that I like dick and that’s how it’s gonna stay.”

“Fair enough... So are we almost there?” Angel asked.

Starlight peeked at her phone before returning her attention to the road. “Yeah, we’re here. Lemme find somewhere to park.”

After a moment or two of searching, the girl pulled her car over and parked it. Turning it off she took a deep breath and looked over at her friend in the passenger seat. “Alright, so let’s go over the mission again?”

It had been some time ago that the girls had continued digging on their mysterious Applejack. Rooting around online they were able to locate an article about a rodeo with a woman holding a child that resembled the girl, Angel had grown confident that the little girl in the picture and the one from her vision were one in the same. It was the only clue they had sadly, so it was all they had to go on.

Digging around they had discovered she was from a small town in West Virginia, so that is where they had traveled to from Sacramento. It had taken them some time to get the time off of work and the money together to make the trip, but they were determined to find answers.

“So we’re looking for this woman.” Angel produced the photo of the person in question on her phone.

“So the plan is, we ask around, gather any info we can find and then go from there?” Starlight asked.

“Sounds about right,” Angel responded with a nod.

“Alright, let’s stop to use the bathroom at this gas station first, I’ve had to go for hours,” Starlight stated.

Sighing, Angel nodded as the two stepped out of the car, and were instantly hit with a gust of cold wind. Starlight scrunched her arms together in her hoodie. “Holy shit, it’s fucking cold out here... How do these people live here?”

In her short sleeves, Angel regretted not bringing a hoodie as well. “Yeah, it’s pretty chilly out here...”

The two girls rubbing their arms stepped into the gas station to where Starlight rushed to the bathroom, leaving Angel to wander and browse the store herself. Finding her way to a poster on the wall, she examined it with intrigue.

Join us in our annual open mic singing competition! Every year we gather the best voices in town to compete for a chance to win $8,000 and the honor of being known as the greatest voice in West Virginia!

Do you have what it takes? Entry fee is only $8.00, ask any shop owner with one of these flyers for details on how to enter!

Angel’s train of thought was interrupted by a lower pitched voice from behind the counter of the register. “Thinkin’ about enterin’ young lady?”

Almost jumping from surprise, Angel turned to see the middle-aged woman from behind the counter giving her a genuine smile. She had a little bit of grey in her hair and a wrinkle or two on her face, but she was still decent in the appearance department. If Angel had to guess, she’d have said she was in her late thirties.

Looking at her, Angel blinked before answering. “Me? Oh no, I... I’m no good at singing...” She frowned.

The voice of Starlight came from behind her as she stood there, she yelped as she felt her hand placed upon her shoulder suddenly. “Don’t let her fool you, I hear her sing in the bathroom all the time! She’s got an amazing voice!”

Angel blushed and shrunk down a bit. “Well... I don’t know about that...”

The shopkeeper laughed at the two. “I take it you two came here together?”

“Yes, ma’am. We’re a decent way away from home actually,” Starlight admitted with a grin.

“I could tell, with y’all bundled up like that. It ain’t even that cold.” She laughed at the two, causing them both to examine their attire. Angel questioned if her scarf was perhaps a bit much.

“We came here from Sacramento,” Angel explained.

The woman’s mouth opened in awe. “What are two California girls doing out in a place like this then?”

“We actually are sort of looking for someone,” Starlight replied before pulling her phone out with the photo, offering it to the shopkeeper. “Have you ever seen this woman?”

She leaned in and adjusted her glasses to get a better look. “Can’t say I have, however, you may want to check with old Haybale at the supply store. He’s been here so long he practically knows anyone who came through these parts, plus I am sure he’d be more than happy to help two young ladies if you know what I mean?” She winked at that last bit.

Angel blushed and looked away bashfully, but Starlight just rolled her eyes. “Awesome, the only time I’ll get a man’s attention and he’ll likely be old enough to be my grandfather...”

“Tell him that Bell sent you, I’m sure he’ll be helpful.” The woman said with a nod.

The two girls bowed lightly to Bell and stood up with a smile. “Thank you, ma’am. We really appreciate it.”

“Good luck.” She laughed as she watched the two leave.

Serenade sat bored on her throne, her head resting on her hoof. She groaned and snarled as she waited for virtually anything of interest to happen.

She had gone over as many of Twilight’s notes and tome as she had the motivation for already, and now she was growing tired of it. Every single one seemed to utter the same nonsense about how friendship was the key to happiness, and that one should depend upon the ponies they care about if they want to get far in life. It was absolute rubbish and it was making her sick just to read it.

Being as strong as she was at this point did create a new problem for the siren: there was no amusement anymore. Without a challenge for her power, she was growing aloof. She took no pleasure in anything that wasn’t tormenting her enemies in some way.

With her power reaching the level it was currently at, she had transcended the need for many activities; eating, drinking, and of course sleeping. Without the need for sleep that created a good additional eight hour of the day to fill, which was tiresome ironically.

“Gah! I am so fucking bored!” Serenade screeched in annoyance.

The door to her Ponyville throne room shot open with an armored guard standing there bowing his head. “Master!” He called out.

Serenade growled at him as she stared him down. “How many times have I told you to knock before entering this chamber!?”

He shrank down and his ears flipped back as he took his scolding. “Master, I am sorry... However, I bring urgent news...”

“What news could be so urgent that it mandates you disobey the strict orders I have given you?” Serenade hissed.

Keeping low, and his voice doing the same, he meekly responded. “Ma’am, we have spotted Twilight Sparkle in the castle!”

Serenade came to a stand and blinked. She knew about Twilight’s friends breaking in and trying to nose their way around, and had already taken them prisoner, but to think that Twilight herself would be foolish enough to walk right into her domain. She grinned and stepped off of her throne.

“It’s as if my prayers have been heard...” Serenade spoke quietly.

“Ma’am?” The guard trembled.

A long black tendril reached out and touched his shoulder, causing him to shudder. Serenade came close and met his eye with her own. “Take me to our friend, Twilight. We shouldn’t keep her waiting after all...”

Twilight’s plan wasn’t going entirely smoothly, but everything had been falling into place somehow, regardless. Starlight’s arrival wasn’t calculated into her original design, but her interruption proved more than helpful given the circumstances. With their friends captured, Starlight was essential to finishing what they started. When she distracted Arax, Twilight made a break for the mirror chamber.

She just needed to clear a small distance to get to the chamber where the mirror was hidden and pull on a nearby light fixture and she would be able to use her teleportation tablet to bring it back to the Royal Training Ground where it would be far out of Serenade’s clutches. Just thinking about the demon’s long dangling tendrils sent chills down Twilight’s spine.

Her armor had been fitted not to rattle as she ran, which was a plus for this situation. She bolted toward the known location of the hidden passage to get to the mirror and turned to enter, trying to catch her breath as she did so. Fortunately for her, she was in far better shape than she had been a few months back, so it wasn’t a difficult task. Discord had pushed her to strengthen her body with her mind, and that was proving to be extra helpful at that moment. Had she still been the out of shape librarian that she once was, the entire ordeal may have been more of a challenge to her.

With her mind on the prize, Twilight spotted the light fixture and practically jumped to grab it in her hoof and pulled it down. The sound of rumbling and creaking filled the room as a wall began to move aside to make way for a small chamber.

There in the room no bigger than a broom closet was the pristine mirror, shining at Twilight elegantly. At that moment, it was more than a mirror, it was her chance at saving Equestria.

Approaching it slowly, Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Hello, old friend...” Twilight spoke to the object.

“Hello indeed...” A familiar effeminate voice responded from behind the alicorn.

Twilight flinched and carefully turned her head to see a face she was hoping she wouldn’t have to see. Long golden locks with red tips, a pristine and perfectly clean white coat, and of course, black tendrils flailing about like they had a life of their own (though Twilight suspected that they did).

“Isn’t this a surprise? Twilight Sparkle delivering herself to my custody... Quite generous of you, I might add...” Serenade smirked.

Stepping backward, Twilight gulped but held strong. “Don’t get too overconfident, Serenade...” Twilight warned.

“You have nothing to threaten me with, Twilight Sparkle. I hold all the cards now, your friends, your mentors, you family, everything is in my hoof, and you’re going to have to beg me for mercy when I’m done...” Serenade taunted.

Taking a few more careful steps back toward the mirror, Twilight kept the conversation going. “You’re nothing more than a leach.”

“Is that what you said to my sister before you murdered her?” Serenade asked, her tone incredibly serious.

“You’ll never know what your sister and I discussed.” Twilight shook her head, head back hoof touching the mirror’s base now.

“That’s big talk, considering there’s nowhere for you to run to now. I wonder if you’ll be so tight-lipped when I bring you to my little home away from home to torture you... I wonder how long it’ll take for you to tell me all you know...” Serenade mused.

Twilight grinned as she quickly reached into her bag, retrieving the clay tablet and preparing to break it on the ground. “I guess you’ll never know.” She stated.

“Huh?” Serenade raised a brow.

Before she knew it, the tablet struck the floor and dissolved into dust, but with it, Twilight and the mirror vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but dust behind.

Serenade growled but remained as calm as she could, knowing that tormenting her was all part of how Twilight Sparkle was attempting to get the better of her, and she was determined to make sure it didn’t work.

“You may be able to delay the inevitable, Twilight Sparkle... But you can’t hide from me forever...” Serenade spoke to herself.

Deciding not to take the car such a short distance, Angel and Starlight made a short walk to the mentioned supply store, looking up at the old beaten sign to read the words “Haybale’s Tractor Supply”. Starlight chuckled at how rustic it looked and gave a simple “quaint” comment before the two young girls walked inside.

Noting that there wasn’t a soul inside, Starlight cleared her throat and yelled for assistance. “Hello?”

The sound of rustling and clanking could be heard from underneath one of the many massive tractors inside, and sure enough, a man well in his eighties more than likely popped out from under. Squinting from behind his glasses, he smiled at the two girls as he offered a hand. “Mind helping an old timer up?”

Starlight and Angel both shrugged and took both sides of his hand and team lifted him into an upright position. He groaned as he ached, but overall he seemed to be alright as he nodded, brushing a lock of his thinning grey hair out of his face. “Howdy, what brings you, young ladies, here?”

Starlight could already feel the flirtatious nature within him. She mentally took back what she had said about him being old enough to be her grandfather, he was clearly old enough to be her great grandfather.

“Hello there, my name is Starlight and this is my friend, Angel.” Starlight gestured with her thumb to the timid girl standing behind her who stood awkwardly with her hands dangling in front of herself.

He nodded. “Pleasure to meet ya’. Where y’all from?”

“Sacramento.” Angel peeked from behind Starlight, keeping her distance from the odd older gentleman, feeling his thirsty eyes undressing her and Starlight. While he seemed far from dangerous, in front of him, somehow Angel felt naked. Starlight clearly possessed more confidence than her friend, as she seemed to be indifferent toward Haybale’s scanning of her figure.

In the current scenario, Starlight was thankful that she chose to go with the grey skinny jeans which showed off her legs and shapely behind, as it was definitely working wonders on this old man and his cooperation.

“Sacra-where?” His furry eyebrow shot up.

“California,” Starlight replied plainly.

“Ya’ don’t say. What’re y’all doing out this way then? Yer’ a long ways away from California here.” He chuckled before reaching to a nearby counter to grab a dirty old rag to wipe his hands. The rag was so outdated and used, however, that it didn’t do much to free his hands of the black oil coating them, oil that Starlight and Angel now had on their own, both consciously trying to avoid touching their clothing. The rag looked like it might have been as old as he was.

“We’re sort of looking for someone, we were wondering if you had seen this girl...” Starlight asked as she retrieved her phone, once again displaying the picture of the orange haired woman with curly locks.

Looking over the photo, he squinted and made odd faces as he examined it, nodding at the two girls. “Sure have, name’s Pear Butter. Pretty little thing, her family used to own the old ranch over yonder, but since her pa’ passed it remains abandoned now.”

“What about her then?” Angel asked.

He shrugged. “No one knows. Went on a campin’ trip with the family some years back, probably close to a decade now, I reckon. Anyhoo, their car quit on ‘em up in the mountain pass a few dozen miles from here.”

“So?” Starlight raised a brow, wondering how that was relevant.

“Supposedly they got outta’ the car to go lookin’ fer’ help, left their two kids back in the car till they returned,” he explained, “car eventually came back with the oldest drivin’ it. Tyke was maybe thirteen or somethin’, got out carryin’ an old huntin’ rifle askin’ fer’ help.”

“What about Pear Butter?” Angel curiously asked, admittedly she was intrigued by the story.

He shook his head. “Never came back. Sent a search party up to the mountains to look fer’ her an’ her husband.”

“And?” Starlight crossed her arms, getting a bit impatient with the story.

He shrugged. “Never found her. Dunno what happened to her or her husband, only the two kids came back.”

“Do you remember if her daughter’s name was Applejack?” Angel questioned, trying to hold back the sadness she was feeling after being told such a depressing story.

Again, old Haybale shrugged. “Dunno, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen them. Y’all might find more answers back at the old ranch. Place ain’t been occupied fer’ at least half a decade now, ‘spose there ain’t any harm in y’all pokin’ around in there, right?”

“Can you give us directions?” Starlight requested.

“Pretty little things like y’all? Sure can.” He winked before snagging one of many tourist maps on the counter, scribbling on it and circling an area before handing the dirty map to her.

Starlight grimaced but faked a smile as she took the map from him, bowing lightly. “Thanks, we really appreciate it.”

“What’re y’all interested in this old news fer’ anyway? Y’all some kinda’ reporters?” He questioned.

Looking behind her, Starlight and Angel met eyes, trying to figure out a good excuse. Both of the taller girls froze for a brief second before they turned back to him. “We’re... Sort of trying to solve a mystery, I guess you could say?”

“Mystery? What for?” He seemed even more suspicious than before.

“We’re writers!” Angel lied.

Blinking, Starlight looked behind herself at Angel and raised a brow to give her a “really?” Face. Deciding to go with it now that the lie was out there, she returned to looking at Haybale and nodded in agreement with Angel’s fabrication. “Yeah, it’s for a book we’re working on about missing people out in rural places. The kind of stuff you don’t hear about often, you know?”

“What would a bunch o’ city folk wanna read any of that for?” He asked.

“You’d be surprised. Most people in the city like to hear about places they don’t frequent, we figured out here was a good place to start,” Starlight lied.

He chuckled and nodded, seeming to buy their bullshit story. “Well, y’all just be careful not to get yourselves into trouble, ya’ hear?”

“Yes, sir.” Angel bowed her head.

“Anyhoo, good luck.” He nodded as the two girls bowed lightly before turning to head toward the door, both confident that he was staring at their asses on their way out.

Once they were outside and out of earshot, they began their trek back to the car, with Starlight being the first to break their silence. “Writing a book? At first, I thought it sounded dumb, but I have to admit... You’re pretty smooth, Angel.”

“Thanks, but it really was just the first thing that I could think of, to be honest.” Angel frowned.

“You get better at thinking on your toes the more you’re around me it seems, now come on, let’s go check out this ranch.” Starlight offered her hand, which Angel took.

Twilight’s spell had worked, she had actually managed to get the mirror back to their makeshift base of operations in one piece, and herself with it. She caught her breath for a moment as she reveled at how amazed she was that her plan actually worked.

Sitting down next to the mirror, she let out a sigh, thankful that dealing with Serenade directly was over for now, though the uncomfortable part of her plan was far from over.

The princess didn’t get much reprieve, however, as the voice of a young drake startled her. “Twilight? You’re back already?”

Looking up, she saw Spike standing there with a confused expression. The dragon who looked up to her, who saw her as his mother and teacher. It pained her to know she was about to tell him much of her failures and terrible doings.

“Hey, Spike. Yes, I made it back... The mirror is safe.”

He looked around the room, noting how empty it was. “Where is everypony else?”

Frowning and sighing, Twilight stood up. “Gone...”

“You mean...?” Spike’s eyes filled with horror.

She nodded. “Serenade captured all of them... Starlight showed up at the last minute to save me. I managed to escape with the mirror just in time before Serenade grabbed me too...”

“What is going to happen to them?” Spike gulped.

“Nothing good, for sure,” Twilight guessed.

“We have to rescue them!” Spike spoke getting ready to turn and run out to go after their friends.

Twilight reached forward and placed a hoof on his shoulder, stopping the eager lad from leaving. “Not yet, we have to prepare or we’d be walking into another trap...”

“But-“ Spike tried to respond but Twilight cut him off.

“Serenade won’t kill them, not yet anyway. No doubt in my mind that she knows they are the elements of harmony, and if she were to kill them, the elements would be reborn somewhere else, meaning she’d have to track them down again, giving me a chance to find them before she does. She’ll keep them alive for that reason...” Twilight explained.

Spike couldn’t argue with that logic, but it bothered him to think of what kind of torment their friends would endure from Serenade while they were powerless to stop it.

“What now then?” Spike questioned.

“I have enough power to open the portal a few times, but there are some things we need to get from the human world... I need you to stay here and watch this place while I’m gone though...” Twilight spoke, placing her other hoof on his other shoulder and looking the boy in the eyes.

“No way, I’m tired of waiting! I’m coming with you!”

Twilight hissed at him. “Listen to me, Spike. Don’t be like Starlight! You need to stay here in case I somehow don’t come back. Everything could rely on you then, please do what I say.”

He wanted to object and tell her she was crazy if she thought she was going to go without him, but he could see it in her eyes, Twilight was genuinely worried she may actually need a fall back plan this time around. Letting out a sigh, he nodded. “Yeah, okay, I’ll stay behind...”

“Good.” Twilight smiled as she released him.

Turning to the mirror she closed her eyes and focused a portion of the small amount of magic she had left. She was approaching the end of her reserves and with Serenade’s touch still in effect on her body, her horn was not generating more. She had to make every little bit count now.

Grabbing a saddlebag she had prepared prior, Twilight hoisted it over and onto her body.

The mirror whirred and echoed until it activated, its surface rippling like a puddle ready to be dived into. Stepping toward the mirror, Twilight looked back at Spike with a nod. “Wish me luck.”

He gave her a thumbs up. “I’ll see you soon.”

Nodding again to him, she stepped into the portal proper.

After she vanished, Spike frowned. “Hopefully...”

Sunset’s young wife had gone off to bed some time ago and was out cold at this point. After a long day with their daughter, the two women were exhausted but filled with joy and content. Both of them had never felt so fulfilled in their lives, and Sunset was proud of the small baby wrapped up and rested in her new crib.

Looking down at the sleeping child, Sunset lingered for a few more seconds before whispering to her. “Mommy loves you so much, Horizon... However, I guess it’s time for me to go to sleep as well. I’ll see you in the morning, little one.”

Stepping away from the crib and leaving the door open in case the baby woke up, she crept into the hallway and back toward her office with a yawn. Sunset wanted to check her emails one last time before bed, so she meandered toward her office and sat down in the revolving chair there.

Grabbing the computer mouse to wake her screen, she found herself scrolling through emails in no time, most of which were junk or things she could ignore until tomorrow.

When she was certain there was nothing that required her immediate attention, she tapped the button to turn the screen off and stood up to leave.

The sound of rumbling caught her attention, however. She turned back around and looked at the computer to see if it had woken back up, and sure enough, it remained off.

Sunset squinted as she peered around the room for the source of what sounded like vibrations. Reaching down to her jeans, she pulled out her phone and checked it. Nothing. The noise wasn’t coming from her phone.

Looking around, she noticed it was coming from a bag in the corner of the room. Carefully, she approached and unzipped the book bag and reached inside to find the source of the vibrating noise. Her hands felt a semi-heavy and solid object that she pulled out of the bag and blinked as she realized what it was: her journal that Twilight and she utilized to communicate between worlds.

It was glowing and vibrating signifying an incoming message. She blinked once more before flipping it open to read the message.

Sunset,

Sorry that I haven’t been responding to your messages, I got a little caught up in some stuff, but I don’t have time to get into it now. Listen, I need a huge favor from you, the biggest favor I’ve ever asked anyone for in my entire life.

An emergency situation is happening, and I need to meet with you tonight as soon as possible. Meet me at the portal, and please hurry, it’s very urgent. I apologize in advance for the inconvenience.

Princess Twilight

Sunset closed the book and sighed as she realized it was going to be a bit longer before she got some sleep. It wasn’t like Princess Twilight to skip all of the formalities and even use poor letter writing etiquette; something was most definitely wrong.

Racing to her bedroom, Sunset peeked inside to see her wife was still asleep. She tip-toed in and leaned down, planting a kiss on her lover’s forehead causing her to stir and coo in her sleep. Sunset smiled at the response before heading to the door, “sleep well, babe...” She whispered, knowing that she likely couldn’t hear her.

Before Sunset knew it, she was down the stairwell and grabbed her jacket to go and meet with the Princess.

Princess Twilight had made it to the human world a good two hours ago at this point and in that time she had managed to locate the other two sirens that had belonged to Adagio’s entourage and convince them to accompany her back to Equestria. Twilight wanted to add a little irony to the fight, but also felt that these girls might know a thing or two about sirens that could assist her fight against Serenade.

It didn’t take too much convincing to get them to join her. Despite besting them in the battle of the bands forever ago, and taking their power from them, the two girls seemed all too eager to prove that they had been on a path of reformation. While she was curious as to the reasoning, Twilight didn’t have the luxury of time, so she opted not to inquire any further. She took their agreement at face value and now the three girls were waiting for the last person to show up.

Sonata and Aria stood with their arms crossed looking back and forth at each other while sneaking a peek or two at Twilight, unsure of what they should be feeling at that moment.

An expensive looking car pulled up and stopped. There was a long eight seconds until the driver’s side door opened and a long toned leg covered by tight black leggings stepped out. The rest of the woman was wearing a rather casual tank top covered by a leather jacket that didn’t really go too well with her outfit. The Princess surmised that she had just been about to head to bed, given the time.

Sunset’s red hair was a mess, but at that moment she really didn’t care. Stepping closer to the group there was a short pause before she noticed Aria and Sonata standing there, causing her to squint in disapproval. Her disdain for the two caused her to not even notice Twilight’s new haircut or the healing cut on her face.

“What are these two doing here?” Sunset asked sternly, her voice suggesting she was ready to have a go at them at the drop of a hat.

Twilight waved her hands dismissively. “They’re on our side, I promise.”

“Debatable...” Sunset scoffed.

“Nonetheless, I called upon them for help...” Twilight explained.

Sunset blinked, curious as to what situation would be dire enough for Twilight to call upon sirens for help. Sirens that they both had defeated before no-less.

“Help with what exactly? Why are we here, Twilight?” Sunset asked.

Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled before answering. “Sunset... I hate to do this, but I need your help...”

“With what?” Sunset asked, her heart starting to beat a little faster with the feeling that something she didn’t want to hear was about to be presented to her.

“Sunset... Equestria has been taken over... Completely conquered...” Twilight frowned.

“What!?” Sunset blinked in astonishment. This was hardly the news she was expecting.

Twilight nodded. “A demon siren came in and completely conquered virtually everywhere. All of my friends have been captured by her, she’s holding them hostage...”

Sunset leaned in with interest. “How though? How could a siren get that strong?”

“A demon siren,” Twilight corrected.

Aria chimed in. “Twilight told us all about it, apparently this siren has reached a level that not even we’ve ever seen before. She’s basically almost a god if her power is to be believed.”

“No way...” Sunset shook her head in disbelief.

“Way, she stole most of Twilight’s magic even...” Sonata added.

Sunset looked at the Princess with concerned eyes, placing her hands on her shoulders. “Is it true?”

Twilight nodded with a frown. “I only have a small amount left, enough to bring me here, and maybe hold the mirror open for a small amount of time. I’d say three months at best... And that’s pushing it.”

Sunset couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What kind of demon is this?”

“Serenade Dazzle.” Aria waved her hand.

Dazzle. The name clicked in Sunset’s mind.

“You mean...” She didn’t even need to finish the sentence as Sonata finished it for her.

“Adagio’s little sister.”

“She had a sister!?” Sunset exclaimed.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, and now she’s taken over Equestria, it’s why I’ve come here for your help.”

“What do you need me to do? What can I do even!?” Sunset was floored, she had no clue how she’d be of any use in a situation like this.

“Sunset... I hate to do this... But you are the only one left who has any bit of magic now. You also have experience fighting sirens, I want you to come back to Equestria with us and help us fight Serenade.” Twilight pleaded, her hands clasped together in a begging stance.

Sunset was still processing everything when she replied. “A creature like that... I doubt I’d be able to stop something that’s that strong...”

“I won’t lie to you, Sunset. There is a chance you could die. There is a chance that all of us could die, and I can’t promise when you’ll be able to go home. Sending people through the mirror back and forth would drain a lot of my remaining power, and the mirror is linked to my magic currently, and the process of changing it over would require a lot of magic on my part, magic that I don’t have...” Twilight frowned.

Already knowing where this was going, Sunset sighed and closed her eyes. “So what you’re saying is...”

“It’s a one-way trip currently. Until we defeat Serenade and get my magic back... You’d likely be stuck there. I can keep the portal open for a little while, but only enough to send someone back once after we go through. So until we get my magic back, we’d be stranded...” Twilight explained.

Sunset felt a mixture of emotions, anger, sadness, regret, guilt, and confusion. This was all too much for her, especially given what had been happening in her life up to this point. This morning when she woke up, she was certain that she had finally achieved a “normal” life finally. No more magic, no more big adventures, no more supervillains, but within eighteen hours from that time, she was back to square one.

“Twilight... Do you realize what you’re asking of me?” Sunset kept her eyes closed and her voice low.

“I do. I wouldn’t ask if I had any other options, Sunset,” she assured.

“My daughter was just born, Twilight.” Sunset growled.

“Please, Sunset... If you don’t do this... It’s the end of our world... I need you...” Twilight pleaded.

She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell the Princess that that life was behind her now and she had to deal with her own problems. She wanted to tell her to piss off and not try to strip her from her new life. Somehow a kinder way of saying it came out of her mouth.

“I... I can’t, Twilight... I get that this is serious and that you are in trouble, but I can’t just abandon my family here... I promised I was giving Equestria up, and I meant it. I need to stick to that...” Sunset kept her eyes closed as she replied, trying to fight back tears.

Twilight wasn’t satisfied with her answer. She didn’t want to resort to forcing Sunset’s hand, but given the circumstances, she had little in the way of options.

“So that’s it then? You are just going to let Equestria suffer? Let us all die when Serenade is done using us for her own sick twisted pleasure?” Twilight spoke.

She felt guilty and disgusted with herself for resorting to manipulating Sunset the way she was, but desperation required her to do so. She had a duty to the ponies of Equestria and that meant she had to risk making Sunset hate her if it meant she could get a chance at saving them.

“Don’t put this on me, Twilight! I didn’t put them in this situation!” Sunset’s eyes opened and she barked at the princess.

“Yet you had something to do with it,” Twilight responded plainly. At this point, Twilight had turned off her emotions, she had chosen to ignore the voice in her head telling her that she was risking hurting Sunset. Her mouth and body were now operating solely on logic; one logical ideal specifically: do whatever it took to get Sunset on her side.

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” Sunset barked.

Seeing her anger flare up, Twilight knew she was hitting a soft spot. “Is it? You’re not from this world, Sunset. You came here with no right to stay. I allowed you to do that, I prevented intervention that would have forced you back to Equestria. Technically speaking, you being here posed risks for us all. I allowed it after we figured out how to open the mirror manually. There was a time when the royal council considered pulling you back to avoid mishaps in the human world, I spoke in your favor. I’m the reason you even get to have you little life here...”

“So now you’re threatening me?” Sunset blinked in complete shock. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Twilight shrugged, her expression remaining neutral. “You being here is why we used that spell to stop you when you turned evil in the first place. That same spell that caused Adagio and the others to approach you, and thus resulted in the events that ultimately got Shimmer killed and then Adagio... That sparked what is happening now in Equestria, so in a way, yes this is partially your fault.”

Sunset gripped the girl’s shirt and pulled her close, baring her teeth as she reeled back a fist ready to punch her. With her this close, it was only now that Sunset noticed the small cut on her cheek.

“The blood is on your hands if you choose to do nothing, Sunset,” Twilight said, not really concerned if she got punched or not. “You know what’s happening now, and you’re still choosing to do nothing about it.”

Sunset’s fist trembled for a few seconds before she released the girl and sighed, trying to calm herself down. She had realized at that moment that she never really had a choice. “Fine... I’ll go with you...”

“I’m sorry it had to be this way, Sunset...” Twilight attempted to apologize.

Sunset held up her hand and shook her head. “Save it... After this... We’re even though.”

Wow! This one was a challenge to write because there was so much going on! It actually took me up to the very last minute to finish it on time! This literally was the longest chapter in the entire story so far and the longest finale of an act to date.

So, that concludes Act V! Stay tuned for Act VI as we get closer to the final part of the story.