Twilight took another sip at the now lukewarm coffee that had been presented to her only an hour or so ago. It was far from the best she had, possibly a contender for the worst actually. It only compared to the extra strong swill that Applejack called coffee or the over-sugared candy bomb that was a cup of “Pinkijava”. She shuddered just remembering that drink, and how she felt the need to see a dentist only seconds after consuming it.

The coffee at the police station likely wasn’t the best, and given the low salaries of most officers, it was likely that if employees were expected to contribute to the coffee fund, that they didn’t buy the best brands available. Shining had mentioned that his salary increase when he switched to homicide was a nice bump over his “meager” salary from before.

She had been sitting there for a good eight minutes since the last round of questioning had, and she was eager to just go home at this point.

Internally she was cursing Sunset’s name for the nonsense she had gotten her wrapped up in.

As she sat patiently, trying to keep her cool, a familiar scruffy officer with a dark brown trench coat and messy curly black hair entered. His face was well sculpted, and he looked to be about in his later thirties with a gruff demeanor. His tie looked dirty, but Twilight decided not to comment on it.

Placing his hands upon the table he looked at Twilight and smiled. “So, are you comfortable Miss Shimmer?”

Twilight raised a brow and lifted the cup to sip from. She shrugged at him. “Not particularly, Detective Snatcher.”

He grinned and nodded as he looked her in the eyes. “Well, why don’t we go over what we know once again, shall we?”

Twilight shrugged once again. “Very well, I share your love of redundancies.”

He didn’t particularly like her snarky attitude, but he was confident that he was getting somewhere.

“So, your wife vanishes eight days ago...” He began.

Twilight rolled her eyes, already confident that they were once again just going to run around in circles, but she would humor him once more. She had already given her side of the story and she was sticking to it.

“That’s correct, Detective.” Twilight nodded.

“And you didn’t report her missing?” He raised a brow.

“I’ve said this, yes.” Twilight sighed.

He nodded and placed a hand upon his scruffy chin. “And why is that again?”

“Sunset disappears all the time, it’s not uncommon for her to go somewhere for months at a time, it’s just in her nature. Not to mention she always said she preferred to keep things as family matters and not police matters,” Twilight explained once more. She was getting a bit tired of repeating herself.

“Pretty odd behavior, wouldn’t you say?” He smirked.

Twilight shrugged. “Everything about Sunset is odd. If you had met her, you’d know she did a lot of things that only made sense to her. That’s just the kind of person she is.”

That much was at least true, no exaggerations there.

“And you aren’t worried about her?” He asked.

“Of course I’m worried about her,” Twilight said.

“Then why haven’t you called the police?” He squinted.

“I already told you, Sunset always told me not to get them involved. On top of that, this is not odd behavior for her, she leaves all the time.” Twilight shrugged.

That part was a lie, but she had no choice. The reality was she had no idea where Sunset had gone, but she didn’t want the police sniffing their noses around her.

“That’s all pretty convenient, don’t you think?” He asked.

“How so?” Twilight raised a brow.

“Your wife just up and vanishes and conveniently for you... No one reports her missing and no one has any intention of doing so... Keeps the police out of the matter too, to boot.” He grinned, clearly showing he was going somewhere with this logic.

“You may not like your wife, Detective, but I love mine. I find it inconvenient that she would just vanish on me, but I am respecting her wishes on the matter.” Twilight crossed her arms as she stared him down.

He leaned in and banged his hands upon the table. “She had a daughter recently, didn’t she?”

Twilight didn’t even flinch. She remained calm as she answered him. “Yes, our daughter, Horizon.”

“And yet that wasn’t enough to keep her from leaving?” He asked, his voice hushed and filled with viciousness.

“You haven’t met her, Sunset doesn’t operate like normal people,” Twilight responded.

The detective nodded carefully as the gears in his head were turning. “And somehow that all works out in your favor... See, I find it pretty odd that a new mother would just abandon her daughter and coincidentally it benefits you the most, as now you have complete ownership of her estate. We’re talking hundreds of millions here... Seems pretty convenient to me...”

Twilight leaned back in her seat and smirked. “I take it you’ve never been a single parent before, Detective? If you had, you wouldn’t find the prospect of raising a little girl all by yourself to be a convenient one.”

Detective Snatcher scrunched his face but said nothing.

Continuing, Twilight picked her cup back up and took another slow sip. “Sunset Shimmer is not missing, nor dead. She merely left, and no one is concerned with where she went because we all have faith that she’s fine. No missing person report, no dead person, no body, I believe you have no case, Detective.”

He especially hated her attitude now. He grunted and turned to the door and left, slamming it behind him. Making his way to the other side of the observation room, his chief was standing there tapping his foot. The grumpy old man clearly wasn’t pleased as he had that “you really fucked this one up” look plastered on his face. How this timid looking woman managed to find the one loophole when it came to a missing person was beyond him, but more impressively in that, she had managed to get everyone who knew the girl in on it apparently. She had gotten the jump on him and he hated it.

Before the chief could even say anything, Snatcher began to rattle off his thoughts. “Listen, I know this girl is hiding something, just give me a little longer to grill her, I know she is gonna crack.”

The chief sighed and lifted his glasses, squeezing the bridge of his nose before rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. His grey hair shined oddly in the low lighting of the observation room as he placed a hand upon Snatcher’s shoulder. “You’re a good cop, but the girl is right. Without anyone filing this girl as missing and no body or evidence of foul play, there’s nothing we can do. People leave home all the time, but that doesn't make it a police matter.”

“That’s bullshit! You know this girl is hiding something! I can smell it!” Snatcher swatted the chief’s hand away.

The chief shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, we have no grounds to hold her. The mayor won’t like us harassing the Shimmer family too much either without probable cause. Don’t forget that they are big contributors to a lot of public works in this city. If we don’t have grounds to do anything, it’s best to leave it alone and do as the girl says; let it be a family matter.”

“Sir, with all due respect, I have a feeling about this one!” Snatcher protested.

The chief shook his head. “The decision has been made. Release her within the hour. I’m sorry Snatcher, but everything checks out.”

Snatcher grumbled as he watched the chief walk away. He may have been forced to accept the decision, but that didn’t mean he agreed with it. He could tell there was something off about the entire situation, something about Twilight’s explanation just struck him as too convenient. It was rare that an insanely rich girl just vanished without a trace and no one seemed too concerned about it. There was always something fishy involved in those scenarios, and this one was no different.

He was sure that Twilight Shimmer had her wife killed to take her fortune. He just needed to prove it somehow.

Under the mask, the esoteric Glitch was actually the familiar Sunset Shimmer, but familiar only to those privy to her existence. In Equestria, the name Sunset Shimmer meant absolutely nothing, unlike the human world where it was the name of a millionaire, the name of a loving wife, mother, and friend to some of the best people out there. In Equestria, Sunset Shimmer was a nobody, but Glitch was soon to be not only a somebody, but a somebody that few would forget.

Her choice to wear a mask was threefold. She could protect her family in the event that Serenade ever discovered and figured out how to utilize the portal to the human world, and if Serenade didn’t know who she was dealing with, there was no one to chase down or look for people to squeeze to get to.

The second benefit was that it meant as she had told Applejack, was if Serenade did capture any of them to squeeze for information, she would at least keep them alive until they talked, and so long as they didn’t know what she wanted to know, it would keep them safe, maybe even make Serenade avoid taking that path as an option in the first place even.

The last benefit was one she was keeping to herself, but in the event that she died, someone else could take on the role of Glitch, which could be a huge advantage to them. Serenade would never know if she killed the real Glitch or not, and that was something they could exploit.

The rules of being Glitch, however, were strict and Sunset had ordered the small few who knew who was under the mask to follow them.

Rule #1: No one who knew who Glitch really was could ever tell another soul.

Rule #2: Glitch could only reveal themselves to the handful of ponies who already knew who she was.

Rule #3: All need-to-know information was to be kept between Glitch, Twilight, Aria, Sonata and Moondancer, no exceptions.

That last rule was sure to piss off Applejack some more, but Sunset was prepared to ram horns with her many times if she needed, figuratively speaking. That mare was as stubborn as an ox, but Sunset couldn’t deny that it would be helpful to have one their side.

Aria and Sonata stood in front of a war table going over some notes when Glitch entered the room. They both nodded at them before the door shut and was sealed with a spell. Once it was impossible for any to enter the room, Glitch’s helmet came off and warped out of existence revealing long wavy red and yellow mane.

Running hooves through her mane as she sat down and ruffling it, Sunset cracked her neck and placed her armored hooves upon the table.

“Ladies.” She nodded at the two.

Aria and Sonata nodded back.

“A pretty good conquest there in Appleloosa. We kicked those cultists’ asses so hard that they will be feeling it for weeks,” Aria bragged.

Sonata nodded with a grin on her face. “You were amazing, Sunset! Where did you learn to fight like that?”

Sunset frowned and looked away. “When I was training to defeat Adagio.”

Sonata frowned as well and grew quiet. “Oh... Right...”

Sunset shook her head. “It’s not important, what is important is that we won, and now we have a ton of new recruits ready to fight with us. Our army is finally being mounted.”

Aria grinned at Sunset with a confident nod. “I gotta hand it to you, you managed to actually get us an army in only a matter of days. It’s not big, but it’s a good start. We have something to fight back with at least.”

Sunset didn’t want to sit there and take compliments yet though, she didn’t feel comfortable accepting them until they had a lot more headway. Their first plan went well, better than expected even, but the roadblocks ahead would prove significantly more challenging. They were far from out of the woods, but it was indeed a good head start. Serenade wasn’t aware of their presence yet, and that was something that would work in their favor.

“Let’s not celebrate too soon, we still need a way to defeat Serenade when this is all over, any ideas? Perhaps some weaknesses that sirens have that we could utilize?” Sunset raised a brow.

Aria and Sonata both turned to look at each other, giving the other one a “should we tell her?” Kind of look. After deliberating silently for a few seconds they both turned back to Sunset, Aria was the one to speak. “Look, I know I said that I can’t tell you all of our secrets, but the reality is, even if I could, most of the weaknesses that sirens have aren’t really practical anyway. A lot of situations and circumstances that will never be helpful to you.”

Sunset would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious as to what those were, but she knew that Aria wasn’t budging on that subject.

“We could destroy her amulet,” Sonata suggested.

Sunset shook her head. “Problem with that is that the girl’s demon powers are still left to be contended with, and they’re arguably far worse than her siren abilities, hell I’m not even worried about her siren abilities at all at this point, no offense.”

“None taken.” Aria shook her head.

“So we’re back to square one...” Sonata frowned.

Leaning back, Sunset looked up in thought. They needed a way to harm and defeat Serenade despite her having demon powers and a way that would give them a competitive edge over her. She couldn’t think of a thing, but she was at least hopeful that an answer would appear before them eventually.

“For now, we’ll focus on building our forces and seeing what we can learn. I’m wondering if it’s possible to perhaps break the hold on ponies under her control currently, maybe? That might be a good way to weaken her numbers at least,” Sunset said.

Aria and Sonata both agreed instantly as they nodded and pushed the notes they had been examining aside. “Probably the only worthwhile plan we have to look into at the moment anyway. As it stands now, we’ve got nothing.”

“We will need to see her powers in action eventually though, so Moondancer can run some tests on it, and see about updating the suit to be better suited to fight her. I’m sure if we can get a few glimpses of what she’s capable of, Moondancer can solve the rest,” Sunset explained.

The other girls nodded, seeming to have just as much faith in the quirky scientist as Sunset did. While Moondancer wasn’t Sunset’s type appearance wise, she could at least see what Shimmer saw in her personality wise. Moondancer was a girl that gave her all at everything she tried, never half-assed anything, which was good in this case. Thorough was ideal after all.

Before the group could continue a tap on the door was heard. Sunset tapped her chest and her helmet re-appeared before she opened the door.

Once they all saw a dark blue short mane with a pink and purple stripe walk through the door, she sighed and shut it behind Twilight with the flick of her horn and took her helmet back off.

Twilight nodded at the group and placed a clipboard she had been carrying in her hoof onto the table. “I just did a count and this facility now has 808 total ponies, including us.”

Sunset chuckled and looked at the two sirens and smirked. “That means we’re up 804 allies in case you ladies didn’t want to do the math.”

Twilight rolled her eyes at Sunset’s teasing but continued. “We have a sizable amount at our disposal, so what now?”

Sunset cut the jokes and cleared her throat before speaking up. “I think we have a large enough group now to plan our next move.”

“Which is?” Twilight raised a curious brow.

Sunset smirked and winked at her. “Just wait and see, there will be a briefing about it later this week.”

“Understood.” Twilight nodded.

Sunset stood up to take her leave placing her helmet back on by tapping her chest and making it reappear. Before leaving the room, however, she stopped and turned around. “By the way, make sure Applejack is invited to that meeting.”

Twilight blinked, confusion washing over her. “Why? I thought she was making things more complicated for you? You said yourself that she clearly doesn’t trust you, so why invite her?”

Sunset tapped the side of her visor. “Have to start building that trust somewhere. I told her that I would prove she can trust me and it’s time to start doing that. She’s a powerful ally to have on our side, and the ponies of Appleloosa will follow us better if Applejack is leading the charge with us. She’s a stubborn mule, but I’m sure we can win her over.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “I agree actually.”

“Glad to hear it, now let’s get ready for the briefing later, shall we? Make sure all of our allies are taken care of and see to it that they’re comfortable and given chances to exercise and stretch their hooves a bit. They’re going to need to be as limber as they can get,” Sunset stated.

It had been almost a week since Eclipse had been dropped off in Canterlot from the work camp. He had spent those first few days getting himself prepared for what was to come next.

Most of his days were divided between doing pushups, pull-ups and reading up on combat and exercise books that he managed to scavenge from an old abandoned library. Serenade wasn’t much for learning or education, and as a result, the poor district had many texts removed and were not given access to much in the way of literature, which ordinarily would be fine for Eclipse as he wasn’t much of a reader, but during this time, he knew he’d need to start brushing up on his reading skills.

Some of the books he had managed to pilfer were a bit complicated for his reading level, given that he hadn’t even finished high school, but he powered through it and managed to find an old dictionary that he referenced when he came to words he didn’t understand.

In the past week, he had studied harder and pushed his body harder than he ever had in school, or in life for that matter.

He hadn’t even gotten a chance to look at one of those wraiths that the bar patron had told him about, but no doubt existed in Eclipse’s mind that he would have to deal with a few before this was over. There was no telling how strong they were, so he’d need to be in top physical shape.

The plan was starting to formulate in his head. He would train up, escape Canterlot, and eventually, he would go find Galeal. From there, he’d form a plan to kill Serenade. Out loud it all sounded easy, but he was still unsure about how he’d even accomplish the second part. Canterlot was practically a fortress at this point, and walls had been constructed to keep ponies in (and outsiders out), walls that were thick, and guarded by archers. There was no way to dig under them or climb over them.

A series of gates existed but every single one was protected and could only open for those who knew how to open them. There wasn’t even a single second of the day where armed guards didn’t stand at them, so sneaking through was out of the question.

He had considered the idea of masquerading as a guard and then going through, but he knew that they would see through such a charade in seconds. Not to mention, he was confident the doors opened via some kind of dark energy that only the higher-ups of Serenade’s subordinates possessed. The siren didn't exactly strike him as someone who took too many chances.

In a week, Eclipse was at least feeling results with his body. He was stronger than ever, and while his effeminate features always seemed to shine through, he had started to develop a few of the cuts of an athlete, albeit they were hardly noticeable thus far.

After a day of exercise, Eclipse was a bit too exhausted to go and read, so instead he opted for a shower and then headed down to the saloon for some time to relax for a little bit. There was no point in pushing himself to where he would collapse and be unable to get back up after all. He needed to pace himself, Serenade wasn’t going anywhere, and that meant he didn’t have to push himself too much too quickly. He could take his time and build up to her eventual thwarting.

Eclipse walked his way down the street yawning as he did. He nodded to the few ponies who had come to recognize him over the past few days. Though he didn’t talk much to the locals, he had at least remained friendly enough to acknowledge them whenever he went out and about.

One such pony he had at least come to know a bit better, his name was Peddler Deals. Prior to Serenade’s takeover, he was a trader who traveled across the lands dealing in exotic goods. The kind of pony who could fetch the finest silks of Saddle Arabia, or the most refined gold of Taineigh without any questions asked. Eclipse had come to learn of his exploits through his incessant ramblings of the stallion, but he wasn’t sure which were true and which were exaggerations. Truthfully, he wasn’t too interested in finding out either.

Still, Peddler had something that Eclipse wanted: ration chips. Acquiring them wasn’t too easy in the slums, as Serenade’s goons only gave every pony a small allowance and extras had to be acquired by volunteering for work details. Since Eclipse didn’t have the time to dedicate to such details, he had to rely on other means to acquire them.

Peddler did trade and gambling for such chips if you could either find something that caught his eye or outmatch him in a wager. The pony couldn’t resist a good bet, and while Eclipse wasn’t much of a gambler prior to all of this, he had found a book upon the subject and studied it tediously. He had won his first few ration chips from a guessing game and from there, he had taken them to the saloon where he had learned to play cards.

To his good fortune, his soft girly face gave him that look of inexperience that he was hoping for to where he was underestimated. He used it to his advantage to take home a decent sized haul.

The second time he had shown up, he was starting to read up on how to count cards but made sure never to win too many games or take home too large a pot so as to not raise suspicion. There was a fine balance of losing on purpose and winning big to maintain, and Eclipse had already found that balance in a short time. In another life, he might have made a fine hustler.

From there, he would use his chips to buy food products from Peddler when the guards were not distributing.

Eclipse felt fortunate that he didn’t have a very large appetite which meant staying alive was easy for him.

Upon entering the saloon, a few of the stallions he played cards with nodded at him, a sign of respect for a fellow card player. To Eclipse’s surprise, a lot of the ponies in the slums were relatively friendly. Most of them had grown up poor prior to Serenade anyway, so it wasn’t much of a huge change for them, but they showed some respect for a boy who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth actually learning how to survive in a harsher world all on his own. Eclipse felt like he was some kind of pet project to some of them.

Over the past week, he had been bought a drink or two by various bar regulars, and he had accepted them (even though he sucked at keeping liquor down).

While the situation was far from the most ideal, Eclipse was thankful that the ponies of the slums were at the very least respectable.

Sitting at the bar, the bartender smiled at him and nodded. “Just a soda then, sweetie?” She asked.

Eclipse nodded. “Yeah, you can put some rum in it if you want...”

He reached into a bag at his side and tossed a few ration chips onto the counter. The bartender nodded and poured the drink before taking the chips and sliding them into a drawer.

Eclipse downed the drink quickly and set the glass down. He sat in silence for a few minutes just thinking about everything he was going through. A week ago, he felt it was somewhat hopeless despite his determination to find Galeal. Now, only a week later, he was filled with new resolve, confident that he could make this work somehow, maybe even succeed in killing Serenade.

His mind returned to Galeal and he smiled just thinking about the griffon. The way he used to tease him, the way he used to snuggle with him, the way they used to kiss. He missed it all.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, as a glass filled with more drink was placed in front of him. He looked up in confusion at the bartender who smiled at him and answered his mental question. “From the lady.” She pointed and sure enough, a familiar red-maned mare sat a stool or so down from him waving. He recognized her piercings from a mile away.

She stood up and approached sitting down next to him with a grin. He even remembered her name, Rose Inkscape.

“Well hey there, stranger. Fancy seeing you here.” She grinned at him, nudging his shoulder.

Eclipse looked at the drink she had bought for him and then at her with a confused expression. “I guess you got placed in the slums too?”

She nodded before sipping from a martini glass that she had brought with her, though no doubt that martini was of poor quality. “Yup! I’m on the south side!”

“I’m on the west, I live just down the street from here.” Eclipse gestured in the general direction of where he lived.

“Oh wow! Lucky! This is a prime location, I had to walk a good twenty minutes to get here. The bar on the south side is trash, this place is way better, I may start coming here more often, especially if you’re here.” She winked.

What was with this girl? Eclipse couldn’t understand her, but he did enjoy her company. It was pleasant to have someone you knew nearby.

“I stop by maybe once a night?” Eclipse shrugged.

“Well, maybe I’ll hit your place up when I’m in the area? Curfew says we can’t be outside, but I’m sure nopony would notice if I stayed at your place, right?” She grinned, her words having a seductive tone to them.

He shrugged, unsure of what to say. “Sure, I guess.”

She giggled and winked once more at him. “You’re a pretty agreeable guy, aren’t you?”

Eclipse never thought about that, but he supposed he was. “I guess so, I’ve never had a reason to really object to much, I suppose.”

“Going with the flow then? I like that. It’s a good trait to have, especially in these troubling times, right?” She said.

“Definitely.” Eclipse finally smiled back at the mare.

“So, what do you do during the day? Work details?” She asked curiously.

He shook his head. “I don’t have time for that stuff.”

“What could you possibly be doing other than that? It’s not like we have a mall to shop at, or a movie theater to go to.” Rose chuckled.

“Can’t talk about it.” Eclipse looked away.

She frowned and scooted closer. “You don’t trust me?”

Her eyes had grown large, sort of like a puppy that had just been scolded. Eclipse sighed and rolled his eyes, deciding it might be less effort to just let her in on what he was trying to do rather than resist.

“Alright, but you can’t tell anypony, okay?” He spoke in a hushed tone.

She nodded giddily, her mood doing a complete turnaround as she scooted even closer, her coat brushing up against his. He could smell the rose water perfume she was wearing, curious as to where she got it.

Eclipse shifted uncomfortably before speaking. “I’m training.”

“Training for what? You know, I thought you were looking more muscular than before...” She smiled as she eyed him up and down. She reached forward and brushed a lock of his mane out of his face playfully.

“I’m going to escape Canterlot...” Eclipse said.

She blinked in disbelief. “Ooooo, you’re a naughty boy, aren’t you? Serenade’s forbidden anyone to leave the city.”

“I know, I don’t care.” Eclipse shrugged.

“Interesting... Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. You have my support, Eclipse.” She smiled.

“Thanks, I might actually take you up on that.” He nodded.

“I look forward to it.” She winked.

It had been months since Sunset had left abruptly, and turned Twilight’s life upside-down. She wished she had some kind of answer or explanation as to where the woman had gone, but she knew she had a better chance of seeing God than that. It didn’t stop her from trying to find out though.

The police were suspicious, but without a missing person report, they couldn’t do much. Twilight wished she could involve them, but she knew it was a bad idea. If they started poking their head around their life, they could discover Sunset’s secret which would be bad not only for her but their daughter as well. Twilight feared the idea of the government coming in and possibly taking the two of them to some lab somewhere to study and examine, maybe even dissect. She had had a few nightmares about that very thing over the years.

Detective Snatcher seemed particularly interested in Sunset’s disappearance, and Twilight knew that being told he had to give it up wasn’t going to be enough for him. He was going to be on her like a hawk, so she had to be careful from then on. He would be following her, and she had to make sure he didn’t find anything that could be used against her. Eventually, he might get bored and move on when he turned up nothing, but Twilight wasn’t entirely certain of that. The man had a very determined look in his eye when he insisted on her guilt.

The police weren’t on his side though, and that was a blessing, it meant he was working alone, thus easier to elude.

Twilight was now conducting her own investigation in the disappearance of her wife, and one of the first places she decided to check was the mother of Moondancer’s residence to question her.

Ringing the doorbell, Twilight adjusted her purple plaid long sleeve shirt and sighed.

The middle-aged mother of her friend Moondancer answered with a smile and a hug to Twilight (a very tight one at that). Twilight accepted the embrace and when she was released she nodded and smiled at Moondancer’s mother. “Twilight Shimmer, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” She grinned.

Twilight nodded. “It’s good to see you as well, ma’am, can I come in by chance?”

“Of course! Come on in! Make yourself at home! Watch out for the cat though, he’s probably scampering around here somewhere, no doubt.” She wiggled her finger as she stepped into her own apartment gesturing for Twilight to follow her.

Nodding, Twilight stepped inside as well and stayed close as they came to a very dark colored living room. The apartment was very modern looking and the paint scheme seemed to be varying shades of dark grey to match the dark grey and black furniture. Twilight sat down on a couch across from the woman who had taken the love seat in front of the coffee table.

The woman picked up a cup of coffee she had been drinking and took a long sip followed by a satisfied “ah”. She looked better than the first time that Twilight had seen her. Gone were the wrinkles and signs of poor sleep schedules and stress. She looked at least a decade younger, which was good, it meant that Shimmer’s donation to her family had paid off, and this woman could finally get some much-needed relaxation.

“So, how have you been?” Twilight asked.

She smiled and nodded. “I’ve been wonderful, Twilight. We’re so thankful to the Shimmer family for all you’ve done for us, it’s really been a huge turn around for this family. I don’t know how we can ever repay you.”

Twilight shook her head. “I had nothing to do with it, it was all before I came into the picture, but I’m sure Shimmer would be happy just knowing that you two are doing so well.”

“She was a very generous girl, wasn’t she?” Moondancer’s mother asked.

Twilight nodded. “She was, from my understanding. After her death, we found all kinds of records of charities she was donating to. Shimmer’s estate may have been around 300 million, but she was actually making somewhere between 8 million a year, and yet she wasn’t getting any net gains.”

Moondancer’s mother’s brows rose. “Really? How so? Where does $8 million disappear to?”

“Charities, all of it. Turns out that Shimmer hadn’t collected a profit on any of her family’s business ventures in years. She covers the operating costs, pays the salaries of her employees and then turns her own cut over to various charities. I found out she was more of a dog lover than I ever imagined, she donated millions to the Humane Society on a yearly basis.” Twilight smiled just thinking about it. Shimmer clearly loved animals, and she was the true definition of a charitable soul. She donated so much without any expectation of recognition; most didn’t even know how much of her fortune she was giving away.

“What a sweet girl, the world really lost a wonderful soul the day she died...” The older woman frowned.

Twilight regretted that she didn’t know the girl too well, but she knew that Shimmer overall was a great person. She had faults and in the end, Twilight and she were at odds for a bit because she felt that Shimmer overstepped her boundaries in trying to make Sunset stay in Equestria, but looking back, Shimmer was only doing what she felt was best. She wanted to protect Sunset, because she loved her. The bond between the two of them really was that of sisters, so much so that Sunset fell into quite a depression after her death, and she no doubt was still affected by it now.

Moondancer was the perfect testament to Shimmer’s good nature. There wasn’t even a shred of doubt that Shimmer loved that girl; she even admitted she wanted to marry her. It was a shame, they would have made a cute pair of newlyweds in Twilight’s mind, but then everything would have played out differently, wouldn’t it?

Had Shimmer lived, she and Moondancer would be living in the mansion that Twilight called home now, and Sunset and she may have been living off of Twilight’s parent’s good graces. Would Sunset not have left then? Who was to say?

“She really was... She’s missed every day,” Twilight agreed.

“I’m assuming you didn’t come to talk about her though?” The older woman asked.

Twilight gulped and nodded. “Y-yes... Sorry, I didn’t want to sound like I only came by to ask for things...”

“It’s fine, dear. What’s on your mind?” The woman asked.

Twilight bit her lip but pushed out her thoughts. “It’s about Sunset...”

“What about her, dear?”

“She... Went missing a little while back. She just up and left...” Twilight frowned.

This caused the woman’s eyes to open wider. “Is she okay? Do you think she was kidnapped or something!?”

Twilight waved her hands in front of herself. “No no! Nothing like that. I’m sure she’s fine, at least I hope so... I was just wondering if maybe she said something to you or Moondancer before she left? Maybe some kind of hint of where she went or what she was doing?”

The woman shook her head. “No, nothing. Why do you ask?”

Twilight bit her lip once more, she was curious as to if this woman knew about Sunset’s true origins, if she was privy to Equestria or that she and her daughter was partially involved with an alien from another world. She wanted to ask, but thought better of it and left the subject alone.

“Maybe Moondancer heard something?” Twilight asked.

“Afraid not, Moondancer’s gone away to a research trip in London. She’s apparently going to be involved in some groundbreaking work, she sounded very excited about it,” Moondancer’s mother replied.

Twilight frowned once more. She knew it was a long shot, but she had to ask, regardless. “Okay... Well thank you, I suppose. I guess wherever she went, she doesn’t want to be found...”

“I’m sure she’ll turn up, Twilight,” The other replied.

“I hope so...”

A young filly danced in the garden of flowers just outside of their home. They lived close to a cliff side, and at the edge was a beautiful array of flowers that bloomed every year with vibrant colors like the eye had never seen. They were always the first thing that Serenade rushed to see when the springtime came about.

She and her sister would wake up early, race outside before their parents were awake after throwing on some simple white dresses that worked so well with the red amulets they wore and dance together in the field of gorgeous hues. It was like clockwork, another year, another set of magnificent flowers to observe, and this year was no different.

Serenade twirled and then collapsed into the grass with a sigh and a smile. “Isn’t it wonderful, sister?” Serenade asked.

Adagio smiled and nodded as she laid next to her, the young filly reaching over and taking her sister’s hoof. “Every year it’s just as amazing as the last.”

“I wish the flowers would bloom all year ‘round.” Serenade frowned.

“Mother says that things are special because they are limited, though,” Adagio pointed out the wise words of their mother.

Neither of them ever doubted her wisdom. Their mother always knew just what to say and how to say it in a way that resonated with them. Her words were almost poetry spoken by the voice of an angel.

Serenade turned her head to look at her sister and spoke seriously for a moment. “Do you think there are flowers are pretty as these ones anywhere else?”

“Oh, I’m sure there is. In fact, I’m positive there is. These can’t be the only ones...” Adagio suggested.

Serenade turned back and looked up at the sky, studying the clouds that floated by, observing their shapes and sizes. “I want to see them one day.”

“One day we will...” Adagio nodded.

“When though?” Serenade asked.

Adagio just shrugged. She was far too young to have an answer to such a deep question. She was around eleven years old, and didn’t have all the answers to the world. Like all children, she relied on the wisdom of her parents to tell her the ways of the world.

“One day, I just don’t know when...” Adagio frowned.

The two laid there quietly for several minutes until the sounds of their parents approaching the field could be heard. Both of the young sirens perked up and lifted their heads to see their mother and father standing together smiling as they gazed upon their two daughters, full of pride.

There was silence for another few seconds before their father spoke up. “I’m heading into town to get us some things...” He began.

Serenade jumped up and landed upon her hooves, approaching with haste to her father. “Let me come with you! I want to see the town!”

He sighed, frowned and shook his head. “No, Serenade. You have to stay here...”

“You always say that! We are always told to stay here! I want to see the town! I want to see other ponies!” Serenade pouted.

“The answer is no. It’s not safe for you,” he commanded.

“Why not!? You always say that but you won’t tell me why!” She pouted.

“It’s not up for discussion, stay here with your mother and your sister and I’ll be back by tonight, alright?” He grunted.

She sat on her haunches and crossed her hooves with a defiant face. “Why though? We’re never allowed to leave this stupid farm! I want to see what the town looks like!”

“That’s an order, Serenade. You are not to leave this farm, do you understand?” He barked.

She grumbled and looked away but nodded. “Yeah, sure...”

Sighing he stepped forward and took his hoof, guiding her to face him. When she did, he spoke much calmer to her. “One day you’ll see beyond this farm, and I promise it’ll be everything you’ve ever dreamed of, but for now, I need you to stay here, alright?”

She sighed as well and nodded. “Okay, daddy... Hurry back though?”

He grinned and ruffled her yellow mane. “You know I will, nothing will keep me from my three girls, and you know that.”

She giggled and nodded before booping his nose with her hoof. “You better!”

“I’ll bring you back some of that sweet bread that you like.” He smirked.

“Now you really better hurry back!” She nodded.

He chuckled and stood up tall before nodding to his wife and then Adagio who had come to a stand. Once he had acknowledged all three of them, he returned to the house to fetch his bag for the trip. The town was a good half a day’s walk from their home, and as a result, they mostly had to keep a self-sustaining farm in order to live up where they did, but it was a nice existence where no one bothered them.

Serenade watched carefully as her father trotted off, down the path that lead away from their home, curious about what was beyond that dirt path.

After her father disappeared over the bottom of the hill, she turned to her mother and pleaded. “Mommy, when can we see the town?”

The beautiful siren ran a hoof along her daughter’s cheek, brushing her silky mane back. The little girl leaned into her mother’s touch before closing her eyes and listening to the soft sound of her angelic voice.

“One day, precious, one day...” She nearly whispered, her voice was so soft.

“When though?” Serenade asked quietly, cooing as her mother pet her head now.

“When the world is ready for you. Right now, ponies just aren’t ready to see how special you and your sister are, but they will see it one day and when that day comes, not only will you be able to go into the town, but ponies from far away lands will come to see you. I know they will know you’re special one day...” She spoke.

Serenade felt a tiny bit at ease by her mother’s words but was still somewhat troubled. “When though?”

The older mare giggled and released her daughter. “I can’t answer that, but we sirens live for a long time, so you’ll have plenty of time to see. Have patience, my precious child.”

Serenade Dazzle wasn’t the most patient of children, so that task may have been impossible, but for her mother’s sake, she would try.

Twilight let out a long sigh as she sipped from the cup of coffee that her brother had prepared her. He sat across from her and frowned as he watched his sister sip from the old Power Ponies mug thoughtfully. He hated seeing her so twisted up, and he knew that she had been holding it all in for so long, but refused to speak of it.

It had been three years since Sunset had vanished on her, and while Shining understood why she didn’t involve the police, he couldn’t understand why his sister stayed so hung up on that redhead. In his mind, if he never saw her again, it would be too soon. He had half a mind to tell Twilight that the girl was trash, but he knew that his sister loved her, and it pained him to know that she clearly still did love her.

The two were quiet, the sounds of only their gentle sips filling the kitchen before finally Shining spoke up, unable to take it any longer.

“So... Have you been going out with friends at all?” Shining asked, hiding his mouth behind his cup as he probed her.

Twilight swirled the sweetened coffee in front of herself and shrugged. “Not much, lately. I’m so busy with school and all...”

“Maybe you should? You know? Maybe go to a bar? Meet someone?” He suggested.

She lifted her hand and gestured to the ring upon it. “I’m married,” she reminded.

Shining sighed and placed his cup down on the table, wrapping his other hand around its warmth as he braced himself. He knew he had to be tactful in how he approached the subject, and the last thing he wanted was for his sister to think of him as abrasive.

“Twilight...” He began.

She didn’t even look up at him.

“Sunset isn’t coming back, haven’t you figured that out yet? She’s gone, little sis...”

Twilight shook her head. “She’s out there somewhere, I know it...”

“It’s possible, but she still isn’t coming back...” Shining frowned.

“We have a daughter together, she cares about us.” Twilight closed her eyes.

“If that were the case, why hasn’t she come back yet? It’s been three years, Twilight. If she hasn’t so much as made a phone call in all this time, she isn’t coming back.” Shining didn’t particularly enjoy telling his sister things she didn’t want to hear, but he knew it was for her own good at this point.

“I... I don’t know...” Twilight squeezed her eyes closed tighter, hoping to end this conversation.

“She’s gone, Twilight and you’re not doing yourself any favors waiting around for her, remember all the trouble she caused you? Hell, remember that detective? You were pretty messed up for a while over that, remember?” Shining reminded her.

Twilight had far from forgotten Detective Snatcher. The royal pain in her ass had caused her more grief than any one person should. It was a difficult situation for the time that she was forced to deal with him, and she still had nightmares about it from time to time.

Twilight couldn’t think of a response to Shining’s suggestion, so instead, she stayed quiet and allowed him to continue talking.

“Go out and meet someone, hell go get laid! When’s the last time you’ve even been with someone?” Shining asked, though feeling a bit awkward to be asking his younger sister such a question.

Shrugging, Twilight shook her head. “Not since Sunset left.”

“You’re kidding? You’ve stayed faithful to her? After all she’s done?” Shining blinked.

“I made vows, Shining. I love her...” Twilight replied, finally looking up to meet his eyes.

Shining’s face was far from angry, instead, it looked hurt and saddened.

“I know you do, but if she loved you, she’d be here. What do you have to lose? Go out, meet someone, hell call up that old ex-boyfriend, Timber! Maybe you two can hang out, see what happens?” Shining picked his cup back up and sipped it before tilting it in Twilight’s direction to suggest his approval.

“I don’t know...” Twilight bit her lip.

Coming in from the living room, Cadance stopped as she passed through the kitchen where the two were and planted a kiss atop of Shining’s head before ruffling his blue hair and looking over at Twilight, sensing serious conversation in the room.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

Shining looked up at his wife and smirked. “I’m telling Twilight to give her old ex-boyfriend a call and see if he wants to hang out. Maybe even get laid.”

Cadance nodded with a giddy grin. “Getting laid is good, trust me on this. A girl can’t stay pent up for too long.”

Twilight raised a brow. “Does that happen to you?”

“Definitely, oh some nights your brother comes home and I-“ She was cut off.

“Please stop before I need therapy for that mental image...” Twilight shuddered at the thought of her brother having sex.

“The point is, Twilight, maybe it’s better for you to get out there again, you know? Nothing serious, just try hanging out with people, see what happens. It can’t hurt.” Shining smiled.

Twilight conceded that she did feel lonely at times and that she missed the feeling of sleeping next to another person. Her head rested atop her gorgeous wife’s chest, listening to her heartbeat. She wanted to go back in time and just stay there when things were good between her and Sunset.

Maybe Shining had a point though. Sunset hadn’t so much as called in three years, there was no telling she was even alive. Maybe going out would be good for her.

“Alright, you’ve twisted my arm, I’ll give him a call, but nothing serious, just casual.” Twilight raised a finger.

Shining nodded as he sipped once more. “That’s all I ask.”

Applejack found herself exceptionally confused when she had been summoned to go to the war room. She was under the impression that Glitch wasn’t too fond of her, and the fore wasn’t too interested in letting her in on their plans. The farmer had already resigned herself to being kept on a need-to-know basis, so it was beyond surprising to hear that she had been invited to the next briefing.

Entering the small room, she seated herself between Aria and Sonata. Across from Sonata was Braeburn who apparently had also been invited. Twilight sat next to the head seat which was occupied by the armored pony she had come to doubt.

Glitch nodded, acknowledging Applejack’s entrance before their synthesized voice echoed through the room.

“Good evening, everypony.” They began.

Applejack had completely forgotten that it was evening at this point, due to time in the facility being a relatively vague abstract concept.

Applejack raised her hoof which caused Glitch to gesture toward her and speak. “Yes, Applejack? Also, you needn’t raise your hand in this forum.”

Clearing her throat, Applejack nodded. “Right, sorry. ‘Ah ‘spose ‘Ah was just wonderin’ why ‘Ah’m here?”

“To hear the next stage of our plans,” Glitch responded simply.

“No offense, but ‘Ah thought y’all didn’t like how ‘Ah didn’t trust y’all?” Applejack raised a brow.

“Yes, however, I’m not one to keep running into a wall over and over and then question why it is bearing the same results, so I intend to show you how you can trust us all,” Glitch said.

Applejack had to admit, that alone put her at some ease. It would take a lot to get her to trust a masked stranger completely, but the fact that they were willing to even try made her calmer about it at the very least.

“Sure, ‘Ah’ll bite, what’s goin’ down?” Applejack sat back and crossed her hooves, ready to listen to Glitch’s plans, albeit intending to be a skeptic about them.

Glitch pointed at her and nodded before continuing. “Our operation is growing in size, substantially even. With the numbers we have, and for the next few stages of our operation we need to be more mobile, more versatile as it were...”

“What did you have in mind?” Twilight blinked.

Glitch leaned in and tossed a folder onto the table with all kinds of blueprints on it, most of which didn’t make much sense to Applejack, but she looked them over regardless.

“Trottingham is building some impressive airships, new stuff, pretty advanced too. Their speed and durability could prove useful to us,” Glitch explained.

“That’s all fine and good, but it’s not like they will just sell us one, Glitch. How do you propose we get our hooves on one of those?” Twilight asked.

Glitch stood up from their seat and behind her mask, they all knew a smile was on their face. “We’re going to steal one.”

Applejack as you may notice plays the role of a constant skeptic to Glitch. She’s more of Glitch’s foil if you will. Though her role isn’t antagonistic, she keeps Glitch in check in a way. Her and her human counterpart both have similarities in that they both are creatures of trust building. When they trust you, they trust you fully and will defend you until the end of time, but when their trust is betrayed or they feel like they can’t trust you, they’re a never ending thorn in one’s side.

As you may have noticed, this Applejack is not married to Rarity, and it’s left ambiguous if the two have feelings for each other, but we’ll get to the other Applejack in another chapter, I promise.

I felt her role was fitting her character, as Applejack always strikes me as the one who is wary about trusting those who have reason to be mistrusted. Glitch wears a mask and refuses to take it off, that alone is reason enough to be wary. She likely knows that Twilight knows who they are, and is frustrated that Twilight is keeping secrets.

Also, you may notice that Glitch is given either male or gender neutral pronouns. This stems from the fact that outside of Twilight, Aria and Sonata, no one else knows the sex of the pony under that suit, and you’ll see that Twilight and company roll with even the male pronouns to help keep the mystery going.