I’m flying.

The storm is hunting me again. The great, black, apocalyptic thunderhead that stretches across the skies roars in palpable rage, rattling my bones as I pitch through the high winds. The world spirals and rushes below me as everything turns white and thunder eclipses the sound of the howling winds.

“GILDA!”

That voice again, shrieking out her rage against my love. Another bolt of lightning splits the air and I’m twisting around, spinning to avoid the deadly arcs of power.

That’s when I see it.

The lightning is chasing me.

A bolt, spitting and sparking as it arcs through the air towards me, and I feel fear. It’s like ball lightning, or some other weird atmospheric anomaly, except it’s more than that. It twists and turns and course-corrects as I try to evade it. It’s catching up to me though…

I’m fast, impossibly fast, but nothing is faster than lightning.

“GILDA!”

The voice roars and my world goes white as the lightning and thunder crash around me.

Sunset’s eyes snapped open and panic rocketed through her as her senses were filled with unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells. These weren’t her covers, this wasn’t her bed, this wasn’t-

A pair of strong, dark arms slipped around Sunset purposefully, pulling her close, and that warmth… that strength was familiar.

“Ssh, s’okay, Sunshine, we’re fine,” Gilda whispered, pressing her lips to the crown of Sunset’s head. “We’re at the Principal’s place, remember? Their guest room? We crashed for the night?”

The panic began to subside, and Sunset realised as she started getting light-headed that she’d been hyperventilating. Seeking comfort, Sunset buried herself in her girlfriend’s embrace and took a deep breath, savoring the calming scent that was a part of Gilda’s presence; ash, leather, and a faint hint of engine oil. Looking around, she confirmed what Gilda had said. They were in a large, comfortable, if slightly stiff bed that had that faint scent of cleaner from going regularly unused.

After the night had worn on a bit, Legato and Soprana had gone home, taking their daughter and her girlfriend with them and having happily agreed to drop off Penny and Helden as well since they all lived in the Heights anyway. Gilda and Sunset had gone to bed in the guest room after a small amount of teasing from Luna about keeping everything PG, or at least to stuff a towel under the door to muffle the sounds. After being helped into bed by Gilda, Sunset had fallen asleep almost instantly after what had proven to be a very draining day.

“I love you…” Sunset whispered softly, as she wrapped her arms around Gilda and forced herself to relax, taking several deep breaths, in and out, to bring her rattled nerves back down to a baseline level of sanity.

Gilda nuzzled against Sunset and chuckled. “I love you too, Sunshine, you okay?”

“Mhm…” Sunset replied. “I had that dream again, the one about flying through the lightning storm? Only this time there was a lightning bolt chasing me…”

“Weird,” Gilda said, laughing slightly as she stroked her hand down Sunset’s back, earning a delighted shiver. “Thought you didn’t get night terrors when we were together, though?”

“I still have normal dreams and nightmares,” Sunset said, with a lopsided grin. “And I know you want to protect me all the time but sometimes the night terrors will show up anyway, but believe me, it’s loads better waking up in a panic and then having you to hold onto than not, babe.”

“I guess…” Gilda said quietly, her hands curling around Sunset as if trying to cover as much of her as possible, as if doing that could keep the bad dreams away. “I just… I wanna keep ya safe, Sunshine… I want you to be safe, n’happy, and all that sappy shit, savvy? I’d live my whole life happy if I could do that.”

Sunset felt a bone deep warmth fill her at Gilda’s words as she ran her hands up and down the dark, toned muscle of Gilda’s body.

“You make me feel safer and happier than anything else in the world, Gil,” Sunset said in a soft voice. “And besides… we’re gonna be together forever, right? Sappy shit included?”

“Yeah, damn right we are,” Gilda whispered. “And… and y’know what, Sunflower?”

Sunset chuckled at the slight crack of uncertainty in Gilda’s voice as she looked up but her laugh died in her throat at the intense look on her girlfriend’s face.

“W-what?”

“It… it might take me a while, savvy?” Gilda began, blushing heavily. “I know I’m dirt poor and shit, so it’ll take some time but… I promise I’ll do it.”

“Do what, babe?” Sunset asked, smiling gently.

“Get a ring,” Gilda said, her eyes still burning, and Sunset felt her breath catch in her throat. “I’m gonna get ya one, Sunshine, because…” Gilda swallowed dryly as she worked the words out of her throat. “...because I’m gonna marry you one day, savvy?”

Sunset worked her jaw for a moment, stunned, before speaking up again. “G-Gil… I know what my mom said… and I… but… but you don’t-”

“I’da done it anyway,” Gilda said, shaking her head. “Whatever y’mom said, it’s not important. I’m a Grimfeather, babe, we know what we want when we see it and I want you. Forever. So even if it takes a long time, I… I just wanted ya t’know now, I ain’t backin’ out of this. I’m gonna work my ass off til I can get you that ring, yeah? That’s the plan.”

“I… I know it’s stupid to ask but…” Sunset swallowed hard as she felt happy tears fall down her face. “A-are you sure? I mean… it’s not gonna be easy. Me with my legs and my issues and stuff? C’mon babe, I’m a mess, this… this is gonna be rough.”

“You are a mess, Sunshine,” Gilda agreed with a wry laugh, “but that just makes ya my mess, and I’ll fight tooth’n fuckin’ nail to keep it that way.”

Sunset let out a small, happy cry as she squeezed Gilda tight and buried herself back in Gilda’s arms. Gilda wrapped herself around Sunset, nuzzling her head as she pet the messy nest of red and gold that Sunset’s hair had become over the evening.

“A-anyways,” Gilda said, as she trailed her fingers idly along Sunset’s back. “Just… figured I’d tell ya ‘cause I know y’get anxiety’n stuff, savvy? About bein’ left behind, or left alone’n shit? I just… wanted ya to know.”

From where she was buried in Gilda’s arms, Sunset nodded emphatically, and Gilda could feel the gentle warmth of tears soaking into her shoulder.

Smiling, Gilda leaned down and kissed Sunset’s head. “Merry Christmas, babe, I love you.”

“Merry Christmas, Gil,” Sunset sobbed. “I love you, too!”

A loud knocking rattled the door, making both girls jump slightly as Luna’s voice interrupted their little moment. “Out of bed thou sluggards! Presents await!”

“It’s eight in the morning, Lulu, let them sleep in,” Celestia’s tired voice came from further down the hall. “I’m still not sure how you’re always so chipper in the mornings.”

“Pbbt,” the faint sound of a raspberry being blown elicited from behind their door. “I’m not chipper, you’re simply not a morning person, Celly, and besides what kind of teenager sleeps in on Christmas.”

Gilda pulled herself out of bed, retrieved her shirt and pants, and made her way over to the door to open it up, causing Luna to start in surprise as Gilda stared wryly out.

“The kind who haven’t had any Christmas presents t’speak of for a few years, VP,” Gilda said nonchalantly, earning a shamefaced look from her Vice Principal. “Christmas was just another, colder, day’a the year f’us, savvy?”

“Oh… r-right,” Luna said, looking torn and not a little embarrassed.

“Gilda, be nice,” Sunset admonished from inside the bedroom as she pulled on her own sweater, pants, and trousers while shivering in the cold morning air. “Sorry about that, Miss Luna.”

“Aunt Luna, please,” Luna said, grinning. “After all, orphans have to stick together, now, don’t we?”

Sunset and Gilda both stared through the doorway at Luna as Celestia came to join her sister, putting an arm over Luna’s shoulder.

“I did tell you our Christmases are usually just the two of us,” Celestia said with a quiet smile. “Our parents passed away when I was in college, and Luna was in high school. Of course, we were fortunate enough to have a grandmother to take us in at the time, but… she passed on some time ago, as well.”

“Since then it has just been big sister and I,” Luna said, leaning against Celestia. “We had some missteps, I had a very… difficult senior year.”

“She was a real nightmare,” Celestia said in an arid voice. “But we managed.”

“So, please understand,” Luna said, stepping into the room and putting her hands on Gilda’s shoulders. “If anyone here understands what you may be going through, it’s the two of us.”

“I…” Gilda stammered as she glanced back towards Sunset who looked equally surprised. “I, uh… thanks, I wouldn’ta guessed, y’know?”

“We can leave all of that for another day,” Celestia said, putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder and pulling her out into the hallway. “For now, there are presents to be opened and pancakes to be eaten, assuming everyone is hungry.”

Breakfast was, as promised, pancakes, along with a platter of scrambled eggs and hash browns that Sunset and Gilda dipped into eagerly as they sat around the kitchen table. Sunlight gleamed off of the snow that had fallen in the night and over the course of the morning, scattering rainbows across the windows of the home.

Sunset ate slowly, her thoughts drifting around what Gilda had confided in her and their friends last night.

Taken in and raised by a man who sounded to be equal parts gang boss and cult leader.

Taught to be useful and, more importantly, loyal through a combination of emotional and mental manipulation.

The very idea of this guy made Sunset’s blood boil.

“Sunshine?” Gilda’s voice cut through Sunset’s thoughts like a razor and she glanced up. “You okay? Y’starin’ at that slice’a pancake like y’tryin’ t’set it on fire.”

Sunset blinked and looked around the table to see Celestia and Luna staring at her with concern as well.

“Sorry about that,” Sunset said, grimacing. “I guess I’m still… just thinking about what you told me last night, Gil.”

Gilda frowned. “Oh, y-yeah… guess I kinda forgot, I’m not really use’ta talkin’ about my past like that with anyone, savvy?”

“I hope you don’t mind, but we couldn’t help but overhear as well,” Celestia said somberly. “There isn’t much distance between the dining room and the den.”

“N-nah… s’cool,” Gilda said, scowling. “I was the one talkin’ about it, and if I’m gonna talk out loud I can’t really complain if someone hears it.”

“Whenever you want to talk, babe, I’ll listen,” Sunset said, reaching over and setting her hand on Gilda’s who took it and gave it a squeeze.

“Yeah, I know,” Gilda replied, smiling.

Breakfast was finished and cleared away with Gilda’s help which surprised the sisters a little as they watched her carefully gather up the plates and set them in the sink to be washed without a word. Celestia kept weather eye on Gilda, not because she didn’t trust her, but because the rather thuggish looking girl was constantly surprising her. She wasn’t nearly as rough and tumble as Celestia had expected, given her appearance, and although she was willing to chalk up a portion of that to Sunset’s influence smoothing out some of Gilda’s rough edges, Celestia strongly suspected Gilda was simply much better behaved than her school demeanor suggested.

“Pr… Uhm… C-Celestia?” Sunset called quietly from the den, disrupting the older woman’s musings. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Of course, Sunset,” Celestia replied, before turning back to her sister. “Lulu, help Miss Grimfeather finish cleaning up, please.”

“Sure, leave me with the dirty work,” Luna groused, as she set to scrubbing a syrupy plate, drawing a chuckle from Gilda.

“I cooked, you clean,” Celestia shot back as she left the kitchen and made her way over to the couch near the fireplace where Sunset was sitting. “Is everything okay, Sunset?”

“Mhm,” Sunset answered, staring forward and looking pensive. “M-, uh…”

“Aunt, is fine,” Celestia said, laughing a little. “As Luna said, we orphans should stick together.”

“Aunt Celestia…” Sunset said, before twisting up her face and chuckling. “Written’s Quill that’s weird, sorry… uhm, I wanted to talk to you… about Gilda.”

Celestia nodded, settling into the couch and gesturing for Sunset to continue.

“W-well… I was wondering,” Sunset began uneasily, “a-are there any… resources at school for kids with like… learning disabilities?”

Scowling a little, Celestia nodded. “Yes, of course there are, why do you ask?”

“It’s…. It’s just that, well…” Sunset mumbled. “See, G-Gilda is-”

“Sunflower…” Gilda’s voice, low and a little angry sounding cut through Sunset’s words and drawing a panicked look from Sunset, she was standing in the archway between the kitchen and the den, scowling with Luna behind her looking concerned. “Thought I toldja…”

“Gilda, what is Sunset talking about?” Celestia asked in a worried voice. “Why was she asking about learning disability resources?”

“I ain’t gotta answer any questions, savvy?” Gilda snarled. “I toldja I don’t want any special fuckin’ treatment, Sunshine!”

Sunset looked stricken as she rolled forward slightly. “Gilda, c’mon, please! Let us at least try to help, okay? Literally, it could not possibly hurt!”

“Y’can’t fix stupid, Sunny,” Gilda spat out. “I ain’t like m-... I just…” Gilda seemed to choke on her words for a moment before scowling bitterly. “I’m dumb, Sunset, that’s all there is to it.”

Celestia stood and walked over to Gilda, staring at her eye to eye with an even glare.

“Miss Grimfeather.”

Gilda swallowed thickly, stepping back instinctually at the force put off by Principal Celestia.

“Sit down.”

They shared the glare for several seconds before Gilda took another dry swallow and sat down, earning a small smile from Celestia.

“I am an educator, Gilda,” Celestia began, sitting down next to Gilda and putting a hand on her shoulder. “So if there’s something about how you learn that I need to know, and that I don’t know, then I need you to tell me.”

Frowning, Gilda stared down at the floor for a long minute before waving a hand at Sunset. Smiling in relief, Sunset looked up at Celestia.

“So… I’m not really qualified to make a diagnosis, obviously,” Sunset started, “but something came up while the two of us were talking a few days back and… well, I’m like, a strong ninety percent sure Gilda is dyslexic.”

Celestia’s eyes widened and she looked back at Gilda who was still scowling and staring at the ground. Suddenly a great many things about Gilda’s behaviour started to make sense. Her disregard for written assignments, her poor grades in more reading-heavy classes like English Lit and History but generally excellent grades in more hands-on classes like Shop and Home Ec.

“You’re… well, I won’t ask if you’re sure,” Celestia said, her mouth thinning to a hard line. “You’re a smart girl, Sunset, smarter than most your age… and the specific answer to your question from before is yes, we most certainly have resources for dyslexic students.”

“I thought so,” Sunset said, smiling a little sadly.

Luna furrowed her brow as she moved in front of Gilda and knelt down as so she could see Gilda’s face. “Why didn’t you say something, Miss Grimfeather? Why didn’t you tell anyone you were having so much trouble with the assignments?”

“A-Aunt Luna stop!” Sunset said, her voice tinged with anger as she rolled up to Luna’s side. “She feels bad enough about it already, and it’s not her fault for not knowing what dyslexia is! You know how Gilda was raised!”

Luna stepped back looking suitably admonished as Celestia put an arm around Gilda’s shoulders. “Sunset is right, you are not at fault and you are certainly not stupid, Gilda, and once school starts back up again I’ll personally see to it that you’re given what you need to succeed, alright?”

Gilda nodded silently, wiping away a few stray tears and Celestia, feeling a pang of maternal instinct not for the first time, wrapped her arms around Gilda fully and pulled her close, settling her chin on Gilda’s head and stroking her back. Celestia had always seen Gilda as a strong, angry young woman, so it surprised her quite a bit to hear a soft, broken sob issue from Gilda as the teen wrapped her arms around Celestia, returning the hug.

“It’s alright,” Celestia whispered softly, patting Gilda’s back as she cried. “You’re a brave and incredible young woman, Gilda. You have so much compassion, and I’m so sorry we haven’t been there for you, but know that from now on we will be. I promise you that.”

“My sister is correct,” Luna said softly, setting a hand on Gilda’s shoulder. “You’re always welcome in either of our offices or in our home, and if you ever need us we will be there. I’m sorry I made you feel as if it was your fault for not noticing, that was… very wrong of me. I am the teacher, it was my responsibility to have an eye on these things, not you.”

“E-Everyone always told me I was just stupid,” Gilda sobbed out finally, “I was always the dumb one, s-savvy? Like… I couldn’t read too good, and I’d get lost ‘cause I couldn’t tell what street I was on… and… I just…”

“Tell someone that they are something for long enough,” Luna began in a dark, almost angry voice, “and eventually they will come to believe it. But know that neither my sister nor I believe you are stupid, Gilda. Quite the opposite; to have excelled as well as you have while suffering from such a handicap and not even knowing it? That’s doubly impressive, to me.”

“You’re not stupid, Gilda,” Celestia said, her voice slightly muffled against Gilda’s soft white hair. “You’re clever and fantastic and so very good. I would have been proud to call you my daughter, and I am so proud to think of you as a part of my family.”

Sunset rolled up and joined the hug, putting her arms around Gilda’s waist and setting her head on Gilda’s shoulder.

“You’re the best, Gil,” Sunset said softly. “And I love you so much, I just want you to be happy, too, savvy?”

Gilda nodded silently as she pulled away and wiped her eyes. Luna sat down on Gilda’s other side and pulled Gilda into another hug.

“Never be ashamed for who you are, Gilda,” Luna said in a slightly raw voice. “Especially for something that isn’t your fault. I’m sorry for never seeing your strength.”

Taking a deep breath, Gilda pulled away and settled back into the couch, laughing a little dryly. “This is a pretty weird fuckin’ Christmas, huh, Sunshine?”

Luna clapped her hands together, grinning wide as she did. “Speaking of which! There are presents to be opened now!”

“You’re such a child, Lulu,” Celestia replied, smiling as she got up to retrieve a number of presents.

The present that was set in front of sunset shared the blaze of her hair while the ribbon was a gold band. Gilda’s gift was an oaky brown with a similar gold band to Sunset’s, and Luna’s was a deep midnight blue wrapped in silver ribbon. Luna passed Celestia a gift that was bright pinked wrapped in white ribbon.

“Go ahead, Sunset,” Luna said cheerily. “I picked your present out myself.”

Grinning, Sunset started gently unwrapping the paper, drawing a chuckling from Gilda. “Y’know you’re supposed t’rip the paper, right, Sunshine?”

“I know,” Sunset replied as she continued to carefully undo the tape and wrapped folds. “But… I never really got presents before this, except a few from my teacher, so… I just think it’s a shame is all.”

“Heh, whatever,” Gidla said, still laughing a little. “You do you, Sunflower.”

Tossing the wrapping paper aside, Sunset picked up the old, battered box that was underneath it all. It certainly didn’t look new or store-bought, but that hardly mattered. Popping the lid off, Sunset gasped softly as she stared at what was inside. Tearing up a little, Sunset drew out the black article of clothing.

A leather jacket.

It was an older style with flared lapels and a wide collar, metal studs pinned the epaulets to the shoulders and more spiked studs ran along the buckle that traced along the nipped waist. On the back was a stylized dragon’s eye underneath the word: NIGHTMARE, spelled in a font made to look like bloody gashes.

“It, ah… used to be mine,” Luna said with a dry chuckle. “But for obvious reasons, I never wear it anymore.”

“Tourni’ told us what happened to your jacket, Sunset,” Celestia said, smiling broadly at the expression of joy on Sunset’s face. “We thought we might do what we can to replace it.”

Hugging the jacket tightly to herself, Sunset beamed at her new ‘aunts’. “It’s perfect! I love it!”

“Guess it’s my turn,” Gilda said, holding up her present. As she did so, though, Celestia and Luna shared a glance.

“Gilda, before you open that…” Celestia began.

Luna sighed, and continued. “It’s… not precisely from us… we were actually a bit lost as to what to get you when, a few days ago, Twilight Sparkle appeared on our doorstep.”

Celestia nodded along. “She gave us that along with a letter from, well… the other me. Twilight wanted to be sure you knew it was addressed solely to you, but that the gift was, a bit, intended for both of you.”

Gilda stared uneasily down at the gift, still remembering the pure intensity of Sunset’s adoptive mother. It had been an experience unlike any other she could imagine and while it wasn’t strictly unpleasant… standing in the presence of so much power wasn’t something that Gilda was in a hurry to experience again. Swallowing dryly and looking to Sunset who just smiled and nodded to her to continue, Gilda began tearing open the paper.

Inside was a carved wooden box that was quite beautiful in its own way but, at the same time, a little unsettling. Something about it suggested it was made by other-than-human hands.

Or hooves.

Sliding the top of the box off, Gilda reached inside gingerly, half expecting something to bite her despite the notion being ridiculous, and her hand closed around a cold, grooved metal bar. Pulling the object out, Gilda examined it curiously. It was made from some kind of odd bluish metal and had strange curved marks on it. The piece she was holding specifically was curved just slightly, as if molded for a grip. Looking back inside, Gilda spotted a small envelope sitting at the bottom of the box.

“Can I see that?” Sunset asked, holding out her hand for the metal bar.

“Sure thing, Sunshine,” Gilda handed it over then reached into the box to pull out the letter. It was thick, faintly yellowed parchment the likes of which Gilda had only heard about. “Ugh… guess no one told her I don’t read so well,” Gilda grumbled as she unfolded the paper.

To her surprise, the moment she laid her eyes on the letters they glowed slightly and began shifting around until they were in a perfect configuration to read.

“Friggin’ magic,” Gilda mumbled as she began reading.

Dear Gilda,

A very Happy Hearth’s Warming to both you and my beloved daughter. I understand it has a different name over there but I hear the idea is similar. I’m sure my gift must be a bit baffling to you, but understand that it is only intended as a last resort. I’ve not lived this long and ruled for this many centuries without becoming a firm believer in being adequately prepared for all outcomes and, while my fervent hope is that it will not be needed, I’ve always operated on the ‘Condom Rule’ for these sorts of things.

‘Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.’

In case you and my daughter are unaware, when we met a few days back I was surprised to discover traces of magic in you, and not weak ones. I feel you are bound for much greater things, Miss Grimfeather, but either way, my hope is that this gift will serve, if nothing else, as a sign of my trust in you. As my daughter’s Knight Protector it would be remiss of me not to ensure that you are, at the very least, properly equipped to protect my little Sun.

Give my love to Sunset and my sincere gratitude to my other self and her sister for delivering this gift to your hands.

Love Always,

H.R.H. Solara dia Nova Celestia, Unconquered Sun, Diarch of Equestria, Destroyer of Cakes, Damn It Luna Stop Messing With The Dictation Spell, etc…

Gilda set the odd letter down and looked over at Sunset who was staring in wonder at the small bar of metal in her hand, turning it over and over with a look of almost wistful nostalgia in her eyes.

“Babe?” Gilda said questioningly.

“This is Cloudsteel,” Sunset whispered. “Real Cloudsteel, not the half-baked, factory-made knock-off that floods Cloudsdale and Las Pegasus steel markets today, but real, honest-to-Quill, forged in an active thunderstorm, Cloudsteel.”

Rolling closer to Gilda she thrust it almost into her face and pointed at the scratches.

“Do you see those?” Sunset asked, grinning ear-to-ear. “That’s pre-unification Pegasopolin Cuneiform! Gilda, this thing? It’s older than Equestria! And these marks here?” Sunset pointed out some small chipping near one end of the bar. “See the notches and marks along the edge? Battle damage! It would’ve taken an artifact, like the Kingmaker Blade of the old Unicornian ethnarchs, to damage something like this!”

“So… it’s like, a weapon?” Gilda asked staring at the short bar. “Seems kinda small, Sunshine.”

“It’s a magical artifact, Gil,” Sunset replied in a wry tone. “I’m pretty sure there’s more to it than just this.”

“I can’t say I’m incredibly pleased by the idea of yet another magical artifact floating around my hometown,” Celestia said, eyeing the small bar carefully. “But I trust that I… heavens that’s strange to say… had a good reason and wouldn’t put others in danger recklessly.”

Taking the smooth bar of metal of Sunset’s hand, Gilda lifted it, feeling the faint static charge crawling over her hand where it touched her flesh. More than that though, there was something else bound into the metal. Something more than just magic and lightning.

“Gilda?” Sunset’s voice came to her as if from a great distance. “Are you okay?”

Gripping it hard, Gilda closed her eyes. She could feel the magic that had been beaten into the metal. It pounded in her ears like a thundering of a hammer. Behind her eyes she felt a burning. Like light building up inside her with physical force.

The clangor of hammer on metal sounded loud in Gilda’s ears. The metal stink of ozone and rain filled her mouth. She could feel the raindrops, driven by powerful winds, beating against her skin, dampening her hair and plastering it to her scalp. Lightning flashed behind her eyes again as the beat of metal sounded again.

Lightning and thunder was crashing around her. Pins and needles crawled up her fingers and along her arm.

And through it all, Gilda could feel it.

More than lightning, there was magic.

More than power, there was purpose… this tool had no meaning but in the hands of one who would use it in the name of something greater. Someone greater.

This wasn’t just a simple bar of metal or ancient ingot of alien steel.

It was the weapon of a defender.

A tool of…

Of…

Loyalty.

The sound of thunder echoed through the small den causing Celestia, Luna, and Sunset to rear back as Gilda’s eyes snapped open. Lightning danced from her pupils as the simple bar of metal rattled and then split and folded open until it became a spear nearly as tall as Gilda herself.

“No way…” Sunset whispered, staring in awe at the shining blue steel that sparked with magical energy. “That’s the Huracán; the spear of office wielded by the Pegasopolan Warmaster, it’s where Commander Hurricane got his name!”

“Clearly your other self does not pull half measures when it comes to protecting her daughter,” Luna muttered, also staring at the sparking magical artifact in her living room.

Celestia swallowed hard and nodded. “Y-yes… clearly.”

A moment later, Gilda sagged and the spear snapped back into its more compact configuration. Her skin was pallid and washed out and she panted as if she had just run a marathon. Sweat clung to Gilda’s skin as she stared down at the artifact.

“Geez, Sunshine, what the hell?” Gilda gasped, wiping at her brow. “I feel like I just sprinted from the Commons to the Heights.”

“It’s because you’ve got very little magic,” Sunset said, picking the Huracán out of Gilda’s hand. “Artifacts like these can’t just be picked up and used, babe. They tax you, they cost you some of your own magic. The stronger the artifact, the greater the cost. Remember what happened to me when I jammed Princess Twilight’s crown on my head?”

“I’m uh… I’m not gonna go all…” Gilda asked uneasily, and Sunset laughed and shook her head.

“No, babe, you’re not gonna go all demon-Gil, or something,” Sunset replied, still giggling a little at the look on Gilda’s face. “Worst case scenario? You overdraw from your wellspring and pass out; these types of artifacts usually have some kind of fail-safe, which I’m pretty sure we just witnessed. Notice how it turned off on its own?”

“What does that mean, precisely?” Celestia asked, leaning in to look at the innocuous metal bar that was apparently some kind of ancient magical weapon.

Sunset pursed her lips for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. Magic didn’t really have a good analogue on this side of the portal, especially not something on the scale of power as, say, the Huracán.

“Think of it like… a circuit, savvy?” Sunset began. “An artifact isn’t usually intelligent, and it can never use itself, it needs a user. When a user properly aligns themselves with the artifact it completes the circuit and turns it on.”

“I believe we’re following thus far,” Luna said as she eyed the artifact. “So… in this analogy magic is electricity? Or is the wielder the battery?”

“Uhm, not exactly,” Sunset said with a grimace. “It’s not a perfect analogy, either. The artifact has all the power it needs, but it lacks a… hm… a catalyst, I guess? Our magic catalyzes a reaction in the artifact and activates it.” Holding up the haft of the weapon, Sunset pointed to it. “When this thing goes online, like most artifacts, its power runs through you and yours goes through it, that means you’re a lot more powerful than normal, right? But there’s a catch…”

Celestia snapped her fingers as a light clicked on behind her eyes. “It’s like running a high power current through poorly insulated wires, if your not prepared, isn’t it?”

“Exactly,” Sunset said with a nod. “Most artifacts have a failsafe that acts like a breaker, but not all of them. The Elements of Harmony, for instance, don’t because they are actually semi-sentient.”

“But this one?” Luna gestured to the Huracán.

“Powerful, but not sentient,” Sunset confirmed. “Though I’m sure it has strict criteria for who can use it, clearly Gilda passed muster.”

“But it’s not dangerous to Gilda?” Luna asked with concern.

Sunset’s mouth hardened to a thin line. “I… I don’t think so, I can’t imagine mom would hoof over something that would hurt- Gilda why are you laughing?”

Shaking slightly in her seat, Gilda was trying very hard not to smile as she shook silently with laughter that only grew as her girlfriend glared at her.

“S-Sorry babe… but… you said ‘hoof’...” Gilda choked out around her laughter, and Sunset’s face reddened slightly.

“S-shut up! I was born a unicorn pony, okay? Cut me some slack!” Sunset grumbled. “Anyway… I think it should be fine, we just need Gilda to practice with the spear. Maybe find somewhere out of the way where she can train? Her meridians are stunted and weak right now, but with magic flowing into the world and an artifact in her hands that will probably change quickly.”

“I trust you’ll use your new power wisely, Gilda?” Celestia asked, looking at Gilda with a wry grin.

“Y-Yeah,” Gilda agreed, nodding. “I’m supposed to use it only as a last resort, and only t’protect Sunshine, so… yeah.”

“Well, at the very least,” Luna put in, settling a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “I think we can trust you fully when it comes to protecting Sunset.”

“Agreed,” Celestia chimed in. “Now before we go on, Sunset, we do have something else for you but…” Her voice fell slightly as Celestia’s face became pensive. “Understand that I have no expectation of what you will do with it.”

“With what?” Sunset asked quietly.

Walking over to the Christmas tree, Celestia knelt down and retrieved a large parcel from underneath wrapped in blue speckled paper and bearing a large tag with Sunset’s name on it. Sunset’s eyes widened as she realised that, while the tag was addressed to her it was not in either Celestia nor Luna’s handwriting.

It was a curving, graceful calligraphy that Sunset was perfectly familiar with. After all, Rarity did love to give gifts.

“I-is that…” Sunset almost hissed, wheeling herself back and away from the gift like it was a venomous snake. “I don’t want it, Pr-... Aunt Celestia… I don’t, you can keep it, or toss it, or whatever.”

“Babe? What’s up?” Gilda asked, looking concerned.

“That gift is from them,” Sunset growled.

Gilda’s face clouded over with anger as she wheeled on Celestia and Luna and a snapping sound split the air as Huracán’s haft leapt from Sunset’s hand to Gilda’s.

“Seriously? You know how Sunflower fuckin’ feels about those losers!”

“Gilda…” Sunset’s voice was calmer, or more… calming.

Gilda glanced back at Sunset who nodded down at Gilda’s hand. Looking down, Gilda’s eyes widened. The haft of Huracán was gripped tight in her fist, a faint glow suffusing the air around it.

“You’ve got to keep your temper in check, babe, savvy?” Sunset chided gently.

Letting out a slow breath, Gilda passed the weapon back to Sunset and sat down. “Still pissed off, Sunshine…”

“We know,” Celestia said softly, setting the package down. “That’s why I said, you can do with it what you will, but the girls seem very sincere in their want to apologise.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to accept it, though,” Luna said, walking up to Sunset and kneeling in front of her. “But… I do think you should give them a chance to show you how they feel, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but if you want some advice? Take the gift as it was intended, with good will, and if you find your heart is in a place where it might be able to forgive, open it. Who knows? It might allow the wound to heal more cleanly than it might have without.”

Sunset glanced at Gilda who shrugged. “Don’t look at me Sunshine, remember what I promised ya this morning? I’m in this for the long haul, so whatever you wanna do I’ll be right there with ya.”

Feeling a lightness grow in her heart as she remembered Gilda’s new promise, a promise for a ring, Sunset couldn’t help but smile. Maybe it was that, maybe it was because it was Christmas, but a part of Sunset was feeling a little more generous than usual.

“Fine,” Sunset said finally, “I’ll take it but I’m not opening it, not today anyway. I don’t wanna spend today thinking about them, savvy?” Luna, Gilda, and Celestia all nodded. “Today… today I want to spend with my family.”

“Sounds solid t’me, Sunflower,” Gilda said, leaning in and kissing Sunset’s cheek. “Let’s get to it then.”

“Ah don’t like this, sha,” Summer said as she sat in the passenger seat beside Tempest who was leaning against the steering wheel and scowling as well. “Ol’ Jefe gonna know somethin’ up as soon as I walk in ‘dere.”

“He already knows, mi verano,” Tempest grumbled. “That puta knew we would find the empty cache eventually, and he knew we would come and ask him about it.”

Even in winter, the dull heat of the region permeated everything. Las Pegasus was not a place where the chill of winter ever found a solid grip. Certain cloudy days would invite a chill breeze, but even in the depth of winter the sun would shine and heat would be the order of the day.

Despite that, Tempest was wearing a long-sleeve jacket to hide her tattoos, they were too close to the Penitentiary for her to want to risk her marks being seen by officers of the law. Most of them knew damn well what the marks of the Brujah were and even though her gang was one of the less violent and more orderly ones, they were still a gang. Likewise, Tempests mohawk was down and covering much of the right side of her face to conceal her sugar skull tattoo.

“Trust me, mi vida, I would go in there myself and talk to him if I could,” Tempest growled. “But I would never make it past the first checkpoint.”

“That’s what you get for inkin’ y’self up like that, sha,” Summer chided playfully. “Not that I don’t like it, but it’s a fair bit’a conspicuous.”

Tempest buried her face in her arms as she let out a slow breath before swearing and slamming her palm against the steering wheel. “Me cago! Ese pinche gringo! I shoulda ripped his tongue out through his asshole instead’a lettin’ the feds take him in after what he did ta Zee.”

“It wasn’t ya fault, sha,” Summer said softly, leaning over and putting a hand on Tempest’s cheek, guiding her face over for a kiss.

Summer’s full lips curved gently over Tempest’s hard, thin ones, but there was no lack of passion from the young Marexican woman as she looped her arms around Summer’s midriff and pulled her closer.

“You’re the only one who thinks so, mi vida,” Tempest said sadly as she pulled away. “Mi carnala blames me and hates me, and the other runners are disappointed in me too, even now all these years later that failure hangs over my head.”

“It was never gon’ be a bloodless victory, sha,” Summer insisted. “Ya’ll knew that, ya just hoped f’better… but that slimy bibitte weren’t gon’ let go’a his power without a last swing, y’know?”

“Si, lo se,” Tempest grumbled. “Alright, let’s get it over with, go talk to’m.”

“You know he’ll want somethin’, right sha?” Summer said dolefully. “He ain’t never done nothin’ f’free.” Tempest just nodded silently. “A’right, you sit tight, sha, and I’ll be right back.”

Summer hopped out of her wife’s cherry red Bel Air, pattng it on the hood with a grin, before waving at Tempest and trotting down the road to the public entrance of San Tornado. The towering concrete edifice housed over three thousand inmates, well beyond capacity, and it was infamous as a brutal place to be incarcerated. A small part of Summer had hoped that Storm would get what was coming to him in those bloodstained walls, but after a year with no word beyond that he was still breathing she had given up on an easy shanking giving him the end she thought he deserved.

Giving her name, a fake one of course but with excellent forgeries backing it up, Summer walked in through the multiple checkpoints. She carried nothing but a wallet, empty of everything but ID since the security had a rep for theft from visitors, and a few worthless bracelets that she left with security before being escorted to a wall of half-cubbies, each with a chair, a two-way phone, and thick plate glass separating visitor from visitee.

Taking a seat, Summer tapped her finger impatiently on the small counter while she waited. Several minutes passed, then several more, and Summer grimaced as she started to become agitated. It didn’t normally take this long to collect a prisoner who had a visitor. Especially not since she had made the appointment ahead of time.

Finally, after almost twenty minutes a young man approached her. “Sorry ma’am, your, uhm, father-in-law? He declined to see you.”

Summer’s eyes narrowed at that. Storm never passed up a chance to gloat or act as if he had gotten one over on someone. He had to have known that one of them would come talk to him, too.

“Did… did he give’ya anythin’?” Summer asked hesitantly, knowing what the answer had to be.

The guard nodded. “He did, here…”

Reaching into his pocket, he fished out a small, folded piece of paper and passed it over to Summer who took it and pocketed it.

“Merci, officer,” Summer said as she stood up. “Guess I’ll hopalong ‘den, thanks again.”

Summer barely got out of the stifling confines of the prison before she started swearing viciously. Pulling out the paper she unfolded it and angrily scanned the page, her eyes widening as she reached the end. Feeling a dull chill in her gut, she went from a stomping stride to a sprint to get back to Tempest.

Rounding the corner, she saw Tempest’s eyes widen as Summer slid into the car, but before Tempest could ask what was wrong, she had the piece of paper shoved into her hands.

“Read dat, sha,” Summer muttered angrily.

Holding up the paper, Tempest scanned it.

Hey Kiddo,

Congratulations on getting hitched! Heard about it through the grapevine and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer pair of mutinous traitors. With that in mind I don’t really think I want to talk to you. It’s just not my style, you know? Nothing personal, just gotta stay on brand.

That said, I will definitely talk to my favorite daughter. Bring her with next time and we’ll see what we can see, savvy?

Ciao,

Storm

Tempest scowled. “That pinche coño knows damn well I can’t step foot in San Tornado,” she spat. “How’s he expect me t-”

“He ain’t talkin’ bout you, sha,” Summer said angrily. “Think about it, Temp. Ol’ Jefe got one more ‘favorite’ daughter out there, right? One who can walk inta San Tornado without a problem.”

Eyes widening in fury, Tempest crumpled the message in her fist. “Puta madre, how the fuck…”

“Sorry, sha,” Summer said in a sad voice. “Looks like we gotta ask Grifa for another favor.”

Gilda and Sunset spent the majority of winter break after Christmas relaxing. The constant stress of everything that had happened had left Sunset exhausted and even Gilda was feeling the wear and tear on her mind. Both girls had silently agreed to just set Huracán to the side for the time being. There would be a time to train with it but for now the girls had been looking forward to a break from the stress of their lives.

Sunset found herself reflecting, as she sat in bed more staring at her library book than reading it, on how chaotic her life really had become for being so young. Anon-A-Miss aside, her world had become insanely wild and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

Gilda was out grocery shopping and for once Sunset hadn’t felt like going with. She was tired, if she were being honest. The whole world exhausted her and it made her leery about what it would be like when she had to go back to interacting with it on a day-to-day basis once school started up again. Unconsciously, Sunset reached out and laid her hand on the smooth plastic of the headset Vinyl had given her for Christmas. She had music on her phone, and the universal jack for the headphones fit it… but was shutting the world out the right choice?

A part of it was the dreams. She’d been having the same dream on and off since Christmas Eve. Flying through the thunderstorm only to get blown out of the sky. It was starting to become genuinely unsettling and she had already written to Twilight about it. Her friend had promised to get back to her but didn’t have anything for her at that moment, so Sunset was left just… waiting.

Between that and day-to-day stresses the world was just so… tiring. Yet despite that, Sunset still wanted to run towards the next objective, sprint to her next milestone in life, whatever that may be; graduation or even marriage.

Sunset blushed again as she often did when remembering Gilda’s promise to her. For such a rough-looking girl, she was wonderfully sensitive to Sunset’s needs. Gilda wanted Sunset to know that she would never be left alone, Gilda knew well enough how bad her anxiety over getting abandoned could become.

Promising to marry her, though?

It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Part of Sunset wasn’t sure she was ready for that kind of commitment but the rest of her… craved it. She wanted something real. Marriage wasn’t for everyone, and there was a time she had scoffed at it. With her whole life having been lived in one form of transience or another, though; either as an orphan destined to be adopted or eventually turned out for being too old, to being a student destined to graduate or fail, to… being a friend. Destined to be abandoned, it would seem.

Now though… what Gilda promised her wasn’t an either-or.

Closing her book, Sunset beamed silently to herself as she hugged the book to her chest.

She was destined to be a wife to an incredible, wonderful woman.

“Guess it just goes to show,” Sunset muttered quietly to herself, “sometimes you never really know what you’ll want until you see it.”

Sunset often told Gilda that she was her world, and Gilda returned the affection, but… at the same time Sunset wasn’t certain how much Gilda truly understood how real that sentiment was for her.

Truth was, it scared Sunset. The idea that when she closed her eyes she honestly couldn’t imagine being without Gilda. Without the tall, dark, smirking girl, it felt like Sunset’s entire world just… crumbled. For someone who had, for so long, defined her entire world by reflecting it off of herself, the idea that her world now depended on someone else was genuinely terrifying.

“I wonder how much of that is the control freak in me talking…” Sunset mused in annoyance to herself. She gave Twilight a lot of crap for being neurotic but Sunset knew damn well she wasn’t much better.

The lock on the door unsnapped and Sunset felt a smile trace up her face reflexively. Gilda pushed the door open carrying a couple of large paper bags, slightly damp from the snow, into the flat before kicking the door closed behind her.

“Hey, Sunshine,” Gilda greeted her girlfriend with a smile. “What’s kickin’.”

“Not me,” Sunset answered wryly, getting a roll of the eyes from Gilda. “Meant to ask this morning but did you wanna do anything? Since it’s New Year’s Eve and all?”

“Didn’t really have any plans,” Gilda said, shrugging as she dropped the bags on the table and started putting the groceries away. “Figured we’d stay in or somethin’, savvy? ‘Less you had somewhere t’be?”

Sunset considered what she was about to propose, it wasn’t the best idea but it was definitely something Sunset wanted to do. Partially because it was a little tradition she’d become used to and partially because, honestly, she wanted to share it with Gilda. After a moment of thought, Sunset nodded.

“Y-yeah, I actually kinda do,” Sunset said with a smile. “I wanna go back down to the docks tonight.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow at that. “Mind me askin’ why?”

“Mm, well…” Sunset leaned back against the wall as she set her book aside. “See, you know the big fireworks show that happens on the north end of the pier off the boardwalk?”

“Up in the super ritzy part’a town?” Gilda asked, and Sunset nodded. “Yeah, I know of it, ain’t ever seen it ‘cause, y’know, poor.”

“I’ve watched it every year,” Sunset said with a smirk. “See, turns out you can see it pretty well from the rooftops of the warehouses.”

Gilda’s face fell as Sunset spoke and she stood up, rubbing the back of her neck uneasily. “I mean, sure… but… Sunshine… y’legs.”

Sunset crooked an eyebrow up at Gilda’s words. “C’mon, Gil, I’m a literal genius, you don’t think I haven’t thought of that?”

“W-well, nah, but,” Gilda stammered, earning a smile from Sunset. “I just… if… if ya wanna, sure, no problem, Sunshine. When does it start?”

“Midnight, obviously,” Sunset replied. “So we’ve got some time, it’s only about four, but we’ll have to hoof it, the buses don’t run that late, savvy?”

“Hoof it,” Gilda repeated, chuckling and getting a scowl from Sunset.

“Oh come on! That’s actually a phrase here!” Sunset shouted, throwing her arms into the air. “Not fair!”

“S-Sorry, Sunflower, s’just funny ‘cause y’know, pony,” Gilda said laughing a little as she finished putting the groceries away. “Alright so… fireworks by the dock, sounds good.”

“Good,” Sunset said before giving her girlfriend a sultry look. “Now c’mere and kiss me, Gil.”

Gilda grinned widely back at Sunset and doffed her bomber jacket. “Don’t have’ta tell me twice, Sunshine.”

Whenever Gilda was feeling in the mood, she did something that Sunset found very appealing.

She would stalk.

Sunset was pretty sure Gilda didn’t even know she did it despite the fact that she was doing it right at that very moment. Heel to toe, one foot in front of the other, slowly advancing with her eyes fixed directly on Sunset. Golden eyes, the eyes of a raptor, the eyes of a hawk… the eyes of a predator.

Maybe it was a holdover from being born and raised a pony, a herbivorous prey species by nature, but the idea of being stalked; the idea that at any moment she could be pounced on and have teeth fixed around her neck, made Sunset’s heart race.

Because it was Gilda.

It would always be Gilda.

And those sharp, entrancing eyes of burnished gold were only for Sunset.

Gilda towered over her, making Sunset feel small and vulnerable. There was nowhere she could go. Nowhere she could run. And nowhere in the world that she would rather be.

Lowering herself down, Gilda brought one hand up to Sunset’s neck as their lips met while the other went around her bare back and traced down her spine to her waist. Sunset shivered as Gilda pressed her thumb softly against Sunset’s throat and trailed it down to the soft flesh of her neck. Sunset reached up and tangled her fingers into Gilda’s hair, feeling the soft, shaggy locks and shivering again as Gilda nipped at her lip and licked softly, darting her tongue in teasingly before pulling away.

Sunset let out a soft gasp as she and Gilda finally parted, then smiled.

“Good girl,” Sunset whispered. “Now do it again.”

“C’mon, Gil, can’t we go any faster?” Sunset complained as Gilda pushed her towards the warehouse district. “We’re going at half the speed of smell, here!”

“Hey,” Gilda countered with a laugh. “It ain’t my fault we’re running late, Sunshine. You were the one who decided to keep goin’.”

Sunset blushed heavily before glaring at Gilda. “H-Hey, sometimes I get caught up, okay? Not my fault I’ve got such a stupid-pretty girlfriend.”

“Considerin’ how hard I fell in love with you, babe? I’m gonna say it’s a little bit your fault, savvy?” Gilda laughed as they rolled through evening air.

The streets were mostly clear, the snows had abated somewhat and combined with the efforts of the city council much of the main streets and sidewalks of the city had been kept open and free of sleet. There were a lot of people out at first, and Sunset and Gilda moved quietly among them. Sunset occasionally pulled her beanie down further over her head to hide herself, more out of reflex than intention, or so it seemed to Gilda. Sunset’s suddenly timid reflexes hurt Gilda’s heart a bit, especially knowing how strong she really was.

The closer they got to the warehouse district the thinner the crowds became until there was only the two of them. Sunset would have felt uneasy about being out in the middle of the night like this, except Gilda was by her side. All romantic and lovey-dovey bullshit aside, Gilda had no mercy for people who threatened either her or Sunset. There was no two ways about it.

“Hey Gilda?” Sunset said softly as the sounds of the city night fell loosely around them. “Can I ask you a question?”

Gilda looked down curiously at Sunset but nodded. “Sure thing, Sunshine.”

“Why… why did you fall in love with me?” Sunset asked in a quiet voice.

For several minutes Gilda was quiet. It didn’t bother Sunset, she knew she’d asked a strange question that, at the very least, warranted a little bit of thought before blurting out an answer. In that moment the only sound in the world was the distant sound of car engines, the faint rumble of a city that never quite fell into full rest, and the dull crunch of slush under Sunset’s wheels.

“I think…” Gilda began after a moment, “that… I was sorta always a little in love with you, savvy?”

Sunset felt her cheeks warm at the notion. “What do you mean?”

“Like, when you first came to Canterlot High, you were this fireball’a crazy, right?” Gilda said, chuckling a little. “Like, no one could tell you no and you went from new girl to Queen B in what felt like ten seconds flat.”

“And… that made you fall in love with me?” Sunset asked wryly, glancing up at GIlda.

“Nah… it was…” Gilda grimaced before taking a slow breath. “The first time I saw ya it was… right after school let out, couple years back, savvy?”

“Freshman year, right?” Sunset asked.

“Mm, yeah, I was on the roof’a the school, y’know how I like bein’ high up,” Gilda replied, and Sunset nodded with a laugh. “And I was watchin’ everyone go home and… I see this girl right? Red and gold hair with a cocky smirk like she’s the biggest fish in the pond and doesn’t give a shit who knows it.”

“Gee, I wonder who that was,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes.

“And I’m sittin’ there, right?” Gilda continued. “And I see this guy come up and slap your ass.”

Sunset blushed, suddenly remembering the moment. “Oh, right, that Junior… can’t even remember his name but he’d been hitting on me all week. Couldn’t take no for a fuckin’ answer.”

“Yeah, and see, it was weird,” Gilda said, “because the moment he touched you I wanted to rip his hand off.”

“Aww,” Sunset cooed, “even when I was a rancid bitch you liked me!”

“Eh, turns out I didn’t need’ta bother, savvy?” Gilda said with a smirk. “Y’know, ‘cause he barely got a step away before you grabbed him, punched him in the gut, knee’d him in the nards, and then headbutt him and dropped him to the ground.”

“O-oh… right,” Sunset said a little uneasily, laughing as she remembered the incident. “I got in big trouble for that. I was lucky people mentioned him slapping my ass first… they were more concerned with me pressing sexual assault charges after that.”

“Heh, yeah,” Gilda laughed. “Then you kicked him a few times for good measure, and I’m pretty sure you spat on him before walking away.”

“Uh… yeah,” Sunset confirmed, burying her face in her hands. “Wow, I was such a horrific bitch back then, huh?”

“Whatever, that guy was a tool,” Gilda retorted. “Anyways, yeah, I just remember watching you fuckin’ throw hands at this guy and thinkin’ to myself, ‘damn, that’s kinda hot’.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Sunset asked, mildly horrified. “Your first sight of me was beating the snot out of some asshole and that was your first thought?”

Gilda shrugged and nodded.

“Yeah, I watched this walnut-fucking goober get his face smashed in by a girl half his size and I guess the back end’a my brain went, ‘yep, savvy, that’s her, that’s the girl we’re gonna marry’,” Gilda snarked. “Pretty sure I got the vapors right around when you were kickin’ him in the stomach while he was down.”

Sunset groaned, retreating back into her hands. “Well, I don’t know what I expected…”

“Yeah, dunno if you were hopin’ for somethin’ more romantic, Sunshine,” Gilda said, laughing a little as she turned the corner towards the piers. “But you’re kinda barkin’ up the wrong tree, savvy?”

“I’m kinda getting that feeling, too, babe,” Sunset remarked, rolling her eyes as she leaned back in her chair and looked up at Gilda. “We’re pretty fucked up, aren’t we?”

“Only the finest’a fuckups for you, Sunflower,” Gilda answered with a cocked grin.

Sunset couldn’t help it, she started laughing. Not small chortles or giggle but full bore, knee-slapping laughter. Nothing about their relationship had been normal so Sunset couldn’t convince herself to be surprised that even its most raw beginnings would have been any different. Walking along behind her, pushing her chair, Gilda smiled. Her girl was practically howling with laughter and the sound of her happiness filled Gilda’s heart in a way she hadn’t thought was possible.

After a few minutes, Sunset got a hold of herself. Wiping the tears of joy from her eyes she gestured vaguely off to the side.

“Over there is fine, that warehouse has a pretty solid roof,” Sunset said, pointing to a small, two-story shipping warehouse.

Gilda examined it, her eyes trailing up and down it for a moment as they got closer and she parked Sunset in the alley along the building’s east wall.

“Sunny, there ain’t no way we’re gettin’ in there,” Gilda said, waving her hand at the building. “And there’s no way up the fire escape from here without gettin’ real creative.”

“We don’t need to,” Sunset said with a cryptic grin. “Because you’re going to fly me up.”

Gilda’s eyes widened at Sunset’s words. “Sunny are you fuckin’ nuts?” Gilda asked as she wheeled around to face her girlfriend. “The whole two fuckin’ times I’ve actually changed-”

“-Ponied up.”

“-whatever, was completely fuckin’ involuntary, savvy?!” Gilda finished. “I literally couldn’t fuckin’ tell ya how I did it!”

Sunset wheeled up to Gilda and held out her hands to grasp Gilda’s.

“Gil, please listen,” Sunset said, her mischievous expression falling away. “Magic is no joke, it’s dangerous, and like any kind of power it can go really, really wrong. You’ve seen it happen to me… and I never, ever want something like that to happen to you.”

“I… I know, Sunshine, but…” Gilda stammered, looking around nervously. “I ain’t some superhero, though. I have no idea what I’m fuckin’ doing! I barely got you to the hospital by crashing into the asphalt the first time it happened, and the second time I almost killed Tempest, savvy?”

“I know,” Sunset insisted. “Trust me I know, why do you think I’m asking you to do this? I want you to be able to control it! If you never learn? If you’re too afraid to learn? Then believe me when I say that eventually this power will control you, Gil.”

Gilda flinched at the force in Sunset’s tone. The redhead was deadly serious, Gilda could tell, and she couldn’t exactly tell Sunset she was wrong given that Gilda knew precisely jack with a side of shit about magic.

“But…”

“No buts,” Sunset said, glaring at Gilda. “I’m sorry… I know it’s terrifying, believe me… I’m a pyrothurge, babe, that’s like, one of the the most dangerous disciplines. Half of history’s great masters ended by blowing themselves up!” Gilda grimaced as she imagined the outcome of that but nodded. “So look,” Sunset continued, “this power isn’t going away, okay? It’s here to stay, so you need to learn to control it.”

“What if… what if I hurt ya, though?” Gilda asked in a very small voice. “What if I go outta control or my powers go wild? W-what if-”

Sunset silenced her girlfriend a squeeze of her hands. “You won’t.”

“How do you know?!” Gilda cried out, grimacing as she felt the unfamiliar and unwelcome nausea of terror in her gut. “How can ya fuckin’ know, Sunny?”

“I… I don’t,” Sunset answered after a moment. “But I trust you, Gilda Grimfeather. I trust you with more than my life… if we’re going to be…” Sunset blushed furiously as she worked the words out of her mouth, “...be married one day, that means I’m trusting you with my whole future, too.”

Gilda knelt down in the slush in front of Sunset, gripping her hands tightly as she fought back the feelings of anger that always accompanied her reaction to fear. There was no one to be angry at but herself or Sunset and that wasn’t an option, and besides she knew she was being irrational but… still.

“Do… d’ya know what my worst fuckin’ fear is, Sunflower?” Gilda asked in a low, slightly raw voice, and Sunset shook her head. “It’s hurtin’ you… it’s… it’s the idea that one day I’m gonna be like my pops and just… hurt people, but if I ever really hurt you, Sunshine? I think it’d fuckin’ kill me.”

Sunset wiped a few tears from her face as she brushed a hand over Gilda’s cheek. “I hate to break it to you, Gil, but one day… you will.”

Gilda’s eyes widened, part in fury and part in fear, but Sunset held a hand up to forestall the incoming tirade of denial.

“It’s life, okay?” Sunset started, leaning in to press her forehead to Gilda’s. “Friends, loved ones, family? We all hurt each other, sometimes really badly, that’s part of life. What my mom taught me, though, is that most of the time, like a strong ninety percent, it’s just an accident.” Sunset brought her other hand up to Gilda’s cheek and drew her in for a soft kiss. As they parted, Sunset smiled. “I’ll probably hurt you too, and I hate the idea of it, but… it’ll probably happen. All I can do is trust and hope that when it happens, you’ll forgive me.”

“But… Sunshine, I just… I don’t wanna ever hurt you, babe,” Gilda said in a choked voice. “I never want ya to be afraid’a me or think I ain’t gonna spend my whole life makin’ you happy or… anythin’ okay?”

“Life is a mess, Gil,” Sunset replied. “No one can know what will happen or how they’ll act in the moment but… but I never, ever want to leave you. I trust you, Gilda… the question is that when it happens… will you trust me?”

Gilda’s eyes widened at the question. There it was… if a mistake was inevitable, did Gilda have it in her trust someone else to forgive her? Gilda closed her eyes and tried her best to pushed everything to the side. All the fear, and the pain and doubt. All the things that had defined her life from when her parents died until the day she first held Sunset in her arms.

Reaching forward, Gilda wrapped Sunset in a gentle embrace, burying her face in Sunset’s shoulder and breathed deeply. Would she trust Sunset?

Of course she would.

Gilda trusted Sunset with her life. No, with more than her life. She trusted Sunset with something that she hadn’t trusted anyone with since she left the Kings. Something far more powerful and more precious and more important than her life. Gilda would do whatever it took to keep Sunset happy and to keep her safe, she trusted Sunset with…

Sunset returned the hug, and chuckled a little. “Well, I don’t know what you were thinking off, babe, but it must’ve been pretty important.”

Opening her eyes, Gilda felt a half-familiar weight on her back. Looking behind her, she stared at the wide, brown feathered wings that stretched wide from her back. Grinning wildly, Gilda swept Sunset up out of the chair and into her arms.

Bending at the knees, Gilda smirked. “Brace y’self, babe.”

Sunset giggled as she held on tight to Gilda. A moment later Gilda’s wings surged, sending the snow, slush, and wheelchair toppling over as the two girls rocketed into the sky.

“Oops, overshot,” Gilda chuckled as she angled herself back down. This time she was careful to flap her wings slowly, letting her lift die down as she lowered the two of them to the roof. “There… hey, that… that wasn’t so hard.”

Sitting down and gathering Sunset into her lap, the two girls stared up at the sky as all around the city the clocks began counting down to midnight.

“What were you thinking of?” Sunset asked as she settled into Gilda’s lap. “C’mon! I wanna know!”

Gilda smiled warmly. “I… I was thinkin’a you,” she answered, “not like, in general, ‘cause that’s sorta always a thing, y’know? It was more like… like I haven’t thought of anyone since… since Zee died.”

“What do you mean?” Sunset asked.

“When I was with the gang, I did everything I was asked,” Gilda said, her eyes clouding. “When pops asked me to do something he knew it was as good as done. No matter how many heads needed bustin’ or miles needed t’be ran. Everyone else was good at shit, right? They were fast or strong or smarter but me? Y'know what Pops said was the thing that made me special? What made me his favorite?”

“That you were loyal,” Sunset said, her eyes widening and jaw dropping.

Gilda smiled wide, her white teeth stark against her skin and in the dark night. “Yeah… I owned that shit, there was no one, no how, in that shitty gang that was more loyal than me.”

“No way…” Sunset whispered so low that even Gilda couldn’t hear and feeling a faint itch in the back of her mind. “It couldn’t be…”

Holding up her hands, Gilda grinned. “But you? I’d die f’you Sunset Shimmer, I’d do whatever it took, whenever and wherever, savvy? This world ain’t nothin’ t’me, got it? I’d burn it all if I had to, ‘cause nothing gets in the way of me and my heart.”

As Gilda spoke, sparks began to dance and fly, and both of their eyes widened. Rime grew over Gilda’s fingers but it didn’t feel cold. Flexing her fingers, faint wisps of gray floated around her hands causing Sunset to stare.

“Incredible… that's Stormcasting,” Sunset muttered. “I wonder if you’d be a Pegasus on the other side of the mirror.”

“What’s that?” Gilda asked, her eyebrow crooking upward.

Sunset gestured a little vaguely. “It’s… native magic, only a few flying races have it; mostly Pegasi. It means you can shape clouds, make storms, even touch lightning. Mom must have sensed your attunement to the art, that’s why she gave you Huracán!”

“What about, like, ice?” Gilda asked.

Before Sunset could answer with more than an affirmative nod, midnight chimed from the clocktower in upper Canterlot. From the rooftop, through the clear skies and open winter air, the sound carried thunderously. Gilda grinned wildly as an incredibly stupid and perfect idea popped up in her head, and she swept up her girlfriend and kissed her hard, passion and fire shooting through her heart as she pressed her lips against Sunset’s who squeaked in surprise but wrapped her arms around Gilda.

Pulling free, Gilda’s grin was even more madcap than before. “Wait here, baby!”

Carefully picking Sunset up and setting her down beside where she’d been sitting, Gilda stood, dusting herself off and smiling down at Sunset’s confused expression.

“Be right back!”

Turning on her heel, Gilda sprinted at the edge of the roof and leapt off and Sunset nearly choked on her tongue as she screamed. A moment later a figure rocketed up into the sky with a half-feral woop of elation.

Seconds later the sky exploded in color as fireworks detonated throughout the horizon. Sunset's eyes widened as she watched her girlfriend wing through the sky, spiraling around and around, clouds and ice particles forming in the center of the space Gilda was circling until finally the winged girl stopped and held out her hands. Sunset could make out her figure from the roof, she could see the lightning and pure magic dancing between Gilda’s hands as the small twister of ice and cloud tightened to a sphere between her fingers.

Up in the sky, Gilda was sweating in spite of the frosty temperatures. Her wings pumped hard to keep her aloft as she concentrated. “C’mon… c’mon… just this once! This one fuckin’ time!”

Sparks of lightning and something more pure flickered between Gilda’s open palms. Ice crystals condensed and Gilda fixed an image tightly in her mind’s eye as the wind howled around her and the sky burst in a kaleidoscope of rainbow patterns and furious color.

Then it happened. Something connected between Gilda’s mind and some other, more ephemeral part of her. A snap of displacement echoed through the air and a small object fell into Gilda’s hand.

Panting, Gilda looked down and grinned wildly again.

“FUCK YEAH!” Gilda wooped as she wheeled about in the air. “Harry Potter can eat my ass!”

Flapping upwards, Gilda shot forward and then pitched down, flaring her wings once she got to the edge of the roof. Gilda stuck her landing this time, boots hitting the roof firmly, and as soon as her feet were under her she ran to Sunset, only to drop to her knees in front of her girlfriend.

“Gilda, what the fuck was that?!” Sunset demanded. “I know I said for you to learn to control your powers but please, for Celestia’s sake, be careful.”

“Sorry babe,” Gilda said, still grinning. “But I had to see if I could do it!”

“Do what?”

“I… I know it’s ice,” Gilda said, shakily, “so… so it won’t last, savvy? But… for tonight? For now?” Opening her hand she held her palm outstretched to Sunset.

Sitting in the middle of her palm was a perfect shining ring of blue ice adorned with wings engraved along the edges. On the inside of the ring were engraved the words: ‘My Sunset, My Sunrise, My Everything’

Sunset clapped her hands over her mouth as she stared down at it for a moment as fireworks crashed above them.

“Happy New Year, Sunshine,” Gilda said with teary eyes. “Maybe it’s stupid, and sudden, and too soon, and maybe we’re too young and all that other shit people tell other people but fuck’em right? What part of our lives has ever been fuckin’ normal?”

Reaching out with her other hand, Gilda lifted Sunset’s right hand and gently took her ring finger.

“I ain’t in the business of waitin’ for anythin’ if I can have it right now, savvy? ‘Cause who knows what’ll happen tomorrow? Who knows what’s round the next corner? So wha’dya say, Sunflower?” Gilda choked out. “Make me the happiest girl in the world?”

Completely unable to speak, Sunset nodded furiously, tears of joy streaming down her face as Gilda slipped the ring onto Sunset’s finger. Sunset gasped as it sparkled in the flashing lights from above them.

“It’s… it’s so cold,” Sunset mumbled finally.

“Y-yeah…” Gilda chuckled. “Sorry ‘bout that, babe.”

Sunset shook her head and stared up at Gilda with bright, gleaming eyes as she shoved her left hand in her pocket and pulled free a golden, jeweled bracelet. Taking Gilda’s right hand, she fitted it around Gilda’s wrist.

“There,” Sunset said softly. “That won’t melt, and… and even though other people won’t know what it means… no one else needs to know, right? But I’ll know what it means… and so will you.”

“Yeah, everyone else’ll have a fuckin’ opinion,” Gilda said, nodding shakily, staring at the beautiful piece of jewelry that Sunset had just put on her. “This is f’us, Sunshine. We’re gonna make this crazy thing work no matter what, savvy?”

“Our promise… I like that,” Sunset agreed, her face split by a rapturous smile, “now stop talking and kiss me.”

Under the stars, in the cold winter air and wrapped in the warmth of feathers and falling snow, Gilda and Sunset kissed. The air crackled and snapped with fireworks that were echoed by a distant, oncoming storm, but in that moment there was nothing else in the world but them.

Author's Notes:

Kiss me like you miss me, Red