The sunlight streamed through the curtains of the Principal’s office and the day, overall, looked to be starting perfectly. It was the sort of chilly, late winter morning that wasn’t so frigid as to be unbearable while the sun shone clear overhead giving a tolerable warmth to the air, and better yet, little to no breeze. All-in-all it was probably one of Celestia’s favorite types of mornings, and she would have been enjoying it significantly more if not for the conversation she was forced to have with her sister.

“We’re not announcing the teams yet, we still have time,” Principal Celestia said firmly. “I’m not budging on that Luna.”

“I know you want them for the team, sister,” the Vice Principal said in a tone she hoped was mollifying. “But it’s not fair to the rest of the school, I don’t want to do this either but waiting until the last minute won’t help if Miss Grimfeather doesn’t-”

“Don’t say it,” Celestia snapped, her marble expression vanishing for a moment.

Luna sighed, it wasn’t often she was witness to those sorts of looks on her sister’s face. Celestia had always been the stoic one, sometimes to the detriment of all involved, but she always kept her cool. That cool head had been entirely absent over the past several days ever since the events at the meadow. Not only for the two sisters on a personal level but for the school itself.

Originally, they had planned on having Sunset and Gilda both on the team for the Friendship Games. Every Friendship Games began the same: with the Academic Decathlon Elimination, and with Sunset holding up the academic theory side they intended Gilda to be put in place for the workshop style events. With those placements, they had hoped to have a good chance this year.

For all of her academic falterings, Gilda had routinely held one of the highest grades in the mechanical classes like Shop, and only her atrocious attitude and reputation as a bully had initially kept her out of the runnings for the team. Celestia and Luna both believed strongly in a cohesive team synergy and having a contentious figure like Gilda on the team would have gone a long way towards ruining that.

Ever since the turn of the new year, though, Gilda had not only started earning a more positive reputation, doubtless helped along by her relationship with Sunset, but also had started making genuine friends of her own. That combined with the curriculum adaptation she had been given to account for her dyslexia had even pushed her academic grades well into tolerable ranges, and while she wasn’t the star student that Sunset was (as very few in the school were) she was certainly stepping into the higher echelons of academic success.

Or at least she was until…

“She’ll wake up,” Celestia said insistently. “Sunset already has, and she’s recovering quickly, Gilda will wake up.”

“And if-” Luna bit her tongue and sighed, “when she does, do you really think she’ll be in any shape to want to take part in the games?”

“I don’t know,” Celestia said quietly. “But I intend to give her the chance, we’ve failed Gilda spectacularly as educators for years, Luna, you and I both know that, and I refuse to replace her until I have no other choice.”

“I’d argue we’re already there,” Luna retorted. “The Friendship games are at the beginning of May, meaning-”

“-meaning we have well over a month!” Celestia snapped.

“No!” Luna slammed a palm onto Celestia’s desk. “The games begin the first week of May, and the teams are supposed to have this time to study, practice, and cohere as a group!” Luna stood and began pacing in front of her sister’s desk. “You know all of this, sister! I know you do! And believe me it kills me to say this but you cannot give them preferential treatment!” Celestia grimaced as she leaned back in her chair, but Luna wasn’t finished. “We’ve never left group selection this late before, and it isn’t fair to the rest of the members of the team. You have to find a replacement, make the announcement, and begin the process of advanced study for the acadeca, and you know it.”

“It’s not just about how I feel,” Celestia said after taking a slow breath. “Let’s not beat around the bush, Lulu… Sunset Shimmer is our ace; you know it, I know it, and the whole damn school knows it.”

Luna grimaced. As much as she didn’t like putting one student above others, she knew it was true. Sunset Shimmer had the highest grades in the entire school with straight A-pluses across the board, and she was in every Advanced Placement class the school could offer without overloading her schedule, and moreover, she blazed through even those subjects with almost effortless-looking ease.

Of course, Luna knew that a huge part of that was simply how driven Sunset was as a person. She studied, she pushed herself, and she focused… her drive and ambition didn’t permit her to be anything less than the best, and that was as true back in her bad-girl days as it was now.

So yes, Luna knew full well that Sunset Shimmer was their ace, she would easily be the match of whoever was the lead for the Crystal Prep team that year, and that was almost always whoever had the highest grades during selection. Furthermore, Luna and Celestia were both aware that Crystal Prep had a much more unforgiving curriculum by dint of being a private school: they had better facilities, better-paid faculty, and that showed in their students.

And Luna knew full well that Sunset Shimmer was probably smarter than all of them.

“Sunset is a polymath, a polyglot, and has enough ambition to topple an empire, and I wish that was less literal than I know it is, Lu,” Celestia continued, ticking off the relevant points from her fingers, “she’s a legitimate genius and our best bet for beating Crystal Prep in decades, and if Gilda isn’t on the team… no, especially if Gilda is still comatose… how do you think that will affect her?”

Luna sagged a little but nodded. She couldn’t deny that her sister did have a point. Sunset would almost certainly perform better with Gilda present and acting as her defacto second-in-command. The fiery redhead always had a knack for leadership, and Luna was absolutely certain she could whip whatever team they gave her into fighting shape.

Assuming Sunset herself was in any shape to do so.

“I’m not just thinking about myself here, Luna,” Celestia said softly, bringing her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Sunset’s morale is a serious concern for the efficacy of the team… if I cut Gilda from the team I might as well be cutting Sunset too and that simply isn’t an option.”

“So what, we hope for a miracle?” Luna asked in a wry voice. “Given our past few months, I’d say we might very well be fresh out of miracles.”

“I have faith that Gilda will wake up soon,” Celestia replied. “If for no other reason than that not even a near-death experience and the loss of an arm could keep that girl away from Sunset Shimmer.”

“While I can't say I disagree, I will say that you really are a hopeless romantic, sister,” Luna said with a laugh before smiling mischievously. “Speaking of which, how is Chryssi?”

Celestia flushed crimson. “Luna, that’s highly inappropriate!”

“Oh come on,” Luna chuckled, waving a hand. “School hasn’t even started yet, I don’t have to put on my big-girl pants for another hour, and I know you went to dinner last night.”

“We went to dinner to discuss this exact situation,” Celestia said heatedly, “I just wanted another opinion on it!”

“So you’re saying you didn’t spend half the evening playing footsy under the table?” Luna asked, one eyebrow raised.

Celestia worked her jaw for a moment and Luna’s grin only widened the longer it took her sister to deny it. Before Celestia could say anything though, Luna stepped around the desk and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Celly, look, I know how much of a torch you still have for Chryssi,” Luna said, her expression softening from its impishness to something warmer. “And Chrysalis is clearly still in love with you… you know how flirty she is but with all of her jet-setting and world travel, have you ever once heard her mention another woman? A tryst? A liaison of any kind?”

Celestia stared up at Luna for a moment before sighing and shaking her head wordlessly.

“Chryssi is still madly in love with you, Celly,” Luna said quietly. “You and I both know that since she’s not exactly subtle about it, even if her delivery leaves something to be desired.”

“We all decided that she and I would be better as friends,” Celestia said in a manner that suggested it was something she repeated to herself in rote.

Luna cursed under her breath. “We decided that when we were in university, sister, which was over a decade ago! You’ve changed and so has she! Do you really think that I, of all people, would be the one pushing this matter if I didn’t think it was a good idea?!”

“But last time-”

“Was almost fifteen years ago!” Luna cut in. “Neither of you are the same woman you were back then… you’re more mature, more responsible, and you both are going be miserable without each other if you keep this up!” Luna sighed in annoyance. “Or are you saying you don’t love her?”

“Of course I love her!” Celestia snapped, teary-eyed. “She’s all I think about some days! I worry about her constantly! Her work is dangerous, even if she’s rarely in the actual field!” Celestia buried her face in her hands as Luna put an arm over her sister’s shoulders. “I love her so much, Lulu,” Celestia cried quietly, “so much that there’s no room for another woman, and you know it! So don’t ask me if I love her, because you know that I do.”

“I do know,” Luna said quietly. “Which is why I want you two to try again.”

“And if it goes wrong?” Celestia asked in a grim voice. “If it all falls apart again?”

“It won’t,” Luna insisted firmly. “If for no other reason than because neither of you will let yourselves be the person you were before, and if it doesn’t work out?” Luna shrugged. “I have faith that you’ll remain as friends, I don’t think that two people who care this much about one another would let something like that get between you two, and honestly I don’t think it will fail.”

Celestia sighed and let her head thump down to her desk before mumbling into the wooden surface: “I’m too goddamn old for this, Lu…”

“Sometimes we have to take the long way around to get to where we need to be, Celly,” Luna said, patting Celestia’s shoulder. “After all of this is settled, after we’ve resolved this latest crisis, promise me that you’ll try again with Chrysalis, please?”

“And if she says no?” Celestia asked in a small voice.

Luna rolled her eyes. “Celestia Sonen, you and I both know damn well that Chrysalis has never in her life been able to say no to you.”

Celestia chuckled softly but nodded. “Fine… alright, we’ll give it another shot… assuming we all survive this and the world doesn’t end.”

“Do you feel like we’re getting a bit blasé about that lately?” Luna asked with a sardonic grin.

Celestia leaned back in her chair and laughed a little. “No, I think it’s just a combination of weary resignation and numbness, actually. But seriously, this would be the, what, third magical disaster in six months?”

“Something to that effect,” Luna agreed. “Maybe we should quit teaching and become full-time magical monster hunters.”

“Not that teaching is a massive earner, but I highly doubt solving magical mysteries pays well,” Celestia shot back, matching her sister’s smile.

Luna scoffed. “That’s assuming we’d have to go anywhere considering all of these frustrations seem perfectly content to shit in our backyard, as it were.”

The good-natured grumbling of the two sisters was interrupted by a faint ringing and a moment later Celestia had her phone out and to her ear. Luna watched, almost not daring to breathe as the look on her sister’s face shifted from worry, to shock, and finally to relief and as Celestia set the phone down, she smiled up at Luna.

“Was that our miracle?” Luna asked hopefully.

“We’ll see how it pans out,” Celestia replied, letting out a sigh that bled out a great deal of tension from her shoulders before looking up her at sister with a hint of her old humor. “But, as my students are wont to say: bitch it might be.”

“...so the temperatures are like, negative-twenty Fahrenheit by earth standards,” Sonata continued with a grin, “there’s a blizzard outside, the opera house is on fire, the yakistani oligarchs have all declared war on each other, the building is falling apart around us and Aria yells: ‘What is wrong with this place!? We haven’t done anything yet!’ and for once Adagio is speechless!”

“Oh dear,” Raven replied, badly holding in her laughter while Sunset was chortling around a mouthful of oatmeal. “The yakistani royal families have blamed you three for the Conflagration War for centuries, and you’re saying you…”

“We were just there for the hor d'oeuvres, well I was, and opening night obviously,” Sonata said, waving her hand. “Who wants to start a war in the frozen north, anyway? We weren’t even on the program for that evening!” Blowing a raspberry, Sonata took a bite out of her poppyseed muffin. “But no! The big bad sirens caused another war! Except we didn’t… that time… the other times were pretty much spot on.”

“The Griffon Imperial Schisms?” Raven asked simply, one eyebrow raised.

Sonata chuckled nervously, tugging at her collar. “Okay, look, that one was on us… but in our defense, their Emperor at the time was a real freak okay? He was in love with ‘Dagi, and she slapped him down… literally, and then he would not leave her alone.” Sonata took another bite and grunted angrily. “Seriously, it was constant overtures, and when that failed he tried taking her hostage! So we decided if he couldn’t take a hint we’d sort of collapse his entire empire for funsies.”

“That seems like kind of an overreaction,” Sunset said around another spoonful of oatmeal.

Sonata smirked. “Maybe, but it was a lot of fun! Besides, they ran everything on slaves. It’s not like there wasn’t a bunch of bubbling strife already.”

Sunset laughed a little at that, and Raven’s giggles joined hers soon after. Sonata, when she could be peeled away from her computer, was a surprisingly good story-teller, although her outfit had gotten more than a few odd looks.

At first, Sunset had thought it was a costume of some kind, but a cursory touch of the fabric told her it was entirely genuine: a thick, white linen nurse’s gown with a simple lace collar and slightly flared shoulders. Her shoes were simple pale cream heels and her normally chaotic tail of hair was tied up in a bun that was kept in place by a starched and spotless nurses cap circa eighteen-twenty.

“So I have to ask,” Sunset said with a smile as she set her spoon down, “that’s… a little out of date isn’t it?”

Sonata looked down at herself and shrugged. “Yeah, I have newer ones, but this one’s my favorite, I always take good care of it.”

“Fair enough,” Sunset replied, mirroring Sonata’s shrug. “I just-”

Sunset’s words died on her lips as she felt something indescribable, like a faint warmth in her chest. A tug and pull that wasn’t there a moment ago was now so insistent that she couldn’t ignore it even if she tried.

“Sunny?” Sonata leaned over to look her in the face. “What’s wrong?”

“Gilda…” Sunset whispered, “hey, ‘Nata, can you take me to Gilda’s room?”

The youngest siren raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue and instead she stood and moved behind Sunset, pulling her free of the table, carefully passing the other patrons and a capped custodian bussing the tables so as not to jostle them, and moving towards the bank of elevators that would take them to the floor where her and Gilda’s rooms were. Raven moved into step beside them, having stopped only to pick up the metal case that hadn’t left her side since her arrival through the portal.

“May I ask what’s wrong, Sunset?” Raven said in a quiet voice, looking down at the restless young woman. “You look shaken.”

“I’m not sure,” Sunset said firmly. “But I can feel… something, I think it’s our connection? Maybe it’s because of our Elements, but the bearers of the Elements are connected in ways that no human or pony truly understands, not even the Princesses.”

“And?” Sonata said, prompting more, but Sunset just shook her head.

“It might be nothing… I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up,” Sunset replied.

‘Especially not my own,’ Sunset thought grimly. For all she knew, she could be mistaking mild indigestion for an ethereal quality of some cosmic binding force.

They were nearly there when the door opened in a rush and Nurse Kindheart came hurrying out only to stop in her tracks a few feet from Sunset, Raven, and Sonata.

“Oh, dearie, I was just coming for you!” Kindheart’s expression couldn’t be mistaken for anything but joy. “She’s coming to!”

Sunset felt her breath catch and she jerked free of Sonata, gripping her wheels and pushing herself forward towards the door. Kindheart held it open so she could wheel in with a minimum of difficulty, and true to the nurse’s words… Gilda was stirring. Her pattern of breathing had changed and she was shifting in her sleep. Gilda’s once steady slumbering breaths were becoming deeper and a little more irregular as her face twitched slightly, and then her eyes fluttered open.

Sunset was by her side in an instant, feeling stinging tears of relief streaming down her cheeks. She wanted to say something, anything, but all she could manage was several choked sobs of relief as she stared into the slowly focusing eyes of glinting gold that lit her heart on fire no matter how often she saw them.

‘Gilda!” Sunset cried, finally working the words past her lips. “Baby… you’re back!”

Sobbing, Sunset pulled herself forward and buried her face in Gilda’s chest. Gilda chuckled a little weakly as she wrapped Sunset in her embrace.

Or tried to.

Sunset froze as she felt Gilda’s left arm go around her right side, and a slight bump from her left. Her relief was washed away in a sluice of icy chill that slid down her spine as she looked up at Gilda who was staring in mild confusion at where her right arm used to be. As if not quite believing what she was seeing, Gilda tried to move the short mass of bandages and when nothing else appeared, Sunset saw what she had feared ever since seeing the wound for herself.

A small spark of light went out of Gilda’s eyes.

“Oh…” it was a small noise that slipped past Gilda’s lips.

“Baby…” Sunset said softly. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

Gilda turned to Sunset and her face had the look of someone in a daze. “I don’t… Sunshine? I’m… missin’ somethin’.”

“It’s okay,” Sunset repeated, bringing a hand up to her cheek, “you were hurt, Gil… really badly, and there was nothing they could do but I’m still here and I always will be, okay?”

“Sunny?” Sonata stepped in but Sunset just shook her head without looking up.

“Please, ‘Nata,” Sunset said in a carefully controlled voice. “C-can you give me and Gilda the room, please? And make sure we aren’t disturbed?”

“The Doctor-”

“Sonata!” Sunset’s voice cracked and Sonata took an instinctive step back before nodding.

“Sure thing, Sunny.”

Sunset heard the door click closed behind her and resolved to apologise to Sonata profusely later on. She hadn’t deserved that, but right now Gilda couldn’t handle other people. Sunset knew well enough how badly Gilda responded to being seen as weak and, in her current state, she needed to find a center, some solid ground to stand on, before anything else.

“Gil?” Sunset said softly. “Talk to me, babe.”

“What happened t’me?” Gilda asked in a low voice that betrayed no real emotion. “And… and h-how long?”

“A week or so,” Sunset replied softly. “And as for what happened… Grizelda… your sister she… she tried to kill you. She almost did… it was close baby… really, really close.”

“And… Zee?” Gilda asked hesitantly, and Sunset could hear the fear in her voice.

“Alive as far as I know,” Sunset said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “The other Twilight Sparkle teleported her out of there before I could… before I could make a terrible mistake.”

Gilda nodded. “So you… y’tried to-”

“She all but killed you, Gil,” Sunset bit out, “you have no idea what… what watching that was like. I had to watch her hurt you, I watched her… I heard you screaming… Written’s Quill, Gilda, I can still hear it.”

Gilda shifted in place, pulling herself slowly up until she was propped up on the inclined bed and looked over at Sunset with inscrutable eyes, and for several moments she just stared. The quiet was deafening but Sunset had no idea what to say. How do you explain why you just tried to kill your girlfriend’s little sister? The one she lived for years thinking that she had killed? The one she just learned was actually alive?

“Who’s Written?” Gilda asked suddenly, and Sunset blinked in confusion at the question. “Y’always say ‘written’s quill’, they a person? Or pony?”

Working her jaw for a moment, Sunset considered brushing the question aside but, in the end, chose not to. It wasn’t like she had anything better to say to Gilda.

“Well… uh, to start with, Written Word is supposedly the first Alicorn,” Sunset began, “no one knows if she was real or not, honestly, but Princess Celestia talks about her like she was so… a-anyways, according to legend, Written Word was the Alicorn of Creation, her cutie mark was a Quill, nothing else, no adornments, just a simple Quill.” Sunset felt a small measure of comfort coming back to her as she spoke about her homeland, and her voice gained a little strength as she continued. “Stories say she wrote the language of water, creating springs and brooks, and even oceans. Then Written turned to the flatlands and wrote the tongue of mountains and the earth heaved into shape. Everywhere she went, Written Word wrote the world into existence with language and song, and her magic is supposedly the foundation of my homeworld. Swearing by Written’s Quill used to be like… an oath of truth, because her Quill could never write a lie, but now it’s mostly just, y’know… an oath in general.”

“Huh,” Gilda grunted.

Sunset waited for a moment, shuffling a little nervously before saying: “Uhm… why do you ask?”

“Dunno,” Gilda replied tonelessly. “I always kinda wondered but, y’know, not enough t’ask, savvy? Then I’m sittin’ here thinkin’ about how I almost died… how I might anyway if my sister swings back t’finish up,” Sunset bit her lip but didn’t interrupt as Gilda continued, “or pops y’know? And I think: I should ask that stupid fuckin’ question I’ve had for a long-ass time.”

“It’s… it’s not a stupid question,” Sunset said, “I didn’t even think about it’s just… something ponies say.”

“Nah, I know,” Gilda replied, her voice still empty. “Just… it’s weird, I almost fuckin’ die and go’n lose a limb and all I can think is… what didn’t I ask’er, y’know? What haven’t I said?”

Gilda started to shake and her whole body tremored as she lifted her remaining hand to her face with tension bleeding through her body.

“Did I tell ya I loved you enough times?” Gilda croaked. “Did I say how I’m fuckin’ sorry I ain’t strong enough to go toe-to-toe with my own baby sister and protect ya?” Tears streamed down her cheeks as her shaking redoubled until Gilda was nearly biting the words out. “Did I apologise for bein’ a fuckin’ piss-poor excuse for a girlfriend who can’t even protect the girl she loves more’n life from her psycho fuckin’ sister?”

“Gilda stop!” Sunset sobbed. “Please, it wasn’t your fault! I’m fine! I’m just fine!”

“Because you stopped her!” Gilda yelled, making Sunset flinch back. “I just got my fuckin’ ass kicked across the goddamn horizon, and then… fuck! If I can’t even do my own fuckin’ job then what use am I? I ain’t even got all my pieces anymore!” she gestured violently to her missing arm. “I’m… I’m just… fuckin’ useless now.”

“Never…” Sunset said firmly, working her voice past her tears. “You will never be useless, Gilda Grimfeather, do you hear me?”

“But-”

“I love you, Gilda,” Sunset cried, shaking in her wheelchair as she spoke but refusing to let her emotions steal her voice. She needed to say this, for her sake and for Gilda’s. “I love you like I’ve never loved anything or anyone in my entire life… and I don’t think I’ll ever love anyone else the way I love you. I don’t know if I can… I don’t think there's anyone in the world who I could trust like I trust you, Gil.” Sunset leaned in to take Gilda’s left hand and lace their fingers together. “I don’t care how cheesy it sounds, or how cliche or dumb or sappy, but I… I don’t feel whole without you, I don’t think I ever did and now… I can’t lose you, Gil… I’d give anything up but you, okay? You’re never useless, baby because I need you so badly. My life, and this whole stupid world, it’s all empty without you.”

“But… I’m broken,” Gilda sobbed, looking down at her arm. “I ain’t even a whole fuckin’ person anymore.”

“Gilda your missing arm doesn’t make you any less of a person than my useless fucking legs do for me, okay?” Sunset snapped. “You’ve spent these past several months convincing me I’m still worthwhile even if… if I can’t do everything I want to, so don’t think I’m not going to be there for you when you’re going through the same thing.”

Gilda sagged in place, giving a weak nod, but didn’t reply. Sunset couldn’t think of anything else to say except:

“Help me up,” Sunset said quietly. “I can’t get up on my own so… help me up.”

Looking over, Gilda frowned and glared at her stump, but moved anyway, shifting to the left and leaning so she could lock arms with Sunset and give her some leverage. Using Gilda’s arm as a lifting point, Sunset levered herself onto the hospital bed and laid back in it, still holding Gilda’s hand and being careful of her bandaged limb.

“I’m not leaving you, Gil,” Sunset said quietly. “Whatever we do, we do together… okay?”

Gilda gave another perfunctory nod but didn’t reply.

The hours passed quickly, with Doctor Tourniquet, exceedingly miffed at having been kept from his patient, performing his examination with as much care and thoroughness as he usually did, giving Gilda a rundown on her injury as well as possible treatments. Through it all, Gilda just nodded or stared silently. After Doctor Tourniquet was finished with Gilda's exam, he took Sunset aside and over to the hallway.

“Depression isn’t uncommon after something like this,” Tourniquet began in a low voice. “Among a host of other mental and physical issues, losing a limb is significantly worse than losing one’s mobility, from a mental health standpoint.” He gestured to Sunset’s legs with an apologetic grimace. “In your case, there’s still some hope for recovery but, for Gilda-”

“-the limb is missing entirely,” Sunset replied, “leave that to me.”

Tourniquet raised an eyebrow but rather than contest the issue, just sighed a little dejectedly. “You know, I’m starting to wonder what it is I’ve gotten myself into, precisely, by taking on your cases.”

“Would it help if I said that you really don’t want to know?” Sunset asked weakly.

“No, it would not,” replied the Doctor blithely. “Either way, though, I can say she’s in remarkably good health otherwise, even lacking much of the muscular atrophy I would expect to see after a week of being entirely sedentary combined with the shock of limb loss.”

“Yeah, small miracles right?” Sunset said with forced cheer.

‘What else do I say?’ Sunset thought with a small amount of grim humor. ‘Yeah doc, having three sirens hard-dumping magic into your patient’s body to regenerate internal damage and cope with the physical stress is a helluva thing, you should try it sometime!’

“Ri~ght,” Tourniquet said dryly. “Well, given that I’m seeing my hand in this case slip ever further off of it, I beg you at least consult with me before doing anything drastic, please?”

“We will, I promise,” Sunset agreed.

As Tourniquet left the room he was intercepted by the young woman he had taken as some kind of secretary or perhaps caseworker.

“Doctor Tourniquet, let me introduce myself,” Raven said stiffly, holding out a hand, “Raven Inkwell, adjutant to the diarchal throne, and on behalf of the Equestrian Crown I thank you for your service and skill, you’re a credit to your kind. I’ve been informed that it was you who handled Sunset Shimmer’s healing during her tenure here after her accident.”

Looking baffled, Tourniquet just nodded. “I… yes, I did, but… pardon me the what crown?”

“Excellent,” Raven reached into one of her pockets and drew out two slips of paper: one naming its recipient as the Doctor and the other as Nurse Kindheart. “I’m given to understand this will function as a promissory note for your world’s currency; Her Royal Highness the Solar Diarch of Equestria grants her warmest regards and her deepest thanks for your care over her daughter.”

Tourniquet took the cheque and looked down at it, examining it for a moment before glancing back up at Raven in disbelief.

“This is an obscene amount of money,” he said in a very quiet voice.

“We draw from the personal royal stipend of the ruler of one of the wealthiest countries in the world, sir,” Raven replied sternly. “I assure you this is hardly a drop in the bucket.”

“I’m not certain I can legally accept this,” Tourniquet said weakly. “And you’re telling me that girl, Sunset, is… what, royalty?”

“She is, of a sort,” Raven replied. “Formerly estranged and distant, but recently reconnected to her mother, something that only happened thanks to your dutiful care. As for the legality of it all, I can’t speak to that; I’m not familiar with your world’s legal system, but the Pax Equestris and the Codex Solaria permit gifts such as this so long as it is taken from personal funds and not embezzled from state resources.”

“I… see,” Tourniquet said, swallowing back his many questions. “I suppose I’ll just check with my lawyer then.”

“That is agreeable,” Raven said. “If your laws do not permit such a gift then I’m certain some other reward could be arranged, you can leave me a missive at this number,” she passed him a card with a nine digits in block print on it, “it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Doctor, now if you’ll pardon my rudeness, I have duties to attend to.”

“Y-yes, of course,” Tourniquet nodded as Raven swept imperiously past him towards the door carrying the large metal case she’d been holding for their entire conversation. “Good… afternoon, then.”

Stepping into the small hospital room, Raven quietly closed the door behind her.

“Where did Princess Celestia get money for this world?” Sunset asked as Raven stopped beside her.

“The sirens assisted us in transferring some of the crown’s wealth to an account here on this world,” Raven explained. “They said it would take special skills to ensure it was tracked properly.”

“They've laundered your money for you,” Sunset translated blithely. “Right, of course they did, okay… well, that’s not relevant at the moment...” turning to Gilda, Sunset rolled over to the side of her bed and reached out a hand. “Babe? You with us?”

Gilda glanced over and nodded. “Yeah, guess I am.”

The emptiness in her voice was like a cold blade in Sunset’s chest. Even if they’d managed to keep her healthy and strong, the fact was that the mental shock of losing a limb was something that no one could cushion. Moreover, Sunset knew Gilda was grappling with a problem that might be almost as painful to consider; that when Gilda and her sister had met, gone toe-to-toe, and fought it out… Gilda had lost.

“Well, Gil, I want you to meet someone,” Sunset turned and nodded to Raven. “This is my mom’s personal aide, Raven Inkwell.”

Gilda stared up at Raven for a moment before nodding as well. “Please t’meetcha, I’d shake y’hand, but…”

“Naturally,” Raven said with a dry smirk. “You’re the Gilda Grimfeather of this world? I’ve heard excellent things about you. About your indomitable spirit, your total loyalty, and your unwavering dedication to Miss Shimmer.”

Gilda scoffed, leaning back in the bed. “So did y’need somethin’? Here to tell me off for fuckin’ up and lettin’ Sunshine get hurt?”

Raven’s lips pressed to a hard line and she glanced down at Sunset who gave her an apologetic shrug. Sighing, Raven lifted the metal case and set it on the nightstand beside the bed, then set to work opening it.

“Quite the opposite,” Raven replied. “Princess Celestia wishes to honor your sacrifice in the defense of her daughter. You fought, risking life and limb in a literal sense, and by all accounts acquitted yourself with honor.” The metal case ground loudly on the cheap table as she turned it to Gilda. “As such, Princesses Celestia and Twilight have decided to grant you this… the first of its kind.”

Gilda looked down and her eyes widened. Set within the velvet lining of the case was a gleaming grey arm crafted from articulated plates of metal. Where it terminated at the shoulder, there were multiple straps and bolts that looked to be part of a complex harness, and what was more, Gilda could tell instinctively that the limb was almost, if not perfectly, identical to her lost arm.

“Is that…” Gilda breathed, barely daring to believe, “will it move?”

Raven nodded. “I’m not a magister, so I don’t know the specifics, but according to Princess Twilight the arm links directly to your wellspring and its associated circulatory system.”

“The plates are made from repurposed fragments of Pegasopolan Cloudsteel so it will survive channeling your magic,” Sunset explained, moving up to Gilda’s side. “And there’s a masking charm on it that will make it look like a normal prosthetic, although I’m not sure how well it will work outside of Canterlot where the ambient field is weaker… it will at least be fine here.”

“This is the first in a set of prototype prosthetics,” Raven said firmly. “And Princess Celestia deemed you worthy of it, not only for your past deeds but so you could continue to protect her daughter.”

“That’s just it,” Gilda said, and Sunset could here the self-aimed anger behind her voice. “Dunno if I am worthy of it, y’know? I didn’t fuckin’ do anything.”

“Babe, your sister was supercharged with dark magic,” Sunset said firmly. “You were on the back heel from the start, that’s not your fault!”

“What’s it matter if I still got my ass kicked?!” Gilda snapped. “What’s the point if I can’t go up against her without being able to bring’er down!?”

“We can!” Sunset cried. “Together! Together we can-”

“What?! Kill her?” Gilda shouted, silencing the room, and after a moment she spoke again in a voice that was a shadow of its former strength. “I can’t… Sunflower… I can’t do it… couldn’t do it then… can’t do it now.”

Sunset furrowed her brow and wheeled a little closer, putting a hand on Gilda’s cheek and letting the taller girl lean into her touch. “Gilda?”

“I let’er go, Sunshine,” Gilda sobbed quietly. “I held back… in the meadow, when we were fightin’ I held back, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t hurt’er and because’a that you almost…” Gilda’s shoulders shook with silent tears. “I know what ya needed me t’do, Sunny… I know… but I dunno if I can.”

Sunset felt her heart drop and chill creep into her spine. Gilda looked so broken at that moment, so lost and Sunset realised she’d been missing something awful. She had tried to kill Grizelda after the younger Grimfeather had downed Gilda, she hadn’t even hesitated. But Gilda… asking her to do the same? Asking her to abandon her loyalty to her blood and hurt someone she swore to protect?

It was something that Storm would have done.

“Take it away,” Sunset said gently to Raven, nodding to the prosthetic, “we’ll talk about it later, okay?”

“Of course,” Raven said in a soft voice, snapping the case shut. “Take your time, I was given almost a month away to handle this matter, so I’m in no hurry.” Reaching into another pocket, Raven pulled out a small ebony case before she left. “And Miss Grimfeather?” Gilda looked up at Raven, red-eyed and weary. “For your services and sacrifice to the Equestrian Crown, for unflinching loyalty to Princesses and Country, I award you: the Solar Order.”

Opening the case, Raven revealed a small medal with a silver and gold frame that held an intricately worked sun in the center. Gilda stared at it as though it were a viper about to bite her as Raven set it on the table next to the closed case before picking the case up and bowing herself out of the room.

“I get it now,” Gilda whispered quietly.

“Get what?” Sunset asked in a small voice.

Gilda nodded down at the medal. “Why dad, my real dad, got all quiet every time I asked ‘bout his old medals as a kid… I get it now.”

Sunset wasn’t sure what to say, so she didn’t say anything as Gilda leaned back against the bed and stared up at the ceiling. After a few moments, Sonata stepped in, not saying anything but asking, with her presence, if anything was needed, and for a few moments Sunset wasn’t sure.

‘I’m lost… I’m completely lost,’ Sunset thought faintly. ‘What can I even do for her like this? What can I say? What do I-’

Sunset let out a breath, she needed help and she needed to stop relying solely on herself. That was what got her into this mess in the first place. Gripping her wheels, Sunset turned and rolled towards the door, and Sonata stepped away to let her leave, following her out and closing the door quietly behind her.

“Sonata? Can you bring me my Journal?” Sunset asked, turning to the Siren. “I assume that’s how you’ve been contacting Equestria, am I right?”

“Oh, uh… y-yeah,” Sonata nodded sheepishly, “sorry we borrowed it without permission but it was kind of an emergency.”

“Obviously,” Sunset replied dryly, “please get it, I really need to talk to Twilight.”

Dear Twilight,

Gilda woke up.

I figured I should put the good news first because it’s going to get harder from here on. She woke up but… she’s sinking, Twi’... I don’t know how else to describe it. When she saw her lost arm it was like I watched something in her die and it broke my heart. I don’t know what to say to her, I don’t know how to fix this.

I don’t know if I can fix this.

I can feel her drifting away from me, Twi’, and I’m lost. When I talked to her it was like she was only half there. She’s not like me, Twilight, she didn’t lose things because of her own arrogance, she’s had everything in her life taken from her, and now she’s had even more stripped away and I don’t know how to reach her.

Please, help me.

Your Flailing Friend,

Sunset Shimmer

Dear Sunset,

I am so sorry it took me so long to reply, I’m in Saddle Arabia acting as a diplomatic liaison and mediator between some contesting… factions. It’s messy and complicated, but I’m here for you and I do have an idea, and although it’s going to take me a bit to figure out the timing, I promise I will be there for you soon, alright?

I know someone who I think might be able to reach Gilda and as soon as I can get back to Ponyville I’ll be through the portal and by your side with them, count on it.

Just a heads up though… that might be a few days. Barring a miracle or one of these two bull-headed brothers spontaneously dropping dead and solving the succession issue for me, anyway.

I’m joking, that’s the frustration talking.

Mostly.

One of the brothers opened the debates by suggesting he and I get married and ‘solve the succession issue in his quarters’, and my bodyguard almost gelded him which was hilarious and did wonders for my mood.

Maybe you had to be there…

Sorry, I’m going on a tangent. I will be there Sunset, okay? Just give me some time and do what you can, I’ll see you soon. I’ll send you a message before I pass through the portal, okay?

Ever Your Friend,

H.S.H, Twilight Sparkle, Ph.D., M.d, etc.

It was late in the evening when the two figures entered the hospital. One was a young woman dressed like a high schooler; her long purple and pink-streaked hair cascading in a silken waterfall over her shoulders, and her warm violet eyes sweeping over everyone in the waiting area equally; a worried looking couple sitting quietly together, a large, older man in a custodian’s uniform mopping, and a variety of others. The few that met her eyes felt a small sense of kinship suddenly, carried by a warmth that spread through their limbs at her gaze. There was something, they thought, unearthly about that girl… something more than human, but it was a passing thing and quickly dismissed, although it did leave all involved in a better mood than before.

The other was a figure that could not have been more different. Towering well over six feet, they wore an exceedingly strange outfit. Their torso was clad in a long, sleeveless leather coat with a heavy cowl that was buttoned from collar to waist, at which point it flared out around and behind their legs, leaving their lower body free. Bare arms showed off toned muscle, and gold bands clasped with images of lions rampant were wrapped around the bicep of each arm. The figure moved in a manner that almost anyone looking would be at a loss to describe as anything other than predatory, and they moved in the girl’s blind spot, covering angles with their head on a swivel, though careful to keep their face low and hidden.

“Excuse me, miss?” Twilight Sparkle stopped at the front desk and smiled down at the orderly. “I’m here to see Gilda Grimfeather?”

“Uhm, visiting hours are over, I’m afraid…” the orderly began.

“It’s perfectly alright,” A voice said from behind the figures. “I was told you’d be arriving, miss.”

Twilight turned and smiled as Nurse Kindheart held out a hand. “We didn’t introduce ourselves properly last time, but my name is Nurse Kindheart.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said with a smile. “Shaking the nurse’s hand.”

“And, ah…?” Kindheart looked up at the menacing figure behind Twilight.

“Oh, this is my bodyguard,” Twilight explained, stepping back and setting a hand on their shoulder. “Don’t be afraid, she’s really nice actually…” the figure scoffed, and Twilight rolled her eyes and glared playfully back at them, “she’s just a little stand-offish at times. So can we see her?”

“Doctor Tourniquet gave his approval, yes,” Kindheart said, “I’ll walk you up.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it,” Twilight said with a smile as she fell in behind Kindheart with her bodyguard slipping in just behind her.

“Not at all,” Kindheart replied. “So… I understand you’re some kind of foreign royalty, is that right?”

Twilight blushed. “Newly ascended, and I try not to make a point of it… I wasn’t born into it. My family is, at best, upper middle class by your standards.”

“Well, uhm, your English is very good,” Nurse Kindheart said awkwardly. “I’d never have known you weren’t local.”

Twilight chuckled nervously. “Oh well, you know… bilingual studies are very important where I’m from, so…”

Her bodyguard started chortling and Twilight swung her head around to glare at the woman which only served to make her laugh harder. Twilight let out a grunt of irritation and swatted them in the stomach, her hand bouncing off of their chest and earning yet more laughter.

“Oh shut up, you,” Twilight grumbled as she turned away, and her bodyguard made a mocking kissing sound from behind her, earning a light blush. “You’re the worst.”

“Twilight!”

Sunset waved from down the hall and Twilight’s face lit up as she quickened her pace, moving past Nurse Kindheart with her bodyguard quickly on her heels. The moment they were in range, Twilight knelt and swept Sunset up into a tight hug.

“I’m so sorry it took me this long, Sunset,” Twilight said warmly. “And we really need to stop making hospital visits a thing.”

“Believe me I agree,” Sunset laughed as she pulled back from her friend. “Thank you for coming all the way out here, is this-?.”

“Mhm,” Twilight replied. “I knew that I didn’t really have any advice, so that’s when I had a thought… maybe it wasn’t us she needs to hear from, how is she?”

Sunset sagged back in her wheelchair. “Not well,” she replied, “she’s been sleeping a lot, they’ve started her on physical rehab, which is good I guess, but her heart isn’t really in it. She gets frustrated easily, too, and it’s not like before.”

“And the prosthetic?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sunset shook her head.

“I don’t know what’s happening in her head,” Sunset said quietly. “She refuses to look at it or even talk about it, I think she blames herself for what happened in the meadow and… ugh, I don’t know.”

“She doesn’t want to be rewarded for failing,” Twilight said quietly, “or at least that’s what it sounds like.” Twilight sighed and shook her head as she looked over at the door to Gilda’s room. “Gilda puts a lot on her own shoulders, especially when it comes to you, Sunset, and my guess is that she’s punishing herself, whether or not she means to be…”

“It’s not fair,” Sunset replied in a small voice. “She didn’t do anything wrong… no… she did everything she possibly could have done and…”

“It’s not about logic,” Twilight said, kneeling next to Sunset. “I… know it’s a little odd to hear me say that but it’s true. I had to learn the hard way that whether or not it makes sense, you can’t ignore what someone is feeling.”

“And I’m not,” Sunset groaned, “but I can’t… I can’t get to her from where I am! I’m acknowledging her pain but I just-”

Twilight’s bodyguard shook her head and scoffed, a sound Sunset found strangely recognizable but which drew a glare from Sunset and Twilight alike, the latter stamped up to them before Sunset could say anything, reached up and under the cowl, and seized onto what Sunset presumed was their ear only to drag them down half a foot to Twilight’s level.

“Don’t, be, rude,” Twilight hissed, glaring at them as they flailed weakly against Twilight’s grip.

Sunset raised an eyebrow, her prior anger at the vulgar guard’s reaction forgotten in the face of her friend’s total abandonment of her usual decorum and polite attitude.

Turning back to Sunset, Twilight shot her friend an apologetic grin and laughed a little. “S-sorry about that,” Twilight said nervously before snapping her head back around to her guard, “she can be kind of an asshole sometimes.”

The figure chuckled and made another kissing noise at Twilight as they turned away, rubbing the side of her head under the cowl as they chuckled under the withering glare of the Equestrian Princess they were ostensibly here to safeguard against threats. Before the figure could make any remark though, Twilight shook her head and walked away and down the hall.

“Who is-” Sunset looked up at Twilight’s guard but didn’t get a look at their face before Twilight moved towards Gilda’s room, gesturing for the pair to follow. “Wait! Hold up and just… just let me tell her you’re here first, okay? She’s hurting.”

Twilight stopped, her hand hovering over the door handle, then backed away and nodded. “Of course.”

Sunset opened the door and rolled in, moving to Gilda’s bedside. Gilda was still staring up at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought as Sunset moved to her side.

“Gil?”

Gilda blinked and turned her head slowly. “Oh, hey Sunshine… ‘sup?”

“How you doin’?” Sunset reached out, wishing she could take Gilda’s hand, but settling for a hand on her shoulder.

“Shitty,” Gilda replied. “Real shitty, Sunflower.”

Sunset grimaced, this wasn’t like Gilda. She was never one to wallow like this, and it was killing Sunset to see it. “Okay well… Princess Twilight is here.”

“Sparks?” Gilda said and chuckled dryly. “Say hi t’her for me.”

“Well, that’s just it, she… she has someone who she wants to talk to you,” Sunset said. “Is that alright?”

“Some horse shrink?” Gilda said acidly. “Sure, send’em in, this should be fun.”

Sunset frowned but nodded, and rolled back a little. “Hey, it’s okay, c’mon in.”

Twilight stepped in, flanked by her guard, and grimaced at the state Gilda was in. “Evening, Gilda… how are you-”

“How the fuck y’think I’m doin’, Sparks?” Gilda spat angrily, causing Twilight to step back.

A low growl issued from the guard who stepped between them.

“Who’s this loser?” Gilda asked, looking up at them. “Doesn’t look like a shrink.”

The figured let out another familiar-sounding scoff and shook their head. Reaching a hand up, they gripped the edge of the cowl and pulled it back. Sunset’s jaw dropped as she stared up at the guard who had followed Twilight in, and even Gilda looked stunned to absolute speechlessness.

Predatory golden eyes stared down past a fringe of snow-pale hair at Gilda who stared dumbfounded up at what could have been the most perfect mirror in the world save for the fact that one of the two still had both arms.

Gilda stared at Gilda, and the Equestrian version laughed.

“I’m you, loser,” she said with a grin. “What’s up, dorkus?”

Twilight sighed. “Gilda… Earth Gilda, I mean… I’d like you to meet First Lieutenant Gilda Grimfeather of the Ponyville Royal Guard, second in command to Guard Captain Tempest Shadow, and my personal bodyguard.”

“Wait, what?!” Sunset squawked. “When did this happen?!”

Twilight laughed nervously and shrugged. “Well uh, you kno~w… do you remember back after your accident when you said I should give the Gilda of my world another shot?”

“She did,” Lieutenant Gilda said with a grin, setting a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Th’Princess here reached out’n offered me a spot on her guard roster, I was in a crappy place at the time so I took it up, figured it couldn’t be worse’n scrounging around for myself.”

“This is really fuckin’ weird,” Gilda said, staring up at her smirking doppelganger. “Now I’m gonna have’ta tell people I got a twin sister too?”

“Twins…” Sunset stared over at her Gilda, then up at the Equestrian version, then back to her Gilda, then immediately smacked both hands over her face as she blushed a brilliant crimson.

“Uh…. babe, you okay?” Gilda asked, looking at the heavily breathing Sunset.

“Oh yeah, just fine,” Sunset said in a muffled voice from behind her hands. “I’m gonna just… go out into the hall where I’m not sitting between my super hot girlfriend and her completely identical twin, and… maybe take a really cold shower while I’m at it.”

“Ha!” Gilda’s twin cackled and shook her head. “Sorry, Wheels, I’m a one-filly kinda gal, but thanks for the laugh.”

Sunset’s Gilda raised an eyebrow and then scowled a little. “Lemme guess, Rainbow Dash?”

The Equestrian Gilda looked down at her twin in confusion for a moment before shaking her head. “What? Rainbow? Nah… she an I were never like that. Dunno if Rainbow’s ever been interested in anyone like that, actually. Her first’n last love is the sky, y’know? Nah, my loyalty lies ri~ght…” Gilda reached around Twilight’s back and down to her rear end… and goosed her, earning a shocked squeal, “here.”

Sunset turned and stared at Twilight in disbelief as the Equestrian Princess blushed furiously and stared at the ground.

“Uh, Twi’?” Sunset prompted. “Explain?”

“Well… it turns out you were right,” Twilight grumbled, “Gilda can be really charming when she wants to be, okay?”

“Turns out, Stars and me get along pretty good,” she said with a laugh.

Twilight sighed. “I make a lot of foreign visits, okay? Tempest wanted me to have a capable, permanent, guard and she couldn’t do it herself so…”

“Griffons are warriorborn,” Her guardian said with a smirk. “Even our cubs are born with more fight in’em than most ponies, I worked my way up the ranks pretty quick on my skill alone.”

The Equestrian Gilda flexed, earning a roll of the eyes from Twilight.

“If skill were all Tempest cared about then we’d have hired a Minotaur mercenary, you oaf,” Twilight remarked, and Sunset raised an eye at the ease she had around her version of Gilda. “You displayed incredible talent, sure, but you were also loyal, dependable… gentle.”

Twilight’s Gilda flushed and looked away. “A-anyway… yeah, we ended up hitting like, five different nations in two months, so, y’know… ya spend that much time with someone and…”

“Gilda is wonderful,” Twilight said shyly, “she’s attentive, kind, and she almost never leaves my side-”

“-that’s literally my job, Stars.”

“A~nd,” Twilight spoke over the smirking former Griffon, “I never brought it up because I didn’t want things to be… weird, you know? Because it is… really weird.”

“Uh, yeah, ain’t gonna lie, Sparks,” Gilda said, staring up at her twin. “This is pretty weird, like… probably the weirdest thing that’s happened and I’m gettin’ married to a magical talkin’ unicorn-turned-pretty-girl, savvy?”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Okay, fair, but Twi’, c’mon… you could’ve told me you were dating ‘guard Gilda’ for… how long?”

“A month… and I know, okay?” Twilight groaned. “Believe me I know, but every day that went by that I didn’t tell you it got harder to bring it up and then I just… didn’t… I’m sorry.”

“A~nyways,” Guard Gilda said, raising an eyebrow. “Y’brought me here for a reason and I can see why, so scram, a’right? I got a bone t’pick with the armless wonder, here.”

“Hey!” Sunset snapped. “You can’t just-”

“S’fine, Sunshine, just go, a’right?” Gilda said quietly, “and… I love you.”

Sunset stared at Gilda for several long seconds before nodding and letting Twilight get behind her chair. “I love you too, Gil… more than anything.”

“Yeah, I know,” she replied.

Sunset met Gilda’s eyes, trying to will all of her feelings into the look and knowing it would fail, but Gilda nodded, and for a moment she could see that light in her eyes again, just for a moment, before Twilight wheeled her out of the room. The Princess shared a few words with her guard before passing her something and leaving the room, leaving the twins to their business.

“So…” the newcomer raised a familiar book in her arms and flipped it open, making a dramatic show of paging through it. “A-fuckin-pparently, you saved Wheels’ life, now ya live t’gether and you’ve been knocking hooves with’er for a few months, ya got knighted and engaged by the friggin’ Solar Princess, then proceeded t’get your ass kicked so hard in your first magical throwdown with our baby sister that your arm fell off, that about right?”

Gilda glared but, gritting her teeth, she nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Her doppelganger chuckled. “Oh wait, I missed somethin’ here,” she held the book up and scanned it. “Right, it also says here that you’re a whiny bitch.”

“I just lost my fuckin’ arm!” Gilda yelled, her temper going from zero to a hundred as she snapped. “What the fuck do y’want from me you shit-head!?”

“Careful, who ya callin’ shit-head, shit-head,” Gilda’s twin shot back with a smirk.

Gilda started to open her mouth to retort, when her twin slammed a fist on the desk next to her, splintering a portion of it and glaring down at the human counterpart. For Gilda’s part, she had never been on the receiving end of her own glare for obvious reasons, but seeing it now from the Equestrian version of herself she was suddenly discovering a bit of sympathy for the people she had been intimidating all these years.

“You’re going to shut up, and you’re going to listen, yeah?”

The Equestrian Gilda stalked around her human twin’s bed, eyeing her up and down in the manner of a wildcat examining its prey. For a moment she stalked back and forth, until finally she came back to the splintered desk, grabbed the chair beside it, and tossed it down in front of the bed backward before dropping herself into it. Her arms rested crossed on the backrest of the chair with her chin perched on top of them as she glared, letting the silence sink in before finally breaking it.

“Damned if I can’t figure out what th’fuck ya problem is,” Lieutenant Gilda said with a grimace. “You’ve got a fuckin’ job t’do and you’re sittin’ here like a sun-damned lump.”

“I’m-”

“Missin’ an arm, yeah I can see that, dingus,” she snapped, “and given I ain’t a complete fuckin’ moron like you, my question is: So, the fuck, what?”

Lieutenant Gilda stared down at her counterpart with a frustrating combination of annoyance and confusion, while Gilda herself was still trying to work through how to respond. Eventually, it was the Equestrian double that broke the conversational deadlock.

“Don’t you get it?” She asked angrily. “We’re it,” she gestured out towards the door that Twilight and Sunset had left through. “We’re what’s between them and everything shitty that life is throwing in their direction, got it? So what if you lose an arm? Or the other arm? Or a fuckin’ leg?” Lieutenant Gilda sagged a little and wrapped her arms around herself. “Th’Princess? She gave me a real shot at bein’ somethin’ other than another fuckin’ statistic, y’know… I’d give up my wings if it meant keepin’ her safe… would you?”

The stump of Gilda’s arm throbbed painfully as if in response to her Equestrian counterpart’s question. Would she? Of course she would, she would give up everything for Sunset. Her home, her world, her life… everything, hadn’t she already told Sunset that same thing when they had been standing in front of the Portal and watching the rest of Sunset’s old life vanish?

‘I’d give it all up, my world n'my whole life here if it meant stayin’ with you.’

That was what she had said and here she was, sitting on her duff for a week after already having slept for a whole other week.

“The Griffon Kingdoms? They’re a really shitty place to grow up, y’know?” Lieutenant Gilda said quietly as she relaxed against the back of the chair. “I had nothin’ and no one… heard your folks’re dead, right? At least they had a good excuse f’not raisin’ ya. Mine kicked me out,” Gilda started in surprise at that, staring at her twin in shock, who smiled wanly back at her. “What? Y’think ‘cause Wheels comes from some happy-go-lucky paradise that it’s like that all over? Nah, the Kingdoms’re are a frozen shit-hole full’a miserly, spiteful birds. My sire’n dam had another egg on the way and the first thing they were tryin’ t’figure was if they oughta sell the egg or keep it and kick me out, ‘cause two was one too many beaks t’feed, y’know?”

“What the fuck?!” Gilda snapped, rising up from her bed and wincing at the shock of pain that rolled through her from the sudden motion.

“Yeah, right?” Her twin said with a grin that was half-grimace. “And y’wanna know how they were gonna choose between tossin’ me and sellin’ the egg?”

Gilda swallowed dry but nodded. “How?”

“They flipped a coin,” she answered. “And I didn’t let that sucker hit the ground, I snapped it outta the air and told’em: ‘nogrif sells my family, even if I ain’t met’em yet,’ and I packed my stuff… mind you I’d only seen about seven winters by then… and I left for Equestria,” Lieutenant Gilda shrugged and smiled. “Got accepted at the border, put in an orphanage, joined up with the Junior Speedsters and met Dash… eventually, I went back t’Griffonia but… dunno, my family was gone, most everygrif I’d ever known was gone by then… I’d made my way back home the long way ‘round and there wasn’t even a house left waitin’ for me.” Shrugging again, Lieutenant Gilda laughed bitterly. “I tried to go back to Equestria and reconnect with Dash but… fuck if that didn’t blow up, so I wandered; I scrounged for food and slept in the lee of cliff landings, I stole and fought and scratched… I had no direction… no nothing… not until the Princess came t’find me and held out a hoof. It was like the whole world just stopped for me until then and-”

“-and suddenly you were breathin’ again,” Gilda finished. “Sunset was the same for me… I was just livin’ day after day, waitin’ for nothing and just bein’ a general shit-head to everyone until I met her.”

Lieutenant Gilda nodded. “Never told’er… dunno if I will… but when she came’n found me, when she looked at me with those stupid-pretty eyes and… yeah, that’s when I fell, ‘cause us Grimfeathers? We’re not made for bein’ alone, y’know? We need somethin’ t’fight for, t’live for… I realised that when Princess Twilight let me into her guard.” Standing up, she moved the chair away from her with her foot and glared down at the human Gilda who flinched away from her. “So I’m sayin’ it again: ya lost your arm, and so, the fuck, what?”

Gilda leaned back against the bed and looked pensive. She knew she’d had a rough life, that was obvious, but this version of herself? The one from Sunset’s world seemed to have had it a lot harder. Sure, she never got in with a gang, but Gilda herself had never had to live at the bottom of the barrel like that either. Even if it was a gang, even if it was with a manipulative, monstrous, criminal ganglord, Gilda had always had her sister, and she’d always had a home, and friends, and family…

“Tell me this,” Lieutenant Gilda said grimly. “The world ain’t stopped turnin’ while you’re layin’ here… so what happens when Sunset gets hurt because you weren’t there?” Gilda felt her breath catch in her throat as her twin fixed her with a deadly look. “How’s that arm gonna feel then? Huh? That’s how it is, dipshit… me and you? We ain’t got the luxury of feelin’ sorry for ourselves… not while we have to do right by them,” she jerked her thumb towards the door. “So lose an arm… lose a leg, lose everything… then ask y’self: what’s any of that matter so long as she’s safe?”

Gilda nodded, staring down at her missing arm.

“Yeah… savvy,” Gilda replied before chuckling quietly. “What the fuck am I even doin’?”

“Damn good question,” Lieutenant Gilda replied with a smirk. “What are you fuckin’ doin?”

“Not my job,” Gilda replied, her chuckles turning into laughter. “I’m sure as fuck not doin’ my job… guess I got a lot t’catch up on, huh?”

“Damn right.”

Lieutenant Gilda turned away, walking towards the door but, as she did, Gilda called out to her.

“Hey… uh… me, you… whatever…” Gilda grappled with her words as her twin turned to fix her with a curious look. “If… y’know… if you could do it all over, would ya change anything?”

Lieutenant Gilda let out a harsh bark of laughter. “Change somethin’? And risk missin’ meetin’ my Moon’n Stars?” she turned to face Gilda fully, her hands tucked into her coat pockets and a wide, riotous grin on her face. “No. Fuckin’. Way…. why? would you?”

Gilda looked down at her right shoulder: at the mass of bandages and the twisted wrappings. She remembered the smell of ozone and dirt, of rain and wind. She remembered the look of joy on Sunset’s face when she’d asked her to be her girlfriend, the look of wonder when she given her the ring made of magic ice. She remembered all the nights they’d spent in each other’s arms and all of the days they’d spent together.

She remembered the smell of lilacs and cherries.

“And risk never meetin’ my Sunshine?” Gilda asked finally, looking up from her arm to meet her twin’s gaze with a smirk that was neatly mirrored by the other version of herself. “No fuckin’ way.”

“So~” Sunset started, “Gilda, huh?”

Twilight blushed and buried her face in her hands again, leaning against the back of one of the cushioned chairs that lined the hallway. The pair of them had staged up near enough to Gilda’s room to see when they were done, but far enough away to give the two their privacy, since things were liable to get loud.

“I know! Okay?” Twilight said weakly. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, it was just…”

“Really weird?” Sunset finished.

“Extremely weird,” Twilight agreed. “I mean, how was I supposed to say it? ‘Hey Sunset! Did I mention I’m dating the alter version of your girlfriend?’ Plus with me having to dodge around Equestria…”

“We have a direct line of communication, Twi’,” Sunset said dryly. “It doesn’t take a long time to write a note.”

Twilight curled up into the chair and nodded. “No… I know, I just… I was scared, okay? I was scared and nervous, and I thought you’d be mad, and… at first, I pretended I didn’t feel anything for Gilda because of how you two are here but…”

“She’s pretty persistent, huh?” Sunset said with a small smile, and Twilight nodded. “Mine too.”

“I tried,” Twilight said in a small voice. “I tried not to fall for her, okay? The last thing I want is for something like this to come between our friendship, Sunset… you’re one of my very best friends and I… I don’t want to lose that.” Tears trickled down Twilight’s face, and Sunset felt a small pang of guilt. This had obviously been weighing on the Princess for a while. “But I’m so happy with her, Sunset! Being a Princess is so much harder than I thought it would be, and I already had a good idea of what it took! There are nights I cry myself to sleep out of stress, other nights I don’t sleep at all because I’m worrying so much, but now-”

“Now you have Gilda,” Sunset said, and she felt a not-insignificant pang of venomous jealousy.

Of course it wasn’t her Gilda, Sunset knew that. Obviously, the two were as different from one another as her Twilight was from the one who lived in this world. They probably had a few things in common, beyond identical appearances, but past that they had lived entirely different lives on entirely different planets on entirely different planes of existence. The Gilda of this world, who had proposed to Sunset on New Year’s Eve with a ring of magic ice was not the Gilda who served as a bodyguard to the Princess of Friendship.

And yet…

The words burned in her mouth: ‘You have Gilda.’

They tasted like fire and anger, and Sunset wanted to spit and curse at Twilight for trying to take even more from her than she already had.

Sunset bit her lip at that last thought. ‘That’s entirely unfair you ungrateful bitch,’ Sunset thought bitterly, ‘Twilight hasn’t taken a damn thing from you, you gave up any right to say that when you abandoned your world out of selfish greed.’

Letting out a slow, even breath, Sunset tried to will the anger away. It was getting easier with time, Sunset knew for a fact that she was an angry person by nature; passion and ambition were two of her defining features, it was what drove her to be the best at whatever she tried her hand at. But passion was a double-edged sword and it had gotten the better of her more often than it hadn’t, if she were being honest.

“Okay, so let’s talk about this,” Sunset said finally, looking up at Twilight. “First off… you have absolutely nothing to apologise for, alright?” Twilight hiccuped but nodded. “Good, because I have no right to tell you who you can and can’t be with, no one does… second, that’s not my Gilda, even if they look and sound the same they’re two different people and conflating the two isn’t fair to either of them.”

Twilight sighed, nodding as she rubbed at her eyes. “I know that, intellectually I mean, of course they’re different but… they’re so alike, too.”

“Well they are alters of each other,” Sunset said with a laugh. “They’re bound to have a lot of similarities.” Sunset leaned back in her chair and drummed her fingers against the armrest as she considered her next words carefully. “So… you know how me and my Gilda met and got together… how did you two happen?”

Twilight's face turned bright red and a moment later her hands went over her cheeks. “Uh… you really don’t want to hear that story.”

Sunset blinked in surprise at the reaction and laughed. “Well now I do, I mostly asked out of curiosity but that reaction has got to have a good story behind it.”

“No~! It’s stupid and bad and, in Rarity’s words, the worst possible thing,” Twilight groaned. “It’s humiliating and stupid and it makes me look awful.”

“Then you’ll be in good company, Twi’,” Sunset said with a laugh. “But seriously after a description like that you can’t not tell me, so fess up.”

“U~gh, fine,” Twilight replied reluctantly, then took a deep breath and sat back in her chair, crossing her legs and getting comfortable. “I found Gilda about a week after you suggested I give her another chance, and originally I was just going to see if she wanted to talk but, honestly, she was in a pretty bad place when I caught up to her.” Twilight grimaced, remembering the state of affairs she’d found the griffon in, the look of one too many missed meals evident in her thin ribs and sallow glare. “Tempest had been pestering me to increase the guard numbers for the castle since Ponyville was expanding and so rather than talk I just… offered her a job.”

“Yeah, I got that part,” Sunset replied. “How did you two end up… y’know,” Sunset held up her fingers in a v-shape to her lips.

“SUNSET!” Twilight screeched, and Sunset started cackling and rocking back and forth in her chair. “Ugh, you’re the worst, but fine, if you have to know… Gilda turned out to be a fantastic guard; she stuck close to me most of the time, never missed sweeping a room for threats, and Tempest eventually realised her excellent vision and natural warrior traits made an ideal bodyguard for me,” Twilight explained and Sunset nodded along, gesturing for her to get to the point. “R-right, so fast-forward a month: the beginning of the new year here, and we’re in the Dragonlands, far to the south past the badlands.”

“The Dragonlands?” Sunset looked impressed. “Dragonlord Torch is a real bastard, I heard, has he actually relaxed a little?”

“Torch isn’t Dragonlord anymore, actually,” Twilight replied. “He abdicated and was succeeded by his daughter, Ember, who’s actually pretty friendly.” Sunset let out a low whistle and nodded for Twilight to continue. “Alright well, Pinkie and I were there to try and open potential trade lanes with the dragons; their abundance of natural minerals and refined ores for our gemstones.”

“Back up,” Sunset said, holding up a hand. “Pinkie? As in Pinkie Pie? As in ‘keeps balloons and confetti in her mane’ Pinkie Pie?”

“The Pie family owns a massive stake of rock farms,” Twilight replied. “They use their unique Earth pony magic to foster gem growth in their boulders as well as maintaining vast quarries, so most of the trade would go through them, and besides,” Twilight shrugged, waving a hand, “this might surprise you, but Pinkie is a fantastic businessmare, she’s a lot more capable than she lets on.”

“Alright, I buy it,” Sunset said, “clearly yours and mine are way different but go on.”

“Right, so, it’s uh… really hot in the Dragonlands, right?” Twilight said. “Like, really hot, like, miserably hot, and the talks aren’t… aren’t going great,” she grimaced at the memory. “Ember might be nice enough, but I had to convince all of the elder dragons, she might be Dragonlord but she’s new to the throne and very young by dragon standards, so if she forced the issue and ignored the other dragons one of them might try and stage a coup.”

“Ugh, politics,” Sunset groaned. “I’m not missing that part of being Celestia’s student.”

“Right?” Twilight agreed with a laugh, “isn’t it the worst?”

“I prefer problems I can throw fireballs at,” Sunset said with a chuckle, “and most of the noble houses look askance at having their progeny immolated.”

“There’s a few I could name that wouldn’t mind losing a scion or two,” Twilight replied blithely.

“Bet I can guess,” Sunset shot back. “Say it on three, 1… 2… 3-”

“House Blueblood!”

“House Blueblood!”

Twilight and Sunset broke out in peals of laughter. For whatever it was worth, the two of them had shared a unique childhood in the halls of Canterlot Palace as Celestia’s personal student, and now that she had given up her anger and jealousy over it, Sunset found that she liked having someone she could relate to as much as she did with Twilight Sparkle.

“So, continuing on,” Twilight said after catching her breath, “we’re in week two and we’d been arguing for almost seven hours when Ember called it a day, we were close to some concessions but one of the elders, Nickle-something, was being a brute about relying on non-dragons and Ember wanted a couple of days to talk him down before we reconvened, which meant extending our trip again,” Twilight grimaced and shook her head. “At this point, I’m at my wit's end and about to just blow the whole island off the map when I get back to the room and find Gilda talking to another Griffon on the balcony of our suite, they pass something over to her and she comes back in with actual ice.”

“In the Dragonlands?” Sunset replied incredulously.

“That’s what I said,” Twilight replied. “But apparently there’s a dead volcano nearby that’s tall enough to get snow and ice which happens to be home to a small Griffon clan-aerie, the Bladebeaks,” Twilight laughed a little at the memory. “Gilda had sent a missive and gotten a delivery of enchanted ice along with a no less than three bottles of triple-distilled Griffonian Vodka.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes,” Twilight said, nodding grimly. “The two of us then proceeded to get completely shitfaced in the diplomatic suite,” Twilight admitted, going red-faced again. “So, no shit, there I am: pent up, angry, frustrated, and my bodyguard and I are drinking like it’s the end of the world, and I vaguely remember telling her how hot I think her flanks are.”

“Classy.”

“Right?” Twilight grumbled. “Then Gilda, who is equally hammered, grabs my glass out of my grip, knocks both hers and mine back, and then moves in and kisses me.”

“How romantic,” Sunset said in an utterly arid tone.

Twilight buried her face in her hands at the memory and gave a small, weak laugh. “So cut to next morning: I wake up in a tangle of feathers and bedsheets, and sweating vodka, with Gilda spooning me and the hangover from Tartarus crushing my skull. Better yet, the room is absolutely destroyed and my uh… state of affairs south of the border tells me that I, in no uncertain terms, drunkenly railed my bodyguard the night before.”

Sunset stared for several moments before just shaking her head. “Wow… that’s just… wow.”

“I. Was. Mortified,” Twilight said grimly. “Absolutely mortified.”

Sunset was doing her best not to laugh out loud at her friend, she really was, but success was not coming to her at that moment, so the best she could manage was not pointing and laughing before falling out of her chair and settling for nodding with the occasional sputter escaping her lips.

Twilight sighed and leaned back in her chair. “So Gilda wakes up a second later, smacks her lips, looks around, spots me mid-panic attack, and says: wanna go again?”

That did it. Sunset cracked up entirely, and the hall was filled with her bubbling laughter as Twilight buried her face back in her hands and waited out her friend’s hysterics.

“Done?” Twilight asked dryly.

Sunset took several breaths, nodding wordlessly and gesturing for Twilight to continue her story.

“Right, so…” Twilight sighed and shook her head. “I apologised over and over again to Gilda, I’m feeling like the lowest of the low, and Gilda just kisses me again. I’m sweaty, messy, snotty, and she just kisses me like… like…”

“-like you’re the prettiest girl, mare, whatever, in the world?” Sunset ventured.

“Yeah,” Twilight blushed warmly and smiled. “Once I was done falling apart we got breakfast and talk it out; I admitted to her that I’d had feelings for her for a while but never acted on them because of how inappropriate it was,” Sunset started to protest but Twilight raised a hand to forestall it and continued, “for a variety of reasons. Yes, one of which was that one of my best friends was dating her alternate version, but also because I’m literally her boss.”

“Oh, right,” Sunset said quietly, chuckling. “Guess that’s still a thing.”

“Yeah,” Twilight agreed. “But… we decided to give it a go anyway… technically there aren't any rules about her and I being together but only because each Princess has their own code of conduct for their guards and I, uh, haven’t written mine yet.”

“Gotta say, Twi’, that is not what I expected to hear,” Sunset said, shaking her head and chuckling. “I mean, I’m not sure what I was expecting but it was not that.”

“Being a Princess is stressful, okay,” Twilight groaned. “I’m lucky I have such good friends because I don’t get nearly as much of a social life as I want, I’m away from them for long periods of time so I didn’t have anyone to talk to either.” Twilight stood and stretched, her body stiff after sitting and talking for so long. “But it all worked out in the end… Gilda and I are happy, and Rarity was over the moon about how romantic it was for a Princess to fall in love with her bodyguard.”

“I can imagine,” Sunset replied, imagining her own version of Rarity hearing about it. “And… I’m happy for you, I really am.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight lowered herself down until she was almost kneeling in front of Sunset. “Really sure? Because I won’t let this destroy a friendship, I promise.”

“What kind of friend would I even be if I tried to make you give up someone who makes you this happy?” Sunset asked with a sad smile. “It would be awful and selfish, and only serve to make me feel better about something I have no right to feel bad about in the first place. Like I said, acting like our Gilda’s are the same person is disrespectful to the both of them.”

“So… we’re okay?” Twilight asked quietly. “Really?”

Sunset laughed a little, remembering one of her new favorite movies she had watched with Gilda. “Really, really,” she replied in a Scoltish accent.

Before Twilight could question the odd response, though, the door to Gilda’s room opened and immediately the two girls were looking up. The first to emerge was the Equestrian Gilda, clad in her leather combat coat and striding down the hallway. Behind, a moment later, was Sunset’s Gilda, her jeans pulled on and belted and her hospital gown covering her torso and tied off at her waist.

“H-Hey, Gil,” Sunset said in a soft voice, wheeling up to her. “How you feeling?”

Gilda sighed, then knelt in front of Sunset and reached out with her remaining arm to lay it over Sunset’s cheek. Without saying a word, she looped her fingers into the tumbling waterfall of red locks and pulled Sunset in as she leaned forward, pressing their lips together in a passionate kiss. In that moment, Sunset could feel it again; the fire and passion that Gilda had been missing since she woke up and saw what she had lost. It was back, maybe a little weak, maybe a little fainter, but it was back.

“I’m so fuckin’ sorry, Sunshine,” Gilda said as she pulled away. “Arm or no arm, I ain’t givin’ up, savvy? Just like we promised.”

“Just like we promised,” Sunset repeated happily, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. “I love you so much, Gil… so, so much.”

“I know, Sunflower,” Gilda replied, smiling back at her. “I love you too, and together we’re gonna figure all this shit out and, arm or no fuckin’ arm, we’re gonna live happily ever after, a’right?”

“Alright,” Sunset cried, smiling through happy tears. “I’m so glad you’re back, baby.”

“Good to be back,” Gilda replied wanly. “Now… where’s that hot secretary? I need’er t’gimme a hand.”

Sunset sagged in her seat and groaned, a sound mirrored neatly by Twilight, as Gilda’s doppelganger crowed with laughter. “Yup, she’s back.”

Raven ended up being easy enough to track down; she had staged up in the lounge on the lower floor, which was empty other than the orderly at the desk, reading a book and eating a platter of cheese and fruits she had procured from somewhere unfathomable when Twilight went to fetch her with her Gilda in tow who was back to being hooded so as not to confuse the doctors and nurses as to why their patient was up and about with her missing arm mysteriously intact. Raven looked up as they entered, and there was a hopeful glint in her eyes that a nod from Twilight encouraged.

“She’s ready?” Raven asked as she stood up and stowed her book.

“As she’ll ever be,” Twilight replied. “She’s willing to try, at least.”

Nodding, Raven picked up the case and followed Twilight up to the floor and entered the small room where Sunset was sitting with her girlfriend happily enjoying each other's company.

“Keep an eye out here, alright?” Twilight said, turning to her Gilda who nodded. “I don’t want anyone interrupting us; if the doctor comes by just tell him we’re busy, please?”

“Sure thing, y’Highness,” Gilda replied with another nod, and Twilight sighed.

“You know you don’t have to-”

Gilda shook her head. “Y’still my boss, and y’still a Princess of Equestria, so yeah, I have to, except when we’re alone, y’know?”

Twilight leaned in to brush her lips over Gilda’s. “I know, be careful.”

“Ain’t nothin’ even on this floor except a few patients,” Gilda gestured around the floor, “a nurse,” she pointed to the station, “and that poor bastard over there moppin’ up someone’s sick,” she nodded to a custodian in a cap mopping up a puddle of vomit.”

Twilight grimaced, “oof, poor guy, I don’t envy that job, but yeah… I just… I’m nervous about this whole situation. Is that silly?”

“Nah,” Gilda replied, shaking her head. “Means y’bein’ careful, ain’t nothing wrong with that. I’ll hang here.”

Twilight gave her bodyguard and lover’s hand a quick squeeze before going into the room and closing the door behind her as Raven was setting the metal case on the nightstand, moving with sure fingers, she unlatched and opened it to reveal the arm once more.

Shifting on her bed to keep the stump of her arm from touching anything, Gilda moved to hang her legs off the edge of the bed alongside Sunset as Twilight approached them.

“Alright,” Twilight said, reaching out and gingerly lifting the arm up. “This is a bit of an experiment if I’m being honest, we have prosthetics in Equestria but nothing like this.”

“Just plug it in, Sparks,” Gilda said firmly. “If I’m gonna be any good when shit goes down I need t’have my fuckin’ arm back, savvy?”

“I’m just warning you,” Twilight said, “I’ve given you the best shot I can, I modeled the arm perfectly off of my Gilda’s right arm back in Equestria, and it transitioned through the portal exactly as I predicted it would. I matched the systems inside to her fundamental magical system and my hope is that it will be close enough to yours that the period of acclimation will be minimal.”

“Y’lost me,” Gilda replied, and Sunset sighed beside her.

“Basically she’s built you an arm that’s as close to identical to your old as mortally possible, Gil,” Sunset explained before turning to Twilight. “Is there a chance of rejection?”

“There shouldn’t be,” Twilight answered, “but like I said, it’s an experiment, so there may be some pain, and it will probably feel very… strange, at first.”

“I’ll take whatever comes,” Gilda replied evenly, “so long as it means I can protect Sunshine, here.”

Twilight smiled. “Glad to hear it, turn yourself this way then,” she gestured for Gilda to present the stump of her arm to Twilight. “Hopefully this will only pinch a little.”

Carefully, Sunset undid Gilda’s wrappings, revealing the stitched and sutured stump that had, indeed, healed remarkably fast. Impossibly so by modern medical standards, but those standards never accounted for magically encouraged regeneration. Once the wound was clear, Raven stepped forward and dabbed the entire area with alcohol swabs before stepping away and allowing Sunset to start fitting the harness over Gilda’s shoulders.

The harness belted across Gilda’s back in an ‘X’ shape and curved around under her breasts to belt in tightly with a thick primary brace that rested over Gilda’s right clavicle like a shoulder pad. Once those pieces were fitted the prosthetic was slid into the slot under the pad and a loud, clacking sound could be heard as it latched.

“Alright, here we go,” Twilight said as she pressed the arm against the stump. “Three, two, and-”

The sound of electricity snapping rocked the room and Gilda spasmed, jerking in place with her eyes going wide as she let out a harsh, rattling gasp of pain.

“F~uck!” Gilda swore, snapping her arm away from Twilight, “that wasn’t a fuckin’ pinch!”

“Gilda,” Sunset said in an awestruck voice, “look!”

Gilda blinked in confusion, then looked down at her hand. Her right hand, alien though it was, moved with smooth, liquid motions, it’s unnatural origin betrayed only by a faint clicking sound as the gears inside aligned and shifted for every movement. Warily, Gilda flexed her fingers and, sure enough, they opened and closed at her command.

“Kinda hurts,” Gilda muttered. “The shoulder, I mean.”

Twilight nodded. “The nerve connections will be raw for a while. The arm is partially piggy-backing off of your arcane circulatory system to account for the nerve endings at your shoulder that were destroyed by the lightning.”

“Will it stop?” Gilda asked quietly.

“I… I don’t know,” Twilight replied. “Maybe? I hope so… I’d hate for it to always hurt, but… you can always take it off.”

“How bad is it?” Sunset asked in a worried tone.

Gilda grimaced. “Like needles jabbin’ into my arm over and over, but I don’t care, so long as I can protect ya, I don’t care.”

“But-”

‘Sparks is right, Sunflower,” Gilda said, looping her left arm, her real arm, around Sunset’s waist and pulling her into a one-armed hug. “I can always take it off, besides, I ain’t afraid of a little pain, savvy? Trust me, I got this.”

Sunset wanted to protest more but when she looked up and met Gilda’s eyes, her words faded away. There was light there, the light that Sunset had quietly feared had gone away for good.

“I got a job t’do, Sunshine,” Gilda said firmly, turning to wrap both arms around her and pull her close. “I’ll lose whatever I gotta if it means you’re safe, a’right?”

Sunset sniffled a little but nodded and buried her face against Gilda’s chest.

“I love you, Gilda,” Sunset cried quietly. “I’ll always love you.”

“Love you, too, Sunflower,” Gilda replied softly. “Always.”

Sunset and Gilda stood in front of Canterlot High school, their backs to the entrance as they faced the statue and the portal that lay hidden within it as Twilight, Raven, and the Equestrian alter of Gilda stood nearer.

“Let me know if anything goes wrong with the arm, okay?” Twilight said, smiling at Sunset and Gilda. “And I’ve given the sirens the schematics for it, in case I can’t make it over because I’m trying to put out some political fire.”

“Between Adagio, Aria, and Sonata, I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to figure it out,” Sunset said with a grin. “I’ll try not to drag you over here over nothing.”

“You say that like I couldn’t use the vacation from being the Princess of ‘Solving Stupid Problems’ every now and again,” Twilight griped playfully. “But seriously, let me know, if for no other reason than scientific curiosity.”

“Will do, Sparks,” Gilda replied. “And before ya go, you mentioned your Captain… Tempest? My Tempest worked for my pops, Storm King, so did she…?”

Twilight grimaced but nodded. “Yeah, she was his former number two, and he was a huge threat to Equestria before he was destroyed… that’s another reason I’m so wary of your version.” Sighing, Twilight ran a hand through her hair. “Our version of Storm King was obsessed with power. When we met him he had a kingdom, influence, wealth, but none of it was enough… it was always about what he didn’t have.”

“Yeah… sounds right,” Gilda replied.

“And that’s why I’m worried,” Twilight said. “So be very careful… those types of people? They’re at their most dangerous when they’re left alone to plot.”

“Don’t need to tell me that, Sparks,” Gilda replied, “and uh, hey, uh, me?”

The First Lieutenant raised an eyebrow at her counterpart.

“Before ya go, I just wanted t’say thanks,” Gilda said quietly, “f’the pep talk’n all, y’know?”

“Y’mean for pullin’ y’head outta your ass for ya?” she replied with a chuckle. “No problem, couldn’t have ya goin’ around givin’ us ‘Gilda’s a bad name.”

“Right,” Gilda laughed. “I’ll try not t’fuck up too much.”

“Raven,” Sunset called, rolling forward a little as the trio at the portal began to turn away, and Raven turned to look back at Sunset. “Tell my mom… tell her I love her for me, okay? And that I miss her. I’ll visit as soon as all of this is over, I promise.”

“We’ll both be looking forward to it,” Raven replied with a gentle smile. “Good-bye, Sunset.”

Sunset nodded and one by one the three Equestrians vanished back into the portal with a faint snapping sound. Once each of them had disappeared, Gilda let out a low hiss and raised her arm to flex and stretch it.

“This arm is really given me shit, Sunflower,” Gilda grumbled, and Sunset frowned. “Ain’t even just the pain, the weight is all wrong and I can’t swing it right.”

“Let’s talk to Aria,” Sunset said after a moment of thought, “she does MMA fighting right? Maybe she can help you out?”

“Y’mean she can ‘gimme a hand’?” Gilda said with a grin, earning a light swat from Sunset.

“Are the ‘arm and hand’ puns ever going to stop?” Sunset dead-panned, but smiled a moment later as she remembered her and Gilda’s first real meeting.

Gilda clearly did as well as she chuckled. “Not a chance, Sunshine,” she replied with a grin as she set a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Not a chance in hell.”

A lone figure watched the three women vanish into the portal and, after a few minutes, the other two girls left as well. Slowly, he stepped out from behind a series of hedges to stare over at the statue. He wore a blue jumpsuit that bore the badge of the hospital custodial service on it, though his torso was covered in a thick brown jacket, and the blue cap was pulled low over his head as he watched the pair of girls move away and into the distance.

Once they were out of sight he glanced around, ensuring that he was alone, before moving up to the statue itself and examining it closely.

Grinning, Storm King lifted the cap up slightly and stared into the glassy marble surface. Reaching out his hand, he had almost reached the flat plane of the statue before an arc of white light snapped out and singed his hand, backing him up a few feet. Grimacing, Storm shook his hand violently, letting the faint buzzing sensation fade.

‘You cannot pass through this, fool,’ the dark, humorless voice in his mind said. ‘The old sorceress’ spell is as strong now as it was then, meaning I am still banished from that place and, as long as we are one, so too are you.’

“Aye, I got that ye old goat,” Storm muttered. “Figured as much, but now at least we’re sure of where it is.”

‘We already knew it was at this petty little school,’ the voice replied.

“An’ tha’s all well’n good, mate,” Storm replied. “But now that we know that the bastard’s ‘ere, we can do this.”

Holding out his hands, Storm closed his eyes and attuned with the soul that was sharing his body. Their minds lined up together and the spirit suddenly saw what it was Storm was planning, and a peal of low, brassy laughter filled Storm’s ears. Together they moved as one, muttering words in a tongue that was born in a different world as their fingers curled in strange, unpleasant patterns. Dark magic gathered and coiled around Storm as he wove the spell that was being fed to him by his inner companion. After a moment, he stretched his left hand out fully, and geometric lines of black energy snapped out and into the portal, weaving and stitching around it until they had bled fully away from Storm and were now wrapping around the statue.

A moment later the lines faded, leaving the statue looking as normal as ever.

“Tha’s better,” Storm said with a grin. “Now we ain’t gotta worry ‘bout any interference from that side, aye?”

‘The power that child gave us was immense but not infinite, Storm,’ the voice said gloomily. ‘I agree with this expenditure, sealing them away from this place as I was sealed away from that one amuses me. But no more… not until the end.’

“Aye, aye, tha’s as it is,” Storm muttered. “Don’t get ye horns in a tangle, old goat, we’ve got all the time in t’world now…”