I wake up to the sound of a regular, intermittent beeping sound. After that, my vision gradually comes into focus. I soak in my new surroundings. I soon realize that I am in a hospital bed.

As my new reality gradually comes into focus, my previous one is still fresh in my mind. The mental projected image of Sunset Shimmer told me that I am in a hospital in real life. Because of that warning, I am not taken completely by surprise. This is more like confirmation.

I find that relieving, actually, because it means my previous reality was indeed fake. Sombra did not take over my body and . . .

Except, oddly, I remember him doing it. I don't just remember being the witness to this event, I remember being in the driver's seat during that moment.

I am recalling Sombra's memories!

Not just then, either. I recall his memories before we even met, and those memories far outnumber the time I spent with him as Cozy Glow.

In fact, as I review those memories, it quickly dawns on me just how ancient this guy really was. It isn't all clear. Quite a number of chunks of his life seem fuzzy to me, but there is far too much new information in my head to excuse it all as a mere dream.

Despite this, I don't feel his presence at all. Instead, I feel as if I am him, and yet his personality is doing nothing to override my own. It almost feels like I am realizing, for the first time, how empty he was throughout most of his existence. He laughed maniacally, he moved, he schemed, he did almost everything that someone who exists would do, but there was no true drive within him and he never realized that . . . until now.

One does not know how empty their cup is until it is filled.

A feeling of déjà vu overcomes me as I review some of his memories. Most of it was spent in some dark crystal cave, brooding and scheming the conquest of the rest of Equestria.

Equestria . . . yeah. That's what he called it . . . and it finally feels natural to think that way, too.

I grin as I realize that, in one way, he did win. He finally persuaded me to think of those lands as Equestria. After all, he's been doing that far, far longer than I ever called it Horse-Land.

Besides, he's right. Now I actually recall the fact that there are more than just ponies in Equestria. I now recall meeting some of them as him. I recall what I did to terrorize and manipulate them, sometimes from the shadows.

Yet, when I look upon those memories, they feel as empty as just watching a bland, emotionless movie. It's odd how something I recall so vividly also feels so fake.

But these memories are having some effect on me. He may not have had true emotions during all that time, but I do now, and I no longer feel young anymore because of it. Instead, I feel ancient. I feel the weight of an extreme amount of time on my soul.

This cannot simply be a dream. There is too much new information downloaded into my head. It does not rush to claim me. It's simply there, ready for me to review it at any time that I choose.

A slight snoring sound seizes my attention. I look to my left and notice, for the first time, a woman sleeping next to my bed. In fact, her head is partially on my bed. A woman with a very familiar swirl of red and golden hair.

A woman who couldn't possibly be here.

Then I notice that she's holding my left hand. I squeeze it gently just to test her solidity. Doing so confirms the fact that she seems solid enough, but that should still be impossible. How can Sunset Shimmer be sleeping next to me? Wasn't she in jail?

How long have I been out?

I gently try to pull my hand back from hers without waking her, but I ultimately fail.

“Hmm? What?” Sunset asks in delirium when she felt me try to withdraw my hand. She lifts her head off of my bed tiredly. When I see her face, I see it's matted with about thirty percent of her hair. She has to spit some of it out of her mouth before she can speak further.

“Wha . . . what happened?” Sunset asks tiredly. When she focuses on me, her delight in seeing me awake suddenly clears away most of the fog from her mind. “Cozy!” she exclaims ecstatically.

I finally succeed in pulling my hand from her. After that, I cringe tightly from her, feeling simultaneously confused and guilty.

“You're finally awake, sleepyhead,” Sunset says to me in relief. “I should tell the others. They are going to want to know.”

I continue to regard her with the same look and body language. As her mind continues to clear, she gradually notices.

A knowing look sinks into her face as she asks me, “I'm sure you're wondering how long you've been out and what happened during that time, huh?”

I nod slightly and timidly.

Sunset almost spoke, but then looks to her left as she asks herself with a stunned look, “God, has it really been only two weeks?” She brushes a hand through her hair to comb it away from her face. “It feels so much longer than that.”

My expression remains unchanged.

First her eyes and then her face turns back to me as she says, “I'm sure you have a lot of questions, huh? Well, let me give you the abbreviated version of the story just to clear out the most important details.

“After your confession in front of most of the school . . . No.” She looks down with uncertainty. “Wait, it was a little before that.” She looks back at me. “Shortly after your mother repaired the machine leading to Equestria, her pony self tipped her off on what you did in Equestria. After that, your mother secretly informed the rest of her friends. That's when Rarity finally filled your mother in on all the information she knew before that moment. Rest assured, she kept her word by keeping what she knew to herself until it no longer mattered anymore.

“Once everyone pieced together what was really going on, your mother searched your computer thoroughly and eventually discovered your hidden files. She said you did indeed hide them exceptionally well. You're no amateur at this.

“Once they had access to those files, they had enough evidence to clear me from jail, but they didn't do it right away. First, they wanted to confront you with an intervention to discuss why you did it and hopefully clear the air between you and Diamond.

“Also, just to be clear, nobody is pressing charges against you, Cozy. Absolutely nobody. Your mother had a talk with the whole school about it and convinced them that you were not in your right mind.

“Well . . . it's more of a song and dance she did, actually, but your mother is quite convincing when she wants to be. That's probably why she was so successful landing that job. Besides, you and I both know she's amazing at it.

“There will be some further investigations and court hearings on this matter, but we managed to talk to some lawyers and agreed to go easy on you in light of your physical and mental status. I think we managed to convince some judges to limit your appearance to three meetings as soon as you are up for it, so there is a head's up there. Rest assured, however, that it's merely a formality.

“There are some legal issues we need to iron out. You might be punished for some of your crimes, but I believe it's mostly been reduced to a fine and some time with community service. The fine is not ironed out yet, but Filthy Rich already agreed to pay for all of it, regardless of how much it is. He said that's the least he could do after all that you've done to help his daughter, regardless of your ultimate intentions for her.”

I look down with a guilty look.

“Hey!” Sunset Shimmer reaches to my face and lifts my chin up with a bent finger. “Cheer up! This could have been so much worse for you.

“As for me, I don't know if I told you this before, but I forgive you.”

I pull my face back from her finger as I look even more guilty. More like tortured, actually. Despite all the years I have known her, it's still hard for me to imagine that she forgives me that easily, but even if she does . . . I don't forgive myself. After all that I've done to her, I really do deserve so much worse than this.

Sunny sighs as she sees my anguished look, then she admits, “Look . . . I'm not going to lie to you. Some of those days I spent in prison . . . it was rough. Sometimes it was very rough. I got into some tough scrapes that I haven't seen since I used to be a bully.

“Midway through my incarceration, however, something dawned on me that made me feel a lot better about this. Now, I knew I was personally innocent of the crimes I got accused of that landed me in jail in the first place.”

Sunny looks to her right side with a depressed and a bit bitter look on her face. “I've seen the public say some very ugly things at me both before and during my incarceration. It was horrific to learn that some people still thought of me that way. That was rough, but it's better to face the truth and deal with it rather than letting such things fester in the shadows.” She looks up. “It tells me that I still have my work cut out for me to earn the public's trust again.” She looks at me. “They still haven't given me my old job back, and I think the school never will. Despite me being cleared of all charges, I can't say that everything is water under the bridge yet. A lot of hurts and old wounds still need to heal, and I . . .” she runs her fingers through her hair again, “. . . still need some time to think and clear my head. I've been through a lot recently, but my primary concern is you right now.”

Sunny chuckles a bit as she shakes her head slightly, then announces, “Believe it or not, I did earn a few friends while in prison. It took a couple of songs to pull that off, but,” she shrugs with a proud smile, “I was determined not to let that experience diminish who I am as a person.

“I've learned a lot with my time spent with my friends who lifted me up out of a literal pit in the ground and taught me the value of friendship, so I figured, hey . . . why don't I just do the same thing while in jail? It's always nice to make new friends, and the alliances I forged helped reduce the number of times they roughed me up.

“Even when I was alone, though, I had enough experience being the tough girl to hold my own for a while.

“One of the nice perks about my life is that, as a superhero, I didn't throw almost any of my former villains in jail. Instead, I typically redeemed them, so I did not have too many enemies dead set against me from the start. In fact, I just continued to do what I've always done. I helped others to see the light within themselves, even if they didn't see it at first.

“Pretty much everyone I talked to truly was guilty of the crimes they are accused of. As far as I can tell, I was the only exception among them, but then again . . . I don't know everyone's story. Still, of those I talked to, I eventually got them to confess their crimes and I even managed to make more than a few of them truly regret their crimes. I also managed to convince them that they could become a better person too, just like I did.

“And that's when it hit me. Midway through my time in the slammer, it finally dawned on me that, although I was innocent of the crimes that landed me in prison this time, I got away with many crimes earlier in my life. That weight had always clung to my soul. I never felt that true sense of justice until midway through my time there. After that, it finally occurred to me that my situation could be a blessing in disguise, for it finally allowed me to shed that last lingering guilt that clung to my soul. By paying for the crime that I wasn't punished for earlier and truly deserved, I felt a sense of full, spiritual liberation while in prison.

“Isn't that odd? While I was in jail . . . I finally felt fully free! Free of all the guilt that used to cling to me for all these years. Now, when I face a new dawn, it's light finally and completely illuminates within my soul.”

Sunset Shimmer lifts a fist up near to her face as she declares with a passionate look in her eyes, “That's when I swore to myself that I would liberate myself from all the chains that used to bind me to the past. Instead, I shall embrace the light that dwells within me and use it to illuminate all the rest of the world. I'll help others to find the light within themselves so that they do not remain lost in the darkness either.” She focuses on me. “And Cozy . . . I can see, now, that you need the wisdom and compassion of my experience, too, so I'll share with you all that I am and all that I know if it will help clear your mind of all that clings to your soul as well.”

I cringe at this, for I don't feel like I deserve forgiveness or redemption that easily. Besides, it can't be that easy. Nothing in life ever is. If there is one thing that my life has taught me, it's that life is born of struggle. Even those with an advantage in something do not really have it easy. It just makes things easier, and even then, typically only in specific regards.

“Cozy,” Sunset says with a pleading look as she reaches for my hand, but I shrink back and cringe tightly in my bed. I regard her with eyes that start to blur with tears.

I really don't get it. Why are so many people in my life so nice to me, even when I don't deserve it? They don't know this yet, but they are torturing me now while doing that. I don't want to be forgiven! I really don't deserve it.

Sunset sighs, then says, “You're in the first stage of grief right now, aren't you? You're in denial.”

Denial? Hardly! It's not denial when I'm believing in solid facts!

I open my mouth in order to explain this to her, but I grow shocked when no sound comes out of my mouth. I widen my eyes in horrified astonishment, then try again. Tiny squeaks rise from my throat, but otherwise nothing coherent.

Sunset notices my struggle with alarm.

“Honey . . . you can't talk?!” Sunset asks in alarm.

I try over and over again, but nothing comes out. Finally I look at Sunny as tears pour from my eyes.

I can't talk!

“Oh SHIT!” Sunset exclaims then scrambles to press the button to call for help to this room. Despite the fact that the light does indeed come on, Sunset frantically keeps pressing the button as if that would help summon help faster.

Still in panic mode, Sunset snatches up both of my hands and shakes it as she cries out, “Stay here! I'm going to go outside real quick to get some help!”

She lets go of my hands as she races towards the exit of my room. She does it so quickly that she ends up tripping and stumbling over her own chair which lands her on the floor. Seconds later she crawls back up and scrambles for the exit again. She almost reaches the doorknob when someone finally answers the call button on the intercom in my room.

“This is nurse Redheart speaking. What do you need?” asks a pleasant sounding woman over the intercom.

Sunny scrambles back at the intercom fast and cries out, “Nurse Redheart, come to room B-13 quick! Cozy Glow is finally awake, but she can't talk!”

There is a short pause on the intercom, then Nurse Redheart says, “Sure. I'll come over right away! Just give me a minute.”

“PLEASE HURRY!” Sunset wails desperately.

“I'll come as soon as I can,” Redheart assures. “Just hang on. I'll be right there.”

She hangs up, presumably to do what she said she would do.

Sunset leans both hands on a table in front of the intercom. Her shoulder blades flex under her black leather jacket.

“Cozy . . . you did have a stroke before you got to the hospital,” Sunset announces to me grimly. “It started as a seizure, but this one got real bad, from what I've been told.” She turns her head to look at me to her left side. “Thank goodness that there were so many witnesses there to help you. Your mother tried to use your insulin right away but, for some reason, it didn't work this time.

“After that, I've been told that Rainbow Dash grabbed your unconscious body and rushed you to this hospital at super speed. That was her idea. She said they didn't have time to wait for an ambulance to show up when you could be dying at that very minute, so she rushed you to the hospital herself. Nobody complained later. In fact, Rainbow is celebrated as an awesome hero for that rescue.

“Once you got here, I've been told it was touch and go several times. You had all of us very worried.”

I frown as tears blur my eyes again. Yet another thing for me to feel guilty over.

Oh God! I can't stand this all! I wish I could end everything! My whole goddamn life! It's just been one miserable curse after another!

Nurse Redheart shows up with a brief rap on my door. When she is invited in, she spends the next ten minutes physically checking on me. She looks into my mouth while holding my tongue down with a small stick and aiming a tiny flashlight down my throat. She uses a stethoscope to listen to the sound of my throat, several places along my back and chest before concluding that there does not seem to be any physical damage to my ability to speak, but admits that the stroke might have caused brain damage that is hindering my ability to speak. It could just be temporary, though.

She admits that, after everything I've gone through, it might also be psychosomatic. Perhaps emotional trauma of what I've gone through might be the cause instead of physical damage due to the seizure, but she adds that there is no way to be sure yet without running through some further tests. She assures Sunny that she'll put in an order for those.

In an attempt to cheer us up, she adds that the good news is I am finally awake, seem well aware of my environment, and my condition seems stable. She wants to keep me in the hospital for at least a week to monitor my condition, but it seems unlikely, at this point, that my condition will deteriorate. If anything, it's more likely to improve, including my ability to speak again.

When Sunset asks the nurse for advice in the meantime, Redheart replies that she should just be with me and talk with me. I seem to be able to hear and comprehend language, and my vision seems fine as well.

Sunset nods in acceptance then thanks Redheart for this visit and advice. She replies with a bright smile that it is her pleasure. She also adds to call her immediately if I go through any more changes. In the meantime, I'm hooked to a heart monitor so they'll be alerted if there are any dramatic changes to my health.

Then the nurse departs from my room.

I feel numb. If I truly lost my ability to speak . . .

Well, I guess that's one way to ensure that I speak no evil. No more telling lies for this little girl.

Girl . . . that feels a little strange to acknowledge, now. A vast majority of my memories are now of being an evil ghostly stallion, yet all those centuries of knowledge and planning has had such little emotional impact on me. It kind of leaves me feeling confused about who I really am anymore.

Could that be why I can't talk anymore? Is my brain overloaded with too much new information now? Did that really short-circuit me?

I don't know if that hypothesis is really scientific.

Really, I don't know much of anything, anymore. My whole reality feels a bit unreal right now. I can't even be sure if I'm still dreaming or not.

Then, all of a sudden, I feel a magical pulse boom through the room. With all of my new centuries of knowledge on how to cast spells and detect it, I am now certain that is what I felt.

Apparently Sunny felt it too. Both of us look at her left coat pocket. Within it is a reddish glow. She pulls it out which reveals her red magic crystal shard.

I widen my eyes in amazement at it, for it suddenly reminds me of the Red Crystal my descendent used to bring down my Black Obelisk. Within that crystal housed the last true essence of my former self, the pony I was before I split apart from him and rose to become the Dark King.

Huh. I wonder what happened to him after that?

“You sense it too?” Sunset asks me in surprise as she regards me. “This crystal is attuned to me, and it still is, but . . . you have an affinity for it too, for some reason.”

I lower my eyes drolly. She has no idea that I've actually have centuries of knowledge about crystal science. Obviously I created a feedback loop with it when I, Cozy Glow, contacted it and used it earlier. Ever since then, I've gained an attunement to it and, thanks to Sombra's knowledge, I have more of an idea why this is so.

Sunny's crystal has an affinity for mind magic. I can't say I lack expertise in using something like that.

Staring at the crystal, I feel a bit entranced by it. There is a part of me that eagerly wants to claim it selfishly to myself. I've had a hunger for magic crystals for a very long time now, and plenty of experience creating such devices too.

Such as the Crystal Heart. That, and the Crystal Empire, is my finest masterpiece, but not even I was powerful enough or knowledgeable enough to craft such things on my own. Much of those achievements were accomplished due to accessing the research notes of Clover the Clever.

“You know,” Sunset closes her hand around her crystal into a fist, “this gives me an idea. If you really can't speak, maybe I could use this to find out why.” She looks at me. “Nurse Redheart suggested that one potential reason for your inability to talk could be psychosomatic. If that's true, I can use this to potentially find out why.”

I cringe a bit. Allowing her to poke into my mind? I don't know about that. What if the condition I have is somehow contagious? I wouldn't normally think a psychological problem to be contagious, but using magic to access someone else's mind opens up unusual and dangerous possibilities, and I care too much for Sunny to permit her to risk that. God damn it, she's been through enough hell because of me!

“I know.” Sunny looks at the crystal in her palm. “It's risky, but I've handled this before.” She closes her hand on the crystal and looks back at me. “Besides, I'm a superhero. It's my job to help others, even if it means taking risks. I'm especially motivated to do this in order to gain the chance to heal someone important to me.” Sunset faces me fully as she places the hand that holds the crystal, still in a fist, to her chest as she pleads, “Please, Cozy, permit me to do this! I don't think I can face the rest of my friends again knowing that I didn't do all that I could to help alleviate the situation.”

I smile at her softly just a bit. That sounds one-hundred percent like the Sunny I know and love. Even if part of me is still concerned that none of this is real, this is absolutely how the real Sunny would behave if she is here. It's one of the reasons why I love her so much. She truly cares for me. Even if she didn't, she'd still follow her heart wherever it takes her, even if it's into danger for the sake of another.

The trouble here is I care for her too. Enough for it to bother me how much this puts a risk on her shoulders. My crushing guilt over what I put her through also contributes to my reluctance. It's so painful to me now that I don't really want to live anymore.

“Please, Cozy!” Sunset Shimmer begs me. “I'm not going to force you, but I really want to do this! If there is even a chance that this could help you, I want to do it.”

Sunset takes a few steps forward as she brings up another point. A far more devastating point.

“You owe me, Cozy!” Sunset reminds me sharply. “I went to jail because of you! I suffered through hell because of you! Luckily I found a way to make it work, but that is because of who I am as a person. It could have been so much worse if I had a negative attitude about it all along.

“I also kept my suspicions to myself about your crimes other than Rarity squeezing me for answers. She already suspected you so I told her what I knew of the situation in exchange for her silence. That was a painful bargain for her, but she understood my reasons. She knew that I did not want to hurt you, your mother, or any of my friends.”

Tears squeeze out of my eyes. What she is telling me is painfully twisting my arm. I still feel extremely reluctant, but she's right. I owe her big time, and if this is one of the payments that she's insisting upon, I cannot deny her, no matter how much I want to.

I press both of my hands to my face as I sob for about a minute. Anguish pours out of me. So much pain . . . I'm sick of it all! All of my life, or lives I should say, has been a lie. I've been an empty shell of a person. A miserable excuse of an existence that brings nothing but pain upon others, and I'm so sick and tired of being the cause of other people's suffering! I just want to end it all!

Now I know how Diamond Tiara felt just a few moons ago. Admittedly, I came close to that miserable when my birth parents abandoned me.

Well, they were arrested, but it’s the same ultimate difference. In fact, the truth is kind of worse.

I don't know how or when I'm going to do it, but I feel resolved.

However, before I die, perhaps I can grant Sunny this one last request. If I die first, she'll be left behind forever wondering what she could have done better. If I open myself now, at least she'd know why the situation is hopeless.

I still feel painfully reluctant, but I slowly lower my hands from my face and nod to her in acceptance.

Man, I spent years dreading this experience, and now it's finally going to happen.

Well, I confessed most of my deepest secrets anyway, and this is my last chance to fully and completely clear the table before I end it all.

Sunny smiles at me radiantly as she says, “Thank you, Cozy!”

She sits next to me by scooting the chair next to my bed very closely. She then reaches a hand out for me but pauses there, waiting for me to reach back.

At first I do so with my left quaking hand, but then reflexively pull back.

I really don't want to do this!

“Please, Cozy, give me your hand!” Sunset begs. “I'm not going to hurt you! I promise! Instead, I want to do all that I can to help you.”

I look at her accusingly as I think to myself, “You think I want to be helped? I don't deserve it! I'm a monster! I'm an awful person who's been hurting others all of her life! For centuries, even!”

Sunset holds her ground. She continues to reach out to me and waits.

Damn it! You're not going to give up, are you?

Well fine then. Have it your way. I don't deserve to have it my way.

I plop my left hand into hers. She immediately encloses it with both of her hands as she tells me, “Thank you, Cozy.”

Yeah-yeah! Whatever! Let's just get this over with!

Sunset closes her eyes.

With fascination, I notice her channel a link to her magic crystal. The pathway of that magical flow feels so familiar to me now, yet I'm still experiencing giddy excitement over it like some little girl.

Suddenly Sunset's eyes open. They are engulfed with a brilliant white light. After that, white light assails me, then we are both somewhere else.

It's actually a place I was in not long ago. A black void with a gray disk as the ground beneath for a short distance. Ahead of me, I behold a very unusual sight. I see not one, but two Sunset Shimmers.

One of them is wearing the same outfit I saw a moment ago which is gray pants, a black punk jacket with a dark purple shirt beneath and a red/gold sun splayed across the chest area of the shirt.

The other Sunset Shimmer is the angelic seraphim I've only encountered a small handful of times before, mostly in my dreams.

“What the-” the Sunset in the black jacket exclaims in surprise. “Well, this is unexpected!” Her eyes focus on her other self. She widens her eyes at her counterpart as she asks, “Who are you?”

“Words will soon be unnecessary,” the angel Sunset says as she floats in front of her counterpart while reaching out both of her hands. “Take my hands . . . and I'll give you all of the memories I've accumulated thus far. Also, we shall merge back into one being again.”

Human Sunset looks at me questioningly, to which I give an innocent shrug. She then looks back at her counterpart and says, “Ah . . . alright. You seem friendly, so I'll trust you.”

That comment seems to amuse angel Sunset, but it does not change her actions. She continues to offer her hands to her other self. When her hands are taken, brilliant golden light explodes out from angel Sunset. She becomes the light a second later then draws into her other self. Human Sunset's eyes glow white as she floats off the ground.

White engulfs me, then fades to black. After that, my vision clears up again back in the hospital.

I look to my left. There, I see Sunset Shimmer. She is still conked out for a few seconds, but she shortly awakens after me. Following that, she appears to need a few moments to sort her head due to all of the new jumble of memories she suddenly inherited.

Oh my God! Did the real Sunset Shimmer just receive all the memories of the mental schism that's been in my head for many moons? That would mean the real Sunset Shimmer now knows what I dreamed about too!

Now that she's inherited, and probably fully merged with, her other self, it's sort of like the real Sunset was with me all along!

I see Sunset shake her head in a final effort to clear her head, then her eyes grow small as she realizes something extremely alarming.

“No!” she exclaims then regards me in devastating alarm. “Kill yourself?! Really?! That's what's going through your mind right now?!”

I lower my eyes, no longer able to meet her gaze. I didn't know that would be the first thing she'd latch on to, but I should have seen it coming. Damn it! I sure have slipped far lately.

“No, Cozy! NO!” Sunset cries out. “NOOOOOOO!!!”

She launches to her feet so fast that she inadvertently flung her chair back which crashes into a counter full of medical supplies. After that, she leans down into me and forcefully pulls me into a hug.

So much for permission now!

“DON'T YOU DARE, COZY! I WON'T LET YOU!” Sunset screeches insistently as she rocks me while continuing to squeeze me in an almost painful hug, yet part of me is delighted anyway. I love tight hugs!

“This is the WORST thing you could possibly do to me, Cozy! The WORST possible thing!

“NO, Cozy! NO-NO-NO! I won't let you take my precious little girl away from me! Not like this! NEVER like this!”

I feel stunned. My mind is numb. I don't know how to process this much love and concern for me.

“I don't think you can possibly understand how serious this is! How much you've hurt me with awful thoughts like that! This is the worst possible betrayal you've ever done to me, Cozy! The worst! This is far worse than the time you sent me to jail! At least, then, I knew you were still out there in the world!”

I'm still numb. I don't even blink.

“Here!” Sunset forcefully grabs my hands and places them over her chest. “Do you feel my heart rate? Do you sense how fast it's pumping right now?”

Finally letting go of me, I sink back into my bed. She lifts up her shivering hands between us, then declares, “LOOK at my hands, Cozy! LOOK at them! THIS is what you've done to me! This has never happened to me before! Not ever this badly!”

Tears rise to her eyes. Snot clogs her nose.

Upon seeing all of this, tears rise to my own eyes as well. Once again, I'm given another reminder how much my existence is hurting others I care about.

Sunset looks upon her own shivering hands as if stunned to see it herself, then I see her wave about unsteadily. She seems about ready to faint!

I suddenly sit up in alarm, looking at her with massive concern, but she holds up a shaking hand to me to forestall me, silently indicating she'll be alright soon.

I hear her weep in pain as she collapses on her knees. She crawls to her chair that was flung back a moment ago. Once she gets a hold of it, she drags it back to the side of my bed with massive difficulty for such an otherwise mundane task, but she does manage it.

“I honestly can't believe this!” Sunset exclaims in a somewhat drained voice when she sits next to me again. “You call yourself a monster? You would have proven it if you carried through with that threat! Don't you ever . . . EVER . . . let me catch you thinking like that again!”

I shrink and cringe tightly from her, feeling painfully admonished. On top of everything else I suffered through recently, this feels like she's scratching at what was already third-degree burns on my skin.

“Cozy,” she reaches forward to snatch my left hand again. She pulls it to her lips to kiss it, then clasps it tightly between both of her hands. She shakes it slightly for emphasis as she asks, “When are you going to learn that we're not teasing or lying to you when we claim that we love you? Don't you understand what that means? It means we need you, Cozy! We need you to breathe! We need you to help us feel complete! You are a part of our lives, Cozy, so that means we are all in this together! Me, you, your mother, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, your new sister Diamond, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Silver Spoon . . . the list goes on and on! You can't just expect to show up in our lives, affect us as deeply as you do, then give a two-finger salute as you take off and say, 'So long, suckers! Thanks for the meals and hugs! You're really a swell bunch of characters!'

“NO, Cozy! Life does not work like that! When you become part of our lives, you are like a piece of a puzzle we need to complete us! Without you, we are incomplete, and I mean ALL OF US, dammit! It's too late to back off now and expect no lingering damage! It's far too late for that!

“We have loved you and you've been in our hearts since the first day we met, Cozy! That's how long it's been! That was the point of no return for us!”

I close my eyes and wince tightly on my face. My breathing becomes irregular as I heave a sob.

“Please believe me,” Sunset begs as she shakes my left hand between both of hers, “we'll get through all of this together! The pain, the sorrow, the bitterness, the regrets, the nightmares . . . your, ah . . . curious acquisition of King Sombra's memories.”

While still covering half my face with my right hand, my left eye peers at Sunset through the blurriness of my tears. I had wondered, until now, if Sunset picked up on those memories and experience of her other self, too. Now it feels like I just received the proof.

“None of that matters,” Sunset assures me a little more calmly. “You are still Cozy Glow, our precious little girl! All I have to say to your other self is . . . well, this is unexpected, but not wholly unwelcome. Welcome back to life, Sombra, but remember that this is Cozy's life now. For as long as you are here, you are now Cozy Glow from now on through the rest of her life, potentially.”

As I look forward with blurry tears, I realize that I'm not sure how to process this. The part of me that's still him feels awkward and strange in this situation.

Meanwhile, I have my memories as Cozy too, and despite the fact that there are much fewer of those memories in comparison, it has a much greater emotional impact on me. It feels far more real for some reason.

Yeah. Whatever Sombra was, if he's now a part of me . . . then he only lingers as a memory. There is no will or ego left in him. Despite how strong it appeared before, perhaps there never was any true ego. Maybe he was just a program stuck on default commands all along.

It sort of feels like he's my past life now. I am not sure if that is or was ever true, but it's just the way I feel. Just a memory whose importance will quickly fade.

Whatever I was and whatever I shall become, I know this for sure . . . in this life, I am Cozy Glow.

For better . . . and for worse.

Next Chapter: Chapter Forty Four: Hospital Visit Part 2, My Mother Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 52 Minutes