“She was there, huh?” Satin asked as she sat on the bed opposite Frigid’s. Her arm was in a sling, injured when a Templar ninja ambushed her from the side and stabbed it with a sword. Dewdrop stood beside her partner’s bed, watching over her.
“Yeah… She was.” Frigid waited on the other bed as Dr. Patch began wrapping a bandage around his head. She had diagnosed him with mild concussion, but also worked to stop the bleeding from where Mirror Match had hit him with the metal magazine. “She’s gotten a lot stronger… I don’t know what happened or even how she managed to get that far ahead in such a short time.”
“Either that, or she’s been holding back,” Dewdrop suggested. That was another option Frigid had considered, but that only meant that she was a spy from the start, and he didn’t want to even think about that.
"Hey, at least we took out the machine, Frigid," Satin smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't worry about Mirror, okay? There's always next time."
Frigid nodded, but said nothing. There was something he was missing and it was still nagging in the back of his head.
"Well, you're good to go, Frigid," Patch said as she stepped away to look at him from a distance. "Yup. You may go. You don't want to miss out on that celebration they're having upstairs." She turned around and began inspecting Satin's arm. "Now, let's finish up, Satin. Then you can go home."
"See you around, Frigid," Satin and Dewdrop waved to him as he headed away.
Frigid raised a hand and said goodbye before walking out of the medic wing. The rest of the able-bodied Assassins were above him somewhere, partying and eating, happy that they'd gone a step ahead of the Templars after all these years. Frigid headed up the stairs, but didn't stop at the next floor. He kept going until he arrived at the roof, pushing the door open to the moonlit scenery.
He found his favourite spot by the back and sat himself against the roof extension, looking up into the sky. The Assassin just wanted to be alone to settle his thoughts as he watched the clouds move along, blocking out more stars above him.
The Eye was gone and it would take at least another year for the Templars to get another one operational, so that was a great advantage for the Assassins. But then Frigid thought to Mirror Match again. He had her at his mercy. He had her under the blade of his knife, but why didn't he end her by sticking it into her neck?
Then Frigid thought back to the past. Mirror had always been with him, almost since the beginning. She hadn't just been his partner. She had also been his girlfriend, and he had loved her with everything he had, and now he realized, he still did. That was why he couldn't kill her. A part of him still wanted her to be alive. To be with her. To perhaps be able to turn her back to the Assassins. It had never been anger that Frigid had felt towards her.
Frigid tucked his head into his knees as tears streamed down from his eyes. He still loved her, even after everything she did. He couldn't take it. Life had just about gone over to the deep end for him. Things would never be the same again.
"You okay there, partner?"
Frigid didn't look up, but he knew High Noon's voice anywhere. "I just need some time to myself."
"Frigid, you know, if there's something you need to talk about..." The cowboy paused, choosing his words before speaking them. "You can tell me. I wouldn't be here if not for you."
“It’s about Mirror…” Frigid whispered. If there was anyone left that he could trust, it was High Noon. After all these years, he had become something like a best friend to him. “I couldn’t do it. I had her, but I couldn’t finish her, Noon. I just couldn’t…”
“It’s normal, I guess…” High Noon sighed. He took his hat off his head and looked at it. “I don’t know myself if I could ever kill someone I loved.”
“Even if she betrayed you and killed your master?”
Frigid listened as High Noon remained silent. He knew he had a point, but he also wanted the cowboy to reply. To give him a better point that would make him feel better. He secretly pulled out his picture of Mirror and himself. He missed her. He missed the way things were.
“I don’t know, partner… I might say myself that I could do something, but I don't really know until the situation’s placed right in front of me. I’m sorry. I wish I had something encouraging to say.”
“Yeah…” Frigid didn’t know what else to say. He had failed and that was it. He still loved the woman that had betrayed him. “Noon, if you could just give me room here. I think I really need to be alone. Just like that.”
“Anything you need, Frigid.” High Noon put his hat back on and headed back in. “But if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.”
“Why thank you, Dew,” Satin said as her partner held her apartment door open for her.
“My pleasure, Satin,” Dewdrop smiled as Satin walked in.
Velvet ran out of her room after hearing the door open as usual, running straight for her big sister.
“Satin! What happened to your arm?” Velvet looked at the sling and bandages, but didn’t touch them, just in case.
“Just… a little accident, Velvet,” Dewdrop covered for her partner. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll heal in a couple of days.” She looked back at Satin. “Guess I’ll be cooking for you two today, huh?”
“Are you a good cook, Dewdrop?” Velvet asked excitedly. “Satin’s a really good cook!”
Dewdrop laughed at looked at Satin who just shrugged with her able arm. “Well, I’m not as good as your sister, but I have my skills. Here, I’ll go prepare something. Why don’t the two of you catch up on the day?”
Satin nodded and headed to the couch with Velvet, sitting down beside her younger sister. “So, how was school today, Velv? Have you made any friends yet?”
“Sorta…” Velvet pouted, tossing her training ball up into the air, catching it as it came back down. “You know how it’s been. I’m just not good at making friends.”
“You’ll get it one day, Velvet,” Satin said and patted her sister on the head. “It takes time, but I know one day, you’ll make a good lasting friendship.”
“Thanks, sis.” Velvet slid closer and wrapped her arms around Satin’s waist. “How was your day? How did you get injured? Does it hurt?”
Satin looked up to the ceiling as she thought about it. She had infiltrated a Templar power plant, fought off a bunch of soldiers, and destroyed their machine. Which part of that could she tell Velvet? "Uh, one of our big projects went along successfully, so I guess that was good. I got injured by a car. Didn't see it coming, but don't worry Velv. I'll be fine."
"Sounds exciting. Well, except for the car part. I wouldn't want to be hit."
"Of course, lil' sis. How was your day? How's middle school?"
"It's a lot different," Velvet said as she tossed the ball against the wall, catching it as it bounced back. "There are more subjects now."
"Well, of course! It's all part of learning."
"And more homework too..."
"Don't worry about school, Velvet," Satin chuckled. "It'll all blow over before you know it."
"Dinner's ready!" Dewdrop called from the kitchen as she brought out a huge pot of stew. "Come on, Velvet! Come try Dewdrop's special beef stew!"
Velvet and Satin set up the table as Dewdrop set the pot in the middle. Soon, all three girls were seated down, eating away at the delicious, aromatic stew.
"This is good!" Velvet said with a mouthful of beef.
"Yeah, Dew," Satin agreed as she scooped up another spoonful with her good hand. "I should let you cook more."
"This is nothing," Dewdrop chuckled.
"No, it's really good, Dewdrop!" her partner added. "Unless you can cook something much better."
The three girls continued to chat about their lives and food as they drained the bowl of stew. Velvet helped Dewdrop clean up while Satin returned to the couch. They had both insisted that she do nothing, since her arm was injured. After washing all the bowls and utensils, Satin walked Velvet to her room as her younger sister let out a huge yawn.
"Time for bed, Velvet," Satin said as she sat beside Velvet on the bed.
"But I don't want to sleep yet..." Velvet muttered, one eye already closing. "I want to hang out with you and Dewdrop."
"Well, you have school tomorrow, so you should get some sleep."
Velvet protested some more, but her body didn't agree with her and in a few minutes, she was sound asleep as Satin left the room.
"Phew..." she muttered as she sat down beside Dewdrop on the couch. "Long day, huh?"
“Yeah…” Dewdrop leaned her head back against the fabric back. “How’s your arm doing?”
Satin looked at her bandaged arm. “It hurts if I move it too much, but don’t worry. It’s fine. I can handle it.”
“Here,” Dewdrop put a hand on Satin’s arm. “Let me look at it for you.”
Without waiting for Satin to agree, the blue haired Assassin began removing her partner’s coat, baring her bandaged arm to the air. Satin shivered, her thin undershirt doing little to keep out the cold. She put her other hand on her red scarf, thankful that she had it.
“You’re so tense,” Dewdrop murmured bemusedly. “Don’t you feel comfortable around me, sweetheart?” When Satin’s only answer was to blush, Dewdrop chuckled softly and hugged her close. Satin’s cheeks were glowing like an inferno, and that was before Dewdrop slipped a hand beneath her shirt to massage her aching back.
“Just rest,” the blue haired woman crooned. “Let me take care of you for once.”
Satin could not find it in her to protest.
"Well, I'm glad they got all that done." Twilight Sparkle leaned back as Morning Blade closed her book for the day, turning to look out the window as the sun began to set. "I wonder what would've happened, you know? If they got that machine to work then. Would they have found Sunset sooner?"
"I don't know, Twilight." Morning shook her head. She wouldn't even have been around then if they had found Sunset early. "Sunset mentioned she was a very different person back then."
"Oh, yes she was," Twilight chuckled. "She stole my crown and everything. Tried to turn everyone into mindless zombie slaves. Yeah, maybe finding her back then wouldn't have been ideal for us all, huh?"
"I guess not..." Morning shoved the book back in her bag and got up. "Well, it has been a pleasure to tell you the story this far, princess. It's nice that someone else gets to know what the others have given up for the world."
"Yes, it's nice to know what they have done even for Equestria." Twilight slung her backpack over her shoulders. "What they did in your journal, they also did for Equestria. If not for them and Sunset, Sombra might've returned and everything would've been lost."
"It's good to know what they did all paid off in the end." Morning nodded sadly. Even if they were heroes to some, they were still gone. Morning was never seeing them again. "Not a day goes by that I do not miss then, Twilight. I don't have anyone left."
"Aw, don't say that." The princess walked over and placed a hand on Morning's shoulder. "You still have Sunset and her friends. And well, I can be your friend too. I'm the Princess of Friendship, after all."
Morning Blade laughed and a smile formed across her lips. "Yeah, I don't mind, princess. Thank you."
"I'm glad I can call you a friend, Morning Blade. Now, come on. We should go. I need to get back and you can go get some rest to yourself. You've earned so much of it."
"I'll try my best." And Morning didn't deny it. Rest sounded nice, especially after everything she had gone through so recently, with Sombra and everything. "It's nice to just get a chance to sit back..."