//------------------------------//
// An Early Close (Rewritten) 
// Story: SAPR 
// by Scipio Smith 
//------------------------------//


An Early Close


After that, things quietened down quite considerably. 
Most especially this was the case with the grimm situation; what had appeared to be a tide of darkness creeping across Anima, that had seemed as though it might not stop until it lapped against the walls of Mistral itself, began to recede. It was as if the karkadann, getting as close to Mistral as it had, represented the high watermark of the efforts of the grimm to overthrow the ancient kingdom and its defences. 
Over the next few days, the news was full of reports of deliverance, of the grimm that had menaced this village or that retreating into the hinterlands from whence they had emerged, withdrawing back into the wilds and leaving the fertile lands of men for men to dwell in. Huntsmen pursued them where it was safe to do so, and according to the reports, they slew many of the beasts as they made their trek back into their traditional hunting grounds. 
The defeat of the karkadann – attributed, of course, to Pyrrha, a fact which irked Sunset not at all – seemed to many in Mistral to mark the turning of a tide. In the wake of their battle, huntsmen and members of the Imperial Guard began to trickle back into the city as the danger to the far-flung limits of Mistral’s territory receded. 
This was not to say that the two weeks that followed were dull or that nothing happened during that time. Plenty occurred during those days: training in the morning, seeing the sights and delights of Mistral during the day, dinner – whether it be formal in the company of Lady Nikos or informal as a team – in the Nikos’ family’s luxurious dining hall in the evening, or else some high class entertainment of one kind or another. 
One night, Pyrrha took them to a performance of The Opera Ghost, the hit musical by the celebrated Mistralian playwright and entertainer Autumn Blaze. It turned out that Pyrrha’s mother was a patron of the theatre – of course she was; she was an aristocrat – and Team SAPR were ushered by an usher into a private box set high above the stage, where their view was restricted by nothing and they didn’t have to rub shoulders with the masses in the gallery below. 
It reminded Sunset, as she sat down and smoothed out her dress, of when she had attended the theatre or the opera alongside Celestia. They hadn’t gone very often; Celestia did not particularly enjoy the performing arts and only attended sufficient events so as not to seem reclusive, but when they did, they had occupied a box like this. Sunset remembered that, when Celestia entered, the orchestra in the pit would start to play a fanfare, and all the ponies down below would rise to their hooves and cheer for their beloved princess; and Sunset would stand beside her and dream of the days when they would cheer for her just as loudly. 
She half-expected the crowds to start cheering for Pyrrha, but it appeared that that was not quite the way of things in Mistral, although certain people – in the other boxes, for instance – did stare at her as she made her entrance, dressed in an emerald gown that matched her eyes, with a scarlet shawl trimmed with golden thread draped around her shoulders and diamonds glistening upon her wrist. 
Pyrrha had clearly seen the show already. If nothing else had proved that, the fact that she started mouthing the lyrics to the romantic duet between the innocent ingénue and her aristocratic lover would have.
“Yes, I have seen it before,” Pyrrha said, as they left, descending the stairs down from the box. “In Vale, before the start of last semester. But I had heard it was even better with the original cast, and I think they were right about that.” She smiled. “What did you think? Did you all enjoy it?”
“She should have ended up with the ghost,” Sunset said.
Pyrrha blinked in surprise. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” Sunset replied. “He was so much more interesting than the bland guy she chose.”
“Because she loved him,” Pyrrha said.
“But the Ghost was so cool,” Sunset declared.
“Don’t you mean creepy?” Ruby asked.
“No, I mean cool,” Sunset insisted. “He had brooding charisma to spare.”
“He kidnapped and murdered people!” Ruby cried.
“So?”
“He didn’t love her,” Pyrrha said. “He was obsessed with her, but that isn’t the same thing as love. She loved the count, and he loved her.”
“And besides,” Jaune added, “he was rich and noble. He could take care of her. What could the Ghost offer her, living beneath the opera house?”
“Would that matter, if they loved each other?” Sunset demanded.
“No,” Pyrrha answered. “But they didn’t.”
Nor was that the only exposure that Pyrrha offered them to the high end of Mistralian culture. In addition to complimentary tickets to the theatre, there were invitations to galas and fashion shows and charity balls. The entire team did not attend every single one of these events – Sunset used her experience of Canterlot society to guide Jaune and Ruby in which were likely to be worth going to and which would be intensely boring – but she always accompanied Pyrrha if the opportunity arose. It was nice to go along to some of these things and soak up the Mistralian culture, to dress up a little and remember a time when her life had been a blizzard of events just like these.
I think this place is making me homesick.
You know that the offer to come home is always open, right? I mean, as much as the magic mirror allows, I suppose. Do you know when it will be open next at your end?
No, but I'm sure Celestia knows when it will open next at your end. Not that it matters. There's a difference between being homesick and wanting to come home.
I know what you mean. I didn't realise how much I missed my brother until I found out that he was getting married.
That sounds more like jealousy to me.
I was not- you're impossible.
Oh, calm down, I'm just messing with you. But I’d expect you to get on with Cadance; other you does.
Oh, yes, Cadance and I get on great; but when I first heard that my brother was marrying Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, all I could think was that I was about to lose my brother to some mare I didn’t know. The fact that she turned out to be my old foalsitter – eventually – was a really welcome surprise.
Sunset snorted. You know, Princess Celestia asked me to do some foalsitting a couple of times, but I always refused. Maybe if I’d done it, I’d be a princess, too. 
I don’t think that’s the reason why you didn’t become a princess. Sunset, can I ask you something?
I don't guarantee an answer to any question, but go ahead.
Pyrrha Nikos, Ruby Rose, and Jaune Arc, those are your teammates, yes?
Sunset frowned. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I already told you that. Did you forget?
No. It's just that it’s not only Pyrrha Nikos who is a Royal Guard here in Canterlot; there’s a Ruby Rose here too, and they have a friend named Jaune Arc who lives in the city.
Sunset's eyebrows rose. Is he a royal guard as well?
No, I gather that he tried to get in but failed.
There’s a certain irony in the fact that the Royal Guard of Equestria, who did not see any real action during my life spent in the city, have more stringent entry requirements than the defenders of all life here in Remnant. So, what does Jaune do with himself, do you know?
Apparently, he's a Hero for Hire.
Sunset couldn't suppress the grin on her face. He's a what?
That's what he calls himself: Jaune Arc, Hero for Hire. Ponies come to him with their problems, and he tries to help them. I think it's very admirable, really.
Sunset sniggered. Surely that depends on what the problems are. Is he rescuing kidnap victims or getting cats down out of trees?
Well, Ruby and Pyrrha told me they check up on him from time to time and make sure he doesn't get in over his head, so I doubt he's facing off against real villains, but frankly, I don't see that that matters, so long as he's doing something to make life better for those around him.
Sunset considered that. In her mind, it mattered because there was a difference between actually being a hero worthy of the name and just playing pretend, but she could also see Twilight's point, kind of. 
In Equestria, there wasn't a lot of call for the kind of feats of arms that were expected from huntsmen and huntresses, so it was doubtful that the Jaune of Equestria would be facing off against anyone or anything truly scary, certainly not as frightening as the monsters that her Jaune fought against here in Remnant. Which was probably a good thing for him, all things considered.
But it doesn’t mean that he can’t leave Equestria a better place than he found it.
Maybe, but Hero for Hire is still a pretty ridiculous thing to call yourself if you ask me.
It might work better in the plural. But that's not really the point; the point is I thought you might like to know that there are doppelgangers of your comrades living here in Canterlot.
To be perfectly honest, just knowing that there are two Twilight Sparkles and two Rainbow Dashes was a bit much for my mind. I’ve been trying to avoid thinking about this ever since you answered my first message in that diary. It was bad enough with Principal Celestia, and I could tell myself that was just a coincidence, but now, it’s starting to feel like a pattern. 
Not just a pattern. If it were people with the same names, it would be a pattern, but doesn’t it strike you as something more that both Jaunes have a desire to be a hero, that both Pyrrhas and both Rubys are willing to risk their lives for the sake of others? Doesn’t it feel as though there must be some kind of cosmic essentialism at work here, something that proves some truth we cannot yet grasp about the nature of the self?
I don’t want to grasp it; it’s terrifying. 
Everyone on Remnant had a counterpart in Equestria and vice versa? How? Why? Were they not separate worlds, joined only by a single portal? Or were they separate planes of reality, intimately linked but with travel between them nigh-impossible. And how joined were they? Had the human and the pony Jaune, Ruby, Pyrrha, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and all the rest been born at the exact same moment on two different worlds? Would they die at the same time as one another too? If Sunset's Pyrrha fell in battle, then would pony Pyrrha drop dead at her guard post for no discernible reason, or would she continue, shorn of her double like a shadow without a body? It was too much, too much to take in, too much to think about, too much to contemplate all in a single sitting like this.
It was... it verged on horrifying. Sunset had always taken comfort from the idea of an inexorable destiny: that every step she took, every failure that she might seem to suffer was, in reality, leading her inevitably towards a greater and more glorious future. But this... Sunset could see now why Pyrrha took comfort in the idea of a destiny that she would create for herself out of her own choices and effort. Because given what Twilight had just told her about the personalities of the pony alternates of her teammates, given how alike they were, despite having grown up in different worlds, in different circumstances, as members of different species altogether, well, then, what of free will? What control did any of them have over their own lives, when even the names they gave to their children were pre-ordained and put into their minds by some external force? It was terrible. 
And what of Sunset herself? Was there some other Sunset Shimmer out there somewhere, another her she hadn't met, living another life... or was it the same life, driven by the same ambitions which would inevitably come into conflict with her own? Was Sunset a usurper in this world, or worse? If the two Sunsets met, would the paradox of their contract destroy reality, or had Sunset destroyed her alternate by venturing into this world from her own? What was the meaning of anything that she had done? What was the point of doing anything else when...?
Can we talk about something else, please? I really don't want to think about this.
Twilight obliged, though Sunset could tell that she was a little disappointed that Sunset didn't share her intellectual curiosity, but as far as Sunset was concerned, it was all very well for her; she wasn't the one having her world turned upside down. Or at least, she wasn't the one who was thinking about it that way. Still, fittingly for a princess of friendship, Twilight did the friendly thing and let the matter drop, and the two moved on - or back - to Canterlot and exchanging reminiscences of their time there, borne out of the way that Mistral stirred such memories of the place in Sunset.
She tried very hard to forget everything else about other Jaunes and other Pyrrhas and heroes for hire, all of it. She put it from her mind as she sparred, as Pyrrha showed them around Mistral, as she attended fancy functions.
The next day, Pyrrha took them all to the Mistral Coliseum, an ancient structure of stone arches piled on top of one another, layer upon layer, with bits of modern technology – like giant screens displaying the match going on within – bolted onto the archaic stonework. The square that surrounded the coliseum was full of tourists, snapping away with their scrolls flashing as they took pictures in what was, Pyrrha explained, one of the longest serving buildings in Mistral’s history; there were buildings as old, but only the palace was still in use and in its intended function what was more. 
The air was filled with energy; Sunset could feel it, everyone converging upon the fighting ring pulsing with energy and anticipation. It was like a heartbeat, a heartbeat for the whole city. Or one of the city’s hearts, at any rate; Mistral was complex enough, Sunset felt, to have more than one. 
Stewards tried to organise people into orderly queues through the turnstile gates, while women hawked a variety of traditional Mistralian snacks from off broad wooden trays. 
As they approached, more and more people became aware that it was no less a figure than Pyrrha Nikos who had come amongst them, the champion returning to the place where she had made her name and reputation. Whispers spread throughout the crowd, people arrested their progress towards the gates, they turned towards her as the word spread outwards from around them. 
“I would ask you to do… whatever it is that you did before,” Pyrrha muttered to Sunset out of the corner of your mouth, “but I’m afraid we wouldn’t get our seats if you did.”
“That might not be so bad,” Ruby murmured, pulling her hood up to hide her face from view. 
Pyrrha put one hand on Ruby’s shoulder but said nothing. Perhaps she felt as though there was nothing she could say. 
Fortunately, they were rescued from the attention of the masses by a steward, who pushed his way through the crowd towards them. “Lady Pyrrha,” he said, “a pleasure to welcome you again, though it be to the stands and not the arena.”
Pyrrha managed to muster a smile, albeit a smile with a very forced quality to it. “I can enjoy the sight of combat as much as anyone in Mistral, and more than some, I’m sure.”
“Of course,” the steward said. “If you and your companions will please follow me.”
They were led through the crowd to an entrance marked ‘VIPs Only’, which required a special keycard – the steward had one – to open it. From there, the four of them were led to another box, set high above the rest of the coliseum, aloof from the masses in the stands below as gods were from the affairs of mortal men. 
“You have a private box here, too?” Jaune asked.
Pyrrha laughed nervously. “You don’t expect my mother to watch me fight down below with the crowd, do you?” she paused. “Of course, I can hardly complain, being here. I must admit, I’m rather glad of the privacy.”
“Would you care for any refreshment, Lady Pyrrha?” the steward asked solicitously. 
“Um, some candied fruit, thank you,” Pyrrha murmured.
“Right away, Lady Pyrrha,” the man said, bowing again before he departed.
Pyrrha looked away from her teammates. “This… this must seem terrible, mustn’t it? My taking advantage of my fame and position, even as I complain about them.”
“You’ve got a right to complain,” Jaune said. “That amount of staring would make anyone uncomfortable.”
“You’ve got a right to be fawned over too,” Sunset said as she flopped down onto a wooden seat. “I mean, you are a hero in this town.”
“I’m a celebrity,” Pyrrha corrected her, “and I probably shouldn’t take advantage of it to-”
“To what?” Sunset demanded. “To make sure that your friends have a good time? There’s nothing wrong with or immoral about that, and besides, doesn’t your mother pay for this?”
“I… well, yes, she does,” Pyrrha admitted.
“Let’s just watch the match,” Ruby suggested.
“Yes, let’s,” Pyrrha agreed, as she too sat down. “I wanted you to see a fight because, well, it’s such an important part of Mistralian culture, it would be almost a crime for you to come to Mistral and not see in the coliseum.”
“Will this be what the Vytal Festival is like?” Jaune asked. “This is a big crowd.”
“The Amity Coliseum is not quite as large as this – a consequence of it needing to fly,” Pyrrha explained, “but it does have some more advanced features that this arena lacks, on account of its advanced age. Not that it’s completely primitive!” she added quickly. “The ancients who built this place were very imaginative. For the anniversary of the Battle of the Kaledon Straits last year, they managed to flood the arena, and we fought in two teams from off wooden ships.” She smiled at the memory. “By the end of the match, we’d largely demolished both vessels, and we were left leaping from one stray plank of wood to another, trying not to fall into the water.”
“And did you?” Ruby asked, leaning forward. “Fall in, I mean?”
Pyrrha chuckled. “I was almost dragged under by Oceana, one of the two fighters we’re going to see now. But I dove in before she could grab me and was fortunate enough to take her into the red before my breath ran out.”
Sunset looked around. The interior of the coliseum managed to preserve the bulk of its antique stylings even in the midst of more modern touches like the floodlights or the screens. The seats – even in the boxes like the one they were sat in – were hard wood, without cushions, and the edge of the box and the boundaries of the various stands were marked with stone, not metal. The arena surface on which the combatants would duel was flat and barren stone. Mistralian flags hung down from the top of the arena, fluttering gently back and forth.
The crowd packed the coliseum, thousands upon thousands of Mistralians high and low, dressed in robes and more modern, casual wear, buzzing with energy and anticipation as they packed the stands. This was not, to Sunset’s knowledge, a major fight; as she understood, it was a rather commonplace bout between two reasonable but not exceptional fighters, yet still, they were packing in the crowds as if this was the most important fight in the history of the arena. What would it have been like, she could only wonder, when Pyrrha had fought here? 
“So… you said it’s not going to be quite so big?” Ruby asked nervously. 
“Maybe not,” Sunset said, “but it’s going to be full regardless.” Full of eyes turned their way, watching them in all their glory. 
She could hardly wait… if she got the chance. 
Sunset glanced at Pyrrha, where she sat on the wooden bench between Jaune and Ruby. Her eyes were fixed upon the arena down below, and she gave no indication of whether she had changed her mind or not. 
What can I do to convince you, Pyrrha?
What will convince you if that fight did not? 



In ancient times, it had been the custom in Mistral for victorious generals and great warriors, when they had won some battle worthy of recognition, to go to the Temple  of Victory and dedicate the spoils of their triumph to Victory herself. Now, the temple was mostly used to celebrate tournament champions – four times, Pyrrha had, as the price of her victory, been forced to climb into a chariot alongside an actress portraying Victory and be driven through the streets for people to cheer for on her way to the temple – but it had not wholly given over its original purpose. Pyrrha did not claim to be a general, nor would she rank Team SAPR's defeat of the karkadann alongside the feats of arms of the heroes of old, but nevertheless, she felt that the defeat of a grimm so close to the walls of Mistral itself was something that deserved to be honoured.
Their victory had not been certain, and had things gone differently, then it might have been ill even for Mistral itself and the victory being uncertain, Pyrrha felt that it deserved to have thanks given for it.
The form of the thanks was an awkward question where victories over the grimm were concerned: they left nothing behind after all, no trophy or remains that could be dedicated to the temple. Nor, to be perfectly honest, did a fake grimm seem like it would make a respectful offering. And so, Pyrrha, with her mother's permission, had commissioned from a reputable goldsmith a golden horse, about a foot high from its hooves to its shoulders, to serve as an offering to the temple.
It was quite a beautiful thing, worth every lien that Pyrrha – or her mother – had paid for it. Pyrrha's commission had been for something that represented not the beast they had killed so much as the four of them who had defeated it and now would make the offering, and as she held the golden horse in her hands, Pyrrha could not help but smile at how it had turned out: the gold itself was for Pyrrha herself, gold like the gilding on her armour, gold like the circlet that glimmered on her brow; the hooves were black onyx, like Ruby's outfit; the mane and tail of the horse were styled after Sunset's flaming hair and tail, streaks of red and yellow intertwined through cunning use of different varieties of gold; the eyes of the horse were sapphires, for Jaune's beautiful eyes but also in reflection of the name of their team.
Worth every lien indeed.
"That is very nice," Sunset said. "So nice it's a shame to stick it in some temple."
Pyrrha chuckled. "That is what makes it a worthy offering," she reproached Sunset.
"I'm sure it is," Sunset replied. "Doesn't mean I wouldn't rather keep it."
But she cannot have felt too strongly about it, because she didn't push the subject as Pyrrha led her friends through the streets of Mistral to the Square  of Heroes, where Agrippa's Column dominated the centre of the square. They spent a little time admiring the column, carved all around with frescoes depicting the conquest of northern Anima, climbing up towards the marble statue of the emperor himself. Pyrrha told them all a little about the equestrian statues of Mistral's heroes past that marked the corners of the square and some of the most notable bronze and marble statues that lined the edges of the square on three sides.
On the fourth side of the square sat the Temple of Victory, their destination. High it rose, elevated above the square beneath upon a high stone dais one hundred and eighty-eight steps high, and the temple itself so immense on top of that that even Agrippa's Column was dwarfed by it. Marble columns fronted the temple, propping up a roof covered in gold that glittered in the morning light. More bronze statues – not of individuals now, but of idealised heroic figures, much like the two who dominated Beacon's courtyard – stood at the top of the steps as though keeping guard over the temple.
As Pyrrha led her friends up the steps towards the temple, it seemed almost as though those statues watched them come.
They climbed the steps – eventually – and passed between the towering columns of white marble and entered into the temple itself. It was dark, and the air was heavy with incense but also, Pyrrha thought, with the weight of history that dwelled within this place.
Sunset seemed to feel it too, because she shivered and muttered, "This place is full of ghosts."
"Perhaps," Pyrrha murmured, keeping her voice down out of respect, "but they are benign ghosts, I hope, friends to those who are friends of Mistral."
They walked down the central transept leading to the altar.
"Look at all these weapons!" Ruby gasped, for on either side of the transept, filling up the temple, were weapons and armour and other spoils of battles won and cities taken, all proudly displayed for any visitor to the temple to see.
"There are a great many reproductions in the museum," Pyrrha said softly, a slight smile upon her face, "but everything here is quite real. Every trophy here was brought by a victorious warrior and dedicated as a trophy of their triumph."
"Why?" Jaune asked. "Is there a god here?"
"In a manner of speaking," Pyrrha replied, keeping her voice down. "Not so much a god as the spirit of victory itself. The personification of it. We give thanks for her blessing… and leave behind us signifiers of the victories we won, that they may be remembered."
"Immortality," Sunset murmured. "Like your mother said."
"I suppose so," Pyrrha agreed.
As they approached the altar, Pyrrha pointed out to her friends a few of the most notable dedications within the temple; she made no mention of the 'spoils' she had dedicated as a result of her own triumphs, as they did not compare at all to some of what was stored within.
Soon enough, they reached the back of the dark temple, where braziers filled with fire dust crystals gave off a little light; a great gold statue of Victory herself, twenty feet tall, rose above them, casting a shadow over all who came near. Victory was personified as a young woman, tall – in proportion, not merely because of the great size of the statue itself – armoured for battle, with long hair falling down behind her head. She clasped a shield before her, both hands resting upon the rim. Her head was bowed, allowing her to look down upon those who approached the altar.
"She kind of looks like you, Pyrrha," Ruby pointed out.
"Uh, yes," Pyrrha conceded, feeling her cheeks heat up a little. "I, um… that is to say that I-"
"Modelled your image after Victory?" Sunset suggested. "Or did your mother decide that would be a good idea?"
"A bit of both," Pyrrha replied. "I must admit… a part of me enjoyed the idea."
Beside the altar of graven stone, decorated with friezes of battle and the hunt, stood a gaunt priest in plain white robes. "Pyrrha Nikos, Champion of Mistral," he intoned gravely. "Why have you come?"
Pyrrha's voice rose, ringing out clearly through the temple. "To give thanks for the victory of Team Sapphire over the karkadann that menaced our city. I have brought this offering," - she held out the golden horse - "and hope that it finds favour."
"Victory shall be the judge of that," the priest declared. "Place your offering upon the altar."
While her friends waited a few steps behind, Pyrrha approached, the dull light from the braziers glinting upon her greaves, and placed the golden horse, with a piece of every member of the team within it, upon the altar.
She stepped back.
"What happens now?" Sunset whispered.
"If the offering is unworthy, it will be flung from the altar," Pyrrha replied.
"Flung by who?" Jaune asked.
"I think something's happening," Ruby said.
The air within the temple changed. It became colder, sharper, crisper. It was as though there was a wind rising within the temple, though it was still outside and no breeze could penetrate so far within. Nevertheless, Pyrrha could feel it on her skin and brushing through her hair, hear a sort of whispering in her ear like a thousand voices clamouring for her attention… and she could see the golden horse upon the altar trembling, teetering back and forth, rocked by an invisible hand.
And then it stopped. The statue was still again. The wind died down, the atmosphere within the temple returned to normal, or at least for normal as it was within the temple.
"Your offering has been adjudged as worthy," declared the priest.
"What… what was that?" Jaune asked, as the four of them made their way out of the temple.
"I… I'm not sure I can explain it," Pyrrha replied. "I have… it has happened to me before, but that doesn't mean that I know what it is." She paused as they reached the temple columns. "Thank you for coming with me. I'm glad that we were able to do that as a team, for the victory of our team."
"Can we expect to have more victories as a team?" Sunset asked.
"Sunset," Ruby said.
"No, Ruby, I will not let this go; this is as much about Pyrrha's own good as it is about the team," Sunset declared. "Look me in the eye and tell me that we're not stronger together than we are alone."
Pyrrha did indeed look her in the eye, but not for the reasons Sunset might have expected. “You… you’re right,” she said, “and that is why…”
She trailed off as she caught sight of Terri-Belle Thrax waiting for her on the temple steps, her armour stained with dirt and grime, looking as though she had only recently returned from the field.
"Lady Pyrrha," Terri-Belle said. "Your mother told you I would find you here." The daughter of the Steward paused, a wry smile springing to her hard features. "She addressed me with less courtesy than she did before."
Pyrrha sucked in a sharp intake of breath. "I apologise if my mother was-"
"She gave no offence, fear not," Terri-Belle assured her. "May I speak with you?"
"You can say it in front of us, my lady," Sunset said sharply. "For your business with Pyrrha concerns us all, after a fashion."
Terri-Belle frowned; she continued to look at Pyrrha.
Pyrrha said, "We may speak freely here, Lady Terri-Belle."
"Very well," Terri-Belle grunted. "If you wished to refuse me, you could have simply refused," she continued. "There was no need to mobilise your following against me."
Pyrrha blinked. "I… forgive me, Lady Terri-Belle, but I know not what you mean."
"I have only lately returned from Higanbana," Terri-Belle explained, "but in my absence, a great many messages have accrued decrying the idea that you should be denied the opportunity to represent Mistral in the Vytal Tournament. I am told it is a matter of national importance, touching upon the honour of Mistral." She scoffed. "Do not mistake me, I would like to see a daughter of Mistral triumph and knock those bloody Atlesians upon their arses, but I would not set it of greater import than the beowolf at the door."
"Neither would I," Pyrrha said. "But-"
"But the beowolf is no longer at our door," Terri-Belle added.
Pyrrha's eyes widened as it began to dawn on her that the arguments she had mustered in support of her decision - the arguments that Sunset had put to her with such conviction the night after she had first received the offer - might not be necessary after all. "You think that this is a permanent retreat."
"Not even a grimm studies professor can truly explain the behaviour of these monsters," Terri-Belle muttered. "For myself… you may say it is a judgment born of hope, but I do not think they will return again so soon." She smiled. "Which means my need of you is not so urgent, Lady Pyrrha; that being the case, who am I to stand in the way of the honour of Mistral?"
Pyrrha could scarcely believe it. She felt as though she had been delivered, saved not from peril but at least from the unpleasantness of having to make a difficult choice one way or the other. "You mean-"
"Consider my offer withdrawn," Terri-Belle said. "I will spare you having to refuse me." She paused. "You may return to your sanctuary at Beacon, for a little while longer. I wish you good fortune there. And I expect you to do Mistral proud in the tournament."
Pyrrha bowed her head, even as a smile played upon her face. "I will do my utmost to oblige, Lady Terri-Belle."
"I would expect nothing less," Terri-Belle declared. "I will not trouble you further. Good day, Lady Pyrrha."
"And to you," Pyrrha said, turning away from her and back to her friends. A joyous smile spread across her features. "I'm staying," she said. She repeated it again, louder. "I'm staying!" Staying at Beacon, staying with her friends, staying in the place where she had found happiness, staying… staying with Jaune. She was staying.
"Yes!" Sunset said, punching the air with delight. "I mean, I wish you would have listened to me, but a result is a result, right?"
"Yes," Pyrrha agreed. "Yes, it is. Although, if it makes you feel any better, I would have listened to you.”
“You would?” Sunset asked. “I mean, ahem, of course you would. My wisdom and logic were unassailable.”
Pyrrha chuckled. “They were; they really were. In any case, the decision is made now, and the fact that I didn't have to make the decision is less important than the fact that… that it is the decision I wanted all along."
"I'm glad you're coming back to Beacon," Ruby said, "and by the sounds of it, Mistral's safe now too, so everybody wins."
Pyrrha chuckled. "That is an excellent way to put it. Everybody wins."
She looked at Jaune, who was staring down at her from the higher step. He stepped down, coming closer to her even as he stopped looming over her. "I… I didn't want to tell you what to do. I didn't want to tell you that you couldn't be the hero that your people need you to be, or that you shouldn't. But now… now that I know that I'm not going to lose you, I can say how… how glad I am that I get to be a part of your life for a little longer."
Pyrrha felt tears begin to prick at the corners of her eyes. "I… I'm glad too," she whispered as she let the arms of her teammates enfold her.
I am so, so very glad.
I am the luckiest girl in the world, without a doubt.



Pyrrha felt her step lightened considerably by the good news, and her step remained light for the rest of the day until she returned home and realised that she should tell her mother about Terri-Belle's offer and the subsequent withdrawal of the same. She had hesitated to do so earlier; she had, to be honest, been rather loath to do so, because she had feared that her mother would have strong opinions on the matter which Pyrrha would be unable to resist. Now, however, the matter had passed out of her hands. And besides, it seemed as though her mother already knew. And Pyrrha thought that she knew just how her mother knew.
She found Lady Nikos in the study, adding something else to the wall of Pyrrha's achievements.
"The karkadann, Mother?" Pyrrha asked resignedly.
Lady Nikos turned to look at her. "The karkadann indeed. The trumpet blast that heralded the Miracle of Mistral."
Pyrrha sighed softly. The Miracle of Mistral was what some had taken to calling the sudden withdrawal of the grimm. Pyrrha had to admit, there was a miraculous quality about it: the grimm had appeared from out of the darkness, seemingly unheralded, and then a short time later, they had departed once again, their threat vanishing like a shadow exposed to the light. "That was not my doing," she said.
"And yet, it followed on from your achievement," Lady Nikos said.
"Simply because it followed after does not mean it followed because," Pyrrha pointed out.
"True, but irrelevant," Lady Nikos replied. "Your victory is more than worthy of acknowledgement in its own right."
"My team's victory," Pyrrha said.
"I have conceded that they are not without skill," Lady Nikos muttered. "Was there something you wished to say?"
Pyrrha walked into the study and closed the door behind her. "I would like a word with you, Mother, yes, if you have a moment."
"I do, and a little more than a moment at this time."
"Thank you, Mother." Pyrrha remained standing as her mother sat down, and her mother did not invite her to do otherwise. She stood with impeccable posture before her mother's desk. "I met with Lady Terri-Belle Thrax again today; she found me outside the temple."
"Was your offering accepted?"
"It was," Pyrrha acknowledged. "Thank you, Mother."
"As I said, your victory was worthy of commemoration," Lady Nikos declared. "As for Lady Terri-Belle, I am not unaware that she had returned to the city and was in search of you."
Pyrrha hesitated for a moment. "Did… did Sunset tell you that she had offered me a position with the Imperial Guard?"
Lady Nikos smiled. "Actually, that was Mister Arc, who let it slip from his tongue. I suppose Miss Shimmer wished to persuade you by herself, without needing to call on my assistance."
"You have judged her right, I think," Pyrrha murmured.
"She is a proud girl," Lady Nikos said. "A somewhat surprising trait in one of her race." She paused for a moment. "And yet, with all due respect to Miss Shimmer's pride, I am glad that someone told me what Lady Terri-Belle wished of you."
"Did you have to ask everyone to lobby against the appointment?" Pyrrha asked. "Lady Terri-Belle chided me for it, but that was you, wasn't it?"
"You are the most gifted warrior born in Mistral since the days of Juno," Lady Nikos declared. "You deserve the chance to shine upon the brightest stage in Remnant."
"What good is it to stand on a stage when the audience are being devoured by grimm?" Pyrrha asked.
Lady Nikos stared up at her daughter. "You have decided to accept Lady Terri-Belle's offer, then? And she has dared to continue offering it?"
"No," Pyrrha admitted. "I would have refused, if only because Sunset is correct when she says I am not ready, but… Lady Terri-Belle has withdrawn her offer. Following the Miracle of Mistral, neither she nor Mistral have urgent need of me any longer."
"I am glad that Lady Terri-Belle at least possesses sense," Lady Nikos murmured. "You would have refused it?"
"I would," Pyrrha repeated. "I am not ready yet to bear such weighty responsibilities. It would have pained me, but… I am glad that I am able to return to Beacon with a high heart and a clear conscience."
"'With a high heart and a clear conscience,'" Lady Nikos repeated. She snorted. "It is not the glory of the Vytal Festival that excites your heart to such heights, is it?"
"No, Mother," Pyrrha said calmly. "You know the joy of which I speak."
"Then you will be pleased to learn that Lady Terri-Belle is not the only one to have to come to a decision," her mother said. "I myself have decided to allow you to return to Beacon."
Pyrrha was silent for a moment. "Was that ever in doubt, so long as I myself wished to return?"
"Considerably, when you first returned home," Lady Nikos replied without a trace of shame or embarrassment. "I had given much thought to the notion of your transferring to Haven. After what happened last semester, I was far from convinced that it was the right academy for you after all or that your teammates were the right comrades for you for the next four years."
"They're not just my teammates; they're my friends," Pyrrha said. Some might have thought it ironic that she had been seriously contemplating tearing herself away from Sunset, from Ruby, from Jaune, only to find out that her mother had been contemplating the same thing. Nevertheless, despite that irony – if it could be called such – to discover the fact still pained and frightened her. The thought of being wrenched away from her friends had been enough when the wound was self-inflicted but to suffer it from her mother? Pyrrha felt as though she had only just begun to step out of the darkness and into the light of something brighter and more beautiful than she could possibly have imagined. She was willing to sacrifice that, to make that choice of her own will, for the greater good and out of her duty to Mistral… but to have it inflicted upon her by her own mother?
"Friendship does not make a champion or a warrior," Lady Nikos informed her. "No one will be remembered long after their death for how affable and good-natured they were, for how many friends they had."
"Their friends will remember them, with love and great fondness," Pyrrha replied.
"And when those friends are gone, then so will all memory of the friend that they remembered so fondly," Lady Nikos declared, "but a light dedicated to the pursuit of glory will light a flame eternal."
"A cold fire, mother," Pyrrha said. "One that gives no warmth."
Her mother stared at her, her green eyes cold. "I think your team leader, Miss Shimmer, might disagree with you."
"I like and respect Sunset, but I don't agree with her about everything," Pyrrha said. "Do you.. .do you wish that you had a daughter more like her than you do?"
"You are my daughter and a prodigy, a fact I would not chance for anything," Lady Nikos said. "I simply wish you would show more appreciation of the gifts the gods have blessed you with."
Pyrrha furrowed her brow. "Is this what you wanted to talk to Sunset about, when you summoned her into your study the day after she arrived?"
"It was."
"You told Sunset that you were thinking of keeping me here long before you ever told me." It was not a question, but a statement of fact.
"There was nothing that you could have done to change my mind."
"Then what did change your mind?"
"Your companions proved their worth to me," Mother said. "Mister Arc's skill at arms leaves a great deal to be desired, but he possesses a formidable semblance with which to support you. Miss Shimmer possesses an impressive array of skills. Miss Rose, I think, requires some seasoning, but she certainly does not lack either for courage or the raw ingredients of greatness. I must admit that it is unlikely you would have such a formidable team at Haven, even if you would not be transferring after one semester. I doubt that Professor Lionheart has three such students in his entire academy."
"No, Mother," Pyrrha agreed. They might not have the same reasons for saying so, but they both agreed, and in the present circumstances, Pyrrha was inclined to take what she could get. "I think that's unlikely."
Her mother looked down at her desk, her eyes lingering on the photographs that sat there. "What is it that you seek at Beacon, Pyrrha?" she asked. "Is it friendship or destiny?"
"Both, if fate will have it so," Pyrrha replied. "For the road to my destiny is one that is better travelled in company, I think. I know that the glories of the arena mean much to you, and I would like to think that I have obliged you in that regard, but my destiny is more than that, and worthier. And more and worthier than the Vytal tournament waits for me at Beacon. You ask me to appreciate the gifts I have been given, the talent I have been blessed with," Pyrrha continued. "I am. I appreciate them so much that I wish to use them for so much more than to aggrandise myself. I would use them to protect the world, to save it if it can be saved. That is my ambition. That is the destiny that I desire."
"A lofty goal, to be sure. Yet one well worthy of our noble line and of your talents. And for that, at least, you were willing to cast aside your friends, or you would have refused the Lady Terri-Belle outright upon her first asking."
Pyrrha was silent for a moment. "I… I did not see how I could in honour or good conscience refuse, though my heart recoiled from it."
"Do your friends know this?" Lady Nikos asked. "Do they know that you will always choose destiny over their friendship?"
"I did not have to choose," Pyrrha replied. "I hope never to have to choose again."
"I am sure you do," Lady Nikos said, "but wishing will not make it so."



Lady Nikos did not join them for dinner that night, and the mood between the four of them was celebratory. They didn't dine in the dining room but sat in one of the living rooms around a low table, sitting on the floor with only thin cushions underneath them as they picked at bits and pieces from an array of bowls and pots of steaming food set out in front of them.
"A toast," Sunset said, raising her bowl. She glanced at said bowl. "A toast of sorts, at least, to Pyrrha Nikos, the pride of Team Sapphire, and to the right choice being made for her, just in case she wasn't wise enough to make it for herself."
"Thank you, Sunset," Pyrrha said. "I think."
"I like having you around," Sunset said. "It doesn't mean that I have to pretend you're perfect."
"It wouldn't be the same team without you," Ruby declared.
"Nobody could replace you, Pyrrha."
"Now you're all just flattering me," Pyrrha protested.
"Do you want us to keep going?" Sunset asked.
Pyrrha covered her mouth with one hand as she chuckled.
"You think I'm joking, but I like my flattery to roll on for as long as possible," Sunset told her.
"I'm flattered enough already," Pyrrha said. "I truly am. I… Sunset, I know that you though I was planning to leave, but please, believe me when I say that I never wanted anything more than to stay with you, with all of you. The three of you have… you've improved my life in ways that I only dared to dream were possible. I'm so glad to call you my friends, and… and nothing but duty would ever have torn me away from you."
"Well, I for one am inclined to see the workings of something greater than ourselves in all of this," Sunset declared.
"Really?" Jaune asked sceptically.
"Hear me out!" Sunset cried. "Someone tries to take Pyrrha away from our team, citing the great threat that makes it necessary for her to leave us behind, get out there, and join the fight. Then… the threat vanishes. The skies are clear. All is at peace once more, and Pyrrha is thus freed to stay with us. Clearly, this team is fated to be together."
"That's… a little bit of a stretch," Ruby said, "but it does sound really sweet." She started to drink some tea.
"It does," Pyrrha agreed, "but I would have to believe in an immutable fate before I believed in it."
"Whether Sunset's right or not, it's great that we get to keep you," Jaune said. "Although I'm sure your fiancé must be disappointed."
Ruby spat her tea all over Sunset. "Ah!" Ruby cried, as the liquid dripped off Sunset's hair. "Sunset, I'm so sorry! I'll-"
Sunset held up one hand for quiet. "'Fiancé'?" she asked. "You're engaged? You kept that quiet!" She paused. "Seriously, it didn't get so much as a mention in the press; how did you manage that?"
"Is it a secret engagement?" Ruby asked. She frowned. "You could have told us! We would have kept your secret for you."
"There is no secret to keep," Pyrrha protested. "There is no engagement. Jaune… what are you talking about?"
Jaune frowned. "You… you're not engaged?"
"No," Pyrrha said, the firmness with which she intended to convey that fact mingling with her puzzlement as to why he thought there was. "Jaune, why do you think that I have a fiancé?"
"Well, your mother-"
"My mother!" Pyrrha interrupted him, rising to her feet. What had her mother told him? When had she told him? Why had she… was this after the party? It occurred to Pyrrha that she might get the answers to these questions more effectively by simply asking Jaune and letting him answer. "Jaune… what did my mother say to you? And when?"
"After the party," Jaune said, confirming at least one of Pyrrha's suspicions. "She said that… that you were engaged to be married, to a prince, someone… someone worthy of you."
Sunset folded her arms. "And that you should butt out; is that about the size of it?"
Jaune glanced nervously at Sunset and said, "Um… kind of."
Sunset and Ruby both stared at Jaune, the latter with an open mouth, the former with eyebrows that had climbed so high that they were hidden amongst her hair.
"I have been lied to plenty of times in the past, but that… that's impressive," Sunset said.
"It's horrible!" Ruby protested.
"Yes, but it's impressive in how horrible it is," Sunset replied.
"You mean… she was lying?" Jaune said. "You're not engaged."
"No," Pyrrha said. "I am not engaged. There is no fiancé. There is no prince." She turned away. She felt so angry. She'd never felt this angry before! How could her mother do this! It was enough to make her want to do something drastic.
Pyrrha stamped her foot upon the floor and let out a little mewling cry of outrage.
"Did, uh… did that make you feel better?" Sunset asked.
Pyrrha sighed. "Not particularly," she admitted.
"Pyrrha," Jaune murmured, "I'm so sorry."
"You… you don't need to be sorry, Jaune," Pyrrha whispered. "This isn't your fault."
"We're still sorry," Ruby said. "Is there anything that we can do?"
Pyrrha hesitated for a moment. "You… you could start packing. I'm sorry to cut your vacation short, but… but…"
"But you can't stay in this house," Sunset finished for her. "I… I get that, I suppose. Although…"
Pyrrha glanced at her. "Is something wrong?"
Sunset hesitated. "No," she said. "I'll find us somewhere to stay for the night, and then an airship. There'll be something headed for Vale."
"Thank you," Pyrrha said softly. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with my mother."
Sunset winced. "Do you want some company?" she asked.
She did want some, but that was not the same thing as it being a good idea. "No," Pyrrha replied. "I'll be alright." I hope.
Sunset's expression was inscrutable. "Good luck up there."
Pyrrha nodded. Her whole body felt tense; she felt as if she were about to walk into the arena, except that no bout against any opponent she had fought on the circuit had ever made her feel this nervous. In spite of the fact that she had just eaten dinner, her stomach felt empty and cold. Her legs were heavy and only seemed to grow heavier as she walked.
Hestia told her that she could find her mother in the Master Bedroom, a large room dominated by an enormous four-poster bed with hangings of crimson and gold draped between the ornately carved wooden posts that resembled the marble columns of a temple. Lady Nikos was sitting upon the bed, her back supported by numerous cushions and pillows, reading a large, hardback book which Pyrrha did not catch the title of.
Nor, at the moment, did she particularly care.
"Mother," Pyrrha said as she walked into the room, her whole body trembling. "How… how could you?"
Lady Nikos looked at her from over the top of her reading glasses. "How could I do what?"
"How could you lie to Jaune that I was engaged?" Pyrrha demanded.
Lady Nikos was silent for a moment. She snapped her book shut and set it down on the bed beside her. Slowly, she took off her reading glasses and placed them on the bedside table. "I do not consider what I said to be a total fabrication."
Pyrrha gasped. "You… you do not… I cannot believe… in what way?"
"Turnus-"
"I am not engaged to Turnus Rutulus, nor will I be!" Pyrrha cried. "Why, Mother, tell me that?"
"I would ask you in turn for your opinion of Mister Arc, but there is no need," Lady Nikos replied. "I saw the way you looked at him at the Steward's party. I… exaggerated your status in order to dissuade him. He has sufficient decency that he would not pursue you."
"'Sufficient decency'?" Pyrrha repeated.
"He is not worthy of you," Lady Nikos said.
"But lies are not unworthy of you, Mother?" Pyrrha cried. "Jaune is a good man, kind and brave and… and I don't care that he does not come from some grand Mistralian family or that he has no long line of ancestors to compare with mine. Kind hearts are worth more than coronets, and Jaune has the kindest heart of any man I have ever met." She breathed in and out, her chest rising and falling. "I don't know how Jaune feels about me," Pyrrha admitted. "But… but I do know how I feel about you at the moment. Goodbye, Mother." She turned away.
"Goodbye?" Lady Nikos snapped. "What means this 'goodbye'? Where are you going?"
"Back to Beacon," Pyrrha said. She did not look back, for she feared that if she looked back, then her resolve would crumble. "I have… endured much, Mother. And I will not deny that I benefit from much that I have endured. But this… this I cannot endure. And so… goodbye."
She walked away. Her mother did not try to stop her. She did not call out. She did not say anything as Pyrrha walked out of the bedroom and shut the door behind her.
"How was it?"
Pyrrha gasped. Jaune was waiting for her, out in the corridor, a sympathetic look upon his face.
"I know that you said you didn't need any company," Jaune said. "But… I wasn't sure that you should be alone."
Pyrrha stepped forward. "Thank you," she said softly. "You… you're so kind."
"I don't feel kind right now," Jaune said. "I feel kind of stupid. I should have known that you wouldn't keep something like that to yourself."
"I kept my semblance to myself," Pyrrha murmured. "Don't blame yourself; this isn't your fault."
"I guess not," Jaune said. "I just… I suppose I believed it because… "
Pyrrha walked a little closer towards him. "'Because'?"
"I believed that you were going to marry a prince because… because you deserve one," he said.
Pyrrha looked into his eyes. ‘He has sufficient decency that he would not pursue you.’ Does that mean that he would have pursued me otherwise? "Jaune," she said, ever so softly. "Why did my… why did she think she needed to… to dissuade you?"
Jaune did not reply at once. He looked at her. Slowly, gently, he reached out and took her hands in his. "Because… because I… Pyrrha I… oh, God, I hope you appreciate confidence." And then he kissed her.
She would have gasped in shock, but his lips were upon hers. She would have pulled away, but… but she didn’t really want to.
Or rather, she really didn’t want to. In fact, she came closer, pressing his lips against hers, feeling him wrap his arms around her, feeling… feeling as though nothing else in Remnant really mattered. 



“I’ll be there waiting for you when you arrive,” Cinder said, her image on the surface of Sunset’s scroll. “Haven can be a little confusing to new visitors.”
“I think every Academy can,” Sunset replied. “So I’ll be sure to show you around Beacon when you arrive.”
Cinder chuckled. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“It’s the very least I can do,” Sunset replied. “Thanks for setting this up for us so quickly. Professor Lionheart must think a lot of you.”
“Or I’m the only student here, and he has no one else to talk to,” Cinder suggested. “Let’s go with that first one. Are you sure you’ll only need a room for one night?”
“I think so,” Sunset said. “Hopefully we can find an airship in the morning.”
“If not, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” Cinder said.
“I’ll bear that in mind,” Sunset said. “See you up at Haven soon.”
“I look forward to it,” Cinder replied, as she hung up.
Sunset folded up her scroll and tucked it into the pocket of her jacket. She was almost done packing, so-
There was a knock on the door. 
Sunset looked towards said door. “Jaune? Is that you?”
“No,” the voice of Lady Nikos issued from the other side of the door. “May I enter, Miss Shimmer?”
Sunset straightened and turned hastily to face the door. Her brow furrowed a little. She hesitated a moment. What Lady Nikos had done… it reminded her a little of Princess Celestia and the way that she had deceived Sunset; the fact that she and the princess were reconciled did not change the fact that it had hurt to find out that everything Sunset had thought and believed, everything that she had told, everything that had seemed so certain in her life had been nothing but falsehood all along. What Lady Nikos did was not such an order, but it was cruel nonetheless to lie to one’s child, especially when that child was someone like Pyrrha. And yet, Lady Nikos was their host until they took leave of her. It would not do to be rude. 
“Of course. Please come in, my lady.”
The door into the guest room opened, and Lady Nikos walked in. In her right hand, she bore a sword, with only its long black hilt visible beyond the scabbard. The floor creaked a little beneath her stiff gait.
Sunset bowed. “Lady Nikos, you honour me with your presence.”
Lady Nikos sniffed. She did not speak for a moment, but instead looked around the room as though she were unfamiliar with some part of the furnishing of her own house. “You are leaving, then?”
“Did my lady think this was some sort of bluff on Pyrrha’s part?”
Lady Nikos hesitated and, in her hesitation, revealed that she had at least hoped that it was so. “Where will you go?”
“Thanks to the good offices of Miss Fall, we will find rooms at Haven Academy for the night,” Sunset explained, “and then tomorrow, fate and fortune willing, find an airship back to Vale.”
“I see,” Lady Nikos replied. “I am glad that you will not be spending the night in some low hotel somewhere in the lower reaches of the city.”
“Fortunately not, my lady,” Sunset said. “Although I fear that our circumstances might have forced us to it had Cinder not been able to come to our rescue.”
Lady Nikos cocked her head a little. “Your circumstances? Do you imagine that I will cut Pyrrha off in response to all of this, Miss Shimmer?”
Sunset licked her lips. “The thought had crossed my mind, my lady.”
“That would be rather petty of me, don’t you think?”
“To speak plainly, my lady, I fear there are some who would say the same of exaggerating your daughter’s status in order to discourage an unwanted suitor.”
Lady Nikos snorted. “No doubt they would. Do you think that I have been harsh, Miss Shimmer?”
Sunset breathed in deeply. “I think… my lady is entitled to her opinions on Jaune, as wrong as I may think them to be, but your deception was uncalled for.”
“All that I have done has been for Pyrrha’s own good,” Lady Nikos said. “No doubt, she thinks I have been harsh with her throughout her life. I am inclined to say I have been too lenient. Or why should she be as innocent and unworldly as she is now, save because I allowed it?”
“My lady has raised a goddess of victory,” Sunset declared. “In outer image and in inward substance. We are all of us formidable in our own ways and rights, but it is Pyrrha that our enemies fear by name and sight. She is, amongst much else besides and so much more, a token of our strength and prowess.”
“Indeed,” Lady Nikos murmured. “But she would be so for any team to which she was assigned.”
“We are not any team, my lady.”
“No, you are not,” Lady Nikos replied. “I do not doubt that, in time, you too will be known and feared by name and sight, Miss Shimmer.”
“Such is my intent, my lady, though I thank you for your confidence.”
“May I ask why you didn’t tell my daughter of my possible plans for her?”
“I saw no reason to, my lady; I was always confident in my ability to impress you sufficiently as to render the possibility null.”
Again, Lady Nikos looked at her, as if she could divine what in Sunset’s speech was genuine and what was not.
Good luck with that, my lady.
Lady Nikos smiled, or at least stood upon the verge of it. “You are worthy to stand as a companion to my daughter.”
“She’s worthy of me too, my lady,” Sunset said, because she had a reputation for ego to keep up. 
Lady Nikos ignored the arrogance. “Do you think that Pyrrha will ever forgive me?”
Sunset nodded. “I do, my lady. Pyrrha has a generous heart, and those far less generous have forgiven far worse offences.”
“I hope you are correct,” Lady Nikos said. “I do not approve of her infatuation, but she remains my daughter, heir to myself and my house, the hope of my line and of my kingdom.” She paused. “In your home, where you were taught your manners, were you taught any tradition of guest gifts, given by a host when a guest departs?”
Sunset’s eyes narrowed just a tad. “I fear not, my lady. Where I come from, a host might give a gift to a dear friend they saw too infrequently, but there is no custom to govern such things.”
“It is an old notion, and little practiced nowadays,” Lady Nikos declared. “Yet you have been a good guest, and I believe that you will appreciate one and make good use of the other.” She held out the sword, with its hilt as black as onyx. “This blade was carried by Achates, the Emperor’s most faithful bodyguard, during the Great War. He was carrying it when he was slain by the King of Vale during the Battle of the Four Sovereigns. Legend says he stabbed at the king with it in defence of my ancestor and was the only man on that field to succeed in striking that great warrior. Take it, to defend my daughter at the last resort.”
Sunset’s eyes were wide. Her hands hovered, halfway to the blade as her feelings stood halfway between greed and hesitation. “My lady… you offer me a treasure of your family after so short a time that we have known each other?”
“Don’t be melodramatic, girl. I offer you nothing of provenance from the family itself, only our retainers.”
“If you see me as one of Pyrrha’s retainers, then perhaps I would do better to refuse the gift.”
“I see you as one of my daughter’s comrades in arms,” Lady Nikos clarified. “I offer this to you as a token of my respect, a respect which I did not expect when I welcomed you into my home.”
Sunset did not look at Lady Nikos, but rather at the sword as her hand closed around the hilt. Words in a tongue so ancient that Sunset could not read it were inscribed in silver upon the crossguard, and a polished onyx was set in the pommel. It fitted her hand well, this relic of the Great War, this weapon of antiquity. She drew the blade. It too was black as midnight, a long, straight blade, double edged and sharp. The darkness seemed to absorb the light. “Does… does it have a name, my lady?”
“It does,” Lady Nikos said. “It’s name is Soteria, meaning 'preservation from harm.'”
“A fitting name for the sword of a bodyguard,” Sunset murmured. She resheathed the venerable blade. “I will bear it with honour, my lady; that, I vow to you.”
“I hope so,” Lady Nikos said as she produced something else from out of her sleeve. “Although I admit that this may be of slightly more use to you on a day to day basis.”
After the ancient sword, Sunset had not been expecting a credit card, yet that was the second item that Lady Nikos produced from out of her sleeve. 
“There is a sum already added for initial purchases,” Lady Nikos said, “and a smaller amount will be added each month for dust supplies and the like. I will be checking the statements to see that you are spending this on vital equipment.”
Sunset’s gaze flicked rapidly between the card and the face of the older woman. Her voice became a little colder, and sterner besides. “My lady, just because my means are limited does not mean that I require charity.”
“I would not call this charity.”
“Then what would my lady call it?”
“An investment,” Lady Nikos said. “In a skilled huntress, that the Invincible Girl may have a shield-companion who can fight beside her at the very peak of her effectiveness. You have skill, Miss Shimmer, but you could do more. We have discussed your wearing some armour; I believe that you could profit by the use of dust as well.
“We are fortunate, my daughter is fortunate, to come from an old line rich not only in history but in wealth also, but do you know what irks me the most, Miss Shimmer?”
“I cannot imagine, my lady.”
“When ignorant commentators claim that my daughter’s success is wholly down to the privileged circumstances of her birth.”
Sunset considered the point. “I think… were she given the opportunity, Pyrrha’s talent would carry her high regardless, my lady, but… if you will excuse me, would she be given the opportunity?”
Lady Nikos did not respond directly. “Greatness should not be constrained by anything so mean as material circumstances. Take the card. Take it and be all that you have it in you to be.”
Sunset plucked the card from out of Lady Nikos’ hand. “I shall, my lady, and thank you.” She paused. “But, if I may say, you are being extraordinarily generous, considering the circumstances of our leave-taking.”
“No matter what words may pass from Pyrrha’s lips, no matter how she may hate me, she is still my daughter,” Lady Nikos reminded Sunset. “My daughter, my heir, the hope of my house and of our kingdom. Do you ever look at me, Miss Shimmer, and think that I am grown old before my time?”
Sunset said, “I think that my lady has had a no doubt stressful life-”
“Less stressful than some who seem in a better state of health than I, no doubt,” Lady Nikos interrupted her. She paused. “Pyrrha has such fire in her. Such strength. I felt it from the moment she was born. I felt… drained. I knew then that I would give my husband no other children, for all the strength that was in me had passed into Pyrrha. I gave strength to Mistral… and kept none for myself. And yet… she is all I have, Miss Shimmer, and yet, she has ventured forth upon the path of a huntress, where the road ahead is uncertain.” She said something in a language that Sunset did not understand.
Sunset frowned. “Forgive me, my lady; I do not speak your tongue.”
Lady Nikos smiled, but briefly. “'They looked for her coming from the White  Tower, but she did not return by mountain or by sea.'”
“I did not think the White Tower was so old, my lady.”
“There was an old tower where the current CCT stands,” Lady Nikos explained. “Miss Shimmer, I trust you to fight alongside my daughter, to see that she stands not alone against her enemies… and may I ask that you also advocate for me on my behalf?”
Sunset did not reply for a moment. “I am Pyrrha’s friend and leader first and foremost, my lady.”
“I would be disappointed if you were anything else,” Lady Nikos said. “But, if you will, speak well of me to her. Pyrrha is a stubborn girl; I would have you urge her to see sense.”
Sunset closed her eyes. No matter what Celestia did to me, I was unhappy when I thought… I was happier when we were reconciled than I was before. It may be the same with Pyrrha. “I do not promise success, my lady… but I promise that I will do all I can: to strive beside her with all my might and to counsel her with all my wisdom.”
“That is all I ask, Miss Shimmer,” Lady Nikos said, “and to hear it gives me comfort.”



Pyrrha sighed as she put her case down at the foot of the bed in which she would be sleeping tonight in Haven Academy. “I’m sorry, everyone,” she said.
“Sorry?” Sunset repeated. “What do you have to be sorry about?”
“Yeah, I mean you’re the one…” Jaune trailed off for a moment. “The one who’s suffered,” he added quietly.
“This isn’t how I wanted our vacation to end,” Pyrrha said quietly.
“So it’s ending a little sooner than we expected,” Sunset said. “We still had a great time, right?”
“Yeah!” Ruby said enthusiastically. “Saw some sights, fought some grimm, what more could we ask for?”
“And if you want to leave, that’s fine by us,” Jaune said. “So long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”
Pyrrha looked at them, all looking at her with such concern and consideration in their eyes: sweet Ruby, proud Sunset, wonderful Jaune, all of them 
I’m so blessed, she thought. And so fortunate to have been delivered from leaving them behind. I… I don’t know what I would have done without them in this moment.  She might have left her mother’s house behind, but as long as they were with her, she was not alone.
And she never would be.