Outside of the chapel, Sunset was running across the courtyard with Rough Draft holding her hand as he followed. The thief looked behind her, making sure that they were not being followed before taking the stairs to the third floor. The couple ran across the courtyard to the windmill, and Sunset fired her grappling her gun at the roof. She wrapped her arm around Rough Draft and pulled both them up to the top of the windmill, where there was a platform inside. After they got in, Sunset took another look at the courtyard and sighed.
"Okay, I think we can stop here," she said.
"Are you sure no one knows we're here?" Rough Draft asked.
"Positive," Sunset replied.
"Good," Rough Draft said.
The next thing Sunset knew, Rough Draft placed his hands on both of her cheeks, turned her head to face him, and smashed his lips together with hers. Sunset stood still, taken aback before Rough Draft started smothering her face with kisses.
"Uh, Rough Draft, baby, I love you too, but now's not the best time for this," she said, nervously. "We still need to escape from your angry bride before she -"
Rough Draft pulled Sunset closer to him and firmly kissed her on the lips again before she could finish her sentence. Sunset resisted for a second before she closed her eyes and gave in to the moment, moaning as she kissed Rough Draft back with her left arm around his neck and her right hand on his cheek. When they parted, they stared into each other's eyes lovingly before Rough Draft cleared his throat.
"Sorry. I know we haven't escaped yet," he said. "It's just that the last time I saw you, you got shot, and then I saw you die in front of me two minutes ago, so I needed a moment to be happy that you're okay."
Sunset gave Rough Draft a sweet look before she gave him another kiss with her arm still around his neck and her hand caressing his cheek.
"You're as sweet as ever, babe," she said. "But seriously, we need to get out of here, or we’re not going to be okay for very long."
"Right. Got it," Rough Draft said. "So, what's the plan?"
"We're going to get down to the top of the aqueduct from up here and run to the clocktower," Sunset answered. "From there, we're going to get up on the dam with my grappling gun to your family property. Our friend, Applejack, is going to secretly meet us a couple of miles from there in her car, and we're going to hide in a safe place."
"Applejack is here in Everfree?" Rough Draft asked.
"Yeah, she's the caretaker of the property," Sunset said before adding with a smirk. "And Winona is with her."
"She is? I've been wondering what happened to her after the fire," Rough Draft said.
"Well, she's alive and well and is eager to see her master again," Sunset said with a smile.
"I'll bet," Rough Draft said before he frowned and asked, "But are you sure hiding is such a good idea? Even if we escape, Adagio will look everywhere for us."
"True, but Flash and Twilight are doing something to expose her counterfeit operation underneath the chapel," Sunset said. "All we have to do is stay in our hiding place, kissing and cuddling until not having my baby or the rings are the least of the queen's problems."
Rough Draft smirked while his cheeks turned red and said, "You had me at kissing and cuddling."
"I figured I would," Sunset said with a kittenish look. "I think we deserve it after years of not getting quality time like that and having to deal with the evil queen and her cronies. Don't you?"
"You have no idea, my sunshine," Rough Draft replied. "In any case, that sounds like a great plan, so let's get to it."
Sunset nodded in agreement, and they walked to the other side of the windmill where the aqueduct was. Sunset used her grappling gun to attach the hook to the roof again while Rough Draft took off his suit jacket and crown. When the hook was secure, Sunset wrapped her arm around Rough Draft, and he wrapped his arms around her neck. They climbed down with the grappling gun and landed on top of the aqueduct before Sunset detached the hook. Sunset and Rough Draft grabbed hands again, and they raced across the aqueduct as fast as they could until they made it to the front of the clocktower. Rough Draft leaned against the wall panting while Sunset bent down with one hand on her knees and the other hand on her stomach.
"Isn't your wound going to open with you being this active?" Rough Draft asked.
"Nah, it's fine," Sunset claimed. "I honestly feel better than ever."
"Well, please don't strain yourself. I don't want to see you bleeding again," Rough Draft said.
"As you wish, babe," Sunset said.
Rough Draft smiled appreciatively at his beloved, trusting that she will do what he asked. After catching her breath, Sunset took out her grappling gun and held it up, aiming at the top of the dam. Before she had her finger on the trigger, however, she noticed something inscribed on the front of the clocktower. She squinted her eyes and saw a crest with two horses facing each other. One had the sun symbol of the Celestial family on its flank, and the other had the symbol of the Lunar family on its flank. Sunset observed the crest curiously while Rough Draft looked at her, confused.
"What is it?" He asked.
"It's that crest up there," Sunset said, pointing at it. "The one where the horses facing each other."
"What about it?" Rough Draft asked.
"It just seems peculiar that that crest would have the symbols of both royal families would be there when nothing else does," Sunset said.
"So? What does that matter?" Rough Draft asked.
Sunset looked down and scratched her chin in thought, leaving the prince annoyed that she didn't answer his question. She took out the rings from her jeans pocket and moved her head up and down, looking at the crest and the rings as the wheels in her head turned. After several seconds, she put the top of the rings together and rotated them until she saw gothic text appearing from the edges of the rings.
"Just as I thought. This is how the rings reveal where the treasure is when you put them together. That's the only way to get the message," she said. "The text says 'time is measured by light and shadow. When light and darkness are joined, tolling the hours is the horse on high into whose eyes -"
"'Into whose eyes I bid you face me,'" Rough Draft finished.
Sunset looked up at Rough Draft, confused, and asked, "How did you know without reading the text?"
"Those are old words passed down to my family," Rough Draft answered. "My father said that the horses on the tower represent day and night, hence why they are the symbols of the royal families. He would tell me those words daily when I was growing up until I had it memorized."
Sunset looked at Rough Draft puzzled and asked, "So, the hidden message that Adagio has been working so hard to get happens to be something the Lunar family has been passing down for centuries?"
"I guess so," Rough Draft said.
"But that doesn't make any sense," Sunset said. "If they already knew the clue to finding the treasure, then why hide it with a pair of rings? Did the Lunar family just not want it?"
"When you put it like that, it seems like Adagio wanted to marry me for nothing as far as obtaining the treasure goes," Rough Draft said. "All she needed was me telling her those words, and she'd have it all for herself by now."
"No. I don't think that's the case," Sunset said. "It said something about light and shadow being joined together and putting something into the eyes of a horse. That tells me she would still need the rings, but where would the horse be?"
"Beats me," Rough Draft said. "For all I can tell you, the horse that the message is talking about is somewhere in the clocktower if it's the only thing that has the symbols for both royal families on it."
Sunset hummed in agreement while still deep in thought, but then she lifted her head with a look of realization on her face. She put the rings back in her jacket pocket, took out her binoculars from her other jacket pocket, and took several steps back. She scanned the clock tower through her binoculars until she saw something peculiar on the clock facing Castle Everfree.
There was a doorway above the center of the clock, and next to it were stone blocks that could be used as a ladder. The ladder led to a stone ledge that someone could use to walk to where there was a statue of a horse carved on the left side of the number one on the clock. Sunset stared at the statue for a moment before she started laughing, and ran back to Rough Draft to kiss him several times on the lips with her hands on his cheeks.
"Rough Draft, you're a genius!" She praised.
"I am?" Rough Draft asked, confused with his cheeks heating up.
Suddenly, a bright light shined on the couple, and they covered their eyes with their arms. When their eyes adjusted, they lifted their arms slightly to find the steamboat heading their way with Adagio and six sailors on board. The queen was still holding a sword while the sailors were armed with machine guns. Several bullets started flying past Sunset and Rough Draft, and they sprawled face down for cover.
"Fine time to forget that they have that steamboat," Sunset said.
"We better get up the dam quick," Rough Draft said.
"No, we can't do that," Sunset said. "If we grapple up, we'll be easy targets. They'll gun us down before we're halfway up."
"Then what are we going to do?" Rough Draft asked.
Sunset looked around until she noticed a stone ledge that connects to the aqueduct and surrounds the tower. The ledge looked long enough that someone could stand on it. Sunset debated in her mind for a moment before she said, "I got an idea, but you're gonna have to trust me, Rough Draft."
"I trust you, Sunshine," Rough Draft said without hesitation.
Sunset gave her beloved a sweet looked and said, "Alright. When I say go, we're going to walk across the ledge and hope that there's a way into the clocktower around the corner."
Rough Draft looked at the ledge and became afraid that he might fall. Sunset moved his head to face her and said, "It's going to be okay. I'll be right beside you."
Rough Draft hesitated before he took a deep breath and gave Sunset a nod. The amber thief smiled and pecked his lips before they turned around to face the wall. Sunset raised her hand, signaling Rough Draft to wait. She carefully watched the bullets still hitting the wall until the sailors were out of ammo.
"Now!" Sunset shouted.
The two of them sprung up on their feet and carefully got on the ledge. They slowly walked across it with Sunset leading and Rough Draft fighting the urge not to look down while he followed her. They walked around the corner of the ledge, where there was a stone window on the other wall. Sunset climbed through the window and helped Rough Draft in before the sailors started firing again.
They climbed down the window inside the tower, where there was a staircase below it. Countless gears were turning at the center of the building, and the stairs led to the next floor. Sunset grabbed Rough Draft by the hand again and started leading him up the stairs.
"Are we trying to find an exit to the top of the dam so we can escape?" Rough Draft asked.
"Not exactly," Sunset said.
Rough Draft looked at her, confused while they climbed up the stairs. They then heard the sound of a wooden door opening, and they looked down to find Adagio and the sailors entering the tower from the ground floor. Sunset smirked and reached into her jacket to take out her pistol, but as she did, Rough Draft saw two laser guns aimed at them. He grabbed Sunset by the arms and pulled her away, making her drop her gun just as the lasers instantly melted it into a liquid substance. Sunset paused for a second to realize what happened before she and Rough Draft started running up the stairs as fast as they could while the lasers were shooting at them.
"Shut down the lasers!" Adagio shouted. "I want them alive! Shoot only to wound!"
"Ugh, she could have said before the lasers destroyed my gun," Sunset grumbled as she ran.
Before long, bullets zoomed past Sunset and Rough Draft again as the sailors were running up the stairs with Adagio. Eventually, the couple made it to the door that led them to the next level. Sunset grabbed the handle and tried to force it open, but it wouldn't budge. She looked back down to find Adagio and her men catching up and then turned her head to a large gear turning up through a narrow hole on the ceiling. Sunset furrowed her brow before she turned to Rough Draft and wrapped her arm around his waist.
"Hold tight, Rough Draft. We're taking a detour," she said.
Rough Draft looked at her, confused until he saw what she was looking at. It took a second before he realized what Sunset was doing and instantly wrapped his arms around her as tight as possible. Sunset took a step back before she ran to the edge, carrying Rough Draft, and jumped toward the gear, barely catching it by one of its teeth. The gear lifted them up to the second level, and Sunset hopped to a nearby gear while still holding Rough Draft before the two of them were squished from the first gear meshing to a gear above it.
Sunset hopped from gear to gear, pulling her and Rough Draft higher up the tower. Eventually, they found a platform in the stairway against the wall, and they jumped into it for safety. Sunset and Rough Draft sighed in relief until they heard men panicking below them. They looked down to find that some of the sailors were trying to get up to the next level using the gears as well, but they couldn't find the next gear to jump to in time. The couple shut their eyes, looked away, and covered their ears in an attempt not to hear the screams and the sound of crunching bones.
Just then, the door to the level opened, and Sunset and Rough Draft started running up the stairs again before the remaining sailors began firing at them again. Fortunately, thanks to going so high up using the gears, the couple had a big head start from their pursuers. They ran up to the entrance to the next level, and Sunset kicked the doorknob on the side until it came off, and she and Rough Draft went in.
When they were halfway up the final level, they found a room containing various tools for the clock. Sunset looked at a large, two-handed hexagonal wrench hanging above the wall and turned down to the entrance to the level where their pursuers haven't entered yet. She then looked at a large gear hanging above the stairway and spinning vertically in the direction of the doorway. The amber thief smirked as she grabbed the wrench and turned to Rough Draft.
“Be right back, babe,” she said.
Before Rough Draft could reply, Sunset jumped on a nearby gear spinning horizontally. She hustled from one moving gear to the next as if she was in an obstacle course until she made her destination, landing on the thick pole pointing at the wall that was holding the large gear. She walked over to the bolt holding the rod and the gear together, sat down in front of it with her legs open, and started to move the bolt clockwise. She shut her eyes as she pulled the wrench as hard as she could while hearing footsteps coming from the doorway and guns firing at her again.
Finally, with one last pull, the bolt popped out of the hole. Sunset stood up while still holding the wrench and stomped on the pole. She jumped onto a gear moving horizontally before the pole broke off, and the large gear crashed onto the staircase and started rolling downward toward the doorway. The sailors screamed and ran for their lives before the wheel crushed the entrance into rubble. Sunset smirked, pleased with her handiwork before she started jumping her way back to Rough Draft. Her smile grew as she got closer to reuniting with the purple man, sure that all of their enemies have been thwarted.
“Sunset, watch out!” Rough Draft screamed.
Before Sunset knew it, Adagio was lifted up in front of her by one of the gears moving upright, and she jumped toward the thief with her sword pointing forward. Sunset moved away before the blade penetrated her chest, and she jumped onto another gear moving sideways before the queen’s uppercut swing touched her neck. Adagio jumped onto the gear Sunset was on, landing on the opposite side from where her enemy was standing. She glowered at the amber thief with her raspberry eyes while Sunset held her wrench up with both hands and her knees apart.
"So, it's finally come to this," Sunset said. "What say we settle this once and for all, woman to woman?"
"It will be my pleasure," Adagio agreed.
The queen put her legs together and held her sword in front of her face like she was in a fencing match. She then took a stance with her left foot leading and her sword on her right hand. The women paused for a moment, thinking about their first move before they ran towards each other.
Sunset started on the offensive, swinging her wrench like a club. Adagio blocked Sunset's attacks with ease, using her training and speed with a lighter weapon to her advantage. The queen waited until Sunset's attacks grew weaker from using so much energy before her movements grew aggressive, forcing Sunset back. Sunset retreated to the edge of the gear, and when Adagio prepared for the final blow, she jumped off and landed on a gear moving vertically. She struggled to keep balance as she ran to stay on top, using the tip of the gear's teeth. By the time she adjusted, Adagio had landed just a few feet away, and the dual resumed.
Rough Draft could do nothing but watch as though he was simply the audience watching two characters in a play fight to the death. His fear grew as Adagio was forcing Sunset back, trying to make her fall off the gear. Sunset looked around as she defended herself before jumping on another gear to lift her up. Adagio grew irritated by how her opponent was using the many moving gears surrounding them to her advantage. Sunset climbed further up until she found another gear moving in a parallel angle to stand on. She bent her knees and used the wrench as a crutch as she tried to catch her breath. Her moment of respite only lasted for several seconds, however, before the queen caught up and lunged at her again.
Sunset moved back while blocking her enemy's attacks again until the women were caught in a blade lock. Adagio tried to push the thief to the edge until Sunset moved her head back and slammed her forehead against Adagio's. The queen moved back with her hand on her forehead, almost falling off the gear. Sunset smirked and held her weapon up again while Adagio scowled at her enemy.
"You fight dirty, Shimmer," she said.
"I fight however I have to to protect the man I love," Sunset countered. "I couldn't care less about your approval."
"Surely, a thief like you has a sense of handling things properly," Adagio said. "At least I had the means to make my engagement to Rough Draft legitimate."
"You call murder to get to a man legitimate?" Sunset asked.
Adagio's menacing glare weakened, and Rough Draft looked at Sunset confused, both unsure of what she meant. Sunset stared at her opponent with a look of hate as she elaborated.
"I thought about this while I was recovering from my wound," she said. "Rough Draft told me how no one knows what caused the fire that killed his parents, and they would have rejected your request to marry their son."
Adagio's eyes widened as she realized what was on Sunset's mind. Her look of rage returned, and she charged at the amber thief, who blocked her attacks as she continued.
"And when Twilight and I were trapped inside the catacombs, she made an interesting point about how convenient it was that there were laws that allow you to make him marry you under the right circumstances," she said. "And with all of those corpses proving that your ancestors have been secretly killing people for years, you'd have no problem using your assassins to get what you want. Would you?"
"Shut up!" Adagio screamed.
The queen continued to attack her opponent with a bloodthirsty look in her eyes, but through her anger, her attacks became flawed. Formless. Reckless. Easier to block. Sunset held her ground as her enemy hit her wrench violently as if it was the thief herself. But no matter how hard Adagio tried, there was nothing she could do to stop Sunset from speaking again venomously.
"Admit it! It was you!" She shouted. "You're the reason Rough Draft's parents are dead!"
"What?!" Rough Draft shouted.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Adagio screamed, still swinging her sword at Sunset.
"I think I do!" Sunset shouted. "That fire didn't just come out of nowhere! There had to be something that caused it! Something like professional assassins who could set a fire that would kill the people inside the castle! Maybe even make it so that there's no evidence of what caused it!. No one else would have the cause to murder them but you!"
"You're making up a story!" Adagio accused.
"Tell that to Rough Draft!" Sunset challenged. "You claim you never lie to him, right?! Look at him right now and tell him you didn't have his family killed!"
Rough Draft's eyes widened when he realized that he had the power to gain a confession. He took a moment to think about Sunset's argument before he looked at the queen, who was still swinging her sword at the woman of his heart.
"Adagio!" He shouted to gain her attention. "Tell me, right now! No lies, no half-truths, no excuses! Did you do it?! Did you have my parents killed?!"
Adagio stopped attacking and looked up at the prince as best as she could while still standing on a spinning wheel. She considered saying something to contradict Sunset's accusations again, but what little of honor or honesty she had just for the sake of obtaining the purple man forbade her from lying. Adagio struggled with her mind before she let out a growl and gave Rough Draft her answer.
"Yes," she hissed. "Yes, I had them killed. They denied me your hand without hesitating, so I got rid of them."
Rough Draft looked at Adagio speechless. Even though he started to believe Sunset's argument, hearing the queen admitting that she caused his family's death still hit him hard. All the time, he thought his loss was just a sudden unfortunate event without a possible explanation when his parents' deaths were really an assassination. He grew further into a state of disbelief as he realized how close he was to marrying Adagio until his moment of disbelief turned into hot anger. He resisted the urge to go after the armed woman several gears away, leaving him unable to do anything apart from closing his fists and screaming.
“Murderer!!!” he yelled.
"Murderer indeed,” Sunset said. “You kept claiming that you love Rough Draft, and yet you took away his family just for your twisted desires. Just as greedy and manipulative as her ancestors before her.”
“Don’t talk to me about manipulation, Shimmer!” Adagio snarled. “You’re nothing but a thief who uses tricks to take whatever you want. The only difference between the two of us is that you exploit your criminal deeds while I hide mine.”
“Sunset is nothing like you!” Rough Draft barked. “She may be a thief, but she’s not a killer!”
“Perhaps, but she’s still a criminal through and through,” Adagio said.
“You’re right. I am,” Sunset said as she took another stance with her wrench. “And now we end this.”
Adagio only had a moment to realize what Sunset was doing before she quickly blocked the wrench with her sword. But Sunset didn’t stop there. She swung her wrench aggressively, forcing the unprepared Adagio to move back while deflecting with her thin, one-handed weapon. The queen became so focused on protecting herself that she lost her footing and fell on her back close to the edge of the wheel. Sunset swung her wrench down at her opponent like a sledgehammer, forcing Adagio down while keeping her sword up. But as Sunset prepared for another swing, Adagio round kicked her legs, forcing Sunset to drop her weapon and lose her balance. Rough Draft watched in horror as Sunset fell off the gear, screaming.
“SUNSET!” he shouted.
“About time,” Adagio grumbled before looking up at Rough Draft. “And now it’s just you and me, my dear.”
The blood drained from Rough Draft's face. His fear grew as the queen began hopping her way back to the staircase. His instincts kicked in, forcing him to run up the stairs again until he reached a wooden door at the very top.
He opened the door and went in, only to find himself on the face of the clock facing Castle Everfree. The hands on the clock were spread out evenly, for it was 9:15 at night. He slowly backed away until he turned around to find the tip of Adagio's sword inches away from his stomach. The queen chuckled with her mouth closed as she looked at Rough Draft with a sinister smile on her face. Desperate to survive, Rough Draft stepped onto the dial of the clock. He crawled on the minute hand, careful not to fall, but it wasn't long before he was at the tip of the needle. Adagio let out a maniacal laugh as she got on the dial and walked on the minute hand, standing up.
"It seems you have nowhere else to go, my dear," she said. "Sunset Shimmer can't save you anymore."
Rough Draft struggled to put on a brave face as he slowly stood up to face Adagio and said, "Go ahead. Run me through. You have no choice, right? I know everything you did, and you don't want anyone to find out."
"You're right. I don't," Adagio said. "I don't want to kill you, but you leave me no choice. A part of me hopes that the treasure will compensate me for what I have to do."
"You'll never get the treasure," Rough Draft said, with a bitter glare. "Sunset had the rings. There's no way you can get them now."
"Not necessarily," Adagio said. "It'll be tricky since she probably has been crushed by the gears, I grant you, but I can have my people retrieve the body and thus the rings. I always get what I want one way or the other."
"Except me," Rough Draft countered.
"Ah, that is true," Adagio said with a sigh. "Though perhaps this was meant to be. After all, I already had your parents killed, so it seems only fitting that I finish the job, thus ending the pathetic Lunar family once and for all."
Adagio stepped closer to Rough Draft, who moved his body to face her, ready to die. Adagio stopped walking when she was two feet apart from Rough Draft and gave him a twisted look of sympathy in her cold, raspberry eyes.
"I hope you're happy spending the afterlife with your parents and your precious thief," the queen said as she raised her sword. "But for what it's worth, my love, I want you to know that I would have waited our entire married life to gain your affection."
"Stop right there, Adagio!"
Rough Draft's heart skipped a beat, and Adagio let out an annoyed growl. She turned around to find Sunset standing on the dial, glaring at the queen while panting.
"You. You just don't know when to die," Adagio snarled. "Probably used that grappling gun to save yourself and ran up here. Am I right?"
"That's right," Sunset replied. "Now, let Rough Draft go."
"You're in no position to make any demands," Adagio said. "I will kill him in front of you, and you can't stop me with one of your tricks."
"I'm not here to trick you," Sunset said. "I know how to get the treasure. If you spare Rough Draft, I'll tell you, and then you can keep it for yourself."
Adagio looked at Sunset suspiciously and said, "Tell me the secret first."
Sunset took the rings out of her jacket pocket and said, "The rings contain a secret message when you put them together. The message says, 'time is measured by light and shadow. When light and darkness are joined, tolling the hours is the horse on high into whose eyes I bid you face me,'"
"What does that mean?" Adagio asked impatiently.
"Look up at that horse statue next to the number one on the clock," Sunset said. "There are holes in its eyes, and there is a stone ladder and a ledge to get you up there. If you put the rings in the horse's eyes, it'll give you the treasure."
Adagio looked up at the statue and then at the ladder and ledge leading to it. She thought carefully to make sure everything Sunset said added up before she smirked and looked up at the amber thief.
"It seems your clever mind has become useful to me for once, Shimmer," she said. "Very well, we have a deal."
Sunset nodded before she turned around and walked on the hour hand, placed the rings in the middle of it, and walked to the end of the hand before facing Adagio and Rough Draft again.
"There. The rings are yours to take," Sunset said. "Now, let Rough Draft go back inside. If you harm him, I will throw the rings into the lake, and then I will kill you."
Adagio hummed in acknowledgment before she grabbed Rough Draft by the wrist and dragged him as she walked toward the rings. When they made it to the dial, Sunset lifted her hand and said, "That's far enough, Adagio. Let Rough Draft go, or the deal's off."
"Oh, really?" Adagio challenged. "You love him that much, do you?"
"Yes," Sunset said without hesitating.
"Good," Adagio said. "Then, if he means that much to you, go get him!"
Without warning, she tugged Rough Draft hard, and he lost his balance, falling off the dial. But as he fell, he grabbed Adagio by the bottom of her wedding dress. Adagio let out a high-pitched yelp as she dropped her sword and fell off the dial before grabbing the hour hand by the edge, leaving her and Rough Draft hanging in the air.
"Rough Draft!" Sunset shouted.
She ran over to Adagio and Rough Draft, ignoring the rings on the hour hand that she promised to throw away. Rough Draft reached out to grab Adagio's dress with his free hand so that he could hold on with both hands, but Adagio began stomping him on the head, desperate to lose the extra weight.
"Let! Go! Of! My! Dress!" She screamed.
"Hold on, Rough Draft!" Sunset called out.
But try as he might, the impact from Adagio's stomping was becoming too much for Rough Draft's head. Finally, Adagio moved her leg up one more time before slamming her foot on the top of Rough Draft's head, knocking him unconscious. The edge of her dress where Rough Draft was holding on tore off as he fell.
Without a missing a beat, Sunset dived off of the hour hand, face down toward her beloved. She kept her arms and feet together until she reached the unconscious prince and pulled him into her arms. She then took out her grappling gun and fired at the top of the dam. The hook took hold of the cement, and Sunset and Rough Draft swung towards the wall with Sunset stopping them from hitting it with her feet. She sighed before turning to Rough Draft and leaning her head close to his mouth until she felt a touch of air.
"Oh, thank God," she said before she pressed a button and the gun lifted them to the top.
Back up the clocktower, Adagio climbed back on the hour hand and let out a sigh of relief. She then walked over to where Sunset had placed the rings and picked them with a devious grin on her face. The queen put the rings in her mouth before climbing up the stone ladder and carefully walking across the ledge to the horse statue. With a devilish smirk, she took the rings out of her mouth and put them inside the holes face first. Once they were attached, she pressed on the rings until she heard a click, and they were suddenly retracted inside the statue.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, Adagio heard the sound of gears moving quicker and louder than before coming from the other side of the holes. She looked down and saw the hands on the clock weren't moving, and grew uneasy as she heard a rumbling sound and decided to go back inside.
But before Adagio could take a step towards the ladder, the stone ledge beneath her feet began to shake. She grabbed the horse statue by the ears before her feet slipped from the edge, leaving her hanging on to the statue for dear life. She tried to put her feet back on the ledge, but she couldn't keep her footing at the rate that the tower was vibrating. She whimpered as she helplessly held on to the statue with her legs kicking in the air.
Suddenly, her heart stopped at the sound of stone cracking down below. She dared to look down where the foundation of the tower was breaking. Adagio's whimpering grew louder as it became clear what was happening.
"This isn't fair," she said quietly before she looked at the face of the horse statue and yelled, "It's not fair! You have to give me a chance! Let me get down! You can't do this to me! I did everything I was supposed to do!"
The statue was motionless. The foundation broke more and more by the second, and the building began to wobble. Tears ran down Adagio's face as she stayed trapped in a position no money, or servants could save her from. All she could do was scream at the statue as if begging at a lifeless carving would reward her with her life.
"PLEASE!!!" She screeched. "PLEASE STOP!!! I WANT TO LIVE!!! I WANT TO LIVE!!! I WANT TO LLLLIIIIIVVVVVEEEEE!!!!"
********************************************************************************************
Meanwhile, back in the castle, the fighting spread outside of the chapel and in the courtyard. The Canterlot police were driving the royal guard back with Spike still facing Tirek. Micro Chips and Sandalwood joined in with their pistols in a shootout with Starlight against hooded butlers and maids that came in armed with machine guns. Tempest was keeping Cozy Glow and her Shadows at bay single-handedly with her sword cutting through their armor. Some of the Shadows were so afraid of getting cut that they aimlessly fled too far into the courtyard where the lasers shot them down.
But while they were fighting, they heard a loud rumble coming from outside of the castle. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to the clocktower where the bottom of it was breaking, and it was tilting back and forth. On the face of the clock, they could barely see someone dressed in white with a large head of vivid orange hair holding on to the top right side of the clock. Cozy Glow removed her helmet and stared at the person trapped on the clock with horror, instantly knowing who it was. The more the tower moved, the more her heart began to sink.
Finally, the building leaned forward, facing the castle and the aqueduct, and the person on the clock tower lost her grip and fell. The sound of someone screaming could faintly be heard before the person landed on the aqueduct.
"My queen," Cozy Glow whimpered.
The rest of the servants and guards watched in devastation as the tower fell onto the aqueduct, crushing half of the stone bridge. Leaderless, they dropped their weapons, got on their knees, and bowed their heads. It took a moment before Spike, and the rest of the Canterlot police realized that their enemies surrendered before they started cuffing them with Micro Chips and Sandalwood helping. Starlight and Tempest took the police's focus on the servants and guards as their chance to sneak away before anyone thought of arresting them too.
But as Starlight and Tempest snuck away, they saw that there was a giant floodgate appearing in place of where the clock tower was. They looked at each other, confused as the floodgate poured enormous amounts of water into the lake surrounding Castle Everfree. The title waves were so strong that the steamboat tipped over and sank. As they watched the lake rise up, they wondered if Sunset and Rough Draft were okay.