Away from the crowd, stony face half-hidden in shadow, she stood alone while the cleric murmured their words over the dead.
Twenty-seven caskets, all but two for Guards, stood open to the sky. It had taken the full three days Razzaroo had warned, but at last the memorial service was going ahead, all the city (though that wasn't much) coming out to mourn the dead. Soon, they would be interred in the city cemetery, and they could finally turn back to the matter of Starlight.
Her fist clenched. If Shining had taken her advice, they'd've been in pursuit days ago, maybe even managed to catch up to her. Any agents she'd left behind in the capitol would be easily overwhelmed by the reinforcements from Crystal City if they showed their faces, either that or drawn away to help their master. There was no need for Shining's game of hide-and-seek, a game which had cost them two valuable days of pursuit. Yes, more reinforcements had been able to arrive in that time, and brought the materials needed to repair the Guard's damaged vehicles, but nothing was worth delaying their pursuit of Starlight; a rebel in all but name had more or less attacked Homestria, almost certainly kidnapping several important citizens in the process, she needed to be stopped before she did any more damage.
The priest gave their censer another shake over one of the coffins, the one containing Adagio. Her face darkened as she remembered the autopsy report; the Siren's back had been a nightmare of scars, welts, and burns, while the rest of her body showed signs of malnutrition and starvation. The gash torn in her throat was one of the least ugly things about her. They still didn't know exactly who'd made that gash, but with her previous treatment at the Unmarked's hands it didn't take a genius to realize the most likely suspects. Of course, those they'd managed to take captive protested, saying that Starlight wanted Adagio alive, but she took their opinions with a grain of salt; even if they weren't lying, there were other Unmarked than their leader, who might have been lying to them about what she wanted done with the Siren.
"...and may your perpetual light shine upon them," the priest concluded. "May they rest in peace. Marsine."
She didn't join the crowd's echo; she understood religion, of course, and she believed that there was something out there, something beyond death, but she also knew that whatever it was wouldn't, couldn't, be intelligible to her. She couldn't understand whatever was out there anymore than an ant could understand her, or a piece of paper understand three-dimensional space. The qualitative jump from the mortal world to the world beyond death was too big to cross.
Music began to rise up again, a dirge keening from the crowd's throats. She kept her eyes firmly forward, fighting against the urge to roll them with all her might; saying that the dead had died too soon or that one hoped they'd found peace did nothing. Without using words of command, speech was empty air; if you truly wanted to help someone, you needed to act. What good did telling someone "Find peace" do? Did saying that make them find peace? Were they unable to find peace until you spoke it into being?
Thunk went the first spade of earth over one of the lowered coffins. She nodded approvingly; the gravediggers were really helping the dead, actually doing something for them instead of just talking. Some might argue about whether you could actually help a corpse, whether there was anything there to accept and appreciate that help, but there was too much evidence, circumstantial and otherwise, that the dead were aware and could act for her to believe otherwise. Countless stories, and a surprising number of records, said that the passage to whatever lay beyond death wasn't one-way. And even if she was wrong, even if the dead were beyond their power to touch, the ways the dead had touched their lives had earned them at least a hole in the ground.
Thunk went the last spade of earth over the last coffin, and then the crowd began to disperse, some heading straight away from the cemetery, others spending some time near one or another of the new headstones. She remained where she was, half behind a statue, for several moments, only leaving her place when the last of the mourners had departed. Boots crunching the grass and gravel, she marched over to Adagio's grave, tracing a gloved hand over its few words:
Here lies Adagio Dazzle,
506-532 A.U.
May you sing unto eternity
That was it. No titles, no personal achievements, not even her real age (they couldn't let the public know just how old she'd really been, not yet; the autopsy report, which said that biologically speaking she was the equivalent of a 26-year old, gave them their cover story), just her name, a lie, and a stupid phrase that could've been on a greeting card. Even with her past with the Siren, she felt that it was wrong; there had to have been more to her than that, something beyond her magic and schemes. But both of her sisters were still missing, and the only other person who might've been able to tell her what life to record lay beyond life now.
Tears threatened to leave her eyes, and she fought them back with an iron will; she wouldn't cry, she wasn't a little filly anymore. Death didn't make her sad anymore, it made her angry: she raged, not grieved. She wouldn't cry for Adagio, that wouldn't do anything except dehydrate her a little bit. Words and tears did nothing; it was action she needed. Saying that Adagio didn't deserve to die the way she had, murdered and buried in a liar's grave, would only fill the air. Catching and punishing her murderer, bringing them to justice, would do far more good.
"I will avenge you," she whispered to Adagio. "Whatever differences we might've had, nobody deserves to die the way you did. I will fix this, I promise you."
"That's a very mature way of looking at it," startled her, causing her to whip around to look at the speaker. Principal Cadance stood behind her, a soft smile on her face, Razzaroo standing at her side. The Guard held her helmet under one arm, the last missing piece in her war gear; even though Shining was leaving her and a few others behind, she wasn't letting her guard down. Until Starlight was caught, the Guard in Castellot was going to be more militarily disposed.
That would be a lot sooner, she darkly thought, if Shining took more people with him. Out loud, though, she merely said, "Hey, Cadance. You here to see Shiny off?"
"Partially," the Principal shrugged. "Someone asked for my help up here, too. They wanted me to see if I could help someone with some... emotional problems."
"Well, if anyone can help them, it's you," she smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go help see Shining off." I should've seen him leave days ago.
"Oh, so do we," the Principal smiled. "Why don't we head over together? With Miss Razzaroo with us," she clapped the Guard on the back. "we should be able to get a good seat."
I don't intend to sit and watch Shining leave, Sunset thought with a shake of her head. "Sorry, Cadance," she replied. "I'm going to be sitting with Radiance and the rest of the government." Lie.
"Well, we can at least walk over together," the Principal shrugged, causing Sunset to grit her teeth. "Who are you going to be sitting next to, though? I'll try to keep an eye out for you."
"You probably won't be able to see me," she frantically replied. Truth. "Radiance said something about putting me with the Senate staffers," Truth. "and they're going to be behind the Cabinet, almost off-stage. I doubt you'd be able to even notice this," she tugged a strand of flaming hair. "back there." Lie.
"All the more reason for us to walk you over, then," Cadance smiled, stepping towards her. "If we're not going to be able to see you after the event starts, we should make good use of the time beforehand. However bad they might otherwise have been, these last few days have taught me the importance of spending time with those you love. Come on," she stretched out a hand, preparing to wrap it around Sunset's shoulder. "let's-"
"Don'ttouchme!" Sunset hissed, dodging Cadance's grip.
Cadance withdrew her hand, a startled expression on her face, while Razzaroo's hand went nervously to her sword hilt.
"My magic's been growing stronger lately," she hastily explained. Lie. "If someone even touches my clothes, now, I'm able to read their mind." Lie. "It's not that I don't want you to touch me, Cadance," Lie. "it's just that you deserve your privacy."
That last point was more of a half-truth; Cadance did deserve her privacy, yes, but that wasn't the main reason Sunset didn't want her touching her. Any touch threatened to feel through her billowing black mourner's robes, feel through to the borrowed (Truth, actually) Guard armor underneath and reveal her plan.
Shining Armor didn't want her to help him stop Starlight? Then she, Sunset Shimmer, wouldn't go with him. Dire Helm, though, the new recruit who kept her helmet on at all times, hiding her face and distorting her voice, would help him, and if it turned out to be Sunset Shimmer under her helmet, so what? Would Shining Armor really send an eager soldier home when he needed every Guard he could scrounge? So long as she kept her identity secret long enough, she could help Shining, help stop Starlight and bring her to justice. All she needed to do was lose Cadance, find the cache where she'd hidden whatever equipment she couldn't hide under her cloak, and rush to join the coming muster, and she'd be able to execute her plan; watch Shining leave, yes, but while standing in the midst of his host, not sitting on the sidelines.
The trumpet calling the troops sounded. "Sorry to leave you like this," she blurted out to Cadance. "but Radiance is probably expecting me," (Lie; she'd told the professor she wouldn't be going to Shining's departure, she couldn't have her absence commented on) "I should get going." She turned to flee-
-but before she could, Cadance's hand lashed out and grabbed her arm, causing the mail underneath her robes to clatter.
She winced as the clanking echoed through the graveyard, the unmistakable sound of Guard armor spelling the end of her hopes. She tried to escape Cadance's grasp, desperately hoping that she and Razzaroo would simply ignore the noise, but to no avail; the Principal had an iron grip, and the expressions on their faces made it clear that they wouldn't just ignore the sound of her plan.
Unexpectedly, the Principal's immediate response seemed to be to laugh at it, though an undertone of sadness laced through it. Eventually, the sad chuckling faded away, and she said, "Looks like I owe Chip fifty bits."
Sunset swallowed. "What for?"
"I thought you would simply sulk after Shiny ordered you to stay here," Cadance replied. "Chip thought you were going to try to defy him, find some way to sneak after him. Looks like she knows you better than I do."
"Shining needs everyone he can get," Sunset protested. "Starlight's proven herself to be a danger to the realm, going after her half-heartedly isn't going to be enough. We need to treat her like the threat she is, and that means not holding anyone back. We need every man, woman, and child to do their part to bring Starlight down, and for those able to fight," she untied her robe, casting aside her last vestiges of cover. "that means going with Shining."
"But what about those who can't fight?" Cadance asked. "What are they going to do if something attacks them while all the able-bodied are away?"
Sunset swallowed; this was going to be hard for Cadance to hear. "Whatever happens to them," she said quietly, gently. "it won't be as bad as what'll happen to them if Starlight isn't dealt with. We can't let a bird tapping at our window distract us from the bear trying to break down our door."
"That's why you need to stay here," Razzaroo piped up. "Starlight's trying to distract you from the real problem, magic's return. Whatever good you do going with Shining, it's going to get undone by magic in your absence. You're going to save some people's lives, yes, but then they're going to lose those lives because we have no clue what to do about magic because our expert's missing."
"Until we defeat Starlight and get Rarity back," Sunset snapped. "your expert's not going to be able to do her best anyway, and not just because of the distraction; without Rarity, I'm not sure how strong mine and the others' magic is going to be, I'm not even sure how much of it we'll be able to use. Whether she knows it or not, Starlight dealt Homestria a huge blow, potentially a crippling one. Until we get Rarity back, your expert isn't sure how much much good she's going to be able to do, which is why your expert is going with Shining to get her back."
"Whatever good you can do teaching us," Cadance replied, bringing her back to a halt. "however little it may be, is good that no one else can do. Someone can take your place with Shining, no one can take your place with Radiance, and we need as many places filled as possible now. Homestria is on the brink of multiple crises: like you said, we need everyone to do their part, to do as much good as they can, and you can do the most good by staying here."
Sunset turned back to glare at her. "I will not," she said, voice heavy with anger and menace. "stand by while one of my friends needs me. Rarity's in danger, and I am going to help her. Me staying here is out of the question. So what will it be?" she asked as she took up a fighting stance. "Will you help me? Or are you going to stand in my way?"
"This is ridiculous," Cadance protested. "Sunset, we're all on the same side."
"Are you?" she retorted. "If you stand in my way, you'll be stopping me from stopping Starlight. That makes it sound like you're on her side, not mine. Which is it, Cadance? Are you with me or against me?"
Cadance bit her lip, clearly debating with herself. When the second trumpet call sounded, she sighed. "I'm with you," she decided.
Sunset curtly nodded, then began marching away. It would be close, but if she moved fast, she would still-
"-so please forgive me for doing this," was the last thing she heard before the wind sliced by her ear, a hand cracked into the side of her neck, and she fell into darkness.