//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Blurry // Story: Alpha and Omega // by Revel Montaro //------------------------------// Dreams are funny things, now that I really stop and think about it. The association of dreams is that they are always good, you know, ‘you carry all my hopes and dreams’ or ‘this is my dream house.’ Things like that. Dreams good, nightmares bad. Pretty black and white, right? Maybe for some, but most of us it’s not that simple. Hell’s bells, most dreams I’ve had in my life that I can remember after waking fall somewhere in realm of ‘erotica’ or ‘what the fuck did I eat last night?’ Not bad horrible things that one could call nightmares but certainly not always fluffy pink unicorns that dance on rainbows… of course that last one could also fall under ‘what the fuck did I eat last night?’ And that doesn't even scratch the surface when you throw visions and premonitions into the mix. For an empath who also has an eidetic memory it can sometimes be difficult to tell dreams from reality when they are strikingly similar. Like all advanced life forms, we dream to try and process all the things that have happened to us that day or week or life even. Sprinkle in a few outside cosmic forces we don’t fully understand and in Equestria, magic, and you get a recipe for weeeeeeird shiiiit. Not that I need to explain that to you. I’m mostly just thinking out loud while I float here. However, all that was nothing, NOTHING compared to being forced to relive the lives of three bat ponies that readily gave their lives for mine. Against my wishes I might add. That hurt cut especially deep when I had to see all of Sable Nimbus’s life through her eyes. I saw her mother crying as she told her parents she was going to be a lunar guard. I saw her first kiss, her first love, her first heartbreak. I saw each and every time she was around my Aunt Luna… and how she really felt about her. Oh, and did I forget to mention I can FEEL their emotions at the same time I relive the memory? Yeah, that was probably what shorted out my brain this time. I’m honestly tired of getting my brain shorted out. It hurts like a frying pan to the head and I’m left having to pick up the pieces of why. Which is probably how I ended up here. *Glances over the astral plain beyond dreams and reality. The stardust path lay not far below and there were small lights in the distance that she had no idea what they were. Another realm perhaps?* I know you can hear me even if you are ignoring me. I don’t blame you though. I was being a royal bitch last time we talked and I did threaten to kill you. Or maybe I really am just talking to myself while I float here waiting to see if I can fix myself or if Luna will help out. Judging by how dim the path is I don’t see many dreamers yet. Must still be early. Figured I’d just give it a shot call out and project to you for shits and giggles. *Detects the faint scent of fresh strawberries in the non-existent air and the briefest moment of feeling if something had looked at her, but then turned away. Then, the never ending darkness cleared for a moment and she saw a large round room or colonnade-like gazebo. It was difficult to decern beyond that there were no walls. It was surreal, a towering structure that seemed to float in the heart of a star filled nebula. There were two… they had pony heads, but their bodies were more human like even though they did have wings upon their backs and horns on their heads and stood on hooves instead of feet. The view shifted and she found herself at near eye level with the female anthro alicorn. Her eyes moved about, but were clouded over. Sunset gasped when the blind eyes turned directly towards her and the face shifted to a sour frown.* “You do not belong here. No peeking.” *The anthro pony waved a hand and she felt herself falling, falling, falling… until…* Sunset gasped and sat bolt upright. She gulped down air as if it were a precious commodity and had to be used up before it went bad. Once the falling sensation subsided Sunset held in a breath and slowly exhaled to calm her racing heart. “Hey roomie,” Sunset scanned about the room frantically. Her wide panicked eyes settled on Flurry Heart who smiled and help up a hoof disarmingly. “Take it easy, Aunt Sunset. You’re okay, you’re safe. Please, don’t set anything on fire. I’m recovering, but I don’t think I can make a shield strong enough yet to resist one of your firestorms.” “How long was I out?” Flurry shrugged. “A while, but not more than a day, I think. There are no clocks and I never liked that this place has no windows.” Flurry squirmed, her wings rustling as she shifted about. “Hey, I’m really sorry about what happened in the cave. I should have told you or Twilight about me being all weak now.” “You have nothing to apologize for and you’re not weak, Flurry, not by a long shot. Sure, you might not be able to destroy an entire empire by sneezing on it anymore, but you are still an alicorn and you have family and friends that can teach you how to adjust to the power change. We all had to learn how to control our power boosts when we became alicorns, you can easily relearn how to deal with being at our level.” Flurry beamed and smiled, feeling better than she had in days. “Thanks… Aunt Sunset.” Sunset smiled brightly, much of the tension leaving her shoulders. Twilight had been right. She absolutely loved being called “Aunt Sunset.” The goldenrod alicorn scanned her surroundings and the hospital robe that was wrapped around her. She exhaled and sat up again with a few strained grunts, ripped the monitoring probes off along with the ugly green gown. It hurt to move, but she was going to do it anyhow. “Uh, you sure you want to do that? Aunt Twilight was pretty distraught when they wheeled you in here. I don’t know exactly how bad it was out there, but… the doctors and nurses had some pretty dark circles under their eyes.” “You weren’t affected?” Sunset grimaced at the sound of her own raspy, dry voice. She found a cup of water and quickly downed it all. “I felt the dark magic crawl all over me. It was everywhere. It reminded me of when Scylla was in my head. After you lost your memory and I was still suffering from some pretty bad dreams Luna helped me cope and strengthen my mental defenses so nothing could ever invade my mind again. Not without a serious fight at least. I’m sorry I wasn’t out there. I should have done more.” Sunset nodded. She stepped over to Flurry Heart and wrapped her wing and foreleg around the larger light pink alicorn. Flurry Heart gladly returned the gesture. “Don’t feel bad for staying safe. I’m glad you are okay. Datura got in the heads of a lot of creatures. Left a trail of a lot of bodies. It was bad… I can’t just lay here. I have to end this.” Flurry Heart grinned and sat up. “Busting out? Count me in. I’m not a hundred percent, but I’m sick of laying here too.” Before Sunset could comment, Twilight’s rambunctious niece also removed all her equipment monitors and climbed out of bed. She stepped around Sunset to where there was a dividing curtain. She slid it back and revealed Spike the dragon. He was still bruised and appeared unconscious, but his vitals were strong from what Sunset could gleam from his monitors. Flurry leaned down and gave her uncle a small kiss on the forehead and for just a moment, Sunset thought she saw the dragon’s lips curl into a smile. When the two alicorn turned back there were two guards and a nurse standing there. Flurry’s blue eyes widened and she looked to Sunset like a foal caught with her hoof in the cookie jar. Sunset simply rolled her eyes. “There is no point ratting us out, we are going to go see Twilight anyhow.” “But, the doctor has not…” One look from Sunset Shimmer and the nurse stopped talking and backed away. The guards simply saluted. Sunset nudged Flurry with her wing. “Let’s go.” According to some helpful guards at a check station Flurry had been correct and Sunset had lost about a day getting her brain kickstarted again. That of course meant Twilight or Luna had needed to set the moon last night and in an hour or two it would be time to raise it again for the evening. Sunset had reached for her earpiece to contact Raven, but found it missing. Likely removed by one of the doctors. That irked her terribly and would need to be found, but even Raven’s wellbeing needed to come second to the business Sunset reluctantly felt was imperative. That tasted bad in her own mouth. Raven should have been more important, but Sunset was fuming and seeing red. Probably quite literally. She had questions that needed answers and her fury would not wait. Thankfully, the guards had also informed the two medical wing fugitives that Princess Twilight was having a dinner meeting in the secondary dining room with a number of others. They also informed Flurry Heart of the anticipated arrival of Princess Cadence and company in the next few hours. Flurry nodded her thanks. Sunset nodded as well and then explicitly told them not to call ahead to the dining room when one reached for a SunLight crystal. The tone in which Sunset used gave the guard more pause than the words themselves. After climbing the stairs to the second floor and on approach to the dining room Sunset paused. The abruptness of it caused the larger alicorn to turn and raise a brow. She gently swatted her aunt-to-be with a wing. “You okay?” Sunset touched her fluffy chest fur. The hole had been healed along with the hair, not even leaving a scar, but there was still a phantom tenderness sensation. She could feel in her mind the hot blade passing through her, the dripping darkness in Twilight’s voice, the pleading with Luna to not sacrifice three lives for her. All the screaming. So much painful screaming. Sunset closed her eyes and saw Sable Nimbus smiling pleasantly at her, waiting for orders. Red mane with black streaks neatly brushed to one side like she preferred it, suit jacket clean and professional complimenting the two elegant gauntlets she always wore that had hidden switch blades in them. Beautiful, professional, a wonderful and loyal friend. “How much did you hear about what happened during the attack?” Flurry twisted a bit, right foreleg moving to scratch at the scar on the left. “I know it was bad. I wanted to help. I should have helped in some way, but… it was so blasted hard just keeping my own head on straight. I know you got hurt bad enough to be completely unconscious though you didn’t look too roughed up.” “I was dying… but Luna healed me. It cost the lives of three bat ponies to do so. Three lives among many others that could have been spared if we had known more.” Flurry blinked her wide eyes a few times. “Wow. I didn’t know Luna could do that.” Sunset grimaced, narrowing her eyes at the door again. “Neither did I.” The guards saluted as Sunset and Flurry approached. She nodded at them before pushing the door open with her magic much harder than she probably needed to, but control was not her strong point when emotions were running high. Everyone in the room stopped talking and turned to look at the two new arrivals. “Sunny? Flurry?” Sunset glanced to Twilight then flicked her horn so the doors once again closed and sealed. Most of the faces present were known immediately. Twilight had Isabella at her side and was working closely on something with a guard lieutenant and a zebra in a doctor’s long white lab coat. Most likely on how to deal with the trauma of the attack and triage of those most injured. Luna was quietly conversing with two nobles and Grand Vizier Muhasib. They too looked quite surprised by the arrival of the two alicorns. Clover however was sitting mostly by himself and just stared blankly at them as if he had just awoken from a daydream. Sunset finally turned her attention back Twilight. “Where’s Raven?” Twilight turned her eyes to the others at the table and hesitated. “I don’t care if they know the truth at this point. Where is my PAAL, Twilight?” The purple alicorn winced slightly at the sharp delivery of the words and Sunset felt Flurry Heart place a hoof on her shoulder. “Her body was badly damaged from the fight. She was unable to walk on her own so I carried her back to her room and had her removed from the MAU. I put her on her charging pad. I was going to go check on her after I checked on you later.” Sunset nodded, but did not smile or show any other emotion, appreciation or scorn. Her teal eyes next turned to Clover the Clever and Flurry Heart yelped and jumped back when she felt a burning heat pass through her hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. Before anyone else in the room could say or do anything, Sunset’s wings unfurled to their full burning glory. She rushed forward with blinding speed and ripped Clover from his chair by his neck, dragged him across the floor, and slammed the sandy unicorn up against the wall with one hoof firmly pressed against his throat. The masonry behind his head cracked from the impact. “Sunset!” Twilight shouted in surprise. There were several other gasps and the sounds of chairs been slid across the hardwood floor or completely toppled over as the occupants jumped up or retreated to a safe distance. “Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset glanced over her shoulder and burning wing to see Luna trying to instill a level of diplomatic calm. Sunset’s eyes next turned to Fog Gauge, whom she had not seen a moment earlier, standing next to Luna. Even with his helmet on Sunset could surmise he had not slept much in days. “Niece, do not do something you will regret.” Sunset met Luna’s eyes again for a brief moment before finally turning her attention back to her captive. “Captain Fog Gauge.” “Yes, Your Highness?” the thestral replied with both rigid authority and a hollow emptiness. “Keep ALL of them back from me. That is an order. This will only take a minute.” “Yes, my princess.” Without question, Gauge stepped away from Luna and placed himself between Sunset and the rest of those gathered in the room. “Sunset! What do you think you are doing?! Put him down!” Sunset ignored Twilight’s plea. “You lied to me.” Clover twisted and choked through his partially closed windpipe. “I… did not know…” “You did not know? You DID NOT KNOW?! You are honestly going to hang here before me and tell me that you didn’t know your fucking monster of a wife was a goddamn undead lich?! How could you NOT KNOW?! You have been chasing her for THOUSANDS OF YEARS! And you are going to lie to me you could not tell that she was a walking animated corpse!? I knew EVERYTHING about my wife! I knew every curve of her body, every personality quirk. I knew every subtle change in her manner and body language from frustration to sadness to when she had constipation! I knew when she needed a massage and where without having to ask. I knew when to listen to her vent by just sitting down next to her. How far has your head gone up her butthole that you could not see the light of day that she changed THAT much!” Sunset dropped Clover and summoned her sword, leveling the burning blade at his face. Clover sat and panted trying to catch his breath, making no effort to defend himself. “Answer me! Your life depends on it because the way I see it right now, buddy, this is as good a spot as any to have ourselves a little trial since the throne room is once again trashed. Lives were lost, property damaged, and that does not even begin to scratch the surface for how long it will take for the survivors to pick up the pieces and quell the nightmares from what she did to them. Since we don’t have her here to judge I say we judge her closest accomplice who carries just as much of the blame and responsibility.” “Sunset, you can’t just make tha-” “Can’t what, Twilight?” Sunset snapped, turning an angry, glowing red eye to her fellow princess. “Can’t make an important life or death decision? Can’t play judge, jury, and executioner? I am the daughter of Princess Celestia, I am the Lunar Diarch to the thrones of this country. I am Princess Sunset Shimmer and I can do whatever I fucking damn well please if I feel it is in the safety and best interest of our subjects! And right now I want the legendary Clover the Clever to explain to me why he withheld vital information on a clear and present danger after I explicitly asked him for said information that could have helped save many of the lives that were lost.” Twilight balked. She turned her head to the side. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?” “I asked Sunset to speak to Clover the night before the attack,” Luna said, bowing her head and sighing. “I could not sense him or Datura in the dream realm and feared they were hiding information from me or worse yet, were working together. The concern was warranted.” Sunset waited for Clover to speak and when he did not she snorted steam from her nostrils and her irises began to glow again. “You knew she could hide in the in-between. You knew because like me or any of the rest of us, you could not stay there for long because of what that place does to living beings. You knew or at least suspected that she had a way to mask that. But you never once asked yourself how could she do that beyond just using souls?” “I… suspected she used the stolen souls as bait or as some sort of additional cosmic shield. Never did I believe she would… that she would go so far as to remove her own soul from her body. I… I have not touched my wife, my flower, in centuries. I did not lie when I said she had been hidden away from me for centuries.” “But before that, in the past she couldn’t have hidden from you for that long. At some point she stopped just stealing life and decided it was easier to just remove life from the equation. She just retreats inside that little bottle of hers while keeping the faintest of connections to the body that can’t be shifted or transformed because it’s already dead inside. She doesn’t need to eat, or sleep, or feel pain, or anything unless she wants to.” Clover’s ears laid flat and he sighed. Sunset held her blade close enough to him that the ends of his neck hairs began to singe and curl, but Clover ignored the heat and pain as he retreated into his own mind. Sifting through long discarded memories. “It… must have been after the Sector Twenty jump. That was roughly six hundred years ago. She always hopped around before that. After that place she started hiding longer. I thought I had made a mistake or my equipment was not working right. I had even gone as far as to return to Proxima to have the Quinte… the masters there replace my forelegs as she did so as to find her again. Even my tracking stone yielded nothing until she finally emerged in another dimension. I had to learn to be patient in a way I never had before.” Sunset chewed on the words, her flaming sword holding steady. No one else in the room dared move. Finally, Sunset extinguished her sword and leaned forward, putting her nose just before Clover’s. “One does not fight an undead the same way they fight a living being. You know that as well as the rest of us. Tempest Fury landed a fatal blow that did nothing because she did not know what we were up against. My friends, my soldiers, MY SUBJECTS died because you DID NOT KNOW. The only reason I am letting you live right now is because you may have some use and,” Sunset gently tapped the encased orb around Clover’s neck, “you have something she wants while she has something we want.” “I apologize, profoundly for those that have died and the suffering I have caused.” Sunset raised a hoof near Clover’s face. The end began to glow with ethereal red flame. “I don’t want your useless apology and if you want to talk suffering, maybe you should try reliving through a little bit of it yourself so that you understand what it is she just took from this world.” Sunset pressed her hoof to Clover’s horn and his eyes lit up. The stallion gasped and spasmed several times before falling to the ground and curling up into a ball. She stared down at him in utter contempt. “Her name was Sable Nimbus.” Sunset turned away from Clover and his whimpers and met Luna’s gaze unflinching even as a tear fell from the corner of her eye. “And she was a great friend and great lunar guard. She was young and very much in love. She had a ring and everything. She was just waiting until she finally had the courage to ask the most difficult and important question in her life.” Luna bowed her head and had to take a deep breath to suppress the shudder and shaking weakness in her legs. Her wings drooped and her mane lost much of its ethereal wave. When she finally raised her teal eyes to meet those of her niece they were glassy with tears on the brink of falling. Sunset took steps closer to meet the dark alicorn at eye level. “How did you learn to cast a horrible spell like that?” Sunset finally asked, her voice even and terse. “When the Canterlot Library of old was established in The Castle of the Two Sisters, it fell to a hoofful of skilled mages to analyze all the confiscated books and notes Datura had left behind. In addition to new material that cropped up over time. The only way to truly determine if a spell was dark was to read it, understand it, and in some cases, cast it. Like you, my memory is crystal clear on many things. Even those I sometimes wished I could forget. I, for centuries, was the head of that department and often led the hunters who pursued warlocks and witches since many still feared the night in those times. Obviously, I did not.” Sunset glanced back at Clover who was still balled up and twitching. She concluded he would recover in a bit after the memories had run their course. “I’m going to go check on Raven. Let me know when we have a plan for dealing with the Red Clover. Whatever you come up with it has to be done tonight. If she hasn’t figured out I’m not dead she soon enough will and I can only guess how she will react to that.” “Sunny, wait,” said Twilight, her voice cracking a bit. Others probably heard it as well, but none dared point it out. Sunset turned to the door and closed her eyes. She needed a moment to meditate and calm before sparing a glance back at her fiancé and fellow diarch. “We need a plan, Twilight, and I'm not in the right mindset for that at the moment. Come find me when it’s time to raise the moon.” “Sunny, please…” Flurry nudged Sunset and gestured to the door with her head. “Go check on your friend. I’ve helped plan more than a few monster hunts. I know the right questions to ask.” Sunset headed out the door. Twilight turned to Flurry Heart her face crestfallen and more than a little betrayed. Flurry Heart simply shook her head before moving over to Clover and gave him a not so subtle nudge with her hoof. “Hey, you dead or what?” “Some days… I am not sure.” As Twilight had said, Sunset found Raven on her charger pad and the MAU resting on the floor near the corner. The moment she closed the door Sunset sighed and ran her hooves down her face and groaned. It had been… difficult to face both Luna and Twilight. She loved them both dearly, but it hurt to see them at the moment. It hurt knowing that she was alive because of the decisions they made, the choices that cost Sable and two other guards their lives. It hurt knowing they felt just as guilty about it and seeing that on their faces as well. It was best to just not be in the room with them. Not until she could control her burning emotions and find some sense of center. Sunset turned her tired eyes to the MAU and groaned again. Even from the doorway she could see it was pretty banged up. “Ah, son of a bitch.” Raven’s screen lit up and her pony avatar appeared on the screen. “Sunset? Are you well enough to be up and about?” Sunset lifted the PAAL in her magic so the camera eye could see her. The animated pony head simulated scanning about with wide, concerned eyes though it was the camera doing all the real work. “Yeah, physically all better. Emotionally… I’m a work in progress.” Raven nodded and smiled with relief. “You are always a work in progress, mother. I am relieved, however. From what I was able to see from the floor you were badly wounded. I thought you were going to die.” Sunset’s lip began to tremble and she had to sit down as her legs grew weak. “I should be dead. Instead, three others died for me to live. Twilight ordered them to… to...” “It’s okay. You do not have to say it. I was there. I do not understand how it worked, but it did. I am glad you will recover.” “But that’s not right!” Sunset sobbed. “They were just kids! Sable was only twenty-eight! Alpine and Archer were about the same! There is so much in life they will never get to experience. I don’t deserve t-” “You can stop right there.” Sunset paused, trying to get ahold of her spiraling emotions and breathing. “Did they deserve to die? No. Did they want to live their lives to the fullest? Of course. Did they give their lives willingly to save the princess they swore to protect and do so proudly? From what I saw, I would say yes. Right or wrong is irrelevant in such a situation. It was a conflict, a bad one. From what I could see from my crystals and the reports I have overheard more than a hundred creatures of various species were killed and thousands suffered varying degrees of injuries. More may perish from said injuries in the coming days and that does not begin to take into count the mental trauma.” “And yet. I am alive.” “Yes,” Raven said matter-of-factly, “you are alive. You must endure. That is the burden of your rank and status. They need you to live so that you may lead them through this crisis. Can you imagine how all these ponies and creatures would act without you or Twilight or both? That is exactly what a chaos being wants. You are more important that the average pony. Whether you want to be or not.” Sunset continued to stare at the floor. “And for what it is worth, you are more important to me as well.” Sunset took another calming breath and finally smiled, looking up to the animated pony avatar on her PAAL’s screen, tears staining her face. “You are one of the most important beings in my life as well.” Raven smiled in turn. “So, now that you are feeling… if not better, then at least less guilty could you look at my body and see if there is anything you can work your magic on?” Sunset set her PAAL down on the table, angling it so that her camera eye could see what was going on. she wiped the tears away and then lifted the MAU in her magic to lay it out on the floor. Sunset's horn took on a red glow and a light of energy passed over the entire robotic body. “Well, let’s take a look at what we have to work with. From a basic scan and once over I can see the primary hydraulic actuators are broken at both shoulders." "Broken is putting it mildly. She shot me in both shoulders. Datura wanted me to suffer where she could have just as easily shot me in the face like she had threatened." "Small blessing then. I can fix those and get new fluid easy enough. The wiring can be spliced and reconnected. No problem there. Diagnostics will have to tell us if there are any sensors in there that were damaged though. Those are going to be difficult to replace or replicate. Electronics have a tendency to be finicky and certainly don't like being blasted.” Sunset grimaced. “The damage to the chest plate is going to be harder to deal with. Equestria does have titanium, but not mass manufactured and I doubt there is enough in the city readily available. Plus, this plate is mostly ceramic with some carbon fiber to reduce weight. I can get one commissioned, but that is going to take time.” Raven nodded, but did not appear downtrodden. In fact, she smirked. “So, it can be fixed. That is a relief.” Sunset shrugged. “Like I said, there may be some microprocessor damage or some sensor, but mechanically? Yeah, I think I can get it going again. A shame about the opal broach though. That was a nice one.” Raven nodded. “It was. Bitch.” Sunset giggled and lifted the MAU and Raven in her magic. “Come on. I think I still have a little time before the sun has to go down. Might as well get started.” “Are… are you and Twilight going to be alright?” Sunset closed her eyes for a moment and then looked back up, continuing out the door. “One hoof in front of the other. Work in progress, remember?” Raven considered saying more, but it was best for now just to observe and log any additional behavioral concerns. She fell easily back into her old role of analyzing Sunset’s mannerisms without hesitation. It was good to have her user and mother back. Twilight Sparkle had become so attuned to the pull of the sun over then the last century as its steward that she knew exactly when it was time to raise and set it without having to look out a window. She asked if Sunset felt the same way and she waved her hoof back and forth and said it depended on how late she stayed up the night before. That was probably true. Twilight recalled the last time she had overslept after an all night video game binge and forgot to wake up to raise the sun. That fond memory brought a smile to her face and a giggle she could not suppress. She had been so panicked and mortified and embarrassed at the time and the best part being that as crazy as it had been for her, Sunset Shimmer had had her back. Twilight’s giggle diffused into a sniffle and lip quaking shudder that no other pony saw. “Princess?” Almost no other pony. Twilight sniffled and let out a breath, straightening her composure. “I’m fine, captain. Just… getting caught up in my own head with worry and memories.” Twilight could have sent anyone to go find Sunset and tell her they had the makings of a plan, in fact, Isabella had preferred it. But Twilight felt that she and her fellow diarch needed to have a talk in private before facing the others at the table. For more than one reason. Captain Gauge had fallen into step behind the solar princess as his wife would have done and Twilight noted how the thestral was shielding himself behind the aegis of duty despite his exhaustion. Not unlike how Sunset was shielding herself in a room with tech. Unsurprisingly, when the pair had reached Raven’s room they had found it unoccupied. Without question or concern Twilight turned around and started for Sunset’s personal suite. A few minutes later, Twilight found the room unlocked and opened the door while gently knocking. Sunset glanced over her shoulder from the workbench where Raven’s body was stretched out. “I can wait outside.” “Thank you, we won’t be long.” Twilight nodded her appreciation to Gauge and gently closed the door. She stumbled over a number of things she could say, each sounding just as flat as the next, ranging from odd to absolutely ill timed. Twilight took a deep breath to quiet her racing thoughts before finally saying, “You know the lab has better lighting and more equipment and tools you could use.” “That’s more your space. I only use it if we are working on something together. Besides, I had tools already here that I knew would work.” Twilight sighed. This was not going to go smoothly, as she feared. Nevertheless, she continued and approached a few cautious steps. “I know you are mad at me.” “I’m not mad at you.” “Then apparently I don’t know you at all because from the sound of your voice, the taunt muscles in your back and neck, bristled wings, and stiff posture since I walked through the door say otherwise. And that you have not stopped what you are doing to look at me for more than a glance all tells me that you are mad at me.” Sunset set her tools and magnifying goggles down. She turned and stared at Twilight. It was not a scornful stare, or antagonistic, or anything. It was just… blank, Twilight concluded. In fact, that was worse. Anger and sarcasm she had expected and could handle, but just a blank emotionless Sunset remind Twilight too much of when her fiancé had lost all her memories. Sunset Shimmer was a burning whirlwind of passion in all aspects of her life. To see her just stare on as if she just didn’t give a damn cut worse than any blade. Especially knowing she had done this to her. Twilight broke first. She never cared for hiding her emotions, not in front of friends and loved ones. Twilight cried when it hurt, she yelled when she was angry, she laughed and smiled when it felt right. Having to hide who she was behind a crown before others was hard enough. She could not bring herself to do it in front of those she cared about. It felt too much like giving up the last little part of herself that was still that little bookish unicorn who wanted nothing more than to be a librarian or researcher who read a lot and help others when needed. Her life was nothing like those first days in Ponyville anymore. She secretly would give much to have that simplicity back. “This is all my fault.” Sunset sighed tiredly. “It’s not your fault, Twilight. Not really. I’m… just trying to process it all.” “You have every right to be angry at me and Luna, but especially me. I made the final choice. I killed them.” Sunset grimaced and stared down at her hooves as if they held all the answers in the universe. Naturally, they did not. “Twilight… I’m not normal. I should have died after you stabbed me. If not outright death from the shock and physical trauma then I should have died from blood loss in minutes. This whole situation just served to remind me that I’m… I was made, designed. I mean, we were all born, but I had spells woven into me before I was even born to make me stronger, tougher, a weapon capable of taking punishment and then dishing it right back out. “I survived the elements slamming into the ground so hard I was at the bottom of a crater. I survived the In-Between and my father nearly ripping my insides out. I went hoof to hoof with Aethon who stomped me so hard I should have been street pizza. But I survived each time because at the end of the day I’m a weapons golem. I’m… I don’t know what I am sometimes.” Twilight cried harder. She did not know what else to do, too afraid to run across the remaining distance and pull her fiancé into the hug they both so desperately needed for fear she would not return the embrace. It was bad enough to feel guilty for all the lives lost, but Sunset felt the weight of her very sense of self and purpose. The burden of her cutie mark and the role Celestia had planned for her. “Sunny… I’m… I’m so, so sorry. I’m… I…” Sunset had heard tears called, “manipulation” before. As she thought about it, it was Applejack who had said that in regards to Rarity and one of her late night drama moments. That was not really a fair comparison, considering the ups and downs of their unusual relationship and Rarity’s melodramatics in general. Regardless, Sunset disagreed with that statement in general, but every relationship was different. One thing that was the same in different worlds was that she absolutely hated seeing a Twilight Sparkle cry. Whether manipulation or just wearing her true feelings on her sleeve it always tore at Sunset’s heart and soul. Nothing was right with the world if a Twilight Sparkle was reduced to tears. “Twilight,” Sunset finally said, “Hey, look at me. I told you before. You were blindsided because you had a hole in your defense. We fixed that and then you fought back against one of history's most notorious evils. I’m grateful you kept me alive, I really am. Even if I still don’t feel I deserve to be. It’s just that… I’m just… it’s not right. I’m not right. I sometimes wonder if I’m really alive or just a soul mimicking what a pony should be. Maybe Datura and I are the same, just souls driving bodies that are not really alive while detached from it all.” Twilight looked up with wet, glassy eyes, beginning to spiral in on herself as she was prone to do. “Sunset… I hurt you. I nearly killed you. And… and you wanted to give up and die! But I couldn’t… I just… couldn’t… So I ordered others to die... I killed them. I’m a terrible princess, a terrible friend. I’m a terrible fiancé. I, I would understand if you w-wanted to postpone or c-call the whole thing all off. I, I just… I will understand if y-you don't l-love me anymore.” Sunset sighed, not about to let Twilight descend into a full on panic attack. Sunset did what she always did. What always worked, for both of them. She moved in close and nuzzled Twilight Sparkle. The two slid their muzzles back and forth until Twilight began to calm and brought her unrestrained emotions back under control. Sunset slid her hoof along Twilight’s face where she had cut her. Thanks to the stolen life energy Luna had forced into her the scar healed as if it had never been there. Just like all of hers. It really was like getting a second lease on life. “Twily, babe, we hurt each other. It was the hardest, nastiest fight I think I have ever had and that bar is getting pretty high mind you. Datura made you say all kinds of horrible things to me, but the worse part was not knowing if it was you deep down or just manipulation." “I didn’t mean any of it!” Twilight said quickly. “I heard every horrible thing that part of my mind said but it was all lies!” Sunset smiled and nuzzled her lover more. “Yeah, I kind of figured that, but it’s still good to hear. I’m sorry for all the things I spat back at you too. And, of course, for cutting you on the face. I really was trying not to hurt you. Also, for the record, I didn’t want to die, I just didn’t want others to die for me. That thought… that concept that I’m somehow more important. I’m still wrapping my head around it.” “I understand. I feel that way too, sometimes. I’m so, so sorry about Sable. About all of them, but… I couldn’t lose you. I just… I couldn’t lose you too.” Sunset sighed and whimpered, sucking in a sniffle as the memories haunted her once again. “I… I felt her and the others die through my mind. I saw their memories. All of them. It… hurt. A lot.” Twilight stroked Sunset’s face and then moved to stroke Sunset’s mane only just finally realize that it was significantly shorter than it had been before. “I’m sorry for everything. And I ruined your mane!” For some reason, Twilight’s simple yet blatant statement made Sunset snort and giggle a bit in spite of the tears. “Eh, it’ll grow back. Or maybe I’ll keep it like this. It's not too short and I look hot and badass either way.” “Now you are starting to sound like that demon in your head. Which we still need to talk about.” “Later. Besides, she’s mostly all talk. Let’s go take care of our royal duties and then you can tell me what you guys have come up with so far for a plan.” Sunset paused and tapped Twilight on the shoulder with a wing. The purple princess turned curiously and was met by lips pressing firmly against hers. Twilight squeaked in surprise before melting into the embrace. Once their lips finally separated again Sunset gave one last tiny kiss to her nose. “I love you. I know it is sometimes hard to focus on that when everything is falling apart, but I do love you and I want to marry you.” Twilight smiled. “I love you too. I’m just… Relationships are hard!” Sunset chuckled. “Yeah, they are, but we are in this together. Even when I get mad or have a bad day, just focus on the good and all we have together. Remember that I love you, and I will do the same.” “Right. Together.” “Together.” Twilight opened the door and found Fog Gauge still standing vigilant. Without hesitation, she wrapped her wings and foreleg around him and pulled him into an embrace. The lunar guard stiffened at the unexpected contact but then returned the warm hug. When they separated he turned his glassy eyes to Sunset. “Promise me you will get her back. Or if not possible that you will set her soul free. I cannot bear the thought of her being held prisoner and siphoned by that witch until nothing remains.” Sunset Shimmer pulled Gauge into her own foreleg and winged embrace, kissing the side of his muzzle that was exposed from the helmet. “I swear to you I will get her back or set her soul free. No way I’m letting that undead bitch use her like that.” Satisfied with that answer Gauge saluted them both and fell into step as they made their way back to the dining room and the others. Upon returning to the dining room the side conversations fell silent. Sunset glared daggers at Clover, but said nothing as she followed Twilight out to the balcony and the pair fulfilled their roles in regards to the celestial bodies. Twilight Sparkle wordlessly nodded to Sunset Shimmer and lowered the sun while simultaneously the moon was raised above the horizon and the stars began to appear as the last rays of sunshine faded away. It was going to be a beautiful night. Sunset hoped that was a good omen. After a few minutes of simply enjoying the early evening air and quiet company the two diarchs returned to the dining room and stepped up to the table. Twilight cleared her throat and gestured to Luna. “Tell me we have something.” “Wait,” Sunset interrupted, “It’s been almost two hours and we still don’t have a plan?” “We were brainstorming and have... most of a plan,” Twilight replied. “We could have used your help.” Sunset sighed and glanced down at Raven who simply shrugged. Once again riding in a cinch pouch. “Fine, that’s just as much on me. Give me the run down if we have one.” “I would first like to ask if you are well, dear niece.” Sunset nodded and set her PAAL on the table so that Raven could hear everyone more clearly. “I’m doing the best I can as far as dealing with everything that happened. Thank you for saving my life, but I do not approve of how. That's all I have left to say on the matter.” “I can only ask for your forgiveness and that someday you may grant it. Just as I pray each night for the forgiveness of all those who have died by my hoof.” Sunset nodded again and changed subjects back to the most important topic before them. “Correct me if I'm wrong but I recall Clover mentioning something about a tracking stone. Does it still work and can we find her with it?” Clover, upon hearing his name sat up and cleared his throat as well. “Yes. Long ago, when I finally caught up with Datura on a world not much different than this one, we drew a truce in order to gather the necessary resources to survive and make another jump. But I suspected she would betray me or at least leave my behind again. So, while she was sleeping I placed a small tracking stone on her that she would never find and was highly unlikely to remove.” Sunset gestured for him to continue. “It is in her body, directly above her heart.” “In?” said Twilight, her voice a bit higher in pitch with a raised brow. “How the hell did you manage that without her finding it?” Clover shrugged. “Magic, of course.” “I have an observation I wish to point out that Mistress Luna brought up earlier,” said Fog Gauge, drawing the attention of the others in the room. “If you have had the means to track her with your stone and your… technology and had the means to be close enough to hide tracking devices, why has it taken you so long to capture or end her? You know where she is even now.” “She was far more deserving of the title ‘Clever’ than I ever was. As I said before, she is cagy and wily and is not easy to pin down for long.” Sunset narrowed her eyes as she studied Clover’s body language as he spoke. It was too dismissing, too casual, not an ounce of regret or remorse or embarrassment. She ran, he followed. Just as it always had been. Sunset slowly stood, her eyes never leaving Clover. The tension was once again thick enough to cut with a knife. “I can’t believe it took me this long to figure you out.” Clover blinked. “I am afraid I do not follow.” “You won’t get the reference, but this is the Batman/Joker scenario.” “Pardon?” “Think of it like a trope or game if you will. Popular among super hero genres. Batman chases the Joker and eventually catches him, but not until after the Joker has already left a trail of bodies. Batman wins, YAY, the Joker goes to jail or Arkham or whatever and then he escapes. Now, the first time Batman did the right thing. He spared the life of an enemy, turned him in so the system of justice can run its course. But then, the Joker escapes. Once again goes on a killing spree. He gets caught again, because that’s how the story goes. And always AFTER others have been hurt. “What always drove me a little nuts was how many times does this pattern repeat before it becomes obvious that the bad guy is not going to change and it becomes Batman’s fault for NOT ending it when he has the chance. Or, is it true, that deep down Batman secretly loves the chase game? The never ending cycle of the hunt. In a case like that, who is the real villain? The monster who never hid the fact that they were a monster, or the protagonist pretending to be a hero just so he could live for the chase regardless of the trail of bodies that are left behind?” “I… am not entirely sure I follow your analogy, princess.” Sunset sighed and growled. “Fine, so much for being whimsical about it. Sledgehammer to the face it is. You have been after her for two thousand years all across the multiverse. You have even worked with her when you felt you needed to because in reality you don’t want to catch her and end the cycle of violence. You just want to chase her. You LIVE FOR IT. Gauge is right, you could have stopped her numerous times from what you have described. Hell, you had enough time to plant a tracking stone INSIDE her body you could have just as easily gotten her with a dagger. But because you didn’t, I lost good friends and one more still hangs in the balance. Unlike you, I am not waiting for her to kill again. “So, I propose this. Clover uses his stone and presents himself, like he always does, as the plucky hero and offers Datura a chance to give herself up. She won’t take it, but he has something she wants.” “The necklace,” said Flurry Heart, who had been silently listening to everything. A knowing smile crossing her face. Sunset nodded her approval. “A shiny, hundred bit coin says that if she’s not planning another major offensive that means she’s trying to gather lives or materials for more dark magic. We can’t allow her the time to do that. We bait her with the best bait we have and when the moment is right, we end this.” The room fell silent in contemplation. Finally, Twilight nodded. “I agree and I approve. Sunset and Luna will accompany Clover. Flurry and I will be rearguard along with a company of guards.” “Should you not stay in Canterlot, Your Highness?” asked Isabella. “No, not this time. We are all ending this together. We will keep the citizens safe by removing what she wants from the equation. She wants us? We will come to her.” “I see it is up to me to be the practical, pessimistic one of the group, but considering this witch has already cost me a body and a good friend I need to point out how direct confrontation has failed against Datura twice now,” said Raven. All eyes around the table turning to the small piece of glass that was glancing about. Her holo projector lit up and a small translucent rendering of Raven’s animated pony head turned about to look at all those gathered. The grand Vizier's jaw nearly hit the floor. “If you are planning to go on the direct offensive this time I suggest you plan for more than just dangling Clover out front like a worm on a hook and sling your spells and hooves around. Lock down your collective anger and go at her smart.” Sunset huffed and crossed her forelegs. “Unfortunately, she’s right. We need to be... clever.” “Then you must cut her off at the source,” said Clover. The words were not as surprising as the conviction in which he spoke them. “I will take lead, as you said. While she is focused on me you must separate her from the bottle.” “That sounds too easy,” said Flurry Heart and several other nodded their heads in agreement. “As you say. It will not be easy. She will lay traps, possibly use hostages. Do not expect a fair fight. She will no doubt have wards and other hidden defenses around it. I have always had some doubt it is made of glass, far more likely something stronger. It is never out of sight or out of reach. She would never let me close enough to examine it, always dodged when I asked about it since I noticed it some time ago.” “Sounds like you will need a distraction team to get close.” Everyone in the room had been so lost in their own thoughts and worries they had not heard the door open, but the moment he spoke all eyes turned his direction. “If that’s the case, I want in.” “SPIKE!” cried Twilight, springing from her chair and leaping over the table to wrap herself around the purple dragon. He winced, but stood his ground and happily returned the embrace. “Sorry for just sneaking in, but I woke up and did not feel like staying on my back any longer. I’m pretty sure the nurses are snitching on me to the doctor.” “I know, right?” said Flurry. “Those beds are terrible!” “I don’t care if you think they are uncomfortable! You should be in bed! Datura nearly smashed your skull in!” said Twilight like a scolding mother hen. Spike patted his pony sister on the head and chuckled lightly at her disapproving glare that had no bite. “Actually,” Sunset said, rubbing her chin, “he may be exactly who we need right now. We should come at her from three sides. A bait/distraction team, a suppression team that locks down her teleportation so she can't flee the battle and also some way to neutralize any thralls without hurting them.” “Sleeps spells are most effective, but I know a formula for a tranquilizer we can weaponize in water spray that when applied directly to the face will put almost any creature to sleep for a few minutes,” said Twilight, wishing she had thought of it before the last assault. Sunset nodded. “Good. Third team, when the moment is right goes directly for her and the bottle. They should also have the tracking stone in case she has another backup portal crystal ready and since we now know what she is, dragon fire does wonders against undead and magically reanimated horrors. Burns like thermite and disrupts magical fields.” “Sunset, he was badly hurt! He may still be concussed.” “And Flurry and I got stabbed. We are running short on heavy hitters, Twily, but with enough of us we can each do our little part. That will be enough. I have a good feeling about this.” Twilight sighed and finally relented and nodded. “Fine. But we still need a backup plan in case…” Twilight felt a surge of energy pass through her. Clover, Sunset, Luna, and Flurry all shuddered as well. “What… what was that?” voiced Flurry searching about for a potential threat, her horn emitting defiant little golden sparks. “It was… a spell. Or at least part of one. A big one,” said Sunset. Twilight nodded to agree with the statement. “Clover, show us where the tracking stone points,” ordered Luna, she opened all the balcony doors and gestured. The sandy unicorn removed the small, worn stone from his pouch and stepped out onto the second floor overlook balcony. With a slight application of power a small light began to glow from inside the stone. He moved it back and forth until he was able to gain a bearing. “She is not far. Less than an hour as the pegasi fly… that direction.” Every creature in the room grew still. There were not a lot a things that direction other than forest and farmland. There were, however, two things of note. The Roots of Harmony. And Ponyville.