In the Absence of Sunset Shimmer

by MyHobby


A Shot in the Dark

Sunset Shimmer squeezed the steering wheel with tight fists. The traffic lights flashed red, drawing a groan from her chest as she was forced to slow down. They waited at the intersection and watched the other drivers roll past on their way home from work.

“Sunset…” Twilight Sparkle twiddled her thumbs. “Do you have a plan?”

Sunset wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, leaving red marks on her cheekbones. “Yes.”

Twilight blew a breath through her nose. “Alright. Spill it.”

“Well—” The car jerked forward as the light turned green. “W-we’ll find them… and I can threaten her with my magic, unless…”

Twilight slumped into the seat. She shook her head and pulled her glasses off. “Are you sure this isn’t just… just you running through the portal without thinking again? Acting on impulse? Trying to justify your actions without—”

“Please,” Sunset said, her voice wavering. “Stop talking.”

“No. You know what? No!” Twilight thrust her finger towards her friend. “You have to think this through before somebody gets hurt!”

“You told me to be strong, so I’m being strong.” Sunset took a right without bothering with the turn signal. “You told me to plan, so I’m planning.”

“This isn’t a plan. This is a reaction. A base, animalistic reaction!” Twilight ran her hands through her hair, where they got stuck on a tangle. “Applejack and Rarity were right. You should be working with the police, not hoping they get the message in time to help.”

Sunset stamped her foot beside the break. “Then why did you come?”

“Because if you’re dragging yourself to Hell, I don’t want you to go alone!” Twilight Sparkle hoisted herself upright, her hands on her seat belt. “Because I… If I can do anything… I will.”

The car came to a stop at the road side. Sunset Shimmer leaned her forehead against the steering wheel, all her energy spent. The hollow in her heart ached, but the fire that had been flaring was extinguished. “She’s gonna kill Sunny…”

Twilight lowered her hands to her lap. She turned to her rain-drizzled window. “Oh, Sunset…”

Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know what to do. I just know I need to do something. I have to protect Sunny.”

Twilight reached across the car and gave her a warm hug. “You’re starting to sound like my Spike.”

“That’s not a bad thing.” Sunset peered through the whirring windshield wipers. Lightning crackled across the sky, illuminating a small collection of darkened rides and market stands by the water. They had arrived. “Okay. A plan. A plan, a plan, a plan.”

Twilight shrugged. “Wait until the police arrive?”

“She will murder my boy!” Sunset slammed a fist against the center consol. “No, we have to make sure she doesn’t notice. Make sure she doesn’t realize what’s happening.”

She shut the car off. “We have to distract Sonata. Get her talking. W-we have to give the police enough time to take her down. She won’t notice them if she’s focused on me. She’ll have to surrender. She’ll have to give Sunny up. She has to. She just has to, Twilight.”

She pushed the door open. “I’m going. Are you sure you’re with me?”

Twilight wiped her glasses down before slipping them on. She blinked through the rectangular lenses. “Yeah. I’m by your side. And God help anybody who gets in the way.”

***

Spike ran across the road, his feet splashing in the water collecting by the sidewalks. The smell of gasoline was almost strong enough to overcome the smell of seawater, but not quite. More annoying was the piercing wail of sirens as police cars rolled past. He thought about following one, but realized he wasn’t nearly fast enough to keep up, even if they were headed for the pier.

He ducked through a hole in a fence cordoning off a back alley, behind a restaurant. More smells threatened to overwhelm his senses, but he pressed on. Neon lights flickered blurrily overhead, accompanied by speeding cars and hurried pedestrians.

His legs hurt. He took a rest beneath a tree. The leaves hadn’t grown enough to keep him out of the rain, but it was better than nothing. He hadn’t run this far this fast in a long time. He didn’t have the strength of his dragon body. Not by a long shot.

It would be nice to go back, but only after he found Twilight. Only after he saved Sunset and Sunny.

A snack would be nice, too. Maybe a nice nibble from the hot dog stand at the pier.

The thought put an extra spring to his step. He hopped up and narrowly avoided knocking over a grumpy man exiting the restaurant. The man shouted, but Spike didn’t care. He had somewhere to be.

A police car zipped past, but this one wasn’t playing its siren. Spike tilted his head and raised his ear. Maybe he hadn’t heard it right. No, it was silent. Quiet. So was the next one that rolled past. And the next.

Spike ran as fast as his old legs would take him. The burning in his chest soon outpaced the burning in his legs, but he pressed on. He couldn’t let himself quit. He had to keep going. He panted up a storm to rival the rain beating against his back.

He poked his head around the corner. He recognized the shops; selling t-shirts and knickknacks and postcards. He was very near the pier. But he wasn’t alone. Lots of police cars were collected along the sidewalks. Police officers were setting up barricades and directing people to take a detour. Horns honked, but the drivers complied.

Spike looked the other way. Out of the darkness, a bolt of electricity split the sky. He saw the merry-go-round Twilight always rode when he was a puppy. He saw the ice-cream stand where she snuck him a taste of Scooperman. He saw the little dining cart where Twilight first burned her mouth on a quesadilla.

Bad quesadillas, he thought.

His ears twitched. He heard something, just past the shouts and the beeps. Just above the rumble of thunder and the crash of waves. Just between the patter of raindrops.

Mommy!

It was faint, but unmistakable. Sunny. Sunny needed him.

Spike’s heart raced as he made his way across the road.

***

Twilight Sparkle kept close as Sunset Shimmer picked her way through the little carnival. It was set to open in a month, just in time for summer to officially start. For now, it was dark and gloomy, covered in dust and dotted with growing puddles. She stared into the shadows, but there was no sign of Sonata or Sunny.

A thunderbolt struck the waves a short distance away. She yelped; her heart skipped a beat.

Sunset took Twilight’s hand in her own. She gave her a reassuring smile and lifted the other hand. The tips of her fingers glowed a bright, cheerful blue, banishing the darkness. Fire licked at her nails before trailing down to her palm.

They passed through the carnival and came to the pier itself. It stretched out over the water, a series of wooden planks and metal structures. A small lighthouse stood at the end, its lamp unused. A wave rose above the pier and came crashing down, washing it clean.

“This…” Sunset Shimmer swallowed. “This is where she said to come, right?”

“That’s right,” said a voice from behind.

They turned as one. Twilight squared her feet shoulder-width apart, clenching her fists tight. “Sonata.”

Sunset held her hand high, letting its light shine as far as she could throw it. “Where’s Sunny?”

Sonata stood by a small market stall, little visible except for her general shape. One foot entered the light, followed by her leg, her torso, and then her face. She held a bundle in her left hand, which wiggled on its own. “He’s fine. He’s right here. Wanna say hello?”

“Put him down.” Sunset moved forward. “Put him down or I’ll—”

Sonata slid a small pistol out of her pants pocket. “Ut, ut, ut. Not another step.”

Sunset froze. The breath caught in Twilight’s throat.

Sonata used the pistol to flick a blanket away from Sunny’s face. The little boy curled up, sniffing as he cried in his sleep. She clicked her tongue “Isn’t he a cutie? He has your nose, you know. Reminds me of you every time I look at him. Every. Single. Time.”

Sunset’s body trembled. “Please give him back.”

“Huh?” Sonata turned her eyes back to the two women before her. She blinked, then nodded as if in sudden understanding. “Oh, sure. Sure. I’ll get right on that. But you gotta do something for me, first.”

Twilight reached for her coat collar. She stopped when Sonata turned the gun on her. “Stop it,” Sonata snapped. “Hands where I can see ’em, and no sudden moves. In fact, why don’t you just make like a popsicle and freeze.”

Twilight looked at Sonata’s face in that moment. She had been wrong, during that interview at the police station. Sonata didn’t look ten years older than her. She looked thirty or forty years older at the least. Without makeup, the siren looked bad. It wasn’t just age, either. Sonata was worn out. Beaten down. Lacking in vitality. The only thing about her that showed any sign of life was the eyes; bright and piercing.

Twilight held her hands at her sides.

Sonata turned the gun to Sunset. “And you. Put out your magic. Not a flicker.”

Sunset Shimmer lowered her hand, but didn’t extinguish the fire.

Sonata touched the pistol against Sunny’s head. “Lights… out.”

The area was covered in darkness as Sunset released the magic. Another lightning strike illuminated the grin on Sonata’s face.

Sonata paced just inside the shadows. “Now, Sunset… On your knees.”

Sunset licked her lips. “What do you want?”

“I want you on your knees!” Sonata stomped a puddle. The gun shone in the dim light of the city a few meters away. “Get down right now.”

Sunset bowed her head. She slowly lowered herself, first taking one knee, then letting the other fall. The rain slowed to a drizzle, which couldn’t do much to affect her already soaked hair.

“Good.” Sonata shook the boy in her arms. “Wake up, Sunny. Come on, up and at ’em!”

Sunny’s eyes blinked open. He instantly shied away from her, pushing with his small hands. “No!”

“Sunny.” Sunset reached out her hand. “Sunny, Mommy’s here.”

Sunny’s eyes lit up. He squirmed around until he could see the woman kneeling before him. “Mommy! Hugs, Mommy!”

Sonata held tight against his attempts to escape. She giggled. “You wanna see your mommy, huh?”

Sunny turned and hit her right in the nose. “Bad!”

Sonata slid him lower down her body so that she could grasp his wrist. She took a step back. “Now lie down.”

Sunset hunched her shoulders. “Sonata, please, let my son go—”

“You have to listen to me,” Sonata hissed. “You have to do as I say, understand? Do it!” She brought the gun close to Sunny. “Do it now!”

“Why did you do it?” Twilight shouted.

Sonata blinked rainwater and sea spray out of her eyes. She turned her attention to Twilight, alongside the pistol. “What did you say?”

Twilight swallowed hard. If she could keep Sonata’s attention on her… “I don’t get it. Why did you kill Aria if you just wanted to get at Sunset? It doesn’t make any sense. She was your friend. A fellow siren—”

“We stopped being sirens the day Sunset broke our sigils!” Sonata gave Sunset a look of sheer, unadulterated disgust. “She wasn’t my friend. We hated each other. It was just convenient. Until she left.

Sunny reached for his mother, but Sonata shook him back into place. “She… She left us. She found a portal to Equestria and abandoned us! And then when she came back, she didn’t so much as bother to say anything!”

Sonata glared at Twilight, waving her gun indiscriminately. “You know what she was doing in Equestria? Would you even believe it? I don’t. It’s so stupid. She fell in love. You heard me right. A siren, thousands of years old, fell for some dork’s charms.”

She grinned, her teeth grinding against each other. “You know him. Well, you know his alternate version. The guy she fell for is a soldier over there. Here, he’s a cop. Heard of Caution Tape? I know you have.”

She stomped her foot, splashing Sunset’s face. “Why aren’t you lying down yet?”

“What happened?” Twilight took a step forward and found herself once again at the wrong end of Sonata’s barrel. “Why wouldn’t she have stayed? Why wouldn’t she go back?”

Sonata chuffed. She followed it up with a giggle. “That idiot got her pregnant. Then she got scared. Aw, poor Aria. Left her baby in an alley in some forgotten little town and raced back as fast as she could. Didn’t say a word…” Her smile twisted into a craggy growl. “Until I found her letters. You know that’s what sent me over the edge? It’s what sent her over the edge. Literally.”

Sunset got to her hands and slowly lowered herself into a puddle. Twilight kept an eye on her out of the corner of her eye.

“It was as she made a satisfying splat,” Sonata continued, “that I realized that I hadn’t seen Adagio in a long time. She abandoned me as readily as Aria did. Go fig’. How could I get back at her? Framing her was a good idea.”

Her grip on Sunny’s arm tightened. He let out a yelp.

“And the best way to tie it all together?” Sonata pointed the barrel at Sunny’s forehead. “Sunset Shimmer, the perfect dupe. So eager to be the hero, even all these years later. I’ve been watching you for a long time, kiddo. Waiting for just the right moment to drop into my lap.” She shook her head. “Or onto the pavement, as it turned out.”

She aimed right for Twilight’s chest. “Back away from Sunset.”

Twilight glanced behind herself and saw not much besides churning water. “Th—there’s nowhere to go—”

“Onto the pier, you dimwit!” Sonata gestured to the long, narrow boardwalk. Seawater crashed against the sides, swishing over the top. “Get onto the pier and start walking.”

Sunset Shimmer raised her head. She found herself nose-to-nose with the gun.

“Down,” Sonata said. She made a point of waving the pistol at Sunny. “Not a single spark of magic.”

Sunset laid her head against the wood. “Would you stop pointing that thing at my son?

Twilight stepped backwards. She felt water splash against her boots. “You’re an idiot, Sonata!”

Sonata snapped upright, glaring with wide, burning eyes. She tightened her fingers around the grip. “You don’t get to—!”

“How did you think you were gonna get away with this?” Twilight set her arms akimbo, each pace taking her another few inches along the pier. “The police know you did it, Sonata. They’re gonna catch you. They’ll put you away for forever!”

Sonata took a step towards Twilight, her gun hand outstretched. “Do I look like I have anything to live for? Do I look like I have my whole life ahead of me? I’m dying! I died the instant my gemstone was shattered!” She took in a deep breath which did nothing to calm her. “It just hasn’t taken yet.”

She coughed, her voice hoarse. “But I get this one little thing. I get to take everything Sunset cares about and destroy it. While she watches. I get to make her understand what it’s like to lose everything.”

“I do understand what it’s like, Sonata,” Sunset said. “I lost everything, too. When I came here I didn’t have friends, or family, or money, or a home… But I found the strength to move on. I rebuilt. I got everything back and so much more.” A sob snuck its way out of her chest. “Both Aria and Adagio knew that. You could have had that, too.”

Twilight paused in her backwards walk. She reached for her top button.

“No!” Sonata screamed. “No, no, no, you’re wrong! You don’t know anything, you stupid hag!” She pointed at Twilight with a snarl. “Keep walking.”

Twilight held her arms at her sides, her hands shaking.

“You don’t know what it’s like to have nothing…” Sonata shifted her hold on Sunny and stuck a hand in her pocket. She tossed red gem shards across the ground. “Here! Look at it! Look at all the nothing you left me!”

A high wave washed over Twilight’s jeans, soaking her to the bone. She cringed and reached upwards, moving as quickly as she could to unbutton her coat while Sonata wasn’t looking.

“Aria’s shards, my shard, it’s all I have left!” Sonata swung her arms out. “Now look! Look out there!”

Twilight snapped her arms down. Her friend was still on the ground, and had to lift herself on her hands to look towards the boardwalk. Their eyes met.

“First, you get to watch her get swept away,” Sonata said. “Then, your son is next.”

“No!” Sunset pushed herself to her knees. “You wouldn’t dare—”

Sonata kicked her in the face. She backed away, a smile visible in the gloom. “Stay down! Stay down and let me enjoy this. Those look like some really big waves.”

Sunny screamed. “Mommy!”

“It’s gonna be okay, Sunny,” Sunset said. From where she stood, Twilight could see her hide her hand inside her coat, out of Sonata’s scrutiny. “It’s gonna be okay, I promise.”

Sonata covered Sunny’s mouth. She took careful aim at Twilight. “I have to make you understand. Because only you can really understand what it’s like.”

A rapid-fire series of barks caught Twilight’s attention. A purple blur ran through the carnival, making a beeline towards Sonata. Twilight’s jaw dropped. Spike?

Sonata spun around, shrieking as the dog charged. She squeezed the trigger once, twice. Two reports rang out across the pier. In the next moment, Spike’s teeth clamped around her wrist. He dragged her down, shaking her arm with jerks of his head.

Sunset Shimmer leapt to her feet. Her hands lit their surroundings with blue magic. She grasped Sunny and tore him away from Sonata’s embrace. She ran until she slipped on a puddle. Her knees slammed against the ground, where she covered her son with her body.

Sonata screeched, hitting Spike with punch after punch. He wouldn’t let go. With a growl of her own, she fired the gun. She jerked her bleeding arm away from the dog and sent him flying with a violent kick. She turned to the pier, her eyebrows jumping up when she saw Twilight.

Twilight reached under her coat and pulled out her forty-four. She chambered a round, let half her breath out, and took aim.

She sent six shots tearing through Sonata’s torso.

Gentle footsteps took her from the pier back to firm ground. She kept her gun trained on Sonata the entire way, waiting for some sort of movement; a twitch, a gasp, anything to show that she was still a danger. The former siren lay motionless.

Twilight stopped beside her. “Sunset?”

“Yeah?”

“Is Sunny okay?”

Twilight heard a deep sigh. “Yes, Twilight,” Sunset said. “He’s fine. He’s just fine.”

“Good.” Twilight stuffed her pistol into its holster and rushed to Spike’s side. He had fallen onto his side, his legs curled up against his belly. She knelt, resting her hands on his side. “Spike? Spike, it’s okay, boy. It’s over. We can go home.”

She wiped salt water from her forehead. She touched his neck, just below the ears. “Come on, boy, get up. Come on, Spike. Time to—”

Her hand came away red. She gaped, the breath moving at a stutter. She felt down his side, her heart quickening. She found a puncture wound on his rear left leg. Another in his right shoulder. She pressed her ear against his chest. No sound. Her fingers clenched his long coat.

“No, no, Spike. Get up.” She pulled her coat off and draped it over his body. Caring hands tucked him into the long, damp fabric. She crawled to his head and cradled it in her lap. “Wake up. You’re stronger than this. So much stronger.”

She ruffled his ears. “You’re better than this.” She slammed a fist into a nearby puddle, splashing water across her shirt. “You’re better than this! Get up!”

She pulled him closer, holding him tight. She rested her head on his. Tears fell from the corners of her eyes, dripping onto her overcoat. “You’ve gotta come home. You’ve gotta come with me.”

Sunset Shimmer sat beside her. She let Twilight lean against her, Spike still clutched tight. “C—can’t I…” Twilight choked. “Can’t I at least say goodbye?”

Twilight petted the top of his head. “Would you let me say goodbye? Please just give me that. I won’t ask for… Please, Spike.”

Sunny crawled out of his mother’s arms. He patted Spike, his face the picture of seriousness. “G’boy, Spike. G’boy.”

Twilight broke apart. She folded into Sunset’s arms, sobbing freely. Sunset rocked her back and forth, lending her tears. Sunny began to sniffle, though he probably didn’t know why.

Twilight looked up in the presence of a bright light. A team of officers flowed onto the carnival grounds, their weapons at the ready. They asked questions, but Twilight couldn’t register them. She knew Sunset would help. She knew Sunset would know what to say.

At that moment, Twilight just wanted to be with Spike.

***

At the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, where the trees turned from apple to a variety of other species, it bumped up against the city’s cemetery. The Apples themselves had a piece of land squared off from the rest of the grounds: A family mausoleum and a few smaller plots. Off in the north corner, several small tablets were embedded in the earth. Some people scoffed at the Apples having their own pet cemetery, but among the family, one thing was clear…

There was something real special about an Apple’s pet.

Sunset Shimmer leaned against Sunny’s stroller and enjoyed the feeling of the sun beating against her face. Stormy weather was nice every so often, but only from indoors. She sniffed the air as a warm breeze rolled past.

Beside her, Big Mac’s strong arms wrapped around Twilight Sparkle. The slight woman stared at the newest plot, the latest tablet to grace the green, lush lawn. She clutched a scroll between her fingers, one with the royal seal of Equestria. Her hands shivered as she unrolled it. Flowing script greeted her, scribed by one dragon and dictated by another.

“‘Dear Twilight,’” she read. “‘Sorry I lied. I promise that I’ll stay here for real next time, but right now you need me. Maybe I’m just being dumb, but I can’t just sit back when I know you’re in trouble. Any of you. And I know I can’t help, not really. I know I’m just a dog over there. But can you blame me? I guess I just want to be by you and it’s my own half-crazed optimism that says things ’ll turn out right.’”

She let her voice stop trembling, then read on. “‘I can already see Little Spike thinking of ways he can stop me from coming over, so I’ll wrap it up here. I’ll have him send you the message after I go through the portal, so you know that yeah, I do want to stay in Equestria. But only if you’re really gonna be there, too. I love you, Twilight, and I want to say thank you for all the amazing memories. Talk with you again soon.’”

She rolled up the scroll. “‘Love, Spike.’”

She hunched over and touched her fingers to the gravestone. Spike. Beloved dog and fearsome dragon. “I love you, too, Spike. And I’ll never forget the time we spent together. Thank you so much for being my friend.”

She turned around to see a small group of people standing in the Apple Family plot. She wrung her hands together and nibbled her lip. “I know this is really informal and stuff, but… Does anybody else want to say a few words?”

Fluttershy stepped out from the group of friends and laid a snapdragon next to the grave. “For my favorite patient,” she whispered.

Applejack pulled an apple from her pocket, the biggest, greenest she could find. She shuffled over and laid it next to the flower. “Yeah, ah know it ain’t original. But you were always at your happiest chasin’ the puppies through the apple baskets. Always made me laugh.”

Rarity came next, her dainty hands clasped together. “A gift I do not have, but memories aplenty. You are the noblest, kindest dog I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.” She winked. “And purple, I feel, is in this summer.”

Rainbow Dash stuffed her hands in her pockets and dug her toes into the soil. “I’m no good at mushy stuff, so… You’re awesome. Heh. Remember catching Frisbees in the park? Snatched it right out of the air.”

Pinkie Pie rubbed her bandaged head. She handed something to her eldest son and nodded. Cheese Danish pushed his way through the crowd and floated a weighted balloon over to the grave.

Sunset Shimmer danced her fingers through the grass. “Thank you for being there for us, Spike. No matter what.”

Two more figures stepped forward. One stood a head taller than Twilight Sparkle, and could have been confused for her sister. She flicked her unseasonal scarf behind her back and passed a sheet of paper to the purple-coated dog at her side.

The dog cleared his throat and spoke aloud. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, here, via Little Spike. She says ‘I didn’t know you for very long, but what little I did showed me that you were a very special person. Noble, steadfast, and loyal to no end. I am honored to have called you friend.’”

Little Spike pawed his way to the headstone. “You know, I was really weirded out when you showed up. I mean, my double became a full-grown dragon and he was a regular dog? I didn’t know what to think when you started talking. But…”

He sat on his haunches. “But you had something special in you. You weren’t just a dog. Like… like nobody’s just one thing or another. You had wisdom that felt like it sprang from optimism, if that makes any sense. If nothing else, you’ve helped me see things more clearly.”

He looked up at the people hanging on his every word. “But now I’m just rambling, aren’t I?”

“Tell the truth,” Big Mac said with a grin, “ah don’t think the ‘talkin’ dog’ thing is ever gettin’ old.”

A low chuckle ran through the small crowd. Sunset Shimmer joined in with a giggle.

Sunny reached for the dog. “Spike! M’ere, boy!”

Little Spike hopped up to the two-year-old boy. “Hay, little guy! Never seen a talking dog before, huh—?”

Sunny grabbed Little Spike by the ears and jerked him close. “G’boy!”

The laughs turned raucous as Little Spike struggled to free his head. He shot the boy’s mother a grin. “Heh… He’s a real cutie, Sunset…”

Apple Bloom joined Sunny in petting Little Spike, scratching him in several extremely delightful locations. “Sure is, but he’s got a real bundle of competition when you’re around, bud!”

Little Spike stopped struggling and let his tongue hang out. He rolled onto his side, his face full of goofy happiness. “Ooh, yeah. That spot right there. That’s really—”

His eyes shot wide open as he gave Apple Bloom a second look. He blushed, pulling himself upright and all but running back to Princess Twilight’s side. “It’s really nice of you to… uh… say so, Miss Bloom, but… uh… can’t let me get too comfortable here, you know. Not too comfortable.”

He gave Princess Twilight a plastic grin. She returned the expression with a severe eyebrow.

Sunset Shimmer shook her head, a large smile on her lips. The rest of the people gathered around Twilight, either offering her memories or condolences. Hugs were given, gifts were exchanged, and one or two fresh tears were shed.

Sunset looked outside the Apple’s site and saw a familiar face. “Apple Bloom, would you watch Sunny for a minute?”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom looked up from chasing Little Spike. “Yeah, sure. Long as yah need.”

Sunset Shimmer walked through the cemetery, her sneakers making little noise in the healthy grass. She came up to a modest tomb stone, which had a simple memorial on it. No dates, just a name and a thought: Aria Blaze. Music was her art.

She looked to the familiar face, which was framed by long tresses of graying orange hair. “Saying goodbye?”

Adagio Dazzle crossed her arms. “You might say that. It’s a long time overdue.”

She huffed, turning her head away. “Over a thousand years of friendship and the first time things got rough, we fell apart like wet tissue paper.” Her faint scowl melted into a limp frown. “I think it’s mostly my fault. They acted like idiots sometimes, but… But they were such a huge part of my life. I should have seen that when I still had a chance.”

She cocked a brow at Sunset. “Seems like every time the going gets tough for you and your friends, you just get closer.”

“Not… always.” Sunset shrugged. “We still make massively-stupid mistakes sometimes. And it costs us.”

Adagio nodded. “But?”

“But… we don’t let it tear us apart.” Sunset waved a hand. “We open ourselves up to get hurt, but we also open ourselves up to being loved.”

Adagio blinked, pressing her lips together. “I’d like that.”

Sunset Shimmer tilted on her heels. “Are we gonna be seeing more of you around here?”

“Heck. No.” Adagio smirked. “I found my way back to Equestria, and by golly, I’m staying. Keep your meatballs and five-o’-clock traffic, I’m outta here.”

Sunset laughed. “Not even for a visit?”

“Girl, were you listening? I’ve lived here for far longer than I’d care to admit or remember…” Adagio kicked at the grass. “And there’s nothing left for me.”

She chuckled. “No, what you need to do is visit Sun-kissed Equestria, with its excellent food and its delightful ponies. Not to mention about two-thousand miles of nude beaches.”

Sunset burst into laughter, clapping a hand over her eyes.

Adagio shook her head, laughing lightly. “Yeah. But seriously, I think you ought to get to know your double. Look us up, once you get over your hang-ups about your past.”

“I think I might have done that already.” Sunset let a few more titters escape. “I have been talking with my husband about alternative vacation spots…”

“There you go! No excuses.” Adagio sighed, then turned back to the grave.

Sunset Shimmer backed away. “I’ll let you go, then. Have a—”

“Hay, Shimmer.” Adagio locked eyes with her. “I’m following your example, you know. I want to make sure my new friendships don’t end up like… well…” She rested her hand on the memorial. “Before.”

Sunset rubbed her own arm. “I’ll have Princess Twilight mail you copies of the Friendship Reports.”

Adagio rolled her eyes. “I could just buy the book—”

“No, seriously. There’s some good stuff in there.” Sunset held her hands out. “Read up on them. Study them. It’ll help you.”

Adagio nodded. She flashed Sunset a grin that may or may not have been sincere. “Thanks, Shimmer. I’ll do that.”

Sunset turned at the sound of her name. “Coming!” She gave Adagio a little wave. “See you later, I guess. Have a safe trip back to Equestria.”

Adagio waved back. “Traveling with Princess Twilight, who wouldn’t?”