Sunset Shimmer and the Castle of Everfree

by HAKDurbin

Chapter 14

Rough Draft groaned as the morning sunlight hit his eyes. He lifted his hand in front of his eyes before slowly opening them and looking around to find that he was inside the gazebo in his family garden which was covered in vines and flowers. He could hear birds chirping as he saw the remains of Lunar Castle from a distance. Rough Draft then realized that he was lying down on his side on a bench, and his head was resting on a pair of legs. Curious, he turned his head up to find Sunset's smiling face.

"Good morning, my Flaming Arrow," she said as she gently ran her fingers through his short, black hair.

Rough Draft smiled back as he rolled his body on his back and lifted his hand to caress Sunset's cheek.

"Good morning, my Silver Gleam," he replied.

Sunset hummed and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of Rough Draft stroking her cheek. The couple blissfully enjoyed the moment in silence as though they were teenagers again; young, naive, and lost in their sweet love. Then, Rough Draft remembered the events of what happened the night before, and he shot up in a sitting position only to feel a sharp pain on the top of his head.

"Take it easy there, babe," Sunset said. "Adagio hit you pretty hard on the head."

"Adagio," Rough Draft whispered before he turned to Sunset worryingly. "Where is she?"

"Relax, Rough Draft. She's gone," Sunset said calmly.

"Gone? What do you mean she’s gone?" Rough Draft asked.

"Take a look at the dam," Sunset said, pointing behind her with her thumb.

Rough Draft turned his head to where Sunset was pointing and was bewildered to find the clocktower gone. He stood up and walked over to the top of the dam with Sunset following him. When he looked down, he saw that the lake surrounding Castle Everfree had risen up, and only half of the aqueduct was still standing. Rough Draft then leaned closer to the edge and turned his head to find the floodgate where the tower was.

"I don't understand," he said, turning back to Sunset. "What happened?"

"Well, I didn't see everything since I had already brought you up here when it happened, but I think I have a solid idea," Sunset replied. "When Adagio put the rings in the statue's eyes, it must have activated something inside the clocktower that was designed to have it detach itself from the dam and fall into the lake. It happened so soon that Adagio couldn't get to safety in time, so she fell."

Rough Draft stared at his sunshine perplexed and asked, "So, she's dead? You're sure she's really gone?"

"She's really gone, Rough Draft," Sunset assured. "If the fall didn't kill her, getting crushed by a falling building did, or I'm not a thief. You don't have to worry about her anymore. You're free."

Rough Draft kept staring at Sunset for a moment before he looked down at the ground and thought about her last two words. The edges of his mouth turned up as it hit him. Sunset walked over to him and wrapped her arm around him in a shoulder hug, and put her hand on his arm. Rough Draft looked up at her and smiled, gazing into her cyan eyes before he realized something.

"But wait a minute, if using the rings kills the person who activates whatever it activated, then what was the point?" He asked. "Does that mean there was no treasure the whole time?"

"Actually, no. There is a secret treasure, and it's pretty amazing," Sunset said. "Let me show you."

Sunset took Rough Draft's hand and led him through his family's garden. When they were on the other side, Rough Draft's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open in awe as he saw dozens of Roman-like buildings in place of where his family lake used to be. There were temples, courtyards, fountains, columns, arches, and even an amphitheater. Every stone building or statue was more majestic than the last, and they looked as if little to no time had passed since the days they were built. What's left of the water in the lake was going down to the floodgate where the clocktower was.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Sunset said.

"It is," Rough Draft said, smiling. "But does that mean this was the treasure all along?"

"Looks like it," Sunset answered.

"But what is an ancient city doing at the bottom of the lake in my family's property?" Rough Draft asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Sunset said. "You're the bookworm, remember?"

Rough Draft frowned and thought about it before saying, "Well, I do recall reading how some ancient civilizations would hide their towns or cities to prevent them from being found by the enemies they were fleeing from. So, this must be one of them."

"I see," Sunset said. "Then I guess the people from this ancient civilization built the dam and the floodgate, and then submerged their city so that it couldn't be found. I guess your ancestors inherited it long ago and built the clocktower to hide the floodgate until a time where the secret behind the rings would be discovered."

"Hmmm. That does add up," Rough Draft said. "But that still doesn't explain why my ancestors made it so that putting the rings into the eyes of the horse statue was essentially a death trap."

Sunset frowned and said, "Yeah, I'm not sure why they would do that, but I have a theory."

"And that is?" Rough Draft asked.

"Well, it's very out there, but I had a lot of time to think while you were unconscious, and I think your ancestors intentionally made it a trap, believing that a descendant of the Celestial family would try to discover the secret," Sunset said.

Rough Draft looked at Sunset skeptically and asked, "Where do you base that on?"

"Well, for starters, it was odd that the Lunar family already knew what was the secret message when you put the rings together while the Celestial family didn't," Sunset explained. "The date on your ring was around the time the Celestial family won the fight between the royal families, so the Lunar might have set up a trap as an act of revenge against the other family. They assumed that if the Celestial family were to know about the secret treasure in the future, one of their descendants would try to use their power to retrieve both rings. Basically, they would use the greed of the family who gained unimaginable wealth through illegal means to trap their descendants, leading to the downfall of the superior royal family."

"You really think they believed the Celestial family would be as greedy in the future as they were back then?" Rough Draft questioned. "What if having a Celestial fall into the trap wouldn't be their downfall because he or she wasn't the only one? What if at some point the Celestial family stopped being so greedy, and it was the Lunar family who selfishly wanted the treasure instead? Maybe a Celestial and a Lunar sincerely wanted to marry each other and find the treasure together."

"I know. I know. There's a lot that doesn't add up to what I'm saying," Sunset said, holding up her hand. "It just seems to make sense since the rings were made at the time when the Lunar family was probably bitter for losing so much political power, and they might have already known what the treasure is since it's in your family's property. So, they kept it a secret from their descendants while secretly building it up to something that the Celestial might want more than a submerged ancient city."

Rough Draft raised an eyebrow at Sunset before he looked down and thought about what she was saying.

"Well, if that's what my ancestors believed would happen, they were ultimately right," he said. "A greedy descendant of the Celestia did do everything in her power to obtain a treasure that was something she would have found no value in."

"And in the end, it led to the end of the line of Celestia, thus making the Lunar family's revenge complete," Sunset added. "And to top it off, the Lunar family would be left with a treasure far more valuable than any wealth you can possess. A treasure that should be shared with all of mankind."

"You're right about that, Sunset. This city should be shared with all of humanity," Rough Draft said. "This treasure maybe my inheritance in a way, but it's too great to be kept by one person."

"I'm glad to hear it, Rough Draft," Sunset said with a proud smile.

The two of them stared into each other's eyes again, glad that they felt the same way about the treasure. Sunset then wrapped her arm around Rough Draft's arm, and they silently decided to look around the stone city. From building to building, they admired the beauty that had survived after being buried underwater for so many years. Eventually, they found a fountain and sat down on the ledge with Sunset resting her head on Rough Draft's shoulder while still holding his arm. But while they looked at the beautiful statues surrounding the fountain, Rough Draft turned his head to Sunset and noticed that she was feeling down.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Sunset raised her head to look at the prince's confused face. She then looked down and thought about what to say before giving him an answer.

"Rough Draft, I can't stay here," she said.

"What do you mean?" Rough Draft asked.

"I mean, I can't stay in Everfree with you," Sunset clarified.

"What?" Rough Draft asked. "But we're together, and Adagio's gone. There's nothing that should stop you from staying here."

"Except that I'm an international criminal," Sunset said.

"What does that matter?" Rough Draft challenged.

Sunset's frown deepened, and she placed her hand on Rough Draft's cheek as she said, "Babe, now that the secret of the Horse Bills is most likely out, Everfree will lose the trust of its allies. You're going to be the king, and it'll be up to you to mend the trust between the allies you need. You can't do that if you're together with someone like me."

"Sure I can," Rough Draft protested. "If I'm the king, I can just pardon you so that you're not a criminal anymore. I mean, you're a hero now, so that has to justify it."

"I wish it were that simple, but that won't be enough," Sunset said. "Even if I'm not a criminal here, I am a criminal who has caused a lot of trouble in other countries. If you allowed me to stay just so that we can be together, it would be as if Everfree traded one corrupted ruler for another. That could be trouble for Everfree and its people if they lost their allies because of us."

"But I want you to stay," Rough Draft said.

"I do too, Rough Draft," Sunset said, taking both of Rough Draft's hands with hers and holding them up. "Believe me. I don't want to leave any more than you do. If I could undo every crime I've done so that I can be with you, I would do it, but I have too much dirt on my hands. I have to go."

"Then take me with you," Rough Draft demanded.

"I can't do that," Sunset said.

"Sure you can," Rough Draft insisted. "I may not be a thief, but I can learn. We can have all sorts of adventures together. I don't care what we do as long as we're together."

Sunset gave him a sad smile and said, "That does sound fun, but I don't want you to take the same path I've taken. Your honest heart is something I've always loved about you, and I won't let you lose that. Besides, your people need you."

"I need you," Rough Draft countered.

Sunset's smile grew slightly, and she scooted closer to Rough Draft while still holding his hands and said, "I need you too, babe, but we can't risk what happens to Everfree's future just for us. It wouldn't be fair for anyone."

Rough Draft stared at Sunset for a moment before he let go of her hands and hung his head low, defeated. Sunset frowned and rubbed his back, knowing that his heart was breaking.

"So, that's it?" He asked. "We're done just like that?"

Sunset sighed heavily and said, "I don't know. Maybe. If there's a way we can work around this in the future, I can come back."

Rough Draft lifted his head with a look of hope and asked, "Do you think that's possible?"

"It might be," Sunset answered. "It'll take time. Probably a few years before I could think of something. I can't guarantee anything, though."

"You'll do it," Rough Draft said confidently. "After all, you went so far as to look for me until you were out of money and risked your life to rescue me inside a castle full of traps."

Sunset smirked and said, "Don't forget taking a bullet for you in the process."

"Ugh. Don't remind me," Rough Draft said with a shudder. "I'm still a little tormented from that."

"Sorry," Sunset said.

The two of them smiled with Rough Draft feeling slightly better. Then, the prince frowned and took Sunset's hand and said, "I will wait for as long as it takes for you to come back, Sunshine. I swear it on my crown as king."

Sunset gave him a sweet smile and began caressing his cheek again.

"I'll hold you to that," she said. "Just promise me that you'll get rid of those deathtraps so that I don't have to worry about those when I come back."

"Absolutely," Rough Draft said. "And while we're still making promises, please be careful while you're away. I know you love challenges, but don't get yourself killed out there."

"I promise," Sunset replied.

With that, the couple kissed before they went back to admiring the ancient city. Sunset wrapped her arm around Rough Draft's arm again, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Rough Draft, in turn, placed his hand on top of Sunset's hand and rested his head on hers. Their smiles slowly faded as they became worried that this moment alone could be their last. Rough Draft took Sunset's hand and kissed it, and she tightened her hold on his arm.

At that moment, all they wanted was to be alone in the stone city forever.

*********************************************************************************************

Back at Castle Everfree, Twilight's squadron escorted their handcuffed prisoners to the central courtyard. Depry was using her phone attached to the pack on her back to request helicopters for pickup. Cozy Glow was sitting down on the ground next to Tirek, despondent over Adagio's death. The captain of the guard looked at Spike bitterly as the lieutenant oversaw the prisoners.

"You only won because we don't have our queen anymore," Tirek said.

"Perhaps, but it also means all brawn and no brains meant nothing in the end," Spike said with a smug look.

Tirek growled with his face turning a deeper shade of red. The purple man chuckled mockingly until he looked up from Tirek to find Twilight and Flash exiting the castle. They were carrying large bags on their shoulders and holding hands as they walked. Spike's face lit up, and he raced toward his sister to give her a tight hug.

"Whoa, easy there, Spike," Twilight chuckled.

"Sorry," Spike said as he broke the hug. "I'm just glad that you didn't get trapped inside the castle this time."

Twilight smiled at her little brother and said, "I was only going to the printing room, silly. Besides, Flash was with me."

Flash smiled bashfully and scratched the back of his head as his cheeks turned pink. Spike turned to the secret agent and gave him a death glare, silently stating that he saw him holding hands with his sister. Flash took a step back with a twinge of fear while Twilight padded Spike's shoulder as a way of telling him to ease up. Spike kept his glare for a moment before he silently complied and turned back to his sister.

"So, what's with all the bags you're carrying?" He asked.

"Oh, just a bunch of rolls of counterfeit bills and all of those orders we found plus a few printing plates, Twilight responded.

"Orders?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, we found some very interesting invoices for the Horse Bills," Flash explained. "There was even one from Chancellor Neighsay."

Spike's eyes widened, and he covered his mouth in shock before he said, "You're not serious."

"Oh, aren't we?" Twilight asked in a singing voice.

She opened her bag, reached into it, and took out the invoice. Spike took the piece of paper and stared at it in disbelief before he started laughing.

"I don't believe this," he said, putting his hand on top of his head. "This explains so much."

"You're telling us," Flash said. "It's going to be interesting when we get back home."

Just as he said that, Depry walked over to them, holding up the phone attached to her pack, and said, "Excuse me, Inspector, Agent; you have a call from Commander Harshwinny."

"Ah, thank you, Derpy," Twilight said.

Twilight took the phone from Derpy's hand, and she and Flash leaned their ears close to the reciever before Twilight said, "Hello?"

"Inspector Sparkle, is Agent Sentry with you?" Harshwinny asked.

"I'm here, commander," Flash replied.

"Ah, good," Harshwinny said. "I wish to congratulate you two on a job well done. The secret is finally out, and there is nothing that can be done to cover it up."

"Thank you, commander," Flash said. "Though Twilight and I have some more evidence to bring back home just to be on the safe side."

"Good call, Sentry. Though, I assume it won't be necessary now that the chancellor's position in Canterlot is in critical condition," Harshwinny said. "But what of Queen Adagio?"

Twilight and Flash frowned and looked at each other before Twilight asked, "Spike, where is the queen?"

"Oh, Queen Adagio is dead," Spike said.

"What?!" Twilight asked.

"Dead? How?" Flash asked.

"Sentry? Sparkle? What's going on over there?" Harshwinny asked. "I thought I heard something about somebody being dead."

"You did," Twilight answered. "My brother just said that Queen Adagio had died."

"What?! What do you mean?!" Harshwinny asked.

Twilight thought it for a moment before she handed the phone to Spike and said, "Here. Tell it to the commander, and we'll listen."

"Uh, okay," Spike said hesitantly as he held up the phone to his ear. "Hello? Lieutenant Sparkle speaking."

"Lieutenant, this is Commander Harshwhinny," Harshwinny said. "Can you explain to me how Queen Adagio is dead?"

"I'll do my best, ma'am, but frankly, I don't have the whole story," Spike said. "Basically, during all the fighting, she was hanging on up at the clocktower before it suddenly broke and fell, and she fell to her death."

Twilight and Flash looked at Spike befuddled while the phone was silent for several seconds.

"Are you making this up, Lieutenant?" Harshwhinny asked.

"No, ma'am," Spike replied. "I couldn't tell you for the life of me why she was up there, but if you ask the rest of the squadron, they will tell you the same thing."

"It's true," Derpy said to Twilight and Flash. "We all saw her die. That's when her people surrendered to us."

The inspector and the secret agent stared at Derpy before they looked at each other, still baffled. After a few seconds, Flash shrugged and said, "I'm sure it has something to do with her chasing after Sunset and Prince Rough Draft.

"I guess," Twilight said.

Spike nodded before he heard a sigh from Harshwinny, who could not hear what Twilight and Flash were saying through the phone.

"Very well," she said. "Can you put Inspector Sparkle and Agent Sentry back on please, Lieutenant?"

"Sure," Spike replied.

He handed the phone back to Twilight, and she and Flash leaned their ears close to the receiver again before Twilight asked, "Hello, commander?"

"Inspector Sparkle, Agent Sentry, I would like for you to gather as much information as you can regarding the queen while we send backup for your prisoners," Harshwhinny said.

"Yes, ma'am," Twilight said.

"Understood," Flash replied.

"That aside, you have my gratitude for accomplishing this operation," Harshwhinny continued. "The world will have a hard time adjusting to the truth, but justice has been served thanks to you."

"Thank you, commander," Twilight said. "Personally, I hope what we've done will put the souls of the people who are trapped in the catacombs at rest."

"Amen," Flash said.

"Quite," Harshwinny said. "In any case, I shall want a report on this operation once you have returned to headquarters, Sentry, and I think I can speak for the commissioner when I say that he'll want one from you too, Sparkle."

"Yes, ma'am," Twilight and Flash said simultaneously.

"Very well. Good work again, you too, and have a safe trip home," Harshwhinny said.

With that, Twilight handed the phone back to Derpy, who hung it back on her pack. For a couple of seconds, everyone was silent until Flash cleared his throat.

"Well, it's a shame we couldn't bring Queen Adagio to justice," he said.

"I would have liked to have her brought down by the book," Twilight agreed.

"Well, at least she didn't get away with all of her manipulation and murder," Spike said optimistically.

"That's true, Spike, but it does mean Everfree is without a leader," Twilight said.

"Eh, if I know Sunset, the prince is completely safe, thanks to her," Flash said. "So, when he comes back here, he's likely going to be the king."

"Well, that's a relief, provided that you're right about her allowing him to come back here and be king," Twilight said, crossing her arms at Flash said with an unconvinced look.

The grayish amber man chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. Just then, the phone on Derpy's pack rang again, and she picked it up.

"Hello, this is Private Hooves," she greeted.

Spike, Twilight, and Flash looked at Derpy while she was on the phone. Derpy's face went from cheerful to grim before she turned to Twilight and offered the phone to her with a look like she was a doctor giving a patient bad news.

"Call for you, inspector," she said. "It's your sister-in-law."

Twilight's eyes shrunk, and the blood drained from her face, turning her grayish mulberry skin thistle. She slowly turned her head to Spike, who had a cut half the size of a thumb on his cheek from fighting Tirek. Her brother gave her a worried look as the same thing was flowing in his mind while Derpy took off her helmet and held it to her chest with her free hand. Twilight gulped before she collected herself, took the phone, and held it up to her ear.

"Hi, Rarity," she said in a friendly tone. "How are things back in -?"

"TWILIGHT JOSEPHINE SPARKLE!!!" A female voice screeched so loudly that Twilight moved her ear away from the receiver. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT MY SPIKEY-WIKEY!?!"

Twilight chuckled nervously as she brought the phone back to her ear and said, "Rarity, please let me ex -"

"I'VE TOLERATED YOU CONSTANTLY TAKING HIM AWAY FROM ME JUST TO CHASE SOME THIEF HALFWAY ACROSS THE WORLD FOR SEVEN, HEART ACHING YEARS, AND ALL I ASK IS THAT NOTHING - NOT ONE THING HAPPENS TO MY HUSBAND!!!" Rarity screamed. "HE IS TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO ME IN MINT CONDITION FROM TOP TO BOTTOM ALWAYS!!!"

"I understand that, Rarity, but it couldn't be helped," Twilight protested. "We had to stop a major conspiracy, and -"

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU WERE TRYING TO STOP THE BLEEDING APOCALYPSE!!!" Rarity shrieked. "WHEN I WANT TO BE CONFUSED WITH A WOMAN WHO WANTS SO MUCH AS ONE HAIR ON HER SWEET, ADORABLE, CUDDLY MAN'S HEAD OUT OF PLACE, SO HELP ME I WILL GET DOWN ON MY KNEES AND BEG!!! YOU BETTER PRAY I DON'T HUNT YOU DOWN AND SLOWLY RIP ALL OF YOUR HAIR OFF ONE STRAND AT A TIME!!! DO YOU HEAR ME!?!"

By this point, Derpy was uncomfortable while Spike was sympathetically watching his sister try to calm down the hysterical woman. Rarity's voice was so loud that everyone within a ten-foot radius could hear everything coming from the receiver. Flash watched what was happening, completely lost before turning to Spike.

"Who's Rarity?" He asked.

"My wife," Spike answered with a sigh.

"Your wife? Why is she calling Twilight, and not you?" Flash asked.

"Well, since I'm her second-in-command and her brother, Rarity looks to Twilight to keep me safe, and it looks like she was watching me fight Tirek when you and your guys were recording the wedding," Spike answered. "It's normal for a cop's wife to worry about him, but my sweet Rarity loves me so much that she's terrified if I get so much as a papercut when I'm not back in Canterlot where I just work eight-hour shifts at the station and come straight home afterward."

"Seriously?" Flash asked. "Man, talk about overreacting."

"Yeah, well, just comes to show how much I mean to my wife," Spike said with a shrug. "On that note, I better go calm her down."

Spike walked over to Twilight and held out his hand. The grayish mulberry woman gave him an appreciative look before she gave the phone to him and stood next to Flash, massaging her ear. Spike took a deep breath before he slowly held the phone to his ear and said, "Rarity."

Immediately, the phone became silent. Everyone around Spike sighed in relief, thankful that they could hear their own thoughts again. After a few seconds, Rarity's voice came out of the receiver again, sounding frail and squeaky.

"Spike? Spikey-Poo, is that you?" She asked. "Precious bear, are you alright? Are you in any pain? Please tell me you're not getting an infection from your wound."

"Relax, Rarity. I'm fine," Spike assured. "It’s just a tiny cut. Nothing a bandaid can't handle. Besides, you should see the other guy."

"Oh, I did. I did," Rarity swooned. "I saw the whole thing on the TV. You were leading the squadron while fighting that big ugly brute. Oh, my courageous Spikey-wikey!"

Spike chuckled while his cheeks turned pink before turning to Twilight and giving her a thumbs up. Twilight let out a heavy sigh, glad that her sister-in-law had calmed down before turning to Flash. The two of them stared into each other's eyes until the inspector realized what she was doing and shook her head while her grayish mulberry cheeks turned pink.

"So," she said.

"So," Flash repeated with a smile.

"I, uh, had fun exposing the printing presses with you," Twilight said shyly.

"Me too," Flash said. "Maybe we could do something like that again sometime."

Twilight smirked and said, "I'd like that, but I think I'll be busy hunting down your ex for a little while."

"That's a shame," Flash said. "But hey, if we're ever both back in Canterlot, we could always visit Donut Joe's shop again or maybe grab dinner and catch a movie."

Twilight's smirk turned into a kind smile and moved her hair back from her ear as she said, "I'd like that."

"Then I wait until that opportunity arrives, my lady," Flash said as he took her hand and kissed it.

Twilight covered her mouth with her free hand to hide a giggle while looking away from Flash again. The two of them began staring at each other again until Derpy cleared her throat.

"Uh, Inspector, I hate to ruin the moment, but didn't you plan on capturing Sunset Shimmer right after we won?" She asked.

Twilight gasped loudly and hit her head with her palm, shouting, "Crap! You're right! And I got so focused on nabbing the queen that we don't have any police cars to nab and arrest her!"

"Well, you could borrow one of the TV buses and catch her that way," Flash suggested. "It's not as fast, but it's better than nothing while she's likely still in Everfree."

"Oh, Flash, we can't do that," Twilight said, waving her hands. "We still need to escort our prisoners to Canterlot, and you need to return them back to the TV station, right?"

"Ah, I can just tell them that we need it for a little while longer, and then you can return it the next time you are in Canterlot," Flash said. "Besides, you can keep some of your officers here, and I'll supervise with Micro Chips and Sandalwood until the choppers arrive."

Twilight took a moment before she smiled sweetly at Flash. She walked closer to him and pecked his cheek.

"Thank you," she said.

Flash's cheeks turned pink, and this time he looked away, much to Twilight's amusement. She then turned to Derpy and Spike and said, "Spike, say your goodbye to Rarity. It's time we take down Sunset Shimmer once and for all!"

*********************************************************************************************

Back over at the Lunar property, Sunset and Rough Draft left the ancient city and walked back to the remains of his family castle. Sunset was still resting on Rough Draft's right shoulder while holding his arm with both arms, and her hand clasped with his. The two of them were still feeling dread over the fact that Sunset would have to leave Everfree. As they made it to the front entrance to the Castle of Luna, Rough Draft turned his head to his beloved with a smirk.

"Hey, Sunshine?" He asked.

"Hmmm?" Sunset hummed.

"Did you think there was going to be a trap before Adagio used the rings before you made your theory?" Rough Draft.

Sunset lifted her head to look at him and said, "Kinda."

"Does that mean you lied to her when you said you weren't there to trick her?" Rough Draft asked.

Sunset looked away from him with a hesitant look before she shrugged and said, "I don't think it counts as lying when I didn't know for sure what was going to happen."

"Uh-huh," Rough Draft said, unconvinced.

As they were walking, they saw an old truck driving toward the entrance. The truck stopped a few yards in front of them and was turned off before Applejack opened the car door. No sooner did both of her feet touch the ground than Winona jumped out of the car and raced toward the couple, barking as she ran.

"Winona!" Rough Draft shouted, beaming.

The prince got down on his knees just in time for his dog to jump into his arms. Winona licked Rough Draft aggressively as he pet her.

"Hi, my good girl. How's my good girl?" He said between laughs. "I missed you too, Winona. Yes, I did. Oh, yes, I did, fluffy dog."

Sunset smiled fondly at the reunion while Winona was licking Rough Draft all over his face. Applejack smirked as she walked over to them and said, "Hey there, Your Highness. Glad that you're okay."

"Applejack," Rough Draft greeted, still giggling from Winona's licking. "Long time, no see."

"I'll say," Applejack chuckled. "I'm relieved that you're okay."

The doors on the other side of the truck opened to reveal the Archbishop and his chauffeur coming out. The stout man was in his white and gold inner robe as Sunset walked over to them and bowed her head.

"I am glad that you have completed your quest, my child," the Archbishop said.

"Thanks, Your Holiness," Sunset said. "I trust that Applejack treated you well."

"Oh, yes. She has shown great hospitality," the Archbishop replied. "Though from what we've been watching from the news, it appears your rescue caused several deaths, including the Queen of Everfree."

"I'm afraid it was unavoidable given the circumstances, Your Holiness," Sunset replied. "I did tell you that violence was to be expected for what we had to do."

The Archbishop furrowed his brow and crossed his arms. Sunset scratched the back of her head, avoiding eye contact with the plump man. Luckily, she found a way to change the subject when she saw her slug bug driving toward everyone. The car stopped next to the truck, and Starlight and Tempest got out to run over to the amber woman. Starlight pulled her partner into a bone-crushing hug that made Sunset whimper while Tempest gave her client a respectable nod.

"Oh, I'm so glad that you're okay," Starlight chirped.

"Yes. We were unsure of what happened to you or the prince after you left the chapel," Tempest said.

"Aw, Tempest. How nice of you to care," Sunset said.

Tempest frowned and said, "Don't misunderstand me, Shimmer. I only say that because I do not wish to lose a high-paying client and nothing else."

Sunset scoffed and said, "Whatever you say."

Starlight chuckled until she turned to the ancient city and asked, "So, you wanna tell us what's all that doing where the lake used to be?"

"Well, simply put, ladies, this is the treasure," Sunset replied with a shrug.

Starlight and Tempest looked at her as though she said a terrible joke and the latter said, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Sunset said. "Turns out the Lunar family inherited a lost ancient city and made the rings the only way to reveal it."

"You mean not only did we not get the counterfeit operation, but the treasure is just a bunch of stupid stone buildings?" Starlight asked.

"Hey, don't be like that, Starlight," Sunset said. "This is a valuable treasure. It's just not our kind of treasure. That's all."

"Humph. Next, you'll be telling us you didn't get the prince in the end either," Starlight said, pouting with her arms crossed.

Sunset hesitated and looked around as if everything that wasn't Starlight or Tempest was interesting while scratching the back of her head. It took a moment for Starlight to realize what Sunset was expressing and shouted, "Oh, come on! You didn't even get back together with the prince?! What is with you, Sunset?!"

Sunset sighed and gave her friend a serious look as she answered, "I decided that Applejack was right. It wouldn't be right for us to be together right now with what Everfree will be going through now."

"Mmmm. Seems you made the right choice in that regard," Tempest said calmly. "I'm glad that you took Applejack's and my words to heart."

"Augh! This sucks!" Starlight whined. "After everything we went through, we have no counterfeit scheme, no treasure worth our interest, and you don't even get the dude?! We spent all this time in Everfree for nothing!"

"Aw, come on, Starlight. You know that isn't entirely true," Sunset said. "You got your anti-tank rifle now, dontcha? You love that thing."

Tempest let out a brief chuckle with her mouth closed and said, "You did have a lot of fun last night, Glimmer."

"That's true," Starlight said, looking up at the sky with a blissful look. "But you had a little fun yourself, Tempest."

"You're right. It has been some time since I fought like that. It almost makes it worth having done close to nothing before that," Tempest said before frowning at Sunset. "Still, it seems you didn't gain much either, Shimmer."

"Are you kidding?" Sunset asked. "I got to see my Rough Draft again for the first time in years, we're just as in love with each other as we were before, and I saved him from a horrible fate."

"But you're still not getting back together with him," Starlight said worryingly.

"I know, but we've talked about it, and we like to believe I'll find a way for us to be together someday," Sunset said. "It's a long shot, but I'm willing to try anything to be with Rough Draft again."

"And I'll be waiting for when she succeeds."

Sunset turned her head to see Rough Draft walking over to them with Winona beside him. He wrapped his arm around Sunset and pulled her into a side hug as he looked at Starlight and Tempest. Starlight smirked at the purple prince while Tempest's wooden face disappeared, and she stared at him, captivated.

'So, the pretty boy that Sunset's been going crazy over at last," Starlight said. "How's it going, Your Highness?"

"Just Rough Draft is fine," Rough Draft said. "You don't have to be formal with me when you're friends of my Sunshine."

"Oh yeah, introductions," Sunset said. "Babe, this is my long time partner, Starlight Glimmer."

"What's up?" Starlight greeted.

"And this is Tempest," Sunset said, pointing at Tempest. "She's a samurai from the Badlands who I occasionally commission for weapons, gadgets, and disguises."

Tempest let out an incoherent mutter while staring at the prince. Sunset, Starlight, and Rough Draft looked at her confused before she shook her head and awkwardly said, "Greetings…Rough Draft."

"Uh, greetings," Rough Draft replied before whispering into Sunset's ear, "Is she normally like this?"

"No, she's usually very serious," Sunset whispered back. "I don't know why she's acting like this all of a sudden."

"I see," Rough Draft said.

As they whispered to each other, Applejack, the Archbishop, and his chauffeur walked over to the prince, Winona, and the three criminals. The gamboge woman sighed before she tapped Sunset on the shoulder, and she and Rough Draft turned to face her.

"I hate to interrupt, but I think you three ladies better get going before the police get their backup," she said.

Sunset and Rough Draft instantly felt their hearts ache before turning to each other with crestfallen looks, knowing that Applejack was right. Without a word needed to be said, they smashed their lips together with Sunset's arms around Rough Draft's head and Rough Draft squeezing her. Starlight watched her partner shed a tear as she kissed the love of her life with a sympathetic look while Tempest's eyes were still on Rough Draft. Winona let out a whine, sensing that her master's beloved was going away. When they parted, Sunset and Rough Draft pulled each other closer, resting their heads on each other's shoulders. Sunset could feel more tears running down her face as she ran her fingers through Rough Draft's short hair.

"I love you more than all the riches in the world, Rough Draft," she whispered in his ear. "Don't ever forget that."

"I won't," Rough Draft whispered back, fighting his own tears. "Please don't take too long to come back."

They moved their heads back and stared at each other for a moment before briefly kissing one more time. Sunset then reluctantly let go of Rough Draft and kneeled down to pet Winona. The collie didn't waste any time licking her face as the amber woman pet her.

"Take good care of him, Winona," she said. "Don't let him get into any more trouble while I'm away."

The dog replied with another whine before Sunset picked her up for a hug. Rough Draft watched Sunset and Winona's moment sadly before turning back to Starlight and Tempest.

"Make sure she doesn't get into any more serious trouble either," he said. "I'm counting on you two, Starlight, Tempest."

Starlight smirked and nodded at the prince and said, "No problem." Tempest, on the other hand, kept looking straight at Rough Draft before she looked away and shyly muttered a word.

"Fizzlepop."

All eyes were on the dark orchid woman as though she said random gibberish. Her cheeks turned pink as she felt everyone looking at her. She took a deep breath and turned to face Rough Draft before shyly saying, "Call me Fizzlepop. That's my real name, Your Highness. Fizzlepop Jane Berrytwist at your service."

Sunset stated at Tempest with her mouth hanging open while still on her knees and holding Winona. She turned to Starlight, who was resisting the urge to laugh, and then to Rough Draft, who stared at her confused before replying with a smile.

"Okay then, Fizzlepop," he said. "I'm relying on you two to keep my sunshine safe. Okay?"

"It shall be done," Tempest replied, bowing her head with her cheeks turning redder.

Starlight covered her mouth with both hands while Sunset continued to stare at the samurai dumbfounded until she shook her head to snap out of her confused state before petting Winona one more time and putting her down. She then stood up to look at Rough Draft, whose eyes immediately met hers. In their hearts, they wanted to kiss and hold each other again, not caring if everyone was watching, but they knew that their time was up. All they could do was have one more brief kiss before they finally let go.

"I love you," Rough Draft said as Sunset, Starlight, and Tempest walked to the slug bug.

"I love you more," Sunset replied, giving her prince a sad smile before she got in the car.

Rough Draft smiled back as Starlight turned on the ignition and turned the car around. Sunset stood up from the sunroof, blowing a kiss at Rough Draft as the slug bug drove away. The couple looked at each other as Sunset stayed standing on the sunroof until she could no longer see the prince.

With a downcast look, Sunset got down from the sunroof and sat down on her seat. She reached under her shirt and took out her rose necklace hanging around her neck. The amber woman sighed through her nose as she rubbed the rubies with her thumb, already missing Rough Draft Starlight was glancing at her friend sadly as she was driving while Tempest looked at her from the back seat. Sunset rested her head with her hand and her elbow resting on the car door as the car entered the main road.

"You gonna be alright, boss?" Starlight asked.

Sunset was silent for a moment, still staring at her necklace before she turned to Starlight with a reassuring smile.

"I think so," she said. "After all, Rough Draft is safe, he's going to be the king, and he still loves me. We're going to be apart again, but at least this time I know where he is and that he's waiting for me. That means I can leave Everfree with a lot more hope than I did ten years ago."

"I hear you, boss," Starlight said, smiling before looking up at the rearview mirror to look at Tempest. "On a different subject, what was with the Fizzlepop talk, Tempest?"

"Hey, yeah," Sunset said as she turned the upper half of her body to look at the samurai. "Is that your real name?"

Tempest immediately looked down, her dark orchid cheeks turned pink again, and muttered, "It is."

"And why did you feel the need to tell Rough Draft that?" Sunset asked.

Tempest's blush grew, and she lowered her head more as she bashfully replied, "He is a cute guy."

Sunset looked at her befuddled while Starlight hid her face with the steering wheel, struggling not to snicker.

"Wow, first Sunset and now you," she giggled. "Next thing you know, I'm gonna want to nab myself a boy too."

"Hey! My Rough Draft is a man, not a boy!" Sunset rebuked.

"Pff. Yeah. A 'man' who frequently needed to be rescued," Starlight teased.

"And has the heart of a hottie like me on top of soon becoming a king," Sunset countered.

"Heh. Alright, I'll give you that," Starlight said. "Still, if the queen was willing to kill to possess him and the treasure and even Tempest is acting a little shy around him, perhaps there's a guy out there for me."

Sunset gave her partner a friendly smile and said, "Maybe. We're just gonna have to find out while we plan our next big heist."

"Now you're talking, boss!" Starlight said gleefully. "How about you, Fizzlepop? Wanna find yourself a guy while we -"

Before Sunset or Starlight could blink, there a knife pressed against the purple woman's throat. Starlight stood still like a statue, her hands still on the wheel as she saw Tempest glaring at her through the rearview mirror like a lion preparing to pounce.

"The name is Tempest Shadow to you, Glimmer!" She hissed with her teeth clenched.

"Okay," Starlight squeaked.

Tempest moved the blade away from Starlight's neck and sat back down before she cleared her throat and calmly said, "Anyways, I don't see myself with a man regardless of how attractive some such as the prince may be, but if this trip has taught me anything it's that strange things can happen."

"As someone who was trapped in the catacombs with Twilight and fought an evil queen with a wrench inside a clocktower, I'm inclined to agree," Sunset said.

Starlight hummed and nodded in response with her eyes on the road, but then she glanced at her side-view mirror, and her face fell.

"Uh, speaking of Twilight, you better look at what's behind us, boss," she said.

Sunset looked at her, confused until she looked at her side-view mirror, and her eyes widened at the sight of Spike driving one of the TV buses with Twilight sitting next to him. The inspector stuck her head out of the car window and looked at the slug bug with a triumphant grin as she took out a horn speaker.

"SUNSET SHIMMER, THE TRUCE IS OVER!!!" She called out through the device. "ON BEHALF OF CANTERLOT AND ITS ALLIES I AM PLACING YOU AND YOUR ASSOCIATES UNDER ARREST!!! SURRENDER QUIETLY, OR WE WILL USE FORCE!!!"

"Seriously? She's so persistent that she's chasing us with a bus?" Sunset asked.

"Well, it's like Tempest said, boss. Strange things can happen," Starlight said. "So, how do you want to lose them this time?"

Sunset scratched her chin in thought before she opened the glove compartment and found Starlight's magnum and a bag of smoke and flash bombs. She picked up one of the smoke bombs and stared at it with a mischievous grin.

"Let me answer that question with another question, Starlight: who wants to crash a bus?" She asked.

Starlight and Tempest gave her sinister grins, already having a brilliant idea of what she's thinking. Sunset handed Starlight her magnum while Tempest prepared to jump out from the rooftop and draw out her sword. After Sunset grabbed a handful of smoke bombs, she held her rose necklace up and kissed it.

"Don't worry, baby," she said quietly. "I'm coming back someday."