“Are you positive you want to go through with this?”

The judge slid a document across her desk, looking between the two mares standing before her.

“I am,” Pristine Melody nodded somberly and promptly added her signature to the document before slipping off her wedding ring. She held her head high, clearly sure of herself in what she was doing.

Turquoise Edge, meanwhile, had a million thoughts running through her head. What happened to them? Where had their relationship gone wrong? What would happen to them now, especially to the kids? When did they stop loving each other? She got so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn’t notice the judge waving for her attention.

“Ms. Edge?”

“Oh! Yes,” Turquoise snapped out of her thoughts and took the pen in her mouth, slipping off her own ring and reluctantly scrawling her name under that of her now-ex-wife.

There was no turning back now.

Mel turned to Turquoise and took a deep, dignified breath, holding out a hoof for a shake. “Goodbye, Turquoise Edge.”

“Goodbye, M…Pristine Melody.” Turquoise took the earth pony’s hoof into her own, more firmly than intended, and shook it. What she really wanted was to pull her into a hug and apologize for everything she’d done and said. But when Pristine Melody let go, it was too late.

And without even looking back, she was gone.