//------------------------------// // Five // Story: Repercussions // by shallow15 //------------------------------// “Both of them?” Fluttershy asked. She and Twilight were having lunch in the food court, Fluttershy having managed to take her lunch break early. “That doesn't make sense, though... does it?” Twilight sighed and did something she hated to do: she shrugged. “I honestly don't know. There's several possibilities. One: the detector wasn't calibrated correctly and got confused somehow as to which one was emanating the magic. Two: one of them is who we're looking for, but the magic was so strong, some of it rubbed off on the other one, giving a false positive. Three: The modifications I made to the detector, plus the repairs I had to make, just completely futzed the whole thing up and it's not working. Four is the obvious: both of them do have magic. But if that's the case, it means we have to ask ourselves some very hard questions.” “Which one of them attacked Sunset, and are they working together?” Fluttershy finished. She shuddered. “I hope they're not working together.” “Me too,” said Twilight. “We barely managed to keep one of them from completely destroying the mall the other day.” “One of who, darlings?” Twilight and Fluttershy looked up to see Rarity standing at the table. She was dressed in her uniform for her job at the nearby boutique. “Oh, hi, Rarity!” Fluttershy said. Rarity pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. “Twilight saw Firecracker and Moondancer earlier. She got some interesting readings on her magic detector.” “Really?” Rarity leaned forward, eyes shining in anticipation. “Well, don't keep me in suspense, darling. Spill!” Twilight related her discovery and the theories she and Fluttershy had put forth as possible explanations. Rarity expression turned thoughtful as she finished. “Well, obviously, something untoward is happening with both of them. As much as I hate to say it, I don't think science is going to be of any more help here.” Twilight gasped and looked scandalized. Rarity quickly smiled. “Not to say that it hasn't been helpful so far, Twilight. But I think we may have to try another tack. If they've both been exposed to the magic, we're probably going to have to go back to old fashioned detective work.” Twilight sighed. “I think you're right. We need to find her soon. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I keep feeling like something is going to happen soon, and if we don't find her, it's going to be disastrous.” “I've been feeling the same way, ever since we tried to bring Sunset back,” said Fluttershy. “It's like when you know a big storm is coming and there's something in the air beforehand.” “That's another thing,” Twilight added. “Do we really want to wait until Monday to try again?” “Believe me, I would love nothing more than to try to get her back sooner.” Rarity leaned back in her chair. “But with all our work schedules this weekend, we won't all be available to go to the hospital until then.” “I'm just worried that she'll try to hurt Sunset while we're all occupied.” Fluttershy put a hand on Twilight's arm. “She won't be alone. I'm going over there tonight after I get off work. And weren't you, Applejack, and Rainbow going to see Sunset after you talk to Gardenia Glow?” “Yes,” Twilight answered. “And Pinkie's over there right now. But what about tonight when visiting hours are over?” “We'll just have to trust security and the hospital staff to do their jobs.” Rarity pulled out her phone. “Heavens, look at the time. I need to grab a quick bite before I head in.” Fluttershy also checked her phone. “And my break's over. I need to get back to the store.” All three girls stood up. Fluttershy came over and hugged Twilight. “You did great, Twilight. Don't let it get you down.” “Indeed,” Rarity agreed. “If nothing else, I think you've confirmed that our culprit is definitely one of those two. You've done well, darling. Don't think otherwise.” “Thanks, girls,” Twilight blushed. “It helps.” Fluttershy hugged Twilight again, then made her goodbyes and headed back to the pet store. When she was gone, Rarity reached into her purse and pulled out a couple of bills. “Well, I think this calls for a smoothie. Care to join me, darling? My treat!” Twilight nodded. “Sounds good. But then I need to get back home. Rainbow and Applejack will be picking me up at three.” The two began walking toward the smoothie stand, unaware that they were being watched. Fluttershy was feeding the fish when the electronic chime went off, indicating a customer had entered the store. “I'll be right there!” She climbed down from the stepladder and walked up to the front of the store. As she cleared the aisle she stopped short and stared. Moondancer saw her and smiled. “Hi, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy stifled the “eep” that came to her throat and returned the smile. “Hello, Moondancer. Does Celano need more seed already?” “No, she's not done with the last bag yet. I think she's stealing the dog food, honestly.” Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle. Moondancer had bought her pet cockatiel from the store last year. When Celano had been living in the store, she had a habit of swiping food and toys from the other pets. Fluttershy couldn't count how many opening shifts had started by cleaning all of Celano's ill gotten gains out of her cage. “Sounds like she hasn't quite broken her bad habits yet,” she said. “So what can I do for you?” Moondancer looked down at her feet for a moment before looking back up. “So, I was talking to Rarity the other day. I guess you know I've been one of the people sending Sunset Shimmer those emails.” “Yeah,” Fluttershy looked uncomfortable. Moondancer mirrored her expression. “Yeah. Anyway, after Rarity showed me I wasn't the only one doing that, I felt terrible. I think I need to do something to make up for it. So, I was thinking maybe something for her pet? Does she even have a pet?” Fluttershy hesitated for a moment. Moondancer's face fell. “Oh,” she said. “I get it. I don't blame you. I'll go now. Thanks anyway.” Moondancer turned and began to walk out of the store, dejection evident in her posture. Fluttershy bit her lip, conflicted, then held out a hand. “Wait!” Moondancer turned back and looked up. Fluttershy came over and took her arm. “She has a leopard gecko. His name is Ray. I've been taking care of him while she's been in the hospital.” Moondancer nodded. “I don't know much about lizards. Is there anything in particular she needs for him?” Fluttershy considered. “Well, she did mention that she could use a new heat lamp for him. She's been using a cheap one she got from the thrift store. It's all right, but I do kind of worry it'll short out on her.” “Do you carry them?” Moondancer asked, hope in her voice. Fluttershy smiled. She began leading Moondancer down the aisle where the reptile supplies were kept. “Now, I don't know what your budget is, but Ray's pretty small and so is Sunset's apartment...”