//------------------------------// // Chapter 39: Kindling a Flame // Story: The Quiet Place // by Aynine //------------------------------// The Quiet Place By: Aynine [Disclaimer: I own nothing of the MLP franchise and all rights are reserved by Hasbro and the respective parties involved.] Chapter 39: Kindling a Flame         “My sister is dead!” Derpy seethed, raising her sword. “I don’t know who you are, but you are committing treason.”         “Dead? Well, I…” The pegasus cut herself off. “Don’t you recognize your own sister? Here…” The pegasus removed her body suit, revealing a sandy colored coat and grey mane with multiple shades. A compass rose cutie mark appeared as she stepped to the side. “I can’t believe it’s really you, Ditz!”         “Stop calling me that! I don’t have a sister.”         Clapping interrupted the two mares as Luna stepped forward and removed her hoods and makeshift mask. Her mane flowed weakly while sweat framed her face. “Well, well, well. I must admit, even I didn’t think you were alive, Daring Do,” she chimed with a hoarse voice.         “L-Luna!” blurted Derpy. “She has to be an impostor.” When the princess did not meet her eyes, she added, “Right?”         “Doesn’t that just beat all? Well, then.” Daring dipped into a bow. “Paladin Daring Do, at your service.” She winked and grinned. “The one and only.”         “Paladin? What’s going on? There can only be one paladin.”         Daring raised an eyebrow. “Yeah… That’s me.”         Derpy raised her sword again, but Luna stepped in front of her. “Stop. This is not a fight you could ever win.”         Lowering her sword, the grey pegasus shook her head. “What are you talking about? I’m the current paladin. There’s no way she’s stronger than me.”         “Wait, what!” Daring glowered at Luna. “What. Did. You. Do, Luna!?”         “You should no longer bear your knightly powers, Daring Do. Those should be forfeited when you deserted the Celestial Knights and Equestria. However…” Luna’s focus shifted to Derpy’s damaged armor. She levitated the helmet to her and inspected it. The dull plate was not cut, but melted along the slash. “You seem to retain control of some kind of power. Any closer and you would’ve slain your little sister.”         Daring bared her teeth. “I’d never hurt a hair on Ditz’s head and you know it. Explain to me why my sister is with you.” She snatched up her first sword and held it horizontally in front of her. “And you better hope I like your answer.”         Annoyance painted the princess’s features as she animated her words with her hooves. “Still bitter about the past are we? I thought you would have come to your senses by now, but seeing as how you have isolated yourself out here tells me that you have not.” The princess wiped her face on one of the cloaks. “Meet your successor, so to speak. This is Paladin Derpy Hooves.”         Fire ignited in Daring’s eyes, and she surged at Luna with both swords in her hooves. Both blades gleamed in the sunlight before clanging down on Glance Reviver. Derpy had managed to place herself between the two, but her lack of strength left her with one of the swords cutting into her shoulder.         “I won’t… let you… hurt her…” Derpy growled. Her strength faded away, but Daring pulled back, rage contorting her face as she glared at Luna.         “Enough!” a voice boomed from behind Daring. She sheathed her blades and put on her body suit and cloak.         “This isn’t over, Luna,” the sandy pegasus spat.         Hobbling out, a robed pony came to a stop just before Derpy. “Well, well, well. I find it no surprise that the paladin survived,” a stallion said as he pulled back his hood. Luna smiled as he looked at her. “Princess Luna, as I suspected.”         “Chancellor Leo. It is a relief to find you well in these severe times.”         Leo waved a hoof in the air. “There’s no need for formalities here. I’m glad you’re alright. I suspected you might find me, though your presence is… strange.”         Luna looked past to him and met Daring’s scowl. “I loathe to admit it, but encountering Paladin Daring Do here could not have been a greater fortune. I did not expect her to live, however. You have much to answer for.”         Leo cocked his head, a glumness tugging at his lips. “When Celestia learned of her being alive she asked me to maintain secrecy. Her worries seem to have paid off.”         “Now I understand the rumor of another celestial knight that I did not know. It wasn’t just a knight… it was the former paladin. Your daughter will not like this.”         Leo sighed. “That is a matter for another time. She has never taken the decision to be passed over… lightly, especially when it occurred twice.”         “Princess?” Derpy asked, one hoof clutched to the wound on her shoulder, “Was Daring—Is she really the former paladin?”         Luna grimaced. “You will need to speak directly with her if you wish to know more about it, but yes. You, Paladin Derpy Hooves, succeeded Paladin Daring Do.”         “How is she a paladin? I thought there could be only one active at a time.”         Luna sighed. “That’s just it, Derpy. There is only supposed to be one—the one attuned to me. Daring Do and I had very limited interaction, and I was not the one that trained her. I know not her power, but she appears to be attuned to Celestia. All this time, both of you were paladins and I was never made aware. Perhaps this was Celestia’s intention.” She heaved and sat down.         Leo knelt by her side. “Are you alright, Your Majesty?”         “The heat… We have been out of water for some time. I am at my limit.” She glanced at Derpy, the knight’s mane matted to her face and her eyes reddened. “I know you are far beyond yours.”         The grey mare nodded. “But I have to… I have to know more!” After a moment, she attempted to sit down, but collapsed into the sand. “I have… to know…” she muttered before succumbing to the heat.         Leo turned to Daring and held a foreleg up. The pegasus crossed her forelegs in front of her chest and frowned, shaking her head. Leo gave her a stern look, cocking his head slightly to the side. After a moment of staring each other down, Daring rolled her eyes, threw her hooves into the air, and walked away.         Luna took in a deep breath as the air in the desert grew cool, but she did not have long to enjoy it before she could feel her consciousness slip away. ***         Derpy’s body ached as she lay in darkness, the wound on her shoulder throbbing. Voices and music could be faintly heard above and away, muffled by walls, but she struggled to open her eyes or pinpoint where it was coming from. Outside of the room she could hear two ponies having a heated discussion.         She recognized Daring’s voice first. “This is bullshit, and you know it.”         “I am not giving you a choice, Daring. You know what must happen next.” It took her a moment longer to realize it was Chancellor Leo’s voice.         There was a pound against the wall. “I will never work with her. I do not serve under her. I never did, and I never will. My allegiance is only to Princess Celestia.”         “And Princess Celestia is not here. Are you suggesting that you won’t obey your own royalty in wartime—even if it’s not the one you favor?”         Another pound. “Are you questioning my loyalty to Equestria as Paladin?”         Leo coughed. “A paladin. I’m questioning your ability to put your duty above your petty beliefs.”         “Petty,” Daring screeched, silencing the music and voices in the other room. “Petty! How can you stand there and tell me that it’s petty!?”         “I have long forgiven Princess Luna, and I was the victim. She made the right decision. Why, after all this time, can’t you?”         Daring loosed a cry of frustration. “Whatever. I don’t trust her, so I’m not working with her. You figure it out.”         The door to the room opened and Derpy could hear Daring slam it abruptly behind her. For a moment, the other pegasus leaned against it and brooded, her angry breathing audible in the silent room. The music and bustle in the other room picked up again, and Daring moved over to Derpy, sitting down beside her.         “I never should’ve left you. I promised mom and dad I would protect you, but… Now look at this mess. You’re a paladin… Luna’s paladin. Why didn’t Celestia prevent this?” There was a lull of silence and Derpy could feel a cold, wet cloth placed upon her head, and Daring snorted. “As if I could ever blame you for being amazing. My little sister… the next paladin. I’m proud of you, Ditzy, and I bet mom would be, too. I wonder what your power is…”         A knock at the door prompted the older sister to rise up and leave without another word. Derpy slowly opened her eyes and sat up to find herself in a bedroom of sorts with her wound well dressed. She was lying on several pillows in the center of the room, though a bed was pushed into one of the corners. A dresser stood beside it, running partway along the wall. She stood up and winced, pain reminding her of the injury she incurred. She moved to the dresser finding several pictures framed on it. She gasped as she recognized them.         On the far end contained a picture of a unicorn and a pegasus side-by-side. Mom and dad? Derpy wondered as she gazed at it. She had been young when they had passed and struggled to remember them. Upon closer inspection, she could see an archmage’s robes on their father, the unicorn, while the pegasus wore customized plate armor with a sword and shield on their back. Mom was a celestial knight, and dad was an archmage?         A picture in the center showed Daring grinning beside Celestia, the princess draping a foreleg over her and pulling her close. It was an odd one, as the sun princess wore no regalia, and Daring wore only a pale green vest and a pith helmet. When did she become a celestial knight?         The picture closest to the bed was of Derpy when she was a filly, riding on her sister’s back. For a moment, the paladin stared at it and felt her chest tighten, tears welling in her eyes. She rubbed the tears away and set the picture face down before moving to the door. I have to find Princess Luna. As she pushed it open she nearly fell through as Leo pulled it from the other side.        She loosed a squeal before regaining her balance.         “Ah, awake at last, Paladin Hooves?”         “Where is—“         “Her Majesty is resting in another room. It seems the trip through the desert was a greater toll than she was willing to admit.” Derpy blinked when he held a large cup out to her. “However, you nearly died of a heat stroke. Drink.”         Reluctantly, Derpy did as she was told, slurping up the entire cup and smacking her lips. “Now… where’s Princess Luna?”         “She is fine,” Leo replied softly, taking the cup back. “Why don’t you speak to your sister? I know that it has been… some time since you last saw each other.” Leo turned and walked away.         “I don’t trust her. I want to talk to Luna.” Leo ignored her and rounded a corner, out of sight. Sighing, the paladin trotted after, following him through the narrow halls and up a staircase into a bustling lobby of sorts. Ponies had gathered around a table and were shouting and hollering. Derpy watched Leo move to a counter and speak to another pony, but she found herself drawn to the crowd and stepped over to investigate.         She ignored their chants and hollers, weaseling her way to the table itself to get a view. Arriving, she found Daring and a large stallion sitting opposite one another, hoof wrestling. Despite the struggling stallion, Daring maintained confidence while slowly lowering his hoof to the table, but the sandy pegasus caught a glimpse of her. Startled, she slammed the stallion’s hoof to the table, eliciting more cheering from the crowd. The losing stallion tossed several bits on the table.         “Heya, Ditzy. Feeling better?” she chirped.         “Where is Princess Luna?”         The cheering of the crowd eased up at the name, and Daring’s joy flatlined. “Princess Luna is fine. She’s resting right now.”         “Take me to her,” Derpy ordered, placing her hooves on the table and leaning forward.         Daring leaned back in her chair and propped her hind legs on the table. “You’re welcome, you know,” she said before switching her voice and mimicking the princess. “’Why thank you, Daring Do, for saving us from the harsh desert. It’s not like we almost died or anything.’”         “Where is she!?”         The room went silent and the crowd stepped back. Daring sat up and peered around. “Ugh, how can you be so loyal to her?” Derpy slammed a hoof on the table and Daring stood up and met her scowl with her own.         “She was there when you weren’t.”         A few boos came from the crowd and Daring stuck her tongue out in their direction. “It was a complicated situation, Ditz. I had my reasons.”         “Stop calling me that!”         “Then what do you want me to call you?” Daring folded her forelegs across her chest. “Luna took the idea of your sister away. Did she take away your name, too?”         Derpy’s face contorted in anger. “I am Celestial Knight and Paladin Derpy Hooves.”         “What was your title before becoming the Paladin?”         “That doesn’t matter.”         Daring rolled her eyes. “Must’ve been something pretty badass.” She huffed and placed one hoof on the table and extended the other. “Look, Princess Luna and I have an issue to work out, but I shouldn’t hold that against you. I’m sorry.”         “Where is she?” Derpy echoed.         The sandy pegasus motioned to follow and led her back downstairs, to a room down the hall from the one Derpy awoke in. She pushed open the door to reveal the princess lying on her back on a cot, snoring loudly. A tendril of drool ran down the side of her mouth as a ruffled blanket lay only over her belly. “Satisfied? I wasn’t letting her sleep in my room while she operated that chainsaw,” she said while folding one ear down. Derpy nodded and Daring closed the door.         “What’s your problem with Princess Luna?”         Daring brushed past her, but a foreleg was placed in front of her face, prompting her to face her younger sister. “It has nothing to do with you.”         “I heard you and Leo arguing about it.”         Daring rolled her eyes once more. “It’s none of your business, Ditz.”         “Answer me,” Derpy ground out.         “Just drop it, Ditz!”         “Stop calling me that!” Derpy pinned Daring against the wall, and peered into her eyes. “If you’re a threat to the princess, I will not hesitate to deal with you,” she whispered.         “Are you freaking kidding me with this!? She’s in there right now, perfectly fine. Just like you saw.”         Derpy punched the wall on one side of Daring. “You tried to kill us.”         Daring didn’t flinch and stared her sister down. “If I wanted to kill you, you would’ve died when I cut through your armor. I would never hurt you, Ditzy, and I would never kill Princess Luna. I can pull my punches when I need to. I want to cut her or punch her face in, but I’m not going to take her life. Now, get out of my way.”         “Not until you answer me why you hold a grudge against Princess Luna.”         Daring rolled her eyes again and shook her head. She wrapped a wrist over Derpy’s and pulled the hoof back. “The answer is no.” Her sister blocked her again. “Oh, for crying out loud, Ditzy. Stay out of it.”         “Then I’ll make you tell me.”         Daring stared at her for a long while before shrugging. “This isn’t how I planned the family reunion, you know. My first time seeing my little sister in years and we’re already fighting.” She crossed her forelegs over her chest. “Go get Glance Reviver and meet me outside. The desert isn’t as hot as it was. If you can beat me in a duel, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” With that, Derpy relented and Daring took flight in the narrow halls, maneuvering with relative ease. She flew around a corner and out of sight.         Derpy returned to Daring’s room and found her belongings and sword right beside where she awoke. Drawing the blade, she swung it several times, her eyes widening. How did she know the name of my sword? She eyed the weapon mournfully; what was once a beautifully finished blade was now dulling, chipped, and jagged, with nicks in the crossguard and a piece of the tip missing. Sliding it back into the sheath, she picked up her helmet and examined the cut Daring made. Friction? she wondered, examining the melted metal along the cut. She set it down and headed out. When she reached the pub where she found her sister, Leo greeted her with another mug of water.         “Stay hydrated, young paladin. You and Her Majesty were delirious when we brought you here, murmuring in your sleep. I’m surprised you’re awake so soon.”         Derpy drank it quickly in large gulps, smacking her lips. “Thanks, but I recover quickly.”         The chancellor’s eyes narrowed on her. “I know of your capability more than most. You are far from your peak condition. Do be careful against your sister.”         “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll finish it in a flash.”         Leo took the mug back and smiled. “I think I’ll sit this one out.”         Derpy looked at him incredulously for a moment before she moved to another flight of stairs leading up. The paladin trotted up the steps, pushing open doors to the outside. Sunlight hit her eyes, and she mentally braced herself for the overwhelming heat as her hooves touched onto sand covered stone. However, after a moment, nothing came but a cool breeze gently brushing through her mane and fur. What the—? This can’t be the same desert Luna and I just crossed. She took a deep breath and stretched, flexing and warming up her muscles for the duel ahead. After a moment, she moved into the oasis town, seeing many ponies in varying amounts of clothing, from robes to simple vests.         Lining the streets were vendors selling all sorts of goods and wares from food to pottery to jewelry. Canopies for shade had been constructed all along the marketplace areas, and ponies hustled about. Trees rose up from the ground and grass could be seen in unblemished patches in some areas. How could anything grow here when it gets so hot? she wondered as her eyes took in the remarkably lush scenery.         “Hey, Ditzy. Over here!”         Derpy turned to see Daring waving at her from beside a fountain. The sand colored mare was lightly clad donning only hooflets that extended over her wrists and sabatons. Daring stretched and twisted, revealing two baldrics crossing her back. One was a newer, simple design with two steel brackets holding it together and a plain hilt and crossguard at its end. The other was far more ornate in nature, with a worn intricate gold carving Derpy couldn’t quite make out from the distance reaching up and down its entirety. The sheathe was upside down, sitting parallel with the other, and the hilt and crossguard were worn as well, with a round pommel holding an engraved crest. Daring faced her again and cleared her throat.         “We can do this here,” she said.         Derpy looked around and raised a brow. “Other ponies could get hurt,” she replied. “We should do this outside of town.”         Daring shrugged. “There’s no need.” She drew her plain sword from the upper-oriented sheath and flew around in a wide circle around them. Other ponies took notice and started to gather. “Everything stays inside this line. If you’re a paladin, then you should be able to manage that.”         “Fine.” Derpy drew Glance Reviver and held it aloft. For a moment, she yearned to have her tower shield with her, feeling awkward fighting with only a single blade and no other armaments, but she slowly placed her other hoof on it.         “I’m all warmed up, so ready when you are, Ditz. Give me your best shot!”         Derpy charged forward, a scowl darkening her features. “I told you to stop calling me that!” Their blades clanged together as Daring effortlessly deflected every blow with one hoof on her sword.         “Come on. Are you even trying?”         The taunt incited the paladin to try harder, and she increased her speed.         “Now that’s more like it, but you’re still too… slow!” Daring parried a thrust and spun inward, uppercutting her sister in the jaw and causing her to stagger backwards. “I know you’re holding back. As long as you stay inside the circle you don’t have to.”         Derpy rubbed her jaw and took a deep breath through her nose. “Don’t say I never warned you.” In a flash of steel and light, the paladin closed the gap. Daring gasped, but managed to block the blow. A flurry of slashes came her way, and she switched to evading and countering. In another flash, Derpy brought down a swift follow up, bringing Glance Reviver down in an opening. A dull clang came as Daring knocked the attack away with the hilt of her sword and stepped back, panting. “Even I have to admit you’re pretty good,” she said, inspecting the fresh crevice in the bottom of her hilt. The paladin had nearly cut through. “But it’s still not enough.” “I’m not finished, yet!” Derpy surged forward, her wings beating, as she began another assault. Ponies gathered around to watch the sisters spar, making sure to keep back from the mini arena.         “Look! Daring Do is fighting another mare, and she can even keep up with her!” a pony shouted, but it fell away to the ringing of their blades.         “Why… won’t… you… tell… me…” Derpy ground out between attacks.         “Because it doesn’t matter. Why are you even a celestial knight, let alone the Paladin?” she rebuked.         Derpy loosed a battle cry and thrust forward. Daring twisted her body and returned with her own, only to stop it short from impaling her sister. “You should understand, since you were the last paladin.”         They stared each other down for a moment, but Daring finally sighed and stepped back. “No, Ditz. I don’t. You were never supposed to be a celestial knight. Ever.”         “What’s that supposed to mean, huh?”         “It’s done. Whatever. If you can’t beat me, I’m not giving you any answers.”         Derpy swung at Daring again, only for it to be blocked, but she suddenly blurred and left an afterimage. The elder sister’s eyes widened and she pulled back, glimpsing a finishing strike from overhead. She crouched low and drew her second sword. Roaring, she rose up and swung, her body moving in an arcing motion with the swing. Her second sword struck at the center of Glance Reviver to drive the attack back, but the blessed sword was sliced through, and Daring stopped short of hitting her sister once more.         Derpy watched in horror as the top half of her blade fell to the ground with a sad clatter. She dropped to the ground and snatched it up. “H-How?” she muttered.         “Sorry, Ditz,” Daring replied as she sheathed her second sword. “I tried to keep you away from this life, but I failed.” She turned and started to walk away.         “Why?” Derpy asked as she stood up, gloom taking hold of her voice. “Why did you leave? How could you leave me after…” Daring stopped and hung her head. “I didn’t know mom was a knight and dad was an archmage. But why did you leave me after they died? I was all alone.”         Daring turned to face her younger sister, a solemnness taking hold of her features. The golden eyes of the paladin had filled with tears, and for a moment she hesitated to answer. “To give you a better life. It was the only way I could think of to keep you out of this.”         Derpy’s body quivered, her voice unsteady. “Mom and dad served Equestria. What is so bad about following in their steps, huh?”         Daring hung her head again. “What’s so good about it? I’ve slain dragons, monsters, and animals. I’ve traveled all across Equestria and beyond. And you know what I have to show for it?” She removed her vest and slowly parted her fur along numerous scars across her body. “I made a contract. I would be a celestial knight in exchange for you having your life setup and tucked safely away from the Equestrian military. Celestia would make sure you were taken care of and always keep an eye on you. To see you now, as a paladin… I don’t know what to think.”         “Celestia felt that, after your death, that part of your contract was rendered null, Paladin Do.”         “That’s bullshit!” Daring spat as Luna stepped up behind Derpy. “I put in my time. Celestia would have never agreed to my sister becoming a knight. I made sure Leo would make it back!”         “The decision to recruit your sister was not made by I alone. You and I both know that is not how celestial knights are chosen.”         Daring bared her teeth as she spoke. “You have nothing to do with me. I never served under you and I never will. My loyalty is only to Celestia. At least we know she didn’t usurp the throne and try to bring the world into eternal darkness twice in a thousand years.”         Luna frowned. “You have been away for far too long. The search for Nightmare Moon carries on after the fall of Canterlot.”         “What are you talking about?”         “It’s true,” Derpy chimed in. “Luna never became Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon was created by Aurelius to take control of her mind.”         “I’ll believe that when I see it,” Daring said. “I don’t trust her.”         Derpy sheathed her broken sword and picked up the piece of cut blade. “I trust her with everything. It’s you I can’t trust.”         “Yeah, well, I’m not the one that kept secrets from you all these years. She knew I was alive. She knew who our parents were. She was aware of my agreement with Celestia.”         Luna took a deep breath and relaxed. “Our time knowing each other was very short, Paladin Do. I may not have been the one to bind you, but dictating your actions was well within my dominion in the absence of my sister that night.”         “No,” Daring replied. “If it wasn’t for me, Leo would be dead. If it wasn’t for you, he wouldn’t be what he is now.”         Luna remained silent as Derpy glanced between the two mares. She loosed a cry of frustration. “You’re going to have to trust Princess Luna if we’re going to take back Canterlot.” Silence formed between the two mares. “We have to retake Canterlot and dethrone Aurelius. The only way we can do that is if we work together and find Twilight Sparkle, Nightmare Moon, Trixie Lulamoon, and Princess Celestia. We have to get back the other celestial knights.”         “Psh. Nightmare Moon. I don’t know who the other two are, but we don’t need Luna. Leo’s resistance and I can take care of it. Stay out of the war, Derpy. Glance Reviver is broke and you can’t fight anymore.”         She grimaced at the blade shard in her hooves. “I-I can still fight.”         “You two fighting alongside one another would be great for us,” added Luna.         “There is only supposed to be one paladin. It would be better if we had Colgate.”         “Knight Minuette would never work with you given our… history,” the princess said, letting the last word roll off of her tongue with distaste.         “No, but Leo can make her come around. Where is Berry Punch?”         Luna and Derpy exchanged glances. “You will need to be debriefed of the situation of Equestria,” said the former.         “Look, I’ve got my own problems without you showing up! Maybe I should just stay here and let you deal with your own,” growled Daring.         “H-How can y-you say that?” sputtered Derpy as she stood up. The elder sister immediately regretted her words as she could see the pain in her eyes again. “Mom and dad died for Equestria. You are a paladin! And now,” she said, her voice straining as she held up the blade shard with one hoof and braced her shoulder with the other, “You’ve even tried to take that away from me! I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, to believe you would help us.”         “Aw man, Ditz. I didn’t mean to—“         “But I guess I was wrong! You’re just selfish! Maybe you should just stay here!” Before Daring could go on, Derpy threw the shard on the ground and blasted off into the air at high speed. “Ditzy, wait!” It was too late. The grey pegasus bolted away as fast as she could fly. “Damn it!” She glanced at Luna, her eyes full of anger, but it washed away after a moment.         Luna sighed and took a soft tone. “Hate me as much as you feel you should, but your sister does not deserve that. She is proud of what she has done and where she is. She cares about everything and everyone. Perhaps a reunion between you two was the worst scenario.”         Daring stared at the ground. “Why… did you and Celestia never tell her about our parents? I know I asked you not to tell her about me being a celestial knight, but even after I was gone for so long…”         “You…” Luna hesitated to go on, but when Daring looked at her, she turned her head away and continued. “We didn’t know how she would react to learning her entire family had served before her and perished. When Leo returned, he said you died following the incident, and that your body had been destroyed.”         “But… Celestia. She had to have known all along.”         “How?” Luna asked, shooting her a puzzled look.         Daring grimaced as she planted a hoof on her face. “Every celestial knight has a power, a form of magic in a way, when they become celestial knights. Do you know what my power is, Luna?”         “I believe I have observed some of it during your fight with Paladin Hooves. Is there something that I should know?”         Daring swiftly shook her head. “Nevermind it. I’m going after Ditzy. I… I have to fix this. Tell Leo where I went. You and I will finish this conversation later.” With that, she leaped into the air and flew off after her sister.