Convocation by Need
...It's been a week already.
Sunset Shimmer glazed her eyes on the watch hanging by the wall as its hands ticked ever so slowly, following the dull, rhythmic beat of the unstoppable flow of time.
She caught herself dozing off inside her own head again, a quick shake of her head took her thoughts away like she woke up from a daydream. Pulling herself up from the chair she was sitting in, she threw a smile towards none other than Rarity, who was sitting by her side at the café they were in, cheerfully distracted with the final bite of a particularly interesting-looking parfait.
"Well, Rarity? It's getting late, I think that it's time for me to go, now."
"Oh?" Rarity wondered as she also looked at the clock, gasping in surprise at the time, swallowing the final bit of her dessert in the process. "Oh my, is it really this late? Oh, I am sorry, darling, for keeping you for this long!"
"It's fine! It's fine, really," she confirmed as both girls stood up and walked up to the counter, trying not to giggle at Rarity's clumsy attempt at picking up her groceries and walking at the same time. "I wanted to come, anyway. Though I gotta say, I wasn't expecting you to buy so much purple fabric. Isn't all this heavy?"
"Why, purple is the color of nobility, I'll have you know! This marvelous midnight fuchsia shade is exactly what I needed for my inspiration! I'm positively bursting with ideas, weight is just a minor setback!"
"If only Rainbow Dash agreed to come, you wouldn't have to drag all of that back home instead of just carrying it."
The young fashionista shook her head slowly as they finally reached the counter, paying the cashier enough money so that they could legally leave the establishment.
"I had you to help me carry them this far. I think I can manage a few extra blocks on my own. What about you, Sunset? Going straight home?"
"Yeah," she nodded as they finally left the café, the cold wind of the evening striking them both like a rather unpleasant breath. "I don't really have anything to do right now, too. I might as well, then."
"Oh, how I envy you!" Rarity chuckled as she rose enough of the packages she was carrying to fit the straps through her head, having them hang by her side as she made extra effort to carry the rest without rolling sideways. "I cannot thank you enough for your company, though. I'll make it up to you, I promise!"
"I'll hold you to that," Sunset also chuckled, finally waving goodbye to her friend, watching her clumsily stumbling up her side of the street, trying her best to still look as elegant as possible.
And with that, she brought herself to walk the opposite direction, still silently laughing under her breath at Rarity, whom she could still hear complaining about how, in hindsight, she should have probably bought a bit less than she did.
It had been a week already. Seven whole days after Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, walked through that portal on her way back to their homeland of Equestria, after assisting in the defeat of the three Sirens that threatened the whole school. Perhaps considering only the school was too small of a spectrum, considering what those three girls could do. If they had left them alone, who knows what damage they would do? Maybe they'd threaten the country? The world, possibly? Was that their goal, ultimately?
She couldn't answer her own questions, so she found comfort in trying not to. It was already done, anyway. Her friends went back to their usual daily lives, their band getting along even better than they were before. Twilight wasn't there anymore, and life goes on.
Their band. Sunset's, also.
She couldn't help but smile at that. It was silly of her to think this way, but she couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, she was somewhat forgiven for what she's done. Being rewarded with actual friends without feeling like she's an outcast, even among them. Spreading joy through and with them in everyday life, she found it was very easy to keep on smiling with each passing day. It was something she was slowly getting accustomed to. Smiling, laughing, spending relatively happy and joyful days... things she squandered and denied when living under the wing of Princess Celestia. Opportunities wasted... a life thrown away.
Sunset shook her head, once again. I need to stop thinking like this, she scolded herself as the cold wind got slightly sharper, making the young girl brace herself a little. The night was unusually cold, something she still wasn't used to in the human world. The weather being relatively unpredictable, and working on its own accord... Humans are crazy. I still can't believe they let that happen here.
Completely encased inside her own head, Sunset Shimmer slowly walked her way down the street towards her home. It was a very shabby street, nothing fancy or extraordinary in it except for a couple miscellaneous stores in the way. The most fascinating part of this street was the fact that it always seemed to have some manner of movement in it; usually there would be a car or two passing by even at the latest hours of the night. There would always be a couple people still strolling down towards somewhere, probably a place more exciting than this particular street, but still happened every time.
Which was exactly why Sunset Shimmer felt extremely uncomfortable, and stopped in her tracks as if she didn't believe this.
There was no movement whatsoever. No cars, no people, nothing. The street was completely deserted, with no real signs of life coming off it at all. She launched a gaze forward as if trying to see if her eyes weren't deceiving her, but truly, there was nothing there. She was alone.
The wind seemed to get slightly colder as Sunset finally resumed walking forward as if that was the cause of it all, but there was still no one in sight. Her eyes zipped in all directions as if she suddenly found herself in some kind of trance. What is going on, here? This is the city, why is it so quiet?
"Oh, you shouldn't have to worry about that, my sweet."
She froze. Sunset Shimmer immediately swung her body, turning around so quickly that even Rainbow Dash would be proud of her. And just as she did so, her body froze once again, just for a quick beat, but long enough for her to actually notice it.
There was a woman, there. Standing not too far from where Sunset now was, this dark-skinned beauty threw her eyes at her like she was greeting someone familiar. Not much taller than Sunset herself, this lady was wearing nothing short of what would be considered a one-piece dress of relatively impressive quality, its dark red colors being a fierce contrast to her blue eyes that shone like the moonlight. An exquisitely done hair, tied in a bun, adorned her makeup-heavy head like a crown, and she stood proudly on her feet, which carried her with elegant steps, filled with poise.
"Good evening. I take it you know why I'm here?"
Sunset Shimmer did not know how to answer to that. She opened her mouth to say something, but her voice did not come out at all. The woman before her simply giggled, raising one of her hands towards the younger girl in a beckoning way, while slowly walking forward, with utmost care with her steps.
"Don't worry. Come to me, little one. I'll answer your questions, all of them."
Celestia's Ex-Protégé could swear she saw the woman's eyes glow as she said that. A strange tingling sensation on the back of her head was immediately erased by the torrent of thoughts that raged in her mind like a hurricane, and she instead stepped back on instinct. The woman, as she saw this reaction, stopped in her tracks.
"Oh my. This wasn't supposed to happen."
She opened her smile again, throwing a beckon to Sunset Shimmer one more time, only to have her step back yet again, her brow furrowed into a scowl. The girl felt the back of her head sweat a little, as she was certain of it this time. This was the second time this woman tried to do something to her. She was bad news.
"What are you doing?" she asked without giving a single inch, still slowly walking back, ready to sprint at a moment's notice. "What do you want from me? You're weirding me out, here."
And with that, the woman's smile was gone. Her eyes flared golden like she was trying to crush Sunset with her gaze alone, and her mouth distorted into a crooked, broken frown. Sunset stepped back once again as the woman rose her nose up slightly, as if looking down on the girl like she was standing exactly where she didn't want her to stand, disgusting leathery noises started popping from her frame like a cocoon ready to burst open.
"...That explains why you just walked right through my barrier like it wasn't there, little girl. You are harder to tame than I thought you were."
The wind seemed to die completely as the Equestrian felt her hair stick to her neck a little. The golden flare of the woman's eyes got visibly brighter as she took a forceful step forward, the tingling sensation in the back of Sunset's mind turning into a painful scratch as she launched her voice at her yet again, the soothing tones she used before all but gone.
"Come to me. I will treat you nicely, young girl. I promise."
And with that said, Sunset Shimmer broke eye contact, turned around and ran the other way as quickly as she could, making the woman behind her gasp in shock at the reaction before her.
"H-HEY! That wasn't supposed to- You're not supposed to run! Come back here!"
In what felt like milliseconds, there was a loud, flesh-bursting noise from behind her as Sunset Shimmer sprinted down the street as fast as she could. Throwing a backwards glance out of instinct alone, she found out her fears weren't unfounded. The woman was giving chase, her back had now sprouted disgusting-looking inverted leather wings and as she flew, her golden eyes were the most visible things in the dark of the night, overpowering the moon through her silhouette against it.
Her thoughts were racing at an incomprehensible speed. The possibility of this woman being human was now thrown out of the window so hard it went into orbit. She was being chased by something nonhuman, with wings, golden eyes and the possible ability to hypnotize people. What was going on!?
...No. That's not important, is it? What's going on, I know exactly what's going on, she pieced to herself amidst the maelstrom of thoughts raging inside her head. More important than that, what is she? Wings, hypnotic powers... Was she trying to seduce me, before? Is that what that was?
There's not a whole lot of creatures with the power of hypnotizing people through seduction, specifically. If I narrow the possibilities down, I'd say she's either some manner of vampire or a succubus, but since her wings are inverted I'd say the former is not a possibility. As it stands, Succubi share many similarities with vampires - the inability to survive under the sun and drinking blood from their victims, to name a few - a peculiarity they share with werewolves, too, if I'm not wrong, and they all also share a very specific weakness which seem to be catered to nightwalkers in general...
Silver...!
"Stop running from me, you runt! I told you that's not how this works!"
The Succubus' voice was ever closer than before as Sunset immediately threw her hands inside her pockets in a desperate rush to find anything she could use. Her fingers found a few coins - useless right now. A streamer, courtesy of Pinkie Pie, but also useless! Some keys, a wallet with nothing she could put to use in it! She clacked her tongue in irritation as she shoved her hands inside the pockets of her jacket...
...Her jacket!
In a complete daze of brilliance, Sunset Shimmer pulled her arms through her jacket's sleeves in a clumsy attempt to run and remove herself from that leather coat, turning her running momentum into strange, ungraceful hops as she tugged her arm through the sleeves as hard as she could. As she binded herself slightly by doing so, the Succubus finally dashed forward in a surprising burst of speed, landing in front of the girl, spreading her inverted wings high into the air in a shave of menace.
There was no time to think. Sunset's momentum was already crazy thanks to her clumsy stunt - all she did was not land on her feet. Toppling forward in what almost looked like an accidental fall, Sunset Shimmer fell on her left shoulder, making a hard, dry impact as she landed, tumbling forward and under the Succubus' wing in a surprisingly skillful feat of acrobatics. Finally managing to remove the jacket from herself, the Equestrian held it by the sleeve and swung it at the woman behind her almost blindly - desperately, even - and watched as she herself stepped backwards in surprise at what was happening.
The Succubus's cheek was grazed by the jacket, and she put her hand on her face by anything if not reflex. She looked dumbfounded at the girl standing before her, who was looking both shocked and extremely lucid at the same time, now standing defiantly at the woman, like she feared no more. The attack caused only a tiny, minimal scratch...
...But it hit regardless.
One of the many silver buttons of Sunset's jacket grazed the woman's face, but it was more than enough. She felt her cheek swell and burn like she was stung by a dozen bees, and covered her allegedly tiny wound with both hands as she screamed in horror at the realization of what happened. Her eyes pinked out in response to the violent reaction against the metal she was struck with, and she threw daggers with her eyes at the girl before her while baring all of her sharp teeth, snarling like a mad, angry beast let out of its cage.
"Y-You... You little runt! What did you..."
Sunset Shimmer did not waste any time as she immediately started wrapping the jacket properly on her right arm, as to not accidentally drop it. She felt some manner of confidence coming back to her. She had silver, she could defend herself, now.
"Stand back or I swear I'll slap you with this again! You don't want that, do you?"
"...Are you for real? You're threatening me with a jacket," she deadpanned as her brow furrowed as hard as her facial structure would allow. "Don't get cocky, girl, or I'll make sure I won't leave even your bones behind when I suck the life out of you!"
"Didn't you hear me? I told you to step back! I'm warning you, leave me alone!"
Sunset rose her right arm above her, holding the other end of her improvised defense with her left hand, wielding the leather jacket like a whip. The Succubus removed her hand from the swollen wound on her cheek, and snarled at the girl with a voice that wasn't her own anymore.
"There's only so many buttons on that thing," she reinforced violently, the tiny, but extremely allergic wound on her cheek only adding to her fury.
"But there's plenty of them in it to strike you in the face again! Don't make me!"
As she said so, the woman before her gritted her teeth as she pulled her head backwards, making the Unicorn raise an eyebrow, worried. However, the action soon struck Sunset's ears as the yell the woman unleashed was quite literally, otherworldly.
A piercing, overwhelming shriek was unleashed by the Succubus and Sunset yelped in horror as she felt her head was being crushed from the inside. Windows around them shattered, glass sprayed on the sidewalk and street lights were burst from the attack which lasted not more than just a couple of seconds. The woman laughed hysterically as Sunset Shimmer struggled to keep her eyes open, and she lunged forward with her own left hand, aiming directly at the Equestrian's neck.
She didn't know why she was still lucid enough to react, but all she did was raise both hands trying to defend herself from the strike. The jacket she was holding, magnificent in its well-placed buttons, struck the arm of the succubus as she lunged forward, making her stop the attack immediately and yell in surprise at the luck of the ex-protégé. Sunset's senses were still working enough for her to understand her position, and she gritted her teeth herself, holding the arm of the Succubus with her left hand and punching the jacket in its entirety in the face of her aggressor, making a satisfying whack as she felt her feet give way to her weight and sound-induced headache. She fell on her knees as the succubus fell on her back, yelling at the top of her lungs all manner of insults and profanity, all of which Sunset was too deaf to listen to properly.
The pain the woman was feeling was excruciating. That jacket, that damned jacket and her rotten luck! She could barely understand the levels of pure, horrendous pain she was feeling right now, and her patience was completely gone. She punched the sidewalk, hit some of the broken glass with her elbows as she tried to stand, and the sounds of a great, furious beast now escaped her throat with no restraint whatsoever. She tried to focus her vision properly, and realized she was blinded in one eye. That little girl was going to die for this.
Clawing at the ground as she very slowly managed to pull herself up, the Succubus drooled slightly as her facial muscles were not responding properly to her commands. Sunset Shimmer took to her feet first, still listening to painful ringing noises inside her head like war drums in an echoing cavern.
"You'r- *COUGH!* Going to pay for this!" the wounded Succubus threatened as she couldn't take one of her hands away from her face, burning so badly as it was. She was surprised she could even stay conscious. "I swear I'll gut you and hang you in my wall like a trophy!"
"W-What's even your problem, you jerk? What do you even want from me?" Sunset managed to cough a sentence as she pulled her right arm back into position, wielding it like shield. "What did I even do to you?"
"YOU SLAPPED THAT POISON ALL OVER MY FACE! HOW DARE YOU ASK ME WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
"Well, excuse me for defending myself from a psycho! I'll be right sure to apologize to you never!"
The Succubus immediately made a motion to try and advance, but the girl rose the jacket, showing it off and making all the shiny silver beads in it seem much more deadly to anyone as they have ever looked. Wounded and careful, the Succubus made several failed attempts at bypassing Sunset Shimmer's makeshift shield, much to her chagrin.
"You stupid, bacon-haired, loathsome mongrel she-dog! Cut that out already!"
"I've seen beehives with less open holes than your face right now, you cantankerous excuse for a nightwalker!"
"Oooh, she hit you pretty low there, Mira! I'm pretty sure you've got an insult of your own prepared, but do you mind if I give my two cents, just for the heck of it?"
Sunset Shimmer screamed in surprise as she threw a glance at the man standing right across the street, both arms crossed like he was watching a ridiculously entertaining event of some kind. Dressed just about as sharply as the average townie in his blue jeans and brown t-shirt, this extremely pale-skinned man's maroon hair swayed slowly alongside the wind, reaching just about as high as shoulder length. As he stepped forward towards both women, the Equestrian felt the urgent need to step back even further in full retreat mode, her mind racing as quickly as it could in order to come up with an appropriate method of escape. He, on the other hand, rose his own towards Sunset and said with a mockingly calm tone, a relatively friendly one, even:
"You are all but a boil needing lancing!" he said as he turned around to face the Succubus, whose face was as close to resembling confusion as it could probably get. "...Did I do it right? Am I hip with the kids yet?"
"Pierce Claw, FLANK HER! Don't let this she-dog escape!" she yelled out the top of her lungs as Sunset kept stammering backwards, still putting the jacket between herself and obvious danger. "DON'T LET HER!"
"Ah? I heard you already, stop yelling. That's super annoying," he casually complained as he kept creeping inward towards a desperate Sunset Shimmer, who was now throwing constant looks to the ground, hoping a hole would open up and swallow her to safety. "Sorry, little girl, but... y'know. That's how we sorry excuse for nightwalkers do, I suppose."
And with that, he put his hand around a nearby parking post, pulling it off the ground like the weight meant nothing to him. Giving it a few random swings, his eyes flared a menacing crimson color, his teeth growing sharper with each step he took, the fur slowly growing on his arms and neck giving him a more bestial look than the Unicorn ever wished.
A Werewolf, of all things! What was going on, here? Not only she was attacked by one, but two nightwalkers? Both weak to silver, sure, but he had the common sense of wielding a parking post like it was a club! Her jacket wasn't going to save her anymore! If he hit her with that thing...!
"L-Look, I'm not even sure what caused all this!" she pleaded in relative panic as her back now was rasping against the walls of the store behind her. "I just want to go home! Pierce Claw, was it? I didn't do anything wrong, so--"
"Ah, you see? There's where I stop caring," he responded with no real malice in his voice, pointing the club towards her face like one does a spear. "This isn't about right or wrong, little girl. This is about Mira asking me to help her, so that's what I'm doing."
And so he did, bringing the parking post behind him, ready to take a baseball swing directly at her, Sunset Shimmer's eyes and mind trying their hardest to find a way out of this situation...
But what followed was a bang, instead. A very loud, metallic bang that rang through the Equestrian's ears, making her wince and open her eyes, in pure, unfiltered surprise.
The parking post was now cracked in half. Pierce Claw didn't even take the swing, and the weapon was now rent in twain. With the innocent curiosity of a child, he pulled the makeshift club closer, inspecting the fact that, indeed, the post was now broken in his hands. Looking at the wall by his side, he saw a metal parking meter sticking out of it, coins falling off of it like confetti. On the ground, the other half of the post lied.
It took everyone a couple seconds to properly adjust to the noise, but they all looked at the other side of the street yet again, and there stood yet another person. A woman, this time, clad in what could only be classified as clothes that no one would wear without a good reason. A black, buttonable shirt with a wine-red tie adorned her chest, and her blue, knee-long skirt absolutely didn't match with her green cargo pants. Seriously, Rarity would've had a field day with this one. She was nearly as tall as Flash Sentry was.
Oh Celestia, not another one!!
Her almost ankle-long light blue hair flowed in the wind slightly as she gazed towards the trio with such intensity that Sunset Shimmer could swear she heard something snap somewhere. Her stride forward stopped just shy of her reaching halfway across the street before the Unicorn saw the absolute horror in the eyes of the man standing close to her, him visibly shaking at what he was seeing.
"Drop the weapons," she commanded with a tone of voice that would make grown men's spines freeze over. "I'm only going to say this twice."
"YO! YO!" Pierce Claw exclaimed as loudly as he could, immediately throwing the broken club into the ground, putting both hands into the air and surrendering. "E-Easy! Hey there, Quay! I surrender! No need to get rough, OK? I quit! I'm done! Hands up, see? I give!"
"W-WHAT?" Mira the Succubus, on the other hand, shrieked, outraged. "Are you going to let this walking wardrobe disaster tell you to-- You spineless waste of time! This is ridiculous!"
"M-Mira!" the man exclaimed, not moving a single inch from where he disarmed himself. "Don't do this! It's not worth it, just relax and stop, OK?" immediately turning his head around, he whispered to Sunset Shimmer, who was just dumbfounded at what was going on. "You too, just listen to Quay! Don't annoy her!"
"I refuse!" Mira stomped, furious. "Look at what that bacon-haired she-dog did to me! Do you really think I'm going to just back down because someone told me to? This is ridiculous!!"
"Drop your weapon, Lily Mirage. This is the second time I'm warning you."
"Oh, so the little girl knows my name, congratulations!" she yelled once again, waving a hand dismissively at the newcomer, resuming her stride towards Sunset Shimmer, who was perplexed and confused at what she was witnessing. "I'm not done with you yet, you know! I don't need this coward to gut you! I can do this myself!"
And before she could take a single, positive step, she felt her body being raised from the ground, a fierce grip on her own ankle being the only thing she could register before she found herself being slammed against the pavement with the power of a speeding truck.
Sunset Shimmer could not believe what she was seeing. That girl - Quay, was it? - was swinging the Succubus around by the ankle with such ease she might as well be swinging around a weightless doll. Again and again, she would throw her against the ground, reach down, pick her up by the same ankle and resume the process over and over. She counted - Lily Mirage was tossed into the pavement no less than twenty-five times, all of which were potent enough to bash the woman through the asphalt, leaving holes where her face landed. When she finally stopped, only the dead silence of the night could be heard, followed by Quay patting her clothes, and looking at the remaining two with eyes that told them that absolutely nothing of consequence had just happened.
"...Didn't you hear me?" she commanded yet again, this time directing her tone right at the Equestrian. "I told you to drop your weapon."
"M-My weapon? But I don't..." she stumbled upon her own words. They never failed her this badly before in her life.
Well, maybe that one time...
"Don't be stupid! She's not gonna say it again!" the man shrieked as he turned his head around, every single monstrous feature he possessed was now gone. "She means your jacket! Surrender it or she'll do that to you, too!"
"My jacket? But this is all this is! A jacket!"
"Quay! Calm down, OK? No need for more of that, let me talk to her!" the man pleaded as he turned only slightly around, not taking the newcomer off his field of view. "Uh, so it's like this? You were using that to fight us, right? So by objective definition, that's your weapon. That's how Quay works, I didn't make the damn rules up."
...Oh!
Now that he mentioned it, it made perfect sense. Sunset Shimmer shook her head around, the insanity of what's been transpiring this night clearly clouding most of her ability to process rational thought. Still, she complied, the desire to greet the asphalt with her teeth being something she wanted to avoid at all costs. She unfurled the jacket from her right arm and threw it at her feet, an action that clearly pleased the girl before them. She smiled softly - something that Sunset thought wasn't even close to being a possibility a few moments ago - and clapped both hands together, clearly satisfied.
"See? That wasn't hard, was it? I think we all learned a valuable lesson here, today, wouldn't you agree, Mirage?"
"eEeeuughhthhpppthhh."
"She agrees. You, Claw. Pick her up, I touched this carcass enough times for one night."
The man obeyed the woman, his physiognomy changed completely as what could only be described as tension disappeared off the air. He pulled the quivering, beaten down remains of a succubus and winced, something Sunset understands the why, perfectly.
"Wow, Quay. I think you should reconsider the number of times you throw people on the ground when they don't obey you or something."
"I did warn her twice! I don't have time to stay here and babysit a stupid Succubus who destroys half a block trying to capure a single human girl! I was busy! Don't any of you think I don't have anything better to do?"
The man opened his mouth to reply, but quickly found it intelligent to bite his lip, impeding himself from doing so. He simply nodded in agreement to her claim, something that seemed to please her, if only slightly so.
"Excuse me," Sunset interrupted as she was still frozen in place, not really registering what she was hearing or seeing. "What in the Sun's name is going on, here?"
"Uh. I just heard Mira screaming and came here to check, honest! I was just taking a walk," Pierce Claw shrugged. "I think you were just unlucky or something?"
Just unlucky? This night was awful! What were these people even thinking...?
"Regardless of whatever is it that your luck may be, there is a barrier deployed around these blocks right now," Quay pondered as she took another good look at the Equestrian, her eyes focusing on her enough to make her step back in discomfort. She slowly opened her eyes in surprise, bumping her fist on her palm with a gasp of realization. "And all I see is a random human girl that seems to have gotten as unlucky as she could. So what are you doing here, exactly? I was told that... Wait! Uh, hold on. So YOU are Sunset Shimmer!?"
She simply nodded. without thinking. The blue-haired woman grunted in annoyance, looking to the side like she wasn't expecting this at all.
"Urgh! Why didn't you say so before? I thought Sunset Shimmer was some kind of magical monster or something! You look just like a normal girl! I was gonna ask what a normal girl was doing here, and it turns you're... I'm not even going to continue this sentence. I don't have time for this."
"H-How do you know my name? I don't even know who you people are! And you look like a normal girl, too!" She forcefully stomped herself forward this time, her patience getting thrown out the proverbial window just as quickly as her ability to understand what was going on before..
"I do, don't I? That's the whole point," the girl replied to the Unicorn, shrugging in indifference. "I'm not here to answer your questions, though. I was summoned here to keep you from getting hurt, stop a dumb Succubus from causing more damage than she already did and invite you to our headquarters. That's it."
That's it, she says. The Equestrian felt the incredible need to retort, but something told her that this Quay woman's patience was shorter than Pinkie Pie's attention span when she was on a sugar rush.
The point still stood, after all. She probably just saved her life. Better to roll with the punches right now, see where this was going.
"...Fine, sure. Thanks for saving me. But invite me to your headquarters? What is that even supposed to mean?"
"It means exactly what it means. You are Sunset Shimmer, aren't you? I don't see any other people around here."
The Unicorn simply nodded. Quay shrugged, dismissively.
"Then you're the one I'm supposed to have protected, and to invite over. That's all I know."
"That's all you know? I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't understand!"
"Neither do I! I'm just the muscle of the Convocation, OK? I'm not there to ask questions, I'm there to beat troublemakers down and obey orders!"
Sunset Shimmer poked the tip of her own nose, stopping herself from saying something on impulse. She just heard something very interesting being said...!
"...The Convocation?"
"If you want to ask questions, do it to someone that can bother to answer them, and to someone that actually would know what they are talking about. I am inviting you as per my master's request, that's all. What say you?"
"...And what about me, Quay? Can I leave, now?" Pierce Claw asked with a relatively cheeky tone, making the woman turn around with wide open eyes, as if he just asked the world's most stupid question. He carried the mess of a person that was hardly recognizable as the Succubus on his back like a ugly, beaten down backpack.
"Oh? You're still here? Get lost already."
"Oh. ...OK. Uh... bye, I guess! Take care of yourselves, kids!" He didn't even bother staying for longer than necessary. Right about as quickly as he arrived, Pierce Claw left, carrying the one that started all this mess on his back. The Equestrian somehow felt like that wasn't a very good idea.
"Are you sure that's fine? Just letting them go like that?"
"Yeah. They got the idea. I hate repeating myself three times, I think they understand now."
That's hardly what I actually meant, though.
If she hates repeating herself three times, though, Sunset Shimmer felt like making a decision immediately. She was invited twice, already, after all.
...I wonder?
"I do kind of owe you for saving me, there. Is this... Convocation Headquarters far? You really don't know what they want with me?"
"I really don't. I'm not forcing you to come, though. I have only an invitation, after all. And the Headquarters are just about as far as you wish them to be," the blue-haired girl said as she turned around, walking down the street on the completely opposite direction to Sunset Shimmer's house. "Would you follow me? It won't take long to get there."
Fine. I have no idea what is it that I'm doing... But I might as well.
Curse you, inquisitive curiosity.
Kicking her jacket up back to her arms, she patted it harshly as she proceeded to follow the mysterious so-called enforcer down the streets, putting it back on after she made sure there were no Succubus bits hanging from the buttons in it.
Sunset Shimmer absolutely hated walking through places like these.
In complete, morose silence, Quay led the Unicorn through streets that quite frankly had nothing exceptional about them. It didn't even take too long before signs of everyday life returned to the city, much to the return to form Sunset hoped to see. The lights of cars and the footsteps of people returning home or going out for a night somewhere gave her a strange sensation of peace that she never bothered to pay attention to before. I guess that when you get used to the humans' city, anything that breaks the flow immediately makes you feel uncomfortable.
The guide's stride didn't continue for long before she suddenly took a very sharp turn towards a relatively clean-looking alleyway, much to Sunset's surprise. It wasn't entirely out of place, but it was too clean for a random alleyway. Were they there, already?
"...So, how much farther is it?" she asked with a glint of honest curiosity in her voice. For once, Quay didn't seem annoyed with the question she received.
"Very close. As you might expect, we can't really show ourselves to the open public without risking our everyday lives, so to speak. We live among humans and we look the part when we can, sure, but as you might imagine, not doing so would attract attention we don't want."
"That makes sense."
"So for the more unfortunate ones that can't play the part, they have to hide somewhere. That somewhere is the Convocation Headquarters. We're standing right over it, in fact."
Sunset Shimmer blinked, confused. There wasn't anything there, it was an almost empty alleyway next to what looked like an abandoned warehouse.
The most stand-out thing about this place was the dumpster on rails which lead straight into the warehouse, which was full of all kinds of junk. She felt like she was being made fun of.
"...So, how does this work? I don't see anything special about this place."
"That's why it works, isn't it? I said we're standing over it. That usually means we have to find our way down."
You don't say.
"There is a trick to this. The dumpster, specifically. It's heavy enough to do the trick, almost. See how it's on rails? There's this platform a little ways into the warehouse, where you'd usually park the dumpster, so to speak. Pushing this on top of it would trigger a switch, and the platform would go down like an elevator."
"...Really? And how do you expect us to move it?" Sunset asked as Quay led her inside the warehouse through the rails, ignoring the dumpster completely. Sunset continuously threw glances at it expecting to see some manner of switch connected to it. Maybe it was powered by electricity?
"You'd need a key to do that," she answered with a bored voice. "You're not expecting to push that thing to the platform, are you?"
"...No."
"Good for you, then! Well done."
"...So will you get that thing here? With this key of yours?"
"I don't need it. I said that what triggers the switch was weight, didn't I?"
And just as she said it, Quay stepped on the platform. The metal clang echoed through the ears of the Unicorn as she felt the ground shake, the girl looking at Sunset with the same bored expression she seemed to always have.
"Are you coming, or what?"
"Y-Yes! I am!"
Without really wasting time, Sunset found herself hopping onto the descending platform as if she expected it to suddenly fall if she didn't do so. Quay laughed with her nose as the Equestrian fumbled in her feet, still debating in her mind whenever to make a joke about this or not.
"So. It needs weight to...?"
"Yes."
She immediately shut herself up. Not only because she believed that saying anything else would guarantee she got herself a lifetime supply of iron shoved down her throat, but because for as strange and far-fetched Quay's "invitation" seemed to be, there was no doubt in her mind anymore that this woman was in fact, telling the truth.
It was a short ride down the strange elevator, but it was more than enough for Sunset to see a sight that she believed could have come from Equestria itself. The ceiling of this underground facility was covered in a glorious luminescent glow, granting enough light to the whole area as the light of the sun would. It was an incredibly large area - much larger than Sunset could have possibly guessed. For all the words she could have thought, the word "City Vault" came to her immediately, as the sight from the elevator granted her a good overview of the entire vault before her. Divided in what could only be described as four sections, a lower terrace filled with what looked like houses and dwellings, packed with all sorts of people adorned the eastern lower part of the vault, partaking in what could be easily seen as everyday activities. The western section, although smaller and higher up than the eastern one, was blessed with beautiful lights atop two towers, stretching all the way to the ceiling of this massive vault, that made about most of the luminosity that gave life to the atmosphere of this place. To the south and about the highest point of the vault, there was a section with only two buildings of significant-looking poise, looming over this fantastic little city while still glowing a light, welcoming color.
But the center of the vault was where the most impressive aspect of this all lied. The central area was a single building surrounded by a small terrace large enough to fit about three elephants in its width. The building itself, easily the largest one in all of this little city, was tall and imposing, reaching to the ceiling as well and irradiating a light that if not for the fact it was focusing all of it towards the ceiling, would probably blind someone. Seeing such a thing made Sunset Shimmer's breath stop at her breast. She could not believe what she was seeing.
Every single section of the vault was connected to one another through ramps and stairs, with roads interconnecting one place to another in a constant, round flow. There was the impression that there were no dead ends in this place. Walk too far into one direction, and you were probably bound to come around the other end. Follow one specific road, and you end up in another section of the vault, only to keep following it and end up back the same place you started. It was harmoniously sound, surprisingly so, considering the thoughts she had as she heard of this place. She had no words to spare. None were needed.
"Welcome to The Town. Or Convocation, whichever you prefer."
"...It's incredible. I-I had no idea...! H-How come a place like this!?"
Her words were once again cut short as the elevator ride ended. The slight tremor of their landing made her gasp in surprise, as if she forgot where she was standing on, and she jumped away from it in surprise. Quay chuckled in what felt like a mocking tone, and left the ride herself. They were officially within city limits, now.
"Try asking the one who invited you. Everything's cool? My job here is done."
"W-What? But--"
"I said my job is done, OK? Just go to the Terrace of Light, the building at the center of it all? Just say you're Sunset Shimmer and no one's going to stop you."
...I'm not sure I care for your attitude.
"I'm going back to my own place," she muttered almost unintelligibly, waving a half-assed goodbye to Sunset, walking towards wherever. "Have fun."
"H-Hey! Is it really OK? I don't-- ...She left."
She sighed, a slight migraine hitting her right in the temples as she shook the chip off her own shoulder. She wanted to play the distant enforcer? Fine. That's her role, whoop-de-doo. Thanks for at least giving me directions, you jerk.
Sunset spent a couple moments collecting her composure, adjusting her jacket with a swift movement from her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she started walking forward, her eyes not entirely sure where they should be focusing on.
The architecture of this place was both familiar and alien to her at the same time. In many ways, it reminded her of Equestria - Canterlot City, specifically - with the polished walls that made most of the buildings that surrounded her. But it also resembled human architecture in their placement and overall atmosphere. She wasn't sure if she knew what that feeling was exactly, but the fact remained that this place had a striking semblance of an alien merging of it all. Could it be a coincidence?
Her feet carried her with coy steps, though she was sure she was going the right way. The paths in this place were just as easy to follow as they were to understand as viewed from above, and she was grateful for that. The odd look she got from the people passing by stung her and she knew she was an outsider to this place. Of course she was, that was a matter of fact. Still, this was her first time walking in her human form in a city where the most human-looking creature was a three meter tall troll creature, lean and lanky in his build. She wasn't glanced at nearly as often as she thought she would, maybe "human-looking" creatures weren't uncommon here. But they never saw her before. Considering the population of this place, it was easy to figure out that those who wander around as human will eventually be remembered and figured out. For all intents and purposes, she was a new face there. She quickly realized how fast she was walking now, and she forced herself to stop her jogging into a more carefree stride. Attracting more attention now wasn't what she wanted, that's for sure.
But her worries died shortly after she stopped running and started striding. For as she climbed the last flight of stairs to the terrace above, she found herself in the aforementioned "Terrace of Light". She was there. Finally.
She threw a couple worried glances around as the size of the building seemed to be much more magnified when seen from so close. She approached it with caution constantly plaguing her thoughts, and the first thing that struck her as odd was that there were no guards at the entrance.
Or at least, that's what the untrained human eye would say.
This massive building had, maybe, more than one entrance. But the one Sunset was standing in front of right now was a massive double-door that looked about as heavy as they were big. At least four times her own size, the frame of this massive iron gate was actually a tree of considerable girth. Its branches enveloped the frame of the door as if holding it in place and it stretched out above like an archway, giving off a very strong presence in on itself. Sunset knew exactly what to expect out of this, it wouldn't be as easy as to simply knock on the door or reach for the handle.
"Hello," she said as she rose her hand to the tree, making sure to smile at it. "Do I need to have permission for you to open the doors for me?"
"...Oh, that is most uncommon! A newcomer that knows about me?" A voice beckoned from the bark that surrounded the door - a very slow, melodic tone echoed within Sunset's mind as it seemed pleased to have been greeted. "This is truly something new! Tell me, who are thee?"
A treant! Why am I not surprised?
"I am Sunset Shimmer. I was told someone wanted to speak to me?"
"Ah yes, you are the one our master has summoned!" the tree moaned softly as its smaller branches slowly reached out to Sunset, shaking her hand in a surprisingly gentle manner. "I trust your guide here has done as instructed?"
"...As instructed, you say? All she did was bring me here," she said as she scratched the back of her neck, stumped. "Sorry though, I still have no idea what I'm doing here."
"Oh, I do tend to ramble, pardon me! Pay me no heed, please, come in!"
And just like that, the door was opened with a very satisfying clicking noise. It swung open as it had life of its own, and the treant seemed pleased with itself as it let Sunset pass. She, as the path was opened for her, gave the tree a small good-bye wave and walked through the portal, of which did not, in fact, close behind her as she went through, much to her surprise.
The inside of this building was just as impressive as its outside, and surprisingly devoid of staff. A single stairway leading even further up and toward the one door that got her attention was probably where she should go, but she could not help but pay attention to the rest of this place as she advanced towards her destination. Pillars and pillars of marble, stone and trees made the interior of this wonderful castle all the way to its high, lightly domed ceiling. A couple stairs on the sides probably lead to the upper storeys as some other paths lead deeper into this sanctuary, although she had no idea where those paths would lead. Forcing herself to stop from wandering off without a clear goal, she reached the top of the wide flight of stairs, and found herself standing in front of another pair of wooden doors. This time though, with no guardians to protect it. Sunset shook her head and clenched her fist, determined, and knocked on the door. It didn't even take a second before a voice that could only be described as otherworldly answered in what seemed like it was directly into Sunset's own mind.
"Ah, yes, do come in. I was expecting you."
And with that, the door opened.
Sunset could not entirely describe in her mind that what she was seeing at first. The room she was now in was clearly spacious and round - something that seemed to be a motif in this underground City-Vault. After throwing a quick look upwards, the extremely high domed ceiling emanated a shining, soothing light that the Unicorn was certain that it was the blinding light that erupted from the very top of this building. The room was nearly featureless if not for a small pond in the very center of it, adorned with flowers Sunset wasn't even sure they could possibly exist. It was a relatively big room, definitely the definition of a throne room in its size. And as the doors closed softly behind her, Sunset blinked, and realized the room was not vacant.
Standing on the other side of the pond, with both hands behind her back and with a welcoming smile on her face, this lady that looked like she was in the early stages of her twenties tilted her head forward, making her blond-pink, long hair slide off her bare shoulders. Her clothes were azure-white, adorned with so many jewels that the Equestrian believed each could emanate a light of its own. Her amber eyes sparkled like gold under the light they were in, adding even further to the unnatural presence of this creature. She wasn't human, that much was obvious.
She initially found herself unable to speak, the overwhelming torrent of thoughts that occurred to her all night suddenly returning like an awful addiction. Still, she composed herself, bowing slightly to the woman before her if only for courtesy's sake alone.
"So, you were expecting me? Forgive me for saying, but that makes me want to ask so many questions I find it difficult where to even begin."
"Oh? 'Tis fine," the lady replied with a graceful nod of her own. "I find it that answering questions is something I'm quite good at."
"First things first, then? How do you know who I am?"
The lady tilted her head once again. She seemed about as confused as Sunset, regarding her own question.
"I'm surprised that was your first question. You were involved with the Siren incident about a week ago. As someone who was vital to that issue's solution, I figured you'd know why you'd be summoned, in the case you ever were."
A leap of logic? Somehow, Sunset Shimmer thought she should have seen that being the case. Though she stated things so as a matter-of-fact, it took the Equestrian by surprise. Once again, she found it slightly challenging to find the correct words to ask the right questions.
"You... You knew about the Sirens? About what they did in Canterlot High? About their plans, and their actions? All of it?"
"Most of it, yes. 'Tis was an awful situation, truly. We are most thankful that the solution presented itself when it did." She paused for a quick second before resuming speaking, as if adding the next sentence as an assurance to that what she spoke. "We have eyes and ears in many places. You yourself is not guiltless of a magical crime, correct? We know of that, as well."
Sunset cringed at hearing those words. Clearly, no one was giving her an easy time when it came to trying to forget.
"So you knew of all that? I'm sorry, but if that's the case, why didn't you interfere? Why not send that... That crazy-strong Quay person to deal with the Sirens? You clearly had no issues doing that tonight!"
"Oh! Dear Quarry gave you a hard time, did she? Forgive the girl - she simply takes to her job too seriously. One cannot truly blame her for such, can they?"
"...Uh. I guess?"
"To answer your question however, yes. I could have sent Quarry to deal with the problem, but..." she took a deep breath, as if slightly ashamed to admit that what she was about to. "The truth of the matter stands that I did not wish to send her towards such a harsh and dangerous situation. I saw the spells that were fired with my own eyes! Those were powerful, devastating magical spells! I could not risk her life by sending her your way, she would have been destroyed!"
...Were the spells they were firing that powerful? Sunset tried to recall, but she truly could not tell.
Surprisingly enough, since she was right in the middle of that crossfire. The lady before her held a few strands of her own hair, twirling them in her fingers as she paced very lightly around the pond, as if she was floating.
"We were truly fearful of that what might have come, but the Sirens were defeated in the end. The wave of magical force was so great that I feared for the worst, and right at the very center of it all was you. This is the second time you are at the center of a magical eruption, Sunset Shimmer. Forgive me for saying this, but you had me intrigued then. First as an opposing force, then as our rescuer!"
Sunset didn't reply to that statement. She instead opted to simply blinking in astonishment. This lady truly was aware of all that's happened? Then why wasn't Twilight mentioned at all?
She decided to keep that to herself. Maybe it was for the best, after all.
"So as I did my research on the matter, I took notice of a particularly nasty girl preying upon someone while making an unbelievable ruckus, and what a shock it was to see you, under attack! I immediately contacted Quarry and told her to keep you safe. And as I wanted to meet the one responsible for an explosion of magic not only once, but twice, I requested your presence as well. Truly, it is wonderful to finally make your acquaintance!"
"...You contacted her? How, by speaking into her mind?" Sunset's words came out on their own, making her gasp lightly in pause. The lady before her, however, did not seem to mind.
"Not quite. Quarry is a special case. As she is bound to me, 'tis most simple of me to contact her like so. It also helps that she is a Golem. Not too many of her kind around, I will say."
Well, that certainly would explain many things! A Golem!
"Oh, but would you listen to me, mesmerized by the sound of my own voice!" she chuckled as she placed her hand on her own shoulder, bowing ever so slightly. "I apologize for my lack of courtesy, as I have not introduced myself yet! I am called Nimue. I do personally welcome you to the Convocation of the Lost."
"Well, um. Thanks." Sunset replied with a glint of embarrassment in her voice. "I'm still not sure what I'm doing here, though. You said you wanted to meet me, right?"
"Quite frankly, 'tis is the case, yes. I must admit to being rather curious as to many things, though asking them of you would be difficult," Nimue softly spoke as she kept on lightly floating around the pond, this time towards Sunset herself. "I find myself wondering if I should ask."
"...You answered my questions. I don't see why I shouldn't answer yours."
"Very well," she nodded slightly, pondering but for a brief moment upon her own question before directing it to Sunset. "Where did you acquire knowledge upon the lore of the supernatural?"
Sunset paused for a moment, and Nimue took notice. Without wasting time, she promptly elaborated:
"You managed to defend yourself against that Succubus that ambushed you this very night. Not including the Siren incident also being solved with your involvement in its solution. I can only assume you studied on the matter, yes? You seem relatively comfortable walking through the Convocation of the Lost."
"Ah! W-Well, that is... Um," Sunset fidgeted in place for a moment, unsure if she should answer properly or not. Mentioning Equestria to a woman like this seemed like a terrible practice upon safekeeping a secret. "I had a teacher, though... She wouldn't appreciate if I mentioned who she is. I, uh, simply didn't forget."
Nimue looked attentively at the Equestrian's eyes, nodding in an understanding way that quite frankly, Sunset didn't wholly expect.
"I see. You wish to keep such things close to your heart? I respect your discretion," she continued with a noticeable glint of neutrality in her tone. "There's not a whole lot of such nowadays, I'm afraid. 'Tis refreshing to bear witness to it."
"...Not everything's going very well around this Convocation?" Sunset promptly sniped, pulling the topic of the conversation as far away from Equestria as she could. "For you to claim what you did, I have to guess I'm kind of right."
The lady chuckled in a distressed manner. As far as Sunset could tell, she hit the nail on the head.
"I wish I could tell you otherwise, though 'tis not as bad as it seems. Everyone understands what the Convocation stands for, some just find it within themselves to stretch to limits we quite frankly, cannot have."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
"The Convocation of the Lost is what it is. 'Tis a place of comfort, a home to the creatures that lack one to call their own. As some are easier to be human in this human-addled world, a sanctuary is needed for those that have a harder time doing so themselves. A place for giants! Trolls! Sauhagins! A Medusa also lives among us! I can never remember the poor girls's name," she derailed before smiling and picking up the pace again, as if speaking too much about this place was harder for her than it seemed. "I am sure one can draw one's own conclusions upon hearing that?"
Why, are you testing me? Sunset Shimmer blinked in wonder as she didn't even take too long to answer, as if the situation came normally to her own frame of mind.
"I can guess. Turns out you don't have eyes and ears everywhere, after all," she replied with neutrality as the lady before her broke open a smile, confirming what she just heard. "Otherwise this wouldn't be a problem. You have an enforcer after all, and a pretty strong one at that. If anyone got out of line, all you could do was fix the problem yourself, right? But if people lie and hide things from the Convocation..."
"...You truly are an incredible girl, you know that? You teacher must be proud of you."
I don't think she could have been more disappointed in me, actually.
"I have Quarry, 'tis true. The situations she can fix are a boon to our cause, 'tis also very true. But the reach of the Convocation of the Lost can only go so far, especially after the Siren incident. Quite honestly, 'twas... an embarassing display of our part, and everyone noticed. You are a clever girl, I am sure you can piece together the backlash from that fiasco."
Another brief moment of pause. Sunset Shimmer wasn't trying to purposefully delay her answers, but it turns out that thinking still takes time.
"If the reach of the Convocation can only go so far... And you didn't interrupt the Sirens," Sunset reaffirmed with a mumble, audible enough for Nimue to listen. "And if people noticed that, then they realized what the reach of the Convocation actually is."
"...Correct," Nimue confirmed with a sad nod, her frame now walking over the pond as if it was just as solid as the ground. "If we demonstrate what our reach is by failing at reaching, those that dare walk outside of said reach may do as they please. Does it not strike you as odd, how that Succubus attacked you in such a rash, impulsive manner? Disregarding safety protocols, breaking houses and being an overall danger to all of us by acting in this way?"
Something that never happened in her life before? Yes, that did strike Sunset as odd. Does that mean that some creatures aren't taking the Convocation's laws seriously anymore? What with the Sirens, and the Rainbooms' efforts to stop them being kind of a call for everyone involved with this place?
"W-We had nothing to do with this problem, though! The Sirens started all of it! If we hadn't stopped them--"
"Please, I blame you not for what you did!" the Lady beckoned forward, inching ever closer to Sunset. "You saved us, that much is crystal clear! ...However, seeing as where we currently stand in this awkward position, I find myself entangled in a maze of issues. I am in need to fix said issues, but for that..."
The Unicorn raised an eyebrow as Nimue was now standing right in front of her at an arm's distance, a relatively serious expression adorning her admittedly pretty face.
"'Tis necessary... vital, to extend the Convocation's reach. That much is clear."
"...And that involves me in some way."
"If you wish for it to be so. I have no intention of forcing the issue."
She took a very deep breath. So they finally reached the core of the matter.
This place needed people to serve as the Convocation's reach. Sunset couldn't really put truth in her words when it came to assuming Nimue didn't have many people she could trust, but the fact she was being approached this personally didn't fill her with confidence in guessing the opposite. These people were earnestly asking for her help. Maybe they didn't have any other options, or maybe she just got lucky.
...
"You know, I, uh. I have school to attend to. I have my friends, we play in a little band, too. Many things happened in my life back at that event, and I'm... I'm still struggling over some things," Sunset claimed in a worried tone, scratching the back of her head as if she wasn't sure she should say what she was about to. "So I can't promise I'll be there when you ask help of me. B-But if you do, in fact, need me for anything... I-I'll see what I can do."
The smile in the face of the lady before her was so bright that Sunset almost squinted. She bowed forward in the most elegant way the Equestrian had ever seen, and she knew the lady was struggling not to break into a hug as she was positively beaming with joy upon hearing Sunset's words. There were no underlying factors to this, this woman truly was overblown with joy!
"I would never dare to intrude upon the freedom of your life, Sunset Shimmer! Truly, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!" She smiled so widely, Sunset could nearly pay witness to all of her teeth, each glistening like polished pearls. "I wish I could claim that a call for help did not also intrude, but I cannot make such promises."
"That's fine. Allow me to also not make a promise to help, always. I'll do it when I can, though."
The Lady smiled once again. Apparently, the deal had been sealed around these strange set of compromises.
"Bless you, Sunset Shimmer. You've truly been doing us a favor we can never repay."
I haven't done anything for you, exclusively, yet.
Still... It doesn't feel bad at all to hear that again. I think I could get used to this. ...Eventually.
"And then I spent hours - let me reinforce that for you, darling - HOURS, finishing the embroidery on that dress! HOURS! I can't even begin to try and remember when I finally got to sleep!"
"I can't guess, Rares. I'm surprised you're good to even walk a straight line today."
"Pish-posh, Rainbow Dash. I'll have you know I am feeling good enough for that! ...Mostly."
"Considerin' how much makeup you put on everyday, Ah'm surprised you had enough time to do that at all today! Where'd you find the time?"
"Applejack, a lady simply creates the time when it is necessary for her to do so. Don't you agree with me, Fluttershy?"
"Uh? Um. I think so. One day, I got so hung up on feeding my pets that I didn't have time to... Um. I don't think I should say more."
"...That's missing the point entirely, darling. Sunset, you know what I mean, don't you?"
Sunset Shimmer blinked in an awkward daze. The gaze of the desperate need for understanding emanated from Rarity's eyes like beacons, having her shiver a little from the question she received.
"...I never forget to brush my teeth."
"Oh, now you're just picking on me!" Fluttershy whimpered a little as Rainbow let go a chuckle from the bottom of her lungs. Rarity, on the other hand, simply waved her hand around, dismissively.
"There's always time for a party, though!" Pinkie exclaimed with excitement as everyone simply nodded. "I see what you mean, then! I mean, making time for a party, or making time so that we can have a party? Or prepare the party... Or maybe all of the above! We need to make a lot of time! ...Do we have enough time to make!?"
Sunset opened her mouth to reply, but her hands clutched tightly around the small evelope she was holding for quite a while, now. She knew what was inside of it, already. Though now, it contained nothing more than just scrambled nonsense, as per what it contained claimed it would do after being read.
"I'll make sure to make the time," she reassured her hyperactive pink friend, who gleamed with glee as she immediately started inflating balloons, per-emptively, one would assume. "...Being busy is a part of life, after all."
"Why? You're busy?" Rainbow interjected casually, leaning on her side against a wall as she uncrossed her arms. "Do you need some help?"
"No, it's fine," Sunset reaffirmed. "I have more than enough time. The rest will simply have to make do."
She let go a small sigh of confirmation to her own words. Yes, she would simply have to make do.
She always had friends to come back to, after all.
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Finally got read this, not to bad for something based on equestrian girls.