The Siren's Remorse

by TheronSniper

Ch. 21 Uneasy Truce

Ch. 21 Uneasy Truce

Twilight had the sense of be walking into a den of lions, each step she took her mind raced with every kind of scenario that would play out. As the blissfully unaware families, friends, and coworkers enjoyed their little meals, she bestowed the task of checking on a very emotionally disturbed mythological creature upon herself. One whose powers were sinister in their intent, and could enslave all who listened. At the moment, the alien beast had touched upon a deep old wound which orchestrated every action she took in life as her drive. Adagio had become a variable of danger and catastrophe, and and she was only a very bright young lady with a mortal body as fragile as any mammal.

She barely knew them for a few days and no prior knowledge or data on their kind, for all she knew the gems could possess telekinesis or perform spells like the red book detailed. She'd be trapped in a small room with the siren, a concept which she wished she thought of before leaving her seat. Being in this position, her thoughts lingered on why she normally kept to herself working in the lab.

What made the walk to the women's door dreadful was the lack of any noise which she at least expected her to be acting out. The eerie atmosphere for someone in her state was not a good start. The clatter of dinnerware and glasses amid the conversations around felt as if they were nothing to her ears, only the silence behind the black door with the stick figure of a woman meant anything. If worst came to happen, she could contact Yellow Tail in hopes he could intervene with whatever powers he or his followers possessed. That was only viable if she was still alive to warn him.

The uniformed student soon found herself staring at the entrance, nervous at what she'd find on the other side. Whether it would be Adagio crying in the corner stall or who knows what else her kind were capable of when they lashed out. Her hand kept reciprocating the reach, trying to touch the vertical surface only to pull away from a shaking courage. She would have kept on if a very portly man hadn't grunted as he exited the men's room to her right, coughing up a storm into one hand while the other adjusted his business suit.

"Stay away from the wasabi!" he chuckled in between sounds of choking.

While slightly disgusted, she nodded and waved at him as the waddling middle aged man departed for his table. Her timidness gave way from his phlegm filled gasps. A hard shake of the head to rid the gurgled sounds of the person, she shoved the door open and barged in ready for the horrors that were anticipated. Inside, the cream colored tile floor lay ahead as it continued halfway up the walls, the wallpaper depicted golden bamboo and floral designson an indigo blue background. Black stalls to her left waiting for their next user to arrive. A long horizontal mirror to the right sat above the counter of sinks and soap dispensers, while a few automatic paper sheet machines anchored into place dotted the nearest wall.

At the hand washing stations, there hunched over the last sink farthest away was the golden siren herself. Where two women lay unconscious before her feet caught in the act of cleaning up. One purse had fallen over the edge of the counter top and spilled personal essentials onto the clean hard ground only seconds ago, one of the bottles of nail polish had just rolled to her feet where she stood at the door. The silence in the room crept up her spine like a foreboding sixth sense, drawing back her distraction at the little glass container to the immediate danger. Her heart began to loudly beat as she realized too late that once she entered the bathroom, any and all sounds from the interior of the Sushi Bar were mute and removed from reality. Sparkle tried as she might could not pick up on the banter just steps away. Only Adagio's breathing and her pulsing heart gave any sign of life in the air, and it horrified the young human girl down to her bones. Another power to add to the list, some kind of nullifying counter sound so efficient it gave the impression of being in a isolation tank.

With all the bad signs screaming to leave and get the other two for help, her legs stayed where they were after she detected a muffled sob from the group leader. The feeling to extricate herself warred for victory in her mind, she was not suited for this at all, thus she blasted herself with scolding thoughts for leaping into action without thinking. Though no matter how many negatives that she could draw upon, they lost to the human element which gave in to the sad teenager whose hands gripped the counter she leaned on. Her orange twirling locks were obscuring her face from Twilight's position. The gem could be seen as the bright red ruby nearly hummed from heavy use, if Twilight understood anything from that piece of detail it was the present volcano about to erupt.

Adjusting her glasses with a hand tremoring, she coughed to make herself known, "Umm... Hi there Adagio? We were worried about you, so... I came by to check on you."

She received a sign that she was heard as the counter cracked and groaned under the iron grip of the sirens hands. Ceramic squares cracked and fractured to her touch as the wood frame underneath splintered, debris speckled the legs of the closest woman. The power she exerted had to be the equivalent of a hydraulic driven claw used by fire fighters to remove victims out of a mangled vehicle wrecks. She swallowed the dry lump in her throat when she realized her own body could easily be between those appendages that appeared unfazed by the act. Gruesome thoughts passed as she calculated the many possible injuries such a grip could cause her and the days to recovery for each. Twilight's mind ceased the number crunching when the faint echo of barely restrained hiccups alerted her to the crying. A few drops of clear liquid dripped from masked girl, unsure if it was saliva or tears that tapped on the ruined surface below. Knowing she needed to stop the escalation before the young woman lost it, her spirit steeled itself as best as it could.

Taking notes from animal behavior when she learned about taking care of Spike, she appeared as submissive as possible, "Adagio Dazzle... I'm here for you, and I know your in pain. Please let me help you, I can only help if you let me. If not for you... then... then for the revenge you so rightfully deserve."

It did not initially appear as if she was heard for a few seconds, but a loud inhale through her nose signaled something in the siren stirred. Adagio let go of the ruined counter top, spreading her fingers out like a child told to not touch something in a glass store. Standing up straight, her facial features were finally visible as the bouncy cloud of hair took its place behind her back. What appeared to be a mixture of liquid melancholy dripped slowly off her chin and told all Twilight already knew. What set her into a deeper level of panic came from the same red glow from the pendant coming out of her eyes. An aura that took the place of her usual cold and thinking orbs just opaque enough to see the iris lock onto her like a hunter aiming down the bow.

'I wish this was under better circumstance so I could record this magical concentration, but I really wish I was not in front of a pressure cooker about to blow too...' she thought timidly.

Adagio took a step forward, her eyes becoming an ever darker shade that absorbed the pupils from the sheer intensity that illuminated them. A second step of her pricey strapped boots sent a warm awful feeling washing over Sparkle as if a sauna door had opened in front of her. The third tap had been followed the restroom mirror suddenly crunching under an unseen impact that created a spiderweb of cracks along the reflective surface. That jarred Twilight enough to take a few steps back as half the glass gave out from the damage and rained down in a cacophony loud enough to hurt her ears.

The fourth clack of the heel sent the stall doors slamming inward with a bang that shuddered the privacy walls, the impact of the handles stuck or embedded into the plywood. Something affected the very environment around Adagio with each sound she produced, how she had been capable of doing so couldn't be ascertained during the dread soaked moment. A fifth step, the lights above the trashed sinks and in the ceiling flickered before most exploded and rained their shattered shells about. The racket assaulted Sparkle which forced her to cover her ears from a pressure wave that ruined them, the slight ring in the background told her it was a short sound blast of some kind which she assumed had to be Adagio's doing. If her species could use their voices to manipulate living creatures, then if they had some form of magic through sound she could use it as a weapon. It seemed quite possible, but still a theory to test unless the gem had been put under such tension that the barrier used to hold off her feelings were being released through subterfuge. The most plausible assumption to go with for now as the student noticed the light fade crimson lessen to a low transparent tint.

"why... tell me why..." she growled.

Twilight had been too terrified to answer, she could only shiver as the young woman stood in place with her sanity on the precipice.

"Why... Why did they all have to go?! Why was I the last one!!" she whimpered holding her hands up to her face just inches away from the skin as if afraid to touch her own flesh.

Her words sent the remaining mirror crashing into the pile below, larger chunks missing the unconscious women still out cold.

"I... I don't know!" the little human gasped as she felt water gather in her vision.

Adagio glared at the little human, her hands shaking steadily with bridled fury, "Why was I left alone?! Why did they leave... leave me..." her volume dipped into whispers.

This was why Yellow told her not to engage them after Sonata talked about her life. She should have listened in the first place, why her curious and empathetic feelings commanded her to do otherwise was vexing enough. Why did she even react to Adagio's questioning as she did, she never said any words to the girls at Crystal Prep when they caused her problems.

"I... I... I couldn't ... hear their voices... their songs anymore. It... it was so quiet for all those years!" she gasped as if her breath was being stolen from her, "So quiet... no one there... so quiet... quiet."

She seemed so vulnerable as the memories surged of the life she lived after seeing her parents disappear under the murky waters. The last time she saw their beautiful dorsal sails and glimmering scales or hear their voices, the last of her happy days before she learned about the cruel wild jungles and predators of the terran surface. Distracted and occupied, a window of opportunity to save her skin presented itself if she just jumped on it. Yet for all her desire to live unharmed, Twilight could not make her vocal cords work for the life of her.

"... alone... I just wanted it to... to go back to the way things were! Was that so bad to ask?! Am I just some thing to be cursed while those ponies led such... perfect lives!!" another sound wave blared out and cracked the tile floor beneath her heels in a shocking manner that sent Sparkle backing into the wall behind her missing the door by inches.

Twilight covered her ears as a force that vibrated in the air roared out, bending the steel frame of the stalls as a ball of pressure left a circular dent upon them. Even the counter gave way to the onslaught, which thankfully the women at the end were far enough to go unscathed for the time being. Once the ringing died out, she opened her once squeezed shut eyelids and took in the fresh damage before her. The assault on the toilets clicked something in her brain, the invisible source had just opened up the potential source.

'That's gotta be it! The gem can't contain her desire to control herself, she must have set some kind of ward, like in the manuscript, upon herself. Its like an balloon being squeezed and its strong enough to affect physical objects from the pent up energy she's harboring!' she reeled back again as the siren acted out again.

"Why can't... I... make it... WORK!!!" as she cried out to the heavens where the ceiling panels above caved upwards before showering below from a ravaged main air duct.

Pink fluffy insulation and debris scattered about like snow on a windy day, some of it bounced off Adagio as if a shield protected her. Through watery eyes, Twilight gazed upon the alpha who stood stock still after she unleashed into the sky. Her arms were up as her hands shielded the freshly ringing auditory senses, quaking legs failed to support as she slid down the wall to the floor in utter astonishment. The magic from the gem had showed how powerful it was under a deranged user, the magnificent strength alone demanded respect even as bits and pieces still dropped out of the steel supports above. Even in her petrified state, Twilight managed to consider several applications of such a use running around her like hummingbirds.

Though the moment only lasted barely enough before Adagio dropped to her knees with a loud grunt of defeat. She snapped the human back into her realm just as she began to go off on the battered ground. In an animalistic rage, she pounded the cracked and warped tiles with her fists like a madman trying to reach for water in a desert. Crying as she let the weight on her shoulders she'd been hauling around go after an unbelievable passage of time. A flurry of arms rising and falling, Twilight could somehow watch them in great detail as they moved slowly. She could feel each breath the singer gasped as her movement could be read and seen clearly. Each impact flickered the surviving lights of the bathroom, giving Adagio's temper a godly feel even as she assailed the tiles which held steadfast with closed fists and raspy grunts. The sight burned into the human's memory from the unique ferocity, and would have had her entranced if the sound of bones popping sickeningly hadn't filled her ear canal.

It was then that the Sparkle let go of shielding her hearing and out of her paralyzing watch, that the popping sound had been Adagio's bones giving way to the unyielding concrete foundation of the structure. The gem had lost much of its light and barely showed through her black corset at all. Without thinking, before the Dazzling was about to hurt herself without the pain registering yet. Something deep inside Twilight's chest sent her limbs into action, awkwardly she surged forward and put herself between the injured hands and the floor. The most human feeling imaginable washed over the Sparkle in that instant, she had been compelled to act for the sake of the enraged creature in human form for no other reason other than her want to care for her condition.

She wrapped around the siren's torso, putting a physical barrier between the two opposing sides. Bracing for some kind of physical altercation, Adagio's husky huffs suddenly changed as if on cue. They became mournful hollers as the mere touch from another living soul obliterated the chaos that had controlled her. Though she still struggled to fight, the cache of energy in her pendant had ran out of steam with the welcoming pain of broken bones. Only the small trick of dark magic working to repair her current state told of the fumes she ran off of, a nearly full filled stone emptied in the span of a few minutes. Even that bit of knowledge went over Adagio's head, everything was drowned out and even her nerves were stunned. All she could notice was the warm object holding her up and locked onto her body, which strangely spoke to her in a muffled pillow over Sonata when she wouldn't shut up kind of way.

"Your not alone! You have Sonata, Aria, and me! Stop! Please stop hurting like this!!" Sparkle shouted over the girls bawling to get her words through to her ears, "You have help right here! You will succeed! You will make them all pay for what you've been through! We all will ensure you do! Your pod, me, and Yellow!!"

The twisted and abused hands soon ceased struggling, succumbing to the ravaged state they were in as they began a magical repair with a reddish hue setting them back into place and starting the knitting process. Her arms fell over the young human female in utter defeat, crossed over the back of her neck in an attempt to grasp some kind of support as the last of the negative energy bleed away like water. All that was left were tears and sorrow, the ordeal left her out of it mentally and physically exhausted. The two knelt onto the destroyed floor together, embracing each other as Twilight took it upon herself to whisper reassuring words into the golden sirens ears to calm the weeping. The ruby died out once Adagio gave into the comfort of the student, its brightness became nonexistent as if it never shined as bright as it did. Which thankfully the residual magic had repaired the injuries she sustained, but the remnant pain would last for days to come.

A strange sensation had overcome Twilight who quite literally threw herself into the frying pan and came out without being burned. She had no mental capacity to put any thought into it, she had dedicated herself to soothing the traumatized being in her lowest state she'd seen her in. Only when the siren showed no signs of putting up anymore of a fight did the human let down some of her defensive tension. Repositioning herself to cradle the victim of circumstance whose hands had looked somewhat themselves with minor signs of bruising and redness with no attempts to move them. It all came natural to her, letting the tear soaked face of the rather ancient being nestle into her bosom like a needy child. No other thoughts crossed Twilight, Adagio had done a good job stilling her normally busy mindset as she assumed a helpless state.

"What in TARTARUS happened that we had to silence the entire building for five minutes!!!" Aria's voice echoed as the bathroom door was bashed in by a powerhouse kick.

"Ya what the heck guys..." Sonata stopped mid sentence, both dazzlings came across the annihilated girls room and the four souls inside.

In the epicenter of the damage, were Adagio and Twilight together rocking slowly in unison with the human whispering coos and unintelligible words. Despite her displeasure at having to sing for so long without gaining much negative energy, Aria had been thankful they sang away the experience of the other guests as the entire place shook from what must of been Adagio's outburst. If the two of them could drop their jaws any more, they would have dislocated the joints.

Canterlot Royal Library

The trot to the archives had been a quiet one, when she happened up on Lapis and tried to strike a conversation. She had been met with apologies and tight lips from the cerulean deep blue mare with rutile hair who appeared robotic in her actions, as if mulling over something in her mind. Twilight could not feel any sense of resentment at being politely brushed off, the way their argument ended seemed to be part of a long history between the two. A friendship built upon two perfect personalities, one who edged on the precipice to see the stars while the other held tight to rules and caution that reigned the other in. Similar to how Applejack and Rainbow often bickered during contests, but at least they took it in jest and remained friends. These Adepts were so deep into their studies and classes that they had much more on their plate than her friends, stress and nearsightedness probably tore away at the bridge between them.

The many methods she could use to solve their friendship problem needed an in, and perhaps her princess status could actually serve a purpose for what her title stood for. That's when the light bulb of creativity flared to life, it would be underhanded and quite possibly abuse of power, but did Celestia not do that to her in the past? By sending her to Ponyville where she made the most endearing group of best friends who became saviors of Equestria numerous times? Now they were dealing with a potential threat and these two ponies could very well help in the same manner?

They had time before the Black Tape section would be opened, it was now or never to enact her plan. If not for their sake, rather for the success of their research which needed harmony and a clear mind. Her first ever slumber party had been proof of the complications that arose from harbored ill feelings toward a friend, and it only led to chaos which Discord would only be happy to sit back and watch with pleasure and applause.

As the two stood by the enchanted door, clearing her throat and taking a regal posture, "Adept Lapis, would you mind if I say something before we're allowed in?"

An eyebrow lifted up in curiosity, "Yes Princess Twilight?"

She had altered her tone to that of Celestia when she had something of a life lesson to give or instructions that had to be followed. It felt awful to do such a thing well out of her character, but the fruits were too huge to not try.

"I've come to understand how unsure this whole endeavor is concerning the security of Equestria and the world Sunset Shimmer resides in. As of late, the former student of Princess Celestia has been under duress and suffering from stress induced night terrors, and it pains me to not be there to help her. Although the human versions of my friends are there for her, I'd rather not let us dawdle and waste valuable time or skip over any detail pertinent to our mission. At the princess's order, I was never suppose to mention Sunset's condition as it was deemed classified information due to the circumstances surrounding the pervading nightmares." her impression combined that of Luna and her mentor for a whole new level of seriousness that appeared to work in her favor.

"I would never violate the holy task bestowed upon me Princess, I've been graciously blessed to be the one out of the two hundred current Adepts in the Arcana in Canterlot selected to be of assistance." she bowed out of instinct, "If I may ask Princess... why am I honored to know such a secret Princess Celestia didn't want anypony else to know?"

The pick hit the hay and now she just needed to lift it to find the little mice hiding inside, "I want any help I receive with this task on our hooves to be fully dedicated and cooperative, and under no circumstances will there ever be tension among any of us. A clear mind will be effective, harmony with ensure a stress free environment, and most of all... friendship as colleagues will facilitate out of the box thinking. Something I'm all to familiar with."

"I... I understand Princess, once inside you will never fear of me ruining this opportunity. I pledge my rank and occupation within Scholar Arcana to..." she stopped as soon as her ears swiveled to the sound of hooves tapping.

The two of them looked to the Library's giant doors serving as the entrance, arriving with a saddle bag full of neatly rolled up scrolls was Spectrum himself. He appeared to be normal and content, lacking that air about him that a normal pony would have if they were fighting with a friend. He still had a way to go before he reached the two, and in her peripheral she noticed the mournful look on the azure mare which flashed into a stoic look of determination in moments.

"I pledge my rank and occupation within the Scholar Arcana to be free of trouble once I pass through those doors Princess Twilight. I am but an insect when two entire worlds are banking on our findings." Lapis bowed one more time before she stepped away for Spectrum to join in.

Nonchalantly, the stallion comes to a stop as if just realizing he interrupted something, "Is there something I should know? I mean the Princess didn't mention anything forthcoming before I entered the Archive?"

'And the arrow goes through the apple on the ponies head. Gotcha!' the alicorn looked with the same regal attitude as she had done to the mare.

"It has come to my attention that we must secure the work ethic and atmosphere before we resume the research. As I am aware, you two were given the chance to help Equestria in its time of need, and having said that you have lives of your own. I'm well aware of what can tie up a pony these days so I'm installing a code to follow by if your to join me and Princess Luna. Will you accept?" she maintained the soft but commanding tone.

Her new persona caught Spectrum off guard, as his eyes looked around as if nervous or anticipating an ambush. The fear of the crown as they say had him by the throat for a moment before he lowered his head and starred at the Saddle Arabian roll out rug underneath them.

"Your majesty! I'll agree to whatever your requirements are, if... you tell me what they are before I agree that is?" he had not quite a shaky voice, but something seemed off for a moment, his reaction was a bit more than she expected if not a little exaggerated.

"A previous pupil of Princess Celestia currently resides in the other world, and what I'm about to tell you is classified." she paused for dramatic effect, "A few weeks ago in their time, she started to have night terrors on a daily basis which we believe is no mere coincidence. Princess Celestia never wanted anyone outside the crown to be aware of, and she has yet to tell me why. Which is why we're going to assure her nothing will come of the gem with one hundred percent accuracy, and then try to pinpoint who may have use for it. As of now I am out of contact with Sunset until I find that book we use to communicate with."

"Will we continue on without her further input?" he asked with focused eyes.

"Yes, unfortunately we will have to go on without any updates, though I'm hoping to find that I left that book in the library by accident last time I was here. In any case, this leads to my proposal, you will agree to a set of terms as Adept Lapis has sworn to. Any help to be taken with this task will be fully dedicated and cooperative with all involved, and under no reason should there be disharmony between Princess Luna, Adept Lapis, you Vibrant Spectrum, and I Princess Twilight Sparkle. Harmony with ensure a stress-free friendship as colleagues, and in doing so we will work at peak optimum efficiency for the greater good. Will you take this pledge from the crown, or be barred from being associated with this dire task at hand?" she felt she might have pushed too much of Luna's temperament, but in dealing with this stallion in particular it may of been warranted.

It appeared like he wanted to say something, edged on the tip of his muzzle even though he kept his eyes to her or the ground while in thought. Never noticing Lapis beside her looking with hope, who at least showed promise to hold her word.

Then, his reply sent her aspirations into a spiral like a crashing airboat, "Princess Twilight Sparkle, I Adept Vibrant Spectrum will adhere to your rules concerning this task, I will uphold the tenants of Equestria to any and all species of Equis who may become involved. I will not fail you Princess, nor will I fail myself and my career. The end result will ultimately affect my reputation in the Arcana and abroad, so you have my word." he bowed.

As he did so, Lapis let a second frown cross her face for a sliver of time before her self imposed work ethic pushed it away. At most, she accomplished a forced cohabitation with a bickering duo, they would interact with themselves but otherwise wouldn't seek to personally acquire bonding time with the other. She may have very well made things worse, but since they were unaware of her peeping during their fight this would be a friendship problem she'd have to iron out for a while if she had any trust to her abilities.

She smiled to him as he stood up, maintaining her lack of knowledge of their moment and appearing to be fully worried about what they were there for and nothing more. This night would be a long one, a very uncomfortably tense long one that Luna would likely be lost upon seeing the results of her act as a Princess.

"Now then, once Princess Luna arrives and unlocks the entrance I want the two of you to go through my notes over the gemstone in its current state. Vibrant that will be you, where I lack in understanding of mineral composition you can see if there was anything I may have missed. I was unable to perform any real magic like scans or photographs, so you'll be going over the books where dark magic uses such stones for vile means, your specialty. We have to be sure we're looking at the right facts and breadcrumbs... I was wrong to try and experiment with it, but I had intended to bring it to the Arcana for study before it was stolen.

"Understood Princess!" he looked sternly.

"Be sure to study ever glyph on its surface for what could be rearranged into something dangerous too. Adept Lapis? Please go through the reports by the Night Guard in the recent actions, captures, and killed Shadow Agents for any clues to see if they are connected in any way. Your portal expertise will be valuable in determining the suspects and criminals that could use portal magic or act as conduits. You'll have a long list though, as for I, if you need anything I'll be going throughout the Archive for my book if its there." she finished before breathing deeply.

"By your command Princess, but we... still have an hour or two before the Night Princess arrives. What should we do in the meantime?" the blue coated mage looked with uncertainty.

"Yes, I had hoped we could go in soon and start our work." Vibrant joined still having yet acknowledged presence.

If the two wouldn't talk to each other willingly, then perhaps she could be the medium, "How about I get to know the both of you since we'll be looking through sensitive materials. Trust is key... Tell me Spectrum, how did you become an Adept and sought the Arcana which so few ever are taken in from all across Equestria?"

Canterlot High after the last bell

The day had been a long and unbearable one thanks to Rainbow Dash and her love of teasing, she had witnessed her time with Sentry and wouldn't let up. Each time she thought of telling the others, and knowing Rarity she'd have two girls swooning for details or causing her embarrassment. Fluttershy would likely blush, Applejack would inevitably bring up the thing between Twilight and him and the honesty she should have. Pinkie of course would be the only one in the group who would not cause a ruckus. Rose Luck was nowhere to be seen, but Flash had texted her to meet him after school for more talk of who'd make the team soar in points.

Currently, Sunset waited near the road in front of the campus entrance, that lone infamous road she never would forget. The day had become cloudy, with the sun poking out rarely if any due to the smoke from agricultural burns attracting cloud buildup. The conditions made it easy to stand outside without breaking into a sweat under the sun's intensity, which she had been out in for ten minutes since class let out. Some homework and a textbook served as her seat against the staining grass to her jeans, while the enchanted book she used to contact Twilight sat in her lap as she wrote away.

Throughout the day, she had written thrice in hopes Twilight would write back, but now it just seemed like she was being a little too panicky at the silence. Her last entry simply asked if she was there, so the book would alert its owner who should have been nearby. Now she had a pen poised over the paper sheets awaiting further words to ink into trans-dimensional communicator.

"What's taking so long Twi?" she muttered under her breath.

A long freighter passed by noisily through the green light, its mechanisms chugging along like a tired old man by the sound of it. Lately Equestria has been expanding outward with new residential homes and private estates from the farms and cider drawing in ever more tourists with the advent of the latest smart phones. Making the roads which were normally traversed by small vehicles, cluttered and loud with massive trucks and construction equipment. With Canterlot High on one of the main thoroughfares, sitting outside was never a peaceful one especially with the screech of the brakes fuel trucks and heavy transports high enough in pitch to nearly shatter glass.

She furrowed her brow trying to concentrate on the page, still waiting for the magical appearance of her pen pal or Sentry to come up behind her. Her eyes were found wanting after a few minutes of nothing occurring, which soon she gave herself a break to look up. Few students remained in the area, most had gone home already to their parents or the dorms not far off. For the most part she was alone, just twenty feet away from the statue portal behind her. She starred at the houses across the four lanes of traffic, big two story homes built for big families or the rich which appeared nice and well made for such occupants. Some were spotted with tall cone shaped northern trees which seemed to only grow a longer point towards the sky each year. Sunset rarely looked around the school back then, usually she did her nasty things to the student body and went home to eat and sleep before repeating another day of mayhem. How semi peaceful the area really was actually shined in its brilliance, a perfect man made environment free from predators and populated with safe friendly folks for the most part.

The roads were taken care of so not a pothole was in sight, trees were trimmed accordingly to avoid affecting the power lines, and the city owned sections of grass and side walks were well tended by low wage workers who had good benefits thanks in part to the tourism. Unlike the real Canterlot, the human version was far less seedier without nobles to muck things up, the human lords or businessmen were more insidious in their machinations enough to avoid the obvious. Though she gave little thought to it, she kind of preferred the human nobles who did their thing without being snobs and self entitled as obvious as the ponies did.

To her knowledge, she actually never thought about going back with Twilight after their first encounter. Only that one time to capture her crown element, but even then it was an unpleasant moment of being a pony once more. Sure the magic was a plus, but being bipedal and far more dexterous had won her over. Hands made life all the more easier and less tiring than mana exhaustion. There were so many pluses to this world that kept her addicted to it, even though she knew it would be doomed in a hundred years from now if the race did not divorce from fossil fuels and its constant warring with itself. She was just lucky the portal was in one of the more tamer countries and one whose country hadn't been thrown into an all out slug fest between super powers. That would have her mind set in reverse and wanting to stay in Equestria no matter how much she still despised the Princess.

As her mind wondered the many thoughts of life and her place in it, her peripherals caught movement to her right. Shaking her head, she looked and saw something slither just out of her view before her head could turn fast enough. Her eyes could only see the black thing disappear behind the other side of the school like a scurrying skunk or rat. She would have disregarded it if it didn't appear to her left after a white truck passed by, the same black thing just in the corner of her vision. It appeared just out of the tailgate portion of the vehicle where she turned her head to try and see it in full view. Only the lone bush on the school grounds obscured it without a rustle.

"Whaa...?" she stood up and tried to see if the creature from the forests beyond was some kind of lost fox or opossum.

Then it happened, her eyes scanned around the marble horse and the portal when something absolutely terrifying made an appearance. She froze in place as her eyes widened to impossible widths, her jaw slack, and her breathing all but halted. What she witnessed appearing before her was not some small rodent or mammal, as much as she wished it was a lone wolf or coyote. She wanted to scream, the desire was hard pressed to force air through her vocal cords if only her body were not in shock. Her mind ablaze wishing that the moment was just her imagination and she could blink it all away, but no matter how much she squeezed her eyelids, it remained.

The statue of Canterlot's mascot stood in all its glory as the stallion reared up, the stone base clean and well polished by the janitorial staff. However, on the left side of it from her perspective, a black winged arm outstretched and loudly pounded the pavement around the monument with heavy weight. It was a familiar wing to be sure, three phalanges which stretched out the membrane in its obsidian darkness, with three white clawed fingers suited for grasping or walking flared out on the ground. Another arm appeared to grasp the statue with the clicking of its claws on the hard stone surface, as if to lift its body from out of thin air. She could hear a soft rumble akin to a growl in the background, where the thing pulled its head and chest into view as if emerging from a pit. Black scales, spiked dorsal frill, and entrancing pearl pink eyes atop a many horned head of a giant lizard appeared in all its menacing glory. It was none other than the Wyvern from her nightmares, and she was not dreaming nor napping to her behest.

Not forty feet away the vile beast lugged its weight out from behind the statue all the while starring at her, its stout clawed legs stomping to support its main body. Snarling and glaring at her with deathly intent, it wanted her like it did in the dreams that instilled insomnia and fear in its highest degree. Even the long tail behind it whipped around and even made the scraping noise accordingly as it swept across concrete and grass. It stood as tall as the statue if not more, and with a wingspan of a school bus, its impressive body had only her attention and no one else for the strangest reason. Talons screeched on the ground as it set itself for a pounce, sneering at her with a fanged maw that could tear through a bull in seconds from the number of razor sharp teeth she counted.

For all her worth, her legs couldn't move no matter how much she tried. She was paralyzed before the devourer, and no one did a thing to help nor react. Even the sound of traffic behind her was minute and minimal in its sound signature, all the variables she took in with confusion.

"Hey Sunset!"

The faux dragon poised to leap and feast upon her feeble form as it always did.

"Shimmer!!"

Those eyes that haunted her so many nights ago, now blaring with intensity of an acetyl torch. Hands gripped her shoulders as something shook her just when the black Wyvern pounced at her.

"SUNSET!"

"GAAHHH!!" she stumbled from the grip and fell on her backside in pain onto the hard pavement.

"Sunset! What's wrong?! You were just standing there locked in place. No matter what I said you didn't say a thing?" a familiar male voice graced her ears as the most calming thing she'd heard since the moment before the vile creature showed itself. She violently shook her head and slapped her temples to regain function. Hands and arms enveloped her as support during her moment of recovery, someone held her up while another hand stopped her ministrations to her head.

"Sunny! Calm down!" she struggled against the grip futility.

She opened her eyes again and no longer was there a living engine of destruction charging at her. Instead, the worried face of Flash and Rose who held her still who kept asking her to settle down. She had yet to realize she was tearing up from the experience, and simply looked to the both of them dumbfounded.

She became even more shocked when Rose appeared to have watery eyes, and flash holding to keep her up beside her knelt down with her. One of his hands holding one of hers softly yet firmly to cease her self inflicted abuse and the anxiety attack she overcame, it was warm and comforting to feel the sensation of another hand on hers. Eyes were looking everywhere for the reptile as if it would show up at a second's notice, but it never appeared. All she could see was Luck and Sentry before her, with no danger present she had been left in a state of post alarm for a moment which earned a couple weird looks from the rare students still around. Wordlessly sitting with two friends before a calming feeling washed over her and settled her nerves like a mother would a foal. Her body felt as if it dipped into a hot tub, and her mind under the effects of camomile tea.

Rose brushed away a couple tears caused from her worry, but not without looking Sunset in the eyes with a seriousness she'd yet seen, "What happened Sunset?! Tell me what just happened?"

"What?" the former unicorn asked completely out of it.

"You spaced out, you were hyperventilating... we tried to snap you out of it but nothing worked until you reacted to something." Sentry explained still cradling her.

"You were... crying Shimmer! Why?!" Rose pressed as her hands still held her own.

She did not know how to explain it all, she couldn't even begin to comprehend what occurred. Something seriously wrong with her had just peaked and now it would likely become an ongoing issue if she knew her history with fortune. As much as she wanted to divulge what she saw, these two were still new to her situation and likely wouldn't believe her no matter how real the event seemed. From every sound to the feel of the lizards breath, who would believe her dream had suddenly become real for a moment?