//------------------------------// // 2.0 … In Which Rarity Is Distraught Over The Bathing Arrangements … // Story: Through A Darkened Mirror // by Dorath //------------------------------// The six girls sat awkwardly on the plank benches in the back of a van, as the man who had introduced himself with the bizarre name of “Johnny Retro” drove them through the dark city, trailing along behind Sunset’s motorcycle. “So, Twi’,” Applejack said in a hushed voice, “Since Ah’m thinkin’ that this ain’t tha world ya wanted us ta visit, do ya have any ideas about us goin’ home?” “Until I have a better understanding of how magic works in this world, or if we even have our magic, I’d be operating purely on guesswork,” Twilight whispered back to the farmpony, “We’ll just have to try and not attract any attention to ourselves while I do some research.” “At least we have a place to stay,” Rarity pointed out, “Even if Sunset Shimmer isn’t being particularly gracious about it.” “Yeah, she’s acting like a real grumpy-Gus,” Pinkie added as she bounced idly on the bench, “Hasn’t anypony told her that that’s no way to make new friends?” “But we aren’t her friends, at least, not yet,” Fluttershy murmured, “To Sunset, we’re just six mares that she is suddenly responsible for, I-I might feel a little put-upon too, if it happened to me.” “So we play it cool and try to make nice with Sunset Shimmer while Twilight figures out how to get us home,” Rainbow proclaimed with an indifferent shrug, “What I want to know is what’s so dangerous around here that Sunset has to keep a weird-looking crossbow on her, whatdidya call it, motorcycle, and have a second weapon on her too?” “It’s a rifle, Rainbow, not a crossbow,” Twilight patiently informed the athlete, “And Sunset is carrying a pistol, a smaller, less dangerous weapon that is mainly intended for personal defense,” she frowned, “Actually, I’m pretty sure that Mister Retro is carrying a pistol as well.” The girls exchanged troubled looks as the van turned to follow Sunset into a dark parking structure and up three ramps to stop alongside where the flame-haired girl had parked, “Here’s your stop girls,” Johnny said, as he slipped around the van to open the sliding door, “Mind what Sunset says, but don't let her run roughshod over you. Sunset has trouble dealing with people, but she's damn loyal if you can get on her good side.” Getting back in and closing the door, he waved to Sunset as she approached, “The Doc will be in touch,” he added, before driving away and leaving them to the mercies of their rather unenthusiastic caretaker. Sunset looked them over with a sour expression as she adjusted the rifle slung over her shoulder, “Well, let's get this train-wreck over with, come on.” Leading the group over to a door, she punched a code into the adjacent keypad, “Welcome to the Royale Apartments,” she added sardonically. A hallway led past a set of twelve doors (six on each side) to end at an elevator. Leading the girls halfway down the hall, Sunset stopped to punch more numbers into a keypad before opening a door and waving them through into a room with a hallway branching off from one side. As the Equestrians started to spread out into the room, Sunset shot a pair of deadbolts home on the closed door and then coughed loudly to get their attention, “Well … this is my place, I need to get changed, so you all can grab a seat. The bathroom is the first door down the hall, and there ought to be some drinks in the fridge.” Twilight and the others scattered around what was apparently a combination living room and kitchen. Fluttershy and Pinkie started poking around with the appliances that folded out of the kitchen wall, while Rarity and Applejack contented themselves with merely taking seats on the battered coach. Twilight inspected the small collection of what she assumed were entertainment media on a shelf under the wall-mounted television, until she stumbled across Beauty and her Beasts V, after which she retreated to a chair to try to control her furious blushing. Rainbow had found the refrigerator and immediately began rooting around inside, “Wow, she sure has a lot of bottled water. Let's see … 'Fizzypop' … 'Soymilk' … 'Brain-Burn Cola' … 'Synth-Orange' … Oh, this looks good, 'Tío Miguel's Old Fashioned Hard Cider'!” “No, Rainbow,” Rarity declared firmly. “But, the cider!” Rainbow protested, “And Sunset said we could have drinks!” “Ah'm with Rares on this one, RD,” Applejack agreed with the fashionista, “Jus’ because Sunset gave us access ta her fridge don’t mean we should be raidin’ her liquor none.” As Rainbow pouted, Sunset finally returned, having swapped out her biker leathers for a ratty set of pajama bottoms and a tank top, with a pillow and some blankets in her arms, “Okay, so it looks like you already found the NutriSoy dispenser. The cabinet below it is full of MREs, and there's whatever is in the freezer. The drawer on the left has soy sauce and hot sauce packets if you want to spice things up some. As for bathing, I've been gone for most of the week, so the water ration should have enough left for three showers.” “So only three of us can have a shower tonight?” Rarity asked, clearly hoping she had misheard the older girl. “Tonight? I mean three showers total for the whole week!” Sunset began laughing as the fashionista recoiled in horror, “You could fit two of you in the stall, I guess, if you're real friendly,” the flame-haired girl smirked at her guests for a moment before continuing, “There's more bottled water and alcohol-wipes under the sink for the rest of us.” “Anyway, some of my clothes might fit you, and you got my bed, the coach and easy chairs, and my sleeping bag for sacking out, I left the spare pillows and sheets on the bed.” “Wait jus’ one danged second, if we have yer bed where are ya goin’ ta sleep?” “On the floor, of course.” Applejack opened her mouth to protests, but reluctantly relented when Rarity put a hand on her arm and shook her head at the blonde girl, “Thank you, Miss Sunset, for your hospitality,” she said as graciously as she could manage after her recent shock, before looking at her friends and nodding towards the bedroom, “Fillies? I think we should prepare for bed ourselves ….” The six friends made their way into the small bedroom, where a still fuming Applejack vented her ire as soon as the door was closed, “It ain’t right, Sunset shouldn't be sleepin’ on tha floor in her own home!” Rarity sighed as she put an understanding hand on the irate farmpony's shoulder, “And what would you do, Applejack darling, if you had more guests than beds at Sweet Apple Acres?” “Why me or Big Mac would give one of ‘em our bed … Oh.” “Doctor Razor and Mister Retro did say that Sunset was a good pony,” Fluttershy reminded them, “She just seems kinda bad at showing it.” “Oh, oh! I know, we can give Sunny friendship lessons while we're here!” Pinkie chirped happily as she bounced on the bed. Twilight exchanged amused looks and rolled eyes with her other friends, “Maybe we will, Pinkie, maybe we will.” ________________________________________ Twilight rubbed at her eyes as she sat up in the sleeping bag, the muted sounds of her friends' conversations leaking through the closed door of the bedroom, blearily throwing on some clothes, she shuffled towards the kitchen in search of liquid stimulants. “Morning, Twi-Twi!” Pinkie greeted her from where she sat on the floor, eyes glued to something on the television. “Coffee ….” “Right this way, darling,” Rarity assured Twilight as she got up to guide her friend's stumbling steps over to the small kitchen table, “Here, drinks this 'Soykaf' while Fluttershy and Applejack are finishing cooking breakfast.” “We're just re-heating precooked servings,” Fluttershy disagreed with a small frown of disappointment, “I'm not sure Sunset could do any real cooking with these appliances.” “What would she cook?” Applejack added in disgust, “Look at this stuff, 'AlmostEgg', 'BacoSoy' an’ that 'Synth-Orange' instead of actual juice, it's like these poor ponies have heard of real food, but never seen it.” “Where is Sunset, anyway?” Twilight glanced around for their host as she sipped from her mug. “Gone,” Applejack answered with a shrug, “She left while most of us were still sawin’ logs, an' told me that we was ta 'stay out of trouble'.” Twilight nodded, absently wrapping the plates in Fluttershy's hands in a steadying magenta aura as she finished her soykaf, “ … What?” “Darling, you have your magic!” Rarity exclaimed, as Pinkie, Fluttershy and Applejack cheered. Grinning excitedly, Twilight levitated the still sleeping Rainbow, chair and all, several feet into the air before gently returning her to the floor, and then teleported into the bedroom and back to the table in a pair of magenta flashes. Having watched Twilight's little display, Rarity took a moment to concentrate, and a pale blue aura filled the room as tossed aside bedding and discarded clothing levitated over to pile in the unoccupied easy chair. With a short, satisfied nod, Rarity leaned back in her seat, “So, what shall we do today, fillies?” “Actually, I was thinking we could go out and have a look around?” Twilight suggested, “Possibly learn a little about this 'metroplex' we're in?” Fluttershy frowned slightly, “But didn't Sunset say not to get into trouble?” she protested quietly. “We won't get into any trouble,” the librarian assured her timid friend, “We won't go very far, and Rarity and I have our magic just in case anything does happen. I know it will be a little scary, but we do need information so I can get us home, and this will give all of you a chance to experience life as a human,” her four friends eventually nodded, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, “Great!” “Pinkie, darling, would you be a dear and wake up Rainbow Dash's lazy bones so we can all eat breakfast?” “Okey-dokey-lokey!” ________________________________________ Dressed in a dark skirt suit under a reinforced military greatcoat, the raven-haired woman presented an unusual, if intimidating, appearance as she went through a series of image files and notes on her PDA, “Is this everything?” she asked, her Russian accent clear as she glanced up to where Sunset stood waiting patiently across the desk. “Yes, Ma'am,” Sunset nodded, “I wasn't able to get into the offices or main condoplex, but I did manage to get limited access to the staff area for a while, and I got a good close-up of some of the maglocks into the public areas.” The razorgirl resisted the urge to shuffle her feet nervously, she would not act anything but the complete professional in front of Mercy, “Ma’am? If I may ask … why did you choose me for this job, brush-ups really aren't my specialty ….” “So vhy did I send you instead of bloodhound?” the older woman's lips quirked in a faint smile, “Because sometimes I vant volfhound's perspective, da?” Sliding a data-chip out of the mini-computer and pocketing it, Mercy pulled out a pair of credsticks and tossed them to Sunset, “Your pay for Adriaansen reconnaissance, and bonus for Cihuateteo Labs job last veek, client vas very happy vith additional files and samples that you brought back.” “You are showing lot of potential, Sunset, keep up good vork,” Mercy added, waving the younger girl out as she turned her attention back to her PDA. “Thank you, Ma'am,” Sunset slipped out and closed the door, before leaning against the wall, hoping that the DJ Pon-3 song the club's staff was currently playing would cover her muffled squeal, 'Mercy thinks I'm showing potential! She thinks I'm doing good work! Yes, yes, yes!' eventually she got herself under control, and Sunset headed down the back stairs, bouncing along to the song, 'Maybe I could grab some breakfast for those girls ….' ________________________________________ Her hands full of bags of breakfast sandwiches and hash brown patties from You Shouldn’t Eat So Much, Sunset kneed the door of her apartment open, “Hey, corp-girls, I brought food!” When her proclamation failed to draw a response, Sunset dropped the bags on the kitchen table and looked around, ‘Pillows and blankets are folded and stacked on the chair … dishwasher is running ... no sign of a fight or esper activity … front door was still locked …’ “Oh, those fragging idiots!” Spinning around, Sunset rushed out the door only to nearly run over her neighbor, “Mrs. Diaz, sorry! Did you see a pack of teenage girls leave my place?” “Sí, I saw them when Isabela and Ximena left for school. They said they were going out to have a look around,” the older woman smiled as she patted Sunset’s shoulder, “It’s good to see you making amigas, Aurora, you are alone too much for such a pretty young lady.” “What, friends, yes,” the flame-haired girl replied distractedly, “Thanks, Mrs. Diaz, I really should go and find them.” Excusing herself, Sunset almost ran back to the parking garage, ‘It’s only been about thirty-minutes and they’re on foot, they can’t have gotten into too much trouble … Oh Lord, let me find them before they get really hurt,’ she prayed desperately as she kicked in her synaptic accelerators and stretched her legs out into a flat run for her bike.