//------------------------------// // 6 - You're Gonna Sing the Words Wrong // Story: Hell & High Water // by Uria the Sacred Beast //------------------------------// Sunset blinked, staring up at the ceiling in mild confusion. Her mind was still fuzzy from the last few hours and being thrust back into the realm of the living so suddenly wasn’t exactly helping her situation. Blinking off the light dizziness, she looked around the room. One of the nurses was frozen in place, staring at her with her mouth wide as she backed up against the wall, “Y-You… What was that?!” “I’m...sorry?” Sunset pulled herself up into a sitting position, “What’s wrong?” “You… You were dead! Your heart stopped!” The nurse backed away, “This isn’t possible!” “My heart…?” Sunset’s hand gravitated to her chest, feeling the organ pumping rhythmically within. A few inches up, she felt something tink against her hand. It didn’t take her much thought to determine what it was. “Ma’am? Is there a mirror nearby?” “...Yes.” She said, wearily, after a moment, “Let me go get it for you…” She backed out of the room. Sunset looked down at herself. Aside from the green hospital gown that had replaced her normal clothing, the cuts and bruises on her arms had gone entirely, though she was starting to see what Crescendo had meant. Her skin had lost its golden hue, now appearing as a sandy color, more...washed out. She needed that mirror. Instead, her doctor and the other nurses flooded into the room. “Amazing…” Doctor Horse’s eyes widened at the girl who had somehow brought herself back from death, but now looked vastly different. “I’m telling you, she was glowing! And that amulet thing just appeared around her neck!” The nurse said. Tenderheart brushed her off. “You said you wanted a mirror?” She brought in a wheelchair, “There’s one in the bathroom, if we can get you out of bed.” “If you can take the IV out and get my limbs down, I’d like to stand.” She responded, suddenly feeling nervous as everyone crowded around her. This was bad. Magic was on the verge of leaking out in a considerably noticeable way. She needed a plan. “Oh no, with that frostbite of yours, there’s no way you’d be able to use your legs.” Doctor Horse said. He looked at the nurses, “Go ahead and get her into the bathroom.” Sunset was hit with another wave of dizziness, realizing how seriously screwed up she had been, “It was...that bad?” She curled her hands into fists as well as she could with the wrappings, feeling herself shake. “Keep the IV.” Tenderheart said, getting the other nurses to help Sunset with her bandaged limbs. Together, they hoisted her gently onto the wheelchair and rolled her into the bathroom, turning on the lights. “Ugh, these bandages make me feel stiff.” She complained, “Are you sure I can’t-?” Sunset stopped when she noticed her reflection. That...wasn’t her. Her head of red and yellow hair had shortened, recovered from whatever ordeal the students had put it through, from mid back to now being just neck length. All traces of red had disappeared from her hair entirely, now a light slate blue, the yellow having paled a few shades as well. The skin along her body had indeed lightened considerably. In the many times Sunset had visited Canterlot Castle’s forbidden section of the library, she knew this wasn’t that shocking. Dark magic was never meant to be used for defensive skills, such as shielding or healing spells. It could be, in fact it proved to be more powerful than its light magic counterpart in ancient documents, but it tended to have strange side effects on the target. Beyond that, no healing spell was perfect, so extensive damage would sometimes not heal fully. Sunset leaned forwards in the chair, tilting her head to the right as she saw the scar on her left cheek more clearly. It was hidden well thanks to the change in skin tone, but under close examination she could see the lines forming the shape of a jagged sun. “...” Sunset started to shake again, tears pooling in her eyes. She had come back, but...this was so much to take in already. Her eyes fell to the red amulet around her neck. The entire reason she had managed to come back. Finally given the chance and so overwhelmed, Sunset broke, head ducking as the tears began to fall. She attempted to hide her face in her hands, but her bandaged arms restricted such movement. The staff stood outside the door, listening to the girl sob quietly and shuffling on their feet. Tenderheart knocked on the door, “...Tell us when you’re ready to get back into bed, my dear.” “I can’t stay here! Confined like this.” The claustrophobia began to set in. She could hardly move her arms at all, only movable from the shoulder thanks to the thick bandaging. She attempted to stand, legs having less restriction. It was awkward and heavy, but she found that her legs were just as strong as they were before. “I’m...I’m checking out today.” Sunset called, managing to rest her arms on the sink while trying to find a less awkward footing. “Well… We’ll see what we can do for you, but I can make no promises.” Dr. Horse said doubtfully from the other side of the door. “I’m gonna be leaving with my friend! That’s all there is to it!” Sunset glared into the mirror, feeling anger begin to bubble up in her chest. Gilda was going to pay for this. Her cronies were going to pay. The girls were going to pay. Anon-a-Miss was going to suffer. Sunset shook her head. ‘Priorities, Sunset. Priorities.’ “You nor your friend are in any shape to be leaving tonight.” Tenderheart said, “I know that you’re both eager to see your families, and we’ll contact them if you’d like. But you’ll be spending the night so we can get you accustomed to everything.” “I don’t need to get accustomed to anything. Where are my clothes?” Sunset asked, brushing it off. “Listen, I know that you’re having trouble with the prospects of your new life, but we have plenty of professionals to help you, alright?” Tenderheart sighed, “As for your clothes, they were disposed of. Both yours and Ms. Dash’s clothes were heavily bloodied.” Sunset chuckled, muttering to herself, “I doubt this is the kind of thing you can help me with.” She looked at her amulet, wondering, “...ahhh.” It came out more as a released breath than a musical note and only left her feeling like an idiot rather than having any desired affect. “Are you ready to get back into bed?” Tenderheart asked. “I don’t want to get back in the bed!” Sunset slammed her arms down on the sink, the casts making a loud bang on the porcelain. The group flinched, waiting for a shout of pain to erupt from the bathroom. It never came. Tenderheart opened the door nonetheless, and paused when she saw Sunset standing up with little problems. “...Oh my God…” Her eyes widened. “More and more miracles.” Dr. Horse muttered to himself, “This needs to be studied and shared.” Sunset winced, panic flaring, “No! This has to stay quiet!” Her tone had shifted, voice coming out more melodious as her eyes began to glow. The eyes of the doctor and nurses glowed green in response, “...Yes. We need to keep this under wraps.” Tenderheart nodded to the rest, “This never happened.” Sunset blinked, realizing what she had done, “How about getting these casts off?” “Those wraps are for your own safety.” Tenderheart responded, shaking off the zombified look as her Heart stopped glowing. Another blink, glancing back at her new accessory. ‘How in the world do I work this thing?’ Sunset shook her head, “When can I get out of here? I’m the picture of health...and where’s Rainbow Dash?” “After I do a few blood tests, and we’re sure that your body can handle the outside world again. If it makes you feel better, we’ll take off the leg wraps and see how your skin’s doing.” Dr. Horse answered. “And Dash is asleep, don’t bother her.” Another nurse warned. That annoyed her, “I’d like the bandages off, yes. Free movement is nice.” “Let’s get you back in bed, then.” Tender motioned, offering her weight to support Sunset. The pale girl sighed. Getting out of here wouldn’t be a one step solution, but it at least gave her time to figure things out. She allowed herself to lean on Tenderheart, making it far easier to maneuver with another guiding her. “How is Dash doing?” “She’s stable.” The nurse smiled gently at her, “And resting. Her body’s fighting a small infection, but she’s handling it well.” “So she’ll be fine?” Sunset asked again. Rainbow had looked pretty bad from what she had seen back at the hotel. Though to be fair, she hadn’t been looking too hot herself. “The only thing that… Possibly might be damaged is her mind. She lost a lot of blood, and it’s possible that she may suffer some mental shortcomings for it, not to mention her own frostbite. ...She’ll survive, though.” “How bad is the frost? ...Mental shortcomings?” Sunset’s eyes widened slightly. “Not the worst case we’ve ever seen, but still pretty severe.” Tenderheart got to work on unwrapping her legs gently. “Mental shortcomings, what does that mean?” Sunset asked again, more urgently. The idea of her friend being brain damaged from the ordeal only rattled her further, tears threatening to reemerge. “The damage to her mind may cause some seizure episodes, and it appears Rainbow Dash may have lost her arms to the cold.” Tenderheart explained. “W-what!?” Sunset gasped, standing up from the bed to move the curtain aside. “No, my dear. It’s not good for you to see this…” Tenderheart grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back. “I saw her with a knife in her stomach. I can take it.” Sunset brushed her off, shoving the curtain aside. Rainbow had been dressed in a similar manner to her, a green tunic covering her. Her arms were lifted into the air, wrapped in similar layers of gauze. More bandages could be seen on her face and Sunset had a feeling that she’d find more under the gown if she checked. “...Dash.” A wave of guilt washed forwards. ‘She’s here because of you.’ “...Let’s get you back into bed.” Tenderheart suggested again, pulling Sunset away softly. Sunset’s attention was diverted to a table next to Dash’s bed, “What’s that?” An old leather bound book sat on the surface, a crest of some sort decorated the cover. “...Hmm. I don’t know what that is. I don’t think her father was allowed in here yet, either.” Sunset grabbed the book, flipping through a few pages, eyes widening, “...I’ll return to my bed now. This is mine. I simply mistook it for something else.” “Alright then.” The nurse shrugged, helping Sunset to her bed. “Now, I’m going to be at the nurses’ station down the hall. If you need anything, just press this button.” She pointed to the button on the bed that simply read, ‘nurse’. “Of course.” Sunset nodded, cracking open the book and began to read a foreword that had been scribbled onto the first page. ‘Greetings, Stanza. Sadly we simply did not have the time to talk at length, and there are so many things to speak of as well:’ Sunset could only assume this was Crescendo. ‘The full history of our people, our culture, abilities, and many more subjects that I have filled this book with. I have been searching for a proper successor for what feels like an eternity now. I’m very happy to have finally found one in you. Before you delve into this journal any further, I’m sure you’re worried about your friend. Worry not, page 394 contains one of our more advanced healing spells that you should be able to perform with relative ease. Outside of this, I recommend letting your new powers settle for some time. Your shift in arcane physiology may affect you otherwise. I wish you luck.’ Sunset smiled softly, appreciating the note and skipped forwards to the page in question. She scanned over it for a few minutes, feeling her heart sink a little. Knowing the pendent was a compound of multiple types of magic was one thing, but the spell on the page was one of the dark magic variety. One very similar to what brought her back it seemed. She frowned, remembering the last time she had wielded dark magic. The power. The pain. She shuddered at the memory, but glancing at Dash again… Seizures. Lost her arms. Brain damage. There was no debating. Sunset moved herself from the bed once more, walking over to Dash’s cot and took a deep breath. She held out her arms and gently set her hands over Dash’s midsection. She searched for the magic. Nothing. Sunset shut her eyes, growling. Where was it? Something sparked inside her. Short, fleeting, but red hot. Sunset thought back to another trip to the forbidden wing. “Light magic. Chaos magic. Dark magic.” She breathed, “Mind. Will. Emotion.” She dug into her memories, grabbing the first one that surfaced. “No. You aren’t ready.” Even after all this time, that still struck a chord in her. The spark ignited, flaring out through her as her hands illuminated in dark magic. Sunset pressed her hands down onto Rainbow, gritting her teeth, and weaving the spell across her form as the injuries began to heal. It took a few more minutes before Sunset cut the spell. She felt drained again, emotionally and physically. The spell had taken a lot out of her and focusing on a particularly bitter memory wasn’t helping that much. Pulling back from the side of the bed, Sunset sighed, looking Dash over. Her breath suddenly hitched. Nearly the same spell that had...shit. Dash’s skin wasn’t regaining its hue from the frost. As a matter of fact, she began to pale. Sunset stared in morbid fascination as the blue skin began losing its color. Fascination turned to panic as it spread to her hair, the rainbow scheme washing out as the torn patches regrew - shorter now. The colors were getting harder to tell apart. Red and orange were hardly distinguishable between each other, green and purple both looked like varied shades of gray. The only clear colors still recognizable were blue and yellow, even then, still faded. Sunset stumbled back, collapsing back on the bed, “...oh...Dash.” She winced. On one hand, the spell would save her from whatever was out of the hospital’s league to prevent and then some, but now they were both in the same boat. With a resigned sigh, she looked away, not needing anymore guilt at the moment. She pulled herself back into a resting position and returned her attention to the book, “May as well start from the beginning.” She paused a few moments in however, glancing back at her right hand. “...” For a brief second, it began to glow that blue and black once more, the power returning to her senses. After the glow faded away, she returned her attention to the pages, however hesitantly. Rainbow Dash awoke feeling light headed. Granted this wasn’t the first time she’d woke up in a bed feeling sick, but given how quickly the previous hours returned to her, it was particularly powerful. She shot up in her bed, “Sunset!” “Easy, Rainbow!” The familiar voice came from her left. Dash jerked her head to the left, eyes wide, “SUN-!” And her face managed to twist in both confusion and horror. First in seeing a girl that was not Sunset that sounded so similar, and second in seeing another one of those amulets. “AH!” “No, no, Dash! Its me!” Still sounded like Sunset. “...sunset?” She asked quietly. “What...happened?” “A lot.” She rubbed her forehead, setting down the book she had been reading. “We’re gonna have a bit to discuss when we get out of here.” Rainbow nodded, “Are you okay?” Sunset blanked in response, “You wake up in a hospital bed and your first reaction is to ask if I’m okay?” Dash shook her head, giving her a sad smile, “That’s how friendship works, Sun.” She smiled, sending a thankful gaze over at her, “Thank you, really, and I am.” Rainbow grinned, giving a thumbs up, freezing when she saw her own hand, “Wahhhh!” “Yeah...there were...side effects.” Sunset sighed, “The nurse said that you were going to lose most of your arms to the frostbite, lost enough blood to threaten brain damage. I...found a healing spell and did what I could.” Dash looked down at herself and examined her shortened hair to the best of her ability, “...this...how do I look?” She asked nervously. Sunset offered a calm smile, “Still awesome.” Any tension in Dash’s muscles relaxed as she laughed, “Well, thanks for fixing me. Brain damage would kinda suck.” “I can imagine, and it's the least I could do after everything you’ve done for me. Again, sorry I wasn’t able to avoid this part.” She gestured to Dash. “Better than losing arms.” Dash scoffed, “And I don’t look that bad really, not from what I can see...so, can we leave?” Sunset closed her book, “Was waiting for you to wake up. Think I’ve managed to figure out how to work this thing.” She rubbed the gem with her thumb. “Yeah, you gonna explain that part?” She shifted in place, pulling her covers down and sliding over to sit on the edge of the bed. “Oh...right. I’m kind of a siren now.” She answered hesitantly. “What?” “Yeah, uh, let’s talk about this further at your house, okay?” Sunset sighed, “It's complicated.” “When isn’t it?” She responded with another sigh. “So...we just gonna walk outta here?” “Call a nurse, have us dismissed, get your dad to drive us back to your place I’m thinking.” Sunset pressed the call button. “How are you going to do that?” Sunset pat the book with a smile, “I’ve got us covered.” It didn’t take long for a nurse to come in, “Can I help you? …” She paused, eyes widening as she looked over at Dash, “O-Oh my. Miss Dash, you’re awake!” As soon as the words had left her mouth, her senses were met with what was easily the most beautiful tune she had ever heard. Things seemed to cloud around her, focusing in on the music intently. She began to sway a little, her eyes glowing green. “I’m going to need you to get Doctor Horse, and do forget what you saw in here.” The source of the singing requested. Rainbow stared on, eyes wide. “Yes, yes, I think it’s time that I got the doctor to see you.” The nurse nodded, turning around and heading out the door. “Yeah...you’re gonna fucking explain that.” Dash blinked. Sunset smiled a bit, admiring the pendant again, “I could get used to this.” Dash sent Sunset an odd look, but smothered the feeling, deciding it wasn’t an issue. Sunset relaxed on her cot, ready to start once more as soon as the doctor arrived. “Nurse Snowheart was telling me that you needed to ask me something?” Dr. Horse asked as he walked through the door to their room, “And Dash, I see you’re awake.” He nodded, before doing a double-take, “Wait… What happened here?!” He asked. “Now now Doctor Horse, no need to be worried. Everything is fine now.” Sunset smiled, music filling the room once more, “I just wished to make a few simple requests. Nothing wrong with that, right?” “...Right.” He nodded, his movements forced and zombie-like, “What kind of requests?” “Three simple little things. Firstly, alongside myself, you and your fellow staff will not speak about what happened here with Rainbow Dash. Secondly, I want any records of us being here today wiped from your records. Finally, we’ll be checking out now. Alright?” Dash watched in fascination as the familiar look appeared in Horse’s eyes again. This wasn’t like the subtle push the Dazzlings had pulled in the lunchroom, this was more like at the finale. This was a siren at full power. She couldn’t help herself, seeing Sunset with a mind control spell again. Dash shivered. He nodded, “Yes. This will be forgotten entirely. There will be no need for paperwork for clearance, have a good night, ladies.” And with that, the doctor headed out of the room. Sunset clapped her hands, “And that’s that.” “What about clothes?” Dash asked. “...I...uh, I only had the one pair…” Sunset muttered. “...” Dash stared at Sunset for a moment before shrugging, “I’ll let you borrow some of mine. My dad probably brought some after all. He’s had his own hospital experiences in the past.” She nodded, getting up. “Thanks.” She sighed in response, glad that she wouldn’t be stuck in the hospital gown, ‘Shame...I liked that jacket.’ They exited the room, making their way through the corridors of the hospital until they finally found their way to the nurse station. “Dad!” Dash called when they got to the waiting room. Blaze stood up rapidly from where he was sitting, nearly pushing the large suitcase next to him to the floor, “DASHIE?!” His eyes widened, looking between her and Sunset. “What the hell is going on?! You, you both just disappear, then I’m told you’re both dying, and you two just show up like nothing’s happened?!” His body was shaking, his expression somewhere between anger and fear. Dash ran up to him, wrapping him in a hug. Sunset hung back, letting them have their moment, “I’m really sorry! We didn’t know what we were getting into!” He held her tightly against him, “You two… You two really have some explaining to do!” He said more to Dash than to Sunset, “Where’s your doctor?” “Uhh...dunno?” Dash grinned worriedly. He sighed, “Is this some of that magic stuff you were telling me about?” Blaze asked. “And are you going to tell me why you look like this?” “Yeah, but can we get some clothes first?” Dash chuckled nervously, “Things are a bit too breezy at the moment.” Blaze blinked for a moment before letting go of her, “Ah! Right.” He wheeled the suitcase over to her, “Half of the clothes are yours, half are mine… Just, go get dressed, and I’ll meet you in the car.” Dash grabbed two of her standard outfits and tossed a pair of clothes to Sunset, “See ya in a sec!” They both darted into the restroom, ditching their gowns and slipping out the front door, now dressed identically. Blaze had pulled the car around to the front, waiting for them. “Thanks, Mr. Blaze.” Sunset sighed, collapsing inside the car, feeling, well, dead. “...It’s nothing, I just wish I understood what’s going on.” He sighed, looking back at the two through the rearview mirror, “Let me drive you home, Sunset.” “Actually dad, can she stay with us for a bit?” Dash interjected, “Her parents have been out of town for awhile on a trip and I don’t want her alone right now.” Sunset flinched, unsure of implications that Dash making that up on the fly meant to her. Blaze nodded, “I’m sure that’ll be fine. ...But I’d be out of the way when your mom gets here. Let me calm her down before she sees… the, uh, changes.” He sighed, “She’s going to be freaked out enough as it is.” “Mom’s coming?” She blinked, hearing the news for the first time. “Of course she is!” Blaze smiled softly at her, “You were in the hospital, I called her on the way over and she’s on a flight here as we speak.” Dash smiled, “It’ll be great to see her again! ...you know, after the blustering anger of course.” “So I guess we owe you that explanation, right?” Sunset glanced over at their driver. “Yes, yes you do.” Blaze said, glancing at Sunset momentarily, “And I have a few questions.” “What would you prefer first? Questions or explanation?” “Explanation.” He said simply, “You might answer some questions on the way.” Sunset nodded, “It started a few days ago…” She proceeded to give a rundown of the past few days. Anon-a-Miss, her friends leaving her sans Rainbow, Dash being pulled into the line of fire because of such, the incident in the gym, and what had happened at the hospital. “And that allowed me to...well, come back.” Sunset finished as Blaze parked in the driveway. Blaze was silent for awhile, before turning off the car and pressing his face into his hands. “...I’m just glad you two are safe.” He said simply after a long pause, trying to process everything. “Well…” He sighed, “So the changes are from this dark magic spell thing, right?” He asked. “That’s correct.” Sunset nodded, “It allowed me to heal Dash further than the nurses predicted she’d be able to on her own.” “...Can you name everyone that attacked you?” Blaze frowned, looking over at the two. Dash nodded, “I can...can we get them put away just based on our word? A-and what about the physical changes we went through?” Dash asked worriedly. “I...I can’t get involved with Earth’s legal system.” Sunset shook her head. “We should have plenty of information just based on Dash’s injuries and police record.” Blaze scowled, “They need to be punished for this.” “So you can do this all with just Rainbow?” Sunset double checked. “Yes, I’m not your legal guardian, so I can’t put your name out there.” Blaze said. “Question.” Dash raised her hand, “What injuries? Sunset healed me so my brain wouldn’t be all messed up.” “The ones you were admitted into the hospital for?” He half-asked, “That should be proof enough that they were there, as well as the police report.” “The ones that were wiped from records so magic wouldn’t leak to the medical community?” Dash asked further. “...” Blaze sighed, “Well, so much for suing their asses. That’ll only bring up questions.” Sunset rubbed the back of her neck, “Sorry. I...don’t really have any records.” “What if we piggybacked off of human Sunset’s records?” “No, Dash, I mean, there are no records. At all.” Sunset clarified. “I checked a few months back. According to legal documents, Sunset Shimmer doesn’t exist.” Dash blinked, eyes wide. “You don’t have parents here then, do you Sunset?” Blaze asked. Sunset winced. She’d finally been pushed into a corner on the subject. Dash glanced over at her, having figured it out earlier, but wanting to cover for her until they were alone. Sunset looked down. “No. I don’t.” “Then, you don’t have a home either, do you?” Blaze continued. “No.” Dash exploded, “What the hell, Sunset?! How come you never told us?!” The idea that her friend had been homeless for all this time made her feel queasy. “Because I made your lives hell for like three years?!” Sunset held herself, looking down out of guilt, “Because I didn’t want you worrying about me!” “We...I would’ve let you stay here!” Dash laid a hand on her shoulder, “Right dad?” “Yeah, we have an extra bedroom.” Blaze agreed. Sunset held herself a little tighter. “...dad, can you head inside? We...need to talk for a sec.” Dash sent him a pleading look. “Alright.” He nodded, “I’ll… I’ll be on the couch, if you need me.” He got out of the car, heading into the house. “...Sunset?” “...” “This is a pride thing, isn’t it?” “I ran away from Equestria without so much as a goodbye.” Sunset muttered, “I thought I was ready to stand on my own, take on the world.” “That doesn’t mean you can’t accept a little help, Sunset.” Dash said softly. “I antagonized you for over three years! I more or less ruined your life during that time, and the Fall Formal-” “Was in the past!” Dash interrupted, “The past doesn’t matter! I don’t care who you were! It's who you are. Here, now.” She smiled, pulling Sunset into a hug, “And that’s my friend. My best friend.” “...” Sunset shivered for a moment, feeling a few tears leak out as everything started to catch up with her. “Come on. Let's get some rest and talk in the morning...uh, well morning morning.” Dash chuckled, it being almost 7:00. Sunset sniffled, “Y-yeah. Let’s.” Dash opened the door of the car, and gestured Sunset to follow. “...so, Gilda’s not gonna get away with this shit is she?” Instantly, Sunset’s watery eyes turned to ones of fiery determination, “Like hell she will. We’re gonna find a way to take her and everyone else down. By any means necessary.” “Awesome.”