Rarity saw the plume of smoke rise up from somewhere on the ocean, and urged her crew to move faster. They rushed out of the forest and down into the cove they had anchored the Good Fortune in. Now let’s just hope our fortune stays good and we get out of here in one piece.
She whistled as they got to the edge of the water, and the Jacob ladder fell over the side of the boat. It was a short swim to the ladder, and Applejack lent Rarity a hand when she neared the top. “Thank you, dear,” she said, shaking the water out of her boots. “Is Pinkie back yet?”
Applejack looked over the edge of the ship. “No. Ah figured she was still with you. In fact, Ah’m surprised you’re back this early. You’ve only been gone for an hour.”
Rarity reached into her blouse. “Fortune’s been kind to us today.” She held the map up for all to see, wiggling it between her fingers. “Now, we just need Pinkie to return so we can leave.”
“Let’s hope she gets back to us before Sunset finds out about the map,” Applejack said. She looked at the rolled parchment with childlike wonder. Rarity took notice and giggled, handing it to her. Applejack unrolled it, taking in the islands and ancient writing drawn in old ink. Her eyes fell on the edges and corners, and she gasped. “Rares, look! There’s a whole bunch of notes written on here.”
Rarity leaned over. “So there is!” Her eyes sparkled with mirth. “That little Twilight Sparkle must have been writing little hints for herself. It’s not a complete translation but this is more than helpful.” She straightened up and threw a hand to the sky. “Fortune truly does favor the bold!”
“Ah’ll hold off on the celebratin’ for a while.” Applejack scanned the surrounding forests for any trace of Pinkie, occasionally turning her eyes skyward for any sign of Sunset.
While she kept lookout, Rarity took the map back and looked over it herself. Twilight’s handwriting was neat but horrendously tiny. Rarity had to squint and press the map to her face to read it. A treasure marker sat on their current location with a translation written in the waters between islands. “‘In the center of space’,” Rarity said under her breath. What did that mean? Rarity shook her head. She knew it would put her in a precarious situation later on, but Sunset could have the first key to the treasure. Rarity had the map now, and as much as fortune had been kind to her today, she knew when not to push it.
A commotion out in the trees drew her attention, and from the overgrowth came Pinkie and her party. She made a wild gesture with her arms that, accompanied by the panicked look in her eyes, meant it was time to go.
Sure enough, as soon as Pinkie got to the top of the ladder, she said in a high-speed babble, “The girl got back to her crew before we could make her be quiet, so we had to run, but I saw Sunset attacking a navy ship, and there’s another one not too far away, and I think we should leave before Sunset sees us, and ooooooh, is that the map?”
“Weigh anchor!” Rarity yelled, handing Pinkie the map. “Get us to open water on the double!”
“Which way?” Big Mac asked on his way up to the wheel.
“Any direction the Crimson Heart is not in.”
******
The wind in Twilight’s chest left with her hard impact against the deck. She rolled up to a sitting position and clutched her side, keeping her head down so Sunset couldn’t see the tears still falling. The hole in her heart had torn into a fissure, and it took Twilight’s raw will to keep her pain down to mere tears and hiccups. She would never see Shining again. She was a slave. This is how she would live, and with her run of luck, how she would die.
“Damage report, Indigo?”
“A few hits to the starboard side, but nothing extensive, Captain. We lost one crate of ammo in the hit. No deaths or injuries.”
“Good. Make sure Miss Sparkle doesn’t go anywhere. I’m going to make sure we find that treasure.”
“I don’t think there’s any need for that, Captain.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because Lemon and the others are coming across the beach.”
Twilight looked up and followed Sunset and Indigo’s gaze. Indeed, the landing party had reached the longboats and were loading up. Lemon carried a small black box in her hands and looked quite pleased with herself. Twilight kept her sight on them, unable to bring herself to look back into Sunset’s heartless eyes. At the beginning of her journey, Twilight had only felt indifference toward Sunset, maybe even pity. Both of those had eroded away, leaving behind intense spite. Perhaps even, for the first time in her life, Twilight felt a twinge of hatred.
Lemon scurried up the ladder first, the box under her arm. She held it out to Sunset. “So yeah, we got the treasure, but as soon as you left to check out the cannon fire, Sugarcoat came back saying Rarity had… taken… Twilight.” She looked down at Twilight. “Nevermind.”
Sunset snatched the box, and when Twilight looked into her eyes at long last, she found familiar anger. “Rarity is here?”
Sugarcoat climbed aboard, sporting numerous new cuts and dirt stains from when Twilight had last seen her. “She confronted us when we went to get water and took Twilight and the map.”
This time, Sunset’s eyes turned to their black sclera appearances for a brief second. She turned to Twilight, gnashing her teeth as she spoke. “You told me you lost the map.”
Twilight wiped her face, smearing on whatever false bravery she could muster. “I did. I lost it to Rarity. She ran into the navy and handed me over but kept the map.”
“She can’t have gotten far,” Indigo said in an appeasing tone, her eyes on Sunset’s snapping and biting hair. “I’m sure we can catch them and—”
“No.” Sunset closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her fiery hair shrunk down to its normal height. She held the box out and examined it. It looked plain despite its ominous coloring. There wasn’t even a lock to it. Sunset traced a claw across its lip, then snapped it open. A faint glow poured out, illuminating the surrounding area as Sunset pulled the chest up.
Twilight stood up, wanting to see for herself, but kept her distance. Sitting on a purple cushion was, what Twilight thought, pure light hardened and shaped into an odd form. It had one long, sharp point on one end and on the other, jagged edges like it had been broken.
“We got what we came for,” Sunset said quietly. “One of the five keys that unlocks Neptune’s Blessing. Gather them all and bring them to Neptune’s Throne, and we will have our wishes granted. Rarity may have the map…” She looked at Twilight. “But we still have the map reader who has generously offered to help us finish our treasure hunt. Rarity isn’t an issue. If she wants the piece we already have, she’ll have to come and get it. And I know she won’t try that.” Sunset snapped the box shut.
Without the key giving off its light, the entire world looked dimmer. With nothing left to ogle at, Twilight returned her gaze to the floor, unable to maintain her look of defiance.
“Miss Sparkle.”
Twilight refused to look up at Sunset’s call.
“What’s our heading?”
“Griffonstone, in the Fantasy Strait,” Twilight said, limply waving her arm.
“That’s a two week trip at best,” Sunset said. “We’ll have to restock on supplies when we get closer.” She addressed the rest of the crew, barking orders and sending everyone into a mad hurry. Head still bowed, Twilight made for the door. It had been a long, emotional day, and she had no energy left. “Where do you think you’re going, Miss Sparkle?”
Twilight looked over her shoulder, fixing her eyes on Sunset’s tall, pointed boots. “Bed.”
Sunset let out a bark of laughter, completely different from the one Twilight had heard earlier. “No, you’re not. I don’t tolerate slackers on my ship. You don’t have a map to read anymore, so now, you’ll have to find a new job to help pull your weight.” She paused, and Twilight didn’t need to look up to know she was grinning. “After all, you’re officially a pirate now.”
Twilight dug her nails into her palm. Fury burned through her, demanding a release. Twilight wanted to scream and throw her fists at Sunset, but her rational brain asked, what good would it do?
It would feel good! She’s mocking me now! She knows I can’t fight back, so she’s rubbing it in my face! But fighting back would only result in her own embarrassment. Though there wasn’t much, she choked down what pride she had and lifted her head to Sunset. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”
“Start scrubbing the deck,” Sunset said, brushing past her. “I’m sure Indigo will find some use for you afterward.” She opened the cabin door and vanished inside, black box in hand.
Twilight stood in the middle of the deck, watching her shadow steadily grow longer from the setting sun’s light. She had made her choice. Now she had to reap the consequences. A bucket of water dropped next to her along with a thick block of holystone, a cleaning material usually reserved for the naval ships. A hand slapped the back of her head.
“Come on, Sparkle, get to work,” Indigo said.
To spare herself further abuse, Twilight got onto her hands and knees, dipped the stone into the bucket of water, and started scrubbing the dirt from the deck. A girl minding her own business snatched away by pirates…. Twilight scrubbed harder. Forced to read a map to lead them to some stupid treasure…. She put her whole body into it. Ripped away from her only family. Abused and forced to clean the ship! Even after the dirt was gone, Twilight forcefully scrubbed down the same area. At least she had a release now.
At least with her face to the floor, no one could see her grinding her teeth together, or her splotchy red cheeks, or the tears gathering at her eyes again.
*******
Twilight had no consistent sleep schedule. She would wake at dawn, work various odd jobs, be allowed to take a short nap, work some more, then be placed in the crow’s nest for half the night. One night she would watch the sun set, and another night, she would get to sleep until midnight, then forced to watch the sun rise.
She worked with red eyes and tight lips, speaking to nobody unless she absolutely had to. The only exception was the young child, Pipsqueak, or Pip for short. They shared galley duty, cleaning it from top to bottom after Sunny finished making bowls of gruel for everyone. For reasons Twilight still hadn’t ascertained, Pip had an unwavering loyalty for Sunset. Twilight wanted to ask why but avoided doing so. Her bitterness had only grown deeper in the three days she had been condemned to the lowest rung on the pirate ladder, and she didn’t want anything to spoil the one positive relationship she had.
Pip asked questions whenever he could about anything he could think of. While he never meant to be rude, Twilight had to kindly tell him not to ask questions about her personal life.
“Can you tell me what Pony Bay is like? Or is that a personal question?”
They sat on the floor of the galley, cleaning out bowls with a dirty rag and a bucket of salt water. Twilight knew for a fact this wasn’t sanitary, but also knew they had no better way to clean things around here. “No, that’s a fair question. There isn’t much to say about it though. It’s a small, quiet island. The people are nice, if a little… simple,” she said delicately. “They weren’t too big on reading. I mean, we had a school, and most people were literate. But so few of them wanted to expand their knowledge.” She put down the bowl she had scrubbed clean and moved onto the next one. “Makes me wonder why we had a bookstore in the first place.”
“Did you have any friends there?”
Twilight opened her mouth but hesitated. She had people she talked to on a daily basis. She had her caretaker Camellia, who Twilight talked to out of politeness more than anything. She had her boss Mr. Novelty, who shared her love of reading. Twilight supposed he was the closest thing she could call a friend. It was a sobering thought; her closest companion was a fifty-odd year old bookseller. Twilight had always preferred the company of books and maps over people. That wasn’t to say she didn’t like people. Books just tended to not make fun of her, or pity her for not having a mom.
“I had acquaintances,” Twilight said.
Pip furrowed his brow. “What’s an acquaintance?”
“It’s… kinda like a friend. You talk to them but you don’t spend a lot of time together.” Pip nodded like he understood, but Twilight saw the mist of confusion in his eyes. They cleaned in silence for a time as a question built and burned in Twilight’s throat. “Pip, how did you end up on a pirate ship?” she blurted out, hoping it wasn’t too personal or tied too closely to Sunset.
Pip picked up his stack of bowls and moved them to the table. “I was born in Trottingham, but I guess my parents didn’t want me, so they left me at an orphanage,” he said. His voice had lost its chipper edge, replaced by a dull monotone. “The caretakers would read us stories sometimes about explorers on the sea, or navy officers stopping pirates.” He took a brush and started swabbing the floor. “All the other kids liked hearing about the navy. But I wanted to hear more about the pirates!” He looked at Twilight with an adventurous gleam in his eye. His chipper tone returned as he said, “They got to go look for treasure and never had to listen to anyone! They were fearless!
“The other kids would beat me up because I was smaller than them and because I thought pirates were cool. Then one day, the city bell starts ringing really loudly, and everyone’s screaming that pirates are coming!” He had stopped scrubbing now, enraptured by his own story. “I wanted to see if it was true, and I wanted to join them! So I snuck out of the orphanage and ran down to the dock. That’s when I saw the bestest ship ever: the Crimson Heart! When the pirates started pillaging, I snuck onboard and hid until the ship left. That’s when the captain found me.” He smiled fondly. “I got really scared first, especially when she took her hood off. But then I told her I wanted to be a pirate!”
“And she just said yes?” Twilight asked.
“Uh-huh! She smiled, and that’s when I knew she wasn’t as scary as she looks.” Pip shuddered and closed his eyes. “Except when she gets really mad.”
Twilight finished her bowls and helped Pip with the floor. At least Sunset didn’t kidnap him. She knew a few younger kids back home who also fantasized about the pirate life. Twilight would be remiss if she said she hadn’t dreamed about it once or twice. She loved any story of adventure. But what she had dreamed of and what she was living out now were completely opposite realities. She supposed Pip lucked out. He had gotten his fantasy.
Speaking of fantasies…
“Pip,” Twilight asked in a quieter voice, “do you know what the pirates are going to wish for?”
Pipsqueak shook his head. “Captain said we each get to make one wish, so I guess everyone is gonna wish for something. But I already have mine! I’m a pirate!”
Twilight hummed in absent agreement. From the fables she had read, it was pretty vague if Neptune’s Blessing granted one wish or one wish per user. No one could even agree on what Neptune’s Blessing was. What if this entire thing is just a wild goose chase? No, Twilight had seen one of the keys. They were on the trail of something, that much was certain.
“Do you miss home?”
Twilight looked over at Pip, looking back at her with sad curiosity. “Yeah. I do.”
“I know you’re sad. But being a pirate is a lot of fun. You’ll see.”
The childish innocence in his voice made Twilight smile despite her heavy doubts. But with Pip around, maybe things wouldn’t be absolutely terrible.
She still kept quiet among the rest of the crew. Lemon would occasionally try to engage in a conversation, but most instances continued to prove they were one-sided with Twilight doing most of the listening. Sugarcoat continued to glare at her anytime they crossed paths. At least now Twilight had some inkling of why Sugarcoat didn’t like her. Having to escort the black sheep and then being chased down by rival pirates probably left a bitter taste in one’s mouth.
Sunset stuck primarily to her room. When she did come out, her black cloak covered her entire body once more. Twilight didn’t complain. Resentment coated her heart like gunpowder, and Sunset was the spark. Twilight could only hope the next time they came in contact, she didn’t explode and say something regrettable.
On their fourth day since departing the archipelago, Twilight found her mundane routine broken by Sunset’s impromptu entrance onto the main deck.
“Batten down the hatches and roll up the sails!” she shouted. “There’s a storm coming!”
Twilight looked out at the sea, glittering under the sun with clouds scattered few and far between. “Are you sure? There’s no sign of any storm activity.”
“I’m sorry, have you spent the last century and a half sailing the open sea and memorizing weather and current patterns?” Sunset asked, not bothering to look at Twilight.
“Well, no—”
“Then do as I say and brace for a storm.” She turned with a flourish of her cloak and returned to her room.
Twilight sucked her teeth but did as told, following Indigo’s instructions to secure the mainstay and tighten down the crates and cannons on deck. The red sails rolled up and the Crimson Heart sat in the open water. Darker clouds slowly moved in from the north and as they crept closer, the waves turned choppy, rolling the ship from side-to-side. The first drop of rain hit Twilight’s lens. She held her hand out and felt another land in her palm. The clouds hadn’t overtaken them yet, but raindrops the size of coins descended upon them.
A wave of dark gray washed over the sky, drowning out the sun and leaving the Crimson Heart in shadows. A fierce wind howled, ripping past Twilight, threatening to toss her overboard. As if to balance out the wind’s shoving, the ocean sent a wave crashing into the ship from the opposite direction. Twilight staggered, staying on her feet by flailing her arms. The sea sprayed a layer of its salty spit over the deck, and when the wind blew again, Twilight lost her balance and landed on her bottom.
“Quit your lollygagging, Sparkle and help tie the mast down!” Indigo shouted over the ever-growing roar of the storm.
Twilight rushed up, being careful not to slip a second time. A clap of thunder made her jump, and her heart began to beat irregularly. It’s going to be fine. You’re going to be fine. It’s a small storm. As if insulted, a massive wave hammered into the ship, sending it careening to the side. Shouts went up, and the crew scrambled to the side that wasn’t teetering toward the churning abyss.
The clouds had eaten the entire sky now, leaving them in a darkness as thick as night. A feral roar sounded across the ocean, raising the wet hairs on the back of Twilight’s neck. A jagged tongue of lightning struck out across the roiling sky, and Twilight froze in her haste to Indigo’s side.
She lost her grip on the railing, falling into the waiting maw of the ocean. Water tossed her every which way; she couldn’t see the surface, she couldn’t breathe! She stroked her arms as hard as she could, but the current proved stronger, pulling her deeper into a watery grave.
Twilight gripped her chest, desperately trying to suck down air but getting only lungfuls of water. The world dimmed, everything faded away, including her thoughts. Mommy, please, help!
“Sparkle!”
A flash of lightning burned its after image into Twilight’s eyes. She rubbed the sharp line out, regaining her senses as the wind and rain howled around her. She took several short breaths, savoring the oxygen supplied to her lungs, even if it was littered with hundreds of raindrops. Through her rain soaked glasses, she could make out Indigo’s blurry outline, no doubt glaring at her. Twilight thought she heard her say something, but it was lost over another clap of thunder.
Twilight resumed her assigned task and grabbed onto the rope Indigo pulled on. The rough fiber burned against Twilight’s slick palms, but it provided a decent grip even under the torrent. She heaved with as much strength as she could muster, focusing her every thought on securing the line. You’re going to be fine. You’re going to be fine. Teeth chattering, heart pounding, vision blurry, Twilight had to fight to stay in control.
“We’re clear, Sparkle!” Indigo shouted.
Just as Twilight released the rope, the ship jumped, and Twilight floated in the air. Lightning arched overhead, landing somewhere in the water to her right. She hit the deck, wheezing between hyperventilation. The sky looked fine a few hours ago! What happened? Where’s Mom? She sat up and looked about, finding only grim splotches. Taking off her glasses, everything changed to blurry outlines. She ran a thumb across her lenses, allowing her to see for a second before the rain muddled everything again. In that brief window, she saw Sunset at the wheel, fighting it with fierce determination.
“Keep away from the sides if you don’t want to meet Davy Jones early! Resecure that cannon before it rolls away! Look lively if you want to live and see the sun again!” Sunset’s voice broke through even the loudest roar of thunder. Firm, commanding, unflinching, even against the wild beasts rampaging in the sky above and the sea below.
Both beasts tossed harder, throwing wave upon wave and gusting gale upon gale against the Crimson Heart. Claws of water reached over the sides and tore into the deck. Lightning lit up the world for a brief moment, and when it faded, Twilight swore it was darker than before. The blobs of people lost their color, becoming gray silhouettes against a black backdrop.
Twilight continued to run her fingers over her glasses so she could get a better look, if only for just a second. Being able to see the calamity around her proved slightly better for her nerves than having no idea what was happening. Oddly enough, Sunset’s forceful voice giving commands kept Twilight grounded as well. I’m going to be fine. Sunset knows what she’s doing.
The ocean swelled and heaved again, tossing the ship like a toy boat. Twilight slid back and hit the railing while her mind continued into the black waves. Her hand brushed the surface, but another wave forced her further down. Darkness surrounded her, choked her. She screamed, eliciting only bubbles. She kicked as hard as she could, begging for air, for light!
“Secure the bottom rigging! Now!”
Sunset’s voice grabbed Twilight and forced her back to the present. The ship had steadied itself again, and Twilight hurried from its side before she got swept away. She crashed into someone and hit the drenched deck with a wet thwack! Rubbing her lenses down, Twilight saw she had hit Sugarcoat, also in the middle of wiping off her lenses. They looked at each other through their bleary vision, and a look of understanding passed between them. Sugarcoat said nothing, but Twilight swore she saw her nod her head before hurrying to the rigging.
With her temporary sight, Twilight saw Pipsqueak on the other side of the ship. He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted something just as another wave smashed into them. Twilight fell to her knees, and when she looked up, Pip had vanished.
“Pip? Pip! Pipsqueak!” Twilight could barely hear her own cries. She furiously wiped her glasses and whipped her head around, but the little one was nowhere to be seen. She ran to the side where he had been standing and looked into the black ink, nearly indistinguishable from the sky. Before the rain obscured her vision, she saw a red bandana floating in the darkness. “Pip!”
Twilight swung her head around and called for help, but no one seemed to have noticed the boy overboard. She didn’t know what thought ran through her head, or if there were any thoughts at all, but she jumped onto the railing and dove into the roaring water. The second she hit the waves, her mind threw her back in time. Her body froze, both from the freezing temperature and the overpowering fear. Why had she dived into the darkness? What purpose had this served? Submerged in her watery grave, Twilight could do nothing but allow herself to be tossed like a ragdoll. Pressure constricted her chest, stopping her from breathing in or out. Her eyes remained wide open, and she occasionally saw flashes of light.
Mommy… I don’t want to die.
Something snapped in Twilight’s mind, and a long stream of bubbles flew from her mouth as she silently screamed. No! No! I don’t want to die like this! Not like this again! No! No! She flailed her arms, trying to reach what she prayed was the surface. But what about Pipsqueak? He was the reason she had dived in the first place! But Twilight could barely see anything. She wanted to live! She needed to get out of the storm!
The crushing pressure. Water on every side. The closing darkness. It was all too familiar to Twilight. She began to hyperventilate, swallowing mouthfuls of water. The salt burned her throat and clouded her disconnected thoughts. Stop… stop breathing. Swim up! Up! Her arms moved in slow motion, and just like before, the current pulled at her ankles and yanked her down, eager to continue its embrace forever.
No… Please… Twilight remembered faintly how someone had taken her hand as her mind faded out. She remembered flying until she hit sand and woke up on a beach. She stared up at the stormy sky, rain falling on her glasses. How had she managed not to lose those? It’s funny what your last thoughts are. Twilight took a deep breath through her nose. This all feels so real.
She sat up and threw up a deluge of water before coughing and spluttering. Her hand brushed against the hardwood deck. This wasn’t a memory, someone had grabbed her again and brought her back from the brink of death.
Loud coughs and splutters next to her revealed a drenched and shaking Pip on his hands and knees. Twilight tried to say something but another expulsion of water stopped her.
A hand wrapped around her upper arm and hoisted her to her feet. By the high level of warmth it radiated, Twilight knew who it belonged to. She allowed Sunset to lead her inside the ship then into the captain’s quarters. She was pushed into a chair and a blanket dropped over her. To her left, Twilight saw Pip receive the same treatment.
“What happened?” Sunset’s voice drove away the remaining fog in Twilight’s head. She wiped her glasses down one more time, leaving streaks behind. Sunset had her hood down and she sat on the corner of her desk.
“I saw Pip go overboard, so I tried to save him,” Twilight said, unable to get her voice higher than a whisper.
“You mean you jumped into stormy waters with no visibility and no line to help you get back?” Sunset’s calm voice had a testy edge to it.
Twilight’s voice failed her. When laid out like that, of course it seemed foolhardy.
Sunset turned her gaze to Pip. “Are you okay?”
Teeth chattering and body shaking, Pip nodded his head. “Th-thanks to y-you, C-Captain.”
Sunset flashed him a quick smile. “Stay below deck and get dry. I’m not fishing for you again.”
“Aye-aye, C-captain!” Pip saluted then tightened the blanket around himself and hurried out. Twilight wished he had stayed. As damp as her spirits—including her anger—were, she didn’t want to be in a room alone with Sunset.
Crossing her arms, Sunset looked down on Twilight. “I should emphasize the fact that our deal is broken if you die in any way, accident or not. If I don’t get my wish, someone is going to pay, and I’d hate for it to be your brother.”
Twilight huddled underneath her blanket. “What was I supposed to do? None of you had noticed. If I had gone to get you, he could have been at the bottom of the sea by then.”
“And what were you going to do if you did manage to reach him, hm?” Sunset raised her voice a level. “Were you going to swim against the tide and climb your way back onto the ship with Pip on your back?”
“I don’t know! I had to do something!”
“And what you did was reckless and stupid!” Sunset got off her desk and threw an arm out. “I admired you for your intellect and daring, but perhaps I was wrong!”
“And I thought maybe there was something still human underneath that appearance, but perhaps I was wrong!” Twilight had stood and knocked her chair back. She thought her dip in the ocean had made the powder of resentment damp and unusable, but the spark Sunset provided proved more powerful than Twilight had imagined. “Maybe there’s only a selfish demon after all!”
Sunset raised her hand, and Twilight flinched back, waiting for the strike.
“Get. Out.”
Twilight opened an eye. Sunset’s hand still hovered overhead, but her eyes were squeezed shut and her teeth gnashed together. “Get out of my sight, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight turned on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her. Once on the other side, she raised a hand to her head and let out a long sigh. “I shouldn’t have said that. She saved Pipsqueak’s life.” Twilight groaned. “Why am I feeling guilty? I wasn't wrong. She’s selfish and cruel and…” Twilight stomped down the stairs and entered her room. “Oh!”
Pip sat in the corner. “Um, hi,” he said shyly. “I just… wanted to thank you for trying to save me.”
“You’re welcome. I just wish it had turned out a little better.” Twilight collapsed into her hammock. “You are okay, right?”
He gave a shaky nod. “I’ll be fine. Are you okay?”
Twilight stared at a knot in the floor. She had just had a second scrape with death in the one fashion that traumatized her and scarred her for life. She had yelled at her captor and almost been hit. ‘Okay’ wasn’t a word Twilight would use, but she couldn’t unload all that onto a child. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
Pipsqueak stood up and gave Twilight a tight hug. Despite both of them being soaked to the bone, the hug contained all the warmth Twilight needed. “Good night, Twilight.”
“Good night, Pip.” She watched him exit, leaving the room quiet save for the settling storm outside. Another storm stirred in Twilight’s heart. Sunset had only saved Twilight’s life out of necessity for her own plans. But she had also saved Pip…. And this was the second time Sunset had saved Twilight’s life.
Twilight remembered the other instance a hand had pulled her from the water. For her entire life, she had wondered how she had survived the storm that had taken her mother and everyone else on the expedition. The answer now sat on the deck above her. Now Twilight had to only question why?
Was there some sort of divine fate transpiring? Were she and Sunset destined to meet again so Sunset could use her as a pawn? If not that, then why did Sunset save her all those years ago?
A riddle. Sunset was a riddle that dominated Twilight’s thoughts. Taking Pip in, treating her crew like dirt, her odd, disjointed laugh, her maniacal violence, her daring rescue.
“Sunset Shimmer… who are you?”