//------------------------------// // That Night II // Story: Repercussions // by shallow15 //------------------------------// Rarity let out a sigh of frustration and tossed the latest Shadow Spade novel onto her nightstand. She couldn't focus on fictional mysteries when she had a real life one right in front of her. Not that I seem to be making any headway on this mystery either. She got out of bed and went to her sewing machine. She didn't want to wake anyone else in the house, so she picked up a needle and thread and began piecing fabric together. Her fingers worked subconsciously, while her brain began working on another level. All right, let's play “What Do We Know?” We know that someone, most likely someone at CHS, still has a grudge against Sunset. We also know that person has acquired magic somehow. Rarity's brow furrowed. Her fingers began working the needle and thread faster as her mind raced. We know Sunset has been the target of constant cyberbullying at least since the Anon-A-Miss incident, possibly even earlier. We know the identities of four of those who sent that trash to her: Moondancer, Firecracker Burst, Beachberry, and Jet Set. We know that the culprit is a woman. Therefore, Jet Set is eliminated. We also know she attacked Beachberry at the mall, so obviously it can't be her. Why, exactly, she attacked Beachberry we don't know. Yet. Unless Twilight finds some compelling evidence to the contrary in the rest of the emails, our most likely suspects are Moondancer and Firecracker Burst. Both admit to sending nasty messages to Sunset, but Moondancer claims to be a pacifist, and Firecracker claims she believes in Sunset's reformation. Someone is lying. Rarity put her sewing down and stood up. She walked over to her other bedroom window and looked out at the night sky. She glanced over towards the center of town, where the hospital was. Oh, Sunset, I wish you were here. You were always so analytical. If it had been one of us in your position, you would have found the guilty party by now. She folded her arms and looked up at the moon. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she turned back to the nightstand. While Sunset wasn't available, and Twilight was most likely asleep, there was one other person, or rather, princess she could turn to. Rarity opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out Sunset's Equestria journal. She sat on her bed and began writing on a blank page. Twilight? Are you there? It's Rarity. She sat back and waited. It was possible it was late in Equestria and Princess Twilight was asleep. After a while, she concluded no reply would come tonight and went to put the journal away. Just as she sat up, there was a flash of violet light from the journal and Rarity watches as text began to form on the page. Yes, I'm here! I'm sorry for the delay. I was in the other room. Has something happened? Is Sunset all right? Rarity smiled. She grabbed her pen and began writing back. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any change in Sunset's condition. On the plus side, the doctor is allowing us to visit her starting tomorrow. Fluttershy and Applejack will be seeing her tomorrow. Well, that's good. What about the investigation? Any idea who's responsible? No, but we do have suspects. Rarity wrote down everything they had found out so far, including the cyberbullying evidence and the encounter at the mall. She made sure to include every detail she could remember about the fight with the woman in the black coat, focusing on the odd attack on Beachberry and the magical lightning the woman had hurled. She sat back when she finished and waited for the reply. Looking at all this, I can say that whoever it is, you're going to have to be careful. She seems to have a lot of raw power at her disposal. It's entirely possible she could cause serious injury to you all in a head to head fight. But, I think I can offer you some good news despite that. And that is? I don't think she has as much control of it as she thinks. Lightning is almost always the form unchanneled magic takes. She's using it like a club. A lot of force, but no precision. It may be that she intended to kill Sunset, but somehow only succeeded in putting her into the coma. Rarity looked at the statement, then wrote back with a wry smile. The idea that murder may have been her intention has occurred to me, darling. Rarity tacked on a smiley face to indicate she was making a joke. After a moment, Twilight responded. I will never get used to the fact you humans have figured out how to create shorthoof for emotions in text. Twilight's reply ended with a pony version of the same smiley face. After another moment, Twilight's reply continued. In any event, if she is using raw magic against you, you can probably use that to your advantage. But be careful, Rarity. It sounds like she gets agitated easily, and with the unpredictable nature of the magic on that side of the mirror, plus what you've told me here, it could be that her emotional state affects the power she has. So the angrier she gets, the more powerful her magic? It's a possibility. Are you sure you don't want me or Starlight to come through to help? You have responsibilities in Equestria. But, I promise, if it looks like we're in over our heads, we'll send for both of you. The next response took a couple of minutes to come. All right. I'm not happy with this decision, but I'll abide by your wishes. But, PLEASE, be careful, Rarity. I care as much about all of you over there as I do about your counterparts over here. I don't want anything to happen to you all. Rarity smiled. Thank you, Twilight. And we'll be careful. Do me a favor then? Write me a message every day so I know you're all okay? Just until this is over. I will. Thank you for taking the time to chat, Twilight. It's helped. Anytime. I really must get to bed. We need to talk to Beachberry tomorrow, plus I have to figure out how to approach things with Moondancer and Firecracker Burst. I have some advice. I'm friends with Moondancer over here. We had a falling out, but we managed to reconnect after I realized what a horrible friend I was to her back when I lived in Canterlot. If she's anything like my Moondancer was when I went to apologize to her, she'll probably do everything she can to brush you off. Try not to get hostile with her. Instead, see if you can figure out why she's acting the way she is. It might help you get through her shell. That's very helpful, Twilight. Thank you. You're welcome. Now, I better let you get to bed. Good luck tomorrow, Rarity. Good night, Twilight. Good night, Rarity. Rarity closed the journal and put it back on the nightstand. She climbed under the covers and cuddled up to her pillows. There were challenges ahead, but talking to Princess Twilight made her feel much better about their chances. We'll find her. And we'll get Sunset back.