//------------------------------//
// Chapter 46 
// Story: To start over 
// by Midnight_Song95 
//------------------------------//

Sunset couldn't sleep. Not only because she couldn't get comfortable but because the storm seemed to be getting worse. What the world is going on? Why do I keep feeling that something is lurking out there? Is something going to go wrong? She wondered as she stood up, wincing as she did so. 

There's no need to worry about it. The weather here is weird anyway compared to where I come from. She thought as she slowly made her way out of her room, making a mental note to ask someone where her medication was kept, wondering if she was still not to be trusted around that sort of thing. However, as she walked downstairs she nearly fell backward on the bottom step when her hand brushed against something furry that was on the railing. 

“Holy Crap! What the Tartarus is that?” 

She yelped, followed by the dull thud sound of something landing on the carpet. 

“What the hell? Sunset what are you doing awake?” Luna's gruff tone questioned from the couch and Sunset could hear the sound of floorboards creaking before the light blinded her. 

“I came down to try to get something for my arm when I touched...Something...I think it fell over there.” The teen managed to say, edging away from the railing though Luna just took one glance and began to laugh. 

“Oh that...Sorry about him. That's Tiberius.” 

This only earned a confused look from the redhead who glanced in the direction the creature had fallen with an arched brow “Tiber-who now?”

“Tiberius, my pet. Promise you won't freak out again?” Luna retorted, waiting for a nod of affirmation before walking over and picking up the little gray creature, which lay completely still. “Well...That is if he isn't dead.” 

“I...I didn't mean...He startled me but...” Sunset began, fumbling for words as panic set in as Luna walked over to her.

“Sunset, stop.” 

The command drew her attention to the older woman, who looked more amused than anything else. 

“Have you heard of the expression 'playing possum'? Basically, they pretend to be dead so things will leave them alone. Tiberius probably heard you scream and since he didn't know you...Clammed up.” Luna explained, smirking a little as she poked the mass of fur. 

“That's enough, you've already given my niece a heart attack tonight.” 

Sunset wondered if she would ever get used to hearing those words spoken without a hint of annoyance or anger. It still felt as if she was dreaming, that when she woke up the following morning everything would be back to where it was. 

A hand on her shoulder called her from her thoughts. 

“Want to tell me what you're thinking about? You looked ready to cry all of a sudden.” 

Sunset felt her face flush at the question, glancing down at the little creature in Luna's hands as it slowly began to twitch and uncurl itself from its stiff posture. 

“Sorry, I still can barely believe I'm not dreaming.”

It took Luna a minute to register just what it was that Sunset was talking about, but when she did a sense of some emotion that was not her own washed over her. Poor girl, how long has it been since she's not felt like she had something to prove? When she's been actually happy? Gingerly wrapping an arm around the teen, hoping that the touch would say the things that Luna was unable to put into words.

“I can tell you that it isn't a dream...and you will fit in fine with our crazy family.” she said eventually, watching as  Tiberius finally uncurled from his petrified state and crawled onto the floor, sitting there staring at them, not unlike a dog. 

“Nothing is crazier than a thirty-something-year-old having an overgrown rodent as a pet.” Sunset stated, eyeing the creature cautiously. 

“marsupial.” Luna corrected, trying not to appear amused as she noticed the girl's hesitance. “and he won't hurt you so you can stop acting like he's a time bomb.”  

“Luna, what the heck is that thing doing in my house? I don't care if it is kept inside all the time, I don't want the greasy thing in here.” Celestia's voice made both of them jump, and comically enough—Tiberius choose that moment to once again play dead.

“He is not greasy and you know he doesn't like being left home alone!” 

“The only thing I know is that you have always brought odd things home as pets!”

Sunset listened to the two sisters bicker, glancing down at the mammal which would twitch every so often as if debating rather or not it wanted to stay there or crawl off to avoid listening to the women.

“They really don't act like I imagined that they would.” Sunset commented, earning a sound that she could only describe as a squeak  from the creature.