//------------------------------//
// Sisters 
// Story: 🐍 Medusa 
// by Phantom-Dragon 
//------------------------------//

"Fasssscccinating!" Medusa hissed in awe, as she looked at the flatscreen TV in the room, displaying several footages of various animals from an animal documentary channel called Animal Planet that Fluttershy was watching.

The enchanted gorgon was captivated to see a pod of dolphins swimming and playing in the waters, without a care in the world. She was even more startled when the video quickly switched from the surface to an underwater footage showing, not only dolphins, but colorful fishes that swam together in a school, painting the water with their unique colors, bringing life to a reef.

Though scared at first, Medusa slowly eased up as she slithered up to the screen, further perplexed at how a tiny object could hold so many fishes, let alone so much water, enough for them to swim in. Understandably, for a creature – or a person – like her, this is the first time she has ever seen television. She reached her claws out to grab one of the dolphins, only to be met with glass.

"What trickery issss thissss?"

Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle, "It's just television, Medusa," The shy girl tried to explain.

"Televissssion?" Medusa asked, as Fluttershy pulled her away to prevent further damage. "What isssss thissss televisssssion?"

Before Fluttershy could answer, there was a knock at the door, startling the two girls. Medusa immediately hid herself behind the bed, as she and her snakes watch Fluttershy getting up to answer it.

"Yo, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash's voice was heard. "It's me and AJ. Mind if we come in?"

Fluttershy turned to the gorgon, "It's okay, Medusa," She assured gently. "It's only our friends. No one else."

Still unsure, Medusa hissed, "Are you ccccertain?" Fluttershy double-checked via the peephole, before she nodded, "Very well then," The gorgon replied, to which Fluttershy opened the door and allowed the two girls to step in.

"Yo Medusa," Rainbow greeted as she walked up to the gorgon, "Thought you might be hungry," With that, the rainbow haired girl held out a large white flat box and opened the lid up to reveal the content. "Pizza?"

"Pizza?" Medusa looked at the pizza in question. "What isssss thisssss pizza?"

"I'm guessing ya never eaten anything like this before, have ya?" Applejack deduced, to which Medusa confirmed with a shake of her head.

"Welp, no time like the present to have your first one!" Rainbow Dash grinned, as she breaks off a slice, and offers it to the gorgon. "Here! It's pepperoni."

"Uh, not in front of Fluttershy!" Applejack whispered harshly, but was too late.

"That's okay," The shy girl frowned, "I'll just be outside," With that, the shy girl took her leave, while muttering, "The poor pigs."

Medusa was perplexed, "What did I do?" She asked.

"Oh it's not yer fault, Sugarcube," Applejack reassured. "Fluttershy's a little...sensitive with pizza," The country girl puts it bluntly. "Particularly, the meat variety."

"Why?"

"Because she loves her animals," Rainbow Dash explained. "Anyway, just try it. You'll love it!" She said, offering the gorgon the pizza slice she was holding.

Medusa took the slice in her claws and looked unsure at first, before seeing the encouraging looks on the two girls's faces.

With a sniff and a flick of her forked tongue, she took a small experimental bite from the tip, chewing it for awhile before she was greeted by an overwhelming taste of a warm, oily, and cheesy flavor that made the gorgon and her snakes to stiffen in surprise, as if they've been turned to stone themselves.

"So, what'd ya think?" Rainbow Dash asked.

With the look of astonishment still fixated on her face, Medusa answered, "Thisssss issss the mossssst delicousss thing I've ever eaten in eonssss!"

"Awesome!" With a leap, Rainbow Dash jumped on the bed, patting a spot next to her for Medusa to take a seat in. "Here, have some more!" She said, offering the gorgon another slice of pizza, which she happily accepted, dining the whole slice in a matter of seconds.

"Hey, hey, hey! Take it easy there, Sugarcube!" Applejack said to the hungry gorgon. "You'll get a stomachache if ya swallow it like that."

"Ha! You're one to talk," Rainbow Dash scoffed. "You've got the appetite of a stallion!"

"Says the gal who goes binge drinking for a whole barrel of apple ciders!" The country girl countered.

"Oh yeah?" Setting her pizza box down, Rainbow eyeballs Applejack, as the two girls both took it as a challenge. "Well at least I didn't get the embarrassing nickname as 'Piggly Wiggly' just for playing with pigs~!"

Applejack gasped, with her face turning red, while Medusa couldn't help but laugh, nearly choking on a piece of the pizza she was eating, "Piggly Wiggly?" She chuckled, before inquiring, "What'sss Piggly Wiggly?"

With a few embarrassed chuckle, Applejack explained, "Oh it's a nickname I was given by Granny Smith, when I was a baby, playing with the pigs."

"Nickname?" Medusa asked. "What issss a nickname?"

"Oh, well nicknames are like another name you would use to refer to yer friends, as a way of displaying affections."

"Yeah, kinda like how Applejack here always refers everyone to 'Sugarcube,'" Rainbow Dash added. "And in return, we often refer to her as AJ. And sometimes, we often called Twilight as Twily."

"And don't even get me started on Rarity's 'darlings,'" Applejack chuckled.

"Yeah. I know she's fashionable and all, but come on," With that, Rainbow Dash started making an impression of the fashionable girl. "It's such a darling day, darling. Oh darlings! This. Is. The. Worst. Possible. Thing! I'm absolutely doomed darlings! Doomed! Doomed!" With that, both she and Applejack burst out laughing, before Rainbow Dash returns to her normal voice, "Ha! I sounded just like her."

"Uh....so-so," Applejack admitted, before they turned to Medusa, who looked even more perplexed.

"A way of dissssplaying affectttionsss..." She hissed to herself.

The two girls both exchanged confused looks, before turning to Medusa, "Y'know, like how you tell your friends that you loved them," Rainbow Dash explained. "I mean, you did have friends before, right? At least, before you were cursed?"

The cursed gorgon was further distraught, "SSSSSadly, I don't," She hissed sadly. "That issss, I don't remember. I can't remember my life prior to my cursssse." She shuddered in fright, as she nearly recalled some unpleasant memories, "And I do not wissssh to remember the dayssss that followed."

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash nodded in understanding, "Guess it's really been that long, hasn't it?" Applejack looked sadly at the gorgon.

Rainbow Dash quickly remembered something, to which she asked, "Wait a minute, what about your sisters? Can you remember them?"

Medusa looked at the athlete, bewildered, "My sssssissssterssss?"

"Yeah! You know, Stheno and Euryale. I mean, according to legends, they're your sisters. Aren't they?"

"Ssssstheno. Euryale," Medusa repeated, pondering on the names, before it faintly and slowly came back to her. "Oh yesssss. Them," She muttered. "How could I ever forget them?"

"So you do remember some of your loved ones!" Applejack smiled, relieved that she and Rainbow Dash have at least made some progress. "So tell us, Sugarcube. What were they like? Yer sisters, that is."

"My ssssssissssterssss....they....I....." Medusa sighed dismally, before she went on to explain. "It'ssss hard to tell. I...I hardly remember their facccesss. I can hear their voicccesss, telling me to run....run....and ssssave mysssself. But that wassss the lasssst time I've ever heard from them. Before that, I can't remember."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack both looked sad for their new friend. If it was anything like the stories say, being cursed against your own will is one thing, but to be separated from everything and everyone you once knew was another. For Medusa, she stared out through the window, casting her gaze across the vast ocean and the large city below.

Why did the Rainbooms have to bring up the topic about her past again? What point were they trying to make? All this talk about friends and family, it was all making her uncomfortable from the inside-out. She just wanted to forget her past and move on, and these girls were making it more difficult than it needed to be for her. Then again, she was glad that they did, because she had nearly forgotten about these Stheno and Euryale.

Unfortunately, like Medusa said before, these names hardly meant anything to her now. Like everyone else whom she knew prior to the tragedy, they're all nothing but memories now. Lost in the distant past. Sounds of laughter, singing, and friendly talks have all been clouded by the echoes of screams, the petrified faces of horror, and cold grip of loneliness and guilt that continues to haunt the poor creature's mind.

All of that suddenly evaporated when the gentle warmth of a person's hand touched her on the shoulder.

Medusa turned to see it was none other but Applejack, who smiled sadly at her, "What are you–"

"We're sorry with what ya had to go through, Medusa," The country girl began. "So how about you let us be your sisters. What do ya say?"

Medusa could hardly believe her ears, "Ssssssisssstersssss? You?" She hissed. "Why? Why would you–" Further confused, and frustrated with her conflicted emotions, Medusa brushed Applejack's hand off, as she climbs over the bed, slithering away, "What form of utter nonssssenssse issss thisss? How can we ever be sssssssisssstersssss you and I?" She hissed intimidatingly. "We don't look any sssssimilar....let alone bear any resssssemblanccce."

"Looks don't matter, Sugarcube," Applejack replied, as she and Rainbow Dash approached the gorgon. "Because, you're our friend. And friends are family."

"Friendssss are family?" Medusa hissed. "How can that be?"

"Simple," Rainbow Dash began. "I'm loyal to my friends. And if there's one thing about loyalty, it means we're friends for life!"

"But how? How can you be friendsssss when you're all too different?"

"Who says we can't be friends because of our differences?" Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Listen, Pinkie Pie may be an idiot!"

"Hey! I heard that!" Pinkie's voice sounded.

"Rarity may be a snob, Fluttershy might be a big chicken sometimes, AJ may smell like a pig," Applejack scowled in offense at that remark. "Twily's an egghead, Spike can be a chatterbox sometimes, and Sunset may have been a bigger monster than you. But if you were with us for long, you would've known that differences is what makes our friendship stronger!"

The gorgon's eyes widened with newfound fascination, "Isss....Issss that true?" She hissed.

"Darn tootin'," Applejack winked. "And we're living proofs! We've proven that by getting you this far. Because we can all go the distance, together!" The country girl smiled, as she and Rainbow both put their hands on Medusa's shoulders.

"Beats being alone on that sad lonely island of yours, isn't it?" Rainbow playfully nudged.

However, Medusa was too lost in her thoughts to answer, 'Differences is what makes their friendship strong?' She pondered. 'How can it be possible? How could it work? To be so different from one another, yet share the same connection?'

"Yo, you okay, Medusa?" Rainbow asked, snapping the gorgon back to reality. "You kinda zoned out for a minute there."

"I, uh......I'm fine," The gorgon hesitantly replied, unsure what the word "zoned" means. Turning to her left and her right, Medusa touched the girls's hands, on her shoulders, with her claws, gently caressing them to the soft, warm touch of life in contrast to the usual hard, cold, lifeless feel of stone she had adapted to for the past millennia.

"SSSSSSsssso warm," She hissed softly. "SSSSsssso much more life than sssssstonesssss."

"For you, it's pleasant to the touch, yes?" Applejack deduced.

"Yesssss. Precccisssely, that."

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but chuckle, "Understandable. Still, gives ya a big break from your huge rock garden. Am I right? Or am I right?" The athletic girl asked, rhetorically. "Speaking of warm, we still got a pizza that's growing cold, so let's finish it while it's still warm."

Applejack and Medusa both exchanged agreements as they joined their athletic friend, and helped themselves to some slice.

All the same though, Medusa couldn't help but think about what the two girls have said. It was, of course, all new to her. About how differences can make friendship stronger for different people. How friends can be doubled as family. And most of all, the idea of Rainbow Dash and Applejack as her new sisters? She wasn't so sure about that. Even though she barely recalls any memories of her biological sisters, Stheno and Euryale, for her it didn't feel right to replace them with a couple of strangers, whom she just met in this new modern world she finds herself pulled in.

It's still a bit disorienting for her. Nevertheless, she'll admit, it's actually nice at the same time, especially with this new food she has grown fond of.

"Pizza, huh?" She hissed, admittedly savoring the warm, cheesy, and crunchy texture of this cooked delicacy. "Mmmmm."