//------------------------------//
// Staring at the Sun 
// Story: Her Sunlit Lineage 
// by Graglithan The Greater 
//------------------------------//

The trip back from the hospital was thankfully as uneventful as the trip going there. Uneventful, however, did not promise joy in the travelers themselves. Sunset refused to look at her father. Any time he would try to start a conversation, she would turn away. He couldn't bring himself to even try talking with Twilight. Princess of Friendship she may be, it was clear she was upset at the moment. He could tell why the two were angry with him. 

He'd done it again.

For Sunset, it wasn't so black and white. Under the dismissal, was hurt. Hurt, from having yet again been lied to, from knowing how limited her father's time was. Along with that hurt, however, was still a hint of love. He was the pony who raised her on his own since she was a foal; the pony who cared for her and made her laugh. She just wished he would tell her the truth for once. So when they reached Hot Air's home and headed inside, Sunset immediately went to her room and refused to leave. Hot Air, for his part, hesitated in getting closer, before sighing and heading upstairs without a word, turning instead to his own room.

It was a few hours later that Sunset joined Twilight in the living area and sit down on the couch. There was no chance of interruption, as Hot Air could be heard snoring upstairs. Regardless, it was silent between the two until Twilight spoke. "So, what do we do now?"

"I don't know," Sunset muttered as she got up and sat properly. "The memory spell was pretty much our only plan. We can't use it on dad without scrambling his brain into goo. His mind is already fading slowly, and we have no leads on anything about my mother!" She sighed and looked down at the collection of pictures of her family, back when it was whole. Or at least, when it was as close as it would get to being whole. "I'm just getting tired of being led in circles."

"Don't worry. We will figure something out." Twilight started to pace and mutter to herself. "Maybe I could figure out a way to stabilize his mind long enough for the spell to work?"

Sunset rolled her eyes and snorted. "Twilight, if there were a spell for that, Ether-Vascular Dementia wouldn't be an issue for us right now."

"Oh, right...hmm..." Twilight's pacing resumed. Her muttering was now silent enough that Sunset couldn't pick out much of what she was saying. She couldn't help but shake her head at the princess. While she knew that Twilight was trying to help, this was a problem that magic couldn't fix. 

The thought itself usually would have felt so foreign to her, but Sunset guessed that was the effect of living in a magicless world for so long had on her. She would have to find a different solution. Maybe an old record book? No, they might end up digging through weeks of papers to try and see only a few that they needed. As plan after plan was scrapped, an ache made itself known. Sunset's hoof unconsciously made its way to her chest as she found herself desperately wishing she knew if her friends had found out anything.

It was then that a single word from that thought struck her. 

Friends.

She took another look at the photo album that was on the table and brought it up with her magic. There they all were, picture after picture of Sunset and her father, in some cases both at once. The further back she went, the younger she became. She turned to the walls and shelves around the room, looking at each photo she could find. One picture stuck out to her more than the rest, sitting framed on the side table. A tired but happy Sunny Days resting in a hospital bed, an ecstatic and probably panicking Hot Air gushing over her, and a bundle of joy, sleeping in her mother's hooves.

"Twilight." Sunset looked up, only to blink in surprise as her friend was still pacing around the room and muttering. "Twilight!" The purple alicorn kept her pacing up, deep in thought over a spell matrix or something. Sunset rolled her eyes again and inhaled. "TWILIGHT!"

"Gah!" Jumping a few feet in the air and instinctively unfurling her wings, Twilight hovered for a moment and looked around, before noticing Sunset looking at her with a deadpan. "Um... yes?"

"Come down here for a sec." Sunset waited for Twilight to land before showing her the pictures again. "What do you see?"

Twilight squinted as she looked at the photos with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not sure what you want me to find here Sunset. I'm only seeing your father and occasionally pictures of a rather adorable foal."

Blushing a bit, Sunset glared at Twilight. "Not the time, Twilight."

Sporting a blush, Twilight sheepishly grinned. "Right, sorry."

Getting back on track, Sunset pointed at various pictures. "Look closer. In each of these, who is in the frame?"

Twilight hummed in thought, as she looked over each one. "Well, there's you, Hot Air, and a few have both of you."

Sunset hopped up from the couch and was starting to smile. Picking up the photo with her mother, she gave it to Twilight for a moment. "Now look at this one."

"This is... the one photo you have of your mother, right?" Sunset gave a quick nod, and Twilight looked closer. Her eyes widened as she stepped back. "Wait, how are all three of you in the shot?" 

"Exactly!" Sunset put the photo back down and turned to Twilight. "If all three of us were in the photo,"

"Then who was holding the camera!" Twilight finished with a look of realization. She paused before she facehoofed and sighed. "Wow, I can't believe I didn't think about whether or not your parents had friends we could ask instead. I'm supposed to be the princess of this stuff."

"Don't worry, we all occasionally take turns holding the idiot ball, as Applejack once so elegantly put it," Sunset smirked as Twilight gave a small glare. The two kept looking at each other before devolving into a fit of giggles, that fell further into a pile of laughter. "Now, we just have to figure out who was taking the pictures."

"I think we have a fairly good idea of who to talk to for that." Twilight frowned as she glanced at the stairs that Hot Air had retreated up. "He did take us to them earlier."

Sunset and Twilight shared a nod before they started out of the room. "I'll let dad know we'll be out for a moment." She started for the stairs, only to flatten her ears and flinch back when a loud snore ripped through the house. "Or not, I guess. Forgot how hard he sleeps." 

Twilight smiled a bit as she waited at the door. "It's probably his medicine. I read about the treatments they offer for various conditions while I was waiting in the lobby at the hospital and how a lot of the chemicals used have the added effect of being somewhat powerful sedatives at times."

A second snore made Sunset wince as she turned away. "It sure sounds like you're right." She quickly joined Twilight at the front door and flashed her a determined smile. "It's time to pay a visit to the Ren-Faire again."





Leaving Hot Air behind, for the time being, Sunset and Twilight headed into town. They arrived at the Faire with no trouble, but there was something off as they walked among the tents. Some of the ponies operating them looked worried; others confused. Some ponies were walking around, looking for something. Sunset shared a look with Twilight as confusion spread to them as well.

Twilight walked over to one of the stalls and tapped on the counter, getting the vendor's attention. "What's going on?"

The poor mare at the counter sighed and waved a hoof to the ponies searching. "The Faire's main performance was set to start almost half an hour ago, but we haven't been able to find Line Writer anywhere." 

Twilight blinked in surprise and leaned back a bit. "What?"

Sunset trotted over and frowned. "Do you have any ideas where they might be?"

The vendor shook her head and sighed. "We've looked everywhere. It's like they ran off or something. Stage Play's got everyone to start looking for him, but we can't find anything."

Twilight hummed in thought before looking around. "Does Stage Play have an office?"

"Check tent seven. Stage Play should be in there. It's the closest thing he has to one." The vendor pointed down to a tent close to the theater that had been set up down the path.

Sunset gave the mare a nod. "Thank you." Wasting no more time, Sunset bolted down the path, Twilight hot on her heels.

When they entered the tent, they were surrounded by various costumes and changing mirrors. Pacing in the middle of it all, was Stage Play. His eyes were darting about as he bit at one of his hooves. Sweat trickled down his face, and he kept muttering to himself with each glance at the clock that sat on one of the makeup stations. "Oh, sweet Celestia, where is he?"

"Stage Play!" The poor earth pony jumped out of his skin and whirled around, only to sigh with a bit of relief when he saw who had startled him. "Oh, it's just you."

Sunset stepped forward and looked at Stage Play with a worried gaze. "Stage, what's going on? We came over to talk with you and Line Writer, but the ponies outside said he's missing." 

Stage Play slumped with a shaky breath as the mares both approached him. "He is. He said he had to do something before the performance could start tonight, but he hasn't come back! We were supposed to start--" He gasped and pulled at his face. "Half an hour ago!? If he takes any longer, we'll be giving out more refunds than we can afford!"

"What do you mean?" Sunset raised an eyebrow, noticing the earth pony stiffen try to turn away.

Eventually, the pony sighed and turned to face her. "The Faire's... not doing well. We've been barely making ends meet, and the cost of owning this plot of land has been draining what we do make. Our performances are our big selling points, but the problem is that Line Writer keeps the master copy of any scripts he writes. Sure, there are the ones that go to each performer, so they know their parts, and he usually leaves a second copy with me so I can be the narrator, but without the master copy, I can't fill in as a narrator because he didn't leave me anything!"

Twilight and Sunset both let out a short whinny before the princess frowned. "Why the heck would he do that!? That has to be some of the most counterproductive--"

Sunset stuffed a hoof into Twilight's mouth and frowned. "That doesn't change the problem here, Twilight. We can harp on Line Writer's management later." She turned back to Stage Play with a determined glint in her eyes. "Do you think he left a copy anywhere?"

"It's possible, but he usually gives them to me directly." Stage Play then started to look through the dressers and desks, only to stop when he felt a hoof on his shoulder. 

"I know this isn't the time," Sunset started, staring him in the eyes with a frown, "but how long have you known about my dad's dementia?"

Stage Play froze, before sighing and pursing his lips. "For a while now. I promised him I wouldn't tell you about that, but since you asked, I guess the cat's already out of the bag." He gave her a weak smile before nodding. "How about after the performance, I tell you what I know. That sound fair?" As Sunset gave an appreciative nod, Stage chuckled. "Gotta say, Your dad helping us is probably why Line hasn't run us under yet."

Sunset's reply was cut short by Twilight shouting. "Found it!" A stack of pages floated up from a between the tent's wall and one of the mirrors. "It was taped back here, along with these." Twilight's magic brought out an envelope and a hefty tome. All of it was placed before Stage Play and Sunset.

A glance at the title of the book made Sunset raise an eyebrow. "Memoria Mystica? Why would a playwright need this?"

The stallion frowned as he squinted at the envelope, and opened it. A quick scan of the contents made his eyes widen, before quickly falling into a scowl. "That bucking idiot."

"What is it?" Sunset glanced at the letter before Stage Play let her take it from his hoof. "Line went to talk with my dad about the memory spells?"

Twilight took a look at the book's contents, flipping it open to where a bookmark was present. "Specifically, Professor Cranium's Cerebral Cartography spell, it seems."

Stage Play blinked for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "The what now?"

Not hesitating for even a moment, Twilight started going over the text. "It's a spell that lets you dive into the mind of a pony and wander at your leisure." She moved the book over to Stage and let him read. "It's different than the spells allowed by medical professionals or the royal guard. The restriction was due to the risk it put on both caster and target. When the spell is in effect, any damage done inside the mind to either party is permanent. This lead to it being banned across almost all of Equestria and forbidden from common practice."

Sunset felt a chill run down her spine as a scowl formed across her face. "He better not try to use any magic on my dad."

Twilight nodded and looked over at Stage play. "Do you mind if we borrow this?" Stage shook his head, and Twilight took the book, letting it float in her magic. "We need to get back to your father's home." 

Both mares bolted from the tent, galloping past ponies left and right. As they left the Faire, Sunset thought over everything. How hadn't they seen Line Writer when coming over in the first place? At some point, they should have run into him on the way to the Faire, yet they hadn't seen even a passing glance of him. She shook her head, gritting her teeth as she redoubled her speed.

Something wasn't right, and she could feel it.