Consonance and Dissonance

by applezombi


Chapter 9

You share classes with Sonata, right? Text me the second she shows up in class. The text message had shown up on Pinkie’s phone almost the moment she woke up. Which was odd, because few teenagers that Pinkie knew bothered to wake up as early as she did. She guessed it made sense for Twilight to get up early. Maybe she didn’t have early morning baking to do, but she did have to study almost all the time so she could be a smarty-pants genius. The text sounded urgent, though, so Pinkie fired one back, her fingers flying over the phone’s virtual keyboard.

KK oki doki loki twi she texted back. What’s up?

Private. I’ll explain at school if I can.

That sounded bad. What kind of disaster could have gone down? Pinkie knew the two of them had just had a date last night. Maybe the date went bad? Maybe they were fighting? Pinkie let out a gasp so loud that the rest of her family looked up from their early morning pre-chore breakfast at the table. Maybe they’d (gulp) broken up? It was enough to start her hyperventilating.

“Pinkamina?” her mother asked gently. “What concerneth thou?”

“Nothing, mom, I’mjustfinenoproblemshere!” she rushed out, then stopped. No. She was better than this. Stronger than this. Still Waters told her it was healthiest to share her worries with her loved ones. She took a deep breath and slowed down. “Um, actually, I don’t know if anything’s wrong at all, but I just got a super vague and concerning text from my friend Twilight.”

Five sets of concerned, loving eyes looked back at her. The entire family, listening to her, watching her, loving her. She felt the warmth they held for her like a physical sensation, a blanket that draped over her shoulders and kept out all the cold mean world. Her eyes were watery.

“What can we do to help?” Maud asked. Only somebody who didn’t really know Maud could possibly think her voice was an emotionless monotone. Pinkie had grown up with her big sister. She knew how to listen for the subtle hint of concern, the gentle touch of love.

“I think maybe I’m just getting wrapped up in my head,” Pinkie said. “Overthinking things. I made a brand new friend last week, and she kinda started dating my friend Twilight. They had a date last night, which was totally awesome and completely surprising only now something’s gone wrong and I’m getting worried that something went very wrong and I don’t know and Twilight only said she’s going to explain at school and I’m not really the most patient person in the world so waiting for school just so I can find out what Twilight’s worried about is just the worst thing I can possibly think of, except maybe if the world ran out of frosting, though I’d even take that over my friends getting…”

“Pinkie!” Maud called out. “Please take a breath.”

“Okay!” she said. She took a deep breath. It felt good. She took another few.

“Mom, Dad?” Maud said. “I’ll take care of this one.” Pinkie’s parents nodded solemnly, and Maud stood up from the breakfast table and walked over to Pinkie. “Are you ready for school?”

“Silly Maud! School doesn’t start for an hour and a half!” Pinkie giggled.

“Yes, but are you ready?” Maud asked implacably. Pinkie nodded. “Good. Get your school things. We’re going out for a treat before school.”

“Coffee?” Pinkie suggested hopefully. For some reason everybody at the table looked horrified. Maud shook her head.

“No. You’re on the brink of an anxiety attack, Pinkie,” Maud said bluntly. “Caffeine will not be good for you right now. Meet me at my truck in five minutes.”

Ten minutes later, Pinkie had her backpack and crutches and had made her way to Maud’s truck. Five minutes was, after all, not nearly enough time to give all of her family a proper thank you hug. The plans were already brewing for her next I-have-the-best-family-ever party.

“You’re late,” Maud said, though Pinkie knew she wasn’t mad. After all, she’d explained the intricacies of proper hug procedures to her sister dozens of times. She was standing by the passenger side of her door, with the door open. Wordlessly she helped Pinkie into the beige truck, taking hold of her crutches and laying them in the bed of the truck.

The ride to Sugar Cube Corner was mostly silent, but Pinkie was used to that. Maud wasn’t much of a talker, after all. Still, she did what she could to have enough conversation for the both of them. Pinkie was mature enough to know that she was using idle conversation to avoid thinking about her own worries, but for now, that was okay.

Sugar Cube Corner had always been like a second home for her. Mr. Cake was running the café this morning, and he was just as pleased to see Pinkie as she was to see him. She tried to order, but Maud overrode her, asking for a chamomile tea and a dark chocolate muffin for Pinkie. She ordered a black coffee for herself.

“Chamomile tea and dark chocolate?” Pinkie asked.

“I’ve done a little research. There are some studies that suggest herbal tea and dark chocolate help with anxiety and panic attacks. In addition, chamomile has always been known to have a calming effect.”

“Did you look that up just for me?” Pinkie asked. Maud nodded, and Pinkie teared up again. “Aw, Maud! You’re the best sister ever!”

“I’m not entirely sure you have the empirical evidence to prove that, Pinkie. But thank you.” Maud deadpanned. It turned out that Maud’s instincts had been correct. A calming herbal tea and a bittersweet chocolate muffin were just what the doctor had ordered. Or would have, if Pinkie had seen a doctor. Recently. Well, she guessed she had; she still visited Still Waters on occasion, and Dr. Waters definitely recommended chocolate in moderation as a tool to use when life became too overwhelming. By the time they had to leave for school, Pinkie was feeling much better. Maud had a calming effect on her sister, after all. She was still worried about Twilight’s text, but the calming morning with Maud had given her a bit of perspective, and patience. She was willing to wait until she could see Twilight.

Unfortunately, Pinkie’s temporary disability made it difficult to seek out her friends. Maud helped her to her first classroom, and she was there before Mr. Cranky, even though there were a few other students milling about. There was no sign of Sonata just yet. She pulled out her phone, setting it on her desk and wondering if she should text Twilight. She even thought about texting her other friends, suggesting they come to visit her. Maybe they knew what was up. She had finally resolved to send out a mass text when her phone vibrated.

Pinkie is she there yet? The text was from Twilight. Pinkie texted back in the negative. Suddenly her phone was ringing with an incoming call from Twilight. Pinkie answered, her heart sinking. Something was definitely wrong.

“Hey, Twi,” Pinkie said.

“Pinkie. You’re at school?” Twilight responded. She sounded upset, and nervous, and maybe even a bit angry.

“Yup! Are you okay, Twi?”

“I’m fine, Pinkie,” Twilight said absently. “You’re sure you haven’t seen Sonata since yesterday? Or anywhere in the school at all?” There was panic in her voice.

“Nope. Twi, what’s going on?” Pinkie asked.

“Too much to explain. Where’s your first period?”

“Mr. Cranky. Room thirty-seven. Twi, school’s about to start, are you sure…”

“I’ll be there in a second, Pinkie. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Silly Twilight, I’m not…” the phone went dead before Pinkie could finish her sentence. Idly, Pinkie looked around the room for a video camera of some sort. In the movies and TV shows, people never actually said ‘goodbye’ at the end of a phone conversation like in real life. Or maybe Twilight was just being a little rude because she was worried. It was okay. Pinkie knew she didn’t mean to be rude.

A few seconds later Twilight burst in to the room, looking around frantically. Pinkie waved at her, and the frantic girl rushed to her side.

“Pinkie, I’m worried about Sonata,” Twilight said, her voice a frantic whisper. “I found out last night that somebody was hurting her. Probably one of her sisters, or both of them. I almost lost it. Pinkie, I…” Twilight took a ragged breath. “I transformed. Into Midnight. In front of my whole family.”

Woah. That was a doozy. Pinkie grabbed Twilight’s hand and squeezed, and Twilight shot her a grateful look. She said nothing, though. Pinkie knew that sometimes it was just time to sit quietly and listen.

“They talked me down from flying off into the night and doing something drastic. Shiny… my brother, Shining Armor, said he was going to call CPS in the morning. I was going to talk to her at school, see what was happening. But she’s not here, Pinkie! And Sonata doesn’t have a phone!”

Pinkie thought carefully if she’d ever seen Sonata with a phone. The answer was nope. She felt her own worry rising, a growing sense of urgency and dread.

“What do we do?” Pinkie whimpered. Twilight shook her head, frustrated.

“It could be that she’s just late. It could be that she was delayed, or was sick or something,” Twilight said. The fear in her voice said she didn’t believe it. “I’m going to call Shiny.” She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts, looking for her brother. “I won’t let them hurt her anymore, Pinkie,” Twilight said fiercely, and for a heartbeat Pinkie thought she saw the outline of blue flames along Twilight’s glasses. Twilight glanced at Pinkie. “Um, yeah. Midnight and I have sort of an arrangement. If it’s even possible to have an arrangement with the anthropomorphized avatar of your own inner darkness.”

“Is everything okay?” Pinkie asked carefully. The last thing she wanted was another explosive demon friend, tearing holes in reality.

“I think so,” Twilight said. “Sunset sat down with me, my parents, Shiny and Cadence and Spike last night. We talked about a lot of stuff. She has a theory about Midnight. I’ll tell you about it later, but now I need to call Shiny or I’m going to grow wings and fly out of here to go look for her.”

There was something frightening about the intensity of Twilight’s tone and her eyes at that moment, but Pinkie found herself less afraid. Safe, even. Twilight found the contact she needed and pushed the button on her phone.

“Shiny? It’s Twilight,” she said into her phone. Pinkie couldn’t hear the other half of the conversation. “No, she’s not at school.” Pause. “I don’t think she has a phone.” Pause. “I don’t really know. One second, Pinkie’s right here. She might know. Pinkie? Do you have any idea where Sonata might go? Anywhere other than work or school? Shiny said that he called CPS this morning, and nobody was home at the address I gave.” Pinkie could tell Twilight was holding herself together by mere threads.

“Maybe the Canterlot Hills Youth Drop-In Center?” Pinkie said.

“Why there?” Twilight asked, still holding the phone to her ear connected to her brother.

“Because…” Pinkie hesitated. She didn’t talk about her own issues with her friends, because she didn’t want them to worry too hard. That being said, she would have had no problem telling them all about it if it would help somebody else. However, it wasn’t necessarily her place to share Sonata’s secrets with others. That was something that Still Waters had impressed on her; people needed to feel safe to heal, and sometimes that meant privacy. “Um.”

“Hang on, Shiny wants to talk to you,” Twilight said, after Pinkie had hesitated for a few seconds. She handed her phone to Pinkie.

“Hello, is this Pinkie Pie?” the voice on the other end of the phone asked. Pinkie had met him once or twice before, but they weren’t exactly familiar with each other.

“Yup! Good morning, Officer Armor. How can I help you?” Pinkie knew sometimes people thought she was silly, but Momma Pie had always said to put the silly on hold and be respectful when talking to police officers.

“You believe Sonata might be at the youth drop in center?” he asked.

“Yup!”

“You’ve seen her there before?” Shining asked. “I’m not going to ask under what circumstances.” This time Pinkie didn’t feel the need to hesitate.

“Yes,” she agreed again. That seemed harmless enough.

“Okay. I’ll call the center, see if she’s there. Meanwhile, you two stay at school, okay? Pinkie, I’m going to need you to keep Twilight at school for now. It’s important that she doesn’t do anything rash.”

“You mean like turn into a crazy demon girl and go on a righteous rampage?” Pinkie asked. Twilight flinched.

“Yes, like that,” Shining said, sounding exasperated. “Please. Keep her calm, however you can. I’ll call back as soon as I have news.”

“Okay, Officer Armor. Thanks!” Pinkie said.

“You’re welcome. Can you hand the phone back to Twilight? Goodbye, Pinkie.” She did as he asked and handed the phone back to his sister, who looked frightened and annoyed at the same time.

“Yes, Shiny,” Twilight said into the phone. The classroom was beginning to fill, and they were drawing some curious stares. Mr. Cranky entered, and he began eyeing Twilight with his namesake expression. “Yes, I know.” Pause. “Yes, I’ll be safe. I won’t go anywhere for now, but I’m not going to…” Pause. “Well, I’ll wait and see for now. No promises. Shiny. SHINY! I’m going to hang up now, I don’t want to argue with you. Call me as soon as you hear anything. Love you, BBBFF.” With a fair bit of frustration, Twilight mashed the ‘hang up’ button on her phone. “He told you to keep an eye on me?” Twilight said.

“Well…” Pinkie began, but Mr. Cranky cleared his throat loudly.

“Miss Sparkle. I don’t know what drama is going on in your life, but I’d prefer it if you took it with you to your first period. Which is, as I need not remind you, not in this room.”

“Yes, sir,” Twilight nearly growled, with a disrespect she had never shown a teacher before. Mr. Cranky’s eyes shot wide, too surprised to object, and Twilight blew out of the room. Mr. Cranky eyed Pinkie for a moment, then sat down at his desk to await the morning bell. Pinkie sat down to wait. She had a sinking feeling that she wouldn’t be able to concentrate much on the lecture today. Briefly she considered using her leg as an excuse to get out of class, but dismissed the idea when she thought about just how frowny that would make Applejack.

The warning bell rang, and there was no news. Pinkie nervously wondered how long Twilight would wait before she did something disastrous. Then the second bell rang, and Mr. Cranky stood up to begin class. The second he opened his mouth, however, the PA system beeped and Vice Principal Luna’s voice filled the room.

“Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle, please report to Principal Celestia’s office,” she said, and Mr. Cranky let out a groan of frustration, making the rest of the class snicker. Pinkie maneuvered to her feet with her crutches.

“I’ll watch your bag for you, Pinkie,” Bulk Biceps, who sat right behind her, offered helpfully.

“Thanks, Bulk! I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, so just drop it off at the Principal’s office if I don’t come back,” Pinkie said, trying not to let her worry fill her voice. Mr. Cranky even opened the door for her, though secretly she wondered if it was just to get her out of the room a bit faster. Once she was in the hallway, though, Sunset Shimmer sidled up alongside her.

“Silly Sunset, you weren’t called by the vice principal,” Pinkie said. Sunset’s face was set with determination.

“Yeah, I know. But I think I know what this is about, and I’m coming to help however I can,” she said in a tone that allowed no room for argument.

“Okie Dokie Lokie,” Pinkie said. She wasn’t about to argue with Sunset anyways. The principal’s office door was open when they reached it. Twilight Sparkle, looking fierce, was waiting there already. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were there, waiting. Celestia wasn’t seated at her desk, instead she leaned on the front of it, facing the others. She looked concerned.

“We found her,” Twilight said in a rush, as soon as she saw Pinkie. “You were right. She’s at the drop-in center, with somebody named Still Waters. She’s safe, but…”

“Miss Pie, I have just gotten off the phone with a Dr. Still Waters,” Celestia said, after a quick confused glance at Sunset. She didn’t say anything about the extra presence. “Apparently Miss Dusk has been injured, and went to her doctor for safety. She has refused to speak with anyone, including Miss Sparkle’s brother, Officer Armor, without either you or Miss Sparkle present. Given the urgency of the situation, and the very real potential for permanent mental or physical harm to Miss Dusk, I’m inclined to excuse the both of you so you may go speak with her.” She glanced at Sunset. “You, Miss Shimmer, were not requested.”

“I don’t care. I’m going. I’ll stay in the car or something, but I’m going,” Sunset said. Her face was set in an obvious challenge, and for a moment, Pinkie thought that Sunset and Principal Celestia may begin to argue. Since she’d stopped being a big evil mean bad guy, Sunset hadn’t challenged authority this way. At least, not that Pinkie had seen. “I don’t wanna fight you on this, Principal, but I’ve made up my mind. There’s more going on here than you know, and I need to stay close to it. Please don’t make me defy you.”

There was something genuine in her voice, a very real pleading. Celestia hesitated only for a second.

“Very well, Miss Shimmer. You may be excused as well. But you will listen to the doctor when you reach his office, understood? He is in charge.”

“Understood, ma’am. I’ll be good,” Sunset said.

“Should we get the others?” Pinkie asked, but both Celestia and Luna were already shaking their heads.

“I don’t think so,” Twilight said. “Let’s go. I need to see she’s okay.” She sounded desperate. “Shiny called me; he’s already there. We have to go now.” The last came out as a snarl. Idly, Pinkie noticed Twilight’s hands for the first time. They were bandaged for some reason.

“Okay! Okay, Twi, we’re going,” Sunset said, her voice soothing, her hands held up in a placating gesture. Celestia and Luna exchanged worried glances. “I got this, Principals.”

On the way out to the student parking lot, Pinkie was sure Twilight was one breath away from simply picking her up and carrying her the rest of the way to her car. She was frustrated, it was clear. But they made it to Twilight’s sedan without incident.

“I could drive,” Sunset offered. Twilight ignored her completely.

“Silly Sunset,” Pinkie said softly. “Twilight’s in hero mode right now. She’s about to ride to the rescue of her one true love and rescue her. I know it’s her brother’s name, but she’s the knight in shining armor right now. You’re going to have to let her have her moment.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything. She unlocked the car and pushed the button that would let the other two in. Sunset helped Pinkie into the front passenger’s seat, then slipped in behind her. She turned the key in the ignition and put the car into gear, then hesitated.

“Pinkie? Sunset? If I go… scary, you’ll stop me before I do anything stupid?”

“Of course, Twilight,” Sunset said.

“Pinkie Promise!” Pinkie agreed, crossing her heart with her hand then miming shoving the cupcake in her eye. Twilight visibly relaxed at that. She may be one of Pinkie’s newer friends, but even Twilight knew that nobody broke a Pinkie Promise. With a nod of determination, Twilight pulled out of the parking lot.

“Directions, Pinkie?” Twilight asked softly. Quickly Pinkie gave her the directions to the drop in center. Pinkie was honestly surprised when Twilight, ever the stickler for rules, sped the entire way. When they got there and parked, Pinkie could tell she wanted to run in, but she waited, helping Pinkie out of the car and assisting her with her crutches. Sunset leaned up against the car, telling them to call if they needed her. They moved to the front door of the center, and Twilight held the doors open for Pinkie.

During school hours, the Canterlot Hills Youth Drop-In Center was usually a ghost town. Still Water’s wife, Calm Breeze, was waiting at the reception desk.

“Hey there, Pinkie,” she said softly. “And you must be Twilight Sparkle. Let me show you to Still Water’s office.”

“Is she okay?” Twilight begged, and Pinkie saw Calm Breeze’s eyes fill with heartbreak and sympathy.

“She’ll be much better once you get there, I think. She’s been asking for you. Both of you, but mostly Miss Twilight.”

* * * * *

Twilight had to stop herself from breaking into a sprint. She felt like an exposed nerve; she’d been holding such a tight rein on her self-control that she felt energized and exhausted at the same time. She was practically shaking with the need to do something, and there was almost nothing for her to do. She wanted to scream, to rage, to let out Midnight and fly over the city like an avenging angel, skewering her girlfriend’s tormentors with beams of righteous force. She tried to bury that thought.

The center looked wholesome. That was the first adjective she could think of to appropriately describe the place. Like the kind woman leading them, Calm Breeze, the place seemed charged with a kind of calming, safe energy, and she found herself relaxing by degrees. Every piece of ragged but well maintained furniture, every clean swept floor, even the pool tables and currently empty video game room oozed welcome. Finally, they reached a wood door. It was unmarked and unpainted, stained in natural colors. Calm Breeze reached out and turned the handle, pushing the door inward.

“They’re inside,” Calm Breeze said, and Twilight brushed past her into the room. She had expected a typical psychologist’s office, with certificates and diplomas on the wall, big padded chairs with brown faux leather, a long, wide wooden desk. It had none of those things. There was a hand-me-down couch and an armchair, both clearly hand-me-downs. The walls were covered in inspirational cat posters, those silly things that had lines like ‘hang in there!’ A coffee table between the chair and the couch was decorated by a single box of tissues. Sonata was curled up on the couch, clutching her knees to her chest. She was wearing the same clothing she had for their date last night. Her makeup was in tatters, streams of smeared mascara dripping down her cheeks from where she had been crying. Now that she knew what she was looking for, she could see the bruises that Shining had been talking about, one on her cheekbone, and a line of bruises on her throat. But that wasn’t all. There was blood, a dried stain on her shirt. Not much, but enough to make Twilight want to vomit. Sonata’s lips, the lips she had so enjoyed kissing last night, were split, crusted over with blood in two spots. There were new bruises, fresh ones that Twilight could see on her right wrist, her sleeve pulled up just enough to be seen. Twilight let out a sound that might have been a growl or a whimper and rushed over to her girlfriend, wrapping Sonata up in her arms and squeezing her tight. She could feel Sonata shaking.

“Hey, Twily,” she heard from behind her. It was her brother, dressed in his dark blue uniform. She hadn’t even noticed him in her rush to get to Sonata. “Glad you could come.”

“You too, Pinkie,” said another voice, one Twilight didn’t recognize but instantly decided she liked. She glanced over at the doctor. He was a middle aged man with pale white hair and dark brown skin. He was wearing an odd combination, jeans and a button down pink shirt with a metallic blue tie. His eyes were gentle. He saw Twilight looking and smiled at her. “Nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle. My name is Still Waters.” He didn’t offer to shake hands, and Twilight wasn’t ready to get up and let go of Sonata. “Have a seat, Pinkie. I’ll take those.”

Twilight pulled back from her hug just enough to look at Sonata. Her eyes were clenched shut, and her lips were drawn. What she needs most right now, she reasoned calmly, hoping her inner demon was paying attention, is love. Calm, soothing, warm love. If she needs an avenger, we’ll be that for her. But it’s not what she needs right now. She didn’t hear anything, but hadn’t quite expected to, either. Gently, she stroked her fingers on Sonata’s cheek, Sonata shuddered and leaned into the caress.

“Hey. Hey, Sonata. You’re safe, okay? Whoever’s hurting you, it’s over. I’m going to keep you safe, okay?” Her hand kept stroking Sonata’s cheek. Fresh tears leaked out of her eyes, and she nodded.

“Can I… talk to Pinkie and Twilight alone for a bit?” Sonata whispered. Still Waters and Shining Armor glanced at each other, and the doctor nodded.

“Of course, Sonata. Officer Armor and I will be just outside. Knock on the door when we can come back in.”

“Thanks, doc,” she sniffled, and the two men left the room. Twilight reached over and pulled a tissue out of the box. Gently she began wiping at Sonata’s eyes, taking care to clean the smeared mascara from her face. Twilight went as softly as she could around the bruising on Sonata’s eye and cheek. “Are you going to ask me?”

“Not unless you want me to,” Twilight said softly. She looked up at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie was weeping silently.

“I’m so ashamed,” Sonata said, and Twilight laid a finger across her lips.

“No. Don’t. This is not your fault, Sonata,” Twilight said. Pinkie was nodding. “We love you, and you’re safe now.” Her voice echoed with the truth of what she was saying.

“Your brother wants me to tell him what happened. What’s been happening,” Sonata said.

“Do you want to?” Twilight asked. Sonata shrugged.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.”

“Who is it?” Twilight asked.

“Aria,” Sonata whispered, shaking. It was like a faucet turning on; suddenly all her reluctance was gone, and words spilled out of Sonata’s mouth. “Adagio’s checked out completely. She was our leader, she told us what to do. She never hit us, but she did call me stupid, and ditzy, and idiot, and worthless, all the time. Now she hides in her room and drinks. Aria thinks she has to be leader now, but I don’t think she knows how. All she does is yell. Yell, and h-hit m-m-me…” she broke down with fresh sobs, this time uncurling her arms and grabbing at Twilight, clutching her tight for a second, then pushing away. “Let me show you.” She stood up from the couch and grabbed the hem of her shirt, lifting a few inches to reveal the smooth skin of her midriff. There, just along the line of her ribs, was a pair of fist sized bruises. Pinkie Pie hissed in horror, and Twilight suddenly found herself once again battling for control of her own magic.

REMEMBER WHAT SHE NEEDS RIGHT NOW! Twilight shouted inwardly to herself. Gently, she helped Sonata push her shirt back down and carefully pulled her back onto the couch, so she was sitting on Twilight’s lap. It was a little awkward, as they were both the same size, but Sonata snuggled up easily, drawing her legs up to her chest just as before. Twilight wrapped her arms around Sonata and hugged her, but released her when Sonata hissed in pain. She hadn’t been squeezing by any of the bruises.

“That wasn’t all, was it?” Pinkie asked, sounding frightened and angry herself. Sonata shook her head no, pointing at her shin, and her upper thigh.

“She kicked me too,” she whispered. “What do I do?”

“Why don’t you tell us the whole story,” Pinkie said.

“Should we call in the other two?” Sonata asked. Twilight wanted to say yes, but it wasn’t her decision.

“Only if you want to,” Pinkie replied. Twilight was quite glad Pinkie was taking the lead in the conversation; she didn’t want Sonata to see just how angry she was just yet. It might not be the most helpful thing. “Twilight’s brother’s a police officer, Sonata. He can make sure Aria doesn’t hurt anybody else.”

“You mean he’ll a-arrest her?” Sonata asked, horrified. Twilight stroked her hair, whispering soothing nonsense into her ear. It seemed childish, but Sonata calmed a bit.

“I think so, yeah,” Pinkie said. “She committed a crime. And it sounds like she’s suffering too. Somebody needs to make sure she’s safe from others, and also that she gets the help she needs, too.”

“Oh. Okay. I think, yeah. Pinkie, can you let them in?” she sounded so unsure, so fragile. Twilight thought about what she’d said about her sisters. The physical abuse may be relatively new, but this poor girl had been verbally beat down by both her sisters, probably for centuries. Twilight hated the way Sonata was looking to them to make decisions for her, but the seething angry rage monster inside her was merely glad that at least Twilight and Pinkie could make the right decisions.

“I’m on it!” Pinkie saluted. Sonata nearly stood up and did it for her when she remembered Pinkie’s injured foot, but Twilight held her tight. She didn’t bother with her crutches, but instead hopped on one foot, oddly gracefully, and knocked on the door. Still Waters opened it.

“Would you like us to come in, Sonata?” he asked politely. She nodded and sniffed. “Okay.”

Shining Armor and Still Waters stepped into the room. Shining was carrying two metal folding chairs, and Still Waters was carrying a fast food drink carrier with three paper cups wedged into it.

“Calm Breeze ordered us some hot chocolate, if you want some,” he said, setting the carrier down on the table. “There’s enough for you three girls. Sorry she didn’t bring any for you, Officer Armor.” Shining shrugged.

“Its fine,” he said, setting up the chairs. “I get enough sugar from my wife.” It was a poor attempt at humor, but it worked a little; Sonata gave a huff of laughter. Sonata slid off Twilight’s lap, moving so they were sitting side by side on the couch, and reached out for one of the cups, though she let Twilight keep one arm wrapped around her shoulders.

“Sonata wants to tell us what happened from the beginning,” Pinkie offered. “She suggested we should let you two in first.” It wasn’t exactly how it had happened, but close enough, and this version gave Sonata the power of choice over her own situation.

“That’s good, Sonata,” Still Waters said calmly. “You can start whenever you’re ready, and we can stop whenever you need to.”

“Got it.” Sonata said. “So, I assume everybody in this room knows the whole story about where I came from?” She glanced at Shining Armor specifically, and he nodded.

“I heard that whole story from Sunset last night,” he said.

“Okay. So for hundreds of years, Adagio was in charge. Since she went on a permanent mental vacation, Aria’s been in charge. Only she doesn’t know how to be a leader like Adagio was. Since Adagio started drinking, Aria’s been getting angrier and angrier. She yells just about every day. Then she was breaking things. Now she hits me.” Sonata took a shuddering breath, looking around the room. “No matter what I say she always finds a reason. Something I did wrong. Something I said wrong.”

“The past few days it’s been getting worse. When I told her I was going to school again, she punched me in the face and… and c-choked me. Not too much, just a little. Then last night, she was looking out the window when I got home. She saw w-who dropped me off.”

“What do you mean Sonata?” Still Waters asked.

“Last night I had a date with Twilight,” Sonata said, and she nestled deeper into Twilight’s embrace. “But before that, I went to school for the first time. For reals, I mean, not just cuz my sisters wanted to feed. That morning Aria and I argued. Adagio was mad too. See, Still Waters had helped me get set up with a government food assistance program so I could cut back on hours at work to go to school. Work was cool with it, but Aria was worried we wouldn’t be getting enough, and Adagio was worried cuz she doesn’t want to run out and I don’t think the state government wants to fund my teenaged sister’s drinking habit.” Shining Armor was shaking his head. “Adagio was grumpy, but she was also already pretty far gone, so I wasn’t too worried about her. But when Adagio’s grumpy, Aria gets even meaner. By the time I got home from school she’d worked herself up into a rage. We argued again, and then I told her I was going out. I wouldn’t tell her where, so she…” Sonata trailed off. Wordlessly Twilight squeezed her closer. Sonata’s hands were shaking as she took a long drink of her hot chocolate. “She slapped me. And shoved me up against the wall of the trailer and wrapped the fingers of one hand around my neck.” Sonata reached up with her own fingers, brushing against the bruise on her neck. “She didn’t choke me much. I slipped out and locked myself in the bathroom, long enough for Aria to get bored. I did some m-makeup to hide my bruises…” She stopped talking and started weeping silently.

“Sometimes,” Still Waters began gently, “People who are being abused by a loved one experience a sense of shame or guilt. They might blame themselves for their abuse, or feel too ashamed or embarrassed to tell anybody about it. They can even go to great lengths to hide the abuse. It’s important to remember, though, that what Aria did is not your fault. She chose anger. She chose to react. Not you. You don’t control how other people feel or act, Sonata. Nor are you responsible for it.”

“Yeah,” Sonata said. “Yeah. Twilight, I’m s-sorry I lied to you. About my bruises. And hid them.”

Twilight was shaking her head, almost violently. She could feel herself twitching, and even noticed when Shining Armor shifted himself to where he could shield Still Waters if necessary.

“You don’t owe me an apology at all,” Twilight murmured softly into Sonata’s hair. She must have looked pretty scary, because Shining was looking at her with concern, and even Pinkie looked a little worried. “I’m not mad or anything,” She checked the honesty of that statement. “At you. Not mad at you. I’m furious at Aria, and I’ve never even met her.”

“Maybe we should let Sonata finish her story,” Shining said, and Pinkie was nodding. Twilight didn’t see how that would help her calm down. The more story Sonata told, the more Twilight had to hear about Sonata getting beat up by her sister.

“So I snuck out of the house and went to Twilight’s for our date,” Sonata said. For once, her voice was full of something other than shame and pain. She sounded happy. Sonata reached over and grabbed the hand that Twilight had wrapped around her, taking a hold of Twilight’s fingers and kissing them with a little giggle. Twilight blushed, and Shining armor conspicuously glanced elsewhere. “I don’t think we need to talk about that.”

“Why not? It makes you happy,” Still Waters said. “What did you do on your date?”

“Twilight gave me a piano lesson, then I met her family. We went to a concert, then got tacos and danced.”

“You danced with my sister?” Shining Armor asked skeptically. “On behalf of our entire family, I apologize.” Twilight stuck her tongue out at her brother.

“Don’t be a meanie. Twilight’s an amazing dancer,” Sonata said, turning just enough so that Twilight could see the sincerity in her eyes.

“I had an amazing teacher,” Twilight said, and decided she couldn’t help herself. She leaned down and kissed Sonata, just a peck, but it was right on the lips. Sonata was blushing. She was sure she was too. Shining rolled his eyes, but both Pinkie and Dr. Waters were beaming.

“The next bit’s a little gruesome,” Sonata whispered to Twilight. “Are you gonna be okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” Twilight replied.

“So Twilight drove me home from our date. I was afraid and ashamed about showing her where I live. I’ve been alive a millennia. I’ve been worshiped as a goddess. I’ve sung before kings and queens, and have had them offer their kingdoms to me just for a chance to hear my voice again. But now I live in a dirty trailer in a scuzzy trailer park, surrounded by drug dealers and weeds. I didn’t want her to see. But I couldn’t think of a good excuse, so I let her.

“Aria was watching through the window. She saw us drive up. She saw us kiss. She saw Twilight.” Sonata went silent for a deep breath, then resumed. “She thought Twilight was the other Twilight. The one from Equestria. I don’t suppose it would have mattered even if she knew this was the other Twilight.” Sonata was still looking at Twilight as she spoke; her eyes were full of concern. Twilight was touched; in the midst of all this, Sonata was worried about her, rather than being worried about herself.

“She was on me as soon as I came in the door. She hit me until I fell over, then when I went down she kicked me,” Sonata’s voice had grown cold and numb. “I just curled up in a ball and waited until she got tired. When Aria went to bed, I ran. I… spend the night outside. There’s a bank about six blocks away that has an indoor area they don’t lock so that people can use the ATM. The security guard kicked me out early this morning, and I wandered over here. I know I was supposed to be at school.” She sounded like she felt guilty for skipping.

“Y-you can’t go back there,” Twilight declared, and Midnight howled her agreement deep inside.

“Shining? There’s a few more details to this story before we talk about what Sonata’s next step is. If you don’t mind?” Still Waters said. Shining nodded.

“Sonata, after your date we spoke with Twilight. Both Cadence and I noticed your bruises, and with both of our professions, we’re required to inform CPS if we suspect abuse. First thing in the morning we made our report, and CPS performed a welfare check. Nobody was home.” Shining Armor leaned forward in his chair. “Sonata, I want you to know that Cadence and I both take your privacy and your dignity very seriously, but those cannot come before your safety. If we offended you by calling, we’re sorry. But we’d do it again in a second to keep you safe.”

“I-it’s fine,” Sonata stammered. She looked uncomfortable.

“Sonata, it’s a wonderful and strange experience to have people care about you, isn’t it?” Still Waters said, and Sonata nodded wordlessly.

“The CPS agent contacted me when you weren’t there. Nobody was there. She looked in the windows and didn’t see anybody, but since we didn’t have a warrant, or proof of abuse just yet, only strong suspicions, she didn’t enter. I was concerned and asked Twilight to see if she knew where you might have gone. Twilight spoke with Pinkie, and that led us to call Dr. Waters. And now here we are.” Suddenly Shiny looked down at his phone and stood up. “Excuse me for just a moment. I have to take this call.” He stood up and stepped out of the room, holding his phone up to his ear. “Hello, this is Officer Armor. Oh yeah, Cady. We found her. Everybody’s safe.” He closed the door behind him and his voice faded and became muffled.

“Now. When I arrived at the Center this morning and found Sonata here, she refused to see a doctor until she spoke with one or both of you,” Still Waters said. “I don’t think she’s in dire need of emergency care, but I would like her to get checked out, to be safe. Sonata, may we take you to the hospital now?” Sonata looked at Twilight, seeking approval. Twilight cocked her head to one side.

“What do you want, Sonata?” Twilight asked. Sonata looked unsure.

“I don’t know,” she said.

“It would make me very happy if you saw a doctor,” Twilight said, hating herself for saying it, even though it was true. Sonata sighed with relief, and nodded.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

It was a bit of a procession for everybody to get to the hospital. Shining and Still Waters rode in his squad car, and Sonata rode with Twilight and Pinkie. Sonata nearly froze up and shut down when she realized Sunset was there, but Sunset handled things as best as she could, giving Sonata all the space she needed. She was an excellent distraction, chattering on about how much of a good impression Sonata was making at school. Even Twilight, with her social ineptness, was aware that Sunset was being a bit manipulative, but it was for a good cause. Sonata seemed a bit more cheerful by the time they parked at the hospital. Unfortunately it was nearly all undone when Shining Armor brought the doctor in to do his exam. Sonata nearly shut the whole thing down when she realized Twilight, as a non-family member, wasn’t allowed into the room with her.

“Please relax,” Twilight begged her girlfriend. “It’s just rules. I’ll be right outside the examination room.” The doctor was quite understanding and helpful, and Sonata was finally persuaded while the others waited outside. Once Sonata was behind the closed exam room door, Still Waters addressed the rest of them.

“My chief concern right now is Sonata’s physical wellbeing. She needs a safe place to stay. I’m not okay with her being homeless, given her history and her fragile state of mind. There are beds at the drop-in center. She can stay there as long as she needs to, but as a permanent solution to her situation, it is not ideal.”

“Twilight, offer to let her move in with you and Mom and Dad,” Shining Armor said. “My room’s been empty for a year now. I think Dad’s just storing books and stuff there right now.”

“Um, okay, but do you really think Mom and Dad will be okay with…”

“I already asked them,” Shining Armor said with a smirk. “Mom and Spike are moving the boxes to the garage as we speak. I just wanted you to be the one to ask her so you get all the extra heroic girlfriend points.”

“Oh,” Twilight said, thinking for a moment. Her parents were okay with her girlfriend moving in? She was in high school, even if she was a senior. Parents weren’t supposed to work that way. It did show a great deal of trust, however, and it made her feel loved. “Thanks, BBBFF.”

“It’s what I’m here for,” he said smugly. “Doctor, how do you feel about that arrangement?”

“It’s up to Sonata, of course, but I think having a support system so close to her will be perfect. I do have some concerns about your anger control, Miss Twilight.”

“I would never touch her like that,” Twilight snarled, and Still Waters nodded.

“That’s evident. It’s also not what I meant.” He sighed, as if gathering his thoughts. “You’ve been on edge since you arrived at the Center, and both your brother and your friend have been nervous about it. May I assume that this has something to do with magic?” Still Waters looked around at the various stunned reactions. “I’ve had several conversations with Pinkie on the topic, but didn’t believe her at first. She arranged for a demonstration.” He let out a theatrically melodramatic sigh. “I’ll never get that cupcake back. Or the frosting stains out of my favorite white shirt. Since then, I’ve taken everything she says at face value.”

“You’re not wrong that something’s going on,” Twilight admitted. “I’ve struggled in the past with the personified manifestation of my own… um, inner darkness, I guess? Sunset has a theory, I’m not sure it’s true, and the testing we would have to do to confirm it would be rather destructive and uncomfortable, but it sounds good. We call ‘her’ Midnight Sparkle. She’s me, but an angrier, less rational, violent, and obsessive version of me.”

“The first time you transformed,” Sunset began, “it was because of your obsession and greed. Then, at Camp Everfree, you nearly transformed again, but this time as a result of self-hatred and self-doubt. The third time, last night, was because of your rage at finding out Sonata was being hurt.” Everybody was listening intently. “I think it shows that ‘Midnight Sparkle’ isn’t evil. She isn’t even bad. She’s just a part of you. The part of you that maybe lacks impulse control. I saw through Cadence’s eyes what it looked like last night. You weren’t going to hurt your family. You weren’t going to break open two dimensions and nearly destroy the world again.” Twilight flinched. “No, you were just going all ‘dark avenger’ on us. Maybe not the best thing, but definitely not evil. And you’re already doing great keeping it under control.”

“Not really,” Twilight admitted. “I’ve been on a hair trigger since last night. I barely slept. The only reason I haven’t transformed at all this morning is because it’s not what she needs right now.” She nodded towards the door.

“Talk to Sonata about it,” Still Waters suggested. “It might help both of you. Sonata may benefit from knowing how zealous a protector she has. You might benefit from added support. Either way, its proof that your relationship is a healthy one. She inspires you to want to be better, to do better.” Twilight nodded. It made sense, really. “That being said, I would very much recommend the both of you see a therapist together. Since I am privy to all of the intricacies of the situation, I might be in the best position to help the both of you.”

“I’ll… talk it over with Sonata,” Twilight said. She tried to beat down the knee-jerk reaction that psychotherapy was somehow an admission of weakness. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d considered seeing somebody herself.

“So what’s going to happen to Sonata’s sister?” Sunset asked carefully, looking at Twilight. It seemed deliberate that she hadn’t said Aria’s name.

“It depends on if Sonata wants to press charges,” Shining Armor said. “State law is that she technically doesn’t have to, she’s legally a minor, so charges should be automatic. But she’s close enough to eighteen that the DA won’t put too much effort into a domestic violence case unless she’s an active participant. Regardless, we’re going to draft a protective order against her, so that she can’t come anywhere near Sonata or any of you girls for the time being.”

“What about Sonata’s stuff?” Sunset asked. “Like clothes and personal items?”

“I can escort her onto the property to retrieve whatever she needs,” Shining said. It was odd for Twilight to watch her brother like this; she’d never really heard him using his ‘professional police officer’ voice before, he’d always been her BBBFF, and the police stuff had been another version of him that she’d never seen. Rather than being alienated by it, it made her surge with pride.

“I’m coming too,” Twilight insisted, and Pinkie nodded. Shiny looked like he was about to object. “Brother, if you say no, I’m just going to fly there.” He jerked as if struck.

“That’s not fair, Twily,” he said softly, and she shrugged. Twilight didn’t want to be fair right now.

“You said your colleague over at CPS already said nobody was home. You can go in first to make sure the place is clear. I’m just going to stay near Sonata, not for anything else.” Twilight said. She glanced at Pinkie. “Pinkie Promise.”

“This is a terrible idea,” Shining said, in a resigned tone that let Twilight know she had already won. Still Waters shook his head.

“I don’t think so, officer. As long as you can ensure the girls’ physical safety, I think having Twilight and her friends there will help with Sonata’s emotional wellbeing.” Still Waters glanced between all of them. “It’s important that we help make this transition in Sonata’s life as smooth and gentle as possible. Even moving into a new place can be traumatic, so whatever we can do to soften the blow is best.”

“Okay, Dr. Waters. Are you going to come as well?” Shining asked. Still Waters shook his head.

“I don’t think so. I think this is a transition she needs to make with Twilight. I’ll be heading back to my office as soon as Sonata gets out of her examination. I would like to be kept notified of how things are going, however.”

While they waited, Still Waters spoke with them about likely outcomes of Sonata moving in with Twilight. He warned them about signs of depression, anxiety, and self-harm, even going over some strategies for how to help. He was optimistic, but also made it absolutely clear that the weeks and months ahead might be brutal. Finally the door to the examination room opened, and Sonata stepped out, followed by the doctor. She glanced around the room.

“You didn’t all have to wait for me,” she said. Twilight jumped to her feet and hugged her.

“Of course we did,” she said, feeling a rush of relief. “How are you?”

“The doctor says I’m mostly okay. No broken bones, no long term injuries. He took pictures, too. In case there’s a t-trial,” she trailed off to a whimper at the end.

“That’s up to you,” Twilight insisted. It certainly wasn’t something Sonata needed to be worried about. “Now. We’d like to go to your house to pick up some of your personal things. Sonata, I want you to move in with me.”

“Move… with… uh…” Sonata went blank.

“You don’t have to!” Twilight said quickly. “There are other options. But I’d really like you close by. For lots of reasons.” She kissed Sonata’s forehead gently when she said it, and Sonata blushed.

“What about your parents?” Sonata asked.

“My mom and Spike are already clearing out Shining Armor’s old room,” Twilight said, and Sonata squeezed her tight.

“Yes. Yes, please. I don’t want to live with my sisters anymore.”

“You don’t have to,” Twilight reassured, stroking Sonata’s hair softly. “We’ll stop by your house, with Officer Armor, just long enough for you to pick up whatever clothes and personal items you want to keep. Then you’ll never ever have to go back again.”

“Okay,” Sonata whispered. Twilight looked behind her and saw proud and pleased smiles from everybody. Even Pinkie looked like she was about to clap.

“I’ll have to throw you the best housewarming party ever!” Pinkie gushed. “I’ll even have my boss make you some tortilla soup!” Twilight felt Sonata shaking, and realized she was laughing.

“Thanks, Pinkie. It means a lot,” Sonata said.

Everybody was in much higher spirits as they piled back into the cars. They followed Shining Armor’s squad car back to the drop-in center so they could drop off Dr. Waters, then he followed Twilight’s car to the trailer park. Twilight could tell Sonata was starting to feel a bit of apprehension about her last trip to her old home, but Sunset and Pinkie were there, joking and laughing and effortlessly incorporating Sonata into their conversation. Twilight wouldn’t have been able to do it without them there.

In the light of the sun, the Dazzling’s trailer looked even more pathetic. There was a yard outside, but it wasn’t even kept at all. A tiny gravel parking space in front led to a stained white door, with a pair of rusting metal steps leading up to it. There were two ceramic planters, filled with dead flowers, placed on either side of the steps. Shining and Twilight both parked their respective vehicles on the street, leaving the parking space empty. There was no signs of another car.

“Aria has a car. Well, it was Adagio’s, but she never uses it now. If it’s not here, Aria’s probably gone,” Sonata said. As much as an angry voice inside her wanted to confront Aria, Twilight realized this was probably for the best. Still, Shining Armor ordered all four of the girls to stay in the car until he could knock on the door and make sure nobody was home. They watched as Shining walked to the front door and knocked. When there was no answer, he circled around the back of the trailer, looking in the various windows. Only when he had made his way around to the front again did he walk over to Twilight’s car.

“Okay. It doesn’t look like anybody’s home. You girls go inside and help Sonata with anything she needs. I’ll wait out here.”

Sonata led the way and fished a set of keys out of her jean’s pockets. She opened the door and swung the trailer door inside, motioning with one hand.

“Welcome to my house, I guess,” she said. The insides were surprisingly very clean. The living room had a foldaway bed/couch with fraying and torn upholstery, and the carpet on the floors was probably older than Twilight, Pinkie, and Sunset Shimmer combined, but it was recently vacuumed. Against the wall was a television, one of the twenty-year old boxy models. In the center of the room was a stained wooden coffee table. They could see over a half-wall into the kitchen, which, with the exception of a couple of bowls in the sink was also mostly clean. A narrow hallway led towards the back of the trailer, presumably to the bedrooms and bathrooms. “I sleep out here, in the foldaway bed. Aria and Adagio take the bedrooms.” Twilight’s anger seethed a bit.

“Where do you keep your clothing?” Sunset asked.

“Hall closet,” Sonata said. “Here, let me find my backpack. We can use that.”

“We just need to grab what you need,” Twilight said. “Personal effects, stuff with sentimental value. We’ll get new clothes for you if we need to, so just get stuff that’s irreplaceable.” Sonata found her backpack and opened the hall closet. She stared at the piles of clothing for a second, then burst into giggles. The other girls stared at her quizzically.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, I had a silly thought,” Sonata said. Twilight motioned for her to go on, and Sonata began lifting some things from the closet into her backpack. “I just thought that this is far from the circumstances I envisioned for the first time Twilight saw my underpants.” Sunset and Pinkie burst into laughter, and even Sonata, her face brightening, joined with them.

“Girls!” Twilight rebuked, feeling her own face burning. “My brother is right outside!”

“You’re right, it was rude not to share that joke with him,” Sonata giggled. “I should…”

“NO!” Twilight hissed while the rest of the girls had a laugh at her expense. Embarrassing as it may have been, however, Twilight was inwardly ecstatic that Sonata felt well enough to joke and flirt.

“Well, you’ll be staying in a room right next to hers, so there will be plenty more opportunities,” Sunset teased. “Um, we’re going to need more space for your stuff than your backpack, right?”

“There should be garbage bags under the sink,” Sonata said. “The big black plastic ones. We could fill one of those.”

“I’ll grab one,” Twilight offered. She walked over to the kitchen. Sitting on the half wall between the kitchen and living room was a small lidded glass bottle, filled with what looked like shards of broken red glass. She picked it up and felt something inside call out to the rage and magic within her. “Um, Sonata? What’s this?” she asked, setting it back down quickly. Sonata poked her head from out of the closet and glanced.

“Oh, that’s not mine, it’s Adagio’s. She and Aria wanted to save the bits of our amulets after Sunset and the others broke them. I just wanted to move on, you know, but Adagio and Aria kept holding on. Adagio gave up, but Aria still wears hers like a pendant around her neck. Like she could somehow bring back the old days.” Sonata snorted. “The old days were miserable. I just needed some time to realize it. Thanks for that, Twilight.”

“No problem,” Twilight said, backing away from the glass jar. She remembered the video Sonata had shown her, the gently glowing red crystals as the Sirens danced seductively through the cafeteria. Shaking her head, she opened the cupboard doors under the sink and pulled out a large black plastic bag. She brought it over to Sonata, who was going through the stuff in the hall closet, picking out the few choice pieces she cared to save.

“Wait, what’s that?” Twilight asked, pointing at a plush animal on the top shelf of the cupboard. Sonata blushed but immediately reached for the stuffed giraffe. He was about one foot tall, and had a little plush taco sown into his hooves.

“I’m definitely taking Señor Spots,” Sonata said, sounding embarrassed, and Pinkie and Sunset both laughed.

“Señor Spots?” Pinkie asked.

“Well, yeah. Spots cuz he’s a giraffe. Señor because he’s, well, he’s got a taco,” Sonata finished, embarrassed. Twilight grinned, and carefully placed the stuffed animal into the bag. “It’s from a better time. Adagio won it for me, at a carnival. Some dumb ring toss game. She kinda got mad when she realized the carnie was scamming her, and kinda hypnotized him into rigging the game so it was possible to win. She said it was the best poetic justice for what he was doing. Then she won it for me.” Sonata let out a sad sigh. “It wasn’t always bad.”

The girls helped her pack up as much clothes and personal effects as she wanted. Twilight wanted to cry that there was nothing, beyond a single stuffed animal, that Sonata seemed to have a deep personal attachment to.

“There’s nothing else?” Twilight asked, when they had finished packing everything Sonata needed from the bathroom. Sonata shook her head. “No books, or pictures?”

“I don’t own any books,” Sonata said, and Twilight sucked her breath in through clenched teeth. Pinkie laughed at that.

“Oh no, you said it,” Sunset said. “Don’t worry, since you said it out loud, by this time tomorrow you’ll own a library.”

“Twilight gives the best books as presents. Christmas presents, birthday presents, Labor Day presents, Halloween presents, Arbor Day presents…” Pinkie said. Twilight glared at her. “What? You love books, and you’re good at picking out the ones we’ll like. It’s a true gift, Twilight.”

“I’ll bet Twilight already has three titles in mind to gift you in the next few weeks,” Sunset said, smirking. Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but snapped it shut again. “Oh my Celestia. I was kidding, but it’s true, isn’t it? Which ones, Twi?”

“Not three!” Twilight protested, but looking at the amused smiles around her, she realized she wasn’t going to get off the hook. “Okay. Piano Theory for Adults by Ivory Dance, A Music Lover’s Guide to Composers by Quarter Pulse, and The Saxophone Sleuth by Whodunit. The last one’s fiction, the first in a musically themed mystery series.” She looked at Sonata. “I really think you’ll like it.” Sonata looked excited.

“Girls?” Pinkie said, sounding suddenly nervous. She was standing next to the window. “We might have a problem. Are you done packing, Sonata?”

“What’s up, Pinkie?” Sunset asked. Pinkie pointed outside, then reached open and slid the window open just a bit so they could hear. A car had just pulled up into the driveway, and was idling.

“Stay inside, girls,” Shining Armor ordered. A young woman with purple hair, streaked with teal, stepped out of the car. She looked furious.

“Who the hell are you, and what the fuck are you doing at my house?”