//------------------------------// // 7. Hollandaise and Runaways // Story: Magica Ex Dolori // by Posh //------------------------------// Dense walls of thick trees enclosed a carpet of grass rising past Sunset's fetlocks. Overhead, a canopy of leaves choked the sunlight, with only thin, golden rays peeking through to dapple the ground. It had been too long since someone had tended this garden. At its center Wallflower Blush sat on her knees, hands buried wrist-deep in the dirt. Streaks and smudges of soil covered her clothes, and clumps of earth knotted up her matted hair.  Yet she wore a carefree grin and hummed a tuneless song. The surface beneath her bulged and shifted as she worked her fingers in the earth. Sunset tried to talk, to tell her that she’d miss the funeral if she worked for much longer, but when her lips moved, no sound came. Wallflower seemed to hear her anyway. She looked up, a perplexed look creasing her dirt-caked face.  Then, with a shrug and a smile, she returned to her business.  Sunset muttered to herself and shook her head, trotting away.  Her hooves whispered through the grass as she looked left and right at the crumbling stonework all around her. Rows of headstones sagged against one another like a child's crooked teeth, walling off wind-worn statues and sepulchers. A light in the corner of her eye drew her attention. Turning, Sunset saw a tomb topped with a statue of a rearing horse. Though strangled by moss and vines, its surface caught a faint glint of the sunlight filtering through the trees. Sunset glanced back at Wallflower, but the girl had dug herself deep into the dirt, and only her scalp was visible now. She'd never hear Sunset, not even if she screamed her throat bloody. Ignoring her inhibitions, Sunset turned back to the pedestal, and knelt down in front of it. Her hooves scraped at the moss, at the vines clinging to the surface. The moss didn't clear, and the vines didn't break. Sunset dug harder at the stubborn overgrowth. The plants started to give, falling away in clumps and knots. Yet no matter how much she cleared, there always seemed to be more. Her efforts were enough to pull away a sliver of the mossy covering – enough to bare a narrow patch of the white, glassy surface. Madly, she dug again, pushed her hooves harder, flared her horn—  Fingers ending in dirt-encrusted, well-chewed nails closed around Sunset's hoof. She looked up into the face of Wallflower Blush. Her eyes were hidden beneath the brim of her hat; her mouth was twisted into a melancholy smile. With the other hand, Wallflower raised a finger to her lips. The light peeking through the trees shifted and darkened from vivid gold to deep red, painting Wallflower's face with razor strokes. Sunset raised her head to look at the sky and— —Fluttered her eyelids open, sucking down breath after desperate breath of stale downtown apartment air. She sat up and pressed a hand to her clammy forehead, the covers slipping down to her waist. Just a dream.  Sunset massaged her temples with her thumb and index finger.  Just another Wallflower dream. She looked around her too-small loft, drawing comfort from the familiar surroundings: The posters and furniture and strewn-about clothes, some of which were even clean. Opposite her bed, Ray stared at her from his tank, his slender form just barely visible in the dim light.  "It's all good, pal," Sunset murmured to him, flopping back against her sweaty pillow. "Don't worry about me." She pulled the covers over her head, shut her eyes, and tried not to picture Wallflower's face in the darkness. Wallflower emerged from the suite's master bedroom like a cat, yawning and stretching and practically purring. The rubber soles of her slippers pap-papped against the hardwood floor as she flopped her way to the living area, ensconced in the cottony embrace of her bathrobe. It'll be hard to go back to my jammie-jams after this. They'd spent the prior evening as Lorelai promised: A shopping trip at the mall, followed by dinner at a trendy steakhouse where appetizers alone were fifteen dollars. It culminated in a night spent in a luxury penthouse at the top floor of a high-rise hotel downtown. The bags from their trip cluttered the chairs and couches in the spacious sitting room, where Lorelai sipped coffee while channel-surfing on a fifty-two inch flatscreen. Kyubey was there, too, dozing in a sunbeam beside a window. His presence surprised Wallflower; he'd taken his leave of the girls after they left Hick's Cherry Ranch, and stayed away through their visit to Cadance. He seems to come and go when it pleases him, thought Wallflower. Maybe he didn't come to the hospital with us because he didn't see a point if we weren't gonna be hunting witches. Lorelai looked up from the TV at Wallflower's entrance, and shifted her body on the recliner to face her. "You sleep okay?" "When I was five, I got into some cough medicine, and passed out for twenty-five hours. That's just my second-deepest sleep now." Wallflower pulled the collar of her robe up to her cheeks, and nuzzled against the downy material, cooing with delight. "And I don't even gotta get my stomach pumped or anything." Lorelai laughed, set her coffee down, muted the TV, and stood. She'd dressed for the day while Wallflower slept in; her white turtleneck and blue jeans were both recent purchases. A plain outfit, but the price tag it came with made those fifteen dollar appetizers look like dollar menu hamburgers.  "Well, it’s only eleven in the morning," she said, glancing at a nearby wall clock. "If you wanna squeeze in a visit to poison control for old time's sake, we got plenty of—"  "I slept in until eleven?" Wallflower yelped, as much out of surprise as panic. She should have been in school hours ago, yet here she was in a bathrobe and slippers talking about getting messed up on codeine! Lorelai snapped her fingers, twice.  "Hooky, remember? Nobody would blame you for staying in bed 'til noon if you wanted." She paused, and cupped her chin thoughtfully. "Although you'd be missing out on a pretty awesome brunch spread." She gestured toward the suite's adjacent dining area, where a couple of lidded silver platters and two flutes of orange juice awaited. How did I miss that?  "You ordered me room service? Nobody's ever ordered me room service before." Wallflower pap-papped to the table. "Then again, I've never stayed in a luxury hotel before, either, so." Lorelai joined Wallflower, lightly knocking her shoulder with a fist – and this time, Wallflower didn't jump at the sudden touch, though her heart did pitter.  "Y'mean to say, nobody's ordered you room service yet," said Lorelai. "These are both for me." Then she took a seat, unfolded a napkin over her lap, and took a sip of juice. She raised an eyebrow at Wallflower, who remained standing awkwardly over the table. "That was a joke. Sit down and eat." Wallflower scrambled to take a seat, self-consciously smoothing out her robe. She lifted the lid off her tray, revealing a plate of eggs and bacon on English muffins, smothered in thick, yellow sauce and topped with cayenne pepper. On the side of the plate was a wedge of cantaloupe, garnished with parsley. "This is..." She took a breath, her mouth watering instantly. "Eggs benedict, right?" "A personal favorite. I almost ordered it the other night at the diner, but I wasn't sure about their hollandaise." Lorelai cut a wedge of egg with the side of her fork. "I hope it's okay that I ordered without asking what you were in the mood for, but you were sleeping and I wanted to surprise you." She wanted to surprise me?  Wallflower's heart pattered as she reached for her slice of cantaloupe. "I've never tried this before. Benedict, I mean – I've had cantaloupe lots of times. I mean, who hasn’t had cantaloupe before? Can you imagine?"  Stop babbling stop babbling stop babbling stop babbling stop— "Eat de canchalope lasht," Lorelai mumbled around a mouthful of food.  Wallflower cringed. "'Kay. Sorry." "Don't be sorry. Just, eat the cantaloupe last, trust me." Lorelai dabbed her face with her napkin. "Any reason you've never tried this before?" "Well, I mean, I see it on menus all the time, and I know what it looks like. It just... never occurred to me to order it. Maybe I'm just not big on breakfast foods, I dunno. I turned down brinner, remember?" Wallflower drummed her fingers on the table and took a breath. "I’ll try it, though."  Deathly afraid of staining her bathrobe with hollandaise, she started rolling up her baggy sleeves, then decided there was nothing there Lorelai needed to see, and hastily unrolled them again. Throwing caution to the wind, she picked up her own knife and fork and sawed off a bite, mopping up as much hollandaise with it as she could. Delicately, she raised it to her mouth, and took a tentative nibble. The rich, complex flavors exploded on her tongue; eyes going wide, she shoved the entire forkful past her lips with gusto. Lorelai smirked behind her glass of juice. "I assume it gets a passing grade?" "How the hell have I never eaten this before? I mean, the eggs are good, but the sauce..." Wallflower scooped some hollandaise up with her fork and licked it off like ice cream. "Any chance I can just, like, get a big bowl of it?" "I'll ask for extra hollandaise on the side next time." Lorelai’s tiny smile became an ear-to-ear grin. "This has been a night of firsts for you, hasn't it?" Wallflower counted off with her fingers. "First slumber party, first room service, first eggs benedict... I'm probably missing a few things, but yeah. Lotta firsts." She popped a second bite into her mouth. Lorelai opened her mouth to say something, but paused. Instead, she raised her flute of juice to her mouth, chuckling.  Wallflower quirked her head. "What's so funny?" she said around a partial mouthful. "Nothing. Thought of a joke, thought better of making it." It was tempting to ask for more of an explanation, but Wallflower decided to let it pass.   The benedict was delicious, but rich, and a little salty – her mouth felt phlegmy and dry after just a few bites. She decided to wet her whistle with a swig of juice. She choked almost immediately, grabbed a spare napkin, and held it against her mouth as she sputtered and coughed up whatever disgusting substance had been in her glass. This juice wasn't just carbonated; it was... sour, of all things, like it'd fermented in the bottle! Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "I know it's not great, but I didn't know it was that bad." "How old is this juice?" Wallflower rasped. "That's... not OJ, Fluffy. I mean, it's not just OJ." Another quiet laugh bubbled out of Lorelai. "So, a yes on eggs benedict, and a no on mimosa." Wallflower's eyes bulged. She picked up her glass and peered closely at it, counting the bubbles that prickled and popped at the surface. "That's orange juice mixed with wine, right?" "Well, champagne. Which is a type of wine. Although I doubt there's real champagne in these."  Wallflower gagged. Why would you ruin perfectly good orange juice with champagne? "How did you even manage to order that stuff? You can't be any older than me." Wallflower set the flute down and pushed it away, gently, with her fingertips. "Did they forget to card you?"  "Elliot Ness over here. Not that I expect you to get that." Lorelai dabbed her chin – pointlessly, as it was immaculate – and rose from the table. "Would you prefer plain OJ? I bought some when I moved into this place. Hope you don't mind pulp." "I happen to love pulp." Wallflower turned in her seat to watch Lorelai and call after her as she walked to the kitchenette. "And that reference doesn't really work. Elliot Ness was trying to enforce prohibition laws for everyone, not just minors." "You might be taking the joke just a little too seriously." Lorelai returned with a small glass and a big bottle of juice. "Why do you get that reference when everything else I say flies over your head?" "I got a Four on the A.P. history test." "And you watched The Untouchables to study for it?" "No, it's not just a— y'know what, never mind." Wallflower eyed the grinning, dreadlocked woman on the bottle's label as Lorelai filled her glass. "'Tree Hugger Organic Solutions?' This stuff isn’t cheap." "Worth shelling out for, though." "I know, it's just..." Wallflower stroked the collar of her robe with her thumb. "How do you afford this stuff? The room service, the luxury suite, that steakhouse from last night—" "Not worth shelling out for, by contrast."  "You're missing the point." Wallflower sighed. "You always dodge the question whenever I ask." Lorelai laughed gently – a little sadly – and settled back in her seat. "It's enough to say that this job does, in fact, pay. All it takes is an enterprising spirit." She speared a bit of benedict and shoved it into her mouth. "Anyway," Lorelai continued, once she'd swallowed. "You should probably start eating. We got a day ahead of us." Realizing she wouldn't get any more answers from Lorelai, Wallflower just nodded, and continued with her meal. "What're we gonna do today?" "The same thing we do every day, Fluffy. We're gonna venari some strigas." Wallflower stared. "...Hunt some witches." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I thought they taught Latin at your schooI." "As an elective. I took botany instead." Wallflower scraped some hollandaise over her eggs. "Do you think today will be as busy as yesterday?" "Tough to know for sure. I mean, even normal hunts can be pretty uneven. Some days are busier than others." Lorelai paused for another quick bite. "Best guess is we'll run into familiars, at least – stragglers from Jack-Jack and Briar Rose's broods, maybe from some of the others' too. Bringin' home the bacon for their witches." "Familiars hunt for their witches?" Wallflower frowned. "I thought they just guarded labyrinths. At least, that's how you and Kyubey made it sound." Lorelai's lips twitched at the mention of Kyubey. "That's another thing that sets this little family of witches apart. Most of the time, if you find a familiar outside of its witch's labyrinth, it's struck out on its own. But these ones... how can I put this...?"  Lorelai tapped her chin, ah-ing softly when inspiration hit her. She reached for some sugar packets in the center of the table, and deftly arranged them into a three-tiered pyramid. "You know how the witch I'm after has a whole brood of witches underneath it? Well, those witches send out familiars to hunt on their behalf." She lightly tapped the pyramid's lowest row. "The familiars kick the energy they gather back up to their witches..." Lorelai tapped the middle level. "...Who kick up a portion of what they get to the big mama. The more familiars are out there, feeding, the more energy gets passed up the chain, and the stronger the mama gets." She tapped the pyramid's peak with a flourish. "It's not often that I run into one of the witches out feeding personally, like I have these last few days." "Why's that?" Lorelai's eyes flashed. "Why do you think?" Wallflower felt a little nervous flutter in her stomach – having cut class for the day, she hadn't expected a quiz. "Well, um... I guess... if the witches already have someone going out to get them food, then there's no real reason for them to go hunting on their own." Lorelai tented her fingers and rested her chin over them. "Explain why." "It's, uh... risky? They risk exposing themselves to magical girls, and getting killed. So the familiars – they're not just there to bring home the bacon, they're, like. A buffer. Between them and people like us." "Right you are. On all counts." A hint of a smile played at the edges of Lorelai's mouth, which somehow made Wallflower both more and less nervous. "It took me months of observation and guesswork to figure all of that out, but you nailed it in, like, half a minute." "Well, I had you to connect the dots," Wallflower muttered. Bashfully, she looked down at her breakfast, and sawed off another hunk of yolky bread. "So I guess it makes sense for us to go after the familiars and the, uh... sub-witches?" "Pseudo-witches," Kyubey corrected through a yawn. Sudawiches? An idea for a decongestant hoagie popped into Wallflower's mind, but she shook it away, and focused on sopping up as much hollandaise with her bite of muffin as she could. The sauce squish-squashed audibly against the plate as Lorelai watched her. Her gaze made Wallflower squirm. "What's up?" "Nothing. Thinking, that's all." Lorelai paused as Wallflower raised her bite to her mouth. "Makes sense why?" Wallflower blinked, and set her fork down on the plate. "Well, the familiars and sudafed-witches are a buffer between us and the big witch, right? And they're responsible for feeding the big one, too. There's probably a limit on how fast witches can make new familiars, and it takes time for familiars to turn into witches on their own.  "So, the more small-fry we kill, the more the witches have to risk exposing themselves – to feed themselves, and the big one. We kill them, and then the big one has to come out of hiding herself. At which point..." Wallflower finished by lifting her fork and finally, finally, taking that sopping wet bite of benedict. As she chewed, she watched Lorelai’s expression shift. Her eyes unfocused, her brow furrowed, and her hands collapsed together in front of her mouth. "...You're right." The veteran's words were muffled against her hands. "Wewl, yah. Dat wash da pan, wight?" Wallflower washed her bite down with some juice before continuing. "I mean, it's not like we were just gonna wander around the city and hope we ran into it randomly, right?" Lorelai glanced out the window. She tugged on one of her ringlets, her cheeks tinting pink.  Slowly, Wallflower lowered her fork to her plate as the realization dawned on her. "That... that was exactly what we were gonna do, wasn't it?" "I mean..." Lorelai pulled the curl taut. "When you say it like that—" "Wait a minute, you didn't even care about hunting familiars until I came along." Wallflower failed to stifle a snorty chuckle. "You were totally lost without me, weren't you?" Lorelai's face flushed; her gaze sharpened into a glare. "Don't get smug."  Her words, and the sharp look in her eyes, discouraged further laughter. Wallflower mumbled an apology and withdrew, staring down at her food. She didn't even sound mad, she thought, poking her soggy bread with her fork. She looked up, and saw Lorelai placidly sipping her mimosa, her eyes closed. Her face had gone beet-red at Wallflower's laughter, but returned to normal as the moment of tension passed. I just can't keep up with banter, I guess. "You do have a point, though. Might... might just work." Lorelai's eyes went half-lidded as she swirled her drink around in her glass. "You're a lot sharper than you let on." Wallflower looked back down at her food. "You don't have to make me feel better. All I did was—" "All you did was hatch a winning strategy. For the second time in twenty-four hours, you came up with a plan that I never would have." Lorelai’s gaze was intense, yet somehow, strangely soft. "Someone as talented as you shouldn't be so down on herself all the time." Abashed, Wallflower could only shrug."It's kind of hard not to be down on myself, if I'm being honest. I've never really been good at... well... anything, really." Lorelai spoke through another sip of mimosa, her words distorted by the glass. "Besides plants, you mean? Gardening?" "Anything useful, I mean. Important." Gardening wasn't important; gardening was a stupid, needlessly expensive hobby that nobody else but her cared about. What did that say about Wallflower that the only thing she could get excited about, the only thing she was good at, was something so useless? "I've never been athletic, and I've never gotten very good grades. I'm not strong. I'm not smart. I don't stand out in a crowd. I'd never in a million years think that I..."  Trailing off, Wallflower picked up her fork and drew it through the hollandaise, carving four shallow lines in the sallow yellow goo. "...I look at someone like my friend, Sunset Shimmer. She's talented, beautiful... the most special person I've ever met. She helps people – she saves people – and she's really, really good at it, too. If you asked me who I thought would make a perfect magical girl—" "There’s no such thing as a perfect magical girl, Fluffy, so pump the brakes on the self-hate train," Lorelai interrupted. "Besides, your ‘perfect’ friend would be six feet under – literally – in a labyrinth if it weren't for you. You, and that power you don't think you deserve." "I didn't say I don't deserve it. I know I did good yesterday – I know I still can. But Sunset is..." She scraped her fork by accident against her plate; it screeched, making her wince. "Maybe there isn't such a thing as a perfect magical girl, but she'd be closer to it than me. I don't know why Kyubey would pick some useless grass-stain over someone like her." "Because you can do things that she never could." Kyubey’s voice. Wallflower heard him pad across the carpet, and felt him skitter up her leg, onto her lap.  "Do you remember the night we met?" Kyubey's eyes burned as he met Wallflower's gaze with her own. "I told you that Sunset Shimmer's worth was 'obvious and prosaic.' That's because, as a magical girl candidate, your life held worth that she cannot hope to match." Wallflower got a faceful of Kyubey's tail as he hopped off her lap, and onto the table. Spitting out a few strands of hair, she said, "So I had more potential than she did? Is that what you're saying?" "Not quite. Sunset Shimmer has no magical potential whatsoever." A suspicious frown wormed across Lorelai's face. "That's not possible. Anything with a soul has some magical potential. You told me that yourself." "I'm pleased that you remember, Lorelai." Lorelai flushed at Kyubey's use of her name. "Then, what, this chick doesn't have a soul?" Kyubey didn't answer right away. He padded around Wallflower's plate to stand in the middle of the table, nudging the centerpiece vase aside. "I couldn't tell you one way or another whether Sunset Shimmer has a soul. If she does, I'm incapable of perceiving it the way that I can yours." "You can't tell if she has a soul?" Bothered by the vase being off-center, Wallflower leaned over to nudge it back into place. "What does that mean, exactly?" "I do not know. The mere existence of magical girls defies the established laws of the universe, and distortions in reality are not uncommon when they are created. Even so, I've never encountered anything quite like Sunset Shimmer." There wasn't room in the middle of the table for both Kyubey and the vase. Wallflower gave up trying to force it and flopped back into her seat, huffing. "Meaning what?" "Perhaps a metaphor would be helpful." Kyubey trotted to the edge of the table and peered down at the floor. "The carpet beneath our feet is woven from countless tiny threads: singular fibers that come together to create a whole that is greater than them individually. Yet they are so numerous and minuscule that to identify each would take powers of perception far beyond human capacity to do so. You can only perceive it as the sum of its parts." Wallflower exchanged a look with Lorelai – she seemed suspicious, guarded. "Okay, I think I'm following." "Imagine fate in similar terms: As a tapestry woven from countless trillions of threads. Each ensouled life on this planet is one thread in that tapestry. Unlike you humans, I don't merely see the sum of those parts: I can see the parts themselves. Each fiber, each thread, each human life, whether or not they're fated to become magical girls. Every single one..." Kyubey shook out his head and looked at Wallflower, his ears jingling with the motion. "Except for Sunset Shimmer." Hearing that came as less of a shock to Wallflower than Kyubey probably expected. She sucked in a gasp which she hoped didn't come across as too fake, which almost certainly did, and chugged down the rest of her orange juice to stall. When something finally came to mind, she slammed her glass back on the table. "Oh boy, that's super weird!" Nailed it, Wally. Kyubey showed no reaction to her shenanigans. "As I said, irregularities and distortions are common when a magical girl is created. However, if your friend is the result of such a distortion, she is certainly unique. She is visibly human, has sapience and physical substance, yet she has no destiny, and I can't even verify if she has a soul. Nor can I say with certainty what distortion birthed her in the first place. It's quite perplexing." Kyubey lifted a hind leg to scratch behind his ear. "So, you see, what I said to you before was true. At best, Sunset Shimmer is a curiosity worth studying. But as a magical girl, your life has inherent worth that she cannot ever match. I hope you find that thought reassuring." In a strange way – in a way that made Wallflower feel just the tiniest bit guilty – it was. She smiled blandly, muttered some thanks, and dug around idly on her plate as she digested Kyubey's words. She couldn't speak with authority on the subject of souls and fates and magic, but she knew a thing or two about Sunset, and about what made her unique. If where Sunset came from worked on the same rules Kyubey described... Maybe you can't be part of more than one universe’s fate-carpet. Maybe that's why Kyubey can't work with her the way he does with me and Lorelai. Then again, maybe they're nothing alike – different worlds, different systems – and that's why Kyubey can't do anything with her. Wallflower wrinkled her nose. She supposed she’d never know. Also, "fate-carpet?" Gotta come up with a better term than that. Destiny rug, maybe? "Hey Lorelai," she said, "what do you think of—?" "You never told me that."  Wallflower fell silent, frozen by the venom in Lorelai's voice. The veteran magical girl was glaring at Kyubey now, her fork in one hand, her knife in the other.  Kyubey met her vehemence with a characteristically vacuous look. "Should I have?" For an instant, Wallflower thought for sure that Lorelai was about to put her butterknife through Kyubey's eye. Instead, she dropped both pieces of silverware and drained her mimosa in one long gulp, before reaching across the table for Wallflower's still-full, untouched flute. Wallflower watched with concern as Lorelai chased mimosa with mimosa. "Are... you okay?" Lorelai set the glass on the table, wiped her mouth on a spare napkin, and nodded. Then she pushed away, and stood. "If you'll excuse me." "Uh...?" Wallflower raised an eyebrow, watching as she made her way to the coat rack. "Where are you going?" "I have to return some video tapes." Wallflower blinked. "What?" "Probably best that you don't get that one." Lorelai threw on her overcoat and deftly fastened the buttons. "I have some errands to run today before we get hunting. Stuff I’ve put off that needs doing." "Stuff like?" A real smile from Lorelai could make butterflies dance in Wallflower's tummy. The one she plastered on her face now was repellent, curling at its edges like cheap, aging wallpaper.  "Nothing you need to worry about." She opened the door and stepped through it. "Make yourself at home while I'm gone – I shouldn't be long, but if you get hungry again, go ahead and order whatever you want. Put it on the room tab." "Lorelai—"  The door threw up a gust of wind when Lorelai slammed it, tousling Wallflower's hair, and the sudden clap of wood against wood made her jump. An eerie stillness settled over the room, a silence broken only by the pip-pap-squish of Kyubey's paw dipping into Lorelai's unfinished breakfast. "She's rather volatile, isn't she?" Kyubey lifted his paw, now smothered with hollandaise, and daintily licked it off his pearly pink toe-beans. "Perhaps I should go after her, and keep an eye on her." "Perhaps," Wallflower squeaked. Not that she wanted to be alone in this room – alone with her thoughts – but Lorelai's behavior had her worried. And besides, Kyubey wasn't exactly the best company, himself. Still, a thought occurred to her, a question she needed answered before he left.  "That thing about Sunset Shimmer – why didn't you say anything before?" "It wasn't immediately relevant." "But at the diner, Sunset was one of the people who the witch couldn't possess. She and her friends. And she was also attacked by witches twice."  As she recalled, Briar Rose went after Sunset over everyone else once she had them in her labyrinth, even over Cadance, her original target. And Miranda... it couldn't be coincidence that she targeted Sunset just days after Briar Rose. "Do you think... do you think that's related to what you just told us?" "Absent any concrete data, I can't say for sure. But it's safe to assume." A smudge of hollandaise discolored his chin; he brushed it with his paw. "She and her friends were also the source of the energy which initially repelled the witch's influence, which lends some credence to that assumption." She pursed her lips. "You knew that already?" "Of course. I witnessed the battle personally, remember? And I arrived on the scene long before you did." "Then you should have said so." Wallflower set her silverware down and straightened in her chair. "Sunset's been in danger twice. If you know why – if you know anything about it, even if it's just guesswork – then you can't just keep it from me, whether or not you think it's 'immediately relevant.' Especially if there's so much weird stuff going on with her." "But didn't you withhold information, too?" said Kyubey. "Your behavior indicates that you possessed knowledge on Sunset Shimmer which you chose not to disclose. It would seem you, too, understand the principle of withholding information until immediately relevant." Kyubey finished his hollandaise and gave Lorelai's cantaloupe a quick try. He didn't like it, spitting out his tiny bite and diving off the table, making for the door.  "You should know that I have not lied to you, nor will I. Any question you may ask, my answer will be honest." He paused at the door, and flicked his tail. "It would be helpful if you would extend me the same courtesy." And like a mist in morning sunlight, he dissolved, and vanished. Alone with her thoughts, Wallflower slumped down in her chair. Maybe he had a point – she could have said something sooner. It was only loyalty to Sunset that kept her from speaking up. But Kyubey... he gave me this power in the first place, didn't he? And I lied to him – by omission, sure, and for a good reason, but I still lied.  Her eyes widened as she realized she was falling into the same patterns of thought her old therapist had worked so hard to help her break. "...Get it together, Wally." Her voice echoed off the yawning windows looking out over the city. "Who do you trust more – him, or you?" Well, neither, really... but she distrusted herself less than she did Kyubey. If she had to work with him to fulfill her duty, to prevent another loss like Moondancer's, she would. She could do that without trusting him. She just hoped she could come around to trusting herself. The conversation around the lunch table trailed off as Sunset made her way over. She ignored it – ignored the skin-crawling feeling of her friends' eyes on her as she set her tray down and slid into place between Twilight and Rainbow Dash. The other girls seemed talkative, and looked fresh-faced and well-rested. I guess I'm the only one having the dreams. "Before anyone asks, no. I do not want you to share your lunches with me." Sunset frowned at her 'sandwich,' which was the school's generous term for their emergency meal of American cheese on a Hawaiian roll. "This is my own fault for forgetting my purse at home." She hadn’t taken single bite, though, before her tray was piled high with bits and pieces of the girls' lunches: Apple slices, half a cupcake, a lump of avocado and rice from Rarity's homemade poke bowl... Sunset wanted to be annoyed at the girls for refusing to do as they were told, but couldn't work up the nerve.  Instead, nodding her gratitude, she picked up her fork and stabbed it into a tangy hunk of soy-soaked rice and avocado. Sunset let the familiar ambiance of the cafeteria wash over her as she tucked into her food. Normally, she drew comfort in the sameness of the school day. That ambiance, the indecipherable chatter of mealtime conversation, the feet squeaking and clacking on the hard tile floors as people came and went, didn’t put her mind at ease today. Lots of people. Lots of voices. She cast a searching look across the room. None of 'em Wallflower's. "Looking for someone in particular, Sunset?" Fluttershy said, with just a hint of a knowing lilt. Sunset huffed, and turned back to the table. "That obvious, huh?" "It’s obvious to anyone with workin’ eyes," said Rainbow. "Plus, we were at the diner with you when everything went down, so we got the inside scoop on what's kickin' around inside your brain." Rarity nodded her agreement. "You may have noticed, Sunset, that most everyone from CHS involved in yesterday's incident is absent from school today – present company excluded, of course. Celery Stalk’s out, Alizeran Bubblegum too... It's not so unusual that Wallflower is gone as well." Alizeran...? Oh, that chick. That’s her name? "Not to mention, she skipped yesterday without saying anything, too," Rainbow added. "Maybe she took the whole week off to grieve for her friend. What do you call it, 'beavermint?'" "'Bereavement,'" Pinkie Pie chirped. “That’s a reach even for you, Dashie.” She tossed an extra mini-cupcake, produced from nowhere in particular, onto Sunset's tray. "Besides,” she added, “just 'cuz we don't see her around doesn't mean she isn't around. She kinda blends in with the scenery. Makes her easy to miss." "What a thing to say, Pinkie," Applejack groaned. Pinkie shrugged. Rarity clicked her lacquered chopsticks together. "You're not wrong, per se, Pinkie." She ignored Applejack’s glare. "But Sunset is clearly looking for reassurance here. Comments like that are far from reassuring."   Applejack grumbled something under her breath before looking at Sunset, bracing an arm on the tabletop. "You saw her more recently than any of us. She look alright to you at the hospital?" Sunset bit her lip and looked at Twilight, who took it as a cue to answer Applejack's question herself. "She certainly didn't seem any worse for wear. If she and Lorelai did get into another fight before we met up again, then they probably came out on top." Of course, anything could've happened after they left the hospital. Then again, maybe nothing happened, and Wallflower just stayed home to relax after spending her week grieving her friend and fighting magical evil. Not knowing was the hardest part – not just about Wallflower's current whereabouts, but about everything to do with her new... occupation? Calling?  How did one classify a Pancetta Maggie, anyway, Sunset wondered? Add that to the list of questions that kept cropping up around this strange new world. Seemed like every time Sunset came into contact with it, she emerged with more of those than answers. She shook her head – she needed to focus on the here and now. "How do things seem around school today? Anything out of the ordinary?" "Besides all the absences?" said Fluttershy. "Nothing comes to mind. Miss Harshwhinney's class has a substitute today, but I guess that's not so unusual, considering how much of last semester she missed." Rarity's eyes brightened. "Ah, I have something: Sweetie Belle says that Diamond Tiara's broken out – the whole right side of her face is caked in concealer." Sunset raised an eyebrow at her. "And that's relevant... how?" "You asked if anything out of the ordinary was going on." Rarity stirred her bowl with her chopsticks. "Her skin's normally so clear."  With a groan, Sunset pressed her hand to her forehead. "Okay, besides sophomore gossip and Miss Harshwhinny abusing tenure, is there anything out of the ordinary going on? Anything we should be looking into?" The girls murmured in the negative, a downcast harmony of "hmhs," “nopes,” and "nuh-uhs." In reply, Sunset let out puffy, disappointed sigh, and rested her chin on the lunch tray. "Never thought I'd be disappointed that we were having a slow school day." She couldn't help feeling guilty for complaining. With so much going on, a quiet, peaceful day at CHS should've been welcome. Still, they didn't have many leads to chase when it came to pursuing witches – or any leads, really. Twilight was steadily sifting through her old magic research, but neither she nor Sunset had much hope that she'd find anything worth investigating, anything that'd help them understand this magical girl business. In a somewhat uncharacteristic moment of empathy, Rainbow patted Sunset's shoulder, squeezing once. "I feel ya, SunShim. I'm pretty wound up after yesterday, too – wish we could do something besides sit on our hands and wait." Pinkie sighed, and plopped her face into her hands, squishing her cheeks. "Too bad Wallflower's out today – or, y'know, invisible, whichever. We could probably get a lot of helpful info from her." "Yeah, and if she doesn't wanna talk, there's always that Lorelai chick. Bet she could give us something we could work with." Rainbow chuckled. "Say the word, Sunset – I'll track her down and wring her like a sweaty towel." "I'd like to see you try, Fruit Loops." Sunset's eyes shot open; she bolted from her seat, failing to register whatever expletive Rainbow hissed under her breath in shock.  Lorelai stood at the end of the table closest to Rainbow, the subject of many a confused stare and whisper from the other students in the cafeteria. If she noticed, however, she didn't care – she only had eyes for Sunset, flicking her gaze up and down to size her up. "Hi," she said. "We need to talk." Sunset looked toward the cafeteria door before answering, half-hoping to see a tuft of bushy green hair lingering at the entrance. "Where's Wallflower?" Lorelai didn't answer right away. With how blank she kept her expression, Sunset wasn't even sure she'd heard her. When she finally spoke, it was with a flat, all-business affect in her voice. "She had steak for dinner, just came out of a meat coma. Call her and ask if you don't believe me." "I'll do that," Sunset lied. She felt a spike of jealousy –  no matter how many times she asked for it, Wallflower never gave Sunset her contact info. What, did she have to buy Wallflower steak, too? "What do you want to talk about?" "Not here." Lorelai glanced at the girls still seated at the table. "We talk one-on-one, or we don't talk at all." "Then you don't talk at all," Rainbow Dash rasped. "We go where she goes." The girls rose, lining up alongside Sunset. Rainbow, perhaps making up for being caught off guard, placed a protective hand on Sunset’s shoulder. Lorelai's lips twitched into a bemused smirk. "Does she at least make you wait by the door when she goes to the bathroom? Or do you—" "Okay, time out." Sunset shrugged away from Rainbow and turned to face her friends, forming a T with her hands. "I appreciate the solidarity, girls, but people are staring." Her interruption sent the standoff into a tense lull, giving Sunset some space to consider her options. She didn't particularly want to talk to Lorelai, whether or not she had the girls at her back. Still, Rainbow and Pinkie had been right before – they needed information, and here stood someone who could give that to them.  And she was a little bit curious herself. If this wasn't about Wallflower, then why would Lorelai seek her out? Maybe she wants to share intel. Or she's just here to warn me off again. Or... she wants to pick a fight. Only one way to find out. Sunset spun back around to face Lorelai. "It's hard to find privacy around here at lunch time. Most rooms are either locked up tight, or have people coming in and out, and open spaces like the football field are guaranteed to be packed. Only place we could really be alone is on the roof." Lorelai opened her mouth to reply, probably with something snooty. She paused, though, her eyes drifting up in thought.  "Y'know what, that'll do," she said. "Lead the way."  Sunset started to trudge toward the door, only stopping when she felt an insistent hand catch her by the elbow. Turning, she locked eyes with Twilight, whose eyebrows knitted together with concern. Recognizing the look, Sunset focused, and slipped into the familiar, intimate embrace of their mental connection.  "This girl... she's giving me a weird vibe right now." Twilight's worried expression deepened. "Are you sure about this?" "Honestly? No. But we're flying blind right now. If there's even a chance she has something useful to say, then I gotta hear her out." Sunset took her hand and guided it off her arm, though she held her fingers tightly, and maintained their connection a moment longer.  "If I'm not back in ten minutes..." Twilight replied with the tiniest of nods, and pulled her hand free from Sunset's. "We'll wrap your lunch for you. Keep it fresh." Sunset's stomach growled in reply.  Well, now I gotta make it back. The rooftop door was a heavy, cumbersome block of metal at the top of a dark, drafty stairwell. Above the push bar hung a crooked, rust-spotted sign.  ROOF ACCESS  NO STUDENT ADMITTANCE In her halcyon days of edge, Sunset had etched a response into the metal: blow me Suppressing a groan, she undid the latch holding it shut, shoved the door open, and stood aside, letting a thick sunbeam wash into the stairwell. Lorelai squinted, but still kept a slitted gaze on Sunset as she climbed the rest of the way. Sunset followed after, wincing as she stepped into open air. Today wasn't particularly hot, but the sun was almost at its zenith, and the concrete roof offered no protection from its rays. The metal door behind her made matters worse; standing close to it made her back prickle with sweat. She stayed where she was, though. This meeting made her uneasy, and she wasn't confident that her fighting skills, rusty as they were, would be of much use against someone who could pull crossbows out of her boobs. If things went sour, she wanted clear access to the exit. Curiously, Lorelai seemed no less comfortable in her overcoat and jeans than she'd been in the alley on the night she'd met. She stood as still as a statue in the middle of the roof, swathed in the wiggly, wavy currents of the heat haze. "I was just telling Fluffy, your school's way nicer than the one I used to go to." A hot wind rushed past, ruffling her golden curls. "You ask me, though, it's a little too easy for people who don't belong here to get inside." ...'Fluffy?' Sunset shook her head. "For the record, visitors are supposed to sign in at the office and get a name tag." "Yeah, 'cuz people sneaking into schools always follow proper sign-in protocol." Lorelai snickered. "I was thinking, like, a metal detector, or something." "How about an electric fence and guard towers, while we're at it?" "See, now you're talking." Lorelai drew a hand from her pocket to tuck a ringlet behind her ear. "You're makin’ me nostalgic, Bacon Bits." Was she being facetious? Now that she thought about it, Princess Celestia’s school had armed guards around every corner. Wait, 'Bacon Bits?!'  "Whatever." Sunset wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "Brass tacks. What do you want?" "You in a hurry?" Lorelai wound a curl around her fingertip. "Got somewhere to be?" "AP Physics. I'd prefer not to go on an empty stomach." The heat was a not-inconsiderable factor, too. "I'll get to the point, then." Lorelai released the curl she'd been playing with, tucked her hand back in her pocket, and angled her body to face Sunset in profile. A breeze rushed past, rustling her coattails and hair. "Are you really Sunset Shimmer?" Well, that was an unusual opening serve. "Are you really Lorelai?" An unfriendly, unsettling smirk broke Lorelai's stoic facade. "Guess I'm getting ahead of myself. Lemme me start over."  She pivoted to face Sunset in full, the smirk falling away.  "There's a lot about you that I can't wrap my head around. You can use magic without a soul gem. You've got your own little gang of off-brand puellae magi. And I don't know what the hell you all use your powers for, because this is the one city on Earth that doesn't seem to have a witch problem." "Didn't have a problem, you mean," Sunset countered. "Not until recently." "That doesn't make sense either. Cities are full of people, people are full of grief, and no matter what city you're in, anywhere in the world, you'll always find people just dying to share their grief. This town ought to be an all-you-can-eat buffet for witches."  Lorelai narrowed her eyes.  "So why ain't it?" Sunset said, with a blasé shrug, "Maybe Canterville's just different." The laughter Lorelai replied with was as thick and sour as curdled milk, and delivered without a smile.  "It's pretty here, I'll give you that much. Prosperous. All wallpaper, though. Peel it back, just a little bit, and you’ll find nothin’ but rot underneath." "You come up with that on your own? You're a real poet." Sunset noticed her foot tapping, her heel bouncing rapidly against the floor, and forced herself to stop. "Please tell me you're getting to the point." "You have, just, no patience. Do you?" Lorelai's glare sharpened. "Fine. Brass tacks, like you said." She took a step toward Sunset. "When you get right down to it, this city's a stinking, pus-filled zit, waiting to be popped and squeezed. Like any city, really." Another step. Sunset's right foot scraped backward. "But it's the only city, anywhere, that witches avoid. What's it got that nowhere else has? Nothing you can't find anywhere else – nothing except for you." A third step. Sunset's hand hovered over the door's handle, its hot metal testing her endurance. "I don't know who you are, or why you can use magic without a soul gem. But I know that you don't belong; I've known since the second I laid eyes on you. And whatever's going on in this town... I think it's connected to you somehow."  A final step, and then she stopped. She drew her hands from her pockets, baring that strange gemstone in her left palm. Sunset found her gaze drawn to the green glow at its core. It seemed duller than it had that night in the alley – murky at its edges, cloudy at the center.  "I'll ask you again," said Lorelai, softly. "Are you really Sunset Shimmer?" Sunset's mind raced, searching for an explanation for this. She came up with two. First, that Wallflower outed her as an Equestrian expat, which was a betrayal she could never see Wallflower committing. The other, and the far less likely of the two, was that Lorelai was simply perceptive enough to pick up on Sunset's true nature. Whatever the case, she was saying this all wrong. Why would she care who Sunset was, when all of her questions amounted to asking what she was? It didn't matter – Sunset had no reason to answer her, and no further reason to entertain this line of thought. She wrenched the door open. Before she could leave, a green light flashed and a shadow fell upon her; Lorelai’s gloved hand slammed the door shut, denting the metal where she struck it.  Sunset pressed her back against the door, gritting her teeth. Lorelai, now transformed, loomed like an iceberg in the night, her hood casting a long shadow over her face. Her arm, rippling with muscle, tensed as she held the door shut. Despite her pain, and her precarious situation, Sunset mustered a warning. "Get the hell away from me." "Answer my questions first." A pungent, sickly sweet tang hung on Lorelai's breath. "You can't be a witch, and you can't be a familiar, 'cuz witches have souls, and familiars are too dumb to do anything but eat, and crave, and eat some more. But you, you walk, and you talk, and you screw around with your friends, and you... I don’t know who, or what, that makes you!" "You know my friends are gonna come looking for me, right?" Sunset tried to keep her voice gruff, but couldn't keep a stammer from creeping into her words. "They'll probably be here any minute now, in fact. So why don't you—" "Why would something like you even be here?" Lorelai titled her head back, rolling her eyes away thoughtfully. "I figured I could use you to bait her out, but... but what if...?" She trailed off, and the moment balanced on a blade. Then something sparked in her eyes, and she regarded Sunset with a grim, malicious smile. "...Oh, he is a clever little kitty-cat, isn't he? You're bait, alright – but not for a witch." Lorelai conjured a crossbow from the murky gem at her chest, and shoved it under Sunset's chin. The bolt loaded in the weapon pierced her, drawing a thin trickle of blood that welled up around its tip, and ran down her neck.  "Stop it. Whatever you think's going on, this isn't..." Sunset's chest heaved; she blinked, and saw Briar Rose's blade dancing in front of her face. "You don't want to—" "And what do I want, huh? What do you think I want?!" Lorelai dug the weapon harder into Sunset's neck. "I could save myself so much trouble by putting you down right here." What would you tell Wallflower? Sunset wanted to say that out loud, wanted to spit it right in Lorelai's face. The bolt digging into her throat dissuaded her from talking back, though. A few ounces of pressure on that trigger finger, and she'd be another sign pinned to the door. And if Lorelai had come this far, then she probably didn't give a flying feather what she'd tell Wallflower. There was only one way out of here, then. She swallowed, sending a stinging jolt through her throat. "You want answers. That's why you came here, isn't it?"  Sunset lifted her hand slowly, uncurled a trembling finger, and tapped it against the end of the crossbow. "I'll tell you what you wanna know, but first... this is gonna have to move." Lorelai didn't say anything, or change her expression. Eventually, though, she pulled her weapon away, and took three small steps backward. The crossbow stayed level with Sunset's throat. With some breathing room now, Sunset peeled herself off of the hot, metal door. She felt a fleeting sense of relief – fleeting, because she'd be in danger as long as she and Lorelai were alone together. All she could do now was buy time. And the only way to do that was to give Lorelai what she wanted. She didn't dare try to lie – one wrong move and Lorelai could lose patience, and pin her to the door. I'll have to be careful, and not give too much away. "What I'm about to say might sound crazy. But it's true – all true. I promise." Sunset waited for a response that never came. "This... this world that you and I are standing in. It isn't... I mean, there are others out there, too. Other worlds – parallel realities." She paused again, watching for any reaction – a smirk, a roll of her eyes, or any other minuscule sign of skepticism. Or boredom. She couldn't discount the possibility that Lorelai would kill or maim her out of boredom. But Lorelai just stared at her, still as a statue. Then, quietly, she spoke.  "Like Sliders." "Yeah, like—" Sunset cocked her head. "What?" "Never mind." Lorelai gestured with her crossbow, urging Sunset on. "You're from an alternate universe. That's what you're trying to say?" "'Parallel reality' is the preferred nomenclature." Sunset caught a hint of Sparkle-esque pedantry in her tone, and wondered which of the two she got it from. "Does this mean you believe me?" "It means I'm gonna let you keep talking. What are you doing here?" Sunset licked her lips. "Physics, Trig, A.P. English. Latin, as an elective. And I sling sushi to make ends meet."  Lorelai's fingers flexed on her crossbow. Despite the heat, Sunset shivered. A second droplet of blood tickled her skin as it traveled down her throat; she wiped it with her thumb, then pressed against the still-open wound to staunch the bleeding. Maybe I shouldn't push my luck too far. "Look, I'm being serious. I go to school, I hold a part-time job, I screw around with my friends – if I had my way, that's all I'd be doing. But..." The pressure from her thumb distorted Sunset's voice, made it rasp a touch more than usual. "I told you the other night, I deal with magical problems. I didn’t tell you the whole story, though. I left out where that magic came from." "Lemme guess. The same place you're from?" "Yeah. An... accident... made magic from my world leak into this one. Into this city, specifically. My friends and I do our best to contain it, and minimize the trouble that it causes." Hopefully, Lorelai wouldn't notice the holes in her story. Who knew what she'd do if she found out about Twilight's experiment at the Friendship Games? Or the Dazzlings? I mean, Adagio sucks, but it's not like I want her dead... The oozy smile that crept over Lorelai's face made Sunset downright indignant. "So what's your angle, then – what do you get out of it? Don't tell me you play puella magi out of the goodness of your heart." "I do it because I have to, and because I want to," Sunset snapped. "And I don't care what you believe." "You precious little martyr." Lorelai gave an ugly little laugh to match her ugly little smile. "What about your friends? Are they sliders, too?" "I still don't know what that means," Sunset said curtly. "If you're asking whether they come from the same world as me, then no. They're exactly what they seem to be."  "Not exactly what they seem to be." Lorelai's smile melted back into a scowl. "There's something different about them too, isn't there? Or they wouldn't be able to use magic – your world's magic." "They... that's..." Sunset trailed off, fumbling. "That's not something that I know for sure, myself. I think it has something to do with their counterparts." "'Counterparts?'"  Sunset nodded shakily. "The versions of themselves that exist in my world – they can use magic naturally. Somehow, the connection between our worlds lets my friends do the same. For all I know, the other me can, too." Lorelai's scowl seemed to soften, and her grip around her weapon eased. "The other... you?" "Yeah – the Sunset who lives in this world. There are counterparts for everyone, as far as I can tell. Two Sunsets, two Wallflowers..." Sunset spread her arms and let them fall, lightly, against her sides. "If I went back home and looked around long enough, I'd probably find another Lorelai." A shudder ran through Lorelai’s body, and she clenched her jaws together, tightly, until they trembled. For a moment, Sunset thought for sure she was about to pull the trigger. Instead, she huffed a sardonic, almost silent, laugh. She lowered her weapon and turned away, her hood slipping further over her face as she bowed her head, pressing her hand to her face. Her shoulders shook with laughter, a dry, staccato sound, like a death rattle. Sunset almost wished she were still waving her crossbow around. With a shimmer and a chiming sound, Lorelai's outfit and weapon dissolved into motes of green, leaving her in street clothes. The gemstone rested in her palm, glowing dimly; a cool sensation swept down Sunset's throat, and the sting of her open wound vanished. A quick tap confirmed that she wasn't bleeding anymore. Maybe I should thank her. Then again, she was the one who cut me in the first place. Lorelai tucked her hands back into her pockets. She looked sidelong at Sunset, her face expressionless. "One last question. Say that I believe you, and you are what you say you are. That still doesn't tell me what you're doing here."  "I already told you—" "Why you came in the first place, I mean. What brought you here. You said that an 'accident' dumped magic from your world into this one. Did you come here by accident, too?" "...No." Guardedly, and perhaps unnecessarily, she added, "I came here on purpose." "Then you must've had a reason to come. Something here that you wanted. Or something there that you were trying to get away from." Lorelai paused for a breath. "If I had to guess, I'd say the latter." Sunset flushed. "You're making a lot of assumptions." "But I'm right, aren't I? Nobody leaves home without a reason. Nobody would go as far as you did without a reason."  Lorelai's too-nice shoes scraped on the concrete as she turned to face Sunset.  "So, my little runaway. What are you running from?" Sunset tried to spit something sarcastic, to tell Lorelai where she could stick her question. But her rebuttal stuck in her throat. The question hung between them, heavy as the heat radiating off the rooftop's every surface. "I..." A heavy thud on the door made Sunset jump, swallowing whatever she was about to say. She turned as the door thudded a second time. Applejack stumbled forward with her shoulder lowered; Sunset caught her before momentum carried her to the floor. Applejack looked up, smiling crookedly. "Ten minutes, right?" She pushed away from Sunset and stood on her own as the girls swarmed onto the roof, their footfalls like hailstones exploding on the concrete.  "Did you really have to do that, AJ?" Rainbow Dash said, eying the broken lock on the door.  Applejack said, blithely, "I wanted to make an entrance." It should've been unlocked, though, Sunset thought. I left it open, and there's no way to lock it from the outside. Twilight was among the last to arrive, panting and sweating from the climb. Her eyes found Sunset's neck, and the patch of red on her skin. "Is that blood?" she gasped. "Are you hurt?" Rainbow's eyes widened. She tore her gaze away from the broken lock, and threw herself between Sunset and Lorelai, tensed for a fight. "If you did anything to her, I swear—" Lorelai's voice snapped like a bowstring. "She's fine. We just wrapped up a pleasant little powwow. Kept it real friendly." "The blood on her neck and the dent in the door claim otherwise," Rarity retorted. She had her hand at her chest, clutching her geode through her shirt. "Perhaps you should be on your way, darling." "Perhaps you should see a voice coach, dah-ling. Your accent's phonier than your boots."  Rarity, incensed, sputtered for a reply; Lorelai rolled her eyes and turned away.  "Well, whatever; I should get going anyway. Later, 'Inboos.'" She popped her collar and headed toward the edge of the roof in a long, brisk stride. From behind, Fluttershy coughed. "Um... She knows she can't get down that way, right?" We can't. She probably can. "Wait." Sunset lunged after Lorelai. Rainbow Dash threw an arm up to block her, but Sunset ducked underneath and shoved Rainbow behind her. "I said wait!" "Sorry, Bits, but break time's over. You got class, and I got places to be. Besides, if I know Fluffy, she's probably racked up quite the tab on my—" "You said you were using me as bait!" Sunset hoped her roar would make Lorelai stop in her tracks. Instead, she continued until she reached the edge of the roof, where she paused, and waited. More quietly, and less intensely, Sunset continued. "You were using me as bait for 'her.' You meant one of the witches – one of the witches that’s after me." A breeze ruffled Lorelai's curls.  "...It's just one witch, actually. Just one that matters, anyway." "What do they want with me?" "Same thing they all want, I suppose. Cannus Cannum Edit." Lorelai tucked a lock behind her ear. "It's a dog-eat-dog world. Kill or be killed." "You're not making sense. What are you—?" "Y'know, if today's taught me one thing, it's that I don't have all the answers. If I did, I'd..." Lorelai tilted her head and chuckled. "Well, I still wouldn't tell you, but at least I'd know." Sunset tried to stammer a reply, and managed to say nothing. Her face felt hot; her eyes stung and burned.  "Where the hell do you get off?" Her voice shook – with anger, with shame at her own helplessness. "You think you can just – just strut off the roof like the last few minutes didn't happen? Like you didn't pin me against a wall and wave a damn crossbow in my face?!" "Pretty much." "Like hell. I don't believe you when you say you don't have any answers. You're telling me what you know, one way or the other." Sunset grabbed her own geode through her shirt. "And you're not leaving until you do." At that, Lorelai turned, her horrible, smug little smile plastered again on her face – as though it had never left. There was something in her eyes, though, that gave Sunset pause, made her relax her grip on her geode. Or, more precisely... there was nothing in her eyes. Her grin, her smarmy grin, came nowhere near reaching them. "Watch me." With a bounce in her step so light it could almost be called dainty, Lorelai hopped backward, and over the edge. The girls all gasped, and cried out, and absurdly, Sunset did too, rushing forward. Stupid to worry – Lorelai wouldn't just throw herself off a roof unless she knew she could survive the fall.  Sure enough, when Sunset looked over the edge, she saw Lorelai standing on the front steps, gazing back up with the same emptiness in her eyes. A small crowd of students, gathered on the steps and the lawn, gawped at her, no doubt shocked by the sudden appearance of this overdressed girl who fell from the sky. Lorelai gave a mocking two-fingered salute, and turned away, sauntering down the stairs and toward the street, never once looking toward any of the people staring after her.