//------------------------------//
// Mirrors and Smoke 
// Story: Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot 
// by Equimorto 
//------------------------------//

Sunburst stared at the alicorn, dumbfounded. "So you're saying you don't exist when you're not with me?"
Starshine titled her head to a side, then to the other. "Sort of. It's a bit more complicated than that. Like I said, just roll with it."
"How am I supposed to just roll with it?" Sunburst asked, incredulous. "Why should I believe you, anyway? You've done nothing but bring chaos into my life."
"That's not true and you know it," Starshine replied, smirking.
"Oh shut up."
Starshine rolled her eyes. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to strike the right balance when you're trying to bed a stallion who wants you to call him Daddy but still wants to call you Mommy? I'd like some recognition for pulling that off."
Sunburst stared at her, flatly. "That was needlessly specific."
"Do you want me to be more vague next time, Daddy?" Starshine gave a fake, exaggerated pout.
Sunburst looked at the ground. "Shut up."
"Make me. You don't really want me to-"
"Shut up!" Sunburst looked back at Starshine as he yelled. "I don't know if you've noticed it in the last months, but things are kind of ever so slightly stressful right now. The world's going crazy, and I'm one of the unfortunate ponies who actually gets to learn about most of it, and the last thing I need is someone like you coming to annoy me with your nonsense. Stop wasting my time and stop making my days even more stressful than they already are."
"It looks to me like you could use a relief for all that pent up stress, actually. But anyway, I thought you wanted to know what was happening. It's not like you to not ask questions and ask the mystery to walk away instead," Starshine said.
"You're very clearly not answering my questions in any helpful manner," Sunburst replied. "So either you tell me what's going on, or you leave me alone. At this point, I don't care which it is."
"And yet I'm still here." Starshine tilted her head. "And if I'm still here, that means you want me here."
Sunburst almost growled. "Are you the one responsible for all the stuff back there in the room?"
"No." The alicorn shook her head. "But the thing responsible for all that is responsible for me as well." Then she gave a nod towards Sunburst.
It took him a moment to get what she was trying to say with that. "Oh, so this is all my fault, huh? Convenient that a mysterious mare who appears and disappears at random would coincidentally happen to also show up while this is going on, isn't it?" Sunburst shook his head. "I'm not buying this, Starshine. I have no reason to."
"And I can't convince you otherwise," Starshine replied. She looked down at herself. "You're confused right now. You want me gone, but you want me here. You want this whole thing to be over with, but you want answers." She looked back up at him. "I suggest you choose the former option for a bit. It will help you clear your mind."
Sunburst looked back at her as he thought about it. And a moment later, she was gone.