//------------------------------// // Volume II: Web of Shadows - Prologue // Story: The Amazing Sunset Shimmer // by KozLeMage //------------------------------// “Good Morning Canterlot! I’m Mi Amore Cadenza, but you already know it!” Candence said with a laugh, “The holidays season officially began in our sweet and beloved city! Don’t forget to get your family and friends unforgettable present but also don’t forget to be nice and respectful with the store’s employee! Now with the news of the day, Discorp officially announced the date of their presentation for their particle accelerator, who’s exited about that? I am that’s for sure! It’ll happen in July so we’ll have to be patient but I’m sure they won’t disappoint us! Also, the famous Tony Stark will be present at the Canterlot Science Fair in February! If tickets won’t sell after that announcement, I don’t know what will!” Candence said with a cheerful voice that her listeners loved so much, “And I know, I know… What’s a Good Morning Canterlot without news of our beloved friendly neighborhood… Spider-Girl! For the past weeks, we talk about her every morning! It’s not surprising though, we’re all big fans, right? Now, you could’ve seen in the Daily Bugle that she supposedly helped those bank robbers, but let me tell you… It’s all lies and defamation! You all know that our Spidey wouldn’t do something like that! She kicked their buts and send them to jail, that’s what she did! Spider-Girl, if you’re listening to us, know that we support you, and we hope you’ll spend a nice Christmas with your loved ones!” Walking among the crowded streets, Twilight sparkle made her way to the bus station heading home. She was exhausted from a long day of work, for the past days she had more work than ever before, almost as twice as usual. She was now the head of the lab department of Discorp, a promotion that resulted congratulations among her peers. It was rare to have a such important job at this young age, she was only seventeen years old and she was coordinating a team of scientist almost as three time her age. Even if she was happy with her sudden promotion, she also was very concerned about her old boss, Dr Conhorse. If they offered her that promotion, it was because Conhorse was nowhere to be found. He just… Disappeared without a trace. And what surprised Twilight the most was that nobody seems to be worry about that. They just continued their work as if none of this had happened. Twilight just hopped Conhorse was okay, somewhere. She waited under the bus shelter, in the cold wind of December. She drew her hands closer to her face and blew hot hair on them in the hope of warming them even a little. She left work so quickly that she forgot her pair of gloves. It was unusual for her to forget something like that, but aside from the Doctor’s disappearance, her mind was also focused on something else. She grabbed her transport card in her pocket when she saw the bus arrive in the distance. When it stopped in front of the bus station, Twilight showed her card to the driver and headed to the end of the bus to sit peacefully, with no one to disturb her. She put her headphones on and swiftly drifted away in her thought, lulled by the sweet music she was listening to. She couldn’t wait to head home and start the weekend. Usually, she also worked on the weekends because she wanted to, but this time, she had a personal project to work on. She felt her phone buzzing in her hand and unlocked it to see who was texting her. She smiled when she saw it was Sunset Shimmer asking her how was her day at work. She replied with a short but cheerful response, the smile she was wearing wouldn’t leave her face. Twilight was lost, she didn’t know what she was feeling for Sunset Shimmer, but it certainly wasn’t friendship. No, Twilight watched enough movies and anime to know what it was. But Sunset was her first friend, and she didn’t want to waste it with her teenage crush. Especially since Sunset revealed herself as Spider-Girl and asked Twilight for help. She kept a laugh when she remembered Sunset’s face when Twilight asked her if she was Spider-Girl. Twilight had her suspicion for a while, and even if Sunset had denied it, the expression on her face would have betrayed her. But she didn’t, she admitted it, she trusted Twilight, and Twilight trusted Sunset Shimmer. Twilight frowned, every time she thought about her, her heart missed a beat. She placed her hand where her heart was and she felt like putting her hand there was warming them more than blowing hot hair on them. Or maybe it was the bus air conditioner but she rather preferred the first option, more poetic. When she took a look outside the window, she saw someone painting a huge portrait of the city newest hero on a wall. She repressed another laugh. The ride home wasn’t that long and she arrived rather quickly, getting out of the bus, not forgetting to thanks the driver. She entered the apartment complex and took the elevator until she arrived at her destination. She opened the front door and took her boots off when she heard, “Twily is that you?” coming from the kitchen. “Yes Cady, I’m home!” Twilight said, heading to the kitchen. She saw Cadence in a white apron preparing diner smiling at her, “How was work?” She asked peacefully, concentrating herself on diner. “Okay, I guess,” Twilight replied, pouring herself a cup of orange juice. “But it’s not the same without the Doctor.” “I know Twily,” Cadence said, “You know that your brother and all the police department are trying to find him, just let them do their job.” She said, smiling at her sister-in-law, “I’m sure he’s okay.” Twilight sighed and looked away, “I hope so.” She said, heading towards her room. “Diner will be ready in fifteen minutes!” Cadence called after her. “Okay!” Twilight replied, closing her bedroom door behind her. She walked toward her desk and let herself drop in her chair with a sigh. She glanced toward her workbench where a rectangular shape covered with a white sheet was waiting for her. She rolled her chair to her workbench and slowly, she took of the sheet. It was a small aquarium she kept in her closet until the day she’ll needed it. Inside it was a strange black thing, stirring around. For Twilight it was obvious, whatever that thing was, it was alive. But she had no idea what it was. And she couldn’t do a lot of experiment with the stuff she had in her bedroom. She thought about take it to Discorp but she was afraid that they would keep it for them, and Twilight wanted to find out what it was by herself. She didn’t dare to touch it with her bare hands since she found it a few weeks ago. But every time Twilight touched a spot on the aquarium, the black thing jumped on where she was touching. Failing to find a real name for it, Twilight called it Spike in the meantime. With the little experiment she did on it, Twilight found that ‘Spike’ wasn’t just alive, but it also was self-conscious. And Twilight believed that, it was understanding her, but she couldn’t prove that. Not now. She thought about where it came from. Was it an alien? It seemed a little bit to sci-fi for her, but more and more she thought about it, she found that it was the only explanation that holds up. “Hi Spike,” She said, knocking on the aquarium glass panel, “How are you doing?” Of course, it didn’t reply, but it calmed down and stopped moving around when it heard Twilight’s voice. “I’m sorry I have to keep you here but, I need to know what you are…” She said, posing her hand on the glass, “You understand right?” Spike slowly made its way to Twilight hand, and replicated a shape of a hand. “You’re so strange…” Twilight said. “But I swear, when I’ve finally figured out what you are, I’ll let you go. I promise.” Then, at Twilight surprised, Spike formed a little tentacle that he waved up and down. Twilight watched it, in total disbelief. “D-Did you just…” She drew herself closer to it, her nose almost touching the glass. “Understand me?” But it didn’t reply, Spike returned to its original form, not moving anymore. Twilight sighed. “Of course.” She said. Canterlot was quiet this night. Small snow flakes making their way to the ground, remembering all the citizens of the holidays coming up. All in the recklessness of the dark times that was coming. Little they know that, for some of them… It would be their last Christmas. The Amazing Sunset Shimmer – Volume II: Web of Shadows.