"An Erinye," Pinkie frowned. "What's an Erinye?"
"They are a specific type of Windigo," Twilight responded, frowning at her coffee. "Unlike most Windigo, they usually hunt by themselves for their prey. They are known to be vicious and nasty, often killing for vengeance rather than justice. If a person gives them a reason, they will happily make their fury known. And they won't stop until they are either appeased or stopped through the means of vanquishing." Her eyes narrowed as she turned to Pinkie. "That's why we have to be quick in finding a cure as well as the real culprits behind Anon-a-Miss. Otherwise, this Erinye will build enough power to lay waste to everyone and everything!"
"As for the wound," Twilight frowned, deeply troubled. "Wounds made by the Erinye have been said to cause hallucinations, but absolutely nothing of this magnitude before. Whatever this thing is, it's not the usual Erinye that is in the magical books. It's something worse, much worse." She said, gently rubbing Sunset's hair. Sunset grumbled, but she did not stir from sleep.
"Well," Pinkie tried to remain optimistic. "If we solve the Anon-a-Miss situation quickly as we can, then maybe the Erinye will leave everyone alone, right? Sunset's name is cleared, the culprits will be reprimanded, and we learn a valuable lesson from all this, right?" When Twilight didn't answer and instead looked at her with an annoyed glare, Pinkie flinched and stared at a spot on the wall. "It's just a thought."
"As much as I want to be optimistic about this whole thing, Pinkie, I don't know if it can be as simple as that. I'm sure that we would love nothing more than to have everything back to before this whole mess began." She frowned. "However, this thing is more than just a petty squabble or a spat that lasts a couple of days. This is a scandal that questions the integrity of entire students and faculty inside one school. Whether we like it or not, this is something that will last a while."
"Oh," Pinkie lowered her eyes, fidgeting before speaking up. "Um, Twilight, I know that this is a bad time for me to ask...but I need to ask this. Will you take away the Elements of Harmony from us? I...I would understand if you did, considering that we did something really horrible."
"No."
Pinkie's head whipped around like lightning, eyes widened with surprise. Twilight could only raise an eyebrow at this but did not say anything. Pinkie's neck hurt from the whiplash and she massaged it, wincing at the pain. She looked to Twilight, who only gave a gentle smile in return. She motioned for Pinkie to help her with moving Sunset from the chair to the bed. Sunset was snoring away, looking peaceful and content, while only mumbling in whispers. When they tucked her in, Twilight moved to the kitchen again.
"Pinkie, I want to make something clear here. Even though I am disappointed in you and still angry at the other girls for this, know that I wouldn't revoke you on the Elements of Harmony all because of a mistake, however huge it may be. I know that I came across as cold to you, but that's only because I don't want you to go down the same path as Sunset did. The Element of Laughter is your own, and though you have made mistakes in your lapse of judgment, you are willing to more than make up for them." Her smile lessened to a frown. "I don't know if the other girls are willing to change, but I'm holding out hope."
"I hope so, too."
"Let's place matters on what you said to the other girls, Pinkie. What did you say to them?"
"What you said to me plus a lot more," Pinkie rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, cheeks turning red. "I'm sorry, Twi." A sigh punctuated that sentence. "You were right. We were acting real stupid about this. If I could take it back, I would. Sunset, we just thought that she would revert back and she didn't. Not only that, we were acting like bullies because she used to be. And when I said what we did out loud, I was just so surprised at how stupid it was." She sighed. "I guess it's true on what the people say about 20/20 hindsight. I just wish that I learned this the first time around..."
"Unfortunately, there is no progress to be made over lamenting the past whatsoever. All we can do is set things right again."
Sunset awoke to a sleepy warmth cocooned all around her and smiled subconsciously. She did not want to get up at all. No, she would rather stay in bed and sleep the whole day away. Unfortunately, she knew that she would have to get up soon. It, along with everything else in life, was inevitable. Opening her eyes and rubbing them out of sleep, she found herself back in Soleil's bedroom. Only this time, there was angry shouting going on downstairs. Frowning, she put on some fuzzy slippers, a sense of unsettling tension washing over her. As she descended down the steps, she could make out Bianca's hair bobbing.
'Oh dear,' Sunset groaned inwardly. 'This oughta be good.'
She tiptoed silently into the living room and sat down on an inconspicuous spot on the couch. Concentrating on the TV, she visibly frowned as she heard the yelling going on in the background. She fidgeted a little, the yelling noise pulsating into her mind. Her mind was getting fuzzy and everything, from the couch underneath her to the strange smell of static hanging. It's a horrible feeling and she felt so tired. What was Soleil's stamina? Did she even have stamina? Okay, now this was getting to be a little bit repetitive.
"Hee, hee, hee," A scratchy voice trickled inside her mind. "It's fine by me if you keep on waiting and waiting."
Suddenly, the room changed to a dark nothingness. She was floating into nothingness. Sunset sighed, steeling her nerves as the monster suddenly took form in front of her. Her eyes widened as the creature in front of her was not a Windigo. At least not the Windigo that she previously encountered. The creature that she encountered was instead a beautiful woman clad in white. She had flowing pink-golden hair with porcelain skin and magenta eyes. Her smile, however, was not welcoming.
"Hello, Miss Sunset Shimmer," The voice turned pure and melodious. "It's a pleasure to meet you finally."
"Ah," Sunset responded nonchalantly. "I take it that you know me."
"Quite," The woman smiled at her ferociously. "You have quite the reputation, my dear. Indeed, quite the reputation. Once a former queen bee of Canterlot High School, now a pariah of that same school. It's honestly quite remarkable how you insist, insist, insist on staying here when the other worlds would have been easier to integrate to. And yet, you didn't. Why is that?"
"Because I wanted a challenge," Sunset replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I wanted to prove to everyone that I can change. I am more than my past. And I wanted everyone to see it, no matter what." She frowned, glaring at this woman. "Why exactly, if I might ask, are you so interested?"
"Did you know that I used to hate you before your redemption," The woman asked. "When you were the former Queen Bee. I just wanted you to suffer and be miserable if you didn't change your wicked ways. However, when you changed, I felt really bad. You were really trying your best to be a good person and everyone saw that. And yet, they spat in your face anyway." A frown marred that terrifying pretty face. "They knew what they were doing and still have the nerve to call it justice."
The beautifully colored hair suddenly turned into a fiery red color with smoke and embers. Sunset stepped back as she tried to dodge the fiery temper of this lady creature. Her white robes adorned with gold were flowing with a nonexistent wind. An eerie calm suddenly fell on the atmosphere and the woman turned to Sunset again with a smiling face. Sunset fidgeted a bit thinking of a way to escape.
"That's why I want to punish them," The woman's voice cut into her train of thought. "I want to punish them in full."
"What?"
"And you will be the perfect catalyst for that."
"No!"
Sunset blinked and she was back in the living room with only Bianca sitting as far away from her as possible. She clicked her teeth as she went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As she turned on the faucet, she heard Bianca's footsteps behind. A groan tried to climb out of her throat, but she suppressed it as she turned around to face the scowling girl. Well, these types of people were slowly going to resistant to mere warnings. However, Bianca did not give her any headaches. She just merely observed her.
"Yes," Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Is there something that I can do for you?"
"Look, I don't know what's gotten into you," Bianca began. "But Mom and Dad have left the house, which means I'm the one in charge. My friends are coming over and I want you in your room without a peep. If I even so much as hear a peep, I'll...!"
"You'll what," Sunset glared at Bianca. "Tell me, Bianca, you'll do what to me? Make me even more insane to the point where I'm catatonic. Tell me, Bianca, what did I do to you or to anyone else that makes you hate me so much? Huh, tell me. Tell me what I did so wrong that you and possibly everyone else want me dead?!" She screamed and Bianca's eyes widened. "I don't understand what I did that made you and everyone else hate me so much!!" Tears were dripping from her eyes.
"I...Dead...I..." Bianca swallowed and looked away, the faint traces of a glare still on her face. "It's just so embarrassing to be the sister of a loser, you know? You don't understand how hard it is, to have everyone pointing and laughing at you!"
"So that's how it is, huh," Sunset threw up her hands in disgust. "You can't handle having Soleil as a sister because vapid and shallow people told you that she was a loser, huh? Is that it? Well, let me tell you something that I've told you when you tried to intimidate me like this when I came into my room for the first time. If you keep pursuing this shallow popular girl routine, you'll end up in misery. Just like I did."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up," Bianca screeched. "It's your fault! You just couldn't be normal now, could you? You just couldn't stop being such a goody two-shoes! It's your fault that I got grounded for that stupid prank! It's your fault that I got in deep, deep, deep trouble for that stupid prank last year! Why couldn't you be more normal, huh?! Why couldn't you?!"
"How is not being to your liking my fault," Sunset screamed, seeing red. "How is being my own person my fault?! See, this is what I hate about people like you! You never accept people who are different from you! You just want to mold them into an extremely boring and horrible person who has no care for anyone but themselves! If living with you and going to the school where others tormented me is like this, then...then...I...I...!"
"Girls, what's going on," Misty came into the kitchen, worried. "Why are you two screaming at each other?"
"I...I..."
"Bianca, what's going on," Apollo followed behind. "What's the ruckus about?"
Sunset felt dizzy and felt her legs wobble. She groaned and sucked in a harsh breath. It was happening again. She hated this happening again and again. It made her feel weak. She stumbled into the living room and massaged her growing headache. A crack of light was entering her vision and suddenly, her eyes widened.
Hey you! What's the matter? You gonna cry?!
Oh, look! She is gonna cry! Aw, the poor baby is gonna whine!
Hey! I have an idea! Why don't we-?!
"Shoot."
"S-Sunset," Twilight's voice entered her hearing. "Sunset, are you alright?"
Sunset nodded as she sat up slowly. Luckily, she didn't feel any headache of the sort. She walked over to Twilight and Pinkie, who watched her with widened eyes. She sighed. She also had to stop scaring Pinkie Pie the first time that she could get. It's certainly tiring going back and forth all the time. Sunset decided to cook some nice lunch for all of them as a patient reward. The atmosphere turned light despite the heavy tension before until the conversation turned to the other world.
"I saw a part of her memories, you know," Sunset frowned. "It wasn't pleasant."
"Yeah, I can imagine," Twilight frowned. "It doesn't imply any pleasantness."
"I can't believe her sister would act like that," Pinkie chimed in indignantly. "I don't know what I'd do if Maud, Limestone, or Marble acted that way towards me and vice versa." She shuddered just thinking about it. "Poor Soleil."
"Yeah, I can't imagine Princess Cadence acting that way towards me either," Twilight murmured. "Though there was a close call with the Changeling."
Sunset snorted, understanding Twilight's sentiment. She didn't know what she would do either if Princess Cadence acted up like Bianca did. At least old Sunset and possibly current Sunset deserved that hostility. Twilight certainly didn't, not at all. But Pinkie did bring up a good point. It was unimaginable to believe that family members could do that to each other. But hey, it was just another learning experience. Sometimes one's worst enemy were family members, be they parents or siblings.
Wait.
Siblings.
Worst enemies.
Sisters.
Bianca.
Worst enemies.
Worst enemies?
Worst enemies.
Sisters.
Sisters.
Sisters.
Sunset gasped softly, immediately getting out of her chair. Twilight and Pinkie just blinked at her, looking quite bemused. As she made her way towards the living room, her mind was on hyper overdrive. She flipped through the journal's pages for an extremely vital clue. Twilight and Pinkie were right behind her, crouching and generally looking puzzled for the most part. At Sunset's silence, Pinkie decided to brave a question.
"Sunset, are you okay?"
"Yeah. But I think that there's something that we haven't really fixed on."
"Well," Twilight ventured. "What is it?"
"We were talking about sisters and family, right? How they could be our worst enemy? Well, I was just thinking back to how I was accused of being Anon-a-Miss and disowned from the term family member. But then, when we were talking about Sol's sister Bianca and how she was the worst enemy so far, it got me to think that there's something else. Pinkie, can you recall?" Sunset took a deep breath. "Can you recall if we were the only ones at those slumber parties?"
"Well, let's see," Pinkie frowned. "Well, there was you, me, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. But we weren't the only...ones...there..." Her eyes widened in realization as she put a hand on her mouth. "Oh my gosh. You mean...?"
"It's only a theory, Pinkie, and so far, I don't have evidence yet. But Anon-a-Miss has new suspects to add to its list."