//------------------------------// // Chapter 27 // Story: Severed Ties // by Carol Heart //------------------------------// Sunset woke up from her nap feeling a lot better.  While it was no substitute for being in a world with a working Harmonic field, she was still one of the strongest unicorns in generations.  Possibly the strongest in Equestria today, since Twilight didn’t count anymore.  She frowned a bit as her ego showed, but then again she hadn’t been made Princess Celestia’s personal student for nothing, and her high mana production rate was saving her a lot of pain and trouble at the moment so she allowed herself the instance of pride. Hearing the heavy strides of someone walking down the hall outside the lab, Sunset checked the clock.  If Twilight’s estimations and knowledge of Caterlot’s bus schedule had been correct, and knowing her it likely was, this was exactly when the teen had said they’d be back from their trip to the mall.  Sitting up, Sunset turned to greet the returning duo. “Hey, Twilight, how’d it…” Seeing the sullen look on the teen, the words died in the unicorn’s mouth.  Tentatively, Sunset began again, “What happened?  Are you okay?” Violet eyes rose to meet the pony’s and for the first time since she had run away from this world, Sunset was met with the look of betrayal.  The teen didn’t yell like Sunset's former friends had, but the pain in her voice as she struggled to keep it steady hurt more than the blow from Gilda had. “Who’s Princess Twilight?” Sunset’s ears pinned back to her skull.  “Twilight, I can explain.”  Her chance to do so was cut off, however, by another voice calling down the hallway. “Twilight, are you ready to go?” asked Cadance.  “I just have to grab my purse from my office and we can get going.” “Yeah, I’ll meet you there in a minute.  Just let me grab what I need,” Twilight replied, her eyes never leaving those of the unicorn. Hearing the click of the dean’s heels recede down the hallway, Sunset took a careful step toward the glaring girl and tried again, but was cut off by the teen. “Not now,” Twilight said, stomping over to her desk and reloading her backpack with the books she’d need for the evening.  Her eyes fell on the duffle bag that she had been using this week to smuggle the unicorn in.  She plopped it on the floor.  “In,” she sternly without looking at the nervous pony.   Sunset didn’t say anything but instead hopped into the bag.  A crimson aura engulfed the zipper as it proceeded to pull itself shut.  Despite the unicorn’s dislike for the stuffy claustrophobic feel of the bag, she preferred it to the glare of the teen and had a feeling that Twilight wasn’t in the mood to see her right now either. Watching the scene, Spike decided to try his luck at diffusing the situation.  “Twilight…” This, however, only garnered the pup a glare of his own and he decided it best to let it be.  Hopefully, she would calm down a bit in the car ride so she and Sunset would be able to work through...whatever this was.   Hopefully. *** The car ride had been quiet.  Having babysat for Twilight for years, Cadance knew better than to try and talk to her when she was like this.  Instead, Cadance left the teen to herself, hoping that she would be able to work through whatever had riled her up, though the dean made a mental note to check in on her Ladybug tomorrow to make sure whatever this was was resolved. Exiting the car, with a worried good-bye from Cadance, Twilight bypassed the house and headed straight for her garage lab.  Pushing open the door, she dropped the duffle unceremoniously on the dog bed in the corner before turning to the desk and unzipping her backpack to free her canine companion.  Meanwhile, Sunset extricated herself from the duffle without her usual theatrics. “Twilight-” the unicorn began only to be cut off by the person in question. “You’ll never believe what happened while I was at the mall today,” the teen began.  “I can hardly believe it and I was there.  It’s almost like it was magic.”  Twilight laughed bitterly at that.  “But I guess with you that’s probably not being facetious.”  The girl turned and met the pony’s teal eyes.  “I met Applejack today.  It was a rather enlightening experience, to say the least, but I suppose that should have been expected from your Element of Honesty.” “I can-” started Sunset only to be cut off once again. “You don’t get to speak.  You had your chance.  So many chances, to tell me the truth, and maybe you didn’t lie to me, but you sure as hell didn’t tell me the truth!” “Twilight, I wanted-” “Oh I know what you wanted,” shouted the irate teen. “It’s the same thing people always want from me.  ‘Twilight, you’re so smart, would you mind helping me with this homework?’ ‘Twilight, we know how much you like school, you want to just handle all of the project?’  And that’s if they even bother to ask.” “Maybe you should let her-” Spike started, trying to intervene, but Twilight ignored him and plowed ahead undeterred. “I’ve been doing everything I can to help you. I’ve been willing to give up everything, just to make this right, and you know a part of me didn’t even care.  Hanging out with you and Spike these last few days has been more fun than I’ve had my entire academic career.  Giving up going to Everton and finally escaping Crystal Prep didn’t matter as long as you got home, because you were my...but I guess I was wrong.  Who needs the nerdy shut-in when you already have a perfect princess version of me back at home?”  Twilight paused a moment as she pieced together snip-its from their past conversations as well as what she’d learned from Applejack.  “You did,” Twilight said as the realization hit her.  “You told me that there are six Elements of Harmony, but the girls at CHS, that’s only five.  I asked you about the last and you didn’t answer me.  It was because the sixth Element was her...Princess Twilight. She's the last Element the one who wields the Magic of Friendship.  That’s why you did all this.  Why you pretended to be my friend.  You thought you could use me as a substitute since your princess isn’t here!”  Angry tears streamed down the teen's face, fogging her thick glasses, but she made no move to fix the problem but instead stared at the tiny unicorn on the floor.  “I thought you were different,” she said, the hollow heartbreak clear in her voice, “But you’re just like everyone else just using me for what you need and then tossing me aside.  Well, I’m done,”  Twilight said reaching into her backpack and pulling out the magical siphon.  “This is all I have left to give.  So take it since it’s what you really want.  Take it and go, because I can promise you you won't be finding any Friendship magic here.”  With that said, Twilight turned and left the lab, not even looking back at the two quadrupeds she left behind. “It-It’s not true,” Sunset said to the retreating figure, though she was sure the girl had not heard. Turning to Spike, the obviously distraught pony continued, “I didn’t-” “No you didn’t,” said Spike, “but you should have.  You know Twilight, two of them apparently, so you should no better than to hide the facts from her.  She’s too smart, she’ll figure it out, but she’s not the Princess of Friendship like your pony friend.  She’s a teenage girl who has been bullied and used.  She’s smart, but not when it comes to understanding other people, or ponies in your case, so she falls back on her past experience and none of it was good.” “I swear,” said Sunset, “I never did this to use her or hurt her.  I-I only wanted to protect her.” “I believe you,” the puppy said sincerely, “And I’m going to help you fix this, but for now, Twilight needs some space.  You stay out here tonight, my bed here isn’t as good as the one inside, but it’s not bad.  Make sure the magic device-thingy is okay after Twilight took Applejack’s magic.  It seemed fine, no portals or anything, but you're the expert. I’ll try to talk to Twilight and try to calm her down enough to get her to listen.  Just make sure you’re ready to explain everything tomorrow, and I mean everything, in excruciating detail because when she wants answers, she’s going to want all of the answers.” “Got it,” said Sunset with a nod, “and Spike, thank you.  I know we didn’t start off so great, but I’m really grateful that you believe in me now.” “I only want to make sure that Twilight’s happy and protect her from whatever tries to make her unhappy, even when that’s herself.  If I didn’t I wouldn’t be her number one assistant.” Sunset laughed and used her magic to open the door for the pup.  “Thanks, Spike, for everything.  Now get going, I think Twilight is in need of your services.” “Good night, Sunset.  We will see you tomorrow.”  Sunset nodded, and the little pup headed off to see what he could do for Twilight.  As he made his way to the house you began to wonder if he too had a counterpart in the pony world, and if that Spike had it any easier looking after a princess and not an anxious teenager.  A question for Sunset another time he guessed, probably when his own Twilight was out of earshot. *** “Oh my gosh, I’m late,” gasped Twilight.  “I can’t believe I’m late, Spike.  I’m never late.” After leaving Sunset, Spike had found Twilight curled up on her bed. She told her parents she wasn't feeling well and skipped dinner. Despite the pup's best efforts, Twilight refused to talk to or even face Spike. Not wanting to leave her in her sadness, the puppy chose to curl up against her back, to show her that he was still there for her. She had cried herself into an uneasy sleep and had ended up sleeping through her alarm. With Twilight in a panic and to time for a real conversation, Spike hadn't had time to talk to try and talk to her about Sunset. “And you’re not late now.  Just breathe, Twilight,” soothed the little dog, “You still have fifteen minutes before the bell rings for class.” “Fifteen minutes!  That’s not nearly enough time to copy the teacher's notes from the board, which means I’ll have to do it while he’s lecturing, which means I might miss something he expounds upon that might turn up on the test, and then my grades-” “Would still be fine,” finished Spike.  “You’re a genius, Twilight.  If you can create a device that detects, tracks, and collects a completely unknown form of energy, I’m sure you can handle listening while taking notes.”  The panicky teen looked to say something but was cut off by the puppy, “Besides, isn’t this the teacher that once spent twenty minutes of class time showing off how he had coordinated his socks with the color of that day’s hand out.” The girl genius huffed, “I bet half the teachers do that on a regular basis just by wearing white socks, and they never mention it, but because his were lime green it required twenty minutes and we didn’t even get to discuss whether the Second  Defenestration should rightly be called the Third Defenestration because the one in 1483 wasn't considered a significant enough defenestration.  I mean, honestly, how many people have to be tossed out of a window for it to be considered ‘significant’?”  “The point is, I think you’ll be okay if you don’t devote all of your focus to your teacher.” “You’re right.  Thanks, Spike.  What would I do without you?” “Don’t worry, I’ve always got your back.  That’s what number one assistants are for right?”  Spike paused for a moment, “And I’m not the only one who’s there for you, Twilight.  You’ve got your mom, your dad, Shining.”  The teen nodded and smiled at the thought.  “This week alone, how many times has Cadence been there looking out for you?  Not to mention Sunset.”  Twilight tensed up again and her mouth lost its smile as it dissolved into a thin line. “I don’t want to talk about it, Spike,” the teen said, grabbing her books and hurriedly stuffing into her now vacant backpack. “I know you’re hurt, Twilight, but don’t you think this hurts her too.  You’re doing exactly what her friends at Canterlot High did to her.” “I don’t have time to talk about this now.  I have to get to class.” “Just give her a chance to explain,” Spike called as the girl rushed out of the lab in a huff. Spike was left staring at the closed door.   It had been a rough night for both of them and they had not arrived nearly early enough for Twilight’s comfort so hadn't been able to really talk to her about what had happened yesterday. And she rushed out so fast, she didn't even have time to fill up my kibble.  He gave his bowl a sad look and was quickly surprised to see that it was actually full.  And not just with his normal, hard food.  This was the soft stuff that came in gravy with vegetables floating in it.  The scent was heavenly as Spike practically floated over on the aroma alone, and the purple pup, promptly set to work devouring the whole bowl.  As good as it smelled though, something about it was a little bit off, not that it stopped him from quickly devouring the bowl.  When he was finished, he glanced around the room to figure out what he should do to occupy his time.  He made his way over to the desk and pulled out the notebook and pencil he had been using to craft his custom O&O villain, Postmania.  The name needed work, he’d admit, but a roller skate-wearing, mail carrier with an army of vacuums was going to make for a great final battle, especially since Spike found out about thunder spells and was going to arm his boss with all the biggest booms.   “Hmm,” Spike thought, “Maybe that’ll be too much for them at this level.”  Thinking it over he decided to pit Postmania up against a few monsters from the manual to see how tough he really was and what kind of challenge he would be.  Sticking his head into the drawer, he grasped one of the spare d20s in his teeth and pulled it out.  In doing so, the room began to swim.  The room spun and his paws slipped off the edge of the drawer and Spike fell hard on his side, causing the die to skitter across the floor towards the door...a door that was opening. “Twilight?” Spike called turning to move toward the door to greet her only to find something wrong.  He couldn’t seem to get up and was having trouble keeping his eyes focused.  Blinking blearily at the opening door, he saw a blurry figure that appeared to be the same shape as Twilight, but he could tell by the smell it wasn't her. This person was wrong and shouldn't be in here. It was a scent he knew, but his addled brain was having trouble making the connection as he struggled unsuccessfully to get to his feet. All he could do was growl at the approaching intruder as he fought to stay awake. “Hey there, pooch,” he heard a voice say as his eyes slipped shut, “Not so tough now, are you?”