Like most cities, Canterlot City had a wide variation of living conditions depending on where the money tended to flow. In the heart of the city, tall mansions and gated communities reined supreme. If one were to wander through these streets, they would see the massive estates of the Five Great Musician Families as well as the equally grand Rich estate. The farther out one went from this neighborhood, the less extravagant the surroundings became before eventually terminating into more seedy streets.
Trottington Street sat right in the middle of the spectrum, the homes an odd mix of practical condos and picket fences. Twilight walked the street sporting a black dress-shirt and navy blue business skirt. Her hair was tied back into a neat ponytail with a clip decorated with a small plastic magenta starburst set at its bace. Her brown dress-shoes clicked lightly with each step as she stared down at the GPS on her phone.
Petal kept pace with her at her left, muttering small curses under her breath as she grimaced at the ground with a small blush.
The Wraith was wearing a similar outfit as her friend, her shirt and skirt a dark green and blue respectively. Keeping her bangs out of the right side of her face was a hair clip sporting a blue wasp with lavender petals for wings, basically the only part of her new appearance she had any input in. Her glare sharpened slightly each time she saw her black dress-shoes as if they insulted her on some level.
"I can't believe you talked me into wearing this crap," Petal muttered bitterly.
"It can't be helped," Twilight frowned, still staring at her phone. "According to Sugar and Indigo, Lemon's sister is extremely protective of her. We wouldn't even make it past the front door if you dressed the way you normally do."
Petal grimaced at that.
Not long after the two of them got up, Lemon sent Twilight a text letting her know she had been discharged from the hospital. She also said that she wanted to talk to her about what happened the night before and to bring Petal if she could. Jumping onto the opportunity, Twilight agreed to the meeting, then sent a text to Indigo and Sugar to let them know about the rocker's status. It was through them that Twilight discovered the small hitch in their original plan of attack. A hitch that, while easily corrected, irritated Petal to no end.
"I look like a total dork in this," she grumbled.
Twilight looked up from her phone and leveled a raised brow at her friend.
"This is tame compared to what you wore a few days ago."
"That was for a joke!" Petal snapped.
"Just bear with it," Twilight sighed, going back to staring at her phone. "If everything works out, you can change into something more comfortable later."
"Rabia willing," Petal huffed, then somberly added, "I hope this works Sparky. I know I don't need to remind you what's at steak here."
Twilight nodded, trying not to think too much about how much of a gamble their plan really was. Instead, she let her mind wander to how the school was handling the aftermath of Lemon's, as Petal put it, Awakening. Naturally, the school was closed for the rest of and the whole of next week to allow the police to do a full investigation. Petal had reassured her that it was fairly unlikely that the police would be able to find anything. Judging by what Twilight told her, the most they would find was a blown up speaker and some black "slime" covering a broken door. On one hand, it gave her a chance to take a break from Chrystal Prep's suffocating atmosphere. On the other, it was a week and a half of time taken away from academic pursuits
That particular fact brought a small groan out of her.
"You hanging in there, bookworm," Petal asked, playfully punching her shoulder.
"Yeah," she sighed, rubbing her shoulder. "It's just...I'm not used to having a lot of free time and now, I'm going to have more than I know what to do with."
"Doesn't sound so bad to me," Petal shrugged. "Plenty of time to spend with your friends, right?"
"They're your friends too," Twilight smiled.
"Might not be after today," Petal sighed.
Twilight simply gave her a reassuring smile and put a hand on her brooding friend's shoulder. She let a similar smile grace her lips before she quickly looked away.
"This is so fucking weird. I'm the one that's supposed to give the pep-talks here."
"You're right," the teen chuckled, letting her hand fall to her side. "Maybe we should switch clothes. You can wear the clothes we bought for me and I could give punk a try."
"It takes more than clothes to make it work, Sparky," Petal smirked, adding a bit of a strut to her walk. "It's all about attitude."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Twilight frowned, crossing her arms. "You don't think I could pull it off?"
"Not really," Petal snorted. "You give way too many shits about what other people think and you shy away from a fight."
"Right," Twilight sighed, nervously rubbing her pendant.
A moment of silence settled between them for a few seconds, before Petal, sporting a small blush, looked away and sheepishly added, "But, that's not really a bad thing. Plus, you've got a good head on your shoulders and a real big heart. Goes real well with your "Nice Girl" look."
"Do you really mean that?" she asked, giving the girl a small smile.
"What to you think?" Petal huffed, crossing her arms and risking a small side-glance at her friend.
"Thanks," she beamed.
"You're welcome," she smirked, then playfully added, "Now, if we can get you a spine in the next few days, maybe you can work up the nerve to talk to that boy you've had your eye on for the last couple weeks."
"Who-where-WHAT?! Twilight squawked, blushing furiously.
"Just cuz I can't eat them doesn't mean I can't sense positive emotions," she chuckled, arms still crossed as she faced her friend.
"C-Can we talk about this later?" she mumbled, the shadow of her bangs hiding all, but her glowing blush as she sheepishly stared down at her phone.
"And that's why you should stick with your style," Petal triumphantly snickered.
"Jerk," Twilight huffed.
Petal was going to respond, but a familiar wave of energy stopped her dead in her tracks. All the mirth in her demeanor evaporated as her instincts screamed at her to run. Twilight asked her what was wrong, but it came to her as a muffled blurb of sound. She struggled to keep her breathing steady while she tried to focus on her form, only letting enough of her true nature slip by to change her eyes. If anyone had checked, the only change they would see was her teal eyes taking on a slightly darker shade, but to Petal, a far more drastic change had taken place. To her, the world had taken on a sudden monochrome shift, like an old black and white movie. Black mist drifted off of the people and homes in the area, ambient negative emotions that humans gave off in response to the trials and tribulations of life. Aside from making her a little peckish, this had little affect on the young Wraith.
What made her shiver and break into a nervous sweat was a one-story condo two houses down the street.
On the surface, it wasn't anymore interesting than its neighbors. Its stucco walls were a bright shade of white that made the perfectly manicured emerald lawn stand out like a sore thumb. The picket fence that cut it off from the sidewalk was such a bright shade of white that it looked as if it had been freshly painted less than an hour ago. A perfectly straight strip of cement, free of any signs of wear and tear, led from the home's front porch to the fence's gate. A stone birdbath stood on the left side of the path roughly ten feet away from a massive mulberry tree. An aged tire swing hung from its higher branches, swaying gently in a passing breeze.
In addition to all of this, Petal saw a yellow pulse of energy echo out of the home. It was in a slow, steady beat, like a person's heart at rest. It was also thin, not anywhere close to enough to hurt her, but more than enough to warn her of what dwelled within that building. Her mind briefly jumped to the moment that energy hadn't been so gentle. She shuddered at the memory before shifting fully back into her human form, the world regaining its color and sound.
"Petal?!" Twilight exclaimed, the sudden clarity of her cry making the Wraith jump.
"Huh? Wha?" she sputtered, turning to face her friend.
"What happened?" the teen pressed, worry heavy in her eyes. "You suddenly zoned out on me and started shivering!"
Petal gulped, then forced a roguish smile as she pointed at what chilled her.
"That's her place, isn't it?"
Twilight looked at the house in question, gave her phone a quick glance, then nodded.
"How did you know?" she asked, raising a brow.
Petal sighed, then forced herself to move forward.
"The place has a huge Aether Aura around it."
"Really?" Twilight blinked, doubling her pace to keep up with Petal. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary."
"That's cuz you're human," she chuckled. "You gotta be a Wraith or Gifted to see it."
"Oh...right," Twilight sighed.
The two girls walked in silence, one lost in thought while the other was to nervous to speak.
Until very recently, the world made complete sense to Twilight. If she needed to know something in more depth, all she had to do was run a few tests and collect the data. If it couldn't be proven with scientific fact and figure, then it was impossible fiction. Ever since she found Petal's crystal, she was finding herself questioning that simple fact more and more.
When did my life get so weird?
Her musings was cut short when Petal came to a sudden stop.
Twilight let out a small yelp at that, but a quick look to her right explained her friend's actions.
"We're here," Petal gulped, facing the house.
"Yeah," Twilight nodded, doing the same.
Petal stood on the sidewalk, her whole body trembling as memories of the last time she came into contact with Lemon's Aether. Of course, this was a far more gentle version compared to what hit her at Crystal Prep, but it still put her on edge. Just like last time, fear held her in place as she stared at the pulsing yellow aura. Her instincts told her to run, but a faint whisper of Lily's voice at the back of her mind told her to proceed. She knew she needed to do this, but she just couldn't get herself to push past her fear.
She was stuck.
She flinched when she felt a soft hand rest on her left shoulder. She stiffly turned her head and was met by a reassuring smile from her friend. Petal met it with a somewhat shaky version of her usual crooked smile, the faith she sensed from her helping her push a little past her fear. Enough, at least, to give her the strength she needed to force herself to take a step towards the house. Twilight let her hand fall, but stayed close to Petal's side.
With Twilight's support, and Lily's faint insistence, Petal found the strength to take another step. Slowly, her fear started to fade, not away completely, but enough to keep her from running for her life when they made it to the front door. By that point, Petal was doubled over and lightly panting, her stress and the unpleasant burn from the Aether in the air taking a heavy toll on her body.
"Fuck everything with an acid-covered pole," she muttered, barely managing to straighten her posture.
"Are you going to be okay?" Twilight asked, a hint of nerves entering her tone.
"Yeah," Petal sighed. "Just...Just give me a second."
Nodding, Twilight nervously waited for Petal to catch her breath. At the same time, Petal focused on the density of the Aether surrounding her. Little by little, the Wraith allowed enough of her natural form creep out to protect her from the aura without dropping her human form. When she finally found the happy medium she needed, all of her exhaustion fell out of her with a relieved sigh.
"Okay, I think I'm good now," Petal frowned.
"Good," Twilight said with a relieved sigh of her own. "Are you ready?"
"Nope," Petal sighed, then reluctantly knocked on the door. "So let's get this shit show over with already."
Fortunately for their nerves, they didn't have to wait very long for someone to answer the door.
When the door opened, an orange woman with short blond hair stood before them. She wore a spotless white blouse and blue slacks that put her best features on full display. Her posture was straight and confident, a fact that added to the cold, judgmental edge of her arctic blue eyes.
Petal felt small under this woman's gaze, like she was being weighed under a scale by some machine. The fact that she could barely sense any of her emotions put a little extra push behind that impression. Twilight didn't fare much better, the girl's posture turning stiff the second the woman shifted her cold gaze towards her.
"May I help you?" she asked.
"Y-Yes," Twilight stammered. "M-M-My n-n-name is Twilight Sparkle."
She then gestured towards Petal and added," And this is Petal Wasp."
The girl audibly gulped as she waved.
"W-We're Lemon's friends and were wondering...if it wasn't too much trouble....if w-w-we could talk to her for a little while."
The woman stared down at them for a long moment, her face a mask powerful enough to put Sugar Coat's to shame.
Eventually, the woman stepped back, said, "One moment please," and closed the door.
The second she did so, the two girls doubled over, the sudden drop in presser leaving them feeling as if they had just ran a marathon.
"Who the hell was that?" Petal gasped.
"I think that was Lemon's sister," Twilight shivered.
Before Petal could comment on that, the door started to open again. The two girls instantly straightened up when they fell under the woman's gaze. She crossed her arms as she let the door slowly swing all the way open and stepped to the side.
"Come along," she flatly stated.
Stiffly, the two girls stepped past her into the house.
Upon entering, they found themselves in a surprisingly spartan living room. Aside from some very expensive pieces of furniture and a few framed photos hanging on the white walls, there was very little to take note of. Classical music filled air from small speakers set into the room's ceiling corners. The lack of any other visible recreational technology and lab-level sterility left an eery impression on the two girls.
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought both girl's attention back towards the woman.
"You two may gawk at my home at a later date," she frowned. "Now come. My sister is waiting for you."
As she said that, she turned to her left and started walking towards a hall on the far end of the room.
Not eager to earn the woman's ire, the two girls traded nervous glances then quickly followed after her. The trip through the hall was short and silent, their guide's cold aura killing any desire to break it and risk drawing her attention. When they came to a door covered with rock posters and bumper stickers, neither Twilight or Petal reached for the knob.
The woman turned towards them, her presentation just as guarded as before as she stared down at them.
"Before I allow you to meet with my sister, I will be setting a few ground rules. You will follow them or this will be the last time either of you set foot in this house. Am I understood?"
"Y-Yes ma'am," they stammered.
"Good," she nodded. "First, while Lemon has been deemed well enough to leave the hospital, she is still very shaken by the incident. You will not do anything that will add to her stress or prevent her from resting. Understood?"
They nodded.
"Second," she continued. "Should anything happen, you will come to me immediately. My room is down the hall to the left."
She pointed to the door in question, forcing the girls to briefly shift their focus between her and it.
"Third," she continued, then let out a faint huff as she said, "Try to refrain from raiding my kitchen for snacks and drinks. The box of butterscotch brownies are strictly off limits unless my sister wishes to pay me an extra thirty dollars to replace them."
Both girls nodded at that, one of them a bit more relaxed having tasted the woman's irritation.
"Finally," she added, a faint smile gracing her lips. "Do not call me 'Ma'am'. I am far to young to be associated with such a word. My name is Harshwhinny and that is what you will use to address me."
"Yes Harshwhinny," they nodded, small nervous smiles gracing their lips.
"Good," she nodded, her mask sliding back into place with practiced ease. "Now, let's not keep Lemon waiting."
With that, she opened the door and gestured for them to enter the room with a nod. They each gave her a stiff "thank you" and all, but stumbled into the room. When the door softly clicked shut behind them, they took note of their new surroundings.
Rock posters covered the walls at odd angles and various bumper stickers decorated the sliding mirror closet doors. Laying in bed, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and an oversized black T-shirt was Lemon, the teen lazily scrolling through something on her phone. Faint bags hung under her eyes and her hair was a mess. She looked up at them with a tired smile as she set her phone down onto a work desk by her bed.
"Hey," Lemon chuckled.
"Hi," Twilight smiled, walking to her friend's bedside.
"Sup?" Petal shakily smiled, crossing her arms and staying close to the door.
Lemon noticed, a hint of pain entering her features before she forced it back with a smile. The shift didn't escape Twilight and the teen aimed an encouraging smile at the Wraith. A subtle shake of the head was the only response she got from her. Letting a concerned frown briefly take its place she shifted her attention back to Lemon.
"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked, nervously studying her friend.
"Totally wiped." Lemon groaned, closing her eyes as she spread herself fully across her bed. "Like I ran a marathon with bricks tied to my shoes."
Makes sense," Petal sighed.
Lemon raised a brow at that, the Wraith flinching the second their eyes met.
"Anything else?" Twilight asked, pulling Lemon's attention away from her already jittery friend.
"Nah," she chuckled. "Just give me a couple of days and I'll be good to go again."
"That's good," Twilight sighed.
"No kidding," Lemon sighed. "Can you believe someone put a bomb in my amp? I mean, who the hell does that?!"
"A bomb?" Twilight blinked.
"That's what they said it was on the news this morning," Lemon frowned, staring up at the ceiling. "Must've been a really fancy one too, since I didn't see it when I was setting everything up."
An awkward silence filled the room, both guests struggling to think of a way to break the news to their friend. Eventually, Lemon caught onto the mood, but before she could voice her worries, Petal cut her off by loudly clearing her throat.
"It...It wasn't a bomb." she forced out. "That...what recked the place....was you."
"Huh?" Lemon blinked, struggling to make sense of that.
"You're a Gifted," Petal continued, her nerves gradually rising by the second.
"I'm a what?" she reeled, suddenly sitting up.
"A Gifted," Twilight nodded. "According to Petal, they are humans with special abilities."
Lemon stared at her, eyes wide and jaw slack as she tried, failed, and retried several times in a row to process what she was being told.
"So.....what happened at the school was-"
"All you," Petal stated, trying to take a steadying breath. "Your power decided to wake up and I got caught in the crossfire."
"O-Oh," she balked. "Is that....why you're scared of me now?"
"Kind've," she weakly stated, eyes locked onto the ground in shame.
A gasp and the rustling of sheets was the only warning Petal got before she suddenly found herself in Lemon's arms. She tensed, the teen's loose Aether pricking at her like small static thorns. A small pulse of Miasma was all it took for her to dispel it and awkwardly return the gesture.
"I'm so, so, so sorry!" Lemon cried, taking a shaky step out of the hug and looking her friend over. "I didn't mean to do that! I didn't even know I could do that! Are you okay?!"
"Ye-Yeah," Petal nodded, forcing herself to stay put. "I'm gonna be okay."
"Are you sure?" Lemon pressed.
Petal nodded, managing to force her usual crooked smile onto her face.
"Good," Lemon sighed, then sported a knowing smile as she asked, "Is that because you're a Gifted too?"
"Yeah, no," Petal cringed, nervously scratching the back of her head.
"Huh?" Lemon blinked.
"I'm..."
Petal sent a pleading look at Twilight over Lemon's shoulder, silently asking her if there was any other way one last time. The lavender teen gave her an encouraging nod, a sign that this needed to be done. Left with no other options and already in too deep to back out, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and continued.
"I'm a Wraith."
Less than a second after the words left her mouth, she assumed her true form.
The yellow quickly faded from her skin as it returned to its normal light monochrome gray. Her hair turned as black as ink while her preppy clothes changed into an equally ebony dress with the sleeves seemingly ripped off at the shoulders. A casual pair of black dress shoes completed the look. When she opened her eyes, the whites had beeen replaced by darkness and her teal pupils were now golden with a faint glow.
The second their eyes met, both girls took a step back from each other. Fully exposed, Lemon's Aether Aura felt like a thousand red-hot branding irons were being pressed all across Petal's body while her Miasmic Aura was like a blast of stale arctic air to Lemon. A discomfort that quickly passed when the Wraith pulled in enough of her aura to hold back Lemon's. Both of them felt a strong urge to flee, but bit their lips as they forced down that instinct. The faint flicker of a yellow aura surrounding Lemon held the Wraith's attention while the human studied Petal's new form with cautious fascination. For a long moment they just stood there, facing each other in tense silence. Meanwhile, Twilight watched the exchange with baited breath, ready to jump in the second things looked bad.
Eventually, Lemon broke the silence.
"S-So, you're a ghost?" she gulped, sporting a shaky smile.
"Not...exactly," Petal nervously allowed.
"Wh-What do you mean?" she chuckled, starting to shake. "That's what Wraiths are, right?"
"I...I think you should take a seat," Petal sighed, nodding towards the bed. "We've got a lot of shit to cover and not a lot of time to cover it."
Lemon nodded, keeping her eyes locked onto Petal as she made her way back to her bed. When she sat herself next to Twilight, the lavender teen let out a small relieved sigh. With the first two major hurtles of their plan taken care of, it was now time to put their cards on the table and see if they had a winning hand. with that in mind, she let out one small mental prayer, then pulled out a small stack of notecards from her pocket.
Please, let this work.
***
In the beginning, Shining Armor's reasons for becoming a cop was simple; the world was a cruel place and he wanted to keep his family safe. When he met Cadence, that reason doubled with a fire that burned even brighter. When his daughter was born, nothing stopped him from earning the rank of Chief of Police. In addition, he kept himself in excellent shape, refusing to let himself be a lazy example for those below him. All of that, combined with his flexible, yet firm work policies earned the loyalty of everyone in his department. By the time he had reached his current rank, he was sure he had seen everything this city could possibly throw at him. That, apparently, couldn't be further from the truth.
Garbed in a finely pressed white dress shirt, black slacks, and gray boots, he leaned forward in his revolving ebon leather chair over his polished mahogany desk. HIs sky blue eyes narrowed as he stared down at a dozen sheets of paper and photos, the bags under them standing out starkly thanks to his white complexion. He let out a groan, reaching for a plane white mug of coffee, pushing a few stray strands of his medium-length two-toned blue hair out of his face with his free hand.
The photos showed the destroyed remains of one of Crystal Prep's many club rooms. There was also a few photos showing seven damaged cars that had been unfortunate enough to be parked near said room's windows. Much like the classroom, each car had their windows and windshields shattered, but were otherwise undamaged. Just like when he examined the scene himself, the photos made it look like some kind of bomb had been set off in the room, but there was no evidence that any explosives were used. Looking through the school's surveillance system didn't leave them with much to work with either. Whatever destroyed the room also broke all of the cameras in the halls and classrooms around it. The most they were able to gather was that two girls were having an argument in the room just a few seconds before the explosion.
Shining Armor glared down at the collected data as he took a long pull of lukewarm coffee.
"What the hell is going on at that school?" he frowned, setting his mug down. "I thought it was safe."
Letting out a sigh, he picked up one of the reports and read through it for the fifteenth time.
"At least no one was seriously hurt."
His eyes wondered towards two framed pictures sitting on the left corner of his desk. One showed a younger version of himself in his college graduation robes surrounded by his family and now wife. HIs mother and father, Twilight Velvet and NIght Light, stood behind him with a hand on each of his shoulders dressed in a white dress and gray tux respectively. His sister, Twilight Sparkle, hugged him tightly from his left, dressed in a bright pink dress with a wide smile. At his right stood Mi Amore Cadenza, hugging his arm and smiling brightly at the camera with her head resting on his shoulder. The love of his life was dressed in a flowing silver dress that further emphasized her model-worthy pink body. Her hair was styled into a long pink, yellow, and lavender braid that came down to the middle of her back.The second one was a photo of Cadence laying in a hospital bed, exhausted yet smiling lovingly down at a small bundle held in her arms.
The sight put his heart in a vice, images of his sister or wife getting caught in what had happened at the school briefly flashing before his eyes. He blinked the visions away, refusing to let them take further hold of him. It was evident that he was going to need to have his wife have a few words with Cinch soon. It was obvious that the security system he requested when he was an Elite hadn't been updated or maintained since his graduation.
Seeing little reason to put it off (what with the case hitting a wall) he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. After a few rings, his wife's angelic voice came through, the lively babbling of their one-year-old daughter in the background.
"Hi honey!" Cadence greeted, smile audible in her tone.
"Hey babe," he chuckled. "Do you have a minute?"
"Sure. What do you need?"
"When was the last time Cinch updated Crystal Prep's security systems?"
"About a month ago," she stated, her tone instantly turning serious.
"I figured," he sighed. "Do you think she'll agree to my proposals now?"
"She might be," she snorted. "I still think she'll argue against armed security, but will be more open to the idea of having metal detectors installed in each classroom door."
"It's a start, I guess," he grumbled. "I have no idea how you can work with her."
"She's not so bad," she shrugged. "Yes, she can be a bit strict at times, but she's a good person at heart."
"If you say so," he chuckled. "Just don't do anything that'll damage the school's reputation. I heard the last time someone did that, she sicked a demon on them."
"Yeah, yeah," she giggled. "I'll be careful. Hey, guess what? Gold and Onyx are going to be visiting in a few days."
"That's great," he said, perking up at the news. "I know Twily's going to flip when she hears that."
"Funny you should mention her," Cadence giggled, tone turning conspiratorial. "Looks like our little Ladybug is coming out of her shell."
"Oh?" Shining asked, raising a brow. "How so?"
A pause, then with a happy squee, Cadence cried, "Twilight's made some friends!"
Shining blinked, then chuckled at that.
"Well, it's about time."
"I know!" Cadence giggled. "Isn't this amazing?!"
"Yeah," he smiled, leaning back in his seat. "Are they from CP?"
"Three of them are," she hummed. "Velvet thinks she met the fourth one online."
"Really?" he frowned.
"I know that tone," Cadence frowned, then cheerily added, "Don't worry. Velvet already met her."
"I see," he sighed. "So, what are we talking about?"
"All girls, so you don't need to hover, dear," Cadence giggled. "According to Velvet, they were Sugar Coat, Indigo Zap, and Lemon Zest."
Shining flinched, the last name instantly jumping to the front of his memories.
Lemon Zest's one of her friends?
"How's Twily taking the news?"
"She was a little shaken up, but she's hanging in there. She sent me a message saying that she was going to visit her today."
"Making friends and going to other people's houses?" he smirked. "Okay, someone's drugged my coffee."
Cadence laughed at that, then happily added, "I think we have Petal Wasp to thank for that."
"Is that the friend Twilight made online?" he asked.
"Yep!" she chirped.
He hummed in thought about that for a few seconds, then said, "What's she like? I mean, if mom likes her, then she's gotta be something else."
"Actually, she said she reminded her of when she was a teenager," Cadence matter-of-factly stated.
Shining paused, blinked a few times, then neutrally said, "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
"Yes," his wife flatly stated.
"'Yes' what?" he asked.
"Just yes."
***
Three hours. That was how long it took Twilight and Petal to tell Lemon everything. Throughout the entire lecture, the normally upbeat girl wore a completely blank stare, adding to the growing dread in Petal's gut. She asked no questions, gave no signs that she was scared of the Wraith's true form, nor showed any compassion. She simply sat there, listened, and waited for them to tell her everything.
When they reached the end, a heavy silence filled the room, Twilight and Petal staring at their friend with their hearts beating in their throats. Lemon's yellow eyes slipped back and forth between her two guests, her face still an almost perfect replica of the mask her sister wore. At the same time, Petal could sense the fear bubbling inside of the girl along with a growing sense of curiosity and frustration. The Wraith flinched when Lemon let out a small sigh, then replaced her mask with a tired frown.
"So," Lemon started. "Petal's, like, some kind of emotion-eating spirit-thing and I've got super powers, right?"
They both nodded.
"And Petal's people and my people are trying to kill each other," she continued, crossing her arms.
"Yeah," Petal cringed, not liking where this conversation was headed.
Lemon nodded, staring down at the ground.
"So, does that mean we're supposed to hate each other?"
"Of course not!" Twilight cried, jumping to her feet.
"Yeah...it does," Petal sighed, tightly crossing her arms around herself.
"Petal!" Twilight gasped, aiming a pair of wide eyes at her friend.
"She's not wrong," she frowned, her lips trembling. "Under normal circumstances, we'd be trying to kill each other by now."
"But you're not-!"
"Do you want to?" Lemon somberly asked. "Kill me, I mean?"
A long pause followed that question, every second of it filling Twilight with dread. When Petal finally broke it, the teen nearly fell over with relief.
"Fuck no," she spat, staring at her tired friend with a hard glare.
Another pause, then, with a tired sigh and light smile, Lemon met her gaze and said, "Me nether."
All three girls broke into giggles, all of the tension finally falling out of the room. Petal was the most affected by the shift, the Wraith falling to her knees with a faint curse mixing with her laughter. Twilight's laugh turned into a panicked squawk when her notecards fell off of her lap onto the floor. Lemon and Petal laughed harder at that, doubling Twilight's frantic attempt to gather her notes out of reflex.
"Seems like you got whatever was bugging you under control too," Petal smirked.
"Sort've," she smiled. "I think its time I let everyone know what's been up with me."
"That's great!" Twilight cheered, reaching under the bed for a few stray cards. "We've all been really worried about you."
"Yeah," she awkwardly chuckled. "I'll tell everyone at the sleepover this weekend. No point telling the story twice and this isn't the kind of stuff I feel like putting into a text, you know?"
"Fare enough," Petal shrugged, plopping into Lemon's desk chair.
"But dudes," Lemon sighed, smiling ruefully. "This is, like, super heavy stuff. Does this mean there's some Wraith kingdom out there or something?"
"Not really," Petal shrugged. "We don't really have a civilization like humans do. We just establish hunting grounds and keep other Wraiths out of it if we can. We do have a pecking order though."
"Really?" Twilight blinked, having just finished picking up her cards and retaking her seat on the bed.
Petal nodded.
"From bottom to top, we've got New Borns, Archwraiths, Husks, Reapers, The Elite Guard, and then The Queen. Archwraiths are basically super strong and much older New Borns. Most of them have unique abilities or improved versions of normal Wraith abilities. Husks are as dumb as dogs, but are way stronger than any Archwraith. They also have the ability to adapt to anything that doesn't outright kill them, so watch it. Reapers control Husks and on top of being way stronger than them, are a bit smarter than a normal human. The Elite Guard are a bunch of Wraiths that managed to earn The Queen's favor and are the strongest of my kind you can find. They never leave The Queen's side unless she tells them to and if they find you, 'fucked' is the nicest way of putting your luck."
"And The Queen?" Twilight asked, shaky fascination entering her tone.
Petal took a breath, her tone turning hollow as she continued with her lecture.
"The Queen is the first Wraith. Her oldest children say she was born from the first dark emotions from the first life that entered this world. She is the closest thing to a goddess for us, a being we fear, love, and respect all in the same breath. Her knowledge is ancient, her power unlimited, and wrath apocalyptic. If anyone is unfortunate enough to earn her attention, well, let's just say Atlantis didn't sink on its own."
Both girls gaped at her, stunned into silence by the sheer scale of Petal's claims.
Twilight was the first to find her voice, gulping thickly as she asked, "Is she really that powerful?"
Petal nodded solemnly.
"Trust me Sparky. If Queen Rabia shows up somewhere, you better pray you're out of the fucking splash zone."
***
Sunny sat in darkness, the glow of her laptop the only break in the gloom. She leaned back in her seat, arms crossed as she frowned at the screen. She irritably picked at the lavender sleeves of her pajamas, the security footage displayed before her playing on a loop. Specifically, the portions of the video featuring a girl dressed like a punk.
"How did she get into the school," she huffed. "There is no footage of her entering the school. Unless Sparkle created some sort of portal, there is no way she should be able to get into the building."
Reaching out for the mouse, she dragged one particular video to the center of the screen. On it, she saw the Rock Club's door get blasted off of its hinges, the vague shape of the girl in question appearing on it just before the fead cut out. A few screens surrounding it showed a dark figure bolting down the halls and out the school's front gates. Specks of some kind of black substance covered the floor and door the figure shoved open. That, combined with their inhuman speed put the teen on edge.
What have you unleashed upon us Sparkle? she thought, saving the recordings. And what can I do to stop it?