//------------------------------// // Arc XII Episode V: Dreams Come True // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// The next morning…at Sunset’s home… She was rudely awakened by the vibrations of the book she used to communicate with Princess Twilight. BZZZ! “Bwah! Oof!” she rolled off her bed and onto the floor without realizing, and opened the book. “Dammit…I really need to adjust the settings on this thing. Now let’s see…” On the inside, it read: “Oh! Sunset. I think I know what your problem is. You’re dealing with an entity known as a Koshmarn. A beast known to bring nightmares to all those it comes in contact with. It’s somewhat similar to the Tantabus that Luna used on herself and it can take the form of…anything, really. Starswirl must’ve banished it to your world under the impression that it wouldn’t cause anymore trouble without its magic. What you need to do is find and exterminate it as quickly as possible.” Sunset looked at the words on the page and grumbled to herself. “Well that’s just great. Another monster that the old man unexpectedly dumped on us all. I swear, if he drops off one more thing here…” She began to write back. “Alright. Got it. If it’s anything like what the Blueblood of our world did, then I suspect someone might be able to take control of that thing. We’ll see what we can do…” “The last thing I want is another crazy, power-obsessed lunatic trying to control power beyond their understanding trying to ruin everything…” Sunset looked in the mirror, and promptly placed her palm over her face. The scathing words she said moments prior had caused herself to chuckle as a result. “Ha…ah, I crack myself up sometimes…” Meanwhile… Aria had hurried back towards Sour Sweet’s home…only to realize that she girl in question wasn’t present. “What the--did she--?!” “Don’t even bother,” Sugarcoat appeared from behind a nearby tree, “She’s already on her way to school. Thankfully, from what I can tell, she hasn’t done anything to her aunt…yet.” “Ugh, I don’t get it,” the siren girl grumbled, “What’s she planning?” “No idea, but don’t let it get to you,” Sugar recommended, “She’s my friend and you have to head to your school before you’re late. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her and make sure she doesn’t do anything crazy.” As much as Aria hated being told what to do, she accepted Sugarcoat’s words with a reluctant eye roll. “Fine…you have a point. You clearly know more about her than I do. Just…please make sure she doesn’t try to hurt anybody with it. That power is nothing to screw with.” But as always, Sugarcoat’s facial expression remained neutral as she adjusted her glasses. “Like I said, you won’t have to worry. That dream left behind more than just bad memories…” And as she began to walk off, Sugarcoat’s body began to emit a soft, purple hue… To which Aria reacted with a blank stare. “What the…does that mean that the dream we were in…no. No way. Dammit. There’s no time to mess about. I have to let my sisters know.” Unfortunately, Aria was not privy to all of the information that Sugarcoat knew. The blue girl rushed after her friend to Crystal Prep in order to catch up with her. “I can’t let the bullies at school talk to her. She’s going to make everything worse…” At Canterlot High… Aria showed up, huffing and completely out of breath from running. “Whew…barely made it.” Nearby, at the front of the campus, her sisters were waiting for her with worried frowns on their faces. “There you are!” Adagio called out as she approached her younger sister, “You disappeared on us like a wild banshee and we had no idea where you were.” “We were like, super worried!” Sonata squealed. Adagio nodded in agreement and asked, “...Is everything okay? Does it have to do with Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet?” “Yeah…something like that,” Aria replied while rubbing her neck, “See what happened was…” After a quick summary of the events she had witnessed in Sour’s dream… “...Ouch,” Sonata winced from the painful retelling of such a story, “I can’t imagine what life at home behind closed doors must be like. Are you sure she’s even okay with you telling us this?” Aria had considered keeping things confidential, but the worried frown on her face said it all. “I know…it’s a very personal matter, but this is linked to everything we’ve seen thus far in other students. It can’t be a coincidence that this is happening specifically to students around both schools. It’s targeted. I’m sure of it.” Adagio put a hand on her shoulder. “Alright. Here’s what we’re going to do, girls,” she beckoned Sonata over, to which the blue siren joined in, making it a full sports huddle. “Throughout the day, ask around. See what you can find in regards to anyone else suffering through bad dreams or nightmares. Then, after school, we’ll bring whatever we find to Shimmer.” “Oh, I get it!” Sonata spoke up with an excited grin on her face, “Since we’re from Equestria like her, we’re the perfect ones to figure out how to counter such a thing.” “Exactly, Sonata. You’re much quicker on the uptake lately, I see,” Adagio complimented her with a playful boop of her to her sister’s nose with her index finger. “I’ll also ask Mr. Aidon, and maybe Keiji. They’ll probably know something too…” RIIIIIIING! At the sound of the bell, Aria was the first to break the huddle. “Okay, we better get going. Class is starting soon and we’ll only have a limited amount of time, guys.” Her sisters began to follow her without hesitation--Sonata with a skip in her step, and Adagio with a normal gait. Meanwhile, inside within one of the hallways… Keiji was busy grabbing some items from his locker when a familiar voice spoke out to him an oddly friendly tone. “Whazzup my vampire brutha?” “...?” The boy scratched the inside of his ear with his pinky finger out of disbelief. “Was that…?” Yup. He wasn’t dreaming. Diamond Tiara approached him, and even nudged him with her elbow to get his attention. “Like, hey, I’m talkin’ to you.” He turned his head to look at her directly. All he had to say was, “...Huh.”