//------------------------------// // A Certain Magical Sunset - Act 2 - 16 - Sunset - Something Wicked This Way Comes // Story: A Certain Magical Sunset // by Babroniedad //------------------------------// Sunset - Something Wicked This Way Comes Thursday, September 4, 6:30 AM Tokyo time.. The alarm rang, automatically dimming the windows as programmed. The bedroom lights came on, starting dim and working their way slowly towards fully lit. “That’s new,” groaned Twilight in realization, untangling herself from her BFF and sitting up. She looked at Sunset, still soundly asleep. “Well, that’s a switch. Usually she’s the one waking me up.” She bent over and kissed Sunset’s cheek. “Rise and shine, my little Sunshine!” she called out grinning. “Five more minutes mom,” Sunset groaned. Twilight laughed. “Nope! And who are you calling your momma?” Sunset opened her eyes, then blushed. “Sorry, Sparky! Was still half asleep!” She rubbed her eyes and sat up. “Yeah. Apparently!” snarked Twilight. “I’ll take a shower first. I’ll knock on Okubyōna’s door to get her started too.” “Thanks, Sparky. I’ll start on breakfast. Thinking it’s a french toast day,” Sunset agreed. Sunset shifted to the side of the bed and transferred into her chair as Twilight left for the shower. Sunset heard her knocking on Okubyōna’s door then briefly speaking with her in Japanese. Sunset rolled into the kitchen, pulling out the bowls, whisks, and ingredients to make the French Toast. Okubyōna stepped out of her room, still looking half asleep. “Ohayō!” Sunset called out to her. “Ohayō,” said Okubyōna sitting down at the table dazed. “Kōhī wa ikagadesu ka? (Would you like some coffee?)” asked Sunset. “Hai, onegaishimasu (yes please),” answered Okubyōna. Sunset paused her breakfast efforts and pulled down three coffee mugs. “Kōhī wa ikagadesu ka? (How do you like your coffee?)” she asked. “Kurīmu to satō de onegaishimasu (With cream and sugar please),” answered Okubyōna. Sunset selected the darkest blend available, filling the first cup. Reaching into the fridge, she pulled out the cream and sugar, placing them on the table by her with her cup of coffee. She then took three spoons, knives, and forks from the drawer, placing them by Okubyōna also. “Amaku shite kudasai! (Help yourself, sweetie!)” she smiled. Okubyōna smiled, spooning out two helpings of sugar into the coffee and pouring in a bit of cream, then stirring. “Dōmo arigatōgozaimasu!” Sunset smiled back, returning to preparing the French Toast. “Dōitashimashite!” Once the French toast was made, Sunset whipped up a quick side of scrambled eggs to go with it, then pulled down three plates, plating up the eggs and French toast. Twilight emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, joining them at the table, sitting next to Okubyōna. Sunset passed out the three plates. From the fridge she snagged the butter, then the syrup and spices from their spice cupboard, setting them on the table for them. She then fixed coffees for Twilight and herself and brought them to the table. Taking her place, she dumped cream and sugar into her coffee and poured syrup over her French Toast. Looking to her two friends, she bowed her head and took the girl's hands, leading them in harmonic grace. Only Twilight responded, while Okubyōna looked on. “Watashitachiha tabemono o kami ni kansha shimasu (We thank The Maker for our food),” smiled Sunset in reminder. “Ā, daijōbu!” smiled Okubyōna, digging into her breakfast. Once breakfast was finished, Twilight started cleaning up. Sunset turned to Okubyōna. “Anata wa saisho ni shawā o tsukau koto ga dekimasu (You can use the shower first),” she smiled. “Daijōbu,” replied Okubyōna. She returned to her room to gather her things then headed into the shower. Sunset helped Twilight clean while she waited for her turn. A few minutes later Okubyōna emerged from the bathroom dressed for school. “Arigatōgozaimashita!” Okubyōna called out as she sat back down at the table. Sunset returned to her room, gathered her outfit and bathroom bag, then headed into the bathroom to perform her morning ablutions. Emerging dressed for the day sometime later, she returned to her room and traded bags for her daypack, then joined the girls by the table. “Ready Freddy!” she called out with a grin. Twilight turned to Okubyōna. “Saisho ni anata o anata no gakkō ni tsurete iki, sorekara watashitachi wa watashi-tachi jishin no kurasu ni ikimasu. Hōkago wa o kigaru ni go raiten kudasai. Anata wa tsuneni kangei sa rete iru. (First, we’ll take you to your school, then we’ll head to our own classes. Please feel free to return here after school. You are always welcome.)” “Arigatōgozaimashita!” smiled Okubyōna. Together the girls headed out the door which, as always, closed and locked itself behind them, then entered the waiting elevator, where the lobby button was already lit. The doors shut when they entered and the girls rode down to the lobby. Okubyōna stared in wonder at all of this; her dorm was nothing like that. They bowed to the concierge in greeting. Twilight stopped to explain that Okubyōna was allowed in at any time as their guest, while Sunset and Okubyōna exited, waiting outside. Twilight joined them when finished. Sunset turned to Okubyōna. “Koko kara gakkōniiku hōhō o shitte imasu ka? (Do you know how to get to your school from here?)” she asked. “Hai,” replied Okubyōna. “Sate, anata ga rīdo shi, watashitachiha forō shimasu (Okay. Then you lead and we will follow),” smiled Sunset. Okubyōna led them through the crowd to the Nagatenjōki Academy, where the girls parted with hugs. Sunset and Twilight continued on to Tokiwadai Academy, where they showed their IDs at the gate to the student volunteer, then went to their homeroom, taking their usual desks in the back of the class. Attendance was taken. They studied until the bell for the first period rang. Sunset noticed the same class officer as before staring at her and Twilight as the bell rang. Not being one to let pass such an obvious challenge, she pulled Twilight into a passionate kiss, completely startling Twilight and getting the rest of the class howling and whistling. As they leaned back from their public display, Twilight noticed the class officer storming over, while Sunset burst into laughter. “Way to go, Sparky! Guess I know what we are doing this afternoon!” “You have both been warned! No public displays of affection! One hour each detention after school!” She scribbled out two notices, passing them to Sunset and Twilight. Staring straight into the class officer’s eyes, Sunset took Twilight's slip, wadded it up with her own, and tossed it into the classroom trash. “She shoots! She scores! And the crowd goes wild! Ahhhhh!” she waved her hands in the air as she laughed. The officer shot her a dirty look, then spun on her heels and left the room. “And she can be taught! Amazing!” snarked Sunset. Twilight was laughing along with half the class. “Sunny! Do you have to be the class clown?” asked Twilight with a grin. “Only when there’s an ass to ride. Then my inner rodeo clown is released,” Sunset shot back. Still laughing, the girls headed out for their internships at Academy Life Sciences. Settled into their assigned workspaces, they worked on data entry, transcribing written lab records into the central servers. Logging into their terminals, they entered the forms stacked up beside them. Being studious workers, they quickly raced through the stack of forms, sharing shortcuts as they figured them out. An hour and change later they had finished all their days' stack of data entry. Sunset turned to Twilight. “Lets check for any information on the projects Kaori was talking about, the one with Mikoto’s sisters. Can you hack into the server and access those records?” “Don’t know, just a second. I’ll launch a sample search and see what I get,” Twilight replied. Entering a sample query for information on Mikoto and level 6, she expected to get flagged, and had set up safeguards for it. Instead, the request went straight through, returning several pages of data. “Sweet Harmony! I wasn’t expecting that!” “What happened?” asked Sunset, leaning over Twilight’s screen. “Did you get anything?” “Yeah! That’s the thing. This data should be locked down! I expected the request to be denied and to get a warning. I had a secondary process set to run a traceback on the warning, leveraging that process for access. But it never triggered because I already have access,” commented Twilight in confusion, clearly puzzled. “Huh. Gift horse and all that. You think Kaori and her crew set that up for us?” asked Sunset. “Maybe? We’ll have to ask her next time we see her. If it’s not her crew, it could mean some else is watching us, or maybe over us. I don’t know how concerned to be about that, especially given the ruthless nature of the factions we’re dealing with,” mused Twilight, finger on her chin. “Hmm. Noted and agreed, Sparky. That said, see anything useful in these results?” Sunset continued. Twilight scanned the entries. “Yes. Most of these dates and descriptions line up with the whole ‘sisters’ project. I’m downloading those files to my terminal now.” “Won’t that trigger the system and flag us?” Sunset asked in concern. “Just the query alone should have triggered that flag. Someone wants us to see this. They’re already watching us so I see no point in hiding what we’re interested in,” Twilight replied. She downloaded the reports to her local drive, then adjusted her glasses, sparking a reflection from their lenses. “Okay. Looking at the other entries now, and downloading the reports for them as well.” She read the reports as they came in, waiting for the rest of the downloads. ”Wow. Okay, this is interesting. Here’s currently an active project. Pulling up its records now.”. Sunset rolled to Twilight’s desk to watch as Twilight reviewed the project. “This says that the project is ongoing,” Twilight reported. “And that they are targeting Mikoto directly. Hmm. To force her accession through her sisters’ shared mind? What the heck is that? “Flagging this,” Twilight decided. “I need to find out what's going on here. What shared mind? Do Accelerator and Toma know about this? Way too many unknowns here.” “I’ll have to download all those files as well,” commented Twilight. “How will we get a copy of the downloaded files? It’s not like these terminals have a USB port or printer or even internet access. They have a serious air gap here,” asked Sunset. “I have some ideas,” replied Twilight. She ran an archive compression command on the files, then moved the resulting archive file to its own directory, where she magically scanned the file structure and copied it over to the memory in the USB memory stick in her hand. As the magenta glow subsided, she placed the drive into a hidden hammerspace in her daypack. “Holy cow, Sparky! That was amazing! I think even Mikoto would be jealous,” observed Sunset. “Okay, we have the data. I’ll try decompressing it later on our system for us to review together,” Twilight noted. She cleaned out the downloaded and archive files, then ran a routine to zero out the user space on the terminal, removing any trace of their queries on the system. She wasn’t worried about any traces on the server itself due to the nature of their access. “I’m not even going to try to remove our access queries from the server logs,” Twilight informed. “I want whoever is watching over us to see what we did so I can gauge their reaction or lack of one. It will help narrow down who, or at least where, our unknown benefactor is,” clarified Twilight. “Smart, Sparky! I love your big brain!” grinned Sunset. Twilight laughed. “Please girl! I know you love more than that.” Sunset grinned, pulling her BFF into a hug. “Don’t you know it!” The girls reported to their supervisor they had completed their work. She was surprised, but on checking their input logs and spot-checking their work, she found it completed and correct, so she dismissed them for the day. Thanking her, the girls departed the Academy Life Sciences, then headed over to the Judgment Area 3 office. “Shouldn’t we be heading back to the Academy for our detentions?” asked Twilight. “Phfft! As if! I heard we have some serious Judgment business to take care of, so detention will just have to wait,” grinned Sunset. “What? Really? Okaaaaay…. What business is that?” asked Twilight. “Don’t know. Guess we’ll have to find some when we get there,” laughed Sunset. “Faust’s breath, but you are incorrigible!” laughed Twilight. “Okay, I’d follow you into hell itself. Lead on!” Twilight grinned. At the Judgment office, the girls greeted a surprised Mii. “Hi Mii! Need a hand? We have a free afternoon,” Sunset grinned. Twilight laughed. “What she’s really saying is help! We’re trying to ditch detention and desperately hope you have something we could work on that we could use as an excuse.” Mii burst into laughter, holding her sides. “The more I know you two, the more I like you! Yeah, I can totally keep you busy, no problem!” They were both given stacks of files to enter and terminals to work on. Signing on, they both made short work of the files. They reported back to Mii. “Wow, that was fast! Let’s see. Want to take a patrol? We’re a bit short today with your teammates gone, so if you don’t mind the work, we could use you on patrol,” commented Mii. “Sure!” Sunset agreed. “We’d be on patrol together, right?” clarified Twilight. “I’d really rather not be split up.” Mii laughed. “Totally together. You’d be a patrol team. Normally, beginners are paired with more experienced Judgment officers, but it’s you two so I know you’ll be fine. And I’ll check in with you from time to time, just let me know if you need anything.” Putting on their sashes they left the office, heading out with Mii to their assigned patrol. Once there, Mii briefed on the area to cover, then waved and returned to the office. They continued their patrol without any incidents until they came across the student officer who gave them their detentions. She was sitting in an outdoor cafe enjoying her coffee and muffin. Looking over and seeing the girls walking by, she shot up from her table and stormed over to them. “What are you two doing here out of detention!” She raged at them, as she whipped out her phone, called Judgment. “I’d like to report two delinquents who have ditched their disciplinary actions. Send someone over right now to take them into custody!” “We have a pair of officers nearby. We’ll dispatch them immediately,” the operator informed her. Both Sunset’s and Twilight’s phones went off. They both answered at the same time. “Judgment officer reporting for assignment!” they both answered in unison. Nodding together, they both replied “On it!” and hung up. Sunset turned to the school officer. “We’re from Judgment. How can we help you?” Twilight smirked. “You’re kidding me, right? This is some kind of joke!” raged the class officer. “No joke,” grinned Twilight. “They were short-staffed, so were called in to cover the shift. Guess we’ll just have to serve tomorrow, too busy today. So sorry!” Sunset grinned. She took Twilight’s hand, swinging it slowly forward and backward, while turning her foot in bashfully and smiling. “Right sweetie?” she asked Twilight. “Exactly snuggums!” grinned Twilight. “Fine! I’ll see you two in detention tomorrow!” she bellowed, storming off. “Anytime sweetheart!” called out Sunset after her. The officer quickened her pace, as both girls erupted into gales of laughter. Mii came up and grabbed them both into a hug. “I love you two so much! That was priceless! I saw the whole thing, you’ve totally made my day!” Sunset and Twilight hugged her back. “And you mine! We could never have done that if you hadn’t set this up, you’re awesome!” snarked Sunset. Mii grinned. “Thank you!” The rest of their shift was much tamer. One purse snatched, that lasted all of five seconds when the perpetrator ran past Twilight. She swept his legs out from under him. He was on the ground with his arms twisted behind his back before he even knew what hit him. Sunset stared agape at her BFF. “Damn, Sparky!” Sunset marveled. “What? I’ve been practicing, don’t look so surprised,” Twilight groused, binding his wrists with a tie wrap. Turning to the young man, she added, “And by the way, I’m with Judgment and you’re under arrest for theft. Please remain still until a team arrives for your incarceration.” She got up, lifting the young man up, then pulling him over to stand by Sunset. He started to lean away, hoping to make a sudden escape. Sunset put one hand on his arm. “Don’t even think about it.” Her voice was so dead serious, even Twilight felt chills. The young man froze, standing perfectly still, eyes forward in fright. “Much better,” Sunset added sweetly. “Trust me, friend. You do not want to tick us off.” He shook his head quickly, then went back to standing perfectly still. Twilight called in the arrest to Mii. “Awesome collar. girls!” Mii congratulated. “The wagon is on its way for pickup. They’ll be there in a few minutes.” As promised, a few minutes later they heard the siren. The Judgment armored van pulled to the curb. Mii and two Judgment officers stepped out and escorted the young man into the back of the van. The two officers then got in and drove him off, while Mii remained with them. “You’ll need to write up a report on it at the end of your shift, so remember to leave time for that. It’s your first one, so I’ll help step you through it,” smiled Mii. Turning to Twilight, she lightly punched her arm. “That was an awesome takedown!” “You saw it? Thank you!” Twilight beamed. “See Sunset? Someone appreciates my work.” She grinned at Sunset. Sunset laughed. “Ah, Sparky! How could I ever not appreciate you? You’re the rock that anchors my world!” “That’s adorable!” Mii laughed. Hugging Twilight, Sunset grinned. “Isn’t she though?” Their shift complete, the girls returned to the office to do their write-ups. As promised, Mii walked them through the process, helping them complete and file the correct forms. Finished with their shift, Twilight and Sunset returned to their apartment. They bowed in greeting to the concierge, then rolled into the waiting elevator, which went straight up to their floor. Twilight keyed in her code, opening the door for them. Sunset rolled into the kitchen and looked in the fridge. “You know, I’m just not feeling like leftovers today,” Sunset called to Twilight over her shoulder. “Want to order some pizza?” “Works for me, Sunny. We should get some dinner for Okubyōna too,” replied Twilight, taking a seat at the dining room table. Twilight’s phone buzzed. She answered, “Hello! Ms. Shimmer’s personal assistant here. How can I help you?” “Again, Sparky?” Sunset laughed. The concierge chuckled lightly over the phone. “Still as droll as ever, Ms. Sparkle,” she deadpanned. “However, I called to inform you and Ms. Shimmer that your guest has arrived and is on her way up.” “Thank you! I’ll alert my mistress,” laughed Twilight, hanging up. Sunset pulled her into a hug. “You’re incorrigible!” Sunset said, giving her a playful smack on the backside and getting an “Eep!” as Twilight escaped. Sunset headed for the door. She opened it as Okubyōna got out of the elevator smiling. Sunset gave Okubyōna a hug and pulled her inside. “Kon'nichiwa, Okubyōna! Kasei no yoru no yō ni, kon'ya wa betsu no koto o tameshite mimasen ka? (Hi, Okubyōna! Do you want to try something different tonight, like an evening on Mars?)” Sunset asked. Okubyōna's jaw dropped. “I’ll take that as a yes!” grinned Sunset. Twilight laughed. “Nice change of plans, Sunny. When were we going to discuss it?” she teased. “Ah come on Sparky. Mars! And Okubyōna hasn’t gone yet. Let’s show her the sites!” pleaded Sunset. Okubyōna grinned, nodding happily. “Fiiiine, you brat!” Twilight agreed. She smiled at Okubyōna. “Anata wa hontōni sore o suki ni narudeshou. Totemo tanoshīdesu. (You’ll really like it. It is a lot of fun.)” She turned back to Sunset. “Okay, guess I’ll call in the pizza order for the three of us, then meet you there when it gets here.” She took out her phone to place the order. Sunset rolled over and gave Twilight a hug. “Thanks Sparky! Meet you there!” She grabbed hold of Okubyōna, and they disappeared in a flash of teal. They appeared in the bunker control room. Letting go of Okubyōna, Sunset rolled down from the TACIT unit then spun her chair around, facing the startled Okubyōna. “Okubyōna, kasei e yōkoso! (Okubyōna, welcome to Mars!),” welcomed Sunset. Okubyōna looked around in wonder. “Kono basho wa nanidesu ka? (What is this place?),” she asked. Sunset grinned. “Kono basho wa watashitachi no kasei no bankādesu! Soshite, anata wa mada sairyō no bubun o mite imasen! (This is our Martian bunker! And you haven’t even seen the best parts yet!)” Sunset rolled out of the control room and into the central room, Okubyōna trailing behind her. On the two large LCD displays in the conference area, the feeds from the selfie bot were displayed, showing the dry red riverbed as the drone flew over taking readings. Okubyōna stared in wide-eyed wonder at the screen. “Uwa ̄ ! (Woah!)“ was all she could say. Sunset smiled. “Twilight-sei no dorōndesu. Dorōn wa sū-kiro hanareta kawadoko o tansaku shite imasu. Sore o mi ni ikimasen ka, Okubyōna? (That’s a drone that Twilight made. It’s exploring a dry riverbed several kilometers away. Do you want to go see that, Okubyōna?)” she asked. “Hai! (Yes!)” agreed Okubyōna happily. Sunset smiled. “Sorenara watashi wa anata o soko ni tsurete ikimasu! (Then I will take you there!)“ she stated. She took out her phone and sent a text to Twilight letting her know what they were doing. She then rolled over to the conference room laptop, opened a window on the laptop display, and typed a few commands. The drone moved to the side of the riverbed, several meters away, and about a meter from the ground. “That should do it,” grinned Sunset, rolling back over to her guest. “Okay. Junbi o shimashou. (Okay. Let’s get ready to go.)” As Okubyōna staired, she transformed into her angelic form, wings at her sides flapping gently. Okubyōna dropped to her knees in shock. “Anata wa arushuno seishindesu ka? (Are you some kind of spirit?)” she asked in a weak voice. Sunset rolled over and took her hand, helping her back to her feet. “Okubyōna, watashi wa sōde wa arimasen. Watashi wa taipu Level 6 no Esperdesu. (No Okubyōna. I am a Level 6 Esper).” Okubyōna continued to stare in wonder. Sunset smiled. “Kasei o mi ni iku junbi wa dekite imasu ka? (Ready to go see Mars?)” she asked, taking both her hands. “Hai! (Yes!)” nodded Okubyōna happily. Sunset pulled Okubyōna into a tight hug, raising a protective shield around them. They both disappeared in a flash of Teal. And appeared on the shore of the dry riverbed next to the drone, still hovering just outside of Sunset’s shield. Okubyōna looked around in wonder. She started to let go of Sunset’s hand, but Sunset held on tightly, calling Okubyōna back. “Okubyōna, anata wa watashi ga tōei shite iru fīrudo ni tomaranakereba narimasen! Kono fīrudo no soto ni deru to, anata wa shinudeshou. Koko ni wa kūki ga naku, takusan no hōshasen ga arimasu. Watashi no soba ni ite kudasai! (Okubyōna, you must stay within the field I am projecting! If you go outside this field, you will die. There is no air here, and there is much radiation. Please stay beside me!)” Sunset scolded. Still holding on tightly to her young friend, Sunset hung her head. ‘Some friend I am, I almost lost my pupil at the start of her first field trip. I should have warned her before I took her outside,’ she grumbled to herself. Looking back up and smiling, she explained. “Watashi no kurumaisu wa koko de umaku korogaranainode, watashitachi wa amari ugokimawaru koto ga dekimasen. Sono koto ni tsuite ayamarimasu. Shikashi, Twilight o matsu ma, watashitachi wa mada koko ni suwatte utsukushī keshiki o tanoshimu koto ga dekimasu. (We can’t really move around much because my wheelchair does not roll well here. I am sorry about that. But we can still sit here and enjoy the beautiful scenery while we wait for Twilight.)” Sunset explained. Okubyōna looked down sadly. “Shikashi, anata wa kyōryokudesu! Jibun no chikara o tsukatte handikyappu o owanai yō ni dekimasen ka? Sonogo, issho ni tansaku suru koto ga dekimasu! (But, you are powerful! Can’t you use your power to not be handicaped? Then we could explore together!)” she stated plantitavely. Sunset frowned. ‘This again. It always comes back to this,’ she thought in frustration. She looked up at Okubyōna. “Okubyona, anata wa kojin-tekina genjitsu ni tsuite oshie raremashita yo ne? (Okubyōna, you were taught about personal reality, correct?)” Okubyōna nodded. Sunset continued. “Anata wa watashitachi no esupā no chikara ga watashitachi jishin no kojin-tekina genjitsu kara dono yō ni umareru ka, soshite watashitachi no mawari no genjitsu o watashitachi no kojin-tekina genjitsu to itchi sa seru hōhō ni tsuite shitte imasu. (You know about how our Esper powers come from our own personal reality, and making the reality around us conform with our personal reality.)” Okubyōna again nodded. Sunset smiled, and finished, waving her hand over herself. “Okubyōna, kore ga watashi no genjitsudesu. (Okubyōna, this is my reality.) “Sore ga watashi. (This is who I am.) “Watashi wa kaminoshimobedesu. (I am the servant of the Maker.) “Watashi wa kanojo no ishi de ikite imasu. (I live in her will.) “Watashi wa kanojo no genjitsu ni sunde imasu. (I live in her reality.) “Kanojo no genjitsu wa watashi no kojin-tekina genjitsudesu. (Her reality is my personal reality.) “Kanojo wa watashi ga watashi to onaji yō ni naru koto o yurushite kuremashita. (She allowed me to be as I am.) “Watashi wa watashi ga daredearu ka o ukeire, ukeiremasu. (I embrace and accept who I am.) “Watashi ga sore o torinozokou to suru to, watashi wa mohaya watashide wa arimasen. (If I try to take it away I am no longer me.) “Watashi no kojin-tekina genjitsu wa watashi no monode wa arimasen. (My personal reality would not belong to me.) “Dakara watashi wa jibun no chikara o ushinaudeshou. (So I would lose my power.) “Watashi wa jibunde wa arimasen. (I would not be myself.) “Watashi wa mō jibunde wa arimasen. (I would no longer be myself.) “Watashi no chikara wa watashi ga daredearu ka kara kite imasu. (My power comes from who I am.) “Dakara watashi wa watashi ga daredearu ka o kaemasen. (So I will not change who I am.) “Watashi wa jibun ga daredearu ka o erabimashita. (I chose to be who I am.) “Watashi wa watashi ga daredearu ka o ukeiremasu. (I embrace who I am.) “Wakarimasu ka? (Do you understand?)” Okubyōna nodded sadly, still holding Sunset’s hand. Switching hands, she sat down beside Sunset on the riverbank, holding her hand as they looked out over the sands. Then she smiled. “Kore wa ima demo daremoga kore made ni itta naka de mottomo kūruna kotodesu. (This is still by far the coolest thing anyone has ever done).” she grinned. Sunset gave her hand a squeeze and smiled. “E e, watashi mo sō omoimasu! (Yeah, I kind of think so too!)” she agreed. After a while, Sunset grinned. “Sono Ue, NASA wa karera ga watashi ni Kijō robotto o ataeru tsumoridearu to iimashita! Watashitachi ga sore o teniireta-ra, anata wa watashitoisshoni sore o noru koto ga dekimasu. (Besides, NASA said they are going to give me a Kijō robot! You can ride it with me when we get it.)” “Hai. (Yes),” agreed Okubyōna, smiling. They sat there together, hand in hand, watching the Martian sunset over the riverbed as they waited for Twilight. While both girls were still admiring the Martian sunset together, there was a flash next to the drone and Twilight appeared, also transformed into her angelic form. “Nē on'nanoko, anata wa watashi ga koishīdesu ka? (Hey girls, did you miss me?)” She teased, coming over to sit next to Okubyōna on the riverbank and taking her other hand, smiling. “Kanari kakkoīdesu yo ne? (Pretty cool, right?)” Okubyōna nodded, and looked over to her. She asked. “Sorede anata mo level 6 esperdesu ka? (So you are a level 6 esper too?)” “Un, Sunset to watashi wa ryōhō-tomodesu! (Yup, Sunset and I both are!)” Agreed Twilight. She smiled. “Dakara, dare ga yūshoku no junbi ga dekite imasu ka! Motte kitanode, mada atsui uchi ni tabemashou. (So, who is ready for dinner! I brought it over, and we should eat it while it is still hot.)” “Count me in!” laughed Sunset while Okubyōna nodded. There was a magenta flash as the three of them disappeared. A moment later, the drone lifted back off, resuming its studies of the ancient riverbed. They appeared back in the conference room, sitting on the floor by the displays still holding Okubyōna’s hands. Twilight laughed. “First time I’ve ever teleported sitting down,” she grinned. Sunset fake scowled. “Abilst heathen! It’s the only way I can teleport! How insensitive!” she teased. “That is so untrue! You could teleport from a free fall. Want to try it?” snarked her BFF. “Sounds dangerous! Maybe later,” Sunset teased. “Hmm. With or without the chair?” she mused. Twilight smacked her in the arm. “Dork! I was just kidding! Don’t you dare!” she grinned. “But it’s perfectly safe as long as you’re with me!” smirked Sunset, pulling her closer. “Nope! Time for dinner. No skydiving until dinner is done,” Twilight laughed, pulling away. Okubyōna looked on in confused amusement. Having made her escape, Twilight led Okubyōna to the bathroom. “Sā, min'na! Te o arai, yūshoku o tabemashou! (Come on, everyone! Let’s wash up then eat dinner!)” She called back as she entered the bathroom to wash her hands. Okubyōna and Sunset followed, with Okubyōna giggling at their silliness. Washed up, they dropped their angelic forms and found a place at the table to eat. “Grace?” asked Sunset. “Grace,” Twilight agreed, taking Okubyōna and Sunset’s hand. They bowed their heads and shared harmonic grace. When they were finished they dug into their pizza. “Wow, this is really good!” “It is, isn’t it!” agreed Sunset, reaching for a second slice. Twilight, finished with her first slice, took a second also. Okubyōna was still working on her first slice, enjoying the company. “Sore de, Okubyōna, anata wa subete no odoroki o kanari umaku ukemashita. Anata wa watashitachi no tenshi no hen'yō ni bikkuri shimasendeshita. Matawa kasei ni iru toki. Anata wa watashitachi no ta no tomodachi yori mo umaku yatta. (So Okubyōna, you took all the surprises pretty well. You didn’t freak out at our ascended forms. Or at being on Mars. You did better than some of our other friends did),” observed Sunset between bites. Okubyōna laughed. Sunset grinned. “Nani ga son'nani omoshiroi no? (What is so funny?)” she asked. Okubyōna grinned. “Okotte wa ikemasen. Demo tokidoki anata no nihongo wa totemo hidoinode watashi wa warawanakereba narimasen. Anata ga mada sore o benkyō shite iru koto o ureshiku omoimasu. (Please don’t be angry. But sometimes your Japanese is so awful I have to laugh. I am glad you are still studying it.” Sunset rolled her eyes. She turned to Twilight. “What did I say?” she asked. “You basically said our angels transformed, and it came across as pretty funny,” snarked Twilight, finished with her slice. She took three cups from the table and poured sodas for Okubyōna, Sunset and herself, then passed them out. “Gee thanks, Sparky,” Sunset snarked. Twilight smiled. “Anytime, sweetie.” They each had several slices, but eventually they were all full. While Twilight got up and put the leftovers away in the fridge, Sunset turned to Okubyōna. “Okubyōna, koko ni wafū furo ga arimasu. Towairaito to watashitoisshoni o furo ni haitte mitaidesu ka? (Okubyōna, we have a Japanese style bath here. Feel like joining Twilight and me in taking a bath?)” Okubyōna blushed furiously. “Anata to anata no gārufurendo wa watashi ga anata to issho ni nyūyoku suru koto o nozonde imasu ka? (You and your girlfriend want me to bathe with you?)” She turned beet red, looking away giggling. Across the room, Twilight nearly fell over with laughter. “Smooth, Sunny! Smooth! Putting the moves on our friends now?” she teased when she got her breath back. “Wait, what? No! Not even! What are you talking about?” Sunset asked, becoming acutely embarrassed. Catching her breath, Twilight grinned. “You just asked our young friend to take a bath with you and your girlfriend. I kind of think she took it the wrong way,” she explained. “What?! No. Why does everyone think we’re a couple? We’re sisters from another mister!” Sunset groaned and hid her face, laughing. “Ugh! I walk into that every time!” “They think we’re a couple because basically we are. We do everything together, every day. Heck, even I have to admit that sounds romantic!” laughed Twilight. “Not helping, Sparky!” groaned Sunset. She turned to Okubyōna, pulling her into a hug, making her flinch, giggle, and look even more embarrassed. “Ugh, what have I done… Okay.” She smiled at Okubyōna who was still beet red and giggling. “Okubyōna, gomen'nasai. Hazukashī omoi o sa seru tsumori wa arimasendeshita. (Okubyōna, I am sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel embarrassed.) “Yūshoku-go, o furo ni tsukatte rirakkusu shitakattanode, anata to towairaito ni issho ni kite moraitai to omoimashita. (I just wanted to soak in the hot bath after dinner to relax, and wanted you and Twilight to join me.) “Daremoga mizugi o kiru koto ga dekiru node, hazukashī omoi o shi tari, gikochinaku kanji tari suru hitsuyō wa arimasen. Daijōbudesuka? (We can all wear bathing suits, so no one has to be embarrassed or feel awkward. Is that alright with you?)” Sunset asked. “Hai!“ agreed Okubyōna, blushing and hugging Sunset. Sunset hugged her back. Sunset turned to Twilight. “Help me out here, you dork!” she laughed. “You said you could craft a suit for her. Can you help her now while I go hide in shame in the bedroom?” she teased. “You going to put your suit on and join us?” grinned Twilight. “Yup. I’ll bring yours with me, and you can change in the bathroom,” agreed Sunset. “Why don’t you just bring yours too, and we can all change together,” teased Twilight. “I think we have tormented our poor dear friend too much already,” grinned Sunset. “If we all started changing in front of her and handed her her suit to change as well I think she would explode from embarrassment. Especially if I was there after saying all that.” She facepalmed again. “Ugh! It was so much simpler as a unicorn in Equestria.” “Yeah, but you would miss me too much,” teased Twilight, heading to the bathroom with Okubyōna, still giggling as she looked back at Sunset. “Hurry up lover! We’re waiting!” she called back over her shoulder. “I will smite!” called out Sunset, laughing as she rolled into their bedroom to change. After the giggling subsided, they shared stories, sitting in the spa and enjoying the warm water and each other's company. Sunset got more practice with her Japanese, making a few more faux paus to the delight of Twilight and Okubyōna. Never one to let her wounded pride keep her from learning, she laughed with them and soldiered on. They risked turning into complete prunes, talking and soaking for over an hour, but as the next day was a school day, they all needed to get home and get some rest. Admonishing Okubyōna to please keep their secret, the girls returned to their apartment and said their goodbyes. As she left, Okubyōna told them that she had plans for the weekend and would be out of town. They thanked her for being their friend, reminding her she was always welcome to come by or even return to stay if she wished. She thanked them, then left for her dorm. “Guess it’s just us again,” laughed Sunset. “Come on Sparky, let's get some rest.” She rolled into the room and prepared for bed. “Right behind you, Sunny!” Twilight answered, walking into the room behind her. She prepared for bed then slipped in and snuggled up to her friend. Together they fell asleep as the city sparkled before them. The driest desert of our soul grows the deepest intimacies with our Maker - The Celestial Teachings A dark mass shifted through the space between realms, drifting closer to the realm of men. It could feel the presence of the hated goddess and was drawn towards her, evil desires and thoughts consuming it.