"Hm..." Sunset hummed as she squinted her eyes in concentration. "This does feel similar."
"So there's still magic in them?" Fluttershy asked.
"It looks like it," Sunset said, narrowing her eyes.
"Why, what is it?"
"I don't know. There's something going on here. Unfortunately, nothing we can do at the moment. Maybe if we can get permission from the park?" Sunset thought aloud. "In any case, it's nothing dangerous, so let's not fret over it for now. I'll ask mom what we can do later. Now I presume we have an important task at hand?"
"Hm hm, thanks, Sunset. I know you are gonna love this," Fluttershy said, smiling while they started to make their way to their destination.
"We'll see. I just hope at least someone's gonna like me."
"Oh, don't worry about that. They'll love you. I told them a lot about you, and you've already met them. In fact... they are kind of... annoyed at me. Since you're all I talk about," Fluttershy said, hiding her face in her hair. Sunset couldn't help but smile at that as they finally got to their stop. Pushing open the double door with Fluttershy, they entered the animal shelter filled with all kinds of pets waiting to be adopted.
Sunset looked around the shelter at all the animals and saw them all looking at her. No doubt, they figured out who she was. Sunset, on the other hand, felt a little uneasy.
"Is it just me, or did you guys expand?"
"No, it was always like this. We are looking to expand in the future, though," Fluttershy said without noticing her nervousness.
"Ah... good to know."
Fluttershy then moved over to a cage with a bunch of guinea pigs. Fluttershy picked one up and stroked its head.
"Aren't they cuddly?" Sunset looked at the little ball of fur on Fluttershy's palm.
"Well... I was looking for someone... less furry? N-not that they are bad... j-just-"
"Oh, it's okay," Fluttershy said, placing the rodent back in its cage before walking off. Sunset followed after Fluttershy mouthing a small sorry at the creature, not wanting to make it feel bad. Especially with Fluttershy being able to talk to them now, she should be on good terms with them at least.
"How about a betta fish?" Fluttershy asked, looking down at a fish in a tank. A fish that weirdly had fins similar to Sunset's hair.
"Uh... maybe someone I can touch? Plus, I don't think I'm ready to look after a fish," Sunset said, still weirded out by the fish looking like her.
"Oh, I think I know just the one," Fluttershy said, making her way over to another section of the shelter.
They made their way over to the reptilian section of the shelter while Sunset looked at all the reptiles. Then she saw him. A little yellow lizard with black spots, a leopard gecko. The little lizard then looked at Sunset. To anyone else, it might look like any ordinary or even boring, as Rainbow might say, lizard. But for Sunset, it's a whole other story.
"Hey, there, little guy?" Sunset whispered to the little lizard. "Aww, aren't you a little ray of sunshine?"
"So you like him?" Fluttershy asked, looking at Sunset's happy face.
"Yeah... I'll take him."
With that taken care of, Fluttershy taught everything Sunset needed to know about the little lizard and bought everything that she's gonna need. Once all was done, they waited for Twilight to arrive with her brother to pick them up as they were going to meet up at Sunset's house to look at the old hard drive. Once Shining's patrol car arrived, Sunset and Fluttershy loaded all the food and everything else into the trunk and got into the back seat with Ray, as Sunset named him in his new tank.
"Oh, so you actually bought one. I told you you'd find someone," Twilight said, looking at the little lizard.
"What is it?" Shining asked.
"It's a leopard gecko," Fluttershy said.
"Huh... whatever goes for you, I guess. More of a dog person," Shining said, only to get an elbow to the side by Twilight, who's riding shotgun.
"Be nice."
It didn't take long for them to get to Sunset's home. Shining parked the car in the driveway while the girls got out off the car. After they took everything from the trunk, Shining called Twilight.
"I have to go now, date night with Cadence. Not sure if I can take you back home, though," Shining said.
"That's okay. I'll walk home by myself," Twilight said.
When she entered the house, she saw that Aiko was already there in the living room eating a piece of pie while conversing with Sunset's grandparents and Snowdrop. Blake was curled on Sunset's grandma's lap while she petted him.
"Hey, Aiko," Twilight said, approaching her.
"Hey."
"Moony, can you get some more pie for the girls? I can't get up while Blake is here," Solar Wind said, looking at Blake.
"He doesn't want to leave you, does he?" Twilight asked.
"No. At least now he's comfortable enough not to stick to me 24/7. He mostly spends time with okaasan when at home."
"I still can't believe he's a ghost. He feels so real," Solar Wind said. "By the way, did Sunset find a pet?"
"She did. A little leopard gecko. He's so cute," Twilight said while taking the plate from Crescent Moon. Just then, Sunset and Fluttershy came downstairs after setting up Ray's tank. Crescent passed another plate to Fluttershy with two pieces of pie for both her and Sunset.
"Thank you," Fluttershy said before taking a seat on the love seat with Sunset.
"Hey, Sunset? Can I touch him?" Snowdrop asked.
"Of course, just give him some time to get used to living here," Sunset said. "Just keep Ari away from him. I don't trust her not to get jealous."
They spent a while just talking and enjoying the treat before they decided it was time to look at the hard drive as it was getting late. The four members made their way over to Sunset's room as she turned on her PC and took out the hard drive.
Once she plugged in the hard drive, she opened up the drive and entered the recovered password.
"There we go. Now to see what we have here," Sunset said, looking at all the folders and files on the hard drive. At first glance, it was a mess. Files and folders are everywhere with no particular order. But if you look carefully, you'll see they are actually organized. Organized in a way that makes it easy to find things, granted you know the file structure.
"This thing is a mess," Twilight said as she went through a dozen files recovering the older files, so they were viewable with the current os on the laptop.
"No, not really," Aiko said. "See these numbers at the end? They belong to the same group. My dad uses that same method to keep all the files that he constantly uses in the open without making a mess. I kind of do the same thing."
"Oh, I see. These must be for their latest articles. Once finished, she moves them to somewhere else." Sunset said, looking at photos that had the same number. "If that's the case, we can ignore them for now. Let's see if this has any personal files."
"This looks promising," Fluttershy said, pointing at a text file labeled "Captian's Log". Sunset opened it up.
"It's like a diary," Twilight said.
"This is going to tell us a lot. Twi, I'll send you the file. See if it has anything of use," Sunset said, sending the file to Twilight.
"Got it. Let's see what this baby holds."
"Look, see what that is," Aiko said, pointing at a folder named photos.
Inside the folder were more folders with different names like events, anniversaries, others, and also NCC - 1701. Opening it up, they were greeted with a bunch of photos, most likely belonging to the old members. Most of the photos had two students. A boy and a girl with short hair, with some of them having another recurring girl.
"The boy is Bright Hope. And the girl with short hair should be Scarlet," Twilight said, gaining the others' attention.
"What about the other one?" Sunset asked.
"From the looks of it, she's the one that wrote these logs. And apparently, she was a sci-fi fan. She even used star-date." Twilight said, showing them the text file. "And here's something interesting. She wrote logs for every single day. But in the last few logs, they had a few days of a gap, and the logs are shorter or didn't have the same feeling as before. And they stopped with no explanation."
"That means, could she be the girl?" Fluttershy asked.
"That's highly probable," Twilight said.
"Most likely. The good thing is now we have a lead. Twilight, show this photo to your brother and see if he can find these two and anything about our girl."
"Will do."
After their new findings, they spent the rest of the time looking through the hard drive for other interesting things. They found a lot of resources for new articles and a lot of CHS's old history. Soon, it started to get dark outside, and it was time for them to leave.
"Well, then. We'll see you two tomorrow," Sunset said. "You sure you guys don't need a ride?"
"No, we'll just take a walk," Twilight said.
"Hai," Aiko said.
"Well, then, see you guys tomorrow."
After saying their goodbyes, Sunset walked Fluttershy back home while Twilight and Aiko took their leave.
"So, do you think your brother could find them?" Aiko asked.
"He should be. If not, Miss Chrysalis could be of help," Twilight said.
"What does she do exactly again? Is she some kind of IT expert? Because we asked her to look after the forum?"
"No, she's a special agent. And she has a lot of connections. If Shining can't, she'll be able to help us."
"Oh sugoi... (wow...), I still can't believe any of this. Solving mysteries, government agents, magic, and cute little ghosts like you," Aiko said, scratching Blake on her back at the last part.
"Yeah, me too. I still can't believe I was going to waste my life pursuing knowledge instead of living. I owe a lot to Sunset for helping me," Twilight said, smiling fondly. "And of course, you too, Ai, for brightening my life," Twilight added, side hugging Aiko before holding her hand.
The two spent the walk in silence. Hand in hand, just basking at the moment. It was good. The Sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon as the golden hour started. Forgetting about all the troubles of the day. It was just them, alone, and nothing else mattered.
But like everything, their time together has to come to an end. It came in the shape of an all too familiar purple-themed house. The two entered the driveway and walked towards the front door.
"Well... I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," Aiko said reluctantly to let go of Twilight.
"Yeah... Good Night Aiko," Twilight said, just as reluctant as Aiko, before mustering up her courage and giving Aiko a peck on the cheek. Aiko froze in place as they looked at each other's eyes while holding hands.
*ring ring*
They were snapped out of their own little world when Aiko's phone suddenly rang.
"Gomen (sorry)," Aiko said before taking her phone to see Sunset calling her. "Sunset?" Aiko answered the call and placed the phone near her ear.
"AIKO! Where are you two? Twilight isn't picking up. Did something happen?!" out came the panicked voice of Sunset.
"W-what? We are fine. We just arrived at Twilight's house. What's happening?" Aiko asked.
"What's- didn't you see the new post?"
"There's a new post?" Twilight said before quickly pulling out her phone.
"Listen, you can't be alone. I'll ask Luna to take you home."
"No, it's okay. It's not too far from here. I can make it."
"Did you even see the post? Here's the short version of it, there's a ghost girl out there waiting to catch people alone and ask them to take her home. You can't be alone, capiche."
"Yeah, Aiko, I'll ask dad. He can take you home. You just have to wait a while for him to get back and-"
"No, it's okay. I have Blake with me. And I can teleport. If the ghost found me, I can just simply teleport."
"But what if-"
"Twi, it'll be fine. Sunset, I'll keep you guys in the loop, don't worry."
"Aiko, you know this is dangerous, right? We don't know what the forum did to warp this rumor. I don't wanna find ya dead or something, k?"
"I know. But we'll have to get to the ghost sooner or later. It's better if it's sooner rather than later. I'm the safest option, thanks to my power and Blake. I'll be fine."
"I don't like this one bit. But if you are sure. We'll be ready. Just give the word if you need it, and we'll be there."
"Okay," Aiko said before ending the call.
"Aiko, are you sure about this?" Twilight asked, not liking this one bit.
"Don't worry, I'll keep her safe," Blake said.
"See? I have the perfect bodyguard. I'll be fine, Twi. Good night," Aiko said, smiling while giving Twilight a quick hug.
"Good night," Twilight said a bit reluctantly while hugging back.
As Aiko went back to the street, her smile slowly slipped away and was replaced with nervousness. Blake, who's been walking beside her, noted the change.
"Are you afraid?"
"Hm? Uh... y-yeah. I am, actually."
"Then why didn't you take the offer?"
"I just... since the forum started, we have been walking on eggshells. Always afraid of what's about to happen. Of course, it's for obvious reasons, but... now we have powers. And we've barely even used them to solve the rumors," Aiko said. "All we've done so far is try to look for the information on the rumor and guesswork it. Yes, it worked so far, but what if someone made something up? There will be nothing to look for. And all we are going to do is drag more people into this just to be safe."
"Are you afraid they will get hurt?"
"Why wouldn't I be? We can take care of ourselves with all these powers, but they can't. Not to mention if we don't solve this rumor as soon as we can, someone else who knows nothing about this is going to get hurt. Like I said, I'm the best to find this ghost since I can easily get away. And you are here to back me up."
"So you actually want to meet the ghost?"
"The sooner we solve this, the better," Aiko said, determined.
"If the ghost is going to do something, she'll have to go through me first. Let's solve this," Blake said.
They fell into silence as they walked their way back home. The streets are all empty except for a few cars and a few pedestrians. At least until they turned into a lane. Now it's just them and the ambiance. The sound of vehicles slowly going away just added to the creepiness of the situation. Aiko pulled out her phone to send the girls a message that she was fine at the moment.
"Hey."
Aiko and Blake turned back when they heard the voice. But they couldn't see anyone.
"Who was- ah!" *hissssss!!!* Aiko yelped while Blake jumped back in surprise when they saw a small girl in a red gown in front of them.
"Hey, where are you going?" The girl asked innocently.
'This girl?' Aiko thought.
"U-um... I'm going home?" Aiko said, feeling Blake wrapping his tail around her leg in protection.
"Oh... I'm lost. My home is in that small forest,"
'Small forest? Is she talking about that overgrown patch of land?' Aiko thought.
"Take me there," The girl said, smiling innocently while holding her hands behind.
"Um... okay."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Aiko said, trying her best to sound genuine. "The small forest, you said. The one near the school?"
"Yep. That's my home."
"G-got it. I know where it is. Just follow me, okay?"
"Okay, big sister."
'Big sister? I'm not liking where this is going,' Aiko thought before pulling out her phone and messaging the girls.
I found her
TwiHana: the ghsto
Unsurprisingly, it was Twilight that answered first.
Youhave to get oit
Twi, calm down. I'm taking her to her home.It's that overgrown land near CPA
Sunset: Be careful. We don't know what the forumdid to her.
Rainbow: I'm out near CPA. Just give me the word,and I'll be there
"Hey, big sister."
"Huh- what?" Aiko asked, looking at the girl next to her.
"The fork."
"W-what?"
"The fork," The girl said, pointing ahead. And just like the girl said, they were at an intersection.
"O-oh, let's go ri-"
"Left."
"- What?"
"Let's go to the left."
"But it's much closer this way."
"Left. I think it's much closer this way."
"I'm sorry, but no. Right is faster. Don't you want to go back home quicker?" 'She wants me alone. No one takes that road, and it doesn't even lead to CPA.'
The girl just stared at Aiko as a tense silence spread among them. Blake got into an attack position as the seconds ticked by.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
...
...
...
"Okay," The girl said, clearly not happy at the answer.
As the two started to walk again, Aiko quickly turned back to her phone and, not wanting to take any chances, quickly sent a message.
TwiHana: Shining is nera
Near
Rarity: Aiko, you are CRAZY
Don't talk. Just listen
After sending the message, Aiko started a group call, which everyone immediately answered.
The three walked along the road in relative silence, with the only sound coming from their walking as the girls listened in on the call for the sound of trouble. Before long, the sound of vehicles started to grow closer.
"Not yet?"
"Huh?"
"It's closer right? Not yet?"
"Not yet. We are almost there tho-"
"I'm bored."
"I'm bored."
"I'm bored."
"I'm bored."
"I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored."
"Okay, okay, maybe we can play a game," Aiko said, startled by this sudden outburst. 'Maybe I should've expected this. She a little girl, after all.'
"A game? Yeah."
"Okay... um... let's play... word chain."
...
...
"Okay, I'll go first. Word... so D"
"D... uh... door."
"Rope."
"Eh...Elephant."
"Trap."
"Pumpkin."
"Noose."
'Noose? Trap? I don't like where this is going,' Aiko thought.
"Uh... England."
"Die."
"W-what?"
"Next' E'."
'She... I need to be careful. What if I say the wrong word?'
"Five."
"W-what?!"
"four."
"W-wait a minute."
"Three, two."
'Come on, Aiko, what are you doing?'
"One-"
"EAGLE!!"
...
...
"Y-you know eagle for 'E'?"
"Got here."
"Huh?"
"We are here."
Aiko looked around and saw that they were, in fact, where they wanted to be.
"O-oh... uh... we are here."
...
"Great, uh... is it okay here? This is it?"
"Yes, thank you."
"W-what?"
"It was fun. I'm glad that I got home."
"Y-yeah, I'm glad too," Aiko said, sweating bullets.
"Big sister... let's shake hands for farewell."
"What? S-shake hands?"
"Mmhm... for goodbye."
"Sorry," Aiko said, slowly backing up.
"What?"
"I-I'm done bringing you here, and I... gotta go now," Aiko said, pointing behind.
...
"I have to go home too."
...
...
“Oh... hehe... haha... hahaha... oh well. I thought you would shake hands with me."
"What?"
"You look kind big sister. You also played with me," The girl said. "I wanted to play with you in the forest more."
Aiko for the millionth time did not like where this was going.
"I wanted to play with you for good. But I know when to give up. Hehe... not today. Let's play again, big sister," The girl said before waving.
"Bye..." As the girl said that, she started to slowly disappear from sight.
Once the girl completely disappeared, Aiko released the breath she didn't know she was holding. She looked at Blake and extended her hand to him. Blake, understanding what she wanted, quickly jumped up to her hand while she hugged him tightly. She quickly looked around just in case before they, too, disappeared in a flash of light.
The residents of Whiskers household were waiting for Aiko as it was pretty late already.
"Where is that girl?" Aiko's mom asked as she made her way over to the phone.
"She should be home by now," Aiko's dad said, looking over the newspaper he was reading.
Aiko's mom took the receiver in hand and just started dialing her phone to check in on her when a bright light appeared in the middle of the living room. Aiko appeared with Blake in her arms, and she started to walk toward the couch.
"Aiko, where have you been?" Her mom asked, placing the receiver back down.
"G-give... me a s-sec- ugh-" That's all she was able to say before she fell face first onto the couch dropping her phone and Blake before blacking out.
"Aiko!" Her mom shouted, checking on her.
"Aiko? Aiko? What happened? Answer us," Came the voices of the girls from the phone on the ground before Aiko's mom picked it up.
"Hello? What happened? Aiko just magicked in here and just blacked out on the sofa," She demanded.
"Oh, h-hello Mrs. Whiskers S-so Aiko came back?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, she did. Now explain."
"W-well, you see," Sunset started. "A-after we... w-wait Rainbow did you just- hey Rare- n-not you too Apple- o-okay at least yo- Pinkie! Fl- Fluttershy!!" Sunset shouted as she saw everyone had just ended the call and left her all alone. At least Twilight is with her.
"Well?" Aiko's mom asked one last time, clearly not happy.
"So... do you want the long version or the short version?"
The next morning, all the girls gathered in the club room and waited for Aiko. Sunset and Twilight are clearly upset with them for leaving them like that, but it is what it is. It didn't take long for Aiko to arrive, and as soon as she did, she was suddenly tackled into a hug by Twilight.
"AIKO!! Thank god you are okay!" Twilight said.
"Y-yeah."
"What happened?" Rarity asked.
"Well..." And so, Aiko started retelling what had happened to her the previous night.
"Oh, you poor thing, you must've been so scared to pass out like that," Fluttershy said, giving her a comforting hug.
"You have no idea," Aiko said. "Did you find anything about the rumor, though?"
"Only that it was made up by the posters, mom. She's a freshman, and her mom just made that up to make sure she comes home in time. She apparently took it seriously," Sunset said.
"So we can't solve it?"
"Not really. We know that it's not real, and you know how to avoid the ghost. So I guess we are fine," Sunset said.
"Good, good. The last thing I want is a creepy ghost who's waiting to kill you at any moment as a little sister." Aiko said, still shivering at the experience.