//------------------------------// // Kindred Spirits // Story: Brand Neo World // by Zennistrad //------------------------------// Once Xandra stood up to dust herself off, it didn’t take long for her to notice who had freed her. Her eyes locked with Sunset’s, her mouth hung open as she remained frozen in place, as though she had been petrified all over again. Sunset, for that matter, could do nothing but return the expression. Silence hung over the night air, and Sunset’s body felt so stiff that it felt like it might snap in two. Her mind searched desperately for any way to ease the tension. Unable to find any, she settled on simply introducing herself. “Um… hey. I’m Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet you?” Xandra’s eyes looked over Sunset’s body, scanning her up and down. There was a curious gleam in them, though it was well-hidden beneath the bewilderment that was etched across her face. “You’re, uh… Xandra, right?” Sunset continued. “I think I heard your name in one of your memories.” Xandra’s eyebrows shot up. “You saw into my memories?” Sunset winced, briefly. “Shoot, that came out badly. Um… I kind of accidentally looked into one of your memories with my Geode.” To demonstrate, she briefly ran a hoof over the gemstone adorning her neck. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t realize you were more than just a statue at the time.” For some reason, Xandra seemed to relax just a bit, but confusion that lingered on her face grew even thicker. “So you didn’t even know who I was, before you looked into my mind? What memory did you see?” “Um… something about you asking a faerie of some kind to bring back some owl you found from the dead. I think she was maybe royalty? She seemed important, at least.” Xandra’s mouth briefly opened, then closed again. “That… that was years ago. I was only a child back then,” she said. “But more importantly, you’re telling me don’t even know who Queen Fyora is. Just what sort of rock have you been living under your whole life?” “Uh… W-well, you see…” “And why did you free me, if you didn’t even know anything about me? Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?” “Hey, it was an accident! It was the Geode, not me!” Xandra’s eyebrows shot up once again, and Sunset mentally kicked herself once she realized how she sounded. “Um. N-not that I don’t think you deserve to be free!” Xandra gave Sunset an odd glare, but the look quickly faded. “You know what, I’m not going to look a bizarrely deformed gift Uni in the mouth. Let’s just get out of here before the guards notice I’m not a garden decoration anymore.” That specific turn of phrase gave Sunset pause. Whatever species Xandra was, she knew what a unicorn was… though Sunset had never heard of any unicorn being referred to as a ‘Uni.’ And she’d never heard anything about herself being... “Hey! Who's deformed?” Sunset objected. “And what guards?” The corners of Xandra’s lips pulled downwards. Her eyes dulled, the light within them smothered by a deep cloud of malaise. “I was turned to stone for disobeying the Faerie Queen,” she said softly. “That’s all you need to know. Come on, let’s move.” Sunset didn’t have the time to listen to her immediate suspicions, as Xandra quickly motioned for her to follow. The two took a winding path through the garden, carefully weaving through the plants and the decorations. The two came to a fountain, and Xandra held up a hand. “Shh!” “Wha—” “Behind me. Don’t make a sound.” Sunset didn’t have the opportunity to question what was going on, as Xandra motioned for her to hide behind the fountain. The two crouched down, and following Xandra’s lead, Sunset peered around the corner. Sure enough, on the other side of the fountain was a guard, and it was the weirdest guard Sunset had ever seen. She was an anthropomorphic cat of some kind, with baby blue fur and dressed in knightly armor, but more notable were the second set of ears on her head, attached on long stalks that jutted out of her forehead and through her helmet. Not to mention the bright pink butterfly wings on her back, which seemed to glow under the moonlight. The sound of armored footsteps against cobblestone grew closer, and the two quietly circled around the fountain to avoid the guard’s notice, making sure that they were out of her direct line of sight. Eventually, the guard turned in another direction and walked away from the fountain. “Alright, looks like we’re safe,” said Xandra. “Okay, I have several questions.” “Worry about it later. We’re almost in the clear.” Once again Sunset’s objections were quietly hushed, as Xandra silently led her through the garden. Thankfully, no other guards showed up, as it seemed their patrols were extremely sparse — either that, or Xandra knew exactly how to avoid them. The path took them past an opening in the garden wall, leading to a winding dirt road that led up a large hill. The two made their ascent, and once they were a comfortable distance away from the garden, Xandra stopped. She turned to look down at the garden, now visible at the foot of the hill, and a soft breath escaped her throat. She seemed to shudder slightly as she exhaled. “You okay there?” said Sunset. It took a moment for Xandra to answer. Her eyes were dull, clouded by something Sunset didn’t quite recognize — but it was something that felt eerily familiar. “I’m fine. Just…” Her words died off, and Xandra stared off into the distance, at nothing in particular. Her eyes remained fixed on the horizon, unmoving. “Xandra?” Xandra blinked rapidly. “Hmm? Right, sorry. I lost my train of thought.” She glanced at Sunset then back at the horizon. “Anyway, I suppose this is where we part ways. Goodbye, Sunset Shimmer.” Before Sunset could get a word in edgewise, Xandra turned away, and began to walk further into the distance. “Huh? Wait a second, hold on!” Sunset’s hooves pattered softly against the dirt road as she chased after Xandra. “You can’t just leave!” “And why not?” said Xandra, not even slowing her footsteps. “I have my own problems to worry about.” “Sure you do. But that doesn’t mean I can’t help, does it?” Xandra stopped in her tracks, and closed her eyes. A sigh escaped her lips. “Sunset, I don’t think you understand. I’m a wanted criminal. If you come with me, I can’t guarantee your safety.” “That’s not a problem,” said Sunset. “I can handle a bit of danger, you know.” “No! You’re not listening! I’m telling you to stay away from me! It’s for your own good!” The sudden shout caught Sunset immediately off-guard, sending a jolt down the length of her spine. For a split second, she could see something burning fiercely beneath Xandra’s eyes, hotter than the sun itself. Then, just as quickly as it ignited, it flickered out and vanished. The two simply stood, regarding each other silence. The familiar deep gray cloud over Xandra’s eyes returned in full force, and this time Sunset realized exactly what it was. She’d seen it in the human Twilight, after the events of the Friendship Games. And for the longest time she’d seen it in herself, whenever she looked into the mirror. “Look, Xandra,” she said. “I don’t know what it is that got you in trouble, but it couldn’t have been anything so bad that it deserved being a statue for all eternity.” Xandra’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know that.” “Are you an immortal, nigh-omnipotent spirit of disharmony?” Xandra stared blankly. “What?” “I’ll take that as a no,” Sunset said with a grin. “And did you try to envelop a whole kingdom in permanent state of strife and chaos?” “…Also no.” “Then I don’t think being turned to stone is on the menu for you,” said Sunset. There was another pause, as Xandra continued to stare blankly. “I can’t help but feel I’m missing some context here.” “Don’t worry about,” said Sunset. “The point is, I can see that whatever happened to you left you more than a bit shaken. And I know that when you fall, sometimes all you need is a friend to help you get back up.” “You can’t be serious,” Xandra groaned. “You don’t even know me.” “Well, then that’s the perfect opportunity to get to know each other, isn’t it?” Sunset said. “Plus, uh… Well, I dunno how else to say it, but I kinda actually need your help, too.” Xandra’s forehead wrinkled slightly as she frowned. “Of course. Figures you wanted something out of me. What is it now?” “Well, um…” Might as well rip this bandage off. “Okay, this is gonna probably sound really crazy, but I’m like… seventy percent sure that I came here from another dimension.” Once again, Xandra was at a loss for words. Sunset could only smile awkwardly as she felt a bewildered gaze pressing down on her. “Look, just humor me for a second, okay?” said Sunset. “What’s the name of this planet? Or plane, or world, or whatever you call it? Please, it’s important.” Xandra continued to stare. Sunset held her breath, keenly aware of every second that passed between them. “...Neopia,” Xandra finally answered. “Horseapples. I was right,” Sunset exhaled. She reached back and scratched he back of her neck, brushing her mane to the side. “So, uh… yeah, looks like I’m on another world now. Which means I definitely need your help. You wouldn’t happen to know of any magic mirrors, would you?” What happened next was something Sunset was not expecting. Xandra’s entire body suddenly froze, going stiff as though she had been turned to stone all over again. Her eyes went wide, enough that Sunset would have been able to see them from a dozen feet away, even under the cover of night. “W-what!?” “Um… you know, the kind that serve as a gateway between dimensions? Like a portal of some kind? It might be something other than a mirror on this end.” Suddenly, Xandra’s entirely body relaxed. She let out a sharp breath. “...Oh. No, I can’t say I’ve heard of anything like that.” Sunset’s ears twitched idly atop her head. What was that about? But her curiosity was pushed to the side, as she had a far more pressing concern to worry about. “Great,” Sunset muttered, “so I’m back to square one then. Trapped in a strange world that I know nothing about, with no way home. Story of my life.” A softness overtook Xandra’s features, one that Sunset hadn’t seen before. She wore it naturally, though the way it clashed with her normally dour visage made it clear that she hadn’t worn it often. “Hold on, I wouldn’t give up just yet. I might still be able to help.” “Really?” “If it weren’t for you, I’d be spending the rest of my days as a hunk of rock,” said Xandra. “It’s the least I could do.” “Great!” said Sunset. “So, uh… where do we start?” “I used to be a scholar of magic,” said Xandra. “If we can make it to my old house, there’s a library there with all kinds of information on magical artifacts.” “And we’ll find something about a magic portal there?” Xandra shrugged. “It’s worth a shot. The night’s still young, so we’ll be able to make it most of the way there. We’ll set up camp once we get to the edge of the Haunted Woods. It’s best to avoid going through it in the nighttime.” Sunset blinked. “Hold on, your house is somewhere called the Haunted Woods?” “It’s a nice place to live,” said Xandra. “People don’t bother you there. Mostly.” “...Right, right. Of course. Lead the way.” Xandra gave Sunset one last look, before turning to walk down the road, motioning for Sunset to follow. The two proceeded silently, side-by-side, as they ventured further into the night.