//------------------------------// // 02 - Sunset - What Price a Goddess? // Story: A Certain Scientific Twilight // by Babroniedad //------------------------------// Monday, September 8, 8:00 AM Tokyo time. Sunset woke to the gentle but insistent buzzing of the alarm. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she noted Twilight gently snuggled up against her. ‘She’s so adorable!’ Sunset whispered with a smile. ‘I’ll never let anything bad happen to any of my friends.’ She turned off the alarm then grabbed her bathroom bag and went to the bathroom for her morning ablutions. When she returned fully dressed, she leaned over and kissed Twilight on the cheek. Twilight’s eyes fluttered open, and her hand rose to rub her cheek, now blushing. “Good morning, my beautiful shield!” Sunset grinned when Twilight, now fully blushing, turned to face her. “Time to rise and shine! I’ll go start breakfast,” she smiled. Twilight grinned. “You’re such a dork!” she laughed, still rubbing her cheek. “Okay, I’ll come join you as soon as I’m ready.” Sunset rolled out to the kitchen to start making a pancake breakfast just like her mom used to make for her. While the first batch was cooking and the vegan bacon was sizzling in the microwave, she made a cup of coffee for herself, sipping it as she cooked. Sunset smiled, her heart full of peace. Her dear friend, her beloved Shield, her BFF, had warmed her heart and filled her dreams. She loved her dearly and was so glad to be with her now. Flipping the pancakes onto the serving plate and starting the next batch, her thoughts returned to the night before. “Twilight,” she whispered. “Never again.” She would never let her guard down again, never would anyone have a chance to hurt the woman she loved more than her own self. More than death, she feared losing her friend. The thought of going through life without her BFF by her side pained her more than she could imagine. She watched as Twilight left the bathroom, smiling with a shy wave. She was so precious to her. Her resolve steeled in her heart. Never would she allow anyone to hurt her friends. Never. She loved them completely, they were precious to her, and she would guard them with her life, whatever it took. She thought about Index and Toma, and realized that yes, she loved them too. They were hers, she would protect them also, and cherish them as her own. No one would be allowed to hurt them. They too were tucked into her heart, surrounded by her loving concern. She flipped the pancakes and put on the next batch. Twilight emerged from their bedroom fully dressed as Sunset smiled. “Hey Sunny, what’s the goofy grin for?” teased Twilight as she hugged her. “I thought I made all the goofy faces around here?” “I was just thinking about how much I love all of you, how I never want anything bad to ever happen to any of you,” smiled Sunset, answering honestly. “I would do anything for you, Sparky. And I realize now I feel that same need to protect you, and the girls, and all our friends. I would raze the world to save you, all of you.” She shook her head. Twilight tightened her hug. “I feel the same way. I’ve never been a particularly brave person, but I would face the world for you, and for them. That’s how I feel, and that makes me happy.” “Yeah,” answered Sunset. “I hear you. I have all these feelings, and I know they are right. But the depth of them? That’s new. It’s like I grew up overnight. It feels right.” She pulled her friend close and kissed her cheek. “I love you, Sparky. Thank you for being my friend.” Twilight hugged her tightly back. “Back at you, Sunny!” Sunset extracted herself from the hug. “Okay, breakfast is almost ready.” She flipped the last set of pancakes onto the serving plate, then took everything over to the table. Taking her place, she joined hands with Twilight, leading the harmonic grace, then passed the serving plates of food as she made Twilight’s coffee. Twilight served apple juice to go along with the breakfast. Sunset finished up the last of the pancakes, bringing them over to the table and preparing a plate for herself. “We’re in this together,” Sunset smiled. They finished eating, then cleaned up the table. As they were cleaning up, Twilight came up behind her and wrapped her up in a tight hug. “Sunny, you’re not alone. You’re surrounded by friends! We love you and need you. This is the time for joy! Be happy, Sunny, we survived, thanks to you! Thank the Maker!” Sunset smiled, joining her arms with Twilight's. “Thank you, Sparky. What would I do without you?” “Let’s never find out!” Twilight smiled. “Amen to that!” Sunset agreed, pulling Twilight in tight. “Never ever.” Sunset rolled back over to their room. “I’m going to finish getting dressed. Be right back.” “No worries, Sunny. I got this,” answered Twilight, finishing up cleaning the breakfast dishes, and putting the leftovers away. Sunset smiled as she grabbed her bags and clothes, then rolled into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she rolled out, ready for the day. She swapped out her bathroom bag for her daypack and joined Twilight by the front door. “Ready Freddy!” she called out with a grin. “Ready Freddy!” agreed Twilight, opening the door and heading out and into the elevator. Once past the concierge, whom they greeted with a respectful bow as always, they passed through the lobby and gathered on the sidewalk. As they neared the school, Sunset turned to Twilight. “I’m an idiot,” she groaned. “What do you mean? Why would you say that?” asked Twilight at her side. Sunset clarified. “I thought of this last night after what happened. We really need to give all the girls TACIT fobs, just like the ones you made for Index and Toma. Then we could reach each other no matter what in an emergency. Plus the girls could teleport directly to us if anything happened or the fobs were triggered. I have a really bad feeling about this. I want to know that everyone is safe. In fact, we should have fobs too. Our fobs can be the automatic anchors for the girls' teleports. Plus they may be useful for us in other ways at some point.” Twilight smiled. “That’s actually a great idea! Okay, I’ll put together six more of them, and we can pass them out to the girls when we see them again. Good thinking, Sunny!” Sunset agreed. “It will be one less thing to worry about.” “I’ll take care of it before dinner after we get back from Judgment this afternoon,” promised Twilight. After passing through the academy gate, Sunset and Twilight headed to their first period. Taking their seats with time to spare, they set out their textbooks and began to study. The bell rang for homeroom to begin. Everyone settled down and the teacher took roll. Afterward, they studied quietly. Eventually, the bell rang for the end of the period. Sunset and Twilight hugged then headed for their respective classes. Sunset paid attention in class but was distracted. At least part of her attention was taken at every moment, listening for any alerts from her phone, or keeping an eye on her surroundings, actually, magically, and metaphorically. She was determined never to be caught short again. In her mind she relived almost losing her BFF the night before. The constant awareness of her situation was a strain at first. But she found the more she did it, the more it began to feel second nature. ‘Thank the Maker for small miracles,’ she whispered to herself in relief. After class Sunset joined Twilight for lunch in the cafeteria. They sat down and ate their Bento box lunches, discussing their plans for the day and enjoying the comfort of each other's presence. The bell rang for the next period. Sunset pulled Twilight into a hug. After the embrace, Twilight bent over, and tenderly placed her hands on Sunset’s cheeks, pulling her in and kissing her on the forehead. “I love you, Sunny. Thank you for everything!” Twilight said, then leaned back to smile at her BFF, hand still cupping Sunset’s face lovingly. Across the cafeteria, they heard a chair scrape back loudly, then someone stomped over towards their table. To no one’s surprise, it was the class officer who had repeatedly reprimanded them before for public displays of affection. “You have got to be kidding me,” Sunset whispered to Twilight as she stormed over to their table. “You have been warned!” bellowed the class officer. “This is the last straw! No public displays of affection! Detention for you both, and possible suspension!” Sunset saw red. Seeing her BFF about to completely lose it, Twilight leaned over and wrapped her arms around Sunset. She whispered into her ear. “She’s not worth it, Sunny! Let it go! Let it go. Deep breath.” Sunset closed her eyes. Reaching up and holding on tightly to Twilight’s arm, Sunset took a slow, deep breath. Eyes still closed, she let it out slowly, then took another deep breath, letting it out slowly as well. Six breaths later, she appeared considerably calmer and opened her eyes. “So, you’re still here?” Sunset tersely asked the class officer. “I was hoping you would take the hint and make yourself scarce.” The class officer looked like she was about to blow a gasket. “Who do you think you are talking to?” she demanded. “How dare you speak to me like that! Do you have a death wish?” Sunset’s face darkened. “Sunny, she doesn’t know!” Twilight whispered. Taking another deep breath, Sunset again calmed herself. “Thank you, Twilight,” she replied calmly. Turning to the class officer, Sunset answered. “That’s a rather poor choice of words. Last night, a mage entered our apartment and tried to end the life of my dearest, best friend, right in front of me. So to answer your question, no. I most decidedly do not have a death wish. I don’t wish for my own death. I don’t wish for my dearest friends’ death. I don’t wish for the death of any of my friends. I don’t wish the death of anyone, not even you. You know what though? Sunset leaned towards the officer. “I did wish for someone’s death. Just last night. When I saw that mage about to kill my dearest, best friend? The girl I love so completely I can’t even imagine spending my life without her beside me? Do you know what? At that moment, seeing that woman about to kill the person I cherish more than my own life itself? I did have a death wish. Sunset held her hands out in front of her. “I wished death to that woman. With no hesitation. I wanted her dead so completely and wholly there was no room for even the smallest doubt. She held her hands up, holding them out in front of the class officer. “Do you see these hands? I wished death on that woman. And with these hands, last night? I took her life. She’s dead. I killed her. And no, I don’t regret it one bit. Sunset’s hands shook a bit. She pulled them back and grasped Twilight’s arm again. “I love this woman. And I will protect her with my life. And anyone…” She looked at the officer. “Anyone who tries to hurt her? Or any of my friends? They had better be ready. Because I am never going to let that happen again. Not on my watch. Not while there is a single breath in my body. No one will ever hurt my friends. Ever.” The class officer had blanched at this point. “Sorry,” she mumbled, then backed away and hurried back to her table. Sunset glared at the officer as she packed up her bags and left. As she left the room, Sunset’s head dropped, and her shoulders sagged, and she started crying profusely. Twilight held her tightly as she bawled her heart out. After the afternoon classes were over, Sunset and Twilight headed over to Judgment. When they got there, Sunset turned to Twilight. “Do you think you could ask Mii if we can research the attack on us this afternoon instead of doing our usual patrols? I’d like to see if there is anything in the academy database on the knife from last night, or on the mage who tried to use it.” “I’ll go ask!” Twilight agreed, heading down the hall to the desk of their supervisor, Mii Konori. She came back a moment later. “She said no problem. She was already briefed about the attack. She figured we would want to do something like that anyway. She also said she would also be happy to arrange anything we needed to investigate what happened, we only need to ask.” Sunset smiled. “That’s a relief. I’m glad we have friends looking out for us.” She smiled. “Can you retrieve the knife? We can scan it into the database and see if anything matches.” “No need,” answered Twilight. “I have the photos I took last night, and I’ve already started the search.” She was bent over her terminal, reviewing pages of data the search had returned, refining her criteria to find more relevant matches. At a second terminal, Twilight pulled up all the information she could find on the researcher who had tried to kill her last night. Sunset sat by her side, one hand on her shoulder in comforting support. Together they dug through the academy databases to pull the information on the woman together for review, hoping they could find some clue to where she had really come from and who had sent her after Twilight. And honestly, after them both. They gathered all the information they found into a protected archive, which Twilight transferred to her secure fob as she had before. The search on the runes only confirmed what they had determined the evening before. The translation she had made of the spell runes on the blade the night before was correct. And the blade-style was one used by the magical covens. Regrettably, there was no information to pinpoint which of the covens were responsible for the blade. Sunset turned to Twilight. “I don’t think we’re going to find anything more here. Let’s call it an evening.” Twilight nodded, logging out of her terminal session. They headed out of the office and back to their apartment. They bowed in greeting to the concierge as they passed by on the way to the elevator. Twilight quickly went over to her and made a quick request. Then they went straight up and into the apartment. Sunset turned to Twilight. “I think we should head over to Tranquility Base. I’d like to see if maybe Dr. Heng’e knows anything about what happened last night. Do you mind terribly if we do that instead?” “That sounds like a good idea,” agreed Twilight. The doorbell rang. Sunset rolled over and answered the door. The concierge had brought up some noodle dinners with meat and veggie toppings, and bowls of miso soup. Thanking her, Sunset rolled aside, allowing the concierge to enter. She rolled the cart with the food over to the dining room table and placed the cartons of food on the table for them. As she prepared to leave, Sunset thanked her again. “Arigatōgozaimashita!” she said with a bow. The concierge returned the bow. “Dōitashimashite,” she said, then rolled the cart back out of the apartment, leaving the girls to their dinner. Taking Twilight’s hands and bowing their heads, Sunset led them in grace. Twilight served up the noodles and toppings. Sunset passed Twilight her soup. Twilight served Sunset a plate of noodles with veggie topping, then got up and pulled sodas for both of them from the fridge. They tucked into their food. Dinner was finished in short order. Sunset collected all the cartons and disposed of them, placing the empty bottles in the recycling. Twilight called out. “Okay, off to our evening’s adventures.” Holding Sunset tightly, in a flash of Magenta they disappeared. Sunset led them out of the Tranquility base TACIT receiver and looked around. It was relatively quiet. There wasn’t a line for the transporter, and only a few people were around working on anything. “I guess that makes sense,” Sunset mused aloud. “It is after midnight. I wonder if Chang’e is around.” “Looking for me?” asked Dr. Hang’e sweetly, bent over her shoulder. Sunset started, then laughed. “You really are determined to give me a heart attack, aren’t you,” she teased. Dr. Hang’e just smiled and ruffled Sunset’s hair. “So, my second favorite prankster decided to pay me a visit! To what do I owe this delight?” she asked. “What? We can’t just come and visit for fun?” teased Sunset. “My dear child, you can come to visit any time for any reason!” smiled Chang’e back. “But, I know what happened. And I imagine you want some help, which I am happy to give in any way I can.” Sunset sobered. “Yes. Anything you can tell us about the group that attacked Twilight. We need to know who and what we are up against.” Chang’e led them out of the bay and down the hall. “Come with me. We can rest in my quarters and discuss what is needed.” They followed her down the hall and into her crew quarters. As they passed into her quarters Chang’e gathered up more notes and gifts from the table by her door, smiling as she took them inside. Placing the gifts and notes on the counter, she waved the girls over to a pair of couches in the common area. Sitting on one, she waved to the girls to join her. Sunset rolled over next to her. Twilight sat next to Chang’e on her other side. “So how much do you know about what happened?” asked Sunset. “I know enough,” replied Chang’e. “May I see the blade?” “Sure.” Twilight manifested the portal and floated the blade over to Chang’e, who took it into her hands. “This is a dark and evil artifact,” she hissed. “I have not seen one of these since before the dawn of harmony. These were used in dark ceremonies, offering sacrifices to the fallen gods.” She turned it over in her hands. “Yes, there is the ancient tongue. And the curse. I despise these artifacts and all those who ever used them. The fallen gods are not to be trafficked with. And anyone who would offer them the soul of another is depraved beyond redemption.” Sunset nodded. “Twilight translated it. It was supposed to not only tear the soul from the person it was used on but bind them into hell for eternal torment and suffering.” “That is correct,” nodded Chang’e. “It is used to offer the soul of the victim sacrificed to one of the fallen gods, who would feast on their torment for eternity. If a boon was asked of the fallen god, this was used to offer a soul in payment.” She scowled. “When harmony overtook the Astral planes, these practices were banished. It pains me to see there are those who would practice them still.” Chang’e placed her arm around Twilight, drawing her into a hug. “Even more, that they would try to sacrifice someone so dear to me.” She held tightly to Twilight. “So do you think they were going to use Twilight and me as sacrifices for some favor?” Sunset asked. “I am certain of it,” nodded Chang’e. “That is always the purpose of these evil artifacts. And for a sacrifice of a pair of goddesses? I am sure the boon was substantial.” Sunset mused. “I wonder what they wanted then.” Chang’e responded. “I am sure it is related to the coming battles.” Sunset looked confused. Chang’e continued. “Forces of darkness have been gathering against harmony and the Maker for some time. There are whispers and portents hinting that the time for their final battle is soon. These forces are those who wish a return to darkness, who spurn harmony seek a chance to overthrow creation. They would seek any advantage, including the power of the fallen gods. Chang’e placed the blade on the table before her and pulled Sunset into a hug as well. “I do not doubt they would willingly trade any number of goddesses who oppose them for the favor of the fallen gods.” “Not on my watch,” Sunset stated resolutely. “Nor mine,” agreed Twilight. “Nor mine,” agreed Chang’e. “I am not a warrior like you girls, nor my beloved husband. But I will oppose this evil with every bit of my being.” Twilight and Sunset returned Chang’e’s hug as Chang’e smiled brightly. After their visit, the girls thanked Chang’e for her hospitality. They made their way back to the TACIT receiver. Twilight entered and Sunset rolled into the transporter, taking her hand. Together they teleported back to their apartment To their surprise, Kaori and Stiyl were sitting on their couch waiting for them. Seeing the girls, Kaori smiled. Sunset grinned. “So what brings the exalted mages of Necessarius to our humble home?” she teased. Kaori lost her grin. “We heard about what happened, and have come to offer whatever help we could,” she stated sadly. Turning to Twilight, she added. “I am so sorry you experienced that. Turning back to Sunset she added, “And we’re sorry you had to experience that too. Having had to take another’s life defending my friends and self, I have some idea of what you may be going through. And it’s not anything I would wish on anyone. Though I am certain you will come through this stronger and better than you ever were. You have a strong and beautiful heart, Sunset. Kaori smiled again. “And neither of you are alone. You have many friends, including us. And we will do anything we can to help you.” Sunset smiled. “Thank you. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear that.” Sunset rolled over to Kaori and took her hands. “Thank you, Kaori.” She turned to Stiyl. “Thank you too, Stiyl. I’m really glad you are both here.” Stiyl smiled and nodded. Twilight sat down beside them. “Me too!” she agreed, smiling at them both. “So do you know anything about the coven that attacked us? We tried looking through the Academy databases, but couldn’t find anything specific.” Kaori nodded. “I’m not surprised. Unless they had direct experience going up against the individual coven’s they wouldn’t have that kind of information. Do you still have the blade? I could take a look and see if it seems familiar, as I have had direct experience fighting against the known covens and cults.” Knives out. Twilight manifested the portal and floated the blade out and over to Kaori in a Magenta glow. The portal shut and disappeared with a loud pop. Kaori took the blade in her hands, turning it over and examining the runes and inscriptions. She nodded her head. “Yes. This is the ceremonial sacrificial knife used to offer souls to the fallen gods. This is a style I haven’t seen in a while though.” She handed the blade over to Stiyl, who also examined the Runes. “Yes. These Runes are unique to one of the covens we’ve gone up against before. They haven’t been active for a while. I guess we know what they were doing in the meantime now. Clearly biding their time.” Stiyl handed the blade back to Kaori, who continued to study it. He turned to Sunset. “Those Runes are the marks of the Coven Sorores Deorum Veterum. The sisters of the elder gods. They believe the only true gods are the fallen gods, so it’s not really surprising to see they are still attempting to traffic in human souls. They despise harmony and its precepts, seeing it as a weakness and affront to nature, which they teach seeks the destruction of the weak by the strong.” Sunset nodded and scowled. “Sisters of the Elder Gods. Sounds so quaint for a bloodthirsty group of ruthless magic users.” Stiyl nodded. “They are as twisted as they come. They firmly believe that the only way to achieve true immortality is as a servant to their true gods - the fallen gods. If they’re involved, it’s a sure bet that they were trying to advance their agenda of destroying anything that stands in the path of the ascendency of the fallen gods. That means pretty much all of the Realm of men, including Academy City and all esper-based magic. And all the gods and goddesses that have switched to the ways of Harmony,” Sunset nodded. “Which is the entirety of Elysium and most of the Astral Plane, excluding the Outer Realms.” Twilight nodded. “So, how do we find this coven? How do we stop them from doing anything like this ever again?” Stiyl nodded his head. “That’s the right question. I wish I had a better answer for you. We’ve been trying to track them down for a long time. They are very secretive, and do not often leave clues behind that can lead back to them. The only reason you have this here is because of the quick and efficient way you dealt with the threat. If the mage who attacked Twilight were still alive, you would never have recovered this knife, and we would still be guessing.” Kaori nodded in agreement. “That said, we have never been able to track them back to any headquarters or permanent site. Our hope is that with this slip-up, they may do something less cautious and you two might have a chance to track them back. Now that you know they are targeting you, you can be on your guard, and perhaps with that catch them unawares.” Twilight agreed. “It’s worth a shot. I’ll be extra vigilant going forward.” Sunset nodded. “Me too! No one gets attacked on my watch.” Kaori and Stiyl smiled. “And that’s why we are glad to have you both on our side. We need to keep our friends safe,” agreed Kaori. “So how are we going to track any coven members trying to track or target us?” asked Twilight as she sat down. “How will we know if they are part of the coven?” “You won’t,” stated Kaori. “There’s no way you can know until after the fact. Unfortunately, that means that you will have to be a little paranoid for now. Anyone hanging around consistently that shouldn’t be. Anyone acting or even seeming suspicious. Anyone who threatens you. At this point, you have to assume the worst. And eventually, the hope is, awful as it is to say, you’ll be right.” “That’s basically it,” agreed Stiyl. “At some point, you will see something suspicious, track it back, and hopefully hit the jackpot. That’s our hope.” “So are we looking for a specific type of magical signature? Anything that might stand out?” asked Sunset. “Nope,” stated Kaori. “At this point, anything magical fits the bill. You will need to keep your metaphorical eyes open all the time. It takes some practice, but get’s easier the more you do it.” “Okay. I have some fobs to make. Back in a bit.” Twilight got up and went into their bedroom. “What’s that about,” asked Stiyl. Sunset explained. “We are giving magically keyed TACIT fobs to each of the girls. That way, if they are ever in trouble, they can teleport directly to Twilight or me. We will have TACIT fobs too that will anchor the girl’s teleports.” “Smart thinking. Do you think Kaori and I could get a set? It might be handy to be able to reach you in an emergency like that,” requested Stiyl. “I think that sounds reasonable. Can you go ask Twilight to make you two sets as well then?’ requested Sunset. Nodding, Stiyl got up from the couch and knocked on the bedroom door. Twilight invited him in. “Penny for your thoughts?” asked Sunset, seeing Kaori looking pensive. Kaori replied. “I’m just a bit concerned about all this is all. Still quite a few unknowns. And honestly? I was not expecting any of the covens or players to come after you girls so soon. I really thought we had more time.” “Me too,” agreed Sunset. Stiyl returned from the bedroom. He had two fobs in hand. He handed one to Kaori and placed the other over his head and under his shirt. “There, that’s sorted. Kaori, we should let them get some rest. Let’s say good night and head out.” “Agreed,” Kaori nodded, placing her own fob over her head and under her shirt as well. “Okay. Please tell Twilight we said good night. Good night, Sunset.” They both bowed to Sunset, and she returned the bow, then gave them a parting hug. “Thank you for stopping by, and for the information. It’s nice to not just be shooting in the dark any longer,” she said as she walked them to the door. “Have a great evening you two!” “You too, Sunset,” smiled Kaori as they left. Sunset locked the door behind them, then wheeled over to the bedroom to check on her BFF. “So that was quick. I didn’t think you would be able to put theirs together so quickly,” she commented as she rolled up behind Twilight and hugged her around her waist as she worked. “I had one of them already made, so it didn’t take as long as you would think,” she smiled, still working. “And good idea on that. All our friends should have them. We need to be able to reach any of them in a pinch.” “I thought so, too. It seemed like a good suggestion,” agreed Sunset, snuggled against her friend. “So going to be up a while?” she asked. “Nah, I got this. Give me like 20 more minutes tops,” smiled Twilight back. “Go ahead and get ready for bed. I’ll join you as soon as these are done, and we can give them to the girls when we see them.” “Sounds like a plan, Sparky,” agreed Sunset. She rolled over to her desk and gathered her bathroom bag, snagged a pair of PJs from her dresser, then rolled out and into the bathroom. Several minutes later, her evening ablutions completed, she transferred into bed, reading her phone while waiting for her BFF. Twilight finished up a short while later, placing the fobs into a drawer, then snagging a pair of lavender-shaded PJs for herself and heading to the bathroom. A few minutes later she slipped into bed next to her friend and snuggled up. “Good night, Sunny,” she smiled happily. “Good night, Sparky,” smiled Sunset back, setting the alarm on her phone and turning out the lights, but leaving the window clear so they could enjoy the city lights. She put her phone away and turned to Twilight. “I love you, Twilight Sparkle,” she smiled, eyes shut. “I love you too, Sunset Shimmer,” smiled Twilight back. A few moments later, both girls were sound asleep.