//------------------------------// // 11 - Sunset // Story: Dazzling New Life // by AFanaticRabbit //------------------------------// To say Sunset was exhausted would be stating the obvious. Her legs moved sluggishly, but she dragged them along with every step through the castle halls. That was what Sonata and Aria had found. An entire castle in disrepair, not having been touched in an awfully long time. While Sunset had no real experience with architectural history, it looked similar to her tower, larger, more extensive. It was clearly built for more than a hoofful of lookouts. She pinned a piece of worn parchment to the wall with a hoof of technical drawings on the back. The side facing her had various square shapes that she labelled with shakey pencil scratches. While her body was dead tired, her mind hadn’t gotten the memo, so she needed something to do, and that something became exploration and labelling. There wasn’t much to the outer walls other than a series of multi-level corridors and towers built the same as hers. Sunset marked off the breaks to be shored up, maybe restack the stones or bury them in some makeshift palisades with the help of the others. For everywhere else, she wrote down what she thought the rooms would be best used for: bedrooms, kitchen and pantry, storage. The old spaces probably had specific uses in whatever age the castle originated from, but they weren’t relevant anymore. Sonata’s room was the latest scribble on her little map, and the restless pony behind her slowly spun in circles in the empty space. It had a few narrow windows directed north, letting in the waning twilight. They didn’t see much other than the worn outer wall and the myriad of trees, both the few within the walls and the many beyond. A few old shelves, barely stable, jut out of the wall nearest the door, and Sonata had dragged up an old table from the basement, which looked remarkably good. “A whole room for me,” she muttered for the third time in a row. With a chuckle, Sunset tucked her pencil and the parchment back into her jacket with her teeth. “Do what you want with it. I figure you guys will appreciate it.” “You’re going to encourage her to hoard with that, you know,” Aria said. Or her head, at least, from atop Sonata’s back. “Why’s it so big, anyway.” The thought had crossed Sunset’s mind, but the stay was likely temporary, truth be told. They’d quickly gathered up as much as possible and loaded it onto a cart before rolling it out to the castle. Sunset had left Adagio and Chrysalis to unload downstairs while she explored with Sonata, letting her previous guide Sunset, limited as it was. She blew a raspberry at Aria, dismissively waving a hoof. “Naw, it’s fine. It’s her space, anyway. I don’t really care what she fills with it. The same goes for you.” She stepped back momentarily and grabbed Sonata with a leg, then dragged her out the doorless entryway and across the hall to another room. It was mostly identical, except for the windows with shutters attached. Only one was open, leaving the room even darker and dimmer than Sonata’s. “This one is yours. Once you get patched up, it puts you right next door to Sonata, so you can keep an eye on her.” Aria’s head looked around the room, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. “…I guess I’m okay with it then. If I hear scraping, I can better tell Sonata to quit dragging in whatever heavy crap she has.” Sonata whined and turned to face Aria. “I haven’t done anything like that yet! Where is that coming from?” If Aria had shoulders, Sunset was sure she’d shrug them. “Eh, it’s just a feeling.” Sunset shook her head as she walked back out. “I’m going to check on Adagio and Chrysalis.” As she made her way to the circular stairs that marked the opposite corners of the castle, Sunset looked over the map she had drawn. The bottom floor had the most notes scrawled around it, with the largest room indicating the entrance to the old lab Sonata discovered when she was last there. There wasn’t much to glean from the lab other than serving as physical proof that she wasn’t the first to study golemancy. Heck, Twilight’s experience and work proved that too. What astounded Sunset was just how old the space was. Remarkably few notes had survived the years, and the few she could find were illegible, faded by time and written in a script she only vaguely recognised as pre-dating modern writing. Coming down the stairs, Sunset folded the map and held a hoof to her head. She could probably find something or someone to help her decipher what they say, but there were more important things to think about. A thump and a clatter drew Sunset’s attention to the old throne room, and she picked up her pace. Adagio and Chrysalis’s voices echoed around her as she stepped in, making Sunset wince. “Don’t just drop it on me!” Adagio drew her lips back in a snarl aimed at Chrysalis, whose expression appeared mostly disinterested save for the squint in her eyes. She looked like a skeleton given life that walked out of the fires of Tartarus, and catching glimpses of her work at the old tower made some of Sunset believe that was the case. A torn sack of parts lay between them, gems and metal pieces and even a few tools strewn about Adagio’s feet. At least some of them appeared to be damaged, including a small hammer whose head had flown off its handle. “You’re the one more familiar with what she wants where,” said Chrysalis. “I was merely passing it over for you to sort.” “What makes you think I know what goes where any more than you do?” Adagio stamped a hoof. “I was here first, certainly, but all of this sciency stuff is below me. Besides, I need a warning before you just drop it. What if I was in the middle of something?” Despite the lack of muscles and skin, Sunset swore Chrysalis smirked. “You weren’t. I checked. Wouldn’t want you to break yourself and Sunny’s toys, hm?” “Listen here, you overgrown fre—“ “Stop!” Sunset’s shout drowned out whatever string of insults Adagio was about to say, getting both the golems’ attention. Adagio turned to face Sunset, though Chrysalis moved little more than her eyes, tilting the flat, featureless discs Sunset’s way. “Can you tell her not to be obnoxious?” Adagio pointed at Chrysalis with a hoof. “Funny, I was going to say the same thing.” Adagio whipped her head around to growl at Chrysalis as that smirk spread into a grin. “I really don’t care. You’re both being obnoxious.” Sunset shut her eyes. “Just… get everything else in here, and I will sort out what goes where. I’ll get Sonata to help.” When she opened her eyes again, Adagio had once more torn her ire from Chrysalis. “…Fine.” Adagio glared up at Chrysalis again before stepping past Sunset toward the front door. “I cannot believe you put up with her,” said Chrysalis after a few moments of silence. “She’s irritating, I’ll give you that.” Sunset nodded, gestured with a hoof at Chrysalis, and spun about to leave the new lab. “But I also put her together. I feel a responsibility for her and… Well…” Sunset laughed, making sure to keep it a little quiet. “She cares about me and her sisters. I get the feeling if I ask her directly, she’ll give some pragmatic answer, but she cares. Plus, she is helpful at keeping the place tidy.” “So she is as soft and squishy as the rest of you ponies, then.” Chrysalis hummed, the noise coming through more like an electric whine than a muffled voice. “Maybe. I think that’s a good thing, though. It proves I did something right.” They turned as they stepped outside, passing the cart tucked up against the wall where Adagio took another sack onto her back. A few more crates were tucked toward the back, which had primarily been Chrysalis’ job. Sunset pointed to one and said, “Take the one on the left, please.” Without a word, Chrysalis’ horn lit up that sickly green, heaving up the heavy crate like a feather and carrying it through behind Adagio. “Then you made me. Odd choice, hm? Putting together something tough as steel and ready to fight?” Sunset eyed up the dent on Chrysalis’ back. “Not quite as tough as I’d have liked, but I was short on time and resources.” Squinting, Chrysalis hummed again. “Indeed.” The three stepped into the lab again, though the name wasn’t quite right yet. In their haste to leave the tower, Sunset and the others only grabbed some of her possessions, mostly everything that was already packaged or that Sunset could shove into her coat pockets. That included the broken metal table set on top of two crates. The tables from below served to be at least a little practical and were shoved into the corners while much of everything else had been pushed into a corner or against a wall. Adagio and Chrysalis added to the growing piles, setting their respective containers down with more muffled clattering as their contents settled. Sunset touched Adagio’s shoulder, getting her attention. “Go upstairs, be with the others. Chrysalis and I will sort out everything else.” For a moment, Adagio looked like she was going to argue, but after a glance at Chrysalis and her blackened metal frame, she nodded and silently left for the stairs. “You can’t carry half as much as she can,” Chrysalis said. Sunset chuckled in response. “Didn’t you say she was soft and squishy?” With a harumph, Chrysalis turned exit again, likely to retrieve the last crate, but Sunset reached for a back leg. Chrysalis turned back, her head tilted. “What?” “It’s not necessary for a while, but… I need to do something. Let me look at you and what needs fixing.” Chrysalis blinked, then stepped over to the dais at one end of the room where she sat. A few more crates and boxes were set up at the back, a reminder of the hole leading to the basement and to deter Sonata—and Sunset, really—from accidentally falling down the stairs. Sunset retrieved a rubber hammer from one of her inside pockets and took place next to Chrysalis. “Can you try extending the plate?” “It is extended,” Chrysalis said. The plate in question looked like it was still very much shut, save for the dent, but as Sunset looked closer, she realised the metal had rolled over the hinge somewhat. Wincing, Sunset put two hooves in the minuscule gap the dent made. “I’m not sure this will hurt, but it might.” “Considering I hardly felt it when it broke, I’d be surprised if you do anything!” Chrysalis arched her back as Sunset pushed the plate out. She didn’t bend it as much as she’d like, but she managed to open the hinge more until it stopped, giving her a little more leverage. The metal creaked in protest, especially when she brought a hind leg in, though eventually, the rounded plate was mostly angled how it should be, albeit far more open than Chrysalis’ expression implied. “Close it halfway,” Sunset ordered. With a grumble, Chrysalis complied. Once it was back in a more natural position, Sunset applied a few whacks with the mallet in mouth, banging the hinge first to ensure it was secure. She then climbed onto Chrysalis’ back, where she could better smack the inside of the plate, knocking the dent out little by little. The two sat in silence, aside from Sunset’s work. Bang, bang, rattling up through her teeth and jaw, shaking her head. It made Sunset’s scalp buzz, the base of her horn tingle. Every smack remained awkward, a motion she guessed at rather than the precision she could get if she still had her magic. She thought of solutions, but asking anyone who knew how the mechanism around her horn worked would be complicated. Perhaps Rarity could have a go, but that proposed the same problem, primarily since she and Sunset were known accomplices. Hopefully, the lack of knowledge the mare had spared her any punishment, but it also meant Sunset would find it difficult to return to her for further help. It took a while for Sunset to finish, but she got there as the metal audibly popped back into place. One more good smack ensured the remaining creases were minimised, though traces of the damage remained. She stepped back and spat the hammer on the floor, admiring her work. Chrysalis did the same after a few moments, realising that Sunset had ceased smacking her side. “…It doesn’t look finished,” Chrysalis said. “But… Battle scars are becoming of a beast such as I.” “I’d rather get it perfect.” Sunset walked back in front of Chrysalis and sat on the floor. “Though you are perfectly imperfect. Offcuts, old parts, some dents and scratches…” “You’re saying I look scary?” The tongue Sunset put together out of an old spinal piece slipped out, licking Chrysalis’ teeth. She hummed again, the sound rising from deep and low within Chrysalis’ chassis. “I am glad to hear it.” “In a way, yes. I’m irritated I couldn’t make you under better circumstances, but I’m happy with how you turned out.” Sunset beamed, though her smile quickly faltered. “I do want to make some improvements, but as things are, that is going to have to wait. I have so, so many things I have to do over the next day or two.” Chrysalis looked up for a second. “Watch out for the shiny soldiers and my mother. Fix up the idiot who got a little too far ahead—” Somehow, Chrysalis snorted “—and the one with the exposed back. Organise your new home, shore up defences, see what’s missing…” Sunset blinked as Chrysalis trailed off. “You’ve been muttering a lot the past few hours. I’d ask if everything is alright, but clearly, it’s not. Not that I care much other than keeping one of the two ponies who can take care of me safe.” Chrysalis’ horn shone, and Sunset was dragged across the floor and tucked between the giant golem’s legs. She was tall enough that there was space for Sunset to potentially stand, though Chrysalis ensured Sunset didn’t get the opportunity as she lowered herself down. They both collapsed to the floor, Sunset pinned where she lay by Chrysalis’ sheer size and weight. Her lack of padding meant her chassis dug into Sunset uncomfortably, mostly around her butt, but a leg over Sunset’s shoulders also pinched the skin by one of her shoulder blades. “Wh-what are you doing?” Chrysalis chuckled, the sound vibrating through her body and into Sunset. “I like how you feel. Soft and squishy. It makes me want to squeeze you until you pop, but I won’t. Not yet.” Grumpily, Sunset blew her mane from her face and squirmed however she could. She was primarily limited to banging her front hooves on the floor. “I have things I need to do now, Chrysalis.” “Relax for just a little while, Sunny. I seem to recall you like that, though the memory isn’t mine.” Chrysalis stuck out her tongue and mimicked a retching sound. “All those bubbly thoughts in the back of my mind. How does that other one even operate feeling so positive and cheerful.” Sunset slowed down, but she didn’t give up. Eventually, a back foot found purchase on a step. She needed to get up to continue working. She couldn’t just lay there. “I did want to ask you something.” As if sensing Sunset’s point of leverage, Chrysalis shuffled over a little, pinning the leg in place. “You and Twilight have horns. So do I, and there were one or two like you at the tower. They all lifted stuff, but I haven’t seen you do it once.” There, Sunset stilled herself. She could see Chrysalis’ horn in the corner of her eye. That was one other option she could take to free herself from the nullifier. Chrysalis had the means, but that posed a danger. If she didn’t have the dexterity, it could hurt Sunset, maybe even damage her horn. “It’s a complicated story. I’d rather get on with work than explain it—“ “You’re not going anywhere soon, Sunner. Tell me the story.” Chrysalis’ long neck allowed her to turn around and half-face Sunset. “Or shall I figure it out?” The giggle that rose through Chrysalis didn’t fit her voice or body. It was almost like a tiny bit of Sonata bled through, which made Sunset shiver. “Oh, I have some ideas. I do believe most of them have something to do with this.” Searing pain entered Sunset’s mind as something pulled on the top of her head. She flailed a hoof, putting it to the side of her horn and feeling around the ring. “S-stop!” Chrysalis' horn was doused, and she tilted her head. “That doesn’t want to come off, it seems.” She hummed. “Like it was made to stay there. That is what’s keeping you from levitating things around.” Weakly, Sunset nodded. “I’m guessing just ripping it off isn’t an option.” Sunset shook her head. “It has some delicate mechanisms that keep it in place. They’re complicated to explain, and…” She swallowed. “You don’t think I can fiddle with them, do you?” Sunset shook her head again. “No offence, but you’ve just been made.” “None taken.” The sneer Chrysalis gave seemed oddly jovial. “But I believe you will work better with that off. Then you can do whatever else it is that needs doing and work on me. So, I have a proposition.” Chrysalis leaned down a little more. Her neck shouldn’t have been able to bend the way it did, Sunset knew, but she did anyway like the metal was malleable. “If you stay still and let me cuddle you for the evening, you can explain how it works. It’ll be boring and bring me close to tears, but I am willing to put up with it until you either shut down from a lack of energy or until it’s off.” Chewing the inside of her cheek, Sunset glanced around the room. So many things needed organising or put away, including various items on the floor. It would take Sunset forever to organise stuff by hoof, likely about as long after she stopped Chrysalis and Adagio bickering. It would also help even the game between Sunset and Twilight again. “Fine,” Sunset said after a few minutes. “B-but no nibbling.” “Oh, Sunny.” Chrysalis practically purred, the edges of fangs grazing one of Sunset’s ears. “I can make no such promises.”