//------------------------------//
// 46 - Adopt 
// Story: Gladiator 
// by Not_A_Hat 
//------------------------------//

"Lyra, Vinyl, this is Artemis. She's our new vocalist, if you'll have her."
 
"Oh, good job!" Vinyl slid her 'phones off and came around the crates in the center of the studio. Lyra looked up from the music she was arranging. Bit was at the library, practicing, but Twilight had decided I wouldn't be much help, so I'd taken the time to connect with Luna. At my urging, she'd delegated some of her work and whipped up a disguise.
 
She'd gone pinto.
 
It was surprisingly eye-catching. Dark blue blotches on a white background gave her an odd, but not unpleasant, look. Her mane shared the coloration, with highly-contrasting streaks. She'd decided to come as a pegasus, and even her feathers had a mottling to them. Her shorter height was a little strange to me; I was used to looking her in the eye. Now her dark eyelashes made her seem oddly shy as she looked up through them.
 
"Oh, oh!" Lyra bounced over and inspected her closely "Are you from around here? I think I would have noticed a painted pegasus!"
 
"She's my therapist." I nodded to the her cutie mark, a pillow with her usual moon embroidered on it; apparently completely changing a cutie mark was very difficult. "She helps me deal with my nightmares."
 
"I don't get out much." Her voice was soft and sweet. Like Celestia, she seemed to change her attitudes somewhat with her disguises. Luna veered uncertainly between formal and intimate; Artemis was more stable, hovering right around 'shy'. We'd been practicing with the disguise for a few hours.
 
"Well, let's have an audition!" Vinyl flipped a mic off the rack and tossed it to her. She caught it deftly with a wing, wrapping her feathers around it.
 
"Interesting." Lyra gave her a sharp look at that. "You've got excellent control."
 
"Ahah." She laughed nervously, trying to deflect attention. Pegasi could flex their feathers if they practiced, but few actually held things. "What should I sing?"
 
"Start with scales." Vinyl flipped switches, and speakers hummed to life. "We'll see how you do."
 
I walked around the table and settled onto my beanbag. I had no doubts about the outcome of this audition; Luna was highly skilled. If she made up her mind to join, we'd go to the Battle of the Bands for sure.
 



 
"Both of you ready?"
 
I nodded. Across the ring, Rainbow nodded back.
 
"Remember, be careful! This is a sparring match. I'll count points, and if it gets out of control I'll be stepping in."  Lyra gave both of us a final glare and stepped back.
 
We were in Lyra's studio. Bit, who liked following me everywhere, watched intently from the corner. I saw Rainbow's eyes narrow and firmed my own resolve. I focused on the horn tucked into my belt at the small of my back. It just needed to be near my skin.
 
The match was partly for me and partly for Rainbow. She'd told me she was improving and wanted a re-match. I'd been hesitant at first; I was doing better, but if I ever lost my cool, it would be in a fight. Still, I considered what Lyra said; if I never practiced correctly, I couldn't be confident when it mattered. So, I'd asked her to ref, and she'd agreed.
 
I wasn't as confident as I  pretended. We were both good fighters. I'd won last time we'd fought, but we'd both come a long way since. Rainbow had been in life-or-death fights, while I'd had calm and controlled instruction. We'd both grown considerably. I was now a fledgling echonarch metamage, but Rainbow…I had no idea what she'd been up to, and that was a little worrying. She'd held her own against Shadow, supporting Applejack and me from the air wonderfully.
 
Whatever happened, it would be a rush. I firmed my resolve as Lyra dropped the flag.
 
I harmonized my magic as fast as I could. I'd been drilling for exactly this. Until I got my power moving, I couldn't do anything really effective.
 
I was barely fast enough.
 
Even as my magic thrummed into place, Rainbow closed on me. Without my excellent instincts, she'd have floored me right there. I ducked under her hoof and dodged like crazy.
 
Hmmmm….
 
I hummed quietly to myself, focusing extra power to my core and senses, enhancing balance and agility. Rainbow seemed to slow slightly. I watched in amazement as she pivoted on a wing, making an impossibly tight turn and coming back at lethal speeds.
 
Still off balance from ducking, I threw myself sideways. Her blow swished past me and I saw her grimace in frustration. I sprang out of my tumble and pushed off the wall, diving for her. I grinned as I launched a solid strike, but scowled when I only hit her aura.
 
Chagrined, I realized my error.
 
Before I could react, a blow fell directly between my shoulders. Rainbow was behind me. I tried spinning , but she had learned to read blind spots and I couldn't even get her in my vision. A jagged rainbow trail mocked me; I'd made the most elementary of mistakes, trying to fight a pegasus with speed.
 
The blows came hard and fast. I did my best to hold my concentration and managed to keep from losing my harmony completely; my skin reddened as out-of-control dissonance flickered through my body, but I didn't feel any burns. I was learning, slowly.
 
I hummed again, trying to concentrate on a new sequence of notes. The magic in my body started to shift, moving towards a more defensible configuration. I wrapped stanzas of magic around my heart and bones, pushing lumps of it into my muscles. My stance changed as I lowered my center of gravity.
 
I focused on blocking, trying to soften the hammering Dash was dishing out. I hesitantly released my fighting spirit a little, trying for a more agressive flow while still holding my control.
 
Rainbow drew back slightly, grinning as I started moving more fluidly, but I struck past her defense and she scowled again.
 
Then we were at it hammer and tongs. Blows flew thick and fast in both directions. I blocked, she dodged. Finally, as she bent around a strike, carefully deflecting momentum and laughing at my frustration, I felt my concentration slip. With a quiet fizz, my internal magic deharmonized and I crashed.
 
I'd have taken a hoof to the face but at that moment Lyra stepped in, literally interposing herself in the fight. I fell back gratefully as Rainbow's blow was harmlessly blocked.
 
"Rainbow wins," she announced calmly.
 
"Heh." I panted. "Good fight, Rainbow. I guess you were right." And it had been a good fight. I had maintained my calm through the whole thing, and I'd even managed to hold my magic in check for longer than before. I was doing better. I couldn't have dreamed of fighting on that level without Lyra's training. Still, Rainbow's improvement had been just as impressive, if not more.
 
"Hay yeah!" Rainbow grinned back. "I told you I'd be training!"
 
"Excellent, both of you." Lyra nodded and helped me up. "You took my advice, Dash."
 
"Yeah, well. It's sensible."
 
"Oh?" I carefully started stretching, wincing at bruises. We'd both pulled punches, but that didn't mean we weren't hurt. "What was that?"
 
"Same as I gave you; understand your strengths. Rainbow doesn't need force; if she brings more of her formidable speed to the ring, nopony will match her."
 
"Hear that?" The pegasus preened.
 
"Yeah." I smirked wolfishly. "She said no pony."
 



 
"Oh, yeah! Right there! Harder!"
 
I grinned. Rainbow was lying across my lap; as a prize for winning, she'd claimed a massage. We were sitting under a tree behind my house. It was a beautiful day.
 
I carefully worked the flight-control muscles at the base of her wings, running my fingers through her fluffy feathers.
 
"Ouch!"
 
"Oh, sorry!" I pulled my hands back. "Was that too hard?"
 
"No, I think I have a bruise. Work around it, will ya?"
 
"Sure." Though it had felt like it, I guess I wasn't the only one who got hit in that match. "Hmm." I inspected my hand, and thought back to my lessons.
 
"Hey! Keep going! I won, you know." Rainbow glanced up at me, pouting.
 
"Just a sec, I'm going to try something."
 
Hmmm….
 
I focused on my internal magic, carefully modulating a tiny, tiny flow into my fingertips. I wanted it to project ever so slightly past the skin of my palm, but moving magic outside my body was much harder than moving it within. When I thought I had it right, I gently went back to rubbing Rainbow's back.
 
"Oh!"
 
"Did I burn you?" I yanked my hand back.
 
"No, just surprised. How are you doing that?"
 
"Magic." I grinned. If the technique was working, my power should be felt by Rainbow as heat, injected directly through her skin.
 
"Awesome. Back to work!"
 
"Yes, yes."
 
I carefully resumed my labors. The hardworking pegasus had knots and stress all through her muscles, despite her regular and excellent exercise routine. It probably came from sleeping wherever and whenever she felt like, in whatever position she happened to be.
 
As Rainbow slowly relaxed on my lap, I gazed up and around, appreciating her weather-work. The day was clear as a bell, and the sky shone a bright, cool blue. The green leaves of the tree above me were lustrous and dark, and the grass surrounding was lush and long. A pleasant breeze blew in from the Everfree, carrying distant scents of bewitching danger, spicy and enticing. It was late summer, and the whole world was lazy and relaxed, lying in restful wait before the big push of autumn.
 
For a little while, I was free of Bit's constant attention. It was at the library, taking lessons from Spike on how to be a number one assistant. Hopefully that would actually be helpful, and not simply increase the complications. At the very least he should be teaching it how to write, which meant I could actually give the little bug some duties. That would make it a little happier.
 
"Weeeeeesssssssss!"
 
"Who's that?" Rainbow asked blearily. She sounded nearly asleep.
 
"Ssssssh!" I hissed back. "It's Sakura - Cherry Blossom! Maybe she won't come around around back."
 
"Rainbow Dash!"
 
"Scoots?" Rainbow perked up at that. "I'm back here!" She yelled.
 
"Thanks, " I groaned.
 
"Hey, chill out, Wes. Listen; you asked if there's something you can do with a fanclub? Well, there's another one I didn't mention. Troll them. I think I know what Scoots wants."
 
"Rainbow? Oh! Hey, Sakura, they're back here!" Scootaloo stuck her head around the corner of the house. Sakura followed a second later. She puffed out a cheek in annoyance when she saw Rainbow on my lap.
 
"What's up, fillies?" I greeted them calmly. Although Sakura's constant attention could be even more wearing than Bit, mainly because she was louder, I didn't actually dislike her. I just wanted a little peace and quiet today, and unbounded enthusiasm for everything was inimical to that.
 
"Oh, Wes. What are you two doing?" Sakura asked, warily.
 
"I was getting a massage." Rainbow stood and stretched, skimming my nose with her wing. "But since it was interrupted, I'll be back for the rest, later."
 
"Fine, fine." I crossed my arms behind my head and leaned back against the tree. "Slavedriver."
 
"You promised."
 
"Yes, yes."
 
"Practice that heat thing you were doing. It was great."
 
"As you wish." I turned to Sakura. "That's all it was. A backrub."
 
"Well, if you say so."
 
"I do."
 
"Ok, then. Well, Scootaloo and I were talking." She shot a glance at the orange filly, who huffed. "You see, we both run fanclubs, and we were trying to decide who's was better."
 
"Rainbow Dash is awesomer!" Scootaloo exclaimed, angrily.
 
"Awesomer isn't even a word!" Sakura shot back. "Wes would know that!"
 
"Hey, no need to fight." Rainbow calmed them both. "So, what was your plan?"
 
Of course they had a plan. I was beginning to see where this was going.
 
"We'd have a contest, of course! Something like hoofball, or poker, or dominoes!"
 
"Dominoes?"
 
"Dominoes are hard! But we needed you two to compete as well. That way, we'd not only know who had a better club, but also a better leader."
 
Rainbow winked at me before throwing a wing over Sakura's shoulder.
 
"Alright, I'm in. Where do I sign up?"
 
Suddenly realizing what she was up to, I sauntered over to Scoots and crossed my arms.
 
"You're on, Dash. Let's do this, Scoots!"
 
"Huh?"
 
They were dumbfounded.
 
"But…" Sakura began.
 
"I'm the leader of your fanclub!" Scootaloo yelled at Dash, halfway between annoyance and bitterness.
 
"Oh, I know it!" Dash gave her a placating nod. "And you're awesome, little sis. Don't get me wrong. But Wes is almost as awesome as I am, so I want to be part of his fan-club."
 
"Wait…" Sakura, clearly confused, glanced at me.
 
"Right." I shrugged. "Rainbow is slammin' cool. I want to be in her club." The two club-leaders exchanged worried looks.
 
"Um…" Scootaloo gave an embarrassed shrug. "Are we being ridiculous?"
 
"Maybe we are." Sakura grinned sheepishly. "Why are we so worked up over this?"
 
"Hey, no!" Rainbow gave Sakura a playful buffet. "Don't back down now! I want to have a massive dominoes tournament!"
 
"Only cuz you lose at poker." I smirked.
 
"Hush, you." She stuck her tongue out at me. "I like dominoes. You're just scared of being dominated."
 
"Oh, I'm afraid, all right. Afraid of your puns. Be careful, or I'll take punitive action. I'll send you to the punitentiary. For PUNISHMENT."
 
"Oh yeah? Well-"
 
We both cut off to the sound of giggles. The two fillies were standing next to each other, trying not to laugh. A grin shared with Rainbow confirmed my thoughts; this might end up being fun.
 



 
"It really doesn't spin."
 
I flopped down on the grass, staring at our construction. A length of wire, nearly a hundred feet, stretched from Rainbow's cloud house to the ground, where it terminated in a heavy plum-bob. The pendulum was swinging gently. Bit watched one end of the arc, while Spike watched the other. We were on Twilight's lawn, just behind the library.
 
I felt a magical tap on my temple, and let the link start.
 
"Check my work?"
 
"No need!"
 
We were wary of discussing this experiment out loud. Earth spun. Equus apparently didn't, demonstrating this was definitely a different planet. Not that I really needed proof, but at the very least, I'd been skeptical about the 'raise the sun' thing.
 
But here was empirical evidence. This planet didn't rotate.
 
"Look, Foucault's Pendulum is a ridiculously simple experiment. Get a long wire, at least a hundred feet. Hang a heavy weight. Give it a push. If the planet spins, the pendulum slowly circles its suspension point. This one doesn't, not by more than millimeters. That means we're either exactly on the equator, or your planet has no notable spin."
 
"I get that, but…you're so sure this thing should move. Are you certain we're not doing it wrong?"
 
"Careful of your bias, Twilight! Or rather, my bias. Yes, I'm shocked. How your solar system works is ridiculous to me. Seriously, I thought a Tychonic system laughable.  Now? Well, I've proved it's not heliocentric, at least not in any way I understand."
 
We glanced at the pendulum again. I shrugged.
 
"Now, if we get our speed-of-light experiment going, we might actually have a common reference frame."
 
"Yeah, but the precision prism will take time. I've been grinding it myself, but glasswork is slow. My telescope took nearly a year."
 
"We could hire it out?"
 
"I'm considering it. It goes against my principles, and I'd have to double-check the work anyways, but still. What's the rush?"
 
"I've been thinking about it, is all."
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Well, see, the speed of light is constant. For now, we'd best assume that's still true; I'm not qualified to re-write special relativity. However, it's entirely possible that my universe and yours, although sharing constants, may be in different reference frames. Actually, the more I think about it, the more likely it seems. I mean, why would both our worlds be going the same direction, at the same speed?"
 
"Oh. I see. You're talking about time dilation."
 
"Bingo. It's possible the flow of time is drastically different between our universes. I might end up like Rip Van Winkle or worse, if I even make it home. I always thought the 'spend a week here and no time there' trope in fantasy was pretty silly, but the more I consider it, the more it actually starts seeming reasonable. The only problem is acceleration energy, but hey. Magic."
 
"…interesting."
 
"Right? Unfortunately, there's no way to confirm, and nothing we could do, even if it was so. We'll just have to wait and see. I can pretend there's a fifty-percent chance it falls in my favor, at least."
 
"Are you two even listening?"
 
"Huh?" Both Twilight and I snapped out of our fugue, turning to the pony addressing us. Telepathy was convenient, but we both tended to zone pretty hard.
 
"Sunset?" We exclaimed, double-taking in unison.
 
"Not that I'm unhappy, but why are you here?" I asked.
 
"In a minute. Were you two practicing telepathy?"
 
"How much does she know?" Twilight asked silently.
 
"Most of it." I mentally shrugged. "I thought, well, because of her brother…"
 
"Ok, I guess she does have some right. Still."
 
"Sorry." I winced. I'd been trying to make a friend, but half those secrets hadn't really been mine. Twilight was right to call me out; she didn't know Sunset, and had no real reason to trust her with blackmail material. I'd been careless.
 
"Stop it!" Sunset interjected again. "Don't you know how dangerous numancy can be? What has Celestia been teaching you?"
 
"Hold up a second!" Twilight visibly bristled at the implied slight. "Celestia taught me all about numancy, and how dangerous it is! I did this to save Wes' life. The…thing is just a side-effect."
 
"Really." Sunset sounded skeptical. "Just a side-effect. And there's no side effect to that?"
 
"Not that we've found." I shrugged. "As far as we can tell, rest and healing are happening, so we haven't touched the original spell. Our synchronization rate has been dropping slowly; if it continues like this, we'll be healed in another month or so." I pictured that; I'd be able to finally free myself from the last marks of my bondage. If nothing went wrong.
 
"Yeah!" Twilight stepped forward, uncharacteristically aggressive. "What's it to you, anyways?"
 
"Excuse me! I’m just trying to look out for-" She stopped, looking at me askance. "Well, maybe I need to make this clear." She turned to me, took up a firm stance, and drew in a deep breath. "Wesley Kilmer, be my brother!"
 
"Huh?" Twilight stopped, dumbfounded.
 
"What?" I gasped, equally taken aback.
 
"…please?" At my response, uncertainty crept into her voice.
 
"Um, no, I mean, maybe, um…" I waved my hands frantically. "Hold up a sec. What's going on here?"
 
"Well…" She drew in a deep breath. "It's complicated." She glanced at Twilight.
 
"You know my secrets." Twilight obstinately stamped a hoof. "Besides, Wesley's my friend."
 
"Alright." Sunset thought for a minute. "Fine. I'll tell you both. Let's go for a walk." She turned and led us away.
 
"Hold up!" I turned back to the experiment. "Bit, Spike, great job; you were both very helpful. Spike, could you show Bit how to file experimental data?" The dragon nodded and grinned, giving me a thumbs-up. He was very proud to be teaching Bit, as one assistant to another.
 
"Who was that?" Sunset gave them a curious glance, as Bit followed Spike into the library.
 
"My new aide." I shrugged. "I'll explain later. Now, what were you talking about?"
 
"Oh. Right." She gave me a hesitant glance. "Well, um."
 
We walked quietly for a little. Both Twilight and I waited for her to speak. It was overcast today, since rain was planned for the weekend. It was still pleasant, if a bit blustery. I shoved my hands in my pockets and slouched along, uncomplaining. I liked walking.
 
"Well, what've you been doing since Manehatten?" I casually suggested. "It's been a few weeks."
 
"Oh. Sure." She gave a small sigh. "Well, I wrapped up my business in the city. There wasn't much; pack my lab, close out of my lease, dip into emergency funds to pay back my contacts." She shrugged. "They help, because they know it's coming back to them. Thankfully, I was never in dire enough straits to fall in with the really bad crowd. After that, I visited Canterlot."
 
She groaned and hung her head.
 
"That was awkward. Celestia and I tried to re-connect. I took down my blocking spell…heh. Did you know, I set it up so that if she mailed me a vivre card it bounced right back, on fire? It was pretty fun, actually, making it." She sighed again. "So, I did my best, and she did too. But you can't repair that sort of gulf overnight. I spent years hating her, and she spent years worrying about me. Now…we're friends, but neither is the same." She shrugged. "Though it was awkward, it was still worth doing. That's about all I've done, really."
 
"After that, you came here?"
 
"Actually…" She gave a worried glance. "I moved here."
 
"Really?" Twilight sounded surprised. "To Ponyville? Why?"
 
"For the first time in years, some ponies called me friend and meant it. They live here."
 
"So… this brother thing," I started. She winced. "Hey, easy. I'm not disparaging you; far from it. I just want to understand what's going on."
 
"Partly, it's selfish." Sunset said, quietly. "You were friendly to me, Wes. You really cared, and you pushed me to care as well. I…well, I felt close to you. And it was a long time since I felt close to anypony."
 
"Listen, Sunset." Twilight stepped up beside her, and gave her a friendly nuzzle. "That's not selfish. It's OK to want to be happy. It's OK to want friends. That's the thing about friendship; when we do it right, everypony gets happier. You can help yourself, and help others at the same time. Don't beat yourself up over that."
 
"There's more, though." Sunset sighed even more deeply and hung her head a little lower. We were slowing, now; her hooves seemed heavy. "If it was just that, I wouldn't ask you to be my brother."
 
"Alright, but I haven't said no." I shrugged, and picked a bench nearby to sit on. Ponyville was full of restful green spaces. "I'm unsure what you intend, but if you want my help, Sunset, it's yours." I sat down.
 
"You really mean that." She gave me a wondering glance.
 
"I try." I patted the bench, and they joined me. "I want to be a man of my word. So, lay it on me. What's going down?"
 
"It's my cutie mark." She glanced at Twilight, who glanced at her flank. I'd seen it before; it was a red-and-gold yin-yang sun. "Have either of you heard my talent?"
 
"No." Twilight shook her head. "I'd never even heard of you, before our meeting in the snow."
 
"Heh." Sunset glanced at me; I shook my head. "Fine. Well, here it is; my talent is 'Exceeding Expectations'."
 
"Wow." Twilight gasped, obviously shocked. I shook my head slowly.
 
"Isn't that a little…"
 
"Broken? Overpowered? Maybe." Sunset gave a humorless laugh. "Here's the catch, though. They need to be the expectations of somepony else. And I have no idea how that person is chosen."
 
"….oh." That did balance it a little. "And since you have no real idea what their expectations might be…"
 
"I have no idea what I'll get help with, ever."
 
"That sounds hard." Twilight shook her head. "And weird. I mean, I'm no thaumotrician, but I've read up on cutie marks. Sure, there's no rules; but you break at least three guidelines."
 
"Yup." Sunset shrugged. "First, it's open-ended. Maybe not as confusing as a circular mark, but it still breaks definition. Secondly, it relies on other ponies. That's very odd, and not something you see much of. Thirdly, it's unstable." She gave her mark a searching glance. "Most talents, you know what they mean, where they come from, and how to use them. Mine's a bit of a mystery, even to me. The story isn't even interesting; it just showed up one day." She shrugged.
 
"Because of that, I've never been really clear on what it meant or how to use it. In school, I did well; I exceeded expectations, time and again. I quickly rose until I was being tutored by the Princess herself. Then we had our falling-out." She stared into the distance. "You know about that." We nodded silently.
 
"Well, I spent years distancing myself from everypony, Celestia first. After a while, I realized I had no idea if I'd ever find my brother." She caught my eyes. "I'll admit, when I reached that conclusion I snapped pretty hard." I gently placed a hand on her neck. Twilight followed suit. "The thing is, somewhere in there, I realized that I was doing it wrong. But I wasn't really willing to own up to it until you pushed me." She nodded to me. "I…well, I said my talent is unstable. When we met, I was half-convinced I'd lost it for good."
 
"Can that happen?" I asked, uncertainly.
 
"Maybe." Sunset shrugged. "There are no rules."
 
"Dang."
 
"But it didn't end there." She gave a slow shake of her head. "Remember in the cell, when I pretended you were Splinter? And I scanned your… Not fetlock. Wrist?"
 
"Yeah." I remembered the vivid spark of blue, and telling her not to hurt herself. "Why?"
 
"I shouldn't have been able to do that." Sunset drew a shuddering breath. "Do you have any idea how many inhibitors they'd dosed me with?"
 
"…no."
 
"Enough to destroy my magic completely."
 
Twilight's gasp of horror was mirrored by my own.
 
"<Damn.>" I said quietly, getting one curious and one disapproving stare. Magic inhibitors targeted areas of the brain that worked spells. I'd never considered long-term damage from an overdose, but there are no perfectly safe drugs. "No wonder you were so hopeless."
 
"Exactly. I knew they planned to kill me. But I didn't count on you expecting something from me." She looked up to me. "I don't know what it was. Don't say it! Maybe nothing specific, even. A hope, dream, or wish. The point is, my cutie mark felt that." She looked up at the sun. "And so, here I am. Near as I can tell, there's no damage. I don't have short-term memory loss, or aphasia, or dementia…as near as I can tell, the damage was wiped. Whatever you expected, I've surpassed it. And." She gave me a long look. "I want more of that. So, although it might be selfish, I'll ask you again. Be my brother, Wesley Kilmer."
 
"With pleasure."
 
"R-really? You mean that?"
 
"With all my heart. I told you, Sunset. I want to be your friend. If you need my help, it's yours."
 
"A-and you?" She turned to Twilight.
 
"Oh, Sunset." Twilight hugged her more tightly. "As if I could refuse that plea. But yes, I'm Ok with it. And I want to be your friend, if you'll have me."
 
"Thanks." Sunset sniffled quietly. I nodded, and for a while, we just sat there. Three friends, in the park.