(Knock, knock...knock, knock, knock...)
“Alright, alright already, hold your horses...”
Rainbow Dash trudged down the stairs with a scowl plastered on her face, rubbing one of her eyes with her knuckle. For whatever reason, someone was pounding on the front door non-stop, not even waiting for someone to answer.
“Grrr, this better not be some kinda lame prank,” she growled, turning the locks on the door. “Cuz I swear if that's you Pinkie Pie, I'm gonna – whoa!”
The door opened inward to reveal a very tired, very distressed Sunset Shimmer. She was leaning against the door frame and completely out of breath, her hair and face dripping with sweat. Wheezing and gulping, she looked at her with bloodshot eyes and forced out, “(Pant), Rainbow, I...I'm sorry. I didn't know...(pant)...where else to go...”
The weakness in her voice made Rainbow's pupils contract as she looked at her. She opened her mouth to ask what happened, only to watch her shoulder slide off the frame as she slumped forward. Rainbow threw the door out of her way to catch her, feeling her heart sink when she felt her. Aside from her pounding heart, she was trembling uncontrollably.
“Hey, whoa! Sunset, you okay?! What's going on?!” Rainbow looked down as she held her up, noticing how dirtied her bare feet were. “...did you run here?”
She waited for a response, but didn't get one. All the girl could do was struggle to catch her breath. Sighing, Rainbow said, “C'mon, let's get you inside.”
----
It took another fifteen minutes before Sunset could calm down enough to stop shaking. Rainbow Dash had brought her up to her room, pulling the blanket off her bed and wrapping her in it before going back downstairs. She had seated herself on the floor at the foot of her bed, pulling the blanket around herself tight, reminding her of how cold she apparently was.
(creak)
“Hey, you doin' better now?”
Raising her head, she watched Rainbow slip into the room, gently closing the door behind herself. She was holding a mug full of a steaming drink, looking at her with a worried expression. Sunset's mouth twitched a little behind the blanket as she tried respond, though she found she was still too rattled to talk. Turning her eyes away, she simply nodded once.
“Well, that's good. At least you're not shakin' like that anymore,” Rainbow said, bending over slightly to give her the mug. “Here, this'll help warm you up. Hope ya don't mind that I microwaved it.”
Sunset took the mug in her hands through the blanket, blowing the steam off the top. Taking a quick sip, she was taken aback by the sudden burst of sweetness. It was hot chocolate. Pursing her lips, she forced out, “Th...thanks, Rainbow. I needed that.”
“Yeah, don't mention it,” she said casually, walking off to her side and pulling up a chair. Spinning it around backwards, she sat down and rested her arms on it, creasing her brow. “Okay, now...what was that all about?! It's, I dunno, maybe forty-something degrees outside! You tryin' to get sick?!”
Rainbow was turning a slight shade of red. Sunset glanced at her face for a moment before avoiding eye contact again, covering the bottom half of her face with the blanket. She had every right to be angry with her right now, what with waking her up in the middle of the night in such a state and not explaining anything.
“I'm...I'm sorry about this. I'm sorry. I-I just...something...bad happened, and...”
Rainbow sighed through her nose and rested her head on her arms. “Must've been somethin' REAL bad for you to run here in your pjs. Can ya tell me about it? What happened? Did it have somethin' to do with whatever happened at the hospital? Fluttershy told me you looked a little shaken up. Or did something happen where you live? Did your house catch on fire?”
Sunset jolted in place. “N-no, my place's fine,” she said automatically. “U-uhm...”
She wanted to tell her everything. To just leap over and cry on her shoulder. To tell her that she literally experienced being burned alive by something that could only be described as a ghost. A horrible, faceless wraith that could very well be a different version of herself.
“I...well...” She closed her eyes and breathed in until her lungs were full. “Someone broke into my house. I didn't see who it was, but they left a message right above my bed while I was asleep. I got so scared, I didn't know what else to do but run away.”
She couldn't say it. All she could tell her was a half-truth.
(“I'm not lying, really. Someone was in my house. And there's no way she'd believe me if I told her the rest. She may have seen Equestrian magic, but a ridiculous ghost story? Besides, I don't want to worry them anymore than I already have. Someone like me isn't worth their worry.”)
Rainbow sat up, her eyes going wide. “Oh man, that IS pretty scary. Who'd wanna do something so messed up to you, anyway?”
Sunset looked up at her again with tears threatening to fall. Throwing her hands up, Rainbow said, “O-oh, sorry! I totally forgot about that whole thing with the Fall Formal already, ya know?”
(“How...how could you just...?”)
She wanted to give her an incredulous look, but held it in. Turning her head away, she said, “No, it's fine...a-anyway, I'm feeling a little better now. I'll head back out after I'm done with this hot chocolate, I don't wanna keep you up any longer...”
“Hey, you nuts?! You think for one second I'm gonna let you go back out into that freezing cold weather by yourself?!”
Sunset's eyes widened, turning her head back in her direction as she watched her scoot closer to her desk to snatch up a ring of keys.
“I'll give ya a ride back. Pretty sure my dad won't mind me borrowing the car to help one of my friends out of a bind!”
She stared, automatically trying to think of a way to rebuff her. Though all she could do was continue to stare as she got up, taking her phone with her.
“I'll go get the engine warmed up, you just sit tight and finish warming up, 'kay? Come on down to the garage when you're ready.”
Sunset watched the door close behind her, the sound of her footsteps getting further as she went down the stairs. Moaning softly, she took another sip of her hot chocolate and pulled her legs in closer.
(“Why did I even come here? I know I said I'd leave, but...I'm still scared. I don't know if I'm ready to go back so soon...”)
----
Downstairs, Rainbow eyed the dim light coming from her room above as she tapped a few keys on her phone. Bringing it up to her ear, she stood in place until a soft, tired voice answered.
“Hey Fluttershy, it's Rainbow. Sorry for waking you up so late, but I've got kinda of situation goin' on here. Sunset Shimmer showed up at my house about an hour ago in her pajamas.”
“...”
“Wish it was just that after what I just saw. She literally ran here after someone broke into her house.”
“...”
“Yeah, I know. Looks like you were right about that earlier. She only stopped shivering, like, five minutes ago. And it wasn't just from the cold.”
“...”
“Hey, whoa, don't worry, she's fine now. I'm about to give her a ride back to her house so we can call the cops. Last thing any of us wants is for something bad to happen to her.”
“...”
“Yeah, I was thinkin' the same thing. First chance we get, we're all sittin' down and talkin' to her. Enough's enough.”
----
Sunset stared blankly out the window of the car as the world sped by, her hands tightly clutching Rainbow's phone. The passing street lights and suburban buildings all felt like a surreal canvas with running paint, her attention barely focused on what she was seeing out there. All she could think about was how badly she didn't want to go back.
(“I'm stuck, I'm stuck...I can't tell you, I can't say it...now I don't have a choice...”)
“Alright, looks like we're here.”
Rainbow made a left into her apartment complex and took a quick right into the cul de sac her home was in. Blue and red lights lit up the parking lot in front of them, letting them know the police were here as well. Sunset cringed involuntarily as the car pulled into a parking space and came to a stop. Darting her eyes between the police cars and the windshield, she stammered, “I, uh...th-thanks, Rainbow. Here's your phone back.”
She handed it back while look at the car's floor, eliciting a concerned stare from Rainbow. “Uh, Sunset...this was like a ten minute drive. You sure you're gonna be fine on your own like this after doin' all that running?”
“Yeah, I'm sure,” she immediately responded. “You've done enough for me already, and I'd rather not bother you any more than I already have...”
As she opened the door to step out, Sunset felt a hand gripping her shoulder, making her stop halfway. Turning her head around, she was met with Rainbow looking right into her eyes.
“Listen, you're not botherin' me if it's somethin' this serious. You sure you don't want me to stay?”
She looked back into her eyes, feeling only earnest concern in her voice. Breathing out softly, she said, “Yeah, I'm sure. I think things might get complicated with the cops if you got involved. This is my problem, so I'd rather deal with it on my own.”
Rainbow grumbled something under her breath, but eventually let go of her. “Alright, fine. You just stay safe.”
Sunset stepped out into the cold and closed the door behind her, giving her one last look past the window. She could see her close her mouth and sigh through her nose before she backed out of the spot, pulling away and driving out of sight. Breathing a quick, white puff of frigid air, she turned around and walked towards the glaring police lights in front of her house. There were two cars stopped in front in single file, with three officers standing outside her doorstep and talking with one another. The rough ground beneath her bare feet was beginning to chill her again, so she sped up to a medium jog. Waving a hand in the air, she called out to them, “Excuse me, officers! I was the one that...(hurk)...called you out here!”
She shouldn't have started running again. The immense pain she was feeling in her lungs earlier was back. She stopped in front of the policemen before slumping over, resting her palms on her knees and wheezing.
“Are you Sunset Shimmer?” The officer closest to her asked. He had a medium build and wore a navy blue wool jacket over his uniform. His complexion was powder blue, and his forest green hair was slicked back under his officer's hat.
“Ye...yeah. I'm sorry for calling so late, but...(wheeze)...someone broke into my house.” She slowed her breathing down as best she could, knowing that she was probably going to have to start answering questions.
“I...see.” He studied her face with a neutral expression before waving off the other two policemen, the both of them going back into their respective cars. Pulling out a pen and notepad, he said, “Alright. We've already investigated your apartment from top to bottom, but so far we haven't found any signs of forced entry.”
She balled up a fists and stamped a foot down, yelling up at his face, “Wh-what?! Then how did that message appear right over my bed?! And while I was asleep?!”
The pain in her chest was starting to fade, but she felt another sickening feeling well up in the pit of her stomach. As much as she was loathe to admit it, she was still fully capable of putting on an act to get what she wanted. Even while standing in the middle of forty degree weather with pain all over her body.
“We're just as baffled as you are, miss. If it's alright with you, can we discuss this inside? We need to ask you a few questions.”
Sunset huffed and relaxed her hands, knowing that she had to look irritated for them. Walking past him and towards her front door, she said, “Alright, fine, but this better be quick. I'm losing enough sleep as it is.”
Once she had her head turned away, she wiped a tear away from her eye. (“I hate doing this. This isn't me anymore. I'm not a bad pony – er, person. There's just no way they'd understand.”)
She turned her head back to glance at the officer, only to watch his eyes fall to the ground the moment she looked in his direction.
(“Okay, this guy's been staring at me too much...I can't wait to get this over with.”)
----
Sunset pressed against the door as she shut it behind the officer, turning the deadbolt. It was only until she heard them drive away that she let herself relax, breathing a sigh of relief. She had only talked with him for maybe ten minutes, but having to constantly humor him the entire time made it feel like hours. Turning around and resting her back against the cold wood, she looked down at the small piece of paper in her hand.
“Officer Forest, huh...?”
The slip was filled with arbitrary information that she paid no mind to, though it also had a number plus an extension to this particular cop's office. At the end of their questioning, he told her to call should any other incidents happen.
“Yeah, right. I just spent the rest of the morning trying to get you out of my house.”
It was no exaggeration. The curtains were still drawn, but she could still see the light from the sun start to peek out from the horizon. Letting the slip fall out of her hand and onto the floor, she turned her head upwards towards the staircase. Her eyes quivered as she looked at the still-lit bedroom she ran away from just hours ago. Breathing out a soft burst of air, she stepped forward, placed a shaking hand on the handrail, and trudged up to her room one creaky step at a time. Once at the top, she did a quick scan of her room to make sure everything was in its proper place. Sure enough, nothing was out of the ordinary. Nothing, except for the black word burned into the wall over her bed. Even without sniffing the air, she could smell a light scent of charred wood from where she stood. She stepped inside, resting her back against the door frame and letting herself slide down into a sitting position, her eyes glued to the ghostly message.
“Unfair...what do you mean unfair? Are you jealous that I'm alive and you're not?”
Sunset brought her legs in and hugged them, resting her head on her knees.
“You committed suicide. You had everything you possibly could have wanted, but you threw it all away. So then why are you...?”
She felt icky. The smell of dried sweat was beginning to waft off her pajamas, making her fidget uncomfortably.
“You burned me. Burned me alive, I...it hurt so much. Just being in my own house is scaring me to death...”
Another tear leaked out of her eye, but was quickly brushed away. She clenched her teeth, biting back the pain in her heart. She knew that if she started crying again, she wouldn't be able to stop.
“I...I can't just sit here. I've gotta do something, a-anything...”
Closing her mouth and gulping, she gave the message on the wall a stern gaze before standing up. She most certainly needed a shower after that ordeal, but there was one thing on her mind that she had to do first. Walking over to her nightstand, she picked up her smartphone and hit two keys, bringing it up to her ear.
“Hey Rarity, it's Sunset. I'm sorry for bothering you at the crack of dawn like this, but do you have a second? I need to know if you still have that wig you lent to Twilight that one time...”
----
Sunset stepped off the bus, readjusting the blonde wig on her head out of habit. She wasn't sure if it was on right without a mirror, but didn't feel like pulling the compact out of her pocket again. Looking around, it wasn't hard to find what she was looking for. Just across the street was a gray mansion sitting beyond a massive, ornate courtyard, complete with a stone wall surrounding the perimeter, and an iron gate in front. From where she stood, she could see a fountain, trimmed hedges, a cobblestone path leading up to the manor, and twin doors for an entrance. She took a deep, cleansing breath as she stared.
“This is the place...Apollo Manor. The place where she died.”
She walked across the street without bothering to look for oncoming traffic, steeling her nerves for what was to come. Seeing an intercom box on the right side of the gate, she raised a finger to press it, only to stop a few centimeters away.
(“Come on...you can do this. You're just looking information, that's all.”)
Gulping, she stepped forward to press the button, eliciting an electronic buzz. After a few moments passed, a squeaky, nervous voice came from the box.
[“U-uhm, hello?! Is somebody there?! Can I help youuu?!”]
Clearing her throat, Sunset said, “Y-yes! My name's, uh...Ink...Inkwell! I'm here for the Canterlot High newspaper, and I was wondering if I could give Mr. Golden Ardor an interview?!”