//------------------------------// // Mystery in Ashes // Story: I.D. Entity // by Goldymarg //------------------------------// Sunset placed a hand over her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. (“Alright...I've got one last chance. Better make it count.”) Taking a step forward with renewed vigor, she said, “Then, then please start with the east wing. From what I've heard you say so far, that's where that boarded up door leads. Why is it sealed off? And why aren't you allowed to talk about it?” Pinfeathers bunched up her hands in front of herself, trying to keep her voice steady. “Because that's where the fire started. Miss Eiderdown says we aren't allowed to talk about the fire because it would upset the master. As for why it's sealed off, I...can't really tell you. Master Ardor never had the east wing repaired or renovated. He simply had all the doors in the mansion that led to the east wing blocked off and left it alone.” Sunset rested her elbow in her palm, stroking her chin. (“Weird...it's not like the guy doesn't have the money to fix the place, either.”) “...which is kind of strange, now that I think about it,” The maid continued, looking upwards and putting a hand on her cheek. “If he blocked off all the doors inside, why does he still go in there from time to time...?” “Hm? What do you mean?” She made eye contact with Sunset again, “Well, um...one of the walls on the outside crumbled away from the fire. And...and sometimes I see Master Ardor going inside there while I'm weeding the lawn. Though I haven't seen him do that in a long while...” She crossed her arms, looking away and huffing softly through her nose. “Okay, now it's starting to sound suspicious...” “H-hey! Don't say that about the master!” Sunset jumped and looked at her again, eliciting nearly the same reaction out of the other girl in front of her, only with a squeal. After standing there and shaking for a second, she crinkled her mouth and blurted out with balled fists, “I...I know whu-what you're thinking and you're wrong! I've s-served under Master Ardor long en-nough to know that he would nev...n-never do anything like that! He's, he's a...he's...a good person!” “Hey! Slow down, what are you talking about?!” Sunset retorted. “He's a philanthropist, a-and a musician, and...and he's just a man with too big of a heart! The police already made sure he didn't do anything wrong! Not him, n-not never! Nuh-not only that...!” Her eyes were clenched shut as she continued her spiel. Ordinarily, Sunset would have yelled at her to stop by now, but the way she was trying to look intimidating only served to defuse the situation. What with her stamping a foot down, the way she was flailing her arms about, her angry eyes behind those soda bottle lenses, this girl was just acting too adorable. Sunset was afraid of her cheeks turning red from trying not to smirk in front of her. Waiting until she was out of breath again, she quickly shook her head and said, “Okay, okay, I think I get what you're trying to say, but I'm not really following too closely. Was there someone spreading around bad rumors about Golden Ardor or something?” The maid thrust herself into face, “Even worse! W-when the investigation started , the-the police thought the master murdered his daughter! Sunset Shimmer, his own daughter! There's even some people out there that still think that, too! It's awful!” Sunset edged away from her, the sight of her wide eyes through her glasses making her uneasy. “Y-yeah, s'pretty awful alright...” She looked away in thought. (“Though I think it being a murder might make more sense right now than a suicide...”) Clearing her throat, she said, “Okay, then...then why did the police think it was a murder?” She said nothing, staring into her eyes with a creased brow and a closed mouth twisted into a squiggle. Sunset sighed, “Alright, I don't think he killed anyone, honest. I've read all the articles online about the incident, and even though they didn't say much, they all said it was a suicide. I just want to figure out everything I can about all this.” Pinfeathers continued to pout, her eyes darting left and right. After a moment, she smoothed out her apron again and said, “Uhm, well...I can't prove it at all, but I heard that Master Ardor was near the fire after it started. Since he was the only one there when it happened, the police took him in for questioning for a few days, b...but they let him go really fast. Lack of evidence, I think.” (“Or it was never found to begin with...”) Sunset wasn't sure if she should even be going down this path, but so far it was the only one that had any sort of plausibility to it. Every news report on the incident had stated that the other Sunset Shimmer had friends and family that loved her, and had no previous indication or warning of any suicidal behavior. However, if she really was murdered, then it would only be natural that she would come back as an angry spirit. Crossing her arms and looking at the ground, she sighed softly. ('Okay...I've got a 'who'. Now I just need to find a 'why' and a 'how' if I wanna get anywhere with this.”) She looked at the obstinate girl in front of her, steeling herself for what she had to ask next. (“I could get in so much trouble for this, but I don't know what else I can do.”) She breathed deeply before saying, “Pinfeathers, you said no one goes into the east wing, right?” The maid's expression went back to her usual nervousness. “U-uhm, yes, that's right. If any of us were caught in there, we'd be fired on the spot.” Sunset let her arms fall to her sides and balled her fists. “Then...could you show me where that hole in the wall you mentioned was? I, um...” She could feel her palms become clammy as she struggled to finish her thought. “...I want to take a look around.” “W-w-whaaat?!” Pinfeathers grasped the collar of her dress and jerked her body away, staring at her with shocked eyes. “I-I know what I'm asking, and I'm sorry! Listen, I promise to be in and out of there in, ugh, I don't know...fifteen? Y-yeah, fifteen minutes! If I get caught, I promise not to say anything about you helping me! Please?” “...okay.” Sunset nearly bit her tongue in stopping herself. Her response was quick and flat, her eyes were wide and twitching, and she was still holding that same defensive position, breathing in short gasps. Though she was desperate to track down any clues to the other Sunset Shimmer's death, she beginning to feel like she was somehow extorting this poor maid. It would be the second time she would be risking her job and her home, just for the sake of a complete stranger. Why wasn't she even questioning her requests, even if just for a second? “I'll lead the way,” Pinfeathers said, turning towards the mansion. “B-but please stay out of sight. I d-don't wh-wan-want anyone to s-see us...” ---- Sunset was led around the mansion's yard, hugging the walls and ducking under windows as needed. The maid in front remained silent, her hands folded in front of herself as she walked. After close to five minutes of walking, she began to notice that the lights were no longer on in the windows, and that they were either covered in black soot, or broken. Some parts of the siding on the mansion walls were chipping away, and some had crumbled altogether, revealing a solid brick interior, worn by age and neglect. After rounding a corner, she saw her promised destination, running past Pinfeathers to see inside for herself. Coming to an uneasy stop, she set her jaw and swallowed. (“Jeez...it's really dark in there...”) True to her word, the wall to her left had indeed crumbled away, leaving a hole around two meters wide and three meters high. Brick, mortar, and wood all laid strewn about in piles on the ground, while clouds of dust particles could be seen scattered in the sunlight close to the inside. Unsurprisingly, the edges of the hole were charred and black, with clearer evidence of fire damage visible from within. Resting her left hand on the edge of the hole, Sunset peered into the darkness. “With the way this place looks, I'm surprised it's still standing. What's Golden Ardor thinking by leaving such a big part of his home ruined like this?” she thought aloud. “Uh, I, I don't know. Like I said, we're not allowed to talk about it.” She turned to face the approaching Pinfeathers, frowning and rubbing a hand behind her head. “I wasn't really asking, I was just...um...” Sunset could see her trembling as she came to a stop. She was trying to keep her eyes down, yet she kept glancing off to the right like she had a nervous tick, while her hands were bunched up tightly in front of herself. Walking away from the hole, she stopped in front of her and said, “Hey, listen...I'm sorry I had you take me out here, really, I am. It's just...” The thought of telling her the truth crossed her mind, just like it had with Rainbow Dash. To pull off the wig on her head like a piece of duct tape and tell this stranger she had just met her real name, if only to stave off the guilt she was currently feeling. For whatever reason, this girl was blindly fulfilling every request she had, even the ones she wasn't serious about. No matter how desperate she was, or how unintentional it may have been, Sunset was still using her. “Look, I'm...I'm sorry,” she said, sheepishly. “I'll be honest. I'm not looking for a news story. What I'm doing here is more...well...personal. I can't exactly say what, not right now. All I can say is that I have to find out what really happened on that night six years ago.” Pinfeathers raised her head. “Miss Inkwell? You mean, you lied?” “I know, and I'm sorry! Unfortunately, it's something I'm pretty good at doing...” She grit her teeth and looked away for a moment before turning back. “I'm...desperate. Very, very desperate. I don't know how to describe it to you, or if you'd even believe me, but...but my life is on the line. That much I know. So please don't think I'm using you or anything. The last thing I want to do is to hurt anyone else because of my selfishness.” The maid stood there, staring at her blankly for nearly a full minute before smoothing out her skirt again and smiling softly. “No, it's fine. You're not using me. It's my duty as a maid of the Ardor house to serve all guests to the best of my ability.” She took a small bow while keeping her neck straight, her wide eyes staring at the ground as her smile began to quiver. “A-are you, uhm...satisfied?” Sunset raised an eyebrow, the girl's body language making her unsettled. “Uh...yeah. You've done enough for me.” With that, Pinfeathers straightened out and turned around on her heel to head back, nearly slipping on the soot-covered earth as a result. As she walked away, Sunset couldn't help but feel a twinge in her chest, like there should be something she should be saying or doing right now. She glanced between the hole to her right and the maid walking away, hesitant that she should do anything at all. Her eyes closed firmly for a second before they snapped open again. “Hey, wait a second!” she found herself calling out. The maid ducked her head down slightly as she spun back around, shaking like a leaf. “Oh n-n-no, I did suh-something wrong, di-didn't I...?!” “No, it's nothing like that! I just, uh...” She shouldn't be doing this. Every second she stood outside here put the both of them in danger of being caught. But the moment she caught a glimpse of those glassy, fearful eyes as she took that bow, she knew she couldn't just leave things be. Though at the same time, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to say in a situation like this. Mentally fumbling with words was fruitless, she couldn't even form a question appropriate for the moment. As she took a slow, deep breath, she was suddenly reminded of how a certain, shy friend of her's would've handled this. And it made things significantly simpler for her. “...why are you just helping me without even asking questions?” “Huh? I d-don't really understand what you mean.” Sunset brought a hand up to her temple, rubbing it. “Well, I just asked you to help me with breaking and entering. Not to mention I had you talk about something that can get you fired. I think anyone else in that situation would've just pushed me out the door like Miss Eiderdown did, but you kept helping me out without even batting an eye. Why is that?” “...because it's my duty to obey. I'm not supposed to ask questions, I just follow orders. If I didn't, I'd upset everyone around me. I don't want that.” Pinfeathers' gaze was stern as she spoke, and her speech was the clearest she'd ever heard. Sunset rested her right hand on the wall, looking away confused. “Oh...” She made eye contact again, “Well...I guess you should get out of here. I'll be in and out as fast as I can. I just hope I can make it around here without getting lost...” She remained still until the maid rounded the corner again, her thoughts tugging away at her heart. There were certainly more things she could have said to console her, more things she could have asked to find out what was troubling her, yet she ran out of words. She was torn between finding out the truth of her tormentor, and making a perpetually anxious maid feel better. Vigorously shaking her head, she said out loud, “No...no, I can't worry about her. Not right now. Not when she gave me this chance. I've gotta look around this place before I get caught.” Turning around and putting her hand on the edge of the hole once again, Sunset stepped over the piles of debris and into the ruined building. The smell of moist ash once again reasserted itself, as a cool, gentle breeze blew from within like a living creature. Glaring into the darkness, she forced herself forward, the boards beneath her feet creaking and cracking. ---- Sunset spun the phone around in her hand, squinting at the unnatural light the LCD screen was emanating. Sighing, she turned the screen back towards the shadows and trudged forward down the ruined hallway, cupping her other hand over her mouth and nose. “Already been fifteen minutes, and all I've found is dust and rubble. I'm starting to think this might've been a big mistake...” The light from her phone didn't illuminate much, but it was just enough to lead the way, as well as reveal just how damaged this place was. The hallway she was currently in only vaguely resembled what she saw at the atrium, the only evidence of this place ever being hospitable being the broken, charred remains of the hall lamps hanging from the walls. Otherwise, all Sunset could see were burnt, ruined hallways, loosened and broken floorboards, collapsed piles of wood and brick that were once rooms, and soot covered windows that blocked out the sun. She coughed into her hand and groaned, the smell of ashes beginning to make her head swim. “Jeez, how big was this fire, anyway? It feels like I've walked a mile's worth of these hallways, but nothing's intact. Everything's just...wrecked.” A board snapped loudly in half under her right heel, causing her to lose her balance and fall into the wall to her right, slamming her shoulder against it. Putting on a strained expression, she rested her free hand against the splintered wood and gingerly pried her foot out of the hole she made in the floor, dusting her cardigan off. “Oww...and I really can't afford to get a sprained ankle right now. Good thing I'm wearing boots...” She lifted her leg and moved around her foot to check for any injuries before pressing on, coming to a stop at a cross section. The hallway split off to the right, leading into a pitch-black area of the mansion. Sunset briefly looked down it before grimacing nervously and walking straight past, not even bothering to shine her light into it. “No way. I can barely see anything already.” (cri-CRACK) She stopped cold, clutching her phone close to her chest with both hands. Sounds of crunching wood resonated all throughout the building, centering itself above her. Feeling bits of wood fall onto her head, Sunset looked up, shuddering. She didn't even need to point her phone upwards to see the massive wooden beam sticking out halfway through the ceiling. Looking both forward and backward, she could see support beams breaking through the ceiling of the entire hallway, threatening to drop the entire floor on her in a matter of seconds. Knowing there was only one way out, Sunset ground her heel in the floor and spun around, sprinting as fast as she could into the darkened hallway she bypassed. With a groan and a thundering crack, the entire upper floor behind her collapsed into a heap of useless lumber and debris, the shock and force blasting into her backside and knocking her onto her face. Sunset whimpered and coughed, feeling a ringing in her ears as she pushed herself up off the floor. (“Cough, COUGH...) Sweet Celestia...what I wouldn't give to have teleportation magic right now...!” She scanned the darkened area for her phone, finding its dim light a little ways down the hall. Picking herself up off the ground slowly, she slowly slid over to it and collected it, making sure to keep her hands on the wall to her left. Looking at the screen, she grumbled. There was a large crack going through the center of the screen now. (“Least it's under warranty...”) Shaking off that thought,she turned around and shone her light down the way she came from, eliciting a small gasp from her. The hall was now completely blocked by what was left of the second floor. Support beams, bricks, wood, and ashes had all fallen into a perfect barrier. Sunset grit her teeth. “I can't stay here. The longer I'm in this condemned building, the more of a chance I'm gonna be under one of those piles of rubble. I have to find whatever I'm looking for, and fast.” She spun on her heel, quick to move but still careful not to run, trying her best to ignore the tension in her chest. It would only be another few feet until she came to a second intersection, the hallways going to the left and right. Deciding not to hesitate this time, she immediately turned left, only to be halted by a barred doorway. Sunset's expression slowly twisted into a mixture of frustration and despair. A brick wall was constructed inside the door frame. “Oh you've gotta be...!” Her caution thrown to the wind, she stormed over to the place where there was supposed to be a door and pounded a fist against it, barely feeling the pain in her hand. It was as if the house was mocking her. “Is this supposed to be funny?! Is someone just playing a sick prank?! CAUSE I'M NOT LAUGHING!”, she yelled into the wall. Bile welled up into her throat as she smoldered, her fist relaxing and sliding down the rough bricks. Tears started to form in her eyes, but she took a deep breath and shook her head, stopping them. She had already come this far, and it was too late to let something like this stop her. Instead, she slowly took another calmer, controlled breath of air, letting the silence of the ruined mansion fill her ears. (Drip, drip...) Sunset's eyes widened. She twisted around and cupped a hand to her ear. (Drip, drip...) Now she was certain. The sound of dripping water was coming from the hallway behind her. The same dripping she had heard in her dream. The same noise with the same tempo, only this time it was coming from a discernible location. Her mouth almost curled into a smile. “I knew it. I knew I wasn't crazy.” Sunset pointed her phone down the hall and walked into the darkness with renewed vigor, the smell of ashes becoming stronger with every step. As she moved past the hallway she came from, she idly noticed that beyond the dirtied windows to her left was a courtyard. She could barely make out a set of concrete pathways in a cross pattern, leading to an elegant looking fountain in the center. It was just enough of a distraction for her to nearly topple over again, as her leg stamped down a foot more than it should have. “Whu...!” Splaying both her arms out, she quickly regained her balance before pointing her phone at the floor. Or at this point, dirt was more appropriate. The ruined floorboards stopped and gave way to an ashy, broken drop off that now showed the scorched ground beneath. Examining the hall with her dim light, she could see that the walls and ceiling were now either completely black, or burned away entirely, revealing unidentifiable spaces beyond them. Sunset swallowed, worried about how any of this was still standing. The sound of the collapsed hall behind her once again played in her head, causing her to flinch. “No...no, I'm not turning back. I'm not!” She briefly considered cutting her losses and smashing one of the windows to escape, yet the dripping she heard in front of her compelled her forward. Clenching her free hand into a fist, she forced her other foot down onto the damp earth and trudged forward. Various creaks and groans could be heard all around herself, yet she ignored them, focusing only on the incessant sound of dripping water. The further she walked, the louder it became. The louder it became, the quieter everything else became. Until all she could hear was nothing but falling water. Finally, Sunset rounded the left corner of yet another cross section, grinding to a halt. There was a door with a broken top hinge to her right, as well as the source of the noise that was plaguing her. It was a broken pipe branching out of the wall, opposite from the door. Walking forward with trepidation, she reached a hand out to touch it. “...this is it?” The pipe was quite large and thick, probably around six inches in diameter. Drawing her phone's light across it, she could see the pipe creating a perpetual puddle of water beneath it. The edges were melted slightly, yet the upper part was bent towards the door, almost intentionally. She looked between the door and the pipe, raising an eyebrow. “Did someone tear this out of the wall to try and put out the fire? Guy must've been as strong as a buffalo,” she said, turning her head to the door. “If that's the case, then that means...” Sunset grit her teeth. This was the source of the fire. If there were any clues about who this dead girl really was, if there was any hint as to how she died, if there was anything at all, it would be here. She walked forward, the slow sound of her steps more booming than ever, and placed a hand on the doorknob. “...no turning back now.” The lone hinge let out a shrill, rusty creak as the door swung inwards. An icy, cold wind blew into Sunset's face and into the exposed parts of her cardigan, chilling her to the bone. She pocketed her phone as she stepped inside, as there was light coming in from two open windows in the back. The smell was the strongest it's ever been, causing her to reflexively put a hand over her mouth. “It's...it's all black.” If it weren't for the miniscule amount of sunlight coming in, she would have assumed the room was larger than it truly was. Clouds of dust particles danced in the beams of light from the windowsill, flickering about wildly as the open door blew around the air. Most of the wooden panels on the walls and ceiling had long since been burned away, revealing a solid brick interior all around her. Large piles of ash and unrecognizable debris lay throughout the room in deliberate positions, and another broken door was to her right, apparently leading to a closet. Sunset walked over to a pile on her left and crouched down, running an index finger over what appeared to be a flat surface in a thirty degree angle. The object broke apart like pumice at her touch, falling to the floor in glassy pieces. Hastily standing and taking a step back, she could now tell that it was the remains of a vanity mirror. “...what is this room, anyway?” Taking a moment to look around herself, she stepped over to another pile of blackened debris in the right corner of the room. Upon closer inspection, she could see bits of metal coils in the center and two rectangular wooden blocks on the left and right side, respectively. She assumed this was what was left of a bed. The chill she was feeling a moment ago could be felt in her nerves now, causing her hands to shake lightly. “Wait, this isn't...this couldn't be her room, could it...?” Sunset eyed the door, a sudden urge to run passing through her mind. Though as she turned her head, she noticed something lying against the wall that she hadn't immediately seen. It was a steel folding chair, pristine and new, as if someone had just bought it right off the shelf. The feeling of urgency passed as she walked to it, picking it up. It made no rusty noises as she unfolded it, nor did it show any resistance. She gave it a puzzled look as she folded it back up. “No way this thing could've survived when the fire happened. Someone brought it here for some reason. But why? Was it Golden Ardor?” As she put it back against the wall, something fell to the ground from an unseen part of the chair, the sudden noise causing her to jump a little. Sighing softly at her own jumpiness, she crouched down and picked it up, eliciting a small gasp from her when she realized what it was. A small, filthy origami crane, singed around the edges with one of its wings burned off. She gave it a look as if it were the most unusual object imaginable. “Cranes again? What's with these things? Why is this even here?” Nothing was making sense. More importantly, she wasn't any closer to finding any answers. The only things she had found were ashes and frivolous items. “No, no that can't be it. That dripping pipe outside brought me here, so there's gotta be something,” she said, walking about and scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, after five minutes of dirtying her hands, she found nothing else. Nothing intact enough to be recognizable, and nothing too unusual to be out of place. There was nothing here but ruined furniture and a single, new folding chair. Reluctantly coming to a stop in the center of the room, Sunset held the paper crane in her palm, creasing her brow as she looked at it. “This is it, then. I came all this way to pick up a piece of paper...” she lamented, shoving it into her pocket. “Fine. Just fine. I needed an excuse to get out of here anyway.” She pulled her phone out again and stepped out of the room, turning right down the corridor with a sour expression. It was entirely possible that there was some sort of link between everything she had discovered. Some small, innocuous detail that she paid no mind to that connected the dots. Sunset pressed a palm to her forehead and gripped her skull, racking her brain as she walked. “A brick room, a paper crane, a folding chair, a broken pipe, some...ugh!” As she stepped up an incline and back onto wooden floor, she slowed to a stop, trying to think of too many things at once. Taking her hand off her face and putting it on a window to her right to get it out of the way, she looked ahead with a stern gaze. “Okay...okay. I have some...clues, I think. All of these things have got to mean something, right? I just need to figure it out somehow. I need...” She paused, her nails scratching and digging into the brittle wood. “...I need a how, and a why. How she died, and why she died. And I can worry about that when I get out of – wha?” It was now that Sunset realized that she was staring at a bricked off doorway at the end of hall. Her head snapped to the right; a fountain and concrete path were outside. Shuffling forward slightly, she found a hallway to her left with a collapsed ceiling. She lowered her phone, her grip on it tightening. “...how did I get back here?” An uneasy feeling started to well up in her chest. Using that feeling to motivate her legs to move, she swayed backwards and back down the darkened hall. Her stride quickened to a power walk as she stepped down the drop off and back towards the dripping pipe. However, rather than finding it in the same hallway like she should have, it was around the left corner. Just like the way she had found it the first time. Staring at the pipe without moving a muscle in that moment, she said, “This isn't physically possible. I know I turned right after I left that room.” She kept her eyes locked with the pipe until she walked past, a sudden sense of urgency overcoming her. Her speed increased to a jog as she reached another section of burnt off floorboards, hopping up them before she started to run. Though she found herself skidding to a stop when she saw the walled off door in the distance once again. Looking to her right, she saw the courtyard sneering at her under an orange sky past the dirtied windows. “Let me out...” Sunset breathed, digging one her nails under a piece of wood on the window frame and chipping it off. She spun around again and began to run at full tilt, the light from her phone shaking wildly in the hallway with every step. Jumping back down onto the blackened earth, she reached the same fork she had seen two times over already, making a right turn down the hall this time. Her lungs started to hurt again as she sprinted, both from exhaustion and from the ever-present smell of ash. She came to a shaky stop right as she jumped up the drop off, her knees becoming weak as she saw what was in the distance. “No...! No, let me out! LET ME OUT!” The brick wall was there again. The collapsed hall was there again. That gaudy, wasteful, unnecessary fountain was there again. Looking to her right, even the window with the chipped frame was there again. Shoving her phone in her pocket while balling her other fist she exclaimed, “Okay, fine! I'll just – (gasp)!” At this point, she had intended to forget about consequences and break one of the windows to escape. What she had not expected to find were bars on said windows. Gnarled, iron bars that she was sure weren't there before. Scrambling over and gripping them with both hands, she pushed and pulled on them uselessly, her eyes filling with desperate tears. “Why is this happening to me?! HOW is this happening?! What did I ever do to deserve this?!” Her eyes went wide and her pupils contracted upon realizing the irony of her question. Sunset stopped struggling and slowly slumped to the ground and on her knees, her hands still lightly gripping the window bars. She scrunched her eyes shut, squeezing out the tears. “...this is punishment, isn't it? This is what I get for being so self-absorbed...” She weakly lifted her head to look out the window, to see how beautiful the world looked. Outside, she could see birds flying overhead, flitting about from place to place. The sky shone with a brilliant orange marmalade color, and clouds lazily drifted by without a care. On the ground, there were trees growing in each corner of the courtyard and - “That's...not right.” Something was off. She stood back up and poked a finger past the bars to wipe the glass, taking a closer look at the courtyard. At first glance, it appeared ordinary and mundane enough, though upon taking a closer look, it didn't look right at all. The colors were flat and opaque, the sky was the wrong color for this time of day, and the trees were somehow growing both apples and oranges. Rather than seeing the real world in front of her, it was closer to a three-dimensional painting than what passed as reality. Sunset took a step back from the window, breathing out, “Where am I...?” (tep) She froze, hearing the sound of bare feet approaching behind her. Sounds of whispers started to fill her head, quiet at first, yet becoming louder at a delicate pace, the voices talking over each other in an incoherent walla. Sunset started to breathe erratically, as the ashy smell that had been plaguing her was becoming hot. Spinning around with more force than necessary, she fell to the ground, her knees failing to support her. Standing in the collapsed hallway was the other Sunset Shimmer.