"Eeeeeee!" Twilight squealed like the excited schoolgirl that she was as she peered down the line, dancing on-the-spot and clutching her notepad to her chest. Just two more people… "Just two more people!"
"And it only took two hours," Sunset Shimmer said, tapping her foot impatiently against the floor. She was a fan of A. K. Yearling, sure, but enough to queue for two whole hours? Only because her friend didn't want to queue by herself.
Thankfully she had her handheld with her. She had never StreetPassed with so many people at once before. Still needed a few puzzle pieces, though.
The person at the front of the queue left, and Twilight moved forwards. Sunset put her 3DS away and followed. "We're almost there!" Twilight whispered, her hands clenched into fists as she inched closer. She was close enough to hear the person in front of her.
"I thoroughly enjoyed this book," the man said in a thick, Spanish accent. "But I must say, I would have enjoyed it more had Daring Do bought the wrong map and wound up lost in the jungle for several days."
The man wore cream-coloured shirt and a pair of jeans. His close-shaven jaw curled into a grin as he leaned forwards and reached out to hold A. K. Yearling's chin. "Get. Lost."
"Don't worry. I won't create a scene. Not here."
"I'll call security-"
"You have something that I want," the man said, ignoring the author's threat. "I have something that you want, Daring Do, so we'll make a deal. One hour. Meet me in the auditorium, and we'll make the trade. No guards, no weapons, no tricks."
"And I should trust you why?"
The man's grin grew. "Is this the face of a man who lies?"
"No. It's the face of a man who goes back on his word at the last minutes, Caballeron."
Doctor Caballeron turned to the panicking girl shuffling to Daring Do's side, a phone in her hand as her eyes stayed fixed on the man. "If you want the compass, Miss Do, then you will give me the reagent. The choice is yours, but your dear father doesn't have much time left."
Daring Do pulled her head back and glared. Caballeron held his book, motioning to it. Begrudgingly, she signed it, and he picked it up before her turned to leave, waving to the girl behind him.
Twilight watched the man leave with stars in her eyes. "Oh. Em. Gee!" She rushed to the table and slammed her notepad onto it, pushing her face into the author's and staring into eyes in total awe. "Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You're… Daring Do?!"
Daring Do pressed a hand against Twilight's mouth. "SSSHHH!"
"What's going on?" Sunset asked, approaching the table with a glare. "Wanna get your hand off my friend's mou-"
Twilight pushed Daring's hand away and said, "I will never wash these lips again!"
"… What's going on?" Sunset said with a sigh.
"Look, can you just forget that you heard that?" Daring Do asked. "I don't want people knowing that Daring Do is real."
Sunset's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
"SSSHHH!" Twilight pressed her finger to her lips and glared at her friend, before whispering, "She doesn't want people knowing!"
"Please, just don't tell anyone," Daring Do repeated as she signed Twilight's notepad. "I have a lot of enemies. To most people, I am just an author who Daring Do sells her stories to – I don't even know the girl. She just sends me emails and I write up the stories."
"Wait, I thought Daring Do was fiction," Sunset said as she handed her own notepad over.
"That's for the people who've never met me. I label it as fiction so they don't go looking for me. Only a few people know that Daring Do and A. K. Yearling are the same people, Doctor Caballeron sadly being one of them."
Twilight gasped and turned around, but she was unable to find the scruffy-looking gentleman from before. "T-That was the Doctor Caballeron?"
Daring Do sighed. "Yes, and he's just as despicable as in my books."
"Twilights ships you together," Sunset said with a smirk, motioning to the girl besides her.
Daring Do turned to the girl with a bemused stare. "Oh. You're one of those fans."
Twilight blushed and giggled sheepishly as she fumbled her notepad away into her bag. "I-It was only one fiction. Honestly."
Daring gave Sunset her notepad back, and asked, "So, got any questions you'd like to ask?"
"Honestly, I don't think I do, anymore," Sunset said. "This revelation kind of resets all the questions I had thought of while I waiting to speak to you."
"Can you take a picture with me?" Twilight asked, taking out her phone and holding it up with a pleading stare.
"Sure thing," Daring Do said, standing up and walking around the table to stand between the two girls. "Just remember: don't tell anybody that I'm real."
"Don't worry. You're secret's safe with us!" Twilight assured, holding the phone up and pressing the button to take the selfie.
"Can you believe that Daring Do is real?" Twilight asked, biting into her burger and eating it with a giddy look on her face.
"That was kind of a shock," Sunset admitted, "But you've mentioned it like, fifty times by now." Sunset grinned as Twilight blushed. "I'm kinda worried that Doctor Caballeron is also real, and here among us. He's always out to kill Daring Do. I wonder if he's here to do that now?"
Twilight swallowed the food in her mouth and frowned. "That… That would be terrible, but then, this is a public place, right?"
"In 'The Aztecs' Curse', he lured her to an empty room in a school and tried to kill her with a silenced pistol."
Twilight gasped. "She's meeting with him in five minutes! We have to stop her!"
Sunset raised an eyebrow. Behind Twilight, Daring Do was running about. She was in her adventurer's outfit from the books, looking around all over the place. Passersby seemed to think she was simply a fan wearing a costume and paid her not much heed.
"Where is she meeting him?"
"The auditorium," Twilight told her.
"Then what's she doing over there."
Twilight turned around, and then snapped back to Sunset Shimmer. "I wonder if she's not going?"
"Daring Do running from Caballeron? Nah. That can't be right." Sunset hummed in thought as she studied Daring Do's panicked moves. "Maybe we should follow her."
Twilight bit her lip uncertainly. "I don't know. Isn't that kinda stalkerish?"
"Twi, how often is it that one of our favourite fictional heroes turns out to be real?" Sunset chuckled under her breath. "Besides, how can we stalk someone who 'doesn't exist'?"
Sunset winked, and Twilight giggled in response. "You're right. She said herself that Daring Do is purely fictional."
"Right, so we're not following her, 'cause she's not really there."
With nods, the two girls got up and followed Daring Do through the expo, pushing through crowds and keeping a good distance from the adventurer as they tried to figure out where she was going.
At some point, Sunset had lost track of Twilight through the crowds of people and started to look around for her. "Twilight! Hey, Twi?!" Not looking at where she was going as she continued to move, Sunset bumped into Daring Do, startling her. "Whoa! Uh, h-hey! Fancy meeting you-"
"You following me?" Daring Do asked with a stare. She then looked around, and said, "Whatever you want, save it. I'm doing something important at the moment."
Sunset frowned. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I-I just thought that maybe I could help. Caballeron threatened you with something earlier, right?"
A moment of silence passed, and then Daring Do sighed. "Look, I asked you to forget about all that."
"But it's clearly a trap! You can't go to meet him!"
"I wasn't going to." Seeing the confused look on Sunset's face, Daring explained. "Doctor Caballeron sent me a message. He's cancelled the meeting… He sent it after my assistant had "mysteriously" gone missing."
Sunset clenched her hands into fists. "That coward, stooping so low!" A moment of realisation passed over the girl. "I see. So you're looking for them, now?"
Daring Do nodded her head. "He hasn't made any demands yet. If I can find them before he does, I can take him by surprise."
"I'll help!"
"No," Daring Do deadpanned. "It's too dangerous, and besides, I don't need help."
"But-"
"Look, kid, I appreciate the thought, but just leave this to the professionals. Trust me, this isn't a world you want to be in."
"But you always take on companions!"
Daring Do rolled her eyes. "Y'ever notice how my companion changes from book-to-book?" Sunset nodded. "That's because I regret it, every time. But I keep making that mistake."
Sunset shook her head. "It's not a mistake to trust in others. I learned that the hard way."
"No. I'm not making that same mistake this time. Just take your friend, and leave." Daring Do turned and, without another word, she pushed her way through the crowds, leaving Sunset Shimmer behind.
Sunset Shimmer was respectful. She knew when somebody needed their space and when she should just back off. This wasn't one of those times. This was one of those times where she needed to be stubborn. Where she needed to do what she could, even if it was only a little.
Sunset took out her phone and started texting.
Twilight read the text, and then put away her phone. Sunset had explained the situation to her. "I need to find Sunset so we can put a plan together. I've just found out my favourite author and my favourite character are the same person! There's no way I'm gonna lose them!"
The problem… was that Twilight had no idea where she was in relation to Sunset Shimmer. Sunset said that she was at a place with many ATMs along a wall, but… that was every wall in this long , identical hallway.
As she looked around, something caught her eyes. Twilight gasped and ducked behind a potted plant, watching as Doctor Caballeron moved through the crowds of people, and casually entered a door that had a 'No Entry' sign on it.
"He must be holding her in there," Twilight whispered to herself as she watched with a heated glare. "It would be too dangerous to go alone… No, I have to do something. My brother would do the same thing." 'And I'm not just doing this to get Caballeron's autograph!'
With a resolute nod, Twilight approached the door and grabbed the handle. She opened it slightly, look around to ensure that she was not being watched, and then stepped inside, making sure to leave the door ajar as she ventured into the room.
Suddenly, Twilight felt something press against the back of her head. Her body stiffened and her blood froze. "… You're not Daring Do," the man behind her stated. "Do you not know that this area is off-limits?"
"I-I was just looking for the bathroom!" Twilight blurted, her hands shaking as her breathing increased. She regretted her poor decision to chase a known murderer… 'Though, really, I should have known better from the start. Nice going, Twilight.'
"Hmph. A pretty girl such as yourself should not go sticking her nose into dark places." Caballeron pulled his gun away and allowed Twilight to turn around, chuckling as he saw the blush spread across her face. "Yes, I have that effect on people."
"T-Theeeen, I suppose I'll just get going then," Twilight said, slowly and cautiously stepping around Caballeron, inching her way closer towards the door.
"Tell Daring Do that I do not have her assistant."
Twilight stopped. "I-I don't know what you-"
"I know that she sent you," Caballeron said. "The two of your seemed awful close at the signing earlier. You're acquainted with her, are you not?"
Twilight was about to correct him, but suddenly, an idea came to her mind. "W-Why yes! Yes I am!" she said, arms at her hips as she puffed out her chest proudly. "So you see, killing me would be a mistake! You know how Daring Do gets when she's angry!"
"Oh, believe me. I know." Caballeron chuckled, putting his gun into his jacket and turning to face Twilight. He closed the door to his side, drawing a worried gasp from her. "No doubt, both you and her believe that I kidnapped her assistant."
"W-Well, didn't you?" Twilight asked. "I mean, that is a classic Caballeron tactic right there."
"Normally, I would be inclined to agree with you. However, Miss Do has desperate need of this thing." Caballeron pulled a compass out of his jacket and dangled it by a chain in front of Twilight's eyes. "There's no need for me to risk provoking her that way, when I already have something she cannot refuse."
"A… compass?"
"Oh, did she not tell you? This compass once belonged to her father, who is now missing after a recent expedition was attacked."
Twilight gasped. "Daring Do's father is missing?"
"This compass may hold a vital clue to saving him, or, it may just be a compass. But that is a risk that Miss Do simply cannot take. Therefore, as you can see, I have all the cards that I need. I have no reason to take a hostage, making the transaction even more risky than it already was."
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "But if you didn't kidnap her assistant, then who did?"
"Somebody far worse than I, who is after the same thing, but has no such collateral." Caballeron put the compass away and said, "I will give you one hint: he considers himself to be the 'King of the Cat Kingdom'."
"Ahuizotl!" Twilight cried, her excitement revealing itself as a tiny squeal. She cleared her throat. "Ahuizotl."
"The same," Caballeron said. "And let me tell you, that man won't care that he's in a public place. He will open fire if he does not get what he wants."
"Then we have to stop him!" Twilight shouted, grabbing Caballeron's arm. "Daring Do's in danger!"
Caballeron took Twilight's wrist and released it from his arm. "Alas, I am outmatched this time. I did not bring enough firepower to fight a foe as dangerous as Ahuizotl."
"So, what, you're just gonna run away?" Twilight asked. "I didn't know Doctor Caballeron was such a coward! Daring Do must feel sorry when she writes you in her books!"
"I am simply weighing my options. I suggest that you do the same."
Twilight gritted her teeth together, backing away from Caballeron and opening the door to leave. "Yeah? Well, you do what you wanna do! I'm going to go help Daring Do!"
Caballeron watched as Twilight ran out of the room. He reached a hand up and stroked his hairy chin. "What interesting companions you always seem to find yourself with. And so fiercely loyal, too."
Caballeron took his phone out of his pocket and punched in a few numbers. "It's me. Bring that in. This deal just might go through after all."
Daring Do entered the cafeteria cautiously. Because of the expo, the cafeteria on the second floor was meant to be shut. However, the lights were on, and there was a figure standing in the centre of the room.
It was the man who had texted Daring Do just moments ago, ordering her to meet him in order to make the exchange. Her reagent for her assistant's life. The man who wore a sharp, clean blue suit and matching tie, with a blue purple helmet atop his head adorned with two long, sharp ear-like points.
The man who grinned like the Cheshire Cat whenever he had Daring Do right where he wanted her – Ahuizotl.
"So glad that you could make it," Ahuizotl said as he held Daring Do's assistant in one of his long, muscular arms. His other arm was pointed forwards, aiming a silenced handgun at Daring Do. The girl in his arm struggled, but he didn't even seem to notice it. "I trust that you have what I want?"
Daring Do clutched the vial in her hand. "Why do you want this thing, anyway? It's no good to someone who doesn't know a thing about ancient alchemy!"
"Why do I want it? For the same reason I want everything that the ancient world left behind: wealth. Gold. Riches. Money!" The man cackled and turned his pistol onto Daring Do's assistant. "Now, let's make the deal! First, you leave the reagent on the floor and then leave the room!"
"Not without some guarantee for her life!" Daring Do demanded.
"You're in no position for making demands!"
Daring Do gritted her teeth together. Slowly, she kneeled down and place the reagent onto the floor, keeping her eyes on Ahuizotl at all times. The vial touched the floor, but her hand did not release it. "First, point your gun away. Then I'll let go."
"… Hmph." Ahuizotl complied, moving his aim from his hostage and onto Daring Do. "Kick it over here."
"Not so fast." Daring Do gasped and turned around. Doctor Caballeron walked into the room, and was making his way confidently towards her, a grin plastered on her face. "Ahuizotl, my friend. How could you not cut me in on this deal?"
Ahuizotl trained his gun on Caballeron. "You seek to interrupt our transaction?"
"On the contrary," Caballeron said. "I wish to offer you an alternative deal. Her life…" Caballeron reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. He flicked it into the air, allowing it to glide across the wind and land on the floor at Ahuizotl's feet.
The paper was a cheque, and when he read the number that was written on it, Ahuizotl's jaw dropped. "… You would pay this much to help your dear Daring Do?"
"Not at all. I want the reagent. See, I'm one of those people who would pay a handsome sum for it, and if money's all your after…"
Ahuizotl studied the man suspiciously. "Then why not simply wait until our own transaction is over?"
Caballeron's grin grew wider. "What? And miss tormenting Daring Do myself?"
"… Heh. So that's it." Ahuizotl shrugged, and motioned the man over. "Very well then. Come here, and I will give you the hostage." Caballeron raised his arms and approached. It was only when he was close enough that Ahuizotl's nose began to twitch. Suddenly, he aimed his gun at the man. "Wait, who are you?!"
'Caballeron' clicked his tongue. "What, you've got the smell of a cat, too?"
Ahuizotl roared in anger. "How dare you try to trick me?! Who are you?!"
"… Agent Chrysalis, FBI."
Ahuizotl gasped, before suddenly being zapped from behind. He yelped, dropping his gun and releasing his hostage, who immediately took the chance and ran to Daring Do's side. "Thank you!"
"Don't mention it," Chrysalis said as she removed her mask, revealing her true face. She turned to Sunset Shimmer, who was standing behind Ahuizotl with a taser, and grinned. "See? I told you it'd work out okay."
Twilight came out from behind Sunset and grabbed Ahuizotl's arms. She pulled out a pair of handcuffs and slapped them on. "Ahuizotl, you are under arrest for kidnapping and attempted murder! … Did I do that right?"
"I would've twisted his arm about first, but not bad for a first attempt."
Twilight smiled sheepishly. "W-Wow. I can't believe I just did something so reckless. Shining Armor would kill me!"
"Exciting, isn't it?" Chrysalis asked with a laugh. "When I got your call, I was surprised. We've been after this guy for ages, but he always slips away."
"Why didn't you bring a bigger force, then?" Sunset asked.
"Not enough time, or evidence," Chrysalis said. "Honestly, you were just lucky I was nearby."
"Blast you!" Ahuizotl shouted, stretching his arms in an attempt to free himself. "BLAAAAAAAAAAST!"
"My, my, Ahuizotl. Such a whiner." Everybody gasped and turned around. Doctor Caballeron was there, holding Daring Do in one arm, with a knife against her throat. "I must say, young lady, I am mightily impressed. To think that you had connections with the FBI…"
"Let her go!" Twilight demanded, and Sunset raised her taser.
"Put that thing down. It's already been expended." Caballeron turned to Chrysalis, who had drawn her own pistol and pointed it at him. "And you. You would risk hurting the hostage to take that shot?"
Chrysalis studied the man for a few moments, before lowering her gun. "… You won't get away if you kill her."
"Oh I won't, so long as you follow my demands. First, release Ahuizotl."
"What?!"
"He and I conduct business together regularly. It wouldn't be in my best interests to leave him hanging. Release him… now."
Chrysalis turned to Sunset and Twilight with a heated glare, grinding her teeth together. "… Do it."
Caballeron laughed as Twilight took the key for the handcuffs and opened them. As Ahuizotl rose and turned to her, he shouted, "Don't touch her!" The large man turned to him with a confused stare. "I have more money than you would ever get selling this reagent. Leave the two young lasses alone and it's yours… Unless you would like to test the patience of our FBI friend over there?"
Ahuizotl turned to Chrysalis, whose gun had been aimed at him without him even realising it, and slammed a foot against the floor. "One day, this weakness for pretty women that you have will get the better of you!"
"Perhaps, but then, without the young lass over there, I would never have been able to turn these negotiations in my favour." Caballeron motioned for Ahuizotl to move towards him. "Knowing you, you would've killed Miss Do's assistant either way, and she would have smashed the reagent in retaliation."
"You give me far too much credit." Ahuizotl arrived at Caballeron's side and leaned down to pick the vial up. "Though I can see where you're coming from."
"Hold onto that. We'll make our getaway soon."
"What is it, that you would pay so much money for it?" Ahuizotl asked.
"A vital ingredient, for a poison that leaves no trace in an autopsy. Where you see nothing but value in money, I see a weapon that would make my operations much smoother."
"You're sick," Daring Do spat.
"I know. That's why I'll always win."
"What's the other condition?" Chrysalis asked. "You said 'first'."
"The next condition is to call off the agents you have skulking about. I know you must have called for some backup."
"I didn't-" Chrysalis stopped as Caballeron's knife slowly dug into Daring Do's skin. "…" She put her pistol away and pulled out her phone. "… Target has escaped. Pull out of the area. I repeat: pull out."
"Very good," Caballeron said. "And now, we wait." Fifteen long, uncomfortable minutes passed. Nobody dared to speak, or to move. They just waited. Waited to see what Doctor Caballeron would do next. Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside. "Well then, it seems that my ride is here."
Caballeron moved Daring Do towards the windows at the end of the of cafeteria, Ahuizotl and Chrysalis following him slowly. As he opened the blinds, daylight filled the room, and everybody was greeted by a helicopter hovering outside. Ahuizotl smashed a window with a chair, and then leaped outside and onto the helicopter.
"And with this, we part ways," Caballeron said. "Until we meet again, my dear Miss Do. Oh, and do give my regards to your father." Pushing Daring Do to the floor, Caballeron followed Ahuizotl onto the helicopter.
Chrysalis raised her gun and fired a shot, but the helicopter had already turned around and began to flee. "Darn! I have to chase them! That reagent is-" As Chrysalis walked aside to call in reinforcements, Twilight and Sunset ran to Daring Do's side.
"Are you okay?!" Twilight asked, helping Daring Do to her feet.
"I'm fine," Daring Do said.
"That was… quite the adventure, huh?" Sunset asked with a laugh.
"That was reckless of you," Daring Do said. "You could've been really hurt there."
"But we had to help!" Twilight said, clutching Daring Do's hand. "We couldn't just do nothing while your life was in trouble!"
Sunset scratched the back of her neck and said, "See, that's the kind of person Twilight is. And, unfortunately, she has a talent for dragging me things like this."
"… I see," Daring Do said, smiling softly at Twilight. "Thank you. I'll make sure to mention you in my next book. Under a pseudonym, of course."
Twilight's eyes widened, she drew air into her lungs, and Sunset covered her ears. An ear-piercing screech filled the room that threatened to deafen everybody there. When it was over, Twilight was left blushing as she steadily composed herself. "T-Thank you. I'd be honoured…"
Daring Do reached into her pocket, and pulled out a compass. "At least this wasn't a total loss… He left this."
"Your father's compass!" Twilight gasped. "He… gave it to you?"
Daring Do nodded, a grim look on her face. She clutched the metallic device and said, "I don't like the idea of taking his charity, but if I can find my dad…" Daring Do turned to Chrysalis, who had just gotten off of her phone. "You're FBI, right? I don't suppose you could keep this case a secret from the police. I'd prefer it if my identity wasn't revealed."
"That's fine with me," Chrysalis said, "But you will need to come down to the bureau to give us some information on that reagent. I'll introduce you as a toxicology expert."
Daring Do nodded her head. "Thanks again, you guys," she said to Sunset and Twilight, tipping her hat to them before she walked over to Chrysalis. "Take care, and try to be less nosey in the future!"
"I'll try, but no promises," Twilight said as she waved goodbye.
Sunset also waved, her eyes turning from Daring Do to Chrysalis. "Good job," Chrysalis said with a wink. "Keep it up. You'll go far."
"… Huh?" Chrysalis and Daring Do left, and Sunset asked Twilight, "What did that mean?"
"Hm?"
"Uh, never mind… Hey, how much time is left until the expo closes?"
Twilight pulled out her phone and checked the screen. "It's almost lunchtime. We can still make it to the VA panel if we eat fast."
The two girls made their ways back down to the event. People were still crowding the hallway and the venue inside, seemingly none of them having noticed the helicopter that had drawn close to the building earlier.
They ordered some lunch and ate it in a hurry, talking about their amazing adventure, how incredible it was that Daring Do was real and was going to include them in her latest book, and ultimately… how sad it was that they could never tell anyone.
With dejected sighs, Sunset sipped her soda whilst Twilight checked her phone. "We've got plenty of time. We probably could have afforded to chew slower."
Sunset sent a glare her way. "I only choked two times."
"Oh? Twilight and Sunset?" The two girls turned to find Starlight Glimmer, their history teacher, heading towards them. She was carrying several bags along her arms that she set down as she stopped at their table. "Well, what a coincidence!"
"Miss Glimmer?" Twilight asked. "You came to this expo, too?"
"Just because I'm a teacher, doesn't mean I don't have interests outside of teaching," Starlight said with a wink. "I was actually just about to head home. How are you both doing? I hope you've been putting much thought into what you want to do when you graduate."
"Please don't lecture us outside of school," Sunset groaned as she slumped onto the table.
"It's important that you decide your futures now, while you're young." Starlight smiled, and added, "But you're right. I shouldn't be a nag. Say, do either of you have the time?"
Sunset motioned to Twilight, who pulled out her phone and answered, "Half past twelve."
"Then, I should really be going." Starlight leaned down to pick up her bags, accidentally dropping one and spilling its contents in the process. "Oh dear."
"Here," Sunset said as she leaned down, Twilight joining her as the three gathered up the scattered items. "You… bought a lot."
"I know," Starlight said as she rose to her feet, reaching for the table for support. "I couldn't really help myself. There was just so much to buy."
Sunset and Twilight rose moments later, offering the teacher her bag. "Must be nice to have a salary," Sunset remarked.
"Well, you'll be there in just a few years," Starlight returned. She turned around and began to leave. "Enjoy the rest of the expo, you two!" In a mumble, she added, "It will be one you'll definitely remember."
Sunset sat back down with Twilight, putting a hand to her chin. "Honestly, I have no idea what I want to do. Work just seems like such a pain."
"We should probably ask our parents about it," Twilight said, twirling her hair around her left index finger. "I'm… not too sure, myself."
"I mean, there's nothing I'm really that passionate about, y'know?" Sunset reached for her drink, but then stayed her hand. She grumbled, pushing the drink to Twilight. "I need to use the restroom. You can have this if you want."
Getting up, Sunset ran towards the nearest restroom. Twilight took the drink and sipped through the straw. 'Future, huh? I wonder if Mum and Dad would be angry if I just said I wanted to spend my life around books?'
Time passed, roughly six minutes, before Sunset returned, approaching the table where her friend still sat. "Sorry about the wait," Sunset said, picking up her bag. "We should get going if we wanna get good seats."
Sunset patted Twilight's shoulder as she rounded the table, and Twilight fell. A thud resounded through the hall, catching the eyes of many passersby, and Sunset stood frozen for a solid ten seconds and she just stared at her friend lying limp on the floor, her eyes closed and her breathing slow.
"TWILIGHT!"