//------------------------------// // August 5, PM: Mental Hopscotch // Story: A Time of Reckoning: Seven Days in Sunny June, Book IV // by Shinzakura //------------------------------// “Oh, I’m quite sure she will love it,” the clerk at the bookstore said to Shining Armor as she handed him the bag. “Thanks for shopping with B&N, and have a nice day!” As Shining and Sandalwood left the store, she looked at him. “Wasn’t aware your sister read the Tomb Raider series.” “She’s not much of a pop culture kind of person, but she’s followed the adventures of Daring Do since she was first able to read. She also reads the Spellbound series and some fantasy and sci-fi novels here and there. Mostly they’re distractions for her.” “If you say so,” Sandalwood said, leaving the main portion of the mall and heading towards the parking garage. “Well, since we’re off, drop me off at my place before you head to your parents’ place. I need to get my gear in order for tomorrow.” “You know, you’re more than welcome to come to the party. You’ve known me and Cady forever, and you’ve met my sisters, so what’s the issue?” Sandalwood gave him a soft smile as she got into his car. “I appreciate it, Shiny. But…I probably should call my parents, since they’re worried about me. Plus, I haven’t talked to Minty in a while and I should give her a call too, just to see how she’s doing.” “You sure?” “Yeah, trust me, normally I’d love to go anywhere you are, but….” She shrugged before she could say anything else. “Now, drive on and wake me up when we get to my place, okay?” “Sure,” Shining said as he maneuvered his car out of the lot and into the heavy rain. Part of him wondered what she meant by that, but she was fast asleep before he could ask, her face turned away from him. “And that’s that,” Divine Right said, as he took the vial from Canzione. As I told the others, you should feel some disorientation at first, but then once you get used to your transformations, you should be able to do it with ease. “Thank you, sir,” Canzione Burst said, focusing. A second later she changed into what they were calling their “true SIREN” form, though privately Canzione wondered if it should be siren – meaning the old mythological concept – vs. SIREN, the appellation for their group. Either way, it wasn’t her concern to deal with such trivialities. She focused on her new form, calling up spines, scales and the other necessities of the form. Had she been wearing clothing it would have been shredded in an instant, but fortunately she was wearing the predesigned armor, which immediately molded itself to her new contours. “What now, sir?” she asked him. He pointed to the car that had been brought into the training area. “Tear that apart – with your bare hands. I think you’ll find that it’ll be easy. I want you to break it down into nothing but scrap.” He started walking away, adding, “Once I get behind the safety barrier, of course.” As he moved behind the heavy Lexan barrier, watching as Canzione rushed towards the small car, Cantata and Contralto were already waiting for him. “Strength training, betrothed? I approve.” “As I understand it, she’s the strongest of the trio, correct? Who better to do strength training with?” Noting that the leader of the Black Team was standing there, he added a quick, “No offense intended, Petty Officer Rush.” “None taken, sir; it’s important to know our strengths and weaknesses,” Contralto explained. “For example, my biggest weakness is trying to find out just what the hell Seaman Trance is up to right now…or maybe I should say who she’s with.” “Let her have her entertainments for now, Petty Officer,” Cantata told her subordinate. “Within a few days, we’ll have much more to deal with. For starters, my little trap has worked perfectly.” “Trap, ma’am?” Cantata flashed a wolfish smile that held no trace of humor. “Over the past few days, we’ve been stalked by some mercs. I know the one in charge particularly: Blackthorn, former American army who thinks he’s a hotshot since he went independent. Gathered up a bunch of other so-called badasses and they’re coming for us. Unfortunately for them, our bolthole? It was designed to lead them to us. They think they’re going to take us and have their way with us.” The look in her eyes changed from angry to murderous. “I won’t rest until they’re dead and left for the buzzards, understood?” “Roger that, ma’am,” Contralto replied. Divine reached onto a nearby desk and handed her a manila folder. “This is your next set of targets. The hurricane over the next two days will provide you plenty of opportunity for you to hunt down the next pair. Time is of the essence, and you have four targets to investigate.” Contralto opened up the folder, looking at the dossiers inside. Four girls this time. She looked back at Divine and said, “As soon as Seaman Burst is done with the training, we’ll go into prep mode. I take it this new gear will let us maneuver through the storm easily?” “It was designed to handle a number of situations, and what it can’t, your altered forms should be able to. I want two of them captured, and as for the others, liquidate them to cover your trails.” “Understood, sir.” She gave both him and Cantata salutes, then wandered off. “Now,” he said to Cantata, “I have something else to show you, something that I’ve had hidden from all your troops, as well as you.” Cantata’s eyes narrowed. “That was not a part of our agreement.” “Which is why I’m telling you now,” he said, giving her a smile. “The time will come soon when we’ll need that place, and it will be one of the keys to our victory.” Before she could react, he took her hand… …and the blinding flash cleared, Cantata blinked away the shock to find that she was in an entirely new location that could be described as “cavernous”. The area, about the size of the football field that the SIRENs’ lair was supposed to be in terms of land, looked like what could be a giant movie studio designed to mimic ancient Rome, or Greece. Broken columns and shattered buildings seemed to lay everywhere. Countless objects of what seemed to be ancient provenance were there, as well. And in the center of it all, carved into the marble flooring, was a massive magic circle, filled with more runs and sigils than the SIREN captain could hope to comprehend, all leading towards a black marble obelisk, veined with silver and gold, and with restraints embedded into it. In turn, the obelisk had an engraved gully leading down towards the magic circle – a blood channel. “So, what do you think?” Divine asked her. “Ostentatious,” Cantata replied evenly. “Maybe if I was filming a movie about ancient Rome or Atlantis, this would be great, but we’re expending a lot of time and money to ensure our plans succeed. And you had a movie set built?” “Not a movie set,” he told her. “An offering. Many of these objects you see are from museums around the world. After all, you weren’t the only organization I had doing, ahem, ‘contract work’ for me. I’ve spent a pretty penny acquiring these objects.” He walked over to a vase on a pedestal. “For example, this vase has been missing from the Museo del Prado for six years now. It’s never been on display, so they’ll never admit to its absence. Likewise, that one over there?” he said, pointing to a column, standing by itself. “That was stolen from the Brentwood in Los Angeles a year ago. Again, from their warehouses, so they won’t admit to it. All of these, picked from the forgotten annals of the world…and all of it will be a dagger in their perspective backs, put there by us!” “Okay, that’s all well and nice, but what’s all this supposed to do?” “It’s a welcoming gift for our summons. You see, with all the blood we’ve captured, we’re going to call forth a great demon to serve us. And these priceless artifacts will serve as its treasure. After all, you don’t just summon demons without having something to bargain with.” “And the plinth?” “That’s for the blood of the last virgin to flow into the circle. My final addition to the whole scenario. Not only someone pure, but meant to teach a lesson as well.” He grinned and there was a malicious glee in that rictus as he snapped his fingers and a card appeared in it. “Card Sixteen,” Cantata noticed. “The Tower?” “Yes. The card that means the destruction of everything: the old order, the world as we know it, and a starting point from where new things rise. Our empire eternal,” Divine told her. “And it all begins with the end of this precious little lamb.” He flipped the card around, revealing a photograph on the other side, one of a teenage girl. “Yes, it all ends with the sacrificial slaughter of my cousin’s precious daughter. The child she bore after rutting with someone unworthy. It all ends…” he intoned, as the card immediately caught on fire and he threw it to the ground to burn, the flames rising to consume the face of the girl with the red and gold locks of hair. “…with the death of my cousin’s most precious treasure: her daughter, Sunset Shimmer.” Seventy-three miles southeast of Canterlot, three girls walked through the city of Chico, underneath the midsummer sky. It was their assigned liberty period, but unlike the majority of the SIRENs, they were banned from enjoying the sights and sounds of the city that had been their home for the past few months. Still, they needed to get out, and with a supply convoy headed to Chico, Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk took a ride and rented a hotel in town there for the next two days, planning to enjoy themselves. That plan went right out the window the moment they saw a little girl playing in the park. She had plum hair, and though her hair was missing the signature locks of someone else they knew, it was more than enough for them to head in the opposite direction, destination anywhere but there. Sonata sighed. “It’s her birthday today,” she said to no one in particular. “Did you know that Pinkie had asked me to help her bake a special cake for Twily? I don’t know the first thing about baking, and yet she asked me.” Aria looked away from her sisters. “I was going to teach Rainbow how to shoot a bow and arrow. Apparently she has a relative that’s an archery expert, and when she found out that I knew how, she practically begged for lessons. That was going to be the plan for the weekend we left.” “Can we not talk about this?” Adagio asked, looking up information on her smartphone. It was, of course, a new phone complete with a new number, as she had to destroy the one with her old life on it. “There’s a movie theater about a couple of blocks down. Want to go see a movie?” “Fluttershy was trying to get us all to go to the movies the week after we left,” Sonata replied. “Applejack wanted me to stay over her place and catch up on some flicks,” Aria added. Adagio came to a stop. “Look, how long are we going to do this?” She turned to face them. “I miss them as well. But we agreed to this, as much as we hated it. We did this so we could be fr—” Her eyes widened, and she grabbed both her sisters and pulled them into a nearby alleyway. “What the?” Aria asked, but Adagio hushed her and listened carefully to the goings on out on the street. “Weird, sis – I coulda swore I saw Dagi and her sisters here a second ago.” “Sham, I think you’ve got our best employee on the brain. Although the store opens up in a few weeks, so we probably should give her a call and see how she’s doing.” “Eh, let her enjoy the summer – she’s just a kid, still. Besides, that way we can work on getting her maid outfit ready for the grand opening!” “Sham, she’s our employee – not your cosplay victim!” Adagio walked as her employers – my former employers, she corrected herself – continued to walk down the street. “We all agreed to this?” Aria snarked. “Looks like someone doesn’t want to be caught by her bosses.” “My former bosses,” Adagio corrected. “Besides, it was like your job at the YMCA – it was just a front.” “No, it wasn’t a front,” Aria snarled. “It was my life!” She got in her older sister’s face. “We fucked up! This isn’t our life!” “What do you want me to do? Desert?” Adagio yelled back. “We can’t just abandon everything, not when we’re at the verge of victory!” “Like hell we can’t,” Aria snarled. “We’re exiled here because Canterlot is our home! The Black Team will frag us in an instant if they get the chance! And our sœurs can’t protect us forever!” Sonata got between them. “Please! We’re sisters! We shouldn’t be fighting!” “I’m the senior enlisted here,” Adagio snarled, “and I’m ordering you to back off now, Seaman Blaze!” “No, you’re my older sister, but you’re still stupid enough that I apparently need to beat some sense into you!” Aria said, pushing past Sonata and getting right into Adagio’s face. “This isn’t the life our sœurs wanted for us, don’t you understand that? A few days ago, this wasn’t the life you wanted, either! What the hell’s wrong with you?” “DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT I’M DOING TO PROTECT YOU BOTH?” Adagio screamed. “DO YOU?” “What?” Adagio collapsed on the ground, spent, by the dumpster. “You stupid idiot. All this time and you haven’t even noticed.” Sonata stepped in front of Aria again and looked at her oldest sister. “Dagi, what’s wrong?” Adagio looked away from her sisters, because it was hard to face them right now. “I guess since you don’t have command authority, you wouldn’t know.” She sighed. “Because of our extended time in Canterlot, we’re considered suspect. There’s someone from INTEL watching us right now, because we’re a security risk.” “A what?” Sonata asked. She sighed again. “We’ve been in deep cover for an extended amount of time, during a period where Command cannot afford to have their side exposed to the week or second-guessing. To be honest, the reason why our sœurs didn’t want us to come back was because they knew that we’d be suspected. They wouldn’t, because they’ve been with the SIRENs for ages. But we’re still trainees…and subject to temptation…just like the lives we’ve lived.” “What?” “Did I stutter? They want us dead, unless we can prove we’re loyal or unless we make a break for it! And I don’t know what the hell to do, except that I have to keep you two protected, because you’re my sisters! And I’d do anything to keep you safe!” Aria looked away. “Sorry,” was all she could say. Sonata, meanwhile, peeked her head out of the alley for a second. “Okay, I’ve spotted our tail – it’s Petty Officer Sonatina Crush.” “Not familiar with her,” Adagio told her. “Wetworks. Specialist in clean-up operations. There’s a rumor that she specifically seduced our liaison with TF Arrowhead just so she could personally kill him. She’s never confirmed nor denied, but I’ve seen her knife work and…well, she’s a sadistic bitch. Cut off the genitals of the practice dummy with a grin on her face.” “Great, so we’re dealing with a psychopath,” Aria groaned. “Well, I for one don’t intend to stick around to find out what her choice is,” Adagio told her sisters. “C’mon, we’ve got a movie to go see. She won’t be stupid enough to attack us in public.” A block away, a girl with a slight build, black and gold hair and red eyes behind eyeglasses spoke on her phone. “And you’re sure about this, Contralto? Our investigation has shown that they’re completely on the up and up.” “Absolutely. I don’t give a damn what the investigation says, Tina. I know those three are up to something. Coddled little bitches who think they’re more important than the mission. After all, why are they in Chico? Why can’t they just take liberty in Canterlot? You know they’re up to something.” “This could cause a problem for me, Alto.” “It won’t. I’ll go to bat for you directly with the Old Man. Don’t worry. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” “Deal, then.” A cruel smile came across her face. “Never liked that bitch Dusk anyway.” "Sorry I’m late,” Pinkie said to Sunset. Her hair was uncharacteristically straight and she was dressed in a sweatshirt and slacks, another sign something was up. “Pinkie, are you okay?” Sunset asked her, ushering her in. “Just…the medicine I’m taking is making me feel bleh,” the cheerleader told her friend in a soft voice. “I’ll be fine, really. Besides, I want to be here for Twily.” “Listen, if you need to lie down or anything—” “I’m not a child to be coddled, Sunset,” Pinkie said in a tone tinged with the barest hint of anger. Furthermore, Pinkie hadn’t called her by her full first name in ages. “Pinkie, are you sure you’re okay?” Pinkie flinched. “Yeah. Sorry, Sunny. Just…mood swings, ya know?” She leaned forward and hugged her. “I’ll be okay. But maybe I do need to take a nap.” “Sure, you can use my room. C’mon.” Lyra looked at the others. “Is it just me, or is Pinkie looking a little ragged?” “Don’t worry about it,” Rainbow told her. “She’s just had a bad day, I guess. She had a medical appointment earlier.” “I hope she’s okay,” Bon-Bon said. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. Me and Pinks, we’re tight, so I know these things,” Rainbow assured her. Meanwhile, standing where they were, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack looked at each other. “You don’t think…?” Fluttershy asked. “Naah, Ah think she’d’ve told us if that was the case,” Applejack said. “Don’t be too sure,” Rarity warned them. “She didn’t tell anyone, save for me, last time.” “The only reason she told you was because the rest of us weren’t on speaking terms back then and you just happened to run into her,” Fluttershy recalled. “To be honest – and no offense, of course – I’m surprised you didn’t talk about it.” “I’m not one for gossip,” Rarity huffed, “and I most certainly do not gossip about my friends…even if we were having difficulties at the time.” “Yeah, we know,” Applejack said sincerely, while Fluttershy nodded. As Sunset came downstairs, Rarity asked, “Is she okay, Sunset?” “She’s not her usual self, but she said that’s due to the medicine. She’s lying down on my bed for a bit, and I’ll check on her just before Twily and Tavi get home.” “Do you mind if I go check on her?” Rarity asked. “Sure, you know where my room is,” Sunset said with a hint of smile. “In the meanwhile, I think I need to start working on the pastries I was making for the party. AJ, can you give me a hand?” “Sure thing, sugarcube,” her friend said, following her to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Rarity went up to Sunset’s room. She knocked on the door. “Pinkie? Darling, are you okay?” “Come in,” came the sorrowful tone on the other side. Rarity opened the door and sat down, looking at Pinkie. “Pinkie, dear, are you okay?” “No, I’m not,” she said as she sat up. “I…I don’t want to talk about it.” “Not even to me?” She sighed. “Do you hate me?” Rarity, in turn, hugged her friend. “Even when we were all mad at each other because of what Sunset did, I could never hate you, dear. You’re one of my closest friends.” “Good,” Pinkie mourned. “Because I just remembered how much I hate myself.” Down in the kitchen, Sunset looked at Applejack, trying to figure the best way to ask something delicate while preparing to bake pastry shells. “Did I do something to Pinkie? She’s been hinting around it for the past few days.” Applejack sighed. “Then you haven’t been paying attention, sugarcube. She’s been hinting around it for the past few months.” Sunset blanched and Applejack tried to give her a comforting smile. “Don’t think ‘bout it right now. You want to be happy for Twily’s sake, and what you did to Pinkie was long ago.” “What did I do, AJ?” Sunset asked. “Pinkie’s my friend, and I want to make it right!” Applejack was silent for a long time, before she said, “Ah can’t tell you – it’s not mah place to say, truthfully. And don’t go asking the others – only me an’ Rarity know the full story, and saying something’s only going to make it worse.” “Worse? You mean like worse than ‘Pinkie hates me’ worse?” The blonde sighed. “She doesn’t hate you. You know that. And even if she did, you know we forgave you for all the things you did already. Plus—” Applejack caught herself before she could say anything further. “You’re not going to tell me,” Sunset stated. “For what it’s worth, Sunny, Pinkie will be the first to admit that in the end, it was her choice and she has no one to blame but herself. But…if Ah have to use an analogy, it’s like pushing someone towards a cliff, but it’s their choice to jump.” “That’s not a very comforting analogy.” “Sorry.” Applejack was silent for a few more minutes while they prepped the shells, then looked at her friend intently. “Ah want you to promise me you’ll let Pinkie tell you when she decides to – and especially no pestering her tonight.” Sunset opened the oven, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t listening. “AJ….” “Ah mean it, Sunny.” “Fine,” Sunset said as she took the trays from her friend and slipped them into the metal box. “If only because I’m bent over with my head in the oven and my ass sticking out,” she groaned. Applejack laughed. “Well, in fairness, it is a nice ass.” “AJ, don’t make me come out of this oven and strangle you with the piping bag.” That got an additional laugh from her friend, which magnified as Sunset banged her head on the edge of the stove as she stood back up. “Fine, I’m maimed. Satisfied?” “Awww, sugarcube, Ah don’t mean nothing by that, you know that. But Ah do want that promise out of you.” “Fine, fine. But that won’t stop me from worrying about her or feeling guilty, you know.” “Ah know. And frankly, it’s the fact that you do that shows how much you’ve changed, Sunny.” “You want me to pick up how many?” Night Light asked. “Don’t worry, hon, I’ll make the order myself,” Velvet said on the other end of the line. “Besides, with the girls tying up the kitchen, we really don’t have anywhere to make dinner, so pizza’s the best option.” “But fifteen pizzas? What, are we feeding the whole neighborhood?” “We’re going to have about twenty people in the house.” “Yes, and half of them are female. Given that the average female diets, that should be, what, one, maybe two slices to cover everyone?” he joked. “You’re lucky I love you, or else I’d put you on the couch.” “You mean you’re lucky I radiate enough heat for you to keep warm at night.” “Well, yeah, that too,” Velvet laughed. “Fine, I’ll pick them up on the way home from the office. Anything else I should know?” “That our little girls are growing up, and then it’s only a decade or so more before Spike goes off to college? I’m not sure I’m ready for an empty nest, love.” “One adoptee at a time, Vel. We just expanded to accommodate our niece; we keep adding on to the house and we’re going to hit zoning regulations.” “I’m serious, hon.” “I know you are. But let’s adopt Sunny first and then see how things go ten years from now? By that point, Shiny and Cady may have children of their own, and our girls might find loves of their own to settle down with.” “Speaking of which, I think I hear Cadance calling for me, so I have to deal with whatever’s on fire. I’ll see you when I get home, love.” “Sure. Love you too. Bye.” He hung up the phone and looked around at his desk, then saw the picture of his family, taken at Sunset’s birthday party. There they stood together: himself, Velvet, his two sons, a future daughter-in-law, and two daughters, as well as a niece who was practically a third. To say he lead a charmed life was an understatement in his opinion. Just days to go, and I’ll have a second daughter. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, showing the miles of his age. Even still, he was able to have the family he did because he was able to keep up with his spitfire of a wife. Well, that and the fact that Tia stood me up because she was too drunk. He chuckled inwardly; it was the best date he’d ever been stood up for in his life. If I had to do it all over again…I’d at least have asked Velvet out directly, he mused before he went back to typing his report. “Hey, Spike,” Featherweight said. “You sure you’re not going to your sister’s birthday party?” Spike rolled his eyes. “Remember what happened at the party back in February? Basically that happens.” “Oh. Sorry, man, I feel for you. Well, you’re welcome to crash here for the night. My parents are out of town, so it’s just my big sister and she’s a pushover.” “Yeah, cool. Why don’t we get some game time in?” Spike asked. “On it!” the other boy chirped, racing towards his game console. “That was an absolutely devious plan to get Spike to stay at his friend’s place, Sunny,” Cadance told the fire-haired girl. “I may just insist you pursue a career in law.” Sunset blushed. “I, uh…I’ll think about it.” She was about to say more when she felt the pressure of someone glomping her from behind. This lasted for a fraction of a second until she lost her balance, pitched forward and crashed into Cadance, sending all three to the floor. “Wow, human dominoes,” Rainbow joked. “That or a sexual posi—” “Finish that sentence and I will tell the entire soccer team know that you secretly play chess and backgammon,” a delicate voice warned. “Really?” Applejack asked. “I did not know that.” “Rares!” Rainbow gasped. “You wouldn’t!” “I most certainly would, if you continue to make such crass comments.” “But I thought a lady doesn’t gossip about her friends!” Rainbow countered. “A lady most certainly does not,” Rarity began, before giving the athlete a wolfish smile. “But a lady should always know when a bit of, ahem, ‘delicate pressure’ should be applied.” “You mean blackmail.” “A rose by any other name….” Standing just away from them, Bon-Bon squeezed Lyra’s hand. “Don’t get any ideas, sweet stuff. You’re all mine.” Lyra blinked. “Don’t we need more than two people to play dogpile?” Both Lyra and Trixie mastered synchronized facepalming at that point. “Shoulda went after the one with brains,” Bon-Bon muttered. “Sorry, Bonnie, you know I don’t swing that way,” Trixie joked. “You sure? I’d be willing to trade in last year’s model,” she said, hooking a thumb at Lyra. Trixie mock-thought about it for a second. “Pretty sure,” she answered, and both girls laughed. It was then that Lyra realized something was up. “Did I miss something?” The doorbell rang, and Sunset, having managed to untangle herself from the human car crash, dusted herself off. “I’ll get that.” “No, dear, I’ll get it,” Rarity, closer to the door, commented. “Besides, it seems that Pinkie would like your attention.” She pointed to the cotton-candy-haired girl, who had mysteriously slipped her arm around Sunset’s own. “C’mon, we need to talk,” Pinkie said, but before Sunset could object, the oven timer went off. “We can go check the crème puffs!” Pinkie then chirped, dragging her along. “Sweetheart, no making out with your girlfriend in the kitchen,” Velvet told her older daughter. “She’s not—” Sunset managed to blurt before Pinkie dragged her into the kitchen. “Mrs. Velvet, you do know we’re all straight, right?” Fluttershy asked her. “I know, dear, but if you can’t tease your daughter, who can you tease?” Rarity, in the meanwhile, had answered the door. “Oh, Coco! This is a surprise.” “Hello, Rarity!” Coco Pommel beamed. “Nice to see you! Is Twily here?” “I’m afraid not; she and Octavia are still out while we’re readying her party. Would you like to come in?” “I wish, but I can’t.” “You were invited, weren’t you?” Rarity asked. “Of course! But my aunt and cousin are in town, and my parents are headed out of town for the next couple of days. I’m meeting my aunt at the airport, since she wants to take me and my cousin to Seattle for the next few days.” She handed Rarity a gift. “Please tell Twily I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, but that I promise to make it up to her once I get back.” “That’s sweet, Coco, dear, but you really don’t have to. I’m sure she’ll understand.” “Plus, I want her to meet my cousin! Shimmy’s visiting from France, and she’s really nice.” “France?” That piqued Rarity’s curiosity. “Perhaps I might join you as well?” “Sure! We can all do lunch – my treat.” She looked back at the street and the limousine idling by the curb. “Okay, gotta go, but again, tell Twily that I’m sorry and to have a happy birthday!” “I most certainly will, darling. Enjoy Seattle!” As Coco scampered back to the limo, Rarity closed the door and smiled. “So young, cultured and a lady – perhaps her befriending my sister might just do Sweetie a world of good.” Pinkie pulled the pastries out of the oven. “You’re probably wondering why I dragged you in here.” Sunset, not looking at her friend, made the crème for the puffs. “Applejack says I shouldn’t ask you unless you told me.” “She’s right. And I’m not telling you.” With the expertise of someone who worked in a bakery, she put the two baking sheets down on the stovetop without even looking at it and said, “I know you. You’ll feel guilty about it. And maybe you should. But the truth is, in the end, it was my mistake and my price to pay.” “Look, Pinkie,” Sunset said, turning around, “I don’t think I can ever apologize enough for whatever it is I did.” “No. No you can’t.” Pinkie took the piping bag from Sunset. “This looks like the stuff we use at the café.” “Yeah, switched out all the gear we used to have here with the stuff the café uses,” Sunset admitted. “Since I do a lot of baking around here in my free time, I asked your aunt what brand we use at the café. Complimented the set you guys got me for my birthday.” “Good idea. But back to what I was saying.” Pinkie walked over and grabbed the bowl of crème, then went back to where the pastries were. “You know, there was a time when I really hated you, Sunset. I hated everything about you. And if you want to know the truth, when that…thing…took hold of you? I honestly thought you were really just showing us who and what you really were all along.” Sunset gasped, but before she could say anything, Pinkie added, “Please, let me just say my piece, okay?” “O…okay.” As Pinkie spoke, her hair seemed to deflate once more, growing longer and straighter and somehow darker. It seemed as if Pinkie was losing her brightness. “You remember when Twilight – Princess Twilight, that is – asked all of us to be your friend, right? You were in that pit, we were all looking down at you as if to render judgment, and Twilight asked us to be your friend. It took me everything to smile right then, because if I had my way, I would have had you killed. I hated you that much, Sunset, I really did. “But it was after the main part of the dance, just before she went back, that Twilight asked us individually if she could really count on us to be your friends. Everyone – even Rainbow, who outwardly showed her contempt for you – said they would. All but one. “Me.” Sunset was horrified by that. She’d always thought that it was Rainbow that had been the one to reluctantly participate in what had been her redemption. To find out wrong was one thing – to find out that it had been Pinkie that had been the reluctant one was overwhelming. “Pinkie, I don’t know what to say.” “Because you can never fix it, Sunset. Some things can’t ever be fixed. But anyway, I was the lone holdout. When I found out she was what you ponies consider a goddess? I begged her that if there was any justice in this world, that you would be cast into the deepest parts of pony hell or whatever; that Biblical, unspeakable things would be done to you. Think about every bit of the rage and anger you have against Flash for everything he’s done…and I don’t think it would equal how I felt. If I’d been pushed far enough that night and given a chance, I probably would have gleefully executed you that night, personally.” Sunset slumped to the floor. This wasn’t Pinkie, not the girl she knew, not her friend. Even Gilda wasn’t this restrained in her hatred. Seeing her confusion, Pinkie sat down on the floor next to her. “Do you know what changed my mind? Twilight then told me about a pony she once saved. A monster, probably even worse than you, and when defeated, was revealed to be nothing more than a pony who’d made a catastrophic mistake. That the pony had caused pain a million times over, and had even taken lives…but in the end, couldn’t even fathom what she’d done wrong. In many ways, like a child who’s been given a gun, then innocently points it at someone and pulls the trigger because he doesn’t know what the consequences will be.” Pinkie looked at the floor as she said, “It was then that I agreed to give you a chance. Not for you – for Twilight. Because she said that when you were put on the right path, you would probably do something that would make everything worth it in the end. And for the longest time, I didn’t believe. I kept that fake smile up – the time I referred to you as the worst thing, not the worst person? I was on the rag that day and couldn’t hold it in.” “Then why—” Pinkie ignored her, continuing: “But the job offer that I went to my aunt and uncle for? That was sincere. Because I wanted to believe. Because I wanted to see what an innocent child, finally shown the right path, could do.” Pinkie looked up and was crying. “Today, I had to go in for a refill for my lithium medicine. Even though I was cured of that neurological disease I had when I was a child, I’ll need lithium for my bipolar disorder for the rest of my life. It’s manageable, and I should have told you about that sooner. That’s my fault, and I’m sorry. But when I was there at the doctor’s office, I had a reminder of something else – the part I won’t tell you about – and it tore me apart. I almost didn’t come today, but I did because I didn’t want to disappoint my friends.” “Which I’m guessing is everyone but me?” Sunset said in a soft voice. To that, Pinkie leaned forward and hugged Sunset as hard as she could. “No, that includes you. I saw what you did to stop the Club – you did something nobody else could do. When nobody else could stop them, you used the same force and power you did to commit evil and used it for the side of angels, bringing righteous rage against your foes.” The wording, the phrasing was things Sunset had never heard her friend say before, and she realized she would greatly have to reassess the happy-go-lucky cheerleader. “Twilight was right about you, and now I realize why: you are your mother’s daughter.” Sunset could feel the wetness of Pinkie’s tears against her hair. “And I’m not talking about your adopted family. In the letter that Princess Twilight sent to me last month – the one you brought to work for me – she revealed something that I suspected all along.” Pinkie pulled away from Sunset and asked. “You weren’t Princess Celestia’s student, were you? You’re her daughter, aren’t you?” “I….” Sunset didn’t know how to answer that. Pinkie smiled despite the tears. “That’s why you were always semi-behaved around Ms. Celestia, isn’t it? Because she’s just like your real mother. Believe me, I know – emotionally, I feel that Auntie Cup is more my mother than my actual mother is. I do understand that.” Tears started to fill Sunset’s eyes. “You’re changing the subject. Please tell me what I did, and what I can do to make it up to you.” “You can’t. It’s too late. And I stopped hating you a long time ago, Sunny. You’re one of my best friends – how could I hate someone I love so much?” Pinkie flashed a smile again and seemed to brighten, returning to normal. “I don’t know why you want to be adopted by your family here, but I think you should tell them the truth about who and what you are. If you are the daughter of a princess, you are a princess yourself and you owe it to your mother – both of them – to be honest with them.” “Pinkie, I….” Sunset’s emotions were a mess regarding that, and they’d just been pushed further now. Pinkie hugged her again. “If we are really friends, Sunny – if you care about me as much as I do you – you’ll tell the truth.” She pulled back and in a very Twilight Sparkle-esque manner, quoted, “This above all: To thine own self be true.” “I…uh….” Pinkie shrugged. “I do read, you know.” “So you’ll never tell me what I did?” “No. It’s my cross to bear, Sunny. Think of it as penance for me not believing in you initially.” There was a knock on the door and Velvet poked her head in. “Tavi just called a few minutes ago. They’ll be here in ten minutes.” She saw both girls on the ground and asked, “Dare I ask what happened?” Before Sunset could say anything, Pinkie grinned and chirped, “She said she’d marry me! Don’t worry, Mrs. Velvet, I’ll make an honest woman out of your daughter!” Velvet merely shook her head, chuckled and left the two to her own devices. “Great, now everyone’s going to think I’m gay.” “Do me a favor? Don’t borrow any books from Compass Rose, okay?” “Why?” “Just trust me on this, Sunny.” “No, for the final time, I’m not going to join you!” “That’s a real shame, Loam,” the voice on the other end of the phone said. “We could’ve been such great friends. Now, well…don’t worry, I’ll make sure your girl is kept happy. Tell me, she go all night?” Sable gripped the phone receiver so hard he could hear the plastic casing crack from the stress. “You take one step near Tia and I won’t be responsible for what happens next, do you understand me?” “Oh, don’t worry, Loam – we’ll make sure you get a decent burial. Least I can do for a fellow former operator. And after I’m done dicking your porta-twat into forgetting about you, I’ll make sure she knows how to smile again.” The call immediately disconnected and it was everything Sable could do to set his cellphone down gently before he hurled it against the wall. Taking a deep breath, he stood up from his chair and went back to putting up the window barricades the school district had haphazardly spent for all the schools in their purview. “Wow, someone’s being a slowpoke.” Sable turned around and saw Sombra standing there in a t-shirt and jeans, carrying a tool bag. “I already finished the next class over. I thought you’d be done with yours by now.” “Heh, sorry, got a call that kinda captured my attention.” “Yeah, I noticed.” Sombra set his bag down on Sable’s desk and picked up the phone; the outer casing clearly looked like it was broken. “You and Tia having problems?” He knew when he was caught; ever since he found out that Celestia and Sombra were old friends, the latter had teased him about it relentlessly. “Sorta. Some asshole has been harassing Tia and doing it just on this side of the law. He just called me and told me to dump her, or else she might find herself ‘with a new dick inside her’, quote unquote.” Sombra winced. “Yeah, that does sound nasty. Look, Sable, for what it’s worth, I’ve known Tia since we were both teachers at Everfree Glades High. My wife is a good friend of hers as well, and…call me maudlin, but I’ve never seen her so happy as I have since she’s been with you. I’m not going to say anything like ‘take care of her’, because I know you will. All I’m going to say is that couples that go the distance are willing to be honest with one another about it and always play from the same playbook.” “Oh, don’t worry – we do,” another voice said behind them. Both men turned around to see Celestia coming in. Pausing only to give her boyfriend a quick kiss, she put a sack down on one of the student desks, and pulled a sandwich out, handing it to her friend. “This deli you recommended better be good, Sombra,” she warned. “C’mon, Tia, when have I ever steered you wrong?” Passing Sable his sandwich, she said to Sombra, “January 1991 – Forestview Burgers, two blocks down from the school. You said it was the best burger you ever had. As I recall, five of us ended up getting food poisoning and Principal Starheart pretty much freaked out about it.” “Hey, in my defense, I’d only been there a couple of times,” he plead. “Okay, what about Crestline Diner, April 1993? Luna had just joined the faculty and when we went to go get lunch, you recommended the taco salad. She was sick for days, so much so that she had to stay over my place so I could look after her for the weekend!” He groaned. “Okay, so I wasn’t the best at choosing places back then. I promise I’ve gotten better at it.” “Okay, but if I get sick,” she said, taking a bite of hers, “you’re going to have to explain it to Sable.” “Of that I have no doubt,” he said with a chuckle. “Okay, so aside from playing delivery girl, what brings you here?” She took another bite of her sandwich, after quickly swallowing, said, “Well, since the school year still hasn’t officially started for faculty until next week, Waddle asked me, as superintendent of the summer school system, to check on the status of all the schools being designated as hurricane evacuation centers.” “Congrats on that, by the way. I know Waddle’s doing it because he’s grooming you for an assistant superintendent slot.” “Yeah, I kinda noticed.” “So, what was the other reason?” Sable asked. Celestia blushed. “I, um….” “Knowing Tia, she probably was hoping that you’d ditch your t-shirt and she’d get to see her sweaty hunk of man flex his muscles while putting up the storm barrier,” Sombra said with a laugh. Celestia pouted as she took a sip from her bottle of water. “Hate you so much for that,” she mock-snarled to Sombra. Sunset hugged her sister for what had to be the umpteenth time. “Happy Birthday, sis.” Twilight laughed. “Getting a bit touchy-feely today, sis?” Sunset smiled. “Hey, just happy to be around my favorite younger sister.” “You only have one younger sister.” “Technicalities, technicalities. So, enjoying yourself?” The teen scholar nodded. “Yeah. This time last year, we didn’t even have a birthday party for me because it was just me and Tavi. We just went out to dinner, instead.” She looked around the room at all her friends and said with appreciation, “Wow, my life has changed.” She looked back at Sunset and said, “I still can’t believe you did all this for me.” Sunset shrugged. “Well, I had some help—” “Nuh-uh!” Pinkie interjected. “Usually I’m the party planner, but Sunny insisted on planning yours, because she said, and I quote—” Pinkie then did a credible imitation of her friend as she intoned, “— ‘Twily’s my sister and I don’t want anything going wrong for her special day!’” “She said that?” Twilight asked. “Girl, you should know by now that when Sunny’s serious, there’s not much that gets in her way,” Minuette told Twilight. The guests had arrived just minutes before Octavia and Twilight got home, all of them a mix of girls that Twilight knew from Canterlot High and her own school. Blossomforth was also in attendance, though now that she was close to term, she was currently seated in a chair. Twilight had been told about Coco being unable to make it as well as her promise to make it up to her, and she grinned at that. “Well, planning to open the presents, birthday girl?” Cadance asked her. “Sure thing,” Twilight said as she wandered over to the table where everything was. She sat down in one of the chairs and almost instantly a birthday hat (courtesy of a fast-moving Pinkie) had been placed on her head. “Okay, get to it, Twily!” she chirped. “Okay, okay, I’ll do that,” Twilight giggled before reaching for the nearest box. “This one’s from Minuette.” “Hope you like it. Spent forever trying to find something that wasn’t dental related,” she said with a wink. Twilight opened it, revealing a new backpack. “Thanks, Minnie,” she said to her friend. “No problem, Twily,” came the response. “Next up, we have…” Cadance read the handwriting. “I can’t read this.” “Probably mine,” grunted Rainbow. “What, you can’t recognize your own wrapping?” Bon-Bon asked her. She sighed. “No, my mom wrapped it. I can’t wrap gifts to save my life,” the athlete admitted. “Well, whatever it is, I’m sure it’s nice,” Twilight said as she undid the packaging and opened the box, revealing…. “Wow, never got one of these before,” she said, holding up the box, a Tomb Raider collector’s set, collecting the first three novels, the live-action movie and a deluxe 12” collectable Daring Do action figure; the figure was based on the movie version, and thus looked like actress Angelic Joy. “If you’ll note, it also has Angelic Joy’s autograph on it; I got that when I went to the Canterlot Comic Con last month,” Rainbow admitted. “So, you might not want to open the box.” “Thanks, Rainbow,” Twilight said, surprised that her friend had parted with what Rainbow would consider a priceless treasure. “Eh, anything for a friend,” was Rainbow’s response. “Well, next is Adagio,” Cadance announced, and the room was met with utter silence. “Something wrong, girls?” she asked. “Yeah,” Sunset lied. “We thought the triplets were on vacation, but turns out that…um…there was a custody fight and….” She paused, hating to lie about it. “Anyway, they don’t live in town anymore.” “Wow, that’s a shame; I thought they were cool from when I met them,” Lyra said. “Well, at least they thought enough of you to get you something,” Velvet told her daughter. “You should pass her Aria’s and Sonata’s as well, just to get it over with,” Sunset suggested, pointing to the gifts in question. Silently, Twilight unwrapped their gifts. Adagio’s was a first-edition copy of The Hobbit, complete with an autograph from Rashbold himself. Aria’s was a custom-made diary; given that she and Twilight had once discussed writing poetry for no reason, Aria must’ve taken it seriously enough to gift Twilight the opportunity. Sonata’s was a custom bow that she had ordered for Twilight’s violin, having heard her play and absolutely loved it. Twilight stared helplessly at the three treasures from friends now gone. “I…I miss them,” she said to everyone. Fluttershy hugged her. “We all do, Twily. We all do.” “Aw, c’mon! Don’t be a grumpy-grumps!” Pinkie announced, passing Lyra’s gift to Twilight. “Here, open this and then make sure that you schedule an appointment for cult deprogramming!” Lyra glared at the party girl. “Hate you so much, you know that?” Pinkie, in turn, stuck her tongue at her. Twilight just ignored her friends’ antics and opened it up. “Wow, Lyra. Really?” She held up the book for everyone to see: Unicorns ARE Real: A Scientific Study of the Elasmotherium. Lyra blushed. “I just thought you’d like a book on unicorns…well, until real ones are found that is.” “Lyra, just drop it, okay?” Sunset said. “Sunny, I’m going to make it my life’s work to prove that unicorns – the true ones – are real! Just watch.” Bon-Bon patted her girlfriend on the shoulder, then said to Twilight, “Just open mine now so you can move past the humiliation.” Twilight took the hint. A few seconds later, she revealed a polo shirt in brown, tie-dyed stains. “Wow, this is beautiful, Bonnie! Where did you get it?” “My sister Burgundy does it as a hobby, and when I saw that you liked the one I wore, I knew I had to get you one. This one’s special, because it’s made from the cocoa dyes from the batch of chocolate I made that morning.” “Really?” Minuette nodded sagely. “Chocolate has many uses. We only think of the ones that are cavity inducing.” “Well, this one’s from Rarity,” Cadance said as she passed her the next gift. “This one, I’m sure is to be less caloric.” “Well of course so – I only use the best.” Twilight opened it to reveal a set of bath oils and perfumes by Sandalwood Bath Essentials. “Thanks,” Twilight said, knowing how expensive these were. “I use it after a trying day,” Rarity explained. “It’s the best on the market.” “I’ll let my friend Sandy know,” Cadance commented. “Her grandmother owns the company and Sandy herself is named after her grandmother.” “Oh, really?” Rarity asked. “That’s quite fascinating to know. I suppose I should own stock in the company, given how much my mother, my sister and I have purchased their products.” “Well, this one’s from Coco – that’s the young girl who was at the door, right?” Velvet asked. “Apparently she couldn’t come for some reason, but she was kind enough to bring you a gift.” “She’s the one I’m looking after at school,” Twilight explained to her mother. Opening up Coco’s package, Twilight’s mouth curled into an o of surprise: sitting in the box was half of a diamond-encrusted “Friends Forever” pendant necklace, the other half likely with Coco herself. “Wow, I….” Twilight was at a loss for words. “Yeah, no kidding,” Trixie commented. “Well, I think my gift is next, so I hope you’re not too disappointed.” At that cue, Cadance passed Twilight Trixie’s gift. “Wow,” Twilight commented after unwrapping it. “This…this is great, Trixie! Thanks!” Twilight held up a piece of amber, with an ancient flower fossilized within. To anyone else, it would’ve been blasé, but to the scientific-minded Twilight, it was a truly grand gift. “Think nothing of it,” Trixie said as she hugged Twilight. “It was an item accidentally sent to our store, but when I saw it, I thought of you, so I asked my mother not to send it back.” “Well, back to the presents. This one’s from Applejack,” Cadance commented. “Is there a reason you’re playing present MC?” Octavia asked. Cadance looked at her evenly. “I’m sure you don’t want Twily to go through a repeat of your birthday with what your grandfather got you?” The teen musician shuddered. “Point made,” she admitted. Meanwhile, Twilight had uncovered a beautiful apple blossom-festooned tea set. “This is nice, AJ. Thanks!” Applejack nodded. “Asked Licorice to have it custom-made for you. Monkey Picked usually doesn’t carry custom tea sets, but for me, she was willing to go the extra mile.” “Thanks. I mean that,” Twilight said as she took the next gift, this one from Pinkie. She opened it up and grinned. “Really?” Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “One night only, at the Center for the Arts! Figured you wanted to go, so I got them!” “What are they?” Velvet asked. “Tickets to go see Blue Man Group at the Equestria County C of A. Thanks, Pinkie!” “Well, I guess Fluttershy’s next,” Cadance said, pointing to a rather sizeable box that Twilight had to actually get up to open. When she did, her jaw dropped. “You didn’t.” Fluttershy blushed. “I did. Sorry, access to Dad’s credit card and all that.” Velvet looked in astonishment. “Is that what I think it is?” Everyone looked at the antique printing press sitting in the living room. It was old enough to be one of the very first ones, and it likely cost a small fortune. “I have no idea where I’m going to put that,” Velvet said. “Fluttershy, you shouldn’t have.” “It was for Twily,” Fluttershy half-defended, almost taking a stand for herself. “No, I mean it: you shouldn’t have, Fluttershy.” Velvet’s eyes then took on a resigned look. “I’m going to have to rearrange the living room to find a place for this….” “Well,” Cadance interjected, “there’s still two more gifts before your father gets home, Twily.” Velvet caught that, then looked at her older daughter and her niece. “I hope you two didn’t join the ‘one up the other’ club.” Octavia and Sunset looked at each other, daring the other to go first. Velvet frowned at that. Cadance pointed to the two gifts left. “Your call, Twily.” “I’m already up, so I’ll just open Tavi’s first,” she said, walking over to it and tearing the wrapping off. “Oh, my…Tavi, this is gorgeous! Thanks!” Velvet blinked. This was not happening. By her estimation, that was at least a year’s worth of Octavia’s allowance – and the money she’d earned from performances. “Tavi….” “Yes?” Octavia asked, a sudden deer-in-the-headlights feeling coming over her. “How much?” was all Velvet said. “Well, you see, Aunt Velvet, Twily’s been asking—” “How. Much.” Octavia looked at the expensive bookcase she’d purchased for Twilight, debating whether or not she should doom herself by answering her aunt. She told Sunset that it was made from redwood, but…. Fluttershy blinked. “Oh, wow – that’s kaya, isn’t it?” “Kaya?” Velvet asked. Not realizing the trouble she was getting her friend into, Fluttershy explained. “Wood from the Japanese torreya. It’s one of the world’s most expensive lumbers, and even a tiny amount is worth a ton. Dad has an acoustic guitar made of it – he said it cost him close to seventy-five grand to commission.” At that, everyone looked at Octavia who started to flush. “It’s for Twily,” she said in a tiny voice, as if that excused everything. Cadance looked at Sunset as she picked up the latter’s gift to Twilight. “Do we really want to open this?” “Um…no?” Sunset squeaked, suddenly realizing that maybe Twilight’s gift wasn’t such a hot idea after all. Velvet then turned to her daughter and she was no less pleased. “What did you do, Sunset?” “Mom, I can explain….” “Sunset….” “Let’s just get this over with,” Cadance sighed and handed it off to Twilight, who looked at her sister sympathetically. “Twily,” Sunset said, “just before I die, I want you to know that my gift is worth every bit of my precious lifeblood that Mom will probably spill in less than a second.” “That does not sound good,” Twilight said, as she unwrapped the final gift. “How bad is…oh, my.” Her voice came out sounding almost exactly like the famous trademark comment of actor Rainbow Nisei. “Oh my, oh my, oh….” “I get it. I’m doomed,” Sunset moaned. Velvet took the gift out of her younger daughter’s hands, for the group to gasp. A precious necklace of white gold, upon which sat a pendant with an amethyst cut into a star, encircled by smaller diamonds cut into white stars. The obvious look of it indicated that it was more valuable than everything that sat on the property of the house, the property itself included. Included with them were also two stud earrings that looked the same - and just as expensive. Rarity looked at it with astonishment and naked hunger. “That…that looks like one of my designs!” “You don’t say,” the flame-haired girl groaned, burying her face in her hands. Way to go, Twi. Get Rarity involved in it, never mind that the Rarity I know probably has the same design instincts! “Sunset, explain.” Velvet’s voice brooked no argument. “Mom…look, for one, it’s legal. The girls can attest that I haven’t done anything wrong—” The girls all nodded on automatic, as one, “—and I had no real idea of how expensive Tavi’s bookcase was.” “Sure, deflect the blame to me, why don’t you?” Octavia blurted. “Sunset, I want an explanation,” Velvet quietly insisted. “Um…okay, so you see, it all started when I was living back in Equestria as a unicorn and the personal apprentice of the realm’s ruler….” Lyra, for a change, facepalmed. “The one time she brings up unicorns and I don’t even believe it….” “Sunset Shimmer….” Velvet said one final time. The room grew quiet as everyone knew what happened when a parent said a full name. Sunset sighed. “Fine. They’re…they’re my old mentor’s,” she lied, hoping it was convincing. “She told me once that it was part of my ‘inheritance’, and when I ran away, I took them. I’ve been sitting on them for the longest time and they’ve been in a safe deposit box at the bank.” Fortunately, she did have a safe deposit box filled with some expensive items Princess Celestia had sent from their last conversation; Sunset only hoped that Velvet didn’t follow up on when the teen opened the account. “Finally, I knew I couldn’t keep them anymore, but when I saw Twily with those sapphire earrings Cadance got her, I thought the gems would be perfect for her. So I saved up to have them set into a set for her.” Not sure why, Rarity immediately put herself on the line. “I…I’m rather surprised that you used my design, Sunset. I would have appreciated you asking me…but given that it was for a good cause, I shan’t complain further.” “I’m sorry, Rares,” Sunset said, knowing full well that she hadn’t seen Rarity’s design book…and Rarity knowing that as well. “When I asked for the design, I was just thinking of the stars on Twily’s favorite poodle skirt—” Well, actually, the stars on Twi’s cutie mark, but let’s not get into that, shall we? “—and it stuck in my head. It was a coincidence.” “Well, I believe her,” Minuette said. “I know she wouldn’t lie about this.” Eventually, the other girls spoke up in agreement, with the lone exception of Applejack, who tried to hide in the crowd. At that point, the keys jingled in the front door, followed by Night Light walking in. “Okay, I could use some help carrying in the pizzas,” he told everyone. Seeing them all standing there like that, he said, “Um…what did I miss?” “Only the fact that we’re going to have a family meeting about fiscal responsibility,” Velvet said in a testy tone. “Aside from that, we now have to apply for a grant to turn our home into an annex for ECMAH.” It was then that Shining arrived at the house. “Sorry I’m late; had to deal with some paperwork over at CPD HQ, but it was necessary in preparation for the next few days.” He carried a bag from B&N in, and the smile on his face lasted just long enough to see the Tomb Raider set that Rainbow had gifted Twilight. Then he noticed the other items in the house, in terms of exponentially increasing cost. “Do I really want to know what happened here?” he asked Cadance. “No, no you really don’t,” she answered him back. The living room was once again laid out in a familiar location, with the bodies of various girls sleeping in what could almost be described as a feral pack. Due to the hurricane starting to approach in full, the wind outside began to howl and the rain fell down in sheets; the house would be packed to the brim so far as estrogen went for the next couple of days. Knowing that she would be needed elsewhere, Cadance left with Shining just before the weather made a grim turn for the worse. But in the room, the girls slept in bunches: Lyra and Bon-Bon shared the same sleeping bag, with Trixie right near them; Minuette cuddled an adorable tooth-shaped throw pillow. Pinkie somehow managed to sleep upside down, while most of the other girls slept normally. Rarity, with a sleeping mask and subliminal suggestion MP3 playing through her headphones, ignored all the gentle dozing. And in the center of it all, almost as if were a normal night, were Sunset, Twilight, and Octavia, dozing away as they’d done so many nights, ignoring the blasting weather outside. However, it wasn’t exactly the same. For the eyelids of both Sunset and Octavia flickered with incredible speed, the sign that REM had taken over from delta sleep, and that they were lost in the land of dreams. Sunset stood in a granite-cragged valley. The sky was an ugly, bruised purple, with a pale, dying light in the distance that Sunset couldn’t be sure was the sun or the moon. A river the color of blood bubbled and burbled past her hooves. And with that, she realized she was in pony form…right until she held a fur-covered hand to her face. She looked to her right to see a broken, dirty mirror, revealing her form: a hybrid of human and pony, fur, horn, tails and ears of her heritage, but with the body and human form of her daily life. To call her a furry wouldn’t be wrong, but at the same time seemed to be an oversimplification. Better to say that she was both herself and herself, pony and human, in a syncretic form. She blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by all her friends. Not just those that had come to the party, but those who couldn’t attend for various reasons: Derpy, Carrot Top, Cloud Kicker, Compass Rose, the triplets, and so many others. Though “here” was a relative term, given that each girl was stripped bare and impaled on a spike of granite that seemed to needle its way to the highest spires of the heavens. Blood, more than any human could even possibly hold within their body, flowed down the spires and merged into a puddle that flowed downhill as one, the river she’d seen a second ago. Bon-Bon reached out to her, speaking, even though somehow dead. “I believed in you when we first met. Then you betrayed me. Then you befriended me. And now I know not what I should do.” Trixie, though impaled almost through her head, spoke. “You belittled me. Then you built me up. You are my enemy and my friend. And I don’t know which one I see on a daily basis.” Rose, impaled in such a way that implied something obscene, moaned, “I love you. I have a lover and yet I love you for both your cruelty and your kindness. And though I love my girlfriend, I would leave her for you instantly. Who’s in the wrong – you, or me?” Behind her, Pinkie spoke. “You are my very best friend in the world. And my most hated enemy. I both embrace and strangle you. And I want only one path – but which do I choose?” Rarity then spoke. Even in her death, she was incredibly beautiful. “I trusted you with secrets you spurned. And then you trusted me with your most vital of secrets. I wish to shout it to the world for a number of reasons, but I must keep the faith you never did. Which way do I fare?” Finally, she stood before Twilight. Seeing her like this, more than anyone, brought tears to Sunset’s pony-sized eyes. “You are my beloved sister. And yet at the same time, a stranger. You hold me both in loving embrace and at arm’s length. What am I to you?” “My sister,” Sunset spoke before she even realized she did. “My true and beloved sister.” “Will you die for me?” Twilight spoke. “Will you die for me?” both Bon-Bon and Compass Rose asked. All her friends spoke the same question, over and over, a cacophony of confusion and a dirge of inquiry. It drove Sunset to the ground, insensate, until she could only cry one single word: “Yes!” “You lie,” a voice, all too familiar, said behind her, its tones mocking and gleeful. Sunset turned to see hair of red and gold— Sunset sat up, gasping for breath, sweat rolling down her face. She looked around, too see all the others asleep. “Just a bad dream,” she murmured as she got up to go get some water. “Just a bad dream….” It was a shame she didn’t notice she wasn’t the only one going through that. “Hey, wait— I got a new complaint Forever in debt To your priceless advice….” The music, a song from a hard rock band from the 90s that Shining listened to often, played over and over in the hallway. It was black and grimy and cold, dotted with endless dingy white doors. A perpetual draft blew through, making Octavia shiver to her core and scrunch down inward, wishing she had clothing on. She turned to see a broken mirror and gazed at her visage...and it was all she could do to prevent herself from screaming in horror. She was nude, and she bled black from every possible orifice – nose, eyes, mouth, under her fingernails. A steady torrent itself flowed from her sex, worse than the monthly issue, yet she felt no pain. And yet where it flowed off her it burned great gouges in the ground, leaving behind a burbling hole, acrid smoke and an unnatural, inexplicable stench. Seeking an escape, she opened the first door. The door held Blueblood, face covered in shards of glass, his face torn and battered and blood splattered everywhere. “I name thee whore,” he told her. “Whore shall be your name evermore, for thou lust after thine own flesh and blood, wanting to take her maidenhood. Whore is what thou are, and what thou shall ever be.” She slammed the door in his face and ran down the hall, trying to blot out his maddening laughter as she left him behind. Some ways away, she opened the second door to see Vinyl Scratch standing there in the purest robes of white and silver. “I name thee whore,” she spat. “Thou spurned my love and affections, and for what? So thou can lie, unclean, with thine cousin? With a girl thou ken as a sister? Whore I name thee, and whore thou shalt always be.” Octavia slammed the door, running as far as she could from Vinyl’s screams of rage and accusation. Finally, she reached the end of the hallway, and a single door there. This door was cleaner and brighter by far than all the others, and it hurt her eyes to open it. As she reached for the doorknob, she felt the brightness, the cleanliness burn her harsher than any fire, and yet she still reached the door. Behind the door was Twilight, dressed in a bridal gown of unspeakable beauty. She looked radiant, divine and despite it all, Octavia cried tears of joy to see Twilight as this… ...until there was a flash of red and gold. Twilight’s bridal gown became a topless bustier with below parts that revealed all, especially her glistening maidenhood. Sister kissed sister and hands groped and felt. “I name thee late,” Sunset said to Octavia, “for she is mine...because you moved too slow.” “I name thee nothing,” Twilight spat, “for my maidenhood belongs to my sister, not thee.” Younger sister turned to older, moaning, “Make me a woman.” “You shall be my woman.” Sunset removed her their clothes and sister led sister to a silken bed. “YOU!” Octavia snarled, filling herself with a righteous rage. Her eyes became pinpricks of blood red. The black ichor emanating from her became smoky trails of power, imbuing her with a terrible force. Leaping between the two sisters, Octavia took Sunset’s head and slammed it into the wall with a sickening crunch. She then threw her to the floor and started choking the life out of her, laughing maniacally as she roared how much she hated Sunset. “IhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyou—” “—IhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyou—” Octavia could feel her hands pressing down on Sunset’s neck, so close to snapping it. It was pleasure, almost a sexual release… “Tavi, stop, please!” a voice wheezed underneath her and clarity came to the raven-haired teen’s eyes as she realized who she was strangling: Twilight Sparkle. “TAVI!” She barely had time to react before something slammed into her, sending her bowling into Trixie, Pinkie and Rainbow. She then felt herself being hoisted up by her shirt. “What the hell?” Sunset looked at her, eyes filled with a mixture of surprise, worry and anger. “What were you doing?” Behind Sunset, Twilight gasped for air, with Applejack and Lyra moving to her side to assist. “What the hell just happened?” Applejack asked as the other girls got up. A second later the upstairs lights came on and Velvet looked down at the teens. “Girls, what’s going on?” Everyone looked at Octavia, who did the only thing she could: pushed past all of them, running into her room and locking it, then diving under the sheets and shivering. I almost killed Twily. I almost killed Twily! No, her brain corrected. I wanted to kill Sunny. And that’s the worst part… I wanted to kill her.