//------------------------------// // August 7, AM: The Big Chair // Story: A Time of Reckoning: Seven Days in Sunny June, Book IV // by Shinzakura //------------------------------// Sunset came to. Her head was ringing, and she felt nauseous. Her vision was blurry, though she could tell it was dark. “Don’t try to move, dear.” She heard Rarity’s voice, to the right and saw as a light came on. The searing brightness blinded her briefly, but it took a few minutes for her vision to return to normal. The look on Rarity’s face was one of tear-stained relief. “Excuse me,” she said, daubing her eyes. “We’ve all been worried about you these past few hours.” Sunset started to move, and Rarity gently pushed her back. “Don’t try to move, darling. We think you might have a mild concussion. Stay there. I’ll wake Pinkie.” The fashionista went over to where the curly-locked girl was passed out on the floor. “Pinkie, dear, wake up,” she hissed. “Five more minutes, Auntie Cup,” the cheerleader mumbled. “Pinkie, wake up!” Rarity insisted. “Sunset’s awake.” Blue eyes flashed open and Pinkie sprang up like a slinky on overdrive. “Sunny! We were sooooooo worried about you!” Pinkie, remembering what her friend went through and the worries about a concussion, restrained herself from hugging Sunset. “How ya feeling?” “Feel like shit,” Sunset slurred, trying to blink away the pain and not quite succeeding. “Go microwave some of the tomato soup that Mrs. Velvet set aside last night,” Rarity ordered. “Bring that back here, then I want you to wake up both Twilight and Mr. Light and Mrs. Velvet. If any of the girls downstairs are awake, let them know that she’s okay, but that we want her parents to see her first, okay?” “On it!” Pinkie chirped. Turning to Sunset, she said, “Sunny, promise me you won’t ever worry us like that again!” “I…I don’t understand.” Pinkie finally gave into her wishes and gingerly hugged Sunny, then grinned again. “Please don’t play crash test dummy again, okay?” Before the flame-haired girl could react, she headed out. Rarity smiled fondly. “She was the first one to insist keeping a watch over you. Rainbow wanted to as well, but between her, Applejack and Bon-Bon, they needed their sleep.” “What happened?” Sunset asked. “Last thing I remember, Tavi came down dressed…well, I’ve never seen her dress like that before, and it seemed like she was putting the moves on both Lyra and Bonnie. Then I said something and I…I don’t recall any more than that.” “Well, I’ll be blunt, dear: after her, ahem, flagrant display, Octavia turned on you. She slugged you, then grabbed a lamp and smashed it over your head. Then she attacked your mother.” “She what?” Sunset said, sitting up…and paying the price for it. She rocked back, biting off a loud scream, then fell back. “Sunset, please contain yourself – if you did get a concussion, those take weeks to heal.” “Don’t worry,” the flame-haired girl replied. “As soon as I can think clearly I’ll cast a self-healing spell.” She looked at her hand; she could barely make out the whorls and lines of her handprint. “And I have to wonder if this is my fault.” “No – don’t even think that, Sunset. You see, in light of what happened last night, I feel I must break confidentiality and tell you something.” The fashionista then explained the conversations she had with Octavia and all they entailed. Sunset, calling up a spell, called a ball of cyan fire to her hand and basically slapped her forehead, inserting the ball in through the skin. It was, she had to admit, an odd situation that Rarity had grown used to Sunset’s magic that she didn’t blink twice at something that others would have considered a hallucination. When she was done, Rarity said, “You should pretend to be a little bit dazed for a day or two. An instant recovery might raise questions, dear.” “I know; I’m used to it by now – the family thinks I just recover faster than the average.” Sunset sighed. “You know, it would be a complete irony if I was to blame for what’s happening to Tavi.” “Darling, there’s no way you coul—” “No, Rares, there is. You see, when you, Twily and Tavi were hit with the Vibe, you were lucky: your cold medicine was the key to neutralizing it. Twily was successfully drugged, but she had Cady there to protect her. But I was the one that had to save Tavi, and I was angry and worried and not really in my right mind – I just wanted to protect my cousin, who was drugged to the point that she was completely at Vinyl Scratch’s mercy. So I did the only thing I could think of: I hit her with a point-blank purification spell. It’s similar to what I just did to myself, but it’s intended to vaporize toxins and the like in the body.” She sighed. “But I think I may have made a huge mistake.” “How so?” Sunset looked at her friend. Though she trusted Rarity completely, she promised Octavia she would never mention her chimerism. So instead she took a different tack. “I used a medical spell on someone without knowledge or authorization. While I can get away with that under Good Samaritrot laws in Equestria, I’m not a human doctor. And they found traces of LSD precursors in Twily’s body, even though we know now why she lost it. But Carrot Top also had similar problems, and there’s no reason to suspect magic there. And I have to wonder that when I hit Tavi with the purification spell, all I did was delay the inevitable.” “But you couldn’t have possibly known, Sunset,” Rarity countered. “You were just trying to help your cousin. If the same thing happened to me, I don’t doubt that Octavia would be here telling you the same thing.” “No, it is my fault, Rares. I violated one of the principal rules of healing spells: first, do no harm. I thought I was cleaning up the toxins in her body, but if the spell was never designed with humans in mind – and it isn’t – then how would the spell matrix know what to hit? It’s like using human antibiotics against the hornpox back home – it might work, but it might also make things worse.” A glum look came over Sunset’s face as she said, “And I think that’s exactly what happened.” Sunset would have said more, but Pinkie picked that moment to walk in. “Here ya go: tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Made especially with lots of Pinkie goodness!” Sunset gave Pinkie a wan smile. “Thanks, Pinkie.” She took a bite, and her mouth lit up with flavor. “Pinkie, this is good – what’d you do?” Pinkie winked. “Oh, just made the family grilled cheese recipe, not the one we have at the café. This one involves pretty much every cheese you had in the house and herbed butter. I also made the sourdough fresh.” “When did you—” “When you were knocked out,” Pinkie said sadly. “Well, it’s great, Pinkie. You outdid yourself.” Sunset picked up the spoon to eat her soup, when she felt two familiar arms snake around her and pull her close. Pinkie snatched the tray off Sunset’s lap before anything spilled. Sunset could feel the hot tears of her sister against the back of her head. “You’re okay!” Twilight sobbed. “I was so worried! Tavi could have seriously hurt you!” “I’m…okay,” Sunset said, not entirely a lie. “I guess I’ve got a harder head than expected.” Twilight turned Sunset around. “That’s not funny, Sunny! You could have a concussion or the like! In fact, after the storm’s done, Mom wants me to take you to Dr. Zecora’s for a checkup.” She could see the worried look on Twilight’s face turn into one of anger, and it worried Sunset greatly. “That damn bitch—” “Twily, stop. I know you’re worried about me, sis, but Tavi’s clearly sick. You were in a bad way a few months back; if you attacked me, would you want her to react that way?” “I don’t, but—” “No, listen to me. She’s our cousin – she’s been like a sister to you longer than I have. And right now she needs us – all of us.” Sunset looked at all her friends; now that the news had been passed that she was okay, they all filed into her room. She did, however notice three notable absences: Applejack, Rainbow and Bon-Bon, but she thought it best not to ask. Turning her attention back to Twilight, she said, “I did everything I could to protect you when you were down, Twily. I would do the same for Tavi, even though she hit me. And Mom would do it for all of us.” “She hit Mom, too. Mom was so shocked that she actually slapped Tavi – she’s never laid a hand on any of us.” “I know. But I’ll bet if we ask Mom later, she won’t think of it as Tavi hurting her. I suspect she’ll think of it as her niece needing help.” “Yeah,” Twilight admitted. “But I just wish we could fix Tavi’s problems instantly – like magic.” Sunset looked at her sister sadly. “Twily, you of all people should know there’s no such thing as magic.” “Yeah, we’ll do so as soon as we can. Don’t worry, Evening, we’ll take care of it. You know we’ll take care of her…even if it means that we’re going to have to replace all the stuff in her room…yes, she even broke even those. Yeah, we’re worried too. I’ll keep you guys updated.” Night hung up the phone and looked at his wife, who was lying down in bed. “Evening and Ballad want us to take her to see a psychiatrist as soon as we can – actually, they beat me to the punch in suggesting it.” “I’ll call both Zecora and Posey in the morning and see if there’s anyone they can recommend,” Velvet mourned. “I hate this. I hate seeing our girls like this, Night, at each other’s throats. It’s that damn drug – it hurt Twily, and now it’s hurting Tavi!” “We don’t know that, Vel,” he said, moving next to his wife. “Maybe it’s something else. We won’t know until we take her in.” “You didn’t see, Night. The look in her eyes – it wasn’t like she was our Tavi anymore.” The look on Velvet’s face was heartbroken. “It wasn’t our niece, Night…it was like she would have murdered Sunny if she had the chance!” She turned away from him. “I can’t bear to see another one of our girls go through this again.” He reached over and embraced her. “We’ll get her the help she needs. Evening and Ballad are counting on us, and I would do it even if they weren’t.” There was a knock on the door. “Mr. Night? Mrs. Velvet?” The door opened slowly, revealing Trixie. “I just thought you’d want to know: Sunset’s up.” Velvet, despite her pain, leapt off the bed and raced for the door in a flash. She nearly made it to Sunset’s room when she stumbled, only to be caught by Minuette. “She’s fine, Mrs. V,” Minuette explained. “We’re giving her some space to eat and talk to Twily. But I think our bigger problem’s in the other room. How are you feeling?” “Truthfully? I don’t know what hurts more right now: my stomach or my heart.” Velvet looked down the hall that had led towards the addition of the house had been built. Sitting outside a door and looking very uncomfortable, was Applejack. “Where’s Rainbow and Bon-Bon?” “Inside with Octavia,” Applejack yawned. “Rainbow wanted to say something to her, and Bonnie didn’t trust Rainbow to be by herself. Granted, Rainbow can scrap with the best of them, but…Tavi’s just a little OP right now, if that makes any sense.” “And why are you there?” Velvet looked to see Night standing next to her, looking at the teen. He already knew the answer, and though he said nothing, the very idea worried him. “Y’ know the reason, Mr. Light – we ain’t gonna let her go anywhere near you or Sunny. Tavi’s one of mah friends, but between you an’ me, that…whatever…that’s in there? That ain’t Tavi. Not the one we know.” “Well, I need to go in there to talk to her,” Night said. “I trust that my niece won’t hurt me.” “Frankly, right now Ah don’t, but you’re the one in charge here,” Applejack said, standing up and moving from the door. In the bowels of the SIREN complex in downtown Canterlot, a quartet of women stood in a small, forgotten storage room. “We don’t have much time, so let’s make this fast,” Rhapsody Blue spoke. “Yeah, what’s up, sis?” Intermezzo Blue spoke. Also present were their younger sister Vesper Blue and their trusted companion and fellow SIREN, Madrigal Storm. “Look, I trust you three completely. Two of you are my sisters; the other I’ve known for years. So I need your absolute silence on this, are we agreed?” “Classified, Rhapi?” Madrigal asked. “No – worse than that. The Sisterhood may be in grave danger from within, and I’m not talking about the supposed spy network that Harmonica Slice reputedly set up. That may be true, but I have my doubts. No, what concerns me is the way that Captain Blast has been acting as of late. Cantata doesn’t seem too interested in planning our assault on CSIS HQ anymore, but she is spending a lot of time with our benefactor. Scuttlebutt is even that they’re lovers.” “Don’t we have a no relationships rule in effect right now?” Vesper asked. “We do, but you know that I turn a blind eye to it in order to improve morale,” the SIREN XO explained. “But that’s not the issue here. The problem is that our captain might be less interested in trying to get revenge for the Admiral and more on carving out her little space in the power vacuum of the world. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sign up for this to become mercenaries. My plan was to get revenge, and then retire somewhere in peace. But that just might not happen.” “You’re right,” Madrigal spoke up. “Last night, I was going through Rie’s old remains, and there’s a lot of stuff she had. A lot of weird things. Spooky shit – and by that I don’t mean intelligence. I mean weird weird. Magical shit kinda weird.” “What?” Rhapsody asked. Madrigal then detailed exactly what she found and how odd it was, and when it was over, Rhapsody shook her head. “But why would she have any of that sort of stuff?” “I don’t know,” Madrigal replied, “but we’re going to have to find out and soon.” Rhapsody nodded. “Cantata has something big planned in a couple of days, and then after that, she’s got another thing going. As far as I know, none of it has to do with our plans. Furthermore, she hasn’t told me or OPS. As I said before, I really have to wonder if any of these plans are for our future, or hers.” “I’ll be honest, Rhapi – I’m having a hard time believing this,” Intermezzo said. “It was the Captain’s idea to rebel in the first place, and she’s always been our best advocate for fighting CSIS. To believe that she’s changed….” Rhapsody clapped her sister on the shoulder. “People change – it’s a constant. For example, those three roughnecks you three were training? Why aren’t they here? You could have brought them.” The three junior SIRENs demurred at that until Vesper admitted, “We told them to take liberty down south for their own good. They’ve built a life here and we didn’t want them to be made into liars.” Rhapsody chuckled. “And there’s change in action. You three aren’t acting like sœurs – you’re acting like mothers. You three don’t just care about your petite sœurs, you love them.” Madrigal was the first to admit it. “Yes, I think we do. Didn’t you feel that way about your sœur?” Rhapsody shook her head. “No – and Contralto Rush has been a thorn in my side ever since.” “Sorry, I’d forgotten you two had a falling out.” “Well, she hasn’t, I can assure you. Then she bought Symphony’s shit, and now that idiot’s dead and Alto’s star’s on the rise, the teacher’s pet for Cantata along with her buddies. I don’t like that one bit. But that’s not important right now.” She reached into a pocket, pulling out three discs. “These were something I was able to recover from a flash drive Cantata left around. It’s heavily encrypted, so I don’t know what’s on it. But given that she didn’t give me any knowledge that it existed at all, it can’t be good. I copied it and returned it, so she doesn’t know that it’s gone. Based on that, I think it’s honestly fair to say that if I die in the next few days under odd situations, you’ll know that she did it – no arguments.” “You think she’ll kill you?” Rhapsody nodded. “Canta and I have been friends since we were little girls, but she’s always been ambitious. And even though we’re close, she’s not going to let a little thing like friendship get in the way of her goals. She’ll do it with me or without me, and I think it will be the latter.” She then thought about it. “Keep those girls of yours away from here right now. They’re the ace in the hole that we need. If anyone asks, they’re on a secret project for me – that should be more than enough to keep them covered.” “I’ll let them know,” Vesper replied. “Now, let’s get out of here, one at a time, five minute intervals. We don’t want to be seen together, as any group seen together right now just might spook the Captain into premature action – and that’s something we really don’t need at the moment. Dismissed.” In the warehouse they rented, they took a final look over the two vans they had modified to look like ECSD vehicles. “Last chance to join in on the fun, Changeling,” Blackthorn told him. “Thanks, but no. I need to leave town myself to report your success to my superiors,” the agent stated. “Get the job done before I arrive in Canada and there might be a little bonus waiting for you.” “Yes, that sounds great,” Blackthorn said, reaching in a pocket on his web belt for a stogie. He slipped it in his mouth, then pulled out a zippo, lit the cig and took a long, satisfying puff. “This is gonna be the first of great things, Changeling. I just know it.” With a final wave, he got into the van as two distant men opened up the warehouse’s doors. Under normal circumstances, they would have moved under dark of night. But now, with the storm blowing and some of the streets flooding due to the effects of the massive weather blasting, they could move into position, scout the location to their heart’s content and then when the moment was right, attack with everything they got. Changeling watched as the men got into the van. He nodded, indicating he would close the doors, and with that little agreement, they sped off. He waited until a second or two later, then stripped off his suit and threw it into the back seat of the rented SUV. He slipped on some jeans, a wrinkled polo, and a jacket. Opening a briefcase and using the side-view mirrors, he perfectly attached a fake beard. He then combed it and his hair out, then mussed it a bit to look a little scragglier. He reached into the briefcase for a plastic, bladder like device, then slipped it under his shirt and around his waist before attaching a pump to it, inserting air; the effect gave him what appeared to be a beer belly. Finally, he tucked his shirt in, threw on some slightly-out-of-fashion eyeglasses, and topped it off with a sweat-stained Florida Marlins ballcap. Finally, he fished into the briefcase for an ID card, a couple of credit cards, and a passport. He looked at the driver’s license and his new identity for the next week and a half it would take to drive back to Ottawa: Travelled Path, residence 335 Hickory Lane, Barstow, California, off on a drive to see his sister Cherry Soda, who married one of those damn Canadans up in Ah-ta-wah or whatever the place was called. Changeling grinned; it was as perfect a cover as it could be. He got into the car, drove it out into the rain, and then got out to close the door. It really didn’t matter much anyway; if for some reason Blackthorn and his folks failed, the carefully-planted explosives in the building – and the surrounding ones – would go off and level the block. Fortunately, with the hurricane passing to the east right now, few people would be around and the deaths would be minimal. Still, buildings being taken out with no regard to life – it was both barbaric and brutal, but that’s why he hired these monsters – monsters knew monsters best, and when it came to Cantata Blast and her forces, he could think of few monsters more dangerous. Getting back into his truck, he pulled a tab on the side of the briefcase, then threw it as far away as it could. The thermite within would activate and burn his identity here to cinders, leaving no one the wiser. Closing the door and muttering about how the rain soaked him to the bone, he drove off, headed south towards Interstate 5 and a roundabout path to take him as far away from this soon-to-be abattoir of a city as possible. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Twily,” Rainbow told her friend. Both Twilight and Night Light were standing in front of the door leading to Octavia’s room. Rainbow was standing in front of them, while Bon-Bon was currently blocking the path within. Applejack, who had been up all night guarding the door, slipped into Twilight’s bedroom for some sleep. “She’s my cousin and I’m worried about her, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Besides, I can ta—” “No, you can’t,” Bon-Bon replied, looking at both Twilight’s father then the plum-haired teen. “Sunny wasn’t expecting Tavi’s attack – none of us were, and as a result she got taken down hard. That was a serious blow there, and any instructor would sit an injured person like that out of practice for a few weeks so they could recover – anyone with a concussion cannot afford another hit like that again.” “Yeah, if you’ve been following the NFL, it’s all over the news,” Rainbow stated, and Bon-Bon nodded in agreement. “She won’t hurt me, I know it,” Twilight told them, though privately she wasn’t sure if that was the case anymore. She saw the hatred and rage in her cousin’s eyes, and for a brief second she had to wonder if there was anything human in them at the time. “No,” Rainbow interjected. “You’re not a fighter, Twily. Your sister and I are, even though we’re not trained. AJ and Bonnie are, and Tavi broke out of AJ’s grasp and got to Sunny before Bonnie could react. Even with one of us present, it won’t be safe for you.” She looked at Night and said, “Truthfully, I wouldn’t let either of you in there, but you’re the adult, Mr. Light, and it’s ultimately your call.” “Speaking of which, girls,” Night Light said, “Is this really necessary? I mean, I know that Tavi attacked both Sunset and my wife – Velvet’s given me all the details – but is all this, ahem, ‘security’ actually needed?” “Mr. Light?” Rainbow said, “I consider Tavi to be cool and a good friend of mine. What is in that room ain’t Tavi. She’s more like….” Rainbow paused for thought, then said what she really considered to be accurate. “She’s more like a horny, coked-up Gilda right now. The kind of person that would just as much shoot you as sleep with you. Maybe not the most accurate way to phrase things, but certainly probably true.” Night looked at the rainbow-haired girl as if she were insane; certainly what she was saying didn’t make sense to him. He knew his niece, had always known her. To hear of her as some sort of thugette-in-training, well, he couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Astrophysics and theoretical astronomy, sure. The girl that was practically his daughter as some hoodlum? Not even remotely. Before he could say anything else, Bon-Bon spoke up. “For a while, sir, I hated Sunny. Then, when she tried to make up with me, she was with Trixie at the time. I sucker punched her, and she didn’t see me, so that blow hit. But then I tried to hit her again, and I almost hit Trixie…if Sunny hadn’t blocked the blow. I didn’t even see your daughter move her hand – it was like she caught it by magic.” “You don’t say,” Rainbow drolled. “Yeah. Since then, we’ve sparred a couple of times, and I have to say she’s really good. Picked up something – not sure of the style – but something. AJ’s also taught her a little bit, and it shows. But Tavi got through those defenses and put her down. That’s the kind of assailant that I don’t want people who can fight to be with, much less those who can’t.” She looked at Twilight. “I know she’s important to you, Twily: I’d feel the same way if this was happening to my sister Burgundy. But your father’s a grown man and you’re a wisp of a girl who can’t really defend yourself.” She then turned back to Night Light. “At the risk of being brutal, sir, if things get to their worst, you can throw a punch. Twily can’t.” “Bonnie!” Twilight gasped. “I can’t believe you’re even suggesting that Dad hit my cousin!” “Twily, what’s in there isn’t Tavi!” Rainbow insisted. “Your cousin – my friend – I recall joking with about liking guys! Whatever’s in there said a whole bunch of things regarding me, my hair color, gay jokes and….” She blushed. “I really don’t want to talk about it anymore.” “Dad?” Twilight pleaded. “Your call.” Night Light sighed. “As much as I hate to say it, I don’t think the girls are doing this all for entertainment. The rest of your friends haven’t come up here save to check on them and bring them food.” A thought came to him. “Has Tavi been out of the room in the last few?” “We brought her food, Mr. Light,” a voice behind him spoke. “She threw it in our faces an’ told us to go to hell.” Applejack soon joined them; she looked tired but determined. “Ah have to admit, Ah don’t like this. Ah don’t like treating any of mah friends like this. But something’s not right about her, and Ah don’t know about you, but Ah’m worried.” “Applejack, I would appreciate it if you accompanied me in my daughter’s stead,” Night Light said to the blonde, finally resigning himself to the fact that all of this might actually be necessary. “Be careful,” Bon-Bon said as she opened the door for them. “Don’t expect the ordinary.” “Direct order from the XO? Sure, we can do that, Maddie,” Adagio said into her cellphone. “Not going to ask why, but we’ll remain on standby.” “Tell her about the tail,” Aria reminded her. Currently in their hotel room, Sonata took turns between watching whatever was on the television and “casually” peeking out the window for Sonatina Crush. The hotel tile floor made enough noise that being able to hear anyone walk up and down the hall was obvious, so the likely attack vector would come from outside. “Thanks,” Adagio told her sister. “Yeah. We have a tail on us – one of the wetworks folks that are under your command now. Sonatina Crush. No idea why, but it can’t be good.” “Let me look into it for a second.” There was some clacking in the background, like fingers on a keyboard. A second later, she heard Madrigal swear. “Assignment is on lockdown, on direct orders from the Captain. I can’t override this easily, though I’ll keep trying. You may want to move hotels, though, just to be on the safe side. Also, look into renting a car; we might need you to jet back here as soon as possible once the storm’s over and you can’t afford to wait for buses or a supply pickup from the command.” “We’ll get on it right away,” Adagio said. “Probably should ditch this fake ID and cards anyway; we’re leaving too much of a trail.” She looked away from the phone for a second. “Girls, pack up. We’re checking out in an hour.” “Roger that,” Aria commented. Sonata silently nodded, but instead moved the curtains back slightly, looking down the street. There, standing across the street and seeming to look up at her was a girl with black and gold hair, dressed in a simple t-shirt, shorts and shades. To any other person, she didn’t seem any different from the average girl walking down the street, but Sonata knew better. This was confirmed a second later as Sonatina Crush removed her glasses and stared briefly at Sonata, who returned the glare. She turned away from the window and looked at her sisters. “We’d better move fast,” was all she said as she moved towards her bag. The first thing Night saw when he entered his niece’s room was the fact that what he’d told his brother was correct: she’d destroyed every piece of furniture in the room: the sheets were torn apart and the mattress was ripped open; the desk, dresser and nightstands were shattered, and the closet and everything in it was ripped out and shredded. Even Octavia’s most prized instruments, her contrabass and Spanish guitar, had fallen prey to the destruction present. Only two things had seemingly survived: the electric guitar Twilight and Sunset had got her for this past Christmas, and the chair that had been part of the desk. That chair was being used right now as Octavia sat in it. She was dressed – if you could call it that – like a pornstar, leaving nothing to the imagination. Night and Applejack averted their eyes, but for different reasons: the shopclerk now felt guilty for the day the girls all went “intimate” shopping on a lark, while it disgusted Night to see his niece like this. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Octavia, please put on some clothing.” The smile on her face was lurid, and Night had to keep his surprise to wonder where it came from. “Oh, Daddy,” she purred, “don’t you want to see how your little girl’s grown up?” “Octavia, I’m not your—” “One,” she said, lifting a single finger. “I’m not your dear little Tavi. That frigid little cunt had her chance, and now it’s my turn. My name,” she said with a tone that bordered on the imperious, “is Melody. And two, yes, you might not want to admit it, but you are my father. Certainly not the guy who dunked his pecker in the woman who pushed me out nine months later. Oh, I’m sure they wanted to be parents at first, but taking care of a little baby must have interfered with their careers and fucking each other. Why else would they run off to Paris and abandon us?” She sighed, moving her legs just enough to give both Night and Applejack a little show. “Now they can go fuck to their heart’s content. Maybe they’ll make another brat they can throw away.” Applejack blushed. “Tavi, ple—” “Not that cunt, I told you,” “Melody” said in a dangerous growl. “Call me that again and I’ll beat the shit out of you. Or,” she cooed, “maybe you’ll just rough me up again. Truth be told, that kinda turned me on.” “Fine, Melody,” Night spat. “Go put on some clothing.” “Sure thing, Daddy.” She got off the chair and sauntered over to the closet, where she found a teddy that was slightly more covering – slightly, due to its sheerness. Moving back, she sat down, and crossed her legs, sparing them any further embarrassment. “So, as I was saying, Daddy, I want a life now. I want everything the cunt had, and because I’m your precious little daughter, you’re going to give it to me.” She got up from the chair and moved close to him. “Oh, I’ll try to behave, but…I want fun. I promise I won’t get pregnant or arrested, because that’s an impediment to what I want.” She then hooked a thumb at Applejack, adding, “You may as well take me out of that virginfest private school and put me in the zoo with stupid here. You won’t waste as much money that way.” “Stupid?” Applejack hissed. “Hey, you’re the muscle-bound moron who complained to little miss prissy pants that you’re working hard to keep a high-B average, right? While little miss frigid fuck Tavi had straight As. I’ll give her credit for that one, she worked her little butt off for that, but that’s at a real school. I figure if I go to your little travesty of an education center, I should probably get a perfect GPA just for giving blowjobs to the right teachers.” “Why are you doing, this, Tavi?” Night asked. “You’re breaking my heart right now – all of ours.” “I AM NOT THAT LITTLE BITCH!” Melody screamed. “HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU EVEN THINK THAT? WHY, BECAUSE SHE’S THE PERFECT LITTLE GIRL THAT NEVER COMPLAINS BECAUSE OUR SO-CALLED PARENTS THREW US OUT? BECAUSE SHE WHINED ABOUT BEING TOUCHED BY THAT RICH FUCKER BLUEBLOOD WHEN SHE COULD HAVE JUST SPREAD THEM AND LANDED US A RICH BOYFRIEND? OR FUCKED THAT DAMN DJ SILLY JUST TO HAVE SOME FUN? WHY DO I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH HER BEING IN THE LIMELIGHT ALL THE TIME AND I’VE BEEN THE ONE FORGOTTEN? WHY, DAMN YOU, WHY?” Night tried to keep himself under control. This was not the girl he raised. Octavia knew her parents had sacrificed for her and had lived with them regularly up until recently. She had a total dislike for what Blueblood did, though she let it pass because she didn’t want to bring difficulty for them. And she was, as far as he knew and she’d often said, not bisexual or lesbian, though he wouldn’t have loved her any less if she was. But the girl in front of him was exactly as Rainbow had warned him: this wasn’t Tavi. He didn’t know what this was. He looked at the now empty chair and a lyric from his college years came to mind. It was, ironically, a favorite of Celestia’s and she’d played the album often whenever he came over to her and Velvet’s apartment: “She wants to sit beside you In Your big chair” The song was by Tears for Fears. The song…was about insanity and split personality. Night was a man of science, a man of reason. He drilled it into his children and while Shining and Spike had taken their mother’s nature of emotion over reason, his younger daughter followed in his footsteps. It had guided him throughout his life, even as his parents disregarded it, one brother used it to fly above the skies and another chased his parents’ path. To Night Light, reason was both friend and master, something to guide him and lead him and ensure that his future was there. As he looked at the wrong gaze in the eyes of his niece, he couldn’t help but think about the song and the conversation he had with Celestia about it, about three decades in the past: “Yeah, kinda weird, I know, but the song talks about Sibyl.” “Sibyl? You mean the movie?” “No, the real person the movie’s about, though her name wasn’t Sibyl – that was just for the movie. Read about the actual case, it was from the 50s, some college girl named White Life. Anyway, she was documented with dozens of split personalities, the worst of which was Black Death, a girl who was the exact opposite of the nice person White was normally.” “Really?” “Yeah, I’ll have to find the book in my room somewhere. Anyway, where White was the girl next door, Black slept with the father of the family next door just so she could get her kicks watching the family fall apart in divorce.” “What happened eventually?” “No idea, man – I’m guessing I’ll have to watch the movie to find out.” Recalling that conversation from years ago, he had to wonder if he was looking into the eyes of Black Death right now, with White Life screaming for help just behind them. Night, at that point, decided that for once in his life, reason could shove it – he had his niece to save. Reaching out to her, he said, “Listen to me: I need something from you right now.” Melody’s eyes seemed to light up with malicious glee. “Do you need to spank me, Daddy? Because I’ve been a bad, bad girl – and if you spank me, I’ll be even badder!” He ignored that. Not taking his eyes off the girl in front of him, he said, “Applejack, go get my wife. I’ll be okay here.” “Are you sure, Mr. Light?” “Very sure.” Reluctantly Applejack left and Night turned his focus to the girl before him. “Tavi, if you can hear me in there,” he said to her softly and carefully, “please come out. We miss you.” Melody’s face became a twisted sneer of rage. “DID YOU NOT LISTEN TO ME, YOU FAT FUCK? I’M NOT THAT PRISSY BITCH! NOW BE MY DADDY AND SPANK ME OR DO ME OR WHATEVER IT IS YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO!” Night ignored that and looked deep into her the girl’s hateful eyes. “Tavi, you can do this. Please. We need you.” Melody pulled away from him. “Fuck you,” she said, flipping him off. “I see what you’re trying to do, Daddy. You want your precious little pretty bitch back. Well, you can go fuck yourself, because I'm the one in charge here, do you understand? ME!” “Tavi, you can come back. Don’t be afraid. We’re here for you.” Melody picked up the chair. “FUCK YOU! THIS IS MY BODY, MY LIFE AND IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, I’M GOING TO BASH YOUR BRAINS IN UNTIL YOU D—” Suddenly, she dropped the chair and Melody’s eyes widened. “No,” she whispered to nobody in particular. “You go the fuck away, you bitch! This is my body now! GO DIE LIKE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO!” Melody then inexplicably dropped to her knees and slammed her head on the seat of the chair as hard as she could, drawing blood as she fell back. Night moved to her side in an instant as Velvet opened the door, horrified to see what had become of her niece’s room and what Octavia had done to herself. “Night, what’s going on here?” Meanwhile, Night moved to his niece’s side, scooping her up in his arms as she lay on the floor. Her eyes opened up, and in them was fear. “Uncle Night,” Octavia spoke in a quavering voice, “help me!” He brought her into an embrace. “It’s going to be okay, Tavi. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” Tears ran down his cheeks as she hugged him, shaking in his arms, bawling. “She’s going to kill me, oh my God, she’s going to kill me,” Octavia whimpered over and over. Moonshadow strummed on his acoustic guitar as the wind howled outside. “You keep your distance with a system of touch And gentle persuasion I’m lost in admiration could I need you this much? Oh, you’re wasting my time You’re, you’re just wasting time” Luna, drink in hand, sat down next to him on the couch. “Shadow, honey, could you sing something else, please?” “I thought you liked ‘Head Over Heels’?” he asked. “You play it all the time in your car.” “Well, I do, but….” She looked out the glass sliding doors to her back yard and the raging storm outside. “For some reason, it just seems wrong.” Now wearing a baggy pair of sweats and shivering as she drank a cup of coffee, Octavia tried not to look at anything but the mug as she told her aunt all that had happened to her over the past few weeks. “And now she’s in my mind and I’m afraid of what she says and what she’ll do, Aunt Velvet,” Octavia said, feeling the sting of tears come again. “I can’t take it anymore….” “Shhh, sweetheart. Nothing’s going to happen to you, I promise,” Velvet insisted, hugging her niece for all it was worth and inwardly cursing herself. How could I have been so fucking blind? I was so focused on other stuff that I let Tavi fall apart right in front of my eyes. Watching another child of mine get run through the grinder once more. Some parent I am. “No, please. Lock me up or throw me in some institution, Aunt Velvet! She’s dangerous! Melody’s a monster!” Octavia was completely detached from the creature that Night had explained to Velvet twenty minutes back. “She’s lusting after Twily and she hates Sunny! And she’s using my body to do it!” The tears came down her face as she said, “Or kill me – whatever it takes to stop her!” “Tavi, stop that. You know we’re not going to do that. We’ll get you help, whatever it takes. And we’ll do this together, okay?” “No, she’s too dangerous,” Octavia moaned. “Maybe she is,” Velvet stated, “but if she is, then she hasn’t seen what I can do whenever one of my children is threatened. And you, dearest niece of mine, are definitely part of that.” Velvet reached over and took her niece’s hand in hers. “I don’t care who or what wants to harm any one of my family. If anyone even tries, they’re not going to like my response.” “But she’ll come back. When I fall asleep, or when I’m weak or wh—” Octavia suddenly felt herself being smooshed in a hug. “She can try,” Velvet said in a firm tone. “She’ll just fail.” “Night, what the hell’s going on over there?” Posey said over the phone. “I’m at the hospital right now on standby duty and I get a call from my daughter saying that all hell’s broken loose over there!” “Posey, relax. It’s not quite that, but Fluttershy isn’t exactly wrong. Mind going into doctor confidentiality mode?” “I’m not going to like this, am I?” “Trust me, I’m liking it even less.” Seated in his office, Night then had a conversation of everything his niece had told them, interjected with additions from the other girls. Ten long minutes later, he said, “And I’m stuck with all this and have no idea what to do. I can’t imagine how Evening and Ballad are reacting right now, over in France.” “Yeah, I don’t doubt that. Sorry for coming down hard on you. Anyway, what can I do to help?” “Do you know anyone who specializes in psychiatry? She might need an evaluation. Velvet already called Zecora a few minutes ago, but couldn’t get a hold of her.” “Cora’s over here, assisting us with incoming patients. I’ll tell her you said hi, then when we both get a break we’ll knock our heads together and see what we can come up with for you, okay?” “Thanks, I appreciate it.” “Hey, I owe you guys, if nothing else, for what Sunset did for Flutters and the problem with her father. Trust me, Night, you have a great daughter there, and once the adoption becomes official in three weeks, you don’t know how blessed you are. It’s actually made me and Discord think about possibly looking into adoption as well, and I’d be surprised if anyone else who knows you guys isn’t, either.” “Well, I’ve probably taken up too much of your time as is, Posey. Thanks for all your help.” “No, I needed the break, even if it’s for bad news. I’ll call you in a couple of days when this is all over and let you know what we got, okay? Talk to you later.” Night set the phone down in the cradle, took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. This felt entirely too much like a new crushing layer on top of everything else he and his family had to deal with in the past year. All three of the girls in the house had suffered the worst, and all he could do was to pray that it would get easier – but if what he suspected about his niece was true, the chances of that were somewhere between slim to none. It was a few minutes later when he walked into the dining room. The girls, with the exception of Applejack, who had gone back to sleep; and Sunset, who was restricted to her bedroom until she could see a doctor; were swarmed around Octavia, who was eating one of Pinkie’s special grilled cheese sandwiches. “Bonnie, I’m sorry you had to see that,” Octavia said, feeling completely distraught. “I…it wasn’t me.” “It’s okay,” Bon-Bon said in a tone that hinted it wasn’t, but for the sake of the others she’d forgive. “Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had someone grope me.” “You did that?” Rarity gasped. “Girls, please – she wasn’t in her right mind!” Twilight pled. “She wouldn’t do that normally.” “I know,” Octavia nearly whispered in an ashamed, horrified tone. “The things…the things she wants to do…. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to fight it.” “Bullshit,” Rainbow said, slapping her hands on the table. “You’re my friend and you aren’t in this alone, okay? You got me. You got all of us, okay? You aren’t alone, Tavi, so don’t give me any shit like you are.” “But Rainbow, what if I’m losing my mind? What if it’s not some part of my imagination and I’m going mad? Or worse, what if she’s real?” “I wholeheartedly doubt you have anything to worry about, Octavia dear,” Rarity insisted. “That uncouth individual is not the Octavia we all know and love and I can assure you that Sunset feels the same way.” Octavia gasped; in everything she’d completely forgotten about what she’d done to Sunset. Turning to her aunt, she asked, “Can I go see her?” “I’m not sure that’s a good idea right now. Blossomforth’s up there with her at the moment keeping her company and it may not be best to agitate either of them.” “I…see,” was all Octavia could say. “Aww, c’mon, guys! We’re still stuck here for at least another day, so let’s not be so grumpy about it!” Pinkie sang. Raising her hand, she said, “All in favor of having a ‘Yay Tavi didn’t kill anyone’ party, raise your hand!” Everyone suddenly glared at Pinkie and she amended it with, “Okay, maybe not my best idea off the cuff, alright?” “Yeah, probably should’ve thought your cunning plan all the way through, Pinks,” Lyra laughed. “However, maybe we should come up with something to cheer Sunny up,” Trixie proposed. “She’s going to be stuck up there for a few days more and I know I’d go stir crazy if I had to stay in bed for a few days.” Everyone preferred that plan instead. “You know, you’re good at this party planning thing!” Pinkie said to Trixie. “Thanks, but I reall—” “I got my eye on you,” Pinkie said with sudden seriousness. “Trying to steal my job?” Minuette rolled her eyes. “Yes, because the last thing we need around here is you to go insane, Pinkie!” Everyone then glared at Minuette, who cried, “It was a bad figure of speech, okay?” In the bedroom he shared with his fiancée, Shining Armor dressed for the day’s trip out: jeans, a pair of military-style boots he bought once for a paintball game he’d played with friends a year back, t-shirt, body armor and a loaner windbreaker that had FBI emblazoned on the back. Lastly, he also put on an FBI ballcap, this one given to him by Hardline. With that done, he opened up the gun safe, retrieving his pistol, and ammo. Today he’d be wearing a web belt as opposed to the shoulder harness he’d been wearing since he’d been on loan to the Feds. The belt had been a gift from Sunset, and even though it wasn’t exactly uniform regulation, he wore it anyway, as the CPD had been lax about that sort of thing. Looking at the phone, he thought about calling his parents to see how they were doing. But he was in one of the areas where both the phone and the power had been knocked out. Cadance had marshalled all the candles in the apartment and was using that to keep the light going, and ironically it seemed to give everything a romantic, intimate feel. But that wasn’t something he could afford right now – he had a job to do and that meant getting out there to see what he could do for his fellow citizen. As he walked out of the bedroom, he saw Cadance, sitting on the couch, reading a book. She looked absolutely beautiful and poised perfection, and part of him longed to just forget about the world outside and to remain with his heart’s desire. But if he did that, he wouldn’t be the person that she loved; his sense of honor and duty was one of the things that had made him alluring to her and that wasn’t something that he was going to change anytime soon. She looked up from the book, closing it. “Do you have to go out?” she asked, a tinge of worry in her voice. He nodded. “Yeah. My shift doesn’t start for another hour, but I figured better to get this over and done with. Besides, the radio said there’s a good chance that there’s flooding down at the end of Mulberry Street, so if I don’t go now, I could get trapped in the neighborhood for the rest of the storm.” “Well, you’d be with me,” she said with a smile. “That’s not so bad, is it?” He laughed, a sound that segued into an inhalation of a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “I wish I could, Cady. But the people out there need me, and you’re safe here. I have to do what’s right.” She giggled. “Oh, just go, you big doof,” she said, kissing him on the nose. “I’ll be here when you get back, though if I’m not, it’s probably because I went to help Old Mr. Cummerbund downstairs – I’m not sure he’s ready for the storm.” “Take care of yourself, Cady,” he said as he went to the door. “You too, my love,” she said, as she watched him step out of the apartment and be pelted by the weather howling outside. As the door closed, she watched the growing puddle of water that lay on the foyer tiles. She got off the couch and went to the kitchen to grab some paper towels to clean it up. She had to make sure that he would come home to a perfect apartment and a perfect fiancée, right? As she went into the kitchen, she saw her cellphone, still attached to its charging cable, sitting as placidly as her pet cat, Obsidian, did. Obsidian was currently dozing on their bed, she’d noticed earlier; being a cat, he really didn’t give much of a care about what was going on in the world. Cadance envied her pet that; at least he could skip out on the responsibilities and duties of the world. If only she could live the life of a cat. She thought about picking up her phone and calling Shining’s family to see if they were all right; no doubt Velvet and Night were going mad with twelve teenage girls having the run of the house, but then thought better of it. With the power out, she had to conserve power in case the worst happened. Looking at the clock briefly (and glad that it ran off a double-A battery), she went to the bedroom to change clothing. She needed to venture outside their apartment to check on her car and to see if any of her neighbors needed help. As a government official, it was partly her responsibility to do so, and she felt it would be something she should do regardless. The lights went out for the whole group mid-movie. “Aww, man, just when it was getting to the good part!” Rainbow groaned. “Only you would think Batman nearly getting killed by Bane would be a good thing,” Trixie told her friend. “Personally, I’ve seen the movie enough times to know how it ends by heart.” “Well, I think we should probably start lighting some candles, girls,” Twilight advised. Pinkie reached into her pockets and pulled out a bunch of lighters. “Glad I had these in case of lighter emergencies,” she told them. “I don’t even want to know what you’re doing with all those lighters,” Lyra commented. At that point, Velvet came into the living room, carrying a box of candles. “I think you’ll put these to good use, girls.” “Thanks, Mrs. Velvet,” Rarity said. “You’re quite welcome.” Turning to her daughter, Velvet asked, “Twilight, would you be so kind as to check on your sister, dear?” “I can do that, Mom. Fluttershy, will you come with me?” “Sure, Twily, I’d love to,” the chiffon-haired girl said. Both girls headed upstairs, towards where Sunset was currently sleeping. Sunset grimaced as she got up from bed and set down the letter; she then ended the firefly light spell she was using for illumination. She had a lot to think about and how she was going to bring it up to her family. I have to tell them. If nothing else, then for…. She sighed. For my mother’s sake. Both of them. She didn’t want to admit it, but Twilight was right: Celestia was her mother. The alicorn had raised her since she was four, having come into her life the day Sunset had a surge of magic strong enough to core the orphanage and hit the coach the princess had just exited; the magic blast had instantly turned the expensive, finely-crafted coach, as well as four other nearby wagons, into a teapot and teacups that still somehow retained the look of their original forms. But that, Celestia had told her years later, wasn’t what had truly caught her attention. It was that Sunset had tapped into the sun to use as her magic source. Unicorns tended to draw from the air, or the earth, or even within their own natural wellsprings as a power source. But Sunset had tapped into the one thing that only one other pony had ever drawn power from. It had been natural that Sunset became Celestia’s daughter. And even when she fought with the princess, it was because she wanted to prove worthy of her mother. She’d fallen so far from then, and had worked her way back up. And now, being adopted by people she loved – her family, with no question and no argument…she was inadvertently forgetting the family she already had. I have to tell them the truth, Sunset thought to herself as she felt the crushing weight of shame on her. I have to tell them before they adopt me. Even if it costs me that, I love them enough that I should tell them the truth about who and what I am. And about my real mother. Sunset chuckled inwardly; Sunset had only seen the mare that had birthed her courtesy of Faust’s dreamwalking; given that, she was really just a random mare and nothing in Sunset’s life. But it was Celestia, the same biological creature with minor differences, did that mean that Celestia was her “biological” mother and Velvet her adoptive one? I’ll have to ask Mom about that. If they ever meet, I owe the Princess more than just calling her “Princess” – she’s my mother too. She crawled into bed just as there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” she said, and both Twilight and Fluttershy arrived. “We came to see how you were doing,” Twilight told her sister. “Plus, we have an update on Tavi,” Fluttershy said. “I could be better,” Sunset admitted. “I haven’t had anything to eat since the power went out. And, as good as it was, tomato soup and grilled cheese doesn’t make for a great breakfast.” Fluttershy nodded. “Pinkie wanted to make sure you had home-cooked comfort food. I think she forgot about the time, though,” the chiffon-haired girl said as she sat in the seat by the desk. Twilight, on the other hand, plopped into bed right next to Sunset. “Are you sure you’re okay, sis? You look like you were crying.” “Still in a bit of pain,” Sunset lied, feeling guilty that the fib rolled off her tongue all too easily. “I’ve been taking the Advil like Mom said, so don’t worry about that. I guess that she’s right that I’m probably going to have to have Dr. Zecora see me.” “Well, if she can’t, I don’t think my mom will mind coming out to check on you,” Fluttershy offered. “Besides, I think she and Dr. Zecora are old friends, and I don’t think it’ll be a problem.” “That would be appreciated, Flutters,” Sunset commented before she yawned. “Sorry, I’m feeling a little tired all of a sudden. Maybe everything is just catching up to me.” “Well, maybe you should take a nap and when you get up, we can bring you something, okay?” Fluttershy said, rising from her seat. “Twily, I’m going to go see if the others need help. You should stay here with Sunny and tell her about Tavi, and make sure she gets some sleep, okay?” “Sure thing,” Twilight agreed as Fluttershy bolted through the door. “Sorry about that. She’s still more than a little freaked out about the whole thing with Tavi, not that I blame her. I’m still freaked out about it,” Twilight said. “Truthfully, if it wasn’t for the fact that our friends are here and I have to be a good host, I’d lock that door right now and stay in here with you until we could get some protection.” “What happened?” Any traces of exhaustion that Sunset felt were now immediately banished. “Twily, what—” “I’ll tell you later, okay? Right now, what I want for you is to sleep,” the younger girl insisted. “Twily, if it’s about our cousin—” “Mom and Dad have it in hand, Sunny. Though I’m worried about her, I’m more worried about you. She hurt you – seriously hurt you – and you’re bedridden here for the next few days until we can get you to see a doctor. That’s not anything minor. For that matter, our friends are worried about you, too.” She sighed. “Please, just for my sake, go to sleep and rest, okay? When you wake up, I’ll tell you about what happened to Tavi.” Sunset gave her an unsure look. “You sure?” “Yes, I’m sure that I want you to take care of yourself.” Twilight looked her sibling right in the eyes. “You’re my older sister and I love you dearly, Sunny. I want us to all grow old together and stuff, and you can’t do that if you’re injured, okay?” “I’ll be fine, Twily.” “I know – because I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you are.” Knowing when she was beaten, Sunset closed her eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, sis,” she murmured as she cuddled next to the younger girl. And I don’t know what I’d do without you, Twilight said to herself as she lay there while Sunset drifted to sleep. Once she was sure the older girl was out, she gingerly moved out of Sunset’s grasp – Sunset, despite looking model-beautiful, had quite a bit of strength in her – she paused long enough to give Sunset a tender kiss on the forehead before she moved to the door to open it. Unfortunately, she pulled it open a little too quickly, and a forced breeze scattered a few papers from Sunset’s desk onto the floor. Guess I should pick that up, Twilight said, as she went to go grab them. She didn’t think much of what she was picking up – drafts of homework, a form that Sunset had to fill out to satisfy the adoption, and a letter from Twilight herself to Sunset. What? Twilight had never written her sister a letter. Sure, she’d left notes – the one she’d left her during Sunset’s stay in the hospital was one such example – but this was a letter, written on Hello Kitty stationery – another thing Twilight didn’t have. And yet Twilight recognized her handwriting, clear as day, on the paper. Twilight read the letter and was further shocked. What is this? The letter read like a disjointed wonderland of psychedelic weirdness. Sure, some parts rang true – Cadance being Celestia’s niece for one – but the latter being Sunset’s mother? Or that Twilight herself was admonishing Sunset for “disregarding” said mother? Rainbow accidentally selling Fluttershy into slavery? Hornwriting? Star Swirl? Razz? Who are they? And minotaurs? Yeah, other than the Greek myth and the robots from that shooter we were all playing last week, I have no idea what the heck this is. Any of this! Confused, Twilight set the letter down on the desk. Part of her wanted to look in Sunset’s desk to see if there were any other letters like this, but she stopped. Sunset was her sister, and she was entitled to her privacy. But even still…this didn’t make sense. Did I write the letter under the influence of the Vibe? But the Vibe doesn’t cause hallucinations, and besides, Cady was with me when I was under the effects. Or maybe I wrote it while suffering the aftereffects, but…I don’t have Hello Kitty stationery. She plopped into the chair by Sunset’s desk, ready to open it and look within despite what she’d told herself earlier. She wanted answers. She trusted her sister; likely this was something that Twilight wrote under the influence and Sunset was hiding it because she was protecting Twilight. But even still, this doesn’t make sense. Twilight looked at the candles lighting Sunset’s room, especially the large green candle with the green flame. She’d seen a few candles like that; they tended to have copper (or some other metal) filaments woven into the wick in order to give that effect; Twilight herself had a candle with a purple flame when she was younger. She probably got it from Lyra’s mom’s shop, Twilight figured, giving the candle no more thought. There was a knock on Sunset’s door, and Minuette poked her head in. “Hey, Twily, me, Bonnie, AJ and Blossom are about to start a game of Monopoly. Want to join us?” “Sure. I’ll be down in a sec,” Twilight replied. “How’s she doing?” Minuette asked. Given that Minuette had admitted that Sunset had been there for her during a bad time, she was one of the girls that had formed a fierce, protective attachment for the flame-haired girl. Twilight was proud of that; her sister had so many friends and had introduced them into her life because otherwise, Twilight and Octavia would have had nothing but each other. And Twilight couldn’t see that hermetic existence that she lived anymore. And in the time since, Sunset had engendered that in her own sister, and for that, amongst billions of other reasons, Twilight felt lucky that she had an older sister like Sunset. But still, the letter…. Twilight picked up the letter and, folding it, slipped it into her pocket. She’d look into it on her own, then ask Sunset about it later when she had a chance. Sunset would likely be angry that Twilight took the letter, especially if it was for her own good. But Twilight was a scientist, first and foremost, and when a question came before a scientist, the answer had to come from natural law itself, right? Making sure to quietly close the door, Twilight stepped out and headed downstairs. There would be time for odd questions and answers she probably didn’t want, Twilight admitted, but that would be latter. Right now, there was a boardgame downstairs with three other people waiting for her, and she refused to accept anything less than total victory, because that was just how she rolled.