The Trick to Success

by Hakuno

9. Happenstance

Chapter 9. Happenstance.

Sonata barely chewed whatever Sunset fed her before gulping it down. She didn’t care she was still tied up, or that she was making a mess of herself, and Sunset couldn’t really blame her since, prior to this point, the girl had barely eaten anything in over a day.

Trixie remained near the door, ready to press the airhorns the very second Sunset lowered her index finger.

Once the bowl had been emptied, Sunset placed it away and looked at Sonata with her brow a little furrowed. “Now that you ate, I think it’s time we set some ground rules, alright?” She said as calm as she could. The siren only looked at her expectantly, so she continued. “You’re going to be living in this room for a while. The more you behave like a good girl, the sooner you’ll be out. But what does it entail to be a good girl, you may wonder. Well, the answer is pretty simple.”

Sunset walked behind Sonata and placed her hands on the siren’s shoulders. She waited until Sonata looked at her through the mirror. Sunset gave her a smile. “As long as you’re alone in this room, you can do whatever you want, except use your magic.” With her raised finger she pointed twice to the mirror, and after just a second, three knocks from the other side made it shake a little bit. “But, the moment you hear that, you will stop whatever you’re doing and go sit down on your mattress,” she said as she pointed to the mattress, which had been placed at the farthest corner from the door. “Because it means I or somebody else will visit you, and our previous agreement will start counting again: No talking unless told otherwise or asked a question, to which you will answer truthfully.” She made a pause. “Is all that understood?”

Sonata didn’t respond right away, instead she eyed the room, being the first time she really noticed the place she was in. Assisting herself with the mirror, she noticed the strange rhomboid-like pattern of the walls, which was a funny sight to her. The mattress Sunset had pointed to was white with just one gray blanket and pillow. The rest of the room was practically empty, where it not for the very chair she was sat on, or the piece of wall that jutted out from what looked like a former window frame, even the lone lightbulb right in the center of the ceiling was dull and boring.

Once she finished taking in her surroundings, Sonata nodded. “Yes,” she said with an oddly calm voice.

“Good,” Sunset said. She then proceeded to untie Sonata’s hands. She took notice of the slight burns the rope had made on the siren’s wrists, and a wave of guilt washed over her, but she reminded herself it was justified. Once she finished, she grabbed the tray of food and stood up. “You can untie your feet yourself once we leave,” she began before pointing to the wall Sonata noticed earlier. “That’s a small bathroom. A toilet, a sink, and some toiletries for you to clean yourself.” Sunset signaled Trixie to open the door. “That will be all for now. I’ll be back later,” she said as she made her way to the door.

Trixie followed her and closed the door behind her. She took off the quite heavy headset and sighed. “Are you sure this isn’t going to come back and bite us later?” She asked.

Sunset idly scratched her head. “I certainly hope not. I mean, she seemed pretty convinced that she’s actually not a white shark between a bunch of goldfish, and also very scared when I threatened to break her gem.”

“She did look scared,” Rainbow said as they got into the living room. Everyone was looking at the siren except Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, who were sitting at the dining table.

“Well, judgin’ by how she looked like a zombie, Ah don’t think it was a pleasant experience to have her gem taken away,” Applejack agreed with a nod.

Rarity hummed. “I do think her reaction was quite strange. A normal person would’ve asked a lot of questions or begged to be let out or something.”

“She’s not a normal person,” Twilight replied as she crossed her arms. “I mean, just look at her!”

Twilight pointed, and Sunset finally got to a spot where she could see the siren.

Sonata had just finished untying herself, and was looking at herself in the mirror, inspecting her face like a girl would do before applying makeup and passing her hands through her hair time and time again in an attempt to comb it. What struck most to Sunset was that the siren looked tired, but not particularly concerned about her situation, almost as if she didn’t really care.

Once the siren seemed comfortable with her appearance, she took another look at her surroundings with a spark of mild curiosity that sent a shiver down Sunset’s spine, it was almost childish.

At some point, Sonata began inspecting her own clothes, she even sniffed the collar of her hoodie and made a slightly disgusted face. She walked to the small square Sunset had called a bathroom and, after rummaging through a small box, she produced a small plastic bowl, a cloth, and a bar of soap. She filled up the bowl with water and walked back to the chair, where she placed the objects, careful not to spill the water.

And then, as if she wasn’t in a completely unknown place and held against her will, but in the privacy and comfort of her own room, Sonata took off her clothes and threw them on the mattress.

The girls blushed and turned around.

“Hey!” Shimmer called them angrily. “Are you all seriously going to stop making sure she doesn’t try anything evil just because she’s naked?!”

Rainbow crossed her arms. “Yeah, I bet you just want to go all voyeurist on her, you freaking perv!”

Shimmer looked at Sonata for a mere second before she huffed and turned to Rainbow again. She was about to say something, but a quick glance to Twilight stopped her, then let out another huff. “I’m out,” she said before she walked to the front door, ignoring all protests from the girls.

As soon as she was outside, she lit up a cigarette, using only her good hand, and took a deep, slow drag, blowing it out after a few seconds. She heard the door open behind her, and decided to walk to her car.

“Hey,” Rarity said, taking Shimmer by surprise; she had expected it would be one of the usual suspects to come yelling at her.

“What do you want?”

Rarity cleared her throat. “I’m just going to go straight to the point,” she said. “Everyone here, without exception, is dealing with heavy and very contradictory feelings. No matter how evil she might be, we kidnapped a person, and that’s not something we can just gloss over. And yet, we’ve been trying to convince ourselves that it’s for the greater good…”

Shimmer snorted as she took another drag of her cigarette. “That’s going straight to the point?”

“Nevertheless,” Rarity continued. “I can’t help but notice that you’ve been acting… stranger than usual.”

Shimmer rolled her eyes and blew out smoke. “Gee what a find, Sherlock,” she said unamused.

“Listen,” Rarity said tiredly. “All of us are together in this, even you. And as much as I hate to admit it, without you, we would have already lost by the time we noticed something was amiss…” She shook her head and took a deep breath. “We may not like each other, but we’re a team, and as such, we need to know everyone is doing ok… That includes you.”

“I’m ok,” Shimmer replied before taking a drag on her cigarette. She eyed her bandaged hand for a moment and blew out the smoke with a sigh. “All things considered.”

Rarity’s eyes softened at that. “You took a huge blow for the team, and I believe we didn’t really thank you for that, so… Thank you.”

Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “Now that is strange.” She crossed her arms. “What’s going on?”

Rarity fidgeted a little as she gathered enough courage to speak up. “Ever since you brought the siren and Twilight woke you up, you’ve been acting… odd. And at first I, like the rest of the girls, thought it had to do with your wound, but… I was beginning to think there’s something else. And how you refused to make everyone uncomfortable back there kind of confirmed it… So I just have to ask…” She took a deep breath. “What happened at the concert?”

Shimmer looked down for a moment as she played with her cigarette with two fingers. She then turned around and walked up to her car. “What makes you think anything else happened?”

“That reaction just now,” Rarity answered while Shimmer opened the co-pilot door. “Sunset did say she thinks the siren did something to you when she hypnotized you, but you refused to tell her…” She opened and closed her mouth more times than she would’ve liked before speaking up again. “But I understand if you don’t want to tell me. We’re not friends, after all.”

“Something we can agree on,” Shimmer muttered as she eyed the interior of her car. “Damn it, it’ll cost a lot to get this cleaned.”

“But it doesn’t have to be this way,” Rarity continued. “You apologizing took everyone by surprise, and I don’t think some of us fully grasp the importance there… But I think I know why you suddenly want to change for good.”

Shimmer gave another drag to her cigarette. “It’s cuz I want in your pants, Sweetcheeks.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes, and they almost seemed to sparkle. “I don’t think that’s the case, Sunset Shimmer,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “I think it’s Twilight you have a crush on.”

The smoke came out from Shimmer’s mouth through her breathing alone. She stared at the dried up blood in her car, but she didn’t move a single muscle for what felt like the longest five seconds of her life. She mentally cursed herself for taking so long to come up with something.

Very slowly she straightened up and looked at Rarity, taking a hold of her cigarette and carelessly tossing it away. She felt her blood boil when she saw a knowing smirk on Rarity’s face.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes,” Rarity said, trying her hardest not to sound smug.

“Take it however you want,” Shimmer replied as she slammed close the door.

“Don’t try to act like you don’t care,” Rarity continued. “But don’t worry, I believe I’m the only one that noticed, so your, ahem, secret is safe with me. And, you see, I’ll always be open to hear you out.”

Shimmer huffed through her nose but didn’t say a word as she walked past Rarity and inside the house.

“... can’t leave her like that!” Shimmer heard Applejack say as she got into the living room. “She ain’t no animal!”

“I’m just saying we should stick to the reward system,” Twilight replied as she pointed to her notebook.

“Is it a reward to her, though?” Fluttershy asked meekly. “She seems pretty comfortable being, uhm... without clothes…”

Rainbow huffed. “Guys, she’s just cleaning herself. She’ll get dressed whenever it gets too cold!”

“I’ll have to side with Rainbow here,” Sunset said with a raised hand. “That room is pretty cold.”

Shimmer rolled her eyes and walked to a room.

“But it’s still not right!” Applejack insisted. “Everything here is messed up so we’ll just forget we’re humans?!” She saw Sunset raise her hand again. “Y’all know what Ah mean!”

Before anyone else could reply, they saw the door to the siren’s room open. They barely had time to look when Shimmer stepped in and threw something to a shocked siren. “No nudity unless you’re cleaning yourself!” She shouted before slamming the door closed and locking it up again.

Sonata looked to her side and saw a pair of panties and a sleeveless tank top. She looked between the door and the clothes several times before continuing cleaning herself.

Shimmer stepped into the living room again and looked at the girls. “You’re welcome.”

~~~~~~~~

Apparently, the siren’s room wasn’t nearly as cold as Sunset had thought initially. Maybe it had been the dreadful feeling of uncertainty creeping up her spine that made her shiver before releasing Sonata, because, though certainly more fresh than the rest of the house, the room was at a very comfortable temperature.

That didn’t stop Sonata from putting on the underwear and jeans, but ditching the hoodie on a corner.

Trixie, still wearing a heavy deafening headset and hiding the airhorns behind her, muttered something to herself at the sight of Sonata’s insulting cleavage. Sunset decided to ignore both distractions.

“So, what’s your goal?” Sunset asked. She sat on the chair while the siren remained on her mattress cross legged. “Why are you hypnotizing people? What are you trying to achieve?”

Sonata blinked a few times. “Return to Equestria,” she replied simply. “I mean, you humans are a lot of fun to play with and all, but you’re still a small burnt dorito compared to the royal banquet any Equestrian is!”

Sunset felt her stomach fall at the look on the siren’s face. “That’s how you see every living thing? As just food?”

“Of course not!” Sonata replied with a giggle. “I eat food like everyone else. That was a me-ta-phor!” Sunset couldn’t avoid her right eye twitching in anger at how slow Sonata pronounced the last word. “I’m talking about the energy we feed off you.”

“Tell me more about this energy,” Sunset demanded. “How does it work?”

Sonata’s face brightened up. “It’s emotional energy. All living, sentient things capable of complex feelings can produce it at any given time. That’s what we feed on.” She swiftly looked towards Trixie for a moment, then at Sunset. “For example, I can sense a huge amount of love coming from you two.” She giggled when Sunset’s eyes widened in horror. “Don’t worry, it’s not like I can just go and take it. You’d have to be actively showing it.”

Sunset frowned slightly. “Actively? So that’s why you hypnotize people…”

“Yep!” Sonata admitted.

“But why though?” Sunset asked. “Can’t you just walk down the street? I’m sure there are tons of people showing all kinds of emotions.”

Sonata shook her head. “It’s not the same that someone hates someone else, they have to be showing it, they have to be pouring all their own energy into those feelings.” She crossed her arms and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Let’s use you and your friend as example,” she said after a few seconds, nudging towards Trixie. “If you say you love each other, it’s cool, but it won’t produce that much energy, no matter how much you mean it. You’d have to be doing something that goes beyond mere words for it to be worthwhile. Like a hug or a kiss!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “And you’d be able to feed,” she said. Sonata nodded, and Sunset hummed. “What are all the kinds of energy you can feed off?”

“Anything that can be shown to others, really,” Sonata answered without any hesitation. “Hate, love, pity, compassion… I think you get the idea.”

“I see,” Sunset said. “And what exactly happens to people when you feed on their energy?”

Sonata tilted her head and gave Sunset a confused look. “Why would something happen to them?”

“Because it’s energy that you’re stealing,” Sunset replied slowly.

“Stealing?” Sonata repeated. “Sirens are the only ones that can make any use of that energy. You guys just produce it, but you can’t take any advantage of it.” She hummed for a moment. “Well, I think some Equestrians can, but not nearly as efficiently as sirens… In any case, the energy you produce with these emotions is so irrelevant to your body that it just ends up dispersing in the air.”

Sunset hummed for a moment. “So there really is no negative setback for people when you take that energy?”

“Nope!”

In that moment, Sunset felt her blood boil. She stood up, towering over Sonata. “So let me get this straight. Not only does you feeding on our energy not cause us any harm, but you could also feed on any given kind of energy?!”

Sonata leaned back, startled, and looked up at Sunset with widened eyes. “Uhm… yes.”

“Then why the heck do you make us fight with each other?! Why do you even need to hypnotize when there are people showing all kinds of emotions all the time?!”

“Because…” Sonata said, taking very long seconds to consider her answer. “It’s much easier to get hate energy from anyone, you yourself are pouring it right now.”

That made Sunset make a pause and could imagine steam coming out from her. She took a deep breath as she sat back down on the chair. She passed her hands over her face and through her hair. “Ok…” she muttered with a sigh. “One last question. How necessary it is for you to feed?”

Sonata hummed thoughtfully. “I’ve been feeding for as long as I’ve been alive, so I don’t really know… But if I can, it must be because I need it, right?”

“I see,” Sunset said more to herself than to Sonata. She then stood up. “Well, I’ll be leaving now, see you later.” And with that, she turned to the door.

“Wait,” Sonata called her. “Can I ask you questions too?”

Sunset stopped to consider it. She looked at Trixie for a moment and shot her a confident smile, then turned around again to look at Sonata. She placed both hands behind her and raised a finger.

“You answered my questions truthfully, right?” Sunset asked, to which Sonata nodded. “Then yeah, you can ask questions too.”

Sonata gave her a wide smile. She straightened up and began excitedly moving her legs up and down. “You’re Equestrian too, right?”

Sunset felt a chill running down her spine and every hair in her body stood to up. And judging by Sonata’s toothy grin, she knew she hadn’t hidden her surprise at all. She thought about lying, but if the siren, as dense looking as she was, had figured her out, she concluded that it would be counterproductive.

So she just sighed in defeat. “How did you know?” She asked as calmly as her shaky voice could allow her to.

“Just a hunch,” Sonata said simply. “Did beardo also send you here?”

“Beardo?” Sunset asked. “You mean Starswirl the Bearded?” Sonata nodded. Sunset hummed for a moment, recalling that according to the diary, the sirens still weren’t aware of their imprisonment in limbo. Sunset thought she shouldn’t tell her that. “No, I came from my own means, for my own goals.”

“So you know a way out,” Sonata stated, staring straight up at Sunset’s eyes. “I don’t suppose…”

Sunset huffed, but managed a smile. “Oh I’ll gladly tell you how I came here…” She saw Sonata’s face practically glow, and felt a wave of guilt for making such a dramatic pause. “If you promise to never use your magic to hypnotize people, or make them fight against each other, and you’ll never feed off negative energy again.”

Sonata pursed her lips and made a sound that was half a groan, half a moan. “I mean… Adagio’s the one that enjoys the fights, but… Hate energy is so addictive… Like salty snacks! You just can’t get enough of them!”

At that, Sunset furrowed her brow in curiosity. “Do different kinds of energy… taste different to you?”

“Now that you put it that way…” Sonata hummed for a moment. “I don’t think they have a taste, but they do feel different.”

“You said hate is addictive to you, but… What’s your favorite kind of energy?”

Sonata looked up to the ceiling for a couple of seconds. “Lust!” She answered so chirpily that Sunset almost jumped from the surprise. “It’s like spiced food! Makes your mouth water just to the thought of it…” She demonstrated her point by slurping in her own drool.

A series of thoughts crossed Sunset’s mind, but only one stayed. She remembered herself, entering the backstage room, and the scene she found. Her stomach became upset and cold sweat ran down her forehead. “I see… Think about my proposal,” was all she said before she turned around, signaled Trixie that the conversation was over, and, ignoring the siren’s confused questions, got out of the room.

~~~~~~~~

Sunset, Trixie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight were all sitting at the dining table.

“I still think it’s too rushed,” Twilight said, breaking the silence.

“We can’t wait any longer,” Sunset replied. She felt Trixie’s hand upon hers, gently rubbing her thumb across.

Twilight had been focusing on her laptop for the past twenty minutes, just pressing a couple of keys every now and then. “I’m just saying you two had a very thorough plan after two weeks of thinking, and Shimmer still got seriously hurt. Maybe this second mission needs more than ten seconds.”

“But we can’t let any more time pass,” Rarity said, nervously tapping her fingers on the table.

“I know that,” Twilight said through her teeth. She covered her nose and mouth with both hands and took a deep breath. “Let’s just hope nothing happens…”

Trixie tilted her head towards Twilight. “Unless they have goons on surveillance twenty-four seven, it should go off without a hitch.”

“Sonata said there aren’t,” Sunset offered.

“Why do you trust her so much?” Twilight asked as she leaned back on her chair. “For all we know, the girls are going straight into a trap right now.”

Before Sunset could reply, Trixie straightened up and cleared her mouth. “We did confirm on Doodle maps that there’s a cabin near Trotting Syrup Lake. The siren was telling the truth.” She squeezed Sunset’s hand and gave her a small smile. “Besides, if there’s anyone there, they’re most likely hypnotized, so a pair of air horns, or in the worst case scenario, your taser, will suffice.”

Twilight crossed her arms and hummed for a moment. “I just can’t help but feel uneasy,” she said as she turned her laptop so everyone could look at the screen. “I’ve been reading their MyStable profile, and the sirens haven’t said a single word about the sudden disappearance of one of them. They even uploaded a video five minutes ago. I didn’t watch it, of course, but according to the description and the comments, it’s just one of them advertising their concert next month.”

“Wait, ain’t that bad?” Pinkie asked a little too loud. “Shouldn’t they be worried one of their friends went missing?

“I don’t think they’re friends,” Fluttershy admitted meekly.

“It doesn’t matter what they are to each other,” Rarity said. “They are monsters that need to be defeated.”

Sunset hummed, but otherwise didn’t reply. Twilight turned her laptop to herself once more, and silence fell between the girls again.

Shimmer, Applejack, and Rainbow had gone to the cabin in the outskirts of Manhattan to rescue the three kidnapped girls. There had been some discussion and some arguing about whether or not to call the police, but Twilight, though regretting it later, pointed out that if the police rescued them, the human versions of the Dazzlings would be sent home with their parents, and once the sirens noticed, they’d target them again.

In order to protect them, the girls had agreed to rescue them themselves and discuss what to do afterwards.

Applejack and Rainbow had gone in the former’s truck, and Shimmer in her own car. Supposedly, according to Shimmer, her friends should go in the truck, where there was more space, and her car would be a just in case resource. Not that anyone complained, since her presence would indeed help the hostages trust their saviors, as Rarity so eloquently put it.

Meanwhile, the girls back at the house had to patiently wait for the phone call that would let them know it was time to begin.

A loud melody startled everyone, but they quickly noticed it wasn’t the melody of anyone’s phone. Sunset apologized as she took out a cellphone that was easy to describe as old and outdated.

“That’s not your phone,” Twilight noted.

Sunset nodded as she read the number flashing on the screen. “It’s uh… hold on,” she said, then took a deep breath and answered. “Hi! This is Sunset Shimmer!” She said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. Her face began turning a light shade of red as she looked at her friends. “I’m The Great and Powerful Trixie’s manager! How may she make your day?”

Rarity snorted a bit, and Pinkie could barely hold back her laughter.

Then, as seconds passed, Sunset’s happy expression faded away. “Oh,” she said. She looked at Trixie for a moment, then down at the table. “Don’t worry, ma’am!” She said a little too loudly before she hung up. “Wrong number…”

The clear disappointment in Sunset’s voice made the girls give pause.

“Oh, don’t make that face, Sun-sun!” Pinkie said happily as Sunset pressed some buttons on her phone. “I bet you’ll start getting tons of customers soon!”

Rarity looked at Sunset. “You bought a new phone just for people to call you about Trixie’s performances? That’s so sweet!”

Trixie giggled and kissed Sunset on the cheek before hugging her. “Isn’t she the best?”

Sunset put the phone in her pocket and hugged Trixie back.

Fortunately for the girls, they didn’t have time to start a make out session since Twilight’s phone rang loudly. She placed it on the table and answered on speaker.

Shimmer’s voice came out from the phone. “We’re here.”

~~~~~~~~

Applejack parked her truck in reverse, facing it towards the now barely visible highway. High bushes and unkept trees surrounded the area, and even though it was the middle of winter, the forest located south of Manhattan was as green as could be. The sun shone a little brighter than normally, but the air was still cold.

Shimmer was second to park, and as she got out, Applejack could see she had already called the girls, since she was holding her phone in front of her.

“So, what now?” Rainbow asked as she got out of the truck. Unlike Applejack, who decided to wear a thick brown jacket, or Shimmer and her usual winter clothes, she only had a thin purple hoodie.

Shimmer looked at her. “Cowgirl and I will go. You stay here.”

“What?!”

“Exactly,” Shimmer said. “You’re too loud and reckless. It’s better if you serve as distraction in case anyone notices the cars.” She looked at Applejack, then at Rainbow again. “And you’ll call the police in case something happens.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Ah thought y’all said-”

“No police, yes,” Shimmer interrupted her. “And if everything goes smoothly, there won’t be need. But if Cowgirl and I fall into a trap, one way or another, the police will help us get out, even if it means my friends will still be in danger.”

Rainbow crossed her arms. “Let’s say that happens. What are you gonna tell ‘em when-”

“It’s a lake, bird brain,” Shimmer said with a huff. “A bunch of teenagers went to have fun by the lake, stumbled upon an abandoned cabin, thought it would be fun to investigate, and found three hostages by chance.” She scratched the back of her head. “It’s not the best alibi, but it’s something.”

Applejack placed her hands on her hips and smiled. “Is good enough for me.”

“Fine,” Rainbow said through her teeth as she leaned against the truck.

Shimmer nodded. “The cabin is not far. If we don’t call you in an hour, call the police.”

“An hour, got it.”

“Come on, Cowgirl,” Shimmer said, walking towards the woods.

Applejack shrugged, she gave Rainbow a confidant smile and followed Shimmer. “So, how are we gonna go ‘bout it?”

Shimmer pushed a branch away. “Best case scenario, we go in, rescue my friends, we go out. Fast and simple. We’ll think what to do with them once we get back.”

“Uh-huh.” Applejack hummed. She noticed Shimmer had stopped calling her insulting nicknames. “Worst case scenario?”

“The sirens are there,” Shimmer replied immediately. “They capture us. And best case scenario for that, they just kill us.”

Applejack also noticed Shimmer’s lack of snarky comments, passive aggressiveness, and everything else that might’ve made that last sentence any less shocking. “Are y’all doing alright?” She found herself asking before the thought crossed her mind.

“Yes,” Shimmer answered simply. “The Ibuprofen is working wonders. I might get addicted.”

Applejack pressed her lips together as she didn’t know how to interpret Shimmer’s snarky comments coming back. “Ah mean-”

“I know what you mean,” Shimmer said hastily. She stopped and turned back, her heavy frown enough to give Applejack pause. “You lot are quite nosy, and I don’t like that. You may think you’re being a goodie-two-shoes by worrying about even your enemies, but that only makes you a naïve, gullible, and delusional nuisance.” She huffed and turned again to where she had been going. “Sometimes, not annoying people is the best way to help them.”

“Ah won’t pry no more if y’all don’t want me to,” Applejack said. “But keep in mind Ah’ll hear ya out if y’all ever want to talk to someone.”

Shimmer didn’t answer and just kept walking. Applejack chose to keep silent as well.

As they walked further, Applejack began to notice the tree tops twirling together and closing up, letting fewer parts of the grayish sky be seen. Looking behind her, Applejack saw the small path they were making, or more specifically, that Shimmer was forcefully carving, breaking branches and sliding her heels to the sides.

The foliage became thicker and darker as they walked, and Applejack started fearing they might have gotten lost, but suddenly, Shimmer stopped.

“We’re here,” Shimmer said as she ducked a little near a rock. Applejack only saw more trees, but Shimmer signaled her to come closer, and as she did, Applejack caught the sight of their goal.

It was a big, highly unkempt clearing. The grass was high enough to reach just below Applejack’s knees. Very few, paled colored flowers fought a losing fight to give some decor to the burnt tips of the grass. To the right, Applejack could see the edge of the lake that glimmered a faded grayish blue. And in the middle of the clearing stood the building they were searching for.

A single story high log cabin stood depressing under the shadow of an ancient looking willow that rained down its leaves upon the rotting ceiling. Yellow moss painted the stone foundation and branched up through the walls and sneaked through the grayed out windows.

Overall, it was a fairly big, rustic house, abandoned in the middle of the woods. Applejack felt a shiver run through her body at the sight.

“There aren’t any people in the vicinity,” Shimmer said with a low voice. “Let’s go.”

But before she could stand up, Applejack pulled from her hoodie. “Whoa, hold yer horses!” She tried her best not to yell. “What if there’s people in the house?!”

Shimmer glared at her for a moment. Her jaw moved several times without her lips actually parting. “We say we got lost. Now shut up and follow me.” And with that, she stood up and and walked towards the cabin.

Applejack groaned but did as was told.

Aside from the constant rattling of the trees and the soft whistling of the wind, Applejack couldn’t hear more than their steps through the overgrown grass. She felt the hair at the back of her neck stand up the closer they got to the cabin. The small set of wooden stairs that sat at the porch looked about to collapse, and the front door was barely hanging from its hinges.

But she didn’t have time to think about it, since Shimmer stopped and lifted a hand in front of her.

“What-”

“Hey, look!” Shimmer said, loud enough to be heard in the vicinity. “An abandoned cabin! Ain’t it creepy?!”

Applejack felt her heart pound furiously, and a freezing chill ran down her spine. “What the heck, Shimmer?!” She asked with a hushed yell.

Shimmer stayed silent for a few seconds, her gaze transfixed on the cabin. Finally, she let out a sigh. “There doesn’t appear to be people inside,” she whispered. “That, or they’re asleep or distracted. Just follow my lead, Cowgirl.” And with that, she walked to the cabin again.

“I think we should wait inside and wait for our boyfriends,” Shimmer said, and Applejack thought she sounded very convincing. It probably was due to being a former manipulative bitch, she reckoned. “I just hope it’s not haunted!” Shimmer’s voice came out both excited and nervous.

Maybe she was still very manipulative.

Shimmer took her sweet time walking up the stairs, letting the steps creak and groan under her weight, and when she reached the door, she opened it slowly, partly to let it squeak, and partly because she was afraid the hinges would give up and drop the heavy door upon her. She slowly poked her head inside, and after a few seconds, she looked back at Applejack.

“Get the taser ready, just in case.”

Applejack’s eyes widened and her brows furrowed at the same time. “How did ya-”

“Twilight underestimates me if she thinks I wouldn’t notice,” Shimmer hurried in a hushed voice. “Now shut up and get it ready.”

Applejack huffed and did just that, taking the taser from the hidden pocket in her jacket, but keeping it underneath, and followed Shimmer inside.

To her surprise, the cabin was completely empty. A gray layer of dust painted every surface, with moss decorating the walls from outside. A crumbled down pile of rocks resembled what could’ve been a fireplace some time ago, and a few flat pieces of wood scattered around told a tale of former shelves. But aside that, there was nothing that made Applejack think that humans would have been there in years.

But Shimmer didn’t seem convinced. She entered cautiously, looking around as if someone would materialize and jump to her any time.

The first area was just a big empty space, but there were three other rooms. Shimmer and Applejack checked each of them together. First, a lone sink and a broken table showed what was left of a kitchen. Second, a tiny bathroom that lacked a W.C. And finally, a bedroom with only an unassembled bed frame of wooden planks, and an obnoxiously large wooden chest.

“Well,” Applejack said with a sigh. “There’s no one here. No goons, and…” She paused to put the taser in her pocket again. “No hostages…”

Shimmer walked up to the chest and opened it. It was full to the brim with dirt.

“Let’s go home,” Applejack said.

“Why’s there a chest filled to the brim with dirt?” Shimmer said to herself.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “‘Cuz it’s a cabin in the middle of the woods.”

“Help me move it,” Shimmer ordered as she closed the chest and got into position. “Move your ass!”

“When are y’all gonna stop insulting people?” Applejack asked as she crossed her arms.

Shimmer huffed and straightened up. She turned to Applejack, placing her good hand on her hip. “When you start being useful for a change.”

Applejack chuckled faintly. “Ah knew all that apologizin’ was too good ta be true.” She forced out another chuckle as she shook her head. “But y’all just can’t stop bossin’ us around, callin’ us names and makin’ everyone uncomfortable.”

“And you just decided to get offended right now,” Shimmer said flatly. “Right when we’re about to save my friends.”

“There’s no one here, Shimmer,” Applejack said. “This place’s as empty as that rotten heart of yours.”

“Oh, you want to do this right now?” Shimmer walked up to her, but Applejack quickly took the taser out and pointed it towards Shimmer. “Come on, Cowgirl,” Shimmer taunted her with a smile, stopping just a foot away. “I know you’ve been dying to use it on me. But you better not miss, it takes a minute to recharge.”

Applejack didn’t smile. She didn’t feel like it. Instead, she just glared at Shimmer as her thumb rubbed the power button. “Ah should just go n’ do it. You deserve it.”

Shimmer leaned closer. “Then, why don’t you do it? You chicken?”

“Y’all do nothing but insult and provoke!” Applejack said. “Ah really thought y’all changed when ya were out apologizin’! But Ah guess that was just an act, huh? Was it?!”

“It probably was, it probably wasn’t,” Shimmer replied evenly just as the tip of the taser came in contact with her upper belly. “But that doesn’t matter to any of you, so why did I even bother, right? That’s what you’re thinking. So you should just activate the fucking taser and make me pay for everything I’ve done, right?”

Applejack could feel her heart pounding, her head was aching, and tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. “Ah saw you stabbin’ Trixie! Y’all could’ve killed ‘er but you don’t care!” She pressed the taser against Shimmer. “And y’all think y’all just earn our sympathy ‘cuz you got yer hand hurt?! Ah ain’t buyin’ it!”

“Then activate it,” Shimmer said. Any trace of her smile was gone, and she too pressed against the taser. She could feel it digging into her skin. “Come on, stupid Hillbilly. Do it.”

“Why can’t you just act nice?” Applejack asked, hearing her voice cracking. “Why do ya think y’all have ta get hurt to get even?”

That got Shimmer by surprise. “What?”

“Do you really think I’m that stupid?” Applejack could feel the tears running down her cheeks. “Sunset thought she could atone for her misdeeds by lettin’ everyone step on ‘er,” she said. “And you think you can do so by gettin’ hurt. Why do y’all Sunset’s hafta be such masochists?”

Shimmer didn’t answer right away. She leaned back and looked down to her hand. She had seen the damage behind her bandages, and she could still feel the aching throbbing even under the effects of painkillers.

“Why can’t y’all just be nice?”

“Because I don’t deserve it,” Shimmer said in a whisper. “Because I almost killed my best friend, and I mocked her afterwards. Because I almost killed Trixie, and I was angry you stopped me…” She closed her eyes and turned around. “Do you think someone like me can just say sorry and start over?”

“Of course not!” Applejack answered. “That’s why you have to act like you mean it! Stop wantin’ to get hurt and actually show people you changed!”

Shimmer walked to the chest and placed her good hand on it. “Help me move this chest.”

Applejack huffed. “Are y’all even listening?”

“I’m acting like I care!” Shimmer yelled. “There’s a trapdoor underneath! Help me move the stupid chest!”

Applejack panted as she looked down to the floor. Sure enough, there was an irregular set of planks under the chest. She hurried to Shimmer’s side and pushed. The thing was incredibly heavy, but somehow, they managed to push it all the way to the other side of the room.

Marked with the rectangular area that lacked dust, a trapdoor was easily seen. The handle looked pretty clean, compared to the rest of the house. Shimmer opened it, revealing a worn down ladder. She grabbed her phone and activated the flashlight, illuminating the dirt floor below.

“Stay here in case someone shows up,” was the only thing Shimmer said before she began climbing down, which proved easier said than done with just one hand available.

“Scream if ya need me there,” Applejack said before Shimmer disappeared amidst the darkness.

Even with the aid of her phone, Shimmer could barely see anything. She wondered why there was a basement under a normal-looking abandoned cabin, but she was even more curious about the reason why it was connected by a trapdoor in one of the rooms. Nevertheless, she decided to put those thoughts to the back of her mind and focus on trying not to trip.

The basement, if someone could really call it that, was basically just empty space under the cabin with a few columns here and there and a single wall that divided it in halves. The air reeked of humidity, wet dirt, and what Shimmer hoped was just dead animals. There was a door in the wall, swollen and literally balancing on its lower hinge.

Shimmer swallowed as she pushed the door. It didn’t creak, but it seemed about to collapse. Fortunately, Shimmer crossed without a hitch. She stopped when she heard a soft shuffling, but the sound had ceased, so she pointed her phone to the source of the sound.

And she almost dropped it.

Covered with a single, ragged and dirty blanket, three girls laid sleeping against the wall, huddled up together in a vain attempt to maintain warmth. Shimmer felt her heart pound and her legs shake as a small smile formed in her face.

“I found you…”

Author's Note:

I remember the times where I struggled to reach 2K words per chapter. Now I struggle to keep it under 7k.

The plot will thicken soon!

Comments

[Nali]

Hm.

Sonata is taking her captivity... well. Too well? Hard to say. Nobody here is good at bad cop.

Everyone's slowly coming to terms with Shimmer, but Shimmer's not coming to terms with herself.

And I've seen enough horror movies to be wary of cellars in remote cabins entirely independent of this story's own tension.

[JMP]

So far so good. Though Sonata is really friendly, so I gotta agree that's suspicious. I think she's smarter than she looks. And fitting that her favorite emotion is lust.

[Axle the Cobalt Exorcist]

personaly I hope shimmer dosent end up with Sci-Twi

[Seether00]

Grab them and run. In horror movies the killer shows up now.

[Fetch]

Saw pic on dA that could fit this story:
https://rvceric.deviantart.com/art/Biker-Sunset-748928786

[Noctis Prism]

Well, that’s one issue solved(hostages), a riddle opened(emotion feeding for Sirens), and emotions unveiled(Shimmer and getting hurt thing). Nice job here!

[WolfFurr]

“But it’s still not right!” Applejack insisted. “Everything here is messed up so we’ll just forget we’re humans?!” She saw Sunset raise her hand again. “Y’all know what Ah mean!”

Thats great lol