The Girl Who Cried Wolf

by J3sterking

Visiting Hours

Lyra stepped into the room, Bon-Bon and Rainbow Dash right behind her. Pinkie Pie lay, asleep, on the hospital bed, breathing quietly.

"She's...gonna be alright?" Lyra asked.

"Yes," Bon-Bon said. "She's gonna be fine."

"Darn straight," Pinkie muttered.

"You're awake?" Rainbow burst out.

She opened one eye, squinting at Rainbow. "A little," she said. "Those painkillers have my head feeling really funny."

Lyra rushed over to the bedside, falling onto her knees. "I--I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean to--"

Pinkie reached out, and put her hand on Lyra's head. Ruffling her hair, she said, "It's okay."

Lyra's eyes filled with tears, but Pinkie Pie wiped them away with one finger. "Hey, don't cry. I hate it when people cry."

"O-okay," Lyra stammered, wiping her eyes. "I-I'll try. You...you like smiles, right?" She gave a big, happy smile, but it didn't last.

Pinkie Pie smiled. "Heh. Lyra, it's okay. You think this is the first time I've been punched in the face when surprising someone?"

Lyra blinked. "Yes?"

Pinkie Pie rifled through her hair, then pulled out a list. "This is everyone I endeavor not to surprise out of the blue," she said.

"That's a big list," Lyra whispered.

"Some, like Fluttershy, I know wouldn't like it," Pinkie admitted. "Others, like, say, a certain pretty prismatic person--"

"Oh, dear," Rainbow muttered.

"--go to regular self defense classes and I've learned the hard way that jumping out of their lockers and throwing confetti at them doesn't lead to fun times." She smiled. "She cracked a rib, too."

"Can't even blame it on being a werewolf," Rainbow admitted, "or...any of the related trauma."

Pinkie Pie reached over and took Lyra's hand. "So, really, it's fine," she said.

"Really?"

"Really really," Pinkie confirmed. "But I'll make sure to let Maud know that before she hears about this."

Lyra chuckled. "Thanks. I somehow don't think that would turn out well for me, werewolf strength or no."

"What I can't figure out," Bon-Bon said, "is how you got off with only two broken ribs. Like, we all saw the wall, right?"

Lyra glared at her, but Pinkie laughed. "Us Pies are made of sturdier stuff than crust and cream filling," she said. "It's what you get from growing up on a rock farm."

Lyra's glare ceased abruptly. "A what farm?"

"You don't wanna know," Rainbow interrupted. "Trust me."

Lyra took her word on that.

---

"So," Sunset said cheerily, "Pinkie requested we bring her a taste of Equestrian baked goods, Applejack wanted a taste of Equestrian cider, Rarity wants a taste of the fashion industry, and Fluttershy--" She paused. "--Wants a copy of Beasts of Equestria," she finished lamely.

"You ruined the theme," Rainbow complained.

"Whatever," Sunset muttered, tossing her bag to the side, where it sat next to her sleeping bag. She insisted upon sleeping in one with the rest of them, despite the fact that they were in her house to begin with. Rainbow couldn't quite figure it out. "I want to get there around noon, Rainbow, so make sure you're packed by then, okay?"

"Kay. I'll be packed by then, easy." Rainbow nodded. "Is everything settled with the Principal?"

"Yup. Talked to her earlier."

"The...abridged version?"

Sunset nodded. "I told her there were some things I wasn't at liberty to tell, and she let it lie."

Applejack let out a sigh. "That's a relief. Last thing Ah wanna do is start lyin' to everyone."

"Some would argue that a half-truth is the same as a lie," Rarity pointed out.

"Not if Sunset told her that she was leavin' parts out," Applejack scoffed. "Yah can't be mad at somebody for leavin' things out if they tell ya they're leaving them out!"

"Hey, don't tell me what I can or can't be mad about," Rainbow informed her.

"Fine. It'd be ridiculous and stupid to be mad about it."

Rainbow considered that. "You know what? I'm cool with that."

"And Rainbow?" Sunset added.

"Yeah?"

"For the love of God, don't mention that you eat beef, or bring anything leather," Sunset said firmly. "I had this as a good talk-out with Bon-Bon, but cows are sentient in Equestria. Leather is illegal, and beef would be, too."

"Um--okay. Don't mention hamburgers. Got it."

"It would be safest if you didn't mention 'meat' at all," Sunset said. "Equestria...has carnivores in it, but the wildlife is on a much...ahem...simpler scale, that mostly involves dedicated ponies working to take care of them. They're pretty much all domesticated."

"Weird," Rainbow muttered.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Fluttershy said.

"We could probably fit you into this trip, too," Sunset offered, but Fluttershy shook her head.

"No, I wouldn't want to but in. Especially as everything else is way more important than me seeing the fuzzy locals."

"But--" Sunset hesitated. "Your wants are important to," she said.

"Yes, but there's a lot of serious work going on this trip, and I'd hate to interrupt it," Fluttershy said. "As long as the portal's still there, there's always next time, right?"

"Well, that's right," Sunset admitted. "Next time, then."

"Do send our love to Princess Twilight, though," Rarity said.

"Will do," Sunset replied. "And...your doppelgangers, if I meet any of them."

"If?" Rainbow laughed. "You think I'll pass up on opportunity to meet my clone? As if, Shimmer!'

"Eh, fair enough," Sunset replied. "I don't actually know what they all do over there."

"Do you think we'll ever meet the Sunset of this world?" Fluttershy asked. "Or the Princess Twilight?"

"Princess Twilight could be fun to find," Sunset agreed, "but I'd be more than a little concerned about meeting my doppelganger. After all, she doesn't have you guys." She flashed her friends a wide grin.

"Sunset, darling, she might have turned out perfectly well regardless," Rarity pointed out.

"Maybe we could ask Principal Celestia?" Applejack asked. "You were a student of hers in Equestria, maybe she knows about ya in this world."

"That...is an interesting idea, but if she never mentioned anything, then...I'm not sure. It would kind of feel like butting into something that's not my business." Sunset shrugged. "I don't like the thought of prodding someone's sore memories just because of idle curiosity."

"There's been too much of that going around, as is," Rainbow agreed. She paused, then looked up to see everyone giving her a look. She let out a sigh.

"Rainbow," Fluttershy asked, reaching over and putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, then hesitated. She thought over the question for a long moment, before nodding. "Yeah," she said, "I think so."

"You think so?" Rarity asked.

"Well, it's hard to tell when I'm with you guys," Rainbow said. "You...you're my best friends. If anything can chase away a few bad dreams, it'd be you guys."

"Well, if you ever need anything, be it a hug, a shoulder to cry on, or--" She smirked. "--Scent of a Morning Rose--"

"I thought we agreed to stop talking about that."

"--we'll be happy to provide!"

Rainbow smiled. "Thanks, Rares. Thanks, all you guys. It...means a lot that I have you guys." She hesitated, then spat out, "I...probably wouldn't be here today if I didn't have you."

There was a long silence as everyone thought about that.

Fluttershy hugged Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow sighed. "Guess who saw that one coming," she muttered. Then she grinned, hugging Fluttershy back. "When I'm said I'm fine, I meant it, Fluttershy."

"I...don't know what to say," Fluttershy said. "I-I--"

Rainbow ruffled her hair. "You don't gotta say anything," she said. Then she shuddered. "Now, we're supposed to be having a sleepover right now, right? So let's drop the mushy, sappy stuff and have some fun. Yeesh, what would Pinkie say if we failed to have fun during a sleepover?"

Sunset cleared her throat, then ruffled her hair to make it resemble Pinkie's. In a near-perfect imitation of Pinkie's voice and face, she belted out, "WHAT?"

"Yeah, Ah s'pose she would," Applejack laughed.

---

Rainbow Dash hefted the backpack, looking around again. "I feel like I'm forgetting something," she said.

"Spare clothes, darling?"

"...Sunset said not to worry about that."

Rarity gasped. "But--you'll be staying at a Princess's castle! Surely you don't mean to impose on her to provide you with clothes!"

"Rarity, ponies don't normally wear clothes, except at big parties."

Sunset's simple statement brought such a profound level of shock to Rarity that she gasped, hyperventilated, and then fainted.

"Great, you killed her," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

"Not again," Sunset said, sending a grin Rainbow's way.

Applejack nudged Rarity's lifeless form with her toes. “Well, Ah can hardly say Ah was imaginin' a bunch of horses with frilly dresses,” she put in. “Er...is that weird?”

“Nope. At least, not in Equestria.” Sunset shrugged.

“I hope Bon-Bon and Lyra are prepared for that,” Fluttershy put in.

“Don't worry, I mentioned it to them,” Sunset said, waving it off. “They should be here any--”

The doorbell rang.

“Ah. Speak of the devil...” Sunset smirked, stepping over to the door. “Hey, Bonnie. Lyra. Come on in—who's this?”

Rainbow Dash's ears pricked up as she heard a high, scratchy voice saying, “I'm tagging along to see about finding the world's biggest lam-o. Heard she was here?”

Rainbow grinned broadly. “No, she ain't, but you should check your mom's house!” she called out, before Sunset could react.

Sunset stepped out of the way as Gilda came in, grinning herself. “Long time, no see, Crash,” she said. She dressed just like Rainbow remembered. Brown cargo pants and jacket, with a white undershirt that almost blended in with her pale skin and pure white hair, that fell off one side of her brow. The only thing new were the gold boot laces, and the gold gloves as well.

“Quite long enough, I'd say,” Rainbow said, slipping her backpack over her shoulder. “When were you gonna tell me that you joined a top-secret government agency?”

“Well, I thought about it,” Gilda said slowly. “Then I was like...'nah, I got better things to than babysit that old wussy'.” She casually stepped over Rarity, then paused. She looked down, eyeing the fashionista. “Uh, need help burying this one?”

Rainbow Dash shared a look with Applejack, and both grinned. “Ah was gonna suggest we jest feed her to Dash,” the cowgirl said. “Waste not, want not, right?”

“Hear, hear,” Rainbow said, nodding.

Rarity bolted upright, screaming, “No, you don't, you ruffians!” She jumped to her feet, dusting herself off. “Honestly, how could you even think of interrupting a lady's faint?”

“How could you even think of fainting?” Sunset asked. “Seriously, how do you do it on command? I cannot figure it out.”

“You can learn to do a lot of things on command,” Gilda intoned. “So, Crash, I heard you were hopping over to the Other Realm.”

“I believe they call it Equestria,” Bon-Bon said.

“...Right,” Gilda said, without looking at Bon-Bon.

“Yup. This is actually gonna be my first time going over there, come to think of it.” Rainbow Dash met Gilda's eyes. “And, since I'm gonna be over there for a while, how about we take a minute to catch up before I go?”

Gilda nodded. “I was hoping you'd say that.”

“Oh, um,” Sunset paused, looking between the two of them. “You two have fun, then. Remember, Rainbow, we were leaving at around twelve, so...”

“Yeah, yeah, I can run from one end of the city to the other in less than ten minutes. I'd have to be horrifically irresponsible to be late,” Rainbow Dash scoffed.

Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, fine, I promise I'll keep an eye on the time,” Rainbow said, stepping over to the door. “You coming, G?”

“Right behind you, Crash,” Gilda called out. As soon as Rainbow was out of sight, she paused right beside Sunset, looking her up and down. “So, you're Sunset Shimmer?”

“Uh—yeah. Can I help you?”

Gilda stared at her for a long minute. “I thought you'd be bigger,” she intoned.

Sunset stared at her.

“I meant 'muscly', though you could really stand to put some more weight of any sort on your bones,” Gilda commented. Without another word, she stepped out the door, after Rainbow Dash.

---

Rainbow Dash and Gilda were silent for a length of time. Both sat on a bench, sipping from coffees they'd purchased with minimal talking to each other.

“So,” Rainbow Dash finally said, speaking up. “Government agent, huh?”

Gilda nodded.

“Since when?”

“Four or five months after the incident with Soarin,” Gilda admitted.

“They have manuals. On being a werewolf.” Rainbow sipped her coffee.

“I have one in my backpack for you,” Gilda said, patting the bag on the bench besides her.

“Why didn't you come to me when you joined up?” Rainbow asked. “I...I needed something like that, G. I needed help.”

“I kept an eye on you, Rainbow. If you had ever fallen to the point to where this--” She gestured to the bag. “--was the help you needed, I'd have stepped in. But you didn't.”

Rainbow glared at her. “How good of a watch, G? I was this fucking close to putting some silver rounds in my head by the end of that. Less than a year ago!” Thinking back to the Fall Formal, she shuddered.

“I...wasn't going to be able to help you with that,” Gilda said quietly. She stared into her coffee for a long moment. “You were the strong one, Dash. I'm just the poor girl who always acted tough. I knew my way around a fight, but if something hurt me...if I lost...a friend...” She took a deep breath. “I'm sorry, Dash. After Soarin died, I was a mess. If it hadn't been for the agency, finally finding something to devote myself to, I don't know what I'd have done.” She chuckled. “Probably drugs. Or join the mob. Nothing good, knowing me.”

“You never answered my question,” Rainbow said. “Why not give me the manuals? Why not come back and talk to me about it?”

“Because there are some bad apples in this organization,” Gilda said. “They range from people who sneak money out of other people's paychecks, to far, far less morally righteous people.”

“Bon-Bon told me not to worry about the bad apples.”

“If she did, it's because she's naive and overly trusting,” Gilda scoffed. “Honestly. The one in charge of her is one of the bad apples. Tempest had a bad incident with a werewolf one time, and has devoted her life to as much 'extreme prejudice' as is allowed within the rules she works with. I'm actually working with one of the really high ups, investigating her to make sure she's not doing anything...well, anything we can pin on her, really.” She sipped her coffee.

“So...you were protecting me?”

She chuckled. “That's the way it always was, right? We'd jump in to protect each other, and then act all tough in front of other people. 'We can face the world on our own', we said. 'We're invincible'.”

Rainbow's reaction was immediate. “Lycanthropy, son.”

Gilda burst into a laugh. Rainbow grinned, but then it faltered. “Oh, um, this organization--”

“I really wish I could tell you the name, but I'd have to clear it with the boss,” Gilda said apologetically.

“Understood. Anyway, um, Sunset kind of wanted to become a werewolf. Would they get mad at me?”

“Uh—first off, yes. Absolutely, yes,” Gilda said firmly. “But they don't want to cause an interdimensional incident with the Other World.”

“Yeah, tell them I cleared it with the princesses,” Rainbow said with a grin.

Gilda sighed. “Thanks for the heads up. Other note—Sunset Shimmer? You called her the 'Royal Bitch Queen of CHS'. Frequently.”

“Well, she got better,” Rainbow said. “After she got worse. We're good.”

“Yeah, I was on the team in charge of distributing bribes to the media to keep the Fall Formal under wraps,” Gilda said sourly. “Can I ask another question?”

“Yeah?”

“How likely is it for another monster on Sunset Shimmer's level to pop up?” she asked.

Rainbow blinked. “Uh, I know she stole some super rare, one-of-a-kind artifact. An Element of Harmony, I think?”

“Shit,” Gilda whispered. “We've heard that name come up once or twice, Dash, from various monsters banished here. Makes me glad we had you guys, because a Class 5 Incarnation would have been a lot to deal with.”

“A what in the what?”

“Class 5 Incarnation,” Gilda repeated. “In other words? A demigoddess. Anything bigger than that and the manuals just kind of shrug and say, 'pick a god, start praying'.”

“Well, hallelujah,” Rainbow said, raising her coffee.

Gilda raised her own, then took a sip. “How much time do we have?”

Rainbow checked her phone, pretending that she had remembered that they were on a time limit. “It'll take fifteen minutes to get there, so we have ten minutes to spare.”

“Now that we've gotten the heavy stuff out of the way, let's actually catch up, eh?” Gilda grinned.

“Hear, hear,” Rainbow said.

Comments

[Pete100]

"--go to regular self defense classes and I've learned the hard way that jumping out of their lockers and throwing confetti at them doesn't lead to fun times." She smiled. "She cracked a rib, too."

Didn’t know that.

"There's been too much of that going around, as is," Rainbow agreed. She paused, then looked up to see everyone giving her a look. She let out a sigh.

Yeah, from EVERYONE.

“Class 5 Incarnation,” Gilda repeated. “In other words? A demigoddess. Anything bigger than that and the manuals just kind of shrug and say, 'pick a god, start praying'.”

Cool