Adagio wants power. Twilight and Sunset want to save everyone from her schemes. Sonata and Aria just want to get through another day. And poor Trixie just wants answers...
When the three new students arrived and proposed the Battle Of The Bands, they attracted suspicion from Sunset and her friends, but they were prepared to deal with that. What they didn't expect was that their song affected another student more deeply than they could have forseen, and now she's found them. As magical battle erupts around her, Trixie just wants to know if she's rooting for the right side.
And Adagio Dazzle is all too willing to give her the answer she wants to hear...
It was a frail breeze that tugged at Trixie Lulamoon’s hair as she walked across the broken pavement, but she still shivered as a sense of foreboding crept up on her. The night sky was dark, whatever feeble illumination the moon may have offered concealed behind a thick layer of clouds; instead, they reflected the lights of the city behind her with an understatedly hellish glow. On one side of the road, a line of barren trees reached out to her with desperate branches, while from the other, a line of dead and decaying warehouses watched her with windows like mournful, empty eyes.
Ahead of her, the old road turned left and abruptly ended with a tall chain-link fence and gate, topped with loops of barbed wire. Locked as the gate may have been, however, even that imposing barrier couldn’t stand up to time’s acidic touch, and there were several massive gaps where the metal had rusted away that the magician could fit through with ease. Many a daring teenager had done exactly that before, only to find the abandoned trainyard beyond considerably more empty and boring than they expected.
Despite her showboating nature, though, Trixie wasn’t here tonight for the bragging rights of a safe night spent in such an infamous location. No, she sought something considerably different, wanted her presence kept as secret as possible; and besides, she’d actually already done such a thing before. This time, she truly expected to find something more than old train cars.
One such train car, a half-rusted tanker on a short turnout rail, loomed just behind the fence to the right of the gate, blocking Trixie’s view of most of the actual yard. On the other side, a tall, misshapen building stood, the lower level a disorganized mess of concrete ramps and storage, the upper levels containing offices and a lookout tower. It was the tower that attracted Trixie’s attention – a bright light shone from the upper windows of the building; hardly consistent with the ‘abandoned’ status of the place.
Standing before the gates now, Trixie found herself with only two options – turn and run away, likely never to work up the nerve to come back, or slip through the gate and confront what lay behind it, one way or another. One way, she’d have to face her own shame at losing heart, the other way she could face… well, anything, really. Some of it could be good, but there was just as much chance that eternal shame would be preferable to whatever ill fate awaited her in the trainyard.
Trixie slipped through the gate.
She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting to happen when her foot set down on the gravel, but nothing did. After several tense moments, she let out a breath, posture slumping as she pulled herself the rest of the way through the fence.
Only then did she hear the humming. A quiet, tuneless vocalization from the other side of the oil tanker, the sound flowed like a mountain stream, cold yet warm, beautiful yet dangerous to get caught up within, and very much at odds with the industrial environment around them. Trixie rubbed her arms to try to warm up, but a moment later realized she wasn’t shivering from cold. Rather, she was trembling, and she could not have said what mix of emotions she trembled from.
She crept onwards, leaning up against the tanker and following its bulbous curve deeper into the yard. Close as she was, she could see that even this looming monolith was in a bad way, its once-impenetrable shell pitted with holes -not all caused by corrosion- and somewhat sticky with the dregs of its former contents. Trixie would have to wash later, but she barely paid that any heed. No matter how quietly she tried to step, the crackling of gravel sounded like a gunshot to her ears, and dust kicked up in absurdly disproportionate clouds to coat her pristine boots in a nasty reddish crust. The half-light left her blind to any potential dangers on the ground, and so the great and powerful magician shuffled along cautiously, time seeming to stretch out as she rounded the tanker’s end.
Another abandoned train car sat diagonal to the tanker, creating a narrow triangular space in front of the management building. It was a passenger car, and likely once a very luxurious one, but now the windows were all smashed or missing from their panes entirely, and the wood siding was covered in a long string of spray-painted obscenities, most likely courtesy of previous marauding teens.
However, Trixie was more focused on the far end of the open space; in the narrow gap between the two cars’ bumpers, someone had set up a folding lawn chair, facing outward and away from Trixie. Down on the ground beside it was an LED lantern that cast out a wide but dim glow, and illuminated the long, electric-blue ponytail of the girl occupying the seat. As Trixie took this in, she noted that the liquid humming had become louder – though it also lost some of its edge, the sound no less beautiful but rather less unearthly. The new student was humming to herself as she looked out into the rest of the trainyard, her back thankfully to the magician. She kicked idly as she hummed, her sneakers occasionally catching on a pebble and sending it skipping out into the darkness.
Trixie let out a silent sigh of relief before her breath suddenly hitched – she’d been right, and she’d found her quarry here at the yard. What did that mean for the rest of her guesses? Possibilities and scenarios ran through her head, ranging from innocent to terrifying to even sensual, and it suddenly sunk in that nobody else knew she was here. She withdrew to the shadows behind the tanker, breath hitching as panic overtook her and she slumped to her knees. She hadn’t thought things through, hadn’t thought to tell at least Lavender Lace or Fuchsia Blush where she was going... and worse, at least one of the trio was actually here as she’d suspected. The same reddish grit that already coated her boots had been unknowingly been tracked all around the cafeteria in trace amounts, something a magician like herself was good at spotting. Though it had taken some thinking, she recognized where she’d seen it before.
But she’d come this far already, and the sight of the blue one only deepened her curiosity. She knew they were here – but the next logical question was why? For all her ego, Trixie knew that if she lost her nerve now, she may as well not have come at all. She had no choice now – she had to keep investigating.
Crawling to her feet once more, Trixie peeked around the tanker to ensure the other girl was still oblivious to her presence, and then dashed as quickly yet quietly as she could over to the management building and ducking into an alcove. Once she was sure she was shielded from view, she considered her surroundings. To her right were two large garage doors, both closed and locked, and if the ponytailed girl out there turned around, very exposed. There was a door right behind her, but a quick jimmying of the handle revealed it to be locked as well – and she hadn’t thought to bring her lockpicking set, either. She could try to sneak around the side of the building to see what other options were there, but once more the presence out on the lawn chair made her hesitate.
Curiosity overcame caution again, sending the magician in a reckless sprint around the corner. Another garage door, a few empty alcoves, a set of stairs leading up to the first floor roof… aha! A lit flashlight had been hung from a hook above a more secluded doorway, and Trixie quickly opened it and barreled through before she could be seen.
The interior was dismal; once-white walls were positively coated in red dust, and at the same time, a nasty green mold had made its way halfway down one wall. The darkened hall she found herself in was otherwise bare, though there was a multitude of doorways leading elsewhere in the complex. At the far end, light shone down from a concrete staircase, and she made a beeline for that.
“Ugh, I hate waiting like this!” A voice drifted down to Trixie as she slowly ascended, and she paused to listen. “Why can’t they just show up already?” This voice seemed somewhat rough around the edges, and on the deeper end of feminine.
“Now, now, Aria. Waiting is always the hardest part, but it never hurts to be prepared. We’ll be defending ourselves soon enough, but there’s no need to rush into a fight.” This second voice was also somewhat deep, but with a very sly edge to it that sent shivers up the magician’s spine. She reached the first landing and began on the next.
“I just hope Sonata’s not going to mess us up. Why’d you put her out on guard duty, anyway? She’s just the worst.” Trixie could just imagine the first speaker churlishly crossing her arms over her chest, and had to stifle a small giggle.
The first speaker simply gave a small chuckle, a strange combination of motherly indulgence and disdainful patronization in her tone. “Would you rather be out there?”
Trixie reached the third floor in the pause that followed. “…No.” The first voice reluctantly settled upon, and the magician once again had to resist the urge to laugh at how long it had taken for her to make up her mind. The voice was definitely stronger this time, and Trixie figured she must be nearing her destination. Sure enough, the staircase ended on the fourth landing, with another storm lantern hanging from a hook on the wall, and a single thin wooden door facing her. This could only be the lookout area, perhaps with consoles to direct the trains – and more importantly, the other two of the school’s newcomers. Trixie pressed herself up against the door to listen for further clues, but the duo seemed to have fallen silent.
Time passed, the moaning of the wind outside frustrating Trixie as it threatened to drown out the infrequent noises from within the room; the occasional twang of an electric guitar’s strings, some shuffling of papers, and the creak of a chair. Despite her simmering disappointment with the way the situation was going, however, Trixie found herself halfway nodding off, which left her at a distinct disadvantage in reacting to the events that would follow.
It began with the sound of a rolling chair on linoleum, followed by an assortment of pops and groans as one of the inhabitants stretched themselves out. “And where are you going?” The second voice cut in sharply, jolting Trixie back to relative awareness.
“I have to relieve myself, Adagio,” the first voice responded, clearly annoyed at having to be asked in the first place. “unless that’s suddenly against the rules?”
“No, go on.” The other voice was lenient, but unapologetic. Trixie was too busy mulling over the silkiness to her tone that the significance of the exchange was lost on her almost until it was too late. The next second, she found herself falling forward, collapsing into a heap in front of a distinctly unfriendly-looking girl with enormous purple twin ponytails.
Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath and let it out with a soft hiss, her stress seeming to be let out with the air. Sunset Shimmer simply gave her a bemused expression, but went ignored. The duo walked along a barren road bordered by a forest to the right and a series of abandoned warehouses to the left. Wearing black sweatshirts and dark denim pants, they blended in with the nighttime darkness, and were insulated against the wind that had picked up in the time it took for them to walk from Sunset’s apartment to their present destination.
“Right, let’s go over the plan again.” The dismal surroundings seemed to scream that this was a terrible idea. There were exactly fifty-seven possible ways this could go wrong that Twilight could name off the top of her head, and those were just the more likely scenarios. Still, they needed information about who they were going up against, and this seemed to be their best shot at getting it.
“Keep it down, will you? We don’t need anyone overhearing us,” Sunset shot back in a furious whisper, “especially them.” There was no real malice in her tone, but Twilight had to admit she had a point. It would not only be disastrous, but downright embarrassing if the Dazzlings were able to counter them just because they’d been talking too loudly.
So it was that they made the rest of the way to the trainyard in silence. They quickly slipped through the gate, then crept down the narrow space between the tanker and the fence. The lights in the building behind them were a strong indication as to their quarry’s location, but they needed to scout the area to make sure there wouldn’t be any unexpected surprises.
“Do you think I should go up and look around?” Sunset whispered, stopping by a ladder that led up to the tank’s broad top. Twilight simply shook her head no, gesturing toward the building; if the Dazzlings decided to look out a window, she’d be far too exposed. They moved on.
At the far end of the passageway, a rock skittered past, colliding with the chain fence and sending the whole grid rocking against its supports with a clatter, and setting Twilight and Sunset’s hearts racing with panic.
“…Oops!” a fairly high-pitched voice giggled, and a moment later, began humming tunelessly. Once they had slowed their breathing to normal levels again, Twilight and Sunset exchanged grins; this might actually go smoother than they expected, if they could skip over phase two -“isolate Sonata Dusk from the other Dazzlings”- entirely.
Twilight had only arrived in this world earlier today, and Sunset had been quick to brief her on the school tour she’d given the enemy trio. They had all been obviously unusual even before brainwashing the student body, but each had their own specific quirks; Adagio, the leader, was incredibly confident, but seemed to be a truly terrible actress in trying to blend in.
Aria was close-lipped but incredibly rude, not just to Sunset, but her two ‘band’-mates as well, and seemed to passive-aggressively challenge Adagio’s leadership skills. Sunset had been quick to point out that they could take advantage of that if need be, but Applejack just as quickly said that it struck her as dishonest, and say, were those old instincts resurfacing? Sunset quickly shut up after that.
Last, of course, was Sonata Dusk, their current target. Sunset thought there was a possibility she could be convinced to join their side, but either way, her bubbly, ditzy attitude and multiple slip-ups during the tour meant she was their best shot at gathering further information about the Dazzlings, so long as they could engage her in a friendly conversation without tipping off the other two. Fluttershy had suggested they wait until tomorrow to speak to her at school, but it had been quickly pointed out that they didn’t have much time as it was, with only three days to go until the musical showcase. Add to that rumors of strange new activity in the old trainyard, and their path had been made clear.
Sunset Shimmer stepped out of the shadows with a kind expression. “Hello, again!” She said to the girl in the lawn chair.
Trixie found herself yanked inward, the door slamming shut behind her. Disorientation and lingering grogginess ruled her scrambled mind, so she just lay there, not really taking in the conversation happening over her head.
“How long has she been here?” Oh, sweet voice, melodic tone…
“How should I know? Anyway, I’ll be back, but I still need to pee.” No, bad. Stupid other voice with your stupid anger and stupid disrespect for the first voice’s beauty. Go away.
“Once you have, go check up on Sonata. If this one was able to get in without raising the alarm, chances are that the guests we were actually expecting have arrived.”
“I told you she was the worst…” The door opened again, and the repeated sound of someone stomping with unnecessary force slowly faded away. Trixie blinked and pushed herself up to a sitting position, jarred back into coherence by the obnoxious sound.
As she’d guessed, there was a series of archaic-looking control consoles beneath the windows, and other old equipment decaying on a central table. However, the room was freshly redecorated; three sleeping bags –one orange, one purple, and one blue- were laid out in an open corner, and the counters, freshly cleaned, were covered in scattered books and papers from Canterlot High as well as a great deal of sheet music. There was an assortment of chairs scattered about, more than seemed strictly necessary for three individuals, and the light by which she saw all this was provided by yet another storm lantern, looking to have been bought -or stolen?- from one of the city’s outdoors supply stores.
Trixie stood up slowly, weaving between the maze of chairs to look out the windows. She could see the whole yard from here, a dimly-lit mess of train tracks and switchovers, littered with other rectangular monuments to a bygone industrial age. The barbed-wire fence stretched all the way around it, and beyond that, the dark form of Everfree Woods at the edge of town. Focusing her attention nearer, Trixie saw the blue-haired girl still in her lawn chair, ponytail waving back and forth as she shook her head at something. Looking straight down, the purple-haired one with the twin tails emerged from the building, marching irritably across the yard toward her comrade.
“Hello, again.” Trixie whirled around at the smooth voice, to behold her true quarry. “I don’t believe I got your name, but we met in the cafeteria, did we not?” The ginger goddess laid stretched across two seats with her feet propped up on a third, a thick and well-worn spiral notebook lying open on her lap, though the contents were blocked from view by her knees. She twirled a pencil absently between her neatly-manicured fingers, propping herself up with her other arm. Her grin was smug, but there was another emotion there, too, something Trixie could only think of as ‘motherly suspicion’. She still wore most of her outfit from earlier, having only discarded the jacket with the result that her form-fitting tunic was emphasized even more.
It’d only been twelve hours and Trixie had forgotten how hot she was.
“I-well, you see- or I mean…” the magician began hyperventilating; she’d been caught and she still didn’t have the answers she wanted, and the girl would probably hate her forever, and-
“Breathe easy… Take it slowly…” The other girl crooned musically, and Trixie felt her heart slow to a normal rate again. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down, before trying again.
“My name is Trixie Lulamoon,” she began, her usual habit of speaking in third-person thoroughly forgotten. Awkward, but at least she’d said something… “and I never really caught your name, either.”
She instantly winced, but the singer just waved it off with a chuckle. “Adagio. Adagio Dazzle.” After a moment, she tilted her head to one side. “I have to ask, though, what are you doing here? Why did you take it upon yourself to spy on us?” Her gaze remained kind, but there was a certain tension to her tone that had Trixie shifting her weight nervously.
“Well… I wanted to learn more about you. Your song at the cafeteria was so… enchanting. And it’s not just that; I know I’m good enough, but nobody else has ever told me I’m a star before… and I wanted to say something, but you all just seem so far out of even my league, and…” An earnest explanation quickly became an earnest breakdown, the magician shrinking in on herself as she spoke, unable to meet Adagio’s eyes. “And… well, ‘Princess’ Twilight appeared again, on the same day you did.”
One of the chairs suddenly scraped across the floor as Adagio jumped in shock. Trixie wrapped her arms around herself, but the sharp words she’d expected did not come. Instead, after several long moments, a tanned arm came into view, fingers gently guiding her chin until their eyes met. “Princess Twilight? The same one from the Fall Formal I’ve heard about?” Adagio’s melodic voice was ever-so-slightly shaken, yet her inquiry was calm and benevolent. Trixie nodded mutely, not trusting herself to speak.
Adagio drew away, turning her back to the magician as she stroked her temples. “This is bad. Sunset is powerful enough, but if the princess herself is getting directly involved once more…” She whirled around, grabbing her notebook and snapping it closed. “We need to-”
Boom
Trixie shielded her eyes as a bright white light flooded the room. It died down as quickly as it came, and rubbing spots out of her vision, the magician turned to the windows to find an orb of light, like a flare, hovered above the trainyard, bathing everything in an intense chiaroscuro. Deep shadows stretched out from the epicenter as all else burned an intense white, illuminating the scene so brightly that all details were lost for several seconds. As her eyes adjusted, though, Trixie could make out three figures – two purple-haired ones fighting with a furious flurry of blows right beneath the flare, while the blue-haired member of Adagio’s group stood off to one side, tense but frozen by helplessness. As she looked on, a fiery-haired girl emerged atop the oil tanker, running along its length to the near end.
“They’re here.” Adagio had joined Trixie at the window without her noticing, and watched the developing battle with a grave expression. “I thought we were ready, but we weren’t, and they’re here...”
Twilight leapt back to as Aria slashed at her again, the girl’s summoned cat-o-nine-tails snapping in the cold night air to come back for another go. Her weapon was made of controlled soundwaves, and one lash across her arm had been all that was needed for her to avoid further injury.
Ducking under the next lash, Twilight sent a beam of energy from her palm to give herself some space. Twilight was no fighter, just relying on raw power and some shield spells to hold out, something Aria had already taken notice of. The siren was humming serenely even as she kept up a barrage of brutal attacks, and despite herself, Twilight could feel her concentration beginning to slip as every lash forced her back and bit into her energy.
She was thankful that Sonata seemed to be staying out of the fight for now, despite having conjured a vibrating sound-sword; fighting- no, surviving against one opponent was bad enough. And where was Sunset Shimmer? She’d disappeared the moment things began to go pear-shaped, with little more than some muttered words about a distraction. Twilight really hoped that didn’t mean what she feared it might; she’d placed a lot of trust in her former rival already, and being left behind would not-
Her train of thought was interrupted as a hellish orange glow filled the area, just as bright as her flare. Twilight dodged another uncomfortably close swing from Aria and risked a glance backward. Sunset stood atop the oil tanker, sending out a column of fire that she was slowly steering around the fighting duo to aim at Aria. The siren seemed to notice as well, but didn’t give up her relentless attack, and the reason for that was soon made clear as Sonata finally leapt into action, rushing forward and using her sword to cleave the beam in half, disrupting it enough that the spell collapsed in on itself. Sunset growled and leaped down from the tanker, using Sonata’s body as a cushion.
They’d thought they were ready, but they weren’t, and this was not going according to plan at all.
Trixie trembled to herself as she watched the fight grow more intense, but she surprised herself with how even her tone remained. The girls down there were shooting giant death lasers at each other, and here she was watching as though it was nothing more than a mildly interesting Saturday morning cartoon.
“Adagio, what is going on here?” She didn’t just mean the magic that was so different from her tricks and misdirection; why were her friends fighting with the school’s two most popular and hated students, why were the three of them living in some old trainyard, why did Trixie feel so attracted to them? And while she wouldn’t deny she’d been having some romantic fantasies about the orange-haired girl, it went deeper than that, in a way - she felt like she knew the three of them from somewhere, and like she could just implicitly trust them, despite having never met them until earlier today, and it scared her.
Down below, Twilight and Sunset were standing back-to-back, Adagio’s friends flanking them. Despite having been driven into the ground by Sunset not a minute ago, the blue-haired one still looked reluctant to fight, her sword held limply at her side.
“You know where Princess Twilight is from, right?” Adagio began, hands clutching the windowsill as she watched.
“The mirror at the front of the school, and something about another world, I think?” Trixie hadn’t believed all the rumors of a giant demon and brainwashed zombie teenagers, but the destruction to the front of the school had to have been caused by something, and she couldn’t deny what she’d seen with her own eyes; the cheerful girl, after the fall formal dance, walking through the mirror and disappearing – until today.
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true.” Adagio didn’t sound crazy; if anything, her tone was morose, her normally confident demeanor shed in this moment of solemnity. “The other world is called Equestria, and Aria, Sonata, and myself all used to be from there.”
Trixie looked sideways at the singer, seeing her in a new light – somewhat literally, as well, as the flare had dwindled away into nothing by now. “Wait, really? And… used to be?”
“It’s hard to explain. Everyone from our world values friendship, but what they really mean is conformity. It’s practically a hive mind in some places, and there was no place for free-thinking individuals like us. So… we were banished.” Her muscles grew taut, her tone low with a combination of rage and misery. “But now, it seems, that isn’t good enough, and Sunset and Twilight have come through to finish the job.”
Adagio’s tone hardened as her reflection took on a determined grimace. “But we won’t go down that easily. I may disagree with Aria and Sonata a lot of the time, but I still care for them, and it’s my duty to keep them safe. And… neither will we let this world fall to Equestrian influence, too; we owe you all that much. If we can make it through to the end of the musical showcase, we’ll be able to cast a spell that will keep the mirror closed for good.”
Trixie took this all in silently, and Adagio turned to watch her with an uncertain frown. It all sounded so very crazy, but at the same time it made a strange amount of sense… More than anything else, Trixie’s prior attraction had cooled into something stronger, and so quietly, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the other girl’s slender waist. The spikes on her belt pressed against the magician, and she was in fact slightly shorter than Adagio, but that didn’t matter – she was an exile, and even if what she was doing was for the greater good, Trixie knew it couldn’t be easy to permanently cut off her own home.
“I’m here for you, if you need me.” Was all she said when they parted. “What will you do about them?” She gestured down at the yard, where… something was happening; she was too focused on Adagio’s face to worry about that.
Adagio put on a brave smile, but there was a lingering hurt that tugged at Trixie’s heart. “I’ll do what I always do,” she said, as a long staff hummed into being in her hand. “I’ll sing at them.” Then the orange-haired girl was gone, leaving Trixie alone in the top of the tower. She watched as Adagio emerged onto the yard, courageously rallying her friends to begin driving the Equestrian interlopers away, and compassion, trust, longing… love? Filled her heart.
The great and powerful Trixie had long been one of Canterlot High’s most infamously self-centered students, with only Lavender Lace and Fuchsia Blush to call friends, and even then just barely. She was full of hot air and boasted at every opportunity, but nobody took her seriously anymore – on some level, she couldn’t even take herself seriously.
But now, here, in this refugee from another world, Trixie felt she’d finally found something she could truly believe in, someone she could live for.
Tromping boots echoed down the stairwell as Adagio followed, a broad smirk making its way to her face. This had been an unexpected development, to be sure, but not an unwelcome one. It had been plainly obvious that this Trixie girl had been attracted to her, and not only that, but she was clearly smart enough to have tracked them down somehow. She could very well prove incredibly useful, and Adagio’s lie would cement her opposition to the Dazzlings’ enemies.
And of course, the lie itself was a stroke of genius, in her mind – the best ones always were based in half-truths. Did she truly care for Aria and Sonata despite their frequent ididocy? Yes. Did she consider the Equestrian way of ‘Friendship’ a restricting and conformist lifestyle? Yes. Did she plan to destroy the mirror once she’d ensured enough Equestrian magic could flow through to sustain them for the rest of their natural lifespans? Yes.
But she held no loyalty to this miserable world, and would have been in favor of going home if it weren’t for the abundance of equally-powerful beings just waiting to throw them out again. She knew Twilight’s intentions were, if pathetic and weak-minded, not outright malicious.
Exiting the building, a small part of her felt a sudden twinge of guilt for the lie; Trixie was too innocent to be corrupted by the likes of her. The very next second, though, she dismissed it with no small degree of self-disgust; now was not the time to grow soft.
But perhaps, she mused as she rallied Sonata and Aria to begin driving Twilight and Sunset out of the yard, Trixie could come to mean more to her than a mere tool, and even rank alongside Adagio’s fellow sirens. Perhaps, just perhaps, she’d finally found something she could truly believe in, just one more person she could live for.
In the Middle Of The Night, You Don't Know What I'm Thinking...
“Hey, that’s where Fluttershy and Rainbow work.” Sunset commented idly as they passed a pizza joint. It was locked up and dark at this early hour, though the large sign near the street was still lit, proudly displaying a generic trademarked logo to the impassive night sky and casting the sidewalk below in an orange glow. The two were passing by a small strip mall in the middle of what was otherwise a residential area, apartment buildings looming up behind the small, empty gas station on the corner.
For her part, Twilight merely gave a bleary, disinterested gaze toward the franchise before resuming her mechanical shuffling. Her left arm was crusted with trails of since-dried blood from the earlier wound Aria had inflicted, and the dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible even as everything else was washed out by the sign’s overpowering illumination. Sunset winced at her friend’s poor state, conflicting thoughts warring within her head.
“Listen, Fluttershy’s apartment is actually closer to us than mine is, and while I hate to bother her, I think you seriously need some rest. C’mon; it’s only another block and a half.” Sunset gently looped Twilight’s good arm over her shoulder to support her better, and the two limped onwards.
I never thought I’d be here doing this. Not just willingly helping someone like this, but Twilight Sparkle of all ponies. In her state, Twilight probably wouldn’t have noticed if Sunset had screamed out her feelings, but the fiery-haired girl still did her best to keep an impassive face and avoid any more eye contact. She just hoped her rapid heartbeat didn’t give it away, though it would likely be misinterpreted. No, she needed to keep her mind off of the present situation, and so she turned her head to take in their surroundings as they limped onwards.
The streets were sparsely lit, small pools of light collecting like rainwater beneath the occasional lamp, separated by long swatches of darkness. At this early hour, only a few windows were still lit, the golden rectangles peering down on the odd couple with a bleary disinterest. Many of the yards, meanwhile, were overgrown and littered with unidentifiable odds and ends that reflected the few nearby lights brightly; all else was hidden in shadow.
Stirred by a rising wind, a plastic bag blew down the street, rustling softly all the while. There were other noises, too – the muffled voice of a late-night television anchor, the distant wailing of an ambulance, and of course, the uneven pattern of her own footsteps on the concrete sidewalk. As they passed by a flower garden, doubtless constructed in a futile attempt to lend some class to one of the city’s more grungy neighborhoods, a faint scent of lavender tickled Sunset’s nose even despite the crisp autumn air. She hurried their pace ever-so-slightly until they were past, hoping she wouldn’t burst out sneezing.
With Twilight pressing up against her, arm draped across her shoulders, Sunset was beginning to feel overheated, sweat running down her back and staining into her sweatshirt. This would have been uncomfortable enough on its own, but what was worse were her hands – unprotected by gloves, the chill air nipped at them, cold enough to hurt but not enough to numb. Her magic reserves had been all but burnt up in the fight, and a gnawing hunger had taken up position within her gut; until she’d reabsorbed enough of this world’s sparse reserves of magic, she couldn’t generate heat to warm her hands. Furthermore, her feet ached after fleeing from the trainyard, having been pounded raw by the pavement during their escape. Then there was her decision to jump off the tanker train car; while Sonata had helped cushion the impact, Sunset’s knees still felt somewhat jarred, clicking uncomfortably at certain angles.
She was distracted from assessing her maladies as they approached a street corner; they simply needed to turn right, and Fluttershy’s apartment was halfway down the block. Sunset glanced over at Twilight, to see the purple-haired girl was nodding off. Fueled by worry, Sunset picked up the pace, and only a minute or two later, they were at their destination.
The apartment building itself was a relatively small one, a two-story cube made of a reddish brick. All the windows were dark, though one on an upper floor had been left open enough for rather… intimate… sounds to emanate forth. Sunset grimaced, trudging along the narrow drive toward the doorway in the back. She’d visited Fluttershy a few times prior, enough to know that the front door’s lock had broken and rendered that method of passage unusable until the landlord called for repairs. Being a cheapskate as they were, that was unlikely to occur for some time. The light over the back door burned an intense shade of yellowish-orange, searing into Sunset’s eyes as they rounded the corner. She lifted her free hand to shield against the sudden glare, but had to lower it again once they reached the actual door. The cold metal of the handle burned against her unprotected fingers, so she was quick to hurry inside, all but dragging Twilight in after her.
They found themselves standing on a landing halfway between floors, the staircase on the left leading downwards and the right leading up. The walls were a faded sort of baby-blue, accentuated by the cold light of a fluorescent strip. Gently guiding Twilight’s shoulders, Sunset led her down, turning right immediately to come face-to-face with a door merely marked with a handle, a peephole, and the number 3 in yellowing plastic. Sunset pressed a small button beneath the handle, and waited. Since the apartment building was too small to have small entryways through which visitors could be buzzed in, they had instead opted to install them directly in the individual doors.
Within moments, Fluttershy answered, opening the door with a faint creak of hinges and a gasp of breath as she took in their state. Sunset tried not to feel guilty about waking her friend at such an early hour, but despite the seriousness of the situation, one look at the tenant’s tired eyes and bedraggled pink hair made her eyes drop to the floor of their own accord.
Upon seeing the bookworm, who was completely slumped across Sunset’s shoulder, Fluttershy sprung into action, taking the other side and helping navigate the two into the apartment before closing the door behind them. They guided Twilight to the couch, gently laying her down, and Fluttershy knelt at her side. For her part, Sunset remained standing, hovering nearby in case she was needed. “Could you please help me get off her sweater?”
Once the heavy article of clothing had been removed, allowing for easier access to the injury, Sunset was directed to get Fluttershy’s first-aid kit from the bathroom. Sunset rushed to and fro as instructed, mind on the task, but she couldn’t help but idly note how telling it was that despite her unfortunate living conditions, Fluttershy spared no expense on medical supplies.
The next quarter-hour passed by in a blur as the duo worked to clean up and bandage the wound, something made harder as it still leaked blood when pressed. It had only been one lash of Aria’s whip, as far as they could tell, but several curved and looping lines were scrawled across Twilight’s upper arm, many of them digging deep enough that Sunset wondered if they should take their friend to a hospital instead. Unfortunately, she quickly realized there was no way to get Twilight in without identification, and so dismissed the thought. For her part, Twilight was dazed enough from sheer exhaustion that their ministrations didn’t seem to bother her – not visibly, at least – and simply waited until they were done before nodding off.
Finally, though the work was done. Twilight lay on the couch, sleep having overcome her, with a thick gauze bandage wrapped around her upper arm. “What do we do now?” Sunset asked.
“She needs her rest, so we’ll let her.” Fluttershy responded quietly, repacking the First-Aid kit into the case she’d assembled. “May you please put this back?”
Sunset didn’t bother turning on the bathroom light as she opened up the mirror-cabinet above the sink, carefully placing the kit among the various other hygene-related odds and ends. Now that the immediate crisis was over, exhaustion rushed over her like a tsunami, and she leaned forward until her head impacted the mirror with a dull thunk. The glass was cool on her feverish skin, and she closed her eyes without realizing it, almost ready to just begin sleeping right then and there.
Opening her eyes again, Sunset looked her reflection right in the eye. Close as she was, she could only see her own eyes, their teal irises still vivid even in the near-darkness. Pulling back, she strained against the lack of light to examine the rest of her face, noting the dark circles under her eyes, the way her brow was still furrowed as if stuck in position, and the sickly flush to her nose and cheeks that the ineffective heating in the apartment had failed to erase. Sunset’s eyelids felt so heavy…
Forcing herself to stand back up properly, she bumbled back out to the main room, where Fluttershy had turned off nearly all of the lights, with only a dim fluorescent over the kitchenette counter to provide any sort of illumination. An old-fashioned tea kettle was sitting on the stove, starting to boil a pot of water.
“Would you like some tea?” Fluttershy asked as Sunset joined her at the tiny coffee table that passed for a dining room, indicating the microwave clock as she elaborated, “It’s three-thirty now; I think we’ll be better off staying up the rest of the night.” Sunset shrugged and nodded in response, unable to find fault with her friend’s logic despite her sagging eyelids. Tea or no tea, the rest of the day was going to be hell to get through.
Once the kettle began whistling, Fluttershy stood up to add the teabags, and Sunset turned her gaze over to the figure still lying on the couch. Twilight looked peaceful, now, the bandage hiding her nasty scar, her chest rising and falling evenly. Her purple and pink hair was splayed across the armrest, reflecting the counter light with a sleek shininess that caught the eye. With her head pointed away from the kitchenette, her face was illuminated to highlight her angular, almost alien features. Sunset felt her heart begin to race again, her neutral expression becoming a frown as she beheld the sleeping princess. What is it like to be Twilight Sparkle? She wondered. No answer was easily forthcoming.
Fluttershy sat back down at the table with two steaming mugs in hand, one of which she nudged over toward Sunset. Taking a sip, Sunset grimaced as she swallowed the still-burning liquid, pain running along her tastebuds and down her esophagus. For her part, Fluttershy was drinking it down as though it was water – this wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last, that the meek animal enthusiast did something that reminded Sunset that there were many hidden depths beneath that unassuming exterior. Either that, or she’d just been drinking it so long that all the nerves in her mouth had died; either one could work.
“So, I guess it didn’t go well?” Fluttershy inquired. It was a testament to the caretaker’s kindness that not even a hint of I told you so entered her tone, despite how richly deserved it would have been. In response, Sunset just sighed and buried her face in her hands.
Trixie silently inserted a bus pass into the machine by the bus driver’s seat, waiting as it clicked and whirred before spitting the card back out. Taking it, she trudged to the nearest seat and all but collapsed into it, weariness making her bones as heavy as lead.
The bus was brightly lit by fluorescent strips along the edge of the ceiling, but the illumination was wasted; Trixie was the only one present aside from the driver, and her eyes were still weakened after the flare. Something smelled funny, too, corresponding with a discolored blotch on the floor nearby. She turned in her seat, pressing her nose up against the window and putting on her cape’s hood to block out as much light as she could. As the bus lurched forwards, engine going from a loud purr to a growl, the vague illumination of streetlamps (barely visible through the grime-coated glass) passed in and out of sight.
Trixie raised a fist in solidarity as the two interlopers were finally forced to the gate; Adagio gestured for her friends to halt the attack; Sunset and Twilight slipped out through the gaps in the fence and took off running down the road without bothering to look back. Trixie smirked; it was rather satisfying to see the villains defeated so squarely.
Within a few minutes, the trio had returned triumphantly to the former control room; Trixie made her way back through the maze of chairs to greet Adagio. However, the moment she opened her mouth, Adagio's blue-haired cohort made a sort of squeaking gasp and collapsed into a seat, clutching her side and trying to smile through the pain. The purple-haired girl immediately turned to minister to her, her hard features unexpectedly tender. “What were you thinking, doofus? Should have gotten out of the way when she jumped.” The ‘doofus’ raised her shirt to just below her chest, revealing that the nasty bruise forming on her right cheek extended down to her stomach, where the cream flesh was turning blotchy and blue.
The twin-tailed girl placed a hand on the worst parts of the wound and began humming softly, some sort of lullaby. Where her hand and voice went, the bruises eased up. She eventually dropped her hands, head hanging limply, spent. There was still some swelling, and she hadn’t been able to help the bluenette’s cheek, but the worst areas were considerably more healthy-looking again. The bluenette stretched her arms over her head experimentally, and though her breath still hitched, she wasn’t doubled over in pain. She beamed up at her healer, chipper as ever despite the battle they’d just fought.
“Ugh, why do you have to be so dumb all of the time? I can’t always be there for you.” The purple-haired girl admonished her partner, but there was no venom to her tone – more relief and concern. Her task done, she strode to the window overlooking the yard. Ignoring the multitude of chairs, she instead leaned against the desk consoles and pulled herself up onto it, then turning sideways with one leg propped up on some large dials.Reaching down with one hand to flick a particular lever, the girl activated a floodlight out in the yard - It wasn't strong enough to flood much of anything anymore, but it provided the same orange-ish, slanting illumination of a regular streetlamp, and it was in this light that Trixie examined her.
She looked vaguely Hawaiian or indonesian - somewhere in the mid-pacific, at any rate, with lightly bronzed skin, almond-shaped eyes, and a button nose. Her hair, purple with streaks of teal, was pulled tightly back into the twin tails the magician had noticed earlier, held in place by barrettes decorated with massive silver five-point stars, but leaving the bangs free to frame her face like a large M. She’d been eying the blue-haired girl with ill-concealed lingering worry, but her gaze fell into a more natural looking suspicious glare as her attention shifted from her companion to settle on Trixie. “Right, you. So what’re you doing here?”
The bus passed eastward from the neighborhood into an older part of town, brick buildings and antique shops interspersed with newer establishments taking the place of the suburban homes and litter-strewn lawns. Trixie prepared to pull the cord strung up along the tops of the windows; her stop was coming up soon.
“Now now, Aria,” Adagio chuckled placatingly. “No need to treat our guest like that.” ‘Aria’ raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment further. Satisfied, Adagio turned her attention to her other bandmate. “Do you need me to take care of the last of that?”
The bluenette just grinned happily. “Ari already got me taken care of.” She beamed over at the purple-haired girl, who made a point of looking out the window to avoid making eye contact.
Adagio chuckled, though Trixie wasn’t sure why, and turned to the magician. “Now, I do suppose some further introductions are in order. This one,” She gestured at the irritable one, “Is Aria Blaze. She” she pointed at the injured girl, “Is Sonata Dusk.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Aria, Sonata,” Trixie said, swallowing her nervousness behind formality, “I’m Trixie Lulamoon.”
Aria simply grumbled. Sonata, on the other hand, leapt up and wrapped Trixie in a big, somewhat awkward hug. “It’s nice to meet you too, miss Lulumoon!” She cried out cheerfully. Trixie wasn’t sure if she should return the gesture or not, and so was thankful that her arms were pinned at her sides to render the debate irrelevant.
“All together, we call ourselves the Dazzlings.” Adagio concluded, smiling widely.
The bus approached the corner of Barr Lane and Germain Street, and Trixie pulled the cord. The LED readout near the front switched to display ‘Stop Requested,’ and the bus quickly pulled up to the curb. Muttering a vague “Thanks” over her shoulder, Trixie stepped out onto the sidewalk and watched as the bus pulled away.
Checking her phone screen, Trixie saw that it was 2:47 AM. Ugh. The street and sidewalks were empty, only a few streetlights still on this time of night. The wind had picked up somewhat, dragging the clouds into ragged stripes overhead, between which the stars shone through with a frosty light. The teenager shivered in the cold, ineffectually drawing her cape about herself as she began walking down Barr Lane. It would be a few blocks southward to go, yet.
“So, what happened just now? I mean, I know why now, but I’m not clear on…?” The magician fumbled her words.
“Oh, that’s easy!” Sonata interjected cheerfully. “Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle showed up to ask me some questions like my favorite color, if tacos are really my favorite food, and what our long-term plans for the school were. I told them purple, yes, and I don’t know! Then Ari showed up…”
“I showed up and found those spies getting on Sonata’s case, and we fought.” Aria interjected.
“It was so sweet of you, too!” Sonata swooned, nearly toppling from her chair.
Trixie couldn’t tell if it was a trick of the light, but the twin-tailed Dazzling may have been blushing. “Shut up, Sonata. You’re the worst.”
“No, you are!” Sonata immediately shot back. Adagio just facepalmed with a long-suffering sigh as she gestured for Trixie to follow her out to the stairwell.
“My apologies. They can be idiots sometimes.” Adagio said once the door was safely shut. The two of them began tromping down the stairs, their heavy boots making each step echo up and down the space. “But they’re my idiots.”
Trixie nodded mutely. There was an odd sense of familiarity to the whole thing, despite their dismal surroundings. “At least …Sonata, was it? She seems rather friendly.”
“Indeed. Don’t worry; Aria will warm up to you in time.” Adagio responded. “She’s always been rather prickly.” They stepped out the door into the trainyard, and found themselves shivering at the cold wind.
“Listen,” Trixie said hesitantly. “I am a mere stage magician; I didn’t know magic like what you all did just now was even possible. But… if you ever need help with something, anything… let me know, okay?”
Adagio grinned warmly at her, and Trixie felt her heart fluttering in her chest. “I think right now, just your support is plenty. You’re actually rather nice to have around, Trixie Lulamoon.” Then they were at the gate. “We’re going to be searching for a more… permanent… residence soon, so don’t expect to find us here. Once we’ve settled in, I’ll let you know.” She finished with a wink. Trixie nodded, putting her cape back on, and exited the trainyard’s rusting gates to begin walking back to the bus stop.
Across the street was a squat but wide tan-and-brown building, proudly marked as ‘Cant rlot Valley Ve rina y Hos ital’ by a faded and peeling sign on the street corner. On Trixie’s side was a long line of two-story brick buildings, spaced so closely they may as well have been one and the same. Trixie stopped at one near the middle, which bore a sign reading “The Lulamoon Magical Item Emporium” over the door. Home at last. Slipping inside as silently as possible, Trixie took one last glance at the half-concealed moon, a dull rusted orange disk on the horizon.
All she wanted to do now was sleep.
“Hey, Twilight. Wake up.” Twilight groaned slightly, eyes blearily blinking open and shut as she struggled to shake off the fog in her brain. Someone was leaning over her, gently shaking her arms as they whispered to her. “It’s not quite time to head to school, but we thought we should get you up now.”
It was Sunset Shimmer, her red-and-gold hair illuminated from behind by the kitchenette’s lamp. “Twilight.” Twilight nodded and began to sit up, rubbing the crust from her eyes. She found that a blanket had been draped over her, and it fell away as she turned upright. Sunset immediately averted her gaze with a sheepish chuckle. “Here, let me get you your shirt.”
Twilight glanced down at herself – she had one of those ‘bra’ things still on, and her right forearm was wrapped in a thick gauze, but otherwise her dark brown, almost black skin was bare. She honestly didn’t see the issue, but she’d learned on her previous visit that these humans got extremely touchy about covering up, and so accepted the black sweatshirt Sunset returned with. Their regular clothes had been left at Sunset’s apartment several blocks further north, so for the time being they looked like they were ready to rob someplace.
Once she was fully dressed again, Twilight stood up and surveyed her surroundings, a small living room of some sort. On the floor was a rug decorated with a compass rose, which she could only assume was lined up to correspond to the proper directions. The north wall, opposite the couch she had just been lying on, had a television stand notably missing a television; there was instead a large wire cage housing a sleeping white rabbit, a small radio, and several books on veterinary practices wedged in between. The east wall had two doors, the left one marked with a flowery sign bearing Fluttershy’s name -though she hadn’t been to this particular locale before, it wasn’t hard to guess what it was- while the right one had a small mirror hanging up on it. The south wall was backed by the couch, of course, then to the left there was a narrow but tall table with long-legged stools. Past that was a kitchenette, the only source of illumination in the space, which was in a sort of alcove; the west wall wrapped back forward to a door with a peephole. It was fairly quiet, only the ticking of a clock, Angel’s faint rustlings, Sunset’s gentle footsteps, and soft electrical buzzing from the counter lights. There was a faint sort of mustiness from the rabbit cage, offset by the lavender scent of cheap air freshener, and the room was cold – without the blanket, Twilight came to appreciate her sweatshirt more.
“Here, we got you some tea to wake you up. I don’t know if you’re more of a coffee person, but hopefully this will do.” Sunset led Twilight over to the table, where she saw that along with a cup of fresh tea, still steaming, there were several cards laid out – Twilight couldn’t tell if it was go fish or poker, but she supposed it made sense for Sunset and Fluttershy to have something to occupy themselves with all night. Speaking of which… “Where’s Fluttershy?” Twilight wondered aloud.
“Oh, sorry. I was just in here.” Fluttershy poked her head out of the bedroom. “I needed to make sure everyone was fed, it’s part of my morning routine. Feel free to enjoy your tea while I finish up.” Twilight could see a squirrel jump onto the shy girl’s shoulder before she shut the door again. Twilight gave a bemused shrug and sat down, curiosity sated.
The moment the tea touched her tongue, she spluttered and spat it back out. “This is hot!” She cried. “How does Fluttershy manage it?” She felt almost as bad as when the Equestrian Rainbow Dash had arbitrarily challenged everyone to a pepper-eating contest.
Sunset just chuckled softly as she took her own seat across the table. “Your guess is as good as mine, but she has lots of hidden depths.” Twilight nodded, choosing not to point out that the bacon-haired girl was practically preaching to the choir on that. It was a good thing, too, for Sunset wasn’t done. Her eyes slid down to the table unconsciously, gripping her jacket as she muttered more to herself than anyone else. “And I’ve only really realized this recently. Three years, Twilight. Three years I made her life a living hell, and Applejack, and Rarity, and everyone else. Three years… against one month.” She lapsed off into silence, staring down at the table without seeing it. Twilight would have given anything to see into her thoughts in that moment.
It took another fifteen minutes of awkward silence for Twilight’s tea to cool down to drinkable levels, at which point she found it was actually rather good, with a strong cinnamon flavor. She was gulping it down heartily when Fluttershy at last emerged, taking the last seat at the table and beginning to pick up the cards from her earlier game, shuffling them neatly and putting them away. “I’m afraid I don’t have much for breakfast besides cereal,” she said pulling down a trio of bowls from the cupboards, “but you’ll have time to stop by your apartment and get a different change of clothes.” Sunset nodded, and the three ate in silence.
In fact, it wasn’t until they were outside and heading northward that Fluttershy finally voiced the concern that had been nagging at her for the past several hours. “What exactly happened, anyways?”
The sky was getting brighter in the east, but the sun had yet to properly rise. Lights were flicking on in the apartments and homes they passed, people getting up to begin their morning routines, but the streets and sidewalks were still empty for now. The wind had cleared the clouds away by now, and sent cascades of grayscale autumn leaves down from the trees around them; Sunset shivered, unaccustomed to going without her usual jacket.
“Well, we found Sonata outside,” Twilight began hesitantly, “and started talking to her. She did confirm that they were sirens, but that was all we got before… Aria, was it? Came out and saw us. It turned into a fight.” She winced, touching her bandaged arm.
“That’s… pretty much it,” Sunset awkwardly concluded. “I mean, we saw some of what they can do, but we already know that they’re threats. Honestly, ‘Shy, you were right. I’m sorry we didn’t listen to you.”
“I’m just glad you’re safe,” Fluttershy deflected, looking down at the ground, though she’d also meant what she said. “We still have time to fix this.”
“I really hope so.” Twilight said in response. “That Adagio seems rather dangerous, like…” She trailed off. “Like some of the other, ah… antagonistic Equestrians I’ve encountered.” Sunset’s mouth was set in a thin line as she looked off to one side. A pensive silence fell, with only the moaning wind and rustling leaves to disturb them.
“Listen, Sunset…” Twilight began, but seemed unable to follow through. Sunset didn’t even acknowledge that she had heard. Twilight gulped, fidgeted, and pressed on. “I don’t doubt in the slightest that you’ve been trying hard. That you’re here, helping us, is a big testament to that. But I’ve noticed ever since I got back here that you’ve just been acting odd around me specifically. And then the way you jumped on Sonata during the fight...”
Fluttershy gave Sunset a wary look, and the other girl wasn’t sure whether to curse herself for not saying anything before, or to curse Twilight for mentioning it like this. “I thought she’d get out of the way.” She said gruffly. That much was at least partially true, but it conveniently overlooked the savage rush she’d gotten from the blue-haired Siren’s cry of pain.
“Sunset,” Fluttershy spoke up now, tone laced with concern. Sunset hated it. “I’ve noticed it too. You’ve been acting on edge ever since Twilight arrived.” Oh, no, don’t do this. Stop right there, you stupid little weakli- Sunset stopped her own train of thought, flooded with shame for having thought such a thing of the pinkette. The pinkette who was about to shatter everything with a single word. “Why?”
Sunset’s lips grew so thin that she could have outdone Vice-Principal Luna’s intimidating expressions, and she tried to pull her jacket closer about herself before remembering its absence; fortunately, a convenient distraction emerged in the form of the train tracks they were now crossing.
The very atmosphere seemed to change as they passed from the south neighborhood into the north side, though at least part of that was likely due to the sunrise that was finally taking place to the east. The pavement was smoother and lacked as many potholes, the trees were fuller and greener, and the grass was somewhat taller and considerably less littered on. Twilight breathed in the air; while the acrid scent of gasoline and pavement was still present, it was mitigated by the rich scents of a natural autumn. While there were still several apartment blocks this close to the train tracks, they began to transition toward more normal suburban houses.
It still wasn’t enough to distract Sunset, though it at least gave her time to find a response. “Twilight…” She sighed. This was not going to be easy at all, and could so very easily be taken the wrong way. She felt her cheeks flush and heart speed up as she thought, but it was too late – the floodgates had opened, and her true thoughts spilled out in a torrent. “I’m still angry. Twilight, all I’ve known of you is that you’ve replaced me and earned everything I thought I deserved; all I’ve experienced of you is you undermining my plans and leaving me broken on the ground, then having the gall to lecture me about the magic of friendship.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m immensely grateful to have gotten to know you, ‘Shy, and befriend you and the others. I’m glad I’ve at least started to change. I know what I did before was… unspeakable. But Twilight… I know I shouldn’t, but some part of me... still hates you. I resent you. I... I’m sorry.” Her tone was even and her gaze steady as she delivered the truth, trying to say it as matter-of-factly as possible. They had stopped somewhere along the way, the three of them, and Twilight was staring at Sunset with confusion. Not even hurt, just a vague sort of curiousity, still not processing the other girl’s words. Fluttershy stood between the two to one side, looking back and forth between them, not sure who to comfort.
Sunset felt something lodge itself in her throat when the shy girl finally turned towards her. Before the dark hand could land on her shoulder, though, she turned brusquely away. “No, go get her. I don’t deserve your kindness.” She began walking again, trying not to look like she was fleeing, and could only hope they would wait to follow.
“Three years, Sunset.” She muttered to herself. “Three years against one month. Of course you haven’t changed all that much after all.” She felt tears slide down her cheeks, hot, angry, tumultuous, and she echoed herself from only a few moments before. “What I did before was unspeakable.” The day had barely begun, and already an exhaustion had taken her, making her limbs feel leaden and her thoughts dulled. She just wanted to sleep.
