Having been humbled and humiliated in front of the entire school after the Fall Formal, Sunset Shimmer feels lost and isolated. However, something from beyond the ether senses her fear and regret, and wishes to drag her down with it.
Her life was over. No one could ever truly forgive her for what she had done. It was something only a power-hungry megalomaniac could do, and now everyone could see her for what she really was. However, being rightfully ostracized from every social circle paled in comparison to what came next.
After an unnerving encounter at Canterlot General Hospital, strange, terrifying phenomena began to happen to her. Messages start being burned into the walls of her home. Wounds start appearing on her for no reason. She can hear cold, faint whispers at night. The smell of ashes perpetually permeates around herself. And yet somehow, it all stemmed from a question she never thought she had to ask.
Sunset Shimmer plunged the shovel into the soft earth for what felt like the thousandth time, sweat dripping down her brow and obscuring her vision. She blinked her eyes clear and leaned against it with both hands, gasping for air. Stuffing a filthy hand down her pocket, she whipped her phone out and tapped a button. Her mouth quivered and grimaced as she noticed the time.
“12:37 A.M. Been two hours already...can't stop...”
The pain in her arms and back felt like fire. Her palms were scraped and calloused. Her eyes stung from having to strain them in the dark for so long. Yet she couldn't stop herself from digging, not even for a second. Gripping the handle and taking a deep breath, Sunset rammed her heel into the spade and scooped another pile of semi-solid dirt out of the hole. Eyeballing her surroundings, she was probably getting close to six feet now.
“Nearly...there...just hope I...don't get caught...”
She was fully aware of how illegal this was, and could only hope that no one saw her. She knew she was probably injuring herself by pushing her body like this. Yet no conceivable punishment or consequence could sway her from digging. Aside from the burning ache in her muscles, all she could feel right now were the hairs on her neck standing on end. The icy sting filling her lungs and going down her spine. The faint, imagined whispers pricking at her mind endlessly. The thought that it was only a matter of time until it started again.
“Can't...stop...can't...ah!”
The tip of her shovel stopped halfway, making a hollow, wooden sound. Gasping and letting the shovel fall out of her hands, Sunset dropped to her knees and started scraping the dirt away with her hands, her eyes frantic and her heart beating loudly. When her fingernails were completely filled with dirt, she stopped to finally catch her breath, the sight in front of her making the inside of her chest feel like it was filled with icy needles. It was a wide, curved wooden surface, worn from age and degradation. Swallowing and breathing out her nose, she plunged her hands into the dirt on the right side of it, fishing around for something. It would be another five minutes of searching until she finally found it, her fingers grasping the handle like a vice. Rearranging herself into a crouching position, Sunset pulled upward on the handle with every bit of strength she had left. The hinges creaked with rust and decay before it flew open, causing her to lose her footing and fall onto her behind. She wiped her eyes with her forearm before saying, “(Cough), ugh! I-is it?! Is she here?!”
She scrambled forward on her hands and knees, her jaw hanging loosely at what she saw. She clutched the front of her blouse with her muddy hand, her breath becoming short and labored. Aside from the faded white padding, the casket beneath her was empty.
----
- Canterlot High School, Three Days Ago
Sunset breathed a sigh of relief and slammed her notebook shut, grateful that another agonizing day was over. She had avoided eye contact with anyone as much as she could, but she could still feel their stinging eyes on her like an iron maiden. Scooping up her belongings and literally throwing them into her book bag, Sunset bolted up and out the door, ensuring that she was the first one out of the classroom. Tomorrow was a Saturday, so it would be another two days before she'd have to endure the torture of being in school again.
“Please, please just let me out of here,” she whispered to herself. “I don't know how much more of this I can take...”
She kept her head low and her book bag close to her chest as she walked, her eyes focused solely on where she was going. And whenever she spotted someone getting even remotely close to her, her head snapped away. It was bad enough that she could hear their muffled, hate-filled whispers, but seeing the look in their eyes as they said those things just made it worse. Her own eyes scrunched shut as she pushed past the front doors, letting out a giant sigh as the sun hit her face. She wasn't even aware that she was holding her breath.
“Uhm, excuse me, Sunset Shimmer?”
Her back instinctively went rigid as she heard someone call her name, but loosened up a second later when she recognized the voice. Turning her head to the left, she was greeted by Fluttershy walking towards her, though she stopped when she saw her initial reaction.
“Oh! I'm so sorry, did I startle you?”
Sunset lowered her bag, letting it hang by her fingers as she forced a smile. “No, it's alright...I'm, uh...just a little anxious to get home.”
“Oh, okay...” Fluttershy put her hands behind her back and shuffled her feet. “A-anyway, I wanted to ask if you could help me with...something...”
She edged away from the timid girl. “Can't Applejack or Rainbow Dash help you instead? I'm not really having the best of days...”
“Well, you see, I've already asked them, but they're both pretty busy...Rainbow Dash has soccer practice, and Applejack has to hurry straight home to start on her chores. I'd ask Pinkie or Rarity, but...” She stepped forward and put her hands over her chest. “...it's volunteer work at Canterlot General Hospital. Rarity's too afraid of catching a bug, and I'm scared that Pinkie might startle the patients. You're the only one I can turn to right now.”
Sunset fidgeted in place. “Um...well...Fluttershy, I don't know...”
“Please, Sunset? I was hoping this could be a chance for you to open up a bit more. It's already been a month since the Fall Formal, but you won't even say hi to us. Everyone else is saying you just need time to yourself, but I'm starting to get worried.”
She was purposely looking away this whole time, trying not to look into those big, innocent eyes. The fact that she would even talk to her at all after what had happened last month still boggled her mind. She wasn't just a typical schoolyard bully anymore, she was a supervillain right out of a comic book. The thought of being friends with anyone at this point didn't even cross her mind, much less lending a hand at the hospital. Hanging her head and letting out another sigh, Sunset said, “Listen...you don't have to force yourself to be nice to me. I'm not worth it, not after what I did...”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” She saw her take a step forward in the corner of her eye. “I understand that you've done some mean things in the past, but I'm not upset about it, really. We're friends now, aren't we?”
Sunset finally tore her head away from the pavement to look at the girl reaching out to her. She called her a friend like it was the most natural thing to do. Looking at her now, she was reminded of how sickeningly sincere she always was. Sighing softly, she replied, “Oh, alright...I'll give you a hand.”
Fluttershy smiled and closed her eyes, tilting her head to one side. “Thank you, Sunset! I promise I won't take up too much of your time!”
As she bounded off to the bus stop, Sunset smiled wryly to herself. “Yeesh. How could anyone say no to that face?”
----
- Canterlot General Hospital, Main Foyer
She let the heavy box drop next to the reception desk with a grunt, wiping her brow with her forearm. All in all, it was mostly moving boxes of documents from one wing to another. Too much physical labor for a delicate girl like Fluttershy, but not too much for herself. Looking at the clock in the office beyond the desk, she said to herself, “Getting a bit late now...where could she have gone?”
Fluttershy told her that some of the nurses in pediatrics needed help, but she didn't mention what kind. For all she knew, she could be gone for another hour. Moaning softly, she walked over to the waiting lobby and plopped down into one of the chairs, resting her elbows on its back and looking at the ceiling. “Well, might as well get comfy...”
Her breathing slowed as she stared at the abstract patterns on the ceiling tiles. Somewhere behind her, a TV droned on about some boring local news story, while the faint scent of ethanol started lingering in her head. Yawning, she felt her eyelids go somewhat limp.
“...Sunset? Sunset Shimmer? Is...is that you, Sunny...?”
“Ms. Dawn, please, it's time for your medication!”
Hearing her name, she started to straighten her head out, only to jump up from her seat at the loud clatter of something hitting the linoleum floor. Looking over to where it came from, she saw a woman in what looked like her forties standing up from a wheelchair, while a doctor behind her tried to convince her to sit back down. She was wearing a hospital gown and had a desperate, maniacal look on her face. Her skin was a deep shade of gray, while her shoulder length hair was ragged and unkempt, but shone with a silvery sheen. Her breathing became erratic as she outstretched her thin, bony hands towards Sunset, saying in a raspy voice, “Oh, my sweet little Sunny! Where have you BEEN all these years?!”
She took a step back from the old woman in preparation to run, but didn't count on how quick she was. In moments, she was being pulled into her bosom, her nostrils immediately being invaded by the smell of vaseline and old dust. Squirming in her arms, she said, “Hey, what're you doing?!”
“Oh, it's okay Sunny! It's...it's okay! I...I won't let you be hurt anymore! Mother is so sorry for how she treated you!”
She raised an eyebrow at the mention of her being her 'mother'. She was moments from screaming her head off before she felt her trembling in her embrace, her strange ramblings slowly turning into quiet sobbing.
“It's...all my fault. MY fault. You didn't deserve this. I'm...(huck)...I'm so sorry...”
Sunset could only stand there with her eyes darting about the room, hoping someone was going to stop this crazy, old lady. The doctor that was pushing her wheelchair had already left the lobby, hopefully to get some help. She raised her arms cautiously, like she was going to return the hug, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she just stood there and let her cry on her shoulder.
“It's been so long...so long since I...found you in your room that day...and-and then you were taken from me. So who are YOU supposed to be?!”
The woman pushed her away, glaring at her with wide eyes while letting her arms go limp. “You think you can fool me?! I KNOW what happened! I was there! How DARE you try to trick me! Do you have any idea what I've been through?! DO YOUUU?!”
Sunset was at a loss for words, her mouth trembling and trying to find something, anything that could calm her down. Thankfully, the doctor that was here earlier came back from behind the reception desk with an orderly, the both of them grabbing either of her arms and setting her back down in the wheelchair. She continued to scream and yell incoherent things at her as the orderly wheeled her down a corridor, with Sunset unable to look away.
“I am SO sorry for all this, miss. Are you okay?”
She spun around to face the bespectacled doctor, still unsure of how to feel or think. Her right hand unconsciously grabbed her shoulder as she said, “Uh, yeah, fine...what was that all about?”
The doctor wore a typical white coat, and had her powder blue hair tied back into a bun. Pushing her thin framed glasses onto the bridge of her nose, she sighed and said, “Her name is Silver Dawn. We've been taking care of her here at Canterlot General for quite some time now. I apologize profusely for this, I-I was unaware she would act that way towards you. She's normally very lethargic.”
Sunset shook her head, “No, it's fine, don't worry about it...” Her head wandered toward the hallway where she was taken. “What happened to her, anyway? Shouldn't she be in some loony bin instead of in a hospital?”
“Ordinarily yes, but the city has made special arrangements, considering the incident six years ago.”
She turned back to face the doctor, “Huh? What incident?”
“Oh, you don't know? You must be relatively new to this place, then.” She walked past Sunset, down the hallway where Dawn was taken. “I don't really know all the details, but she lost her sanity when her daughter committed suicide. Her name was Sunset Shimmer.”
She had to replay the last few seconds in her head several times to register what she had just heard. Her arms went limp as she watched the doctor briskly walk into the corridor, unable to budge from that spot.
“I'm not going crazy, am I?” Sunset said under her breath. “Because there's no way I could have misheard her...she definitely said my name. But...what's that supposed to mean...?!”
As her breathing slowly started to quicken, a warm wind blew into the back of her head and past her face. She gagged and coughed reflexively, as something resembling smoke and ash invaded her nostrils for a split-second, making her spin around to find the source. Fanning a hand in front of her with narrowed eyes, she looked up to see a ventilation shaft above her, caked with black and gray dust. She gave the thing an annoyed stare.
“Ugh. Guess it hasn't been cleaned in awhile.”
Sunset sighed and relaxed her neck, though her attention was quickly drawn to something lying on the floor ahead – a plastic cylinder completely covered with origami cranes on a single side. She walked over and picked it up, its unusual heaviness making her wobble.
“Must've been what I heard clatter. Did she just leave it here?”
It was just large enough for her to cradle in her arms, the cranes hanging from the cylinder in tight bunches with string taped to their tails. Taking a closer look, the creases on the paper were worn and dirty, and she could could make out lines of text obviously made by a printer on the insides of the folds.
“She must have a lot of time on her hands to fold this many. There's probably over a hundred of these things just on this one side.” Sunset looked behind her with the cylinder still in her arms, seeing the doctor she spoke with round a corner down the hall. “I...I better give this back before she gets away.”
She held the side devoid of cranes close to her chest as she ran down the hall, feeling her teeth clench up and adrenaline well up into her limbs. She knew running in a hospital was one of the last things she should be doing, especially with something so heavy in hand, but her body was moving faster than she could think. The only thing that mattered right now was catching up to that doctor before she got away. Fortunately, she found her waiting for an elevator as she rounded the hall, slowing to a speedy walk before anyone saw her.
“Um, excuse me! I think you – (gasp) – dropped this!” she shouted between breaths.
The doctor turned to look at the girl hollering at her, her eyes going wide when she saw the cylinder in her arms. “Oh my goodness, I completely forgot!”
She walked up to meet Sunset halfway, taking the object from her. “Thank you so much for bringing this to me! There's no telling what Ms. Dawn would have done if she woke up without her cranes!”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Woke up? Wasn't she just awake right now?”
“(Sigh), I'm afraid not, at least not right now. I told the orderly to administer 50ccs of thorazine due to her unstable state. You see, I was in the middle of taking her back to her room so I could attend to matters in ICU, so I didn't have much a choice.”
Her eyes darted left and right, trying to find the right words to say. “Oh...um, okay...”
Sunset hugged herself and looked away. Truth be told, she wasn't too concerned about the cranes or that senile old wreck. It was just an excuse to follow her. The only thing on her mind right now was knowing exactly what this person was talking about back there.
“A...anyways, um...”
This was her chance to ask. All she had to do was stop stuttering and speak clearly. Yet every time she tried to say something, her words got caught halfway in her throat.
“I, uh...I-I mean, what I mean to say is, uh...”
She could feel her face heat up as a bead of sweat dripped down the side of her head. Was it because she had been alone for so long? That the lack of interaction with practically anyone had made her forget how to even talk to people? It used to be so easy to bark orders and manipulate everyone to do what she wanted. It was all she ever knew how to do. But now that her past left her feeling nothing but guilt, all she could do was stand there like a deer in headlights. Was there ever a time where she could have been even a little forthcoming?
“It just tears you up inside, doesn't it? Seeing a mother lose her child so soon...”
Sunset jerked in place, bunching her hands up close to her chest as her head snapped towards the doctor.
“You don't have to say anything, it's written all over your face. I can't really blame you either...Ms. Dawn has been a complete mess ever since she was admitted to Canterlot General. All of the doctors and nurses who take care of her are torn up about it. It's no surprise you feel the same.”
“Oh...y-yeah, it's terrible...” Her eyes fell to the floor. She didn't have the heart to tell her that she could care less about a crazy lady, especially after being yelled at for no reason.
“Indeed...” The doctor continued. “I even heard that Sunset was due for a piano recital at the Canterlot Amphitheater the same night she died. I still can't imagine how a girl with so much potential and status would choose to die in flames...”
Sunset's eyes widened. “Flames...?”
The doctor brought the tips of her fingers to her mouth. “Oh! I'm sorry, I keep forgetting that you're not from around here.” She put her hands in her coat and sighed deeply. “It was all over the news. A fire had broken out at Apollo Manor sometime in the evening, and first responders weren't even aware of it until they were notified close to an hour later. At first, the police thought it was arson, but eventually ruled it to be a suicide after a lengthy investigation.”
“But why? Why would she kill herself? Was...” Sunset gripped her shoulder as a pang of guilt went through her heart. “...was she being bullied?”
“That's the biggest mystery of all, really. According to all the news sources, she was actually very well off. She had a wealthy and loving family, tons of friends, and a bright future ahead of her. In fact, I don't ever remember hearing anything negative about that girl in the slightest. It's really such a tragedy...”
“Uh...yeah...”
She let her eyes wander away again. An awkward silence fell between the two, the only noises being squeaking wheels in the distance and people talking in muffled tones. It wasn't until the sound of the elevator chiming that the doctor spoke up again.
“Oh my, I'm not sure why I'm telling you all this...I apologize again. I didn't want to upset you any further.” She hefted the cranes in her arms and walked into the elevator. “Anyway, it was nice speaking with you, miss..?”
Sunset froze. There was no way she could tell her her name, not after what she had just heard.
“I, uh...!”
She nervously eyed the corridor behind her as she edged away, suddenly remembering that she came here with someone else. She took a step back on her heel before stammering out, “S-sorry! I gotta get going now I forgot that my friend was waiting for me okaythanksbye!”
The doctor raised an eyebrow as the doors closed, with Sunset dashing away from the immediate area faster than she should have been running. She put a hand over her heart and eventually slowed to a stop, leaning against the right wall of the corridor on her shoulder.
“It's probably just a coincidence...no, it has to be. I mean, I don't sound anything like what she talked about.”
In the back of her mind, she was afraid that magic might have been involved. That it was somehow possible that she could have died here once, and was completely oblivious to it. She breathed a sigh of relief, “Yeah...we just share the same name. That's all. I'm not like this other Sunset Shimmer, I don't have a family here. Or a bright future. Or...or friends...”
She grimaced at the floor with her head hung and tears ready to fall. Though she was relieved that she had nothing to do with this tragedy, she was also reminded of her own problems. Sighing and raising her head, she spotted Fluttershy down in the lobby looking around with a confused look on her face. She wiped her eyes with her forearm and choked back her tears as she walked towards her, not wanting to show her an upset face. Though it didn't stop her from running towards her as soon as she was spotted.
“Oh, there you are! I was so worried, did you get lost carrying those files?”
Sunset rubbed her hand behind her head and forced a smile. “Uh, yeah. Something like that. Everything's fine though, I took care of hauling those boxes.”
Fluttershy smiled warmly. “That's good to hear. I was worried that it might've been too much for you to handle. I really appreciate you coming all this way to help me though, really.” The two of them started walking towards the exit, the timid girl next to Sunset beaming with energy. “Oh, let me tell you about what happened in pediatrics! You see, there was this little girl holding onto a stuffed bunny while getting a flu shot...”
The sound of her voice had a somewhat calming effect on Sunset, though she could hardly pay attention to what she was saying. Her eyes were too focused on the ground in front of her as she walked, the last fifteen minutes still weighing heavily on her mind.
(“What kind of coincidence is this? What are the odds that some girl who died in such a tragic way has the exact same name as me, let alone a girl from another world?”)
The more she thought about it, the more it made her heart hurt. If her life was so good, then why would she commit suicide? How did that crazy woman almost instantly confuse her for her deceased daughter? Was it really just a coincidence, or did she have some connection to this tragedy after all? She could feel her teeth grit as she continued past the exit, the questions filling her head one after another.
“Sunset Shimmer? Were you listening?”
She came to a stop when she heard her name again, turning her head to face Fluttershy. Her mouth was curled into a frown as she looked into her eyes with a worried expression. “Uhm, did something happen back there? You look like you've seen a ghost.”
She raised her hands defensively, “Huh?! Oh, don't worry about me, I'm fine! I just, uh...being in a hospital just kinda shook me up is all. It's nothing, really.”
Fluttershy placed a hand on her chest and sighed gracefully. “Oh, thank goodness. For a moment I thought something terrible happened. You see, I didn't want to worry you, but I've heard scary rumors about room 42, a-and I completely forgot that you were going to be passing by it while carrying those boxes...”
She had shrunk down and started shivering. Sunset gave a wry smile before stepping closer and putting a hand behind her back, motioning her to move forward.
“Relax, nothing scary happened to me.”
She took one last look behind her, catching her heart in her throat when she looked up at the third floor window. Silver Dawn was there, sitting in her wheelchair off to the side, her cranes cradled in her arms. The sight caught her off guard, but only for a moment. Pursing her lips, she turned right back around, looking ahead with a stern gaze.
(“Yeah...nothing at all. None of this has anything to do with me.”)
----
Sunset fell back and let her head hit the pillow, holding a smartphone over her face with half-lidded eyes. After a few minutes of reading, she closed her eyes and sighed, lying it face down on the nightstand next to her. As she suspected, none of the articles she found on the internet told her anything more about this incident six years ago. It was all phrased differently, but they pretty much repeated everything that doctor told her. She rolled onto her left side, looking out the window of her bedroom.
“Tch...I don't even know why I'm letting this get to me. I've got my own problems to deal with without having to worry about a dead girl.”
The sun had set hours ago, the only lights coming from the street lamps lined along the apartment complex's cul de sac. Crickets chirped in the distance and a gentle wind blew against the window, reminding her of the steady drop in temperature.
“But still...what could drive a little kid like that to kill herself, especially since she had so much? I'm not exactly happy with the way my life's going, but at least I've got a roof over my head...”
She was lucky to find this place when she did. At first, the landlord was skeptical about approving a room to a fifteen year old girl with no social security card, but his tone changed instantly once she showed him some Equestrian jewels. Had she known this world valued them more than food or water, she would have brought a truckload. For now, it was enough to rent out this one bedroom for the next ten years, as well as pay for all of the furnishings and amenities. The place itself was modest, with a decently sized living room and kitchen downstairs, and a bedroom and bathroom upstairs.
“Well, whatever...I guess I should just start brooding over how quick the weekend's going to fly by...”
A familiar beep came from her phone, making her wince. Rolling back over, she picked it up and narrowed her eyes at the screen. It was another text from Fluttershy.
- Are you really really really sure youre okay? i can come over and spend the night if you want :)
Sunset couldn't help but read the message in her voice, making her frown softly. Scrolling up the list and counting, she found that this was her twentieth message. She was even getting some from Rarity and Rainbow Dash.
“I really don't get any of you guys...how can you call a bully like me a friend?”
She held her phone in both hands, typing yet another message back.
- I'm okay Fluttershy, you don't have to worry about me. I have to charge my phone now, so we'll have to talk later.
She set her phone back down, sighing again. It wasn't exactly true that her phone needed any charging, she just didn't want to talk with anyone else tonight. Leaning over and clicking the lamp off, Sunset closed her eyes and let the stiffness that had been building up from the day fade. ----
(Drip...drip...drip...)
“Mmmrrpphh...”
Her eyes scrunched as she groaned, rolling herself over and burying her face in her pillow.
(Drip...drip...drip...)
She sputtered, throwing the covers off and sitting upright. She rubbed the bridge of her nose between her fingers before cautiously opening her eyes, glaring at the wall in front of her.
“Ugh, where is that noise coming from?!”
She had been trying to ignore it for what felt like hours, but the intermittent sound of dripping water didn't seem to be stopping. Judging from the noise, it was as if a leaky faucet was dripping into a puddle of water over and over again. Swinging her legs off the side of the bed, Sunset stood up shakily and walked to the door, sliding her fingers against the wall to orient herself.
“I so don't need this right now...better not have to call maintenance for this...”
Thankfully, the bathroom was literally less than a foot away from her bedroom door. Stumbling inside, she went straight for the sink without even turning the light on, tightening the faucets with more strength than needed.
(Drip...drip...drip...)
“Oh, come OOON...”
Feeling around the sink, she discovered that it wasn't wet anywhere, leading her to think that it was coming from the kitchen. She spun around and went straight down the stairs in a huffy state, gripping the handrail and narrowing her eyes in the darkness. Making a left and walking past the living room, she stopped in the kitchen's doorway, giving the sink to her right a full-on glare. There was just enough light coming in from the window to show her that it wasn't the source of the dripping, though she still felt compelled to walk over to it and feel the spigot to make sure.
“Great. Dry as a bone. That noise could be coming from the walls for all I know.”
She sighed forcefully and rested her palms on the edge, closing her eyes to try and pinpoint the source of the noise. Though no matter how hard she focused, she couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. It was as if the dripping was coming from all around her.
“Ugh, what am I gonna do...there's no way I can get any sleep with this going on.”
(rustle)
Her eyes snapped open as she heard something else, something like rustling cloth. And unlike the sound of water that had been tormenting her the past few minutes, this noise was clearly coming from the living room. Stepping back into the doorway, she jerked to a halt, gasping as she felt a jolt go through her chest. Someone was standing at her front door.
“Wha...?! How'd you get in my house?!”
Although obscured by darkness, it appeared to be a girl no more than four feet high. She was facing away from her, resting her right hand on the door with her head down. Sunset took a second to gather her wits before taking a step forward, shouting, “Look, I'm calling the cops! I'm already having a bad night, so I really don't need someone like you...huh...?”
Something wasn't right about this girl. No, something was terribly wrong. She hadn't noticed it before, but the shadow she was casting on the door was off somehow. Taking a more calculated look, she could see an extra amount of light shining where her head should be. She unconsciously took a step back, not taking her eyes off her.
“Whu...what's going on?”
The girl dragged her fingers down across the door, the sound of her skin sliding against it louder than it should have been. She took another breath to speak, but was stopped short when her door suddenly burst into flames, igniting in a trail where she dragged her hand. Sunset lost the feeling in her legs as she doubled back, falling onto her rear and placing a hand over her mouth. The girl lethargically raised her head and turned to face her, the light from the fire being just enough to reveal what her intruder looked like.
“What...what are you?!”
Now she knew why her shadow so looked wrong. There was a massive oval-shaped hole in her head where her face should be, charred and burned around the edges as if it were incinerated. She wore a faded pink nightgown, the rest of her body also matted with second and third degree burns. Though along with her complete lack of a face, the one thing that made Sunset's veins run cold was her hair. Aside from being singed and covered with ash, it was a swirl of red and yellow. The same as her own hair.
“No...no! It can't be you!”
She had to get out of here. Now. Scrambling back a few feet, she twisted herself around and slammed a palm on the floor, sprinting towards the back door as fast as her legs could carry her. Though she only got halfway before fire literally snaked around the walls as if it were alive, blocking her only way out with a wall of flames. She threw her arms in front of herself on reaction and doubled back, feeling the heat on her face.
“AAAARRRRGGGHH!!!”
A crippling, stinging pain shot through her forearms, letting her know that she had just been burned. Sweat started to drip down her forehead as she looked around herself in a blind panic, desperate to find escape. Yet no matter where she looked, all she could see were flames. In the span of a few seconds, fire had spread all around her, turning her home into an unrecognizable inferno. Smoke started to enter her lungs now, forcing her to cough violently into her hand, bringing her to her knees.
“Please, no – (COUGH) – what do you – (COUGH, COUGH) – want?!”
She didn't have to look behind herself to know that the faceless girl was right behind her. Turning her head with her mouth still covered and her eyes watering, she found her standing within the flames, her arms at her sides and her head slightly lowered as if she were looking at her.
“(COUGH) – Wh...why are you doing this?!”
Tears started streaming down her face, both out of physical pain and of absolute terror. Sunset could do nothing but sit there, frozen, as the flames encircled her like a swirling vortex. The visage of the faceless girl was the last thing she could see before she herself was engulfed in fire. First her legs, then her midsection, and finally her head, burning her skin right down to the bone. A scream of unbridled agony escaped her lips.
----
“AAHH!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!”
Sunset threw something off of herself as she sat up, the sound of her own blood-curdling shriek filling her ears. She flailed around like she was having a seizure, screaming over and over again until she eventually rolled off of her bed, falling onto her side.
“UGH!”
Her screaming petered off as she slowly realized that she was unharmed. Moreover, the faint glow of her smartphone lying on her nightstand let her know that she was in her room. She took a moment to let her breathing slow down before arranging herself into a sitting position, bringing her knees close. Aside from her frayed nerves and the cold sweat covering her body, she was fine.
“A...a dream...?”
She took a deep breath to test her lungs. Sure enough, there was no irritation or difficulty.
“N-no...that couldn't have been a dream...”
Her words came out like a defeated whisper as she hugged her legs close, burying her head between her knees before she started crying. Just a few moments ago, she could smell the smoke. She could feel the heat. She could clearly see that terrifying, faceless wraith standing right next to her in gruesome detail. But worst of all, she remembered the pain. She could feel her entire body being set on fire, searing and burning her alive.
“I felt like I was dying...” She whimpered. “I-I felt like...”
As Sunset blinked a few tears out of her eyes, something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Turning her head up and to the left, she could see a sort of black outline above the headboard of her bed. She swallowed, leaning forward towards her nightstand and clicking the light on with a shaky hand.
(GASP...!)
She scrambled back on her hands and backside, eventually ramming into her dresser. Etched all across the wall in giant letters was a single, messy word, charred and black as if it were burned into the wood.
UNFAIR
Sunset put her hand over her mouth and started shaking like a leaf, unable to keep her composure any longer. She bolted out of her bedroom on all fours, jumped down the stairs, unlocked and threw open the front door with jittery hands, and ran.
Rainbow Dash trudged down the stairs with a scowl plastered on her face, rubbing one of her eyes with her knuckle. For whatever reason, someone was pounding on the front door non-stop, not even waiting for someone to answer.
“Grrr, this better not be some kinda lame prank,” she growled, turning the locks on the door. “Cuz I swear if that's you Pinkie Pie, I'm gonna – whoa!”
The door opened inward to reveal a very tired, very distressed Sunset Shimmer. She was leaning against the door frame and completely out of breath, her hair and face dripping with sweat. Wheezing and gulping, she looked at her with bloodshot eyes and forced out, “(Pant), Rainbow, I...I'm sorry. I didn't know...(pant)...where else to go...”
The weakness in her voice made Rainbow's pupils contract as she looked at her. She opened her mouth to ask what happened, only to watch her shoulder slide off the frame as she slumped forward. Rainbow threw the door out of her way to catch her, feeling her heart sink when she felt her. Aside from her pounding heart, she was trembling uncontrollably.
“Hey, whoa! Sunset, you okay?! What's going on?!” Rainbow looked down as she held her up, noticing how dirtied her bare feet were. “...did you run here?”
She waited for a response, but didn't get one. All the girl could do was struggle to catch her breath. Sighing, Rainbow said, “C'mon, let's get you inside.”
----
It took another fifteen minutes before Sunset could calm down enough to stop shaking. Rainbow Dash had brought her up to her room, pulling the blanket off her bed and wrapping her in it before going back downstairs. She had seated herself on the floor at the foot of her bed, pulling the blanket around herself tight, reminding her of how cold she apparently was.
(creak) “Hey, you doin' better now?”
Raising her head, she watched Rainbow slip into the room, gently closing the door behind herself. She was holding a mug full of a steaming drink, looking at her with a worried expression. Sunset's mouth twitched a little behind the blanket as she tried respond, though she found she was still too rattled to talk. Turning her eyes away, she simply nodded once.
“Well, that's good. At least you're not shakin' like that anymore,” Rainbow said, bending over slightly to give her the mug. “Here, this'll help warm you up. Hope ya don't mind that I microwaved it.”
Sunset took the mug in her hands through the blanket, blowing the steam off the top. Taking a quick sip, she was taken aback by the sudden burst of sweetness. It was hot chocolate. Pursing her lips, she forced out, “Th...thanks, Rainbow. I needed that.”
“Yeah, don't mention it,” she said casually, walking off to her side and pulling up a chair. Spinning it around backwards, she sat down and rested her arms on it, creasing her brow. “Okay, now...what was that all about?! It's, I dunno, maybe forty-something degrees outside! You tryin' to get sick?!”
Rainbow was turning a slight shade of red. Sunset glanced at her face for a moment before avoiding eye contact again, covering the bottom half of her face with the blanket. She had every right to be angry with her right now, what with waking her up in the middle of the night in such a state and not explaining anything.
“I'm...I'm sorry about this. I'm sorry. I-I just...something...bad happened, and...”
Rainbow sighed through her nose and rested her head on her arms. “Must've been somethin' REAL bad for you to run here in your pjs. Can ya tell me about it? What happened? Did it have somethin' to do with whatever happened at the hospital? Fluttershy told me you looked a little shaken up. Or did something happen where you live? Did your house catch on fire?”
Sunset jolted in place. “N-no, my place's fine,” she said automatically. “U-uhm...”
She wanted to tell her everything. To just leap over and cry on her shoulder. To tell her that she literally experienced being burned alive by something that could only be described as a ghost. A horrible, faceless wraith that could very well be a different version of herself.
“I...well...” She closed her eyes and breathed in until her lungs were full. “Someone broke into my house. I didn't see who it was, but they left a message right above my bed while I was asleep. I got so scared, I didn't know what else to do but run away.”
She couldn't say it. All she could tell her was a half-truth.
(“I'm not lying, really. Someone was in my house. And there's no way she'd believe me if I told her the rest. She may have seen Equestrian magic, but a ridiculous ghost story? Besides, I don't want to worry them anymore than I already have. Someone like me isn't worth their worry.”)
Rainbow sat up, her eyes going wide. “Oh man, that IS pretty scary. Who'd wanna do something so messed up to you, anyway?”
Sunset looked up at her again with tears threatening to fall. Throwing her hands up, Rainbow said, “O-oh, sorry! I totally forgot about that whole thing with the Fall Formal already, ya know?”
(“How...how could you just...?”)
She wanted to give her an incredulous look, but held it in. Turning her head away, she said, “No, it's fine...a-anyway, I'm feeling a little better now. I'll head back out after I'm done with this hot chocolate, I don't wanna keep you up any longer...”
“Hey, you nuts?! You think for one second I'm gonna let you go back out into that freezing cold weather by yourself?!”
Sunset's eyes widened, turning her head back in her direction as she watched her scoot closer to her desk to snatch up a ring of keys.
“I'll give ya a ride back. Pretty sure my dad won't mind me borrowing the car to help one of my friends out of a bind!”
She stared, automatically trying to think of a way to rebuff her. Though all she could do was continue to stare as she got up, taking her phone with her.
“I'll go get the engine warmed up, you just sit tight and finish warming up, 'kay? Come on down to the garage when you're ready.”
Sunset watched the door close behind her, the sound of her footsteps getting further as she went down the stairs. Moaning softly, she took another sip of her hot chocolate and pulled her legs in closer.
(“Why did I even come here? I know I said I'd leave, but...I'm still scared. I don't know if I'm ready to go back so soon...”)
----
Downstairs, Rainbow eyed the dim light coming from her room above as she tapped a few keys on her phone. Bringing it up to her ear, she stood in place until a soft, tired voice answered.
“Hey Fluttershy, it's Rainbow. Sorry for waking you up so late, but I've got kinda of situation goin' on here. Sunset Shimmer showed up at my house about an hour ago in her pajamas.”
“...”
“Wish it was just that after what I just saw. She literally ran here after someone broke into her house.”
“...”
“Yeah, I know. Looks like you were right about that earlier. She only stopped shivering, like, five minutes ago. And it wasn't just from the cold.”
“...”
“Hey, whoa, don't worry, she's fine now. I'm about to give her a ride back to her house so we can call the cops. Last thing any of us wants is for something bad to happen to her.”
“...”
“Yeah, I was thinkin' the same thing. First chance we get, we're all sittin' down and talkin' to her. Enough's enough.”
----
Sunset stared blankly out the window of the car as the world sped by, her hands tightly clutching Rainbow's phone. The passing street lights and suburban buildings all felt like a surreal canvas with running paint, her attention barely focused on what she was seeing out there. All she could think about was how badly she didn't want to go back.
(“I'm stuck, I'm stuck...I can't tell you, I can't say it...now I don't have a choice...”)
“Alright, looks like we're here.”
Rainbow made a left into her apartment complex and took a quick right into the cul de sac her home was in. Blue and red lights lit up the parking lot in front of them, letting them know the police were here as well. Sunset cringed involuntarily as the car pulled into a parking space and came to a stop. Darting her eyes between the police cars and the windshield, she stammered, “I, uh...th-thanks, Rainbow. Here's your phone back.”
She handed it back while look at the car's floor, eliciting a concerned stare from Rainbow. “Uh, Sunset...this was like a ten minute drive. You sure you're gonna be fine on your own like this after doin' all that running?”
“Yeah, I'm sure,” she immediately responded. “You've done enough for me already, and I'd rather not bother you any more than I already have...”
As she opened the door to step out, Sunset felt a hand gripping her shoulder, making her stop halfway. Turning her head around, she was met with Rainbow looking right into her eyes.
“Listen, you're not botherin' me if it's somethin' this serious. You sure you don't want me to stay?”
She looked back into her eyes, feeling only earnest concern in her voice. Breathing out softly, she said, “Yeah, I'm sure. I think things might get complicated with the cops if you got involved. This is my problem, so I'd rather deal with it on my own.”
Rainbow grumbled something under her breath, but eventually let go of her. “Alright, fine. You just stay safe.”
Sunset stepped out into the cold and closed the door behind her, giving her one last look past the window. She could see her close her mouth and sigh through her nose before she backed out of the spot, pulling away and driving out of sight. Breathing a quick, white puff of frigid air, she turned around and walked towards the glaring police lights in front of her house. There were two cars stopped in front in single file, with three officers standing outside her doorstep and talking with one another. The rough ground beneath her bare feet was beginning to chill her again, so she sped up to a medium jog. Waving a hand in the air, she called out to them, “Excuse me, officers! I was the one that...(hurk)...called you out here!”
She shouldn't have started running again. The immense pain she was feeling in her lungs earlier was back. She stopped in front of the policemen before slumping over, resting her palms on her knees and wheezing.
“Are you Sunset Shimmer?” The officer closest to her asked. He had a medium build and wore a navy blue wool jacket over his uniform. His complexion was powder blue, and his forest green hair was slicked back under his officer's hat.
“Ye...yeah. I'm sorry for calling so late, but...(wheeze)...someone broke into my house.” She slowed her breathing down as best she could, knowing that she was probably going to have to start answering questions.
“I...see.” He studied her face with a neutral expression before waving off the other two policemen, the both of them going back into their respective cars. Pulling out a pen and notepad, he said, “Alright. We've already investigated your apartment from top to bottom, but so far we haven't found any signs of forced entry.”
She balled up a fists and stamped a foot down, yelling up at his face, “Wh-what?! Then how did that message appear right over my bed?! And while I was asleep?!”
The pain in her chest was starting to fade, but she felt another sickening feeling well up in the pit of her stomach. As much as she was loathe to admit it, she was still fully capable of putting on an act to get what she wanted. Even while standing in the middle of forty degree weather with pain all over her body.
“We're just as baffled as you are, miss. If it's alright with you, can we discuss this inside? We need to ask you a few questions.”
Sunset huffed and relaxed her hands, knowing that she had to look irritated for them. Walking past him and towards her front door, she said, “Alright, fine, but this better be quick. I'm losing enough sleep as it is.”
Once she had her head turned away, she wiped a tear away from her eye. (“I hate doing this. This isn't me anymore. I'm not a bad pony – er, person. There's just no way they'd understand.”)
She turned her head back to glance at the officer, only to watch his eyes fall to the ground the moment she looked in his direction.
(“Okay, this guy's been staring at me too much...I can't wait to get this over with.”)
----
Sunset pressed against the door as she shut it behind the officer, turning the deadbolt. It was only until she heard them drive away that she let herself relax, breathing a sigh of relief. She had only talked with him for maybe ten minutes, but having to constantly humor him the entire time made it feel like hours. Turning around and resting her back against the cold wood, she looked down at the small piece of paper in her hand.
“Officer Forest, huh...?”
The slip was filled with arbitrary information that she paid no mind to, though it also had a number plus an extension to this particular cop's office. At the end of their questioning, he told her to call should any other incidents happen.
“Yeah, right. I just spent the rest of the morning trying to get you out of my house.”
It was no exaggeration. The curtains were still drawn, but she could still see the light from the sun start to peek out from the horizon. Letting the slip fall out of her hand and onto the floor, she turned her head upwards towards the staircase. Her eyes quivered as she looked at the still-lit bedroom she ran away from just hours ago. Breathing out a soft burst of air, she stepped forward, placed a shaking hand on the handrail, and trudged up to her room one creaky step at a time. Once at the top, she did a quick scan of her room to make sure everything was in its proper place. Sure enough, nothing was out of the ordinary. Nothing, except for the black word burned into the wall over her bed. Even without sniffing the air, she could smell a light scent of charred wood from where she stood. She stepped inside, resting her back against the door frame and letting herself slide down into a sitting position, her eyes glued to the ghostly message.
“Unfair...what do you mean unfair? Are you jealous that I'm alive and you're not?”
Sunset brought her legs in and hugged them, resting her head on her knees.
“You committed suicide. You had everything you possibly could have wanted, but you threw it all away. So then why are you...?”
She felt icky. The smell of dried sweat was beginning to waft off her pajamas, making her fidget uncomfortably.
“You burned me. Burned me alive, I...it hurt so much. Just being in my own house is scaring me to death...”
Another tear leaked out of her eye, but was quickly brushed away. She clenched her teeth, biting back the pain in her heart. She knew that if she started crying again, she wouldn't be able to stop.
“I...I can't just sit here. I've gotta do something, a-anything...”
Closing her mouth and gulping, she gave the message on the wall a stern gaze before standing up. She most certainly needed a shower after that ordeal, but there was one thing on her mind that she had to do first. Walking over to her nightstand, she picked up her smartphone and hit two keys, bringing it up to her ear.
“Hey Rarity, it's Sunset. I'm sorry for bothering you at the crack of dawn like this, but do you have a second? I need to know if you still have that wig you lent to Twilight that one time...”
----
Sunset stepped off the bus, readjusting the blonde wig on her head out of habit. She wasn't sure if it was on right without a mirror, but didn't feel like pulling the compact out of her pocket again. Looking around, it wasn't hard to find what she was looking for. Just across the street was a gray mansion sitting beyond a massive, ornate courtyard, complete with a stone wall surrounding the perimeter, and an iron gate in front. From where she stood, she could see a fountain, trimmed hedges, a cobblestone path leading up to the manor, and twin doors for an entrance. She took a deep, cleansing breath as she stared.
“This is the place...Apollo Manor. The place where she died.”
She walked across the street without bothering to look for oncoming traffic, steeling her nerves for what was to come. Seeing an intercom box on the right side of the gate, she raised a finger to press it, only to stop a few centimeters away.
(“Come on...you can do this. You're just looking information, that's all.”)
Gulping, she stepped forward to press the button, eliciting an electronic buzz. After a few moments passed, a squeaky, nervous voice came from the box.
[“U-uhm, hello?! Is somebody there?! Can I help youuu?!”]
Clearing her throat, Sunset said, “Y-yes! My name's, uh...Ink...Inkwell! I'm here for the Canterlot High newspaper, and I was wondering if I could give Mr. Golden Ardor an interview?!”
[“A-a-a-an interview? With the master? Oh gee, I really don't know if I'm allowed to let you in for that...that....that kind...that kind of, of, of...reason...”]
Sunset felt her hands ball into fists. Trying her best to keep her voice stable, she hollered into the receiver, “Please! I promise I won't be long! I just need to ask a few questions and I'll be out of your hair!”
[“Well, you-you-you see...it's not really my...my...PLACE to...oh!”]
The voice on the intercom became slightly more distant as she heard the sound of footsteps leading away. [“Miss Eider...Miss Eiderdown! Can you help me with, with something?!”]
Sunset took a step back from the intercom as she heard two voices on the other side converse, feeling a knot in her belly. After a few minutes of deliberation and a moment a silence, a different, more mature voice spoke through the speaker, [“Yes, yes, I suppose we can let you in for now, Miss Inkwell...Pinfeathers, if you please?”]
The metal gates clanked loudly and opened inward, grinding and squealing like they hadn't been used in years. Sunset placed her right hand on her chest and sighed like there was an open balloon under her diaphragm. Other than simply asking the owners of an extremely wealthy, extremely private mansion to simply be 'let in to do an interview', she didn't exactly come here with a plan. The only thing they had to do was say no, and she'd be up the creek without a paddle. Sunset chuckled nervously with her hand still on her chest, thanking whatever stars were looking down on her right now.
(“I just hope this outfit Rarity gave me is good enough. Can't have anyone mistaking me for her...”)
----
- One hour earlier
“Sunset, darling, are you abso-LOUTE-ly positive you want to wear this ensemble? It's just so...so frumpy.”
She glanced at Rarity standing behind her as she turned once in the dresser mirror, satisfied with her look. The soft pink cardigan and knee-length beige skirt she was currently wearing looked like something she'd force herself to put on for her mother on Hearth's Warming. Looking at it in person made her cringe internally, but for now, it was necessary. Combined with the blonde wig that her fashion-inclined friend brought over, no one could possibly recognize her like this.
“No, that's fine. Frumpy's good.” She picked the wig up off her dresser and put it on, fussing with it a little to hide her own brightly colored locks. “I'm just surprised you even own something like this. Everything I've seen you wear looks like it came out of a designer catalog.”
Rarity blushed, bringing the ends of her fingers up to her mouth. “Oh myyy-hee hee hee, you're just saying thaaat! Why, fashion may be my raison d'etre, but I am still just a high school student!”
Sunset grimaced in the mirror, trying her best to stuff her hair under the wig. “No, really. I sent those fake texts to you because of how popular you were. I mean, what better way to take the super fashionable Rarity down a peg than to - ”
Her hands froze. She was so caught up in trying to make the thing on her head acceptable that she wasn't even aware of what she was saying. “I, uh...I-I mean...”
After saying a few half words and incomplete sentences, she let her arms fall to her sides, her eyes downcast. Creating such an awkward atmosphere must be what its like to 'put a foot in her mouth'. She was ready to pull the wig off her head and walk into the bathroom alone to try again, yet she felt it being pulled off for her. Looking up, she saw Rarity putting a yellow elastic band around her wrist in the mirror, pulling her red and yellow locks into a high ponytail.
“For wigs, you're normally supposed to be wearing a nylon or silk cap to make sure your real hair doesn't poke out anywhere,” she said. “But in your case, I think we can make due with tying your hair into a bun. Is that quite alright with you, darling? I'd hate to risk creating any unsightly tangles in your lovely quaff.”
Sunset stared at her, unsure of what to say. The girl styling her hair had such a soft, nonchalant smile on her face as she worked. With the way she was carrying on, it was as if the past thirty seconds never happened. She grimaced again, this time showing clear discomfort. “Y-yeah, I guess...”
The awkwardness from before hadn't faded, though it seemed like Sunset was the only one affected. She grabbed her elbow, letting a word slip out from under her breath.
“...why.”
Rarity raised her eyebrows, “Hm? Did you say something?”
She spun around, startling her friend and letting the wig fall to the floor. “I said why! Why are all of you being so nice to me?! I'm the worst! All I've ever done since I transferred to CHS was make your lives miserable! I lied and cheated and pushed you all around, and for what?! Even if I was going through with the whole stupid 'world domination' cliché, I didn't have anything to gain from doing all those horrible things I did! I...I'm just...!”
Sunset was silenced by an index finger placed firmly on her lips, as Rarity looked back at her with a stern gaze. She watched her lean forward slightly and put her other hand on her hip as she said, “Now see here! I do believe it was you who called me out here in the early morning asking for help! Do you really think that I would have even bothered getting into my car if I thought you to be nothing more than a simple ruffian?!”
Sunset stood there with her mouth hanging lightly open, crossing her palms over her chest defensively and looking away. Rarity took a step back before continuing in a softer tone, “Do you know how much Rainbow Dash hates being woken up? Especially in the middle of the night? Why, unless the local convenience store was having their annual summer sale on apple cider, any disturbance in her sleep schedule makes her, well...rather grumpy. I've lost count of how many times I've seen her being sent off to Vice Principle Luna's office for sleeping in class. And yet despite all of that, she took the time to make you hot chocolate and drive you back home, even after such a rude awakening.”
Sunset looked back up at her, her eyes widening. “ Wait, how did you...?”
“Fluttershy already sent everyone a text message this morning telling us what happened. It must have been such a harrowing experience for you, waking up to see that above your bed...”
She mentally kicked herself. (“Of course Rainbow would say something to her, they're best buds...”)
Rarity crossed her arms, tilting her head to one side as she gave her a concerned look. “Sunset Shimmer. Honestly. Must I really explain why we're doing these things for you?”
Sunset grit her teeth. She knew exactly what was coming next, and she didn't want to hear it at all.
“It's because we're your friends. Why else would we go out of our way to help you? We're fully aware of your past, er...faux pas. Despite that, none of us are holding it against you. Have you not already given us a tearful apology?”
She replied in a low, grim voice, “How do you know I wasn't just lying? I mean, I'm pretty good at doing that...”
“Hmf! Preposterous!” She said, putting her fists on her hips. “I've attended enough drama classes to know an act when I see it! And what I saw that night of the Fall Formal was anything but!”
“Uh, Rarity, up until a few weeks ago, I've had eyes and ears all over the school. I know you've only been to the drama club once or twice as a witness,” Sunset said in an even tone.
Her eyes went wide for a split-second before she quickly turned off to the side, coughing into her fist. “Y-yes, well, that is beside the point! What I am trying to tell you is that you're being much too hard on yourself!”
Sunset let her arms fall to her sides limply, her head still turned away. As she sighed to herself, she felt her shoulders being grasped, gently forcing her to spin around and look Rarity in the eye.
“Sunset...I won't ask you what this situation is all about, or why you need such a silly little disguise. It would be quite rude of me to pry. But puh-lease try to understand how much you are worrying us. All this talk of breaking and entering is dreadful enough, but seeing this haunted air about you is much more worrisome.”
She involuntarily shuddered at her friend's choice of words. Rarity pulled her into a gentle hug, continuing in a softer voice, “We've all forgiven you for what you've done. So why can you not forgive yourself?”
(“Because I don't deserve it.”)
The self-deprecating words spoke themselves in her head automatically, making the inside of her chest feel like it was sinking in a marshy bog. Raising her hands, she grabbed her forearms, pried herself away from her warm embrace, and quickly snatched up the wig off the floor.
“Look, I uh...”
Sunset found herself bunching up the blonde mop of hair in her hands, once again stumbling over her own words.
“U-um...I really need to get to the bus stop soon. I've got a compact on me, so I'll just readjust this thing on the way there. Just make sure to lock up on your way out...”
With that quick excuse, she bolted from her room. She could hear Rarity calling out to her as she nearly ran down the staircase, but chose to ignore her pleas, giving the ground a hard stare as she threw on her boots walked out the door.
(“If I stayed with her any longer, I probably wouldn't wanna leave. And none of this warm, fuzziness is going to change what happened to me last night. I've got to find out what's going on.”)
----
“Oh hohohoho, aren't you just an adorable little scamp! If I didn't see you blinking and breathing, I swear I would be looking at a porcelain doll!”
Sunset grimaced and edged away from the slightly ajar door. The woman who had greeted her looked like a stereotypical maid plucked right out of a 19th century novella. Her uniform consisted of a frilly white apron that covered the front of herself, a dark purple buttoned dress that came to about mid-calf, lacy white cotton gloves, and what appeared to be knee-high velvet heeled boots, also colored purple. The woman herself was clearly overweight, and looked to be in her late thirties to early forties. Her pale blue complexion showed the slightest signs of lines and imperfections, while her gray hair was tied into a tight bun on the back of her head. Smiling widely like a jolly aunt coming to a family reunion, she opened the door wider to usher Sunset inside.
“Please, please, come in! I must say, it's such a marvelous feeling knowing that your generation has taken an interest in the Ardor house! We hardly get any guests anymore these days!”
This woman's overtly friendly attitude, despite being reminiscent of another bombastic friend of her's, did nothing to help her relax. She swallowed out of reflex and forced eye contact with the maid, sighing quickly. Plastering the most insincere smile on her face, she folded her hands in front of herself and stepped inside.
“Thank you so much. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I was going to publish if I couldn't get this story.”
Sunset came to a stop inside of a large atrium, its ceiling as high as three floors. Numerous electric lamps lined the dark reddish walls, the wooden floor beneath her shoes creaked ever so slightly, and a grand staircase was laid out in front of her, leading to the second floor. Scanning the area around her, she saw rows of baroque styled doors lined up on either side of the staircase, as well as a small area next to the front door set aside for guests, complete with cushioned chairs, a coffee table, and a fireplace.
“Ohhh, you're so adooorable! Bright-eyed, bushy tailed, and just filled to the brim with potential! Just like all girls your age should be!” The maid gushed, putting her hands together next to her face. “Miss Inkwell, yes? I am Miss Eiderdown, the head maid of Apollo Manor. If you would please wait in the main atrium, I will summon master Ardor to speak with you. Pinfeathers? Pinfeatheeers!”
The last vowel she spoke came out like an errant squeal, causing Sunset to shudder.
“Yeh-yes Miss Eiderdown, I'm h-h-here!”
Her attention was drawn to the sound of clacking shoes as another maid wearing an identical uniform came running out from the left side of the staircase. She came to a jittery stop next to Miss Eiderdown, nearly tripping over herself in the process. Smoothing out her skirt, she took a slight bow and said, “U-uhm, w-what can I...I, uh, do you for? I-I mean doforyou?!”
It now occurred to her that this was the first voice she heard on the other side of the intercom. Looking at the way this other maid carried herself, Sunset felt like she should be pitying this girl. She looked to be around her own age, but her face looked like it was in a constant state of distress. She wore glasses whose lenses looked like they came from the bottoms of soda bottles, the makeup on her ivory skin was clearly visible, her apron was wrinkled all over, and her pageboy styled haircut was a mess of blue crinkles.
“Please prepare some darjeeling tea for our guest. And try to remember to allow the tea leaves to rest before serving this time?”
Sunset frowned. The tone in Miss Eiderdown's voice suddenly became dismissive and condescending.
“Oh, u-uhm...n-now, uh...”
The elder maid crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow expectantly. “Ye~es?
The one apparently called Pinfeathers was trying to keep herself dignified, folding her hands in front of herself, though her crinkled mouth and trembling figure betrayed any semblance of composure. “Which one w-was that...again...?”
Miss Eiderdown threw her hands up. “My GOODNESS, what am I going to do with you?! Each and every time you are given even the simplest of tasks, you somehow manage to foul it up! Whether it's setting silverware, cleaning windows, or even dusting!”
The smaller maid balled her hands up and put her wrists together in front of herself, “B-b-but you said that if I hu-had any pro-problems th-th-that I, urk...!”
“IIIII told you that you should ask for help when you come across something you don't understand!” She interrupted, putting her hands on her hips. “Yet you have been working under the Ardor house for six years! There is absolutely no reason why you should not be able to discern chamomile from darjeeling!”
“Yeh...yes, Miss Eiderdown,” she said, shrinking back down into her slight bow.
Sighing and putting her fingers between her eyes, the larger maid said, “I will have Patchwork and Cross Stitch take care of preparing the tea. You will watch and learn from your superiors for the hundredth time. And this time, pay attention! Do I make myself clear?!”
The girl was trembling now. “C...c...”
“Yeee~s?!”
“Kuh...crystal! Crystal clear!”
“Hmf! Off with you then!” Miss Eiderdown shoo'd her away with a flippant hand gesture as she scurried off, one Sunset wasn't appreciative of in the slightest.
(“Sheesh, it's like the nice in her head switched off as soon as that other girl showed up. She have something against her or what?”)
The remaining maid turned to face her and bowed a full ninety degrees. “I SINCERELY apologize that you had to witness that. All of the servants here at the Ardor house pride themselves on being the finest artisans and attendants in the country. To have such a novice with us for so long is a blemish on our name, a blemish!”
Sunset held up her hands, shaking her head, “No, no, it's fine, really! I, uh, don't even drink tea that much!”
She whipped back up into a standing position, causing her to jump a little. “Even still! Unlike you, that little miscreant has simply no desire to better herself, even after being under my care for so long! And for a beloved guest to see such incompetence is a failure on my part!”
(“Trust me, she's not the one I've got a problem with.”)
Taking a small breath, Sunset said, “Like I said, it's fine. No need to raise your voice or get all, uh...heated about it. I just wanna get that interview and be out of your hair, that's all.”
The smile she had earlier was back, though it seemed much more insincere now. “Oh hohoho, I just love that about girls like you! Of course my dear! I will fetch the master now then, see you soon!”
The moment she went up the staircase, Sunset muttered to herself, “Hope it's later than sooner...”
Looking around herself, she figured all she could do now was wait. Turning to her left, she walked over to the fireplace area and plopped down into one of the chairs, sinking into its cushions. She let her arms hang off the armrests and slouched, sighing and grimacing. The seat she was in had an old, musty odor that sprang up the moment she sat down.
“Ugh, I don't even know what I'm doing here...what am I supposed to ask when he shows up? 'Hey, your dead daughter showed up in my dream and killed me. Oh by the way, I'm her doppelganger from another dimension, nice to meet you.' I just, ugh...”
The cynicism in her voice wasn't making her feel any better. She let her eyes wander, taking in the immaculate atrium she was sitting in.
“Wonder what Golden Ardor does to pay for all this. Everything in here looks like it could take care of my bills for the next five years. And it's all cleaned and maintained too, I bet I could even see my reflection in the floor...hm?”
Sunset straightened up in the chair, looking to the right of the staircase. At the far end near the corner, the last door in the row was completely boarded up. Squinting her eyes slightly, she could see the nails were rusted and the wood was weathered. Whatever was behind that door was sealed up long ago.
“Well that looks suspicious. Looks like Mr. Ardor's got something to hide.”
----
(Clink)
Sunset snapped back up, a sudden clinking noise breaking her out of her small reverie. The trembling maid from earlier was standing to her right, setting down a steaming teacup with a plate onto the coffee table in front of her. Looking over, she saw her holding a rectangular silver tray close to her chest. Taking a controlled, deep breath, the maid said, “N-now, um...would you like some...um...sugar...milk, o-or...uh...uhhh...!”
Sunset finished her sentence for her, “It's honey. Some pon – people typically like milk, sugar, or honey with their tea. Though whatever you give me is fine, I don't really touch the stuff. Just give me a soda any day.”
She took the teacup and plate, blew on it a little, and took a sip. Though moments later, her eyes bugged out like she was choking. The beverage was hot, bitter, and made her retch.
(“Bleh! On second thought, maybe I should have asked for some sugar after all...”)
“Say, um...how did you know?”
“Hm?” She quickly choked down whatever disgusting taste was left in her mouth before making eye contact with her.
“Th...the tea. That's what the other maids tell me to ask about all the time when serving tea. I-I mean, the exact same things. How did you know?”
“Oh.” She set the cup back down, “I used to live in a high-class place, myself. I'd overhear all the waitresses and butlers and whatever ask about what everyone wanted in their tea, and, those three things always came up. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure why you'd mix milk and water in the first place. Seems kind of weird.”
“O...oh...” The maid's mouth scrunched up as she looked away.
“Hey...” Sunset stood up, “Pinfeathers, right? I think this is the first time I've heard you talk without stuttering. Are you feeling any better?”
The maid jumped and turned her body away without breaking eye contact, still clutching the tray close to herself. “I – guh – I'm suh-so sorry! I d-didn't want t-to annoy you too! It's juh-just, I, urk...!”
Sunset held her hands out, “Hey, relax! You're not annoying me, I'm just wondering if anything's wrong! Calm down, alright?!”
On the outside, it looked like the poor girl was on the verge of tears. Taking another shaky breath, the maid fully faced her once again while looking at the floor. “I'm...sorry. Again. It's true, I have stuttering problem. B-but I only get this way when I'm nervous, honest!”
(“When are you not nervous?”)
She cleared her throat, “Anyway, can I ask you about that door at the end of the hall? Why is it all boarded up like that?”
“Oh, you mean the east wing?” Pinfeathers glanced behind her at the sealed door. “Well...it's been like that ever...ever since I started staying here. The servants are strictly forbidden from entering the east wing. As for why, I think it's because...well...”
“Pinfeathers, what are you still doing here?”
The maid jumped and her eyes went wide. Fumbling with the tray in her hands, she skittered over to the left of the staircase and bowed at a forty five degree angle, her eyes and mouth scrunched up and trembling. “I...I'm so suh-sorry Master Ardor! I w-w-was o-only trying to keh-keep our guest entertained!”
Sunset's attention was drawn to the top of the stairs and the source of the deep, booming voice. She closed her mouth and swallowed, steadying her nerves.
(“That's him, huh? Golden Ardor.”)
Miss Eiderdown stood next to him, hands folded in front of her. As he came to the bottom of the stairs, Sunset felt her hands grab her elbows. The man must have been at least seven feet tall. He had broad shoulders and stood upright with his neck straight, casting an air of dignity as he walked. His complexion matched his italian style saffron colored suit, though the shade was slightly different. His thinning periwinkle hair was slicked back, and the lines on his face showed both his age and wisdom. Walking over to the smaller maid, he placed his right hand on the top of her head, caressing it.
“(Sigh), Miss Eiderdown here told me that you had trouble remembering the tea once again. Why can't you remember what I've told you in situations like this?”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. For whatever reason, his hand was completely and meticulously bandaged from his wrist to his fingers.
“You must maintain your composure, even in the greatest moments of duress. If you allow your stress to overwhelm you, you will make mistakes. Mistakes that you won't always be able to correct. Why can't you understand that?”
Pinfeathers shook once and nodded, not saying a word. Ardor sighed once again, “Go on back to your duties, then.”
He placed his hands in his pockets as he walked past her and towards Sunset, the smaller maid running off once again. Not knowing what to do with her arms at first, she threw them behind herself and stood rigid, steeling herself. Taking a slow, deep breath, she looked the tall man in the eye and said, “Th...thank you so much for meeting with me! My name is S...Inkwell! As Miss Eiderdown must have already told you, I'm here to ask for an interview for the school paper!”
For a few agonizing seconds, he simply stood there, studying her face with his mouth slightly open and his brow creased. Sunset could feel a bead of sweat drip down the side of her head as she stared back. Feeling like the silence was becoming too uncomfortable, she prepared to say something, only to be cut off.
“Send her away,” he said dismissively, closing his eyes turning back around. “I've no desire to talk about what every news outlet has repeated over and over.”
As he walked back up the stairs, Miss Eiderdown placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head. “Ohh, what a shame. Well, I cannot deny an order! Out with you now! Out!”
The larger woman then walked up to Sunset and spun her around, pushing her towards the front door with that same complacent smile on her face. Feeling a wave of uneasiness overcome her, she craned her neck towards the staircase once again and called out, “Please! J-just give me a few minutes! I have to ask you about your daughter! PLEASE!”
She saw no reaction out of him as she was pushed back into the cool, autumn air, the door slamming behind her with a click. Sunset reacted by running back and slamming her fists against the door, stopping herself short before she starting pounding on it. The last thing she wanted to deal with was the police being called on her for harassment. She opted to softly bang her forehead on the wood, her eyes screwed shut and her teeth clenched.
“What am I going to do?” she breathed, her fists sliding back down to her sides. “She's going to come after me again, I just know it. I don't know what I'm going to do if she does...!”
She didn't want to admit or acknowledge it, but Sunset could still smell the stench of burning ash. She wasn't sure if it was her mind playing tricks on her, but whenever she forgot about it, or if there was a lapse of silence, the smell always came back. Light, airy, but just enough to remind her of that horrid night. Sunset grasped her face, breathing out erratically into it.
“Well...nothing I can do here now...”
She let her hand drop limply and turned to walk back through the gate, practically dragging her feet. She didn't know where she was going next, but she knew she couldn't stay here.
(creak) “Wh-wait! Miss Inkwell, stooop!”
Sunset turned her head back to see Pinfeathers closing the door behind her, running to where she was standing while holding her dress up. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, “Huh? What are you doing here? Don't you have a mountain of work to do or something?”
The girl stumbled to a stop, gasping for breath and bending over to rest her hands on her knees. “Well...(gasp)...I do, b-but...(gasp)...I still have to...(gasp)...answer your question, so...I took my fifteen...”
Sunset's eyes widened in realization, remembering that she was about to say something about that door. “Oh, that's right! While you're at it, could you...uh?”
The maid was still gasping for air. Her glasses were fogged up, she was red in the face, and sweat was dripping onto the cobblestone below. She reflexively put a hand out as she said, “Hey, are you alright? You've been stressing out and running around all this time, you need a second?”
She snapped back up at attention, rapidly smoothing her skirt out and replying with wide eyes, “N-no, ah-I'm p-p-perfectly fine! I-I don't need...need...I don't need any rest! Please don't be...don't be...upset with...”
“Hey, calm down!” Sunset retorted. “I only asked you if you needed a minute to catch your breath, why do you think I'm mad at you?!”
“You...you aren't?” Pinfeathers looked at her, still breathing hard. She continued to stare until she had calmed down, crossing her hands over her chest and looking away. “Oh...I didn't know. I thought you'd be mad because I didn't fulfill your request at the time.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Uhm...I've been living at Apollo Manor for around six years now. And I've always been taught that every servant's entire purpose is to make sure the master and any guests that arrive are properly attended to. If we can't fulfill that purpose, then, well...” She paused, shuffling her feet. “A-an-anyway, that means I don't want to refuse anyone's request. I...I mean, I can't, I seriously can't. If I don't, then...then I can't make anyone happy.”
Sunset grimaced, lightly gritting her teeth. (“Jeez. Something's going on in this place, and I'm not sure if I want to know what.”) She sighed softly, trying to look for comforting words when her eyes widened slightly, like a light bulb went off in her head. “Wait a minute...did you say six years?”
Pinfeathers looked back at her and nodded. “Mhm.”
Sunset held her hands out, “Then, you were living here when the fire happened?!”
She jumped a little, “Huh?! Uh, n-no! I moved in a month after...after...that happened!” Her eyes scrunched shut, “I'm so sorry! Miss Eiderdown told everyone that we're forbidden from talking about the fire, or-or the east wing on the premises! I could lose my job and my home!”
(“Oh. That would explain why she looked so scared when Mr. Ardor suddenly appeared.”) She let her hands fall to her sides, “Alright, alright, I'm sorry I brought it up, it's just...um...”
As far as they all knew, the only reason she was here was to find a story for the school paper. If she pressed the issue any further, she'd be coming off as a selfish, insensitive paparazzo. And yet, this girl could possibly be her only chance at any sort of information regarding the incident six years ago. She had to find a way to coax the answers out of her.
“Listen...you have to tell me everything you know about the fire. I know you're not supposed to, but please. It's more important to me than just some dumb news story.”
“Okay.”
“You're the last person I can talk to about this, there must be something you – wait, what?” Sunset was taken aback. She was fully prepared to literally get on her knees to find out what she knew, yet she just agreed without any hesitation.
“It's fine. I don't think anyone can hear us out here, a-and, um...” She adjusted her glasses, “I can't refuse a request from a guest. I don't know too much, but I can tell you what I've heard over the years.”
Sunset placed a hand over her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. (“Alright...I've got one last chance. Better make it count.”) Taking a step forward with renewed vigor, she said, “Then, then please start with the east wing. From what I've heard you say so far, that's where that boarded up door leads. Why is it sealed off? And why aren't you allowed to talk about it?”
Pinfeathers bunched up her hands in front of herself, trying to keep her voice steady. “Because that's where the fire started. Miss Eiderdown says we aren't allowed to talk about the fire because it would upset the master. As for why it's sealed off, I...can't really tell you. Master Ardor never had the east wing repaired or renovated. He simply had all the doors in the mansion that led to the east wing blocked off and left it alone.”
Sunset rested her elbow in her palm, stroking her chin. (“Weird...it's not like the guy doesn't have the money to fix the place, either.”)
“...which is kind of strange, now that I think about it,” The maid continued, looking upwards and putting a hand on her cheek. “If he blocked off all the doors inside, why does he still go in there from time to time...?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
She made eye contact with Sunset again, “Well, um...one of the walls on the outside crumbled away from the fire. And...and sometimes I see Master Ardor going inside there while I'm weeding the lawn. Though I haven't seen him do that in a long while...”
She crossed her arms, looking away and huffing softly through her nose. “Okay, now it's starting to sound suspicious...”
“H-hey! Don't say that about the master!”
Sunset jumped and looked at her again, eliciting nearly the same reaction out of the other girl in front of her, only with a squeal. After standing there and shaking for a second, she crinkled her mouth and blurted out with balled fists, “I...I know whu-what you're thinking and you're wrong! I've s-served under Master Ardor long en-nough to know that he would nev...n-never do anything like that! He's, he's a...he's...a good person!”
“Hey! Slow down, what are you talking about?!” Sunset retorted.
“He's a philanthropist, a-and a musician, and...and he's just a man with too big of a heart! The police already made sure he didn't do anything wrong! Not him, n-not never! Nuh-not only that...!”
Her eyes were clenched shut as she continued her spiel. Ordinarily, Sunset would have yelled at her to stop by now, but the way she was trying to look intimidating only served to defuse the situation. What with her stamping a foot down, the way she was flailing her arms about, her angry eyes behind those soda bottle lenses, this girl was just acting too adorable. Sunset was afraid of her cheeks turning red from trying not to smirk in front of her. Waiting until she was out of breath again, she quickly shook her head and said, “Okay, okay, I think I get what you're trying to say, but I'm not really following too closely. Was there someone spreading around bad rumors about Golden Ardor or something?”
The maid thrust herself into face, “Even worse! W-when the investigation started , the-the police thought the master murdered his daughter! Sunset Shimmer, his own daughter! There's even some people out there that still think that, too! It's awful!”
Sunset edged away from her, the sight of her wide eyes through her glasses making her uneasy. “Y-yeah, s'pretty awful alright...” She looked away in thought. (“Though I think it being a murder might make more sense right now than a suicide...”) Clearing her throat, she said, “Okay, then...then why did the police think it was a murder?”
She said nothing, staring into her eyes with a creased brow and a closed mouth twisted into a squiggle. Sunset sighed, “Alright, I don't think he killed anyone, honest. I've read all the articles online about the incident, and even though they didn't say much, they all said it was a suicide. I just want to figure out everything I can about all this.”
Pinfeathers continued to pout, her eyes darting left and right. After a moment, she smoothed out her apron again and said, “Uhm, well...I can't prove it at all, but I heard that Master Ardor was near the fire after it started. Since he was the only one there when it happened, the police took him in for questioning for a few days, b...but they let him go really fast. Lack of evidence, I think.”
(“Or it was never found to begin with...”)
Sunset wasn't sure if she should even be going down this path, but so far it was the only one that had any sort of plausibility to it. Every news report on the incident had stated that the other Sunset Shimmer had friends and family that loved her, and had no previous indication or warning of any suicidal behavior. However, if she really was murdered, then it would only be natural that she would come back as an angry spirit. Crossing her arms and looking at the ground, she sighed softly.
('Okay...I've got a 'who'. Now I just need to find a 'why' and a 'how' if I wanna get anywhere with this.”) She looked at the obstinate girl in front of her, steeling herself for what she had to ask next. (“I could get in so much trouble for this, but I don't know what else I can do.”) She breathed deeply before saying, “Pinfeathers, you said no one goes into the east wing, right?”
The maid's expression went back to her usual nervousness. “U-uhm, yes, that's right. If any of us were caught in there, we'd be fired on the spot.”
Sunset let her arms fall to her sides and balled her fists. “Then...could you show me where that hole in the wall you mentioned was? I, um...”
She could feel her palms become clammy as she struggled to finish her thought. “...I want to take a look around.”
“W-w-whaaat?!” Pinfeathers grasped the collar of her dress and jerked her body away, staring at her with shocked eyes.
“I-I know what I'm asking, and I'm sorry! Listen, I promise to be in and out of there in, ugh, I don't know...fifteen? Y-yeah, fifteen minutes! If I get caught, I promise not to say anything about you helping me! Please?”
“...okay.”
Sunset nearly bit her tongue in stopping herself. Her response was quick and flat, her eyes were wide and twitching, and she was still holding that same defensive position, breathing in short gasps. Though she was desperate to track down any clues to the other Sunset Shimmer's death, she beginning to feel like she was somehow extorting this poor maid. It would be the second time she would be risking her job and her home, just for the sake of a complete stranger. Why wasn't she even questioning her requests, even if just for a second?
“I'll lead the way,” Pinfeathers said, turning towards the mansion. “B-but please stay out of sight. I d-don't wh-wan-want anyone to s-see us...”
----
Sunset was led around the mansion's yard, hugging the walls and ducking under windows as needed. The maid in front remained silent, her hands folded in front of herself as she walked. After close to five minutes of walking, she began to notice that the lights were no longer on in the windows, and that they were either covered in black soot, or broken. Some parts of the siding on the mansion walls were chipping away, and some had crumbled altogether, revealing a solid brick interior, worn by age and neglect. After rounding a corner, she saw her promised destination, running past Pinfeathers to see inside for herself. Coming to an uneasy stop, she set her jaw and swallowed.
(“Jeez...it's really dark in there...”)
True to her word, the wall to her left had indeed crumbled away, leaving a hole around two meters wide and three meters high. Brick, mortar, and wood all laid strewn about in piles on the ground, while clouds of dust particles could be seen scattered in the sunlight close to the inside. Unsurprisingly, the edges of the hole were charred and black, with clearer evidence of fire damage visible from within. Resting her left hand on the edge of the hole, Sunset peered into the darkness.
“With the way this place looks, I'm surprised it's still standing. What's Golden Ardor thinking by leaving such a big part of his home ruined like this?” she thought aloud.
“Uh, I, I don't know. Like I said, we're not allowed to talk about it.”
She turned to face the approaching Pinfeathers, frowning and rubbing a hand behind her head. “I wasn't really asking, I was just...um...”
Sunset could see her trembling as she came to a stop. She was trying to keep her eyes down, yet she kept glancing off to the right like she had a nervous tick, while her hands were bunched up tightly in front of herself. Walking away from the hole, she stopped in front of her and said, “Hey, listen...I'm sorry I had you take me out here, really, I am. It's just...”
The thought of telling her the truth crossed her mind, just like it had with Rainbow Dash. To pull off the wig on her head like a piece of duct tape and tell this stranger she had just met her real name, if only to stave off the guilt she was currently feeling. For whatever reason, this girl was blindly fulfilling every request she had, even the ones she wasn't serious about. No matter how desperate she was, or how unintentional it may have been, Sunset was still using her.
“Look, I'm...I'm sorry,” she said, sheepishly. “I'll be honest. I'm not looking for a news story. What I'm doing here is more...well...personal. I can't exactly say what, not right now. All I can say is that I have to find out what really happened on that night six years ago.”
Pinfeathers raised her head. “Miss Inkwell? You mean, you lied?”
“I know, and I'm sorry! Unfortunately, it's something I'm pretty good at doing...” She grit her teeth and looked away for a moment before turning back. “I'm...desperate. Very, very desperate. I don't know how to describe it to you, or if you'd even believe me, but...but my life is on the line. That much I know. So please don't think I'm using you or anything. The last thing I want to do is to hurt anyone else because of my selfishness.”
The maid stood there, staring at her blankly for nearly a full minute before smoothing out her skirt again and smiling softly. “No, it's fine. You're not using me. It's my duty as a maid of the Ardor house to serve all guests to the best of my ability.” She took a small bow while keeping her neck straight, her wide eyes staring at the ground as her smile began to quiver. “A-are you, uhm...satisfied?”
Sunset raised an eyebrow, the girl's body language making her unsettled. “Uh...yeah. You've done enough for me.”
With that, Pinfeathers straightened out and turned around on her heel to head back, nearly slipping on the soot-covered earth as a result. As she walked away, Sunset couldn't help but feel a twinge in her chest, like there should be something she should be saying or doing right now. She glanced between the hole to her right and the maid walking away, hesitant that she should do anything at all. Her eyes closed firmly for a second before they snapped open again.
“Hey, wait a second!” she found herself calling out.
The maid ducked her head down slightly as she spun back around, shaking like a leaf. “Oh n-n-no, I did suh-something wrong, di-didn't I...?!”
“No, it's nothing like that! I just, uh...”
She shouldn't be doing this. Every second she stood outside here put the both of them in danger of being caught. But the moment she caught a glimpse of those glassy, fearful eyes as she took that bow, she knew she couldn't just leave things be. Though at the same time, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to say in a situation like this. Mentally fumbling with words was fruitless, she couldn't even form a question appropriate for the moment. As she took a slow, deep breath, she was suddenly reminded of how a certain, shy friend of her's would've handled this. And it made things significantly simpler for her.
“...why are you just helping me without even asking questions?”
“Huh? I d-don't really understand what you mean.”
Sunset brought a hand up to her temple, rubbing it. “Well, I just asked you to help me with breaking and entering. Not to mention I had you talk about something that can get you fired. I think anyone else in that situation would've just pushed me out the door like Miss Eiderdown did, but you kept helping me out without even batting an eye. Why is that?”
“...because it's my duty to obey. I'm not supposed to ask questions, I just follow orders. If I didn't, I'd upset everyone around me. I don't want that.”
Pinfeathers' gaze was stern as she spoke, and her speech was the clearest she'd ever heard. Sunset rested her right hand on the wall, looking away confused.
“Oh...” She made eye contact again, “Well...I guess you should get out of here. I'll be in and out as fast as I can. I just hope I can make it around here without getting lost...”
She remained still until the maid rounded the corner again, her thoughts tugging away at her heart. There were certainly more things she could have said to console her, more things she could have asked to find out what was troubling her, yet she ran out of words. She was torn between finding out the truth of her tormentor, and making a perpetually anxious maid feel better. Vigorously shaking her head, she said out loud, “No...no, I can't worry about her. Not right now. Not when she gave me this chance. I've gotta look around this place before I get caught.”
Turning around and putting her hand on the edge of the hole once again, Sunset stepped over the piles of debris and into the ruined building. The smell of moist ash once again reasserted itself, as a cool, gentle breeze blew from within like a living creature. Glaring into the darkness, she forced herself forward, the boards beneath her feet creaking and cracking.
----
Sunset spun the phone around in her hand, squinting at the unnatural light the LCD screen was emanating. Sighing, she turned the screen back towards the shadows and trudged forward down the ruined hallway, cupping her other hand over her mouth and nose.
“Already been fifteen minutes, and all I've found is dust and rubble. I'm starting to think this might've been a big mistake...”
The light from her phone didn't illuminate much, but it was just enough to lead the way, as well as reveal just how damaged this place was. The hallway she was currently in only vaguely resembled what she saw at the atrium, the only evidence of this place ever being hospitable being the broken, charred remains of the hall lamps hanging from the walls. Otherwise, all Sunset could see were burnt, ruined hallways, loosened and broken floorboards, collapsed piles of wood and brick that were once rooms, and soot covered windows that blocked out the sun. She coughed into her hand and groaned, the smell of ashes beginning to make her head swim.
“Jeez, how big was this fire, anyway? It feels like I've walked a mile's worth of these hallways, but nothing's intact. Everything's just...wrecked.”
A board snapped loudly in half under her right heel, causing her to lose her balance and fall into the wall to her right, slamming her shoulder against it. Putting on a strained expression, she rested her free hand against the splintered wood and gingerly pried her foot out of the hole she made in the floor, dusting her cardigan off.
“Oww...and I really can't afford to get a sprained ankle right now. Good thing I'm wearing boots...”
She lifted her leg and moved around her foot to check for any injuries before pressing on, coming to a stop at a cross section. The hallway split off to the right, leading into a pitch-black area of the mansion. Sunset briefly looked down it before grimacing nervously and walking straight past, not even bothering to shine her light into it.
“No way. I can barely see anything already.”
(cri-CRACK)
She stopped cold, clutching her phone close to her chest with both hands. Sounds of crunching wood resonated all throughout the building, centering itself above her. Feeling bits of wood fall onto her head, Sunset looked up, shuddering. She didn't even need to point her phone upwards to see the massive wooden beam sticking out halfway through the ceiling. Looking both forward and backward, she could see support beams breaking through the ceiling of the entire hallway, threatening to drop the entire floor on her in a matter of seconds. Knowing there was only one way out, Sunset ground her heel in the floor and spun around, sprinting as fast as she could into the darkened hallway she bypassed. With a groan and a thundering crack, the entire upper floor behind her collapsed into a heap of useless lumber and debris, the shock and force blasting into her backside and knocking her onto her face. Sunset whimpered and coughed, feeling a ringing in her ears as she pushed herself up off the floor.
(“Cough, COUGH...) Sweet Celestia...what I wouldn't give to have teleportation magic right now...!”
She scanned the darkened area for her phone, finding its dim light a little ways down the hall. Picking herself up off the ground slowly, she slowly slid over to it and collected it, making sure to keep her hands on the wall to her left. Looking at the screen, she grumbled. There was a large crack going through the center of the screen now.
(“Least it's under warranty...”)
Shaking off that thought,she turned around and shone her light down the way she came from, eliciting a small gasp from her. The hall was now completely blocked by what was left of the second floor. Support beams, bricks, wood, and ashes had all fallen into a perfect barrier. Sunset grit her teeth.
“I can't stay here. The longer I'm in this condemned building, the more of a chance I'm gonna be under one of those piles of rubble. I have to find whatever I'm looking for, and fast.”
She spun on her heel, quick to move but still careful not to run, trying her best to ignore the tension in her chest. It would only be another few feet until she came to a second intersection, the hallways going to the left and right. Deciding not to hesitate this time, she immediately turned left, only to be halted by a barred doorway. Sunset's expression slowly twisted into a mixture of frustration and despair. A brick wall was constructed inside the door frame.
“Oh you've gotta be...!”
Her caution thrown to the wind, she stormed over to the place where there was supposed to be a door and pounded a fist against it, barely feeling the pain in her hand. It was as if the house was mocking her.
“Is this supposed to be funny?! Is someone just playing a sick prank?! CAUSE I'M NOT LAUGHING!”, she yelled into the wall. Bile welled up into her throat as she smoldered, her fist relaxing and sliding down the rough bricks. Tears started to form in her eyes, but she took a deep breath and shook her head, stopping them. She had already come this far, and it was too late to let something like this stop her. Instead, she slowly took another calmer, controlled breath of air, letting the silence of the ruined mansion fill her ears.
(Drip, drip...)
Sunset's eyes widened. She twisted around and cupped a hand to her ear.
(Drip, drip...)
Now she was certain. The sound of dripping water was coming from the hallway behind her. The same dripping she had heard in her dream. The same noise with the same tempo, only this time it was coming from a discernible location. Her mouth almost curled into a smile.
“I knew it. I knew I wasn't crazy.”
Sunset pointed her phone down the hall and walked into the darkness with renewed vigor, the smell of ashes becoming stronger with every step. As she moved past the hallway she came from, she idly noticed that beyond the dirtied windows to her left was a courtyard. She could barely make out a set of concrete pathways in a cross pattern, leading to an elegant looking fountain in the center. It was just enough of a distraction for her to nearly topple over again, as her leg stamped down a foot more than it should have.
“Whu...!”
Splaying both her arms out, she quickly regained her balance before pointing her phone at the floor. Or at this point, dirt was more appropriate. The ruined floorboards stopped and gave way to an ashy, broken drop off that now showed the scorched ground beneath. Examining the hall with her dim light, she could see that the walls and ceiling were now either completely black, or burned away entirely, revealing unidentifiable spaces beyond them. Sunset swallowed, worried about how any of this was still standing. The sound of the collapsed hall behind her once again played in her head, causing her to flinch.
“No...no, I'm not turning back. I'm not!”
She briefly considered cutting her losses and smashing one of the windows to escape, yet the dripping she heard in front of her compelled her forward. Clenching her free hand into a fist, she forced her other foot down onto the damp earth and trudged forward. Various creaks and groans could be heard all around herself, yet she ignored them, focusing only on the incessant sound of dripping water. The further she walked, the louder it became. The louder it became, the quieter everything else became. Until all she could hear was nothing but falling water. Finally, Sunset rounded the left corner of yet another cross section, grinding to a halt. There was a door with a broken top hinge to her right, as well as the source of the noise that was plaguing her. It was a broken pipe branching out of the wall, opposite from the door. Walking forward with trepidation, she reached a hand out to touch it.
“...this is it?”
The pipe was quite large and thick, probably around six inches in diameter. Drawing her phone's light across it, she could see the pipe creating a perpetual puddle of water beneath it. The edges were melted slightly, yet the upper part was bent towards the door, almost intentionally. She looked between the door and the pipe, raising an eyebrow.
“Did someone tear this out of the wall to try and put out the fire? Guy must've been as strong as a buffalo,” she said, turning her head to the door. “If that's the case, then that means...”
Sunset grit her teeth. This was the source of the fire. If there were any clues about who this dead girl really was, if there was any hint as to how she died, if there was anything at all, it would be here. She walked forward, the slow sound of her steps more booming than ever, and placed a hand on the doorknob.
“...no turning back now.”
The lone hinge let out a shrill, rusty creak as the door swung inwards. An icy, cold wind blew into Sunset's face and into the exposed parts of her cardigan, chilling her to the bone. She pocketed her phone as she stepped inside, as there was light coming in from two open windows in the back. The smell was the strongest it's ever been, causing her to reflexively put a hand over her mouth.
“It's...it's all black.”
If it weren't for the miniscule amount of sunlight coming in, she would have assumed the room was larger than it truly was. Clouds of dust particles danced in the beams of light from the windowsill, flickering about wildly as the open door blew around the air. Most of the wooden panels on the walls and ceiling had long since been burned away, revealing a solid brick interior all around her. Large piles of ash and unrecognizable debris lay throughout the room in deliberate positions, and another broken door was to her right, apparently leading to a closet. Sunset walked over to a pile on her left and crouched down, running an index finger over what appeared to be a flat surface in a thirty degree angle. The object broke apart like pumice at her touch, falling to the floor in glassy pieces. Hastily standing and taking a step back, she could now tell that it was the remains of a vanity mirror.
“...what is this room, anyway?”
Taking a moment to look around herself, she stepped over to another pile of blackened debris in the right corner of the room. Upon closer inspection, she could see bits of metal coils in the center and two rectangular wooden blocks on the left and right side, respectively. She assumed this was what was left of a bed. The chill she was feeling a moment ago could be felt in her nerves now, causing her hands to shake lightly.
“Wait, this isn't...this couldn't be her room, could it...?”
Sunset eyed the door, a sudden urge to run passing through her mind. Though as she turned her head, she noticed something lying against the wall that she hadn't immediately seen. It was a steel folding chair, pristine and new, as if someone had just bought it right off the shelf. The feeling of urgency passed as she walked to it, picking it up. It made no rusty noises as she unfolded it, nor did it show any resistance. She gave it a puzzled look as she folded it back up.
“No way this thing could've survived when the fire happened. Someone brought it here for some reason. But why? Was it Golden Ardor?”
As she put it back against the wall, something fell to the ground from an unseen part of the chair, the sudden noise causing her to jump a little. Sighing softly at her own jumpiness, she crouched down and picked it up, eliciting a small gasp from her when she realized what it was. A small, filthy origami crane, singed around the edges with one of its wings burned off. She gave it a look as if it were the most unusual object imaginable.
“Cranes again? What's with these things? Why is this even here?”
Nothing was making sense. More importantly, she wasn't any closer to finding any answers. The only things she had found were ashes and frivolous items.
“No, no that can't be it. That dripping pipe outside brought me here, so there's gotta be something,” she said, walking about and scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, after five minutes of dirtying her hands, she found nothing else. Nothing intact enough to be recognizable, and nothing too unusual to be out of place. There was nothing here but ruined furniture and a single, new folding chair. Reluctantly coming to a stop in the center of the room, Sunset held the paper crane in her palm, creasing her brow as she looked at it.
“This is it, then. I came all this way to pick up a piece of paper...” she lamented, shoving it into her pocket. “Fine. Just fine. I needed an excuse to get out of here anyway.”
She pulled her phone out again and stepped out of the room, turning right down the corridor with a sour expression. It was entirely possible that there was some sort of link between everything she had discovered. Some small, innocuous detail that she paid no mind to that connected the dots. Sunset pressed a palm to her forehead and gripped her skull, racking her brain as she walked.
“A brick room, a paper crane, a folding chair, a broken pipe, some...ugh!”
As she stepped up an incline and back onto wooden floor, she slowed to a stop, trying to think of too many things at once. Taking her hand off her face and putting it on a window to her right to get it out of the way, she looked ahead with a stern gaze.
“Okay...okay. I have some...clues, I think. All of these things have got to mean something, right? I just need to figure it out somehow. I need...” She paused, her nails scratching and digging into the brittle wood. “...I need a how, and a why. How she died, and why she died. And I can worry about that when I get out of – wha?”
It was now that Sunset realized that she was staring at a bricked off doorway at the end of hall. Her head snapped to the right; a fountain and concrete path were outside. Shuffling forward slightly, she found a hallway to her left with a collapsed ceiling. She lowered her phone, her grip on it tightening.
“...how did I get back here?”
An uneasy feeling started to well up in her chest. Using that feeling to motivate her legs to move, she swayed backwards and back down the darkened hall. Her stride quickened to a power walk as she stepped down the drop off and back towards the dripping pipe. However, rather than finding it in the same hallway like she should have, it was around the left corner. Just like the way she had found it the first time. Staring at the pipe without moving a muscle in that moment, she said, “This isn't physically possible. I know I turned right after I left that room.”
She kept her eyes locked with the pipe until she walked past, a sudden sense of urgency overcoming her. Her speed increased to a jog as she reached another section of burnt off floorboards, hopping up them before she started to run. Though she found herself skidding to a stop when she saw the walled off door in the distance once again. Looking to her right, she saw the courtyard sneering at her under an orange sky past the dirtied windows.
“Let me out...” Sunset breathed, digging one her nails under a piece of wood on the window frame and chipping it off. She spun around again and began to run at full tilt, the light from her phone shaking wildly in the hallway with every step. Jumping back down onto the blackened earth, she reached the same fork she had seen two times over already, making a right turn down the hall this time. Her lungs started to hurt again as she sprinted, both from exhaustion and from the ever-present smell of ash. She came to a shaky stop right as she jumped up the drop off, her knees becoming weak as she saw what was in the distance.
“No...! No, let me out! LET ME OUT!”
The brick wall was there again. The collapsed hall was there again. That gaudy, wasteful, unnecessary fountain was there again. Looking to her right, even the window with the chipped frame was there again. Shoving her phone in her pocket while balling her other fist she exclaimed, “Okay, fine! I'll just – (gasp)!”
At this point, she had intended to forget about consequences and break one of the windows to escape. What she had not expected to find were bars on said windows. Gnarled, iron bars that she was sure weren't there before. Scrambling over and gripping them with both hands, she pushed and pulled on them uselessly, her eyes filling with desperate tears.
“Why is this happening to me?! HOW is this happening?! What did I ever do to deserve this?!”
Her eyes went wide and her pupils contracted upon realizing the irony of her question. Sunset stopped struggling and slowly slumped to the ground and on her knees, her hands still lightly gripping the window bars. She scrunched her eyes shut, squeezing out the tears.
“...this is punishment, isn't it? This is what I get for being so self-absorbed...”
She weakly lifted her head to look out the window, to see how beautiful the world looked. Outside, she could see birds flying overhead, flitting about from place to place. The sky shone with a brilliant orange marmalade color, and clouds lazily drifted by without a care. On the ground, there were trees growing in each corner of the courtyard and -
“That's...not right.”
Something was off. She stood back up and poked a finger past the bars to wipe the glass, taking a closer look at the courtyard. At first glance, it appeared ordinary and mundane enough, though upon taking a closer look, it didn't look right at all. The colors were flat and opaque, the sky was the wrong color for this time of day, and the trees were somehow growing both apples and oranges. Rather than seeing the real world in front of her, it was closer to a three-dimensional painting than what passed as reality. Sunset took a step back from the window, breathing out, “Where am I...?”
(tep)
She froze, hearing the sound of bare feet approaching behind her. Sounds of whispers started to fill her head, quiet at first, yet becoming louder at a delicate pace, the voices talking over each other in an incoherent walla. Sunset started to breathe erratically, as the ashy smell that had been plaguing her was becoming hot. Spinning around with more force than necessary, she fell to the ground, her knees failing to support her. Standing in the collapsed hallway was the other Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset struggled to breathe. She couldn't move. She couldn't even think straight. Her was mind awash of panic and fear, blaring in her mind like garbled white noise. Her hands gripped her elbows as she wrenched her body away, curling into a ball against the wall. For a brief moment, she considered that she might be dreaming again, yet the pain from her nails digging into her skin reminded her that she was indeed awake.
“Please...n-no...!”
The other Sunset ambled towards her with an inhuman gait, bowlegged and shoulders slumped back, her faceless head lulled to one side and her arms hanging limply. Small embers sparked up from her feet with every step she took, the air around her filling with dots of flame. Her movements were strained, forced. As if every joint in her body were tangled up in an invisible string, directing her every move. Her neck straightened suddenly with a bony crack and her torso twisted, raising her right arm towards the cowering girl, her hand limp. Sunset shrieked.
“NOOOOOO!!!”
She jerked to the left and scraped at the floor with all four limbs, struggling to get to her feet, grunting and screaming in a raspy voice. She knew what would happen if she touched her, and would give anything to never experience that kind of pain again. Sprinting down the darkened hall, she tripped over the drop off and fell, covering her entire front side with moist ash. Fortunately, she only let herself be down for half a second before clamoring to her feet and running again, slamming her hands into the wall at the end of the hall to stop herself. She looked left and right, feeling a sinking feeling in her gut.
“Where do I go, WHERE DO I GO?!”
She was trapped. No matter what hall she took, she would be taken back to the dead end. Back to the monster that wanted to burn her alive. It was as if the mansion itself was trying to kill her. Desperate and with no other options, Sunset bolted back into the burnt out room, hoping that she could escape through the windows there. Though she quickly found that they were also adorned with twisted metal bars as well, with an ill-red light shining through the cracks. She gripped the sides of her head as she blankly stared at the imprisoning shadows cast on the floor, the whispers in her mind becoming louder and louder. Flicking her head around wildly to find anything that could save her, she gasped at the sight of the broken door to her right. Gripping the handle and thrusting it open, she threw herself inside and pulled it shut, kicking up a cloud of dust and ash. She pulled the sleeve of her cardigan over her hand and covered her mouth, doing everything in her power not to cough and wheeze.
The closet door's top hinge was broken and the bottom was bent, causing it to hang at a wide angle. Sunset pushed her body into the corner adjacent to the entrance and out of sight from the gaps, trying to quiet her violent gasping.
(Pleasedon'tfindmepleasedon'tfindme)
Her lungs burned with pain as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart beat wildly in her ears, making her feel like her tired body was giving away her hiding spot. Outside the door, she could only hear the creaks and groans of decaying wood. Her eyes scrunched shut as she strained her ears to hear anything else, yet the whispers in her head made it impossible focus.
(Don'tdon'tdon'tdon'tdon't)
As her breathing started to return to normal, Sunset slid a hand into her pocket and pulled out her compact, clicking it open. Whimpering, she forced an eye open and pointed the mirror towards one of the gaps in the door.
(Please, don't - )
Suddenly, the crescendo of whispers ceased. A deafening silence enveloped the room. Outside the closet, she still heard nothing. She held her breath.
(tep)
Charred fingers peeked out from past the door frame, grasping it slowly and methodically. In the mirror, Sunset watched in silent horror as her double took a step into the room. Suddenly convulsing, her body slumped forward and fell, making a sickening and fleshy thud as she hit the ground. As she lay there face down, her elbows raised off the ground first, the rest of her body literally lifting itself back into her disjointed standing position.
(...ulp)
Sunset wanted to throw up. This was the first time she could look at her with a steady eye. She could now clearly see just how pronounced her burns were, how tattered and filthy her nightgown was. She could see the bits of ash falling out of the massive hole in her head, and how inhumanly mechanical her motions were. Though as ghastly as her appearance was, the implications of it made her even sicker. This was a dead girl. And for whatever reason, this was how she was presenting herself. As a burned, shambling corpse.
(sh)
An involuntary gasp escaped her lips as the other Sunset turned her body in her direction. She bit back the gasp and continued holding her breath, trying to keep her quaking body as still as possible. In the mirror, she could see her amble to the center of the room, turning her torso to look around the room without moving her head. She hung her body forward and lifted her arms out to her sides, waving them slowly around like she was feeling the air. These jerky movements persisted for a moment as her body starting to slow. Eventually, she came to a complete stop, frozen in an unnatural state like a mannequin.
(...what is she doing?)
Sunset nearly gasped again as she suddenly flailed around in place, her body going back into the pose she was initially in when she was found in the hallway. The wraith took a single step backward, and the tension in her chest began to fade. Biting into her cardigan and feeling needles in her throat, she kept the air in her lungs and her eyes glued to the mirror, watching her back out one errant step at a time. The moment she was out of sight, she breathed out evenly through her nose and scrunched her eyes shut, now focusing on her footsteps in the dirt. In her head, there were no other noises other than the slapping of mud and ash becoming quieter. When they had finally vanished, her muscles relaxed and her hand fell away from her mouth.
“She's gone,” she breathed. “I'm safe. I'm...safe...”
Her body felt weak. The crash of adrenaline was hitting her like a freight train, her breath coming out in short gasps and her limbs feeling like noodles. The feeling of her muscles relaxing immediately after being tense for so long made her feel like she wasn't going to be moving for a while. Her vision started to become blurry as she stared at the filthy closet floor, a small yawn coming out of her mouth.
“Oh yeah, I...didn't get any sleep last night...”
Sunset pushed herself into the corner and rested her head against the wall, her eyelids falling against her will. In moments, consciousness left her.
----
“Mnf...”
Bright. Everything around her was bright, yet not uncomfortably so. The world swished around like a pastel watercolor, taking form, yet always just out of focus.
“Wha...what's going on? Where am I...?”
It was hard to make out or understand, yet she could feel herself seated at a desk. What were once ashen walls covered in scorches and burns was a simple room not unlike anyone else's. Blank sheets of paper lay strewn about in front of her, with pens and pencils neatly organized in a cup on the right side of the desk. Before she could make any sense of what was in front of her, Sunset felt herself scoot forward and take one of the pencils out of the cup, her hand applying it to one of the sheets against her will. She wasn't in control of her body.
“Huh...? I-I can't move...?”
In any other situation she would be panicking, yet she couldn't shake the haze out of her mind. She felt lucid, sluggish. It was as if she were wading through a pool of sweet pudding, the smell and touch assailing her senses, never letting her focus.
“I...I don't...”
She felt a hand on her left shoulder. Her head craned upward, and she saw a woman smiling down at her. She wore a red, form fitting dress and a silken shawl, and her hair was done up in a formal bun. Sunset couldn't make out any of the features of her face, as the woman was just as blurred as everything else around her. All she could see was the bright, red lipstick she wore.
(“...”)
The woman's mouth moved as if she were speaking clearly, yet no sound came out. When she finished, Sunset's body paused for a few seconds before she returned her smile, her mouth also beginning to speak without a voice. However, something else began to well up inside her.
“Wha – I...”
With every soundless word she spoke, she could feel her heart becoming tighter. With every statement she made, an iron spike was slowly driving itself into her chest. And all the while, she could still feel herself calmly smiling at this woman. By the end, her hands were clammy and shaking.
“I – I don't get it...it hurts...”
The woman walked away, trailing her manicured fingernails across her shoulder as she left. As soon as she was gone, Sunset felt her arm shoot out and snatch a square sheet of paper from under the the one she originally was writing on. Her mouth crinkled and sputtered as she folded it in half.
----
Her eyes blinked open, warm tears spilling down the sides of her face. Wiping them away with a puzzled look on her face, Sunset stifled a groan, suddenly being reminded of the pain in her limbs and chest.
“What was all that? Could that have been...?”
(Boom, boom, boom...)
Distant, thundering footsteps rang in her ears, causing her body to spasm, reminding her of the filthy closet she had shoved herself into. Sunset threw her palm over her mouth and pushed against the corner again as the sounds grew louder and closer.
(“Did she come back?! What does she want with me?! Leave me ALONE!!!”)
She curled back into a ball, her eyes fixated on the crack in the door. The paneling and door frame shook with every step it took, rustling dust and ash free into the air. Whatever was approaching felt like it was much larger than before. Pulling her knees close, she steeled herself for whatever horror walked through next.
(“Wait, what?”)
Her spasms loosened upon briefly seeing a flash of bright yellow. She leaned forward, ever so slightly, and caught a glimpse of a large man in the center of the room. The same man she had spoke to just over an hour ago.
(“Golden Ardor? What's he doing here?”)
He had taken the folding chair resting against the wall and set it up in the middle, sitting himself down and resting his elbows on his knees. Sunset found herself edging closer to get a better look, leaning left uncomfortably as she watched him wring his hands together, pressing his forehead against them.
“I...I'm sorry I haven't come to visit in a while,” he said in an unsteady voice. “You would figure that six years is long enough to move on, but...” His hands clenched tighter and began to shake. “...that girl. She had your face. Your eyes. Looking back at me after all these years, so bright and...alive. It's impossible...”
Sunset gulped, dryness creeping up from her throat.
“...and I know it's impossible. I was there when the fire raged. I watched your coffin lower into that forsaken grave. I watched the woman I love slowly lose her mind, coddling those cranes, never letting go of your memory, I...!” He made a fist and pressed his palm against his head, visibly trembling now. “I can't let go either, it seems. I lost everything that night. All I ever wanted was the best for you, and now I will never have the chance. Am I starting to go mad as well? Is that why I saw you smiling up at me, because it was something I simply wanted to see again?” He drew a long, slow breath and exhaled, crossing his arms over his knees and hunched forward. “I don't know what to do with myself anymore...”
Sunset leaned back into the corner, her eyes drifting off to the side.
“I have to be better than this. For the both of us. I don't know whether or not Silver will ever come back to us, but I have to be there when she does. Just know that I miss you. Always.”
Ardor remained in that same position, not moving a muscle. Inside the closet, Sunset whimpered to herself under her breath.
(“There's no way he was the one that killed her...I can't believe I thought about accusing him.”) She huffed softly through her nose. (“But if he really didn't murder her, then how did she die? Why? What did I even come here for...?”)
Her eyes wandered out the door again, only to widen in terror. The other Sunset was standing directly behind Ardor, standing upright with her head lowered. The wraith reached out with a hand towards the back of his head as she let out an involuntary scream.
“LOOK OUUUT!!!”
Sunset burst forth from the closet tackled him, knocking the man over and kicking up a massive cloud of soot. Immediately clamoring to her feet, she pressed her back against the wall, ready to circle around and run away at a moment's notice. However, the ghostly double of herself was nowhere to be found.
“Wh-what?! Where did she - ”
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!”
She froze, bunching her hands up near her chest and clenching her teeth. Ardor slowly rose, dusting himself off and looking down at the scared girl in front of him with fury in his eyes.
“You?!” He bellowed. “I thought I made it perfectly clear that I did not want to speak with you! Have you been here the whole time?! What did you see?! Answer me!” He began to take steps towards her as Sunset stumbled over her words, turning her head away like she was about to be struck.
“I...I...”
“Do you have any idea how many laws you've broken?! I'll see to it that you'll...”
Ardor trailed off, stopping in his tracks, his arms dropping languidly to his sides. She carefully turned her head back to face him, only to see him staring at her face with confused eyes. They looked into each other's faces for a brief, deafening moment before she realized that he wasn't looking at her face. He was looking at the top of her head.
“I...I can...explain...”
Before she could say another word, Ardor's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward as his other hand ripped the wig off of her head. Sunset's head snapped back up, seeing the most despondent gaze she had ever witnessed staring back at her.
