> Silent Ponyville: Hellfire > by Sairen > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Sputtering Light > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's cold. Freezing. The room was ice and her bare feet were frozen to the floor. She was freezing, the cold seeping into her bones, arms wrapped tight around herself, trying to get warm to no avail. She wanted to collapse. She dare not put more of her skin on the ice, to be frozen. She had to stand, even as she grew weaker. All she could see was a window. A young Kiwi Lollipop talking to a young Lily Valley. "Zap was saying we should." "And bring on the curse, are you kidding?" "Help! Please, help!" She shouted, straining against the ice, trying to get their attention, anything to get free, get away, pulling harder and harder, even as she feels her skin giving in before the ice- Her body ached, her side throbbing in pain. Yet the pain did nothing to stop her tears, to slow the racing of her heart. She could only be thankful the pain was enough to wake her from the nightmare she had been trapped in. She groaned as she pushed herself up from the floor. She looked around in the dim moonlight to make sure she hadn't knocked anything over in her fall. It looked like at least she hadn't brought anything down the stairs with her. She then looked over herself. No serious signs of injury, at least as far as she could tell. She slowly stood up, wincing at the aches from newly forming bruises. She stumbled to her bathroom, turning up the light with a hiss. She moved to the sink, turning on the water to splash water on her face, to get through the fog of medication and fading adrenaline. Feeling at least a little more refreshed, she looked herself over. A scrape on her arm was bleeding, but nothing major. She cleaned it before checking herself in the mirror again, to see where else she was hurt. There was a nasty bruise forming on her hip and shoulder, but no more bleeding. She headed to her mini fridge, walking around her home, illuminated in fairy lights. She opened it, looking at the small area that acted as a freezer, holding only a few instant meals and an icepack. She stared at the pack, dreading the thought of putting it on her body, but she knew it was best for the bruises. She takes a deep breath, holds it, and finally grabs it. She'd lay down on the couch and turn on her television, connecting to the internet to watch some lets plays. She needed something with energy, and humor, and didn't require a lot of thinking. She knew she wouldn't get anymore sleep tonight and needed something to soothe her nerves. And distract from the cold of the ice pack. She hadn't been sleeping well for the last few weeks. She had tried everything. She'd tried teas and yoga and ASMR. She watched funny and happy things before bed, read books, and funny comics. She changed her diet, as much as she could afford to do. Nothing worked. Night after night, she would be plagued by nightmares. She had gone to a sleepover, and not even the presence of her friends seemed able to chase the dreams away. She had woken up and barely managed to reach Pinkie PIe's trash can to throw up. She could still remember the scent of various bits of candies mixed with bile. Everyone had worried about her and she just said she had accidentally taken a bite of a beef burger that day and just had a nightmare about it. There had been a lot of comforting after that, which she appreciated. Even if that wasn't the actual problem, the love and affection from her friends, the understanding of her being upset, had helped a lot. She had thought about telling them the truth, but hadn't gotten the nerve to at the time. She had declined sleepovers after that. She had carefully applied make up to hide the bags under her eyes, and drank a ton of coffee, doing her best to keep up appearances. She knew it wasn't working as well as she would like. The others would ask if she was fine, and she'd brush them off and she seemed to be doing well enough for them to fall for it. Except Rarity. Rarity had realized just how thick her make up was. She had given Sunset the medication. "I'm not sure why you won't tell us, darling, but with how caked on that make up is, you need sleep. I took this when I was waiting for Prim Hemline to call me back after my interview. If you won't talk to us, please at least try to get a good night's sleep?" Rarity had asked, looking at her with such concern. It always left Sunset feeling weird when Rarity showed such extreme kindness to her. Respecting Sunset's desire to not talk about it, but still trying to help. Sunset was always grateful, feeling such love for her friend. It just mixed with that bitter feeling that reminded her how it had been Rarity that caused her to target her group of friends, to hurt her chances to become princess for the Spring Fling. She didn't feel she deserved it, even though she loved it. The fact the nightmares had only made what had once been a small bitterness into what it is now was just another reason to hate them. She nodded her head, taking the offered medicine. "Okay," she said softly. "Thank you." Rarity smiled, squeezing her hand. "Of course. This is what friends do." The medicine had let her fall asleep easily, at least. Not filled with terror and anxiety like she had been the past week. But it hadn't chased away the dreams. Instead she had been stuck in the dreams, playing on and on even as fear consumed her. Until finally she had apparently tried to sleepwalk. And fell right down the stairs from her loft bed. The pain had been enough to wake her despite the drugs in her system. Sunset sighed, rubbing at her face. She was tired. She wanted nothing more than to sleep, but at this rate, her body would give before the nightmares. She had to do something. Anything. Over and over. The sound of eggs hitting the ground. Over and over. Eggs hit the ground. The sound of crying creatures echo around. She managed another half hour. She skips getting breakfast. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," Sunset said. "Just paperwork, but Spike said I should take a break. I think he had just left to make me a snack to guilt me into it," Twilight said with a sheepish look as her levitation shuffled away her papers to make room on the desk. "Though I'm not sure how much free time I have today..." "You are running a school. It looks really nice though. There were an awful lot of smiling faces when I came in," Sunset said. Twilight beamed at that. "Isn't it amazing? I mean, I know I've always been good at the academic, but I never imagined I could make so many creatures genuinely happy, who want to be here, and care about this school," she said, positively glowing. She looked so happy. So much more together than the pony who had doubted her ability when they first met, who struggled under the pressure to always have the answers. And if her emotional intelligence had started anywhere near the human Twilight's, it really was an amazing achievement. She looked so happy, it made Sunset hesitate to tell her about her troubles. "But what about you, Sunset? Why the visit?" Twilight asked as she settled in her chain again. She knew Twilight would lose that smile if she told her. Tried to explain her troubles, but she hadn't been able to sleep for so long. She had to do something, anything. "Well, I-" Sunset started. "Twilight, you really should take a break before this tea over s-oh. Sunset Shimmer, hi!" Spike said, wheeling in a cart with tea and muffins on it. "Guess I don't have to trick you to take a break in the name of not ruining tea, huh?" Twilight laughed shyly. "No, not this time," she said as he wheeled the cart over. "And I was thinking about taking a break anyway." "Uh huh," Spike said with a disbelieving look and then looking at Sunset. "How's everyone back in the other world?" He asked. Sunset smiled, trying to hold back the dread growing in the pit of her stomach. "They've been doing well. Nothing weird since the Time Twirler incident," she said. Except her nightmares. "Can you get us a spare cup, Spike? We can catch up together," Twilight said. Spike nodded, scampering off as Twilight looked at Sunset again. "So no magical problem? Then why are you here?" She asked, looking curious. Sunset wanted to tell the truth, but she felt the words stuck in her throat now. She couldn't get them out to explain. To ask for help. Because asking for help means explaining which means dashing the happiness radiating from Twilight. "Hey, nothing wrong with wanting to see my friend in person, right?" She asked. "So tell me more about the school," she said with a smile, ignoring the gnawing feeling of guilt as Twilight accepted her words and began to gush about her school. Twilight was a bust. But there was another option. "Come in," Starlight called through the door. Sunset slipped inside, making sure the door was shut tight as Starlight gasped behind her. "Sunset Shimmer!" Starlight said, hurrying from around her desk to hug her friend. Sunset returned the hug, being careful to not overbalance. It was always hard to get reused to her hooves again. Honestly, she doesn't know why she didn't come to Starlight first. The dread she felt approaching Twilight was so much less so with Starlight. Probably because if anyone would understand, it would be the other unicorn. Starlight pulled back. And paused. She frowned, looking closer at her face, causing Sunset to lean back. "Uh....?" "You're wearing make up," Starlight said. "Pretty heavy make up. Almost as good as when I had to hide my Cutie Mark from my village," she said. "....you and Rarity know way too much about make up," Sunset said. "Experience is a good teacher," Starlight said, leaning back. "What are you trying to hide?" Sunset sighed, stepping around Starlight and grabbing a tissue from Starlight's desk with her magic, pulling it closer to wipe away as much as the make up as she could without water, turning to Starlight. She sat down as she gestured to her face. "...when was the last time you slept?" Starlight asked, staring at the deep eyebags under the other pony's eyes. "Last night, but I haven't gotten a full night's sleep since the festival where we found the Time Twirler," Sunset said. "And with the time dilation....oh, wow, that's been a while. No wonder you're wearing so much make up," Starlight said, guiding Sunset to a seat to slump down in. "Do you know why?" "Nightmares. Pretty constant, persistent ones," Sunset said, accepting the blanket that Starlight had draped over her. She had a feeling this isn't the first time she's tried to just ready someone for sleep because they didn't know how to quit. She even accepted the stuffed bear being gently pressed into her arms. Front legs. Whatever. "I'm guessing you tried all the solo ways to help? Change of diet, exercise, relaxation?" Starlight asked, holding up the tea kettle in question. Sunset pondered a moment and nodded her head. At least the tea helps her nerves. "Yeah. Even tried medication humans have, a lot more potent than what ponies have without being magically induced. Just made it so I couldn't wake up from the nightmare," Sunset said. Starlight grimaced at that. "That sounds horrible." "It is. Only woke up when I tried to sleepwalk down my stairs," Sunset said, holding the bear closer. "Fine, obviously, even if I got a nasty bruise from it." "So is this you're trying counseling visit or hope Princess Luna can do something when you sleep here visit?" Starlight asked. "Because you should probably try to talk to her in Canterlot first, so she knows to check on you." The thought of Princess Luna doing anything in her dreams nearly causes her to strangle the stuffing out of the bear. "No! No, I wasn't....I wasn't looking for Princess Luna," Sunset said, swallowing hard. "And I'm...I'm not sure if counseling can help." "Why not?" Starlight asked, sorting through her tea options. Sunset looked down at the floor. "Because....because it's not like....I don't shy away from....from what I've done," she said. "I don't. I know I was wrong, and I did bad things, I've made peace with all that-" "Have you?" Starlight said questioningly. "Of course I have!" Sunset said, raising a hoof in the air. Starlight just gave her a searching look and Sunset sighed. "And even if there was some hang up, I don't....I don't think it'd result in these kind of nightmares..." she said, slumping back. "Then what were you thinking?" Starlight asked. "....there's a spell I remember. From my studies," Sunset said. "There's a few dream spells, but it was one that was said to help particularly bad cases. If you couldn't find a cause and would help quicken the recovery time." "Are you sure that's wise? This kind of thing takes time, doesn't it?" Starlight asked. "I mean, it's basically what my powers do. They let me understand someone's problem completely so I can help them. This problem just...let's me do it for myself," Sunset said. Starlight hummed, tapping a hoof to her chin in thought as the kettle whistled and she poured the tea. "Do you remember the spell?" "It's called the Mind Delve. As long as I'm remembering right, the book is ‘Dreams: A Psychological Understanding.' It's something like that," Sunset said. Starlight paused at that. "You remember that after all these years?" She asked, hovering the tea over to Sunset. Sunset shrugged. "I've always been good at memorizing things. That's how I got through the time loop, just memorized everything I thought was important, and spells were important," she said. "Not to mention learn everything I needed to pass for a regular High School Student. Cut it real close with History." Starlight whistled. "That's a good point," she said and shook her head with a sigh. "You know, it's a real shame you, Twilight, and me didn't know each other as foals. We probably could have made magical history. Well, more than we have already. If Earth ever records your magical findings," she said. Sunset chuckled. "Let's be fair, we would have torn each other apart," she said. "Yeah, probably," Starlight said. "Are you sure about this?" Sunset nodded. "The problem is, I can't see the sources for the dreams, not exactly. If I could get a clear picture, then maybe I can find something that does help. But I can't exactly use my geode on myself," she said. Starlight still looked uncertain, but sighed. "All right. I'll go retrieve the book. You try and relax here, okay? You look like you're about to fall over." Sunset nodded. "I will," she said, bringing the tea closer to take a sip. Starlight left to head to the library and Sunset waited, curled up in the chair. Warm and rather cozy, relieved that maybe, maybe something will work. Laughter ripped from burning lungs as the world burned around her. The world was full of noise, from her mania, the crackle of flames, and the screams of the burning buildings around her. A hand grabs at her skirt and she looked down to see Juniper, looking no older than ten, half her body burned. "H....help....help..." She begged. She reached down to take Juniper's hand, lifting her up. "Don't worry," she cooed. "Your suffering ends now," she said, her other clawed hand lashing out and slitting her neck. She felt the blood spray against her skin. Then things were dark. Cold. There was crying. "Why....?" A weak voice called. "Why did you do all this?" Rarity was in the corner, clothes shredded, bruised and bleeding, looking at Sunset with wide, wet eyes. "Oh, Rarity. It's simple," Sunset said, reaching out to touch her cheek with gentleness. "It's because I can. You see, you're weak. The only time you have power is when you have others with you. As soon as they're gone, you're nothing," she said. Rarity sobbed. "J-just because you can doesn't mean you should! They were important to you! How could-how could you-to them-to me?" "Because this is how it was always going to be, but don't worry, Rarity. I'm not a monster. I'll make it quick." Sunset awoke with a jolt as the door slammed open. "If you want to talk about future career options, please schedule an appointment in advance! I'm with someone!" Starlight called before quickly shutting the door behind her with a sigh. "Seriously, you'd think if they were that worried, they wouldn't schedule last minute," she said with a huff as she moved over towards Sunset. Pausing as she saw her on the ground. "Uh. You okay?" "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Sunset said, quickly sitting up. "You're crying," Starlight pointed out. Sunset quickly wiped at her face. "I just...I fell asleep," she said. "Oh. Wow, that is serious, I was only gone twenty minutes," Starlight said, offering up her tissues to let Sunset wipe her face. "Yeah. Yeah, they are," she muttered. "Well, I found the spell. Are you sure you don't want to try anything else first? Some of these spells can let me see nightmares, maybe I could do what you do?" Starlight asked. The very thought made Sunset want to throw up. Murder amongst ponies was a rare thing. Even Sunset, in all her megalomania, never had an actual bloodthirst, not until she had put on Twilight's crown. Hadn't wanted to burn anyone alive like she had in her dreams. Exposing Starlight to that impulse was the last thing she wanted to do. "No. I think the Mind Delve is our best best." Starlight huffed, but nodded. "If you think this will help, then we'll give it a shot. What's the worse that can happen?" She said, opening the book. "You're right. It's recommended for patients whose nightmares that are persistent with no obvious root cause and can help accelerate recovery in extreme cases. And it's pretty simple to cast. Are you ready?" Sunset nodded. "Yeah. As ready as I'll ever be," she said. "Okay," Starlight said, reading over the spell again and gathering the magic in her horn, before tapping Sunset's forehead. It's a sensation somewhat akin to when Sunset sees someone's memory. The feeling of being thrown into another time and place, seeing things through anothers eyes, minus the feelings, and far more disorientating. Instead of going from point A to point B, it feels she's been jerked this way and that, hitting points L D F Z until she's finally at B. She stumbles several steps, falling to her knees. Her human knees. Looking up and finding herself in Canterlot High School's library. Everything seemed fine, just dark. Thanks to the thick fog she could see outside the window, more than likely. She slowly got to her feet, looking around. "Hello?" She called, listening for any response. She hadn't been sure what she was expecting. Maybe something much like her powers, leading her through whatever memories she needed to understand what her issues was, much like it did for others. Perhaps a visit into her mindscape, but that....didn't feel quite like this was it. Usually a mindscape should have things that represent her and while she could see CHS being part, she didn't think it'd be this....simple. At least a fusion with Canterlot's library instead of just the school's. Something pony and human. She walked around, looking for signs of movement or anything strange when she spots it on the table. Her tote bag. She moved to it quickly, opening it, expecting her usual items. Instead, all she sees is a flashlight and a portable radio, much like one she had won in a bet her first week on Earth. Listening to the radio to try and learn more about the place she had found herself in. Odd as it was, she decided it was best to keep her bag with her, heading out of the library to see if she could find anyone else. Walking the deserted halls, starting to notice a few oddities. Lockers were left open, posters peeling from the wall, not quite up to standard. Odd. But nothing too noteworthy. Then she reached the main hall. Seeing a large, wrought iron gate over the front doors, blocking her way out. > Sparking > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunset pulled hard at the iron gates to no avail. She sighed after a few more tugs before looking them over more closely. They were locked tight and surprisingly sturdy compared to usual school locks. What was truly odd was the fact there wasn't even an obvious keyhole. All there was, were three recesses that seemed like they were supposed to have something. A seven petal flower, a kite, and a circle. She couldn't find a way to really manipulate whatever mechanism there might be to unlock the door. But it was the only clue she had to go off of for finding a way to open the door. There was something about the shapes that were familiar though. She just couldn't put her finger on what. She sighed, looking around the main hall. Now that she was really paying attention, it wasn't just the school was dark and a little disarrayed, it also seemed....old. Worn. Even the wall by the front door showed signs of age even though she just rebuilt it shortly after the Fall Formal. She's passed this spot hundreds of times, and the paint never quite matched the old wall, but now it all seemed weathered the same. If this place was her mindscape, it was even odder. Old and worn out isn't something she'd usually apply to her own brain. So what was the deal? She sighed, looking at the door. Logically, she could probably just break a window and be done with it, but she supposed if the Mind Delve decided to give her a puzzle, she should solve it. It's not like she had any better ideas. She looked towards a bulletin board nearby. She pulled off the school map, usually left up for guests, and took a pen leftover for signs up for play auditions. Another oddity she noted was the auditions for Bedazzled, the school play her friends and she had all helped put on. "Is it because it's my mind?" She murmured. Probably. It made the most sense, remnants from a memory. She took a look around the main hall, but upon seeing nothing else out of place, she decided to begin her search of the school, ready to mark off rooms. She imagined it'd take a while to make it through everything. And found out it may not take near as long as she feared. Mostly because as soon as she tried opening up classrooms, she would often find doors were jammed shut. She tested the first few, thinking maybe the door was sticking, but no amount of throwing her shoulder into it or pulling on the doorknob got any results. She hoped that meant it'd save her time and that what she needed wasn't stuck behind one of those doors. She'd continue on, testing doors, pushing open doors of open lockers, and marking off what she'd look into. There was little of note until she came across something odd in one of the lockers. She was sure she was imagining it, pulling it out to have a closer look. "You must pay more attention to your surroundings, Sunset Shimmer," Celestia said, pressing the wet compress to the burn on Sunset's hoof. "Hold that a moment," she advised. Sunset did as instructed, letting her own magic hold it as her mentor looked for something. It was harder than it would be normally, with the pain throbbing through her leg, but not beyond her. "I didn't realize how hot it had gotten," Sunset said, voice tight with pain. As soon as Celestia found what she was looking for, she took over again and floated over a brown bottle. "Drink this," she said, unscrewing the lid. "I know you're used to heat, but that's all the more reason to be mindful. Just because Philomena doesn't burn you doesn't make you immune to fire." "I know, I know," Sunset muttered as she drank the medicine with a grimace. "Ugh. What is that?" "A drink made from a Zebra recipe. It won't heal your burn, but it'll relieve the pain and boost your own system. It should make our trip to the hospital far less painful for you," Celestia said. "I guess there's some crossover," Sunset said as she stared at the Heath Drink. It certainly wasn't something in the human world, any drinks for generic 'health' would usually have some trendy name and rarely be anything effective. But she remembered this bottle, she was sure it was the one from Equestria. She wasn't sure why it was here, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to take with her, putting it in her tote bag before moving on. Trying to focus on the task at hand. It was just...it had been some time since she had even thought about Philomena. She wondered if the phoenix was all right. Obviously, still alive, she was sure nothing would happen to her in Celestia's care. But...she had to wonder if the phoenix had missed her. She hadn't even said good-bye before she came to the human world. And she had barely been able to talk to Celestia for the sake regaining the memories of her friends. Let alone to even think about asking after the phoenix. Maybe she'd have the nerve once she was done with this. She knew her mentor has forgiven her, but that hadn't made talking to her that much easier. She was just no longer worried she'd be thrown into the dungeon forever. She shook her head. "Focus, Sunset Shimmer," she muttered, trying another door, not truly surprised when it opened. If this place was running on her memories at all, it made sense this door would open. It was the music room, after all. What she wasn't expecting, however, were all the mannequins. She stepped back to check that it was indeed the music room before looking inside again. She should see the steps and speakers of the room. Some of the instruments. It did seem to be the music room, just with... Mannequins. Sure, there's been one or two dressforms for Rarity to do outfit work while they were working on Rainboom things, but not a full form mannequin like these. Well, like these if they were in good shape. Most of them were obviously old and damaged. Missing parts of their limbs, pieces barely hanging on, blank faced heads partially caved in. And the clothes were damaged, tattered and dirty. No, definitely not the kind of handiwork that'd come from Rarity. It was all very....creepy. But it was the first room she'd managed to open, so she ventures in to look around. Checking around the mannequins and to see if they were wearing any jewelry, looking behind instruments, and inside the piano. It's not until she gets to the windows on the other side of the room that she finally sees it. A flower shaped piece of jewelry. Gold for the petals and a red gem in the middle. It was familiar to her. Very familiar. "Wait. Isn't this from my first crown?" She said aloud. Except instead of being cheap plastic, it look like it might have been real metal and a gem, or at least glass. A light static fills the air. Either way, it's the right shape and she picks it up. A familiar sensation hitting her as she makes contact, though instead of it feeling like she was seeing something in her mind, the light seemed to spread around her, filling and changing the room to show the memory from the object. "I told you people liked you," Flash said as they danced under the ever shifting lights of the Fall Formal. Sunset couldn't stop the smile that had been plastered on her face since her name was announced. She had honestly thought it was a dumb thing, signing up, but Flash had said it might be fun and really, she had done it to get him to stop bugging her about it. She never imagined she'd win, especially when she hadn't been trying. "Fine, fine, I guess you're right," she said. "This time." She added with a teasing smirk. Flash chuckled. "Hey, just because you're finally adjusting to life again doesn't mean I have to be wrong all the time, Coma Girl," he said. "Please don't call me that. I think I much prefer Princess Sunset as a nickname if anything is going to catch," she said. Part of her wondered if she was voted for out of pity. She pushed the thought from her mind. "It is a pretty good name," Flash said, dipping Sunset and actually getting a laugh out of her. "Congratulations, Princess Sunset Shimmer." Sunset just smiled wider. She could really get used to that. Sunset breathed in sharply. The static of the radio was starting to get louder, but Sunset doesn't pay attention, not quite yet. Not after that. It had been her first Fall Formal. She had arrived the spring before, managed to adjust herself to the human world, but everyone had heard about her cover story. She had to explain why she was terrible at things like basic movement and common knowledge. Extreme hospitalization seemed the best way to go. Recovering from muscle atrophy and brain damage, of course she had been struggling. It had worked. It had even brought her time to find a way to figure out the paperwork. Just needed a little more time to remember to bring it, that's all. Just look broken hearted if asked about guardians and people hesitated to ask deeper questions. As long as she made everything look fine on paper, then she was able to play off the rest. She was also pretty sure she had been voted princess of the Fall Formal out of pity for that. She had been more focused on trying to catch up and not look like a constant idiot over socializing. The static grew louder. Flash probably went out of his way to get people to think to vote for her. Wanting to make her feel better. He had always been kind, far too kind for the likes of her, but even if that first crown had led her down a bad path, the memory was still... It was still a happy one. That night had been such a good one. So much praise and a lot of fun. It had been the first party in a long time that had been about fun instead of formal social gatherings for school and Celestia. She wonders what it might have been like, if she hadn't let that pure happiness get tainted the way she did? She sighed, putting the jewel piece in her bag, reaching for the radio to see why it was buzzing when she heard a creak behind her, glancing up. A mannequin was right behind her and it's segmented hand grabbed her elbow. HATEPAINHURTWHYWHYWHYWHYBETRAYALGUILTLIESLIESLIESHOWDARESHEHEGOAWAYDISAPPEARLEAVELEAVELEAVEHOWCOULDSTOPITSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!!!! The rush of negative emotions was intense, driving Sunset to her knees, barely enough mental focus for her to jerk her arm away as tears sprung to her eyes from the sudden flood. It was like every negative feeling had poured into her head, leaving her struggling to get a hold of herself as she slumped back against the wall. "W-why?" She gasped, looking up through her tears, breathing labored as she tried to get a decent breath. Her eyes widened in horror as she understood what was in front of her. She saw one of the mannequins. Blank face staring down at her, one hand outstretched and the other was....it was like it was broken. The shoulder was half busted off, hanging more off its back then it's side. Which made it moving that arm look unnatural, disjointed, arm moving up more like a scorpion's tail them a proper arm. And the end of that arm was broken off, leaving it jagged and sharp and it drives that arm down right for Sunset Shimmer. Sunset barely manages to push herself from the wall, lunging across the floor to get out of the way. The Mannequin misses it's mark for Sunset's heart, but any doubt of the broken arm's sharpness vanishes when she feels the broken material slash across her arm, pain burning across the length of it. The Mannequin was turning to come after her, and there was more movement in the room. She had to run. She was already on the verge of being a wreck, she couldn't handle whatever....this was. She keeps low to the ground. There were at least two other Mannequins alive amongst the others, each with a similar broken arm hanging more off it's back, heading for her. She feels the blades arms swipe over her head as she half crawls, half lunges across the ground to get away from the...from the monsters that were trying to hurt her. Kill her. The room was filled with the static of the radio, the creaking of artificial limbs, and her own choked breathing. Never before had the music room felt so big. A Mannequin lunges for her, the good hand outstretched and no, she can't be touched again. If she had another emotional onslaught like before, she wouldn't be able to run, the other two would get her for sure. She grabs an acoustic guitar from the wall she finds herself against, throwing it up in defense as the Mannequin's hand slams into it with a distorted screech of the guitar strings as the fingers get tangled in them. She braces her foot against the head of the guitar, kicking hard to force the Mannequin into one of the other two. They tumbled with a crash and Sunset moved. There was still a third after her, managing to avoid her throwing back the piano stool, but it gives her enough time to get closer to the door. It's getting closer and she's not sure she'll make it. She takes a risk, grabbing the arm of another mannequin and she's relieved there's no emotional attack from this one as she spins on her knees and throws it at the other to knock it down. The other two are getting up. She makes a scrambling dash to the door, grabbing the knob and throwing open the door before falling through the doorway and slamming the door shut behind her. She holds it shut, twisting the knob to make sure the tab was firmly in the slot, still on her knees, breathing hard and fast. The static of her radio quieting down quicker than her racing heart. She waited for the monster to come, taking the few seconds to get air in her lungs, to blink away the tears, trying to think of what to do, hoping the door is sturdy enough to hold them back. They didn't seem particularly strong, she should be able to hold them back. Except nothing came. No attempt at the door knob, no thud against the door, not even the sound of movement from in the room. It was... Odd. Sunset Shimmer had been on numerous magical adventures, on Earth, and back in Equestria when she was Celestia's protege. She's been chased by monsters and this silence wasn't normal. It was like they were gone as soon as she closed the door. Sunset bit her lip, slowly letting go of the doorknob, wiping at her face to clear her eyes. Still with no sign of the monsters. She pushed herself to her feet. The monsters, the odd Mannequinn's, hadn't attacked right away. Only after...after the static had started. Which was now dying down. Was the radio the thing that caused them to move? Or had it been a warning? She stared intently at the door, grabbing the door knob again and carefully, slowly, opened the door just enough to see inside. Ready to slam it shut again, but she had to know what was happening. The Mannequin was only a few steps from the door, good hand still outstretched. Like it really froze in place the moment she had closed the door. The door shifted, creaking just a bit, and it's face moved to look at her the same moment the radio static came to life. It jerked forward. She slammed the door shut. The radio silenced a moment later. Then quietly, carefully moved away from the door. So. Evil Mannequin. With stabby arms and the ability to force negative emotions into her if she let's them touch her. Maybe just their hands, but it's not something she wants to test. They also seemed to respond to sound. And her radio responded to them moving. Was it just the Mannequins? Or would it be all threats? Were there more threats? "Okay, priorities, Sunset," Sunset Shimmer said to herself, looking down at her arm with a grimace. The cut along the length of her forearm was shallow, at least enough where the bleeding was slowing, but she needed to take care of it. To avoid infection or it getting worse. The nurse's office wasn't far. She was far more cautious opening this door, looking around for any Mannequins or odd creatures before stepping inside. As she looked through the cabinets and drawers, however, the sense of dread the monstrous encounter had started, was growing exponentially. She knew the school tried to keep on top of these supplies, especially after magic had started to crop up. Considering there's been more than one explosion at the school, it was an understandable precaution to have an extra stocked nurse's office. But now, so much of the room was bare. Even after looking through everything, she had only found another two Health Drinks, a medkit, and a few other odds and ends. More than enough to treat her arm now, but hardly the norm for it and she worried why that was. "Arm first," she told herself, to keep herself focused. At least the water worked and she could clean up her arm and wrap it up with some bandages. She pondered a Health Drink, but ultimately, the pain wasn't too bad, and not something that hindered her. And she didn't know if maybe she'd need them later. That was her second priority, deciding how to go forward. She had been attacked. By monsters that had wanted to do her harm. She knew her mindscape may have been a bit of a mess, but nothing so hostile. Nothing so dangerous. Perhaps it was naive to be so hopeful, but she had been in such a better place for so long, she didn't think anything like this would be here. One part of her wanted to think there was no danger, it'd be like a dream. But psychic deaths were not impossible, and she doesn't know enough about the Mind Delve to be sure it wouldn't have some kind of psychic backlash if she died here. Most mental magics were tricky things as is. They were difficult spells to master and even then, it was hard to get anything useful if the pony was an unwilling subject. It was hard even when they were a willing subject if they didn't know exactly what to think about. And there's been more than one brain fried because someone had been reckless trying to craft a better spell for such things. Her magic was very much an exception and not the rule. The Power of Friendship indeed. "Okay, there's monsters here, so we know it's dangerous," she muttered. Which changed her willingness to go along with the Mind Delve's weirdness immensely. It's one thing to go on a weird magical mental journey when things are weird, it's a whole other thing when there was coinflip that she could end up dead. She needed to end the spell, reaching up to grab her geode. And froze as she found it was gone. She looked down, checking her pockets and looking around her for a sign of the necklace to no avail. Did she lose it? Did she not even have it when she came here? Actually, what happens to her geode when she comes to Equestria anyway? She had often wondered where her clothes had come from when she arrived in the human world, but the weird thing was it wasn't like everything disappeared. If she wore a bag, that stayed with her. The same with the false crown. She took the book back to Earth no problem. But when she first met Starlight, talked to Celestia, the whole thing over spring break. Even just today, she had been wearing her geode when she went through the portal, but it had been gone when she arrived in Equestria. Was it just...inside her? Like her clothes probably were? Was it the geode was bound to Earth, to be a protective magic? Did she still have that magic or was it gone? She had to try. Sitting down, clasping her hands together, focusing on that feeling she'd been getting used to over the months. That feeling of reaching out, making a connection. It should be easier, Starlight should already be connected to her. She was powering the Mind Delve, it should be as simple as finding that connection. "Come on, come oooon, Starlight Glimmer..." Sunset murmured, trying to sense something, anything at all. After a few minutes, there was a loud groan of frustration and Sunset kicked the wall. "You have to be kidding me. This should be simple for me!" She yelled at the ceiling, slumping forward. She let herself wallow in her frustration for a minute, cursing fate and stupid magical physics. "Okay. So, no geode. Probably no mental magic at all," she said. She had never been particularly good at those mind spells as a unicorn either, at least not while learning under Celestia. "Though I guess it doesn't matter when all the memories I'd be seeing are mine." It's not like it's loss is a big disadvantage here because of that fact. No, the only problem was she couldn't contact Starlight Glimmer. Still, the thought of being without the geode was...sad. Having reliable, stable magic after several years of not had been nice. It had helped her feel more sure in herself. No, she couldn't linger on that. As it stood, she was stuck in the Mind Delve spell until she could find a way to end it from in here. Until then, she had to assume that if she died here, she could really die. Especially when this spell didn't even have a safety of contacting the caster built in. If something as simple as that wasn't covered, she couldn't rely on the fact there was protection from accidentally frying her brain. She could afford to be wrong on that fact, not so much the other way. And there were monsters here. She wasn't sure how many or how dangerous, but at least the Mannequins seemed intent on hurting her. She couldn't just rely on running away, no, not when a simple touch could bring her to her knees. Before she went any further, she needed a weapon.