> The First Star of Twilight
>  by Arcanum -Phantasy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

She had to escape.
It was too much.
The stares.
The jealousy.
It was too much.
There was no escape.
It was too much!
Can't get out.
IT WAS TOO MUCH!!!
"STOP IT!" Twilight screamed, her eyes flying open.
She laid panting in her bed, sweat soaking through her pajamas into her sheets. Slowly, her breathing leveled out, her familiar surroundings settling her nerves. Another night terror, just one of many she's had since she she was enrolled at Crystal Prep Academy. Every night it was the same. The same dream. The same pleas for peace. 
Slowly, her hand drifted to what hung around her throat, her lips pulling up into a small smile. Bound by a strong silver chain and secured to a steel mount, a black crystal shard glinted in her gentle grip. While exploring the destroyed remains of Canter Creek Bridge, she found the shard laying less than a foot from the wreckage. A massive spike of unknown energy was detected in the area around the same time it had collapsed. While only fragments of that energy was still present in the area, a large concentration of it seemed to be coming from the gem.
Naturally, she tried to study it, but nothing she did seemed to be able to access the gem's secrets. She tried various methods of energy extraction, but none of her machines could do more than detect its presence. Trying to take samples of it were equally fruitless, as nothing she did could even scratch its surface. She even left it out to be run over by her mother's SUV, an act that not only failed, but she was ashamed to admit came from a place of spiteful frustration.
In spite of all of that or maybe because of it, she found herself drawn to the gem. She couldn't explain why, but it felt as if it was calling out to her at times. She knew that such things were preposterous, but she just couldn't shake those feelings. Eventually, her compulsions led her to having it made into a pendant, reasoning such an action away by saying that it was an easier way to keep track of it.
As her fingers slid across its surface, she felt her worry fade away. Little by little, her eyes started to droop, the terror that brought her to the waking world bleeding out of her with each light caress. It wasn't long before she was once again drifting along in the land of dreams, her hands falling away from her pendant as soft snoring filled the room. For a long while, that was all that was heard in the room. Then, a soft whimpering took its place as a look of discomfort formed on Twilight's face. Her breathing hitched, her arms flailing with each toss and turn. Fear and stress filled her in a steady stream.
"Enough," a cold female voice hissed.
Twilight froze, her still sleeping body trapped mid-flail and gasping. The gem let out a dark violet glow as shadowy black tendrils slowly crept out of it. The vines slithered all across Twilight's body like dark serpents, the young girl completely oblivious in her dreams. Once she was completely caught in their coils, the vines stopped growing and remained still. All the while, Twilight continued her restless sleep, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. Then, the vines took on a faint violet shade and the girl's condition slowly started to change. The pain in Twilight's expression slowly melted away, her breathing mellowed out, and all of the tension in her body evaporated. In time, the girl's panic had been drained away and the vines let her lay limp in her bed. Slowly and just as silently as they had come, the vines pulled themselves back into the crystal.
At its heart stood a young girl, barely even a year older than the girl that held her prison. Her skin was a grayed white that perfectly complimented her jet black dress. Said dress emphasized her lithe, almost faery-like build, the tattered train that went only as far as her knees and ripped taters where her sleeves should have been implying age. Gray leaf and flower petal designs covered it in small random clusters. Her hair was just as black as her dress, wavy, and only reached her exposed shoulders. Her most striking feature was her eyes. Pitch black pools of darkness with slitted gold pupils that seemed to bore into the souls of all unfortunate enough to be caught in their gaze. 
Said eyes were locked in a tight glare as she stared at one of the walls of her crystal prison. On it, she could see the now peacefully sleeping face of the human that found her. Her jaw clenched tightly at the sight, a burning rage flooding her like molten lava the longer she stared. Stiffly, she held up a hand as if she were presenting something to someone. Seconds later, a black vine slithered out of her shadow and placed a cluster of violet grapes into it. She viciously tore into it, her eyes never leaving the wall as the summoned vine returned to her shadow. Her rage spiked even further when she took note of how great her meal tasted, of how full it made her feel. She screamed in frustration as she slammed a fist into the wall, the blow shaking her prison, but did nothing else to it.
With her belly filled, images of the people that ripened the fruit flashed through her head. Students, teachers, even random people on the street. Anyone and everyone that made the human feel helpless and weak. All of it further fueled her rage. She had spent days seeing the girl fall victim to these people almost constantly, her heart and mind hanging on by the tiniest of threads. It kept her fed, helped her grow strong, and made her sick to her stomach in more ways than one.
"ENOUGH!!!" she screamed, shaking the walls of her prison.
She slammed her fists against her prison, dark energy leaking out of her like black fire.
"Listen up human!" she growled. "I will get out of here one day and when I do, things are going to change! One way or another, they will change."
> Ch.1 Song and Dance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A gentle smile graced Twilight's face as she drifted, pure darkness all around her in every direction. No sounds could reach her, no cruel eyes could see her, only the calm and gentle shadows that surrounded her gave her any sense of reality. For the first time in who knew how long, she was utterly and completely at peace. Without aim or direction in mind, she let herself drift further and further into this sweet oblivion she found herself in. Had she died? Was this death? A small part of her was shocked to find that she didn't really care. She was safe. She was free. She was finally free!
A loud mechanical beeping shattered her peace and with just a blink she was back in her room, her zen replaced by mild grogginess. Groaning in disappointment, she flailed blindly towards her headboard until she found her phone. With careful muscle memory and color recognition, she slid her finger across the screen and shut off her alarm in spite of the images being nothing but a cluster of multicolored blurs. Sighing, she forced herself to sit up stretched her arms over her head, and yawned. Her brain slowly booted up as she plucked her glasses off of her headboard and slid them on, turning all of the blurs in her room into a familiar sight.
Lavender walls and carpet with one half of the room dominated by a wall covered from top to bottom with loaded bookshelves. The other half held her bed, work desk, dresser, wastebasket, and closet. Sighing, she slid out of bed and staggered herself towards her dresser. She grimaced over how gross she felt, mostly dry sweat coating her like mucus on a frog. A sure sign of her near constant night terrors. As she plucked out a clean set of her school uniform, she was surprised by how rested she felt. Normally, when she had a night terror she felt as if she hadn't slept at all. This was especially bad when she had more than one in a night. Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, she pushed the fact to the back of her mind as she gathered the last few things she needed to get ready. 
On the way out of her room, she paused in front of her closet mirror. Shining proudly outside her lavender pajama top's collar was a small, petal-shaped black crystal shard. With a loving smile, she took a moment to admire it in the mirror before she continued her trek out of her room. School or not, she desperately needed a shower. 


***


A few minutes later of preparation later, Twilight was stepping out of the bathroom ready to face the world. At least, as ready as she was each day. As she had done countless times since her enrollment into Crystal Prep, she was dressed in a simple white dress shirt with a maroon vest warn over it along with a matching plaid skirt. Dark purple knee-socks and navy blue dress shoes completed the look as she made her way down stares to the house's first floor. Her dark sapphire hair was done up in a neat bun on the back of her head, the lone purple and raspberry streaks running through forming a near perfect spiral from its bottom to the top. The smell of coffee and pancakes greeted her, the combination practically dragging her growling stomach towards the kitchen. An excited yipping brought a smile to her face as a small purple puppy with green ears and tail scampered to her side. Smiling, she knelt down to pet the excitable creature.  
"Hey Spike," she giggled, scratching him behind the ear. "Who's a good boy?"
The puppy let out a happy bark in response. Twilight laughed as she picked the dog up and hugged him. Spike barely fought against her before she reluctantly set him back down on the floor. Giggling at the dog's antics, she took her seat at the kitchen table. Spread out before her was a tall stack of fluffy pancakes topped with chopped strawberries and a generous drizzling of maple syrup. Set next to it just past her fork and knife was a fresh mug of life-giving coffee. She happily tore into her breakfast with gusto, earning a small chuckle from her mother.
While pushing close to forty, Twilight Velvet still held the same beauty she wielded back in her prime. Her gray skin held a healthy shine matched only by her equally vivid purple hair. This, combined with the full figure she carefully maintained managed to turn more than a few heads whenever she went out in public. The only thing that marked her age were a few white streaks running through her hair that she wore with pride. Holding a mug in one hand, she took a seat across from her daughter at the table.
"Someone's in a good mood," she smirked, taking a sip from her mug.
Twilight swallowed her food, then smiled and said, "Yep!"
"Something you want to share," Velvet asked, her smile gaining a slightly teasing curve to it.
"Not really," she blinked.
"Are you sure?" she egged. 
"Yes?" Twilight confirmed, not entirely sure where her mother was going with this.
Velvet continued to stare her daughter down for a couple minutes, then let out an exasperated sigh and slump in her seat.
"Not even one?" she groaned.
Twilight blinked, then wilted in her seat as she finally understood what her mother was hoping for. 
"No," Twilight sighed, eyes trained on her food as she ate at a more sedate pace. 
"Honey-" Velvet started in concern, only to be cut off.
"It's fine!" Twilight said hastily, leveling a forced smile at her mother. "This just means I have more time to study and experiment."
Velvet sighed into her mug, then said, "You need friends, Twilight."
Twilight let her smile fall into a frown.
"No I don't," she muttered. "Their just useless distractions."
Not that anyone would want to be my friend anyway.
"Besides," she continued. "I already have Spike, Cadence, and Shiny. I don't need anyone else."
"Maybe," Velvet frowned. 
"I'm fine mom, really," Twilight smiled. 
"I know," she smiled sadly. "Just...at least try to make a friend. Please?"
Faintly, she felt a small tug at the back of her mind. For just a tiny moment, she felt compelled to tell Velvet everything. Instead, she did the same thing she did every time her mother brought up this topic.
"I'll try mom," she smiled, taking a small sip from her coffee.
Unknown to the two humans in the room, at that exact moment, a young woman let out a frustrated scream that shook the walls of her prison. 


***


Crystal Prep was truly a marvel of modern construction. While the outside of the building was built to resemble a five story gothic mansion, the inside was much more intricate. Marble tiles of various shades of blue, violet, and pink covered the floors, walls, and even ceiling. As such, it gave the halls an almost magical feeling, as if you were exploring a mystic fortress or a dragon's den. This was the kind of impression Twilight had the first day she set foot in the school. That was before she met the other students that occupied the building.
Her fingers nervously rubbed her pendant, eyes scanning her surroundings like a scared rabbit for two specific faces in the crowd. When she finally made it to the classroom, she let out a relieved sigh and slumped into her seat at the back of the room.
There were two things she discovered very quickly in the first week. First, there were two different types of students in the school. The first were the ones that came from wealthy families that could afford to send their children there. The other were the scholarship students who managed to claw their way through Crystal Prep's strict academic requirements. Twilight was one of the small few to fall into the later category, something that she was fairly proud of initially. The second thing she learned was that the school had a very cutthroat attitude towards teaching. 
Only the best were treated with any respect and perfection was the standard all of the students had to live by. The top students embodied these two principles, but instead of being encouraged or looked up to, they were the targets of envy and spite. In turn, most of The Elites as they were called returned the venom aimed at them with contemptuous arrogance. To many of the students in this rank, it was a right they earned as a result of their hard work and dedication to their education. Adding to their ego was the fact that their statuses allowed them to, within reason, earn certain privileges from the Principal. Of course, that didn't mean that they got along very well. Even among The Elites, the drive to rein supreme was insurmountably strong and vicious, the ten students holding that title constantly looking for ways to gain the upper hand on their colleagues.
Unfortunately for Twilight, she was among these ten students. Worse still, she was ranked number one among them. It was for this reason she was met by envious glares and scoffs as she meekly made her way through the halls to her first class. She tuned out her surroundings as she pulled out all of the things she would need for class. She then sat with head tilted towards her desk, trying to fight the urge to look up. She knew what would await her if she did. Cold, jealous eyes. Judging frowns.
Her anxiety spiked as her imagination brought images of her entire class staring at her with spite in their eyes. Her hand drifted towards her pendant and those images slowly started fade away. A tiny smile graced her lips, her anxiety dripping away like an icicle in spring. She felt a tiny tingle in the back of her mind and with it, just enough strength to raise her head a little higher. It was shook when she noticed a couple of students giving her passing glances, but still stood. A small hint of pride filled her at the knowledge that she managed to keep it up all the way until the teacher came in and class officially began.


***


The girl glared balefully at one of her prison's crystal walls. Every day was the same song and dance. The human wakes, she eats, her mother talks to her, she comes to this hell hole, she stays longer to wallow away in her lab, she goes home, does human things for a few hours, goes to sleep, has a panic attack, and starts it all over again. Rinse and repeat. All the while, the human's heart gradually collapsed more and more. 
The evidence was on full display to the girl. Literally. A bright mass of violet energy shined brightly just beyond the crystal wall she was staring at. It swirled elegantly in a constant spiral pattern like a galaxy in the infinite black void beyond. Its center pulsed like a heart, each pulse spreading out a thin ring of lavender into the dark that slowly faded away. It was so pretty, so delicate, she could sense the strength sitting just under the surface. It made the ugly black cracks surrounding its center all the more heartbreaking.
While she couldn't remember much from before the human found her, she was certain that she had never seen a soul quite as powerful as this one. A fact that added to her frustrations every time she watched the human's daily routine. The girl was timid, weak, and horribly awkward. Every day she was forced to watch the human cower before others that had their noses so far into the air that they could tell her what the outer-atmosphere smelled like. Even worse was the fact that the girl seemed to lack the spine needed to seek help when it was practically rammed into the face.
"Damn human," she muttered bitterly, turning towards a different wall, this one showing the human's hands jotting down notes into a notebook. "How can someone be so brilliant and so fucking stupid at the same time?"
Brilliant was putting it mildly. The human seemed to devour knowledge just as ravenously as the girl did negative emotions. Maybe even more so. She still remembered how shocked she was when the human read through an entire encyclopedia in a single night. It had only taken her two hours and judging by the immense joy she sensed coming from her, the human loved every second of it. She then spent most of the night typing on her computer, all of it looking like nothing more than an indecipherable jumble of letters, numbers, and words that she had never even heard of before. It gave the girl a massive headache to try and make sense of it, but it also added to the human's happiness. 
The girl's lips curved upwards into a small smile at the memory, only for it to shift back into a frustrated frown a second later. She knew the human couldn't keep this up, that even with her parasitizing her it was only a matter of time before she cracked. Even without a passing glance at the human's soul, the girl knew that that time was soon. All it would take is a little push and-
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRR DAMN IT!"  she screamed. THIS IS SO STUPID!"
With tight fists at her sides, she stomped towards the wall showing the human's hands and roared, "WHY?! WHY DO YOU LET THESE SHIT STAINS TREAT YOU LIKE THIS?! YOU SHOULD BE STANDING TALL! YOU SHOULD BE PROUD! WHY DO YOU LET THEM KICK YOU INTO THE DIRT LIKE THIS?! WHY, DAMN IT?! WHY?!"
Ragged breaths poured out of her mouth in thick pants, her rage and frustration drawing black fire all across her body. Sensing her power starting to tip past her control, she took a deep breath, held it, and slowly let it out. She needed to stay in control, more for the human's sake than her own. Little by little, she started to regain that control, the black fire covering her body slowly fading away with each breath. By the time they completely disappeared, her bloody fury had reduced itself to a more familiar sense of mild irritation. 
"I hate this so much," she muttered, dropping bonelessly to her knees. 
She leveled a sharp glare at the wall, the image now showing the human putting her things away.
"I'll find a way out of here," she sighed. "I just hope you're still around when I do."


***


Twilight again found herself surrounded by students, her nerves on high alert as she tried to ride the tide to the cafeteria without drawing any attention to herself. A mission she was quickly failing further at with each person she bumped into. Her fingers continued to nervously stroke her pendant as she kept her eyes peeled for nine students in particular. Her heart nearly stopped when a girl with short purple hair passed in front of her, only to let out a relieved sigh when she saw that it wasn't who she thought it was.
Like the rest of the school, the cafeteria was built to look like it came straight out of a fairy tale. The whole room was massive and shined as if it was made of pure diamond. Dozens of round tables seemingly made from the same material where bolted to the ground with ornate iron chairs circling them. Top tier chefs worked the kitchens, filling the room with heavenly aromas most wouldn't even begin to believe, most of it made by alumni fresh out of culinary school.
All of the ambiance was lost to Twilight, the pressures of the first couple of weeks squashing any appreciation she had for it all out of her. She kept her head down as she made her way towards the lunch line, praying that none of her fellow Elites saw her. She barely paid any attention to what she put on her tray, basically grabbing the first thing that came into reach at each loading station. It ultimately didn't matter all that much to her anyway. No matter how much skill was put into the food here, it all tasted like ash in her mouth.
Once she got out of line, she kept her eyes locked onto her loaded tray and made her way to the back of the room. There, she found a single table shoved into the farthest corner with a single tented iron chair set at it. Letting a small smile grace her lips, she took a seat in the chair and set her tray on the table. The worn silk padding in her seat sank under her weight, but she didn't care. This was the one place in the whole school other than her lab that she could be alone, a small oasis in the dreaded dessert that was her academic life. 
With a small smile, she dug into her food.
Her smile fell, dread welling up inside her when two familiar shadows fell on her table's surface.
"Why, if it isn't Sparkle," a girl gushed, only for it to take on an irate tone a second later as she added, "Too high and mighty to sit with the rest of us, huh?"
"Perhaps," a prim girl's voice said, a cruel smile oozing out of her tone. "But then again, what do you expect from Crystal Prep's number one?"
Twilight's hand shivered as it drifted up towards her pendant, silently praying that the girls would leave her alone for once. Her prayers went unanswered as a light turquoise gray hand slid into her downward line of sight. She froze when its fingers lightly hooked her chin and slowly dragged her gaze up towards it owner's cerise eyes. The girl holding her gaze was roughly the same age as Twilight, but with a much more elegant build and poise. Her straight mulberry hair was cut short, only just barely touching her shoulders with light raspberry streaks running through it. A light layer of indigo eyeshadow made the girl's already stunning eyes shine in the cafeteria's light. At her side stood a girl of equal build, though a lot less refined. Her skin held a pale gold-gray shine that added to the charm of her moderate rose freckles on her cheeks. Her long straight hair was the same color with a light teal streak running through it and done up in a ponytail. Her indigo eyes held contempt as they bore into Twilight, her pale aquamarine eyeshadow adding to the effect.
"H-Hello Sunny Flare. S-S-Sour Sweet," Twilight stammered, eyes flicking back and forth between the two girls.
"Greetings," the first girl, Sunny Flare, said sweetly, her hand finally leaving Twilight's chin. "Do you mind if we eat here today?"
"Yeah," the other girl, Sour Sweet smiled, only to frown a second later to add, "Unless you're too good for us."
"I-I-" Twilight stammered, only for the two of them to drag one chair apiece from two separate nearby tables anyway.
"There," Sunny smiled, taking a seat. "Isn't this better?"
Twilight cowered further into her seat, her food long forgotten at this point.
"Awe, the princess is scared," Sour pouted, then sneered and leaned forward in her seat as she growled, "Good."
"Now, now Sour, behave," Sunny frowned. "It's only natural that the number one would want to lord her title over us. As the number two and three, we should respect her academic dedication."
Sunny's eyes turned cold when they locked back onto Twilight and a faint growl entered her tone as she added, "For now."
Twilight reared back further from her, the number two Elite's eyes holding a raptor's intensity. Sunny's smile returned, but her eyes never lost their ferocity. Sour's smile took on a sinister edge as she watched her partner in crime work her magic. While they both hated to admit it, Twilight was a truly brilliant girl, but that did her very little good as far as her timid nature was concerned. Something the students ranked just below her took full advantage of whenever they could.
Seeing the fear in the girl's eyes, two girls decided to amuse themselves by partaking in something they knew affected Twilight the most. They ate their lunch and watched Twilight. Not talk. Not tease. Just sat quietly and watched the number one fidget nervously in her seat. 
Of course, Twilight knew that this was not all that they were going to do to her. It never was. She sat on the edge of her seat waiting for them to finally make their move. She knew it was going to hurt, but in a lot of ways, the waiting was the worst part. 
After what felt like a year, the two girls finished their meals and stood up. Twilight closed her eyes, shivering as she braced for what was coming. Sour and Sunny shared a look, then smiled wickedly as they moved to either side of the scared girl. At the same time, they knelt down to Twilight's level and whispered  in her ear.
"You may be the top student in this school," Sunny hissed, venomous rage lacing every syllable. "But that doesn't make you any less pathetic. You'll slip up eventually and when you do, I will enjoy every second of it."
"Me too," Sour whispered sweetly, then snarled, "I've always wondered what it would be like to have someone carry my crap around."
The two girls giggled happily, all smiles and sunshine as they made their way out of the cafeteria. Twilight sat numbly in her seat, her eyes blankly staring down at her half-eaten lunch.


***


The light tapping of computer keys was the only sound to be heard as Twilight worked. School had ended hours ago, yet she still remained on the premises. With the power of her title she was able to have one of the school's old storage rooms converted into a lab. It wasn't anything fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but it was good enough to suit her needs. A few used computers were hooked up to several odd devices Twilight built from scratch in one corner of the room, most of them covered with burns with loose wires sticking out of places that used to have panels keeping them in. In another corner of the room stood a simple cot, generally used if Twilight ended up staying the night, but now held a sleeping purple and green puppy. 
At a far wall, Twilight tapped away at her desk on her laptop, her eyes scanning carefully over various readings on display. A few days ago, her equipment picked up several readings of some unknown type of energy in the city. At first, she thought it was just her equipment going haywire. There was no way such massive sources of power could avoid the knew's attention. At the very least, someone would've put something up on social media. Then a spike massive enough fry most of her equipment came up last week. It was pure luck that she was able to salvage enough data from the machines to determine where the spike came from. A now massive pile of rubble that used to be Canter Bridge. With a handheld variant of the gear that survived the surge, she investigated the sight.
Her hand drifted towards the only thing she found among the wreckage, her fingers lovingly caressing its slightly rough surface. 
Her eyes carefully scanned the data over and over again, but no matter what she did, she couldn't make heads or tails of it. The readings said that whatever this energy was, it was massive in scale, easily capable of obliterating or powering a small city three times over. At the same time, it seemed to possess attributes from more than one form of energy. It was almost as if the sensors were dropped into the middle of a supernova, an arctic storm, and an active volcano all at the same time. By all accounts, a lot more than the bridge should've been destroyed last week.
She let out a frustrated whine, her head leaning back in her rolling chair and eyes staring at the ceiling. She needed to figure this out. At least, if she wanted to get into the Everton Independent Study program. The college was her ticket out of this place, the best chance she had to escape Crystal Prep's shark-tank philosophy and Principle Cinch's overbearing influence. There, she could continue her education in peace and with those that matched her intellectually.
Her mind drifted back towards what happened to her during lunch and her lack of progress in her research added another weight to the already massive load pulling her into the abyss. The stress, the sleepless nights, and all of the verbal abuse lobed at her from Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet ate at her that left her soul bone thin. She wanted it all to stop, but it all seemed so hopeless. She could feel it. She was falling apart.
"I just want it all to end," she whispered, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks.
"Please...hang in there. Just a little longer," a rough female voice begged.
Twilight flinched, sitting up right and frantically looking around.
"W-Who said that?" she stammered.
A heavy pause, then, she got a shocked response. 
"Wait, you can hear me?"
> Ch.2 The First
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight sat in class, her posture stiff as she took notes. Other students gave her passing glances from the corners of their eyes as usual, but instead of envy or spite, their gaze held worry. This was mostly due to the strained smile held tight across her face, but the occasional twitch from her left eye didn't help. 
For once, their stares went completely unnoticed to her. Instead, the teenager's mind was pulled towards two very important topics. The first was Mr. Onyx's history lesson on the rise and fall of the Roaman Empire. The second was the very interesting thing hanging around her neck. More specifically, what a certain person trapped inside of said item told her the night before. She had to consciously fight the urge to stroke her pendant when said events ran through her mind.


***


"Wh-Who's there?" Twilight stammered, jumping to her feet.
"You can hear me," the voice said, a hint of joy coloring her tone. "About fucking time."
"Where are you?!" Twilight cried, eyes looking around frantically as she she ran to her desk and pulled open a drawer.
"About two inches above your boobs," the voice sighed with an irate grumble.
"What!?" she squawked, pulling a taser out of the drawer and facing the room.
"For the love of- I'M IN THE PENDANT!!!"
Twilight blinked, stared down at the accessory in question, and frowned. Putting the taser on her desk, she retook her seat at her desk and went online. A quick google search later and the voice let out an exasperated laugh.
"You're not having a mental break down, human!"
"Right," she snorted, "A piece of unknown crystal that I have been studying for the past week is suddenly talking to me. Clearly, I am not showing symptoms of a psychological break."
"Wow, I think this is the first time I've seen you use sarcasm," the voice intoned flatly. "If I had a calendar in here, I would probably mark it today."
Twilight frowned as she curled in on herself and whispered, "I'm sorry."
The voice let out a frustrated scream and yelled, "Don't apologize damn it! STAND UP FOR YOURSELF!!!"
"I'm sorry!" she cried, hugging her legs to her chest.
The sound of a hand smacking into a face could be heard, followed by a frustrated groan.
"For the love of The Queen, how can you be this timid?"
Twilight said nothing, the girl far too interesting in hiding from the voice. Said being sighed, the sound of feet patting on something flat and hard drawing Twilight's face away from her knees. She looked around frantically for the noise's source, but the soft carpet on the floor of her lab would never allow such a sound. It sounded like the girl talking to her was walking around her, a thought that put a chill down her spine.
"What's your name, human?" the voice asked, making Twilight jump in spite of the softer tone.
"T-Twilight Sparkle," she stammered, eyes following the rough area of the steps.
"Twilight Sparkle, eh," the voice mused. "Sounds a bit flashy for a wallflower, don't you think?"
Twilight didn't respond, her eyes "following" the voice's steps as she tried to wrap her head around what was happening. 
"Wh-Who.....what are you?" She stammered.
"Who? No clue. What? A very ticked off Wraith that is sick and tired of seeing you get kicked around!"
Twilight curled in on herself as the voice snarled out that last part. Seemingly aware of this, the voice let out an irate sigh.
"I'm sorry," she grumbled. "i'm just...full and I hate it."
"Full?" Twilight asked, a hint of curiosity mixing with her nerves. "What do you mean?"
The voice took on an awkward nervous pitch as she said, "I, uh, eat negative emotions."
Twilight blinked, then thought back to the last few days. Every time she felt nervous or scared, she would touch the pendant. Each time, she abruptly felt herself slide out of those dark emotional states. At first, she thought that it was all psychosomatic, like squeezing a rubber ball to alleviate stress. Now that she knew the truth, she wasn't sure how she felt about it. At least, not yet.
Now granted a puzzle to solve, her scientific mind clicked back into place and with a deep breath, she tried to think of the right way to find out more about her situation. More specifically, a way to prove whether or not all of this was real. After that, if this was real, another set of questions were going to need to be asked.
"Okay," Twilight sighed. "As concerning as that is, I want to make sure of a few things before I ask you anything else."
"And that is?" the voice asked, sounding annoyed.
"First; whether or not you are real or just the early sign of some kind of mental break."
A pause, then the voice let out a frustrated groan.
"Are you serous?!"
Twilight nodded.
A small chuckle filled the room, then the voice said, "Figures now you'd choose to show some spine. Fine. How do you want to do this?"
The purple girl thought about it for a moment, then said, "You can see things through the crystal, correct?"
"Yeah?" the voice egged.
"What do you see right now?"
A pause, then, "Your desk and laptop."
"And that's it?"
"Yep." 
So she can only see what's in front of me. 
With that in mind, she logged onto her search engine and held her hand over the keyboard. 
"Here's what we are going to do," she frowned. "I'm going to close my eyes and tap the keys with my index finger. You are going to tell me what direction you want me to move my finger and what keys you want me to type. Understood?"
"Sure, but what is this going to prove?" the voice asked.
"I generally have poor hand-eye coordination skills," Twilight said, a hint of shame hidden beneath her matter of fact tone. "As such, even though I have thoroughly memorized my keyboard's layout, I can't type a coherent sentence without seeing the board. If you are real, then I should be able to make a google search without being aware of what's on the screen."
"Sounds good to me," the voice said, a shrug audible in her tone.
"Alright," Twilight nodded, then closed her eyes and said, "Let's begin."
For the next five minutes, Twilight let the voice guide her hand. All the while, several questions ran through her head. Assuming this being was real, where did she come from? How did she get trapped in a piece of crystal? Were their more like her? How did she eat emotions? Was there a way to calculate the nutritional value? Could she eat other things?
One question in particular almost made her stop mid-type.
What did she mean when she said she had "no clue" about what her name is?
"Okay, now move up a little," the voice ordered with a barely suppressed snicker.
Slowly, Twilight obeyed, pressing down when given the order. A long pause filled the room before the voice told her to open her eyes. Twilight was eager to see if her test worked, right up until she saw what was on the screen. Her face turned bright red and she let out a strangled cry as she shot back in her seat. The force was just enough to send both it and her crashing to the floor. Twilight groaned, rubbing her head as she staggered to her feet. She made a conscious effort to avoid the computer screen. All the while, the voice was laughing hysterically, possibly pounding her fist onto the ground if the accompanying thumping noises she was hearing was anything to go by.
"That's not funny!" Twilight cried, taking her glasses off to minimize the damage a clear view of what was on the screen would do to her brain as she frantically tried to exit the page.
"Oh, PLEASE!" the voice howled, mirth heavy in every word. "You and I both know you've at least read books about that kind of thing."
"THIS IS LINKED TO THE SCHOOL'S MAIN SERVER!" she cried, finally getting the seedy image off of her screen.
"Label it under Sex Ed research," the voice said with yet another audible shrug. 
"Now I need to clean my search history," the purple teen muttered, doing just that.
"That's what happens when you give someone too much power over you," the voice chuckled. "Does that prove that I'm real now?"
"I...suppose," she nodded, stepping away from her computer to put her chair back up.
"Good," she said, tone taking on a more aggressive edge. "Cuz I've got a few bones to pick with you."
"Like what...um..."
"What now?" the voice groaned, seemingly picking up on Twilight's anxieties.
"You never told me your name."
Another awkward pause, then the voice let out a small sigh and said, "I don't have one."
Twilight blinked.
"What do you mean you don't have one?" she asked, taking a seat.
"Just that," the voice growled. "I woke up one day with no clue how I got here or who the hell I am. Aside from a few general things, I don't know anything about myself or anything really."
"What kind of general things?" Twilight pressed, a worried frown marring her face.
"How to feed. How my powers work. What I am. Those kind of things."
"I see," she hummed. "Do you want to have one? A name, that is."
"I guess," the voice said, a shrug audible in her tone. "It might make things a little easier in the future. Got any ideas?"
Twilight mulled it over a bit, a few possible options moving through her head. Out of habit, she rubbed her thumb against the pendant's smooth surface. A startled gasp slipped past her lips when she realized what she was doing and let go of the stone. As the stone fell back into place against her shirt's collar, a single thought echoed in her head.
It looks like a crystal flower petal.
"How about Crystal Petal?" Twilight asked, a small smile growing on her face.
"Right, because I'd love to be named after the thing I'm trapped in," the voice deadpanned.
"Right, sorry," Twilight cringed.
"It's fine," the voice sighed. "Let's see what else we can come up with."


***


It took them two hours to come up with a name that didn't irritate the young Wraith or make the teen feel uncomfortable saying out loud. It was also around that time that said Wraith refused to answer any questions or give the girl any peace until she went home and went to bed. Now she sat in class, carefully taking notes as her mind rewound to how much she wore her new accessory and everything the being within most likely saw. 
"Twilight, you're about to pop a blood vessel," said being cautiously warned.
"No I'm not," she whispered, hand stiffly taking notes. 
"I can read your emotions. You're about an inch away from having an aneurism. Either tell me what's wrong, or I'm going to have to feed off of you. Again."
"I'll tell you about it later, Petal Wasp," she stiffly hissed.
"Whatever," Petal muttered. "I'm taking a nibble anyway."
Twilight barely had time to brace herself before a large chunk of her panicked mortification vanished. The sudden feeling of calm was a lot for her to take in all at once. The sensation reminded her of being upside down for a few minutes then being suddenly put upright. Her eyes and posture drooped, her stiff smile being replaced by a drowsy one as she took notes at a more relaxed pace.
"Okay, that should keep you from being sent to the nurse," Petal sighed. "You owe me an explanation later."
Twilight nodded, numbly aware that she should be worried about something, but couldn't put her finger on what. She just sat and continued to take notes, barely aware of the curious eyes of her fellow students. Meanwhile, Petal frowned at one of her prison's crystal walls, this one showing Twilight's hands sluggishly jot notes into a notebook.
It was painfully obvious to her that this whole situation was jarring for Twilight. Not that it wasn't for her either. While she was happy to get a name out of it, being able to directly interact with the human added a whole new host of issues. Now that Twilight could hear her, she couldn't scream her frustrations into the void like she had been doing this whole time. It also meant that she needed to be mindful of her more critical thoughts, especially if she thought out loud. This was going to require her to be fairly tactful and cautious in how she moved forward with Twilight. 
I am so screwed, she thought with a sigh, gingerly massaging the bridge of her nose. 
Just thinking of all of the things Twilight had to put up with put her on edge, more so considering how much of it was avoidable in the long run. To put it simply, the girl needed to grow a spine. The girl was brilliant, kind, and had a beautiful soul in both the literal and metaphorical sense. Sure, she was awkward and had the fashion sense of a drunk elephant, but that added to the charm she could see hidden beneath the surface. If she could just help her tap into that potential, she knew that Twilight could become something great. The problem was that the girl's self-esteem was so low, it needed to be measured with negative numbers.
How do I fix that? she mused, tapping a finger against  her chin. Aside from the Dean and her dog, she doesn't really have anyone here she can be herself around. Not that I can blame her. This place is a nest of assholes and bitches with the Queen Bitch herself running the whole place. The lab is pretty much her only safe place in the whole school.
Her eyes drifted towards one of her prison walls, a perfect mirrored surface that showed her glaring back at herself. Sighing, she stared at her reflection and did what she always did to kill time during Twilight's classes; change her outfit. With just a thought, her tattered mini dress shifted into a simple pair of jet black jeans with a matching T-shirt. Admiring herself for a few seconds, turning this way and that to get a look at herself from different angles, she frowned before waving a hand over herself. Rips appeared on the knees and lower thighs of her jeans while the right sleeve of her shirt looked to have been ripped off. Nodding to herself, she kept note of the look before willing her clothes to change again. Now she wore a black tank-top, jean skirt, and leather jacket. Her smile grew the more she stared at this particular outfit, liking the sense of danger she gave off. At the same time, the look felt incomplete, like she was missing something to give it a little extra kick. She tapped a finger against her chin as she stared at her reflexion, quietly mulling over what it was that she was missing. It was when her eyes drifted towards her reflection's hand that an idea came to her. Smiling, she willed a pair of open-fingered gloves onto her hands, each bearing silver crystal spikes on the knuckles.
She shifted through many more outfits, each featuring spikes, tears, or skulls to some degree. At the same time, she wondered what Twilight would look like if she tried on some of the outfits. Shifting back to her usual look, she tried to imagine the scrawny girl in her more aggressive style. She blinked in shock when she realized that the girl could actually pull it off if she really tried.
If she got her hair out of that granny-bun and put on a little blush, she'd look pretty good, she mused, staring idly at her reflection.
She blinked in surprise when her reflection turned into a grayscale version of Twilight, the girl now wearing Petal's tattered minidress. Her lavender eyes and small smile held a bit of mischief as she winked at her, her hair down and just enough blush to put focus on said eyes. A shade of dark gray colored Petal's cheeks as she forced herself to look away from the wall.
"Stupid fucking prison," she muttered softly to herself, crossing her arms.
A bit of movement from the wall she was watching previously caught her attention, showing Twilight putting her things away. Sighing, the Wraith took note of what she knew of the girl's schedule and how it could make her job any easier. She could almost predict everything the girl was going to do with the only X-factors being when she went to the bathroom or needed to clean her glasses. It was both a blessing and a curse as far as she was concerned. It meant that planning her next move wasn't going to be too difficult, but it also meant that The Elites could do the same. Two girls in particular if the pattern Petal could see was anything to go by. It didn't take her long to come up with a plan, though a large part of how she was going to go about it put a bad taste in her mouth.
With a guilty frown, she turned her head back towards her makeshift mirror, the surface now showing nothing but her reflection. Looking away again, she took a deep breath and thought about what she was going to say when she put her plan into action. If she was going to need tact to help Twilight, she had better get as much practice as she could get.


***


Twilight carefully navigated the student-flooded halls, trying and failing to avoid bumping into her peers all the way towards the cafeteria.  Like aways, she made sure that Sour and Sunny or any of the other Elites weren't following her. At the same time, she tried to keep the fact that there was a living being chained to her neck out of her head. While a part of her was fascinated by that fact, the rest of her was struggling to accept it. This was the kind of thing that happened in fairytales or TV shows, not in real life! The real world was ruled by the laws of science and logic, not the insanity of magic or other such things bound by the thin veil of fiction. This couldn't be really happening!
But....what if it was?
Once she was inside the cafeteria, she practically ran towards the line to get her food, her mind running in all kinds of different directions. Did this mean that she was going to have to go on adventures? Was the fate of the world now in her hands? Was she going to have to wear those skimpy outfits other magical girls wore into battle?! WHAT WAS HER MOTHER GOING TO THINK?! She was so frazzled that she barely payed attention to what she put on her tray, until a cry from Petal pulled her out of her trance. 
A quick look around told her that she was at the end of the line and had a tray full of food that she couldn't even properly identify.
Great, she thought with a sigh.
"Yes Petal?" she whispered nervously, making her way towards her table.
"Not much," the Wraith said with an audible shrug. "Just DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE SIT AT THAT TABLE!!!"
Twilight froze, pure terror shooting through her as she stared at her usual spot a few feet away.
"Why?" she whispered. "What's wrong?"
"Aside from the fact that those two stooges are going to give you shit if you sit there? Not much. Besides, I think you could use a change of scenery."
"Right," she mumbled, her body drooping. "I guess the lab would be a good place to-"
"Not there either," Petal huffed.
Twilight blinked, then frowned bitterly at her pendant as she aggressively whispered, "Then were should I go? The other Elites hang out everywhere else?"
"Everywhere? Are you sure about that?" Petal asked, a knowing smirk coloring her tone.


***


"I can't believe you talked me into this," Twilight gulped, clutching her tray as she stepped out onto the school's roof.
"Oh just live a little," Petal laughed. "Who the hell's gonna give us any grief?"
"Principle Cinch for one," Twilight frowned. "If she finds out about this, I'll have detention for a month!"
"You mean the the stuck up lady that looks like she's trying to pass a kidney stone every day?"
"I...wouldn't put it like that," she whispered, clutching her loaded tray tighter as she gave her surroundings a quick once over. "But yeah. That's her."
Petal let out an annoyed Tsk and said, "I say we give a flying fuck what she thinks when she pulls that bus-sized stick out of her ass first."
Twilight gaped at that, then sputtered, "You can't say that kind of stuff!"
"Why?" Petal asked, a raised brow coloring her tone. "It's not like anyone can hear me? Well, you can, but that's besides the point."
Twilight sighed, then took a seat against the roof's guard railing. She didn't think she was ever going to get used to Petal's foul language. Not that she didn't swear on occasion, but it was such a rarity that her brother often teased her over it. Petal, on the other hand, couldn't seem to go more than a second before she spat out a swear. 
She quietly sat and ate her food, the faint sound of city life the only break in the peace. Even Petal seemed unwilling to break the quiet. Slowly, Twilight's nerves started to settle as something gradually became clear to her; she didn't feel like she was under a microscope. There were no eyes constantly sneaking glances at her when no one thought she was looking. There weren't mocking whispers that she needed to tune out. There wasn't the constant bracing she had to go through each day, waiting for Sunny and Sour to move in and remind her of why she... of why she hated this place so much.
She gasped, finally being able to taste her food again for the first time since she came to Crystal Prep. It was good, no, great! Almost the best thing she had ever eaten! She barely noticed the tears trailing down her cheeks as she wolfed down her meal, shoveling it as if she hadn't eaten in months. When the tray was finally picked clean, she let it slide off of her lap with a content sigh, her head falling back to stare at the clear blue sky above.
"You okay?" Petal asked. "Your emotions are kind of all over the place right now."
"Yeah," Twilight chuckled, sluggishly wiping away her tears. "I'm...I think I'll be okay."
"If you say so," the Wraith said, a hint of concern hidden in her aloof tone. "Ready to get started?"
"Yeah," Twilight smiled, still staring at the sky. "I guess the first thing I want to know is, what kind of energy do you use? A couple weeks ago, a huge spike of some unknown energy fried most of the sensors in my lab. A similar type of energy was detected where I found you and you seem to be giving it off as well. What is it?"
"Sounds like what you're gizmos picked up on was my Miasma," Petal said casually. 
"Miasma?" Twilight blinked.
"It's what my kind call it. When we take in negative emotions, our bodies metabolize them and turns them into Miasma."
"I see. What kind of things can Miasma do?" Twilight asked, pulling her attention away from the sky and down towards her pendant.
"A lot of things. It powers all of our abilities and keeps us healthy."
"What kind of powers do Wraiths have?" Twilight asked, a small eager smile spreading across her face.
"Not gonna tell ya!" Petal laughed, earning a pout out of the girl. "Now its my turn. How come you have a lab at school?"
Sighing, Twilight frowned at the sky before answering.
"Because I asked for one."
"Just like that?" petal snorted.
"In a way. The school has a sort of ranking system based on a student's overall GPA and attendance record. The higher your rank, the more privileges you get."
"Interesting," the Wraith murmured. "Where do you place?"
"First," she sighed.
A pause, then, "HOW COME YOU LET PEOPLE FUCKING WALK ALL OVER YOU?!"
Twilight flinched, curling in on herself as she covered both of her ears.
"S-Sorry about that," Petal fretted, worry heavy in her tone as Twilight recovered. "It's just...fuck, I've spent the whole week watching you get harassed by the students here and...I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Twilight sighed, resting her forehead on her knees as she curled in on herself. "I know that I should stick up for myself, but every time I try to gather up the nerve I just...freeze."
"Why don't you tell your mom about all of this?" Petal asked.
"I don't want her to worry," Twilight frowned, hugging her knees tighter.
Petal let out a sad snort and said, "Twilight, she's a mom and moms are two things, worry worts and not stupid. I'm stuck in a piece of rock and even I can tell that she 's worried about you. Why do you think she's pushing you to make friends in the first place?"
"I know," Twilight sniffled. "But what can I do? It's not like I can just walk up to someone here and say 'Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle. Want to hang out?'. There's only one way to make it here at Crystal Prep and its to do it all alone."
A long pause settled between the two of them, Twilight struggling to keep back her tears while Petal slowly digested what she had been told. The Wraith's blood slowly boiled in her veins, her teeth constantly repairing themselves under the pressure of her mounting rage. She knew that humans could be cruel, that in a lot of ways, they were worse than her kind ever could be. Wraiths spread misery and woe because they needed to to survive, but humans seemed to do it just for kicks. 
She let out a frustrated growl as she said, "Fuck that! You wan't a friend? You've got one right here!"
"Huh?" Twilight blinked, uncurling enough to look down at her pendant.
"Did I stutter?" Petal growled. "I said I'll be your friend and I ain't taking no for an answer, you got that?"
"Yeah," Twilight smiled, a small warmth growing in her chest. "Got it."
"Good," Petal said, a bit of mirth filling her tone. "And that means you can't dissect me or throw me under another car, got it?"
"Right," Twilight chuckled. "I'm sorry about that."
"Eh, no harm no foul," the Wraith said with an audible shrug. "Also, as your friend, I'm gonna see if we can fix you're little 'freezing' problem."
"Th-That would be nice," Twilight frowned, eyes drifting towards the floor. "Do you have any plans for that?"
"I may have a few ideas," she said coyly.
Twilight giggled at that, then stared up at the sky again as she said, "A friend. I've never had a real friend before."
"Me neither," Petal chuckled. "Guess that makes us each other's firsts, huh?"
"P-Petal!" Twilight sputtered, cheeks turning red as she glared down at her pendant.
"What? We are! Not my fault you have a dirty mind."
Twilight sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. At the same time, Petal chuckled at the reaction she got out of her friend. While the feelings on the matter differed slightly, the two of them shared one very real thought. This was going to take some serious getting used to.
> Ch.3 Style 101
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Petal frowned, arms crossed with one of her hands tapping its fingers on her arm as she stared at a crystal wall. Displayed on said wall was a frustrated pajama-clad Twilight holding up a bright pink dress-shirt in a mirror. The Wraith's right eye twitched irritably at the garment.
For the past two hours, Twilight had been showing her what few non-uniform clothes she owned. To call what the girl had presented to her "clothing" was a very generous label. Half of the girl's outfits were boring prim pressed blue jeans and white T-shirts while the rest were garishly colored abominations that existed for the sole purpose of making people go blind. Had it not been for her regenerative abilities, Petal was sure that was exactly what would've happened to her by now. 
"What about this?" Twilight huffed, shaking the shirt's hanger.
"No way in all nine circles of hell," Petal frowned. "Where did you even get that thing?"
"My mom bought it for me for my brother's wedding," Twilight muttered, cheeks turning pink as she rehung the shirt in her closet.
Yet another thing all of Twilight's clothes had in common.
"Let's just throw on a pair of jeans and a white shirt," Petal groaned, palm pressed firmly into her face. 
"Okay," Twilight grumbled, grabbing said items. "I'll be back in just a minute."
Petal pulled her hand away from her face just in time to get a quick, yet jerky, panoramic view of Twilight's room. A few seconds later, she had a clear view of the room's green ceiling with several of the girl's studying tools framing the edges. Petal rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and sat cross-legged onto the cold crystal floor of her prison. Ever since Twilight found out about the true nature of her pendant, she had made sure to not bring it with her whenever she needed privacy. Not that Petal minded all that much, in the grand scheme of things. She never had any interest in what humans did in the bathroom and the wall would always fog over when Twilight used to bring her into the shower with her. As far as changing clothes went, Petal was admittedly mixed. 
Twilight had a lot of potential beauty hidden under her librarian "style", something that the Wraith appreciated on an objective level. From what few glances she got in the past, it looked like she had inherited most of her mother's best features. With the right outfit and just a bit of confidence, the girl could easily turn a few heads. 
"I hope we'll find something," she sighed, then grimaced as she added, "I just hope I don't have to bribe her into anything else later."
She sat on that in silence as she waited for Twilight to return, the fact that she had to take advantage of her friend's curiosity putting a bad taste in her mouth. At the same time, she couldn't think of any other way to get the girl to step out of her comfort-zone. For Twilight to move forward, she had to do it willingly and if that meant Petal was going to have to dangle a carrot in front of her, then she was going to do it. No matter how much she hated herself for it in the end.
"Rabia, please don't let me fuck this up," she groaned, tiredly rubbing both her eyes.


***


Twilight stepped back into her room fully dressed and put her pendant back on with a nervous smile. For the first time in ages, she was going to spend a saturday not studying the day away. Granted, a vast majority of it was going to be spent clothes shopping, but the tradeoff was going to be more than worth it. All she had to do was give Petal's idea a try and she would tell her a little more about Wraiths and, more specifically, the Miasma they produced.
She hummed a small tune to herself as she moved over towards her mirror and went to work on putting her hair into a ponytail.
"No bun today?" Petal asked, sounding legitimately surprised.
She shook her head and said, "I only wear it like that when I'm working."
"I guess that means you work a hell of a lot, cuz this is the first time I've seen you wear your hair like this."
"D-Does it look weird?" she stammered, face turning pink.
"Not at all," the Wraith chuckled. "You look kind of cute, actually."
"C-Cute?!" Twilight gaped, her whole face burning red.
"Yeah," Petal laughed. "You should take more time off. Maybe you'll get a boyfriend."
"Y-Yeah," she muttered, her savage blush fading away as a somber smile took its place. "Maybe."
Apparently sensing the shift in mood, Petal hastily asked, "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah," she sighed, forcing a small smile as she stared down at her pendant. 
"Want to talk about it?" the Wraith asked.
"Maybe later," she said, her smile shrinking slightly. 
"Right," Petal said softly, then took on a sharper edge as she added, "Right now, we need you to get a set of clothes that doesn't look like it belongs to a colorblind boozer!"
"They weren't that bad," Twilight muttered.
"Yes. They were."
Recognizing a losing battle, Twilight just sighed, gave her reflection a quick once over, and headed for her bedroom door. As she made her way down the stairs and towards the kitchen, a small swarm of butterflies started to fill her belly. She knew that she was going to have to ask her mom for a ride to the mall. While not a difficult request per say, it did come with certain expectations from the matriarch. Her mind ran in thirty different directions with each step, the poor girl struggling to think of an explanation that didn't sound quite as insane as the truth.
"I don't know if I can do this," she whispered, her arms nervously crossing as she stood at the foot of the stairs.
"Sure you can," Petal reassured. "Just ask her to take you to this, "mall" place. Simple as that."
"But what if she asks to come with me? I don't usually go there by myself," she quietly stammered,
"Then say you're going with a friend," she said with an audible shrug.
She let out a frustrated sigh, then resumed her march towards the kitchen.
"You're thinking too much about this," Petal sighed. "Just try to relax for a change."
"Easier said than done," she whispered nervously.
"No kidding," the Wraith huffed. "How about this? You talk and I nibble on your worry for a bit. Sound good?"
"No," she grimaced. "But I think I'm going to need it."
Gulping, she stepped into the kitchen, a plate of waffles and mug of coffee waiting for her at the table. Sitting at said table, enjoying their own breakfasts were Twilight Velvet and a gray-blue man with messy dark-blue hair wearing a navy robe. He looked to be in his early thirties, but much like Velvet, held the spry energy of a man in his prime. While not overly muscular, he looked to be in great shape for someone his age. The man was the first to notice her, a warm smile gracing his lips over his own steaming mug. Velvet sported a smile of her own, a raised brow showing her intrigue as her daughter took a seat.
"Good morning," the man grunted, his voice still rough with grogginess.
"Morning dad," Twilight smiled.
"Morning sweetie," Velvet smiled. "Taking a break from studying I see."
Twilight nodded, her eyes locked onto her breakfast.
"My little girl's leaving the house?" the man asked, eyes widening as he exclaimed, "Honey! Quick! Get to the basement! The world is coming to an end!"
"Oh, Night Light," Velvet sighed, a playful smile spreading across her lips as she rolled her eyes at her husband's antics.
Night Light's panicked expression shifted into a tired version of his wife's and with a chuckle, he took a sip from his mug. Twilight internally groaned, her cheeks heating up the more her parent's antics continued. She knew that Petal was getting a full front row seat to the whole interaction between them, a thought that mortified her in ways that she didn't even know existed. The fact that the Wraith had yet to make a single sound since she entered the kitchen only put her further on edge.
"A-Anyway," Twilight meekly cut in. "I-I was planning on going to the mall today."
"Got your eye on a new book?" Light asked, playfully.
"N-Not exactly," Twilight stammered. "I was thinking of getting some new clothes."
"Really?" Velvet blinked. 
The teen nodded, nervously meeting her mother's gaze.
"That should be fine," she shrugged. "I'm already ahead of schedule at work, so a day of shopping shouldn't set me that far back."
"A-Actually," Twilight cut in. "I-I was thinking you could just drop me off."
Both parents shared surprised looks at that.
"Are you sure?" Light asked.
"It really wouldn't be any trouble for us to come with you," Velvet added, concern heavy in her tone.
"N-No, its fine," Twilight stammered, then hastily blurted out, "A-A friend of mine agreed to meet me there anyway."
It was when a shocked gape formed on her father's face and an ecstatic smile took shape on her mother's that she realized just what kind of Pandora's box she had inadvertently kicked open.
Oh no,  she thought with a gulp.


***


The Crystal Emporium was one of the largest malls in the city. The massive four-story structure held several dozen different stores, an extensive food court, and a movie theater. It even had an arcade, a rare sight in this era of mobile and console games. As a result, the place was packed full of people, some perusing the store's wares while others were on missions to acquire specific products. In the camp of the latter, Twilight tried to find a specific store while she waded her way through the tide of strangers. As was the norm for her, she kept bumping and nearly tripping into various people, only this was not entirely as a result of her clumsiness.
The whole drive towards the mall, Twilight's mother tried to weasel as much information as she could out of her about her new friend. Naturally, the poor teen couldn't tell her everything, but that didn't stop the woman from trying. As such, Twilight was forced to come up with slightly altered versions of what she knew about the Wraith hanging from her neck. As far as her mother knew, Petal was a student that transferred into Crystal Prep from another privet school. They met each other through Crystal Heart, the school's social network, a few days ago and decided to have lunch together at some point.
When Velvet asked her what Petal was like, Twilight said that she was a "Very blunt person that was not afraid to speak her mind." She further explained that it was mostly because of this that she was going clothes shopping in the first place.
By the end of the interrogation, the poor girl was so mentally and emotionally drained that she could barely muster up the energy needed to keep track of the people around her. Not helping was the fact that Petal had remained completely silent since breakfast. That alone added a whole new bundle of anxieties to her already growing cluster. Had she offended the Wraith in some way? Had their connection broken at some point? Was she sick?
Dragging herself over to a nearby bench, she slumped back into it and nervously looked down at the pendant.
"Petal? Are you okay?"
A moment of silence, then, "Yeah, I'm fine."
Twilight let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and practically melted into her seat with relief.
"Good. You were so quiet I was starting to worry."
"Yeah, sorry about that," the Wraith said glumly. 
"What's wrong?" she asked, concern heavy in her as she brought the gem up to eye level.
"Nothing," Petal snipped. "Don't worry about it."
"Is it a Wraith thing?" she pressed.
She waited, but when no answer came, the teen's worry steadily grew.
"Pe-?"
"It's a me thing," she tiredly cut in. "I'll tell you about it later or..... something. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?" Twilight frowned.
"Yeah," she sighed, then in a more playful tone said, "Besides, we're not here to hear me bitch and moan, right?"
"Right," Twilight chuckled, actually happy to hear her friend's crass language for once as she let the gem fall back into place. 
"C'mon Sparkle, let's get a fucking move on," the Wraith laughed.
Rolling her eyes, the girl stood up and made her way towards a nearby directory. As both of them looked at the massive map, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. While Petal couldn't remember the last time she was in this building, Twilight didn't have that convenient excuse. She had been to the mall several times, but most of those visits were dedicated to getting a new book or some parts for a project she was tinkering with. Sure, she knew of a few clothing stores through her mother, but it turns out that they were less than a tenth of the options the mall had on hand. This filled her with dread while a wide smile spread across Petal's face.
"Perfect!" the Wraith cheered, pumping a fist as she stared at the map displayed on one of her prison walls.
"What is?" Twilight grumbled, the girl's voice echoing all around her.
"With this many stores to pick from, we're bound to find you something good to wear."
"Maybe," Twilight mused. "But where do we start?"
Petal gave the map a careful look over, gnawing on her right index knuckle in thought.
"First," she started. "We should stay away from anything formal. I don't think you need a dress right now and this is mostly just civi clothes anyway." 
"Civi?"
"Civilian," Petal frowned, rolling her eyes. "As in, 'clothes I am going to wear when I'm not at school or cooped up in my lab all day'."
Something I plan to make happen a lot more often after this.
"Right," Twilight said flatly.
"Next. No pink."
"Really?" the teen asked, a hint of irritation coloring her tone.
"It's really not your color," Petal frowned, crossing her arms.
"Okay, then what is my color?" Twilight asked testily.
Petal was about to give her a snappy remark, but bit it back as she gave the girl's question some actual thought. Given Twilight's hair, eye, and skin tone, darker colors would probably be a good option. Anything bright would clash pretty painfully with her except for maybe white. She quickly shot that down since the girl had plenty of white shirts already. She hummed thoughtfully to herself as she imagined Twilight wearing different colored versions of the the outfit she left the house in to give her some kind of starting point to work with.
"Dark blues, purples, magenta, and black," she mused. "Maybe red, but that's a pretty big maybe."
"So...evening tones?" Twilight asked.
Petal blinked in shock for a moment, then said, "Yeah. Sounds about right."
Twilight hummed in thought for a moment, then Petal saw her take a picture of the map with her phone. She raised a brow when Twilight turned away from the map and reentered the crowds. All Petal could see clearly was the map picture on Twilight's phone with only faint hints of the people around them from the outside edges of the device's cover. Rolling her eyes at the lack of a view, she sat cross-legged on the floor of her prison.
"I thought you didn't know anything about fashion," Petal huffed. "How do you know about color types?"
"I read a book about Color Therapy a few years back," Twilight said matter-of-factly. "While it was brief, it covered different tones and how they could theoretically affect a person's mood in accordance with the time of day and weather that is commonly associated with them."
"Well, aren't you full of surprises," the Wraith smirked. 
"I have my moments," the girl said meekly, a small smile coloring her tone.
Petal chuckled at that and stared at her window to the outside world. Just how many other surprises did this human have under her sleeves? That thought made her smile grow a little more as Twilight stepped into the first store.
I wonder how many more "moments" she'll have from here on out?


***


After three hours of trying on clothes, examining accessories, and several near heart-attacks when price tags were seen, the teen was now walking through the mall with several bags loaded with multiple outfits. In spite of both of their initial reservations, the odd pair of friends actually found themselves enjoying the shopping experience. Twilight was even wearing one of these said outfits, a sheepish smile gracing her lips as she tried to ignore all of the passing glances she was getting. Much like the rest of her new wardrobe, her current outfit wasn't anything too extreme. Her white T-shirt and blue jeans were replaced by a thicker, more formfitting dark blue short-sleeved blouse and equally tight black jeans. 
"I can't believe you talked me into this," Twilight whispered, blushing fiercely as she walked stiffly through the crowds.
"What? You look great!" Petal cheered.
"But everyone's staring at me," she grimaced.
"So? Let them stare," Petal shrugged. "You're a pretty, brilliant girl and it's about fucking time people started taking notice."
"I don't know about pretty, but thanks," Twilight said, smiling sheepishly.
"You're welcome," the Wraith said with an audible smile, then sharply added, "But take a fucking compliment for a change!"
"R-Right, sorry," she stammered, smiling nervously.
Petal groaned.
"Look, if you start to get a fat head, I'll poke a few holes and pull you back to earth. Unless someone's trying to play you, just take whatever praise you get. Trust me, you've earned it at this point."
"Right. I'll try," she smiled, a bit of confidence adding more strength to it now.
A nearby store caught her attention and her eyes instantly lit up. 
The store was set up to look like the front of a mid-evil castle, complete with polished plank-wood doors and faux gray stone bricks framing them. Plastic gargoyles leered down at those that dared to cross the threshold, a fancy-scripted red neon sign that proudly announced the store's name, The D-20, to the world between them. Petal scoffed at the display, less than mildly impressed by the store's attempt at atmosphere. Not helping in improving her impressions of the store was what she saw on display behind its front windows. Figurines of people dressed in elaborate robes or armer each striking dramatic fighting poses along with sets of many-sided dice of varying colors and styles. Past the displays, she could see countless other products of similar natures.
She rolled her eyes, wondering what kind of people would possibly be interested in such dorky things. It was then that she was met by a pair of eager purple eyes, a smile full of childish excitement completing the scene.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
"Please?" Twilight whispered, tilting the front of her pendant up towards her face.
"You can't be serious," the Wraith said flatly.
"Please?" she repeated, her smile morphing into a small pout.
Petal made a small choking sound, then snarled out a "Fine!" as she crossed her arms and turned away from her "window", her face bearing a small gray blush. 
"Just don't take too long. I still have to hold up my end of our deal today, remember?"
Twilight's smile returned, a triumphant giggle bubbling past her lips as she quickly made her way towards the store. It took everything she had not to squee the second she crossed the threshold, all kinds of tabletop gaming supplies on full display in every direction. Books, dice, figures, character sheets, and everything one would need to store or safely transport said items stood proudly on displays just waiting to be purchased. Those not perusing the displays or wandering through aisles in the back of the store were sat at tables in groups ranging from three to six putting said products to use.
Twilight was full of giggles as she nearly ran towards a dice display. At the same time, Petal was filled with an even split of exasperation and glee. While she couldn't care less about the trinkets surrounding them, the fact that they filled her friend with so much raw joy made the whole situation a lot more tolerable.
"I can't believe it! They finally got the Rise of C'thullu set!" the teen gushed, eyeing her target. "Which one do you think I should get?"
Raising a brow, Petal asked, "Which ones are we talking about?"
A second later, a lavender finger pointed towards a cluster of oddly colored dice in Petal's line of sight. Humming in thought, the Wraith put them under her scrutiny. Each set seemed to be made of some sort of translucent crystalline substance in a wide variety of colors. The numbers all seemed to be made of a metallic variant of this substance that ranged from faded copper to brilliant gold. Each die was coated in an odd glaze that put a kind of aurora effect onto them when the light hit them, giving an admittedly "other worldly" feel to them. Intrigued in spite of her previous reservations, she narrowed down what sets held her interest for more than a few seconds. At the same time, she felt Twilight's excitement gradually building in the background.
"I like the black one," she smiled, just managing to give Twilight an answer just seconds before the girl popped like a shook can of soda. "It reminds me of the night sky."
Taking a couple of deep breaths to mellow herself out a bit, she gave the set in question a look. The dice were jet black with shining silver numbers. Under the store lights, the coating on them gave off a deep purple aura, as if the dice were plucked straight from the darkest void in space. 
Smiling, Twilight said, "Me too," before she started moving further into the store.
"Aren't you going to buy them?" Petal asked.
"Yes, but I want to see what else they have," she giggled, casually studying a few figurines on display.
"Fair enough," Petal sighed, lazily ogling what figures drifted into her line of sight.
That is, until one particular figurine caught her eye. 
The creature was completely dark gray in color and looked like a human skeleton cloaked in thick mist of the same color. Glowing white eyes shined from its skull with an ornate silver crown sitting proudly on top. The creature looked to be reaching forward, as if preparing to pull some unfortunate soul to their untimely demise with a mouth wide open in a haunting scream.
"What the hell is that?" Petal asked, smiling.
"What's what?" Twilight asked, stopping.
"The skeleton guy on the bottom shelf."
Curious, Twilight looked down and upon seeing what Petal saw, let out a nervous chuckle.
"This one?" she asked, pointing at what she hoped was the wrong figurine.
"Yeah."
Twilight gulped, then awkwardly stated, "That's......a Wraith."
Silence, then uproarious laughter filled Twilight's head as the actual Wraith let that fact sink in.
"I fucking wish I looked that awesome," she chuckled.  "By The Queen, it really surprises me what humans come up with sometimes!"
Twilight let out a relieved sigh and said, "That's good. I was worried that you'd get mad."
"Please," Petal scoffed. "My kind have had myths and legends spread about us for centuries that would make that guy look like a supermodel." 
"Such as?" Twilight asked, her worry quickly changing into curiosity.
"That we're the souls of criminals that were put to death for our crimes or man-eating demons that want to suck out people's souls," she said flatly. "Hell, some people thought that we could walk through walls and raise the dead. Please. If I had those kind of powers, I probably wouldn't be stuck in this rock."
"I see," Twilight nodded, pretending to continue window-shopping. "What kind of abilities do Wraiths have?"
"Cashing in a topic now, eh?" the Wraith chuckled. "Alright. While Archwraiths have a few unique tricks, Wraiths typically have a few common powers. We're a lot stronger and faster than humans and we can heal from basically anything."
"Anything?" Twilight blinked, taking a monster manual off of a shelve and opening it to a random page.
"Yep," she said, a hint of pride entering her tone. "So long as we have the Miasma to spare, we can be completely blown apart and regenerate from the biggest part. Granted, that only works if there's something to regenerate from, so it's not something we do often."
"Interesting," Twilight mused.
"We can also use our Miasma to make things. Usually it's clothes or weapons, but we can make basically anything. Hell, if we can spare it, we can even make pocket dimensions called Nests."
"You can do what?" Twilight blinked, almost dropping the book she was "reading".
"Yep," she chuckled. "But don't get too excited. I don't have anywhere near enough power to do anything fancy. The most I can do is change my clothes and send out feeding vines if I try hard enough."
"What are feeding vines?" the teen asked, raising a brow.
Petal's tone turned sheepish as she said, "They're, um, tentacles that we can wrap people up with to completely suck a single negative emotion out of them. They don't prevent you from feeling that emotion ever again or anything like that. I've....been using them to help with your night terrors."
"Oh," Twilight said simply, snapping the book shut and putting it back onto its shelf. "I guess that explains why I've been sleeping better recently."
"I really couldn't stand seeing you like that," she sighed. "I bet the whole thing sounds pretty creepy, but I literally couldn't do anything else to help you."
"Is that how you eat my stress?" the teen asked, plucking a bundle of character sheets off of a nearby aisle.
"No. I just pull it in as is. We only use feeding vines to pull in massive amounts of food. Like, "I'm about to have a heart attack in the next five seconds", massive."
"So, near fatal levels of emotional turmoil," Twilight mused, then smiled down at her pendant and said, "Thanks, for saving me."
The Wraith sputtered, then said, "D-Don't read too much into it! Anyone would've done something if they were there."
"Right," she giggled. "But still, thank you."
"Whatever," Petal muttered. "That's all the info you're getting out of me this time."
"Alright," the teen sighed, mildly disappointed. "Let's get the dice and-"
"Twilight Sparkle?" A monotoned female voice behind her asked. 
She froze, then slowly turned around to face its source with dread steadily growing in her heart. Standing about two feet away from her was a girl roughly the same age as her. She had a lithe build similar to Twilight's, though it was the kind that belonged to runners. her skin was a soft blueish gray and her hair was white with light gray streaks and styled into a trio of ponytails. She wore a lavender hoodie, gray jeans, and a pair of red wireframe glasses. She wore a perfect pokerface as her grayish orchid eyes scanned Twilight from top to bottom, her gaze adding to the teen's already growing anxiety.
"S-Sugar Coat," Twilight whispered with a gulp.
"I thought it was you," the girl, Sugar Coat, stated, tone as flat as paper. "Is that a new outfit?" 
Twilight nodded, nervously taking a step back from the girl.
"You look good," she nodded. "A lot better than you used to look when you would come to the school library."
Twilight froze, the compliment making her heart sink as her dread steadily grew. Oblivious to the girl's growing fear, Sugar Coat gave the bundle of character sheets in her hand a passing glance. It was faint, but the girl's eyes lit up at the discovery. Twilight's heart slammed in her chest at the sight, already bracing herself for whatever cruel words her fellow Elite had in store for her. 
Petal watched the girl as well, carefully studying everything she could about her. All the while, the Wraith struggled to keep her friend's fear under control. With eyes locked onto her window, she kept a hand pointed at the wall showing Twilight's soul, sickly black fog pouring out of it into her outstretched palm. The divide pulled heavily on her, but even under the strain she could see that something wasn't right. This "Sugar Coat" didn't seem all that hostile, at least, not as much as the other two girls that hounded Twilight every day at school. She grunted as the influx of fear grew when Sugar Coat spoke. 
"You're a player?" she asked.
Stiffly, Twilight nodded.
"What kind of game?"
"D-D&D," she stammered, her breathing steadily quickening.
A small smile formed on Sugar Coat's face, but to Twilight, it looked like a cruel sneer.
"That's perfect," she said, still oblivious to Twilight's growing panic. "The group I am part of has been looking for a new player and it would be good to have someone capable for a change. Do you want to join?"
She could hear Sugar's words, but her brain struggled to put them together. Her breaths were turning into panicked gasps. The girl's voice slowly shifted from its familiar monotone to Sour and Sunny's mocking lilts. It was a trap. A lie. Sugar was planning something. But what? She couldn't stay here. She needed to escape!
Sugar noticed Twilight's condition, her smile turing into a confused frown as she approached the girl.
"Are you okay?" she asked, reaching out a hand.
Something in the girl snapped the second Sugar's hand made contact with her shoulder. 
The lavender teen had no idea what happened next. It was all a panicked mess of colorful blurs and screaming. Had she screamed? It sounded like her scream. She had a vague memory of running, but it was just as much a blur as the rest of her memories of the past few,,,,minutes? Seconds? She didn't know. All she did know was the now and it was such a strange feeling.
Everything was dark and she couldn't move, yet she felt no fear. She knew that she would be under these kind of circumstances, but it was as if that particular emotion was being yanked away from her as she felt it. Instead, she felt exhausted, as if she had just ran a marathon or went a week without sleep. If they weren't closed already, she was sure her eyes would be drooping just as much as the rest of her body was in whatever bindings held her. Slowly, those very bindings started to go slack and she became more aware of her surroundings. She heard dripping water and smelled something foul. She became aware that she was on her knees, her hands clinging desperately onto something smooth and cold. When whatever held her slid off of her face, she opened her eyes.
She was in one of the mall's bathroom stalls, kneeling over a toilet filled with vomit. In the corner of her eye, she saw her bags laying haphazardly beside her on the floor, but that didn't hold her focus for very long. A dull violet glow from her pedant caught her eye along with the dozens of glowing black vines retracting back into it.
For a long moment she stayed like that, mind reeling and drained. In time, she managed to gather enough of her remaining strength to stagger back to her feet. Collecting her bags, she numbly intoned a single wish as she stepped out of the stall.
"I want to go home."
"Y-Yeah," Petal stammered, an audible strain coloring her tone. "I think that's a good idea."
> Ch.4 Please Talk To Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The room was silent, save for the sounds of keys clacking. Twilight sat at her desk dressed in a frumpy pair of pajamas with a slight bed-head, eyes glazed with boredom as she stared at her computer. On the surface, the teen seemed to be fine, but those closest to her could tell from a glance that something was bothering her. This went double for Petal, the Wraith all to aware of the teen's emotional turmoil. She could see as well as sense the fear, confusion, and shame fighting for dominance in the girl's heart, the three emotions manifesting as different colored lights displayed on one of her crystal walls.
A similar quagmire of emotions ran through her as well, though self-loathing had become an unwilling participant in her internal clash of titans. Had she not been trapped in this confounded crystal prison, she could've protected Twilight better. Maybe things wound't have turned out as bad as they had. 
With a shiver down her spine, her mind drifted to what happened yesterday at the mall.


***


It was as if a dam had broke. The second Sugar Coat touched Twilight's shoulder, a massive flood of fear-filled black energy poured into Petal's prison. She yelped as the tide pulled her under, kicking, screaming, and gasping for air. At the same time, she heard Twilight scream "GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" before she was dragged into the seemingly endless tide of terror.
Fear filled her both literally and metaphorically as she tried to regain control of her unwanted domain. In doing so, she opened her mouth and sucked in as much of the wild emotions as she could bear. A near fatal mistake, as the tide tried to force itself down her throat. She cut off the flow just before it could overwhelm her, but not enough to keep herself from puking up some of the excess that tried to gag her. Sinking to the floor, she fell to her knees as the tide bore down on her like the deep ocean depths.
It was too much, she couldn't fight against this. This wasn't just ordinary fear or anxiety. This was the crushing terror of a phobia, a fear that no level of logic could fight against. A fear brought on by those two girls from Twilight's school.
A burning rage flared within her at that realization, her Miasma surging more than she could ever remember in response. Gritting her teeth, she let the anger bubbling inside her give her the strength she needed to stand. Out of instinct, she raised her right hand up to her side, spread her fingers wide, and channeled her Miasma into it. She didn't know what she was going to manifest and she didn't care, so long as it brought this madness to an end. In response to her will, dark energy gathered into her hand and took form as a jet black ornate spear. With a savage snarl, she stabbed the weapon forward, the dark energy making it up taking on a violet tint as it ripped through the dark tide. 
The raw emotional energy froze, then howled like a wounded banshee as it was pulled into the spear's head. At the same time, Petal saw several black vines rise out of the ground around her. Each vine sported dozens of different fruit, each black with a faint lavender light glowing within them. She ignored them, far too focused on trying to fight back the darkness standing between her and her friend. Riding her rage, she gathered as much of her Miasma as she could into her free hand, all the while trying to find her window to the outside world. 
She saw it, shining like a beacon in the middle of an oceanic storm at her left. She turned towards the light, then shifted her stance so that her free hand was pointed behind herself. Then, she let the power gathered loose and flew towards the light. Between her spear and the thrust of her blast, she closed the distance in seconds, her spear bouncing harmlessly against the crystal wall. She slammed her free hand onto the wall and channelled even more Miasma than she did previously. Dozens of black vines burst out of her arm, each half an inch thick with a slightly pointed end. They burrowed through the wall like a mass of writhing serpents, but when they made it to her bonded girl, something strange happened.
Suddenly, she wasn't in her prison anymore. She was in the mall, countless people watching her as she ran past them. She wasn't as strong or fast as she should've been. She felt weak, scared, like a cornered animal struggling to escape a predator. She had no control of her movements or her own line of sight. It was as if she had become even more of a spectator than she was to begin with.
Have to get away!
"Twilight?" she asked, her voice a shocked echo.
Have to escape! Too much! It's all too much!
"Twilight! It's me! Petal! Can you hear me?!"
I NEED TO GET AWAY!
A sudden lurch in her stomach made her gasp, a cold dread filling her as she guessed what that meant. Trying to figure out what she could do about it, something seemed to click into place in her head. She suddenly knew the whole layout of the mall, the locations of certain stores in particular as well as one of five locations that she knew she needed to get to. 
"Twilight! There's a bathroom about ten feet to our left! GET THE FUCK IN THERE!!!"
That seemed to have the desired effect, as not a second later, she took a sudden left turn towards the room in question. As she bolted into the room , the pain in her gut grew to unbearable levels. When she made it to a stall, she threw the bags she was only dimly aware she had been holding to the ground and kneeled before the porcelain throne. The only saving grace the Wraith earned from the whole ordeal was that Twilight closed her eyes before her nausea ran its course.
When it seemed as though the worst was behind them, Petal tried to see if she had control of her Feeding Vines. To her surprise, she felt them move, though it was a bit more difficult then she was used to. Not wanting to prolong her friend's suffering any longer, she willed them into action, covering the dazed girl from top to bottom. The second the vines went to work, Petal fell backwards onto the cold crystal floor of her prison, her now severed right arm already regenerating. Her spear crumbled away as she laid there panting, her mind reeling as dozens of fruit-bearing black vines melted back into the ground to store their harvest. She could feel the Feeding Vines adding to her already massive stockpile of food along with her friend's steadily stabilizing emotional state.
What...THE FUCK....just happened?!


***


What followed was an awkward ten minutes waiting outside of the mall for Velvet to pick them up, then another fifteen minutes of forced smiles as Twilight stared in a one girl fashion show for her family. All the while, Petal tried to shake off what happened earlier. She hated to admit it both at the time and in the present, but the whole incident terrified her. Wraiths seldom felt the emotion. They were strong, near invincible apex predators that, in some cases, literally spread fear in those that crossed their path. In that brief moment that was not the case. She was a scared, vulnerable, teenage girl running for her life from a perceived threat just seconds after almost being crushed under a tide of literal terror.
To say she was shook would've been an understatement, but she was also confused. The girl that triggered Twilight's episode, Sugar Coat, didn't seem to be that much of a threat. In fact, the girl seemed to to be legitimately worried about Twilight. At least, that was the impression she got before her friend's mental state collapsed. Clearly there was a story there, but both she and Twilight were too drained to do more than pass out the second the human's head hit her pillow last night. 
It became clear to the Wraith that, while her friend had managed to get a decent night's sleep, a lot of the previous day's emotional baggage still clung to her in the present. Something Petal took note of fairly early was how neurotic the teen was. Everything had to go according to some schedule or be done in a very specific way. It bordered on mania sometimes.The prime example of this was the time the girl found an overdue library book under her bed. Petal was still trying to eat all the fruit she stored that day.
As such, Twilight would always wake up early, make herself presentable, then head down for breakfast at the exact same time every morning without fail. Even on weekends when most students slept in, she kept to this routine. This morning, Petal had to nag her into getting some food into her and she didn't even bother brushing her hair. Now here she sat, an hour past noon scrolling through random sights online looking like something the cat dragged in.
Spike stared up at her with worry, the small puppy unable to do more than whine faintly at his master's woes. Petal could relate, but unlike the small animal, she had the power to at least try to do something about the situation. Ironically enough, said animal gave her just the excuse she needed.
"Hey, how about we take Spike for a walk?" Petal asked. "Poor guy looks like he could really use one and it's a pretty good day today."
Twilight dragged her eyes away from her computer to the anxious pup to the sunny clear sky outside her window. It was a nice day today, she couldn't deny that, but she just couldn't muster up the will to take advantage of it. All she wanted to do was curl up into a little ball in some dark place and wait for the world to end.
Petal let out a sigh, then with a determined frown yelled, "Twilight Sparkle!"
"Yes?!" she flinched, sitting up straight in her seat.
"As your friend, it is my job to worry about you and help you if things look like they're hitting the crapper, right?"
"Well-" she started uneasily.
"Right!" Petal briskly cut in. "Now as your friend, I'm telling you this because I really care. GET OFF OF YOUR ASS, GET DRESSED, AND TAKE YOUR DOG FOR A FUCKING WALK!"
"Yes ma'am!" Twilight squeaked, jumping to her feet.
"And you're going out in one of your new outfits," she barked.
"B-But I'm not going anywhere," she stammered, running towards the still bagged clothes in question.
"There's a park nearby, right?"
"Yes, but-" 
"No buts! You're taking Spike to that park for some fun and to get your head on straight! I am not going to sit around and watch you mope all day! You got it!?"
"Y-Yes." she gulped, quickly choosing an outfit.
"Good," Petal sighed, then with a much softer tone said, "Now go get ready. We've got another week of hell to look forward to tomorrow and I want us to make the most of the time we have before then."
"Right," Twilight sighed, then smiled lightly as she took her pendant off and gently laid it down on her desk. "Thanks Petal."
"Anytime Sparky," the Wraith said with an audible smirk.


***


Six Pillars Park was a massive plot of land, fifty blocks long and thirty wide with an even split of recreational center and natural beauty. It was the city's attempt to maintain a form of modern entertainment for its residents and what few sections of nature still remained in the city. As such, while the urbanized half was home to a track field, a gym, and a swimming pool, the wild half was more akin to a natural evergreen forest complete with a lake that housed various water fowl in the spring and summer. 
Twilight walked the dirt path through it, an excited Spike barking and sniffing everything in sight with more energy than he had any right to own. Twilight giggled at the sight, a gentle breeze ruffling her black tank-top and navy blue jeans. Said breeze pushed her ponytail around, the tip lightly tapping against the active Bluetooth in her right ear. Petal let out a satisfied sight, happy to feel her friend's stress and gloom subside. It was rare that she felt the teen feel so relaxed, her mood generally shifting between nervous and frustrated most of the time. While her instincts told her to take advantage of that, to even egg it on at times, she couldn't deny that she liked to see the girl when she was like this. It made her cringe a bit when she thought about what she needed to do next.
Seeing little point in beating around the bush, Petal took a deep breath and said, "So, want to explain what the hell happened yesterday?"
Twilight flinched, then frowned as she stared down at her pendant.
"Do we really need to talk about this?"
"Yes," Petal frowned, tone flatter than paper. "You almost had a stroke and I want to know why."
Twilight's frown deepened and for a few minutes, she refused to say anything. Then, just when Petal was about to pressure an answer out of her, the girl sighed and said, "Sugar Coat is an Elite."
Petal was silent for a moment, then groaned.
"That's what freaked you out?"
"Yeah," Twilight nodded.
Petal took a deep breath, bracing herself for what she knew was going to happen next, given her friend's history with Elites.
"What did she do to you? Is she as bad as bitch one and two?"
"No," Twilight sighed. "We don't really interact. In fact, I think yesterday was the first time we ever talked to each other."
"Okay, so why did you flip out like that? She didn't seem like she was up to anything. Hell, she looked like she was trying to be nice to you."
"I doubt it," she huffed, a bitter edge entering her tone as she added, "Elites don't get along. Period. Especially ones that have such a huge gap in rank as Sugar and I."
"Okay, putting that bullshit aside for a second, what do you mean 'gap in rank'? What's the damn ladder here and where does Sugar Coat stand?"
Twilight sighed, then said, "Starting from the top, it's me, Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, Royal Pin, Sugar Coat, Trenderhoof, Neon Lights, Jet Set, Indigo Zap, and Lemon Zest. We each have some parts of the school that we have some influence over thanks to our ranks. Sugar Coat is Head Librarian Aid for the school library and thus, has it as her territory. She seldom leaves it outside of going to class, so I had to avoid going there to avoid her."
"So, 'you stay on your side of the line and I'll stay on mine' kind of deal, right?" Petal asked.
"Exactly," she nodded. "All of us stick to that rule. It's the only reason I can get any kind of privacy in my lab."
"But that doesn't explain why you were so scared of her," Petal insisted. "I mean, sure, she had a bit of a mouth, but she wasn't being hostile or anything like that."
Twilight's tone and expression darkened as she said, "One thing all of the Elites have in common is a desire to rank up.  The higher your rank, the more power you have in the school and the more opportunities you have when you graduate. As such, there's always a power struggle among us and the bigger the gap, the worse the struggle. You saw how Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet treat me and they're just ranked two and three. How much do you think someone at rank five hates me?"
Petal thought about that for a moment. In a lot of ways, Twilight had a point. Assuming all of the Elites thought like that and had their own ways of climbing up the latter, it would make sense for Twilight to be so nervous. Combine that with the stress numbers two and three were putting on her and it was a miracle Twilight hadn't popped a long time ago. Of course, that was assuming Twilight was right about how the other Elites operated. While she didn't know Sugar Coat all that much, she could tell that the girl was fairly genuine in her intentions. One of the many things that came naturally to her kind was reading people. It helped them know just what buttons to push to get the most negative emotions out of them. A task that is made easier by their ability to sense emotions, but even with that denied to her she was certain in her assessment.
"She didn't seem all that bad."
"Trust me Petal. Elites never do anything for each other just to be nice."


***


Sugar Coat seldom enjoyed the outdoors. For the most part, the quiet of a library or the rattling of dice were the things that kept her at ease. As it stood, only two things could bring her out of her twin caves of serenity and into the mostly wild portion of Six Pillars Park. Or rather, two people. As she sat on a red and white checker board blanket with a book at her side, two girls sat across from her with worried expressions. One was a light amaranth girl with long, straight tri-toned green hair that went just past her shoulders. She wore a pair of baggy blue jeans with rips around the knees and a white T-shirt sporting a band logo with a missing right sleeve. A pair of pink headphones hung loosely around her neck. The other was a light amber girl with short and wavy tri-toned blue hair. She wore a pair of navy blue sport shorts and a gray tank top. A pair of brass aviator goggles sat strapped across her forehead.
Each of them stared wide-eyed and slack jawed at sugar, the normally stoic girl showing a faint sign of worry.
"Dude, are you serious?" the amaranth girl asked.
"I wish I wasn't, Lemon Zest," Sugar sighed.
"What the hell did you do to her?" the amber girl asked, incredulity heavy in her tone.
"Nothing," Sugar said flatly, a hint of anger entering her eyes. "You should learn not to assume the worst in people Indigo Zap. That's a really bad habit."
"Whatever," the amber girl, Indigo, huffed, crossing her arms. "You had to have done something to her. People don't flip out like that for no reason."
"Did you find out what was up?" the amaranth girl, Lemon Zest, asked.
"No," Sugar sighed. "I stayed close to make sure she didn't hurt herself, but I didn't want to trigger another episode."
"Did you try getting in touch with her through Crystal Heart?" Indigo asked.
"Yes, but she apparently keeps her account set to private," Sugar frowned. "Unless I try to hack it, their's no way for me to contact her through that."
"Dude, that sucks," Lemon frowned. "Do you think her friends can help her out?"
"She has friends?" Indigo blinked.
"I think so. I've seen Numbers Two and Three hang out with her a lot at lunch," Lemon shrugged. 
"They're not her friends."
Indigo and Lemon flinched, the pure malice dripping off of their normally stoic friend's tone putting a chill down their spines.
"W-What makes you say that," Indigo gulped.
"Sunny and Sour don't do friendship," she spat, before she took a deep calming breath and added, "Let's leave it at that."
"Whatever you say, Number Five," Lemon said, chuckling nervously. "So, what's the plan?"
"I don't know," Sugar sighed. "On one hand, I think I should mind my own business and leave her alone, but on the other, if Sunny and Sour are giving her a hard time, I think I should at least try to help." 
"You mean we, right?" Lemon asked, cracking a crooked smile.
"No," Sugar said flatly. "I am not going to have Sunny take shots at you over this. I'm in the top five. Out of the three of us, I have the most power and the best chance at standing against her."
"If she can do something like that to Number One, then it really doesn't matter what we do," Lemon shrugged. "Heck, since we're on the bottom, what do Indigo and I have to lose?"
"She's got a point," Indigo grumbled, her competitive spirit raging at being reminded of her lowly station. 
"I still don't want to involve you two in this," Sugar frowned.
"I'm not asking for permission," Lemon snorted.
"Ditto," Indigo smirked.
Sugar gave her friends a pair of empty looks, then smiled as she sighed, "You two are hopeless."
The two girls chuckled at that, only for all three of them to let out startled yelps a second later when an uninvited guest scampered onto their blanket. It was a purple puppy with a green tail and ears, a brown leather leash hanging limply off of its collar. The small animal barked excitedly as it ran, sniffed, and licked each of them in turn with reckless abandon. Eventually, the creature hopped onto Sugar's lap, the girl blinking in shock as it made itself comfortable. Seeing little else to do, the girl smiled and pet the pup. Her friends all cooed and gushed over the small animal, each of them taking turns petting it. The dog ate up the attention, rolling onto his back to better bask in the abundant pettings and belly rubs.
"He's so cute!" Lemon gushed, finding just the right spot to get the dog's leg kicking.
"Who's a good boy?" Indigo cooed, scratching behind one of the dog's ears.
"I wonder who's dog this is," Sugar mused, taking a peek at the dog's collar.
Not even a second later, a feeble, trembling female voice caught their attention.
"P-P-Please, don't hurt him."
Slowly, the three girls turned their heads towards it source. Standing about ten feet away from them was a trembling and near hysterics Twilight Sparkle. Lemon and Indigo reared back slightly at just how scared the girl looked, but Sugar looked completely unmoved by the display. While she held the dog, she thought very carefully about how to proceed from here. She could let the dog go, but then Twilight would run and she would have no idea how to help her. She could try to use the dog as leverage, but that might poison the girl's already unfavorable opinion of her. Though, if she approached the latter option right, the damage could be mitigated if not outright negated over time. Thinking over her words carefully, she took a deep breath and did what she always did with her party. She rolled the dice and saw what happened.
"I won't hurt him," Sugar said flatly. "Contrary to what you may or may not think of me, I am not a monster. I want a few things done first."
"Whatever you want," Twilight sniffled.
"First, I want you to let me contact you through Crystal Heart."
"Okay," she sighed, hands trembling as she pulled out her phone and activated the app in question.
A few seconds later, Sugar's own phone buzzed as her app alerted her to a link request. A couple quick taps later and the request was accepted. Nodding to herself, she shifted her attention back to Twilight.
"Next, I want you to tell me everything that Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet has done to you."
"E-Everything?" she gulped.
"Everything," Sugar intoned.
"O-Okay," she stammered, shakily sitting down cross legged in the grass.
As the girl prepared to voice her grievances, Sugar fought back a sense of self-loathing. This was not how she had hoped to help her, but she couldn't deny that it would most likely get results. Hopefully, the apology message she sent her later wouldn't be too long. That was a bad habit she desperately needed to kick.
> Ch.5 Friction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sparrow Hawk frowned, clutching her staff tightly as she sat before a fire, the elven mage's magenta hooded cloak rustling lightly under a faint breeze. Crickets and the occasional snapping of branches echoed through the forest surrounding her, but that didn't hold the bulk of her attention. Her teal eyes were locked onto the two humans sitting across from her. One was a female bard dressed in an elaborately colored long sleeved silk shirt and pants and brown leather boots. Her skin was a rich mocha color while her long hair was a confusing swirl of blue and red. Her pink eyes glinted with mischief and cunning as they met Sparrow's teal ones. The other was a female rogue and the biggest source of Sparrow's concern. She wore all black leather armor, only her face showing her dark blue skin-tone as well as a long scar that came from just under her left eye down to her jaw. Her hair was short and the same shade of silver as her eyes, said eyes appraising Sparrow like one would a great puzzle.
Sparrow flinched when a small brown owl landed on her shoulder, her nerves settling when she took note of the familiar's presence. The bard chuckled at that while the rogue gave her a faint smile. The friendly display put the mage back onto guard, a hard frown marring her otherwise pretty face as she pushed her silver framed glasses further up her nose with a free hand. The duo coughed awkwardly, neither sure how to proceed further with their new party member.
Eventually, the quite became too much for the bard and in an attempt to break the ice, she stared up at the sky and said, "NIce night, right Shroud?"
The Rogue, Shroud, shifted her attention from Sparrow to the sky.
"Yeah. A fine start to a long journey. How much do you think we'll be able to make from this Melody?"
"Maybe enough for me to get this replaced," the bard, Melody, sighed, dragging her violin onto her lap. "As much as I love her, this old girl is long past retirement."
"Please put that away," Sparrow said coldly, her grip on her staff almost turning her gray hands white. 
Melody gulped under the cold glare the elf was giving her and slowly returned her instrument to her bag. Sparrow relaxed a fraction, but then shifted her full attention towards the rogue. More specifically, the short sword sheathed at her hip.
Shroud narrowed her eyes and said, "I will not disarm unless you do first."
"Something we are both in agreement on," Sparrow spat.
"Not the friendliest of sorts, are ya?" the rogue frowned, crossing her arms.
"I see no need to be," the mage huffed. "The only reason I am here is because you need my strength. Once this job is done, we will never see each other again. The sooner that time comes to pass, the sooner our lives will improve."
"Shouldn't we at least make the most of it?" Melody asked sheepishly.
"Perhaps," the elf snorted bitterly. "If only there was any real point in doing so."
As she said that, she waved a glowing hand around herself, a transparent green barrier surrounding her before she laid her staff down on the ground beside herself and laid down on the ground with her back to them. The two adventurers traded looks, one a sheepish chuckle and the other a raised brow, before they to decided to turn in for the night. While they couldn't speak for Sparrow, they both came to a very unfortunate conclusion. This was going to be a very long  job.


***


The plan had been simple enough; introduce Twilight to the group through their shared interest in Dungeons and Dragons. Sugar Coat even came up with an easy quest they could all do together to help break the ice. A thief stole an important relic from a local church and hired a ragtag group of mercenaries to get it back. She even let Twilight use a character from a campaign she finished with her brother. Granted, she had to drop Sparrow's level down from twenty to five, but Twilight agreed that that was an acceptable compromise. After making a lower level copy of Sparrow's character sheet, the elven mage was introduced to the party through the church and the adventure began 
The only problem was that Twilight played the mage in a rather distant manner from the rest of the party. A fact that didn't go unnoticed by Lemon and Indigo. While Sparrow was somewhat abrasive towards villagers and other such NPCs, a bulk of her hostility was aimed at Shroud and Melody. This only went as far as dialogue though and she never actively tried to kill them, providing plenty of warnings in combat before casting her attack spells. That being said, she never passed up a chance to speak bitterly towards them whenever she gave them a potion or some other form of medical aid.
As such, the four girls sat at a round table, three of them giving their newest member raised brows. Twilight met their gaze with a cautious frown, her eyes jumping quickly between the three of them before looking down at her figurine. In a lot of ways, Sugar expected this kind of reaction. If even half of what Twilight told her was true, it was a miracle that the girl had agreed to play with them at all. That went double considering where they were playing to begin with. Since the library was her "territory", she had a lot of flexibility as to what she did in it after hours. This allowed them to use one of the tables in the main studying section of the library's second floor for their sessions. So long as they cleaned up after themselves, didn't damage anything, or do anything illegal, they were free to do whatever they wanted. 
Twilight didn't care about any of that, the girl more focused on potential escape routes and how quickly she could shove her things into her bag if they became needed. She knew that there had to be some reason Sugar wanted her here and it had noting to do with playing a game. At least, not the literal game set up on the table anyway. Even the lengthy apology she sent her over Crystal Heart had to have been part of some kind of plan. A morbidly pessimistic part of her couldn't wait to be proven right. Maybe then Petal wouldn't talk her into something as stupid as this again in the future.


***


Twilight sat, trembling on her bed, her hands loosely holding her phone. Displayed on the screen was a message from Sugar Coat, the girl apologizing for using Spike the way that she had, but saw no other way to talk to her without risking a repeat of what happened at the mall. The message also stated that she wanted to include her in a small D&D session after school at the library to make up for both incidents. 
Twilight didn't know what to do. The whole situation was obviously a trap, but to what end? Was Sugar Coat planning to remove Sunny and Sour's titles? Not likely as doing so would mean removing them from their leadership positions first. Sour Sweet would be the easiest in that regards, seeing as she was head of the archery club, but Sunny Flare was essentially untouchable. Being Principal Cinch's daughter and President of the Student Council more than made sure of that.
"What should I do, Petal?" she muttered, putting her phone onto her headboard and resting her face in her hands.
"Do you really want to know?" the Wraith sighed.
"I don't know. Maybe?" she groaned, flopping bonelessly back-first onto her bed. 
"I think you should give her a chan-"
"No," Twilight said coldly.
"Why?" Petal asked, exasperation heavy in her tone.
"She's up to something. I don't know what, but that couldn't be more obvious," she said emptily. "It wouldn't surprise me if meeting her at the mall was part of her plan as well."
"Okay, now you're just being paranoid," Petal frowned.
"Am I?" she asked, tone eerily hollow. "Think about it. I have been in that store countless times and never saw her once. Now, all of a sudden, I run into her not only there, but at a park a full day later."
"Okay, I'll admit that is kind of weird," the Wraith mused, "But that all happened in some pretty open public places. It's not like something like that isn't bound to happen every now and then."
"Maybe," she sighed.
"You trust me, right?" the Wraith asked briskly.
"Yes," she nodded, then let out an uneasy, "But..."	
Petal let out an irate groan and said, "Okay Mrs. Tinfoil, how about we make a deal."
"I'm listening," the girl frowned, a bit miffed by Petal's small jab.
"You give Sugar and her friends one week to prove themselves. You don't tell them that their being tested and the second I tell you that something's up, you get the fuck out of there."
"Why do you get to say when things are going wrong?" Twilight asked, raising a brow.
"Because you and I both know that you'd book it the second you got the chance," she said flatly. "Besides, they know you don't trust them all that much, so they're going to be walking on eggshells around you anyway."
"I guess," she frowned. "And what do I get out of this when things go wrong?"
"You mean if," the Wraith frowned. "And if that happens, I'll tell you everything about my kind."
Everything?" she asked, sitting upright and suddenly alert. "As in-?"
"Everything," the Wraith intoned. "How we eat. How we sleep. How we fuck. Everything under the sun and then some. Sound good?"
"Y-Yeah," she stammered, a bit of a blush briefly coloring her cheeks over one particular topic in the Wraith's list. "But what happens if I lose?"
A wicked chuckle came from Twilight's pendant, then the Wraith ominously said, "You'll just have to wait and see."


***


"Wow. Can you at least try to get along with them?" Petal asked flatly. 
Twilight picked up a pencil and as soon as she was sure the others couldn't see quickly wrote, "I'm just getting into my character." onto a notepad. 
"So, Sparrow Hawk is a raging bitch. Got it," she snarked, rolling her eyes.
Twilight clenched her jaw tight enough to hold back a frustrated growl as she hastily wrote, "No! She! Isn't!"
"You could've fucking fooled me." Petal flatly stated.
Twilight was about to write something that she was probably going to regret later, but stopped herself when Sugar Coat said," All three of you sleep through the night with no interruptions and after gathering you possessions the three of you make your way west until you spot a small farming village in the distance. A vast open field is the only thing between you all and your destination."
Twilight raised a brow at that.
No night attack? Strange. Why didn't she take the opportunity to kill me? Maybe she has something worse waiting for me later down the road. I'd better grab whatever useful items I can get when we get into town.
She gave Indigo and Lemon cautious glances before she returned her focus to her character sheet.
Barring that, it would probably be a good idea to make plans to deal with Shroud and Melody before they decide to turn on me. Let's see what I have to work with
"Sparrow Hawk makes her way towards the village," Twilight sighed, nudging her figurine forward a bit.
"Shroud does too," Indigo nods, doing the same.
"With Melody not far behind her," Lemon smiled.


***


After a long walk in total silence, the trio made it to the small village. Upon entering, a strange shimmering tingle washed over them, briefly dizzying them as they staggered past the hamlet's borders. When it passed, a jaw-dropping sight awaited them. What they had thought were simple houses with straw roof had turned into towering trees, each living in spite of the visible widows and doors they each bore. Countess fare folk moved through the disguised hamlet, from the tiniest faery flitting about to a massive annis hag that eyed the trio with a wicked smile before slinking back into the shadows of her withered tree home. Countless glowing orbs drifted lazily over the town, bathing the whole scene in an alien ambiance.
If it was even possible, Sparrow's expression soured further at the sight. She spat at the ground and quickly turned to face her dazzled companions.
"Get your acts together you fools," she snapped. "Or we're all doomed."
"Huh?" both humans blinked.
Sparrow groaned, messaging the bridge of her nose and muttering a few elven curses under her breath before briskly stating, "We've crossed a faery ring. Now we're stuck in this town until we can convince one of the locals to let us out."
"Is that all," Melody giggled. "No sweat, I'll just-"
"Don't even think about it," Sparrow growled. "The fae are masters of charming and allure. Trying to match one is tantamount to suicide."
"She's got a point," Shroud sighed. "You'd probably end up as someone's love slave or something."
"Doesn't sound that bad to me," Melody shrugged.
"Assuming they don't eat you instead," Sparrow spat, glaring at a hag that passed by them. "Most fae don't see the other races as more than just cattle and some have a taste for the exotic."
Melody cringed at that, suddenly a lot more cautious of her surroundings.
"That will make things a lot more difficult for us," Shroud mused. "I'm sure we could work out some kind of de-"
"Do not make a deal with a fae," the mage intoned, slamming the butt of her staff into the ground for emphasis. "It never ends well or how you think it will."
"Then how do we get out of here?" the rogue demanded.
For the first time since she joined the group, Sparrow smiled and said, "Let me handle that," only to regain her sullen expression as she added, "Just don't accept any food or drink from them unless you paid for it with gold coins. Even if they say that it's just to be friendly, demand that you pay for it. We need to stay close, watch each other's backs and remember: don't flirt or make any deals, no matter how tempting it may be."
With one showing caution and the other determination, the two humans nodded. Satisfied, Sparrow turned away from her companions and led them further into the hidden town. Ignoring the curious looks she and the rest of her party were getting from the locals, she carefully planned her next move to get both her and her two unwanted companions out safely should her first strategy fail. This was the kind of thing she was hired to tackle in the first place and by Sehanine Moonbow's diaphanous gown, she was going to do it right!


***


"There. Is that better?" Twilight wrote.
"I guess," Petal sighed. "I'd say drop the sass, but it's way to late at this point."
Twilight agreed, but couldn't really bring herself to feel all that guilty. Sparrow was a character she built mainly for solo games and was given an anti-social personality because of that. Combine that with her Chaotic Good alinement and you had the makings of a fairly rough character. Mainly, the kind that will work with you and try to keep you alive if things get hairy, but won't get any closer to you on a personal level than was strictly necessary. She did feel bad about the sharp tongue she gave her this session, but only a little. Both her and Sparrow were surrounded by possible threats after all.
"I think that will be where we will call it a night," Sugar Coat nodded, already gathering her things.
"Yeah, it is getting kind've late," Indigo sighed, looking at her phone.
She turned towards Lemon and asked, "Do you want a lift home?"
"Totally," Lemon smiled, already putting her gear back into her bag.
Twilight let out faint sigh of relief, then blinked in shock when she looked at the time on her phone. She knew that she had been playing for a while, but she hadn't realized that it had been for four hours. It looked like she was going to need to spend the night in her lab tonight. It wouldn't be the first time, but at least she wouldn't be alone this time, sans Spike. 
Taking the extra effort to keep her equipment organized and returning them to their proper protective measures, Twilight barely responded when Lemon and Indigo left the library. A quick glance and nervous nod the only sign of acknowledgement she gave them in response to their waves on the way. Now, alone with a Elite much closer to her own rank, a chilled dread filled her core. The two worked in silence, Twilight's neurosis preventing her from rushing any part of her clean up process while Sugar seemed more willing to clean up at a leisurely pace by default. Twilight's heart pounded in her chest, both dreading what the girl had in store for her and eager for her to just get it over with. She could almost feel Petal eating her anxiety, silently thanking her for the help in spite of it making her more willing to stand before the proverbial firing squad. 
Twilight flinched when Sugar said, "You need to relax."
Twilight just nodded, barely meeting the girl's eyes for more then a second before returning her focus to her gaming equipment.
Sugar sighed, then said, "If you're not having fun, we can try something else tomorrow."
"N-No, it's fine," Twilight stammered, visibly trembling as she forced herself to meet Sugar's eyes. "I-I just need to get more used to the world you've made. Maybe after you kill off Sparrow, I can make something that fits in better."
The girl's word choice got a faint look of shock out of Sugar, but to Twilight, it looked like confirmation to her suspicions.
"It was in my character's backstory that she had experience dealing with the fae. This whole stage was set to give her a moment to shine, right? So, how is she going to die? Is she going to get outmatched by an annis hag? Dropped into a pit full of displacer beasts? I suppose a gelatinous cube trap is a classic approach, right? Or is Shroud going to finally get fed up with her and slips some poison into Sparrow's drink?"
"Do you really think I'm that kind of DM?" Sugar frowned.
A long pause, then, with a deep sigh, Twilight broke it with a shaky, "Yes."
Sugar blinked, then frowned as she said, "That's rather rude, don't you think?"
"You don't need to put on an act like this," Twilight sniffled, seemingly oblivious of the girl's blunt assessment as her head tilted down and the first of many tears started to fall. "I don't know why you wanted to know about Sunny and Sour, but I know you're plotting something against me. Just get it over with already."
Sugar took in the sight with only a frown making it past her calm poker face. On the inside, a burning rage flared at the sight. Forcing it down like the bile it was, Sugar tried to think of what she could say to salvage this. She knew that this was going to be an uphill battle, she just didn't realize until now just how steep this cliff turned out to be. 
With a determined frown, Sugar flatly stated, "I'm not acting. I'm bad at it."
"W-What?" Twilight sniffed, leveling a confused look at her.
"And I'm not a Player Killer," she added, crossing her arms. "If your character does something stupid and gets killed, that's the player's fault."
Twilight blinked, then let a bitter frown mar her face as she softly spat, "Fine. Don't tell me. It'll happen eventually anyways."
Sugar sighed, then aimed a faint, determined glare at her and said, "I'll prove you wrong."
"A-About what?" Twilight stammered, taking a nervous step back.
Calmly, Sugar took a seat directly across the table from Twilight and steepled her fingers on the table, her eyes unreadable and sharp as they bore into the girl.
"Everything," she intoned. "Now, how do you want Sparrow to save the group?"
> Ch.6 Surface Tension
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight sighed bitterly as she typed away at her computer, her on campus lab eerily silent with Spike's absence. After what happened at the park, the teen was a lot more protective of the small puppy. While a contributing factor her dear companion's absence was not the sole reason behind her foul mood. 
After three days of playing with Sugar's group, she didn't know how to feel about the group. She was steadfast in her belief that they were planning something, but she couldn't help the small trickles of doubt that crept in from time to time. She still couldn't get Sugar's words out of her head or how sincere they sounded. It almost made her rethink her opinion of the girls.
Shaking the treacherous thoughts from her head, she focused further on her data. 
It's all an act, she thought with a frown. A trick! They just want me to let my guard down so they can mess with me!
Sugar popped into her mind a second later, earning an irate groan out of her as she leaned back in her seat. Her arms fell limply at her sides, eyes drifting shut against the migraine growing behind her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Petal gruffly asked.
"No," she groaned. rubbing her temples.
"What's wrong?"
"What isn't?" she sighed, staring at the ceiling. "My best friend is trapped in a rock and I'm spending time with people that want to throw me under a bus. Heck, they're keeping the act up even though I know they're messing with me! If you weren't helping me keep away from Sunny and Sour I'd be a screaming wreck right now!"
"Sounds like you could use a drink," the Wraith snorted.
"I'm a minor," Twilight flatly replied.
"So?" Petal said with an audible frown. "It's not like human teens don't break rules from time to time."
"I'm not like that," she huffed.
"So when you...what's the legal human drinking age again?"
"Twenty-one," Twilight stated, raising a brow.
"Right," she snorted. "So when you turn twenty-one you'll have about four years worth of shots to go through. Queen help us all!"
"That may be a possibility," she sighed. "I can't wait to get out of this place."
"Uh, I was kidding," Petal deadpanned. "Plus, I think you might want to have a friend that can drive you back home or hold your hair back later."
"Hopefully, I'll have found away to set you free by that point," Twilight frowned.
"Or you could call Sugar to keep you stable," the Wraith offered.
"No," Twilight said coldly. "As soon as I am away from this school, I will never talk to her or any of the other Elites ever again. Period."
Petal let out a frustrated groan along with the sound of a hand smacking and sliding down her face.
"Is it really that crazy of an idea that she wants to be your friend?"
"Yes!" she yelled, then took a deep breath as she resumed her typing. "And when they finally make their move I'll prove you wrong, complete my research, and get the hell out of this place."
Petal didn't know which shocked her more, the blatant refusal of reality the girl was displaying or the fact that she had just cursed. Fighting the urge to lash out, she took a deep breath and muttered something that made Twilight pause her typing.
"You have got to be the dumbest smart person I've ever met."
Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the pendant, took it off, and threw it across the room.
"SHUT UP!!!"
The sudden surge of rage the Wraith sensed shocked her more than the girl's reaction, but that was the tip of the iceberg as the girl jumped out of her seat. Tears leaked past her glasses as she glared at the pendent on the ground, her whole body shaking with barely contained fury.
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH!!! EVERYDAY I'M TREATED LIKE SLIME JUST BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT MY STUDIES!!! EVERY SINGLE DAY HERE IS A LIVING HELL THAT I WANT TO ESCAPE FROM WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING!!! IF IT WASN'T FOR MY FAMILY, I WOULD'VE HUNG MYSELF BY NOW!!! ALL I WANT IS FOR EVERYONE TO JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE SO I CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET OUT!!!"
She fell to her knees, tears falling freely down her face as she continued.
"But It's not like you have to put up with that kind of thing," she sniffled.
A heavy silence filled the room, Twilight's wet panting the only sign of life. Then, in a tone so devoid of life that it chilled Twilight to her core, Petal broke it.
"You're right. I don't have to put up with that kind of shit. But at least you can move around and have a family that looks out for you. I don't have any of that. Hell, I don't even remember anything from before you found me. My family? My real name? Why I'm trapped in here? No fucking clue. So there's that, I guess."
Her eyes widened at that, her anger long sense snuffed out as she stared at the pendant. With shaky hands, she crawled to where it laid and gingerly scooped it off of the ground.
"P-Petal, I'm so sor-"
"Save it!" she snapped, then bitterly sighed as she said, "I'm gonna...take some time off from this shit for a bit. Do whatever you want, I guess. I...I need to get my head fixed."
As soon as she said that, the gem's color washed away into a milk white. At the same time, Twilight felt a part of her snap, like a tether holding her to something she hadn't known was there until just then. Shaking, she held the gem up to her face, her panicked reflection greeting her on its surface.
"P-Petal? Can you here me?"
No response.
Her heart sank at that.
"Petal? Please say something! Petal?!"
Still no answer. 
A great numbness fell over her as she stared down at the stone, the world around her starting to fade out of her perception. She rolled onto her side and held the gem to her chest, new tears starting to flow while she curled into herself. Wasn't this what she wanted? To be alone and able to focus on her projects?
No....not like this...
A ding from her phone on her desk caught her attention. Forcing herself to move, she dragged herself to her feet, slid the pendant back into place around her neck, and made it over towards her desk. Her dead eyes sluggishly scrolled over the message. She gave her surroundings a slow once over then looked down at her phone again. With a sigh, she tapped out her response to its sender. A part of her was scared of what she had just agreed to, but the overwhelming majority of herself couldn't bring itself to care.


***


Lemon was a whirlwind of excitement, the girl running all through out her class club room like a bolt of lightning on a caffeine high. While not the biggest club in the school, nor the most well-funded, the Rock Club was still fairly well maintained and up to Crystal Prep standards. Amps and a wide variety of both electric and traditional instruments hung on display or sat in the corners of the room waiting to be put to use. Vividly colored band posters haphazardly covered the walls in between the instruments at random points . There was even a mini-fridge loaded with energy drinks for anyone that needed the extra boost. Two empty cans of such were sat on a paint spattered desk at the head of the room, a fact that may or may not have had something to do with Lemon's current rush of energy.
"I can't believe she said she'd come!" Lemon gushed, cramming a handful of trash into an already overfilled pin. "That's like, super awesome! I wonder what kind of music she likes! I bet she's a huge EDM fan!"
A soft knock at the door brought an excited squee out of her before she zipped towards it.
With a wide smile, she threw it open and cried, "Welcome to the CP Rock Club!"
Her joy died a miserable, painful death the second she laid eyes on Twilight. 
The girl looked as if she had just buried her dog, her shoulder slumped and eyes empty of any real life. It almost reminded her of how she looked back at the park, but a lot more worse for wear. At least then she was worried about her dog. Now?
Lemon shook off the gloom the girl seemed to radiate and regained some of her smile.
"Glad you could make it," she said, stepping aside. "Come on in!"
Twilight nodded and let herself in, not once looking up from the ground. Lemon chuckled nervously at that as she let the door shut on its own. The girl wandered into the middle of the room and stopped, finally letting her eyes wander away from the floor and towards the countless instruments on display. 
Lemon was at a loss of what to do next.
In all honesty, inviting Twilight to her club had been more to see if she would actually show up than anything else. A casual whim that, given Twilight's standoffish attitude, she didn't hold out much hope for, but decided to try anyway. The girl was not exactly friendly, but Lemon didn't hold that against her too much. Given Sunny and Sour's reputations with the girl, it was a small miracle Twilight gave them a chance in the first place. 
Taking a deep breath, she moved to the girl's side and asked, "So, what's up?"
"Nothing," Twilight said hollowly.
"A-Are you sure?" Lemon stammered behind a shaky smile. 
Twilight opened her mouth to respond, froze, then closed it and shook her head.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Lemon asked, concern finally showing on her face.
The lavender teen turned a dead look at her, then let out a defeated sigh and nodded. That told Lemon more than it really should've. The amaranth teen blinked in shock at that, suddenly frantic as she ran to the paint-spattered desk and wiped the junk off of it. She gestured for Twilight to take a seat on the desk and scurried over to the fridge.
"You want something to drink?" she asked over her shoulder.
"Sure," Twilight responded, voice still dead to her ears.
Lemon fought off another chill as she pulled two cans from the fridge. She turned just as Twilight took a seat in the desk and was met by that same empty stare from before. 
"S-So which do you want?" she asked behind a nervous smile. "Kicking Kiwi or Raging Raspberry?"
"I don't care," she murmured. 
Lemon flinched, but maintained her smile and set a green can next to Twilight all the same. She popped open the remaining blue can and took a swig as she sat down next to her guest. Twilight took the offered can, but simply stared down at it in her hands. An awkward silence settled between them, one girl waiting for the other to speak while the other struggled to find the words. 
Lemon had no idea how to deal with this kind of situation. Out of the three of them, Sugar was always the one that knew how to work with people. She was the therapist while Lemon was more of a performer, the bard that every party needed to lighten the mood. That didn't mean she couldn't at least try.
"Take your time," Lemon breathed, taking a swig from her can. "I can wait as long as you need me to."
That seemed to get a reaction out of the girl, her eyes briefly shifting towards her before going back to her drink. Nodding, she finally popped it open, took a long pull, then started talking.
https://youtu.be/BVDQk3dcve8
"A friend and I just had a fight."
"Oh," Lemon cringed. "Was it bad?"
Twilight nodded.
"It started out small, but then she said something and I just..... snapped. I said something stupid and now she...she doesn't want to talk to me. I can't even apologize to her and...I really messed up."
Twilight was about to start crying again, but froze when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. Both girls blinked in shock at that, neither of them having planned or expected this to happen. Neither of them complained as Twilight leaned into the embrace and let herself fall apart. She knew that Lemon could use this against her, that she was opening herself up to more pain, but in that desperate moment, she just didn't care. Lemon let her have her moment, gently patting her back as the front of her uniform became damp with tears.
When the flow finally stopped, she pulled away from Twilight and sheepishly looked away.
"W-Well that happened," Lemon chuckled awkwardly. "D-Do you feel better?"
"A little," she sighed, a small smile forming on her lips. "Thanks."
"No problem, dude" Lemon smirked, happy to see a bit more life in the girl, then turned nervous again as she asked, "Did she...um...say she didn't want to talk to you again or..."
Frowning, Twilight thought back to Petal's exact words.
"No. She said that she 'needed to get her head fixed'."
Lemon let a relieved smile grace her lips.
"Then she'll be back."
"A-Are you sure?" Twilight asked, nervously rubbing her pendant.
"Yeah," Lemon nodded. "She probably needs to blow off some steam for a bit. I'm sure she'll be back as soon as she gets all of that taken care of."
"I hope so," Twilight mumbled, picking her drink back up off of the desk. 
"In the meantime," she frowned, heaving herself off of the desk. "We need to make sure this doesn't happen again."
"How?" Twilight asked.
"Easy," she smirked, running towards one of the speakers.
With a flick of a wrist, the device hummed to life. Not long afterwards, she plugged a cord into one of its jacks and ran back towards the confused girl. With an eager grin, she plugged the other end of the cord into a karaoke mic and placed it on her lap along with a pair of noise-dampening earmuffs. Twilight raised a brow at her as Lemon put on an identical pair of earmuffs.
"I want you to put those on and scream as loud as you can into the mic," she said, voice a little louder than earlier. "Don't worry, the room's completely soundproofed. Let it all out! Don't hold anything back!"
Taken aback at that, she stared down at the gear on her lap with trepidation. There was no telling what Lemon could use such audio for. At the same time, that very thought added fuel to the temptation to just go for it. Feeling oddly more impulsive than normal, she took a long pull from her drink, put on the ear protection, grabbed the mic, and screamed into it. 
She felt the air vibrate around her, but that barely phased her as she took a deep breath. She screamed again, the howl filled with her rage at everything around her. Panting, she took another swig from her drink and screamed again, a huge weight falling off her back with each roar. By the time she was done, her throat was sore, her drink finished, and all of her frustrations were gone. She laughed drunkenly as she slumped back to her seat, a strange feeling of weightlessness enveloping her where she sat.
Lemon took in the sight with a satisfied smile, taking the mic from the girl and plopping down next to her.
"Feeling better?" she asked. 
"Much better, " Twilight laughed. "I don't think I've felt this good since I was in junior high."
Lemon laughed at that, while a small part cringed at the implications.
"Yeah, I don't have a lot of club mates so when things get heavy, I come down here and just let it all out. Keeps me sane, y'know?"
"Yeah," Twilight sighed, an almost dreamy expression plastered across her face. "I think I might make a habit of this."
Lemon lit up at that.
"That's totally cool with me! Heck, maybe we can have a jam session."
"Maybe," she yawned, her eyes starting to droop.
"Hey, are you okay?" Lemon worriedly asked. 
"Yeah," she nodded. "Just....really...."
Before she could finish, the lavender girl nodded off. Lemon caught her just as she was about to fall off of the desk, a relieved sigh slipping past her lips. She carefully dragged the girl to her side, an odd mix of emotions rolling around inside her as she watched her sleep. 
It was hard for her to think that someone that looked so peaceful asleep was full of so much raw anger. It was almost worse than the dead way she presented herself earlier. 
Frowning, she lightly tightened her hold on her guest. There wasn't a lot she could do for her, but that didn't mean wasn't going to try anyway. 


***


Darkness. That was all Petal could see from where she sat. An endless void of twisting coiling darkness that flowed around her like ink-laced water. It slid coldly across her body, filling her with chills.
A shuddering breath fell out of her along with a small stream of tears. Twilight's words echoed through her head like a shout in a cave, each reverberation a metaphorical punch to the gut. She curled in on herself as she tried to force the pain away. 
Why did this hurt so much? She knew that Twilight had it rough. She knew that she was going to push the girl to far at some point. She knew that there was a chance that Twilight would lash out at her. 
As for her past?
Why am I letting this get to me? she thought bitterly. So I don't know my past, so fucking what? I don't need it, right?.......right?
Seemingly in response, a feminine chuckle echoed around her. 
She jumped to her feet, spear quickly manifested and at the ready. 
"Who's out there?"
The voice chuckled again, then, in a jeering tone said, "Oh how sweet, the little puppy thinks she's a wolf. "
Petal flinched, not so much at the taunt, but at how similar the voice sounded to her own. 
"Come out here bitch, and I'll show you just how much of a "puppy" I am!" she snapped, keeping vigilant. 
The voice giggled, raising Petal's temper even higher.
"What's so fucking funny?!"
"You," the voice jeered. "Poor little Petal, trying to go against her nature to protect her friend. How delightfully foolish."
"What the fuck are going on about?" she growled. 
"Nothing that you don't already know," the voice whispered, just inches away from Petal's left ear.
The Wraith swung her weapon, but hit empty air. Letting out a frustrated growl, she shifted her attention back to her surroundings.
The voice giggled and said, "You cannot go against your nature forever, dear. The hunger we all feel will make sure of that."
"Fuck you," she growled, but it lacked its usual bite.
She could feel her tormentor smiling at her from the shadows. 
"It will drive you into making a meal out of your little friend and there will be nothing you can do to stop it."
"SHUT UP!" she roared, throwing her spear into the darkness. 
Panting, she summoned a new spear and scanned her surroundings for even the slightest signs of movement. The same cold silence from before soaked the area in its choking embrace, as if the void itself was holding its breath. Unfortunately, it didn't last.
"It doesn't have to be that way," the voice purred. "I could help you."
"What do you mean?" the Wraith asked, not lowering her guard in the slightest. 
"You already know the secret to keeping yourself under control. It was taught to you by your mother before you were strong enough to hunt for yourself. All you need to do is remember it."
"And you can help me do that?" she spat. "Yeah, I'm calling bull shit."
The voice giggled at that, earning another irate growl out of the Wraith. 
"Very well. I see that there will be no convincing you at this time, but know that should you change your mind, simply call my name and I will come."
"And that is?" Petal asked, ever so slightly lowering her spear.
A chill shot down her spine when a hand rested gently on her shoulder. She froze in primal fear as the figure behind her knelt down to her level, lips just inches away from Petal's ear. Then, in a voice so much like her own, but poisoned by an elegant lilt said two words that resonated with her more than they had any right to.
"Lily Bouquet."
She woke with a start, once again back in her crystal prison. Heavy gasps fell out of her, her core pounding in her chest like a heart would've if she had one. Her eyes were wide with fear as she placed a shaky, sweaty palm on the shoulder the figure touched in her dream. 
As she laid there on the floor of her prison, she struggled to make sense of her dream. Her mind was reeling, moving too quickly in too many directions for her to think clearly. Eventually, a thought managed to force its way through the maelstrom to the front of her mind. A thought that set a sickening stone into her gut.
She rolled to her side and curled into the fetal position, jaw set into a tight clench as she tried to deny the truth. 
At some point in the future, she was going to have to make a choice.
> Ch.7 Crossroads
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say Crystal Prep's gym was large would be like saying the ocean was a little bit wet. Like most things in the school, it was both massive and well-funded. In addition to the massive main gymnasium, there were a hundred smaller rooms dedicated to any specific type of sport the student's wished to excel at. It was for that reason Indigo claimed this particular part of the school as her territory. With the exception of the Archery Club, she had free rein over anything and everything these rooms had to offer. Granted, she didn't use all of them and she made sure that they were all properly maintained for those that wanted to make use of them when she could. It left her feeling like a glorified janitor in a lot of ways.
It also gave her plenty of privacy, something she was taking full advantage of in the gym's Boxing room. Said room was only a tenth the size of the main gymnasium, but that still gave it a giant one hundred-by-one hundred foot perimeter of space to work with. A large cluster of heavy bags hung on one half of the room while a large square ring took up a majority of the other. 
Indigo sat on a bench at the front of the room, wearing a simple pair of magenta sports and dark blue tank top as she idly tapped away at her phone and took sips from a water bottle at her side.  A long stream of messages from Lemon covered her phone screen telling her everything about what she did with Twilight the night before. Apparently, the nerdy girl had agreed to spend time with her and the Rock Club after saying something stupid to a friend. Naturally, Indigo asked her to fill her in on all of the details and it left her feeling mixed. While she couldn't get a name, Lemon could tell that this friend was extremely important to Twilight. The biggest give away being when she told her to scream into a mic, a trick Lemon herself used to deal with all of the stresses the school tended to dump onto their students. Indigo didn't worry too much about that until Lemon told her how long the girl went at it and how loud she was.
The speakers were customized by Lemon herself to last hours at max volume playing the most intense heavy metal and punk music out there. When she went to check on them after Twilight tired herself out, they were nearly blown out. When Indigo called her out on that claim, she brought her to the room, had them both put on protective ear muffs, and played a recording of Twilight's scream through one of the amps. Not only did Indigo hear it through her protection, but the recording proved to be too much for the amp. The fact that the amp was at its lowest setting both impressed an horrified the sporty teen. 
That leaned more towards horror when Lemon reported Twilight's condition at the time. While she didn't like all of the pointed paranoid stares or sharp comments from the girl, it was a lot better than her being a zombie. It had been only for a brief  moment, but she got a front row seat of this when she came across her between classes. The blank look she sported put a cold chill down her back both times. It almost made her think twice about asking her if she wanted to hang out after school.
Okay, so she's going through some stuff, Indigo nervously mused. No problem. I'm sure I can help her with this. I just have to make sure I don't say or do something stupid.
She sat on that thought for a few seconds, then dropped her phone with an irate sigh and rubbed her eyes.
"I am so doomed."
"What's wrong?" a hollow female voice softly asked behind her.
Indigo let out a startled yelp as she shot to her feet and turned, hand clutching her chest and panting. Standing before her, looking just as dead as the last time she saw her, was the very same girl that held her thoughts.
"Jesus, shave ten years off of my life why don't you?" she nervously chuckled, bending over and picking her phone up off of the ground.
"Sorry," Twilight sighed.
Indigo waved it off, still awkwardly laughing.
"Forget about it. So....Do you play any sports?"
Indigo mentally face-palmed the second the words passed her lips. She knew that Twilight wasn't a fan of sports. Aside from PE, the girl's name never came up in the sports club rosters or visited for casual play. She was sure that part of that was because of Sour Sweet and her connection to the Archery Club, but a lack of overall interest probably didn't help.
As expected, Twilight shook her head.
"A friend of my Sister-in-law taught me some Kickboxing, but other than that, no."
Indigo blinked in shock at that.
"For real?"
Twilight stiffly nodded.
A broad grin spread across Indigo's face as she said, "Think you could show me what you've got?"
A look of fear spread across Twilight's face as she shakily asked, "Y-You want to fight?"
"Wha-Nononononononononononononono!" she hastily added, hands up in a frantic placating manner. "I just want to see you hit one of the bags a few times."
"Oh. Okay," she breathed, returning to her blank demeanor. "I would've probably deserved it anyway."
"What do you-?" 
Before she could finish her question, Twilight was already drifting towards one to the heavy bags hanging from the ceiling. Indigo let out a nervous breath as she followed, silently wondering just what kind of thing she signed herself up for. Forcing her concern over Twilight's comment to the back of her mind for later, she stayed back and waited to see how things played out.


***


Petal's face was a mask of calm, the Wraith quickly darting about her prison at near breakneck speeds. At the same time, she twirled and thrusted a spear like a deadly baton at an invisible enemy. Her movements were crude, impatient, but still lethal should a less disciplined combatant cross her. As she moved, her mind drifted towards her dreams, one dream in particular. Even now she remembered the phantom voice, how its words slithered in her mind like a serpent searching for prey to sink its fangs into. The fact that it sounded so much like her own just added to the slimy feeling it put down her spine. 
It was just a dream, she thought, clenching her jaw as she moved on to another series of strikes. It didn't mean anything. Just my stupid head messing with me! I bet if I ask Twilight-
She froze mid-strike the second that name entered her mind.
A bitter taste entered her mouth at her more recent memory of her friend. She was angry, they both were, but that didn't make what the Wraith had to do at the time anymore bearable. If she hadn't cut herself off from Twilight when she did, there was no telling what she would've said to the girl. 
Causing pain and misery is what all Wraiths do. It was as natural a thing for them as breathing is to humans, especially when it came to their favorite negative emotions. Even now, Petal felt a strong craving for Twilight's rage and absolutely hated herself because of it. She wanted her friend to be happy, to be around people she could trust, and to not feel so trapped or alone. She wanted to be her friend, not some parasite that made her miserable just by existing.
Unable to help herself, she reconnected their link just enough to check on the girl.
The surfaces of two of the walls flickered and warped like disturbed pools of water as images started to form on them. One of them showed Twilight's soul, the fact that it looked no different than it did before she isolated herself made her raise a brow. When the other one showed a pair of lavender fists slamming into a punching bag, her jaw dropped like a lead weight. She honestly expected to see a computer screen or a book, not this or the amber girl giving Twilight an encouraging smile as she peeked out from behind the bag. Petal dropped her weapon and ran to the wall, a wide smile spreading across her face at the sight. 
Is she giving them a chance? Awesome!
She reached out towards the wall, ready to fully reestablish their link, but stopped at the last second. If she did this, would Twilight cut herself off from them again? While she wanted to say no, she knew better than anyone how much Twilight loved her comfort zones. If it wasn't for their bond and the information Petal bated her with, there was no way Twilight would've broken her usual patterns. 
While she had helped her friend step out of those patterns and comfort zones, she could't deny that she had become a new one in a way. Her smile turned bittersweet at that realization as she stepped away from the wall, an odd mix of guilt and pride settling into her gut with each step. She sat cross-legged onto the ground, forcing herself into a modified version of her old role. 
"It's going to take me a while to get things figured out," she sighed, then sported a sad smile as she added, "Until then, keep it up. I'm rooting for ya' Sparkle."
With a wave of her hand, she repaired their link enough to hear the outside world once again.


***


To say that Indigo was impressed would've been an understatement. While Twilight's stamina was poor, her technique was spot on. Each of the girl's punches and kicks held a surprising amount of power and were aimed in just the right places to take down most opponents. At least, that was the impression she got as she braced the heavy bag for her.
"Damn Twilight, where have you been keeping those guns?" Indigo chuckled, stepping out from behind the bag.
"N-N-Never needed to use them," Twilight panted, a small smile gracing her lips as she wiped some sweat off of her forehead.
The sporty teen snorted at that, lightly tapping her nerdy companion's shoulder with her elbow. Aside from a small flinch, Twilight didn't react to the contact in a negative way. Taking that as a sign of progress, Indigo walked over towards a gym bag in a corner of the room. With an encouraging nod aimed her way, Twilight followed her and was offered a cold bottle of water for her trouble. 
Twilight nearly tore the bottle's cap off before she eagerly drained it dry. Indigo took in the sight with a chuckle as she took a few small sips from her own bottle.
Nerds, she thought with an eye-roll.
"Hey, I know this place nearby that makes some awesome shakes, wanna grab a couple?" Indigo asked, pointing a thumb over her shoulder.
"I guess," Twilight sighed, shrugging. "Just let me stop by my lab to change my clothes."
As she said that, she pulled off her blazer with a grimace. Indigo cringed at that, only know remembering how poorly dressed Twilight was. As nice as the school's uniform was, they were clearly not built with exercise in mind. That fact quickly took a back seat when Indigo processed what Twilight had just said.
"Wait, you have clothes here?" Indigo asked.
"Yeah," she said, letting out a relieved sigh once she got the blazer off.
"How come?" she blinked.
"I spend the night on campus sometimes," Twilight mumbled awkwardly, draping her blazer over her forearm.
"In your lab," Indigo clarified.
Twilight nodded.
Indigo blinked at that, then bitterly chuckled as she said, "Damn, the top five get a lot of perks, huh?"
"What?" Twilight asked, taking a nervous step back.
"Nothing," she sighed, then smiled and headed towards the door as she said, "Now, let's get out of here, Slugger."
"It's Twilight," she frowned, tailing the girl.
"I know," Indigo chuckled, letting herself out of the room.
Sighing, Twilight followed her out of the room, only to pause mid step half way past the threshold. Eyes wide, she stared down at her pendant, then let a small hopeful smile grace her lips. Feeling a bit more secure, she fully exited the room and followed Indigo out of the gym.
While it had only been for a second, Twilight knew she heard a familiar coarse laugh as she left the room.


***


There were few places Canterlot High and Crystal Prep considered neutral territory, but one of the more popular ones that met that criteria was a café not too far from the public school called Sugarcube Corner. It was also one of the few places one could get a late night milkshake for a decent price. At the moment, Twilight and Indigo were the only people the café was attending to, but that suited them just fine. It made it all the easier for them to metaphorically let their hair down and not have Crystal Prep's heavy atmosphere weigh them down.
"And just when things looked bad, I had Shroud light up a barrel of gunpowder and kick it right into the Beholder's mouth, blowing him up and saving the party from certain doom!" Indigo cheered, taking a proud sip of her shake.
"That....was probably the dumbest plan I have ever heard," Twilight frowned, doing the same.
"That's what Sugar said," she laughed. "It still worked though."
"By some miracle," Twilight giggled rolling her eyes. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead, Slugger," Indigo chuckled.
She frowned for a moment at  the mention of what Indigo was now determined to make her nickname then asked, "What got you interested in D&D? No offense, but you don't seem like the kind of person that would be interested in that type of thing."
"Hey! Jocks can be nerds too ya know!" she playfully snapped. "But you're not that far off. Sugar was the one that suggested it and I decided to take it for a spin. It took me forever to get a character put together and when I did, I piloted her like a total moron. She was this total edge lord vampire chick that liked to drink the blood of her victims and decorated the battlefield with their entrails."
"Yikes," Twilight cringed. "What was her name?"
"Murder Melody," she snorted.
"Isn't that a band name?" Twilight asked, tilting her head.
"That's what Lemon said," she groaned, hiding her face behind a hand. 
"Was she a murder hobo?" Twilight asked with a faintly teasing smile.
A low groan was all the answer she needed.
"It could've been worse," Twilight giggled. "My first character was a pixie named Moon Sprinkles."
Indigo froze, then made a choking sound as she let her hand fall away from her cringing face.
"One, I didn't know you could pick pixie as a playable race. And two, what kind of name is that?"
"The name a seven year old would give a character when she still thought magic was real and faeries weren't known for doing horrible things to people for fun," Twilight sighed. "And my older brother liked to do home brew games with a lot of liberties."
"Yeah, I think I like Sparrow 'Stick in the Mud' Hawk better," Indigo chuckled.
"Are you sure?" Twilight blinked. "I think I still have her character sheet somewhere."
"You bring her and I swear I'll dig up Murder Melody," she warned.
"But she spreads happiness and sparkles," Twilight said, somehow managing to do so with a completely straight face.
Equally deadpanned, Indigo pushed her half-finished milkshake aside and said, "Welp, that killed my sweet tooth."
They held their expressions for a few more seconds, before bursting out laughing, Twilight adding a few snorts to it as they each pounded a fist on the table between them.
"G-Geez Slugger, you're a riot!" Indigo gasped, wiping a tear out of her eye. "We should get Lemon and Sugar to come along with us next time."
"I-*giggle* I think I'd like that," she smiled, pushing her glasses back into place.
"Really?" Indigo blinked.
"Y-Yeah," she nodded, a small blush coloring her cheeks that matched her sheepish smile. 
A shining smile spread across Indigo's face.
"Awesome!" she cheered, pulling out her phone. "I'll send them a message to see when their free."
"O-Okay," Twilight nodded, an odd mix of nervous excitement settling in her core.
As Indigo went to work typing her message, two figures stepped into the café. One was a well dressed violet boy with messy brown hair. His eyes were a deep shade of blue that held the fierce aura of a hunter scouting for prey. In spite of that, his handsome face held a fae-like playfulness that put people at ease. Black slacks and dress-shirt put his sleek build on full display for all to see. The other was a pink girl with long hair with curls at the end that was a darker shade than her skin. Her eyes were blue as well, but held a more energetic and playful feel compared to the boy's. This extended to her face and presence, the girl's walk filled with an excited bounce. She wore a black T-shirt and blue jeans under a long red trench coat. On her left arm she wore a red open-fingered glove in place of a sleeve that her coat lacked for some reason. Both of them were about Twilight and Indigo's ages.
They quickly caught Twilight's attention as they made their way towards the front desk, something about them putting a part of her on edge.
"Heya Mrs. Cake," the girl said, voice light and bubbly.
"Good evening," the boy smiled, tone soft and warm as he bowed to the blue woman behind the counter.
"Hello Pinkie, Tattle," Mrs. Cake smiled. "The usuals, right?"
"Yepperooni," the girl, Pinkie, cheered.
"Yes, please," Tattle nodded, kindly.
Mrs. Cake just rolled her eyes at the boy's formal behavior and went about making their drinks. While they stood idly, Twilight continued to study them. Neither of them seemed all that threatening, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong about them. As she tried to figure out what it was exactly, Indigo had finished sending her messages and shifted her attention back towards Twilight.
"I'll give you their responses over Crystal Heart," she smiled, then raised a brow as she followed the girl's line of sight.
"Someone you know?" she asked, snapping Twilight out of her musings.
"Huh?" she blinked, shifting her attention back to Indigo. "No."
Indigo turned back to Twilight with a confused frown, then sported a knowing smirk as she asked, "Checking out the guy?"
"What?!" Twilight squawked, face turning beet-red. "N-N-No!"
Indigo chuckled and said, "Whatever you say Slugger. You're secret's safe with me."
"It's not like that," she mumbled, cheeks burning.
Indigo just chuckled playfully at her and took a sip of her drink. Huffing, Twilight looked away from her classmate just as the pair were on the way out. As they passed, the girl named Pinkie locked eyes with Twilight.
It had only been for a second, but in that brief moment she saw recognition in those sky-blue orbs and a hint of confusion. A wave of dread fell over her when those eyes fell on her pendant, her hand wrapping tightly around it out of reflex. Her partner leveled a brief look of confusion at her hand before he gently guided Pinkie out of the café. When they left, all of the tension left her in a large rush, making her go limp in her seat.
"Hey, you okay?" Indigo asked, concern heavy in her features.
"Y-Yeah," Twilight stammered, forcing on a weak smile. "I guess I'm still tired from earlier."
"Right," Indigo nodded, tone laced thick with skepticism.
"A-Anyway, what do you want to do with the girls later?" she stammered behind a forced smile.
She held a raised brow at her for a minute, then sighed and decided to let the subject drop. As the sporty girl listed off possible future plans, Twilight's mind wandered back towards the mystery couple. She didn't know why or how she knew, but on some kind of primal level she knew one thing for sure about them. They were dangerous and she needed to stay as far away from them as she could. 
A fact that made her grip her pendant just a tiny bit more.
> Ch.8 Clarity and Phantoms
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Petal smiled as she stared at her window to the outside world, the dark room beyond and near silence a perfect contrast to the wild excitement running through her. The chief source being her friend's peacefully sleeping face, a rare sight even when Petal was more active in helping her maintain her sanity. The girl had finally started to form a genuine connection with Indigo and when she heard her agree to do the same with the rest of the girls, it took everything she had not to fully reestablish their link just to congratulate her friend. 
Only two things put a dent into her good mood.
The first was the brief brush Twilight had with two Gifted at the café. Those were the kind of people that always put Wraiths on edge. While Archwraiths could handle them with minimal effort, small fries like herself were a different story. A Gifted's abilities were always hard to predict, especially the ones that could enter a Wraith's nest. Granted, those ones were fairly rare, but that didn't mean they were any less feared. That went double for the legendary Phoenix Queen, a Gifted that was said to be as old as some of The Queen's most ancient children and was responsible for putting several of them down as well. 
The second was her more recent dream.
As a rule, Wraiths didn't sleep all that often. They didn't need it as much as humans did, usually only doing so for a couple hours at a time at random intervals or after eating a particularly large meal. Dreaming was an even rarer occurrence, the Wraith in question's mind seemingly turning off for a short time before abruptly reactivating later. As such, dreams were always a vivid affair for them, all details sticking with the Wraith in the waking world with perfect clarity. She wished that hadn't been the case this time, her smile melting off of her face.
Feeling antsy, she paced the length of her prison, eyes unfocused as she let her thoughts wonder. 
The things the voice said made her sick to her stomach. It had been so sadistically casual about what Petal knew was likely to happen down the rode. Almost like it was looking forward to seeing her friend fall apart from the inside out. Not helping was that she knew it was right. If nothing was done, Petal would end up eating Twilight like some sick parasitic tapeworm. 
She knew that, she hated herself because of that, but that wasn't the only thing that made her feel like a knife was stuck in her gut. It was the fact that the voice her dream, the voice that spoke so casually about killing her best and only friend, was her own voice. Granted, the one in her dream was more dignified and held a more cultured lilt to it, but she couldn't deny that it was hers. 
She stopped her pacing in the middle of her prison, a bitter sigh sliding past her lips as she stared up at the ceiling.
"Lily Bouquet, eh?" she huffed. "Where the hell did a name like that come from?"
"My parents had a hand in that," a voice eerily similar to her own said.
Quickly assuming a fighting stance, she summoned a spear and with wide eyes gave her surroundings a quick once-over. A light titter from the voice brought a growling scowl to her face, every cell in her body ready to put an end to whoever invaded her reluctant domain. A bit of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, bringing a savage snarl out of her as she turned towards it ready to throw her weapon at its source. What she saw froze her dead in her tracks, her dark eyes wide with shock at the sight that stood before her.
Standing next to her reflexion on one of the crystal walls was a near perfect copy of her. Instead of wearing a black sleeveless dress with flowers on it, the other reflection wore an elegant black ball-gown with a frilled train that moved down past her feet and matching gloves that came up to her shoulders. Her hair was longer too, a wavy ebony curtain that came down to the small of her back. The impostor carried herself with careful poise, her small smile bearing the elegance of a noble straight out of a period film.
The Wraith quickly regained her footing and with a sharp glare, pointed her spear at the reflection and demanded, "Who the hell are you?!"
"Whatever do you mean?" the reflection asked, her smile taking on a slightly venomous tint as she added, "You summoned me, didn't you?"
Petal blinked, then tightened her grip as she sharpened her glare at the thing before her.
So it wasn't just a dream after all.
"Now, about my offer," Lily smiled.
"Fuck you!" Petal growled, thrusting her spear in Lily's direction. "If you think I'm gonna let some...whatever the fuck you are near Twilight, you're dead wrong!"
"How rude," Lily frowned. "And who said I want her dead?"
"Huh?" Petal blinked, confusion lowering he spear a fraction of an inch.
"If I wanted your little pet dead, all I would need to do is keep my mouth shut and let things play out as they have," Lily explained, a deep frown marring her face. "No, my foolish child. When I said that I wanted to help, meant it."
A long silence settled between them, both locked in a stare down that neither was willing to back down from. Slowly, Petal let herself step out of her fighting stance and stood her spear at her side with a loud thud.
"Let's say you're telling the truth," she sighed. "Why?"
"A joining of interests I suppose," Lily shrugged with a return of her smile. "My pride won't allow me to look so pathetic and you want to keep your pet alive."
"Twilight's not a pet, bitch," Petal growled.
"She is a step above food," Lily smirked. "Thus, she is your pet."
"Fuck you," she seethed between clenched teeth.
"Fine, fine," Lily sighed. "I will refrain from calling her what she is if that will satisfy you. Will that suffice?"
"It's a start," Petal frowned.
"Good," Lily nodded. "While we are still on the topic, do you know what your favorite emotions are from the girl?"
"Yeah," she sighed, sitting crisscrossed on the ground and setting her spear at her side. "Rage and stress."
"That would explain your foul temper," Lily nodded, the reflection conjuring up a black lunge chair and settling into it. "I would assume that the girl has quite a lot of it since hunger hasn't driven you into going rogue."
"Don't remind me," she shuddered, her mind split on which was a more unfortunate fate.
"Do you have enough food stored away to sustain yourself?" she asked.
"Plenty," Petal spat.
"How much exactly?" Lily pressed, leaning forward in her seat.
"About two years worth, why?"  she asked, raising a brow.
Lily blinked, then fell back in her seat with laughter. Petal let out an irate growl at that, not sure which she wanted more; to know what was so funny or to ram her spear down Lily's throat. Eventually, the false Wraith regained control of herself enough to give her double a motherly smile.
"Silly child, you have been holding the keys to your own freedom this whole time and you didn't even know it."
"Huh?" Petal blinked.
"Tell me child," Lily chuckled. "Where are you right now?"
"Stuck in a room made of crystal?" she stated as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.
A knowing tint filled Lily's smile as she said, "And so you forever will be, so long as you see your nest as a prison."
"My...nest?" Petal blinked, casting another look at her surroundings.
"Yes my dear child," Lily giggled. "Your nest."
"But I thought...I mean....Then why am I trapped here?" she demanded.
"You lost your memory and had not fed in a long time," Lily frowned. "You needed a place to be safe from the outside world and your instincts crafted a nest with what little power you had left for that purpose."
"Bullshit," Petal spat. 
"Is it?" Lily pressed. "Tell me, why is it that you can see Twilight's soul or even formed a link with her in the first place."
"Because I...wanted to...know her better," Petal muttered, certain things slowly clicking into place.
"Exactly," Lily smiled. "And the feeding vines? How could they leave this place if you were truly trapped here?"
Petal's eyes widened at that, realization hitting her like a freight train.
"B-But then...why am I still trapped here?"
A stern frown formed on Lily's face and like a mother telling her child to clean their room said, "Because you still see your nest as a prison. You need to see it as a home in order to leave."
"Okay? How do I do that?" Petal asked, raising a brow.
"Craft some comforts," Lily smiled, waving dramatically over her head and to the space around her. "A comfortable bed to sleep in, a chair and table to watch your friend do human things from, anything to make this place more than just a hole in the ground."
"Won't that burn through most of my Miasma?" Petal asked, frowning.
"Only if you are not careful," Lily cautioned, then smiled as she added, "Though I doubt you could burn through two years worth of  rage and stress just decorating your home. Now come child, show me what you can do."


***


Six Pillar park was a hub of activity, the clear skies and the sense of freedom only a saturday could bring dragging countless families and groups of friends out to take advantage of its serenity. One such group in particular had opted to have a picnic in one of the park's open fields, the four girls laughing over a video clip Lemon showed them on their phone from a show she'd seen. 
"Ouch! Bet he's gonna feel that one tomorrow!" Indigo laughed, wiping a tear out of her eye.
"No kidding!" Lemon chuckled, shaking her head.
"He's lucky," Sugar smiled. "If he had waited just a second longer, he probably wouldn't have been able to have kids later."
"Yeah," Twilight snorted. "But I guess that's what happens when you work on roofs in the middle of a rain storm."
"Yeah, not the smartest move dude," Lemon chuckled, searching for another video on her phone.
"Speaking of," Sugar said aiming a faint smirk at Indigo. "What did you think of that book I lent you?"
"If it wasn't a library book, I would've fed it to my fireplace," the athlete said flatly, leveling a glare just as two-dimensional.
"NO!" Twilight cried, looking as if someone had just burned an orphanage down.
"Huh?" Indigo blinked.
"You don't destroy books!" Twilight pressed, leaning towards the girl. "Books are sacred treasures that should be protected! No matter how poorly written or unpopular the subject, A BOOK MUST NEVER BE DESTROYED!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy Slugger! I was just kidding," Indigo chuckled, hands up in a placating manner.
"Oh, right," Twilight awkwardly chuckled as she leaned back from the girl. "Sorry."
"It's cool," Indigo shrugged, waving off Twilight's apology.
"What kind of book did you lend her?" Lemon asked.
"Fifty Shades of Gray," Sugar stated, casually taking a swig of bottled lemonade.
Twilight and Lemon both sported small blushes while Indigo let out an annoyed groan. When they gave the two girls odd looks, Indigo crossed her arms and sullenly gave them the closest thing to an explanation her pride would allow.
"I lost a bet."
"What kind of bet?" Lemon smirked.
"None of your business," she snapped, then angrily pointed at Sugar and barked, "And if you say anything about it, I'll sick Slugger on you!"
"And that is?" Sugar asked, raising a brow.
Sporting a cocky smirk, Indigo pointed a thumb a Twilight. Said girl blushed and curled in on herself as she, once again, became the group's main focus.
"She doesn't look like it, but this girl can pack a real wallop!" Indigo grinned, putting a comforting hand on Twilight's shoulder.
"i'm not that great," Twilight blushed, suddenly very interested in the red and white blanket beneath them. 
"You're not off to a bad start," Indigo winked. "With a little training, I bet you could be the next Flash Fist!"
"And if that doesn't work, you could totally join my rock band!" Lemon beamed. "We could use a girl with lungs like yours."
"B-But I can't sing," Twilight gaped.
"We can work on that," Lemon chuckled, taking a big bit out of a sandwich.
Twilight was about to protest, only for Sugar to come to her rescue at the last second.
"She's not the type to go for those kind of things," she said flatly, handing Twilight a bottle of lemonade. "Twilight likes quiet places where she can think or read in peace. Don't try to force her into that kind of stuff."
"Yes mom," Lemon and Indigo monotoned.
That earned a small smile and giggle from Sugar and Twilight respectively.
"Thanks for the offers," Twilight smiled. "I'll have to think about them and get back to you all later."
"Hey, no prob," Lemon smiled, waving off Twilight's formal tone. "Just putting it out there is all."
"Right," Indigo smirked. "Just give me a shout out if you ever feel like hitting something, Slugger."
"I'm just a message away if you want to talk," Sugar said with a ghost of a smile. 
"Thanks," she said meekly. "I really appreciate it."
Sugar just nodded and went back to reading something on her phone. All the while, Twilight let the strangeness of her situation wash over her. A week ago, she was sure that these very same girls wanted to hurt her dog in this exact spot. Now, she was sitting with them having fun and enjoying a beautiful day for the first time what felt like forever. It was so surreal, but an experience she wished could last forever. 
As she let that set in, a small pang of regret settled in her gut.
Will I have to give this up...when I leave?


***


Petal let out a content sigh, flopping bonelessly into a jet-black recliner. It had taken a few hours, but she had finally managed to furnish her unintended prison. While not extravagant by any means, it had the creature comforts need for the Wraith to see her nest in a more favorable light. At one corner was a massive king-sized canopy bed, the bed frame and canopy covered with spider carvings that glowed violet in the ebony material. A similarly styled table and chair stood in front of her "window",  both seemingly made from intricately woven bones that seemed to eat all of the light around them. Even the recliner she sat in held a gothic punk kind of aesthetic, it's color doing a marvelous job at hiding the multitude of aggressive lines of print that covered it in dark gray ink. To complete the scene, thick set of chains covered the ceiling in a spiderweb pattern with a black widow-shaped chandelier at its center.
"You have a very...interesting sense of style," Lily stated, frowning from her wall.
"Aw shut up," Petal chuckled, fully reclining and putting her hands behind her head. "The place looks bitch'n and a you know it!"
"Indeed," she drawled, disagreement thick in her tone. "I suppose a difference in taste is to be expected."
"Well, what did your nest look like?" Petal snarked.
A peaceful smile graced Lily's lips, her eyes gazing off into a nonexistent far distance. 
"It was a vast open field of flowers under a clear night sky. A full moon shined brightly over it at all times, bringing a gentle beauty to all who could appreciate it."
"Sounds pretty boring to me," Petal huffed.
"Perhaps," Lily shrugged. "The scene held a lot of meaning to me and perfectly reflected my preferred meal."
"Boredom?"
"Dispare," Lily sighed.
Petal balked at that.
"Seriously?"
Lily nodded.
"Who did you....what happened?" she asked, tone a strangled mix of concern and curiosity.
Lily took a long, shuddering breath and said, "I would rather not say. It is a memory best avoided and not one you need to move forward."
"Right," Petal sighed, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes. "But...um...if you change your mind, I'm willing to listen."
"I will keep that in mind," Lily smiled. "Now, tell me, what is it about this girl that made you want to be her friend in the first place?"
"Hell if I know," Petal snorted.
"Pardon?" Lily blinked.
Petal sighed, then stared up at her ceiling. 
"She's a total doormat, a klutz, and the biggest goody two-shoes on the planet. When she found me, I nearly tore my hair out over how much of a wimp she was. Then I took a minute to see what this girl could do and it just made my blood boil even more. She was bloody brilliant! Leagues smarter than the slags that gave her shit every day. I could tell that if she could just find her spine she could put them in their place. Eventually, I got a look at her soul and it was all down hill for me from there. Twilight went from the girl I was feeding off of to the one person in this world that I gave a shit about to my first friend. Hell, she even gave me a name! Can you believe that?"
"I see," Lily giggled. "She certainly sounds like an interesting human."
"Yeah," she sighed. "And that's why I have to figure out a way to make this work."
"The feeding problem, correct?" Lily asked.
she nodded.
"Well, I would assume that direct feeding is off of the table," the reflection mused.
"No shit," Petal snorted bitterly.
"Have you considered passive feeding?" she asked, a teasing lilt coloring her tone.
"Passive feeding?" Petal asked scrunching her face in confusion. "The hell is that?"
"The method I mentioned in your dream," she beamed.
She sat up sharply at that, her full attention locking onto the phantom in the mirror.
"If you're fucking with me, I swear I'll find a way to choke you out."
A raised brow joined Lily's smile at that, raising Petal's hackles even more.
"Well?"
"You have awful manners, you do know that, right?" Lily sniffed.
"Don't care. Now out with it already!"
"Very well," she sighed. "As you know, emotions pour out of humans on a constant basis. When we preform direct feeding, we try to force a human to experience one particular emotion exclusively so we can harvest all of it from them in one go. This more often than not leads to the human in question dying, be it from suicide or general poor health, but that is of little concern."
Seething rage radiated off of Petal, the black and gold eyes trying to sear holes through the phantom.
"Of course," she continued, unperturbed. "this is not the case with this human. As such, you will need to pull in the stray emotions that those around you produce naturally. That, is passive feeding."
"That's it?" Petal blinked.
Lily nodded.
"It is not a perfect way to hunt and you will need to direct hunt at some point to keep from going feral, but for now, it should keep you fed for a while."
A relieved smile spread across Petal's face, the sudden lack of tension letting her fall fully back onto her recliner like string-cut puppet. All of these good things were happening so fast that it was hard for her to keep up. She now had both a possible way to escape her prison and a way to keep herself fed that didn't run the risk of destroying Twilight in the process. The fact that Twilight was starting to make some friends only made her head spin even more at how many sudden turns her life was taking.
"I'll find a way to make it work," Petal chuckled. "Queen, I feel like I just dropped a boulder."
"I am glad I could help," Lily smiled.
"That just leaves one thing to do," she chuckled.
"Such as?" Lily asked, tilting her head.
"Twilight lost our bet," she said with a venomous smirk. "Time to collect."
"I see," Lily giggled, a near perfect replica of Petal's smirk decorating her face. "I take it you have an idea of what you want?"
"I've got a few," she shrugged playfully. "Wanna help me pick."
"Oh absolutely," she beamed.
They cackled wickedly as they planned, their target completely unaware of the horrors that awaited her in the near future.


***


Twilight wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel at the moment. Nervous? Excited? Afraid? Embarrassed was fairly likely given what happened not too long ago with her mom. When Twilight came home with her three new friends, the woman let out a happy cry before she trapped the teen in a bone-crushing hug. She still had no idea how Sugar Coat had managed to talk her into letting their motley crew spend time at her home, but it was very quickly turning into an experience she wouldn't forget anytime soon.
"Whoa! She's got a complete first edition collection of Daring Do!" Indigo gaped, staring at one of Twilight's bookshelves. "I thought those ran out of circulation twenty years ago!"
"The were my brother's," Twilight demurred, taping her index fingers together. "He, um, gave them to me for my birthday before he went to collage."
"They do look well loved," Sugar noted, studying the books in question. 
A flurry of laughs and barks dragged everyone's attention down to the center of the room where Lemon and Spike were caught in a great battle of the ages. A battle that Spike was very quickly and thoroughly winning. With the power and energy only a puppy could wield, he had her laying on the ground suffering a barrage of licks and playful bites.
"I give I give!" Lemon laughed, covering her face with her arms in a futile attempt to halt the coming assault."Mercy!"
Twilight was about to call off the "attack", but a sharp whistle from Sugar made her freeze. It had a similar effect on Spike, the puppy's exited nature changing into mellow curiosity as he turned towards the girl.
"Here," she said flatly pointing to a spot on the ground a foot away from her in front of herself.
To Twilight's shock, he quickly complied.
"Sit," she ordered.
Again Spike obeyed.
With a small smile, she knelt down and scratched the puppy behind his ears.
"Good boy," she said, a faint coo entering her normally flat tone.
"How did you do that?" Twilight gaped.
"Sugar's always been good with animals," Lemon laughed, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "I bet she could make a bear do a tap dance if she wanted."
"I would never test that," Sugar, said flatly, scratching Spike's belly. "I like having all of my limbs too much."
Indigo snickered at that, then raised a brow when another book on Twilight's shelf caught her eye.
"Slumber 101?" she blinked, plucking the book off the shelf.
"Oh, yeah, that," Twilight chuckled nervously. "I got that a few years back. You know. Incase I ever have a..um...slumber party."
An awkward silence filled the room as the four girls let that little tidbit settle in between them all. The three girls shared a worried look while Twilight waited for them to ask the question she knew was coming. At first, looked like Sugar was going to be the one to do so, only for Lemon to beat her to the punch.
"Have you ever had a chance to, um, use it?"
Sighing, Twilight took a seat on her bed and stared at the floor as she shook her head.
"Until recently, I never had a friend to do those kinds of things with before."
The three girls balked at that, then traded determined frowns and nods.
"Looks like we know what we're doing next weekend," Indigo smirked.
"Totally!" Lemon cheered. "I'll bring karaoke machine and everything!"
"Just don't ask me to sing," Sugar frowned. "I mean it."
"But you're awesome!" Lemon whined,
"No I'm not," Sugar insisted, a small glare showing on her face.
"Whatever you say," Lemon shrugged, then aimed a nervous smile at Twilight as she followed up with a, "Do you think your....um....friend will be able to make it."
Twilight flinched at that, not out of pain, but uncertainty over Petal's situation. While she was sure that the Wraith was still watching over her, the fact she hadn't fully reestablished their link ate at her. Not helping was the fact that she still had no idea how to free her or what would happen when she did. At the moment, she had far more questions than answers at her disposal and until Petal decided otherwise, that was how it was going to stay.
"Probably not," Twilight sighed. "She's still not talking to me."
"Harsh," Indigo cringed.
"Yeah," Twilight chuckled. "Petal's like that sometimes."
"What's she like?" Sugar asked.
"Well," Twilight hummed, looking at the ceiling in thought. "She's a little rough around the edges, curses like a sailor, and ruthlessly honest. If she thinks you're doing something dumb, she won't hesitate to tell you. It's thanks to her I met you all at the park last weekend."
"I take it she helped you after the "Mall Incident" too," Sugar intoned, crossing her arms.
Twilight nodded, her hand drifting towards her pendant without her knowing.
"Really, it's thanks to her that I can think straight these days."
"Sounds like a cool person to me,"Lemon smiled.
"Ditto," Indigo nodded. "I hope the two of you patch things up soon.
"Thanks," Twilight smiled, staring down at her pendant. "I hope so too."


***


Petal laid in her new bed, the Miasmic comforter, sheets, and mattress feeling like silk against her tired body. Late evening darkness filled her nest, Twilights sleeping face on full display on her window. The sight brought a chuckle out of the Wraith as she tried to get more comfortable.
This is way better than sleeping on the floor, she mused, letting her eyes droop. Maybe I'll make a habit out of this.
As sleep sat on the edge of her mind, a few stray thoughts kept her from fully committing to the act. With her freedom so close at hand, what did she plan to do with it? Of course, she still intended to keep her friendship with Twilight, but could she do the same with her new friends? Would they be as open to the idea of being friends with a creature of her nature as Twilight was? Would they abandon Twilight if they found out?
Sighing, she rolled away from her window only to be met by Lily's concerned frown.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked.
Petal let out another sigh as she rolled onto her back.
"Just realized what kind of hole I've dug myself into."
"Pardon?" she blinked
Petal groaned, then said, "I've been so focused on Twilight making friends and pulling her head out of her ass that I don't know where I fit in her life. I'm her friend, sure, but what the hell are her other friends going to think when they find out about me? It's not like, "Hey! Guess what? I'm a monster that eats people!" is going to go over very well."
"You could keep it between you two," Lily offered. "It isn't as if the others need to know."
"But what if they find out later? All it would take is some asshole Wraith or Hunter showing up and my whole cover is blown! Twilight loses her friends and I get a bullseye painted on my back. Game fucking over."
Lily frowns down at her, then huffs as she says, "Make them see past that."
"Huh?" she blinked, turning her head towards her.
"You managed to make one human see past what you are. Do it again! If this human is so important to you, make it work between the two of you."
"Do you think it'll be that easy?" she muttered, stating up at her canopy.
"Of course not," Lily huffed. "Life never is.
"Thanks," Petal flatly stated.
Lily let out a small giggle, then gently stated, "And that is what makes what your doing so worth protecting."
Petal's mind froze at that, unable to deny her reflection's simple wisdom. Letting that settle into her mind, she felt her rare desire for sleep start to creep up on her again. With her mind no longer racing, a small smile graced her lips as she gave into the urge. At the same time, the lingering ghost of a thought crossed her mind.
Fuck it all. Let's just deal with the shit when it comes. It's worked so far, right?


***


The room was mostly dark, what few streams of light that entered did so through barred windows in the highest parts of its tall ceiling. It was cylindrical and crafted from aged gray bricks that glistened with aged slime and dead moss. The only way in or out of the room was an aged wooden door fastened to one side of the room by thick rusted bolts. Twilight struggled to make any kind of sense of where she was, but it was quickly turning into a losing battle. She couldn't move, nor could she speak or feel anything past the damp air that stank of blood and mold. It was as if she was trapped watching a movie, but was doing so from inside the film itself. 
A fact that made what hung from the center of the room all the more tragic.
Hanging by her arms from a thick metal chain was a young woman. She looked to be in her mid twenties and may have been beautiful at some point, but now was just a ghost of her former self. Her light yellow skin was covered in scars and fresh wounds that covered her tattered pink dress with streaks of copper and red. Her two-toned  dark green hair sat ragged and tangled on her downward-drooping head, hiding her face as it trailed down to the middle of her back. Her bones were showing in the parts of her body her "dress" failed to cover along with more trails of dried blood. Soft, ragged breathing were the only signs that the woman was still alive.
Twilight wanted to help her, but no matter what she tried, she couldn't make herself do more than watch. She couldn't even cry over what she was seeing. Before the sight became too much for her to handle, the door slammed open and she was forced to stare at the figure that walked in. It was a man dressed in heavy plate armor, a tattered brown sack held tight in his grip. Twilight's view shifted, as if she had been moved back to better watch the two figures interact. A second later, the woman raised her head to reveal a withered bony face and dead teal eyes aimed blankly at the figure.
"The time for your judgment is at hand witch," the guard grunted. "Do you still refuse to reveal your plan?"
The women's lip trembled and in a desperate whisper pleaded, "Please. let us go. My family and I only wanted to help. We are healers, not witches of the devil's coven."
"The typical deceit of the Devil's minions," the guard huffed. "May God have pity on you as he casts you into the fire."
The woman went slack, hanging like a puppet that had its strings cut. A trail of tears slid down her cheeks as the futility of her situation was reminded to her. In a frail shaking voice, she asked on last thing that broke Twilight's heart in a way she had never experienced before.
"Then please, at least spare my family. They are innocent of my crimes and do not deserve the gallows."
The guard scoffed and said, "The man you hexed has been made to see his maker while your vile spawn have been returned to your master. All that is left is for you to do the same."
As he said that, he opened the back and dumped its contents onto the floor. One was a golden wring while the others were a hand-stitched doll and a wooden deer carving. All three of them were covered in dried blood. The woman and Twilight stared down at the objects in numb shock, the implications as clear as day to the both of them as the guard made his exit. The door slammed shut with the finality of a judge's gavel , the room's sole occupants locked in a sea of shock and pain. Soon the woman found her voice and a gut wrenching wail tore through the dungeon's cruel silence.
Twilight wanted to join her, but her voice was still taken from her. All she could do was watch and silently send her condolences to the grieving mother before her. 
It was then, as all hope bled from the woman that a presence began to make itself know.
Twilight shivered as she felt a strange force enter the dungeon, the air itself feeling as if it had taken on a life of its own. Before her very eyes, the shadows that surrounded the woman started to twist and slither like demonic ivy or snakes. Portions of the walls started to distort as if they were being viewed through carnival mirrors as the presence grew stronger. When it felt as if it had reached its peak, a ten foot wide hole formed in one of the walls and a new figure entered the room.
She was woman of hourglass figure dressed in a regal black and gray dress worthy of the highest of mid-evil royalty. Her skin was a light monochrome gray and seemed to give a faint glow that was quickly devoured the pure darkness of her clothes and straight black hair that came down to her shoulders. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, seemingly carved from porcelain by the greatest of artisans with the only flaw being the black strip of fabric that covered her eyes.
She approached the hanging woman, her stride carrying an elegance only tireless practice could make natural. Standing before her, she gently brought a hand up to the woman's chin and guided her tearstained face toward hers. 
"So full of despair and heartache," the woman sighed, true pain coloring her soft tone. "Tell me, what do they call you my child?"
The woman stared blankly at her, then forced out two words past her dry lips.
"Lily....Bouquet..."
The figure smiled gently at her and said, "Such a pretty name. One not worthy of a life filled with such pain and hardship."
To Lily's shock, the woman wrapped her in a tight embrace, tears sliding past her cloth and down her cheeks.
"You have suffered more than most in ways far too cruel to mention. I so wish I could take that pain away, to make your life the way it was meant to be, but all I can do is this."
Twilight watched Lily accept the hug, but even she could see that it did little to heal her heart. The figure seemed aware of this as well, a look of deep sorrow crossing her face as she pulled away.
"The pain you hold will kill you long before you reach the gallows, but it will also let rise into something new."
As she said that, she held out a hand to Lily and a black light gathered in her palm. When it parted, a small crystal flower took its place, the object seemingly eating what few streams of light had entered the prison. 
"The life you once held is over. Will you accept the one I offer you now?"
Twilight and Lily stared down at the crystal, one with trepidation and the other with faint interest. The teen could see the woman mulling over the other's words, a faint light of life entering her near-dead eyes. Then, with a resolved frown, she looked up at the woman and nodded. 
The regal woman nodded in understanding and with power in her words said, "Very well, then I, Queen Rabia, welcome you into my family. Eat well and grow strong, my new daughter."
With that, she gently pressed the flower into Lily's chest, earning a shocked gasp from the woman as it fazed into her. Twilight watched in shock as the color faded from her body, her skin and hair taking on the same monochrome tint as Rabia herself. What truly shook her was her eyes, the whites turning as black as night while her teal pupils turned a burning gold. When it was over, Lily stood up by her own power and casually ripped her arms free from her bindings, the chains snapping as if they had been made of wet toilet paper. Rabia stepped back from her newest daughter, a gentle smile gracing her lips as the former human met her gaze.
"How do you feel my dear?" Rabia asked, sweetly.
"Hungry," Lily sighed, a sinister smile spreading across her face.
"Then come," she smiled, gently pulling the woman do her side. "Let us hunt."
Before Twilight could process what she had just witnessed, the dream came to an abrupt end. The beeping of her alarm instantly brought her back her room and the feel of her bed. Letting out a defeated sigh, she reached up and turned off her phones alarm. Fumbling around further, she searched for her glasses as she tried to make sense of her dream. It felt too real to be something her mind could've come up with. It was almost like she was watching someone's memory. Shoving that unnerving thought aside, she slid her glasses into place then froze when she saw that she was not as alone as she thought she was.
Lying half a foot away from her, covered in the early Sunday sunlight peeking past her window was a young girl around her age. Her skin and hair held the same shade as the two women from her dream, only this girl's hair was short and wavy. She held a lithe, but toned build that her black mini dress emphasized fully, giving her an almost faery-like look. Gray and lavender flowers decorated her dress while the frayed edges of the skirt and shoulder straps gave her a more rough look.
Twilight let out a started "Eep!" and scrambled out of bed, her head going straight into panic mode over what she was seeing. An action that brought an irate growl out of the girl as she started to stir.
"For fucks sake," she grumbled as she sat up. "Can't a girl get any sleep around here?"
The shock of the girl's black sclera and golden pupils was quickly kicked aside by how familiar her voice sounded as the girl rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Numb with shock and confusion, Twilight stared at the girl with wide eyes as she asked a question that made the other girl freeze.
"Petal? Is that really you?"
"Twilight?" she grunted, hands still over her eyes.
Slowly, the Wraith took her hands away from her face and looked to where she heard her friend's voice. For a moment, they stayed perfectly still, wide-eyed at what was happening. Then, Petal made a tight fist, and slugged herself across the face.
"P-Petal?!" Twilight gaped, rushing to the Wraith's side. "Are you okay? Why did you do that?"
"Holy fuck that hurt," she hissed, rubbing her cheek.
Catching Twilight completely by surprise, she pulled the girl into a tight embrace and fell back into the bed with her laughing.
"It really is you," she smiled, returning the hug.
"Yep," Petal chuckled. "And I hope you're ready Sparkles. Cuz now that I'm out, its all down hill from here."
> Ch.9 Float Like a Petal, Sting Like a Wasp
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Velvet hummed a happy tune to herself, bacon and eggs sizzling on a skillet in front of her in an otherwise silent kitchen. For the first time in a long time, all was right with the world. Her husband discovered a new galaxy, she finished editing Yearling's latest novel, her granddaughter took her first steps, and her daughter has friends. That last part brought a bubbly giggle out of her as she turned on the coffee maker. 
Ever since her daughter enrolled at Crystal Prep, she worried that she wasn't connecting with any of her fellow students. While she wasn't a social butterfly, she did at least attempt to interact with people at her old school. Until recently, it looked as if she had closed herself off even more than before, treating the notion of forming any kind of lasting relationship with her peers like a kind of punishment. If things didn't change, she was considering transferring Twilight to another school, academic opportunities be damned! Fortunately, Twilight's first friend managed to divert things away from such a drastic option.
Not only had this mysterious Petal Wasp managed to bring Twilight back to where she was before her enrollment, she pushed her beyond that! She wasn't staying cooped up in her room or her lab at school anymore and acted more like a teenager again. She was laughing and smiling again and seemed so much more at ease with the world. Of course, she did backslide a bit after their fight, but it looked like Petal was not the only friend Twilight could depend on when things got rough. 
It all made her want to meet this mysterious girl even more.
The familiar sound of her daughter's footsteps snapped her out of her happy musings. She pulled out a clean plate from a kitchen cabinet, loaded it up with a generous helping of eggs and bacon, and turned just as Twilight sheepishly entered the kitchen. Her daughter's demeanor earned a raised brow out of her as she placed the plate down at the lavender teen's usual spot at the table. Instead of immediately taking her seat, Twilight fidgeted in place for a moment, then nervously asked a question.
"Um....mom....would it be too much trouble to set up.... another plate?"
"Why?" Velvet blinked.
Twilight chuckled nervously then said, "Well...a friend may have stopped by last night and....um...heh..."
As if on cue, another set of footsteps echoed down the hall towards the kitchen and a girl Twilight's age came into view. Her skin was a light shade of yellow while her hair was a short wavy two-toned dark green curtain that came down to her shoulders. Her teal eyes shined with confidence and an impish sort of mischief as they took in the kitchen and the two other people present. She wore a gray T-shirt with black skull prints decorating it under a black leather jacket with the right sleeve seemingly torn off at the shoulder. A patch shaped like a blue wasp with petal shaped lavender wings was displayed proudly on its left breast pocket. This went well with her black jeans and spider print belt, both showing signs of wear. The only part of her attire that didn't look roughened beside her shirt were her boots, the articles in question being heavy, white-laced, and made of black leather. She had a lithe runner's build, but even a casual glance could see that the girl had a bit of muscle to her as well.
"Good morning? Velvet frowned. "And who might you be?"
"Right, sorry for dropping in out of nowhere like this," she nervously chuckled, putting out a hand towards the older woman. "I'm Petal Wasp. Nice to finally meet you, ma'am."
Velvet's demeanor instantly lit up at that, taking the offered hand and giving it an enthusiastic shake.
"Like wise," she beamed. "And call me Velvet. All of that "Ma'am" stuff makes me feel old."
"Gotcha',"Petal smirked. "And yeah, sorry again for popping up on you like this."
"While I am not exactly thrilled by that, it is nice to finally meet the girl that helped my daughter step out of her shell," Velvet smirked, giving Twilight a passing glance as she let go of Petal's hand.
"Yeah, Sparkles was a real mess before she found me," she sighed, putting both of her hands in her pockets and giving her friend a tired frown.
""Sparkles", eh?" Velvet giggled. "Only been friends for a couple of weeks and you already have nicknames. Does Twilight have one for you, too?"
"Not yet," Petal snorted playfully, taking a seat at the table. "We'll probably make that her next homework assignment later."
"I will grade her fairly," Velvet nodded.
"Mom!" Twilight whined, plopping into her seat at the table. 
Petal and Velvet laughed good-naturedly at the mortified teen, the matron of the house already preparing a plate for the unexpected guest. At the same time, Twilight's eyes kept drifting towards her friend's new form. Apparently, all Wraiths had seldom used human forms that they could access when the need arose. The reason for this was two fold, as while this form made them harder to track by those Petal called "Gifted" it also took away their ability to do more than feed or change back to their normal forms. The fact that Petal refused to elaborate of what Gifted were put her on edge, but the way her human form looked nearly pushed her over completely. 
She looked so much like the woman from Twilight's dream. So much so, in fact, that if she didn't know better, she would've thought that the two were mother and daughter. It took everything Twilight had not to break down when she saw Petal's human form. Even now, she would have brief flashes every time she looked at her friend and swore Petal looked painfully frail before reality set back in a second later.
Stop it Twilight, she thought with a sigh as she brought a forkful of scrambled egg to her mouth. It was just a dream. Petal's fine. She's fine! You have nothing to worry about!
"So Petal, tell me about yourself," Velvet smiled, setting a mug of coffee in front of the girl in question.
"Not much to tell," she shrugged, casually picking up the mug with both hands and taking a sip. "What do you want to know?"
"Well, how did you manage to sneak into the house?" Velvet frowned. "I'm a bit of a night owl and I know for a fact that no one other than my husband came through the front door last night."
That simple question made Twilight's heart stop.
Petal gave Velvet a mischievous smile and said, "By being a bad influence."
"Excuse me?" Velvet blinked, then sported a matching smile as she slid a loaded plate down before the girl.
"I gave Twilight a call and asked her to leave her widow open for me. After that, all I had to do was climb up to it and let myself in."
"I see," Velvet said, aiming a raised brow at her daughter. "How else have you corrupted my little girl?"
"Aside from getting her to have a social life, not much," Petal shrugged, taking a casual bite of bacon. 
"Speaking of, do the two of you have any plans for the day?" Velvet asked.
"Well...the girls invited me to hang out with them at the mall later," Twilight demurred, fidgeting in her seat. "I'll have to let them know that Petal will be coming along as well.
"Damn straight you are," Petal chuckled aiming a wide grin her friend's way. "You've got a bet to pay up for."
"A bet?" Velvet asked, her cheshire grin a little less pointed than the disguised Wraith's. "Oh, do tell."'
Petal chuckled wickedly while Twilight groaned out her misery. This was already looking like it was gong to be a very long day.


***


Lemon, Indigo, and Sugar waited with varying degrees of  excitement radiating off of them from their seats in the middle of The Crystal Emporium's food court. While Sugar was as hard to read as ever, boredly skimming through some random sight on her phone, Lemon sported a broad grin as she excitedly vibrated in her seat. Indigo was more composed, but the way her fingers rapidly tapped out her nervous energy onto the table was hard to miss. Roughly half an hour ago, the three of them received a text from Twilight that told them that she was going to be a little late and that she was going to be brining a friend along with her.
While they were happy to spend some more time with Twilight, they would be lying if they said they weren't looking forward to finally meeting the mysterious "Petal" their friend mentioned yesterday.
"How much you want to bet she's as big a nerd as Twilight is?" Indigo smirked.
"Says the girl that read all six volumes of Daring Do over fifty times," Sugar monotoned.
"Hey! They're good books!" Indigo barked, glaring at Sugar.
"Meh, I'm more of a Dark Towers kind of girl," Lemon shrugged.
Both girls gave her raised brows at that.
"You read?" Indigo asked gobsmacked.
"You like King?" Sugar intoned, a tiny hint of shock entering her voice.
"Is it really that surprising?" Lemon asked, rolling her eyes.
"Yes," both girls said in unison, Indigo's incredulous tone overpowering Sugar's flat one.
"Especially King's books," Sugar added. "HIs works tend to lean on the obscure side."
"What can I say, I like cosmic horror," Lemon shrugged. "Like, have you dudes seen what H. P. Lovecraft came up with? It's really tripy stuff."
"Didn't he create tentacle porn?" Indigo asked, raising a brow.
"No," Lemon huffed. "But they did use his stories as inspiration for Bloodborn."
"Do you have any recommendations?" Indigo asked, suddenly a lot more interested.
"You two have fun with that," Sugar frowned, going back to scrolling through her phone. "I like historical fiction and mysteries anyway."
Boooooorrrrrrrring," both of her friends groaned.
"I'm not making you read them," she stated, then let a small smirk form on her lips as she looked up from her phone and added, "Unless you bet against me again."
Both girls shivered at that.
"Never again," Indigo muttered.
"Ditto," Lemon nodded.
"Then you have nothing to worry about," Sugar monotoned, her face going back to being unreadable as she shifted her focus back to her phone.
Before the conversation could progress any further, a familiar nearby call caught their attention. Looking more sheepish than usual, Twilight made her way towards them with a much rougher looking girl sporting a mischievous smile trailing about a foot behind her. 
"Sorry we're late," Twilight mumbled, taking a seat.
"No problem," Sugar stated, eyeing the new addition to their group as she took a seat next to Twilight. "This is Petal, right?"
"Yep!" Petal smirked, leaning back in her chair. "NIce to finally meet you all."
"Same," Sugar replied, a faint cautious edge entering her tone. "I'm Sugar Coat and this is Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap."
As she said that, she pointed to each girl in question, not once taking her eyes off of Petal. The Wraith took it in stride, letting the suspicion she sensed roll off her back. The feeling greatly improved the Wraith's already high opinion of the girl as she leaned forward and met her gaze. She could feel how nervous Twilight felt, but managed to push that to the back of her mind for now. She needed to make a good first impression with these girls or things were going to be more complicated than they needed to be in the future.
"You're not the kind of person I thought would be Twilight's friend," Sugar said flatly.
"Why's that?" Petal asked, frowning.
"You look like a punk," she replied.
Twilight gulped, while the rest of the table gasped at that. 
Petal narrowed her eyes and said, "So?"
A faint glare graced Sugar's normally blank face as she added, "I thought Twilight would be friends with someone with more of an academic presentation."
"Maybe," she shrugged, leaning back in her seat. "But you've got to admit, I look pretty badass."
"She's got you there Sugar," Indigo snickered.
"Are you in a band?" Lemon asked, just as eager as Indigo and Twilight to break the tension.
"Nah," Petal laughed, waving off the question. "Never sang a day in my life, but I'd love to give it a shot sometime."
"No prob!" Lemon beamed. "I've got all kinds of gear at the school! It'll be a little tricky to sneak you in, but we could totally do a jam session together sometime!"
"Sounds fun," Petal chuckled. "I'll think about it and get back to ya later."
Lemon smiled brightly at that.
"If you want, you could help me train Slugger too," Indigo smirked, giving Twilight a side-glance. 
"That should be fun too," Petal smirked, doing the same. "What do ya say,"Slugger"?"
Twilight groaned, hiding her face with her hands.
"If it isn't too much trouble, can we move on to our plans for the day?" Sugar Coat intoned, a thin frustrated frown forming on her face.
Petal flinched, sensing the girl's anger as she gave her her full attention. The rest of the group did the same, but were oblivious to the degree of Sugar's ire. Not wanting to make a scene, the Wraith ignored it and let things play out.
"Right, I'm just itching to get to the arcade," Lemon smiled. "Can't lose my DDR record, y'know?"
"House of the Dead, here I come!" Indigo cheered. "I'm gonna take that final boss down for sure this time!"
"What about you?" Sugar asked, pointedly ignoring Petal in favor of Twilight.
"Um...Touhou," she mumbled, nervously tapping her fingers together. "And you?"
"There are a few racing games I like to play," Sugar shrugged. "I'll see if anyone beat my high scores and correct that."
"What about you, Petal?" Indigo asked.
"Don't know," she shrugged. "Never played a game before."
The group, sans Twilight, gave her strange looks at that.
"Like, never?" Lemon frowned, confused.
"Yep," Petal replayed.
A determined frown formed on Indigo's face as she declared, "Okay, time to fix that!"
"How much money do you have on you?" Sugar asked.
"None," Petal sighed.
"Then no. We're not."
"Fine by me," Petal sighed, cutting off any protest the rest of the group had in mind. "I like to people watch anyway."
Sugar nodded, then said, "Now that that's all sorted out, let's get moving."
"Actually, can we stop someplace first?" Petal asked, leveling a cheshire's grin at her lavender friend. "Twilight lost a bet and it's time for her to pay up."
"Pay up how?" Sugar asked, eyes narrowing. 
"You'll see," she chuckled, earning a blushing groan out of her friend.


***


With summer right around the corner it was only natural that people would start looking into getting new clothes for the coming season. As such, The Summer Sun was flooded with customers eager to do just that. The store was full of the kinds of clothes one would wear on the boardwalk ranging from straw sun hats and sunglasses to tank tops and shorts. This also included the one article of clothing Twilight dreaded above all else; swimsuits. 
"Alright Sparkles, try these on," Petal beamed, practically shoving four bikinis into the lavender girl's arms as she took her towards one of the store's changing rooms.
"Why these?" Twilight whined, staggering into the room.
"Cuz you'll look great and you lost," Petal smirked. 
"Can't I try on a one-piece?" she begged.
"Nope," Petal snorted and closed the door. "Be back in a few minutes if I find anything else."
"Take your time, please," she sighed weakly behind the door.
Chuckling to herself, she left her friend to her own devices and went off to find more suits. Meanwhile, the other Shadow Bolts watched the whole exchange with varying degrees of interest. As soon as she disappeared into the sea of clothing wracks, Sugar let herself relax and approached the changing room door.
"You know, you don't have to do this," she said, just loud enough to be heard past the door.
"A deals a deal," Twilight grumbled. "And I've been needing to get a new swimsuit for a while now anyways."
"If you say so," Sugar frowned. "Can you promise me something?"
"I guess," she grunted, struggling with the straps of the suit she was trying on. "What is it?"
A bit of worry crossed Sugar's face, some of it entering her tone as she said, "If you need help, let me or the girls know, okay?"
The door squeaked open, the teen within now wearing a dark blue bikini and a concerned frown as she stepped out to meet her friend.
"Of course," she nodded. 
Sugar let a small smile spread across her face, only for it to vanish a moment later when a familiar condescending female voice reached them. 
"Well, look what we have here," the voice gushed, only to bitterly add, "The two bottom feeders and the librarian's bottom bitch."
Twilight's heart sank to her stomach as she slowly turned towards the voice's source. Sure enough, standing about eight feet away from her was Sour Sweet. The girl wore a simple pair of blue jeans and gray converse that went well with her red T-shirt. Her arms were crossed and a venomous sneer graced her lips as her indigo eyes trailed across the group. It took on an even more cruel edge when they landed on Twilight.
Indigo and Lemon glared at the girl as they put themselves between her and their friends.
"What do you want Sour?" Sugar spat, joining her friends.
"Just looking for some new swimwear," she said sweetly, then bitterly snapped, "But I found you rejects instead."
"Buzz off Sour," Indigo growled, clenching her fists.
"That's real cute Indigo," Sour smiled, then frowned as she coldly stated, "Maybe I should beat your ass harder this time. Might help you learn not to fuck with me."
Indigo let out a frustrated growl, but didn't make a move beyond that. Lemon gulped, torn between her fear of the unstable girl in front of her and her loyalty to her friends. Sugar was as unreadable as ever, her mind running through a dozen ways to get out of here that didn't involve a fight. Not just because it would mean getting kicked out of the store, but because, as much as she hated to admit it, Sour would mop the floor with them.
Sour leveled a sweet smile at Twilight and in a matching tone said, "Love the new look Number one. It totally suits you!"
Twilight froze, then tightened her jaw as she waited for the barbs she knew were coming.
With a cruel sneer, Sour added, "Should make it easier for you to make a few bucks on the corner."
Before Twilight or her friends could respond, a cold chill shot down both their's and Sour's spines. A second later, Petal stepped out from behind a nearby display behind Sour. Twilight and her friends watched the girl with chilled fascination, the group feeling like they were watching some great predator in the wild as she closed in on her prey. The Wraith sported her usual roughish smile, now held with a sharp edge to it as she gently placed a hand on Sour's shoulder.
Sour froze, a cold dread that she had never felt before running through her down to her very core.
"You caught me in a good mood, so I'm going to let you off with a warning this time, " Petal sweetly stated, a deep rage sitting just on the edge of her tongue. "Stay the fuck away from Twilight and her friends or I'll turn you into my own personal hand-puppet. You got it?"
Stiffly, Sour forced herself to turn her head to face her, a retort ready to be fired, but it died a miserable death the second she locked eyes with Petal. 
At the same time, an image flashed before Petal's eyes. In it, she saw two Sours standing on a narrow platform over a deep dark pit. Each of them were covered in wounds, some old and some new as they frantically tried to push the other off of the platform. A dark shapeless mass could be seen moving through the shadows of the pit, a glowing red eye or jagged claw becoming visible before it literally melted back into the darkness.
When she came back to reality, it was just in time to see Sour nod before she bolted out of the store. Forcing her thoughts away from what just happened, Petal locked her aura away and gave her group a more genuine smile.
"You okay Twilight?" she asked, joining the group.
"Y-Yeah," Twilight sighed, then smiled weakly as she added, "Thank you Petal."
"Anytime Sparkles," she smiled. 
I'm gonna have to ask Lily about this later, but in the mean time.
"Now, let's get you dressed back up and buy that suit. That bitch was right about one thing, you look fucking hot!
Twilight's face heated up at that.
"She's got a point," Indigo smirked, thankful for the lighter shift things had taken.
"Yeah," Lemon nodded, studying her new friend. "You should totally get that!"
Her blush spreading down to her neck, Twilight looked to Sugar for help.
The bespectacled girl just gave her a faint smile and said, "It's true. You look really good in that."
Twilight let out a mortified whine as she quickly ducked back into the changing room, her friends laughing good-naturedly at her misery.
> Ch.10 In the Shadows of Fear
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight slept soundly, lips pulled into a small smile as she held her pendant to her chest. For the first time in a long time, all seemed to be at peace with the young girl as she dreamed sweet dreams in the calm silence of her room. The same could not be said for her friend and her "room". Laughter and the clinking of glasses echoed throughout Petal's nest, the Wraith, back in her normal form and clothes, regaled her reflection with stories of her exploits from earlier in the day from her seat at her table. 
"And how exactly do these "Arcade Games" work?" Lily asked, the reflection sitting in an ornate throne.
"Hell if I know," she shrugged, drinking a glowing black liquid from a goblet. "I just know that humans made them and they're a ton of fun!"
"A rather interesting assessment, seeing as you didn't get to play any of them," Lily deadpanned.
"That was Sugar Coat's fault," she sighed staring into her goblet and rolling its contents around in thought. "I don't get it. Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap like me, but Sugar Coat takes one look at me and instantly hates my guts! What the fuck?!"
"Perhaps it was how you chose to present yourself," Lily flatly stated. "That outfit did not seem like what one of hight moral character would don."
"So then what, I should've shown up wearing a pretty dress or some shit?" she snorted. "Fuck that. That ain't who I am and I sure as hell ain't gonna change that."
"Not even for Twilight?" the Phantom smirked.
Petal paused, then smirked as she said, "Not even for her," before taking a swig from her goblet.
"That's rather selfish of you, don't you think?" Lily frowned.
"I never said I was a saint," Petal snorted. "This is how I am. I'm not some prissy princess or a bitch without a reason. If Sugar wants to have a stick up her ass over how I look or whatever, than fine. I'll still protect her if things get bad or help her out if she needs it, though."
"Oh? And why is that?" Lily asked, tilting her head.
Petal flashed her a roguish grin and said, "Because I want to."
Lily blinked, then let out a disappointed sigh.
"For a moment, I thought you were going to say something profound."
"Sorry, not my style," Petal laughed.
"Indeed," the reflection flatly intoned, rolling her eyes. "That reminds me. How did the human react to you returning to your nest? I would think that the event would be quite distressing for her."
"Yeah," she sighed, presenting her goblet to the phantom. "She gave off so much stress that I could fill this thing fifty times over."
"I see," Lily mused. "Is that how you managed to calm her?"
"Not...exactly," Petal sheepishly chuckled, scratching the back of her head.


***


"What do you mean you need to go back?" Twilight demanded, her voice echoing off of the alley walls.
"Just that," Petal insisted, hands up in an attempt to placate her friend's fears. "That's the closest thing to a home I have and it's not like I can just move in with you."
The day at the mall had come to an end not too long ago and with it, Twilight's time with her friends. Hugs were traded, quick ribbings passed, and plans for the next weekend were set. Granted, most of these were done between the humans of the group, but Petal didn't mind all that much. She did appreciate the fact that the hate she felt from Sugar was a bit weaker thought. As soon as the group had broken up, Petal guided Twilight to an alley far enough away from the mall to give them some privacy, but close enough to not put her friend in danger.
"You could move into the lab at school," Twilight pressed, tone turning more frantic by the second. "I-I-I can make room for you to live there and everything!"
"My nest has all of my food," Petal deadpanned.
"I can feed you!" she cried.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, the Wraith groaned, "Where do you think my food comes from?"
"B-But-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" Petal thundered, her voice shaking the walls around them.
Twilight stared at her, stunned into silence, but still visibly worried for her friend. Reeling back her temper, Petal took a deep breath and with a smile, pointed at Twilight's pendant.
"You know how durable this thing is, right?"
Staring down at the pendant, she nodded, wondering where Petal was going with this.
"That's because it's made of pure crystalized Miasma. My Miasma. I made this thing to be an anchor for my nest to keep me safe. The only reason I was stuck in there was because I was too much of a pussy to put a fucking door on it."
"And now....?" Twilight cautiously asked.
Nodding, she shifted her hand off of the pendant and onto her friend's shoulder.
"As long as I see my nest as a home, I can leave it whenever I want. So no freaking out over that, okay?"
Fighting back tears, Twilight nodded and brought her hands up to her pendant, staring down at it with a small smile.
"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that," she sniffed. "I don't want you to get trapped again."
"I won't," Petal smirked. "And if you're that worried about me, then you better keep an eye on that pendant."
"Huh?" Twilight blinked.
"When a Wraith anchors their nest to an object, it become's tied to our health. If we get sick or seriously injured, it'll show up in some way on our anchor."
"Really?" Twilight gawked, studying her pendant with new found wonder.
"Yeah," Petal chuckled. "So if you get worried about me, just give that a quick look over, alright?"
"Right," she sighed, all of her worry melting off of her like snow in the middle of summer as she met her friend's gaze. "Will you come out tomorrow?"
"Sure," she smiled. "Hows about after school we stop by your lab, I pop out of my nest, and you take me to the library to teach me how to play that game you're crazy about."
"Really?!" Twilight gushed, hands clenched into fists at her chest and stars shining in her eyes.
"Really," Petal smirked, then sheepishly added, "Just, uh, don't be afraid to help me make a character, okay?."
Twilight let out a small giggle at that.
"Sure. No problem."


***


"How sweet," Lily giggled. "Shall I make arrangements for your wedding?"
"Wha- IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!!!" the Wraith sputtered, a gray blush spreading across her face and neck.
"So you say," Lily smirked. "Are you sure she won't change you?"
"Of course not," she huffed, taking a swig of her drink. "Like I said, I like who I am and nothings gonna change that."
"If you say so," the phantom giggled, only to don a more serous expression a moment later as she said, "Though I fear that a new problem may have presented itself to us as well."
"What do you mean?" she asked, a pit of worry settling in her stomach.
Lily paused, seemingly mulling her words over in her head. Letting out a sigh, she sat up straight in her seat and voiced her thoughts.
"You said earlier that you saw something when you locked eyes with one of the human's harassers, correct?"
"Yeah, why?" she asked, unknowingly mirroring her reflection's posture in her own seat. "What the hell  was that anyway?"
"A glimpse into her mindscape," Lily intoned. "All Wraiths have the ability to look into the minds of humans. It is how we know what to say to push them into the right mental state for direct feeding. While the approach may very from Wraith to Wraith, the end result is always the same. In your case, it would appear that direct physical and eye contact is required."
"So, what I saw was the inside of Sour's head?" Petal blinked.
Lily nodded, then with a somber sigh said, "Though, I fear that is not all that you saw."
"What do you mean?" she cautiously asked.
"The mass in the pit," Lily frowned, her tone taking on a slight edge. "I may be wrong, but from what you have described to me, it sounds as though this "Sour Sweet" human is hosting a Wraith Seed."
Petal gaped at that, setting her drink down on her table as she leaned forward to give her reflection her full attention.
"Are you saying there's another Wraith nearby?"
"It is a possibility," Lily nodded. "If Crystal Prep is truly as horrible a place as your human claims it is, then it would be the perfect place for a Wraith to anchor their nest to."
Petal tried to deny the phantom's logic, but in a lot of ways it was a pretty big no-brainer. Even from her window, she could see that the school was a powder keg of negativity. Everyone was out to get someone in one way or another and it was rare for her to see two people interacting in some way that didn't look forced. Twilight's friends seemed to be one of the few exceptions and while she hated to admit it, the same could be said for how Sour and Sunny seemed to get along.
Taking a deep breath, she leveled a determined frown at her reflection.
"Okay, so what do we do about it?"
"It would be unwise to move forward at the moment," Lily mused, massaging her chin in thought. "For now, I suggest we lay low, keep Twilight safe, and wait for our opponent to make a move. Once we know what we are dealing with, it should be easier to plan how we can advance."
"Right," Petal sighed, leaning back in her chair and pinching the bridge of her nose. "If it isn't one thing, right?"
"That I believe is what life is, correct?" Lily sighed, giving the Wraith a sympathetic smile.
"Yep," she grumbled, throwing her head back in her seat and closing her eyes. "Fuck it up the ass."


***


The late evening sky loomed peacefully above all of Canterlot City, many having long since turned in for the night in preparation for the dread that only a monday morning could bring. In the city's more affluent district, a lone building stood out among its peers. While not as ornate as the manner houses or as industrial as the more modern four story mansions, its five stories, massive front lawn, gilded fencing, and victorian structure was more than enough to showcase the status of its inhabitants. On the white painted building's roof laid Sunny Flare, her face a mix of calm and weary as she stared up into the night sky. A simple pair of black sweats and a dark blue hoody protected her from the cold, both of her hands tucked away in said hoody's pockets. Sticking out of the corner of her mouth was a black two inch long plastic cylinder, a few gentle puffs filling her mouth with floral flavored vapor. An empty sigh slid past her lips along with the mist from her vape pen, her troubles rushing to the front of her mind against her will.
While her Crystal Prep positions gave her a lot of power, that power came with an unimaginable amount of headaches. Club budgets needed to be sorted. Class supplies needed to be updated. Hall monitors needed to be replaced by ones that couldn't be easily bribed or blackmailed by the richer students. Most days, it felt as if she was the only thing keeping the school together. She could only imagine the kind of horrors her mother had to contend with on a daily basis. It made her daily counseling sessions with Dean Cadence all the more pleasant, ending each with her thanking the woman for everything she does for her mother.
"She is truly a saint," she said, letting a small smile grace her lips. "That sister-in-law of hers could learn a thing or two from her."
Her smile fell away a second later at the mention of another stressor in her life and one of the main reasons she sought out Dean Cadence's help in the first place.
While others may see it differently, Sunny didn't get her positions because her mother was the Principal. She fought long and hard for her titles, dedicating everything she had to earning them and making her mother proud. She never scored anything less than an A on an assignment. If it meant acing a test or beating her records in PE, she would work herself to fitful sleep. She started at the bottom, just like each of her peers and clawed her way over them one rank at a time in her mission to succeed. To earn her mother's love.Then, she eventually hit a wall that she just couldn't pass no matter how hard she tried. 
Crystal Prep's number one student and prodigy, Twilight Sparkle.
With the sole exception of PE, the girl excelled at everything put in front of her. She was never late to class, never took sick days, and did every assignment in class. More infuriating was the fact that she seemingly accomplished this without any sign of tiring. Her hands clenched into tight fists in her pockets as she thought back to all of the tests they faced in their advanced physics class and how she completed them all in minutes without breaking a sweat while she felt mentally exhausted after needing to take three times longer to do the same. Had that been all, she would've written the girl off as a rival and called it a day, but that was only a singer ember in the wildfire of rage she felt towards the girl.
Every day, she was forced to hear her mother go on for what felt like hours at the dinner table about how impressed she was with Twilight's abilities. How lucky her mother was to have such a brilliant student grace her school with her presence. How much of a boon she would be in the coming Friendship Games if she could convince her to lead Crystal Prep to victory. It was almost enough to make her bite through the prongs of her fork at times.
In addition, the girl wasn't afraid of lording her title and privileges over her and the other Elites. Not once had she attempted to interact with her fellow high achievers. Instead, she seemed more inclined to pretend that they didn't exist, that she was the Queen and the rest of them were beneath her. This was all too apparent when she obtained her own lab on campus and cut herself off from the presumed rabble she had to share air with.
"Egotistical bitch," she frowned, pulling a hand out of her hoody pocket to pluck her vape pen out of her mouth. 
She was about to take a full drag from it when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Raising a brow, she pulled the device out of her pocket with her free hand and glared at the screen. Her expression softened, concern mixing into it as she accepted the call and put the phone up to her ear.
"Sour? What's wrong?"
"We...We...I did it again," Sour said, tone warbling with barely contained tears. "W-...I tried to stop it, but I just couldn't!"
"Sour, please, calm down," Sunny pleaded, sitting upright, shoulders tense with worry. "Remember what the doctor said. Deep breaths.Deep breaths.
"R-Right," she shuddered. "B-Breaths."
Shaky breaths could be heard, each becoming less rattled than the last as time crept by. One minute turned into two, then three, and then four. Sunny sat patiently on the line, worry pumping through her veins faster than blood as she waited for her friend to find her voice. When she finally did, five minutes had elapsed and the girl sounded a lot more like her usual self, though it was still with an undercurrent of fear so common in these events.
"Th-Thanks," Sour sighed, her voice carrying a faint echo along with a smile.
"Any time Sour," she softly smiled. "Now, what triggered this episode? Do you need to change your medication again?"
"No, not this time," Sour bitterly chuckled, voice still holding a faint echo. "W- I ran into Sparkle at the mall today."
"I see," Sunny frowned. "Rather rare of "her Highness" to step out of her castle."
"She wasn't alone," Sour chirped, then bitterly added, "For once."
"Stay together Sour," Sunny intoned. "Remember, one is the bow-"
"And the other is the arrow," Sour finished, her voice regaining its echo.
"Exactly," Sunny smiled, taking a puff from her vape. "Now please, continue."
"Right," Sour sighed. "So anyway, Princess Twilight was apparently buying a new swimsuit with numbers ten, nine, and five."
Sunny paused, her brain briefly struggling to come to terms with that revelation.
"Sunny? You still there?" Sour asked, a bit of worry mixing with her echo.
"Y-Yes, I'm still here," Sunny stammered, shaking away her shock and taking another hit from her pen. "Please proceed with your story."
"Right," Sour snorted. "So anyway, the second I saw her, I had an episode and Bitter Sour started some shit."
"Couldn't Honey Sour real her in?" Sunny asked.
"Not if Twilight or Indigo's involved," Sour sighed.
"Did you get physical with her?" she asked worriedly.
"Nah, some other girl stopped us, er, me before things went that far. I think she's a friend of Twilight's."
"Anyone from school?" Sunny asked.
"I sure as hell hope not," Sour shivered. "She's freaking scary!"
"Really?" Sunny blinked. "What did she look like?"
"She was about our age, had yellow skin, short light and dark green hair, and teal eyes. She was dressed like some kind of biker or something."
"Are you sure?" Sunny pressed.
"Definitely," Sour gulped. "I don't think I could forget her, even if I tried."
"I see," Sunny nodded. "I'll check the school records later for anyone that matches that description and we can take things from there."
"Be careful Sunny," Sour cautioned. "There was something really off about this girl. I swear when our eyes met, it felt like she was staring into my freaking soul."
"I will," Sunny smiled. "And please, do not hesitate to call me if Bitter causes problems again."
"I promise," Sour said with a relieved sigh, the echo in it putting Sunny at ease. "Goodnight Sunny, see you at school."
"Goodnight Sour. Please sleep well."
With a soft click, the call ended.
Sunny tucked her phone back into her pocket and stared out at the sparkling lights of the city before her. The faint sounds of industrial life playing a calming melody to her as her thoughts wandered through what her friend had just said. It would seem that the school's alpha was starting to make moves among the other Elites and even managed to find a bodyguard strong enough to put Sour on edge. To what aims, it was far too soon to say, but Sunny was more than willing to get to the bottom of this.
"Things are starting to get.... interesting," she mused, taking a puff from her pen. "Just what are you planning, Sparkle?"


***


Dead silence filled Cinch's office, a single desk lamp the only source of light in the grim void the opal gray woman occupied. Like always, she was the living definition of prim and proper, her three-toned magenta hair was styled in a way that kept the wavy curtain out of her eyes and added to what few charms her stern demeanor allowed and her navy blue business suit and faded blue turtleneck were free of any wrinkles. Her fuchsia eyes scanned a collection of files laid out on her polished oak desk, her worry hidden well behind a perfect pokerface. It eventually broke as she let out a sigh and leaned back in her expensive black leather seat.
"Oh Sunny," she frowned, rubbing the exhaustion out of her eyes. 
When she let her hands fall bonelessly to her lap, her heart ached the second her eyes landed on the framed picture sitting on the righthand corner of her desk. Smiling back at her from it was a younger version of herself, her late husband, and a much younger and happier Sunny Flair. She reached out towards it, but guilt stopped her hand half way there. 
Like any caring mother, she was happy to see her daughter succeed. At every achievement, she wanted to hold her sweet Sunny close, to tell her how proud she was of her. To see those very same achievements tear her apart was too much for her to bear. She would need to give Dean Cadence a raise, the closest thing to a thank you for everything she had done to help her dear daughter in her stead. She wished she could do more. She wanted to do more, but there was only so much she could do.
A deal was made and this was, but one price she had to pay.
"Ooooooh Cinnnnnch~" a young male voice sang from the shadows.
Cinch froze, arctic dread filling her veins as she slowly looked around. 
In the dark, she could see something moving about, its form constantly shifting and shrinking as it moved back and forth in front of her desk, but outside of the light's reach. The curtains from the tall window right behind her ruffled as a cold breeze washed over her from where the shadow lurked. Swallowing her fear, she forced in a shuddering breath and addressed the monster.
"Belfry, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked, voice brittle in spite of her attempt at courage.
The monster stopped pacing, bringing a cold chill down the woman's spine when a pair of golden eyes glowed at her from the dark. The eyes grew closer as the creature they belonged to approached, slowly lowering towards the ground with each "step". At the same time, the monster started to settle on a form, the inky blackness of its body becoming more solid by the second. Eventually, the eyes sank below the top of the desk, then seconds later, a black fox hopped onto the front of the desk. Its golden eyes bore into like spears as it took a seat just inches away from where she sat. Cinch didn't dare make a move, more than aware of what her guest was capable of if given a reason.
"You haven't been holding up your end of the deal." the fox smirked. "Is this a sign that I should resume my hunts?"
"Wh-What are you talking about?" Cinch demanded, a pit of sweat beading her brow. "I have done exactly as requested!"
"Really?" Belfry pressed. "Then why is it that I can't feed off of your offering anymore?"
"I...I don't understand," Cinch stammered.
Belfry's eyes glowed as he growled, "Why isn't Twilight Sparkle afraid?
"I...I don't know," Cinch gulped, her breath coming out as terrified pants.
"Find. Out," the fox coldly growled. "I grow hungry Cinch and if you can't provide me with food then I will just pick some prey myself!"
A sinister smile spread across his joules as he added, "Such as that sweet daughter of yours. I'm sure the terror she houses would taste divine. Shall I give Lolith the signal?"
"NO! PLEASE DON'T!" Cinch begged, face twisted in abject horror as tears ran down her face. "I-I-I'll do what you want, just don't hurt my daughter!"
Belfry stared at her, the fox literally drinking in the mother's desperation and fear. He sat there, savoring it like a fine wine while Cinch struggled to find the strength to run. Her body refused her, imprisoning her in her seat while she waited for Belfry's response.
"Very well," he smiled. "I suppose I have enough food set aside to last me a few weeks."
Slowly, the fox started to fade into a dark mist and return to the darkness, the creature's eyes never leaving Cinch's as it left some parting words behind.
"Don't keep me waiting Cinch. We made a deal and you will hold up your end of it. Farewell for now."
With that, the rest of the fox desolved into mist and joined the rest of itself in the shadows, taking Belfry's chilling aura along with it as well. Cinch sat at her desk, raw panic replacing her blood and running through her pounding heart. A raw spike of guilt joined it when she saw the picture on her desk. She reached out a shaky hand towards it, but couldn't bring herself to touch the photo. With a shuddering breath, she let her hand fall onto her desk and leaned back in her seat, frustrated tears sliding down her face as a single thought echoed through her head.
I made a deal. I have no choice. I must hold up my end of it...
"Oh, Sunny," she sniffled. "Please forgive me..."
> Ch. 11 Saccharine Sweet
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It usually took a lot to get under Sugar Coat's skin. Unless someone knew what specific buttons to push, the aloof girl tended to brush off whatever feeble attempts people made at her patience. Having someone she didn't like enter her game was one of the biggest, reddest, shiniest buttons one could ever hope to push. 
Through expert control, she kept her irritation off of her face as she arranged her D&D supplies on her Library table. 
"Uh, you okay, Sugar?" Indigo nervously asked, fishing her figure and character sheet out of her backpack.
"Yeah, you look like you're about to snap someone's neck," Lemon frowned, getting her gear out of her bag.
"That would get me arrested," Sugar flatly stated, setting up her DM screen. "I am fine."
"Uh....are you sure?" Lemon asked.
"Yes," Sugar pressed, a faint eye twitch showing her irritation.
"Sooooo, you're cool with Petal playing with us?" Indigo asked, leaning back in her seat away from her silently fuming friend.
".....Yes," she frowned, a few small eye-twitches creeping out of her as she stared at something on her side of the screen. 
"Right," Lemon frowned, raising a brow. "What do you have against her, anyway? She seems pretty cool to me."
"Yeah," Indigo nodded. "Did you see how she handled Sour? Totally awesome!"
Sugar sighed at that, a small frown gracing her lips as she shuffled through a small stack of paper.
"I am impressed with how she handled Sour," Sugar plainly stated, unfolding a town map and placing it in the middle of the table. "I just don't think she's a good influence on Twilight."
"What are ya,' her mother?" Indigo frowned. "I mean, come on! Twilight's a bit of an airhead, sure, but she's not stupid. If Petal was bad news, I'm pretty sure she'd kick her to the curb already."
"Yeah," Lemon nodded, leaning back in her chair. "Besides, I don't think Petal even wants to hurt Twi."
"How do you know that?" Sugar asked, raising a brow.
"Just a vibe I get from her," she shrugged, putting her hands behind her head and tilting back her chair. "She's got this, rough older sister feel to her. Like, she'll give her a hard time, but she really cares about her too, ya' know?"
"I get that feeling too," Indigo smiled, snapping her fingers and pointing at the rocker. "That's probably why Twilight was so shaken up when they were fighting."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Lemon shivered. "Zombie Twi still gives me nightmares."
"The fact that they are so close is the problem," Sugar frowned. "You saw the way she dressed. How do we know she isn't part of some gang or something even more shady?"
"Dude, half of the guys at the concerts I go to dress like that," Lemon deadpanned. "Most of them are total dorks who still live in their mom's basement."
"Yeah," Indigo nodded. "And again, I think Sparkle's smart enough to stay away from any gangs. Hell, I think her brother's a cop. MIght make things a little awkward at home."
"I still don't trust her," Sugar frowned. "I can't put my finger on it, but something about her just doesn't feel right."
"I think you're just being a bit overprotective," Lemon said, rolling her eyes. "I mean, look at how far she's going to be a part of the group."
"Yeah," Indigo snorted. "I mean, do you seriously think she's jumping into this all on her own? Twilight totally dragged her into this."
"You say that like Twilight has a hold on her," Sugar frowned, raising a brow.
"Take it from me," Lemon smirked, rocking back and forth in her seat. "All little sisters own their sibs."
"Better not let your sister hear that," Sugar smirked. "She'll put you over her knee again."
"Tell her and you're dead," Lemon glared, pointing at the stone-faced teen
"Anyway," Indigo cut in with a sigh. "Can you at least give her a chance? Who knows? You might actually like her."
"I doubt it," she huffed, then sighed as she added, "But I suppose I could at least try to get along with her. For Twilight's sake."
"At'a girl," Indigo chuckled. 
"I wonder what kind of character she created," Lemon hummed. "I'm guessing barbarian."
"Nah, she totally made a monk," Indigo smirked. "Tough girl like her? Totally the type that's not afraid to get her hands dirty!"
"Now look whose making assumptions," Sugar smirked. "If she's a beginner, I think she'll go with Swordsman or Rogue."
"If Twi's helping her, I doubt it," Lemon shrugged. "Now that I think about it, maybe she'll end up as a Warlock or a Necromancer."
"If that's the case, then she's probably going to be a Necromancer," Indigo frowned. "Twilight's character is a Warlock and we all know how crazy she is about team balance."
"Oh, yeah," Lemon sighed, rolling her eyes. "Now I feel sorry for her."
"Same," Sugar nodded, a small wicked smirk creeping past her mask.
"Careful Sugar, your devil is showing," Indigo chuckled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she flatly stated.
"I hope they show up soon," Lemon groaned, fidgeting in her seat. "Grrrr, the suspense is killing me!"
As if on cue, the library doors opened and two girls walked in. One was a blushing Twilight, hiding her face behind her hands. The other was a girl that made the trio rub their eyes, Lemon shocked so hard that she lost her balance and fell out of her teetering chair. The girl's hair, eyes, and skin tone was the same as Petal, but that was where the similarities ended. Her two-toned green hair was tied into a pair of short braids with bright pink ribbons weaved into them.  She wore a bright pink sundress that came just past her knees, a white ribbon covered with small pink flowers wrapped tight around her thin waist. A simple pair of white dress shoes adorned her feet as she stepped further into the library, her poise formal, yet fluid, as she approached the gobsmacked teens. A sky blue designer purse hung from her shoulder, shiny golden buckles holding it shut as it rattled at her side.
"Sorry we're late," Petal smiled, voice free of its usual rough edge. "It took a little longer to make my character than we thought it would."
Lemon and Indigo blinked at her, then, slowly aimed glares at Sugar. Sugar simply blinked at Petal, her mind struggling to make sense of what she was looking at. Shaking off her shock, Sugar simply nodded and looked down at her creature sheets. 
"That's fine," Sugar flatly stated.  "Give me your character sheet and I'll see how we can introduce you to the party."
"Okay," Petal giggled, reaching into her bag.
Twilight let out small groan as she slumped into a seat, mortification plane on her face as she fished her own D&D supplies out of her backpack. When Petal took a seat and handed Sugar her character sheet, Twilight's blush got even worse. Sugar's hand stopped just short of grabbing the sheet, the girl needed to blink to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her, then took the offered paper.
"You put glitter on the edges," Sugar stated, raising a brow as she stared at the paper.
"I thought it would look better that way," Petal sweetly smiled. 
"Right," Sugar blinked, then gave the sheet a careful scan. 
After a brief moment of awkward silence, Sugar returned the character sheet  and nodded.
"I think I can work with that," 
"Thank goodness," Petal sighed, hiding a relieved giggle behind a hand. "I've never made a character before, so I was a little nervous."
Petal rested her hands on her lap and, still softly smiling, turned to face Twilight and said, "This is going to be so much fun, right Twilight?"
"R-Right," Twilight said, forcing a small smile onto her face.
Petal just giggled and gave Sugar her full attention.
At the same time, Lemon and Indigo slipped Sugar notes under the table. A faint frown graced her lips when she read them behind her DM screen. While the wordings were slightly different, they both roughly said the same thing.
"Look what you've done."


***


The tavern was full of life, everyone talking merrily as they traded stories and threw back drinks. In a far corner of the room, three women sat soaking in the good cheer while nursing their own brews. Sparrow happily read a small book, a glass of wine within easy reach as she lost herself in its contents. To her left Melody was tuning her instrument, a task made all the more difficult by the sheer number of swigs she had taken from her pint of meed. Shroud wasn't in any better shape, the rogue singing off key to a tune a nearby table of drunken Satyrs were howling into the pub. The elven mage snuck a peek over the top of her book at the sight and let a small smile creep onto her face. A small chuckle fell past her lips as she took a sip of her wine.
"Best pace yourselves," Sparrow chuckled, closing her book. "You may come to regret it later, if you don't."
"That's future me's problem," Melody snickered, teetering in her seat. 
"She's right!" Shroud cheered, happily lifting her mug in a toast. "Tonight we celebrate! Down with the Dark Lord! Up with the Shining Prince!"
A loud cheer filled the tavern, everyone raising their mugs in agreement before taking long pulls.
Shroud was about to join them when a soft white hand gently lowered her mug back onto the table. The rogue turned to face its owner, bitter words and a fist at the ready, only to stop in place a second later. Standing before her was an ivory elf, her attire the shining silver hooded cloak and robe of a holy cleric. Her eyes were a deep sapphire blue that held nothing, but kindness. Blond curls framed her gentle face as she stared down at the drunken rogue, said rogue losing her urge for violence under the other woman's stare.
"You should take her words to heart," the cleric said, removing her hand from the mug. "Lest you let your vices rule you."
"Who the hell are you?" Shroud frowned, her buzz cut to an abrupt halt. 
Before the cleric could respond, Sparrow let out a tired sigh.
"Leave her be Sparkler," she deadpanned. 
The cleric, Sparkler, blinked in shock at the mage for a moment, then gave a small smile and nod.
"If that is what you wish, old friend."
"Friend?" Melody frowned, raising a brow. "You know each other?"
"In a way," Sparrow frowned. "Melody, Shroud, meet Sparklier. We used to be classmates before I joined the guild."
"We were a bit more than that," Sparkler giggled. "If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't have had any friends at all."
"A cold one, even back then, eh?" Shroud smirked, eyeing her newest party member.
"I was simply studious," Sparrow huffed, crossing her arms.
"True," Sparkler giggled. "I'm happy to see that you have finally taken time away from your studies to be with others. Look at you know. A great hero and one of three responsible for freeing a whole country. It warms my heart to see how far you've come."
"Y-You speak too highly of me," Sparrow blushed, suddenly interested in the knots in the wooden table's face.
"I speak only the truth," Sparkler smiled. "May I join you? It has been quite some time since I last saw you and I'm sure your party has quite a few tales to share."
"You don't know the half of it," Melody smirked. "Pull up a chair and let Melody of the Silver Strings tell you the tale of how our dear mage matched wits with a nymph to save my foolish hide."
"Please do, oh marvelous bard," the cleric demurred, taking the offered seat.


***


The campaign went off without a hitch, Petal's kindly cleric fitting in almost perfectly with the party's overall play style. The strict pacifist nature of her character made her less of a target in monster encounters and her wide assortment of healing spells did a great job keeping the party alive. Overall, she was a very competent player, asking questions if there was a rule she didn't understand or if she wanted to take a particular action that wasn't in the books. The problem was that this wasn't the Petal Wasp they were expecting to be here today.
Instead of the rough and mouthy girl they all met at the mall, they were stuck now dealing with a sweet maiden that would sooner cut her own arm off than say a swear or dirty her dress. The contrast was jarring to say the least and the act was very quickly starting to take its toll on Twilight. Evert time Petal opened her mouth, the poor girl looked like she was going to die from embarrassment, even more so when Petal started doting on her or when their characters interacted. That was nothing compared to how her actions affected Sugar Coat, though.
One of the few things Sugar took pride in was her abilities to read people. While not perfect, she could usually tell when someone was giving her a hard time or trying to get something out of her. It helped her keep people honest when she collected late fees from students each week. With Petal, it was such a different story, it might as well have been written in a dead language. 
The girl's acting was eerily perfect. The sweetness of her tone and the fluidity of her motions were so natural, it was almost impossible for her to believe that she was the same girl she met at the mall. It unnerved and irritated her all at the same time, making her question just which version of the girl was actually the fake. If it wasn't for Twilight's reactions, she was sure Petal's performance would've driven her up the walls. Instead, it forced her to DM with a rabidly growing migraine that threatened to split her skull in half.
Not helping were the looks Indigo and Lemon were giving her.
While they didn't seem all too bothered with how Petal played, it was clear they were not happy with her out-of-game performance. They wanted to spend time with Twilight's "Cool Older Sister," not this cheap, tolled up mother hen. After the fiftieth shared glare, she clenched her jaw and passed them each a letter under the table. 
They covertly read the notes, three letters that brought relieved sighs out of them.
"I'll fix this."
"Excuse me, Sugar Coat," Petal called, raising her hand.
"Yes Petal?" she asked, a faint twitch of her eye the only discomfort making it past her pokerface.
"If I use Healing Word on a zombie, will it hurt it?"
"No," Sugar flatly replied.
"Oh," she pouted. "Then I cast it on Shroud and toss her her weapon."
"Roll for dexterity," Sugar sighed.
This is going to be a long night, Sugar bitterly thought, rubbing her temples.


***


Clean up was a silent affair, a negative sign as far as Sugar was concerned. Everyone looked exhausted, practically shoving their gear into their bags with little interest in order. Even Twilight couldn't muster up the effort, the girl usually going out of her way to put her stuff into her bag in a very particular order. Instead, she just slid her character sheet into a folder, dropped it into her bag, then dumped the rest of her books and figurine into her bag with all the care of a town drunk after a large bender. Sugar had the worst of it, most of her gear needing to be sorted into different piles and needing different kinds of containers to help her keep track of everything she needed to run her campaigns.
While Sugar begrudgingly went to work in putting her stuff away, she caught sight of Petal helping Twilight organize her bag. To her immense annoyance, the girl was just as full of energy now as she was at the start of the game. A buzz from her phone caught her attention, pulling her focus away from the actress as she pulled it out of her pocket. A message from Indigo greeted her on the screen. Raising a brow, she tapped the screen, read the short message, then rolled her eyes.
Good luck? Thanks Indigo, she thought, aiming a deadpan at the girl in question as she and Lemon left the Library.
"That was a lot of fun," she heard Petal giggle. "I can't wait to play again."
Sugar's eye twitched at that, the thought of going through this a second time filling her with dread.
"Y-Yeah," Twilight stammered, forced smile plastered across her face. "Should be fun."
I will end this pain NOW!
"Petal, can I have a word with you?" Sugar asked, only the faintest trace of anger entering her monotone.
"Okay," Petal smiled, seemingly oblivious to the girl's building frustration.
Still smiling, she patted Twilight on the shoulder and said, "I'll meet you at the lab, okay?'
"Sure," she sighed, sliding her backpack on. "Don't take too long."
"I'll try," she giggled with a wink.
Twilight just sighed and made her way towards the exit, both girls watching her the whole way through. The second the door closed, Petal started to make her way towards Sugar, only to stop when the girl motioned for her to do so. Sugar crossed her arms and approached her. The bespectacled teens eyes drilled into Petal's, gray violet meeting confused teal as she tried to see past her mask.
"Why are you acting like this?" Sugar asked. "You and I both know you're not like this. Stop it. It's creepy and Twilight clearly doesn't like it."
Petal giggled demurely at that then sweetly asked, "What do you mean? I'm just being a friend worthy of Twilight. What's so bad about that?"
"Is that what this is about?" Sugar asked, secretly taken aback by the comment. 
Petal nodded, smiling sweetly and doing a little twirl.
"That's.....not necessary," Sugar frowned. "Everyone likes the way you were before. Even I prefer that over how you're acting now."
"I don't know," Petal pouted, tapping her chin in thought. "I think I like being like this. It feels kind of good putting on pretty dresses and being prim. Oh! I know! Maybe I can talk Twilight and the others into wearing the same thing! We can be matchies!"
Sugar's eyes widened at that, an image of Twilight and Petal coming into the library dressed and acting the same as the girl in front of her. The thought chilled her to her core, filling her with a panic strong enough to drive her to grab Petal by the shoulders. It grew even more when a brief image of Indigo and Lemon falling victim to the same fate flashed before her minds eye.
I must stop the spread! Now! Before its too late!
"Please don't," she gulped, genuine fear creeping into her monotone. "Just be yourself. Please! I'm begging you!"
"Are you sure?" she asked, worry decorating her features.
Sugar nodded, eyes filled with desperation.
Petal met her gaze for a few seconds, then let a wicked smile grace her lips.
"Good," she snorted, shaking Sugar's hands off. "Cuz that act was a fucking pain to keep up."
Sugar let out a relieved sigh, happy to hear the rough edge return to the girl's voice.
"That was pure evil," Sugar grumbled, glaring softly at the chuckling girl. 
"Try having someone give you the stink-eye for a whole day," Petal frowned, crossing her arms. "Sounds like a total bitch move, right?"
"Right," Sugar sighed. "I suppose I deserved that."
"Damn straight," she huffed. "You have any idea how bent out of shape Twilight was after that?"
Sugar faintly cringed at that.
Petal growled irritably and took a seat on a nearby table.
"Look, I get it," Petal frowned. "You don't like me. I can deal with that shit all the way to the grave if I have to. If that ends up making things harder on Sparkles, then we're gonna have a problem."
Sugar nodded, taking a seat next to the snippy teen. Whether it was shame or mental exhaustion, she couldn't bring herself to meet Petal's eyes, her shoes suddenly seeming much more interesting. A moment of silence settled between the two girls, one lacking the words needed to fill the void while the other let her stew for a bit.
An irate sigh, then Petal fully broke the silence with, "Look, I'm not saying we have to be friends, but can we at least get along?"
Sugar blinked at that, then turned her head towards Petal.
"I don't want Twilight to feel like she has to pick between us or anything like that," Petal continued. "Plus, you seem like a pretty cool person. Might make me like these game nights a little more, too."
Sugar's lips pulled up into a faint smile at that.
"Twilight talked you into this, didn't she?"
Petal looked away from her, hiding her blush as she said, "The game? Maybe. The get-up was my idea though."
Sugar giggled a little at that.
"Looks like Lemon was right," she smiled.
"Huh?" Petal blinked, turning towards Sugar.
"Don't worry about it," Sugar sighed, waving her question off. "As for your previous request, I think I can do that."
"Huh?" Petal blinked.
"Before the game started, Lemon and Indigo said some things that made me....rethink my opinions of you."
"Really?" Petal asked, genuinely intrigued. 
Sugar nodded.
"I may not like how you present yourself, but you seem to genuinely care about Twilight. For that, I should at least give you a chance."
"You really mean that?" Petal pressed.
"Yes," Sugar smiled. 
"Bitch'n!" she cheered, pumping her fist.
"No swearing in the library," Sugar frowned, lightly chopping her on the head.
"Owie," Petal whined, rubbing her head. "That hurt."
"Please don't do that," Sugar shivered.
"You're not going to kiss it and make it feel better?" Petal pouted.
"I will throw you out of here," Sugar frowned. "I've done it to Indigo and I will do it to you if you push your luck."
Petal dropped the act with a laugh, the rough sound dumping a mix of relief and exasperation into Sugar. At the same time, a small smile slipped past her stony expression. A smile that faded when her migraine decided to remind her of its presence. With a tired sigh, she got up from the desk and headed towards the library's main desk.
"Where are you going?" Petal asked, tailing her.
"The librarian keeps a bottle of brandy hidden under the main desk," she stated, getting behind he desk.
"Aren't you underage?" Petal asked from the other side, arms crossed and roguish smile firmly in place.
"After what you put me through, it's either this or bleach," she flatly stated, brining out a bottle of amber liquid and a shot glass.
Petal laughed at that.
"Didn't think a square like you would pull something like this," she smirked.
"I play a rogue sometimes," Sugar shrugged.
"Got a second shot under there?" Petal asked.
"Aren't you a cleric," Sugar asked, raising a brow.
"I'm off the clock," she smirked.
Rolling her eyes, Sugar put a second shot glass onto the desk. With practiced ease, the girl quickly filled the glasses and pushed one in front of Petal. The disguised Wraith took the offering, smiling up at Sugar as she edged the glass towards her. 
"To Twilight," she smiled.
"To friends," Sugar smiled, tapping her glass against Petal's
With that, the two girls downed their drinks, cementing their bond.
> Ch.12 Somber Notes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lemon sat alone in her club room, the rocker girl making a seat out of one of the large bass amps in the back end of the room while she tuned an acid green electric guitar. Her normally bright smile held a somber weight as she stared down at the strings, her mind wondering to older fuzzy memories that only came to her around this time of year. A gentle smile, a warm hand, and a kind pair of voices whose words left her mind long before she could recognize them. It ate at her that those were all she had to remember them by, but old photos and family videos could only do so much. 
A tired sigh fell out of her as she set the guitar aside. Just like last year and all of the years she could remember, she just couldn't muster up the spirit needed to tap into her muse. Not feeling ready to call her sister for a ride, she slid off the amp, laid herself out across the floor, and let her mind wonder to some brighter thoughts. The first thing to come to mind was the D&D game from yesterday. She cringed at the memory of how Petal had been acting, acting being he key word. 
Apparently, Petal did all of that to get under Sugar's skin. A fact that, under normal circumstances, she could look back at with a chuckle, but could only manage a small smile at in her current condition. The smile melted into a grimace, a hollow feeling eating away at the merriment the thought gave her. She needed a distraction, something to get her mind off of what was haunting her. Lethargy started to settle in her as she stared blankly at the ceiling, the hollow feeling in her core steadily starting to grow. She welcomed the emptiness, well aware of what would take its place if she rejected its advances. Her mind drifted towards Twilight and Petal, a light pull dragging her out of the numbing void towards her memories of the pair.
With an unusually blank expression, she pulled out her phone and looked at the time. A small smile spread out across her face as she dragged herself to her feet. Dusting herself off, she let out a small sigh, then made her way out of her club room.
As she closed the door behind her, a black fox crept back into the shadows, a pleased smile spread wide across its jowls.


***


Silence was an extreme normality in Twilight's lab, the teen only breaking it with the typing of keys or the buzzing of an electric welder when she was putting something together. It was rare that the room's silence was heated or heavy. This was one of those rare occasions. Petal sat on the lab's bed, arms crossed and face blank, a combination made all the more intense by her being in her natural form and normal clothing. Twilight sat in her computer chair, leaning forward and aiming an exasperated gape at her friend.
"No Twilight," Petal deadpanned.
"But why?" Twilight wined.
"Cuz its kind of weird as fuck?" the Wraith frowned, raising a brow.
"But you said-"
"I know what I said," Petal snapped, her eyes sharpening into a glare. "But that doesn't make what you want to do any less fucked."
"All I need is one sample," Twilight pouted.
Petal sighed.
"Sparkles, I care about ya' and you know I'd do pretty much anything for ya'," the Wraith smiled, then regained her glare as she loudly growled, "But I'm not going to piss in a cup for you!"
The teen let out a frustrated groan, throwing her hands up over her head as she leaned back into her chair.
"It's not like I'm about to preform live surgery on you," she huffed. "I just want to know how your body works!"
"And you can do that by studying my piss?" Petal flatly asked. "Sure this isn't some new kink?"
"THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL!" Twilight thundered, her whole head as red as a tomato. 
"Right," she smirked, raising a brow. "Whatever you say, Sparkles."
Twilight growled at that.
"For your information," she spat. "Doctors use urine samples to test for different kinds of diseases, biological chemical imbalances, and hormonal shifts brought on by pregnancy."
"Then let me set some things straight for you," Petal snorted. "Wraiths don't get sick, our bodies are malleable as fuck, and we don't get pregnant the way humans do."
"Really?" Twilight frowned. "How do Wraiths reproduce?"
Petal cringed at that.
"You...Uh...Really don't want to know," she sighed.
"Why?" Twilight pressed, a hint of worry running through her.
The Wraith sucked in her lips at that, conflict written plainly in her eyes.
"Cuz...It's....Just trust me on this one," she sighed, lips twisted into a disgusted frown as she looked away from her friend.
Twilight blinked at that, her mind quickly jumping into an aggressive tug-o-war. The scientist in her wanted to press Petal for answers, certain that she could handle whatever knowledge the Wraith was withholding from her. At the same time, she couldn't bring herself to put the metaphorical screws to her friend. Until now, the Wraith had been fairly open about how her kind operated. While certain facts, such as how Wraiths fed and what they subsisted on did unnerve her, she was more than willing to accept the facts for what they were and move on. The fact that Petal was not willing to disclose information on this particular topic more than put a chill down her spine. Was the process painful for Wraiths? Was it like with most spiders, where the parents passed away as a result of the process?
A cold stone fell into her stomach when her mind drifted towards the dream she had a few days ago. The terrifying woman, the crystal she offered to the tortured woman in chains, and the sudden change she went through after accepting it. She mentally shook off the dread the memory gave her, shelving the growing theories into the back of her mind for later examination. Taking a deep breath, she forced her inner scientist to shut up and drop the topic, her lips pulling up into a tired smile.
"Alright," Twilight sighed. 
"Thanks," Petal smiled, locking eyes with her friend. "Now about that piss fetish."
The teen let out an exasperated groan, leaning back in her chair and covering her face.
"You're not going to let that die, are you?" she whined 
"Not by a long shot, Sparkles," Petal winked.
Before the teen could voice her opinion on the matter, they heard a soft set of knocks on the door. The two stared at each other for a minute, both sharing looks that asked if they heard that, before another set confirmed their suspicions. With a wave of her hand, the Wraith assumed her human form and donned her usual punk-style attire while Twilight answered the door. When said teen cracked the door open and peeked outside, a surprised smile slipped onto her face as she opened it all the way for a sheepish Lemon Zest.
"Hi Lemon," Twilight beamed.
"Hey Twi," she chuckled, nervously scratching the back of her head.
"Are you okay?" Twilight asked, a worried frown taking the place of her smile.
"Yeah," she tiredly chuckled. "Just had to put up with a few tests today, you know?"
Twilight's eyes lit up at that, her lips pulling up into an excited smile. 
"Oh! How do you think you did?"
"Good enough to pass," she shrugged. "Anyway, you doing anything right now?"
"Not really," she frowned, taking note of the dodge. "Just hanging out with Petal."
"Cool, cool," the rocker smiled, then nervously asked, "Mind if I join you guys for a bit?"
"Not at all," Twilight softly smiled, stepping aside. "Come on in."
"Thanks," Lemon smiled, stepping past her into the lab.
As she did, a sudden realization made froze Twilight in place. She had just agreed to let another person aside from Petal or her family enter her lab. To top that off, the person in question was an Elite to boot! If something like that had happened a few weeks ago, she would've wondered if she had lost her mind. Then again, she didn't have any friends a few weeks ago to begin with.. 
She smiled at that, shook her head, and then closed the door behind her as she watched Lemon take a seat next to Petal on the bed.
"So, this is your turf?" Lemon asked, looking around.
Yes," Twilight nodded, retaking her seat.
"Huh, not what I was expecting," Lemon mused, staring at a cluster of burnt out devices sitting in a corner.
"What were you expecting?" Petal snorted, crossing her arms. "Death rays and aliens trapped in tubes?"
"Nah," Lemon laughed. "Just stuff like a nuclear power core or at least a portal to another world. You know, real sciencey stuff."
"They're in the shop," Petal shrugged. "Sorry."
"Darn," Lemon smirked, snapping her fingers.
"Did you really thing I had that kind of technology in here?" Twilight deadpanned, crossing her arms.
"I was hoping," Lemon snickered. "I knew the rumors were full of bull."
"What rumors?" Twilight frowned, raising a brow.
The rocker sported a nervous smile, suddenly very interested in the ceiling tiles as she sheepishly muttered, "That you.....um....drug students and bring them here to preform experiments on them."
A moment of silence filled the room, Lemon worried that she may have stupidly struck a nerve with her reveal. She mentally kicked herself, dreading the return of Zombie Twi, sure that the girl would not take it all that well. Imagine her shock when all that came out of the lavender teen was a tired sigh.
"Well, I guess that's a step up from the rumor that I'm an alien from a distant planet," she frowned, rolling her eyes. 
"Wait, what?" Petal laughed. "They actually thought that?"
"I doubt it," Twilight huffed. "Since it happened after I became Number One, I think it was just Sunny and Sour trying to get to me."
"Makes sense to me," Petal bitterly spat. "Those bitches need to get their balls clapped."
Twilight gaped at that while Lemon nearly rolled off of the bed, tears rolling down her cheeks as she laughed like a maniac.
"Petal!" Twilight barked.
"What? You were both thinking it," she frowned, crossing her arms.
"I...I CAN'T.....B-B-BREATH!!!" Lemon cried clutching her sides.
The two girls were left with no choice but to wait for Lemon to ride out her giggle fit, both of them happy to see a little more of the Lemon Zest they were more familiar with. At the same time, Twilight met Petal's proud smirk with a glare that warned of a long talk in the not so distant future. When Lemon eventually regained control of herself, she looked a lot more relaxed, but Petal could sense something sitting just beneath the surface. 
She took careful note of it , hiding her concern behind her usual playful smirk as the rocker girl gave her a relieved sigh.
"God I needed that," Lemon chuckled. "So, what have you two been up to? Anything crazy?"
"Well, Sparkles was trying to get me to pee in a cup," Petal casually shrugged. "Does that count?"
Dead silence returned to the room, Lemon slowly blinking owlishly as she tried to process what Petal had just said, while Twilight didn't know whether to strangle the Wraith or scream in shame. 
"She did what now?" Lemon blinked, her brain still struggling to understand what she had heard.
"Yeah," Petal chuckled. "Apparently, she wanted to see if I was pregnant or some crap."
Another soft reset of Lemon's brain was instantly needed. At the same time, Twilight silently seethed at her friend, suddenly very eager to see if the Wraith's claims about her regenerative abilities were true. A rare hint of guilt settled into Petal's gut as she gave he friend a nervous smile.
Okay, maybe I went a little too far this time.


***


"Thanks for letting me hang with you guys," Lemon smiled, walking down the dimly lit halls. "It was a blast!"
"Yeah," Petal nervously chuckled, trying to ignore the glare Twilight was trying to lance through her head. "We should do this again sometime."
"Totally," Lemon beamed, oblivious to the bitter sparks being fired. "Maybe we can do it on my turf next time. I want to hear you sing!"
"It should be doable," Twilight mused, finally letting her anger drop. "I could call up the girls and see if they can join us."
It was only for a second, but both girls noticed a sudden fraction of a shift in the girl at the suggestion. Twilight noticed the brief look of dread that came to Lemon's face before her usual carefree smile snapped back into place. It was so quick that Twilight almost thought it was a trick of the light, but what Petal picked up on held no such doubts. While her senses were largely dulled in her human form, it was impossible for the Wraith not to sense the fear and shame sitting just below Lemon's mask. 
"Nah, that's cool," Lemon laughed, waving off the offer. "I want to get some time with just you guys for a bit. Get to know you all a little better and all that, you know?"
"Are you sure?" Twilight pressed. "Because, I have no prob-"
"I-It's fine," she stammered, her smile showing a faint twitch.
A small poke into her hip from Petal stopped her from pushing any further. The two locked eyes for a brief moment, the Wraith warning her against moving forward with a stare before giving their friend her full attention. Taking the hints, Twilight reluctantly let the topic drop, something it seemed she was starting to make a habit out of recently. 
"Alright, I think we can come by tomorrow," Twilight mused, then turned towards Petal and asked, "What do you think?"
"Sounds like fun," she said, forcing a very convincing smirk past her worry. "Hopefully I won't suck too much ass."
"Hey!" Lemon frowned, pointing a stern finger at the Wraith. None of that! Like my big sis once said, "We all start somewhere". Ya' get it?" 
"Got it," Petal chuckled. "Just make sure you bring a whole lot of earplugs, cuz I think you're gonna need them."
"Said the same thing when I picked up a guitar for the first time," Lemon chuckled.
"How'd it go?" Petal asked, raising a brow.
"Worse than you or my sis expected," she sighed.
"Bet I could top it," Petal smirked.
"I don't know," Lemon mused. "Twilight almost blew my speakers the last time she was there. It's gonna be pretty hard to top that."
"Hey!" Twilight cried, cheeks turning rosy.
The duo laughed at that, Twilight's light giggle not too far behind as they stepped through the school's front door. The cool early evening air washed over them, sending a bracing shiver through the trio. Petal silently cursed the cold under her breath, the Wraith not quite used to the vulnerabilities her human form forced her to endure. 
"Wow, it's a lot later than I thought it was," Lemon chuckled.
"Do you need a ride home?" Twilight asked, already pulling her phone out of her skirt pocket.
"Nah, it's cool," she chuckled, pulling her own phone out of her pocket. "I'll just give my sis a ring."
"Are ya' sure?" Petal asked. "Sparkles' mom's car has plenty of room."
"I-I'm sure," she smiled, a faint hitch creeping into her voice.
A hitch both girls noticed, but didn't show.
"If that's what you want to do," Petal shrugged, casually putting both of her hands behind her head.
Thanks," she nodded, smiling as she sifted through her contacts.
Petal and Twilight gave her some space, the two girls trading worried looks.
"Somethings bothering her," Twilight whispered.
"Definitely," Petal nodded, voice just as low. "She's been down about something the whole time she was with us."
"Do you know what it is?" she asked, worry heavy in her eyes.
"I'm an emotavore Sparkles, not a mindreader," Petal deadpanned.
I mean, I can peek into her head a little, but I don't think that'll give me a straight answer.
"Right," the teen sighed. "So, what did you...um...taste?"
Petal thought about that, struggling to sort out the different flavors she sampled from Lemon while she was in the room.
"Uh....let's see," she frowned crossing her arms. "Sadness, stress, loneliness, frustration, and guilt. Like, a ton of guilt."
"Guilt?" Twilight blinked. "What would she feel guilty about?"
"Don't know," Petal sighed, peeking over her own shoulder at the smiling girl behind her. "The only thing I do know is that she wasn't like this yesterday. Something big must've happened."
The implications filled Twilight's gut with arctic dread, hundreds upon hundreds of terrible scenarios running wild in her head.
"W-We need to do something," Twilight stammered, ready to run past Petal to get to her new friend.
"Hold it Sparkles," Petal hastily whispered, grabbing her shoulder and nearly dragging her back. "I think you should let me handle this."
"But, I want to help," Twilight pressed, worry on full display as she looked back and forth between Petal and the girl talking on the phone.
"I get that," Petal smiled, then sheepishly added, "But you're not exactly the most empathetic person in the world, here. Say the wrong thing and she'll just close herself off even more."
Twilight wanted to argue, but a quick assessment of herself made her pause. While she didn't like it, she knew that Petal had a point. While she wasn't as abrasive as the Wraith, she always approached things from a more analytical perspective. Ethical experiments, calculations, and literary records didn't require tact or any kind of social etiquette to get desirable outcomes. Human interactions did and a miscalculation in such instances could easily lead to all kinds of disasters. It was with a heavy heart and a desperation she never thought she would feel for a fellow Elite that she nodded.
"You're right," Twilight sighed, dejected. "I don't like it, but you're right."
"I know," Petal grimaced.
The two shared a moment of awkward silence, before the sound of Lemon's sigh pulled them out of it.
"Sis should be around in a few minutes," Lemon smiled, closing the distance.
Both girls turned to face her, all the worry and grief from their previous conversation wiped from their faces.
"Cool." Petal smirked, then gave Twilight a side glance and asked, "Hey Sparkles, didn't you just tell me you forgot something in the lab?"
"Yeah," she sighed, stepping towards the door. "Guess I'd better go get it."
"You want me to come with?" Lemon frowned.
Twilight gave her a tired smile and waved off her offer.
"No, I can handle it. It's not the first time I've wandered through the school at night. I'll be back in a few minutes."
With that, she opened the door and vanished into the gloom beyond. At least, that's what it looked like to Lemon. Petal could sense her friend's emotions from just behind the door, possibly trying to listen through the solid metal surface.
You've got a good heart, Sparkles, she thought, shaking her head. Now, let's try not to fuck this up, Petal.
The first thing the Wraith did was get closer to Lemon, keeping about a foot of space between her and the teen, to get a better taste of her emotions. In addition to the stress and irritation she expected to taste, she sensed the same emotions that had been plaguing the teen throughout her visit. Now that she was this close, she picked up on not one, but two heavy emotions settling deep within the girl's heart; fear and loss.
She masked her concern behind an aloof smile as she asked, "So, anything big happen lately?"
"Not really," Lemon shrugged. "Why?"
"Just thought I'd ask," Petal smirked, then let a small frown take its place as she added, "You seemed kind've out of it tonight."
Lemon flinched and Petal could sense a sharp spike in fear from the girl. Petal didn't need to fake the concern on her face as her friend nervously chuckled.
"I'm just...going through some stuff right now," she smiled. "You know, tests and stuff."
"Right," the Wraith sighed, sensing a growing rise in stress in the girl. "I guess that shit would put anyone off their game."
"You have no idea," Lemon groaned. "I mean, who makes you take a pop quiz then makes you take a test right afterwards?"
"Yikes," Petal cringed, mentally cheering when she felt Lemon's stress start to drop. "Guess being in the top ten doesn't make you untouchable."
"Dude, it's hell!" Lemon spat, crossing her arms and glaring at the ground. "I'm not even in the top five and, like, all of my teachers act like they expect me to cure cancer or something. I have no idea how Sugar frickin' does it!"
"I guess she's just built for it," Petal shrugged. "Just look at Sparkles. The girl wouldn't hurt a fly and she's stuck swimming with sharks."
"And she did it all alone, too," Lemon frowned. "It must've been rough."
"Yeah," Petal sighed, thinking back to Twilight's episode at the mall and the fight she had with her. "I...don't like thinking about what could've happened if she hadn't met me."
"It was...that bad?" Lemon asked, turning her head towards Petal with wide eyes full of worry.
"Y....Yeah," she forced out, trying to ignore the sudden spike in fear the girl was giving off. "But I'm not going to let her get that bad again. Not if I can help it anyway."	
With a determined glare, she stared right into Lemon's eyes and added, "Same for you. If something's bothering you, I want you to let me know."
The teen reeled back a bit, the steel in Petal's features rivaling Indigo just before a match. Even so, she was hesitant to let her new friend know her woes. If she did, then she would have to endure the same looks Indigo and Sugar gave her around this time of year. The concern, nervousness, and pity she saw in their eyes ate at her more than the pain of what she lost.
"Sure. No prob," Lemon stated, forcing a smile.
"Good," Petal nodded, forcing a smile of her own as she felt her friend's emotions start to blend together.
Before the conversation could progress any further, a light blue Sedan pulled up to the curb in front of them.
"Welp, that's my ride," Lemon, almost too eagerly, chirped, moving to the front passenger side door. "See ya' tomorrow, k?"
"Right," Petal nodded, waving. "See ya' tomorrow."
As the girl got into the car and was driven off, a nervous stone settled into Petal's gut.
> Ch.13 I Am Fine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Organized chaos, a combination of words that could never more accurately describe the mess called Lemon's room. Rock posters from dozens of different bands covered her lime green walls in odd angles, not one of them showing even an attempt to keep them from being crooked. An overflowing clothes hamper sat in a corner next to the door, articles of dirty clothing ranging from socks to shirt forming a kind of mote around it. A ceiling fan spun lazily at the room's middle like a sad windmill in the middle of a dead silent field. Tucked into a far corner opposite the door was a messy queen-sized bed with a thick red comforter and pillow, the room's sole occupant curled so tightly under the covers that only a tuft of two-toned green hair could be sean near the pillow. Thick black curtains hung over her headboard shielded her from the first rays of dawn that wanted to bust through her window to ruin her rest. To the left of her bed was the only island of order in the sea of sloppiness, an antique mahogany work desk, complete with several shelves and drawers that housed everything she needed to keep her standing among the Elites. The only mar to the desk's order being a silver laptop set on the main desk portion of it, said device covered with so many band stickers, that it was nearly impossible to see its silver frame. In the wall opposite of it was a set of sliding mirror doors covered with fingerprints and a few rocker bumper stickers in the corners.
A peaceful silence ruled the room, soft snores the only sign of life. A silence that was brutally shattered by a loud blast of music from Lemon's desk. Dull groans and rustling came from the bed before an amaranth hand drunkenly reached out of the fortress of blanket and yanked a green cellphone off of the desk. Lemon groggily sat up and turned off her alarm. She dropped it back onto her desk and yawned, arms pulled up over her head in a lazy stretch. Smacking her lips, she looked around as her brain slowly started to wake up. A rumbling in her stomach helped speed that process along, the teen bitterly grumbling to herself as she staggered out of bed.
The oversized white t-shirt and gray sweatpants she wore hung loosely on her as she dragged herself towards her closet. When she reached towards the door to open it, she caught sight of her reflection and paused. Her eyes were red and puffy with trails of tried tears moving across her face. A deep frown marred her face a she slid the door open, a whole wrack of fresh uniforms greeting her from their hangers.
I'm fine, she thought, pulling a uniform from the closet. Nothing's wrong. I'm not crying. Everything's fine.
A gentle hand, a warm smile, and a kind pair of voices whose words left her mind long before she could recognize them.
"I'm fine!" she snapped, almost slamming her closet shut. "I'm....fine."
She took a shaky breath, fighting back whatever tears she hadn't shed in her sleep. Slowly, the grief receded, allowing her to regain some control of herself. Letting out a sigh, she made her way out of her room to get ready for the day, entering a plain white hall with a few framed family photos serving as the only means of decoration. 
She scoffed at her sister's sense of decoration, rolling her eyes over the dozen or so memories she had of fights she had with her over it. Sometimes, she wondered how the two of them could be related, let alone sisters of all things with how opposite they were. If she hadn't, at least, allowed her to have her room as she saw fit, Lemon was sure she would've lost her mind.
A small, genuine smile crept onto her lips when she passed her sister's room, the bedroom door half open. At the heart of the orderly and spartan room stood a large KIng-sized bed. Sprawled out on the left side of the bed was an absolute unit of a man, his hulking blue form barely being held back by his white tank-top, his short black hair cut down to a buzz. 
"Good morning Will," she whispered, carefully closing the door for him.
Iron Will just continued to snore, oblivious to the teen's kindness. Lemon just shook her head, a small chuckle adding to her smile as she closed in on the bathroom. As she flipped on the light and closed the door, she muttered the same question to herself that she had every other morning.
"Dude, like, where the hell did you find a guy like that, Harshwhinny?"


***


Properly dressed and sporting a bored frown, Lemon sat at the island table in her sister's kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. 
Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was immaculate.
From the polished marble floor and counter tiles to the equally shiny wooden cabinets and drawers, everything was maintained to an almost military standard.  A standard that almost the whole house was kept in, thanks to her sister's organized obsession. Every wall was painted white, every floor was either polished tile or wood, and aside from family photos or musical instruments, only the most needed technology was allowed in the house. There wasn't even a TV in the living room, said luxury taking a permanent vacation in a storage shed down town the second both sisters obtained cell phones and laptops. The only space spared her sister's obsession was Lemon's own room, the teen forcing the woman into a battle of wills that came out with her the victor in the end. At least, so long as she maintained her position as a Crystal Prep Elite.
It helped that Iron Will kept her sister balanced, the man's boisterous attitude and stubborn streak more than a match for her anal sibling's seemingly uncompromising temperament.
Kind'a reminds me of Petal and Twilight, she mused, lazily eating a spoonful of her breakfast. I wonder if sis would've been less of a pain if she met Will earlier.
As if pulled by some kind of arcane summoning, a dark orange blond woman staggered into the kitchen towards the coffee maker. She wore a white dress shirt partially hidden by a dark purple blazer, both ironed to near perfection. A matching business skirt and black dress shoes completed the professional look her sister wore every week day. All of it added to her full hourglass figure, something she was proud to have kept even as she entered the tail end of her thirties. The only true imperfection to said presentation being the tired slouch in her posture and her still messy medium length hair. The woman watched the coffeemaker spring to life with a pitter scowl.
"Morning sis," Lemon smiled.
Harshwhinny aimed a pair of irritable sky blue eyes at her, before letting out a sigh and a small smile.
"Good morning Lemon," she responded, her tone a clumsy mix of prim and winded. "Did you sleep well?"
"Like a rock," she shrugged, then sported a worried frown as she added, "Looks like you didn't though."
"Yes," Harshwhinny frowned, back to glaring at the coffeemaker. "There was an incident at the school a few weeks ago and it has affected most of the students under my care."
"How bad are we talking?" Lemon pressed.
Finally satisfied with the amount of life giving liquid the machine had produced, Harshwhinny fished a plain white mug out of a cabinet and poured herself a cup.
"Very," she coldly stated, taking a seat at the table and taking a sip of her brew. 
After a few more sips and stiff silence, the older woman straightened her posture as she continued.
"I can't go into too many details, but some students decided to start a smear campaign against one of their peers. It almost pushed that student into doing something... irreversible."
"Oh," Lemon frowned. "was the student-"
"I do not wish to say anymore on the matter," Harshwhinny coldly stated, her face unreadable as she took a sip of her coffee. "Just know that the situation has been dealt with and leave it at that."
"Got it," Lemon nodded, instantly dropping the topic.
Harshwhinny's eyes ran up and down her sister, small hints of worry slipping past her professional mask. Years of teaching experience and raising her sister had taught her everything she needed to know to tell when something was wrong. The girl looked drained, like something was slowly leeching her energy away right before her eyes. Her smile was so forced it hurt, a far cry from the bright curve her little troublemaker sister usually wore. There was a heavy tension in her movements, making her normal mannerisms look robotically scripted. 
It all reminded her what time of the year it was and just what kind of painful traditions both of them were going to have to look forward to for the next few days.
Harshwhinny let her mask fall away, a soft smile forming across her lips as she rested a hand on Lemon's own on the table. Lemon held her false smile, a frustrated spike shooting through her at the sight of her sister's true face. The same look Indigo and Sugar gave her ever since she told them why this time of the year affected her. 
"You know you can talk to me about it, correct?" she asked, a pleading edge chasing her words.
"No idea what you're talking about sis," Lemon chuckled, almost jerking her hand out of her sister's grip. "I'm totally fine."
"Lemon-," Harshwhinny started. 
She was cut off by a firm, "I'm fine," from her younger sibling, an angry flare catching the end of her tone.
The two locked eyes for a long moment, a heavy silence quickly settling between them like a cold wet blanket. Without her mask, Lemon could see the concern her sister had for her, a fact that only added to the frustration boiling behind her forced nonchalance. At the same time, Harshwhinny sadly noted her sister's behavior as the the start of their annual traditions.
Knowing where this could go if she pressed, she picked up her mug and walked towards the kitchen exit.
She stopped just short of it, dawning her professional mask as she looked over her shoulder and said, "The offer is still there. Same as always and always will be."
"I know," Lemon sighed, staring into her bowl.
Nodding, the woman left to finish getting ready for the day.
Lemon's hands turned into trembling fists, her emotions just barely staying under her control as she let her sister's words loop in her head.
What the hell is there to talk about? Nothing's wrong! Everything's fine!
A gentle hand, a warm smile, and a kind pair of voices whose words left her mind long before she could recognize them.
She clenched her teeth as tears threatened to form, a burning anger filling her chest as she glared at the kitchen door.
"At least you got to know them," she spat, forcing herself to finish her breakfast.


***


Lemon sported a small smile as she tried to get her club room into some semblance of order, the club president seriously considering giving her club mates an earful tomorrow. In spite of that, the girl hummed a happy tune to herself, finally starting to feel a bit like herself as she started sorting through her equipment. 
"I should totally use the reinforced mics," she quietly mumbled to herself, pulling said mics out of a small storage shed-like container in the back of the room. "Don't want to risk her blowing a speaker like Twilight almost did. This junks expensive!"
Once she got the desired equipment set up, she quickly went about adjusting the settings and running tests. As she did so, her mind wandered to her sister and how she reacted when she said she wanted to be a rocker. A light giggle made it past her lips when she remembered all of the fights they had over it, how the older woman told her not to get so invested into a passing phase. What had possibly started out as that, quickly turned into a challenge that evolved further into a passion. Now, the little girl who couldn't hold a cord was just a step away from being an expert, both in regards to the instrumental and technical sides of her craft. 
"Showed her," she chuckled, hooking one of the amps up to her acid green electric guitar.
Grabbing her pick and closing her eyes, she slowly struck the cords. A sharp zing of energy shot through her, like small sparks filling her heart with each long roar that shot out of the amp. Not letting the rush take her too far away from her task, she listened carefully to how each string sounded through the amp, adjusting her instrument or the device accordingly.
Satisfied with the settings, she set the guitar down and started working on the mic, fiddling with the stand and checking to make sure the device's cord was in top condition. When that met her standards, she walked over to the teacher's desk and pulled her laptop out of her backpack. As it booted up, she pulled out a set of recording equipment as well as a few adapter cords that she planed to hook up to the two instruments. With practiced ease, she hooked everything together, the devices coming together in an elegantly intricate web of cords with her laptop sitting at its heart. The different audio sensors blinked green like Christmas lights all throughout the web as over a dozen meters flashed across the computer screen.
"All right, all set," Lemon beamed, hands resting on her hips in pride.
"Looks like it," a rough female voice snorted, said voice setting off the sensors.
Lemon's smile grew as she turned to face its source.
Petal let her in with her usual swagger, a crooked smile decorating her face as she gave the room a long once-over.
"I almost thought I was walking into Sparkle's lab for a second there," she snorted, staring at the teacher's desk.
"Nah," Lemon chuckled, crossing her arms. "I don't think I'm even close to One's level."
"I don't know," she mused, studying the readings. "You might give her a run for her money. Hell, I think you're more organized than she is here."
As she said that, she pointed at the wire web then the way all of the cords were neatly arranged on the ground.
"That's my sister's fault," Lemon frowned, rolling her eyes. "She's cool and all, but man, she can be so annal half the time."
"Sounds like 'fun'," Petal smirked, giving the girl her full attention.
"Loads," Lemon groaned, face-palming.
"Wonder what it's like," Petal mused, her smile taking on a sadder tint.
"Huh?" Lemon asked.
"Having a sister," Petal clarified, crossing her arms. "Or any siblings really."
"You don't have any?" she blinked.
"None that I know of," she shrugged. "My family isn't exactly in the picture right now."
"They aren't?" Lemon asked, a somber note entering her tone. "Dude, what happened?"
"It's a...long story," Petal sighed. "How's about we drop it and get to the music lessons."
"Right," Lemon nodded, already guiding her friend towards the mic. "Hey, where is Twilight? I thought you guys were coming together for this."
"We were, but apparently Indigo needed her for something," she shrugged. "She dragged her off before I could find out what the fuck was up."
"That's Indigo for ya'," she chuckled, detaching the mic from its stand and handing it to Petal. "Now, show me what ya've got!"
The two girls sported a pair of wicked grins as the Wraith took the offered mic.


***


Twilight nervously rubbed her pendant, the tension in the gym room air thick enough to cut with a knife. Indigo and Sugar were equally nervous, the former pacing in frustration while the latter stared blankly at the ground. A part of her wanted to ask them what this was about, but something told her to wait. She wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to obey that feeling, her worry for Lemon making her more antsy by the second. 
A light sigh from Sugar made her jump, the faint sound more than enough to spring her tense nerves.
"We need to talk," Sugar stated, locking eyes with Twilight. "It's about Lemon."
"Right," Twilight frowned, still rubbing her gem. "What is going on? Did Petal or I do something?"
"Nah," Indigo sighed, stopping her pacing at Sugar's left, staring at the ceiling. "She's always been like this."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
Sugar let a small frown slip past her mask.
"Every year around this time, she starts acting like this. When we were all little, we tried to figure out what was wrong, but she wouldn't tell us anything."
"All she'd tell us is that she's fine and nothing was wrong," Indigo frowned, glaring at the ground.
"Right," Sugar said, eyes faintly narrowing. "After about a week, she was back to normal, but we still wanted to know what was wrong. She...didn't take it well."
"Pretty big understatement," Indigo huffed, crossing her arms and finally meeting Twilight's gaze. "She totally blew up on us, screaming that nothing was wrong and to drop the whole thing."
Sugar nodded, a somber aura surrounding the girl as her glare faded away.
"We let her have her way, thinking that she would work whatever it was out eventually."
"It....didn't help, did it?" Twilight asked, already guessing the answer as a cold stone fell into her gut.
"No," Indigo sighed, letting her arms fall limply to her sides. "A year later, she suddenly started avoiding us. If we tried to talk to her, she'd get all evasive and take any kind of excuse to get the hell away from us. A week later, she was back to her usual happy self."
"I see," Twilight frowned. "How long has this been going on, exactly?"
"Since about the third grade," Sugar sighed. "Though, I have a feeling it has been happening since before that, as well."
"What makes you say that?" Twilight asked.
"Her actions were far too well rehearsed for it to have been a recent thing at the time," Sugar stated, her tone more mechanical than usual. 
"It was really creepy!" Indigo shuddered. "Like I was talking to a living doll or something."
"Does it always come so suddenly?" Twilight pressed. 
"Yeah," Indigo sighed. "It gets really bad around saturday. Around then, she completely shuts down and won't talk no matter what you do."
"That's not true," Sugar sighed. "It's hard to hear, but she always mutters something under her breath."
"Like what?" Twilight gulped.
"I don't know," Sugar helplessly shrugged. "I can hear her well enough to know that she says something at that phase, but that's it."
The worry from before turned into a jagged stone in her gut, her fingers rubbing her pendant with more pressure as her mind wondered towards Lemon and Petal. As she did, she felt a faint tingling in her chest, like a tiny electric spark just behind her heart. Seconds later, a sharp pain shot through her ears followed by a loud ringing that brought her to her knees. Tears rolled down her cheeks, her hands covering her agonized ears as she waded through the pain. She heard the panicked muffles of her friends, the two girls standing over her with frantic gestures. While they panicked, Lemon's voice echoed in her head with the force of a thunderclap, three words shaking her skull from the inside out with frantic rage. Three words that made Twilight drag herself to her feet and run drunkenly out of the gym room towards the school's main building.


***


Petal and Lemon fell over laughing on the floor, the two girls barely able to catch their breath in the face of Petal's pitiful attempt at singing. As it turned out, Petal wasn't exaggerating just how bad she was at the skill. She couldn't carry a tune to save her life, nor harmonize with any song Lemon presented her. Even with lyrics put in front of her, she couldn't sing her way out of a wet paper bag.
"Dude, what the heck?!" Lemon gasped, wiping a happy tear out of her eye. 
"Told ya' I sucked," chuckled, handing her the mic.
"Sucking would be a step up," Lemon smirked, staggering to her feet. "You're, like, level negative one."
"Ouch," Petal playfully snorted, using a nearby amp to help her pull herself up. "I thought Sugar was the mean one."
"Nah, she's just blunt," Lemon sighed, her smile turning melancholy. "Guess I have a few of her book's pages when it comes to this kind of stuff."
"Right," Petal frowned, taking a seat on the amp. "I'm guessing the three of you have been friends for a while."
"Since the third grade," she sighed, dropping her smile and taking a seat next to the disguised Wraith.
Petal nodded at that, a small frown gracing her lips as she stared at her friend. It had been faint at first, but now it was almost impossible for her to miss the cocktail of negative emotions sitting inside the rocker girl. The fact that Lemon wasn't hiding it very well was another tip. Anyone with even a beginner's level of reading body language could tell how forced her actions were. 
She's like a shook-up bottle of soda, she thought, tightening her jaw. If she doesn't let it all out soon, she's gonna' blow.
Part of her wanted to feed off of her directly, but that wasn't really an option at the moment. To do that would mean assuming her true form and there was a long list of reasons why she couldn't do that. She could try to talk the girl into telling her what was wrong, but that might just make her bottle herself up even more. 
"Any reason you've been avoiding them lately?" she asked, frantically wracking her brain to come up with a plan. "They've been pretty worried about you, you know?"
Petal barely stopped herself from flinching when a sudden red hot spike of anger flew out of the teen.
"No real reason," she shrugged, smiling in spite of her rage. "LIke I said, just wanted to get to know you two better, ya' know?"
"I got that," she smirked, playfully punching the teen in the shoulder. "Just seemed a little weird to me, is all."
"It's fine," Lemon shrugged, then shakily whispered, "I'm fine," under her breath.
The anger melded into the emotional cocktail within the rocker, adding to Petal's dread.
Okay, so Sugar and Indigo are red buttons; got it. Obviously, she's using Twilight and I as distractions for something. What the fuck that is? Still a total fucking mystery! So now what?!
She laid back on the speaker the two of them were using as a couch, hiding her frustration behind a blank mask. At the same time, Lemon was silently fuming. Why was it that everyone kept trying to stick their noses in her business? Didn't they get it? This was her problem. Not her sister's. Not Sugar's. Not Indigo's. Hers! Why couldn't everyone get that through their thick skulls that she didn't need any help or want to talk about it?!
Petal sensed the emotional pressure start to build in Lemon and more frantic frustration ran through her own mind.
FUCK! She's like, two steps away from snapping! What the fuck do I do?! Should I knock her out, try to direct feed off of her? No, that'd just make things more complicated later! Feeding vines?! Shit, no, I'd have to drop my human form to do that and I think she'd just freak out even more! FUCK! WHAT HE FUCK DO I DO?!
Her mind suddenly jumped to her memories of Twilight, specifically, the night they had their big fight. In that moment, Twilight was in much the same state that Lemon was now. When she finally let out all of the frustration, screamed her most hidden thoughts, she remembered just how raw her friend's rage felt to her. That, and how empty the teen's heart felt when she finally let it all out. How easy it was for that emptiness to be filled with much more positive emotions not long after.
It was then, like a bolt of lightning, that a plan came to her. It was a stupid plan, probably the dumbest plan that anyone could've possibly come up with. A plan that she knew she was going to hate herself for later, but if it helped Lemon work through this, than she could live with it.
Rabia, please let this work.
With a quick down-swing of her legs, Petal flung herself into sitting up. Her fake smile switched places with a legitimate concerned frown and locked eyes with Lemon. The rocker blinked in shock, reeling back from the sudden shift in Petal's demeanor.
"Alright, spill," Petal gently demanded. "What's eating at you?"
A stiff smile formed on Lemon's lips as she said, ""What do you m-"
"Don't bullshit me," Petal snipped, crossing her arms. "Sparkles and I can tell somethings up. Hell, you're avoiding two of your friends over whatever the hell this is. So I'll ask again; what's eating at you?"
Lemon's smile shook, the worry in Petal's eyes slowly pushing her frustration to the surface. She tried to push it back, an odd mix of guilt and loss forming a wall against it. A wall that was barely holding.
Lemon broke eye contact and jumped off of the amp, her stiff smile still in place as she fumbled with the mic in her hands.
"I'm just going through some stuff right now," she nervously laughed, still facing away from Petal. "I'm fine. Really."
Petal sighed, sliding off of her seat and placing a comforting hand on Lemon's shoulder.
"I've seen Twilight at her worst, remember?" Petal frowned. "Just tell me what's going on. If I can do something to help you get through this, then I want to do it. Just let me in."
Lemon tightly gripped her mic, the knuckles turning arctic white as the Wraith's words finally pushed her frustration past her limits. Dropping her fake smile for a genuine glare she turned her head towards Petal. The second their eyes met, Petal found herself in an open field. Everything was in gray scale, as if she had stepped into an old photograph and near dead silent. At the center of the field stood Lemon, her back facing her and the only thing with color in the whole scene. Deep cracks covered her whole body, as if she were a marble statue. Two blurry gray figures stood before her, muffled voices coming off of them in gentle waves. Planted behind each of the figures was a withered gravestone.
"I am fine," Lemon flatly stated, a new crack forming on her body. "I can get over this. Nothings wrong. I am fine."
As soon as she said she was fine, another crack appeared on her body.
A blink later, she was back in the real world, staggering back as a furious Lemon slapped her hand off of her shoulder and pushed her back. Petal staggered for a second, both from the push and the sudden mental shift, but quickly regained her footing. She could feel the girl's anger start to skyrocket, finally reaching the point that it couldn't be contained anymore.
Look's like the caps off the soda bottle, she thought, bracing herself for what was to come. Come on Rocker Girl, don't hold back! I can take anything you can throw at me!
"I told you!" she growled, slowly bringing the mic up to her lips. "Nothing's wrong! I don't need any help with this!"
As she clicked the mic on, Petal felt something new start to stir within the girl. Something that put a chill through every cell in her body.
W-What the fuck is that? she thought, feeling herself break out into a cold sweat.
"I!" 
She slowly brought the mic closer to her lips, a faint yellow aura starting to form around her.
No way, Petal thought with a gulp, Aether?
"AM!"
The glow brightened , the mic now just an inch away from her mouth.
I need to run! I need to get out of here!
Petal tried to make a break for it, but her body refused to listen to her.
NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! NOT LIKE THIS! FUCKING MOVE DAMN IT!
It was too late to escape.
"FINE!"
The second that word left Lemon's lips, several things happened.
First, the amp exploded, its guts flying to the front and back of the classroom with enough force to embed themselves into the walls and floor. The lights and widows all shattered, plunging the room into total darkness and filling it with the sounds of triggered car alarms from the school's parking lot. 
For Petal, that second was an hour.
A yellow wave of sound slammed into her, the energy within it tearing away her human form and ripping into her like a million shards of glass. It was worse for her ears, the two organs feeling as if a pair of daggers were being rammed into them, before she heard a pop and nothing else. She felt like she screamed when she crashed through the door, along with her spine snapping and several large slivers of wood stabbing into her back. She laid there for a few seconds, before instinct took control. She forced her body to heal and ran for the school's door, her still damaged ears turning her run into a drunken series of stumbles. She slammed the front doors open with her shoulder, eyes franticly scanning the area for a place to hide. 
A dark alley caught her eye.
Still running on her survival instincts, she ran into the alley, curling into the fetal position in the darkest shadow it could offer. She hugged herself tightly, tears rolling down her face in hiccuping sobs as she processed what had just happened. Slowly, she guided her Miasma into properly healing her wounds, sounds gradually coming back to her. Once that was done, she quickly reassumed her human form, a small part of her mind hoping no one saw her. At the same time, a single thought echoed through her shaken mind.
Lemon's a Gifted! Lemon will kill me! Lemon's a Gifted! Lemon will kill me.
"I-I don't want to die," she sniffled, tucking her forehead into her knees. "T-T-Twilight...please....H...Help."
> Ch.14 On the Dagger's Edge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gentle evening darkness filled Twilight's room, the teen in question laying in her bed with a tired frown. A confusing mesh of emotions were running through her as she stared at her ceiling. Her logic and love were screaming at each other over what had happened a few hours ago between Petal and Lemon. She wanted to know what had happened, but she also wanted to strangle Lemon for what she did to her first friend. Her heart broke when she thought back to how she found Petal, but it also burned white-hot when she thought of Lemon. 
"What did she do to her?" she softly mumbled to herself. 


***


Twilight ran through the halls faster than she had ever ran before, her balance slowly returning to her as the ringing in her ears faded away. She heard Indigo and Sugar running behind her, the former quickly catching up with her, but she didn't care. Something was wrong, she didn't know how she knew that, but she did, and she couldn't afford to waste even a fraction of a second.
Her mind jumped to Petal as her body started to remind her of how few non-mandatory PE classes she had under her belt. Just when she started to run out of breath, she felt that strange sparking tingle behind her heart and a sudden rush of energy shot through her. Her fatigue instantly vanished, a faint bittersweet taste briefly hitting her tongue as she pushed herself further into the school.
The sudden shift faded as she stopped in front of Lemon's clubroom, said room's door reduced to a splintered wreck in the hall's wall. An eery silence dominated the scene, the flickering fragments of light peeking out of the classroom adding an extra layer of dark ambiance to the atmosphere. The black splatter covering the door's remains didn't help matters either, the teen desperately trying to believe that it was paint and not something less benign. Fighting back the dread settled in Twilight's gut, the girl audibly gulped past her heavy breaths as she looked inside. 
Her eyes widened at the scene that greeted her.
The classroom looked as if a bomb had gone off in it, the windows, an amp, and all but a handful of ceiling lights being the ones that took the most damage. What appeared to be shrapnel from the speaker was lodged deep into the front and back walls of the room. The only things that appeared to avoid the apparent explosion was the teacher's desk, the mini fridge, and  Lemon's laptop. The same could not be said for the recording equipment connected to the laptop if the smoke coming off of them was anything to go by. 
At the heart of the wreckage, tightly holding a mic up to her trembling lips, was Lemon Zest. 
The girl's eyes were wide, yellow pupils small and shaking with terror at something no longer there. Shaky breaths rattled out of her, but aside from that and her trembling, she was no different from a statue. Twilight, took a cautious step forward into the room, flinching when a bit of glass crunched under her dress-shoe.
The sound seemed to snap Lemon out of whatever trance held her, her terrified eyes zeroing in on Twilight. Nervous twitches ran through the rocker's body as she spun around to take in her surroundings. When she saw the door and the fluid covering it, all of the color drained out of her face. Her breaths became frantic, the mic in her hand falling to the ground with a loud whine before her hands flew to her mouth. She frantically ran towards a small trashcan set next to the teacher's desk and retched into it.
Worried for the girl, she ran to Lemon's side, holding back her hair and comfortingly rubbing her back. 
"Lemon, what happened?" Twilight asked, struggling to keep her panic out of her tone. "Where's Petal? Is she okay?"
"I'm sorry," Lemon shakily muttered, still staring into the soiled bin with terrified wide eyes. "I don't know what happened. I didn't mean it. I-I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt her. I don't know what happened. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Is she in shock? Twilight thought, her worry wildly growing by the second. What the hell happened here!?
"Lemon."
The girl didn't respond.
"Lemon!" she barked, snapping her fingers in front of the girl's face.
She snapped out of her ramblings and turned her head towards Twilight, fear still written plainly across her features.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked, concern heavy in her shaking tone.
"N-No," Lemon gulped, her breaths still shaky.
"Good," she sighed. "Now, where's Petal? Do you know where she is?"
Lemon's eyes drifted towards the ground, the shaken teen struggling to remember what had happened a few seconds ago. A fleeting memory came to her, one of a figure about the same size and shape as Petal running down the hall towards the front of the school. Her eyes wandered back towards the door, specifically, the black stains that covered it and shuddered as she forced herself to look at the ground.
"I-I think I saw her run towards the front of the school," she stammered.
"Thank you," Twilight softly sighed. 
Not even a second later,Indigo and Sugar stumbled across the scene, both frozen at the threshold.
"What the hell happened here?!" Indigo gawked, taking in the wreckage as she entered the room. "It looks like a bomb went off in here!"
"Lemon!" Sugar gasped, worry clear on her face as she ran and knelt down to the girl's side. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Lemon just stared blankly at the ground, a faint, "I'm sorry," the only thing Twilight and Sugar could hear.
"I think she's in shock," Twilight gulped. "She said she wasn't hurt anywhere, but I think we should still call 911, just to be sure."
"On it," Indigo nodded, already taking out her phone.
"I'll get in touch with her sister and let her know what's going on," Sugar nodded, fishing Lemon's phone out of the stunned teen's skirt pocket.
"Good idea," Twilight said, sighing in relief as she stood back up. "I'm going to go find Petal. Hopefully, she's okay and can tell us what happened here."
"Right," Sugar sighed, putting a comforting arm around her shaken friend. "We'll take care of things here."
With a small smile and a nod, Twilight ran out into the halls. Luckily, the Music Club rooms weren't very far from the building's front doors. A few quick turns and Twilight found herself in front of the two steel doors that made up the school's front entrance. Winded, but resolved, she pushed the doors open and staggered out into the school's front lawn.
Looking around, she tried to figure out how she was going to find her friend. Petal obviously didn't have a phone and her home was dangling from Twilight's neck. Panic started to settle in her, dozens of horrible possible outcomes running through her mind as she tried to think of something. 
Just when she was about to break down, she again felt a spark behind her heart. She froze, the small spark slowly growing. When it got to about the same size as her heart, she felt a small tug towards an alley between two stores across the street from the school. With a mix of fear and wonder, she let the pull guide her, quick to check for oncoming traffic before she crossed the street. When she stood at the mouth of the alley, a faint sniffling and whimpering caught her attention. She cautiously stepped into the alley, ready to put her selfdefense training to work at a moments notice. 
That precaution was instantly dropped when she reached the back of the alley.
There, hiding in a dark corner and curled up into a tight ball sat Petal. The Wraith was trembling like a leaf, clear sniffles and wet hiccups coming out of her with each breath. The sight shook Twilight to her core, bringing a tremble to her lip and tears to her eyes. She opened her mouth, but she couldn't think of what to say to get her friend's attention. Not helping were the barrage of different emotions running through her, further choking her voice.
"P-Petal?" she managed to force out, her voice just a step above a shaky whisper.
Petal flinched, then slowly looked up at her friend.
Terrified teal pupils met lavender ones for a fraction of a second before the disguised Wraith jumped to her feet. Twilight barely had time to brace herself when the girl threw her arms around her in a desperate hug. Petal's continued weeping helped her regain herself as she returned the embrace, gently stroking her friend's back.
"T-Twilight," she sobbed, clinging to her friend for dear life.
"It's okay, I'm right here," she softly stated, continuing to rub he friend's back. "What happened?"
Still shaking, the Wraith pulled out of the hug just enough to meet her friend's eyes.
"L-Lemon..." she wetly gulped. "L-L-Lemon almost killed me..."


***


Petal refused to elaborate on that, the Wraith having assumed her true form just long enough to turn into a cloud of black mist and slither into Twilight's pendant. Not long after that, the paramedics pulled up to the school along with a small squadron of police cars. She watched from the alley as Lemon was examined, an older woman that she assumed was Lemon's sister sitting next to her on the curb, holding her hand. After she, Indigo, and Sugar gave their statements, the trio of friends went their separate ways while Lemon and her sister were driven to the hospital via ambulance.
Twilight rolled to her side, staring blankly at nothing in particular as she tried to get her thoughts in order.
She looked so....fragile, she thought, her hand subconsciously stroking her pendant.
She looked down at the gem, brows creased in worry as she stared at her own reflection. 
"What did she do to you?" she whispered, lips trembling. "Please, tell me."
There was no response.
Both hands wrapped tightly around the gem while she pulled it as close to her chest as its chain would allow. She tucked her legs in, curling around the gem like a dragon protecting its hoard. Tears stained her pillow as she whispered one final prayer, hoping against hope that her friend would respond.
"Please....I want to help. Let me help you."
She gasped when she again felt that strange spark within her.
Her vision started to become blurry, her eyes suddenly as heavy as lead. When they slid closed, she was instantly greeted by a sense of weightlessness, a gentle black void surrounding her on all sides when she opened her eyes. Instead of fear, she felt a drowsy sense of peace, like she was floating in cool still water. That peace persisted as she felt herself drift downward, her body slowly turning until her feet were pointed in the direction of her "fall". With a soft grace, her feet touched down onto a cold and smooth surface and the void slowly faded away. As it did, the dreamy fog that filled Twilight's mind gradually parted and she could take stock of her surroundings.
She was in a large crystal room, the walls, floor, and ceiling all seemingly made from a single stone as opposed to individual slabs. Gothic and punk style furniture filled the space, all of it pitch black with a few flecks of gray or violet decorations. In a far corner of the room stood a canopy bed with a lone figure curled up at the headboard, dark mist surrounding it in a slow current and preventing her from getting a clear view of its occupant.
Twilight's hand drifted towards her pendant, only to flinch and look down when she failed to grasp it. She audibly gulped at its absence, but it did give her a hint as to where she was. Taking a steadying breath, she made her way towards the bed. As she got closer, she could hear shuddering breathing from the figure, like they were trying to stop themselves from crying. The closer Twilight got to the figure, the more apparent it was that they were not succeeding. 
When she tried to cross through the black fog, she jumped back with a startled gasp.
It felt like she had tried to walk through cold static, the sensation sending the hairs on the back of her neck on end. Other than that, she felt no ill affects from coming into contact with it. Taking a bracing breath, she squared her shoulders and marched through the mist. Her bravado instantly died when a cold static tingle shot through her body, forcing a shaky squeak past her lips half way out. When she stumbled out the other side and face-planted onto the bed, she instantly got her friend's attention.
"Twilight?" Petal blinked, staring down at the laying girl. 
"Hey," she lamely sighed, still facedown in the bed and waving.
"What the...How the fuck did you get in here?!" she demanded, shifting her position so that she was now sitting on her knees.
"No idea," she groaned, still laying.
"Um...are you okay?" Petal asked, raising a brow.
"I think so," the teen sighed, managing to turn her head towards her friend with a dreamy expression. "My body won't stop tingling."
Petal balked at that, before she frantically shimmied closer to her friend.
"Fuck! Okay, don't move," she frowned, waving her hands over Twilight's body.
"Can do," Twilight chuckled. "You're bed is soft."
"Thanks," Petal lightly chuckled. "Just don't fall asleep yet."
"Will I need a handsome prince to wake me up if I do?" she asked with a drunken giggle.
Slowly, wisps of black smoke drifted out of Twilight's body into Petal's hands, the Wraith sporting a deadpan over her friend's question.
"Yeah, I'm gonna blame the gallon of Miasma running through your veins for that one."
"Save me Petal Wasp, you're my only hope," the teen giggled.
"I'm on it," Petal huffed.
"May the force be with you!" she cried pointing towards a random spot on Petal's headboard.
"The what now?" she blinked, raising a brow.
"You've got nice boobs," she dumbly stated.
"You're bigger than me," Petal flatly returned.
"Can is touch them?" Twilight asked, blindly flailing her arm in Petal's direction.
Petal firmly grabbed Twilight's arm and with a strained smile said, "Sparky, I'm about a step away from chaining you to the bed and ramming a gag into your mouth until I get all of my Miasma out of you. So, do me a favor and shut up so I can get my shit out of you, okay?"
Twilight slowly blinked at her for a few seconds, then sported a crooked smile as she drunkenly giggled, "Kinky."
"Rabia give me strength," she muttered before using some of the Miasma she pulled out of Twilight to make a gag and some rope. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"Yayyyyyyy!" Twilight giggled.


***


Lemon stared blankly at the white paneled ceiling of her hospital room, the faint smell of disinfectant and her stiff mattress doing little to aid her in her attempt to get any sleep. All around her were what one would typically find in a patient's room, the only differentiating factor being that it was made for a single patient. Sitting at the left side of her bed was her sister, said woman asleep in her seat with her phone in her hand and still dressed in her signature violet dress-pants and blazer. Lemon sighed tiredly at the sight, a bit jealous of the woman as she rolled into Harshwhinny's direction and tried to get comfortable.
While she hadn't sustained any visible injuries, the doctors wanted to keep her overnight for observation. Lemon didn't put up much of a fight at the time and complied with everything the doctors requested of her. After answering a ton of questions and receiving enough x-rays to glow in the dark, she just wanted to get some sleep. Most importantly, she wanted to forget what happened at the school.
She could still remember the fear she saw in Petal's eyes, feel the burning fury running through her body, and hear the thunderous roar that destroyed everything around her. She shivered, curling in on herself as she tried to not think about the pained scream she heard just before Petal hit the door. Her breathing started to turn into panicked gasps, her arms tightly wrapping around herself in a desperate attempt to get ahold of herself.
It's okay! She's okay! They didn't find a body, so Twilight must've patched her up! You didn't kill anyone! She's fine! Everything's fine! You're fine! YOU'RE FINE! YOU'RE-
Lemon's breathing halted, her whole body tingling in some places and numb in others from hyperventilation. Slowly, she brought a hand up to her line of sight, the limb trembling and soaked in sweat. Fighting back tears, she whispered herself a question she hadn't had the guts to ask until that very moment.
"Am I really fine?"
Taking long, slow breaths, she really thought about that question. Slowly, her mind wandered towards the people closest to her. She saw Indigo and Sugar, countless cases of them walking around her like an active nuke every time this time of the year came around. She saw her sister, always looking so worried and reaching out to her when she would get like this. She saw Petal reaching out to her, more than willing to strong arm her way into helping her get through this. The dam finally burst and all of the tears she had been fighting back started to pour out of her.
No........I'm not fine.......
When her weeping turned into ugly sobs Harshwhinny slowly started to awaken. Startled by her sister's tears, the Teacher jumped to her feet and came closer to the teen's side. Harshwhinny let out a small gasp when Lemon sprang forward and pulled her into a tight hug, her crying almost as desperate as her grip. Shaking off her shock, Harshwhinny donned a small smile as she held her weeping sister, stroking her back as she hummed a soft lullaby. A lullaby that was so familiar, yet the memory was so fleeting.
A gentle hand, a warm smile, and a kind pair of voices whose words left her mind long before she could recognize them.
Slowly, her tears started to petter out and when they did, she looked up at her sister's face.
"There, all better?" Harshwhinny asked, a rare tender smile gracing her lips while she continued to hold her sister.
"K-Kind'a," Lemon sniffled, wiping her tears away with her wrist.
"Take as long as you need, dear," she cooed. "I am not going anywhere."
Lemon nodded, basking in the warmth of her sister's kindness for a few more minutes. All the while, a struggle was going on inside of her. It was like her tongue was being glued to the bottom of her mouth, trying to keep her from saying what she needed to say. She took several deep breaths and just as many false starts, but she eventually found the strength she needed to say what she needed to say.
She wasn't fine. She hadn't fine for a very long time. Now it was time to change that.
"Sis. Could we.....talk about them?"
Harshwhinny blinked owlishly at her, a part of her wondering if she had actually heard her sister right.
"Of course," she whispered. 
"Thanks," Lemon sighed, gently pulling herself out of the hug. 
"Think nothing of if," Harshwhinny lightly chuckled. "Now, where would you like to start?"
Lemon thought about it for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Where did Mom and Dad get my name from?"


***


"Welp, now we know what you'd be like if you ever got drunk," Petal smirked, sitting with her legs dangling off the edge of her bed as she dissolved the last of her conjured ropes.
A small whine was the only response the Wraith got out of her friend, the girl curled up into the fetal position with a pillow covering her head. Petal rolled her eyes and placed a comforting hand on her friend's side, making the girl flinch back a bit.
"Just kill me now," Twilight groaned, curling tighter into herself.
"Oh come on," Petal groaned, plopping her head down onto the pillow next to her guest's. "I already knew you were a pervert. I mean, did you think I didn't know about the books you keep under your bed?"
"Tell anyone about those and you'll regret it!" Twilight barked, snapping to her knees with a deep glare plastered across her burning red face.
"Easy Sparky," Petal chuckled, resting her hands behind her head. "I'm just kidding around."
"You better be," she huffed, her blush dying down some as she laid herself down next to her friend.
The two laid in silence for a few minutes, neither sure how they should break it or what to make of their current situation. This went double for Twilight, the girl's mind running in too many directions to count as her eyes wandered all across her new surroundings. She didn't know how she knew, but it slowly started to dawn on her exactly where she was.
Somehow, someway, she had wandered into Petal's Nest.
When Petal mentioned Wraith Nests, she imagined dark, etherial dungeons of shadow and frost like something out of her favorite mangas. Aside from the crystal walls, floor, and ceiling, Petal's Nest looked like a single-bedroom apartment. An apartment owned by a heavy metal fan, but an apartment all the same. 
It left her with an odd mix of relief and disappointment as she pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.
"So, how'd you get in here?" Petal snorted, still staring at the canopy of her bed. 
"I don't know," Twilight sighed, doing the same. "I was in my room thinking about what happened today and I thought...."
"Yeah?" Petal pressed, raising a brow at her friend.
Twilight didn't respond for a few seconds, then took a deep breath, sat up, and leveled a determined frown at Petal.
"I want to help you."
Petal blinked, then chuckled as she sat up and said, "Thanks, but I don't think this is the kind of thing you can help me with."
"Why?" Twilight asked, her frown deepening. 
"Because..." Petal started, her smile falling away as the Wraith took a nervous gulp. "I...I don't want to drag you into this."
Twilight put a hand on Petal's shoulder, a small smile gracing her lips.
"Petal, one of my friends just tried to kill one of my other friends. If you're not going to drag me into this, I'm going to go running right into it on my own."
Petal wanted to argue against that, but she could both see and taste the determination inside her friend. She knew that, unless she chained her to something, she was going to deliver on that statement. Instead, she let out a weary sigh and sat cross-legged on the bed. At the very least, she needed to clear a few things up for her now that she could think clearly again.
"First off, I don't think she tried to kill me," Petal frowned. "She probably didn't even know she was a Gifted and I just got unlucky."
"You've used that word before," Twilight stated, slipping a little into her Scientist Mode. "What are Gifted?"
Petal grimaced, like she had just bitten into something rotten and said, "Humans with special abilities."
"Special abilities? LIke superpowers?" Twilight pressed.
"Sort've," Petal lightly chuckled. "Like us, they use a kind of energy to work their powers. We call it Aether. When a Gifted taps into it, there's this weird glow that surrounds their bodies."
"Interesting," Twilight mused. "What kind of abilities do Gifted have?"
"All kinds," Petal sighed. "Each gifted has one random power with a rare few able to use two or three. Some of these powers are pretty stupid, but a lot of them are bad news for us. To top it all off, we have no idea what kind of powers they have until they start swinging."
"But you can heal yourself, right?" Twilight asked, a nervous hitch entering her voice. "You said Wraiths could recover from anything short of complete destruction!"
"Archwraiths can hold off a few Gifted, no problem, but I'm not an Archwraith" Petal huffed. "Newborns like me don't have that kind of power. Aether is the natural opposite of Miasma, like water to fire. So unless I have enough of it to overwhelm the Gifted trying to kill me, I will die."
The teen shivered at that, then sheepishly asked, "How come I've never seen any of these people?"
"You probably have," Petal snorted. "Gifted start out in what we call a Dormant State. When they're like that, they're impossible to tell apart from normal humans. The second they're power activates and they start generating Aether, then we can tell them apart. Us and other Gifted."
"And then?" Twilight pressed.
"Either a Wraith takes them out or another Gifted comes and teaches them how to use their powers," Petal sighed. "Just like us, they aren't in any hurry to let humans know they exist. Probably why you haven't heard anything on the News about them."
"And Lemon's one of these people," the teen mused, stroking her chin in thought.
"And that puts us in a really bad position," Petal frowned. "If we leave her be, she's going to either get attacked by whatever Wraith's in the area or have another Gifted take her under their wing."
"Right," she sighed. "It's either protect her and expose yourself or let her learn how to use her powers from someone that would see us as an enemy. Both options-"
"Fucking suck," Petal groaned, aggressively scratching her head with both hands. "What the hell are we gonna do!? We're fucked no matter what we do!"
Twilight thought on that, carefully measuring the pros and cons of each option. While it could be possible for Petal to protect Lemon from other Wraiths, there was always a chance that she could make a mistake or one of these "Archwraiths" could eventually appear and kill both of them. There was also the apparent chance that a Gifted could show up instead and, if their abilities were truly the x-factors that Petal claimed them to be, then there was a very good chance that Petal would be killed anyway. In the case of option two, the information provided did suggest that both of her friends could stay alive, but only up until Lemon became strong enough to actually try to kill Petal. Of course, that was assuming that Lemon's potential teacher didn't try to kill Petal instead. In closing, while she wouldn't have phrased it the same way, she had to admit that her friend had very accurately summed up their current situation.
Losing herself in her thoughts, she stood up from the bed and started to pace, her eyes trained on the ground and her arms crossed. Petal watched the girl with a great deal of fascination, the Wraith swearing that she could hear the gears turning in the girl's head. At the same time, Twilight carefully analyzed the situation, attacking it like some kind of ancient riddle. 
The goal was to find a way to keep both of her friends safe. Therefore, both of the original options were not real options at all as far as she was concerned. Unfortunately, that did not leave her with much to work with in regards to alternatives. Not helping was the fact that, according to Petal, Wraiths have a very well earned reputation as threats.
That made her pause, halting her pacing as a sudden realization started to take form.
Petal was a Wraith and she was a human. Wraiths hunted humans like any other predator hunted prey. She should've been terrified of Petal, yet she wasn't. In fact, out off all of her friends, she felt safest when Petal was around. Why was that? What was it about their relationship that was different between other humans and Wraiths?
She focused on that question, drawing an image of it on a chalkboard in her mind and circling it. She closed her eyes, pulling all of her mental faculties into her projection. At first, she was drawing blanks, feeling that their bond was more instinctual than fact based. She shook that theory away, knowing that such an instinct was severely muted in her thanks to Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet. When she did, a new, more probable fact came to her. She "wrote" it down on the board, circled it, then connected it to the first with a line. Not long after that, another fact came to her, forcing her to repeat the process.
Then she did it again. 
And again. 
And again.
Eventually, her mental chalkboard was covered with data. So much so, in fact, that it expanded to accommodate for the extra information.  It did this several more times, its whole surface covered with circles, information, and lines like a massive chalk spiderweb with her original question sitting in its heart. When she finally stopped, her mental self was left breathless, staring wide-eyed and beaming at a towering wall of thought. As she "stood" before it, she finally understood what they needed to do.
When she opened her eyes, an awkward smile graced her lips as she turned to face her friend.
"I....think I know how we can get out of this."
"At'a girl," Petal beamed. "I knew you'd figure something out. So, what's the plan?"
Twilight's smile wilted even more as she said, "You're probably not going to like it, but if this works, then everything should work out in the end."
"I don't think I can afford to be picky at this point," she sighed. "Shoot."
While still apprehensive, Twilight took a deep breath and explained her plan. As she did, she saw Petal hide her feelings behind a deep frown. When Twilight finished, a heavy silence stood between them. One made all the heavier by the Wraith's near unreadable pokerface. When she finally let it drop, she breathed out a defeated sigh, closed her eyes, and flopped bonelessly across her bed.
"You're right," she groaned. "I don't like it"
Twilight solemnly nodded, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. 
"Are you sure there's nothing else we can do?" she groaned.
"Yes," Twilight frowned, staring at the floor.
The two of them stayed like that in silence for a moment, before Petal broke it with an irate huff.
"We were probably going to end up here at some point anyway."
"Yeah," Twilight sighed. "Luckily, there are multiple factors that should lead to a favorable outcome for everyone involved."
"Should being the the key word there," Petal chuckled. "Guess all we can do is cross our fingers and hope this plan of our's doesn't blow up in our faces later."
"It won't," Twilight intoned.
"I hope your right Sparky," Petal frowned, staring blankly at her canopy. "Cuz all of our other choices suck major ass."
> Ch.15 Secret Petals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like most cities, Canterlot City had a wide variation of living conditions depending on where the money tended to flow. In the heart of the city, tall mansions and gated communities reined supreme. If one were to wander through these streets, they would see the massive estates of the Five Great Musician Families as well as the equally grand Rich estate. The farther out one went from this neighborhood, the  less extravagant the surroundings became before eventually terminating into more seedy streets. 
Trottington Street sat right in the middle of the spectrum, the homes an odd mix of practical condos and picket fences. Twilight walked the street sporting a black dress-shirt and navy blue business skirt. Her hair was tied back into a neat ponytail with a clip decorated with a small plastic magenta starburst set at its bace. Her brown dress-shoes clicked lightly with each step as she stared down at the GPS on her phone.
Petal kept pace with her at her left, muttering small curses under her breath as she grimaced at the ground with a small blush. 
The Wraith was wearing a similar outfit as her friend, her shirt and skirt a dark green and blue respectively. Keeping her bangs out of the right side of her face was a hair clip sporting a blue wasp with lavender petals for wings, basically the only part of her new appearance she had any input in. Her glare sharpened slightly each time she saw her black dress-shoes as if they insulted her on some level.  
"I can't believe you talked me into wearing this crap," Petal muttered bitterly.
"It can't be helped," Twilight frowned, still staring at her phone. "According to Sugar and Indigo, Lemon's sister is extremely protective of her. We wouldn't even make it past the front door if you dressed the way you normally do."
Petal grimaced at that.
Not long after the two of them got up, Lemon sent Twilight a text letting her know she had been discharged from the hospital. She also said that she wanted to talk to her about what happened the night before and to bring Petal if she could. Jumping onto the opportunity, Twilight agreed to the meeting, then sent a text to Indigo and Sugar to let them know about the rocker's status. It was through them that Twilight discovered the small hitch in their original plan of attack. A hitch that, while easily corrected, irritated Petal to no end.
"I look like a total dork in this," she grumbled.
Twilight looked up from her phone and leveled a raised brow at her friend.
"This is tame compared to what you wore a few days ago."
"That was for a joke!" Petal snapped.
"Just bear with it," Twilight sighed, going back to staring at her phone. "If everything works out, you can change into something more comfortable later."
"Rabia willing," Petal huffed, then somberly added, "I hope this works Sparky. I know I don't need to remind you what's at steak here."
Twilight nodded, trying not to think too much about how much of a gamble their plan really was. Instead, she let her mind wander to how the school was handling the aftermath of Lemon's, as Petal put it, Awakening. Naturally, the school was closed for the rest of and the whole of next week to allow the police to do a full investigation. Petal had reassured her that it was fairly unlikely that the police would be able to find anything. Judging by what Twilight told her, the most they would find was a blown up speaker and some black "slime" covering a broken door. On one hand, it gave her a chance to take a break from Chrystal Prep's suffocating atmosphere. On the other, it was a week and a half of time taken away from academic pursuits 
That particular fact brought a small groan out of her.
"You hanging in there, bookworm," Petal asked, playfully punching her shoulder.
"Yeah," she sighed, rubbing her shoulder. "It's just...I'm not used to having a lot of free time and now, I'm going to have more than I know what to do with."
"Doesn't sound so bad to me," Petal shrugged. "Plenty of time to spend with your friends, right?"
"They're your friends too," Twilight smiled.
"Might not be after today," Petal sighed.
Twilight simply gave her a reassuring smile and put a hand on her brooding friend's shoulder. She let a similar smile grace her lips before she quickly looked away.
"This is so fucking weird. I'm the one that's supposed to give the pep-talks here."
"You're right," the teen chuckled, letting her hand fall to her side. "Maybe we should switch clothes. You can wear the clothes we bought for me and I could give punk a try."
"It takes more than clothes to make it work, Sparky," Petal smirked, adding a bit of a strut to her walk. "It's all about attitude."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Twilight frowned, crossing her arms. "You don't think I could pull it off?"
"Not really," Petal snorted. "You give way too many shits about what other people think and you shy away from a fight."
"Right," Twilight sighed, nervously rubbing her pendant.
A moment of silence settled between them for a few seconds, before Petal, sporting a small blush, looked away and sheepishly added, "But, that's not really a bad thing. Plus, you've got a good head on your shoulders and a real big heart. Goes real well with your "Nice Girl" look."
"Do you really mean that?" she asked, giving the girl a small smile.
"What to you think?" Petal huffed, crossing her arms and risking a small side-glance at her friend.
"Thanks," she beamed.
"You're welcome," she smirked, then playfully added, "Now, if we can get you a spine in the next few days, maybe you can work up the nerve to talk to that boy you've had your eye on for the last couple weeks."
"Who-where-WHAT?! Twilight squawked, blushing furiously.
"Just cuz I can't eat them doesn't mean I can't sense positive emotions," she chuckled, arms still crossed as she faced her friend. 
"C-Can we talk about this later?" she mumbled, the shadow of her bangs hiding all, but her glowing blush as she sheepishly stared down at her phone.
"And that's why you should stick with your style," Petal triumphantly snickered.
"Jerk," Twilight huffed.
Petal was going to respond, but a familiar wave of energy stopped her dead in her tracks. All the mirth in her demeanor evaporated as her instincts screamed at her to run. Twilight asked her what was wrong, but it came to her as a muffled blurb of sound. She struggled to keep her breathing steady while she tried to focus on her form, only letting enough of her true nature slip by to change her eyes. If anyone had checked, the only change they would see was her teal eyes taking on a slightly darker shade, but to Petal, a far more drastic change had taken place. To her, the world had taken on a sudden monochrome shift, like an old black and white movie. Black mist drifted off of the people and homes in the area, ambient negative emotions that humans gave off in response to the trials and tribulations of life. Aside from making her a little peckish, this had little affect on the young Wraith. 
What made her shiver and break into a nervous sweat was a one-story condo two houses down the street.
On the surface, it wasn't anymore interesting than its neighbors. Its stucco walls were a bright shade of white that made the perfectly manicured emerald lawn stand out like a sore thumb.  The picket fence that cut it off from the sidewalk was such a bright shade of white that it looked as if it had been freshly painted less than an hour ago. A perfectly straight strip of cement, free of any signs of wear and tear, led from the home's front porch to the fence's gate. A stone birdbath stood on the left side of the path roughly ten feet away from a massive mulberry tree. An aged tire swing hung from its higher branches, swaying gently in a passing breeze. 
In addition to all of this, Petal saw a yellow pulse of energy echo out of the home. It was in a slow, steady beat, like a person's heart at rest. It was also thin, not anywhere close to enough to hurt her, but more than enough to warn her of what dwelled within that building. Her mind briefly jumped to the moment that energy hadn't been so gentle. She shuddered at the memory before shifting fully back into her human form, the world regaining its color and sound.
"Petal?!" Twilight exclaimed, the sudden clarity of her cry making the Wraith jump.
"Huh? Wha?" she sputtered, turning to face her friend.
"What happened?" the teen pressed, worry heavy in her eyes. "You suddenly zoned out on me and started shivering!"
Petal gulped, then forced a roguish smile as she pointed at what chilled her.
"That's her place, isn't it?"
Twilight looked at the house in question, gave her phone a quick glance, then nodded.
"How did you know?" she asked, raising a brow.
Petal sighed, then forced herself to move forward.
"The place has a huge Aether Aura around it."
"Really?" Twilight blinked, doubling her pace to keep up with Petal. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary."
"That's cuz you're human," she chuckled. "You gotta be a Wraith or Gifted to see it."
"Oh...right," Twilight sighed.
The two girls walked in silence, one lost in thought while the other was to nervous to speak.
Until very recently, the world made complete sense to Twilight. If she needed to know something in more depth, all she had to do was run a few tests and collect the data. If it couldn't be proven with scientific fact and figure, then it was impossible fiction. Ever since she found Petal's crystal, she was finding herself questioning that simple fact more and more.
When did my life get so weird?
Her musings was cut short when Petal came to a sudden stop.
Twilight let out a small yelp at that, but a quick look to her right explained her friend's actions. 
"We're here," Petal gulped, facing the house.
"Yeah," Twilight nodded, doing the same.
Petal stood on the sidewalk, her whole body trembling as memories of the last time she came into contact with Lemon's Aether. Of course, this was a far more gentle version compared to what hit her at Crystal Prep, but it still put her on edge. Just like last time, fear held her in place as she stared at the pulsing yellow aura. Her instincts told her to run, but a faint whisper of Lily's voice at the back of her mind told her to proceed. She knew she needed to do this, but she just couldn't get herself to push past her fear. 
She was stuck.
She flinched when she felt a soft hand rest on her left shoulder. She stiffly turned her head and was met by a reassuring smile from her friend. Petal met it with a somewhat shaky version of her usual crooked smile, the faith she sensed from her helping her push a little past her fear. Enough, at least, to give her the strength she needed to force herself to take a step towards the house. Twilight let her hand fall, but stayed close to Petal's side.
With Twilight's support, and Lily's faint insistence, Petal found the strength to take another step. Slowly, her fear started to fade, not away completely, but enough to keep her from running for her life when they made it to the front door. By that point, Petal was doubled over and lightly panting, her stress and the unpleasant burn from the Aether in the air taking a heavy toll on her body.
"Fuck everything with an acid-covered pole," she muttered, barely managing to straighten her posture.
"Are you going to be okay?" Twilight asked, a hint of nerves entering her tone.
"Yeah," Petal sighed. "Just...Just give me a second."
Nodding, Twilight nervously waited for Petal to catch her breath. At the same time, Petal focused on the density of the Aether surrounding her. Little by little, the Wraith allowed enough of her natural form creep out to protect her from the aura without dropping her human form. When she finally found the happy medium she needed, all of her exhaustion fell out of her with a relieved sigh.
"Okay, I think I'm good now," Petal frowned.
"Good," Twilight said with a relieved sigh of her own. "Are you ready?"
"Nope," Petal sighed, then reluctantly knocked on the door. "So let's get this shit show over with already."
Fortunately for their nerves, they didn't have to wait very long for someone to answer the door.
When the door opened, an orange woman with short blond hair stood before them. She wore a spotless white blouse and blue slacks that put her best features on full display. Her posture was straight and confident, a fact that added to the cold, judgmental edge of her arctic blue eyes. 
Petal felt small under this woman's gaze, like she was being weighed under a scale by some machine. The fact that she could barely sense any of her emotions put a little extra push behind that impression. Twilight didn't fare much better, the girl's posture turning stiff the second the woman shifted her cold gaze towards her.
"May I help you?" she asked.
"Y-Yes," Twilight stammered. "M-M-My n-n-name is Twilight Sparkle."
She then gestured towards Petal and added," And this is Petal Wasp."
The girl audibly gulped as she waved.
"W-We're Lemon's friends and were wondering...if it wasn't too much trouble....if w-w-we could talk to her for a little while."
The woman stared down at them for a long moment, her face a mask powerful enough to put Sugar Coat's to shame.
Eventually, the woman stepped back, said, "One moment please," and closed the door. 
The second she did so, the two girls doubled over, the sudden drop in presser leaving them feeling as if they had just ran a marathon.
"Who the hell was that?" Petal gasped.
"I think that was Lemon's sister," Twilight shivered.
Before Petal could comment on that, the door started to open again. The two girls instantly straightened up when they fell under the woman's gaze. She crossed her arms as she let the door slowly swing all the way open and stepped to the side.
"Come along," she flatly stated.
Stiffly, the two girls stepped past her into the house.
Upon entering, they found themselves in a surprisingly spartan living room. Aside from some very expensive pieces of furniture and a few framed photos hanging on the white walls, there was very little to take note of. Classical music filled air from small speakers set into the room's ceiling corners. The lack of any other visible recreational technology and lab-level sterility left an eery impression on the two girls.
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought both girl's attention back towards the woman.
"You two may gawk at my home at a later date," she frowned. "Now come. My sister is waiting for you."
As she said that, she turned to her left and started walking towards a hall on the far end of the room. 
Not eager to earn the woman's ire, the two girls traded nervous glances then quickly followed after her. The trip through the hall was short and silent, their guide's cold aura killing any desire to break it and risk drawing her attention. When they came to a door covered with rock posters and bumper stickers, neither Twilight or Petal reached for the knob.
The woman turned towards them, her presentation just as guarded as before as she stared down at them.
"Before I allow you to meet with my sister, I will be setting a few ground rules. You will follow them or this will be the last time either of you set foot in this house. Am I understood?"
"Y-Yes ma'am," they stammered.
"Good," she nodded. "First, while Lemon has been deemed well enough to leave the hospital, she is still very shaken by the incident. You will not do anything that will add to her stress or prevent her from resting. Understood?"
They nodded.
"Second," she continued. "Should anything happen, you will come to me immediately. My room is down the hall to the left."
She pointed to the door in question, forcing the girls to briefly shift their focus between her and it.
"Third," she continued, then let out a faint huff as she said, "Try to refrain from raiding my kitchen for snacks and drinks. The box of butterscotch brownies are strictly off limits unless my sister wishes to pay me an extra thirty dollars to replace them."
Both girls nodded at that, one of them a bit more relaxed having tasted the woman's irritation.
"Finally," she added, a faint smile gracing her lips. "Do not call me 'Ma'am'. I am far to young to be associated with such a word. My name is Harshwhinny and that is what you will use to address me."
"Yes Harshwhinny," they nodded, small nervous smiles gracing their lips.
"Good," she nodded, her mask sliding back into place with practiced ease. "Now, let's not keep Lemon waiting."
With that, she opened the door and gestured for them to enter the room with a nod. They each gave her a stiff "thank you" and all, but stumbled into the room. When the door softly clicked shut behind them, they took note of their new surroundings.
Rock posters covered the walls at odd angles and various bumper stickers decorated the sliding mirror closet doors. Laying in bed, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and an oversized black T-shirt was Lemon, the teen lazily scrolling through something on her phone. Faint bags hung under her eyes and her hair was a mess. She looked up at them with a tired smile as she set her phone down onto a work desk by her bed.
"Hey," Lemon chuckled. 
"Hi," Twilight smiled, walking to her friend's bedside.
"Sup?" Petal shakily smiled, crossing her arms and staying close to the door.
Lemon noticed, a hint of pain entering her features before she forced it back with a smile. The shift didn't escape Twilight and the teen aimed an encouraging smile at the Wraith. A subtle shake of the head was the only response she got from her. Letting a concerned frown briefly take its place she shifted her attention back to Lemon.
"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked, nervously studying her friend.
"Totally wiped." Lemon groaned, closing her eyes as she spread herself fully across her bed. "Like I ran a marathon with bricks tied to my shoes."
Makes sense," Petal sighed.
Lemon raised a brow at that, the Wraith flinching the second their eyes met.
"Anything else?" Twilight asked, pulling Lemon's attention away from her already jittery friend.
"Nah," she chuckled. "Just give me a couple of days and I'll be good to go again."
"That's good," Twilight sighed. 	
"No kidding," Lemon sighed. "Can you believe someone put a bomb in my amp? I mean, who the hell does that?!"
"A bomb?" Twilight blinked.
"That's what they said it was on the news this morning," Lemon frowned, staring up at the ceiling. "Must've been a really fancy one too, since I didn't see it when I was setting everything up."
An awkward silence filled the room, both guests struggling to think of a way to break the news to their friend. Eventually, Lemon caught onto the mood, but before she could voice her worries, Petal cut her off by loudly clearing her throat.
"It...It wasn't a bomb." she forced out. "That...what recked the place....was you."
"Huh?" Lemon blinked, struggling to make sense of that.
"You're a Gifted," Petal continued, her nerves gradually rising by the second. 
"I'm a what?" she reeled, suddenly sitting up.
"A Gifted," Twilight nodded. "According to Petal, they are humans with special abilities."
Lemon stared at her, eyes wide and jaw slack as she tried, failed, and retried several times in a row to process what she was being told.
"So.....what happened at the school was-"
"All you," Petal stated, trying to take a steadying breath. "Your power decided to wake up and I got caught in the crossfire."
"O-Oh," she balked. "Is that....why you're scared of me now?"
"Kind've," she weakly stated, eyes locked onto the ground in shame.
A gasp and the rustling of sheets was the only warning Petal got before she suddenly found herself in Lemon's arms. She tensed, the teen's loose Aether pricking at her like small static thorns. A small pulse of Miasma was all it took for her to dispel it and awkwardly return the gesture.
"I'm so, so, so sorry!" Lemon cried, taking a shaky step out of the hug and looking her friend over. "I didn't mean to do that! I didn't even know I could do that! Are you okay?!"
"Ye-Yeah," Petal nodded, forcing herself to stay put. "I'm gonna be okay."
"Are you sure?" Lemon pressed.
Petal nodded, managing to force her usual crooked smile onto her face.
"Good," Lemon sighed, then sported a knowing smile as she asked, "Is that because you're a Gifted too?" 
"Yeah, no," Petal cringed, nervously scratching the back of her head.
"Huh?" Lemon blinked.
"I'm..."
Petal sent a pleading look at Twilight over Lemon's shoulder, silently asking her if there was any other way one last time. The lavender teen gave her an encouraging nod, a sign that this needed to be done. Left with no other options and already in too deep to back out, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and continued.
"I'm a Wraith."
Less than a second after the words left her mouth, she assumed her true form.
The yellow quickly faded from her skin as it returned to its normal light monochrome gray. Her hair turned as black as ink while her preppy clothes changed into an equally ebony dress with the sleeves seemingly ripped off at the shoulders. A casual pair of black dress shoes completed the look. When she opened her eyes, the whites had beeen replaced by darkness and her teal pupils were now golden with a faint glow.
The second their eyes met, both girls took a step back from each other. Fully exposed, Lemon's Aether Aura felt like a thousand red-hot branding irons were being pressed all across Petal's body while her Miasmic Aura was like a blast of stale arctic air to Lemon. A discomfort that quickly passed when the Wraith pulled in enough of her aura to hold back Lemon's. Both of them felt a strong urge to flee, but bit their lips as they forced down that instinct. The faint flicker of a yellow aura surrounding Lemon held the Wraith's attention while the human studied Petal's new form with cautious fascination. For a long moment they just stood there, facing each other in tense silence. Meanwhile, Twilight watched the exchange with baited breath, ready to jump in the second things looked bad.
Eventually, Lemon broke the silence.
"S-So, you're a ghost?" she gulped, sporting a shaky smile.
"Not...exactly," Petal nervously allowed.
"Wh-What do you mean?" she chuckled, starting to shake. "That's what Wraiths are, right?"
"I...I think you should take a seat," Petal sighed, nodding towards the bed. "We've got a lot of shit to cover and not a lot of time to cover it."
Lemon nodded, keeping her eyes locked onto Petal as she made her way back to her bed. When she sat herself next to Twilight, the lavender teen let out a small relieved sigh. With the first two major hurtles of their plan taken care of, it was now time to put their cards on the table and see if they had a winning hand. with that in mind, she let out one small mental prayer, then pulled out a small stack of notecards from her pocket.
Please, let this work.


***


In the beginning, Shining Armor's reasons for becoming a cop was simple; the world was a cruel place and he wanted to keep his family safe. When he met Cadence, that reason doubled with a fire that burned even brighter. When his daughter was born, nothing stopped him from earning the rank of Chief of Police. In addition, he kept himself in excellent shape, refusing to let himself be a lazy example for those below him. All of that, combined with his flexible, yet firm work policies earned the loyalty of everyone in his department. By the time he had reached his current rank, he was sure he had seen everything this city could possibly throw at him. That, apparently, couldn't be further from the truth.
Garbed in a finely pressed white dress shirt, black slacks, and gray boots, he leaned forward in his revolving ebon leather chair over his polished mahogany desk.  HIs sky blue eyes narrowed as he stared down at a dozen sheets of paper and photos, the bags under them standing out starkly thanks to his white complexion.  He let out a groan, reaching for a plane white mug of coffee, pushing a few stray strands of his medium-length two-toned blue hair out of his face with his free hand.
The photos showed the destroyed remains of one of Crystal Prep's many club rooms. There was also a few photos showing seven damaged cars that had been unfortunate enough to be parked near said room's windows. Much like the classroom, each car had their windows and windshields shattered, but were otherwise undamaged. Just like when he examined the scene himself, the photos made it look like some kind of bomb had been set off in the room, but there was no evidence that any explosives were used. Looking through the school's surveillance system didn't leave them with much to work with either. Whatever destroyed the room also broke all of the cameras in the halls and classrooms around it. The most they were able to gather was that two girls were having an argument in the room just a few seconds before the explosion.
Shining Armor glared down at the collected data as he took a long pull of lukewarm coffee.
"What the hell is going on at that school?" he frowned, setting his mug down. "I thought it was safe."
Letting out a sigh, he picked up one of the reports and read through it for the fifteenth time. 
"At least no one was seriously hurt." 
His eyes wondered towards two framed pictures sitting on the left corner of his desk. One showed a younger version of himself in his college graduation robes surrounded by his family and now wife. HIs mother and father, Twilight Velvet and NIght Light, stood behind him with a hand on each of his shoulders dressed in a white dress and gray tux respectively. His sister, Twilight Sparkle, hugged him tightly from his left, dressed in a bright pink dress with a wide smile. At his right stood Mi Amore Cadenza, hugging his arm and smiling brightly at the camera with her head resting on his shoulder. The love of his life was dressed in a flowing silver dress that further emphasized her model-worthy pink body. Her hair was styled into a long pink, yellow, and lavender braid that came down to the middle of her back.The second one was a photo of Cadence laying in a hospital bed, exhausted yet smiling lovingly down at a small bundle held in her arms.
The sight put his heart in a vice, images of his sister or wife getting caught in what had happened at the school briefly flashing before his eyes. He blinked the visions away, refusing to let them take further hold of him. It was evident that he was going to need to have his wife have a few words with Cinch soon. It was obvious that the security system he requested when he was an Elite hadn't been updated or maintained since his graduation.
Seeing little reason to put it off (what with the case hitting a wall) he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. After a few rings, his wife's angelic voice came through, the lively babbling of their one-year-old daughter in the background.
"Hi honey!" Cadence greeted, smile audible in her tone.
"Hey babe," he chuckled. "Do you have a minute?"
"Sure. What do you need?"
"When was the last time Cinch updated Crystal Prep's security systems?"
"About a month ago," she stated, her tone instantly turning serious. 
"I figured," he sighed. "Do you think she'll agree to my proposals now?"
"She might be," she snorted. "I still think she'll argue against armed security, but will be more open to the idea of having metal detectors installed in each classroom door."
"It's a start, I guess," he grumbled. "I have no idea how you can work with her."
"She's not so bad," she shrugged. "Yes, she can be a bit strict at times, but she's a good person at heart."
"If you say so," he chuckled. "Just don't do anything that'll damage the school's reputation. I heard the last time someone did that, she sicked a demon on them."
"Yeah, yeah," she giggled. "I'll be careful. Hey, guess what? Gold and Onyx are going to be visiting in a few days."
"That's great," he said, perking up at the news. "I know Twily's going to flip when she hears that."
"Funny you should mention her," Cadence giggled, tone turning conspiratorial. "Looks like our little Ladybug is coming out of her shell."
"Oh?" Shining asked, raising a brow. "How so?"
A pause, then with a happy squee, Cadence cried, "Twilight's made some friends!"
Shining blinked, then chuckled at that.
"Well, it's about time."
"I know!" Cadence giggled. "Isn't this amazing?!"
"Yeah," he smiled, leaning back in his seat. "Are they from CP?"
"Three of them are," she hummed. "Velvet thinks she met the fourth one online."
"Really?" he frowned.
"I know that tone," Cadence frowned, then cheerily added, "Don't worry. Velvet already met her."
"I see," he sighed. "So, what are we talking about?"
"All girls, so you don't need to hover, dear," Cadence giggled. "According to Velvet, they were Sugar Coat, Indigo Zap, and Lemon Zest."
Shining flinched, the last name instantly jumping to the front of his memories.
Lemon Zest's one of her friends?
"How's Twily taking the news?"
"She was a little shaken up, but she's hanging in there. She sent me a message saying that she was going to visit her today."
"Making friends and going to other people's houses?" he smirked. "Okay, someone's drugged my coffee."
Cadence laughed at that, then happily added, "I think we have Petal Wasp to thank for that."
"Is that the friend Twilight made online?" he asked.
"Yep!" she chirped.
He hummed in thought about that for a few seconds, then said, "What's she like? I mean, if mom likes her, then she's gotta be something else."
"Actually, she said she reminded her of when she was a teenager," Cadence matter-of-factly stated.
Shining paused, blinked a few times, then neutrally said, "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
"Yes," his wife flatly stated.
"'Yes' what?" he asked.
"Just yes."


***


Three hours. That was how long it took Twilight and Petal to tell Lemon everything. Throughout the entire lecture, the normally upbeat girl wore a completely blank stare, adding to the growing dread in Petal's gut. She asked no questions, gave no signs that she was scared of the Wraith's true form, nor showed any compassion. She simply sat there, listened, and waited for them to tell her everything.
When they reached the end, a heavy silence filled the room, Twilight and Petal staring at their friend with their hearts beating in their throats. Lemon's yellow eyes slipped back and forth between her two guests, her face still an almost perfect replica of the mask her sister wore. At the same time, Petal could sense the fear bubbling inside of the girl along with a growing sense of curiosity and frustration. The Wraith flinched when Lemon let out a small sigh, then replaced her mask with a tired frown.
"So," Lemon started. "Petal's, like, some kind of emotion-eating spirit-thing and I've got super powers, right?"
They both nodded.
"And Petal's people and my people are trying to kill each other," she continued, crossing her arms.
"Yeah," Petal cringed, not liking where this conversation was headed.
Lemon nodded, staring down at the ground.
"So, does that mean we're supposed to hate each other?"
"Of course not!" Twilight cried, jumping to her feet. 
"Yeah...it does," Petal sighed, tightly crossing her arms around herself.
"Petal!" Twilight gasped, aiming a pair of wide eyes at her friend.
"She's not wrong," she frowned, her lips trembling. "Under normal circumstances, we'd be trying to kill each other by now."
"But you're not-!" 
"Do you want to?" Lemon somberly asked. "Kill me, I mean?"
A long pause followed that question, every second of it filling Twilight with dread. When Petal finally broke it, the teen nearly fell over with relief.
"Fuck no," she spat, staring at her tired friend with a hard glare. 
Another pause, then, with a tired sigh and light smile, Lemon met her gaze and said, "Me nether."
All three girls broke into giggles, all of the tension finally falling out of the room. Petal was the most affected by the shift, the Wraith falling to her knees with a faint curse mixing with her laughter. Twilight's laugh turned into a panicked squawk when her notecards fell off of her lap onto the floor. Lemon and Petal laughed harder at that, doubling Twilight's frantic attempt to gather her notes out of reflex.
"Seems like you got whatever was bugging you under control too," Petal smirked.
"Sort've," she smiled. "I think its time I let everyone know what's been up with me."
"That's great!" Twilight cheered, reaching under the bed for a few stray cards. "We've all been really worried about you."
"Yeah," she awkwardly chuckled. "I'll tell everyone at the sleepover this weekend. No point telling the story twice and this isn't the kind of stuff I feel like putting into a text, you know?"
"Fare enough," Petal shrugged, plopping into Lemon's desk chair.
"But dudes," Lemon sighed, smiling ruefully. "This is, like, super heavy stuff. Does this mean there's some Wraith kingdom out there or something?"
"Not really," Petal shrugged. "We don't really have a civilization like humans do. We just establish hunting grounds and keep other Wraiths out of it if we can. We do have a pecking order though."
"Really?" Twilight blinked, having just finished picking up her cards and retaking her seat on the bed.
Petal nodded.
"From bottom to top, we've got New Borns, Archwraiths, Husks, Reapers, The Elite Guard, and then The Queen. Archwraiths are basically super strong and much older New Borns. Most of them have unique abilities or improved versions of normal Wraith abilities. Husks are as dumb as dogs, but are way stronger than any Archwraith. They also have the ability to adapt to anything that doesn't outright kill them, so watch it. Reapers control Husks and on top of being way stronger than them, are a bit smarter than a normal human. The Elite Guard are a bunch of Wraiths that managed to earn The Queen's favor and are the strongest of my kind you can find. They never leave The Queen's side unless she tells them to and if they find you, 'fucked' is the nicest way of putting your luck."
"And The Queen?" Twilight asked, shaky fascination entering her tone.
Petal took a breath, her tone turning hollow as she continued with her lecture.
"The Queen is the first Wraith. Her oldest children say she was born from the first dark emotions from the first life that entered this world. She is the closest thing to a goddess for us, a being we fear, love, and respect all in the same breath. Her knowledge is ancient, her power unlimited, and wrath apocalyptic. If anyone is unfortunate enough to earn her attention, well, let's just say Atlantis didn't sink on its own."
Both girls gaped at her, stunned into silence by the sheer scale of Petal's claims.
Twilight was the first to find her voice, gulping thickly as she asked, "Is she really that powerful?"
Petal nodded solemnly.
"Trust me Sparky. If Queen Rabia shows up somewhere, you better pray you're out of the fucking splash zone."


***


Sunny sat in darkness, the glow of her laptop the only break in the gloom. She leaned back in her seat, arms crossed as she frowned at the screen. She irritably picked at the lavender sleeves of her pajamas, the security footage displayed before her playing on a loop. Specifically, the portions of the video featuring a girl dressed like a punk. 
"How did she get into the school," she huffed. "There is no footage of her entering the school. Unless Sparkle created some sort of portal, there is no way she should be able to get into the building."
Reaching out for the mouse, she dragged one particular video to the center of the screen. On it, she saw the Rock Club's door get blasted off of its hinges, the vague shape of the girl in question appearing on it just before the fead cut out. A few screens surrounding it showed a dark figure bolting down the halls and out the school's front gates. Specks of some kind of black substance covered the floor and door the figure shoved open. That, combined with their inhuman speed put the teen on edge.
What have you unleashed upon us Sparkle? she thought, saving the recordings. And what can I do to stop it?
> Ch.16 Lead Shackles
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is a common belief among those that play games that their setup reflects them in some way. A person with a more reckless way of handling things may build a raging barbarian while someone with a more cautious mindset might play the roll of a cunning rogue or ranger. As such, a more mentally centered D&D player would most likely gravitate towards the caster classes while someone more athletically gifted would favor the martial classes. Twilight and Indigo were prime examples of this phenomenon, the physical differences between them plain as day to all that watched them jog through Six Pillar Park.
"I give!" Twilight wheezed, flopping like a dead fish onto the grass.
"C'mon, Slugger," Indigo chuckled, barely even winded. "One more lap!"
"I can't... feel.... my legs!" she panted.
"Bookworm," she snorted, rolling her eyes.
It was a nice and sunny day with only a handful of clouds dotting the early afternoon sky. It was the kind of day that dragged people out for fun picnics or barbecues. At the moment, it didn't seem like that many people were willing or able to take advantage of such a good day. The perfect chance for Indigo to try to whip her new friend into shape and spend some time with her outside of the gaming table or school for a change.
Guess it's time to take a break, she thought, reluctantly sitting down next to her friend.
While she waited for her friend to catch her breath, she stared out into the nearby forest portion of park's jogging trail.
"You are really out of shape," Indigo snorted.
"Not....an....athlete!" she gasped.
"You don't need to be to keep yourself in shape," she sighed. "Just an hour of exercise each day just to keep yourself healthy."
"I...try!" Twilight panted, finally managing to gather enough strength to sit up.
"Right," Indigo frowned. "Unless you've got a treadmill in your lab, I don't believe you."
"I practice my kickboxing once a week," Twilight grumbled, crossing her arms.
"For an hour?" she asked, raising a brow.
"Um.....no," she relented, slouching forward.
"Thought so," she smirked. 
"I don't have the time!" Twilight whined. "Between school and my experiments, I'm lucky if I can squeeze a few minutes of training in each week!"
"Good thing we're friends then," Indigo beamed.
"What do you mean?" she gulped.
"C'mon, Slugger, you know it takes more than PE grades to be an Elite," Indigo winked.
"Right," she awkwardly chuckled.
"Speaking of," Indigo added, her cocky smile shifting into a worried frown. "You checked on Lemon yesterday, right? How's she doing?"
"Tired, but she was doing fine," Twilight smiled. "She said that she should be able to make it to the Slumber Party tomorrow, too."
"That's good," Indigo sighed, sporting a relieved smile.
"She also said that she wanted to tell us all what was bothering her tomorrow," she happily added.
"Finally!" Indigo cheered. "After all that shit at the school, I was, like, a step away from tying her to a chair and hosting an intervention!"
"Right," Twilight nervously chuckled.
Thank god she didn't try that, she thought, taking note of how much damage Lemon's Awakening had caused.
"Bet she's losing her mind right now," Indigo chuckled. "Take her music gear away and that girl gets twitchier than a five-year-old on a soda binge."
"Petal and Sugar are visiting her today," Twilight smiled. "Hopefully, they can get her to recover properly."
"Petal and Sugar? Really?" Indigo asked, raising a brow. "I know she said she'd cut her some slack, but I thought they still hated each other."
"I guess they came to some kind of understanding," Twilight shrugged.
"Huh, wonder when that happened."
"I've been wondering the same thing," she said with a thoughtful frown. "I'm just glad their getting along now."
"I guess that's all that matters," Indigo chuckled. "I wonder what they're up to right now."


***


"What the fuck?!" Petal snapped, glaring down at Lemon's laptop.
"You need to push the arrow keys quicker," Sugar deadpanned.
"I know that much!" she growled, eyes locked onto the red Game Over screen. "Who the hell came up with this shit?!"
"Maybe Friday Night Funk'n wasn't the best game to introduce her to," Sugar mused.
"Nah, this is perfect," Lemon giggled, aiming her phone's camera at them from her bed.
"She hasn't made it past the dad," Sugar flatly stated crossing her arms.
"There's more after this?!" Petal balked, swiveling her chair to face Sugar. 
"Yep," she stated. "And the mom is ten times harder."
Petal blinked, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then calmly said, "Fuck this game and the person who made it with a burning iron dildo wrapped in barbed wire."
Both girls blinked at her as she rose from her seat, grabbed one of Lemon's pillows, and screamed into it. A small smile crept onto Sugar's face while Lemon nearly rolled out of her bed with laughter. When Petal was done screaming, she plopped the pillow back onto Lemon's bed before she reclaimed her seat at the computer desk.
"Do you want me to take over?" Sugar asked.
"No," Petal growled, hitting replay. 
"Do you want me to get you something?" Sugar asked, staring at Lemon.
"Some lemonade would be awesome!" Lemon chirped.
"I'll see if there is still some in the fridge," Sugar nodded, making her way towards the door.
Not even a second after she closed the door, a muffled stream of curses and laughter could be heard. Sugar rolled her eyes as she made her way towards the kitchen.
At least she's back to normal, she thought, a small smile gracing her lips as she opened the fridge. 


***


"How the heck did the two of you meet anyway?" Indigo asked, laying out across the grass on her back. "No offense, but she doesn't seem like the kind of person you'd hang with."
"We...um," Twilight stuttered, quickly trying to remember the cover story they came up with. "We met through Crystal Heart."
"Isn't that for students only?" Indigo asked, raising a brow.
"She had a temporary account," Twilight quickly added. "You know, for hopeful students?"
"Oh, that makes sense," Indigo nodded, shifting her attention back to the sky. 
Twilight let out a relieved sigh, once again flopping bonelessly onto the grass.
We need a better story, she noted, a small twinge of guilt stinging her gut.
A moment of peaceful silence settled between them, the rustling of leaves, warm spring sun, and smell of grass, lulling easing the awkward tension out of them. It was a strange sense of being for Twilight, the bookish teen far more familiar with the building tension of studying for an exam or planning a way around her fellow Elites. To have a moment to just lay down, relax, and let her mind wander was, in a word, surreal.
"So, what are you planning to do after Crystal Prep?" Indigo asked, a somber tone entering her voice.
"Huh?" Twilight blinked, snapping out of her zen.
"Bet its something big," Indigo ruefully chuckled. "Like curing cancer or something."
"I..."
Twilight paused.
What did she plan to do after high school? Up until recently, her main goal was to get into Everton and dive headfirst into whatever topic grabbed her attention. Now, that goal seemed so much less important; hollow even. What did she want to do with the privileges her rank afforded her? How did she want to use them to live her life outside of school?
"I....I don't know," she meekly answered. "I...haven't thought about it until now."
"Really?" Indigo, frowned, rolling over to face her. "C'mon, all of the Elites have a plan. Hell, I've got one."
"I'm serious," Twilight stated, her nerves gradually growing by the second. "All I've been doing is trying to maintain my GPA and nothing else! If it wasn't relevant to what I was studying, it didn't matter! The closest thing I have to a plan is going to college, but what will I do when I get there?! What will I study?! What kind of degree do I want?! Will it get me a good job?! WHERE DO I EVEN START?!"
By the end of her rant, the teen's breath came out in panicked gasps, her eyes wide with terror. Her limbs started to turn heavy and numb while her head stared to feel light, darkness riming the edges of her vision. Before she could fall further into her anxieties, she was forced to sit up, the snapping of fingers in her face pulling her out of her spiraling trance.
"Stay with me, Slugger," Indigo frowned, holding the limp girl up and rubbing her back. "Breath in, then out. Slowly."
Drunkenly nodding, Twilight did as she was told. 
Slowly, the teen's senses started to come back to her, her hand stiffly coming up to rub her gem out of habit.
After a few minutes of this, Twilight managed to recover enough to sit up under her own power. With a gentle push, and confirmation that she was okay, Twilight put a small bit of distance between herself and her friend.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Indigo pressed.
"Y-Yeah," Twilight nodded, forcing a small smile.
"Good," Indigo sighed.  "Sorry, for freaking you out like that. I just kind've assumed, y'know?"
"It's okay," Twilight frowned. "But I really do need to start thinking about that kind of stuff soon. What's your plan?"
Indigo smiled, puffed out her chest and said, "I'm shooting to become an Olympic Athlete then move on to become a personal trainer."
"Really?" Twilight smiled.
"Yep!" she chuckled. "I'm taking all kinds of classes centered around biology and nutritional science. That way, I can learn all about different body types and the best ways to push them to their absolute limits!"
"Like what?" Twilight asked, leaning in.
"Like, for example, you're body type is one built on flexibility and quick-reflex evasion. This makes you fairly good at sports that require quick muscle memory, but low stamina and strength investment."
"And what kind of sports are those?" she asked, raising a brow.
"Off the top of my head, I'd say Fencing, Archery, Kendo, and maybe Golf."
Twilight nodded, humming in thought at those options.
"Going off of that, Kickboxing is a poor fit for me then."
"Nah," Indigo chuckled. "You make it work."
"Huh?" Twilight blinked.
"Sure, you don't have the raw power most practitioners have, but you make up for it with precision. I see it like this, you could throw a punch hard enough to break rocks, but it doesn't do you much good if you can't hit your target."
"I guess you're right," Twilight blushed.
"Still," Indigo continued. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to raise your stamina."
"Please no more running," Twilight whined. "I literally don't think my heart can take it."
"Nah, that's all for today," she chuckled. "What do you say we head off to get some smoothies? I know this neat place at the mall that makes some really good ones."
"Sounds good," Twilight beamed.


***


The Mixing Bowl was one of the most popular drink shops in the Crystal Emporium Mall. In addition to smoothies and shakes, the shop had a wide selection of mixed sodas, floats, and a section cut off from the rest of the shop that held a fully stocked bar. On top all that, the shop was situated in a part of the mall that gave it access to an outdoor serving area. 
Twilight and Indigo sat merrily at one of the outside tables, said tables made to resemble half-cut orange slices with a yellow sun umbrella standing in the middle and red metal chairs surrounding it. They laughed over traded stories or a few Hooftube videos on their phones, their drinks adding to the good cheer of the moment.
"Really hits the spot, huh?" Indigo smirked taking a swig.
Twilight happily nodded, taking a sip of her own drink.
"What did you get?" Twilight asked.
"My usual," Indigo shrugged. "Cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry. pomegranate, and a little bit of bitter melon. What'd you get?"
"Blueberry," Twilight giggled. "I'm surprised they could get all of that into one cup."
"They're pros," Indigo smiled with a shrug. "Good thing too, cuz I need all of that to keep myself going."
"Why's that?" Twilight asked, taking a sip.
"I don't feel like getting into the specifics of it all, but all of those specific fruits have an antioxidant called anthocynin in them that can help keep your body in top shape."
"How so?" Twilight blinked.
Indigo sported an impish smile as she said, "It boosts your metabolism, clears your heart, balances hormone levels, reduces visible signs of aging, reduces muscle pain, and gives you a ton of energy." 
"Wow," Twilight gaped, staring down at her drink. "I didn't know that. I mean, I know that eating certain things could lead to specific health benefits, but I never thought of looking into it all that much beyond that."
"Well, it's not some magic potion or anything," Indigo nervously chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "You need to take in a lot of berries on a daily basis to make it work and some body types can't process them all that well. Plus, some of the fruit are pretty expensive."
"Right," Twilight hummed, still staring at her drink. "So, to make it work, you would need a way to introduce a concentrated variant of the antioxidant that is both reasonably accepted by the body and is cost effective enough to be more readily available for mass production. With a proper lab, funding, and a dedicated staff, it should be possible."
"Sounds like something you could pull off, number one," Indigo frowned, a faint hint of venom entering the end of her sentence.
"S-Sorry," Twilight flinched, leaning back from her friend.
"No, I'm sorry," Indigo sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "That wasn't cool."
For a few seconds, the two sat in silence, sipping their drinks. All the while, Twilight watched her friend's expression subtly shift, as if she wanted to say something, but just couldn't find the words. Eventually, Indigo broke the silence with a defeated sigh and a hint of frustration in her eyes.
"Can I level with you for a minute?"
Nervously, Twilight nodded.
A small smile graced Indigo's lips at that.
"Thanks. Okay, see, the thing is, I..hate being in the bottom five. I mean, sure, it's awesome being an Elite and everything, but being on the bottom of the totem pole just drives me crazy sometimes."
"Do you need help moving up?" Twilight asked, concerned.
"No, it's not that," Indigo tiredly chuckled. "If I tried a little harder, I could easily jump up to rank six in a couple of weeks."
"Then if it's bothering you that much, why haven't you?"
Indigo let out a bitter groan and took a long sip of her drink before she continued.
"A bunch of different reasons. If I move up too fast, Sunny and Sour are going to give me more hell then they already do. Plus, I know I'm not going to be happy being stuck in sixth place for the next two years and I don't want to knock my friends off of their thrones. Because of all that, I have to be super careful with my grades so I can keep my spot, but not do so well that I accidentally paint a bullseye on my back! It's so fucking annoying!"
At the end of her rant, the sporty teen let out an irate groan, roughly leaning back into her seat and crossing her arms. A deep frown marred Twilights face, the bookish teen all too familiar with Sunny and Sour's particular brands of pressure. Had it not been for her dedication to her studies, she could've easily fallen victim to a similar trap. Even now, she could hear their falsely friendly voices in the back of her mind, turning her accomplishments into jeering taunts.
"I think I know what you mean," she bitterly sighed.
"Huh?" Indigo blinked.
"Trying not to draw to much attention to yourself. Having people judge your every move. Keeping all of your stress hidden from the people you care about. It's awful. Suffocating."
She wanted to say more, but a sudden tightness in her throat stopped her. She felt as if she was sitting in a dark pit, the air frigid and thick in her lungs. It coated her skin, sliding across her body like refrigerated tar, its embrace growing heavier by the second.The familiar building of tears brought her back to the present. With a small sniffle, she wiped away what few tears slipped past her guard.
"Twilight?"
"I'm okay," she sighed, slowly managing to regain her composure. "Anyway, have you told Lemon and Sugar about any of this?"
"No," Indigo frowned. 
"Don't you think you should?"
"Don't see what good it'll do," she sighed.
"It wouldn't hurt to try, right?"
Indigo frowned at that, a part of her humoring the thought, but still largely unconvinced. 
"I'll...think about it," she relented.
"Okay," Twilight nodded, then smiled softly as she added, "Thank you for telling me."
"Yeah, yeah," she smiled. "Just make sure you keep all of that to yourself."
"Of course," Twilight nodded, crossing her heart.
"And while we're trading secrets, why don't you tell me how you learned kick boxing?" Indigo smirked.
"Oh, one of my sister-in-laws taught me," Twilight beamed, instantly lightning up at the change of topic. "Well, technically, she's my sister-in-law's friend, but she's practically her sister. So I guess that counts, right?"
"Hell if I know," Indigo shrugged. "So, is she some kind of self-defense coach or something."
"Former Special Forces," Twilight shrugged, casually taking a sip of her drink.
Indigo blinked at that, her brain struggling to process what she had just heard. When it finally did, she let out a shocked, "WHAT?!" and nearly dropped her drink on her lap.
"Okay, this I've got to hear," she smiled, leaning forward in her seat.
As Twilight started to talk about her sort-of-sister-in-law, a couple from a table in the balcony's far corner watched them with mild interest. One, a pink girl wearing a red trench coat and the other a violet boy dressed in semi-formal clothes and star-like sparkles dotting his skin.
> Ch. 17 Sleepless Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight frantically moved about her room, a stream of nervous mutterings rolling past her lips as she made sure everything was in order. Her books were dusted, her desk double organized compared to its normal standards of order, and, most importantly, her more embarrassing "treasures" kept stored in an electrically charged thirty two digit code safe under her bed. Petal watched her from the bed, the Wraith assuming her human form sporting a jet black pair of pajamas covered with gray skulls and spiders. She laid on her side with her head propped up on her hand, mild amusement decorating her face.
"Geez Sparky, chill," Petal chuckled. "It's just a slumber party."
Twilight froze at that, hand just inches away from moving her desk lamp a fraction of an inch for the tenth time.
"Just a slumber party?" she whispered, incredulity heavy in her tone.
The teen suddenly turned towards Petal, exasperation rolling off of her in waves as she cried, "This isn't just a slumber party! "This is my first slumber party and the first time I've ever hosted a party! This is also the night Lemon's going to tell us all what has been bothering her! All of that means that this party needs to be a success!"
"I get that," Petal nodded, raising a brow as she sat up. "But I don't think you need flip to out over this."
"Y-You're right," Twilight gulped. "I just need to relax and let things play out, right?"
"Exactly," Petal smiled.
"Besides," she nervously chuckled. "It isn't as if I'll do something stupid and everyone will hate me for it and then...I'll...be alone......again......"
All of the life seemed to fall out of Twilight at the end of that statement, the girl's eyes turning blank and distant. She flinched as life suddenly jumped back into her, the girl suddenly looking around as if snapping out of a trance. A hint of dread filled Petal at the display, the sharp spike of true despair she briefly felt from her friend instantly flipping her smile upside-down.
"Maybe I should give the room one more sweep, just in case," she mumbled, moving towards her bookshelf for the tenth time that evening.
"Let's try something else," Petal frowned, sitting up. "You've got a book for this kind of thing, right?"
"Um, yes?" she sheepishly gulped, facing the bookshelf housing the book in question.
"Why don't we pop that open and see if we can set up a game plan?" 
"I don't think Sleep Talk wrote that book with a party like this in mind," she groaned.
"Let's give it a shot anyways," Petal huffed, standing up and marching to her friend's side. "Better than watching you slowly lose your shit over this."
Before Twilight could protest, Petal plucked the book from its shelf and opened it to the first page.
"Let's see... ' The foundation of a good slumber party, be it casual or formal, is rooted in proper preparation.' Gee, no shit Sherlock. 'While there can be an infinite number of themes, there are generally a few basic necessities that work in all cases. These are sleeping arrangements, food and drinks, activities, and space.' "
Petal looked up from the book at her friend with a flat expression as she said, "You sure this guy's name is Sleep Talk and not Painfully Obvious? I mean, I've never thrown a party either, but I can figure out this much at least."
"It does say that those are the basics," Twilight nervously chuckled. "What else does it say?"
She gave the page a quick skim, then flatly stated, "Just a bunch of recommendations for the basics. What the hell is pizza?"
"You've never had pizza?" Twilight gaped.
"No?" Petal blinked, leaning away from her friend.
A wide smile joined the teen's wide eyes at that, but instead of answering, she ran out of the room calling for her mom. Petal stared blankly at the door for a moment, struggling to understand what the hell just happened. Pushing her confusion to the back of her mind, she went back to reading the book in her hand.
Did I say the secret word or something? she thought, making her way back to the bed.
"Humans," she muttered, taking a seat on the bed, turning a page in the book. "Geez, this guy even put a list of activities in this thing. ....What the hell is a mud mask?"


***


Traffic was thin that night, especially for a saturday. This was a massive boon for Harshwhinny, one she took with some reluctance as she drove her sister and her friends towards Twilight's home. While she maintained her usual stoic mask, she couldn't stop herself from nervously peeking at her sister in her passenger seat. She knew that Lemon was fine, that she was a more than capable judge of character, but there was something about Twilight that didn't feel right. The girl seemed to give off an aura that felt like it didn't belong, almost tainted in a way that put parts of her on edge.
That went double for her friend, Petal.
While the rough girl seemed harmless enough, that sense of wrongness seemed to pour out of her like an open fountain. As such, there were a few conditions that needed to be met for her to agree to this sleepover. Chief among them was meeting Twilight's parents. A formality at worst, but the most effective way to see if what she was feeling was unique to the two girls or not. It was also the best chance to make sure they had her number if anything went wrong, a condition she knew her sister would forget the second she entered the house. 
"Are you sure you have everything?" Harshwhinny asked.
"Yes sis," Lemon groaned, texting on her phone.
"Phone charger?" she pressed.
"Yes," Lemon flatly confirmed.
"Toothbrush?"
"Yes."
"Pajamas?"
"Yes."
Toiletries?"
"Yep."
"Unmentionables?"
"Indigo brought extra," Lemon shrugged. "Should be right next to her bong."
"Pardon?" Harshwhinny blinked.
"Kidding," Lemon snickered. "I'm good, sis." 
"Good," she sighed, her surprise quickly absorbed by her pokerface.
"Don't worry Ms. Zeal, we'll keep an eye on her," Indigo chuckled.
"Between puffs of weed," Sugar stated, staring blankly at her phone.
"Just Harshwhinny is acceptable," Harshwhinny huffed, then peeked at her rearview mirror into the back seat as she uneasily added, "Also, I feel obligated to ask if you are, in fact, joking."
"Yes," Sugar stated, still scrolling through her phone. "I don't share."
Lemon and Indigo laughed at that while Harshwhinny struggled to solve the riddle that is the girl in her back seat.
"I remember why I do not interact with you directly too frequently when you visit," Harshwhinny huffed.
"I have that affect on people," Sugar shrugged. "By the way, Twilight's house is coming up."
Sure enough, when Harshwhinny took full stock of the streets around her, she was a couple minutes away from the house. Mentally chastising herself for the slip-up, she pulled up to the curve near to the house's driveway. The prim woman quickly exited her vehicle, her cold eyes scanning the premises while her wards fished their things out of her trunk. 
The home was as unassuming as could be, a middle class suburban dark blue two-story house. The grass was trimmed to her strict standards and the driveway was nearly spotless. A quick glance at the neighboring houses revealed similar standards. Mildly impressed, she straightened out her lavender blazer and made her way towards the house in question, her charges not far behind her.
So far so good, she thought, knocking on the door. Let us see what is hidden behind the rapper, shall we?
A few seconds later, Twilight and whom Harshwhinny assumed was Twilight's mother answered the door. 
"Welcome!" the woman cheered, stepping aside to make room for the group. "Come in! Come in! We just got everything set up!"
"Thank you, Mrs. Velvet," Sugar nodded, letting a small smile creep onto her face as she accepted the invitation.
"Thanks ma'am," Indigo smirked, doing the same.
"Ditto," Lemon chuckled, taking point at Twilight's left and pulling her into a one-armed hug. "This is gonna' rock!"
"Right," Twilight chuckled, a hint of nerves coloring her tone.
"Are we forgetting something?" Harshwhinny frowned, raising a brow.
"Oh! Right," Lemon awkwardly chuckled, fishing a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. "Thanks, sis."
The woman gave Harshwhinny a brief subtle surprised glance at that, then raised a brow when Lemon handed her the paper.
"That's all of my sister's info if something happens. 
"Oh, I see," Velvet blinked, unfolding the paper.
I'm not, like, super sick or anything," she hastily added. "But you know, just incase and stuff."
"I understand,"  Velvet smiled. "Thank you, Lemon, was it?"
Lemon nodded.
"Thank you," she chuckled. "Now, unless there is anything else, I say we all get this party started, right honey?"
"Right," Twilight sheepishly nodded. "Come on everyone."
With that, Twilight led her friends towards her room. As they did, Velvet gave her guest her full attention, her smile slightly wilting under the stern stare aimed at her. Unnoticed by the mother, a faint trace of relief graced the older sister's features. The wrongness she felt from Twilight and Petal was not present in her mother or her home. A mixed blessing, considering the implications, but one she would take to keep some level of peace.
So for so good. Let's see if it will stay that way.
"Good evening," Harshwhinny primly said, holding out a hand. "I am Harshwhinny Zeal."
"Twilight Velvet," she chuckled, hiding her nerves as she shook the offered hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," Harshwhinny nodded, maintaining her prim demeanor. "Hopefully, my sister won't cause you too much trouble tonight."
"I think I can handle it," Velvet chuckled. "So long as she doesn't burn my house down, I doubt she could throw anything at me I haven't already seen."
"Do not let her hear that," Harshwhinny snorted. "She may take that as a challenge."
"Has she ever turned a toaster into a helicopter drone?" Velvet smirked, crossing her arms and raising a brow.
"No?" she blinked. 
"Created a potato-powered vacuum droid?"
"Is that even possible?" Harshwhinny balked.
"How's about a rapidly evolving anti-virus program?"
"She created that?!" Harshwhinny sputtered.
"Sort've," she shrugged. "Apparently, it keeps redirecting her browser to porn sights. That was not a fun conversation to have with a fifth-grader, let me tell ya'."
"She made that in the fifth grade?" Harshwhinny asked, wondering just what kind of madness her sister had wondered into now. 
"Yep," Velvet chuckled. "And those are the tamest things my little girl put me through over the years. So yeah, I think I can handle just about anything Lemon or the rest of Twilight's new group can throw at me."
"I see," Harshwhinny nodded, her prim persona quickly falling back into place. "Then I leave her in your very capable hands."
"No problem," she smiled, holding up the note Lemon handed her as she cheerily added, "But I think I'll keep this close for the rest of the night, just in case"
"That is all I ask," Harshwhinny sighed.
Perhaps I should put Petal on the bottom of my list of oddities.


***


"You know, this stuff's not bad," Petal smirked, taking another bite of her pizza slice.
"Told you," Twilight giggled.
After leading her other friends to her room, the nerdy girl returned to the kitchen to keep Petal company. While they waited for the rest of their group to get ready and dressed, Twilight helped the Wraith get acquainted with yet another human custom. Given how human-like Petal was most of the time, it was really easy for her to forget that she wasn't one. 
"Is it okay, though?" Twilight quietly asked, nodding at Petal's loaded plate. "I mean, I've seen you eat normal food before, but-"
"It's fine," Petal chuckled, wiping her lips with her wrist. "It won't hurt me, but it won't help me either. It's like eating...um.... what's it called again?"
She closed her eyes in thought for a moment, before they popped open and with a snap of her fingers said, "Candy! That's what its called. It's like eating a few pieces of candy. It tastes good, but it won't give my body what it needs to function."
"So you don't get any nutritional value out of it," Twilight mused.
"Exactly," Petal nodded.
"Do you still digest food the same way humans can?" she asked, a hint of her inner scientist peeking out.
Before Petal could answer, the sound of Twilight's bedroom door opening caught their attention. Seconds later, three sets of footsteps could be heard making their way through the upstairs hallway and down the stairs. When the three girls made it to the kitchen, Twilight and Petal were met by a curious sight.
Lemon wore the same thing she did the last time the duo visited her home, a baggy rocker T-shirt and gray sweatpants. Indigo wore a loose white tank top and black sweats, but her's and Lemon's outfits barely held their attention for more than a second. That honer went to Sugar, who decided to grace their presence in a brown teddybear onesie, her silver hair hanging loose under her hood.
"What...the hell...are you wearing?" Petal balked, not sure if she should laugh or not.
"I always wear this to bed," Sugar flatly stated, making her way towards the kitchen table.
"Really?" Petal blinked.
"It's warm," she nodded, plucking a pizza slice from a box on the table.
"You look good in it," Twilight awkwardly offered.
"I'm fierce," Sugar stated, making a dull "Roar," sound before she took a bite.
"I don't know if you're serious or trying to fuck with me," Petal frowned, raising a brow.
"You're the second person to tell me something like that today," she nodded.
"Just roll with it," Indigo chuckled, taking a seat at the table. "You wouldn't think it, but Sugar can be a little weird sometimes."
"I'm not weird," Sugar frowned. "I am completely normal."
"Says the girl dressed up like a carnival prize," Lemon giggled, joining her friends.
"What I choose to sleep in is my business and no one else's," Sugar stated, the barest trace of a huff coloring her flat tone.
Petal let out a small chuckle and said, "Here and I thought Lemon was the spontaneous one."
"She is," Sugar frowned. "Like I said. I'm the normal one."
"If you say so," the Wraith shrugged.
"Anyway!" Twilight stiffly cheered. "I hope you all are ready to have fun tonight!"
"You know it," Indigo smirked. "So, what's the plan, Slugger?"
"Well," she smiled, fishing her phone out of her pocket. "I do have a small list of things we could do."
"Right, small," Petal snorted, rolling her eyes and propping her head up on the table on her arm.
Twilight beamed, ignoring Petal's comment with her eyes locked onto her phone screen.
"After eating, we have make-overs, Truth or Dare, Twister, a few computer games, and a movie."
"What kind of movie?" Lemon asked around a mouthful of pizza.
"Human Centipede," Petal shrugged.
"NO!" Indigo and Sugar yelled, Lemon to busy coughing to offer her own response.
"What? What's up?" Petal blinked, the terror she tasted from the girls instantly setting off alarm bells.
"Is it that bad?" Twilight nervously asked.
"Worse," Lemon choked out, pounding her chest. 
"Neither of you heard about it?" Sugar asked, raising a brow.
"No? What's it about?" Petal asked, sitting up a little straighter.
"Really screwed up stuff," Indigo cringed. "Trust me. You don't want to watch that."
"Agreed," Lemon solemnly nodded. "That's, like, a hard pass from me."
"Guess I'm going to need to pick another movie," Twilight frowned, staring down at her phone again.
"Why do you even have a movie like that?" Sugar asked.
"I don't," Twilight groaned. "Petal found it online an hour ago."
The trio of girls gave Petal raised brows.
The Wraith shrugged and said, "Hey, not the first time I've found something weird online. At least it was on accident this time."
"Do I want to know?" Sugar sighed.
"No," Twilight flatly stated, glaring daggers at the grinning Wraith at her right.
Petal just laughed it off and grabbed another slice of pizza.
As this was happening, Lemon and Indigo mulled over what they were planning to do tonight. It was going to happen tonight. They were determined to make it happen tonight. The only question was when? Until they had an answer to that, they hid their anxieties behind their smiles, completely unaware of the worry it sparked in one of the girls sitting across from them.


***


With an unknown disaster avoided and bellies filled, the first event of Twilight's Slumber Party went into full swing. The second the five girls made it into Twilight's room, they broke up into two groups. Thanks to having an admittedly limited understanding of how to do more than brush her hair, Twilight opted to take on a assistant role in her group, something Indigo and Sugar greatly appreciated. Meanwhile, Petal and Lemon sat on the floor on the opposite end of the room, the Wraith delicately working on her friend's face with practiced precision.
"You're pretty good at this," Lemon smiled, peaking at a small hand mirror.
"Well, I did help Twilight fix her wardrobe," Petal giggled, still keeping her focus as she applied some eyeliner. "Guess I knew how to do this crap at some point."
"Oh, right," Lemon wilted.
When Twilight and Petal told them everything, one of the things that came up was Petal's amnesia. It was brief, more of a passing clip-note the Wraith quickly shoved past in favor of other more pressing facts. It wasn't hard for Lemon to pick up on what kind of button that particular topic was.
Taking a deep breath, she met Petal's eyes and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Petal briefly froze, then sighed out a tired, "No."
"Are you sure?" she pressed.
Petal's frown deepened at that as she nodded.
"Oh," Lemon sighed. "Okay. Just, don't keep it all bottled up, okay?"
Petal somberly smiled at that.
"Talking from experience, right?"
"Yeah," Lemon sadly chuckled.
Petal snorted, the irony of the whole situation starting to hit her.
"I think we're going to have plenty of chances to talk about it pretty soon," Petal sighed, putting all of the makeup away. "What with all of the tests Twilight wants to run."
"Dude, don't remind me," she shivered. "You don't think she'll do anything weird to me, right? Like, I'm not going to come out of this with extra arms or anything like that?"
"Nah," she Petal chuckled, reaching for a full hand mirror laying on the floor nearby. "The most she'll do is make you piss in a cup or take some hair samples."
"That's good," she sighed, then sheepishly asked, "So, how do I look?"
"You tell me," Petal smirked, aiming the mirror at her.
Lemon's eyes widened, her jaw dropping at who she saw staring back at her. While not an expert when it came to makeup, Lemon couldn't deny the full scope of Petal's skills. What little makeup she could see in her reflection was so subtly applied, that she wouldn't know it was there if she couldn't literally feel its presence. In contrast, it drew more attention to her best features. A sheepish smile spread across her face as she took the mirror, looking at herself from different angles.
"Holy cow! I'm freaking hot!" Lemon gushed.
"Damn straight," Petal chuckled, then placed a hand on Lemon's shoulder with a soft smile as she added, "And don't worry. You've got this."
Lemon didn't need to think too hard to understand her friend's words. Riding her good mood into a much needed confidence boost, a determined smile graced her lips as she turned her head towards Petal and nodded. Petal returned the smile, glad to feel the girl's stress start to dim.
Taking a deep breath, Lemon donned a more serious look and whispered, "So, when do you think I should do it? I mean, I don't what to kill the mood or anything, but I really need to tell everyone about this."
Petal mulled that over for a moment, then said, "I don't think I should be the one to make that call."
"Right," she sighed, wilting slightly.
Petal smirked at that and said, "Just try not to think to much about it. As soon as you see an opening, jump on it and we'll take it from there, okay?"
"Okay?" she nodded, her a small smile creeping onto he face. "Thanks dude."
"Anytime," Petal chuckled.


***


After some time, the five girls found themselves sitting in a circle at the heart of Twilight's room. While most of them were happy with the results of the previous activity, that could not be said for Sugar. The girl leveled a harsh glare at Indigo, the sporty girl looking sheepish as her friend tried to brush away the damage done to her hair.
"You are never doing my hair again," she frowned, her eyes drilling a pair of holes into Indigo's soul.
"Sorry," Indigo gulped, chuckling nervously.
"Oh lay off, Sugar," Petal smirked. "That mohawk looked bitch'n on you."
"I don't want to look like a punk," she flatly stated.
"I'm surprised she could get it to stay like that," Lemon laughed. "That was like, what, ten pounds of gel?"
"Half a pound," Twilight sheepishly added, looking at the ground and nervously tapping her index fingers together. "Plus a full can of hair spray."
"I rest my case," Sugar frowned, wincing slightly when her brush found another cluster of knots.
Petal chuckled at that, then aimed a soft smile at Twilight and said, "Speaking of hair, liking the new look Sparky."
"Th-Thanks," Twilight stammered, a small blush coloring her cheeks.
In place of her usual straight-lace "Librarian" style, the girl's hair was styled into a spiraling forward sweep. It had the dual effect of making Twilight look a lot less prim and added to her shy charms. It also made her hair look a lot shorter than it actually was, a trick that raised quite a few questions in the Wraith's head.
"You should totally go to school like that, Lemon beamed.
"N-No way!" Twilight sputtered, hiding her face behind her hands.
"Alright, that's enough," Sugar sighed. "If you keep it up, she's going to pass out."
"Right," Indigo chuckled. "So, what's next, Slugger?"
Gathering back some of her whits, Twilight lowered her hands and sheepishly stammered, "Tr-Truth or Dare."
"Now we're talking," Indigo smirked, eying her friends. "So how are we doing this? Spinning a bottle? Spinner app?"
"Spinner app," Twilight nodded, taking out her phone, activating the app in question, and laying in the middle of their circle.
"I assume we all no the rules, right?" Sugar asked, staring at Petal.
"You wait until the spinner stops and whoever it points to has to do a dare or answer a question, right?" Petal asked, locking eyes with the girl.
Sugar nodded.
"Sounds easy enough," Petal shrugged. "Let's get this game going!"
With that, she tapped the screen and activated the spinner.
After a few seconds, the spinner stopped, pointing at Sugar.
"Okay, so, truth or dare?" Petal asked.
"Truth," Sugar stated.
"Chicken," she snorted. "Alright, have you ever had a boyfriend?"
"Yes," Sugar stated, tone flatter than usual. "And we are still together."
Before anyone could press her for more information, she activated the spinner again. After a few seconds, Indigo became the next target.
"Truth or dare?" Sugar asked.
"Dare," Indigo smirked.
A small smile formed on Sugar's lips as she said, "I dare you to kiss Petal on the cheek."
Indigo's face turned bright red at that, opening and closing her mouth like a fish before she sputtered, "W-What?!"
"You heard her," Petal shrugged.
Indigo looked back and forth between the two girls in shock, then sheepishly said, "Well...I mean.....if you're cool with it."
Everyone watched with bated breath as Indigo crawled towards Petal, quickly pecked her cheek, and shot back to her spot .
"Demon," Indigo muttered, her glare almost as hot as her blush.
"That was for my hair," Sugar smirked.
"Whatever," she spat, activating the spinner. 
When it stopped, Lemon leveled a challenging smirk at her friend.
"Truth or dare?" Indigo asked.
"Dare," Lemon nodded, ready for anything.
"Dare, huh? Alright," Indigo smirked, crossing her arms in thought for a minute, then, with an evil smile said, "I dare you to sing Barbie Doll."
In a matter of seconds, all enthusiasm was seemingly sucked out of the young rocker.
"Ugh, you know I hate pop songs," Lemon groaned,
"Too bad," Indigo chuckled. "You picked dare, so start singing."
"Fine," she grimaced, standing up.
She glared at her friend for a minute before she closed her he eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she sported a painfully fake smile and  started to sing. For the next three minutes, everyone was exposed to the saccharine sweet life of a barbie doll in song form. Indigo watched Sugar with a smug smile on her face, the stone-faced girl's left eye starting to twitch in response. Twilight had a similar reaction, only it looked like she was trying to understand what part of the song was hurting her over the pain itself. Petal just took in all in, trying to not fall over laughing at what had to be the dumbest thing she had every heard.
Humans are so fucking weird! she thought, struggling to breathe past her laughter.
"I'm gonna kill you all," Lemon grumbled, bitterly crossing her arms as she retook her seat.
"C'mon Lemon, I think we could use an encore," Indigo smirked.
"Sleep with one eye open tonight," Lemon frowned, reactivating the spinner.
After a moment of traded glares and smirks between the two girls, the spinner made its decision.
"Guess it's my turn," Petal smirked.
"This should be good," Indigo chuckled.
"Alright Petal," Lemon sighed, dawning a small smile. "Truth or dare?"
Petal mulled that over for a few seconds, then said, "Truth."
"Chicken," Sugar flatly stated, smiling softly.
"Would any of you three take a dare from Lemon?" Petal asked, quirking a brow.
"Point taken," Sugar nodded.
"Yeah, you got me there," Indigo sighed.
Twilight nervously chuckled, eyes refusing to meet either girl's gazes.
"I'm not that bad, guys," Lemon deadpanned.
"Yes you are," Sugar nodded.
"Chickens," Lemon huffed.
"Hey, I want to live," Indigo shrugged.
"Whatever," she snorted, giving Petal a scrutinizing grin. "What should I ask you?"
Lemon mulled this over, actually putting some real thought into her question. She knew that a bulk of what Petal would tell the group would be a lie, parts of a very well constructed backstory she cooked up with Twilight for situations like these. Lemon didn't want that; she wanted to know something legitimate about her friend. That left her with one question of its own. What should she ask?
Eventually, she made her decision.
"What is your biggest fear?"
Petal reeled back a bit at that, her smirk slipping slightly. Everyone zeroed in on her, eager to see where this was going. While they knew that everyone had something, it was hard for any of them, save for Twilight or Lemon, to imagine Petal being scared of anything in particular. At the same time, Petal struggled to think of an answer. As a Wraith, she had only two main fears that constantly hovered over her; The Queen and The Gifted. On a personal level, there was one thing that chilled her more than them. It was one of the main reasons she put off sleep for as much as she could. It was the reason that when that unfortunate need came for her, her bed was hidden in a cloud of Miasma. Even thinking about it made her feel so small, so helpless, and put a slight tremble down her spine. The white light, the searing pain, the sheer terror of feeling her core burning away. Who knew a dream could be so frightening?
In a voice as fragile as glass and as soft as silk, she gave her answer.
"Fire."
A thick silence filled the room, no one sure how to react to their friend's sudden shift in character. Fortunately for them, said friend decided to take that particular responsibility away from them.
"Anyway, let's see who's next on the chopping block," Petal chuckled, forcing a small smile as she reactivated the spinner.
"Right," Indigo awkwardly chuckled. 
Sugar nodded, her face as unreadable as ever, eyes carefully studying her friend.
Lemon didn't respond, nervously gnawing on her lower lip as she avoided making eye contact with Petal.
When the spinner made its decision, a more genuine smile formed on Petal's face.
"Alright Twilight, truth or dare?"
Twilight flinched, then hastily stammered out, "T-T-Truth!"
"Nice," Petal chuckled. "Now, how about you tell the class who you've been crushing on recently?"
Now it was Twilight's turn to be the center of attention, the girl in question a sputtering blushing mass under their amused gazes. The bookish girl gave her a red-faced glare, her blush spreading to her ears. Petal's smirk grew at that, glad to feel the sudden dark shift in the group fading away. A part of her felt a little bad for throwing Twilight to the wolves, but only a little. She leaned back as she waited for her friend to answer her question, mulling over how she was going to make this up to her later.


***


The party had finally reached its climax, the five girls now preparing to turn in for the night. In spite of having a bed of her own, Twilight joined her friends on the floor with a sleeping bag. Petal watched them all lay out their sleeping bags, the Wraith sitting on hers lightly tasting the emotions around her. Even without the faint taste of nervous tension surrounding her, she knew that Lemon was getting ready to make her move. What made her mentally raise a brow was the fact that Lemon wasn't the only girl that seemed to be psyching herself up.
Hiding her curiosity behind a lazy smile, she watched her friends go about their business, chuckling lightly about what they had learned from the Truth-or-Dare game they played as they late hour took its toll on them. Every now and then, Lemon would give her a passing glance, to which the Wraith would give her a subtle nod, nudging her to take the chance she knew was coming. At the same time, she noticed Indigo giving Twilight a similar look, the bookish teen giving the same kind of response as Petal. 
Once everyone was laying down and the light was turned off, when Petal felt the anxiety between the two girls start to reach its zenith, did they both make their moves.
Lemon was slightly faster, letting out a nervous, "Hey, dudes, I um....can I....I want to get somethings off of my chest."
"Is this about how you keep acting aggressive around this time each year?" Sugar bluntly asked, still laying on her sleeping bag.
"Y...Yeah," Lemon nodded, eyes locked on the patch of ceiling over where she laid. 
"Alright," Sugar nodded, letting out a faint relieved sigh then said, "Talk. We are all listening."
Lemon nodded, took a soothing breath, organized her thoughts, then started talking before her nerves could get in the way.
"A long while back, like, around Kindergarden, my parents got caught in a car accident. Both of them where killed on the scene."
Petal flinched when she felt shock shoot through the room, followed by a spike of concern. Lemon sighed when she heard the faint gasps and the sounds of her friends shifting in their sleeping bag to face her. Still staring at the ceiling, she gave them a moment to digest that before she continued.
"Lucky for me, big sis was already eighteen at the time and was in a good enough place in her life to take me in. I was too little to really get what was going on at the time. One day, Mom and Dad went off to go do something and the next, Harshwhinny was taking care of me. When I got older and started asking questions, things got really tense between us. I...hated that she got to grow up with Mom and Dad and I didn't get that chance. I hated that all of my memories of them came from home videos. I hated myself for hating her so much, cuz, I mean, it wasn't her fault or anything like that. I just wanted to forget all of that and just be happy and I hated that I couldn't."
She swallowed thickly, tears starting to flow as she forced herself to continue.
"I hate that time of year because it's the week leading up to the anniversary of my parents' deaths."
A heavy weight filled the room as everyone tried to process that, none of them expecting the sheer density of their friend's emotional burden. Lemon wiped away her tears and closed her eyes, a peaceful smile gracing her lips as she felt her nerves finally settle. She felt tired, ragged in a way that had nothing to do with the late hour, but so much lighter. As if she had just let a bolder the size of Crystal Prep fall off of her shoulders. As sleep started to take her, she heard the rustling of fabric. Her eyes popped open when she felt a pair of arms embrace her from both sides.
"You should've said something," Indigo frowned from Lemon's left.
"Agreed," Sugar nodded from Lemon's right. "We were really worried about you."
"Yeah," Lemon sadly chuckled. "Sorry about that."
"I'm so sorry for your loss," Twilight sniffled, hastily wiping away tears from her seat at her sleeping bag.
A faint memory jumped to the front of Petal's mind. She couldn't see their faces and their names were a mystery, but three young Wraiths came to her, their cores yanked out of their small bodies and casually shattered by a cluster of sparkling violet tendrils. Heartbreaking loss echoed through her soul as the fragment of a memory drifted to a corner of her mind.
"Yeah," Petal somberly nodded.
Lemon watched them in concern then shock when the duo got up and added themselves to the group hug. A small warmth formed in the rocker's chest as she let herself drift off to sleep. As weird as they were, she was so lucky to have such great friends. She just hoped she could stay a good friend to them for as long as possible, regardless of what time of the year it was.
> Ch. 18 The Long Game
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fear. That was the emotion one would feel if they walked through certain hallways in Crystal Prep. While many of the students and faculty would attribute it to the school's tense environment, the truth was something far more sinister. A black fox wandered the empty halls with mild interest. Normally, when the halls were full, a student would walk near him, go suddenly pale, and quickly flee to their next class. The fear and anxiety his presence forced out of the students was like nectar to a bee, the bittersweet emotions making him lick his jowls as it filled his belly. It was enough to keep him fed, but it wasn't anywhere near as satisfying as a true hunt would've been.
Memories of past hunts slowly flashed before his eyes, most of them being from a time long before Crystal Prep was even a thought. HIs favorites were from when the land was a wild forest, Canterlot City nothing more than a humble hamlet out in the far distant wilderness. Back then, his fox form was more appropriate, his prey seeing nothing but a fleeting shadow slipping between the trees and underbrush as they crept aimlessly through his hunting grounds. Men, women, children, it didn't matter to him; any that wandered into his forest became his meal, driven mad with fear as they ran blindly through the foggy expanses of his territory. They would hear his laugh, his steps, see his natural form standing just outside their line of sight in the fog before their panic finally broke them. 
They always found creative ways to end themselves, a curiosity in his early years as a Wraith that turned into a perk as he aged up into an Archwraith. Most flung themselves off of cliffs at the forest's heart, while others used whatever tools they had on hand to end themselves. He smiled when he remembered what a woodcutter did when he was done ripening him, the fool making the fatal mistake of trying to cut down the tree his Nest was bound to. A few whispers here, a flood of his aura there, and the brave fool was screaming like a banshee as he ran in circles. Eventually, the Wraith aimed the man's attention towards his ax. It took five minutes for the man to bleed out, but less than a second for Belfry to devour his ripened soul. A woman wandered into the forest a few days later, only to be driven so mad with fear that she clawed her own throat out a few hours into her capture.
When a pair of children wondered in, he made sure to pace himself.
He made them wonder his forest for days, always making sure to use his control over it to guide them to food and water when needed. He planted seeds into the strongest predators, making them see the children as threats big enough to intimidate, but too strong to attack as the children retreated. He scrambled their senses, making them wander in random directions as he crept around them in the fog. He didn't bother trying to conceal his presence, always taking whatever form would scare them just outside their sight-range in the fog. 
They would cry, beg for their parents, and tremble in pure terror in whatever shelter they could find in the forest. All the while, Belfry happily savored their fear. After a week of being toyed with, the two children were completely broken. They wandered the woods, faces blank and eyes dead to the world around them. Belfry watched them with a small smile from the shadows, dropping his hold on the forest to see just what would happen. Just when it looked like the children were about to make it out of his grasp, a bear wandered into the children's path. The bear let out a roar, ready to charge at the lost siblings.
They stared blankly at the incoming predator, then sported dead smiles as they spread their arms out, and waited for their demise. It was also around that time that the humans became suspicious of his forest, spreading legends of a dark spirit that haunted the wood. While the rumors did cut down on his hunts, it didn't ward off those far too foolish to heed them, nor the occasional Gifted that thought they had the power to end him.
A bitter frown marred his muzzle when he remembered what did end up changing his hunting practices.
Belfry's form started to fade, the Wraith no longer in the mood to wander. All the while, the memory of a well dressed noblewoman flickered through his mind and the accord that stood between them. A noblewoman that looked so similar to the mother that now held the contract. So much like the daughter who would soon inherit it should she claim the school.
A deal was made, he bitterly relented, his form already nothing but mist in the wind as he returned to his nest. A deal I must follow to be allowed to feed.....for now.
After a brief moment of weightlessness, both his form and surroundings changed.
A jet black hallway greeted him, the walls towering over him all the way to a vast gray vaulted ornate ceiling two stories above him. Black and white marble tiles covered the floor in a polished checkerboard-like pattern, adding to the gloomy atmosphere of the nest. Adorning the walls were ornate oil lamps, each styled to resemble wilting roses with dim white light emanating from the heart of the flowers. The Archwraith smiled, the cold chill of fear that flooded the hall filling him with ease as he advanced.
The Archwraith was now a teen, his appearance sitting squarely on the physical age of nineteen and strikingly handsome. He had a lean, yet toned build, a body type further emphasized by the black tail suit he wore. HIs matching dress-shoes clicked lightly on the tiled floors with each step he took, his pace slow and his poise proper in a way that only years of practice could achieve. Like all of his kind, his skin was a grayish white, his short straight hair a jet black, and his eyes a glowing gold surrounded by ebony sclera. 
As he walked, he passed several ornate doors, each seemingly crafted from black oak with a floral lamp stationed at its right. He barely spared them a glance, already aware of what kind of treasures laid within or which Seed was assigned to occupy them. One such being exited one of the rooms ahead of him, brining him to a stop and a small smile to his lips.
From the neck down, the Seed looked like a traditional butler, his uniform as black as night and free of any kind of filth. Instead of a human head, the creature sported the head of a raven, two glowing read orbs taking the place of his eyes as he met his master's gaze. A pair of jet black wings where tucked in tightly on his back, each individual feather preened to perfection.
With deep voice that held only the tiniest trace of a Braetish accent, the Seed placed a white-gloved hand onto his chest, bowed, and said, "Welcome back, my lord."
"Thank you, Nevermore," Belfry chuckled, stepping past him.
Without saying a word, Nevermore tailed his master, keeping a respectable three-foot distance as they walked. As they walked, they entered new halls and passed various rooms of specific use. A grand library, a massive ballroom, several studies, a mid-evil armory, and a fully stocked kitchen being the most relevant rooms in question, all holding a mid-evil aristocratic styling that would fit perfectly in a renaissance period film or painting. All of it was ignored by the pair, both of them walking with resolute purpose, only stopping when they came to a pair of massive black wooden double-doors.
With a passing thought, the doors opened to reveal a massive throne room. Ten gray marble pillars as thick as ancient trees held the room together, the domed ceiling they supported decorated with hundreds of mother-of-pearl carvings shaped like human eyes. Snarling snake carvings decorated the pillars, the vipers all seemingly ready to lash out at anyone foolish enough to get too close. Tall windows lined the sides of the room, each showing the edge of the cliff Belfry crafted his manor on. Past the cliff's edge was a bird's-eye view of the fog-choked forests below and the dark sky above, a massive full moon the only source of light in this world. At the far end of the room stood a vast throne, ornately crafted seemingly from human bone and bering stuffed cushions made from bear hide. the beast's perpetually roaring head decorating the seat's toprail. Golden skulls decorated the throne's arms, each glowing with an eery light while black smoke leaked out of their otherwise empty eye-sockets.
Belfry took in the room with a pleased sigh before he casually made his way towards his throne. With practiced grace, he took his seat and smiled coldly at his servant. Nevermore stood before his master at a respectable six-foot distance, crossing his left arm over his chest before kneeling down on one leg.
"Rise," Belfry casually intoned, waving off the Seed's sign of fealty. 
"As you wish," Nevermore nodded, gracefully rising back to full attention.
"Now then," Belfry smirked, has anything changed since I've been away?"
"No, master," Nevermore intoned. "All is as you remember it."
"Good," the Archwraith nodded. "The less distractions I have to deal with, the better."
As he said that, he waved his hand in front of himself. A shimmering portal appeared before him, no wider than a soccer ball and just as thin as a sheet of glass. Through it, he could see five teenage girls sitting at a kitchen table, all of them talking amicably amongst themselves as their breakfast was being prepared. Two of them in particular held his attention, that being his presented sacrifice, and the Wraith mingling with her true food.
He smiled haughtily at the display before him, his head propped up casually on one of his throne's arms with his hand. 
"Has the Newborn tried anything yet?" he asked, conjuring a filled black goblet with his Miasma.
"No, master," Nevermore stated, a hint of disappointment entering his tone. "It seems she is fond of your offering. Too much so to indulge in direct feeding or ripening."
"I see," he mused, still watching the group as he took a sip from his cup. "I suppose she doesn't need to feed all that much yet. Pity. If she were to eat the girl herself, it would've made things a lot easier for me moving forward."
"Quite regrettable," Nevermore nodded.
"Indeed," he sighed. "While we are on the topic, what can you tell me about the Newborn that has befriended my offering?"
Nevermore's posture straightened at that and in a confident militaristic cadence said, "I am afraid that their is not a lot of information to present. Her Miasma does not match any nearby nests nor is there a trail leading to her previous one. The only Wraith in the area to sire any Newborns recently was Lily Bouquet and both her and her children were slain by a group of Gifted not too long ago."
Belfry's brow raised at that.
"Elder sister was slain?"
"Yes," Nevermore somberly nodded.
A deep scowl graced his lips as he growled, "Who-" then hastily cut himself off with a huff as, in a forcefully calm voice, he said, "No. That can wait. Continue."
"As you wish," he nodded. "What I have been able to learn is that she also seems to be fond of the group surrounding the girl, including the newly awakened Gifted."
"Ah yes, the loud one," Belfry chuckled. "Quite the surprise that she would want to have anything to do with her after the hit she took."
"Indeed," the Seed nodded. "Aside from holding an unsightly attitude and being fairly protective of the small group of humans around her, the Newborn is rather unremarkable."
"I see," he mused, his eyes lazily taking in the younger Wraith's form. "Unremarkable, but still useful."
Nevermore cocked his head at that.
"Master?"
Belfry chuckled, eyes never leaving the one-way portal as he straightened his posture.
"Whether she kills the human or not, so long as I am denied a proper offering before the Friendship Games, I still win."
Nevermore's eyes dimmed, the closest thing to a confused squint his glowing orbs could manage, before they glowed brightly in understanding. Belfry nodded, sneaking a quick glance at his servant to see the unspoken understanding in his glowing eyes. A shimmering black aura surrounded the Archwraith, a quagmire of excitement and anger bubbling in his core as he stared at the portal. 
"A deal was made," he spat, a twisted grin marring his handsome face like a scar. "A contract forged and shackles joined, the clasp passed from one of blood to the other. Should those links be broken, one shall bear the consequences in full."
His jaw clenched in his rictus grin as a single spiteful thought echoed in his mind.
I hope you're watching this, Fine Point, because the things I have planned for your descendants will be the stuff of both legends and nightmares!


***


Twilight Velvet moved like a woman possessed, singing a happy tune to herself as she worked the whole kitchen to a level equal of a fully trained staff. Twilight's friends watched the mother work with slacked jaws and wide eyes as she prepared five tall stacks of pancakes, waffles, and french toast with practiced ease. Once they were loaded onto plates and placed onto the table, she went to the fridge, pulled out a few packages of bacon and sausage, and went right back to work. 
"Twilight, is your mom a robot?" Sugar asked, just barely managing to regain her pokerface as she watched the woman work.
"No," Twilight, blinked taken aback by both the question and her mother's behavior.
"Are you sure?" Lemon asked, still watching as a glass of orange juice was set in front of her. "I mean, its cool if she is, but is she?"
"Nope, she's human," Petal chuckled, casually taking a sip of coffee. "Trust me."
"More like super human," Indigo snorted, looking from Velvet to the tall stacks of food filling the table with trepidation. "Uh... we don't have to eat all of this, right?"
"Not exactly," Velvet giggled. setting plates in front of the girls. "I got a call this morning and, let's just say, we're going to have company in a few minutes."
"Who's coming?" Twilight asked, then gasped in excitement and asked, "Is it Shining and Cadence?"
"Nope, but you're on the right track," Velvet giggled, putting together three more place settings at the table.
Everyone watched with renewed shock when Velvet added something to the new settings that put stars in her eyes and a wide smile on her lips. Two camo-covered mugs and a small yellow sippy cup. Not even a second after the cups met the table, a knocking came from the front door. A happy squee and gust of wind was the only thing her friends registered as Twilight shot out of her seat towards it.
When Twilight flung the door open, three figures greeted her. One was a tall gray man with short black hair, brown eyes, and a fairly strong build for someone pushing close to fifty. He wore a silver T-shirt under a thin camo-print jacket, black pants, and brown leather hiking boots. At his side stood a gold woman with wavy silver hair that reached the middle of her back tied up into a ponytail, a lean yet toned build, and sharp orange eyes. She wore a short-sleeved light blue blouse under a thin, well-loved black jacket, gray jeans, and black tennis shoes. The third member of their group was a small silver girl, her platinum blond hair coming down just past her neck bearing a small teal streak. Her dark blue eyes stared up at Twilight with cautious curiosity from behind the woman's leg, her white sundress adding to the toddler's innocent charms.
"Gold, Onyx, and Platinum!" Twilight cheered, pulling the couple into a hug.
They both chuckled as they reciprocated, the young girl coming out just far enough from behind the woman to hug Twilight's leg.
"Hey Twi," the man, Onyx, smiled. "Been a while, huh?"
"Too long," Gold chuckled. 
"Yeah," Twilight giggled, pulling out of the hug. "Look how big Platinum is!"
As she said that, she reached down to pat the toddler on the head. Platinum gave her a small smile before shyly hiding her face into the teen's leg. Gold giggled at the sight, before she gently pried the girl off of the teen's leg.
"I know, right?" Gold smirked. "Say hi to Twilight Platinum," she lightly urged the girl.
"Hi," Platinum shyly stated, stepping behind her mother again.
Each of them smiled at the cute display, Twilight going the extra mile with a small giggle and a wave.
"So, are you gonna let us in, or are we camping out here?" Onyx playfully asked, crossing his arms and raising a brow.
"Yeah," Gold nodded, doing the same as she added, "The drive here was pretty long and I smell pancakes."
"Hungry," Platinum whispered with a nod.
"Oh! Right!" Twilight sheepishly chuckled, blushing slightly as she stepped out of the way. "Come on in."
The family chuckled at that as they accepted the invitation. Twilight gently closed the door behind them and led them towards the kitchen. Gold and Onyx took in the sight of both the feast and group of girls at the table with mild shock, before they rolled their eyes and took their seats. Twilight's friends watched the small family with a small bit of confusion then raised brows when a positively glowing Twilight retook her seat.
"I take it these are the friends you mentioned," Onyx inquired, nodding in thanks as Velvet filled his mug.
"Yep!" Velvet cheered, setting up her own plate and silver-wear onto the table. "In fact, they just had a sleepover last night."
"Really?" Gold asked, playfully staring each girl down. "I hope you all had a good time."
They all happily nodded, Twilight doing so with far more enthusiasm than the rest. Gold nodded in satisfaction at that, then went to work helping her daughter load her plate and cut up her pancakes. Said child gave each of the girls shy glances, seemingly unsure of what to make of them all.  The others noticed, giving her small waves and smiles as they filled their plates. Each time they did, she would shy away from them or try to duck under the table, but the promise of food would always make her peek back up out of hiding. 
"Is she okay?" Petal quietly asked, gently nudging Twilight in the side and nodding towards Platinum. "She seems a little jumpy."
"She's just shy," Twilight chuckled. "Give her some time to get use to everyone and she'll be fine. Until then, try not to make any loud noises around her, okay?"
"No problem," she nodded, taking a bite of her bacon and giving the toddler a passing glance.
Less then a minute later, she noticed something interesting about the girl. While she sensed caution from her each time she looked at her or her friends, she held a little bit more interest in Sugar Coat. Sugar seemed to notice this as well and was willing to let a small smile slip past her pokerface whenever their eyes met.
The reason became apparent when the toddler pointed at her and quietly said, "Teddy."
Everyone, Sugar included, took a moment to process that then chuckled or smirked at the blunt girl in question. Sugar, seemingly deciding to roll with it, pulled her hood up and gave her a soft "Roar". Platinum let out a small giggle and softly "roared" back at her. Petal and Twilight watched the exchange, fascinated in a way similar to two explorers watching the habits of two unknown animals. Meanwhile, the rest of the table just enjoyed the show, "Aw"-ing every so often in the case of Velvet.
"Looks like we might've found ourselves a babysitter," Onyx chuckled, sipping his coffee.
"I am not available ," Sugar stated, facing the couple and shifting back to her normal blank expression.
"That's a shame," Gold sighed. "Especially sense we're going to moving into the neighborhood  soon."
"You are?!" Twilight gasped. 
Platinum let out a startled squeak and clung onto her mother at the sudden cry, making the teen turn sheepish under the sharp frowns aimed at her.
"Sorry," she amended with an awkward chuckle.
"Apology accepted," Gold allowed, gently easing her daughter off of herself. "And yes. Onyx and I have been wanting to move for quite some time now and we just happened to find a place close by."
"How close?" Velvet asked.
"A few blocks down from here," Onyx shrugged. "About a ten minute walk."
"That's great," Twilight, beamed. "I'll be able to see you all more often. Maybe we could start up my training again."
"Of course," Gold smirked. "After all this time, it would be nice to have a competent student under my wing again."
"Amen to that," Onyx chuckled, helping Platinum eat. 
Indigo's eyes widened at that.
"Wait, she's the retired Special Forces member you told me about?" she asked, pointing at Gold.
"Yep!" Velvet giggled, taking a sip from her mug. "They both are actually."
"Wait, they're what now?" Lemon blinked.
"Petal?" Sugar asked, raising a brow.
"This is all news to me too," Petal frowned, raising a brow at Twilight.
Twilight just gave a nervous chuckle at that, the girl not quite used to receiving so much attention. This went double for such a small detail in her life. Why were her friends acting so strange about this? Then again, Indigo acted odd when she mentioned Gold the last time they hung out together. Was she missing something? Then, with the grace and subtlety of a kick to the groin, Sugar asked a question the bibliophilic teen didn't know how to answer.
"Twilight, is there any part of your life that is normal?"


***


The Shimmering Leaf was one of a few cafés that could afford to set up shop in the city's more affluent upper districts. The ornate Prench architecture, dim lighting, and top quality imported products quickly made it a regular meeting place for the select few that could afford its services. At an outdoor table sat two such patrons, one with the poise of a noble while the other slouched sullenly in her chair. The prim one, Sunny Flare, lightly chuckled at the sight as she daintily took a sip from her tea cup. To match the warming spring weather, she had opted for a short-sleeved white blouse, a dark blue uniform skirt. and polished black dress-shoes. A light navy jacket was draped across the back of her seat like a poorly fit seat cover. Her friend, Sour Sweet, sat across from her with crossed arms and a frustrated glare decorating her face. The girl wore a red T-shirt, tan slacks, and gray tennis shoes.
"You know I hate coming to this place," Sour grumbled, her voice holding a faint echo. 
"I know," Sunny giggled. "But this is the only place I can think of that we can talk freely in."
"I guess it beats a dark alley downtown," she shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. "Promise we can do this at the mall next time and we'll behave."
"We?" Sunny frowned.
Sour flinched.
"I," she amended. "I'll behave. Sorry."
"It is alright," Sunny smiled. "Just relax. Find your center."
"It would be a lot easier if we weren't surrounded by tightwads," Sour mumbled.
Regardless, she followed her friend's instructions. Just as she had done several times in the past, she took a deep breath, held it, counted to ten, then slowly let it out. She repeated this process several more times until she felt both halves of herself finally synch back up again.
"I'm good," she smiled, the echo in her voice more pronounced than before.
"Good," Sunny nodded, a rarely seen compassionate smile gracing her lips.
Sour smiled back at that.
"I frick'n wish the pills could fix this," she sighed.
"I will find a cure," Sunny frowned. "I just need to find the right Gifted."
"Yeah, yeah," Sour ruefully chuckled. "Your juju powers."
Sunny scowled at that.
"My mother has the power. All I have are our ancestor's artifacts."
"Right," Sour flinched. "Sorry."
"Apology accepted," Sunny sighed. "Though I suppose that would be as good a segway into the reason for our meeting as any."
"Say what?" Sour blinked, almost dropping her cup.
Sunny's expression turned bitter, staring into her cup as if it had insulted her personally.
"I have reason to believe that Sparkle is a Gifted."
Sour stared blankly at her, her mind struggling to make sense of that. When it did, a frustrated growl crept past a pair of clenched jaws. 
"That's just perfect," she sweetly stated, then bitterly added, "As if she didn't have a fatter head already."
Sour flinched, just realizing what had happened before she again tried to recenter herself. Sunny patently waited, her worry for her friend briefly eclipsing her animosity towards Twilight. Once that was accomplished, Sunny took a calming breath of her own and continued.
"Specifically, I believe she has the ability to summon a guardian."
"Is that what Petal Wasp is supposed to be?" Sour asked.
Sunny nodded. 
"After hours of observation, I can confirm that their is no security footage of her entering the school at any point, yet there is countless footage of her leaving Sparkle's lab. In all said footage, she is rarely far from Sparkle or her new subordinates. Combine that with the overpowering presence you described at the mall, it is very safe to assume that she is a summon."
"So, now the Princess has a knight," Sour huffed. "Terrific."
"I also have reason to believe that Lemon Zest is a Gifted as well," Sunny added, taking a sip of her tea.
"Seriously!?" Sour exclaimed, ignoring the looks she was getting.
Sunny solemnly nodded.
"Both the footage and level of damage would suggest it, though the specifics of her ability are difficult to determine."
"So," Sour growled, "You're telling me some girl who thinks she's too good to work with others has a summon, a Gifted, and a few of the Elites under her thumb?"
Bitterly, Sunny nodded.
"Great," Sour spat, just a step away from throwing her cup at a wall. "Is there any way we fix this?"
"Yes, actually," Sunny allowed, a small smile finally gracing her lips. "Though, I do not believe you will like it."
"I already don't like this," Sour frowned. "So spill."
Sunny nodded, still sporting her patient smile as she met her friend's gaze.
"First, we need to gather as much information as we can about our targets' abilities. Yes, we know that Sparkle can create a summon, but we do not know what that summon is capable of or if she can create more than one. This goes double for Lemon, considering the destructive power she displayed at the school."
"Alright," Sour nodded. "But how are we going to figure all of that out?"
"Simple," Sunny stated, keeping her smirk as she sipped her tea. "We simply need to watch them."
"You mean like, stalking?" Sour blinked. "I...you're right. I'm not okay with that."
"Not stalking per se," Sunny amended, reaching into her pocket. "Though I suppose it counts as such under some definitions."
As she said that, she pulled out a small silver hand-mirror out of her pocket and placed it on the table.
"What's that?" Sour asked, cautiously leaning away from the mirror.
"Fine Print's Mirrored Eye," Sunny frowned. "When activated, it shows its user what the last person reflected on its surface is doing at any given moment."
"Okay, that's creepy," Sour cringed.
"Perhaps," Sunny shrugged, returning the mirror to her pocket. "At the same time, I fail to see how many other options we have."
"I guess," Sour frowned. "So, we get that thing to lock onto Sparkle and spy on her, right?"
Sunny nodded, wondering where her friend was going with this.
"Well, what do we do about her Summon?" Sour pressed. "I mean, you weren't there Sunny. That thing was really fucking scary!"
"I have something stowed away for that thing as well," Sunny nodded, smiling softly as she took another sip of her tea. "It will take some time to charge, but it should be able to make short work of the Summon."
"Are you sure?" Sour gulped.
Sunny nodded.
"O...Okay," Sour sighed. "I'll trust you on this."
"It shall not be misplaced," Sunny nodded.
"So, when do we get started?" she asked, taking a swig of her now chilled coffee.
"When classes start," Sunny intoned, her pitch holding a solemn weight. "Until then, all we can do is enjoy ourselves as much as we can before we go to war."


***


Hours had passed since breakfast and the house was alive with activity. Lemon and Indigo were in the middle of a computer game with Twilight in her room. A game that, given the colorful muffled voices, was not going well for the sporty girl at the moment. Meanwhile, Sugar was in the living room playing with a much more animated Platinum, the sounds of fake roars and giggles adding a warm atmosphere to the room. Petal had decided to camp in the kitchen, the Wraith more than happy to let her human friends have some fun without her for a little bit. As hilarious as they could be, even she wanted to have some time to herself every now and then. Although, to say she was alone was not entirely true.
"So, you're the one Velvet was talking about, right?" Gold asked, sitting across from her at the kitchen table.
"Depends on what she was saying," Petal shrugged, nursing a glass of fruit punch.
"That you're the bad influence that got Twi to step out of her shell," Onyx smirked, sitting at his wife's right.
"Sounds like me," Petal chuckled.
"Yes," Gold smiled. "Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"
Petal felt a slight pressure in the the couple's gaze, but ignored it and casually answered.
"Not much to say," she shrugged. "I grew up in a rougher side of town, live in a crappy apartment with my folks, and go to school at home. Not much else to say past that."
"I see," Onyx chuckled.
The pressure slightly grew.
"What do your parents do for a living?" Gold casually asked.
"Mom runs a liquor store while dad works as a computer tech at home," Petal shrugged. "It's not pretty, but it pays the bills, right?"
"Right," Gold nodded.
The pressure grew again.
"Do you have any hobbies?" Onyx asked, getting up to refill his mug from the coffee machine.
"Not really," Petal chuckled. "Can't really afford too much these days, y'know?"
"Ain't that the truth!" he laughed, making his way back to the table. "But I bet you do something to have fun, right?"
"I guess?" Petal blinked, raising a brow. "I mean, Twilight recently got me into D&D and it's not all that bad."
"I see," Gold snickered, "What kind of character do you have?"
Petal grimaced as she muttered, "A pacifist cleric."
Both of them gave her confused looks.
"Long story," Petal groaned. "Let's just say, she's going to have one hell of a faith change soon."
"Right," Gold chuckled. "I was put in a similar situation when Shining tried to bring us into a game, right honey?"
"Don't remind me," he chuckled. "That cutesy voice you gave your character still haunts my nightmares."
"Then I know my powers still work," she said, winking at him.
"And if we give Platinum a sibling, then I know mine still do too," he smirked.
"Honey," she blushed, playfully swatting his shoulder. "Time and place."
"And that's a nat twenty," he chuckled.
Petal watched the exchange with mild confusion, only to flinch when she was once again the center of attention and the slightly higher pressure returned.
"Anyway, I don't think you mentioned your parent's names," Gold casually stated.
"Oh, right," Petal chuckled. "Well, mom's name is Lily Dancer and Dad's name is Yellow Jacket."
"Huh, nice names," Onyx nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "Wonder if I'll run into you're mom on the way to the gym. Where's her store, again?"
The pressure took a sudden small spike.
"She's, uh, in down town Canterlot. On the corner of Thorn and Rose," Petal nervously stated, struggling to keep her backstory straight.
"That's perfect!" Gold smiled. "We saw a gym not too far from there on the way here."
"Guess I'll get that chance after all," he laughed.
"I doubt it," Petal chuckled. "Mom's hours are a little speratic.
"I can imagine," Gold smiled.
The pressure took a sudden massive spike when the couple dropped their friendly demeanor. Petal gulped, the Wraith feeling no bigger than an ant under the cold stares they aimed at her. Not helping was the near emotional void she could sense from them. They were just so calm, with hearts calculated in a way that felt nowhere near natural to the Wraith. 
"Now," Gold started, "Why don't you drop the act and tells us the truth."
"Wh-What are you talking about?" Petal stammered.
Onyx let out an exasperated sigh at that.
"Young lady, both of us have spent most of our adult lives around the best bullshitters the country has to offer. We know almost everything you just said was a lie, so don't even try to play us."
Petal flinched at that, both impressed and terrified by the couples' abilities.
"I do not want to turn this into an issue," Gold clarified. "You've been good for Twilight so far, but I don't want that to suddenly change. So, this is what is going to happen. I am going to ask one question and you are going to give me an honest answer. Do you understand?"
Petal nodded, frozen in place under the woman's crushing gaze.
"Good," she nodded. "Now then, what are you hiding?"
Silence greeted that question, the Wraith's mind running in so many different directions as she struggled to find an answer. These humans could see right through her lies so anything less than the truth would be a waste of time. At the same time, she couldn't tell them that she was a Wraith. Even if they would believe her, that was not a secret she was willing to spread around anytime soon. After a few minutes of frantic delberation she took a deep breath and gave the closest thing to the truth that she could manage.
"I can't tell you that."
A heavy silence hung in the air, neither of them willing to break it or the suffocating aura filling the room. Petal met their unreadable gaze head on, anxiously waiting for their response. Eventually, the pressure receded and her wait was rewarded.
"Alright then," Gold frowned. "I have another question. Do you plan to hurt Twilight or her new friends in any way?"
"Wha-? Hell no!" Petal snapped, almost spilling her drink as she jumped to her feet. "Are you guys fucking stupid? I'd sooner die that do something like that!"
Onyx and Gold simply stared at her, neither of them moved in any way that Petal could detect by her words. Petal met their cold gazes with fire burning in her own, every part of her ready to tell these two off the second they gave her the chance. They stayed like that for a few long seconds, before the couple lowered the tension with small satisfied smiles.
"Good," Gold chuckled, taking off her jacket. "Then I won't need to worry quite so much."
"No kidding," Onyx smirked. "It's hard to find good people these days. Even harder to find any worthy enough to call a real friend. Looks like Twi found a few when we weren't looking."
Petal was going to comment on that, but froze when she saw Gold's arms.
Dozens of scars covered them from her wrists all the way up to her shoulders. Each of them were faded with age, but still moved across her flesh in jagged, ugly angles.  Petal's jaw dropped when she saw the edges of more scars around the woman's collar bones, signs that more old wounds existed that were likely just as brutal as the ones on her arms. 
"With all of that being said," Gold continued, snapping Petal out of her shock. "When Twilight comes for lessons, I would not be against it if you decided to join her."
"Wha- really?" Petal blinked. 
"I don't see why not," Onyx shrugged. "The more protection the better, right?"
"Right," Petal frowned, thoughts instantly drifting towards Crystal Prep and the possible Archwraith nesting there. "I think I'll take you guys up on that."
"Good to hear," Onyx smiled, raising his mug and taking a swig.
"I will let Twilight know when we are moved in and we'll take it from there."
"Sounds good to me," Petal sighed.
Jeez if all special force people are like this, I fucking hope none of them are Gifted. These two are seriously hard core!
> Ch. 19 Abnormal Normalcy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somber silence hung heavy in the air, a haunting peace that both calmed and chilled the heart in equal measure. It was a feeling Sunny had become all too familiar with, given the number of times she had entered this room. Like the rest of her home, soft grayish-blue walls surrounded her, the massive fifty-by-fifty foot square room lit by a titanic crystal chandelier. Various glass display cases filled the room, the smaller artifacts held in large display shelves while the larger ones stood alone. They each stood five feet apart from each other at the center of intricate arcane circles carved into the floor.
The girl took in the sight with cautious interest, making sure not to step too close to the various circles carved into the floor as she made her way through it. Her dress shoes clicked softly on the gray marble floor, her navy business-skirt and black stalkings doing little to protect her from the chill in the air. Out of habit, she clutched her shoulders for some sense of comfort, the long sleeves of her lavender blouse crinkling like paper under her grip. A grip that sharply grew when she made it to the back of the room.
Here stood two display cases, each showing a different arcane artifact. The left one held a Trotish claymore, its blade held in a dark leather sheath that only added to the splendor of its golden hilt. Its grip was simmering silver silk while its pommel was golden and in the shape of a dragon with a glimmering emerald marble in its maw. On display on the right was a wicked obsidian dagger. While its neighbor seemed to give off a radiant aura, the dagger's blade seemed to devour the light around it. Said blade was jagged and curved, like the fang of some demonic serpent, and black with a faint violet light. Its handle was wrapped in a coarse emerald hide similar to snake scales with a faintly glowing blue diamond set into its pommel. 
Standing a good five feet away from the two item's circles, she frowned at the dagger.
Still not strong enough. How much longer will I need to wait? 
A dejected sigh crept past her lips, her hand drifting slowly to her heart. She flinched when a cold spark echoed through her soul. She could sense the foul presence residing there, coiling around in the back of her mind like a barbed-wire tether. Her hand then drifted to the silver ring on her right index finger, the runes inscribed in the silver band glowing a faint red light as they fulfilled their function. 
"Just a little longer," she muttered, tracing a finger across her ring. "Then Sour and I can be free of these foul Seeds."
And then....then I will see what can be done about the blight Fine Print left us with.
Before she could continue down that train of thought, a knock at the door caught her attention.
"Yes?" she called, her attention still locked onto the two artifacts.
"You have a guest," a female voice said from behind the door. "A Stygian Swirl, young ma'am."
A soft smile spread across her lips as she turned towards the door.
"Very well," she called. "Let him in."
"As you wish," the maid replied.
Seconds later, the door opened and a thin gray boy entered the room. HIs short arctic blue hair was in a bowl cut and his black T-shirt and jeans carried several deliberate cuts in them. His face was youthful and handsome in spite of the disinterest it displayed. That changed when he locked eyes with Sunny and a small friendly smile graced his lips. A smile near identical to the one Sunny wore as she watched him leisurely approach her. She quickly met him halfway and gave him a hug.
"It is great to see you again," she smiled.
"Likewise," he chuckled, patting her on the back.
Sunny giggled at that, breaking the embrace .
"Still not used to showing affection, eh?" she smirked, raising a brow. "That new girlfriend of yours will be heartbroken."
"A rather bold claim, don't you think?" he frowned. "Besides, I don't think we have earned that kind of connection just yet."
"Oh don't give me that," Sunny huffed. "The two of you have been dating for a little over a month now. If she's willing to put up with your mopey attitude for that long, then I say she's more than willing to give you a chance."
"Perhaps," Stygian relented, "Though I fail to see how talking in a library counts as a date." 
He held out a hand to her, 
"May I?"
"If you must," she playfully sighed, rolling her eyes as she placed her right hand in his.
All business as usual. Hopefully that girl will help him loosen that collar of his.
At that, her mind drifted to simpler times, when they were little and the two of them used to play make-believe in the backyard. When he used to smile more and she didn't know about the looming darkness that haunted her family. As she did that, Stygian carefully examined the ring's runes, his eyes scanning them for even the slightest imperfections. His fingers nimbly and gently turned the metal band with the care of an artisan as he did his work.
Time certainly changes things, she mused, fighting against the small blush coloring her cheeks.
"It is still holding," he nodded, letting go of her hand. "You may need to get it replaced or mended soon, though."
"Of course," she sighed, then bitterly muttered, "Just one more irritation to contend with."
"Speaking of which," he frowned, nodding towards something behind her.
All pleasant emotions fell out of her. She didn't need to turn to know what he was gesturing towards. With a nod, she turned and made her way back towards the dagger. Keeping pace with her and eventually coming to her right, Stygian eyed the relic in distain, disgust made more plain on his face as they closed in on it. By the time they made it to the perimeter of the dagger's circle, he had to actively try to stare at the retched thing.
"I still can't believe your ancestor used this, thing," he growled, spitting the word "thing" out like a wad of rotten food.
"Agreed," she frowned, aiming a glare at the item in question. "Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that it is necessary. If all else fails, the Blood Oath Dagger is to be our ace in the hole."
"I know," he sighed. "Believe me; I am well aware of desperate acts."
As he said that, his eyes wandered to his right wrist.
Wrapped around it was a jet black steel bracelet, shadowy black tendrils carved into its surface in an intricately woven pattern. At its top, just before coming to the back of his hand and set into the metal were a pair of glowing red rubies, each cut into the shape of narrowed glaring eyes. He tore his eyes away from the accessory and aimed a worried frown at his friend.
"Let's hope that we never need to resort to this."
With that said, he aimed a sharp glare at the weapon and hissed, "Scathex, come."
The second the words left his mouth, a heavy chill filled the air. A dry, raspy male laugh echoed around them as Stygian's shadow started to deform. It was subtle at first, a faint tremor rattling through its outline in a way similar to a lightly disturbed puddle of water. As the laugher grew, so to did the damage to the boy's shadow, the patch of darkness quickly turning into a writhing pool of darkness staining the ground at his right. By that point, the laughter abruptly stopped and something started to rise out of the darkness, the bastardized shadow shrinking as it emerged. In the most basic of senses, the creature looked like a black king cobra, but that was where the similarities ended. Dark ash seemed to fall away from its form, erasing itself from existence seconds after it left its body in a constant steady stream. Instead of eyes, two glowing red lights sat in the creature's sockets, the cruel cunning in them adding to the unholy feel the creature's presence invoked. Most unsettling of all, neither it nor Stygian casted a shadow.
"You summoned me?" the snake, Scathex, asked, a hint of cruel amusement coloring his tone.
"Yes," Stygian frowned. "As much as I loath to say it, I am in need of your assistance."
"It seems you have yet to learn the definition of 'rhetorical',"  Scathex chuckled.
Aside from a sharpened glare, Stygian didn't respond.
Scathex let out a dejected sigh at that.
"You are no fun. My last master was far less uptight," he huffed, then cheekily added, "Perhaps that little lady of yours can help with that."
"Quiet," Stygian hissed. "You will not talk bad about her in front of me."
Scathex reared back at that, seemingly struck by the boy's words.
"I would never!" the snake snapped, genuinely sounding insulted. "Out of all of the people in your life, she's one of the few that I actually like! She thinks I'm...what was the fraise she used again?"
"Super awesome," the boy grumbled out, then sharply added, "That was a compliment aimed at both of us, by the way."
"You say that like I'm the one that needs an ego boost," the demon snickered.
"Enough," Stygian growled. "I summoned you for a reason and talking about Lightning is not it."
"Fine," Scathex sighed.
With some reluctance, the boy held out his hand out towards the snake. With the speed one would come to expect from the form he took, Scathex darted forward and coiled himself around the offered limb. Immediately, the snakes form fell apart, seemingly melting into a dark black sludge that coated Stygian's arm three inches short of his elbow. Once the whole forearm was covered, the dark substance took on a more defined shape. In less than a minute a jet black clawed gauntlet decorated the boy's right arm.
Stygian stared down at his hand, giving his fingers an experimental flex before pointing his palm at the Blood Oath Dagger's case. Black energy slithered out of his palm towards the dagger in slow steady streams, the gem in its pommel gradually glowing brighter. A mix of satisfaction and disgust filled him at the sight, silently fuming over the insanity of the situation he found himself in. A passing glance at his childhood friend added a small spike of irritation to his emotional turmoil.
"Why are you smiling like that?" he flatly asked, focusing on his work.
"She knows about Scathex?" Sunny asked, her knowing smile never leaving her face.
"Yes," he frowned, tone still flat.
"And she still likes you?" Sunny pressed, still smiling.
"She's still friendly," Stygian nodded, eyes still locked onto the dagger.
"Oh don't be so formal about it," she giggled, lightly smacking his shoulder. "It's obvious this girl means a lot to you if you were willing to let her know about him."
"It wasn't exactly planned," he huffed, glaring at the dagger.
"What do you mean?' she asked, her smile falling away.
With an tired sigh, he thought back to what had happened the day before and started to explain.


***


Dry dirt-clods and twigs crunched loudly under his boots, the wild trail before him moving up at a slight incline. Tall trees surrounded him in every direction, their shadows, abandoned branches, and dried pine-needles almost hiding the very trail he was using. The thin mountain air held a crisp chill and was strong with the smell of pine and soil. Narrow streams of early morning light cut through the canopy, showing the small puffs of his own breath in the gloom.
In front of him, ten feet further up the trail, were his two older brothers.
The younger of the two, Flash Magnus, wore a simple gray T-shirt and faded brown shorts. His skin was a dark yellow and short hair a striking blood red. His light blue eyes locked with Stygian's, a patient roguish smile decorating his charming face as he waited for him to catch up. The young man held a toned physique, built for speed over raw strength as a result of countless hours of hard work, something the scrawny teen couldn't help but feel a little jealous of at times. 
Even so, he was nothing compared to their oldest sibling.
Rockhoof, or Rock Fist as Stygian teasingly called him, was a mountain of a man. Towering a whole two feet over Magnus, the six-foot light blue giant was the closest thing to a modern viking in terms of build. HIs long brown hair had a few streaks of blond running through it, a simple gray headband keeping it out of his face. A short brown beard with matching streaks added to his grizzled physique, as did his faded brown shirt and mud-stained blue jeans. In spite of his fearsome build, his amethyst eyes shined with a gentle warmth that matched his loud and boisterous nature.
"C'mon you two," Magnus teasingly called. "At this rate, it'll be snowing before we reach the cabin."
Stygian rolled his eyes at that, ignoring Rockhoof's chuckle at that as he pushed himself forward.
"Got it," a winded female voice called from behind the boy.
Stygian looked over his shoulder, raising a brow at the latest addition to their group.
To say Lightning wasn't used to this kind of exercise was an understatement. Even a passing glance told him that the girl was the athletic type, but while he and his brothers were barely even winded, she was running on fumes. It both impressed and concerned him that she could make it so far up the mountain like that. While he, his siblings, and grandparents were used to the uneven footing and thin air, he knew that even the most dedicated athletes would struggle under these same conditions. 
Her black sports jacket was tied around her waist, her gray T-shirt soaked with sweat around her collar and pits. Her black jeans were covered with dirt from the countless times she had tripped on the way. Her short sweat-soaked hair was held out of her face by a green bandana and had many stray leaves and twigs caught in it. Mud covered her heavy brown boots in thick layers, adding to the unfamiliar burdens her body had to contend with. Add her stumbling gait to the equation and it was clear that the girl needed a break, even if her pride refused to accept it.
He motioned for his brothers to move on ahead before he waited for her to catch up.
"If you need to take a break, I won't think any less of you," he stated, stoping her advance with a hand on her shoulder.
"N-No, I-I'm good," she panted with a weak smile. "I-I just....I just need to make it to the cabin, right?"
"Yes," he nodded, then flatly added, "And that's five miles from here."
Lightning balked at that for a second, then donned a determined glare as she said, "Sh-Should be a piece of cake."
"Perhaps," he shrugged. "After a short rest."
Lightning opened her mouth to argue, but a stern look from the boy was enough to change her mind.
"Fine," she huffed, staggering to a nearby bolder and plopping down on it.
Sighing at the attitude, he followed her and took a seat beside her.
"I told you this was hard," he frowned.
"I...I know," she panted, glaring down at the ground. "I....still....still wanted....to come along."
"Why?" he blinked, taken aback slightly by the admission.
She gave him a brief side-eye, then bit her lip and looked away from him as she sheepishly muttered out, "Just because."
"I see," he nodded, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.
They sat like that in relative silence, Lightning panting while Stygian closed his eyes. 
A soft zen settled in him as the sounds of nature greeted him. It was one of the few things that brought him peace in life. Taken away from the stifling pressure of civilization, he felt he could truly breath once he was surrounded by the rustling of leaves in the wind and the cries of the animals. Out here, surrounded by the flow of the world in its more primal essence, the world felt so much more real compared to the mockery man had crafted for himself.
"You make this look so easy," Lightning sighed, snapping him out of his trance. "How do you do it?"
Hiding his mild irritation at the interruption, he turned his head towards her and calmly stated, "Time. My family and I have been doing this sense I was a baby. I remember struggling quite a bit at first, but it became easy eventually."
"Wait, you climbed up here as a baby?" she balked.
That brought a small chuckle out of him.
"No. My parents weren't that cruel. They carried me up here until I could walk by myself. Then I had to get up here on my own."
Lightning continued to gawk at him, her mind seemingly struggling with that little nugget of information. The reaction drew a rare small smile out of him. A smile that turned into a confused frown when Lightning suddenly looked away from him, suddenly very interested in a tree down the path towards the mountain's bottom.
"Are you okay?" he asked, lightly tapping her shoulder.
"Y-Yeah!" she chirped, suddenly sitting straight, but still looking away from him. "I..um....I just....uh.....wow....I uh...here and I thought my parents were rough with me."
She nervously chuckled after saying that, only adding to the concern he felt towards the girl. While not a heartless person per se, Stygian seldom got involved with the worries of others. Why get involved with something that he ultimately had nothing to do with after all? Everyone had their own problems to solve and they were the ones that needed to solve them. Period. That being said, the faint hint of venom he heard in Lightning's tone regarding her parents did not sit right with him. So, in spite of his better judgement telling him to do otherwise, he decided to reach out.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
Lightning tensed, then slowly relaxed and shook her head.
That only added to Stygian's concern, but with no idea how to safely proceed, he let the topic drop. At least, he did to a certain degree.
"If that changes, don't hesitate to call me," he frowned, finally taking his eyes off of her.
A long moment of silence settled between them, Lightning's slowly steadying breathing and the sounds of nature the only things of note. After some time, Lightning broke the peace, reclaiming his attention. 
"Th-Thanks," she managed, nervous strain shaking her tone as she looked over her shoulder at him. "I'll...I'll remember that."
"Good," he nodded, some of his dread bleeding out of him.
It was then that he noticed how red her cheeks were.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "You look a little flushed."
"Y-Yeah!" she chirped, suddenly sitting ramrod straight and snapping her face away from him. "Just a-a-a...you know...um...sunburn! Yeah! That's it!"
He raised a brow at that.
"If you're not feeling well, I could have Rock Fist come back to carry you the rest of the way."
"Nope! I'm good!" she squeaked, jumping to her feet and turning to face him. "See?"
Before he could respond, her legs suddenly gave out from under her. With a startled yelp, she hit the ground and quickly started rolling backwards down the path. Stygian jumped to his feet and ran after her, panicked ice filling his gut as he watched his friend roll over rocks and hard earth. The slope of the path and Lightning's exhaustion kept her moving just out of his reach, adding to his worry for her. His panic broke into true horror when he risked a quick glance ahead and saw the edge of a cliff further down the path. His mind ran faster than his legs, trying to think of some way to catch up with her before it was too late. The time to make a decision came too soon for him as he watched Lightning roll off the cliff.
"Scathex!" he barked.
"On it!" the demon stated. 
A second later, a portion of the boy's shadow stretched out from its center, a hand forming on the end as it darted forward. It froze halfway there when something flew up from the drop into view. Hovering in front of them, covered in scrapes and budding bruises, was Lightning Dust. The girl now had large feathered wings coming out of her back and what appeared to be pointed animal ears sticking out of the top of her head. In addition to that, small sparks of electricity were flickering off of her body in random places.
Both of them stared at each other with wide eyes, said eyes quickly taking note of the paranormal phenomenon the other had on display. Their minds ran in several different directions at once, not sure how they were supposed to take this sudden shift. They both opened and closed their mouths a few times, before finally, after several long minutes of staring, they both found their voices.
In perfect unison, they both frantically cried, "I CAN EXPLAIN!!!"


***


Stygian sported the deadest of deadpans, focusing solely on his task and ignoring the hysterical cackling coming from his friend.
After a few minutes of this, dully asked, "Are you done yet?"
"Ju-Just give me a moment," she giggled, only just managing to pull it back into a haughty smirk. "Okay, I'm done."
"Good," he huffed.
"So," she added. "She's a Gifted as well? What luck! What family is she from?"
"None that either of us are aware of," he frowned, still feeding the dagger his Aether. "She refused to go into too many details, but apparently, she Awakened some time after coming into contact with another group of Gifted."
"I see," Sunny nodded, her tone turning thoughtful. "Perhaps they're from a discarded clan?"
"Perhaps," he allowed, noting the brighter shine in the dagger's pommel before he cut off the flow of power. 
He turned towards her and continued.
"As I said, she did not tell me much. Either she does not know, or she doesn't trust me well enough to give me the full picture."
"Oh I doubt it is the latter," Sunny giggled, her smile taking on an impish edge. "If she was really acting the way you described, then she'll tell you anything you want. You just need to ask the right questions first."
Stygian's normally placid expression turned vicious, his glare hot enough to burn a hole through tungsten. The sight made Sunny flinch, then take a cautious step back from him. More out of reflex than as a promise, her hand shot into her right skirt-pocket and the artifact that it held. Stygian noticed, and after he took several slow, deep breaths, he returned to his normal calm persona. With a flick of his wrist, he canceled his Summon to relieve the tension between them.
"I'm sorry," he somberly sighed, turning his back to her.
Sunny swallowed thickly, trying to get some moisture back into her dry mouth as she pulled her hand out of her pocket. Forcing back her fear, she approached her friend and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but refused to move beyond that.
"No, I am the one that needs to apologize," she frowned, staring down at the ground in shame. "Considering what your family fights and my own circumstances, I should've known better than to make a joke like that."
Stygian didn't respond, the fact that he brought his right hand up to his own line of sight the only sign that he was listening. More specifically, the metal bracelet on his right wrist into his line of sight. Sunny didn't need to see his face to know he was grimacing at it.
"You are not a Wraith Stygian," she calmly, yet firmly, stated.
"I am close enough," he softly spat. "Anyway, unless you have further need of me, I should head back home. My Grandparents will start to worry if I am not back soon."
As he said that, he gently brushed Sunny's hand off of his shoulder and made his way towards the door. However, a hasty cry from Sunny made him stop two feet from his goal.
"A-Actually, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"
Stygian turned towards her, then raised a brow as he delivered his flat response.
"No. Why?"
"W-Well," Sunny demurely started. "Sour and I were going to spend time at the mall later and I was wondering if you would accompany us."
Stygian blinked in surprise at that, surprise that quickly turned into a flat stare as he said, "If this is some way to further apologize then-"
"I had already planned to make the offer well before your arrival today," she cut in, a hint of pain entering her smile. "It has been far too long since we all last spent time together."
"That is true," he nodded, a little of the tension from earlier falling off of his shoulders. "Add all of this and it is a small miracle that we both haven't lost our minds yet."
As he said that, he made a sweeping gesture with his hand around the room.
"Who says we haven't?" Sunny giggled, hands together at her front as she approached him.
"Too true," he lightly chuckled, allowing her to pass him. "So, shall we at least pretend to be normal sane people today?"
"Yes," she nodded, opening the door with a small giggle. "But just for today."


***


Being technically a school day, The Crystal Emporium was not as packed as it normally was for the trio. Neither of them were willing to complain about that. After all, less people meant more seats at the food court and restaurants . It was for that reason the three of them found themselves sitting at a table in said food court sipping sodas over a large pizza with little congestion. The three of them laughed over current events, mostly in regards to the story the local police came up with to explain what happened at Crystal Prep. While a "hidden explosive" was obviously not a laughing mater, it was surprisingly bland compared to what actually happened. Then again, it was highly unlikely that the news would've ran a story titled, Rocker Girl's Singing Blew-up a Classroom, and not end up being committed.
"So," Stygian started, adding another slice of pizza to his plate. "Aside from a "bomb" going off at your school, has anything else of interest happened recently?"
Sour crossed her arms and aimed a frown at Sunny.
"Aside from stalking Sparkle? Nothing much, really."
"Excuse me?" he blinked.
"What she means,," Sunny snipped, glaring disapprovingly at her fellow classmate. "Is that there is a new situation involving the school's Princess. One that requires information to solve."
"By spying on her with a magic mirror," Sour huffed, angrily sucking on the straw in her drink.
Stygian's posture turned stiff at that, a cold frown gracing his lips as he slowly turned his head towards Sunny.
"Please. Explain."
"If I must," she sighed, slumping in her seat.
Damn you Sour. I didn't want to get him involved in this!
"Recent developments have led me to believe that Sparkle may be a Gifted," she spat.
"What kind of developments?" Stygian asked, raising a brow.
For the next few minutes she told him everything she had learned about her fellow Elite's sudden change in personality and the video of the strange girl that seemed to teleport into the school from inside Twilight's privet basement level room. Sour shivered when she added how she felt when she encountered the girl during one of her episodes a few days ago. The most damning evidence of all was the surveillance video of when Lemon Zest Awakened, showing what appeared to be a severely injured humanoid figure running through the halls and out the school's main entrence. The fact that Twilight ran after it moments later was the final nail in the coffin  as far as Sunny was concerned. 
"I see," he sighed, crossing his arms. "So, how will this affect our plans moving forward?"
"Actually, this could be more to our benefit," Sunny smirked. "Depending on what kind of abilities Sparkle's Summon has, it could make things easier when we make our move against Belfry."
"We might get to team up with the school's perfect Princess?" Sour gushed, then bitterly grumbled. "Think we could feed her to Belfry instead?"
The second the words left her mouth, Sour's hands shot up to cover it. Her wide indigo eyes darted back and forth between Sunny and Stygian, both looking at her with only a little less shock. Her heart hammered in her chest as she struggled to think of a way to explain herself.
"I-I-I didn't mean.... I mean I did, but.... I...I'm so sorry!"
"It is alright Sour," Sunny softly smiled, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder and giving it a gentile squeeze. "Just breathe."
Stygian waited patiently for his friend to center herself, his eyes drifting towards the small red stud in her right earlobe.
I will need to ask her to let me examine that later, he noted, faintly grimacing at his inability to do more for her.
"Now then," Sunny continued. "As much as I dislike Sparkle, I also can not deny that she is brilliant. If she is capable of combining that with her abilities as a Gifted, she could be a valuable asset in our campaign. Barring that, the potential raw power Lemon Zest wields could also be of some use."
"Assuming she can be trained in time," Stygian sighed.
"Correct," Sunny nodded. "But that is work for another time."
"Right, Sour?" she sharply added, aiming a slight glare at her friend.
"Right," Sour huffed, crossing her arms as she met her glare.
Stygian watched the exchange with a small sigh, pushing any lingering issues he had with the situation to the back of his mind. He came here with the hope of having a good time with his friends and, by his grandfather's silver beard, he was going to make sure to do just that! With that in mind, he snapped his fingers to put an end to the stare-down and get their attention.
"How about we stop by the bookstore after this, then go to the arcade?" he suggested. "The next book in the series I'm reading has been out for a while and I think you two could stand to blow off some steam."
"Sounds good to me," Sour snorted, leaning back in her seat with a challenging smirk. "Maybe I'll knock down some of Sugar's scores while I'm there."
"I agree," Sunny giggled, then sported a wicked smile as she added, "I still need to settle our score from last time."
"You can try," Stygian playfully scoffed. "You will never take my Air-Hockey crown from me."
"We shall see," she giggled, her smile never losing its devious air.
"Indeed, we shall," Stygian smirked, taking a casual bite out of his pizza.
Sour was about to add her own two cents when something at a table a few rows down caught her attention. Or rather, someone caught her attention.	 Trying to both not panic or slip out of synch with herself, she gave Sunny a sharp poke in the shoulder. Sunny let out a yelp, but bit back whatever retort she was going to sling at he friend when she saw the fear marring her face. Nervous, Sunny and Stygian followed her line of sight, the boy confused while a small stone of resentment settled into his old friend's gut.
Well, speak of the devil and they shall appear, I suppose, she mentally fumed, glaring at the group of girls sitting at the table. 
As she thought that, her hand drifted to one of her pockets. She swore she felt the hand mirror in it growing heavier the longer she stared at the back of Twilight Sparkle's head. She traded looks with her friends, even Stygian seeming to catch on that things had taken a turn as he matched the determined nod that Sour gave her. With great reluctance, she bid her day of conventional normalcy farewell. 
It was time for their brand of normal today.
> Ch. 20 The Spark that Unites
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunny sighed, flopping bonelessly onto her bed with the grace of a dead fish. She stared through the dark at her ceiling, her energy so low that she didn't know if she was more annoyed or relieved that her mission was complete. All she wanted was a boring normal day with her friends. What did she get instead? A whole day of sneaking around trying to get the most obnoxious person she knew reflected on a hand-mirror. Were it not for her friends, she was sure that she would've lost her mind halfway through the experience. 
She grimaced as she fished the mirror out of her pajama pocket and brought it up to her face. She flinched when a small migraine reminded her of its presence as a result. Her tired scowling face stared back at her as she mulled over the whole ordeal. 


***


"Is this supposed to be this frick'n annoying?" Sour groaned, her two-toned voice barely holding its form.
The trio stood by the mall's front doors, all of them showing signs of both fatigue and irritation. No matter what they tried, something kept literally getting in the way. While the rules for the mirror's abilities were simple, there was a little more to it than, 'shoving the artifact into the target's face'. Upon activation, the mirror needed to have an unobstructed view of its target for exactly ten seconds. If anything interrupted the process at any point, then the mirror would restart the timer and focus on the interruption. 
When they tried to catch Twilight's reflection at the food court, one of her allies would shove themselves in the way at the last second for one reason or another. The same happened when they followed them into a bookstore. Every time it looked like they would succeed, Lemon would come back to show her whatever graphic novel caught her eye and they would have to start over. They had to switch to stalking the group when they entered the arcade, the potential constant interruptions something that they knew would only add to their growing frustrations. It looked like they had a chance when Twilight's group entered a clothing store, but the girl's summon killed that idea. While the rest of the group entered the changing rooms, the punk girl had decided to stand guard by the door. Neither Sour or Sunny wanted to test their luck, so they sent Stygian.
Initially, it looked  like he was going to succeed.
One of the many useful abilities Scathex gave Stygian was light repulsion, a power that effectively granted the user invisibility. Taking advantage of this, he casually made his way towards the changing room with little concern. This came to a grinding halt when Petal subtly grabbed his belt before he could cross the threshold.
"Cool trick," she whispered. "If you don't want me to show you a cooler one, you better turn the fuck around."
The two traded side-glances, neither of them showing any emotions throughout the whole exchange. The fact that her eyes locked with his own put him further on edge. With a small nod, he slowly backed up, earning a small smile from the girl as she let go of his belt. Neither of them broke eye-contact until he eventually walked out of the store and rejoined his friends.
From that point on, Petal would occasionally move into their general direction every time they followed Twilight's group into a store. For that reason, the trio now found themselves in there current location, furiously trying to think of some way to progress. With the constant interruptions and Petal Wasp's patrols, tempers were quickly starting to come to a boil among them.
"No Sour. It isn't supposed to be this difficult," Sunny growled, glaring at her friend.
"This is certainly more annoying than it should be," Stygian wearily nodded, leaning his back against the mall's nearest silver wall. "I think we are going to need to find a way to distract Twilight's friends-"
"They aren't her friends!" Sunny barked, grinding her teeth as she glared a hole into a startled Stygian.
Both of her friends stared at her with wide eyes, the girl in question seething as she met their gazes. The shock in their eyes froze her heart, forcing her to pull herself back with a long shaky breath. After a few minutes of this, she slowly regained some level of composure. 
With a much calmer tone, she started to plead her case.
"Until her Awakening, Sparkle refused to have anything to do with any of the students in the school. Even before she became an Elite, just talking to others was beneath her. Interacting with her in any way that didn't further whatever ambitions she had at the time was equally fruitless. Sparkle doesn't do friendship; never has and never will."
Sour nodded in agreement, but Stygian did not seem all that convinced. He had heard similar things from his friends on multiple occasions. Considering the kind of students that attended Crystal Prep, he was more than willing to believe their claims in the beginning. This gradually started to wither over time as they rose through the school's ranks and their claims became more extreme. The possible influences of the Seeds inside of them also made him add a pinch of salt to some of the stories as well.
"It did not look like that to me," he frowned, crossing his arms. 
"Everyone has an image they put out there," Sunny spat, matching his posture. "That goes double for those with useful idiots."
"Is that what you see or the way you think?" he asked, refusing to back down.
Both girls took a step back form that, eyes wide with a shock that killed their ability form a rebuttal to his argument. A quick glance at a nearby store deepened the boy's scowl. Before either girl could snap out of their trance, he walked up to Sunny, pulled the mirror out of her pocket, and started walking towards it. 
"Hey!" Sour squawked, starting after him. "Where do you-?"
"Scathex," he hissed.
A second later, both girls were frozen in place, a quick glance at their shadows showing what looked like a snake coiling tightly around them. Once they fought past their panic, they watched their friend walk into a store that resembled a mid-evil castle. Their confusion spiked when they saw him approach Twilight and Petal in an aisle near the front window display. Petal gave him a guarded look, while Twilight kept herself at a cautious distance behind her. They traded words, both Summon and Summoner seeming to slowly relax the longer they conversed. Eventually, he brought out the mirror and showed it to them. If they could've, their jaws would've dropped as they watched Twilight unknowingly allowed herself to be targeted by the artifact. Once the deed was done, Stygian put the mirror back into his pocket, continued to talk to the pair for a few more seconds, then waved goodbye before walking away.
When he rejoined his group, he put the mirror back in Sunny's pocket.
"Think about what I asked," he calmly stated, then made his way towards the Mall's front doors.
Ten seconds after he crossed the threshold, Scathex's influence slowly started to fade. By the time it vanished completely, he was long gone and any desire for retaliation had passed. Sour wasted no time colorfully voicing her disapproval of their friend's actions, but that was as far as Sunny's focus was willing to go. Numbly, her hand drifted to her pocket as she tried to figure out just what her friend was trying to tell her.


***


"What the devil was he trying to tell me?' she mumbled to herself, continuing to frown at her reflection. "Whatever. I will solve that riddle later. For now, though."
Her grimace shifted into a tired smile, a faint pulse from her heart traveling up her arm to activate the mirror. Her reflection slowly started to distort, colors and shapes constantly shifting across the mirror's surface in a small whirlpool. Slowly, the colors reshaped themselves into an overhead image of a neatly organized room, the sudden light coming off of the scene briefly blinding her. Once her eyes adapted, she could see Twilight sitting at her desk appearing to be studying. Meanwhile, Petal was laying on the girl's bed seemingly bored out of her mind while reading a book.
"Are you done yet?" Petal groaned, the sudden noise making Sunny jump. 
"Almost," Twilight offhandedly said, not taking her eyes off of her work. 
Petal groaned at that.
"You know you don't have school tomorrow, right?"
"I know," she replied, still working. "I still don't want to fall behind."
"Fucking work-a-holic," she muttered, marking her page before setting the book aside and rolling to face her. "Is there any point to all of this? I mean, haven't you already gone over the material, like, twenty times already?"
"Twenty seven times," Twilight flatly corrected, turning a page in her text book.
"I rest my case," she sighed, sitting up and aiming a deadpan at her room mate.
Twilight blinked at that, seemingly coming to terms with what she had just said. With a small sigh, she pushed her seat back and staggered to her feet. Sunny balked at the girl's condition, fatigue heavy in her features as she staggered towards her bed. She could see Petal's worry, the Summon scooting over a little to make room for Twilight. With a small smile, Twilight nodded in thanks before she gracelessly took a seat beside her.
"It's not that," Twilight sighed, staring down at her lap and fiddling with her fingers. "Well... not really. I just....I need a distraction."
"A distraction?" Petal blinked. "From what?"
Twilight didn't answer, still staring at her fidgeting fingers.
"Twilight?" 
Twilight's lips trembled, shaky breaths crawling past them. Both Sunny and Petal's eyes widened, the former witnessing the latter gently pulling the girl into her side. When tears started to fall, Sunny's stomach lurched, more so when Twilight tightly returned her Summon's embrace. 
"I....I don't know what I want to do with my life!" she sobbed.
"What?" Sunny and Petal unknowingly asked in synch.
"Where the hell did this come from?" Petal asked, stroking the girl's back.
"R-Remember when Indigo and I hung out a few days ago?" she sniffled.
"Yeah?" Petal nodded.
"W-W-Well, we started talking about what we planned to do after graduating and...and I realized I don't have one."
"That's why you're all bent out of shape?" Petal asked.
Twilight nodded, her grip on Petal tightening. 
"What am I going to do?"
Petal didn't say anything as she held her close, letting the teen cry herself out. At the same time, Sunny struggled to make sense of what she was seeing. Certainly, she was aware of the heavy pressure the school put on its students, her weekly meetings with Dean Cadence was evidence of that, but she thought Sparkle could handle it. Given how easily she rose through the ranks, she was sure the girl thrived under that kind of pressure. She barely even flinched when she and Sour used to tease her at lunch.
Perhaps I didn't need to be so cutthroat about it, she mused, a hint of shame coloring her heart. B-But I needed to knock some air out of her sails! Surely she can't be that soft.....right?
Her resolve cracked a little more the longer she watched Twilight cry. When she eventually regained her composure, Twilight gently pulled herself out of Petal's grasp. The Summon smiled softly at her mistress, gently wiping away her tears with her thumb.
"Better?" Petal asked.
"A-A little," Twilight sniffled.
Petal chuckled softly at that.
"Geez, Sparky, you need to tell people about this shit. Just cuz I can sense your emotions, doesn't mean I can read your damn mind."
"I....I know," Twilight sighed, shoulders sagging. "I'm just....I don't know how. I've been alone for so long...that..."
"I get it," Petal sighed. "This whole 'friendship' thing is new to me too."
"You're better at it than I am," Twilight snorted.
Petal did the same.
"You've got me beat by a country mile. Trust me."
Twilight frowned at that.
"You were willing to give the girls a chance. I thought they were out to get me. I think that gives you a higher friendship score."
"Hey," Petal growled. "You were only like that because those two cunts fucked with your head. If it wasn't for them, I bet you would've been friends with all of the other Elites a long-ass time ago."
"We don't know that," she sighed.
"Maybe," Petal allowed, then wickedly smirked as she added, "But I think that guy you've been chatting with online would beg to differ."
"T-T-Timber is just a gaming friend," Twilight stammered, her face turning bright red.
Petal's smile grew a little more mischievous at that.
"You can say that all you want, but we both know you're full of shit."
Twilight huffed at that, crossing her arms and turning away from her Summon with scarlet cheeks.
"Stupid Wraith super senses," she muttered.
Petal laughed at that, while dread dropped into Sunny's gut like a frozen stone.
"W...What did she say?" Sunny stammered, struggling to swallow past a suddenly dry throat.
"You're really cute when you pout like that," Petal teased, poking the teen's back with her elbow. "Bet Timber would go nuts if he saw you right now."
"I'm not cute!" Twilight snapped, glaring over her shoulder at the Wraith.
"You're a total kitten!" Petal laughed. "Cute with claws!"
Twilight whirled to face her, her face a mix of indignation and fluster as she met Petal's eyes.
"W-Well, you can be a total...um...Canis lupis familiaris!"
Petal and Sunny both reeled back at that, blinking in confusion, the latter doing so in spite of her growing dread.
"Canis...Lupis...What?"
"You know," Twilight muttered, sheepishly wilting. "A...um....female...dog."
"Seriously?" Petal Deadpanned. "Okay, now I know I need to teach you how to fucking swear."
"Sorry," Twilight mumbled.
"Don't worry about it," she sighed, then cringed when she turned her head towards Twilight's desk clock. "Yikes. You really should start getting some sleep."
"I am starting to feel a little tired," she nodded, eyelids already starting to droop. "What time is it?"
"A quarter past too-fucking-late," Petal sighed, already standing up and laying Twilight down.
"I can do this myself," Twilight grumbled, barely putting up any resistance.
"Can it," Petal frowned, pulling the covers over her.
In spite of the Wraith's rough tone, Twilight let out a small giggle, closed her eyes, and got comfortable. Nodding at her work, Petal dropped her human form, her punk clothing turning into a gothic minidress with small gray flower-prints. The sight almost made Sunny drop the mirror, panic running through her pounding heart as she watched the Wraith turn off the lights. Twilight remained completely oblivious to the danger, even smiling up at the creature when it walked over to her bedside.
"Good night Petal," she smiled, letting her eyes drift shut.
"Night Sparky," the Wraith smiled, then awkwardly added, "And about all of that future stuff? Let's bring it up with the others tomorrow and see if they can help us figure it out. Might make things a little easier, ya know?"
Twilight just nodded, most likely only half listening to her at this point.
Seeing little else to do with herself, Petal's body turned into a Miasmic cloud and slithered into Twilight's pendant. The second the Wraith returned to her nest, Sunny deactivated the mirror. For a few seconds, she laid in her bed, her numb mind barely registering when the artifact slipped out of her hand onto her bed or when her arm limply fell to her side. Slowly, her mind tried to make sense of what she had just saw, but it just refused to cooperate. At the same time, a single truth echoed in her mind like a blaring siren. A truth that managed to help her pull herself back to reality and finally make a move.
She quickly staggered out of bed and made her way towards her desk. Upon reaching it, she snatched her phone off of her charging pad. With shaky hands, she scrolled through her contacts, then nearly stabbed her finger through the device when she found the number she needed. Her hands still shook when she brought the phone up to her ear, her foot nervously tapping on its heal. After two rings that felt like two years to the panicked girl, the call finally connected. 


***


Petal was at peace, something that rarely came to her or most other Wraiths for that matter. The term you are what you eat was literal for her kind, a large portion of a Wraith's personality being heavily based off of their preferred negative emotion. As such, stress and irritation always sat at the back of the New Born's mind. Granted, she was more in control of it than most other New Borns, but it was still something that kept her from enjoying any form or true peace. 
In this rare moment, she laid on her back in the middle of an open field, Twilight doing the same at her right in a similar state of zen. The shade of a nearby tree kept the early morning sun from becoming overbearing, the birds in its branches chirping as they went about their business. The sounds of early morning traffic and the voices of other early-risers droned on in the background like white noise, barely worth the effort needed for the two girls to notice them.
While Six Pillars Park was as tranquil as always, the real reason Petal was so calm was the girl next to her. Even after a full night's sleep, Twilight was still stressed out over her recent revelation. After getting a large portion of her stress siphoned away and some encouragement from her family, Twilight let Petal take her to the park to clear her head.
It was slow going at first, but the girl did eventually find her zen.
Petal smiled at that, but the girl's problem kept gnawing at the back of her mind. For her kind, worldly ambitions were pretty straightforward; find food, grow strong, and move up the Queen's pecking order. Even with all of the things going on in her life, Petal's ambitions largely followed this path. Feeling a small trace of frustration over her lack of guidance, she tried to force it to the back of her mind for the moment. Maybe Lily or their other friends could offer some advice, but that was a task better reserved for later. 
Maybe we can talk to them later, she mused, taking a long breath and closing her eyes. Do all humans have to put up with this kind of shit? I mean, sure, plenty of food for me and other Wraiths, but that seriously sucks. 
Her hand twitched, suddenly much more aware of how frail her human form was compared to her natural one. Wraiths could feel things like temperature or texture, but it was lightly dulled, like trying to touch things while wearing rubber gloves. Having a body made of mostly energy meant that her ability to feel pain was also muted, but to a much heavier degree. The first time she felt actual pain in this form was extremely jarring, even more so when she saw her own blood. 
To be so vulnerable was a novel experience for her, one that she was not sure how she felt about.
Before she could ponder that any further, she sensed three people start to close in on her. One of them gave off a familiar Aetheric Aura while the other two had a faint trace of Miasma coming off of them.  They stood in a wide triangular pattern, each about fifty feet apart, but gradually shrinking that distance as they closed in on her location. The traces of animosity she sensed from them put her even further on alert. Cursing under her breath, she nudged Twilight's side with the back of her hand and dragged herself to her feet. 
Blinking away the cobwebs in her head, Twilight leveled a curious frown at her friend, only for it to take on a nervous lilt when she saw the Wraith's tense stance.
"What's wrong?" she whispered, worriedly looking around.
"We've got three people closing in on us," Petal growled, both of her hands balling into fists. "Do you have Lemon's number?"
Twilight nodded, already pulling her phone out of her pocket.
Petal maintained her vigilance, letting her human form fall back just enough to access some of her Miasma. 
No point keeping up the act if they already know, she thought with a huff. Now, how the fuck do we get out of this?
She knew that it was going to take Lemon a few minutes to get here, so that left her with only a small handful of options. She could try to kill time with a barrier and hope that their attackers couldn't find a way around it, but that was assuming that they couldn't just bash through it to begin with. They could run, but that would just make it harder for Lemon to find them in time. She could try to fend them off, but that would just put Twilight in even greater danger. 
An image of Twilight getting hit by an energy beam flashed through her mind, her friend's eyes wide with terror as blood pooled past her lips.
What the fuck can I do!? she thought, her jaw set into a deep scowl. I need some way to keep her safe that won't lock me into defense. How the hell am I gonna do this?!
Her frustration clouding her mind, Petal turned her head to see if Twilight had any ideas only to freeze when a small flash caught her eyes. Her Nest sat safely on Twilight's bosom, the sun's rays drawing her eyes straight towards it's jet black surface. Petal's scowl turned into an ecstatic grin, an admittedly crazy idea already forming in her mind.
Feeling the trio closing in, Petal grabbed Twilight's pendant and immediately went to work.
Twilight yelped as she fell through a black portal in the ground, her pendant's chain phasing through her neck as she dropped. Petal let out a sigh of relief, feeling a quagmire of fear, confusion, and indignation from within the dark crystal. With one less thing to deal with, she put on the pendant as she turned towards the nearest approaching threat.
Burning rage flared inside her when Sunny stepped into view, the girl meeting her glare with an arctic frown while she fiddled with something in her skirt pocket. The next person to come into view was Stygian, a shadowy snake coiled casually around his left arm as he looked down his nose at her. At the same time, she could feel a pair of eyes marking her from a distant alley behind her. 
She grit her teeth, refusing to let her rage boil past her control just yet. At the same time, Sunny took a step forward, contempt creeping past her mask as she pulled a small gold cylinder from her pocket. Petal eyed it with caution, but refused to show the teen any fear. 
"Where is Sparkle?" Sunny demanded, tightening her grip on the object.
"Why do you care?" Petal snipped, forcing a crooked smile onto her lips. "I thought you hated her guts."
Sunny's glare sharpened, her knuckles turning white as she tightened her grip on her presumed weapon.
"Where. Is. She?" she pressed.
Petal dropped her smile, a cold glare taking its place as she said, "Far from you, bitch."
Sunny seethed at that, something Petal took full advantage of. Already, she could feel her reserves building as the teen aimed as much hate at her as possible. At the same time, she desperately tried to sense Lemon's Aether Aura to get an idea of just how far away she was.
Need to buy time.
"So, you're with this cunt?" Petal asked, shifting her attention from Sunny to Stygian. "I thought a guy like you would want better friends then her."
"I fail to see how that is any of your business," he coldly stated.
"Right," Petal snorted. "So, are you the top or are you a power bottom?"
"Shut it you foul demon!" Sunny snarled.
"Bitch, I'm not talking to you," she growled, then dawned an almost bored expression as she gave her attention back to Stygian. "So, how are we going to do this?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, a hint of confusion crossing his face. "Aren't you going to take us to your Nest?"
"My place isn't that big," she shrugged. "Plus, I don't want you bastards fucking up my shit!"
Anger and disgust turned into shock at that.
"No matter," Stygian allowed, reclaiming his pokerface. "I'm nothing if not adaptive."
"Says the smuck with a mirror fetish," Petal snorted, rolling her eyes. "So, are you guys gonna kill me or just stare at me all day?"
"As you wish," Stygian frowned. "Scathex! Form seven!"
"Gladly," the snake hissed, rushing off of his arm onto the ground.
Fuck! Petal thought, quickly dropping her human form.
The snake's form stretched into a wide circle, instantly surrounding the open field the trio occupied. Dark energy filled the space, a howling gale of power swirling around Petal as she tried to keep her footing. When it finally stopped, the Wraith was met with an unusual sight. Everything was a black as night while what should've been shadows were shining white light. Sound came to her as faint echoes, their alien presence as unnerving as the cold chill that hung heavy in the air.
"Eery, isn't it?" 
Petal growled, turning towards the voice, spear already in hand.
Sunny stared down her nose at her, cold indifference radiating off of her like the rays of an ancient sun. She alone looked normal in this inverted world, the artifact in her hand glowing with an eery golden light. Petal assumed her stance, teeth bared in rage as her hands threatened to snap her spear. Miasma flowed off of the weapon like smoke from an inferno, her rage fueling her weapon's power.
Sunny was unfazed by the display, assuming a stance of her own as she pointed the top half of her tool at the Wraith.
"This is the Shadow Plain, a world accessible only through Stygian's Summon. Here, we can fight without fear of harming the world beyond. It will also keep you from running away should I be unsuccessful in eliminating you, demon."
"Is that a fact?," Petal growled, fangs forming in her mouth. "Good. That means I can fuck you up without dragging anyone else into this."
"You can try," Sunny coldly stated. "Come, Solaris."
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vMDWoqCzkCg
In a brilliant flash of golden light, the cylinder turned into an ornate mid-evil mace, its head styled to look like the raging surface of the sun. Golden flames poured out of it, practically screaming its celestial heritage to the darkened heavens above. Petal shuddered at the sight, the weapon's power bringing every one of her nightmares to the front of her mind. Fear soaked her core, weakening her grip on her weapon as every cell in her body screamed at her to run.
The world seemed to slow to a crawl as Sunny ran towards her, murder in her eyes as she pulled the weapon back to take a swing. Her heart echoed in her ears, her arms moving her weapon into position to block the incoming attack, only for it to fall short at the last second. Flames and spikes ran through her gut, the power of Sunny's blow sending her flying across the inverted field. 
Hacking coughs along with black blood fell past her lips, the Wraith struggling to pull herself to her feet just as Sunny closed the gap between them. Petal blocked again, only just barely managing to catch a blow aimed for her head. Sunny smirk just seconds before her weapon released a golden inferno onto the deadlocked Wraith. The flames were relentless, tearing away at her body almost as fast she could heal. All the while, true terror held Petal in a paralyzing strangle hold. What tears she could shed were taken by the flames as her nightmares turned real. She couldn't tell if her screams were from pain or fear.
In desperation, she sent a blast of Miasma through her foot into the ground, shooting her opponent back a couple steps. With her free hand, she sent a blast of dark energy at the girl before frantically running to the other end the arena. Sunny knocked the attack aside and cut her opponent off half way through, letting out a battle cry as she slammed her flaming mace into her gut. Petal let out a wet choking sound as the top half of her body was ripped clean away form her bottom and flew to the other end of the arena.
She stared blankly up at the darkened sky, her dazed and panicked mind struggling to stay conscious. She could sense Sunny closing the distance. Terrified tears started to slide past her cheeks, the end staring her straight in the face.  She closed her eyes, silently cursing her weakness, her failure.
A faint, familiar voice made her open her eyes.
She could hear Twilight, her voice muffled as if it was being said through a thick pane or glass. Even so, she could hear the desperation in her words. She was begging her not to give up, to keep fighting. Just like that, a new feeling cut through the fear; a burning fury unlike anything she had ever felt before. This was one of the people that pushed her friend to the brink. This was the person that was trying to kill her. This. Would. Not. Stand!
Riding the burning rage within her, she reached up just in time to catch Sunny's finishing blow. She hissed in pain as the mace's neck burned into her palm, but showed no other signs of discomfort as she pushed her back with a blast of Miasmic energy. 
Sunny let out a surprised yelp as she flew across the field, only to just barely managing to land on her feet at the last second.
A snarling hiss fell past Petal's lips, the Wraith forcing herself to sit up as she regrew a new lower half. Flecks of fear leapt into her when she saw the girl's mace, but a small spark behind her core pulled her back into present. The spark grew as memories of all of the time she spent with Twilight came to her. The time she helped the girl step out of her shell. Their fight when she was so resistant to making friends. The time they spent together making her gag character. The time the teen comforted her when she was at her absolute lowest. When Twilight pushed her to move past her fears and reveal herself to Lemon. When Twilight told her about how lost she was. 
The rage turned into something new, guided by the spark flaring around her core, it shifted into a determination that burned hotter than Sunny's flames. The girl in question chose that moment to charge, eyes wide with fear as she swung her burning mace at Petal's head. Her Miasma responded in kind, raging around her in a dense cloud that pushed the girl back. HIdden in the dark tempest with body and dress restored, Petal rose to her feet and leveled a burning glare at the girl.
"You know, I've gotta say, I've got some real bullshit luck," Petal growled, her glowing golden pupils the only thing visible in the whirling Miasma surrounding her. "I finally get a chance to deck the bitch that's been giving my friends a hard time and she's got a fucking fire weapon. I'd say 'fuck me', but I think you'd get off to that kind of thing."
"You dislike fire?" Sunny blinked, then smirked as she added, "Seems like I may have a greater advantage than I thought."
"Not really," Petal snorted. "You wanna know why?"
"Why?" Sunny asked, trading her smirk for a glare.
A smile formed on Petal's lips as the spark around her core grew. The Miasma poured back into her, her body changing as it bonded with the spark. When it cleared, the Wraith had gone through some very noticeable changes. A thin Miasmic Aura surrounded her, the energy giving off a faint lavender glow. A pair of moth-like wings made from the same discolored energy were on her back. The energy had also formed a pair of small animal ears on top of the Wraith's head, both of them giving off small black and lavender mist.
https://youtu.be/DyXF8dfl0Ao
"Cuz I fucking hate you more than I'm afraid of fire."
In a blink, petal closed the distance between them and threw a Miasma-covered right hook. Sunny had just enough time to look shocked and block the attack with the shaft of her mace. A thunderous explosion filled the air as Sunny was launched straight to the other end of the arena. A choking sound fell past her lips the second she slammed into the field's invisible perimeter wall, eyes wide as she tried to take back some of her breath. Petal again closed the gap, wild smile gracing her lips as she prepared to throw another Miasma-charged punch at the girl.
"Round two, bitch!" she growled, taking a swing.
Sunny ducked under the blow and rolled away from the wall at the last second. She quickly backed away from the Wraith, willing a bracelet on her left arm to activate just as her opponent started to close in on her. Said bracelet turned into a glowing gold buckler as she stopped to face her enemy, blocking the her punch at the last second and filling the air with another thundering boom. 
They stood their ground, Miasmic fists being traded with burning Aetheric metal as the two fighters tried to overpower each other. Sunny grit her teeth as she tried to parry earth-shattering punches and kicks while taking any chance she could find to attack. Petal avoided said attacks with ease that surprised even herself, the Wraith seemingly able to know the exact angle of the human's incoming blows.  Not only that, but she was moving as if she had been fighting like this for years, her body using reflexes she didn't even know she had. In addition, all her attacks seemed much more precise than usual, using more directed blows instead of the overwhelming force she wanted to fall back on.
What the hell is going on? she thought, side-stepping a swing from Sunny. How come I'm not using my spear? This is so fucking weird!
"Petal?"
"Twilight?" Petal blinked.
The Wraith jumped back, risking a look around before jumping into a boxing battle stance.
"Where are you? How are you talking to me?"
"I'm still in your Nest."
That particular fact brought a small relieved sigh out of her, relief that vanished when Sunny tried to take her head off with her mace. Ducking under the strike, Petal tried to land an uppercut on the way back up. She let out a frustrated growl when the human stepped back at the last second. 
"As for how I'm talking to you.....well.....I'll...um....can I tell you later?"
"Sure. Whatever," Petal muttered, dodging a slam from Sunny's buckler. "Just stay there and let me handle this."
"O-Okay," Twilight gulped. "J-Just...just be careful."
"I'll try," she smirked then charged back onto the offensive.
Sunny met her half-way, roaring a battle cry from behind her buckler as she prepared to swing. Fist met mace as the two fighters met in the middle of the arena, the weapon's flames being pushed back by the oddly-colored Miasma swirling around Petal's fist. Sunny tried to follow up with a shield bash, but Petal held that back with a punch from her free hand. The two glared hatefully at each other, neither of them willing to break the gridlock for the other.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Petal growled, digging her bare feet into the ground. "Why do you hate Twilight so much?! What the fuck did she do to you?!"
"Why do you care?" Sunny sneered, struggling against her opponent's strength. "You're a Wraith! We humans are nothing, but prey to you!"
She felt another spark shoot around her core.
"She's not my prey," Petal growled, the lavender tint in her Miasma growing slightly brighter. "She's! My! FRIEND!"
At the end of her declaration, Petal slammed her head into Sunny's, stunning the girl long enough for her to send a jab straight into her gut. Sunny let out a pained wail on contact, her body once again flying across the field into the arena wall, knocking what little air she had left clean out of her. She slid bonelessly to the floor, desperately gasping for air as Petal slowly closed in on her. Her vision swam, well aware that she would've died just now if it wasn't for her shield and the Aura Armor it naturally generates. She tried to lift her weapon, but her arm was just didn't have the strength. At the same time, Petal's form slowly slipped back to normal, the changes literally falling off of her like black and lavender smoke with each step she took.
Before Sunny could let fear claim her, Petal dragged her up by the collar of her shirt and slammed her into the invisible wall. She kept her there, golden eyes drilling into moderate cerise with a rage hot enough to burn the sun. Sunny met her gaze, eyes unfocused as she struggled to stay awake and continue her mission.
Feebly, Sunny coughed out something that added a hint of confusion to Petal's fury.
"I...Won't let you...eat her....."
"Eat her? Eat who?" Petal asked, raising a brow. "Do you mean Twilight?"
Sunny nodded, somehow finding enough strength to glare at her. 
Petal met her glare with one of her own, before she let the girl drop to the floor.
"Didn't you hear me earlier?" she growled, walking away from the fallen girl. 
With I tired breath, she sat cross-legged in the middle of the field facing Sunny, the former bearing a irritable frown while the latter looked dazed and confused. 
"That...is a lie," Sunny managed to force out. "Wraiths....eat....humans."
"Never said I didn't," she shrugged. "I just don't kill them."
"Liar," Sunny hissed. "All Wraiths-"
"You're not dead, are you?" Petal cut in. "But you're not wrong. I'm just a....what's the word I'm looking for?"
"Exception."
"Thanks Sparky," Petal snorted, earning a raised brow from Sunny. "I'm an exception. I only take enough to keep Twilight stable and keep assholes like you from fucking with her."
"A...likely story," Sunny frowned, just barely starting to regain her senses.
Petal rolled her eyes at that.
Fucking Gifteds.
"Speaking of stories," Petal continued, her tone and demeanor turning cold. "Since it looks like its going to take your friend a while to notice something's up, why don't you help me figure out something that's been bugging me for a while?"
"Like...what?" Sunny asked, mentally cursing to herself as she felt her power start to leave her weapons.
Not once dropping her cold demeanor, the Wraith asked the girl the same question form earlier one last time.
"Why do you hate Twilight so much?"
> Ch.21 Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Living in the world of Gifted often leaves one with very few things that could surprise them. When your closest relatives can do things that others would consider magical, the bar would naturally be pretty high for such things. Sunny thought that would be true for her, that basically nothing could surprise her. Yet, she found herself unable to make heads or tails of her current situation.
It was not the eerily plain and sterile decorum of Harshwhinny's kitchen that had put her into such a tailspin. No. That particular honor went to the two girls sitting across from her. While Twilight looked like she was a step away from bolting out of the room, Petal carried herself in a way that dared her to try something. The human-formed Wraith sat up with her arms crossed, the glass of water set before her ignored. Her teal eyes drilled into them in a narrow impatient glare, one that was matched by a twitchy Sour Sweet sitting at Sunny's left. Twilight avoided eye contact with either of them, staring down at her own glass on the table and nervously tapping her fingers together.
"So, let me get this straight," Petal growled. "The whole reason you were a bitch to Twilight was because you thought she was being too high and mighty?"
"Yes," Sunny nodded, her face void of emotion.
Petal was about to explode at the girl, but only just managed to pull herself back. 
With visible strain, she looked Sunny dead in the eye and stated, "You are a very special brand of fucking stupid."
"That's not very nice," Sour sweetly stated, then ground her teeth as she growled out, "So shut your fucking mouth, bitch!"
"You first," Petal seethed. "And I mean both halves of you."
Sour paled at that, eyes wide with shock as she leaned away from the fuming Wraith. Sunny tensed at the display, her hand drifting towards her pocket. Petal noticed, ready to drop her human form at any moment. Before the tension could grow, a soft voice dragged the whole table towards its source.
"Please stop," Twilight softly pleaded, body trembling as she continued to stare into her glass. "Please. Not here. I...I don't want to lose my friend. I....please stop."
Rage traded places with concern as Petal pulled Twilight into her side. Both of them felt a familiar spark, one near her heart and the other her core. Sunny and Sour blinked in shock when a dark violet aura briefly enveloped the duo.
"It's alright Sparky," Petal soothed, gently rubbing her back. "Remember what your sister-in-law told you. Breath."
Stiffly, Twilight nodded, brining her hand slowly to her chest as she took a deep breath, then bushed it away as she let it out. The gesture raised a brow out of Sunny, the repeated visits she had with Dean Cadence more than making her familiar to it. Her musings on the matter were cut short by a sharp glare from Petal.
"Does this look like someone with a fat head to you?" Petal huffed. "I mean, where the fuck did you guys get it in your heads that she was like that?"
"It....seemed more believable until now," Sunny allowed, shame creeping into her features.
"How?!" Petal barked, incredulous.
Both girls looked away from her.
After enduring Petal's glare for a few seconds, Sunny took a breath, and pleaded her case.
"After earning her title, Sparkle refused to interact with any of the other students, including her fellow Elites. Any attempts were often ignored and that lead to a rumor about her lording her title over everyone else being spread. I originally attempted to quash it, but....."
"But?" Petal pressed.
Sunny's eyes briefly darted back and forth between Twilight and Petal before she let out a dejected sigh and continued.
"Around that time, Principle Cinch started to take notice of Sparkle's talents. Whenever I was alone with her, she would go on and on about how well Sparkle did on the latest exam or what new patent she had managed to secure. At the same time, all of my hard work went ignored. I would work myself to sleep every night thinking that if I could surpass you, then maybe I could earn her praise."
"And sense you couldn't, you decided to let the rumors spread and kicked Sparky while she was down?" Petal asked, raising a brow.
"In a way," Sunny nodded. "I did allow the rumor to spread, but my more....malicious actions come from a different source. As a Wraith, I am sure you are aware of mine and Sour's affliction."
"Yeah," Petal frowned, pulling away from Twilight to cross her arms. "I sensed them just before you guys jumped us. I'm kind've surprised you two haven't lost your minds yet."
"We have these to thank for that," Sour smiled, gesturing towards her earring and Sunny's ring, then scowled as she added, "Too bad they suck at it sometimes."
"indeed," Sunny nodded.
"Um...what are we talking about?" Twilight asked, looking back and forth between the three girls.
"We know something Sparkle doesn't know?" Sour gushed, then bitterly growled, "Somebody take a picture."
Petal and Sunny glared at her, the later catching Sour off guard. 
Sporting a trembling Smile, Sour did something that stunned Twilight. In a voice with a faint echo, she met Twilight's eyes and apologized.
"I...I'm sorry about that. My brain is....I'm screwed up so I tend to say whatever's on my mind. It's like....We'll, I mean, I'll tell you about it later."
"O....Okay," Twilight nervously nodded.
Sour nodded back, her face falling until the shadow of her bangs hid all but her frown. Sunny gave the girl a comforting smile, lightly rubbing her back.
"Going back to Sparkle's question," Sunny continued, still comforting her friend. "I believe it is safe to assume that Petal told you how Wraiths feed, correct?"
Twilight nodded, her features instantly becoming more animated.
"Well, Wraiths have the ability to spawn servants called Seeds. These Seeds can be implanted into a human's mind and soul and compel their host to feel whatever specific negative emotion their master prefers to eat. They can also influence their hosts on some level, often forcing them to preform actions that will further aid them in their missions. Once their host is ready for harvest, they send a message to the Wraith that created them and the host will meet their end."
Looking a little pale, Twilight turned her head towards Petal. The Wraith could literally sense her question along with a twinge of dread that came with suspecting an unpleasant answer. Petal knew something like this was going to have to be revealed at some point, especially if she managed to become an Archwraith in Twilight's lifetime. With a sigh, she met her friend's eyes and answered.
"She's mostly right. Archwraiths and above can make Seeds, but Arches are usually the only ones that bother. Most of the time, we use Seeds to speed-up Direct Feedings when we're desperate, but they're normally used to keep Nests safe. Gifted have ways to keep themselves from getting got by them in one way or another thanks to their powers, but normies...aren't all that lucky most of the time."
"The same goes for us," Sour frowned, her voice still holding that odd echo.
"Indeed," Sunny frowned, pulling away from her friend.
"Huh?" Petal blinked.
"Technically, Sour and I are not Gifted," Sunny clarified. "We are able to use artifacts left behind by other Gifted, but we have no abilities of our own."
"So that fuck-you mace was a rental?" Petal asked, her lips twitching into a scowl.
"In a way," she allowed. "Getting back on topic, I....fear my affliction may have had a part in how I see Sparkle."
"Same," Sour spat.
"Blaming your Seeds won't fix anything," Petal growled. "Sure, they didn't help, but you really fucked up Sparky's head. Then there's the shit going on between you two and the rest of our crew."
"That is a separate matter altogether," Sunny seethed, barely contained rage flowing out of her in waves.
Both Petal and Twilight leaned back from it, the later briefly feeling the girls rage. That went unnoticed by the Wraith, her jaw clenched as she leaned forward in her seat. Sour watched everything with wide eyes, snapped out of her gloom and looking around the table at the girls in a quick near-panicked swivel.
"Spill," Petal growled.
Sunny met her glare, looking like she was just short of jumping into a rematch with the Wraith, but just managed to pull herself back. With a deep breath, she straightened her posture and traded her glare for a cold frown. Sour let out a relieved breath and slumped in her seat while Twilight let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
"When Sour and I were in Junior High, those girls nearly pushed Sour into....doing something irreversible."
A heavy arctic silence filled the room, the implications crystal clear to everyone present. The shocked look Petal gave Sour surprised Sunny, but the tears Twilight shed for her friend crushed her heart. That doubled when Twilight jumped out of her seat, almost ran to the other side of the table, and hugged Sour. Said girl could only stare blankly forward as Twilight hugged her, both halves of her mind struggling to make sense of what was happening and how to react. Before that could happen, Twilight's own mind caught up with her.
"S-Sorry," she sniffled, letting go of the stunned girl. 
"It's okay," Sour smiled, then sported a blushing grimace as she looked away and bitterly grumbled out, "Fucking softy."
Nodding, Twilight ran back to her seat, her cheeks also sporting a new shade of red.
"As I was saying," Sunny calmly stated. "I believe you can agree that Sour's condition makes her an....interesting person to interact with."
"Fucking understatement," Petal frowned.
An elbow to the gut from Twilight forced a choked squawk out of her. Rubbing her side, she briefly traded glares with her friend before they gave Sunny their full attention again. Once she had it, she continued without missing a beat.
"This made her rather unpopular with our peers at the time. It eventually got to the point that..."
Sunny's body started to tremble, a mix of anger and grief showing on her face. She hugged herself, lips pulled back into a scowl before she banished it all with a long, slow breath.
"I found Sour behind the school crying as Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, and Sugar Coat were screaming at her. The things they said to her still boil my blood to this day, especially knowing what their actions almost led to."
"What happened?" Twilight pressed.
Sunny gave Sour a questioning look, to which she received a small smile and nod.
Not able to look away from the table, Sunny somberly continued her tale.
"After that, Sour stayed far away from the other students. If she ever needed to interact with others, she did so with a notepad or simple one word answers. I would try to interact with her and keep those three monsters away from her, but no matter what I did, she would not talk to me. I did everything I could think of to help her. I had lunch with her, studied with her, I even brought her home with me on the weekends for sleepovers, but nothing helped."
"She really tried her best," Sour weakly smiled, then frowned as she somberly spat, "Too bad it wasn't good enough."
Sunny sadly nodded.
"I was far too young to know just how out of my depth I was at the time. I still thought that a few kind words and hugs was all it took to fix things. It became so much clearer to me when I found Sour in the bathroom...holding a knife."


***


The restroom was as quiet as a tomb, its sole inhabitants locked in a chilling showdown. Sour sat in a stall, the thirteen-year-old's face and eyes blank as she stared down at the small knife in her hands. Her lavender uniform was covered with patches of dried mud with her matching skirt missing a chunk above one of her knees. Sunny sported an identical outfit, save for the wear and tear of Sour's. The young girl was frozen with terror, mind torn between refusing what she was seeing and what she could do to stop it.
"S-Sour," she gulped. "Please. Put the knife down."
"Why?" Sour smiled, then growled, "Nobody wants us around. We're doing everyone a favor."
"I-I want you around," Sunny protested, a shaky smile gracing her lips. "S-So plea-"
"That's sweet!" Sour chirped, still staring at the weapon in her hands, then screamed, "Now quit lying to us!"
"B-But I'm not!" Sunny pressed, taking a step.
"Stay back!" Sour cried, then growled, "You can't stop us! Back off!"
"No!" Sunny cried back, taking another shaky step. "Not until you put the knife down!"
Tears fell down Sour's face as she looked up at Sunny, her lips trembling in a vane attempt to hold back her crying.
"P-Please, let us do this," she begged, then growled, "You don't need to pretend to be our friend anymore!"
Sunny shook her head, her own tears starting to fall.
"I'm not going to do that and I'm not pretending!"
A shaky smile spread across Sour's lips.
"Th-That's really nice to hear," she chuckled, then frowned as she somberly added, "I don't deserve it."
What followed was a flurry of movement that took both girls by surprise. Sour closed her eyes and pulled the knife to her neck. Before more than a knick could be done, Sunny closed the distance between them and knocked the weapon out of the girl's hand. Sour's eyes flew open, but before the girl could do more than that, Sunny kicked the knife as far away from their stall as she could. Sour tried to get up to get it, but Sunny caught her in a tight hug. Sour struggled, an even alternation of furious and tragic cries falling out of her mouth like the howls of a two-headed beast. Sunny held firm, refusing to let her friend go through with this with all of her might. Even when she felt Sour's nails dig into her sides, she refused to let her go. Over time, the girl's struggling grew weaker, until she was reduced to a whimpering limp mess in her friend's grip.
They stayed like that, both sniffling in each others arms on the bathroom floor. Still shaking, Sunny eventually pulled herself free from their embrace just enough to get a look at her friend's face. Sour was near catatonic, only a faint trace of life present in her puffy eyes. It was then that Sunny noticed the small cut on the girl's neck and the trail of blood staining their uniforms. She quickly grabbed some toilet paper, held it against the wound, and helped her friend get to her feet.
"I'm taking you to the nurse," Sunny shakily stated. "S-She should kn-know what to do."
Sour gave no response, the girl no more than a human-sized doll as she used Sunny as a crutch. As they closed in on the bathroom's exit, Sour saw her knife sticking out from under one of the stall doors. She weakly reached out towards it as Sunny nearly dragged her out into the school's hallway. Not even a second later, a panicked Stygian literally emerged from a nearby shadow, the gangly ebon-clad child taking in the pair of them with eyes almost as wide as the black owl on his shoulder.


***


Sunny somberly stared down at the table, while Petal and Twilight held their own reactions. Petal silently seethed, her hands trembling on the table in tight fists. Twilight paled, her body locked into a terrified stare at Sour. The girl in question took it all in with a deep frown.
Shakily, Twilight forced herself to look at Sunny and ask, "H-Has she..."
"No," Sour sighed, her voice regaining its echo. "We, er, I have a therapist that I meet every other week and some medication I can't pronounce to help me stay stable. When I got Seeded, Stygian's Grandpa gave me my earring to help keep it under control."
"That won't work forever though," Petal snorted, her ire pulling back a bit. "I can tell that whatever powers those little do-dads have are starting to run out." 
"Indeed," Sunny nodded. "Just one of many reasons we need to move forward with our plans."
"Plans?" Twilight gulped.
She nodded, sitting up straight in her seat as she gave Twilight her full attention.
"For many years, an Archwraith has been inhabiting the land my mother's school now stands upon. Thanks to my ancestor's gift, it has been the duty of my family to uphold a ritual to keep him contained. I wish to put an end to it; permanently."
The pure malice she held in the word permanently put a chill down even Petal's spine, the Wraith tasting the concentrated hatred the girl held in her heart. She also noticed Twilight flinch back from it, but pushed it to the back of her mind for later. It also reminded her that these two were not the only ones the Archwraith could be gunning for. Taking a deep breath, she bit the bullet and took her chance.
"Let me guess; you want help dealing with this fucker, right?"
Taken aback, Sunny nodded.
"Cool," Petal nodded, a vicious smirk spreading across her lips. "What kind of Archwraith are we talking about here?"


***


To say Lemon was surprised by the sudden turn her day had taken would've been like saying the ocean floor is a little dark. A deep frown graced her lips as she sat on her bed, arms crossed while she glared daggers at her guest. 
Stygian sat across from her in her desk chair, the boy's face an unreadable mask as he stared back at her. 
Thanks to Petal's warning, she knew that she was going to meet other Gifted eventually; she had just hoped it wouldn't have been so soon. She also thought the first Gifted she would meet would've been taller or a least buff. While Stygian was in pretty good shape, he was so far from that, it hurt. At the same time, she knew that the boy could take her out in a nanosecond if he wanted to. 
The silence between them was defining, yet neither knew how to break it. At least, not in a way that didn't end with the two of them coming to blows. 
Unbeknownst to her, Stygian was already trying to think of a way to do just that.
He could tell that she was loyal to Twilight and the Wraith; so much so that saying the wrong thing would lead to all kinds of problems. The fact that she was an untrained Gifted only added to the need for tact. If there was one thing more dangerous than a Wraith going rogue, it was a Gifted's power going wild. While he was certain that the girl wouldn't risk destroying her own home, he knew first hand what kind of power she could unleash if pressed.


***


Gazing through Scathex's eyes, Stygian spat out a curse when he saw the Wraith send Sunny flying into the other end of the arena. He had no idea how the tide of the fight had changed so suddenly. One minute, Sunny was tearing the Wraith apart, then the next, she was put onto the back foot. This should not have been the case. From what he had been able to gather about their target, they were dealing with a New Born; a Wraith with next to no real combat ability beyond the most basic skills her kind could develop. When she changed form, it quickly became apparent to him that there was something off about their target.
"Scathex, get ready to pull her out," he frowned, trying to think of a way around this new development.
"Got it," the demon stated. "I hope you have a pla-FIVE O'CLOCK!"
Cutting his connection to the demon's eyes, he turned just in time to see a mulberry fist come flying at his face. Sidestepping out of the way, Lemon leveled a venomous glare at him before she took another swing. Much to her frustration, years of training helped him avoid the raging teen's fists with casual ease. What put him on edge though, was the flickering yellow aura her anger summoned around her body.
"Who are you?" he asked ducking under a punch. "What family sent you?"
"What?" she blinked, confusion halting her rage for a second, before she shook it off and went back to trying to hit him.
An abandoned line? he mused, ducking under a punch. But why is she attacking me? Is she from an enemy group?
A slight spike of Aether at his left snapped him out of his thoughts, giving him just enough time to jump out of danger. A second later, four thin arrows planted themselves into the ground in a perfect square around Lemon. Stygian summoned just enough of Scathex to cover his mouth and nose with shadow as the red feathers on the arrows morphed into flower petals. Upon doing so, the arrows-turned-flowers flooded the area with a thick pink fog. Lemon coughed as the sweet-smelling mist filled her lungs, one hand covering her face while she used the other to try to wave it away.
"The heck is this stuff?" she hacked.
She quickly got her answer when she tried to take a step.
All of the strength suddenly left her legs, her eyes widening in shock as she fell bonelessly into the grass. He saw panic creep onto her face, her eyes frantically darting every which way. He let out a relieved sigh behind his mask at the avoided crisis. The sound of crunching grass announced Sour's presence, an ornate wooden bow held tightly in one of her hands as she ran towards him.
"Nice shot," he smirked.
"Naturally," she snorted, her voice holding its familiar echo. "Is Sunny done yet?"
Stygian's smile instantly died, a fact that became obvious when his shadow mask moved over his eyes. When he saw Sunny laying helpless on the floor, he was ready to pull her out to take her place. Before he could give the order, a pulse of Aether from his attacker caught his attention. Pulling his vision back to his surroundings, he shared a shocked gape with Sour at what he was seeing.
Gritting her teeth, Lemon forced herself to her knees, her flickering aura growing more vibrant and pronounced by the second. When she met their gaze, a fire burned bright in her eyes. A furious growl passed her lips as she forced herself to her feet, her aura almost blinding to the two teens.
"Where. Are. They?" Lemon growled.
They? Does she mean Twilight and the Wraith?
Following protocol, he pulled some of the power he was using to keep Sunny and the Wraith in the Shadow Plane and threw it into their surroundings. Everything turned gray as a dome of Aether surrounded them. Sour gave him a worried frown, all too familiar of what this likely meant for them.
"If you are here for the Wraith, then we have no reason to fight," he stated, tone even. "In fact, if we act fast, I am sure we can-"
"WHERE ARE THEY?!" Lemon roared, her voice loud enough to shake the ground.
"I have the Wraith contained," he said, pushing a calm voice through the pain in his ears. "Now, if you would just-"
That was as far as he got before the girl tackled him to the ground. Sour pulled back her bow string, an arrow instantly manifesting onto it as she aimed her weapon at the girl. Meanwhile, Stygian tried to get the girl off of him, but she refused to move. At the same time, he saw a faint lavender and black mist intermingle with her aura's yellow glow. 
"LET THEM GO!" she roared, her voice louder than it had been a second ago.
She let out a pained grunt when Sour's arrow planted itself in her shoulder. Anger seared through her when she started to feel numb again, her will the only thing keeping her from dropping. Both impressed and worried, Stygian tapped into what little power he had available to fall into his own shadow. As he fell through the void separating the material world from the one his power crafted he tried to make sense of what had just happened. Why was that girl so determined to free both girls? Twilight he could understand, but the Wraith? Was there something going on here that he didn't know about?
"Not likely," he frowned, shaking his head at the possibility. "The Wraith is probably manipulating her in some way. If I put an end to this, whatever compulsions she has on her should dissipate"
Yet another reason to end this quickly.
Further and further he fell, the world nothing but a monochromatic blur as he closed in on the ground below. At the last second, he gracefully rolled into a stand on the gray grass. He quickly took note of his surroundings, instantly spotting his downed friend and the sitting Wraith on the other end of the arena. Now able to access more of his power, he willed his summon into a clawed gauntlet before he charged towards his target. It took less than a second for him to close the distance, training, his demon, and his desire to end this quickly all giving him the power he needed to do so. Both girl's turned towards him, surprise and fear gracing both of their faces as his claw closed in on Petal's throat. Before he could land the blow, a thunderous roar shook the whole arena. Before he could even begin to guess what had caused it, a searing pain ripped through the boy's head, dropping him to his knees. His hands clutched his head, desperate for any kind of relief from the strain of keeping the barrier and the arena held together. Unfortunately, it became very apparent that he could not keep both standing at the same time. Deep cracks formed all across the shadow world's ceiling, a familiar female scream seeping through them into the space. 
That, and a cry from Sunny was the last thing he heard before the pain made everything fade to black.


***


Stygian's head still throbbed from that, not anywhere near as bad as it had when he woke up, but still enough to ware on his patience. Lemon wasn't fairing any better, the strain of letting out so much Aether taking a heavy toll on her. Combine that with whatever Sour's arrows did to her and it was a miracle that she was able to keep her eyes open. 
Pushing past his headache, he finally broke the silence.
"I am sorry for attacking your friend," he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "But you do understand why we did that, correct?"
Lemon huffed at that, looking away with a grimace.
Stygian sighed, flinching slightly against the pounding in his head.
"Twilight's Wra-"
"Petal," Lemon snipped, cutting him off.
"Pardon?" Stygian blinked.
"Her name's Petal Wasp," Lemon frowned, aiming a glare at him.
He met it with a blank stare, then nodded.
"Very well," he allowed. "As I was saying, Petal may be an...unusual case, but she is still a Wraith. At her core, she is a threat to humans and must be eliminated."
"And I'm telling you you're wrong!" Lemon growled. "Petal's, like, super protective of Twi and stuff! And Twi's really close to her too! They're like sisters!"
"It may look like that, but that just means Petal has latched onto her," he frowned. "Twilight is nothing, but food to her; simple as that."
"It's not like that!" Lemon insisted.
"Regardless," he sighed, tired of metaphorically banging his throbbing head against a wall. "Your ability would be very useful in our next hunt. As such, I would like to make a proposal."
"Go jump off a cliff," Lemon huffed.
"But-"
"Shut it," the girl growled, her eyes boring holes into him. "You're friends with Sunny and Sour and you tried to kill Petal. As far as I'm concerned, you're the lowest of the low."
"I can understand that," he nodded. "But what I want to ask could benefit bo-"
"I said no," Lemon cut in. "Now, get the hell out of my room before I deck you."
Stygian opened his mouth to protest, but the venom in the girl's eyes halted his tongue. Knowing a losing battle when he saw one, he solemnly nodded and got out of his seat. She watched him with narrowed eyes as he exited the room. As he made his way towards the kitchen, his shadow wavered a bit below him.
"Well, that went well," Scathex chuckled. "Didn't expect you to let her off that easily, though."
"Leave my contact information on her desk later tonight," he demanded, ignoring his summon's needling. "Even if we do not see eye-to-eye on this, she will need our assistance at some point. Perhaps Grandfather can talk some sense into her while training her."
"Whatever you say," the demon snorted, pulling himself further into Stygian's shadow.
As his shadow's form stabilized, Stygian had to admit that something about this whole situation didn't sit well with him. Petal definitely acted different from the other Wraiths he and his family had dealt with in the past. Then there was that form she assumed. Seeing a Wraith change form was nothing new, but the power she was using was an anomaly. 
Was she using....Aether?
He shook his head at the impossibility of the thought as he joined the group in the kitchen. The irony of that assessment was not lost to him when he took note of his current situation. He traded stares with Twilight and the Wraith as he took a seat, worry and anger from the duo meeting his blank mask. HIs instincts and training told him to fight, but he knew better than to act on it. There was much more he needed to learn if he planned to make any progress in solving the unusual riddle sitting before him. Hopefully, the answers wouldn't make his head hurt any more than it already did.
> Ch.22 Awkward Fallout
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Petal grimaced at her table, her Miasma drifting lazily through the air in a lazy stream that didn't match her mood. Twilight was in a similar state, the human staring blankly at the table's surface. Sunny's group had left the pair with a lot of information to digest, so much so that they're minds refused to let them sleep. As such, the two now found themselves in Petal's Nest trying to get their thoughts on the matter off of their chests.
For Petal, her assessment was pretty simple; things were getting complicated. While she didn't really care all that much about what happened to Sunny's group, she did want to keep her fiends safe. She knew that Archwraiths were not above using underhanded tricks to get what they wanted. Hell, she knew most of them reveled in it, almost treating it like salting meat before going in for the kill. If even half of what Sunny said was true, Belfry was locked into a completely different level of twisted. 
As much as it made her want to puke to admit it, she was probably going to need Sunny's help to win this. 
Twilight's thoughts were in a similar direction, concern aimed at the girl sitting across from her. While they hadn't known each other for very long, Twilight couldn't deny that she had become extremely close to the Wraith. That had become painfully apparent to her during the fight against Sunny. Now knowing that there was an Archwraith bonded to Crystal Prep, she could sense that she was going to have to go through that same terror all over again. Just imagining it made her heart sink, but it also reminded her of what else had come from the fight.
There was an option on the table, a way to make things easier for her friend. The question was, did she have the courage to take it?
"So, how are you...uh....taking everything?" Petal asked.
Twilight aimed a nervous frown at her friend.
Petal cringed at that.
"Yeah, stupid question," she chuckled.
"Did you already know there was a Wraith at the school?" Twilight asked, her voice just a step past a whisper.
Petal was taken aback by the sudden topic shift, even if she knew it was going to come eventually.
Guess nows as good a time as any to rip off that fucking bandaid.
"I had a hunch," she sighed. "Well, Lily did, but that's beside the point."
"The girl in the mirror?" Twilight nervously asked.
"Uh, yeah?" Petal blinked. "Wait, you talked to her? When?"
"While that human was using you as a sparring dummy."
Both girls flinched and turned their heads towards the only bare wall in the Nest. Lily was displayed on it, the near exact copy of Petal dawned in an elegant black nightgown and sitting daintily in an equally extravagant obsidian throne. An ornate silver teacup and saucer sat on her lap, both of her hands holding them safely in place with casual grace. She smiled softly at the pair, the regal air of her posture adding an extra set of weight to the gentle expression.
"Good evening," she greeted, taking a small sip of her tea.
"Um...hi," Twilight awkwardly smiled, waving.
Petal's eyes flipped back and forth between them, shock plain on her face.
WHAT. THE. HELL!?
"It is nice to see you again Twilight," Lily tittered. "Although, I do wish the circumstances were different." 
"Yeah," Twilight somberly nodded.
Petal's jaw dropped.
THE FUCK?!
"Okay, what the hell is going on?!" Petal demanded, slamming her hands onto the table.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, taking a sip of her tea.
"Why are you two being so friendly?" Petal pressed. 
"Jealous?" Lily smirked.
"Like hell I am!" Petal roared. "You've always talked bad about Twilight. Hell, I don't think you've ever said her name before now!"
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Lily huffed. "And even if that was the case, things have changed."
"Huh?" Petal blinked. "The hell are you talking about?"
"She does not know?" Lily asked, aiming a frown at the human teen.
"I....I was going to tell her," she feebly offered, staring down at the table.
"Tell me what?" Petal asked, a nervous hint coloring her tone.
An awkward silence filled the air, the reflection giving the sheepish teen an stern look. Twilight opened her mouth many times, only to snap it shut a second later. Seeing that this was not going to get anywhere anytime soon, Lily let out a sigh and took the reins.
"You were not the only one to experience a change during your fight with Sunny Flare."
"What do you mean?" Petal asked, trading a worried glance between her friend and her roommate.
Noting that Twilight hadn't found her tongue yet, Lily gave Petal a small smile and explained what had brought this change in dynamic.


***


Pure terror filled Twilight, here eyes glued to a bare wall in Petal's nest. Through it, she had a bird's-eye view of her friend's beating. Tears rolled down her cheeks, her hands held tightly over her mouth stifling her cries. She needed to do something; anything, but what could she do? She had no idea how to leave Petal's Nest and even if she could, there was no way she could be a match for Sunny.
She was helpless. Powerless. 
"N-No," she begged, falling to her knees. "Please stop. Don't take her away from me.  I...I don't want to be alone again."
"Curious."
Twilight gasped, frantically looking for the source of the cultured female voice she had just heard.
"Wh-Who's there?" she stammered.
"Why would a human cry for a Wraith?" the voice continued, seemingly ignoring Twilight's question. "You know that you are prey to her, correct?"
"Sh-She isn't like that," Twilight frowned, staggering to her feet. 
"You are right," the voice allowed. "She is more like a leech; a worthless parasite that needs to keep you alive in order to function. Rather sad really. She could be so much more if she let her fangs grow."
"Y-You're wrong!" she yelled, looking around.
"Pardon?" 
Taking a deep breath and sporting shaky, yet determined glare, Twilight pressed on.
"T-Technically, you're right about her being a predator and yes, her kind eat humans, but you are wrong about how she sees my friends and I."
"Oh?"
Twilight nodded, her determination steadily growing.
"She cares so much about me that she was worried she'd drive a wedge between me and my friends when she first met them. She was terrified of how Lemon would react when she showed her true form to her. She played games with us, shared food, and even protected us from Sour at the mall once. And she's trying to find a way to feed that won't hurt people. She isn't the kind of predator you say she is, and you are wrong about her being a leech.
"Am I?" the voice pressed. "Then what is she?"
"My friend," Twilight stated, absolutely no doubt present in her tone.
Silence filled the air, the voice seemingly mulling over the girl's words. As the seconds ticked by, the voice's owner expected to see the fire in the girl dim, that her anxiety would eat away at it. To her surprise, the fire in her eyes did not weaken, but grow. A smile crept onto the reflection's face, a hint of respect worming its way into what passed as her heart. Satisfied, the reflection made herself visible on a wall behind the girl, seated on her throne and dressed as regally as ever.
"Very well," she smirked, watching the girl jump and turn towards her. "If Petal is so important to you, what do you say we make a deal?"
"A-A deal?" Twilight asked, some of her nerves coming back to her.
The reflection nodded.
"I see a strong bond between the two of you, but the flow of that bond is very one-sided. With your permission, I would like to change that."
"What do you mean?" 
"There is a great spark of power inside you, dear; one that has only just started to awaken. I feel Petal may have had an unintentional hand in stirring it, but that is beside the point. If you wish to help her, we will need to awaken it."
"A power?" Twilight blinked. "Wait, does that mean....I'm a Gifted!?"
"In a sense," the reflection nodded, holding up a hand.
Before Twilight could voice the thousands of questions running through her head, a golden light formed in the reflection's palm. With a flash, the light turned into a flickering ball of golden flame, a tattered orange and red feather hovering in its core. Twilight stared at it, mesmerized by the dazzling display before a light chuckle from the girl snapped her out of her trance.
"Beautiful, is it not?" the reflection smirked, staring into the flames. "It is thanks to this that Petal came to be, and why you possess the potential to become a Gifted."
"Wh-What is it?" Twilight asked.
"A feather wreathed in flames," the girl said, trading her smile for a contemplative frown as she studied the object in question . "Flames made of Aether and Miasma."
Before Twilight could voice the hundreds of questions that assessment spawned, a loud series of snaps echoed through the room. Looking around for their source, her heart sank at what she saw. Deep cracks started to cover the walls and floor, faint black mist coming out of them like blood from a wound. Panicking, she turned back towards the reflection of her friend.
"What's happening?" she demanded.
"Petal is losing," the girl frowned, a hint of worry creeping onto her face. "We need to do this quickly."
Missing the last part of the reflection's words, Twilight ran towards the wall showing Petal's fight. Ice filled her veins when she saw the state of her friend. Laying in the monochrome grass, Petal stared blankly at the sky, her lower body missing with Sunny slowly closing in on her.
"Petal!" she cried, pounding on the wall with tears streaming down her face. "Get up! Please! I need you!"
"Twilight," the reflection offered, her tone stern.
"PETAL!" she screamed, frantic.
"Twilight!" she yelled.
Whimpering, the teen stopped trying to pound her way out of the Nest and faced the reflection.
Taking a soothing breath, she schooled her features and in a stern tone said, "If you want to help her, then you are going to need my help."
"How?" Twilight demanded, closing the distance and slamming her hands onto the reflection's wall.
"If I use this feather, I should be able to awaken your gift. Afterwards, I can increase your connection to Petal so that you can aid her."
"Will it be enough?" Twilight asked, desperation heavy in her features.
"It should be," the reflection nodded. "The gift you hold is very powerful, but with Petal guiding it, I feel the two of you should be able to survive this. What the two of you do with it is entirely out of my hands."
"Do it," Twilight demanded, no hesitation or doubt in her. 
"Are you-"
"I said do it!" she roared.
The reflection flinched a little by that, then let a smile grace her lips as she nodded.
"Very well," she chuckled. 
In a flash, the flames poured out of the feather and filled the room. Twilight reflexively put her arms up, bracing for the searing pain she thought was coming. As the flames enveloped her, what greeted her was not pain, but a gentle warmth. At the same time, a familiar spark pulsed behind her heart. When she let her arms fall to her side, what she saw made her eyes widen in wonder. 
As it came to her, the golden fire turned into a glowing lavender mist that flowed into her. At the same time, she felt the spark within her turn into a warm surge of power. It started at her heart, then slowly spread to the rest of her body in a steady stream. When the flames were fully converted into mist, the built up power flooded her entire being and something inside of her stirred.
With a flash of lavender power, her body changed to match the energy coursing through it. Claws of lavender energy coated her hands, black trails of Miasma drifting off of her fingertips like smoke. Glowing animal ears  and a curved horn made of the same energy pocked out of the top of her head and forehead respectively with the same trails of Miasmic vapor coming off of their tips. When she opened her eyes, their rich purple had been replaced with a deep crimson, the pupils slitted like a cat's.
Dizzy from the sudden change, Twilight teetered on her feet for a second, but managed to keep her footing.
"How do you feel?" the reflection asked, willing the still burning feather away.
"Dizzy," she grumbled. "B-But I think I'll be okay."
"Good," she nodded. "I'll open your connection to Petal now so you can help her. Let us hope that this will be enough to change the tide of this fight."
"Thank you," Twilight smiled, swallowing the worry and nausea swirling in her gut. "I don't know how I can ever thank you for this Miss...?"
"If you wish to thank me, then keep Petal alive," the reflection smiled. "And if you must call me anything, then call me Lily Bouquet."
Before Twilight could respond, she was seeing the world through Petal's eyes, giving her friend as much of her Kickboxing training as she could and whatever power the two of them could handle at the time.


***


Petal stared blankly at them, questions jumping through her head too fast for her mouth to keep up. While she tried, Twilight gave Lily a nervous smile, the reflection offering her a shrug in response. After a few false starts, Petal eventually settled on where to start with her thoughts.
"You're a Gifted?" she gaped, pointing at her friend. "When the fuck did that happen?!"
"Technically, a few hours ago," Twilight sheepish smiled, taping her index fingers together.
"Indeed," Lily nodded, taking a sip of her tea.
"B-But...But you don't have an aura!"
"Yes she does," Lily cut in. "You both do, actually."
"Huh?!" they both yelped, giving the reflection their full attention.
"Due to your...odd connection and the feather, both of you share an aura. The reason neither of you can see it is because it is made of Aether and Miasma. Should either of you tap into it, your dominant energy will manifest as an aura, though there will be some contamination from the lesser energy."
"So..I, um....I don't need to worry about...getting poisoned or something if I feed off of Sparky?" Petal nervously asked.
"An excellent question," Lily mused, tapping a finger against her chin. "Give it a try."
Petal wilted at that, her eyes shifting worriedly back and forth between her friend and her reflection. At the same time, a bit of dread settled into Twilight's gut. As much as it hurt to admit, she had come to rely on her friend's dietary needs to keep herself stable. Granted, that particular form of coping had become less often lately, but the fact that it was an option had been something that made life a little less scary.
Before she could voice any concerns on the matter, Petal took a deep breath and pointed her palm at her. Twilight gasped as she felt a familiar tingle run through her, her stress and worry for her friend dimming slightly in response. It stopped a second later, both of them letting out a relieved sigh. The Wraith looked at her palm, the fragment of her friend's stress settling in it as a small blob of black glowing tar. Nodding in satisfaction at it, she threw it over her shoulder, the mass phasing through the floor without making a sound.
"Looks like things are still good there," Petal sighed. "So, does this mean other Gifted can't sense us?"
"Most likely," Lily nodded. "Unless the Gifted in question has an ability specifically meant to find the energy you two share, you both should be fine."
"Thank the queen," Petal sighed, slumping in her seat.
"What about other Wraiths?" Twilight asked, fidgeting in her seat.
"No," LiIy giggled. "At best, other Wraiths would see you as another Wraith hidden in human form."
"Except for Belfry," Petal spat. "Doubt the fucker would fall for something like that."
"Agreed," Lily nodded, a deep frown marring her face.
"Right," Twilight frowned, her thoughts lightly drifting away from the conversation as she stared at the table.
"I have no idea how the hell we're gonna deal with this guy," Petal huffed, crossing her arms. "Dude's gotta be over a thousand years old at this point and we have no idea what his special ability is."
"And he has spent much of that time passively feeding," Lily added. "It is very likely that he has a truly immense amount of Miasma in reserve as a result."
"Right," Petal growled, irritably scratching her head. "And we have no idea how many Seeds he's got, cuz you know he's gotta have a few of them running around."
"That is true," Lily sighed, frowning towards her tea cup. "There are too many things that we do not know."
Clutching the sides of her head, Petal let out a frustrated groan and yelled, "THIS FUCKING SUCKS!"
Before Lily could voice her agreement, Twilight, still staring down at the table, calmly voiced her own assessment on the matter
"This is too much for us to handle on our own."
Both of them gave her their full attention, wondering where she was going with that.
"I mean, maybe?" Petal allowed. "But it's not like we've got a bunch of fucking options, Sparky."
"Not on our own, at least," Lily nodded, her lips slowly curving up into a knowing smile.
Nodding, Twilight aimed a shaky smile at them.
Petal met it with a nervous frown, the trepidation and hesitation coming off of her friend rattling her own nerves in turn.
"I am really not going to like what you're about to say, am i?" Petal gulped.


***


The Sugarcube Café was a hub of activity, even in the early morning hours. Students and adults came into the shop to nab a much needed pick-me-up to start their day. Twilight sat in a corner booth, staring nervously into her own steaming drink as she waited. She had taken special care for this meeting, even going so far as to pick her best outfit for it. A black t-shirt hugged her narrow frame under a more relaxed navy blue summer jacket, while a gray pair of jeans emphasized the rest of her figure. Like she normally did when outside of school or her lab, she did her hair up in a pony tail, but a few stray hairs kept slipping out of it to add to her nerves. 
You can do this, she thought, shoving some hairs back into place. Just breath. Breath....
In synch with her breathing, she slowly brought a hand to her chest, then pushed it away. After repeating this a few more times, she brought a hand up to her pendant. A small whine crept out of her when her hand met nothing but air. Taking another sip of her coffee, she tried to keep herself stable as she waited, even though every cell in her body was telling her to run.
"I-I-I-It will be fine. Y-Y-You can do this," she quietly stammered, eyes locked onto her drink. "Y-Y-You can-"
"H-Hey," an echoing voice said to her left.
Twilight snapped out of her trance with a start, her head quickly turning towards the voice's source. Sour stood before her, a small smile gracing her lips. Terror instantly flooded Twilight's system, the girl's smile looking sinister in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself as she started to shiver, her eyes snapping shut in preparation for the insults she knew were coming. Panicked gasps fell past her lips in frantic shaky huffs, doubts running through her head faster than a bullet from a gun.
It's too much! It's too much! It's too much! IT'S TOO MUCH!
A pair of hands on her shoulders pulled her back from her spiral, the contact making her let a out shaky whine in response.
"It's okay Sparkle," Sour soothed, her voice still holding its odd echo. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just...um...take a deep breath. Try to find your center."
Eyes still closed, Twilight stiffly nodded and complied. With each slow breath, Twilight's panic started to fade away. When it had dropped to a manageable level, Sour took her hands off of Twilight's shoulders  and took a seat across from her. Bracing herself, Twilight slowly opened her eyes and locked them with Sour's. Another wave of fear hit her, but it was at a much more bearable level. Low enough that she could see the genuine guilt in the girl's face, her fellow student unwilling to meet her gaze for more than a few seconds. 
She also noticed that Sour had decided to dressed-up for their meeting as well.
She wore a blood red fitted blouse and gray designer jeans, both complimenting her complexion and lithe figure. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders, a look Twilight had never seen the girl sport before. Sour nervously wrapped a lock around her finger as she looked at anything but Twilight, seemingly frantic to find a topic to break the growing silence between them.
Gulping, Twilight did the same.
While she did have a few things she wanted to ask her former tormentor, she didn't know which questions were the safest ones to start with. As such, she was more than willing to wait for Sour to get the conversation started. Unfortunately, for her, Sour was following the same trail of thought. Trapped in an unknowing stalemate, the two girls sat in a awkward silence, the number of things to hold their attention gradually starting to dwindle. After a solid fifteen minutes of this, Twilight took a long pull of her now chilled coffee, and made the first move.
"S-So....you um......have a power too?"
Sour flinched, then let out a faint relieved sigh as she met Twilight's eyes. Both girls let out a small mental cheer when doing so only got a small flinch out of one of them.
"S-Sort of," Sour nodded. "Like Sunny said, I'm not a Gifted, so I have to use an artifact one of her ancestors found."
"Oh," Twilight smiled, a bit of her inner scholar creeping past her nerves. "W-What kind of artifact?"
"A bow named Titania," Sour smiled, staring down at a brown leather band on her left wrist. "It isn't anything flashy like Sunny's weapons, but it gets the job done."
"Oh...I guess that makes sense," Twilight nodded. "You are the head of the school's archery team."
"I also help the school nurse when I can," Sour added.
"You do?' she blinked, taken aback.
Chuckling, Sour nodded.
"I'm planning get into medical school, so any practical experience would be a huge help. Plus, the more familiar I am with drugs and their effects on people, the more tricks I can give Titania during hunts."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, her eagerness to learn pushing her fear of the girl far to the back of her mind.
Sour noticed and most of her own nerves fell back just as much.
"Titania has the power to use it's owner's Aether to create arrows, but you can add a little extra energy to load them up with different kinds of natural poisons or healing agents."
"Really?" Twilight gaped, her mind running in all kinds of directions over the possibilities.
Beaming, Sour nodded.
"And since most things used in modern medicine comes from natural sources, that gives me a lot of things to work with. Of course, the user needs to have a thorough understanding of what kind of drug their loading into the arrow and the more complicated ones require a lot more Aether to generate."
"Fascinating," Twilight smiled, eyes sparkling. "How many different kinds of arrows can you make?"
"I...um....never really stopped to count them all," Sour blinked, taken aback by the girl's sudden shift in enthusiasm. "About a hundred, maybe?"
"Fascinating," Twilight mused, smiling. "Does each arrow require a different combination of chemicals or is there a recorded formula that can be applied to multiple arrows? Can you combine formulas without damaging the arrows? Is there a way to break the arrows down to make medicine? How many arrows can you make in a single shot?"
As Twilight continued to bombard Sour with questions, her smile started to wilt. Irritation and happiness started to tug band and forth within her, the familiar feeling of unraveling making her heart race. Hidden behind a small smile, she struggled to keep the two halves of herself together, but the pull was becoming too much for her to control. She could feel Bitter and Honey start to voice their thoughts of Twilight. She tried to level her breathing, find her focus, anything if it meant keeping herself together. She tried, with every fiber of her being, she tried.
It wasn't enough.
"It's really nice that you're so interested in my bow," Sour sweetly cut in, then bitterly growled, "But could you shut up for a few seconds!"
Sour's hands flew to her mouth, eyes wide and whole body trembling. Twilight wasn't fairing much better; the girl once full of enthusiasm now curling in on herself and trembling, her eyes locked onto the table.
Sour shut her eyes tight to fight back the start of tears, taking shuddering breaths as she pulled the two halves of her personality back together. 
H-H-Honey's the bow and B-Bitter's the arrow. H-Honey's the bow and Bitter's the a-arrow.
Once she was back together, she opened her eyes.
Twilight was still tense, but not on the verge of tears or running. She even managed to force a smile for her, something that Sour appreciated, but also made her earlier episode hurt a lot more. Slumping in her seat, Sour stared down at the table in shame.
"S-S-Sorry about that," Sour sighed, her voice regaining its echo. "I...I couldn't keep them, er, me together."
"I-It's okay," Twilight stammered out, attention focused on her cup. "I....I was asking too many questions. I'm sorry."
"It's......It's fine," Sour grumbled. "You...probably hate me anyway, right?"
"Huh?" Twilight blinked, her attention now fully locked onto Sour.
"I don't blame you if you do," Sour continued. "Even without my fucked up head, I'm not the easiest person to be around. On top of that, Sunny and I have been total bitches to you since you came to Crystal Prep. It'd be weird if you didn't hate me at this point."
Taken aback, Twilight took a moment to really think about Sour's question.
Did she hate Sour? If she had been asked that a few weeks ago, she probably would've said yes. Like she said, Sour and Sunny had been nothing, but horrible to her almost the second she entered Crystal Prep. Even know, Twilight could recall all of the times she had cried herself to sleep at night, just to wake up screaming and covered with a cold sweat. There were a few times she had to run to the restroom due to a panic attack, sometimes crying and other times puking. School was hell, and to her, all of the students were demons.
Then she went to the remains of Canter Creek Bridge and everything started to change. 
She felt lighter now, more at ease with the world. She had more than just her family to support her and an extremely close friend to thank for it. Little by little, the world became less of a dark place and she felt that she could risk being a bit more hopeful for the future. Were there bumps? Sure, but in a lot of ways, they helped her see just how important certain things had become to her. In time, the demons became less powerful, including the two archdevils that started her down the dark path to the abyss.
Looking at Sour, knowing what she knew about her and what she had been through, she asked herself that question one more time; did she hate her? 
Seriously mulling that question, she stared at the girl sitting across from her with a small frown. Sour still refused to look at her, self-loathing rolling off of her like a coat of hot tar. For a second, Twilight didn't see the demon that tormented her for so long; she saw herself just after Petal made herself known. Finding her answer, Twilight rose from her seat, and stepped behind Sour.
Before she could lose her nerve, she wrapped her arms around her in a gentle hug.
"I don't hate you," Twilight softly stated, a silk smile gracing her lips. "You...You scare me, but I don't hate you."
Sour stared blankly forward, her brain struggling to make any kind of sense of what was happening. By some miracle, she managed to keep herself held together as she gave a response, her lips curved into a sad smile.
"L-Lier."
"I'm not lying," she frowned, lightly coming out of the hug.
Whatever you say," Sour shrugged.
Twilight huffed, a small pout gracing her lips as she retook her seat.
A crooked smile graced Sour's lips as she playfully added, "You're kind've cute when you pout, you know that?"
"Not you too!" Twilight groaned.
"I'm serous," Sour snickered, "If any of the guys at school saw you right now, you'd have a boyfriend, easy!"
"I'm....um.......not looking for anyone at the moment," Twilight mumbled, a small blush coloring her cheeks.
"I doubt that, but I'm not gonna pry," Sour shrugged, still smiling.
"I am looking for a teacher though," Twilight nervously stated with an uneasy chuckle. "Do you know anyone that could help a....newly awakened Gifted learn to use her powers?"
"For Lemon?" she asked, raising a brow.
Twilight shook her head, her anxiety gradually growing by the second. That got a worried frown out of Sour, but she didn't press her. She had already made an ass of herself once this morning and she was not in any hurry to preform an encore. Before it became too much for the lavender teen, she sheepishly managed to force out a word that took Sour a second to properly register.
"M.....Me."


***


Sunny yawned into her palm, her eyes barely able to stay open as she made her way through the dimly-lit emerald halls of her family home. Normally, she had no problem waking up at dawn, the first rays of her namesake more than enough to give her a small smile every morning. That was not the case today and likely wouldn't be for many more mornings to come. Not only had she misjudged Twilight's intentions, she willingly became the same kind of monster that nearly killed Sour. The resulting revelations had left her unable to sleep for most of the night, her conscience and restless mind taking turns beating her down.
Luckily, she was not the only person that was going to suffer, the difference being that this was a case of necessity as opposed to spite. 
"I seriously do not need this right now," she groaned into her cell phone, staggering round a corner.
"Agreed," Stygian droned, obvious grogginess heavy in his tone. "The plan has enough complications as it is."
"Don't remind me," she sighed, fishing her vape pen out of her pajama pocket. "I have no idea how we can talk Sparkle into helping us and even if we could, her Wraith companion still needs training."
"You are willing to go that far?" Stygian asked, a scowl audible in his tone.
"Under normal circumstances? Absolutely not," she huffed, taking a hit from her pen. "However, there is....something about this 'Petal Wasp' that is different from other Wraiths we have come into contact with."
"You sensed it too?" he pressed.
"I had a front row seat to it," Sunny said behind a mirthless chuckled. "On top of that, she seems.... sincere in her desire to protect Sparkle and her friends."
"Lemon was legitimately loyal to her," Stygian allowed. "So much so that she was willing to fight Sour and I head on."
"I suspect that she is resistant to the idea of receiving training from us, correct?" she frowned, taking another hit.
"Adamantly," he sighed. "I left her Grandfather's number if she changes her mind, but I would not hold my breath."
"Of course," she sighed, letting out a cloud of rose-scented mist. "Even more complications. Why can't everything just go smoothly for once?"
"Because life is an absurdist comedy and we are all the punchlines ," Stygian spat.
"All too true," Sunny groaned, rounding another corner.
"We still have our contingencies," he announced, a hint of a smile entering his tone. "As soon as we can determine who the annual sacrifice is, we can secure them to break the contract and then properly engage. My whole family will move in the second they get the signal if the dagger fails. This will not be an easy hunt, but it will end with Belfry being eliminated."
"I hope so," Sunny sighed, her eyes falling to the crimson tiles below her as she walked. "This legacy needs to end; for both myself and those the monster has taken from."
"Agreed," he intoned.
When Sunny raised her head, something cut off her train of thought.
Down the hall, the double doors to the artifact storage room was left ajar. Curious and a little worried, she told her friend that she would call him back before she hung up and ran towards the room. When she opened the doors fully, her heart sank at the first thing she saw. 
Among the display podiums that dominated the room, two were empty. Not only that, but the protective circles surrounding them were completely voided of any power, reduced to nothing more than decretive markings on the floor. When she numbly approached the nearest empty display, she noticed that where a silver ring with a small oval sapphire once sat was now occupied by a small sheet of brown paper. Perplexed in spite of her shock, she lifted the glass case off of the podium and took the note. 
What it said made her eye twitch.

Dear Sunny Flare

I have decided to step out for a little while to tend to a matter of the utmost importance. See you when we cross paths in the future.

Sincerely, Dagon
P.S. I have taken Mithril with me as well. I have my reasons.

Sunny's eye twitched again.
Later, every member of staff would deny ever hearing a scream of pure rage echo through the minor-scale mansion.
> Ch.23 The Call to Action
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They say that one's room reflects the soul of the one who lives in it. For someone like Twilight, that meant a neat and organized room where everything had its place. For Lemon, it was a mass of chaos with small pockets of order scattered around. If one were to wander into Sugar's room, they would see a truly odd sight indeed.
Unlike most rooms, Sugar's bedroom as circular as opposed to square with an equally round queen-sized bed at its center.  At the back of the room stood a large round window, emerald curtains with oriental dragons printed across them blocking out the sun. One half of the room was perfectly organized, with computer, desk, dresser, and bookshelves all cleaned to a brilliant white in spite of the their years of use. The other half of the room was a mass of organized chaos with fantasy posters, half-painted figurines, dry erase mats, D&D books, and dozens of notebooks spread out across three fully loaded oaken tables in designated sectors.
On the border between these two extremes, Sugar softly snored, her teddybear onesie she always wore to bed hidden under a thick gray comforter. A look of pure peace graced her face, her silver hair free from their usual three ponytails framing it from the outer rim of her hood.
At the clicking of her internal clock, she slowly started to stir. Mumbling incoherently to herself, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. The simple act made her hood fall away, revealing her silver locks in all of their glory. Still barely coherent, she leaned over to her nightstand and fumbled about for her glasses. Once she had them in place, she staggered to her feet with a long stretch.
"Time to start the day," she sighed, making her way towards her desk.
Taking her phone off of the desk, she scrolled through her messages as she tried to think of what she could do with herself today.
Being an Elite, it went without saying that she was an accomplished academic. Being among the top five made that doubly apparent. As such, it was no real surprise to anyone that knew her that she had already completed all of the assignments her teachers had tasked her with for the week. With the exception of a few figurines, this also meant that the game she was running for her friends was far ahead of schedule. All she needed to do was see when the whole group would be free. 
She was about to send a message to her boyfriend to get his opinion on the matter, when a soft crunching caught her attention.  Peeved, she turned her head towards the source, fully expecting to see a rat or some other unpleasant unwanted guest. What she saw made a look of slack-jawed shock break past her stony mask.
Sitting on her desk, reading a monster manual and munching on a potato chip, was a small dragon. 
The creature was no bigger than a house cat, its scales a continuous mix of blue and purple swirls all across its body. It lightly traced a claw across the page it was reading, its green eyes literally glowing and full of interest. Unlike the bat-like fans Sugar often thought of when she imagined such a creature, the dragon's wings were shaped like ones seen on a butterfly, their colors shifting from red, to purple, to blue, and back as the dim light hit them. Sugar could see the small smile that graced its muzzle as it read as well as the needle-like fangs it sported as it took a bite out of its snack. A tiny glint of light drew her attention to the silver ring that it had on its tail, the sapphire mounted on it seeming to almost glow in the dim light.
She barely noticed when her phone slipped out of hand, something that could not be said for the small creature. Its ear fin twitched at the soft thud the device made, then the dragon aimed a surprised gape at the stunned girl. Sugar took a quick step back, her mind struggling to make any kind of sense of what was happening. 
Shock turned into a smile from the creature and in a high-pitched, yet gentlemanly voice it said, "Good morning, my dear...Sugar Coat, was it?"
She stiffly nodded, taking another step back.
"Ah, excellent," the dragon chuckled, turning to face her fully. "My name is Dagon; it is a pleasure to finally meet-"
Before he could finish, it all became too much for her to handle and she fainted. Dagon blinked at the downed girl, then fluttered down to her side, After checking to make sure she was alright, he gave her a confused frown and crossed his arms with a huff.
"Was it something I said?"


***


Wraiths were not morning people, nor were they evening people. When your whole species could function just fine on three hours of sleep a week, it was hard to say what kind of person you were in that regard. As Petal sat, barely able to keep her eyes open at Lemon's kitchen table, there were two things that became apparent to her; coffee was a gift from both God and Rabia and that her link with Twilight had changed a few things about her physical needs. As such, any point in time before five in the morning was the product of the devil and needed to be dedicated to sleep. Anyone, sans her friends, that said otherwise was going to find the Wraith's foot shoved so far up their ass, they were going to know what her Miasma-crafted boot tasted like. In the state she was in, she considered it a small miracle she was able to assume her human form, let alone summon her usual attire.
"Not a fan of mornings?" Lemon chuckled, refilling Petal's cup.
"It's not morning," Petal growled, taking a sip from the refreshed mug. "It won't be morning for another two fucking hours."
"Whatever you say," she shrugged, taking a sip from her own mug. "Just don't let sis here you say that."
"It's not like you're ready to face the day either," Petal growled, waving a hand at the girl.
Lemon just chuckled at that, not even remotely ashamed tha she was still in her pajamas. Petal glowered at her cheer, taking a sip from her mug. It was as Petal looked away that Lemon noticed Twilight's pendant hanging from the Wraith's neck. When she woke up to see her friend laying next to her this morning, it was a pretty huge shock. That was topped when Petal told her why she was here in the first place. The idea that Twilight wanted to talk to Sour was so alien that Lemon expected to see a UFO touch down in front of her house. The fact that she wanted to do it without even Petal backing her up was almost too much for her to handle so early in the morning.
"Do you think Twilight's okay?" Lemon asked, staring contemplatively into her mug.
Petal opened her mouth to answer, but paused at the last second. Her vision turned distant, lips bent into a small frown. Lemon stared at her in concern, not sure if this was normal or a new quirk for her friend. Petal shook her head, her faculties seemingly coming back to the present with a few unnerved blinks.
"Queen that was weird," she muttered, then gave Lemon a confident smile as she added, "She's a little shaken up, but she's doing okay."
"Really? How do you know?" Lemon pressed. "Is this, like, some kind of long-distance-sense thing?"
"Kind've?" Petal offered. "It's...I don't know how do describe it. It's...It's complicated, alright?"
"It's cool, it's cool," Lemon chuckled. "So long as you two are safe, I'm not in a hurry to know how this new thing works."
"Thanks," Petal sighed. "I think Sparky would want to be here for that kind of talk anyway."
"Probably," she shrugged. "So, what do you want to do today?"
Before Petal could respond, the sound of Lemon's phone could be heard from her room. As the girl went to get it, Petal let her eyes drift towards her mug. She had no idea how to process what was happening to her. On one hand, she was happy that she could still sense Twilight's emotional state, but it didn't come without some kind of toll on her. When she tapped into their new bond, she felt a sharp pressure run through her core. 
While she didn't have any organs in the same sense as a human does, she, and all of her kind, had a jet black crystal core where a heart should be. It was through it that Wraiths channeled and created the Miasma needed to use their powers or simply live. As such, it was never a good idea for any Aether to come into contact with it; just like it would be a very bad idea for Miasma to flood a human's heart.
We can't use this trick too much, she thought with a frown, her grip tightening around her mug. If Twilight's Aether can do that to me, I don't want to know what too much of my Miasma would do to her.
Before her thoughts could get any darker, Lemon returned with her phone. Petal hid her worry behind a tired smile while her friend retook her seat. She raised a brow at the confused look the rocker sported as she slid her phone onto the middle of the table. Looking down at the device, Petal was greeted by a visibly shaken Sugar Coat on one half of the screen and a jogging Indigo Zap on the other.
"Is Twilight there too?" she asked, a faint tremble making it past her monotone.
"She's busy today," Petal frowned. "Why? What's up?"
"I wanted you all to confirm something for me," she gulped. 
"And that is?" Indigo pressed, stopping by a tree and taking a drink of water.
"Do you three see him too?" she asked, taping something on her side of the screen and changing her camera setting.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the small dragon waving at them on the screen, Indigo hacking as she spat a mouthful of water all over herself. The camera switched back to Sugar, the girl taking a second to see her friends' reactions before letting out a relieved sigh.
"So either I am not crazy or we have all played way too much D&D lately. Since I want to assume the former, could you all come to my house now. The magic faery dragon wants to talk to us about something important."
Petal and Lemon stared at the phone, then at each other, then at their mugs of coffee. As one they nodded in agreement before chugging the remains of their now lukewarm beverages. For the Wraith and the Gifted, this was looking like it was going to be a three-cups kind of day


***


Sunny grumbled bitterly to herself, her eyes locked onto an ornate silver compass as she stomped her way through the streets. Stygian stayed close, doing his best to keep his fuming friend from walking off the sidewalk into traffic or any other obstacles. Sunny barely noticed his efforts, her mind flooded with all kinds of unflattering things she wanted to say to her target when she found him. Whether that was going to be done with or without strangling the unfortunate dragon was dependent on the circumstances she found him in at the time.
"I swear, I am going to use his hide as a belt for this," she growled, rounding a corner at the compass's prompting. 
"I'm sure he had a reason to do this," Stygian offered, guiding her further away from the edge of the sidewalk, "We both know that he never acts without reason."
"He rarely ever acts, period!" she barked, looking up from her compass to glare at her friend. "The least he could do is uphold his duty as house guardian as stated IN HIS CONTRACT!"
"Do you honestly believe he would make a contract if there was no possibility for him to find a loophole?" he calmly asked.
Sunny opened her mouth, but stopped whatever argument she had to that at the last second. Letting out a frustrated growl, she looked back down to her compass and stomped further down the street. Stygian sighed, tailing her and letting his own thoughts drift on the matter.
While Dagon was a bit...eccentric, he rarely did anything for no reason. More often than not, his lack of action was because of how his presence affected certain outcomes.The hows of that made sense only to the odd dragon and those he chose to hold his ring. The fact he took Mithril with him only added to the mystery, given how unwieldy that particular artifact could be even for the most competent Gifted.
"What could that cunning bastard be planning?" he mused.
All further thoughts on the matter were cut short when he looked up and pulled Sunny back by her shirt caller. When she turned her head to snap at him, he glared at her then pointed ahead. While she had taken note of the crosswalk, it was not long enough to see if the crossing light had been on or not. As they waited (one more patiently than the other) for the light to change, Stygian decided to shelve his thoughts on the matter. Knowing the Spirit, the answers would come when the time was right. 
Hopefully, the reason won't enrage Sunny too much more, he mused with a sigh.


***


Sugar stared at Dagon from her bed, the dragon sitting calmly on one of the gaming tables reading through one of her notebooks. After the call for help, Sugar had given the small creature a wide berth, absolutely ready to run for the door the second it tried anything funny. Picking up on the girl's discomfort, Dagon let her keep her distance, entertaining himself with the numerous books and notes left around his perch. He knew that the odds of this kind of reaction was fairly high, he had ran through the numbers dozens of times before he left Cinch Manor, after all. There were other predictions that made this particular reaction the preferable one, not just because it was the one with the lowest precent chance of violence. While casual on the surface, each of his moments were carefully measured by the most intricate calculations. Every second spent reading a page, every lick of his lips, even the number of blinks he made as he read were calculated steps that led to one particular preferred outcome.
Running through hundreds of different calculations in the blink of an eye, he looked up at Sugar with a small grin. The girl gulped, but remained seated. More calculations, then with a mental nod at the results, moved forward with his predictions.
"I am sure you have a lot of questions," he chuckled, fishing another chip out of the bag at his side. 
She nodded, nervously gnawing on her lower lip.
"You may ask me whatever you want," he chuckled. "Just know that there are a few questions I cannot answer at this time."
"O-Of course," she nodded.
Dagon chuckled warmly at that, then patently sat back on his haunches and started nibbling on his snack.
Taking the dragon's appearance into account, she knew that she had to be careful how she spoke. If the Monster Manuals were even remotely accurate, Dagon was a faery dragon. While not the most dangerous of dragons, they were still tricky to deal with and very skilled sorcerers. It also meant that there were a lot of easy ways to insult them, given the reported cultural differences between fae and human societies. Approaching her guest like one would a salesman, she carefully chose her words, then spoke her question.
"Are you a faery dragon?"
Dagon tilted his head at that, the odds of that question barely being one he actually considered calculating in advance. 
Smile taking on an impish hint, he said, "Yes and no. I am very different from the dragons of my homeland, but I do not possess a single drop of fae blood in my veins. At the same time, many dragons see me as something far more ancient than the first dragon."
"Are you a demon then?" she asked.
Dagon laughed fully at that, his tail latching onto the edge of the table to keep himself from falling over.
Regaining enough of his composure to steady himself, he responded, "I have been called that in the past, but only because my knowledge and predictions were misused. Demons are food or foe to me and I am by no means a cannibal."
Sugar nodded, taking mental notes and dropping other theories that conflicted with what she was learning.
Assuming what he is saying is true, than he only resembles a faery dragon and shares a name with a demon lord. There is also, apparently, a place on Terra that has dragons and fae living on it. There are also demons apparently.
"Are you an angel or god then?" she pressed.
"No on the first, but I suppose the latter is a close description of what I am," he shrugged, taking a bite out of his chip.
Growing tired of playing twenty questions and feeling a bit bold, Sugar decided to get straight to the point. 
"Can you tell me what you are?" she asked, leaning a little further in he seat.
"Yes," he nodded.
Silence settled between them for a few seconds, a cheeky smile slowly spreading across the dragon's muzzle.
"Will you?" Sugar frowned, crossing her arms as she caught on to the small joke the dragon threw at her.
"As you wish," he chuckled, straightening his posture and placing a hand on his chest. "I am Dagon Scientia; Spirit of Knowledge and Prophecy."
Sugar blinked dumbly at that, not expecting an actual answer, let alone that kind of reveal from her guest.
"You are a spirit?" she asked.
He nodded, crunching into his snack.
"Are there others?" she pressed.
"Yes, but you do not need to worry about them," he said, waving the next questions he knew was coming. "With the exception of two, maybe three, the rest of my kind live in my homeland and have no real interest in this one."
"You won't tell me anything about them, then?" she pressed.
"Not for a long while," he chuckled. "If things play out as they should, then there will be plenty of chances for introductions later."
"Just knowing there are other spirits out there is enough," Sugar nodded, holding back a shudder. "You said that you were the Spirit of Knowledge and Prophecy; does that mean you can see the future?"
"In a way," he shrugged. "It is more like making an extremely educated guess. Free will does tend to tip scales after all."
"I-I see," she stammered. "So, why are you here?"
"An excellent question," he beamed. "But I fear what I have to say needs to be heard by a slightly larger audience. I have the wizard, but can the bard, rogue, and cleric please join the party?"
As he said that, he made a beckoning gesture with his claw and Sugar's bedroom door flew open. Petal, Lemon, and Indigo let out startled yelps as they fell to the floor in a heap. Sugar watched her friends stagger back to their feet, the rocker of the group chuckling awkwardly, while the other two girls tried to look as unaffected by their entrence as possible. They did jump a bit when Dagon closed the door behind them, a fact that got a small chuckle out of the spirit.
"Thank you for coming today," he smiled merrily, waving a claw through the air.
To everyone's, even Sugar's, open shock, three chairs made of mist formed themselves a few feet in front of the spirit's perch. Cautiously, Lemon approached a chair and after giving it a few weary pokes, tried taking a seat. To her shock and relief, it held her weight just as easily as a normal chair would. Leerily following suit, Indigo took a seat next to her friend, the girl looking unusually timid before the smiling creature. Petal was a lot more hesitant, her face a blank mask as she met Dagon's eyes. She could feel the smug satisfaction behind them, like the small dragon knew more about her than she did herself. That he was analyzing her down to the smallest point and knew everything she was going to do far in advance. Worst of all, she could tell that he knew that she knew all of this, and was not afraid to tell her that she was right.
"No need to worry my dear," he nodded to Petal, gesturing a claw down to the remaining chair. "It will not hurt you. Not anymore, at least."
The cryptic response made Sugar and Indigo raise a brow, but the message was clear to Lemon and Petal. Nodding, but still unreadable, Petal slowly approached the offered chair and claimed it. As promised, she felt no pain from the Aetheric construct, but she did need to force past a brief dizzy spell from it.
Well, that's fucking new, she mused with a groan, blinking the head-rush away.
"So....um....what's going on?" Indigo asked, nervously smiling.
"An excellent question Indigo," Dagon beamed, pointing at her. "But I fear that you will need to be a little more specific. There are quite a few things 'going on' at the moment."
"Okay," Petal snorted, cutting in. "How about, why the fuck is a dragon spirit thing sitting in our friend's bedroom?"
"Ah, now that is more like it," he chuckled. "Thank you Lily. Oh, my apologies; you go by Petal Wasp now."
"The fuck?!" Petal exclaimed, sitting up in her seat.
"To answer your question," Dagon continued, ignoring the outburst. "The time has come for those of you not in the know to become aware of a great secret."
"What secret?" Sugar asked, narrowing her eyes.
"That the world is not as you think it is," he solemnly stated, letting his smile fall.
That put everyone on edge, Lemon and Petal especially.
"I guess that makes sense," Indigo gulped. "I mean, we're talking to a faery dragon, right?"
"Spirit dragon," Dagon corrected. "Though I fear I am a bit of an out-lire in this particular regard."
"Wh-What do you mean?" Lemon asked, chuckling nervously.
"What indeed?" he asked, raising a brow at her.
Lemon sucked in her lips, but otherwise remained unresponsive to the spirit's challenge. Clicking his tongue disapprovingly, he ran through a few mental calculations. Satisfied with the results, he moved forward with his lecture.
"To put it simply, there two secret societies that a few of you are completely unaware of. One is made up of humans called Gifted. These are people who possess special abilities that allow them to preform tasks that many would consider magical in nature. Granted, it is not true magic, but their control of Aether is close enough that the difference is almost nonexistent. The other faction is a group of predatory energy beings called Wraiths. While closely resembling humans, these creatures feed on negative emotions and possess abilities that make them impossible for normal humans to combat. As such, I am sure you can understand how this could lead to conflict between the two factions."
"Wait, are you saying there is some kind of magical shadow war going on?" Indigo asked, incredulous.
He nodded.
"it has been going on for centuries and will continue to progress long into the future."
Indigo fell back in her seat, eyes wide and staring blankly forward as she tried to wrap her head around everything. Meanwhile, Petal and Lemon were trying to think of a way out of this that didn't end in a fight. At the heart of it all, Sugar payed careful attention to what her guest had said. More specifically, how he had said it. Something about his phrasing felt off to her, like he was trying to tell a secret beyond the one he had just told them. Slowly, here eyes widened as a possibility she didn't want to consider forced itself on her. 
She shoved it to the back of her mind.
"Why are you telling us this?" she asked. "None of us are Gifted and you said humans are too weak to fight Wraiths."
"Another excellent question, Sugar Coat," Dagon nodded. I see that my judgment of you was properly founded."
She wanted to question him on that, but something about the look he was giving her stifled that urge.
"From what I have been able to predict, everyone here will be involved in a clash with a Wraith in the near future. In addition, I predict that it will not end favorably for most of you."
A cold silence filled the room, each girl taking the news in different levels of grim. Lemon and Petal took it the worst, both of them trading knowing looks. Had they been paying attention, they would've noticed the probing stares Sugar was giving them, the dread she pushed back earlier starting to nip at the back of her mind.
"That being said, "Dagon continued. "I have taken it upon myself to try and improve your odds."
"Woah, woah, woah, wait!" Indigo cried, waving her hands frantically to get the dragon's attention. "What makes you think we're going to want to have anything to do with this? I mean, why don't you go find a bunch of these, 'Gifted' people and sick them on the Wraith? Why do we have to get involved at all?"
"If it was that simple, then we would not be having this conversation," he sighed. "Thanks to a contract forced on him by Fine Print, other Gifted are unable to attack him directly. In exchange, he is locked into a single location and allowed one human sacrifice to keep him bound for one year. If this is not maintained, he will be free to do as he pleases."
"Sounds like an easy fix," Indigo, shrugged. "Break the contract, then break his neck."
"With hundreds of years worth of stockpiled Miasma, such a plan would only result in just as many innocent lives slaughtered," he sighed. "Believe me, I have run through the numbers more times than any human can count."
"Then why do you want to get us involved?" Sugar pressed.
"Two reasons," he said, giving the girl the start of a smirk. "The first is that regardless of what I do or don't do, you all will get involved of your own free wills. And second, a new factor has come into this equations; one that may just tip the scales enough in our favor to let us come out on top."
"And that is?" Indigo frowned.
Dagon chuckled, then gave a knowing smirk as he said, "That, I'm afraid, is something I have no right to reveal."
Indigo groaned in frustration at that while Lemon and Petal gave mental sighs of relief. Sugar was as unreadable as ever, crossing her arms as she digested what Dagon had said. Almost afraid to do so, she met the dragon's gaze and asked one question.
"You said that we would've gotten involved regardless of what you did. Why would we?"
Dagon stared deep into the girl's eyes, his smile once again turning into a grim frown.
"That, is because of who this year's chosen sacrifice is."
Everyone froze, cold stones settling in their guts. 
Sugar knew. She did not know how she knew, but she did. She wanted to be wrong. She needed to be wrong. At the back of her mind, she knew that she wasn't. At the same time though, she needed to hear it. with a dry gulp, she forced three words past her lips.
"Who is it?"
The two of them continued their stare down for a few more seconds. She wanted to be wrong. she needed to be wrong. Then, with a heavy heart and  the finality of a judge slamming his gavel, he gave his answer.
"Twilight Sparkle."
> Ch.24 Gifted
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Twilight first met Petal, she felt that her world had been turned upside down. While terrifying at first, everything she learned about Wraiths made her wonder if the world was as black and white as she thought it was. It also made her think that there were few things left in the world that could truly surprise her anymore. Fate had apparently heard rumor of her coming to that conclusion and asked someone to hold her drink.
Luckily, this particular introduction was slightly less dramatic than when she met her first friend.
After they had their small moment, the two of them  started talking. For Sour, it was mostly about archery, ranging from the various bows her school club used to the different kinds of arrows she wanted to have added to the supplies. For Twilight, it was mostly about her experiments, especially in regards to the ones she planned to do to understand Aether and Miasma. Moving the talk away form shop and towards hobbies, the two of them found that they had a few common interests when it came to books and games. When Twilight mentioned Dungeons and Dragons, Sour showed a hint of intrigue. After an hour of talks about character creation and past adventures, a buzzing from Sour's phone put the conversation on hold. With a sheepish smile, she told Twilight that the teacher she wanted was ready to see her.
A few minutes of nervous bus travel later and Twilight found herself in the heart of Canterlot City's Platinum District.
Gated communities surrounded her as she walked down the street, opulence and success flooding the air like a thick cloud. Expensive cars moved up and down the road in perfect condition along with the occasional limousine, each of them sparkling brilliantly under the early afternoon light. The people that walked past her and Sour were equally well dressed, with even the more casual attire on display sporting the telltale signs of being name brand goods.
Twilight took it all in with the slack-jawed grace of a tourist, only barely keeping enough of her wits together to tail her new friend. Sour smiled and rolled her eyes at the girl's reaction, making sure to stay close enough to keep her from wandering into the road.
"You're going to catch flies, Sparkle," Sour chuckled, grabbing the gaping teen's hand.  
"B-B-B-But look at the size of the houses!" Twilight exclaimed, pointing at a nearby mansion.
"Well, duh. This is where the big shots live," Sour shrugged, gently pulling her friend down the street. "A huge property is a prerequisite here."
"And my new teacher lives here?!" she gulped, watching a shining sports car drive by. 
Sour nodded, completely unphased by the opulence surrounding her.
"Most Gifted come from old money and ancient family clans. Because of that, they tend to have a lot of financial power wherever they set roots. Some of them even hold political power, but that doesn't tend to last for very long."
"Why?" Twilight asked, finally able to pull her attention away from her surroundings. "Wouldn't holding office make them more powerful in the public center?"
"It would," Sour allowed. "But it also puts a lot of unwanted attention on them. Makes it hard to keep a secret society secret if people are constantly trying to pry into your life, right?"
"Oh," she frowned. "Right."
Nodding in satisfaction at that, Sour continued to guide her down the crowded streets.
"What do they do with all of their money then?" 
Sour thought about that for a second, then said, "Depends on the clan, but most of them invest in stocks, start major companies, or donate to local charities."
"Really?" she blinked. "That's......That's really nice of them."
Sour shrugged.
"Most of them don't see any reason not to. Unless they get taken out, Gifted have insanely long lifespans, so running stocks and donating money is really more of a hobby to them than anything. Hell, the city's oldest clan has such a huge fortune at this point that they could buy the whole damn thing if they wanted to."
"R-Really?" Twilight gaped. "How?"
"When the heads of the house has been around for a few centuries, you tend to get a pretty fat piggy bank," Sour snorted.
"Centuries?" Twilight gulped. "I-Is that normal for a Gifted?"
Sour let out a barking laugh at that.
"No way! Grandpa Starswirl and Granny Mistmane are just anomalies. Their gifts give them a way to cheat death a little. Let's just say, it's going to take awhile for you and Sunny to walk into a bar without getting carded."
"Oh, so we age slower than normal people," Twilight sighed, then softly mused, "I wonder why? Does it have something to do with Aether?"
"Probably," Sour shrugged. "Gifted have a lot more of it than normal people, so I guess it could  play some kind of part in it."
A small smile graced Twilight's lips, a part of her heart warming at this exchange. While a part of her was still on guard around the girl, she couldn't deny that she was starting to enjoy he time with Sour. Sure, their environment put her on edge and they were still talking shop, but it was all very mundane by her steadily shifting standards. 
I wonder what kind of Gift I have? she mused, a small giddy giggle creeping past her lips.
Sour ignored the sound and rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the small smile she also sported as she guided her new friend further down the street.


***

Silence. Gloom. These greeted Cinch as she sat alone in her private study. Her oaken desk was bare, save for a bottle of wine, a loaded glass, and a picture laying facedown on the far right corner. What little light filled the room crept past the large window curtains behind her. The rays revealed the soft blue of the walls and the silver chandelier on the white ceiling, but everything else was hidden by shadows. Cinch didn't care, her eyes distant and mind even more so as she stared down at her desk.
The day she had been hoping for was finally coming. If all went according to plan, then the nightmare that had been plaguing her family for generations would come to an end. It thrilled her, filled her with a joy too powerful to put into words, but also chilled her to her core. She had seen what Belfry was capable of and knew that he would not go down easily. At the same time, she knew that she could not afford to let this chance pass her by. She needed to put an end to this, for both her sake and her daughter's.
A soft knock at the door snapped her out of her musings, her gaze slowly sliding up towards it. A small rare smile decorated her face as she pointed a finger into the gloom at her right. A small, barely noticeable ball of bluish purple light formed at its tip then drifted off into the dark. When it eventually vanished, a dull clunk could be heard from where it last shined. Cinched watched as a small porcelain doll floated out of the dark towards the door. It was dressed in an ornate victorian-style lavender gown with a matching bonnet set atop a head or rust-colored curls. Its blue eyes stared blankly at the door as it reached for the knob with its small ivory hands.
When it managed to open the door, a the person behind it let out a startled yelp the second she saw it.
The person in question was a tall pink woman with long flowing locks of  dark pink, purple, and yellow that reached her lower back. Her build was like that of a model, a fact that her red blouse and gray jeans put on full display. She stared down at the floating toy with wide purple eyes as she clutched her pounding chest. When she managed to get over her shock, she aimed a sharp glare at her smirking employer.
"You know I hate it when you do that," the woman huffed, pushing past the doll and making her way into the room.
"In deed I do," Cinch chuckled, beckoning the doll back to her with her fingers. 
The woman's frown deepened, distracting herself with trying to get comfortable in the seat across from Cinch to better ignore the doll floating past her. Cinch chuckled at the attempt, willing the doll to sit facing her guest on the desk. The woman continued to sulk, earning another chuckle out of her host.
"Come now Cadence; even I am capable of having a little fun every now and then," Cinch sighed, stroking the doll's hair like one would a pet cat.
"It's still creepy," Cadence shuddered. "And the gloom isn't helping."
Cinch sighed, then pointed at a far corner of the room. The doll stood up, then floated past Cadence into the direction its mistress indicated. Cadence watched it drift past her with a shudder before she gave her employer her full attention. A soft click was the only warning she got before the chandelier flashed to life. While Cadence blinked the stars out of her eyes, the doll floated towards a shelf on the left side of the room. Occupying the shelves were many more dolls, each just as ornate and expensive-looking as the one approaching it. The second it reclaimed its place on one of the shelves, a small blue ball of light flew out of it into Cinch's chest.
Neither woman reacted to that, the older of the two meeting the younger woman with a face now voided of emotion. Cadence met it with a concerned frown, her posture tense under the whirlwind of emotions she just barely kept under control. After a few minutes of silence, Cadence took a deep breath to steady her heart and broke it with a stiff question.
"When were you going to tell me?"
A very faint flinch crept past Cinch's hardened exterior.
With a controlled tone, Cinch said, "I was not going to tell you. Knowing would have only made the whole affair even more painful."
"You have no right to make that kind of decision," Cadence frowned, hands clenched tight on her lap.
Cinch's eyes narrowed at that.
"You know just as well as I do that there was nothing that could be done. Knowing Twilight's fate would have only resulted in your husband losing a wife and your daughter knowing of you through pictures and faint memories."
"That's not-" she started, but froze when she saw the faint trace of pain she saw in Cinch's eyes. 
Swallowing her argument, she took a deep breath and fell further back into her seat.
"If I survive the coming hunt, then you may hit me as hard as you wish," Cinch allowed, a small smile slipping past her mask as she added, "On that note, who were you able to convince to take part in this mission?"
"Aside from you and I?" Cadence smirked, crossing her arms and raising a brow.
"Eager for action, Snow Faery?" Cinch asked, raising a brow.
"That, and I want to tear Belfry's bells off for what he put Twilight through," Cadence snorted, a sinister edge creeping into her smile. "As for who else wants a piece of him, Gold, Onyx, and Somnambula are ready and willing."
"If what the maids are saying is true, than Dagon has decided to get involved as well," Cinch nodded, a musing frown gracing her lips.
"WHAT?!" Cadence gaped. "Did he say what he has planned?"
Cinch shook her head.
"He left a letter early this morning stating that he took Mithril and refused to elaborate further."
"Typical," Cadence sighed. "I guess he saw this coming eventually. Do you think this is a good sign?"
"Very much so," Cinch smiled. "As much as we hate Belfry, his ire runs far deeper than we could ever hope to fathom."
"Right...." Cadence shuddered. "I can still remember how he reacted when I asked him about Fine Point. He really loved her, didn't he?"
"Deeply," Cinch sighed. "Just as you do your family and I did with..."
Cinch's eyes briefly flicked towards the frame on the desk before she forced back her tears.
"It is impressive that you managed to assemble such a strong hunting party. With their assistance, along with whatever Dagon is planning, we should be able to finally put this tradition to rest."
"Don't give me too much credit. All of us have a bone or two to pick with that monster," Cadence sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. 
Cinch solemnly nodded, then sported a mischievous smile as she added, "On another note, have you told your husband that you are a Gifted yet?"
Cadence let out a groan at that, hiding her face behind her hands.
"I told you, I'm waiting for the right time to tell him."
"I understand," Cinch chuckled. "Hopefully, that time will be sooner rather than later. It should make things far less complicated when Flurry Heart Awakens further down the line."
"Please don't remind me," she groaned, still hiding her face.


***


Busy streets and loud displays of wealth gave way to quite roads and more traditional signs of opulence as Sour walked down the street. This was a welcome change for Twilight, the upper middle class teen no longer overwhelmed by the glitz and glamour of her surroundings. The more ornate mansions held an aura of power, yet lacked the desire to show off that their more modern counterparts held. If Twilight were to give a more detailed comparison, she would say that one was like a boisterous peacock while the other was a subtle falcon.
Massive gothic style gardens and matching iron gates separated the properties from their neighbors and the street in clear lines. It held a feel of mutual respect that only the most elite of elites families could share with a subtle hint of warning. When the two girls passed a turn across the street, a set of massive properties caught Twilight's attention.  The whole street was seemingly owned exclusively by five gigantic properties, each bearing a slight musical theme on their dividing gates. Each radiated influence and absolutely ancient money, even the property marked with a record player insignia on its gate, which looked to be the weakest of the five, demanded a fierce level of power.
Sour noticed Twilight's slacked jaw and smirked.
"That's where the Five Great Musician Houses live. No one else can shell out enough money to buy the land from them, so we call it Lyrical Road. Aside from the Scratches, they're all really nice if a little on the stuffy side. The Philharmonics are the strongest and most polite of the bunch, so if you want to make a strong friend, they're the best bet."
Twilight just nodded, still starstruck by the artistry she could see in the properties. That, and the faint blue and lavender glow coming off of the largest mansion on the street. Shaking off her wonder, she gave her friend her full attention as she resumed her march.
The two girls walked in relative silence, taking in the early spring air and near silent ambiance. A rare sense of peace slowly seeped into Twilight, the reduced stimuli finally letting her mind take a minute to breathe. Sure, she was still nervous about meeting her Gifted Teacher, but not so much that she couldn't enjoy her surroundings. That slowly shifted into confusion when she started to sense something odd. Slowly, the air took on an alien pressure, not so much so that it was painful, but it did give her a faint sense of vertigo. The pressure became more noticeable the further they walked, causing Twilight to look around for its possible source. 
It wasn't until they rounded a corner that she got her first clue.
Much like its neighbors a massive gothic mansion dominated the end of the street, but it was only its general build that matched. As they approached, what Twilight originally thought was polished wood that made up the ornate fortress's exterior was actually shined marble. What she had thought were simple golden embellishments were intricate symbols carved into the stone surface in equally complicated patterns. Even the windows and cobblestone paths were carved, the marks being silver and black respectively. Said paths branched off from the house in all four directions, dividing the three-football-stadiums-length property into fours. When they eventually reached the front gate of the property, Twilight noticed that what she had thought were topiary were actually emerald statues, each carved into the shape of some sort of Neighgyptian animal or monster of myth. Like the grounds and building, the statues also sported symbols, only much smaller in size and bright red in color. One thing that Twilight didn't fail to identify was the violet-gray aura that the symbols radiated, covering the property in their steady pulses of power.
"Well those are new," Sour exclaimed, snapping Twilight out of her observations.
"What? What is?" she asked, frantically looking around.
"Your eyes," Sour chuckled.
"W-What about them?" she asked, panic starting to set in.
Instead of answering, Sour took out her phone, activated its Selfie-camera, and pointed its screen at Twilight. She was left wide-eyed at what she saw, a fact that made it easier to notice her new cat-like red eyes. She put her hands over them, slowly trying to calm herself as she struggled to let her new normal set in. She was a Gifted now. There were going to be some things that she was going to have to get used to. Making peace with that, she lowered her hands and gently pushed Sour's phone away.
"Are you okay?" Sour asked.
"I...will be," Twilight gulped. "I....just need to learn to....accept that some things about me are different now."
"That's why we're here, right?" Sour smiled, placing a hand on Twilight's shoulder.
"R-Right," Twilight stammered out, just barely managing to suppress a flinch from the contact.
If Sour noticed, she didn't show it as she took her hand off of Twilight's shoulder. A small smirk sprouted on the archer's face as she placed a hand on the gate's door. Twilight let out a small squeak when the gate let out a small blue flash before it slowly opened. 
Sour giggled a little at that before crossing the threshold onto the property. Twilight shook off her shock to follow, her feline eyes scanning the statues as she passed them. Silence settled between them again, each locked in their own thoughts as they traveled across the estate's massive front lawn. For Sour, these thoughts centered mostly on her current companion. A literal half of her was overjoyed that Twilight had forgiven her for her actions, but the other half of her felt that she didn't deserve it. The kind of pain she had forced the girl to endure was something she was very familiar with, a fact that made her feel even worse for her involvement. Even with the subtle influence of the Seed parasitizing her, she should've known better. The fact that another Wraith was the reason Twilight hadn't done what she had almost succeeded in made it even worse. Fortunately for her more cynical side, there were going to be plenty of verbal lashings to come for her foolishness.
When Sour looked up at the mansion ahead of them, she swallowed down a nervous lump.  A small groan at her side brought her back to the present, turning her head to the noise with worry. Twilight was staggering, hand pressed to her forehead as she tried to continue down the path.
"Are you okay?" she asked, panic heavy in her tone.
"Y-Yeah," Twilight forced out, giving her a strained smile. "I...I think it's all of the Aether in the air. I'm....not used to sensing it yet."
"That's a relief," she sweetly sighed, then bitterly added, "Don't scare us like that."
"S-Sorry," Twilight flinched.
Sour blinked, then grimaced as she tried to recenter herself again.
"It's....okay," she sighed, her voice regaining its echo. "Besides, mom should be able to help you with that."
"Mom?" Twilight blinked. "My teacher is your mother?"
Sour nodded, looking away from Twilight with a grimace. 
"But if your mother is a Gifted, wouldn't that mean you're-"
"It's complicated," Sour cut in, her echoing tone somber.
Twilight instantly let the topic drop, instead choosing to focus on keeping herself from falling over. The closer they got to the mansion, the harder it was getting to keep her steps stable. She knew that her new senses had something to do with it, but she also suspected that her bond with Petal played some part in her condition as well.  By the time they reached the mansion doors, Twilight was leaning on Sour to stay standing.
Is this how Petal felt when we went to visit Lemon? she thought, watching drunkenly as Sour slapped her palm onto the marble doors.
Like with the front gate, there was a flash of light before the doors slowly slid open.  Once they parted wide enough to let them in, the two girls staggered in. They were instantly greeted by a trio of maids, each of them worriedly looking over the pair. 
As they did, Twilight sluggishly took in her new surroundings.
Like its exterior, the mansion's walls were made of marble, only this type was a pitch black and lacked the ornate symbols. Instead, the golden outlines of clouds, ibises, cobras, and jackals decorated them in a manner similar to hieroglyphics. The floor was made of the same material, sans the images, yet polished to an equally brilliant shine. The entry hall was held up by four sapphire support pillars, each covered with golden stars, moons, and suns that glowed faintly in the dim light. Said light came from a massive chandelier that hung from the high copper ceiling above them, the appliance crafted into the shape of a titanic lotus flower that filled the room with a dim teal light. 
Twilight's hazy head struggled to come up with a way to voice her awe at what she was seeing, but the effort was taken away from her when a new slightly accented female voice cut through the maids' worry. 
"Who do we have here?"
All five of them gave its source their full attention, the maids instantly standing at attention while the two teens stared down the hall at the far end of the room.  With casual grace, a peach-colored woman stepped into view. Her hair was an even set of arctic blue and moderate turquoise streaks cut into an even curtain that reached the base of her neck. Her violet-gray eyes were sharp, yet kind with a light application of blue-gray eye shadow adding to the effect. A cream Neighgyptian sundress emphasized her toned figure and full assets as she gracefully strode towards the group.
"H-Hello mom," Sour smiled, struggling to keep her stunned friend standing.
Sour's mother gave her a small smile, then raised a brow at the girl hang onto her shoulder.
"Is this the new Gifted you mentioned on the phone?" she asked.
"Yeah," Sour nodded, a bit more strain entering her smile.
"I see," she smiled, giving the dazzled girl her full attention. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. I am Somnambula, the Lady of this house."
As she said that, she held out a hand in greeting. 
Twilight stared dumbly at it for a few seconds, then shakily took it and said, "I-I'm T-T-Twilight Sparkle. It's...nice to meet you."
Somnambula'a smile shifted into a frown.
"The same Twilight Sparkle that holds the highest rank at Crystal Prep?"
She nervously nodded, instantly picking up on the ice in the woman's tone. She turned her gaze towards her daughter, her stare demanding answers. Twilight gave her friend a questioning look as well, adding to Sour's already growing dread.
"I....uh.....I can explain," Sour gulped.


***


Twilight had no idea just how many more times her jaw was going to keep dropping today. Just the trip to the dining room was enough set a record on that front, even with her senses scrambled. The rest of the mansion's interior was built in the same manner as the entry way with wall and ceiling lights made of the same glowing crystal as the chandelier. The furniture  was made of polished oak, all of it ancient in design with numerous glowing blue symbols. 
By the time she made it to the dining room, Twilight had managed to adjust enough to the Aether around her to appreciate her surroundings. When they took a seat, the same three maids that greeted them set saucers of tea down for each of them as Sour explained the misunderstanding between herself and Twilight. The whole time, Somnambula sat with her arms crossed and disapproving frown on her face. Twilight gave her friend a sympathetic smile, all too familiar with the power that particular look held. It was one she would receive from her own mother every time one of her experiments went awry. When Sour finally finished, she slumped in her seat, head down as she waited for her mother's judgement.
Twilight watched her let her daughter stew for a few seconds, then relax her posture with a sigh.
"I can't believe you would be so foolish. Do you know what you could have pushed this poor girl to do?"
"I know and I feel sick over it," Sour mumbled, a faint tremble creeping into echoing voice. 
She looked up at Twilight with a sad smile, then said, "But....I'm going to take steps to make up for that. Maybe then I'll be able to look myself in the mirror again without wanting to hurl."
"You better mean that, young lady," Somnambula huffed, then gave Twilight a soft smile.
"Now, you are looking for a teacher?"
Setting her cup down on the table, Twilight gave a shaky nod.
"Yes ma'am. I've just very recently Awakened and I want to learn how to control my powers."
"That is very much apparent," Somnambula nodded. "I can see just how much you are struggling to adapt to may Aether Aura. You must come from a fairly weak clan if that is enough to overwhelm you."
"Um...actually, my parents are normal," Twilight sheepishly stated, staring into her cup.
"I see," she blinked. "Interesting. Perhaps you share a line with a disgraced family?"
"I....I don't know," Twilight admitted. 
"No matter," Somnambula tittered. "The actions of an ancestor hold no power over my decision on the matter. As a means of making up for my daughter's foolishness, I will help you learn to control your powers."
"Really?!" Twilight beamed, stars sparkling in her eyes.
Somnambula nodded, giggling at the girl's enthusiasm.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Twilight cheered, practically floating in her seat.
"Think nothing of it," Somnambula smiled. "However, if I am to be your teacher, I feel that it will be necessary for you to become accustomed to my aura. Therefore, I recommend that you spend the night."
"That should be fine," Twilight giggled, reaching into her pocket. "I just need to call my mom to let her know that I am going to be spending the night at a friends house."
Mother and daughter chuckled at the girl's zeal, the later unable to resist her friend's infectious cheer. Before Twilight could even begin to scroll through her contacts, a call from Lemon flashed on the screen. Worried, she accepted the call and put the phone up to her ear.
"Hello?"
She blinked when she was not greeted by Lemon's voice.
"Twilight Sparkle?" Stygian calmly asked.
"Stygian? Why do you have Lemon's phone? Is she okay?"
"She's fine," he stated. "More importantly, can you tell me exactly where you are?'
"Um, Sour's house," she uneasily replied, looking back and forth between her two hosts.
"What room?" he pressed.
"The dining room."
A relieved sigh followed by a rough female voice screaming something in the background greeted that response.
"Thank you," he sighed, then hung up.
Twilight stared blankly at her phone for a moment  then asked, "What was that abo-"
Suddenly, a loud thud and series of yelps filled the room as five girls, one boy, and a blue dragon the size of a cat stumbled out of a shadow in a far corner of the room.
"Well, that was a trip," Dagon chuckled, sitting on top of the human pile.
"I am never doing that again," Sugar stated flatly, rolling drunkenly out from under Dagon.
"I think I left guts back there," Indigo groaned, clutching her stomach as she rolled onto her back.
"You get used to it," Sunny shrugged, dusting off her shoulder and staggering to her feet.
"That was AWESOME!!!" Lemon cheered, jumping to her feet. "Can I go again?"
"No," Petal groaned, bonelessly laying on top of an equally nauseous Stygian. "And if you push me through something like that again, I swear to the fucking Queen that I'll knock your damn teeth out."
"Could you please get off of me?" Stygian wheezed.
"Give me a minute," she groaned.
Twilight balked at the sight, only barely taking note of the small beast of fantasy over her friends' sudden entrence.
"Girls? Stygian? How did you-"
Twilight's voice seemed to click something back into place for Petal, the Human-formed Wraith's nausea snapping away just enough for her to drag herself to her feet. With a determined glint in her eyes, she marched over to Twilight and quickly put the pendant back around the girl's neck. Before Twilight could ask what was going on, she wrapped her arms around the lavender teen in a tight hug.
"From this point on, you are not taking this thing off. You fucking hear me?" Petal demanded, fear and anger shaking through her voice.
Twilight froze, her friend's fear hitting her like a punch to the gut through their link.  Returning the hug, she nodded as she added her own feelings to the link. Slowly, the Wraith's worry settled down, but still showed when she locked eyes with her friend. 
"Good," she sighed, then started to teeter as she asked. "Two things; have your eyes always looked like that and....why are there.....three of .......you?"
Twilight let out a startled cry as Petal fell out of grip and hit the floor. While Twilight and her friends ran to Petal side, Somnambula gave the fallen girl a cold frown. Subtly, she brought a hand up to her lips, ready to activate her Gift, only to be stopped by a small blue claw on her shoulder. She gave Dagon a questioning look, to which he responded with a shake of his head. Trusting her elder, she reluctantly let her hand fall to her as she rose from her seat, the Aether she was about to summon returning to her reserves. 
"As you can see Twilight, this is exactly why I requested that you spend the night," Somnambula smiled, kneeling to examine the fallen girl.
She hid her discomfort as she checked Petal's vitals, the Wraith's faint Miasmic Aura nipping at her fingertips. What didn't go unnoticed, at least to Dagon, was the faint confusion he saw on the Lady's face. While it was equally dim, she could detect a trace of Aether mixed into the girl's aura as well. When she asked the maids to gather some of the stronger staff to take Petal to one of the guest rooms to rest, she gave Dagon a passing glance. From the grin he sported and what she had just observed, it was clear that the days to come would prove to be very interesting ones. Whether that was a good thing or bad thing was something she was sure only her tightlipped elder knew for sure.
> Ch.25 Friend or Foe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Petal was not in a good mood.
Her head felt like someone slammed a hammer into it and she felt sick to her stomach. Just moving or thinking was as pleasant an idea as swallowing a cup of molten metal. The bed she was laying in didn't help much, the soft silk doing little to ease the burning pains from the Aether in the air. When she tried to crack her eyes open, she had to snap them back shut again from the pain. She groaned, rolling onto her side as she pulled her head under the covers.
Fucking Aether! Fuck it up the fucking ass!
A familiar gasp and faint pulse of worry at her bedside caught her attention.
Still hiding under the covers, she turned towards the girl sitting next to her, stuck out a hand, and gave her a weak, "Hey Sparky."
"You're finally awake,"  Twilight said, grasping the hand with a relieved smile. "Thank god; I was so worried! Yesterday, you passed out and wouldn't wake up! Are you okay?! Are you hungry?! Thirsty?! Are you in any pain?! Do you ne-"
"Sparky! Chill!" Petal barked, her head about to split. "My.....My head is pounding and I feel like my skin's on fire! Now is not the time to throw fifty questions at me!"
Twilight flinched back, her grip on Petal's hand tightening briefly before evening out.
"S-Sorry," Twilight sighed. "I.... I was worried about you. Everyone was; even Stygian and Sunny."
Petal snorted at that, flinching from the small spike in pain the action triggered.
"Th-Those two were worried about me? Hell must be freezing right now."
Twilight giggled at that.
"Is Lemon and the rest here too?" she asked.
"No," Twilight sighed. "They're in the middle of training right now."
"Oh," Petal frowned. "I....I guess that makes sense."
An awkward silence took the room for a few seconds, before Petal nervously asked, "So....do you know about.....the sacrifice? I mean, did anyone tell you who Dagon said it was?"
"Y-......Yeah," Twilight gulped, a tremble audible in her tone.
Petal sighed, a frustrated frown marring her face.
A moment of silence, then-
"This seriously fucking sucks!" Petal barked. "Why did it have to be you? Out of all of the kids in that preppy shit-hole of a school, why the fuck did you have to be the sacrifice?"
"Just my luck, I guess," Twilight bitterly chuckled. "It's funny. A few days ago, I was worried about what I was going to do with myself after high school and it turns out that I might not make it past that point."
As Twilight talked, Petal could feel the dark void of hopelessness  settling in her friend's heart. In response a burning rage started to explode around Petal's core. Pushing past her nausea, the Wrath threw off her blanket, sat up, and pulled Twilight towards her by the collar of her shirt.
"I never want to hear that shit come out of your mouth ever again," Petal growled. "Do you hear me?"
Twilight nodded, gloom still present in her features. 
Petal let out a growl, both from pain and the black hole she felt sucking away at her friend's heart. Muscling past both, she took a deep breath and tried to come at this from a different angle. Letting her hand fall away from Twilight's collar, she forced a smile onto her lips.
"Hey. We knew that this was going to be a rough ride already, right?'
Twilight nodded.
"Then there's no point getting all depressed about this shit," she snorted. "We've just gotta get stronger before the contract breaks; piece of cake."
"It can't be that simple," Twilight whimpered. "According to Sunny, the contract is going to void itself two weeks before the Friendship games. If that's true, then we only have a month to prepare for it! Unless we can find a way to stretch out our time table, there is no way we can get strong enough to beat him!"
"We'll figure something out," Petal frowned. "I'm not gonna let him hurt you anymore. I mean it, Sparky."
Twilight's lip trembled, tears flowing down her face as she aimed a red-eyed glare at her friend.
"You heard what Sunny and Stygian said about Belfry! How are you going to fight that?! We barely managed to hold our own against Sunny for pete's sake, and that was only because of pure dumb luck!"
Petal struggled to come up with an argument, but couldn't find a way to do so that didn't sound like false hope. She was well aware that the odds were not in her favor. As she was, taking on an Archwraith would've been the same as a human taking on a whale; Technically possible, but extremely unlikely. If she was an Archwraith herself, then she might have had a chance, but that entirely depended on what kind of unique skill Belfry had to begin with and if she had a skill that could counter it.
A tense silence dominated the room, one girl struggling to find her voice while the other continued to glare. At the same time, they could feel the emotional turmoil between them with near perfect clarity. For Petal, this was mostly familiar, but for Twilight, the experience only added to her already destabilizing temper. She could feel Petal's resolve, her stubborn refusal to accept the futility of the situation. Why couldn't she just make peace with the fact that there was nothing they could do about this? 
"I'm going to die, Petal," Twilight growled. "You can't change that."
A look of shock crossed Petal's face at that, only to be replaced by pure rage as she roared, "LIKE FUCKING HELL I CAN'T!!!" 
Twilight reeled back at that, the Wraith's voice shaking the whole room. A surge of Aetheric Miasma flooded the room as Petal's human form fell away, her nausea knocked away by her fury. Twilight braced herself for the yelling she knew was coming, tensing and closing her eyes out of reflex. Her heart froze when she heard wet sniffling instead. Sure enough, when she opened her eyes, she saw tears falling from Petal's own, frustration and sadness fighting for dominance on her face.
"I'm not gonna let you die," she hiccuped, wiping at her face. "I don't know how, but I'm gonna get strong enough to get you through this. A girl like you doesn't deserve any of this shit. You're smart, pretty, and have a really big heart. You've got a family that loves you like crazy and now you've got a bunch of really cool friends. You should be out there happy and doing stupid human things instead of getting dragged into any of this shit!"
In spite of the pessimism holding her heart, she couldn't stop a small blushing smile from gracing her face.
"You've got so much left to live for Sparky," she continued, her tone turning somber. "Way more than I do anyway."
"Huh?" Twilight blinked.
Petal let out a mirthless chuckle.
"Compared to you, I don't have much of a reason to breathe. No past. No family. Hell, I don't even know what my fucking name is! The only things I do have, are because of you."
With desperation on full display, Petal grabbed Twilight's shoulders and looked pleadingly into her eyes.
"I don't want to lose the only thing that really matters to me. So please, don't say you're going to die."
Twilight stared back with wide eyes, both Petal's words and their bond shaking her soul. While they held each other's gaze, something clicked into place in Twilight's head. What she shared with Petal was much more than simple friendship. They were kindred spirits, similar yet different in equal measure. 
Was this what it was like to have a sister? 
That thought brought a small warmth to Twilight's heart, a shaky smile forming from it as she nodded.
"I....won't die," she timidly stated.
"Not good enough," Petal grimaced. "Say it like you mean it."
"I...won't die," she repeated, a bit more force entering her tone.
"Still not good enough," Petal spat. "I said I want you to say it like you mean it!"
"I won't die," she said, her voice holding its normal strength.
"Louder damn it!" Petal barked.
"I won't die!" Twilight yelled.
"Put your fucking heart into it damn it!" the Wraith demanded.
"I WON'T DIE!!!" Twilight roared, a look of fierce determination plastered across her face.
A satisfied smile graced Petal's lips at that, the Wraith giving her a nod as she finally let go her.
"Damn straight," she snorted.
Twilight smiled at her, a small sheepish blush coloring her cheeks. 
Panic quickly took its place when she suddenly remembered where they were.
"Nononononononono! You need to change back! If Somnambula senses what you really are-"
"FUCK!" Petal blanched, quickly dispelling her Miasma.
Both girls let out relieved sighs when Petal returned to her human form, the Wraith in question flopping bonelessly onto her borrowed bed. Twilight did the same in her seat, not sure how many more emotional tailspins she could take at this point. While her friend tried to sort out her emotions, Petal took the chance to give her surroundings a proper once over.
The large room was circular, with a high vaulted ceiling made of polished brass. At its center hung a massive crystal rose, the odd structure filling the room with teal light. The walls were made of the same black marble as the rest of the mansion and bare, save for the golden Neighgyptian style images that were carved into them. The furnishings were the bare essentials; a dresser, desk, wardrobe, and nightstand each taking a spot on the parameter of the room while the queen-sized  bed she laid in sat in the middle. All of them were made of polished dark wood and looked old, yet well cared for as far as Petal could tell. She made a note to ask Sunny or Stygian about that the next time she saw them, the Aether in the air making her dizzy again.
She let out a groan as she pulled her white silk blanket back over herself.
"Are you okay?" Twilight asked. 
"Aether," Petal growled, curling into herself under the covers.
"Right, sorry," she cringed.
Silence reclaimed the room, neither girl willing or able to continue the conversation. In spite of that, her inability to sleep the previous night was starting to finally catch up with Twilight. Letting out a yawn, she staggered out of her seat and dragged herself towards Petal's bed. Said Wraith let out a confused groan when her friend crawled into place behind her outside of the covers.
"The hell are you doing?" she grumbled, feeling the girl hug her.
"Taking a nap," she yawned.
Petal was going to press further, but stopped herself when she heard a soft snoring. Smiling ruefully, she accepted her situation and tried to get some rest. Just before she nodded off, she suddenly became aware that her condition was starting to improve. Dragging  just enough energy to peek out from under the covers, she looked around for an explanation, but saw nothing that could've been responsible. A loud yawn tore past her lips, a sudden wave of exhaustion washing over her through the tether between her and Twilight. Too tired to fight it, she let herself get comfortable and nodded off, her own snoring joining Twilight's.
Had either of the girls been more attentive, they would've noticed that the door to the room was slightly ajar. The purple eye peeking in through the gap was wide, its owner struggling to accept what she had just witnessed. Slowly, the spy backed away from the opening and quietly closed the door.


***


Lemon knew that she was going to have to tell her friends eventually. She didn't know how she was going to tell them, but she knew that something was going to force her into it. Out of all of the "somethings" she thought would force her to tell them, "talking faery dragon" ranked pretty low on the list.
She was just barely coming to terms with all of the craziness that had fallen into her life. Becoming a Gifted, Petal not being human, and the face-off against Sunny and Stygian all took a toll on her. Now she had to find a way to explain everything to her friends without blowing Petal's cover. Considering she hadn't found a way to do that with her own sister, her confidence on that matter was pretty small.
She let out a sigh where she sat, cross-legged in the middle of small square room. It was empty save for the gray padded mat beneath her. Its walls, floor, and ceiling were made of the same solid black marble as the rest of the mansion. There were no entrances  or exits beyond a heavy oak door and the only sources of light dimly came from the golden carvings that covered the walls. 
She shoved her concerns to the back of her mind, focusing on her breathing as Somnambula instructed. She needed to concentrate, but no matter how hard she tried, her mind kept creeping back to what she was going to have to do. How exactly would her friends react to her being a Gifted? Would they still treat her the same? Should she tell them that she was the one that blew up the classroom?
She let out a dull groan, her posture drooping under the weight of things.
"This is all, like, way too much for me," she grumbled, standing up. "I need a break."
Sighing, she staggered to the door and pulled it open.
She flinched back from the sudden change in lighting, but quickly adjusted as she stepped out of the training room and into one of the many black marble halls that filled the mansion. Said hall was lit by the same crystal flowers that dotted the upper walls. Doors lined the hall on each side, all of them leading to identical training rooms to the one Lemon had just walked out of. 
Softly closing the door behind herself, Lemon made her down the hall towards where she thought the kitchens were. As she tried to remember how to get there, her mind drifted once again towards what had happened the previous day. A small sigh crept past her lips as the memories came to her, part of her wondering if it was too late to ask for her old boring life back.


***


	They all sat in stunned silence, struggling to process what Dagon had just told them. This went double for Petal, the normally fiery punk looking like a marionette that just had its strings cut. None of them knew how to break the grim silence that hung over them.
Fortunately for them, that particular responsibility was given to a pair that was a lot more capable.
"SPARKLE IS THE SACRIFICE?!" a cultured voice cried, echoing from the corners of the room.
Everyone, Petal included, flinched out of their shock and frantically looked around. Some rapid movement by the bedroom's door instantly caught everyone's attention. At the structure's left side, a shadow grew, warped, and stretched into an ebon replica of it. Seconds later, a fuming Sunny Flare and bedraggled Stygian stomped or staggered out respectively. The girls watched dumbly as Sunny fiercely made her way towards Dagon, said dragon smiling broadly in the face of her heated glare.
"Ah, Sunny, right on time," he chuckled merrily. "Care for a chip? They are quite tasty."
"Drop the pleasantries you blueberry gecko!" she barked, bending down to glare at his eye-level. "Do you have any idea how hard I have been trying to figure out who Belfry was targeting?!"
"I am aware," he nodded, taking a bite out of his chip.
"If you knew then, WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME?!" she roared, a vein popping up on her forehead.
"You were not the one that needed to know," he shrugged.
Sunny reeled back at that, her anger knocked back for a second before it came back with just a thread of restraint.
"I was not...THESE IDIOTS ARE THE ONES THAT NEEDED TO KNOW?!"
"Who the fuck are you calling an idiot?" Petal growled, slowly rising out of her seat.
Sunny took a step back from her, a bit of worry creeping into her features as she met her gaze.
"M-My apologies," Sunny frowned. "As you and Lemon are aware, I am under a lot of stress right now."
"No excuse to talk shit about my friends," Petal spat. "If you've got beef with the Professor over there, take it somewhere else. Otherwise, we're gonna have a problem"
"U-Understood," Sunny gulped.
"Good," Petal nodded, grimace still present as she retook her seat.
A small peace returned to the room, earning a relieved sigh out of the lone boy in the room. Spotting him, Dagon conjured up another chair next to Lemon and beaconed him over. He had just sat down when Indigo decided to voice her thoughts.
"You're a Gifted?" she barked. "As if you weren't a big enough bitch to begin with, let's give you super powers while we're at it!"
"Are you sure you're name is not Verdant Zap?" Sunny coldly asked. "Because your envy is showing quite brilliantly right now."
"What?" Indigo growled.
"Then again," Sunny continued, a haughty smirk gracing her lips. "What more can a member of the lower ten do, but fester in envy."
"You want to fight?" Indigo snapped, fists clenched tightly in her lap.
"Always quick to jump to violence," Sunny sighed. "If you added that passion to your studies, you could easily increase your rank."
Everyone, Lemon and Petal especially, took that in with shock. While Sunny was known for her biting comments and sharp whit, hearing anything even resembling a compliment come out of her was a rarity. To have it directed at one of the people she routinely harassed only added to the oddity of the situation.
"Wait, what?" Indigo blinked.
"You may be green and a jock, but you are not stupid," she huffed. "No one here is."
"Yet you called us idiots," Sugar stated, her eyes boring a hole through the girl from behind her stoney expression.
"I will admit to misspeaking," Sunny replied, her tone arctic as she met Sugar's eyes. "Do not push it."
"You meant exactly what you said," Sugar frowned, crossing her arms. 
"What can I say," she bit back. "Old habits die hard."
"Sunny," Stygian cut in, tone warning as he glared at his friend. "Behave."
Sunny met his glare with one of her own, but held whatever retorts she had trapped behind a clenched jaw. Sugar looked like she was going to take another verbal swing at her, but a hard look from Petal killed that urge in an instant. For a long moment, Sunny and Sugar locked each other down in a heated glare, both daring the other to give the other an excuse to say something at the very least. Eventually, Sunny broke the stare-down, crossing her arms and looking away with a huff. Taking the win, Sugar let a small smile slip past her cold mask as she let herself sit more comfortably on her bed.
Dagon took in the scene with a sad sigh, turning away to grab a chip as he waved a mist-seat into existence next to Stygian's. Sunny reluctantly accepted the offered seat with a huff, earning an eye-roll from Stygian as he let himself relax in his perch. Lemon did the same, sans the eye-roll, glad that some of the tension had finally bled out of the already wild situation she found herself in.
"Unless there are any other ugly matters that need to be voiced, may we please move on to the dangers at hand?" Dagon huffed, taking an irate bite out of his snack. 
Reluctant nods answered the question, Indigo doing so while giving Sunny vexed looks from behind her back.
"Good," he frowned. "For starters, does anyone here know where Twilight is at the moment?"
"You do not know?" Sunny asked, a small smirk and raised brow breaking past her pout.
"I know the odds of where she is right now, but it will help me plan more efficiently if I have exact data," he huffed, crossing his arms.
"She said she was going to hang out with Sour today," Petal stated, raising a hand to get the spirit's attention. "Said she wanted to work things out with her and stuff."
"That explains why I have not been able to get in contact with Sour this morning," Sunny confirmed with a nod.
"You left her alone with that psychopath?" Sugar asked, aiming a wide-eyed frown at Petal.
Before Petal could respond, Sunny furiously cut in, murder in her eyes as she cried, "Sour is not a psychopath!"
Sugar met the glare with a faint one of her own, then calmly stated, "Sorry, I misspoke."
Seething, Sunny furiously rammed her hand into her pocket. Stygian, Lemon, and Petal each tensed at the action, but relaxed when Sunny handed what she pulled out of it to Stygian.
"Hold these for me," she growled. "I fear I may do something I will regret later if you don't."
He nodded, dropping the small cylinder and ring onto the ground. HIs shadow settled beneath them and pulled them into itself before returning to its normal shape and dimensions. The abnormal phenomenon was ignored by the group in favor of the rekindling face-off between Sunny and Sugar.
"I didn't know you had a boyfriend," Sugar stated, crossing her arms. "Does he know how much of a bitch you are or is he going to figure that out later?"
Sunny looked like she was about to explode, but slowly seemed to cool down at the last second.
A venomous smile spread across her lips as she casually asked, "Depends; does Royal Pin know how much of a slut you are or are you waiting for a special occasion to make that reveal?"
Visible shock broke past Sugar's mask, only for it to be replaced by pure hate a second later. A matching scream flew past her lips as she jumped off of her bed towards the girl. Sunny's training kicked in, toxic glee decorating her face as she pulled back a hand for a punch. 
Before the two girls could clash, Petal and Dagon cut them off.
While Petal held the abnormally animated Sugar in a tight grapple, Dagon kept Sunny confined to her seat with a sapphire aura. Both girls thrashed against their bindings, bloodlust and fury clear for everyone to see on their faces. Dagon sighed, one claw glowing with the same aura that bound Sunny while the other brought a chip to his mouth. Lemon and Indigo watched their normally stoic friend with slack jaws, both stunned by the display of burning fury while Petal struggled to keep a hold on her.
"So this is the timeline I am in," Dagon grumbled. "Perfect. Just flipping perfect."
"Can someone help me out here?" Petal pleaded. "I don't want to hurt her, but she isn't really giving me much of a choice here!"
Indigo snapped out of her stupor, nodded, then ran to the punk girl's aid. Lemon watched the chaos unfold, not sure what to do to put out the fires flaring around her. Stygian, on the other hand, let out a dejected sigh as he pulled out his phone and started to scroll through his contacts. Taken aback by his behavior, she tapped him on the shoulder and gestured towards the madness going on before them.
"Dagon and Petal has this about as under control as they can have it," he shrugged, putting his phone up to his ear. "If we want to make any progress, we should at least figure out where Twilight is."
She wanted to argue, but a quick look at their friends passing verbal venom at each other cut off that urge at the pass. Not sure what she could do to fix the mess, she reluctantly settled into her seat and watched Stygian make his call. After three failed attempts, he put his phone away with a grimace before holding his hand out to Lemon.
"May I barrow your phone? Sour is not answering and I do not have Twilight's number."
"Okay," Lemon blinked, fishing her phone out of her pocket. "But, like, why can't I call her?'
He gave the squabble in front of him a passing glance then said, "Because it looks like Sugar is about to break free and I do not think she would hesitate to plow right through me to get to Sunny."
A second after he said that, Sugar managed to shake off Petal and was just about to do the same with Indigo. Lemon let out a startled cry, dropping her phone on his lap as she ran up to stop her friend. While Stygian, presumably, talked to Twilight on her phone, Lemon struggled to keep Sugar from doing something that she was going to regret. As she grappled with Sugar, she noticed Stygian move to the center of the group out of the corner of her eye. 
With a sigh, he placed her phone in her pocket, then said, "Scathex, take us to Lady Somnambula's dining room."
A second later, an extreme sense of vertigo hit the group and everything turned black.


***


Lemon sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose as she rounded a corner.
"That could've gone, like, way better," she mumbled. "I mean, yeah, I know we're not all gonna be friends or anything, but I didn't think things were gonna go that bad that fast."
Crossing her arms in thought, she continued to wander the mansion's halls in silence. Eventually, her thoughts started to drift away from yesterday's disaster and towards the fact that she had no idea where the heck she was. As she rounded more corners, peeked into random rooms, and stumbled into a giant ornate library, she wondered how anyone managed to not get lost in this place.
An unwanted image of a skeleton wearing her clothes laying in a random room flashed through her head for the briefest of seconds.
Choosing to ignore the thought with a nervous chuckle, she continued her march. The fact that she was now moving at a much faster clip and constantly on the look for a maid to guide her further was completely unrelated. At least, if anyone asked, that was what she would tell them.
Assuming I find anyone, she nervously thought. Seriously, like, how do the maids know where everything is? This place is a freak'n maze!
Her worry gradually grew the further she walked into the property, hoping that if she didn't find one of the home's residents, that she could at least find a way out. Eventually, that particular wish was granted when found a hallway that led to a pair of ornate glass doors. When she saw the streams of sunlight pouring in from it, she swore she heard an angelic chorus. With a relieved smile, she ran towards the doors and after giving the hinges a quick glance to see which way they swung, pushed them open.
Shock decorated her face when she saw what laid beyond.
When she crossed the threshold, she found herself standing in the middle of a vast redwood forest. Sunlight trickled through the canopy, cutting through the shadows just enough to let her see her surroundings. Faint chirping and light rustling announced the presence of other things living outside of her line of sight. The the smells of wild plants, grass, and damp soil filled the crisp mid-morning air, easing her frayed nerves as she stepped further into the forest. A million questions ran through her head as she looked around. The soft click of a door latching back into place shoved one question in particular to the front of her mind the second she turned her head towards its source.
"W-W-Where the heck did the door go?" she stammered, a chill running down her spine. 
What little control she had over her panic started to thin a she examined the space she was sure the door had occupied just seconds ago. When waving her arms through the space yielded no results, she examined the three just past it. When that didn't solve her problem, she tried to see if she could sense any traces of Aether in the area. While she didn't pick up anything in the spot she was standing in, she did detect a faint aura further into the forest. Left with few options, she took a steadying breath and started heading towards it.
As she made her way towards her target, she gradually started to notice that there was something about the forest that felt...off to her. The air felt unnaturally clean and the greenery was shockingly vivid. It felt almost sacred, like no impurities were allowed to exist on this land. In a lot of ways, it reminded her of how Sugar described the Fae Wilds in their Dungeon and Dragon games. Given what she knew about that place and its denizens, she was even more on alert than she was before. 
After all, if Wraiths, Dragons, Sprits, and Gifted were real, then who says Faeries weren't as well.
I swear, if this was all just some crazy plan to get me to be some Unseelie asshole's song bird, I'm gonna knock Sour and Sunny's blocks off, she bitterly thought, ducking under a low-hanging branch.
She froze, then chuckled at that thought as she resumed her trek.
"I'm gonna start sounding like Petal soon," she smiled.
Said smile wilted when her mind drifted towards her friend.
Just how were these sudden changes in dynamics affecting the Wraith? It was one thing to tell Lemon her secret, but the rest of their friends? How would they take knowing that Petal wasn't human, let alone the fact that her kind hunted humans? 
All of it weighed heavy on her heart, not just for Petal, but for Twilight as well. She knew that she would side with Petal no matter what happened. The thought of having to choose between them and her old friends made her heart sink into her gut. Could she make that kind of choice? 
Before she could ponder on that any further, she stumbled past the tree-line into an open clearing. She flinched and put her hands over her face, the sudden shift in lighting stunning her where she stood. When her eyes finally adjusted, she was greeted by a sight that made her jaw drop.
Before her, standing at the heart of a vast open field, was Sour Sweet. The girl was armed with the same bow she had when her group attacked Petal, red-tailed arrow already notched as a flurry of blue orbs flew towards her. Each of them were the size of a golfball and rocketing towards her in a dense cluster. With practiced ease, she gracefully weaved around the incoming swarm, before loosing her arrow at the swarm. Lemon's eyes widened when, at the last second, the lone arrow broke apart into a flurry of smaller wooden needles. A small handful of the orbs managed to escape, while the ones that were not so lucky burst into small specks of light. 
The survivors darted towards Sour, the girl in question lightly skipping backwards away from them as she conjured a new arrow onto her weapon and notched it. Sour moved with a grace that Lemon never knew the girl was capable of, seemingly dancing around the open field. At the same time, she took pot shots at her pursuers whenever the opportunity presented itself to her. The only thing that shocked her more than Sour's grace was the peaceful smile that graced her face.
Until now, the only expression she had ever seen the girl sport was an irate sneer or a venomous smile. In contrast, the peace she saw on the girl's face was almost saintly. It became even more pronounced each time she took out the orbs, filling the field with a virtual fireworks display with each successful hit.
When the last orb was destroyed, Sour let herself relax with a long, slow breath. Eyes closed and with a look of serenity on her face, she dispelled her bow. She lightly sighed, slowly opening her eyes as she mused over how this particular round of practice went. All thoughts on the topic ground to a sudden halt the second she spotted Lemon, her eyes widening just as much as the rocker's.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, neither of them sure how or if they even should break the silence that had settled between them.
Eventually, Sour managed to force up enough of a nerve to sweetly say, "Hello Lemon," then dawn her trademark scowl as she bitterly growled, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I....uh.......got lost," Lemon awkwardly chuckled. "Think you could help me find the kitchen?"
Sour looked like she was going to follow her usual sweet and bitter pattern, but stopped herself at the last second. Lemon raised a brow as she took a deep breath, then in a calm echoing version of her voice said, "Sure. I was starting to get hungry anyway."


***


Lemon was not unfamiliar with big eaters. Every morning, she would see her sister's hulking boyfriend wolf down three times as much food as her in one sitting before heading out for the day. Indigo would put down almost the same amount of food once a month after an especially harsh workout. As they sat in the mansion's dinning room, Sour seemed hellbent on giving both of them a run for their money. Lemon watched, a simple ham sandwich held halfway towards her mouth, as Sour tore into a loaded plate of sandwiches. Adding to the shock was the fact that these sandwiches were much more elaborate than the simple ham on white bread that Lemon was holding. Ham, tomato, avocado slices, romaine lettuce, mustard, and mayo was locked tight between two thick slices of toasted sourdough sat in two neat stacks on a plate. Some of them had chicken or steak in place of ham, but were otherwise identical as far as Lemon could tell before Sour tore into them.
"Wow," Lemon gaped, her own food forgotten as she watched Sour grab her next victim .
"What?" Sour asked around a mouthful of sandwich. 
"Nothing," Lemon nervously chuckled. "Just...uh....do you usually eat like this? I mean, it's cool if you do, I just never saw you go at it like this before."
"You watch me eat?" Sour asked, tone flat.
"I didn't mean it like that," she exclaimed, hands up placatingly. 
Sour rolled her eyes at that, swallowed, then calmly explained, "Since I'm not a real Gifted, Titania takes a heavy physical toll on me. Until I can increase my Aether reserves, it'll make up for the difference by pulling the energy directly from my body. Because of that, my body has a super fast metabolism and needs a lot of food to function."
"No way," Lemon balked. "That means that if you go too far with it it'll...."
Sour nodded, a bitter frown marring her face.
"That's the price a normy like me is willing to pay," she smirked. "For mom and for Sunny."
"Normy? Wait, don't Gifted pass on powers to their kids or something?" Lemon asked.
"Yeah," Sour sighed. "But my case is a little...different."
"What do you mean?" 
Frowning, Sour looked away from her guest, a growing irritation showing on her face.
"If you don't want to tell me, its cool," Lemon smiled. "We've only just teamed up and stuff."
"That's why I need to tell you this," Sour grumbled. "Maybe it'll make me look a lot less....weird to you and your friends."
Lemon raised a brow at that, wondering just where Sour was going with this.
"To put it simply, mom isn't....my birth mom."
"Oh," Lemon flinched.
Sour grimaced at that, then took a deep breath before continuing.
"She died giving birth to me and my real dad disappeared way before that. On top of that, I was born prematurely, so some wires got crossed wrong in my brain."
"So, that's why you're so..."
"Bipolar?" Sour suggested.
Lemon looked away, gnawing on her lip.
Sour let out an irate snort.
"Whatever. Anyway, whatever the doctors did to deliver me made it so my emotional state splits when I'm under extreme stress. If I center myself, I can fix the problem, but it makes my voice weird."
"So....that's why you sound like that?" Lemon awkwardly asked.
She nodded.
"Lucky for me, mom was good friends with my birth mother and she was willing to adopt me. It wasn't until I started talking in complete sentences that we realized that something was wrong with me. We tried to find ways to make it work, but it didn't help out much. It got really bad when I got into Junior High."
"W-What do you mean?"
Sour gave her a sharp glare that made her flinch back in her seat.
"My condition didn't make it easy to make friends, but it did a damn good job of making enemies. Because I couldn't keep my darker thoughts to myself, it didn't take long for half of the kids in the school to hate my guts. Mom and my lighter side tried to help me get through it all, but it was all getting to become too much for me to handle. The worst of it came from you and your friends."
"What!?" Lemon balked.
"Looking back, I don't really blame you girls," Sour bitterly chuckled. "Bitter Sour was a real bitch back then and you were all just reacting. Doesn't change the fact that you all pushed me over the edge that day."
Lemon didn't like the way she said that. 
"W-What do you mean?" she gulped.
With a tired sigh, Sour pulled down the collar of her shirt past her left shoulder. On that side of her neck was a jagged and aged inch-long scar. 
"You girl's pushed me. Sunny pulled me back. Since that day, we've done everything we can to keep ourselves away from that edge. She helped me find my center, convinced mom to let me bond with an artifact, and became my first friend. In return, I've done everything I can to keep her safe and pay her back for everything she's done for me."
A solemn silence filled the room as Sour pulled up her collar, picking up her next sandwich. It was as she was bringing it up to her lips that she heard something that made her pause. It came again as she gave Lemon her full attention, the girl's body trembling in synch with a shaky sniffle. Her eyes widened when they met her guest's teary gaze, guilt filling them to the same level as her tears.
"I....I'm so sorry," Lemon hickupped, furiously trying to wipe her tears away with her arm. "I...I didn't know. I just thought you were a jerk and....and....."
What she was going to say next was replaced by pained mumbling, a few strained apologies making themselves known every few seconds. 
"I-It's okay!" Sour sputtered, floored by the girl's reaction. "L-L-Like I said, I don't really blame you girls for reacting like that back then and I'm in a much better place now. You don't need to beat yourself up over tha-."
"I should've known better!" she barked.
Sour flinched back from the outburst, but the shock quickly turned into concern. Right before her eyes, Lemon seemed to be having a complete mental breakdown, her vision turning distant as she repeated "I should've known better," to herself like a manic mantra. Sour jumped to her feet and ran to the girl, getting down on her knees to put herself at her level.
Holding Lemon by the shoulders, she gently turned her to face her and softly said, "Lemon, you need to calm down. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't know. You couldn't have known. I'm fine."
Those last two words seemed to trigger something in Lemon, the girl's eyes coming back into the present as they locked with Sour's. Faster than she could react, Sour was pulled into a desperate hug. While she was being held, she heard Lemon softly whimper apologies to her. With tired resignation, Sour reciprocated while meeting the apologies with "It's okay".
While the two girls had their moment, a cracked open door leading to the dining room slowly slid shut.


***


Dagon frowned down at the chess board, millions of different calculations running through his head faster than any human could hope to process. Sitting across from him was a perfect double of him, his arms crossed with a smug grin plastered across his muzzle. The cylindrical guest room was a silent as a tomb, a morbidly fitting description, considering the Neighgyptian designs decorating the black marble walls. just when he was about to make a move, the sound of the room's door opening shattered the peace.
He didn't look up when Sugar entered the room, though a smirk that matched his double's grew on his muzzle.
"I see that you're back from your walk," he calmly stated, moving a pawn into position. "Did you see anything interesting?'
Sugar didn't answer, passing both of him as she made her way to her bed.
"I see," his double chuckled. "What do you plan to do with what you've learned?"
Sugar held her silence, flopping back first onto her bed with all the grace of a dead fish. Neither of the Dagon's pressed her any further, present and slight future moving back to their game. As they did, Sugar stared blankly at the ceiling, her mind running in a million different directions.
> Ch.26 Pride That Humbles
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunny let out a long sigh, the early morning air holding the slight chill of spring. Like Somnambula's front yard, the mansion's back yard was dotted with elaborate onyx statues covered with intricate glowing symbols. The only major difference was the massive jade swimming pool that took up a quarter of its space. She watched listlessly as four serpent heads made of the same stone continuously vomited crystal clear water into the pool from each corner, her vape pen twirling slowly between her fingers.
She took a hit, the slight sting of tobacco and bittersweet tingle of rose petals the only thing helping her keep her frayed nerves together. She found herself needing to rely on her vice a lot more these days, a fact that she was less than proud of, but couldn't bring herself to actively stave off. At the very least, she held enough of a grip on it that she was able to keep her mother from finding out. A rueful smile formed on her lips as she imagined how Cinch would react if she knew about her ugly habit.
A literally steamy chuckle slipped past her lips, the girl studying her pen with a spiteful air of casual interest.
"You know that's bad for you, right?" a familiar tomboyish voice said from her right.
On cue, Indigo stepped fully out of the mansion's massive crystal back door.  Sunny offered the girl a bored side-eye that was almost as strong as the disapproving frown Indigo gave her. She rolled her eyes before shifting her focus back to the pool.
"I will let you know when I start to care," Sunny huffed, taking a drag.
Indigo crossed her arms, but kept her scowling lips sealed on the matter.
A stiff silence formed between them, neither of them ready or willing to interact unless pressed. The stalemate slowly started to eat away at their patience, a tapping finger from Indigo and slight eye twitch from Sunny serving as their own pressure meters. The tipping point came when Sunny tried to take a hit from her pen, only to find that it had run out.
"Shouldn't you be training right now?" she snipped, pocketing her vape. 
"Had to take a break," Indigo grumbled. "Damn thing is a pain in the ass to use."
Sunny let out a rueful chuckle at that.
"Yes, Mithril can be a very difficult weapon to master. Lord knows how many times that unwieldy mess raised my blood pressure ."
"So there are a few things even you can't do?" Indigo huffed.
Sunny aimed a sharp glare at her and coldly said, "At least when I fail, I know it was because I was lacking in some way, not because I was holding myself back."
"What are you getting at?" she frowned, letting her hands fall to her sides with tight fists.
"Oh please," Sunny sighed, rolling her eyes as she stood to face her fully. "Do you think I am blind? You moved from the bottom of the school's ranking to the top ten three months into our freshmen year. I have seen just how diligent of a student you are and know that you should be in a much higher rank among the Elites. At the very least, you should be number five or four, yet you hold yourself back. Why?"
Indigo's fists shook, a venomous scowl spreading across her face as she stared Sunny down. Sunny's face was frustratingly blank, the girl seemingly waiting for an answer to her question. That was something that Indigo always hated about her. On the few occasions they had to meet at school, Sunny always carried herself in such a prim and calm manner. Always cold and always calculated, like some sort of robot or doll. Aside from the back-and-forth at Sugar's house, Indigo had never seen her express any real emotions. 
Forcing down her anger, she bitterly answered.
"You wouldn't get it."
"Try me," she pressed, crossing her arms.
She let out an irate growl and spat, "Why the hell should I tell you?"
Sunny met the girl's ire with her usual blank mask, only for a small compassionate smile to slowly form a moment later.
The shift stunned Indigo so deeply that she barely reacted when Sunny gently placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"If you do not want to talk about it, then so be it. just know that I will listen if you change your mind later down the line."
"Uh, right, thanks," she blinked, staring dumbly at the girl.
Sunny nodded, dawned her usual stoic expression, and let her hand fall back to her side. Seeing little point in continuing, Sunny started to make her way towards the mansion's doors. Before she could do more than touch the handle, a hesitant call from Indigo made her pause.
"Yes?" she asked, still staring at the door.
Indigo opened her mouth, but her tongue felt like it was glued to the bottom of her mouth. Frustration, confusion, and worry ran laps in her too quickly for her to find her words. Sunny patiently waited for her to find her voice. When the sporty teen eventually succeeded, she forced out a question that made her stomach lurch.
"Why are you acting like this?"	
"What do you mean?" she asked, her grip tightening on the door nob.
"Don't give me that crap," she frowned, taking a step towards her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Sunny kept her back to Indigo, a faint trembling lip slipping past her schooled expression. 
Taking a breath to steady herself, she said, "When you are ready to answer my question, I will answer yours."
"But-" she started, only to stop dead when Sunny suddenly turned to face her.
The girl's posture was straight, her expression intense, and gaze as sharp as a freshly bladed sword. Indigo instinctively straightened out, her jaw snapping shut with an audible clack. 
"Until that day comes, all I care about is getting you and the rest of your motley crew of misfits into proper fighting form. I have a Wraith to kill, two girls to save, and I refuse to let anyone die along the way! If that rambling blue and purple gecko says that you and your friends are the keys to completing that goal, then so be it!"
Sunny closed the gap between them, a familiar cold smile spread across her face as she stared searing holes into Indigo's eyes.
"Too bad for you, being a human means that you will have to work twice as hard to keep up with everyone. If you apply yourself just as much in training as you do in class, I will personally break you in half, put you back together, and do it again as many times as it takes to knock that habit out of you. Do. You. Understand?"
Indigo nodded frantically, her whole body shaking.	
"Good," Sunny chirped, taking a step back with a much more friendly smile. "Now that, that is out of the way, what do you say we stop by the dinning room for some lunch?"
"S-Sure," she gulped. "Sounds good to me."
Trailing behind the prim teen, a single shuddering thought ran through her as they crossed the threshold.
Yup. She's definitely Cinch's daughter.


***


If there were two things Stygian took his time to savor, it was solitude and silence. Both were extreme rarities for Gifted, given the way their lives tended to go. For the lower-power or non-combatant Gifted, this was not necessarily the case, but for the few at his and his family's level, peace was almost a myth. 
For Stygian, these rare moments were spent enjoying a simple cup of tea with a good gothic fantasy novel. In an odd twist of fate, Somnambula's library fit his tastes quite well. The black marble walls and glowing symbols created a somber atmosphere that eased his tired mind while the smell of the tall oak shelves that lined the high walls settled his heart. The tall arched windows that lined the wall opposite of the room's equally massive polished oak double doors filled the massive rectangular room with just enough light to keep the dark from preventing him from reading. That, and the glowing crystal flower that dominated most of the room's vaulted ceiling, a feature that most of the rooms sported in one form or another.
Setting his cup down on a black polished table, he leaned back in his ornate ebon chair and closed his eyes.
"Nice, huh?" Scathex said, the demon's chuckle echoing in the back of his mind.
Stygian nodded, a small smile gracing his lips.
"I wonder how many more moments we're gonna have like this."
"Not nearly enough," he huffed, his smile turning rueful.
He sensed the demon nod at that, the two of them on the same page for once.
"Things are gonna get complicated soon," the summon sighed. 
Stygian nodded.
"Belfry is going to be a difficult hunt."
Scathex chuckled at that, then said, "Understatement of the year, but that's not what I was talking about."
Faint confusion slid across the teen's face.
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, c'mon! I know you're not that stupid," he cackled. 
Growing frustrated with his summon's games, he mentally urged it to get to the point.
Scathex let out an irate groan.
"For the love of- I'M TALKING ABOUT YOUR DATE THIS WEEKEND!"
He let out a tired sigh.
"I have already told you; I am not going on a date. Lightning and I are simply going to spend some time together at the movies. Nothing more. Nothing less."
In a puff of black smoke, a deadpanning black viper appeared on the table.
"For someone who spends so much time reading books, you sure as hell suck at seeing the print in people."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked, raising a brow at the demon.
Scathex sighed, shaking his head in exasperation and softly muttering some less then flattering things under his breath.
"Let me spell it out for you. She. L-I-K-E-S. You."
"Of course she likes me," he frowned. "She wouldn't want to spend time with me if she didn't."
Scathex stared blankly at him, the sheer obliviousness of what he had just heard enough to freeze his mind like an old desktop. When he managed to reboot it, a frustrated growl and several latin swears where shouted to the sky. Stygian took in the reaction with even more confusion, then shrugged as he went back to reading his book.
At least, he tried to get back into his book.
While his summon continued to softly rant to himself, the gothic teen's mind started to drift to his new friend. Admittedly, he did find her rather annoying at the start, but that slowly shifted as they spent more and more time together. While he wasn't much of a sports fan, he could admire her dedication and passion in that particular topic. In spite of her not coming from a powerful family or having gone through the same kind of training that he had, he respected how she pushed herself to keep up with him on his hiking trips. Knowing that she was a fellow Gifted certainly made things easier for him as well, even if her Aether felt different from most of his kind. Most importantly of all, spending time with her made him feel...normal. That, and various other things that he didn't quite have the words to describe yet.
What are these feelings? he thought with a frown.
His musings broke when he was hit by a faint floral scent. Scathex noticed as well, rolling his eyes as he turned into mist and flew into Stygian's shadow. Letting out a sigh, he marked his page, placed his book on the table, and turned in his seat towards the library's doors with a dull frown. A minute later, they burst open with a loud bang as a brightly smiling blue woman made her entrence.
She wore a simple sleeveless green sundress with a skirt that went just past her knees and emphasized her full hourglass figure. She also wore a matching pair of sandals that lightly clacked on the tiled floor with each step she took into the room. Her two-toned burgundy long hair was done up in a tight beehive-style bun with a couple flower pins run through it. A lively aura surrounded her in an almost literal sense with a smile that shined almost as brightly as her wide teal eyes. 
Said eyes quickly scanned the room before they locked straight onto Stygian.
"There's my little sweetie," the woman giggled, a thick cajun accent rolling off of her tongue.
Stygian had just enough time to let out a sigh before the woman closed the distance and tried to hug all of the rest of his breath out of him.
"Hello, big sister Meadowbrook," he wheezed. 
He sucked in some air when Meadowbrook pulled out of the hug.
With a raised brow and crooked smirk, she said, "None of that former stuff with me, honey. You know that."
"And I said not to crush me," he stated flatly.
She just chuckled and pulled him into a much softer hug.
"I know, sugar. Just missed you, is all."
"Right," he sighed, leaning into the embrace with a faint smile. "I missed you too."
The two stayed like that for a few solid minutes before taking a couple seats at Stygian's table.
"I take it your hunt went well," Stygian stated, giving his sister his full attention.
"Better than I thought it would," she winked. "Ever since rumors about Lily's death got around, a lot of Newborns and Archwraiths have been acting up."
"That is strange," he frowned, crossing his arms in thought. "I know Lily was the strongest of her type, but I fail to see how her death would cause such a reaction."
"I don't get it either," she shrugged. "Just so long as the higher-level Wraiths don't get stirred up, I don't have too much to complain about."
"Agreed," he nodded.
We have enough on our plate as it is.
"But that's not all that important," Meadow smirked, propping her head on the table with her hand. "A little birdie told me that my baby brother is sweet on someone."
A deep glare crossed Stygian's face, making Meadow's smirk grow a bit more pointed.
"We are just friends," he flatly stated. "Nothing more. Nothing less."
"Right," she giggled. "Whatever you say, sugar."
"What is that supposed to mean?' he asked, quirking a brow.
"Nothing, really," she shrugged, leaning smugly back in her seat as she cheekily added, "Just that, in all of the ten years I raised you, you've never brought a friend with you on our family hiking trips."
"I invited Sour and Sunny, haven't I?" he asked, a faint blush creeping past his indifferent mask.
"Family friends don't count, sugar," she giggled, playfully drumming her fingers on the table.
He looked away with a frustrated frown.
Meadowbrook's smile softened.
Reaching across the table, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
"It's alright to be happy, Stygian. You don't need to keep people at a distance all of the time."
"I am fine," he frowned, meeting her gaze head on.
"Are you sure?" she pressed, a worried frown replacing her smile.
He gave her a firm nod, absolutely no hesitation or doubt present in his features.
She met his gaze with equal strength for a few long minutes, then relented with a defeated sigh.
"Alright," she said with a rueful chuckle. "Just promise me that you'll let things happen with this girl. If not for my sake, than for our mom and dad's."
"I plan to," he nodded, a hint of confusion crossing his face.
Before he could add to that, his phone started to wring. The second he saw the number on the screen, he tried to cancel it and shove the device back into his pocket. He never go the chance before a pink cloud of sweet-smelling mist yanked it out of his hand. His heart sank into his gut when the cloud placed the phone in his viciously grinning sister's open hand.
With one flick of a finger, she answered the call and brought the phone to her ear.
Oh,God, take me now, he thought slumping in his seat with an agonized groan.


***


Sour considered herself to be a rather adaptive person. Being a human raised by Gifted, that was a feature that quickly became a prerequisite. In less then a month, that particular ability was pushed to its ultimate extreme. Within that time, she befriended the person she saw as an enemy, sheltered a Wraith in her home, and had a moment with one of the girls that almost pushed her over the edge. Now, she was walking through her home with that very same girl, having a casual talk about a game that she was borderline obsessed with.
"I don't get it," Sour frowned, rounding a corner into another hall. "I mean, how can a game that's all about rolling dice and pretending to be a wizard be all that fun?"
"You don't have to be a wizard," Lemon snorted, rolling her eyes as she followed her. "You can be, a bunch of other things."
"Oh yeah? Then what are you?" Sour pressed.
"A human bard," Lemon smiled, puffing out her chest in pride.
"So, you play songs? How does that help in fighting monsters?"
"That's not all my girl does," Lemon huffed. "She's good at charming, illusions, and a little bit of healing and buffing."
"A support character then," Sour nodded. "What about Indigo?"
"Human rogue."
"So, a thief?" she blinked.
"Sort've," she shrugged. "Indigo made her into a kind've Robin Hood-type  that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty."
"I see," Sour nodded. "What about Twilight and Petal? I can only imagine what kind of characters those two would come up with."
"You have no idea," Lemon sighed. "Well, Twi went with a really antisocial elf sorceress and Petal made a strict pacifist cleric."
Sour stopped, a look of confusion stamped across her face as she tried to process that. She tried again, but still failed to grasp what she had been told. It was after the fifth attempt that she noticed the maroon hand waving in front of her face.
"Are you okay?" Lemon asked, worry clear on her face.
"Y-Yeah," Sour stammered, shaking the shock out of her head. "I'm just having a hard time imagining someone like Petal being a pacifist."
"Yeah, I get what you mean," she chuckled. "She's rough, but she's got a real sweet side to her if you stick around long enough to see it."
"If you say so," Sour shrugged. 
Lemon let out a chuckle at that, teasing a small shy smile out of her host before they resumed their march. After walking a few more minutes in awkward silence, Sour managed to stumble out another quick question.
"So, if I were to give this, Dungeons and Dragons thing a try, what kind of character do you think would be a good fit for me?"
Lemon gave her a knowing smile and said, "Dude, you'd do really well as a ranger or druid. Heck, Sugar would probably let you do both if you ask nicely enough. As for race, I think you'd get a kick out of being an elf or eladrin."
"What's an eladrin?" she asked, raising a brow.
"They're fae that can change their forms based on their emotions," Lemon said, then flinched as she sheepishly added, "I, uh, guess you can...kind've relate."
Sour ruefully chuckled at that.
"Sounds like a good fit though," she nodded, then hastily stated, "N-Not that I'd want to play in the first place. Sounds way to dorky for me."
"Right," Lemon chuckled. "Whatever you say, Sour."
Sour crossed her arms and looked away with a huff, hiding a small blush. Lemon rolled her eyes, remembering a similar conversation a few years back with Indigo. As yet another awkward silence fell between them, Lemon mulled over what kind of characters she thought the rest of her new party would go for. While Sunny was a bit hard for her to place, she thought a tiefling or revenant warlock would be a good fit for Stygian. Between his emo-goth style and the kind of gift he had, she was sure he would've loved to go for something a bit more on the grim side of things. 
Before she could fully settle on what Sunny would like, a light tug on her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Huh? Wha?" she blinked, looking around.
"We're here," Sour gulped, letting go of her new companion.
Quickly regaining her bearings, Lemon turned to face the door, Sour stood in front of. Sure enough, she felt the faint traces of Twilight and Petal's auras on the other side. More importantly, she could hear talking on the other side. Letting out a relieved sigh, she let a bright smile grace her lips as she threw the door open and marched into the room beyond. Twilight's head snapped towards her from her seat by Petal's bed the second the door slammed into the wall next to it, panic briefly flashing across her face before an annoyed frown took its place. At the same time, Petal let out a startled yelp and jumped out of the bed, assuming a fighting stance the second her feet hit the floor. Lemon laughed at that, marching towards them with a nervous Sour not far behind.
"You trying to give me a fucking heart attack?!" Petal barked, stance dropped and hand placed over her chest. 
"Good to see you up and moving, dude," Lemon chuckled, pulling the disguised Wraith into a tight hug and ignoring her ire. "Really shook me up bad, y'know?"
Petal looked like she was about throw some snark, but stopped herself when a hint of bitter fear touched her tongue. Letting out a tired sigh, she reluctantly returned the hug. Sour watched the exchange for a moment before kneeling down to Twilight's side.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, placing a hand on the lavender girl's forehead and examining her eyes. "Still dizzy? Are you feeling hungry yet?"
"I'm fine," Twilight awkwardly sputtered, gently removing Sour's hand and moving her back. "I think I've adapted to your mother's Aether now."
"That's good," she sighed. "And your appetite?"
Twilight's stomach decided to answer that question for her, earning a small blush from her and some chuckles from the other girls in the room. 
"Well," Sour smiled, "dinner should be ready in a couple hours, but I could probably get you something to hold you over if you want."
"N-No. I can wait," Twilight stammered, looking down at her lap and playing with her hands to hide her blush.
"Just give her an apple or something," Petal frowned, finally managing to pull out of Lemon's hug. "If she's been by my side as long as she said she was, than she needs at least that much."
"Petal!" Twilight wined, aiming a glare at the Wraith.
"Just cuz I can go a while without eating doesn't mean you can," she added, crossing her arms.
"I can wait a couple hours," Twilight huffed, standing up to meet her friend's gaze. "It's the polite thing to do."
Petal let out an annoyed groan at that.
"Seriously? You've skipped like, what, three meals? Between that and not getting a lot of sleep, I'm surprised you're still standing right now!"
"I had a nap," she muttered looking away.
"Two hours of sleep don't mean shit and you know it," Petal growled, pointing at her for emphasis. 
"I can send a maid to get her a sandwich or something," Sour blinked, raising a hand. "It wouldn't be that big of a deal."
"Do it!" Petal barked.
"Don't!" Twilight cried. "I said I can wait, so I'll wait!"
Petal let out a frustrated growl, then yelled, "QUEEN DAMNIT, SPARKY!"
The sound of someone clearing their throat cut the growing tension before it could burst. Turning to its source, they saw a nonplused Sunny standing by the still-open door holding what looked like a small plate of cookies. Standing next to her was a ragged-looking Indigo holding a similar plate that she was ravenously emptying.
"Are we interrupting something?" she asked.
"No!" Twilight huffed.
"We're trying to talk Twi into eating something and she's being, like, super stubborn about it." Lemon sighed.
"Traitor!" Twilight cried, pointing an accusatory finger at the rocker. 
"Well, good thing I planned ahead," Sunny stated, closing the distance between her and the lavender teen.
She casually plucked a cookie off of the tray and, before anyone could react, shoved it into Twilight's mouth.
"Eat now, complain later," she smiled, letting go of the sweet.
Twilight looked as though she was going to complain, only for that to shift to astonishment the second the cookie's taste hit her. Sunny giggled at the girl's reaction before slowly letting it turn into an unsure frown when she shifted her attention towards Petal. Said Wraith plucked a cookie of her own off of the plate and took a cautious bite.
"Holy shit!" she blinked, practically inhaling the rest of her treat.
"That's what I said," Indigo cheered around a mouthful. "Sunny's a pretty damn good baker."
"She baked these?" Lemon asked, taking a cookie. "I didn't know you could do that."
"I didn't know Wraiths could eat normal food." Sunny blinked, staring at Petal.
"We don't get anything from it, but we can," Petal shrugged, taking another cookie from the plate. "Don't know why we can, but I'm not complaining."
"Interesting," Sunny mused. "I wonder what other quirks your kind have in common with humans."
"Sparky's got a few notes if you're curious," she chuckled. "If you've got a few hours to spare, she can fill you in on that stuff. She'll probably give you a test afterwards, so watch out for that."
"Hey!" Twilight squawked , face a burning pout. "I'm not that bad!"
"You kind've are," Lemon chuckled, raising a hand to get everyone's attention.
"Whatever," she mumbled, taking a bitter bite out of her snack.
"I wouldn't mind joining that lecture," a familiar monotone female voice said.
Everyone turned towards the door.
Sugar Coat stood at the doorway, Dagon sitting on her shoulder with his usual smirk as he studied the group. Sunny and Sour tensed, but showed no other signs of discomfort at the girl's presence while the rest of the girl's in the room gave the three girls nervous looks. Sugar let out a dejected sigh, then slowly approached the group. Once she closed the distance, she took a cookie for herself and one for Dagon, then took a seat on the bed.
"H-Hey Sugar. How've you been?" Indigo nervously asked, taking a seat next to her.
"I have been better," she stated, pointing at her cookie as she added, "This is really good."
"I am glad to know that my skills are up to your standards," Sunny frowned, a hint of venom trickling into her tone.
"I deserved that," Sugar sighed.
Sunny reared back at that, eyes wide with shock from that sudden admission. She wasn't the only one; equally shocked expressions flashing across everyone's faces. Sunny was the first to recover, aiming a raised brow and frown at the spirit sitting on the girl's shoulder. Dagon shook his head, gesturing that he had no involvement in this matter. Sunny doubted that, but mentally decided to shelve that inquiry for a later date.
Before she could comment further, Sugar cut her off at the pass.
"I am sorry for what I said yesterday."
Again, everyone froze.
Again, Sunny was the first to recover.
"I...accept your apology," she stammered out, still shaken by this sudden turn. "I would also like to apologize for my actions. What I said that day was out of line, even if I was not in the best of states."
"Agreed," Sugar nodded.
An awkward silence settled between the two. One that none of the girl's in the room knew how to break with any real tact. Sour looked back and forth between the two girls in confusion for a few seconds before she finally cut the tension.
"Did I miss something?"
Both girl's gave her awkward glances.
"What?" Sour pressed.
"I will....tell you later," Sunny sighed. "Just know that my mouth got the better of me."
"Mine too," Sugar mumbled.
Before the conversation could get any more awkward, the door to the room slammed shut. Everyone jumped, then tuned their attention to the door to see Stygian holding it shut with his back. The goth boy was soaked in a cold sweat and panting, his hair a mess and eyes wide with panic. 
Taking a few quick steps away from the door, he pointed at it and barked, "Bind."
A second later, several shadowy chains covered the door from every conceivable angle.
Letting out a relieved sigh, he turned towards the stunned group of girls.
"Uh....the fuck just happened?" Petal asked.
"Meadowbrook?" Sunny asked.
"Meadowbrook," he nodded, staggering towards them.
"Who or what is a Meadowbrook?" Sugar asked, ignoring Dagon's laughter.
"Stygian's older sister-slash-mother," Sour chuckled.
"...I don't get it," Indigo stated, looking back and forth between Sunny and Sour.
"She is a.....very motherly woman," Sunny giggled, earning a small glare from her friend.
"How bad are we talking?" Indigo asked.
"In a word; suffocating!" Stygian's shadow barked.
Twilight's party stared down at his shadow with shock or confusion, while Sunny's group just nodded in agreement.
"What got her going this time?" Sour asked, rolling her eyes.
"She found out about Lightning," he deadpanned.
Sour cringed while Sunny sported a small smirk.
"Shall I have her fitted for a wedding dress?" Sunny asked, barely holding back a giggle.
"Shut up," he growled, then turned towards Petal and stiffly asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Still a little woozy, but I'll live," she shrugged, snagging another cookie. "Thanks for not murdering me in my sleep, by the way."
"You're welcome," he frowned. "You....can eat human food?"
Petal rolled her eyes at that.
"Ask Sparky about that. She's got fliers printed in her lab."
Everyone, sans Petal and Stygian, laughed at that.
"I...do not get it," he blinked, looking around.
"Sounds like something Lightning should help you with," Sour smirked.
Scathex burst out laughing at that, rippling Stygian's shadow like a puddle of disturbed water.
"Anyway," he snapped, stomping on his shadow and earning a pained bark from it. "Are there any other things of interest beyond my friendships?"
Sunny and Sugar traded questioning looks.
"Well....Sugar and I seem to have come to an....agreement of sorts," Sunny allowed.
Sugar nodded, looking just as uncomfortable as Sunny.
"I see," he nodded, studying the two girls. "Hopefully that can last. At least until Belfry is dealt with. Is there anything else?"
Everyone nodded, only for Lemon's hand to shoot up in the air.
"Sour totally wants to play D&D!" she cried, an impish smile spread wide across her face.
Everyone blinked at that, then locked eyes onto a shocked Sour.
"Really?" Sugar asked, genuine intrigue slipping past her stoic mask.
Sour did a perfect impression of a fish, then slowly turned and pointed towards Lemon.
"Twilight's right," she sweetly said, then bitterly growled, "You are a traitor!"
Lemon just rested her hands behind her head and stuck her tongue out at her, a shameless smile still fixed onto her face.
> Ch.27 Bitter and Sweet
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

If there was one thing Sugarcoat took the most pride in, it was her ability to plan ahead. This skill served her well on countless occasions, both in her gaming sessions and in other aspects in her life. Of course, it was impossible to prepare for everything, but it wasn't too hard for her to improvise when such events came to pass. 
That pride was currently recovering from its most recent massive kick in the crotch.
At the moment, she found herself sitting in the middle of the Crystal Emporium's food court, sharing a pizza with the last person she thought she ever would. Sour seemed to mirror her feelings on the matter, the girl's posture tense and awkward as she nibbled on a slice of pizza. Sugar let out a small sigh, a faint frown following it when Sour flinched in response.
I can't believe Dagon dragged me into this, she thought, slowly sucking a bit of soda form her cup's straw. 


***


"You want me to do what?" Sugar blinked, faint confusion slipping onto her stoic face.
"You heard me," Dagon stated, small fists on his hips as he met her gaze.
The two sat on the bed in their borrowed room, the girl still bedraggled and groggy from a night of fitful sleep. wiping her bed-head out of her face , she plucked her glasses off of a bedside table and put them on to better meet the spirit's glare.
"I did," she nodded. "I just don't think it would be a good idea."
"You wish to atone for your wrongs, correct?" he pressed.
Her lips quivered briefly before she nodded.
"Then you know what must be done," he huffed, then gave her a crooked smirk as he added, "I was going to make you take a break from our lessons today, anyway. So I fail to see any better time to do this."
"You were?" she blinked.
He nodded, his smile wilting.
"A human's mind is a great, but delicate thing. To wield my power, a truly exceptional mind is required as a base. After that, a cycle of practice and rest is required."
"Like training a muscle," she nodded. "That makes sense. I am not a Gifted, so I lack the kind of power someone like Sunny has access to."
"The fact that you are not a Gifted is exactly the reason you can use my power," he chuckled.
"What do you mean?" she frowned. "Wouldn't a Gifted make a better candidate?"
"You would think," he sighed. "Let's just say my power isn't compatible with Aether and leave it at that."
"I see," she nodded. 
"Good," he huffed. "Now, get out there and make a friend!"
"I need to get dressed first," she deadpanned, gesturing to the teddybear onesie she was still wearing.
"I still do not see why you like to sleep in that?" he mused, watching her drag herself out of bed.
"It's comfy," she said simply, reaching into a gray duffle bag by her bed.
Shrugging the comment off, he sat himself down on the bedside table. With puff of gray smoke, he disappeared, leaving his ring behind on the table. Sugar was unfazed as she pulled a towel out of the bag and made her way towards her guestroom's bathroom to freshen up. While her face didn't show it, she knew that today was going to be a long one.


***


At least we haven't tried to kill each other yet, she mused, setting her drink down.
"So," she flatly started. "You want to play D&D?"
"Y-Yes," Sour softly smiled, then scowled and bitterly added, "But not with you."
Sugar raised a brow at that.
Sour's eyes widened, both of her hands flying to cover her mouth.
"I...understand," Sugar sighed. "We've been attacking each other for years. It would be unrealistic to think that we could just suddenly be friends."
"Th-That's not it!" Sour cried, her voice holding a faint echo. "J-Just give u- ME! Just...give me a minute."
Sugar nodded, perplexed and a little worried for the girl sitting across from her. 
Ignoring Sugar, Sour closed her eyes and tried to find her center. While a little more difficult than usual, Sour eventually managed to reconnect the two halves of her mind. Letting out a relieved sigh, she opened her eyes and gave Sugar a tired smile.
"Sorry about that," she nervously chuckled, her voice regaining its full echo. "I'm....I'm good."
"Why does your voice sound like that?" Sugar blinked. "It sounded like that yesterday too, but I forgot to ask about it."
"I guess that's as good place to start as any," Sour frowned. 
For the next few minutes, Sour told Sugar everything she could about her condition. The whole time, Sugar stayed silent and listened. While she didn't show it, guilt ate at her little by little the more details she was fed. Slowly, past interactions with the girl started to make more sense. Combined with what she had learned about Sour's past served to push the knife even further into her heart.
I am such a bitch.
"I'm sorry," Sugar frowned, wilting in her seat. "I know it doesn't make any real difference, but I'm sorry for everything I did to you."
"It's okay," Sour sighed. "I...don't really blame you for acting like that."
"But-" Sugar started, only to be cut off by a halting hand from Sour.
"Let's....just try to talk about something else, okay?" she sighed, smiling softly. 
Sugar blinked dumbly at her for a second, then sported a small smile as she nodded.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"I guess we could talk about that game," Sour shrugged. "Dungeons and....Dragons, was it?"
"Alright," she nodded. "What do you want to know?"
Sour's cheeks reddened a bit, fidgeting sheepishly in her seat as she said, "Lemon said you could help me make a character if I asked. So...."
Sugar let out a small chuckle.
"If you want to join my playgroup, that would be a good place to start. Luckily, the mall has a store that should have everything we will need for you."
"R-Really?" Sour asked, surprise flooding her features.
Sugar nodded.
"So, what kind of character do you want to build?"


***


The D-20 was full of life, countless people appraising wears or making their way to the checkout with their desired purchases. The other half of the room was loaded with occupied tables, some of the people there dressed in elaborate costumes and others sporting various merchandise from one franchise or another. All of said tables were covered with various figures, dice, and dry-erase marker-maps arranged in a way that only made sense to the people at those tables. 
In the center of this sea of chaos, Sugar casually went about her business, studying the various figures the store had on display in a row of glass aisles. Sour was close by doing the same, clearly overwhelmed by everything that was going on around her. Sugar watched her from the corner of her eye and smirked a little, the girl's reaction reminding her of the first time her mom brought her to this store.
"I-Is it usually this crazy in here?" Sour asked, the echo a bit dim in her voice.
"Not really," Sugar said, forcing away her smile as she continued to scan the display. "There's a sale on minis and dungeon props today, so everyone's eager to get as many good things for their games as they can."
"Really? Why?" Sour balked. "Can't they just use their imagination or something?"
As she said that, she waved her hands in front of herself in a random series of loops and swirls. 
"It's a matter of pride for DMs," Sugar stated, still searching. "Our jobs are to give our players as good of an experience as we can. Sometimes, that requires a special figure or set model. Other times, it means finding some good background music or incense to add to the atmosphere."
"So, it's like you're a playwright?" she asked, taking point at Sugar's left to look at a few figures.
"Kind've," Sugar nodded. "I have some control over the world my players are in and the characters they can interact with, but they are the ones that decide how their characters interact with that world as a whole."
"That's....a lot," she blinked. "How often do you all get together?"
"Once or twice a week," Sugar simply stated.
Sour's head snapped towards her, shock plain on her face.
"Once or twi...how do you set up everything and deal with classwork?" 
"I have a system," she shrugged.
Sour continued to stare at her for a few seconds, before she slowly shifted her attention back towards the figures. Being an Elite, she was no stranger to Crystal Prep's demanding academic standards. Just getting into the top ten required an impressive amount of dedication. Getting into the top five required either double the effort or an incredible amount of talent. While she knew that Twilight and Sunny were the later cases, she herself fell into the former category. Between her training and classes, it was almost impossible for her to maintain what few hobbies she had.
Sneaking a few small corner glances, Sour couldn't help feeling a bit of admiration towards the stoic girl.
When she resumed her examination of the figures, one of them suddenly grabbed her attention. The being resembled a blond elven woman, only, her skin was a bright verdant green. She wore a brown sleeveless tunic that looked as if it was made from two large leaves, a pair of ornate leather gauntlets, black pants, and light-set boots. She looked as if she was in the middle of a twirl, hair waving behind her in an imagined breeze and smiling brightly as she aimed an already notched arrow at some unseen threat. 
She looks....SO COOL!
"Find something you like?" Sugar asked, lips pulled up into a small knowing smile.
Sour quickly schooled her expression, admiration trading places with indifference as she let out a terce, "Maybe."
Sugar nodded, clearly not fooled by the act.
"What did you find?"
Fidgeting in place, small blush colored her cheeks as she pointed at the figure in question.
"The green elf lady."
Sugar stared at the figure.
"Close," she stated. "That's an Eladrin."
"That's what an Eladrin looks like?" Sour blinked.
"Sometimes," Sugar shrugged. "That's a Spring or 'Happy' form Eladrin."
"Spring form?" she frowned, then face-palmed as she bitterly added, "That's right. Lemon said they could do that."
"Do you want to get it?" Sugar asked. "It would be perfect for the ranger character you want to make."
"I don't know," she mused. "Wouldn't I need to get different figures for her or something?"
"Not necessarily," Sugar shrugged. "Some Eladrin stay in one form permanently while others change with their moods. It depends of how you want your character to be."
Sour mulled that over for a minute, staring intently at the spring Eladrin. Shuffling around with different figures sounded like a huge pain in the neck and she was sure that there were a few things that would make this character even more of a pain to use. At the same time, she couldn't help but to be drawn to the idea of giving it a try. On top of that, if the spring version of this kind of being looked this cool, she could only imagine how the other forms would look.
Knowing that she was probably going to regret it later, she gave Sugar a smile and said, "If I'm going to do this, I want to do this right. How many forms do Eladrin have?"
"Four," Sugar smiled back. "And they each do something different. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Bring it on," she smirked, her echo back to its normal volume.
"Alright," Sugar softly chuckled. "Let's see if we can find any minis that match this one."


***


Sour and Sugar sat in the bus in comfortable silence, the former excitedly reading through a book on character creation. Sugar held her stoic mask while she watched her, a tiny ghost of a smile teasing at the corners of her mouth. The day went better than she expected. Granted, those expectations had been pretty low at the start, but that was beside the point as far as she was concerned. It was almost as much of a mixed bag as the first time she went to the mall with Twilight and Petal. The sense of deja vu was especially strong when Sour had her "moments". Those aside, she could see that Sour was a pretty nice girl to be around. If it wasn't for the girl's quirk, Sugar was sure that they could've been friends a long time ago.
I wonder if the same could be said for Sunny, she mused.
A nervous cough pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Yes?" Sugar asked.
Sour fiddled with her fingers, staring down at the now closed book on her lap as she asked, "Are you sure you're okay with me coming to your house?"
Sugar nodded.
"All of my DM stuff is in my room. It will be easier for us to make your character there. Besides, it's only fair that you get to see my house after I got to spend the night at yours."
"That's a really sweet thought," she beamed, then bitterly added, "Not that you really needed to go that far."
Sugar raised a brow.
Sour offered her an apologetic smile, closed her eyes, and took a long, slow, breath. After doing this for a few minutes, she opened her eyes and gave her a nod.
"Sorry about that," she sighed, her voice regaining its echo. "This whole thing is still....really weird for me. I'm so used to us being at each other's throats that being nice feels...."
"Wrong?" Sugar offered.
Sour guiltily nodded, staring down at her book.
Sugar sighed, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes.
"This whole thing has been weird for me too."
"The Gifted thing, or us not trying to throttle each other?" Sour bitterly snorted.
"Yes," she flatly stated.
Sour let out a full chuckle at that.
Sugar continued.
"I always thought that it would be cool to have magic powers. Now that I am getting them....I'm not so sure anymore."
"I thought the same thing when Mom started training me," Sour snorted, lips pulled up into a wistful smile. "Trust me, once you get used to it all, you'll start to feel a lot less overwhelmed by everything"
"Dagon said something similar to that," she faintly huffed, giving Sour a flatter stare than usual. 
Sour rolled her eyes at that, then ruefully shook her head.
"Do you want to know what really makes my head spin?" Sugar asked.
"What?"
"The fact that we're civil with each other is more shocking to me than a talking dragon spirit popping into my room."
Silence settled between them for a few seconds, before they both burst out laughing.
When they eventually caught their breath, the bus slowed to a stop. Taking a look out the window, Sugar nodded to herself and rose from her seat. Sour followed suit, following the girl to the bus's door as it opened with a loud hiss. When archer stepped out of the bus and took stock of her surroundings, one house in particular instantly caught her attention.
It was a two story house with round windows  on the top and bottom floors with a similarly shaped front door, each of the former tinted different colors while the later was yellow with small red polka dots spattered all across it. The exterior stucco walls looked as if someone took random buckets of paint and dumped them everywhere, complete with trails and spattering drips in each area. The front lawn was immaculately trimmed, but decorated with a wide variety of fantasy-themed ornaments. Dragons sat at mushroom tables sipping tea with leprechauns and dwarves, faeries read newspapers on couches made of grass, gnomes rode rabbits into battle against small armored gremlins, and various other absurd scenes dotted the lawn in near random arrangements. A cobblestone path made of round, square, and triangle gray slabs ran down the middle of the lawn towards the front door from the sidewalk.
What kind of lunatic would live there? Sour thought, struggling to look at the madness before her.
Her question was answered when Sugar stepped off of the sidewalk onto the cobblestone path.
"This is where you live?" she gaped, the echo in her voice wavering.
"Yes," she nodded, turning to face the still sidewalk-bound girl. "Is there a problem?"
"N-No," she stuttered out. "I just...this is isn't the kind of place I thought you would live at."
Sugar looked around for a second, then turned back to her and said, "My dad has fun taste."
"Your dad did all of this?" she blinked.
Again, Sugar nodded.
"Do you want to see what it looks like inside?" Sugar asked, a small smile spreading across her lips.
"I'm....Yeah," Sour nervously nodded.
"Thought so," Sugar softly snorted.
With that, she took Sour's hand and gently guided her towards her home's front door. As she did, Sour tried to brace herself. If this was what Sugar's family was willing to show the world, what kind of madness lay hidden within the house itself? Her mind ran through all kinds of possibilities with each step she took, some of them more fanciful than the last. By the time she reached the door, she was sure that she was going to meet a talking white rabbit or magical smiling cat on the other side.
Still softly smiling, Sugar opened the door and gestured for Sour to step inside. Taking a steadying breath, Sour nodded as she did just that. When she crossed the threshold, she looked around to see just what kind of insanity she had stepped into.
She was greeted by a living room straight out of a fantasy novel, with an ornate red rug laid out over a chocolate brown hardwood floor. The furniture, a wood-framed green couch and lounge chair, sat facing each other on opposite sides of an oval coffee table at its middle. The couch and chair looked as if they were made of dragon scales while the wood was carved to resemble bones. The coffee table had an amethyst base with an iron frame and legs molded into the shape of ivy and leaves. The walls looked to be made of bare wood with lamps made to look like torches set into each of the corners. The oddly tinted window in the room filled it with an alien aura that added an almost fae feel to the scene.
All of it left Sour stunned, so much so that she almost didn't notice it when Sugar closed the front door behind them.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Sugar asked, stepping up to the girl's side.
Sour nodded, jaw still slack.
"Do you want to see more?"
Again, Sour dumbly nodded.
Sugar giggled softly, then lightly took Sour's hand and guided her further into the house. 
For the next half hour, Sugar gave Sour the grand tour of the place she called home. The bare wood walls and hardwood floor from the living room were a constant sight, along with the fantastic elements that room displayed. Pictures of enchanted scenes in nature-themed frames decorated walls while the furniture all held the same level of druidic flavors. All of the wall lights were made to look like torches, complete with bulbs that , when lit, looked like flickering flames. Even the basement wasn't ignored, the walls covered with wallpaper that, combined with the "torch" light, made it look like a stairway into a dungeon. 
Sour observed it all with childish wonder, not once voicing any kind of opinion on anything she saw until she was brought to Sugar's room.
"What kind of things do your parents do?" she asked, still gobsmacked as she took a seat on Sugar's bed.
"My dad is a professor at Canterlot University and is an indigame developer on the side," Sugar shrugged, taking a seat next to her guest.
"And your mom?" 
A bit of pain briefly slid across Sugar's face.
"She's....not around," she forced out, a somber lilt coloring her mostly flat tone.
"Oh," Sour gulped, shame dominating her features as she softly said, "S-Sorry."
"It's.....fine," Sugar sighed. "I'm.......mostly over it."
Silence settled between them, both of them struggling to think of a way to break it without stepping on a land mine. After a few minutes, Sour decided to be the one to bite the bullet.
"So...what kind of games did your dad put out there?"
Sugar visibly relaxed at that, as subtle as the shift may have been to the naked eye.
"Well," she hummed. "He's put out quite a few. One of them was some rhythm game called Friday Night Funkin'. Another was a horror game called Five Nights at Teddy's. I think he helped produce a game called, Dark Deceptions, but I'm not sure. He also made a DLC for Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion."
Sour's jaw was practically on her lap.
"Uh, Sugar, what is your dad's name?" she gulped.
"Discord?" she announced, raising a brow. "Why?"
Sour stared at her, eyes wide and exasperated choking noises falling out of her fully slacked jaw.
"Sour? Are you okay?" Sugar nervously asked, poking the stunned girl's shoulder.
"S-Sorry," Sour stammered, shaking the cobwebs out of her head. "I'm just...It's just......I'm a huge fan of Discord's games and you're.....and he's.......Wow."
"Do you want to meet him later?"
"CAN I?" she gushed, then quickly schooled herself, looked away with a small blush, and added, "I-I mean...Sure. That would be cool...and stuff."
Sugar watched her with a small smile, rolling her eyes as she stood up and walked towards her Dungeon and Dragon gear.
"He should be back around eight tonight. Maybe we can help him beat these two ladies that are kicking his butt at Fortnight the last few months."
"Who?" she asked, a challenging smirk spreading across her lips.
"A pair calling themselves Sunprincess432 and Woonawins693," Sugar shrugged "Are you game?"
"To help my favorite game developer kick butt?" Sour asked. "Let me thi- HELL YEAH!"
Sugar chuckled at that, making her way back towards her bed with a few sheets of paper and  three different notebooks tucked under her arm.
"Looks like things are going to be a little interesting tonight," she smiled, taking a seat. "In the meantime let's get your character put together."
"Right," Sour nodded, a hint of nerves creeping into her features. "I hope I don't make a fool of myself."
"In front of my dad or at the next D&D session?"
"Yes," Sour gulped.
Sugar just shook her head, small smile still present as she flipped open one of her notebooks.
"Let's just take all of this one step at a time, okay?"
Sour nodded, both halves of her mind spinning in the face of just how crazy this simple day had become.
> Ch.28 Battle Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fear was a strange thing for a Wraith to feel. When you are typically stronger than your prey and can regenerate from most fatal injuries, it took a lot to force such an emotion into such a creature's heart. At that moment, Petal found herself sitting across the table from one of the few things that could do just that.
The dining room was as silent as a tomb, its three inhabitants sitting at the mansion's hostess's table with visual civility. Under the surface, Petal and Somnambula were waiting for the meeting to go south in one form or another. Dagon sat near the middle of the table, nibbling on a tea biscuit as he watched the two. Somnambula was the visual definition of calm, the stunning woman casually sipping at her tea. Petal, currently in human form, was a pile of nerves, eyes darting across the table at the assortment of tea flavorings, pastries, crackers, breads, and toppings that stood between her and the hostess. All of it was on fine china, befitting of someone of high traditional status; a fact that added to the nerves strangling Petal.
When Petal and Twilight woke up that morning and headed to the mansion's dinning room for breakfast, neither of them really knew what to expect. The first shock was when Sugar announced that she was going to take Sour with her to the mall. The second came when Sunny volunteered to help Twilight with her training. The third came when, on the way out, Somnambula requested that Petal stay in her seat. The only thing that kept Petal from running like a bat out of hell was the fact that Dagon had reassured her that he was going to stay as well.
Is this how Sparky feels every time things get bad? she thought, taking a nervous sip of her tea. No wonder she's such a basket case half of the time. Maybe we should go do something later. Help her get her mind off of things for a bit.
A calm, yet piercing stare from Somnambula shoved an arctic chill down her spine.
Assuming I get to have a later, she mentally added, her throat dry in spite of her tea.
The silence held between them for several long minutes, minutes that felt like hours to the young Wraith, before the elder Gifted set her cup down and gave her guest her full attention.
"So, Petal Wasp, is it?" Somnambula asked, making the girl jump.
"Y-Yes ma'am," she nodded, posture stiff as a board.
Somnambula subtly nodded in turn, gaze still piercing.
"Tell me about yourself."
"Huh?" she blinked.
"You heard me," Somnambula stated, a faint smile creeping onto her face. "I am sure a girl like you has a few interesting stories to tell."
"N-Not really," Petal nervously chuckled. "I'm pretty plain, y'know. I mean, I compared to someone like you and some of Twi's friends, at least."
"That is a rather humble assessment," Somnambula giggled. "Especially coming from a Wraith."
Petal's core sank into her gut, all color draining away from her horrified face. She knew that there was no point trying to deny the woman's claim. Just like she knew that there was no way she could beat her if she decided to do her in. She gave Dagon a pleading look, one that was met with a reassuring smile. 
"There is no need to hold that form," Somnambula added, snapping Petal's attention back to her. "Also, I have no desire to kill you, so please put yourself at ease."
"I-I don't know if I can," Petal gulped, letting her human form drop. "I-Instincts and all that junk, y'know?"
"I see," she frowned, taking in the Wraith's simple black dress with casual interest. "Even with the ability to use Aether, a Wraith is still a Wraith."
"I-I guess so," Petal nervously chuckled.
"Now then," Somnambula smiled, leaning a bit further towards her guest. "As I requested before; tell me about yourself."


***


Calm was one thing that Twilight would never describe herself around Sunny. Even with a truce standing between them and knowing what had led to the friction between them, there was still a slimy blanket of fear wrapped around her heart every time she was alone with her. As such, the fact that Sunny was successfully teaching her how to meditate was just as much of a surprise to Twilight as it was for Indigo.
At the moment, the three girls sat cross-legged in the mansion's titanic backyard, backs straight and eyes closed. The gurgling of water from the pool's fountain and the chirping of birds eased the stress to the back of her mind. A cool spring breeze washed over her like a gentle blanket, easing a relaxed smile onto her face. In that moment, those were the only things in her world. No pressure to excel. No looming battle in the distant horizon. Just the water, the birds, and the air. 
"How do you feel?' Sunny asked, her voice gentle in the far corner of Twilight's mind.
"Calm," Twilight softly replied, a dreamy lilt decorating her tone.
"Good. Do you feel anything else?"
Twilight frowned, mildly confused by that, but too lost in her zen to be truly bothered by the question.
"No."
"I see," Sunny said, a small hint of a frown in her tone. "Then you must go deeper. Let your mind drift further into your center until you find your Aether."
"Okay," Twilight dreamily responded. "How...will I know when I find it?"
With a hint of mirth, Sunny stated, "You simply will."
Deciding not to question her, Twilight gave her a faint nod and let her mind wander. Slowly, the world around her started to fade away, like she was walking away from a radio spitting out static. Eventually, she found herself floating in a dark void. Before panic could take her, she felt a small tug on the back of her mind and the familiar sounds of the mansion's backyard faintly reached her. Thankful for the lifeline, she let herself drift fully back into the void and "looked" around. She wasn't sure what she was "looking" for or how she was supposed to find it, but that didn't deter her from her task. For a time, she simply sat there calmly trying to solve the riddle set before her. How much time? A minute? An hour? A day? She didn't know nor, to her own surprise, did she care. Time meant nothing here. All she knew was that the answer would come to her when it did. 
As she drifted further through the void, she found her thoughts drifting towards her friends. She remembered how Lemon helped her relieve her stress by screaming into a mike. She remembered how Indigo talked her down during her episode at the park. She remembered how Sugar eased her out of her paranoia during her first D&D session together. Most importantly, she remembered how Petal pulled her out of her darkness and helped her make friends in the first place. With each memory, a small glowing light entered the void, each a different colored star that made the darkness feel much less empty. In time, more stars filled the darkness, greeting her with more moments spent with her friends and family. Some of them were painful, such as the night Twilight and Petal had their first big argument or the massive panic attack the lavender teen had at the mall, but even those held a bittersweet kind of joy to them. 
While she basked in the steadily growing night sky, she felt a small pull guiding her forward. Trusting in it, she let the pull take her further into the now glimmering void. As she progressed, more stars appeared around her at a gradual clip, warming her heart and slowly stirring something inside her. When the pull finally stopped, she was surrounded by a dense sea of lavender stars. 
Unlike the ones before, these small lights didn't hold memories, but a warm energy that filled her with a familiar sense of ease. Reaching out to touch one, she was immediately greeted by a small spark behind her heart, the same one she felt when Petal was in danger. At the same time, two small wisps of mist drifted off of the small star, one black and the other a light teal. The wisps quickly merged together before they returned to the small ball of light as it slowly drifted away from her. Twilight watched it go for as long as she could before it was lost to the thousands of identical lights that surrounded it. She shifted her attention to the sea of stars itself, the lights flowing around her like a rock in a gentle river. In its presence, she felt a kind of ownership, like this river was her birthright.
Is this....my Aether?
"Truly magnificent, is it not?"
Twilight flinched, but let a small smile grace her lips as she turned to face the voice's source.
Standing ten feet away from her, protected by the stars with a ring of golden flames and shining silver ivy, was Lily. Unlike the last few times she saw her, the Wraith did not look like Petal, but now appeared to be an elegant Wraith woman in her mid twenties. She still wore the familiar black gown of her previous form, only now her raven black hair reached the middle of her back. Her eyes were the normal black with golden pupils that all of her kind held, along with skin that held the same monochrome gray her kind shared with old photographs. A shining golden eagle was perched on her shoulder, the avian looking as if it was made from the very light of the sun itself, only dimmed to a degree low enough to safely see.
"Good morning, Lily," she said.
"Good morning, Twilight," Lily returned, adding a graceful curtsy to the the greeting. 
Twilight giggled at the gesture, earning a similar reaction out of her guest.
"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but how are you here?" she asked.
"Thanks to our deal and the bond you share with Petal, I am free to travel between your minds," Lily smiled.
The bird let out a sharp chirp.
"Within reason, of course," she added, giving the bird a pointed frown. "I am only a guest here, so you do not need to worry about me holding any sway over the two of you."
"That's....good to know," Twilight frowned. "Not that you would've done that, anyway, right?"
A guilty smile formed on Lily's face.
"There was.... a time that the attempt would have been made, but that is far behind me."
Twilight nodded, a bit unnerved, but willing to accept that particularly grim possible reality about the woman.
"I fear my past deeds are not entirely relevant at the moment," Lily continued, a determined frown set across her lips. "You and Petal have a more pressing matter bearing down on the both of you, correct?"
Twilight nodded, a faint shiver running through her.
"There is an extremely powerful and unstable Archwraith coming for me. Petal thinks we can get strong enough to fight him, but I..."
Lily nodded, understanding slipping into her determined expression.
"It is wise to have doubts," Lily stated. "In both life and battle, doubt can become caution and caution can make us take time to measure the best way to approach a task."
"That...makes sense," she allowed, then let out a sigh while she added, "Too bad we don't have a lot of options here."
"Not necessarily," Lily said, a knowing, wicked smirk gracing her lips.
"Huh?" Twilight blinked.
"You two may not have the power needed to mach Belfry, but that doesn't mean there isn't an option."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
Lily gave her bird a questioning look, then smiled when she received a chirping nod. When she gave the girl her full attention, it was with a chuckle that shocked Twilight into taking a step back. 
She sounded  just like Petal
"Let's just say," she beamed, pulling Twilight back to the present. "That there is more to your union than you both initially thought."


***


"And that's all there is to know," Petal sighed, wilting in her seat.
Somnambula nodded, hands rested on her lap and back straight against the back of her chair. The woman had held that stance through the entirety of Petal's story, a patient smile the only sign that the woman held no malice. That, combined with the eery serenity she sensed from the woman was the only reason Petal had managed to talk to her as opposed to run screaming for the door.
After a long moment of silence, Somnambula calmly stated, "You are quite the odd one, aren't you?"
"I......guess," she mumbled, lips tugging up into a shy smile.
"An understatement of titanic proportions if I ever heard it," Dagon chuckled, floating a cookie to himself and her.
"Agreed," Somnambula nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "A Wraith that can use Aether is odd, but one that can do that and has willingly chosen to bond with a human is unheard of. To hear that you do not wish to kill any humans is something I still find hard to believe."
"I....don't get it either," she admitted, frowning at the cookie in her hands. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't up for the idea in the past. I mean, that's what my kind do, right? Then I got a look a Twilight's soul and I just.....couldn't do it. Then I started to care about her and it was all down hill from there."
Somnambula nodded, a thoughtful frown gracing her lips as she studied the girl.
"And it was from that care that you formed a symbiotic relationship, correct?"
"I did a what know?" Petal blinked.
"Formed a relationship that helped you both out," Dagon clarified, taking a huge bite out of his latest treat. "She gave you food, you relieved her stress."
"Oh, yeah," she nodded, giving her snack a small nibble. "I guess that's how it started, huh?"
"Is that one of the perks of your connection with Twilight as well?" Somnambula asked, pointing at the cookie.
Petal looked down, then rolled her eyes with a tired groan.
"Seriously? Even you don't know that we can eat human food?"
"To be fair, most of my interactions with Wraiths involved them trying to tear out my innards," she shrugged, calmly taking a sip of her tea. "This is the first cordial interview I have had with your kind in my entire long life."
"Right, guess that makes sense," Petal chuckled. "Not like my kind would expect any different, right?"
"Indeed," the hostess chuckled.
They basked in the mirth of the moment for a bit, before Somnambula dimmed it with a question that lightly ticked the Wraith off.
"Given the...current circumstances, would it be accurate of me to call you an ally?"
"What? You think after everything I'm gonna leave Twilight and my friends in the lurch? Fuck that noise! I'm in this till the end. Period!"
"Good to know," Somnambula smiled, nodding her approval. "Doubly so now that I know how your Nest operates."
"What do you mean?" she asked, a cautious edge rimming her tone.
An impish spark crept into the older woman's eyes.
"Tell me dear, have you heard the story of the Soldiers of Troy?"


***


Indigo's heart pounded in her chest, a mix of fear and thrill running through her being as she blocked a fist coated in lavender light with silver-coated arms. Twilight felt similar, her now red feline eyes narrowed with determination behind her glasses as she threw another punch. The duo moved around the backyard in a fierce dance, trading or redirecting blows in even measure. Sunny stood near the pool, watching the pair and ready to jump in if things got out of hand.
"Keep your guard up!" Sunny demanded, arms crossed as she watched her peers.
"I-I'm trying!" Indigo barked, her cheek turning silver just before Twilight's fist hit it.
"Try harder!" she shouted, her glare narrowing.
Indigo just let out an irate growl in response, sending a now metallic fist flying at Twilight. A move that said girl easily side-stepped and countered with a quick jab towards Indigo's gut. Indigo's eyes widened at that as she quickly jumped back to get out of her friend's strike-range. After that she instantly reformed her stance, allowed Mithril to move further up her arms, and moved back onto the offensive.
Sunny watched the struggle with a critical eye, carefully analyzing their movements. While it was going at a slower pace than she was happy with, she could see Indigo make some progress. The fact that a normal human could get Mithril to function on this current level was impressive in its own right. Unfortunately, she was going to need to be at a much higher level of skill to even have a chance in the fight to come. 
As for Twilight, it was difficult for her to say with any real certainty.
While it was clear that the girl had received some combat training and had an acceptable level of potential there, her Gift was impossible for her to properly gage. At the moment, the girl was coated in a soft lavender aura; a common form that a newly awakened Gift would take. Aside from her eyes, there were no external changes that could give a hint about what kind of powers said Gift was. No matter how different Gifts were, the infant stage always showed its nature in one form or another. For Stygian, it was an oily black shadow that slid across his body. For Lemon, it was blasts of sound. If she had a Gift, she knew that the barebones nature of her ability would've been as clear as day. Twilight's aura held no traits or nature. Aside from being powerful and holding a faint hint of Miasmic energy, there was nothing to it beyond simply existing. The fact that she was able to access it so easily after only twenty minutes of meditative practice only added to the mysteries surrounding the girl's abilities.
Has Petal's Miasma altered her Gift in some way? she mused, bringing a hand up to her chin in thought. 
Before she could ponder on that further, the sparing session took a turn that made her jaw drop.
As skilled as Twilight was, it was clear that she lacked the raw stamina that Indigo had at her disposal. After twenty solid minutes of constant action, Twilight was starting to show that she was reaching her limit. Panting, Twilight threw a few quick jabs, but a barely winded Indigo easily dodged or blocked them. This continued, a confident smirk slowly forming on Indigo's face while Twilight's crimson feline eyes narrowed in growing frustration. At the same time, Twilight continued to lose ground, gradually moving more and more onto the defensive as her stamina steadily plummeted. Once Twilight hit the metaphorical wall, Indigo gave her a wide, yet sympathetic smile before sending a high spinning roundhouse kick to Twilight's right ribs. At the last second, the lavender teen bent backwards under the kick, dropping Indigo's jaw along with Sunny's. The second Indigo's leg passed over her, Twilight straightened back up and, with a cry that sounded like a cross between a horse's neigh and a cat's yowl, sent Indigo flying back with a double-palm to the chest. Indigo hit the ground ten feet away with a wheeze, what little air still in her knocked out of her the second her back hit the grass.
Shocked silence settled between the three girls, Indigo's hacking breaths the only thing breaking it as the trio struggled to process what had just happened.
Twilight was the first to recover, panic dispelling her aura as she ran to her friend's side, an equally worried Sunny not far behind.
"Indigo! I'm so sorry! I-I-I don't know how I-. Oh god, please tell me you're okay!"
"I-I've been better," she groaned, sitting up with a smirk in spite of the pain. "D-Didn't know you could bend that way, Slugger."
Before Twilight could comment on that, Sunny moved to the side of the girl opposite of Twilight, frantically struggling to get something from her pants pocket.
"Do not move," Sunny demanded, finally managing to free a small silver sphere as she kneeled down to where the girl sat. 
They watched in wonder as the orb let out a dull blue light. Said light washed over Indigo, making her flinch for a second before a look of peace settled on her face. When the light faded, Indigo flopped bonelessly on the grass, exhaustion taking the place of pain. Twilight watched the whole event with worry, only relaxing when Sunny pocketed the sphere and gave her a reassuring smile. The second her panic passed, she let out a relieved sigh, just before her own fatigue knocked her down right next to Indigo.
Indigo did the same, chuckling lightly.
"That was one hell of a trick you pulled there, Slugger. Really caught off guard."
"Th-Thanks," Twilight panted, a dazed glaze tinting her eyes as she stared at the sky.
"Indeed," Sunny mused, a thoughtful frown sitting on her lips. "Were you always that limber?"
"N....No," she forced out between breaths. "Don't know....how....I did...that."
"I see," she nodded, studying the downed lavender girl.
Could her gift be increased flexibility? No. It looked as thought that was a byproduct of some other kind of ability. Force projection? Possibly, but it is too soon to be sure. Could she be one of the few that have two gifts? No. If she was, then she would have two auras.
Hiding her frustrations, she shifted her ire towards the other girl lying on the grass.
"This is why you need to further your bond with Mithril!"
"I get it," Indigo groaned, tiredly closing her eyes. 
"I do not think that you do," Sunny huffed. "That blow almost shattered some of your ribs."
"W-What?!" Twilight drunkenly squawked, struggling to turn her head towards her.
"I did put up a guard," she frowned, pulling up her shirt just short of her bust-line. "See?"
Sure enough, a thick layer of cracked and crumbling metal coated the area revealed, silver dust crumbling off of it in synch with the metal coating her arms. A second later, said metal crumbled into a fine dust, then reformed into a pair of plain silver manacles on her wrists. Sunny allowed a small impressed smile to cross her lips at the display, but schooled it away just as quickly.
"If your bond was stronger, there would be no cracks to begin with."
"Give me a break!" she groaned, sitting up with a scowl. "I had, like, a couple seconds to think about what I wanted the damn thing to do!"
"The fact that you had to think in the first place is proof that you need more training," Sunny growled. 
"Bite me," Indigo growled, glaring daggers at the girl.
"I would rather not," she huffed, leaning closer. "I am not a fan of flaky pastries."
Twilight watched the back-and-forth with worry, sure that a real fight was going to break out at any moment. Just before she could try to defuse the situation, a familiar rough female voice from the mansion's doors beat her to it.
"Would you two just kiss already!" a human-formed Petal cried, stomping towards them with a crooked smile. "Fucking hell, the two of you are halfway there already!"
Both girls gave her incredulous looks, then aimed wide-eyed blushes at each other when they realized how close their faces were. They quickly scrambled away from each other, one sheepishly rising to her feet while the other offered a few apologies for practically rolling over Twilight. Petal took the whole thing in with a laugh, earning some blushing scowls from all three of the girls.
"Must you be so.....so.... uncouth?" Sunny huffed, crossing her arms.
"What she said," Indigo barked, then raised a brow and stage whispered to a now standing Twilight, "What did she say?"
While Twilight explained, Petal gave a shameless smile and said, "I could've said something worse."
"I will not take that challenge," Sunny monotoned. "I take it your meeting with Lady Somnambula went well?"
"Very," she nodded, her smile taking on a more vicious tone. "In fact, I think I know way to tip things a bit more towards our side when the fight starts."
"Do tell," she stated, intrigued.	
"I...think I've got something too," Twilight offered, sheepish smile gracing her lips as she raised a hand to get everyone's attention.
"You too?" Petal blinked. "How?"
"It's....complicated," Twilight frowned, not sure how to accurately describe her meeting without telling too much.
"What do you-" Indigo started
"I...think I know what she's talking about," Petal nervously chuckled. "I'll...I'll need to fill you in on it for this to work anyway. Just...you trust Twi and me, right?"
"Yeah?" she nodded, furrowing her brows.
"Good," she sighed. "Cuz for this whole thing to work, I'm gonna need you to."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Giving an audible nervous gulp, Petal gave Twilight and Sunny a nervous smile. With a shaky breath, she closed her eyes and dropped her human form.
> Ch.29 Manifest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Stygian's sister practically dragged her and the grim-dressed boy out of the mansion with her, Lemon was sure that things would be interesting. After all, there was no way a Gifted's life could be boring. At the very least, whatever the older woman had in mind would've been more exciting than sitting in a dark room meditating. She would've gone with Sugar to help get Sour D&D supplies, but the stoic girl told her that this was something she needed to do alone. Reading the mood, she reluctantly agreed to let the two have their moment. Spending time with Petal was also out of the question and as fun as it would've been to watch her friends spar, she was sure that Sunny would've gotten on her case over her lack of progress.
As Meadowbrook drove her jeep further out of the city, Lemon nearly vibrated through the back seat in excitement. Stygian spent the whole trip moping in his seat, staring blankly out the window. His grim mood didn't phase her in the slightest as she waited to see just what kind of thrill Meadowbrook had in store for them. 
Eventually, buildings and asphalt was replaced by open fields and backed dirt roads. A few farms moved in and out of view, including a massive apple orchard. Having never left Canterlot City, the rural scenes held her attention like a tourist in a foreign land, a little pang of disappointed settling into her that she couldn't watch them for more than a few seconds.  
"So, Lemon, was it?" Meadowbrook cheerily asked from behind the wheel.
"Yup!" Lemon beamed.
"Nice name," she chuckled. "Not sure if fits a sweetie like you , though."
"My sis says my mom had a craving for lemon cake when she was pregnant with me," Lemon smiled, a somber hint passing over her excitement. "Said she loved the zest."
"I see," Meadowbrook nodded, looking back at the girl through the rearview mirror with an understanding glint in her eyes. "I take it they're...not around."
Lemond nodded.
"I thought so," she sighed. "I won't say anything else about it if you don't want to talk about it. Believe me when I say that we can relate to that."
"Wait, what?" Lemon balked, looking back and forth between the two siblings.
Sensing the question before it even had time to form, Stygian cut her off at the pass. 
"Died in battle," he frowned, still staring out the window. "They tried to kill a Husk and were unprepared."
"Oh..." Lemon frowned. "Um...sorry."
"It is a sad reality of this life," he sighed. "It is rare for a Gifted to reach old age."
"A regular ray of sunshine," Meadowbrook snorted, then somberly added, "but he's right. The life you and your friends are in isn't a safe one. The most us older Gifted can do is try to make the odds a bit better for you all."
"And that's why you're taking us out somewhere?" Lemon asked, a bit of her pep coming back.
Meadowbrook nodded, taking a turn.
Peaking past the passenger seat in front of her, she saw that they were heading towards a large dark forest. Stygian noticed as well, a small eye-roll his only reaction before he continued to stare blankly out the window. Lemon was about to comment on that, only to freeze when a strange tingling feeling started to wash over her. It was similar to how she felt when she was at the mansion, but where that felt like heavy static, this felt more like a gentle rain. The feeling grew the closer they got to the forest. At the same time, a familiar sense of vertigo slowly filled her at the same rate. In response to it, a faint yellow glow surrounded her, the sensations easing to a more manageable level. The same thing happened to Stygian, a thick shadowy aura surrounding him like a vaporous inky cloak. 
Meadowbrook peeked at them through her rearview mirror, her own aura absent as she gave them a playful smile.
When they drove past the tree line into the forest proper, Lemon's aura spiked in radiance. Stygian's aura faded away, the teen quickly adapting to the Aether in the air. Shaking her head to push away a sudden dizzy spell, a faint series of glows pulled her shaky attention back towards the trees they drove past. Green glowing vines snaked across the trees from the ground all the way towards the top of their trunks. Small flowers of various colors grew on the vines, each about the size of a quarter and glowing with a faint light. At the same time, a faint pink mist filled the air, giving the scene an ambiance straight from a child's picture book of fairytales. 
At the same time, a faint sweet smell filled the jeep's cabin.
Lemon couldn't quite place the smell, only that it sat somewhere in the middle of floral and gummy candy. Whatever it was, she felt her excitement simmer down into a calming joy. Stygian was similarly affected, with his irritation being replaced with drowsiness. The further in they drove, the stronger the scent became, adding strength to the oddly peaceful feeling it brought out of the two teens. 
Wh...What's......going on? Head......feels......fuzzy. Am I.....drunk?
Her head turned bonelessly towards the window.
Blurry tree-like shapes with more glowing flowers passed by, the pink mist seeming much thicker than it was a few minutes ago. A tiny trickle of fear sparked in her, but the calming haze that held her gently pushed it away. She flinched slightly when she felt the haze spread to the rest of her body, a light tingle similar to pins and needles. 
What's.......happening?
She gasped when the tingle was replaced by a soft vibrating warmth. It settled deep into her muscles, easing away knots and kinks that she didn't even know were there. It was as if she was getting a massage from the inside out, with every muscle in her body was being tended to all at the same time. Her eyelids drooped, a light drowsiness coming over her under the soothing embrace of the force the held her. She grimaced when a small sting settled in her gut, a pain that slowly crept up her body to her mouth. With a drunk sigh, she watched her breath come out as an oily black mist. She stared blankly at the odd substance, the toxic cloud roughly the size of a bowling ball as it floated in front of her. Before her relaxed mind could form a thought about it, the cloud started to fade away. In a matter of seconds, the cloud was nothing more than an uncomfortable memory.
What.....was......that?
"Good," a female voice huffed. "That junk was like, totally gumming things up."
"Huh?" she blinked, looking around, "Who sai-"
She froze, her surroundings completely different from what they were a second ago. The seat she was sitting in was the only thing that stayed the same, but now it was set on the floor in the middle of what looked like a giant metal wearhouse. Said floor was polished concrete with over a dozen different cords crisscrossing all across it in an intricate spiderweb. The cords were connected to hundreds of amps set into the walls, each in different sizes, shapes, and models. All of that took a backseat compared to the spectacle that stood twenty feet from her seat.
A giant stage sat at the heart of the wire web, a simple platform made of rusted and dented metal sheets and polls. On it stood a straight row of tall amps, a mic on a tall stand, and a lone figure that made her wonder if there was something funny in her breakfast this morning.
Smiling down at her from the stage was a near exact copy of herself. Her double wore a black tank-top, a  pair of gray jeans with rips at the knees, and jean jacket with the sleeves ripped off. Tattered black leather open-fingered gloves covered her hands and she wore boots made of the same material. A yellow electric guitar was slung over her shoulder like a bat while an acid green pair of headphones hung loosely around her neck. 
While all of these features were a bit shocking to her, her double's eyes held her attention the most. Staring down at her under the light of a golden feather hair clip were a pair of crimson feline eyes. The figure chuckled in the face of Lemon's confusion, showing a hint of fang as a result.
"Sup?" the double smirked, nodding to her in greeting.
"Uh.....Wha?" Lemon gaped, the haze gradually fading from her mind.
The double rolled her eyes, still smiling down at the girl.
"Hellooooooooo? Terra to Lemon? Do you, like, read me?"
Lemon shook off the rest of her fog, a deep scowl gracing her lips as she staggered out of her seat.
"Who are you?"  she asked, giving the room a passing look, then pointed at her double and pressed, "Where are we? Why do you...look like me?"
The double looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful frown. After humming her thoughts for a few seconds, she playfully met the girl's eyes and answered.
"In, like, order? You haven't given me a name yet soooooooo, nothing I can give you there. As for where we're at, I'd say we're right in the middle of your Aether network, but we could be a little to the left or right of that. And I look like you because I'm, like, a part of you. A new totally awesome part, but still a part of you."
"You're.....What?" she sputtered, head spinning . "I don't get this. Is this, like, some Gifted thing that no one told me about?"
"Yup," her double chuckled, sitting down on the edge of the stage. "Not their fault, really. Stygian's big sis just happened to have a gift that made you chill the heck out."
"What are you talking about?" Lemon frowned, weariness creeping into her features.
The double let out an amused snort.
"You tried the whole meditation thing, right?"
She nodded.
"Well, you were too wound-up to get very far with it. You needed to, like, chill out royally to get us to connect properly."
"Not my fault meditation was so damn boring," she huffed, looking away crossing her arms.
The double let out a full laugh at that, almost falling over or dropping her guitar from the force of her mirth.
"Dude, you need to find some real chill," the double chuckled, wiping some tears out of her eyes with her free hand.
"Hey! I'm plenty chill!" Lemon cried, a crooked smirk gracing her lips as she pointed at her double.
"Well, anyway," the double smirked. "Now that we're here, lets get some work done."
"Fine," Lemon snorted. "Where do we start?"
"Well," the double huffed, a small frown gracing her lips for the first time. "A name would be a pretty damn good place to start."


***


Stygian's eye twitched, frustration creeping past his sister's aetheric haze. Laying completely limp against his left side was Lemon, the girl dead to the world and snoring like a lawnmower. The smile his sister aimed at him from her rearview mirror was met by a glare of barely contained venom. A disgusted grimace slid onto his face the second he felt warm drool build-up on his shoulder.
"Meadow, I swear that when this is over, I am going to right a book," he seethed. "A long book. For the horror section."
"Love you too, sugar," she winked.
"Scathex," he bitterly whispered.
"Not gonna happen," the demon flatly stated, his voice echoing from the back of the boy's mind. "I may be a bit stupid, but I'm not that stupid."
Stygian sighed, not too surprised, but figured that it was at least worth a shot.
"What are you planning?" he frowned.
"Hm? What do you mean?" she asked, taking a turn further into the hazy forest.
"Don't give me that," he growled. "I can understand why you want to bring Lemon here, but why did you drag me into this? I can already call upon my gift and do not require any special training to utilize it. So, I will ask again; what are you planning?"
For one long moment, the woman didn't answer. Stygian met her silence with a frown and raised brow. Be it pride or an attempt to find the words needed to hide intent, both of them refused to break the silence for a long while. Eventually, Meadowbrook flashed him an impish smirk through the rearview mirror when she gave her answer.
"If I really was planning something, do you really think I'd tell you what it is?"
He glared suspiciously at her reflected gaze, then slumped into his seat with a defeated sigh.
Meadowbrook just giggled at that, then shifted her full attention back towards the road.
Stygian tried to let his sister's aura ease him, but Lemon's snoring and sleep-talk kept him from doing even that much. Keeping his frustration on a very tight leash, he gently moved the girl off of his side and propped her up against the door on her side. A puff of dark Aether eliminated the drool on his shoulder as he went back to staring out of the window. 
As he watched the trees pass by in the mist, his thoughts drifted towards the coming hunt. While he was confident in his and his friends' abilities, the new additions to his party were a different story. Indigo was struggling with Mithril and had no combat experience outside of a kickboxing ring. Lemon's gift was powerful, but wasn't properly manifested and the girl lacked any proper training. Twilight was a complete liability, lacking any real combat experience or proper training in any form that would be useful in a hunt. If she wasn't Belfry's target or tied to Petal, he wouldn't have seen any point to get her involved in the first place. As for Petal herself, he couldn't deny that having a Wraith on their side would give them a bit of a tactical advantage, but he could not ignore the risk getting too close to her posed. Odd Miasmic aura or not, she was still a Wraith and that meant that she was still a potential enemy. Dagon bonding with Sugar made him a little more willing to see her as an asset in the coming battle, in spite of her complete lack of tactical ability.
When his mind drifted towards the spirit, a brief argument crept forth from the back of his mind. An irate frown graced his lips as he ran through the event in question.


***


"What do you mean?" Stygian demanded, fury barely contained behind his sharp glare.
Dagon sighed, the guest room lent to the boy by the manor's mistress empty beyond the bare necessities. Said spirit sat on the bed, staring up at the boy with a stern frown.
"Exactly what I said," Dagon snorted. "All of the pieces that need to be on the board are already there. Involving any other parties will destroy everything."
"Lightning told me her group have already killed a Wraith," he seethed. "They are more than capable of helping us end this."
"Would any of them be willing to work with a Wraith?" the spirit demanded, genuine anger creeping into his tone.
Stygian opened his mouth to respond, but froze at the last second.
A small glint of victory flashed through the spirit's eyes, a fact that only added to the anger searing through Stygian's heart.
"I am sure that I can work things out with them," he growled.
"No," Dagon growled, a faint clear aura flickering across his form. "I have run through the numbers and seen all of the possible timelines. If we get them involved, not only will they be unwilling to work with us, they will kill Petal. For everything to work out in our favor that, cannot, happen."
"I fail to see how Petal's death would change things in the long run," Stygian growled. "She may be an unusual case, but she is still a Wraith. If anything, losing her would benefit us in the long run."
"Do not push me Stygian," Dagon warned, the flickering aura surrounding him becoming more pronounced. "I have been waiting over a thousand years for this chance. I will not let you, or anyone else, ruin this opportunity."
"And I am not going to let my friends run headfirst into a meat grinder because you want to protect a Wraith!" Stygian howled.
As he said that, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Before he could do anything with it, a force froze him in place. The very air trembled as that same force filled the room, the walls distorting in a way similar to melting wax. The furniture crumbled away, turning to dust before fading away into steam as their very molecules fell away from each other At the heart of the room, taking the small spirit's place was now a titanic being of pure power.
In shape, he still retained his draconic form, but instead of scale and blood, Dagon how had a body made or constantly shifting blue and purple light. His wings were spread wide, the membranes covered with constantly shifting equations too complex for even the most brilliant of minds to follow. The massive dragon's eyes where a pair of silver glowing lights, their gaze piercing in a way too exact or calculating for any mere mortal to hope to copy. Everything warped around the draconic being, the air itself seemingly ripping itself apart on contact with his body.
Without moving his lips, Dagon spoke with a voice that hit Stygian with the force of a meteor and shook every atom in his body.
"YOU DARE TO DOUBT MY SIGHT?! SUCH ARROGANCE!!! I HAVE SEEN THE PATH YOU WISH TO CRAFT!!! I HAVE SEEN THE DISASTERS YOUR ACTIONS WILL BRING FORTH!!! I HAVE SPENT CENTURIES PLANNING FOR THIS AND I WILL NOT LET SOME STUBBORN WELP LET IT ALL GO TO WASTE OUT OF FEAR!!!"
Staring up at the towering cosmic goliath, fear and anger spiraled within him just as much as the pure matter swirling around them both. Under the spirit's gaze, he knew that Dagon knew how much he hated this, he knew how much the teen hated him, he knew how much he cared about Sunny and Sour. Most importantly, he knew how terrified the boy was of losing them.
With a defeated sigh, the boy slumped in the spirit's telekinetic grip and nodded. 
In a literal blink, the room returned to its original form, the frowning spirit now back in his smaller organic form.
Stygian stumbled a bit when Dagon dropped his hold on him, head held low as he pocketed his phone. The faint flapping of wings pulled the boy's gaze away from the ground, the source of his frustrations hovering in front of him. His ire dimmed when he saw the regret and exhaustion on the spirit's face.
"I understand where you are coming from, Stygian," he sighed, a small smile creeping onto his muzzle as he added, "You may not see it, but you have a very kind and noble heart. You are willing to do whatever it takes to protect the people you care about, a sentiment that I can relate to in more ways than you will ever know. It is from there that I can offer you one piece of advice."
"And that is?" he frowned.
"The world is not quite as black and white as you believe," the spirit intoned, his smile regaining its familiar knowing glint. "And it is much larger as well. You would be surprised how large your world will become when you let them in."
Stygian stared at the spirit in confusion earning a small chuckle out of him.
"Now," he merrily continued. "I believe there is an apple pie in the kitchen calling my name."
Stygian watched the small dragon lazily drift towards the door, licking his chops and rubbing his hands together as he telekinetically opened the door. Long after the spirit closed the door behind himself, Stygian continued to stare at the door, his mind struggling to make sense of the riddle he left behind.


***


Stygian let out a frustrated sigh, his faint reflection glaring back at him in the window. Before his brooding could get any darker, a loud yawn from Lemon pulled him back. Looking at the girl in question, he watched her stretch as much as the car would allow from his peripherals. The girl groggily took in her surroundings, her red eyes blinking in mild confusion while her mind booted up.
Wait, red eyes?
Tuning to face her fully, his confusion spiked when his eyes met hers.
It was only for a second, but he was sure that her eyes were not only their usual shade of yellow, but looked almost cat-like in nature. Lemon gave him a worried frown, leaning back from the sharp intensity of his gaze.
"Uh, are you okay dude?" she asked. 
"Yes," he slowly replied, eyes still searching for any other anomalies in the girl's features. "Though, I feel I should be the one to ask you that same question."
"Wha- huh?" she blinked.
"Do you feel....different?" he pressed, his intensity shifting to something a bit more like worry.
"Not...really?" she uneasily stated. "Like, I feel really, really, really well-rested and stuff, but that's about it."
"I see," he nodded, his usual disinterest settling into his features.
Seeing little reason to continue the conversation, he settled more comfortably into his seat and went back to staring out his window. Lemon gave him a confused frown for a few seconds, then shrugged before she did the same. Meadow gave the exchange a few passing glances from the rearview mirror, a small hopeful smile gracing her lips before she gave the road her full attention.
"Glad you liked your nap, sugar," Meadow giggled. "Should make things a little easier for you now."
"Wha?" she blinked.
Instead of elaborating, Meadow slowly parked the car. Flashing her a knowing smile, the older woman undid her seatbelt the second she cut the gas. Curious, Lemon watched her as the trio got out of the car.  A sudden and brief dizzy spell hit her the second she left the car, the odd mist hitting her full force. After shaking off its effects, Lemon watched as Meadow and Stygian walked further into the forest.
"So, what is this place?" Lemon awkwardly asked, quickly moving up to Meadow's left side. "Why is it all..."
"Trippy?" Meadow offered.
She nodded, still nervously looking around.
Meadow's stared forward with a distant gleam, a matching smile gracing her lips as she walked.
"Fifty years ago, I was playing in this forest with our mother and father. Back then, this forest didn't have a name or any interesting quirks that made it any different from any other forest. That is, until the day a wolf tried to make a meal out of me."
"Wait, what?!" Lemon gaped looking around frantically. "There are wolves here?!"
"Yes, but they don't come this far into the woods," Meadow giggled. "I made sure of that."
"Cool," she sighed.
"As I was saying," Meadow continued. "A wolf cornered me deep in the woods, too far in for my family to reach me in time. Before the wolf could eat me, my gift awakened."
A second after she said that, she moved through a thick wall of trees and tall shrubs. Following her, Lemon hissed and covered her face when the early morning sun hit her head on. Stumbling forward, she slowly opened her eyes to get them used to the sudden change. At the same time, the gentle smell of grass and wild flowers softly washed over her. What she saw when her eyes adjusted made them widen and her jaw drop.
Laying before her was a massive clearing, easily twice the size of the largest football stadiums. Flowers of every size, type, and color filled it. The taller flowers stood at the outer perimeter as natural walls while the smaller types made up the bulk of the field's interior. A six-foot wide grass trail stood before them that cut through the field to a large hundred foot wide disk of grass at the clearing's center.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Meadow giggled, gently closing Lemon's mouth.
Lemon nodded, still too stunned to speak.
Staring into the heart of the field, Meadow continued her story.
"When my gift awakened, my Aether merged with the ground and changed the very nature of the forest itself. Now, this area holds the same power that I wield and will continue to do so long after I leave this world. Such is the case for those who manifest projection gifts."
"Huh?" Lemon blinked, finally managing to tare her gaze away from the field.
Chuckling to herself, Meadow casually started walking down the grassy path, both of her charges not far behind.
"While the natures may differ," she continued. "Gifts always fall into three main types. These are called projection, artifact, and guardian."
She gave Lemon a probing glance, satisfied when the girl gave her an nod in understanding before continuing.
"Projection types, like the one I have, are gifts that allow us to affect a specific part of the world with our Aether. This can be something as simple as controlling a force of nature like an element or gravity or it can manifest as a physical enhancement such as increased speed or strength. Regardless of its nature, a projection gift will leave a lasting impression on the Gifted's environment when it awakens."
Lemon took that in with a nod, then panic when she remembered how her own awakening went.
"Wait, does that mean my club room is some kind of boom box now or something?!" She cried, staring up at the woman in worry.
Meadow giggled and shook her head.
"I don't think that's going to be a problem, sugar. Not with your gift."
"That's good," she sighed, then gave her a confused frown. "Wait, wha?"
Meadow's smile gained a playful knowing edge as she continued her lecture.
"Artifact gifts are pretty self-explanatory. Gifted with these types of gifts are able to use their Aether to create and power one or more items with a wide variety of abilities. These gifts are special in that, if their creator were to die, the artifact will continue to exist and used so long as the person in question has enough Aether to do so. Of course, if such an artifact were to be damaged or destroyed, it would be very difficult for it to reassemble itself. It isn't impossible, but it is very time consuming and requires a lot of Aether."
"So, that's how Sunny and Sour can use their artifacts, even though they're not Gifted?" Lemon asked.
Meadow nodded and continued.
"Guardians are also self-explanatory, but are also rather complicated."
"Understatement of the millennium," Stygian huffed, earning a small cackle from his shadow.
Sparing her brother a sympathetic glance, Meadow continued.
"Gifted with this type of gift manifest their Aether as living being. Some are able to call upon multiple guardians, but most don't have more than two. Much like people, guardians come in a variety of forms, personalities, and abilities that are completely unique from each other. Some guardians may have similar abilities, but there will always be one or more aspects that make them drastically different from each other."
"So, its like a summon from a video game?" Lemon offered.
"More like a tick stuck in a place you cannot reach," Stygian huffed.
"So you do love me!" Stygian's shadow cried, a smirk audible in its tone.
The teen glared at it, but refused to fall for the demon's goading.
Meadow shook her head at the exchange with a rueful smile.
"As you can see, guardians are complete beings with personalities, thoughts, and desires independent of their human partners."
"We are also fiercely loyal to our humans," Scathex added, his tone serious for the first time to Lemon. "Gloomy here and I may grind each other's gears every now and then, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep him breathing."
"Only because if I die, you will as well," Stygian frowned, glaring at his shadow.
"That's true," he allowed. "But even if it wasn't, I doubt I could find anyone more fun to mess with than you."
An irate sigh was the only response Stygian was willing to give, earning a light chuckle out of the girls.
"So," Lemon mused, "If I'm not a projection type and I don't have a magical buddy, does that mean I'm an artifact type?"
"Exactly," Meadow nodded.
At that exact moment, the trio made it to the center of the field.
In the blink of an eye, Meadow had made it to one end of the grassy ring, a now familiar pink mist gently swirling in an upward facing palm. Lemon gave Stygian a questioning look only to see the boy give his sister an exasperated sigh before taking a seat on another side of the ring. 
"I can sense that you're already pretty close to manifesting your artifact," Meadow smirked, pulling Lemon's attention back to her. "I can also tell you're not the meditating type. So, I want you to come at me with everything you have."
"B-But-" Lemon sputtered, her mind instantly jumping to what happened to Petal.
"Don't worry, sugar," Meadow cut in, still smiling. "I'm a lot tougher than I look. Just let it loose."
"It's true," Stygian smirked. "Big sis once took on four Archwraiths all on her own. The most she got from that was a few scratches."
That settled Lemon's nerves a bit, but she still wasn't sure if this was a good idea. Turning to face Meadow, she nervously started to call upon her Aether. As her yellow aura started to flicker into existence, she once again asked if they really needed to do this. Meadow gave her an encouraging nod, forcing a nervous gulp out of the teen rocker.
"Alright," she whispered, taking a shaky breath. "I guess we're gonna do this."
> Ch.30 Session Zero
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

If Petal were to take a moment and sit down to sum up her life into a single word, it would be "impossible". How else would a Wraith describe her crazy circumstances? Instead of hunting poor unfortunate souls, she was sitting at a table surrounded by humans and Gifted in an elder Gifted's mansion getting ready to play D&D. The fact that a small blue and purple dragon was the Dungeon Master was simply the cherry on top of this maddening sunday. 
"Are you okay?" Twilight asked, seated at Petal's left.
"Yeah," she sighed, offering her friend a tired smile. "It just kind've hit me just how crazy my life is, y'know?"
"What do you mean?" Indigo asked, seated across from the Wraith.
Petal and Dagon both let out soft chuckles at that, earning some confused looks from the teen.
"What? What'd I say?"
Petal rolled her eyes, letting out a tired sigh as yesterday's events ran through her head.


***


Petal gulped, stiff as a board while she waited to see how her friend reacted. The confused looks were expected, but crossed arms and raised brow were a bit of a surprise. What ended up leaving Petal completely dumbfounded was what eventually left Indigo's mouth.
"So, you're a Gifted that can change color?"
Everyone present stood in stunned silence for a moment, all of the tension blasted out of the scene with the grace and subtlety of a kick to the groin. Sunny was the first to recover, her face meeting her palm as she let out a sound like a cross between a groan and a laugh. Twilight just stared blankly at her sporty friend like she had suddenly grown a second head. When Petal recovered, she could only sputter dumbly for a few seconds before she managed to get her tongue to catch up with her brain.
"What the fu-? Oh for fuck's sake; I'm a Wraith!"
Indigo blinked dumbly at her for a second, then said, "You are?"
"Yes!" she cried, arms up in exasperation.
Indigo looked her up and down with a critical eye a few times, then with a tone flatter than a sheet of paper asked, "This is what a Wraith looks like?"
"Um....well.....yeah?" Petal nodded, her ire dimmed by the girl's almost dead reaction.
Indigo studied her form for a few more seconds, then smiled and threw an arm across her shoulders and said, "Good, cuz I thought you guys would look like something from D&D."
Everyone sported wide eyes and slack jaws as Indigo practically dragged the shell-shocked Wraith into a half hug. 
"Y-You're not freaked out?" Petal managed to force out.
"It's...a little weird," she admitted, a hint of fear gracing Petal's tongue. "But after everything else I've had to put up with lately, this isn't all that crazy."
"Right," Petal sighed, a small smile forming on her lips. "Sparkles and I will fill you in later."
"Sounds good," she nodded, then sported a crooked smirk as she asked, "Now, what's this plan you were going on about?"


***


Petal sighed, then picked up a glass of water off of the table and leveled a tired frown at Dagon.
"Could you turn this into booze or something?" she asked.
"I could," he nodded, looking over a few floating sheets of paper with an impish smile. "But I won't be held responsible for giving alcohol to minors."
Petal stared blankly at him for a second, then growled, "I'm not even human!"
Sitting three chairs away from the equally perplexed sporty girl, Sunny looked up from her phone with a raised brow.
"Would alcohol even do anything to you?" she asked.
Petal opened her mouth to snap at her, but froze at the last second. Slowly, her irritation shifted to contemplation as she let the girl's question sit for a minute. 
"I....I don't know," she relented, crossing her arms in thought. "I mean, cookies and coffee can give me a rush, so....maybe?"
"I say we test it," Sunny said, a slightly evil smirk forming. "Best to know under secure circumstances than by accident, after all."
"I don't know," Indigo frowned. "What if she's an angry drunk?"
"Or a flirty one," Dagon offered, a knowing side-eye aimed straight at a lightly blushing and suddenly very sheepish Twilight.
"Hell," Petal smirked,. "For all we know, I could end up turning girly again."
Twilight, Indigo, and even Dagon shuddered at that, leaving Sunny to stare at the group in confusion.
"Am I...missing something?" she asked.
"Long story," Petal laughed.
"Please, don't ask," Twilight groaned, face hidden behind her hands.
Sunny raised a brow at that, then looked to Indigo and Dagon for answers.
"Seriously," Indigo frowned. "Don't ask."
"If I could, I would delete the knowledge of that incident," Dagon frowned. 
"How do you-" Petal asked, only to be cut off.
"I'm the Spirit of Knowledge and Prophecy," he huffed, setting a few sheets of paper down behind his DM screen. "Looking into the past is just one of many tricks I can preform."
"Oh," she nodded. "I guess that makes sense."
"And some things are best left unknown," he grumbled, staring bitterly at a couple of floating goblin figurines.
"I second that assessment," Twilight frowned, aiming a baleful glare at her closest friend.
"Oh come on, Sparkles, it wasn't that bad," Petal chuckled.
"I still have nightmares," she huffed.
"Could be worse," the Wraith shrugged. "It could've been the one were you go to class na-"
"One more word and I'm going to tell Lily to sing Barbie Doll for a week!" she growled, face bright red as she held a hand over Petal's mouth.
Face pale and eyes wide with terror, the Wraith nodded in understanding. Twilight held her glare for a few more seconds, before she pulled her hand away and settled back into her seat. Sunny watched the exchange with a soft smile, shaking her head as she went back to looking at her phone. Indigo did the same, only instead of her phone, her character sheet held her focus. 
A similar sheet laid next to Sunny, along with the dice and other such gear one would need to play the game. All of it was arranged neatly in a perfect square, each item within quick reach for easy access. In contrast, everyone else's equipment was gathered in clusters of what could be politely called "organized chaos". The only person that seemed to hold themself even remotely close to Sunny's sense of order was Twilight, though that was not of any real surprise to the prim teen. 
Looking for a way to keep her disgust off of her face, she calmly asked Petal a question that nagged at her the second she entered the room.
"Why are you in your human form?"
"Huh?' Petal  blinked.
"Is there a point?' she pressed, raising a brow. "Everyone here knows that you are a Wraith and Lady Somnambula seems to be willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I fail to see why you need to remain hidden in our presence."
Petal let out an annoyed sigh, leaning back in her seat and staring at the ceiling.
"It's not just for disguises. When I'm like this, Aether doesn't hurt me all that much. It's a little annoying out back, but in here? It's like walking around in a pool of boiling water with heavy weights fused to my skin. Hell, just breathing here is agony in my natural form. I can push it back a bit with my Miasma, but I only have enough to do it for a couple minutes at most."
"It's true," Dagon nodded, floating a gummy worm to his mouth from behind his screen. "The only reason she was able to talk with Lady Somnambula in her natural form was because I was able to push her Aether out of the room."
"You can do that?" Sunny asked, shock plain on her features.
"For a time," he allowed, finishing off his piece of candy and floating another one to take its place. "While I am powerful, even I have limits."
"More like it would be too much effort," Sunny snorted.
"I never claimed to be the Spirit of Ambition, did I?" he smirked, taking a bite out of his snack. 
Sunny just rolled her eyes at that before going back to looking at her phone.
A few seconds after that, the door opened and Sugar and Sour walked in. What was made immediately apparent to everyone at the table was that the pair had a story to tell. Both of them looked like they hadn't had a wink of sleep, but while Sugar looked as if she was about to nod off where she stood, Sour was absolutely glowing. The next thing they noticed was that they were wearing backpacks and Sour was holding a few D&D guide books. Sugar's bloodshot eyes scanned the room, making everyone sans Dagon flinch the second they locked with theirs. Sour hummed merrily to herself as she skipped to take a seat next to Sunny. Meanwhile, Sugar staggered over to the seat next to Indigo with the grace of a freshly raised zombie.
Indigo gave the two girls a raised brow.
"Long night?" she asked, lightly elbowing her friend's side.
"You can say that," Sugar groaned, posture drooping.
"What the hell happened to you?" Petal asked, worry heavy in her features.
"I don't want to talk about it," Sugar mumbled, sluggishly pulling her gear out of her bag.
"Oh come on Sugar, it wasn't that bad," Sour beamed, pulling the girl into a quick half-hug.
Everyone, sans Dagon and the two girls in question, watched the brief exchange with slack jaws and wide eyes. If either of the two girls noticed, neither of them chose to react. Instead, they went to work pulling their D&D gear out of their bags, one with much more enthusiasm than the other. When they managed to get their equipment set up, Twilight was the first to reboot her mind.
"Okay, what.....exactly did you two do last night?" she cautiously asked.
Sour just giggled merrily in her seat, a small blush coloring her cheeks. Sugar somehow managed to let out an even more tired sigh before she droned out a response.
"I got Sour her supplies at the mall, took her to my place, then helped her make a character."
"Then gave me the greatest night of my life!" Sour squweed, arms tucked into her chest as she jittered excitedly in her seat.
"You....did?" Sunny asked, looking past her friend at the blunt girl.
"If she says so," she yawned. "My fingers are still a little sore."
"Oh..." Sunny blinked, a small blush gracing her cheeks. "Well....does your boyfriend know?"
"Know what?" Sugar frowned, a sharp shade of venom filling her glare.
"Maybe we can have him join us next time," Sour smiled, nudging Sugar lightly with her shoulder. "It might be easier with four people."
"Four?!" Petal and Twilight gaped.
"Uh...who else was with you guys last night?" Indigo nervously asked.
"My father," Sugar casually stated, looking over the character sheet in front of her.
Everyone froze, the only exception being a lightly trembling spirit of knowledge.
A second later, Sour ecstatically cried, "And he was just as AMAZING AS I THOUGHT HE WOULD BE!!!"
A moment of awkward silence held the room, then Petal broke it by voicing everyone's thoughts in the most concise and direct way anyone there could have possibly managed.
".......What....the....FUCK...did you two do last night?!"
"Play video games with my dad," Sugar flatly stated, pulling a pencil out of her bag and writing something onto her sheet.
Another moment of silence passed, only for it to be broken this time by a howling fit of laughter from the DM.
"Th-Th-The looks on your faces!" Dagon howled, hugging himself as he rolled right off of the table. "Ack! Oh the dirty minds of the young!"
While the spirit laughed and pounded a fist onto the ground, Sour and Sugar looked at the assembled group of mortified girls with confused frowns.
"What is he going on about?" Sugar asked.
"Yeah, did I miss something?" Sour added.
"Um...well....It kind've sounded like..." Indigo nervously chuckled, eyes darting to everything except her two friends.
"What I believe Indigo is trying to say," Sunny cut in, looking to the side as a small blush colored her cheeks. "It sounded like....Um....how should I say this?"
Petal let out an irate growl then barked, "You two sounded like you spent the whole night banging each other!"
The reactions to that announcement were immediate.
Twilight let out a mortified squeak, hiding her heavily blushing face behind her hands as she sunk under the table. Sunny was equally flustered, sucking in her lips while looking at anything but the people at the table. Indigo was suddenly extremely interested in her character sheet, hiding her face behind it with trembling hands and a few small snickers. Dagon's laughter had reached a point that he could only make chocking gasps and if any of them were to look down, they would see that his head was even more purple than it was supposed to be.
Sugar gave everyone present a deadpan so absolute, they were sure a ghost would've been summoned.
"I already have a boyfriend," she flatly stated. "And I don't swing that way."
Petal shrugged at that, but raised a brow when her eyes fell on Sour.
"Are...you okay Sour?" she asked.
Said girl sat staring down at the table, her face shifting back and forth between a sheepish blush and a searing glare. Everyone else noticed, the girl's odd behavior being enough to pull Dagon out of his laughing fit. When Sour noticed, the alternating expressions grew in intensity.
"I-It's fine," she gulped, then bitterly growled, "Like hell I am!"
"O-Okay, calm down," Indigo nervously chuckled, hands up in a placating manner.
"R-Right," Sour gulped, giving Sugar sheepish glances. 
Glances that turned venomous as she cried, "I don't swing that way anyway!"
Only for her to turn into a blushing mess again and shakily mumble, "But....I am."
Everyone gave Sunny questioning looks, before a frustrated growl pulled their attention back to Sour.
"Well I'm not! Knock it off Honey Sour!"
Her features softened, and she shakily whimpered, "I...I'm sorry Bitter Sour. B-B-But...."
Everyone except Dagon gave Sour worried looks, but a reassuring look from Sunny kept them from panicking. As if on cue, Sour's left arm wrapped itself around herself in a half hug. A look of shock flashed across her face, before a small scowl took its place.
"I get it," she grumbled. "I just.... I'm sorry."
Her features softened, a sad smile gracing her lips as she used her free arm to complete her self-hug.
"I know..."
A moment later, a dazed frown flashed across her face, her arms falling out of the hug as she clutched her head with a groan.
"I hate it when that happens," Sour mumbled, her voice now holding its familiar echo.
"What...just happened?" Indigo asked, looking past Sour and Sugar to give Sunny a raised brow.
"Romance is an....interesting topic for Sour," Sunny sighed.
"Understatement of the year," Sour huffed. "To sum it up, I'm bi, but both halves of my personality are divided on that. It's a huge pain in the neck."
"I think we all noticed," Petal cringed. "Queen knows I'd have a hell of a time finding someone if I had to deal with that."
"Wraiths date?" Sunny, Sour, and Indigo blinked.
"Kind've," she shrugged. "If two Wraiths like each other and there is enough food for them, they can share hunting grounds and Nests. It doesn't usually last that long, though."
"Interesting," Sugar nodded, a small thoughtful frown gracing her lips. "So Wraith's have romantic impulses."
"Not really," Petal chuckled. "It's more like roommates than anything. Aside from our kids, Wraiths don't really do the whole lovey-dovey thing."
"Yet you care for Twilight," Sunny pointed out, lips pulled up into a small victorious smirk. "Is that not a sign of love?"
"I....guess?" Petal allowed, gaze shifting down and face turning thoughtful.
Meanwhile, Twilight gave her friend a warm smile, the hints of gratitude she gave off licking at the Wraith's senses.
Before the topic could be explored further, the dinning room's doors flew open, announcing the presence of the last two members of their party.
"Sup everybody?" Lemon chuckled, sauntering into the room like she owned the place.
"Must you open doors like that?" Stygian sighed, shoulders slumped as he glared at the rocker. "If any of the walls get damaged, Sour may not be allowed to have friends over for a while."
Lemon flinched, giving the mentioned girl an apologetic smile, as she took a seat next to Petal.
"It's fine," Sour smiled, waving off the girl's worry. "Mom put enough repair and reenforcement runes into this place to block a nuke."
"Still," Lemon sighed. "I'll try not to make a habit out of it."
"That would be greatly appreciated," Stygian sighed, taking a seat next to Sunny.
Lemon snorted at that, rolling her eyes at the emo boy's light barb.
"Was Meadowbrook able to help you with your problem?" Dagon asked, munching on another gummy worm.
"I.....think so?" she responded, lips pulled down into a thoughtful frown. "Like, I won't know until I walk into the training rooms, but I think It'll be easier for me to get my Gift to work now."
"That's great!" Twilight cheered, looking around Petal to give her friend an encouraging smile.
"Good to hear," Petal smirked, nodding in approval . "Keep it up Boom Box."
"Totally on it!" Lemon chuckled, giving them a thumbs up.
Her bright smile got even brighter when she got a better look at what was on the table.
"Dudes! Are we playing a game? SWEET!!!"
"Yeah," Indigo nodded, then cringed when she added, "But....I don't think you brought your gear, right?"
All of Lemon's enthusiasm fell out of her like an anchor off the side of a boat.
"Damn," she grumbled, slumping into her seat.
"Not to fear," Dagon chuckled, waving a claw over his head. "I have you covered, my dear bard."
As he said that, some dust pooled and swirled out of the far corners of the roof and floor. He tightened his claw into a fist and the dust compressed itself into a fully functional set of dice and unpainted replica of Lemon's figurine. Twiddling his claw, colors slowly started to form onto the figurine. After examining the figure with a critical eye, he nodded in satisfaction, added numbers to the dice, and floated them over to the girl in question.
Lemon examined the items Dagon crafted for her, eyes just as wide as her mouth. With stars in her eyes, she gave the grinning spirit an equally brilliant smile.
"Dude! THAT WAS FREAKIN' EPIC!!!"
"You flatter me," he chuckled. "And here's a copy of your character sheet."
She continued to study her dice, almost oblivious to the sheets of paper set down before her by the spirit's colorless telekinetic will.
"I suppose my job is to supply food and drink?" Stygian asked, tone just as flat as his expression.
"What makes you say that?" Dagon asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"I do not have a character, nor any knowledge of how to play this game," he stated, his brow slightly raised. "I would assume that would exclude me from actively participating."
Dagon, Sunny, and Indigo traded sinister smiles, before aiming them at Stygian.
He blinked slowly at them for a few long seconds, mild irritation creeping onto his face.
"You have got to be kidding me," he grumbled.
The trio chuckled impishly in response, a small stack of  jet black paper, dice, and figure floating out from under the table beside the spirit in a clear colorless aura.
"I don't have a choice, do I?" he sighed.
A soft click from the dining room's door was the only answer he needed.
"Thought so," he bitterly spat, slumping in his seat.


***


"So, what kind of campaign is this?" Indigo asked, hands behind her head and leaning back in her seat.
"Nothing too different from Sugar's, honestly," Dagon shrugged. "It will be set in the same world she created, but will not be cannon to the story you have all crafted."
"Unless we all change that," Sugar cut in, pouring herself a glass of water from a pitcher.
"Then it will not be cannon," Stygian sulked, trying to glare a hole into his character sheet.
"Well aren't you just a ray of fucking sunshine," Petal huffed rolling her eyes.
His glare shifted away from his character sheet in favor of the mouthy Wraith. 
"I just hate waisting time, and that is exactly what this is," he frowned, jabbing a finger at his character sheet.
Petal wanted to respond with something colorful, but a hand on her shoulder and worried look from Twilight stopped her.
Taking a deep breath, she gave him a small frown and said, "Look, like it or not, we're all stuck here until the Professor over there decides to let us all out."
As she said that, she nodded her head towards Dagon.
"So, the way I see it, you've got two options. "You can either sit there and be a dick to everyone or try to make the most of it."
Stygian held his glare, mulling over Petal's words while he tried to sear holes though her head with his eyes. She could tell that he knew she was right. She could taste that he hated that she was right. Taking a reluctant breath, his features softened and he slumped in his seat.
"Let's get this over with," he sighed.
"Excellent!" Dagon cheered. "Now that we are all on the same page, let us begin our grand adventure."
As he said that, everyone present felt a faint tingle was over them. Petal had the most open reaction, flinching and looking around for the source of the sensation. The feeling was similar to light static, but slowly shifted to something akin to a form-fitting warm silk cocoon. 
The....fuck is.....going on?
"You all sit at tables in a tavern," Dagon continues, a dramatic flourish coloring his tone. "The sounds of clinking glasses and banter fill the room as you each enjoy some food and a few drinks."
A second after the words left his mouth, the very sounds he described started to fill the room. At the same time, everyone's vision started to fog. The warm silk feeling became much more soothing, easing the worry that had started to fill the group of teens. 
"The smell of tobacco, oak, and spiced cider hung heavy in the air, giving the dimly lit tavern a friendly rustic feel," Dagon continued.
On cue, the very smells he described reached them, the odd feeling from before much stronger.
"Sparrow Hawk's party sat in a far corner of the room, deciding on how to better spend the spoils of their last adventure. Little do they know, another party has been watching them from further in the bar. One that had a need for their reported strength for what was to come."
When he said that, the ambient sounds and smells he had conjured became more pronounced and a sudden dizzy spill washed over them all. Everything started to turn blurry, new colors slowly bleeding into their surroundings, while most of the colors present faded away. As the lighting started to dim, the haziness that filled their heads became too much for them to handle, their eyes slowly drooping shut  against their wills. Before the effects fully hit Petal and Twilight, they offered confused glances at the spirit responsible.
A reassuring smile from him was the last thing they saw before everything went black.