A Step Too Far
The television set was turned down low, mostly providing background noise for the five best friends gathered in Sour Sweet's living room. It was unfortunate that Twilight Sparkle was busy with one of her CHS friends tonight, but that was okay. There was plenty of popcorn, soda, and camaraderie to go around. Sunny Flare often found it hard to relax while the girl was around anyway. She loved Twilight like a sister, but sometimes not having her around was a nice treat since it meant she didn't have to look after her.
Of course, she often had her hands full with Sour Sweet anyway.
"Man, fuck this game!" Sour Sweet slammed her cards into the ground and sat back with her arms folded across her chest. "You're cheating! Admit it!"
"I don't lie. So I won't admit anything." Sugarcoat's expression was one of satisfaction as she reached out to pull the small stack of plastic chips closer to her.
"Still, Sugarcoat, you have the best Poker face on the planet." Indigo Zap noted much more casually. "You could make bank if you took that face to the pros."
"Yeah, seriously." Lemon Zest nodded. "For a little while there I thought you actually died because your face was so... empty."
Sugarcoat smirked. "If I died I sure wouldn't spend my afterlife sitting here playing Poker."
"What would you do?" Lemon Zest asked playfully. "If you were a ghost, I mean."
"Hmmm..." Sugarcoat tapped her chin thoughtfully with one finger. "I can't say I've ever thought about it. I might haunt an orphanage."
"What?" Lemon Zest blinked. "Why an orphanage?"
"It'll make life interesting for the kids." Sugarcoat nodded. "The boredom and tedium of everyday life will be punctuated by the moans and frightening wails that echo out across the night. It'll make things more exciting for them."
"That's... noble of you?" Indigo Zap chuckled. "Maybe."
"What're you laughing at?" Sour Sweet's fist slammed into the bowl of popcorn between her and Indigo, sending kernels flying halfway across the room. "It's not fucking funny!"
"Hey, Sour Sweet!" Sunny placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Try to calm down, okay? It's just a card game. We're not even playing for actual money."
"Don't tell me what to fucking do!" The sound of Sour Sweet's palm smacking into Sunny's cheek was the only thing to be heard in the suddenly dead silent room. The other three girls looked on in shock as Sunny Flare slowly rubbed her cheek, turning back to her friend. Sour Sweet put her a hand on her head, looking down at her knees. "Ugh... I'm sorry, I just... I have a headache, okay?"
Sunny's hand snaked out to take Sour Sweet's from the carpet, holding it gently. "Have you taken your medicine tonight?"
"Of course I have! I take it every night!"
"I know you do." Sunny Flare stood up, her hand gently tugging Sour Sweet to her feet. "Come with me to the kitchen, okay?" Sour Sweet grumbled, but didn't argue as Sunny's gently tugged her toward the kitchen. She still had her hand on her forehead, with her eyes cast to the floor.
In the kitchen Sour Sweet leaned against the counter in front of the sink, rubbing her forehead while Sunny Flare made her way straight to the medicine cabinet. "It's just a headache, seriously." Sour Sweet grunted. "Gimme some Tylenol or something and I'll be fine."
"Alright, I'll get it." Sunny reached into the medicine cabinet, pulling out a small prescription bottle. This was definitely Sour Sweet's normal medicine, or at least it looked like it. She twisted the top off and dropped a few small white pills into her open palm. They looked just like she had seen every other time she watched Sour Sweet take them. Maybe the dosage wasn't high enough anymore. She should probably mention this to her mother...
Wait a second, Sunny Flare paused and held the pill up to the light. Sour Sweet's medicine had a semi-transparent outer coating... she could always see just a little bit of light through the edges. This pill was solid white. This wasn't her medicine.
"What are you doing? I said get me some fucking Tylenol!" Sour Sweet growled from the sink. "I don't need those pills right now!"
"R-right..." Sunny Flare dug through the medicine cabinet quickly, popping open bottle after bottle. There had to be some kind of mixup. Her actual medicine was in here somewhere, it had to be. It couldn't just disappear on its own. While she was looking, however, she noticed a shadow appear on the counter beside her, of a figure with a tense stance.
Sunny slowly looked back to see an absolutely furious Sour Sweet standing behind her, her knuckles white from clenching her fists so hard. "What the fuck are you doing?"
Sunny Flare turned toward her friend, her body moving as slowly as she could. "Sour Sweet, listen to me... I need you to calm down and focus on what I'm saying. There's been a mixup of some kind... your medicine is missing."
"Bullshit, I took it tonight! I told you I did!"
"I know you thought you did, but this isn't-"
"Grah!" Sour Sweet smacked Sunny's chest with both hands, slamming her roughly back against the countertop. "I said I took the fucking medicine because I took the fucking medicine!" She grabbed the front of Sunny's shirt, but Sunny grabbed her arm and twisted sharply, forcing Sour Sweet off to the side and slamming her front against the counter, pinning her there with one arm twisted behind her back. "Aaaaaugh! Ow! Let go of me!"
"Sour, I need you to calm down. Right now." Sunny could feel Sour Sweet trembling in her grip even as she struggled to free herself. "You have a headache because you didn't take your medicine. Just give me a few minutes to find your real medicine and you'll be fine, I promise."
"I told you I took it! Just like I'm supposed to!" Sour Sweet's free arm snapped across the counter to the drying rack beside the sink, plucking a shining silver knife from the wire.
She spun it in her hand and stabbed backwards, forcing Sunny to release her and back away from her. Sour whirled with a speed and strength born of madness, the silver arching through the air like a bladed bullet. Sunny lurched backwards again, bringing her arms up in defense with her palms pointed inwards. Blood spilled against the countertop as the knife bit through the backs of both arms, but Sunny's adrenaline was pumping too hard for the pain to come through. The heel of one foot slammed into Sour's stomach, doubling her over and knocking her into the far counter.
Maybe she could take her, but Sunny Flare wasn't going to risk anybody getting seriously hurt. So she took the second option, and sprinted for the kitchen exit, bursting into the living room to the stunned gazes of her other friends.
Sunny could barely get out her warning with her deep, frantic breaths. "Run." She raced past the others towards the front door, grabbing the knob and yanking the door open. She didn't look back when she heard the startled yelps from behind her, taking off instead into the growing darkness outside. Only when she was at the sidewalk did she look back to make sure Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, and Sugarcoat were following after her. She also saw Sour Sweet stop at the door, but she didn't leave the house, just glaring after them with a dark sneer. She closed the door again a few moments later.
"What in Tartarus was that?" Indigo Zap was panting heavily when she reached the sidewalk, her eyes wild with her own adrenaline. "Why does Sour Sweet have a knife!?"
"Her medicine..." Sunny panted. "Someone switched her medicine with another pill. I don't know how long it's been but she didn't get her medicine tonight."
"Switched her medicine? Who would do that?" Indigo Zap asked angrily. "That's the most messed up thing I've ever heard."
"Let's think about it for a second," Sugarcoat responded with a reasonable tone. "Who knows that she's medicated in the first place?" She held up a finger for each part of her list. "Her friends and family, her doctor, and her school principal."
"You think Cinch did this?" Sunny was finally beginning to calm down somewhat. "Do you really think she would?"
"Do you really think she wouldn't?" Sugarcoat countered.
"I couldn't imagine her sneaking into a house, though. She's kind of old for that, and would she risk getting caught?" Indigo Zap wondered.
"It's good for her, then, that she has a spry eighteen year old girl at her beck and call." Sugarcoat smirked. "No points for guessing who."
"Holy crap, Sunny, your arms!" Lemon Zest grabbed one of Sunny's hands, holding it up to the last of the remaining sunlight. Only now did Sunny notice that the blood had been dripping from her fingers. "We've gotta get these cleaned up."
"We can go to my place while we figure out what to do." Indigo Zap jerked her thumb down the sidewalk. "It's the closest to here."
"Thank you..." Sunny gritted her teeth. The pain was starting to set in now that the immediate crisis had passed.
Lemon Zest cradled her arms carefully with the wounds upward, not letting them touch anything as the group made their way a few houses down the street to Indigo's place. The sun had disappeared entirely by the time they were in the kitchen. Sunny was seated at the dining room table while Lemon carefully cleaned and wrapped up the wounds with intense focus, and no small level of expertise.
"Did anyone ever tell you you're a fantastic nurse, Lemon?" Sunny asked.
Lemon looked up with a giggle. "Only for my friends." She turned back to the left arm as she carefully wrapped a white bandage, then turned her attention to the right arm.
"So what do we do now?" Indigo halted from her nervous pace around the table. "If we go back over there someone could be seriously hurt." She snapped her fingers and reached for her cell phone suddenly. "Okay, I'm calling the cops."
"Don't you dare!" Sunny objected quickly.
"Excuse me? She already attacked you with a knife, this is kind of what the cops are for!"
"This isn't her fault!" Sunny insisted. "She has done everything right. I won't risk getting her in trouble or getting her hurt."
"But if she attacks us..."
"And if she attacks armed cops, what do you think might happen?" Sunny narrowed her eyes. Indigo's face paled as she glanced down at her phone, then slowly slipped it into her pocket. "Thank you."
"There's four of us and one of her anyway," Sugarcoat chimed in. "If we coordinate there's pretty much no way she can actually beat us. We just need to make sure she doesn't get any good shots in before we do. We can go in, subdue the threat, and find her medicine."
"That sounds more like it." Sunny flexed her fingers as Lemon Zest secured the last of her bandages around her arm. "Thank you, Lemon Zest. It feels a lot better."
"You're welcome." Lemon smiled brightly. "Just change the bandages every once in a while."
"I'll keep that in mind." Sunny rose from her seat. "Now let's get back over there and help our friend. The longer we wait the higher the odds of this night going even worse."
The trip back to Sour Sweet's house was slow and tense, Sunny couldn't help idly rubbing the bandages on her arms as she walked, though the girls flanking her on each side made her feel much better. With them behind her, they could do this without anybody else getting hurt. They could save Sour Sweet, and get her the care she needs. If Sunny was the only person who got hurt tonight, she would be the happiest she could possibly be.
Her heart sank when they approached Sour Sweet's house and saw both the front door and the garage door open and empty. "Wasn't her mom's car in there?" Indigo Zap asked.
"I think things just got more complicated," Sugarcoat noted.
"Damnit, where did she go?" Sunny Flare pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "You three go inside and look for Sour Sweet's medicine. It has to be in there somewhere. And be careful, it's possible she's still hiding in there somehow."
"We're on it!" Indigo Zap saluted swiftly before she, Lemon Zest, and Sugarcoat rushed into the front door. Sunny approached the garage and quickly tapped Sour Sweet's name on her phone, her heart racing as she listened to the ringtone. It almost stopped when she ringtone ended and she heard the almost suspiciously sweet voice on the other end of the line.
"Hey, Sunny!" Sour Sweet exclaimed. "What's up?"
"I would like to ask you the same question," Sunny tried to keep her voice calm, but she couldn't help a small waver. "Where are you going?"
Sour Sweet spoke so casually that it sent a chill down her spine. "I'm gonna do what none of us have had the guts to do, and deal with Sunset Shimmer."
"You don't have to do that by yourself." Sunny Flare took a deep breath. "Why don't you come back home and pick us up? We can help you."
"Oh please, I know you Sunny, you're only gonna try to stop me! And nobody is going to fucking stop me! I'm going to put an end to this shit tonight, and the world will thank me later!" The ringtone that followed sent a cold chill down Sunny's spine. This wasn't really Sour Sweet, this wasn't who she was... but this was what they had to deal with now. They had to catch up to her and stop her.
Thankfully the other three girls rushed into the garage almost immediately. "We found it!" Lemon Zest squealed.
Sunny blinked in surprise. "You did? That was pretty fast."
"It wasn't hard." Sugarcoat held up a plain white bottle with no label, which had 'Sugar Pills' written sloppily on the side in marker. "One of these things was not like the others."
"It seems way too obvious to me..." Indigo mused. "Why would she even bother hiding them if she's just going to make it that obvious where they are?"
"Agreed. Especially when she could have easily disposed of them entirely." Sugarcoat nodded. "Maybe she was mocking us..."
"Or maybe she knew what she was doing was wrong and made sure we could find them." Lemon Zest chimed in.
"Girls! None of this matters!" Sunny Flare interrupted. "Sour Sweet is on her way to Sunset Shimmer's house right now with revenge on her mind! We have to get there before something happens that she can't take back..."
Lemon scratched her head. "Does she even know where Sunset Shimmer lives? I sure don't."
Sugarcoat nodded. "She knows where a Sunset Shimmer lives." Silence settled upon the garage for several moments before Sunny whirled to Indigo.
"We need your car. Now."
***
Sunset Shimmer's head jerked with a start when she heard her cell phone ring out through her one-bedroom apartment. She could barely hear it over the sound of the water pouring from the shower faucet in her tiny bathroom. With a shrug she turned back to the water, letting it flow over her face and down her shoulders. Whoever it was could wait a few more minutes. One thing her new human friends had taught her was when it was time to take a little time for herself.
The ringing stopped shortly, and she finished her shower in peace. The steam-fogged mirror showed her nothing from the other side of the open door as she stepped out, dried off, and wrapped a towel snugly around herself so she wouldn't drip all over the place. The remaining tangles in her hair were defeated by the brush in her right hand as the drip from the faucet slowed to a stop, and she was left in silence.
She emerged from the bathroom into her bedroom on her way through to the living room. Her fingers brushed over her nightstand in search of her cell phone, but touched only rough wood. She looked down, her surprise only growing when she saw the wood barren and empty. She was sure she had left it there... she always left it there in case of emergency. She must have been more tired when she got home than she thought.
A cursory glance around the bedroom turned up nothing, so she made her way out into the living room, where her heart jumped and she jolted to a stop. Her front door was wide open to the soft moonlight just beyond. Sunset's eyes sharpened and scanned the room, but she saw no other sign that anything had been moved or taken. Everything was right where she'd left it... and if anything, that only scared her even more. If someone was in the house, they weren't here for her stuff.
Sunset gulped and stepped slowly towards the front door, keeping a wary eye on the kitchen. This was too suspicious to disregard. Even if it turned out nothing was here, she would rather risk a run through the streets and dealing with the cops than come face to face with someone who wanted to harm her. She tried to stay as quiet as possible, and was only steps from the door when she suddenly bolted for the exit.
The door slammed shut suddenly and, with a crazed yell, Sour Sweet lunged out from behind it, one hand grabbing her shoulder and the other lifting a glittering, silver knife already splattered with crimson blood. Sunset didn't even have time to gasp before the blade came down, but Sour Sweet tripped over Sunset's foot on her way in, and both girls tumbled to the floor with the knife swinging past Sunset's head and hitting the carpet.
Sour Sweet brought the knife up again, but Sunset brought a fist around in a panic, landing a solid punch squarely on the side of her jaw. Sour Sweet rolled off of her with a pained gasp, right in front of the door. Sunset rolled away from her, putting as much distance as she could between them before bolting for the bedroom, ignoring the towel that fluttered to the floor behind her. She skidded into the room and grabbed the door, moving to slam it shut, but Sour Sweet slammed her entire body into the solid wood with a deafening crack. Sunset was knocked stumbling back towards the bed, but Sour Sweet was stumbling through the door, rubbing the shoulder that collided with the hard wood.
Sunset Shimmer dove to the other side of the bed and pressed herself against the wall, stopping and facing her attacker now that she was stumbling, and there was a bed between them. "What do you think you're doing?" Sunset Shimmer demanded. "Have you completely lost your mind?"
"Fuck you!!" Sour Sweet's howl of rage barely sounded human. "Fuck you fuck you fuck you and die!" Sour Sweet leapt onto the mattress, but Sunset Shimmer threw herself underneath the high bed as Sour Sweet plunged off the other side. She rolled rapidly towards the door and leapt to her feet, racing back to the living room and towards the front door. She got the door open, but she had barely made it through when Sour Sweet tackled her from behind, slamming her roughly to the walkway that led to the sidewalk in front of her apartment.
Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath, but a hand clamped over her mouth and she felt cold steel press against her waist. "Sour Sweet! Stop!" Sunny Flare's voice screamed through the night, as she, Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, and Lemon Zest ran across the parking lot in front of her apartment towards them. "Don't do it!"
"Shut up, Sunny!" Sour Sweet screamed back. "Just shut up! I'm sick and tired of everybody telling me to take it! Always taking it! How about she takes it for once!? How about we just deal with the motherfuckers who mess with us!? That sounds pretty good to me!"
"I know you're frustrated!" Sunny Flare came to a stop on the sidewalk at the end of the walkway, holding up her hands. "I know you're angry, but this isn't the solution! That's not even the right person! She's our friend!"
"That's just more of her bullshit!" Sour Sweet pressed the blade against her flesh. Sunset Shimmer squealed into the hand over her lips, feeling tears stinging her eyes. "I'm sick of her bullshit, I'm tired of being helpless, I'm tired of being held back!"
"Sour Sweet, please!" Lemon Zest pleaded with her hands clasped in front of her. "I love you! We all do! We don't want you to go to jail!"
"We want you to come home with us!" Indigo Zap added.
"You need to stop being crazy and put the knife down," Sugarcoat agreed.
"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!" Sour Sweet howled.
"Sour Sweet..." Sunny Flare moved forward slowly, her hands still raised to her sides. "This isn't really you. You're not a killer, you're not just a ball of anger and bitterness."
"Of course you're not." Lemon Zest stepped forward beside her, a wide smile spreading her lips. "You always fight this, Sour Sweet... I know you always fight this because I know you don't want to be like this. That's why you always take your medicine. You're sweet, and kind, and you care about your friends. You're gentle..." Lemon Zest took a few steps closer, holding one hand out to her. "I know how gentle you can be... and you know you can trust me, right? You can trust us."
Sunset Shimmer winced as the blade pressed just slightly into her skin, but didn't penetrate any deeper. "Damnit, you... you keep..."
"Loving you..." Lemon Zest took a few slow steps forward, her arms still out in front of her. "We all love you."
"Shut up! Shut the fuck up!" Sour Sweet brought the knife out to the side, bringing it swinging inward toward Sunset's throat, but Lemon Zest was now close enough to lunge for her, tackling her clean off of Sunset's back straight into the living room. Caught by surprise, Sour Sweet's weapon clattered to the floor beside the door, and the other four Shadowbolts flooded into the room. Sour Sweet's profane screams of rage rang out through the night as the sound of a scuffle came from inside.
It took a few moments before Sunset Shimmer found the energy to roll onto her back, her limbs shaking from fear and adrenaline as she watched them wrestle with Sour Sweet. Lemon Zest was sitting on her waist while Indigo and Sugarcoat held her head up and her arms down. Sunny Flare knelt beside her to drop a pill into her mouth, and pour in a small amount of water from a plastic bottle despite the trapped girl's protests.
"Sour Sweet...?" Lemon Zest cooed worriedly, as they all watched her face change, her expression of unbridled anger melting away and her limbs going limp on the carpet. "Sour Sweet, are you okay now?"
Sour Sweet was breathing deeply with tears in her eyes as the last of her energy seemed to drain out of her, replaced by a strangely calm, stony mask. When she spoke it was with a voice that wavered in a mixture of fatigue and fear. "I'm ready to go to bed now..."
Sunny Flare's tense expression finally melted into a relieved smile. "We'll get you to bed. You rest right now."
As Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap took each of Sour Sweet's arms, Sunset Shimmer's attention was drawn by Sugarcoat reaching a hand down to her. "Were you hurt?" She asked simply.
"I think I'll be incredibly sore in the morning..." Sunset Shimmer took her hand and climbed to her feet with a grunt. She stumbled a bit on shaking knees, but stayed upright to move out of the way as the others passed. "But I think I'll be okay. Is anybody going to tell me what happened here?"
"I'll call you later and tell you all about it," Sunny noted as she passed close on Sour Sweet's limp heels. "If you're okay, we should really get Sour Sweet home now. She's had a very long night."
Sunset Shimmer ran a slightly annoyed hand through her hair, but gave a nod regardless. "Okay, sure... but I'll expect a call tonight."
"As you should." Sunny flashed her a quick, tense smile and hurried past her to the crimson convertible parked in the nearby lot.
Sugarcoat looked Sunset up and down with a raised eyebrow as she passed. "So... did she interrupt something we don't want to hear about?" Sunset Shimmer glared. "Not judging, just curious." Sugarcoat shrugged as she followed her friends to the car.
Sunset Shimmer wasn't sure she would be able to relax that night... or for the rest of the week, but for now she slipped inside her house, and made sure to lock the slightly-rusted deadbolt before making her way back into the bathroom. She was dirty again, and a long warm shower might help her relax just slightly...
***
Sunny Flare sat on one side of Sour Sweet's bed, gently pulling the covers up to the exhausted girl's shoulders. Sour Sweet was already fast asleep, as she had been for the entire ride home, and remained that way despite Lemon Zest gently dipping a washrag into a bowl of warm water to wipe the grime and sweat from her face after her tussle with Sunset Shimmer. Sugarcoat was leaning against the wall near the door while Indigo Zap paced furiously around the room, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.
"We can't let this one slide." Indigo Zap punched one fist into the other, as if making a sudden decision. "We've turned the other cheek several times now, but this... this is just the worst possible thing Sunset Shimmer could do!"
"Technically, we can't prove it was her, or that anything even happened tonight," Sugarcoat pointed out calmly. "At least, not without also revealing what Sour Sweet almost did."
"That's not an option," Sunny Flare cut in without hesitation, not even looking away from her friend's pale face. "She went through enough tonight, she doesn't need police scrutiny and increased doctor's visits."
"Then I say we take matters into our own hands!" Indigo exclaimed. "Sour Sweet went too far, but maybe she had the right idea! With all of us, we could make her stop!"
"But what about the bottle?" Lemon Zest reminded them in a soft voice. "If she really left the bottle for us to find, that means she knew it was wrong. Maybe we could convince her to stop without violence."
"Knowing how wrong it is doesn't make it better when you do it anyway," Sugarcoat glared at her rocker friend. "If anything it only makes it worse. She can't even claim ignorance if that's the case. Still, I'm not sure violence is our best option. Violence begets violence. If we start a cycle of it here, someone could seriously end up hurt in the end."
"The way I see it Sunset Shimmer already started it," Indigo countered. "And if we don't show her that she can't get away with it, what's to stop her from doing it again? Or worse? Do we sit around hoping for her to go away until she has giant guys beating us in our homes?"
"What would you have us do, Indigo?" Sunny Flare looked up from Sour Sweet to give her a soft glare. "I understand how you feel... believe me, I understand. But until we can pin something on her, there's nothing we can do without putting ourselves and Sour Sweet at further risk."
"Yeah... I guess..." Indigo Zap crossed her arms over her chest with a scowl. "But one of these days she is going to get what's coming to her."
"I think we can all agree on that." Sunny Flare smiled. "We should all get out of here soon. She needs to rest."
Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, and Sugarcoat agreed and they decided to call it a night, leaving Sour Sweet to rest in her room. As the others left the house, Sunny stayed behind, making her way back into the bedroom and pulling a chair up beside Sour Sweet's bed. With a soft sigh she leaned back against the wall just under the window, watching Sour Sweet for a few moments before putting her hands behind her head and closing her eyes.
Sunset Shimmer would get what was coming to her... someday.
