Chapter X: Hunting the Hunters

The Consilium used a Deep Web forum to exchange news, courtesy of the Technomancers cabal, that it hosted on a private server hidden somewhere in the city.  Accessing it required an account that the leadership created for the users and much of the information was written in modified High Speech.  The onion site's address was a random string of sixty-four characters that changed daily, each update sent in an encrypted e-mail that required use of a PGP key to decrypt.  Despite the many hoops, all members were checking it constantly for even the smallest updates on the situation.

Though the attacks had taken place in the early evening - several of them in populous areas - police contacts admitted that the authorities had no idea who was behind it.  Twilight checked with her brother, who confirmed the reports that they suspected a cult obsessed with fire but could make no connection between the arson sites and the murder victims.  Thanks to help from the Kindred and their agents, the Awakened were keeping the investigators in the dark.  Not only were they determined to solve their own problems, they knew very well that mundane authorities would be no match for the Witch Hunters or the Banishers.

Reading between the lines, Sunset could see that her leaders were getting frustrated by the lack of leads using their own methods.  Somehow, the enemy was able to prevent even the most powerful Awakened tracking them.  Only the Time Arcanum allowed views into the past to see what they had done, but no future sight or fortune telling could divine where they would go next.  None of the other Arcana helped; Space could not link to them, Mind was unable to locate their killing intent, Death would not give clues to intended victims, and the spirits of the Shadow did not know anything.  Attempts to find killers stopped several mundane murders; the Consilium left the professional criminals to the Kindred's hunger.

Attempts to track the Witch Hunters backwards from one of the attack sites had failed, the trail going cold.  Even Masters of Time were unable to recover a sighting of the moving vehicles, leading to suspicions that the Witch Hunters had discovered that weakness and were hiding it in the same manner they hid themselves.

The Libertines began spreading a promise of reward for information across the underground.  It had not given any results, but it was the last publicly known hope to find the Witch Hunters before another attack.  If anyone else was trying some other tactic, no one had shared the information.

The only possible lead came from an Uratha pack.  They spotted a group of three matching the profiles of the Witch Hunters.  Stalking the suspects allowed them to overhear a brief wireless conversation during which the targets informed someone that "the locals are out of date.  There's nothing here."

According to the report, they discovered the pack on their tail and fled.  That pack chased them into another's territory where both coordinated to trap the Vigilantes.  When cornered, the Witch Hunters showed that though they were more interested in Awakened, they were perfectly ready to fight other supernatural beings.  Silver weapons killed two Uratha and critically wounded a third - who was not expected to survive - before the packs could disarm their enemies.

The death toll had been a result of a desire to get information that forced the Werewolves to restrain themselves.  Despite their sacrifice, it was not to be.  The Vigilantes, weaponless and trapped, popped fake teeth of poison gas and killed themselves.  Their bodies exploded immediately after that and wounded the four surviving Uratha, all of whom would recover.

Four days since the initial attacks with no way to fight back and more death buried the city's denizens in an aura of terror.  Each cabal gave thanks to their fallen and wounded allies before increasing their barricades.  They were waiting for the enemy to show themselves while hoping their protections would keep them safe until help could arrive.

Sunset Shimmer did not like the way her friends cowered.  Her beloved elder niece was no longer a bubbly, cheerful little girl.  The younger seemed to feel the tension, becoming more fussy and unable to feel calm even when Violet's parents cuddled her.  The situation felt like the days immediately after her Awakening, when everything seemed determined to destroy her and she could do nothing about it.  Like that time, she was determined to break the deadlock, to fight back and show those wishing her harm that she was not going to be an easy target.

'They aren't going to live in fear, no matter what,' she told herself.  She was surprised her other self did not reply.

Sunset locked herself into her room and pulled the Supernal Tarot from its hiding place.  Letting the cards speak to her, she asked them, 'Where do I go first?'

A card slipped from the deck as she shuffled, landing face-up on her bed.  It was The Chariot.  When she saw it, the cards stopped responding to her.  She straightened the deck and put them back into their drawer.

'Going somewhere without any control?'

Her other self replied, 'Or maybe it's more literal.  We've seen some of the rental decals.  Can we get a lead there?'

'The Guardians tried that.  Midnight and Sweetie Belle said all the cars were rented with fake information.'

'We could try driving our car around without thinking about it.  Maybe that'll get us somewhere.  Stupid tarot and vague answers.'

With no better idea and unable to take a home atmosphere that felt like a spring wound almost to the point of breaking, she decided to follow her inner voice's advise.  She made some excuse to leave and began driving, not closing her eyes but allowing herself to lose focus beyond the minimum needed to avoid accidents or tickets.  She did not read the street signs, did not think about a destination or the drive itself, and followed her whims at each intersection until she stopped at a local auto rental agency.

'What the heck?  Wait, I've seen that logo.'  The company's sign was the same as the decal in the window of the car used in the murders of Applejack and her family.

As she could see the agency was not busy, she decided to try looking at their records for herself.  There was no reason to believe she would notice something the Guardians had not, but she felt an overwhelming desire to do something.  She entered to find a middle-aged man sitting behind the counter.  He rose and greeted Sunset when he heard the door opening.

She used a bit of Mind to push an order at him.  "Print me your rental records for the past week."

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied, accessing his computer.  It took a couple minutes before his printer sprang into life and spat three sheets of paper into the tray.  "Can I do anything else for you?"

Sunset give him a large bill.  "Take this tip and forget I was ever here."

Before leaving, she used a spell that would put him to sleep for five minutes.  The spell she had used to force his cooperation and forgetfulness was messy.  Though it would not hurt him, he would feel disoriented until he slept.  His Quiessence would assume anything he did remember when he woke to be part of a dream in the goal of keeping him within the Lie, the extra money just an oversight when he last checked his wallet.

'Abusing the Mortals with magick, Sunny?  And you think I'm the monster.'

'Right, because you'd worry about his mental health or give him some recompense.'

'True.  I'd just wipe his memory and be done with it.'

Sunset parked outside a grocery store to review the information.  The records had names, addresses, partial card numbers, make and model rented, term length, and all the other information she expected.  She knew visiting any of the addresses would not help, as the false ones had been for vacant lots.  None of the names meant anything to her.

'This was a waste of time.'

Her other self laughed at her.  'Getting slow in your old age?  Use Perfect Recall and look at the list again.'

'How can you notice something I don't?'

Her other self did not reply.  Sunset did as she was told, invoking a rote that would allow her to recall in perfect detail any brief period of time.  Rather than give any specific input, she began reading the list again, waiting to see if any of the names activated her spell.  When she reached the car used at Sweet Apple Acres, the spell triggered.

Bully Sunset's day had not gone well.  Her usual money targets had gotten wise and were not carrying cash anymore, forcing her to use her own money.  Just because she had plenty did not mean it was unlimited.

The mint-green girl and the one with curly pink and blue hair were chatting at their lockers as they prepared to go home for the day.

Lyra Heartstrings was grinning at her friend.  In a teasing voice, she said, "Oh, Sweetie Drops, you say the nicest things."

"Get a room already, you perverts," Sunset spat.  "You're disgusting."

Though Lyra cringed and looked away from Sunset, Bon Bon stood up to her.  "What's your problem?"

Sunset's reply did not make the cut before the spell ended.  It did not matter, as she remembered the fight with Bon Bon quite well now that her memory had been triggered.  The sweet-toothed girl had a bite when someone messed with her best friend.  She had been one of the few to get a pass from the old Sunset Shimmer.

"Good gods, Bon Bon rented the car?"

'See?  It was right there.  Let's go slit her throat.'

'I'm starting to think you're making these suggestions just to piss me off.'

'Gee, that only took eighteen years to figure out.  Of course we shouldn't kill her yet.  We need information.'

'I'm not killing her.  We don't even know if she's involved or if someone else used her name.  Even if she is, maybe she was coerced.'

Bon Bon had been one of the few not to forgive Sunset after the Fall Formal confrontation and the Battle of the Bands.  During the Anon-A-Miss incident, after the Crusaders posted one of Lyra's embarrassing moments, she had cornered Sunset.  A sucker punch to the solar plexus and a promise of worse if the reformed bully posted another of her friend's secrets had been their final interaction until Bon Bon apologised after the Crusaders confessed.  When Sunset left CHS, she assumed they would never again cross paths.

Checking a phone book did not help; neither Bon Bon nor Lyra were listed.  Searching either name online did give her some information:  Lyra Heartstrings had gone into music and was part of a local mixed performing arts group, while Bon Bon's Bon Bons was a popular confectionary in another upper-middle-class neighbourhood.  The store's location was easy to find in her mobile's map.  She set a route to it and began driving.

Like many stores in gentrified downtown, Bon Bon's shop was located on the first floor of a large building with residences above it.  Odds were good she lived in the building, which Sunset was able to confirm by walking through the security door and then checking the post boxes.  Questioning the confectioner in her shop was not a good idea, so Sunset decided to return that night and hope Bon Bon would go home after closing for the day.

The sanctum's residents were still uneasy when she returned.  They were glad to see her, as though they had been afraid she would vanish.  It was a common fear, the same they all felt when Pixie went to school and Button left for work.  Sweetie Belle was on a short trip for one of her meetings, where she would teach whichever musician would be singing her latest works their intricacies.  Other than Pixel Bit and Button Mash, she was the only one not present, which made the atmosphere more ill-at-ease than had become normal.

Sunset spent the day working on some of her programming contracts, getting one done early and submitted before leaving again to meet Bon Bon.  The return drive was much faster, most of the city's residents at home or out for dinner.  When Sunset was outside the flat's door, she felt for life signs.  There were none, so she paused to listen for any sounds of occupation.  It would be frustrating to find Bon Bon had decided to go out for the night.

There were no sounds, but she decided to try knocking anyway.  The worst that would happen would be having to return the next evening.  Giving about ten seconds, she knocked again.  Finally, she heard the sound of feet shuffling.

Bon Bon was yawning as she opened the door.  "Lyra, did you lose your key again?"  Her eyes widened as she noticed her guest.  "What are you doing here?  How did you get in?"

"I was going to buzz you, but one of your neighbours let me in.  Sorry about that; I didn't mean to startle you.  Mind if I come in?"

Bon Bon muttered to herself but stepped to the side and gestured for Sunset to enter.  As she did, she tried to feel Bon Bon's soul, but encountered only one of the infamous dead zones.

"I have to be up at five to go to work.  Can we keep this short?  Why are you here?"

When she was standing at the edge of the living room, Sunset turned to face her host and said, "Sorry again.  I just wanted to talk to you.  Have you ever heard of a group calling themselves Witch Hunters?"

Sunset's original master plan was to confound Bon Bon's memories if the lead gave her nothing, leaving her old classmate unaware that Sunset had visited.  The name certainly did something, as Bon Bon's stance shifted.  It was subtle, but she was ready to fight.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they were responsible for the murders and arsons.  I found out they rented one of the cars under the name Sweetie Drops, and the address was a fake.  I know that was Lyra's pet name for you, so I thought it was worth following up."

"Sorry, I don't know anything about that.  Anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Not really.  It was just a long shot.  Sorry to bother you.  Have a good night and say hello to Lyra for me."

Sunset made her way back to the door.  She kept a defensive spell ready, her senses heightened.  She was unsure it would work, but Sunset was convinced that she had found something.  The problem would be getting anything from her lead.  Bon Bon was sure to alert the Witch Hunters as soon as Sunset left.

When she passed Bon Bon, the confectioner smiled and replied, "Sorry I couldn't be more help."

Only her Arrow training let Sunset catch the slight movement of Bon Bon's imminent attack.  She needed concentration to use her spell, which meant there was no time to dodge, so Sunset released the prepared rote and tried to roll with the attack as Bon Bon's foot connected with her bad knee.

Sunset was cursing, her whole leg on fire, as she collapsed to the floor.  Her opponent collapsed altogether, placed into a coma-like sleep.  It would take several minutes for the waves of pain to reach a manageable level to allow Sunset to do anything.  Bon Bon knew exactly how to hit for maximum effect.

When her mind started working again through the haze of screaming nerves, she pondered why her spell had worked.  She could not detect Bon Bon's presence, which meant she could not target the other woman.  She could try using the sympathetic connection of Bon Bon's name and symbols related to her, but that was likely blocked as well.

The rote Sunset used could be modified.  It defaulted to a powerful compulsion to sleep, focused on select targets, but could also be made weaker to target an area.  She had prepared it as an area of effect in a gamble when she noticed Bon Bon's personal dead zone.  Opening her consciousness to the area beyond the flat, she found three of Bon Bon's neighbours were also in magickal slumber.

'Oops, I'd better release them.'  She chuckled.  'At least now we know they can't protect themselves from all magick.'

She gradually worked herself to her feet and was finally standing again when she heard a key in the lock.

'Gods damn it.'

Lyra Heartstrings let herself into the flat.

"Sweetie Drops, I'm home," she sang.  "What are you doing...."

She stopped as she saw her friend sprawled on the floor and a panting Sunset Shimmer attempting to remain on two feet.

"Hey, Lyra.  Long time, no see.  How've you been?"

"What the hell did you do to Bon Bon?" Lyra clearly had no training for combat.  She swung her purse at Sunset, who easily caught it and pulled it from Lyra's grasp to toss across the living room.

"She attacked me, just like you're doing.  That's why you're going to sleep, too."

Lyra was not protected as Bon Bon had been.  Sunset used the single target version of her spell, letting the musician collapse next to Bon Bon.  That left Sunset to move two unconscious bodies.

'I really didn't think this step through.'

Forces allowed levitation, but it required a greater degree of understanding than Sunset possessed.  In perhaps the only example of Unicorn magic being more versatile than Awakened magick, Sunset would have to move the two women by herself.  Her knowledge of Forces would only allow her to boost them, nothing more.

She dragged them into the kitchen before gradually hoisting them into chairs she had retrieved from the dining table.  Bon Bon had no weapons on her person, though Sunset did find a handgun and a hunting knife in her bedroom.  In one bit of good fortune, she discovered a supply of cooking twine in a drawer with an industrial-sized box of cling wrap.  The plastic secured their torsos to the backs of the chairs, the twine binding their hands, arms, legs, and feet.  Some gauze from the bathroom and more wrapping kept them gagged without suffocating them.

When she was sure the bindings would hold, Sunset woke both of her captives.  She had positioned them to face one another, watching from the side as they regained consciousness.  Lyra began struggling immediately, panic in her eyes.  Bon Bon was much more sedate, her eyes filled only with rage.  Once Sunset was certain they were both fully aware of their predicament, she stepped back into their fields of vision while suppressing her limp as best she could.

"Hey, girls, sorry about this.  Lyra especially, I really didn't mean for you get caught up in everything.  I mean, I was leaving when Bon Bon decided it was a good idea to attack me, which is why we're in these positions right now.  By the way, I want you to see some of the stuff I found around here."  She hefted the knife and the gun.  "I can see a young woman being cautious, but this gun is illegally modified to hold extra ammunition and has an amazing suppressor.  Seriously, I could empty a clip out in the hallway, but no one would hear it."

She paused for a moment to let her veiled threat penetrate, then said, "I'll let you talk, Bon Bon, and I trust you won't make a lot of noise.  Not that it matters since I sound-proofed the room, but let's try not rupturing eardrums, okay?"

She cut the plastic from Bon Bon's mouth and removed the gauze.  The confectioner did not flinch, even when the knife was against her cheek.

"Okay, so you've made it clear you do know something about the Witch Hunters.  Start talking."  Sunset only received a bit of spittle to the face.  "I can force you to spill everything you've ever done, but I'd rather not have to break your mind to do it, so you might want to cooperate.  Start talking."

"You're one of the witches, aren't you?  My allies will know you came here."

"So?  Unless they break through that door right now, I can do anything I want to you and they won't be here in time to stop me.  Might as well talk and buy yourself time for a rescue."

Bon Bon turned her head, not looking at either of the other two women.  She was still a magickal non-entity, which meant Sunset had to guess at her thoughts and feelings.  She had become so accustomed to knowing them it felt as though she was missing one of her limbs.

"Okay, I'll start with what I know.  You rented a car for the Witch Hunters under a fake name.  By the way, you shouldn't use pet names for those.  Someone might recognise it, 'Sweetie Drops.'  Three men used the car to drive to Sweet Apple Acres where they murdered all but Apple Bloom in cold blood and then burnt the farm buildings.  Apple Bloom only survived because she was at university."

"That's a lie," Bon Bon spat.  "You witches killed them and now you're trying to blame us for it."

"There are quite a few problems with that.  First off is the fact that we didn't murder anyone.  Why would I be here if we did?  If we wanted to blame you for it, I'd have fabricated some evidence and sent the police to your door.  Hell, I could have altered your memories to make you think you did it, then forced you to confess."

When Bon Bon did not reply, Sunset asked, "Why did you tell them about us?  None of the girls ever did anything to you.  We were just living our lives.  Fluttershy had a great life doing what she loved.  Flash Sentry is dead, and his kids will never know their father, especially the baby.  Rarity will have to rebuild her business as a single mother.  Even as terrible as they were, Magnum and Cookie didn't deserve death for what they did to Sweetie Belle.  Just tell me, Bon Bon.  Why would you sell us out to them?"

"I didn't say a thing.  They figured out who you were.  There were hundreds of witnesses to all those magical things you did."

"Yeah, that would be a problem, except that nearly everyone forgot about it.  It seems that most people can't handle anything outside the norm for long, so their minds wipe their memories of it.  Why do you remember?  Does Lyra?"

She glanced at Lyra, who nodded.

"I'll remove your gag, but the same rules apply."

Lyra did flinch at the knife, but she looked grateful as Sunset pulled the gauze from her mouth.

"You know what's ironic?  You were always obsessed with the supernatural, and now there's a real witch in your kitchen.  Guess what?  Vampires and Werewolves and all kinds of creatures really exist.  Did Bon Bon ever tell you about us?"

"No, but I'm not surprised.  Movie vampires could be cool, but knowing they're real makes them scary.  I doubt the real vampires are anything like the ones in Twilight."

"Fastest way to piss off one of the Kindred is to ask if they sparkle in the sun.  Am I scary?"

"Well, you are holding us hostage, and you have had a reputation for violence."

"True, though I really don't want to be that kind of person anymore.  Please believe me when I say that I didn't want it to come to this.  I wouldn't be here if people like Bon Bon had been willing to let us live in peace."

"We didn't do anything!  Don't listen to her, Lyra."

"Really?  Hold on, let me show you what your friends did."

With another subtle rote, Sunset put both of her captives to sleep again and then filled their dreams with what she had seen of the various murders.  After playing through each one, she woke them.

"Those were Witch Hunters, not witches.  I'm giving you one last chance before I lose my temper.  Two questions:  Why?  Where do we find the others?  Tell me, and I'll make sure none of us come after you."

"Go back to hell, you demon."

Sunset was trying to decide how to get the information she wanted.  Bon Bon clearly knew something, but Sunset could not reach into her mind and force her to release the information unless the dead zone vanished.  Most area-of-effect spells could not handle such fine manipulation and were more in the 'brute force' camp, which would be almost guaranteed to cause irreparable harm to Bon Bon's brain.  Torture had a way of getting people to say anything, even lies, but Sunset had no interest in pursuing that option, risk of lies or not.

"I told them," Lyra exclaimed.  She winced, lowering her voice before continuing.  "Sweetie Drops' friends came by when she was shopping.  They were frantic, wanting to know who the people that had been involved in the magic at CHS were.  They said some black ops types were after them, and they wanted to protect you.  I never thought they'd do something like that."

"It's a lie, Lyra.  She made up those dreams to trick us.  Her kind did it.  That's why everyone else died or disappeared."

Sunset laughed.  "Yeah, they disappeared, alright.  Sweetie Belle's been with me ever since her family kicked her out.  You both know that.  We're also hiding Rarity and Scootaloo right now.  Apple Bloom is somewhere else while she mourns her family.  Oh, I know, want me to have Pinkie Pie come over?  They attacked her, too, but she escaped and is protecting Rainbow Dash.  Want her to tell you how the Witch Hunters are the bad guys?"

"Mind control," Bon Bon replied.  "Lyra, don't listen to anything she tells you.  Witches can make you believe things."

"I could, you know.  Since you two are old classmates, I'll let you in on a secret:  My brand of magick actually specialises in fucking up people's minds.  I could make you crap yourselves when you wake up every morning and have to do a chicken dance before you go to bed, which you'd just accept as normal.  You'd believe it's always been that way.  I could bloody well do it without you knowing and erase any memory of me.

"I'm not doing that because I don't want to hurt you guys, though you're stomping on my patience with cleats.  Bon Bon, whatever you guys did to hide yourselves from magick means that I can't use my fancy, surgical spells to force you to tell me anything.  I'll have to use the messy, blunt instrument spells, which would probably leave you a vegetable for the rest of your life.

"It's clear you don't think your friends are murderers, but that doesn't change what happened.  Tell me where they are, or I'll have to force you to tell me, whether I want to do it this way or not."

"Please, you can do whatever you want to me.  Don't hurt Sweetie Drops, Sunset.  She didn't do it."

"Do you know where her friends are hiding?  That's all I want.  Tell me to be rid of me."

Lyra shook her head.  "As soon as I told them who you all were, they left.  Please, Sunset, I'd tell you if I could."

"Lyra, stop it.  She's lying to you.  She'll just kill us both once she gets what she wants if she doesn't do something worse."

Sunset emptied the gun, including the chambered bullet, and dropped the knife.

"I'm not a murderer, girls.  Neither are you ... at least, not intentionally.  I just want to find the killers before they can hurt anyone else.  I will find them, even if I have to risk permanently screwing up your brain to force it out of you.  This is your last chance, Bon Bon."

"Go on, do it.  You'll just prove that you're a monster."

Sunset crouched over Bon Bon until they were almost nose-to-nose.  She felt no need to hide her response from Lyra.

"I was a monster once.  It's still below the surface, whispering to me all the time.  I keep a lid on it because I don't want to become that again.  If your friends hadn't come here and started murdering mine, I would have stayed in my house and studied my witchcraft or written programmes when I wasn't playing with Sweetie Belle's daughters or having fun with the gang.  Now that monster is trying harder than ever to get out.  I might accidentally give in to it, thanks to you two.  Just remember, any blood I spill is on your hands."

Leaning back, Sunset envisioned her spell's Imago.

"You have about five seconds."

"Zero-three-zero-five," Lyra shouted, her voice increasing in pitch with each number.  "That's her mobile's passcode.  Please don't hurt her."

Sunset had found Bon Bon's mobile next to her bed and pocketed it.  She lifted it and tried the code, unlocking the device.

"Thanks, Lyra.  I'll be taking this and leaving you alone now."  She paused to hide a smirk, though she allowed it into her tone.  "Oh, wait, you can erase these remotely.  I guess I'll have to find them before I can let you two go."

Lightly tormenting them with the idea she was about to free them before changing her mind may not have been nice, but they had been responsible for putting the city through hell.  Despite her pseudo-promise, she had already planned to put them to sleep while leaving them bound.  The Consilium needed all the time it could get to find and confront the Witch Hunters, after all, but they did not need to know any of that.

While Bon Bon berated Lyra for giving innocent people to blood-thirsty witches, Sunset began checking the mobile.  Bon Bon had wiped her recent Internet history.  Her e-mail did not have anything interesting; if any were in code, Sunset was unable to detect them at a glance.  The contacts were promising, but calling them would only alert the Witch Hunters.  There were no good text messages, either.

The hint came when Sunset swiped the quick view screen down from the top.  It advised that Bon Bon's drive to a location on the edge of the city would take about twenty minutes in current traffic.  Selecting it opened the map, dropping a pin on a location that made Sunset smile.

"When were you at the Motel 6?"

Bon Bon almost managed to prevent the hint of surprise that flashed across her face as she replied, "My family was visiting."

"Nice try, but your family lives in the city.  I just saw their address in your contacts list.  Even if it was unwilling, thanks for the help.  I promise, no one's going to harm you two."

She put them to sleep, though she left them bound.  The sleep would last hours, requiring external intervention - magickal or mundane - to wake them.  Pocketing the mobile, she slipped into the hallway and locked the door with stolen keys.

The hour had already passed four.  Without noticing, she had managed to spend most of the night with her former classmates, though much of the time had been wasted in moving them into the kitchen and searching the flat.  Going through Bon Bon's mobile had not been quick, either.

Midnight was waiting for her in the elevator.  Sunset did not bat an eye.

"I got us a lead."

"You weren't too hard on them, were you?"

"I had to use a few threats, but one of them cracked.  Lyra's probably going to have a few nightmares, but I'm guessing she'll forget most of this pretty fast.  Either way, I'll wipe her memories of tonight after the war's over."

"Why?"

"She told the Witch Hunters who my friends were.  I believe that she didn't know better, since she's always been a conspiracy nut, so I don't want her to live with that guilt."

"That makes sense, but please don't do it just so you can blame yourself."

"I'll work on that.  Now, let's get the others together."

"I'll ring Ace and ask him to gather everyone at the Great Hall."

While Midnight passed the message to her brother, Sunset called Twilight.  Her friend did not wake and answer until just before the call would have gone to her voicemail.

"Sunset?  What's going on?"

"We have a breakthrough.  Get everyone to the Great Hall.  Button, too.  I'm sure Rarity and Scootaloo can babysit, plus they'll have Karen and Spike to keep eye on everything."

"Sweetie Belle got back right after you left.  Should I bring her?"

With some hesitation, Sunset replied, "Yes.  We'll need all of us."

'Finally, we get some action.  Don't worry, Sunny, I'll protect you from all those bad feelings.'

'That doesn't comfort me at all.'