Chapter XIII: Threats and Tact

Lyra and Bon Bon were still sleeping.  Sunset was surprised to see they had not wet themselves after so many hours.  It did not matter to her either way since neither of the women would be living much longer.

She recovered the hunting knife and reloaded Bon Bon's gun, then placed a new sound-proofing spell around the room before waking her victims.  Both stirred, looks of surprise and some fear on their faces when they saw who was with them.

"Just so you know, we wiped out most of the Witch Hunters.  Almost one hundred of your buddies are rotting in a field around that motel if they weren't taken captive.  A few others might still be trying to escape, but we'll get them soon.  That just leaves you two and any of your other Vigilante friends."

Sunset hefted the knife, testing its weight.  "I sound-proofed the room.  Scream as much as you want."

"What are you going to do?" Lyra asked, fear bringing a tremble to her voice.  "Please, don't hurt Sweetie Drops.  She really didn't do anything.  You can do whatever you want to me."

"You told me that when I was here earlier.  Back then, I was planning to let you go.  We were going to put an end to this, and then everyone would go back to their normal lives.  It didn't quite work out that way."

She regarded both women.  Though Sunset had not studied the human body since her secondary school anatomy class, she knew where the major arteries were and approximately how far she could cut before they would bleed to death.

Lyra was sure to scream, but there was no telling how Bon Bon would react.  She was a trained and hardened soldier, after all, but she had one weakness.  It was the same weakness Sunset once had:  A beloved friend.  The best way to get something from Bon Bon was to start with Lyra, though that meant losing the keen wails of despair Lyra was sure to offer as she watched Sunset dismember Bon Bon.

'We all have to make sacrifices, Sparky,' the demon replied.  'We'll get to enjoy so much more after this.'

'Maybe we should cut a few strips off them first, then feed them to each other.'

'Now you're getting it.  Shall we start?'

'I think so.'

"Any last words?  Once I start, you probably won't be saying much, so this is your best chance.  I probably won't take any messages for you, but you're welcome to try it."

"Why, Sunset?  Can you please tell me why you're going to kill us?"

Sunset kept her expression empty as she held the point of the knife against Lyra's cheek.  "Because I can.  If I have to lose everyone I cared about, someone needs to pay for it."

"But-"

"No, fuck you!  You're not getting out of this.  You two murdered my friends and enabled magick that would have destroyed the city.  There's a rift to the Abyss right in the middle of downtown now, and my friends are gone forever.  Trust me, what I'm planning for you is merciful compared to what happened to them.  Enough with the worthless excuses.  Any last words?"

"We didn't know."  Bon Bon finally broke her silence, her tone mournful.  Despite the fact that she was offering excuses, Sunset appreciated the novelty and allowed her to continue.  "We were just keeping an eye on you witches and the others to make sure you didn't start hurting anyone.  One of our higher-ups sent another cell here to review our observations.  They didn't tell us anything else, they just asked me for a fake name so I could rent a car for them.  When I heard about the attacks, I asked what happened, and they said you witches attacked them."

"Do you still believe that?"

Her head lowered, Bon Bon muttered, "No."

Lyra sobbed as she spoke.  "P-Please don't make it h-hurt, Sunset.  Please, if you have anything g-good left, just do it f-fast."

"Why did you join, Lyra?"

"I d-didn't know anything about this until S-Sweetie Drops' friends showed up, I swear."

"She's telling the truth.  I never wanted her to be in danger, so I didn't say anything about being a Vigilante.  I wanted Lyra to be able to enjoy her fantasies.  I only joined because I could see monsters.  Over the years, I saw that most of the supernatural people weren't causing problems.  We were just peacekeepers, nothing else."

Sunset lowered the knife a bit.  "Sweetie Belle could see things, too, Bon Bon.  It made her think she was crazy."

Bon Bon nodded.  "I thought so, too, until something found me one day.  It had figured out I noticed it, so it came to kill me.  A local cell managed to kill it first.  When I didn't run away, they invited me to join them."

"When was that?"

"After junior year.  Like I said, we were mostly just keeping an eye on things.  Before now, we only moved when something was hurting people.  When the new guys came, we were ordered to stay home after we gave them all our intel.  We didn't know there were so many, though.  I thought it was just another cell or two, making sure we weren't getting corrupt."

"I can see real guilt and remorse in Lyra, but you're still hidden from me, Bon Bon.  Why is that?"

"I don't know.  Another Hunter did it, and I don't know how or how long it'll last."

Sunset lifted the knife again.  "Well, this has been enlightening, but you're not getting off because of a few tears.  You couldn't be bothered to forgive me no matter how much I was crying.  You brought this on yourselves.  Pray my fellow Mages find your buddies first, because I'm going to be nice to you two."

"Didn't your friends forgive you when you were crying at the bottom of that pit?"

"No, Lyra, you don't get to play that card."  Sunset again poked the tip of the knife against Lyra's cheek, eliciting a whimper.  "The people who gave a damn about me are dead because of you."

"I'm not dead, Sunset," Midnight's voice called from the entrance.  She entered the kitchen, where Sunset regarded her impassively.  "Rarity and Violet are still sleeping at your house.  Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are still alive.  Even if your cabal-mates are gone, not everyone who cares about you is."

"You came to stop me?"

"If I have to.  What you're planning will drive you over the edge."

"You're talking like I'm not already past the point of no return.  You certainly didn't bother to stop me when I was killing the Witch Hunters.  Do you really want to get in a magickal battle in front of a Sleeper and waste what Mana you have left?"

"Sunset, you haven't lost yourself yet.  I didn't stop you in the battle because there was no reason to.  We had to kill or be killed.  There's a world of difference between killing the Witch Hunters to protect our lives and murdering these two."  Midnight stepped between Sunset and Lyra.  "I know you're not a lost cause.  You refused to hurt me, even if that meant being reported to the Guardians.  You found it in you to forgive Sweetie Belle and her friends for bullying you.  You even forgave Rarity and anyone else who has hurt you.  Don't let what's happened get the best of you now."

'Ignore the runt,' the demon ordered.  'She just doesn't understand.  We can overpower her easily.'

'I can't hurt Midnight.'

'She came to stop our glorious revenge.  Those who get in our way must be cut down with the rest.  Do you want to feel Lyra's hot blood running down your arms or not?'

'I do.  She has to pay for killing my friends.'

'Then just push Midnight out of the way.  What's she going to do?  She can't use magick here, not with a Sleeper.'

'You're right.'

Sunset grabbed the teen and shoved her roughly against the refrigerator.  Midnight's eyes widened in shock and fear as her head smacked against the door.  Before she could recover, Sunset raised the knife to cut Lyra's throat.

Bon Bon was screaming, the delightful sound Sunset had been desiring.  Midnight shouted something as Lyra closed her eyes.

Resignation and acceptance filled Lyra's soul.

A few brief images entered her mind and spilled to Sunset.  Lyra had found a malnourished dog without tags roaming a park when she was playing there.  When it proved to be human-friendly, she gave the starving animal her lunch before taking it to Fluttershy's clinic.  In the image, Sunset's deceased friend had no hair, her body burnt almost beyond recognition, as she helped Lyra try to find the dog's owner.  Then there was Applejack, her body riddled with bullet holes as she stacked a few baskets of apples into Lyra's car.  Bon Bon and Lyra planned to use them to bake treats for the local homeless shelter where they regularly volunteered with Rarity.  An image of the fashionista sobbing over Flash Sentry's body as she pointed an accusing finger at Lyra followed.

Sunset wanted to bring the knife down, to cut and slice until Lyra stopped breathing.  She would tear the musician to ribbons then do the same to Bon Bon.  It was what she wanted, to punish them for murdering her friends.

The knife did not move.

'What are you waiting for?  Midnight's going to stop us.  Do it now!'

"I ... I can't."  It took her a moment to realise she had given her reply aloud.  She lowered the blade.

'You are a weak, pathetic fool!  I'll do it myself.'

The demon tried to seize control of their body.  Sunset felt that burning, wrenching sensation as it pushed against her consciousness.  The loss of the old shackles meant that there was nothing restraining it, to prevent it overwhelming her.  She cried out in agony as it began to manifest.  Her control was slipping; in moments, Sunset would be no more.

"No!  You can't do this," she screamed.  "They don't deserve it."

"Then who does?"  The voice spoke through her mouth for the first time in almost a decade.  "They killed your friends.  If Midnight isn't with us, she's against us."

"I won't let you hurt Midnight."

Sunset threw what remained of her control into calling on her magick.  She brought Mind and Spirit to bear, weaving a spell used to summon Goetia.  Its target was her other self, forcing the demon to manifest outside their shared body.  The spell was working, the demon's larger form taking shape next to Sunset, but the magick was fighting her.

It was Paradox.  Between the Sleeper witness and the general weakening of the tapestry of reality thanks to the nearby Aberrance, the Abyss was trying to hijack her Willworking.

Sunset called its taint into her body, refusing to allow it yet another foothold into the world.  As her spell finished, something inside Sunset took the brunt of the alien focus.  Her head ached as she felt warm trickles running from one ear and her nose.

"What, you think giving me a separate form will stop me?"  The demon cackled.  "I have access to your magick.  Even if I can't cut them with that knife, I can still use your Mind magick to give them aneurysms."

Sunset wiped the blood running from her nose as she glared at her dark reflection.  "You'll have to go through me first."

"You can barely stand.  What are you going to do?"

"I can shackle you again."

Ethereal manacles formed about the demon's wrists, chaining it to Sunset's soul.  More chains wrapped about its body, binding it tightly.  The demon responded by shattering them with nothing more than a quick flexing of its arms.

"Was that really the best you could do?  You're too weak to stop me now."

A thick rope wrapped about the demon's neck.  When it tried to pull the cord loose, strong coils bound wrists and then proceeded down to hold the monster in place.  No matter the struggles, the bindings held.

"The chains were just to get you cocky.  Your power is limited to what I give you, after all, and I'm taking it back.  Now go back to where you belong."

"I'm still just a piece of you.  All this does is place me right back in your head."

Sunset was silent as the personification of her dark urges faded.  When it was fully reabsorbed, it tried to apply pressure again, to take control, but the shackles held.

'You'll never be rid of me,' her other self whispered.

'That wasn't my goal.  You overstepped your bounds, which is why I restrained you again.  There are other, better targets, and that's when I'll need you.'

There was no response.  Sunset could feel her hands shaking, the pounding in her head a merciless ache.  The blood had stopped, but she knew she had pushed herself too hard in that battle.

She cut the twine holding Lyra's hands then gave her the knife to complete the process of freeing herself.  When the chair was vacant, Sunset collapsed into it as Lyra freed Bon Bon.

Midnight placed a hand on Sunset's shoulder and said, "Let me get you home."

"No, not yet.  I still have something I have to do."

She watched with concern as Bon Bon took the knife, but the confectioner merely slid it into a drawer.  She hid the gun in a holster strapped to her thigh, then held out her hand.

"My mobile?"

"Oh, here."  Sunset fished the device from her pocket and returned it.  "For whatever it might be worth ... I'm sorry."

"What now?  You said you needed something else?"

"Yeah, I-"  Sunset had to pause as a coughing fit overcame her.  The hand she held before her mouth came away with specks of fresh blood, its taste in the back of her throat.

Lyra held a glass of water to her, a bit of concern in her gaze.  "Are you okay?"

"You're worried about me?"

"Well, you did threaten us, but you changed your mind and even hurt yourself to stop whatever that was, so ... I guess we're even."  The guilt Sunset had felt and seen in her grew heavier as she quietly added, "It's not like you don't have a right to be angry."

"Perhaps, that doesn't mean I had the right to threaten you like that."  Sunset downed the water and pushed herself to her feet.  "I know it's ridiculous of me to ask this after what I've done, but will you help me track down and take care of the people that were involved in this, Bon Bon?"

"What do you mean?"

"Most of us aren't out to hurt anyone.  We just want to study and learn more about magick.  A few ... lose control of themselves.  One of the oldest, most respected members of my group betrayed us and probably lured the Witch Hunters here.  There's another group of crazy Mages that hate magick and are trying to exterminate us.  I'd like your help to stop them."  When Bon Bon said nothing, Sunset added, "I understand if you don't trust me, and I wouldn't ask if I had other options.  It'll be dangerous, but the Banishers need to be put down before they can hurt anyone else.  Remember that residential complex?  That was the Banishers going after a single Mage.  They don't care about collateral damage."

Bon Bon shook her head.  Sunset expected rejection, but the Vigilante replied, "Fine, I'll help you, but Lyra doesn't know how to fight, so she stays behind."

"I'm going."  Lyra held up a hand to forestall her roommate's objections.  "It's my fault Applejack and Fluttershy and the others died.  I'll do as much as I can, no matter what."

"Lyra, being exposed to our magick is dangerous for you."  Sunset fixed the musician in her gaze, hoping she would be able to convince Lyra to stay home.  "It drives Sleepers insane.  It can even kill you if your mind overloads.  Please believe me when I say that I understand feeling guilty, but-"

"I'm going."  Lyra's eyes held the guilt Sunset expected, but their hardened edges also made clear her resolve.  "This isn't open to debate.  I'm going, and you can't stop me unless you decide not to call Sweetie Drops."

"Then you need to get yourselves ready for now," Sunset said.  "I have another meeting.  After that, I'll call with the instructions."

"I understand.  I'll...."  Bon Bon sighed when Lyra glared at her.  "We'll be there."

"Thank you."

Sunset and Midnight left the flat together.  They did not speak until they were in Sunset's car.

"How did you know?"

"I heard what happened to Pixie.  When you weren't home, I put two-and-two together."

"What about going into the Shadow?"

"They had me place wards and then told me to stay safe.  As far as I know, you and I are the only Mages left on the Material side of the city except for the Banishers."

"Good.  That'll work perfectly for my plan."

"Which is?"

"It's time to put an end to this."  Sunset reached into her glove box and extracted a packet of wet wipes to clean her face.  "I'm going to find those bastards.  Are you coming with me?"

Midnight sat up in her seat, staring at her friend in disbelief as she shook her head.  "Sunset, you look like you've got one hit point left."

"You're really into Button's game nights, aren't you?"

"I'm serious, damn it!  Skinning your knee would be enough to do you in.  Let's go back to your sanctum, get some rest, and then find them."

"No, Midnight.  Every moment we ignore them, that's time for them to plan another attack.  I'm not letting anyone else die if I can do something to stop it.  Are you with me?"

She let herself fall back into her seat, staring forward with a resolute glint in her eyes as she replied, "Fine.  Let's ask the Supernal Tarot; if anything can find the Banishers, it will."

"Not yet."  Sunset started her car.  "I going to meet with Pinkie Pie first.  I want to ask the Lost for help."

"They probably won't come out of hiding."

"I know, but there's no one else I can ask.  I have to try."

"Then we're going together."

Sunset called her Changeling friend, who answered quickly.  Without preamble, she asked, "Can you request an audience at your Freehold?  We've nearly been exterminated and we need help, no matter what."

"That big building was your Consilium?  We all felt whatever happened to it."

"Most of the others were inside.  As far as we can tell, none of them survived.  We've got maybe thirty left."

"Sweetie Belle and-"

"They're gone, Pinkie Pie.  A traitor almost completely wiped us out.  Request that audience.  I'll lick boots if I have to, but we're putting an end to this before more of us die."

"Okay.  I'll call you back."

Pinkie's voice was subdued.  Sunset could picture her friend with limp hair, possibly crying, but the image did nothing to her.

She had to wait for Pinkie's call and was unsure what to do with the interim.  They stopped at a convenience store for a snack and a drink, Sunset not realising until Midnight suggested it how peckish she was.  Only a few minutes later, Pinkie called.

"Fall Queen will meet you now.  Where are you?"  Sunset checked her location and reported it.  "Okay, take the next right and park wherever you can.  I'll meet you on the street in a few minutes."

True to her word, Pinkie Pie stepped from an alley while Sunset waited.  They exchanged quiet greetings, then Sunset asked, "I'm guessing we'll need to use the Hedge to get there?"

"Yeah, that'll let us keep the Freehold's location secret.  Ready?  Just follow my lead when we get there.  Fall Queen will let you know when it's your turn to speak."

As they had during the few journeys Sunset had taken into the Hedge with Pinkie, the women joined hands, linking their fingers.  Midnight had been in the Hedge a few times, but never for long.  It was clear that she was fascinated, but she remained focused on the task.  The trip was short, though Sunset paid little attention to it.  She was thinking of what to say, how to present the best case to get the Lost to join the fight.  They made no secret of their loathing for their supernatural neighbours.  Persuading them of anything would be a fight Sunset hoped to win.

They exited the Hedge into a hallway.  Beyond a vast set of double doors, Sunset could see what she assumed was the Freehold.  As they entered a ballroom, the quiet conversations of the assembled Changelings ceased, all eyes turning to Sunset Shimmer and Pinkie Pie, with Midnight a little behind them.  An older woman sat upon a throne of mottled light-and-dark-brown wood, thorny brown and green vines crawling up its sides to crown the top as it formed the shape of a leaf.  Fall Queen wore a dress that would have been at home in a nineteenth century historical film.

She regarded Sunset coolly.

"Greetings, Awakened.  Dame Candy states that you wish to visit my court with a diplomatic proposal.  You may approach."

Following Pinkie, they stepped toward the throne, stopping when she did.  Pinkie Pie, who was wearing a skirt, curtsied.  Sunset and Midnight did the same, though their jeans left them mimicking an air dress.

"Your Majesty," Pinkie began, "I bring the Awakened known as Sparky and Midnight Radiance before the throne because I believe what they have to say is important to all of the Lost.  The Awakened are under attack, and they have come to request our aid."

Several murmurs from the crowd began.  Sunset could feel the hostility in the air.  Fall Queen's expression did not change.

"You may speak.  Why should the Lost risk ourselves in an Awakened war?"

Sunset took a deep breath and replied, "This war doesn't just affect the Awakened.  All of us in this city maintain a balance together, and our end will disrupt that for all.  The Witch Hunters who started the war are no longer a threat, but a more insidious one remains.  Fallen Awakened betrayed us, while those whose Awakenings drove them to madness are also present in an effort to exterminate us.  Few of us remain-"

"Good riddance," someone in the assembly called.  "The fewer Spellslingers, the better."

"You brought about your own destruction."

"Living out of the natural order drew your enemy's eyes to you, as well as the threat of our own enemies noticing us."

Sunset pushed back the rage that threatened to drive her into attacking the Changelings that had spoken.  The reassuring hands of Pinkie and Midnight squeezing her shoulders helped.

She resumed speaking.  "Yes, we are aware of what you think of us and how we do things.  We can't help being what we are.  Most of us live within our own order.  We did not ask to Awaken, and we can't go back.  Is that so different for the Lost?  We move forward as we have become, trying to make new lives that incorporate what we are now, and we only wished to be left alone.  Now, because one of our own gave herself to darkness, we're nearly gone.  I have lost many dear friends, as have many other Awakened.

"Our enemies will not be content with us alone.  They will turn their attention against anything magickal, be they Kindred, Uratha, or Lost.  If we all die, there will be no one left who can teach you how to protect yourselves from our abilities.  The Lost will be hunted as well."

"We are already hunted, Sparky," Fall Queen said.  "We are and have always been the hare before the dog.  Because of this, we are skilled at evading the traps of our pursuers.  Your enemies will never find us if we do not wish it."

"Perhaps not, but the balance our peoples have maintained in this city will be gone.  You may not think much of how we use our powers, but we keep to our own order with its rules and patterns.  Our enemies do not.  They throw their power about with a reckless abandon that will draw others here, be they more Hunters or Awakened or something else.  Is that a risk the Lost can take?  Can you hide forever as one wave after another crashes into our city?  Sooner or later, even the deepest hiding place will break open and expose you."

Most of the court booed her.  Pinkie gave another friendly shoulder squeeze before speaking.  "Your Majesty, I agree with Sparky.  We can hide.  We could even flee into the Hedge.  We can do what we've always done.  Even if we remain hidden until everybody that would come to our city is gone, what would be left for us?  Emotions everywhere are already in turmoil; how much worse will it be after more battles rage?  Would we abandon our Freehold?"

Fall Queen replied, "I will consult and return with a decision.  You are to wait here."

"Yes, Your Majesty," all three supplicants replied.

She stood and left her throne, strolling into a back room with a few other Changelings.  Those remaining did not approach them, whispering to one another comments meant for her to overhear.  At least one suggested binding their Awakened guests before leaving the women in the Hedge for 'Them' to find.  It was a reasonable concern that some might attempt it were it not for the fact that she knew the Lost would not attack a supplicant that had been granted permission to visit.

Only a few minutes after leaving them, Fall Queen returned.  When she was settled on her throne, she spoke.  "The Freehold will not join a war that is not our own.  We will, however, allow members of the Freehold to participate of their own free will.  Any doing so will be responsible for arranging their own contracts for services rendered.  Sparky, Midnight Radiance, you may depart.  You have my guarantee of safe passage from the Freehold.  Dame Candy, escort them back through the Hedge."

"Yes, Your Majesty.  I thank the Fall Throne and wish to report that I will be absent until the conflict ends."

Fall Queen raised a hand.  "A moment, Sparky.  On second thought, it occurs to me that perhaps you can find assistance elsewhere.  In a certain place at the edge of the city, a group of beings called the Created have paused in their journey.  They are unnatural in a way that nothing else we know can be, but they may be willing to aid you in this battle.  If you wish it, Dame Candy may give you their location.  Be warned, though, Sparky:  Even your kind struggle to find peace in their presence.  They are a dangerous ally."

"Thank you, Your Majesty.  I appreciate this suggestion and will gladly return the favour, if you so wish it, once the war is ended."

Fall Queen waved her from the room.  They all curtsied again, backing from the throne as Pinkie did until they reached a certain point, at which they turned their backs to it and walked into the entrance they had used.

When they were in the Hedge again, Sunset asked, "Where can I find those Created she mentioned?"

"Are you sure you wanna try that?  There's really something wrong with them.  Even I can't get close and say hello."

"Better a dangerous ally than being butchered.  I have to try."

Pinkie gave her the address as they reached the street.  With a thanks and a promise to call when she was ready, Sunset and Midnight left.

"What do you know about the Created?" Sunset asked.

"Not much.  They use alchemical symbols in their magick, and they tend to inspire hatred in those that get physically close to them.  A few reports talk about them feeling 'off' somehow, but the writers never elaborate in a way that means anything."

"Do you think they'd be willing to talk?"

That earned a shrug.  "They're kind of like the Lost:  They stay to themselves.  I've never heard of them being hostile to us, but that doesn't mean anything."

"Are you coming with me?"

"I want to, but I need to check on the others and get a few things arranged for confronting the Banishers.  Can you drop me at my flat?"

Sunset did as requested.  Before leaving the car, Midnight hugged her.

"No matter what happens, please don't scare me like that again.  You're not the only one who's lost people you love.  I don't want to lose you."

"I'll try."