After the movie was over and it was close to five o’clock Luna had Twilight quickly rearrange the living room so all the couches and recliner were in a wide circle for all the girls to sit in. Luna took the recliner as Sunset and Twilight took the two-seater couch and Lemon, Trixie and Lyra took the three-seat couch.

“Alright,” started Luna with a clap of her hands. “This is the official start of the gathering of the Lunar Coven and outside participants. Welcome, outsiders Lemon Zest, Sunset Shimmer, and Twilight Sparkle. I believe we all know each other well enough or barely enough to forgo name introductions. However, as newly awakened we do require that introduction. It is also one of the reasons we are gathering here today.”

Sunset raised her hand.

“Yes, Sunset Shimmer?” asked Luna.

“The Lunar Coven? Also doesn’t this feel a little cheesy? A meeting in your living room?”

Luna nodded and replied seriously, “Yes, but what else would you suggest? That we rent out some local arena or building to hold a meeting in? The most serious of places we could discuss this is my home, of whom is this gathering’s only adult. This is no movie with secret bases and code names like that of a child would play.”

Lyra smirked. “Not entirely, anyway. We can use titles though if we want.”

“Yes, Lyra Heartstrings is correct. Now, to properly start this meeting I want everyone to bear the proof of your awakening.”

“Pardon?” asked Twilight.

“Ahem,” said Trixie. “Behold!”

Lemon watched as Trixie snapped her fingers while leaning in against the arm of the couch. Within two seconds her body blurred and disappeared beneath winding extravagant purple scarves and shredded scraps of black robes that enshrouded her entire being. A large wide-brim witches hat snapped into existence atop her head that cast her face in a shadow no light could pierce.

When Trixie spoke her voice echoed ominously, “Trixie has demonstrated what Luna means.”

“Totally a witch,” whispered Lyra to Lemon.

“Oh. I don’t know how to do that,” said Sunset.

“Neither do I,” said Twilight.

Luna appraised the two with a discerning eye. “Yes… Trixie mentioned that the events at the high school may have awakened you two in a different manner than our own. Fret not, children. As our newest awakened, care to try and explain it, Lemon Zest?”

All eyes turned to Lemon which caused her to sink into the couch. She wasn’t normally a shy person, far from it, but this situation was putting her in the spotlight. It was far too similar to being in school with the teacher calling on her to answer a problem she wasn’t positive she knew.

“Aight, I’ll try.” Lemon thought about how Trixie did it but knew that line of thought wouldn’t get her anywhere. Trixie was far more experienced than her, and with the girl herself watching she didn’t want to appear incompetent.

Everyone said she had awakened due to her nightmare. The dream of fighting that giant monster was somehow a turning point. Lemon thought about the dream and felt something in the back of her mind. It felt physical, a thrum that felt like the pressure similar to a headache but without the pain.

“I’m thinking about my dream, the nightmare that we experienced. When I do it feels like I have a headache, but it’s not painful. The more I focus on it, the stronger it gets.” Lemon focused on it to the point that she shut her eyes. She envisioned the sound like a tune, a wavelength that beat back the darkness. “I feel like I can see it. Just… if I…”

That thrum suddenly shot from her head to her entire body. It enveloped her in a warmth that she didn’t know she was missing like a blanket on a cold day. Her eyes shot open to see everyone staring at her with wide or accepting eyes.

Everything was green.

Lemon looked herself over and was surprised. Head to toe she was covered in a pink and black suit that reminded her of the armored motocross suits. Her gloves were comparatively thin except with small speakers set inside the palms and on her feet were pink and black rollerblades with shock green wheels. Her head was covered with a helmet that had a thin green visor that hid her whole face.

“Woah, I look like one of those racers that ride the motorbikes,” muttered Lemon as she flexed her gloves. The entire suit was surprisingly comfortable and not at all restricting like she thought it might be.

“That is odd,” said Luna.

“What, did I do it wrong?” asked Lemon. When she looked up at Luna she noticed something odd, although not what Luna was mentioning. A small green tune, a visible audio line similar to a heart monitor, hovered over Luna’s head from Lemon’s perspective. It beat rhythmically, a steady pace that never skipped a beat.

“No, you did not. It is merely that you are the only one we have seen so far that is not what you would strictly call fantasy themed.” Luna held a hand up to her ear and gave it a small snap. Much like Trixie, she blurred for a moment to be replaced by something else.

A feminine set of detailed midnight blue heavy armor hovered in midair. Black smoke fluttered and solidified into a makeshift body that held the armor together in a humanoid form. A pair of large swords were hovering around it before settling on its back. Two teal flames lit up inside its helmet before developing a slit-like pupil.

Twilight, Sunset, and Lemon all jumped back into their seats in fright. Lemon noticed that the tunes above the other two girl’s heads were going erratic and spiking heavily.

“By the sun, Luna! You look like a freaking nightmare!” yelled Sunset.

Twilight held a hand to her chest and breathed deeply. “Oh, I was so not ready for that.”

When Luna spoke it was her normal voice unaffected by her new form. “Ah yes, apologies. I forgot how this would appear to others. Trixie is so fond of saying this is our true selves, yet I find nothing symbolic about this regarding my own person.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Yes, because there’s nothing symbolic about a woman whose outer personality is like armor yet inside is so—”

The two flame eyes of Luna flared up at Trixie which made her words die in her throat.

“...Right.”

Lyra jumped up on the couch and pointed both hands at Twilight and Sunset. “Don’t listen to them! I’ll teach you girls how to manifest. You’ve already seen yourselves once when dreamwalking, right? Just focus on that image and imagine you’re putting yourself on like a suit or clothing. It’s easiest to develop a signal or habit that helps that focus. Trix and V.P. Luna do it with snaps, but me?

“Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble!” In no time at all Lyra was actually not all that different.

Sunset examined Lyra. “Well, you don’t really have as much an impact as Trixie or Luna. It just looks like you took off your robe and put on medieval traveling clothes and doubled on some cool effeminate cloth armor decked out in jewelry.”

Lyra puffed out her chest. “Of course. Nothing but me and some witch-like attire. Technically I’m a warlock though. Dark powers, demon summoning, that kinda jazz. Put that aside though cause I’m totally a witch. Hi-yah!”

“Lyra, do not stand on my couch.”

Lyra gulped and immediately sat down. “Sorry, V.P.”

“And that is all of us. Do you think that you can do it? You are welcome to stay even if you cannot, but it becomes a bit more awkward. Not as much as being the adult in a room full of teenagers.” Luna relaxed in her recliner. “Your form will be far more comfortable, although we have yet to figure out why.”

Twilight and Sunset shared a look before they both gave it a try. It took several minutes but both managed to become their new dream-related forms. Sunset was a more brilliant version of the ‘Daydream Shimmer’ as Rainbow Dash enjoyed calling it. Twilight was herself, much like Lyra, but in a magician’s robe that was made up of galaxies and stars with a blue horn and blue feathered wings out her back.

“Everyone is totally cool,” said Lemon.

“It’s true to both statements,” replied Twilight Sparkle. “This is similar to being weightless and free of physical constrictions that we normally deal with on a daily basis. It’s far more comfortable because for whatever reason we aren’t bound by physics as hard as we normally are. Of course they still apply. I do question why I appear as I do, but that’s a question we all wonder, huh?”

Luna and Lyra nodded while Trixie huffed.

“Okay,” started Sunset. “This meeting has been really vague about what it’s going to tell us. Trixie’s explanations were far from great, so I believe that you’ll be explaining things now, Luna?”

“Yes, you are correct, Sunset. However, I will state right now that while Trixie is far from the best at explaining things—”

“Hey!”

“—she is the most senior of us regarding these circumstances. I myself awakened to this strange phenomenon just after the Friendship Games with Lyra joining me a week after that.”

Twilight began writing in a composition notebook that Lemon hadn’t noticed her bring in or hold at all since she was here. Where did she get it? “Did you and Lyra awaken as you put it due to being attacked by a nightmare like Lemon Zest?”

“Yes. However, just because we awakened due to those dreadful events with nightmares does not mean that are the key factor,” said Luna.

“What do you mean?”

“Nightmares are cunning, violent and dangerous. We do not know why they exist or how, but they are always involved in the awakening process except for you and Sunset Shimmer. However, not everyone maimed or attacked by a nightmare ends up being awakened.”

Luna sighed, her exhale being a bit of black smoke. “Trust me on this. Otherwise we would have dozens of awakened if not the whole school.”

Sunset sat up straight. “There’s been that many nightmares? Trixie said she’d only fought ten or so.”

“Eleven now,” stated Trixie with confidence.

“No, there has only been perhaps twenty so far involving or near Canterlot High School, at least as far as we can tell. It’s just that they are very elusive and hurt many people in their paths. Most of it has been minor, a scare or a few scratches, but they grow the more they act and longer they live. Lemon’s nightmare was but a week old. A baby that was truly easily dealt with.”

Lemon shivered at the thought of all that being the easiest to deal with. “So, like, how do you find out about this stuff.”

“Oh, you know,” said Lyra. “V.P. Luna has been acting as the guidance counselor for the last couple months. Those nasty nightmare buggers absolutely love sending kids and the like into a panic or anxiety attacks. I was one of them, you know!”

“Correct. Our data regarding nightmares is a far cry from proper research but as of yet none have started off on a big scale attack. It always starts small with signs that someone like myself can catch if luck is on my side before it gets to the point of injury or lives being threatened.”

“What!? How come we haven’t heard about this?” asked Sunset.

“Ahem. Miss Shimmer, do you not recall the events at camp a couple weeks ago? That was one such life threatening event, yet everyone appears to have forgotten or suppressed it. The same could be said for the Friendship Games. While the students as C.H.S. gossip, anything truly dangerous or the like appears to be fleeting. I cannot help but wonder if it is less enticing than that of what the local soccer captain and gymnastics leader are doing behind the gym.”

Trixie looked at Luna. “Wait, what was that about romantic rumors? Trixie has to know about this.”

Lyra leaned over and whispered loudly, “Shh, I’ll tell you later.”

Twilight was continuing to take notes as Sunset began asking the questions. Lemon didn’t have much to offer or say in the first place. This was far above what she normally did, although it appeared that everyone else dealt with the strange and abnormal on a frequent basis.

It felt nice to be included.

“Okay, so we don’t have much data on the what, who and why of these nightmare creatures,” said Twilight. ”The same can be said for our transformations. Hmm, yes, well Sunset and I have experience due to the equestrian magic that lets us pony up, but this seems to be an entirely different set of rules.”

“Oh, they all have a common point, don’t they?” mentioned Lemon.

Luna held out a sharp armored hand. It spun and twisted in a way that would have broken a normal person’s limb. Slowly a blue flame sparked into existence hovering just above the palm before developing its own thin pupil to stare at Sunset.

“Magic.” Luna extinguished the flame by crushing it in a fist.

“Yes yes, Trixie knows. There’s horse magic and dream magic. Two different magics for two different worlds. Easy peasy, what’s next?” Trixie stuffed some peanuts into the darkness of her hat and everyone heard the crunch of her eating.

Lyra raised a hand high over her head. “Ooh, oh. Pick me!”

Luna gestured to Lyra. “Go ahead.”

“Okay, so we’ve totally been calling this magic human magic due to there being that horse magic that the Shimmer Crew all have, right?”

Lemon noticed that the tune above Sunset’s head flared bright and spiked once.

“So Trixie totally mentioned that it should be called dream magic, cause, you know, dreams. Right, right, we haven’t really discussed that yet. Anyway, guess what? C’mon guess. Anyone? Nevermind I’ll just tell you. Just yesterday I have confirmed there is, in fact, human magic!”

Everyone was silent before all the girls erupted in chatter trying to talk over one another. Luna clapped her hands together causing a loud metallic ringing. “Quiet down please. Lyra, continue.”

“Right-o. So, you know how I’m totally into witches and witchcraft and stuff?”

“No, Trixie had absolutely zero idea.”

“Aww, Trix is so cute when she’s sarcastic.”

“You can’t even see my face, how dare you call me cute!”

“And when she breaks her third person thing. Hah! Anyway—”

“Don’t you anyway Trixie!”

“I’ve been a long practicing witch. They’re just so amazing and cool, you know? Occasionally I practice doing spells and brewing potions and such. Of course none of it ever worked. I mean, duh, witchcraft isn’t real. Well, no, it is but I’m totally not a witch. Wait, no, I am a witch but… okay, a lot of changes and stuff have happened in the last few months. Fact is I’m actually an actual witch now because witchcraft is totally real. My last potion I brewed turned out to be real!”

Trixie sat straight up at this. “Real potions? Are you sure?”

“Yes! Why else do you think the popular sports captains are making out behind the gym? That was me! Okay, I know that sounds creepy but in my defense I didn’t think it’d work.” Lyra rubbed her shoulder with an embarrassed flush. “See, I told you I’d tell you later.”

“And that is it. We have the equestrian magic that seven of my students are gifted with, the awakening of people to the ability of dream magic and now Lyra’s discovery that witchcraft is real.” Luna clasped her hands together. “I would dare to say that it might not just be witchcraft, but all magical myths.”

A chill covered the room that made everyone shiver except for Lemon. “Wait, sorry but I’m not following.”

The tune above Twilight was ecstatic, bouncing so fast that if it was an actual heart monitor she would likely to have a seizure. Yet she was calm and analytical when she said, “It means that every myth, legend and otherwise fabled magical practice or event might have truth. It may become something real and tangible that people can use in this day and age of science. If that happened it would be chaos. I wouldn’t say a few magical incidents can break the hold on science as you can clearly see with the events that transpire with these nightmares and Sunset’s many magical events.

“However, if it was not a few but many? This isn’t like whatever event granted us the access to dream magic. This is magic that can be studied off of the internet or books. Knowledge would have to be restricted. Banned even, but that’s nearly impossible with the internet and instant communication unlike in older medieval times.”

“Oh,” said Lemon. “So that dream world of monsters and superheroes wouldn’t be impossible, huh?”

“No, it wouldn’t. Magic wouldn’t be the end of society,” said Sunset. Her tune was completely stable as she steepled her fingers. “However the time period of which humanity would have to adapt to magic would crumble cities or countries.”

“Fortunately,” started Luna. “There is one aspect of this that is in our favor.”

“What’s that?” asked Twilight.

The front door opened drawing everyone’s attention.

Celestia stepped inside with a couple bags full of groceries. After she closed the door and put up her shoes and keys she froze at the scene of the living room. “Oh. Oh dear. Luna, you didn’t tell me we were having guests. It’s almost dinner time! Well, I believe we have enough to feed the children.”

She nodded at everyone as she walked by and towards the kitchen. “Everyone is welcome to stay for dinner if they enjoy spaghetti. Don’t let me get in your way of the tutoring. Ah, not that I expect that Miss Shimmer and Miss Sparkle would need it. Nevertheless, carry on.”

Lemon furrowed her eyebrows. “What just happened?”

“Yes, I second that question,” said Twilight.

“Wow, Trixie. I didn’t know you needed to be tutored.” A smug grin was on Sunset’s face.

“Nay to your saying, Shimmer! Trixie has grades that are great and awe-inspiring.”

“I thought you managed a three-point-oh g.p.a,” muttered Lyra.

Trixie pulled at her hat and muffled her scream.

“Ahem. If you would notice that my sister did not comment on us?”

Lemon said, “I noticed.”

“I have theorized that it is what has been preventing news of all these magical incidents from spreading. Even the ones involved forget or suppress the events even if they know it happened. Not as we know it, no, but they will remember what they think happened.”

“What does that have to do with this? I thought she would just be used to seeing your Lunar Coven meeting up,” said Sunset.

“A good guess but no dice, Shimmer,” said Trixie. “The Veil protects all non-awakened from seeing our animus’. They instead simply see us as we were. The principal saw us as a group of teenagers and Luna meeting in a room, not a bunch of magically transformed beings.”

“Witches.”

“Avatars.”

“Trixie uses her own terminology!”

Twilight was back to writing in her notebook. “Does that include magic we use as well? That this veil that Trixie mentioned somehow alters their perception of the magical reality in front of normal people and presents the most normal or easily explainable scene?”

“Um.” Luna’s blazing eyes managed to blink. “I like your explanation much better than my own. Yes, let us go with that.”

Sunset sighed. “So that explains a lot. Okay, so what I’ve gathered so far is that a lot of your, our, knowledge is based on experience. As far as anyone can tell we’re the pioneers. The forefront of this oncoming magic. Correct?”

“Correct,” said Luna. “I consider both myself and you all more fortunate for it. Myself because I would hate to imagine a bunch of superpowered teens without the supervision or guidance of an adult who understands.”

Everyone shared a look and glanced at Trixie.

“What? What?” asked Trixie.

Twilight squealed as she shook Sunset. “Sunset, Sunset! New magic, new theories. This is so very exciting!”

“For once Trixie can agree with Sparkle on something.”

“I needn’t remind everyone of the danger that new magic poses, yet I will do so. I will state it again that this is dangerous. Twice as much so if not more due to the presence of the nightmare creatures and the dream realms they create,” said Luna.

“Oh yeah, that freaky dream world. Ah… I was really terrified pretty much the entire time but nothing bad happened to me really. Trixie and Sunset however…” Lemon glanced at the two girls.

“Psh. That was easy for the great and powerful Trixie.”

Sunset grimaced. “Not sorry to say that it wasn’t as easy for me. I’ve never experienced falling a few stories and all but breaking my entire skeleton. I’d rather not have that happen again.”

“Then you will want to abstain from facing the nightmares in their realms. From what Trixie described it was truly an easy battle. Yes, I speak after wading through her constant exaggerations and boasting. For one, no one died during the dream. It is a relief at that. Secondly is that you won on your first try.”

Sunset blinked. “Wait, try?”

“Death?” Twilight shivered her shoulders.

Trixie went quiet as did Lyra.

Luna leaned forward in the recliner. “Yes. I have fought seven of the nightmares in their realms, Lyra three and Trixie eleven. Would you not think that we would lose or perish at least once?”

“Um, statistically speaking? Yes, I had hoped nobody had,” said Twilight.

“The dream realms that we have come across are all different. The realities, the eras, the people and places have never once been the same. However, there is always a goal for the dreamers to complete. You will know it once you enter. Such is the nature of things we assume.”

“The memories?” asked Lemon.

“Correct. We have been in three different rulings for memories so far. The first and most common is that we are supplanted into a role. A life not our own complete with their memories yet we retain ourselves.”

Twilight gasped. “...Retain?”

Luna continued. “The second is that we have memories of the world or what our goal is and remain as our avatars. This is typically in our favor as we are using our abilities we have accumulated and are experienced with.”

“Oh Tartarus…”

“The third is one only myself and Trixie experienced. I can only hope that it was an exception but I feel like it is not. It is a dream where you are planted into a life not your own, with memories not your own, abilities not your own and without anything of your real self left.”

Lemon held a hand over her mouth. “You mean you don’t exist? You just up and become another person?”

“Correct,” said Luna sourly. “We were lucky in that the trial was cleared. When Trixie and I exited we remembered everything very clearly, but were helpless inside the dream.”

“But how did you do it? I mean, there had to be some way, right?” asked Lemon.

“The possessed dreamer. I will not reveal who they are out of respect and their privacy, but I will say that they are the only one lucid during the dream. The roles any helping awakened offer turned into people and resources that the dreamer could use.”

“But if the possessed person was completely new…” Twilight had tears in her eyes.

“Such was the case I’m afraid.”

Lyra clapped her hands. “Enough of this pity party! Sad things are sad but let’s not focus on that. Nothing we can do about it but be vigilant, right? Yeah!”

“And if we die in the dream?” asked Sunset in a quiet voice.

“Terrible things happen. I would vote to take Lyra’s suggestion at not focusing on it but everyone new has a right to know what would transpire should that situation arise,” said Luna. “Unlike death in reality, of which is a possibility when fighting nightmares here, dying in their dream realms happens far too frequently. Sometimes nothing happens to you yourself, merely a run of unfortunate luck.”

“Or you can have the mind of the person you replaced in the dream instead replace you in reality,” added Trixie.

“Trix! There’s this thing called tact,” said Lyra while scowling at Trixie.

“Trixie had tact when she mentioned it upon their first dream battle. Now that we’re revealing the nitty gritty they deserve to know,” argued Trixie so fiercely you could imagine herself scowling as well.

“Enough, children,” said Luna. “You are both right. Nevertheless, losing yourself is one of the worst outcomes we have seen, yet not the worst. That would be that for whatever reason and rules these creatures play by if they manage to fell you in their realms there is a chance they can plant an egg inside you.”

Twilight squirmed. “Inside me?”

“Metaphorically speaking as it’s not a physical egg. A nightmare egg in your psyche would spawn when it finds a chance and begin the process all over with yourself as its host.”

“Is that why there are only three of you but you all have fought so many?” asked Sunset.

Luna shook her head. “No, Sunset Shimmer. There are a few more awakened such as us. However, they are not up to the task of risking their lives and sanity to battle these nightmarish creatures. No one may fault them as the awakening by nightmare is hardly pleasant or safe. Miss Lemon Zest is the fortunate one to run into three other awakened to help her in her time of need.”

Lemon bowed her head to the three girls who helped her. “Thanks so much, girls. Yeah, jeez, I couldn’t imagine what that’d be like on my own. Or, no, I can totally imagine it. Not cool. Definitely not cool at all.”

“No worries, Lemon. Me and Twilight are glad to help.”

“Of course. Anytime, anywhere,” said Twilight.

“Trixie as well, although maybe not anytime. Trixie has a schedule and is very busy. Although she can try and make time for a friend in need.”

Lemon was grateful that she had a visor hiding her face as she felt the blush so much that it made her dizzy.

Celestia poked her head out from behind a wall. “Dinner is ready if any of you girls are hungry.”

Luna, in all her floating armor glory, stood up and started off towards the kitchen.

“Wait, we’re eating like this?” asked Twilight toward Luna and the group who started to follow her lead.

Luna shrugged. “A brief recess for dinner and we will resume our meeting. It takes an amount of magic to conjure our forms. That and it is much harder to get spaghetti stains out of clothing than it is to undo a transformation.”

Twilight was puzzled as she mumbled about immaterial clothing, laundry and other things under her breath that weren't caught by Lemon when she headed into the kitchen. Her thoughts went toward the nachos she had just eaten not a couple hours ago, yet she was already hungry enough for a full meal. The mystery of her appetite aside she hoped that it didn’t all go to her waist.

The food was delicious and dinner passed by uneventfully. Everyone was discussing their opinions and debating over facts and discoveries in the meeting afterward. It was comfortable for Lemon Zest to be a part of a close circle like this, even if she was a new member. New friends and a social circle that she would belong to. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being a witch in a coven, but a friend in a group of people that accepted her was all she needed.

Another hour passed as it was getting late in the night. Sunset and Twilight left after the meeting was over with Lemon hanging around for a bit more as she talked with Trixie and Lyra. Luna got caught by her sister and was temporarily dragged away to do something that none of the teens wanted to worry about. Soon enough it was time for Lyra and Lemon to leave to make it for the last bus. Trixie saw them off with a wave which made Lemon wonder if she did, in fact, live there or not.

Lyra was a bright person. Blindingly so, Lemon thought due to how accepting and friendly she was. It was not even a day gone by that she had met Lyra but the girl made her feel as if they had been friends for weeks or months. Something about everyone she had met today felt so different from her schoolmates at Crystal Prep. Lemon wouldn’t say that her schoolmates weren’t kind or friendly but she didn’t realize it could be so much… more.

Unfortunately, Lyra lived quite a ways away from her own stop and had to get off the bus early. With the rest of the ride back quiet and alone Lemon contemplated all the information she had gotten today. It was all so above her head. Maybe it was above everyone else’s too, but they pushed past that and stepped up to the challenge?

Lemon stepped off the bus and sighed at that thought. Could she step up to the challenge of facing nightmarish creatures in both this world and a different one? Maybe, she thought, but also maybe not. She wouldn’t know until she tried. The experience of being stalked and fighting the nightmare of her own wasn’t a good example as it was a forced decision. That and she had plenty of help from those wonderfully cool girls.

If she couldn’t step up to that, maybe she could at least help someone who is down.

From the way the girl’s legs were spread out, her posture in a horrendous slouch against the bus stop bench and her arms over her face covering her expression Lemon could tell the girl was disheartened. She frowned because it was the server girl that had joyfully sold her nachos with being nice and giving her extra.

The meeting earlier went over partial manifestations. To call upon her avatar, or animus she wasn’t sure which term to use, only just enough to use an ability. Lemon tapped her forward while focusing inward.

Everything went green. This time, however, there was no visor. Her eyes and vision instead turned completely green.

A small tune, a wavelength, floated above the depressed girl’s head. It spiked and shook in a chaotic frenzy even though the girl herself was unmoving and dour.

Lemon sat next to the girl on the bench. “Hey.”

She barely moved her arm so she could peek out at Lemon. “Hey.”

“You okay?” asked Lemon.

“No, not at all,” replied the girl.

“Want some company?”

The girl sighed and corrected her posture. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

They sat there for a minute.

“So.”

“So. Want to talk about it?”

“I got fired,” she said simply.

Lemon winced. “It’s okay, I’m sure you’ll get another job.”

“Yeah, maybe. Try explaining that to my sisters. They’ll just tell me how I can’t ever do anything right. That I screwed up again.” The girl sighed again. “Not that they’re wrong, I guess.”

“Hey, girl, don’t be like that. It’ll work out, probably.”

“Probably.”

Lemon scratched her head and held out her other hand. “Well, hey, the nachos were really good. Thanks for that and all, even if it was your job.”

“Thanks?”

“Thanks.”

They both laughed as the girl took Lemon’s hand and shook it.

“I’m Lemon Zest, pleased to meet you,” said Lemon.

“It’s nacho pleasure, it’s all mine,” said the girl with a smile and chuckle. “I’m Sonata. Sonata Dusk.”

Author's Note

Longer than average chapter! Whew, no idea how people write so much. This is a write verbal adventure, it is. Bwuahaha, now it is time to get to the juicy parts. Which are, of course, all this ~~romantic subtexts~~ adventure that's planned!