The Mark of Duty

I will say, despite the occasional bout of existential doubt that gnaws at me because of my shift from humanity, but it definitely has its perks. Namely being able to set internal alarm clocks and needing nearly no sleep. So when I awoke I knew it was exactly 1:03. Which was also only about thirty minutes until Sunset's meds wore off. I wouldn't give her another dose of pure morphine, so I'd have to try and gauge her pain with what she says. Which would suck for both me and Sunset. Mostly Sunset. I sighed and stood up, looking over myself to grumble at my lack of sleep clothes. My armor was in the corner, but I was still wearing the same T-shirt and pants. I rose and grabbed a pair of clothes from my chest of drawers before moving to my bathroom. A quick shower saw me clean of the grime that accompanied my mission, and fresh clothes that were much less athletic. Sweatpants and sweaters are eternal friends late at night.

I moved to the living room and glanced at my small collection of DVDs. Most were light-hearted fun adventures. Sometimes one must escape their own past after all, but I felt nostalgia this morning. With a new family, I was remembering my past family. And while I had some sense of closure with my last set, but I had one that never got anything close to a goodbye. I opened the cabinet and moved the stack of movies to the side, and pulled out a single case. It brought back memories. Me and sam sitting on the floor of our crappy apartment and talking along with the actors as Sam flicked popcorn at me for my awful Obi-Wan impression.

I traced a finger over the case before a groan sounded from Sunset's bedroom. I put the case down and moved to Sunset's room, moving slowly to keep from waking up Clint, who had fallen asleep again outside her room. I walked through the door and found Sunset still on her stomach, with her face looking over to her painter's palette. She made a move to roll over, and as soon as her back touched the bed she groaned again and rolled back onto her stomach. I smirked, my family has always been fighters, no injuries are gonna stop us. I began walking towards her. "Peace Sister, let me help."

She didn't move as I slowly lifted her up and moved her to a sitting position on her bed. Once I got her sitting I glanced at her bandages. There was no blood, but with magical injuries, they could already be mostly healed. No way to tell without asking, which Sunset decided to preempt. "Tartarus, I feel like I took a buck from the Princess in my back."

I smiled at that. My family doesn't stay down. "It should feel much worse, though you appear to be mending properly." I looked at her back as she took a few deep breathes, probably trying to win it back after the ordeal that sitting up was in her current state. "If you're up to it I could find some more pain meds and let you stay asleep all night. Or if you feel too awake for that I have some baby pills to take the edge off and you can watch movies with me."

Sunset paused. "Really? You normally only watch movies alone." She slowly raised her arms in a placating gesture. "Not trying to be rude or anything, but you normally only did it when you... uhh..."

I ruffled her hair lightly, smiling at her flustered look. "Movie night is a sacred thing young one. Something to be shared only with the closest of friends and family."

Sunset looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Or the hundred odd people in a theater?"

I waved my arms as if dispelling her vile hear-say. "No, that is a totally different thing. Movie night is what you do at home, with popcorn and movies you can quote by heart."

Sunset looked at me before nodding. "Buck it, that sounds great." She tried to stand up, only to take a sharp breath as her back moved. I glanced at her before assisting her up. She grimaced at that, but let me help her up while staying mostly silent. I got her standing before moving her over to the living room. She ignored the pain and tried to talk while walking.
"So, I never really paid attention to movie stuff, what are we watching?"

I stared at her with utter horror. "We have been here for two years, and you didn't watch ANY movies?"

She looked at me before smirking. "Ow ouch, don't give the injured little girl grief."

I rolled my eyes, letting her try and walk herself to the couch. Her limps and shuffles would have been funny if I wasn't wincing the entire time. She made it to the chair we had gotten for her. An absolutely atrocious shade of orange that she fell in love with. It was an improvement over the baby vomit chair that used to reside in its place, but that was only by a very small amount. Like less than a percentile. She sat down and leaned forward, keeping her back clear of the fabric on the chair. I grabbed the movie I had chosen and turned on the various electronics to begin movie night. "Well Sunset, at least this means I can show you the best film first." I popped the DVD into the tray and lid the whole assembly shut. "For you see, this movie happened a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away."

***

"Oh come on! Seriously?! I still have so many questions! What's up with that Vader guy, and they just left Luke and Leia's kiss to dangle in the wind!" Movie night was apparently successful so far if Sunset's complaints at the ending of A New Hope were any gauge. She turned to me and put on the pouty-est expression I've ever seen. "Please tell me there's a sequel."

I smiled. "Of course, there's six of them. But it's best to watch them starting with four, it's how they were meant to be seen."

Sunset did a fist pump and grimaced at her back. "Yeah, and maybe some pain pills, I think I'd like those now."

I nodded and got up. "No worries sis. I keep a bunch of basic meds in our kit." I paused at the kitchen and moved to the pantry. "Plus I can make traditional movie night snacks. What do you want to drink?"

I couldn't see Sunset from the pantry, but I heard her call out. "A soda would be nice, and what snacks are movie night snacks?"

I paused and peeked out of the pantry, looking over the half-wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. "You are a sad, sad, little girl, and you have my pity." I grabbed a box of popcorn and threw a bag in the microwave. "And popcorn is the tradition with movies."

While the popcorn popped I ran to the medkit and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen. I shook it quickly, confirming that Sunset hadn't used the whole bottle without me knowing since I bought it. I heard the telltale rattle and moved back to the kitchen. A quick retrieval of both snacks and pills saw me returned to the living room and sitting in my chair. I threw the pills and the soda can at Sunset while putting the popcorn bag on the small table "Okay, we have to talk about a few things before I start the next movie." Sunset winced as I looked at her from my seat. "First off is simple. You're grounded for a week." She sighed and looked down, but I smiled as I grabbed a handful of popcorn. "In other news, we're going bike shopping in a week, I feel like you shouldn't have to take the bus anymore, and since you passed your drivers test a few months ago I feel it would be good for you to get your own ride."

Sunset stared at me as if I just stated that Discord himself had just made her a new necklace. "Wait... WHAT?!" She jumped from her seat, before wincing and reaching a hand to her back. I stood up and began to reach towards her, only for her to hold out a hand stopping me, and sitting back down. She took a moment to center herself before speaking again. "Okay, I'm better now." She winced as she settled back down, but I let her have her independence.

I smiled towards her, trying to show a measure of empathy. "Go ahead and down your pills sister, and of course. You have shown true drive with your recent attempted invasion. Despite your obviously flawed reasoning, I feel like you can overcome the mistakes of your past. So when you get off your probation you and I are going to see the dealership and set you up with a way to get around on your own." Sunset smiled wide, and I couldn't stop the malicious smirk as I leaned back and grabbed the remote. "Of course, you won't have many places to go. You won't get an allowance for a month after today."

I smirked as she groaned. I ignored it, and turned on the movie.