Light From The Dark

Sunset walked out of the bathroom in a huff, only a towel to retain her dignity. "Redheart, I trust you, please don't ask questions you don't want the answer to."

Trixie and Sonata perked up their heads as Sunset raised a hand, with Redheart walking up behind her. "Well none of these are the right ones for you, but the fact you have them raises some frankly disturbing questions I would be a fool not to ask."

Sunset rolled her eyes in annoyance, moving to the fridge and feeling out her thoughts for a check on her reserves. They were healthy, which meant she had been out for far longer than she thought. It also meant she could hopefully confuse Redheart into forgetting about the medicine she had stolen from various gangs across the city. She opened the journal beside the fridge. "Look, I won't need any of them if my last batch is done, so just don't worry about it."

There was a cough from behind her, which Sunset waved her good arm at without worries. "Whoever that is can wait, I'm gonna try to fix myself up a bit more permanently before I deal with anything else." She paused at the portion of the journal that kept track of her known working potions. She ran her good finger down it, trying to take notes on which ones she had used before pausing at a regeneration potion at the bottom of the page. It would exhaust her, making the next day or so turn into a lazy day, but it would patch her up fully. She flinched as a jolt of pain reminded her of the pure pain that was her shoulder right now. She mentally changed her estimate. It would fully heal besides the obvious scar. She pulled out the potion and adjusted her towel, making sure it would stay despite the movements she would soon make. She grabbed the potion with a trio of red crosses written on it.

She tapped the potion against the counter, trying to prepare herself for the thrill ride of pain she would go through. She had healed herself only once with stitches in, and it was not a pleasant experience. She gulped once. "Hey girls, I might need a hand."

Three sets of footsteps began moving behind her, but she didn't turn to face them. Instead, she gestured to the bottle with her head. "I need one of you to raise that to my mouth so I can drink, and the other two to hold my arms and catch me if I fall."

There was a pause before Feint's voice spoke up. "Ok..." Sunset noted the inflection. As opposed to the normal distant and calm facade she put up, this was a much more emotive. Sunset could hear the concern and worry peeking through her single word. A black gloved hand grabbed the bottle, as two sets of hands began resting on Sunset's arms. The bottle was raised, and Sunset began sipping the potion.

Healing potions were designed in Equestria to be sweet-tasting and pleasant in both form and function. Sunset did not have that luxury. Instead, her meager skills meant her potion tasted like ash mixed with chlorine. Luckily, it was normally painless. The key word there is normally. When she dumped most of her reserves into the potion the magic started as a soothing feeling in the depths of her shoulder. She felt muscles reconnect and bones reform under her skin with the grace of a skilled masseuse. And then it hit her skin, and the pain started. The stitches were buried in still living skin repeatedly, and in the back of her mind, Sunset felt blood begin to spill. After a few seconds, the spell noticed the foreign item, and went on changed its path, building the skin from the bottom, forcing the stitches to the surface.

A loud pop echoed in Sunset's apartment, and despite her clinched eyes she could envision the flash of blue as it flew off. That also heralded the worst of her pain, prompting her body to writhe and squirm in the grip of the others. The forced her to the ground slowly, and she felt one of them apply pressure with her knee as the struggles worsened. Another pop echoed and soon became a slow rhythm. Pops and groans filling the area as her own skin were used as a battering ram to rip the stitches out.

She grimaced as she felt her shoulder stop healing, and with a shudder tried to beat back the pain. It took time, but once the struggles stopped she was released, allowing her to focus on the pain. She controlled her breathing, going through the step by step process she had mastered before even being human. With that done, she began concentrating on her body, feeling out where the pain was. She was hardly surprised to find it in her recently healed shoulder and began focusing on it. With her focus firmly placed, she began reminding herself it was healed, and that her brain could stop telling her it had been hurt, forcing her mind to come to terms with her bodies state.

After a few minutes of deep focus her pain receded, and she risked opening her eyes. There was no flash of pain, and she raised a hand to touch her shoulder. There was still a small indent, but the shoulder itself was working. WIth a few rotations, she confirmed it worked and sprawled her hands over the floor. "That really really sucks."

She was caught off guard by a decidedly masculine voice whispering behind her. "Holy shit."

Sunset wanted to make a shocked noise, or perhaps an annoyed one at an unknown house guest. Unfortunately, all she could really do was yawn. "Yeah yeah, magical girl. Who in Tartarus just talked?"

There was an awkward cough that Sunset knew was a call to look behind her, but that amount of effort was beyond her will. The only movement she had planned was eventually getting into bed. Then she realized Sonata was still here, so there would have to be a slight detour to a closet for some spare sheets to operate the fold-out bed in her couch.

An unfamiliar face entered her view. Two-tone hair, pink skin, she knew who it was. After a moment she spoke up. "Hey Feint, what are you still doing here?" There was a moment of confusion before Sunset's mind caught up to her words. "Er, I mean... Who are you?"

There was a grumble from Feint, and her business voice came back in full force. "So Retna was right, you've known who we were this whole time?"

Sunset shrugged. "Well, you know how it goes. Gotta have a healthy level of paranoia when you live life on the edge."

Feint looked to her right, and Sunset saw her shoulder move. Sunset realized it was because of a hand movement, but since a punch didn't follow she decided not to care. She almost laughed as soon as she realized the thought. As if any Cadence could punch somebody. Sunset was interrupted as a different new face entered her vision. She instantly recognized it from her files. Sergeant Shining Armor, golden boy of the CPD. Specializing in operations centered on civilians, with a penchant for anti-gang operations. Sunset raised her eyebrow at his appearance. "Feint, why is there a cop in my little slice of heaven?"

There was a frustrated groan from her side. "You were shot, I assumed calling a police officer was the first step!"

Sunset grunted, rallying herself enough to sit up. "For anyone else, probably." Sunset rolled her shoulder, trying to flex out the phantom pain of her wound while deciding whether or not to stand up. "But as long as I don't die before getting some patch work done bad wounds aren't a huge deal." She nodded to herself, keeping an arm on her towel and stood slowly, stumbling at the feeling of light-headedness that accompanied her rise. A large pair of hands steadied her. "Thanks." With deliberate slowness she moved to the small closet in her living area. "But yeah, it's not the first time I;ve taken a bad hit and gotten patched up in my apartment." She gestured to Nurse Redheart. "Though it is the first time I didn't have to do it myself while I'm here."

Shining Armor spoke up. "So, is anyone going to ask about the fact we just saw her shoulder heal in front of our eyes and the stitches flew out fast enough to leave an indent in the wall?"

Sunset glanced to Sonata, who shrugged. "It was just a homemade healing potion. I mean, she got it to work here, which is cool, but I've seen it before."

Trixie cut in after that. "And Trixie has seen her magic first hand, so this is hardly enough to ruffle her great and powerful feathers."

Nurse Redheart grunted. "I'm questioning everything I ever learned, but that's all internal, so I can ask later."

Shining sighed, looking down at the floor as Sunset pulled a set of blankets and sheets from her closet. "Don't worry about it. If your loving wife ever asks you to come by again you might just get to see the actually cool stuff when I'm testing it." Sunset placed the sheets on her chair, moving to the couch next.

Feint let out an eep. "Wait, you know we're married?"

Sunset nodded. "I'm really good at what I do, and information is most of that. You tried to keep it under wraps because Shining was moving against the Changelings, and they still tried to crash it. Nobody really knows what happened, but a cop found a large group of them beaten and tied up after the wedding with their plans on the phones." Sunset began removing pillows from the couch, and Sonata joined in shortly afterward. Sunset continued on easily. "If it makes you feel better, I actually had to look. Most people all I need is five minutes on a phone and a hint. Before I reached out to you I had to spend a week figuring stuff out. So most people probably couldn't find it out unless you told them."

With trhe couch clear she pulled at the small handle on the couch, only for a flash of phantom pain to make her lose balance, sending her into a sprawl that ended with her on her butt. Shining Armor moved up while Trixie helped her up. With one arm he hoisted the bed out from the couch. With a nod, Sunset smiled. "Thanks, big guy." She turned to Sonata. "There's your bed, sheets and the like are on the chair. Tell me later and I'll hunt down some you like."

Shining Armor sat on the couch with crossed arms. "Well, I think you and I have to share a little talk before you can do much."

Sunset groaned. "Aw c'mon! I just got shot, can't you just give me a day or two to recover?"

Shining flinched. "I wish we could, but we have blood from where you were shot, the owner reported it this morning. That and the blood from a double murder puts you in a pretty sketchy situation."

Sunset couldn't stop the cocky grin that decorated her face. "Well then, sorry to say it's all gone now. As long as I haven't been out of commission for like a week and didn't know." Shining raised an eyebrow, and Sunset gestured to his pocket. "Go ahead, call and ask. I'm in no rush."

Shining stood up, bringing out a phone and walking outside. The rest of the room all looked at Sunset in confusion, and she wiggled her fingers. "Magic, isn't it wonderful?"

After a minute Sunset heard the sweet sound she was waiting for. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITS ALL GONE!" Shining stormed back in, the door slamming shut behind him. "HOW?!"

Sunset collapsed onto the bed. "I'm magic, and you guys technically had a bunch of pieces of me. I just called them back home." Sunset cringed at the memory of vomit covering her front. "It's disgusting."

Shining glared at her. "That's illegal."

Sunset let out a short laugh. "Mope, unless someone made anti-magical laws here. I didn't steal anything, nor did I break in anywhere. Just cleaned up some blood. The fact that it teleported onto me first has no bearing on the legality."

Shining let out a growl, before a glare from Cadence calmed him. "Okay, so the magical tagger my wife runs with just legally took all evidence of her existence from my station. I can cope, but I still need to know why you got shot at the scene of a double homicide."

Sonata spoke up at that. "Uhm, I know why." The whole room shifted to look at the bubbly siren. Sunset worried for a moment that Sonata would sell her out, but stopping her now would only look suspicious. Sonata coughed into her hands. "Well, me and my sisters were kinda mean." Trixie scoffed at that, but a quick kick from Sunset shut her up. SOnata flinched at the scoff but kept talking. "We had been cornered by some guy trying to get us to do some stuff. Then some random person showed up and made him leave." Sonata rubbed her head, and Sunset could see she was holding back tears. She sat up, wrapping the girl in a gentle hug. "They stabbed Adagio and Aria, but stopped at me. They said I had to do better then they left. That's when Sunset showed up over the side of the building. She talked to me about finding a place to stay for a bit before she got shot."

Sonata looked at Sunset, before diving slightly forward and wrapping her in her own hug. Sunset tapped her back, trying to figure out what just happened. Obviously, there were some VERY strong emotions tied to her sisters, but Sonata had just lied to cover her. Either there was a whole story waiting to be told, or Sonata was more scared of her than anything else. Feint interrupted. "Well, that's enough excitement for today. Shining, honey, can you go start the car for me?"

Shining looked between the two girls, before nodding. "Yeah, one sec." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small business card. "Hey kid, if you need something give me a call. I'm sorry I was so rough on you, but I really do want to help."

Sunset took the card awkwardly with her free hand. "WIll do boss." She paused. "And the names Sunset, I'm not sure if you know my street name, but I'm Sunset Shimmer."

Shining Armor and Cadence both froze for a moment, before slowly nodding. Cadence spoke up. "Well, even if you already know it I am Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence to my friends."

Sunset smiled softly as she rubbed Sonata's back. "Do I fit the mold?"

Cadence smiled. "After having to ruin my car to drive you home, you'd either be a friend or a servant. And I don't care for servants."

Sunset smiled. "Well don't worry about the upholstery, as long as it isn't deformed all my messes are self-cleaning."

Trixie stepped forward. "Well, if you are a friend of Sunset then you're a friend of Trixie." Trixie snapped her fingers, and a sparkle of light seemed to shoot from her sleeve. "I am the great and powerful Trixie, and you have Trixie's gratitude for helping her friend."

Redheart began pulling at her shirt. "Yeah yeah, I'm Redheart, and thanks for getting her to me. Dumb kid probably would have bled out on the sidewalk without you guys."

Cadence joined the small hug taking place on the bed. "Sunset said it herself, we're family. And family watches out for each other."

Sunset flinched away. "Yeah, sure. Either way I have to sleep off all of this bullshit, think you guys can keep from telling men in black suits where I live?"

Shining laughed. "Yes, we'll keep the Men in Black of your back kid, just keep yourself safe, alright?"

Sunset nodded. "Don't worry old man, I'll avoid getting shot again if at all possible."

Cadence backed off. "Alright, then we'll get out of your hair, but expect me to come back and check on you soon." She said the final bit with a waggled finger, before slipping out the front door. Shining watched his wife back away with a waggling finger before sighing, pulling out his keys and leaving behind him as he left behind her.

Sunset sighed, before looking to Nurse Redheart. "Hey Nurse, in my entertainment center there's a bag, it's yours."Sunset waved a hand through the air while she moved to her room. "And Trix, you working tomorrow?"

Trixie shook her head, opening thee fridge and pulling out a soda. "No, Trixie thought she would be playing nursemaid so she requested off."

Sunset smiled. "Groovy, I need to get Sonata used to regular life, and Christmas is right around the corner. Shopping tomorrow?"

Trixie shrugged. "Fine, Trixie wanted to go to the mall either way, whats the plan?"

Sunset looked towards Sonata, who had apparently passed out on the bed without the aid of pillows or blankets. "Well, my bike can't fit three, so how about me and SOnata head over to your shop and meet you about ten, take the bus over to the Ponyville mall."

Trixie popped open the tab to her soda. "Well, that would mean Trixie would need to wake up to go to work, could we meet at Trixie's home?"

Sunset paused. "Oh, yeah. People have homes and the like. Yeah, shoot me the address and make sure your old man doesn't mind me parking my bike at his place."

Trixie nodded. "it should be fine, though if you don't mind Trixie wouldn't mind a ride home." Trixie looked at the fading light outside. "It's not that Trixie is scared to go outside, but she would like someone with her while she made her way back." Trixie looked abashed for a moment before speaking quickly. "For conversation, obviously!"

Sunset smiled. "Normally I'd give you a ride easy, but I've got Sonata here right now." Trixie seemed to falter, but Sunset kept it from progressing into Trixie leaving. "Just crash here tonight, I've got a bed and you can just hand until you decide to pass out."

Trixie froze. "You have another spare bed?"

Sunset shook her head. "Nah, but I wasn't going to sleep there anyway." Sunset moved to her desk penning a quick letter. "I've gotta watch over Sonata tonight, and have at least a semi-private conversation with her, so I'm probably gonna be in here all night.

Trixie shuffled closer, taking a slow seat on the couch bed Sonata snoozed on. "So what, you just won't sleep? Because that's not healthy, like at all."

Sunset smiled finishing the letter and slowly placing it under Sonata's hand. "No, I'm gonna pass out in that chair until Sonata wakes up, make her bed, then crash either on the couch bed or on the chair again."

Trixie stared. "Trixie can't take your only be when you've been shot."

Sunset smirked. "Then take the floor, cause this chair is mine." Sunset leaned back, and closed her eyes. Trixie watched as Sunset's breathing evened out.

Trixie grumbled as she grabbed the blanket and draped it over Sunset. A towel would hardly keep her warm for more than a moment. She stared as Sunset turned over, and the towel slipped down from her back. Sitting primly on her shoulder blades were two long scars. The were burns, with the bubbled skin marred and warped in two lines. Trixie quickly covered her friend and began thinking. She may not have known much, but that wasn't a natrual burn, and she wanted answers. She brought out her phone and sent a quick text. Maybe answers would come in the morning, but she would figure this out.

Sunset nearly screamed when an unfamiliar hand shook her awake. She grabbed the foreign wrist before thinking and had already begun to cock back her fist before a scared squeal snapped her into reality. Her eyes opened in a flash, showing Sonata flinching away. Sunset's eye twitched, the only tell of her anger at her own lack of self-control. She let go of Sonata's wrist quickly, trying to squeeze farther back into her chair. "Sorry, sorry, sorry. I might have issues with being woken up." Sonata scurried back, nodding in a frenzied manner while shivering on the bed. Sunset sighed, removing the blanket that she knew she didn't place on herself. "Next time just chuck a pillow at me or something, k?"

Sunset stood up, stopping when she noticed her towel begin to fall. She quickly grabbed it, trying to retain her dignity while Sonata fought off a panic attack. Sunset tried not to let the fact she could cause a panic attack faze her, though it would be a lie to say it didn't hurt. Deserved though. Sunset moved to her laundry basket, grabbing a simple T-shirt and yoga pants from the basket. She moved quickly to the kitchen, allowing herself to be half covered by the small island before donning the pants. "Glad you woke me though, we'll have to make your bed and figure out if you want new sheets and the like." Sunset turned around, throwing off the towel and tossing the shirt over her body. With her penchant for sleeping in tight clothing though it was more like peeling it over herself.

Sonata stammered her response, stumbling as her thoughts became words. "Y-you mean I'll actually get new stuff?"

Sunset smiled as she smoothed out her shirt. "Yep, and I've gotta get by one of my old contacts and drop off the rest of the bits I got the other day, so we need to go out and take care of all my errands." Sunset crept across her home to look in her room. Through a cracked door, she noticed Trixie passed out on her bed. She smiled as she closed the door with a quiet click, turning to Sonata on the heels of her feet. "Okay, I've got an incredibly old tradition to do, and since you're here you're more than invited." Sunset paused, rubbing the back of her head and glancing at the floor. "I'd totally understand if you just want me to help you make your bed and pass out though, I'm not sure if you'll like being in a small room alone with me..."

Sonata shook her head quickly, displaying her deep feelings for something that Sunset couldn't pick up as Sonata raced up to her. "Nu-uh, let's just get whatever you need to do done. Then we can make my bed, and when I wake up I can get bed stuff!"

Sunset smiled. "Alright Sonata, then follow me." Sunset moved to a small carpet in the small hall that separated her kitchen and dining room. She kicked it aside, revealing a small lever that Sunset reached down and pulled. With a nearly silent squeak, an entire trapdoor lifted up. The rug draped off of the door, slumping onto the floor like an old balloon.

As Sunset descends Sonata leans through the trap door, peeking into the sub-basement. She couldn't resist taking a moment to stare in pure joy. Equestrian magic mixed with the strange earthly science in ways Sonata had never dreamed. She could see Equestrian alchemy tables with the periodic table posted beside it, sticky notes and red string connecting the two. A bookshelf sat in the corner, filled with books titled in languages Sonata had worried she'd forgotten long ago. Finally, there was a full alchemy set on a work table against the far wall, with all the beakers, boxes, and tools one would associate with science, magic, and light machine work scattered across the surface.

Sonata raised a finger at the table, pointing to the one thing that had managed to catch her attention the longest. "Is that a hack saw?"

Sunset looked up, following Sonata's finger to a small hacksaw on the table, which she smiled at. "Yeah, it's a hacksaw." She walked over to it, picking it up and cleaning the foam and wood off of the old blade. "It's helped make all the furniture down here, didn't want an easy trail of purchases that weren't in my apartment."

Sunset sighed as she heard moving books behind her. Sonata had apparently ignored Sunset, instead moving to the bookshelf. "Oh, Necromancy for Bull-heads! I read this as a little filly!" She put the book back, and Sunset raised an eyebrow as Sonata's eyes went from title to title. "Ohhh, The secrets of Blood Magic and how they can help you! I wanted a copy of this, but it was discontinued like, the second it came out."

Sunset paused. "Wait, that was actually printed? Like, by a company with a full press and all that?" Sunset knew what the copy she stole was bound by hoof, and used actual leather as it's cover.

Sonata nodded, tearing herself away from the books and to looking over all the alchemy equipment. "Yeah, it was only printed in some small town me and my sisters took over. Aria said we should let 'em go, something about them being boring, but I got to play with all sorts of books and toys before Adagio sunk it into the sea." Sonata paused at the current notes, glancing over the open book.

Sunset smiled at Sonata's excitable nature, beginning to move a small stack of boxes in the corner. "Sounds like a nice place, did you try to save anyone?"

Sonata froze, her finger moving from the note to her side, where it hung limply. "N-no... I'm sorry."

Sunset shrugged. "Look, don't let your past drag you down. I enslaved a school, almost killed every teenager in said school, and ruined a fair few lives." Sunset moved the final box, revealing what a small black rectangle. At its center, was a small fire, burning softly in the sparsely lit room. Sunset began opening the boxes, digging out odds and ends while she spoke. "Your past is not today, would you kill an entire village right now?"

Sonata shook her head. "No, that was Adagio's thing. I just wanted to play with all their cool stuff."

Sunset stared. She had thought of a lot of reasons Sonata might have gone bad. Dark rituals, evil deals, greed, she even thought Sonata might have been corrupted by the heartstone she wore around her neck. She had never thought Sonata just saw the whole world as a cheap arcade. She put it aside, instead grabbing a small rectangle with an image of a fireball emblazoned in its steel body. Placing it gently behind the flame, she sat down. "Well, enough on that. I was just going to start a wake for them." She reached into the smallest box, pulling out a glass bottle with the labels ripped off.

Sonata moved beside her, sitting down awkwardly. "So... what's a wake?"

Sunset coughed slightly, trying to hold in her surprise. "O-oh... I assumed you would know." Sunset rifled around the small container, pulling a collection of shot glasses out. She picked four glasses out, putting the others aside. "We each have a drink, me, you, Aria, and Adagio."

Sonata looked at the glasses. "So, you'll summon their spirits or something? Isn't that kinda dark for ponies?"

Sunset shook her head. "No, we leave the drinks for them alone, I don't actually know the history of why, but I like to think it's a reminder." Sunset slowly poured four drinks, making sure the two for Aria and Adagio were filled to the brim, before slowly moving them to rest on the box of fire. "It's to remind someone that when you kill something, you take something away that you can't give back. Like the drink you pour for them, something is now gone you can never put back."

Sonata looked at the drinks, then to Sunset. "So you do this every time you kill something?"

Sunset shook her head, moving Sonata's glass beside her. "No, it's specifically for things that can talk back. If I had to do a wake for every manticore or cockatrice I put down I would have been drunk while I was still a little filly." Sunset looked to the fire, and the lone untouched glass that had been filled long ago. "And, sometimes I don't do it for actually killing someone."

Sonata looked at the glasses. "I'm gonna have to buy a whole lotta drinks, huh?"

Sunset let a sad smile cross her face. "No, you don't need to have a wake. I just got it beat through my skull by an old mare, and it stuck." Sunset raised her glass letting the liquid inside slosh back and forth. "But enough of that. To Aria and Adagio, may their transgression be burnt away and their goals be reached in the flames of the Eternal Light."

Sonata looked at Sunset as the fire-haired girl slung back the shot with gusto. Sunset didn't wince as the heat from the drink slinked down her throat. Sunset let the drink settle and she looked to Sonata, who had managed to get half of her drink down before scrunching up her face and trying to force herself to swallow. Sunset's sad smile held a bit more joy as she reached over and patted Sonata's back. "Next time, don't let it sit in your mouth, swallow as soon as it goes into your mouth."

Sonata managed to force herself to swallow, shuddering as her own drink wormed out of her mouth. A moment after her shudders ceased, she let out a few deep breaths. "That drink... feels... weird."

Sunset laughed. "Yeah, well you don't have to finish it. But now comes the part you can help with. In a normal wake you remember the best parts of whoever passed, normally I just spend the time silently thinking about what I did." Sunset grabbed the bottle again, refilling her glass. "With you here, we can actually do that, if you want too that is."

Sonata looked to the flame, watching it's gentle dance as her ears wiggled back and forth. Sunset stared at the alien, almost hypnotizing motion. "Well, Aria kept other people from beating me up, so I guess that was nice. Oh, and Adagio normally made sure we had a place to stay, or at least her and Aria. I got to stay as long as I didn't annoy her that much." Sonata sniffled a few times. "A-and they brought me places where I could eat when we still had our heartstones, and tried to make sure our homes had things for me to play with..." Sonata began quietly sobbing, her shoulders going up and down with no set rhythm.

Sunset lowered her drink to the ground, wrapping an arm around Sonata. "It's okay" Sunset winced as Sonata shuddered under her grip. "I don't really know what it's like to have your sister's killed, but I do know what it's like to suddenly be alone." Sunset turned to the flames, trying to find her center in the light that had been her only link home for so long. "I don't have any family left either. My mom and dad died when I was young... probably." Sunset grabbed the drink on the floor and slammed it down. "I managed to get someone who I thought was a mom later... but I was wrong."

Sonata's sobs slowed down, and Sunset pulled her close again. "Which is why I'm not going to leave you hanging. I'm gonna stick by you like white on rice, and you're going to get better." Sunset looked to Sonata, and her face fell as she looked at the crying girl, her tears running freely down her face. "And I wish I had offered the same deal to your sisters."

The reaction to Sunset's statement. Sonata's sobs stopped, and her body became deathly still. Sunset stared as Sonata simply breathed until her voice came through at barely a whisper. "You really don't."

Sunset perked up, looking at Sonata with a raised eyebrow. "Why not?"

Sonata grabbed her own drink. forcing down the last half. Her face scrunched up again, but no coughs followed. "Aria would have tried to beat you up before you could even talk, and if Adagio heard you she would have killed you the first time you fell asleep."

Sunset stared. "So I shouldn't have because it would be hard? Because I could take both of them easy."

Sonata shook her head. "No, it would be impossible. About a hundred years ago they changed, and... well... they didn't want to help each other anymore. We all had to look out for ourselves, only sharing when it would help the siren who found it. They got... mean."

Sunset began bouncing her view from the flame to Sonata. "Well then, I'll believe I was wrong for both of us. No one deserves to lose their second chance."

Sonata looked at Sunset through her tears, and let out a giggle. Sonata leaned in. "You woulda made a good siren. You do that thing the old queen did." Sunset looked down as Sonata stared into the flames. "She used to challenge anyone who tried to fight her laws to a duel, then when she won she would have them state their reasons for what they did in public. If they made sense she'd let them try and get rid of her law the right way."

Sunset didn't bother asking what happened if they didn't make sense, she could guess what happened to the pair of sirens on the roof was a pretty close analog. Sunset shook her head, clearing the thoughts from her head, instead grabbing both glasses from the box, leaving the old one alone. "C'mon Sonata, let's get this all packed up. We'll make your bed and hopefully get a full nights sleep."

Sonata nodded, following Sunset up the short ladder that separated her sub-basement from the house. Sonata watched with simple interest as Sunset balanced both shot glasses in a single palm, climbing up the ladder with her feet more than her hands. As Sunset moved to the kitchen to pour out the drinks she heard a thunk, and smiled.

After the wake was cleaned up it only took a few minutes to set the bed, despite Sonata's minor protests. "But they're so drab! They're just blue, blue, blue, and guess what? More blue!"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Look, when we go out tomorrow we'll pick up some pretty sheets for you, ok? But for tonight your royal fishy butt gets basic blue sheets." A flash from Sunset's phone got her attention, moving to the desk it was waiting on to check it. She saw a few text notifications, from Retna and the rest of her crew to a few from Fluttershy. She stopped at the most recent one, holding her thumb over the notification. "Damnit Thorax."

A curious grunt sounded from behind her, but Sunset ignored it. With a few quick taps the text was opened.

Sunset groaned, moving to the chair to flop down on it with her phone. "Damn Thorax to the void, if I didn't still owe him..." Sunset began tapping away at her phone, sending a response.

Sonata looked at Sunset as the began throwing the blanket over herself, her head quirked as Sunset's phone chimed again. She glanced down, speed-reading the message.

Sunset nodded, sending an affirmative text. "Phew, okay." With her short conversation done, she turned to Sonata. "Hey, remind me. We're gonna get you some paperwork tomorrow, and I'll need to drop Trixie off somewhere first."

Sonata nodded, rolling over."Okee-day. Though I hope Chrissy doesn't mind you being angry at Thorax."

Sunset froze as soon as what Sonata said hit her. "Wait, you know Chrysalis?"

Sonata's head perked up slightly. "Yeah, she lives in some fancy house on the north-side. It's got some silly name, Bugbite ranch or something."

As Sonata began fading off to sleep Sunset grabbed her computer. She had a lead, and better yet, an ear in the local PD now. She began running every building placed in the Northside as she copied Shining Armors number from the business card he gave her. She glanced at the clock and let out a sigh. "Whatever, I can burn an hour." Then the house went silent, the only sound being the gentle clicks of a keyboard, and after a moment, the ringing of a phone.