A Shadow of Myself

Andrea's tail dragged, and her pace was slow as she followed behind the others through the caves. Several glowing orbs lit the tunnels thanks to Cadence, Sweetie Belle, and Luster Dawn, so there was no fear of tripping. Still, she didn't want to be there. She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to return to the Autobot base. There was nowhere she wanted to be.

"Come on, Andrea. We're going to need you to focus if we're going to find your sister. No point in moping back there," Sapphire shouted back to her in encouragement. "Are you detecting anything?"

Find her sister? She'd already told them; she'd felt the feel of one of Charlotte's portals. Charlotte wasn't there anymore. After they found traces of blood, she wasn't even sure Charlotte was alive anymore. She had one job, one job more important than the mission, one job she had chosen to take on long ago. She failed at it with Kristin, and now she had failed at it with Charlotte. She could never face her parents again. She wasn't sure she could face a mirror again. The rest of the team knew the same things she did. Why did they keep searching?

There was no overwhelming desire for vengeance. She wouldn't go out hunting Bursa or the care bears. If she ever encountered the traitorous insect, she wouldn't hesitate to kill her, but trying to track her down served no purpose. If she could track Bursa down, there would have at least been hope to find her sister, but that didn't exist. As for the bears, they weren't in control of their actions, but if she found No Heart, she intended to put a bullet right into his skull. He deserved worse.

"Just the members of the search party," Andrea muttered, tearing up. "I told you. She's gone. She made a portal, and Bursa took her through. They probably suffocated out in deep space or something."

“Well then, we need to find where they left in case they come back that way," Sapphire pivoted.

She kicked at a loose stone. "I think that's obvious. It's the spot where we found the blood, and Apple Bloom lost the trail. I don't know why we are still wandering around these caverns. This is pointless."

"You can't give up hope. We'll–"

Andrea kicked a rock at the pegasus, clipping Sapphire on the side of her face and making her hiss in pain as it started to bleed.

"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO GIVE ME A PEP TALK!! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!" Andrea screamed at the top of her lungs. "You and Apple Bloom kept insisting on saving that monster, and see what Charlotte got! We should have left Bursa where she was. We should never have brought her along. Don't fucking talk to me. I don't want to even see your face! I don't want to see any of you!"

She didn't wait for a response; she turned and started marching away into the dark.

It only took a moment before a light followed her. She grit her teeth and kept walking as whoever it was got closer.

"Wait up! You'll get lost in the dark without a light."

Andrea paused and turned to look at Luster Dawn. She then looked up at the floating orb. The orb sputtered out, and Andrea started to glow instead.

"There, now I won't be in the dark. Go away," Andrea spat as she turned away again.

The light reignited behind her, and she grit her teeth as she heard Luster continue her pursuit.

"Look, I know nothing I say can make you feel better-"

"Smart of you. Guess that's why you're Twilight's student," Andrea snapped.

"-but we're all in a bad situation here, and we need to come together," Luster finished as she got up beside Andrea. "We're all effectively trapped on this world without your sister to get us home."

Andrea stopped and tried to buck Luster in the face, but the pink unicorn must have been expecting it because she blink teleported out of the way in time.

Andrea glared at the unicorn and snarled. "Is that what you're concerned about? Is that what my sister is to you, just your ticket home? I've lost both my sisters in a short period. I was the one who was supposed to protect them. I'll never see either of them again, and you are thinking about going home. Screw you!"

"I know what it feels like. I lost my family, too!" Luster shouted as her horn blazed briefly. The unicorn dipped her head. "All in one fell swoop because of a monster, and I blamed the ones who were supposed to have stopped that monster for a long time. Do you know who failed my family and didn't stop the monster in time? The CMC. I hated them for years."

"It took you years, and you expect me to get over it in minutes?" Andrea demanded.

Luster shook her head. "No, I don't, but with your sister gone, it is pretty clear our mission and goals here will have to change. There's only one way off this rock now; only one other person we know can open portals like your sister's. We can still find your sister, but we must complete the new mission to do that."

Andrea sat down on the uneven ground. "The new mission is to defeat No Heart? We liberate this world then force him to tell us how to open portals?"

"More or less," Luster confirmed with a nod.

She wasn't going to seek vengeance, but if a way of avenging one of her sisters was handed to her along with a way to possibly find the other…if she still lived, who was Andrea to refuse the offer?

"Okay, I'm in."

The past month had been an ordeal for Madison. Being at her great-grandmare's house when those bears attacked, realizing she had a special interest in colts, cramping, and having Yinyu Wu Yan show up in her dreams with an entire song and dance number had all made the month one of the most eventful of her life. Still, it was all worth it because, as of today, she was no longer a filly. Today, she was a young mare.

Her dad hugged her. "So proud of you. You are growing up so fast. Where's my little filly that knocked down all the bookcases regularly?"

She blushed but didn't push dad away. She might be getting older, but never too old for his hugs. "I haven't done that in ages, Dad."

He released her, and she tried not to feel disappointed at the hug ending. He was still smiling at her. "I know. I'm just being nostalgic. I'm going to start making arrangements for your party. Is doing an animal theme with cats, dogs, and all that pushing it too far? I don't want to overdo it."

She turned and looked with pride at her new mark, a stylized dog paw with a bandage over it. "Animal theme is great. Just don't go trying to pick out veterinary schools for me just yet. I haven't even started high school yet. Do you think we can get Christine to come? I know she just moved away, but we can afford a plane trip, right? Please, Dad?"

He reached over with a wing and ruffled her mane. "Really pushing the bill for this party, aren't ya? Oh well, my daughter only gets her mark once. We can splurge. I'll call your Aunt Jordan and see what we can work out. While I'm doing that, you can go give your mom the good news and show your flank off."

Madison looked at a nearby clock. "Can you come with me? It's business hours for her. She doesn't like me interrupting her during business hours. Maybe we should wait until dinner."

He gave her a sympathetic look. "I need to take care of a few things before the day people leave. It will be alright. I know your mom isn't always the best at showing affection, but she loves you. Your mom will make an exception for this. Go on."

She drew herself up. Yeah, her mom would want to see her mark as soon as possible. She glanced down at the phone band around her leg and considered calling her mother first. It seemed silly, calling someone in the same house, but Arachne Remedy-Stone-Lamp– or Arachne Phobia, as her detractors called her– was a very busy mare, and she could be very stern. Calling was probably a bad idea too. Her mom's business meant she was often on the phone or awaiting calls. She shouldn't interrupt those calls.

A brisk stroll across the house brought her to the heavy oak door of her mother's office. The doors were so thick she could just barely hear her mother talking on the phone. She took a deep breath and lowered the door's handle before putting her total weight into pushing it open. It was embarrassing that it took her so much effort to open a door. Her mom opened it easily enough when she went through, but her mom spent at least an hour in the dojo every day, so she probably was much stronger than she looked. As soon as the door was open wide enough for her to slip through, she did so.

The room was dark, but there was enough light from her mother's monitors that everything was clear and visible for any pony of their tribe. Spiderwebs were in the room's upper four corners, and each web had multiple occupants. Her mom had been talking on the phone but abruptly stopped as she entered. "Madison! How dare you-" Her mom paused, and Madison could see her mom's eyes widen briefly as they found the new mark. "Never mind, take a seat, and be quiet."

Her mother returned to her call but shifted to speaking in Spanish. Much of their older family spoke Spanish fluently, some as their first language, but for those of Madison's generation, they might as well be speaking ancient Sumerian. She planned on taking it as her secondary language when she started high school if only so she could understand what her aunts and uncles were saying during Thanksgiving. She was sure they talked about her and her cousins, but it was impossible to tell what was being said when they weren't speaking English.

She took one of the available seats. There were two chairs in front of her mother's desk. Both of them looked like they were half of an egg. When you sat in them, the only things you could see were her mother, her mother's desk, and the large monitor behind the desk. You couldn't even see the other chair and whoever occupied it; not that there was anything to see in the office but those things. They also didn't have flat seats or any sort of padding. It was like her mom went out of her way to make sure whoever was in them was uncomfortable.

So, by design, Madison didn't have much to look at while she waited and tried not to squirm in her seat. Her mom's desk had three monitors. That all faced her mom at angles that made it impossible for anyone in the egg chairs to see the pictures. The rest of the desk had a calendar, a notebook, an ink pen, and a vape pen. There were no family photos or knick-knacks or anything to give the desk a personal feel. The desk itself was grey metal, probably steel. The walls and floor were wood, the same oak as the door. Her mom's chair was high-backed, black, and looked well padded; it also swiveled. The wall monitor was utterly blank. There was a faint trace of berries mixed with tobacco in the air from her mother's vaping. There were no windows or skylights, with the only light coming from the monitors. The room was dull, and she had no idea how her mother could stand to be in here for hours on end.

Her mother finished her call and turned her gaze to Madison. "So, stand up and let me see it."

Madison stood up in the egg seat and presented her flank proudly to her mother. "I got it when-"

"I'm pressed for time, so the story can wait," her mom said, cutting her off with a slashing gesture of her wing. "I take it that your mark is for animal care?"

Madison's ears sagged briefly but perked up before they went too low. "Yes! Dad is already calling me his little veterinarian!"

Her mom nodded stoically. "Can you care for spiders?"

Madison blinked. "Spiders?"

Her mother stood in her chair and presented her own flank and its spiderweb mark. "Yes, spiders, the basis for our wealth. The reason you get nice things and don't have to live in some hovel in suburbia. Can you care for spiders?"

She sat down. "I suppose so. They're just another animal. I want to be able to take care of every type of animal."

That earned the first smile of the meeting from her mother. "Excellent. Congratulations on your new mark, Madison. I'm very proud of you. I'm sure your father is already making arrangements for your party. I shall make sure to clear my schedule when he has a date set. Will you be taking a new name?"

"I hadn't seriously thought about it yet," Madison confessed.

"I was going to suggest Wild Blessing as a potential name, or perhaps Wild Remedy?" her mom listed. "I know my name is not something you can incorporate into one that makes sense with that mark, but Wild Growth's and either your grandmare or great-grandmare's seem like such an excellent fit."

"I'll think about it," Madison said with a nod.

Her mother left her seat and walked around the desk. She then extended a leg and a wing in a wave that indicated she was offering a hug. Madison practically bolted from her seat and gripped her mom in a tight embrace. It took a second for her mom to wrap the leg and wing around her, and it was far more relaxed than Madison's grip, but it was still nice to get a hug from her mom and hear her say she was proud of her.

The hug didn't last long enough when her mother broke from it and stepped away. "I must be getting back to work. You are excused and may pick out a present of your choice for me to purchase you. One last question. Would you care for a new pet? Something large and unique? I'm about to acquire a certain beast and have been frustratingly restricted from experimenting with it or using it for any business or political venture. The number of restrictions make it feel like a white elephant for me, but perhaps you would like it? It might need some training, but that can be worked out."

Madison's ears swiveled. "Something exotic? It isn't dangerous, is it?"

"It may need training," her mom confessed. "But it should be smarter than a dog or cat. I can have guards watching as you work to establish a bond. I'm told it is currently injured, and treating injuries is an excellent way to earn affection and trust…just ask your uncle Moon. If it turns out to be too problematic a beast, I can have it put down."

"No, don't kill it!" Madison gasped.

"Is that a yes that you will be interested in taking care of it?" her mom asked, raising an eyebrow.

Madison nodded. "Yeah, but what is it?"

Her mom smiled. "Oh, I'll let that be a surprise. Hurry off now. I love you."

Madison grinned. "Love you too, Mom! Thank you!"

She hurried out of the office. That went great! Her mom said she was proud of her and was getting her a special pet. This was the best day of her life!