Target, Delete, Replace, Replicate

Chapters

Prologue: Project Valiant
1. Noble Drawbacks
3. Old Fires Still Burning
4. Life and Death
5. Cause of Death: Greed
2. What Is, What Could Have Been

Prologue: Project Valiant

She was nervous. Of course she was, she had every right to be. What was at stake was more than just a further investment into her work, but the penalty of what might go wrong when she could not continue further. The effort she’d made for this many years had to count for something- it was too dangerous to let be if she did not. How would she go on, knowing what she knew? Even if all her work destroyed, paperwork and data rendered into nothingness, the steps of how to get there would still remain within her mind. What she had created had to be put to good use lest it be spent towards bitter ends; she knew not of an in-between.

The presentation room was merely an empty lab kept separate and not put to daily use, all available equipment within only brought in so that it might add to the presentation. Nothing here was of consequence lest it be ensured so by the developer, and the developer today just so happened to be herself. That’s fine, she didn’t need much more than a microscope, a box, and the crippled figure of a three-legged rabbit within; a bit macabre when she considered what was likely to happen, but it would do the job once the time came. Her work would do a good enough job at displaying what it could do with little more than simple deployment. I hope.

Twilight Sparkle couldn’t suppress the shudder as she saw the two most important people in her career field entered on into the presentation room, one dressed as she were in a lab coat while the other wore the customary suit and tie one might expect of an executive of his caliber. Again, not surprising; Mr. Abernathy was the most important name when it came to this sector of the country, either holed up in his office speaking to fellow execs or descending from on high to gaze upon the newest breakthroughs the company had to –potentially- offer. Today, he’d been given the invitation by Dr. Vanda to come down and see what one within his region had managed to produce; she just had to make sure that he understood just how valuable the item was that she had to present.

A whole lot of us have been here before. Just describe what it is that you’ve made and answer their questions, don’t try to make it seem like you’ve cured cancer. Vanda’s words had come the day prior, trying to soothe the worrisome woman from descending into her easily-found pit of panic. Give a basic description of its capabilities, answer questions as they come. You’ll never be able to do more than that.

The problem being that her work could potentially cure cancer, if she was given more time to work on it. It could cure any disease, revert any degeneration, all but bring the dead back to life-! Twilight had to not let her fervor get the best of her, force mind to remain calm. She could not be anything but the consummate professional now, especially with zero hour right before her.

“Mr. Abernathy,” Dr. Vanda began, gesturing towards the young woman that stood the far side of a clear box possessing only an amputated rabbit, “This is Miss Twilight Sparkle, part of Bioengineering division. She’s been one of our best and brightest in the realm of cutting edge prosthetics since her arrival five years ago, to include work on the Terraform Mk. II. I’m sure her work will be of great interest to you.”

“Ah, one of our best and brightest, then,” Mr. Abernathy said, greeting the trembling Twilight with an outstretched hand and a disarming lack of hostility. "The Department of Defense has been incredibly grateful for our newest design, just so you know. Considering its release only being last year, I’m surprised to hear one so young having made such contributions.”

Twilight shook his hand- and gave a start as she regarded that friendly smile. Corporate big-wigs were supposed to be greedy, money-loving monsters, not human beings! He was treating her as though she were worth something, even if it was only to amount to an act rather than anything genuine. A quick glance over to Vanda and was gifted with a nod; she should try to keep the rhythm going. “It’s- it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” she said tremulously. “I’m- my brother was a benefactor from the Terraform 2, so I was happy to work on its design.”

“Your brother?” Mr. Abernathy gave a start. “Hell’s bells, he didn’t fight in the Iron War, did he?”

“As one of the Army’s Green Berets, actually,” Twilight answered, “which helped influence my work in college. I wanted to build a better prosthetic for men like him; they deserved something that could feel like their real body rather than an extension of it. When adding the fibre-plated gel-”

“The DOD has been grateful for our work since war’s end. If we can continue further, the better,” Mr. Abernathy said warmly; he was ensuring a young and fearful scientist could keep pace and not fall temptation to a million distractions, aware of the task at hand rather than a million that were still waiting. “And now I’m told that you have something far more impressive to offer than a carbon-fiber leg.”

“Y- Yes, sir. At least I hope so.” Twilight needed to see the nerves removed from her body, extracted and put elsewhere so that she could see this presentation done correctly. Goodness, why hadn’t she tried to make use of her own work for this matter- beyond the obvious of it being untested on a human being yet? “If you’ll kindly direct your attention to this box before you…”

Mr. Abernathy’s expression became one of confusion as he took note of the glass box’s contents, the trembling figure of a rabbit with an absent hindpaw, snowy in pelt and the kind that were commonly used for lab testing there for his eyes to take in and little else to be seen. “I assume you are not trying to showcase animal husbandry,” he said drily. “I don’t think Ionis has much use for breeding.”

“No. No! Oh goodness, no, I’m sorry. Let- let me trying- try again,” Twilight said, losing all nerve in the matter of an instant and doing what she could to recover. This was such a terrible start to her presentation, she had to recover now before this massive fumble destroyed her! “I am sorry, if you would be so kind- the microscope, please, would you take a look the contents on the slide?”

A sideways glance at Dr. Vanda, who gave an encouraging nod, and Mr. Abernathy put his eye to the microscope so as to gaze at the contents held within. Small, tiny beings with hardly enough distinction to be seen that could offer more detail than the miniscule legs they seemed to possess. Whatever they were swam about, their miniscule movement enough to see them flitting this way and that, yet not in the random and chaotic rhythm that bacteria seemed to possess. No, these indeed were not fully natural; something about them was distinctly off.

“What exactly am I looking at here?” Mr. Abernathy inquired of Twilight.

She couldn’t suppress the tremor, no matter how much she tried; so much of the world was going to change after she saw the truth be brought to light. “Those, sir,” she began, “are nanites.”

For a moment, Mr. Abernathy seemed to not understand. It was a foreign word to his consciousness, at least to what dealt with his day-in and day-out. But memories of science fiction were not to be fully buried, words spoken of in film and novel now ringing clear as day- and fully connected with the microscopic beings before him. “These…” Mr. Abernathy breathed, “these are machines.”

Twilight took that hoarseness of voice as encouragement. Awe or fear? She knew not, but she had to take advantage of it. “Microscopic robots, hardly any different from the size of any blood cell one might find within the human body. Just as capable of traveling through the bloodstream as anything else might, and capable of whatever we wish it to be. Our codename for the device is, at least for the timebeing, ‘Project Valiant.’”

“Miss Twilight’s work has been done in conjunction with DARPA, sir,” Dr. Vanda offered, ensuring that further weight be added to the mix. “Once we were made aware of their newest updates to micro-USB’s, Miss Twilight stepped in and saw a natural step forward in their research.”

“My god. A robot that small,” Mr. Abernathy proclaimed, occasionally darting down so as to take a look at the work held beneath the intense zoom of the microscope before him. “This creation –Project Valiant- what are you hoping it does?”

Now came the truly terrifying part; she would actually have to explain, in detail, just what sort of brilliantly nightmarish abilities her work now possessed- no, not possessed. What it could become if she were given the time and money she needed. “Well, sir,” Twilight said, “we’re hoping that Project Valiant fully replaces any need for prosthetics permanently. Rather, it would actually develop a synthesized limb that would adapt to an individual human body and be recognized by the human brain as an extension of a limb rather than anything from the outside being grafted on.”

Mr. Abernathy sat there for a moment. Eyes switched between microscope, crippled rabbit, and the scientist who had brought it all together, he wondering perhaps how it all mixed. There was a menagerie of information to take in, perhaps a good deal of it beyond his mind. Twilight didn’t seem to be the arrogant or cruel type; he would have to push further if he wanted to know more, and perhaps only one question at a time.

“You say- it will replace prosthetics,” he murmured. “Gods above, how?”

“Well,” Twilight began, “we created Project Valiant with four simple commands in mind: Target, Delete, Replace, Replicate. The idea is that the nanite would work alongside the brain as a means of creating new cell production. It would begin by targeting dead flesh in a specific area- say, a limb that has been severed. Once focused on a specific region of the human body, it would begin to delete any necrotic or non-reproducing cells in the area that could potentially prevent the body from reconstructing any lost material. And since it would likely have no limb that it could attach to, Project Valiant would then recreate a limb that is designed by the brain’s memory of its lost material, thus replacing and a part of the body that has either been deformed or destroyed by extreme trauma, with self-replication coming into play so as to ensure that any damage that the synthesized limb might experience can be corrected instantaneously. Therefore, it would behave no differently from the body in self-repair.”

Mr. Abernathy was smart enough to know he’d been given a great deal of information in a short span; a potentially world-changing device so small that he couldn’t see it with the naked eye, one that could actually heal disfigurements naturally-! “Could it replicate skin cells, then?” He asked. “Completely adapt to the human body?”

Twilight pulled a face; this would be the first drawback to her work, the first negative. “Not yet. That’s simply too complex for the nanite to accomplish. We can’t get it to replicate DNA even when given the full processing power of a computer,” she answered. “But it can put itself in place of any lost tissue and harden itself into a solidified mass, therefore replicating the properties of any body mass that was lost. So long as the brain responds to it as though it were a normal cell, there would be no rejection by the nervous system to be found- not even irritation when muscle is put against nanite material.”

“So for now, it can work as a new limb. An arm or a leg,” Mr. Abernathy assessed; he tried to speak casually but his expression betrayed the wonder, the excitement that came from such an object. “How quickly would it respond to damage? Say, if a soldier was deployed with one of these machines as part of their medical arsenal?”

“That would depend on the size and body composition of the person in question,” Twilight responded. Turning from her spectator, she moved over to a singular needle that seemed completely devoid of material- yet only to the naked eye. Through a tiny slit in the box did she poke the metal tip through, another hand pressing a glass wall in so that the anxious rabbit might not escape from her point. A scurrying of fur, a quick dart of the syringe into flesh, then done. Sorry, little guy. I don’t know another way. “So long as the blood is pumping, however, it will have an effect. So if you’ll wait a few minutes for the rabbit’s physical composition to respond…”

“This technology,” Mr. Abernathy murmured, “It could- it would all but trivialize modern combat in an instant. You’d have a soldier that was nigh-invincible, especially if he was already injected with the material. Could it be ordered to remain dormant?”

One step at a time, please! The executive’s excitement was apparently, and justifiably so- but he was moving too quickly, getting ahead of Twilight’s presentation and reaching the drawbacks she hadn’t managed to rectify just yet. She needed to sell the positives from this, not just sell the product! “Our basic hopes is that Project Valiant would, in its early stages, make any prosthetic redundant. Rather than an external object being physically attached to the body, the nanites would produce a limb that could respond to the brain’s commands just as a natural limb would: instantaneously, without the necessity for conscious thought, it would even be able to replicate the pain receptors. A fully functional, totally natural body segment,” Twilight continued. “But, with further research, and further developments in micro-USB technology, Project Valiant could also be designed as a fully-functioning medical cure against some of the world’s most deadly diseases. Cancer cells could be deliberately targeted all across the body and deleted; tumors would be attacked without the need for radiation, thus freeing the body from harmful side effects. Even for more trivial diseases, a shorter lifespan of the nanite could be programmed so that it would intercept and destroy non-life-threatening material that cause extreme pain; broken bones could be healed in minutes, rather than weeks or months.”

“This is incredible. Assuming it works, of course, this could put Ionis on the forefront of medical research for the next- century…” Mr. Abernathy’s excited rambling was not given the chance to last for long, his attentions instead turned from the imaginings of his own mind and back to the contents of the plexiglass box which they surrounded. The crippled rabbit that had been injected with almost nothingness was no longer a visual curiosity for their viewing displeasure.

It hobbled away as it felt the first tricklings of movement from the flesh where wound had been. Animal instinct could not quite be overridden even by benign intent, the forays of metal movement from within muscle tissue creeping forth through skin and fur. A thin stream that seemed to move like a river- no, a stone in the flow of water. But it took form, intentional shape, an outline of flesh rather than flesh itself. Infinitesimal fluctuations of movement were joining together in the great outflow, so many moving pieces that to try and focus upon just one was an impossibility beyond imagining. The rabbit was trying to kick away, trying to escape the outpouring its own body was emitting, but still did the great linework move forward, filling in the gaps where nothing had once been. Outline and silhouette were disappearing with the birth of each new creation, metallic cells streaming forth and interlocking; plated material was being made, a hollow form that knew itself and yet the body did not were fusing together, the terrified rabbit leaping away- and leap it now did. Fully limbed, powerful body even without the power of internal muscle within, crashing against plexiglass and frame of its cage, no wound or hindrance to stop its maddened movements now. For gone was its crippled emptiness, the stitches that had come to life where severed limb had once been, now made whole as this rippling, pulsating mass of moving material tried to settle and see itself fully fused so that the inner workings of flesh, muscle, and bone might be renewed next.

Mr. Abernathy gaped. He truly gaped, eyeing this once-trembling and motionless rabbit move about so freely as though this newly sprouted limb had been part of its body since birth. It could leap, run, frolic as much as it wished, all without hindrance. All because of one nanite, one façade of a cell, its body had willingly regrown a limb in only the span of a few minutes.

“And… and if it were implanted into a human body,” he whispered. “A normal human body, what would- what would happen?”

“It’s not possible to give a completely accurate answer,” Twilight said –but even she could not fully keep away her smile- “a human body could regrow a lost limb in less than twelve hours.”

There was nowhere for him to sit, hardly much of a wall for him to lean against. But he found a table, something to rest upon so that he might watched the incensed chaos that was the rabbit who had been given its hindlimb back again and now fought for freedom with its every breath. “My god…”

She knew not that it had ever happened. The movement had been so surreptitious that the barest brushings of fingers against material had been all that it had taken for the microphone to descend into the pocket of her labcoat. So lightweight that she likely wouldn’t even feel its presence even if her fingers were to peruse the contents. But would she even bother? Doubtful. The biggest fish to fry would be before her, not a suspicion she wouldn’t even possess; let her talk freely, be bolstered by the words of a supposed friend and divulge every secret without knowing any better. The more confident she felt, the more Twilight was likely to speak openly and let the inner workings of her work be made known.

The earpiece was thrown to the desk; she’d actually done it, the damned thing had worked! After all that theory and practice and hoping, Twilight had actually managed to get her project to function. It was brilliant, terrifying, absolutely fantastic-

And worth so much money!

Ngao would have to act swiftly. He knew that the longer he waited, the more protections there would be surrounding her research. Probably something that would be moved from this smaller facility to the bigger research center out in the Mesa, a safer presence away from prying eyes. So if he was to help his contractors bridge the gap between them and Ionis, and earn his considerably massive paycheck for doing so, it would have to be soon.

“Let’s see…” Mr. Ngao had ensured to make copies of the entire lab’s work schedule a few days prior. The workbook had been out in the open, practically begging for him to take a look. With Twilight taking a few days off so as to visit with her family, the opportunity would never be more perfect ever again. He had to take advantage.

Umbra Industries, you had better pay well for this, Ngao hissed within his mind. There would danger aplenty when faced with potential charges of corporate espionage.

Author's Note

I've never tried anything like this. But I found myself poring over some rather grotesque material and found myself wondering a few things.
Here's to seeing if I can even manage to create anything interesting after all.

Enjoy, I guess.

1. Noble Drawbacks

The three of them sat in the spacious laboratory in silence for a time, Mr. Abernathy the only man that needed to say much of anything next and the one who appeared least keen on saying much of anything. Perhaps too floored by what he’d just witnessed to be able to see his opinion made into word, the rather heavyset man simply gazed at the sight of the rabbit within the box that still struggled for its freedom, the newfound leg formed by thousands of microscopic robots giving it every opportunity to strain against its prison and bid for the world outside.

Twilight’s gaze flickered between her superior and the panicked rabbit just before him. she bit her lip; he needed to say something soon, or else this sudden march forward was going to screech to a halt and be rendered moot. He didn’t know what sort of issues they’d found with Project Valiant, but who was going to know better than her?

“This project of yours,” he murmured, words arriving slow through a voice rendered hoarse by shock, “when can it be advanced to human trials?”

It was to be her first disappointing statement of the day. “Not yet. And not because of necessary approval.”

“Then why?”

Twilight sighed and took a look over at the rabbit- in fact, all eyes focused on the box that now began to rock violently from the chaos growing within. “You’re about to see why for yourself.”

The hindleg of the snowy rabbit churned and writhed like the seas in a storm, metallic muscle within being formed as new nanites were spawned and replicated in lieu of the cells and sinew had once been, hardening with each passing second. The process was fulfilling itself, tightening its grip and becoming as potent, as mighty as the body demanded it to be- yet stop it did not. Across form, beneath skin was a rippling; waves the shuddering of earth as a quake roiled the land. The rabbit’s wild attempts to flee were becoming more impassioned yet less fruitful as something strained at it from within and halted all efforts. Skin contorted, the animal began to bleat and writhe on the floor of its prison.

“What in the name of God-” Mr. Abernathy breathed, leaning in closer to examine the process.

“Stay back, please!” Twilight insisted. A flash of terror at the thought of the animal actually escaping, what sort of damage it could do in an open space even in a body so small. She moved over to a panel on the nearby wall, a series of switches upon it that operated the metallic floor of the glass box. Specially made for her presentation in mind, just in case the new coding in the nanites failed just as they all had before.

The shriek of the rabbit grew to a crescendo and was halted, only to be replaced by a steely call with every new cry, the vocal cords pushed to damage by the beast’s terror- and quickly replaced as the repair process of the nanite targeted this new flaw. A weakness was found in the eyes and revealed to the trio of observers, the coal-black jewel spurting open as a flood of metal poured through, streaming out from the wound even as the creature fought against the agony. Mind knew what transpired was so wrong, so violating yet could halt it not, its own body beyond even its control now as microcomputers fused itself to every nook and cranny it could find; bones were hardening with each new foundation of metallic parasite, flesh rupturing and being made new by a dark stream of creation and re-creation, the fur and dead skin cells being eaten away and replaced by something far more lethal-

Vanda had seen it once before and had been given full warning that the horrible process might transpire once again. But that had been upon a dead body, months ago during the first trial run; this creature was alive even as it was being eaten and renewed all over again, the nanites unrelenting in their march against the imperfections within the beast. “Kill it, Twilight,” he ordered. “Stop it, get the nanites to stop!”

“I’m trying, sir!” Twilight said, hoping her voice didn’t betray the shame and panic. Her cacophony of miserable emotions saw to it that her fingers fumbled across the controls of the box’s floor, unable to properly grab the dial that commandeered the voltage below. She turned the crank as much as she could, hating how slowly it moved within her grasp-

The sound of metal frying intermingled with the stench of burnt hair and roasting animal skin, the shocks of electricity from the glass box’s floor making their mark- yet not enough to deal the final blow. The rabbit instead writhed and screamed all the more incensed, its synthesized sound terrible to behold; each new wound dealt was being more and more swiftly repaired, the terrible seams of burn scars turned a liquid metallic, every severing of microscopic form soon replaced by another. The beast was desperate to escape the pain and yet was becoming consumed by its with each passing moment-

“It won’t die. My god, it won’t die!” Mr. Abernathy dared to approach the glass box once more, perhaps lured there by awe or revulsion- or instead terror, for the sheer might of this slowly-transforming creature was taking incredible dosages of electricity and still managed to survive. He saw both victim and warrior, impossible to kill and desperate to be defeated all in one body, unkillable and begging for the end-

A shadow across the beast’s form was all it took. The incredible contortions of the suffering beast halted as it sensed the presence of something nearby and upon it did its senses focus; the rabbit’s transmutated eyes and ears promptly fixated on the man’s silhouette on the other side of the glass- and its sharpened teeth were bared in the form of a strange-sounding growl, like the hull of a ship against ice. With the force of a bullet did it strike against the glass, trying to break through and make contact; once, twice, three times over until the sides of its prison truly began to crack. And within its roiling mass that was once fur came shards of glass, sticking to the animal’s form like quills meant to ward away enemies-

“Oh my god-”

“Come on!” Twilight wrenched the dial as far as it would go, hoping that it was not too late-

Lights flickered, a brilliant shock that nearly took out the room’s power supply surged though the flooring of the glass case and struck home; heart and microscopic movement were fused together and stopped instantly, the screeching ring of the rabbit’s metal lungs made to cease. It fell back where it lie, all signs of life made to halt and never rise again.

None moved. Vanda had his eyes squeezed shut, face rueful and perhaps made uneasy at just how close this had come to a nightmare. Twilight’s sweet features were twisted by terror; this was her invention, her work. Just how bad had this gone since she couldn’t manage to halt the process? Every new attempt at coding, at taming this wild new creation that had come to life at her fingertips… all of them had ended in failure! If she didn’t find a way to make it obedient, and do it soon…

Mr. Abernathy, keeping himself against the wall, at first dared not to move. His eyes looked upon the malformed thing that had once been a rabbit and marveled, if not gaped. What did his expression reveal? Shock, of course, disgust was evident. But what else was he thinking? Did he now look upon this young girl as a modern Dr. Frankenstein, some sickened monster given tangible aid to make her horrors come to life? The whole world that was their small room waited in bated breath.

“What… the hell… did I just see?” Abernathy dared to ask.

A death blow. Twilight sighed and said, “That is… Project Valiant’s most glaring defect. Try as we might to halt the process, the nanite is proving difficult to control.”

Mr. Abernathy regarded the still-steaming corpse of mutilated beast and dared to step closer. A look through the broken cracks were glass had once been revealed to him a better view, sight where flesh had been fully replaced by hardened steel and metal of miniature machinery. It was magnificent and yet terrifying. “Why did it eat the rabbit?”

“It’s not eating the rabbit. Not like another animal would,” Twilight answered. “The microcomputer within the nanite is limited by its size. We’ve spent hours upon hours trying to rewrite the code, but we can’t seem to limit it to a singular deficiency within the host. It keeps seeking out every deficiency the host possesses- every flaw, no matter how minor. Even something as simple as a dead skin cell is attacked and treated like a threat to the overall health of the host.”

“It was doing more than just getting rid of dead skin,” Mr. Abernathy muttered.

“Because of the trauma the nanite produces,” Twilight admitted. “The more the host becomes stressed, the more the nanite tries to repair any deficiency it finds- yet its very attempts at eating away at even the most minor of flaws help to create new ones. And since we can’t code an All-Stop order into the hardware, the entire process just keeps going. Project Valiant is trying to render its host invulnerable from all harm by correcting any potential flaw it can find.”

“Invulnerable. My god.” Abernathy was considering the concept and seemed to be just as amazed as it disgusted him. The idea of an invulnerable soldier, constantly self-repairing and healing itself from all wounds- at an accelerated rate! “But you killed it. Halted the process.”

Twilight nodded. “In the early stages of the intended treatment, the nanites are vulnerable. Softer, like they haven’t had a chance to harden. But as you saw, it took an extreme amount of voltage to finally kill the prime nanite within and see all function cease. Today, I had to increase it up to 100,000 volts.”

“The glass in its fur,” Vanda remarked, peering in for a closer inspection and seeing the razor-thin barbs; sharp as a knife’s blade, ringed about its neck to protect vulnerable spots from attack. “What causes that? It was stealing assets from its surroundings.”

“Another thing we’re not sure about,” Twilight admitted. “We think it’s some kind of bug in the code that retrieves material from the nearby area to aid in the replacement/replication process. Perhaps its defense mechanism, something we haven’t quite figured out yet.

“And… the trying to attack me?” Abernathy inquired softly.

The truly sticky part. “Perhaps, because of the body trauma,” she offered weakly, “the aggression levels within the animal are heightened. It might just be lashing out, or… it might be another response to Project Valiant’s lifecycle within the body. It’s just too difficult to know right now.”

Abernathy looked at the young scientist before him, regarding every aspect of her to see if he could find hint of a darkness within. Had she intended to create a weapon instead of an aid for humanity? A maddened mind could see these nanites as a process of human evolution, rendered through cruelty yet tangible all the same. Was this the work of a young sadist, one who wanted to render mankind extinct? He looked for a shadow, yet those soft eyes were only brimming with shame, a body hunched over and weighted by the force of it. She hadn’t intended for any of this to happen.

He breathed slowly, wiping away the beads of sweat that had formed upon his large brow. “What are your next steps for perfecting your project?” He asked. “Since it clearly has not passed animal trials, you’re likely to know what hinders your work.”

“Right- right now?” Twilight stammered. She wasn’t going to get fired on the spot! “It all comes down to the coding within the nanite- and the size of the computer we used to make it. It’s just too simple, it’s not capable of the sort of complex commands we need for it to work properly. It’s going to have to understand specific DNA and RNA patterns, identify cells within the body and know which not to attack- as well as how to stop. Right now, it’s like an ouroboros and just ends up eating itself. But if DARPA’s work on micro-USB’s and computer processing can get refined… then we have something that can store all the data we need.”

“But that’s something that would likely take years. If not decades,” Vanda assumed.

Twilight nodded. “If we’re lucky. We may just be working on the first steps of the technology for the rest of our lives, but… it works. Sort of. It can work properly if we’re given the chance to see it done. We just need time, and- and funding.”

Abernathy nodded, taking in the scene and all the emotions it had rendered of him. “I will… speak to the board of directors on the matter,” he said. “Ionis has been willing to work on projects for years at a time, and this one has impressive potential. But the final say is out of my hands; whatever their verdict is, I can’t say. But I will speak on your behalf.”

A start. Not superb, not a wild success as her deepest imaginings had hoped for, but a start all the same. Twilight allowed herself a small smile and nodded. “Thank you for your time, sir.”

Dr. Vanda and Mr. Abernathy said their goodbyes and departed together, the senior researcher accompanying his charge to wherever they must be needed next. In their absence, the young scientist gave a long and heavy sigh, staring at the husk of dead rabbit and feeling her heart twist. She’d hoped this one would work; they’d tinkered on the code for this new iteration all night, trying to find what made it keep going! She just didn’t know how to halt the flow just yet, despite her very best efforts. And gods above, the thought of it being put to use now-! Unchecked, without the knowledge of how to stop it, and needing to stop it so early after its birth! The very makings of an absolute catastrophe if it were to ever get loose.

Twilight’s eyes fell upon the glass barbs imbedded within the neck and gave a shudder. If she weren’t allowed to continue her research, even if the project was buried and left to rot in the depths of paperwork that lasted decades… what would happen if someone tried to put it to use now?

3. Old Fires Still Burning

It was strange that she was suddenly spending so much time with people. A few days with her brother and Cadance had been obviously expected since she’d planned the whole thing, but to find her schedule now filled with the names and faces of friends. So much of her life revolved around her work; her first years at Ionis had been delightfully busy, working as an assistant on the Terraform project. Transforming the outer casing of the prosthetic to fiberglass had taken her months- developing the gel layer to aid the working knee a good year and a half before finally having an ounce of the stuff to present. Then Project Valiant…

She’d hardly known much of any life beyond her lab ever since. So much of her mental concentration had to be focused upon equations and theory, mathematics and design with no aid from outside minds or prior knowledge that could be used as a stepping stone; a social life was too exhausting to maintain, nor could she talk about her work. At least not much. To be someone that could make friends had become an identity of the past.

Yet here she was. Walking into a brewery, of all places, alongside her war hero brother and beautiful sister-in-law to go see an old friend from high school play music. Twilight couldn’t tell if she’d been transported back into time or had suddenly found a new life she’d never known she could have.

She didn’t need to say much. That was a thing she liked about Cadance and her brother, more than perhaps any other companions she’d had. They were just as likely to welcome her as part of their world whether or not she had something to say, fully willing to accept that there were times when she just wanted to be quiet. As more gregarious personalities than she, they could fill the empty silence themselves with ease, especially when their banter had a prime subject to expound upon.

Like alcohol, for example.

“What? I didn’t say I was gonna get smashed,” Shining was protesting. Kept slightly abashed by the disapproval that currently occupied his wife’s face, the enthusiasm expressed only a moment before had run into a brick wall. “I just said I was going to enjoy myself. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“The last time you said that you were just gonna ‘enjoy yourself’ was when you went out with your old platoon and didn’t come back till the next day,” Cadance reminded him. She smirked, but there was a firmness in her voice impossible to miss. “If I have to drag your stumbling self back into the car, so help me-”

“That was a one-time thing! I didn’t do it on purpose, I just kind of- went with the flow. Besides, you act like I’m driving, Twilight will be responsible.”

“Don’t use that as an excuse, I’m just asking you to not go nuts. You broke one of your legs last time because you fell in a ditch.”

Now that was enough to engage her brain. “I’m sorry, say that again,” Twilight remarked. “You broke one of your prosthetics? What were you doing?”

Shining opened his mouth to answer but only gave a muffled sound before having to consider the question. “I- hmm. I’m not really sure. We kinda ended up hanging out at an old gravel lot for the night just whacking golf balls, and after that… it’s a little hazy.”

She had seen her brother drink once or twice, but the thought of one so responsible as he being a catatonic drunk was a visual she couldn’t quite imagine. “Do- you don’t do that often, right?”

He laughed. “Are you kidding? She’d kill me.”

“You’d better believe I would,” Cadance said. “Come on, let’s get something to drink. I’ll find us a place to sit?”

“Sure.”

The brewery was a rather simple old building, crafted in the style of a German beer hall. A small interior was primarily devoted to the bar and a couple of small stools and tables, but the large portion of their seating was outside in their garden that was comfortably shaded by ivy and greenery that grew along the rafters above their heads. All about them was the sound of activity and life, the evening only just beginning and inviting those departing from work to come and mingle with those who had come to socialize.

“You don’t really drink much, right?” Shining guessed.

“Maybe a bit of wine for when my stomach hurts,” Twilight answered, looking at the list of styles on the wall behind the bar and finding it rather intimidating. “Anything you’d suggest?”

“Go with the hefeweizen. It’s a wheat beer, usually pretty juicy. That’s what Cadance likes a lot of the time.”

What was put before her was indeed a brightly colored beer, rather blonde in color and rather thick in texture upon first glance. A hesitant sip found it frothy- and with a hint of orange in it. “It’s… pretty good,” Twilight said.

“They usually are. Good for warm days like today,” Shining said, another hefe in hand while he held a particularly light-looking beer in a tulip glass with the other. “I, personally, however, want something with a little kick.”

They retreated out into the garden to find their absent companion, Cadance’s luxuriously colored locks the sight for which they longed. A bit of a journey through the crowd brought them out to a small open courtyard where she came into view- and there she spoke with two younger women, one with vivid red hair and the other a softly colored pink.

Twilight came closer, scrutinizing the newcomer- and then giving a start. “Fluttershy!” She hadn’t been able to recognize her at first, so changed was she. The timid young girl was no longer so skinny and tiny, but instead had grown tall. Almost as tall as Shining, in fact, and a healthier glow to her features than what she had possessed through high school. Gone was the soft river of hair that had flowed down to her waist, now a short cut woven into a lovely dutch fishtail braid that trailed to just across her shoulder. Twilight had obviously expected some measure of change to have occurred since they’d last seen one another, the years of time in between all but assuring that, but the difference was stark. Fluttershy appeared happier, healthier, even confident. And all she did was sit there.

The soft woman looked up from her conversation with Cadance and gave a bright smile at the sight of Twilight. A wave of her hand and she was up on her feet to give the spectacled woman a hug. “Hello, Twilight! It’s lovely to see you again.”

“You, too! You look so different- in a good way, I mean!” The changes the once-timid woman had undergone seemed to make her radiate happiness, a quiet soothing of the spirit that made one’s heart mellow. Being near her in this sort of state, particularly when one was in a mood to be influenced by good cheer, was all it took to make her feel at ease.

“Thank you. And I know you meant nothing mean by it,” Fluttershy said. “You look really nice, too, by the way. I guess you’ve been having a lot of fun working wherever you ended up. Last I remember was that you were going for your PhD!”

“Yeah, that was- oh jeez, that was six years ago,” Twilight murmured. She wasn’t quite thirty yet, but the rapidity of time occasionally frightened her. “But hey, it’s good to see you. How’d you know to come here?”

The pink-haired girl gave a nod towards Sunset, who promptly blushed at such an action. “She asked if I wanted to come by and see her sing. Of course I would show up! And now you’re here, and- oh yeah, Cadance said she was your sister-in-law. What a lovely surprise!”

“We just happened to be on the same flight as Sunset when we were coming in,” Shining said, taking a seat beside his bride and placing drinks upon the table, a slow stretch as the effort of walking wearied his tired body. “Ooh, that feels better- and yeah, we got to talking. Doesn’t seem too bad a place to hang out, either.”

“I like it. It’s very relaxing a place to be.”

“Wait. You’ve been here before- you!” Sunset said, she staring at her companion and wondered perhaps just how much she had changed in their years of absence. “What on earth for? I- honestly, I wouldn’t have guessed you drink…”

“Oh, not really drinks, except maybe every once in a while,” Fluttershy said. “I’ve helped run a few adoption events for the shelter here, and they’ve been very kind as to let us keep coming back. They told me once that their sales go way up whenever we have puppies and kittens available for adoption.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. Any drunk people try to adopt on the spot?”

“A few. We always play it safe and say no, though. At least until they can think things over properly,” the soft-spoken woman said.

Their small group chatted amongst themselves comfortably for a time, Twilight delighted that her brother and sister-in-law could so easily mingle with her friends. There had been a time when such things would have been difficult, age and maturity to keep them separate. But now was a merging of their worlds, old life and the new blending together into something cheerful. Though she was glad to hear of what Fluttershy had to say regarding her work, as well as Sunset’s storied travels, the thinking girl took the opportunity to study her companions further- and Sunset in particular.

When they’d been friends, Sunset had more or less been the defacto leader of their group, or perhaps better described as den mother. She and Applejack had been the more mature, protective personalities that had helped to keep them all in line and focused on their goals, as well as maintaining the group’s friendliness. In the role, the crimson-haired girl had seemed to revel, if not radiate. There was a comforted light in her eyes back then… one now absent. Though Sunset spoke happily of her travels; things and places seen, people met, experiences had, the silence would eventually befall her tongue and those eyes would flitter away from the rest of the world and settle upon Fluttershy’s form. She would take in a breath, gaze at her, and there within those pale pools would come to life a sorrow, an ache across her features that belied her smile. Just what did she see every time her eyes fell on that quiet beauty? Regret? Longing? Twilight had eventually clued in to Sunset’s attraction to the animal lover, but never had she seen them interact in such a way. With their worlds so different, did Sunset now believe any hope she’d had with Fluttershy was gone?

Maybe she asked her to come here and hoped things would be different. Or maybe it just hurts to see her now.

“Sorry I’m late, darling! I didn’t expect there to be so many people out and about today, I didn’t think it would be so difficult to get here.”

The cool voice carried even through the chatter of the crowd, meant for them and difficult to ignore. Shining paused halfway in sipping his beer to seek out the source, and giving a wide, cock-eyed stare when he found it. “Uh… she’s a friend of yours?”

She felt ashamed to say that Rarity was the one she’d lost contact with first. Both had become so busy in their respective endeavors, so different in scope and path and yet time-consuming all the same. Probably since the end of their first year in college was the last time Twilight had met her old friend, and time had done wonders in causing her mind to forget the fashionista’s loveliness. Good heavens, she was getting stares from all around her! Not quite as tall as Fluttershy but with a shapeliness that was envious to women and eye-catching to everyone. About her supple form was a white floral dress that fell to just beyond her knees, the puffy sleeves and softness of the pattern upon it giving her the appearance of something sweet and serene rather than sensuous, a perfect fit for the greenery and life that hung all about her. The long locks she’d always possessed were still present, but put to waves rather than the curls she’d once been known for. As always, Rarity dressed for the occasion- and made everyone else appear out of place and ill-dressed in comparison.

“Wow, Rarity- goodness, what are you doing here?” Sunset was first to be on her feet, giving the seamstress an embrace as she marveled still at this sudden reunion. “Not that I mind, but just- wow, I keep running into so many of you all! This is so great!”

“I asked if she wanted to come see you sing tonight,” Fluttershy explained, she amongst the many as old friends came and celebrated one another. “I hope that’s alright. I thought it would be fun, since we’re not always all in the same place.”

“And I am perfectly happy to oblige, darling,” Rarity added. “I don’t think I’ve heard you sing since… has it really been since high school?”

“Eugh! I hope I sound better than I did back then,” Sunset said, her horror at the talents of youthful days apparent. “I should- oh crap, I need to start getting set up! Sorry, guys, I gotta go back to the car and grab my stuff.”

“Do you want any help?” Fluttershy offered.

“I’ve got it, but thanks!” And off was the red-haired woman in a rush, back to the parking lot where materials awaited her hand for reclamation.

Rarity watched Sunset trail away. “I hope she doesn’t still get nervous before she performs. I know she was always so hard on herself about playing when we were younger.”

“I doubt she’ll ever get over it fully,” Twilight said, and she scooted over a seat so as to offer their newest arrival a place to sit. “You have to always be a little nervous just because you care, right?”

“I would guess so.” The great beauty looked about at the group. “Rainbow wasn’t able to make it? I would have expected you to extend her an offer, Fluttershy- oh I’m sorry, my name is Rarity, you must be-”

“Shining Armor. Twily’s brother-”

“Cadance. Wifey!”

“Lovely to meet you- as you were saying, Fluttershy?”

“Rainbow is still out at LA competing,” Fluttershy said. “She told me she won’t get back in until next week, actually. The National Team wants her qualified in as many events as possible before the Olympics start their trials.”

“She’s that good now?” Twilight inquired. She’d known Rainbow for being a magnificent runner back in high school, with even a state title under her belt. She hadn’t realized just how far that might take her.

“I think she’s got… two? Records now?” Fluttershy said. “100M and the 200, and I think they want her to compete in the 400M, too. But she hasn’t told me if she’s made up her mind about that after the last Olympics.”

“Jeez, you’ve got a friend who’s an Olympian?” Shining remarked. Eyes upon his sister, disbelief etched in every fiber of his war-wearied form. “What is it with you? Everyone you know is making something of themselves, including you.”

Twilight smiled at the praise despite the blush. “I guess we all just got lucky.”

“Yes, we certainly all had our share of that,” Rarity remarked.

She’d known Rarity to be ladylike in all circumstances; cool, calm, controlled. But unless the years had changed her that drastically –and her senses weren’t wrong- then she might have just noticed the slightest tremor of a dryness to the fashionista’s words. A bitterness.

Bitter? What does Rarity have to be bitter about when it comes to… she wasn’t hoping to run into Rainbow today, was she? Twilight considered the thought- and the match, if she had to let it evolve further; the two weren’t exactly similar in any sense, polar opposites in both tastes and personality. Maybe an example of opposites attract? Not really one I would have guessed.

Sunset returned with an armful of things before too long, guitar slung across her back in a black bag, an amp with a trio of cords wrapped about its handle in one hand, and a microphone stand in the other. She waved away those of her company who rose to try and lend a helping hand, she merely setting her things down at the corner of the patio and beginning to see herself settled. Though she meant to concentrate on her work, eyes would be seen flickering towards them whenever a few moments had passed. Settling on that elegant braid, then back to plugging in her microphone; setting volume for her amp, and another glance as she saw Fluttershy laughing at a story Cadance was telling.

She’d never really been one to pry into the lives of her friends, but mistaking that ache in Sunset’s eyes was impossible; Twilight doubted even she had expected to be struck this badly after so many years apart. Was this how she had always seen Fluttershy? Not fearful or timid, but serene and lovely, a gentle strength used only for the benefit of others. A radiance within that shone like the first warm rays of spring, no ferocity to be found. And she was about to have to perform in front of this woman who she deeply admired with a stomach full of butterflies. Memory flitted to the presentation only just the other day; not quite the same, but similar enough to engender empathy.

Sunset took a seat upon her stool and let one finger tap against the microphone, the free hand strumming across cord in the rhythm of a gentle warm-up meant to request the attention of her audience rather than demand it. “Hi, everybody,” Sunset said, voice seemingly calm yet not quite rid of a nervous tremor. “I’m… I’m Sunset, and- hope you enjoy what you hear.”

Instrument was raised into position so that she might play, yet head was bowed and eyes held closed. Pale-blue light flickered back to life only to be overwhelmed by a flare of panic, desperate to burn across body and mind and heart. One strong, swift glance towards the one girl who agonized her, the shudder across her body a heady thing like a great wave crashing against the rocks. A cacophony of emotions, all in the manner of an instant- then gone as hand gripped instrument with tightness, breath sucked in and notes were summoned forth to life by the skill of the woman who wielded it.

It had been too long since Twilight had heard Sunset sing. She’d been of a deeper tone than perhaps most would have expected of so petite a girl, kept sickly by trauma and shame. Yet now was instead an adult, fully alive and bettered by years of good care upon her heart. That strong voice carried free and far, yet a softened note within that blunted the edge she had once possessed. A voice that had once so easily sung of strong and fiery feeling had cooled, a blazing wildfire isolated and transformed into the gentleness of a hearth’s flame that meant only to warm. Fingerwork across the neck paired with pickwork over the body, the acoustic instrument sending forth its quieter, less raucous peals out into the shadows of sunset, combining with that softened song and gracing the evening with a melancholy comfort.

The spectacled woman felt slightly ashamed that such skill astonished her, but the growth since they’d last been friends was remarkable! Sunset could sing and play- wonderfully so! Not quite elegant but not casual, comfortable and yet lonesome, meant to pluck at the heart just as much as soothe it. She could gently tend to the emotions of sorrow and heartache and yet soften tired souls and fix them upon a warm mood. The prickling of emotion somewhere on the back of her throat brought a taut smile to Twilight’s face. She had her brother her, she was with old friends- though not fully whole, and not everyone here. A wish for things to have turned out differently, for a real reunion- yet how good this was all the same!

The first set of songs came to an end and was then met by a smattering of applause- a few from the crowd that currently inhabited the vine-grown brewery, but the majority of it coming from those she called friends. Sunset turned a shade of red even as she smiled in her return back to the table of her comrades, greeted with praise well-earned and compliments she would never think she deserved.

“It was alright. It was just alright!” She said, even if her complexion was shining beneath the weight of it all. The nerves she’d felt only a spare few minutes ago were lost amidst the streaming sound of laudations, too miniscule and insignificant to last when faced with genuine feeling. “Seriously, thank you, but I know I’ve done better-”

“Better? Goodness, how did ‘better’ not get you an album deal?” Twilight asked. “You were great, you sounded even better than I remember!”

“Truly marvelous, darling,” Rarity insisted. “Why, you sound quite like an angel.”

“You’re just saying that ‘cause we were friends,” Sunset protested. Abashed, embarrassed, and most definitely delighted, she was trying with all her might to not let the kind words tickler her vanity. “I know there are plenty of people better than me.”

“Well we weren’t your friends until today, and I think you sounded great,” Cadance jumped in. “Right, babe?”

Shining was more subdued in his praise, only offering a nod and a smile alongside what applause he’d given. “You got skills, girl. Why else would people ask for you?”

“But I-”

“Oh, just let them be nice to you, Sunset,” came the unexpected chiding of Fluttershy, last to speak but the one whose features shined most brightly. “Everyone wants to be nice to you, you don’t have to try and stop them. It’s OK to let people love you.”

The most shocking, most unexpected of advice to ever emanate from Fluttershy’s lips had just suddenly escaped out into their midst, dumbfounding them all into a silence they’d never felt before. Those who knew her could hardly have been rendered more speechless, amazed that the words the gentle beauty had decided to speak were actually a criticism, especially when it was Sunset to whom it as directed. But more shocking, even to all, was the bright-red flush that came upon the musician’s cheeks that entwined itself with the bashful smile erupting across her lips without any bidding. A nod of her head, a gleam in her eye, and back down among their midst was she, enjoying company and not offering an ounce of protest further.

The night carried on splendidly, almost perfectly. Sunset would carry on in her play and offer more beautiful sound for the world to enjoy, dropping down from her musical perch to return back to her friends and enjoy company for a brief repose, and maybe a drink or two as the night carried on. Darkness fell before anyone chose to abandon post, most of the brewery’s crowd long gone when Rarity proclaimed that she could not withstand her weariness any longer and decided to retire for the evening.

“You know she had to have made that outfit herself,” Sunset offered as she watched the fashionable woman head off to what ride awaited her; a personal limousine, a fine vehicle, the likes of which they could hardly guess. “Nothing she ever wore was store-bought, she likes to show off her skills.”

“It looked really good,” Cadance assented. “Does she sell anywhere?”

“I- I don’t know, actually,” Sunset admitted, bashful giggles erupting from her as her lack of knowledge grew apparent. “I know she was looking at starting up her own store a while back, but that was ages ago. Like when we were leaving high school. I don’t know how you could get her stuff now, you’d have to ask.”

“I just might. I was hoping for something-” a halt to her words as she gazed down at her husband, momentary silence before allowing a smirk across her lips. “Nevermind.”

Shining knew the words had been meant to entice his attention, but he didn’t care if it was only meant as bait. His wife would forever be beautiful in his eyes, forever a vision of feminine magnificence; the idea that she was planning something with beauty in mind was a concept he was eager to imagine. “No, no. Please continue,” he said, a hand reaching up to his wife’s body and giving a brief massage. “I don’t mind sneaking a look at my presents early-”

Smack! Across his fingers were a gentle swat, only enough to see hands retract from breast and elicit a laugh from the remaining crowd. “And to think you say you trust me,” Cadance chided, eyes dancing with light. “Come on, you’re getting handsy. We need to go to bed.”

“Whoa now.”

“Oh no, not in my bed, thank you,” Twilight protested, disgusted and somehow impressed to laugh at this brash behavior. “Those sheets are clean and the only ones I have, do not dare to try and-”

“Oh gosh! No, not what I mean,” Cadance protested, realizing her mistake and immediately finding herself the subject of laughter from all sides. “No, I mean actually going to sleep. It’s getting late and it’s been a long day, so I wouldn’t mind getting some rest. Twilight, you feel good enough to drive us?”

“Mhm. I only had the two,” the younger woman said. She offered her goodbyes to her old friends, promising to try and keep in touch this time around rather than allow work and time to perform their malignant powers upon her world. Sunset and Fluttershy were a delight to be around, and loathe was she to let these newfound connections be severed just as they had been reformed; much as her time may be consumed, there was too much good with them to be ignored.

“Oh! Have fun, you two!” Twilight called as they departed, almost too late in noticing that she had unwittingly left Sunset and Fluttershy to be on their lonesome; goodness knew what might come from such time spent together. “Can’t wait to hear from you!”

Absolute cruelty, that’s what it was. She hadn’t intended for her night to end up like this, not by a longshot. But goodness, had everyone else tried to make it be so? The flame-haired girl found herself wondering if her old friends had been conspiring against her, intent on seeing old flames rejuvenated from long-dead coals. She had only invited Fluttershy out of courtesy’s sake, meaning for her to come by and maybe enjoy a quiet evening. Nothing romantic at all!

Then again, she had invited her so that she could watch her play. Maybe there had been some romantic intent after all.

“You don’t need to help me get any of this cleaned up,” Sunset said. A hand on her speaker, Fluttershy walked along beside her with cables and microphone stand in her grasp back to the car that had once housed them, the night drawing to a close and the brewery on the verge of locking their doors. “I promise, I had it, you don’t need to feel like-”

“I wanted to, Sunset. It’s perfectly alright.” Fluttershy’s words were given with a smile, soft in all the warmth of spring and yet delivered in a surprisingly firm tone. The backbone of this new Fluttershy, found in the midst of their years spent separate, continued to show itself in surprising ways. “You shouldn’t feel like you have to do everything on your own.”

“I don’t, I swear, I just- you don’t need to feel like you should have to help me, that’s all.” The extra company –well, Fluttershy’s company- was more than welcome. But there was no way she could go back into old roles, old lives. They were adults, just asking for her aid felt like going too far, particularly when there had been so many years spent apart. But God help her, the feel of her being so close, the shivers of delight that came when she caught sight of that smile~!

“I want to. I’m glad to be with you again.” Fluttershy said it so calmly, so simply, no fear or hesitancy in speaking words that carried such extravagant weight within them. Did she know how they would be received? Just what Sunset would think and feel when they came? The sweet girl never had been much of a fool, surely she had to.

“Oh.” For a time longer, silence. Sunset set her things down before the trunk of the car, keys extracted from her pocket so that she might unlock the vehicle and see equipment put within. There was a stinging in her eyes even as her heart tried to sing, misfired emotions striking against one another with equilibrium trying to find itself within. Fluttershy surely couldn’t mean what she said, not like that.

Into the trunk went the microphone stand, the music sheet, the amp just above with wires beside. Her eyes were stinging even more. The guitar, well-cared for in its bag, sat atop the mound of equipment and she struggled to see it through darkness and the damp blur filling her eyes. Gods, this was the alcohol, wasn’t it? She was never emotional like this, not even when the raptures of a great show coursed through her veins and set blood aflame; that cold yet vibrant wonder couldn’t strike her like this, how did something so simple manage to defeat her so easily? Surely nobody else was this vulnerable.

It hadn’t been intended, but from her lips came the sucking of air in a watery hiccup. A pause so that she might regain control of herself, but how difficult it was! Upon her hands came the grasp of something gentler, and soon about her form was the sensation of one so loving. The embrace of Fluttershy could be mistaken for nothing else, for no one else.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tease,” Fluttershy said, words said so softly that surely her voice was held as tight to the chest. Had she, too, spent the years yearning for a love thought to have been lost in the flow of time? One so good and lovely would have had to forgone so much in the vain hopes of a reunion. “I promise I wasn’t trying.”

“This is wrong. I shouldn’t have,” Sunset hiccupped. She wasn’t at all in control of herself, doing what she could to try and refocus her mind. “I just wanted you to have a good night, I wasn’t trying to- to make a move, or anything!”

“Well I wanted to make a move on you. Thank you for giving me the chance, by the way.”

Said openly and without a hint of shame; Sunset gawked at Fluttershy for a moment before the two women burst into laughter, still holding to one another and letting the cheerful wave flow through them. It was such a brazen thing to say!

“What on earth have you been up to since we last saw each other?” Sunset asked. “Goodness, you- you’ve changed a lot. And all in a bunch of good ways, too. I wouldn’t have ever guessed- oh gosh, that sounds bad!”

“It’s alright. I… didn’t really expect for everything to be so different, too,” the warm-hearted woman said, gently playing with her braid as she rested within the sunstruck girl’s embrace. “But I kept missing you. In, like, every way. So I’m glad you invited me. Because I think even though I grew up, I never really grew out of you.”

“I missed you, too,” Sunset murmured, her face shining with all the warmth of the sun and light that had been lost to time. This was not a new step in an old relationship, not with all the time that had passed; this was to be a new day, a sunrise on something totally unique. “Sorry that all I wanted to do was… well, you know. Sleep with you.”

“I never said no, you know,” Fluttershy grinned.

“You never said no!”

“What do you think that meant, silly?”

A mouth made open to protest soon fell shut. Oh.

Fluttershy smiled, gazing at her companion’s things and giving them consideration. “Where are you staying tonight?”

“I’ve got…” So it would be a bit of confession time. “I’ve got a hotel over in Springhurst for a few days.”

The quiet beauty pursed her lips and gave a shake of her head. “No. Never again, do you hear me?” She said. “Now come on, we’ll go by your room and grab your things. I’ve got plenty of room at my place and I don’t mind sharing.”

It was moving swiftly- too swiftly, if she were to be honest. “Fluttershy, wait, that’s- no, I can’t just let you do that for me-”

“As if I don’t want you to spend time with me! Goodness, I wasn’t that much of a pushover, was I?” Fluttershy’s eyes danced with laughter, delighting in each new revelation; who had changed, how they had changed, and all the time in between! “I didn’t say you had to spend it in my bed, if you don’t want to.”

“I didn’t- I wasn’t meaning- if you want me to, then that’s OK,” Sunset eventually settled, wild voice turned impressively meek with a blush to match. She had perhaps hoped for something like this, but to see it unfold so quickly, and by the insistence of the one she’d adored, was a bit much to take in.

“You’ll follow me once we head home, OK?” Fluttershy said; on her lips was a smile so playful, teasing as she enjoyed this strange role the likes of which she’d never played before. Leading on even if she were the one to follow, each new step that came was to be brought about by her own will. “We don’t… if you just want to snuggle tonight, that’s alright. We can get comfortable first.”

“That sounds like heaven.”

The sweet woman beamed. “Welcome home, Sunset. I missed you.”

Author's Note

One more, I think. Then things begin to change- badly.

Keep reading, I guess.

4. Life and Death

It was an old photo he looked at. The surplus of youthful faces within it would have revealed that to anyone who knew the lifespan of those within a military uniform. They’d hardly been anything more than boys freshly freed from their mother’s arms, set loose into something so horrific that human imagination couldn’t conceive of what would transpire. The scent of flame upon flesh, the cracking whip that was unmitigated warsound, how all the senses would be overwhelmed all at once. No one had told them that the smell of battle would be the one they would always remember, or the octaves that human screams could reach. Would any word of warning even have been believed? Looking back, he doubted it. Even his most pessimistic views had seen at least a hero’s return and carried to peaceful rest; surviving unimagined agony had never been part of his schemes.

Shining Armor looked upon the faces and knew each of them by heart: Staff Sergeant Sinclair, who should have been promoted before he died- a burst of shrapnel finding the vein in his throat and ensuring him final moments spent pleading for help that could not heal the wound. The Garrison Twins, brothers who had sworn to never leave the other behind, and never were they found even years after the battle. Private Teague who had been so worried that he would let his friends down and panic when the bullets began to finally fly… he’d been awarded the Silver Star for his heroism; a miscarriage of justice, as far as Shining was concerned. He’d done more than enough to be awarded the Medal of Honor; he’d done everything he could to save his old platoon leader when the whole world had gone to hell.

The face that he knew to be his own shone back at him, so bright and clear and full of determination even in the face of the impending nightmare that was soon to befall. He knew it was his reflection from a time long past, his own soul and self captured in a moment. But now? Now… it was as though looking upon a different person, a being other than self. It was him and yet not, someone lost in the fire and maelstrom that had never been found, no matter how many had pleaded and shouted his name. Another one who had never really come back.

The breath that escaped him was slow, intentionally kept cool and calm in the outflow. It was only a small span of time between his awakening and the now, emotions still vulnerable from when the dreamscape had let him be; a reasonable, rational response was not something that would come from him quite yet. Yet so much of what Shining thought was cruel to so many others, and maybe even himself.

A movement from beside him stirred him not, even though he knew it to be the slowly rousing movements of his bride. Cadance was returning to the living world from whatever undisturbed space she’d been, eyes opening to find a darkened room still in the blue hours of the morning and her husband resting against the side of the bed with an old platoon photo in his hand. A sight not uncommon, not welcome, but one she knew by heart. The one last thing her husband could not yet allow to be forgiven, by anyone. Maybe this was her call to try again.

“How’d you sleep?” She asked, voice and eyes bleary with tired. Creeping from her place atop the pillows, she stretched out and saw her cheek rest against his in the hopes her warmth would bring him back from the land of the dead.

“Alright,” he guessed. Eyes remained fixed upon those lost faces, even if he felt the heat press against his face. “I haven’t been up all night, I promise.”

“That’s good.” She let her own gaze fall upon the picture, take in the few sights she recognized. She’d married Shining only a few short months before he’d deployed, a fresh-faced Lieutenant leaving her behind and returning as a beleaguered Captain with two limbs lost and a horde of ghosts upon his soul. She only knew the bits and pieces of what he’d offered to her, as well as what gaps history had filled in. But the details, all blood-soaked and filled with the intangibles only he could know… she’d never dared to wonder how they chilled his blood. It wasn’t her place to ask.

But he was her husband. Half of her, part of her soul, so deeply woven into her spirit that his agonies were inseparable from her own; how these hauntings still fell upon him tore at her also; and so if he was awake listening to the furious sound, so she would be by his side. Her soldier would never fight alone again.

“I wish I’d known them,” she murmured. Her hand rested atop his, feeling out to the screen as though the living souls were within. A connection to what life she had never actually known. “They seemed amazing.”

“They were.” Shining’s words were terse, not meant to be unfriendly. He was trying his best to maintain composure rather than let bitterness seep in; she had done nothing to deserve his anger, of any kind. “And I let ‘em down.”

“You did everything you could. You were their leader, and they were glad of it,” Cadance said. She recalled the memorial services, how so many loved ones left behind had filtered by to express their gratitude for Shining’s exemplary behavior. Not one had spoken with any anger, not once ever wishing his fate had been changed. They had all been so grateful for his return, for the stories he had told of their sons. “I’m glad you knew them.”

“They should have lived instead of me,” Shining murmured. A statement said more than once, so many times now that even half-hearted expressions of it still found a way to ring a little true.

“And they would have said the same.”

“Doesn’t make it right. I ordered them.”

“And they obeyed. You didn’t ask for them to die.”

“You sure about that?”

“Always.” Cadance forced his gaze to meet hers, to see that sorrow held back with the gentle firmness of her conviction. “They believed in you. You didn’t send them in your stead.”

“And here I am anyway,” Shining said softly. “I guess that didn’t quite work out.”

She didn’t always know what to say. There were times that his grief was so imbedded in his bones that the thought of seeing it freed from him was impossible. It would simply be like an illness, time and good rest the only cure that could see it made right. To disrespect his suffering would be cruel- to disregard his fallen comrades would be an insult. She wished not for the outcome that had been, nor the one her husband desired; he was here, in her arms, she could still hold to the one she loved! But what it had cost… Well, that was something she wouldn’t ask of anyone.

“I wish could have met them,” Cadance murmured.

Shining could only give a small nod. “Yeah.” And there wasn’t much need for talk after that.

It was the most peaceful sensation she’d known in years. The feeling of warmth all about her, enveloped and kept there by the weight of a heavy blanket had ensured that her full form would know the ease of a deep sleep. After so many days spent away, spent beneath a cheap set of hotel bedsheets and not much else, how was she to know what something specifically made for her felt like? But it wasn’t made with her in mind. It had been bought by another, sought out by another, and was only meant to satisfy another. But now she was beneath it, and the magnificent affection of its mistress was something she couldn’t ignore.

She didn’t deserve it and it made a pit in her stomach.

Sunset awoke to a world still dark and kept away from the sunlight that was beginning to creep into view outside. Even the barest rise of her head from the pillow that supported her was enough proof of that, weak, warm light pushing its way through the blinds and illuminating the bedroom in which she slept. It felt so, so… comfortable. A warmth that she couldn’t quite feel, knew only by heart. It would likely be putrid outside, the heady hate of summer weighing down across the world and seeing steam rise from the earth, but the sight of it was so serene. Was it because of whom she dwelt with? It had to be; where else was there for her to feel like home?

Try as she might to place her head back against her pillow and let the drowsiness ensnare her mind once more, the effect would not come. Sunset’s mind was awake and moving, flitting from one thought to the next and all the emotions that came with it. She could feel the hole in her gut, how it gnawed and forbade her mind from seeing reason. Rational thought was not an easy thing to find so early in the morning, just a moment removed from the dreams she could no longer recall. Perhaps it would be best if she just got up and got herself ready. Especially when Fluttershy’s still form beside her continued to carry on, the slow breaths of a deep sleep causing the sheets to rise and fall.

The townhouse had been a bit of a surprise when she’d arrived that night, considering how little space she’d known the nature lover to use. Entering inside to find Fluttershy’s décor gave it the warmth of a cottage, quiet colors and sights of a country life brought into the urban center; with the insistence of its caretaker, she’d been able to relax and be taken by sleep rather quickly. And then there’d been the warmth of Fluttershy’s presence beside her…

She probably could have slept with her –truly slept with her- last night if she’d dared to make the move. But all their evening had seen was shared space, comfort in a cool room that spirited them away from the darkness of night. Fluttershy even seemed to drop hints that she wanted Sunset to make advances, encouraging her to fall back into that role she’d once held. But that was high school, another person altogether and a life that had been almost the exact same as Fluttershy’s. Now? The roads were where she found her place more often than not; Fluttershy had allowed her roots to grow deep, so much that she flourished.

And she flourished once she was away from you, Sunset couldn’t help but think. She hadn’t been cruel or unkind to her one-time paramour, not ever. But her absence seemed to have done the shy woman wonders. Heaven knew what damage she could wreak by returning- by simply being here now.

Down to the kitchen did she go, setting a pot of coffee and glad to hear its water beginning to boil and churn. Actually, was that even the correct thing to do? It wasn’t her coffee, not her kitchen; nothing here belonged to her in the slightest save the travel bag full of clothes and the music equipment she’d not dared to leave in the car. All of this was Fluttershy’s to use, and hers only to borrow if given permission. Why had she felt so comfortable in just settling herself in?

“This is why you had to leave, remember?” Sunset told herself bitterly, scrolling through her feed in the absentminded way her mornings usually permitted. “She’s not yours, you don’t own her. Why do you just come in and try and make people belong to you?”

“Mmf… who are you talking to?”

Sunset screamed. Goodness, the first real scream of fright she’d given in ages, enough to make her whole body surge with energy from the terror! So quiet were Fluttershy’s footfalls that the sound of her coming down the stairs hadn’t been audible above the noise of the coffeemaker.

In another unexpected turn, Fluttershy hardly seemed put to thrills by the suddenness of the sound, only letting her eyes go momentarily wide. “Oh my- I’m sorry, Sunset, I didn’t mean to scare you like that! I just didn’t expect you to be talking to someone so early.”

“It’s fine, reall- I was just talking to myself, really, and I guess I was louder than I’d thought I was.” Her stammered words were interrupted by the sound of the heated drip, enough to lure that still-sleepy gaze over to its source. “Oh, I, uh… I started making coffee. I’m sorry, I just realized- I didn’t make enough for two people, I’m so used to- I’m really sorry-”

“That’s alright. I keep it for guests in case they want something to drink,” Fluttershy said. “Would you hand me a teabag? I keep them on the top shelf just behind you.”

“Huh? Oh, umm, right.” Sunset turned to the cupboard behind her and fetched a thin bag of brew as Fluttershy slid in behind her to fetch a mug from the nearby cabinet.

She was pretty. Goodness, so pretty, even if she’d done no preparations in the slightest. Such a graceful form beneath her soft robe, slenderness without the gangly look she’d had during her teenage years that had been born by all her anxiety and fear. Her skin glowed after a healthy night’s sleep, her eyes still dulled by tiredness glowed with warmth all the same. That lovely face, those lips…

So much for her to long for, to need with all her heart. But Fluttershy needed another chance to forsake her; last night had been an emotional decision, perhaps a night’s rest would see the fervor cooled. Sunset had been the only girl she’d ever slept with, maybe it was just the sensations of puppy love rather than genuine affection. She wanted her to at least have the choice.

“See something you like?” The most unlikely of remarks somehow passed across Fluttershy’s lips and into the open world, Sunset there to witness it and be left stunned. The tired, still-sleepy face held a grin as the sweet woman took note of her companion’s lingering gaze upon her form. Teasing and kind, the bright-pink bathrobe hardly illuminated much beneath. What she truly was had to be intimately known already.

“I wasn’t looking,” Sunset protested, promptly forcing her head to be facing elsewhere so that she could have a justifiable excuse. It wouldn’t be much, or even all that believable, but still. “Besides, I-”

“Just let me know what you want to see, I don’t mind showing you,” Fluttershy added.

Stomach fell to somewhere around her toes, Sunset now fully awake and most definitely able to have a fully-formed opinion on the matter. Ooh, this was torture! She desperately needed Fluttershy in her arms even if it was poison to the one she desired. How on earth was she supposed to reconcile the two? Especially when what she wanted was being openly offered…

“There’s some biscuits in the freezer if you’d like any,” the gentle hostess offered. “Would you put some on a plate for me? I think they go very well with duck eggs.”

“You… you have duck eggs?” Sunset asked.

“I became friends with a lovely farming family a few years ago. They’ve been kind enough to give me eggs for a while, especially since I help them with keeping their animals well,” was the explanation. “They’re quite tasty, I think they’re much better than anything you could get at a store. You should try some, too.”

“I… will. Thank you.”

Fluttershy beamed, going about her morning routine and enjoying the presence of Sunset to make it all aglow. Even if such a thing caused her beloved to twist and writhe at heart, even if it was unwise, she relished this moment being made better by the heart of another with which to share it.

Enough to make Sunset feel sick.

“Ooh… that’s very nice.” Fluttershy’s first sip of steaming brew came slowly, the hiss of heat still audible to the ears that could hear it, a tentative drawing of liquid from the cup and across sensitive lips. But Fluttershy desired the feeling all the same, relished the potency of the liquid and the flavor within it- as well as the company she now possessed. A slow gulp before she raised eyes to meet Sunset, giving a smile. “I hope you slept alright. I know it must have been a bit cramped, what with me being right nearby.”

It was the most heavenly feeling she’d known in years and the answer tore at her soul, but Sunset couldn’t possibly give admission to such things or else she might truly lose it and start bursting into tears. Especially when Fluttershy seemed so willing to lure her into a position of finding such emotions comfortable. “It’s not a big deal, really,” Sunset said. “I don’t mind another person being around. It’s- it’s pretty nice, actually.”

You damned idiot!

Fluttershy’s smile shone all the brighter, lively brew in her hands and putting all to warmth. “That’s lovely to hear. So I hope that means you’ll be moving in for good.”

“I…” Wanted, desired, needed more than anything she’d ever wanted in all her life. Forget fame and fortune, forget rock and roll, anything that she’d ever strove for as a child- what she wanted most of all was to know this beautiful woman wasn’t going to leave her side ever again even if she was the worst thing that would ever happen to her. Sunset so desperately wished she could keep Fluttershy beside her. But after how they’d separated? Impossible. “I can’t… do that to you.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow but gave no other sign of emotion. Almost as if she’d expected to hear such a response. “You… do you still feel bad about high school?”

Hitting the nail on the head right from the first blow wasn’t what she’d been hoping for. Now it meant all her explanations would have to be that much more honest. And considering just how much she had to be ashamed of… “Be honest, you know it wasn’t a healthy relationship. I was more interested in being physical than you were. Hell, I was more interested in the relationship period than you were. You know this.”

“I never told you no,” Fluttershy reminded her.

“That’s because you pretty much never said no to anyone!” Sunset countered. “Fluttershy, I was pushy for way too long. And- and the moment I actually realized how bad that was to do, I left you to just sort of deal with it. No real warning, nothing. I just ran off and left.”

Fluttershy nodded in response to it all, not once denying an ounce of what her ex-girlfriend had done to her. Their relationship had been something off-kilter right from the start, a mutual interest with a mismatch of pace. She’d wanted to hold hands, Sunset had wanted a makeout session under the bleachers. For every smile Fluttershy had offered, there had been another night spent having sex. It had been so much, and so fast; Fluttershy’s hesitant foray into her first romance had been burned away by Sunset’s fire almost from the very moment it had begun. And when Sunset had come to her that last day, head bowed and apologetic for “ruining her life-”

Fluttershy took another sip of her tea and pondered what to say. Sunset was clearly distressed, struggling to put food down or pay attention to much of anything. She hardly seemed much like her old self; far less confident, or hopeful about life. It was a miserable thing to see from one who’d used to shine so bright. Had the trials of her solitary life really managed to make her flame flicker?

And if it has, Fluttershy considered, then it’s not an accident that she’s back in town. Or talking to me. Which might be the most comforting thought the quiet beauty could have had.

“I was worried about letting you down,” she said, taking a bite of egg.

Sunset was roused from whatever miserable internal dialogue that had possessed her so. “What?”

She couldn’t keep the smile away, something sheepish yet delightful to her soul. “I really, really liked you in high school, you know,” Fluttershy explained. “Very much so. So whenever you came to me and wanted to go somewhere and kiss for a while, or, you know, meet up and sleep together… I really didn’t mind. I actually liked doing stuff like that with you.”

Sunset blinked. “Fluttershy,” she began slowly, “I’m- come on, you don’t need to lie like that and make me feel better, it’s alright. I know what I did was wrong.”

“I’m not lying. I could have said no if I wanted to.”

Just how much of her protests were being ignored here? Sunset had spoken many a word with her quiet love, but never had a conversation ever felt so akin to running into a brick wall. “Fluttershy, everyone knows you hardly ever said no to anyone. About anything! You know I pushed you way out of your comfort zone, and it was with your own body-”

“You’re not saying I’m lying, are you?” Fluttershy inquired, almost teasingly.

“I-”. She was a bit stuck on how to answer that one. “Just, don’t try to excuse my actions. You were absolutely cut up when I ended it-”

“Because I loved you,” Fluttershy explained. “You know that was how I felt, don’t you?”

“Because I was the first person you ever slept with! You should love someone else besides me, for heaven’s sake!” Sunset snapped. Never in her life had she ever met someone so insistent on loving her, and what a horrid decision it was!

“No,” Fluttershy giggled. “Besides, you never really let me finish. I was always worried about sleeping with you because I thought I wasn’t any good at it.”

Sunset’s misery was intent on running its full course and seeing her world made cold alongside her breakfast, but this latest counter-argument was entirely unexpected. “What?”

“Oh my goodness, yes. I was terrified I was miserable for you to deal with,” Fluttershy explained. “I don’t know if you really knew it, but you just… exuded so much experience. And I’d never been with anyone, or ever even dated. And since I liked you so much, I was scared I would be a bad partner. So I tried to…”

“I was too pushy,” Sunset said flatly, and upon this she would brook no argument. It was irrefutable, undeniable, and impossible to see any other result. Fluttershy had wanted to be a good girlfriend? Wonderful, a testament to her character. But Sunset had just wanted, to take and consume without fear of how it could so easily go wrong. And now here she was. “Fluttershy, I’m- I am sorry. I was selfish.”

“I know. And I forgive you,” Fluttershy said before grinning and adding, “I didn’t mind it, anyway. It was very nice.”

Sunset had hoped her arguments might win out; they had merit, after all. But Fluttershy seemed to take every protest in stride, holding Sunset’s moments of shame as instead a cherished memory. For all the taking she had done, Fluttershy looked back upon the years and found she regretted not any of her giving. It was a mindset she couldn’t understand in the slightest. “I wish I could make it up to you.”

“You’re here now,” Fluttershy said simply. “And that makes me happy.”

“I think it needs to be something better than that, don’t you?”

The sweet woman pondered the question for a bit, only to shake her head. “No, not really. I certainly don’t want you to keep feeling bad.”

“I’m… no promises, I guess,” Sunset mumbled. “I’ll try.”

“If- hmm.” Fluttershy took a moment to think, polishing off the remnants of her breakfast and letting the taste of eggs be relished upon her tongue. She gave her companion a strange look, a mischievous thing Sunset had never seen upon her face. There was a playfulness there, a light in her eyes that spoke to trouble of a lovely kind. “… I really would like you to feel happy, too, you know.”

It didn’t mean that, because even the thought of it was too daring for this woman. “Fluttershy!”

“Would you call me ‘Flutters’ from now on, please?” The quiet girl asked, and the look of shock on Sunset’s face brought about new laughter. “I missed hearing you say it. You always made it sound so sweet.”

It was almost a demand. “Umm, Fluttershy-”

“Now, what did I just say?” The playful smile was so wide now, beautiful body shaking with barely-controlled laughter. “You really are trying to be mean.”

“Uh.” She was almost in a panic now. “Flutters, I… think that… what would make you happy is what’ll make me happy. I think I owe you that.”

“Oh. Alright, then,” Fluttershy said. “First off… if that’s how you feel, then it will make me very happy if you moved in for good. I have plenty of room for all your things.”

“But-” She was trying to ruin something Fluttershy seemed to so deeply desire. She herself wanted it, was pleading for it. With all her shame and guilt both accepted and ignored, whatever arguments she’d tried to rouse were being rendered useless. Sunset still adored her beautiful butterfly and was loved in return; why keep trying to find a means of protest when the simplest, seemingly best choice she could make was to fall right back into the arms of the girl she loved? “OK.”

“And the next,” Fluttershy said, pushing her seat back from the table and rising to her feet, “is that I am going to kiss you this time.”

Sunset half-thought there should be a protest of some sort, but she hardly had the capability of thinking of one. Not when Fluttershy had spoken aloud her intentions, not when her eyes followed that beautiful figure making its way to stand before her, not when those soft hands caressed her face and brought her upwards, and not when the indescribable softness of those lips found hers for the first time in years. She felt Fluttershy’s kiss consume her, flow warmth across her body like the comfort of spring, cherished memory reborn in this new life. And as their lips parted for only the half-second to see their second union begin, any thought of protesting at all was lost. She was forgiven, and somehow still loved. Whatever worries she had could wait a while.

It was a common sight. They’d grown up with the riverside as part of their world, a place where the edge of human civilization was brushed by the constant strokes of nature’s endless waves. Worn brick would come to a halt as cement and metal rails held the gap, falling down to hard stone and then the brown-grey of silt-filled water, lurching and slushing about as it made its way down towards the mouth of the bay. Constant, familiar, and always present. Not one of them had ever known a time without it as a fixture in their world.

For Twilight, familiarity was now a worry. Being a good hostess was something of importance to her, especially when the ones she held as guest were her brother and sister-in-law. Their morning had been something of a gloomy thing, though she knew not why. Shining looked as though he’d been seeing ghosts all through the night and Cadance looked like she’d dragged him away from their midst. though she’d done her best to make the simple breakfast comfortable, the concern that she hadn’t done enough was there. Maybe always would be.

“And that is such a silly thing to think, Twilight.” Cadance found no reason to see such worry as something to heed, dismissing the fear as quickly as awakening would to a nightmare. “You’ve been a great host, and you don’t have any reason to doubt yourself. Shining and I are perfectly happy spending time with you.”

“Besides, you drove. I don’t need much more than that,” Shining added.

The place they inhabited was certainly not unpleasant, and far softer to the eyes than the cityscape that inhabited the majority of their hometown. A brilliant green lawn spread across before where they sat at the edge of the walkway, filled with people in boating attire that befitted the marina just as the edge of the restaurant’s borders. The heavy heat had caused many to see shade and water as a source of respite, spurring many to the scenic place for food and beverage where company could be kept. It was a beautiful view, the dark freshwater beyond shimmering like endless scales beneath the rays of light from above- yet kept far from their visage as they rested in patio chairs beneath the covering of the trees, awaiting the delivery of their afternoon meal.

“Yeah, but-” She was uncertain whether voicing her worries was even a wise idea. Had it perhaps been something intimate, some wartime horror that had wracked them so? “You just seemed… you know. Sort of unhappy this morning. I thought maybe I’d screwed something up.”

“I was. But it was definitely not your fault,” Shining replied. He at first hesitated. Was it wise to burden his sister with what nightmares tormented him? It hardly seemed fair, considering she hadn’t asked to bear that weight; even Cadance could only be told so much. “Sometimes I just wake up and… Hell. Sometimes you just wake up and don’t like it.”

“You’re… not considering-”

“What- no! No, not even close,” Shining said, promptly backtracking. He hadn’t meant for it to sound that heinous! “No, I was just- not every memory is a good one. And honestly, I should have put on a better face. I’m sorry for making you feel like you were doing a bad job.”

“And this is a great pick-me-up, too,” Cadance added. “Gosh, how did- Shiny, how did you and I never come here? This place is great, I bet this would be a nice place to see live music and just relax for a while.”

“I always wanted to try. Kept driving by it and wondered if it was any good.”

“I haven’t been here myself before now, honestly,” Twilight said. “I got recommended it by a friend, I thought it might be a good place to start off the weekend.”

“The beer’s cold. About all I need,” Shining said helpfully.

“Yes, but for those of us who like a little more sustenance,” Cadance said drily, “I hope the food is good, too.”

“Why the rush? We’ve got all day to do nothing. Let’s just relax for a while, kick back and have a few.” Dressed in a light t-shirt and shorts with a piercing black pair of shades, Shining looked more like his old self than he had in many a year: larger than life, confident with just the finest drop of arrogance, and perfectly capable of handling whatever challenge came his way. “Come on, the server will get here when he gets here. Don’t be trying to rush us along.”

Though her smile currently remained friendly, Cadance’s rapidly-emptying stomach was eager for something to chew on rather than the liquid emptiness that currently filled her. She had just opened her mouth to speak when the dim sound of vibration met her ears- and from somewhere close by, something ringing hard against heavy wood.

“What’s-”

“Oh, that’s me, sorry,” Twilight said, pulling her phone from the armrest of her chair to examine the current caller. An expression of confusion –and displeasure- filled her visage. “Now why are they calling..?”

“What’s up?”

“It’s work. Hold on, they shouldn’t be calling me right now…” Twilight stood up and took herself a small distance away so as to better hear the voice on the other line. “This is Twilight.”

“What do you suppose this is about?” Shining whispered in his wife’s ear.

“I don’t know. Work stuff, I suppose,” Cadance offered. “Let’s-”

“What?” Twilight’s voice rose a marked degree of octaves, displeased tone becoming strong with alarm. “How long ago did it happen? Do we know who did it?” The brilliant woman was at full alert, features taut as the news on the other line was quickly relayed. Alarm became distress, and distress a deep dread; whatever was being said was not benign in the slightest. “I’ll- I’ll be there as soon as I can, I’ve got to get my broth- I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. Don’t let anyone else into the lab until I get there, and start looking at whatever security footage you can! No, do not let investigators into the lab, it could be- don’t let them in, whatever you do!”

The call was ended almost immediately after, and to her kin did Twilight return, her oft-serene features now twisted with a dread terror that neither brother nor sister-in-law had ever seen. “We need to go. Now,” she said.

“I mean, I haven’t-” Shining stammered. “I can pay the bill, yeah. What’s wrong?”

“There’s been a break-in at work,” Twilight said. “Into one of the labs- my lab.”

Author's Note

No more calm any longer. Straight into the hurricane.

Keep reading, I guess. It's not going to be pleasant after this.

5. Cause of Death: Greed

Twilight felt her heart somewhere down in the ends of her toes all the way to the dizzying pounding that it created in her head, a marvel that she was even able to stand much less take steps into the crime scene that had become the research laboratory she called her workplace. If she tried to speak right now, she might throw up; if she paused to think, she could easily pass out. She didn’t know how on earth she was supposed to be of any assistance to investigators, or much of anyone, when she was in such a state of panic. Despite every phone call she’d made, every attempt to glean information out of her coworkers and superiors that had been in frantic contact with her, not one of them was able to tell them anything beyond the simple fact that her private lab had been raided. No culprit mentioned, no cause or time of incident, not even the slightest hint. And worst of all? Despite every time she’d ask, all the insistence and demands and pleading Twilight had lowered herself to committing, not one of them was telling her if it had been taken. That was her only major piece of research property she’d kept contained within the lab! Theft of data was one thing, they would work and tinker and come to the same roadblocks she had encountered- but if they stole the prototype and tried to replicate it now…

Don’t you dare be sick, Twilight told herself, and what iron will she possessed forced the rising bile in the back of her throat to remain stoppered. Today would be enough trouble on its own without conjuring fearful dread of the tomorrow. One piece of bad news at a time.

Everywhere she looked were reams of people, uniformed officers both EMS and Police in the midst those she called fellow employees, peers, and maybe one or two as friend. What sort of a disaster had been wrought here that would require medical aid? Twilight looked through the throng and caught a familiar face in the form of Mr. Waller, the day-shift security guard that ran security for the main gate. Usually jovial and merry, his face transformed into a ghastly pale color and seeming to struggle with breathing, heavyset body on the ground and being cared for with dedication by a team of medical personnel. “Oh my god…”

“Miss Sparkle!” The call of Dr. Vanda’s voice interceded before the horror of bloody violence could seep in and bring about shock, the young scientist distracted from the scene outside and turning to the sight of her superior striding towards her, grimmer and more distressed than she had ever seen him. “There you are, I was worried police wouldn’t let you through.”

“What happened here?” Twilight asked, aghast at the sheer number of personnel that seemed to be all about Ionis’ campus. Dozens outside, who knew how many more within, all of them busied with care of someone or investigation of some kind. The research facility was positively teeming with people, all of them displaying a strong measure of unease. “You said there was a break-in.”

“It was worse than that. Inside, now, we can’t discuss everything out here.” The older man motioned for his young worker to follow him indoors and the two strode hurriedly inside, walking through the main doors that showcased shattered, tiny punctures in the glass.

“Those are bullet holes-”

“That was security’s response to the assailant. Waller got struck when he couldn’t get to cover in time.”

“Oh my god.”

“He wasn’t the only one,” Vanda replied in a dark tone, “Dr. Mendel was shot in the head when he caught sight of the perpetrator leaving your office. He didn’t realize the man was carrying a gun.”

Twilight’s already-chilled blood was turning to ice. This had begun as a nightmare on the simple information of a break-in to her lab, and every new revelation she was being given was turning it into a catastrophe. “Dr. Vanda, you know I need to ask-”

“Not yet.” They’d been walking down the hall towards the personal research labs, a once-clean hallway down covered in grime of human refuse and the effects of excess activity, a team of policemen carefully at work to extract what looked like used ammunition from the walls, the flashes of photography all about them. The world was active and awake, eyes and ears peeled for anything that would be deemed an unknown.

“Doctor..?”

“Not yet.” Vanda’s words came in a short hiss, his pace turning rapid as they turned the corner. “We’re going to my office. The lead investigator on this case will need to talk to you about any details he’ll need to find the perpetrator.”

Was it meant as a warning? Vanda was unusually on edge, a man of calm who’d dealt with the stressors of wartime, and yet this ordeal was pushing the vein in his temple to a breaking point. Twilight’s portent of dread was only increasing in weight…

“In here.” They turned the corner and came upon a conference room, Vanda suddenly opening his stride so that he could reach its door before Twilight could pass by. He motioned for her to go inside, promptly sliding in behind her to see the quiet room sealed shut. Pushing his subordinate out of sight of the door window, a care was taken to see the door locked and that none had taken note of their sudden absence. “Alright, you need to listen to me-”

“Is Project Valiant in my lab or was it stolen?” Twilight demanded. Alone, her terror about to reach fever-pitch, no longer could the once-neurotic woman withstand the pressure. “Where is it?”

“Keep your voice down! You and I are supposed to be talking to investigators right now, I need you to listen to me or else it’s going to get worse.” Vanda’s voice was rushed, intense as though he knew he only had seconds to spare.

But Twilight was not to be swayed, or else her fear might see her worked into a frenzy. “Where- is- my- research?” She practically screamed.

Vanda bit his lip, hesitating to answer for a time. “It was the only item stolen from you entire lab,” he hurriedly confessed, “I ordered IT to run an emergency scan of your files to see what commands had been taken on your computer but they found nothing-”

Twilight couldn’t find a way to hear his words over the ringing in her ear, the pulse of her heartbeat as it went still and sent her legs to tottering. Her world had been one of calm and summer serenity only an hour ago, now it had been transformed into her ultimate nightmare and it was only just beginning. Project Valiant was gone- it was gone, stolen from her lab and it alone. That meant someone had to have some clue as to what it could do. But they hadn’t stolen the files! Partial information was worse than ignorance, someone might feel bold enough to put it into practice and act upon it! The idea of her most valuable, most dangerous work being out in the world and in the haphazard grasp of those who knew not the risks made her vision swim. Who knew what this thief might try to do with such a thing? What if it was activated and put to work inside a host? If they weren’t contained, it could easily go haywire and- and-

“Easy. Twilight, start breathing. You need to stay awake and listen to me!” Vanda’s words were louder, his hands on her shoulders and trying to shake her back into full consciousness. Her twisting, twirling vision returned from the shades of dark and light and found a way to focus upon the hard features of her superior. “You can’t pass out now, I may not get another chance to speak to you before this is over.”

“If the project is gone- someone might try and actually use it!” She managed to say. “That- they won’t know what it can do, how it affects the host-”

“I know. And neither do the investigators,” Vanda rushed. “Right now, there are only three people in the world who know about Project Valiant’s design flaws, and two of them are in this room. Mr. Abernathy has been informed of what’s occurred, but he’s up in Manehatten right now and won’t be here until tomorrow. So that means the people who are about to ask you a whole bunch of questions about the one item that got four men shot are completely ignorant about how dangerous that nanite is. And we are going to have to convince them of just how important it is that they get it back without telling them just what it can do.”

Twilight took a breath, exhaled, and then repeated the process before the words of her superior began to sink in. “We- we can’t tell- Doctor, they have to know, they won’t understand how bad the situation is if we don’t!”

“I know. So we are going to have to figure out a way to warn them without telling them what it is they’re looking for,” Vanda insisted. “Right now, company policy is dictating that we cannot reveal insider information about any unapproved prototypes. Since Mr. Abernathy was going to the company’s HQ to get your work approved, that means the project is still pending approval. So right now, your work is a deep company secret, and if a bunch of people know that we’re working with DAARPA on a new kind of technology, a whole different kind of arms race opens up to the whole damned world.”

“I don’t care about that, we’ve got to get it back-” Twilight insisted.

“I know! And we will!” Vanda said. “But you are not understanding me. Twilight, your nanite is the first functioning nanite in the world. It can take data storage, follow commands, and actually perform the function- you’ve made one of the biggest leaps in scientific progress since probably the moon landing. But if word gets out that this country can produce microscopic tech that actually functions, then the whole world will have its eyes on you.” The older man’s vision was filled with cold, a harshness in his face as he tried to impress upon her. “Every country will want to produce their own, and that means they’ll have to have you. Not a word of this can leak out or else everyone in this company becomes a potential target, most of all you. Just because the Iron War is over does not mean that there can’t be another war after it.”

She hadn’t considered that. Of course she hadn’t, a mind made for progress and the betterment of others had no time to consider the political actions of shadowy elites. What sort of foul places would wish to claim her? A kidnapping in the middle of the night would be all too easy, a young woman with hardly much physical strength or ability to resist not able to offer a counter. Of course she would be under threat.

A nod came from her, one more soon following. “So what do we do?” She at last managed to ask.

“We tell them everything we can about the perpetrator. Everything we can about your work, why someone would want the prototype. We emphasize just how important it is that they get it back. But we do not,” Vanda implored, “tell them what the prototype does. If we can get it back before it’s too late, then all this worry doesn’t matter; we go on like none of it happened.”

“And if we don’t get it back?”

“We are not going to consider that for now,” Vanda said. “All you have to do is tell the investigative team enough of the truth. So be careful.”

It was going to be such a difficult line to fly, but what other choice did she have?

Twilight did her best to restrain her trembling as she entered Vanda’s office to find a pair of weary-looking men awaiting them, both in casual office attire and seeming none too happy to currently be present. Were these the investigators she was supposed to speak with? Why were they looking at her with such hostility? Surely there was nothing about her that had aroused their suspicion already! It was difficult not to feel like she’d somehow started off on the wrong foot right from the start.

“Miss Sparkle?” One of the men rose to his feet, a heavier-set man with light-brown hair that was starting to thin. Upon the right side of his waist sat a grim-colored firearm and a badge, opposite to the pens and notebook on the other. His gaze was emotionless and carried nothing that spoke to any friendliness, even as he gave Twilight’s hand a shake. “I’m Detective Zimmerman. This is my partner, Detective Hoskins. Take a seat right here, please.”

On unsteady legs did Twilight take a seat at the outer edge of Vanda’s desk, more or less kept in the corner by the two investigators and offered little chance of escaping. Were they trying to keep her prisoner here, as though they suspected her of participating in this foul play?

“Alright, Miss Sparkle… like I said, I’m Detective Zimmerman. We had a few questions that we’d like you to answer,” the balding man began, extracting his notebook and already beginning to set down a few scribbles. “Do you feel like talking with us today?”

“Uh- of course, yes,” Twilight stammered. I had a choice in the matter? I didn’t know they let you have a choice.

“Alright, so I was told that you were on paid leave when the incident occurred so that you could spend time with your brother and his wife as they were in town, is that true?”

Twilight nodded. “I was scheduled to come back into work on Wednesday, two days from now,” she said.

“And that’s been a long-term plan for a while?” Zimmerman inquired.

“I’ve had it on the books for about four months.”

“OK…” A few scratches there, the aging man working in haste to put his remarks down in ink. “Now, Miss Sparkle, are you aware of the details as to what occurred here while you were absent?”

“Only a little,” she answered. “Someone broke into my lab, a fight broke out, people got hurt… I haven’t been told much.”

“Alright. So at approximately 12:35PM, a man identified by your superior as a Doctor H. Mendel noticed a man exiting your personal research lab. As you were known to be on paid vacation, Dr. Mendel went forward to confront the man and ask him why he had been in your lab, which should have been left locked from your departure from the Friday before,” Zimmerman said, voice so calm he may well have been reading from a script. “When Dr. Mendel came face-to-face with the perpetrator, said perp extracted a firearm from his labcoat and proceeded to shoot Dr. Mendel in the head-”

Twilight couldn’t stop the intake of breath. “Ohmygod-”

“Upon discharge, the sound of firearm triggered the building’s security systems, which began ringing and alerting company security to the incident, as well as location. I believe you know how Ionis’ security system works…”

“Yes, it- it registers the incident on the nearest microphone and alerts main security to the location,” Twilight explained. “The intercom system will update for every new security violation that gets registered.”

“Good. So after security was informed of the incident,” Zimmerman continued, “they proceeded towards your lab and encountered the perpetrator still brandishing a firearm, one he proceeded to shoot twice more, killing a security guard by the name of M. Sandalwood and injuring a Mr. Trots. The perpetrator continued to violently push his way towards the building main entrance and forced the head of day shift security, a Mr. Waller, to open the door at gunpoint. When Mr. Waller tried to resist, the perpetrator then proceeded to expend several more rounds into the man. As he fled, out the door, the remnant of company security opened fire through the doors to no effect. When the perpetrator came to the roundabout outside the main entrance, an unmarked vehicle was there waiting for him and it sped off away from the building and has not been seen since.”

Twilight had just been slapped across the face with a menagerie of carnage, all of it read in a voice so calm and cold that Zimmerman may as well have been informing her of the weather. She’d expected something bad; this sounded horrible!

“You are aware that your lab has been found damaged, as well as contents removed,” Zimmerman prompted.

Twilight nodded- for far too long, she trying to jumpstart her voice into any measure of function. “I am aware that my most current project has been stolen, yes.” Voice tremulous, despite her efforts to prevent it. Of course she was scared, she had every reason to be scared, she knew the gravity of the situation better than anyone else alive. This much carnage already and who knew what else might transpire-!

“Do you know why anyone would target your lab specifically?”

“I had… just given a presentation of my latest prototype to our regional executive,” Twilight explained. From somewhere behind she heard Vanda shift in his seat; Steady now. “I was told that Mr. Abernathy’s been informed as to what happened-”

“He’s currently on his way back from Manehatten. Do you know why he was up there?”

“No work can go past the prototype stage unless given approval by the regional executive, or the board of executives,” Vanda interjected, garnering a pair of unwelcome glares from the two investigators. “Twilight’s project was of a more sensitive nature and Mr. Abernathy knew it would require a larger approval from the company before any further work could be done.”

Zimmerman scribbled down a few notes, but seemed displeased at the interruption. “Is that why Mr. Abernathy isn’t here today?”

“I know he’d said he was going to get further approval for my work, yes,” Twilight said.

“Why would your work require further approval? What exactly is your field of research?” Zimmerna asked.

“Medical and biomechanics,” Twilight answered. “I’ve done a lot of work on prosthetics and human motor function since I joined Ionis. My project was in the same field.”

“So it was a new prosthetic,” Zimmerman offered.

She heard Vanda shift in his seat again. “Better than a prosthetic, if it worked correctly,” Twilight said slowly. “But it was unstable. I was asking the company for further funding so we could perfect the prototype.”

“So, the work that was stolen,” Zimmerman remarked, “It was unfinished. It wasn’t really a working item.”

“It worked, as in it performed the functions we asked of it. But it had flaws, seeing as we couldn’t get its functions to halt of our own accord.”

“Why would someone want it, then, if it didn’t work?”

“I… don’t know,” Twilight said, and she felt a shiver course through her at the admission of such a half-truth. “It had huge potential, but it likely required decades of work before it could be fully functional. I had only just completed the prototype a month before the presentation.”

“Did anybody else know what you had been working on, prior to the presentation?” Zimmerman asked casually, but Twilight would have sworn she saw a flicker of his eye to realms just beyond her shoulder.

“Only Dr. Vanda,” she said. “As the team leader for this lab, all progress has to be made known to him before any requests for a presentation. I had to show it to him first before anyone else.”

“So no one else should have known you had something worth stealing.”

“No, not at all.”

Zimmerman reached into a nearby briefcase and extracted a small plastic baggie, forcibly sealed and held fast with a tamper-evident seal. Setting the baggie down on Vanda’s desk, Twilight was gestured to investigate its contents and saw a miniature dot of metal within it. Small, hardly larger than a button- but one familiar, something she’d seen before. “Is that a transmitter..?”

“We found that in one of your labcoats hanging near your laboratory door,” Zimmerman explained, “Dr. Vanda identified it as a listening device currently being produced by your company.” He eyed the young woman. “Any idea as to why that was there?”

Twilight’s immediate instinct was to say no; of course she didn’t know, how could she have known? The whole of her focus had been upon that presentation, not on anything that resided in one of her pockets! Why would she be paying attention to whatever the outside world tried to distract her with? But then it registered in her brain; this investigator assumed she’d known of its presence within her labcoat. That she’d been a willing speaker for it to hear…

“You don’t think I put it in there!” She cried.

“Do you know of someone who would?” Zimmerman’s words were more akin to a challenge, he trying to shake the tree and see what fell out. And currently, he sat there staring at Twilight and saw something rotten.

“No! No one here would do that, what on earth would they do it for?” She cried. A cold shiver was somewhere in her heart, imagining that perhaps how she answered wasn’t very wise.

“Then why did you put the transmitter in your pocket?”

“I didn’t!” Twilight said, the tremor in her voice likely not helping matters. “I swear up and down that I don’t know who would have known of my work beyond the people I already told you about!” She wondered if they even believed a word she said; they could have easily made up their minds already and decided that everything she was saying was a farce. And if they had, what that meant for her was dire…

“OK. So, let’s assume someone was spying on you,” Zimmerman said, slowing his approach and letting his intensity die away. “What would be the benefit?”

“Miss Sparkle had worked on the most successful prosthetic the company has ever designed,” Vanda offered. “She is considered one of our brightest minds when it comes to research and development. If there was a person to spy on, her name would be at the top of the list.”

“So espionage would-”

Whatever Zimmerman had to say would be left to the wayside as a knock came at the door. A policeman pushed his head through and said, “Detective Zimmerman? We’ve got security footage here for you to look at. Clear ID of the shooter.”

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat. So they might know who had chosen to potentially doom them all.

“Awesome. What format do we have?”

“An SD card for you, Detective.”

“Perfect. Let me take a look.” Zimmerman took the offered piece of plastic and data in hand and procured a tablet from a nearby backpack, setting it on a stand so everyone in the room could take a look. “Alright, so we can take a look at exactly what happened when the shooting took place. Thanks to eyewitnesses, we have a pretty small window as to the timeline of events…”

Twilight felt sick to her stomach as she watched Zimmerman and Hoskins begin their work sorting through the card’s data until they reached the security footage, moving their way through the numerous hours before until they could at last reach the zero hour that has brought this nightmare about. She couldn’t help but wonder- who had fooled her? Who had been trustworthy enough to deceive her senses so easily and make her the foolhardy Trojan horse that had allowed such a disaster to transpire? And would they know what to do with her project?

“Let’s see… OK, there’s someone at the door of your lab,” Hoskins murmured, gesturing to the screen where a short, rather dark silhouette was standing, with something in hand that was attached to the numerical entrypad on the wall. “So the perpetrator didn’t know your passcode to enter if they’re having to use a cipher to get in…”

“It must be modified,” Dr. Vanda remarked. “Any outside technology would make the building’s security systems immediately give an alert as to the breach.”

“Alright, he goes in…” The footage was sped up to push through the empty space, the door to Twilight’s lab a hollow, darkened void that made its owner shiver. So much awfulness could come from that empty space, enough to-

“And here he comes… OK, pause it right there.” Detective Zimmerman called for the footage to come to a halt, his suspect front and center within the frame for the two researchers to inspect. “Can you ID this person?”

Twilight felt her stomach lurch. She most certainly could, and it was the person she never would have suspected in all her life. “Doctor Ngao!” She proclaimed. The senior researcher on the floor, second only to Dr. Vanda? The very idea that he of all people would commit this sort of brazen theft was unbelievable to her. She couldn’t even conceive of a reason why.

“You know him?”

“Doctor Nhất Ngao,” Vanda said gravely, a cold expression on his face that spoke to fury and extreme worry. “Been with the company for fifteen years, had just recently published a study on the applications of electrical-based medicines that would amplify the effects of prosthetics. He… is a foreign expat who’s been working with the company on a visa.”

“Was he aware of Miss Sparkle’s work within the company?” Zimmerman inquired.

“Only what had been made public knowledge. Her work on past prosthetic development was openly known to everyone.”

“I didn’t tell him a word as to what I was working on, I swear,” Twilight insisted. “He had even offered to help me several months ago when I had hit a roadblock; I didn’t say anything.”

“Do you use the same laboratory coat every time you’re at work?” Zimmerman asked.

“Yes… yes, I do. Do you think-”

“If he had been close enough to slip the transmitter into your pocket, that easily could have been the moment he had done it,” the detective guessed. “Can your transmitters survive washings, be put under water and still be effective after?”

“Without a doubt. The transmitters are meant to work in tandem with a person’s hearing aids,” Vanda replied. “Sonuvabitch, Ngao…”

“So he could potentially know the full functions of whatever materials he stole from your lab.”

“I hope he does,” Twilight said tremulously. “My work, it- it was volatile. If it was released out into the open, the damage could be catastrophic.” She didn’t dare imagine what would happen if the nanite was exposed to human flesh, how invasive it would be, how long it might take before it truly took hold…

“And if he doesn’t? What would the likely scenario be with your material in Dr. Ngao’s hands?”

“Selling it. And I’d bet every dollar I have that he’s taking it to Umbra Industries,” Vanda said bitterly. “Our top rival in the industry, and also beginning to fall behind. With Miss Sparkle’s entry into the company and her work in the medicinal field, we’ve been surging. Odds are, this is a targeted strike to try and glean from our best researcher.”

Twilight felt a chill somewhere in her heart. The idea of someone else having full access to her work without understanding an ounce of it- gods, what if someone tried to immediately leap to human trials with Project Valiant? “You have to get it back. Before it’s allowed into the open, it could- the damage would be-”

“What sort of damage are we talking about? Is your work lethal to the public?” Detective Zimmerman inquired.

“My work,” Twilight breathed, “Is currently lethal to everything.”

He ran. Of course he ran, nothing in the life that he led no could ever be taken at a slow pace again. Everything had gone wrong from the moment he’d left the girl’s laboratory, an overly friendly researcher there to be something decent and heroic rather than self-serving like every other human being on earth. God damn the decency that somehow still existed within humanity! Doctor Nhất Ngao rushed through the filthy vibrancy that was human traffic with eyes that darted about wildly, senses peeled for the moment he saw EMS lights of any kind. By now, they had to know what he was up to; a BOLO was out on him by now, without a doubt. A shootout at the most important research facility in the entire state was capable of that sort of thing. God knows how many he’d left dead.

It will be worth it in the end, he told himself, a constant mantra that had pushed through scourges of conscience and God knows what else that had tried to waylay his progress. Sell this prototype to Umbra and I can go back home. Hang will be waiting, just as she promised, with Linh and Anh… this will all be worth it when I have the money. Yes, the money; that was what had made this worthwhile. Enough money to buy an entire island, make himself the lord of a whole body of land. They would be able to buy everything they needed from the mainland for the rest of their lives without ever having to lift a finger; anything and everything in the whole world would be their oyster- he just had to survive until then!

For now, what he searched for was a parking lot; one miserable, dank parking lot attached to a shopping mall that refused to actually die, half-filled with cars that were tied to staffers and another half that had been left there as useless piles of junk. It was not a safe place, it was not a good place. But it was also not a place the local police force went, since it meant they were at risk of being killed by gang activity; a perfect place to make a criminal espionage trade.

“There we are,” Ngao muttered, seeing the mall’s parking lot come into view on the edge of the horizon. He’d been sensible enough to rip off the vehicle’s license plate and put it on the dashboard, less likely to be seen by prying eyes than the tail of the overlarge van. It hadn’t been the most inconspicuous vehicle, and he knew it; leaving it here with no plate was probably the best option he had available to him. Eventually, someone do-gooder with little better would do would spot the familiar colors from a police warning and call it in- but not yet, not today.

A slow, controlled turn into the lot as Ngao tried to keep his breathing under control. He was almost there, and the liason from Umbra would be forced to uphold their side of the bargain. He was so close to returning home with the riches of a king, so close! Only a few more moments before the offered bargain would be paid off!

From one level of the lot to the next, coming to the second to last before he was at the assigned space; left empty just as he’d been instructed, Ngao kicking his way out the door with a tremble. Goodness, his leg hurt. He was certain he hadn’t been shot, but such a stabbing pain! He’d have to check himself before it was over, surely excess exertion couldn’t be enough to describe this sort of malady-

“God’s sake, you really fucked this up, didn’t you?” The sound of a harsh, grating voice came to meet the wizening man’s ears and registered Ngao to his lack of solitude. From a nearby rustbucket of a vehicle came leaping forth a concealed figure of a man, covered in all the sorts of trappings that no sane person would wear in the days of early summer: dark hoodie, sunglasses, hoodie, pants and even a bandana across his mouth. Utter concealment was his goal, even if it caused him to suffer. “What the fuck were you thinking, going into that place and raising that sort of goddamn ruckus? Now half the fucking country is gonna be looking for your stupid ass!”

“I got accosted! I wasn’t meant to be seen by anyone!” Ngao said, hands up as the figure came rushing towards him. “God’s sake, you think I wanted to have to shoot my way out? I didn’t even alert security when I infiltrated the lab, I was in and out in a few moments!”

“Well now you’re on the fucking news, asshole!” The Umbra spy snarled, every inch of displaying a vehement displeasure. “So what you have had better be worth it, because now it’s gonna cost ten times more to get your useless fucking ass out of the country. God, maybe I should just fucking shoot you and take it-”

“I didn’t do any of it on purpose! A nosy employee got into my business and I had to shoot him,” Ngao snarled, more than frustrated by it all. “I would have been gone in less than five minutes if I’d not been held up, the plan was perfect!”

“Well now you’re everywhere. Everyone with half a braincell is looking for you, if you haven’t noticed!” The man grumbled, pistol still pointed directly at the man he saw as both asset and liability. “Jesus, give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just finish this myself and kill you.”

“You don’t know where I kept the prototype,” Ngao said hurriedly, not at all certain that the man’s words were meant to be a bluff; he might really about to be stabbed. “I might not have it on me, I might have buried it somewhere.”

“Oh, bull-fucking-shit you don’t have it on you, there’s no way you had the time,” the man griped. “Come on, show me the goods. If I don’t see the item, I don’t call your security detail. No detail? You fucking get arrested.”

“God’s sake, fine! I have it on me,” Ngao roared, losing his patience amidst the stress. Never before had he been put under such a pressure. “And I’m guaranteed to be smuggled back to my family?” He had to know, had to be sure that the bloodshed he’d just endured was worth it. If he couldn’t ensure the future…

“That’s what we agreed, isn’t it? Hand it the fuck over!”

“And I will be wired the money in three days?”

“Fuck’s sake, you’d better show that shit now or I’m gonna blow your fucking head off-!”

“Fine! I have it right here, give me a moment,” Ngao said, one hand held up in a plea for mercy and the other digging into his pocket. Goodness, his leg hurt! As he pilfered through the pants pocket that contained his most valuable asset, he could only fiddle about and hope that whatever had struck him wouldn’t last for long. But then again, why worry? He’d soon have enough money to see it fixed forever, never again to concern him again-

Wait… His fingers were scraping against something sharp, a hardened piece in his pocket that did not resemble the smoothness of the vial that had been tucked inside. What had changed that would make it so uncomfortable to put hand into pocket? Unless…

“No…”

Emotion must have shown on his face, for the Umbra spy raised the barrel of his weapon to be parallel with that of the wizened man’s skull once again. “What the fuck is the fucking hold-up?” He demanded. “Throw me the goddamn thing or I swear I’ll take it from your corpse.”

Ngao barreled through each and every pocket he had with the ferocity of a man in utmost panic. No, it couldn’t be- he was sure he’d put it in his right-hand pants pocket, the one least likely to lose anything! He knew for a fact he had, he remembered checking three times on the way here! But why did he not feel the vial beneath his fingers? Gods above, all he felt was a sharpness, and when he brought his fingers up for an examination, all he could feel was… was blood.

Cut fingers. Trembling, terrified, Ngao reached into his pocket and saw it rent inside-out, sending shards of broken glass that had once been the vial housing Twilight’s prototype down onto the parking lot floor. Glass that had cut his fingers, cut into his leg in all the terrible hurry, glass shattered and let free the prototype God alone knew where.

“Where the fuck is it?” The Umbra contacted demanded? “You’ve got three seconds-”

“… I had it in my pocket,” Ngao began, voice so hoarse and cold that he hardly knew himself to be in physical form any longer. “I had my hands on it, I swear-”

“What do you mean you had your hands on- oh for fuck’s sake, you lost it?!” The man was absolutely livid, staring down the aging doctor before him with a fury so powerful that it may well burn them both. “You had one job- you literally had one goddamn job! How could you lose the one thing you agreed to bring?!”

“I had it in my pocket, I was moving fast-”

“Like that’s any sort of fucking excuse-”

“I can retrace my steps! I can find it again!” Ngao pleaded, looking at the pistol and feeling more mortal than he’d ever felt in all his days. “I know it was only for a moment, it can be fixed-”

“Like fuck it can! There’s too much heat on you, how long before someone finds you? Where are you gonna go?” The contact retorted. “Fuck this, if you get traced back to Umbra then the whole thing goes to shit. Something that small can’t ever be found again and you know it- I’m calling you in before you can rat anyone out!” Without another word, the faceless figure of a man brought out a cell phone and began to dial away-

He only had one moment to prevent disaster, and Ngao took it. Rushing towards the man, he flung his hands out against the pistol and tried to wrest it from his aggressor’s grasp, forcing the barrel out towards open air if he could not manage to point it back against the attacker-

“Fuck!” One shot was enough to deafen, then another; Ngao brought hands to cover his ears by instinct as the raging sound screamed in his ears uncontrollably, too close for any sort of protection to be offered. It was a natural move, subconscious, but enough to cost him; the heavy weight of the pistol’s grip fell upon his head and rendered him broken, barely conscious and at the feet of the one who had been his only source of salvation.

Ngao tried to raise a hand. Tried to stop it, but no such strength or ability was available to him. He could only lie there on the hard cement of the parking garage floor as he heard the vile creature he had tried to bargain with ring up those that would be his doom.

“Hello, 911? I saw the BOLO on that doctor- Nhất Ngao? Yeah, I’ve got him in an old parking garage off Lyndon Road…”

She didn’t know one could feel so wretched. Childhood terror and trauma had been rendered insignificant in comparison to the nightmare she currently dwelled in. How was she supposed to eat anything, even if her body was begging for her to crave it? Sleep was clearly not going to happen, not anytime soon. Her whole world was fixated on the one object she couldn’t put her eyes upon, desperate for it to be seen and see her dread relieved. What she shad endured as a girl seemed so small when faced with the fact that her willful gift to better her world might now be used to annihilate it.

Please… please, she begged, reaching out to anyone and anything that could help soothe her fretful spirit. Let this end well. We have to find it. Don’t do this to the world, please, not through me.

Once her interview at Ionis had been concluded, Twilight had refused to return home. Going back to Shining and Cadance in such a state wouldn’t have been of much use to anyone, anxiety and pure fear more than capable of rendering her to some inert state of blubbering heartbreak. Better that her family didn’t know what currently transpired than be beset by the same misery as she. Now, sitting in the police department and awaiting news as to what might have happened, all she could do was stew in her nerves and pray desperately that her worst fears wouldn’t be realized. Gods, what would happen if Ngao had already sold the protytpe? What would become of its powers when unleashed, untested, upon a world that wasn’t ready for it? Worse, what if someone tried to weaponize its faults into something deadly? It seemed too unimaginable for words.

Twilight sat alongside a corridor of cubicles, watching and listening, listening and watching. She could only sit there and huddle, not emotionally capable of being a productive aid to the investigation. God alone could have produced Vanda’s steadfast aid, the elder man speaking with police continuously so that she might catch a break from the trauma. Had he stayed so that she might escape the misery for a moment? A blessing upon him, if so. She needed it.

She could already imagine the horrors, her mind conjuring nightmare scenarios of Project Valiant out amongst the unprepared world. What would it look like when subjected upon human flesh? She’d only ever seen it turned against test animals, not anything quite to potent as a human being. How could it proliferate, transmit between hosts? Could it change hosts and still surive? How would its replication process work when no longer connected to its progenitor nanite? There were a million questions she simply didn’t know how to answer, not when a human being was involved. Rabbits and lab rats were only so complex when compared to the dynamism that was humanity. Gods, what if it transferred to something massive, like a shark or an elephant? Could it infect grass and soil? The whole planet could be terraformed.

Young Twilight gave a shiver and tried not to think about the direst of possibilities. She knew not how to deal with them just yet.

So engrossed with her own thoughts was she that the brilliant researcher didn’t realize that her world had become a flurry of activity. Officers and staff were moving this way and that, Vanda currently speaking with Hoskins in a hurried tone and still bearing an expression of worry. What had happened that she had just missed? There was only one way to find out.

“Did they find him? Do they have it?” She asked, moving from her seat on the guest chair to the detective’s cubicle, hoping for a fair answer. “What’s going on?”

“Someone called in on the BOLO for Ngao, out at the St. Matthews Mall parking garage,” Detective Hoskins answered. “We have Dr. Ngao in custody, but whoever called it in managed to evade custody. First responders reported a man heavily concealed by clothing jumping the fence and proceeding on foot…” the heavyset man gave a sigh. “Due to our prioritizing Dr. Ngao and the absence of any accurate description on this unknown party, he is still at large. The doctor was thoroughly searched, but we have no evidence that he carried your research on him.”

“Project Valiant still not accounted for,” Vanda said grimly.

Her heart sank. So many different outcomes were still on the table and she had no idea which was more likely than the other. “Where’s Ngao now?”

“We’re bringing him in. Once we’ve searched him again, Detective Zimmerman will question him thoroughly,” Hoskins answered. “We’ll have a TV available so you can watch the interview, whatever Ngao says you’ll hear live. If something sounds off, I want you to let me know immediately. Anything and everything, understand?”

Twilight nodded. Of course she’d cooperate, why wouldn’t she?

“It would help if we had a better description of what to look for…” Hoskins offered-

“You have to get it back or else the consequences are dire,” Dr. Vanda simply said, offering no more than what he had right from the beginning. All either of the researchers could hope to offer.

“Hell, say something encouraging, why don’t you?” Hoskins muttered, pushing past his scientific victims and addressing the department as a whole, fully officer and offering nothing else. “OK, our mark is coming in! Once he’s been physically assessed, I want eyes on him at all times. Any sort of unusual eye movement, strange tone or cadence in speech, keep a look out. What we’re working on is getting reported to the FBI by this time tomorrow so we’d better have something worth taking a look at to send up in the first place! We haven’t had an investigation go cold under my watch, we aren’t about to start now! Get to work and make sure to feed me and Zimmerman every bit of support you can, we are not going to lose this now. And keep your guard up! Ngao has killed multiple men, we are not going to make mistakes now!”

Twilight felt a horrible chill in her blood as she watched the world about her prepare for the arrival of her unexpected adversary. There was so much at stake, especially since there was still no positive confirmation on the whereabouts of her prototype. What had he managed to do with it? Was it in some stranger’s hands, with Umbra Industries? Gods, what if it was already being applied to someone in the hopes of seeing the nanite’s abilities firsthand? She didn’t even dare imagine the outcome. Behind all the worries that lurked at the forefront of her mind was a prickling unease, a queasiness in her stomach. Ngao had actually murdered people. Shot them dead, drawn blood… she’d never seen a murderer with her own eyes before. Much less known one.

“Make way, make way!” The call came from further down the hall as a pair of officers, still adorned in ballistic vests and all their weaponry, pushed forward a limping and miniscule man ahead of them. Ngao had clearly not enjoyed himself, features covered in grime and sweat, even what seemed like blood trickling down from his hairline and coming to a halt just above his nose.

“Did… did they do that to him?” Twilight asked. She turned her head away, not keen on meeting Ngao’s gaze so soon. The gaze of a killer made her skin crawl.

Hoskins shook his head. “Police found him already injured. Unsure whether it was received during the assault at Ionis or if the person was meeting with struck him.”

“So he could have been double-crossed?”

“We’ll find out.” Hoskins continued to arrange himself, turning back to his partner so that they might discuss strategy in their approach of their suspect. As more of the investigative team joined in, the more Twilight found herself shunted aside, forgotten in the face of the more urgent priority. Taking note of Vanda’s motion for her to join him, she withdrew herself as a spectator of their work and came to take a seat by her superior.

“Have you ever seen an interview with a suspect before?” Vanda asked her, his voice willfully low, a quieter rhythm meant to be difficult for ears to hear.

“Only in movies and stuff,” Twilight answered just as quietly, quickly catching on to her boss’ intent. “It was always… intense. And violent.”

“This could possibly take hours to conclude,” the older man said. “Even a typical murder interview could go for several hours. With this, and the fact that the FBI is now getting involved… it could be quite a while before either of us can go home.”

“What’ll happen once we have to start speaking with the FBI?” Twilight asked. “They’ll have to know what Project Valiant is, won’t they?”

Vanda nodded, but remained silent for a little while longer. “Probably, yes,” he muttered, features scrunching as he tried to plan for that next hurdle. “Which means details of Valiant will have to be accessed. Your research will likely go under federal control for a period.”

“Could they seize it from us if they want?” Twilight asked fearfully. The idea that anyone other than her working with the nanites terrified her. Without the utmost care and control… “Even start working on it themselves?”

“Possibly, but that would mean DAARPA would have to renegotiate their contracts with Ionis. The most likely outcome is that your work would halt for several years.”

Twilight gave a nod and turned away. It was at least better than Project Valiant being taken from her hands immediately…

Chairs squeaked and movement came to their ears. Hoskins and Zimmerman readied themselves and entered the interview room where Ngao awaited, the rest of the investigators turning towards a nearby TV screen that displayed the room interior for them to watch. One of them caught sight of the two researchers observing from the corner and motioned for them to join their circle.

“Say as little as possible,” Vanda warned her, and the two outcasts took their seat to watch the game begin.

The interview began methodically. Hoskins and Zimmerman asked a litany of basic questions, collecting information from Ngao to help them have a basic profile. Questions about his life, his age, his home, his work, things that seemed to have no effect on the investigation at all. A constant flow of queries and information as they wrote notes endlessly. Though battered and weary he was, Ngao was at least not an unwilling suspect, answering dutifully without the need for pulling teeth to get the most basic of information. His profile was soon apparent for his interviewers to see: an intelligent man, a foreign expat that had come to work in the US on a long-term visa and missed home, aged and aging all the more with every single year that passed him by. And likely the best of his work behind him rather than ahead…

She didn’t know quite when, but somewhere in the stream of constant questions, the investigation took a turn. Current-day issues became the forefront of their intent, forcing Ngao to turn to the shooting at Ionis and all the death he had dealt there. To Twilight’s surprise, the man seemed legitimately displeased with the outcome, regretful that his actions had caused such harm. “It was meant to be so quick,” she heard him say numerous times. A simple theft and gone before anyone would know something had been stolen. Clearly whatever he had been planning had not gone in any of the ways he had hoped.

“How did you know about Doctor Sparkle’s research project?” Hoskins asked. “Had she mentioned anything to you about it, or to anyone else?”

“I had… bugged her labcoat,” Ngao answered dully. “A microphone so I could hear her words. I slipped it into her pocket so I could keep track.”

“Why would you do that? Did you have an idea of what she was working on?”

“Doctor Sparkle’s last project had been a breakthrough in the field of prosthetics. It was also her first one. I believed she was going have a much greater item in her next stage of research, and I was willing to take the risk.”

“What would motivate you to spy on her?” Hoskins asked. He sat comfortably in his chair in the interview room, in his element as he demanded further info.

“A promise. Pay, more than I would ever have accumulated in a lifetime’s worth of work at Ionis,” Ngao said.

“Who offered you? Or did you reach out to someone?”

Ngao looked around for a moment. “… I was contacted by someone. Working as an intermediary for Umbra Industries. They had lost contracts with the Department of Defense when Doctor Sparkle’s last prosthetic was released for general use.”

Twilight gave a small gasp and turned to Vanda, finding him completely unsurprised by the revelation. The work truly had been espionage.

“So they saw her as someone to keep an eye on. Why not simply try to offer her a job instead?”

“She was offered, one month after her prosthetic was released. She refused. Umbra decided to spy on her instead.”

“And they found you willing to help. What did they offer you besides money?”

“Transportation back to my homeland. Protection for me and my family,” Ngao answered. “If I succeeded, I would be guaranteed safety so we could not be extradited back to the US.”

“What made the project so important that they would take such a risk to get it?” Hoskins inquired. “Is the field of medicine that competitive?”

Ngao again squirmed in his seat. “This was something totally new. A replacement for prosthetics. Doctor Sparkle’s work would be able to manufacture a replacement limb directly from the host’s body without the need for a detachable limb. The nanite would fuse with its patient and create a new flesh. Doctor Sparkle’s work was a marriage of engineering and medicine that had never been attempted before.”

“Oh, Jesus!” Twilight’s hand flew to her mouth from the horror of the admission, loud enough that everyone in the room turned their attention from the interview and instead over to her. Never in a thousand years had she thought that Ngao would actually be foolish enough to blurt out the secret!

“Ngao, you goddamn dumbass,” Vanda breathed, quieter in voice but just as furious in spirit. “Do you have any idea of what you just did?”

“You called it a host. Is it a virus?” Hoskins asked.

“A nanite. A microscopic machine that would be injected directly into the body, identifying places of repair and injury in its hosts. Its programming would then direct it to delete and remove any infection or dead flesh, replace the missing limb, and replicate itself until the limb and any other injury was completely healed.”

“So no need for a prosthetic,” Hoskins offered.

“Ever again. It was worth the risk for Umbra to pay extravagantly for it.”

“You had it,” the investigator offered. “We searched you before you came in, and according to Doctor Sparkle’s testimony, the… you called it a nanite?”

“Yes-”

“- The original nanite… was in a small glass vial. We didn’t find it on you.” Hoskins’ looked square at the man. “Where is it?”

Ngao didn’t even try to hold his head up, sagging completely in his seat. “… I lost it.”

“He what?” Twilight breathed. Ngao had been telling the truth so far, how had he managed to actually lose something so vastly important?”

“Bullshit. We found another person fleeing the scene when officers arrived. You just got made a fool of and don’t want to admit it,” Hoskins challenged.

“I did not surrender the nanite!” Ngao asserted. “I found pieces of glass in my pocket where I had kept it. The vial broke and the nanite is lost. I was never able to complete the transaction. The man who I was meeting with attacked me and called the police.”

“And why would we believe that?”

“You searched me and found the shattered glass in my pocket, put a bandage over the cuts it had given me,” Ngao insisted. “How else could I prove it? Why would I even try?”

Twilight hardly bothered to listen after that, more inwardly focused than anything someone would have to say. She felt sick, felt ill; how was reality simulatenously worse and better than what she’d prepared for? Ngao seemed absolutely insistent that he didn’t have the nanite, which was a relief in regards to its use. There was no way a foolhardy company with limited knowledge of its contents could put it to wicked ends. But all the same, it meant she would have to start right from scratch. Manufacture a new nanite progenitor, find a way to begin her research again. It would be a long, miserable process…

When Hoskins and Zimmerman left Ngao to wait in the interview room, it was of little surprise that they sought out the mild-mannered woman who had been at the epicenter of this crime, a look of more than mild frustration on both their faces. A quick, forceful jab of a finger towards their cubicle was all it took for Twilight and Vanda to be summoned.

“So… the stolen item being a mechanical bug might have been nice to know,” Hoskins began. “Was there any moment where you were gonna tell me this?”

“No,” Vanda answered flatly, speaking on behalf of his younger colleague lest they direct their anger at her. “It was only needed to be known that is was a high-priority item that had been stolen. What it was mattered not.”

“So a sci-fi superbug wasn’t something worth mentioning?” The detective demanded, red-faced from anger. “You yourself said it was critical that it be retrieved, now what the hell am I gonna tell the people who are scouring the investigation site to look for? Are they gonna use electron microscopes or some other made-up bullshit?”

“They won’t have to,” Twilight said quietly. “The nanite can’t perform its functions without having first been put into contact with the inner layers of a body. It’s made to react only to certain proteins and cells within living tissue.”

“So that’s what I’m supposed to be worried about? Holy fuck, you made it sound like some Armageddon shit,” Zimmerman remarked, glaring daggers at both the researchers. “Jesus fuck, I thought it was something dangerous. Ngao made it sound like the best thing since sliced bread.”

“It is dangerous,” Twilight insisted. “The nanite hasn’t been fully corrected, it’s barely beyond the prototype stage. If it came into contact with living tissue, it would immediately react.”

“How, then?”

“It would correct all broken or deficient physical issues within the host, for starters,” Twilight began-

“And that’s supposed to be bad?” Hoskins said drily.

“- Then it would continue to assimilate the host, correcting every bit of the person the programming deems to be a deficiency,” the young woman continued. “I can’t make the programming complex enough to see anything other than the work the nanite’s performed as something deficient. It replaces all biological tissue while elevating aggression levels within the host so that it tries to attack and kill everything around it. It makes the host become extremely violent while also consuming the host entirely.”

The two detectives shut up quickly after that, Zimmerman biting his lip as his mind went over the implications of what that would mean. “It basically turns the person with a nanite in it into some kind of monster,” he offered.

“An extremely invulnerable one. It couldn’t withstand extremely high voltage, but that was in its early stages,” Twilight explained. “It’s possible that it could withstand more if it had longer periods to gestate.”

“Which is why this information cannot go beyond the ears of the FBI,” Vanda insisted. “If word gets out about such a creation, the whole world is going to enter into a new sort of technological arms race.”

Zimmerman and Hoskins looked at one another and groaned. This was far worse an issue than any sort of usual murder investigation, and working with federal investigators could eat up months of their time. This was the beginning of a long and painful process in their lives.

“And it wouldn’t be able to just… enter into something and correct it? Make, like, a slab of sidewalk, come alive?” Zimmerman inquired.

“Not that I know of.”

“Then we might have just gotten super fucking lucky,” the man breathed. “Shit-damn…”

Where he lay in his cell, Ngao shivered. Or did he shiver? It could be a tremor for all he knew. Everything in his world felt so incorrect, and he couldn’t even begin to tell anyone why.

The day of his arrest, his world had become brutality and misery. The police had not been kind to him; of course they hadn’t, he was a murdererer. Even his pragmatic sensibilities knew what he had done to try and buy his family’s lifelong happiness had come at a reprehensible price. So much blood, so much more than what he’d intended to shed… when it had come time for his interrogation, it had been something of a relief to admit to his wrongdoing. Not once had he really wanted to cause harm, much less steal from someone as naïve and pleasant as Doctor Twilight. She’d only happened to be the one with the best research available that he could hand over to Umbra. When it meant that he could guarantee his family multiple generation’s worth of riches, he had to take it. For his grandchildren who still dwelled back in Vietnam, barely above squalor, he had to take the chance. Even if it damned his own soul he would do it.

But now, he felt damned.

The first day he had been booked in had been unpleasant. So many bumps and bruises, enough to make his aging bones struggle against movement. How many times had the police forced him to move along at a pace so roughshod? From his unpleasant arrest to the beating he’d received prior, the whole affair hadn’t been easy. But then had come the strangest part… Ngao had been booked into the city’s facility with multiple cuts and scars. The very next morning, none were to be found. He was given a clean bill of health by the jail’s resident medical professional, who seemed entirely unsure as to how he’d managed it.

“Did you take any prescriptions before your arrest?” The tired man had asked, a creature more aged and unhappy with his lot in life than Ngao had been.

“No.”

“Any antibiotics?”

“No.”

“Anything steroids?” the doctor pressed.

“None at all,” Ngao answered. “Is there something wrong with me?”

“Nothing at all. But your mugshot records multiple scars that are completely absent on your current visage,” the man reported, even offering a mirror for his patient to see. “You should have a laceration across your arm, a swollen lip, and multiple obvious bruises. Yet, as you can see, not a single one of them is there. That is clearly going to raise questions.”

Ngao was not a skeptical man, nor did his senses lie to him. But what the medical official said to him was bizarre, his own eyes trying to reject what he saw in his reflection. If anything, Ngao found himself to look… younger. As though he’d regressed several years.

“Was I injected with something?” Ngao asked.

“You tell me,” the man said, clearly seeking some sort of response that would explain this. After years upon years of drug addicts and numerous other supplement-addicted animals, he looked upon his aging patient and expected a justification. “You certainly seem in excellent health by my standards…”

The next day had come, and Ngao had found his step practically crispy when he had entered the courthouse. His stride was strong and healthy, the weakness of his knees long departed and made whole in place of something else entirely. What a strange thing it was, to almost be half-smiling as he heard his charges. But why did he feel so light and gay compared to just the other day? His body felt more whole and itself than it had in decades, like that of a young man. He could only offer a chance to focus on it in lieu of the nightmare that was transpiring in front of him. His light countenance earned him several strikes from the uniformed officers around him, but it seemed to bother him not for very long. The man had thought he’d felt a tooth fall loose in the hours after his initial charges, a punch from a man as he’d been booked into the county detention center. But when he had gone to see his mirror that night…

“Better than new,” Ngao breathed, taking note of the canine’s pearly whiteness in comparison to its brethren. So strange, so stark… but it had felt so much better.

He took note of his physical health that night as he’d gone to bed. Better joints, better overall health, injuries were repairing swiftly… it was as though he’d turned young again. He had been so delighted with the changes that not once had it occurred to him that it might mean something was amiss.

And then came the next day. A sore day, a strange nausea in his bones that wouldn’t fade. Steps were difficult to come by, breathing a chore. In his ears was a pulsating, constant buzzing sound as though bees were in his brain. Forced into movement by county staff and fellow prisoners alike, Ngao had suffered.

“Hey old man, you need a cane or something?” Some called. “Weak-ass bitch got real cold the moment he got around real men,” jeered others. They threatened him with punishment and far worse, like sharks drawn to blood in the water. Ngao tried to rise to their threats and show his strength, but what strength he had seemed to intensify his illness.

The next day, he had felt worse. A plea for the facility’s medicinal center had somehow been granted, and all the doctor had found was an elevated pulse. Bedrest and tips on how to de-stress was all they’d been able to prescribe him. Elevated pulse? Nothing to explain the mystery of his weakness? Gods, how Ngao’s insides churned; if he could vomit, he would have. Everything felt so wrong. And still, there was that miserable buzzing that kept his world so distorted and difficult to keep balanced…

But then, there was now. And as Ngao lay on his bed, he wondered what was wrong. He could feel things ripping apart in his chest and somehow healing only an instant later. His world was distorted, upside-down and everywhere all at once. What was happening to him? How had it begun? Everything about his life felt like it was being reverted or transformed, or… or something! What was he supposed to think? He just wanted to make it stop.

“Hey! Fuck-ass! Medical wants a check-up on you.” The sound of an unfriendly voice outside his cell somehow came through the buzzing that was in his brain, Ngao barely able to move his neck over to see the burly officer outside, looking down on the man he deemed a murderer with ill regards. “Come on, get the hell up. Doc wants to see you! Looks like he thinks you’ve got some Weak Heart Syndrome.”

Ngao had wanted to respond. Say something, anything at all; truth be told, a smart remark had been in his brain. But when mouth opened to speak, he retched something horrific that swiftly became stuck in his throat. Oh gods, he was choking to death!

Perhaps his distress was something visible. Clutching, grasping at his throat, Ngao tried to pull whatever it was that had become lodged in his gullet out into the open. But his fingers couldn’t reach! Almost as if what was within him was alive, it pulled back and continued to tear, sear at his body. Panic overtook him…

“Hey, quit fucking around, you’ve got- oh, Jesus! Hey, I need this cell open!” There was a rattling of bars and then a sudden rush of mechanized movement, the feeling of hands on his body coming soon after. “Easy, you’re- you’re having a seizure! Ease back, I’m gonna take control of you for a moment. I’m putting you back on your pillow-”

Ngao tried to scream, but no sound could make it through the bile in his throat, so thick and hot that it may as well have burned his throat. The aging doctor pulled and tore at his skin, trying to give it a place to flow-

“Command, I’ve got a situation here- come on, try and breathe, try and breathe… don’t start acting crazy, let it just pass by. No-! No, don’t try and hurt yourself!”

Ngao was bleeding. Dying and being reborn in a million moments over, his whole world writhing with every second that passed. His world was afire, his body afire, everything aflame and grinding and buzzing! He reached out, trying to find something that would stop this insanity that had become the ecosystem of his human form. Everywhere did his fingers reach, looking for a place of safety that would see this torment come to an end. He couldn’t even feel the guard’s hands on his body, the attempts to quell this misery that was eating him alive. Oh gods, his body was alive and it wasn’t his body!

“Command, I’ve got an extremely elevated pulse, I think he’s having a severe seizure. I need you to talk me through what’s going on,” the guard reported to someone far away. “I’ve got- oh, fuck, something’s moving in his wrists-!”

Ngao’s eyes were only open long enough for him to register that everything in his world had changed. The darkened skin of his tropical heritage was replaced by something ashen and grey; his limbs flailed and contorted in ways that surely had to break bone, enough to wrend his body into unbelievable torture. How the skin pulsated, like waves across the ocean; colors of red and blue and white and so many others rippling beneath the pallid tide that was his own flesh.

For one last moment, he recognized that his body was not his own. And then he watched himself be lost as his own nervous system shot out from his left arm to latch onto the aiding guard’s face, all of its biological facets consumed and replaced by writhing wires.

Author's Note

And now, it really begins.

Sorry for this taking twenty-thousand forevers. It takes a bit of a different mindset for me to write this stuff. I have to like the thought of people suffering, and I deal with too much of the real thing to enjoy that much. But I think this turned out OK.

Enjoy, if you want.

2. What Is, What Could Have Been

She liked to keep the room dark- and cold, despite his insistence it be otherwise. No warmth would be enough to sate him, nor would it be welcome to her skin when sleep was what she craved. After what had felt like months of arguing over stupid numbers on a thermostat, Cadance had finally managed to convince her husband that a colder room with heavy blankets would be more beneficial for a deep sleep. It had taken Shining Armor ages to finally acquiesce and not depart for the living room, not just toss and turn in the night or awaken to the slightest noise. Now, he seemed to doze peacefully, or as close to it as his mind would allow him. There would be times she’d awaken and find him huddled in the corner of the bed, hands wrapped tight around the little stick he kept on the nightstand, but the days were becoming less and less often. She might even awake in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and actually find him sleeping when she returned, now. How much progress he’d made. It was the closest he’d been to whole in years.

She awoke to, of all things, a phone call. Mind tricked to despise a ringtone, and instant in its effectiveness. Roused from peaceful slumber, hand slammed across device and grabbed in the ungainly fashion of one who had not quite the control of her senses quite yet; a bleary look at the screen with eyes unhappy at being opened found the familiar name of Twilight emblazoned in cold lettering.

“Ohcomeon,” Cadance mumbled, displeasure quick to arise even if she cherished the soul on the other end of the line. It was too early for this sort of nonsense, especially when it was going to be a social call! Why was Twilight trying to reach out now? “Hullo?”

“Cadance, hi!” Twilight’s voice was cheery- for only a moment, the bereaved tone with which she’d been greeted enough to clue in even her inept senses. “Oh no, did I wake you? I thought it was late enough that you’d be at the airport by now.”

“Mmf, really?” Cadance pulled away from the device so that she could see the screen illuminate, a start coming when she found the time to be a quarter past nine. “Goodness, it’s later than I thought.”

“Sorry if I woke you up! I really didn’t mean to, I swear.”

“It’s alright. Probably time to get up anyway,” Cadance replied. Coverings were tossed aside and bare skin was promptly bitten by the cold air of the darkened room. Goosebumps all the way up her thigh, try as she might to will them otherwise! “Did you need anything?”

“No, I was… just seeing how y’all were doing today so far. I’m keeping track of your flight, so I’ll be there waiting for you.”

“Alright. Thanks for being our wake-up call, I guess. See you soon.”

“OK. Bye, sorry again!”

Cadance’s disgruntled mood didn’t last long when made to face with Twilight’s amiable nature- and the fact that she’d overslept. How had they both overslept, especially with Shining of all people an early riser? They hadn’t had that much to drink last night; a little more than usual, yeah, but not bad. Just what had gone wrong?

“Who was that?” The wheezing croak of her husband’s voice came to her ears, Shining rolling from his side of the bed to look upon where his wife lay. One eye half-open, the other looking like it didn’t want to be open at all.

“Twi. And a good thing, too, I set my alarm wrong,” Cadance announced. Goodness, if they’d been late for their flight after all this time spent planning! It had been so long since they’d both been back in town. “You ready?”

“Yeah, packed last night,” Shining grumbled. “I’ll try to be quick in the bathroom.”

“OK.”

Another groan, one of pain this time as the once-formidable warrior raised himself from his spot upon the bed and rolled out from beneath the heavy sheets to take residence in the wheelchair just nearby. Time spent getting ready was a little lengthier than it had once been.

It had only taken a moment for his world to come crashing down to the ground. The mine beneath his vehicle had detonated and sent them rolling, off the path and down such a vicious hill that it was a miracle any of them had survived at all. His gunner hadn’t, nor his two dismounts; somehow, the one who had sworn he would keep his soldiers safe had survived alongside the green-as-grass Private that was his driver who’d never seen an ounce of combat in his life. A quick, brutal detonation that had sent shrapnel rocketing through his legs, piercing pain as dozens of metallic shards cut through flesh and severed nerves in an instant. He hadn’t known until he’d been brought to the hospital that they’d actually managed to burn away his legs to little more than a mottled mound of warped flesh; an eruption of the fuel line had seen to that- and to his driver, damage far worse.

A soldier’s life had been all he’d dreamed of since he was a boy. To be robbed of his dream in so violent a manner and rendered unrecoverable had taken more time than he was proud to admit. Heaven alone knew what would have been if Cadance hadn’t been there to keep his world from completely crashing down. Keeping his spirits up, not letting himself be guilt-ridden for surviving, to actually try living again. The meetings at the VA had helped to prevent any isolation as well as dealing with the medical fallout; a connected world with friends who knew the same miserable sensations of shame for being alive was something he hadn’t known he would ever need.

He worked as an advocate for his fellows, often volunteering to help test whatever new prosthetics the government wanted to try. Combined with Cadance’s work as Dean at the local university, a strange sort of peaceful business was enough to keep the gloom away. Perhaps it was not the life he’d wanted to have, but it was not so terrible as he’d once dreaded.

On most days, the strange amalgamation of plastic and metal that were bound to the stubs his legs had been reduced to. Comfortable enough to walk about with for hours on end and give him a semblance of normality that his mind craved. But when in a hurry, pride was not something he wanted to slow them down; a wheelchair in a busy airport was going to be far more expedient than waiting for him to try and catch up.

“It’ll be weird to be back home again,” Cadance said- and laughter came as she realized just what had crossed her lips. “Home! I still call it that, even though we’ve been gone for ages. You’d think I’d know better by now.”

“You never really call it anything else, I guess,” Shining admitted. He’d been caught doing the exact same himself; it was the place where they’d both grown, both met, fallen in love and married… even if they didn’t live there just right now, they knew their hearts would see them come back eventually. “It’ll be good to visit Twily this time. She usually visits us instead.”

“I think she needs the vacation spot, truth be told,” Cadance said. “Ginger Island isn’t exactly a spot crawling with people. It’s good for her big brain to get some downtime.”

“Yeah…”

Shining tried not to admit it, but his disability did offer a few benefits every now and then: easy access through security, first onto the plane, a comfortable spot… it wasn’t a great trade by any means, but it sure didn’t hurt. Even after their late start, they’d managed to arrive on time and with plenty more to spare. Now all that would come next was a few hours of flight time and they would be back.

At first, neither of them gave much heed to the soul that had come to take the seat across the opposite side of the aisle, more concerned with getting themselves settled and speaking about the many possibilities that awaited them on their miniaturized vacation. But a glimmer of red-and-gold hair caught Cadance’s eye and she had to take notice: a woman a few years younger than them, poring over an assortment of pictures on her phone in a half-attentive scroll. Pale eyes in color, a darkness upon her skin that was surely a tan from plentiful time spent beneath the sun, and a warmth of good cheer upon her face. Something about her was familiar, but she couldn’t quite say what.

Her ponderings were not to be ignored forever. Perhaps feeling the eyes of another upon her, the woman looked over and took note of Cadance’s staring, a cocked eye at the strangeness- but then a shift to the shrewd as she too gave sign of recognition.

“Do- are you a friend of Twilight’s?” Cadance asked, her words alerting Shining that something was amiss. “You look really familiar…”

“Yeah. Yeah, I am!” the red-haired woman answered. “Umm, I… I’m sorry, I can’t say where I remember you from. You look really familiar, too, but-”

“Oh, that’s OK! I’m her sister-in-law, Cadance. This is Shining-”

“That’s it! Oh my gosh, hi! I’m Sunset,” the bright woman proclaimed. Hands came to the center of the aisle to meet and shook, comfort of mild familiarity and unified affection for another binding them. “What a weird coincidence, I’m on my way back into town myself! Are you all visiting, or… something?”

“Yes, Twilight invited us a while back to swing by. It’s been ages since we actually visited her, so we thought- you know, time is right and all.”

“Well that’s great to hear! I was going to reach out and say hey myself, we only get to talk every now and then since she’s always so busy.”

Shining Armor gave a laugh; a rare sound from his darkened throat, low yet brimming with a delight that only deepened understanding could offer. “She has always tried to keep herself that way,” he said, “no matter what anyone else tells her. I’ve got stories to tell you…”

The journey they had once thought would be a chance to catch up on sleep instead became a place for the birth of comfortable friendship. They’d never met save for a spare few instances where paths had somehow crossed; once at graduation, another during Twilight’s years at college. But never one-on-one, a solitary soul meeting with the unified pair and coming to know one another. Sunset was amiable and kind, seeming to be genuinely eager to know more of Shining and Cadance’s life at the edge of the waves. And what they came to know of her was just as illuminating, though perhaps not marred by grief as theirs had been: a traveling musician, playing for bands on tour here and there as a fill-in, and a warm-up act if she was given the opportunity. Though little place of permanence was afforded to her, it was a life of freedom and happiness despite what shabbiness may mark her world. There was enough income to keep herself safe, and chances to perform were here and there if she tried hard enough.

“So what brought you back to town?” Cadance asked.

“I still live here. Sort of, when I’m not getting asked to be elsewhere,” Sunset answered. “I’ve got a few places lined up for me to play this week, and a couple of bands on tour in the area asked if I was available. So it felt as good a time as any.”

“And you don’t mind the constant travel?”

The beautiful woman shook her head. “It gets tiring, but it’s never bad,” she said. “You get to see a lot of new places, new people… the rhythm of being away feels more normal than just sitting at home after a while. I kinda like it, since I’ve got nothing to keep me tied down.”

Shining nodded, but Cadance’s senses were not so easygoing as to not notice the darkening of those pale eyes. A lack of light, a failing of her features as though a weight held them down and lifted the veil that was her placid smile. But for only a moment, for Sunset perhaps took note of the excess examination and allowed the mask to return.

“You know, I’m surprised Twilight didn’t try to ask you out when you were in high school,” the beautiful bride remarked lightly. “She certainly talked to us about you a lot.”

Sunset chuckled. “Not a chance. Twilight doesn’t have an ounce of interest in dating at all,” she said- much to Shining’s assent. “Trust me, the whole nerd act she had going? If she’d ever bothered to notice how much attention it got, she’d have never been left alone.”

“Oh, so you… you never-?”

“No. She was a good friend, but I think we were too alike for it to have worked,” Sunset said. “I don’t feel bad for being single. It’s nice, I get to live the way I like, but I do kinda miss looking out for everyone. You sometimes feel a bit selfish when you’re the only person you have to worry about.”

Cadance decided from that moment on that Sunset was indeed very nice and would be part of her friend circle for good. Such a person needed to be given affection and rejuvenated, even if it was only of a friendly nature; anyone who yearned to look after another soul deserved to be cared for, too.

The flight went by swiftly, seemingly little time passing before they found themselves back on the ground and departing out into the crowd of travelers. Though she initially wished to see herself off and onwards without much fuss, the married pair insisted that Sunset join them for a little while longer, especially when an old friend would be just as happy to see her as she would to see them. Any worries about interrupting a family vacation not allowed the slightest chance at being given any leg to stand on.

“I don’t- I promise I’m not trying to avoid her,” Sunset said, particularly when curious eyes refused to leave her in peace. “I just don’t want to intrude. I know it probably means a lot to you for you all to be in one place-”

“Like Twilight will mind seeing you again,” Shining said brusquely, the smile on his face a contrast to his words. “Come on, scaredy-cat, you’ll be welcome. I’ll pay Twilight a few bucks to drop you off wherever you need to go.”

Sunset smiled and looked away, muttering something about how it wasn’t necessary even as she accepted the offer.

They worked through the crowd and out of the terminal, a trio amongst many souls who came and went through their own lives without a thought for what transpired in those of others. Who were they, really, in the grand scheme of things? Not much, little value when placed against the greatness and heroics of days gone- but when those dark eyes held behind glasses caught sight of them, any cares that the human soul might have of worldly value were put aside. Twilight rushed up to them all in a delighted rush, ecstatic at the sight of family and friend alike that had not been held in her arms in years. Comfortable, friendly warmth when she beheld sister-in-law and brother- but the delightful shock at the sight of one of her oldest, dearest friends! It couldn’t have been a better surprise, and Twilight insisted right alongside her kin that Sunset be made settled wherever she needed to be by their own goodwill.

“I was listening to your EP just the other day, actually,” Twilight remarked. Settled in the car on the long trip from the airport, she and her longtime companion happily gabbling away as though high school were only the other day. “I was wondering how you’d been doing, I should have called.”

“I probably wouldn’t have been able to say much, I’ve been really busy,” Sunset admitted, though smiling all the same. “I got asked to play backup with Coonhound over at the Keystone Festival and took a while to recover, the whole thing was a mess.”

“Too much work?”

“And bad weather, too. The whole festival was horrible. When I got asked to come play here, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to say yes.”

“When do you play next?” Cadance inquired from the backseat.

“T- tonight, actually,” Sunset answered. “Local place, River City Brewing. It won’t be big, just an acoustic show, but I figured it’d be a nice way to get myself back into the swing of things.”

“Can we come?” Twilight asked. “You wouldn’t mind, right?”

“What? No, that sounds great,” Sunset replied. “Please, feel free! I was actually hoping I could convince Shy to drop by for a little bit, and-”

“Ooh, so you still have her number!” Twilight sang, and upon her face was an expression that could only arise when given strength by juvenile delights. Especially when bolstered by the possible life of juicy gossip that was her once-closest friend’s love life. “Has she visited with you? I was always just thinking you’d ask her to marry you and then you’d just travel together-”

“Wait, Sunset has a girlfriend? And she was a friend of yours?”

If it was somehow possible, the beautiful musician found a shade of color upon her skin that was even deeper than her hair.

It was just an apartment, but not an uncomfortable one; simplicity was all that Twilight asked of her living quarters when so much of her time was spent away from it. Nestled away from the hustle and bustle of the city so that the sounds of life passing by could not reach her tired mind when she needed seclusion, the young scientist was glad to welcome her family to her home- and extremely thankful her third-floor apartment was reachable by elevator. Taking to the couch for a few days while her married kin visited, it was a pleasant liveliness to her world in a small space.

“Why don’t we go see Sunset play tonight?” Cadance asked her sister-in-law, sliding back against the couch having been settled in at last. “I bet she’d appreciate the camaraderie. And it sounds like a few of your old friends will be there.”

“You’d be OK with that?” Twilight sat at the kitchen table, having been poring over some notes of hers while she’d waited for her guests to get settled. “I mean, we haven’t seen each other in ages, I don’t want you to feel like you have to oblige or-”

“It’d be fine! I think it’d be a good time,” the sweet woman said. “Besides, I think Sunset would like to have you girls around. I think she’s lonely.”

“She seemed happy enough today,” Twilight remarked. “What makes you say that?”

“A few things.” Cadance pondered her next words for a moment. “Were she and Fluttershy close?”

“Really close. They never really dated, but Rarity was absolutely certain they’d slept together a bunch of times and just didn’t say anything about it. I don’t think they wanted to shake the group up by openly dating.”

“And… when college came, did-”

“Nothing happened. ‘Shy went to Vandy, Sunset stayed here and just worked. She- no family or anything, you know. So no money to go, and didn’t want to take out student loans.”

Cadance knew people; a teacher at one point in her life, a dean in the next, spending time with more vulnerable and open minds had given her a better glimpse into the working emotions of people than she would have originally guessed. A few words with Sunset and some illuminating comments from Twilight made her suspect the musically-inclined woman was intensely lonely. She might have even come back to town with the hopes of rekindling childhood relationships. “Do you keep up with anyone from when you were in high school?”

“To be honest?” Twilight replied. “Not really. I was better about it when I went to college, but when I got done with my Master’s, well… PHD’s take a lot of effort, and I was moving fast. It just got difficult, especially when I started working.” Normally a placid creature when it came to social activity, a glum expression clouded her. “I probably should have tried to keep up with her. Sunset was a really good friend of mine.”

Cadance smiled. “Well, now you’ve got your chance. You drink?”

The scientist laughed. “Like a fish, on every day that ends in ‘Z.’”

The sound of heavy footfalls came to meet the women’s ears and they turned to the hallway; Shining Armor appeared, no longer slouched and bound to a wheelchair but instead tall and moving forward comfortable on powerful limbs designed with him in mind. Brother looked down at sister and smiled, the bond shared between them more than flesh and blood but also gift and gratitude. What work she had done helped him maneuver and be free more like his days of old, a treasure he had once thought lost to him. It was not quite the strength of built muscle, nor as quick to respond like mind to form, but was better than what wheels or outdated technology could give him- and it was a gift he would never forget.

“How’s the gel layer?” Twilight asked.

“Still good. I got it updated just last year,” Shining answered, walking over to the couch so as to plop down beside his wife, gifting her a kiss on the cheek as he did so. “I don’t wear them all the time when I’m at home, but if I’m going out and about, I use them instead.”

“Good. Hope they last you until I get done with my next one.”

The one-time warrior glanced at her. “They’ve got you working on another prosthetic?”

Twilight smiled, shaking her head and not quite able to rid her form of the tremble that came to life. “No. Something else entirely. Better.”

“Better than a prosthetic..?” Cadance murmured. “What- what would be better than that?”

She had to hesitate on this one. Trade secrets were one thing, but speaking in haste about something so potentially dangerous could be reckless if lips were loose. How much should she say- if anything at all? But she had designed Project Valiant with her bother in mind- had designated its codename in honor of her hero sibling. Would it be so terrible if she gave a few simple tidbits to excite him?

Shining knew his sister and the way her mind worked; one simple look at her face and he could see the gears whirring, practically hear them. She had never been one to repeat her craft, and the prosthetic leg he now wore was the best ever designed. “Just what’s better than a prosthetic limb?” He inquired.

Twilight couldn’t keep the grin quite fully from her face. “You’re not gonna believe me.”

It had only been meant to be a one-time thing.

The air of the room felt cold to her skin, so much of her above the bedsheets from where she had fallen come the end of the night’s frolic. It had felt wonderful then; movement had turned the air warm, body heat driven to excess and spurring her to take residence on the edge of the bed rather than her usual space in-between. Goodness, these summer days had been warm, she had every right to seek out a cool place! But now, after hours of quiet within the bedroom and no more activity than the rising and falling of a chest, the running air conditioner had found the strength to give her skin bite.

And a bit too early for my tastes, too. Rarity’s tussled head rose slowly from her resting place and looked about the darkened room with bleary eyes, a poor cycle of rest making her yearn for further slumber than what her body would seem to allow. The night had been long- longer than she’d intended and yet not long enough for her to have come away satisfied. To awaken to a world where she would have to depart from one of the few places she could feel comfortable wasn’t much to her fancy, but it wasn’t as though much choice was offered to her; her presence would cause more harm than help if she went along with them.

Had her movement, miniscule as it were, enough to rouse a mind on the edge of slumber? Sheets rustling were in her ears and Rarity turned to see the figure of Luna emerging from beneath the covers, more awake and less weary than her younger companion. “What time is it?” she mumbled.

“Haven’t the foggiest,” Rarity answered. Her phone had been left in the living room and had not traveled with her, how was she to know the hour without a clock? “But probably time to get up.”

Luna grimaced and checked the clock on her phone. “Ten past eight. Dammit, we’ll need to start getting ready.”” she muttered, and from beneath the sheets did she crawl, a powerful body that retained its strength from livelier days revealed in its nakedness. Turning to the other side of the bed, she poked at the form that still lay slumbering beneath the sheets and seeing it roused to life. “Cellie, get up. Come on, we’ve got to get ready.”

“Mm? What’sthematter?” Celestia woke most comfortably of the three, least exerted from the night and most relaxed after. A dim smile on her features as she took in the sight of her companions, memory of last night still fresh. “Morning. Is it time to get up?”

“Unfortunately,” Luna grumbled. “Come on, make sure everything’s packed. I’m using the shower first.”

“I’ll get the coffee going,” Rarity said. The robe that hung from the bedroom door was there to clothe her naked form and off she went, through hallway and down stairs to where the kitchen awaited her efforts. It was not much, would never amount to much, nor would it equal the dreams she’d once had- but for these two, it was the least she could do. Heaven knew where she’d be without them!

She’d been with Luna first- much to Celestia’s chagrin, Rarity had eventually come to discover. A drunken fling that had ignited from a lonely Valentine’s Day night at a local nightclub, the darkened woman despising her consistent solitude and Rarity still in the throes of a horrid breakup. Bemoaning their miseries, the dreams of better things that had gone unfulfilled were swapped between them- Luna’s military aspirations erased by bad vision, Rarity’s fashion career having never taken off despite the time and money she’d invested. Throughout the night they’d come closer, and closer- until bare flesh was pressed together in a lonely, unhappy harmony.

It had only been meant to be a one-night stand. But they’d kept in contact, kept hooking up here and there. Enough to make an older sister jealous, and an overly aroused Rarity had been perfectly willing to comply. She’d tried to be discreet, but what sort of sisters were Luna and Celestia if they didn’t know each other’s secrets? The fight could have been legendary if the younger woman hadn’t intervened and been willing to keep up with both of them. Too drunk on the feel of being wanted, too lonely from having exiled herself from familial presence, Rarity was unwilling to let either one slip from her grasp. And so now here she was, in two relationships at once and unable to be open about it with anyone. If having to foreclose on her boutique had been enough to make her too ashamed to ever see her family again, what would this do? This relationship with Cellie and Luna was more or less all she had. She tried to repay their loving kindness, emulate a good housewife, but…

Well, it was never going to be quite equal to the dream that had died. “If only I could have both worlds,” she murmured so quietly. Never unable to fully relinquish her grief over a life turned sour, yet never able to fully enjoy the strange romance she had now. And it wasn’t as if she could ask anyone on what to do! What of her old friends hadn’t succeeded in their dreams and made it a life? Sunset enjoyed her life of travel and music, Fluttershy was joyously content working at a local animal shelter, from what she saw of them –truth be told, it wasn’t much- Pinkie and Applejack enjoyed their married life on the farm. And Twilight? Whatever held Twilight’s attentions must be something momentous because she’d all but disappeared into her work years ago. Rarity only had Celestia and Luna to cherish, but never was she able to do so freely. And with the two sisters set to depart for an out of town funeral, Rarity would be left to languish at home. Unable to go and be of comfort to her grieving loves that would have to endure the loss of a longtime friend alone.

How she hated it.

“Who was she, again?” Rarity hated herself for having to ask, but what information she’d been told had arrived during their wine night. Memory of such things was difficult to come by. “You said her name was Amari…”

“A friend of our parents,” Luna answered, taking the offered coffee from her young girlfriend’s hand. “When our parents split up, we’d stay over with her while they… she was more our mother than our mother was.”

“She was a safe haven for when things were wrong,” Celestia said, upon her lips the form of a bittersweet smile. Childhood pain still rang true in her, the source of the salve that had tried to heal it now lost to infinity. “We kept up with her for years after we left home, and she would occasionally drop in here to visit with us. So.”

“Of course you should go, then,” Rarity murmured. “Someone so wonderful, I’m so sorry.”

“It was inevitable. Time always wins,” the elder sister remarked. “And she’d had cancer for years now, so whenever it came back… you can’t win forever.”

Rarity felt her heart twist. How dearly she wished she could be there and help provide some measure of comfort. Even if it was little more than presence that she could offer, it would have been better than nothing. But- well, but nothing. They’d be flying out in a couple of hours and that would be that. The failed seamstress would simply have to wait until her lovers returned.

“We shouldn’t be too long,” Luna said. Looking up from her plate of bacon and eggs had let her take note of the young woman’s downcast expression, wisdom giving her the ability to guess why. “You won’t be lonely for long, love.”

“I don’t really think my loneliness is what I’m worried about here,” Rarity chuckled, the sound bitter in her ears. “Are you sure you will be alright, darling?”

“As much as we can be.”

“But we’ll be glad to see you when you get back,” Celestia added warmly. A hand reached out and gave the young woman’s own a gentle squeeze, assurance given that words could not say. “Take the time to take care of yourself, not worry about us. I’m sure you’ll have something that’ll dazzle the world by the time we get back.”

Of course they encouraged her to keep working on her designs. The first boutique may have failed, but that didn’t mean that an online shop couldn’t continue. They still raved about her work, declared it to be unrivaled- if only someone else agreed! Rarity was more than glad to make something for those she loved, but who on earth else would bother with paying attention to her craft? Her own parents hadn’t even bothered. The would-be fashionista tried to smile along with her paramour, but the sight of it was likely strained.

There was little to do after breakfast. Bags had already been packed, preparations made ready; Rarity could only stand by and watch her lovers leave her behind, off to a sorrow that would surely be misery to endure. When the Uber arrived to take them to the airport, the beautiful girl wondered who was going to feel worse when all this was through- and if the thought was something of a selfish one.

“I miss you already,” Luna said, taking the smaller woman in a tight embrace that was not minded in the slightest. At least she cared, even if the force of the darkened woman’s feelings were potent; Rarity tried her best to return the gesture in equal feeling, adding a swift kiss for good measure.

“Call me when you make it to your hotel,” Rarity said. “I won’t rest until you do.”

“We will. I promise.” Celestia’s kiss was welcome to her lips, one last gift of softness before they separated. A few waves goodbye, some softly-spoken words, and then they were gone.

She stood at the door and watched their car take them away, eyes tracking the vehicle as it turned the corner and went out of sight- even beyond that. Perhaps if she strained hard enough she would still be able to see them, feel them. Anything better than the loneliness of now that fell upon her shoulders the moment they were away. Rarity minded not the housewife role for these lovely women, but to say she enjoyed spending it alone would be… at least when it came to work she knew they would come back.

Dishes put away, cleaning done; what she needed to do to entertain herself was done, even if it wasn’t much. They were such a tidy trio that there was usually little upkeep required. It was only noon when Rarity found that there were no chores for her to do that would not require an extra set of hands, leaving her schedule empty and mind eager to focus upon the morose.

There were a multitude of things she could to do escalate the pity party. A bottle of wine and some ice cream were available, the bedroom’s blackout blinds helped keep their sanctuary dark for times of slumber- or misery. Anything that could make her feel worse were appealing, though Rarity tried to counsel herself into something more sensible. Celestia and Luna encouraged her so sweetly; maybe she could have something nice awaiting them upon their return. Luna needed a new pair of jeans, or at least the back pocket sewn back on. Celestia’s work blazer absolutely needed replacing. But could she achieve both in just a few days time? Perhaps something simple this time around, she wondered. A bit of lace, perhaps? Some lingerie. But two people will take just as much time- ooh, perhaps for yourself. Something they can unwrap.

The idea had merit, even enough to seemingly energize the young woman. She could start again and see her craft made ready once more- were it not for the entry into the quiet office that had been lovingly converted into her workshop, a cavalcade of unfinished designs and failed offers that had gone nowhere. Sensibility told her to ignore it, but the old sketchbook filled with unwanted ideas drew her in like moths to a flame; in no time, that dulled ache in her heart was reignited and made strong. She’d first thought up that satin gown so many years ago- her first design from high school, in fact. But never had she had the chance to make it for someone other than herself. So she’d never made it, just like the sundress that came after it- or the mermaid gown right after…

It was so quiet in that spacious house of theirs. It was impossible for her not to feel alone when she could only hear the empty, sorrowed sound of her own breathing. In a house that wasn’t hers, in a life that had deemed her services unnecessary, and away from the two people in the world that loved her at all.

The sound of a cell jingle! Rarity’s watery world left its cloudiness behind as she reached for the device by instinct; surely Cellie and Luna weren’t already there, they had hours to go! And it wasn’t as if anyone else routinely reached out to her that was a name she could think of-

Proven untrue in an instant. Fluttershy had texted her, of all people. And as for the contents… Sunset’s music career still going well, I see. So she’d been invited to come and cheer on an old friend. But the questions that would inevitably come; the last time they’d all been together, she’d been so excited to open up her boutique and begin her design career for real. What on earth was she going to say when they asked how she was doing?

What if they already know about me?

Author's Note

Perhaps not moving the plot forward, but necessary to build the world up. I think this might carry on for a little bit.

Keep reading, I guess.