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.