Chapter 124

“Whaddaya think, Sunny?”

“I can’t really see that well,” she whispered. “It looks like they’ve got the whole property taped-off across the front, but we might be able to get in through the trees along the side.”

I shook my head. “It’d be nice if it was summertime. At least then there might be corn in the field that we could sneak in through.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice, but I think we’ll be OK coming in through the trees.”

“How many cops are there?”

“Not sure; shouldn’t be too many right now.” Sunset glanced up to the purple sky, then she brought her eyes down to the horizon behind us, where a mauve glow signalled an eventual sunrise. “If we’re gonna do this, we’d better hurry before more of them start showing up.”

“Are you gonna try to get inside the house?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. They’re probably in there. If we get caught, we’ll get nailed for interfering with an investigation, which’ll be bad—especially if Shiny takes the case. We’ll be screwed before we even leave the gate.”

“Fair enough.” I exhaled quietly into the cold morning air, my breath just visible as it quickly drifted away. “OK then. We doing this, or what?”

Sunset nodded, the golden highlights in her hair reflecting the warm hue growing behind us. “Yeah. We’ll take a quick look around the house and see what we see. As much as I’d like to get inside, it’s just not worth the risk. This is all we can do for now, unfortunately.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

It was the next morning, just before sunrise.

Lucky for us, the weather had decided to calm down. The wind and rain were replaced by a calm stillness, which gave the space we were about to invade an incredibly eerie atmosphere, especially knowing what had transpired during the previous forty-eight hours.

After travelling along the thick tree line that concluded at the left side of the Pie property, we emerged near the rear corner of the house. Sunset and I padded our way across the soggy, brown grass and then ducked under the police tape that stretched across the yard behind the house, which the red-head had failed to notice earlier.

Now inside the crime scene, we approached the side of the house, staying low as we slunk along the bushes. Eventually, we came upon a small gap in the shrubs; there was a wooden lattice attached to the side of the house with a length of vines snaked through its openings—dormant, bare, and devoid of life, waiting for spring before they would show their true colours again.

Sunset, who was leading the way, paused suddenly and put her hand back to stop me. She turned back and put her finger to her lips to signal me to be quiet, and then pointed upward at the side of the house.

Above the lattice was an open window.

“That’s Maud’s room,” she whispered very softly as she pointed to a flattened patch of grass in front of us, right next to the house. “This is where Pinkie found her. Like she said, Maud was probably trying to escape through this window.” Sunset pointed at the lattice. “I bet she was gonna climb down on that, but the suspect got to her before she got out—which would explain the bandages on her shoulder. She was either knocked or pushed out, and then fell here,” —she pointed at the grass again— “which is probably how she got the broken leg.”

I scratched my chin, studying the scene for myself. Everything Sunset was saying made sense, and was probably very close to the truth.

“I hope they got pictures out here before that storm hit,” she continued as she scanned the side of the house and around the shrubs. “There would have been blood in the grass for sure —and who knows what else— but all that rain we got would’ve washed it away by now.”

“Hopefully they did,” I agreed. “It’s hard to say though; that shitty weather came outta nowhere, especially with the forecast calling for a nice day.”

“Yeah, the weatherman totally shit the bed on that one,” she said as she pulled her phone out to use its flashlight. She stopped suddenly, however, furrowing her brows as she looked past me into the backyard, sniffing the air.

“What?” I asked, noticing her shift in focus.

“You smell that?”

I inhaled through my nose, paused, and then shook my head. “I just smell mud… and water, or whatever.”

“No…” She paused for a moment, running her tongue around the inside of her lips. Then her eyes widened, landing on mine. “That! Smell that?”

I took another whiff and paused. I narrowed my eyes at Sunset. “Yeah. Smells like smoke.” I looked up at the open window. “There wasn’t a fire in the house, was there?”

“Not that I know of.”

“It doesn’t really smell like house fire anyway,” I continued. “It’s more like, uh… kinda like a campfire. Or a brushfire.”

She glanced at the house and then leaned over to look past me, beyond the rear of the property. “It’s not very close, whatever it is,” she said, taking a few steps away to survey the backyard. “I’m gonna go check it out. Stay here; I don’t wanna leave too many footprints around here.”

“K,” I replied, squatting down next to the shrub. “Be careful, Sunny.”

“Yeah-yeah. I’ll be back.”

As the red-head’s footsteps squished away, I decided to follow the lead that Sunset was about to give by pulling my phone out and turning on the flashlight. I scanned the flattened grass where Maud landed for any traces of blood, but found none. I shone the light a bit father away from the house and then stopped when I saw something: three faint divots in the grass, forming a triangle at equal distances from one another.

A tripod, I figured. They must have gotten some pictures before it rained; that’s one good thing, at least.

A loud beep came from the front of the house, prompting me to cover the light with my hand. The sound of a voice broadcast over a radio came next; it was too far away to make out what was being said, but either way, the police were talking back and forth to each other, presumably unaware of mine and Sunset’s presence.

Once they finished and silence had returned to the yard, I waited several more seconds before uncovering the light to do a quick sweep along the edge of the house and under the shrubs.

Then something caught my eye.

I leaned closer to get a better look, making sure that it was in fact what I thought it was. I was tempted to go and pick it up, but ultimately decided to wait for Sunset to come back. She was, after all, the trained expert.

Several minutes later, Sunset returned, signalling her approach with the sloshy rhythm of her footsteps. She squatted next to me, pursing her lips. Then she exhaled.

“Find anything?” I whispered.

She shook her head. “Not really. I saw some smoke coming from that farmer’s field out behind the property, but it was around the bend past the trees, so I couldn’t see exactly where it was.”

“Probably burned some brush; musta been before the weather came in,” I said.

“That’s what I figured,” she agreed. “I didn’t bother going to see it up close; that field was way too muddy to walk through. I didn’t really see the point.”

“Hm.” I nodded to the bush next to the wall. “Did you see that?”

“What?”

“Under that shrub,” I replied, pointing at it.

Sunset pulled her phone out and turned the light on, squinting her eyes as she searched. She froze when she saw it. “Oh.”

“Is that what I think it is?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

I raised a brow at her. “Wouldn’t the cops have seen that?”

“Eh,” She shrugged her shoulder. “Probably, but I doubt they’d think anything of it.”

“Do you… mind of I take it? Will that fuck anything up?”

Sunset scanned the area once more, then she glanced at me. “I guess. I doubt anyone’ll notice.” She looked up at the window again. “It’s not like it’s hard to figure out how it got here.”

“True,” I replied, following suit by looking up with her.

“This crime scene’s a lost cause anyway,” she said, bringing her eyes back down to the imprint in the grass and then shaking her head. “After all that wind and rain, any DNA samples or anything like that will be long gone. The only valuable evidence left will be inside the house.”

I approached the bush to retrieve the object while she said this, then I turned to rejoin her, wiping it off with my sleeve before slipping it into my pocket. “What do you think, Sunny?”

She paused for a moment, touching a finger to her lips as she ruminated to herself. Then she turned to me and sighed. “I wish I could get into the house. There’s really not much to see out here.”

I shook my head. “Well that ain’t gonna happen. There are definitely cops out front; I could hear them talking on the radio.”

Sunset nodded and glanced toward the road. “Yeah.” She turned to me next. “We might as well get outta here. There’s not much else we’re gonna learn sneaking around in the mud. Hopefully Shiny’ll get back to me soon.”

“Alright,” I nodded. “Let’s go.”

*****

Some time later, Sunset and I returned to my truck —with her motorcycle strapped down in the back— which was parked on the side of the next concession over. She and I had trudged through the farmer’s field, staying close to the tree line until we reached the road, having escaped detection by the police.

As expected, we didn’t learn much. Whoever murdered the Pies was still a mystery.

This was only the first leg of our investigation, however, and Sunset was determined to find out who did this. We were all driven by a thirst for retribution, one that needed quenching badly.

The sun was up by then, but it still hung low in the sky, casting a rich glow over the deceptively cold countryside. Sunset and I jumped across the ditch and then went to the back of the truck, sitting together on the bumper to discuss what to do next.

After staring down the deserted road with her for a moment, I drew a breath to speak. “So... what now?”

“I dunno. I need time to think.”

“How do you feel?”

She turned to me, her face bathed in the warm glow. “Fine, I guess. Why?”

“I’m just… I’m surprised your magic hasn’t kicked-in at all.”

“Oh…” She looked down at the ground, rubbing her knees. “Yeah. There must be some left in there—which is crazy. Who knew Flutters could get it that deep with her tongue?”

“Well, there was a lot of it.”

“True.”

We were silent for a moment, leaning on the back of that truck like a pair of old farmers as we watched the landscape gradually brighten.

“Um,” I finally said, “I’m guessing it’ll probably wear off anytime.”

Sunset nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well, we’re gonna have to make a decision then,” I said, glancing over at her.

She looked back at me.

“Either… you’re gonna have to deal with it when it comes back, or we’re gonna have to fuck again, or… we‘ll have to go our separate ways for the time being.”

The red-head looked forward again, sighing. “Well, I can tell you right now, I don’t wanna deal with being horny. And… to be honest, I don’t really feel like getting my tits out right now.”

I shook my head. “Yeah. I mean, no. I-I don’t want you to get your tits out right now.”

“It just… doesn’t feel right. Not with everything that’s going on—Pinkie sitting in the hospital with her only sister.”

“No. I agree.”

She paused and then took a deep breath, sitting up straight. “So… I guess that leaves us with option three. Which might be kinda good; I feel like I’ll be able to think more clearly when I’m on my own.”

I nodded and looked down at my boots, realising I’d gotten them a lot muddier than I would have liked. “OK. I don’t really like this kind of thing anyway. If you need some heads busted, you call me; but this? No thanks. That’s exactly why I brought you to find Flutters.”

Sunset sneered. “Come on, Golds. You’re good at this kind of thing. What about all that stuff you did during that trip; all your little strategies and stuff?”

I gave a shrug. “That was different. That was war… with a known enemy. We don’t even know who this guy is. And until we do, I’m not gonna be much use to you. Besides, I’ve got some stuff I gotta do.”

“Like what?”

“Like head back to the hospital and check up on Maud and Pinks; maybe give ‘em some company.” I glanced over at Sunset.

Sunset smiled. “OK.”

Just as she said this, a muffled buzz came from the pocket of her leather jacket. She pulled her phone out to check it, and her eyes lit up instantly.

“It’s Shiny!” she gasped as she read the message.

“What’s he saying?” I asked.

“He sends his condolences… and…“ She read a bit further before bringing her eyes up to give me a hopeful look. “He spoke to the police about the case! They said he can look over the evidence and all the files, and he says he’ll help Pinkie and Maud out any way he possibly can. D’you know what this means?”

I raised a brow.

“It means that if he has access to the information regarding the investigation, then I do, too!”

I stood from the bumper, prompting her to follow suit. “Well, shit, that’s some good news at least. Do you think you could get into the house now?”

She grimaced slightly. “Well… no, probably not. That’s a pretty tall order. But I’ll be able to see the case file, which will include photos and evidence taken from the scene; all that stuff. It’s not as good as being there in person, but it’s better than nothing.”

“How soon?”

She paused and rubbed her chin. “I’m not sure… days? He’s gotta meet up with Pinkie and Maud and talk things over with them at some point, which doesn’t really matter cuz it’ll probably take the police at least that long to build a decent case file anyw—”

I raised a hand to stop her. “Hold on a minute… you guys better be careful; you don’t want anyone else thinking there’s a conflict of interest if they see Shiny chumming around with the victims and their friends.”

“Yeah, no, don’t worry. He knows better than that,” Sunset replied. “Besides, talking to the victims will be part of the case, regardless.” She shook her head. “Soon enough, it won’t really matter anyway.”

“Why?”

She looked me in the eyes with a confident smirk. “Because once I see the evidence, it won’t be long before I track this asshole down.”

“Heh.” I shook my head and then looked over my shoulder to observe the sun’s progress. “So what you’re saying, Sunny, is that whoever did this is never gonna see the inside of a courtroom?”

“Not if I can help it.”

I turned back to watch her for a moment, then I stepped closer to the truck to open the tailgate. “Well… I guess you’d better be on your way then. We each have our objectives; we’d better get to it.”

“You’re right,” she said, raising her phone again. “The sun’s coming up fast.”

Sunset stood aside and replied to Shining Armor’s message while I lifted her motorcycle out of the truck and set it on the ground. She finished up and put her phone away, then she took her helmet when I handed it to her.

“Ugh… I hate that I still have to wear this,” she said, looking down at the glossy, black dome in her hands. “But if I don’t, I’ll get pulled over for sure.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s a pain in the ass, but it is what it is.” I reached out to clear some hair from her face. “Well?”

She nodded. “Yup.”

“Better get going.”

“Yup.”

We stared at each other for a moment.

She didn’t move. It seemed as though she was waiting for something.

Then it hit me. “Oh, shit. Sorry, I keep forgetting.” I leaned in, and she closed her eyes to receive the kiss.

“That’s better,” she said, before returning one to my lips. Then she turned away and put her helmet on.

“Good luck, Sunny,” I said as I turned to close the tailgate. “Let me know what happens, K?”

“Sure thing,” she said as she strapped her helmet in place. “Same with you.”

*****

I paused for a moment, standing in the hallway outside of Maud’s room. I had no idea what it was going to be like in there; as far as I knew, Pinkie hadn’t left Maud’s side since the incident. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be feeling so down that a little company wouldn’t lift her spirits a little.

After a deep breath, I entered the room to find both of them asleep. Maud was in bed with the backrest slightly elevated. Pinkie was in a chair on the right, slouched over with her head resting against the wall. Her hair was still flat and long, covering her face and shoulders.

There was a chair sitting next to hers, so I approached and sat quietly. I leaned closer to see her face.

She was snoring softly.

I brought my finger up and gave that pudgy arm of hers a poke. She didn’t move, so I tapped her again.

Pinkie inhaled through her nose suddenly, then she lifted her head and turned to face me, blinking repeatedly as she tried to focus through the pink curtain hanging in front of her eyes.

“Hey,” I greeted quietly as I ran a finger across her forehead to clear her face, revealing a pair of puffy red eyes with dark rings under them.

“Hi, Goldie,” she said. Her greeting was followed by a long, drawn-out grunt as she laced her fingers together and raised them high above her head for a stretch. She grimaced, squeezed her eyes shut, and arched her back sharply, projecting her mountainous breasts forward as the stiffness drained from her weary frame. Then she let her hands flop down to her lap and faced me again, smacking her lips. “What time is it?”

“Not quite noon,” I replied. “How are you feeling?”

“Um… tired.”

“How much sleep did you get?”

“A bit… I think. I don’t really know.”

“Oh, well… sorry I woke you up. Maybe I shoulda just let—“

Pinkie waved me off and shook her head. “No, it’s OK. It’s OK.”

I paused briefly. “You hungry?”

Pinkie hesitated for a moment and then shrugged. “I’m not sure.” She looked down at herself and pressed her fingertips to her chest, just below her bust. “It feels tight in here,” she said. “I can’t tell if I’m hungry or if it’s just how I feel.”

I placed my hand on her shoulder, giving it a rub. “OK. Just… if it’s been a long time since you’ve had anything, then you should try to eat—but don’t force it if you’re not feeling well.”

Pinkie sighed and nodded. Then she looked at me again. “What are you doing here?”

“Just checkin in on you,” I replied, folding my hands on my lap. “Plus, I uh… I brought some visitors to keep you company.”

Her eyes opened a little more. “You did?” she asked, her voice still low, but laced with curiosity.

“Yeah.” I stood and headed back to the door. “Hang on,” I said as I leaned out of the room and waved to someone in the hall. “Come on in.”

I stood aside as that person rounded the doorway and stopped just inside the room with her hands behind her back, standing toe-in.

Pinkie stared vacantly at the blue-skinned girl, blinking with a heavy pair of eyelids. “Hi, Notty.”

The siren forced a smile. “Hey, P.” She glanced down to the empty chair beside Pinkie. “Is it OK if I sit with you?”

The party-girl’s eyes went down to the seat, then she reached over to give it a pat as she looked up at Sonata.

The siren complied. She sat next to her friend, somewhat awkwardly, and folded her hands on her lap. After some hesitation, she looked over at Pinkie. “I… I’m sorry, P.”

Pinkie returned the look. “Thanks. But… it’s OK. I’m fine.”

Sonata cocked her head. “Are you sure?”

Pinkie said nothing; her eyes dropped to her lap.

This prompted Sonata to run a pair of fingers through one of Pinkie’s long, straight locks, feeling its soft texture, its limp smoothness. After studying her friend’s hair for a moment, she leaned closer and whispered, “are you stoned right now?”

I was on my way to the other chair —which sat next to the bed, on the opposite side— when I heard Sonata say this, and I threw my head back and groaned silently. Goddammit, Sonata! Don’t make me regret bringing you here.

Pinkie simply stared back. After an attempt at a little smile, she looked down at her lap again. “No.”

Sonata sighed and chewed her lip. “I know. I was just, uh, kidding. Sorry.”

“It’s OK.”

I was taking a seat on the bedside chair, close to Maud, when I glanced over and saw Sonata looking helplessly my way. Clearly, she was not equipped to deal with this—but she was Pinkie’s best friend. She knew this, and she knew that she was the one who had the best chance of keeping Pinkie from getting lost in that ever-deepening pit of despair.

After a short stint of eye contact with Sonata, I gave her a nod, signalling her to do her thing.

She sighed and then turned to face Pinkie, tapping her fingertips together rather nervously. “Um… so, how do you feel?”

“I dunno,” Pinkie replied quietly, after a pause.

Sonata was not overly encouraged by the response. She glanced at me once more, and then she returned her attention to Pinkie, mouth opened to speak, but after taking a breath, she found herself drawing a blank. She closed her mouth and turned away, giving her ear a scratch as she thought a little more about what to say.

Seconds later, however, she was alerted by the sound of sobbing, and she turned back to find Pinkie’s face distorted into a grimace, with fresh tears running down her cheeks.

“P?” Sonata said quietly, not knowing what to do.

Pinkie leaned forward slightly and covered her face, smearing her palms with warm tears. “I’m the worst sister ever,” she sobbed.

The siren was dumbfounded; she was not expecting to hear this. After regaining her bearings, she reached out to touch Pinkie’s shoulder, but then stopped short, second guessing herself. “P… Wh— … why would you say that?”

“Because! I wasn’t nice to them… we f-fought all the time… we said m-mean things to each other…” The more she spoke, the louder her sobbing became. Eventually, it became difficult to understand her. “I was ignoring Marble… and… Limes-s-s-… the last thing I said to Limestone was that I wish she would m-move away to Bulgaria and n-never come back!”

Sonata brought her fingertips to her mouth as she listened.

“And n-now, they’re—“ She paused when a row of rapid sobs forced themselves out. “They’re gone! Th-those were the last times I had with them… I never got to…” She shook her head, sniffling noisily. “Their last memories were of me being a jerk!” She paused to wipe her tears, and then shook her head. “I meant to be better to them, to make things right, b-but… but I put it off, again and again… and… now it’s too late.” She faced the siren, red-eyed and wet-cheeked. “They’re gone, Notty; they’re GONE!”

Pinkie broke down completely, sobbing and bellowing over and over about how she was the worst person ever, berating herself ad nauseam for not making an effort to reconnect with her siblings before they became lost forever.

Overwhelmed, Sonata sat there with a hand on her forehead. She didn’t know what to do. She was at a complete loss for words, and she wanted to run, but she knew she couldn’t—not when her best friend needed her. She couldn’t leave Pinkie like this.

The pain Pinkie felt over her family reminded the siren of her own sisters; she thought about how driven by vengeance they were, and how intolerant they were of her behaviour. This never stopped her from loving them, however, and she would have done anything to make them happy—even if it meant going along with their revenge schemes toward the Rainbooms.

Her eyes landed on Pinkie Pie once again, watching the poor girl cry her eyes out. This was exactly what Adagio and Aria wanted: to cause them pain. To hurt them. To take away everything they held dear —including their lives, ultimately, after watching them suffer— and Sonata was ready and willing to play into it.

And for what? To make her sisters happy? Would it have made them happy?

Probably not.

Nothing else ever made them happy, so why would revenge on the Rainbooms be any different? How could causing misery like this bring happiness to anyone?

Seeing the results of what her sisters had been planning firsthand filled Sonata with guilt, to the point where she felt sick to her stomach. As she sat there, watching the tears flow down her new best friend’s face, the siren vowed then and there that she would never be a source of such anguish.

From now on, she would be the cure.

With a deep breath, Sonata rotated on her chair to face Pinkie. She reached with her left hand to take Pinkie’s, lacing her fingers with the chubbier digits of her friend so their colours alternated —blue, pink, blue, pink— and she gave a tight squeeze.

“P... listen,” Sonata said softly. “Your family loved you. They knew you didn’t mean the things you said.”

Pinkie’s crying died down as she listened, but then it resumed as soon as Sonata finished. “No… they died thinking was a shitty sister!” she sobbed.

Undaunted, the siren wrapped her free arm around Pinkie’s shoulder and pulled her close, letting her heads rest together. “That’s not true, P.” She tilted her head slightly so she could see the side of Pinkie’s face. “You know what?”

Pinkie continued sobbing.

Sonata gave her hand another squeeze. “You’re the best sister I’ve ever had.”

This seemed to get Pinkie’s attention. She leaned away just enough to meet eyes with Sonata, blinking the moisture away while taking short, involuntary breaths. “W-what did you say?”

“You. Are the best sister. Ever. And my favourite person in the whole wide world.” The siren smiled warmly as Pinkie stared back with red eyes, rendered silent by the words.

“You…” —Pinkie sniffled— “you really mean that?”

Sonata nodded. “Of course I do. You are the funnest, silliest, nicest, most caring friend I’ve ever had. If my sisters actually came back, and I had to choose between staying with you or going back to them… I would choose you.”

Pinkie inhaled shakily. “For real?”

Sonata widened her smile. “Totally, for realz.” She released Pinkie’s hand to wipe a tear from that round, pink cheek using her thumb. “And you shouldn’t feel bad. Sometimes sisters argue and say mean things and they don’t get along, but that’s just part of being sisters. Believe me, I know! Your sisters loved you, P; and so did your parents. And so do your friends,” she glanced at me when she said this, then she returned her eyes to Pinkie. “And so do I. I love spending time with you. I love watching movies, and jamming, and getting baked on the things we bake, and hanging out in our undies making up conspiracy theories; the past few months have been the best times ever, and it’s all because of you. I don’t know where I’d be right now without you.”

The party-girl was quiet, her bottom lip trembling slightly as she stared back at her friend, trying to process what she’d said. Then, without warning, she threw her arms round Sonata and hugged her tight.

“Thank you, Notty,” Pinkie finally whispered, followed by a wet sniffle.

Sonata was surprised, but was quick to return the embrace, rubbing Pinkie’s back as she wept softly into the siren’s shoulder.

I watched the girls hug it out from my spot on the far side of the bed. After a moment of this, Sonata’s eyes opened and she turned in my direction with a look of accomplishment on her face. I gave her a smile and a nod, followed by a thumbs-up; after all, she did what she’d set out to do, and she did it well, which was the whole reason I brought her there.

Several moments passed before their arms finally unraveled from one another. Pinkie kept her head on Sonata’s shoulder while a set of blue fingers combed through her long, straight hair, relaxing her and bringing her comfort.

After a short sniffle, Pinkie finally spoke. “Notty?”

“Yeah?”

“Didn’t you say there were a couple of visitors here?”

“Yeah.”

“Well… who else is here?”

Sonata looked over at me and nodded, prompting Pinkie to look as well.

“Goldie-woldie?”

The siren shook her head. “You’ll see. But let’s wait for your sister to wake up, K?”

Pinkie sighed. “OK.”

Time passed. The three of us sat and made small talk; I remained seated next to the bed, while Pinkie and Sonata stayed in the same spot with Pinkie’s head resting on Sonata’s shoulder, her eyes fixated on nothing as the siren played with her long, pink hair.

Maud was still asleep, but none of us wanted to wake her, even though we were all curious about how she was feeling.

Fortunately, the time came for the nurse to read her vitals. He entered the room swiftly, wearing a black scrub shirt with white pants and rolling a cart with the supplies necessary for the job. He gave each of us a quick smile and a nod as he approached the bed, lifting Maud’s hand to clip the pulse oximeter onto her index finger.

The sensation caused the Pie sister to stir, and after rolling her head to one side and then the other, her eyes opened slowly. Despite their cloudiness, they quickly focused on the busy fellow for a moment, before the weight of her eyelids caused them to close again, momentarily.

“Ah,” the nurse said, smiling at her. “You’re awake; just gonna do a quick check on your vitals.”

“OK,” Maud replied flatly as he pulled a blood pressure cuff from his shoulder and wrapped it around her arm.

“How are we feeling today?” he asked.

Maud blinked slowly, watching him inflate the band. “I am in severe pain due to my injuries, and emotionally shattered over the loss of my family—but otherwise fine. I don’t know how you feel.”

The nurse nodded and chuckled as he turned the dial to let the cuff slowly deflate, watching the gauge closely. “So your pain control isn’t working?”

“No,” Maud droned. “It wears off before the next interval.”

“OK, I can let the doctor know,” he replied. “Maybe we can get that changed for you. Lucky for you, it’s actually time for your next dose right now.” He removed the blood pressure cuff and reached across her to remove the gown from her shoulder. “Just gonna take a look at these dressings,” he explained quietly as he inspected the bandages for any blood that may have soaked through, and to make sure they were still in place and applying plenty of pressure. Then he turned his attention to the IV bags.

While he was busy with this, Maud gave me a short glance and then looked the other way at Pinkie and Sonata.

“Hi, Pinkie Pie,” she said flatly, to which Pinkie forced a smile. “Hi, Sonata.”

“Hey, Maudie,” Sonata replied in a sympathetic tone.

The nurse finished hanging the new IV bag, adjusted the drip, and then he turned back to Maud once again. “OK then, everything’s looking good here. We’ve got a new saline drip going for you, your blood pressure’s good, oh-two sat is good, bandages are looking good; they’ll have to stay in place for a few more days before we can have a look underneath though.” He placed a hand on her good shoulder. “Do you feel OK? Anything out of the ordinary? Dizzy? Light-headed?”

Maud blinked once. “I don’t think so.”

He smiled and gave a nod. “Excellent. Tough cookie! You seem to be handling this whole ordeal pretty well; a lot better than most people would.”

She stared at him for several seconds before answering. “I’m actually a basket-case right now.”

He answered with a laugh, finding himself unsure if Maud was kidding or not and then hoping his response was appropriate. “Hahaha… OK, here. This will help with the pain.” He handed her a small paper cup with several pills in it, followed by a tall styrofoam cup filled with ice water and a straw. ”I’ll see you in a few hours. If you need anything, the call button is right there.” He pointed to the array of buttons on the bed rail.

Maud took a short glance at it, then she laid her head back. “Thank you.”

The nurse was gone shortly after, and the four of us found ourselves alone.

It wasn’t awkward in the least.

After drawing a deep breath, I leaned forward and folded my arms on the bedrail, resting my chin on them.

“Hey.”

Her eyes slowly shifted onto me. “Hey.”

“I uh… didn’t know they worked on mannequins here.”

Expressionless, Maud drew a breath and then released it. “Ha. Ha.” She paused for a moment to let her eyes explore the room before looking at me again. “What time is it?”

“Almost one.” I let my head roll to the side, keeping my eyes on her to see if I could detect any emotion. “I’d ask how you’re feeling, but we already heard you tell the nurse, so…”

She blinked. “You can ask me again if you want.”

I paused for a moment. Then I shrugged. “OK. How are you feeling?”

After a slow inhale, her answer followed. “I’m in severe pain due to my injuries, and emotionally shattered over the loss of my family…”

I rolled my eyes and looked away. “But otherwise fine; yeah, I get it.” I brought my eyes back to her, raising a brow. “How does it feel to be literally the only person who can successfully troll me?”

“Pretty good.”

“Hm.” I glanced at the other two girls with a smirk. Pinkie wasn’t paying attention, but Sonata looked rather amused. I shook my head and brought my eyes back to Maud. “Listen, uh…” —I paused to rub the back of my neck— “I’m really sorry about everything. Really. I don’t know why anyone would’ve... You and your family seemed like a good bunch; none of you deserved this.”

Maud’s eyes dropped to study the tubes that snaked from her hand while I continued.

“But we’re glad you’re OK. At the very least, whoever this was wasn’t able to take all of you from us—and that’s something that we can all be thankful for.”

With a sigh, Maud faced forward again. “Thank you.”

“And you know,” I continued as I slipped a hand into my pocket. “It’s also nice that you weren’t the only one to make it out alive.”

She glanced at her sister when I said this. “I know. It was lucky that Pinkie Pie was away that night. I’m glad she is OK; Sonata, too.”

Maud laid her head back and let her eyes close.

I watched her for a short time before reaching over the bed with a closed hand, which I rested upon her thigh as I looked into her face again.

“I wasn’t talking about Pinks,” I said as I opened my hand and withdrew it, leaving a small, dark-gray rock behind.

Sensing the weight on her thigh, Maud opened her eyes and looked down at it. She stared blankly, unmoving and silent.

Pinkie and Sonata watched intently, waiting to see what she would say.

Finally, her hand lifted, slowly, and it moved toward the rock, dragging the IV tubes along. She let her palm rest on the smooth stone and paused, then her eyes rose to meet mine, slightly wider than before.

“You found Boulder.”

To be honest, even though this was Maud, I was half-expecting some kind of reaction to this, but still, there was none. I told myself I shouldn’t have been surprised by this, and I gave her a solemn smile and nodded. “Yeah, it— … he was outside on the ground, under your bedroom window.”

She blinked and looked down, closing her fingers around the rock to give it a squeeze. “Yes… I think I remember. I was trying to get away…” Her eyes began to shift back and forth as she tried to recall exactly what happened. “But… I can’t…”

She became still again, and then she brought her eyes back to mine.

“Thank you… for bringing him back to me. I am glad to see he’s OK.” She turned her hand over and cradled the rock in her palm. “Boulder is more than just a pet. He is my friend, my confidant. He is dependable, trustworthy, and funny. I feel secure when he is around, because I know I can always lean on him for support; when I am weak, like talc or gypsum, he is strong, like orthoclase or corundum. He is my rock.”

After a small chuckle, I folded my arms on the bed rail again. “Well, when I saw him there, I just thought it would be the right thing to do, to bring him to you. I figured you two would be missing each other—plus, you know, he’s got… sedimental value.”

Maud remained still and expressionless, making me feel like an idiot for making such a stupid joke, and I was just about to look away when I noticed something in her eyes: her pupils grew ever so slightly and her irises sparkled, emitting their green hue like a soft energy.

This must have been what the others were talking about: for an outsider, Maud was indeed a tough individual to read, but when one learned to look for the subtle cues and how to interpret them, it was all right there—like reading a book.

The joke had amused her, and, unable to help myself, I gave her a goofy smile—something she more than likely needed after everything she and her sister had been through.