Sunset’s body proved to be quite heavy as Shimmer held her arm around her own shoulder and helped the sickly girl walk. While Sunset was far from fat and out of shape, she was definitely at least a dozen pounds heavier than Shimmer was, and it made it difficult to move her from the bedroom upstairs all the way to the living room without strain.

She had managed to get the girl into the elevator to bring her down to the ground level floor, as she recognized getting her down the stairs simply was out of the question. From there it was a matter of helping her drag herself down the long hallway and getting her to the couch.

Finally reaching the living room with a grunt, she angled Sunset over the couch, only for the girl to fall out of her arms and land directly on her back on the floor. With a grumble, Sunset managed to pull herself onto the couch that was right next to her; Shimmer assisting her as much as she could despite being exhausted and sweaty from the trip downstairs.

“Christ… now please stay here, alright? I’ll get you something to eat and some tea okay?” Shimmer managed to get out between pants.

Sunset’s voice was hoarse and weak as she responded with a weak shake of her head. “Y-you could have left me upstairs…”

Shimmer stamped her foot onto the floor and shook her head in disapproval. “You’re not getting more than a room or two away from me. Last night you were out cold for eight hours before I got you back! You’re going to stay close to me or Twilight at all times until you’ve healed.”

Sunset grumbled in protest, but quickly realized she wasn’t in a position to do much about the situation that was forced upon her. Instead, she just nodded in silent approval, recognizing her choices were limited.

With a nod, Shimmer sighed and pet the girl’s cheek. “Now try and relax, I’ll go get you some food and tea alright?”

Sunset merely nodded and forced a smile.

With that action, Shimmer gently stepped toward a few rooms over to the large bottom floor kitchen. It was one of three in her estate, the other being on the top floor which her father had installed so that he could be served without forcing the maids to run up and down stairs or deliver via an elevator. The third was in the old servant quarters for the servants to utilize in their days off; it was long since abandoned at this point as Shimmer had not had a maid live at the house in years.

It briefly occurred to her that there were rooms in her home that she had not visited in years. There was a good chance that the servant quarters was likely covered in a layer of dust at this point, and the old shooting range in the basement that her father used to use had likely been left exactly the way it was the day before his death when he last used it.

The thoughts started to creep her out, so she dismissed them and focused on trying to get Sunset the sustenance she needed.

When Shimmer took over the house, she had learned to cook and take care of herself, so she let most of the staff go, only opting to have them come in once a week to clean the building. The result had made Shimmer into a competent chef.

Grabbing a frilled apron from the wall, she tied it behind herself and adjusted it for comfort.

She had gone with a more casual look this day and thus had pockets with which to carry her phone in. It began to ring, causing her to jump slightly at the surprise.

Reaching for it, she answered without even looking to see who was calling.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Shimmer, how’s it going?” Came the soft voice of Moondancer.

Hearing the girl’s voice brought a smile to Shimmer’s face. “Oh hey, sweetie. How are you?”

“S-sweetie?” Moondancer seemed to stumble at the pet name.

Shimmer giggled as she grabbed a kettle and began to fill it with water, holding the phone between her cheek and her shoulder. “Well, you did ask me to be your girlfriend didn’t you?”

“I-I suppose I did… right…” Moondancer stuttered.

Shimmer couldn’t contain her laughter, it was too adorable how easily flustered Moondancer was.

“You’re so cute, you know that?” Shimmer teased.

“Thanks… I think…” Moondancer replied.

“You know you can give me a pet name too, right?” Shimmer reminded.

There was a pause before Moondancer answered, clearly she was taking a moment to take it all in. “Oh… yeah… I guess that makes sense… what should I uh… call you?”

With a roll of her eyes, Shimmer sighed. “I’m not supposed to tell you that, you’re supposed to come up with one.”

“Oh ummm… does hun work?” Moondancer asked.

“How original…” Shimmer rolled her eyes again, “I sound like an old housewife that way…”

“And that’s… bad right?” Moondancer sounded genuine in her voice.

“Yes, I’m almost eighteen not forty…” Shimmer sighed.

Moondancer paused for a moment and thought it over and finally came to an answer “how about… babe? I mean I know it’s not as original…”

Shimmer nodded in approval despite not being seen. “I like it, a bit bold for you, makes you sound a little more dominant, I’m down with that.”

“Alright then… babe…” Moondancer hesitated but it was clear she enjoyed the name too.

“Oh definitely, I approve.” Shimmer practically shivered in delight at the sound of the pet name. It had taken a little time but she was making a more assertive Moondancer slowly but surely.

“So what are you up to?” Moondancer changed the subject.

“Just making tea for Sunset,” Shimmer replied as she began boiling the kettle on the stove while she thought over what to make for food, she was feeling a bit hungry herself.

“She still sick?” Moondancer asked.

Shimmer sighed as a response.

“I see… I hope she gets better soon… I want to see you again…” Moondancer admitted.

Shimmer’s demeanor became lighter at that admission. “Eager are we? Well, I suppose I could give Twilight a call to keep an eye on the situation while I slip out?”

“I don’t want to take you if Sunset needs you…” Moondancer spoke meekly.

Shimmer blew a dismissing raspberry and replied, “it’s fine. It’s not like either of us being here is going to change much anyway. At this point, it’s a matter of waiting…”

“Oh… alright then… we can meet at my place then?” Moondancer said.

“I’ll see you at 8:00 okay?” Shimmer replied.

“Sounds good, babe,” Moondancer managed to get out.

There was a light blush appearing on Shimmer’s face. Moondancer had managed to get it out feeling mostly natural, she said it with a level of confidence that only made Shimmer ooze with delight. She felt the same warm feeling of protection and belonging she had in the past.

“See you soon, sweetie.” With those words, Shimmer hung up her phone and returned to the task of making Sunset’s tea which now had been brought to a total boil.

Shimmer sat in her laboratory in front of her video log with a series of notes transcribed onto various papers in front of her. She had donned her usual lab coat and tried to think of what to say for her current log.

She leaned back in her chair and sighed and shook her head before speaking.

“Subject, Sunset Shimmer… err… my sister that is… continues to exhibit signs of poor health. After careful monitoring of temperatures, and other vitals her condition does not seem to be improving.” She spoke before adjusting her glasses.

Shifting through some papers, she tapped on some notes to plant them into her brain before looking back to the webcam.

“This… virus, whatever it is appears to be mutating as my doctor stated. It’s doing so however at a rate that is not normal. Drugs or other treatment administered seems effective for a good few hours only to stop working entirely. I’ve never seen a virus that could literally adapt to medicine in such short periods of time. I don’t quite understand what is causing this…” Shimmer frowned.

The girl hung her head low as she voiced the one thought that had been going through her mind for a few days now.

“I have considered… trying to utilize magic to heal her. Magic is not completely understood yet, however, I am confident in its abilities to achieve things beyond normal science. There is a good possibility that magic may be able to heal her if I just try and hone its power and…” she stopped herself and shook her head at how ridiculous the idea sounded.

“No… that’s absurd. I have no evidence of magic being used to heal wounds let alone disease… not to mention honing my ability to use magic might simply cause more trouble, or at the very least be suicide. In the past magic has only hurt people I cared about, and I doubt it would be much different now… I have to accept I have no idea what I’m doing and should leave magic to the experts…” Shimmer admitted.

Another long sigh escaped her as she realized her ultimate predicament. “That means the only sensible option is to see if perhaps Princess Twilight can make a difference. I will need to see about contacting her and seeing if she will come here.”

Looking at the clock, she noted the time was 7:08 PM. Her eyes turned back to the webcam and nodded. “Alright, this is Sunset Shimmer, end log.”

She hit the stop button and stood up taking her coat off, putting it back on the hanger before brushing herself off.

She made her way out of the lab and locked the door with her keyring before stuffing it into her purse. On her way down the hall, she poked her head into a nearby bathroom to gaze at herself in the mirror. Her hair had been groomed recently, and she had chosen to wear something more practical due to the cold temperature of fall getting worse over the past few days.

She had chosen a short cut leather jacket over an M83 band T-shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans with some tall combat boots to match. It was perhaps the most casual she had dressed in a while, but part of her wanted to tone it down a little so that Moondancer could feel more at ease, it was clear that she still was having a hard time adjusting to a wealthy girl like Shimmer being in her life, so she hoped to mitigate that a little.

Content with her appearance, Shimmer nodded and headed downstairs, the black choker with little skulls dangling from it rattling as she ran down the stairwell, checking her watch.

She made a turn to cut through the living room so she could check on Sunset. There on the couch she laid sleeping, Twilight in a chair pulled up next to her with a hand upon her forehead. She had made her way over when Shimmer texted her earlier saying she was heading out. If there was anyone she could count on to keep Sunset safe it was Twilight.

Twilight turned to see Shimmer standing there and smiled. “You look good.”

Shimmer nodded. “Thanks, how is she?”

Twilight’s expression did a complete flip as she sighed. “Not bad, but not better either. She’s kind of in limbo at the moment. I think we may need to contact the princess over this…”

Shimmer nodded as she stepped forward and placed a hand atop of Twilight’s on Sunset’s forehead. Twilight blushed and looked up at Shimmer’s serious face. “Please make sure she’s okay while I’m gone?”

Twilight nodded before stuttering. “W-why the seriousness all of a sudden?”

“I can’t lose someone else, Twilight. I’d die before I let something happen to her, and I mean that. I’m not going to let anyone else die on my watch, not as long as I still draw breath,” Shimmer spoke.

With another nod, Twilight felt Shimmer’s hand leave her own. “I understand… I promise I’ll do all I can and if anything changes I will call you right away.”

Shimmer nodded. “I’ll leave my phone on.”

Sunset sat in a relatively new car looking out the frosty window, watching her breath form as she huddled in her new winter jacket. While the car was new, the heat didn’t exactly start up that quickly.

She looked over to the driver to see a woman who looked far younger than her true age of thirty or so years as the driver. Her hair bearing a striking resemblance to her old mentor, but with a far more serious face. Celestia may have been a princess in Equestria, but for some reason, Principal Celestia was far more intimidating at times. It was difficult to get a good read on what she was thinking most of the time due to keeping relatively quiet.

When she wasn’t being mysterious though, she was actually quite kind, even to a previous bad seed like Sunset.

“Sorry about the heat, I have to get that checked out, it’s supposed to get warmer a lot faster, it’s been on my to-do list but I’ve been so busy with work…” Celestia spoke, her eyes not leaving the road.

Sunset nodded meekly. “Y-yeah, it’s okay…”

Celestia didn’t respond, instead, she kept her eyes focused on the road for a good few minutes before Sunset broke the silence again.

“Where are we going?” Sunset asked.

“You’ll see.”

Sunset sighed and frowned, realizing that when the principal didn’t want to divulge information, she usually stuck to her guns. She was far more secretive than her pony counterpart.

The car came to a stop and Celestia pulled the parking brake on and unbuckled her seatbelt before looking to Sunset to do the same. Following in Celestia’s footsteps, Sunset unfastened the buckled and placed her hand upon the car door, looking to her principal for answers; the only one she got was a simple “we’re here.”

Stepping out of the car, Sunset noticed that Vice Principal Luna was standing outside as well, leaned up against a black sedan parked behind Celestia. Sunset was surprised she hadn’t noticed her before, but that was the thing about Luna, she was always sneaky. Often times she would catch students misbehaving just because no one even noticed when she entered the room, as a result, it made her an excellent disciplinarian. She earned the nickname “The Shadow of CHS” pretty easily. Some students even joked that she must have been a vampire or something.

She cleared her throat and stepped forward, her hands stuffed into a black hoodie with the hood thrown up. Sunset took note of how she wore more casual attire outside of school, even sporting skinny jeans. It was clear she was younger than her sister by a few years, but it had never occurred to Sunset that Luna was actually in her late twenties as opposed to Celestia who was clearly in her early thirties.

“Sup?” She stated with the tilt of her head.

Celestia rolled her eyes as she took Sunset’s hand in her own. “You know you’re going to creep people out like that?”

Luna shrugged before taking her hood down and shaking her head to free her long locks. “Meh.”

Celestia sighed and shook her head.

Sunset had never imagined that outside of school that the two sisters actually behaved much differently, Luna’s entire demeanor was more laid back and lazy appearing rather than the forceful and serious woman who disciplined children at school. She surmised it must have taken a lot of willpower to become the person she was at school if this was how she was outside of school.

Craning her neck, Sunset noted various McDonald's cups and bags littering the inside of her car, confirming her suspicion that Luna had a much messier demeanor outside of school.

“We got a minute?” Luna yawned, before reaching into her pocket retrieving a beat up package of cigarettes and drawing one from the pack with her lips.

“Luna! There’s a student present!” Celestia scolded.

“Relax we’re not on the clock, besides I’m sure it’s not the worst thing she’s seen an adult do…” Luna rolled her eyes before lighting the cigarette and taking a drag. She smiled at Sunset and wagged her finger. “Do as I say, not as I do. Smoking is bad for you.”

“I’ll take your word for it…” Sunset replied.

Luna took another long drag before peeking over at Celestia who was still giving her disapproving glances.

“I didn’t know you smoked…” Sunset admitted.

With a sigh, Luna tossed the cigarette still half unsmoked to the ground and stamped it out with her converses. “I’m trying to quit.”

“Evidently a very promising endeavor…” Celestia smirked, causing Sunset to giggle.

“Hey, I don’t want to hear it Ms. Work-a-holic! Need I remind you who it was who had to call in sick for you when we were younger? If it weren’t for me you’d have dropped dead from exhaustion by now!” Luna growled.

Celestia rolled her eyes clearly tired of an age-old argument. “I needed to work two jobs, with your appetite? It costs more than most people’s homes to feed you. You should see how much this woman can eat.” Celestia gestured toward Luna as she looked to Sunset who was trying to contain snickers.

Luna stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms.

“Ummm, not to interrupt or anything but why exactly are we here?” Sunset asked as she surveyed their surroundings to see tons of buildings she didn’t recognize.

Blinking and snapping back to Reality Celestia gestured for the entire group to follow as she approached one of the buildings and took them all up a stairwell to an entrance. Retrieving a key from her pocket she opened the door and let the group inside, out of the cold.

The inside wasn’t much warmer due to the heat clearly not being on, but it was at least out of the cold wind of the outside.

Inside there was a relatively empty apartment, not a single bit of furniture, but a few kitchen appliances such as a stove and a microwave sat in the room.

“Quaint…” Luna commented unenthusiastically.

“Oh, will you hush?” Celestia grumbled.

Sunset had to contain her giggles at the two sisters bickering.

“What do you think, Sunset?” Celestia turned to the young teen.

Sunset blinked and looked around the room. “It’s not bad, better than where I live.”

Celestia smiled and nodded, “excellent then I’ll send Luna to go get your things…”

“Why do I have to-“ Luna attempted to protest.

“Because I came here this morning to get the paperwork while you were still sleeping,” Celestia retorted in a matter-of-a-fact tone.

“Fine…” Luna sighed before sitting atop of the counter in the kitchen.

“Ummm… what’s going on?” Sunset blinked.

Celestia reached into her pocket and passed the key she had used to enter the place off to Sunset. Looking down to the key, Sunset became even more confused. “Doesn’t answer my question…”

“This place is yours now,” Luna said plainly.

Sunset turned to the younger woman and tilted her head. “I thought you guys weren’t being serious about all of this…” Sunset blinked.

“Why would we lie?” Luna asked with a raised brow.

“I… I don’t know… No one has ever really done anything like this for me before… most principals would just call child protective services on me…” Sunset frowned as she gripped the key in her hand.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Celestia replied.

“Why though?”

“We know what it’s like to go through that…” Luna replied quietly, “it’s not the best outcome for a teenage girl. We don’t want you to go through what we did…”

Sunset wanted to ask more, clearly knowing there was a story to tell but kept her mouth shut and nodded as she accepted the situation.

“Well then… thank you… I appreciate all of this.” Sunset smiled.

“Just remember if you have trouble paying the rent to contact us, we’ll do what we can,” Celestia spoke.

“I will, I promise!” Sunset nodded happily.

Shimmer checking her watch saw she was right on time, it was 8:00 PM on the dot before she tapped on the door to Moondancer’s apartment. She stood checking her painted nails while she heard footsteps approach and the lock on the door click. Before she knew it, Moondancer’s familiar dark purple eyes looking her up and down giving a pleasant whistle. She leaned against the doorframe with an elbow and smiled at Shimmer.

“Hey babe, what’s a cute thing like you doing here?” She smirked, clearly she had practiced being a bit bolder, much to Shimmer’s pleasure.

Deciding to test Moondancer’s fortitude, she leaned in and moved her arms so as to bring her breasts closer together and create a more impressive cleavage line while she moved in. “Well I was looking for someone to give me the best orgasm of my life,” she teased.

Moondancer blushed and coughed before leaning back. “W-wha?”

A fit of giggles escaped Shimmer before she poked the girl’s nose and walked past her into the apartment. “Gotcha. Honestly, if you’re going to act boldly you need to be prepared for me to do it back, or else it simply doesn’t work.”

“N-no fair! I was not expecting that…” Moondancer pouted as she adjusted her sweater.

Shimmer took note that she was not that dressed up this time around, but instead in legging and her oversized sweater. ”I see you didn’t get dressed up for me?”

Moondancer looked down at herself and frowned. “Yeah… time got away from me… I was reading this new book called Circlet of Feydra and I sort of lost track of time…”

Shimmer giggled and shook her head. “I think it’s a good thing that you’re comfortable enough around me for me to see you in your lounge clothes.”

“Maybe I’ll see you in yours at some point?” Moondancer smiled.

Shimmer gave a dismissing hand gesture as she wandered into the apartment. “I don’t have lounge clothes. Though sometimes during sleepovers with my sister there I’ll hang out with her in my lingerie.”

Moondancer felt a blush appear on her face as she imagined Shimmer in her lingerie. She could see it so vividly in her head, an almost nude Shimmer in some silky lingerie that complimented her form perfectly, perhaps a little bow on her panties.

Her mind began to wander to what color suited her. She settled on the mental image being of some black and orange accented lingerie with silk draping over Shimmer’s body. There in her mind, she could almost see the girl with her hair down posing for her. She was practically drooling at the idea.

The Shimmer in her mind would stand with her back to her, looking back asking Moondancer what she thought as her eyes ran down her profile, that cute innocent face with her hair draping over most of her backside, the side view of her large breasts, that view of her full rear covered only by a small amount of fabric. She was perfect, absolutely gorgeous.

She blinked however when she heard a snap of two fingers and looked in Shimmer’s direction.

“Huh?”

“I was talking to you, did you zone out?” Shimmer tilted her head.

“Oh yeah… sorry…” Moondancer rubbed her neck.

Shimmer smirked and stepped forward bringing her face inches from Moondancer’s. “And what were you just thinking about?”

“N-nothing! Honest!” Moondancer waved her hands frantically.

“Are you sure it wasn’t me in my lingerie?” Shimmer giggled.

“N-no way!” Moondancer denied.

A false frown came to Shimmer’s face as she opened her eyes in a pouty face. “Really? Not even a little?”

Moondancer looked away and rubbed her neck again awkwardly. “Well… maybe a little…”

Shimmer giggled and took the girl’s hands and placed them on her own hips as she lifted a foot off the floor and placed her own hand upon Moondancer’s chest while she leaned in. “You’re such a pervert…” she nearly whispered.

She didn’t give Moondancer a chance to answer before planting a kiss on her lips. Moondancer responded instantly by gripping Shimmer’s hips tighter and pulling her deeper into the kiss, taking control as she snaked her tongue into Shimmer’s mouth. Moondancer moved a hand behind Shimmer into the arch of her back as she leaned forward pushing the girl back, holding her in the air with her arm.

A moan escaped Shimmer as she felt Moondancer take charge. She gripped the girl’s shirt and tugged as she took a step backward, not allowed her lips to break contact as the two began to step toward Moondancer’s room.

Shimmer managed to get words to escape between lip-smacking. “I… don’t want… your mom to walk in… and see us… like this…” It was all she could get out before returning to the intense kissing.

Managing to get into the bedroom, Moondancer closed the door behind them and kept her lips locked onto Shimmer’s before the two sat down on the bed, finally stopping to catch their breath. Shimmer and Moondancer both panted gently as their eyes locked. “W-wow… you’re getting good at that…” Shimmer commented.

“I… have a great partner…” Moondancer replied with a small smile.

Shimmer nodded as she crawled up onto the bed and rested her back against the headboard. She patted in front of her before moving some books sprawled out on the bed out of the way. Moondancer blinked as she stared.

“A good partner deserves a good reward, come over here.” Shimmer patted the spot yet again expectantly.

Blushing, Moondancer nodded and obeyed before crawling in front of Shimmer who instructed her to turn around and let her back face her. She did as she was told before she felt Shimmer’s hands grab the end of her sweater and began to lift. “W-wha?”

“Relax, trust me okay?” Shimmer reassured with a tender voice.

Her sweet voice alone was enough to convince Moondancer. Taking a deep breath, Moondancer nodded and allowed Shimmer to remove her sweater leaving her in just the undershirt she wore underneath. With the crack of her knuckles, Shimmer reached up and began to rub Moondancer’s tense shoulders, causing the girl to sink gently into the bed, her eyes half closed as she relaxed.

Gentle coos of delight escaped Moondancer as Shimmer massaged her shoulders. “Mmmmm… that feels good…”

“So what is this book you’re reading about?” Shimmer spoke trying to make light conversation.

In between gentle moans of delight, Moondancer answered, “it’s a fantasy book. These girls go on a quest to find some artifact… there’s a lot of political turmoil going on as well…”

“I’ll have to borrow it when you’re done reading it,” Shimmer said she continued to rub the girl’s shoulders.

Hitting a particularly tense spot she heard a moan escape Moondancer.

“I thought you’d like it, you seem so tense…” Shimmer said.

“How can I not be? A girl as gorgeous as you around teasing me like you do?” Moondancer remarked.

“Yeah, but you like it…” Shimmer smirked devilishly.

“Yeah… I do…” Moondancer blushed, trying not to look over her shoulder so as to not give Shimmer the satisfaction of knowing her face was about as red as a tomato.

Shimmer gently moved the girl’s hair to one side, exposing her slender neck. She looked at it hungrily and then smirked again. “Bet you’ll like this too…”

Moondancer didn’t get a chance to even ask before she felt Shimmer’s teeth sink into her soft neck, causing a yelp to escape her. Before she could protest tingles shot up her spine at Shimmer’s gnawing. “W-whoa…”

Shimmer ran a hand through Moondancer’s messy hair, gripping gently as she gnawed on her exposed flesh, causing light moans to escape Moondancer.

Moondancer’s body began to tingle, her legs shuffling as she felt her arousal grow with every nibble. Shimmer’s other hand reaching in front of Moondancer, gripping her right breast tightly. The sensation coupled with the hair tugging, the neck biting, it was all too much. Moondancer let out an audible moan this time along with a curse. “F-fuccck!”

A giggle escaped Shimmer at how much she was exciting her partner.

Moondancer allowed her hands to grip the sheets as she pressed her legs together tightly trying to keep herself contained. She had to bite her lip to keep herself from getting any louder for fear that the neighbors would hear her.

She shivered in delight as she felt the biting stop and Shimmer’s tongue ran along the bite mark. Shimmer admired her work as she saw a gentle bruise appear on Moondancer’s neck. She planted a few kisses up and down the girl’s neck before Moondancer finally spoke again.

“I love you.”

It slipped out so plainly and the entire room froze before Moondancer slapped her hands over her mouth, hoping she had just imagined what she said and didn’t actually say it out loud.

Shimmer’s hand leaving her breast and her mouth leaving her neck, however, told her that she did indeed utter that sentence aloud.

“Shit… sorry… I didn’t mean to…” Moondancer tried to fix the situation as quickly as possible before Shimmer shook her head and turned the girl around placing her finger on Moondancer’s lips.

“I’m flattered.” She smiled.

“B-but…?” Moondancer frowned, already feeling her heart-shattering.

“I’m not saying I don’t back okay? I’m just… not ready for that yet okay?” Shimmer explained.

“R-right… sorry…” Moondancer frowned, though Shimmer could tell she wasn’t crushed, just disappointed.

Shimmer shook her head and giggled. “You’re sorry that you love me?”

“Huh? No… well… uh…” Moondancer wasn’t sure how to respond to such an inquiry. What she said was true and honest.

“I like you a lot, sweetie. I’m not shooting you down, I just need a little more time before I’m ready to say that, is that all okay?” Shimmer placed her hands on Moondancer’s cheeks.

Moondancer nodded in complete understanding. “I get it, honest. I sort of… moved a little quick there, I don’t mean to put you on the spot.”

Shimmer nodded back and kissed the girl’s forehead. “Guess you get very honest when you get aroused huh?”

“To be fair I was never a good liar in the first place,” Moondancer replied.

“So cute though.” Shimmer giggled.

Moondancer rolled her eyes before replying, “say it when you’re ready okay?”

Shimmer nodded and kissed the girl’s forehead.

Returning home, Shimmer had relieved Twilight of her duty as caretaker over Sunset. She had brought the girl some tea not too long ago and was in the kitchen now trying to think of an email to send via her laptop, however, she seemed to get stuck every eight words or so. Finally, after such a long delay she managed to finish it and began to look it over.

Hey,

I don’t really understand what’s going on anymore. I’ll try and consolidate what I know and see if I can explain my theories as best I can, so here it goes.

Sunset’s illness seems to be persistent. Nothing appears to be making it subside which is leading me to believe it is likely a condition previously only available in her homeworld. The problem is how did she catch it, and what can I do to stop it?

I find it oddly coincidental that Ghost appears now right around the time this happens, though it could just be coincidence, however, I can’t rule out the possibility that Ghost had something to do with this. If Ghost has any information from my server then he already knows about Equestria and it’s not implausible to suggest that he has gone there himself and came back with this virus or whatever it is. If that is the case that means whoever we’re dealing with has transcended worlds.

Granted this is all a theory at this point and I have no actual evidence, but I’m starting to suspect all of this is connected, you know? I am at least 80% sure that this is connected to Equestria at the very least, but the connection to Ghost is… difficult to say. It’s at least clear that whatever Ghosts intentions are that no amount of studying their breach in my security will reveal it. This person clearly knows how to cover his tracks, that or me spending so much time analyzing him is exactly what he wanted me to do. It’s very possible that all of this so far has just been a distraction, I can’t rule that out. If so I can at least build a profile for Ghost to find out what kind of person he is.

Either way I know I have to be careful here. I have no idea what Ghost is capable of and for all, I know I could be gambling with my life or Sunset’s life here. I can’t take that risk. If Ghost is watching me, he’d know that now while Sunset is sick is the best time to strike, I can’t afford to let my guard down now.

I have never shot a gun before, but there are some weapons in the shooting range in the basement, perhaps it’s time I learned to use them. I can’t go to the police, they’d never believe me and it’s clear this is bigger than them. Ghost isn’t after my life; he’s after something far bigger: power. I have determined the most likely scenario is that Ghost wants magic for himself and is determined to find a way to use it.

If it comes to it, I’ll kill him. I’ll try to avoid that scenario at all costs, but at this time I’m recognizing that being prepared may be my smartest option. I’m not a fan of guns or killing, but I have to think about Sunset too…

I have to find the connection, Sunset, magic, Equestria, Ghost… I know one exists, I know there is something I’m missing, I just need to connect the dots. Maybe there is a piece that I am missing? I’m going to figure this out though, mark my words. This all will come to light, I’m sure of it.

Sincerely,

S.

She sat there reading over the email eight times before she was satisfied with it and hit send. She closed the laptop and sighed as she leaned back in her chair, her eyes wandering up to the ceiling. It was true what she said in her email, she had never fired a gun before, but with the circumstances heating up, now might be a good time to learn how; there was no telling what Ghost would do or how far they would go, and if they attempted to break into the house, she would need to be prepared.

Shimmer let out a long sigh before shaking her head trying to dismiss such thoughts. Here she was thinking about guns, self-defense, and home invasions while Sunset was sick. She knew it wasn’t productive and the chances of Ghost actually coming to the house was unlikely. If anything was certain it was clear he liked to hide in the shadows, so showing himself wasn’t part of his game.

Still, she contemplated if she’d feel better carrying her father’s pistol around.

Her thoughts were cut short at the sound of a loud thud from the living room. She pushed herself out of her chair and bolted in that direction, the very same room that Sunset was staying in.

Rushing out as quickly as she could, her eyes scanned the area looking for any sign of Sunset, only to be drawn to the floor where Sunset laid face down on the ground. Shimmer approached with delicate steps, as if she were walking on thin sheets of glass, her heart pounding loudly, so much that she could hear it in her ears.

Inching closer and closer she was practically holding her breath, she eventually would come only a little more than a foot away from Sunset’s body on the floor. Looking down in horror she could feel the shortness of breath take over her.

Sunset wasn’t moving.

Hmmmm I'm wondering if anyone has noticed a recurring thing that's been happening in this story up to this point that has slowly become more prominent in the past few weeks. No one's pointed it out yet, so I guess not. Maybe they will after a few more chapters.

Also wow! Applety's drawing turned out amazing. Easily one of her best. And it's clear she was having fun with it because she went above and beyond this week. Stellar.

Behind the scenes: Moondancer actually wasn't even in the original draft for the story, but I am so glad I decided to put her in.