Sunset glared at Shining Armor, feeling her magic broiling under her skin, threatening to burst free if she would just let it, her temper snarling for her to take out the male who had become, to her senses, a physical and very real threat, the press of some kind of dark magic teasing at the edges of her senses and swirling in his eyes. She gave her magic voice, trying to replicate the way she had gotten through to her friends in that storage room at the Battle of the Bands, wanting to purge the darkness she could feel encroaching on the members of the family. “Stop!”

Her head throbbed warningly in response, but she ignored it, pushing past the pain with sheer willpower, feeling the magic building where her horn wanted to form. She grabbed the power and shoved it outward, just like she had then, a raw pulse of the magic that made the dark energy writhe and shrivel up into fading smoke and left her feeling drained. It was an act that had no finesse, but the intended effect was more important than any amount of flair. Something was messing with her Sparky and the rest of the family, and it needed to stop.

As the energy dispersed, she could see the haze of unnatural rage dissolve from Shining’s eyes into dazed confusion. He took a step back from her, hands coming up in a placating, defensive way, before the full implications of his actions slammed into him. Despite snow white skin, he seemed to grow paler, and he looked past her to his stern-faced father and shaken mother. “I—”

“I think,” Night interrupted, stepping around Sunset to stare hard at his son. “That you and I need to take a walk. Get your coat and shoes on, son.”

The blue haired man wilted and backed up further. “...yessir,” he responded, shuffling towards the front hall.

Night Light turned on his other child, who was still standing, a frown still etched onto her face. “As for you, young lady, this is not the calm discussion that was our agreement. This is on pause until I’m done with your brother, so get comfortable, and think about how you can defend your points rationally, without resorting to raising your voice or spewing insults. What you two just did to your mother was beyond unacceptable—you both know that we do not show that level of disrespect to anyone, let alone your mother, who has never, in all your life, treated you with the level of ugliness you have just displayed to her. You should be ashamed of yourself, Twilight Sparkle.”

Without another word—but a long, concerned look at his wife, he headed to the front hall. Sunset faintly heard him say in that same tone to his son, “Outside. Let’s go,” before the sound of the door opening and closing cut them off from her ears.

Once they were gone, she felt her muscles starting to unclench from the tense knots, and she looked towards her girlfriend. Twilight still looked angry, jaw set in a stubborn line that was all too familiar to the former unicorn. She felt angry...and more than a little disappointed. How could she not see how awful she was acting? And to someone as nice as Velvet, the kind of mother that Sunset would have given her horn to have Princess Celestia be for her. She frowned at Twilight, turning away to check on Velvet instead.

With dismay, Sunset saw that the older woman was still far too pale, arms curled around herself and her eyes filled with tears and pain. Everything about it was familiar to the former unicorn, turning her magical sense on Velvet. The feeling of her own energy coming into contact with the fading remnants of dark magic made her stomach threaten to rebel; she swallowed reflexively against the bile that rose in her throat at the sensation, digging her nails into her own palms to push down the way her body was reacting to give the woman as much of a scan with her senses as she was capable of in her human body.

What she found made the redhead’s heart twist. She hadn’t noticed any such magic before—and she had been looking, given what had happened with her vision and her nightmare—so where had this dark power come from and why was it manifesting now, over something so trivial? Had the Sirens not been the only emotiphages in the city? Was it possible there were more of them? Paranoia made her study the dissipating magic more closely, and she wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or not—it wasn’t Equestrian magic...but if it wasn’t magic from Equestria...then...what had cast it...and more than that...what did it want? And how could she hope to protect her girlfriend’s family if she couldn’t sense the magic before it triggered?

Then she studied Velvet again, worried at how the woman was handling this brief exposure—the shaking, the paleness, the obvious pain and discomfort...they were reminiscent of magical overexposure or magical over-expenditure, but Velvet was entirely human, not a unicorn transformed into one—how was she supposed to treat this, especially without exposing herself?

Sunset forced herself to stop and take a breath, clearing the panic and emotions from the forefront of her thoughts in order to deal with this rationally. Humans didn’t have magic ailments, but Miss Luna and Nurse Redheart’s comparisons of her own injuries to a concussion made her stop and compare symptoms to what she’d learned of human first aid. Taking in Velvet’s demeanor, and running the list of symptoms for the magical injury over in her head again, she realized that it wasn’t too dissimilar to the traits humans and ponies exhibited when they were in shock, or, like her, like what happened when they were concussed... Like Nurse Redheart had pointed out, the treatments for both the physical injuries and the thaumic ones were very similar...so maybe she could start there.

And if that doesn’t work? a tiny, fearful part of her asked, stirring up worry and agitation in her gut.

Blue-green eyes once more studied the woman who had been so kind to her, who had opened her heart and her home to someone she owed nothing to, who had made her feel loved and valued in a way she had never known, and her resolve hardened. If it didn’t work, then to Tartarus with the ramifications and consequences. She’d blow her own secret wide open, call the girls, call for Princess Twilight, and whatever happened...happened. She wasn’t going to let down someone who had done so much for her, just because of a selfish fear. Velvet was more important.

Head firmly in the game and with a course of action mapped out, she turned towards the other two humans still in the room. Her stomach knotted and bile rose sourly in her throat at the sight of Twilight’s face, her expression a mixture of angry self righteousness and uncompromising arrogance twisting her features into something alien yet so reminiscent of Sunset’s own in the days and years before the formal that it made her feel physically ill. A veritable stranger stared back, and her nightmare flashed before her eyes once more, before she shoved it aside to focus. Twilight would be of no help right then, and so she turned to Cadence.

The pink skinned woman looked almost as shocked as Velvet, her features marred by confusion and a sort of grief stricken devastation that called to mind the same look on the face of a pink alicorn filly when Sunset had lost control and set the room ablaze with them in it. Sunset rubbed her face; she needed to snap Cadence out of her stupor. “Cadence,” she called. When she got no response, she repeated herself more insistently. “Cadence!”

Blinking, Cadence finally looked at her. “Sunset?” she questioned, her voice shaken and lacking the cheerful self-confidence that made her the perky, peppy personality that could fill a room. “...I can’t believe Shining would act like that...why would he do that?” she asked, her whole body shrinking in on itself, everything about the situation seeming to have left her diminished and unsure.

“I don’t know,” she responded. It was true enough; she couldn’t identify why or how the dark magic had come about, or why it had sunk its claws so badly into Shining compared to everyone else.

Cadence’s face fell further, eyes bubbling with something close to despair. Memory flitted through Sunset’s mind, of Princess Celestia talking to scared ponies after a horrible disaster had wiped out half a small town, of the way her voice had taken on a reassuring, soothing but confident tone.

“When ponies are confused and scared, sometimes just sounding like you’re calm and giving them a job to do, even if it’s something little, helps them feel less scared, my little sun. They can’t control the big thing that is scary, but they can control the little job, and that helps them recover.”

She drew on that memory now, squaring her shoulders. “Mrs. Velvet is shaken up—could you maybe hand me that blanket and then get her something hot to drink?” she asked, pointing towards the blanket on the back of the couch.

More blinking, with Cadence slowly processing the words past her emotional disorientation. “Blanket? Oh! Yes!” she got up in a sort of dazed fashion, twisting to retrieve the blanket and offer it to Sunset. Amber fingers took it, and Cadence gave a strained smile before she moved to head into the kitchen.

At that exact moment, Twilight Sparkle let out an angry, frustrated sound, and stormed out of the room, bumping roughly into Cadence. The pink skinned woman staggered, raising a hand, half protest dying on her lips as Twilight disappeared in a swirl of dark hair. She looked back at Sunset, who shook her head. She knew that it was unlikely that Twilight would listen right now—after all, she never had. Trying to force the other girl into conversation would only make it worse, so she squashed her own urge to follow after her and turned to Velvet again.

This time, she knelt down by the chair, taking too cold hands in her own, feeling a twinge of empathy when the woman flinched as her joints shifted. She knew all too well that ache and pain and how the numbing coldness only made it worse. It made her wish more than ever that she could use her magic to help now, but all she could do was try and rub a little warmth and feeling back into her digits, mentally wishing and willing warmth and comfort as if she could bypass the laws of this world’s reality with determination alone.

It did something, because Velvet finally looked at her. “Sunset...sweetie are you alright?”

Sunset’s heart ached at the concern for her well being when she knew how awful her girlfriend’s mother was feeling in that moment. It made her anger smolder and seethe—if she figured out where that dark magic had come from, she would make it pay for the damage it had wrought tonight. “I’m fine, Mrs. Velvet...it’s you I’m worried about.”

By now some color had returned to Velvet’s face, though there was still hurt lingering in her eyes. She gave a somewhat poor attempt at a smile. “I’ll be alright, sweetheart. I just didn’t expect them to get so angry, especially Shining...” she squeezed Sunset’s hands. “I’m sorry you had to see all of that.”

Guilt made her innards twist as a thought tickled her mind. Dark magic had done this, but magic had been almost nonexistent in this world before the formal...was this her fault somehow? Had her actions, her very presence with the family drawn this down upon them? “I...I’m sorry...” she mumbled.

“What are you sorry for, Sunset?” Velvet squeezed her hands again. “You didn’t do anything.”

“For...” What could she say? For possibly being the reason it happened? For not picking up on the strange magic sooner? For waiting so long to stop it? For losing her own cool and almost putting Shining on the ground? She settled on that last one. “...for going after Shining Armor like that,” she told the woman. “I...it wasn’t my place, but he was yelling and angry, and he’s so much stronger, and I reacted...” And it had been a reaction, to what part of her subconscious had perceived as an aggressive, dangerous human male on the edge of violence—the presence of dark magic had only exacerbated her reaction, not caused it.

Velvet lifted her hands a little, thumb rubbing soothing circles on amber skin. “Sunset, sweetie, can you look at me?” she asked, coaxing the redhead to meet her gaze. When she did, half expecting condemnation or at least disapproval, as well as some kind of warning for threatening the woman’s son, she was met instead with a soft, very faint smile. “Sunset, you did nothing wrong, and you have no reason to apologize. You were scared, and Night had already told him once to stop...and Shining ignored that. All you did was raise your voice—no one got hurt, and as soon as Shining stopped, so did you.”

“But—”

“No buts,” the older woman interrupted her firmly. “Shining was out of line tonight, and you had every reason to be concerned about how he was behaving. That’s a very natural reaction to someone acting with hostility, and more than that…it’s okay to want to defend yourself. In truth, the fact that you are so willing to protect not just yourself but others against someone who is aggressive is an admirable and wonderful quality...” She sat forward and pulled Sunset into a shaky hug, whispering, “I’m more thankful than I can ever tell you that you possess that quality, Sunset, because I know what you did for Twily that night, what you protected her from.”

That shocked her, enough that when the hug ended, she found herself on her rump on the floor. “I...you know about...how did you—?”

“Shining told us,” Velvet explained, her voice sounding almost normal, despite being very soft. “We wanted to make sure you were safe, and when he was looking into police records on your neighborhood...he found the report on it. It wasn’t difficult to put it all together.”

A dozen worries and fears flashed through her mind, from Twilight’s reaction when she found out, to what her girlfriend’s parents might do, to the very fact that Shining had looked into her. Especially that last one. She knew the fake life and identity that had been crafted for her would hold up against most scrutiny, but she still didn’t like the way it made her feel. Most of it was lies, crafted with just enough truth that she could be vague about her real past and not raise suspicions, but she didn’t want this family to believe those lies...it would make it a lit harder if and when she decided to tell them the truth.

Her thoughts must have registered on her face, because Velvet reached out and rested a soothing hand on her shoulder. “Shining focused on the recent present, sweetheart, not the past. He was looking into your neighborhood and the people and problems there--we were worried, and wanted to know if there were dangerous people there that could hurt you, whether or not you were sleeping somewhere safe at night, and making sure you weren’t being forced into doing things no girl your age should have to consider, just for basic survival.”

Sunset did her best to force herself to relax. That wasn’t unreasonable, she realized, especially considering Twilight was often at the loft with her. She could understand them wanting to make sure their daughter was safe when she wasn’t home, and that the kind of person she was associating with wouldn’t get her into trouble. “I...that makes sense, I guess.” She mulled over the woman’s words, chewing absently on a fingernail. “What...would you have done if it turned out things weren’t okay?” came the hesitant question, half worried that they’d have kept Twilight from her, since she had no idea when they’d had Shining look into her…probably well before Christmas.. That made her guts twist for an entirely different reason, and the redhead fought to control her breathing.

The response was prompt, too quick for it to be anything but the truth. “We would have either done our best to talk you into moving in here full time, sweetheart, or helped you to find someplace safer to live, whatever you were more comfortable with.”

Relief vied with the warmth that she was still growing used to whenever Twilight’s family did something that made her feel like she belonged, and she settled for nodding as she absorbed the words and their meaning, getting her emotions somewhat back under her control. Once the former unicorn had gotten rid of the unpleasant burning in her eyes and the lump in her throat, she exhaled slowly and finally turned back to the subject at hand. “...and he learned about what happened in the park...I...I’m sorry for lying. It was just...that was a bad night, and I know Twilight doesn’t like talking about it...and I...I know I hurt them. I wanted to hurt them. I didn’t hold back...” Sunset cringed. “I didn’t want you to think I was some kind of monster...”

Velvet left the chair to kneel beside Sunset, gathering the teen into a hug. “Oh, Sunset, sweetie, you are not a monster. Acting in defense of another, even if it means you resorted to violence, does not make you into a monster—it makes you a good and caring person who did something very brave.” Her fingers ran through a fiery mane in a soothing fashion. “Nor do you have to apologize for following Twilight’s lead in what to tell us—I don’t consider that a true lie.”

“I still lied,” she argued. “Even if Twilight asked me to, I still did it.”

A gentle touch tilted her face up to meet Velvet’s eyes. “You had no reason to trust us back then. We were strangers, and all you knew was what Twily told you. It's perfectly reasonable and understandable that you would follow her lead and trust her judgment.”

Cadence rejoined them, looking much more put together—though there was a suspicious reddened look to her eyes that suggested she’d shed tears in the kitchen. She set a tray on the coffee table that held a number of steaming mugs on it, before settling on the floor with them. She gave Sunset a quick hug herself. “Mom’s right—it was Twily’s responsibility to tell her family about what happened, not her best friend’s.” She gave a tight, very faint smile. “We love her dearly, but none of us are entirely blind to some of our Ladybug’s faults...one of which is that she often lets her anxieties dictate how forthcoming she is.”

Twilight Velvet made a sound of agreement as Cadence pressed a mug into one of her hands. “She does do that. She’ll get an idea in her head about how she believes we will—or should—react and it can be very hard to get her to change her mind once she does...and that’s not anything you’re responsible for either, Sunset. It’s just part of who Twilight is.” She looked like she was about to say something else, but fell silent instead.

Pink skinned hands offered a mug to Sunset, which she took gratefully. The former unicorn took a long drink, savoring the taste of rich chocolate, and letting the warmth soothe her nerves. “You’re not mad at me for keeping it a secret then?” she ventured. This was something she still lacked a lot of experience with, but she was fairly certain that even pony parents would not think too highly of anypony who kept a secret like an attack upon their foal from them.

“Not in the slightest, sweetheart. It was not your job to tell us. We had a feeling that something was off, but we weren’t sure if it had something to do with her or if it was about you, and we were trying to let her come to us in her own time.” The older woman sighed. “In hindsight, perhaps we should have pushed a bit more...”

“...I’m not sure it would have helped,” Sunset admitted. “...she...barely talks about it even with me. It’s...” she huffed a sigh. “It’s why I started teaching her self defense. I thought it might help.”

Velvet gave the redheaded girl another hug. “I think it’s been having you as a friend that has done the most for her,” the woman told her. “I’m so glad she has you in her life, Sunset...more than I can ever put into words.”

The front door opened, silencing Sunset’s response as the tensed and stared warily towards the front hall. Night Light came into the room, the strained expression on his face relaxing a fraction when he saw his wife sitting with Sunset and Cadence. “Room for one more, is this a ‘Girl’s Only’ powwow?”

His voice was worn and tight, and Sunset realized the question had been more directed at her when both other women looked at her. Her ears heated and she offered a hint of a smile, feeling like the attempt probably looked as tired and exhausted as her girlfriend’s father did. “Sure...there might even be some cocoa left, Mr. Night. If you act quick, at least—this is a pretty good batch of cocoa, and I might want seconds.” She slid closer to Cadence so there was room by Velvet.

Thin as the joke was, it eased the tension; Night came over and sat down in the space Sunset vacated, taking the opportunity to hug his wife. As his body slumped from the rigid posture he’d entered with, he asked in a very quiet voice, “Are you alright, evening star?”

She passed him a mug, offering a slight nod, though Sunset could tell the woman was still deeply hurt by her children’s words. He could tell too, hugging her even tighter for a moment, a gesture his wife leaned into with a soft, indefinable noise--one so like the sound her girlfriend let out whenever she desperately needed the comfort Sunset’s hugs offered that the redhead knew without a doubt that the older woman was still very upset and hurt. “Shining would like me to pass on an apology to all three of you, though he will be tendering a personal apology once he’s finished getting himself together. At the moment, he’s gone for a walk around the block while he does some thinking.” Then golden eyes flicked to Cadence. “He also says he understands if you want to spend the night either here or with your friend, and talk to him tomorrow rather than tonight...”

The pink skinned woman nodded at that, before sighing heavily. “I just don’t know what got into him tonight—he was fine this morning and even during dinner. He never acts like this, even when he’s had an awful day...I want to talk to him...but maybe sleeping in my room for the night is a good idea. I need to get my feelings sorted out, and he needs to apologize to you, Mom, far more than he needs to apologize to me.”

“He definitely owes a great many apologies for tonight,” Night murmured. “And so do I.” He looked at Sunset. “I owe one to all of you for not stepping in sooner, but especially you, Sunset. You shouldn’t have had to witness that, and you certainly should have not had to step in to halt it. It was...highly unusual for any disagreement in this household to reach that level of hostility and unpleasantness.” He ran a hand through his hair. “If tonight has made you feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in any way, I truly am sorry.”

Her gut twisted again, her senses reaching out once more to confirm her suspicions. The fading echoes of residual dark magic met her inspection, and confirmed that he too was suffering a reaction to the dark magic that she’d driven out of the house. Sunset took a deep breath and leaned over to hug him, willing good magic and warmth into him the same way she had for Twilight Velvet. “It really wasn’t your fault,” she assured him—all of them really. “None of it was.” She wasn’t going to let them feel guilty for something that magic had done.

“Perhaps not directly,” Night responded, squeezing her shoulder warmly, before he rose to his feet. “But it’s my responsibility now to talk some sense into my children, and make sure this does not happen again.” He looked at them. “I assume Twilight is in her room?”

Sunset sighed. “She stormed up there after you and Shining left. She was...angry.” She thought about elaborating that she would have gone up after her, but… decided against it. This was a situation where that wouldn’t really contribute.

Night sighed. “I would normally give her time to calm down but I think this has gone on long enough.” And with that, he turned to head upstairs and confront his daughter.

*stirs in plot thickener*

*sips cocoa and watches the chaos*