An Unfortunate Event

In Dawn’s Garden, three flowers bloomed and three baby blooms opened their eyes for the very first time. A bloom with white coat and big round eyes, a cloud-like tulip surrounding her waking nest. Her sister tumbled over, pure black except for her eyes that shine bright like a cracked open amethyst. Her flower was a black rose, dark just like her coat. Last of the three, the youngest and smallest, a bloom who’s pattern made it seem as though their face is always covered in soot. Their flower was so small, the petals were barely holding it together. Despite that, they tried to stand and walk, yet wobbled weakly towards their two sisters. As the smallest reached their two sisters, they gave them the cheekiest and biggest grin. Thus the sister’s three came to be.

They grew up together, played together, got in trouble together. Where one would be around, the other two were close nearby. The three were tight knit as one could be. All was well, but not for long. While the two elder sisters grew with good health, the youngest got weaker and weaker as time went on. On some days, they could barely walk, let alone stand without help. This worried their sisters, especially the dark-coated pouflon. While her white-coated sister went to learn and search for healing items or medicine, she stayed close to her baby sister. She’d recount stories from books she’d read in the library, she’d keep her warm on colder days. The black pouflon, though intimidating she may look, was soft-hearted deep down, and had so much care for her sisters.

Then one day, their youngest sister became worse than before, they coughed and coughed, their temperature rising. The white-coat poulon stated, “We’d have to travel far, perhaps a medicine from the mages would be more potent.”

“You can’t leave them here alone!” the black-coated pouflon intervened. “And we can’t take them with us! They could barely walk let alone stand!”

The white pouflon shook her head, “But if we wait any longer, worse things could happen.”

The black pouflon bit the bottom of her lip. She would not force her baby sister to walk for miles away but she could not bear to see her slip by.

With a sigh, she said to her sister, “I will stay here and care for them while you are away.” She looks at the soot-faced pouflon, peacefully sleeping in bed before continuing, “If you travel alone, you’d be faster than three of us combined. You’d be able to come home quickly with the medicine.”

The white pouflon took a good look at her sister, before a hesitant nod. “Fine, but take care of them. Who knows how long I’d be away, and I’m the only one here well versed enough with healing magic.”

The black pouflon placed a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, “I know Nimbus. We’ll be here, I’ll keep them safe and sound.”

With a huff and a nod, Nimbus took flight and flew as fast as she could towards the mage’s school. Under her breath, she prayed, she wished, that Nimbus would come home quickly and that her sister would be healed.

One night, the stars came out to play, adorning the void of the sky. Through their little window, the two sisters that stayed home watched as stars twinkled one by one.

“One day,” the black pouflon broke the silence, “we’ll set out and see the world together. I’ll bring you to places you’d never seen before.” The black pouf said to her sister. The youngest beamed, “just like the ones in the book?”

“Even more special than that, Eventide.”

She placed a kiss on the youngest forehead, bidding her good night. And the pouflon sisters slept, awaiting for their white-coated pouf to return, bringing back medicine to help the youngest feel better.

Aurora woke up with her mane more messed up than before. She’s been tossing and turning in her sleep again. She sighed, ‘not that dream again.’

She hops off her bed and prepares her morning routine. After her breakfast, she brewed her potions and then stashed them in her basket. Aurora makes her morning walk towards the infirmary.

Nimbus was busy handling off other pouflons who were around and asking for a quick fixer upper on their slight cold or mild sniffles. Aurora, eyes gloomy and sunken, gave her sister a brief nod of greeting. “Trouble sleeping?” Nimbus asked as her sister walked past her. “Don’t worry about it, Nimbus,” she said, brushing off her sister’s concern. Nimbus could only look at her sister with sadness in her eyes. Neither sisters were the same since that night, but Aurora took the hardest toll.

Aurora enters a room and there, laid peacefully in bed, was Eventide. Their breathing was slow yet even with Aurora entering the room, they did not stir awake. Around them were faintly glowing runes that emit a healing feel. Aurora took out the potion she brewed and poured it into a cup that she placed next to her sister’s bedside table. The scent from the potion was calming with hints of bitter medicine. She sat next to her sister’s bed, her head gently resting on top of Eventide.

With a sigh, Aurora closed her eyes and relived the memory from her dreams.

On the night that Nimbus came home, she brought back not only medicine but a sage tagged along as well, but Eventide was at the brink of it all. She could not eat, she could not wake, her breathing was short and hitched. Panic rose between the two sisters as the sage tried their best to stall and heal their baby sister.

What happened next Aurora pushes back in the back of her head, denying it to be true. Though the sage was able to calm and help heal their sister to a certain degree, Eventide would not wake up. Long she lived in eternal slumber, and long she stayed within the infirmary since then.

Despite her sister's lack of activity since their slumber, Aurora was determined to find a cure to truly heal her sister. In a hushed voice, she closes her eyes and Aurora promises to Eventide, “I will wake you up from this sleeping nightmare and I will do whatever it takes to heal you.” Her eyes open again, with terrifying flames of determination, “Even if it will take me down to the undergrounds below.”

Seeking the Shadow

Aurora has been living alone ever since Eventide entered their slumber. She would not mingle with the living nor would she the dead. She’d simply be in the darkness of her room, accompanied by nothing but the journals and ink that are laid haphazardly across the floor. She is looking for something, anything, that could give her an answer to a hint or clue that could direct her to the right path in saving her sister’s life.

Day after day she sought out an answer yet nothing came. The constant empty findings frustrate her and she’d vent out her stress on the trees that border outside Goldfair. It was an uncommon sight to see the black pouflon return home ruffles and a mess. Her mane became wild and untamed, covering her eyes just barely. She became more unapproachable and not long the other pouflons would avoid her glaring gaze from beneath her mane.

On a day like any other, where Eventide slept on and the journals bore no new information, Nimbus entered Aurora’s room. WIth her, a plate of some cut up berries and dinner.

“Aurora-” her words were cut off by the black pouflon hunched over the papers, “Didn’t I tell you to knock.”

“I’m sorry, I should have, but I came here to bring you lunch-”

“Just leave it there. I’ll eat later.” Aurora cuts her off again.

Nimbus huffs, “That’s what you said last time but you didn’t even touch it till it got cold.”

“I’ll eat it this time.”

“No you won’t.” Nimbus said accusingly. “You won’t stop in your research until you find the cure, even if it means your health.”

Aurora grumbles, “So what?”

“So what?!” Nimbus’ voice hitched. “So what?! Aurora, you’re not the only one here looking for a cure!” Nimbus pressed on, “I’m sorry, but I am not letting this go on any longer.”

Aurora turns to face her twin sister. The white pouflon huffs yet her eyes are brimmed with tears. She’s trying to hold back from crying, yet her voice is shaky as she continues, “Who knows how long Eventide is going to be asleep, but at least that brings hope that she could wake up.”

She sniffles, “But if you keep this up, forgetting to eat, headbutting the trees, constantly sticking yourself in this awful search with no rest, I’m going to lose you!”

Her tears finally fell, “And I can’t lose another sister. I…I-” Nimbus sobs, “I don’t want to be left alone.”

Nimbus could barely hold it together anymore, her cheery exposure long gone as she broke down crying. Through her sobs, she felt a hoof around her. Then a gentle nudge to her head. Aurora came to her side and pulled her close to a hug. Nimbus sobbed into her mane as she gently pats her back.

“I’m… sorry.” Aurora apologises. After a bit of sobs, Nimbus breaks away from the hug, still sobbing and still holding the plate of food. Aurora takes the plate from her and very weakly munches on one of the berries on it. It only occurred to her then that she really was so hungry that the berry she ate felt just a tad bit too delicious than usual.

She looks up to Nimbus, runny-nose and teary-eyed still though her sobs have calmed down a bit more. Aurora gives her twin sister a soft smile mid her munches and Nimbus wipes her runny nose.

“You need to let some sun in here a bit,” Nimbus said quietly. “Bad for your health,” she said even quieter, almost mumbling.

Aurora nods anyway. She wants to return to her papers to continue on her search but she feels bad for making her sister worry about her, let alone to tears. Aurora was so caught up in her own world, she didn’t realise about the other people around her.

“Alright, I’ll go to the library, is that alright?”

Nimbus nods slowly. Aurora sighs, “Well then, I’ll be out of the house soon.” She packed her journal and some of the papers that could help into a neat stack and placed them all in her satchel.

Before she heads out, she gently nuzzles Nimbus. A wordless apology. Nimbus bonks her head gently to Aurora in return. With a sob and a sniffle, she said to her sister, “Don’t come home late.”

Aurora offers her a smile and heads off to the library.

She returns once more to the site where she had grabbed her papers and journals from, the library. Aurora sighs. She’s unsure on what to take or read. Ever since her sister’s long slumber, she’s been going back and forth to the library. She even considered going to the library a bit further up north for it, though she chose not to as she wishes not to be away too long from Eventide.

Walking through the halls of the library, she reads through the author’s name and title. Aurora would pick up a few and take it to her table and do a little reading.

Hours must have passed by as the sun soon began to set as the light from outside the library window slowly disappeared. The librarian passes Aurora by and whether she wants to or not, she’s told that the library is closing soon.

“Am I too late to check these books out then?” She asked. The librarian nods. “Be a dear and put those back where you found them, won’t you?” they say and the librarian moved along the way, picking up the books left behind from other lons that came to the library.

Aurora takes a deep breath and exhales a bit disgruntled. She packed her bags once more and took the books back to the shelves they belonged to. Three in the medicine section, one in the nature section, one in the magic section.

As she returned the books to their rightful place, Aurora noticed how the room began to be a little too dark to see. She turned around to look and sure enough the hall behind her was dark. Spooked, she was sure that there was still some sunlight before she went on.

She’s certain as well the librarian would have turned some lanterns on if the library was going to be this dark.

Then, whispers were heard around her. Calling for her, drawing Aurora to come closer to the darkness. Aurora tried to track her steps backwards but oddly enough the hall's paths have twisted and turned into a labyrinth.

It felt as though her running was futile as the whispers became louder and louder.

Suddenly, she bumped into a shelf. The whispers halt their constant hissing and Aurora tumbled backwards and sneezed. In front of her was a darker bookshelf unlike any other shelves in the library. It’s coated in dust and cobwebs, with books Aurora has never seen before.

Aurora picked herself up again, examining the titles in each book. Yet no matter how hard she tries to read them, they were written in a language she has never seen before. The whispers came again, persuasive in tone.

What you seek hides within these papers.

Though she believes not the words, Aurora cautiously took out a book. On its cover was a black silhouette of a pouflon with a big grin, the title unreadable. Aurora skims through the pages yet it was filled with diagrams and text unknown to her.

The book then flipped frantically, papers flying around and attacking Aurora. The whispers turned to hissing laughter and manic giggles, as they watched Aurora be consumed by the papers as though she was drowning.

The choice is made, come find me

Aurora wakes up to the face of the librarian. She’s on her back on the floor within the lit room of the library. The librarian seemed confused. Aurora looks around and realises she’s just been passed out for a while as the sun has set for the day. Aurora quickly stands up, apologises profusely to the librarian and runs as fast she could back home.

Night has fallen and as she entered the house Nimbus sat by the fire, eating her dinner. Aurora must have looked like she’d been through hell and tried to clean herself up to divert Nimbus’ attention, but Nimbus had seen her either way.

Regardless, Nimbus chose not to ask, much to Aurora’s relief. She threw her satchel in her room and ate dinner with her sister. Nimbus broke the quiet of dinner to tell Aurora about her day and she nodded along to her sister’s chatter.

When all’s done for the day, Aurora bids her sister goodnight and enters her room. She placed her head on the door, unable to shake the feeling of looming dread that had since followed her from the library.

As she unpacked her belongings, she noticed one extra book in her possession. The same book with the grin. Subtle whispers she heard urged her to open the book. Despite her better judgement, she peeked into the book.

Nothing happened.

She opened the book a bit more and found that the words written are now readable. She skims through quickly and that’s when she found it.

An answer to the cure.

Dealing with the Devil

The summer sun has come to pass and autumn brings in falling leaves. Aurora has come to visit Eventide once more, who slumbers still in the apothecary’s bed. She replaces the water in the flower vase with a new one.

Aurora gently places a hoof on top of Eventide’s blanket. “I’m close to getting that cure for you, Eve. Just you wait.” She gently places a kiss on her sister’s forehead. Eventide answers not, instead they breathe steadily through their sleep.

Leaving their room in the clinic, Aurora checks her satchel once more. Packed lunch for the travels, a map of the area, camping gear and other travelling necessities are perfectly stored within it. Most importantly, a small handy journal. Aurora takes it out and reviews the contents within.

Her journal is filled with important details and notes for her journey.

Ever since she discovered the mysterious book from the library, she was finally shown a path. One that she hoped so desperately to bring something that would help with Eventide’s peculiar illness. Perhaps then, she would be able to wake them up.

After consulting with their journal, Aurora was ready to travel. She whistled for her dramoth who was waiting patiently outside the clinic and it flew over to her, flying in circles before nesting in her mane comfortably.

As Aurora made her way to the edge of Goldfair, she was stopped by a white pouflon calling out to her.

“Wait! Wait!!”

Aurora turns around and Nimbus bumps into her. “Oof, w-wait!” Nimbus regains her composure, “You can’t leave without this!”

Nimbus takes out a scarf. It had cloud patterns that seamlessly turn into starry ones and fade into black with purple stripes. She then slings it around Aurora’s neck and neatly ties it into a nice bow. Aurora is surprised by Nimbus’ ability to style a bow out of a scarf. She held a hoof to the scarf, it’s definitely comfy and kept her warm.

Aurora meets Nimbus eye to eye. “I don’t want you catching a cold while you’re out there,” said Nimbus. Aurora gave her a smile and pulled her twin sister into a hug. “Thank you, Nimbus.”

Though stunned for a moment at the sudden hug, Nimbus returned her sister’s hug with a tight squeeze. Aurora is sure she could hear a slight sob from her mane. When they pull away, Nimbus has her eyes shut, as she tries to prevent tears from forming.

A small chuckle escaped Aurora. She pats Nimbus on her shoulders, “I’ll be back home before you know it.” Nimbus nods her head wildy, eyes still shut. “You better stay safe out there!”

With a smile and wave, Aurora heads out of Goldfair to lands beyond. To the rocky mountains of Ebony Wreath.

The terrain of the mountains was something that Aurora had to get used to. Its unstable rocky footing had almost made her lose her footing more than once. Her dramoth, Firelight, always stays a few distance ahead of her, as to guide Aurora on a safe path.

It has been at least a week since she had left Goldfair to trek up the mountains. She’d spent most of her days flying and hiking up and her nights in her camp or a small cavern if she found one. Her sights are set for a specific cavern in the mountains however, one that is signalled by a single blacked tree overlooking the rocky hills and mountain side. The tree would have no leaves, just branches that have been dried out and sticking out from the bark.

Her journal writing suggests that she headed on forward and looked around just south of Banelaire yet not a single tree matched the description. Days she looked for such a tree to no avail.

Night came as a storm brewed, the winds howled and rain came like spears from the sky. Aurora had sneaked into a small cave, and as quickly as she could, set up her tent. Despite that, she still got herself drenched. Her poor dramoth tiredly fluttered onto the ground while Aurora set the fire. They kept themselves as warm as they could but it did not last long.

Odd as it may be, the winds blew into the caves, blowing out the fire. The winds howl may just cause her to hallucinate but Aurora is sure to hear whispers. The same whispers that followed her back home, the same one that haunted her since the library. The very same hissing voice that led her to the mysterious bookshelf.

Look beyond child
I am close

Aurora picked her poor dramoth before it could be blown away and tucked it nicely into her mane. She tries to look through the dark grey skies, through her slightly glowing horn as she casted a small light magic. There was nothing out there, but darkness.

CTARRR!

A crack of lightning illuminated the sky briefly and at that moment Aurora saw it. A silhouette of a tree that matched the book’s description. Nothing but a singular tree, void of its leaves, standing alone still and tall, overlooking the rocky planes.

Come find me

Aurora, without hesitation, took whatever she could grab and dumped them all in her satchel. She cared not for her camping equipment or the lantern that she left out for some light. With whatever she had on hand, Aurora flew with all her might through the heavy pouring rain, against the wind’s directions, towards the tree.

Though her flight was perilous, she made it to the tree with a loud thud to one of its branches. The tree is much larger than expected, she’s surprised she did not see it during her first look around. Beneath the tree however, an odd looking hole that had stairs leading down to the earth below.

Despite her better judgement, she walked into the hole, following the flight of stairs down. After all, it was what was written in the book.

It was fine and dandy for awhile, just stairs and the rocky walls of the dirt the hole was dug through. But then the walls became less defined and her surroundings lost their shape. Though she could feel the earth below her, she could no longer see them. Aurora was met with only the void.

“Firelight? Are you there?” She called out to her pippet.

She could feel rustling in her mane, yet she’s uncertain if that was her pippet companion or something else entirely. Whatever it is, it did not bring comfort to her at all. Aurora pushed forward however, determined to make it all the way through.

The whispers got louder and louder as she went in deeper. They became more frantic, calling out to Aurora so desperately that they echoed through the void. The many voices within the shadows spoke to her.

…here sweet child.
So close..
…yes.
YES..
..ree us..
Unlo.. the chai..s

“Shut up.” Aurora said, quite at first. “Shut up! SHUT UP!” Now shouting her words. The whispers overwhelm her. It feels like she’s drowning, like she’s being dragged into the ocean of nothingness.

She tries to run but where could she go? She could not see her path, she doesn’t know where she came from. She couldn’t even see her little dramoth. What felt to her like running for ages, she finds herself tripping over something.

Aurora tumbles forward, the thing she tripped on rattling and clicking. She turned around and through the darkness, her eyes adjusted to see chains on the floor. Thick, metal chains that lead through the darkness.

Aurora slowly gets up, the whispers went from being manic to a quieter and hushed voice.

Come to me
Follow the chains

Aurora is unsure what came over her, but she followed the chains just as the voice told her to. Its long linking length went through knots and ends, as if a labyrinth on its own. The chains did lead her to a massive chest, its exterior gilded with silver and purple gemstones. The chest was wrapped with many metal chains and runes carved in floating stones that glow dimly above it.

Unbind me from these chains
And I shall grant you what you desire

Doubt washed over her. Aurora does not believe a word the voice said. It could be the voice's magic but at her moment of doubt, flashes of her sister appeared in her mind. Eventide sleeping, her breathing became slower and slower. She shakes that image out of her head.

Aurora has made it all this way, if this would be her final challenge to find that answer to the cure, then so be it. With all her might, she moved the chains away from chest. These chains were big enough to wrap around a pouflon, but it didn’t stop her. She smashed the stones that held the runes, her head flashing red alert signs, yet she does not care. Aurora will do anything right now, no matter the cost.

With the heavy weight of the chains now off the chest and the runes destroyed, Aurora approaches the gilded chest. Using whatever strength she has left, she pulled open the chest.

Suddenly, from within it, a gust of air blows her way. Wicked laughter filled the room as the chest that flings open and Aurora is thrown back. From within the chest came out wispy shadows. Slowly it took form and made a silhouette of a common pouflon. That is until, a massive grin appeared on its face.

Freedom at last

Aurora watched in horror as the void pouflon (if that even is a pouflon) turned to face her way. The grin twists into a wicked and unsettling smile. She tried to get back up but the shadows kept her grounded. The void pouflong made its way towards Aurora, each step leaving wispy trails of shadows.

Your service will not go unnoticed

Manic laughter fills the air and the void pouflon dashed straight towards Aurora. There was no escape.

Aurora wakes up outside.

The sun has just risen from the Eastern side of the mountains, the winds have calmed down now to gentle breeze. Her dramoth, Firelight, is buzzing frantically on her face, clearly worried for Aurora.

As the black pouflon tries to pick herself up, she felt… light. Almost as if she had no form or weight of her own. Though she stood up, her knees buckled just slightly and when she looked down, she noticed her shadow was darker than ever. Odd considering the light from the dawn sun should not have casted a shadow as deep as hers. More peculiar was that trails of wispy shadows trickled through her.

There was so much to process, but one thing was certain; she was outside. Aurora looked around her and found herself under the giant blackened tree, yet there was no hole on the ground. No stairways leading to the world beneath.

Worse thing yet, she found no answer to her sister’s cure.

Awakening

The morning sun was rising and Aurora sat on the mountains of Ebony wreath under the blackened tree feeling disappointed.

Was her journey all for nothing? Did all she gained from travelling to the dangerous rocky mountains was a curse and the feeling of dread that she had just unleashed some kind of awful being to the world?

Aurora has her head in her hooves. She is not one to cry but with all the events that have happened and the hopelessness that she may not be able to save her sister has brought her to shed tears.

From quiet sobs to full on crying, Aurora couldn’t handle it any longer. Firelight couldn’t bear to see its pouflon friend cry, it tries to comfort Aurora, snuggling itself to Aurora’s face. Firelight tries to wipe away her tears with its little buggy legs, though all it does is make itself drenched from tears.

Feeling the little bug on her face trying to comfort her, Aurora simply gives a small sad laugh to her darling pippet.

“Thank you, Firelight.” She smiled, her cheeks wet from tears still but she nuzzles her little pippet friend.

Aurora wipes away her tears. She looks around her area to find her satchel a mess, with items strewn about. Slowly, she walked over towards it, though her new shadow curse made it feel odd to move when she could barely feel her own legs.

She picked up whatever was left of her provisions and the scarf that her sister had made was torned up with some holes. She could find her map though they’ve been torn to pieces, probably by the storm last night. Her journal, however, had changed.

Though it is still filled with the drawings and map of her own writing, the notes and details that she had copied from the accursed borrowed book had disappeared. It did not become illegible nor did the papers ripped from the book. Her handwriting had simply vanished from the pages, leaving behind out of context clues or fully empty papers.

Had it not been for her new gained curse, she would be certain to believe that she might have eaten something wrong and went into a dazed hallucinated adventure. She sighed. ‘With what I gained from going here, it might as well be a hallucinated adventure’, she thought to herself.

The sun now has reached its throne up in the sky and as warm golden rays hit Aurora, she felt weak and tired. She wobbled her way to some shade and felt a lot better when the light wasn’t on her. Aurora scowls at nothing, miffed at her curse.

‘So sunlight is bad now… what a bunch of-’ she cuts her own thoughts by taking a deep breath. Being pissed and angry at herself won’t do her any good. She watches as the sunlight slowly radiates through the mountain sides.

She looked over to her pippet, who hovered just a few inches off the ground, staring worriedly at it’s pouflon friend. She pets Firelight, “I’m alright,” she pats her mane, signalling her dramoth to tuck itself into it, “Let’s head back home, I guess.”

So begins her journey home, with nothing to offer and too much gained.

Travelling home is a lot harder now that she has to avoid the sun. The path she took required her to fly over some of the mountain tops and to fly over meant being in the sun’s presence. She’s not going to take that chance, fearing that if the sun weakens her now, she might pass out from merely flying for a few moments.

So she makes do with only trekking through the trees during daytime and flying come night time.

During her nightly travels, she begins to learn about her curse. Her vision in the dark is greatly improved, she could see further distance and has better definition than just silhouettes. She felt a lot stronger too when she was shrouded in darkness. Aurora could feel herself fly faster in the night, even without the wind’s guidance.

What’s more is her new trick, the ability to hide in her own shadow. Aurora learnt (well, discovered) it when she (accidentally) fell into her own pool of shadow when the sun came to blast its golden rays straight to her face. She did find that as long as she was in that shadow pool, she was safe from the sunlight and felt fine and dandy. Perhaps there was a way for her to travel through the shadows…

Though it took longer than before, she finally saw the plains once more. Beyond the flowering fields and farm animals, she could see Goldfair. The sun was slowly setting, thus allowing Aurora to enter the little town, but she stopped in her tracks.

She’s unsure on what to do. She’s a different pouflon than when she left Goldfair in search of a cure. She has nothing to give but bad news. Aurora fidgets around, shadow-like wisps started to appear by her hooves.

Firelight reemerges from her mane, fluttering around her head. “I can’t do this Firelight,” Aurora said to her dramoth, “I-I can’t go back home. Not now.”

The black dramoth fluttered in circles, then landed on the edge of Aurora’s snout. It uses its little legs to pat her snout, comforting her.

“I-I know, but-” she looks at the health clinic just near the town’s outer edge, knowing that Eventide is still asleep and unable to wake in a room, “I made a promise, and I don’t have anything to show.”

Hopping off her snout and fluttering around again, they made circles to a house in the distance, one light shining through the window. “Nimbus,” Aurora said quietly.

Firelight buzzed happily and made more circles around Aurora’s head, as if to say to her that she also promised to Nimbus that she’d come home safely.

Aurora’s face showed uncertainty. She doesn’t want to go home and feel like her efforts were fruitless. The more she panics and thinks over the hypothetical situations, more parts of herself become wispy shadows.

Her thoughts were broken away by Firelight pushing her towards the house. It then flies closer to Aurora’s face and pats her snout once more with its little legs. It’s as if Firelight is telling her that she won’t be going home alone, she has her little dramoth to keep her company. Aurora sighs.

Reluctantly, she slowly made her way to the house.

As she stood in front of the door, she dared not touch the handle. But it didn’t matter as Nimbus swung it open and saw her twin sister ruffled and a mess.

“Aurora!” Nimbus said, surprised, “Y-you’re home!!” She pulls her twin sister into a hug and Aurora has to try her best to keep herself in a weighted form, not one made of shadows and wisps.

Nimbus broke away from the hug, a smile across her face as she’s relieved that her sister is home. “Did you…?” She asked, but Aurora looked away, avoiding the gaze of her sister. She shook her head, and Nimbus’ smile faltered. “Oh Rors,” she said, hugging her sister once more in a much tighter hug.

“Do you… want to go see them?”

Aurora simply nodded.

“Alright.”

They broke away and walked in silence to the clinic. Aurora simply looked down on her feet, trying to keep it together so as to not scare her sister with her sudden ability to turn into shadows.

As the night sky took the sun’s place, the two sisters entered Eventide’s room.

The soot-faced pouflon was still in bed, breathing slowly, in a deep sleep. Nimbus gave her sister some space, Firelight flying out of Aurora’s mane to sit on Nimbus’ head instead.

Aurora approached Eventide and placed her hoof on top of her blanket. Eventide looked so peaceful yet they would probably be asleep for who knows how long. Aurora could feel her tears swelling up. She placed her head on Eventide’s bed, silently sobbing.

“I’m sorry Eves,” she said quietly between her sobs, “I failed you.”

A moment of silence between the sisters. Aurora tried to regain her composure, but even as she turned around to face Nimbus, her twin sister could see her tears. Firelight slowly fluttered to Aurora again, petting her head with its little legs to comfort her. Nimbus walked over and nuzzled her face to Aurora’s mane.

“Come on, Rors,” Nimbus said, leading her sister back home to rest. Aurora was tired, emotionally and physically. The two left Eventide to rest once more.

Click.

Silence in the room where Eventide slept. Then, they opened their eyes, pupils sparkling like glitter. The soot-faced pouflon sat up from their bed and looked around. They moved their jaws, open and closed. They stretched their neck left and right.

They looked at the door, just as the sister had left the clinic.

A wicked grin spread across their face.