1. The Mysterious Up-To-No-Good Girl

Canterlot Town. A city whose nights were protected by a mysterious girl wearing a purple spandex suit, a flowing blue cape and a stylish hat. No matter how quiet or secretive, the girl called The Mysterious Maiden Do Well was always there to thwart whatever evil deed was taking place - and that's why she had to be extra careful. She pulled a metallic sphere and a remote control from her tool belt and, after taking a deep breath, threw the sphere at the glass window of the museum. The glass shattered, allowing the sphere to enter the building.

Once it was inside, she pressed a button on the remote, activating the sphere, which was a concealed EMP grenade. The electromagnetic pulse it caused wasn't powerful enough to permanently damage the security system of the museum, only deactivate it for exactly 3 minutes and 6 seconds - she had to act fast.

She jumped through the shattered window and ran straight to her target: a heart shaped pink diamond necklace. She removed the glass box that covered the pricey accessory and reached for it, but a second hand wearing a dark blue glove grabbed her wrist before she could claim her spoils.

Sonata was closer to the museum than ther other Maidens. The sound of the glass window shattering attracted her straight to the crime scene just in time for her to witness the suspicious-looking person going through the improvised entrance. Following her inside, she could take a better look at the burglar: she was a girl wearing a dark purple spandex suit that covered her entire body, light blue gloves, boots, utility belt and helmet. She was reaching for an expensive-looking necklace, so Sonata seized her immediately.

She grabbed the woman's wrist and was about to apply a wristlock when the thief countered with a palm heel strike to Sonata's nose. Taken by surprised, she clutched her nose in pain, giving the burglar an opportunity to run away with the pink diamond necklace. The Maiden, trying to ignore the pain, chased her.

Despite not being as fit as her teammates, Sonata was the second fastest of the team, losing only to Sunset Shimmer. She managed to block the other girl's path, who tried to unblock it with a jump kick, but Sonata managed to avoid it and grab her by the ankle, making the burglar fall flat on her butt.

The watch on the girl's wrist beeped. 3 minutes and 6 seconds had passed. The alarm sounded immediately. The sound was too loud and too close to Sonata, enough to be painful for her siren hearing, so she let go of the burglar's ankle to cover her ears. Not wanting to waste the chance, the masked girl jumped out of the window, soon followed by the Maiden. Sonata tried to chase her, but her head was still a little fuzzy due to the loud noise, so she was unable to focus her vision or keep her balance. Sonata Dusk then fell to her knees.

"And I totally had her, but then the alarm suddenly turned itself on. It was so, so, SO loud that it was hurting my head, so she escaped. I tried to follow her, but my head was hurting so bad that I just couldn't." Sonata sighed as she finished telling her teammates the events that transpired in the museum. "I'm sorry I let her go..."

"It's ok, Sonata, it wasn't your fault!" Sunset said as she placed her hand on Sonata's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll do our best to catch that thief, you don't have to worry!"

"For realzies?"

"Yes, Sonata! For realzies." Sunset turned around to look at Adagio, who was already checking the footage of the street cameras. "Any luck?"

Adagio shook her head slightly as she took a sip of coffee. "Whoever that person is, she must be a pro. I mean, other than two seconds of her jumping out the museum window, I got nothing!"

"Well, two seconds is better than nothing. Let me see it!"

Adagio pressed "play", showing in slow motion exactly what happened after the alarm system of the museum was back online: Sonata let go of the thief's ankle and covered her ears, and the thief immediately jumped out of the window. Adagio paused in the exact frame of the girl about to jump, which allowed them to take a good look at the outfit she was wearing; dark purple spandex suit, light blue boots, gloves, utility belt and helmet.

"Hm..." Aria approached her face to the screen as she rubbed her chin.

"Something wrong, Aria?" Trixie asked.

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but that person... No, that helmet! I'm almost entirely sure that I've seen it before somewhere!" Aria said. "Where have I seen her before?"

"Now that you mentioned it, I think it looks oddly familiar... Well, only one way to find out!" Adagio said as she cracked her nuckles. "Research!"

"So, you're staying over?" Aria asked. Adagio nodded as she took another sip of her coffee. She shrugged, opened the door and exited Sunset's apartment, followed by Trixie and Sonata.

"Goodnight!" Sonata said with a bright smile as she closed the door.

"So, about my suggestion of the five of us sharing one apartment. What do you think of that?" Sunset asked as she wore her pajamas. "The conveniences outweigh the inconveniences, and I think we could--"

"Look, can we talk about that tomorrow, Sunset?" Adagio interrupted. "I really need to concentrate over here!"

Sunset sighed. "Just don't pull another all-nighter, Adagio. It's a school night." she said as she jumped in bed. "But do not hesitate to wake me up if you find something!"

"Sure thing!"

In the morning, Sunset sat up and stretched her arms, but when she looked at the guest bed, it looked exactly the same as last night. She looked at the computer and saw Adagio resting her face on top of the keyboard, sound asleep. Sunset shook her head, got up and gently placed her hand on Adagio's shoulder, a gesture that woke her up immediately!

"Huh? Wha?" she frantically looked left and right, accidently bumping the mouse with the side of her hand. The screensaver was turned off, revealing the last thing the siren found before passing out: a mugshot of Vice Principal Luna.

"What the...? What is this?" Sunset asked, rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

After rubbing her eyes and yawning, Adagio looked at the website's name. "Criminal Records Database."

"Wait, does that mean Vice Principal Luna is a wanted criminal?"

"Was, actually! She was already arrested and served her sentence."

"Then what was her crime?"

"Breaking and entering into places wearing a disguise and stealing valuable objects!"

"Wait! You mean like...?"

Adagio zoomed in a picture of Vice Principal Luna wearing said disguise: a black spandex suit with dark purple gloves, boots, utility belt and a light blue helmet.

Sunset gasped, pointing at the screen. "It's the same person from last night!"

"A little change of wardrobe, but the design and definitely the helmet are still the same."

The sound of the door being practically kicked open startled both of them. Trixie entered the apartment and shoved a newspaper on Sunset Shimmer's face.

"Look at this!" Trixie commanded.

Sunset took the newspaper in her own hands and read the article.

"'Nightmare Moon Watches Sunrise From Behind The Bars'." she looked at Trixie, who motioned for her to keep reading, which she did in silence. "Oh, so Nightmare Moon is the name they gave that thief from last-- Vice Principal Luna was arrested?!"

Trixie nodded. "Apparently she is the prime suspect of stealing the pink diamond from the museum last night."

"So this is why Aria and I thought she looked familiar." Adagio said. "We met her before!"

"You did? When? And how?"

"It happened a few years ago. She broke into our apartment and tried to steal our necklaces! I'll admit, that took guts!"

"And what happened after that?"

"Aria and Sonata held her down as we sang her a little song. When the effect of our spell wore off, she was already found guilty in court."

"Whoa!"

"Hey, we loved those necklaces back then. We wanted to make sure she would pay for trying to take them from us."

"So, what do we do now? The culprit was caught, mission accomplished, right?"

"Something smells fishy, though!" Sonata, who was standing behind Trixie, said, startling her.

"When did she got here?" Trixie asked, pressing her hand to her chest to make sure her heart wouldn't jump out of her ribcage.

"What do you mean, 'smells fishy'?" Adagio asked.

"Remember when we met Nightmare Moon back then?" she asked. Adagio nodded. "How tall was she?"

"Pretty t-- Oh, I see what you mean!"

"What? What am I missing here?" Trixie asked.

"Vice Principal Luna is, like, super tall!" Sonata said. "But this girl I met last night... She wasn't! Not even close!"

"So you think someone is trying to frame her?" Sunset asked, looking at the picture of the Nightmare Moon from years ago and the screenshot of the Nightmare Moon from last night.

"It's a possibility."

"Alright, then!" Sunset said as she grabbed her black leather jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"Detention center! I need to speak to Vice Principal Luna."

Detention center. Visitor's room. The room was divided in half by a wall with a big glass window. One side of the room, which had an alert guard and a watchful camera, led to the holding cells where the detainees waiting for trial were kept. The other side of the room led back to the Criminal Affairs Department, where the police officers did most of their paperwork. Sunset Shimmer entered the visitor's room through the door that led back to the Criminal Affairs Dept. Vice Principal Luna was already there, talking to another person.

"Principal Celestia?" Sunset Shimmer called.

"Sunset Shimmer. I wasn't expecting to see you here!" Principal Celestia said.

"I wanted to talk to Vice Principal Luna."

"Just Luna is fine." the detainee said. "We're not in school. And I don't think I'll be going back for a while. Anyway, what do you want to talk about?"

"About last night--"

"I did it!" Luna said, interrupting her. "I broke into that museum and stole that brooch. It was all me, and only me!"

"You... What?"

Principal Celestia sighed. "Luna, stop this. I know you're innocent!"

"Do you have any proof of that? Huh?"

"Everyone is innocent until proven guilty."

"Well, and I say that video footage is proof enough! Decisive evidence! Just leave me to rot and--"

"It was a necklace that was stolen, not a brooch!" Sunset Shimmer corrected her.

"I-I just got confused! It was too dark to--"

"You're doing this to protect her, aren't you?"

Luna immediately stopped talking and bit her lower lip. She then looked away from her sister.

"Wh-Who? I d-don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't need to lie to me, Luna. I already know about you two!"

"How... How did you--?"

"That night after you got out of prison. You thought I was asleep, but I followed you!"

"What are you two talking about?" Sunset Shimmer interjected.

Luna looked at Sunset Shimmer and then at her sister, who nodded slightly.

"You won't leave me alone until I tell you everything about her, will you?" Principal Celestia just kept staring at her sister with a neutral expression.

Luna sighed and looked at Sunset Shimmer. "Years ago, I--"

"Used to be a thief called Nightmare Moon, right?"

"I see that you did your homework! Yes, I used to be... That! It was just my rebel teenage phase. Since we were kids, my sister was always the pride of the family! She was pretty, her grades were perfect, she was well-behaved, polite, could sing like an angel and even play violin! Daddy's little princess! I was just... Not. I, too, wanted some attention. I, too, wanted to be praised! But no matter how much I tried, I could never be as good as Princess Celestia!

"That's when I decided that I would be worse than her. I started breaking things, teasing other kids, I don't even remember how many hours I spent in detention! Daddy's face of disappointment was always painful to look at, but it was the only moment when he payed any attention to me. That kept going until I couldn't take it any more and ran away from home!

"What a stupid kid I was, huh? Running away because of jealously? I tried finding a job, but my personality was hard to deal with. I saw no other option but turn to crime. I started small; picking pockets, shoplifting... After a while I decided to sew a costume to hide myself in. Partially to not be recognized, but mostly in shame. The helmet was the first truly valuable artifact I stole, so I kept it to myself as a trophy! Before long, I was breaking and entering places and selling my loot to a pawn shop owned by two shady brothers.

"One cold night, after another successful heist, I returned to my hideout. And that's when I met her; a little girl wearing tattered rags seeking shelter from the cold. She was filthy, cold and hungry. I couldn't bring myself to just kick her out, so I offered her a warm meal and a hot shower. I learned her story soon after: her parents were poor and coudn't afford to feed another mouth, so they abandoned her on the streets. I felt truly sorry for the little girl, so I 'adopted' her.

"I taught her everything I knew, and together we learned many new things, but I never allowed her to acompany me! And then I got arrested. I don't remember exactly what happened, my memories of that night are a little cloudy, but I'll never forget daddy's face when I was found guilty. It was like his disappointed face, but much worse! I cried as I was taken away, but not because of his expression; I cried because my daughter was alone in the streets again.

"When I served my time, Celestia was there to pick me up and take me to her home. I was grateful for that, but I had to see her again! When Celestia fell asleep - or, rather, when I thought she was asleep - I ran straight to my hideout. Words can't describe the joy I felt when I found her there, all grown up, waiting for me! While I sat in my prison cell, waiting for my time to leave, she was busy honing her skills. My time in jail was what I needed to learn that the criminal path I followed was not the correct path and tried to teach her the same, but she wouldn't listen to me. She yelled at me, angry that I was abandoning what had united us, and ran. I went back there several times, but she never returned."

After listening to her sister's tale very closely, Celestia asked one last question:

"You never told us her name. What was it?"

Luna bit her lip again. "No! You want to arrest her to get me out of here, no? I won't let you take her! She might not be perfect, but she is still my daughter!"

"Luna, think about it!" Principal Celestia said. "If we get to her first, we can put her in the right path, save her. But if the police gets to her first, they will just throw her here, no questions asked, and she will just get worse. Which option do you think is best?"

Luna's eyes shifted from Celestia to Sunset, and then back to Celestia.

"Please, trust us, Luna!" Sunset Shimmer pleaded.

Luna sighed. "She never told me, actually! Every time I asked, she would say it was the name her biological parents gave her, and so she hated it. So I came up with a new name for her."

Sunset approached the glass, to make sure to listen to the name as clearly as possible.

"Her name is Tantabus!"

Sunset Shimmer and Principal Celestia left the detention center side by side. Before they could part ways, Celestia grabbed Sunset by the shoulders.

"I need your help, Sunset."

"Uh, with what?"

"Luna! I know she cares a lot about that girl, so I need you! Forgive me if I sound rude, but you also followed a dark path in the past, did you not?"

"Well, I--"

"You know how it feels, so you must know what we need to do to save Tantabus, correct?"

"Y-Yes, I--"

"We need to find her before the police does. Set her straight before it's too late. If we can somehow make her confess her crimes, we will not only save Luna, but also find a way to get her a lighter sentence!"

"Sounds like a plan, I--"

"I know this is too much to ask, but I would be very grateful if you and your friends could help me look for her. Can you do that?"

"I--"

"Can you?"

"I... I'll do my best, Principal Celestia!"

"Thank you so much, Sunset Shimmer. You truly are a wonderful person! But be careful, though. We can't let anyone get to her first. Especially the Maiden Do Well!"

"W-Why not the Maiden?"

"We all know how she works. She would just knock her out, call the police and leave. Do you think this will help the girl in any way?"

"W-Well..."

"I must go back to school now! Do you want a ride home so you can get ready for class?"

"N-No, I'm good."

"Fine, then. Goodbye, Sunset Shimmer. And thank you!"

"Anytime."

Sunset Shimmer turned around and walked back home as Principal Celestia got in her car and drove away.

"There you are!" Aria said when Sunset Shimmer arrived. "What took you so long?"

"Girls, we need to talk!"

Author's Notes:

Our favorite heroine and her secret identities are back!

And before you ask, the thief girl couldn't use a stronger EMP device because it would affect other buildings in the area, and that would attract the authorities like blood attracts sharks.

2. Twists And Turns

"So here's what we got!" Adagio said as she laid a map of Canterlot Town on the table, with two areas circled in red. "According to my research, these two are the most likely to be Nightmare Moon's next target." she pointed at the red circle on the top right of the map. "The 22nd Corner Art Gallery will exhibit the latest works of the renowned artist Brush Stroke tomorrow, and some art fanatics are willing to pay a couple tens of grands for any never before seen project of his." she then pointed at the red circle close to the center of the map. "And the L. Faust Museum Of History has been advertising their new Renaissance Wing for a while now, but crates were only delivered there today."

"Isn't it obvious that Nightmare Moon is going after the goods in the museum?" Aria asked with her arms crossed.

"We're dealing with a greenhorn here. A very skilled one, but a greenhorn nonetheless. No one knows her modus operandi yet, so we must cover all the possibilities! And that's why I want you to split in two groups; Trixie and Aria, I want you two to guard the art gallery while Sonata and Sunset guard the museum."

"Got it! Make sure to keep an eye on those cameras, she might get careless. " Sunset Shimmer ordered. "And watch out for anything suspicious, too. We can't cut the criminals some slack just because we're working on a bigger case!"

"Waaay ahead of you!" Adagio said with a smirk as she pointed with her thumb at the computer with three screens behind her, each screen showing a different part of Canterlot Town. "Now go out there and catch that bandit."

"But remember what I said; don't be too rough on her and don't call the police. We need her!" Sunset warned.

"Yes, we get it." Aria said as she wore her Maiden mask. "Are you ready to go, Trixie?"

"Since before Adagio explained the plan!" Trixie said as she jumped out of the window, soon followed by Aria.

Sonata was lying down on the roof of the cafeteria across the street from the museum, wearing her night vision goggles.

"Bring it on, Nightmare Moon! I am ready for you this time!" she muttered to herself as she tapped the earmuffs she was wearing. While most people wouldn't hear a single noise while wearing those earmuffs, Sonata could still hear like a normal human thanks to her hyper hearing.

"How are things on your side, Bacon Strips?" she asked.

"Everything is quiet around here, Taco Master." Sunset's voice replied through the communicator. "And are you sure we need codenames? I'm pretty sure this frequency is safe."

"You can never be too careful, Bacon Strips. What about you, Pinecone and Vocaloid?"

"Stop calling me that!" both Aria and Trixie said at the same time.

"I'll take that as 'all good'!"

Two facts allowed Nightmare Moon to sneak up on Sonata: the first was the fact that she had earmuffs on - but her hearing was too sharp to be blocked by them, so she could still hear perfectly fine, just not as good as when without them. But what got her was the second fact: she allowed herself to be distracted by the conversation with her teammates. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, the thief knocked the girl out with a blow to the back of the head.

"What was that?" Sunset asked. "I heard something!"

"Wasn't me!" Trixie said.

"It wasn't here either." Aria said. "Sonata?" no answer. Aria groaned. "Taco Master, you there?" still no answer.

"It's not like Sonata to just shut up like that." Sunset said. "I'll go check on her!"

Aria and Trixie waited for news about their partner's situation, but none came. Aria groaned again.

"That's it, I'm going there!"

"We're supposed to guard the gallery!" Trixie warned.

"If Sonata and Sunset aren't responding, it's more than obvious that Nightmare Moon got them. Which means that her target is the museum, not this stinking gallery!"

"I guess you have a point."

Aria and Trixie ran straight to the museum, where they located the unconscious Sonata.

"Make sure she's ok, then go look for Sunset." Aria ordered. "I'm going in!"

Aria Blaze was about to kick the entrance door down, but noticed that all the windows and doors were intact and the power was still on.

"That's strange!" she said as she rubbed her chin. "It's like she never went inside."

"Aria, go back to the gallery, quick!" Adagio ordered through the communicator.

"Something wrong?"

"Nightmare Moon is there!"

"What?!" without thinking twice, Aria ran back to the art gallery as fast as her feet could carry her, arriving just in time to see the girl called Nightmare Moon exiting the building through the front door with several paintings strapped to her back. "How did she...?!"

When she noticed Aria standing on the other side of the street, Nightmare Moon unstrapped the paitings from her back and assumed a fighting stance.

Aria chuckled. "And just like her predecessor, this kid has guts." she then cracked her knuckles. "Guts that I'll spill all over the street if you don't surrender, you hear me?" Nightmare Moon could hear her, but she wasn't listening to her and kept her fighting stance. Aria shrugged. "It's your funeral!"

Aria jumped and tried to spin kick her in midair, but Nightmare Moon ducked. Her eyes widened when Aria's kick broke one of the thick marble columns next to the gallery entrance in half, but she wasn't about to kneel and beg for mercy. Aria's next move was a barrage of punches, but Nightmare Moon managed to dodge each punch individually. Angered by the fact that she was being taunted, the Maiden armed herself with the closest thing she could find: a "Stop" sign on a metal pole.

Still impressed by her foe's superhuman physical strength, Nightmare Moon just kept dodging, knowing full well that close combat would be her demise. She had to think of a plan to--

The sound of police sirens approaching distracted her; not enough for Aria to hit her, but enough for the edge of the "Stop" sign to tear her mask a little and make a small cut on her cheek. Trying to cover her face, she circled the Maiden and grabbed the paintings tied together next to the gallery entrance.

"Oh, no, you won't!" Aria jumped on Nightmare Moon and tried to immobilize her, but the burglar was more flexible than she looked, easily slipping out of the vigilante's grasp. Aria kept trying, though, and managed to slip her fingers in the tear on her mask. Nightmare Moon tried to escape, but her only accomplishment was making the hole bigger, revealing her face to the Maiden; her light amber skin, her moderate cyan eyes and strands of her gold and crimson hair. Shocked by the revelation, Aria dropped the pole and just stood there as Nightmare Moon fled with her loot, the Maiden's cape being the only part of her that moved.

"Look! Over there! It's the Mysterious Maiden Do Well!" one of the police officers that just arrived at the scene said to his driving partner.

One of the policemen approached her. "Um, excuse me, miss, but I'm going to need you to--" he placed his hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to the real world. Before he could finish his sentence, Aria jumped on a wall and scaled it, leaving behind several holes that she created with her brute force for leverage.

"Hey, I'm here!" Sunset Shimmer said as she entered her apartment, closed the door and took off her mask. "Sorry for taking this long and not calling you, but my communicator was--" she looked around and saw her friends looking at her - Aria looked angry, Trixie looked hurt and Adagio and Sonata looked sad. "What?" in the blink of an eye, Aria tied a rope around Sunset's wrists and then around her ankles. "Hey, what the-- Whoa!" she lost her balance and fell hard on the floor. Aria, Trixie and Sonata surrounded her, but Adagio just looked back at the computer screen.

"So that's what this was all about, huh?" Aria said. "'Don't hurt her', or 'don't call the police', you were just playing us!"

"How could you lie to us, Sunset?" Trixie asked with clenched fists. "How could you lie to me?!"

"Wh-What are you girls talking about?"

"I'm sick and tired of you playing dumb, Sunset Shimmer! Just admit it: you are Nightmare Moon!"

Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow. "I know you have zero sense of humor, Aria, but you need to try to tell a joke this bad!"

"A... A JOKE?!"Aria was so furious that the veins on her forehead looked like they were about to burst. She grabbed the suspect by the chin and practically pressed her face against one of the computer screens, which showed a screenshot of footage of Sunset Shimmer wearing the Nightmare Moon outfit with a torn mask and carrying on her back the stolen Brush Stroke paintings. "So this looks like a fucking joke to you? It doesn't look like one to me!"

Sunset's eyes widened. "N-No no no no no, t-there must be some kind of mistake! That's not me. That can't be me!"

"You and Sonata were patrolling the same area. Suddenly, Sonata is knocked unconscious and you disappear for the rest of the night! Then Nightmare Moon shows up in the place Trixie and I were patrolling as soon as we leave, as if she knew exactly what we had planned from the beginning. Then I manage to remove her mask and guess who was under it? Here's a clue:" she banged her fist on the table, nearly breaking it in half. "It wasn't Mr. Wickles!"

"Bu-But I didn't steal anything! I found Sonata unconscious and tried to help her, but I was attacked from behind and someone used chloroform to knock me out! When I regained consciousness, I was in a dumpster and my communicator was busted. Whoever this person is, they're trying to frame me!"

Sonata approached her face to Sunset and sniffed her. "Yep! Smells like a dumpster, alright."

"That proves nothing! If you are as innocent as you claim to be, then show us some evidence!" Aria demanded. "Right here, right now!"

"I... I..." Sunset looked at the screen and a little detail caught her eye. "Her cheek! Look at her cheek!"

The four girls looked at the cheek of the girl on the screen, and like Sunset Shimmer pointed out, there was a difference that could have been easily missed: there was a cut on Other Sunset's cheek, while the Sunset they had in the room had no injuries on her face.

"You probably used makeup to cover--" Aria used her thumb to try and clean the makeup covering the cut on her cheek, but there was no makeup hiding an nonexistent wound. "It's not makeup... I-I don't understand, no one can heal and injury that fast and--" Aria covered her mouth with a hand and gasped.

"See? There's your evidence! Can you let me go now?"

Aria let go of Sunset Shimmer's chin and took a few steps back. Trixie immediately untied the ropes.

"I-I-I'm so sorry I doubted you, Sunset. That picture, combined with what Aria said, I... I was so afraid you had betrayed us that I couldn't think straight."

Adagio pulled Sunset into a hug. "I knew you would never betray us, Sunset Shimmer!"

"B-But I'm still keeping my eye on you." Aria said as she crossed her arms and looked, blushing in embarrassment. "D-Don't think you're off the hook yet."

"Don't mind her, Sunny, she just hates to be proven wrong!" Sonata said after joining the hug.

"That's one problem solved, but another problem surfaces." Trixie pointed out. "Who is that other Sunset Shimmer?"

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Can we call her Tesnus Remmihs?" Sonata suggested.

"It looks like we just found out who Tantabus actually is." Sunset said.

Author's Notes:

The Mysterious Maiden Do Well franchise's main objective is to come up with alternate version of the Equestrian people. Sombra, Twilight, Zecora, Chrysalis, Tirek, Discord, Screwball, and now Tantabus! Or is it Sunset Shimmer?
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!

3. Canterlot Town's Most Wanted [FINAL]

"I think you forgot to tell me Tantabus was the Sunset Shimmer from this dimension." the Sunset Shimmer that was originally a pony said to Luna.

"No, I didn't forgot." Vice Principal Luna said. "I just thought it was a piece of information better left out."

"And why would you think that?"

"I just thought you'd get the wrong idea, and I had no idea how you would react."

"Wrong idea about what?"

"Remember the time from before the Fall Formal? When you used to be a... Um..."

"A big, mean bitch, yes." Sunset Shimmer said with a sigh. "I'm doing all I can to forget that Sunset Shimmer ever existed."

"Think about how Principal Celestia and I reacted when you were sent to one of our offices."

"Uh... I can't remember very well because I just used to sit down and ignore you both and nod at everything you said until I was free to go." she rubbed the back of her head while blushing slightly in embarrassment.

Luna chuckled. "Yes, that sounds like something you-- I mean, she would do. But since you can't remember, let me give you the abridged version: all we did was talk. Not scold you, not give you detention, none of that. We just talked. Care to guess why?"

Sunset Shimmer could guess the answer without even thinking about it: "Because I remind you of--"

"No."

"Huh?"

"What you were about to say is the wrong idea I was talking about, Sunset Shimmer. I may have thought you were my daughter for a while, but once I was sure you two were just very similar but completely different people, I never treated you any different than the way I treated the other students. I treated you equally not because I pitied you or because you reminded me of my daughter, but because you were lost in darkness.

"I know how it feels like, so I did my best to get you out of that darkness and bring you into the light. After all, if it happened to me, it could happen to you as well! I failed at that job, but someone else managed to save you, and that heartened me. The point is, I never stopped believing you, Sunset Shimmer. And I still do; I believe that you can save my daughter from the same darkness that swallowed me."

Sunset Shimmer smiled as she got up from the chair. "Thank you, Luna."

"Can I ask you one thing before you go?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"What's with the wig and sunglasses?"

Sunset Shimmer adjusted her sunglasses and tucked a stray strand of purple hair behind her ear. "Oh, this? Nightmare Moon's face was caught on camera last night, and they think it's me!"

"That's not good. What are you going to do?"

"My plans haven't changed, I'm still looking for Tantabus. It just got harder to do it when the sun is up."

"Well, I wish you luck!"

Sunset waved Luna goodbye as she left the visitor's room. Luna got up from her chair as well and her heart skipped a beat when she turned around and saw the guard standing beside the door. She feared for Sunset Shimmer's safety, but calmed down when she noticed the man had earphones on.

"Bless our laid back police force." she thought as she sighed in relief. "Note to self: once out of here, thank the Mysterious Maiden Do Well for making our city safe enough for even the police to relax."

"I'm home!" Sunset Shimmer said as she opened the door of Trixie's house. She had barely closed the door when a blue blur jumped on her, making both fall on the floor.

"Thank goodness, you're alright!" Trixie said as she hugged her friend.

"I left a note on the fridge telling where I was going!" she pointed out.

"That's what got me worried, you idiot! Every police officer on duty is looking for you right now, and you enter their HQ through the front door? What is wrong with you?"

"They didn't recognize me, did they?" Sunset said as she took off her wig and sunglasses. "Otherwise I wouldn't have left the building."

Trixie sighed as she got up and helped Sunset up. "I won't lie to you, though; it's a good thing you left when you did, because a police cruiser parked outside soon after I got home from school and two police officers knocked on my door. They asked questions and looked around - I had to swallow your note so they wouldn't find it. And it's a good thing we decided to hide our Maiden stuff in Adagio, Sonata and Aria's place, otherwise..."

"Did you check for bugs?"

"First thing I did after their car was gone - not a single camera or listening device in or out of sight! Then I immediately called Adagio and asked her and the others to watch the Criminal Affairs Dept., to make sure you hadn't been arrested! I think they got there after you left, though; I'll call her and tell them you're safe."

"Don't you ever scare us like that again, Sunset Shimmer!" Adagio scolded her. "Do you have any idea of what could have happened to you out there? My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when Trixie called and told us you were in the detention center."

"I said I'm sorry! I just really had to talk to Luna."

"So, would it be awkward to meet Pony Luna now that you know that Human Luna is Human Sunny's mother?" Sonata asked.

"I don't know. Maybe? I'm not planning on going back anytime soon, anyway."

"Princess Celestia?" Aria asked.

"Princess Celestia." Sunset confirmed.

"Yes, I know how you feel!" Aria said as she crossed her arms. "She would probably just banish us to Tartarus as soon as we got there, not even giving us a chance to explain. This world is the exact opposite of paradise, but at least we have freedom. I have to wear this human meat suit and my singing voice sounds like a parrot with a broken beak, but beats being one of Cerberus' chew toys!"

"Look at the bright side, Ari!" Sonata said as she jumped on her friend's back. "The hunger is gone now! We're no longer those pendants' slaves."

"What are you talking about?" Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We never told you? Really?" Adagio asked. "The pendants were the reason we needed negative energy to survive. They were like parasites, forcing us to feel the urge to absorb more and more energy. We panicked when they were destroyed, thinking the hunger would keep growing, but impossible to sate because the part of our bodies used to collect all that energy would be gone, but the need we felt was diminishing until it was completely gone. We can't sing anymore, that's true, but it's a small price to pay, am I right?"

Sonata and Aria nodded.

"Anyway, we got some time to kill until nighttime, what do we do?"

"I say we all should live together!" Sunset said.

"And I say we shouldn't! Look at our current situation!" Aria argued. "If one of us gets in trouble with law again, where would she hide? In CHS's gym storage?"

"You know what we need? A hideout!" Sonata suggested. "Like the Night Owl Cave! Then we'd be just like Hoodini and his crew!"

"As if!" Aria said as she crossed her arms.

"You know, the more I think about it, the more I realize you're right!" Trixie said.

"Which one of us?" Sonata, Sunset and Adagio asked at the same time.

"All of you! Just think about it: Sunset has a point when she says us sharing a home would be very beneficial to all of us. Aria also has a point - we can't just stay in one place, that could be dangerous, especially if a dengerous criminal figures out our secret identities. And I like Sonata's idea of a hideout; a place for us to meet and plan our routines, do some research, study patterns and even hide if things get out of hand."

While the four girls talked about their plans, Adagio used Trixie's laptop to hack into the police database, to check how the investigations about Nightmare Moon were going. When going through the list of evidence found in Sunset's apartment, her eyes widened.

"What the heck is this?" she said.

"What's wrong, Adagio?" Sunset asked.

"I think I know how Nightmare Moon knew about our plans, girls." she said as she turned the laptop for her teammates to see what she had found: a picture of a listening device and a transmitter.

"Where did they found that?" Aria asked.

"It was taped under the swivel chair!"

"What?!" they yelled together.

"How did she found out where I live?! And when she had time to do that?!"

"I have a theory." Adagio said. "She could have followed Sonata there after the museum incident."

"So she already knows that there's more than one Maiden." Sonata said.

"Considering the way she tricked us last night, that's obvious!" Aria pointed out.

"Anyway, she could have watched us that night and, after realizing the Maiden Do Well is actually a group of people, she felt that she had to find a way to spy on us, so she got that bug and taped it to the chair."

"But weren't you there all night?" Trixie said. "How did she manage to sneak in there and plant the bug?"

"I think she broke in when I fell asleep."

"Passed out is more like it!" Sunset corrected. "I told you to not pull another all-nighter."

"So, do you think she planted a bug in all our houses?" Adagio asked.

"I doubt that! Some cops came here a couple of hours ago and I checked all the house for bugs, just in case. Didn't find any!" Trixie explained.

"That means we can make plans for tonight without someone eavesdropping!" Sonata said.

"Exactly. If we want to catch her, we'll have to do it tonight!" Adagio said. "If she escapes again, she might follow one of us and plant bugs in Trixie's place or our apartment. If she does that, we may never have another chance to catch her!"

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Aria asked.

Nightmare Moon successfully picked the lock of the back entrance of the wax museum. Most people wouldn't imagine a wax museum to have valuable items, but the one from Canterlot Town was special; certain wax sculptures had with them items that belonged to the people they were based on, and most of those items were worth a couple grands if sold to the right buyer. After studying the place for a few days, Tantabus discovered that the owner was a very confident individual that never expected his museum to be targeted by criminals, so he had no security system aside from a camera pointed at the main entrance and another in the reception.

Turning her flashlight on, Tantabus looked around, examining her options: one of Hoity Toity's paper fans, the outfit Sapphire Shores wore when she performed in Canterlot Town, L. Faust's sketchbook filled with sketches never seen before, the Vault 2 outfit Jessi N., the actress who portrayed Littlepip, the Vault Dweller, wore during the shooting of the Fallout movie...

She raised an eyebrow when she noticed a wax sculpture she had never seen before: the Mysterious Maiden Do Well. She immediately did a backflip and threw bolas at her. The weapon wrapped itself around the Maiden's ankles, and she fell to the ground with a sound that wasn't of a human body hitting the floorboards. Tantabus approached her and touched the Maiden's face. She felt relieved when she realized what she thought was the actual Maiden was just a new wax sculpture.

"Hey, I actually liked that sculpture, why did you do that?"

Nightmare Moon's heart skipped a beat and she jumped away from the real Maiden Do Well standing behind her with her arms crossed.

The vigilante removed her mask, revealing to the burglar that she was Sunset Shimmer, the girl that looked exactly like her. Tantabus chuckled and removed her mask as well, revealing her smirk.

"Well, I never expected someone to be able to track me down. Congratulations!" Tantabus said. "Tell me, how did you find me?"

"Luck, I guess? We just decided to hop into our Mystery Machine, split and look for clues! Then we decided to hide in the places most likely to be your next target and wait."

"What are you doing out of jail, anyway? I did my best to make you a prime suspect by revealing my face to the cameras!"

Sunset shrugged. "A suspect is already locked up in the detention center, I just thought two would be too much!"

Tantabus laughed. "Oh, really? So you shifted the blame onto someone else? That's not a very nice thing to do, miss Hero!"

"Oh, she's not in there because of me. It's because of you!"

"Yes, I know, because I'm Nightmare Moon and it's my fault--"

"It's your mother!"

Tantabus' laughter ceased immediately. "W-What?"

"As soon as they realized Nightmare Moon was the one behind the crimes, they immediately arrested her. After all, she wore that helmet before you!"

"Bu-But I don't understand! My-- I mean, your face was caught on camera. They have proof that it wasn't her! Why is she there?"

"They know she has a connection with the current Nightmare Moon and want her cooperation, but she refuses to reveal any information about you. All they know is your face, and even that doesn't help much because they think I'm you!"

"B-But why would she do this? Her freedom is at stake, why won't she--"

"Because she loves you, you nimrod!" Sunset interrupted. "What kind of mother would ruin their child's life on purpose?"

Tantabus grunted. "My other mother did!"

"But Luna isn't your other mother. She cares about you. Enough to throw her own life away to save yours. And how do you repay her kindness? By causing her to be arrested for crimes she didn't commit?" she sighed, thinking of her time in Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns.

"Sh-She wanted me to abandon this life. To not be who I am! I felt hurt and betrayed, so I started doing what she used to do to impress her. Show her what I am capable of! I was so sure that once she saw how good I am at this she would come back to me and we would be together again, doing what we were born to do! I never wanted her to... To..."

Sunset placed her hands on Tantabus' shoulders. "You still have time to do the right thing, you know?"

Nightmare Moon looked deep into Maiden Do Well's eyes, pondering her options and what was at stake.

"Sunset, you there?" Adagio's voice came from her earpiece.

"I'm here!" she replied.

"What about Nightmare Moon? Is she also there?"

"Yes."

"Then if you want to do the thing you want to do, get out of there now! I just heard the police frequency, someone reported a person lockpicking the back entrance of the wax museum and going in. The cops are on their way!"

"Right. Thanks, Adagio!" she grabbed Tantabus' wrist. "You want to save your mother?" Tantabus just stared at her. "You want to save her or not?" they heard police sirens getting closer. Tantabus nodded. "Then let's get out of here!"

They both wore their masks and ran upstairs, where they unlocked a window and jumped to the roof of the building beside the museum. Sunset lead the way to a back alley, where a blue car was parked. A girl with a propeller hat was lying down on the backseat, reading an upside down comic. Sunset knocked on the window.

"Heyyyyy, Sunset Shimmer!" Screwball said with a smile as she sat up and lowered her window. "It's been so long! Sorry, I wasn't expecting visits, so I didn't clean up!" she threw an empty juice box out of the window and into a dumpster. "There, all tidied up! So, what can I do you for?"

"How did she know it was you?" Tantabus asked.

"If you like your brain intact, don't ask questions about Screwball!"

"If it's about me crashing at your place, I already told you, I like living in the bosom of Mother Nature!"

"And I already told you, a car in a back alley of an urban area is not even close to the feet of Mother Nature, much less her bosom! But that's not what I'm here for. I need a ride!"

"Can't we just walk to the detention center?" Tantabus asked.

"We're not going to the detention center. Not yet, anyway! We have another place to go before that, and with the police driving around, we're gonna need discretion. So, Screwball, can you--"

Screwball extended her hand to Sunset Shimmer, who groaned as she rolled her eyes before pulling 20 dollars from her utility belt. Screwball shoved the note into her pocket, jumped to the front seat and unlocked the doors.

"Nice doing business with you!"

"Whatever you do, don't remove your seatbelt!" Sunset warned.

"Why?"

"Where to, gals?" Screwball asked.

"Principal Celestia's hou--!"

Before she could finish that sentence, Screwball engaged fifth gear and stomped hard on the pedal.

Vice Principal Luna hugged Tantabus as tightly as possible to her, trying as hard as she could not to cry.

"Mom, I'm scared." Tantabus said.

"You don't have to be, sweetie!" Luna assured her. "Prison isn't as bad as it sounds. Just don't pick any fights, but make sure they won't pick any fights with you either. If they try to start something, just show them you're not someone they want to mess with. You'll be out of here soon, I promise!"

"Will you come visit me?"

"Every day until the day you're free to go! Then we'll be a family once again. A normal one this time! Can you promise me that?"

"Yes, mom. No more Nightmare Moon! I promise!"

Luna kissed her forehead. "Good girl!"

Two police officers escorted Tantabus back to the cell she would call home for a while. Principal Celestia hugged her sister.

"Thank you for what you did for us, Celestia!" Luna said to her sister.

"Anything for my little sister and little niece." Celestia said with a smile.

"Did you know Principal Celestia went to law school?" Trixie asked Sunset, who shook her head.

"They looked happy, though, didn't they?" Sunset said. "When they got reunited again. It was brief, but you could practically feel the joy they were feeling!" she sighed. "It must be so nice to have a family..."

"What are you talking about, Sunny?" Sonata asked as she jumped on her back. "You do have a family!"

"No, I don't; another similarity Tantabus and I share. But instead of Princess Luna, it was Princess Celestia who found me. And after what I did? I don't think she wants to see my face ever again."

Adagio pulled her into a hug. "I think Sonata meant us!"

"Yep!" Sonata agreed with a cheerful smile. "Princess Celestia can be as mean as she wants, but we still love you very very very much!" she looked at Trixie and Aria. "Riiiiiiight?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "Whatever!"

Before one could say "free hugs", Adagio pulled Aria and Sonata pulled Trixie into the group hug.

"I love you gals, too!" Sunset said while hugging them all back.

"Yes, love makes the world go around and all that, but I have to go to work. Love doesn't pay the bills!"

"Oh! Which reminds me!" Adagio said as they all left the Criminal Affairs Dept. "I was looking around for a good apartment, and I think I found something you're all going to love!"

"What a coincidence! I was also looking around, but not for an apartment." Sonata said. "Remember that talk about a secret hideout? Well..."

Author's Notes:

The third installment was short, I know, but I literally had no idea what else to do with this! I already exlored all the grounds I wanted to with the Maiden Do Well, and that's why I don't think I'll be making another sequel. I want to move on and start something new! The Mysterious Maiden Do Well was a fun project, but it's literally the only thing I've been working on for quite some time!
Maybe, if I get nostalgic enough, I can make something with a new villain if they add one (I don't exactly know how I would insert Starlight Glimmer in the EQG universe as a villain), but it's one big, pretty, sparkly "MAYBE"!

The trivia for tonight: I like to add my headcanons to my fanfics, it's fun! Here you can see my favorite headcanon: the sirens didn't cause turmoil so they could feed off the negative energy because they wanted, but because the pendants demanded. Back in Equestria, the gems were part of their bodies, so there was nothing they could do. In the Human World they were turned into necklaces, but they couldn't just take them off because the hunger just kept growing! So, by destroying the gems, Sunset and The Rainbooms freed them from the pendants!