Midnight.  Another dive tavern.  Another dead end.

Twilight Sparkle sits next to me, nursing a coke.  No rum tonight, she’s driving.  She looks over at me and smiles, trying to put up a brave face.  I smile back.  She doesn’t fool me for a second; I know she’s almost as disappointed as I am.  Difference is I’m mostly disappointed because I haven’t satiated myself in weeks.  She’s disappointed because he gets to spend another day free to prowl the streets.

My hand clenches at the bar as my smile melts into a sneer filled with razor-sharp teeth.  She cringes and looks away.  I know this look scares her.  It scares me too, a little, and probably for the same reason it scares her.  Because it means I might be getting angry, and when I get angry, anything can happen to anybody.

Maybe she’s right to be afraid.

“Twi, I think this night’s gonna be a bust,” I moan, leaning back against her stool.  “We should probably head back before Mooncheeks has the Lunar Guard scouring the streets for us again.”

“I know, it’s just that…” she still isn’t looking at me.  I sigh and close my clawed hands over her dainty little fingers.

“I know.  I wanna get him too.”

She sighs again and looks forlornly at the mirror hanging behind the bar.  “Every day we don’t catch him is another day he might hurt someone else.”

“I’m well aware, but if he’s not gonna show, we’re just wasting time,” I clench my hand around her shoulders.  “Hey, buck up kiddo.  We can catch up on some Daring Doo tonight and have tons to talk about with Dashie when we get back, that sound good?”

Her cheeks flush red at the mention of Rainbow Dash.  I grin.  Oh yeah, that sounds good, though I’d be hard-pressed to get her to admit it.  

“C’mon, all we’re accomplishing here is a few more leers from the other perverts in this place,” I hook a thumb over at the dirt-covered stained glass front door.  “Let’s give ‘em one last look at the best booty they’ll ever see in their lives.”

She blushes and nods quietly with an embarrassed, adorkable little “eep.”  I give her another toothy grin.  How I could have ever hated someone so endlessly adorable will always elude me.

Oh yes, we were at war, once upon a time.  A war that ended with a truce when I begrudgingly realized we couldn’t fight each other and the demon trying to kill us at the same time.  The truce became something more as time went by, and I guess you could say – as much as it pains me to admit it – I discovered the power of friendship.

Still, that doesn’t take away from the disappointment of the night.  This bastard hurt one of my own, hurt her in a way that I don’t think can ever be repaired entirely.  I want him.  I want to feel his cock in my mouth, marinated in honey-sweet barbecue sauce with a little bit of salt.  I want him to give me that same lecherous grin he gave her while he was defiling her in every sense of the word, whisper those same sweet nothings in my ear as he lives out his depraved fantasies; and I want to see how that grin melts into a look of pure and abject terror, listen to his quiet little nothings about how he isn’t going to hurt me turn into high-pitched shrieks.

I want to break him.  Not just as bad as he broke her, but a thousand times worse.  His kind disgusts me.  Even in the old days, when I wanted Twilight out of the way for my own designs, they were the lowest of the low to me.  I actually had plans to institute capital punishment for those sorts of crimes when I eventually took over.  Welp, y’know what they say, if you want something done right…

Twilight takes one last swig of her soda and pushes away from the bar, giving her hips a practiced sway from side to side as she strides out the door.  The little mini-skirt she bought last week leaves just the right amount to the imagination, just enough to show the men in this room that yes, those legs do in fact go all the way up.  I grin as I follow close behind.  She’s gotten a lot better at this.  Damn, if I was able, I’d try and ride that little skirt.  Not that I swing that way usually: I’ve always had a personal preference for some nice, muscular stallion letting me mount up and ride a night away, but I will bat for the other team if asked, and I do make an exception for Twilight’s little toy.  Hey, gay or not, Rainbow Dash’s hotness transcends all boundaries.  Pretty sure I’ve seen animals gathered along the footpath watch in awe when she goes jogging in her sports bra and tight little running shorts.

God, I love those tight little running shorts.

We’re walking out the door now, me behind Twi, as usual.  Somebody’s gotta watch her back, might as well be the chick willing to tear out a few throats if things get thorny.  As we walk past the scuzzy jukebox that hasn’t been updated since The Stones were the biggest craze, a nice, brown-haired guy in a collared shirt pauses just inside the doorway and leans over to hold it for us.  Twilight gives him a nice smile over her shoulder as she walks past, and he flashes a winning row of perfect teeth right back.  I sneer in his face, but he’s too taken with Twilight to even glance my way.  Not that I’m offended.  Even I’m aware of Twilight’s natural magnetism.  Hey, like I said, if we weren’t joined at the hip like we were, I’d have a hard time not trying to hop into her pretty, purple panties myself, but…

Wait…

That smell…

As he holds the door open, a waft of his scent hits us in the face.  My grin fades.  I know that smell.  It was all over her when she stumbled in from the street, sobbing, her clothes in shreds.  Twilight’s breath catches in her throat as the door closes behind us, and we stand in the tiny space between the inner and outer doors for a second.

“It’s him,” she whimpers.

“I know,” I hiss, cracking my knuckles.  My heart races as my muscles tense with adrenaline.  This is what we’ve been waiting for.  All that’s left to do is turn around and…

“Wait,” Twilight reels me in.  “What if it’s not?  I mean, can we be sure?  All we know is his scent and that he knows some magic to keep his face in shadows, it could just be a guy who wears the same cologne.”

Fuck.  Really shoulda thought of that.  I can see why Twilight’s always labelled the brains of any operation: she’s got an amazing head on her shoulders, on top of an amazing body.  Seriously, how in the crap did she go so long without being swept off her feet by some Prince Charming?

No, Blueblood doesn’t count; even I shudder to think what we might have done to him.

“Alright, alright,” I back off and peer over my shoulder, using the reflection of the glass to look this guy in the face.  Same winning smile.  Same look every other guy in this place has been shooting our way all night.  Certainly doesn’t look like the type of person who’d do the sort of thing that had one of our closest friends sobbing and begging in our arms well into the night, but if the bastard we’re looking for is good at what he does, he’s probably mastered the act of appearing innocent.

“How do you wanna play this?”  I ask.

Twilight pauses to think for a second, then suddenly stumbles against the window, dragging her feet as she half-walks, half-careens outside and slumps against a light post.  I grin and make my way into the shadows just outside the bar.  Always thinking, that one.

“Is he buying it?”  She whispers.  

I peer back inside, completely invisible from the shadows.  He’s definitely still looking at her, but he’s just leaning against the bar, not making any moves.  “I dunno,” I whisper back.  “He’s obviously interested, but he’s not doing anything.  Keep it up though; we’ll see where this goes.”

Nodding, Twilight continues down the sidewalk at the loping, half-stumble of anybody with a few more beers than they can handle in their system.  I should know how it looks; we spent hours practicing it, trying to find just the right gait to make it look good.  Now, it’s time for that practice to pay off.

“How about now?”  She whispers out the corner of her mouth.  

I peer from the shadows, watching the bar, and to my dismay I see nothing.  “Not yet, but don’t stop until we round the corner or-“

I drift off.  Was that the creak of hinges I just heard?  A door slamming far off?  My heart leaps with anticipation.  I can feel the fear radiating off of Twilight’s body.  She heard it too.  Could it be?  Might we just have accomplished what we started a week ago?

Twilight continues down the street at that loping gait.  I do a quick 360, making sure nobody’s gonna get caught in the crossfire.  Just my perfect luck: we’re all alone in this street.  This might work.  If he took the bait.

Twilight’s still going, so she doesn’t see the shadow racing out of the alleyway, or hear the footsteps on the fire escape nearby.  I grin.  Hook, line, and sinker.

I stride up beside Twilight and duck out of the shadows for an instant.  “We got the fucker,” I whisper before melding back with the darkness.  She smiles thinly.  

“Just like we rehearsed, not until I say,” she whispers.

“Twi, whaddya take me for, some amateur?”  I reply.  “I’m honestly offended!  Though I’ll forgive you if you reel this fish in for me.”

Something makes a loud thud up ahead.  “No need, looks like he’s done that for us,” she whispers, making a big show of peering into the darkness.  “Hello!?”  She calls, pumping as much ‘frightened damsel’ into her voice as she can.

I smile from the darkness.  That’s my girl.

There’s no response.  Of course there isn’t, there doesn’t have to be.  I can still see him up ahead, a quick flicker of magic giving me the night vision of a manticore with military-grade UV goggles.  I see the man long before a normal girl would: his face is masked by shadow, but I recognize the collared shirt and fair skin, even before I catch a whiff of his heavy, musky cologne on a cross breeze.

Hook.  Line.  And sinker.

“I-is somebody there?”  Twilight asks, still keeping that fear in her voice.

“Keep it up,” I hiss as the man takes a single step towards us, allowing his heel to clack loudly against the concrete.  His pace is slow, deliberate, designed to add to his victims’ fear.  I should know, I perfected that walk myself a long time ago.

Twilight takes a fearful step backward, the man replies with another step forward.  She takes a couple stuttering steps back, like a rabbit spotting a fox just around a tree, and suddenly the man darts forward.  Before she can turn and run, he rises out of the darkness and slams his fist against the back of her skull.  She goes down with a pain-filled cry, slumping against the sidewalk.  I grimace, wanting to come forward immediately, but she hasn’t given the word yet.  What’s she waiting for?  For this alone, we know he needs to be taught a lesson, even if all he does is go for our wallet.

We don’t know it’s him yet, she whispers hurriedly over our connection.  It might be a totally separate criminal!

Seriously, such a good head on that one’s shoulders.  I don’t like it, but I know I gotta sit back until we can nail this guy down.  Otherwise, we’ll never really know we got who we’re looking for, and we’ll be right back in this place in a month or so.

Our new buddy drags her limp form into the nearest alleyway, moving fast.  It’s obvious he’s had practice with this.  I grit my teeth.  Even if he isn’t our guy, I’m gonna have to come forward at some point and make sure he doesn’t try this shit again.  In a flash, he has Twilight against a dumpster and is ripping at her clothing.

“Wh-wha?”  She asks, coming around to lock eyes with him.  Or, she would, if he wasn’t using that damned spell for keeping his face in shadow.  “Wh-who are you?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he grumbles, his voice distorted.  “All that matters is I’m not gonna hurtcha, so long as you behave.”

Her eyes widen in fear.  “Please, don’t…”

He smacks her across the face.  My teeth clench.  Bastard we’re looking for or not, he does that again, and I’m gonna come down on him like a ton of bricks.  “Just be quiet,” he growls, and I see a flash of those perfect teeth in the shadows.  “You might even like it.”

He reaches down to unzip his fly, Twilight’s eyes brimming with tears.  She doesn’t have to do much acting to summon them.  “I-I know somebody…last week…” she whispers, looking up at him, eyes brimming.  “Was that you?  Tuesday night?”

There it is.  Everything we’ve been searching for, all in one simple question.  The man pauses, his dick maybe halfway out his jeans, though I can see the bulge of it hardening under the denim.  Then, the grin returns in that magical darkness.  “So you’ve met one of my other bitches,” he chuckles.

Twilight stops.  Her eyes go dead, holding at neutral.  He pauses again, obviously unsure of what’s happening.  He continues pulling his cock out of the folds of his clothing, but his movements are janky and no longer as sure as they were a moment ago.

Okay, now.  She whispers.  She doesn’t have to tell me twice.  Time for me to drive.  

I come forward, filling her body, sensation and sense all snapping into place as I take control.  The man sees the change immediately.  Probably to feel more secure, he winds up for a slap.  I raise a hand and grasp his, keeping my grip weak.  He grins, believing he’s still in control, believing this is some small act of rebellion from his latest victim.

He believes wrong.

“That’s all I need to hear,” I hiss as I send a magical pulse through his hand, shattering every bone from his knuckles down through his wrist.  In a flash, that grin turns into a big, wide-eyed gawp of uncomprehending stupidity.  Now it’s my turn to grin.  Lamb to the fucking slaughter.

“This hand will never harm anybody again,” I hiss as he takes a shocked step backward, holding up the useless lump of flesh that was once his hand.

“You bitch, I’ll…” he starts, his other hand rearing back for a backhanded slap, trying to regain control of the situation.  My hand darts up again, faster than anyone might ever believe, and with a pulse of magic, my claws manifest over Twilight’s dainty fingers and sink into the soft, tender flesh of his wrist, drawing blood.

He lets out a sharp cry of pain, and finally, I get my payoff: seeing the fear in the bastard’s eyes.  He raises his good arm over his face, trying to shield himself.  Gone are all pretenses of control.  Gone is that macho man ready to throw another helpless victim over a dumpster and violate her.  Now, he just sinks to his knees, whimpering like the pathetic waste of skin he truly is.  I take a step towards him as my mouth fills with fangs.

“Tell me, good sir, have you ever pissed off the wrong person and only realized it when it was far too late?”  I growl, my vocal chords now re-molding around Twilight’s, her sweet, melodic voice transforming into a bestial growl.  “Because that’s what you did when you raped my friend.”

“Please…” he begs.  “I-I couldn’t help myself!  I-I know I’m sick, I n-need help…”

My only response is another tap to his arm, breaking his elbow.  He finally collapses, screaming in pain, unable to even cradle himself with his hands disabled.  The shadows leave his face, probably realizing he is no longer the scariest thing in here.

“You sicken me,” I hiss, my voice sounding more like the rasp of a demon from hell than the human whose body I’ve taken.  “You and others like you.  I know what you’re saying: ‘but I couldn’t help myself, I couldn’t control it’.”

He mistakes this for understanding.  “E-exactly!  I couldn’t…”

I boot him in the face, feeling the crunch of his jaw breaking.  “Shut.  Up.”  I growl as he whimpers under me.  “Do you have any idea what I’ve dealt with!?  Do you know what goes through my head every day!?  I could crush a man your size into a pile of blood and guts the size of a baseball with a thought.  Do you know how easy it would be!?”

He doesn’t reply, only whimpers.  Finally wising up.  Nothing he can say is going to convince me that the world wouldn’t be better off without him wasting oxygen.

“So no, I don’t accept your ‘just couldn’t help yourself’ excuse,” I growl, circling him like a tigress around a wounded gazelle.  “Because if I can control myself, if I can hold back a murderous rage that has had centuries to build, that means either you’re lying and you can help yourself, or you’re that pathetically weak of will.”

No response.  Only more whimpers.  Can’t tell now if he has wised up, or if his broken jaw has left him unable to speak.  Doesn’t matter either way.

“So, this is what I’m going to do,” I whisper, sitting right next to his body.  I swipe his wallet and leaf through it, producing a credit card with his name and address.  “I’m keeping this.  Tomorrow, when you check into the hospital, you are also going to confess every crime you have committed.  Not just the rape of my friend, but any other rapes you might have committed.  You will not fight the charges levelled against you.  You will plead guilty at your trial, and allow yourself to be registered as a sex offender, as well as serving any time they give you for what you’ve done.”

He looks back at me through glassy, tear-filled eyes, still whimpering pathetically.  If I had an iota less of self-control, I would have torn out his throat a few minutes ago.

“And if I find out you held back.  If a week from now, I learn there was another rape you didn’t confess to, or if you try to run…” I trail off, then wrap my fingers in his hair and pull, forcing him to sit up and look me in the eye.  He whimpers some more, but doesn’t even try to fight back.  I shoot him a grin full of razor-sharp teeth, my eyes glowing in the darkness.

“I’ll hunt you down like an animal, and make sure you beg me for death a thousand times over before I allow you to die.”  I hiss, then release him, letting his head hit the pavement with a loud smack.  I finally stand, wiping my hands on his shirt to make sure they’re clean.  The rest of his blood on me will be hidden by the same shadows that served him so well.  

“Remember, if you hold back, you become mine,” I hiss.  He doesn’t respond.  The stench of urine fills the alleyway.  I give him a final boot to the ribs before walking away.  I let Twilight back in the driver’s seat, her dainty fingers returning as her eyes and teeth return to those of a normal, teenage girl.  I resume my place just behind her, watching her as she walks along.

“I’m ashamed to say I looked away for most of that,” she says, not looking at me as we walk.

I nod.  “Good.”

“How did it go?”

I shrug.  How did she expect it to have gone?  “Tomorrow, we are going to read about a serial rapist confessing to numerous assaults.  Later, we will read about his trial, and how he will plead guilty to all charges, thus preventing anybody from needing to testify.”

“And if we don’t?  If anything goes even slightly different from how you say it will?”

I grin one last time for the night, my eyes sparkling with malicious glee.  “Then I hope you don’t mind me driving a little while longer, Twi,” I reply, ducking back into the shadows.