TRIGGER WARNING! CONTAINS DEATHS OF MAJOR CHARACTERS

Flash met Twilight at her locker for the last time. It felt weird to think that. It would feel even weirder seeing another Twilight there everyday now. Well, it would feel weirder again. He had just gotten used (well almost used) to Sparkle; but now that his Twilight had been back for so long, it would take a lot to get used to again.

"You ready?" he asked as nonchalantly as he could.

"Honestly? In some ways yes, in some ways no. It'll feel good not to pretend to be someone else. It'll really be good not to have to wear these fake glasses anymore. But it feels strange none the less. It's like I'm handing my life, my identity over to someone else, even though it was their life to begin with. I guess I just begun to see her family as mine. It'll be kind of hard to explain to my mom and dad why I'm suddenly calling them 'Chi chi', and 'Ha ha' or why I want them to occasionally call me Sakura."

Flash laughed. "They'll get used to it. I think I'll be harder to explain."

"Oh please, they already know all about you. Maybe not to the full extent, but I've prepared the way." Twilight laughed as well. It felt good to laugh. Was it honest laughter? She didn't know. Maybe she was faking it because she felt she had to. It didn't matter. It felt real and that was all that mattered.

"Well hopefully your dad is as understanding as Mr. Sparkle was." He paused for them both to chuckle then said, "Well, I guess we got to do this."

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Adagio opened the door to See Flash and Twilight standing there. She nodded at them and they walked inside. None of them felt much in the mood for small talk. Twilight saw Sparkle sitting at the bar while Sunset made super in the kitchen.

"Hi," Twilight said awkwardly. "I've kept your life warm for you."

Sparkle grinned slightly. "Thanks. Since everyone knew I wasn't you back in Equestria, yours is pretty cold."

"It's ok. It'll warm back up soon enough." They then fell silent for a while, not able to look at one another. Finally Twilight started again. "So, have you been brought up to date with everything?"

Sparkles' face grew sullen. "Yeah, enough. I mean, the big picture. I'll need some details from you though."

"Sure. We can do that while we change. We can go to your room. I'll lay these clothes on the bed, you do the same with yours, then you can take these, and I'll take yours. That way we don't run the risk of accidently touching."

"Sounds good," Sparkle simply said. The two then disappeared into the bedroom.

"How are you doing Sunset? Twilight told what happened," Flash said.

"I can't talk about it," Sunset said while stirring a pot of something. She never looked up or over. Ever since coming home, she had to keep focused on something, anything to keep her from thinking about what had happened; how she felt like she made the biggest mistake in her life and how torn up she felt because Adagio was right her with her.

"Understood," Flash said sympathetically. He then turned to Adagio who was on the couch. "Hey."

"Hey. I was told you and Sunset used to date."

"Um, well, I guess. It's complicated," Flash said rubbing the back of his head and blushing.

"Most things are," Adagio responded flatly.

Flash quickly turned back to Sunset. "So is human Sunset like you at all?"

Sunset shrugged. "Sort of. We have certain personality traits that are the same. We don't look exactly alike. It's like Twilight and Sparkle."

Flash nodded and sat down on the couch beside Adagio as the weight of uneasy silence crushed down on him. He hoped Twilight and Sparkle would hurry up. Then, as if on cue, he heard Sparkle yell out from the bedroom, "YOU TWO DID WHAT?" He just sat forward and buried his head in his hands.

"At least you were good enough for Twilight to tell her about it. Or that bad. Either way, you made an impression," Adagio said, enjoying every minute of Flash's discomfort.

"Yeah, well, it must suck knowing you yours girlfriends' consolation prize," Flash snapped backed angrily.

"HEY!" Sunset yelled from the kitchen. She was not in any mood for this crap. "Will you two shut up. For gods sake, we're supposed to be on the same side here. Jeez, with everything going on, with everything we have to face, how can you two just freakin' bicker like that?"

"She started it," Flash protested.

"Tattle tail," Adagio snarked.

"Dag! Enough! I'm done. Next one who says crap gets kicked out. Flash has a home to go to; Dag, you don't. Just remember that."

"Yes ma'am," they said together in contrition and all three wished Twilight and Sparkle would hurry up.

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"Are you sure you don't want me to spend the night?" Chip asked Apple. He had been with her the whole day. Mostly just helping her walk from here to there, getting her food and drink, and just sitting next to her in silence. Eventually she started talking. Just a little then the flood gates opened and for about a hour and a half he had just sat, holding her while she cried.

"Naw, I'm good," Apple said reluctantly, sadly. "You're parents would never allow it."

"Under regular circumstances; but . . ." Chip began to protest but was cut off.

"Sugar, Imma gonna be alright. Not now, not for a while, but I'll get there. I got Big Mac here, I got Maud with her little one inside her here, I got Pinkie and Sonata here, I'll be fine." She gave the best. false smile she could and patted Chip's knee. "You've done gone above and beyond the call of duty today sweetie; it's time to clock out for tonight."

"No, I have only done the basics of what a boyfriend should do."

Apple kissed him gently on the lips. "And that's why I love you so much. But, I need to be alone for a bit."

"Ok. I don't agree but I consent to your wishes. I'll call my mom to pick me up now."

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Tuesday morning Twilight and Sunset were talking about when to start Shimmer's magic training when Sunset's phone rang. She looked and saw it was from Sparkle. She looked at the time and saw that it was almost time for school to start. Concerned, she answered the phone.

"Hello? Yes, he does, every morning. He hasn't yet? Hold on," Sunset turned to Twilight. "Hey didn't you say Flash takes you to school everyday?"

"Yeah, why?" Twilight was confused, curios, and concerned.

"Because he hasn't yet. Sparkle has been waiting on him and he hasn't shown up yet."

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The girls looked around, confused. Everyone was there: Pinkie, Sonata, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, even Apple Jack (whom they had all greeted with hugs and tears); yet none of the boys were. They figured Flash and Sparkle were running late since neither of them were here as well; but the others: Sandal, Soarin, and especially Chip would be here, but they weren't.

"I'm not liking this," Rainbow said worried and angry. "No texts, no calls, no nothing? No, this isn't right."

"Now Rainbow, we don't know," Rarity was answering Rainbow but talking to Apple Jack who was ashen white.

"Rainbow is right . . ." Sonata started to say but stopped as soon as Rarity shot her a look that if it was any more hostile it could be considered a declaration of war.

"I've tried several times to get a hold of Sandal but he never responds," Fluttershy added anxiously.

"I'm calling Sunset," Rainbow said in frustration.

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Sunset had no sooner put down her phone when it rang again. Slowly she picked it up. Every fiber of her being said this wasn't going to be good. She looked at Twilight who had the exact same expression on her face.

"Hello," she said nervously. "What, no. Why would I? What? All of them. Oh no. Sparkle just called. Flash hadn't come to pick her up either."

"What is it?" Twilight asked full of fear and dread.

Adagio, who had been in the kitchen cleaning up, slowly came into the dining area. Her face as well was full of concern and worry. Something bad was going on, she could feel it.

"It's Rainbow Dash; she said," Sunset stopped, the words choking in her throat as though it were protesting their very utterance, " she said none of the boys are at school yet and they're not responding to any texts or calls."

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It wasn't long before the police were called. All four boys had vanished without a trace. Search parties were formed, flyers emailed, handed out, and hung up. Nothing turned up. Absolute dread came over all of Cantorlot. School buses were empty as parents drove their kids to school now; even those who had their own license.

What made it worse for Principle Celestia was that Luna wasn't responding to any of her attempts to let her know what was going on. One student dead, five missing (Val had also disappeared), and now she couldn't even contact her sister. All of this was really bad.

By the time Friday rolled around, the school was a silent tomb. No one talked, no one even looked at each other. Everyone just walked around like zombies; miming the rituals of life but actually being invested in them. The girls had to beg and plead for them to spend the night at Sunset's. All the parents refused at first but eventually consented but only for this one last time until the police caught whoever was behind all this.

Sunset greeted each girl as they came through, Pinkie and Sonata first, then Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy, and then Sparkle. Adagio was the one who greeted Shimmer when she got there. Twilight and Sunset had decided they both needed to be there as well.

Since that Tuesday, Twilight and Adagio had been meeting with Shimmer to fill her in on exactly what was going on and to begin magic training. Things moved slowly at first since this was a realm not given to magic naturally; but Shimmer progressed beautifully. The more she practiced, the more she became like Sunset in demeanor and speech. It was an amazing transformation to watch.

Once they were all there, Sunset got up in front of all them to speak. "You know why we're all here. I'm not going to waste anytime; Fluttershy, go into the mystic state."

Before she could, there came a knock at the door. They all looked around. No one was expecting anybody and the mail had already come (not that the mailman knocks anyways). No one had gotten a text or call that their parents had changed their mind and was coming to pick them up. Slowly Sunset went to the door and opened it.

On the other side was a man wearing a ski mask and sunglasses. Sunset jumped back and took a defensive stance. The rest of the girls came quickly to the door with Rainbow muscling her way up front beside Sunset. If this was one of the people behind the boy's disappearance, she was darn sure going to get a piece.

"I come not to fight, only to deliver this." He held out a disk with Watch Me written on it. "Take it or they'll kill me," he said in real fear.

Sunset slowly took it. She looked at it then the man.

"Please shut the door and don't follow me or even watch." The man turned toward the steps and just waited for Sunset to close the door.

Reluctantly Sunset did so. As she turned around she heard Rarity say, "He's not moving."

"He won't. He knows you're watching him," Adagio said.

Rarity closed Sunsets' curtains. It was then they heard the man start to walk off.

"Are we going to watch it?" Pinkie asked reluctantly.

Sunset bowed her head, closed her eyes and bit her lips. Then she spun around to look at all the group. "Alright," she started, "you all know as well as I do what's probably on this disc. If you don't want to watch, you can go to one of the bedrooms. Once you see this, you won't be able to unsee it. The choice is yours." She waited but no one moved. "Ok then," she said and put it in.

On the screen was the face of a woman who looked both twenty and eighty at the same time. There was a youthful beauty to her but her skin was pale, eyes - dark and sunken. She was covered in sweat and her skin looked far more wrinkled than it actually was. There was no doubt this was Chrysalis. She appeared to be in a cinder block basement.

"Hello my dear Twilight and Sunset and whoever else might be there with you. Well, I guess I'm supposed to tease you now with some silly banter before the big reveal, but, I don't feel like so here." She stepped back and the camera turned to show Chip, Sandal, Soarin, and Flash strapped to a long wooden, table. Everyone gasped and Chrysalis seemed to anticipate that as the camera hung on the scene for a moment. Then the camera turned back to her.

"Well, no more peter for you young ladies I'm afraid. Unless I have them cut off and mailed to you that is. Nah. They'd be too flaccid and squishy to be of any use to you in that state. So, let's get this show on the road shall we? Aria, bring in the executioner."

The camera panned over to show Aria walk in to view with Val who was carrying an ax. Sunset tried to gasp but couldn't. Her body refused to take in air. What had he become? Did he become this because of her? Oh please, oh please God no!

"Surprise!" Chrysalis laughed. "Don't you just love twist endings?"

Val looked at the camera, smiled, and winked. He put the ax over his shoulder and started to walk toward the table. Once he got behind Chrysalis (who was gloating to the camera) he stopped and suddenly swung the ax square in to her back; right between the shoulders.

The girls heard multiple screams from others off camera and the boys cheering. Sunsets' heart soared. That's right babe, show that witch who you are. Sorry Dag, but he comes back, I'm all his. Her victory was short lived as she saw Aria quickly run up and run him through with a sword she had.

Val looked down at the bloody blade sticking through his chest and laughed. Then he looked at the camera and smiled. "I told you I'd always stand with you Sunset." He then fell out of shot.

Sunset collapsed on to all fours. Her mouth was agape, drooling. Her eyes were wide, her head lolled back and forth. She couldn't understand; she left him to save him. He should have been safe. He wasn't. He was dead. Their last conversation was a fight. She broke his heart for nothing, nothing.

Aria ran over to Chrysalis who had also fallen. "My Queen, my Queen," she said frantically.

Suddenly Flash began to thrash around and scream. Then in a voice that was his yet not his he said, "GET ME OUT OF THESE YOU FOOLS! Ahhh! Another male body. Yuck. I hate having external genitalia."

"That's your queen!" Aria shouted. "Free her!"

A couple hooded men ran over and unshackled Flash who was now possessed by Chrysalis. She walked over to the camera. At first she was grimacing, then she smiled.

"While I may not like being trapped in a male body, I do have access to his memory. Let's see. Hmm. Yes, yes, what, oh my. Princess Twilight! You dirty, dirty girl. You did that and that and, oh, you let him put that there? Well, you can't get pregnant that way I suppose."

"STOP IT! STOP IT!" Twilight screamed in tears.

"And, oh, Princess Sunset now I see. Yes, how does it feel to know your ex died in vain? Heroism is such nonsense. Well I guess I need a new executioner. Aria, will you do the honors?"

"With pleasure my Queen." Aria picked up the ax and camera came in close on Chrysalis' face.

"I'm not going to make you watch, but you will listen!" she growled.

A whoosh, a scream and a thud. A wet, sickly sound. Another whoosh and simultaneous scream and thud. Over and over and over again.

"None of the blows are meant to be fatal. A fatal blow kills the fun. All these boys will die of blood loss after they've been driven mad by pain," Chrysalis explained with a smile. "While were waiting, how about something else to watch?"

The film then cut to a living room. There was a ring, it sounded like a doorbell. camera got up and it went to a door. A hand came into view and opened it. It looked like a woman's hand. As the door opened, they could it was Vice Principle Luna on the other side.

"Baby?" she asked tearfully.

The camera then went up close to Luna's body and went black as the woman said, "Momma." It was clear this was all hidden cam footage. The women pulled apart and Luna was lead to a chair where she sat.

"I'm so sorry I gave you up for adoption," Luna said tearfully. "I've thought about you everyday. Giving you up was my worst mistake."

"Tea Momma?" The woman asked cheerfully; way too cheerfully.

"Huh? Oh, yes. Thank you." Luna said confused.

The woman went to a tea set, picked the pot up, and walked back over to where Luna was.

"I'm just glad you were adopted by a nice family. It makes it easier to bare," Luna said.

There was a pause then, then the woman threw the hot tea into Luna's face. Luna screamed in pain, covered her face, and turned around. It was then the woman produced a knife and stabbed Luna through the throat.

"Actually Momma dear, I was beaten and rapped on a daily basis. I was even going to be sacrificed until The head of the coven said she had a prophesy about me, so they took me in as a member. Now I don't believe any of that stuff; but I'd put up with anything to kill the person who gave me up to those monster! So let the last thought in your head be that the daughter you gave up was brutally violated because of you. And let the last image you see be said daughter blowing her brains out." There was a pause then the sound of a gun shot and a rush as the woman fell to the floor.

The image suddenly cut to inside the royal palace. Once again it looked like it was shot with a hidden camera. The image bobbed and weaved back and forth as the sound of hooves clapped against the stone floor. Soon some pony came into focus. It was Princess Luna. She was hanging flowers in the hall when she turned and said, "Ah, Starlight Glimmer. What brings you here?"

"Ga nadda a co mofacato mortico," Starlight said. A look of horror crossed Princess Lunas' face, then a blinding beam of light hit Luna and went straight through her; killing her.

"LUNA!" Princess Celestia screamed. The camera turned to face Celestia. Starlight started to say something again but Celestia blasted her first and the screen went black.

Chrysalis then appeared back on screen. "All that was real. Check it out yourself. They should be just finding Earth Lunas' body today and you can cross that wonderful portal you have there at your school and check on the status of Princess Luna."

Chrysalis had been smiling but now her face went dark. Her brow furrowed. "I want you to see and understand. I can not be killed. Kill one body, I hop to another. You have no hope, no safety, no sanctuary. My grasp extends everywhere. Human Luna - DEAD! Equestria Luna - DEAD! You have no idea who you're dealing with. Oh, that does sound so trite doesn't it. Blah. I just sounded like a cartoon villain. Anyway.

"What I am doing, what I am seeking, I will not be deterred from. Cross me, try to stop me, and I will bring all of Hell down upon you! I will make you suffer in ways that will have you begging for death. Ask Adagio; she knows. The deaths of all your family and friends will just be the start, the appetizer. This is last warning.

"Oh, and listen," she cocked her head and paused for a moment. "No more screaming. You're all single now girls. Tootles."

As the screen went dark, only Adagio, Sonata and Pinkie were left standing. Everyone else was crumpled on the floor; either crying or catatonic.

Author's Notes:

That's it. Book 4 is done. I know it was long but I needed that length for the full arc of the girls falling in love and then having that loved destroyed. My whole goal in this was not to make Queen Chyrsalis a cartoon badie. I wanted her to be a real threat. I also wanted to give the girls real stakes to fight for. Fighting for what is right is never easy and this puts the girls in the worse situation possible.

Next time: Book 5 The Hunt