The Witchblade EqG: Mystery Murder Files

by Michael_Ravencroft

First published 15th of October, 2019

Hatred runs rampant in the chaos of Anon-A-Miss, demon-like creatures are on the prowl in Canterlot City, and Sunset is the only one with the power to cut them all down...

Isolation...Lonliness...Anger...Betryal...Hatred...

When one thinks of Canterlot High School, these were not the words one would associate with it. That is until a few months ago, when a mysterious account calling themselves "Anon-A-Miss", popped up and began spilling the secrets of all the students in the school, as well as some teachers. What was worse, was that Sunset Shimmer was blamed for it all.

As if that wasn't bad enough, mysterious deaths have been popping up around the city, the news having labled them as the Mystery Murders, on account of the mysterious, and more than often times, grusome ways the victims have died.

What does this have to do with Sunset? Until now, nothing. Not until the night when she obtained a powerful Artifact that granted her extradorinary powers and abilities. With the acquisition of this weapon, Sunset will have to not only figure out the mystery of Anon-A-Miss, but also put a stop to the Mystery Murders, all while trying to keep the weapon under control. However, as Sunset delves deeper into this mystery, she may find out that the two aren't exactly disconnected...

Death, destruction, mystery, love, and a scantly clad female heroine. What more could you ask for?

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This is a crossover with the Top Cow comic of the same name, "Witchblade".
All characters - unless otherwise stated in the story - are 18 years old.
Made the popular list 10/15/19. Thanks everyone!

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Amazing new coverart is fanart from freddyfrijolero

Case File 1-1 (The Worm): Death and Rebirth

Sunset sat on her bed; legs hugged against her chest as she stared out the window. Snow had fallen across the city of Canterlot, and reflected white into Sunset’s room, not that she could sleep much. Winter break was almost over, in fact, today was the last day. A new year was on the horizon, but it was already marred with bad omens. The flame haired girl sighed heavily, she continued to stare out into nothing, she knew she had to leave her bed, but honestly, she didn’t feel as if she had the energy to do so.

She glanced over to her right, spying the terrarium she bought for her pet lizard, Ray. The heat lamp shined on the little lizard, allowing him to rest peacefully on top of a rock. “At least one of us is sleeping well.”

Sunset’s sleep had been less than peaceful lately, nightmares plagued her every other night about CHS, the environment had become toxic, and thanks to the efforts of this mysterious Anon-A-Miss, she had become the target of the hate and malice that this online fraud had conjured, just as they wanted. Whoever was behind it obviously had a grudge against Sunset, on the one hand she couldn’t blame them, Sunset wasn’t exactly the nicest person a few months ago, and while some had started to forgive her, Sunset didn’t doubt that there would still be some who couldn’t.

Christmas has come and gone, and just like before, like all those other times before, she was alone. Just when she thought that the girls were ready to bring her into their lives, to treat her kind of like…family, it all came crashing down and shattered into pieces.

“Friends are supposed to have your back, to believe in you when no else does…” Sunset gripped her arms hard as a small bout of anger rose inside her. “Some friends, didn’t take much for them to turn on me and – stop it!” Sunset took a deep breath.

She couldn’t think like that, they were her friends. Still could be, if she could figure out who Anon-A-Miss was. A soft trilling sound drew Sunset’s attention, she looked to her left and saw that Ray was awake, his front claws pressed against the glass as he looked upon his owner with a sad face. Sunset smiled at her little lizard friend as she opened the terrarium and let Ray crawl up onto her arm. Ray made his way to her shoulder and nuzzled the side of her cheek.

“Thanks, Ray, but you shouldn’t stay out of your home for too long, it’s too cold for you without the lamp, even with my body heat.”

Ray trilled again and shrugged as if saying, “I don’t care.”

Sunset smiled and then laid back on the bed, now staring up at the ceiling as she felt Ray crawl his way atop of her chest. If the lizard wasn’t a lizard, Sunset would’ve thought the reptile was copping a feel. Sunset had her phone on the bed and opened it, going through her contacts to see if any of the girls had even tried to text her. No surprise, there were none. She then checked the MyStable page of Anon-A-Miss and narrowed her gaze, there had been no new posts since the break, but Sunset was certain that they would come flooding in sooner rather than later once school started again.

As she scrolled through them, she could see several comments from the students of CHS who were either cussing out or outright threatening harm, of course, they all thought it was Sunset, so the comments all had her name in them. And as predicted, Anon-A-Miss never commented back, it didn’t help that the profile picture was a silhouette of her, it was so obvious a ten-year-old could figure it out, which was another frustrating aspect of all this.

“If I was going to do something like this, why would I purposefully make it obvious that it’s me? I mean, I’d have used a generic profile pic, kept the name, and then go on and do all that! Making everyone know it’s me just makes me the target! UGH!”

Sunset slammed her phone down on the bed and growled in frustration. She then looked at it again, seeing the time was already nine. Her stomach growled and Sunset knew she’d have to leave the comfort and safety of her own home to get something, her fridge was painfully barren of food. Sunset picked up Ray and gently placed him back in the terrarium.

“I’m going out, Ray. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Sunset refilled his water bowl and placed some food in another before putting on some warm clothes and heading out the door.

Sunset sat at a local diner, unfortunately, it was the very same diner that Pinkie worked at. It was pretty late at night when Sunset left her home. Not many places were open this late, aside from bars, and Sunset wasn’t about to deal with a bunch of drunks hitting on her. So, the diner was the only other option. But with it being winter break, and the fact that school started tomorrow, Sunset was hoping that the party girl would be at home with her family or doing something else…

She was wrong.

The flame haired girl looked up at the curly pink haired teen to her right, a noticeable tension filling the air, despite Pinkie’s efforts to maintain her professional and peppy attitude, there was no missing the obvious discomfort she was feeling in this moment.

“Hi, Pinkie,” Sunset greeted calmly.

“S-Sunset…um, hi…”

Sunset sighed and said, “Look, let’s just keep this as courteous as possible. I really don’t want to get into it with you, I’m just here to get something to eat and head back home. I promise.”

The tension seemed to ease up from Pinkie Pie, allowing her to put on a more genuine smile as she said, “Okay, well, what would you like?”

Sunset told Pinkie her order and the pink haired girl skated off to the front and handed off her order to the cook. She rolled on by again when she noticed that Sunset’s drink was low and refreshed it right away. Sunset had suspected that out of the five, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were probably the ones most likely to believe her if she could bring proof. Fluttershy couldn’t hold a grudge for long, and Pinkie was the same.

“How’s your break gone so far?” Sunset asked.

“Oh, it’s been good. Spending time with my Mom and Dad, and my sisters is always fun!”

“I’m glad.”

Things got quiet after that; Sunset would just scroll through a few ViewTube videos. One in particular was of an earlier news broadcast that spoke on these “Mystery Murders”.

Several had been occurring in the last couple of months, of course the police wouldn’t give out too much detail, apparently the way in which the victims were killed were far too graphic and disturbing to be described. But that didn’t stop the online community from digging up information, and some were talking. Speaking of how the bodies were killed in ways that were not humanly possible, what made it worse was the victims list. They ranged from men, women, and children, some were of a specific age group, while others weren’t, and the M. O. changed with each new victim, making it hard for the police to pin down a profile to give out to the public. Hence, the Mystery Murders.

Happy New Year…seems like everything’s going bad these days.

After a while, Pinkie brought Sunset’s food and Sunset began eating, during this time, Sunset took notice of the people in the restaurant. It was nine-thirty at night, and the restaurant was close to closing. There weren’t that many people inside as far as she could tell, an old couple, a young couple, and then there was one guy that gave Sunset pause. He had a red sweater, with a brown leather coat folded to his right. The man was wearing glasses and was eating a bowl of soup, every once in a while, he would catch the guy making glances at Pinkie Pie.

Sunset didn’t want to be suspicious; he could’ve just been shy and was trying to signal to her with his eyes instead of speaking up. However, Sunset couldn’t shake this vibe that something was off about him. Her need to monitor the man didn’t last long as he finished his meal, paid and then left. Not long after him, the old couple and young couple did as well, leaving Sunset as the only customer.

Pinkie Pie rolled on over and asked, “Did you want a desert? The kitchen’s almost closed.”

“Nah, I’m good…”

“Sunset.” The former Equestrian turned to Pinkie. “Can we talk?”

Sunset blinked. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

Pinkie took a seat across from Sunset as she looked down at her hands. This was completely awkward, but it was also something that she needed to do. “Um…I…I don’t want to stay mad you…”

Sunset bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from bawling. “I, um, don’t want you to, either.”

Pinkie Pie’s normally chipper expression was no longer there as she stared at the table. “I was mad at you, very mad, like the rest of the girls. But…as the days have gone by, all I can see is the school not being happy anymore, and you…every day I see you taking everyone’s hate…and it hurts.” Pinkie’s eyes began to water. “And…when I think about going back, and seeing all that again…”

Sunset carefully reached out and took Pinkie Pie’s hands into her own. “It’s okay.”

“No it’s not! All this ‘Anon-A-Miss’ stuff is making everyone angry or sad or both! And you’re sad all the time…”

Sunset looked away for a moment, remembering all the jeering, the graffiti on her locker, the occasional shove in the hallway, and of course people starting fights with her. There wasn’t much she could do in the way of retaliation, although it would be self-defense, it would just be seen as lashing out against others. All Sunset wanted was for someone, anyone to believe that she wasn’t the one behind all this mess, because, truthfully, at the rate things were going, Sunset wasn’t sure she could take much more without someone to help her through this. Out of all those people, she wanted it to be at least one of her friends.

“Pinkie, do you really think I’m Anon-A-Miss?” Sunset asked as she lightly squeezed Pinkie’s hands.

Pinkie Pie looked into Sunset’s eyes, she stared into them for a long moment, looking for any sign of deceit, and in truth, part of Pinkie wished she did see it, because it would ease the guilt that was weighing in her heart about shunning her friend and abandoning her when she needed help the most. But there was none.

“No, you’re not…and I’m sorry…I’m so, so sorry…”

Sunset got up from her seat and walked around to give her hug, it felt so good to have one her friends back, a wave of relief washed over Sunset, like she had been underwater for so long and had now at least partially breached the surface.

Pinkie sniffled a little and then gently pulled back. “I gotta help lock up. Maybe we could talk later?”

“I’d like that.”

“Let me ring you up.”

Pinkie rolled around to the other side of the counter and rang up Sunset’s meal. Sunset pulled out her wallet and paid her friend – it felt good to say that again – and as she did, Sunset asked, “How are you getting back home?”

“Oh, well I was going to take the bus, my sister, Maud, was too busy with Marble and Lime while they went to go do some shopping,” said Pinkie. “And my parents are probably asleep by now.”

“If you want, I could give you a lift? I mean, if you don’t mind riding my bike,” Sunset offered.

Pinkie Pie smiled a genuine Pinkie smile. “I’d like that! It’s been a while since I’ve been on your bike!”

“Cool, I’ll wait outside.”

Sunset leaned against her Harley, checking her phone to see how long it had been since the store closed. The lights had been shut off, and most of the cars from the back left.

She wasn’t pranking me…was she? No! Stop that, Pinkie Pie wouldn’t do something like that, not after all that in the diner…

Sunset huffed and walked towards the back, she looked around and didn’t see much of anything, that is until she spotted something on the ground, something pink. Sunset ran towards the object and saw that it was Pinkie’s purse. The flame haired girl quickly took out her cellphone and called Pinkie, that’s when she heard it ringing in the distance.

She’s close, Sunset thought.

Sunset ran towards the sound, getting closer to the alleyway, but then she stopped when she got to the corner. In the alley was Pinkie, shoved against a wall, a man – the same man Sunset had saw in the diner. The man had a hand over Pinkie’s mouth, while in his other, he held a knife, placing it within Pinkie’s field of vision. The teen’s powder blue eyes widened with fear as she focused on the gleaming blade.

“Looks like I found me a good one tonight!” The man removed his right hand from Pinkie’s mouth and brought the blade to rest at her neck. “Scream and I promise you, I’ll paint these walls with your blood! Nod if you understand!”

Pinkie nodded, her bottom lip quivering is she struggled to keep herself from screaming for help.

“Good girl.”

The man leaned up against Pinkie and used his left hand to grope Pinkie’s breast hard, making her yelp. Sunset’s eyes narrowed as her blood boiled in sheer fury of what was happening. She quickly looked around and by luck found an old metal trashcan. Sunset picked up the lid and held it like a shield in her left hand, she searched the trashcan until she found unbroken beer bottle. Sunset placed the bottle under her arm and picked up a small rock, tossing it up and down to get an idea of its weight. She glanced back down the alley and watched as the man began moving that same hand to Pinkie’s rear, and growing dangerously close to lifting her skirt.

You picked the wrong girl, asshole!

While he was distracted, Sunset tossed the rock down the far end of the alley. The quiet of the street allowed the rock’s impact to echo loudly, causing the man to get off of Pinkie and pointed his knife down the opposite way.

“WHO’S THERE?!”

Sunset dashed with all the speed she could muster. The man heard the rapid crunching of snow and turned to see Sunset, her eyes burned with the fury of a demon, and with her flaming hair, she might as well have been one. The man went to grab for Pinkie, but Sunset kicked at a snow pile, sending chunks of it straight at the man. The assailant was blinded for a moment, but saw that she was getting closer, the man lunged forward with his knife, but Sunset was ready. Using the trashcan lid, she let the knife come to her, it pierced the cheap metallic lid, but that’s all she needed. Sunset twisted the lid to the right, then jerked it to the left, hard. The sudden action made the man release his grip on the knife as Sunset tossed the lid and the knife away.

The man was about to attack her, but Sunset was faster, striking him with the beer bottle right across his temple. Sunset capitalized on his disorientation and pressed her attack, she jabbed him twice in the face, attacked with a right hook to his kidney, followed by another to the second kidney. Sunset threw an uppercut into his stomach, making the man gasp in pain, she then kicked out his knee, making him kneel before her. And to finish, Sunset threw a thrusting kick into his face, sending the man flying back and landing hard against the cold, unforgiving concrete.

Sunset huffed and panted, her breaths visible in the cold night air as her brow dripped with sweat. Her body trembled from the adrenaline rush of the fight, but that didn’t matter right now. She turned to her right and saw Pinkie still up against the wall, still frightened.

“Pinkie…?”

With only that word spoken, Pinkie Pie rushed into Sunset’s arms, sobbing in both fear and relief that she was saved. Sunset hugged Pinkie close to her, at the same time berating herself for not having come sooner.

“Shh, it’s okay, I’m here, you’re safe now,” Sunset cooed.

“I…I was so scared…Sunset…he…he just appeared out of nowhere and…!”

“It’s alright, he’s down and out. Let’s call the cops and I’ll kick him a few more times to make sure he doesn’t get back up.”

“Oh man…that hurt.”

Sunset and Pinkie turned their heads in the direction of the voice. The man that Sunset had just thoroughly beaten was now sitting up. His face had tiny shards of broken glass, his nose was visibly broken from the kick Sunset gave him, and his mouth had blood dripping out of the corner, as well as from his face and nose.

“Tonight, is my…my lucky night. Two hotties, with loads of energy, I hope your pink friend there has as much stamina as you do, because you’re both going to need it!”

Sunset growled as she made Pinkie get behind her. “Son of a bitch, you don’t know when to stay down.” The flame haired girl entered into a fighting stance. “Guess I’ll have to break your arms and legs!”

Suddenly, the man jerked upwards as if he was picked up by some unseen force, and then placed back on his feet. The glass shards were pushed out of his skin, his nose made a sickening crunching and cracking sound as it was set back into place.

Sunset and Pinkie didn’t know what to make of it, the man was healing himself. In a matter of seconds, it was as if all of Sunset’s damage had been erased.

“Make this fun girls!”

A whirlwind kicked up down the alleyway, nearly knocking down Sunset and Pinkie Pie. The man’s body began to squirm as a silver aura appeared around him. His skin began to shed, like a snake molting, pieces of it falling to the ground and then turning into ash a second later. As the skin continued to fall off, Sunset and Pinkie were now able to see the true creature within.

“RUN!” Sunset ordered.

Both girls dashed out of the alleyway as fast as they could. They made it into the parking lot where Sunset hurriedly turned on her bike, revving the engine as Pinkie sat behind her, wrapping her arms around Sunset’s torso so tight that Sunset thought Pinkie was trying to snap her in half. Right now though, fear was overriding any sense of pain as Sunset peeled out of the parking lot and onto the streets.

Sunset turned down a few streets, trying to make it hard for that literal monster to track them down. The only bad part about that plan was that this part of town was kind of dead at night, which meant that there was a scarce amount of people actually outside or driving, especially with all the snow.

“D-D-Do you think w-w-we lost him?!” Pinkie asked.

“Must’ve of, there’s no way he could’ve–!” A wild screech drew her attention. Sunset and Pinkie Pie looked up and watched as some kind of creature was scaling the walls of the buildings, keeping pace with Sunset’s bike. “SHIT!”

Sunset revved her engine again, going at speeds that were dangerous enough on a none icy road, but right now, Sunset was less worried about black ice and more worried about the monster that was chasing after them. The creature leaped and bounded from one building to the next at inhuman speeds, keeping pace with Sunset’s bike like it was nothing. Sunset skidded into a corner and went down it, not really knowing where to go right now. Just then, she spotted a construction site.

“PINKIE, DUCK!” Sunset ordered.

Pinkie did as Sunset said, the bike rammed the gate, snapping the chain that kept it locked as she made for an opening and went straight in. She brought the bike to a screeching halt as she heard the monster outside release its own screech. The building was only half finished, most of it was empty with several floors still under construction, but it did allow for good hiding spaces.

“You okay?” Sunset asked.

“Y-Yeah!”

Sunset whipped out her cellphone and was ready to call the police, but then she heard that same screeching sound. Both girls turned to the direction of the sound, hearing rapid footsteps above them. Then it got quiet…a moment passed…another…and then another…It was as if the world went silent, the only thing that either of the girls could hear right now was the thumbing of their hearts ringing in their ears, and the sounds of the wind.

“Maybe it gave up…?” Pinkie thought.

“……” Sunset gulped. “No…”

The ceiling above the entrance broke as mortar and rebar clattered against the floor. In the dull, reflected light of the snow, Sunset and Pinkie finally got a good look at the monster that had pursued them, and they wished they hadn’t. It stood over six and a half feet tall, it had sandy colored skin, with worm-like tentacles for fingers, which were a fleshy pink color. There were more of the tentacle worms protruding from its skin and hooking into joints, its head was a skull, with just enough flesh on it to give it some semblance of a face. It’s left arm was nothing but tentacles from the elbow down, each one with little barbs at the ends. Upon further inspection, it appeared as if the worm tentacles was wiggling underneath the skin, as if it was just a sack to keep them all contained.

“Oh yeah…I can’t wait to have fun with you two!” The creature’s head turned towards Pinkie. “You’re first!”

The creature thrust his left arm towards Pinkie, the tendrils shot out like cobras, each one latching onto Pinkie’s arms, legs, torso, and neck. The creature was about to reel her in like a fish, until Sunset reached out and yelled, “LET HER GO!”

Suddenly, Sunset felt a wellspring of power surge inside her, and it was familiar. Her body sparkled and glowed red as her body underwent a transformation. Her human ears vanished and were replaced by pony ears, her hair was tied at the end and extended into a ponytail. Sunset’s right hand glowed as she focused her magic on the tendrils, going off of instinct from her time as a unicorn, focusing her magical energy on a single point and released it, snapping it like a rubber band.

A bright red flash went off and the tentacles that had attacked Pinkie all burst apart, releasing green blood from the severed ends. The severed limbs still wriggled about, but after a moment Pinkie managed to get them off. The creature retracted the tentacles, but after a second they began to regenerate.

Sunset got in front of Pinkie, arms up as she readied to fight. “Pinkie, you okay?!”

“S-Sort of, but, h-how did you pony up without your guitar?!” Pinkie asked.

“No idea, and right now, I don’t care, so long as I have my magic, we have a chance!”

“Oh-ho-ho, now I see. Now I see why you two are so appealing, you have power! Oh, I’m going to enjoy playing with you two!”

The creature’s tentacles regenerated, he then launched them again, all of them aimed at Sunset. The flame haired girl thrust her hands forward, creating a dome barrier around them as the tentacles slammed against it, making Sunset wince from the impact. Sunset pushed back with her shield, and fired a kinetic magical blast straight for the creature. The monster was wrapped in Sunset’s telekinetic aura, to which Sunset motioned upwards with her hand. The monster unwillingly followed her movement as he was thrown into the ceiling. Sunset motioned downwards, and the monster was slammed onto the ground, leaving a body sized indention in it. Sunset threw him to the left, striking the wall with his body, and then she did it again, and again, and again. The former unicorn mare cocked back her hand and waved it hard to the left. The worm monster was thrown into the wall once more, but this time with enough force to break through to the other side of the wall.

“Pinkie, you need to run!” Sunset ordered.

“What?! No! I can’t leave you alone with that thing!”

“Dammit, Pinkie, he’s after both of us! I have my magic, you don’t! I’ll fight him as long as I can and then ditch!” Sunset turned around and gripped Pinkie Pie’s shoulders as she looked into the eyes of her friend. “I am not going to lose you, do you understand?!”

Pinkie was speechless for a moment, every part of her wanted to say “no” and stay and help her friend. After shunning her, ignoring her, and hating her for something she didn’t do, Pinkie was not about to leave Sunset, not again.

Pinkie was about to answer, but she never got the chance to. Her answer was halted when she first heard a dull thudding sound, followed by a splash of witness on her face and clothes. Pinkie Pie blinked as she raised her hand and wiped her cheek with her right hand, when she looked at her fingers, Pinkie’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks. They were red, red with blood.

Sunset and Pinkie looked down slightly and right there, piercing through Sunset’s stomach, were three tentacles. Blood seeped from the wound and stained her jacket, some had gotten onto Pinkie’s clothes and onto her face. The attack was so sudden, Sunset hadn’t yet registered that she had just received a fatal blow.

“Oh…well…shit…” Sunset spoke in a shocked tone as blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth.

The flamed haired girl was whipped up, torn away from Pinkie, and then thrown, unceremoniously, to the ground like a piece of trash. The monster slowly approached as his tentacles returned to their normal length. He looked at Sunset, who was now lying on the ground, motionless, with blood pooling around her, and then to Pinkie, who was in a state of shock as she fell to the ground on her knees. Her eyes fixated on Sunset as she cried, but made no sounds.

The monster made a few chuckling sounds as he approached her, his tentacles already getting into position. But Pinkie wasn’t paying attention, all she could see was that her friend was dead on the ground, dead because she was trying to save her. Sunset was dead, and no one would know it, Anon-A-Miss would continue on, and people would continue to hate her, and no doubt Sunset would be blamed for her disappearance. Her name would be spoken in spite.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you…” Pinkie sobbed and she lowered her gaze.

“………I’m sorry, too.”

“Wha–?!”

Pinkie looked up and saw Sunset’s right hand pointed at her, which was now glowing with her magical energy. Sunset’s red aura surrounded Pinkie, making the monster back off in caution.

“Goodbye…”

“Sunset, wai–!!!”

In a flash of red light, Pinkie Pie was gone. The monster looked around, but he could no longer see nor sense the girl anymore. He then looked at Sunset and hissed as he demanded to know, “What did you do?!”

Sunset coughed up blood as she chuckled. “I teleported her away…as far as I could…good luck finding her. She’ll probably find the police and bring them here.”

“Do you think I actually care about some police?”

Sunset coughed again, the shine of her pony up faded away as her hair and ears returned to normal. “Probably not…the important thing…is that you don’t have her…my last little fuck you…”

The monster walked towards her as his tentacles began to coil outwards, the barbs extending. The tentacles went and pierced the jacket and shirt of Sunset’s clothes, and then ripped them apart as if they were made of tissue paper, revealing her bra covered chest, and further down, the gaping wound in her stomach.

“You ain’t dead yet, so I’ll make sure you feel everything before that happens.”

Sunset closed her eyes, this wasn’t the end she would’ve wanted. Then again, who in any life got to choose how they died? Most people would probably curse her name even after her death, but at least…at the very end…she managed to do one last good thing for one of her friends. Pinkie Pie would live…she deserved to live…her life had been all about bringing happiness to others…And I’ve spent most of mine making others miserable…

The tentacles began to wrap around her legs and spread them open, readying to remove that bit of clothing as well.

*………thump*

The monster stopped.

*……Thump*

The monster looked around again, and then he turned his head to his left and noticed something odd on the floor. A part of the concrete was cracked, strange thing was, it was pointing up.

*…Thump*

The sound was louder, and the cracks spread. A red glow emanated from the cracks, which was steadily glowing brighter by the second.

*THUMP*

The indention rose higher, and the cracks spread more.

*THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP*

The concrete was cracking rapidly, the red glow turning an even angrier shade of red. Whatever was underneath the concrete, it wanted out, and it wanted out NOW.

The concrete burst apart, scattering rumble all over the place, and sent a small plume of dust up into the air. The monster retracted its tentacles as it prepared to fight whatever it was. But what the creature saw…well, he didn’t know what to expect, but he wasn’t expecting this.

A gauntlet hovered in the air, silver in color, with a red jewel on the back of the hand, with a smaller yellow gemstone next to it. Along the gauntlet, at the top, was a third gemstone, blue in color. The jagged gauntlet rotated towards the monster, opened its hand, and unleashed a beam of red light that smashed into the creature’s chest and forced it back into a wall. Once the monster was away, the gauntlet zoomed towards Sunset’s right arm. The piece of armor began to unravel itself, and once in range, latched onto Sunset’s right forearm.

The flame haired girl inhaled deeply as if she had just come up for air, power rushed through Sunset’s veins, breathing life into her and returning her from the brink. The power continued to flow, it was a rush, it was exhilarating, it was pure ecstasy. Her eyes began to shift, the whites of her eyes changing to black as the turquoise color of her irises glowed. A pillar of flames erupted around Sunset’s body, lifting her up and obscuring her body, all but a silhouette of her was visible.

The creature managed to get back up, but when he did, he winced in pain. The creature looked at his chest and saw that it was burned where the beam had struck, his healing factor was taking care of the damage, yet somehow it wasn’t doing it as fast. The creature looked at the pillar and saw a red light shine from within as something seemed to be happening to his prey within the flames.

}}}Kill him…!{{{

Several things had happened towards the end of that night. The sounds of explosions, the heat of the flames, the screeching of metal, the screeching of some ungodly monster, and the maniacal laughter.

Case File 1-2 (The Worm): The Witchblade

Darkness…that was all that Sunset saw…she didn’t know when she saw it, or when she realized it, but she was dying. A brief moment in time allowed many thoughts to come flooding into her mind. She wondered where her soul would rest if she died in the human world? She never fully delved into the religions of Earth, and, truthfully, ponykind didn’t exactly have a “religion” to speak of.

Celestia was the closest thing to a deity that ponies had. The one who raised the Sun and the Moon, the one whose power stood above all other creatures in the land. There were legends that spoke of beings more powerful than Celestia, and her younger sister Luna, the ones who gave birth to them. She was simply known as Faust, and before her, the All Mother, Bonnie. It was said that if you led a good life and were good to others, you would join the All Mother in the sacred place she dwelled in, an eternal paradise.

However, if you led a life of evil, of hatred, your soul was bound for Tartarus. What made this worse was that Tartarus was a physical place that ponies could go to, it imprisoned the most dangerous and most vile beings in the entire world, and that was just the first level. According to legend, what made Tartarus worse, was that when the creatures housed in it died, their souls would be condemned to the lower levels, where they would never escape or see light ever again.

The closest reference to this belief that Sunset found in the human world was Christianity, Catholicism, the Greek and Roman Mythology, and even Egyptian Mythology, to name a few. But Sunset wasn’t sure she believed in them, there was no magic in this world, at least other than what she dragged here from Equestria. So…where would she go? Would her soul migrate back to Equestria? Would she be judged by the All Mother? Or…would she be sent to Tartarus?

I know…I know I haven’t been the most kind pony I could be…no…I haven’t at all. Sure, I helped defeat the Sirens, and I’ve tried to make up for everything I’ve done since. But…can a near lifetime’s worth of fuck ups be erased by one good deed?

Sunset remembered, she sacrificed herself for Pinkie, she used the last of her magic power to send her away from the monster that was going to kill her. Surely that must count for something? Pinkie’s entire life was about making others laugh and smile, a light like that shouldn’t be snuffed out. Sacrificing her life for Pinkie’s was – no – must be a noble enough deed to spare her Tartarus.

Who cares…I didn’t do it because I thought I’d get to avoid a Hell…I did it to save her, she’s my friend, and she forgave me…I don’t need another reason…

Are you truly okay with how things are?

A red star in the darkness shined, it called to Sunset.

What…?

That creature will not stop. You saved that girl tonight, but that was only tonight. He will find her, and he will kill her, but not before he tortures her, you know this to be true.

I’m dying…almost dead…what else can I do…? My magic’s faded…

If it’s power you seek, I will grant it. Your spirit calls to me, and I choose you as my bearer.

Can you…really give me the power to save her…?

I will grant you the power to destroy anything that threatens you, and by extension, those you care for. But heed me, this power I grant is not to be taken lightly. Many before you have both cursed and blessed my existence. Do you think you can take on the burden? To wield light and darkness, can you be the Balance?

I’ve been in darkness before…I’ve just now grasped the light…If you can give this power, then please…give it to me!

Reach out for me.

Sunset reached out with her right hand, towards the glowing red star in the darkness, the only light before her. The cold of the dark was slowly replaced with warmth, like a fire was slowly building inside her. That red star glowed brighter and brighter, calling out to her, resonating with her will.

Just then, the red light shot towards her arm, wrapping around her wrist and piercing the skin. Sunset felt it, but didn’t hurt. The light began to wrap around her arm and slowly began to work its way around her body, coiling around every inch of her, and strangely, Sunset enjoyed it. Her body felt like it was on fire, excitement, power, adrenaline, ecstasy, call it whatever you want. Sunset released a scream into the darkness, and crimson light flared up, banishing the cold and dark and then–

Sunset shot up out of bed, awakening with a start and a deep gasp. Her chest rose and fell with each labored breath, sweat dripped from her brow and body as her eyes darted around to see where she was. Sunset’s pulse slowly lowered when she realized she was back home, the sun looked like it had just risen as its rays bathed over her. The flame haired girl looked at herself, for some reason, she was sleeping in her bed completely naked, she raised the blankets and confirmed this. It wasn’t unusual for Sunset to sleep in the nude, or go around her home as such. But when it was winter time, she mostly stuck to pajamas, after all, she didn’t have a fur coat to help protect her.

Sunset removed the blankets and swung her legs over the edge of her bed as she sat up, rubbing her face with her hands as she sighed heavily. “What the hell was that…? A dream…? Ugh, this Anon-A-Miss shit’s affecting me worse than I thought, I might actually need to see a shrink at some point.”

Sunset looked to her left and saw Ray looking at her with his head cocked to the side. She smiled at her critter friend and said, “It’s okay, Ray, just a bad dream.” Sunset went to reach for Ray’s terrarium, but stopped when she noticed something odd. Wrapped around her wrist was a silver bracelet, which bore a ruby red gemstone at the center of it. Sunset inspected the bracelet, her brow furrowing in confusion. “When did I get this?”

The former unicorn went to remove it, but found the piece of jewelry didn’t have a latch. She tried pulling it off her wrist, but found the ring wouldn’t slide over her hand. “What the hell? How did you get on me? For that matter, when did I even get you?”

Sunset looked around for her cellphone, but found that it wasn’t anywhere around. It was then that the teen noticed that her clock read “7:30 AM”.

“SHIT!” Sunset exclaimed. “I’m going to be late!”

Sunset made a mad dash for the stairs skipping every other step until she hit the floor and moved to her closet, that is until she heard the sound of the door slamming open and someone yelling, “SUNSET?!”

The young woman screeched as she grabbed one of her bath towels and brought up to cover herself. “WHAT THE HELL?!” Sunset yelled in fury, but that fury slowly cooled when she saw who it was that had barged into her home. “Principal…Celestia?”

The older woman looked like a wreck, her hair was disheveled, bags under her eyes, her eyes were bloodshot, as if she had been crying. Celestia closed the door behind her and ran towards Sunset, scooping up the teen into her arms and embracing her so tight that Sunset feared her bones would break.

“Oh, god, Sunset, you’re alive! You’re alive!” Celestia exclaimed.

“Y-Yeah…I’m alive…! But…if you keep this up…that won’t remain true…for long!”

Celestia released Sunset, and then blushed when she saw that her ward was completely naked. “I-I’m sorry, Sunset, but I’m just so happy you’re okay!”

“What are you talking about?” Sunset asked.

“When Pinkie Pie called the police and told them what had happened, I received a call since I’m listed as your guardian! They couldn’t find you, and your cellphone was found there, cracked, and…and…” Celestia’s eyes began to tear up. “There was blood…so much blood…on Pinkie…and on the floor.”

Sunset’s eyes widened, dropping the towel as the realization hit her. That wasn’t a nightmare, she really did go out last night, she and Pinkie were chased by a monster, and she really had been mortally wounded. But everything from that point on was a blank.

“I…I remember…Pinkie and I…I saved her from this asshole who was going to rape her, and then he turned into some kind of monster, literally! We ran…we got chased into a construction site…”

“They found your bike there, and some dried blood…there’s a missing person’s report on you right now…by sheer dumb luck I thought, ‘Maybe she’ll be home?’ I wasn’t expecting to find you here, but I’m happy I did!”

Celestia was close to bawling, Sunset reached up and placed her hands on her Principal’s shoulders. “Ms. Celestia, I’m okay, I’m alive, somehow. But, tell me, is Pinkie okay?”

Celestia sniffled and nodded her head. “Yes. She’s with her family right now, obviously devastated about what happened. We’ll need to go to the police station to show them you’re alright, and so that you can tell them what happened as well. If you want, we can drop by Ms. Pie’s home?”

“Y-Yeah…that’s good. Um…you know, if the police realize I’m not from here…”

“Sunset, I promise you. I took care of that a long time ago. They won’t be able to tell with the records that were set up for you, trust me,” said Celestia.

Sunset was still skittish, but nodded. There was no avoiding this, she needed to go to the police and tell them what she remembered. “Okay…but, could you please, like, sit on the couch and stare at the front door for a while I need to get washed up and dressed? I am in my birthday suit right now.”

Celestia cleared her throat and immediately turned around. “S-Sorry, but when I heard you yell I just rushed in without thinking. I’ll be over there.”

Sunset watched as Celestia walked over to her couch and sat down, facing the opposite wall to give Sunset privacy. The yellow skinned teen took another bath towel from the closet and went into the bathroom. She stood before the sink and looked herself over, her hands roved over her chest, and then down to her stomach, a flash of the events of last night reminded her that this was the spot where she was impaled. Sunset gasped as she leaned forward, gripping the sink, hard.

“It wasn’t a nightmare…Faust I wish it was.”

Sunset and Celestia had made their way to Canterlot City Police Department. When Celestia made the sergeant aware that Sunset was alive and okay, they were told to wait in an office where a detective would ask some questions. This was not unexpected, of course, but that didn’t make Sunset any less nervous. She had had a few run ins with the police when she was homeless for a bit, but that was before she had any official documents to show that she was a citizen of the city, and so far that hadn’t come up, and hopefully wouldn’t now.

Celestia noticed Sunset’s nervousness and gently placed her hand over Sunset’s. “It’ll be alright.”

Sunset smiled a little at the reassurance.

The door to the office opened up and the detective walked in. He looked fairly young, his hair was navy blue, with a light shade of blue that formed a streak. His complexion was white as snow, and his eyes were a deep ocean blue. He wore a navy blue suit, white shirt, and a black necktie, his badge pinned to the left side of his chest.

“Hello there, I’m Detective Shining Armor of the CCPD, I’m part of the task force that’s looking into the Mystery Murder cases,” said Shining Armor as he offered his hand.

Celestia reached out and shook his hand, all the while her eyebrow was raised. “Thank you, Detective Armor, but…why is someone from that particular task force here?”

Shining Armor sat behind his desk as he began. “To be honest, Ma’am, considering the circumstances, and the statement that Ms. Pie gave us last night, we assumed that this was related. But, seeing that Ms. Shimmer is alive is a great relief. Still, we’re going off the notion that the two are connected.” Shining Armor looked to Sunset. “Ms. Shimmer, I know you must’ve been through something traumatic, and I appreciate your courage in coming here today. But I do need you to tell me what happened last night in order to corroborate Ms. Pie’s story.”

“Of course.”

Sunset began the story of what happened that day, she was instructed by Shining Armor not to leave any details out, so that also meant telling him about the Anon-A-Miss ordeal that was going on at school.

“I’m sorry, there’s a some kind of cyber bullying that’s going on at your school, and they’re targeting you?” Shining asked.

“Not me directly…as far as I can tell, they’ve set it up to look like me, and because of that, everyone thinks it’s me.”

“We’ve banned the MyStable website from the school computers, and have filed a police report, but so far nothing has been done, and since exactly ban cellphones or confiscate them, they the website can still be accessed via mobile devices,” said Celestia.

Shining furrowed his brow. “I’ll be sure to follow up with our cyber crimes division and see where they’re at with that. Sorry, please continue.”

Sunset continued the story, omitting the part where her magic kicked in. “The last thing I remember was getting impaled…and then blacking out. I’m sorry, my mind’s hazy after that.”

Shining Armor stood up from his desk and walked around next to Sunset. “I’m sorry to ask, but could you left up your shirt, just to your midriff is all.” Sunset did as he asked, lifting her sweater and then her shirt up to show her stomach. “May I?”

“Go for it,” said Sunset.

Shining Armor gently pressed his fingers against Sunset’s stomach, trying to feel for any sign that there had been a wound there, but as far as he could tell, there was nothing. “Thank you.” Sunset put her shirt and sweater back down. “We scoured the crime scene and found blood, we matched it you, Ms. Shimmer. Honestly, the amount of blood that was there, I’m surprised you made it to your home, much less that there aren’t any wounds.”

Sunset nervously chuckled. “Yeah…I don’t know what to tell you. Say, how’s my bike? I remember that we rode it into the construction site, but I don’t know what happened to it.”

Shining Armor winced at that question. He brought up the file and pulled out a photo and handed it to Sunset. The teen’s jaw dropped when she saw the photo was of her bike, it was completely wrecked. “Sorry to say, kid, but that thing’s totaled…she won’t ride again.”

“Great…just effing fantastic…” Sunset grumbled.

“It’s probably for the best, I never really liked you riding that thing anyway. Perhaps we can look into getting you a car or something?” Celestia suggested.

Sunset sighed. “I guess…” That’s when another thought hit her. “Detective, did you find that guy that attacked us?”

Shining Armor’s expression turned into a frown. “Unfortunately, not. Ms. Pie gave us a very detailed description of the man in question when we sat her down with a forensic sketch artist, and thanks to that we’ve been plastering it all over, news, social media, as many places as we can. To be honest, this is our best lead we’ve had in months since the task force was made.”

Sunset stood up quickly from her chair upon hearing this. “If that’s true, then he might still be after Pinkie Pie! Maybe he think’s I’m dead, that’s fine, but he knows that Pinkie’s alive! She’s in danger!”

Shining Armor brought up his hands. “Calm down, Ms. Shimmer, we thought about that, too, and we’ve stationed some units outside the Pie residence. Right now, it’s probably best we do the same for you as well. Now, you said you live alone, Ms. Celestia, would it be too much trouble if Ms. Shimmer could stay at your residence for the time being?”

“Of course not, there was no way I was going to leave her alone with that monster on the loose out there!” Celestia stated.

“Good.” Shining Armor reached into his jacket pocket and took out two cards. “You call me anytime, day or night. If you remember anything else about what happened, don’t hesitate to call me, any detail – no matter how small – could help us nail this guy.”

“Thank you, Detective Armor,” said Sunset.

Celestia drove Sunset back to her place, deciding to pick up a few things, as well as take Ray, there was no way she was going to leave her pet alone in her home for however long this was going to take. Once everything was packed, at least a week’s worth of clothes, Celestia drove them back to her home to unload, and from there, the two of them headed towards the Pie Family home.

When they arrived, Sunset noticed the police car that was sitting outside of the Pie’s home. It offered Sunset some sense of relief, but when she remembered the monster from last night, she was fairly certain that conventional weapons weren’t going to be of any use against it. Celestia parked in front of the house and together, she and Sunset walked up to the door. Sunset pushed the doorbell and placed her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket.

The door opened and revealed one of the Pie Sisters. She was kind of short, by just couple of inches. Her skin was a light gray color, with lime green colored eyes, and light gray hair. Her eyes were wide with shock as she looked upon Sunset. The flame haired girl had met Pinkie’s sisters before, this was Limestone Pie, out of the four, she was the one with a short temper and was very protective of her twin sister, Marble Pie.

“S-Sunset Shimmer…?” Limestone asked in a shocked raspy voice.

“Hey, Lime…is, uh…is Pinkie home?” Sunset asked timidly.

“Sis…SIS!” she called out.

“Limestone Pie, we have told you before, it is impolite to yell for thy kin when there are guests…oh my heavens!”

Around the corner came an older woman, her complexion was a shade darker than Limestone’s, she wore glasses, and had her hair tied up into a bun, and had a checkered shawl draped over her shoulders. Sunset knew this woman as Cloudy Quartz, Pinkie Pie’s mother.

“Hello, Mrs. Quartz, if it’s at all possible, we’d like to show Pinkie that Sunset’s okay,” said Celestia.

“Oh…y-yes, by all means! Oh, um, Pinkamena Diane Pie! Come downstairs, quickly!” Cloudy Quartz called out.

“What happened to ‘it is impolite to yell for thy kin when there are guests’?” Limestone quipped.

Pinkie rushed downstairs and stopped midway when she saw Sunset standing in the doorway. The party girl’s eyes widened with shock and happiness, tears began to stream down her face as she ran the rest of the way and nearly tackled Sunset to the ground, burying her face in her friends chest as she sobbed uncontrollably.

“S-Sunset…! You’re alive! Y-You’re alive!” Pinkie cried.

Sunset wrapped her arms around her friend, and then she began to stroke Pinkie’s curly hair gently and soothingly, making little shushing sounds as she did. “It’s alright, Pinkie, I’m here.”

“I…I…thought that you…that you died!”

Sunset continued to hold Pinkie, doing little more than comforting her friend. Of course, this did not go unheard as the rest of the Pie Family entered the room, her father, Igneous Rock Pie, the youngest of the twin sisters, Marble, and of course, the oldest of the Pie Sisters, Maud Pie. Even this show of emotion was a enough to put a smile on the normally stoic Maud Pie, as well as the normally irritable Limestone.

It took a while, but they eventually were moved into the living room, where everyone gathered. Pinkie didn’t want to leave Sunset’s side, and right now, no one would deny her that. For Pinkie, she felt that if Sunset left, that she’d never see her again, or that this was all a dream and the moment Sunset went out that door, the dream would be over and reality would set in.

“I must admit, when my daughter spoke of what transpired last night…we were…not only sorrowful, but also angry.” Igneous clenched his fist. “Angry at myself for not thinking better and going to pick up my daughter from her place of employment…”

Cloudy rested her hand on his clenched fist, allowing Igneous to relax. “But, now is a time to be jubilant, Ms. Shimmer has been returned, safe and unharmed.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Y-You are unharmed right? That thing really hurt you! Is there a scar or…?!” Pinkie didn’t wait for a reply as she lifted Sunset’s shirt to inspect her stomach.

Igneous averted his gaze, Lime smirked, Marble blushed, Cloudy face palmed herself, Celestia sighed, and Maud…Maud just stared and said, “Nice abs.”

Sunset quickly scooted back and pulled her shirt back down. “Yes, Pinkie, I’m okay! No scar, no nothing as far I can tell…It’s weird…” Sunset unconsciously rubbed the spot where she remembered getting impaled. “I remember it happening…it’s vivid…and I feel a soreness there…but then I see nothing.”

“Well, it obviously wasn’t, Sis was covered in blood, your blood apparently,” Limestone commented.

“Lime!” Igneous warned.

“It’s alright…I know this is crazy…but, after what the police showed me, it has to be true, I mean…even my bike was totaled…” Sunset slouched in her seat when she remembered that her pride and joy was now a heap of scrap metal. “Man, I really loved that bike.”

Celestia sighed. “I really would rather you drive a car, but if it really means that much to you, we’ll look into getting you a new one.”

“It’s fine…I’ll work up to it, again,” said Sunset.

“On that note, what news does the law enforcement give in regards to this?” Igneous asked.

“Unfortunately, not much. They haven’t found the culprit, hence the police presence outside your home, as well as mine. They also have a car stationed outside of Sunset’s home, but for now she will be staying with me until this is resolved,” said Celestia.

“Do they really believe this malcontent will try and accost our daughter again?!” Cloudy asked with worry.

Limestone punched the palm of her left hand with her fist as she grit her teeth in anger. “If that bastard tries it again, I’ll cut his balls off with a rusty knife!”

“Lime!” The third oldest winced. “Too ineffective, especially when I have a perfectly good rifle.”

Sunset and Celestia blinked, to be honest, neither of the two women had any doubt that the man who dared to harm Igneous’ daughters would suffer an olden wrath, the term that would be appropriate here would be “getting medieval on his ass.”

“Well, we should be getting back, I need to notify the school of what’s happened,” said Celestia.

When Sunset and Celestia rose, Pinkie grasped at the sleeve of Sunset’s jacket, causing the redhead to pause and turn to the pink girl. “Sunset…could you…is it alright if you stay over?”

Cloudy walked over to her daughter and sat next to her she as she gently placed her hands on Pinkie’s shoulders. “Now, Pinkamena, I’m sure Sunset’s tired and would like to be with those familiar to her.”

Sunset smiled and said, “Why don’t we have a sleepover this weekend, you and me, okay?”

Pinkie Pie smiled and nodded in agreement. “Pinkie Promise?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

The others let out a small chuckle at Pinkie’s strange oath, but no one could deny, that when a promise was made this way, it was always kept.

It was late at night, midnight by the digital clock in her room. Sunset was sleeping in Celestia’s guest room, and right now, as the pale light of the moon illuminated her bedroom, Sunset couldn’t help but think. She raised her right arm up and stared at the bracelet that was wrapped around her wrist. With everything that had happened, she didn’t even bother to remember that this piece of jewelry was affixed to her somehow and would not come off. And yet, the more she stared at it, the more she felt it held some answers to what happened last night.

“What are you…when did you even get on my wrist?”

Silence filled the room.

“Figures, talking to a piece of jewelry, what was I expecting?”

}}} I am not just some piece of jewelry. {{{

Sunset had to stifle a scream when she heard a voice resonate in her mind. The ruby gemstone at the center of the bracelet glowed a little now, as if it had awakened. “That…did you just talk to me?”

}}} Indeed I did. Our symbiosis took some time to finalize, but now our merger has stabilized enough for me to attempt communication. {{{

Sunset sat up in her bed, looking at the bracelet with a furrowed brow. “Okay…I’m not unfamiliar when it comes to magic artifacts, so I’m not going to completely freak out. So, I’ll start by asking, what are you?”

}}} I am no mere magical trinket. I am the Witchblade. I was born of light and darkness, meant to keep the balance between both. I seek worthy wielders and grant them my power, so that they my do just that. However… {{{

“However…?”

}}} I feel out of place in this realm, as if it is not my own. It is similar to mine, but also very different. Although, the stench of evil doesn’t seem to change much. {{{

“Then maybe you can tell me what happened. How did you get on me?”

}}} Telling you is a chore, your mind is protecting itself. So, it will be easier to just show you. {{{

Sunset suddenly felt a surge in her mind, images played before her, of the moment she got impaled, when she teleported Pinkie Pie away with the last ounces of her magic, how that monster was close to violating her, and then…fire, metal, and power, the image of a woman clad in armor, battling against a monster, and that woman was…

“Me…!” Sunset collapsed to the floor as she breathed heavily, her right hand pressed against her forehead. “That was me…I fought that thing!”

}}} More accurately, WE fought that thing. But essentially, yes. {{{

“And…I died…I really died!” Sunset looked at the bracelet in a newfound light. “You saved me?”

}}} Such is my power. Even fatal wounds are no match for my power, I pulled you from the brink, but it wasn’t me alone. You had a fire in your soul that refused to die, a fire that burned bright enough to be seen even in the abyss. You made it very easy for me, and you have power yourself as well. We will make an excellent team. {{{

“Wait…I also remember…we…we didn’t kill it!”

}}} Sadly, no, we didn’t. Our symbiosis was not complete, your attacks were unfocused and wild, allowing it to slip away. It’s to be expected, but that won’t happen again. {{{

Sunset shot to her feet as she realized that if that monster was still out there, then that meant that Pinkie Pie was in still in danger. “Do you think he’ll go after her?!”

}}} That depraved creature didn’t seem like one to give up on its quarry. Surely, he will seek her out. {{{

Sunset looked around, she knew that Celestia was asleep by now, but there was no way she could just take her car, or ask her to take her to Pinkie’s home. Her eyes fell on the window, she opened it, looking straight down to the backyard which was covered with snow, but Sunset doubted it was thick enough or high enough to act as a cushion.

}}} You can make, it. {{{

“Excuse me? You want me to jump out a two story window? At best, I sprain my ankle, at worst, I break my leg.”

}}} If I was not with you, then yes, those are the outcomes. But with me, you needn’t fear any of that. {{{

Sunset looked outside, and then out into the distance, that monster was going to kill Pinkie Pie if she didn’t get there first to intercept him. With a narrowed gaze, Sunset threw caution into the wind and jumped out the window. It was a short trip, but she soon felt her bare feet impact the dirt and snow below. She felt the impact, but there was no pain. Sunset looked to the house across from where she was and a crazy thought entered her mind. She dashed in the direction of that house, and then jumped.

Sunset cleared thirty feet as she sailed and landed on the roof of the house, three houses down from where she started. The flame haired girl looked back and panted with excitement, she felt stronger, she didn’t know how strong until now.

}}} You will take too long leaping and bounding from rooftops. {{{

“What do you suggest?”

}}} Unleash me, tap into my power and wear me! {{{

Sunset didn’t have much of a choice, in order to save Pinkie, to defeat this monster, she needed the power of this Witchblade. The former Equestrian held out her right arm as she focused her thoughts on it. A heat swelled in her body, flowing through her and pouring into the bracelet, in an instant, the bracelet came alive, shining with a bright crimson light.

The silver color of the bracelet changed to a black, obsidian color that glistened in the moonlight. It began to wrap around her right arm, forming a gauntlet as it shredded the sleeve of her pajama shirt. The fingers had razor sharp silver blades, the fingertips had pointed silver claws. But it didn’t stop there, the armor continued to manifest, shredding through the rest of Sunset’s clothes in the process.

The armor formed over her upper back, crawling onto her left arm and forming a similar armor on her left arm, but without the red ruby gemstone, instead, there were two blue, sapphire-like jewels fixed onto the middle of it. The armor wrapped around her breasts, just barely covering them up, it covered her shoulders and neck, and fastened itself under hefty chest. The armor continued to snake downwards as it formed, what can only be described as an armor bikini bottom over her womanhood. The armor ran down the sides of her hips and thighs, and from there, wrapped her lower legs in thicker armor, similar to her arms. The leg armor created high heeled boots, with the heels having a curved, silver blade attached to them.

The armor wasn’t the only part of the transformation, Sunset’s body felt as if it was on fire, but not in a harmful way, no, this was extremely pleasant. Her muscles became tight and lean, her hair went from its normal flame design to completely red, the only bits of yellow were around her bangs and the ends of her hair. Speaking of, her hair took on an almost metallic sheen to it, with the ends becoming sharp and blade like. The whites of Sunset’s eyes were gone, now replaced with black as her turquoise colored eyes shined. Finishing the transformation, was a pair of sharp fangs, and two turquoise colored lines that ran up her cheeks, giving the illusion of scars.

Sunset took a moment to look upon herself, the Witchblade had granted her armor, if it could be called that with the amount of skin it revealed. Sunset would normally make a comment that she looked like some heavy metal, dominatrix, prostitute, but right now, with the amount of power that was flowing through her veins, she rightfully didn’t give a shit.

“Heh, heh, hahahaha! This is amazing! This power, it’s unbelievable! I remember this power, I remember it!” Sunset’s brow furrowed as she remembered her mission. “Right, I have a monster to kill. How can we get there faster?”

}}} My abilities are only limited by your imagination. {{{

“That a fact?”

Sunset crouched low to the ground, her hair began to rise as a whirlwind kicked up around her. The back armor began to shift, it then shot out into the air and formed two large, bat-like wings. The arms were the same metallic obsidian armor, but the membrane was a translucent silver, altogether, she had a about a ten foot wingspan.

“Let’s fly!”

The wings rose and then gave a mighty flap, the amount of power and force behind the flap tore off the shingles from the roof and nearly punched a hole through it. Sunset zoomed through the air, the biting cold of the winter night didn’t faze her, actually, it looked like she was steaming, as if she was generating her own heat to combat the cold. To anyone looking up, all they would see is gleaming bat flying through the sky, but to the monster that she was after, she was going to be an angel of death.

“Hang on, Pinkie, I’m coming!”

Pinkie couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t stop thinking about what happened last night. She was happy that Sunset was safe, but even still, that was the scariest moment of her life, easily, hands down. Her Grannie Pie had taught her to giggle at the ghosties, but after what happened, laughter wasn’t going to make that monster go away.

The party girl reached over to her cellphone and looked over the messages that she sent out that day to their friends, as well as remembering the phone conversations she had with each of them.

[Rainbow Dash: Seriously?! Is she alright?!]

[Rarity: Oh my, Pinkie, I…I don’t….]

[Fluttershy: *sobbing*]

[Applejack: Don’t worry, Pinkie. Sunset’s a fighter…Ah…Ah’m sure she’s alright…]

It occurred to Pinkie that they were probably even more shocked by this news, after everything that Anon-A-Miss had done, and with the terrible things they all said to her before they abandoned her, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Applejack were most likely afraid that those were going to be their last words her. Thankfully, though, Pinkie sent texts to all of them, informing them that Sunset was alright. She could practically feel the wave of relief coming from their replies.

But now, here she lied, unable to sleep. She wanted to see Sunset, something just compelled her to have her close by, if for nothing else then to reassure her that she was still with them, that this wasn’t some cruel dream.

Just then, Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense went off. A chill ran down her spine as a pit formed in her stomach. She hadn’t had that combo since…

“Last night…!”

The shadows that were casted upon her room began to wiggle and squirm. Pinkie’s eyes widened as she turned towards the window, her voice hitched as she looked upon the familiar visage of the monster from last night. Pinkie sat there frozen in place, her mind was screaming at her to run, but her legs would not heed her command.

The monster’s tentacles managed to work themselves underneath the window and push it up, snapping the locking mechanism. Pinkie crawled backwards until her back hit the headboard. The monster slithered into her room, despite its hulking size, it moved with all the silence of a church mouse. The monster stalked towards Pinkie Pie, but then shot its tentacles towards her, wrapping one around her mouth and effectively silencing Pinkie. A hard thing to do most of the time.

“Shh, don’t want to wake the family~”

Three more extended from his left arm, the tips released their sharp barbs as they began to gently rake themselves over Pinkie’s arms, neck, and collar, then ran over her chest, teasingly before hovering in place.

“I normally like to hear you scream, but considering we have company, I’ll just settle for the tactile enjoyment of it all,” he said.

Two of the barbed tentacles slipped under the straps of her top, they pulled back as the barbs cut into the straps, slicing them with a quick flick. The top came down and revealed Pinkie’s breasts, exposing them to the cold night air. Those two tentacles began to wrap themselves around them, gently massaging and squeezing them. Pinkie’s eyes began to release tears as her hands gripped the bed sheets to the point that her knuckles turned white.

The monster continued to molest her chest, as two more extended from its left arm and began to make their way towards her bottoms. Pinkie’s eyes widened, she didn’t want to be violated by this monster. Summoning all the courage she had, Pinkie Pie waited until the tentacle around her face relaxed and opened her mouth wide. Pinkie then chomped down on the tentacle as hard as she could, the irony taste of blood filled her mouth, but she didn’t stop as she continued to bite down hard until she could tear a chunk out of this thing’s tentacle. The monster released a cry of pain and shock as he immediately retracted his tentacles, examining the damaged one for a moment until it began to heal.

Pinkie spat out the piece she had taken from him, and covered her chest with her arms, crying out as loud as she could, “DADDY!!!”

That monstrous cry, combined with the cry for help from Pinkie, was more than enough for Igneous to kick open his daughter’s door, and, without hesitation, fired his twin barreled rifle right into the monster’s head, spraying the wall behind him with its blood as it collapsed onto the floor.

Igneous flipped the lights on as he now saw his daughter, half naked with her mouth covered with green blood. The rest of the family piled behind him, but Cloudy kept her daughters from going in. It wasn’t long after that the sounds of the police yelling came from downstairs. Maud separated from the group and went to let them in. Cloudy rushed into the room and quickly brought her daughter into her protective embrace.

Igneous walked over to the abomination, reloading his rifle as he stood over the creature and pointed his gun at its head. “Vile beast! You come into my home, attempt to defile and kill my daughter, not once, but twice! I hope you burn in hell!”

“Mr. Pie!” Igneous turned around and saw one officer standing in the doorway while the other was in the room. “Mr. Pie, I need you put that weapon down and step away from the body, let us handle it.”

“This thing isn’t a man! It’s a monster, look at it! And I’m making sure it stays dead!” Igneous declared.

The tentacles from the monster’s left arm wrapped around the rifle and yanked it free from Igneous’ grip while he was distracted. The monster quickly shot up and grabbed the older man’s throat, hoisting him up as if he weighed nothing.

“Officer Night Watch to Central, we need immediate backup to the Pie residence, I repeat – UGH!”

The officer in the doorway was quickly impaled through the heart, the barbed end of the tentacle appearing through the dead officer’s back. The other officer was prepared to fire, but the monster quickly brought Igneous close to his body, using him as a human shield.

“What ‘cha goin’ to do pig? You gonna shot me? Go ahead, cause this old fucker just tried to blow my head off, but guess how well that worked out! But, hell, by all means, try and do it!”

“NO! LEAVE MY DADDY ALONE!” Pinkie Pie pleaded.

The creature turned its gaze to Pinkie. “Little bitch, you have some fight in you. I guess subtly has gone out the window, so I’ll just take what I want and be one my way!”

The monster tossed Igneous at the officer, making them both collide against the wall. Cloudy Quartz placed herself in front of her daughter, trying to protect her. But the monster merely picked her up and tossed out the door like a ragdoll, hitting the hallway wall back first and knocking the older woman out. The remaining Pie Sister quickly hurried to their mother’s side, of course, this caught the monster’s eye.

“Oh, I hit the jackpot~”

“NO!” Pinkie protested as she ran from behind the monster and put herself in the doorway. “You want me! I’ll go with you! You can do whatever you want to me! Just leave them alone!”

“PINKIE!” Lime shouted.

A tentacle shot out and wrapped itself around Pinkie’s neck. “You’re not in any position to bargain with me you little bitch!”

Just then, something crashed through the roof, killing the lights. Everyone froze in that moment, including the monster. The being’s wings retracted into its back as it rose to its feet, the only thing visible in the dark were its glowing, turquoise eyes.

“Who the hell are you?”

Without warning, two spike tipped chains shot out from the shoulders of the being. They pierced the shoulders of the monsters, and then the spiked ends broke out into four hooks as they came back and pierced the creature’s flesh, causing it to screech in pain.

The being wrapped the chains around their arms and said, “I’m your worst nightmare!”

The being jumped back with inhuman speed, busting through the window and dragging the creature out into the open.

Sunset dragged the creature into the Pie’s wide front lawn, they had a lot of land to work with, so there was little to get in the way. The chains she had shot out from her armor retracted and melded back into her armor seamlessly.

The creature stood, the wounds sealing up, although it seemed a lot more painful. “Wait…I remember you! You’re that redhead I killed and came back!”

“Yeah, now I’m here to finish the job!”

Sunset dashed away, kicking up snow in her wake. The creature barely had time to react as Sunset closed the distance between them in less than a second, her sudden stop created a shockwave the kicked up more snow into the air. The former Equestrian threw a right hook into the monster’s left side, causing another shockwave to erupt from the impact.

The sound of several bones breaking at once echoed in the night as Sunset followed up with an uppercut. The blow sent the creature into the air, Sunset jumped up, soaring into the sky as the moon silhouetted behind her. The red jewel in her gauntlet shined as the armor formed a curved, scimitar sword in her right hand. Sunset gripped the sword with both hands and descended, slicing through the creature’s middle as she landed on the ground.

Blood sprayed from the two halves, cascading down from the air as the severed parts hit the ground. Sunset dismissed the blade, and clicked her tongue in disappointment. “Well that was boring.”

Suddenly, Sunset’s left leg was impaled by a tentacle. The tentacle whipped her into the air and slammed her down, back first. Worm like monsters crawled from the two severed halves until they rejoined, bringing the creature back together. The monster screeched in anger as it shot out two more tentacles, this time piercing Sunset’s stomach and then the center of her chest. Sunset coughed up blood from the attack as she was dragged up and slammed onto the ground again, and again, and again.

The creature shot out more tentacles as they wrapped around her head and began to twist. “Heh, heh, I’ll twist your fucking head off and play with your corpse!”

“Fuck off.”

“Huh?”

Sunset’s hair began to grow sharp and jagged. In a matter of seconds, the hair shot out like spikes from within, piercing the tentacles that had wrapped around her head. More strands of her hair began to wrap around the tentacles, and then took on the shape of razor wire. The strands of hair twisted and coiled until they sliced off all the tentacles that had wrapped around her head.

When they were gone, the monster was able to see Sunset’s face, and for the first time in a long time, he felt fear. He was used to a lot of expressions when he killed women, fear, shock, disbelief, anger, even that insane look that let’s them think that if they give him what he wants then they’ll live. But this look…this was different. She was smiling, but it wasn’t a normal smile, no, it was filled with a look of murderous glee and excitement, and it made him tremble, even going so far as to take a unconscious step back.

“Oh, what’s the matter? Are you afraid of me?” Sunset raised her arms up, and on the sides of her forearms, two long silver blades formed that grew to about three feet. “You should be!”

Sunset came down with both blades, cutting off the tentacles that had pierced her body. Blood sprayed from the severed limps as the monster stumbled backwards. When Sunset hit the ground, she tore out the bits that were still stuck in her, and when she did, the injuries closed up.

“What…What are you…?!”

“For starters, it’s not me. It’s we. And to answer your question…We’re the Witchblade.”

Sunset dashed once again, fast as lightning, and slashed the creature across its chest, forming a bloody, “X” shaped gash. Sunset dismissed her arm blades as she morphed her right hand into a large, metallic claw. With it, she thrust her hand right into the monster’s chest, making it spit up blood.

The monster tried to pull back, but Sunset wasn’t letting go. After a couple of seconds she found what she was looking for, smirked, and then ripped it out of the monster as more blood flew through the air and stained the pure white snow beneath them. The monster fell to the ground, gagging and twitching, Sunset looked in her right hand and saw what she was after.

It was a worm, a large one. The other worm-like creatures that crawled in the skin sack wrapped around them tried to reach out to it in a feeble attempt to reclaim it.

“P-Please…m-mercy…I’ll…I’ll give up…lock me away…p-please…?” it pleaded in a squeaky voice.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed as her eyes shined with fury. “Begging? How many women begged for their lives? How many of them pleaded and groveled for you to spare them, only for you to kill them soon after! How many of them begged you to stop violating them?!” Sunset’s grip on the creature tightened as it continued to squirm and squeak in her grasp.

Sunset glanced up towards Pinkie’s bedroom, and saw Pinkie Pie standing there, a blanket draped around her. The sounds of police sirens echoed in the distance, and Sunset knew that her time was almost up.

“Besides, if I do show you mercy, you’ll just kill again. There’s no one other than me who can stop you. You’ll just break out the moment I turn my back. So, go ahead.” Sunset dropped the large worm into the cold ground. “I’ll give you till ten to leave. One…”

The worm was about to turn tail towards its body, but then Sunset’s right foot swiftly descended upon the worm, causing a small tremor as the snow, for a good two foot radius, was pushed away. Below her heel was the remains of the worm, which was nothing more than a red paste.

“…Ten.”

Something interesting happened after that. The creature’s body stopped squirming and went still. The monster’s body began to shift, transforming back into the man that Sunset saw in the diner. His chest was ripped open, and he was bruised all over. Sunset inhaled and then exhaled slowly, the heat of her breath causing a fog to form in front of her.

Sunset took one last look at Pinkie Pie, who was now joined by her sisters. The sirens grew louder and one car came into view, it was a plain car, with a red light placed on top of it. The car came to a screeching halt as the driver came out, revealing himself as Detective Shining Armor.

“FREEZE! CCPD!” Shining declared.

Sunset smirked, her metallic wings flared out and caused a whirlwind to bellow in all directions. The slayer jumped into the air, and took off like a rocket into the night sky.

Sunset awoke the next morning, not surprisingly, naked. This time, however, she did remember everything that happened. She looked at her right wrist, at the Witchblade, and groaned.

“Question, are you going to shred my clothes, every time I change into that armored form?” Sunset asked.

}}} Not always, but most of the time, yes. {{{

“And what was with that outfit?! You call that armor?! I’ve seen female characters with more protection in fantasy RPG games than what was on me last night!” Sunset accused.

}}} The amount of armor is directly correlated to the level of danger. The enemy was weak, and my ability to heal you was greater than the damage it could cause. So, less armor was required. I assure you, if he was of greater threat to you, I would not have hesitated to cover you completely. {{{

“Great, so, most of the time, I’m going to look like a warrior slut, great.”

}}} I would take care of how you speak. Many women before you have worn that armor and have etched their names into history as legends! {{{

“Maybe wherever you’re from,” said Sunset. “If Rarity was still talking to me I could ask her to make me some extra sets of clothes…cause at this rate, my wardrobe’s not going to be able to take it.”

“SUNSET, COME DOWN, QUICK!” Celestia called.

Sunset opened the drawers, put on a pair of panties and a baggy shirt and made her way downstairs. She found Celestia in the living room, and unsurprisingly, she also found Vice Principal Luna in there as well. Not that it was that big of a surprise for her, apparently the two shared the living expenses by living together, and since the house as in close proximity to CHS, it was better than either of them commuting further and living in separate places.

Celestia had the TV on the news, which seemed to be reporting on last night’s events.

{We’re now going to our breaking news this morning as the police have confirmed that the man suspected in the Mystery Murders has been killed. According to sources, the man seen here: Beetle Underwood, was the culprit}

The news brought up an actual picture of the man and then put up the forensic sketch, it was a perfect match.

{Mr. Underwood was an Entomologist at the Canterlot University of Higher Learning, but was fired due to allegations of sexual misconduct with his students. Mr. Underwood, according to police reports, had tried to attack one of his victims that had managed to get away during the night. He was then shot and killed by the father of the victim while caught breaking and entering.}

Sunset’s brow furrowed. Wait…what? Shot and killed? That’s not what happened! Oh…I get it, cover up. Don’t want to freak out the public that there’s a girl with metal blades coming out of her body or that he turned into a monster.

Celestia released a sigh of relief. “Well, at least it’s over. I can’t imagine how Pinkie Pie is feeling, to be attacked twice in two days by the same person.”

“Indeed, but as you said. It’s over, he’s dead and is no longer a threat to her,” Luna turned her head and looked at Sunset, “nor to you, Sunset.”

Sunset smiled nervously. “Yeah, thank god.”

{Unfortunately, while this part of the Murder Mysteries has been solved, we in the media as well as some in law enforcement believe that Beetle Underwood is not responsible for all the killings going on in the city.}

“Say, WHAT?!” Sunset exclaimed.

The scene switched to Shining Armor, who was in front of Pinkie Pie’s house as he was giving a statement to the reporters. {It’s true that Mr. Underwood was responsible for this act, but until we can cross reference with the other crimes that have been committed in the city, we can’t say that this case is closed. We can’t rule out that Mr. Underwood might be a copycat killer.}

{But Detective Armor, the ways in which the killer has left various crime scenes, wouldn’t this indicate that there are not one, but multiple murderers? Seeing as how the method changes from victim to victim?} a reporter asked.

{That’s one of many theories we’re currently running with right now. The task force is dedicated to solving these murders and bringing the culprit or culprits to justice.}

Sunset gripped the sofa hard. So…there might be more monsters out there. The flame haired girl looked at her wrist and narrowed her gaze. Guess we’re not done yet…

Author's Notes:

Case Closed

Case File 2-1 (The Harpy): First Day of School

Almost a week had passed since that night, and things haven’t exactly gotten any less peaceful. The man, Beetle Underwood, was gone and would never hurt Pinkie again, Sunset made sure of that. But, the Mystery Murders continued, some would say that they increased a little with the recent death of Beetle Underwood. However, Sunset couldn’t do anything about that, not now at least.

Today was Sunday, and as promised, Sunset had her slumber party with Pinkie Pie. Although, given that Pinkie’s room was demolished – partially Sunset’s fault – the duo had to have the party at Sunset’s home. Now that Underwood was dead, they no longer required police protection, and if Sunset was going to be honest, she much preferred living alone. She liked Principal Celestia, but living with her was too much of a reminder of the Princess Celestia she turned her back on in Equestria.

Instead of just coming over, Pinkie Pie opted to stay with Sunset for the weekend, making it an extended slumber party. Sunset was pretty sure that the other reason was due to what happened, Pinkie wouldn’t show it, but she had been through something traumatic. She tried to not let what happened keep her down, and for the most part she was, but being around Sunset seemed to make her feel calmer and more assured. Sunset wasn’t going to argue if that was the reason or not, the fact that she had at least one of her friends back, and was enjoying a simple slumber party with them was more than enough reason to let Pinkie Pie stay over.

Both girls were in the middle of playing a fighting game, with Pinkie showing off her mad button mashing skills, but the whole time they were playing, Sunset was thinking. With the acquisition of the Witchblade, Sunset knew that she had to be the one to stop these murders, but she lacked the investigative power to actually look into these cases. Well, not entirely. I could cross reference all the known crimes, revisit crime scenes, and scour the internet for some info. But…

“Sunset?”

The flame haired girl turned to her right and saw that Pinkie Pie was giving her a concerned look. “Y-Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah, totally,” she lied.

Pinkie Pie paused the game and sighed. “You don’t have to lie, I know you’re thinking about something.”

“Uh…h-how could you tell?” Sunset asked.

“You get this little crease in your forehead whenever you’re thinking super hard on something…riiiiiiiight…there!” Pinkie used her left index finger and put it right in the middle of Sunset’s forehead.

Sunset groaned, but then chuckled in amusement, causing Pinkie to chuckle too.

“Are you thinking about tomorrow?” Pinkie asked.

“Tomorrow?”

“We have to go back to school tomorrow. It was nice of Principal Celestia to let us stay home for this long,” Pinkie hugged her legs to her chest, “but we can’t avoid going back.”

Sunset sighed heavily as she looked up at her ceiling. “I know…I’m not looking forward to it that much. Anon-A-Miss hasn’t stopped, I’ve been checking.” Sunset raised her cellphone up and opened the MyStable page for Anon-A-Miss. “Some are saying that I faked the whole thing, that I was using your trauma to try and get sympathy for myself.”

Pinkie turned to Sunset with wide eyes. “B-But that’s a lie! You were there, and…and you were hurt! I-I don’t know why you’re okay – I don’t really care how – but, y’know?!”

Sunset put her cellphone down. “It doesn’t matter what the truth is, Pinkie. So long as they believe that I’m Anon-A-Miss, anything I say will be a lie, even if you back me up. When we go back tomorrow, I don’t want you trying to defend me, or convincing anyone that I was there.”

“But…Sunset…”

Sunset turned to face Pinkie. “It’s not that I don’t want you to, believe me, I’d love to have someone advocating for my innocence.”

“But –!”

“But,” Sunset interrupted, “if Anon-A-Miss is at the school, he or she will target anyone that looks like they’re trying to help me. They’ll spread lies about you, make people distrust you as much as they are me. You’ve been through enough this week, I don’t want you getting hurt because of some invisible asshole who’s too afraid to just face me!”

Pinkie didn’t like it, she didn’t like knowing that Sunset was about to walk into a place where everyone was going to be attacking her, enemies from every direction, and not one ally. And to help her, would mean being labeled as her accomplice.

“Promise me that you won’t try and convince anyone, okay?” Sunset asked.

Pinkie nodded. “Okay…”

Sunset looked at the clock and saw that it was already ten at night. “Let’s hit the hay, we have a ‘fun’ day ahead…”

Pinkie was the first to go and wash up in Sunset’s bathroom, emerging a few minutes later and allowing Sunset to do the same.

}}} You’re on edge. {{{

“Gee, ya think?”

}}} Just know that we are one, you can cut down whoever tries to do you harm. {{{

Sunset splashed some water on her face and sighed. “Yeah, not really going to start a killing spree in my school with a supernatural artifact. Almost did that once, not ever doing that again. So, from tomorrow onward, unless I say so, you’re not going to react to anything!”

}}} ………Elaborate. {{{

“Look, there are people who are going to be shoving me around, writing shit on my locker, and some are probably going to be looking to fight me. I’ve either avoided, ignored, or when I did get into a fight, sidestep them as much as possible and let them hurt themselves. Works for the most part, but not always. So, I want your word that you won’t react or attack anyone! Or make that skimpy armor appear!”

}}} Humph, please, I wouldn’t waste a full armor transformation for the likes of a mortal. Maybe an army. But otherwise you needn’t fear that happening. {{{

Sunset brushed her teeth, rinsed, and spat out the remainder into the sink. “Good. So long as you understand. And, look, I’m grateful that you saved me, and that you allowed me the power to kill him. But, please, at least understand what I’m going through. You can see my memories can’t you?”

}}} ……I can. And I don’t like what I see. You remind me of a bearer I once had. She was the definition of a Saint. She fought entire armies for the sake of her people, and in the end, because the people loved her, those with power made the very people who she saved turn against her, and burned her alive under the accusation of being a witch. {{{

Sunset looked at the Witchblade incredulously. “You just let her burn and you didn’t save her?!”

}}} Much like you, she didn’t want to retaliate against her people. Her faith and resolve kept me from acting, and in the end, I lost my bearer. As I said, your actions remind me of her, a little. {{{

“Sorry.” Sunset turned off the faucet. “She sounded like a remarkable woman.”

}}} She was, but she was not the only one. My bearers have gone on to make legends of themselves, their heroic feats spoken only in myths and tales. In this age, it will be jotted down as history, in the future, it will be another legend that the old tell their young. {{{

Sunset smiled as she finished up. “Please, I’m not trying to be legendary…I just want to atone for my sins the best I can.”

The flame haired girl exited the bathroom, and saw all but the upstairs lights were on. She looked down to the couch and saw that Pinkie’s sleeping bag was empty. Sunset ascended the stairs and saw that Pinkie was waiting for her in her bed.

“I thought…maybe we could share the bed this time? You know, instead of sleeping downstairs in sleeping bags?” Pinkie suggested.

Sunset wasn’t going to lie, she was bi. Being a pony, where the female to male ratio was like three to one, ponies had developed into more bisexual or in some cases pansexual beings. So, right now, Sunset was very aware of how…attractive Pinkie looked right now.

Her favorite PJs were wrecked thanks to Underwood, and honestly, Sunset was sure that Pinkie wasn’t going to wear those again after what happened. So, the party girl opted for an oversized white t-shirt, with her signature three balloons on it, problem was, that underneath that was nothing more than Pinkie’s bright pink panties. Sunset wasn’t an idiot, even when she was her old self, she would notice how attractive the girls were, and now after being friends with them, that attractiveness just increased, but was normally kept at the back of her mind due to their budding friendships.

However, right now, tonight, after everything that had happened this week, Sunset felt a bit closer to Pinkie. And there were studies done that two people who had been through a life or death experience together do tend to have increased sex drives. Sunset mentally slapped herself. Get it together Shimmer! Don’t think about her like that! It’s Pinkie Pie for fuck’s sake!

“Ahem…uh, sure, that’s fine with me, Pinks,” said Sunset in as nonchalant a manner as she could muster.

Pinkie Pie smiled and scooted over to let Sunset lay down. For point of reference, Sunset was wearing a red tank top with black boxers. The flame haired teen sat at the edge of her bed and glanced over to Ray. The little lizard seemed to be smirking at his owner in a very, “Lucky girl”, kind of way.

Bite me, Ray.

Sunset turned off the light and she slipped into bed. The room was dark for a moment until Sunset’s eyes adjusted to the dark, she noticed that happened faster than usual lately, most likely due to the Witchblade’s power enhancing her body. An hour passed and Sunset was barely asleep, her mind still racing about what could happen tomorrow. Just then, her body stiffened up as she felt Pinkie Pie turn to her. The pink girl’s arm draped over Sunset’s middle, bringing her closer effectively spooning her.

“Uh…P-Pinkie, you awake?” Sunset whispered.

All she could hear was the soft and steady breathing of Pinkie as she slumbered. Sunset felt Pinkie hold her tighter, and of course, that brought Pinkie’s warm breasts to press against her back. The former unicorn mare blushed at the sensation, to be fair, Sunset felt she had an impressive bust, C-cup bordering on D-cup. But, ahem, out of their group of friends, if it was a contest of who had the biggest rack, then Pinkie and Fluttershy tied for first. Both sported, plump, rounded Ds bordering on Es, and right now those two Ds were pressed against Sunset’s back. Sunset swallowed hard, the sensation, while awkward, was strangely not unwelcomed. The pony turned human was about to say something when she heard Pinkie murmuring.

“I’m sorry……Don’t be mad……don’t leave……Sunset……”

There was a wetness felt on her back, and the sounds of sniffling. All of the tension disappeared in that moment for Sunset, Pinkie was scared, and she just wanted to be close to Sunset right now. Sunset scooted closer and placed her right hand over Pinkie’s, she was trembling. How did I not notice that? Thankfully, the moment Sunset touched her hand the trembling stopped. Somehow, this reassurance made Sunset feel more relaxed. She was going to miss this when Pinkie returned home.

}}} I don’t disapprove. She’s quite attractive. {{{

Shut it you!

The morning sun rose way too fast in Sunset’s opinion, despite knowing that this world did not have a living deity that controlled the sun and moon, it was times like this that made her wonder if that was true.

Sunset and Pinkie awoke and got ready for school. Unfortunately, due to the state that Sunset’s bike was in – by which I mean it was only good for scrap metal – Sunset resorted to taking the bus. Celestia had offered to drive Sunset to and from school, but with the heat of Anon-A-Miss, it was better that Principal Celestia didn’t show any special treatment to her. The last thing Sunset wanted was to cause more trouble for another Celestia.

The bus ride took a few minutes, but Sunset wasn’t unused to it, before she got her bike, this was her mode of transportation. The bus came to a halt at one of its designated spots, and Sunset rose to get off.

“Wait, we still have one more stop before we’re at the school!” Pinkie stated hastily.

“It’s not that far a walk from here, besides, remember what we talked about. I don’t need Anon-A-Miss targeting you too. Just meet up with the girls and just do whatever, I’ll be fine.”

In spite of the reassurance, Pinkie was still worried. She nodded to Sunset and watched her as she got off.

Sunset stood at the bus stop until the hulking vehicle drove away. She stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets and huffed as she began her walk. Sunset hated to admit it, but she had become spoiled in her time as a human. When she was a pony, Sunset would teleport, walk, or run to any place in Canterlot or in the palace. But, with the convenience of vehicles, buses, taxis, and ride shares, Sunset’s need to run and walk to any place had been drastically changed. It wasn’t that she detested walking, she just detested it during the winter months, and during rainstorms, and heat waves…so, yeah.

The long walk eventually came to an end when Sunset saw CHS in the distance. She took steady, calming breaths, steeling her nerves and hardening her skin – metaphorically speaking – for what was to come. Sunset approached the school, and the moment she stepped onto the quad, it felt like on oppressive miasma washed over her. The students had been divided, some returning to their cliques, others only sticking around those whom they thought they could trust, or just completely staying away from others and isolating themselves.

Of course, there was only one unifying thing that made them forget each other, and right now Sunset was drawing the eyes of everyone single person there. Before her fall, she was used to seeing fear in the eyes of the students, some anger, but more fear. When she fell, the students would look upon her with suspicion and glares of anger. After the Battle of the Bands, most of those glares had been erased and were replaced with smiles and warm greetings. Now though, if she wasn’t being verbally accosted, she was receiving glares, like hundreds of daggers stabbing her in every direction. The animosity that had been kicked up was palpable, as if at any moment the students would descend upon Sunset and essentially lynch her.

It was enough to make her sick. Not only were they willing to believe these lies, but that the person who started all this wanted this to happen and was getting some sick kicks from causing harm to others so that they could harm her indirectly. Thinking about it made Sunset tighten her fists in her jacket pockets.

Coward, if you have a beef with me then come on out and do something! Yell at me! Beat me up! But making everyone else miserable just to attack me?

Just then, Sunset felt something. Now that she was equipped with the Witchblade, Sunset’s senses had been heightened significantly. For one thing, her spacial awareness had been expanded, allowing her to sense things in a perfect three-sixty degree radius. It was due to this increased sensing ability that Sunset felt something approaching her at high speeds, and by the feel of it and the sound, it sounded like a snowball, but at the same time, it felt heavy.

Sunset sidestepped to the right, moving with great speed as she snatched the snowball out of the air just as it was about to pass her by. The students assembled in the quad all gasped at the show of speed and precision, Sunset hadn’t even crushed the snowball when she grasped it. The former Equestrian noted that the snowball was indeed heavier than a snowball should be, she crushed it in her hand in full view of everyone, and when she did, she scowled.

Sunset thrust her fist forward and dropped the object that was inside the snowball. It was a rock, it clattered against the cement walkway, it was decent sized rock, had it hit Sunset at the speed it was going it would’ve surely gave her a cut, or if she was unlucky, hit her in the temple and knock her out.

“I know whoever threw that’s not brave enough to step forward, so I’ll say this. The next time you try that, I won’t catch it, and if it hits someone when I dodge it, that’s on you.”

Sunset made sure to look everyone in the eyes as she said that, noticing that some had the decency to feel ashamed or were even shocked that there was a rock in the snowball. The redhead huffed and then continued her walk into the school.

Sunset entered the hallway, and the reception was no less unpleasant inside than it was outside. Unlike before, the mere presence of Sunset Shimmer was enough to make people part like the Red Sea whenever she walked down the hallway. Now, it was like to push through a crowded subway. It was as if the student body just realized the simple fact that they were many and she was one, Sunset almost laughed. Had they realized this fact back when she first arrived, maybe her plans, indeed all her actions up to this point, would have never happened. But, now they were united in a common hate of one person, as misplaced as it was.

Sunset continued to push through the crowds, nearly getting tripped in the process, three times. When she made it to her locker, Sunset found that her fellow peers didn’t waste any time in decorating her locker while she and Pinkie were out. The locker was vandalized with graffiti, the words “She-Demon”, “Manipulator”, “Bitch”, “Slut”, and a number of other things were either scratched, painted, or written on the locker door. Sunset wondered if they messed with anything? She had switched from a key lock to a combination lock to make it harder for people to break in, they’d have to take a bolt cutter to it if they wanted to get in. Sunset inspected the locker and could not find any signs of forced entry.

Regardless, she couldn’t leave anything to chance. Sunset put in her combination, hunching over the lock to ensure that no one saw her combination. Once it was unlocked, Sunset stood to the side and opened the door. Nothing happened. In the months of Anon-A-Miss, Sunset had stink bombs left inside, insects from the biology lab, and someone had been elaborate enough to set up a spring loaded boxing glove that nearly nailed Sunset in the gut. But, surprisingly, there was nothing.

Sunset began changing out her books for the classes of the day, she was about done when she heard the sound of a fist slamming against the locker beside her. She had long since lost the ability to be shocked or surprised by the action and loud sound, just as she wasn’t surprised when she saw who was on her left.

Standing at an impressive six feet and two inches, was Gilda Lionheart. She wore a dark brown leather coat, with a white fur collar, black steel toed boots and dark denim jeans. Her complexion was a golden brown, with white feathery hair, her bangs tipped with purple coloring. Her eyes were a piercing yellow, with purple eyeshadow, she scowled at Sunset, her presence meant to be intimidating.

“Gilda.”

“Look who’s back, the Queen Bitch herself,” said Gilda.

Sunset stood back, and just as predicted, her locker door was slammed shut as another person appeared on her left. That other person was someone Sunset knew through Rainbow Dash, her name was Lightning Dust. She had goldenrod colored spiky hair, and had a turquoise colored complexion. She wore black, fingerless gloves on her hands, a black leather jacket over a blue hoodie, and a dark blue denim jeans. Her eyes were the same golden color as her hair, and bore malice.

“Lightning. Can we not do this early in the morning? I’ve had a hell of a week and I just want to get through this Monday,” said Sunset.

“Oh, what? You mean that whole bullshit about you getting attacked?” Gilda asked mockingly.

“Please, don’t make excuses, Shimmer. You were just trying to avoid coming here to take your lumps, like a fucking coward, Anon-A-Miss,” Lightning accused.

Sunset grit her teeth behind pursed lips as she grunted, “I am not Anon-A-Miss.”

Gilda swiftly grabbed a fistful of Sunset’s jacket and pushed her against the locker. Sunset felt a stirring on her wrist, the Witchblade was reacting, she looked down and saw that small strands of metal were creeping out, like vipers waiting to strike at a moment’s notice.

“Do you think anyone here believes that shit?! Who else has the skills to find out the kind of stuff you’ve been posting?! Huh?! Talking shit about my family!” Gilda accused.

“Or spreadin’ some bullshit about my old man abusing me?! What kind of sick fuck are you?!” Lightning added.

}}} They are starting to annoy me… {{{

Sunset briefly glanced to the Witchblade. Don’t you dare! They’re just being stupid!

“Did you ever stop to think that it might be someone with a grudge against me, trying to make me a target? Don’t you get it?! By doing all this you’re playing into Anon-A-Miss’ hands! They’re practically turning you and everyone into their puppets, and the last time I checked, you weren’t one to let yourself be so easily manipulated, Gilda!”

Gilda grit her teeth as she readied to punch Sunset.

“What’s going on here?!”

The students parted when they saw the teacher, Ms. Harshwhinny, appear in the hallway. The woman was known for being stern, so most did not cross her. Her blue eyes scanned the scene before her and her scowl deepened. “Ms. Lionheart, I know you weren’t about to assault a fellow student in the halls of this school, were you?”

Gilda blinked and stuttered as she said, “Uh…I mean…no, no ma’am!”

“That was a rhetorical question. Report to detention!” Ms. Harshwhinny ordered. Her eyes then fell on Lightning Dust. “And you as well Ms. Dust.”

Lightning looked at the teacher incredulously. “What?! Why?! I didn’t do anything!”

“Guilt by association, now let’s go!”

Gilda released Sunset and looked her in the eyes as she said, “This isn’t over, Anon-A-Miss.”

Lighting walked by and added, “We’ll see you soon, Anon-A-Miss.”

Once Gilda and Lightning left, the rest of the students went back to their activities as if nothing had happened.

}}} This “Anon-A-Miss”, I might rescind my earlier statement about not wasting my full armor on a mortal. {{{

Buckle up, the day just started…

Pinkie Pie sat with her friends at lunch, and just as she predicted, the school was not any better than it was when Winter Break started. Everyone was on edge, with their secrets spilled, friendships were fractured, smiles were far and few between. But, the worst part of all of this, was seeing Sunset alone.

The flame haired girl sat at a table in the center of the lunch room, Pinkie figured that it made it easier for Sunset to see who was coming towards her, a table close to a wall would make it too easy for her to get ganged up on and driven into a corner. But it also served another purpose, Sunset made it so that everyone could watch her every move.

How could I let her stay like that…? It’s like she’s on an island with a raging sea all around her. And not the fun kind with coconuts, a sparkling lagoon, and monkeys getting into hijinks either!

“Pinkie, are you okay?”

The curly haired girl turned to her right and saw Fluttershy give her a worried look. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine!”

“Honestly, darling, if you’re not feeling well do tell us or the teachers. After what you’ve been through, you needn’t push yourself,” said Rarity.

Pinkie put on a smile, a forced one, as she said, “Nah, I needed to see you guys! Besides, my room’s a mess, so I really can’t do much there.”

“Ah just can’t believe y’all got attacked by some sorta demon monster! What the hell is goin’ on lately?” Applejack asked with concern.

“Yeah, about that,” Rainbow leaned in, “what exactly happened? A monster doesn’t just die that easily from some gunshots, what really happened?”

Fluttershy glared at Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie went through something terrible! If she doesn’t want to talk about it, don’t ask her!”

Pinkie Pie waved her hand gently as she said, “No, it’s okay, not talking about doesn’t help. I read somewhere that keeping things like that inside and not saying anything is really bad for you. So…what happened was…”

The party girl told her friends what happened that night, everything. Rainbow and Applejack had furious expressions upon their faces upon hearing of the monster’s molestation of their friend, while Rarity and Fluttershy were beside themselves with shock. Then she told them about the person who came to save her, another monster. She told them of how it dragged Underwood out of her room and fought him on her front lawn, and how that same monster killed him. To say that her friends were shocked would be an understatement.

“W-Why the hell didn’t the cops say that on the news?!” Rainbow asked.

“Think about it, Dash. How would it sound if they went around sayin’ there are monsters killin’ people, and that there was another one that killed the other? They’d either think they were crazy or hidin’ somethin’,” said Applejack.

“A-And…are we sure that this isn’t, ahem, Equestria related? Like the Sirens?” Rarity asked.

“Who knows?” Rainbow answered.

“Sunset might…” Fluttershy whispered.

Rarity and Applejack looked to each other upon hearing their former friends name. They were still angry with the girl whom they thought was their friend, but they had to admit, she was the only one in this world who had any knowledge about the mystical creatures that resided in her home dimension, that, and she was the only one with access to the magic journal that allowed them to talk to Princess Twilight.

“No effing way! We’re not asking for help from her!” Rainbow stated.

“Look, Rainbow, Ah ain’t keen on the idea either. But if this is Equestrian Magic related, then the only way to deal with it is to get Sunset’s help,” said Applejack.

“No! We could always ask Princess Twilight!” Rainbow shot back.

“But, Sunset’s the one with the journal, we can’t talk to Princess Twilight,” Fluttershy pointed out.

Rainbow slammed her hands on the table, startling the yellow girl. “Then we’ll just make her give it up! Once we tell her what’s going on, she'll totally be onboard!”

Rarity tapped her fingers against the table. “Oh yes, and how do you suppose that conversation will go? Princess Twilight, darling, how’s everything in your kingdom?! By the way, we’re currently experiencing a rash of murders that we believe are being committed by demonic beasts! Would you happen to know if there are any such things in your world? Why hasn’t Sunset contacted you? Oh that’s because we forced her to hand over the journal because we don’t trust her anymore!”

“W-Wait…you’re not seriously think about asking Sunset to hand over her journal, are you?” Pinkie asked with concern.

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and closed her eyes in thought. “Maybe, I mean, after all this Anon-A-Miss crap, I’d say she’s lost the right to talk to Princess Twilight. Plus, she could be messaging her and telling her all kinds of lies about what’s happening.”

Pinkie lost a bit of her cool as she stood up and said, “Did you guys forget what I told you?! Sunset saved my life! She sacrificed herself so that I could live! I saw her get hurt! It happened right in front of me! I still…” Pinkie’s eyes began to water. “I can still remember the warmth of her blood on my cheek and on my hand…”

The girls noticed that Pinkie Pie was trembling as she recalled the memory, a look of guilt spread through the table. Pinkie wasn’t one to make up something like that, and the tears she was shedding were not fake.

Fluttershy stood up and wrapped her arms around Pinkie. “It’s okay…we’re sorry. But Sunset’s okay, she’s over there.”

Pinkie sniffled again. “She’s alive, but she’s far from ‘okay’. As long as this Anon-A-Miss keeps telling people's secrets and spreading lies, no one’s going to be ‘okay’.”

“It’ll stop when she stops,” said Rainbow. “Seriously, who else could’ve gotten those pictures?! We were all in the same room, and Sunset was the only one with them on her cellphone! Plus, she somehow got the ones from Rarity’s phone, which again, we were all in the same room!”

Pinkie gently removed herself from Fluttershy’s embrace and stared defiantly at Rainbow. “I-I don’t know how those got out…! I’m just as confused as you all are…but…I just…I just know that it’s not her!”

Rarity blinked in surprise. “Pinkie, dear, I don’t doubt that Sunset saved your life, but Anon-A-Miss is still spreading rumors, even during those days you were out.”

Pinkie rubbed her eyes and put on a serious face. “Well…I’m tired of being mad at her. I’m tired and I don’t want to be mad, actually, I’m not mad at all! You know what, I believe her!”

The girls’ jaws dropped upon hearing this declaration. Pinkie then took her tray of food and proceeded to walk towards Sunset’s table. The other students watched as the premier party planner of CHS approached Sunset’s table, much to Sunset’s surprise. She then sat down and smiled happily at Sunset as she began eating her lunch.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?” Sunset asked.

“Eating my lunch,” said Pinkie happily.

“I can see that, but why are you eating your lunch at this table?”

“Do I need a reason to eat lunch with my friend?” Pinkie asked.

Sunset wanted to protest, she wanted to put on a show and yell at Pinkie to make everyone think that this wasn’t okay, but her protest was slowly fading as she watched Pinkie sit there and eat, her smile not wavering in the slightest. She knew what she was doing, and didn’t care.

“Anon-A-Miss is going to make up lies about anyone who helps you, you said so. No point in delaying the inevitable, you gonna eat that cookie? Dibs!”

Pinkie snatched Sunset’s chocolate chip cookie and began munching on it. Sunset couldn’t help but smile, yes, Anon-A-Miss might target Pinkie Pie now, but Pinkie knew the consequences, and didn’t care.

}}} I like her. You should consider her for a mate. {{{

Sunset’s face turned beet red upon hearing the Witchblade’s suggestion. I don’t think of her that way, okay?! She’s my friend!

}}} I didn’t hear a “no”. {{{

Sunset face palmed.

Sunset managed to get through the rest of the day relatively unscathed. All that was left for her to do was to go and change out her books at her locker, take the bus, plop on the couch, go to bed, wake up, and do it all over again. Rinse, dry, repeat. Sunset sighed heavily, she needed to find out who Anon-A-Miss was, but her resources were limited, not only that, but her list of suspects were more than a mile long, and no one in the school was exactly up for helping her investigate since they all pegged her as the guilty one. Well, correction, one person was willing to help.

}}} Look out! {{{

Unfortunately, Sunset’s inner thoughts distracted her from noticing that someone was coming at her. The redheaded teen was violently shoved into one corner of the hallway, a little caddy corner hall that was a dead end of lockers, no doors, one way in, one way out, and right now, that out was being guarded by two familiar girls.

Sunset picked herself up off the floor and growled in frustration. “Gilda, Lightning, I seriously don’t want to do this right now.”

“Tough titties, because it’s happening,” said Gilda.

“Aren’t you both supposed to be in detention?” Sunset asked.

“Slipped out just to see you,” said Lightning as she cracked her knuckles. “No more of you talking shit, Shimmer. Either take down the account, or else.”

Sunset sighed heavily as she slid off her backpack and kicked it behind her. “I’d love to, in fact, if I possessed the resources, I’d send a virus to take down all of MyStable! Sadly, I don’t, just like I don’t have the means to take down the account because IT ISN’T ME!”

Gilda cracked her neck. “Always gotta do things the hard way, huh, Shimmer?!”

The tall teen rushed in, taking a swing at Sunset. The former Equestrian stepped away from the attack, time seemed to slow down for Sunset, her enhanced reflexes and thought processing allowed her to see how Gilda was going to attack, which she then gave a slight push onto Gilda’s back with her right hand, making Gilda fall forward and ram against the lockers.

Lightning came in next, about to throw a haymaker, Sunset moved to the left and stuck out her foot just as Lightning Dust passed her by. The turquoise teen’s foot got tripped up, sending Lightning tumbling to the floor until she hit the lockers.

Sunset knew the Witchblade had to be giving her a boost, Gilda may’ve been tall and muscular, but she was by no means slow, no, Gilda was deceptively quick for someone her size, even more so when she was in a fight. Lightning was the same as Rainbow Dash, both excelled at sports, but Lightning had a nasty habit of pushing her body harder than others, which did lead to her being exceptionally fast and strong, but did also led her to receive a fair share of injuries to go with them. Sunset wasn’t a slacker either, without magic, Sunset had to learn how to defend herself, so she watched several ViewTube videos as well as read as many books as she could about self-defense, kickboxing, and other forms of martial arts. Sunset’s speed was honed over her first couple of years in the human world as a homeless girl, if you weren’t fast and constantly aware of your surroundings, you could end up dead. Which wasn’t that much different from the current situation.

Sunset looked over her shoulder and saw a crowd of students had effectively plugged up the exit and were filling the halls on both ends. If the teachers were coming, there was no way they were going to get to her as quickly as she would’ve liked.

Gilda shook her head and then charged in again, she threw punches wildly, cutting the air with each strike. Sunset managed to dodge each one, but she was quickly noticing that she was being forced back into the crowd, and Sunset figured that they were in no hurry to allow Sunset a way out. But worse than that, if Sunset used the same tactic again, Gilda’s swings could end up hurting someone.

The former unicorn watched as one of Gilda’s punches came at her, but she quickly caught the tan woman by the wrist, surprising Gilda. “Enough, Gilda! I don’t want to fight you! If you keep this up, you’ll hurt yourself or someone else!”

Gilda threw another punch with her left hand, but Sunset caught that as well. “You think that matters right now?! We’re doing what they don’t have the guts to do! And that’s putting a stop to Anon-A-Miss!”

“Yeah! Go, Gilda!”

“Kick her ass!”

“Don’t hold back!”

Sunset heard them, the students were actually cheering on Gilda and Lightning, they really wanted them to beat her up. All because of Anon-A-Miss, this was all that damn account’s, fault. All Sunset wanted was to live in peace with her new friends, to learn the joys and lessons that friendship could bring, but no. All of that was shattered, her fragile trust that Sunset had been building up was dashed like glass against a cliff side.

Gilda took advantage of Sunset’s dismay, rearing back her head and then lurching forward into a headbutt. Gilda’s forehead smacked Sunset right between the eyes, causing Sunset to yelp and release Gilda. The tall teen delivered a punch to Sunset’s gut, slightly lifting her off the ground, and then followed up with the left hook across her face.

Lightning came up behind Gilda and struck Sunset on the opposite cheek with a right hook. Gilda quickly got behind Sunset, getting her arms under Sunset’s pits and locking her up. Lightning took advantage of this and began to wail on Sunset, turning her into a punching bag. All the while, the Witchblade’s ruby gemstone was pulsing, the metal squirming like a cornered cobra that was just itching to strike.

}}} That is enough! {{{

NO! Don’t activate!

}}} I will not standby and allow my wielder to subject herself to this! {{{

Fucking Anon-A-Miss…this pain…these cheers…all of it because of Anon-A-Miss…!

“I’m…not…her…”

Lightning stopped. “What’d you say?”

Sunset’s head rose up and her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits that made Lightning take a step back. “I. AM. NOT. ANON-A-MISS!” Sunset used the leverage that Gilda gave her and reared up her legs and thrust them forward, donkey kicking Lightning in the chest and sending her falling to the floor.

The shift in momentum caused Gilda’s grip to loosen and allowed Sunset to get her right arm loose. Sunset drove her elbow into Gilda’s gut, and then followed up with a hammer back fist right into Gilda’s womanhood.

“SON OF BITCH!” Gilda screamed in pain as she finally let go of Sunset. “FUCK!”

Sunset swept Gilda’s legs from under her, making the tan girl fall forward onto the floor. With great speed, Sunset ground her knee into Gilda’s back as she took Gilda’s right arm and pulled back, effectively pinning her to the floor.

“Goddammit! You seriously cunt punched me?! Dammit that hurt you bitch! AAH!” Sunset bent Gilda’s arm at further back, silencing her.

“Not as much as me dislocating your arm, willing to make a bet?!” Sunset threatened. “I’m done!” She then looked towards the crowd who had stopped their cheering. “You hear me?! I’m through! I’m not the one who’s doing this, but I promise you, Anon-A-Miss, because I know you’re in that crowd watching this, getting your rocks off to seeing us tear each other apart, that when I find you, you’re going to wish that you were never born!”

The crowd seemed visibly shaken by Sunset’s declaration, causing the others to murmur amongst themselves wondering for the first time if Anon-A-Miss was someone else, and if that someone was in the crowd with them?

“Fuck that…” Lightning coughed as she rose back to her feet. “That’s just like you, Shimmer…playing the victim and throwing us off your scent! You’re just trying to confuse us by making us think it’s someone else, so like you! But ya know what…? We ain’t buyin’ it!”

Sunset was about to say something when Lightning, in a surprising display of speed, tackled Sunset right off of Gilda. The flame haired girl was about to retaliate, but then felt Lightning’s hands wrap around her throat. Sunset’s eyes widened as she felt Lightning immediately tighten her grip and constrict her windpipe. She grabbed Lightning’s arms, but for some reason was having a hard time making her let go, even with her enhanced strength.

Lightning straddled Sunset’s stomach as she leaned forward and applied more pressure. Sunset’s legs were flailing about behind Lightning as Sunset continued to struggle against her.

The crowd’s enthusiasm quickly turned to fear as they watched the turquoise teen choke out Sunset Shimmer in front them, she wasn’t beating her up, Lightning was trying to kill her.

Gilda managed to get up from the floor, nursing her hurt right arm, that is until she saw what Lightning was doing. “L-Lightning? Lightning what the hell, stop, that’s enough!” When Lightning didn’t heed her words, Gilda rushed towards her friend and tried to pull her off. “I said that’s enough! Stop it or you’ll fucking kill her!”

Lightning growled as she swiftly took her right hand off of Sunset’s throat and pushed Gilda off, making her slam into the lockers. “SHUT THE FUCK UP! SHE HAS THIS COMING!” Lightning’s hand returned to do its work, she then leaned in close to Sunset as she looked into her eyes. “I bet you like this don’t you fucking slut?! Having a hot girl straddle you and choke you out?! You look like you’d be into this hardcore shit?! Well, are you getting off?! Are you wet down there?!”

}}} That’s it, I’m killing her! {{{

NO…! She’s…wait…what is…? Sunset looked into Lightning’s eyes and noticed that her pupils briefly changed shape, shifting between a rounded “O” to an “X” as a silver glow outlined her irises. Something’s…wrong…

}}} I see it too. Now will you let me come out?! {{{

Just increase my strength, that’s all I need!

The Witchblade didn’t want to do that, it wanted to skewer this girl, but the weapon complied. Sunset’s irises began to take on a slight glow, she even felt a couple of her teeth become sharp like fangs. The familiar heat rose inside her body, invigorating and empowering her. Sunset once again gripped Lightning’s arms and began to pull. Both of their arms shook, but soon, Lightning was letting go. Lightning tried to fight back, but Sunset’s surprising increase in strength was actually overpowering her.

“What…how are you –?!”

“Arrrghaaaah!!!” Sunset yelled as she quickly released Lightning’s right arm and struck Lightning in the face.

The blow sent Lightning flying off her and onto the floor. Sunset got to her knees and coughed violently, taking in raspy gasps of air as she tried to catch her breath. Lightning growled as she got up, but then found herself tackled against the locker by Gilda.

“You’re out of control, Dust! Calm the hell down! You took it too far!” Gilda warned.

“NO! I NEED TO…TO…to…” The glow subsided from her irises as her pupils stopped transitioning and settled back to normal. Lightning looked at Sunset, seeing her clasp at her neck as she struggled to breathe. “Oh shit…did I just…?”

“SUNSET?!” yelled a high-pitched voice.

The crowd finally parted and let Pinkie Pie through, and right behind her were the rest of the girls. They all looked upon the scene before them, Sunset on the ground, a visible bruise forming around her neck, blood dripping from her mouth as her breathes still sounded raspy.

Pinkie gasped in shock as she quickly dropped to the floor and wrapped her arms around Sunset’s shoulders. “Sunset?! What’s wrong?! What happened to you?!”

Rainbow Dash looked to Sunset and then to Gilda and Lightning, and her face morphed into a scowl. “What the fuck did you two do?!”

“……” Gilda looked away, a look of shame on her face. She wanted to beat up Sunset, but what Lightning did was taking it too far.

“We were getting back at her! What’s it look like?” Lightning stated.

“No shit Sherlock, I can tell that much! But what did you do to make her sound like that?!” Rainbow demanded.

“Lightning Dust tried to choke Sunset out!” someone called out.

The girls all looked at the turquoise teen, anger was prominent on Rainbow and Applejack’s faces, Rarity was disgusted, Fluttershy was speechless along with Pinkie. The yellow teen quickly dropped to the floor as she looked over Sunset.

“Sunset, did you lose consciousness at any time?!” Sunset shook her head. “Okay, just take in slow breathes. In through your nose, and out through your mouth.”

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!”

The kids finally all scattered to allow free roaming through the hallway, and then Vice Principal Luna appeared, her eyes landing on the scene before her.

“Sunset…? What happened to her?!” Luna demanded.

Applejack turned to face the older woman and said, “Gilda and Lightnin’ cornered Sunset and beat her up, and Lightnin’ nearly choked Sunset to death!”

Luna looked upon the two girls in question. “You two are supposed to be in detention. Lightning Dust, you are coming with me to my office, right now. Same with you Ms. Lionheart!”

Gilda released Lightning, but kept a firm grip on her shoulder as they walked over to Luna. The tall teen looked down at Sunset, who managed to look up to meet her gaze. “………Sorry.”

“Can I count on at least one of you to escort Sunset to Nurse Redheart’s office? I will send for my sister and have her meet you there, Sunset,” said Luna.

“We’ll go,” Rainbow answered.

Sunset looked up at Rainbow, surprised that she didn’t hesitate. She looked to Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy, all of whom seemed to be in agreement with Rainbow. Sunset didn’t need to see Pinkie to know that she wasn’t going anywhere. The pink teen helped Sunset get to her feet, in truth she was starting to feel better, the Witchblade’s accelerated healing abilities were already fixing the injuries and erasing the pain.

“This is unbelievable!” Celestia exclaimed.

Sunset was sitting on the examination table as Nurse Redheart looked Sunset over, the bruise was still there, as well as some others. But Sunset was sure that after a few more minutes it’d be completely gone, and thankfully her breathing had gotten better too.

“Well, thankfully you don’t seem too bad off, but just to be safe, I’d recommend going to the hospital to check and make sure there aren’t any internal injuries,” said Redheart.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll be okay, I’m not hurting as much as earlier,” said Sunset.

“Nonsense, I’ll drive you there myself,” said Celestia with finality. “I just…I knew things were bad with Anon-A-Miss, but to actually try and take your life! And no one tried to stop it?!”

Sunset shook her head. “No, Gilda did. When she saw Lightning choking me, she tried to stop her. But Lightning knocked her away. When I got the chance and knocked Lighting off of me, Gilda pinned her against the lockers to make her stop, that’s when the girls showed up.”

Celestia whipped out her cellphone, and Sunset knew what she was going to do.

“Don’t, Principal Celestia, you don’t have to call the cops.”

Celestia scowled at that. “And why not?! Sunset, you were assaulted, and one of them attempted to kill you! That is not something I can overlook, not as your guardian, and certainly not as the Principal of CHS.”

Sunset got off the table and placed her hand gently on Celestia’s arm. “Look…I saw something strange when Lightning Dust was attacking me. I don’t know what it was, but I don’t think she was fully in control at that moment.”

Celestia eyed Sunset with disbelief. “Don’t make excuses for her, Sunset.”

“Look, you can report it as bullying or assault, but not the trying to kill me part! I know you remember the Sirens and how they’re magic controlled everyone here, it’s possible that Lightning was being controlled too, if only for that moment,” said Sunset.

Celestia couldn’t really deny that as a theory, after the magical events that had happened at the school recently, and with the fact that Sunset’s from another dimension of talking magic ponies, such impossibilities shouldn’t be discounted right away, especially with the even more recent attack on Pinkie and Sunset by that monster.

With a reluctant sigh Celestia said, “Alright. I’ll trust you on this. But if this happens again, I will be calling the police.”

“Principal Celestia, you’re not really going to let them off?” Nurse Redheart asked.

“Of course not! For now, I will have them suspended for the next two weeks, have a serious talk with their parents and warn them. However, what is nonnegotiable is that from here on out, I will be driving you to and from school,” Celestia stated.

“What?! No, Principal Celestia, you can’t do that! If everyone sees you doing that then–!”

“I do not care!” Celestia interrupted. “A student of mine is under attack by some unknown person and is inciting the student body into a lynch mob against you. I am also your guardian, and it would be neglectful of me if I didn’t try and ensure your safety. I honestly don’t care how it looks. Do you understand?”

Sunset nodded her head.

“Good, I’ll gather a few things from my office and I’ll be right back so we can head to the hospital.”

With that, Celestia left the office. Sunset sighed heavily as she sat back down on the table. “I don’t need her doing all of that.”

Nurse Redheart giggled. “Celestia’s just trying to help you. I honestly think she secretly wants to be a mother, but has never found the right guy, so with her being your guardian, I think she’s trying to be as good a mother as she can.”

Sunset’s cheeks flushed as she remembered her Princess Celestia. The kind and gentle ruler of Equestria, the goddess who acted like more of a mother to her than actual parents did. She remembered one time when she was calling out to Princess Celestia, instead of saying her name or title, Sunset accidentally said, “Mom!”. Of course, at that time, she said it loud enough for everypony in the court to hear her. Sunset felt so embarrassed in that moment, she wanted to crawl into a hole and die, she just called her teacher, her ruler, “mom”.

Princess Celestia wasn’t even bothered, she smiled, walked over to her, and placed her wing over her as she nuzzled Sunset’s cheek and said, “No need to feel embarrassed my star pupil, I have seen you grow from a little filly to a young mare, and have helped you and nurtured your talent since, if I may be so bold, I have come to think of myself as a second mother to you. So…ahem…I don’t particularly mind you calling me that.”

Sunset not only felt relieved, but overjoyed that Princess Celestia had thought of her as a surrogate daughter. Which only made her betrayal all the more hurtful, till this day, Sunset wasn’t sure if she could face the Princess, not after everything she did. Sunset pushed those thoughts out of her mind for now as she looked down at her right wrist.

I know that wasn’t easy, but thanks for listening to me.

}}} I am not a fan of inaction. I will not tolerate harm to my wielder. {{{

I appreciate that, as much as I appreciate your restraint. But, seriously, when she was choking me, did you see it too or was my mind playing tricks?”

}}} It was no trick, I sensed something in that moment. Something foul. It felt similar to that worm creature. {{{

Sunset’s brow knitted in frustration. More monsters, guess they’re coming to me.

Celestia returned with her coat and purse, and also managed to find Sunset’s backpack. “Ready to go, Sunset?”

Sunset hopped off the table and said, “Yes, Mom – MMPH!” The flame haired girl slapped her hands over her mouth as she realized her mistake, her face glowing red from embarrassment.

Celestia’s eyes widened as her cheeks tinted red. “Oh…um, ahem, I didn’t think you saw…uh, you saw me that way, Sunset.”

“I-I am so sorry! I-I didn’t me to say that! I mean, it just slipped out! I mean, I’m not saying I wouldn’t want you for a mom! You’re really great mom material and………Can we just go to your car now?”

“Y-Yes, let’s do so.” Celestia held the door open and let Sunset exit, saying in a whisper, “And…I wouldn’t mind having you as a daughter, Sunset…”

Celestia closed the door and now Nurse Redheart was alone. She had watched that whole display and sighed. “Those two really need to be more honest with themselves.”

Shining Armor was looking over the details of the last case that fell under the Mystery Murders. A digital board displayed all the known evidence pertaining to the man known as Beetle Underwood.

According to his file, he was fired from his job amidst allegations of sexual misconduct with his female students, that was a couple of months ago, right around when the time the Mystery Murders started to crop up.

Shining didn’t like lying to the news about what actually happened, but honestly, how would it look if they said that the culprits may be monsters? Underwood’s apartment didn’t yield anything useful from what forensics was able to find, other than what you might find from a creep like that. Lots of books on insects, a collection of specimens, some alive and some pinned to a wall. And a separate, password protected hard drive that was filled with numerous videos of porn depicting women getting brutally raped, the unfortunate thing was that they weren’t actors playing a role, they were from a black site that loaded those kinds of videos.

Based on the description that they were given from Ms. Pie, along with the officer, Mr. Pie, his wife, and the rest of their daughters, they were able to recreate an approximation of what Underwood looked like as a monster. Shining opened the victim files, there were many, some dying in the most horrific ways possible, not to mention bizarre. Still, this was part of the job, he had to cross reference the victims, taking into account this “monster’s” physical weapons.

“Let’s go with teens between the ages of nineteen and thirteen,” said Shining Armor as he typed. “Cause of death: rape, puncture wounds.”

Out of the vast number of victims, only four appeared on screen, teen girls, ages sixteen, seventeen, and two eighteen-year-olds. There was a diagram from the coroner's office that had circles drawn around their pelvic, chest, and head, indicating where the most severe trauma was. The crime scene photos weren’t a pretty sight either, it even made some veterans retch. It had gotten to the point that it was mandatory that several empty trashcans were to be stationed around the “War Room” at all times.

The bodies were either mangled, limps twisted, or split open. There was no way to get that level of trauma to a human body in such a short amount of time, and with such force without using a machine or it having been done by an animal. The problem with this whole thing was, despite being able to match at least four victims to the profile of Underwood, that still left many, many more.

“Shining, you still workin’ on that one?”

Shining Armor turned around and saw his partner, Spearhead standing there. He had a bronze complexion, with messy purple hair, crystal blue eyes, and a sandy colored suit with a red tie. “Yeah, still am. Something isn’t sitting right with me.”

“Which part?” he asked as he approached Shining.

“Truthfully, everything. The brass doesn’t want us to tell anyone the real things that are killing people, fine, I get it, don’t want to cause a mass panic. But why are these killings happening. I mean, it all started a couple of months ago. Just all of a sudden, murder, after murder, after murder, not counting kidnappings on top of all that. Until that time, Underwood was a normal-ish guy, and then he turns into a monster and starts raping and murdering women?”

Spearhead shrugged as he sighed. “Wouldn’t be called the ‘Mystery Murders’ if we knew who or what was killing people.”

Shining Armor brought up his dash-cam video, showing the scantily clad armored woman standing there with Underwood’s body on the ground. “Then there’s her.”

Spearhead let a out wolf whistle upon seeing her. “Damn, man, she’s hot. You know, for a monster that is. Looks like someone might have a chance to live out their of those hentai doujin fantasies.”

Shining Armor furrowed his brow as his cheeks turned red. “Dude, shut the hell up about that! You know I have a girlfriend, right?”

“Yeah, and does she know you’re a closet anime weeaboo, comic book nerd?” Spearhead asked.

“Y-Yes, I’m trying to ease her into the anime stuff…”

“Well, looking at all this crap, is like watching one of those horror anime shows. You think this chick is the key somehow?” Spearhead asked.

Shining Armor stared at that still shot of the woman. “Don’t know…yet. Even if the Underwood case is closed, we still have a lot more. Which means we may have more monsters out there, and if we have more monsters…”

“We’re going to need bigger guns,” said Spearhead.

“From what Mr. Pie said, he practically blew Underwood’s head off and he still came back. But this woman somehow manages to kill him.”

Just then, Shining Armor’s cellphone rang, he stepped away from the board and answered the call. “Hello, Detective Shining Armor.”

{Yes, Mr. Armor, this is Ms. Celestia, Sunset Shimmer’s guardian.}

“Oh, Ms. Celestia, is there something the matter?”

{……Well, yes, there is. First, I’d like to know if you ever spoke with your Cyber Crimes Division to look into that account.}

Shining Armor pulled out his notepad and flipped through the pages. “Actually I did, and…I’m sorry to say, Ma’am, they weren’t able to find much.”

{Excuse me?}

“Whoever is behind the account is shielding their IP address somehow, we’ve contacted the company that owns MyStable, they’re currently working with Cyber to find the owner.”

{Detective, is there nothing more that can be done? Sunset was attacked due to this Anon-A-Miss today, and was nearly severely injured! Can’t you…Can’t you have them shut down the account?!}

Shining Armor felt his forehead scrunch with anger. “As bad as this sounds, that’s good. I’ll look into it in the morning, now that there’s been a physical assault against Sunset, we can use that as leverage to have the site shut down the account or they risk getting charged as an accessory to assault or gross negligence.”

{Thank you Detective Armor, I know you’re doing more important work right now, but…I don’t know what else to do to help her and keep my students safe.}

“It’s no problem, it’s the whole reason why I got into law enforcement, to protect the innocent from people who seek to harm them. Goodbye Ms. Celestia.”

{Goodbye, and thanks again.}

Shining Armor hung up his phone and then paused for a moment. He turned around and looked at the image of the armor clad monster. “Hey, Spearhead, what did you say working this case was like?”

“Um, like watching one of those horror anime. Why?” Spearhead asked.

Shining Armor hummed as he turned away and grabbed a tablet. “No reason…” he entered his password and entered the name “Sunset Shimmer” into the database search bar. “…or maybe there is?”

Case File 2-2 (The Harpy): Bird of Prey

The girls had met up at Sugar Cube Corner, a favorite hangout spot of the CHS students. The proprietors of the sweet shop had a front row seat to the devolving state of the students that frequented their establishment, even the young woman who would part time for them was not immune to the goings on.

Speaking of which, the Rainbowbooms were sitting in their usual spot, each one with a forlorn look upon their face, Rainbow Dash however had an angry expression. The events of this afternoon were still fresh in their minds, and neither of them could shake the sound of Sunset’s raspy breaths, or the look of fear on her face as she was nearly killed, and by someone Rainbow had once considered a friend no less.

“Fucking Lightning Dust, what the hell was she thinking?!” Rainbow fumed.

“Ah don’t think she was thinkin’ at all. Bein’ mad at Sunset’s one thing, but that was goin’ way too far,” said Applejack.

“Do you guys still think she’s Anon-A-Miss after all that?” Pinkie asked with a hopeful tone.

The girls seemed hesitant to say anything, Pinkie believed they were probably feeling the same way she did on that night, holding onto some guilty hope that they were right, that Sunset was Anon-A-Miss, and that their actions were justified, but the longer this continued, the more doubts were forming in their minds.

“I suppose…I suppose it’s a possibility?” Rarity answered.

“I talked to one of the other students who was there when it happened, she said Sunset made some kind of declaration of war against Anon-A-Miss. Sunset also accused that it might’ve even been someone in the crowd watching it all,” said Fluttershy.

Applejack crossed her arms as she sat back and closed her eyes. “None of this is right…and Sunset didn’t deserve none of that.”

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily. “Look, I think we can all agree here that as pissed off as we are at Sunset–”

“I’m not,” Pinkie Pie interjected.

“As pissed off as some of us are at Sunset, we can all agree that what Gilda and Lightning did was going overboard, Lightning especially.” A round of nods affirmed this. “But, Pinkie, we’re not doubting that Sunset saved you, as shitty as all this is, even I don’t think she’s that much of a shitty person to let you die.”

Pinkie Pie frowned at Rainbow. “She ponied up, Rainbow! You know, the Magic of Friendship kind of ponying up! If Sunset was really the mean, cruel girl that everybody’s saying she is, then how would that happen?! If anything, she would’ve demoned up instead of ponying up!”

That was a fact that no one at the table could deny, Sunset ponying up could not occur without her feeling some kind of connection to the Magic of Friendship. Normally this shouldn’t occur without the use of their instruments, but it could possibly be due to the danger Pinkie Pie and Sunset were in that allowed her to access it, it could also be the reason Sunset was able to survive the encounter with the monster.

“Shouldn’t that be reason enough to think she may be telling the truth?” Pinkie asked with a pleading tone.

“Darling, I think that’s also what’s making this all the more confusing. But, there’s still one thing we can’t explain, if – and that is a big IF – Sunset isn’t Anon-A-Miss, then how did Anon-A-Miss get the pictures from the sleepover that were on Sunset’s phone?” Rarity asked.

“And how did Anon-A-Miss know about that story I told y’all at the party? Ah told y’all that story before and up until that night, no else knew about it,” said Applejack.

Pinkie Pie gritted her teeth. “I don’t know how…I wish I did, I really, really, really wish I did know so I could make all this stop! But I don’t know…but what I do know is that Sunset saved my life, I looked her in the eyes and she swore that she wasn’t Anon-A-Miss. That’s enough for me, I – we’ll – figure out the rest.”

The girls watched as Pinkie Pie collected her things and got up from the table, she then looked to her friends and said, “Oh, and Sunset said that Anon-A-Miss will probably be making up rumors and things about me now that I’m sticking with her. So…yeah, we’ll probably both be getting it.”

With that said, Pinkie Pie left the restaurant , leaving her friends to contemplate what their pink friend had said.

“Um…I think I believe Pinkie Pie,” said Fluttershy.

“What?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“L-Look, I…I’ve been having some d-doubts about this…this whole thing. And…I’m tired of being mad and angry. Sunset helped us during the Battle of the Bands, without her, the Sirens would’ve won.”

“We never said we fergot that,” said Applejack.

“I know, but…I just don’t want to take the risk that we’re wrong about all this. Sunset was seriously hurt, she could’ve gotten killed by Lightning today!” Tears began to flow from Fluttershy’s eyes. “It was Lightning today, but what about tomorrow? Or the day after that? What if someone succeeds?! I don’t want the last memories of Sunset or for me to be about how mean we were to her, how mean I was.”

Fluttershy wiped her tears as a stern look appeared on her face. “And what if it does turn out that it was someone else after something terrible happens to her?! We’ll have to live with the guilt that we abandoned our friend in their hour of need.” The cream colored girl stood up. “I need to go home and think, I’ll…I’ll see you later.”

Fluttershy left the room, leaving the past holdouts alone. Rainbow Dash sighed as she looked to the two remaining girls in the booth. “Don’t suppose you two are going to give a speech about how Sunset’s innocent and storm off?”

Rarity crossed her arms over her chest and then cupped her chin with her left hand. “Quite frankly, darling, I sympathize with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie about why they wish to stick by Sunset, but…I’m sorry, but there’s two pieces of evidence we still need to have cleared up. The photos at my house, and Applejack’s story. I’ll remain cautiously hopeful about the idea that Sunset’s innocent, but…”

“Ah hear ya, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Still, Ah can’t condone anyone harmin’ Sunset over this, it ain’t right,” said Applejack.

“I’ll see about talking to Lightning,” said Rainbow.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I thought you weren’t that close anymore?”

“We’re still teammates, and we have respect on the field. Professional courtesy, I guess. Still, I’m the captain of the CHS soccer team, and she’s also the second best in the school alongside me, so I have a responsibility to at least chew her out for what she did.”

Lightning still couldn’t believe what had happened today. She and Gilda had planned on beating the hell out of Sunset Shimmer, but…that was on another level. Sure, Sunset deserved that and then some, but Lightning barely remembered it, she remembered getting up after Sunset knocked her to the floor, she remembered telling her off and lunging at her.

Then…things started to get iffy after that. Even now, the phantom feeling of having her hands wrapped around Sunset’s throat still lingered, and the look of fear and desperation in the redhead’s eyes as Lightning squeezed the life out of her, it haunted her even now. And yet…part of her liked it, and that was the scariest thing of all.

“Lightning!”

The blonde was snapped out of her reverie and glanced to her left. She was riding in a sleek, navy blue sports car, the man driving her had a sky-blue complexion, with an aviator’s jacket and a white scarf. A whiff of the air made it known that he had a strong cologne, a scent that Lightning often associated with him. This man was her father, a former professional racer, Wind Rider.

“Y-Yeah, Dad…?”

“What the fuck were you thinking back there?” Wind asked, his tone was even and yet hinted with a barely controlled rage.

“L-Look, it’s…it’s just that girl, she’s messing with everyone…! Me and Gilda…we just wanted to teach her a lesson…” Lightning stated.

“‘A lesson’, A LESSON?! You nearly killed that girl you stupid girl!”

Lightning at least had the decency to look ashamed.

“You have scouts coming to your games, and something like this will no doubt go to the police! I’ve covered up most of your bullshit before, but this is…UGH!” Wind took a deep breath as he turned a corner and continued down the road. “Can this girl be bought off?”

“W-What?” Lightning asked.

“Can. This girl. Be bought off?! Yes or no?!”

Lightning had to think about that for a moment. “I-I don’t know…if this was a few months ago, I’d say yeah. But…recently…it’s like she’s trying to be some goodie-two-shoes, or at least she’s acting like it…”

Wind ran his left hand through his hair. “So there’s a possibility that she can. Fine, that’s something to work with. Anything else I can use? She have a criminal record? Does she hang out with gangs, do drugs, whore herself out? Anything?”

Lightning had to think. “Not sure about the drugs, gangs, or prostituting, but she did do a lot of shit like blackmailing the students, she was kind of the Queen Bee Bitch of the school.”

Wind Rider nodded. “Okay, so she ain’t no saint, even better. We’ll also say that that tall girl convinced you to do it.”

Lightning looked at her father with a furrowed brow. “W-Wait, Gilda? N-No, don’t do that! She’s my best friend Dad! Plus, her home life’s not that great and all–!”

“Just as good, she looks like a thug, messed up home life. Writes itself, okay, this isn’t a total disaster,” said Wind Rider.

They finally arrived at their house, a modern, two story home, an homage to all of Wind Rider’s wins on the pro racing circuit. The car pulled into the garage as Lightning said, “No! Dad, just go after Sunset! Gilda isn’t–!”

*SMACK*

Lightning’s body lurched to the right side, her cheek throbbing as she bit back tears.

Wind Rider’s hand was still hovering in place, preparing to deliver another blow if necessary. “You need to get it into your thick, fucking skull, girl! Only associate with those who can elevate you, or who you can use to elevate yourself! That one with the rainbow hair is a good example, you’re on the same teams.”

Lightning looked away from her father. “She’s my teammate…that’s it. We’re not friends anymore.”

Wind Rider huffed. “Well maybe you should change that. You said she’s a carpet muncher, might as well put that body of yours to good use.”

Lightning’s eyes widened. “You want me to fuck Rainbow Dash? And what? Become her girlfriend?”

“If it helps you, and you can use her.” Wind Rider glared at his daughter. “Yes.”

Lightning couldn’t believe what her father was saying to her, had she really messed up that much to warrant going that far? Granted, this wasn’t the first time her father had to use his money to cover up some misdeeds she had done, but to go to this extreme?

“She won’t have anything to do with me…she saw what I did to Sunset, and she was pissed,” said Lightning.

Wind Rider unbuckled himself and said, “She’ll get over it, so long as you can persuade her. Now get to your room, and stay there. I have to make some calls and get ahead of this potential shit storm you kicked up.”

Lightning unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, her cheek would probably swell, but given that she had been in a fight earlier today, no one would look twice at it. The spacious home had a large trophy case in the center of the living room, containing within it all of Wind Rider’s racing wins, with pictures of him standing in the winners circle amongst other top racers. At the far end of the room was Lightning’s trophy case, filled with every sports trophy she could get from every sports team she could join. The only other person in the city she knew who could match this many accomplishments, was Rainbow Dash. The two had been friends at one point, until they had a falling out during a soccer game.

Lightning pushed those thoughts out of her mind, right now she needed to put some ice on her cheek before it got worse. She walked into the kitchen and found an ice pack, being an athlete, having such things was mandatory in their house. Lightning winced as she placed the pack against her cheek, feeling the heat in contrast to the coolness of the ice.

The sound of a door slamming made her jump, no doubt her father had retreated to his study to get to work on covering up her latest mess. Lightning Dust made her way up to her room, which was done up in black and green colors, an homage to the daredevil stunt group, The Washouts.

Lightning put the ice pack on her bed as she tossed her backpack to the floor. She discarded her shoes, jacket, and top, joining her backpack. Lightning stood before the mirror in her black sports bra and looked over the damage she had received from the fight. As expected, there was a bruise forming on her chest where Sunset donkey kicked her, now that Lightning saw the bruise her mind was now more aware of how much it hurt. She discarded her bra to the floor and took a closer look. The bruise was like a perfect impression of Sunset’s boots on her modest chest.

A cursory glance over the rest of her upper body didn’t show any other bruises, her breathing seemed fine despite getting kicked in the chest, and her ribs didn’t feel broken. Lightning released a sigh of relief, and then she chuckled darkly when she remembered calling Sunset sick for saying her father abused her.

The Anon-A-Miss post meant it in a sexual way. But that was far from the truth, in truth, her father struck her, but made sure to do so in ways that wouldn’t impede her ability to perform athletically. He pushed her, hard, and because of that, Lightning would push herself in everything she did, and if she was a shrink, part of the reason she pushed herself so hard was because she was hoping she’d get messed up enough to stop. But, at some point, Lightning was just doing it to be the best, despite her father’s further influence.

“Old man’s trying to relive his glory days through me…fine…” Lightning muttered as she sat on the edge of her bed. “Guess I’ll just fuckin’ seduce Rainbow Dash and sleep with her…bastard, probably buy me all kinds of sex shit and have my room set up. Hell, probably pay for a fancy hotel room for me and her!”

“Kind of sucks, doesn’t it?”

Lightning looked around the room as she shot to her feet. “W-Who said that?!”

“You’re life, being chained to that old asshole, taking his shit and trying to live through you! Ha, bet if he could, he’d take your brain out and put his brain in your body.”

Lightning felt a cold chill in the room, her breath becoming visible as if the A/C had been cranked up. “Okay, s-seriously, whoever’s there, I swear I’ll kick your ass if don’t show yourself!”

“Heh, heh, calm down. I’m not here to hurt you. Far from it, I just want to give you an outlet…look in the mirror.”

Lightning turned around and looked at the mirror, the reflection of herself began to walk forward, until it completely filled the standing mirror, yet, Lightning never moved from the spot she was standing. The turquoise girl slowly approached the mirror, and as she did, she saw that there was a distinct difference between herself and the reflection. Their eyes.

The reflection’s eyes had a silver glow around the irises, and her pupils were “X” shaped. “Now, you know where I am, happy?”

“No…oh shit…I’ve lost it, I’ve finally lost it! I heard about all those concussion warnings but I thought that they were just a bunch of bullshit,” said Lightning in a slight panic.

The reflection rolled her eyes. “No you dolt, you aren’t hallucinating because of a blow to the head. I’m real.”

“Prove it!”

The reflection smiled toothily as it brought its left hand to the spot where Lightning’s cheek was struck. She pressed it against her face and the red mark and swelling went away. At the same time, Lightning no longer felt the heat of her struck cheek, the pain was completely gone as well. The reflection ran her hand over her chest, making the bruise disappear into nothing, and just like with Lightning’s face, the bruise on her own chest vanished along with the pain.

“W-What are you?” Lightning asked astonished.

“What am I? Not really important. But what is important is that you need to let out some steam.”

“Wouldn’t mind that, but my old man won’t let me out of the house after today…”

The reflection had a mischievous grin on its face. “What if we could? The SOB will be hitting that bourbon pretty soon, and then pass out.”

“I can’t take the car…he’ll hear me and know.”

“Let me take care of that, and I promise you, you’ll enjoy every second of what comes next.”

Lightning should probably think twice about accepting the help of a doppelganger in the mirror, but something about her mirror self enticed her. She had done more than one rebellious thing to spite her father before, what was one more?

“What do I have to do?”

Shining Armor was pouring over some documents late into the night, he had a hunch and he wanted to follow up on it, but it was late, and Cadence was probably waiting up for him. He had told his girlfriend time and again that she didn’t need to do that, being a cop meant that he was more than likely going to be working late at night and come home just as late.

Of course her response to that was always, “I don’t mind waiting for you. I mean, I waited most of high school for you to ask me out, you dork.”

Thinking on that made Shining Armor smile, at Crystal Preparatory Academy, Mi Amore Cadenza, or “Cadence” as she preferred, was easily the hottest, smartest, and most popular girl in the school. Shining Armor would be the first to admit, the school could often feel like a viper pit with how competitive everyone was. But Cadence made the place feel less oppressive, she was always cheery, never put anyone down, and was never stuck up to anyone that was low in the “high school pecking order”.

Shining still couldn’t believe how he managed to snag her as he drove down the snow and ice slicked roads. He was cleaning up the Anime Club room, the group had had on an episode of Sailor Moon on and it was still playing in the background, the teen boy humming along to the English dubbed song as he moved some chairs back.

That was when she walked by and saw it playing on the screen. Shining Armor paused when he saw Cadence walk into the room, her eyes transfixed on team of magical super heroines.

“C-Cadence…?”

“What’s this show?”

“Uh…S-Sailor Moon. It’s a show about a group of teenage girls who have magical powers based on the planets of the solar system, and they fight demons, monsters, and save people.”

“Really? Huh, this is ‘anime’ right? I thought it was nothing but big breasted girls, gore, and other junk?”

“Ahem, well, i-it’s not always about that stuff. I-I won’t lie there’s a good amount of that, but there’s also some good stuff that will seriously make you bawl your eyes out.”

“Oh, which one would you recommend?”

Shining Armor looked around the room and wondered if she was really talking to him. “Y-You really want me to recommend you something?”

“Well you are in this ‘Anime Club’, I’m sure you have some ideas? But, nothing that’s raunchy or too messed up that I’ll have to hide it from my folks.”

So, Shining Armor made his recommendations of “Clannad/Clannad: After Story”, “Kanon”, and “Angel Beats”. Shining Armor didn’t make contact with Cadence much after that day, figuring it was just Cadence being nice and asking about his hobby to spare him any awkwardness. That changed over the weekend when Cadence actively sought him out and called him a “jerk” for recommending those anime. At first he thought he had royally messed up. Those three had the least amount of fan service, and were more story heavy and emotionally driven so he didn’t think there was anything too bad in it.

“You said ‘bawl my eyes out’, that was an understatement, I freakin’ lost it! That guy losing his wife and having to care for his little daughter alone…! The other guy finding out the girl he loved was a ghost…! And then that one girl finding out her heart belonged to that boy and saved her life! And that art and lighting was beautiful!”

Apparently he was a jerk for not warning how emotionally impactful it was. From then on, the two became friends, and Cadence had a different outlook on the art form. It wasn’t until after the Friendship Games that Shining Armor worked up the courage to finally ask Cadence to be his girlfriend. His friends thought he was aiming too high with that one, and was inviting the ire of many a jock and other pretty boys in the school for even attempting it. However, Cadence said yes, and the rest as they say was history.

Now the two of them owned a place together, with his money as a detective, and her money from being the Dean of Students at CPA, they were able to get a nice house. Although, Shining Armor hadn’t yet popped the question, which his coworkers, parents, and even his own little sister would pester him because of it.

“One day,” he said.

Shining Armor turned down one of the streets, but slowed down when he spotted something. There was a man going down an alleyway with a young girl. He couldn’t make out too many details, but Shining Armor could plainly see the man’s left hand was unabashedly shoved down the pants of the girl’s rear.

“Cop’s work is never done.”

Shining Armor turned his car around and pulled over. He stuck the red police light onto his car and turned on his radio. “Central, this is Detective Armor.”

{Go ahead, Detective.}

“I have a possible 10-30, going to check–”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!”

A scream pierced the night that made Shining Armor’s blood run cold.

“Central, belay that code! I need backup, at the corner of Main St. and Clydesdale Ln.! Possible 303!”

{Notifying all units, Detective requesting backup.}

Shining Armor threw open the door, drew his gun, checked it, and rushed towards the alleyway. The cop pressed his back against the wall of the opening, a flashlight in his left hand and a gun in his right, the sounds of gurgling and pleading could be heard echoing down alley, prompting Shining Armor to steel himself as he whipped around and entered the alley.

Shining Armor shined his light and paused at what he saw. There was a man on the ground, his mouth pouring blood, crawling on the ground. A wet “thunk” went off as something fell between the man and Shining Armor. He shined his light on the object, his eyes went as wide as saucer plates as he saw that the thing before him was the severed half of the man’s body. His legs were kicking, as if still receiving singles from his brain despite their separation. Shining Armor shined his light on the man still crawling towards him, and finally noticed that his lower half was indeed missing. The detective was about to reach for his radio, until something fell from the air behind the crawling man.

This creature was monstrous, it was female, it’s exposed, turquoise colored torso showed off its B-cup sized breasts, its lower half was covered in silver feathers, like that of a bird, halfway down its black avian legs could be seen, with black talons that were covered in blood and gleamed in the light of Shining Armor’s flashlight. It’s arms were like giant wings, with silver feathers covering everything from the shoulders down, stopping at around the wrists where its four fingered hand showed off the same black talons on its feet, which were also covered in blood. The creature’s face was angular and had pointed ears, with long silver hair that flowed down to the middle of its back, and at its rear was a long flowing, whip-like tail that had feathers at the end.

The creature was the fantasy textbook definition of a harpy, even Shining Armor could see that. It’s eyes were silver in color, with “X” shaped pupils that shrank due to the excess light. The Harpy smiled and showed off its rows of sharp teeth.

“Bastard was looking to get lucky tonight, guess he wasn’t as lucky as he thought,” said the Harpy.

Shining Armor shook his head and pointed his gun at the monster. “I don’t know what exactly you are, but you need to back off, NOW! This is your only warning!”

Harpy walked over to the man who was, amazingly, still alive as he continued to crawl in an attempt to get away. Harpy pressed her right foot onto his back, while her left foot’s talon tapped the ground. “Hmm, no.” Harpy pressed her right middle talon into the man’s back, piercing his flesh and digging all the way down into his spine, the man screamed in agony as his eyes went into the back of his head before finally falling silent. “Jeez, he was a real screamer, am I right?”

Shining Armor opened fire on the monster, the sounds of gunshots rang out in every direction as he emptied his entire clip into the monster, with each hit, Harpy jerked backwards from the impact as green blood seeped from her wounds. When Shining Armor was empty, he quickly replaced the clip, in that time, Harpy’s body began to heal itself, the gunshot wounds ejected the bullets as they clinked against the pavement. Shining Armor saw it, he had heard what the officers said, but now he was seeing it with his own eyes.

“How about it, officer? You feeling lucky tonight too?!”

Suddenly, the sounds of several police sirens filled the night, Harpy’s enhanced vision could see the telltale signs of blue and red light’s approaching them in the distance. “Well, I’ll take care of a few more before the night’s through. Let’s turn this into a race! How many people can I kill before you catch me?! If you can tag me with a gunshot before I get that person, you win and they’re saved! Ready, set, GO!”

Harpy jumped high into the air and then spread her wings, taking off like a bat out of hell as she soared through the sky. Shining Armor hurriedly ran out of the alley as the rest of the squad cars arrived.

“Detective, what was –?!”

“LISTEN! THAT THING’S GOING TO KILL MORE PEOPLE IF WE DON’T HURRY! ALL UNITS, SPREAD OUT, SHOOT THAT THING THE MOMENT YOU SEE IT!”

The other officers didn’t understand, but knew that there had been enough weird killings in the city that there wasn’t time to question such things. The other squad cars did as Shining Armor ordered, while two remained at the crime scene. Shining Armor hurried to his car and took off down the road where he saw Harpy go. This was a futile effort, he knew that, the monster was just toying with them. The creature was fast and the city was vast, even with every police cruiser in the city patrolling, there was no way for them to stop her. Still, that didn’t mean they couldn’t try.

“Celestia, I told you I was fine.”

Sunset and Celestia had spent the last few hours in the waiting room at Canterlot General Hospital. Despite informing the front desk of the injuries Sunset had sustained, the nurse at the station could see that Sunset wasn’t as bad off as Celestia had informed, and as such their wait was longer. Upon finally getting to see a doctor, he confirmed what Sunset had been saying to her since they left CHS, she was fine, and there were no visible injuries.

“I’m sorry, Sunset, but after what I was told and the way you looked, I’d rather be safe than sorry. I know they say kids can heal faster, but you really take it to another level,” said Celestia.

“Uh…what can I say? I mean, you know I’m technically not human,” Sunset pointed out.

Celestia shrugged. “That’s true, so I’m guessing that this has something to do with your magic, maybe?”

“Y-Yeah, magic,” said Sunset.

As soon as they got outside, the sounds of police sirens filled the night, making Sunset and Celestia looked at each other with worry.

“What’s going on out there?” Celestia asked.

“I don’t –?” Sunset sensed something, even the Witchblade was becoming agitated.

Suddenly, something silvery swooped down from the sky and snatched Celestia. Sunset turned and looked up as she watched her guardian get taken into the sky.

“CELESTIA!!!” Sunset screamed as she ran after her.

}}} I AM READY! {{{

“THEN LET’S GO!”

Sunset ran in the direction that the monster was heading, but then concentrated her strength into her legs and jumped straight into the air, causing the pavement beneath her feet to crack and fissure. Sunset bounded from one building and then another until she was on the roof.

The heat filled Sunset’s body, her eyes shifting to black as her turquoise irises shined. The flame within her burned hotter as the Witchblade’s gemstone shined bright in the night. The magical symbiotic weapon wasted no time in shredding through Sunset’s clothes, leaving her nude as the Witchblade’s armor fastened itself to her body. Once the armor was formed, Sunset willed her metallic wings to form as she shot into the air.

Meanwhile, Celestia was screaming as she felt the sharp talons of Harpy piercing her shoulders. “Let me go!? Please, let me go!” she pleaded.

“Oh you don’t want me to do that, look down.” Celestia did as Harpy said, and only now realized how high they were. “That’s right, we’re as high as one of these buildings, a fall from here and you go splat!”

“What do you want from me?!” Celestia asked.

“Oh, nothing. I just want to play with your body, maybe eat your liver in front of you? I’m still deciding, I mean, I just killed about three more people before you, so I’m trying to not repeat myself,” said Harpy.

Harpy suddenly saw something fly by her, something that gleamed in the light. A red dot seemed to be getting closer and closer until a sharp pain erupted from Harpy’s chest, causing her to shriek in pain. A long spiked chain had embedded itself in Harpy, and on the other end was Sunset, reeling Harpy in like a fish.

Harpy struggled against the chain, and in so doing, released her grip on Celestia, letting her fall out of the sky.

“CELESTIA!” Sunset exclaimed as she dismissed her chain, letting it dissolve into strands of dust as she flew down at breakneck speeds.

Celestia was screaming her head off as the wind roared in her ears, the ground quickly approaching. But right before she hit, something else caught her, princess style, and flew up with her into the air. Celestia had closed her eyes but opened them to see yet another monster had her in its clutches. Fear was prominent in the teacher’s eyes as she looked upon Sunset in her Witchblade armor, thankfully she didn’t seem to notice the similarities, either due to the night’s shadows, her fear, or the overall transformation.

Sunset flew down to the streets below, startling several people as they backed away from her. Sunset propped Celestia against the wall, her wound still bleeding profusely.

Those wounds, she’ll bleed out before help arrives.

}}} We can heal her. {{{

Wait, you can do that?!

}}} I have the capability, you need only to focus on healing her and it will be done. Press your hand against her. {{{

Sunset nodded as she raised her right hand.

Celestia’s eyes widened with mounting fear when she saw the clawed hand of the skimpy armored girl. “P-Please, don’t hurt me…I-I’ll do whatever you want!”

“Hold still.”

Sunset pressed her hand to the center of Celestia’s chest, the red gemstone glowed brighter as its energy pulsated through the older woman’s body. Celestia was surprised when she no longer felt the pain, she glanced to her shoulders and watched as the wounds started to close up. In a matter of seconds the puncture wounds and whatever pain she was feeling were completely healed. Sunset retracted her hand and smiled at her guardian.

“T-Thank you,” said Celestia.

Before she could reply, Sunset was tackled to the ground. Harpy had dived down and slammed herself into Sunset, the warrior girl grunted as she kicked Harpy off of her, jumped up, and turned to face her. The feathered creature flared her wings to stop herself from going further and stared down the new enemy before her.

“Who the hell are you, and why are you ruining my fun?!”

“Tch, ‘fun’, you have a real twisted sense of humor. Call me Witchblade, but you can also call me…” Sunset’s forearms formed two, three-foot long silver crescent blades. “You’re executioner!”

The armored maiden dashed towards Harpy, the feathered monster flew higher, dodging Sunset’s initial attack, but she quickly found out that flight wasn’t going to be her advantage as Sunset’s metallic wings sprouted. Sunset managed to close the distance as her twin blades pierced Harpy’s shoulders.

With a mighty flap, Sunset forced both of them back to the ground, slamming into the asphalt as several cars swerved and crashed to avoid hitting them. Sunset detached her forearm blades, but kept them connected via small chains, the tips of the blades had created hooks that anchored themselves into the asphalt, effectively pinning Harpy. Sunset stood up and saw that Harpy was about to try and do the same, that is until Sunset stamped down onto Harpy’s stomach with her left foot. The heel of her boot turned into a blade pile driver and shot down through Harpy’s stomach and came out the back, piercing the road beneath.

“AAAAAH!!! FUCKING BITCH!” Harpy howled in pain.

“Okay, since I have you like this, I’m going to need you to tell me what the hell you are and how many more of you are out there?!” Sunset leaned down as a sadistic grin split her face, showing her vampire-like fangs. “And if you don’t tell me…” Sunset’s right arm began to morph, taking on the appearance of chain saw blades. “I’m clipping your wings. Now talk!”

“FUCK YOU!”

Sunset wagged a finger in front of Harpy. “Wrong answer.”

The blades began to spin as Sunset slowly approached Harpy’s left arm. Harpy struggled against the blades, but doing so would only tear her apart. Something welled up inside her, a power, something caught in her throat. Harpy inhaled deeply and then released a sonic screech that visibly warped the air around them, creating a linear funnel of sonic energy.

Sunset screamed, although she couldn’t even hear that as Harpy’s screech rang in her ears. Not only that, but her body felt like it was being vibrated and torn from the inside out, causing her nose and ears to bleed, even her eyes were starting to cry tears of blood. All around them the people covered their ears as the sound pained them as well, the windows shattered along with the street lamps, the sound was even causing problems with the power as the entire block went dark.

Sunset’s concentration faltered as the blade constructs dissolved, allowing Sunset to stumble backwards as she continued to hold her head. Harpy stopped her screech, panting from the effort, her stomach still had the puncture wound, along with her shoulders. Her healing factor was slow to work, making Harpy realize that this girl was no joke, had she cut off her arm Harpy was fairly certain that that would remain permanently cut off.

“‘Nother time…hero…!” Harpy declared as she shot into the sky and flew off into the night.

Sunset was down on one knee as her ears rang severely, her vision danced with double images as her senses were thrown into disarray from the direct attack, not only that, but her body felt like it was torn apart from the inside, the irony taste of blood was in her mouth, and pain was felt all over her body.

Got to…get away…n-need time…to h-heal…

Her vision was still unreliable, but Sunset picked a random direction and jumped as high and as far as she could. That turned out not to be such a good idea as soon she found herself smashing into a fire escape, and bounced off a wall.

Unfortunately, her next impact was against a cop car, which happened to belong to Shining Armor. He stopped immediately as Sunset bounced off the hood of his car and into an adjacent alley. The detective got out of his car, abandoning his pistol in place of his shotgun, he cocked it once as he raised it and ran into the alley, finding Sunset still clutching at her head as he approached her.

“CCPD! PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD AND LIE DOWN ON THE GROUND!” he ordered. When she didn’t comply he fired a warning shot at her feet. “I MEAN IT!”

Shining Armor watched as her eyes slowly opened, switched on the flashlight attachment and noticed how there was blood seeping from her nose, eyes, and ears, not only that, but she looked completely disoriented. Shining Armor wasn’t even certain if she was aware of his presence.

“Hey, can you hear me? Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?” Shining Armor asked as he held up three.

Sunset gave no response, she could barely see anything, and then she blacked out.

Shining Armor watched as the girl fell forward and rolled onto her back. At that moment, the armor which barely covered her body was retracting, changing into a bracelet that wrapped around her right wrist. When it was done, he stood there shocked at what he saw. What was now before him was a very naked Sunset Shimmer.

“W-What the hell?!” Shining Armor quickly grabbed his radio and was about to call this in, but then…he stopped. Why did he stop? He knew what he needed to do, protocol dictated that Shining Armor needed to call in for backup or an ambulance. Yet, how was he going to explain this? Finding a naked girl in a random alley, who was just clad in the skimpiest armor he had ever seen? Shining Armor looked and growled loudly, “Shit…!”

Shining Armor ran to his car and placed the gun in the trunk, and then he took out a large blanket and hurried back to Sunset. Carefully, he wrapped the girl up and carried her to the back of his car and laid her down as best he could. The block was completely blacked out due to whatever happened, there were no traffic cams on due to that and it was too dark to see anything. Shining Armor took off his police light and began to drive, wondering just what the hell he was doing.

Cadence had been waiting up, she had received a text from Shining that he was heading home, but that was almost two hours ago, then the news began reporting about some kind of fighting going on in the city, people getting killed and then an entire city block was blacked out. Cadence had no doubts her boyfriend was in the middle of that chaos trying to help people, even though he was well trained and was careful, she still couldn’t help but worry.

Thankfully, her fears were put to rest when she saw headlights approaching their driveway, and the sound of the garage opening up. Cadence rushed to the door and stopped when Shining Armor exited the car.

“Shiny, thank god you’re alright!” Cadence exclaimed. It was then that she noticed her boyfriend’s serious expression. “Shiny, what’s wrong?”

Shining Armor ran his hand through his hair as he grunted in frustration. “A lot of effed up crap, that’s what. But now I have another problem. Cadence, you trust me, right?”

“Of course I trust you,” she replied.

“And you know I wouldn’t do anything without a reason, right?”

“Again, yes! Now what’s wrong?”

Shining Armor sighed as he went to the backseat and carefully scooped up Sunset Shimmer into his arms and revealed her to Cadence. The fuchsia colored woman was speechless, to say the least. Her boyfriend just pulled out a teenage girl who, from what she could tell, was naked and wrapped in a blanket. A myriad of questions flowed through her mind, as well as a million reasons for why her boyfriend had an unconscious naked girl in his backseat and saw fit to bring her to their house.

Cadence took a deep breath as she tried to remain calm, employing the breathing technique she taught Shining’s little sister to calm herself. “Shiny, I’m not going to assume the worst. But I really, really need you to tell me why you have a naked teenage girl wrapped up in a blanket.”

“Believe it or not, I think she’s connected to the Mystery Murders,” said Shining Armor.

“W-What?!”

Shining Armor gently brought Sunset into their home and walked towards the guest room of their one story house. Cadence, after coming out of her shock, hurried on ahead of Shining and opened the door to the guest room, allowing him to carefully place Sunset onto the bed. Shining pulled back a little on the blanket and revealed her right arm, he stared at the bracelet on her wrist, seeing that the ruby gemstone had a slight glow to it.

Cadence bit on her thumbnail as she glanced from her boyfriend to the girl. “Okay, how do you think she’s connected? And if you think that, why didn’t you take her to the hospital or to a cell?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe it’s my inner nerd telling me that there’s more to this than want we’ve seen, but this isn’t the first time I’ve seen her.”

Shining Armor motioned for the two of them to talk outside, they stood outside the doorway and it was there that Shining Armor told Cadence about how he met Sunset Shimmer, about the abuse she was suffering at school due to some cyber bully, and recently the attempt on her life. He then recalled the case with Beetle Underwood, telling her of the girl who was clad in skimpy armor who was standing over the body of the perp. Now, once again, he saw that same armored girl, but now it seemed that girl was Sunset Shimmer all along.

Cadence looked upon the girl in a different light. “And…that armor came from that bracelet?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. It just slithered over her body and returned to the bracelet, I have no idea what to make of this…” Shining Armor admitted.

“Shining…what are you planning on doing with her? You can’t just keep her against her will, her guardian is going to ask where she is! How’s that going to look when a decorated detective is found to have kidnapped a girl! And with no clothes on top of that?!” Cadence took a deep breath.

“Like I said, I think she’s connected to the Mystery Murders, I don’t know if she’s the one behind it, or…”

“Or?”

“Or maybe she’s someone who’s trying to stop it.”

Cadence placed her hand on his shoulder. “What will you do if it’s the former?”

“Arrest her, if she comes quietly. Honestly, I don’t think there’s much I could do to bring her in, not after what I saw that other monster do, I don’t doubt she’s strong or stronger than that thing.”

Cadence gulped. “I guess we’ll hope for the latter.”

It was late at night, but Harpy finally made it back. The window to her room was open, allowing her to slip in unnoticed by anyone, she plopped onto the floor as her body began to morph. Bones cracked and flesh rippled as a silver aura overtook her body. In a matter of seconds, the Harpy returned to her original form, that of Lightning Dust. The now naked girl huffed and panted, her stomach and shoulders were sore as hell from the injuries she had sustained due to Witchblade’s weapons.

Lightning stood up and looked at herself in the mirror, there were some scars from where the weapons had pierced her, but they were healing, slowly, but still healing.

“What the fuck was that?!” Lightning asked.

“Something that was unforeseen.”

“ ‘Unforeseen’?! I nearly got killed because of that thing! That’s it! I’m done! Get out of me and leave me alone!” Lightning demanded.

The reflection’s gaze narrowed. In a startling move, the reflection lunged out of the mirror and tackled Lightning Dust to the floor, putting her, ironically, in the same position as she had Sunset earlier today. Lightning Dust’s eyes widened with fear as her heart pounded in her chest, Mirror Lightning’s eyes glared with sadistic glee as her smile showed off her shark-like teeth.

“Let’s get one thing clear, I don’t take orders from you! I just need your body you mewling little cunt! So, we’re going to kill again, and again, until you and I are completely melded together.” Mirror Lightning leaned down and licked the side of Lightning Dust’s face. “I can kill you any time I want, and make it look like you just committed suicide, and when you do die, I’ll violate your soul and tear it apart and send you to Oblivion. Do you know that is, huh?”

“N-N-No…” Lightning whimpered with tears in her eyes.

“When the body dies, it’s soul moves onto the next plane of existence, but when your soul is destroyed you’re utterly, totally gone. No reincarnation, no Heaven, no Hell, no Purgatory, no nothing. For any living thing or spirit, that is the worst kind of death there can be. And I can bring that to you. Do you want that?”

Lightning shook her head in the negative.

Mirror Lightning released her grip on Lightning’s throat and patted her face. “That’s a good girl. Now, get some rest. We’ll need to plan our next move soon.” Mirror Lightning disappeared into thin air, leaving Lightning Dust trembling on the floor.

The scared teen curled up into a ball on the floor, hugging herself as she cried. “Help me…someone…help me….”

Case File 2-3 (The Harpy): The Enemy

Sunset groaned as she awoke, small aches reverberated through her body, but it wasn’t anything to be concerned with. When she opened her eyes, Sunset went still. The ceiling, this was not the familiar ceiling she had been waking up to these past couple of years. The feeling of being at a higher elevation was not there, if Sunset had to guess she’d say she was at ground level. The feeling of the bed was unfamiliar as well. Sunset glanced to her left and saw that the nightstand was vacant of her terrarium or digital clock. In fact, the longer Sunset’s eyes roamed around the room, the more she was becoming aware of the fact that this was not her home. However, she was very aware that she was naked, again.

Sunset rose up, taking in her new surroundings. The room was pretty spacious, beige carpeting below with light-blue wallpaper. There was a dresser against the opposite wall next to the door, complete with a mirror. There was a closet to her right, and a desk and chair setup to her left.

“What…What the hell?! Where am I?!” Sunset whispered.

Just then the doorknob jiggled, Sunset readied to bolt at the person, the Witchblade’s metal strands coiling and readying itself to act on its wielder’s command. When the door opened, Sunset beheld a beautiful older woman standing in the door, with tri-colored hair of cream, magenta, and purple. Her opal colored eyes widened upon seeing Sunset up.

“Oh, y-you’re awake!” the woman exclaimed.

“Yeah, I am! Who are you! And where the hell am I?!” Sunset demanded with an edge to her voice.

The woman raised her hands up to show that she was not armed. “M-My name is Cadence, this is my and my boyfriend’s home. He found you last night in an alley and brought you here. His name is Shining Armor, he’s a detective with the CCPD!”

Sunset’s fury quelled upon hearing the name of the detective. “Wait…Detective Armor? He…He brought me here?”

“Shiny – I mean, Shining Armor said you were covered in some strange armor and that you were unconscious when it came off, apparently you weren’t wearing anything else so he covered you with a blanket and brought you here.” Cadence let out a stress heavy sigh. “To what end I still don’t know…”

Sunset’s mind replayed the events of last night. Celestia was taken by a monster, she transformed and gave chase, saved Celestia, fought the monster, and then…got blasted in the face with a super sonic screech. “Oh…Oh shit…” Sunset gasped as she put her left hand against her forehead. “He…He saw me? He saw everything?!”

Cadence blushed at the question. “Ahem, it depends on which part of that question you mean? If you mean that he saw you with your armor on and that you changed back, then yes. And if you mean if he saw, well, every part of you, then, sorry, yes he did. B-But you should know he swore to me that he didn’t touch you inappropriately in anyway, I swear he’s not that kind of person!”

Sunset glanced her right wrist, at the Witchblade which still had a faint glow to it. I’m pretty sure you would’ve sliced him up if he tried. “I believe you…”

“Okay,” Cadence lowered her hands and took a few calming breaths. “He’s up, right now. I’ll tell him you’re awake, Shining said he had questions to ask you. There’s some spare pajamas in the dresser and some clothes in the closet. Let me know if you need some underwear, I mean, there are some in this dresser, but after seeing your…physique…I’m not sure if they’ll fit you.”

“Thanks…whose clothes are they, by the way?” Sunset asked.

Cadence was about to close the door, but then answered, “They belong to Shining’s little sister, she’s about around your age. She stays over sometimes so we just have some extra clothes here just in case. I’ll leave you to it.”

With that, Cadence closed the door. Sunset flopped back onto the bed and released a heavy sigh. “Shit…Shining Armor knows about me…he probably thinks I’m the one behind the murders!”

}}} My apologies, Sunset. That creature caught me off guard with that attack. I should’ve increased the armor coverage, or created a shield. Forgive me. {{{

Sunset raised her wrist up and said, “Don’t worry about it. How could you have known she was going to hit us with a sonic concussion blast?”

}}} Believe me, that mistake won’t be made a second time. {{{

“I don’t doubt it.” Sunset got up and walked towards the dresser, she opened the first drawer and saw some pajamas. It was most likely morning judging by the light coming from outside. She saw that there were a pair of blue pajama pants with six-pointed star patterns on them, along with a powder blue top that had small dots on it, possibly to imitate stars. Next to that was another set, one that Sunset recognized. “What the…?” They were a bright yellow, with dozens of red heart patterns littering the pants and shirt. The last time Sunset saw that pattern of pajamas was on Princess Twilight. “Huh, guess someone else likes it.”

Sunset opted with the blue shirt and pants. She opened the second drawer and found the underwear. Sunset picked up the bra and held it against her girls and frowned. “Oookay, sorry to say, Shining Armor’s Little Sister, but that’s definitely not fitting me. Sunset eyed the panties and picked one pair and tried them on, finding it hard to do so since it looked like this younger sibling of the detective had a more slender waist than Sunset. “What was it that those mares back at the school said I had? Oh yeah, ‘Foal Bearing Hips’, guess that translated.” Sunset decided to just go commando for the time being.

“So, what do you think? Are we in trouble?” Sunset asked.

}}} Hard to say. I sensed no ill intent from the law officer, had there been any I would’ve struck him down before he got close to you. {{{

“I figured you would.” Sunset slipped on the pants. “What’s been happening since I was knocked out?”

}}} I have been unable to gather anything beyond our current situation. I overheard the law officer speaking to that woman, he believes that you may be responsible for the murders, or at the very least he suspects you have a connection to it. {{{

Sunset worked the shirt next, and pulled out her hair from the back. “Did it sound like he might be open minded?”

}}} It is possible. His actions thus far would indicate that he may be willing to listen to us. He could’ve just as easily brought you to a holding facility. {{{

“Not like it would hold us,” Sunset chuckled.

The Witchblade chuckled as well. }}} Of course it wouldn’t. {{{

Sunset paused as she face palmed herself. “Shit, again, Celestia! She’s probably freaking out right now!” Sunset made to grab her cellphone, only to be reminded of the events of last night. “Right…clothes were shredded. Pretty sure my cellphone is lying on top of that random rooftop.”

}}} Oh, that communication device? If that’s what you want… {{{

The Witchblade’s gemstone shined, the light began to produce a rectangular object. Sunset’s eyes widened when she saw that her phone materialized from the weapon. She quickly snatched the device up in her left hand and saw that it was still operational. “H-How did you do that?!”

}}} I can store some small objects. I also have that thing you call a “wallet” in here as well. {{{

Sunset unlocked her phone and cringed when she saw that she was blowing up with text messages. Not only from Celestia, but Pinkie Pie as well. “Damn…I need to address this…but there’s no way I can tell Celestia I’m at some cop’s house!” Sunset thought that over for a moment. “Well, at least he’s in the same boat. Pretty sure taking a naked teenager to your home instead of a hospital or prison cell is very much against protocol.”

Sunset stepped in front of the door, took a deep breath, and then opened it. The door led into a small hallway which then led into the living room. A brown leather, semicircular couch adorned the living room, along with a flat screen TV that set up on a stand. To the right was a fireplace, which was turned on and made the room nice and toasty. To the left was the kitchen/dining room, in it was Cadence, making breakfast judging by the smell, as well as some coffee. At the table was Shining Armor.

The flame haired girl immediately took notice of the man’s service weapon resting on the table, his hand placed on top of it as he looked down at a tablet. Sunset slowly entered the room, making sure she was in full view of the officer. Shining Armor took notice of Sunset and stood up, keeping his weapon in his right hand.

“Sunset Shimmer.”

“Detective Armor.”

“There’s some things we need to talk about, pertaining to last night and possibly more,” he said.

Sunset walked a little closer, making sure her hands were visible the whole while. “I guess I should ask, but am I under arrest?”

Shining Armor crossed his arms. “That all depends on how you answer my questions, Ms. Shimmer. Quite frankly, after what I saw last night, I should’ve put you in a cell. But…let’s just say that my intuition says that there’s way more to this than what I saw, and that I need to talk to you regarding them.”

Cadence walked from behind the counter and brought a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. She rolled her eyes at his explanation and said, “And by ‘intuition’, he means his inner fanboy told him to bring you here.”

Shining Armor’s face tinted pink as he stared at his girlfriend. “C-Cadence, that is so not true!”

The fuchsia woman gave him a deadpan look. “Really? ‘Cause this has all the makings of one your anime shows. Attractive girl falls out of the sky with a strange weapon, fights monsters, wears skimpy revealing armor?”

“I-I stand by what I said!” Shining Armor stated in determination.

Now Sunset also had a deadpan expression on her face. Well, I’ve been avoiding watching that stuff, but now it just might have saved my life.

“Sunset, do you drink coffee?” Cadence asked.

“Y-Yeah, if you don’t mind I’d like a cup,” Sunset requested.

Cadence smiled and went back to get it. Sunset pulled out a chair opposite Shining Armor and sat down, prompting the detective to do the same. Shining Armor began eating his meal, and while he did, Cadence brought over three cups of joe, setting one in front of Shining and another before Sunset.

“Thank you,” said Sunset as she picked up a couple of sugar packets and stirred them into it.

Shining Armor brought up his tablet, putting on its kickstand as he showed it to Sunset. “Sunset Shimmer. Born: 12-18-19XX. Happy belated Birthday.”

“Thanks…I guess.”

“Says here you lost your parents when you were young, and wound up homeless after escaping from an abusive foster home.”

Cadence glared at her boyfriend.

“Yeah…”

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “Also says that you lived on the streets for a number of years before your guardian, Celestia, took you in and enrolled you at her school. Also says that despite your young age, you were allowed to live at a residence all your own. Your guardian pays the rent and you…huh, used to work at a sushi joint until a couple of months ago.”

Sunset sighed. “Yes, I did. That is until the rumor mill made its way to my work. My boss didn’t want any potential bad press due to this Anon-A-Miss crap, so he let me go with at least four weeks pay as compensation. I told Celestia, and she said we could sue for wrongful termination.”

“Sounds like you should’ve,” said Cadence, a tone of irritation was in her voice after hearing of what happened.

Sunset shook her head. “It’s fine. No big deal.”

“Now, it also says here that you weren’t exactly the most likeable person in the school. We’ve had some complaints about you, anonymous, mind you, but complaints about ‘blackmailing’, ‘threats of bodily harm’, the list goes on.”

The former Equestrian gripped her cup hard. “I…I won’t deny that I did some shitty stuff in the past…but that’s behind me now.”

Cadence was getting a little annoyed by her boyfriend’s line of questioning. The protective instinct of a teacher was kicking in at this point, seeing that Sunset seemed to be genuinely lamenting those acts and it seemed that it was a painful thing to recall. “Shining, that’s enough, where are you going with this?!”

Shining Armor placed his tablet down and took a sip of his coffee. “On the surface, these records are good. The Foster Care System is pretty complex and overworked, lots of paperwork goes missing easy with so many kids going in and out of it. Now, it wouldn’t be hard to insert someone into it, no one would bat an eye since there are so many cases, a lot of people would just stamp it and let it through.”

Shining looked directly at Sunset as he said, “But, Miss Shimmer, I don’t. I dug a little deeper and couldn’t find anything going back further. The birth certificate is official, along with the Social Security Card, so that pans out. But to find not that many records or anything about your parents’ deaths, makes me wonder if you ever existed here in the first place.”

Cadence narrowed her gaze as she raised her voice. “Shining Armor –!”

“It’s true.” Cadence stopped and Shining Armor looked at her with an inquisitive expression. “I’m not really from here…I’m not even from this dimension.” Sunset leaned back in her chair and asked, “How open minded are you?”

Shining Armor kicked back in his seat and said, “Depends, let’s hear your story.”

With little in the way of options, Sunset spilled her guts. She told them the tale of a young little unicorn filly from the magical land of Equestria. How she was mostly neglected by her parents until she found her talent in the magical arts, gaining the attention of the land’s living deity, who ironically went by the same name as her current guardian. The tale went onto describe how this young filly grew into a mare that was selfish, proud, and arrogant, believing the world should be hers. Then she told them of how she got to their world through a magic portal, how she had to live on the streets for a while, scared out of her mind and fighting for anything she could use to survive. And as if by cosmic irony, the one mare she ran away from, was the same person who helped her. Sunset said that, somehow, Principal Celestia was able to obtain records that showed that Sunset had always been a citizen of Canterlot City, Sunset never asked how Celestia did it, and thought better not know.

From there, the tale told of a prideful, arrogant, and angry teen girl who sought to rule her school with an iron fist. To which, she did, until someone, another denizen of her world, came into the picture.

“She was wielder, and newly crowned Princess, of the Element of Magic, her name was Twilight Sparkle.”

Cadence and Shining Armor both did a spit take upon hearing that name.

“W-What did you say?!” Shining coughed.

“Twilight Sparkle, that’s the name of the Princess I stole the magic crown from.” Sunset glanced between the two adults and raised an eyebrow. “Am I missing something here?”

“U-Uh, no, no! Keep going, what happened next?!” Cadence encouraged.

Sunset decided to file that under “weird” and continued her story. Transforming into a raging She-Demon, or as some of her fellow classmates have affectionately called that form, Sunset Satan. Then she told them of the Battle of the Bands, fast forward to the current incident with Anon-A-Miss, and then the night she obtained the Witchblade, and her battle with Beetle Underwood.

“Then I saved, Celestia, apparently got my ass beaten by that monster, and that’s where we are now,” Sunset huffed as she finished explaining.

Sunset looked to both the adults, their faces said it all, they were not expecting all of that. It was real quiet in the home, the minds of Shining Armor and Cadence working to process all this information.

Finally, Shining Armor found his voice and said, “I…There’s no way that’s real…is it?”

Sunset raised her right arm. “I have the bracelet to prove it, and a magical journal back at my place. If you need more proof, I can have Princess Twilight fire up the portal and you and I can take a nice little stroll into another dimension.”

“No, no! That’s…” Shining Armor ran his hands through his hair as he stood up and paced the floor. “I could just say you have a very active imagination, or are mentally unstable, but then again, I just saw a literal harpy tear a man in two, and you fly off after killing Underwood.”

“Technically I killed a monster.”

“She does have a point,” Cadence added.

Shining Armor groaned as she dragged his hands down his face. “Apparently extradimensional beings exist, magic and monsters exist, and mystical weapons as well…jeez.”

Sunset looked up at the detective and said. “Look, I know that all this is a lot to process, and that not everybody’s mentally able to take it all in. But, I think we could work together here.”

Cadence was the first to ask, “How?”

“These monsters are too dangerous and too powerful for the police to handle. Bullets to don’t work, pretty much all conventional weapons shy of a bomb, possibly. But this,” Sunset raised her wrist again, “the Witchblade, it has the power to put them down.”

Shining Armor didn’t like that idea. “The police don’t have anywhere to put these guys. They’ll tear anyone apart that’s in their way. There’s really no other option, how are you going to arrest and prosecute a monster?”

Shining Armor hated to admit it, but she had a point. Those monsters could tear through them like wet tissue paper, and heal crazy fast.

“Let’s make a deal. I’ll help you take down these monsters, and in exchange, you help me take down Anon-A-Miss,” Sunset suggested.

Cadence and Shining Armor raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t have the resources to find out who this person is, or if there’s more than one. But they’re looking to get me, and while I have this Witchblade, I’m safe, but the school is just devolving into hate, barely anyone trusts each other anymore, and I don’t want that to continue. Forget that they’re targeting me, if my…my friends…decide to forgive and help me, they’ll become targets too! And I don’t want that to happen!”

Cadence glanced to her boyfriend, she could tell he was seriously thinking this over. From Cadence’s perspective, she could feel the urgency in Sunset’s request. Despite whatever past misdeeds she may have committed, Sunset seemed vehement about stopping this “Anon-A-Miss” before they caused harm to someone she cared about. As a school administrator, Cadence felt an urge to help Sunset, problem being, she wasn’t in any position to do so. Plus, it wouldn’t exactly look good if a CPA admin suddenly looked into issues regarding CHS.

Or knowing Cinch she’d probably use whatever I learned against CHS and bury them before the next Friendship Games, thought Cadence.

However, her boyfriend was under no such constraints. She knew Shining Armor had a particular distaste for bullies, which was probably why he was a little harsh with Sunset given what he found and now heard, but Cadence also knew that her husband could sense when someone was being honest and sincere.

Shining Armor was at war with his principals right now. Part of him was saying to refuse this request, that his job was not to kill suspects, but to bring them in so that they may be tried in a court of law. However, the law was not built to deal with murderous monsters of the literal kind. Plus, they still didn’t know what these creatures were. Were they a mutation? Were they always monsters? Was it reversible? Too many questions, not enough answers. Also, he wasn’t exactly psyched about bringing a kid into police work, she may be eighteen and legally an adult, but the things he’d seen during the Murder Mysteries was not something he’d want a young girl like Sunset to see. Then again, it seemed that world sought her out anyway.

“Look…I need to think about this a little. But, I won’t exactly say no to helping you with your Anon-A-Miss problem,” said Shining Armor.

“C’mon, it’d be perfect! I can go places you can’t because you’re a cop! Plus, I have my whole bad girl motif going for me, and a weapon that can protect me and heal me from anything near fatal, I wouldn’t be in any real danger!”

}}} So long as you don’t have your head removed, or are blown up, or disintegrated, or split down the middle– {{{

Not helping!

Shining Armor raised his hand to stop her. “Look, I know you probably think you’re the only one who can stop this, and you may be right. But you don’t know what we’re up against, just as much I don’t either. Until we can get more info, I don’t want you getting involved in this.”

Sunset crossed her arms as she raised an eyebrow. “And what happens when ‘this’ decides to get me involved whether I like it or not?”

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t defend yourself, just–”

Sunset’s phone vibrated on the table. She picked it up and grimaced. “Well…we can put that on hold for now. We first need to deal with what we’re going to say to Celestia.”

“Pardon?” Cadence asked.

Sunset turned her phone to face the two adults and both grimaced as well upon seeing the multitude of voicemails and text messages, most were from her guardian, and the others were from her friend.

“Oh…” Shining Armor groaned.

“This’ll be fun…” Sunset groaned.

“You were attacked, again?!” Celestia asked.

{Y-Yeah, that bird monster came back and tried to hurt me, ripped my clothes off and it was saying something about trying to lay eggs in me or something!}

(“‘Lay eggs in you?! Really?!” Shining asked in disbelief.)

(“How else am I supposed to explain why I’m wearing different clothes?!” Sunset hissed.)

Celestia sighed in relief. “Well, I’m just happy you’re alright. Is Detective Armor there?”

{Oh yeah, he’s right here.}

There sounded like there was a hushed argument in the background before Shining Armor took the phone. {Hello, Ms. Celestia.}

“Thank you, again, Detective Armor, for keeping Sunset safe.”

{N-No problem, my girlfriend’s the Dean of Students at CPA so I–}

“Wait, you know Cadence?”

{Hi, Tia!} came Cadence’s voice. {Don’t worry, we’re keeping Sunset safe, we’ll take her back to her place later in the afternoon. Or, Shiny will, at least.}

Celestia’s mind was set at ease upon hearing that Cadence was there. She knew the young Dean well thanks to Luna being friends with her back in college and high school, so she knew that between the two Sunset was in good hands. “Well, I’ll inform the teachers that you’re safe. If you haven’t already, I’d suggest talking to Pinkie Pie. She’s been coming by office almost every hour asking about you.”

{Will do. Are you at the school right now?}

Celestia was not in fact at the school. She was in her car, parked next to the sidewalk of Lightning Dust’s home. As she had stated to Nurse Redheart, she was going to speak with Lightning Dust’s parent, and then Gilda’s. But in all honesty, Lightning Dust was her top priority. Celestia took into account that Gilda tried to stop Lightning Dust, but failed due to the girl getting thrown by Lightning, but was successful after Sunset managed to get Lightning off of her. While she condemned what Gilda did, she would say she also commended her for trying to stop her friend. That being said, Lightning was the worst offender here, she had tried to strangle Sunset to death in front of everyone and would’ve succeeded had Sunset not managed to strike her and make her get off, and Gilda’s quick thinking to pin Lightning against the lockers.

“I’m taking care of some business right now. But it shouldn’t be long. Are you sure you don’t want me to come and pick you up?”

{It’s fine, I’ll ride with Detective Armor.}

“Okay, I’ll call you later to make sure you’re alright. Bye, Sunset.”

{Bye!}

Celestia heard the line cut off, part of her, her more motherly side, wanted to say “I love you”. But Celestia thought that that would make things awkward, and she definitely didn’t want to pressure Sunset into thinking that she had to see her that way.

“Okay.”

Celestia collected her things and got out of the car. She had phoned ahead and made sure that Lightning Dust’s father, Wind Rider, was going to be home along with his daughter. Thankfully, the man said they would be and Celestia informed them that she would be coming by in the afternoon. Now here she was. The older woman had to keep her emotions in check here, while she was Sunset’s legal guardian, she had to come to Wind Rider and Lightning Dust not as a concerned parent, but as a school administrator.

Celestia walked up the pathway towards the door and knocked. After a couple of minutes, Wind Rider appeared in the doorway, wearing his trademark white scarf and his famous Juniper Phoenix cologne.

“Principal Celestia, thank you for coming,” said Wind Rider.

“Thank you, Mr. Rider, although I wish it were under better circumstances,” Celestia replied.

Wind Rider ushered Celestia inside and was guided to the living room, her eyes were immediately drawn to the trophy cases of both Wind Rider and Lightning Dust. Celestia saw that Lightning was already sitting in the loveseat, she didn’t look good. The Principal could already see bags under the teen’s eyes, she also seemed jittery. Celestia wasn’t sure if this was due to nerves or something else. It wasn’t as if Lightning didn’t have reason not to be worried, she had done something seriously bad, something that could very well land her in jail.

Celestia sat on the couch opposite Lightning, with Wind Rider taking the opposite lazy boy chair. The school principal cleared her throat and began, “As you know, Mr. Rider, your daughter – along with another student – ganged up and assaulted another of my students. Not only that, but several more students attested that Lightning Dust was strangling the student, Sunset Shimmer, to the point that if Sunset had not managed to make Lightning stop, she may have very well managed to kill her. I haven’t brought this to authorities, yet, because I want to know the reason why Lightning thought that it was justified that she’d go that far.”

Celestia fixed her eyes on the girl in question. “Lightning, I want to hear your side of the story to be fair. Tell me, did Sunset Shimmer antagonize you in anyway prior to that incident?”

Lightning muttered a low, “…No.”

“Had she done so at any point before Winter Break?”

“…No.”

“Then, Miss Dust, why did you feel the need to attack Sunset Shimmer, and nearly killed her?” Celestia asked.

Wind Rider held up his arm. “Now, now, let’s just stop right there. First, I’d like to know, is the school pressing charges? Is this Sunset Shimmer pressing charges?”

“The school has a zero tolerance policy for fighting in or on school grounds, Mr. Rider. Normally I’d levy punishment to all parties, but given that the severity of this fight, two on one, any person would agree that Sunset had to fight back for her own self-defense. That being the case, Sunset Shimmer has not yet, and I do stress yet, pressed charges against your daughter. Likewise, the school is considering it.”

Wind Rider nodded his head. “I see…”

Celestia raised her eyebrow, noting Wind Rider’s relaxed demeanor. She wasn’t sure if he just didn’t care or if Celestia’s rehashing of the events was just boring him. “Mr. Rider, what your daughter did and attempted to do are very serious, and as it stands, being eighteen years old, Lightning would be punished as an adult rather than a juvenile.”

Wind Rider nodded. “Oh no, I understand. But, let’s be frank her, Ms. Celestia, this Sunset Shimmer is no saint, at least not from what my daughter has told me. In fact, I heard that up until a few months ago, she was quite the troublemaker. A bully, intimidator, and then there’s this Anon-A-Miss. A cyber bully who’s going around and spilling secrets of not only the students but some faculty, and this account’s profile resembles Sunset Shimmer.”

Celestia’s brow furrowed at the mention of that name. “That is under investigation, but we have strong reason to believe that Sunset Shimmer is being targeted by Anon-A-Miss, using the student body as a weapon to cause her harm. As was evidenced by this latest altercation.”

Wind Rider threw up his hands. “Then, that’s it then. You can’t blame Lightning, blame Anon-A-Miss! She was swept up into this mass hysteria just like the rest of those kids!”

“Mr. Rider, despite what Anon-A-Miss is doing, every person has free will, and a mind, and can make their own decisions. Your daughter chose to attack Sunset, she chose to strangle her until she was almost dead.”

Wind Rider was not fazed in the slightest. “Look, Ms. Celestia, let’s get to the point of all this. I have friends, and money, so it didn’t take me long to figure out that you are Sunset Shimmer’s legal guardian.”

Celestia shrugged at the information. “I never made any attempt to hide it.”

“So, is it fair to say that you’re showing favoritism towards your ward? I mean, she mostly went unpunished during her supposed free reign over the rest of the students. And now Anon-A-Miss crops up, could it be possible, that you’re ignoring some signs that Sunset Shimmer is this Anon-A-Miss person, given her previous history?” Wind Rider asked.

Celestia’s hands tightened into fists. “Mr. Rider, why on Earth would anyone invite this kind of hatred towards themselves?! I know for a fact that Sunset is smarter than that! Hell, a ten-year-old is smarter than that! Why make it obvious that it is her?! Why make herself a target?!”

Wind Rider leaned back in his chair as he said, “Dunno? I did find out she was on the streets for a number of years, perhaps she has some sort of underlying mental illness? Could be she has a disorder where she is doing this, but is not aware? I don’t know, I’m not a shrink. But, what I do know, is that there are ways this can go bad for Sunset Shimmer, and the school, and you Ms. Celestia.”

Celestia leaned forward as she leveled her gaze at smug man before her. “Are you threatening me and Sunset, Mr. Rider?”

Wind Rider leaned forward and matched her gaze. “All I’m saying is that this can go away one of two different ways. You and Miss Shimmer get a very nice sum of money and we forget this ever happened. Or, I can take you, Sunset, and the school, to court and see who’s got the better defense? Your choice.”

Celestia stood from her chair and glared at Wind Rider. “I see, well, thank you for letting me come to speak with you two. I will be bringing this up to the schoolboard.”

“Looking forward to it. Lightning, would you mind walking Ms. Celestia out.” Wind Rider said as more of a command than a request.

Lightning Dust stood up and walked Celestia to the door. Once at the door, Celestia turned to look at Lightning, now that she saw her close up, the older woman could tell that Lightning seemed more disheveled than she previously thought.

“Lightning, if there’s anything you want to tell me, please tell me now. If you need any help…”

Lightning Dust chuckled dryly. “Heh, sorry Principal Celestia…but the kind of help I need, isn’t something you – or anyone – can give me.”

With that, Celestia left, with Lightning closing the door once she was gone.

Wind Rider stood up, looking quite proud of himself. “Well, I think we settled that matter.”

Lightning walked back into the living room. “But…she might do it, you know. Come after us with lawyers and stuff.”

“Pssh, she doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Her delinquent of a ward, combined with her rep and closeness to her, makes this an open and shut case for us if we do need to go to court. At most, we settle with them and this all gets swept under the rug, at worst, we just smear Sunset Shimmer and Principal Celestia. Easy.”

Lightning Dust had a look of apprehension. “Look…Sunset’s a bitch and deserves it, but can you try and not smear Principal Celestia? She’s a good person.”

Wind Rider sighed in frustration. “Lightning, don’t. If it’s a choice between making sure you can get into the sports limelight later on, or the rep of a public school teacher, guess which one I’m picking every time.”

Lightning didn’t really care if Sunset got thrown to the wolves, but Principal Celestia was a good lady, she could be tough, but fair, and everybody loved her, hell, even Lightning Dust liked her. She was almost like a mother to the students sometimes, so the thought of putting her through hell was souring her whole outlook on how her father was going about this. While she was going over all this, she noticed that her father was moving around and heading towards the garage door.

“Where are you going?” Lightning asked.

“Out, both to meet with some lawyers to be ready, and to get a drink. You,” Wind Rider pointed his finger at Lightning, “on the other hand, are not to leave this house, period. If you’re not here when I get back, you’ll wish that that Sunset girl had gotten to you first.”

Wind Rider closed the door, a couple of minutes later, Lightning heard the sound of her father’s sports car leave down the road.

Lightning felt lost, she had some sort of demon inside her, her father was going to mess with Principal Celestia, and he was probably going to drag Gilda into it, too. It was all going to shit. The blonde girl made it back to her room and sat down on her bed, the demon inside her had been silent since last night, but she suspected it wouldn’t be long before it decided to act. Her head was a mess, she needed…someone.

Lightning took up her cellphone and scrolled through her contacts. Her search stopped when she spotted Rainbow Dash’s number. That girl was the only person she had ever met that could match her in anything, her rival, her nemesis, her teammate, her captain…her…friend? Lightning still remembered that look of utter disdain for what she had done to Sunset, they’re relationship was rocky before, they barely spoke to each other after that soccer game a while back, but now, she wondered if she had burned that bridge completely now?

Lightning typed away on her phone.

[RD, I know you probably don’t want to hear from me…but…I really need to talk to someone and…I…you’re the only one who won’t bullshit me and tell it to me straight. Please…]

A couple of minutes passed before Lightning received a reply.

[You’re damn right I don’t want to hear from you. What you did to Sunset was fucked up. But…I’m your captain…and a good captain listens to her teammates. So…fine, I’ll hear you out. When do you want me over?]

[A little after school? 7 maybe?] Lightning asked.

[Fine, I don’t plan on staying too long.] Rainbow replied.

[That’s fine…and Rainbow…thanks.]

The sun had set and now night had fallen. Rainbow Dash pulled up and parked along the sidewalk. There was a noticeable scowl on her face as she approached the home of her rival and former friend. Rainbow had been debating why she was even allowing this meeting to happen, sure, Sunset’s recent stunt was bad, really bad. But Rainbow didn’t believe that that warranted physical harm to the former unicorn, nor did she want to see Sunset get killed over something like this.

Part of Rainbow Dash argued that she was doing this as part of her responsibilities as a team captain, and another probably wanted to deck the girl. Whatever the reason, she was here now, and Rainbow Dash didn’t back down from anything. The prismatic haired teen walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A few seconds passed before the door was opened by Lightning Dust, which, Rainbow had to admit, the girl looked distressed.

“H-Hey, Dash…”

“Lightning…” A pregnant pause fell between the two of them as Rainbow stood there and Lightning just stared at her. “Can I come in? It’s colder than a snowman’s ass out here.”

“Oh, yeah! Come in!” Lightning moved out of the way quickly as she ushered Rainbow into her house.

“You’re dad around?” Rainbow asked.

“He’s been…out, for a while. It’s just the two of us…” Lightning rubbed her left arm in worry. “If you like, you can come back when he does…? But, I’m not so sure he’ll be happy to have company…”

Rainbow shrugged. “I don’t really care one way or the other, you wanted to talk, so let’s talk.”

Lightning nodded and gestured for Rainbow to follow. The two tomboys walked up the stairs and into Lightning’s room, with Lightning closing the door before taking a seat on her bed.

Rainbow Dash took off her jacket and placed it on Lightning’s desk as she crossed her arms. “Okay, you wanted to talk. Let’s talk. First off, I want to know, between you and Gilda, which of you came up with that brilliant plan?”

Lightning twiddled her thumbs as she looked down at the carpet. “Gilda…well, to be fair, we both came up with the idea of beating up Shimmer.”

“Tch, I could’ve told you right away you were going to get your asses handed to you,” said Rainbow.

Lightning looked up at her former friend in confusion. “Excuse me?”

The corner of Rainbow’s mouth turned up in a ghost of a smile. “When Princess Twilight told us to look after her, I wasn’t exactly keen on the idea. So, I challenged Sunset to a fist fight. Course, I had to keep it a secret from the girls. But she agreed, and you know what happened?”

“You kicked her ass?” Lightning guessed.

“Yeah, but only because she let me.” Lightning looked at Rainbow with more confusion, which Rainbow noticed. “I knew Sunset could fight, so I tested the waters, the mark of a good fighter isn’t to know how to take down your opponent, it’s knowing how to fight, to read the situation and use you’re strength, agility, and speed at the right moment. Sunset had me pegged more than once had she followed through, but she didn’t. Most likely because she didn’t want to ruin what she was given. Then we got caught up with these guys trying to pick us up, and we laid them out, and that’s when I saw her skill. She took down three guys before I was finished with my first one.”

Lightning blinked, remembering when Sunset got the upper hand on both of them during the fight, but even before that, Sunset was avoiding them, dodging, until Gilda managed to get her, Sunset hadn’t fought back at all. Yet, from what Rainbow told her, Sunset Shimmer could’ve ended the fight and put them down easily.

“Shit…” Lightning whispered.

“Yeah, so now you know how that could’ve gone. Now, again, between the two of you, who’s bright idea was it to kill her?” Rainbow demanded.

Lightning gripped her hands as she recalled that moment. “No ones…we only planned to beat her up, teach her a lesson, but…I don’t know, I just…I just lost it! I grabbed her and started choking her…” Lightning released her palms as she looked at them. “I can still feel it, y’know, the feeling of when my hands were wrapped around her neck, and that look of fear…I can’t get it out of my head.”

Rainbow growled as she ran her hand down her face. “Jesus, Dust, I know you can go overboard and push things to the extreme, but what you did was way over the line!”

“Don’t you think I realize that now?!” Lightning shouted as she stood up. “Don’t you think I haven’t thought about it since then?! But…I can’t help it! I need to always push myself! I need to go one step further, to be the best!”

Rainbow uncrossed her arms as she pointed at Lightning Dust. “You are the best, but that messed up part of you that pushes you makes you do stupid shit like this! Hurting yourself, hurting your teammates, or someone else! And what’s worse, I almost got sucked up into that!”

Lightning chuckled a little. “We did have fun though, right? Practicing until we collapsed from exhaustion on the field together…hitting the gym hard until our muscles were begging us to stop…you can’t say that all of it was bad?”

Rainbow Dash inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. “Yes, it was fun, but Lightning, you don’t need to push yourself that hard. I don’t know why you feel you need to go that far, but if you don’t tell someone, anyone, then you’re not helping yourself. I’m probably the only one who gets how you think, so that’s why I’m here. Tell me.”

Lightning sat back down on the bed, once again staring at the floor. Rainbow Dash walked over and sat next to her. Silence prevailed in the room for several seconds before a sound was made.

“My Dad…”

“What?”

“My Dad, he…he wants me to be the best, whatever it takes. He’s harsh, and really strict when it comes to me and sports. I got into it because I love it, but he sees it as a way to relive his glory days…so he pushes me harder, and I guess…I developed it in my head that I need to go one step further,” Lightning explained.

Rainbow’s brow furrowed. “Geez, I knew he could be strict, but I didn’t know he was like that. Does he…does he hit you?”

Lightning nodded.

“Lightning, you have to tell the cops.”

The turquoise girl chuckled. “Yeah, that won’t happen. My Dad has money and friends in high places, plus, he’s smart. He never hits me unless I’d been in a fight beforehand, or got injured during a game, that way he can hide it easier.”

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and tightened her fists to the point that her knuckles turned white. “Well, now I’m going to wait till he gets here, and give him a beat down myself.”

Lightning smiled a little as she placed her hand on Rainbow’s fist. “I appreciate it, but don’t…he’ll just smear you. The last thing I need is to have someone I like get – humph!” Lightning slapped her free hand over her mouth.

Rainbow, however, managed to catch that. “Like? You like me?”

“Uh…I…”

“Go ahead, Dusty, I can feel it inside you. You want this girl.”

Shut up! Leave me alone!

“You can’t hide it from me. I can feel the heat rising in your core, you want her, stop denying yourself what you truly want!”

I’m not listening!

“Okay, guess I’ll just give you a little push.”

Rainbow looked at Lightning, her face turned from her as she awaited her answer. “Lightning, do you mean like-like? Or–?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t get to finish her sentence before Lightning’s lips crashed into hers. The sudden kiss managed to take Rainbow by surprise and made her fall onto the bed, Rainbow felt Lightning’s tongue explore her mouth as she moaned pleasurably. Rainbow tried to raise her arms to push Lightning away, but Lightning was quicker, grabbing ahold of Rainbow’s wrists and pinning them against the bed.

Lightning pulled away, a cliché string of saliva formed as she now looked down upon her. The turquoise girl had a silver aura around her irises, but then it faded and she was now met with the sight of her former friend pinned beneath her, panting and red as a rose as she looked up at Lightning.

“R-Rainbow Dash, I-I’m sorry! I just…I wasn’t…this isn’t why I called you over here! I…”

“Dust.”

Lightning went silent.

“You need to blow off some steam?” Rainbow asked.

Lightning Dust gulped and nodded her head in a bit of shame as she released her grip on Rainbow’s wrists. The rainbow haired teen leaned forward and brought her lips against Lightning’s, surprising the young athlete. When Rainbow pulled back, she looked into Lightning’s eyes and said, “That’s all this is then, okay?”

“Okay,” said Lightning Dust breathlessly.

Lightning leaned back down to meet her former friend again, the two girls locked lips as a series of moans filled the room. Both of them shifted on the bed, getting into more comfortable positions and not separating at all while doing so. Lightning Dust found herself straddling Rainbow’s hips, the latter’s hands moved to the back of Lightning’s head, massaging her scalp and running her hands through her blonde hair.

Lightning broke their kiss as she leaned back, grabbed the hem of her shirt, and pulled it off, showing that she wasn’t wearing a bra underneath, her two B-cup breasts and perky nipples on full display for her former friend. Rainbow responded in kind, taking off her shirt to reveal a black sports bra underneath. Lighting grabbed the garment as Rainbow raised her hands up, allowing Lightning to pull it off, exposing Rainbow’s perky breasts to the air.

Heavy breathing reverberated in the room, the world and all its sounds outside this room seeming to fade into the background, as there was only this moment. Lightning brought her hands forward, running them along Rainbow’s sides as she went upwards, then slowly working her hands to cup each of Rainbow’s breasts. Rainbow moaned a little when Lightning began to massage them, despite knowing that Lightning Dust liked to move fast, she seemed to be savoring this moment.

Rainbow wasn’t one to be outdone, as she quickly leaned upwards and latched her mouth around one Lightning’s left breast, wrapped her right arm around her waist, and used her left hand to knead the other mammary. Lightning let out a loud moan of ecstasy as she felt Rainbow work her nipple in her mouth, licking it, and pinching it with her teeth. The sounds of suckling echoed loudly in Lightning’s ears as she felt her chest getting assaulted in the best way possible.

“Fuck… Dash…that…I’ve wanted to do this since we first met,” Lightning confessed in her heat.

Rainbow stopped for a moment to look up at Lightning. “I kinda had a feeling you were….you know, like me.”

Lightning looked down. “How long?”

Rainbow smiled as she recalled the memory. “I wasn’t really sure until that one practice match when we were the last two to clean up. I decided to test the waters – no pun intended – when we were showering.”

Lightning’s eyes widened when she recalled the day. Rainbow Dash wasn’t a shy girl by any means and was quite proud of her physique, but on that day, she seemed to flaunt it more than usual, especially when they were showering. She also remembered that Rainbow Dash seemed to lose her grip on the soap bar quite a lot and had to bend over more than once to grab it, spread eagle no less. Remembering that day made Lightning’s cheeks turn a rosy shade of red as she glared down at the rainbow haired teen.

“You fucking tease! You were flashing me on purpose?!”

A cocky smile formed. “Yep, and I saw you taking a peek every chance I gave you.”

Lightning narrowed her gaze. “And you never said anything to me because?!”

Rainbow’s smile vanished. “Because…not long after that, you and I had our falling out. You messed up most of the team and nearly got me injured bad. So…yeah.”

Lightning frowned a little. “……Sorry. Heh, great, I messed up my shot…”

“I wouldn’t…say that it you completely missed. I mean…we are here, aren’t we,” Rainbow stated.

Lightning allowed herself to smile a little. “Yeah…we are.”

Rainbow lied back down and, in yet another surprising move, unbuttoned her jeans and pulled down the zipper. Lightning looked up at her and asked, “Are you…Are you sure?”

“I’m pretty sure, at least.”

Lightning look down, she would admit, there were a few times, even after their falling out, that Lightning Dust had fantasized about this moment, but having it happen right here and now…it was almost surreal. Demons, murders, her shitty father, all that didn’t matter right now. This was something that she secretly wished would happen between her and Rainbow, and now it was about to happen. Lightning slowly moved her hands towards Rainbow’s pants, about to rise up and pull them down, that is until she heard movement outside her front door.

“Lightning, who’s car is parked out front?! I don’t – oh!” Wind Rider paused when he opened the door, seeing his daughter half naked, and another girl on her bed, also half naked, with said daughter’s hands working at the pants of the other.

Instinct kicked in after that as Lightning got off of Rainbow, allowing her to roll to the side and cover her chest, while Lightning grabbed a pillow and covered her chest.

“DAD, WHAT THE HELL?!” Lightning yelled.

“Oh,” Wind turned his head away as he said, “I didn’t know you had company over. You’re, uh, Rainbow Dash, right?”

Rainbow, whose face was redder than a tomato, managed to squeak out, “Y-Yes, Sir.”

“I see. Lightning, could you put on a shirt and come out here,” Wind Rider requested.

“S-Sure,” Lightning replied.

“I-I’ll leave,” said Rainbow Dash.

“No, no, no!” Wind Rider spoke. “No, you don’t need to leave, I just need to speak with Lightning.”

Lightning Dust glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

“Y-Yeah.”

Lightning Dust found her shirt and put it on, and then left the room. Rainbow Dash felt completely embarrassed, she had heard of those cliché moments in teen movies when parents walk in on their kids doing it, but she never thought in a million years that she’d end up in that position. Not to mention, it was the parent that beat their kid.

“Oh fuck,” Rainbow realized, “Lightning!”

Rainbow got off the bed, zipped up her pants, found her shirt, and hurried to the door. She stopped just before opening the door when Rainbow heard voices. Cautiously, she cracked the door open just enough to peek outside.

“Dad, I’m…I’m sorry I didn’t call or text you that she was over! Please don’t be mad at her!” Lightning pleaded.

Wind Rider only smirked as he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Dusty, why would I be mad at you?”

“Huh?”

“You’re doing exactly what we discussed yesterday!” Wind Rider exclaimed.

What, thought Rainbow.

“I told you to make up with that girl and you did. Now you’re thinking like a winner, she’ll help you get places for sure! But, yes, I am a little irritated that you didn’t call me or text me, had I known you were going to seal the deal I wouldn’t have interrupted,” said Wind.

Rainbow Dash eyes narrowed into slits as her grip on the doorknob tightened to the point that the metal was groaning from the pressure. WHAT?!

Lightning pushed his hands away and glared at her father. “What?! No, that’s not why she’s –!”

“Dammit, I may’ve killed the mood. How about this? I’ll leave the house for a few more hours, and you two can keep going!” Wind Rider snapped his fingers as an idea entered his head. “I have a good wine in my study, I can bring it up and–!”

“WHAT THE HELL, LIGHTNING?!” Rainbow yelled as she exited the room and stormed towards Lightning Dust.

Lightning’s eyes widened with fear upon hearing Rainbow’s voice and the anger in her eyes. “Rainbow Dash, wait!”

“So everything you told me back there was a bunch of bullshit?! You just wanted to get into my pants just to make yourself look good?!” Rainbow accused.

Lightning faced Rainbow Dash as she said, “No! I swear to god, that’s not why I wanted you over here! I meant every word of what I said! I’ve always liked you!”

“And you!” Rainbow turned her furious glare on Wind Rider. “What kind of sick fuck encourages their own kid to do that kind of shit?!”

“Now, Miss Dash, let’s calm down and–”

“NO! FUCK YOU!” Rainbow interrupted before turning her ire on Lightning. “You know, Sunset has done some shitty stuff in the past, and this Anon-A-Miss is also shitty as hell, but at least Sunset never played with people like that! If anything you’re worse than her!”

Lightning’s eyes widened as she grabbed her head and backed away after hearing those words, this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. She just wanted to talk with Rainbow, she just wanted someone to hear her, to be close to her, and when she finally managed to do so, her father…her father…her father.

“This…This all your fault,” said Lightning as she glared at her father.

“Pardon me?”

“Because of you, I just lost the only chance I had at being actually happy! Because of you, I’ve endured pain, fear, and humiliation!”

Wind Rider’s brow furrowed as he listened to his daughter’s rant, while also noting that Rainbow Dash’s anger was shifting towards him now. “Lightning, I know you’re upset, but there’s no need to be spouting nonsense!”

“FUCK YOU IT ISN’T NONSENSE!”

“That’s right, Dusty, let it all out…”

“I hate you!” Lightning growled.

“Say it…!”

“I wish…!”

“Say it!”

“I wish…!!”

“SAY IT!!!”

“I WISH YOU WERE DEAD!” Lightning yelled at the top of her lungs.

That proved to be the last straw as Wind Rider struck his daughter with a strong backhanded strike across her face. Unfortunately the blow was strong enough to make her stumble backwards, causing Lightning to trip and fall right down the stairs. Rainbow watched in shock and horror as her former friend tumbled down the stairs, hearing something crack as she hit the floor and slammed against the wall.

“LIGHTNING!” Rainbow cried as she bounded down the stairs and slid to a stop before her former friend’s body.

Lightning’s right arm was bent a different angles, while her left arm’s bone had broken the skin and was bleeding profusely. Her legs weren’t any better, they were bent at the wrong angles. Lightning’s mouth had blood dripping from the corner, and her body twitched. Rainbow Dash didn’t need to be a doctor to know that Lightning definitely had a spinal injury, and more than likely a brain injury on top of that, and that’s not counting the visible injuries, and whatever else was going on internally.

“Lightning! Stay with me! Can you talk?! Lightning try and say something?!” When Rainbow received no response other than the constant twitching, she turned her furious gaze upon Wind Rider. “You bastard! Look what you’ve done!”

Wind Rider still seemed as if he was in shock, staring at his hand as if someone else had done the deed, but there was no denying the facts that were right before his eyes. He had struck his daughter and she fell down the stairs. Now that he looked at her, if she survived, there was no way her body would recover, at worst she was now in a coma, at best, she’d end up with a spinal injury and never be able to go into any serious sporting events, either ending up as a paraplegic or a quadriplegic.

“You mean…what you did.”

Rainbow looked at the man incredulously. “What did you say?!”

“I came home, hearing an argument, and saw my daughter get struck by her supposed former friend who held a grudge over the altercation yesterday, and came to take revenge. Yes, that’s what happened.”

Rainbow couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This guy was going to seriously pin this on her. “Fuck you, I’m calling the cops!” Rainbow reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her phone, dialing the number.

“You little bitch, you won’t!” Wind Rider ran down the stairs and tackled Rainbow Dash to the floor.

“Son of a bitch! Get off me!” Rainbow spat.

Rainbow punched the old man in the face, making him growl in anger as he delivered a punch across Rainbow’s face, the blow dazed her a little, but she managed to press the call button just before Wind Rider struck her in the gut, making her drop the phone as it slid across the floor. Rainbow balled up her right fist and drove it straight into Wind Rider’s face, making him back up, she took that opportunity to deliver another punch, this time lower.

Wind Rider released a high pitched gasp as his crotch flared with pain, making the older man back away as he cupped his manhood. “You…little…bitch…!”

Rainbow Dash wiped her mouth of the blood as she got up and assumed a fighting stance. “You really going to do this? How are you going to explain this to the cops?!”

“S-Self-defense…” Wind Rider took a breath. “I famous race car driver, angry girl seeking revenge, my injured daughter…the story writes itself!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”

Rainbow Dash and Wind Rider gasped in horror, Lightning Dust was standing up on her broken legs. However, her legs began to crack and snap back into place, along with her arms. Lightning Dust’s neck popped and cracked as it realigned itself. The once injured girl smiled sadistically as her gaze fell on her father.

“Rainbow, you should sit down,” said Lightning.

“L-Lightning…you’re alright?!” Rainbow gasped.

“Lightning?! Oh thank god! How did…no, it doesn’t matter, this is great!” Wind Rider exclaimed.

Lightning’s eyes shifted, turning into “X” shaped pupils as the color changed to silver. “Do you think so?”

A silver aura overtook Lightning’s body, her skin began to slide off and turn to ash, underneath her silver feathers showed, her hair turned silver instead of its goldenrod color. After a few seconds, Lightning Dust was no longer in a human form, she was the monster, the Harpy.

“Finally, thank you for that ‘Daddy’, I needed you to push little Dusty just far enough to let me take control! This was just perfect!” Harpy exclaimed with glee.

Wind Rider shook his head as his mind failed to process what he just saw. “I don’t…I don’t understand this! Where is Lightning! What did you do with her?!”

Harpy chuckled. “Oh, she’s here.” Harpy pointed her talon at her chest. “She’s very pissed at you right now. Quite frankly, I’m starting to wonder if I picked the wrong the host, but she’s physically strong so that’s the upside.”

Rainbow Dash fell to the floor on her rear, her legs no longer working as she beheld the sight of this monster. Somehow, despite seeing Sunset’s demon form, and the Sirens’ avatars, this was by far the scariest thing Rainbow Dash had ever seen. As embarrassed as she was to admit, Rainbow was on the verge of wetting herself.

“Now, how am I going to play with you? ‘Daddy’?”

Sunset was riding in the front seat of Shining Armor’s car, she had borrowed a couple of loose fitting clothing from the closet, some sweat pants and large t-shirt, still going commando as she didn’t feel like inconveniencing Cadence. After having spent a couple of more hours answering some more questions Shining Armor had decided to take Sunset back to her place. Thankfully, she managed to convince the detective that she wasn’t behind the murders, but that made him no less suspicious about her. Given that she just confessed to being a being from another dimension, it was understandable.

“You still haven’t said anything about my offer,” said Sunset.

“I said I’d help out with Anon-A-Miss,” Shining Armor replied.

“That’s not it, I mean, about me helping you! You know and I know that the Witchblade is the only thing that’s able to hurt these things, kill them even!” Sunset huffed as she looked outside. “Besides, you know I’ll just get involved anyway, might as well coordinate.”

Shining Armor sighed, knowing full well that this girl just might do that. “Look…I don’t doubt that you can, but you’re still a kid.”

“Legally, I’m an adult, and before I came here, I was well within my early twenties, so, I’m mentally, and physically, an adult,” Sunset countered.

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow at that. “Yeah, well, physically, you’re eighteen, and yes legally an adult. But you’re still in school, and honestly that’s all you should be worried about. Is it possible you can transfer that thing to me or someone else?”

}}} That is most assuredly not happening. {{{

“Yeah, he says that’s not happening,” said Sunset.

“Of course it did.”

{All units, we’ve got a disturbance at the residence of 1205 Hoofington Ave. Possible 303.}

Sunset watched as Shining Armor’s brow furrowed, his expression becoming deathly serious. “Hey, what’s a code 303?”

“Mystery Murders related. It’s a new code that we developed whenever there’s a possibility that this it’s connected,” said Shining as he reached for the radio. “This is Detective Shining Armor, what’s the situation?!”

{Unsure at this time. Received a call at around 20:03, at first it was believed to be a prank call, but the operator could hear talking and then an unusual voice. The phone is still active and we’re recording as we speak, we don’t know the status but SWAT is en route.}

Sunset looked to Shining Armor. “They’re not going to be able to help them!”

Shining Armor glanced at Sunset, seeing the determined look on her face. Part of Shining Armor told him to not get a kid involved, while the other half was telling him that there was no other choice, and the latter was winning out.

“Dispatch, I’m en route, let me scout out the situation first, tell the SWAT team to hang back until I can assess,” said Shining.

{Copy that, proceed with extreme caution.}

Shining Armor took out the police light, rolled down his window, and placed it on the roof of his car. “Hang on.”

The engine revved loudly as the siren blared in all directions. Sunset held on for dear life as Shining Armor sped through several stop lights and weaved around traffic when they weren’t getting out of the way fast enough. Thankfully they were close, so it did not take long before the duo made it to the residence, Shining Armor shut off the siren and light about halfway down the road, approaching the house slowly. He quickly opened up the dashboard computer, entering the address and getting some info on who might be inside.

“Okay, Wind Rider, father, a retired race car driver. One child, Lightning Dust,” Shining Armor read.

Sunset looked back at the house. “Wait, this is Lightning Dust’s house?!”

“You know her?”

“She was the one who nearly killed me yesterday…but the hell’s…” Sunset glanced to the car parked in front of the house, and when she did, her eyes widened. “No…oh shit!”

“What? What’s wrong?!” Shining asked.

“That car, that’s my…one of my friends’ cars! Rainbow Dash’s in there!” Sunset exclaimed.

Shining Armor got out of the car and made his way to the trunk. He took off his coat and immediately strapped on a bulletproof vest, and took out the shotgun, loading rounds into it while putting a few more into the rack that was mounted in its side.

Sunset got out of the car, the Witchblade’s gemstone gave a low glow in the dark of the night. “We need to get in there!”

“Follow up behind me,” said Shining Armor.

The duo quietly made their way towards the house, they managed to make it to the front door, listening in as the voices carried.

“Hmm, you used to race. Drive fast cars, you sound pretty proud of that and your legs. Let’s start there shall we?”

“No! Please, wait! AAAAAAHHAHH!!!!”

The sickening sound of bones breaking and snapping like twigs reached their ears and nearly made them retch.

“Lightning stop! I know he’s fucking nuts, but you can’t do this! Don’t let him make you into a monster!”

Rainbow!

“Dashie, you don’t have to be afraid. Just enjoy the show, this old fucker was going to put all the blame on you for nearly killing me. And once I’m done with him, we can continue where we left off.”

Sunset growled as she tightened her fists. “That’s it, I’m going in!”

“Wait!”

Sunset ran into the front yard, aiming herself right where the living room would be. The heat rose in her body as her eyes shined with turquoise light in the night along with the Witchblade. In a matter of seconds, the armor reacted, exploding outwards as it began tearing through her clothes and replacing them with its own armor. Sunset dashed towards the wall, cocked back her right fist, and punched the wall. The blow blasted a hole about five feet wide six feet high. Dust rose in the air as Sunset stood there, her fist still extended as the faint light of night silhouetted her form. At the front door, two shots were fired, blowing the doorknob off, Shining Armor kicked the door down and ran inside. Once inside, he cocked the gun and aimed it at the creature.

Harpy had Wind Rider in its clutches, holding him by the throat with her left claw. While her right claw was covered in blood, with Wind Rider’s torn leg still grasped in it. Blood dripped down to the floor from the two severed limbs as Wind Rider thrashed about, trying to get free.

Sunset glanced to her left and saw Rainbow Dash, fear evident in her eyes as she looked from Harpy to Sunset, as if trying to assess if she was in even more danger than before.

“Keep her safe,” said Sunset.

Shining Armor nodded and slowly moved to Rainbow Dash. “Miss Dash, I’m Detective Armor, everything’s going to be alright.”

Harpy chuckled at that. “Oh, Officer, haven’t seen you since last night.” Her eyes fell on Sunset and she scowled. “I could’ve done without seeing you again, Witchblade! What, getting your ass kicked once wasn’t enough?”

“One: I was mopping the streets with your ass. Two: I’m going to finish what I started!”

Sunset dashed towards Harpy. The monster released her captive as she was swiftly tackled straight through the drywall and into the study. The creature screeched in anger as she attacked Sunset with her talons. Sunset’s right forearm armor morphed until it formed a round shield, allowing Harpy’s talons to bounce harmlessly off it.

Harpy swiped again, but Sunset jumped back, but cursing when her back slammed against a bookshelf. The creature came in again with another talon strike, Sunset ducked as the talons ripped through the wood and books, turning the tomes into confetti and splintering wood. Sunset rushed forward and shield bashed Harpy in the front, sending her flying to the other side of the room.

Sunset concentrated, and into her left hand the Witchblade formed shuriken throwing star. The monster slayer tossed the weapon with deadly accuracy, but Harpy managed to dodge it at the last second. The projectile stuck itself in the wall behind her, only to dissolve a few seconds after. Sunset tossed a few more as she got closer, making Harpy concentrate on dodging. The warrior woman jumped, spun once in the air, and delivered a powerful spinning heel kick to Harpy’s chest, busting through the wall and throwing this fight into the next room.

Harpy was sprawled onto the floor of the kitchen as Sunset approached her, but the second she was close, Harpy rose up and stabbed her talons into Sunset’s left thigh. Crimson blood flowed from the wound and made Sunset grunt in pain. Harpy removed her talons and then stabbed Sunset in her stomach, making her cough up blood. Harpy used the leverage to then toss Sunset right onto large island countertop. Sunset grabbed ahold of that same arm and willed spikes to jut out.

In less than a second, silver spikes protruded from Harpy’s arm, making her screech in pain. Sunset dislodged the talons, brought Harpy closer, and then kneed her in the face. The avian monster backed away, clutching at her face as Sunset rolled off the counter and charged for her again, this time striking with an uppercut that sent the monster straight up through the ceiling and into the upstairs.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor, with Rainbow’s help, managed to drag Wind Rider out of the house and onto the lawn. “There’s a some tubing in the trunk of my car!” Rainbow announced.

“Great, I need a tourniquet, get it!”

Rainbow Dash ran over to her car, popping the trunk as she frantically searched amongst her various sporting equipment. She couldn’t believe she was doing this, after what Wind Rider did to her and to Lightning, he deserved to bleed to death. But then, she would be worse than him, and a dead man can’t pay for his crimes. The sounds of battle echoed in the night, waking many of the neighbors as the police Sirens wailed in the distance.

Rainbow found the tubing and hurried back to Shining Armor, she slid as she approached them, kicking up the snow as Shining Armor went to work tying off the severed part of Wind Rider’s leg.

“My leg…My leg…oh god, she ripped off my leg!” Wind Rider wailed.

“You’re lucky that’s all she took off!” Rainbow shouted in anger.

Two loud crashes drew everyone’s attention as two figures flew up into the air. The battle continued, with Harpy having several gashes and stabs wounds that bled out, her healing factor wasn’t working as well against the otherworldly powers of the Witchblade’s armaments.

“Give it up, Lightning Dust! This doesn’t have to end badly!” Sunset warned.

“The only…The only one who’s going to have a bad end…IS YOU!!!”

Harpy inhaled deeply, feeling that same power well up in her chest and move its way into her throat. In the next moment, Harpy released her super sonic screech, the column of distorted air moved right towards Sunset, but she didn’t move. The Witchblade’s gemstone began to glow a bright scarlet as it went to work.

The gaps in the armor had been covered with more armor, the chest plate sported one blue jewel at the center of her chest, and a second, yellow gemstone right over her navel. A helmet formed over Sunset’s head, creating two curved horns from the forehead, and also allowed for her metallic hair to flow out. The helmet’s eyes were turquoise crystals that glowed with the same intensity as Sunset’s eyes. The Witchblade had learned from their previous engagement, and was damned if it was going to be bested twice by the same creature.

The sonic blast struck Sunset, she felt a dull thud against her body, but nothing else. Her helmet filtered out the screech, allowing none of the flesh tearing, minding destroying sound to affect her. Harpy stopped her attack, out of energy and out of breath as she huffed from the effort of the attack, only now noticing Sunset’s armor had changed.

“W-What?! How did–?!”

“Yeah, my armor is a bit of a sore loser, so it found a way to adapt and counter your little surprise attack!”

Sunset flew for Harpy, striking her across the face with a right punch, she spun in place and kicked Harpy up higher into the air. The slayer flew after Harpy, zooming passed her and hovering over her, a broadsword formed in her right hand as Sunset dove down with great haste and stabbed Harpy right through her gut. The monster screeched in pain as the two of them plummeted straight down.

Everyone watched as the monster and armored woman descended at a rapid pace, and smashed straight through the roof of Lightning’s house and ended up right back in the living room.

Rainbow Dash felt worry about seeing all of this and ran towards the hole in the wall. Shining Armor called out to her, but then gave chase. Both of them walked through the hole and once the dust settled, saw Witchblade standing over the body of Harpy.

Surprisingly, the creature was still alive. But was in very bad shape from the looks of it. Sunset reformed the broadsword and pointed in Harpy’s face. “Any last words?”

“……” Harpy closed her eyes.

Sunset raised the sword and prepared to administer the killing stroke.

“STOP!” Rainbow yelled.

Sunset did, but then watched as Rainbow Dash ran towards them and put herself between Witchblade and Harpy.

“Miss, get away from them!” Shining Armor ordered.

“You don’t understand! Lightning’s…Lightning Dust isn’t a monster! I don’t know what’s going on, but this isn’t right, you can’t just kill her!” Rainbow pleaded.

Sunset lowered the weapon, but still kept it formed. “She’s like the monster I killed last week. The one that went after a girl in her own home. She’s dangerous.”

“Look, I don’t know who you are! But, my friends and I… we have magic powers too! If I can get them together, we can fix her,” said Rainbow Dash.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “I find that hard to believe. Can you assure me that your friends – all of them – can come together and heal her?”

Rainbow opened her mouth to rebut that, but her argument died before it could make it past her lips. The truth was, there was no guarantee. Right now there seemed to be a divide amongst them, and even Rainbow Dash wasn’t stupid enough to discount that Sunset’s presence might just be needed if they were going to effectively save Lighting. However, she wasn’t ready to give up.

Rainbow Dash turned around looked down at her transformed former friend. “Lightning, please, if there’s any part of you that’s in there, please, fight this thing!”

Harpy chuckled darkly. “Forget it girl…she’s mine. She gave into her hatred, and now I can – W-What’s happening?!” Harpy began to convulse. “What are you doing?! I’m not a monster! I don’t want this! I never wanted to kill! UGH! Don’t be stupid! Force me out and you’ll die with all these injuries!”

Rainbow Dash took a few steps back, with Sunset placing herself between them. Shining Armor kept his weapon trained on the monster, watching as the creature began to spasm and grab its head as if it had a splitting headache.

“STOP! You’ll die! I swear you’ll die! So long as you’re gone! Then FINE! GET! OUT! OF! ME!!!!”

Lightning Dust screamed loud enough that the whole neighborhood heard. Her body went still as she fell forward onto the floor. Her body began to glow, changing back into the original form of Lightning Dust.

The Witchblade armor retracted the additional plating, allowing Sunset to fully view what was happening. Something strange began to happen, the silver aura rose up from her body, going higher and higher. The aura then shifted, transforming into a monster, its body was ethereal, but had a muscular human upper body, and a hooved creature’s lower body. It’s head was that of a deer’s skull, or it was wearing deer’s skull, it was hard to tell. The creature released a terrible wailing sound as it began to move about.

}}} Do not let it escape! {{{

How?! It’s a ghost or spirit or something!

}}} Not even spirits can elude me! Trust in me! {{{

Sunset hadn’t had reason to distrust the Witchblade, there was no reason to start now. Sunset willed her armor to form chains, she pointed her left hand towards the spirit and fired the chains towards the demonic spirit. The chains moved like snakes, wrapping around the spirit. The demonic spirit didn’t fear the chains as they surrounded him, knowing that no mortal weapon could capture it. The spirit was introduced to a rude awakening as the chains went taut and completely wrapped around it.

“W-What sorcery is this?!”

“Wow, apparently I can capture ghosts too,” said Sunset, genuinely surprised.

“Because why not,” Shining Armor added.

“At least now I can get some answers. Keep this in mind, spirit, if I can capture you, I’m pretty sure that means I can harm you. Now, tell me, what are you?!”

The spirit, for the first time in its existence, felt fear. This being had the power to bind him, and that also meant she could destroy him, there would be no coming back, Oblivion would come.

“NO PLEASE, I’LL TELL YOU! I am…I am Wendigo!”

Sunset’s eyes widened upon hearing that name. It wasn’t possible, Wendigos were nothing but a myth, a boogey monster from the tales of Hearths Warming Eve, a metaphor to teach foals that hate and division make for a cold heart. They weren’t supposed to be real, not in Equestria, and certainly not on this human world.

Sunset tightened the chains as her eyes glowed with fury. “You’re lying, you can’t be a Wendigo!”

“AAAH! I speak the truth! My kind have existed since the beginning! We are spirits that feed on hate!”

A thought entered Sunset’s mind. If this world was a parallel version of Equestria, then it was safe to assume that maybe, just maybe, the Wendigos existed on this side as well. What was a tale in her world, may be reality in this one.

“Why are you here?!”

“Long ago…this world used to be filled with magic, and much turmoil. We fed on the hate, and through it, we would possess the humans and take form here! We were to stop at nothing to make this world our own, to turn it into a wasteland of frozen hate! But…the humans and other creatures banded together and imprisoned us. And over time…the magic faded, making it impossible for us to break free. Until…”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Until?”

“A great surge of power echoed throughout the world, magic was reawakened and we felt it! That surge allowed us to free ourselves! But we were weak, and came here to where the magic first surged!”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes began to widen, Witchblade – Sunset – was also starting to make the connection. A powerful surge in magical energy, and it originated here in Canterlot City. The only magical surge that had happened was when Sunset Shimmer activated the Element of Magic.

Sunset’s body felt numb, once again, her actions had brought harm to others, in the worst way possible. “How…How many of you are there…?!”

“Many…! You humans haven’t changed in the numerous millennia that have passed! Still coveting, lusting, and hating each other, I’d say it’s even worse than when we were imprisoned! We will get our full strength back, and this city will be our breeding ground! You have not the power to stop ALL of us!” the Wendigo taunted.

Sunset gritted her teeth as anger welled up inside her. The chains suddenly grew blades, piercing the Wendigo spirit and making it howl in pain. It began pleading, but Sunset had long since ignored its cries. With a tug of her left hand, the chains ripped through the Wendigo, tearing it apart as its remains evaporated into the nothingness of Oblivion.

After that heavy revelation, Rainbow Dash hurried to Lightning’s side, there was blood seeping out of her, making Rainbow Dash grow more worried by the second. “Lightning, can you hear me?! LIGHTNING?!”

The turquoise girl slowly opened her eyes. “Hey…Dash…I’m messed up…real bad…”

“Save your strength, I’ll go it an ambulance!”

“She won’t need one.”

Rainbow Dash gasped when she saw Witchblade kneel before Lightning Dust. The armored heroine placed her right hand on Lightning’s back, and immediately after, the ruby gemstone began to glow. Waves of red light flowed over Lightning’s body, the wounds that were caused from their battle were quickly mending themselves. Lightning took in a deep breath, being able to breathe easier now.

When she was done, Sunset stood back up and said, “She’ll be alright.” She then walked over to Shining Armor and asked, “Promise me you’ll do what you can for her?”

Shining Armor sighed heavily. “I’ll do whatever I can, this isn’t going to be easy to report.”

Sunset nodded, her back created the metallic wings, and thanks to the hole in the roof, Sunset was able to take off without needing to smash through it. The flame haired girl soared through the sky, quickly covering miles of distance in just a few seconds.

She spotted her neighborhood and descended quickly to the stoop of her front door. The Witchblade glowed and produced her keys, to which Sunset used to open the door and close it behind her. Once inside, the armor retracted back into bracelet form.

Sunset trudged towards the stairs and ascended them to her bed. Ray chirped happily at his master’s return, but then his expression became solemn when he saw the look on her face. The former unicorn mare sat at the edge of her bed, and once she did, she buried her face in her hands and cried.

Author's Notes:

Case Closed

Case File 3-1 (The Widow): Reassurance

Two days had passed since the incident at Lightning Dust’s home, and already word was spreading around. All they knew was what was allowed to come out through the police, which stated that Wind Rider and Lightning Dust were attacked, and that Wind Rider sustained severe injuries to his legs. It was also going about that Wind Rider abused Lightning Dust, not in a sexual way, but striking her and pushing her to the breaking point. Some speculated that this was the reason why Lightning Dust went postal on Sunset Shimmer, nearly killing her.

The student body didn’t know how to take this news exactly. Lightning Dust was kind of jerk, and could be super competitive, but to know that that was going on at home put some things in perspective. On that note, Sunset Shimmer hadn’t returned at all in those two days following the incident, and yet, miraculously, Anon-A-Miss hadn’t made a single posting since. It could be said that Sunset’s declaration of war against Anon-A-Miss meant that maybe she was indeed not responsible, however, not all of the student body shared this sentiment. Indeed a vast majority still suspected Sunset of being the true culprit, the fact that Anon-A-Miss hadn’t posted anything was enough proof for them, what with Sunset being absent.

Rainbow Dash returned to school after about a day off, she hadn’t really said much about what happened when she went to Lightning Dust’s home, part of her wondered if she should say anything at all. It wasn’t that Rainbow thought that the girls wouldn’t believe her, but more along the lines of what she knew and what was going on. It became too much to bear, so, the jock had decided to speak to her friends regarding what happened, having asked them to meet in the music room after school, it’s sound proof walls would allow them privacy and ensure no eavesdropping would occur.

When the last bell rang, the students filed out of school and into the cold winter afternoon. But the Rainbooms had assembled in their music room, with Rainbow Dash looking as sullen as she did when she returned.

“Alright, Rainbow, so what’s goin’ on? Ya’ve been actin’ all quiet and depressed, and that ain’t like ya,” said Applejack.

Rainbow crossed her arms as she stared down at the floor.

“Darling, if it’s too hard to speak of, you don’t have to force yourself to do this,” said Rarity.

“No…I have to. You guys need to know what I saw, what I heard. Because…this could be a whole lot worse than Anon-A-Miss or the Sirens,” Rainbow stated grimly.

The girls all had worried expressions on their faces, Rainbow was serious. After taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash told her friends what had happened on the night she went to go and see Lightning Dust, she admitted to having an intimate moment with her, earning Rainbow a glare of contempt from Applejack and Pinkie, considering what Lightning had done to Sunset. Rainbow pressed on, telling them of what Wind Rider wanted Lightning to do with her, and how Lightning ended up turning into some kind of demonic monster. The tale continued as Rainbow, almost retching at the memory, told them of how the monster tore each of Wind Rider’s legs in front of her.

Then came the fight, of a girl dressed in skimpy armor who fought the demon and nearly killed it, but Rainbow stopped her. Looking back on it, she was glad she did, it gave Lightning the chance to break free from the demon spirit, the Wendigo.

“She called herself Witchblade, she interrogated the Wendigo, and it told us that there are more of them, and they were all swarming around Canterlot City as we speak,” said Rainbow.

The girls turned pale upon hearing this, the Mystery Murders were being conducted by demonically possessed people, and they were being drawn to Canterlot City.

“But…But why here?!” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow Dash’s grip on her arms tightened. “That demon said it was because magic was reawakened in the world. That our world’s magic was so faded that it was practically nonexistent. Care to guess how it was reawakened?”

Pinkie was the first to realize the connection, and she shook her head in disbelief. “No…y-you’re not saying…you’re not saying that this was because of the Fall Formal?!”

“…Yeah. More specifically, when Sunset put on the crown and turned into a demon. That was the surge. Thanks to Sunset, she awakened a horde of demon spirits, and now they’re swarming the city because there’s still a lot of magic radiating from here,” Rainbow explained.

The Fall Formal, the night that the girls first awakened to the power of the Magic of Friendship, where they met Princess Twilight Sparkle, and defeated Sunset Shimmer who had turned into “Sunset Satan”. Princess Twilight had called the crown the “Element of Magic”, one of six powerful artifacts from her home dimension, and was supposedly the strongest of the six. That much power being unleashed into their world that night had a ripple effect that no one could have foreseen, and now the consequences of that event were showing themselves.

“You’re not going to blame Sunset for this are you?!” Pinkie asked.

“What do you think?” Rainbow asked curtly.

“B-But she didn’t mean for this to happen! It’s not like she was intentionally trying to summon demons from hell!”

“Doesn’t matter, because of her, we have demonic spirits lurking throughout the city, killing people! It’s like we’re paying for all her bad choices!”

Pinkie Pie walked up to Rainbow and looked her in the eyes. “Don’t you dare blame Sunset for those things killing people!”

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. “Why not?! She’s tearing the school apart, again, and now we find out that she’s also called on demon spirits! Don’t forget, you were almost raped by one of those monsters!”

Pinkie’s hands shook at the memory of that night, her body still had phantom feelings of that creature molesting her, but even so, “I know, but don’t you forget that Sunset almost died trying to save me!”

Applejack got between the girls had held them at arm's length. “Okay, simmer down you two!” The cowgirl turned to Rainbow. “Dash, Ah’m gonna have to side with Pinkie on this one. It ain’t fair to put the blame on Sunset for somethin’ she wasn’t even aware of, not like anyone here, not even Princess Twilight, coulda seen this coming!”

“Same. Anon-A-Miss is one thing, but these Wendigos are another. Besides, who’s to say that it was only Sunset?” Rarity queried. “The surge of magic could have also been due to us unleashing the Magic of Friendship. Or when we defeated the Sirens with all seven us uniting our magic. There’s no way to know for sure.”

Rainbow Dash’s fist tightened, her face looking like it was about to explode. But Fluttershy walked up beside her, placed a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder and one over her right fist. The moment she did this, the tension in Rainbow Dash ebbed away. If there was one thing you could count on, it was that Fluttershy could calm the raging storm that was Rainbow Dash, most of the time.

“Rainbow, I know this is upsetting, but I think you’re upset for more than one reason, right?” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow looked away from her friends and back down at the floor. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to Lightning Dust…I mean…her father was a shitty person, and treated her just as shitty. If it wasn’t for him, she’d probably wouldn’t be the kind of person she is…was…I don’t know anymore.”

“I know you liked her, but they’re right. You can’t blame Sunset for what happened, or what’s happening now. We need to focus on what we can do to stop it,” said Fluttershy.

“The only thing that seemed to stop them was that girl in the skimpy armor.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Now, Rainbow, when you say ‘skimpy armor’, what exactly do you mean?”

“I mean that she had on this weird armor that barely covered her. I won’t lie, she was hot as hell, that metal barely covered her tits, and it was like she was wearing an armored thong or something,” said Rainbow Dash, a small blush forming on her face.

Pinkie’s jaw dropped, “Hey, that sounds like the person who saved me that night!”

Applejack brought her arms down as she rested her hands on her hips. “Well, at least it looks like someone’s out there fightnin’ them.”

“Yes…although I question their choice in wardrobe,” Rarity commented.

Pinkie Pie sighed, this was a lot to process. “I’m going to go and see if Sunset’s alright. I haven’t heard from her in two days, and she hasn’t returned my calls.” Pinkie gathered her things and made for the door. “I’ll text you guys if something changes!”

Sunset lied in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She felt hollow, the weight of guilt pressing down on her like a fifty ton boulder. She barely moved from her bed, aside from eating, going to the bathroom, and feeding Ray. Just because she was depressed didn’t mean she had to let her animal friend suffer neglect.

The teen would hear the occasional beep and vibration from her phone, no doubt Pinkie Pie or Celestia trying to contact her. She didn’t really care at this point. After all, it wasn’t every day you found out that you were responsible for unleashing an ancient evil upon the world hell-bent on possessing and murdering people.

Once again…my selfish actions come back to haunt me…

She barely ate much, or drank, at this point, she was contemplating going out to buy some alcohol and get herself shitfaced drunk.

“It’s all my fault…”

}}} This state you are in does not suit you. {{{

“Please be quiet…”

}}} Your actions in the past may have brought this turn of events about, but it is not too late to make things right. With my help, we can destroy this evil. {{{

Sunset chuckled darkly. “How…? How can we destroy demonic spirits? We don’t even know where they are…We don’t know how many of them are out there…For all we know, we’ve already lost.”

}}} I see. {{{

“Just go and find another person…I’m pretty sure that there’s a more worthy person out there,” said Sunset.

}}} ……I will not. I chose you as my bearer. Until death do us part, I will not leave you. I will remain silent. But I am here if you wish to speak. {{{

“I don’t.”

Silence prevailed over her home, at this point, Sunset was very much contemplating getting shitfaced drunk.

*knock, knock*

However, a knock at the door prevented that train of thought from forming into action. Sunset sighed heavily as she dragged herself out of bed, thankfully, she managed to put some of her more modest pajamas on as she made her way to the front door. Once she did, Sunset opened the door and was treated to a blast of confetti that nearly made her throw a punch.

“Hi, Sunset!” Pinkie’s cheerful greeting rang.

“……Hey.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “Wow, you almost sound like my big sis. You don’t look so good.”

“Thank you for noticing. Now, please leave,” Sunset deadpanned as she slowly closed the door.

“W-Wait!” Pinkie Pie moved forward and placed her hand on the door to stop Sunset from closing it. “You haven’t been back in two days, and you haven’t been answering my calls, my texts, my emails, my anything!”

Sunset slowly nodded. “Mmm-hmm, and what does that tell you?”

“That you need to check your messages more?”

Sunset’s left eye twitched. “Pinkie…please, I’ve had a helluva night a couple of days ago, and I don’t…!” Sunset took a deep breath. “I don’t want to snap at you because you’re the closest person. So, please, go home.”

Pinkie stood there for a few seconds as she looked away. “Maybe…Maybe you need to snap? Sunset, it’s not good to keep things bottled up inside.” Pinkie looked back at Sunset with a small smile on her face. “I may not know what to do or say, but…I can at least hear you out. Is that too much?”

Sunset wanted to tell her yes, that it was. Because right now she felt like the worst person on the planet and that she had no right being around someone as positive and cheerful as Pinkie Pie right now…but, the other part of her that had been alone for all these months did want someone around.

Sunset sighed again as she moved aside and let Pinkie inside. Once the door was locked, Sunset walked over to her couch and plopped down on it. Pinkie took off her jacket, hat, and gloves and joined Sunset on the couch.

“What happened?” Pinkie asked.

Sunset stared up towards the ceiling and closed her eyes. “I just found out that I’ve fucked up worse than what I did at the Fall Formal…”

Pinkie grimaced as she had an idea of what it was. “What do you mean…?”

Sunset opened her eyes and glanced to Pinkie. “Do you remember, when all of us were outside at the Wondercolt statue, playing Keep-Away with the crown?” Pinkie nodded. “Do you remember what happened when I put it on?”

“Well, yeah. You put the crown on, it went all flashy, and crackly, and then a huge column of light when whoosh, straight up into the air! And then…” Pinkie paused. She knew the “Sunset Satan”, She-Demon, reference was a very sore spot for Sunset. “…stuff happened, and then the girls, me, and Princess Twilight used the Magic of Friendship to change you back.”

Sunset smiled darkly. “Yeah…that moment I put on the crown, was the moment I unleashed a horde of demonic spirits into the world.”

Pinkie once again tilted her head, this time out of confusion. “Wait…how did you know that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Rainbow Dash, she told us about what happened with Lightning Dust, she said she heard this monster call itself a ‘Wendigo’, and that it came here because of a strong magical surge. How did you know that?” Pinkie asked.

Sunset’s eyes darted around the room, cursing inside her mind, of course Rainbow Dash would’ve told them, why wouldn’t she? “Um…I…I was attacked by that same monster that attacked Celestia!”

Pinkie gasped in shock.

“Thankfully, this girl in armor saved me. Detective Shining Armor found me and took me back to his place where he and his girlfriend kept me safe,” Sunset half lied. “A-And I found out through him that night…later on.”

Pinkie Pie narrowed her gaze as she stared at Sunset. The flame haired teen was sweating bullets, hoping that Pinkie bought that lame ass story. The pink teen continued to stare at Sunset, inching herself closer as she did so, and making Sunset back away ever so slightly. At the same time, Sunset couldn’t help but notice the generous amount of cleavage that she could see from the open collar of Pinkie’s shirt.

“Hmmmmmmmm…Okay!” Pinkie moved away and smiled. “I’m glad you’re alright though…but, you’re not really blaming yourself for this, are you?”

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, she then leaned forward and rested her arms on her knees. “Why shouldn’t I? Pinkie, those Wendigos are out there, possessing people! Either forcing their hosts to commit murder, or worse, their hosts are enjoying that they’re committing murder! Turning them into monsters! Monsters like the one who almost hurt you!”

Pinkie felt her body shiver, recalling the memory was never pleasant. “I…I mean…”

“All the people who have died in the last couple of months…all the pain…the trauma…It’s because of ME!” Sunset felt a lump form in her throat as tears started to flow down her face. “I’ve…I’ve tried to do good…I’ve tried to make up for all the shit I did here! To everyone in the school! But, no matter what I do, my sins keep coming back to kick me down back into the smoldering crater I was trying to crawl out of! Fuck…at this point, that rainbow laser was better off destroying me then –!”

*SLAP!*

Sunset found herself lurching to her right, the left side of her face stung as a red mark formed. She turned to her left and saw Pinkie Pie, tears were flowing from her eyes as she furrowed her brow at Sunset. “Don’t you ever say that again! I don’t want to ever imagine not having you around, Sunset Shimmer!”

“P-Pinkie…?”

“Okay…so, maybe you did unknowingly unleash a horde of demonic spirits onto Canterlot City, but you didn’t know that could happen!” Pinkie stated.

Sunset narrowed her gaze. “Regardless, if I wasn’t such an arrogant, prideful, egotistical bitch, I wouldn’t have ran away to this dimension! Then I wouldn’t have had the ‘brilliant’ idea of stealing the Element of Magic, and bringing it here!”

Sunset stood up and then turned to Pinkie, making her back away a little. “And, lest we forget, if I hadn’t done that, the Sirens wouldn’t have come to CHS, and very nearly, becoming all powerful! One mistake after another, you’d think I’d have taken the opportunity of ending up in a strange new world to remake myself, but stupid me, no! I just tried to find a way to get what I thought I deserved!”

Pinkie probably would’ve been afraid of this rant, but she couldn’t be afraid, not when Sunset was crying throughout her rant. There wasn’t just anger in Sunset’s eyes, but also remorse and sadness. The pink party girl stood up as well, she then reached out and embraced Sunset, hugging her tightly against her body. The flame haired girl struggled to get away from her, to the point that they both collapsed onto the couch, but still, Pinkie Pie didn’t let her go. She continued to hold on until Sunset ceased her thrashing and just cried into her chest.

The pink teen began to stroke Sunset’s hair in soothing motions, offering her friend as much comfort as she could. “Sunset, you’re not that meanie from before. Not anymore. The Old Sunset Shimmer is gone, she was destroyed by that rainbow laser. You’re nothing like her anymore. Yeah, you kinda do have a lot of bad things to make up for, but I know you’re not one to give up!”

Sunset seemed to stop crying, letting her body shudder as she tightened her hug around Pinkie.

“Besides, you’re smart, strong, pretty, and just a badass all around.”

Sunset chuckled at that last one.

“If there’s anyone who can find a way to stop these things, I know it’s you. I know all of us can stop this, we just need to work together again, Anon-A-Miss or not!” Pinkie stated.

Sunset sniffled as a smile graced her lips. “I’m really glad we’re friends again…”

“I’m sorry I ever said we weren’t…”

Sunset lifted her head and looked at Pinkie. “How about we both try and stop feeling sorry for ourselves? I’ll promise to try and stop blaming myself, and you try and stop berating yourself for this whole Anon-A-Miss thing?”

Pinkie Pie smiled Sunset as she asked, “Pinkie Swear?”

Sunset rolled her eyes, but returned the smile as she said, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Pinkie Pie’s smile widened as she then booped Sunset’s nose with her right finger. This caused Sunset’s face to cutely scrunch up. “Don’t forget, you can’t break a Pinkie Promise.”

“I know.”

Silva Evergreen was a good looking girl, twenty-one years old, long cherry red hair, flawless emerald green skin, and jade colored eyes that sparkled like jewels, was it any wonder she was scouted for a modeling agency? With her slender frame, and hourglass figure, she wasn’t just the perfect model, but also a knockout when it came to boys.

The young woman was paid handsomely for her modeling work, although it was for small competitions, but it was good work, and if the designer’s collection did well, then she’d get noticed as well.

For the past couple of years, Canterlot City would host a little fashion show for the spring, summer, fall, and winter lineups. It was the city’s version of Fashion Week from Manelan. The competition brought in local talent, granting them a stage for which to showcase their creations. Of course, these kinds of things drew in a lot of scouts from different fashion labels, looking to snatch up the next big hit in the fashion world.

Now Silva modeled for a lot of clients, but the one she liked to model for the most was a girl named, Rarity. The ones she worked with before were either snobbish, pushy, or just plain rude. Silva knew they could be eccentric, but sometimes they took it too far, but not Rarity. That’s not to say she wasn’t eccentric in her own ways, but the girl took great pride in making sure not to sacrifice comfort, even making fine tuned adjustments to ensure that the models were able to move about without restrictions.

Yes, Silva loved working with Rarity, to the point that she decided to work almost exclusively with Rarity for whatever design gig she wanted to enter. Silva even contemplated working up a contract with the young designer, becoming partners in business.

Silva was snapped out of her contemplation as she heard her phone go off. Her studio apartment was quite spacious, and she often would leave the phone somewhere far without realizing it. In this case it was located in the living room, Silva walked in and found the device on the counter. She unlocked the phone and grimaced at the name that popped up, reluctantly, she answered it.

“Hello? ……Uh-huh. Yeah, I know and as I told you, last time, I decline…” Silva walked about the living room as her frown deepened. “Because I am already working with Rarity……Money is not an issue, I make even more just walking down the runway in her outfits…” Silva stopped as the caller seemed to have said something that made her frown turn into a scowl. “Well, that’s fine. ‘Cause your shit is weak, and you’re going to lose to her!”

Silva ended the call, a smug look plastered on her face after telling that person off. “They’re so getting their ass kicked at the show,” she mused.

The young woman chucked her cellphone onto the couch and headed back into her room. She entered her bathroom and began to disrobe, turning the knob to unleash a small deluge of water from the showerhead. The young woman was about to enter the shower when the lights flickered off.

“What the hell?”

Luckily for Silva, she was prepared. In the socket opposite the sink, a flashlight kicked on. It only ever went on when there was no power feeding it. Silva quickly took it and put on her robe as she exited the bathroom, she tried flicking on the switches in her room, but nothing happened. Something like this was not normal, it was snowing outside, but the news had made no mention of rolling blackouts nor that the snowstorm was bad enough to make this happen.

“Fuck, someone probably plugged in too much shit and blew the fuse,” said Silva.

She was about to go to her nightstand to call the building manager, but remembered that it was in her living room. Silva groaned in annoyance of her actions as she began walking into the living room. The spacious loft had high ceilings, and a wide open living room, perfect for hosting parties, and she did have a few now and then, but she just didn’t like cramped spaces.

As she shined her flashlight about, Silva paused upon hearing rapid scurrying. Silva shined her flashlight in the direction that she thought she heard the noise, but there was nothing. Silva dismissed it, without the extra noise of the heater, the noises of the building were becoming more prominent, at least, that’s how she rationalized it.

Silva took a few more steps and found that the cellphone was not on the couch. “What the hell? I…I threw it right here!”

Just then, more of that same scurrying sound echoed in the room, making Silva move her flashlight rapidly up to the tall ceiling. With the light now on them, the metal beams of the rafters caused eerie shadows to be cast, making the young woman feel very uncomfortable. The tip, tap, tapping scurrying went off again, but was more rapid , moving as if it was crawling all over the ceiling and the walls. Some furniture was nudged, causing it to screech as it scratched against the hardwood floor.

Silva’s heart was racing, something big was in her home, something that was moving too fast for her to see, and what made it worse was that whatever-it-was could be right behind her, but with the lights out she didn't know.

As if either by grace or eerie coincidence, the light of her cellphone shined from the kitchen counter. Silva shined her light on it, scanning the area from where she stood. She didn’t like this, oh no, she’d seen this horror movie before, but Silva was smarter than those stupid teens and college kids from horror movies. Whatever was in here wanted her to go towards the light of the cellphone to call for help, however, the front door was only five feet from her left. A quick dash to the door and all Silva had to do was run like the wind, the hell with the freezing cold, if it was between that and facing whatever was in her loft, she’d choose frostbite.

Silva edged herself closer to the making like she was going to bolt for the cellphone, however, that wasn’t the case. The young woman bolted straight for the door, a smile formed on her face as she thought herself brilliant for not making the classic horror movie mistake. That, unfortunately, was her mistake.

As soon as Silva ran for the door, the young woman felt her right leg get pulled from under her, sending Silva face planting straight to the floor. Her flashlight rolled across the room, hitting the wall and angling just enough to illuminate Silva herself. The model rolled onto her back, her face radiated with pain just as much as her leg did from the sudden jerking motion. Silva brought up her leg and saw something glimmering, carefully, she pulled at the thin looking rope, or wire, that had somehow gotten around her ankle.

“What the hell is this…?”

Suddenly, several more strands of the wire lashed out of the darkness and wrapped themselves around her wrists and ankles, snapping taut as they held her arms and legs out to where she was forming an “X" with her body. Silva was about to scream, that is until something shot at her mouth, covering it in a thick substance that hardened immediately. Her cries came out as muffled, too low even for a passerby to hear her.

A sudden thump silenced Silva as she stared towards her left, her eyes were still adjusting to the dark, but she could vaguely make out a large, shadowy figure. She could hear the tip tapping of the figure as it walked, it then turned towards Silva, making the young woman gasp when she saw six, fuchsia colored eyes. Silva tensed up as those eyes approached her, she struggled in vain to get herself free from the wire, but it was no use, she was helpless.

The figure was now hovering over her; the flashlight illuminated some of figure's features. The legs were long, sharp, and violet colored, from what she could tell, there were six of them. Whatever this was, it was definitely not human.

“Hello, Silva Evergreen, I need you to do me a favor,” the feminine voice stated. The being showed Silva her cellphone, which also gave her a good look at her four clawed hand. “There’s a certain girl that you work with, a – ugh – ‘talented’ designer, that I want you to cancel on.”

Silva had a look of confusion upon hearing this strange request.

“Now, if you do as I say, I’ll let you go. But if you refuse…”

The figure brought its left claw into view, the tips began slide up, revealing small holes. From those holes, wire-like thread began slithering towards Silva as the creature before her brushed part of robe aside, revealing the left side of her chest. Silva watched in horror as the threads began to pierce her skin, she could feel the threads burrowing into her skin, going deeper and deeper, strangely enough, she felt no pain from what this monster was doing, but she could definitely feel them moving around. Panic gripped Silva as she went still, feeling the threads closing in on her heart and then stopping.

“I laced my thread with an anesthetic venom that deadens the pain that you’d be feeling from this. Now, if you don’t call her, I’ll wrap the threads around your heart and squeeze it until it pops! And it won’t be sudden, no, it’ll be slow, very slow. Do you understand?”

Silva nodded slowly, eyes wide with tears running down her face. The creature carefully placed the phone in Silva’s right hand, with her free right claw, the creature gently removed the patch that she had put on around her mouth. Afterwards, she loosened the wires wrapped around her wrists, allowing Silva to use her arms and hands to make the call. Silva made to dial, and was secretly about to call the police.

“Show me that you’ve called her once you’ve done so,” she ordered.

Silva gulped, her eyes glanced back at the four threads that were still inside her chest and the feeling of them close to her heart. With little choice, Silva brought up her list of contacts, scrolled through them and pushed Rarity’s phone number. The young woman turned the phone around and showed the six-eyed creature that it was ringing.

{Hello? Silva?}

“Y-Yes, Rarity, it’s me.”

{Darling, so glad you called! Listen, I was wondering if you could come by my home after my school lets out. I need to make a few more adjustments and–}

“Rarity I’m sorry but I can’t come,” said Silva.

There was a brief pause before Rarity spoke again. {Oh, I’m terribly sorry. Of course, you must be busy. Tell me, when do you think you’ll be able to come over?}

“I-I can’t…I mean, I won’t. I’m not going to model for you for the competition.”

{W-W-What?! Silva…I…This is…P-Please, you can’t cancel on me now! The competition is this weekend! I can’t find another model on such short notice! I-If this is about financial compensation, I promise I’ll give you a very generous portion of the prize money! Plus whatever else I have!}

Silva hated this, she hated hearing the desperation, the hurt, and betrayal in Rarity’s voice. The last two years she’d spent working with her, wearing her brilliant clothes, elevating their careers as both designer and model, and now she was throwing it all away, abandoning her in her hour of need. This monster, who literally held her life in its claws, was a monster in the truest sense of the word.

“I’m sorry, but…I’ve gotten an offer from another client. One that p-pays better, and works in Manelan. I’ll be working exclusively with them, and as such, I can’t be seen modeling for another designer………I will say, the years I spent working with you were some of the best I’ve ever had……goodbye.” Silva didn’t wait for a reply as she ended the call, tears running down her face as she looked away from the creature. “I did it…”

“Yes, you did. Well done.” The creature pulled back its left claw, withdrawing the four threads from Silva’s body.

Silva felt the wires holding her go slack, granting her free movement again.

“I did what you wanted…so, please, leave me alone,” Silva begged.

The creature hummed as if contemplating. “Here’s the thing, hon, I know I said I’d let you go, but now that I think about it, you’ll just tell the cops and then go back to working with her. I can’t really have that kind of heat on me.”

Silva’s eyes darted up to the glowing eyes of the creature as she tried to back up. “B-B-But you promised you’d let me go!”

The six eyes of the creature narrowed into slits, the creature then slammed its claws atop both of her Silva’s arms, pinning her against the floor. “I lied.”

The creature reared back its head and then chomped down onto Silva’s neck. Silva tried to scream, but no sound came out. A paralytic venom was injected into her, silencing Silva’s vocal cords. The young woman thrashed about, as she screamed in her mind. Her eyes managed to catch a glimpse of the creature, seeing red glowing veins appear over its body.

Silva was suddenly feeling lightheaded, her strength waned with each passing second, after a minute, her thrashing stopped and she went limp. The only sound that could be heard was a kind of gulping, sucking noise. When Silva stopped her thrashing, the creature lifted her up and continued its work, the flashlight still shone, illuminating the darkness just enough to see Silva’s feet as they twitched every so often. Finally, her feet stopped twitching.

Silva’s body was then dropped to the floor, showing that her vibrant, emerald colored skin had become pale and lifeless.

The creature’s red veins continued to glow in the darkness, funneling towards her claws as a red thread was produced from them. “Hmm, tasty.” The creature looked down at the corpse on the floor. “Don’t worry, hon, you’ll still make it big in the fashion world. Just not the way you thought.”

Case File 3-2 (The Widow): A Friend in Need

Sunset sat in Principal Celestia’s car, the older woman had kept her promise about driving Sunset to school until this matter with Anon-A-Miss was over and done with. Celestia hadn’t probed Sunset about why she didn’t want to come back, but she chalked it up to the trauma of being attacked, again, by a monster.

At this point, she was glad that Sunset came out at all. Suffering through one event like that after another would be enough to make any person want to lock themselves up in their room and never come out. But Celestia knew better, she knew Sunset was a stronger girl than that, which made her happy when she received the call to come and pick her up.

“Are you sure you’re up for coming to school today, Sunset?” Celestia asked.

Sunset glanced to Celestia as she smiled a little, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay…but if for any reason you don’t feel safe, don’t hesitate to come to my office, or go to Vice Principal Luna, understand?”

Sunset smirked, it sounded less like a request, and more like an order. “Yes, Ma’am.”

They eventually arrived at CHS, and just like before, Sunset felt the oppressive aura from the school. Although, now knowing about the Wendigos, the aura seemed to take on a different meaning. How many other students at the school were potentially possessed by those demonic spirits? How many were ticking time bombs waiting to go off? With a sigh, Sunset walked towards the school. Since she arrived with Principal Celestia, she arrived earlier than most of the students, which was fine, Sunset didn’t really want to have to go through dealing with them this early in the morning.

However, since the teachers were in a meeting this morning, Sunset couldn’t exactly wait in her first period class, so she was stuck waiting in the library for school to start up. After an hour, the students started funneling in, and of course, there were whispers and glares whenever they looked at her.

The day went by as per the usual, or at least what the usual was now. Meeting up with Pinkie Pie helped Sunset get through most of the day, her cheerful smile and perky attitude was like a breath of fresh air in this otherwise confined social space. It was close to the end of the day when Sunset received a text message, at first she thought it was Pinkie Pie, but then she paused when she read the name.

Rarity:[Sunset. I realize that this is incredibly awkward, and you have no reason to hear me out, but I must confess I am in a bind and I require your assistance. If you are willing, please meet me in the fashion design room 103 after school.]

On the one hand, Sunset was kind of happy to be receiving any kind of communication from Rarity, the fashionista had grown to become one of her confidants over Sunset’s time of reformation, but on the other, Sunset was worried that this might be a trick of some kind. A quick glance to her right wrist reassured her that even if it was a trick, she had the means to escape it.

With that in mind, Sunset waited for the last bell. Once it rang, she waited for the rest of the classroom to file out, and a bit longer for the hallways to clear as well. After about ten minutes, Sunset began her walk towards the design rooms. It never ceased to amaze her how many specialized rooms CHS had for its various activities, Sunset had even considered joining the Fencing Club, seeing as she seemed to possess a knack for the use of bladed weapons.

Sunset arrived at the door to room 103, and knocked on the door. No sooner had she done that did the door swing open, Sunset then found herself swiftly being pulled into the room with the door closing shut behind her. Now inside the room, Sunset laid eyes on Rarity. The fashion designer looked frazzled, and tense, something was up.

“Rarity…are you okay?” Sunset asked.

“Well, yes, and no…it’s complicated…” Rarity straightened herself up before continuing. “First off, I would like to thank you for coming, Sunset. I know that our…relationship is a bit on the rocky side, but I’m honestly between a rock and a hard place and I don’t know who else to turn to.”

Sunset dropped her backpack and crossed her arms. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

“Do you remember that fashion show I had…ahem…uninvited you to?” Rarity asked sheepishly.

Sunset frowned a little at the memory, yes, she did remember. When Anon-A-Miss struck, she was officially uninvited to any events and activities that involved her friends, one of those being the fashion show that Rarity would routinely compete in every winter. “Yes, I do.”

“Well…it turns out that the model I’ve been working with these past couple of years…well…she…she cancelled on me,” said Rarity with tears in her eyes.

Sunset looked shocked upon hearing this news. “Wait, Silva Evergreen, she cancelled on you?! Why?!”

Rarity rubbed her eyes, her mascara began to run so she grabbed a tissue from her skirt pocket and dabbed her eyes. “She says she had gotten a contract to work with some fashion label in Manelan! I…I could hardly blame her, but…to up and cancel on me so close to the day of the competition!”

Sunset didn’t understand, from what Rarity told her of Silva, she wasn’t the kind of woman to do this Rarity without a reason. “I-I’m sorry to hear that Rarity…are there any other models you can use?”

“NO! At this point it’s near impossible to get someone else! Especially since I have the dresses tailored to Silva’s measurements!”

Sunset rubbed the back of her head, she was feeling bad that Rarity was in this situation. “I’m sorry that this is happening, Rarity.”

Rarity took a moment to compose herself as she readied herself for the hardest part of this conversation. “Well, truthfully there is a way to salvage this situation. I was going over some old measurements lists and I found that there were at least two people who could fit into my dresses without much need to modify them too much. One of them is Fluttershy, and the other……”

Rarity let that hang in the air, hoping that Sunset would catch on. Fortunately or unfortunately, Sunset did catch on. “Wait, you mean me?!”

“Sunset, I know you have no reason to do this for me and you have every right to refuse –!”

“You’re damn right I have every right to refuse!” Sunset sniped. “All of you pegged me as Anon-A-Miss after I came to you and told you I wasn’t! You’ve shunned me, and practically made me Persona Non Grata! Why in the hell would you think that I’d help you?!”

Rarity, at this point willing to throw her dignity to the wind, fell to her knees and looked up at Sunset. “Sunset, I know, I know the girls and I have done something terrible to you! Something that we can never take back or begin to make up for! But, please, I’m begging you, I need your help! I’ll do anything! I-I’m even willing to sell my BODY if that’s what it takes!”

Sunset blushed at the declaration. Again, it was no secret, she found her friends attractive, and the offer was very tempting, but still. “Tell me something, what will happen after the competition?”

“W-What?”

“If I agree to this, will you just go back to shunning me again, suspecting me? Do you even think I’m innocent, AT ALL?!”

Rarity paused at this question, she had to admit, she was struggling with the notion of Sunset’s guilt or innocence. The question of how the pictures from her phone had gotten posted was still unclear, Sunset was the only one who took them, and they were on her phone. With the events that have occurred thus far, Rarity didn’t know anymore if Sunset was Anon-A-Miss or not. But right now she was willing to gamble on Sunset not being Anon-A-Miss, this competition was too important to let something like guilt or innocence get in the way.

“Sunset, I don’t want to make this a condition, the last thing I want is to force you into thinking that your participation in my competition in the only way for me to forgive you. But, if you promise to do this one thing for me……I’ll do anything, without question, without hesitation. I’ll prostrate myself before you if that’s what it takes!”

Sunset looked down at Rarity her frown still present. “Alright, do it then.”

“Pardon?” Rarity asked.

“You said you’d ‘prostrate’ yourself. So do it, but I want you to get on all fours, raise your ass in the air, and say, ‘Sunset, please forgive me’.”

Rarity’s eyes widened at the request, she was trembling, she didn’t know Sunset hated them this much for their treatment of her. But, then again, there was no choice, she didn’t have anyone else to ask other than Fluttershy, and she knew how that would turn out. Rarity scooted back and prepared to do as Sunset asked. That is until Sunset knelt in front of Rarity and placed her hand on the fashionista’s shoulder.

“Stop, you don’t have to do that.”

“B-But you just said…?”

“I know what I said…seeing that you were willing to go that far was enough.” Sunset smiled at Rarity. “I don’t expect you to believe me when I say I’m not Anon-A-Miss, that’s a decision that you need to come on your own. I’ll do this for the sake of the friendship we had. You won’t owe me anything.”

Rarity had admit, she was moved by Sunset’s words. After everything that has happened, Sunset was willing to do this for her, with no conditions whatsoever. “Sunset…I don’t know what to say…just, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. But, quick question, why didn’t you ask Fluttershy?” Sunset asked.

“Well, let’s not kid ourselves, between the six of us, you, me, and Fluttershy have the best modelling figures, but I can’t do it because I’m making the dresses, and Fluttershy…well…I think we can both agree that being in front of a crowd isn’t exactly her strong suit.”

Sunset had no argument with that, Fluttershy had a rockin’ body, but flaunting it in front of a large crowd down a runway was not going to go well. “Point taken.”

Shining Armor was still trying to wrap his head around everything he learned two days ago. Demonic spirits were gathering in his city, possessing people and turning them into monsters. Shining wasn’t exactly sure how to bring this up to his superiors, it was hard enough for them to accept that the perpetrators of these crimes were people who turned into monsters, now he had to tell them that not only were these monsters people possessed, but that some may not be in control of their actions.

“Dammit, the law was not set up for this kind of crap,” Shining muttered.

“Yo, Shining, you alright man?” Spearhead asked.

Shining Armor looked up from his paperwork to see Spearhead heading his way. “Not entirely, still working on this Wind Rider stuff.”

“What a douchebag, to think I thought that guy was the best driver on the circuit, makes me sick that he did that to his own kid,” said Spearhead.

“Yeah, but right now his daughter is sitting in juvie, it wasn’t like I could just lie and say that it wasn’t her, I saw the whole thing from beginning to end. But, from what I heard from the judge, she may just spend a couple of months where she’s at, along with some psyche help.”

“That’s good…still…don’t know how well that’s going to go over the families of the victims.”

Shining Armor put down his pen and sighed. “Yeah, which is why the brass is keeping this hush-hush. The official story is that the monster attacked Wind Rider and his daughter, but was then killed by SWAT.”

Spearhead smirked. “So they’re not mentioning that babe in the bikini armor? Shame, even though she was the one that killed both those things, how are they framing that?”

Shining Armor rolled his eyes, after knowing that Sunset Shimmer was the one in that armor, hearing his partner talk about her the way he was made him cringe. “They’re not sure yet, her appearance doesn’t exactly scream ‘kid friendly hero’, but neither has she attacked anyone. The brass isn’t exactly willing to say that we’re working with some half naked warrior woman, PR and all that shit.”

“Spearhead, Shining Armor!”

Both men glanced to the office on the other side, there stood their captain, Broadside. The man was big, and muscular, with black hair that was graying a little, his bronze skin and piercing blue eyes were intimidating to most. “We got word on a possible 303, I need you guys uptown, now!”

“Yes sir!”

Shining and Spearhead hurried out of the police station and headed for uptown Canterlot. This part of town was where most of the more well-off people lived, some who were professional models and others who were either business owners or something that involved making a lot of money. They pulled up to a building that held many apartment lofts, there were already a couple of squad cars there, and some unies standing outside waiting for them.

Once they were spotted, the two uniformed cops led them upstairs, after ascending a couple of floors, they arrived to see a man waiting outside one of the apartment doors with a couple a more officers standing with him. He was tall and lanky, wearing a purple suit with a red tie. He had similarly colored skin, but a shade darker, and green hair. And for some reason he was wearing sunglasses despite the sky being overcast with snow filled clouds.

“Well it’s about time you got here!” he stated.

“And, who are you sir?” Spearhead asked.

“My name is Glitz Showman, but you can call me Glitz, I’m Silva Evergreen’s agent,” he said.

Shining and Spearhead glanced to each other and the back to Glitz.

“Okay, Glitz, why did you request that we come here?” Shining Armor asked.

“Because I got a call earlier today and heard from one of our best clients that Silva has up and quit on her!” Glitz stated. “She adores this client and would never just up and cancel on her without good reason!”

Spearhead crossed his arms. “Maybe she got a better gig?”

Glitz scoffed. “If she ‘got a better gig’ I would know about it! Despite what you may think, Silva isn’t some conniving girl, she’s definitely a lot better than some of my other girls.”

At this point they were wondering if this guy was an agent or a pimp. Shining Armor sighed and asked, “Have you tried calling her?”

“Yes, several times! But she hasn’t returned my calls! And I know she’s in there because I hear it ringing just outside this door! So, here I am, but the landlord won’t open it up just because I’m her agent!” Glitz stated. He then dialed the number again, and not long after, the sound of a cellphone going off came from the other side of the door. “See?!”

Spearhead and Shining weren’t sure if this was an emergency, but decided to take the initiative and check this out.

“Did you guys manage to get a spare key?” Spearhead asked.

“Yes,” said one of the uniformed cops as she handed it to Spearhead.

“And no one’s entered or exited this room since you got here?” Shining Armor inquired.

“No, Sir, no one,” said another.

With a heavy sigh, both Spearhead and Shining Armor walked up to the door. Shining Armor knocked on the door and said, “Ms. Silva Evergreen, this is Detective Shining Armor and Detective Spearhead Thrust of the Canterlot City Police Department. Your agent’s here and he’s worried about you. Are you there?”

They waited a couple of minutes, but there was no response.

“Ma’am, we have a key to the apartment, we ask that if you’re not descent, to please do so as we will be entering,” said Spearhead.

Once again, no response. With that established, Spearhead used the key to open the door. When they did, both detectives already on edge. A few feet from the door was were some red splotches on the hardwood floor, across from that was the cellphone. Both men had seen enough crime scenes to know that those weren’t some wine stains, that was blood. Shining Armor and Spearhead drew their weapons, causing Glitz to tense up.

“Stay out here, Glitz. One comes in with us, and I want one of you to back us up,” said Shining.

The female officer volunteered, drawing her weapon as she followed both detectives inside while her partner and the other officers watched the front door. There wasn’t any sign of a struggle, so far as they could tell. Spearhead got down on one knee to inspect the splotches, confirming that it was indeed dried up blood.

“This is all dried up, Shine. Couldn’t be more than a few hours,” said Spearhead.

“Let’s move to the bedroom,” said Shining.

The three officers checked the living room and kitchen, confirming that there was no one inside. They made their way to the closed bedroom door, Shining and Spearhead hugged the walls on either side of the door, the officer took up position a foot away, her gun pointed at the door.

Spearhead knocked at the door. “Ma’am, this is the police, are you in need of medical help?!” No response. “Ma’am, were coming in!”

Spearhead nodded to Shining, who then nodded to the officer across from him. All three readied themselves as Shining Armor opened the door, it was dark in the room, the uniformed cop tossed them her flashlight, Shining grabbed it and turned it on, illuminating the inside, all three officer’s stood with their mouths wide open at what they saw.

There was a large…cocoon, sitting on the bed. Shining Armor went in first with Spearhead right behind him, his partner turned on the lights, allowing them to see the entire room. The cocoon was webbed up against the wall, bed, and floor, fastening it atop the bed itself.

“What…the hell…is that?” Spearhead asked.

“More weird shit that the law was not made to handle.” Shining Armor took out his radio. “This is Officer Shining Armor, I need CSI to my location, we have a code 303.”

After some convincing, Sunset was able to get Celestia to let her go with Rarity back to her place. Memories both good and bad were coming up as they approached Rarity’s home. It was after their slumber party at Rarity’s that this Anon-A-Miss nightmare truly kicked off. Even now, Sunset had some anxiety about this whole thing. Part of her was worried that this was just a trick to get Sunset alone. But Sunset didn’t want to think like that, she didn’t want to see the worst in her friends, if she lost that, then there was truly no hope in rebuilding what was lost. Hopefully, this would prove to be the first step.

Once Rarity pulled into the garage, Sunset took up her backpack and followed the fashionista into her house.

“You’re parents aren’t home yet?” Sunset asked.

“Oh no, my mother will be late coming in, same with my father, for now it will just be me, you, and Sweetie Belle.” Rarity opened the garage door and entered through the laundry room, which then led into the kitchen. Upon entering, Rarity spotted her little sister pouring herself a glass of milk. “Hi, Sweetie~”

The young teen turned towards the sound of her big sister’s voice and smiled. “Hey, Rarity, what’s uh…uh…w-w-what is she doing here?!” Sweetie Belle demanded as she pointed towards Sunset.

Sunset had to admit that stung a little. Rarity figured that this was the sort of reaction that her little sister would have, but nevertheless, this needed to be addressed. “Sweetie, Sunset’s here because I asked her to.”

Sweetie Belle looked at her sister with great confusion. “B-But why?! She posted all those embarrassing photos! Why would you invite Anon-A-Miss to our house?!”

Rarity narrowed her gaze. “Sweetie Belle, that’s enough! Whom I invite to our house is my business! For now, Sunset and I are putting this whole Anon-A-Miss business on pause, I need her help with my fashion competition this weekend since my model up and cancelled on me! So, for now, we have…an understanding if you will.”

Sweetie Belle looked panicked, but still managed to give Sunset a scrutinizing glare. “And how do you know she won’t try and sabotage you?! Or post some more embarrassing stuff about you on MyStable?!”

“If that is the risk I take, then so be it. Now, I don’t want to hear another word about this subject while Sunset’s here. She’s our guest, and will be treated as such, understand.” Rarity’s question was more of a command.

Sunset could see the power struggle between the two sisters, and it was obvious that Rarity held more authority over Sweetie Belle than Sweetie herself was comfortable showing. Reluctantly, it seemed that Sweetie Belle would bow to Rarity’s word on this.

“Fine…but don’t come crying to me when she does something,” Sweetie warned as she stormed off upstairs, which was swiftly followed up with a door slam.

Rarity sighed heavily. “I’m sorry about that, Sunset.”

“It’s…okay, I just hope you don’t start fighting over this,” said Sunset.

Rarity scoffed and waved off the notion. “Puh-lease, darling, Sweetie Belle and I have had our fair share of fights, it comes with being sisters. We always make up in the end. Now, let’s head up to my room, unless you want something to eat first?”

Sunset shook her head, and with that the two of them headed upstairs. When they arrived, Sunset smiled, it was just as she remembered it. The lavish bed spread, the numerous sowing items strewn on one side of her room in a sort of organized chaos setup. Sunset spotted one of the dresses that Rarity had created, it was white as snow, with diamonds – Sunset doubted that they were fake – studded onto it in the form of snowflakes. Each snowflake was in a unique design, Rarity was a stickler for detail, and she knew that no two snowflakes are ever alike, and she carried that fact into her design.

The body had accents of icy blue, with a white fur shawl connected to the body and would loop around the neck. The shoulders, arms, and just a smidge of the chest were left exposed.

“So…where do we start?” Sunset asked.

Rarity placed her things in their designated spot and then moved to her desk. She then picked something up and turned around, showing Sunset the measuring tape. “First, I’ll need to get some measurements. I want to be as accurate as possible so I’ll know where I need to make adjustments. My previous numbers show that you and Silva were a good match, but I need to be absolutely sure.”

“Well, okay.” Sunset put her backpack down next to Rarity’s bed and then took off her jacket. “Let’s do it.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Ahem, well, actually, I…I need you to strip down, Sunset. Completely…Everything off…”

Sunset blushed. “Um…well, that’s new. You never asked me that before, or any of us.”

“Yes, well, those times I wasn’t under the gun for a competition that could elevate my status as a fashion designer,” said Rarity. “I promise, Sunset, I will remain professional.”

Sunset wasn’t too keen on exposing herself in front of her friend like this. In a locker room was one thing, but having her be that close in her personal space, nude, was another thing. Well, that and there was another fear that she had, and it seemed Rarity caught on.

“You’re worried that I have some hidden camera somewhere to record you, aren’t you?” Rarity asked.

“What?! No, that’s not…” Sunset sighed. “Okay, yeah, I kinda am worried that that’s what’s going on. I’m sorry, but with all this Anon-A-Miss stuff going on, you can’t blame me for being paranoid, I did just get nearly strangled to death.”

Rarity nodded. “I understand.” The fashionista took out her cellphone and turned it off in front of Sunset. She then placed that cellphone in the drawer of her nightstand. “A bit of good faith both ways?”

Sunset agreed, taking out her cellphone, turning it off, and placing it next to Rarity’s in the drawer.

“If you wish, you may search my room to make sure there are no hidden cameras.”

“I don’t…want to be rude,” said Sunset.

Rarity placed her hand on Sunset’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. “Sunset, you have every right to suspect me, up until now, you didn’t have many people to trust. Aside from Pinkie Pie, you’ve been surrounded by potential enemies, and I don’t blame you for thinking that I am one of them. I will sit down at any spot you wish while you take a look around.”

Sunset felt bad for not having more trust in one of her friends, but right now she was still on edge. “Okay, just uh…sit on the floor right here, I guess.”

Rarity nodded and sat down, cross legged, on floor. With that, Sunset began her search of the room, she checked the closet, bookshelves, pillows, bedding, every nook and cranny that Sunset could think of that would be able to house a camera, for this she had to tap into her previous devious mind, thinking how Sunset herself would capture such images. After about a minute and a half of thorough searching, Sunset concluded that there were no hidden cameras.

“Sorry, again,” said Sunset.

“And again, it’s alright.” Rarity stood back up and dusted off her skirt. “Now, are you more comfortable with what I asked?”

Sunset did feel more assured that there was no devious intentions here. So, Sunset slowly nodded and set to strip. She stopped once she reached her underwear, not exactly sure if she wanted to go further.

“Sunset, if you’re not comfortable going further than this, that’s fine, the way you are will work,” said Rarity.

“But it won’t be as accurate as you want, right?” Sunset asked.

“Well…I will have to do some extra deductions, but–”

“Then no, I’m fine.” Sunset reached back unhooked her black lace bra, letting it fall to the floor, she then moved down and removed her matching panties. Sunset turned around and let Rarity see all of her for the first time. “So, here I am.”

Rarity paused for a moment, as an artist, Rarity admired the human figure, both male and female, in all its intricate shapes and contours. So Rarity could appreciate the attractive figure of Sunset Shimmer. Her hips were wide, showing of lean muscle, not enough to make her look bulky, but not too much as to make her lose her feminine appeal. Sunset’s chest was still impressive as always, and the way her flaming hair cascaded down her shoulders and back made her quite the picturesque beauty.

“My…goodness,” gasped Rarity.

“W-What? Do I look weird or something?” Sunset asked.

“Oh no, sorry! I just realized that this is the first time I’ve taken in how you look, you’re quite stunning, Sunset,” said Rarity.

Sunset blushed a little and muttered, “Thank you. So, can we start this before it becomes more awkward?”

“Very well, arms out, legs spread.” Rarity went to work, taking careful measures of Sunset’s bust, hips, waist, moving on to her arms, shoulders, stomach, legs, and in seams. The last part she took special care not to come too close to her womanhood. Rarity would repeat this process a couple of more times, writing down her numbers as soon as she was done with each measured body part. Once she was done, Rarity smiled and said, “All done, darling, thank you very much.”

Sunset smiled. “No problem.” As Sunset began to put her clothes back on, she asked, “So, what’s the verdict, can you make the adjustments work?”

“Hmm, well, it’s not as bad as I thought. But at the same time, it’s going to take a minute…you’re, ahem, bust is larger than that of Silva’s, as well as your hip and waist, but thankfully it’s not too much that it’s not something I can fix. However, and I hate to ask this given what happened last time, but would you be willing to stay over tonight?”

Sunset cocked an eyebrow at that. “You want me to stay over?”

“It’s the only way to make sure that all these adjustments work out, I can have you try on the dress at different intervals to make sure that it’s perfect.” Rarity sat down at her desk chair as she looked at Sunset. “I know the previous time you were here did not leave you with a good memory, but please, will you trust me? As I am trusting you?”

Sunset debated this in her mind, and with another. What do you think?

}}} I sense no ill well in her intentions. But the decision is yours. {{{

Sunset understood. “Okay, let’s do it. I made sure to give Ray a good enough supply of food in case I came home late or not at all, depending.”

Rarity jumped out of her seat and globbed onto Sunset, doing a good Pinkie Pie tackle hug as the both of them were now on the bed. “Oh thank you, thank you, Sunset!”

*knock, knock*

“Rarity, Mom and Dad said they’ll be home late, do you wanna order pizza or…” Sweetie Belle’s eyes bulged as she looked upon the scene before her. In Rarity’s excitement, she tackle hugged Sunset before she could finish dressing, leaving her with only her panties on and her chest exposed, and of course, Rarity lying on top of her. “……uh…w-w-what are you doing…?”

Rarity glanced to Sweetie Belle and then looked down at Sunset who was blushing. The fashionista took in more of the scene and then began to babble incoherently as the situation finally dawned on her. “S-S-Sweetie Belle this isn’t what it looks like!”

“You and Sunset…I…when…I don’t…WHY?! She’s not a good person Rarity!” Sweetie stated.

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity exclaimed, forgetting the embarrassing situation and focusing on the rude comment her sister had made. “If Sunset and I were like that, you have no right to question my choice in romantic partners, and I would think you’d trust my judgement in who I decide to be with! Secondly, Sunset has made some mistakes…” She glanced to her friend who was covering her chest with her arms. “But…But…” Rarity felt a sense of realization hit her. “That’s no reason to blame her for every bad thing that happens…Sweetie Belle, apologize to Sunset!”

Sweetie Belle stared defiantly at her big sister. “It’s not like I’m not saying something that isn’t true!”

“Apologize to Sunset!” Rarity ordered.

“Forget this!” Sweetie Belle shouted as she left the room, slamming her door shut.

Rarity shook with contained rage, but it wasn’t just due to Sweetie Belle’s actions, no, this embarrassing moment had offered her some clarity when she spoke about Sunset. “I really am a terrible person…”

“Rares?”

“I – we – made a promise to Princess Twilight to look after you, and help you along your path to redemption. Then, we found out that we were doing this less for the promise and more because we were growing more fond of you with each passing day…” Rarity turned around, and to Sunset’s surprise, she was crying. “We grew close, you and I. We used to talk a lot, gossip, go to the mall, confide in one another…and I threw that all away…over some embarrassing photos…”

Sunset watched as Rarity fell to her knees and began to sob, taking in shaky breathes as she hugged herself. “I left you alone…we left you alone…we never gave you a chance…we just assumed…Pinkie Pie was right to believe in you…when this is over, I wouldn’t blame for never speaking to us again…”

Sunset, forgetting her modesty, knelt before Rarity, and brought the girl into an embrace, surprising the fashionista. “Rarity…that’s the last thing I want. Not having you girls in my life is the worst thing that’s happened out of all of this. I can take the abuse, the glares, and the words, but not having you five hurts worse than all of that. Honestly, if I could have you all with me again, I could give two shits about Anon-A-Miss! I just…I just don’t want to be alone anymore…”

Rarity could feel tears coming down on her shoulder, the teen wrapped her arms around Sunset and the two hugged each other tight, both sobbing in a strange combination of relief and sadness for the entire situation they were both put through. It took a few minutes before either one of them had calmed down enough to stop, and a few more before they released their embrace.

“Rarity, can we…can we be friends again?” Sunset asked.

“Darling, nothing would make me happier. And I promise, I’ll do all I can to earn back your trust,” said Rarity.

The two separated and smiled at each other. Rarity looked down and realized that Sunset was still half naked. “Oh my, well, you may want to – ahem – put the rest of your clothes on. Or, if you wish, I can pick out some pajamas for you to wear.”

A smirk started to form on Sunset’s face, she then placed her hands behind her head and thrust her chest out. “Oh, c’mon Rares, you know you want to bury you face in them.”

Rarity blushed as her cheeks puffed up. “I don’t wish to do anything of the sort!”

Sunset then feigned hurt as she said, “What…are you saying I’m not attractive enough to do lewd things with?”

“That is not what I’m saying, I just – I – ugh!”

Sunset began to laugh, and not soon after, Rarity joined in. It felt good to laugh with a friend again.

Case File 3-3 (The Widow): Pulling of Strings

Sunset lied back in Rarity’s bed, going through her cellphone messages and keeping track of Anon-A-Miss. Apparently Celestia had sent a few texts asking if she was still alright, to which Sunset smiled and replied that, yes, she was indeed alright. Across from her, Rarity was working fiercely, the deadline loomed ever closer. The day after tomorrow the show would be begin and Rarity wasn’t going to let this little development stop her.

“By the way, Sunset, wherever did you get that piece of jewelry?” Rarity asked.

Sunset nearly dropped her phone at the mention of the Witchblade. “Um – Uh – y-you mean my bracelet?”

Rarity glanced over her shoulder. “Of course, I haven’t seen you wear it before recently, was it a present or something you just bought yourself?”

The former unicorn’s eyes darted about as she tried to come up with a good excuse. Pinkie Pie hadn’t brought it up before, but then again, Rarity was more fashion and detailed oriented, so something like that would definitely be picked up right away. When Rarity was doing the measurements earlier, Sunset was surprised she didn’t bring it up.

“It’s uh…It’s a good luck charm! Yeah – that’s it! I bought it at a little out-of-the-way store! They said it’s supposed to help get rid of negative energy and ward of evil,” said Sunset.

Rarity turned her attention back to her sewing machine as she said, “Well, given your recent run ins with those horrid creatures, aside from looking fabulous, it doesn’t seem to do too well in the ‘warding off’ part.”

Sunset chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. “Y-Yeah, but, you’re right, it still looks good! And…” Sunset looked at the Witchblade as it’s ruby crystal dimly shined for a moment. “Maybe it’s working in other ways.”

“Sunset, I’ve been thinking about this whole Anon-A-Miss, mess,” Rarity changed the setting on the sewing machine and went back to work. “Is it possible that your phone was hacked by someone?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow in contemplation. “I won’t lie, I’ve been floating that idea around for a bit. But, the only way to do that would be through a Wi-Fi connection, and…”

“Your phone was connected to my home’s Wi-Fi, I gave the password to all of you that night.”

“So, someone had to know that I’d be here on that night,” Sunset concluded.

Rarity grimaced as she continued down her line of thought. “Unfortunately, that narrows the suspect pool dangerously close to…our friends.” Rarity looked over her shoulder and saw Sunset’s shocked expression. “I know it’s not a pleasant thought, darling, but we have to assume that…either one of our friends is lying to us, or someone they know is the culprit.”

Sunset didn’t want to think that one of her friends was putting her through this hell. Yes, she did do some shitty things to them in the past, but to warrant this level of abuse and revenge? The bad thing was, each one of them had good reason to want revenge on her. For sure she could count out Rarity and Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy…she wasn’t too sure about her. The kind girl did forgive Sunset, after a few false starts with talking to her. But after that, they became just as close friends as the rest. Although, before then, Sunset did verbally abuse her, demean her, and threatened physical harm. Albeit the third she did to everyone, but the point was, she couldn’t see Fluttershy going to this level, and yet, at the same time, it did make some twisted sense.

Applejack was too straightforward to go behind someone’s back like this, if she wanted to settle something, the farm girl would’ve called out Sunset a long time ago and settled it then. Rainbow Dash was much the same way, she didn’t like the cowardly approach, to have someone else get her revenge, oh no, Rainbow Dash was more hands on. If she was coming for you, you’d see it coming and all you’d have time to do was brace. That being said…

“Let’s keep that as a backup possibility, it’s still possible that my phone was hacked,” said Sunset.

A small smile appeared on Rarity’s lips. “Well, if that is the case, we’ll need someone who can look into that sort of thing. My first thought is of Microchips, but he’s as much on this Anon-A-Miss train as the rest of the student body.”

“Ironic, we need a hacker to find a hacker. Wish I brushed up more on that stuff, I know some basic stuff, but depending on how sophisticated the hacker is, what I do know would be like trying to find a needle in the rainforest.”

“Don’t despair so soon, I’m sure we can find someone.”

Sunset thought for a moment, then it hit her, she did know someone who could do that, well, more like she knew a certain cop who had access to such resources. “I think I might know someone…I’ll have to give ‘em a call later.”

Rarity nodded. “Very well,” the fashionista turned off the machine and pulled out the piece she was working on, “now let’s get you in this dress so I can see what else needs adjusting.”

“Oh, you’re that much in a hurry to see me naked again?” Sunset teased.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “I forgot how much of a pervert you can be sometimes.”

Sunset shook her head and held out her hand. “Hey, I have no problem giving you a show, but I’m going to have to ask for some monetary compensation. The first time was free, second time will cost you,” she stated with a wink.

“Oh would you just get into this thing already!”

During this whole exchange, neither girl suspected that they were being listened in on. Outside the door to Rarity’s room, Sweetie Belle listened closely. She looked both agitated and concerned by the conversation between her big sister and Sunset Shimmer. Believing that that was all she was going to gleam from their talk, Sweetie Belle quietly, but quickly, returned to her bedroom.

The curly haired girl carefully closed her door and paced about her room. Sweetie Belle took out her cellphone and made her way towards her closet, once inside, she closed the door and video called her friends. Two windows appeared on her phone one read “Apple Bloom” and the other “Scootaloo.”

After about a couple of minutes the window came to life, with one showing Apple Bloom somewhere in her own room, and Scootaloo in hers.

{Hey, Sweetie, what’s up?} Scootaloo asked.

“We might have a problem,” she said.

{What kind of problem?} Apple Bloom asked.

“Okay, so…Sunset Shimmer’s at my house.”

The looks of shock and fear were evident on both girls’ faces.

{W-W-What?! Why?! How?! Is your sister there?!}

“She is…and…she’s the one who invited her over. Apparently the model that she had for her fashion thing this weekend up and quit, so she had to go and find someone to fill in.”

{But…why her? Ah mean…after everythin’ we did how in the blue hell is Rarity okay with havin’ her there?! Considerin’ how embarrassed she was after ya got those photos from her phone?!}

Sweetie Belle dragged her hand down her face. “I know…but that’s not even the worst part…well, there are two worst parts.”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo waited for the news.

“I went to go and ask what we were doing for dinner, and I found my sister…hugging Sunset.”

{……Ah’m sorry, how’s that bad?}

“Sunset was naked and my sister was on top of her,” Sweetie deadpanned.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo blushed fiercely upon hearing this.

{………That’s hot.}

“SCOOTALOO!”
{SCOOTALOO!}

{Sue me! Sunset may be a bitch, but she is hot! And, your sister, too.}

Sweetie Belle’s left eye twitched. “Okay, we’re going to address how long you’ve been perving on my big sis later.”

Apple Bloom waved off the concern. {Don’t get yer panties in a twist, ‘sides, we both know there’s one gal that Scootaloo’s interested in.}

Scootaloo visibly blushed even harder, sputtering to try and come up with a good comeback, which earned a laugh from both girls.

{Shut up!……So what’s the other bad news?}

“They might be suspecting that Anon-A-Miss may be someone else…this is bad. If she manages to convince the others that she’s not Anon-A-Miss, it won’t be long before they figure out it was us!”

A feeling of dread came over all three young girls. Not only had they violated the trust of their sisters, but they’ve also whipped up the students of CHS into a frenzy, nearly got Sunset killed through their actions, and raised the ire of all the students in CHS. They started all this to try and make Sunset stop hanging out with their respective sisters, but then they realized that they could take revenge on Sunset Shimmer, believing that she hadn’t fully paid for her crimes and that she was secretly plotting something under the radar.

If anyone in the school found out it was them, they’d surely go to jail, and that’s if the students or their sister’s hadn’t killed them first. Or worse, if Sunset herself had gotten ahold of them. They knew Sunset was a master of payback whenever she was crossed. After the hell they had put her through, they were surely going to be put through far worse tortures.

{Dammit all…why couldn’t she just give up and leave the school or something?!}

{Maybe we can use somethin’ from tonight. Ya said that she and Rarity were on the bed naked, right? Maybe…Ah don’t know…we could make somethin’ up that Sunset and Rarity are goin’ out or that she’s getting’ her gossip from Rarity? No offense, Sweetie, but yer sis is a gossip queen.}

Sweetie Belle bit her bottom lip, she didn’t want to start bringing her big sister into this. If they did do this, they’d be painting a target on Rarity’s back as well. Sweetie Belle shuddered at the thought that someone like Lightning Dust might do the same thing to Rarity, her big sister was scrappy, but not a fighter like Applejack, Rainbow, or Sunset. If someone tried to hurt her, Rarity wouldn’t stand a chance.

“No, I-I don’t want her to get hurt! We’ve already got stuff set up for Pinkie Pie…as much as I don’t like it, but we can’t let her–!”

*beep, beep*

Sweetie Belle looked at her phone and noticed that a third person was calling, the caller ID read as “Unknown”.

“You think it’s them?” Sweetie asked.

{Well, answer it if it is,} said Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle connected the line to the video chat, a third window opened, but this one only showed darkness, as if the person on the other line was purposefully keeping their identity a secret.

{I seem to have missed the invite. Was there something important happening?}

The girls were still on edge about this person, after the post of the embarrassing photos, this person contacted them, telling them that what they were doing was right, and that Sunset Shimmer needed to be gotten rid of before she could harm anyone else at the school. It was this person that helped them gather more and more secrets from the other students, while some of the students wrote Anon-A-Miss back as a way to get revenge on the person who they thought blabbed their secrets, it was this mystery person who truly got the juicer dirt on the students, it was almost scary how good they were at it.

The girls explained the situation to their mysterious benefactor, and awaited their response. {I see, this is a bit troubling. But not to worry, she won’t suspect us. Sunset likes to think herself smarter than everyone, but she’s not nearly as smart as she thinks. Here’s what we’ll do.}

{We’ll post some things about Sunset and Pinkie as per our agreement. If we post anything about Rarity it’ll be too risky, as it stands, the only person in your house is you, Sweetie, if they’re already this suspicious then it won’t take them long to figure out it was you who spread a rumor about them. We’ll figure out another way to work that in, preferably further down the line. Are we in agreement?}

Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo all looked at each other and nodded.

{Very well.}

That Friday morning saw Shining Armor back at the crime scene, the CSU crew were still trying to determine what the cocoon was. So far their efforts to dislodge the huge thing were unsuccessful, having used everything from an ax to a chainsaw to try and cut it loose. But, no matter what they used, the threads were too strong, sometimes even breaking the blades they used.

Shining Armor looked off to his left, where a pile of discarded broken tools were left. The lead CSI, a woman named Dr. Pinkheart, looked upon the cocoon with determination and aggravation. She was dressed in a white jumpsuit, with blue gloves around her hands. Her skin tone pink, with white hair, and crystal blue eyes.

“I’m guessing you haven’t had much luck?” Shining Armor deduced.

“Not. At. ALL!” Pinkheart stated. “But, oh-ho-ho, I got something for it, and it should be here any second now.”

No sooner had she said that did one of her fellow CSI members walk in, carrying some kind of Buzzsaw. The blades shined with a bit more flare, the motor and handle made it look like some weapon from a sci-fi war movie. “What the hell is that?”

Pinkheart took the device from her colleague with mirthful glee. “This I had to borrow from Canterlot University’s Science Department! It’s a diamond edged circular saw, it’s function is to cut through meteorites that are too dense for steel, but are also too reflective for laser cutting! Let’s see how it likes this bad boy!”

Shining Armor stepped out, knowing that Dr. Pinkheart was going to get crazy here in a second. Once in the living room, Spearhead entered holding a cup of coffee. “Too early for this weird shit.”

“Amen. What’d you find out?” Shining asked.

“We managed to grab a warrant for Miss Evergreen’s cellphone records from around ten to ten-fifteen last night. During that time, she had two calls, one incoming and one outgoing.”

Shining took a sip of the coffee. “Did you manage to find out who was on the other end of those lines?”

“The inbound call came from a Suri Polomare, heh, get this. She’s a student at our old stomping grounds,” said Spearhead.

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “Wait, she’s from CPA? Huh…wonder if Twily knows her? Who was the outbound?”

Spearhead looked at his notes and said, “The outbound was to a Rarity Belle. She’s a student at Canterlot High School, our old rivals, well, if you can call them ‘rivals’.”

Shining chuckled a little, he couldn’t blame Spearhead for thinking that way. CHS hadn’t won one Friendship Game in years. “Alright, we’ll question Miss Polomare, I can swing some leverage with Principal Cinch to let me speak to her. I also have some pull in CHS with the Principal, so it shouldn’t be too hard to speak with this Rarity.”

Just then, a loud noise emanated from the bedroom, it was an ungodly loud, shrieking sound, like nails on a chalkboard. The two men looked in that direction and saw Dr. Pinkheart slicing at the cocoon.

“IS THAT REALLY A GOOD IDEA?” Spearhead asked.

“WHAT?”

“I SAID, ‘IS THAT REALLY A GOOD IDEA’!”

“WHAT’S A GOOD IDEA?”

Suddenly the noise stopped, Shining and Spearhead went back to the bedroom and watched as Pinkheart managed to cut a five-foot long gash in the side of the cocoon. She motioned for her colleague to come over, and together, they pulled on the opposite ends of the gash. In a matter of seconds, the tear grew bigger and in the next moment, a body came falling out.

Pinkheart, her colleague, along with Spearhead and Shining Armor, all gasped and jumped back. The body was that of Silva Evergreen, however, she was unclothed, her skin was pale and her hair had lost a lot of its luster. The two CSI members shook off their surprise and carefully moved the body so that she was facing up. Her eyes were milky and dead, around her neck were several puncture wounds, but also seemed to have been filled in with some sort of substance.

“Well, we were hoping for a missing persons, but now we definitely have a murder,” said Spearhead.

“Detective, you really do call in on the most interesting cases,” said Pinkheart.

“I wish I didn’t. Can you determine the cause of death?” Shining asked.

Pinkheart gave the body a look, but she couldn’t tell right away. “Not from a cursory, glance. I’ll need to take the body back to the morgue.”

“Definitely too early for this weird shit,” said Shining Armor.

It came as a surprise to most when Rarity and Sunset Shimmer arrived in the same car, most of the student body knew that the Rainbooms had left Sunset, but also that recently Pinkie Pie had been hanging around the fiery haired teen more often, and now to see Rarity doing the same, it was starting to make people talk and wonder.

During lunch it was more apparent, as Rarity and Pinkie Pie were both sitting at the table that Sunset had been sitting at for the past few months alone. That left Applejack, Rainbow, and Fluttershy to look on in confusion.

“What the hell is going on here?” Rainbow asked.

“Looks like Rares…made up with Sunset?”

Rainbow Dash eyed her former friend suspiciously. “Pinkie Pie is one thing, but Rarity?! Come on! Sunset’s gotta be working her somehow! Maybe she got some really bad dirt on her and threatened to let it out unless she started get in line or something?!”

Applejack crossed her arms as she thought. “The old Sunset Shimmer would do somethin’ like that. But, I’m not entirely sure about the Sunset we’ve seen up till now.”

“Oh don’t start telling me you’re getting on this ‘Sunset’s innocent’ bandwagon?!”

“Ah didn’t say that!”

Fluttershy sighed heavily. “Maybe she’s just forgiven her.”

Rainbow sighed and ran her hand down her face. “Look, Shy, I know you’re religious and think people deserve second chances, but the facts are–!”

“The facts don’t add up. I’ll admit, I was just as angry as the rest of you, but…” Fluttershy paused as she chose her words carefully. “I prayed on this, and I’m not going to keep accusing without proof that Sunset is one-hundred percent Anon-A-Miss, which is what we should’ve done in the first place.”

“If ya think that, why’re you still eatin’ with us instead of with Sunset and the gals?” Applejack asked.

“Because, you’re my friends too. And…because I’m not sure how to approach her, yet, and because…well…” Fluttershy gestured to the state of the cafeteria.

Indeed, it was still a hornets nest of hostility in CHS, cliques had been reformed, and further subdivisions had been made with those whom nobody trusted anymore and those who were already burned by Anon-A-Miss and sought revenge. At best, the only relatively safe places were around Applejack and Rainbow Dash, or – again, relatively speaking – around Sunset’s table. At least then you had a better view of who was coming towards you.

“Can’t say I blame you there, Shy,” said Rainbow.

Applejack nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Rarity, Sunset, and Pinkie were enjoying their lunch. For Sunset this was probably the best lunch time she had in a long while. Two out of five of her friends were sitting with her, and were no longer suspicious of her being Anon-A-Miss. Sunset believed that this might just be the way to defeat this cyber bully, with her friends gathered again, how could Anon-A-Miss justify continuing to post stuff about them?

“I’m glad you don’t think Sunset’s Anon-A-Miss anymore! I really didn’t like having all of my friends divided,” said Pinkie.

“Oh, believe me, it took a semi-heated argument with Sweetie Belle to finally make me see the light,” said Rarity.

“That and hugging me while I was naked,” said Sunset nonchalantly.

Unfortunately, Pinkie Pie was chugging down a soda and was about to do a spit take, but then saw the dangerous look in Rarity’s eyes. The look that said “If you even dare spit that on my outfit, I will stuff you into that soda can!” Pinkie managed to rein it in and gulped down the contents in her mouth, and then gasped for air.

“Y-You mean, y-you two…did it?!” Pinkie asked.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Please, Sunset, don’t make it sound as if we were conducting lewd activities.”

“What? Just telling the truth. You hugged me while the only think I had on were my panties. And then Sweetie Belle saw us, and that’s when you two had your argument.”

“Sweetie Belle saw you two?! Uh…wow, Rarity, I had no idea you swung that way! I mean, I do know a few girls at the school who told me that they’d give their right arm for a night with you, but ...damn!” Pinkie exclaimed, her face blushing the entire time.

Rarity’s face was also red, while Sunset was snickering to the side. “Ahem, let me clarify. I was overexcited about Sunset accepting my offer to model for me, and rushed to hug her. In my haste I failed to realize that she hadn’t fully clothed herself. After my argument with Sweetie, I came to the realization that I’ve been a complete idiot about this Anon-A-Miss mess, and we cried and hugged it out, if you will. So now it’s all water under the bridge as far as I’m concerned. And thank you for telling me that I have a few female admirers as well.”

Sunset nudged Rarity and smirked. “Please, like you didn’t know. You can be a bit of a tease sometimes, if not all the time,” she joked.

Pinkie Pie was happy about this, maybe, just maybe things would start to go back to normal, bit by bit, but still it was getting there. What Pinkie loved about this was that Sunset was smiling again, a genuine smile. Since this whole thing started, she hadn’t smiled once, her face was a constant frown. And why should Sunset smile? These past couple of months haven’t exactly been kind to her. Now though, that was changing. The pink haired girl disappeared and reappeared behind both Sunset and Rarity, hooking both arms around their necks and bringing them together into a hug, squishing their faces together.

“I’m so happy we can do stuff like this again! I say, we have a party at Rarity’s house!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Both girls giggled.

“As fun as that sounds, Pinkie, perhaps you should save it and turn it into a victory party! Come this Saturday, I expect to come out on top!” Rarity declared.

{Rarity Belle, Sunset Shimmer, please report to Principal Celestia’s office. Repeat, Rarity Belle, Sunset Shimmer, please come to the principal’s immediately.}

The students all glanced in their direction. Rarity, Sunset, and Pinkie looked between each other in confusion. Murmurs started to erupt from the normal dull roar of the lunch room. Without even knowing the details, the students were already pegging this as something Anon-A-Miss related.

Sunset sighed, she really didn’t need to hear their nonsense. “Let’s go.”

Sunset and Rarity walked to the Principal’s office, it was there that Sunset saw two policemen, one of which she recognized.

“Detective Shining Armor?”

“Hey, Sunset, been a minute,” her replied.

Rarity glanced between the two and grinned devilishly. “Pray tell, who is this handsome fellow, and how do you know him?”

“He’s the detective who worked Pinkie’s case when we were attacked, and the second time when I was ‘attacked’ by the winged monster,” said Sunset. “But, I don’t recognize you.”

Spearhead offered his hand. “Name’s Spearhead Thrust, Detective, I’m Shining’s partner in crime solving.”

Sunset shook his hand. “Not that I’m complaining, but why are you both here? Did you by chance make any headway in this Anon-A-Miss crap?”

“Sorry, but not yet. However, we did come to talk to Ms. Belle. And you, if needed.”

The girls raised their eyebrows curiously. They were then escorted to an empty classroom where they were seated.

“Ms. Belle, do you know a Ms. Silva Evergreen?” Shining asked.

Sunset immediately got on edge, Shining Armor worked the Wendigo cases, if he was here then that meant…

“Yes, I do. She is – was – my model for this weekend’s fashion competition, but she gave me a call that Wednesday night to tell me that she would no longer be working with me.”

“Did she happen to say why?” Spearhead asked.

“Something about getting a contract to work in Manelan. I spoke to her agent about it and said that he’d hadn’t even heard of something like that! He promised that he’d look into it and give me a call, but I told him not to worry about it. As I now have another model who can take her place right here,” said Rarity.

Bothe detectives glanced at each other, Spearhead took some notes while Rarity was talking, and Sunset could tell by the looks on their faces that something worse was about to be dropped on them.

“I’m sorry, but, why are two of Canterlot’s finest questioning me about Silva?”

Shining Armor sighed heavily. “Miss Belle, I hate to tell you this, but…Miss Evergreen is dead.”

Rarity’s eyes widened while her eyes shrunk to pin pricks. “W-W-What? No, no, no, I just spoke with her that night! S-She can’t be…be…”

Sunset moved closer and hugged Rarity as she began to visibly shake, tears already streamed down the fashionista’s face as Shining Armor’s words sank in. Sunset looked at Shining Armor and asked, “When was she killed?”

“We didn’t say that she was,” said Spearhead.

“If she died of natural causes then Rarity would’ve found out through Silva’s agent or through one of her fashion clients. The only reason why two detectives would be here would be because someone killed her and you’re checking in on the last people who had contact with her.”

Rarity looked to Sunset and then to the detectives, waiting to see if she was right.

Shining Armor nodded. “It’s true, Miss Evergreen was murdered. I suspect that someone forced her to call you, and made her cancel on you. And to cover their tracks, the suspect killed her. Miss Belle, is there anyone who would seek to gain from your forfeit of this competition? Anyone that might have reason to harm you?”

Rarity wiped her eyes and shook her head. “No! I mean, the fashion world can be ‘cutthroat’ but not in the literal sense! Despite our rivalries, there is respect amongst us! Something like this…I-I don’t know who’d want to do this!”

Spearhead looked to Sunset and then back to Rarity. “Miss Shimmer here, was she your backup in case this happened?”

Rarity looked ashamed as she brought this up. “No…we…up until now our friendship was torn due to some unknown cyber bully, I believe Detective Armor can tell you about it. But due to this, our relationship was strained. I asked her for help out of desperation. Thankfully we’ve reconciled.” Rarity placed her hand over Sunset’s and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I haven’t announced my newest model, and I planned on heading there with Sunset for a dry run at the end of school today.”

Sunset glanced to Rarity and the back to Shining Armor, she locked eyes with the detective and said, “Um, Detective Armor, is there a chance I could speak to you, alone?”

“Yeah, let’s do that. Spearhead, can you finish up?”

Spearhead nodded.

Sunset and Shining Armor walked out of the room and down into an empty hallway. “Okay, no bullshit, she was killed by someone possessed by a Wendigo, wasn’t she?”

Shining Armor rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, she was. We found her body wrapped in a cocoon of super strong webbing.”

“Shining, you need me on this! If it’s another person who’s possessed then they might be struggling to get free from the Wendigo! If that’s the case, you’ll need me to subdue them!” Sunset stated.

Shining Armor sighed. “Look, I know, I know you’re the only one who can even seriously hurt them and/or kill them! But right now we don’t have any clues to go on. The only thing we can assume is that whoever this person is, they’re targeting your friend, and are willing to kill.”

The blue haired detective placed his hand on her shoulder and said, “The best thing you can do is stay by your friend’s side. If anything, she’s much safer with you close to her, than roaming around the city trying to look for this person.”

Sunset couldn’t disagree with that logic, this person clearly wanted to take out Rarity from the competition. Once they found out that their indirect attack didn’t work, they might try a more direct approach. “You’re right. I’ll stay by her side.”

“Glad you look better.”

“What?”

“After that night with Lightning Dust, when that demon said that stuff, you looked super depressed. I’m just glad you bounced back,” Shining clarified.

Sunset smiled. “Believe me, I wasn’t in a good place for a while. But thankfully one of my friends slapped some sense into me, literally. She slapped me in the face.”

Shining Armor winced. “Ouch.”

After a few more minutes of questioning, Shining Armor and Spearhead left the school. Rarity needed a minute to compose herself before the next class, so Sunset walked her to the girls room. After a while, Sunset asked, “Are you alright?”

“I will be…” Rarity answered.

“Maybe we should just call it off. Not go to this dry run.”

Rarity fixed her make up and then said, “We’re going. If we don’t, whoever killed Silva will relish in the idea that they won, and if I didn’t win now, her death will be in vain. She was forced to cancel on me, whoever did this wants me to bow out, I won’t give them the satisfaction.”

Sunset gripped her right arm hard. “Rarity, you should know, that Shining Armor, he works the Mystery Murders cases. If he came to question us, then that means whoever did this is probably someone possessed by a Wendigo. Which means that they have more than one way to make you stop. They can kill you and no one would know who it was because they’re in a monster form!”

Rarity took a moment to process this information. “My mind’s made up, Sunset. I won’t let this scoundrel intimidate me. Besides, strangely, I feel safer with you at my side. I know I’m asking far more than I was earlier, if you wish to leave now it’s understandable. You twice now escaped the clutches of two monsters, there’s no need to put yourself in the crosshairs of a third.”

Sunset shook her head at that notion. “The hell with that! Like I’d leave one my friends to get hurt by one of those things! One almost violated Pinkie Pie and almost killed her, I’m not going to let the same happen to another friend!”

Rarity smiled and hugged Sunset, to which Sunset hugged her back. As she did, Sunset could feel the fashionista shiver in her embrace. Rarity was scared, but Sunset knew that Rarity wasn’t as fragile a girl as others made her out to be.

I just hope I can keep her safe.

It was late afternoon by the time Shining Armor and Spearhead managed to get all they needed. They had questioned the other suspect, Suri Polomare before seeing Rarity, and the information they got wasn’t much help. The two detectives were currently on their way to the morgue to speak with Dr. Pinkheart and find out what killed the young woman.

“Do you think whoever’s behind this is targeting the CHS girl?” Spearhead asked.

“My gut is telling me that they are. We might need to talk to the chief to post some protective detail at the competition tomorrow, maybe put one on her family’s house as well,” said Shining Armor.

*ring, ring*

Shining Armor’s phone went off, Spearhead answered it and put it on speaker when he saw the caller ID as “Dr. P.”

“Dr. Pinkheart, we were on our way to see you. Did you manage to find out what the cause of death was?” Shining Armor asked.

{Um…funny thing about that…I wasn’t able to.}

Spearhead and Shining were confused by that statement.

“Okay, why not?” Spearhead asked.

{Because…well…the body is gone.}

Shining Armor slammed the brakes on his car, thankfully the cars behind him managed to stop in time, but there were several others honking at him. Spearhead opened the car window and flashed his badge, which ceased some of the honking as he motioned for the drivers to go around.

“What the hell do you mean, ‘the body’s gone’?! It was transported there this morning, you were there!” Shining stated.

{Yes…Yes I was. Now, remember the kind of cases we’re working as I explain. The drawer we kept her in was had its door broken off.}

Spearhead shook his head in disbelief. “Wait, you’re saying someone broke into the morgue and took her body?”

{……A little weirder than that. Please don’t make me say it, I’m looking at it, and I still can’t believe it.}

Shining Armor dragged his hand down his face as he closed his eyes. “The drawer was broken from the inside, not the outside, right?”

{Correct.}

“Wait…” Spearhead held up his hands as he tried to contemplate this. “Are you saying we got a dead body walking around Canterlot City?! Now we’re dealing with zombies?!”

{You said it, I didn’t.}

True to her word, after school, Rarity and Sunset made their way to the Canterlot Grand Hall, where the competition would take place. Upon entering the space, Sunset saw dozens of people walking about, she could easily spot the designers from the models, some were eccentrically dressed, while some wore more tamed garbed.

Rarity informed Sunset to sit with the other models and that she would address the situation with the coordinator of the competition, Prim Hemline. Sunset watched as the designers assembled on stage, one was in a truly goth outfit, another was in a flowing dress, and the other had his hair done in blue and red stripes. After a moment, the coordinator and judge, Prim Hemline, made her appearance on stage. She wore a blue jacket, with gold lining, an opaque blouse, mauve pants, and red high-heel shoes. Her complexion was gray, with light pink hair.

“Before we begin, I’d like to make an announcement. Some of you may or may not know, but one of our models has…tragically, been taken from us before her time. Silva Evergreen,” said Prim.

The designers and models all began to murmur and had looks of worry.

“I regret to say that this was not due to natural causes, rather, it appears that she was killed. The police assure me that they are doing everything in their power to bring our dear Silva’s killer to justice.” Prim looked directly at Rarity when she spoke again. “Rarity, we’ll understand if you wish to take some time.”

Rarity stepped forward. “No, I was informed by the police about her untimely death. But, the show must go on! And I’d like to do so in memory of Silva, she loved working with me, and I want to honor her by going forward.”

A round of applause erupted from the other contestants, as well as the models. Rarity gave a slight bow to all of them, even Prim nodded in respect to Rarity’s wish.

“Very well, if you wish, I can put in a call to try and get someone else to model for you. But on such short notice we’ll be hard pressed to find someone, and even then, the changes to your entry will need to be done,” said Prim.

“Oh, I’m no stranger to all-nighters. However, that won’t be necessary. I have asked a dear friend of mine to help me in this, my hour of need. Her name is Sunset Shimmer!”

The eyes of the models and the designers fell on Sunset, who smiled nervously at the attention as she waved to all of them. Prim Hemline glanced at Sunset, her critical eye going over every detail of the girl Rarity had chosen as her replacement model.

“Are you sure? Your score isn’t just based on your couture alone, the ability of your model to help bring it all together counts a great deal towards your score. I understand the bonds of friendship are deep, but are you sure you wish to do this?” Prim asked.

Sunset gulped, now that she was standing amongst all these professional models, she had to admit, she was feeling a bit self-conscious right now. She had never doubted her looks, even when she was ruling CHS with an iron fist, Sunset ran into no shortage of guys who thought she was hot, or who wanted to sleep with her. That being said, now that she was standing next to these women, maybe she was thinking too highly of herself. Maybe Rarity should choose someone else…

Rarity stood confidently as she said, “I know that, and I will stick with my choice.” Sunset’s eyes widened. “Sunset may not be a professional, but she does carry herself with a sense of purpose, power, and grace, I have no doubts in my friend. If you will, please allow her to be my model.”

Prim could see the determination in Rarity’s eyes, upon second glance of Sunset Shimmer, Prim could see what Rarity was speaking of. The fiery haired teen certainly had the body and looks for the job, if she devoted herself to modelling, Prim had no doubt she’d be on par with the rest of the girls here.

“Very well, I will allow it. Now, with that said, we shall go through a dry run of tomorrow’s competition.” Prim then glanced in Sunset’s direction, making the teen stand straight at attention. “I expect you, Miss Shimmer, to be extra attentive to this, you’ll only have today to get it memorized.”

Sunset gulped.

After that Prim went into how the rest of the competition would go. It would start with the announcement of each contestant, showcasing their previous works while on stage via old competition footage. Afterwards, the main event would occur. In total, there were about twenty contestants, and each was allowed to showcase their signature outfit for the winter theme this year. It was here that Sunset paid extra close attention, Rarity sat next to her, giving her pointers and explaining how the models walked, the poses they struck, as well as the timing for when to stop, pose, and then walk on.

Sunset had to admit, there was a lot more to modeling than just standing there and posing. When she was a pony, Sunset remembered walking with a since of grace and authority that came with being the Princess’ protégé, so she would sometimes walk with her head held high and strut down the street whenever she was in the presence of the nobles. They had always looked down on her, even more so when Sunset’s low standing came to light and made them wonder why she was chosen above their own bratty kids.

When it came to be Sunset’s turn, the girl fumbled a bit, getting called out by Prim a few times for either going too fast or too slowly. Thankfully, some of the other models were happy to assist her with the runway walk. Knowing that she was going to be doing this for Silva meant a lot to them, as some of them were friends with the model, so it only seemed right to help Sunset.

After a few hours of making sure everything was done, everyone was allowed to depart.

“Rarity!”

Sunset and Rarity turned around and saw two girls approach them. One was wearing a school uniform that was violet in color. Her skin tone was a pale orchid, with curly purple hair and grayish brown eyes, and she wore a blue plaid ascot around her neck. The girl next to her was in a similar uniform, except she had a red tie. She had cream colored skin, artic blue hair, and striking blue eyes.

The violet uniformed girl approached Rarity and gave her a hug. “I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry about what happened to Silva and that I’m happy to see you continue on. If there’s anything you need help with just ask, ‘kay?”

“Oh, thank you, but I think we’ll be alright,” said Rarity.

“Uh, Rarity, who’s this?” Sunset asked.

The girl broke off her hug and held out her hand to Sunset. “So sorry, forgot my manners. My name’s Suri Polomare, I’m from Crystal Prep Academy. And this is my assistant, Coco Pommel. She’s a freshman at CPA and I’ve decided to take her under my wing, ‘kay.”

“Hello,” said Coco in quiet tone.

“It’s so great that you’re taking on Silva’s role, don’t worry, you’ll do great tomorrow!” Suri assured.

“Thanks, I guess. I’m just hoping I don’t fall on my face,” said Sunset bashfully.

“Nonsense, once you’re on that stage, I know you’ll shine.” Rarity took out her cellphone. “Goodness, so sorry Suri, but we really must be going, I have some last minute additions to make to my entry! Ta-ta!”

“Ta-ta!”

When Sunset and Rarity left, Suri’s face grew serious. “That slutty bitch, she thinks she’s already won. Well, fat chance of that happening. Coco!”

The younger girl stepped forward. “Y-Yes, Suri?!”

“You’re going to be making some adjustments to the design, I don’t care if it takes you all night!” Suri ordered.

“Um…I mean, I can do that…but…are you going to help too? I mean, I know it’s your design but–”

Suri chuckled and wrapped her arm around Coco’s neck. “Oh, Coco. Listen, hon, this is how it works in the big leagues. Either you’re working or working someone else. Besides, I like, have other things I need to work on before tomorrow, and if I don’t, then it’ll impact my chances of winning. And besides. We wouldn’t want any unfortunate accidents to befall you, ‘kay?”

Coco felt Suri’s arm tighten around her, telling her that she had no choice in this matter. “O-Okay, Suri, w-whatever you say!”

“That’s more like it.”

It was already dark by the time Sunset and Rarity left the Grand Hall. The street lamps were already on and the snow was falling yet again. Sunset stared out the window as Rarity drove the car, thinking about tomorrow and growing more nervous by the minute.

“You’ll do fine, darling,” said Rarity.

“W-What?”

Rarity glanced to Sunset. “I know you’re feeling nervous, but I know you’ll do great.”

“Honestly, I’m starting to doubt I was the right pick. Rarity, I appreciate your confidence in me, but it won’t hurt my feelings or change my mind about forgiving you if you take Prim up on her offer.”

Rarity wagged her finger in protest. “Nonsense. As I said, I know you can pull it off, and if it ends up tanking horribly, well then, it’s a small price to pay to share in an activity with my friend.”

Sunset smiled upon hearing that. She really didn’t want to quit, she was just worried about Rarity’s win, but now, Sunset felt like showing up all those professionals tomorrow.

}}} Stay sharp! There’s something coming! {{{

“What?!”

“What?”

*THUNK!*

Rarity swerved a little as something dropped on top of the car, making Sunset hold on as the icy roads made it hard for Rarity take back control. “My god, what hit us?! Was that pile of snow?!”

I doubt you’d warn us about snow, Sunset thought.

There was more noise coming from above the car, it sounded like movement. Suddenly, whatever was on top of the car made itself known as a head popped down and in front of the window. Rarity and Sunset screamed bloody murder as whoever or whatever it was slid down from the top and was now on the hood of Rarity’s car.

From what Sunset could tell, it was a woman, her eyes were glowing a bright artic blue, and she wasn’t wearing anything. The woman cocked back her right fist and punched the window, fracturing the glass and causing Rarity to jerk the steering wheel in response.

“SHAKE HER OFF!” Sunset yelled.

Rarity jerked the wheel again, causing the woman to falter in her next strike and fall, but somehow she managed to stay on top of the hood. Rarity made another jerking movement, which made the woman lose her grip and slide down. Sunset looked around and saw a lamppost, she then pointed towards it and Rarity understood what she meant.

The other cars on the road swerved to avoid her as Rarity aimed her car right for the nearest lamppost, it was hard to aim as the icy roads made it hard for her to stay in a straight line. Unfortunately, the car swerved the wrong way and ended up striking up against the lamppost, on the passenger’s side.

Rarity felt her head spinning from the impact, she looked around and then to Sunset, who was slumped to her left side after the impact. “Sunset…Sunset are you alright…?”

A low groan came from her friend.

Rarity hurriedly unbuckled herself and carefully got the driver’s door open. Once she was sure she could still walk, Rarity hurried to unbuckle Sunset. She slowly dragged Sunset out of the car and onto the road, within seconds Sunset was coming around, feeling like she just got hit with a truck.

“Dammit, that hurt!” Sunset exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, Sunset! The road was so icy, I-I couldn’t aim right!” Rarity apologized. “Are you hurt?!”

Sunset felt a small amount of pain, but thanks to the Witchblade, that was going away fast. “I’ll live, but where’s that thing?”

The girls looked around, but could see no sign of the woman who attacked them.

}}} It’s still here, I sense ill intent aimed towards us. {{{

Sunset realized that she may be forced to make a decision that she wasn’t sure she wanted to make. The fiery haired girl stood up and took Rarity’s hand. “We need to run, now!”

“B-But, Sunset, we need to call the police!”

“That thing’s still here! Don’t ask me how I know, we just need to get somewhere safe!”

Sunset pulled Rarity along, forcing her to keep up. Both girls ducked down an alley, Sunset glanced behind them and saw that the woman was still after them, but this time doing some kind of horror movie spider-walk on the walls as she gave chase.

Dammit, it’s going to chase us no matter where we go!……Fine then!

Sunset stopped and put Rarity behind her. “Rarity, there’s a way I can save us, but I need you to promise me that you won’t tell the girls what you’re about to see!”

“Sunset–!”

“Swear it!”

Rarity looked back down the alley, the woman jumped off the wall and was now walking towards them, eyes still glowing in the dimly lit alley. “Yes! I swear, whatever it is, I’ll keep it a secret!”

Sunset wasn’t sure if she was happy about that, mostly because she was about to show Rarity something scary. But right now, a little scary was needed to fight this thing. The Witchblade began to glow bright red, heat swelled in Sunset’s body, rising, filling her with an ecstasy that energized every cell in her body. In the next second, the bracelet exploded out into metal strands that slashed and tore through all of Sunset’s clothing, covering her in the armor of the Witchblade.

Rarity gasped in shock at what she saw, and blushed. She could feel a heat coming off of Sunset’s body, visibly creating steam in the cold night air. She didn’t know what she was looking at, the person before her was Sunset Shimmer, but her outfit, the armor, it barely covered anything of her friend, she was practically half naked. On top of that, her hair and changed to something sharp and metallic. Rarity watched as Sunset turned her head to look over her shoulder, showing off her glowing turquoise eyes.

“I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

The mystery woman widened her stance as Sunset formed a long forearm blade. Sunset dashed down the alley and towards her opponent, she thrust forward with the blade but the mystery woman jumped out of the way, bounded off the wall, and made her way towards Rarity.

“What the hell?!”

Rarity’s body froze as she watched the creature approach her at great speed, preparing to kill her. Sunset turned around and fired off several chains from her armor, each chain flew through the air, quick as a sparrow, and wrapped themselves around the mystery woman’s arms and legs. The mystery woman struggled to get closer, stretching out even her neck to try and bite Rarity. It was at this time that Rarity managed to get a good look at her assailant’s face, and when she did, she clasped her hands around her mouth in shock.

Sunset reeled back the attacker, moving the chains to her left hand as she pulled back as hard as she could, the assailant sailed into the air as Sunset brought her back down, slamming her against the cold, unforgiving pavement. Sunset didn’t waste any time as she quickly pounced on the mystery woman, she drew back her right arm and thrust the blade right into her heart. However, the mystery woman did not stop moving, it still fought and struggled to get free.

“How did that not work?!”

}}} I sense no life in this body. A malevolent power is making it move. {{{

“SUNSET!” Rarity yelled. “T-THAT’S SILVA!”

Sunset’s eyes widened, she looked down at the still struggling corpse as the realization hit her. “You mean…I’m fighting the girl who was killed! I…”

The corpse of Silva took advantage of Sunset’s stunned state and punched her hard in the stomach, making Sunset back off enough for Silva to get free. The living corpse jumped up and began spider-walking on the walls, it gazed upon them, trying to figure out the best way to attack her prey.

“Rarity, are you sure it’s her?!” Sunset asked.

“It is…It’s Silva Evergreen!” Rarity answered in tears.

Sunset looked upon the corpse of Silva and growled with fury. They’d go so far as to desecrate her corpse like this! Using it as a weapon to kill someone?!

}}} It’s only a husk, the spirit has long departed, you needn’t fear harming the true owner of that body. {{{

“Even so…I don’t want to damage her body anymore than I have already! She deserves a proper burial and I’m not going to slice up her corpse!”

Silva’s body lunged towards them, but Sunset managed to deliver a spinning kick to Silva, sending her flying out of the alley and into the streets. Sunset gave chase and watched as her body bounced off the ground, and, under the light of the lamppost, she could see something shimmering, it was long and thin, almost like a thread.

“Hey, did you see that?”

}}} I did. {{{

“Could that be the source of their control?”

}}} Only one way to find out. {{{

Sunset concentrated, and into her hands, formed two boomerang blades. Silva’s body got back up and dashed towards Sunset, at the same time, the slayer of evil threw both boomerangs just as she grappled with Silva. The twin blades whistled as they cut through the air, and in the next moment, sliced through the thin shimmering thread before dissolving into ash. The moment they did, the glow of Silva’s eyes disappeared, and the body went limp, falling to the ground.

Rarity walked out of the alley, slowly, she approached Sunset who was kneeling before Silva’s body. “Is she…?”

“She was already dead long before we saw her…whatever monster is behind this used her body like a puppet to try and attack us.” Sunset carefully pushed down on Silva’s eyelids and placed her hands over her chest. “You didn’t deserve this…I’m so sorry.”

Rarity knelt next to Sunset and placed her own hands into a prayer position. “Silva, I’m sorry…please, find peace.” After her prayer was over, Rarity looked to her friend. “So…it was you, wasn’t it. You’re the one who saved Pinkie Pie from that monster.”

“Yep.”

“And Rainbow Dash, and pulled that demon spirit from Lightning Dust.”

“Also, us.”

Rarity blinked. “Us?”

“Long story…look, I need to go, the police will be here soon.”

As Sunset was about to get up, Rarity fished out her car keys and popped the trunk of her car. “You need to stay here, it’ll be hard to explain how you were at my house or yours when I’m sure they’ll find out that we came from the same place.” Rarity walked over to her trunk and showed off a few clothes. “Fortunately, I have spare clothes, you never know when you’ll need a wardrobe change.”

Sunset smiled, thankful that she wasn’t going to have to go around naked. “Thank you, Rarity!”

“One question…does your…armor…rip apart your clothing every time you bring it out?”

“Every. Single. Time,” Sunset deadpanned.

Rarity winced. “Oh my…well then, I guess you came to the right girl.”

Case File 3-4 (The Widow): Showtime!

The following day was a little more relaxed. After the accident, the police were all over the scene, Shining Armor and his partner were there, and of course, Shining Armor knew that Sunset had taken care of the body. He thanked her for not doing too much damage to Silva’s body, knowing that her family would at least still be able to bury her properly.

Rarity had insisted that Sunset come to her home, and when they did, her parents and Sweetie Belle were extremely worried when they heard the news, and were relieved that she was alright. Thankfully, her parents were fine with letting Sunset stay over, they didn’t really think it was a good idea, plus, now that Rarity knew about Sunset’s abilities, having her around made her feel much safer. Strangely though, Sweetie Belle was very skittish around her.

Thanks to this latest incident, it was clear to both Rarity, Sunset, and Shining Armor, that someone was definitely targeting Rarity, and whoever it was, was most likely someone connected to the contest taking place later that night. A protection detail was put on the Belle house while Rarity finished up her latest additions to the outfit, having been doubly inspired to make this a tribute to Silva.

During that time, Sunset told Rarity about the night when she got the Witchblade, as well as the times she has used it to battle the Wendigo possessed people. Of course, Rarity had some disdain for the Witchblade, mostly because it saw the need to rip apart her friends clothes and leave her bare for almost everyone to see like some exhibitionist.

“Really though, is it completely necessary for that thing to do that all the time?! What if you’re wearing some truly fetching outfit?” Rarity asked.

“Gone.”

}}} Pardon me if I feel that protecting my bearer is more important than clothing. {{{

“Yeah, well, I’m not made of money, and the amount of underwear and wearable clothes I have is starting to run low thanks to you,” Sunset shot back.

“Pardon?”

Sunset shook her head. “Oh, no, the Witchblade is sentient, he talks to me in my mind.”

Rarity eyed the piece of jewelry dubiously. “Oh, so it’s a he. The stripping makes more sense now.”

}}} I feel as if I should be insulted by that remark. {{{

“Down boy.”

Hours passed and soon the night of the event came. As expected, security was increased dramatically, police were stationed at every entrance, and were present backstage and out in the aisles where the audience would be. This was due to two reasons, obviously, because of the attacks that have happened around two people connected to the competition, and also because the mayor of Canterlot City was attending.

Backstage was utter chaos, people moving about, people yelling out directions, and asking for this and that. Thankfully, Rarity managed to snag a private room where she could work on the final touches with Sunset in privacy. While working, the two girls heard knocking at the door.

You sense anything?

}}} No hostile intent is behind that door. {{{

Sunset nodded that it was okay. Rarity walked over to open the door and saw Shining Armor.

“Detective Armor, pleasure to see you,” said Rarity.

“Thank you, I just wanted to let you know that we’ve got the area covered, there should be no disruptions to the event tonight,” said Shining Armor.

Sunset walked up to Shining and extended her hand to shake. “Thanks for doing all of this.”

Shining Armor smiled and shook her hand. “No problem, protecting people is my job. I hate to say this, but if things get too hairy…”

“I’ll armor up and take care of it.”

“Figured.”

*knock, knock*

All three turned around at the sudden knock, and then they straightened up, and in Sunset’s case, her mouth hung open. Standing in the doorway was the mayor of Canterlot City, her skin was a light amber color, with silvery-gray hair, grayish-blue eyes, and a pair of gold color rimmed glasses resting on her nose. She wore a formal mayoral suit, and carried herself with the authority of a woman in power. But what was most surprising was who was next to her.

It was Celestia, she wore a beautiful white dress and had her hair tied back in a ponytail, making her look a little younger than she actually was. She wore a gold necklace, and bracelets, and a pair of diamond earrings.

“C-Celestia?!” Sunset exclaimed.

“Madame Mayor,” said Shining Armor as he saluted.

“Detective Armor, it’s good to see you again,” said Celestia.

“Ah, so this is the detective you mentioned who helped Sunset.” The Mayor extended her hand towards Shining. “I’d like to thank you personally for your courageous work, Detective Armor. Especially in regards to keeping my Celly’s young ward safe.”

Shining Armor shook the Mayor’s hand, but during this time, Sunset was still trying to figure out how and why Celestia was there with the Mayor.

“Um…Celestia…w-what…how do you know the mayor of the city?” Sunset asked.

“I must also say that I am curious myself, Principal Celestia,” Rarity added.

Mayor Mare chuckled at their confusion. “Oh it’s not that much of a secret. Celly here used to intern for me a long time ago before she got into public school business.”

“Oh, so you’re friends,” Shining commented.

“Something like that,” said Celestia with a slight blush. Mayor Mare smirked and managed to snake her hand around Celestia’s waist, making them bump hips together. “Maria, please.”

“Oh come now, Celly, one way or another Sunset was bound to figure this out, she’s a smart girl,” said Maria.

Shining Armor, Rarity, and Sunset glanced between the two women, the gears in their brain slowly turned as they pieced together what they were seeing.

“Holy crap, you’re dating the mayor of the city!” Sunset exclaimed.

Celestia’s blush deepened, confirming it to those in the room.

“So far we’ve managed to keep it from the media. I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to Celly and have the media hover around her. As far as they know, she’s just a long time friend who I occasionally invite to social functions, like this one. And of course, when she told me that you, Sunset, were going to be a model in tonight’s competition, well, I just had to come out and see for myself,” said Maria.

One of the mayor’s bodyguards leaned in close to Maria and whispered something into her ear. “Celly, our seats are ready.”

Celestia nodded and then turned to Sunset, the older woman stepped forward and embraced her ward. “Good luck, Sunset. I’m happy you’re doing something like this.” She then turned to Rarity and smiled at her. “And thank you, Ms. Belle, for giving Sunset another chance.”

“Really, don’t mention it, Ms. Celestia. If anything, I owe Sunset a bigger apology than I can ever hope to make up for,” said Rarity.

“I guess we won’t take up more of your time, good luck out there,” said Shining Armor.

With that, the adults left the room. When they did, Sunset and Rarity’s faces morphed into shocked expressions.

“Did you know she was dating the mayor?!” Rarity asked.

“No! I never asked! I didn’t even know she was into other women! But…damn she shot high and scored,” said Sunset. “…wait…could that be how…?”

“How what?” Rarity asked.

“Nothing.” Sunset cleared her throat. “So, you still think this is going to work?”

Rarity smirked. “Have a little faith, darling. I may not be a genius, but when it comes to fashion and how this works with that, I’m second to none.”

The competition began, each of the designers showcased their old work from the previous competitions and each one was about to unveil their newest creations. As far as the line up, Sunset and Rarity were going last, with Suri Polomare going on before them. It took a couple of hours, what with the Q&A with the designer after each run. But finally it came down to the final two.

Sunset wore something similar to the dress Rarity had shown her, but the color scheme had changed. Instead of arctic blues and whites, it was green with some faded browns.

“I don’t suppose that that little item can come off for the time being?” Rarity asked.

}}} Absolutely not. {{{

“He said no.”

Rarity rolled her eyes “Fine then, the gloves will keep it hidden anyway.”

Sunset still felt nervous, she watched each of the girls who did their walk on the runway, studying their movements and getting the timing down for when she was to be up there. Suri’s model walked up, her dress was white, with red accents that gave it a Christmas-y feel to it. Sunset could tell that the judges, Prim among them, were taken at the stunning vibrancy of the red accents as if they flowed with a life of their own and only added to the beauty.

}}} The scent of blood in the air. {{{

What are you talking about?

}}} There is blood in the air, and it’s coming from that woman walking down that stage. {{{

Sunset’s eyes widened as she looked upon the model who was still doing her walk. Could that be the one behind this?

}}} Hard to say, so long as these Wendigos hide in a human body, detecting them is difficult. However, use caution around that one. {{{

A few minutes later, Suri and her model ended their Q&A and walked off stage. The CPA student stopped for a moment and said, “Sunset, Rarity, good luck to you guys.”

“Thank you, Suri,” said Rarity.

As Suri walked away, Sunset heard Suri whisper, “Good luck, you little slut.”

Sunset narrowed her gaze and was about to say something, but Rarity hurried Sunset to the starting point.

{Our final entry is by Rarity Belle. With her couture, Wynter Fyre.}

Sunset took a deep breath as the curtain rose, she never thought about stage fright, being with the Rainbooms allowed her to perform a few times in front of crowds, and before that when she was crowned Princess of the Fall Formal, she had to get up on stage multiple times and give a little speech to the students. But those were just her peers, these were fashion moguls, judges, and magazine photographers that were going to be silently judging her every move. Not to mention, Celestia was somewhere in that crowd, along with her – apparent girlfriend – Maria Mare, the mayor of Canterlot City. And while we’re at it, if Sunset failed to do this right, Rarity’s reputation as a designer would take a hit.

No pressure…

The music began and Sunset started her walk, calmly, and with a purpose, not too fast, and not too slow. Three steps forward and then pose. Five steps forward, pose again. Her eyesight was bombarded with the flashing of many camera bulbs, and the sounds of a hundred camera shutters going off at different intervals. It was an assault on the senses to say the least, but still, Sunset endured. Seven steps forward, stop.

The crowd and judges were confused as to why Sunset stopped in the middle of the stage. Sunset could tell upon exiting that the judges were surely wondering why Rarity went with the color scheme she did, this was supposed to be winter themed, and yet Sunset’s dress was clearly in spring colors. Well, time to show them the truth.

Sunset took a deep breath, she stepped forward and then began to spin. One turn, a second turn, a third turn. The crowd began to murmur as to why Sunset was pirouetting in place, some were even joking that the novice was panicking. But some noticed, and when the rest did, they hushed up. The dress seemed to catch fire, burning blue. With each twirl, the flames rose up the dress, and as they did the color scheme changed to that of the original arctic blues and white. With one final spin, Sunset flared out her arms and struck a confident and dramatic pose, sending the remaining blue embers flying from her body and letting them snuff out in the air.

A round of cheers erupted from the crowd as Sunset continued her walk, and struck one last pose at the end of the runway, giving the judges a bold expression, as if saying, “I dare you to tell me you didn’t like that?” The crowd still clapped and cheered, and Sunset was fairly certain she heard a catcalls among those cheers.

Prim Hemline stood from the judges table; taking up the microphone she said, “Now we will begin the Q&A portion, Miss Rarity Belle, please come to the stage and stand by your model.”

Rarity walked out to the screams of hundreds of cheering people. The fashionista spotted her family in the stands, her father, mother, and little sister all cheering their heads off. Rarity was glad that Sweetie Belle was able to put aside her dislike of Sunset for this event at least. When Rarity stood next to Sunset, she gave her friend a big smile of thanks, to which Sunset smiled back.

“Now, Miss Belle, tell us what inspired you to do this,” said Prim.

Rarity was handed a microphone and then spoke, “Well, as some are aware, the original model I had asked to wear this ensemble had been…tragically, killed not too long ago. I made some last minute adjustments to the dress to show off the color scheme of spring at first, in memory of her name, Silva Evergreen.”

“I see, and what did you do to create that dazzling display?” Prim asked.

“That was a tougher thing to do, through some late night research and experimentation with some fabrics and some non-hazardous chemicals, I was able to create a color dye to change the color scheme of the outfit. It reacts with the air once you spin and generate enough air friction to ignite it and start the change. The flames are a feature that can be added on or left off, the choice is up to the wearer. Plus, I say it really goes rather well with my friend’s flaming locks, don’t you think?”

Sunset blushed.

“Indeed, Miss Belle, you not only displayed great workmanship, but also great showmanship! Well done!” Prim stated.

The crowd cheered again, Rarity took a bow, and Sunset curtsied in the dress. Once they were done, they were dismissed and walked down the runway to the backstage area, upon arrival, several of the other designers were praising Rarity’s work, at the same time, Sunset was getting plenty of compliments from the professional modeling men and women who were there.

“Rarity!”

Sunset pricked at the sound of that voice.

Suri came walking towards Rarity, smiling as she gave the fashionista a hug. “That was fantastic, really, girl.”

“Thank you, Suri, I–”

Sunset separated the girls and glared at Suri. “I think an apology is in order.”

Suri feigned ignorance. “Sorry, apology?”

“I heard what you called Rarity before I went out. You can trash me, but you do not get to say that about my friend, competition or not! Now, apologize to her!” Sunset demanded.

Rarity looked between Sunset and Suri. “Sunset, what do you think she said that was so bad?”

“She…she called you a…a slut.”

The designers and models all looked at Suri with shock, Suri on the other hand, looked unfazed. “Wow, petty much? Trying to tarnish me with salacious stuff like that is pretty low, ‘kay.”

“Oh, that, yes I heard her.” Rarity stated in a nonchalant tone.

Suri, Coco, Sunset, as well as the others all looked at her with surprise.

“W-Wait, you did?!” Sunset asked.

“Sharp ears are just as important as sharp eyes in this industry, and yes, I heard her. But, honestly, I don’t care,” said Rarity. “Believe me, I’ve been called worse things behind my back other than a slut, I’ve also been called a bitch, a tease, and whore before. But, in the end, I do all my talking on the runway. And I don’t believe there’s more to be said, don’t you think, Sunset?”

The former unicorn mare blinked in surprise. “Um…”

Rarity smiled and looped her left arm around Sunset’s right. “Now come, Sunset, they’ll want us all on stage for the results announcement.”

The designers assembled on stage, along with their models. The crowd waited with bated breath as the judges made their deliberations. Unfortunately they were lined up in the same order, so every once and awhile, Suri would shoot a quick glare at Rarity and Sunset, a glare that Sunset was happy to shoot back with greater intensity.

Prim finished up her talks with the other two judges and stood up to give the result. “After much deliberation, we have made our decision. The winner of this year’s Fashion Week is…” Prim paused for dramatic effect. “…Rarity Belle, and her model, Sunset Shimmer, for Wynter Fyre.”

The crowd once again erupted into massive cheers. Rarity and Sunset both stepped forward to center stage and took their bows as Prim approached to hand them their prize, but…

“THIS IS BULLSHIT!!!” Suri yelled at the top of her lungs.

Silence fell upon the hall as all eyes fell on the CPA teen.

“Miss Polomare, I will ask that you exercise some decorum!” Prim warned.

“Oh the hell with that! I went through all that, and yet she wins because of the memory of some dead bitch model!”

“Young lady, that is enough! Please leave the stage immediately!” Prim ordered.

“I mean,” Suri reached for her model and torn off one of the pieces of red cloth, “what was the point in using that bitch’s blood to make this if I wasn’t even going to win?!”

Several eyes widened upon hearing that, Sunset slowly put herself in front, keeping Rarity at her back. The police in the hall began to slowly move in, their hands resting on their weapons.

“Are you saying…you killed Silva Evergreen?!” Sunset demanded.

“YES! For all the damn good it did me!” Suri ranted. “I forced her to cancel and leave Rarity in the lurch! But then she picks up this, bad girl, wannabe tramp and she’s back in the game! Then I use her damn body as a puppet and try to kill you both, but surprise, that didn’t work either! So, you know, I tried to take you down here! Guess, what? THAT DIDN’T WORK EITHER!” Suri screamed.

The model next to Suri looked at her dress with horror. “Wait…are you saying this was made with Silva’s…?”

“Yes, her blood, I made the thread that made that fabric, out of her blood! Weren’t you fucking listening?!”

The model screamed in horror as she ripped the dress off her body, not even caring that she was now in her underwear. She was about to run away, that is until something akin to a spider leg appeared out of Suri’s back and impaled her through the chest as she was running away. The model looked at her chest, at the long spider leg jutting from her as she struggled to stay alive despite the damage.

“Now I guess…I’ll just have to go for the direct approach.”

Suri’s body was enveloped in a silver aura, in a matter of seconds her flesh began to fall as the true form of the monster within began to make itself known. The creature was a half-human, half-spider, with the bottom half showing off the cephalothorax, and the abdomen. It’s exoskeleton had a violet, almost porcelain-like sheen to, with gray, almost see-through grooves etched into its body. The upper half was human-like. Its arms were long, and had four long claws. At the center of the creature’s body was an hourglass shaped red mark, matching the one on its abdomen. The creature’s hair was long and silver colored, with six fuchsia colored eyes, and a wide mouth.

“Don’t worry, Rarity, I’ll make sure to turn you into a something befitting of you. Perhaps some really slutty lingerie? Would you like that?!”

Suri, or rather, the Widow, brought the dead model close to her, she then bit down on her neck, sinking her fangs into the girl’s flesh. Blood drained from the corpse as the gray lines began to glow red, her body converting the blood inside her own body. In less than a few seconds, she was done. The claw tips slid up and released the red thread, which poked into the back of the dead model’s neck. When Widow released her, the corpse was now standing on it own, but still had the gaping hole in her chest.

“Freeze! CCPD!” yelled some police officers.

Widow rolled her eyes as she made three more threads shoot out, they slithered and struck like vipers, hitting the backs of the necks of three officers. Their body’s went stiff, then they started to jerk about as if they were fighting something.

“Don’t struggle, it only hurts more!”

The officers’ eyes began to glow the same eerie blue color as before, along with the now undead corpse of Suri’s model. The officers pointed their weapons towards Rarity and Sunset, preparing to fire, however, a barrage of gunfire pelted Window repeatedly, causing the demon possessed human to raise up her arms to protect herself.

Sunset took this as her opportunity to grab Rarity and run. Both girls jumped off the stage and continued to run, but when Sunset looked back, she could see at least two of the puppet officers giving chase.

}}} We can take them! {{{

“I am not going to kill police officers who are acting against their will! And Rarity will kill me long before those guys do if you tear up this dress!”

“YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT I WILL!” Rarity confirmed.

}}} Killjoy… {{{

Sunset spotted a girl's restroom and shrugged. Both she and Rarity ducked into the restroom, Sunset rushed towards the biggest stall she could find and got inside it with Rarity. Once inside, Sunset hurriedly began to strip. Her pace quickened when they heard the door slam open. Rarity assisted as best she could, finally getting the dress and arm sleeves off.

}}} Now may I? {{{

YES!

A flash of red light went off in the stall, when the cop puppets saw this, they opened fire right on the stall, riddling it with bullet holes until their clips were empty. The stall door was then kicked off its hinges, from that stall emerged Sunset in her Witchblade armor, in front of her was full body shield, showing that the gunfire never harmed them.

Sunset dismissed the shield and charged for the two officers, she struck one in the gut, making them double over. With the back of their neck exposed, Sunset made her fingers turn into sharp claws as she swiped at the spot where she saw the thread enter. After that, she backhanded the second officer, sending them slamming into the wall front first. Sunset quickly pinned the officer to the wall and cut at the same spot that she did on the other.

The two officers went limp and fell to the ground. Sunset glanced back towards the stall and said, “Stay there, Rarity! Don’t come out until Detective Armor or myself come to get you!”

Rarity held out her arm and gave a thumbs up.

Sunset dashed out of the restroom and back into the hall. There she could see some of the officers trying, futilely, to stop Window, but some were already getting controlled by the monster, while others were hesitant to attack their fellow officers.

First thing’s first, free the hostages.

Sunset jumped high into the air, from her armor she shot out a spike tipped chain. The chain struck the ceiling and gave Sunset a good aerial view of the situation, Shining Armor was okay, trying to keep his fellow officers from falling prey to the Widow’s threads. Thinking quickly, Sunset created six boomerang blades into her hands, she took careful aim and flung her weapons towards her targets.

The boomerang blades flew swiftly as they sliced through the thin red thread that granted Widow control. One by one the officers fell to the floor unconscious, with Widow looking confused. Sunset pulled herself up until she was on the ceiling, and then spring boarded off of it, propelling herself straight towards Widow. The monster realized too late as Sunset barreled into her, sending the both of the tumbling across the stage.

Widow managed to get her hands on Sunset and threw her off. Sunset twisted around in midair and came down with both heels of her metallic boots, cutting grooves into the floor as she came to a stop.

“You’re the one who cut off my connection to Silva’s corpse, aren’t you?!”

“I am, and I won’t let you do that to another person!”

The Widow snickered sinisterly at that declaration, the threads began to come out of her claws again, and this time they weaved together to form crimson swords in both her hands. Sunset matched her by forming a katana in her right hand, and bastard sword in her left. Both women charged for each other, Sunset came in swinging, their weapons clashed as sparks flew from each impact, the hall rang with the sounds of their blades.

Sunset managed to knock both swords out of Widows hands, sending them into the air. But Widow merely smiled as the blades came undone and turned into threads that lashed out towards Sunset. One of the threads tried to attack her at the back of her neck, however, the Witchblade armor quickly covered that area.

Widow hissed but managed to do one better. Sunset came in for an overhead strike with her katana, but the threads managed to wrap around her arm, keeping her from completing attack. Sunset willed the armor to release several razor sharp blades, which managed to slice through the wire threads on her arm. Unfortunately another set of threads wrapped around Sunset’s left leg, pulling it out from under her and making her collapse onto the floor.

The spider monster tugged at the string and dragged Sunset back, when she was far enough away, Widow released more strings, each one whipping out and latching themselves onto Sunset’s arms, legs, torso, and neck. The crimson threads wrapped tighter and tighter around her limbs and neck, cutting off her air and making it hard for Sunset to concentrate.

Widow approached Sunset, releasing more thread from her claws that shot out and went straight for her heart. The threads wrapped around Sunset’s heart, making her scream in pain, but then the threads wrapped tighter, and in the next second, a small pop sound went off, like a water balloon.

Sunset spat up blood as she went limp, her head hanging forward. Widow smiled at her work as she retracted the threads and released the body. “Now that that’s done, I need to find that bitch, Rarity, and make good on my promise!” As Widow began to scurry away, something sharp pierced her back. “FUCK!” she screamed. “WHAT WAS THAT?!”

Widow reached behind her and dug out a shuriken which dissolved into ash a moment later. The spider creature turned around and watched as Sunset stood back up, her left hand clutched at her heart as the ruby jewel on her gauntlet glowed bright red.

“Dammit…that’s the second time…I’ve nearly died,” said Sunset.

“What the hell?! I crushed your heart! You should be dead,” said Widow.

Sunset took a deep breath as she calmed herself, her heart having fully regenerated. “Yeah, I’m hard to kill. Listen, Suri, you need to stop this! You’re possessed by a Wendigo spirit, I don’t know what it promised you, but all it wants is to take control of your body and use you to kill! You can fight it, just fight it, Suri! I promise I can destroy it!”

The six eyes of Widow blinked, and then, she laughed. She laughed loud and wickedly, holding her sides as if Sunset had made the most hilarious joke in the world. When Widow stopped she looked directly at Sunset and said, “You stupid bitch, I know that, ‘kay.”

Sunset stared at the monster in confusion. “W-What?!”

“The fashion industry is cutthroat. If you’re not at the top, then you’re nothing. And getting to the top sometimes means doing some things that aren’t exactly becoming of a law abiding citizen. Sabotage, blackmail, and, yes, sometimes killing. If you’re not willing to step on or take a few lives to get what you want, then you’re never going to get anywhere in life!”

Widow moved quickly and rewrapped Sunset in the wire threads again. “So, no, I don’t want to give this power up! We have a mutual agreement! I get what I want, and it gets what it wants! And with this ability to make beautiful dresses out of the bodies of those I kill, I’ll never run out of material! Speaking of which, I think I’ll use every part of you! Skin, hair, blood, all of it!”

Sunset couldn’t believe it, this girl was a student, the same as her, and yet, she wanted to be possessed, she wanted the power and delighted in the killing of other people. She completely lacked any empathy or compassion for anyone, only acting the part just to make people think she was sincere and honest. Sunset tightened her fists as she gritted her teeth.

“Guess I was a little naïve…”

“Yeah, to think you can stop me!”

“No…” flicker of flame released from the crimson ruby. “I was naïve to think that every person possessed was going to be innocent!”

Flames erupted around Sunset’s body, engulfing her and burning away the threads that held her captive. Sunset fell to the ground, but quickly recovered, the flames dissipated after a moment, with the former Equestrian looking over her body in surprise.

“Wait, you can make fire?! Since when could you do that?!”

}}} I always could. You just never asked. {{{

“We're going to work on our communication. But first…”

Widow snarled as she released more threads at Sunset, but Sunset held out her right arm, and from her hand she released a jet of flames that burned the threads to cinders. The spider creature began to panic as she started to realize that her primary attack weapon was being rendered ineffective, with each thread attack she used, Sunset’s flames would burn them to ash before they got near her.

Sunset jumped into the air and released a flame blast down on Widow. The creature shrieked in pain as the flames burned its body. Sunset came down right in front of Widow, forming two long forearm blades. She then slashed upwards, leaving behind a trail of light in her wake. Widow ceased her movement, and in the next moment, her arms fell off, and from them sprayed black blood that coated the area.

“YOU BITCH, MY ARMS! MY ARMS!”

“There’s no saving you! You were already lost before the Wendigo!”

Widow collapsed to the floor, now staring up at Sunset and gave her a pleading look. “Please, I’m sorry! I was just drunk on this power! You understand right?! You’re powerful too! Surely you can understand! Please, I’ll go to jail, just don’t kill me!”

Sunset hesitated for a moment, this wasn’t like Underwood, she was a teenage girl like herself, and, well, it wasn’t like she was innocent either, for Sunset nearly killed six people months ago while drunk on the power of the Element of Magic.

“Renounce the Wendigo inside you first!”

“Okay…Okay…” the arms of Widow began to crawl around on the ground, connected by the same threads she used to control others. The arms got into position behind Sunset, floating just behind her and poised to strike. “I just need…to tell you how stupid–!”

Suddenly, Sunset spun around and slashed the threads that connected the arms to Widow, making them fall back to the floor, motionless. “I’m sorry, what was that about how stupid you are?”

Widow’s eyes narrowed in rage as she stood up and opened her mouth wide to bite down on Sunset. But she never got that chance. Sunset whipped around and held out her right hand, fire gathered to the center of her palm, condensing at a rapid pace, until Sunset released it in a powerful blast that engulfed all of Widow in one shot. The spider creature shrieked in pain, as it flailed about on the stage, its body completely on fire. Widow continued to flail about on the ground until her movements completely ceased, and her wailing went silent. Sunset narrowed her gaze, despite what Suri was, she didn’t like what she had to do.

Widow’s body began to morph back into the body of Suri Polomare, now charred to the point where she was unrecognizable, Sunset looked over her shoulder and watched as her severed arms went back to normal, probably the only pieces left of the girl she once was.

Do you sense the Wendigo?

}}} The malevolent presence died the moment she did. It would seem killing them in this state kills the Wendigo at the same time. {{{

Why don’t I feel as good about this as I did when I stopped Underwood…?

}}} I understand she was young like you, but understand. Her heart was blackened long before the Wendigo claimed her. In this case, you should focus on that which is positive. The fact that you saved many lives. {{{

Sunset glanced about the hall, seeing that the police who were released by from Widow’s control were coming to, and seemed to be alright. You’re right. Sunset spotted Shining Armor, who nodded towards Sunset. With that cue, Sunset dashed up to the ceiling and into the rafters. Once she was sure the officers were moving towards the stage, Sunset descended and made her way back into the restroom.

“Rarity?”

“Sunset? Is it…Is it over?” Rarity asked.

Sunset walked towards the stall and sighed heavily. “Yeah…it’s over.”

Rarity could tell that the battle weighed on Sunset, the fashionista opened her arms and embraced Sunset, granting her friend some comfort. “Let’s get you dressed before the police come in here.”

There was good news and bad news to what happened tonight. The good news was that Silva’s death was avenged, and the police found Suri’s freshman assistant, Coco Pommel. Apparently the CPA senior had confessed much about what she had done to Coco, knowing that the young girl could not retaliate against her, and with Suri possessing demonic powers, her life was in constant danger, so she would not be charged.

The relative bad news was that the event made the news, from beginning to end. Some cameras were rolling and caught the entire fight, which meant that now Sunset’s Witchblade form was now being blasted all over the news channels and social media. As well as the events that led up to the fight, so Suri’s confession and transformation were also shown, and that also meant that now people knew that the Mystery Murders were being conducted by people who could transform into monsters.

Sunset figured that this was going to cause more hell tomorrow and down the road, but for now she focused on what was happening currently. The police had finished questioning Rarity and Sunset, both of them were in the lobby, and after a few minutes, Rarity’s family, along with Celestia and Mayor Mare, entered.

Celestia wasted no time in dragging Sunset into a tight hug, with Rarity getting the same treatment from her mother and father, and little sister.

“I’m so glad you’re alright, Sunset,” said Celestia.

“Are ya alright pumpkin?! Do you need to go to the hospital?!” Rarity’s mother, Cookie, asked.

“No, Mother, I’m not hurt at all. A little rattled…but, physically, I’m alright.” Rarity glanced to Sunset and smiled. “Thankfully, Sunset managed to get me out of there before things got worse.”

Rarity’s father, Hondo, walked over to Sunset and gave the teen a great big hug. “Thanks for keepin’ my daughter safe! You’re alright in my books, kid! And yer welcome anytime in our home!”

“T-Thanks! Oh, boy, you’re strong!” Sunset strained.

“Daddy, please, release Sunset, going through one near death experience is more than enough,” said Rarity.

Hondo released Sunset and chuckled.

Sweetie Belle hated to admit it, but if it wasn’t for Sunset, Rarity might’ve been killed by the spider monster. The young teen walked up to Sunset, and looked up at her. “T-Thank you, for saving my sister…and…sorry about what I said last time you were at our house…”

Sunset smiled and patted Sweetie on the shoulder. “It’s alright, I’d never let anything happen to her. She’s one of my best friends. She’s kind of like family to me.”

Sweetie visibly flinched when Sunset uttered the word “family”.

“Well, I’d say we’ve all had a rough night. Let’s all head home and get some sleep,” said Maria.

“If it’s okay, do you mind if I stay with Rarity tonight?” Sunset asked.

Celestia looked as if she wanted to protest. After what had happened she wanted to keep the girl close to her. But, the danger had past, and Rarity and Sunset seemed to have put the whole Anon-A-Miss thing behind them. “Okay, but please call me later so that I know you got there safely.”

“I will.”

“Well c’mon, let’s all head home,” said Hondo.

Celestia watched her young ward walk away with Rarity’s family, letting out a sigh as she did.

“You should have more confidence in her, Celly, even I can tell that girl is stronger than she looks,” said Maria.

“I know…but, with all that’s happening at school lately, I worry about her more,” said Celestia.

Maria wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders. “You know, I think I can help relieve you of your worries, if for at least one night.”

Celestia blushed. “Maria…”

Maria Mare glanced towards the officers and spotted Shining Armor. “Detective Armor.” Shining Armor walked over to the two women and saluted the mayor. “I want to thank you and your fellow officers for their work tonight.”

“Thank you, your Honor. But, in all honesty, we weren’t exactly that effective against that creature,” Shining confessed.

“I see. Detective, I want you to make a full report to me about these creatures, don’t leave anything out. There’s going to be a shit storm hitting us come the next morning, and I want the full facts of what’s going on,” said Maria.

“Yes, your Honor, I’ll get to work on it!”

“Carry on.”

Maria and Celestia walked outside to a limo that was awaiting the both of them. Once inside, Maria wasted little time, she pressed her lips against Celestia’s mouth, snaking her tongue in the other woman’s mouth as she began to grope Celestia’s body.

The fair skinned woman broke the kiss and breathlessly asked, “M-Maria…please, can’t you at least wait until we go to your home?”

Maria raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Really, Celly, after all I’ve done for that girl? You know, getting those records forged wasn’t easy, I had to cash in a few favors.”

“A-And I’m very grateful for that…”

“So…” Maria’s right hand landed on Celestia’s inner right thigh, and slowly began to travel along it. “I don’t think a little of this and that is uncalled for…don’t you think?”

“I…no…” Celestia answered.

Maria used her other hand to make Celestia look her in the eyes. “I do love you, Celly, so at least let me show you from time to time, alright?”

It took most of the night, but Shining Armor finally returned home. He had called Cadence earlier that night to not wait up for him, even though she said she would, the Dean of Students would try at least until she got too tired and went to bed.

However, when he opened the door, Shining Armor spotted a light on in the kitchen/dining room area. The detective walked into the room and spotted a teen girl sitting at the table in front of a laptop. She wore pale blue pajama bottoms, and a navy blue shirt. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, and was a dark purple color, with a streak of pink and violet running through it. Her skin was lavender colored, and her eyes were like two amethysts, which were hidden behind a pair of corrective eyewear that reflected the light of the laptop she was typing away at. Her name, was Twilight Sparkle, his little sister.

Shining Armor smiled, he knew who this girl was, and he was happy to see her, and saddened too. “Hey, Twily.”

“Shiny? Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you get in!” Twilight apologized.

“Don’t be, but what are you still doing up?”

Twilight pushed her glasses up her nose and said, “Cadence said you’d be in late, she got a little tired and I told her to go to bed and that I’d wait for you.”

Shining Armor walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a sports drink. “You didn’t have to do that, you should get your sleep.”

“I know, but I’m still working on my little project, and I thought I do something productive while I waited.”

“Oh yeah, something about ‘strange energy signatures’.”

Twilight smiled. “Yes! I’ve narrowed down the location of where the energy might be coming from! By my calculations, it should be located somewhere in the vicinity of Canterlot High School!”

Shining Armor spat out his drink upon hearing that. Of course Twilight would figure that out, she was a freaking genius.

Twilight looked at her big brother with worry. “Shining Armor, are you alright?!”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine! I just remembered something funny Spearhead told me! A-Anyway, that’s great, but I don’t think you should go poking around that school,” said Shining Armor.

“But why?! If I can get more data from that school, I can practically guarantee myself a spot in the Everton Independent Study Program!”

How was he to explain this? Twilight wasn’t allowed to go because there was a girl who looked and sounded exactly like Twilight there, and the people at the school may mistake this Twilight for that person? Oh yeah, that’ll go over well. Twilight wasn’t allowed to go because there was some cyber bullying incident going on at the school that was winding up the students of the school and seeing a person that they might think that Twilight was there to stop it? Even worse.

“Look, there’s just a lot of dangerous stuff going on right now, and I’ve been to CHS, there’s some things going on there, cyber bully stuff. I’m just afraid that if they see a new person there, they might get suspicious,” Shining explained.

“Oh…I see, I didn’t know that…” Twilight bit her lip as she thought. “That would make it hard for me to get any viable readings if I’m likely to get jumped like that.”

“Maybe you could just wait until the Friendship Games start? I mean, they’re going to shuttle students from CPA to CHS anyway, you could do your data gathering then?” Shining suggested.

Twilight groaned. “But that’s still months away! What if the energy readings dissipate, or vanish altogether?! I’ll have lost my chance by then!”

Believe me, Twi, with what Sunset told me, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. “Just be patient, Twily. You yourself have told me that science can sometimes be a waiting game.” Shining Armor sat down next to his little sister and patted her shoulder. “And, who knows, you may make another discovery before then that’s bigger than that energy thing.”

Twilight huffed in annoyance, like a child who didn’t get the toy she wanted. But then she sighed and nodded. “I understand, and you’re right. I guess I’m just too eager sometimes.”

“Twily, just to ask, but are things alright at Crystal Prep?”

Twilight flinched. “Y-Yeah, everything’s okay. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know, it just seems like you’re trying to get out of there as fast as possible. I know the school can be a bit stressful, but you’d tell me or Cadence if you were having any trouble, right?” Shining asked.

Twilight looked away for a quick moment, how could she tell her big brother, or her former babysitter about what went on at CPA? They already had enough to deal with, Shining Armor with his murder cases, and Cadence helping to manage the other students of the entire school. Burdening them with her problems wasn’t an option. Plus, she’d managed to find a way to make it through, somehow.

The genius teen turned to her brother and shot him a reassuring smile. “I’m really alright, I just want to further my research, and as great as CPA is, if I want to make any headway, I’ll need to get into that program, or if Principal Cinch could fast track me to Canterlot University of Science, I’ll be much happier.”

Shining Armor eyed his sister wearily, his years of being a detective taught him how to read people, and he could tell something wasn’t right. But Shining figured it wasn’t best to probe too deep, lest Twilight retreat into her shell and shut down about whatever was really happening.

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it.” Shining Armor got up and was about to head to his and Cadence’s room, but stopped. “Oh…that reminds me…”

“What's wrong?”

“I thought it best that you heard it from me,” Shining Armor rubbed the back of his head as he said, “The event I worked tonight, the monster attack, it involved one of your classmates.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. “Which one?”

“Suri Polomare…she’s dead, Twi.”

Twilight turned away and began typing away at her computer, the light of the monitor reflected off her glasses, making it hard to see her eyes. “Oh…I see…I’m sorry to hear that…”

“I don’t know how close you were to her, I just thought it was better I told you than finding out on the news or at school, goodnight, LSBFF,” said Shining.

“Goodnight, BBBFF.”

When Shining Armor walked away, Twilight went back to work for a little bit, she remembered Suri. She remembered all the times she criticized her looks, how she would go out of her way to humiliate her by making modifications to her uniform that caused it to fall off her and leave her exposed to her underwear in front of the other students. How she’d steal her undergarments when gym class was over and forced Twilight to go commando, leaving her to the mercy of a certain tomboy who took delight in flipping her skirt and giving everyone a show. Oh yes, she knew Suri Polomare.

Twilight stopped her typing and sighed as she closed the laptop. “Good riddance.”

Author's Notes:

Case Closed

Case File 4-1 (Midas): Forbidden Fruits

Author's Notes:

Warning: Sexually Explicit Content Ahead.

As expected, a shit storm hit the city that very next morning. The news ran the footage of Suri Polomare’s confession of murder and then her subsequent transformation into a demonic spider-human hybrid creature. Along with the fight between Suri and a woman who wore metal “bikini armor”, it was kind of – and by “kind of” I mean completely – graphic to the point that the news couldn’t blur out most of it and just stated repeatedly “Viewer Discretion Advised”.

Of course, this sparked the media and every would-be reporter to hound the police and the mayor’s office regarding the existence of these monsters and what exactly they were doing to stop them. Not only that, but the parents of Suri Polomare were also hounded about their daughter and about how long they knew she was a demonic monster. The Polomare family couldn’t really react to this, there were whispers of the family suing the city or demanding the arrest of the woman who killed their daughter.

But to that, many argued that their daughter was far gone, the footage had clearly shown that the armored woman had stopped and was going to show mercy, until she attacked her from behind, but to no avail. Some wondered if this was a disease that was spreading through the city, if the people should be wearing any kind of protection or if they should be fleeing the city?

This persisted for about a day before Mayor Maria Mare announced that she would be holding a press conference at Canterlot City Hall. Many news stations showed up to get answers, as well as every online news site ready to capture her words and analyze her answers later. They had all gathered within the rotunda of the building, a podium had been set up along with many different microphones lining the top of it, each baring a different logo from the news stations.

The CCPD and the mayor’s personal bodyguards had created a perimeter around the podium and the double doors from which she would exit from. Finally, after several minutes of waiting, Maria Mare exited the double doors, hundreds of camera flashes littered her vision, but she did not let such a thing deter her, it was commonplace to expect a blinding wall of light. Along with that came the roar of several people yelling out questions left and right, barely even waiting for her to reach the podium to start talking.

Maria wore a beige business suit with a white shirt, and a blue-green tie, her hair was perfectly combed and treated for today. In her right hand she held several papers and placed them upon the podium, once she was standing before it, Maria lifted her hands and motioned to signal to the reporters to quiet down. After the roar finally died down to nothing at all, she began.

“Good afternoon, to the people of Canterlot, and to those watching from other neighboring towns and cities. I know you all have a plethora of questions for me, but I ask that you wait until after I’ve given my report on the incident from two days ago.”

Maria paused and waited to see if anyone would defy this request. So far, no one did.

“In regards to the incident with the young woman, Suri Polomare, let me first say that my heart goes out to the Polomare family, it is a sad and terrible thing to lose one’s own child, and I ask that everyone grant them time to grieve. That being said, I have reviewed the footage with the officers of the CCPD Task Force, and I can confirm that what you saw was one-hundred percent real. There was no altering of any footage, nor was this a staged performance.”

Murmurs started to rustle up from the reporters.

“As you may know, our city has been in the grips of what the media has dubbed the ‘Mystery Murders’. For the last few months the identity of the killer hasn’t been identified, until now.”

“Are you saying that Suri Polormare is responsible for all the killings?!” a reporter asked.

“Please hold all questions until after,” said one of the police officers.

Maria sighed. “No, Suri Polomare has confessed to the killing another woman, as far as we know, that was her only victim. However, I am afraid to say that these Mystery Murders are not being conducted by a single person, but rather, by multiple suspects. The strange and savage circumstances of which each victim was killed indicates that there is more than one person with Miss Polomare’s ability to change their form.”

“Let me assure you, that this is not due to some disease, illegal experimentation, or whatever conspiracy theory is being propelled through the internet at the moment. Currently, we are trying to ascertain who or what these creatures are, and if this is a disease. So far, all indications to that point to nowhere, as well as experimentation. We are still investigating, but with this revelation, we now have a better idea of who and what we are dealing with, as much as this incident was a tragedy, it was a blessing. The enemy has made itself known, so now it is a matter of time before we find the rest. I will take any questions you have now.”

Yet again, the roar of the reporters was deafening. Maria glanced about the room and pointed to a random reporter, a woman who stepped forward and asked, “Many people are wondering what the police and city government’s thoughts are regarding the woman who was seen combating the creature. Is her identity known and if so, is she an ally or another potential murderer?”

Maria knew that was coming sooner or later. “We don’t know this person’s name, but she has gone by the alias of ‘Witchblade’. This is coming from sources within the police who have encountered her and have seen her slay, as of right now, three of these creatures. For now, we are taking a wait-and-see approach with her. If she continues to show that she is an ally to us, we shall treat her as such, if not, we will treat her as we will the very creatures who threaten us.”

Another reporter asked, “What kind of message does it send that this woman is running around in such revealing clothing and fighting these creatures? Aren’t you afraid that standing with this vigilante will set a bad example for young woman, and possibly taint your office?”

Maria chuckled a little. “I must admit, I am very much NOT a fan of this young woman’s choice in attire. Whether this is her choice or something she is forced to wear is something completely unknown, however, I don’t see it as too bad an example. After all, a strong woman slaying monsters and being confident in her body to fight them with all she’s got – fashion choice aside – I think she sets a good example for young women who feel powerless sometimes.”

A third reporter said, “The Polomare family has been requesting that the city arrest Witchblade for the murder of their daughter, monster or not, you have to admit Madam Mayor, that what we witnessed was cold blooded murder.”

Maria raised an eyebrow at that. “Really, is that what you saw?” The crowd paused. “What I saw was a young lady who changed into a monster, killed someone on stage, made puppets of our police officers, and confessed to another murder at her own hands. I know not what changed that young woman, whether she was possessed or willingly became what she was, but in that moment, I saw Witchblade offer her mercy, and she declined it. I truly feel sorry for the Polomare family, but the creature she became was what she was when she was killed, and at that time, she was a threat to everyone. I would rather she capture rather than kill, but at that moment, Witchblade made a judgement call.”

A fourth reporter asked, “How many of the Mystery Murders do the police think are caused by these creatures?”

“As of right now, all of them. My hope is this conference will make it harder for them to operate now that the public is aware of their existence. Let me make it clear, this is no way means anyone should start accusing their neighbor, or suspecting one another of being a monster in disguise. Before you start doing so, ask yourself, ‘Is this person that I’ve known for years really a monster in disguise?’ The police are working hard to find the cause and perpetrators of these crimes, please do not make their jobs harder by calling in false claims, I will not have this city devolve into a witch trail of old.”

Maria spent the next five minutes answering more questions before she deemed the briefing to be over. Once that was done, Maria headed back to the sanctuary that was her office space. It rested on the top floor of City Hall, and gave a magnificent view of Canterlot City, as if she was the queen of the city. Maria stared out into the city, her territory, the queendom that she had forged for herself and had kept for a good number of years, she was the longest running mayor to hold the seat, a whole seven and a half years.

There was no way Maria was going to let some monstrosities run amok in her city, but from what Detective Shining Armor informed her, the situation was worse than she let on. Indeed, Canterlot City was swarming with unseen demonic spirits, lurking in the shadows and waiting to possess its citizens and turn them into living breathing murder machines. Witchblade was the only one, it seemed, who could really hurt and kill these creatures. Maria didn’t like having to associate herself, or her office with some girl who dressed like some fantasy warrior slut, but perhaps, if she stood up for Witchblade, she might continue to keep killing these monsters. Well, only time would tell.

Just then, Maria got a call on her office line. Her receptionist answered, {Madam Mayor, you have a call.}

“I thought I asked not to be disturbed after the conference?” Maria asked with annoyance.

{Yes, Ma’am, but it’s a Miss Abacus Cinch on the line.}

Maria sighed heavily. What does that uptight bitch want now? “Send it through.” Maria sat down at her desk and picked up the phone. “Abby, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

{You know damn well what this is about?! Suri Polomare was a student of my school! Do you know what this will do to Crystal Prep’s reputation?!}

Maria rolled her eyes. “How tragic, one of your uptight rich kids turned into a monster. I mean, some of them will become metaphorical monsters, but I didn’t think you were teaching them to become literal monsters, Cinch.”

{Do you find this amusing?!}

“For the parents, no. For you, oh so very funny,” Maria giggled.

{Did you forget the amount of money I injected into your campaign during the last election?! You should be more faithful to your constituents, especially when they throw over a 2.5 million dollars!}

Maria played with the phone cord for a second and then replied, “I know what you gave me, and I’m very grateful. However, I wouldn’t be making demands if I were you. Or should I bring to light the numerous cases of hazing and abuse that go on in that school of yours?”

Cinch made a strangled noise on the other end.

“Oh Abby, you really turned that place into a viper pit. Students trying to outdo each other, either by sabotaging their fellow students, or by abusing them verbally, physically…sexually.” Maria let that hang in the air for a few seconds. “How many settlements did I have our DA help sweep under the rug for you? And all to make sure your precious Crystal Prep Academy had the best, most outstanding reputation in the city so that all our wealthy residents would sink money into you and your school. Hmm?”

No response came from the other line, but she could definitely hear Cinch making some grumbled noises.

“Don’t get me wrong, you do get results. I have it on good authority about how many times your school has dominated our lovely little public school of CHS. But I digress, do not threaten me, Abby, do not demand anything of me, or you’ll have more than just a murder spider woman student to worry about. Are we clear?”

An incoherent answer was muttered through the phone.

“I’m sorry, what was that? Speak clearly, Abby, you are a teacher after all,” Maria teased.

{Yes…}

“Yes, what?”

{Yes…Ma’am.}

“Good. Now, if you’re really worried about your image, have that Dean of Students of yours prepare a statement, she looks like she actually gives a crap, so the media will believe her more over you. She just oozes big sister vibes, and you…well…you radiate the image of someone who has a stick up their ass and is waiting for the right time to beat someone with it,” Maria stated.

{Y-YOU–!!!}

Maria hung up the phone, her lips spread into a grin. Abacus Cinch was always easy to rile up, ever since she got to the position of Principal of CPA, she was always striving to make that school bigger and better than all the other private schools in the city. To her credit, she was doing that, and the students’ abilities proved that she was getting results. However, there was an excessive amount of hazing and abuse from the students against other students, and the teachers’ neglect and sometimes indifference towards it. At some point Maria would have to nip that problem in the bud before something really bad happened, the last thing she needed was for one of those rich brats to kill someone and start an investigation into all the cases that were kept under wraps.

Maria massaged her temples, she loved her job, but sometimes it could be a real bitch. “Oh well, I’ll be having some ‘stress relief’ later tonight anyway.”

Sunset couldn’t stop her cheeks from burning red the entire day yesterday and today. The fight had been streamed to every news media outlet on the net, and not a moment went by when Sunset didn’t see someone watching the footage of her battle with Suri and hearing a boy or girl say how hot she looked in her armor.

And since the mayor gave her a name, it took all that Sunset had not to jump when someone other than Rarity said the word “Witchblade”.

}}} Should you not feel more joy that there are people speaking of you positively? {{{

In truth, yes. But not when every boy – and girl – I catch watching that is commenting about how much they want to bang me! Or, well, skimpy-armor-version-me! And in the same breath, saying that they want to kick my ass for being Anon-A-Miss!

}}} Human social quarrels are tiresome. {{{

I second that!

Sunset reached her locker, which was once again covered in all manner of profanity. Luckily the inside was vacant of any pranks so that was a plus. Just as Sunset was about to close the door, she felt a change in the air. She glanced about and saw that many of the students were murmuring about something.

Shit, did Anon-A-Miss post something else?

Sunset took out her phone and checked the MyStable page. She scrolled through the postings and found the most recent one, and what she saw nearly made her tear out the locker.

[Pinkie Pie, the secret stealer extraordinaire:

You dumbasses been wondering how I’ve been getting all the shit on you thus far? Well, seeing as my girlfriend and I are becoming more serious in public, I think it’s best to just come clean with it.

Yeah, Pinkie Pie’s been the one who’s been supplying me with your dirty little secrets. I mean, how stupid are you people? She acts like a loon, so you don’t bother to think about what comes out of your mouth around her, all the while, she’s been listening closely, been feeding me my daily nourishment of your little backstabs and shit talking.

Why am I telling you this now? Because I think my GF has done more than enough and we thought it’s time she took a break, but don’t worry, I have so many more ways of getting what I want from you bunch of plebeians.

So sorry to anyone who thought they had a chance in hell of hitting that pink plump plot of hers, that’s all mine. ;P

Sincerely yours, Anon-A-Miss]

Sunset gritted her teeth and squeezed on her cellphone to the point that she was about to crush it in her hands. I’m going to kill ‘em. I’m seriously going to murder Anon-A-Miss! Heh, ha, yep, no doubts! I’m going to use you to rip Anon-A-Miss open and spill their guts all over the fucking school!

}}} I’m not following. How is this bad? I thought you had feelings for the pink one? {{{

Sunset slapped her forehead with her left hand. I find all my friends attractive, but yes, I do like Pinkie Pie for her optimism and her bubbly attitude, and her…Sunset shook her head. Getting off topic! This is bad because now Anon-A-Miss has made her a target! And because of that, if I go and defend her, it’ll only give validity to this post!

}}} Does that mean you won’t come to her aid? {{{

Like hell I’m not!

Sunset put away her phone and mad dashed through the hallways, she looked around for Pinkie Pie, hoping that she wasn’t getting crowded by some students, or worse. Sunset made her way around the next corner, only to smash into someone and send both of them sprawling onto the floor.

“Ow…” Sunset groaned.

The former Equestrian sat up and gasped. Pinkie Pie was on the floor as well, holding her head as she was still in a bit of daze due to the impact.

“Ooooh boy, what hit me?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I did, sorry!” Sunset got up and reached down to help Pinkie Pie up.

The party planner accepted her hand and let Sunset hoist her back up. “No harm done! But, what’s up?!”

Sunset grimaced. “You haven’t seen it yet, have you?”

Pinkie Pie tilted her head to the side. “Seen what?”

Sunset would’ve taken the time to find that cute, but there was a more pressing matter. The flame haired girl took out her cellphone and opened it to the MyStable site, she pulled up Anon-a-Miss’s profile and showed Pinkie their latest post. Sunset bit her lip as she watched Pinkie read the post, her smile before reading was as big and wide as it always was, but afterwards, it shortened a few centimeters.

“Oh…well…that’s, wow,” said Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie, I’m so sorry…”

Pinkie Pie looked at Sunset with confusion. “Why, you didn’t do anything wrong?”

“Anon-A-Miss is targeting you, that’s why I’m apologizing!” Sunset clarified.

“Did you post it?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Of course not!”

The pink girl happily shrugged and handed the phone back to Sunset. “Then you don’t have anything to be sorry for. Sunset, you told me a while ago that Anon-A-Miss was probably going to attack me somehow, and I told you I didn’t care if she did. I’m not going abandon you like I did before.”

Sunset felt like her heart was going to break. “Pinkie…”

The pink party planner rubbed the back of her head as she giggled a little. “But, wowie, Anon-A-Miss thinks we’re going out! I mean, you are smoking hot, but I didn’t think I was ship worthy enough to be paired with you. I could see you and Rarity, maybe Rainbow Dash, definitely Princess Twilight…and maybe I guilty ship you and Adagio Dazzle a little…hehe…”

Sunset blushed as she shook her head trying to contemplate all that. “First off…I’m not going to argue the Princess Twilight bit. But, you seriously could see me and Adagio Dazzle together?! She’s a manipulative, domineering, sea-witch!”

“Buuuuuuuut, she’s also got hips for days, and has a voice like a grade A porn star,” said Pinkie matter-of-factly.

Sunset raised a finger and was about to argue that point, but then she remembered the Dazzlings’ little musical number in the cafeteria, and the way Adagio swayed her hips so hypnotically, and that husky voice of hers, their mind controlling magic aside, that was a voice that could arouse any boy or girl.

The former unicorn crossed her arms and grumbled, “Y-Yeah she is kinda hot…”

Pinkie Pie booped Sunset’s nose, making her scrunch her face in a cute manner. “Told ya! But, me and you…” The pink haired girl trailed off for a moment. “I mean, you’re smart, beautiful, and just amazing and I’m…”

Sunset placed her hand over Pinkie’s mouth. “I’m going to stop you right there, because I do not want to hear you belittling yourself, understand?” Pinkie nodded. “Good. You’re one of my best friends, Pinkie, you’re an amazing, positive person. Don’t ever say you’re not good enough for anyone or anything, understand?”

“Mmm-Mmm,” she answered.

“Good.” Sunset removed her hand from Pinkie’s mouth. “I hate to say this, but I think it’s better that you stick as close to me as possible.”

“But…won’t that just make Anon-A-Miss’s message true?” Pinkie asked.

“Let them think what they want. I don’t want you getting hurt like I almost was. That’s the last thing I want,” said Sunset.

Pinkie Pie blushed a little. “Okay, but if it gets to be too much trouble…”

“It’s not any trouble, but you promise to call me if anything happens, got it?”

Pinkie swiftly hugged Sunset and said, “Got it.”

The rest of the week hadn’t been that much better from there, due to Anon-A-Miss’s post, all of CHS had its sights set on Sunset and Pinkie Pie. It pissed Sunset off, thanks to that post, most of the events that Pinkie Pie was assigned to plan, she was taken off of them. She was effectively shunned out of the Party Planning Committee, and everyone gave her the cold shoulder. Thankfully no one wrote anything on her locker, that was the last thing they needed.

There were rumors flying around that Sunset probably duped Pinkie into helping her get dirt on people, or threatened her. As much as it ticked her off to hear that, it also made her hopeful that the students might be willing to forgive Pinkie if Sunset played along to those rumors. It was a thought, but the only real way this would end was if Anon-A-Miss was taken down for good.

Now more than ever, Rarity’s theory was ringing in her head more. The thought that one of their friends could be behind all of this was gnawing at her. Although it could be just a coincidence, but still, the only way to know for sure would be to investigate them. Rarity was out and so was Pinkie, that only left Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and–

“Sunset,” came a voice with a southern drawl.

Sunset turned around and saw the cowgirl in question. “Applejack.”

The two girls stood there in the hallway, tension filling the air as the rest of the students around them walked around them, afraid to get anywhere between them should a brawl break out.

Out of the five, Applejack was probably the most level headed of the group. When the girls would sometimes spout wild ideas and solutions to problems, Applejack usually brought them all back to Earth, acting as the voice of reason. However, when all this started, she was quick to accuse Sunset of being Anon-A-Miss after the second posting.

“We need to talk, ya got a minute?” Applejack asked.

“I can spare a couple,” Sunset replied.

Applejack motioned for Sunset to follow. The flame haired girl did so, following Applejack to an empty classroom. The farm girl walked in first, letting Sunset enter second, Applejack went to the other end of the classroom, near some windows. Once there, Sunset closed the door behind her, not once showing her back to Applejack.

“Okay, we’re alone, what is it?” Sunset asked.

“Do ya still wanna work?”

Sunset blinked. “What?”

“Ah said, ‘Do ya still wanna work?’ Before all this started, you asked me if Ah could use some help on the farm and Ah could pay ya some money to act as a temp ranch hand,” Applejack explained.

Sunset thought back on it, she did recall telling the girls that she was looking for a job. But with her lack of credentials, something in the food or retail industry wouldn’t be viable. Although she had some paperwork that showed her as a legal citizen of Canterlot City, Sunset was afraid that if a company did a thorough enough background check, she’d be found out. This of course made finding a job difficult, even though Celestia paid for her home and would restock her groceries once in a while, Sunset didn’t want to be too reliant on her former mentor’s counterpart.

It was in that conversation that Applejack had brought up the idea of having Sunset work on their farm temporarily as a ranch hand. After Anon-A-Miss and their fall out, Sunset had believed that the offer was rescinded.

“I mean…yeah, but, wait, are you…?”

“Ah haven’t made up my mind on rather ya are or aren’t Anon-A-Miss, yet. To be honest, there’s a lot of things that aren’t addin’ up, and at the same time are linin’ up. Pinkie Pie bein’ one of ‘em.” Applejack released a sigh. “Regardless, Ah gave ya meh word that you could work on our farm. Ultimately, the decision lies with Granny, but right now we need a bit of extra help, and if yer willin’, well, Ah’m not one to go back on mah word.”

Sunset didn’t want to admit it, but she could use the extra money. And at the same time, this presented an opportunity, a chance to cross off a potential suspect. “If Granny Smith says it’s okay, then yes, I’d like to work for you.”

“Alright, since my place is a bit far for ya, you’ll be stayin with us. Is that okay?” Applejack asked.

Sunset nodded. “I’m fine with that.”

With that hashed out, Sunset and Applejack left the room. As she was walking, Sunset spoke to the Witchblade. Did you sense anything from her?

}}} There was no malice in her words, if anything, I would say it was more indifference. {{{

It looks like she’s trying to keep a level head, maybe she’s had time enough to cool down and figure out I may be innocent.

}}} Is regaining the friendship of these girls who betrayed you truly that important to you? {{{

Sunset stopped walking. “Yes, it is. They’re the only thing I have that’s close to family here. I’ve been gone from my world for years, my parents were barely there for me, if at all, and the first time I felt like I was being accepted as part of something bigger, it was taken away from me. Finding out Anon-A-Miss’s identity is a goal, but the real victory is getting my friends, my family, back.”

}}} I see, I won’t press on this matter again. Although, I’m still confused though. Are you and the pink one together or…? {{{

Sunset blushed. She’s my best friend!

}}} Yet you expressed that they are all attractive and have spoken of being aroused by them. {{{

Sunset groaned, wishing she had never thought that.

Surprisingly, Granny Smith agreed to having Sunset work on the farm. Despite the turmoil going on at school, Granny Smith wasn’t about to say no to a willing ranch hand. It was no secret that Granny Smith wasn’t as young as she used to be, and that the winter was taxing on her old body, this winter was especially hard on her. Although she had three strong grandchildren to help out, even they needed an extra hand.

Sunset had packed up at least two days worth of clothes, and was allowed to bring Ray with her. She didn’t like having her lizard friend wait up for her, so she decided to bring him along this time. Plus, with the suspicious glares she’d get from Apple Bloom and Big Mac, it would be nice to have someone who wouldn’t look at her like that.

Applejack had picked her up on Saturday, driving through the snow covered roads in her pickup. The ride was silent, with Applejack just focusing on driving and Sunset just staring out through the window, watching the scenery change from the vast urban landscape, to the wide open fields.

After about a forty minute drive, Applejack pulled up to the opening of their orchard ranch. The Apple Family had been in Canterlot City practically since its inception, their family history stretched all the way back to the founding when it was called “Ponyville”, and then eventually grew bigger and bigger until it was so large it was renamed “Canterlot City”.

Being a family with such a long standing history meant that the Apples did have some sway in the way things ran in the city. Their business hadn’t changed, being an apple based farm and known for their delicious, organic, juicy apples. They made all their products locally, and while they didn’t have the big production abilities like some other businesses, the folks in the city would say that’s what makes their product worth more. The fact that it was made with great care and backed by years of history.

Of course, now that the winter had set in, the apple trees were fruitless at this time. But that didn’t mean that there wasn’t a lot to do on the farm regardless. They still had chickens, cows, pigs, and some other crops that they grew, and there was no shortage of things that needed fixing on the farm. Usually the winter time allowed the young Apple children time to look over the farm and see what needed fixing, at the same time, it also required them to look after the apple trees and make sure that they survived the winter. If one died that was one less tree to provide product, which meant no revenue for the family.

Upon getting to the house, Applejack stopped at the front and sighed in annoyance. “Got dang it, Granny.”

Sunset looked and saw that Granny Smith was carrying a bale of hay towards the barn. Applejack got out of the truck an rushed over to her grandmother.

“Granny, what in tarnation do ya think yer doin’?! You should be restin’ inside,” said Applejack.

“Yer brother’s out on Wildfire checkin’ the trees, and yer little sister is feedin’ the pigs, and you were out getting’ Sunset, someone needed do it,” said Granny.

“Yes, but Ah said Ah’d take care of it when Ah got back! Ya know this cold hurts ya more right now,” said Applejack.

“Pish-posh, why I – Ack!” Granny released the hay, letting it plop to the ground as she hunched over, placing a hand on her lower back. “Okay, Ah might’ve overdid it a little bit.”

“Granny…”

Before either of them realized it, Sunset had appeared next to them. She bent over and easily lifted the hay bale, making both Apple women blink in surprise. “You just need this to go to the barn, right?”

“Yeah, just set it inside while I get Granny back in,” said Applejack.

Sunset nodded and carried the hay into the barn, thankfully the added boost in strength and stamina from the Witchblade made this an easy feat, but Sunset pretended to struggle as to not arouse suspicion. When she entered the barn, Sunset felt uncomfortable. There were stalls that had some horses, four in total, one of which was already gone with Big Mac.

Sunset remembered that Wildfire was a stallion, which left the last three, two mares, Scarlet and Calypso, and the second stallion, Brutus. Looking upon these creatures made her feel uneasy, although they were essentially the same species, they were vastly different beings. For one thing their muzzles were more elongated than a normal pony’s muzzle, and there were no unicorns or pegasi in this world, so all of the horses here could technically be counted as Earth Ponies.

The other thing was their lack of sapience. While Sunset learned that horses could feel and understand people to a degree, they were far from being able to carry on conversations. Not only that…but their privates were far larger. Seriously, Sunset saw a mare flagging one time she visited Applejack’s farm and gulped at how wide it was, thinking that she could fit her arm in there. Oh, and then there were the stallions.

The stallions back in Equestria were pretty well endowed, but these guys put them to shame. Any one of these monsters could tear a mare in half, hell, they could beat a pony to death with those things. Oh, and of course, Rainbow Dash wouldn’t stop with the stupid horse sex jokes.

“Hey, Sunset, if you ask, I’m pretty sure that AJ will let you spend some alone time with her stallions. Or mares, no judgment.”

“No, Rainbow Dash, these guys are so alien to me, that I can’t get aroused by them! No offense.”

The horses gave a light snort as if saying, “None taken.”

“So, is like, watching a documentary of horses fucking considered porn for you?”

“No, I consider porn to be actual porn. Did I find your weird, hairless, squishy bodies to be sexually arousing at first? Yes, on a xenophilic level, and in time I started to see the attractiveness of the human body, and its advantages.”

“Hey, Sunset, bet you wish you were that mare right now, right?”

“No, because nopony – unless that was your fetish – would openly screw another pony out in public for children to see!”

“Just asking, but since you were a pony once, do you think you could fit all of that inside you? ‘Cause that’d be, like, crazy hot.”

“Pony me couldn’t fit that inside her, humanized me could very well have her vag torn apart you perverted dolt!”

Sunset set the hay with on the ground, letting it plop in frustration as those memories were dredged up. Despite the jokes, Sunset did have fun with the girls, she always did find a way to throw those jokes back at Rainbow Dash, saying that she projecting onto Sunset and that it was Rainbow Dash who wanted to get ridden by those stallions.

“Faust, she couldn’t form a coherent sentence after that,” said Sunset.

“Sunset Shimmer?!” The girl in question turned around and spotted Apple Bloom standing in the entrance to the barn. “What in the Sam hill are you doin’ here?!”

Sunset turned around and tried to look as nonthreatening as she could, but given her attire and history, that was easier said than done. “H-Hey, AB, I’m actually here to work.”

Apple Bloom was nervous, for more than one reason. First Sunset was at Sweetie Belle’s place, and now Sunset was at hers, did she know that they were Anon-A-Miss and was trying to dig up dirt on them? Or was this all just one big coincidence and if she misspoke now she’d completely screw herself over?

Nonetheless, Apple Bloom decided to play it cool and went with the latter. “What do ya mean, ‘work’? Since when?”

“Since Ah asked her to.”

Apple Bloom turned around and watched as Applejack walked towards them, she then gave her big sister and indignant glare. “Are you kiddin’ me?! Why would ya do that?! After she posted that story about you?! And after everythin’ she’s been doin?!”

Applejack crossed her arms and released a deep sigh. “Ah’m not sayin’ Ah forgive her or anythin’.” The cowgirl’s eyes landed on Sunset. “Fact is, Ah don’t know what to believe anymore. Till Ah see some proof, Ah’m remainin’ skeptical, but that don’t mean Ah completely trust her.”

Sunset felt a sting in her chest, but tried not to let it show on her face. The middle Apple child turned her attention back to the youngest.

“That bein’ said, Ah gave Sunset meh word that she could work as a ranch hand and help us out for a spell. Granny’s not doin’ so good with this cold weather, and we can use the extra help,” said Applejack.

Apple Bloom turned around and glared at Applejack. “Then why not ask Rainbow Dash, or hell, anyone else other than Sunset Shimmer?!”

Applejack shook her head as she gave an exasperated sigh. “Look, Apple Bloom, it’s done. Granny said yes, so stop yer belly achin’ and just accept that Sunset’s workin’ with us. Ya don’t have to like it, but ya do have to work with her if we want get anythin’ done.”

“Oh yeah, what about big brother? Ya think he’s goin’ to like this?!” Apple Bloom asked.

“Don’t you worry about Big Mac, Ah’ll have a talk with him. Now there were a few more hay bales to bring in, give Sunset a hand with ‘em once yer done puttin’ that up,” said Applejack.

“AJ,” Sunset interjected, “it’s okay, I can take care of it myself. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, AB.”

Applejack shook her head. “Nothin’ doin’, she’s goin’ to work with ya, whether she likes it or not.” Applejack leaned down and met her little sister’s eyes. “Got it, missy?”

Apple Bloom made a few grumbling sounds but then nodded her head in agreement.

With the tension still there, Apple Bloom and Sunset began moving the last of the hay bales into the barn. And as expected, Big Macintosh came riding in on Wildfire and saw Sunset, his stoic expression didn’t change much, but if one looked closely enough, you could see the micro changes in his brow and jaw, indicating his displeasure as well.

Applejack seemed to talk her big brother into letting Sunset stay, but he seemed just as reluctant about it as Apple Bloom was. Sunset went to work, somehow managing to keep up with all three Apple siblings, she mostly went with Applejack around the farm itself, doing handiwork and fixing anything that seemed broken, splintered, or otherwise off.

It seemed like a lot of micromanaging, but Sunset understood, Applejack had said that maintaining a farm required a lot of work, you couldn’t leave something broken for too long as it could either hurt someone, the livestock, or cause something to break off later that was important. So everything had to be replaced or patched at the first sign that it was broken.

Sunset spent most of her day like this and by the time night fell, she was exhausted. Even with the Witchblade providing her with extra strength and stamina, it took all she had to keep from collapsing.

}}} We need to work on your stamina. {{{

Bite…me!

The great thing about coming to work for the Apples was that Granny Smith would make a copious amount of food, to which Sunset shoveled most of it into her mouth. Granny Smith was actually happy to see Sunset eating like that, the girl didn’t look scrawny, but she wasn’t muscular either, but it was great to see she had a healthy appetite.

Despite the tension that still existed, Sunset felt…at peace. This was what she missed, what she wanted. To feel like part of a family, to sit down and have a meal together and just enjoy the company of one’s family members.

Once they were all done eating, Sunset volunteered to help with the dishes. While they did that, Applejack and Big Mac went back to the barn to check on the animals and make sure the horses didn’t buck off their blankets.

As Sunset began washing Granny Smith walked up and began giving her hand. “Oh, Ms. Smith, you don’t have to–”

“None a that ‘Miss’ stuff, call me Granny.”

Sunset blinked. “Oh, okay.”

“How’re you doin’ dearie? Things gettin’ so bad at school, haven’t had the chance to talk to ya,” said Granny.

“You’re…concerned about me?” Sunset asked.

“Course Ah am, Ah don’t know much about all this internet cyber bully mess, but Ah do know that you wouldn’t do somethin’ like what my grandchildren, and what all the other children at school are sayin’.”

Sunset stopped washing and looked at Granny Smith with amazement. “You don’t believe I’m Anon-A-Miss…how? Why?!”

Granny Smith stopped her scrubbing and glanced to Sunset. “Because, Sunny, anyone who smiles like that, knows the value of family. Ah’ve seen the way you and my granddaughter interact, you think of her as family. Something precious like that, someone’d have to be a damn fool to throw it all away. And Ah never took ya fer a fool. A bit misguided, kinda ornery, but a fool? Nope – whoa now!”

Before Granny Smith had a chance to react, she found herself getting hugged by Sunset Shimmer. The elderly woman smiled as she patted Sunset’s back.

“Thank you, Granny Smith,” said Sunset.

“This storm will pass, Surgarcube, don’t you fret. When it’s over, you all will be able to laugh and smile again, I promise.”

It had been almost an hour since dinner ended, and Granny Smith was getting noticeably antsy. Neither Big Mac nor Applejack had returned from the barn.

“Dagnabit, the horses givin’ them trouble again? They’ve been out there awhile now,” said Granny.

Sunset got up from the couch and said, “I’ll go and see if they need any help.”

“Thank you, Dearie.”

Sunset put on her jacket and hat then walked out into the snow. She turned on her flashlight and made her way to the big red barn. The smaller door was ajar, making Sunset feel a bit edgy.

You sense anything?

}}} Nothing dangerous…however… {{{

What?

}}} Hmm…I could be misinterpreting, but there is no danger, you can proceed. {{{

Sunset shrugged and carefully opened the door, the oiled hinges allowed the door to move without creaking too much. The moment that Sunset got into the barn she stopped, her heart rate accelerated and a knot formed in her stomach. There was a sound, a distinct sound that was not easily confused with much other than…sex.

Sunset swallowed hard, she could hear the sounds of girl moaning in pleasure, and the sounds of a flesh slapping against flesh. It was faint, but it was definitely there. Sunset turned off the flashlight and took a cursory glance about the barn, none of the horses were out of their stalls. Even if two were in the same stall, there wasn’t enough room for either of them to do the deed.

Sunset had an idea who it was, but she prayed it wasn’t. Slowly she walked through the barn, checking each of the stalls to make sure it wasn’t her second fear, thankfully, or not depending on your point of view, it wasn’t the horses. Sunset continued walking until she made it to the last stall at the far end of the barn, and as she got closer, she put her hands over her mouth to keep from making a sound.

In the stall, she saw Applejack. Her flannel shirt was unbuttoned, allowing her large C-cup breasts to bounce freely for all to see, Further done, her jeans and panties were dropped to the floor, the only thing she had on her lower body was her boots. She was bent over a bale of hay, her eyes shut as continued to pant, grunt, and moan as boy behind her continued to pound away at her.

The boy in this case being her big brother, Big Mac. His shirt was still on, but like his sister, his pants and underwear were lying on the barn floor and only sporting his boots. From what Sunset could see, Big Mac was currently ramming his phallus repeatedly into his sister’s tight asshole, again and again.

Applejack steadied herself on her forearms, she wanted to probe her womanhood with one of her hands, but if she didn’t prop herself up, Big Mac’s thrusting would make her fall forward and both of them would end up falling over each other. But it wasn’t a problem, it felt too good, her brother’s large dick pounding away at her tight pucker was driving Applejack crazy.

Big Mac was definitely enjoying himself, grunting like the stallions in the stalls around them as he continued to fuck his little sister, making her moan like a whore for his continued ministrations. Big Macintosh leaned down, bringing his weight onto her back as he reached under Applejack. His left hand snaked down to her pussy, slipping two of his large fingers into her dripping wet cunt, the other gripped her right breast and squeezed the firm orb of flesh hard.

Applejack cried out louder, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as her brother pleasured her. They had been at it for a while now, and both were close, oh so very close.

“Mac…Mac, oh fuck, Ah’m…Ah’m…!”

“Same here…!

Big Mac ramped up his thrusts, making Applejack’s knees nearly buckle, but the blonde haired cowgirl stayed standing, this wasn’t her first rodeo and she’d be damned if she was going to be brought down that easily. Applejack tensed as Big Mac’s fingers thrust in and out of her sobbing went cunt, in rhythm with his thrusts into her ass. For good measure, Big Mac moved his right hand up to Applejack’s throat and wrapped his large hand around it, applying a gentle amount of pressure.

It was all brought to a head as Applejack cried out in ecstasy, her ass and pussy clamping around her brother’s digits and dick. Applejack then began to release strangled, choking sounds as Big Mac squeezed his hand harder around her throat, making Applejack’s eyes roll to the back of her head.

Big Mac gave a loud grunt as he thrust into Applejack one last time, flooding her backdoor with copious amounts of thick cum. The two siblings held that position for a good long minute, afterwards, as if practiced, Big Mac brought Applejack forward, going down until he sat on his rear, bringing Applejack with him.

Big Mac removed his hands from her loins and throat and wrapped them around Applejack’s waist. Both siblings panted heavily from their forbidden activities as Applejack’s ass oozed out her brother’s cum the moment it slipped out. It was something that they had to do, they had to finish this way or else risk Big Mac’s spoils to spill over Applejack’s pussy, and get her pregnant.

Sunset was stunned by what she had witnessed, she had heard of ponies back in Equestria who engaged in this sort of thing, hell, acts of incest were well documented throughout all three tribes’ history. Double hell, there were rumors that Princess Celestia and her younger sister, Princess Luna, were secretly engaging in such things behind closed doors.

Now those two were immortal alicorns, so…there was some wiggle room in regards to that. But these were two blood related siblings.

“Sorry fer not talking to ya about bringin’ Sunset on, but we needed the help, Mac,” said Applejack as she leaned into his embrace.

Big Mac sighed. “Ah really wish ya did, with all this Anon-A-Miss stuff, do ya really think bringin’ her here was the best idea? Especially after what happened last time?”

“Ah–”

Sunset tripped forward, hitting a bucket next to the stall. Both siblings froze in place as fear gripped their hearts. Neither knew what to do at this point, if either sibling said anything, they’d be exposed, and right now, they didn’t know if it was Granny Smith or Apple Bloom behind that stall door.

For Sunset, she didn’t know what the right course of action here was. Should she confront them about this? Should she just walk away and pretend that she didn’t see any of that? Yeah right, there was no way that image was going to leave her mind any time this century. Her relationship with Applejack was shaky right now, if they knew that she knew…

I’m fucked no matter what…

“It’s me…AJ, Big Mac,” Sunset slowly walked from behind the door, her hands were up as if surrendering herself. “…….it’s Sunset.”

Applejack quickly closed her shirt and closed her legs to preserve what amount of modesty she could. At the same time, Big Mac hurriedly grabbed his pants and underwear and put them on, turning his back to her as he did so.

Applejack looked like she was on the verge of tears, of all the people to have seen her and her brother like this, it just had to be Sunset Shimmer. The freckled face girl did the only thing she could in this desperate situation, she begged.

The farm girl tried to get up, but the moment she did the strength in her legs left her, a combination of the farm work and the intense sex she just had. Sunset rushed forward and caught Applejack before she could face plant, bringing the both of them to their knees on the floor.

“AJ, are you alright?!” Sunset asked with concern. The flame haired girl felt Applejack grip Sunset’s shoulders hard, and she was shaking. “AJ…?”

“Please…Ah’m beggin’ ya…” Applejack looked up and showed her face, which was now streaked with tears. “Please don’t tell anyone about this!”

“AJ…”

“Please, Sunset! Ah promise Ah’ll do whatever ya want, WE’LL do anythin’ ya want! Right Big Mac?!” Applejack asked in a frantic manner.

Big Mac just stood there, still stunned by this whole situation and unsure what he should do.

“Applejack sto –!”

“You can screw me if ya want! Or Mac, whichever ya want! I’ll do whatever ya want Sunset! Just…p-please…” Applejack buried her face into Sunset’s chest as she sobbed heavily. “Please don’t tell anyone…don’t tell the school…Ah don’t want to…Ah don’t want to lose my family…!”

Sunset made Applejack release her, she then wrapped her arms around Applejack, making the cowgirl gasp in surprise. “I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but I swear to you, on my life, AJ, Mac, I won’t tell a soul about this. Look at me.”

Applejack was afraid to.

“Look at me, Applejack!”

The farm girl swallowed hard as she finally looked up into Sunset’s turquoise colored eyes.

“Look into my eyes, Applejack, tell me that I’m lying to you right now.”

Applejack looked into her eyes as if she was diving into Sunset’s very soul, trying to find any kind of hint that Sunset was being untruthful in this moment. They stayed like that for well over a minute before Applejack stopped shaking and released the tension in her body.

“Yer…Yer not lyin’…”

“No, I’m not,” said Sunset.

Applejack chuckled as she turned to Big Mac. “She’s tellin’ the truth…Mac, she ain’t goin’ to tell anyone…”

Just then, Applejack fell unconscious in Sunset’s arms.

“Applejack!” Big Mac exclaimed.

Hey, is she?!

}}} She is fine, overstimulation, in more ways than one. However, it is best to get her out of his cold. {{{

“Mac, help me get her dressed and we’ll take her back to the house.” Big Mac still looked hesitant. “Look just do what I say or do you want Applejack to get sick?!”

Big Mac sighed heavily as he nodded, both teens worked together to get Applejack dressed. Once she was, Sunset told Big Mac to let her do the talking about why she’s out like a light. Big Mac walked out first, with Sunset following behind him, Sunset gave one last look inside the barn and then to the two siblings.

What the hell did I stumble onto…?

Case File 4-2 (Midas): Revelation

Author's Notes:

Warning: Sexually Explicit Content Ahead. (This'll be the last time we'll see this "on screen" in the story, promise)

Shining Armor was called to yet another 303. This time this was not a particularly new one, although the victim was, the modus operandi wasn’t. The victim was a man in his late thirties, and he was…gold. Literally, he had been turned to gold.

Shining Armor was on the scene, along with Spearhead and Dr. Blueheart, the entire CSU team was already collecting evidence, but there wasn’t much to collect. The crime was done in the victim’s mansion, a spacious home with lots of rooms. He had no family, and was known to bring a few women home from time to time, a wealthy bachelor. The man was in the middle of his living room, no signs of forced entry, but the victim was there.

Shining Armor grimaced upon looking at the victim. He was frozen in a moment of pure terror, the fireplace was still burning and added an eerie glow to the glimmering metal for which he was encased in.

How did they know that it wasn’t just a statue? Because they had hooked up a heart monitor to the statue and found that there was a heartbeat inside of it. The truly horrible part about this was that each person they found was alive inside, but there was no way to free them.

Shining Armor walked up on the scene where Dr. Blueheart was already monitoring the victim, and Spearhead was right beside him.

“Midas again?” Shining asked.

“Yeah, the bastard got another one.”

Dr. Blueheart adjusted her glasses as she read the vital signs. “He’s definitely alive…for what it’s worth. His heartbeat is erratic, but that’s to be expected given his situation.”

Shining Armor grimaced as he laid eyes on the statue. “And you’re sure there’s no way to get him out?”

“Oh there’s plenty of ways, but they all result in our dear victim here dying instantly. Which is probably a mercy considering the alternative,” Dr. Blueheart answered.

Shining Armor rubbed the back of his head as he sighed heavily. “How many does this make it now?”

“Twenty, and counting. This is getting ridiculous,” said Spearhead.

Shining Armor never mentioned this to Sunset, but there were at least three different Mystery Murder killers that had been long standing since this all began. One of them was affectionately given the name “Midas”, for the supposed “Golden Touch”. No one knew how Midas was able to do this, but with the recent discovery of the Wendigos and their demonic power, it was more likely that this was part of their strange powers.

“Think it's time to have Witchblade take out another one,” said Spearhead.

Shining Armor didn’t want to admit it, but Spearhead was probably right. Up until now, Sunset has dealt with three Wendigo possessed people, two were recently changed, and one was active for a short time. It might be time to bring her up to speed. I thought these guys might go underground once people knew, but we might’ve just given them incentive to accelerate whatever plans they have, if any.

It was morning on the Apple Farm, and Sunset was staring up at the ceiling of the guest room she was in. Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was Applejack getting pounded on by Big Mac. Whenever she tried to concentrate on the silence, the sounds of their lustful lovemaking returned to her ears. And as if to add further insult to injury, she was aroused and it did not make for a good night’s sleep.

“I am never going to get that image out of my head,” said Sunset.

}}} I can tell you of far worse things, or show you. Would that help? {{{

“Oh no, compared to what I just saw, I don’t even want to imagine what eldritch horrors you’ve possibly witnessed. While I’m confident it would replace the current imagery in my mind, I’m more than certain it would drive me insane.”

}}} Fair point. {{{

The worst part of this was how she was going to face those two this morning. Applejack was always the straight shooter of their group, the most level headed, the voice of reason, and the most steadfast person Sunset had ever met aside from Princess Celestia. To think that she had been hiding a secret like this from them, it was unbelievable, or it would be if Sunset hadn’t just saw what she saw.

“How long have they been doing this for? That didn’t look like something that was spur of the moment, not the way they were holding each other after…so then…?”

*knock, knock*

Sunset groaned, the farm life meant that you woke up at the crack of dawn, or even before it, and it was still kind of dark outside. Not like Sunset could get back to sleep anyway. The former unicorn walked to her door and opened it, only to tense up when she saw who it was.

Applejack stood outside her door, her face was neutral, but her eyes told a different story. They were staring straight at her, watching her, taking in any detail that she could.

Sunset gulped, hard as she put on a nervous smile. “G-Good morning, AJ…”

“Mornin’.”

Sunset scratched the back of her head. “Y-You uh…feeling okay?”

“Ah am.”

Silence filled the air between them, the tension so thick that you could cut it with a blade. Sunset wasn’t sure what the right protocol here was. Should she address what she saw last night? Act like it never happened?……Take AJ up on that offer about joining them? Bad brain! This is no time for gutter thinking!

“We need to talk,” said Applejack.

“Oh, um, y-yeah…I guess…that is if you don’t want to, then that’s perfectly fine by me!” Sunset stated as she gave a thumbs up.

Applejack’s neutral expression didn’t change in the slightest. “Get dressed and head down fer some breakfast. After, Ah’ll take out Scarlet and we can go fer a ride.”

“S-Sounds great,” said Sunset with all due nervousness.

Applejack nodded and headed downstairs to help Granny Smith. Sunset closed the door and slumped against it as she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. Her heart thumped in her chest, that was more intense than the Wendigo battles thus far.

“Talk about a damn poker face! I couldn’t get a read on her at all!” Sunset exclaimed. “And what was that ‘goin’ for a ride’? Was that the country version of a mafia hit job?!”

}}} I sensed unease, but no hostility. Either way, you needn’t fear, so long as I am with you, there’s nothing she can do to harm you. {{{

“Thanks, but I really don’t want to have to raise my sword to a friend, even if it’s in self-defense…” Sunset ran her hand down her face and sighed heavily. “Guess I’ll go and face the music.”

Breakfast was…interesting, to say the least. With the two siblings’ incestuous relationship exposed, the dinner table was a little tense. Sunset mostly kept quiet unless asked a question by Granny Smith, but would just focus on her meal instead of making eye contact with Applejack or Big Mac. Applejack didn’t seem too out of the ordinary, she was carrying on a conversation with Granny Smith and Apple Bloom, but every once in a while would glance in Sunset’s direction, and the flame haired girl could feel those emerald eyes upon her.

Big Macintosh was silent, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary for him, but Sunset could definitely feel a strong aura of protection coming off of him. The eldest of the Apple kids, the biggest and strongest of them, he was their protector, the only male of this family, and you could see it in his actions and in his eyes that he’d do anything to protect his family. Sunset wasn’t a pushover, she was a good fighter, but if you asked anyone in the school who Sunset might have trouble beating up, it would be Applejack and Big Mac.

It wasn’t because they were trained in combat, they didn’t take any martial arts classes. To Sunset’s credit, neither did she, being self-taught, but they had greater endurance, stamina, and strength from years of working on their family farm. That kind of raw strength was dangerous, back in the day, Sunset had thought of different ways to fight them, her conclusions always came down to hitting them fast, hard, and in spots that would cause the maximum amount of pain in a short time. If she somehow got into a battle of endurance with them, it was no contest, Sunset would lose, and a couple of good blows from them would put anyone on their ass.

If Sunset didn’t have the Witchblade, yeah, she would be terrified, but right now she was just nervous. Applejack finished up first and headed out to the barn to get her horse. Sunset gulped again. After breakfast was had, Sunset headed outside where she saw Applejack saddling up her horse. Sunset found it funny how saddles were a fashion statement back in Equestria, but here they were things that people used to ride on top of other creatures.

“Hi,” Sunset awkwardly greeted.

Applejack nodded to Sunset, acknowledging her presence before going back to her black coated quarter horse. “You gonna be alright ridin’ atop Scarlet here? Ah know you were once a pony, but Ah wasn’t sure if this’d be uncomfortable fer ya.”

Sunset looked over the large, muscular mare. She did feel a bit uneasy, but considering the overall atmosphere, this was going to be uncomfortable no matter what.

“I’ll be fine, but I’ve never ridden before…” Sunset blushed as the scene from last night played in her mind. “A horse! I-I’ve never ridden a horse before!”

Applejack blushed and then cleared her throat. “Ah know what ya meant, and ya ain’t ridin’ another horse. You’ll be doublin’ up with me.”

“Greeeeaaaat…” So my only means of escape will be the horse, and since I don’t know how to ride or where the trails go...

}}} You seem to be forgetting about me. {{{

Sorry, but this is really nerve wracking right now!

Once Applejack was done with her preparations, she got up on Scarlet and hoisted Sunset to sit behind her. Sunset used her hands to hold onto the saddle from the back, but Applejack told her not to do that or she’d fly off and break her neck. Awkwardly, she wrapped her arms around Applejack’s waist, not unlike the way that Big Mac had last night.

Throughout the ride, Sunset was finding it hard to concentrate on where they were going, or where they have been. As was stated before, she found all her friends attractive, and that included Applejack. The image she saw last night didn’t help matters any, cause now she knew how Applejack looked in the throes of ecstasy. Sunset tried to distract herself by looking at the scenery, despite the trees being barren, their snow covered branches and landscape did make for a beautiful sight. Some of the trees were wrapped in some kind of specialized blankets, Sunset figured that these were some techniques that helped keep the trees as healthy as they could be to survive the winter. Every once in a while, Applejack would stop and take out her phone, marking certain points along the way.

“Why are you doing that?” Sunset asked.

“Some of the wrappins’ look like they’re comin’ undone, Ah’m markin’ the spots on meh GPS so that we can come back with some proper supplies to fix ‘em. See that?” Applejack pointed towards one of the trees.

Sunset noticed that some of the wrappings were coming undone.

“The wraps are a special blend of plant food that’s absorbed through the bark, and what falls off litters the ground and serves to nourish the roots. If they’re comin’ too loose we gotta tighten it up.”

Sunset nodded, and with her question answered, they continued. They rode for a few more minutes before they stopped near a creek, letting Scarlet get drink as the girls stretched their legs. Sunset noticed that the trees were thicker here, and that they might be deeper into their orchard, far enough away that none of the other Apple siblings or Granny Smith would be able to find them unless they knew exactly where she was.

The former Equestrian mare sighed as she turned to her friend. “I know you didn’t just bring me out here just to check on your trees.”

“……Yer right, Ah didn’t.”

Sunset a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Tell me, how long has this been going on?”

Applejack had her back to Sunset, but then turned around to face her. “About two years now.”

Sunset’s eyes widened, she didn’t think it was going on that long, but at the same time, she was kind of glad it wasn’t longer. “Okay…is Big Mac forcing you or…?”

Applejack looked insulted by that. “Big Mac ain’t forcin’ me do anythin’ Ah don’t want! Despite what you saw last night, he knows how to treat a woman!”

“Okay, okay, I wasn’t insulting him,” said Sunset as she held her hands up. “I guess my next question is, are you two in love?”

“No.”

“No?”

“Yes.”

“Wait, you are?”

“Ah meant yes to your no!”

Sunset blinked. “What?”

Applejack pinched the bridge of her nose. “Let me be clear. Big Mac and Ah are not in love with each other, we do love each other, but not in love. If anythin’, we’re…in lust.”

Sunset shook her head in confusion as she said, “Excuse me?”

“Ugh…we like havin’ sex with each other, but we don’t do it because we’re in love with other or nothin’…guess another way to say it is ‘Siblin’s with Benefits’?”

“You’re saying you two fuck…just for fun?!” Sunset asked with a twitching eye.

Applejack lowered her Stetson hat a little and said, “Yeah…pretty much. We mostly do what you saw last night to avoid gettin’ me pregnant, and if Ah’m honest Ah’ve kinda got a thing for takin’ it up the backdoor.”

“Give me a second.

Applejack watched as Sunset walked towards the creek that Scarlet was drinking from. Scarlet watched in confusion as Sunset knelt down beside her, and then dunked her face into the water for about a second before pulling back her face screaming, “HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT’S COLD!”

Scarlet looked to Applejack who awkwardly shrugged, and then looked back to the strange human and shrugged as well.

Sunset grabbed a towel from Applejack’s saddle bags and rubbed her face vigorously. “Okay…sorry, I needn’t to cool down a little.”

Applejack blinked as her cheeks tinted red. “Didn’t know we got ya so hot and bothered like that.”

“Never tell the girls this, but I find all five of you attractive, so you can imagine how ‘hot and bothered’ it makes me to have to hear what you just said, and then have a visual reference to it!”

This time it was Applejack’s turn to rub the back of her head nervously. “Sorry…”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for…just help me understand.” Sunset took another deep breath and asked, “Does Apple Bloom or Granny Smith know?”

“HELL NO!” Applejack yelled loud enough to startle Scarlet a little. “Sorry, girl. No, they don’t. Granny would have a heart attack, and Ah sure as hell don’t need Apple Bloom imitatin’ what we’re doin’! Much less askin’ to join us!”

Sunset nodded in agreement. “Is that why you were begging me last night not to tell anyone?”

Applejack hugged herself as she leaned up an apple tree. “When my parents died…the only ones around were me, Mac, AB, and Granny. Mac and Ah weren’t but eight years old when they died, and AB was four, when that happened the state wanted to put us in a group home or foster homes, they wanted to split up our family.”

Sunset’s brow furrowed upon hearing that. “Wait, why the hell would they do that?”

“Because Granny’s old, and they didn’t think that it was in our ‘best interests’ or Granny’s to saddle her with three kids. It ain’t a secret that Granny’s old and not that much of a spring chicken, couple that with runnin’ a farm, it didn’t exactly scream child friendly environment. But, we proved ‘em wrong, however, they gave us a warnin’. If anythin’ happened to us, they wouldn’t hesitate to investigate.”

“That’s bullshit, but now I get it. You were afraid that this would do more than humiliate you, this could tear apart your family. But, you and Mac are eighteen now, you’re legally adults,” said Sunset.

Applejack smiled sadly. “Don’t rightly matter, siblins’ screwin’ is against the law. Ah’d be fine if it would just only fall on me and Mac, but Apple Bloom’s only fourteen, she can still be taken away…and we can be thrown in jail. Then the farm would go and we’d lose all our business…”

Tears started to form in Applejack’s eyes as she started to think of all the worst case scenarios at once. Sunset quickly approached Applejack and brought her in for a hug. “Shh, shh, it’s alright.”

“Ah’m so damn stupid, both of us are! We’re riskin’ destoryin’ our family just so we can get off! Mac’s got a girlfriend for god’s sake…”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Wait, he does? I didn’t know that.”

Applejack nodded. “Her name’s Sugar Belle, she goes to a different school but we make deliveries to her parents’ bakery.”

Ooh, there are going to be a lot of broken hearts at CHS.

“You thought I’d post it as Anon-A-Miss…?”

Applejack sighed heavily as she separated herself. “Honestly, Sunset, after what Ah saw you do for Rarity up there, sportin’ her dress, and then protectin’ her from that monster…it’s been like a bee in mah hat that won’t stop buzzin’. The things Anon-A-Miss does, and the things yer doin’ are in total contrast…”

Sunset reached into her jacket pocket and produced her cellphone, holding to Applejack. “Check my phone.”

“What?”

“I don’t want you to have any doubts. Look through it and make sure that I didn’t record anything. Because, if I can be frank, I was too shocked out of my mind to even think about it. But, if you want some peace of mind, go ahead,” said Sunset.

Applejack looked at the phone and then to Sunset. Slowly she began to reach for it, but stopped midway. The cowgirl then pushed the phone away and said, “Ah believe ya…Ah wanna start believin’ in you again.”

“Thanks, Applejack.”

The two teen girls made their way back to the home, as they exited the orchard, they watched as a car came up the driveway. The moment Applejack laid eyes on it, her hands gripped the reins hard, and her jaw tightened.

}}} Now I sense hostility. Surprisingly, not directed at you, for once. {{{

“AJ, what’s wrong?” Sunset asked.

“That car belongs to a couple of the worst swindlers in the city, and at this point are just askin’ fer a country ass whoopin’,” said Applejack in a stern voice. “Hiya!”

Scarlet neighed as she broke into a gallop, Applejack’s steed stopped in front of their house as the car stopped in the driveway and its passengers walked out. Both were men, who looked to be in their late thirties. The first was clean cut, and wore a jacket that had blue and white stripes, his hair was red and white, with jade green eyes, and had smoothly combed hair. The second, a twin brother, possessed a handlebar mustache, and his hair was done in a neat, yet shaggy state.

“Flam,” Applejack addressed the twin with the mustache, “Flim,” and then addressed the one without facial hair, “What the hell are y’all doin’ on our property?”

“Oh-ho-ho, little miss Apple, we’re here on business of course!” Flim stated happily.

“Indubitably, we’re here to offer you all a sweetheart of a deal,” said Flam.

“Not interested,” Applejack hopped off of Scarlet. Sunset did the same, to which Applejack handed the reins over to Sunset. “Ah’m gonna ask nicely this one time. Kindly get off our property.”

Flim and Flam chuckled, mockingly, at Applejack.

“Ah, that’s cute, but you’re not the boss,” said Flim.

“Unless Granny Smith is otherwise incapacitated, in which case maybe we are talking to the boss? You’re certainly the most level headed of your family,” said Flam.

Scarlet snorted, obviously agitated by these two men, and Sunset understood the sentiment. She didn’t know these guys, but Sunset already figured out these guys were no good, she had seen plenty of their type before. A couple of fast talking, crooked salesmen, before she was taken in by Celestia (the human one) she had seen guys like him on the streets, looking to use people, con them, whatever they could do make money off of someone else or to get what they wanted from someone.

“Granny’s just fine, Ah don’t know why ya want our land so much, but –!”

“Then allow us to enlighten you!” Flim and Flam said in unison.

Flam appeared on Applejack’s right side and said, “You young miss, you’re land has something that not many around here can lay claim to!”

“And that would be history, rich history my dear!” Flim added as he appeared on Applejack’s left. “You family’s been doing business with the city for years, and we thought it’s time to expand your horizons! Modernize and innovate!”

The twin brothers zipped from either side of Applejack and then appeared in front of her. Flim brought out his cellphone and showed a few images of Sweet Apple Acres, but drawn up differently. The rustic visage of the farm was gone, replaced by warehouses and factories that would, more than likely, produce more of the Apple Family’s products at a much faster rate than anything they currently could produce.

“With our resources and your product, we’ll all stand to make a large amount of money,” said Flim.

“Flim & Flam Inc. and Sweet Apple Acres, working together to take the city by storm,” said Flam.

Applejack crossed her arms in front of her chest as she glared at them. “And lose the thing that makes this farm what it is? The people of this city trust our product because they know we take care of our trees and take our time to ensure all our products are of the highest quality. That comes from experience and hard work, tradition, it’s kept us in good stadin’ this long, it’ll keep us goin’ in the future.”

Flim and Flam looked at each other and then back to Applejack, their expressions changing from one of charming salesmen to scheming ones.

“Surely you don’t want to do this for the rest of your life?” Flam asked.

“Caring and tending to this farm? Chained to this place until you’re as old as your grandmother? Not exactly an ideal future,” said Flim.

Applejack flinched ever so slightly, but it was enough for the two brothers to see that they had found a chink in the armor.

“C’mon, Applejack, surely you want to branch out – no pun intended – and do more than just work day in and day out on this farm. No time to pursue your own dreams,” said Flim.

“No time to find love, a lover, or even see the world? What kind of future is that? If you signed up with us, you can just sit back and let the money flow into your bank account. You can go anywhere you want, any college, any university, hell, you can even take off a year and go see the world!” Flam stated.

The two brothers stepped a bit closer and said together, “And think about your little sister, do you really want this to be her life when she gets old enough?”

Sunset had had enough, the former unicorn strode over to the pair of con men and put herself between them and Applejack, taking a few aggressive steps forward to make them back away from Applejack.

“I think you guys need to get your ears checked, she said no deal, no selling, no nothing,” said Sunset.

Flim and Flam looked upon Sunset, giving her a scrutinizing glare. “And you are?” they asked.

“Someone who’ll kick you off this property if you don’t,” Sunset warned.

Flam looked over Sunset’s shoulder and directly at Applejack. “Does she speak for you?”

Applejack was about to answer that, but the door to the house opened up and revealed Granny Smith. “If it had anything to do with gettin’ ya two varmints off our property, then yes she does!”

Scarlet came around to Sunset’s side and snorted, stomping her front hooves as she gave her own warning to the twin brothers to leave the farm. Flim and Flam assessed the situation and decided that it wasn’t wise to provoke this girl, she had the look of someone who had no qualms with beating up another person, adult or not.

“Very well, but we’ll be back,” said Flam with a charming smile.

“Ta-ta, Apples,” said Flim.

The twin brothers entered their car and took their exit of Sweet Apple Acres.

Granny Smith came walking down the porch and released a few curses, some Sunset knew, and others that were more country based, but more or less meant the same thing. “Every time they come ‘round my blood pressure goes up, Ah’m goin’ to go feed the pigs!”

Both girls watched as Granny Smith walked off, still grumbling the whole way. Sunset and Applejack walked Scarlet back into the barn and back into her stall. The flame haired girl found an apple and held it to the black horse , Scarlet took the apple and began munching on it happily while Sunset petted the side of her head, happy to have the backup. While these creatures weren’t like ponies, they were still able to sense feelings and understand them.

Sunset took a moment to regard Applejack and asked, “You alright, AJ?”

“Ah’m such a fool…the moment they talked about meh future and Bloom’s…Ah faltered, and they saw it…” Applejack admitted.

Sunset shook her head. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, guys like that know how to get under your skin, that’s what they did.”

“It’s not like they were wrong, sometimes Ah have thought about takin’ off and goin’ places,” said Applejack. “And Ah do worry for Apple Bloom, Mac and Ah can take care of the farm well enough on our own, but Ah want Bloom to do better than us.”

Sunset smiled and placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder in comfort. “That’s not a bad thing either, thinking of your little sister’s future is the sign of a good big sister, however, you don’t have to rely on people like that. Trust me, in the end, all they want is what you have.”

Applejack smiled and wrapped her arm around Sunset’s shoulders. “Ah’m glad you were here, Sunset, and Ah’m sorry you…you saw what you saw.”

Sunset tried to shrug it off, but the blush on her face was prevalent. “Don’t worry about it………by any chance can I see you without your clothes again?”

Applejack moved her arm from Sunset’s shoulders to around her neck, she then hooked it around and began to squeeze ever so slightly. “Now Ah know Ah offered to do things in the heat of the moment, but Ah know a good friend like you wouldn’t ever ask her friend to strip in front of her, right?”

Sunset tapped against Applejack’s arm quickly as she said, “Okay, okay, I’m sorry! Bad joke, bad joke!” Applejack released Sunset as she took in a few gulps of air, but it was in that moment that Sunset realized what she said. “Good friend, huh?”

“Did Ah stutter?” Applejack walked towards the barn door and smirked at Sunset. “C’mon, we got work to do.”

Sunset smiled happily, somehow, she had made up with Applejack. With a wide grin on her face, Sunset caught up to Applejack and the two teens walked out of the barn, unfortunately, neither one of them noticed how Apple Bloom was watching them from the window of her bedroom, seeing her big sister and the girl who once caused them and others torment acting all friendly. It made her angry.

It was late at night when Apple Bloom awoke, about midnight to be exact. During dinner, the tension between her big sister, big brother, and Sunset seemed to have vanished, they were even cracking jokes and laughing like Anon-A-Miss never happened. Hell, even Granny Smith was chummy with her.

“It won’t mean nothin’ if our sisters like her again!” Apple Bloom muttered in the darkness. “There’s gotta be somethin’ Ah can do…?”

The trio had uploaded that post about Sunset using Pinkie Pie as her information gatherer, hoping that would drive a wedge between Pinkie and Sunset, and more effectively turn the rest their sisters against Sunset. But somehow that had the opposite effect, according to Sweetie Belle, Rarity didn’t seem to care about what was written, although she was more worried about what everyone else would do to Pinkie Pie.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Pinkie Pie hadn’t distanced herself from Sunset at all, in fact, all last week Sunset would walk Pinkie to her classes, acting like a bodyguard for the girl. From what Scootaloo told her, Rainbow Dash was getting frustrated, but she didn’t buy into that post as much as they had hoped.

Apple Bloom had to admit, she did feel bad about that one more than the others. Pinkie Pie was hyper and random, but she did it all for the sake of making someone happy. The thought of the students going after Pinkie like how they did Sunset made her worried for Pinkie’s safety. But, in the inverse, she was glad that Sunset was acting like Pinkie’s bodyguard, at least with her around, people were less likely to attack Pinkie if they knew that Sunset would come down on them like white on rice, in a paper plate, in a glass of milk, in a snowstorm.

The young teen tossed and turned in her bed, they needed something, anything to help break this weird bond or control Sunset had over their sisters.

“Well lyin’ here ain’t goin’ to get much done,” said Apple Bloom.

The young redhead threw off her blankets and took her cellphone, hoping that maybe she could capture something, or anything for that matter. The youngest Apple girl carefully made her way down the hall, creeping ever so quietly. Granny Smith slept downstairs, which left the three siblings to take the upstairs rooms, which meant that they were mostly alone up there.

Apple Bloom was going to make her way to Sunset’s room, which was at the other end of the all. However, as she crept, she stopped in front of her brother’s room. She could hear noises, which was weird because Big Mac wasn’t a snorer, but these weren’t snoring sounds, more like…grunting.

“Weird…”

Apple Bloom was about to keep going, until she heard another voice.

“That’s right…more…aahh~”

Apple Bloom froze in place, she couldn’t make out the second voice too well, but it was definitely female, and it most definitely sounded like that female voice was moaning. Apple Bloom blushed as red as one of their Apples, was her big brother…doing the dirty with…Sunset?

No…No, it can’t be. T-There’s no way that Big Mac would…*gulp*…Bang Sunset Shimmer of all people! He’s datin’ Sugar Belle for cryin’ out loud!

Apple Bloom turned towards her big brother’s door, part of her was afraid of what she’d see behind that door as she reached for the doorknob, but…at the same time, maybe this was a good thing? She didn’t want to think of her sibling as a cheater, but if Sunset forced Mac into it, then she could use this as evidence to her sister and their friends that Sunset Shimmer was truly a she-demon.

With a bit of reluctance, Apple Bloom switched to the camera app on her phone, making sure that the light was turned off as she steeled herself for what she was about to see. Seeing her brother and Sunset naked wasn’t going to be pleasant, but it had to be done.

Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom slowly twisted the knob, with great care she cracked the door open, little by little to allow herself some room to look inside without being noticed. When Apple Bloom finally got to look inside, what she thought she was going to see would’ve been far more preferable to what she was currently seeing.

The dim light of the moon reflected off the snow covered fields outside, giving off just enough illumination so that the eye could make out details, as well as Apple Bloom’s camera.

Big Mac had his hands on Applejack’s bare hips, her hair was completely undone, allowing her golden locks to drape over her shoulders. The cowgirl looked down at her older brother, feeling his girth inside her womanhood.

And yes, he was wearing a condom, they might be a couple of horny teens, but they weren’t stupid……well, depending on your point of view that is.

Applejack slowly raised her hips up and down, letting her big brother enjoy the pleasure she was giving him, and the pleasure she was receiving. She knew this was wrong, both of them did, for a brother and sister to be as one like this. At one point they did feel shame over their unions, but over time they stopped caring about how wrong it was and how good it felt.

Big Mac looked up at Applejack’s face, her body was beautiful, her breasts perky, round and voluminous as they bounced with each movement. The way her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her lean, muscular form, reminded him of the Amazons of myth. Did he love his little sister? Yes, with all his heart. But Big Mac made sure not to associate it with romance, no, this was lust, and that was all, and it was in these moments of lust that he could see just how captivating his little sister was, especially when she had her eyes closed and had an expression of pure rapture.

Applejack ramped up her hip movement, piston-ing herself up and down his impressive length. She leaned forward and placed her hands on either side of her brother’s head as she looked down at him. Applejack had practiced to make sure her voice didn’t slip, but dammit if this didn’t feel too good not to. The middle Apple took a moment to admire her brother’s physique, broad, muscular shoulders, large pics and abs sculpted from years of working on the farm since childhood, and of course, Big Mac’s impressive member, a whole eight inches of made to completely fill her most intimate spot and stretch it to its near breaking point.

The Apple girl loved her big brother, he was protective of her, and she him, and both of them were like that towards Apple Bloom. They were all each other had, the stress of their parents dying, looming fear of the Child Services looking to take them away, and the daunting task of keeping the farm going on their own. Applejack believed this is what pushed them into doing this, the stress of it all, they needed something to relieve it, and what was once stress relieve became something that they just enjoyed doing together.

Big Mac was thrusting his hips upwards in rhythm with Applejack’s movement’s, making the blonde cowgirl pant and release small moans.

“Are ya…getting’ close, AJ?” Big Mac asked.

“Y-Yes, so close…!” Applejack answered.

With that said, Big Mac lifted Applejack up with ease, making Applejack release a cute squeal. Big Mac quickly, and a bit roughly, threw his sister onto the bed. Applejack landed on her back, bouncing a couple of times before finally settling.

Big Mac, phallus glistening with the juices of his sister’s cunt, hurriedly pounced on top of her, and gave her a deep kiss. She fought back a little, trying to push him off, but the whole time she was smiling. It was all part of their play, Applejack didn’t like to make it too easy to be dominated, she wanted him to work for it, a bit of playful sibling fighting.

Big Mac knew all of this, and it only made the end result all the better. The two of them grunted as Applejack broke the kiss and tried to reverse their positions, again, but Big Mac would always force Applejack back to her position. With each failed attempt, her efforts lessened as she slowly started to give into him.

Big Mac managed force Applejack’s legs open and swiftly penetrated her tight pussy yet again. Applejack stiffened up, no matter how many times they did this, every time he thrust into her was enough to make her pass out, but Applejack wasn’t about to admit that to his face. But with that move, it was over, Big Mac grabbed both of her wrist, holding them firm in his large hands as he pinned them over Applejack’s head.

Both sibling’s smirked as Big Mac began to fuck Applejack in earnest now, the bed creaking with each powerful thrust into her wanton womanhood.

While this was going on, Apple Bloom kept recording, her mind had seized up and her mouth hung open. Her pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks as her mind tried to comprehend what she was seeing. Although, it would be more accurate to say that she was trying not to believe it. After all this couldn’t really be happening right? This had to be a dream, just a sick, sick dream brought on by her teen hormones and Scootaloo cracking some joke about how hot Rarity was, and Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, and at some weird point, both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, but that’s all this was right? Right?

“Oh Mac…!”

“AJ, Ah’m gonna…!”

“Do it! Blow it inside meh big brother!” Applejack nearly shouted.

Big Mac’s thrusts were becoming stronger and faster, he released Applejack’s wrists so that she could hold onto him, at the same time, her legs wrapped around his waist, anchoring him to her. Both siblings were close, and after two more strong thrusts, Big Mac cummed hard into the condom. Applejack bit her lip to keep from screaming out her orgasm as she felt the condom swell up with her brother’s hot seed, pushing her further over the edge as she sprayed her juices out profusely onto his bed sheets.

Applejack and Big Mac panted heavily, sweaty and satisfied from their forbidden activity. Big Mac kissed his sister’s forehead before slowly pulling out of her. Applejack reached down and pinched off the end of the condom, when she pulled there was a low popping sound as the condom was pulled out.

The middle Apple child looked at the spoils of her brother’s balls and gave a low whistle at how heavy it was. “Damn, Mac, if this was in me, you woulda flooded my oven. Was it that good tonight?”

Big Mac rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, but then he smirked when he looked down at the mess Applejack caused. “Don’t think ya have the right to say that when ya made this kinda mess.”

Applejack sat up a little, just enough to see what Big Mac was talking about. The cowgirl blushed when she saw the large wet spot that she had made on Big Mac’s bedsheets, she then fell back on her back and tossed part of the evidence of their activities into the trash can. Big Mac lay next to her, the younger sibling cuddling up next to him as they basked in the afterglow.

Apple Bloom was shaking now, having seen her siblings finish committing their act of incest. The youngest of the Apple siblings slowly closed the door, taking great care not to make them aware of her presence. Once the door was closed, Apple Bloom rushed as quickly and quietly as she could towards the bathroom.

Apple Bloom locked the door, opened the lid, and started retching into the porcelain throne. Again, and again she heaved out the contents of her stomach, the image of her older brother and sister having sex was burned into her mind’s eye, never had she wished so hard that “brain bleach” actually existed.

The young teen panted as she wiped her mouth, letting up against the bathtub as she flushed most of her dinner down the toilet. What was worse, she had proof of it, video evidence of her brother and sister screwing each other. There was no scenario that she could think of that would make this better if it was Mac forcing Applejack, or vice versa, neither one was a good alternative. However, there was no forcing, despite how rough it looked, she could clearly see it, both in person and on the footage, they were enjoying it, both of them.

Apple Bloom placed her face into her hands as she said, “Oh god…Oh god what did Ah just see?! Ah…Ah need to tell someone – tell Granny!”

No, if Ah do, she might send one or both of ‘em away! A-Ah don’ t understand what’s goin’ on, but Ah know Ah don’t want that! She might call the police and send ‘em sent to jail!

“Okay…Okay…uuuuhhhh, confront them? Y-Yeah, just talk to ‘em about it?”

But what if they get angry that you saw what you saw? They might…might d-do somethin’ to me…maybe even…

Apple Bloom shook her head, no, no she would not, could not let her mind go down that line of thinking. She knew her big brother and sister loved her very much, and wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. But this was different, she just caught them doing something that wasn’t only just plain wrong, but also illegal. And dammit all, if anyone found out about she’d never hear the end of it, none of them would.

How many times had Apple Bloom bopped someone in the face for making some sick joke that the siblings were hick lovers, that they were inbreeding with each other, and other such stereotypical crap? And now her two oldest siblings just made all of that true.

However…there was a light, a dark light. Apple Bloom regarded her phone, within this device lied the recording of siblings’ sinful act. Sunset Shimmer was here, in their house, and as far as anyone was concerned, many at CHS believed she was Anon-A-Miss. If…If she uploaded this video, if she put it on the Anon-A-Miss page…then this would do it. This would end Sunset Shimmer. Whatever blind trust her sister and the others would be shattered, and there was no doubt in Apple Bloom’s head that Applejack might just kill Sunset if that happened.

But this was a double edged sword, if she put this up, then her family would be ruined. The hate towards Sunset wouldn’t be nearly enough to justify using this footage. Apple Bloom brought up the thumbnail of the video file, her mind at war with her fear, hate, and jealousy off Sunset Shimmer. This one file could both bring down the former Queen Bee of CHS, and tear apart Apple Bloom’s family, this file was a nuclear bomb and would bring about mutually assured destruction.

Without thinking, her thumb hit the thumbnail and opened the file. The video played and the events of a moment ago were replayed in front of Apple Bloom again. The young girl wanted to hurl again, but only managed to dry heave. She quickly closed it and was about to delete it, that is until she received a video call.

“W-What the hell does she want this late? Ah’m so not in the mood right now,” said Apple Bloom.

The young Apple accepted the call, once again the video feed showed a dark room, with a silhouette of their mysterious benefactor just barely visible. {Good evening, Apple Bloom.}

“Listen, it’s late and ain’t got time to talk, can’t it just wait until tomorrow or somethin’,” she asked.

{Oh no-no-no, we have to address this now while it’s still fresh and raw in your mind.}

“What?”

{You have something good on your phone, don’t you? Perhaps something dirty? Something…incest related?}

Apple Bloom nearly dropped the phone, her eyes practically bulged out of her skull when she heard this mystery person say that. “W-What?! H-How did you know?!”

{Trust me, you don’t want to know how. But the important thing is, I do know, and you have something that can very easily help us completely vilify Sunset Shimmer. All you have to do is upload that to our page.}

“If ya know what it is, then ya know why Ah can’t! It’ll destroy my family!” Apple Bloom stated.

{Haven’t your brother and sister done that already? The very thing they are doing is destroying your family, and who knows how long it’s been going on. You can’t risk going to them, what if they try to silence you? Or worse, try to bring you into their illicit activities.}

For a brief moment, her overactive imagination managed to construct a scenario where she was tied up by her two siblings, both with lecherous and devious looks in their eyes as their hands descended upon her. Apple Bloom shook that image out of her head.

“They’d never do that to me! A-A-Ah can’t do this…”

{Listen, this would be for the greater good, and for the health of your family. But we don’t have to do anything right now, sleep on it, and discuss it with the girls. Till then, goodnight.}

Apple Bloom’s arm fell onto her lap, she then brought her legs to her chest and hugged them close to her chest. She didn’t know what the right thing to do was, one thing was for sure, sleep would elude the young Apple this night.

Case File 4-3 (Midas): Decisions

Sunset found that morning to be interesting. It was the start of another school week, and since she was still at Applejack’s home, they needed to get up early in order to make it to school on time, that and Granny needed to get there early to help with the breakfast rush.

The interesting thing that happened this morning was when she went to the bathroom and found Apple Bloom sitting against the tub, she looked like she had slept there the entire night. With concern, Sunset slowly approached the youngest Apple child and knelt beside her.

“Apple Bloom, hey, are you okay?” Sunset asked as she lightly shook the young teen.

Apple Bloom stirred awake; she blinked a few times before realizing that she wasn’t in her room. “What the…” She turned to her right and saw Sunset Shimmer beside her. “Sunset?! What are you doin’ in here?!”

“I was going to ask you the same thing, I came in here and found you sitting up against the tub, are you alright?”

“Ah…” Just then, memories of last night’s events replayed in Apple Bloom’s mind again, the weight of the decision that rested on her shoulders, and the evidence that laid within her cellphone.

It all came rushing back to her, and with it all the anxiety and fear that came with it. Without a word, Apple Bloom scrambled to the toilet and once again found herself praying to the porcelain god. Sunset winced upon hearing the heaving sound she was making, but she quickly pushed down her own queasiness and hurried to Apple Bloom’s side.

The former unicorn took ahold of Apple Bloom’s long red hair, keeping it away from the toilet and her mouth as fourteen-year-old emptied her stomach for the second time. Once she was done, Sunset helped Apple Bloom lie back against the tub again, this time more concerned than ever.

“Apple Bloom, what was all that about?! Are you sick?!” Sunset asked.

Apple Bloom glanced at Sunset, she hated that look on her face. That look of concern and of caring was in such contrast with the image of the girl she had known to be a mean spirited person, who tormented not only the high school kids but even the middle school kids as well.

She knew this girl beside her defeated the Sirens along with her sister and their friends, but how does that undo years’ worth of torment and pain? She helped save the world once, and so now they were supposed to forgive her? Were they supposed to believe that someone like that could mend their ways so quickly?

Right now though, Apple Bloom was too weak from two throw up sessions to care. She just wanted someone to care about her. “Y-Yeah…kinda…”

“I’ll go and grab Applejack and then Granny, you can’t go to school after that,” said Sunset as she readied to head down the stairs.

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened upon hearing her big sister’s name, and with what strength she had, grabbed ahold of Sunset’s sleeve and held it tight as she pleaded, “NO, DON’T!”

Sunset was stunned by how Apple Bloom had said that, and the look in her eyes, it was as if she was afraid. “But, Apple Bloom, if you’re sick–”

“Ah’m fine! I just felt a little queasy is all, just please don’t tell my sis or bro, not even Granny! Please?!”

Sunset didn’t like this, something was clearly wrong with Apple Bloom. “Okay, but first, I need you to let me check something before I agree to that.”

Apple Bloom tensed, her eyes briefly flashing to her cellphone that was still on the floor and then back to Sunset. “W-What?”

“I want to check and see if you have a fever, is that okay?”

Apple Bloom released a small sigh of relief. “Y-Yeah, that’s okay.”

Sunset placed her right hand against Apple Bloom’s forehead, while placing her left hand against her own forehead. So, what do you think, is there anything you can do?

}}} There isn’t anything wrong with her, physically that is. Whatever made her the way she was is most likely psychological in nature. {{{

I see…well…at least that’s somewhat good.

Sunset removed her hands and nodded to Apple Bloom. “Okay, I won’t say a word.” Apple Bloom was about to leave the room but then Sunset called out to her. “AB, wait up!”

Apple Bloom wanted to growl, but her throat hurt. “What?”

Sunset bent down and picked up Apple Bloom’s cellphone. “You forgot this.”

Apple Bloom nearly had a heart attack, how in the world could she leave that behind, especially with what was on it. If Sunset saw it, that was it, game over, not just for her family, but for Anon-A-Miss too.

“Oh, t-thanks,” said Apple Bloom with a nervous tone in her voice.

Sunset let Apple Bloom grip her phone, but she didn’t let it go just yet. “Hey, I know we’re not on the best of terms, and I know you don’t have any reason to trust me. But, I just want you to know, you can talk to me, AB.”

Apple Bloom’s heart stung for some reason. “T-Thanks…” She then took the phone back and headed to her room.

Sunset watched the young teen leave the bathroom, her mind still wondering why she was like that. It continued to bother Sunset all throughout the time she was getting ready. After washing up and getting dressed, everyone began to file out of their rooms, and the moment that Applejack went to pat her little sister on the back, Apple Bloom flinched and backed away as if Applejack was going to stab her.

Apple Bloom played it off and Applejack wasn’t concerned, but Sunset was as the stark realization hit her. Shit…Oh shit…She knows!

The day was miserable as far as Apple Bloom was concerned. She couldn’t concentrate on the lessons her teachers were giving, no, all of that was background noise. How was she supposed to think about something as ridiculous as Algebra, or when in the hell would she need that on the farm? No, there were bigger things to worry about, mainly that her big brother and sister were screwing each other, and the evidence was on her phone.

Depending on your point of view, it didn’t take long before Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo noticed that Apple Bloom was distracted, and looked really gloomy, “Apple Gloom” as Scootaloo joked. Normally that would make Apple Bloom give her a punch to the shoulder, but she didn’t.

During one of their passing periods, Scootaloo asked, “Okay, what the hell is up with you, Bloom?! You’ve been distracted and looking depressed as all hell, and it’s honestly starting to worry me.”

Apple Bloom remained silent.

Sweetie Belle placed her hand on Apple Bloom’s shoulder, trying to offer some comfort. “Apple Bloom we’re your friends, you can tell us anything, we’re here for you.”

“This…” Apple Bloom relented. “This is somethin’ that’s way too bad fer me to tell you girls…”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged concerned looks, that answer did not ease their worries, if anything it just made them worse.

“Did…Did your family find out about us and that?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, not that. Somethin’…worse than that…Somethin’ that that Shadow Gal thinks I should do to bury Sunset.”

The other two girls gulped.

“S-She’s not asking you to…” Scootaloo made a motion with her left index finger, running it across her neck as if slitting her throat.

“No, no, nothin’ like that!”

Thank god, Sweetie and Scootaloo thought at the same time.

“Then what is it? If she’s not asking you to do that, then what is it?” Sweetie asked.

Apple Bloom debated telling them all morning. It wasn’t like she was condoning it or anything, but she wasn’t sure how they’d react. Sweetie Belle only had a big sister, but it was possible she could understand her discomfort with this. Scootaloo…Apple Bloom loved Scootaloo like a sister, just like Sweetie Belle, but sometimes, she could do and say the most perverted things that honestly made her wonder about her moral compass.

She knew for a fact that Scootaloo had a thing for both girl-on-girl porn and brother-on-sister porn, add to the fact that she would on occasion make some comment about how she found Rarity or Applejack hot.

Ah swear, she’s spendin’ too much time around Rainbow Dash, thought Apple Bloom.

Still, despite that, Apple Bloom was certain that even she could sympathize with her trauma. Written word and videos were fiction, this was real life, and this was happening under Apple Bloom’s own roof, surely she could push aside her inner pervert and see how much this upset her, right?

The redhead took a calming breath and was about to speak, but was beaten to the punch.

“Apple Bloom.”

All three girls turned around and froze, standing right behind them was Sunset Shimmer. Their minds went into panic mode then and there.

Scootaloo reacted first as she put herself between Sunset and her friends. The spikey haired girl knew she had a snowball’s chance in hell of protecting her friends from Sunset should she attack them, but she was hoping that she could at the very least serve as a human shield for a few minutes.

“W-What do you want?!” Scootaloo asked with a trembling voice.

“Hey, hey, easy girls,” said Sunset calmly. “I just want to talk to Apple Bloom privately.”

“Like hell you are! I’ve seen this movie before, you get her alone, and you hurt her and leave her for dead or something!” Scootaloo accused.

Sunset’s left eye twitched. “First, what the hell kind of movies are you watching? Second, no, I have no intentions of hurting anyone. I just think that…what I want to talk about is something sensitive enough that it’s best that only we speak about it.”

Apple Bloom was steadily coming to the horrifying realization that maybe Sunset knew what was going on with her, and if she did, then this really wasn’t the place to talk about.

“It’s alright…Ah’ll go with her.” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom as if she grew a second head.

“Are you insane?! This is Sunset Shimmer here?!”

“Wow, standing right here ya know,” Sunset murmured.

“Bloom, you don’t have to do that, we can walk away,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Ah said it’ll be alright! She won’t do anythin’, will ya?” Apple Bloom asked as if daring her.

“I won’t, swear on Faust herself,” said Sunset.

“Faust who?” Apple Bloom asked.

“It’s an Equestria thing…”

Apple Bloom shrugged and began walking with Sunset, much to her friends’ protests. Sunset and Apple Bloom began walking down the hall, heading to a restroom that was seldom used at this hour. Once inside, Sunset turned around and showed Sunset her cellphone, on it the numbers “911” were dialed in.

“Try somethin’ and Ah swear Ah’ll push the call button and run like the wind outta here, understand?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I got it.”

“So…w-what is do ya think Ah know?” Apple Bloom dreaded what the answer was.

“I watched you this morning, you were acting like Applejack was a leper or something, then I found you in the bathroom and you threw up not long after that. I really hope I’m wrong, but…did you see something, Apple Bloom? Something so bad that it’s made you afraid of your sister?”

“N-No, Ah didn’t see anythin’!”

“Ah, so you didn’t see Mac and AJ in bed together?” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as her stomach became queasy again. That was all the confirmation that Sunset needed. “I did too.”

“Wait, ‘too’?! When did you see that?! And they’ve done this before?!” Apple Bloom asked frantically.

“Yes…it was Saturday night…Apple Bloom, you don’t have to be afraid of them, they aren’t bad,” said Sunset.

“Ah don’t know what Ah’m supposed to believe right now! Ah just saw my two older siblin’s doin’ the dirty in our house!…”

Sunset approached Apple Bloom, but the young teen raised her cellphone up as if it was a holy cross to keep Sunset away. The flame haired girl stopped where she was, not wanting to provoke her.

“Apple Bloom, I don’t want to speak for AJ, but you should talk to them, she explained it to me, and while I find it a little weird– ”

Apple Bloom glared at Sunset. “A little weird?! There ain’t nothin’ ‘little’ about this! This is my own brother and sister! They’re…They’re screwin’ each other! How long will it be before they ask ME to do things like that?!’

Sunset narrowed her brow at that accusation. “They would never do that Apple Bloom, they love you too much to do something like! If there’s anything you can believe, believe in that! If you didn’t, then you would’ve said something already!”

Apple Bloom felt like she was being torn apart from the inside out. The moral obligation was to tell an adult, to tell her grandmother about what her siblings were doing, and maybe get them some help to stop. But the other part of her, the part that still loved them, was telling her not to, because there was a good chance that her family would be broken apart, Mac and Applejack might get sent to jail, even Apple Bloom knew that what they were doing was illegal, even if they were eighteen and legally adults.

Then…there was the darker side, the side of her that disliked the girl before her, the girl who was trying to defend her big brother and sister’s actions, she looked upon her with eyes that were kind, and yet she had no idea what Apple Bloom, her friends, and their shadow, were doing to her behind her back. Guilt was rising, and now Apple Bloom had no idea what to believe.

Sunset could sense the turmoil in Apple Bloom, and unfortunately, with how skittish she was around her, anything Sunset said wouldn’t be enough to convince Apple Bloom of anything. “Look, all I can tell you to do is think calmly and rationally. And I urge you to just talk to Applejack about this before you do or say anything.”

Apple Bloom just stood there as she began to walk away, but the redhead then said, “Wait.” Sunset halted. “You’ve known sense Saturday…and ya haven’t said a thing…why?”

Sunset balled her fist, but answered anyway. “Because…AJ’s my friend. All I have here, are the girls, and Principal Celestia. They’re my family now…I’ll help my family, and I want to believe in my family.”

Apple Bloom was glad that her back was to Sunset, because she didn’t want to let her see how much those words stung her in the heart. Sunset continued walking until she left the girl’s room. When she did, Sunset noticed that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were hiding – poorly – just around the corner.

“You guys might want to go in there, Apple Bloom needs you,” said Sunset.

Before either of the girls could ask why, Sunset walked down the opposite way and disappeared around the corner. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo rushed into the bathroom and saw that Apple Bloom was sitting on the floor, tears in her eyes as she cried silently.

“Apple Bloom, what’s wrong, what did she do?!” Scootaloo asked.

“She didn’t do nothin’…”

“Bullshit! You’re crying!” Scootaloo stated.

“It’s somethin’ else, Ah promise it wasn’t her…”

Sweetie Belle put her hand on Scootaloo’s shoulder and gave her a look that said to not push it any further. The curly haired girl sat beside Apple Bloom and wrapped her arm around her in a half hug. Apple Bloom leaned into that hug and continued to cry. Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head and then sat down on Apple Bloom’s left, putting her arm over her shoulders.

Apple Bloom was starting to understand what she meant by friends as family, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were like sisters to her, even now, they were sitting with her in this restroom, comforting her. Still, this didn’t ease the turmoil in her heart, Apple Bloom still had a decision to make.

The day dragged on as per usual, but something did occur which gave some pause to that. Principal Celestia called in Granny Smith to her office, and when the elderly lady arrived, she found that she wasn’t alone. Standing next to Celestia’s desk was a woman in a business suit, she had a clipboard with her and a no-nonsense look on her face.

“What can Ah do ya fer, Principal Celestia?” Granny asked.

“Mrs. Smith, I think you should sit down,” said Celestia.

Granny cocked an eyebrow, but did as Celestia instructed. Once seated, the other woman came around and said, “My name is Gerta, if you need to know, I was once a resident of Griffonstone.”

“My condolences,” Granny muttered. “To what do Ah owe the pleasure of this meetin’?”

“Ms. Gerta is a…well…she’s from Child Protective Services,” said Celestia.

The moment that Granny Smith heard that name, her eyes narrowed into slits. “That so, and why in the world would ya need to talk to me of all people.”

“We’ve received an anonymous tip that two of your grandchildren have been engaged in explicit sexual activities,” said Gerta.

Granny Smith crossed her arms. “Don’t see how that’s a problem. Mac and Applejack are both eighteen and consintin’ adults, so long as they ain’t doin’ somethin’ too wild and isn’t illegal, can’t much blame them for bein’ like that. Though Ah am a bit miffed that they didn’t say nothin’ to me.”

Gerta adjusted her glasses and said, “If it was something like that, I wouldn’t be here, Mrs. Smith. No, the tip we received was that your two eldest, Macintosh Apple and Applejack Apple, are engaging in sexual acts, with each other.”

The vein on Granny’s forehead was prominent as she stood up quickly and glared angrily at Gerta. “What in the name of all that’s holy are ya talkin’ about?! What kinda sick shit – pardon meh Prench – is that?!”

“Like I said, Mrs. Smith, it was an anonymous tip. We must take such things seriously, especially when there’s risk to a younger member of your family,” said Gerta.

Granny eyed the Social Worker. “Oh please, ya’ll been lookin’ fer any excuse to take my grandbabies away. Ah’m all they have, and they’re all they have! Ah’ve done everythin’ Ah can to make sure that they grow up healthy, strong, and smart enough to get by in this world! So that way when Ah am gone, they’ll still keep goin’! But Ah ain’t plannin’ on kickin’ the bucket anytime soon either!”

“I assure you, Mrs. Smith, no one at CPS is actively trying to take your children away. We only seek what is best for the children, that is all. As such, I would like to interview them, all three, to determine if this is true or not.”

“Absolutely not!” Granny stated.

Celestia stood up and walked towards Granny Smith. “Mrs. Smith, I know it’s frustrating, but I think it best to cooperate. It will only look as if you have something to hide and they might follow up on it later one way or another. An interview now will at least assuage their suspicions.”

Granny didn’t like giving them that kind of power over them. This wasn’t the first time they tried to take them away, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. However, she admitted that Celestia had a point, better to get it over with now and avoid the headache of them coming to see them on their farm.

“Fine then, do what ya want,” said Granny Smith.

Gerta nodded. “Thank you, Mrs. Smith.”

“We’re fucked!” Applejack exclaimed as she paced the music room.

Sunset stood at the door, her back leaning against it as she watched her country friend have a panic attack. For some reason, a CPS Social Worker was here in the school to talk to Applejack and Big Mac, Sunset had a gut wrenching feeling she knew what it was regarding, and somehow Applejack had the same kind of feeling she did. With what just happened this weekend, it wasn’t a stretch to think that that was the reason.

Currently, Big Mac was being interviewed by the Social Worker, Gerta, which left Sunset and Applejack alone to talk. Sunset hoped it wasn’t Apple Bloom who said something to them, not after the talk they had, for what her word was worth to her, she had hoped that Apple Bloom would’ve talked to her siblings first before going this far.

But why would she? As messed up as this situation is, she wouldn’t want her family destroyed…right?

}}} I’ve seen many things, Sunset. And unfortunately, I’ve seen the depths to which humans will go to hurt another, or to self-destruct. {{{

Not really instilling me with a whole lot of confidence.

}}} All I am saying is that you should prepare for the worst. {{{

“I’d rather hold out hope…”

“What was that?” Applejack asked.

“Oh, uh, nothing! But, seriously, relax AJ. They’re probably not here for…that. It’s probably something else,” said Sunset.

Applejack sat on the steps to the conductor’s podium and sighed heavily. “Ah know, Ah know…but with all that’s happened this weekend, meh brain’s just a little frazzled right now.”

*knock, knock*

“GAH!” Applejack yelped as she jumped a little.

Frazzled is an understatement right now. “I’ll get it.”

Sunset walked to the door and opened it, on the other side was someone she both was expecting and at the same time not expecting.

“Is…Is, Sis, in there?” Apple Bloom asked.

“She is, did you say anything to anyone?”

“N-No! Ah swear on my parents’ graves!”

Sunset studied the youngest Apple, but in the end decided to trust that she was telling the truth. The former unicorn opened the door and let Apple Bloom inside. Once she was, Apple Bloom stood in the middle of the room a good distance from her big sister and said, “Hey, Sis.”

Applejack put on a sad smile. “Hey, Sugarcube.” When Applejack got up to walk over and give her a hug, Apple Bloom reflexively took a step back, which made Applejack look at her with concern. “Bloom, what’s wrong?”

Apple Bloom rubbed her arm as she turned her gaze away from Applejack. “Why are ya doin’ that with our brother?”

Applejack’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. “W-What do ya mean?”

“Don’t lie to me right now!” Apple Bloom accused as she glared at Applejack “Ah know what you and Big Mac are doin’ at night! Ah…A-Ah saw you two in bed together last night! You two were havin’ sex!”

Applejack stumbled, as if someone had just given her a punch across the face, several times did Applejack try to speak, but each word died in her throat before it was given the chance to leave her lips.

“Just tell me… ‘cause Ah don’t know what to think about you two…!” Apple Bloom began to cry. “Ah still love you two…despite knowin’ what Ah know, Ah can’t bring myself to hate you two! Please…”

Applejack looked to Sunset, the flame haired girl sighed, but gave her a nod, silently telling her that it was time to tell the truth. Applejack sat back down on the steps and looked up at Apple Bloom. With little recourse, Applejack told her everything, when they started their little activities, and the reasons behind it. She assured Apple Bloom throughout the explanation that they weren’t in love with each other, this wasn’t about being romantic.

Apple Bloom had sat down, listening carefully to her sister’s words, the whole time this was happening, Sunset was watching her expressions. Although Apple Bloom was trying to maintain a neutral one, she couldn’t help let slip a few faces here and there.

When it was done, Applejack looked exhausted. “That’s it…Ah swear to ya, Bloom, we never meant to hurt ya. We certainly never meant fer ya to see us like that. If you never want to speak to us again, Mac and Ah’ll understand.”

Sunset a few tense seconds passed as she watched Apple Bloom and Applejack. The young Apple girl stood up and walked towards her big sister. Applejack didn’t dare look up at her, afraid of what she might see in her little sister’s eyes. But then, she found herself getting tightly embraced by Apple Bloom.

“B-Bloom…?”

“Ah’m sorry…Ah’m sorry Ah ever thought you’d hurt me! Ah didn’t know what to think…but…Ah’m just sorry!” Apple Bloom cried.

Applejack, now snapping back to her senses, smiled and cried too, hugging her little sister just as tightly as Apple Bloom was. Sunset felt a weight lift from the room, perhaps, hopefully, this will just be something they can work through.

The rest of the afternoon went on without much trouble. Gerta didn’t manage to see through the two siblings, not even when she questioned Apple Bloom. So, for now, the crisis was averted. All three siblings took some time to speak privately in one of the music rooms to clear the air with Big Mac, and once all that was done, a lot of hugs were had all around.

Sunset was currently walking down the hallway with Pinkie Pie at her side. The pink party planner couldn’t help but notice that her friend had a nice smile going on right now.

“Something good happen, Sunset?” Pinkie asked.

“Something like that, I got to see a touching family moment,” said Sunset.

“Oooh, that’s really nice! How was working at Applejack’s farm?”

Sunset chuckled nervously as she scratched at her chin. “Well it was…tiring, and kind of fun. At least I didn’t have to hear Rainbow Dash make any horse sex jokes.”

Pinkie Pie blushed when she remembered those jokes, but then got a devious look on her face. “Sunset, you didn’t try and seduce any mares while you were there, did you?”

“No, Pinkie, I did not try to ‘seduce’, any of the mares in Applejack’s stable,” said Sunset with a deadpan expression.

“Well that’s good, I’d have been very disappointed in you Sunset! You can’t just go dating any random mare you meet, especially if she’s not into you,” said Pinkie Pie with a straight face.

Just then, Sunset had her own devious look. She brushed her shoulder against Pinkie Pie’s and gave her a smoldering look. “Oh, then does that mean this mare next to me is up for some seducing?”

Pinkie Pie began to stammer for a moment, but then put her hands on her hips as she said back, “If you want this, you gotta put a ring on it.”

“Shoot, I’m broke.”

Both girls began to laugh at their little back and forth as they exited the school. Across the way she could see Apple Bloom talking with her friends, she didn’t see Applejack yet, which meant she was probably getting the truck and bringing it around. As they walked, the sound of tires squealing echoed around them. The students paused, hearing the same noise. Down the street a white van was hurtling towards the school.

The van paid no mind as it jumped the sidewalk, making many of the students jump out of the way to avoid getting run over. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were among those that did, unfortunately, the van came to a halt right before them. The side door slid open as a man clad in black jumped out and grabbed Apple Bloom by the arm. The farm girl yelped from how hard the man grabbed her, she tried to fight back, but he was pulling her quickly.

Scootaloo’s mind finally kicked in as the situation hit her. The spikey haired girl threw caution to the wind and rushed towards the man, aiming a punch straight for the only part of him she knew would make this guy let Apple Bloom go. However, the kidnapper saw it coming and swiftly backhanded Scootaloo, sending the fourteen-year-old flying onto her back.

“SCOOTS!” Apple Bloom shouted.

The man had had enough with the stalling and just hoisted up Apple Bloom and tossed her like a ragdoll into the van. Sunset narrowed her gaze, dropped her backpack and books and dashed straight for the van.

The man in black saw Sunset running towards them and hurriedly jumped into the van, shutting the door. Once inside, the van’s tires dug into the dirt and grass, tearing it up as they took off towards the road.

Sunset stopped next to Sweetie Belle for a moment and yelled, “CALL THE POLICE!” After that, she ran in the direction of the van.

The Witchblade bracelet’s ruby jewel glowed as it imbued Sunset with more strength and stamina, allowing her to run faster. The van was still in her sights, but it’s speed was reduced slightly, thinking that they had no one tailing them. They were wrong.

}}} You won’t be able to catch up to them, at least in this form. {{{

Sunset looked around, she was not going to get naked out in the middle of a neighborhood, especially during the day. Sunset looked around and headed down and adjacent alley, once she was down there and free from prying eyes, she focused all the strength into her legs as she jumped straight into the air, clearing several feet and appearing as a speck in the sky.

“Okay, now!”

Heat rose in Sunset’s body, exciting her, and sharpening her senses. The ruby jewel on the bracelet shined brighter as the metal strands of the Witchblade shot out, expanded, and multiplied as it shredded through all of Sunset’s clothes, replacing it with its mystical, revealing armor. Once fully clad, Sunset willed the armor to create her wings. The bat wings flared from her back as she shot back down towards the ground.

The white van was in range, and with the precision of a diving bird of prey, Sunset landed hard atop the van, causing it to swerve on the road. Sunset willed a chainsaw blade to extend from her right forearm, once it was out, the blades spun at a rapid pace. Cocking back her right fist, Sunset thrust the blade forward, cutting into the roof of the van as sparks flew off.

Sunset worked her claws under the lip of the makeshift hatch she created and ripped it straight up, peeling it like a can of sardines. Inside she could see Apple Bloom tied up, her wrists and ankles bound. From what she was able to see, Apple Bloom didn’t look like she was harmed, physically anyway.

“I’ll say this once! Pull over and let the girl go! Either that or I’ll come in there and rip off your heads!” Sunset made her fingers turn into bigger bladed claws for intimidation. “What’s it going to be?!”

The man in the back looked to the driver, the driver then nodded back to the man behind him. As if given the green light for something, the man stood in front of Apple Bloom, placing himself between Sunset and Apple Bloom.

}}} BE ON GUARD! {{{

The man was suddenly enveloped in a silver aura, the man’s clothes ripped apart as the aura overtook him. Sunset had to close her eyes for a second, but in that second, she found herself getting struck by something blunt that sent her into the air. Sunset flared her wings to stop her momentum, she shook her head free from the daze and glared at the new opponent before her eyes.

The creature before her was bulky, his body made of some sort of rough, metallic, exoskeletal armor. The color was dark bronzy gold color, with the few gaps in its armor, she could see its muscly arms, legs, and neck. The creature’s head had two large, curved horns, and rows of sharpened teeth. On each of the creature’s forearms were rounded shields that were attached to its armor and bore strange writing along the edges.

“Wendigos?! What the hell’s going on here?!” Sunset forged a large claymore sword in her right hand and flew straight down towards the demon possessed human. She raised up the long sword and brought it down in an overhead strike. The demon raised his right arm up, bearing the shield. The blade struck against it, managing to block the blade from piercing through. “Answer me! What do you want with the girl!?”

The shield wielder said no words, he only took a step forward and pushed back against Sunset, making her have to fly back to avoid getting thrown into something. The shield wielder was stronger than he looked, and was able to fight on top of the van with ease. The van took a sharp turn into an empty lot, screeching to a halt.

The Shielder jumped off the van and banged its shields together, challenging Witchblade. Sunset glared at the monster and landed on the ground a couple of feet away. Sunset concentrated, recalling a few of those anime that Rainbow Dash got her into. She started forming a mental image of the sword she wanted, and into her hand, the Witchblade did form this weapon. When it was finished, Sunset let the blade slam down onto the ground with a great “THUD”.

The blade was at least seven feet long, and three feet wide. The sword itself was double edged, and along the middle of the blade were three jewels, one yellow, another red, and the last blue. To anyone else, such a weapon would be impossible to wield, but for Sunset, it was lighter than air.

The Shielder looked a little nervous, but quickly shook it off and once again banged its shields together in challenge. Sunset grasped the sword hilt in both hands and dashed towards the monster. Shielder raised both arms as it dug its heels into the dirt just as the sword struck against the two shields. A loud “CLANG” reverberated in the air upon impact, the force that it generated made both combatants skid to opposite sides.

Sunset saw that Shielder was further from the van and took this opportunity to take back Apple Bloom. She used her right hand to rip the door off the side of the van. Apple Bloom looked upon Sunset, or rather, Witchblade, with shock. She had seen the video of this woman killing demons like the one that was outside. Despite the danger she was in, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but blush at just how revealing her armor was up close.

“Kid, don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here!” Sunset then looked to the driver and aimed her left hand at him. The armor around her knuckles began to form spikes that had detached slightly, showing that they were ready to launch. “First you –!”

Sunset was then tackled by Shielder and thrown across the dirt. With that distraction taken care of, the second kidnapper unbuckled his seatbelt and went to the back. Apple Bloom’s eyes widened when the man knelt next to her, he then reached out towards her, and she feared the worst was to come. She flinched when he reached into her pocket, Apple Bloom shut her eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable to happen, but…strangely, it didn’t. The man pulled his hand out of her pocket and took out her cellphone.

“H-Hey, what are ya goin’ to do with that?!” she asked.

The man said nothing as he went back to the driver’s seat. Back outside, Sunset was striking repeatedly, wailing on the defending demon. His thick armor was hard to cut through, but Sunset wasn’t about to let them get away, she had kept an eye on the van the whole time, and so far she hadn’t seen any signs that the second kidnapper had moved Apple Bloom.

“Why!”

*CLANG!*

“Won’t!”

*CLANG!*

“You!”

*CLANG!*

“GO DOWN!”

Sunset backed up and dismissed her giant sword. Both of her hands flared up with infernal fire, Sunset brought them together, and thrust her hands forward. A torrent of flames roared towards Shielder, striking the demon’s shields as he held his ground. Just then, Sunset watched as a silver flash went off inside the van, making Sunset worry as to what was happening.

The second abductor came walking out of the van, only this time he was in a demonic form as well. His body was slender, his exoskeletal armor was much more smoothed out and polished than the rugged version of his partner. His forearms from the elbow down were four-foot-long blades, and his legs from the knee down were similarly length blades. How the creature kept its balance, Sunset had no idea.

The creature didn’t show teeth, but had a smooth, angular mask. The exposed sections were white in color and showed more lean muscle in comparison to his partner. In the crook of its left arm was Apple Bloom.

Sunset ceased her attack and waited to see what he would do. The Shielder shook off her flames, he looked like he was in a bit of pain, but if it was worse he didn’t let on. The Shielder nodded to the Blader and then he tossed Apple Bloom straight up into the air.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

“NO!!!” Sunset shouted.

She forgot about the two demons and shot up straight for Apple Bloom as she flared her wings. Thankfully she was able to catch her in midair, however, after she did, an explosion went off down below. When the two girls looked down, they spotted the van, which was now burning and the demons were nowhere to be found.

“Dammit, they got away,” said Sunset. She then turned her attention to Apple Bloom and asked, “Are you alright?”

Apple Bloom blushed, more out of embarrassment of being held bridal style by a strange girl in revealing armor. “A-A-Ah’m alright, aside from tyin’ me up, they didn’t do anythin’ to me.”

Sunset sighed in relief.

Apple Bloom began to squirm in her grasp and asked, “If ain’t too much trouble, could ya, maybe, let me go…you’re kinda naked-ish.”

The flaming redhead blushed and then cleared her throat. “S-Sorry, but I need to get you back to your family. Could you…put up with this for a little longer?”

“Y-Yeah, Ah can.”

Sunset gave a flap of her wings, propelling her through the skies at incredible speeds. It didn’t take long before Sunset found herself above CHS. Inside her mind she was grappling with the idea of dropping down and letting the students get an up close look at her body in the armor, but she needed to get Apple Bloom back to Applejack.

Time to bite the bullet.

The warrior woman descended from the sky, and of course, it caused a spectacle as several students were already whipping out their cameras and taking pictures of her. Thankfully, Rarity was among the people she saw down there and her face was just as red as hers, feeling the embarrassment vicariously. Applejack and Big Mac broke through the crowd and were now at the head of it.

Seeing this, Sunset descended further and touched down on the lawn of the school. She released Apple Bloom, upon which the youngest Apple ran into the waiting arms of her siblings. Sunset couldn’t help but smile, happy that she was able to save Apple Bloom. Although, it did make her wonder why two Wendigo possessed people went and kidnapped her like that?

Not only that, but they let her go and torched the van…

“Hey, you’re Witchblade!” a raspy voice called out.

Oh shit…

Approaching from her right was Rainbow Dash, she was starry eyed upon meeting the hero, and if Sunset didn’t know any better, probably crushing on her.

“Hey, I just wanted to say thank you!” Rainbow Dash realized she sounded like a fangirl for a sec before straightening up and adding. “Y-You know, for saving me and Lightning.”

Sunset chuckled nervously and said, “N-No problem, it’s what I do…heh, heh…”

Amazingly, Pinkie Pie broke through the crowd as well and managed to get beside Rainbow Dash. The pink curly haired girl bounced in place as she said, “Wow, it’s you! You’re the one who saved me and Sunset from the creep! I never got the chance to thank you, but since you were in the middle of fighting, and making your mysterious exit, I guess it wasn’t the best time to tell but now you’re here so I thought I’d go ahead and say thank you! Again!”

Sunset blinked, leave it to Pinkie Pie to vomit out words like that, nonetheless, Sunset smiled. “You’re welcome, both of you. Now I need to get going, bye!”

With that, Sunset jumped into the air and took off at supersonic speeds, while everybody was looking in the direction Sunset flew in, Rarity was busy, yet discreetly, looking around to see if Sunset was going to double back. And just as she thought, she did. Rarity spotted Sunset flying around the backside of the school while everyone was distracted looking where she went. Not long after that, Rarity received a phone call. With a knowing smirk she picked up the phone.

“Hello, Sunset, I take it you’re in need of a wardrobe change?”

{“Wardrobe change”, try a whole new one!}

“I figured as much, fortunately, I made it a point to have extra clothing packed in my car’s trunk and in my locker, along with some tennis shoes. I don’t normally like to buy cheap ones, but given how many you go through, quantity over quality.”

{You are a life saver, I swear I’ll repay you for this.}

Rarity looked at the three Apples, now reunited and happy. “Believe me, Sunset, what you’re doing, is more than payment enough.”

Case File 4-4 (Midas): Ultimatum

The kidnapping was foiled and Sunset was able to get dressed, thankfully everyone was too preoccupied with the blatant kidnapping in front of a public school to notice that Sunset had changed her outfit. A lot of the students, however, did watch her go after the van that kidnapped Apple Bloom. Some questioned why she did that, but others, say the Apples, were grateful for Sunset trying to chase after them.

The police came, and with them, so did Shining Armor. At this point, the young detective thought it best to respond to anything having to do with CHS. Once they were on the scene, Shining Armor made it a point to question her alone, just in case there was some sensitive information.

“I’d like to think that this was a simple kidnapping, but with you I doubt it,” said Shining Armor.

“Ouch, sounds like you think I’m a magnet for weird shit,” Sunset commented with a smirk.

Shining Armor shrugged. “If the skimpy armor fits.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and then sighed. “Well, you’d think right. The two who kidnapped Apple Bloom were people possessed by Wendigos.”

Shining’s brow furrowed. “What did they do to her?”

“That’s the weird part, she said they didn’t do anything to her. Not that I’m ungrateful, but it’s weird. While I was fighting one of them, the other walked out of the van and tossed her into the air. They knew I’d go straight for her and used that time to get away…” Sunset cupped her chin as she started to think it over more. “Then they torched the van.”

“Was it likely that they were targeting you? Or rather, targeting Witchblade?”

Sunset thought about it, and the more she did, the less she was convinced that that was what they were after. If they just wanted to face her, there were many different ways to get her attention. It wasn’t as if they knew she sent to Canterlot High School, the odds of finding her here were one in a million. Plus, they had no guarantee that she’d care enough to go after a kidnapped random middle school kid.

“No, if fighting me was all they wanted, they would’ve kept fighting me, not run away. I think Apple Bloom was their target, for what purpose though, I don’ t know,” said Sunset.

“Well, whatever is was, you saved her from a fate that was probably worse than death. I’ll interview her and see if she recalls anything. On that note though, good job out there, kid,” said Shining as he gave her a light punch in the arm.

Sunset smiled and gave him a punch back, after that, Shining Armor walked away and to where the Apples were.

}}} Something is not right about this situation. {{{

I know. First some social worker comes around and suspects Applejack and Big Mac of committing incest. Which they are but that’s beside the point. Now Apple Bloom gets kidnapped and the ones who did were Wendigo possessed. I don’t like this, feels like we’re being set up for something.

}}} Trust in those instincts, and be on guard. {{{

After Shining Armor was finished talking to Sunset, Pinkie Pie rushed to Sunset and looked her over. “Are you okay?! Did those guys hurt you?! Are you bleeding?! Are you –?!”

“Pinkie!” Sunset gently interrupted. “I’m fine, a little tired from running after that van, but alright.”

Pinkie Pie quickly hugged Sunset tight, an action that didn’t normally surprise her, but this one did, because she was shaking. “Oh thank god, I-I didn’t know if you were coming back! After what happened last time I was…was…”

Sunset understood what she meant; Pinkie was afraid that she was going to die. The trauma of the night must’ve scarred her, making her afraid that Sunset was going to be taken from her again, and after almost getting choked to death by Lightning Dust, she couldn’t blame her for feeling scared for her. Sunset hugged her pink friend back and rubbed her back with calm and soothing motions.

“It’s alright, Pinkie, I’m not going anywhere,” Sunset assured.

“Please don’t do that again, when I saw you running after them, I thought I’d never s-see you again!”

“I couldn’t just let them take Apple Bloom, not without doing everything that I could to try and stop them.” Sunset parted from Pinkie Pie and looked into her eyes. “But I’m sorry that I worried you.”

Pinkie Pie smiled and said, “I know…and I know that it’s just who you are. I always had a feeling that you were like a superhero deep down. Once you got past all that mean stuff you were carrying around with you, I knew you’d be the kind of person who’d rush in to help someone without even thinking.”

Sunset blushed upon hearing this. “Y-You think I’m that kind of person…? I don’t know about that…”

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. “Please, Sunny, you just ooze bad girl superhero.”

}}} ………The pink one is scarily perceptive. {{{

Oooooh yeah.

The following day the police were still looking into Apple Bloom’s kidnapping and her kidnappers. Until they were found, Applejack and Big Mac were assigned escort duty whenever Apple Bloom was outside of school, even Sunset was brought into it. Apple Bloom had made the argument that she didn’t need someone looking over her, especially Sunset Shimmer, but Granny Smith put her foot down and that was that.

Sunset was helping out, yet again, at the farm after school. Although, today would not see much work done. When the Apple Family and Sunset arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, they were annoyed to find out that they had visitors waiting for them.

Big Mac parked near the garage of their house, and all five occupants exited the truck with scowls. When they did, the car that was there opened its doors and out popped Flim and Flam.

“Hello, and salutations Apple Family, and girl whose name I don’t know,” said Flim.

“What the hell are you two swindlers doin’ on my property?! At this point, yer trespassin’ and Ah have the right to shoot ya, ya know!” Granny Smith stated.

Flam raised his hands and said, “Now, now, Granny, there’s no need to get violent. We’ve merely come with a proposition.”

“Another one, you two are more stubborn than a couple of mules,” said Applejack.

“Yep,” added Big Mac.

“Whatever it is, all Ah can say is yer better off shovein’ it where the sun don’t shine,” said Granny Smith.

Flim and Flam both had devious looks on their faces. Sunset knew that look, she had the exact same face whenever she had the upper hand in something, either knowing something the other person didn’t, or when she was about to make a power play of some sort.

Sunset put herself between the Apple Family and the FlimFlam brothers and said, “I know that look, what do you know?!”

The twin brothers looked upon Sunset with intrigue, while the Apple Family looked at Sunset with confusion.

“Seems that aggressive girl has some street smarts, dear brother of mine,” said Flam.

“Indeed,” said Flim. “For she is correct, we have with us some pretty damning evidence that your family is engaging in some illicit activities, to be more precise, those two over there.”

Flim pointed directly at Mac and Applejack. The two oldest siblings froze in place, their blood turning to ice. There was no possible way that these two knew about what they were doing, right? They’ve never done anything at school, or anywhere in public. Their activities were restricted to the safety and privacy of their farm, away from prying eyes, where the only people they had to worry about were Granny and Apple Bloom, and both were easy enough to dodge after years of knowing their routines.

Sunset didn’t like this, she could see in their eyes, they weren’t bluffing, but how did they know?

“Hogwash, ya can’t bribe us, now yer resortin’ to slanderin’ us? That’s it, Ah’m gettin’ meh rifle,” said Granny as she began to walk towards their house.

Just then, the sounds of two people having sex filled the air. Everyone paused, as if time had frozen still, the sound of Sunset, Big Mac, Applejack, and Apple Bloom’s heartbeats echoed unnaturally loud in their ears alongside the familiar sounds. Their eyes all fell onto Flim’s cellphone, which was currently playing a video of the two oldest Apple siblings having sex. Granny Smith didn’t bother to turn around, she merely just stood there at her stoop.

Applejack began to visibly shake, legs turning to jelly and threatening to let her collapse onto the cold ground. But Big Mac managed to grab ahold of her, preventing that from happening, although, he was just as shell-shocked as Applejack was. Apple Bloom had her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with realization, that video on Flim and Flam’s phone, it was hers, even from where she was standing, she could see that it was shot at night, and the angle of which the camera was being held was the same height and angle that was on hers. It wasn’t like she could forget something like that.

“My, my, my, this is truly not a good look for you. A brother and a sister both willingly engaging in sex, oh the immorality of it all,” said Flim.

“As siblings ourselves, we find it greatly appalling, disgusting, just downright wrong! How could anyone allow something like to occur under any roof is beyond me,” said Flam.

“Shut that off, now!” Granny ordered.

Flim turned off the video, he then eyed Sunset, who looked about ready to rush the two men. Flim raised his index finger and wagged it back and forth. “Now don’t go and get any bright ideas, little missy. This isn’t our only copy, you didn’t think that it’d be that easy did you?”

Sunset growled and gritted her teeth, the former Equestrian gave a quick, angry snort, a habit of her pony life long ago.

“What do ya want?” Granny asked.

Flim and Flam approached her and spoke in unison, “It’s very simple, Granny Smith. Simply sell your property to us, all the land, all the rights, and this video and all its copies will never see the light of day. Unless of course you wish for us to bring it to the local authorities? We’re sure CPS will have more than a few words for you.”

Granny Smith’s eyes widened and then they narrowed into dangerous slits. “It was you two! You called that Social Worker to the school yesterday and had her question my grandchildren!”

The twin brothers feigned innocence, appearing insulted that she would accuse them of that.

“Perish the thought, Granny,” said Flim.

“We have no idea why they would come to see you that day,” said Flam.

“But given what we have here, we can’t exactly blame them,” they said together.

Granny Smith looked as if she was about to break their necks and bury them so deep in the orchard it would take a search team years to find their bodies. Although, right now, Granny was seriously considering killing these two con men, but that also presented its own set of problems for her family.

“We know this is a big decision for you, Granny,” said Flam.

“We’ll give you until the end of the week to make up your minds. If we don’t hear anything by then, we’ll have no choice but to take drastic measures,” said Flim.

Granny Smith only nodded. The two brothers glanced back to the children, The Apple kids were still in states of shock, and Sunset still looked ready to throw down with the twins, like an attack dog that was just waiting to be let off their leash. With that, Flim and Flam entered their car and took off down the road, leaving the farm and the Apples with the biggest decision of their lives.

Nothing was said as the snow fell from the sky, the kids were frozen in place. Sunset was the only one who dared to look in Granny Smith’s direction, but she couldn’t get a read on her. Years had honed the elderly woman’s poker face, wearing a mask of neutrality as she just gazed ahead into the distance, not saying a word.

Sunset knew that Applejack and Mac weren’t going to speak, and Apple Bloom still looked too stunned to do any kind of talking. “Granny Smith, I don’t know what’s going through your mind, but–!”

“Ah take it you knew?” Granny interrupted. She then turned her gaze upon Sunset. “Am Ah right in assumin’ ya did? ‘Cause ya don’t look like you’re bothered too much by what ya saw, much like my two grandchildren, ya look shocked that they knew.”

Sunset knew she couldn’t lie her way out of this one, and in any case, what would be the point? “I did…know, I mean.”

“How long?”

“I…just found out a few days ago…” Sunset answered.

Granny nodded her head slowly. “Ah see.” Her eyes then fell on her two oldest grandchildren, and they could feel the weight of that gaze. “Ah need to speak with you two inside.”

Mac and Applejack flinched, but nodded.

“Sunset, Bloom, Ah want ya to wait upstairs in yer rooms. When Ah’m done, AJ, yer gonna drive Sunset back home,” said Granny.

“Granny, wait, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, but just let them explain!” Sunset pleaded.

Granny Smith held up her hand as if to stop her from going on. “This isn’t because of you not tellin’ me. With what’s goin’ on, it’s best that ya don’t get caught up in it. Ya already have enough troubles at school, if people found out that you were here when all this went down, kids at school might think yer responsible. Ah’ll still pay ya fer the week, don’t you worry. Now, all ya, come on in.”

The walk inside was like a death march.

Granny sat in her rocking chair, while Applejack and Big Mac sat on the couch across from her. Both siblings left a gap between each other, although, right now, the only thing that they wanted was to comfort each other. The silence was deafening, neither of the two Apple children could decide which was worse, Granny Smith yelling at them or this long silence.

After what felt like an eternity, Granny Smith released a heavy sigh. “Ah knew Ah shoulda nipped this in the bud awhile back.”

Applejack and Big Mac looked at Granny with wide eyes.

“Granny, you knew?!” Big Mac asked.

“Of course, Ah did! Ah’m old, but Ah ain’t senile, or dumb. Not much happens on this farm without me knowin’, and Ah knew about what you two were doin’,” said Granny.

Applejack ran her right hand through her hair as she asked, “Then…Then why didn’t ya stop us?! If ya knew what we were doin’ that, then why didn’t you?!”

Granny Smith kept rocking as she looked at the fireplace. “To tell ya the truth, Ah figured it was on account of all the stress you two are under.” Applejack and Big Mac’s eyes widened, and Granny knew she hit the bull’s-eye. “Helpin’ me run this farm, havin’ to grow up before yer time. Ya don’t get that many chances to just be teenagers, to be kids. Plus, leavin’ all the way out here don’t exactly help matters.”

“Granny, we don’t blame you fer that!’ Applejack stated.

“She’s right, we love bein’ here with you!” Big Mac added.

Granny smiled. “Ah know ya do, but ya also can’t say that life here’s been easy. The only people here who know how much is on yer shoulders is each other, ya took solace and comfort in that, it made ya grow closer. And then…ya decided to find relief in each other. Now don’t get me wrong, if you two weren’t bein’ as careful as ya have been when doin’ yer deeds, Ah’d ‘ve smacked ya both with the biggest apple tree branch Ah could find!”

The two siblings gulped. That was not an empty threat, they knew very well that Granny Smith would do just that.

Applejack looked down at the floor in shame, gripping her pants as tears streamed down her face. “Ah’m sorry, Granny…we’ve…we’ve messed up real bad…we’ve disgraced the farm, our family…Ma and Pa…”

Big Mac fidgeted in place, he wanted to go to Applejack and comfort her, but was afraid of inciting his grandmother’s anger.

“Go on, Big Mac. Ain’t no shame in comfortin’ yer kin,” said Granny.

Big Mac nodded and brought Applejack in his arms, she cried into his broad chest, letting it all out. The brawny teen wanted to cry too, but right now one of them needed to be strong, because what was coming next was going to be bad, he could feel it. But this did beg the question…

“Granny, why don’t ya look angry at us?” Mac asked.

A sad smile formed on her lips. “Be dang hypocritical ‘o me to pass judgement on you two.”

Applejack stopped crying and looked at Granny Smith, her eyes wide once again upon hearing her grandmother’s words. “Granny…are you…are ya sayin’ you’ve…?”

“Not with one ‘o my brothers, but one of our cousins, yes.” Granny Smith’s expression changed to one of remembrance, to days long past but were still filled with fond memories. “My cousin, Apple Rose and Ah were thick as thieves, we were each other’s favorite cousin. No matter what, ya could never tear us apart. We’d get in and out of trouble so fast it’d make yer head spin. Course, that closeness came with some unforeseen developments.”

Granny looked back at her grandchildren. “Now, mind you, back then, people weren’t as acceptin’ of girls bein’ with other girls, or fer girls who liked both. We were young, tryin’ to understand ourselves, findin’ out that we found ourselves starin’ at girls as much as we were starin’ at boys. So, we came to the smart conclusion that we should just have a roll in the hay and see what we thought. Needless to say, we like it. Probably more than we wanted to admit.”

Applejack and Big Mac were at a loss for words, they had no idea that their grandmother had done something like that. Nor did they know that she apparently swung that way back in the day.

“Anyway…time passed, and, just like you two, we would sneak off to someplace private and have at it again. Now, Ah loved cousin Apple Rose, and she loved me, but deep down we both knew, it wasn’t love, it was lust. But that didn’t mean we cared less fer each other. Ah was kinda afraid of what she’d think when Ah told her Ah met yer grandfather, but during one of our nights together, she said that she was happy fer me, and that she had met someone too. Needless to say, when were engaged, we stopped. To this day, Ah don’t regret doin’ what we did.”

“Granny…Ah had no idea,” said Applejack.

Granny stopped her rocker and said, “Child, there are some things that ya don’t talk about, and other things that you do when ya need to impart some life wisdom. This bein’ one of those moments. Ah’m not goin’ to tell ya to stop, yer both eighteen and old enough to make yer own choices in life. Ah’ll leave it up to you two to decide when ya want to stop.”

Big Mac scowled as he smacked the armrest. “Fer all the good it does us…either we sell to Flim and Flam, or we get thrown in jail, and Bloom gets put in a foster home, and they get the farm.”

“What can we do…?” Applejack asked.

Granny Smith stood up from her chair and said, “We get ready. We get everythin’ ready to leave, Ah don’t trust those two rattlesnakes worth a damn. As soon as they get what they want, they’re under no obligation to protect us, they’ll just release it anyway. Today’s Tuesday, we have two days to get some bags ready and bolt the day that we sign the papers. Ah won’t have you two live the rest of yer lives in prison, nor will Ah have Apple Bloom live in a house full of strangers.”

Applejack and Mac stood up as well, both with panicked looks on their faces.

“Granny, if we do that, and they release that information to the police, they’ll put out a warrant for our arrest, they might even accuse us of kidnapping Bloom!” Applejack stated.

“Granny, there has to be another way,” said Mac.

Granny Smith shook her head. “Frankly, children, Ah can’t see one. It’d take a miracle at this point…”

Unknown to them, someone else was listening in. Apple Bloom sat at the top of the stairs, hearing everything that they said. Her eyes watered and her heart felt like it was being crushed, it was her fault, all of this was her fault. But how? How did Flim and Flam get their hands on that video? There had to be someone who can find out, or…

“Sunset…”

Sunset paced the room, her brain was on fire as she tried to figure out how Flim and Flam got ahold of such a video, and how in the world they got in the first place?

“I know I sure as hell didn’t have my cellphone out. Unless those two have a thing about recording themselves......Nah, they’re more careful than that, so then…?”

Just then, Apple Bloom came barging into Sunset’s room, closing the door behind her and locking it. Her eyes were red from crying, and her chest heaved from her labored breaths. “Sunset…Ah…Ah…Ah need yer help!”

Sunset blinked. “W-What?”

“Ah…Ah f-fucked up! Ah fucked up real bad!”

“What?”

“That night that Ah saw them, Ah accidentally recorded everythin’ on my phone!” Apple Bloom confessed.

“WHAT?!” Sunset exclaimed.

“The video that Flim and Flam have is the same one on my phone! Ah went to check on it in my video files, it’s still there, but Ah don’t know how those two got it too!”

Sunset sat down on the bed, trying to wrap her head around what Apple Bloom just told her. “So, wait, you’ve had that on your phone this whole time, and you didn’t delete it?!”

“Okay, first, Ah was havin’ a bit of a crisis that day! Second, Ah was kidnapped, so it was kinda low on my list of priorities,” said Apple Bloom.

“Fair point. But that still doesn’t explain how they got the file, was there any point that you didn’t have your cellphone?” Sunset asked.

Apple Bloom tried to think back, between the night it happened and when she… “Oh my damn…the kidnapper…the one who was in the van with me, he reached into my pants and grabbed meh phone! Ah thought he was goin’ to do somethin’ dirty to me, but all he did was take my cellphone and then put it back…he…he must be workin’ with Flim and Flam! Both of ‘em!”

Sunset cupped her chin as she thought about this. She couldn’t deny that that might be the case, Flim and Flam looked like the type to hire help of that sort, but then again, Sunset was there, did they really have enough time to copy the file? If Apple Bloom hid it away somewhere in her phone, it would’ve taken them a long while to find it, and the second kidnapper came out of the van about a minute later after they stopped and Sunset engaged the first one.

“The video file, is it hidden in your phone?” Sunset asked.

“Yeah, I made a whole bunch of dummy folders and buried it deep in there, Ah wanted to make sure that even if Ah lost it, no one would be able to see it without knowing how to,” said Apple Bloom.

Sunset kept thinking, they didn’t have much time before the deal, and Sunset needed to find out if her phone was hacked somehow. Might be time to ask Shining Armor for a favor.

“Apple Bloom.” Sunset’s tone was serious enough that Apple Bloom gave the former unicorn her full attention. “You might be right that those guys are working for Flim and Flam, but we need proof. I may know someone who has the resources to find out, but you have to give me your cellphone.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened with fear. “What?! No, Ah’m not given ya my phone! Just tell me where to go and Ah’ll take it to ‘em!”

Sunset shot up from her bed, standing to her full height and towering over the young Apple. “Apple Bloom, if there’s one time where this Anon-A-Miss bullshit needs to be put on pause, it’s right fucking now!” Sunset advanced on Apple Bloom, making her back up with each step. “Your home, your family, all of that is resting on whether or not you can trust me enough to let me do this! Do you think I want AJ to be put in jail?! For any of you to be put in jail?! Besides, Flim and Flam already threatened to release it if Granny doesn’t do anything, what could I possibly gain from outing you all before they do?!” Apple Bloom’s back hit the wall as Sunset pressed her index finger into Apple Bloom’s chest. “I won’t let that happen; I will not lose a part of the only family I have here! So one way or another, either you give me that cellphone, or I’m going to turn into the Old Sunset Shimmer, and take that thing from you!”

Apple Bloom was once again at a crossroads, on her phone was the video, but also the incriminating evidence needed to reveal to Sunset that she, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were in fact Anon-A-Miss. If Sunset found that evidence while she was looking for who hacked the phone, everything that Sunset said would be thrown out the door. Because, why would she help one of the people who was making her life a living hell right now? Even if Applejack, Mac, and Granny were put in jail, Sunset could still get her revenge by letting it all happen and just watch them burn. However, that part of Apple Bloom that cared about her family was steadily overriding her fear that Sunset would find out the truth, and reasoned that if it saved her family, it was worth whatever hell fury that Sunset would rain down on her later.

With a bit of reluctance, Apple Bloom raised her phone to Sunset. The flaming redhead sighed in relief and happily took ahold of the device, but then Apple Bloom wrapped her other hand around Sunset’s and made her look the young girl in the eyes.

“You promise me! Promise that no matter what, you’ll save them! Promise me, Sunset!” Apple Bloom demanded.

Sunset gently put left hand over Apple Bloom’s and gave it a confident squeeze. “I will, on my life.”

Apple Bloom stared into Sunset’s eyes for a long minute before she finally released the grip she had on her cellphone.

“Alright, head back to your room, I need to make a call.”

Apple Bloom unlocked the door, took one more look at Sunset and then left the room.

Now that she was alone, Sunset took out her cellphone and brought up her list of contacts, once she found the number she wanted she dialed. The phone rang for a couple of seconds and then was picked up.

{Sunset? What’s up?}

“Sorry, I don’t know if you’re busy – what am I saying, you’re a homicide detective, of course you are. Anyway, I need your help, I need to see you tonight, ASAP,” said Sunset with a serious tone.

{Whoa, that bad? Is it “you-know-what” related?}

“It might be…that’s kind of why I need your help. I’d rather talk in person; can you meet me at my place? I’m going to be dropped off there here after a bit.”

{No problem, I’ll head that way now.}

“Thanks, Shining Armor.”

The car ride back to Sunset’s was bleak, Applejack didn’t say a word to her the whole time, and the cowgirl looked as if she was already dead. They had just gotten back into town and were now in the neighborhood where Sunset lived.

“AJ, I don’t know how they got that video, but I promise I’ll figure it out,” said Sunset.

“Sunset…Ah…”

“You don’t have to believe me, but I didn’t take that video of you and Mac.”

“……Ah do believe you. Despite all that, Ah still do. If Ah let myself go down that rabbit hole again, Ah’m sorry to say it may take me down a dark place Ah don’t want to go. You don’t have to promise me anythin’, we’ll…we’ll figure somethin’ out.”

Applejack pulled up next to Sunset’s home and parked. Sunset got out and pulled out her suitcase from the backseat, along with Ray’s terrarium. “AJ, try to get some sleep at least. The girls will worry tomorrow if they see you like this.”

Applejack nodded and bid her goodbye before heading back down the road. Once she was gone, Sunset spotted another car pulling up to the sidewalk. She recognized it as Shining Armor’s car, once he was parked he got out and walked around to the other side.

“Guessing it’s worse than I thought?”

“Good guess…Mind helping me get my stuff back in?” Sunset asked.

Shining Armor offered her a hand, carrying her bags into her home. Sunset walked up her stairs and put Ray back at his normal spot. The little lizard gave a quirky smile, happy to be back home, and admittedly, Sunset was too. Shining Armor took a moment to look over Sunset’s home, noticing that she did indeed live alone.

“Not a bad place, Sunset,” said Shining Armor.

“Thanks, but it’s mostly paid for by Principal Celestia, I’d like to repay her, but as you know, I’m not exactly a legal citizen, even with the papers I have, so finding a job is kind of hard,” said Sunset.

“That sucks.” Shining Armor sat down on her couch and asked, “So what was so important that you needed to talk to me?”

Sunset at down in the opposite chair, her expression changing into one of seriousness. “Someone is blackmailing one of my friends and their family, and threatening to take everything away from them unless they get an answer by the end of this week.”

Shining Armor sat up straight as his cop mind began to kick in. “Has your friend’s family contacted the police regarding this?”

“No, the information they have on them is…bad, to say the least. If they did go to the police, it would just bring it to light and in the end, they’d lose no matter what,” Sunset explained. “And just so you know, it doesn’t involve anything like murder or anything that you see on the cop shows.”

Shining Armor took a moment to ponder Sunset’s words. Something that wasn’t bad enough to be a high crime, but still bad enough that if it got out, it would destroy the family even if they went to the police. “That’s a big problem, Sunset. Whatever this secret is, it can’t be worth losing everything that they have.”

“It isn’t, but they have no choice. Worst part is, the ones responsible are sleazy enough that they just might release the information anyhow.” Sunset’s fist tightened, turning her knuckles white from the anger of this situation. “I think that they might’ve hacked one of their phones, and that there might be a clue on it as to where the file went to, as well as maybe finding a way to destroy it so that they can’t use it against them. I came to you because I was hoping you could do something off the books, or new someone who’s good at hacking and computer stuff?”

Shining Armor did know someone, but was weary of getting them involved in something like this. But, he definitely couldn’t take it to any of his tech guys in the unit, if what Sunset said is true, even if they did find out how they did it, it would end up harming the people she’s trying to help.

“Sunset, before I even think about doing this, I need you to be honest with me, who’s in trouble? You don’t need to tell me what happened, but I need to know I’m not helping someone I shouldn’t be, even if it’s you asking,” said Shining Armor.

The flame haired girl sighed, she knew that there was no way of getting this to happen without dropping a name, but at least she tried. “It’s the Apple Family, Applejack, my friend. Apple Bloom forgot something, but remembered it when the people we think are responsible came to their place today. She said that the kidnappers, the driver, took her cellphone away from her for a minute and then gave it back before he transformed and tossed her out.”

“You think those guys are working for ones who are blackmailing your friend’s family?”

Sunset knitted her brow. “I know they are, but I need your help to make sure. If your guy can find out if Apple Bloom’s phone was hacked, and find out where the information leads to, if it’s who I know it is, then I’ll know it was them.”

Shining Armor thought about it some more, someone went to a lot of trouble to kidnap Apple Bloom, and then release her just as quickly to Sunset during their battle. Something was fishy about this whole thing from the start, and now Shining Armor’s instincts were telling him to follow this lead and see where it goes.

“Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll contact my guy, but I can’t guarantee that they’ll do it, I’ll try, but no promises,” said Shining Armor.

“Please try, and if you can get it done by tomorrow, it’d better, we only have two days,” said Sunset.

Sunset reached into her pocket and took out Apple Bloom’s cellphone, she paused for a minute before taking her cellphone out as well. “Say…can you see if your guy can look into my phone as well?”

“I can, were you hacked too?” Shining Armor asked.

“Mine’s more related to the Anon-A-Miss thing. I’m wondering if my phone was hacked, if it was it would explain how Anon-A-Miss learned about AJ’s story, and how the pictures of one of our Slumber Parties got taken off my phone and put onto her page,” said Sunset.

Shining Armor reached out and took both phones in his hands. “I’ll have them look into it.”

Twilight managed to survive another day at Crystal Prep. She couldn’t wait to get into the Everton Independent Study Program, once there, she’d be alone, alone to do whatever she wanted, research and develop whatever she wanted. However, the end of the school year was still a bit off. For now, she’d have to endure it, the snide comments, the open abuse of being shoved around in the hallway, ignored and/or getting targeted.

Today was one of those days where she was targeted. The school’s top female athlete, Indigo Zap, got real handsy with her. The girl didn’t know that “no” meant “no”, and would constantly flirt with her. When she didn’t reciprocate, Indigo would grab her by the rear and force her tongue down Twilight’s throat. In all honesty, Twilight wasn’t sure how to feel about her, if she liked her, why couldn’t Indigo just come out and say it? But then again, Twilight doubted that’s why she did it, a girl like Indigo wouldn’t waste her time with a mousy, smart girl like her. The last thing she wanted to was to embarrass herself by presuming that Indigo wanted a relationship, not that Twilight was adverse to a same sex relationship, but she also didn’t want to find out that the only thing that Indigo wanted from Twilight, was something that she wasn’t prepared to give her.

The school didn’t reel as much from the death of Suri Polomare, Twilight will admit, she felt bad for her parents, but – and she hated to say this – she didn’t care for Suri at all. The girl was just one of many students at CPA who decided to take pleasure in tormenting her. Suri was a good seamstress, so she knew exactly how to tamper with Twilight’s uniform.

More than once did the uniform come undone while she was walking in the hallway, exposing her to the rest of the students. Despite not attracting any male attention, they were certainly eager to snap pictures of Twilight in her half naked state. Now that Suri was dead, Twilight no longer had to worry about that happening, no more checking her uniform to make sure it wasn’t going to fall apart, nope, not now, not ever again.

Although, Twilight had to admit, this business of people turning into monsters was…strange. She didn’t know how to process this, a lot of people were saying that they were some government experiment, some said aliens, others say it was a virus that mutated people, and a few said it was evil spirits possessing people. Twilight relegated most of them to fiction, about the only one she gave any credence to was the virus theory. There were instances of viruses causing physical mutations, but the scale in which Suri was transformed was on a whole different level.

If I wasn’t still trying to locate the source of this strange energy, I’d probably be looking into this, thought Twilight.

Then there was the person who killed Suri, Witchblade. Twilight had to admit, she was grateful to her for getting rid of bad person like Suri, but she didn’t really approve of her choice in wardrobe. However, from the footage, it showed that this Witchblade person was able to conjure weapons from the armor, and in fact, it seemed as if the armor was reacting to its bearer.

Truly fascinating…Canterlot City’s becoming a hotbed for strange phenomena all around!

Twilight paused, she looked at her phone and saw that her brother was calling. The gloom of today vanished as she happily answered the phone. “Hello, Onii-sama!”

{Twilight, what did I say about doing that?}

“Right, right, sorry, I know you prefer onii-chan,” Twilight corrected.

There was an audible groan coming from the other end. {That’s not any better…}

“Oh, but Twilight love’s calling onii-chan 'onii-chan’.”

Twilight could already see her big brother squirming on the other end of the line. It was no secret that the two were big comic books and anime nerds, when Twilight learned of those anime shows with the brother and sister as the main focus, she would always tease him like that, and still does.

{Twi, please, I really need to talk to you right now.}

Twilight stopped her little giggle fit, noting that her brother’s tone was serious. “O-Okay, what’s wrong?”

{*Sigh*……Look, I need your help with an unofficial case, off the books.}

Twilight practically shot out of her desk chair when she heard that. “Y-Y-You want me to help?! With one of your cases?!”

{Shhh! Don’t let Mom and Dad hear you!}

Twilight clamped her left hand over her mouth and waited to see if she was heard. She was not. “Thank you, thank you! I promise I’ll do everything I can to help!”

{Now hold one, just listen. This isn’t an official case, I’m kind of doing this one under the table.} Shining Armor explained what the situation was, keeping some small details out so as to not arouse suspicion, but just enough to make sure Twilight was interested. {That’s about it, do you think you can do it?}

Twilight blew a raspberry. “Please, it’s not any harder than hacking a defense satellite to get a better view of a comet………Not that I’ve ever done that…”

{I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Thanks again, Twily.}

“Anytime, Shiny.”

Case File 4-5 (Midas): Golden Apples

Shining was waiting, a bit impatiently, for his little sister’s progress. Twilight had a lot of time in-between classes at CPA, with her grades, she was able to ace most of the classes and earn herself some free periods where she could do what she wanted, most of those times were spent researching or reading different topics, but most likely, he assumed, she was using that time to work on his request. Either that or she’d work on it feverishly once she got back home.

The young detective wanted to give Sunset a call to see what the status was now regarding her friend’s family, but remembered that her cellphone was in Twilight’s hands right now. He did think about swinging by CHS and speaking with her, but thought against it. It would raise a lot of questions about why a detective with the CCPD was contacting a high school girl, especially when it wasn’t related to any ongoing cases.

So here he waited, in his office, pouring over older cases and compiling some information to give to Sunset regarding the three major Mystery Murder cases that were still open. Thankfully he didn’t have to wait long, Shining Armor received a call around three ‘o clock from Twilight, informing him that she was done and could come home to see her about what she had found.

Shining asked Spearhead to cover for him as he rushed out the door and into his car. He felt a sense of urgency in this whole matter, not just because there were Wendigos involved, but because of how Sunset looked when she told him about this. A family could be destroyed, and Sunset felt that fear as her own. Family was important to Shining Armor, his bond with Twilight, his parents, and his girlfriend, all of it was precious to him, and the idea of losing all of that to some lowlifes was unthinkable.

When Shining arrived he put on a poker face used the house key to enter. “Mom, Dad, Twily, I’m here!”

“Arf! Arf!”

A small purple dog came running around the corner and leaped straight up at Shining Armor. The detective caught the small canine, which then proceeded to lick his face.

“Spike, c’mon now! I’m happy to see you too!”

A middle aged woman walked from same corner. If one wasn’t paying attention, one would mistake this woman for Twilight’s older sister, instead of her mother. Although, given that the two women had the same first name, her father, and everyone else, just referred to his mother as Velvet.

“Shining, dear, you’re home? I didn’t know you were stopping by,” said Velvet.

Spike finally stopped licking him as he approached his mother. “I was just stopping by to see Twilight, she wanted to show me something she was working on.”

Velvet sighed. “Now, Shiny, you don’t have to drop everything at the drop of a hat for her. I know you love your little sister, but I don’t want you to get in trouble with your boss.”

“It’s no trouble, really.”

“If you say so, will you be staying long? I could set an extra place at the dinner table,” Velvet suggested.

Shining Armor waved off her gesture. “No, that’s alright, I’ll be in and out. I have to head back to follow up on some leads, this was just a little break from the bleakness.”

Velvet loved her son, and loved that he had such a strong sense of justice. She and her husband were so proud of their son when he joined the police force, and even more so when he made detective. Of course, with that pride came worry. Being a homicide detective meant that he was having to hunt down violent criminals, sometimes taking him down to places that were more dangerous. When he was just a uniform cop, Shining could just do his job and then not have to worry about following it up and go out on patrol again. But as a detective, he had to work a case all the way through until it was solved, which meant having to revisit murder scenes and having to think about those cases even when he was off the clock.

Through it all though, he remained positive. Velvet imagined that Cadence had a hand in that, and she knew for a fact that Twilight did as well. A strong family bond, and that’s why Velvet and Night Light made sure to keep this home as a safe place for either of their children to come back to. Whether it would be to unwind or to just feel safe for a while.

Shining Armor walked over to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading upstairs with Spike in tow. Once upstairs, Shining knocked on the door to Twilight’s room, and he sighed in dismay.

Twilight was nose deep into her computer, she was only halfway out of her school clothes. Her socks, skirt, and jacket were lying on the floor, her backpack was set on her bed, and the two cellphones that he gave her were sitting on the same desk, connected to said laptop.

“Twily, you really should finish getting dressed before you get into your stuff,” said Shining Armor.

“Sorry, I just wanted to get to work on your request as soon as possible. I did work on it while at school, thankfully it was slow today. I’m just giving it one last look through before I finish up,” said Twilight.

Shining Armor set Spike down and picked up her clothes. Twilight was normally a neat freak, but when she was laser focused on a project, some things tended to be thrown to the wayside, like remembering to fully dress herself.

I swear, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen her in her underwear. Thank god I don’t have a sister complex, thought Shining Armor. “So, what did you find?”

Twilight turned around in her chair and said, “This phone, the one belonging to the friend of your friend, it was definitely hacked.”

Shining Armor stopped and looked to Twilight. “Are you sure?!”

Twilight nodded. “One-hundred percent. They used a backdoor program that allowed them access to the cellphone’s files. There was a video file labeled ‘X’, and it was hidden amongst a whole lot of a dummy folders. Whatever it is, the person who owns this phone didn’t want anyone to find it.”

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “Just to ask, you didn’t look at it…did you?”

Twilight scratched the back of her head. “I was tempted to, but I figured that whatever’s happening to this person, it’s better if less people know why it’s happening. So, no, I didn’t.”

“Okay…So, we know it was hacked, do you know where the files went to?”

Twilight smiled as she turned around in her chair and brought up a program. “I traced the path of the hack, where the file was copied to, and found it led to a company downtown. Someplace called ‘Flim & Flam Inc.’ I did some digging on them, it’s run by a couple of businessmen, twin brothers of the same name.”

Twilight got out of her chair and let Shining Armor go through the information, she had gathered. While he was doing so, Twilight thought it best to finish changing. Shining scrolled through the plethora of information Twilight had found, apparently the FlimFlam brothers were shrewd businessmen, and, it seemed, con men. There were several articles that Twilight pulled up of the two brothers swindling people out of their money, or taking over businesses in town, but doing so in such a way that it was hard to build a case against them. Shining Armor was starting to understand now, whatever this “X” file was, it was something bad enough to force Sunset’s friend’s family into a corner.

Twilight finished changing into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt and walked around to Shining’s left. “These guys are really bad, I don’t get why the police haven’t arrested them.”

“Guys like these know how to cover their tracks, or get information damning enough that it makes it impossible for people to try and go against them, ‘cause that would mean exposing themselves,” said Shining Armor.

“And you’re saying the owner of this phone is in that situation…I know it’s not right to pass judgement, but…how good can this person be if they have something that’s bad enough that they can’t go to the police with it?’

Shining Armor gave a small sigh. “In this job, it’s not all black and white, Twily, it’s all grey. A person can be good, but sometimes good people make a mistake, something that they wished they had never done and are genuinely sorry for doing so, and try to bury it and do more good to make up for that mistake. Kind of like a lot kids your age, how they do something now that they think was cool at the time, but come later on in life, they realize that it was the stupidest thing they ever done and wish to take it back. I don’t know what’s on the video file, but I trust the person who’s asking me to help them.”

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have said that,” said Twilight with a shameful tone in her voice.

Shining Armor grinned at Twilight and patted her on the head, she groaned in annoyance, but she didn’t pull away. “It’s alright, but what else did you find?”

Twilight’s smile returned as she walked over to her backpack and pulled out a flash drive. “I could only get so far into their systems from my end, but I engineered a virus that, once jacked into their system, will fry their hard drives and erase all content, no matter how deep it’s buried. However, I can’t guarantee that they might’ve made copies of the file by now and are hiding it. On that note though, the virus has a secondary feature that will hunt down any video files that are copies and connected to the same network. Cellphones, servers, whatever it may be.”

Shining Armor had to admit, sometimes his little sister scared him with how smart she was. Not only did she get all this information, but she also made a computer virus that could effectively shut down these guys. He was glad that Twilight’s ambitions for science were focused on the benefits of humanity and not its destruction. “Thanks, Twily, my friend will appreciate this. I’ll head to them now and give ‘em an update. Oh, what about the other phone?”

Twilight shook her head. “There was nothing. Nothing showing that it was tampered with, externally or internally. Nor could I find any viruses that would allow someone remote access, sorry.”

Shining Armor grimaced a little, he was hoping to bring Sunset some good news on the Anon-A-Miss front, but it seemed that he was only going to come through for her regarding her friend. “Alright…well, one out of two isn’t bad.”

Twilight fidgeted in place and asked, “Shining, I know you can’t tell me about that second phone, but the first one, the one belonging to your friend, who is it? Maybe I can still help?”

Shining Armor debated about telling her about Sunset, she went to CHS, which was already in Twilight’s crosshairs due to the energy her instruments detected, and with what Shining Armor knew occurred there, and was still occurring there, he really didn’t want her to be at CHS. Although, come time for the Friendship Games, he’d have no way to prevent that. But, maybe he could give her something, for when the day of the games happened, maybe Sunset could watch over her?

“The owner of that phone, she goes to CHS.”

“CHS! Canterlot High School! The same place where I’ve been getting all my–!”

“Twily, focus,” Shining Armor interrupted.

“Sorry.”

Shining Armor cleared his throat. “Her name’s Sunset Shimmer, she wasn’t exactly a nice girl in the past, but I can tell she’s got a good heart and is trying to make up for her past misdeeds. However, someone’s trying to harm her, using MyStable and going by the name of ‘Anon-A-Miss’. This person is telling the secrets of the students in that school, and pinning the blame on Sunset. Now, she gets harassed every day, is singled out or ignored, she was even attacked not too long ago by a couple of her classmates. What’s worse, she lost her friends because of it, that girl’s alone, but persevering through it all, trying to bring Anon-A-Miss into the light. I want to help her, but I don’t know what I can do…Twilight?”

Twilight’s eyes were wide, this girl, Sunset Shimmer, she sounded exactly the same as her. Harassed every day, shunned and targeted, physically abused, and no doubt psychologically. She was alone, just like her, alone in an environment full of enemies with not a friendly face in sight. No, it was probably worse, this Sunset Shimmer had friends, but they abandoned her, Twilight was alone from the beginning, but this other girl had friends and lost them. Twilight wasn’t much for friendship, but still, she could only imagine the pain that caused this girl.

“Twily, you okay?” Shining Armor asked.

Twilight snapped herself out of her thoughts and said, “Y-Yes, I’m fine. I just…I just can’t believe someone would do that to another person…” Twilight’s fist tightened and her brow furrowed. “Shiny, let me help too! No one deserves to be treated like that, and no one has the right to do that to another person. I’ll do whatever I can, so, please, let me help!”

Shining Armor was surprised by how adamant Twilight was, it was almost as if she felt a connection to Sunset without even meeting her. The young detective took up Sunset’s phone and went to her pictures, she found one of Sunset and her friends and showed it to Twilight. “The one with the red and yellow hair, that’s Sunset Shimmer.”

Twilight looked upon the picture. The girl in the photo looked happy, and strangely attractive to Twilight. With her flaming hair, intense eyes, that smile…Twilight snapped herself out of her thoughts, again. “She looks happy…You don’t have to tell her that I’m helping out, but let her know that she does have someone who is.”

Honestly, I hope you two don’t meet, ‘cause that’s going to get all kinds of awkward. “I will, and thanks again, little sis.”

“I FUCKING KNEW IT!”

Shining Armor had come by to Sunset’s home and took her out of the house to give her the rundown. They stopped by a fast food restaurant and got something to eat. Shining figured it was better to think on a full stomach than an empty one.

“So you knew it was them?” Shining asked.

“They came by on that same day, I didn’t know if those kidnappers were in on it, but now with what you found out, it confirms it.” Sunset then held up the flash drive that Shining Armor brought. “And this is the key to getting rid of it all?”

“My contact says we need to plug it into their computers, once it’s in, it’ll hunt down all the files and delete them, along with frying their systems to make sure nothing survives,” Shining explained.

Sunset smirked. “Tell your friend I like their style. You’ll have to introduce us some day.”

Yeah, again, rather prolong that meeting. Shining Armor looked at Sunset, and he could tell she was formulating a plan. “Sunset, I can see that look in your eyes. You’re planning on hitting their place aren’t you?”

Sunset furrowed her brow. “It’s either now or never. Time’s running out for my friend, and if I don’t do this, we’ll lose them, and they’ll lose everything. I’m not going to ask you to help me out with this, you’re a cop still, and it’ll be bad if they find out you did something like this.”

Shining Armor held his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling of his car. “I don’t know…I just might be passing by that place on my way home…and, you know, if I so happen to see something suspicious…like say, a break in? Then that’s probable cause for me to go in and investigate.”

“Shining…”

The young detective put on a serious expression and said, “If these guys are using people possessed with those demon spirits as hitmen, then I have to bring them down. Guess we’re partners tonight, kid.”

Sunset brought up her right fist and said, “Then let’s get to it, partner.”

Shining Armor smirked and bumped his fist with Sunset’s, sealing their partnership.

It was late at night when their “mission” started. The clouds had rolled in and it started snowing. Sunset and Shining Armor had staked out the facility where they would be infiltrating. It was the main headquarters of Flim & Flam Incorporated, a warehouse located in the city, complete with corporate offices and a shipping and receiving warehouse. They waited for hours, watching as the last employee drove out of the place, and the lights shut off. At the same time, they watched the security guard make his rounds, timing how often they did so.

It was now midnight, and the snow was still falling. The guard was a no show, and the time was now. Shining Armor and Sunset nodded to each other and exited the car. Shining was wearing his bullet proof vest, and had a small, tactical shotgun, a Remington V3 Tac-13, holstered on his back. Not exactly standard issue, but it packed a punch, and so long as he didn’t use it on a normal human, he could justify using the weapon.

There was a chain link fence, as far as they could see, there were no cameras in that area. The top of the fence had barbed wire, and if they went any further down to the left, they’d just end up at the front of the building, however, if they went further down to the left, they’d hit the guard’s station around the corner.

“How do we get in, if you don’t mind me asking?” Shining asked.

Sunset took a few steps back and closed her eyes. The heat rose inside her, filling her body, and filling it with a rush of power and ecstasy. The ruby of the Witchblade shined brighter and brighter, and then, it came alive. The metal strands of the bracelet expanded and multiplied, tearing through Sunset’s clothes and leaving her bare for a moment before wrapping around her and cladding in the supernatural armor.

Shining Armor blushed and looked away when he saw the clothes being ripped apart, but even after, it was still kind of hard to look at her. “Does it have to rip your clothes off every time?”

“I’ve had this conversation with someone else, and the answer is yes. Now,” Sunset’s back flared with bat-like wings, “are you afraid of heights?”

“No.”

“Good!”

Before Shining Armor could ask why, Sunset jumped up, grabbed Shining Armor from under his pits and took off into the air. It took everything in his being to keep from screaming from the sudden acceleration, and then there was the height. But before Shining Armor could fully process that, Sunset flew them back down onto the roof of the warehouse. She gently descended and let Shining Armor down first, and then landed beside him.

“Not bad, huh?”

“Blaaaagggh!”

Sunset winced when she saw Shining Armor throw up next to her. After a couple of seconds, Shining Armor said, “Never…do that…again…!”

“S-Sorry, but you said you weren’t afraid of heights!”

“Yeah, but I do…get airsick…”

“Oh…” Sunset blushed in shame for not taking that into consideration. “I’m really sorry!”

Shining Armor waved it off. “It’s over, we’re here, let’s get going.”

Sunset and Shining Armor made their way to a skylight. The bearer of the Witchblade concentrated, making the ends of her hair snake towards the glass and turning the tips into razor sharp blades. The blades cut a large, perfect circle, while other strands slipped through the cuts and gripped the cut glass. Once she was done, the strands pulled the cut piece off, and gently placed it to the side. Sunset peered inside first, her enhanced vision cut through the darkness of the warehouse, allowing her to see everything as clear as day.

“Coast seems clear,” said Sunset.

“Let’s move,” said Shining Armor.

Sunset concentrated, forming a grappling hook into the palm of her left hand. She then fired the hook, letting it hook itself onto the edge of the roof while also forming a chain. “This might be a bit awkward, but you’re going to need to hang onto to me while I lower us down.”

Shining Armor gulped, his eyes briefly scanning Sunset up and down before looking away again. “Can’t you just…make another chain and lower me first?”

“If those two guys are here, I don’t want to lower you down and have you end up getting killed before I can get to you. I can just jump down and be okay, but you can’t, so…this is a slightly better option…” Sunset noticed the awkward look he was giving her. “This isn’t exactly fun for me either! Let’s just hurry up and get down there!”

Shining Armor gulped, but decided to bite the bullet. He hugged Sunset and Sunset did the same, the first thing that struck him was how warm she was. Those times they were outside he could see steam wafting off of her body, but he just thought that was just a trick of the eye, but no, her body was really warm, it was no wonder Sunset didn’t feel cold out in the open. And of course, the second thing he felt was her sizeable lady pillows that were just barely being covered by the armor.

God this so awkward! Shining thought.

“Get ready, and please don’t throw up on me.”

Sunset jumped and took them both through the hole she made. The chain that came from her arm was being made longer, allowing them to descend further down into the warehouse. From their vantage point, they could see rows upon rows of pallets stacked with containers, what was in them was anyone’s guess.

They stayed suspended there, allowing Sunset to rotate them and look around. She spotted some offices on the far end of the warehouse and nodded in that direction. Shining nodded back in acknowledgement and Sunset resumed their descent. Once they were on the ground, Sunset took point and led Shining Armor around the rows of racks. Sunset spotted a few security cameras, but swiftly took care of them with a well-placed shuriken or dart.

Thankfully, they managed to get to the other end undetected, but with the cameras destroyed, but knew it wouldn’t take long before the security guard would be coming in to check and see what was happening. When they got to the offices, they saw that it was locked with a padlock.

“I know you could cut it, but we don’t want to draw too much attention to what we did, best if we pick it,” said Shining Armor. “It’s been a while, but I don’t think I’m too rusty.”

“You know how to pick a lock?”

“It can come in handy depending on the situation, it’s a skill, not good or evil.”

Sunset smirked. “Keep that in mind when you see this.”

Shining Armor watched as Sunset’s armor released small metal strands that slithered their way towards the lock, a couple held it in place while two more entered the lock itself. Sunset closed her eyes, concentrating and feeling the actions of the armor as she mentally commanded it. After a couple of seconds, the lock disengaged allowing Sunset to take it off.

“I wasn’t a nice person, and before that I was on the streets. I had to learn some skills to survive, and others to get what I wanted from people…”

Shining Armor reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Like I said, it all depends on how you use your skills. We’re using them to help your friend and their family, you’ll get no judgement from me.”

Sunset smiled and opened the door. They moved towards one of the computers in the back corner, far from the windows. They huddled around it to make sure the light of screen didn’t shine too brightly for someone to see. Sunset retracted some of the armor around her finger tips, allowing her to type without destroying the keyboard. Shining Armor watched as Sunset’s fingers flew across the keyboards, already gaining access to the computer systems of Flim & Flam Inc.

Shining Armor watched this with confusion evident on his face. “I thought you didn’t know how to hack?”

“I may not be a super hacker, but I never said I didn’t know how to hack,” said Sunset. “I’m just good enough to get into places and cover my tracks, to a degree. Do you have that thing?”

Shining Armor reached into his pocket and took out the flash drive, he then handed it over to Sunset who took it into her hand.

“Time to fry these…wait, what’s this?” As Sunset was going through the files, she noticed there was one hidden deep inside about Sweet Apple Acres. “Okay, let’s see what these asshats are planning to do with AJ’s farm.”

Sunset cracked the file open and delved deeper into what the con men had in store. Shining Armor watched as Sunset brought up a lot of geological surveys, as well as…mining permits?

“What the hell is this?” Sunset asked. “I thought these guys just wanted to take the farm? But with all this it looks like they’re going to gut it all!”

“Sunset…I think there’s more to this than what either you or your friend thinks, see that symbol there?” Shining Armor pointed to a scientific symbol that read “Au”. “I remember that from my geology class, and periodic tables, that’s the symbol for gold!”

“GOLD?!” Sunset clamped her mouth realizing she had spoken too loudly. “Gold! These guys want their farm to dig up gold?! How’s that possible?!”

“Hey, there’s a lot of privately owned land from way back in the day during the founding of Canterlot City, land that was never properly looked into, or had restricted access since it was owned by some influential families, at least back during that time. So who knows what they might be sitting on top of.”

Sunset looked around the room, she dug through some of the drawers until she found what she wanted, another flash drive. Without wasting a second, Sunset plugged it into the computer and began downloading everything the FlimFlam brothers had found about the gold under the Apple Family property.

“What are you doing?!”

“Helping a friend, with this information, AJ, Bloom, Mac, and Granny can live a life without worrying about their futures! This is their golden apple, and I’m sure as hell not letting these guys take it from them!”

The download took a couple of minutes, but Sunset finally got all the files she needed to help Applejack, she then took the flash drive and let the ruby on the Witchblade absorb the device into itself for safe keeping, she couldn’t wait to show her. “Alright, now for the payback.” Sunset took out the first flash drive and inserted the second, the moment it was in the virus inside went to work. It wormed its way through everything, corrupting the computer and everything else, including the files on the gold. “Damn, glad I got them when I did.”

Shining and Sunset watched as the virus continued its work, destroying everything that made up the company. Shining Armor felt guilty about this, the bosses of this workplace were miserable human beings, but the employees who were oblivious to this whole thing were about to be out of a job come tomorrow, or at the very least wouldn’t be able to work for a long while. Still, one way or another, if this was able to have been found out the legal way, the employees would still be in the same boat.

“Damn, your friend is scary good at making a virus. Remind me never to piss them off,” said Sunset.

“Sometimes they even scare me,” Shining replied.

}}} I sense a them. {{{

“Sense who?”

}}} The “asshats” you spoke off. I sense them, up those stairs. {{{

“I know you’re talking to that thing, what’s it saying?” Shining Armor asked.

Sunset’s glowing eyes narrowed as she looked towards the stairs. “They’re here, Flim and Flam.”

Shining Armor watched as Sunset began to go up the stairs, prompting Shining Armor to ask, “What are you doing?!”

“I thought I’d put the fear of God into them, wanna join?” Sunset didn’t wait for a reply as she ascended the stairs.

“Grrgh!” Shining Armor growled. He looked to the computer and saw that the virus had done its work. He quickly took out the flash drive and hurried after Sunset.

Sunset waited at the top of the stairs; a playful smirk was on her face as she saw Shining Armor approach. “You didn’t think I’d go that far, did you?”

Shining smirked back. “It crossed my mind, a little.”

The duo stealthily made their way to the offices of the FlimFlam brothers, they could hear voices the closer they got. Sunset recognized the twin brothers’ voices, but there was a third voice she couldn’t identify. Once there, Sunset stood against the left side of the door, and Shining Armor the right.

“So, how goes our ‘acquisition’ of the Apple Farm?”

“It’s going perfectly,” said Flim.

“By the day after tomorrow, we’ll have the farm, and they’ll be in jail,” said Flam.

“Heh, heh, ha! Good, good! The more gold Ah get, the stronger Ah become. Wasn’t easy gettin’ them folks to do those surveys all stealth like, but we got what we needed.”

“And they got what they wanted,” said Flam.

“All the gold they could want, too bad they were trapped in it all,” said Flim with mirthful tone.

Shining Armor’s eyes widened upon hearing that. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“What?”

Shining Armor took out his pistol, checked the clip, and then cocked it. “Look, I wanted to tell you sooner, but I couldn’t find the right time. There are at least three ongoing cases, three possessed people that started the Mystery Murders. One of them turns people into gold, and that one is probably behind this door!”

Sunset narrowed her gaze, her eyes piercing through the door to the enemy that waited behind it. “Again, the Wendigos are trying to mess with my friends! Trying to hurt more people! They’re going down, now!”

“Ah, shit…” Shining Armor put his pistol away, and took out the shotgun. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Sunset didn’t waste any time with subtly, her hair extended into metal blades and swiftly slashed through the door, turning it into wooden blocks as it fell to the floor. “Knock, knock.”

Inside the office was Flim and Flam, but there was a third person behind the desk. He was a slightly portly man, with a grayish blue complexion, light gray, pompadour styled hair, and jade green eyes. His suit was purple, with rhinestones decorating the lapels, as well as his orange bowtie.

“My, my, my, to what do we owe this pleasure, my dear?” the man asked.

“I know who you are, I know what you are.” Sunset’s right arm created a forearm blade, while her left arm formed a crescent blade. “So, either you fess up now, or I’ll take your heads, your choice.”

Flim and Flam looked a bit afraid, however the third man did not look as scared.

Just then, Shining Armor came from around the corner and pointed his shotgun into the room. “CCPD, nobody move!”

“Officer? Thank god you’re here, this crazy woman came in and threatened to kill us!” Flim stated.

Flam looked at the officer with suspicion. “On that note, that was pretty fast, since we didn’t call yet.”

Shining Armor shrugged. “I saw someone enter the premises and decided to investigate. Lo and behold, I stumbled onto something bigger. Right, Gladmane.”

Sunset looked to Shining Armor. “You know this guy?”

“He’s been on our radar for money laundering, blackmail, assault, running illegal casinos, and prostitution. A lot of people who were going to be witnesses, or were connected to him, were mysteriously spirited away. I had my suspicions that you were behind it, but I didn’t think you were also another culprit, Midas!”

Gladmane rose up and clapped slowly. “Well, look at the brains on this one boys. Although, y’all might regret findin’ me out, ‘cause now Ah can’t let ya leave here alive.”

}}} Sunset! {{{

“Shit!” Sunset turned to Shining Armor and yelled. “GET OUT!!!”

Three silver lights shined inside the room, Shining Armor quickly did as she said and ran out of the room. At the same time, a crashing sound went off behind Shining Armor, when he looked back, he saw a big gaping hole in the wall, and a lot of dust.

Sunset found herself being shoved through multiple layers of drywall, metal, and concrete before finally ending up in open air. That was short lived as well as Sunset found herself hurtling towards some racks and slamming into them, what happened next caused a domino effect, making the rest of the racks fall down one after the other, slamming and slamming until an entire row was collapsed. Sunset hurt all over, but managed to get herself back up. Shaking off the damage, she glanced towards her newest opponents. Two of them she recognized, the Shielder and Blader, but the third one, which she assumed was Gladmane, was less appealing.

His body was completely made of gold, with a round belly, and muscly arms and legs, like that of a sumo wrestler. His ears were pointed, and sported two horns on his forehead, his beady eyes glowed red in the dim light of the warehouse. Two fangs protruded from his bottom row of teeth, extending past the lip. His hair was a sleek silver color and reached down his back, to which he also had a hefty tail that clanged on the ground every time he moved. The hands of the creature were large, sporting spikes on the knuckles, sharp nails, and one spike coming out of each shoulder. At the center of the palm was a topaz jewel, or what looked like topaz anyway.

Compared to his lackeys, Gladmane, or rather, Midas, stood about seven feet tall, towering over everyone. Sunset got into a defensive position, readying herself to fight these creatures.

“You picked a bad day to come and snoop around, Witchblade,” said Flim (Blader).

“Now we’re going to have to kill you, and your cop friend, can’t very well have witnesses who know our secret,” said Flam (Shielder).

“Answer me this, I took a look through your computers. You seem to be interested in a possible gold mine on some farm, what could you possible need gold for?” Sunset asked.

The large demon chuckled, which echoed in the warehouse already gave his demonic appearance a more ominous feel. “Simple, I want gold. It fuels me, makes me stronger. There’s so much hate swirling around such a precious metal, people have committed the most horrible sins just to get a piece of gold. They’ve murdered, stolen, kidnapped, raped, and hell, destroyed entire nations for it alone! So what do you think will happen when Ah bring all that out into the light, all that gold just sittin’ there?”

Sunset’s eyes widened as she connected the dots. “You’re going to leak the information once you’ve gotten ahold of that property.”

Midas slapped his knee. “Exactly! People are gonna be linin’ up to try and stake a claim, I’ll add a little fuel to that fire myself, but with every person trying to fight over it, people will try every underhanded trick to get it. Killin’ and stealin’, all with malice and greed in their hearts. See Ah’m special, kitten, hate is one aspect I draw off of, Ah can also feed on greed! And greedy people are so much fun to mess with! That bein’ said, like the boys stated earlier, we can’t let ya live.”

Blader and Shielder jumped out of the way as Midas rushed towards Sunset. The wielder of the Balance was caught off guard by how fast the portly monster could move, but thankfully managed to bring up her arms to form a shield. Midas cocked back his right fist and threw a punch with his large fist, striking the shield and sending Sunset flying in the opposite direction.

Sunset released her shield and spun in midair, she then slammed her feet into the concrete floor, stopping her momentum and bringing her to a halt. Her turquoise eyes shone as she took off straight for Midas, forming a claymore sword into her right hand.

Just then, Shielder intercepted, blocking her warpath. Sunset brought her sword down, hitting his shield with enough force to make the floor fissure. At the same time, Blader zipped around to her left side and slashed with his right arm blade. Sunset yelped in pain as she felt the blade slice through her side, feeling the warm blood leave her wound, she jumped away and clutched at the wound.

The attack had cut through several organs and intestines, but thankfully, the Witchblade repaired the damage in a matter of seconds. “I think we need to get serious.”

}}} Agreed. {{{

The Witchblade’s jewels began to glow, the armor expanded, covering the exposed parts of her body, forming the same armor that she used to fight Harpy a few weeks back. Sunset lowered herself, bending at the knees and getting into an attack position that was more akin to a wild animal. Shielder and Blader readied themselves, but Sunset was going to smash that shield and break that blade.

Sunset took off once again, aiming for Shielder. As expected, Shielder readied to absorb the attack, just what she wanted. Sunset formed a new weapon around her forearm, it was blocky, with a spike tip, and the rest of said tip was pulled back, which measured at about six feet in length. The bringer of Balance smashed her fist into the shield, and upon doing so, activated her weapon. The spike shot out like a bullet, hitting the shield with a concentrated strike, forcing Shielder back. When he skidded to a halt, the strong forearm shields showed a dent and cracks from where the spike had struck.

Blader used its speed and tried to rush Sunset from behind, but Sunset’s hair extended, turning into blades that began slashing at Blader. Sparks flew as Blader parried and countered as many of the strikes as he could, but some managed to cut him, spilling some of his black blood onto the floor.

Sunset prepared to attack Shielder again, but noticed that a shadow covered the area. Acting quickly, Sunset jumped to the right just as Midas landed on the spot she was standing at before, the large demon swiped his large left hand and backhanded Sunset into another rack. Midas chased after her, cocking back his fist yet again and slamming it into her, sending the heroine flying again.

Shielder dashed across the way and got right into Sunset’s path, he then dashed forward and smashed his shield into Sunset, sending her into a spin. Blader appeared before her and thrust his blade straight into her chest, the blade couldn’t pierce, but it did manage to send her straight into the ground. A thunderous boom echoed through the warehouse, making more of the racks fall over.

A body sized crater formed from the impact, and Sunset slowly dragged herself out of it. However, Midas appeared at the edge and grabbed her by the leg, he then began to slam her into the ground repeatedly, again, and again, and again before tossing her like a ragdoll.

Shielder, once again, used his shield and stopped her from going farther as her back hit his shield. Some of the armor was retracting as Sunset’s concentration wavered from the constant assault of the three demons. Unfortunately, it wasn’t over.

Midas now stood before her and grabbed Sunset by the head, she struggled to make him release her, but the beating she had taken disoriented her. “Now don’t worry, kitten, ya ain’t gonna die.”

Suddenly, a flash of yellow light went off in Midas’ hand. Almost immediately, Sunset’s body went still, gold started to grow around her, forming around every inch, every curve of her body until she was completely covered in it. When Midas released his hand, she was shown to have been in mid-scream before the flash.

“You’ll live, until you die in there, that is,” said Midas.

Shielder and Blader gathered around their boss and marveled at his handy work.

“Shame, she was quite the looker,” said Blader.

“I think you mean, hooker,” Shielder joked.

Just then, Blader was hit in the face with something fiery that exploded in his eyes. Before Shielder could ask what happened, he too was hit with the same fiery explosion to the face. Midas looked around, hearing the sound of gunfire each time that happened.

“Well now, it looks like our cop friend is trying to play hero! Y’all are wastin’ yer time! Yer little gun can’t kill us, and the only one who can is now a livin’ statue. Best to come out and let us kill you, believe me, that’s us bein’ merciful!”

Shining Armor hid behind rack, reloading his shotgun with incendiary rounds. Yeah, he knew full well the rounds wouldn’t kill them, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t still feel pain. Sunset was turned to gold, he couldn’t believe it, but he had to believe that she could get out of it, unlike Midas’ other victims, she had the Witchblade, that had to count for something. In the meantime, Shining could at least make sure that they stuck around long enough for her to get out.

Inside the gold, Sunset was panicking.

Oh, shit! Oh, shit! I’m trapped! I’m trapped in this thing! There’re no holes, I’ll suffocate in this thing!

}}} Calm yourself, Sunset! I’m here with you! {{{

Sunset slowed her breathing, yeah, she wasn’t alone, the Witchblade was with her, she was trapped in the gold with a powerful weapon.

}}} Concentrate, this pitiful excuse for a prison can’t hold the likes of me, the likes of you! Do not forget, your friend is in need of your help! She will lose her family and her home if we are not successful in slaying these creatures this night! {{{

Applejack…Apple Bloom…Big Macintosh…Granny Smith…I won’t…I can’t let them down! No, that fat fuck is not beating me, is not going to take everything away from them!

}}} Yes, Sunset, let your righteous fury swell inside you, and let me be the weapon which delivers that fury to your foes! {{{

The three demons were preparing to give chase to Shining Armor, but that was stopped when they saw that the gold around Sunset was beginning to bubble and heat up.

“Uh…boss…what’s happening?” Blader asked.

Midas hurried back to the statue and released another flash of light. The gold solidified, and Midas released a sigh of relief. However, the metal began to bubble again. Midas hurriedly recast his gold flash, but each time he did, the metal continued to boil not a second later, each application wearing off faster than the last time. Midas took a few steps back as the metal finally reached its breaking point, plasmatic red flames shot out of the metal, burning it into nothing.

From the ashes of the gold, Sunset stood, panting and taking in fresh air. Her armor, strangely, was shifting in color, it was a black obsidian color, and then would shift to a crimson red color. When Sunset looked up at both of her opponents, her eyes were doing the same thing, but this time shifting from turquoise to gold, back and forth, back and forth. Even her hair was changing colors, some of the edges were silver instead of the red and yellows.

“What…are you?” Midas asked.

Sunset didn’t answer, instead, she charged straight at the demon trio. Shielder readied to block yet again, but this time, Sunset had something more in store for him. She reformed her pile driver and struck his shield, but this time, she layered the spike with crimson flames, superheating the metal spike as it shot forward, piercing straight through the shield and through Shielder’s heart. The spike was retracted, allowing Shielder’s body to collapse onto the floor, with a cauterized hole where his heart used to be.

“FLAM!!!” Blader’s eyes shined with fury as he glared at Sunset. “YOU BITCH! I’LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!!!”

Sunset formed two swords, but these two had a serrated design to them. She got both of Blader’s blades as the two struggled for dominance. “I see, so you’re like her. You willingly merged with the Wendigo, which means you’re in complete control of your actions.”

“What does it matter?!”

“It matters, ‘cause now I don’t have to feel bad about killing you!!!”

Sunset focused her crimson flames into the blades, superheating them as well. She deflected Blader’s arm blades and then slashed the two blades in half. Sunset dismissed her swords, grabbed the two pieces in midair, and then stabbed them into his stomach, Sunset formed a katana and slashed across his chest, twice, forming an “X”. Black blood sprayed from the wounds, and after, Blader fell to the ground dead.

Midas got into a defensive position, he didn’t like this, whatever was going on, the color transitioning of Witchblade’s armor was behind it, she had gotten stronger somehow, and because of that she had dispatched his two subordinates. But he couldn’t be beaten, he was one of the three, he had to kill her or else he’d never hear the end of it from those two. Midas charged for Sunset, but in a flash, she was gone. He looked around but didn’t see her, that is, of course, if he bothered to look up.

Sunset descended down atop of Midas’ broad shoulders, piercing his left right shoulder with a sword that went down about four feet into his body. Midas spat up black blood as he tried to buck her off, but Sunset quickly jumped off of him and landed a few feet away. Then Sunset revealed that her right hand had a chain in it, and that chain was connected to the sword embedded in his shoulder.

Midas looked from the weapon and then back to Sunset and shouted, “NOOOO!!!”

Sunset gave a tug at the chain, the sword expanded inside him, turning into a fan blade that tore itself out of Midas, lobbing off his right arm in the process, once again the ground was stained with black blood. Midas howled in pain as he clutched at the wound, dropping to one knee as he continued to release his painful cries. The color change had finally stopped, her armor settling on the obsidian black, her hair no longer had the tinges of silver, and her eyes were a solid turquoise color. When that stopped, Sunset felt exhausted, but otherwise alright.

She dismissed the fan blade and reformed her claymore, slowly walking over to Midas to finish him. “It’s over, no more killing for you.”

“You think so…kitten?!”

Midas placed his left palm against the floor, and when he did, yellow light began to shine and gather to that spot.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“Ya got about ten seconds to get yer ass and that cop’s outta here before I turn the entire building, and everything inside it, into gold!” Midas threatened.

“No way?!”

“Seven seconds, kitten! Six…! Five…!”

Sunset couldn’t risk that Midas was bluffing. She spotted Shining Armor and dashed towards him, when she got to him she said, “I know you said you get airsick, but throw up when we’re on the ground!”

The bringer of Balance flared her wings and soared straight for the skylight, smashing through the window just as a bright yellow flash went off inside the warehouse. From up above, Shining Armor and Sunset watched as the entire warehouse was turned into solid gold, there were several police outside, no doubt their brawl was reported, and both were thankful none of them had entered.

Sunset flew down from the sky and landed before the police officers, all of whom aimed their weapons at Sunset. She released Shining Armor and put her hands up. “Hey, hey, we’re cool, right guys?”

“Blaaarggh!”

The officers and Sunset winced when they saw Shining Armor throw up, again. After doing so, Shining Armor said, “Stand down! She helped me get out of there, this was a 303 incident, do not shoot her!” The officers lowered their weapons, when they did, Shining Armor looked to Sunset. “Go on, I can take it from here.”

Sunset smiled and saluted Shining. “Officer.”

The police watched as Sunset spread her wings and took off into the sky, disappearing into the night.

“Damn, she is hot,” said an officer.

Shining Armor face palmed. “For crying out – secure the perimeter already! And call CSU!”

Applejack could hardly sleep, none of the Apple Family could really. The looming threat of their entire lives about to be upturned, losing the farm, possibly going to jail, and the very real idea of having to get out of town. None of this was fair, of course, Applejack had no one to blame but herself. They wanted to do what they did, knowing full well what being found out would do to their family, but in the end, it turned out so much worse than what either Applejack or Big Mac imagined. Sunset had told her she’d take care of it, that she’d help them somehow.

She knew Sunset was resourceful, and scary good when she was serious, but Applejack didn’t hold out any hope. Flim and Flam were shrewd con men, as smart as Sunset was, there was no way she could get a leg up on them.

*tap, tap*

“Maybe it ain’t too late to talk to them…offer ‘em somethin’…me, maybe?”

*tap, tap*

“No…hell, they could get anyone they wanted, they’d just say yes, use me, then do what they were planin’ on doin.”

*tap, tap, tap!*

“Goddammit if that crow’s back, Ah’m goin to shoooooo…”

Applejack was rendered speechless when she saw what, or rather, who was at her window. Hovering just outside was a girl, clad in obsidian black armor, with glowing eyes, and bat-like wings. It took everything in Applejack’s body to not scream bloody murder right now. Instead, though, she chuckled hysterically.

“Heh…well…guess that’s about right, a demon is at meh window, probably goin’ to spare me the trip and just take me straight down…sure, why not,” said Applejack.

The farm girl cautiously walked over to the window, she knew it was a sin to sleep with your own sibling, so a demon coming to visit her wasn’t out of the question. With trembling hands, Applejack opened the window and stepped back. The demon grabbed the edge of the window and retracted her wings as she entered Applejack’s room. She hated to admit it, but this demon looked really hot, no pun intended.

“Are ya…are ya here to take me to hell…? If ya are…can Ah at least say goodbye to my family first?” Applejack asked.

“What? No, I’m not here to take you to hell!”

“Oh…then…are ya one of those succubus demons then? Ah mean…Ah don’t know how this works, but aren’t y’all supposed to be visitin’ guys instead of girls?”

Sunset’s left eye twitched. “No, I’m not a succubus! It’s me, Sunset! I’m Witchblade!”

Applejack’s eyes went wide with shock. “Okay, now Ah know I’m dreamin’.”

Sunset sighed, walked up to Applejack, and lightly pinched her cheek. “Still think this is a dream?”

“Ow, ow, ow! Okay, okay, it ain’t a dream!” Applejack relented.

The bringer of Balance released her friend and said, “Good, there’s some things I need to talk to you about, let’s have a seat. And, do you have an extra shirt?”

“Uh…y-yeah.”

Applejack went into her dresser and pulled out a baggy t-shirt, handing it to Sunset. Once she had it, Sunset released the armor and was now standing nude in Applejack’s room. The farm girl turned around, her face as red as her apples. Sunset put the shirt on, which reached past her waist and halfway down her thighs.

“Okay, you can look I’m decent.”

Applejack turned around and said, “‘Kay…now, what in the blue hell is goin’ on here?!”

Sunset went to Applejack’s bed and sat on it, she then patted the spot next to her and said, “Have a seat, it’s a bit of a long story.”

The next couple of hours were spent with Sunset retelling the story of how she obtained the Witchblade, how she saved Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, freed Lightning Dust from the Wendigo that possessed her, learned that her actions during the Fall Formal broke the seal that kept the Wendigos locked up, saved Rarity, and about what she just did tonight. Through it all, Applejack’s expressions changed up and down at different parts, but the main expression that was seen throughout was astonishment. During the tale of tonight’s events, Sunset willed the Witchblade to produce Apple Bloom’s cellphone, and the flash drive that contained the information on the gold.

“Yer sayin’… there’s gold on our property?” Applejack asked.

“From what I read, yeah. In your hands, is the future for you and your family, AJ. The better life for Apple Bloom, yourself, Mac, and Granny Smith, it’s all right there, and it’s out there.”

Applejack looked upon the flash drive as if it were the most precious thing in the world, and held it so gently as if it was also the most fragile thing in the world. Sunset had done all of this, fought monsters, saved her little sister, and in one night saved their home and family. Applejack couldn’t hold back the tears started to flow down her face as she hunched over, trying to sob quietly as to not wake her siblings. Sunset wrapped her arms around her, hugging Applejack as she let her cry. These weren’t tears of sadness, these were tears of relief, of joy, and of regret. Regret that she ever had any doubts about how much Sunset valued their friendships, valued any of them, and of how they treated her, how she treated her.

“Can…Can ya ever fergive me, fer actin’ like such a fool all this time?” Applejack asked between sobs.

Sunset teared up a bit. “Applejack, I forgave you a long time ago.”

Both stayed like that for a minute before separating, both wearing warm smiles. Applejack wiped her tears and asked, “Guess ya better get goin’ before it gets too much later. Got school tomorrow.”

“Yeah, oh, and I’ll come up with something to explain how I got that, and don’t be too harsh on Apple Bloom when you see her. Oh, better give me back her phone, I’ll give it to her tomorrow,” said Sunset.

The farm girl huffed a bit as she handed it over. “Ah’m still a mite ticked that she had that on her phone and didn’t delete it. But…since it’s all over, Ah won’t.”

“That’s all I ask.”

Sunset stood up and took off the shirt, making Applejack look away again. In a matter of seconds, the Witchblade once again covered Sunset’s body, Applejack still couldn’t believe that Sunset fought in such revealing armor. Sunset peeked over her shoulder and struck a sexy pose.

“Like what you see, AJ?”

“Get off it, and fly on home,” said Applejack playfully.

“Your loss, they say a life or death fight can really boost the sex drive,” Sunset teased.

“If yer that hot and bothered, go visit Rainbow, Ah’m pretty sure she’s got a thing for this version of you.”

Sunset rubbed the back of her head as she chuckled. “If I did, and she found out it was me, she’d probably never speak to me again for tricking her. Anyway, goodnight Applejack.”

“Night, Sunset.”

Applejack watched as Sunset leapt out of her window and flew through the sky. The farm girl went back to her bed and placed the flash drive in the drawer of her nightstand, she almost couldn’t wait until tomorrow, her family was in for a big surprise.

Down in the sewers, Midas was hiding. Now that his identity as Gladmane was exposed, showing his face up top was going to be troublesome. Jumping bodies was an option, but Gladmane and Midas were in sync with each other, he was a good host and Midas didn’t want to risk giving that up for something less. Just then, he sensed the Call, the two were wanting to speak with him.

Before his eyes, the ghostly apparitions of his two high ranking Wendigos appeared. One was pink and had a female form, the only thing visible were the eyes, which were crystal blue. The second was gray, with piercing red eyes, but this one was only a mist.

“Wow, you look like shit,” said the pink apparition.

“Your kindness is much appreciated, you glorified slut,” Midas shot back.

“Enough you two. What happened?”

Midas filled in the two Wendigos, both of whom seemed agitated that the Witchblade was once again interfering with them. “And that’s how Ah’m in this sorry state right now!”

“That is a bit unnerving, this Witchblade is easily dispatching us, some of our minor servants that come into being are one thing, but to see this kind of damage done to a higher rank…”

“Indeed, not only that, but when she kills, it’s oblivion. She can kill us in spirit form and in a host as well. Normally, we can jump from body to body, so losing a host body is no real loss. But this Witchblade, when she kills our hosts, she can kill us too.”

“We can beat her if we had more numbers, somethin’ Ah thought you were workin’ on, Nihil!” Midas accused.

“In due time, human children are not complex, but can also be contradictorily complex as well. The epicenter of the magic which freed us is the key to giving us the power we need to fully manifest. The school is the key, I just need to rile them up a little more.”

“Well, you have your way of doing that, and I have mine. By the way, ‘Midas’, jeez, these humans and their names for us, what are you going to do about that body?”

“Keep it, duh! Ah ain’t lettin’ that bitch take what’s mine so easily! Ah can’t go through with my plan now those two are dead…” Midas grunted in pain as he felt the sting of his lost limb. “Ah’ll have to wait until this grows back.”

“Guess I’m picking up the slack then. Very well, suppose I can get a little more aggressive with my followers.”

Author's Notes:

Case Ongoing

Case File 5-1 (Ishtar): The Goddess Beckons

Author's Notes:

Warning: Sexually Explicit Content. Best to apply this to every chapter as you read through Ishtar Arc.

Fluttershy paid a visit to Saint Pureheart church, she didn’t openly show her religious side at school, or around her friends as she didn’t want to cause a rift between them due to her beliefs. But in the recent months, Fluttershy had found herself seeking refuge here, praying before the altar for the school, her friends, and more recently, Sunset Shimmer.

Before Anon-A-Miss, when the “Old Sunset Shimmer” was around, Fluttershy was a constant target of her verbal and physical abuse. In all honesty, the physical never went beyond a shove, but her words cut deeper and hurt more than a punch or kick ever could. In those days, this was her sanctuary, well, here and the Animal Shelter.

Now though, she prayed more for Sunset than before. She prayed that Sunset would be alright, and that Anon-A-Miss would stop. With the recent events that have happened at school, Applejack and Rarity have seemed to have cleared the air with Sunset. Perhaps they had come to the same conclusion she had, but was too steeped in her anger and feelings of betrayal to see it clearly.

After taking a step back, Fluttershy could see that this was all ridiculous. Sunset obviously had nothing to gain from any of this, for god’s sake, she was nearly strangled to death in the middle of the day, in school, in front of a mob of students. That, more than anything, was enough for Fluttershy to see the light, but again, her fears of causing more of a rift between her friends kept her from completely joining Sunset.

Two weeks had passed since Apple Bloom’s kidnapping, and now Applejack and Sunset were friends again, if anything, it seemed that they were even better friends now than before. Fluttershy was happy to see this, however, there was still one among them that wasn’t.

“Rainbow Dash…”

The prismatic haired girl still had doubts, but Fluttershy knew better. Out of all their friends, Fluttershy and Rainbow had been friends for far longer than the others, so Fluttershy knew that Rainbow’s reluctance to accept that Sunset may not be Anon-A-Miss, was due to her pride. She had been harsher on Sunset than the others, she was a girl who believed in loyalty, and upheld that loyalty when it came to her friends.

So, when a friend betrayed that loyalty, Rainbow reacted harshly. But if it came to light that Sunset wasn’t guilty, then it would turn out that Rainbow Dash was the one who dishonored and betrayed that loyalty. She knew, eventually, hopefully, that Rainbow would swallow her pride and apologize to Sunset in some way that doesn’t look like an apology on the surface, but really is in her own way.

“Fluttershy, how nice to see you,” said a woman with a Cajun accent

Fluttershy glanced to her left, standing next to her pew was a Nun. She was dressed in her habit, with a rosary wrapped around her waist. The Nun had an ocean blue complexion, and despite her habit’s best efforts, it couldn’t completely contain her frizzy, red hair.

“Sister Meadowbrook,” said Fluttershy, “I didn’t know you returned!”

The Sister opened her arms and let Fluttershy come in for a hug. Sister Meadowbrook was the Nun who helped Fluttershy when Canterlot High School was being ruled by Sunset, listening to her worries and offering her advice and words of encouragement. Over time she had become her friend and would often take time out of the day to speak with Fluttershy.

“How was your trip to Rome?” Fluttershy asked.

“Splendid, although it was more business than pleasure, but it was still nice. How y’all been, Suga?” Meadowbrook asked.

“Not so good…”

Sister Meadowbrook and Fluttershy spent some time sitting in the pew, the Sister listened to everything that had happened with her friends, and how things seemed to be looking up. Meadowbrook could see that this was weighing on the young girl’s mind, but she would say that Fluttershy had become a stronger girl compared to the previous times they have talked.

“Sounds like a lot is happenin’ at your school, but don’t let it rattle ya, trust in the Lord and in your heart, and you’ll see the right path,” said Meadowbrook.

“I do trust Him, sometimes…it’s me I don’t trust. I let myself get blinded by my anger and failed to see the obvious!”

“But ya know better now, don’cha?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Then you’re already on the right path, you just need to take the first step, and ask forgiveness from this friend of yours.”

Fluttershy smiled, she always felt good talking to Sister Meadowbrook, in some ways she saw her as the actual big sister she never had. “I should get going, I have homework to do.”

“Go with God, my child.” Fluttershy waved to the Sister and Meadowbrook waved back as she exited.

When she left, the priest of the church came up behind her and asked, “What news did the Vatican have?”

Meadowbrook’s face became serious. “They’re wonderin’ whether or not to classify this as a true demonic attack, I urged them to release the weapon.”

The priest’s eyes nearly bulged from his skull. “Surely you don’t mean that?! The happenings around the city are extreme, but I don’t think that they are dire enough to warrant the use of such a powerful weapon. Besides, she’s not ready to wield it.”

Meadowbrook crossed her arms as she stared at the doors, or rather, to the person beyond those doors. “I brought it with me, it’s safely in storage until the time is right, or those old fogeys realize that we’re at war, but by then it may be too late.”

The priest stroked his beard and said, “Perhaps we won’t need to, that woman seems to be dispatching the demons.”

“We can’t rely on that person, we don’t know if they even are a demon or an actual person, plus, have you seen the way she’s dressed?” Meadowbrook sighed. “I’ll pray that she’s on our side, but I still have faith that Fluttershy will come around.”

Rainbow Dash sat on the bleachers of the soccer field. The snowfall was heavy today, so the field was a blanket of white. It was fine though, she didn’t come out here to play, she just needed to think.

Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, three of her friends were now on Sunset’s side. Rarity she could understand, she was saved by Sunset during that fashion show, so maybe she won her over that way. Not that she was ungrateful to Sunset for doing that, the last thing Rainbow wanted was for Rarity to be killed by that monster.

Applejack was another story, Sunset had only spent a week or two with the Apple Family and yet somehow she was chummy with them again, well except for Apple Bloom, her and Sweetie Belle still didn’t trust Sunset it seemed.

Pinkie Pie was the first to get on the “Sunset Shimmer is innocent” bandwagon, and to this day, her words still echoed in her head. “She ponied up, Rainbow! You know, the Magic of Friendship kind of ponying up! If Sunset was really the mean, cruel girl that everybody’s saying she is, then how would that happen?! If anything, she would’ve demoned up instead of ponying up! Shouldn’t that be reason enough to think she may be telling the truth?”

“I don’t know dammit!” Rainbow exclaimed into the cold air. “Because now you’re on everyone’s shit list because of what was posted! But that’s bullshit! You’d never do anything like that!……Dammit all…”

Rainbow hunched over and held her head, things were too confusing, too chaotic. She thought she knew what was up, that Sunset was secretly reverting back to her old ways, but in the back of her head, Rainbow was starting to see the pieces that weren’t fitting into place. There was even a dark part of her mind that hoped that Sunset was Anon-A-Miss, because if that wasn’t true, then Fluttershy was right about abandoning their friend when she was most in need. Rainbow made that mistake back when Sunset divided them all, and she swore she would never break those bonds of loyalty again. The Sirens tested that, and Sunset was the one to bring them back, now…

“Hey, Cap, what’s up?”

Rainbow Dash looked up, somehow one of her teammates had gotten closer to her without realizing it. The girl before her had a grayish purple complexion, with blonde hair that was tied back into a ponytail, and sandy yellow colored eyes. Rainbow knew this girl, her name was Cloud Kicker, one of her soccer teammates. She had come onto the team not long after Lightning Dust was kicked out, and quickly found her place on the team, she was really likeable, and always brought the team’s spirits up. That, and she was the second biggest pervert on the team.

“Hey Cloud…”

“You look stressed, got a hockey game coming up?” Cloud asked.

“No, nothing like that…it’s all this Anon-A-Miss crap…” Rainbow confessed.

“Oh…” Cloud Kicker sat down next to her captain and said, “I guess it’s harder on you than most of us, Sunset was your friend right? But then again, I guess she really wasn’t if she’s doing all this.”

Rainbow Dash growled in frustration. “That’s just it! I don’t know if it is her anymore! It’s her style, but she’s the one getting all the crap! I keep trying to think about what the endgame of this whole thing is! But I keep drawing a blank, and in between all that shit, she goes and does things that make me think otherwise! Like what happened at the fashion show!”

Cloud Kicker nodded. “Oh yeah, I remember watching that on the news, that was some crazy shit! Didn’t Sunset save Rarity?”

“Yeah…the thing is, as much of a bitch as Sunset was in the past, I don’t think she’d let any of us die if she could help it,” Rainbow confessed.

Cloud Kicker rubbed the back of her head as she said, “Weeellllll, she did turn into a she-demon and nearly incinerated you and Twilight Sparkle.”

Rainbow furrowed her brow. “That was different, she was overwhelmed with magical power, it just…brought out all the bad stuff in her and made her into that. Like being trapped in your own body kind of thing.”

“Did Sunset tell you that?” Cloud asked.

Rainbow nodded.

“Wow…that’s messed up.” Cloud Kicker stood up and stretched. “You know…there is a place I go to just forget about school and everything else, someplace that doesn’t care about titles, money, or anything. Just fun.”

Rainbow scoffed. “Great, drop me a brochure.”

Cloud Kicker dropped to the next row and stood in front of Rainbow Dash. “I’m serious Cap, if you’re feeling this stressed out, maybe you should join me. I’ve been thinking about asking you for a while now, but I think now’s the best time to take you. What do you say?”

Rainbow looked into Cloud’s eyes, she didn’t look like she was joking, she looked fully serious about what she was saying. “Does it involve any kind of drugs or alcohol?”

“Oh, there’s a drug, but it’s one that the human body naturally makes, so we won’t need to ingest anything. Alcohol dulls the senses, and we’ll need all of them for where we’re going,” Cloud answered.

Rainbow Dash sighed and relented. “Alright, when do you want to do this?”

“Let’s go tonight, since it’s Saturday we can stay out later, unless your folks don’t let you then we can go now?”

Rainbow thought about it for a minute and decided that now was as good a time as any. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Great! I promise you won’t regret it!”

Deep down in the ice caverns stood a colossal dragon, it’s body was made of platinum blue ice armor, with silvery scales protecting it’s more vulnerable areas. The dragon’s eyes shined red as it bared its many rows of sword-like teeth, and then gave a mighty roar that blew with all the force of a raging snow storm.

The beast’s name was Cocytus, the dragon of the Netherworld Tundra, none dared to strike at this mighty creature, no one, except two. A warrior woman with flaming red and yellow hair which gave off sparkling embers and crackled like a fireplace. Her armor shined like the sun, gold, and engraved with rune markings and sun symbols. In her right hand she held the mighty Sol Gladius, the Sword of the Sun. Its blade was made entirely of pure magical fire, so hot and intense that it hummed. It was essentially a laser sword. Connected to her armor was red, tattered cape, around her left hand was a spell circle, primed and ready to cast.

To her left was another warrior, a cat girl. Her pink curly locks went down her back, where her tail swishing side to side in anticipation. She wore blue armor, but not as heavily armored as her partner, allowing her better mobility, for her abilities called for speed, agility, and strength. Attached to her belt was a dagger, and in her left hand she had three kunai, each attached with a red paper tag.

“We finally found it, Cocytus, let’s bag us a big one, Pinkie!”

“Oh yeah, this is gonna be fun, Sunset!”

Cocytus roared with all its might, flexing its boney wings into the air, and casting a shadow that looked as if giant claws were about to rend the two heroines to pieces. What happened was almost like that, Cocytus flapped its wings forward, and from those several ice shards were launched at them. Sunset got out in front, twirling her sword around with master skill. Each time an ice shard came close, Sol Gladius’ intense heat evaporated the shard before they could reach their target, and with each evaporated ice shard, steam would appear and gradually conceal the duo. Cocytus continued to pelt them with ice shards, but Sunset would just move faster, continuously destroying them.

After a minute, Cocytus ceased its barrage, a thick cloud of steam obscured the area where the heroine duo once stood, Cocytus snarled and prepared to launch itself towards the cloud, but then…

“Searing Soul Flames!”

The cloud of steam was suddenly, and violently blow away as a column of fire roared towards Cocytus. The ice dragon opened its mouth and fired off a stream of cryo flame to match it. The two flames met in the middle, and at that moment, exploded upon contact, creating a steam explosion.

Cocytus skidded backwards, but managed to stop itself by digging its claws into the ground. At that moment, Pinkie Pie appeared overhead and threw three kunai right at the monster’s face. All three managed to stick into the monster’s face, not that it caused it any harm. However, the red tags that were attached to the kunai began to glow brighter and brighter, until all three of them exploded in the monster’s face, right close to its red eyes. The beast roared in pain, thrashing about and trying to strike at the one who caused it harm.

Pinkie Pie, while still in the air, made some strange hand signs and cried out, “Inferno Technique: Red Spiral Sparrow!”

Pinkie Pie dove down straight for Cocytus as her body was enveloped in flames. Those flames took on the form of a fiery red sparrow, and at the tip of the construct’s beak, a fire tornado formed. The sparrow continued flying downwards until it impacted Cocytus, once again, in the face. The flames wrapped around the ice dragon’s head, making it thrash even more.

Pinkie Pie appeared next to Sunset, skidding to a halt. “Those flames will burn for at least thirty seconds; he won’t be able to attack while that’s happening so hit him with a good one!”

“On it!”

Sunset prepared to unleash a powerful attack, but at that moment, a blizzard erupted around Cocytus, and in an instant, the flames of Pinkie’s attack were instantly turned into ice, and in the next moment, shattered like fragile glass.

“That’s not fair! How did it do that?!” Pinkie asked.

Sunset looked upon the creature for a second, and cursed when she saw why that happened. “Netherworld Ice Guard, it’s a special ability that nullifies lingering flames, so we can’t gradually damage this thing with our other fire attacks!”

“Well that sucks, so what –?!”

“PINKIE, LOOK OUT!” Sunset shouted.

Cocytus spun around and whipped its long tail in their direction. Sunset dove for Pinkie Pie and forced her friend down to the ground, but unfortunately, managed to get struck by the enormous tail. The knight was sent flying before striking up against the ice cave wall, Sunset coughed up some blood as she hung there in her body sized crater.

“SUNSET!”

Cocytus roared again and this time unleashed another cryo flame attack. Pinkie Pie used her amazing speed and agility to move out of the attack path. The ice dragon strafed its flames across the ground as it tried to hit Pinkie Pie, but she was too quick for it. When the flames hit the ground, they didn’t burn, they just froze, creating glaciers the longer Cocytus held the flames on a single spot. Pinkie Pie had to keep dodging, she excelled in hit and run tactics, Sunset was the tank, if anything, Pinkie was a glass cannon, powerful, but if she took a good hit, she was down and out.

I won’t let Sunset down!

Pinkie made another hand sign and cried out, “Shadow Technique: Army of One!”

Suddenly, the room was filled with hundreds of Pinkies, each one running or bouncing off the walls in random directions. Cocytus didn’t know which one to attack, but lashed out at the ones it could get, but each one that it hit only faded into mist.

“Shadow Technique: Binding Soul!”

Ten of the Pinkie clones suddenly had purple glowing kunai in their hands. With great precision and timing, all ten threw their kunais at the same time, each one striking a point on the ground, more specifically, the dragon’s shadow. The ice dragon suddenly found itself unable to move, it struggled with all its might, but the creature was bound by the mystic kunais that Pinkie threw.

The copies disappeared and only the real Pinkie Pie was left standing before the behemoth. She made another hand sign and shouted, “INFERNO TECHNIQUE: HELLFIRE TIGER!!!”

Pinkie Pie got on all fours, the pupils of her eyes turning into slits as she growled fiercely at Cocytus. In that moment, roaring flames swirled around her, growing larger by the second until they were half as big as Cocytus. The flames then took on the form a large tiger, with black flames for its stripes, yellow flames for its eyes, and white flames for its teeth. The tiger construct gave a mighty roar, overlaid with Pinkie’s own voice giving a battle cry.

The tiger charged for the ice dragon and swiped at it with its claws, leaving a trail of orange gashes across its armored hide. The gashes glowed intensely until they detonated a second later. The tiger swiped again, and again, and again, with each successful swipe more and more explosions erupted from the dragon’s body, and with its shadow bound, Cocytus could only stand there and take it.

The tiger jumped into the air landed on the ceiling, and spring boarded off the ceiling to land on Cocytus’ back. The tiger opened its mouth, and bit down on the monster’s neck, and dug its claws into it’s back. The core of the tiger began to glow, an orb of bright light was building up, during this battle, and it was now shining intensely. In the next moment, the orb of light detonated, pouring flames all over the Cocytus and making the beast thrash about in pain. However, just like before, its ability activated, turning the flames into ice.

However, the process was slower than before, as the flames were of a higher power, like that of the ice, so the burn damage this creature took was lingering longer than it would like. However, it came with a cost, the burn damage only lasted so long as the caster remained in the flames to fuel them. Pinkie Pie knew this was a suicide attack, but if it meant taking down the beast, then so be it.

Unfortunately, the flames didn’t just burn the monster, it also burned the binding spell. Now free, Cocytus bucked and thrashed, jumping up and slamming itself into the ceiling and walls. Pinkie Pie tried to hang on for as long as she could, but that was it. She lost her grip and flew off the dragon’s back, landing in a heap on the floor some twenty feet away.

Her fur was singed, and her armor was cracking, Pinkie Pie could barely get up, but she managed to get onto her hands and knees. She looked over at the dragon, but the flames were already turning into ice and about to shatter.

“I’m sorry…Sunset…I wasn’t able to finish it…”

“No, you did more than enough,” said Sunset.

Pinkie Pie looked to her left and watched as Sunset walked to her side. The knight twirled her sword around and stuck it into the floor. The sword then created a barrier of light around them, keeping them safe. “Sunset, you can’t, if that thing hits you again, that’s it!”

“Well, that’s fine, cause thanks to you, I’ll only need one powerful hit to finish it. No one hurts my friends! Activate: LIMIT BREAK!!!”

Sunset’s armor began to disengage, the parts that limited her mobility disappeared, leaving only her shoulder pauldrons, bracers, chest plate, plated skirt, and boots. The small grooves in the remaining pieces of armor began to open up, and glow white. Golden particles wrapped around Sunset’s body, making her eyes shine a bright turquoise, while her hair exploded into a majestic wildfire.

The knight charged for Cocytus, the ice dragon unleashed a torrent of cryo flame on Sunset, but the aura around her body acted like a barrier, protecting her from its freezing effects.

Sunset’s hand started to glow green as she yelled out, “These hands of mine, shine, and ROAR!” Bringing her hands together, Sunset focused the emerald light, transforming it into a sword of pure energy that reached almost to the ceiling of the nearly one-hundred-foot-tall cave.

“Take this! My love!”

Sunset slashed from the left at the dragon, carving an emerald gash into the Cocytus.

“My anger!”

Another slash, from the right, forming a second gash and creating a glowing “X” mark.

“And all my sorrow!” Sunset slashed horizontally through the “X” mark, and raised her energy sword high as she yelled out, “SHINING SWORD DESTROYER!!!”

Remarkably, the sword tripled in length and size, piercing through the cave ceiling.

“GOOOOOO!!!”

Sunset flew straight for Cocytus and brought down the dreadnought slaying sword. Cocytus could do nothing as the giant killer blade struck its head and cleaved it all the way down, leaving a huge, blazing gash on the ceiling, walls, and ground. Sunset continued to cut downwards until she landed on the ground, at the same time, the blade shrunk in size until it faded into particles of green light. She looked up and watched as the red glow of Cocytus’s eyes faded and the two halves of the dragon exploded into diamond dust. The panels of Sunset’s armor returned to their normal state as the Limit Break’s time was up.

Sunset dashed back to Pinkie and knelt before her. “You okay?”

Pinkie Pie looked at Sunset with stars in her eyes, her tail swishing back and forth. “THAT WAS SO, COOL!!!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I didn’t know you could do that in the game!”

~*~*~*~

Sunset and Pinkie Pie sat in front of Sunset’s TV, in their hands were a couple of controllers, and on the screen, their avatars had just completed a quest to slay the Netherworld Ice Dragon.

“It’s just a Limit Break technique, your character could learn it too, if you want, I can show you,” Sunset suggested.

“Yes, yes, yes! I want to go all golden!” Pinkie Pie abandoned her controller and swiftly stood up on the couch and began imitating Sunset’s avatar’s final attack. “‘My love, my anger, and all my sorrow! Shining Sword Destroyer!’ That was so epic, it gave me chills!”

Sunset blushed embarrassment as she looked away from Pinkie Pie. “I just got caught up in the heat of the moment and just…got into character…ugh…that was embarrassing.”

Pinkie plopped back down onto the couch. “Why? I think it was neat how into it you were! Maybe you should start a gaming channel on ViewTube?”

Sunset glanced to her pink friend and asked, “Do you think so…? I mean, I have gotten good at them, but I was mostly using them to help me build better hand-eye coordination. Flash’s guitar lessons helped, but I needed something else to help it along.”

“Oh, so that’s why you fumbled a lot when you held things,” said Pinkie in realization.

“Yep, and somehow I became a pretty good guitar player and gamer.”

Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow and smirked. “ ‘Pretty’ good?”

“Don’t stroke my ego, I’m not Rainbow,” said Sunset.

Pinkie Pie shrugged. “Eh, I could ‘stroke’ something else, seeing as the whole school thinks we’re together after all.”

Sunset’s face heated, knowing full well what she meant by that. Unfortunately, Anon-A-Miss’s post about Pinkie and Sunset being together, and that Pinkie was secretly getting dirt on everyone, had alienated her from most of the student body. She didn’t it show much, but Sunset could see that this weighed on her, and it wasn’t like this was unexpected, but still, Sunset wished that this hadn’t happened.

“It’s all my fault…”

“What’s your fault?”

“You getting involved with me…if you hadn’t, you’d still be party planning, and hanging out with the other students…” Sunset put her controller down and sighed. “Now Anon-A-Miss has made it so that I can’t not be around you, if I’m not, I’m afraid someone’s going to do something to you.”

Pinkie Pie smiled, scooted closer, and brought Sunset into a hug. “It’s alright, honestly, I think this is some sort of cosmic punishment for leaving you like we did. And besides, it’s not all bad, I get to be around the person I like – EEP!”

Sunset and Pinkie froze up, the flame haired girl glanced to her right and saw that Pinkie Pie was blushing a little. “Um…Pinkie…when you say ‘like’, h-how do you mean it?”

“Uh…um…I-I meant it…I meant it like I like…I…what I mean is…” Pinkie, amazingly, found herself at a loss for words.

“Did you mean it as if to say…you like-like me, maybe?” Sunset asked.

Pinkie Pie, realizing that she was still holding onto Sunset, released her and turned away slightly. “Um…I-I think I-I might…”

Sunset smiled a little as she rubbed the back of her head. “Wow…I…wow.”

“But I don’t…I don’t think I should.”

The former unicorn mare looked at Pinkie Pie with confusion. “Why not? Is your family…like, not cool with same sex relationships?”

Pinkie Pie held her hand out and gave a little wavy motion. “My Mom and Dad were raised old school…but, I don’t think that they’d disown me or anything.”

“Then, why do you think you shouldn’t like me like that?”

Pinkie turned around and sighed, having a dejected look on her face. “I’m not…I don’t think I’m good enough.”

Sunset furrowed her brow and crossed her arms over her chest. “Pinkie, I thought I said never to talk about yourself like–!”

“Sunset, please, you and I both know I’m out of your league!” Pinkie interrupted. “I could see you with any of the other girls and making it work…even Princess Twilight! Because they all have something to work towards, Rarity with her fashion, Rainbow Dash and sports, Fluttershy’s either going to be a doctor or veterinarian, and Applejack’s going to get into her family business!”

And she’s going to be filthy stinking rich come close to graduation, thought Sunset.

“Princess Twilight, well, c’mon, it’s in the title! Me? What do I do other than plan great parties?!” Pinkie continued.

“You do more than that, you bring laughter to those who need it the most, you lift the spirits of others just by smiling, your smile puts people at ease and allows them to smile too!” Sunset countered.

“And don’t even get me started on my figure.”

“Oh hell no.”

“Hell yes!” Pinkie Pie stood up and struck a pose with her hip out. “I’m not lean like Rainbow, our curvy like Rarity, or chiseled like AJ, or a bombshell like Fluttershy!”

“Ugh, so you have a little pudge, not a big deal!” Sunset stood up and met her gaze with Pinkie’s. “Pinkie, I’d have to be pretty damn shallow to care about how you look, and honestly, having you back in my life has kept me sane believe it or not!”

Pinkie blinked. “I…I have?”

Sunset sat back down and stared at the floor. “I get frustrated…Anon-A-Miss, all these demon attacks, it weighs on me y’know? Not only that, but I made the choice to stay here and make this world my new home. I don’t regret my decision, but sometimes…I keep looking at the statue and wonder if I should just say ‘FUCK IT ALL!’ and just head back to Equestria!”

Pinkie’s eyes widened with shock, she had no idea Sunset had contemplated leaving their world. Really though, Pinkie couldn’t blame her, with everyone in the school hating her, and after they abandoned her, what else was left on this side? At least back in her world, she’d be with Princess Twilight, with someone who cared about her, and could live her life surrounded by magic and wonder. Honestly, Pinkie wouldn’t blame Sunset at all for choosing to do that, not everyone had that kind of option.

“But every time I thought about it…I thought about how sad I’d make you…so soon after getting you back as my friend, and really, I’m glad you were the first. You were the first one of the girls to approach me after the Fall Formal and Princess Twilight left.” Pinkie Pie sat down next to Sunset. “I complained, I cursed at you, and even threatened you a little.”

“Yep, but those weren’t as impressive as your cursing, I think you’d make a sailor blush,” said Pinkie with a chuckle.

Sunset chuckled as well. “You managed to bring me out of my darkness, and allowed me to open up to you and the girls. That’s why I was so happy to have you back as my friend, the person who made me smile again, the person who brightens my day…” Sunset looked to Pinkie, she saw that Pinkie’s hands were resting on her knees. The former unicorn carefully moved her right hand and placed it over Pinkie’s left. “…was you.”

Pinkie’s blush was even more intense than it was before, her heart was racing in her chest, her mind more of a jumbled mess than it normally was. Sunset liked her, and she liked Sunset, was there really more that was needed other than that?

“Are…A-Are you sure you’d be okay with…with someone like me?” Pinkie asked with a shaky voice.

Sunset slowly interlocked her fingers with Pinkie’s left hand and scooted closer. Words weren’t enough, and to be honest, Sunset had been wanting to show Pinkie how much she meant to her. Using her left hand, Sunset turned Pinkie’s head to face her, the redhead leaned closer and planted her lips onto Pinkie’s.

The pink party planner was shocked, but only for a moment before she decided to stop thinking about it and just enjoy the moment. Pinkie pulled her hand away and wrapped her arms around Sunset, pulling Sunset towards her. Sunset took the initiative and moved forward, making Pinkie Pie lie down on the couch with Sunset on top of her. Sunset prodded at Pinkie’s lips, asking for permission to enter. Pinkie Pie happily granted her entrance, allowing Sunset to slip her tongue into Pinkie’s mouth. Both muscles vied for supremacy as both girls moaned pleasurably.

Sunset’s senses were becoming hyper aware of the girl beneath her, the cotton candy scent of Pinkie’s hair, the sugary sweet taste of Pinkie’s mouth, the plumpness and warmth of her impressive mounds, all of it excited Sunset to her core. She lifted her body up just a bit, allowing her hands to roam over Pinkie’s shoulders, and then to her chest, Pinkie released small squeaks once Sunset got a handful of clothed mammary and gave them gentle squeezes. Those hands continued downward, feeling Pinkie’s stomach before resting at Pinkie’s hips. Sunset broke the kiss, a cliché strand of saliva still connected them.

Pinkie Pie was panting, her face still red, her body hot and excited. Sunset looked down at her friend, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she straddled her. Neither of them knew where they wanted this to go, they simply just stared at each other, looking over each other’s bodies. Sunset was wearing a teal tank top and black pajama pants, while Pinkie Pie was wearing a white button up blouse and powder blue skirt with leggings. Pinkie, without a word, slowly brought her hands to her shirt and began unbuttoning her blouse one after the other.

By the fourth button, Sunset was able to see the white bra that was underneath the shirt, and that’s when she reached out and grabbed Pinkie’s hands, stopping her from continuing.

“I-I’m sorry, did you…did you want to do it?” Pinkie asked.

Sunset swallowed hard. “I want to…I really want to. But…”

“But…?”

Sunset released Pinkie’s hands. “I don’t want to move too fast, you’re not about to tell me you’re ready to have sex with me, are you?”

Pinkie sheepishly brought her arms across her chest. “I…I’m a little nervous…but…i-if you want to…I don’t really mind…”

Sunset sighed and shook her head. “No, if you’re not ready, then there’s no point.” The former unicorn lied down atop Pinkie again and snuggled up to her.

“Sunset…?”

“I don’t want to push you just because we’re excited. When you’re ready, we’ll do this properly after a nice date.”

Pinkie’s nervousness faded as she wrapped her hands around Sunset again, hugging her new girlfriend. “I’d like that, a-and I promise I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”

“Good.” A pervy grin formed on her lips. “Because on that day, I’m going to screw your brains out. I got a lot of build up sexual tension and I plan to unleash it all on you. You’ll probably won’t be walking right for a few days.”

“Oooh, kinky,” said Pinkie happily.

Both girls settled on the couch, enjoying the moment.

“Pinkie.”

“Yeah?”

“I like you.”

Pinkie smiled.

“I like you too.” Pinkie Pie glanced to her right and said, “Sunset.”

“Hmm?”

“We forgot to save the game.”

Sunset looked at the TV and saw that a random horde of enemy monsters had spawned and killed their avatars.

“Oh, fuck me!” Sunset exclaimed.

“Sorry, not today, maybe sometime down the road.”

Sunset looked at Pinkie Pie, who only grinned and chuckled. The flaming redhead let her head plop back down onto Pinkie’s chest and stated, “You’re lucky you’re boobs are too comfortable.”

“Guess that’s why they call ‘em–”

“Don’t say it!”

“–dirty pillows!”

“Ugh…”

Rainbow Dash rode in Cloud Kicker’s car, they had been driving for about thirty minutes and were about to enter the old warehousing distract. Rainbow didn’t like it, not much was here, some of the warehouses were abandoned, and some were in the process of closing up, about the only thing most of them were good for were for people looking to shoot Indie films, skateboard, free run, or just to do drugs where they know the police were less likely to spend the extra manpower to patrol.

“Cloud, where the hell are you taking me, seriously?” Rainbow asked.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, just trust me, Cap,” Cloud answered.

The prismatic haired girl didn’t want to distrust Cloud Kicker, she never gave her a reason not to trust her, still, she wondered, what would Cloud Kicker be doing in a place like this?

Rainbow’s answer would come sooner than she thought, as Cloud Kicker stopped in front of one, of many, abandoned warehouses. Both girls exited the car, Cloud Kicker led the way with Rainbow Dash following behind. They entered the building, it was musty, and smelled of rust, and dust. Broken windows allowed some of the snow to come in, and the wind that blew through them howled loudly through the large building, Rainbow swore it sounded alive. Cloud kept walking until she stopped at a random red door.

“It’s through here,” said Cloud Kicker as she opened the door. “Or more accurately, it’s below.”

Rainbow was still weary, but proceeded to follow. The girls went down three flights of stairs before finding themselves at the bottom, a basement level.

“What kind of warehouse is this?”

“I looked it up, apparently they used to manufacture bombs down here back during World War II. The place upstairs is just a cover, but when it was over, they sold the rights to use the place to the city, that is after they took back all their bomb making equipment,” Cloud Kicker explained.

“Okay…so, what are we doing in a warehouse that was a front for bomb making?”

Up ahead was a man, he was wearing a black robe, with a golden tassel belt, and a black mask. The mask had a symbol on it, not one that Rainbow recognized either. She only knew of weird magic symbols thanks to the anime she watched, some of which were rooted in real world symbols, but this one, it didn’t ring any bells. About the only thing she recognized was the center glyph-like mark, it was the symbol for the planet Venus, which also happened to be the symbol for females.

Cloud Kicker stopped before the man, she placed the ring and index finger of her right hand in the middle of her pelvis, dragged upwards until it reached her forehead, and in the same motion presented her hand to the robed man. “By the grace of Ishtar.”

The robed man clasped his hands onto Clouds right hand, one on top and one at the bottom, and then bowed slightly. “By her grace.”

Rainbow was now starting to get worried about what she just stepped into. The fuck is this…?

The robed man opened the door and resumed his guard duty. Cloud Kicker waved for Rainbow to follow, “C’mon, Cap, it’s alright, I promise!”

Rainbow Dash, reluctantly, followed Cloud Kicker. When she got passed the door, the robed guard closed the door behind her. Everything went dark for a second before red lights came on, the inside was long, and looked brand new compared to the rest of the facility. Along the right side of the wall were many different cubby holes, Rainbow walked up to one of them and saw that there were clothes inside, some were neatly folded and placed inside, others haphazardly folded, and some that were just thrown in there as if the person was in a hurry. Not just the clothes, but also shoes, jewelry, and electronic devices. There was a break in the cubby wall, that break was an open doorway, above the doorway it read “Bathrooms/Showers”.

Showers? “Hey, Cloud, what the hell is this – HOLY FUCKING SHIT!”

Cloud Kicker was standing at the cubby holes closest to the door at the opposite side of the room, and it was there that the teen was getting undressed. She had already taken off her coat, shirt, and bra and was now working on her lower half.

“W-W-W-What are you doing Cloud?!” Rainbow demanded.

Cloud Kicker stopped, her two thumbs resting on the inside of the waistband of her panties. “What’s wrong? We change in front of each other in the locker room plenty of times before.”

“That’s at school! We’re in some dank warehouse, thirty minutes away from the closest anything, there’s some weird guy in robes standing guard outside that door, and I’m at least three stories underground! Cloud, please, tell me where the fuck I am!”

Cloud didn’t seem concerned at all by Rainbow’s reaction, if anything, she seemed to be expecting it. The blonde continued to undress, kicking off her shoes and pulling her pants and panties off in one movement. She collected her things and placed them into the cubby hole, after she turned around and gave her soccer captain an unabashed view of her nude form.

“Calm down, Cap, I know this is strange, and a little weird, but I promise, this is something you want, something you need,” said Cloud.

“And what is it that I need?” Rainbow dared ask.

“Release. It’s no secret, we’re pretty much the two biggest pervs on the team. I kinda hoped that you’d be up for a friends with benefits relationship, but after hearing what you’re going through, I think you need more than that.”

Rainbow shook her head. “What exactly is more than friends with benefits?! A girlfriend?!”

“Not exactly.” Cloud Kicker walked over to a panel, she then pulled on a lever and made the panel move up.

Although you couldn’t see it due to the red lighting, Rainbow Dash was blushing up to her ears. The panel revealed a one-way window, allowing Rainbow Dash to see what was on the other side of that door, and what she saw, was frying her mind. There were many people on the other side, some in their late teens to early twenties, all of whom were engaged sex. It was like something out of some porno film, one large orgy, girls were doing girls, boys were doing girls, two girls for one guy, two guys for one girl, the sheer amount of debauchery that was going on behind that door was unlike anything Rainbow had ever seen. Unlike the room they were in, the other room was bathed in pink light, there were beds, couches, sex swings, a section for BDSM, and one for pet play.

“W-Wha…I don’t…”

“This is the Ishtar Club, named after the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war. In here, the world out there doesn’t exist, the only thing you focus on in here, is pleasure, nothing more or less,” said Cloud Kicker.

“Y-You can’t be serious…Y-You brought me to a sex club! I…I don’t…know…” Rainbow was having a hard time trying to get her words out, while also battling the growing arousal in her loins.

Cloud Kicker released the lever and shut the panel, she then got closer to Rainbow Dash, but Rainbow Dash backed up. The blonde girl was giving her bedroom eyes and continued to advance on Rainbow, slowly herding Rainbow towards the cubby wall. “I was the same way, Cap. When I was first brought here, I was overwhelmed by what I saw, I mean, yeah I’m kind of a horn dog, but something like that? There was no way I was ready for that.”

Rainbow yelped when her back hit the wall, Cloud Kicker swiftly closed the gap between them and pressed her nude body against Rainbow Dash, keeping her face just mere inches from hers. The sports girl kept her hands glued to the wall behind her, she didn’t know what to do right now, her brain was telling her this wasn’t right and that she needed to get the hell out, and the other part, her libido, was telling her not to pass up a chance like this.

Cloud Kicker could see the warring emotions in Rainbow’s rose colored eyes. She smiled a little as she gently took Rainbow Dash’s hands into her own, Rainbow offered little in the way of resistance as she made Rainbow grab ahold of her breasts. Cloud Kicker gave a low moan and said, “Can you feel my heartbeat? It’s racing, like I know yours is too.”

“Cloud…I…”

“I won’t force you, there’d be no point. All I ask is that you give this a shot, this one time. If after this you never want to come back, that’s up to you. But I promise, this’ll help with everything your going through,” said Cloud in a sultry voice.

Rainbow’s hands massaged Cloud’s breasts, as if they had minds of their own, those same hands slid down Cloud’s lithe figure and found themselves grabbing at her ass. “W-What are the rules?”

“No one is allowed take anything too far, this is a place to fuck and have fun, so things like relationships are left right here. Unless it’s the BDSM section, you’re not to harm your partner, no means no here. If you’re just wanting to have one partner tonight, that’s fine, but you must ask for permission to join, no surprise pokes or licks.”

“W-What about things like condoms? Do the guys wear ‘em? I’m not saying I’m planning on being with a guy, but I definitely don’t want to get pregnant or get an STD,” said Rainbow.

“So long as Ishtar wills it, diseases and pregnancies don’t exist in her world,” Cloud Kicker answered.

Rainbow looked at her in confusion. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Trust me, you’ll understand when you step inside.” Cloud Kicker stepped away, and she could see the look on Rainbow’s face that said she wanted to keep touching her. “The cubby beside mine is open, go ahead and put your clothes in.”

Rainbow couldn’t believe she was considering doing this, she stood before the cubby hole and began to disrobe. With each article of clothing removed, her nervousness went up. She was about to walk into a large room with dozens of people screwing each other left and right, and anyone one of them could proposition her to have sex, there wasn’t any condom use, if what Cloud Kicker said as true, how safe could this be? If even one person had an STD, the chances were one-hundred percent that she was going to get whatever it was. Still, she continued to take off her clothes, even with her brain telling her all the ways this could go wrong for her, she kept going. Rainbow now stood before Cloud Kicker, completely naked, and bare for her teammate to see, she felt even more embarrassed when she saw that Cloud Kicker definitely had more going on upstairs than she did. Not that her girls were nothing to sneeze at, but compared to her friends…

“You look hot, Cap,” said Cloud Kicker.

“T-Thanks,” said Rainbow.

Cloud Kicker offered her hand to Rainbow, “Take my hand, Cap.”

Rainbow Dash did so without question, right now the only person she could trust was Cloud Kicker, everyone there was a complete stranger, but Cloud Kicker she knew.

Cloud walked over to the door with Rainbow Dash in tow. The blonde girl pressed on the panel, and the door immediately slid open. The first thing that Rainbow was hit with was the smell, the inside reeked of sex, and the heat was second. She could hear the sound of the building’s A/C working to keep the air flowing, but it also helped to circulate the smell. The moment it hit her nostrils, Rainbow felt her sex moisten. Cloud smiled and led Rainbow further in as the door closed behind them.

The floor was divided up into a walkway with heated marble slabs, and velvet carpeting. The third thing Rainbow’s senses picked up were the sounds, the sounds of girls moaning, boys grunting, flesh slapping against flesh, and cries from the different orgasms that the different members of this club were having around her. There was something else that Rainbow felt, for some reason, she was gradually feeling less nervous about being in this place, her skin tingled, like she was getting static shocked. The feeling crawled all over her body, and even in her body.

“Do you feel that?” Cloud asked. “That tingly feeling like electricity?”

“Yeah, how did–?”

“It’s the light of Ishtar. I guess you could call it a light of protection, like I said, disease and pregnancy are nonexistent here, only pleasure is allowed. So, you can do it raw as many times as you want and never have to worry about a guy cumming outside or inside, here, it’s always inside!”

Rainbow and Cloud stopped in front of a couple of teens, the girl was on top of the boy in reverse cowgirl, she bopped her hips up and down like a piston until the boy below her cummed. Her face was twisted into a look of pure bliss, Rainbow dared to look lower and watched as the girl’s pussy had cum leaking down from it.

“S-Shit…”

“I know right?”

The inside was bigger than what Rainbow thought, it extended further into the back, with more and more scenes of debauchery taking place. Rainbow stopped when she looked ahead and saw a teen girl sitting on a throne at the top of some stairs as she watched the fun taking place before her. It was hard to tell, but the girl had a white complexion, her hair was pink, and had a body like that of a supermodel. Like everyone else, she too was naked, but had two girls sitting on either side of her throne.

“Who’s that?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, that’s the Vessel of the Goddess. She’s Ishtar’s priestess, she mostly sits there and watches us, but…on rare occasions, she’ll come down from her throne and pick one person to be her lover for the night, and if you’re really lucky, the goddess herself will appear, and when that happens, ooohhh~”

Rainbow Dash looked down and saw that there was wet streak going down along Cloud Kicker’s inner thigh. “Did…Did you cum a little?”

“Trust me, if you’ve seen and felt what I have, you’d cum too.”

Rainbow Dash looked to Cloud Kicker’s right, and saw an open bed. “I’d like to, so let’s get started!”

Without warning, Rainbow Dash flung Cloud Kicker towards the bed. The blonde yelped happily as she bounced on the mattress, and in less than a second, Rainbow Dash pounced on top of her. She stared hungrily at Cloud Kicker and captured her lips with an equally hungry kiss. Their tongues wrestled, but Rainbow was proving to be the stronger as she succeeded in practically shoving her tongue down Cloud’s throat.

Rainbow pulled away, granting them both much needed oxygen. The rainbow haired girl repositioned herself, taking Cloud Kicker’s right leg and laying it across her left shoulder, making her spread her legs and expose her sex. Rainbow scooted forward until her own pussy was pressed hard against, Cloud Kicker. The captain of the soccer team began to grind against Cloud’s pussy, her speed increased gradually, not giving Cloud Kicker any time to process what was happening.

“Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck me, Cap!” Cloud exclaimed.

“That’s the idea!” Rainbow responded.

Rainbow leaned forward and began humping Cloud Kicker in earnest, she lowered her head and latched onto Cloud’s right breast and used her right hand to massage the other. Cloud could only wrap her arms around Rainbow as she cried out in bliss from Rainbow’s aggressive love making. At the same time, unbeknownst to either of them, the Vessel of the Goddess started to take notice of them.

“Cap, I’m…gonna cum!”

“That’s right, cum for me!”

“Aaaaaaah~”

Cloud Kicker’s back arched as her pussy contracted and released her orgasmic fluids. Rainbow didn’t stop, she kept humping and sucking on Cloud’s tit, prolonging Cloud’s orgasm as her eyes began to roll up. Rainbow’s own orgasm crashed upon her, spraying her own girl cum onto Cloud Kicker’s sex. Cloud released Rainbow and fell onto the bed, panting from the intensity of what they just did.

“Oh god…Cap…that was so good,” Cloud panted.

“I’m not done yet.”

Rainbow pulled away and changed her position yet again. Her face was now staring at Cloud Kicker’s sex, while Cloud Kicker stared up at Rainbow’s. Neither needed any words as the two girls went to work on each other. Rainbow used her fingers to spread Cloud’s lips, she stuck out her tongue she started to lick at the vulva and made her way to labia. She took a moment to admire the taste, she could taste herself – yes she knew her own taste, and it was perfectly normal to know what your own cum tastes like – but she could also taste Cloud Kicker, a sweet and tangy flavor, she liked it. Meanwhile, Cloud Kicker was sampling the same taste, she too knew her own taste, allowing her to truly enjoy Rainbows, spicy with slight sour taste to it. Both girls ate each other out in earnest, piercing the other’s pussy with their tongues and scraping at their inner walls.

The Vessel of the Goddess was still watching them, but this time her eyes were focused on the girl with rainbow hair. She watched as that girl hit her second orgasm alongside her partner, and when she did, The Vessel could sense something, a slight surge in power. It wasn’t long before some other girls had wanted to join them, The Vessel watched for a moment as the rainbow haired girl seemed to hesitate, but a moment later she allowed them to join her and her partner. One of the new girls was lying on her back, while the rainbow haired girl sat on her face. The blonde was tribbing on the same girl, while the fourth stood between them. The rainbow haired girl performed cunnilingus on the girl who was standing, while the blonde gave a rimjob.

The Vessel of the Goddess felt a stirring inside her the longer she watched them, and the more she did, the more She stirred. The Vessel watched as the rainbow haired girl hit her third orgasm, but she didn’t seem close to stopping, she straddled the same girl she was sitting on began fingering her fast and hard, at the same time, the girl below her inserted her own fingers and returned the favor. The Vessel’s loins were stirring, and so were Hers, by that girl’s fourth orgasm, she knew she felt it, there was a power in her.

Rainbow lied on the bed, panting as her body dripped with sweat. On either side of her were the two girls who came to join them, while Cloud Kicker lay on top of her. She had never felt that good before, Rainbow will admit, she was hesitant about letting those two twenty something girls join them, but thankfully she threw those fears away and was rewarded with more bliss. The fun thing was, there was still more to enjoy, more girls, and, did she dare ask one of these boys to fuck her?

It would be the first time I’ve ever had a dick in me…

“Well, Cap, what do you think?” Cloud asked.

“I think I like this place,” Rainbow replied.

“Good, cause–”

“Pardon me.”

Cloud Kicker turned her head around and gasped upon seeing who it was, she immediately rolled off of Rainbow Dash and sat on her knees. The other two women beside Rainbow did the same, in fact, everyone stopped their own love making, regardless of how close they were to finishing, and sat on their knees. Rainbow gulped now that this so-called “Vessel of the Goddess” was standing before them, she was taller than she expected.

“What is your name?” she asked.

The girls looked between themselves before they followed The Vessel’s gaze to Rainbow.

Rainbow pointed at herself and asked, “M-Me?”

“Yes, please, your name.”

“R-Rainbow, my name’s Rainbow Dash,” she answered.

The Vessel kneeled before Rainbow Dash and cupped her cheek with her perfectly manicured hand. “Rainbow Dash, you have a spark inside of you that I’ve come to like. You seem to be truly enjoying yourself.”

“Y-Yeah, i-it’s actually my first time. In a place like this I mean! I don’t mean that it’s my first time, it’s definitely not!” Rainbow stated.

The Vessel chuckled and gave a sultry smile. “I choose you.”

Everyone gasped upon hearing this, it was unheard of for The Vessel of the Goddess to choose a newcomer on their first day to the Club, and yet, it happened.

“O-Oh, t-thank you,” said Rainbow Dash.

The Vessel began to move forward, and Rainbow moved back. Something about this girl made her feel small, it wasn’t her height, Rainbow had been up against girls who were taller and bulkier than her when she was on the courts, fields, or in the arenas, and she never let something like that intimidate her. But this girl, she just felt strong, despite the fact that there wasn’t any kind of lean muscle showing, something primal in Rainbow Dash told her that this girl was stronger than her, and if she wasn’t careful, would be swallowed by her.

The Vessel continued to crawl towards Rainbow until the latter was on their back. Everyone else spread out, laying on their backs and closing their eyes. The Vessel kissed Rainbow Dash, the moment her lips made contact, Rainbow felt her body heat up from her core, her pussy squirted a little as a result, and just from a kiss.

Holy fuck, what was that?! It’s like her kisses are pure ecstasy or something!

The Vessel continued to kiss Rainbow, aggressively shoving her tongue in Rainbow’s throat. The kiss was strong, flooding Rainbow with heat, but something told her that this was a test of some sort, and she would pass it, there was no way she was going to cum from a kiss alone.

The Vessel broke the kiss, she smiled down at Rainbow and said, “I see you’re strong, most men and women I kiss end up cumming right away. Not that I mind of course.”

“I really wanted to, but I’m not going to lose that easily,” said Rainbow.

“Mmmm~ I like your spirit. How many times do you think I can make you cum before I have to get serious?”

“I’ll be surprised if you can get past one.”

The Vessel grinned. “I think I like you.”

The Vessel returned to her love making as she trailed kisses along Rainbow’s neck and collarbone. Just like when their lips met, The Vessel’s kisses were exciting her even more, her fingers trailed along Rainbow’s arms, and she could feel electricity, as if The Vessel was somehow coaxing the pleasure sensing nerves in her arms to fire off with just her touch. The Vessel wrapped her lips around Rainbow’s right tit and began sucking hard, while her right hand massaged the other breast.

“AAAAAAaaaAAAAaaaahh~” Rainbow cried.

The duel sensation around her breasts was strong, her breasts weren’t particularly sensitive, but right now, it was as if the sensitivity was dialed up to eleven. Her nipples stood hard and erect as The Vessel used her teeth bite down on the one her mouth, and pinch the other with her left hand. Rainbow thrashed little as her pussy leaked like a broken faucet, but still she refused to cum from this, but dammit all she really wanted to.

The Vessel was starting to enjoy this even more, normally by now the girls she did this to were already squirting out like a water fountain, begging her for mercy, but this Rainbow Dash, while crying out in bliss, wasn’t doing any such thing. She wanted more of her. The Vessel stopped her ministrations, giving Rainbow a brief reprieve, however, that did not last long. The Vessel made her way all the way down until her head was between Rainbow Dash’s legs, she forced Rainbow’s legs apart to allow herself a better view of her prize.

Rainbow Dash was worried, if she ate her out, that was it, she was for sure going to cum, again, not because she didn’t want to, but mostly because she didn’t want to lose a bet. Still, something felt off about this girl, no girl – nobody in general – was this good in bed. Her kisses, her touch, it was on a whole other level, as if sexual energy was pouring out of this girl, or rather, she was sexual energy incarnate.

The Vessel inhaled Rainbow’s scent, it was strong now thanks to her earlier kisses and touches that made her leak so much, there would be no need to tease or build up, all she needed to do was go for the prize.

The moment that The Vessel’s fingers touched her sex, Rainbow’s back arched, her fingers gripping the bed spread and threatening to tear it off. The Vessel spread her pussy lips and stuck out her tongue, without any hesitation she pierced Rainbow’s womanhood with her tongue, eagerly lapping at the juices that were pouring out of her now.

“ooOOooooOoooOOOOHHH, FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUCCCCK!!! Oh god, oh god!!!” Rainbow shouted into the room as The Vessel continued to hit every right spot inside her. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth, drooling from the pure ecstasy that was emanating from her pussy. “IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII c-c-can’t h-h-hold it!!! I-I-I’m going to…to…!!!”

She stopped.

Rainbow dropped, the look in her eyes was that of anger and desperation. “W-What?! Why did you stop?! Don’t stop, please! I need it!”

The Vessel wiped her mouth. “I know you do, but you’ve held out much longer than anyone before you. Such endurance deserves a reward.”

A silver aura enveloped The Vessel, and in the blink of an eye she had changed completely. Her arms, shoulders, the sides of her torso and back, her waist, outer thighs, and lower half of her legs were all covered in a kind of dark pink exoskeletal armor. The only parts of her that were exposed was her face, neck, collarbone, breasts, stomach, pelvis, her crotch, and inner thighs, which all had a powder blue color to them. Her eyes were completely blue, like two sparkling sapphires, her lips had the same pink color, and her light pink hair cascaded down her back.

“Behold, Rainbow Dash, as the goddess as descended upon you, I am Ishtar. Rejoice my followers,” said Ishtar.

“Rejoice!” they all repeated.

Ishtar placed her right hand over her crotch, her face blushed a little as a pinkish-violet glow appeared there. When she pulled back, Ishtar revealed a phallus, a real phallus alongside her own womanly parts.

Rainbow Dash just lied there stunned, both by the transformation, and by the fact that this woman just grew a dick.

Ishtar moved closer to Rainbow Dash; her tip kissed the lips of Rainbow’s cunt. “Are you ready?”

“Y-Yes!”

Without another word, Ishtar thrust her dick all the into Rainbow Dash in one go. The sensations she felt before were nothing compared to his, it was as if she was being pierced with pure, raw, sexual energy, making Rainbow Dash release a silent scream as her eyes bulged from her skull. Ishtar began fucking Rainbow in earnest, drawing back and thrusting forward, pounding the girl below her vigorously and without mercy. Rainbow’s breasts jiggled with each thrust, her tongue lolled out of her mouth as her mind was going completely blank, nothing mattered, not the school, not her friends, not anything, just this moment, just this unbelievably blissful moment, she didn’t even care if she got pregnant from this, it would be worth it.

Rainbow couldn’t hold back anymore and let the dam burst as she hit her fifth orgasm of the night. Ishtar didn’t stop though, as tight as Rainbow was coiling around her dick, she didn’t stop fucking her. Rainbow could feel it, her orgasm hadn’t stopped, it felt as if she was trapped in it, and the longer it went on the more intense it was getting.

“I-I-I’m going to die…!!! I’m gonna die like this!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed in a strangely happy tone.

“Mmmm~ no you are not.” Ishtar placed her right hand in the middle of Rainbow’s chest as she leaned down looked her in the eyes. “I like your energy; I can feel it. Your strong in magic somehow, you can’t die, I need you. I can feel your magic flowing into me from our union. And because of that…I’ll give you a gift.”

Ishtar increased her pace, pistoning in and out of Rainbow Dash. There was a glow coming from Ishtar’s phallus as her face began to scrunch up in preparation for what was to come.

“Take my gift!”

Ishtar hilted herself inside Rainbow Dash as she deluged her insides with pure liquid energy. Every vein in Rainbow’s body began to light up pink, all if it leading all the way up until her eyes shined with the same pink light. Ishtar held herself there for a few more seconds to dispense the last of her essence into Rainbow. Her mate had reached her limit, having passed out as soon as the glow faded from her eyes. Ishtar pulled herself out of Rainbow, allowing a small stream of liquid light to pour from her new toy’s pussy.

Ishtar walked away from her conquest and up the stairs until she was at her throne, she picked her two girl throne mates and ordered them to follow her. The three of them disappeared into a room behind the throne, inside was a larger bed, made big enough for many people to sleep in. There was a large bowl like groove in the floor, with a drain at the center.

Ishtar pointed to the girl on her left, “You, to the bed,” and then pointed to the one on the right, “and you to the center.”

The first girl made herself comfortable on the bed, while the second stood at the center of the bowl. Ishtar stood at the edge of the bowl indention, and looked upon her. “That girl somehow replenished me, despite me giving her some of my essence. If I can find more like her, then we can bring forth the rest of my kind. Well, I’ll leave it to her then. Otherwise, I am famished.”

“I give my flesh to you, my goddess.”

“Indeed, you do.”

The first girl looked away as she heard monstrous snarling and screaming coming from where the other girl was, accompanying that was the sound of flesh being torn and bones breaking like brittle tree branches.