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