The following Sunday after, what had been dubbed, “Assault on Precinct 17”, the police and firefighters were busy with the cleanup of the aftermath. The streets around the station were completely unusable, the front opening of the station was wide open, and other portions were blown away due to the attack from the Blacknights and the Servants. Still, with all that, there weren’t any casualties, a lot of injuries, some major and minor, but other than that, no one was dead. People attributed this to the fact that the Sentinels were there, but those on the frontlines knew that had Witchblade and her new partner, Ember, hadn’t showed up, the Sentinels would’ve been overrun and that fight could’ve turned into a slaughter.

Understandably, Sunset and Shimmer slept in that following day, both were exhausted from their battle with the Servants and agreed to compare notes later. Cadence had called Twilight later that morning to thank both Sunsets, but Twilight told her that they were sleeping and that she would pass on her thanks to them.

Pinkie and Twilight had decided to let their lovers sleep in the bed, it was quite adorable to see both their Sunsets sleeping in the same bed, like watching twin sisters snuggling against each other. Twilight and Pinkie Pie went downstairs to the kitchen and made themselves a little breakfast, as they ate, Twilight glanced at Pinkie Pie here and there as she ate, a question nagging at the back of her mind.

“You can ask me anything,” said Pinkie.

Twilight stammered for a moment. “W-What was that?”

Pinkie looked up from her plate of pancakes and smiled at Twilight. “I can tell you want to ask me something, so, go ahead. We’re friends, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Well…about that, I mean, I’m not the Twilight you’re friends with. From what you’ve told me, my other self is much more confident and, well, a ruler of her people. I can understand your wanting to be friends with me because I look like her–”

“Hold up!” Pinkie interrupted. “I’m friends with you because I want to, not because you remind me of Princess Twilight. Well, yeah, you look like her, sound like her, and even smell like her –!”

Twilight blinked and mouthed, “Smell like her?”

“–but you’re both different from each other. It’s like you said before, there are differences between you that make you your own you! And the you I’m friends with is the you right here, not the you from another world who I’m also friends with, but I just have two different yous to be friends with!”

Twilight’s brain tried to keep up with what Pinkie said, but lost track halfway through. “Uh…basically you’re saying that we’re friends because you want to be friends with me, right?”

“Yep!” Pinkie chirped.

Twilight let a small smile grace her lips. “I’m sorry, I have some trust issues with others who aren’t my family…there are reasons behind that.”

Pinkie wasn’t as much of a ditz as people thought, even though she acted like it, she could tell when someone was hurting and right now, she could see it in Twilight’s body language and her smile. The pink party planner scooted her chair closer to Twilight and gently placed her hand over Twilight’s. “You don’t have to tell me anything, but you can trust me. Especially since we’re part of the Secret Superhero Girlfriends Club!”

Twilight snorted as she chuckled. “‘Secret Superhero Girlfriends Club’?”

“For those of us who are in romantic relationships with secret superheroes, like Shimmer and Sunset.”

“That’s the other thing I wanted to ask you, how do you do it?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie tilted her head. “Do what?”

“How do you cope with knowing that your Sunset is willingly putting herself in danger? I mean, I know my big brother does the same thing everyday before all this angel and demon stuff started! And I’m even more worried about him because he doesn’t have some mystical item that gives him powers!”

Pinkie thought for a moment and then shrugged. “I honestly just accept it. The first time I faced down a monster was when Sunset turned into a demon after absorbing all the magic from the Element of Magic, she nearly killed me, my friends, and Princess Twilight.”

Twilight was still wrapping her head around that, thanks to Pinkie, she knew now that the strange energy spikes her equipment was sensing was in fact caused by the Sunset Shimmer of CHS, along with Pinkie Pie’s friends and her Princess counterpart. That part about Shimmer almost killing them did worry her a bit, it seemed to greatly contrast against the current version of Shimmer.

“Then there was the Battle of the Bands competition when the Sirens came to the school and nearly took over the entire city by absorbing our magic because we were fighting a lot. But it was thanks to Shimmer that we were able to stop our fighting, and it was with her help that the seven of us stopped them. So, you could say that I’m used to fighting monsters and since I’ve seen how Shimmer can handle it, I’m not as worried. But I still get worried.”

Twilight thought back to the first time that she saw Sunset use her power. She took out those gangsters, fought two Sentinels, and turned into a fire breathing dragon. Seeing how she dispatched those threats so easily eased her worries, and the fact that Shimmer would be there to help, and the two of them together would be nearly unstoppable, as evidenced last night.

“I’d be lying if I said that it gets easier, I’m always going to worry about her. But that doesn’t mean I can stop her. If I did, then someone’s going to die that didn’t have to. I know that my Sunset feels like she needs to fight to make up for all the stuff she did before, honestly, I think she’s done enough. But at the same time, the Witchblade chose her because she has a good heart and wants to help people.”

Twilight nodded. “That I can see, she didn’t hesitate for a moment to say yes to Cadence. You have a good girlfriend, Pinkie.”

“And so, do you, she really cares about you, I can tell,” said Pinkie.

Twilight blushed. “I know. I kind of wish this weekend would continue for a while, I’m not really looking forward to going back tomorrow.”

“Why not?” Pinkie asked.

“I…”

“Morning…”

Twilight and Pinkie watched as both of their Sunsets came shuffling into the kitchen, their hair was a complete mess, the definition of a “bedhead”.

“Ah, we were going to let you two sleep a little longer,” said Pinkie.

“Smelled food,” moaned Sunset.

“Got hungry, couldn’t go back to sleep,” groaned Shimmer.

Twilight giggled. “I’ll bet, you two did a lot last night, all your fighting must’ve burned off an enormous number of calories. Pinkie, let’s make them some breakfast.”

“I’m not it!”

“Thank you,” they both moaned in unison.

Unfortunately, the weekend did come to an end, and both couples had to go back to their respective schools. For Twilight, she was more nervous than she had ever been, because she knew what Indigo might do to Sunset if they walked into the school together, as more than just friends, which was what they were now. Not only from Indigo, but she feared what the school might do to her. The students were already vicious towards her, the last thing she wanted was for them to turn that viciousness onto someone she cared about.

She couldn’t stop thinking about this whole way to school, Twilight had stayed over on more night, having grabbed a uniform from home when they stopped by at her house that one time. Sunset pulled into the student parking lot and sat there a moment, she could see Twilight’s hands wringing themselves, and she knew that her girlfriend was nervous. Sunset was sure that Twilight was feeling anxious, for herself or Sunset’s sake, she didn’t know, most likely both.

Sunset reached out and placed her right hand over Twilight’s hands, forcing her to stop her wringing. “It’s going to be alright; you know how strong I am, and I meant it when I said I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

Twilight sighed. “I’m more afraid for you than myself…”

“Figured.”

“I know you can take care of yourself, I’m just…I can’t help it,” said Twilight.

Sunset smiled, leaned forward, and kissed Twilight on the cheek, causing her to blush. “It’s sweet of you to worry about me, Sparky. But if you have to worry, worry about those asshats in there if they try anything with me or you.”

A small smile crept onto Twilight’s face. “Just promise me you won’t kill anyone.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and huffed. “Fine, I swear I won’t kill anyone. Way to take the fun out of my day, Sparky.”

Twilight chuckled and sighed. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Both girls exited the car, Twilight looped her arms through the straps of her backpack, while Sunset slung hers over her left shoulder. Before they started for the entrance, Sunset offered Twilight her right hand. Twilight looked at it, knowing that Sunset wanted to walk inside holding hands, a physical display that would tell everyone around them that they were together. It had the dual edge of granting Twilight the feeling of protection, and at the same time, drawing the confused looks of the students and the ire of Indigo Zap when word got to her.

But, inside, Twilight was tired. Tired of being afraid, tired of being alone, Sunset was possibly the best thing to happen to her, and she wanted others to know that despite all they said about her, there was someone who loved and cared about her. With a determined look, Twilight reached out with her left hand and took Sunset’s right.

Sunset smiled at Twilight and nodded. With their resolve affirmed, the new couple walked through the doors of Crystal Prep, as they did, the reactions were immediate. Unlike before, when everyone went out of their way to bump into Twilight, they gave her and Sunset a respectable berth, it was just too hard to believe right now. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle were holding hands, together, out in the open, like a couple. Twilight was blushing under all the attention she was getting, was it really that noteworthy that she had a girlfriend?

“What’s this?” Twilight and Sunset stopped when they met Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet, the former asking. “What are you two doing?”

“I…w-we’re together, Sunny, Sunset and I, s-she’s my girlfriend,” Twilight answered.

“Aww, isn’t that precious,” said Sour Sweet. “At least it would be if it weren’t so pathetic.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Oh, how’s it?”

Sunny haughtily flipped her hair and said, “If you wanted a girlfriend, you shouldn’t have gone to the bottom of the barrel. Although, if this is something else…”

The tone in Sunny Flare’s voice gave Sunset a good idea of what she was indicating. She thought that this was an elaborate setup to humiliate Twilight in front of the entire student body, to make her think that she was desirable and then dump her after making her do a lot of either menial tasks and probably embarrassing things on top of that.

Sunset smirked as she released Twilight’s hand, she gave a side glance to Twilight before stepping in front and said, “Yeah, you’re right, I’m just screwing around with her.”

Twilight held onto the straps of her backpack, she had to trust Sunset.

“I mean, what other reason could I have for walking in like this with her, right?”

Sunny and Sour began to laugh, and so did the students around them, yet another in the long list of ways to mess with Twilight Sparkle, some of them had to admit, Sunset had some real guts to run the risk of her reputation getting trashed by hanging around a girl like Twilight.

“Wow, Shimmer, I gave you too little credit, that was a long con, but I applaud it!” Sunny Flare stated as she placed her hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “I really underestimated you.”

“Yeah, I mean it’s not like I actually care about her, because that would be totally fucked up, right?” Sunset asked.

“Completely,” Sour agreed.

Sunset’s expression darkened a bit, she then swatted Sunny’s hand off her shoulder and grabbed Sunny Flare by the collar of her shirt. “How screwed up are you guys, really?!”

“W-What?” Sunny stammered.

“Only a complete and utter piece of shit would do that to someone, but the people who actually get off on that like the rest of you fucking, cackling hyenas is even worse!” Sunset stated as she jerked back and then thrust her right arm forward, releasing Sunny Flare.

Sunny stumbled before she ran into Sour Sweet who tried to catch her but ended up falling to the floor with her. Sunny looked up at Sunset, who was looming over her, Sunny had always been at the top of the food chain, mainly because she was the daughter of the Principal, but right now, she felt like a small mouse who was corned by a lioness.

“I am with Twilight, we’re girlfriends, no tricks, no ulterior motives, nothing! I like her!” Sunset then turned her gaze on the students around her, and a good number of them had the good sense to look worried. “And if anyone has a problem with that, they can talk to me directly!” Sunset looked back down to Sunny Flare and said, “And if anyone tries any bullshit with her, well, let’s just say that accidents happen.”

Sunny gritted her teeth as she tried to get back up. “You bitch, who do you think you are?!”

Before Sunny could fully rise, Sunset shot out her right foot and pressed the sole of her show against Sunny’s chest. “I’m the bitch who’s got you under her foot right now.” Sunset leaned forward and dug her foot into Sunny Flare’s chest and made her go back down, pinning both Sunny and Sour Sweet. “So, do we have an understanding that no one messes with Twilight Sparkle?”

Sunny still glared up at her in defiance, but Sunset merely ground her foot into Sunny’s chest harder, making the teenager wince and grit her teeth from the pain.

“Do we have an understanding?” Sunset asked again.

“Yes, dammit, yes!” Sunny finally caved.

“Good.” Sunset pushed Sunny back with her foot, making her flop off of Sour Sweet. “Do we all have an understanding?!”

The students around them nodded vigorously, now seeing for the first time how strong Sunset Shimmer was, not just physically either. Twilight couldn’t help but let a smile appear on her face, because now she saw, now everyone saw, that Sunset Shimmer would be there to protect her, that today marked the end of her torment, and that anyone who tried to defy that would see the fury of the sun, so to speak.

“Sunset, I think we should go, we’ll be late for class if we stay any longer,” said Twilight.

Sunset blinked and looked over her shoulder. “Oh, sorry about that, Sparky, let’s get going.” Sunset held out her hand towards Twilight, waiting for her to take it.

Twilight walked to Sunset and took her hand, the two of them walked down the hallway, with the students parting like the Red Sea for them.

“Sorry for making that into a spectacle,” said Sunset.

Twilight pressed herself closer to Sunset and rested her head against her right shoulder. “I could honestly care less that it was, that…that was – while a little violent – the most heartfelt thing anyone’s ever done for me. Thank you.”

Sunset smiled at her girlfriend and rubbed her thumb against the crook of Twilight’s hand. “Any time, Sparky.”

Maria Mare was tired after yesterday and was getting tired now. The battle that occurred at Precinct 17 had been a wakeup call to a lot of the officials, they weren’t prepared for a direct assault on their police stations. Out of the battle there was only one casualty, one of the Sentinels, while that was a great loss, Maria was thankful that it wasn’t any of their police officers or civilians. That might be a bad way of thinking, but she didn’t care, this war was taking its toll on the people of the city, and it had only been three weeks at the most. She wasn’t sure how long this would last, but she shuddered at the idea of this dragging on into a whole month, or more.

A flash of light went off to her left, she didn’t bother to look, Maria knew who it was, there was only one person who could pop in and out of her office like that. “To whom do I have the pleasure of addressing? Is it Angelus or Celly?”

“Sorry to say, you have the pleasure of addressing the former,” said Angelus.

“I’m sorry that your Sentinel was killed,” said Maria.

Angelus strode over to Maria’s desk and sat on the edge, her golden light hair fluttering in an ethereal wind as she shrugged and dressed in Celestia work attire. “A loss, but not a great one. I can always create more Sentinels if need be.”

Maria bristled a little at the indifference in Angelus’ voice, but she supposed that only made sense. A being as old as time itself, that could create and destroy at will, probably didn’t see the loss of her troops as something to grieve over. Especially when you had the power to create hundreds more if she so wished.

“This was a first, the Blood Kings attacked a police station, how long will it be before they attack another?” Maria asked as she laced her fingers together.

“I think we need to look beyond that. I was told by Witchblade that Sombra was present, and that she fought him.”

Maria’s eyes shifted toward Angelus, surprise evident on her face. “Why the hell was he there for that?!”

“Not only that, but among the Blacknights, there were also Servants.”

“Pardon, what are ‘Servants’?” Maria asked.

“Servants are creations of the Darkness that have a higher intelligence and stronger abilities, they’re a step above his goblin creations, Darklings. The Darkness and Sombra are getting bolder, which means he may be getting ready to attack in full,” said Angelus.

“And why would that be?”

Angelus waved her hand in the air and teleported a small planner, she opened it and showed it to Maria, a date was circled along with the words “Solar Eclipse”.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“A solar eclipse, the one time when the sun is black and the light fades from the day. My power will be dramatically reduced, while the Darkness’ power will be increased. If this Sombra is any kind of strategist, they’ll attack at night, make it last as long as possible and exhaust our resources, then fallback just before daybreak. Then they’ll attack again when the eclipse happens and will decimate us as we try and regroup.”

Maria could see it in her mind, a long night of battling against the demons and Darkness, only to be allowed a very short reprieve before the sun was blotted out and the death blow would be delivered soon after. If that happened, then the city would fall, the city would fall and become a haven for the lawless, a place where the depraved could revel in their sin, and Sombra would be the king of it all, the only voice whom the criminals and depraved would listen to, because to defy the man who wielded the Darkness, would mean utter, certain death. Maria shook at the thought, not even wanting to wonder what he and others like him would do to the law abiding citizens of the city, rape, murder, and theft, all of it happening on a daily basis, out in the open.

The mayor of Canterlot City hugged herself. “My precious city is getting ripped apart from the inside out, and you’re telling me there’s no real way to stop it?! We…We can’t let that happen! What about that girl, the Magdalena, Witchblade, and that new girl I’ve heard about, Ember! Couldn’t they turn the tide?!”

Angelus thought for a moment and hummed. “They could, my Son and the Magdalena have the highest chance of defeating Sombra. Magdalena due to her Spear and divine inheritance, and my Son because, well, he’s our Son and has the power to do so as the Keeper of the Balance. I’m not sure about the third girl. But there may be a better way…”

Maria calmed herself down as she glanced at Angelus. “And what would that be?”

Angelus turned around and smirked at the young woman before her – relatively speaking. “Allow me to take command of the protection of the city. Right now, I have a few of my Sentinels stationed at police stations, no pun intended. But they could be more efficient if I were to make more and have them all around the city. I haven’t yet done that because I didn’t want to scare you all, but after the events of two nights ago, I don’t think the public would mind some extra protection.”

Maria raised an eyebrow to that. “I don’t think they’d disapprove too much, but there is one thing I’d like to know.”

Angelus raised one of her own. “And that is?”

“When the shadows of the night have finally gone and the light of day is able to shine again…will you depart Celestia, when your mission is complete?” Maria asked.

There was a very pregnant silence that filled the room, Maria saw something on Angelus’ face, an expression that she had seen many a time, but normally it was one that she wore. It was the look of a woman who had the advantage, who held all the trump cards. A cat that had its mouse cornered, that was what this was like, huh, Maria hadn’t been on this end of it in ages.

“Would that be a problem?” Angelus asked.

“In a manner of speaking, yes. I don’t see a need for an omnipotent entity of light when the greatest evil is finally vanquished,” said Maria.

Angelus chuckled, finding Maria’s logic funny. “Oh, little one, you don’t get it. When I manage to purge the Darkness from this world, it doesn’t mean that there still isn’t darkness in this world. I meant what I said almost four weeks ago. I intend on turning this city into a utopia, free of sin and vice. And that Canterlot would be the first of many to be changed like so.”

Maria seriously wasn’t liking where this was going. “And what does Celly think about all this?”

“Oh, she’s asleep right now, in fact, she doesn’t even know that we’re having this conversation. I know you didn’t get to where you are in life, Maria Mare, without burying a few bodies and keeping a few skeletons in the closet. Politicians are all the same, no matter what century.” Angelus turned around and walked until she was standing before the window that overlooked the city. “You have a choice to make Mayor Mare. Either you can you walk in lockstep with me, or you can stand in my way and you’ll see what happens to those who have given into their sins.”

Maria didn’t turn around, she just stared straight ahead, jaw tightening and hands clenching. It wasn’t like she had a choice in the matter, not really. Angelus was far more powerful than any creature on the planet, with the exceptions of the Darkness and this Witchblade, and possibly the Magdalena. Angelus could play the part of the politician better than her, because she can get results almost immediately, and she was a freaking angel, even the atheists and agnostics of the city couldn’t dismiss that fact. And given that a literal devil was among them, people would flock to an angel’s embrace if it meant that they’ll be saved from Hell and getting killed by demons. But what was Maria to do? She had no superpowers, no leverage, no nothing. All she could do was play along until something happened.

“I understand,” said Maria.

“I knew you would. And, Maria, this goes without saying, but should you tell Celestia of our conversation, I’ll deny it. I did save her life after all and have given her the means to fight back against the evils that plague this city. She is very grateful.” Angelus stood next to Maria and placed a hand on her shoulder. “For whatever reason, she loves you. Whether that’s out of naïveté or blind optimism, I’ll leave it to you to decide. But know that I could dig up all your dirty little secrets and expose them to her. I wonder what she’d think of you then?”

“I’ll make an announcement sometime tomorrow to inform our officers and the city that you’ll be increasing the number of Sentinels,” said Maria.

Angelus giggled softly and then ruffled Maria’s hair, as if she was a young child. “Good girl. Now we should be heading back, don’t want Luna or anyone getting worried about our absence.”

Angelus walked until she was in Maria’s field of vision, the Entity of Light released a burst of light and disappeared from the room. Leaving Maria with her thoughts. Canterlot City was her domain, her kingdom, she fought long and hard to keep the crown, and to ensure that the citizens of the city were kept safe, by any means necessary. Was she perfect? No. Did she make some questionable decisions? Yes. Sweep some things under the rug? Yes. Dirty Dealings? Oh yeah. But it was all for Canterlot’s sake, and what the people didn’t know allowed them to sleep peacefully at night, and it was that thought that allowed Maria to do the same.

This Angelus, while appearing as a godsend, was something else. While she seemed genuine in her motives to purge the city of the Darkness and to end sin, Maria had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that her method of doing so would not be as simple as a town hall meeting or rally.

“Whatever her real goal is, I need to stay on my toes…I can’t let Celly be taken by her…”

It was lunchtime at CHS and the students hadn’t stopped talking about the “Assault on Precinct 17” incident, especially because the news managed to capture the footage of the fighting between Witchblade, the demons, the Sentinels, and a new addition, Ember. When the girls met up at their usual table, Sunset and Pinkie Pie told them about their encounter over the weekend, confirming with their friends that there was in fact another Twilight Sparkle in their world, as well as another Sunset Shimmer.

“Okay…that’s freakin’ weird as all hell! And they both go to Crystal Prep! That’s, fucked up, honestly, it is,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Well…I’m certainly not looking forward to this year's Friendship Games,” said Rarity sadly. “It’s bad enough that we’ll be going up against Twilight, but another you as well…”

Fluttershy nodded. “I agree, I don’t think it’s right that we have to face two of our friends in the Games like that…”

“How were they?” Applejack asked. “Mosta Crystal Prep’s people are a bunch of assholes – pardon my French. Ah hate to find out that those two are the same.”

Sunset waved off their concerns. “No way, they’re actually really cool. Of course, this is me we’re talking about.”

The girls rolled their eyes playfully.

“Plus, this Twilight Sparkle’s all shy and super smart too! She’s got a bit of trust issues though…” Pinkie informed. “She never really told me why, and we never got around to why that was.”

Sunset noticed that too, something her double was keeping secret, probably for good reasons. She hoped it wasn’t anything too bad, but Sunset felt that it might be.

If someone hurt Twilight, I’ll fucking kill them!

“Whoa…” Sunset shook her head. “That came out of nowhere.”

The girls looked at her.

“What came out nowhere?” Fluttershy asked.

“Uh, nothing.”

Rainbow Dash decided to change the topic a bit. “So, what happened after you met up with them? Did you guys get into some kind of duel, like, ‘There can only be one!’” Rainbow stood up on the table and pretended to hold a sword in her hand as she raised her fist towards the ceiling.

“No, Rainbow, we didn’t have an epic duel. But I did find out she has a magical Artifact.”

“Equestrian?” Rarity asked.

“No, something close to Witchblade, or Shy’s Spear.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she leaned in close. “A-Are you saying that the dragon girl who fought with you, that was the other Sunset Shimmer?!”

“Yep, and I got these to prove it!”

Pinkie Pie whipped out her cellphone and showed the girls pictures of both Sunsets in their supernatural armor. A round of blushes overtook their faces.

“Damn, that’s hot,” said Rainbow.

“Wow,” Applejack spoke.

“Oh my, y-you two sure seem to have a thing for form fitting, curvaceous attire,” Rarity noted.

Fluttershy didn’t say anything, but she did mumble something under her breath.

Sunset panicked a little. “Pinkie, be careful, don’t let someone see that! And when did you take those?”

“That’s my little secret. And it’s okay, no one can recognize you when you transform. Which is weird cause you sound the same even when you’re transformed, but even then, people can’t figure out it's you,” said Pinkie.

“Yeah, been meaning to ask about that, how in the heck does that work, ‘cause–?”

“Oh, then there’s this one!” Pinkie interrupted.

Pinkie swiped to the left and showed off the picture of both Sunset’s, on floor, both half naked, with the Equestrian Sunset on top and straddling Earth Sunset.

“OH MY!” Rarity blanched.

“SHIT!” Rainbow exclaimed, a trickle of blood coming from her left nostril.

Applejack was speechless, but there was a small trickle of blood coming from her nose as well. Fluttershy’s face was redder than an apple, in a glass of tomato juice, in the middle of the Grand Canyon. The cream-colored girl squeaked and then fell to the side, luckily Applejack was next to her and managed to catch Fluttershy before she could hit the floor. The remaining three conscious girls looked at Sunset, questioningly.

“Uh…Sunset, Darling, is there…is there something you need to tell us…? N-No judgement, mind you, just…um…w-why are you – ahem – half naked and straddling your interdimensional twin?” Rarity asked.

Sunset’s face matched Fluttershy’s, she let her head hit the table, trying to let her long fiery locks cover her face and avoid eye contact with her friends. “It was a misunderstanding! That’s all! We were just messing around – not in that way! We decided to become something like sisters, and she ended up pantsing me, and so I tickle attacked her and stripped her top off…”

Rarity gently ran her hand over her face and said, “Sunset, Darling, you’ve never had a sibling before, have you?”

“Nope.”

“Very well, and I assume the other Sunset doesn’t either?”

“…Correct.”

“I see.” Rarity folded her hands onto the table and said. “I’ll just take this as you two exploring your newly found sisterhood. So long as that’s all this is.”

“It is!” Sunset answered.

Pinkie Pie put her phone away and shrugged. “I don’t know what the big deal is, I grope my sisters and sometimes pull their pants down, only at home though. Limestone usually chases me around the house and yells at me when I do. It’s fun!”

Rainbow Dash lightly struck the table with her right fist, gaining the others’ attention. She then gazed seriously at Pinkie Pie as she said, “Pinkie…how much do you want for that picture?!”

“OH, HELL NO!” Sunset exclaimed.

After much convincing, they Sunset managed to talk Pinkie out of sending that picture to Rainbow Dash and threatened to beat Rainbow Dash to within an inch of her life if she somehow found out that that picture ended up in her phone. Whether or not she was serious or half serious was up for debate. Eventually the bell rang, and the girls departed, with at least four of them still having that image burned into their minds for a good while. She also promised to ask her double if they could all meet sometime soon, honestly Sunset liked that idea. Perhaps her twin could give her more information as to what Twilight had gone through, and maybe meeting them might help her.

“Sorry for showing them that…I didn’t mean to make you upset,” said Pinkie.

Sunset sighed as she smiled. “It’s alright, embarrassing as it was. It was bound to be shown at some point, either here or at one our future slumber parties.”

“I hope we do a big one soon! I think Twilight could use it, she was really happy with all four of us together, so maybe having all of us would make her happier,” said Pinkie.

Sunset reached out and wrapped her right arm around Pinkie’s shoulders, bringing her closer so that she was able to give her a kiss on the cheek. “That’s why I like you, Babe. Always thinking of how to make someone feel better.”

Pinkie giggled from the show of affection, as they walked, Sunset couldn’t help but notice Lyra and Bonbon, the former giving a smile and wave to them. Pinkie returned the wave, but Sunset’s mind echoed something.

That fucking whore! She’s not satisfied banging Bonbon, now she’s trying to hit on Pinkie! Fuck that bitch, if she even tries to touch Pinkie, I’ll bust her mouth up so bad that they’ll have to wire it shut! Try eating out your girlfriend or Pinkie after that!

Sunset shook her head again. Okay, seriously, where in the hell did that come from? Lyra’s not like that.

“You okay, Sunset?” Pinkie asked.

The former unicorn showed a crooked smile and said, “Yeah, I’m good. I just remembered; we need to address something.”

Pinkie tilted her head in confusion. “Really, what?”

“Your sister, Lime. When we last saw her, I kind of had a freak out and you told her to leave my house,” said Sunset.

Pinkie deflated a little. “Oh…I forgot about that.”

“Pinkie, you can tell me, does Limestone really hate me that much?”

Pinkie squirmed a bit, she knew the answer to that, but she didn’t want to lay it on Sunset, not with everything she had gone through with the whole school hating her. Sunset gently used her right hand to tilt Pinkie’s head up to look at her.

“Hey, it’s alright if she does,” said Sunset.

“But it’s not okay, not to me. You don’t deserve to be hated, she knows what I went through here, even the Anon-A-Miss stuff, but she thinks that you’ll just end up hurting me. That’s why she rushed all the way to your place with that video, I guess she wanted to show me how you’re not good for me or something,” said Pinkie.

Sunset could understand the protectiveness of Limestone, with her track record, it wasn’t like she had much of a good start in the rep department. “Maybe I should just, I don’t know, talk to her. One on one, just me and her? Maybe if we just talk, I can convince her that I’m not the tyrannical bitch that I once was?”

Pinkie seemed to perk up from that idea. “That would be good – actually, I think that’s great! I’ll talk to Limey tonight and ask if she’d be up for it! And to also explain what happened.”

“I can’t wait.”

If that bitch doesn’t accept us, I’ll beat it into her!

Sunset and Twilight were sitting at their usual table, all the students were giving them looks, it was such a strange thing to see. Twilight Sparkle, with someone, was such a strange thing to see that it was a sideshow. The genius of Crystal Prep was the unspoken whipping girl of school, it was practically a rite of passage to pick on Twilight Sparkle in some shape or form, and it was a sadistic contest to see who could up the ante and outdo the last person.

In the short time that Sunset Shimmer had been here, she had become somewhat popular. She was practically as smart as Twilight, but she was way more attractive, and had a confident attitude and strong aura that it was hard not to see her as part of the top ten most popular girls in Crystal Prep. Of those top ten, five of them were sitting at a table not too far away, two of which were fuming as they glared at the couple from across the room.

For those wondering, Sunny Flare held the number one slot, her charm, smarts, attractiveness, and status as the Principal’s daughter, gave her a lot of leeway in how she moved about the school. Indigo Zap was the second, being the captain of every sports team in Crystal Prep, she was definitely popular with the jocks of the school, able to get rowdy with the boys, and flirt with the girls, her orientation was widely known, and even the straight girls were swooning over her.

Lemon Zest was number three on that list, she was known as the party girl of the school, throwing wild parties and being connected to a lot of different indie bands and official ones, and occasionally supplying some questionable substances at some of her parties. Sour Sweet was number four on that list, she was hot, and if you caught her on her good days, she was extremely fun to be around, but on her bad days, she could be a real terror if you crossed her. Sugarcoat ranked in at number five, although she had the nerdy look like Twilight, there were rumors going around that she did certain “favors” for some of the students, and her straightforward, no nonsense and to the point way of talking made it easy to know what she was thinking about you and whatever situation she was in, plus she was quite intelligent herself, but not nowhere on par with Twilight Sparkle.

Sad part of this ranking system – besides the fact that there was one – was that Sour Sweet and Sugarcoat were actually six and seven respectively. The only reason why they went up in said rank was due to the death of Suri Polomare who occupied the fifth spot, and Fleur de Lis who held the number four spot, was currently in jail. The word had gotten out about Sunset’s declaration of love to Twilight Sparkle and her warning to anyone who tried to harm her, this had, instead of lowering her rank, bumped it up, now Sunset Shimmer was at number six in the school, with Upper Crust leading seventh.

Indigo’s fists were clenched as she glared at Sunset Shimmer, the two of them were sitting side by side, their shoulders touching and both sharing a laugh about something. “That fucking bitch, I warned her to stay away from Sparkle!”

“I honestly don’t know why you’re so hung up on Sparkle?” Lemon Zest asked. “I mean…there are other girls in this school that would give their right tit for a night with you, both just to be your girlfriend.”

Indigo rolled her eyes at the question. “Because of that fact is why I want Sparkle! Yeah, I could walk up to any hot girl in this place and they’d instantly say yes to me, but Sparkle doesn’t want to be. She could care less about my sports wins and shit like that! That’s something I want, someone who won’t dick ride my success! Plus, she comes with some fringe benefits.”

Sugarcoat lowered her phone and said, “If that’s how you feel, then you probably shouldn’t have been sexually molesting and raping her over the past two years, kind of goes against your goal of getting her to be your girlfriend. Is it any wonder why she sought solace in Sunset Shimmer, the only girl who’s actually given a damn about her?”

Indigo grabbed Sugarcoat by the collar of her shirt and brought her close so that she was looking her in the eyes, the latter growing worried by the anger that was burning in those orbs. “I wasn’t raping her and wasn’t molesting her! She wanted it, she loved it, she never once told me to stop or to go away! Although, if you really want to show you the difference, I’m more than happy to take you into the janitor’s closet right now!”

Sugarcoat gulped hard, sometimes she hated the fact that she barely had a filter, it was a condition that she was trying to manage, but more often than not, she couldn’t help but spout out what she was thinking, even if it pissed someone off. The only reason no one had laid a hand on her was due to her family’s connections in the police and their legal team. However, Sugarcoat found that didn’t always scare someone away, especially when it came to someone like Indigo Zap. Her threat wasn’t empty, they may have been “friends”, but that didn’t mean she was above following through with that threat.

Sunny Flare pinched the bridge of her nose and released a frustrated sigh. “Indigo, cool it, alright! You know Sugarcoat can’t help that!”

Indigo glanced to Sunny Flare, and then back to Sugarcoat. With a growling huff she released Sugarcoat and turned to face Sunny and Sour. “Next time try to clamp it. Alright?”

“Y-Yeah, s-sorry,” said Sugarcoat with a shaky voice.

“Well, this is just fucking peachy. In one day those two have screwed up the pecking order around here, if this goes on things are going to get messy around here,” said Sour.

“Just say the word Sunny, and Dean Cadence’ll find some ecstasy, oxy, and maybe a little LSD in Shimmer’s locker,” said Lemon Zest.

Sunny thought about that for a moment, planting some drugs would be a good way to get rid of Sunset Shimmer, and without Twilight’s knight walking with her, she’ll be fair game. Depending on how much they find in Sunset’s locker, her mother could suspend or even expel her altogether. Sunny Flare spared a glance at Sunset and Twilight’s table, when she did, her eyes widened when she saw that Sunset was glaring right in their direction. Both held the others gaze for what felt like several moments, Sunny could almost hear Sunset’s mind sending her a message that if she even dared try anything, she would be one step ahead. The smirk that formed on the fiery haired girl’s lips confirmed as much.

Sunny turned around, her heart rate went up as it beat against her chest. “Fuck! No…No that won’t work, I can tell, she knows we’ll try something. She’ll be careful…” Sunny Flare had never been in a position like this, she was always on top, always a step ahead of her quarry, but this time was different. Sunset had the smarts and the strength, and the cunning to know that Sunny Flare was going to try something and was probably formulating contingency plans to deal with whatever Sunny and her group threw at her.

“Fuck plans,” said Indigo. “Let’s just get this done, straight to the fucking point.”

“How’s that?” Lemon asked.

“Shimmer can’t always be around Twilight, there are some classes where they aren’t together, and I know which ones,” said Indigo.

Sour raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “Wow, Zap, stalker much?”

“Watch it schizo,” Indigo warned.

“You watch it you lesbo-stalker,” Sour shot back.

“Enough!” Sunny nearly yelled, making Indigo and Sour stop their squabbling. “What were you thinking, Indigo?”

“I’m going to need one person to record, and another person who’s not afraid to get dirty.”

Next Chapter: Dark Truths / Light Lies Part 2 Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 51 Minutes