Sunset awoke to the frantic sounds of someone banging at her front door, with an irritated, groggy groan, she dragged herself out of her bed, put on some pajama pants and walked down the stairs, grumbling the entire way.

“I swear to god, whoever’s behind that door has a death wish after the crap I’ve been through,” said Sunset.

}}} Shall I skewer them for you? {{{

“Oh no, you deserve a rest too…I’ll just punch ‘em.”

The former Equestrian looked through her peephole and paused at who it was. She quickly opened the door and was greeted to the sight of Sister Mage Meadowbrook at her doorstep. Sunset took a moment to look her over, she was wearing a beige tank top and green denim shorts, her left bicep was bandaged up, with some bloodstains on them. Meadowbrook looked quite disheveled, like she had been up all night.

“Um…wow…uh, Sister, what brings you here? Fluttershy’s at home right now,” said Sunset.

“No, she ain’t…I’m sorry, but may I come in, it’s not safe out here?!” Meadowbrook asked urgently.

“Uh, yeah, come in.”

Sunset stepped aside and let Meadowbrook in, the Nun of the Church hurried inside and made her way to the kitchen, whereupon she turned on the faucet, cupped her hands, and began taking in gulps of water. To say that this was strange would be an understatement, but right now, Sunset had to ask what she was talking about with regards to Fluttershy.

“Sister,” Sunset spoke.

Meadowbrook stopped her gulps and said, “Just Meadowbrook or any of those other nicknames I told ya about.”

“Sorry, Meadowbrook, but what happened to you?! And what was that about Fluttershy?!”

Meadowbrook sighed heavily and walked to the couch. She sat down upon it, her haggard features becoming more prominent to Sunset now that she seemed to relax a bit. “Somethin’ bad has happened, Sunset, and I’m afraid that we don’t have much time before things get much worse.”

Sunset sat on the table and looked worriedly at Meadowbrook. “Worse than what we’re dealing with now?”

Meadowbrook nodded slowly. “Unfortunately, yes. It would seem my ‘boss’ – for lack of a better term – has gone completely insane! Neighsay, he wants to take the power of the Angelus and the Darkness to become some kind of god on Earth!”

Sunset shook her head in disbelief at the notion of one man doing that. “Meadowbrook, that’s – how the hell would he even do that?”

At that moment, the Witchblade’s gemstone glowed. }}} Stupid mortal fool! The Siphon and the Prism! {{{

Sunset looked to her partner and asked, “What are those?”

}}} Ancient artifacts, the Siphon can extract the essence of my Father, while the Prism does the same for my Mother. What makes them dangerous is the fact that whoever holds those items can wield the power of my Mother and Father, without being subjected to their control. {{{

“Oh, you got to be kidding me?! How did someone like Neighsay get ahold of something like that?!” Sunset asked.

Meadowbrook raised her hand. “The answer is the Vatican. There are a number of artifacts in a highly secured vault deep underground, items that, in the wrong hands, could cause a lot of trouble for humanity, either due to someone usin’ ‘em or one of ‘em activatin’ on their own.”

“And how the hell does he have access to them if they’re highly secured?”

“He’s a Cardinal, and one of the top Cardinals who has access to such things. He had them sent here ahead of his arrival, waitin’ for the moment when he could use ‘em. Like he most assuredly did last night,” Meadowbrook explained.

Sunset’s mind began to race, she stood up quickly and her hands began to tighten up into fists. “Tell me everything that happened to you last night.”

So, she did, Meadowbrook explained how she tracked down Neighsay’s mystical items, and then how she and Fluttershy confronted him that night to put an end to whatever scheme he was planning. As well as how it all backfired spectacularly, ending up with Fluttershy under Neighsay’s control and more than likely going after one of the two hosts of the entities of order and chaos.

Sunset sat back down on the table and placed her hands upon her head. “Fuck…Fluttershy…is…is there any way we can save her?!”

“I’ve been tryin’ to think of somethin’ this whole night, but also who he’d go after.” Meadowbrook rubbed her face as the stress of last night was catching up to her. “He wouldn’t go after the Darkness, during the night is when Sombra’s at his strongest. So that only leaves…”

Sunset’s eyes flew wide open. “CELESTIA! Son of a bitch!” The teenage girl readied to bolt for the front door, but Meadowbrook managed to block her path. “What are you doing?! I need to go and help her!”

“Sunset, ya need to calm down! If he did manage to get the Angelus’ powers, then that means Neighsay has control of the Sentinels, he may not know that you know and that gives us the advantage, we just have to–!”

Another series of knocks were heard from the front door. Sunset and Meadowbrook went quiet and waited a moment, more knocks came, and Meadowbrook tensed up.

“You weren’t expectin’ anyone, were you?” Meadowbrook asked in a low whisper.

“I wasn’t’ expecting you…but no,” Sunset whispered. “Who is it!”

“Sentinel Patrol, Ma’am, we need to ask you some questions.”

Shit! Sunset looked around and pointed to her bed. “Go up there, get under the blankets!”

Meadowbrook nodded and quickly, but quietly, went up the stairs and got under the blankets. Sunset, meanwhile, ran her hands through her hair, making it as messy as possible, she pulled down on the sleeve of her baggy shirt to expose her left shoulder, and took off her pajama pants. After tossing them towards the kitchen, Sunset headed to the front door and put on a groggy, but happy expression.

When she opened the door, Sunset greeted the two armored Sentinels, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, and said, “Oh, hey, what’s up guys?

The female armored Sentinel spoke, “Sorry, but we’re on the lookout for someone. We received word that someone who pretended to be our ally has turned to the side of the Darkness. She is a Nun, going by the name of Mage Meadowbrook.”

Sunset acted shocked. “What? Seriously?! But Fluttershy knows her, my friends and I met her…I…I thought she was on our side, but she’s been with the Darkness this whole time?! Dammit and I let her fool me!”

The male Sentinel raised his hand in a calming motion. “Easy, she fooled us all, she disgraces the name of God for her turncoat ways and will be dealt with. We were wondering if she had come by here at all?”

Sunset shook her head in the negative. “No, I haven’t seen her at all.”

“Mind if we come in and just do a quick search?” The female Sentinel asked as she began to move towards her.

Sunset thrust her arm across the doorway and said, “I do actually mind, my girlfriend’s upstairs right now and she’s not decent. We kinda had a wild night, if you know what I mean?”

“Sunset, babe, who’s that at the door?” Meadowbrook called out, but somehow managed to keep her Cajun accent from slipping through.

“Just a couple of those Sentinels,” Sunset answered.

“Tell ‘em to come back later, I want to get back to business~”

Sunset turned back to the two Sentinels. “As you can see, she’s insatiable, and I’m not the kind girlfriend to keep her waiting. You guys are free to look around, so long as you don’t mind getting a free show in the meantime.”

The male and female Sentinels looked at each other with a small amount of disgust.

“No thank you, but could you possibly wait for a minute to resume your…activities? We promise it won’t be long.”

}}} I don’t think it wise to interrupt my host and her lover. Both of us were made into my Father’s puppets the night before last, and quite frankly, we’re both too tired to deal with this. We shall assist in the hunting down of this rogue Nun, but in the meantime, I suggest you leave us. Or shall I speak with Mother about this? {{{

The Sentinels glanced at each other again, as if having a silent conversation.

“Very well, Son of our Mistress, we will leave you both.”

Sunset stayed where she was, watching as the two Sentinels spread their wings and flew into the sky. She closed the door, leaned against it, and released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Damn, I didn’t know what I was going to do if they actually came in!”

Meadowbrook removed the blankets and sat on the edge of the bed with a smirk. “Glad they weren’t a couple of sleazy Sentinels, not sure if I was ready to dust off my old moves.”

Sunset looked up at Meadowbrook with a raised eyebrow. “You…uh, you swung that way? Or do swing that way?”

“Let’ just say I was a bit of a wild child back in the day. I won’t apologize for liking who I liked. I also dabbled in chemistry.” Meadowbrook saw the look Sunset was giving her and added, “Not that kind of chemistry, the kind that involves mixing concoctions together to create something new, kind of like a scientist. I got a real knack for it too.”

Sunset chuckled, but only for a moment before her expression grew serious. “I’m pretty sure we know who Neighsay got to first.”

“Makes sense, he must’ve done it last night, probably afraid that I was goin’ to snitch to Angelus before he could do anything. I wish I had, maybe I coulda stopped him,” Meadowbrook lamented.

“No,” Sunset scratched the back of her head as she paced the floor. “If you had, I’m not sure if Angelus would allow Fluttershy to live if she’s gone full Holy Assassin.”

}}} Wielding the Spear of Destiny grants your friend a good amount of power, it’s possibly one of a small number of mystical weapons that can kill a host of myself, Father, and Mother. {{{

Sunset got even more nervous, Fluttershy wouldn’t kill Celestia to get to Angelus, but the Magdalena…Sunset shuttered with fear at the thought that Celestia, the woman whom she just started to call mother, might’ve been killed by one of her friends. And just as bad, if Fluttershy was still in there, and if they managed to get her back, the poor girl would have to live with the knowledge of killing Celestia.

}}} Do not lose hope, Sunset. My Mother is a lot of things, but she is not one to give up so easily. We need to confirm if they’re still alive. {{{

“Y-You’re right, we need to think of a plan. First things first, we need to hide you somewhere the Sentinels won’t find you,” Sunset thought out loud.

Meadowbrook leaned back and laid on the bed as she put her hands behind her head. “Well, it’ll have to be somewhere that would be the last place that Neighsay would look. Fluttershy is under his control, and thanks to that, he knows whatever she knows. That’s probably why the Sentinels came here, he knows you’re Witchblade. Wherever ya stick me, I’ll need access to a lab if at all possible.”

A lightbulb went off in Sunset’s mind as she was about to give voice to that thought, then a third round of knocks came from her door, again.

“Putain de merde! Again?!” Meadowbrook swore as she quickly ducked under the covers again.

Sunset facepalmed herself and grumbled as she marched her way towards the door and threw it open as she yelled, “FINE, IF YOU GUYS REALLY WANT TO LOOK INSIDE, THEN C’MON IN AND ENJOY THE SHOW WHILE I BANG MY GIRLFRIEND!” Only after spouting out those words did Sunset realize who she said them to, which in turn made her blush.

Her interdimensional twin was standing outside the door, looking a bit confused as to how to respond to her Equestrian double’s words. “Um…I, I didn’t know you were down for watching…? I mean, I don’t mind, but I don’t want this to get too freaky…so, soft pass?”

Sunset slapped her forehead again, without a word, she grabbed her twin by the wrist and pulled her into her home. Before closing the door, Sunset took a quick look around, street, roofs, and sky, nothing. With the coast clear, she shut the door.

“Shimmer, what’s going on? I thought Pinkie and the girls were at school, did you talk her into playing hooky for a hookup?” Sunset asked with a pervy grin and wiggling eyebrow.

Shimmer sighed as she said, “No, Pinkie is at school, but we have a problem. Hey, Meadowbrook, it’s cool, it’s just my…uh…twin sister.”

Meadowbrook threw off the blankets and looked down the stairs, she blinked a few times and then tilted her head. “Wait, I thought you were from another world, how is – ya know what, never mind.”

Sunset glanced to Shimmer with a suspicion. “Uh, Sis, you gonna tell me why you have an admittedly attractive woman in your bed? I came here to check up on you since Twilight’s calling in ‘sick’ for today, at least until we hear about what’s going on with those five, and here I find you in bed with another woman?”

Shimmer put her hands-on Sunset’s shoulders and looked her twin in the eyes. “I promise to explain everything, but first, can my friend stay in your place, and can use your lab?”

Indigo Zap felt like she was marching towards the gallows right now, and the woman in front of her was the warden. Dean Cadence had found Indigo, although, with the swiftness that she did it, Indigo believed that she was being followed by the older woman, but that might just be her paranoid side talking.

“Uh, Dean Cadence…?”

“What, Miss Zap,” Cadence asked.

“Do you know what Principal Cinch is going to do?” Indigo asked with a tinge of trepidation in her voice.

Cadence stopped walking and gave an over the shoulder glare at the teenage sports star behind her, causing Indigo to wither under her gaze. “Understand this, Miss Zap, you hurt someone I love very dearly. Someone who hasn’t done a single thing to deserve such pain and misery in her life.”

Her tone was even, but no less fierce and venomous. Indigo had never seen Dead Cadence angry before, rarely had any student in Crystal Prep, so when she was, it was serious. “D-Dean Cadence, I-I–!”

“Save it!” Cadence cut off Indigo, she was not in the mood to hear the teen’s excuses. “If it were up to me, all five of you would be in jail right now awaiting trial!” At the mention of this, Indigo tensed up and wondered if she should start running. “…Unfortunately, it’s not up to me, but know this…” Cadence turned around and stood before Indigo, using her height to her advantage, and loomed over the spikey haired girl. “I won’t be living in my world of blissful ignorance anymore, I’m going to keep my eyes wide open, and my ears listening closely, even if that means I have to take time out of my day to watch you five! I swear to god, Indigo Zap, if you ever so much as brush up against Twilight Sparkle…so help me god, you’ll wish Sunset Shimmer had gotten to you first!”

Indigo Zap gulped, she could see the fires of hatred in the Dean’s eyes, the kindly big sister that everyone knew was not here at this moment. What stood before her was a big sister who was pissed off and ready to tear the throat out of the ones who dared to harm her family. This was a side that the students at Crystal Prep rarely got to see, and rightfully so, it was damn near terrifying. Cadence was a big proponent of love and understanding, but still, there was always a breaking point, even for the most kindhearted of people, and Indigo just now realized that she had unintentionally found it.

“O-Okay…” Indigo whimpered. “B-But Dean, I-I’m not the one who’s really dangerous! Sunset Shimmer is! She…She did something, she made fire appear out of nowhere, and–!”

“I think your concussion has had some effects on your memory, Miss Zap. Maybe you should go back to the doctor to double check.”

Indigo shut her mouth as Dean Cadence turned around and continued walking, with Indigo following in lockstep. It hadn’t left her mind since that day, Indigo caused some serious injuries to Sunset, she knew she did, she felt the bones snap when she struck at Sunset’s leg, and the feeling of her fist against Sunset’s face was still fresh in her mind. But, after that girl was engulfed in flames, there was no damage, as if nothing had happened. Then there was that unnatural strength, it was as if Indigo found herself fighting against a monster, even now her stomach still hurt from that punch. Indigo unconsciously rubbed the cast on her right arm, remembering how Sunset so easily broke it with just her one-handed grip. It angered her and made her shutter, knowing that Sunset Shimmer had that kind power this whole time. This made one thought repeat in her mind over and over again.

Twilight’s not safe around her…

Before she knew it, they had arrived at the door to Principal Cinch’s office. Dean Cadence opened the door and more or less shoved the sporty girl into the room, she didn’t bother to announce Indigo, she just simply closed the door with a light slam. Indigo gulped again, she hadn’t been to Cinch’s office in a long while, and she remembered why. There were no windows in the room, and Cinch often had low lighting, some students rumored that Cinch was secretly a vampire and that’s why she liked it dark in her office. Dean Cadence’s office had a window which let in sunlight, making it feel warm and inviting. Cinch was the opposite, low lighting, near darkness, and a single spotlight around where the students, or any visitor, would sit. It was like Cinch was going out of her way to show you that this was her domain, and you were nothing more than an invited guest in it.

Indigo squinted and made out the silhouette of the school's Principal, and dared to speak, “Uh…Principal Cinch?”

“Please sit down, Miss Zap.”

Indigo did as she was told and sat in the armchair before her.

“I’m sure you know why you’re in my office today, correct?”

“Y-Yes, Ma’am.”

“Then tell me, why are you in here?” Cinch asked as she leaned forward.

Indigo rubbed her cast again. “I…we…did something to Twilight Sparkle…”

“Oh, for the love of – you’re an eighteen-year-old for heaven’s sake not an eight-year-old! Spit it out girl, you know what you did, so say it like an adult!” Cinch admonished.

Indigo flinched under her harsh words, but in the end steeled herself and said, “I had my friends help me make a plan to…get back at Sunset Shimmer. I had them get Twilight and hold her somewhere, I honestly didn’t know where they took her, because I didn’t want to risk the chance that that fucking slut, Sunset, might beat me and try to make me tell her where Twilight was…I had the others threaten to strip Twilight and record the whole thing to throw onto the net if Sunset resisted while I beat the crap out of her.”

“Humph, well thought out, and yet it failed so spectacularly. Tell me, were you really going to film my top student getting raped and show it to all the students? And don’t lie to me girl, you’re already in too deep to do that now,” said Cinch.

Indigo used her nondamaged arm to beat the arm of her chair as she countered, “NO! I mean…ugh…that was a last resort thing! I figured Shimmer would just stand there and let me kick her ass if she knew that Twilight was in danger! She wasn’t in any real danger!”

Cinch raised an eyebrow, the sound of her drawer opening made Indigo flinch as she saw the Principal reach in and take something out. On the desk she laid out three items, one was the camera that Sugarcoat used to record the event, the second was the dildo, and the last thing was the scissors, the scissors were kept in a baggy, with dried blood on the blades.

“Given these pieces of evidence, I find that hard to believe.”

Indigo bolted from her chair and put her left hand on Cinch’s desk as she looked at the older woman with wide, frantic eyes. “No that wasn’t how it was supposed to happen! Maybe a little something with that dildo, but nothing that would hurt her! I made them promise me to not go too far!”

“And yet, Sour Sweet threatened to shove these very scissors into the genitalia of Twilight Sparkle, an act that would most certainly cause her serious pain, injury, and if left untreated, possibly death.”

Indigo slammed her fist against the desk as she gritted her teeth. “That psycho bitch went off the rails! That was not part of the plan, she fucking panicked and went mental! I don’t want Twilight hurt!”

Cinch leaned in closer and asked, “Then what do you want from her? Answer me that, Miss Zap. You fixate on her more than any other female in this school of mine. While I’m not particularly fond of homosexuality, I can understand attraction, and I’m not so out of the loop that I don’t know that there are a number of female students who have professed to having a crush on you. It seems you have your pick of the litter, so why Twilight Sparkle? A girl who hasn’t shown the slightest inkling that she’s a lesbian, well, aside from now. But before that, she had shown no interest in pursuing romantic relationships, and yet you seemed to continue pursuing her yourself. The question is begged, why?”

Indigo sat back down and lowered her head, a feeling of embarrassment finally coming over her. “Because…I love her…okay! I love that fucking nerd, she’s different from everyone in this school, she doesn’t fawn over me, she’s not looking to ride my coattails or whatever! She’s just her, smart as all hell, and cute…sure, she may not have curves like Fleur, or a rack like Sugarcoat, but she’s cute to me, and I like what I see in the locker room.” The teenage sports star rubbed her face as she sighed heavily. “I want her to love me, only me, and I…I can’t stand that she’s with that twofaced slut Sunset Shimmer!”

Cinch nodded and said, “Classic stalker mentality, just as Dean Cadence assumed.”

“I’m not a stalker!” Indigo protested as she shot to her feet. “I don’t follow her to her house after school! I don’t break into her house or steal her panties! I don’t have a fucking shrine room to her whatever! That shit is what a stalker does, and I ain’t no stalker!”

Cinch reclined in her chair as she interlocked her fingers. “And yet I have it on good authority that you know the movements of Twilight Sparkle in this school, and have on more than one occasion, forced her into committing sexual acts on you, and forcing some on her. We can also add rapist to that.”

Indigo furrowed her brow and struck Cinch’s desk as she yelled, “I’M NOT A RAPIST EITHER! Twilight wanted it! She’s just too in her head to understand how hot she is! All that I did was to show her what she could do, and what I could do for her!”

“Also, classic rationale of a rapist, and if you strike my desk again, Miss Zap, I’ll have you thrown out of this school, permanently.”

Indigo calmed down, taking in deep breaths and exhaling slowly. Once she had slowed her heartrate, she sat back down in the chair and asked, “What’s going to happen, to me, to the girls?”

“I think you know what should’ve happened by now. Correct?” Cinch waited while Indigo nodded in response. “Bearing that in mind, you’re still here, and not in jail. Count your blessings Miss Zap.” Cinch stood up from her chair and began walking around Indigo, like a shark circling its prey, or a vulture over a rotting carcass. “Crystal Prep has a reputation to uphold, and I will not allow you, my daughter, or your acquaintances, to mar that. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes, Ma’am.”

Cinch stopped her circling, standing to Indigo’s right as she looked down at her through her sharp pointed glasses. “Here’s what’s going to happen, Miss Zap. From this point forward, until after graduation, you are not allowed to speak to Twilight Sparkle unless spoken to. You are not allowed to touch her unless it is to help her or if she gives you permission to do so. Your interactions in the locker rooms will be restricted to changing and bathing, no banter, no ogling, no suggestive gestures. You are not to follow her, at all, either on school grounds or outside of said grounds.”

“B-But I have a few classes with her, I can’t not follow her if we’re going to the same classroom?” Indigo asked.

“Then you will arrive later, Miss Sparkle is a punctual girl, so I know she’ll arrive early to the classroom, all you need to do is make sure you’re a minute or three behind her. Keep this in mind, Indigo Zap, Twilight Sparkle is my crowning achievement for Crystal Prep, you know as well as I do that that young girl is going to be a great scientist, and if she does, whatever great discoveries she makes, it will all lead back here. People from inside and outside the city will flock to Crystal Prep, just for the privilege to study at the same school where the brilliant scientist Twilight Sparkle spent her high school career.”

Indigo bristled a little at hearing how Cinch was talking about her Twilight, as if she was some project, or grand trophy she could tout and show off to everyone. Sunset was dangerous, but so was Cinch, especially now that she knew what her plans were for her. Indigo wasn’t just some stupid jock, she was smart, she knew Cinch had influence that could reach outside of Crystal Prep, and there was no telling what Cinch could do to Twilight’s life should her love cross the old hag.

“I get it…I won’t go near Twilight, if I can help it,” said Indigo.

“I believe you,” said Cinch as she placed her left hand on the girl’s right shoulder. Her eyes glanced briefly to Indigo’s cast. “Tell me, how long will that take to heal?”

“Doc said about two weeks. Said I was lucky that it didn’t break any further or I’d be worse off, but I’m a fast healer anyway.”

“Very good, then until that cast comes off, you’re suspended starting tomorrow.”

“WHAT?!” Indigo balked.

Cinch removed her hand and went back to her chair. “You didn’t think I was going to let you off that easily. Sour Sweet can only continue coming so long as her parents make sure she’s taken her meds, even if it means forcing them down her throat. Sugarcoat, in light of her actions to stop Sour Sweet, will continue to attend as normal, same goes for my daughter and Miss Zest as their roles were minor. However, as the orchestrator of this scheme, I have to make an example out of you. And Miss Zap, failure to adhere to my rules will result in a harsh penalty.”

Indigo raised her eyebrow and leaned forward. “What kind of ‘penalty’?”

Cinch turned her computer monitor on and flipped it around to show Indigo’s grades. “As the Principal I have full access to the grades of every student, including yours, Miss Zap. I know your family is quite well-off, but all these honors that you received, all these earned grades, it would be a shame if they all disappeared along with all the scholarships you received. A quick phone call can make your sports prospects vanish, like dust in the wind.”

Indigo tried to make a fist with her right hand, but her efforts earned her a surge of pain that made her wince and clutch at her cast. “Fine, I get it, I won’t go near her!”

“I’m glad we have an understanding.”

“Just so you know, if you think I’m dangerous, then I’m nothing compared to Shimmer! She’s not normal, I saw her set herself on fire after I beat her, and when the flames died out, all the damage I did was gone! Lemon said her hair turned into literal fire! What if she’s with those Blood Kings?!” Indigo accused.

“I’m well aware of that, Lemon Zest and my daughter confirmed such an event when Miss Shimmer saved Twilight Sparkle, but nonetheless, whether or not she’s affiliated with that gang of terrorists is speculative. Unless you have some proof?”

Indigo looked down at the floor and said, “No…”

“Then drop it. So long as she doesn’t harm this school or the students that don’t provoke her, then all will be fine. If it turns out that is the case, we’ll just have the Sentinels take care of her. Now, finish up your classes for the day and don’t return until you’re healed, and the cast is removed, I still need you for the Friendship Games,” Cinch ordered.

Indigo nodded, got up, and headed towards the door.

“Did Miss Cadenza threaten you before coming here? She looked quite perturbed.”

“Yeah… she did, said I hurt someone she loved…does she like Twilight or something?” Indigo asked.

“No, she’s dating Miss Sparkle’s older brother, Shining Armor. An alumnus of this school, and a decorated detective of the CCPD. As I understand it, Miss Cadenza was also Twilight Sparkle’s babysitter when she was younger and attending Crystal Prep in her teen years. So, in a sense, Miss Cadenza sees Twilight Sparkle as much a little sister as I’m sure Miss Sparkle sees Cadenza as a big sister. You’d do well to heed whatever threat she made to you.”

Indigo began to tremble, now it made sense as to why Dean Cadence was so pissed off at her. It wasn’t the normal kind of pissed, it was the real kind of pissed off when someone hurts another person’s family member, and now it made perfect sense as to where that anger was coming from. Dean Cadence was practically family to Twilight and vice versa, and to top it all off, her big brother was a cop. If he knows about what she did to Twilight, there was no telling what could happen later down the line, if not sooner.

“You needn’t worry about the police getting involved,” said Cinch as if reading Indigo’s mind. “Cadenza and I have an understanding regarding that matter, so do not fret about it. However, if you attempt such a thing again, I won’t be able to help you, this is your one and only ‘get out of jail free’ card, and you just used it up. Anything after this, is on you, Indigo, and I’ll happily wash my hands of you. Now, off you go.”

Indigo left Cinch’s office, many thoughts were racing through her mind, but one thing was for sure, Twilight needed protecting, from Cinch, and from Sunset Shimmer. But what could she do? She was strong and fast, but Sunset outclassed her with whatever voodoo witch magic she’s got going on, and Cinch had influence that could crush any career that Indigo wanted to strive for, turning a potential sports start into nothing.

Somehow…I will protect you Twilight…Somehow…

Sombra found himself in the dream again, quite frankly he was getting a little annoyed by these random trips down Stygian’s memory lane. Nevertheless, he was stuck in it so all he could do was suck it up and watch the movie. Compared to the last dream, some years had passed by, Stygian was no longer the lanky beanstalk, now he was a man in his mid-twenties. He was definitely more muscular than he had been before, but not so much to make him look like a one those bruiser thugs his family used to have on the payroll. No, Stygian had lean muscle, showing that not only did have strength, but also speed to back it up.

It was nighttime, the moon was a waning crescent as he ran towards a castle in the distance. He was clothed in Darkness Armor, the shadow cloak’s hood pulled up and obscuring most of his face as he swiftly made his way through the trees of the forest. Stygian had spent a great deal learning all he could of the Darkness, it had much to teach. He learned when fully armored he didn’t need to rest, drink, or eat, in addition to his augmented speed and strength, making him move with inhuman speed across land, and even the sky.

Once Stygian reached the tree line, his cloak sprouted bat-like wings, he then jumped straight into the air and began flying the rest of the way towards the castle. Now, he was over the castle keep, where the last remnants of the Swarel Resistance resided, he would end their existence. They lost the war three years ago, and yet pockets of them still wished to continue their old ways and mount attacks on their kingdom. Such wretched beings, they would raid villages, taking what they could, murdering the men, and taking the women and children to do unspeakable things. What was worse, they made sure that it was out in the open, that way whenever help did arrive, they would be able to fully look upon their good work without anything obstructing it.

It was meant to demoralize and frighten them, a warning of what will happen to everyone as vengeance for their fallen kingdom. But it had the opposite effect, it only enraged the people further, and Stygian took it upon himself to become the avatar of their rage. He could see the torches, Stygian smiled, of course they knew of his power, figured putting up so many torches would render his power useless. However, they had no imagination. The wings on Stygian’s back grew larger, big enough to be compared to a dragon’s wings. With a moonless sky, he practically blended into the night itself. Stygian, with a mighty beat of his wings, created a downward gust of wind, no, more like a whirlwind.

The gale washed over the castle, making many of the guards stationed on the walls or on the ground get thrown to the ground or off the wall to fall to their deaths. While it wasn’t his intention to do that, it was a happy, unintentional effect of his tactic, but the desired effect was achieved nonetheless as every visible torch was snuffed out like a candle stick. The only light that was visible came from inside but wouldn’t be an issue once he got started.

Stygian dispelled his wings and let himself go into free fall, landing outside the castle walls with thunderous impact that shook the land and caused a shockwave that upheaved most of the dirt and sediment. A crater had formed from his landing, but not long after that, a giant serpent came rushing out of the hole, its hide had scales as black as night, with a silver underbelly. The eyes of the serpent shined a bloody scarlet, becoming two beacons in the night. Inside the serpent’s maw were four large, ivory fangs, and two rows of smaller fanged teeth within. The serpent had flared sides, making it appear like a cobra, but its back bore several razor sharp spines that ran from the base of its head all the way to its tail, which sported a blade like appendage at the end. This creature Stygian called Leviathan, it had carried him into many a battle and never failed to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. Man feared serpents on a primal level, and surely a giant one was far more terrifying.

The next thing that Stygian created was a horde of Darklings, two army’s worth of them, all armed with various weapons. Demon-like Darklings took to the skies on their leathery bat wings, releasing unholy shrieking as they filled the sky. From a distance, it appeared as dozens of glowing red and yellow dots were on the horizon, some might mistake it as torches, but they’d soon find out how wrong they were. With little more to do, Stygian gave the mental command to his minions, the Darklings all released gleeful profanities into the air as they charged towards the castle. Leviathan slithered across the plains taking its time as it knew its main duty was to act as the steed of its master, whatever little scraps were left over to play with were all his, the Darklings knew that.

The Swarel Resistance didn’t know what hit them, the Darklings scaled the walls of the keep easily and set to slaughter all who dared to try and attack them. Some of the Darklings were killed, lucky shots, but they returned just as quickly as they were killed. Soon Leviathan was upon the keep, drawing the attention of the remaining Swarel soldiers, Stygian raised his hand and the Darkling stopped their attack, keeping the men surrounded while Stygian floated down to the ground before them.

“Gentlemen – and I’m using that word sparingly – I’m obligated to give you all at least a chance to surrender peacefully,” Stygian proclaimed.

“Surrender?! That’s a joke, surrender and then be executed later! We’d rather die,” said their leader.

Stygian smiled under his helmet. “Oh good, I wanted to spare the kingdom the tediousness of executing you and just get it done myself.” Stygian raised his right hand as he gathered dark energy into it, in a matter of seconds, black flames erupted in a circle before the barbarians, and with a snap of his fingers, the remaining soldiers of the fortress were incinerated.

Sombra glanced to his left, and standing there was the Stygian of old, the scrawny thing he was before he became the warrior who was standing a few feet away. “Not that I don’t like watchin’ a good fight, but is there a reason why you’re showing me all this?”

“Indeed, there is, Sombra. I’m reaching out to you, so that you may know that despite what you think, you do not control the Darkness.”

Sombra laughed at that notion. “Please, kid, I didn’t spend the last ten years just jerkin’ around. I learned all I could about it, and now I can use its power without taking control.”

“I thought that way once too, but the ultimate deception is making believe that the person you are deceiving is in complete control, when really, you aren’t.”

Scenes played out before Sombra, one after the other as Stygian spoke of each one. The first to appear was Platinum and Stygian arriving in the throne room, and on that throne was the body of King Coal.

“On the night that I saved Platinum, we found out that King Coal was also targeted…and was successfully killed. They coronated her as the new Queen, and not long after that, Platinum decided to make our love for each other official, and asked me to marry her. Before I knew it, I was now the king to her queen.”

Another scene appeared, showing Stygian and Platinum getting married before the people of their kingdom. Like wisps of smoke, the scenery changed again, this time displaying Stygian at the head of an army of knights, and alongside those knights were Darklings and Servants, all of whom charged straight for an opposing enemy in the dead of night.

“I led an army of Darklings and Servants in the night, and our knights fought during the day. They never feared while they slept, knowing they were under my protection. I would devastate our Swarel enemies, and our knights would mop up whatever was left when daybreak came.”

Stygian stood atop his Leviathan, with the army of Darklings and Servants down below, marching onto other battles. Castle after castle, army after army, all fell before Stygian and the Darkness.

“I wasn’t done with just Swarel, we had gotten our revenge, but I feared that other threats might come for our kingdom, so I set out to conquer others, more and more, I brought them to their knees. I became a hero to the people, and they proudly sung my praises. However…not all were happy with my achievements…”

Stygian and Star Swirl were in the workshop once again, the old wizard didn’t seem like he aged a day, but he seemed agitated.

“Stygian, you have to end your use of this entity’s power.”

The new king gave an exasperated sigh as he looked to his old master. “Not this again, we’ve been over this, the Darkness is working with us, with me.”

Star Swirl rolled his eyes. “That thing reeks of chaos and destruction, we don’t know where it comes from, or why it is here. Or more importantly, what it wants from you.”

Stygian crossed his arms and glared at Star Swirl. “What does it matter? It wants what I want, and that’s that! I’ve quite literally conquered our enemies singlehandedly, I will not be sorry for doing that, for making our land safer.”

<^> The old man is jealous of your power, Stygian. <^>

“You're just jealous of how much stronger I am than you, aren’t you? I’ve grown much stronger than you, and I am not the weak little thing that I once was! My eyes have opened, Star Swirl the Bearded, and I have grown!” Stygian stated.

Star Swirl released a burst of magical energy that made the bells on his hat and cloak rattle, Stygian didn’t flinch, for his power was equal – if not stronger – to Star Swirl. “I don’t seek to antagonize you, my young apprentice, I seek to help you. I wish to see you live your life, with the one you love, for my apprentices, all I strive is to see them grow strong and live a life that they are happy with, but are you truly happy, Stygian?”

Stygian made ready to answer but stopped with his mouth open. Was he truly happy? He was with the woman he liked since he was a young boy, he obtained power beyond what a mortal man could comprehend, and he was the leader of a kingdom, so…why did it feel somewhat hollow?

“I am…I am…”

“But I was not, I quickly found out that the power of the Darkness was not something that was my own. The Darkness hates control, it will twist your ambitions to something that wasn’t yours. Tell me, did you really want to conquer the city? Or did you want something else?”

Sombra started to think about what this meant, what it meant to him. Why did he really want to take over Canterlot City? Was it for him? To start a new empire that his family lost? For revenge against the people who killed his family?

“And… eventually…I lost it all…the Darkness doesn’t care about what you want, only what it wants.”

The last thing that Sombra saw was the image of a burning kingdom, and a sorrowful Stygian, holding the dead body of Queen Platinum, with only the silhouettes of the Darklings and Servants around them.

Next Chapter: To War: Part 3 Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 34 Minutes