Fair warning. This chapter contains a sex scene. Viewer Discretion Advised.

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Celestia paced the floor in the living room, the news was reporting how the city was blacked out, and that there was fighting going on downtown. This, of course, didn’t help her nervousness about what was happening, and it didn’t help that she was in a heightened emotional state thanks to finding out her lover had been murdered. At around the twentieth walk by, Gaghiel, who was laying down, shot straight up to his feet. The Beast of God’s fur stood on end as he growled threateningly.

“What’s wrong, Gaghiel?” Celestia asked.

“I sense the Darkness!”

Right around that time a pool of dark shadows opened a few feet away between the TV and where the couches were. From that black spot, four individuals rose. Celestia readied herself to transform and fight, but paused when she saw both Sunsets emerge, along with Sombra, and Barbatos. When they fully emerged, Sombra hunched over and placed his hands on his knees, panting with exhaustion. Both Sunset’s shook as they hugged their bodies after coming out of the dark space.

“Yeah, never do that again,” said Shimmer.

“That place was too creepy, ugh, makes my skin crawl,” said Sunset.

“Heh, well, it was either that or we all die at the hands of a psychopath,” Sombra countered.

The Sunsets glanced at each other and then said in unison, “Good point.”

“SUNSET!”

The girls in question looked at each other and then back to Celestia in confusion. “Uh, which one?” they asked.

“BOTH OF YOU!” Celestia rushed towards them, Sunset dimmed her flames so that they wouldn’t hurt Celestia, and Shimmer had the armor smooth itself so that it wouldn’t stab. That’s when Celestia wrapped her arms around both of the girls, holding them tight as she cried happily. “I’m so happy you’re both alive, so, so happy…!” Celestia cried as she held them both in her arms, she didn’t want to let them go, for fear that in doing so they would disappear, and after losing her love, no one could blame her.

Shimmer felt her heartache, she cried as well and hugged Celestia back, knowing that she was hurting because of Maria’s death, and wanted to comfort her as much as possible. For Sunset, it was shocking. No one had hugged her like this since…since her mother died. It was strange, she didn’t know Celestia as well as her twin did, but she couldn’t help but feel Celestia’s motherly aura washing over her, reminding her so much of her late mother. Sunset couldn’t help it, she cried as well and hugged Celestia back.

Sombra dismissed his Darkness Armor and rubbed the back of his head as he watched the emotional exchange between the women. Barbatos just watched with indifference, but then he glanced over to Gaghiel who was already in an attack stance. The bestial Servant raised his right hand and said, “Hi.”

“Creature of the Darkness, you do not have the right to greet me!”

That snapped Celestia out of the moment as her eyes glanced upwards and spotted Sombra, who smiled awkwardly. Relief and happiness were replaced with anger and rage as Celestia released her surrogate daughters, pushed between them, and punched Sombra right in the face, sending the gangster straight to the floor.

“YOU BASTARD!” Celestia shouted.

Sombra rubbed his jaw as he stood back up. “Yeah, yeah, I deserve that. Damn, you got a hell of a right hook Miss.”

“How dare you, I–!”

“Celestia!” Shimmer put herself between Sombra and her surrogate mother. “Don’t, he’s on our side!” Her eyes shifted to the gangster. “As hard as it is to believe, apparently not all of his actions were his own. But he’s the same as you now, drained of most of his power.”

Celestia’s rage quelled little by little, she took a few deep breaths and finally settled down. “Is that true?”

“I’ll give you the full details about how I was a puppet later, but bad news right now is that Neighsay’s got the Darkness’ power, and he’s combined it with the Angelus.” Sombra looked to Shimmer and asked, “On a scale of one to ten, how fucked are we?”

“Good question,” said Sunset as she looked at the ruby gemstone. “Well, how fucked are we?”

}}} …Unfortunately, it’s grim. This is the first time, aside from my birth, that the powers of my Mother and Father have been combined in such a way. I had assumed that the combining of those powers in a single body would kill a mortal being. But perhaps the Siphon and the Prism are compensating. {{{

\\\/// It would make sense, those two Artifacts were created to hold our powers, but just letting the power flow through him, instead of remaining inside him, is probably what’s saving his body and soul from being torn apart. \\\///

<^> More importantly, what are we to do now?! There’s no way we can hide in this hovel forever! Eventually, that mortal will forget about subtly soon enough and just start tearing the city apart looking for us. <^>

“Hey y’all!” Everyone turned towards the stairs where they saw Meadowbrook coming down them. “I think I might’ve found a way to break Neighsay’s control over – Oh merciful Lord in heaven!” Meadowbrook exclaimed as she jumped and pressed herself against the wall upon seeing Sombra and Barbatos.

Sunset dismissed her fire form and hurriedly said, “It’s alright! He’s…ugh, we’re all on the same side now.”

Meadowbrook looked between both groups and deadpanned. “Let me guess, Neighsay got the Darkness?”

“Not all of it,” said Sombra.

“Well, thank God for small favors.”

Shimmer ran her hand through her hair as she sighed heavily. “Look, we’re all drained, physically and emotionally, so why don’t we all just get some rest while we can, ‘cause I don’t think any of us are in the mood for a debrief right now.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” said Celestia. “Gaghiel, why don’t you keep watch.”

“Good idea, hey Barb, you too. Keep watch tonight,” said Sombra.

“Okay.”

“Out of the question!” Gaghiel protested. “I will not work with a creature spawned from the Darkness!”

}}} You seem to tolerate my presence. {{{

The Beast of God snorted and stated, “You are born of my Mistress, and that is the only reason I do ‘tolerate’ your presence, Witchblade. However, that creature is another matter!”

Celestia shook her head in frustration and then glared at the liger. “Gaghiel, we’re all in this mess together! We need all the help we can get; I don’t like working with this man either, but if it ensures that Neighsay doesn’t get the drop on us, then so be it!”

Gaghiel flinched at the sternness in Celestia’s voice, and like a child having been denied permission from one parent, he sought it from another. “Mistress, surely you cannot condone–”

\\\/// There isn’t a thing about this ENTIRE situation that I condone! However, Celestia is right, if we are to survive this ordeal, we must ally ourselves with the Darkness and his Servant. I order you to work with the Servant to watch over us all during the night. Understood? \\\///

<^> That goes for you as well, Barbatos. Our forces are low as it is, do not kill the Sentinel. <^>

Barbatos shrugged. “I wasn’t planning on it, but okay, I won’t.”

“Good, that’s settled.” Celestia took hold of her two “daughters” and began leading them upstairs. “We’re sleeping in the same room tonight; I don’t want to hear any arguments.”

“Uh…yes ma’am?” they answered.

“And you,” Celestia eyed Sombra with slit eyes. “We’ll take you to a guest room, but if I catch you anywhere near our room, I’ll kill you.”

Sombra raised his hands and chuckled a little. “Relax, I’m a lot of things, but I ain’t no rapist. I give you my word, I will not approach your room. Unless somethin’ happens.”

Celestia scoffed. “The word of a gangster, I’m honored.”

“You should be, a King’s word is as good as gold, I keep my word, Miss.”

Strangely, Celestia believed him, there was something about his demeanor and eyes that spoke sincerity, but that still didn’t mean she would let her guard down. “Fine, let’s all head up. And that goes double for Sister Meadowbrook.”

“Of course, I won’t come near anyone’s room.”

Gaghiel and Barbatos watched as their respective masters, along with the twin girls and Sister, walked up the stairs to rest in their rooms. Barbatos and Gaghiel looked at each other, the Beast of God glared at the wolf-like demon creature, the latter still wearing that look of indifference.

“I’m Barbatos, hi.”

“……Gaghiel.”

Canterlot City woke up to a whole new way of life that day. Before Shimmer went to bed, she sent a mass text to each of her friends, explaining what had happened that night, and what was possibly going to happen when the morning came. And just as predicted, Neighsay didn’t waste time in getting things rolling with his new “utopia”. For one thing, everything from the city to its outskirts were completely closed off by a large forcefield. There were entry points that were guarded by a new breed, neither Sentinel nor Servant, they were dark angels, loyal only to Neighsay, they were the Sworn.

Many activities were cancelled, and people stayed in their homes, for the most part anyway. Occasionally one would see a Sworn flying overhead, patrolling the skies, keeping an eye on the public, and more importantly, scouting for the hosts of the Angelus and the Darkness. One such resident was about to take off into that mess, Rainbow Dash, she agreed that they all needed to meet up and talk about what needs to be done, but her parents were kind of against it. Rainbow was in the middle of changing out of her nightwear when her phone went off.

Rainbow went to her dresser and checked the caller ID; it was a number she didn’t recognize. The phone kept ringing, so in the end, Rainbow relented and answered. “Hello?”

{Hey, Rainbow Dash, what’s up?}

The prismatic haired girl instantly made a face of disgust and annoyance, she knew that voice. That annoying, overconfident, wannabe playboy voice, it could only be one person. “Zephyr…Breeze. How the hell did you get my phone number?”

Zephyr scoffed. {Oh, Rainbow, I got my ways.}

“Zephyr, how?” Rainbow asked in a stern tone.

{Okay, okay, I…I may’ve scoped out Big Sis putting in your cell number into her phone and put it into my phone.}

“I’m hanging up now.”

{Wait – Wait, Dash, I swear I didn’t call to hit on you!}

Rainbow held the phone away from her ear for a few seconds, weighed her options, and then sighed as she put the phone back to her ear. “What is it then?”

{Look…I wanted to ask if you knew anything about Big Sis? She hasn’t texted or called…Mom and Dad are worried, but not as much since, apparently, she’s with the folks at the church. But with all this mess goin’ on, we haven’t been able to see her. And each time they call, we just get his ‘assurance’ that Sis is alright. I’m sorry, but I personally think they're full of shit!}

You don’t know the half of it, thought Rainbow. “No, Zeph, she hasn’t called me either, any of the girls. I’m sure she’s alright, Fluttershy can be timid, but I’m sure you know that when push comes to shove, she’ll do what she has to.”

{……Y-Yeah, I know…I see it, a lot, at home. She doesn’t let me get away with any guff. She can be shy and timid outside of the house, but when it comes to me, she goes into full “Big Sister Mode” and lays down the law on my ass…heh…I never thought I’d miss that. I’m just worried is all…I love my Big Sis, Rainbow. I know she can be tough when she needs to, but…I still worry about her…she’s so kind and trustin’, I can’t help but think that someone’s gonna take advantage of her one day! And now she’s been gone for, like, days! I…I just miss her…}

Rainbow Dash had to bite her lip, she was honestly surprised, she had never thought Zephyr could sound so sincere and caring. The guy was always a tool, and his constant attempts to date Rainbow had gotten on her nerves. Still, beneath all that, he was a caring guy, but then again, she’d be the same way if it was Scootaloo. Part of her wanted to tell Zephyr the truth of what was happening to his big sister, but if he was worried right now, then knowing that she was a brainwashed assassin for the megalomaniac that was currently controlling the city would just be worse.

“Look, Zeph, I promise Fluttershy will be back soon.”

{Do you know somethin’?}

“I can’t get into any specifics right now, but I want you to know that the girls and I are working on helping her with something. It’s magic related, so just keep it to yourself and trust us,” said Rainbow.

There was a pause on the other end of the phone for about a minute, Rainbow thought that Zephyr may’ve hung up, but then she heard a sigh on the other end. {Only ‘cause it’s you, Rainbow, and ‘cause I know you and Big Sis are best friends. I’ll trust you.}

“Thanks, Zeph. Look, I gotta go, if I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

{Cool………So, what’re ya wearin’?}

*Beep*

“Yep, didn’t take that long for him to switch back into that.” Rainbow pinched the bridge of her nose as she shook her head. “Maybe I should just finally tell ‘em I’m gay and that he has a snowball’s chance in hell of going out with me.” Rainbow looked outside her window, spotting a few of the Sworn flying by. “And if we don’t find a way to take down Neighsay, hell is what he’s going to turn this place into.”

Shimmer Manor had become an impromptu headquarters of the small resistance group, or what could be called a “resistance”. In truth it was a gathering of eight teenagers, four adults, one Sentinel, and one Servant. Twilight had asked to be a part of the meeting, her parents weren’t exactly thrilled with her leaving the house with the situation as it was, but with Shining Armor and Sunset assuring that she would be safe with them, they were alright with it.

The tension in the room was palpable, the girls were eyeing Sombra like they wanted to kill him, considering what he had done to Sunset and the hell he had brought onto Canterlot, it was understandable. Celestia didn’t bother to look at him, her anger was well known, and she didn’t need to waste the energy giving him a dirty look. Shining Armor and Spearhead’s fingers were practically twitching, waiting, and wanting some excuse to shoot the man before them, the one responsible for so many of their police brethren getting killed over the past few weeks.

Twilight was, noticeably, afraid, before recently, things like angels and demons, magic, symbiotic armor and the like, were all the stuff of anime, sci-fi, and fairy tales. Now they were all assembled in the same room, she was living one of those anime/comic book stories, and she had a super powered girlfriend to go with everything else.

Meadowbrook had her own reservations when it came to Sombra and the Darkness, but right now, they needed to work together to stop the real threat that was Neighsay. “Okay, so, why don’t we just air our grievances and get that out of the way?”

Spearhead shot up from the couch, prompting Barbatos to flinch in preparation to attack. “Yeah, I got some grievances, that bastard and his crew killed at least a hundred plus good cops! Some of them friends of mine! Not to mention all the innocent people that got caught in the crossfire!”

Rainbow Dash stood up next and said, “Also, you stabbed our Principal, and made our friend into your personal puppet assassin!”

Sombra crossed his arms as he heard their words, he then looked to both of them and said, “Look, I know I fucked up, a lot. Part of that has to do with the Darkness, it was messing with my head, making me think what I was doing was what I wanted to do, but it wasn’t. I’m not making any excuses; in the end it was still me doin’ that shit. However, that demon can kiss my ass after the hell it put me through, too.”

<^> Fuck you, Sombra. <^>

Same to you, thought Sombra.

Spearhead sat back down and huffed in agitation, Rainbow Dash did the same, although she kind of had a little more sympathy for the man now that she heard that. It reminded her a lot of what happened to Lightning Dust when she was possessed by the Wendigo.

“Well, now that that is out of the way, let’s start with the good news. I’ve found a way to get Fluttershy back,” said Meadowbrook.

“Really?!” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Yep, seems Neighsay had a command not only to bring her under his control, but to also snap her out of it.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow and asked, “Pardon, but that seems a bit counterproductive. Why make it so that your own command can be undone?”

“Usually subliminal programming like this needs both an ‘on’ and ‘off’ switch,” Meadowbrook made air quotes as she said this, “Thankfully, after sifting through all Neighsay’s files, I found the right command.”

Shimmer thought about what she said for a moment, especially since Meadowbrook said the words “good news”. “Wait a second, you said ‘good news’, that usually precedes bad news. Is there?”

Meadowbrook tensed; this was the part she was dreading to bring up. “Yeah…there is…you see, Neighsay has to be the one to say the command…if any one of us says it, it won’t work…”

And just like that, their little hope to get their friend back was taken down a few notches. There was no way in hell that Neighsay was going to say the words that would snap Fluttershy out of her trance. Twilight looked around the room and saw the low spirits of the girls, she wasn’t sure if it was her place to talk, but she had an idea and thought she should voice it, if for nothing else than to offer an option.

Twilight raised her hand up as if she was in class, “Um…excuse me, but…I…I think I might have a way to help.”

“Really?!” Applejack asked.

“We just need Neighsay’s voice to say the words needed, not Neighsay specifically, correct?” Meadowbrook nodded in confirmation. “Then I might be able to create a mockup of Neighsay’s voice. I just need a voice sample of his to work with and I can string the words together.”

Sunset smiled and gave her girlfriend a one-armed hug and kissed her on the cheek. “That’s my Sparky!”

Twilight blushed from the kiss but found that she was getting more comfortable with displaying affection in front of people. The rest of the girls found it adorable, and Shining Armor was still trying to get used to seeing his little sister in a relationship, but it was still good to see her happy.

“Well that takes care of one problem, she’s pretty badass so having her on our side will give us one more weapon in our arsenal,” said Sombra.

Meadowbrook gave a sideways glance, “She ain’t no weapon, she’s a person, understand?”

Sombra raised his hands in a motion of surrender. “I didn’t say she was, just sayin’, the Darkness was freakin’ out about that Spear of Destiny of hers.”

Celestia nodded in agreement. “Even Angelus is afraid of the Spear of Destiny, so that much we can agree on. However, the real question is, how do you defeat Neighsay?”

That was the question of the day, even if they got Fluttershy back to normal, they still had the obstacle of fighting him directly. With his new Sworn, there was no way they were going to get close to Neighsay. And with the powers of Angelus and the Darkness, Neighsay was strong no matter what time of day it was. Shimmer crossed her arms as she thought about how best to go about this, the city was closed off, so there was no way they could sneak out Sombra or Celestia, that’s the only reason why Neighsay did it, and the only reason why he wasn’t rushing, he had the city under his control so it was only a matter of time.

Celestia had an idea, one that she didn’t like, but neither did Angelus. “The only real threats to Neighsay right now are Shimmer and Sunset…and if we can get her back, Fluttershy. And we know that he wants me and Sombra, so…I say we do just that.”

Everyone looked at Celestia as if she had gone mad.

“Uh, Principal Celestia, far be it from me to question my elders, but…THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE DON’T WANT YA TO DO!” Applejack exclaimed. “Neighsay wants what’s left of Angelus and the Darkness!”

Sombra nodded carefully, understanding what Celestia meant. “No, I get what she’s sayin’. Miss Celestia and I make a ruckus somewhere in the city, and while Neighsay’s got all his little minions coming after us, the twins take him on.”

Rarity looked to their school principal and asked, “Principal Celestia, that can’t be what you mean?”

Celestia sighed heavily, which was all the confirmation that was needed. Sunset placed her hand on her surrogate mother’s shoulder, knowing how hard the decision was for her to make. “It’s fine, Sunset and I are the only ones who have a chance of beating Neighsay, and when Twilight’s plan works, we’ll have Fluttershy back on our side and definitely take him down.”

“But what would be the best time to do it? I mean…not for nothin’, but Sombra, you’re pretty much useless during the day. And the way I understand it,” Shining Armor turned his attention to Celestia, “Angelus isn’t as strong during the night either.”

Pinkie’s head poked up as she said, “Oh, there might! There’s going to be a solar eclipse tomorrow! I know because I was going to hold an Eclipse Party!”

<^> That might actually work, in the twilight of the eclipse, our powers will be about even. <^>

\\\/// Yes, not even Neighsay will be unaffected by the eclipse. The only time when night and day are one and the same. \\\///

}}} Well that’s good, but for how long? Eclipses don’t last. {{{

“Witchblade just brought up a good point, does anyone know how long it’ll be like that?” Shimmer asked.

Twilight brought out her cellphone and typed in a search for the solar eclipse over Canterlot City. Thankfully, Twilight knew where to look since she had planned on observing it herself before all this chaos was brought forth. “Okay…according to NASA, the solar eclipse will reach its apex at twelve noon tomorrow, local time. And according to this information, we’ll be able to see the total eclipse of the sun, and…oh my…It’s going to last for almost one whole hour.”

A heavy mood fell upon the room, the date and time were set, the fate of the world would be decided tomorrow at noon, and they only had one hour to defeat Neighsay while Sombra and Celestia battle it out against a swarm of Sworn to get Neighsay alone, and on top of all that, they needed to break Neighsay’s control over Fluttershy’s mind.

Spearhead ran his right hand through his hair as he tried to wrap his head around all this craziness. “We have a high noon showdown tomorrow…this is…this is just insanity; I feel like I’m in one of Shining’s anime shows!”

“Welcome to our world,” the Sunsets and the Canterlot High Five said in unison.

“Well, I guess the first thing that needs to get done is the voice print mockup,” said Twilight.

“The computers in my lab have everything we need for that, so help yourself to whatever,” said Sunset.

Shimmer stood up and looked at everyone in the room. “Well, everyone, go and relax and get ready, because tomorrow determines the fate of the world.”

Canterlot Juvenile Detention Center, Site Z. The world was mostly going to hell, and with that in mind, Rainbow Dash went to this place first after leaving Shimmer Manor. The facility was minimum security, mostly non-violent offenders, and it was here that someone in particular was incarcerated. Rainbow went through her usual routine upon entering the facility, she greeted the guards and they greeted her back, she checked in with the receptionist’s desk and was told to wait while they moved the person she came to visit to the visitor’s room. It was about a five-minute wait before Rainbow was told by the guard to come with him. A short walk later, the guard brought her to the visitor’s room.

“How’s she been doin’?” Rainbow asked.

The guard made a wavy hand motion, Rainbow grimaced a little, she figured this most recent development would make her worry. The guard opened the door and Rainbow smiled, sitting at the bolted down metal table was Lightning Dust, she was wearing an orange jumpsuit, the top half was hanging around her waist while she wore a white t-shirt. The moment Lightning saw Rainbow her face lit up, and so did Rainbow’s. The guards left the room, standard protocol said to have one in the room, but Lightning Dust had been given leeway for good behavior. It wasn’t like she was looking to get in anymore trouble or give anyone a reason to think that she may still be possessed by a demon.

Both girls sat at the middle table and smiled at each other, it was always an awkward meeting with these two. Despite having acknowledged that they had feelings for each other, they were still trying to figure each other out.

“Hey, Dusty,” said Rainbow.

“Hey, Dashie,” said Lightning.

“How are things in here?”

Lightning ran her hand through her spikey hair and sighed, “Well, probably just what you’d think it would be with everything that’s going on. Angels and demons, and now some nutjob’s got the power of both and is holding the whole city hostage. It’s got a lot of the girls in here on edge, wondering if this is judgement day. Heh, if it was, I know where I’m going…”

“Hey!” Rainbow spoke sternly as she wrapped her right hand around Lightning’s left. “Don’t talk like that, you’ve done some stupid stuff, but you’re not a bad person.”

Lightning chuckled. “The whole ‘getting possessed by a demon’ thing kind of says otherwise.”

“Dust, don’t, most of that was your dad, he messed you up, but he has no control over you anymore. And that demon only took control of you because of what he put you through, it made you vulnerable to that monster.” Rainbow remembered when they got the news from Lightning’s court appointed lawyer, after what Lightning told the police, Wind Rider was charged with abuse and assault, and lost any and all of his rights as a parent to Lightning Dust, it helped that she was eighteen already so there was no emancipation paperwork to deal with. “So, don’t think about it.”

“Y’know, some of the girls who found out about what happened to me come and ask me if I can swing them so favors in hell,” said Lightning.

“Bitches…you didn’t kick their asses, did you?” Rainbow asked.

“Nope, I wanted to, but I didn’t.” Lightning squeezed Rainbow’s hand as she looked into her eyes. “Cap, listen, I know I sound like a broken record by now…but, this time, I mean it. Please, just find someone else.”

Rainbow dragged her left hand down her face as she groaned in annoyance. “Oh, jeez, not this again Dust!”

“I’m serious!” Lightning narrowed her gaze, giving Rainbow as serious a look as she could muster. “It makes no sense for you to be waiting for me! You could’ve already had another girlfriend by now! Fuck, I mean, you could be with Cloud Kicker or something!”

Rainbow snickered at the mention of her teammate and friend’s name. “Actually, we’ve kinda become friends with benefits.”

Normally, if any other girlfriend would yell and call their partner unfaithful for admitting to something like that. However, Lightning Dust just smirked and nodded. “Good, see, that’s what I’m talking about! I always thought Cloud swung that way, is she good?”

“Heh, if you’re trying to ask if she’s better than you…well…we were interrupted our first time, right?” Rainbow blushed at the memory. “So, I’m not going to say that she’s better or worse, I don’t have much to compare to. But something tells me that you’d probably blow her out of the water. On that note, stop asking me to, I’m not going to change my mind. When the day comes that you get out of here, I’ll be waiting for you, not just as your friend, but your girlfriend.” Rainbow leaned forward and kissed Lightning on the forehead, catching her off guard. “I’m loyal to those who are my friends, and even more loyal to my girlfriend, that won’t change even if the world’s ending!”

Tears began to well up in Lightning’s eyes, the droplets made little splattering sounds as they hit the metal surface with each fall. After everything that has happened in her life, Lightning had resigned to the idea that when she got out, there would be nothing left for her to return to. Despite the numerous times that Rainbow visited her, no matter how many times Rainbow said she would wait, Lightning didn’t want to be someone that tied Rainbow down, or hold out hope that the girl she had a crush on was going to still be with her.

“Rainbow…” Lightning whimpered.

The Canterlot High sports star stood up and walked around the table to stand beside Lightning, she then brought her girlfriend into a hug, letting Lightning cry against her stomach. “I’ll never abandon you, Dusty, never.”

“Thank you, Dashie…”

Sunset (human) walked through the halls of her house, her mind was firing off as she started to think of the numerous things that could go wrong when tomorrow came, but all in all, she was just mainly focusing on keeping her newly obtained sibling safe from Neighsay during the battle to come. Sunset stopped and leaned against the wall, she took out her cellphone from her pants pocket and flipped through some folders. After a few seconds, she found what she was looking for. It was a picture of Sunset, along with her mother and father. Sunset was a bit younger, about thirteen, when it was taken.

She was beaming happily, nestled between her parents. Her father, a tall, stoic man, he never smiled when he was conducting business or in the office, but at home, or on vacation, he always smiled, especially in front of his wife and daughter. Not many got to see that gentle side of him, and many accused him of being a hard-ass at home as well as work, but Sunset knew the truth, he was a good man with a good heart, full of love for his family. And despite his hard exterior at work, he never left anyone hanging.

Her mother was kind of a goofball, as seen in the photo making rabbit ears behind Sunset’s head. In some ways, she was a mixture of Pinkie and Miss Celestia, joyous and motherly, excitable but sensible when needed. A refined woman she could be when at social events or working on her different charity organizations, but she knew when to have fun and play hard. Sometimes Sunset wondered if it was her mother who made her father the way he was, because according to her relatives, the ones she bothered to keep in touch with, he was a mostly serious guy until he met her mother, and that seriousness seemed to lessen when Sunset was born.

As I recall, they said Dad didn’t want me to think my Daddy was a scary man, Sunset thought as she chuckled.

Never in a million years would she ever think that of her father, sure, she wasn’t always the perfect child. They got into fights here and there, what parent and child didn't, and yes she’d seen his angry face before when she did something wrong and he was disciplining her, but at the end of the day, they loved each other. Thankfully, between her mother and father, they made sure that Sunset didn’t grow up to be some affluent, snobby, “the world exists for me” kind of rich kid, they made sure to beat that out of her little head from day one. Were they rich? Oh yes, obscenely so, but that didn’t mean they had to lord it over everyone and be assholes about it.

Sunset returned to the home screen and put her cellphone away, she wished they were alive right now, because she could really use a hug from them, considering what awaited her and her newly obtained big sister. The thought of Shimmer made her smile more, she loved her dimensional double more than she thought she would. At first she was afraid that Shimmer was going to try and take over her life, or that she was someone who got really expensive plastic surgery in order to get at her money or something, but a pony turned human from a parallel dimension, that was not on her list at all.

Still, after talking to her, she found that she liked her. And no, it wasn’t for anything shallow like the fact that they looked and sounded the same, it was deeper. Sunset wished that she had another sibling, she even asked her parents if they could give her a little brother or sister, but as much as they probably did want to, they said that they wanted to focus on Sunset and were afraid that with their lives the way they were, that they’d end up not giving as much attention to either or too much to one and not other. Which was fair, Sunset admitted, they were busy people, with organizations to run, and they went out of their way to make time for Sunset, even when it was inconvenient for business, she couldn’t ask them to sacrifice more than they had already.

Even so, having Shimmer around made her feel, strangely, whole, to a degree. And now, after having Miss Celestia around, Sunset realized just how much she missed having someone motherly in her life. Sunset blinked and surprised herself when she felt a tear slide down her cheek, she wiped it away and then wiped her eyes, she didn’t want to look sad where she was going.

Sunset walked further down the hallway to her laboratory doors, when she opened them, she found what she expected, Twilight hunched over a work desk, vigorously typing away as she blazed through different programs and worked on the project that would save someone’s life and grant them an edge. Sunset walked inside and said, “Hey, Sparky.”

There was no response.

“Sparky?” Sunset asked a little louder.

And again, no response.

Sunset rolled her eyes, figuring that Twilight was in the zone right about now. The rich girl walked up behind her girlfriend, leaned down a bit so that her head was level with Twilight’s, and then positioned herself right behind Twilight’s left ear. With a bit of mischievousness, Sunset blew on Twilight’s ear, the reaction was instantaneous as Twilight yelped and jumped up in her seat as she whirled around and glared at a snickering Sunset.

“Sunset!” Twilight whined.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up,” apologized Sunset.

Twilight pouted and then turned around to go back to work. Sunset approached her and draped her arms over Twilight’s shoulders, leaning down to rest her chin on Twilight’s head. “Ah c’mon, Sparky, don’t be mad, it was just a little joke.”

“Humph!” Twilight replied.

“Please, I said I was sorry?”

Twilight huffed again.

Sunset sighed and brought her hands up until they rested on Twilight’s shoulders, with graceful dexterity, Sunset began to massage Twilight’s shoulders. Her ministrations already had an effect on the young genius as she moaned in delight.

“Wow, Sparky, you’re really stiff, no joke,” said Sunset with concern.

“Can you blame me? The fate of the world is going to be decided tomorrow, and my girlfriend and new and – possibly only – friends are going to fight against a man with a religious complex and enough power to wipe the city off the map and then some. And if I don’t get this right, one of those new friends could end up killing my girlfriend, or my girlfriend’s newly obtained sister. Not to mention, that same person, if she’s aware, will be trapped inside her mind with the knowledge that she killed those who she held dear to her. So, yeah, my shoulders are stiff, I’m worried!” Twilight explained.

Sunset frowned, she knew Twilight was worried, but she didn’t think she was feeling pressured. “Twilight, you didn’t have to say that you would make the fake voice thing, no one expected you to do it.”

“Well, I wanted to. I’m tired of not contributing. You have the Ember Stone, Shimmer has the Witchblade, and those girls have some kind of magical power inside them. What do I have? I’m a genius, but how much does that help when you’re fighting against magic and monsters? Logic seems to just vanish in the face of such things!” Twilight stopped her typing, leaning back so that she could look up at Sunset. “I saw a chance to help, because this seemed like the one thing where my abilities as a scientist could benefit those I care about and come to care about. Those girls accepted me, not just because I look like someone they know, Pinkie accepted me even though I’m different from this ‘other Twilight’. They’re people I can truly call my first real friends.”

“Oh, ouch, just gloss over the fact that we started off as friends why don’t ya,” said Sunset in mock hurt.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You became my girlfriend, there’s a difference. But that’s how I feel, and I just don’t want to let them down. That’s why I have to do all I can to make sure that we can get Fluttershy back, I won’t lose a new friend so soon after obtaining them. Plus, it’ll improve your odds against Neighsay, I hope.”

“You and me both.”

Twilight placed her right hand on top of Sunset’s left, making her stop the massage for a moment. “Promise me…Promise me you’ll come back…I can’t lose you…”

Sunset kissed the top of Twilight’s forehead and hugged her from behind. “You won’t lose me; I won’t just come back. We’ll come back with a win, count on it.

Sunset (pony) lied down in one of the guest rooms, staring straight up at the ceiling as she thought about all that had happened to her in the past few months, and in general, looking back on her life. Growing up as a filly, in a family that had little to their name. Becoming the protégé of Princess Celestia and gaining a second mother, while also losing her own parents to the high life of mooching off her success as a mage. The petty, arrogant, and prideful mare she became, spurning the teachings and breaking the heart of the one pony in Canterlot who gave a damn about her. Her tyrannical reign over Canterlot High, her verbal, and, sometimes, if necessary, physical abuse of the students.

Her reckoning at the hands of Princess Twilight, and gaining friends, real friends for the first time in her life. Defeating the Sirens and feeling like she finally belonged in this world, and with her friends. The heartbreak of the Anon-A-Miss incident, her gaining the Witchblade, all of it was something that Sunset never thought possible. When she was a filly, she wanted to help her family and become a great mage. When she became Princess Celestia’s personal student, her ambition shifted to becoming somepony worthy of such a title, and to never embarrass the Princess. When she became the best mage in Canterlot and learned of the return of Nightmare Moon, she wanted to become an alicorn, believing that together they would repel the evil Mare in the Moon as mother and daughter.

But if you told filly Sunset that she was going to go to a world filled with hairless apes and wield an ancient, powerful weapon that made you wear armor that was basically a skimpy metal bikini, she’d have called you insane and had the Royal Guard send her to the loony bin.

“I never thought I’d be embroiled in this many world saving things…”

}}} There is a reason why I chose you, Sunset. You have a great destiny about you, and your heart has balance. {{{

“Now, maybe, you probably wouldn’t say that of me back before I got rainbow laser blasted in the face,” said Sunset.

}}} From what I’ve seen of your memories, you’re probably right. But the point is, fate has brought us together. Do not fear our coming battle, I will shield you with everything I’ve got. {{{

“Thank you, partner.” A knock came from the door, prompting Sunset to turn her head towards it. “It’s open.”

The door slowly creaked open, and from the other side Pinkie emerged. The party girl was fidgeting slightly, her cheeks rosy red, as if she was embarrassed. “H-Hey, Sunny, can I come in?”

Sunset smiled. “Sure.”

Pinkie entered the room and closed the door behind her, there was a subtle clicking sound behind her that came after the door was fully closed. “Big day tomorrow, huh?”

Sunset breathed out heavily as she placed her hands behind her head. “That’s an understatement. But, yeah, it is.”

“Are you nervous?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. Compared to fighting those three Wendigos, this is probably going to be the most dangerous fight of my life…”

“I figured…so…”

Sunset raised an eyebrow and slowly turned her head towards her left, “So wha – holy shit…”

Pinkie slid down her pink, fluffy skirt until it pooled at her ankles. After stepping out of it, she immediately pulled off her white tank top and threw it to the floor to join the other article of clothing. Sunset was stunned at what she was seeing right now, her body unable to voice the questions her mind was frantically asking. It seemed that Pinkie Pie wasn’t done, she reached behind her back, and, after a couple of seconds of fumbling, she managed to unhook her bra, allowing her generous endowments to bounce free from their confinement. Pinkie didn’t cover herself, although her arms were fidgeting as if she wanted to, but still, she kept going. She deliberately turned around so that her back was facing Sunset, afterwards Pinkie hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and pulled them down as she bent over.

Sunset felt her throat go dry as she was given an unabashed view of her girlfriend’s shapely rear and womanhood, a sight that was eliciting a response from her own. When Pinkie’s panties were all the way down, she kicked them off to join the other pieces of clothing. Now the only thing that Pinkie had on was a pair of white stockings that ran up her legs and hugged around her thighs, she turned around and covered her impressive bust with both arms as she smiled nervously at Sunset.

“H-How do I look?” Pinkie asked.

Pinkie Pie was curvy, her hips were wide, she had just a bit of pudge going on, compared to the rest of their friends, Pinkie didn’t think she was the sexiest of their group. If she had to pick, that would go to Rarity, Fluttershy, and Sunset, not that Applejack and Rainbow weren’t hot themselves, but Rarity was seductress sexy, Fluttershy was innocent sexy, and Sunset was bad girl sexy. She had joked about herself, saying she had some “cushion for pushin’”, but she never thought that someone might want to be with her, intimately, because she wasn’t a bombshell like her friends. But right now, the only opinion that mattered to her was Sunset’s.

“You…Y-You’re,” Sunset gulped, “r-really hot…”

Pinkie giggled a little as her eyes darted from the floor and to Sunset. “O-O-Oh, good, I didn’t know if you wanted me to keep the socks on, I know some guys get off on girls having them on when their doing it, like in some of those hentais, but I didn’t know if that’s something that…ahem…gets you off.”

Sunset gulped again, “I-I don’t really have a preference, but…w-what are you doing?”

Pinkie Pie slowly approached Sunset, standing about a foot away from the edge of it when she stopped. “I…I just thought that maybe…maybe now was the time for the two of us to…y’know…?”

Hearing that sobered Sunset enough to swing her legs over the edge and get into a seated position. “Pinkie, please tell me you’re not forcing yourself to have sex with me because you’re afraid I’m not coming back tomorrow. Because if it is, and if you still want to do it, then we’ll do it after the world is saved.”

Pinkie shook her head vehemently. “NO! That’s not it! Maybe a little, but that’s not why!” Pinkie removed her arms from her chest and walked the rest of the way towards Sunset. The pink party girl carefully straddled Sunset, setting gently on her lap as the fiery haired girl watched Pinkie drape her arms over the shoulders of the girl before her.

“I want to have sex with you because I’m ready. I know you’re going to win, that’s obvious. And when you do, we’re going to have crazy hot victory sex to celebrate!”

Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle.

“But I want to have this moment with you, while the craziness outside is calm, and you don’t have anywhere to be until tomorrow. I want to make love with you, Sunset Shimmer, my girlfriend, my best friend…Please?”

Sunset smiled as she understood what Pinkie was saying. This wasn’t a “last night of love” kind of thing, this was more like a “you have this waiting for you when you get back” kind of thing. And honestly, Sunset wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep herself from ravaging Pinkie, not after everything she just saw, and definitely not while Pinkie was sitting on her lap naked. The former bully smirked as she gently placed her hands on the smooth skin of Pinkie’s back, she let her hands slide down the curve until they rested on Pinkie’s butt. Sunset gave them a firm squeeze, making Pinkie release a cute squeak of surprise.

“I get it, I understand. Just one thing though.” In a surprising display of strength and swiftness, Pinkie Pie suddenly found herself flipped around, instead of straddling Sunset, she was now on her back, with Sunset lying on top of her. “Who said we only had to have crazy hot sex after the victory?”

Sunset locked her lips with Pinkie’s, her tongue immediately invaded the insides of Pinkie’s mouth, tasting the sweetness of her girlfriend. Pinkie moaned in delight from the passionate kiss, but even more so when she felt Sunset’s left hand rest upon her right mammary, Pinkie placed one hand on the back of Sunset’s head while the other was resting on the middle of Sunset’s back. Sloppy wet kisses were exchanged as their moaning filled the room, Pinkie’s growing louder from the slightly rough manhandling of her breast, something that she was steadily growing to like.

Their kiss broke and both girls panted for air as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Sunset removed her hand from Pinkie’s breast so that she could lift herself up. Pinkie watched as Sunset began to take off her shirt, before she pulled up, Sunset nodded to Pinkie and said, “Care to give me a hand with my pants, Babe?”

Pinkie gulped as she looked down just as Sunset pulled up her shirt and revealed her breasts, covered by a black lace bra. The party girl glanced back down to her girlfriend’s midriff, and with shaky hands she reached out and undid the button. The zipper came down, allowing Pinkie to see the matching black lace panties, once that was done, Sunset tossed her shirt onto the floor, her bra following it shortly after. Sunset wiggled out of her pants and panties, letting them slide off her legs and down to the floor at the edge of the bed. Now both girls were completely naked before each other, bare for all their eyes to gaze upon. Pinkie had to take a moment to admire Sunset’s physique, she could see the lean muscles that had developed thanks to Sunset’s own workouts and her battles against the Wendigos and more recently the Darkness. She was the perfect mixture of feminine and masculine, like fire itself, beautiful and dangerous, powerful and warm, and if you weren’t careful, the fire could swallow you whole and burn you. But right now, Pinkie was willing to get swallowed by Sunset.

After their moment of admiring each other’s bodies, Sunset went back to work, this time she attacked Pinkie’s left breast, wrapping her lips around Pinkie’s perky pink nipple and gave it a gentle nibble. Pinkie Pie continued to release cute squeaks and squeals as Sunset moved from nibbling to licking, and from licking, to full on suckling.

“Ah~ S-Sunset – Aaaah~! I-I know I have big milk jugs, but…I don’t think you’ll get any milk out of those…!” Pinkie stated between pants.

Sunset released the nipple and gazed into Pinkie’s eyes with a seductive glint. “Huh, that so? Guess I’ll need to suck harder then.” And harder she did, practically gobbling Pinkie’s tit as she sucked upon Pinkie’s udder, eliciting more ecstasy filled moans from her lover, this was only made better with Sunset’s left hand squeezing on Pinkie’s right tit, making motions that were similar to one milking an animal. After about a minute of this, Sunset relented and said, “Guess you’re right. That’s a shame, I would’ve liked having a taste of your milk, Pinkie.”

Pinkie panted but managed to say, “M-Maybe…when I have…a baby…I-I’ll…I’ll let you have the first round that comes…”

Sunset gave the nipple she was sucking on a quick lick and replied, “Ooh, tempting me with pregnant sex? Kinky. But I think I’m more in the mood right now for something a little sweeter.”

“Meep!”

Pinkie watched as Sunset slowly lowered herself, she trailed kisses as she did, making the anticipation grow more and more inside Pinkie as both felt and saw Sunset getting closer to her glistening honey bot. Sunset kept her kisses gentle and light, but as she got closer to Pinkie’s pubic mound, she started to trail her tongue a little. The former Equestrian opened Pinkie’s legs a bit more, allowing her to see the hidden flower that was her girlfriend’s pussy. It was already slick and puffy with arousal; Pinkie’s clit was erect and awaiting the stimulation that it knew Sunset would give it.

Sunset kissed Pinkie’s inner thighs, while using her right hand to rub gentle circles on Pinkie’s stomach. Pinkie squirmed as she felt Sunset’s kiss get close to her pussy, but then she would change direction and go to her other thigh and kiss there. “Oh, Sunset…please…do it already!”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll give it to you,” said Sunset with a husky voice.

The flame haired girl brought her lips to Pinkie’s lower lips, she gently pushed her tongue into Pinkie’s sopping wet hole and reveled in the sweet yet tangy taste of her girlfriend’s juices. Pinkie gripped the bedsheets as she felt Sunset’s tongue enter her inch by inch, she had played with herself a few times, but this was on a whole other level. Sunset went to work on Pinkie’s pussy, eating it out in earnest as her tongue rolled around the insides of Pinkie’s inner walls, she would then switch to Pinkie’s clit while using her right index and ring fingers to pump in and out of Pinkie.

“S-Sunset…S-Sunset! I…I’m gonna…gonna…!”

With that warning given, Sunset reversed her actions, shoving her tongue back into Pinkie’s snatch while using her thumb to rub circles around her clit. Pinkie Pie came hard as she put her hands on Sunset’s head and pushed Sunset closer to her spasming sex, all while she cried out in blissful ecstasy as she felt herself squirt into the waiting maw of her girlfriend. Sunset hummed in delight as she tasted the full deluge of Pinkie’s essence, but even in the throes of Pinkie’s orgasm, Sunset didn’t stop thrusting her tongue or rubbing her clit, intent on making this orgasm last as long as possible. After a full minute, Sunset stopped her ministrations and sat on her knees as she licked her chops. Pinkie was panting hard as she lied there, sheening with sweat.

“S-Sunset…t-that was…wow…!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Hmm, and it’s not over yet, I still need to cum, and since you’re in that position, there’s something I wanted to try here that was kinda hard back in Equestria,” said Sunset.

“W-What’s that? Is it some kind of weird pony sex position?”

“For a pony it’s kinda weird, but for humans it works.”

Pinkie held out her arms towards Sunset as she smiled happily, “Please, go ahead, I trust you.”

Sunset leaned down and gave Pinkie another passionate kiss before she started her next phase. The former Equestrian slid closer to Pinkie, she picked up Pinkie’s left leg and draped it over her left shoulder, allowing Sunset to push her hips forward and press their sexes together. Pinkie, still sensitive from her earlier session, squeaked as her back arched a bit, Sunset jerked her hips forward, thrusting into Pinkie. Their lower lips met in a wet slap as Sunset began rhythmically humping Pinkie Pie, the flame haired girl was mesmerized by the sight of Pinkie’s jiggling breasts with each successive thrust.

“Sunset…oh…!” Pinkie moaned. She had seen this kind of thing on the internet and heard some girls talk about it, but Pinkie never thought she’d experience it firsthand.

Sunset increased her speed, becoming more aggressive as she gyrated her hips and grinded against Pinkie’s pussy. Pinkie leaned up and Sunset met her, they held onto each other as Pinkie matched Sunset’s thrusting, intent on giving her girlfriend as much pleasure as possible. Sunset drew Pinkie into another passionate kiss, and Pinkie was getting even more turned on, because now she could taste herself on Sunset’s lips and tongue. Sunset and Pinkie continued to trib, faster and faster they pressed and thrust, each action bringing them just close to the edge. The girls broke their kiss and pressed their foreheads against each other, their heavy breaths mixing between them.

“S-Sunset…I’m gonna cum, again!”

“I’m about to cum, too!”

The girls moved faster, but in the end, Sunset managed to push more against Pinkie, making her lie on her back as Sunset continued to thrust against Pinkie until they reached their peak. The former Equestrian, upon reaching her climax, pressed her pussy against Pinkie’s just as the party girl came. Their love juices splattered between them as they practically drenched the bedsheets below them. Pinkie’s back arched as her second orgasm of the night hit her hard, for a second she saw stars and thought she was going to pass out, but it was Sunset’s mouth wrapping around her right breast and giving it a light bite that brought her back to the moment.

When they were done, Sunset slid Pinkie’s leg off her shoulder, and afterwards, she laid on top of the curly haired cutie. Sunset placed her left hand into Pinkie’s right, interlocking their fingers, craning her neck, Sunset gave Pinkie a chaste kiss on the lips as she looked into her girlfriend’s eyes.

“That…was great…Babe,” said Sunset.

“Y-Yeah…but…it’s not fair that…I came twice…and you only got to once,” Pinkie replied.

“We still have the rest of the night, when you’re ready, you can eat me out,” Sunset suggested as she nestled herself atop Pinkie’s breasts.

Pinkie Pie wrapped her left arm over his lover’s back, stroking her long red and gold hair. “Oh, that’s a treat I want to taste. But do you mind if we just lie here for a second?”

“Not at all.”

This wasn’t a farewell, this was a promise, a promise to come back, a promise to enjoy this moment again when all the madness was over. And Sunset was determined to make that happen, for the sake of the people she cared about, for the world that had become her new home, she needed to put an end to Neighsay, or even – Faust forbid – Neighsay’s evil bleed into Equestria.

Next Chapter: The Final Showdown: Part 3 Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 58 Minutes