ULTRA LIVE! Sunset Shimmer

Chapters

A Sad Day Turns Weird
A Crash Course In Ultra Ass Kicking
Scandal In the CHS Soccer Team
Trending Jealousy: Rarity vs Trenderhoof
Interlude: The Do Over
Scavenger Hunt
Rampage of Ultra
Interlude: Marred Spectrum
Wrathful Apples, Shining Rainbows
Merry X'mas
Interlude: Anon-A-Miss Ends
Boxing Day Part 1
Boxing Day Part 2
Epilogue
Desperate Pies, Call for Desperate Parties

A Sad Day Turns Weird

Author's Note

Well here it is; my first ever fic.

A Sad Day Turns Weird

It is a cold, dark day in the forests outside of Canterlot, no place for a girl, yet there is one walking there. Sunset Shimmer wanders these woods in a depressed stupor after a terrible day at school.

"Why didn't they listen to me?" She asks, tearfully reflecting on the previous days.

About two days ago, a user by the name of Anon-A-Miss appeared on the social media site MyStable and started posting secrets, starting with her friend Applejack's embarrassing nickname. Then, just today, another post went up showing Rarity's Closet of Shame, with pictures from Sunset's phone somehow. Despite Sunset's attempts to defend herself, her friends accused her and cast Sunset out of their lives. So now here she was, a depressed girl wandering a snowy, dark forest, with no direction and no clear reason why she went there to begin with.

Sunset finally stopped in a small clearing, having finally shed all the tears she could shed and composed herself.

"Well I suppose I should head back, for whatever it's worth," she said with an air of resignation.

However as she turned to walk back to Canterlot High, a glint of light caught her eye. Searching for the source, she found an object shaped like a dagger that would not be out of place in a science fiction film leaning against a tree.

"What is that? A toy?" Sunset asked, "Strange, I think I would have noticed it on the way here."

After briefly looking around the clearing for a possible owner, Sunset walked over to the futuristic dagger to pick it up. Upon clutching it in her right hand, however, the object emitted a blinding light and filled her head with images of giant humanoids fighting equally giant creatures, and two titans of light and dark locked in combat. When the visions finally stopped, Sunset found herself on her back, having apparently fallen at some point during the mental assault.

"Uhg, what was that?" Sunset asked, now noticing a significant headache coming on, "Did I just imagine that? Was it magic?"

Suddenly, Sunset noticed something glowing on the back of her right hand. Upon turning it over, she gasped. There, on her hand, was a shining symbol of some kind.

"Wh.. What is this?" Sunset asked, becoming increasingly frightened of the situation she had found herself in.

"THERE IT IS!" Shouted a new, masculine voice, giving Sunset a tremendous fright.

"Who... Who's there?" Sunset asked with trepidation.

"Down here!" called the voice.

Sunset looked down and could not believe what she was looking at. At her feet was a small red and silver colored humanoid whose head was adorned with a pair of horns. What was more troubling though, was that it was waving at her.

"I have been looking for that for the better part of the day since it somehow disappeared from my watch," the man, no bigger than a toy said as if this made sense to Sunset, "wait, what is that on your hand?"

Sunset looked at the symbol on her hand again when the talking toy suddenly gasped.

"IT'S YOU! YOU ARE THE ONE THE GINGA SPARK HAS CHOSEN! Oh this is a grand day! I feared the darkness would consume this world before its user would be found. Oh, excuse me, I am-" The figure continued, not realizing that a major problem was arising.

Sunset scared, confused, and far out of her depth, did something that any girl in her situation would do. She threw the device, and the toy and ran screaming back to CHS.

*////*

Sitting in a classroom being glared at by her fellow students was not Sunset's idea of an ideal time, but it was a vast improvement over dealing with that device and talking toy at least. It had taken some time to calm down from the shock, but the world was making sense again. There was, however, still a problem.

What am I gonna about Anon-A-Miss? Sunset thought, sadness returning to her heart at the memory.

"Miss Shimmer," Mrs. Harshwhinny sternly said, snapping Sunset out of her thoughts.

"Uh, yes Mrs. Harshwhinny?" Sunset replied.

"Unless you have a very good reason for it, turn your phone light off," Mrs. Harshwhinny commanded.

Sunset was naturally confused by this given that she usually turns her phone completely off while in class, "Phone light?"

"In your bag," Mrs. Harshwhinny said, becoming obviously irritated.

Sunset, still confused, turned to look at her bag, but froze when she saw a bright light emanating from it.

No way. It couldn't be. Please don't let it be. Sunset thought.

Suddenly, Sunset noticed that she was now the center of attention of the entire class.

"I will get on that now ma'am," Sunset said, dreading what she would find in the bag.

With a great deal of trepidation, Sunset slowly opened her bag, ready to run at the first sign of horns. Her worst fears were realized when a voice shouted from the bag, "HEY! WHAT IS-!"

Sunset shut her bag faster than she ever had before with a scream.

"I NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!" Sunset shrieked, and ran out of the classroom before Mrs. Harshwhinny could reply to dispose of the talking toy and device in the trash.

*////*

What is going on today? First my friends ditch me, now a talking toy that's following me? Does the universe just have it out for me? Questions like this and more ran through a frazzled-looking Sunset's mind, hoping that she had lost the toy and device for good this time. Compared to that toy, Anon-A-Miss was very quickly shifting down her priority list and becoming a minor problem. However, it seemed that here in the library, she had found some safety.

"WHY ARE YOU RUNNING!?" the toy suddenly yelled. Sunset screamed and bolted once again, knocking her chair over in the process, "GET BACK HERE AND ACCEPT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!"

This pattern would repeat itself throughout the day.

*////*

Wallflower Blush was not expecting company in the greenhouse that was considered her domain, yet here she was, staring at a manic-looking Sunset Shimmer quietly muttering to herself.

"Uhm, ca-can I, h-help you?" Wallflower shyly asked.

"Shhhh, is it here?" Sunset whispered as though on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"What?" Wallflower asked, is this something to do with Anon-A-Miss?

"The talking toy! Is it here?" Sunset replied with audible terror.

"Talking- Wait you? You're the one Taro was waiting for?" Wallflower asked incredulously.

Sunset gained a confused look at that response, expecting to be called crazy for mentioning the toy, "Taro? Who's Taro?"

"ME! I AM TARO!" the toy screamed out.

Sunset looked down to see the toy carrying the device. Once again she screamed and made to run.

"ENOUGH RUNNING SHIMMER! ULTRA PSYCHOKINESIS! the toy shrieked.

Sunset suddenly found her legs frozen mid-run and found herself painfully falling face-first into the ground. She turned over, looking at Wallflower and the toy in terror.

"Now are you going to sit quietly and listen to what I have to say, or do I have to use my psychic powers again?" the toy demanded, leaving no room to argue.

Sunset kept her terrified look briefly before sighing in resignation, "Okay."

*////*

"There, now that we are all settled, we can finally begin. I am Ultraman Taro," the toy, now called Taro said from his perch on one of the garden tables.

"I'm sorry, but I need to interrupt," Sunset said, "This question is pertinent to me, are you from Equestria?"

"Huh? Equestria? What's that?" Taro asked, sounding genuinely confused. However, Sunset needed to be sure.

"Don't play dumb, you came through the portal at the base of the statue didn't you?"

"This is the first I've heard of it. Wallflower, why didn't you mention that?" Taro asked.

Wallflower froze when she realized she was being addressed, "Um... I didn't think it was relevant?" she said unconvincingly.

"Not relevant!" Taro said, aghast, "The situation is more dire than I originally thought, now two worlds are in danger!"

"Now wait a minute!" Sunset yelled, "You two obviously know each other, but I'm the outsider! Answer my question Ultraman Taro."

"Uh, sorry," Taro sheepishly replied, "I come from Planet Ultra, in the M78 Nebula."

Sunset was briefly silent, "You're saying you're a space alien?"

"Yes," Taro bluntly replied, but much to his great annoyance, Sunset started laughing.

"Hahaha! No way, space aliens don't exist," she said before resuming her laughter.

Wallflower, however seemed to take offence to Sunset's mirth, "Why are you laughing? You're not exactly an Earthling yourself."

Sunset's laughter died immediately. Crap she has me there. "Um. That's-"

"What does she mean by that?" Taro asked.

"NOTHING!" Sunset yelped, wishing to keep her origins a secret. Unfortunately, Wallflower did not allow it.

"She came from Equestria."

"So you were laughing about me being an alien while you yourself are an alien? How does that make sense to you?" Taro asked apparently now taking offence himself.

"Okay okay, you're an alien!" Sunset relented, eager to not dig a deeper hole for herself, "I think we have gotten distracted. Continue your story."

"Oh, yes, I suppose we have. As I have told you I am Ultraman Taro of Planet Ultra. I, and my brothers and allies, were engaged in a war against a vast army of monsters and evil aliens.

In the moments before I was reduced to the form you see before you,a final, decisive battle was waged that would decide if good or evil would prevail.

Both sides fought fiercely, neither willing to give ground to the other.

Just as it would seem the battle would last forever, a truly titanic being of darkness, bigger than any Ultra, alien, or monster, appeared wielding a device much like the Ginga Spark you now possess.

In a single stroke, the dark giant ended the battle, and changed all the participants into forms like the one before you now."

Sunset looked down upon the device, now called the Ginga Spark with a look of warriness, "How do you know it wasn't the Ginga Spark? And what happened to the dark giant?"

"Because I can feel the light within it. I do not know what happened after the battle, however. Perhaps another defeated it, but, more likely, I fear that it merely retreated, hiding on this world while it regains its strength. Our first priority should be to find Spark Dolls," Taro said gravely.

"Spark Dolls?" Sunset asked.

"That is what this form is called, a Spark Doll. You can recognize them by the symbol on their left foot or equivalent," Taro said, showing the sole of his left foot for emphasis.

"Oh. You know, I've been wondering something, how do you and... Wallflower was it?" Sunset asked getting a quick nod from the green-haired girl, " Know each other, and how is she connected to the Ginga Spark?"

"Oh yes, we never told you that! Well," Taro paused, "actually, Wallflower, why don't you tell Miss Shimmer the story?"

"You don't need to call me that you know, just call me Sunset. Miss Shimmer makes me sound old."

Taro and Wallflower ignored Sunset, "ME!? But-but-but-"

"Wallflower," Taro said with all the gentleness of a kindly father, "I cannot be your only friend forever. This is a chance to spread your wings and start on building further friendships." Wallflower continued to hesitate, "Please."

Poor Wallflower seemed ready to burst into terrified tears, but Taro's gentle encouragement finally won her over.

"*Sigh* I originally found the Ginga Spark. It was several months ago, I was tending my garden at home when a fireball smashed into my greenhouse. I was terrified for my plants so I went into the house for a fire extinguisher, but when I got back to the greenhouse the fire was already dying out and the Ginga Spark was in the crater. I don't know why, but I took it. Then, about a month after that, I walked in on Taro inspecting the Spark, we have been friends ever since."

"So if you originally had the Ginga Spark, why couldn't you just use it?" Sunset asked the obvious question.

"You think I didn't try?" Wallflower snapped, earning a disapproving glare from Taro, "Sorry. Taro tried to get me to use it, but it wouldn't work for me. He said it 'must not have chosen me.'"

"Do know exactly when the Ginga Spark appeared in your greenhouse?" Sunset asked.

"No, but it couldn't have been much long after you and your friends defeated the Dazzlings," Wallflower replied.

Sunset tried to recall anything that could have happened in that timeframe that could have resulted in the Ginga Spark choosing her. The only thing she could think of that might fit was a backyard campout at Sweet Apple Acres where she and her friends saw a meteor shower and just to humor them Sunset- She suddenly slammed her head into the garden table, startling Taro and Wallflower.

"What is it Miss Shimmer" Taro asked, alarmed.

Sunset emitted angry growl and grabbed the Ginga Spark, "Is this thing telling me, that it chose me, BECAUSE I WISHED UPON A STAR!? WHAT KIND OF FAIRYTALE HORSEAPPLES IS THAT!?" She threw the Ginga Spark away in anger.

"Miss Shimmer-" "My name is Sunset!" "... Sunset calm down, getting angry at the Ginga Spark won't solve anything. We need to find the Spark Dolls and defeat the evil that has taken root here," Taro urged.

"Look Taro! I would love to help you on your little scavenger hunt, but I have my own problems to fix, like Anon-A-Miss and my friendships," Sunset said, irritated that she was being dragged into another adventure and turned to leave.

"Sunset," Taro said in a grave tone, making her stop, "if you don't fight against this evil, you might not ever get a chance to repair your friendships."

Sunset turned to face Taro the gravity of the situation suddenly hitting her. However, she was still unsure, "But. I've always had my friends for problems like this."

"I understand Sunset. Really I do," Taro said once more with kindness, "But if this darkness is allowed to proliferate unchecked, both Earth and Equestria will be doomed. Please. I promise that we will help you with your friends, but you have to trust us."

Sunset, still uncertain, turned to Wallflower. The green haired girl offered her a small smile of encouragement and in that moment, something happened within the red and gold haired girl. Walking over to where the Ginga Spark landed, Sunset bent over, and picked it up. "Okay, I'll do it."

Wallflower and Taro were ecstatic. Finally, they had a chance to fight back.

"BUT!" Sunset said to calm them down, "If I'm going to use this, I want Princess Twilight to oversee its first usage."

"What? But why?" Taro asked.

"You are asking me to use something I have never seen before, don't know how it works, or what effect it will have on my body," Sunset listed off. "No offence, but I have only just met you two. I want someone I know on hand to make sure everything goes off without a hitch."

Taro considered this, then said, "Fair enough. We will begin tomorrow."

"Thank you, Ultraman Taro," Sunset said then walked out hiding a small smile on her face.

When Sunset was out of earshot, Taro turned to Wallflower and asked, "Who is Princess Twilight?"

Wallflower blushed and said, "I'll tell you when we're home. I still need to tend the school greenhouse."

As Wallflower began her work, she thought about the next day with a smile. Whatever would happen, it promised to be amazing.

*////*

On a dark corner at an empty bus stop, a blue-skinned, silver-haired girl furiously muttered to herself about a secret that Anon-A-Miss posted about her. Unknown to her, however, she is not the only one at this stop. A shrouded figure watches from the shadow.

"My lord, are you certain this is the one?" It asks, pausing as though listening to a silent third party. "Yes, I feel it now. Her heart calls to your darkness. She will make a fine User."

The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a bizarre looking red and blue creature wielding a dark object, the Alien Metron.

The poor girl never stood a chance.

A Crash Course In Ultra Ass Kicking

Unknown to most of Canterlot city, there is a portal beneath the statue on the grounds of Canterlot High School. Sometimes, a purple girl in a light blue blouse walks out of it. Fortunately for Sunset, this was one of those times.

In the very early morning before the school opened, Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped, or more accurately fell, out of the portal to Sunset and Wallflower's feet. Upon shaking the cobwebs out of her head, she caught sight of Sunset and shot to her feet in a barrage of questions.

"SUNSET! OH I'M SORRY I'M LATE! I'M LATE AREN'T I!? WHAT'S WRONG!? IS IT THE DAZZLINGS!? ARE THEY BACK!? YOUR MESSAGE ONLY SAID 'I NEED YOUR HELP URGENTLY, COME QUICK'! Wait, WHERE ARE THE GIRLS!? AND WHO'S SHE!?"

"TWILIGHT!" Sunset yelled, halting Twilight's frantic questioning, "I promise I'll answer all of your questions, but you need to calm down first."

Twilight nodded and went into the breathing exercises her sister-in-law taught her, then asked more calmly, "Sunset what happened? Your message made it sound like another magical incident, but if that was the case, where are the rest of the girls? Did something happen between you that you need help with? And who is that girl with you?"

"I would like to get this over with as quickly as possible before the other students start showing up, so I'll answer those questions in one answer," Sunset said. "No, complicated, and Wallflower."

"That... THAT DOESN'T TELL ME ANYTHING!" Twilight shrieked, preparing to work herself into another panic attack.

"Twilight, I promised that you would get your answers, but we can't do this here or in the city," Sunset said with finality. "We have to go deep into the woods near here, so please, just trust me."

Twilight was unsure. Of course she trusted Sunset, but she was behaving so strangely that it was worrying her. If whatever was going on was so dire, why did she not bring the rest of their friends? Why, instead, did Sunset call for her and then bring someone Twilight had never met before? Why did Sunset say that her friendship with the girls was "complicated"? The questions just kept piling up, but Sunset was not being forthcoming with answers. In the end, Twilight had to trust that Sunset would explain everything if she went with her, "okay."

Sunset released a relieved breath, "thanks Twi. Well if we're all ready, lets go."

Wallflower and Twilight nodded, following Sunset into the forest.

*////*

The thing about Equestria is that the primary inhabitants are ponies, and as such are quadrupedal. Unless a pony stays for a prolonged period of time across the portal, they struggle with long distance travel on foot. Such was the case with one Twilight Sparkle, who was now panting like she was about to die, "Sunset, how much further do we need to be?"

"What's supposed to happen is apparently going to be big, so deep enough to not be visible from the school," Sunset replied.

"Sunset," Twilight said with as much firmness as she could muster in her exhausted state. "I want to believe you, but you have been behaving strangely since I arrived, and without the other girls here I'm even more worried, If you want me to trust you, you need to give me something to work with here."

Sunset hesitated. Knowing how Twilight was, she had wanted to hold off on telling her because she would inevitably rush off to try and fix things between her friends, and that was not something that needed to happen now. However, if Twilight was not willing to keep walking, Sunset would need to interest her with something, "Okay." She turned to Wallflower and nodded.

Wallflower looked unsure but reached for her bag anyway. Opening it up, she said, "It's okay, you can come out Taro."

Then to Twilight's disbelief, a small red toy floated out of Wallflower's bag. "Uhg, travel in a bag never seems to improve. Oh," it said, noticing Twilight. "You must be Princess Twilight of Equestria. I am Ultraman Taro of Planet Ultra in the M78 Nebula, pleased to meet you your Highness."

To Taro's perplexment, Twilight did not address him, but instead turned to Sunset and asked, "Discord is involved in this isn't he?"

"What? No, Twilight he-" Sunset tried to explain, but Twilight continued regardless.

"He's the only one capable of this. It's why the others aren't here, right? He did something to them,"

"Twilight, if you would just-"

"I thought he had changed, that he was better. But instead he just decided to come here to cause chaos. The nerve of him,"

"Twilight, stop!"

"WELL I WON'T STAND FOR THIS! I'M GOING TO GO BACK AND MAKE HIM FIX THINGS HERE! EVEN IF I HAVE TO TURN HIM BACK TO STONE TO DO IT! Don't worry Sunset I'll be right back," Twilight turned to return to CHS, but was literally stopped in her tracks by a shriek.

"ULTRA PSYCHOKINESIS!"

Taro, using his psychic powers, had frozen Twilight in place before she could take a step.

"Taro! What are you-!" Sunset started, however Wallflower interrupted, "Sunset, she wasn't listening, what else was Taro supposed to do?"

Sunset became silent with that. Wallflower was right, what was supposed to do in this situation? Sighing, she walked over to Twilight. "Taro, release her."

Taro did as requested, and Twilight stumbled forward, "Sunset, what was that? The toy screamed Ultra-something, and then I couldn't move. I have never felt a spell like that before."

"I HAVE A NAME YOU KNOW!" Taro yelled, indignant.

"TARO! Please," Sunset said, silencing Taro, who, despite not being able to move his facial features, seemed to be pouting. "Twilight. I know you're very, ah, magic minded, but don't you think it's selfish to assume that if something happens here that magic is involved? Just because it looks like it is?"

Twilight gasped, then gained a look of panicked confliction, "but, WHAT ELSE COULD THIS BE!? THAT TOY IS FLYING AND-!"

"TWILIGHT IF YOU WOULD STOP TALKING AND LISTEN WE COULD HAVE EXPLAINED THAT BY NOW!" Sunset screamed, having lost her patience.

Twilight flinched as though struck and looked to be on the verge of crying, "S-sorry."

Sunset felt as though she had been punched, "H-hey, Twilight. I-I'm sorry. I don't say that to be mean, but when you get excited you tend to shut everything else out and start talking but never listening. So please, open your mind and listen before speaking, and I Pinkie Promise you this will all make sense," Sunset said as softly as possible while doing the motions.

Twilight still did not look happy about it, but at least she did not seem ready to cry anymore, "Okay."

Sunset let out a breath and gave Twilight a small smile, "Thank you." She looked at Taro and gave him a nod.

"Finally. Well as I have said, I am Ultraman Taro of-"

*////*

"So you're-" Twilight started.

"Yes," Taro cut in.

"From-" Twilight pointed at the sky.

"Correct," Taro said.

"But, that's impossible. In Equestria Princess Luna controls the moon and stars, and Princess Celestia controls the sun, and even here, there is no evidence of aliens." Twilight seemed on the verge of another rant.

"Twilight, our mere existence here proves it's possible," Sunset reminded.

Twilight hesitated, "But... If what he says is true, why haven't you brought the other girls? Why won't you tell me what happened with them?"

Now it was Sunset's turn to hesitate, remembering the day before vividly, " We... aren't on speaking terms right now."

"What? But... Why?" Twilight could not comprehend what could have happened between Sunset and her friends to cause this.

"Remember when I told you about Anon-A-Miss? The MyStable user that shared Applejack's embarrassing nickname?" Sunset replied, "Well yesterday they posted again, pictures from Rarity's slumber party that somehow came from my phone. When I got to my locker that morning they asked if I had lost my phone; when I said no they started accusing me right there, in the middle of the hallway, then left me."

"It was so bad that she started crying, or so I heard," Wallflower sadly added.

"Wha- bu- Sunset why wouldn't you tell me this? I could have helped you!" Twilight demanded, her eyes tearing up.

"Because you would've done exactly what you're doing now, latch onto that part, and ignore the bigger picture," Sunset said firmly. "If I now have the Ginga Spark, it means that the dark giant is preparing to make a move; we don't have time to worry about broken friendships right now."

Twilight was beside herself. As Princess of Friendship, it was in her nature to want to repair Sunset's friendships, and their aid would be greatly appreciated. However, Sunset was right, trying to fix things now would waste time that they likely did not have. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Twilight conceded, "Okay."

Sunset smiled, "Thanks Twi. Okay, we lost a lot of time talking, so we'll have to do it here." Sunset reached into her bag and pulled out the Ginga Spark, immediately catching Twilight's interest, "Now Taro, how do I use it, and what, exactly, does it do?"

"Well, if you touch the tip of the Ginga Spark to the mark on my left foot, I should return to my original size," Taro replied.

With an apprehensive sigh, Sunset walked over and picked Taro up. As she prepared to touch the Ginga Spark to Taro's foot, Sunset paused and looked at Twilight and Wallflower. Wallflower, despite her attempts to not be obvious, was excited, while Twilight was clearly trying to summon a notebook and quill. "Nothing ventured," Sunset muttered and touched the tiny alien's foot to the Ginga Spark.

*////*

To say the results were underwhelming would be an understatement to the most underwhelming thing one could think of.

Outside of a noise, the Ginga Spark had done nothing to Taro, leaving everyone confused and disappointed. Sunset even tried two more times to the same result.

"I don't understand, I should be big now," Taro said somewhat dejectedly.

"Well this just fantastic, after all that build up he fails to perform," Sunset said, irritably.

"Sunset stop, this isn't the time to be getting frustrated," Twilight pleaded.

"Not the time? Twilight our best shot at fighting the giant doesn't work with the Ginga Spark and we don't have any way to make it work," Sunset pointed out.

"I didn't say we needed it to work with Taro," Twilight reminded, "All we need is another Spark Doll to try again."

"Oh, great, another Doll, do you have one on you?" Sunset said sarcastically.

"Well, no but-" Twilight started but Sunset cut her off.

"Do you see one conveniently lying around here?"

"No-"

"Well then nothing's changed has it?" Sunset yelled, her temper getting away from her. "Face it Twilight we are screwed."

Suddenly, as if by some miracle, Wallflower spoke up, "Actually, we do have another Doll."

Twilight and Sunset turned to look at Wallflower as something suddenly occurred to the two.

"OH MY GOSH WALLFLOWER, I AM SO SORRY! Twilight, this is Wallflower Blush," Sunset said thoroughly embarrassed that she never got around to formally introducing the pair to each other.

"It's okay, I'm used to it," Wallflower said sadly.

Twilight felt terrible for never even speaking to Wallflower and so rushed over to give her a big hug, "I'm sorry too, but I have to ask, how are you involved in all this?"

"I was the one to originally find Taro and the Ginga Spark," Wallflower replied, blushing.

"Oh, that makes sense," Twilight said, seemingly disappointed by how simple the explanation was before bouncing back, "Thank you so much for being Sunset's friend throughout this."

"I wouldn't really call us friends, we only just met yesterday," Wallflower said, blush diminishing.

"Oh," Twilight said disappointed, "Wait! I got distracted, what do you mean 'we have another Spark Doll'?"

"Oh!" Wallflower gasped, then dug around in her bag briefly before pulling out a small figure of a pincer-handed monster.

"S-Sadola?" Taro gasped.

"What? Wallflower where did you get this?" Sunset said in disbelief of their luck.

"Just because I can't use the Ginga Spark, doesn't mean I wasn't doing my part," Wallflower said with as much pride as she could. "Some guy was trying to sell it at the flea market."

"WAY TO GO WALLFLOWER!" Sunset and Twilight said earning a bashful blush from the green-skinned girl.

"Wait!" Taro shouted, "The Sadola Spark Doll might work with the Ginga Spark, but we have no idea what it will do if it does work. It could turn on us as soon as it's revived."

"We'll have to take that chance Taro, we don't have any other options right now," Sunset said. "Now everyone stand back! You don't want to be at ground zero when this happens."

The two other girls and Taro nodded, then retreated behind a tree while Sunset readied the Ginga Spark and Sadola Doll. "Here we go." The Ginga Spark touched the symbol on the monster's foot.

*////*

"WOAH! MAJOR DOOZY INCOMING!" A pink, curly haired girl named Pinkie Pie shrieked while vibrating violently.

"What the hell could Sunset have posted to make you do that?" the chromatic haired Rainbow Dash asked.

"NOT! ANON-A-MISS!" Pinkie said, still vibrating.

"Oh? Then, is it magic?" The white skinned fashionista, Rarity, asked.

"NOPE!" Pinkie shrieked, vibrating still.

"Well shucks Pinkie, what else could it be?" The blonde haired Applejack asked in a Southern drawl.

"I HAVE NO IDEA!" Pinkie uttered, again, as loudly as possible, and still vibrating.

"Uhm, Pinkie, could you stop that, I mean, if you don't mind? It's scaring me," the yellow skinned Fluttershy softly asked her pink friend.

Instantly, Pinkie Pie stopped chirping, "Okie-Doki-Lokie," then returning to her lunch, leaving her friends utterly perplexed.

*////*

The Ginga Spark touched Sadola's foot in a flash of light and a shriek:

ULTRA LIVE! SADOLA!

Sunset screamed in terror as the light engulfed her body, "WHAT'S HAPPENING!?"

As Sunset continued screaming, Twilight tried to reach her, only being held back by Wallflower, "SUNSET!" After giving up on reaching Sunset, she turned and grabbed Taro, shaking him in anger, "WHAT IN TARTARUS ARE YOU PLAYING AT TARO? YOU SAID IT WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BRING IT TO LIFE!"

"THAT WAS ONLY A GUESS! I HAVE NEVER ACTUALLY SEEN IT IN USE!" Taro screamed desperately.

The light completely engulfed Sunset then grew in size. When the light finally dissipated, in Sunset's place was the monster that seemed so small before letting loose terrible screams.

"HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS TWILIGHT!?" Wallflower screamed over the monster.

"NEVER! I MEAN EQUESTRIA HAS TRANSFORMATION MAGIC, BUT NOTHING SO EXTREME OUTSIDE OF DISCORD'S ABILITIES!" Twilight screamed back.

"I don't understand, the Ginga Spark works on the monster but not me?" Taro said in shock.

Suddenly, Sadlola stopped in the middle of another scream and looked at its pincers and body. The observers then heard a voice,"Wh-huh?"

"SUNSET!" the two girls on the ground yelled in relief.

"ARE YOU OKAY!? IS THERE ANYTHING WRONG OR MISSING!?" Twilight asked, worried.

"Twilight! This is..." Sunset started.

"YES!?" Twilight pressed.

"This is..."

"YEAH!?"

"This is... SO AWESOME!" Sunset squealed in glee, then made Sadola stomp around in a manner akin to a child that just discovered that they were going to a theme park.

"WOAH! SUNSET, CALM DOWN!" Twilight shouted, barely able to stay on her feet from the shaking.

"CALM DOWN!? Twilight, foals and children everywhere at some point have wanted to be a giant monster, but none of them actually get to BE one! This is so much cooler than anything Rainbow can do!" Sunset said, then went back to excitedly stomping.

"I understand, but you're going to draw attention doing that!" Twilight reminded, "SO CALM DOWN SO WE CAN TAKE STOCK!"

"Fine," Sunset said in a drawn out sigh, crossing Sadola's arms in a manner akin to a pouting child,"Spoil sport."

"HEY, DON'T GIVE ME THAT! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO KEEP THIS SECRET!" Twilight yelled, annoyed by Sunset's sass. "NOW ARE YOU OKAY!?"

"Yes! You don't have to shout. This thing seems to have fantastic hearing," Sunset said, resting Sadola's head on one of its claws.

Twilight was about to speak again, but Wallflower beat her to it, "That might be the Ginga Spark allowing you to hear us."

"Oh, yeah that makes sense," Sunset said, nodding Sadola's head.

Twilight briefly pouted at Wallflower before turning back to Sunset, "So, what happened Sunset? Is this a full transformation? Are you actually the monster?"

"No, I'm not," Sunset replied, "It's more like driving a car or flying a plane, where I'm in a kind of pocket dimension, where I can control it but also feel the world Sadola inhabits."

"Can you describe that pocket dimension?" Twilight asked.

"Not much to it, really. It's kinda like standing inside a kaleidoscope actually," Sunset replied. "But enough boring stuff, lets see what it's capable of. Taro what can Sadola do?"

Suddenly realizing he was still in shock, Taro shook himself into alertness, "Sorry. Obviously you have Sadola's pincers, which can shear through hard metals like steel, but its arms are elastic, allowing you a ranged option; and it can create electromagnetic fog to hide in."

"Sweet. Lets-" Sunset started, but without warning, a small, red ball-shaped object struck Sunset in the back and detonated, causing Sadola to stumble forward. She turned her monster around only to be clawed in the face and knocked down onto her back. When she finally saw her attacker, she could only describe it as the most evil looking rabbit imaginable. That was saying something given Sunset had to take care of Fluttershy's rabbit occasionally.

"L-Lunaticks!?" Taro gasped the magma eating Choju's name.

Suddenly someone started laughing followed by, "Hey Anon-A-Miss, how do you like Trixie's monster!?"

"Trixie?" Sunset whispered. Focusing Sadola's eyes, she gazed inside the enemy monster's pocket dimension and saw Trixie Lulamoon standing in it, wielding a dark object resembling the Ginga Spark. "TRIXIE!? HOW!?"

"Don't know, don't care. What the Great and Powerful Trixie does care about is beating YOU!" Trixie screamed, then fired Lunaticks' eye bombs at Sunset. Sadola rolled to the side and out of the way , then stood up in a fight ready posture.

"Trixie, stop, you don't know what you're doing!" Sunset pleaded, hoping to snap the silver-haired girl out of whatever control she was under.

"No, Trixie knows exactly what she's doing," Trixie said, then swung Lunaticks' right arm followed by her left, but Sunset caught both in Sadola's pincers. "TAKING DOWN ANON-A-MISS!" Trixie shrieked before headbutting Sunset, then rearing up on Lunaticks' tail and kicking Sadola clear across the forest.

What do I do? Sunset thought. She's fighting like a rabid animal, and my words can't seem to reach her.

"SUNSET!" Taro suddenly yelled from her shoulder.

"Taro? When did you get in here?" Sunset asked bewildered.

"NEVER MIND THAT! LISTEN! Twilight believes that the device Trixie is using amplifies her dark thoughts then draws strength from them. Trixie cannot hear you in this state," Taro urgently explained.

"Then what do I do?" Sunset asked, turning Sadola around to see the approaching Lunaticks.

"Fight back and defeat her monster. She will feel the pain but not suffer injury from your attacks, so the sudden disconnection from her monster should leave her open to reason," Taro said with certainty.

Trixie, meanwhile, crouched Lunaticks down and launched the monster into the air with a mighty jump, intending to body slam Sunset. However Sadola stood up and using its extendable arms, struck Trixie straight in the gut with its right claw, winding her. Not wasting time, Sunset pulled Sadola's arm back, then sent out her left pincer into Trixie's face, flipping Lunaticks backwards, and sending the monster to the ground in a thunderous boom.

Sunset gained a satisfied smirk, but then Lunaticks stood back up. "Grrrr, fine, Trixie wouldn't want this to be too easy would she?"

"Happy to oblige Trix," a newly emboldened Sunset said, then assumed a fighting stance with Sadola.

The two girls stared each other down from their monster, waiting for one to flinch so they could resume the fight. After several seconds, the pair stopped waiting and just rushed forward, eager to resume their battle.

*////*

The tremors from this battle could be felt as far away as CHS, alarming the students and sending them running outside, where they could now hear the monsters' roars.

"WHAT IS THAT? IS IT FROM EQUESTRIA!?" Rarity screamed over the cacophony of sounds.

"I DON'T KNOW! I'VE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE!" Rainbow yelled.

"OOOOOOO! MAYBE IT'S A BUNCH OF ELEPHANTS HAVING A PARTY!" Pinkie shrieked, giggling though the tremors. Her friends looked at her as though she sprouted two heads.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, was less concerned about Pinkie's oddness, and more focused on how many animals were in danger because of the tremors. After a particularly violent shake rocked the ground, she made a decision. She ran into the forest despite her friends' calls to not go.

*////*

The fight was not going well for Sunset. For every blow she landed, Trixie struck back harder, and any advantage gained, was swiftly crushed by Lunaticks' wider arsenal.

Trixie delivered an uppercut to Sadola's head, and a left hook to the side, but her right jab was caught in Sunset's left pincer, while the right pincer fastened to her throat. Sunset used this position to push Lunaticks over, and started swinging wildly to deal as much damage as possible, but Trixie countered with poison gas; forcing Sunset to back off. Trixie got Lunaticks back on its feet and delivered a savage knee to Sunset's face.

Damn, I can't beat that thing in a straight fight, Sunset thought in desperation, wait, didn't Taro say Sadola could make fog? Trixie advanced again to end the fight, but Sunset used electromagnetic fog to disappear.

Trixie paused and looked into the fog. "Where did you go, Shimmer?" she whispered with malice. Suddenly, a pincer shot out of the fog and struck her in the head, but was gone by the time she could retaliate. Then, a pair of pincers smashed down onto her back, followed by a kick to her side, knocking her down, but Sadola disappeared yet again. Now the pincers latched onto her legs, sending her to the ground once more, "GRRRR, STOP HIDING!"

It's working, I can win like this, Sunset thought. Unfortunately, Murphy's Law decided now to rear its ugly head.

A terrified shriek pierced through the fog, causing both combatants to stop and look around. Sunset found the source in a tiny pink spot of hair attached to a terrified girl. Unfortunately, Trixie had noticed her as well.

"Fluttershy?" Trixie said with a wicked laugh, "WELL SHIMMER! IF YOU WON'T COME OUT, I WILL FORCE YOU OUT!" She then unleashed Lunaticks' fire breath at Fluttershy.

*////*

Fluttershy was frozen with fear. All she wanted was to check on the animals in the forest when a scary fog rolled in, causing her to get lost. I was while she was wandering that she spotted it, a titanic monster shaped like a bunny. She could not help it, she screamed. Now it was going to kill her and there was nothing she could do about it. She crouched down into the fetal position and screwed her eyes shut, hoping that it would not hurt. That death never came.

A pained roar caused Fluttershy to open her eyes and look back up. Another monster had thrown itself between her and the stream of flames, shielding her from the evil creature. Then a voice croaked out from the good monster, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!? GO!"

"SUNSET!? WHAT-" Fluttershy started but was startled when something grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing her!? Move!" Twilight commanded.

"But Sunset, she-"

"NOT THE TIME! We need to get to cover, Sunset can't hold Trixie back forever," Twilight screamed, dragging Fluttershy to where she and Wallflower had been hiding.

"What is she doing out here?" Wallflower asked.

"I don't know, but Sunset can't take much more of this," Twilight responded looking back to the burning Sadola, "Come on, I know you can do this.

Trixie finally ceased Lunaticks fire breath, watching as Sunset fell forward, "Nice trick with the fog, Shimmer, but you can't out-trick Trixie. After Trixie finishes you off, she'll crush Princess Twilight and the rest of the Rainbooms, then the school, no, THE WORLD, will have look upon ME! THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!" She then started maniacally laughing.

Suddenly, Sunset started getting Sadola onto its feet, "How, pathetic."

Trixie stopped laughing and turned to Sunset with a glare, "Excuse Trixie?"

"I had assumed that this was over Anon-A-Miss, given how much of a deal you made out of it at the start. But instead, you're just an attention seeking brat, so desperate, that you don't even care what kind of attention it is. Well, know this: as long as I'm standing, YOU WILL NEVER WIN!" As Sunset screamed those last words, the symbol on her hand started glowing and a new Spark Doll emerged from the Ginga Spark. This was har chance.

Sunset clutched the Doll in her left hand and was, once again, she was assailed by images of the war and the giants of light and dark. This time, however, she understood, "Ultraman... Ginga?" She placed the Doll onto the Ginga Spark, causing a face to appear on it.

"ULTRA LIVE! ULTRAMAN GINGA!"

To those observing, it seemed as though Sadola exploded into a vortex of light resembling two galaxies. It was so bright that it could be seen from CHS, with some particularly paranoid students believing that a nuclear bomb had detonated. The light finally coalesced into a humanoid shape, then dissipated with a bass thump, revealing a spectacular new Ultra in Sadola's place.

The three hiding girls gasped in awe of the new Ultra, but Taro had reservations, "Who is that Ultra?"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT FORM YOU TAKE SHIMMER! TRIXIE'S MONSTER IS STRONGER!" Trixie used Lunaticks' fire breath, but Ultraman Ginga merely held his right arm out and moved it in a circle, summoning a galaxy shaped shield in front of him, then with a push, sent the fire back. "W-WHAT!?"

"Woah, this guy is powerful," Sunset said, then held the Ginga Spark out in front of her, compelling Ultraman Ginga forward. When he had closed the distance, Trixie attempted to slash Ginga with Lunaticks' claws but he dodged every attack, then countered with a devastating uppercut to the monster's stomach, lifting it up. Ginga then followed that up with another uppercut to Trixie's chin and a jumping kick that sent her flying.

Trixie struggled to get Lunsticks back up, but Ginga was already on her, delivering a flying haymaker to her chest then flowing into a series of rapid jabs, until she managed to get a hold of the Ultra's neck. Ginga merely escaped with a double chop to Trixie's throat, forcing her to let go, followed by a left and right hook to the head, then kicked out one of Lunaticks' knees, crippling the monster. Ginga finished his assault by grabbing the monster's head and performing a vertical suplex on it.

When Ultraman Ginga turned around, Trixie had managed to get Lunaticks onto its knees, "No. Not again. Not like the Battle of the Bands. TRIXIE WON'T LOSE TO YOU AGAIN!" She launched a bomb, but Ginga caught the disembodied eye, and threw it into Lunaticks' head, destroying Trixie's remaining weapons.

While Trixie screamed in pain, Sunset saw a vision of one of Ginga's attacks, a technique that could bring down lightning upon an enemy. She went into a series of motions that were reflected by Ultraman Ginga. First, bringing her hands to her chest, then snapping her left and right arms down to her sides, turning the glowing sections of Ginga yellow and arcing with electricity. Now she reached her left hand to the sky, calling lightning down to it before reaching up with her right and transferring the power to it. "GINGA THUNDERBOLT!" Sunset shrieked as she threw her arm forward, sending the lightning into Lunaticks and destroying Trixie's monster in a massive fireball, reverting it into a Spark Doll.

*////*

"SHE DID IT! SHE DID IT!" Twilight and Wallflower cheered, hugging each other and hopping with joy. Taro and Fluttershy, meanwhile, looked on in silent approval and shock, respectively. Nearby, Trixie's unconscious, soot covered body laid, still spasming, on the ground, the device she held dissolving.

The Ultra began glowing before shrinking down and reverting into Sunset Shimmer, who was looking at the Ginga Spark with a satisfied grin. She then noticed the Lunaticks Spark Doll next to her foot and picked it up, "Not so tough now are you? But how did Trixie get ahold of you, and more importantly, how did she become you?" She was suddenly tackled by Twilight, who began to assail her with questions about Ultraman Ginga while the others looked on with amusement.

Hidden within the forest, Alien Metron watched the proceedings, "How disappointing. We were so sure of her strength too. Well no matter, as long as those three children keep posting secrets, we will have a deep pocket of potential Dark Dummy Spark users." He then disappeared into the forest like a ghost.

*////*

After the excitement had died down, the group, along with a newly awakened Trixie, returned to Canterlot High, and now stood in front of the portal to Equestria.

"Are you sure you have to go now?" Sunset asked, disappointed.

"Yes, sadly," Twilight replied, "Some of the Spark Dolls might have fallen through the portal, and who knows how they'll react to that?"

"She has a point," Wallflower said, "According to Taro the Dolls fell all around Canterlot and the surrounding area. At least one could have hit the portal."

"Thank you Wallflower. Though, before I leave, I need to ask Fluttershy something."

"O-Oh. Yes?" Fluttershy timidly asked.

"Why did you accuse Sunset when those pictures appeared online? Applejack and Rarity, I understand, but near as I can tell, nothing was ever posted about you. So why did you join in with the others?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy became uncomfortable, as though she was afraid that her answer would completely destroy her friendship with Twilight, "I did it because... Because everyone else was.

The tension was thick, no one knowing how to take the revelation. Fluttershy accused Sunset, just because the rest of her friends did? Ultraman Taro voiced everyone's thoughts, "Miss Fluttershy, I understand I have only just met you, but that is a dangerous way to think. Following others can lead to great places, but you need to know when to to stop, lest they lead you to ruin."

"Taro's right 'Shy," Sunset added, "Take Rainbow, for example. She's a good person, I won't ever say she's not, but she has personality flaws that are better off not taken after. She reacts based on emotion, for one, not really considering the potential damage she could do until after it's already done. I know she was your only friend for several years, but is that someone you want to be? A person who wrongly hurts someone, only to realize it long after it's too late to apologize? Where, on the day you girls accused me, was the Fluttershy that ran into a forest because she believed the animals were in danger? Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself, because this all hinges on one thing: Did you believe I was Anon-A-Miss?"

Fluttershy took a moment to really think about how she would answer, but could only find one possible way she could, "No.

Sunset took a moment to collect herself, dumping any feelings of resentment out of her soul, before stepping up to the shy girl and hugging her, "I forgive you." Before Fluttershy could get too happy, however, Sunset added, "BUT! I want you to Pinkie Promise, that from now on, you won't make decisions based on whether someone else believes they're right, but because you believe you're right." Fluttershy nodded and went through the motions of the promise.

Twilight watched the friendship between Sunset and Fluttershy being rebuilt with the biggest smile she had ever had. Things were on their way back to a sense of normalcy. She was suddenly jolted out of her thoughts by Wallflower, "Um, Twilight? Before you go, I have a question. Why didn't the Ginga Spark work on Taro?"

Twilight thought for a moment, then said, "I don't know. But I imagine it has to do with him retaining his sentience."

Wallflower nodded, looking somewhat downcast, "Yeah, I figured as much."

With everything said that needed to be said, Twilight said her goodbyes and walked through the portal. After that Fluttershy and Wallflower decided to return home as well, leaving Sunset and Trixie, who had, uncharacteristically, not uttered a word throughout the proceedings. Sunset sighed and turned to Trixie, who flinched under her gaze, "Trixie, I know you're scared, and confused, but I don't think either of us are in any condition to talk about it right now. So lets just go home, and we'll pick this up tomorrow. Deal?" Trixie nodded and then started to walk home.

Sunset let out an exhale, then began her own trek home, but allowed a smile to grace her lips. Even if Anon-A-Miss was still causing trouble, tomorrow was promising to be a good day.

Author's Note

Next time:

Flush with her victory over Trixie, Sunset returns to school with a spring in her step. Anon-A-Miss strikes again, however, when a secret that could ruin Rainbow's second, Lightning Dust, is published.

Is something weird? Something feels weird. Let me know in the comments, typos, corrections or suggestions for improvement.

I know you guys don't like hyperlinks, but until I figure out how gifs work here, I'll have to settle with them to the attacks.

Now I know that I want Lightning Dust to be the next Dark Dummy Spark user, but I don't know what to make her secret. So how about some audience participation? What do you guys think her secret should be?

Now for quick facts about Lunaticks:

This monster was the creation of an evil extra-dimensional entity called Yapool.
Lunaticks' first appearance was on October 13, 1972 in episode 28 of the series Ultraman Ace.
Its roar was a modified Sanda roar from War of the Gargantuas.
It has the bizarre ability to launch its own eyeballs as bombs. This is compensated with the ability to instantly regrow them.

Scandal In the CHS Soccer Team

Sunset walked into CHS the next day feeling fantastic. Sure the majority of the school was still glaring at her, and Trixie very nearly killed her the previous day, but she won. She overcame that first challenge, and even got Fluttershy back on her side. Yes, this superhero business had gotten off to a great start. She could not rest yet, however, she had promised to Trixie that they would talk about what happened, and she intended to keep that promise.

"Sunset?" she heard Fluttershy meekly call.

Sunset turned to face her, "Hey 'Shy, what's up?"

Fluttershy looked around nervously under the gaze of her fellow students, but managed to build up her courage and held her hands out, causing Sunset to gasp. In the shy girl's hands, were three figures that could only be Spark Dolls. "What? How?" Sunset asked, shocked.

"I found them in the forest a few months ago, after we beat the Dazzlings. I thought they were cute, so I took them home with me. I thought that, after what happened yesterday, you would have more use for them," Fluttershy explained.

"Oh, 'Shy," Sunset said, then hugged the other girl, "Thank you. I'll ask Taro about them before we talk to Trixie. You should get to class, wouldn't want you to stand out any more than you already are, talking to me."

Fluttershy nodded then hurried off, while Sunset walked off to find Wallflower.

*////*

Sunset found Wallflower rummaging through her locker for her school supplies, "Hey Wallflower, great news."

"Oh? What is it Sunset?" Wallflower meekly asked, turning to face the redhead.

"I talked to Fluttershy earlier, and it turns out she had some Spark Dolls that we could use," Sunset said happily, "I was wondering if Taro could tell me about them."

Then a muffled Taro said from Wallflower's bag, "I can hear you through the bag you know, and of course I can."

Wallflower giggled, then turned back to Sunset, "I guess that answers that. You know, you're in a really good mood, considering everything that's happened over the past few days."

"Well of course I am! Wallflower, in just two days I lost my friends, gained two new ones, stopped a monster, then regained one of said lost friends. I am high as a kite on life right now," Sunset said excitedly. "So what have you overheard?"

Wallflower's mood dropped slightly, "Well, your good mood hasn't gone unnoticed. There are people saying you're so happy because you have something big to post to Anon-A-Miss. Better watch yourself here, there might be another monster-in-waiting here."

Sunset grimaced, "Ugh, of course they are. Well, it can't be helped, mind fetching Trixie while Taro and I talk?"

Wallflower blushed, but nodded and handed Taro to Sunset, before going off to find Trixie.

*////*

In a side room of the school library, Sunset was rummaging through her bag while Taro paced on the table in front of her.

"Alright Sunset, we're here. Let me see those Spark Dolls," Taro said impatiently.

"Jeeze, hold your horses," Sunset paused, "I can't believe I just said that. Alright, I found them."

Sunset placed the three monsters on the table, expecting Taro to react in a similar manner to when Wallflower pulled out Sadola. Instead, Taro seemed overjoyed at the sight of the monsters, "Oh, it's you three! I was wondering what happened to you. Where is your master?"

Sunset sat in perplexed silence, "Um, Taro?"

Taro snapped out of his joy induced daze and blushed while rubbing the back of his head, "Sorry. I am very familiar with these three, because they are the Capsule Monsters of my fellow Ultra, Ultraseven. The one resembling a horned frog is Miclas.

"The robot is Windam.

"And the dinosaur is Agira."

"Oh, so they're good monsters," Sunset said, now understanding Taro's happiness and sharing in it.

"Yes!" Taro responded in a chipper voice. However his tone then became serious, "Though..."

"What?" Sunset asked, dreading the answer.

"Don't misunderstand me Sunset, I am overjoyed to see these three," Taro placated, "But I would be happier if Ultraseven was with them. However since he's not, it makes me wonder what became of him, and where his Spark Doll is. I fear he may already be in our enemy's hands."

Sunset's dread was well founded. After yesterday's demonstration of Ultraman Ginga's power, the idea of having to fight an Ultra was immensely unappealing. Thankfully before she could dwell on it further a knock sounded at the door followed by Wallflower and Trixie entering the room.

"Oh , hi! Come on in you two. Taro was just telling me about Fluttershy's Spark Dolls. Turns out they originally belonged to another Ultra," Sunset explained.

"Oh really? That's great Taro," Wallflower said, while taking a chair; though Trixie was busy staring at the little red man.

Sunset sighed, causing Trixie's attention to turn to her, "So, Trixie. In the interest of time, I'll make the explanation as short as possible. Basically, somewhere in the universe, a massive battle was fought as part of a larger war between good and evil. Then a dark giant showed up and turned all the participants into these action figures called ‘Spark Dolls’. Ultraman Ginga showed up to stop him, but lost, though he did manage to force the giant into hiding. Now the war is picking back up here on this world. Do you understand all that?" Trixie nodded. "Good because I really didn't want to repeat myself."

Wallflower frowned at Sunset's clippy tone, "Sunset, I know you and Trixie have never been on the best of terms, but that attitude is not helping."

Sunset cringed under Wallflowers gaze, "Sorry."

"Miss Trixie, I understand that all of this is a shock to you, but unless you can tell us something, what happened to you will keep happening. That means more monsters, more destruction, and more people being hurt. So if you have any information for us, we can start taking steps to stop it," Taro said in a disarming voice.

"Where you got the Spark is a good place to start," Sunset said.

"Hmph, Trixie has no idea what you're talking about," the magician said, crossing her arms.

Is... Is she playing dumb, or is she really that bad at context? Sunset thought with a flat stare. Rather than voice her thoughts, she merely reached into her pocket and pulled out the Ginga Spark. Trixie's reaction was immediate, and completely over the top. The boastful girl shrieked at maximum volume, and threw herself over her chair, using it as a shield. Sunset could not help but smirk, "I thought you said you didn't know what a Spark was."

"TRIXIE DIDN'T THINK YOU MEANT THAT!"

Yep, bad at context, Sunset thought, Although. "Trixie, don't think that I'm blind to what you're doing. You're keeping your normal attitude to avoid admitting you're scared. The thing is, though, it's that attitude that got you into this mess in the first place. Do I have to remind you that you tried to kill Fluttershy just to get to me while you were holding onto that Spark? That's the sort of thing that will keep happening unless you drop the tough girl BS and start working with us."

Trixie glared at Sunset in defiance, but seeing the Ginga Spark had shaken her resolve. Sighing, Trixie relented and sat back down, "Okay, fine, what do you want to know again?"

"Where did you find the Spark?" Sunset repeated.

"Trixie didn't find it; she was attacked," Trixie responded, shocking Sunset. "Two nights ago, Trixie was sitting at a bus stop; she was angry about something Anon-A-Miss posted about her. Suddenly, Trixie heard someone running up to her and the next thing she knew was she as at her house with that 'Spark,' as you call it, and the evil rabbit toy."

Sunset was shaken. She had assumed that Trixie had just stumbled across the Spark at a shop or in a bush somewhere, not that it was forced on her in an attack, "Trixie... I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't, you just assumed that Trixie got lucky," Trixie replied, bitterly.

“So, someone or something is handing out Spark Dolls and evil versions of the Ginga Spark to people?” Wallflower concluded. “What for?”

“I don’t know yet,” Sunset said. “For kicks, maybe?”

“It may appear that way,” Taro half-agreed. “Or perhaps there is an evil plan involving the Spark Dolls and these ‘Dark Sparks’.”

“Well, knowing my luck, we’re bound to be meeting more people turning themselves into monsters to do whatever,” Sunset remarked. She could understand why anybody wanted to be a monster. It made them feel powerful. Trixie, even though she had been corrupted, had probably felt the same way while in control of Lunaticks. But of course, Anon-A-Miss still plagued and complicated Sunset’s life. Looking at Trixie, she needed to confirm something.

“Trixie,” Sunset started. “Do you still believe I’m Anon-A-Miss?”

Trixie opened her mouth, then closed it, and then thought about what had happened earlier. She was so confused and scared. So, she was not sure about anything. However, she needed to give her answer.

“...No, Trixie does not think so.”

Sunset Shimmer smiled.

“Good, because we kinda have these Spark Dolls to worry about. Can you promise to not tell anyone about what happened?”

“Would anyone believe Trixie?” Trixie retorted.

“Probably,” Sunset shrugged. “With all the weird things happening, someone is bound to investigate. I don’t want people coming at me to try to steal the Ginga Spark either. We’re going to need it to beat more monsters as they come.”

“You have Trixie’s - my word - Sunset Shimmer,” Trixie swore.

“Well, that’s good. But we need to figure out who or what is handing out Spark Dolls and cheap knockoffs of your Ginga Spark,” Wallflower said.

“We’ll find out who’s giving out these bootleg Sparks, and we’ll stop them, one monster at a time,” resolved Sunset. At least she was not alone. She had Wallflower, Taro, Fluttershy and also Trixie (probably).

*////*

“What?”

“I don’t believe Sunset is Anon-A-Miss anymore.”

“But, Shy! Look what she’s done! It’s gotta be her!”

“Rainbow Dash, I have and I believe she’s innocent! And I don’t care if you believe me or not! I’m standing by her! Goodbye!”

Fluttershy ended the call. She had done it, she had told her friends that she believed Sunset. She could not help but smile as she recalled what the redhead told her yesterday. This was her first step to fulfilling her promise.

"So what do you think, Sunset?" Fluttershy heard Wallflower ask.

"I don't know," Sunset responded, "Taro said that some aliens could disguise themselves as humans after Trixie left; but that wouldn't make sense given that they should also be Spark Dolls." The redhead then noticed her pink haired friend, "Fluttershy? I thought you would be having lunch with the others."

Fluttershy shyly smiled, "I just got off the phone with Rainbow, I told her that I believed you."

Sunset's smile could have blinded even Princess Celestia with it's radiance, "Fluttershy." Suddenly the pink-haired girl was enveloped in a bone crushing hug, "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!"

Fluttershy squirmed and giggled in the taller girl's grasp until she was released so the three girls could reach the cafeteria before the main rush of students could begin.

*////*

On the roof of CHS, the four friends ate their lunch away from the prying eyes of the entire school.

"So, Trixie couldn't help?" Fluttershy asked, saddened.

"Not in any major way. The most we found out is that that there is someone or something in the city is handing out Dark Sparks," Sunset replied. "Taro came up with the name."

"It does make a nice placeholder term for them," Taro added.

"Did she see who attacked her at least?" Fluttershy asked.

"The everyday answer would be 'no,' but I think it's more likely that she did," Sunset replied.

Wallflower was confused, "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well memory manipulation spells are a thing in Equestria, so obviously, it's possible. But seeing as this isn't a magic issue, it must have pulled it off some other way," Sunset suddenly noticed she had lost her listeners. "Sorry. I think her attacker somehow erased itself from her memory."

"Oh," Wallflower nodded in realization, "So Trixie only knows for certain that she was attacked, but the culprit messed with her head so she couldn't remember what he, she, or it looked like."

"Exactly!" Sunset said and patted Wallflower's head.

"If I may interrupt," Taro said, "How do you know magic isn't involved?"

Sunset suddenly realized Taro had never seen Equestrian magic in action, "Oh, right. Equestrian magic isn't exactly subtle, lots of color and light. Trixie's attacker, meanwhile, went completely unnoticed by anyone, if magic was involved I would've expected some reports of a colorful light to pop up in the news."

Suddenly, the three girls' phones pinged an alert. Taking them out, they saw that Anon-A-Miss had struck again.

"Oh, this is not good," Wallflower said with a sense of dread.

*////*

"WHAT!? WHY AM I BEING TESTED!?" the yellow-haired Lightning Dust shrieked in outrage.

"You know damn well why Dust," Coach Iron Will said, coldly, "We brought you on because of your abilities, but in light of the recent Anon-A-Miss post, I need to be sure that history isn't repeating itself."

"This is ridiculous, I DON'T DOPE!"

"Then you have nothing to worry about, do you? Why are you being so defensive about this if you've done nothing wrong?"

"Because the moment that blog brought up my grandfather, my teammates have been glaring at me like I'm a monster!"

"That's the other thing, why did you never bring up that your grandfather was Wind Rider? An athlete who infamously destroyed his career when he was caught doping? I would have thought that was something important for an up and coming athlete to mention."

"But I took a drug test when I joined the team, and I was clean then!" Lightning exclaimed in desperation.

"That changes nothing. Wind Rider also took a drug test when he joined his team, and he was only caught after his position was secured. We need to make sure that you didn't pull a stunt like that. However, I see this argument is going nowhere, you are taking that drug test and that's final. Now, get out of my office," Coach Will said with finality.

Lightning Dust just glared at her coach, as though she could set the man on fire with her eyes, before uttering a venomous, "Fine," and exiting the room.

Out in the hallway, Lightning Dust glared at the screen of her phone. Ever since Anon-A-Miss’ first post, the girl kept up with all the new posts. They were all just so entertaining and they made her laugh.

She was not laughing anymore.

Anon-A-Miss’ latest post was about her, and this could kill her career before it could truly begin. Growling, she punched the wall, "Damn that Sunset Shimmer! When I get ahold of her, not even dental records will be able to identify the body."

"Is that so?" a weasley voice suddenly said, "Well I might be able to help in that endeavor, hm hm hm."

Lightning turned to face the voice, finding a big eared, small eyed, oddly dressed man reading a magazine in a chair behind her. She growled and snatched the magazine from his hands, "Who the hell are you, and what do you want?"

The man raised his hands in a non threatening gesture, "My name is Icarus, and I neither want nor need anything from you. However, you seem to need something from me, hm hm hm. Please, sit." Another chair and a table suddenly appeared in front of Icarus. Lightning looked at the man suspiciously, but complied nonetheless. Icarus continued, "You see, I represent a client with a vested interest in the removal of Sunset from the picture."

"Well he's in luck, I was going to do that anyway," Lightning said.

Icarus merely laughed out, "What? Like that? Hm hm hm, oh that is funny. See that girl has recently come into a lot of power, as you are, you cannot harm her. But not to worry, your friend, Icarus, can even the playing field."

Icarus then placed crystalline, purple, dagger shaped object on the table along with a monster toy. Lightning scoffed, "Toys? That's going to help me get back at Sunset? Give me a break."

Icarus gasped, "Miss Dust, you wound me. Do give me some credit. These are not mere toys. I give you: the Dark Dummy Spark, and Supersonic Monster Halen. Capable of flying at over Mach 10 and launching fireballs, you will have no equal on this planet."

Lightning stared at the 'Dark Dummy Spark' and 'Halen' for a time before saying, "So what? More magic bullshit from Equestria?"

This seemed to take Icarus aback, "Equestria?"

"You know? The portal under the statue?"

"I knew nothing about a portal, but good to know, hm hm hm."

This man was creepy, and that was pissing off Lightning, "Whatever, I don't need your bullshit to turn Sunset's face inside out."

She stood up to leave, but Icarus spoke up again, "Hm, suit yourself, but please, do take them in case you change your mind."

Lightning snarled. This Icarus guy would not be satisfied until she took those toys. "Fine," she said, turning around to take them to shut the guy up. Upon grasping the Dark Dummy Spark, however, Lightning found her hand locked onto it and unable to let go, as the device emitted a dark aura that rapidly engulfed her. Icarus laughed maniacally as she screamed, slowly fading from the hallway.

*////*

The Rainbooms, minus Fluttershy, sat together at lunch. Normally, they would be chatting talking about current events. The most recent, and most depressing, was Anon-A-Miss and how Sunset Shimmer was using the online persona to spread everyone’s secrets.

But then, Fluttershy told all of them that she did not believe Sunset Shimmer was Anon-A-Miss anymore. That just did not make sense. It had to be Sunset! It was obviously her!

Was Sunset Shimmer blackmailing Fluttershy? It was something she did to get people in line and Fluttershy was not exactly someone who could fight against Sunset if she was alone. But Fluttershy was not answering their phone calls or responding to their texts.

It was enough to make them worry about their kind yet timid friend.

"Well hi there Cap, you look like someone just died," a voice suddenly cut through their musings. Looking for the source, they found a disheveled looking Lightning Dust, with frazzled hair and sunken eyes.

“Damn, Dust, what happened to you?” Rainbow asked, unnerved.

“Not important, listen, I’ve got a way to deal with Sunset for good, and I wanted to show you,” Lightning said manically.

“Um, okay?” Rainbow said, not liking where this was going, “I’ll be right back girls.” She stood up, and followed Lightning outside.

*////*

“Damn it’s cold out here,” Rainbow said, rubbing her arms, “Okay Dust, we’re here, what is this thing you wanted to show me?”

Lightning only offered a crazed smile then pulled out two toys, “This.” She touched them together, causing a dark aura to envelop her with a growling call of:

DARK LIVE: HALEN!

As the aura began increasing in size Rainbow realized that she was way out of her league, and, though she would later deny it, absolutely terrified. Not knowing what else to do, she ran back into the school to warn everyone.

*////*

Shortly before this happened, Sunset and her group were rushing to the cafeteria, hoping to catch Lightning Dust before the Giant did.

“What makes you so sure that Lightning is next Sunset?” Wallflower asked.

“Lightning Dust is a hothead, and not exactly someone who you want to piss off,” Sunset answered, urgently, “Back in my bad girl days I found out she once left one of her rivals in a wheelchair because they spoke out of turn, but the evidence wasn’t enough to get the charges to stick.”

“That makes her a perfect user for a Dark Spark,” Taro confirmed, “Sunset, I need you to know something, if we fail to reach her in time, and you have to fight know this. If you have to resort to Ultraman Ginga, you need to end the fight quickly, Ultras typically can only stay in a fight for three minutes. Should they run out of time, they will stop moving and you will be trapped inside him.”

“Right, so finish the fight quick and fast.”

“Wait, so you can only maintain your gigantic form for three minutes?” Wallflower asked.

“Well, it depends on where we fight. In space, for some reason, we can maintain our original size for long periods of time easily and also on our home planet,” Taro answered. “It’s probably because your planet’s atmosphere filters the sunlight we use as a source of energy.”

“You know, we’ve told you so much about our worlds, but you haven’t told us anything about yours,” Fluttershy said.

“Perhaps after we’ve dealt with Lightning Dust, we can sit down and I can give you all a history lesson of my people,” Taro offered kindly.

Suddenly the entire school lurched sickeningly.

“Please, tell me that wasn’t what it felt like,” Sunset pleaded.

“I fear so,” Taro said with dread.

Now a roar that began with a shriek then ended in a growl shook the windows. Looking outside revealed the new enemy, “Taro, what is that?” Sunset asked.

“I-I don’t know, I have never seen that monster before- Oh,” Taro gasped. “I remember now. The war wasn’t across just one universe, but involved Ultras and monsters from across the multiverse. That monster must be from one of the other universes.”

Now the sounds of the screaming school population drifted into the halls. “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen, Wallflower, Fluttershy, do what you can to keep everyone from trampling each other. Taro and I will handle Lightning Dust,” Sunset ordered. The two girls nodded before running off to help, while Sunset made for the nearest exit, “Taro, which Doll should I live into?”

“Lunaticks would be a good choice for his ranged capabilities, but you are more likely to do more damage to the city if that monster is as fast as it looks,” Taro recited, “I recommend Windam, who on top of close combat abilities, has a powerful and precise ray on his head.”

“The robot, got it,” Sunset said as she reached the exit, pulling out the Ginga Spark with the chosen Doll and touching them together.

ULTRA LIVE! WINDAM!

*////*

The students of CHS panicked when the gigantic monster straight of a Godzilla movie just appeared out of nowhere. The roar it released was deafening as it opened its beak to spit out a fireball aimed straight at the school. However, Halen never got the chance to torch the building as a silver fist delivered an uppercut, knocking the Supersonic Monster back.

Within Windam, Sunset controlled the silver Capsule Monster while gripping the Ginga Spark. Eyes narrowed, she looked inside Halen to see Lightning Dust standing in a similar space while in possession of a dark knockoff of the Ginga Spark.

“Lightning Dust!” Sunset shouted.

“Sunset Shimmer!” Lightning Dust growled. “Oh, I’m so going to enjoy this!” Lightning Dust made Halen take a deep breath before shooting a fireball straight at Windam. Immediately, Sunset crossed her arms in front of herself and Windam did the same, shielding itself from the flaming assault. Halen continued to blast Windam with fireballs and Sunset gritted her teeth. She could feel the heat and impact of each fireball as they connected.

“C’mon!” Sunset Shimmer yelled. “Take this!”

Windam spread out his arms and then fired the Laser Shot from its forehead. The missile-strength laser beam collided with Halen’s chest, causing an explosion that threw the Supersonic Monster to the ground. Once Halen was down, Windam jogged toward its opponent and jumped, landing on top of Hallen with a body slam. The two giant monsters began to wrestle.

“Get off me!” Lightning Dust roared and Halen delivered a fireball straight into Windam’s face, blinding it and Sunset Shimmer.

“Argh!” Sunset Shimmer shouted as Halen threw Windam off.

Halen picked itself up and spread its wings before taking off. It flew across the sky before it fired at Windam. Windam was being hit as fireballs exploded on its back and shoulders as it was trying to get back up.

*////*

Fluttershy and Wallflower managed to get the students and faculty away, even dragging Photo Finish away as the photographer was trying to capture all the action with her camera.

Fluttershy watched the monsters brawl and grew worried.

“Sunset’s in trouble,” Fluttershy whispered. Her friend was in trouble and there was nothing she could do. Supposedly, the Magic of Friendship should be able to do something, but as things as they were, she doubted they could access that power to do anything.

“Don’t worry,” Wallflower said as she patted Fluttershy’s shoulder. “She’s got this.”

*////*

Halen flew around, dodging Windam’s Laser Shot and shooting back with fireballs.

“I’m going to kill you and then I’m going to kill my stupid coach!” Lightning Dust shouted at Windam.

“No,” Sunset swore. “I won’t let you!”

Sunset Shimmer’s Mark of Courage flashed on the back of her hand and the Ginga Spark opened up, releasing Ginga’s Spark Doll.

“Heh, took you long enough,” Sunset said with a smile as she grasped Ginga’s Spark Doll. “OK, here we go! Let’s go, Ginga!”

ULTRA LIVE! ULTRAMAN GINGA!

A flash of light engulfed Sunset and Windam and all of a sudden the monster was replaced by a silver and red Giant of Light.

Lightning Dust was unimpressed. Inside Ginga, Sunset narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists.

“Alright, big guy. Let’s bring her down,” Sunset declared.

Ginga bent his knees and jumped up, taking off into the sky. Lightning Dust gasped and dodged as Ginga shot toward her.

“Shit!” Lightning Dust yelled as Ginga flew at her. Halen shot fireballs but Ginga batted them away as he gained speed and cut the distance between them. “NOBODY’S FASTER THAN ME!”

Ginga finally got a hold of Halen’s foot. ”Not anymore,” Sunset said, before pulling Ginga’s arm back, yanking Halen into pummeling range. Ginga led with a right hook, followed with a left chop to the throat, then a double knee to the gut, before finishing off with an elbow drop. Halen fell some distance before regaining control of itself and resuming normal flight.

“Damn,” Lightning Dust said, “You’re good, but you won’t win, Sunset! My monster is still stronger than you!” Halen rocketed at Ginga while launching fireballs. Ginga dodged every one, but as soon as the monster was within range of his fists, Lightning turned Halen out of the way of his punch, raking her claws across his chest on the way past.

The strike left both Sunset and Ginga disoriented and vulnerable for for the trio of fireballs that then struck them in the back, followed by Halen once more buzzing them with its claws. Lightning Dust then turned Halen around, charging head first into Ginga’s stomach, then delivered a pair of claw swipes, before ending by darting behind the Ultra and dropping feet first into his back.

Ginga had nearly hit the ground by the time Sunset regained control of his flight. “Damn it, as long as she’s up there she has all the space she needs to get out of the way of my attacks. I need to trap her on the ground somehow.”

Sunset soon heard a beeping and quickly realized what was happening as her space turned red. On Ginga’s chest, his color timer was flashing red.

They were running out of time.

“I have an idea Sunset,” Taro suddenly spoke, his voice somehow reaching Sunset. It was probably because of the Ginga Spark. “That monster seems to have thrusters in its back, if you can destroy those, Dust will be forced to fight on our terms.”

“Right,” Sunset said before launching Ginga back into the sky. The blue crystals on Ginga’s body began to flash yellow. “Hey, Lightning! Are you really as fast as lightning!?”

“What!?”

“Ginga Thunderbolt!”

The electricity arced from Ginga’s hand and into Halen’s thrusters, crippling Lightning’s ability to stay in the air and sending her monster plummeting to the Earth.

*////*

Halen smashed into the ground so hard that it seemed that a bomb had detonated. Within the crater, Lightning Dust struggled to get the monster back onto its feet, but the damage the attack and subsequent fall had done, left it crippled.

A distance away, Sunset and Ginga landed on the ground and began walking forward, “Before I end your rampage, I need to know something. Why were you so scared of a drug test? If you weren’t doping, you could have just done the test and proven the team wrong anyway. Yet you freaked out, and even went so far as to try to kill me, why?”

Lightning finally got Halen onto shaky legs the growled out, “Do you think, that I want to be related to that cheating bastard? Ever since I got into sports, his shadow has been hanging over my shoulder saying ‘hey, you should make this easier, get drugs.’ When I reached high school, I had thought I finally gotten rid of it, but then you. You made that goddamn blog and told everyone about my grandfather, then coach suddenly wanted to know if I was doping, and my team was treating me like some kind of inhuman creature. That test represents everything I’ve been avoiding my entire life. I refuse to be recognized by my team for what Wind Rider did!” Lightning then began a slow charge at Ginga.

“Lightning Dust, listen to me! I am not Anon-A-Miss, and even if you kill me, you still won’t get what you want! You’ll have blood on your hands and it won’t change what happened to your grandfather! You can be better than this! Better than him!”

However, Lightning Dust was done listening and it was up to Sunset to stop her rampage. As the other girl struggled to approach in blind determination to continue the fight, Sunset saw another vision of a new finishing attack.

Sunset put her right arm out, before crossing her left above it at the wrists, and then spreading her arms apart in a circle before bringing them together in an ‘L’ position. Ginga followed her motion, the crystals on his body glowing brightly.

“Ginga Cross Shoot!”

A powerful beam of pure light surged from Ginga’s arms. Halen was stopped in its tracks by the attack, unable to continue moving as the light entered its body. The beam started a chain reaction of explosions rocking the monster’s body and causing it to fall forward. In a final scream from Lightning Dust, Halen faceplanted into the ground and detonated in a massive fireball, throwing the Spark Doll into Ultraman Ginga’s Color Timer.

“Well, weren’t you a right pain? But I’ll be happy to have you on board for your speed,” Sunset said while gazing at the Halen Spark Doll in her hand. Suddenly, the sound of cheering reached her ears. Turning, the sight made her pause in happy shock.

The faculty and students watched Ginga from a safe distance, the latter holding their smartphones up to take pictures and videos of the mysterious giant who had saved them from the monster.

Smiling, Sunset decided to give the crowd a great picture and began posing. “Um, Sunset? Not to cheapen your sense of triumph, but you are still running out of time,” Taro suddenly interrupted.

Sunset, realizing she had less than a minute left, decided it was time to go. Looking up, Ginga flew into the sky until he was nothing but a speck in the distance.

*////*

“WOOOO! THAT WAS SO TOTALLY WICKED! I THINK I CAN JUST EXPLODE FROM THE HYPE!” Pinkie Pie shrieked.

“Hoo nelly, I thought that monster had’im for a bit there,” Applejack said, whistling.

“Oh, if only I could meet the man behind him. I wager that he is the most dashing thing alive,” Rarity said, swooning.

“Who was that?” Rainbow Dash wondered out loud, “Some kind of Superman?”

“No,” Fluttershy answered, smiling, “That, was Ultraman Ginga,” Fluttershy answered, smiling. ‘Thank you, Sunset.’

“Wait,what?” Rainbow said, alerting Fluttershy to the fact that her friends were now staring at her. “‘Shy? Do you know something about what’s happening?”

“U-Uhm,” Fluttershy stammered out, but was cut off by Rarity.

“Ultraman Ginga, oh how right I was, such elegance. Oh Fluttershy, darling, can you get me a meeting with that most handsome man behind the giant?”

Unknown to the others Wallflower snorted in knowing mirth before leaving to find the former monster.

*////*

Lightning Dust regained consciousness in the school’s track field. Wallflower Blush sat beside her.

“So. Willing to talk about what happened now?”

“Who the hell are you?”

Wallflower Blush sighed. It did not matter if they were her classmates, they always seemed to forget she existed. “Who gave you the Dark Spark?”

*////*

“You did well, Sunset,” Taro praised as Sunset walked away from the school. The tiny Ultra was riding on his shoulder. After flying off, Sunset managed to change back without anyone seeing her.

“Hey, Taro. When all the monsters, aliens and Ultras were turned into Spark Dolls, you’re the only one who managed to preserve your sentience, right?” Sunset asked.

“That is correct. Why do you ask?”

“When I was inside Ginga, I felt like he was communicating with me.”

“Interesting, but if you are asking about the how of that feeling, I cannot say with any certainty,” Taro said sadly.

“Sunset!”

Sunset turned to see Wallflower running up to her, “Hey ‘Flower, what were you up to?”

Wallflower stopped in front of Sunset, before taking a moment to breathe then saying, “I was just talking to Lightning. It seems that after you beat her, she was very talkative. She gave me the name of who gave her the Dark Spark, though, she called it a, ‘Dark Dummy Spark.’

“Well, danger notwithstanding, nice work ‘Flower!” Sunset said, beaming.

Wallflower happily accepted the acknowledgement, which was pretty rare for her.

“So, tell us. Who was it?” Taro asked, causing Wallflower to realize that they were waiting for her.

“Oh, right. She said it was some guy named ‘Icarus?”

Taro gasped, getting the girls’ attention. “Uh, Taro? Recognize him?” Sunset asked.

Taro stammered, “Perhaps, but that can’t be. He should still be a Spark Doll!”

“Taro, who is it!?”

Taro inhaled in an effort to calm himself, then said, “Unless I am mistaken, Miss Dust had an encounter with the Alien Icarus.”

That caused Sunset and Wallflower to pale. An alien? Loose in the city? This could only spell disaster.

“Could someone have brought him back?” Sunset asked. “Wait, that Dark Giant had a Spark device too, right? Could it have come to Earth like the Ginga Spark?”

Taro stammered again, “Well, it’s certainly possible.”

“That would explain those Dark Dummy Sparks,” Wallflower interjected.

“But in that case, it would need to bond to someone like the Ginga Spark did,” Taro finished.

All of the individuals there froze, before Sunset summed up the situation, “So, we don’t know who, but someone in the school is the Dark Giant.”

This had just gotten far worse.

*////*

Inside a room that was dimly lit, there was an open shelf cupboard which had a large collection of Spark Dolls on display. One would think it was some otaku’s room.

There was a laptop set on a table, open to the Anon-A-Miss MyStable page. An unknown figure sat in a chair, glaring at the screen.

“Alien Icarus certainly picked well,” its voice growled out, “Yet not even Lightning Dust could defeat Ultraman Ginga. No matter, his monster Halen still got closer than Metron’s, though, I imagine that territorial idiot has taken issue with Icarus’ deployment.”

With more posts being made by Anon-A-Miss, there was no shortage of potential users in CHS.

*////*

On a rooftop in the main city, Icarus stood leaning on the guardrail, waiting for his fellow alien to show up to give him an ear full.

“ICARUS! DROP THE DISGUISE AND FACE ME!”

Think of the devil.

“Hm hm hm, why Metron, why so furious?” Icarus said, revealing his true, bat-faced form.

“YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHY! THE MASTER ASSIGNED ME TO FIND USERS AND YOU ARE TRESPASSING IN MY TERRITORY!”

“Hm, the Master told me the same thing. Small planet.”

“Grr, this is not the only school full of teenage brats! Just go to that Crystal Prep place!”

“Ugh, puh-lease, that place is so beneath me. Besides, did you ever find out about the portal?”

Metron glared to his maximum capacity with his unmoving eyes, “Portal? What are you talking about?”

“Oh just the one beneath the horse statue in front of Canterlot High School, hm hm hm. Say, if you do not wish to relocate, why not just go through the portal, and go somewhere, without going anywhere,” Icarus baited.

Metron thought about it, but, “No, I will not let you win this.”

“Then we are at a stalemate,” Icarus frowned, “Oh! Tell you what. You can pick the next user and I’ll just stand by and see if you can outperform mine, hm hm hm.”

Metron knew Icarus was baiting him again, but, frankly, the chance to wash out the smug bat’s mouth was too tempting. “Fine,” Metron snarled out, then turned and skulked away, disappearing.

“Hm hm hm, looking forward to it,” Icarus said, resuming his disguise, and returning to the guardrail.

Author's Note

Next time:

It's official, Canterlot City now has a giant superhero. But not everyone is so enthusiastic about the news, given it also came with the reveal of giant monsters. Sandwiched between the monsters and an escalating Anon-A-Miss, Pinkie Pie takes a deal that turns her into the trickster monster Gango, and begins a pranking rampage across CHS, in an effort to keep spirits up.. Can Sunset and her group convince the party planner that this power is more dangerous than it seems? Or will Sunset be forced to fight the happiest girl in school?

Special thanks to KR Chrome for co-writing this, you really bailed me out several times.

So, Halen.

* Its sole appearance was in Ultraman Max, in episode 12, on September 17, 2005.
* In the episode, it was defeated when it became distracted by a nearby rock band playing music, allowing the Ultra a free finishing shot.
* The suit was just a reused suit of the Ultraman Cosmos monster Lidoras, though modified.

Well that's all for this chapter, until next time, farewell.

Trending Jealousy: Rarity vs Trenderhoof

Pinkie Pie had just woken up from a bad dream. In the dream she had turned into a monster and forced everybody to party. Then she ended up fighting Sunset who saved her.

Only it had not been a dream. Sunset Shimmer and Ultraman Ginga were one and the same.

The pink party girl was confused. When everyone thought Sunset was Anon-A-Miss, the big mean secret stealer, it just made sense. Sunset being Ultraman Giant, a giant superhero, did not.

But Sunset was Ginga, so did that mean she could not be Anon-A-Miss.

Pinkie Pie sat on Sunset’s couch as the girl made some tea for her and some guests that were due to arrive.

“Ms. Pinkie Pie, you seem troubled.”

Oh, and Pinkie Pie was introduced to Taro, an Ultraman stuck in the form of sentient Spark Doll. Speaking of which, Sunset had a collection of Spark Dolls arranged on her coffee table.

“Taro, Sunset is not Anon-A-Miss, is she?”

“Anon-A-Miss? Sunset has avoided the subject but Wallflower Blush has kept me abreast on the issue. Honestly, if Sunset Shimmer was Anon-A-Miss, then the Ginga Spark would not have bonded with her.”

The Ginga Spark needed to bond with a good person.

It had bonded with Sunset Shimmer.

Anon-A-Miss was bad.

Sunset was not Anon-A-Miss.

Pinkie Pie owed her an apology and her thanks, but most of all an apology.

The doorbell rang. That must be the others. Sunset walked over and opened the door, “Welcome back everyone, wait, Trixie? I thought that you went home.”

“Yeah, well, with monsters showing up and kidnapping people, Trixie would rather be safe in Ginga’s home,” the platinum blonde replied.

“Well, come on in. I made some tea.”

Once all the residents of the room were settled, they finally turned their attention to Pinkie Pie. “So, Pinkie. I know it’s a bit soon to be asking questions, but do you have anything you can tell us about Icarus?” Sunset asked.

However, rather than recognition of the name, Pinkie seemed confused, “Icarus?”

The others hesitated, then Lightning Dust said, “You know, the alien that gave you the Dark Dummy Spark?”

“No, the guy said his name was Metron,” Pinkie replied.

“Alien Metron is at large as well!?” Taro exclaimed

“Wait, so there are two aliens running around out there?” Trixie clarified.

“That’s what it sounds like,” Wallflower said.

Pinkie had gone strangely quiet, “Wait, that guy was an alien?”

That got the attention of everyone in the room.

“What? You mean you didn’t know?” Sunset asked the party girl.

“Hey, just what are you insinuating?”

“Nothing, nothing. It’s just that, out of anyone I would’ve thought you would be the one to spot an alien. Especially an evil one.”

“Oh,” Pinkie said, becoming downcast, “Well, ever since Anon-A-Miss started, I’ve been losing my Pinkieness. So if that guy was evil, I wouldn’t be able to tell. I guess we know why now.”

Sunset frowned thoughtfully. While these aliens and the Dark Giant were a threat, Anon-A-Miss could not be ignored. Left unchecked, Anon-A-Miss could get worse. Already, the tension in CHS was growing with friends turning on each other and people pointing fingers at her. At least she was no longer dealing with it alone as she had Wallflower, Taro, Fluttershy and now Pinkie. Even Lightning Dust and Trixie were onboard, but only because she had saved them from themselves.

They needed to deal with the aliens, but they needed to find out who Anon-A-Miss was, expose them, and put a stop to their ways for good. Then they could focus on dealing with the Dark Giant and his minions unimpeded. She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by Pinkie Pie, who seemed to have realized something.

“Hey girls, I know you had to say those things to allow Sunset to beat the monster, but tell me the truth. Are my parties, really samey?”

The other girls got uncomfortable at the question, knowing how easy it was to hurt the pink girl, but they could not lie to Pinkie now, after what happened, “Yes.”

The partier’s hair went completely flat, “But why did no one tell me?”

“Because Pinkie, you are emotionally fragile, and we didn’t want to upset you,” Fluttershy said.

“But how? I put so much effort into making them unique.”

“Pinkie,” Sunset said, forcing the usually energetic girl to stop and listen, “I know this will be weird, someone else telling you how to hold a party, but here it goes. You like to talk, that much is obvious, but you don’t have a lot of patience for the part of a conversation where you need to stop and listen. Remember when you saw that one guy that you could tell was sad, and you threw a party for, only to find out that his Grandmother had recently passed away? What did he say?”

“He said that it felt like I was celebrating her death.”

“Right, well if you had just asked what was wrong to begin with, that would never have happened, and that’s the sort of thing you do, constantly. You throw these massive parties together, but because you never ask what makes someone happy to begin with, it just comes out as generic and impersonal. Like a party designed by committee. That’s not even getting into your habit of blurting out secrets when you lose track of your mouth. I don’t tell you this out of malice, I’m telling you this, because it’s that kind of ‘talk first, ask questions never’ attitude that allowed you to fall for Anon-A-Miss in the first place.”

Pinkie Pie wilted. Sunset Shimmer was right. Because they did not want to listen to Sunset’s side of the story, they turned her backs on her. Sunset was just lucky she found other people who believed in her.

Princess Twilight said Pinkie Pie was the Element of Laughter. How could she leave someone alone to be sad. “Sunset. I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, be better. Learn how to stop and listen before speaking. Don’t assume anything if information isn’t there to back it. And lastly, learn how to ask what’s wrong before throwing a party,” Sunset said with a cheeky smile.

Pinkie, for the first time since she woke up, smiled, and offered a small salute. The moment was interrupted by Lightning Dust clearing her throat.

“You know, not that this isn’t nice and all, but Anon-A-Miss is still giving the aliens a monster factory at our school.”

Sunset sighed, “Alright, let’s look at Anon-A-Miss. Maybe we can find some clues” She opened up the Anon-A-Miss MyStable profile on her phone and the girls all crowded around to look at the screen. There were a lot more posts now, and there were a lot more people following the page. There were all sorts of upsetting secrets, but they were not looking at those. First, was the profile image. It had Sunset’s silhouette and in her colors. Now that was a clue.

“If you think about it, seems pretty blatant,” Trixie said. “I mean, back when Sunset Shimmer was menacing everyone, she never really had any evidence pointed to her. There were rumors, but nothing ever concrete to point any fingers to her. Anon-A-Miss seems designed to make Sunset look guilty.”

“So, it’s a frame-up,” Lightning Dust said. “And we fell for it.” She was pissed. Nobody made a fool out of her.

“But who did it?” Fluttershy asked.

“OK, so the first post from Anon-A-Miss was about Applejack’s childhood nickname,” Sunset started.

“‘Piggly Wiggly’,” Trixie snorted, amused by the nickname but she quickly apologized. “Sorry. Continue.”

“We only found out because Apple Bloom called Applejack that,” Pinkie Pie recalled. “Then Applejack told us why.”

“So, only Applejack’s family, myself, and our friends at the time knew before Anon-A-Miss posted about it,” Sunset concluded.

“Ain’t looking so good for you, Shimmer,” Lightning remarked.

“Actually, it does provide possible suspects,” Taro interjected. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy gasped.

“You don’t think one of us did it, do you?” Fluttershy asked.

“Sunset Shimmer ruled the school and drove you girls apart,” Wallflower reminded. “That’s motive.”

“But we forgave her!” Pinkie Pie protested.

“Maybe, but people don’t forget,” Wallflower countered. “Maybe one of you wanted to get back at Sunset and came up with the idea after hearing Applejack’s nickname. They took their chance when they could and even made the profile look like Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset Shimmer sighed. Someone held a grudge and resented her. Just because she saved everyone from the Sirens, that did not mean they easily forgot her past self. There would always be people who thought she was just pretending to be good and wanted to make everyone believe she had not changed.

“OK, so the next post,” Sunset Shimmer scrolled back to the slumber party pictures and videos. They had fun, but it also looked embarrassing. No wonder the girls got upset. With everyone laughing at them, and with the images coming from Sunset’s phone, it did make her seem guilty. “These were taken from my phone.”

“Again, evidence against you,” Taro said. “But that just proves you had them, doesn’t mean you posted. So it’s circumstantial.”

“You know,” Sunset looked to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, “When I drove you guys apart, I did it by stealing your phones and sending texts from them. I even got your e-mail passwords and sent messages to you girls to do it. Anon-A-Miss seems to be using my old M.O.”

“So, someone stole your phone, took the pics from it, then put it back,” Lightning Dust concluded.

“Seems like it.” She really should lock her phone with a password to prevent future theft.

“And besides you girls, who else was in the house?” Wallflower asked, trying to widen the net for suspects.

“Well,we were at Rarity’s, so her parents and her little sister.” Sunset recalled.

“What are you saying?” Fluttershy asked, worried.

“Anon-A-Miss was there and she stole your phone,” Wallflower concluded. “And if you don’t think it was one of the Rainbooms, that could mean one thing.”

“Sweetie Belle,” Pinkie Pie concluded.

“Rarity’s own little sister,” Fluttershy added.

“Well, even if she was Anon-A-Miss, I don’t think Rarity’s going to believe us or listen to us,” Sunset Shimmer said. “We only got a suspect, no proof. Still doesn’t explain how she got Applejack’s nickname.”

“Unless Applebloom told her,” Fluttershy suggested. “They are friends, after all.”

“Would Applebloom and Sweetie Belle even be part of this?” Pinkie Pie questioned. “I mean, hurting their sisters’ feelings just seems wrong.”

“Unless they don’t think they’ll get caught,” Lightning Dust said. She cracked her knuckles. “Lemme talk to them. I can get the answers for ya.”

“Let’s not resort to violence, Lightning,” Sunset talked the athlete down. She was mad, definitely, but beating up a bunch of little kids was not something she condoned.

“Think we should tell AJ and Rares?” Pinkie asked.

“Think they’ll listen?” Sunset countered.

Pinkie sighed, “No.”

“Didn’t think so.” Those three could be prideful, egotistical, and boneheaded to a stubborn degree. They would need concrete proof to be convinced of Sunset’s innocence.

“So, keep an eye on the brats?” Lightning Dust suggested. “I could do that.”

“Do it, but try not to be obvious,” Sunset said, “I think we’ve done about everything we can do today, how about we all turn in for the night?” At the sound of a chorus of agreements, the ‘Ginga Gang’ chose their preferred sleeping locations and drifted off to dreamland.

*////*

The next morning, the group were walking to school, talking about various topics.

“So, Sunset, if you’re Ultraman Ginga, why didn’t you show up to the party until I became a giant monster?” Pinkie asked.

Sunset sighed, “Pinkie, being an Ultra isn’t just throwing on a costume and then becoming a giant. There are rules that restrict them, that make turning into him just to attend a party dangerous, and impractical. For one, being that big requires energy, as Taro explained before I fought Lightning Dust, on this planet, an Ultra’s energy is limited to three minutes. If I became Ultraman Ginga for the party, I would likely not have enough power to fight the next threat that came along. That’s not even getting into what happens when I time out.”

“What happens then?” Pinkie hesitantly asked.

“Ginga loses all ability to move, fight, or even change back. I would be trapped inside him, unable to escape without some kind of recharge. Does that sound like something anyone wants to see happen at a party in his honor?” Sunset asked with deathly seriousness.

“Yikes, point taken,” Pinkie said, making a mental note to get one of the guys into a costume for any future parties.

There was a brief, awkward silence as the group dwelled on the nightmarish scenario, until Pinkie spoke up again, “What’s it like being Ginga?”

Sunset paused to think about it. Whenever she Lived into a monster, it was like she was in the driver’s seat and piloting the monster like it was some kind of robot. However, when it came to Ginga, it was different.

“It’s like I’m being merged with something great and I’m not fighting alone. It’s like he’s there with me, guiding me,” Sunset confessed.

“Oooooo, sounds neat,” Pinkie said.

“It is. I admit, I wasn’t too keen when I first found the Ginga Spark and met Taro-”

“Wait, is that why you ran screaming from Mrs. Harshwhinny’s class a few days ago?” Lightning Dust interrupted, eliciting laughs from everyone except Sunset, who stared unamused at the yellow-haired girl.

“... Yes. Anyway, now, I think that finding the Ginga Spark is the best thing that… ever… happened… What?” Sunset trailed off as the group approached the school, finding a massive crowd standing in front of the main entrance.

“What’s going on? Did the real Anon-A-Miss come clean?” Trixie suggested, confused.

“With this many people? Not likely,” Wallflower said.

“Wallflower, think you can get in there and overhear what’s going on?” Sunset asked.

“What? Why me?”

“Think of it as being our scout and spymaster; you’re better at not being noticed,” Sunset explained.

Wallflower frowned. While she hated being overlooked and being easily forgotten, it did come in handy whenever she needed to find something out unnoticed. She was so unnoticeable that nobody even knew she was present until she spoke up, only to be forgotten soon after. They even forgot her name not five minutes after she told it to them. It did annoy her when classmates who she’d known since elementary school and middle school forgot she even existed, but now was not the time to complain. Sunset acknowledged her talent, so she was going to put it to good use.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” she said.

“It’s okay, Wally, I’ll throw you a party after school,” Pinkie said, before remembering what she and Sunset talked about, “To your specifications, of course.”

“Just buy me a desert at Sugarcube Corner later and we’re good,” Wallflower smiled. She walked into the crowd and began listening.

“Can you believe he’s coming here?” one girl squealed.

He? Wallflower noted, Who is coming here?

“I heard that it has something to do with Ultraman Ginga,” another girl said.

Hm, a fan maybe? But this still doesn’t tell us anything, Wallflower thought.

“Oh yeah, wasn’t Rarity working on something before Anon-A-Miss started?” yet another girl said.

So, someone connected to Rarity and the fashion industry, Wallflower concluded.

“Yeah, Rarity is absolutely convinced she could marry Trenderhoof. Ha, fat chance, that gold-digging hussy,” another girl spitefully said.

Okay, I think that’s enough for us to work with, Wallflower thought, and returned to her friends.

Sunset noticed Wallflower approaching and asked, “So, what’d you find out?”

“Well, it seems that there’s a celebrity coming to school,” Wallflower said, “Some guy named Trenderhoof.”

“Huh? Wait, HE’S ACTUALLY SHOWING UP!?” Sunset exclaimed in shock.

The other girls turned to Sunset with raised eyebrows.

“You knew about this?” Lightning Dust asked.

“NO! I mean Rarity had been going on about him before Anon-A-Miss started, but I didn’t think he would actually show up,” Sunset said.

“Wow, he really could not have picked a worse time, could he?” Pinkie snarked.

“He must have already been on his way to Canterlot since before the monsters appeared,” Trixie said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “And now he’s interested in seeing Ginga in person.” She turned to smile slyly at Sunset.

“Oh, I hope nothing happens while he’s here,” Fluttershy fretted.

“Hang on, I thought-,” Wallflower started, but Pinkie cut her off.

“Just because we’re not on speaking terms, doesn’t mean we want Rarity to fail, Wally.”

“Pinkie’s right Wallflower, we still want the best for her, even if right now, she wouldn’t say the same for me,” Sunset said, “Unfortunately, I feel like this is going to be a disaster.”

“Geez, ominous,” Lightning Dust said sarcastically, “Come on Sunset, not everyday is going to need Ultraman.”

Sunset sighed, “I guess. Let’s get out of here before we’re noticed.” Her crew nodded, and with that, they removed themselves from the proceedings.

*////*

Trenderhoof stepped out of his limousine to the raucous cries of his adoring fans. He had made it, he had reached Canterlot, and could begin what he had come here to do. Sure the cover story was that he was there to look into the designs of one ‘Rarity Belle,’ but his true purpose for being there, was to find someone. A red and gold haired goddess of a woman, that had appeared as the model in one of the pictures of Rarity’s line of clothing. That image had set his heart aflame, and he knew then, that he had to meet this girl, but first he had to find her. This Rarity woman has worked with her in the past, so she must know who she is, therefore, his first stop was to meet with the fashionista.

*////*

All over MyStable and Haytube were images and videos of the mysterious silver giant Ultraman Ginga. He had become an overnight viral sensation since his first sighting. Videos of his first battle at CHS had been posted thousands of times, each with an action-packed soundtrack.

During Home Economics, Pinkie Pie decided to bake a cake in honor of Ultraman Ginga. It just looked too beautiful to eat, yet it was also too delicious not to eat. However, memories of the previous night began playing through her head, and she found herself unable to bring herself to eat it.

Noticing this, Applejack spoke up, “Hey, Pinkie? You okay?”

As though waking up, Pinkie flinched, “Wha-huh? Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

Applejack stared at her blankly, “Ultraman Ginga flew off with ya after the big fella turned ya back to normal. What happened to ya?”

Pinkie Pie needed to come up with a believable lie. Thankfully, one of her greatest skills was making stuff up on the spot. She just needed to add in a dash of truth.

“Well, Ginga put me down near where I lived and I went home,” Pinkie Pie answered. “I really needed a rest after what happened. I’m just glad nobody’s mad at me for turning into a party monster and forcing them all to party.”

“Well, you were possessed by that thing you turned into,” Applejack reasoned.

Pinkie Pie did not mention the Ginga Gang, especially Sunset. She knew Applejack was too stubborn to listen to anybody that Sunset was not Anon-A-Miss without proof.

“How’s Rainbow Dash? I need to apologize to her,” said Pinkie Pie.

“I’d wait til she simmers down. She’s been on the warpath since yesterday and thinks Sunset’s got something to do with these weird monster attacks,” Applejack answered.

“Do you think she is?”

“I may not like the girl right now, but I doubt she’s capable of making monsters, even with magic. Just wondering, though, how did you turn into a monster?”

“Some guy named Metron gave me something after nobody came to my party,” Pinkie Pie answered.

“Metron, huh? Weird name.”

“Yeah, but he seemed so nice. Didn’t realize he was a bad guy. Listen, if he or some other guy called Icarus comes to you, please don’t listen to them,” Pinkie Pie warned her friend. “They might turn you into a monster too.”

It was not often that Pinkie Pie became serious, but whoever these guys were, they were clearly dangerous enough to warrant it. Knowing how grave the danger must be, Applejack could only say, “Okay.”

“And tell Rainbow Dash too.”

“You can tell her later at lunch.”

“Can’t. I’m having lunch with Fluttershy and Sunset.”

Applejack instantly soured at the mention of Sunset Shimmer and wanted to yell at Pinkie Pie for siding with the traitor, but she would be causing the scene. It seemed, for whatever reason, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie no longer believed Sunset was behind Anon-A-Miss. In fact, Sunset seemed to be spending more time with Trixie, Lighting Dust, and some girl in a striped sweater whose name escaped Applejack right now. Choking in her disbelief, she could only ask:

“Why?”

“Coz I wanted to.”

“No, why do you think Sunset ain’t Anon-A-Miss?”

“Coz the old Sunset when she was bad was way more subtle, don’t you think?”

“But it’s gotta be her.”

“Like it was ‘Rainbow Dash’ who texted you about bringing the soccer team to your bake sale. Just like it was ‘you’ who texted her back that the bake sale was cancelled.”

“That was Sunset-!”

“Exactly. Sunset was smart enough to make you both think you lied to each other. Anon-A-Miss just makes it looks like Sunset’s doing it all. That’s not her style. Believe it or not, just think about it, AJ, unless you don’t care that you’ll lose your friends again.”

As the bell for the next class rang out, Applejack could only stew in what she had just been told as Pinkie went and left the room.

*////*

The Ginga Gang sat at their lunch table. As Lightning Dust was sitting with them, nobody had the nerve to harass Sunset to risk provoking the athlete’s wrath. Nearby, at another table, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack could not believe it when they saw Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie sit with ‘Anon-A-Miss’.

The Rainbooms had literally been split in two now. What made the situation unbearable was that none of them could convince Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie that they were being manipulated by Sunset.

The two pink-haired girls were convinced that Sunset was innocent.

Meanwhile, after failing to find the girl he was looking for anywhere else in the school, Trenderhoof decided to simply wait for the lunch break to begin. Now he was in the cafeteria, and he could finally bring his search to an end. Fortunately, Rarity would also be here to ask for directions, and indeed, upon seeing him, she approached with confidence.

“Mr. Trenderhoof!” Rarity squealed.

“Yes, yes, I know. Thank you.” He had heard this all before from all his fans. “Can you please direct me to the girl in this picture?” He pulled out his phone and pulled up the photograph of Sunset in question.

“What? Why?”

“Oh, nevermind. I see her now. Later, dear.”

As the man strode away from Rarity, her jaw just dropped as she was so swiftly rebuffed by the man of her dreams. As her shock gave way to anger began growing, an unnoticed man in a red vest observed the event with an evil intent.

*////*

“Oh crap,” Lightning Dust suddenly cut off the current conversation, “Don’t panic girls, but Rarity’s crush is coming over here.”

“What?” Sunset asked, turning to see who Lightning was referring to, only to find Trenderhoof approaching her. He stopped in front of her and just stared, open mouthed at her. “Uhm… Can I help you?”

“You are even more beautiful in person,” Trenderhoof blurted out, startling Sunset.

“Excuse me?” Sunset asked, confused.

“Oh! My apologies, my name is Trenderhoof.”

“I’m Sunset Shimmer. I know who you are, Rarity could never stop talking about you,” she then raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean, ‘in person?”

“Well, I’ve seen you on HayTube. That performance you did during the Battle of the Bands, I saw how bright you shone. That was amazing special effects, by the way,” Trenderhoof explained. “Since then, I’ve always wanted to meet you, but never got the chance until now because of my busy schedule.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Trenderhoof,” Sunset smiled, relieved that he believed the events of the Battle of the Bands were done with visual effects. It did mean she did not need to cover up any magical events.

“I was hoping, if you were free later, that we could have dinner together.”

“He’s asking you out on a date,” Pinkie Pie whispered excitedly to Sunset.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Sunset whispered sarcastically back, “Look, Trenderhoof-”

“Please, call me ‘Trend’.”

“Okay, Trend? It’s sweet that you’re interested, but with everything going on here, I’m just not in the market for a boyfriend right now.”

Trenderhoof’s eyes widened in slight panic, “Well, perhaps not as lovers, but as friends until you’re comfortable around me?”

“No, I mean I’m not looking to date, period. Like have you seen the kind of other stuff that’s been happening here? I’m not sure anything even vaguely romantic is the best idea right now.”

Trenderhoof was crushed. Here he was, after all this time, and the girl of his dreams did not return his affections, “Okay, I understand. I’ll just, get out of your hair then.” He turned away and began walking off.

“That was brutal, Shimmer,” Lightning Dust remarked.

“Really? I mean, I was just trying to be nice and shoot him down gently. I’m really not really looking to date anybody,” Sunset replied. Honestly, with Anon-A-Miss, the monsters, and her responsibility as Ginga, dating just didn’t seem to factor in her life anymore.

“But he was so nice and handsome,” Pinkie Pie pouted. “I’d ship you two.”

Wallflower looked thoughtful.

“Sunset, are you sure rejecting him like that was a good idea?” she asked.

“Did I do something bad?” Sunset returned.

“All I’m saying, with the Dark Giant’s agents giving out Dark Dummy Sparks, anyone who’s had a bad day could be a candidate,” Wallflower answered.

“Oh, you mean like how Hawk Moth turns people into Akuma?” Pinkie Pie asked. Everyone looked at her, puzzled. “What, have you girls never watched ‘Miraculous’?”

“I’m sure he’s fine. I mean, he looks disappointed, but I’m sure he’ll bounce back,” Sunset said, dismissing Wallflower’s worries.

*////*

“Rarity, where are you off to in a hurry?” Applejack asked.

“I just need to powder my nose, darling. Excuse me.” Rarity hurried out of the cafeteria. Avoiding everybody else in the hallway, she entered the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Rarity was livid as she glared at her own reflection in the mirror above one of the sinks. First, Sunset Shimmer stole her place at the Spring Fling, then she tore apart her friendships, then she made Anon-A-Miss, and now Sunset Shimmer was trying to steal her Trenderhoof? She even had the audacity to reject him, that bitch! Did she think she was too good for him?

In her rage, she never noticed the bathroom door open.

*////*

In the hallway, Trenderhoof had collapsed against the lockers in a barely composed mess. What was he to do now? If Sunset Shimmer would not be his, what was left for him?

“Hm hm hm, never assume that something that happens, isn’t something you can blame on someone else,” a voice suddenly laughed.

Trenderhoof snapped his head up to find a big eared, small eyed man looking down at him, with a vile grin. “I’m sorry, who are you, sir. You seem a bit old to be a student.”

“You are right, hm hm hm. I am Icarus and I am a teacher here. Now would you like to know the truth about your rejection?”

Trenderhoof’s eyes widened in an instant, and he shot to his feet, “What!? You mean that there is skullduggery behind this!?”

Icarus’ grin widened, “Hm hm hm, indeed. The girl Rarity, has been desiring you for some time. As such, she has filled Shimmer’s ear with talk of how horrible a person you are, to insure that you would be all hers.”

“THAT WICKED HARLOT! I WILL SEE HER RUINED FOR THIS!”

“Hm hm, that is just what I wanted to hear! Now here,” Icarus said, holding out a black, rabbit-eared toy and purple dagger, “You will need these.”

In blind fury, Trenderhoof grabbed the objects as the dark aura engulfed him. Icarus backed up as he began fading away.

“I have a wager to win.”

*////*

The ground suddenly shook, like an earthquake, causing alarm throughout the school.

“Oh come ON!” Sunset yelled in frustration, and ran outside with her friends following her.

There, on the campus grounds, was a four legged, gold skinned reptile.

Taro, popping out of Wallflower’s bag, did not seem impressed, “... Goldon?”

“What’s with that tone?” Wallflower asked.

“Goldon is an absolutely pathetic monster. It has no ranged weapons, and it's only special ability is that it can consume gold. That, and burrowing. You might not have a lot of trouble this one as long as you aim for the neck,” Taro explained.

“So, that’s it weak spot?” Sunset could work with that.

Suddenly, another tremor shook the school, as a tower of darkness formed opposite the golden burrower, becoming a bipedal, upright, black creature with long rabbit-like ears.

“Grief Monster Hoe!” Taro gasped.

“‘Hoe’? That monster’s name is ‘Hoe’?” Lightning Dust tried not to laugh at the ridiculous name.

“What’s so funny?” Taro asked.

“‘Hoe’s’ another word for ‘whore’,” Wallflower responded, blushing.

“Oh,” Taro said, simply.

As the Ginga Gang looked at the two monsters, a tension between them became apparent.

“Wait, are they going to fight each other?” Lightning Dust asked. No sooner had she said that, the monsters charged at one another and began wrestling.

“Not good,” Sunset took out the Ginga Spark but then Fluttershy grabbed her arm.

“Sunset, are you sure you’ll be able to handle this? It’s two monsters,” Fluttershy said worriedly.

“I’ve gotta do this, Shy. There’s nobody else who can,” said Sunset. “Taro, which monster should I use for this?”

“I suggest Lunaticks. As a choju, it’s currently one of your most powerful monsters,” Taro recommended. “You’ll need its firepower against these foes. Prioritize Hoe first, that monster is the bigger threat.”

“Do your best, Sunset,” Trixie encouraged as Sunset dug out her monster’s Spark Doll from her backpack. The redhead ran behind a nearby corner of the building so she would not be seen.

ULTRA LIVE! LUNATICKS!

*////*

On a rooftop overlooking the battle, two aliens watched the ensuing mayhem.

“Really Metron. Goldon? That’s the best you could do?” Icarus was not impressed.

“Do not write me off yet you wretched bat, Sunset has yet to enter the battle,” Metron reminded. Then a light shone over the battlefield, “Speak of the Ultra.”

*////*

When Sunset entered the fray she could hear the users inside the monsters.

“HEART-BREAKING BASTARD!”

“EVIL, CONNIVING BITCH!”

“Rarity!? Trenderhoof!?” Sunset screamed in disbelief.

The two monsters stopped fighting instantly and turned to face the newcomer.

Trenderhoof froze in joy and reached Hoe’s arms out towards Lunaticks, “Sunset, my love, you came! Now we can defeat this gold digging whore together.”

Sunset’s shock immediately gave way to anger, “DON’T YOU TALK ABOUT RARITY LIKE THAT!” She then launched an eyeball at Trenderhoof, knocking Hoe down.

With her attention on Trenderhoof, Sunset failed to notice Rarity rushing up to her. Goldon leapt upon Lunaticks and bit down on her arm.

“Ow! Rarity, what are you doing!?”

“YOU STOLE MY CHANCE FROM ME!” The fashionista shrieked with rage.

Sunset tried to shake Goldon off when a blue beam of energy knocked the reptilian monster away.

“My love! Your prince has come to your rescue!”

Angered by the interference and proclamation, Rarity screamed. Her Dark Dummy Spark flashed as ot syphoned her magic.

“TAKE THIS!”

Goldon roared and fired a beam of diamond dust from its mouth. The sharp shards sliced into Lunaticks and Hoe who both howled in pain. Some of the diamond dust got in their eyes, blinding them.

“Hey, Taro! You said Goldon was useless!” Lightning yellec.

“I don’t understand! Goldon never displayed such abilities before!” Taro cried.

“Rarity must be using her magic!” Pinkie Pie correctly guessed.

Goldon roared and tackled Lunaticks and began stomping on it. Hoe recovered and kicked Goldon away. The two then engaged in a fight in the city. People screamed as they fled for their lives as the two monsters began to crush buildings underfoot.

“Sunset, you need to stop them!” Wallflower shouted as the brawling monsters were destroying Canterlot.

Sunset’s eyes narrowed as she gripped the Ginga Spark tightly. Determined to stop the two monsters, the Mark of Courage appeared on her hand. The Ginga Spark opened, releasing Ginga’s Spark Doll.

“Here we go, Ginga!”

“ULTRA LIVE! ULTRAMAN GINGA!”

Ginga emerged from a pillar of bright light, replacing Lunaticks.

“YOU’RE GINGA!” Rarity shouted in rage before firing a diamond dust beam with Goldon. Quickly, Ginga produced an energy barrier which protected him from the assault. He approached Goldon while blocking the beam.

“Sorry about this, Rarity!” Sunset apologized and she had Ginga kick Goldon in the head, multiple times, knocking the monster down and hopefully out.

“My sweet Sunset. Those crystals look beautiful on you,” Trenderhoof praised.

“Not interested! Ginga Thunderbolt!” Sunset launched the lightning attack at Hoe but they passed through the monster’s body. “Huh?”

“Be careful, Sunset. Hoe is immune to projectile attacks,” Taro warned.

“Now you tell me. OK, so no Ginga Cross Shoot then,” Sunset frowned. “I know.”

Hoe rushed at Ginga and the two grappled.

“You tried to attack me! How could you!?”

Tears fell from Hoe’s eyes and dripped onto Ginga. There was a sizzle as the liquid made contact with the Ultra’s body.

“Acid Tears!” Sunset yelled as she felt the burning sensation too. She had Ginga break away from Hoe and then land an uppercut that knocked it back before landing a kick to its midsection, sending the monster reeling back.

“Ginga Saber!”

Ginga’s crystals glowed white as he conjured a blade of pure light on his right arm. Turning his attention back to Hoe, he went for the kill. Hoe quickly ducked and then retaliated with a headbutt, knocking the Ultra back.

Thinking quickly, Trenderhoof had Hoe produced a fog which was produced from the holes in its neck. The black fog covered the area in seconds, hiding the monster from Ginga’s site

“Crap!” Sunset cursed and then let out a yell as something heavy slammed into Ginga. It was either Hoe or Goldon had gotten back up. Ginga swung his blade but missed Hoe before taking another hit from his blindside. “I can’t see him! How can I beat him if I can’t see him?” She got an idea. “Of course!”

Ginga spread his arms to the side and began to spin, rotating faster and faster until he was a spinning blur, blowing the fog away with immense centrifugal force. The fog was blown away, exposing Hoe.

“Wait, Sunset! Let’s talk about this!”

“No!” Ginga leaped at Hoe and slashed him with the Ginga Saber. “Ginga Saber Slash!”

The blade of light sliced through Hoe and it collapsed before exploding.

“Good,” Sunset then heard the Color Timer beep as it began to flash red around her. “Running out of time here.”

“Sunset, watch out!” Taro yelled right before Goldon slammed into Ginga. The gold-eating monster got on top of the Ultra and began stomping on him with its feet.

“YOU’VE RUINED EVERYTHING! THAT’S ALL YOU DO! THAT’S ALL YOU EVER DO!”

“Rarity, listen to me! This isn’t you! Please, stop!” Sunset pleaded, but her pleas reached only deaf ears as Rarity wanted to pummel her to dust. “OK, then tough love it is!”

The crystals on Ginga’s body glowed purple as the crystal on his forehead glowed the brightest.

“Ginga Slash!”

Ginga released sharp light blades from his forehead which exploded on contact, knocking Goldon back and driving the monster off Ginga. Once he got some breathing room, Ginga stood back up to face Goldon.

“This is for your own good, Rarity! Ginga Cross Shoot!”

Ginga fired his signature beam attack which destroyed Goldon as the monster erupted into a huge fireball.“

*////*

After Sunset had changed back, her group rushed into the city to find Rarity. She was eventually discovered in the ruins of one of the many buildings that had been stomped on. Sunset ran over to the unconscious girl and gingerly lifted up her head, “Rarity? RARITY!? Please! Wake up!”

Thankfully, Rarity’s eyes slowly opened as she drunkenly looked around at the girls surrounding her. Suddenly she realized who was holding her, and weakly demanded, “Get your filthy hands off me.”

Sunset flinched, “What?”

“I said, ‘get off!” Rarity weakly yelled, pushing Sunset away.

“Hey! She just saved you!” Lightning Dust said, indignant.

“She took everything from me! My dignity, my dream man, my friends, EVERY-!” Rarity began ranting while shakily standing up, but was cut off when Taro flew in front of her face.

“NOW YOU LISTEN HERE YOU UNGRATEFUL WITCH! IF SUNSET DID ANYTHING YOU ACCUSE HER OF DOING, SHE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BECOME ULTRAMAN GINGA!”

That shook Rarity’s conviction severely, but she was unwilling to lose the argument, “But-”

“Rarity,” Sunset interrupted, “Even before you guys zapped me with the Magic of Friendship, I didn’t have anything. Sure, I had power, followers, but nobody I truly cared about. I did not have any friends or warmth or anybody I trusted. But when you girls accepted me, I realized what I was missing all along. Tell me, would I really throw away something so precious just to humiliate you girls? Would I really throw away the people who call me family?”

“But you drove us apart,” Rarity reminded. “It was Twilight who brought us back together.”

“Did Sunset hold us down and force us to not talk to each other? No, that was us. All Sunset did was give us a nudge,” Fluttershy countered. “Everything that happened after we were driven apart was a result of us not talking again.”

Rarity was at a loss for words. Fluttershy was right, “But what about Trenderhoof?”

Pinkie facepalmed, “Rarity? Do you really think that Sunset meant to take him from you? It just sort of happened.”

“But, she turned him down.”

“Do you really think it’s the best idea for Sunset to be in a relationship right now?” Wallflower asked, with a flat stare.

The girl in the striped shirt had a point. With Anon-A-Miss, the monsters, and being Ultraman Ginga, Sunset likely had no time to commit to a relationship at the moment. Rarity sighed, defeated.

“C’mon, let’s get you out of here. You’re a mess and you look like you need to fix your hair and makeup,” Sunset said as she offered her hand to the fashionista.

With some hesitation, Rarity took the hand and Sunset pulled her up.

Rarity stood up and looked around at all the destruction caused by her fight with Trenderhoof. She blanched, horrified by what she was partly responsible for. Sunset already knew what she was thinking.

“It wasn’t your fault, Rarity. That Dark Dummy Spark messed with your head,” Sunset said gently, reassuringly.

“But-”

“No, you were being manipulated. Besides, it’ll take time, but people can rebuild.”

“Hope they got some damn good insurance that covers this,” Lightning Dust quipped.

As the group walked away, Rarity dared to ask the question.

“Sunset, you’re really not Anon-A-Miss, are you?”

“Well, I did pony up to help you beat the Sirens. What do you think?”

*////*

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were looking for their friends when they caught sight of the group. They felt betrayed when Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy decided to side with Sunset Shimmer, but that did not mean they stopped caring about them.

“Where could they be? When those two monsters showed up, they just sort of vanished,” Rainbow asked, barely composed. Fluttershy was her best friend. If she was hurt in the fight, she would never forgive herself.

“Ah’m sure they’re fine, Rainbow. Ah’m more worried about where Rarity went. She went into the girls’ bathroom then never came out,” Applejack placated, badly. “Ya don’t think one of those monsters was her do ya?”

“These days AJ? Who knows,” Rainbow flippantly responded.

“It’s jus’ Pinkie told me something in home economics that bothers me.”

“Really? What?”

“That Sunset ain’t making the monsters, some guys named Metron and Icarus are.”

Rainbow stopped walking and turned to Applejack with a glare, “Yeah? And how do you know they’re not connected to Sunset?”

“Ah don’t, but Pinkie talked like she had met them before and was terrified.”

“All the more reason to stop Sunset and fix the school.”

“How? Sunset is the one with the journal, and with Fluttershy and Pinkie with ‘er we can’t use the friendship lazer.”

“THEN WE’LL FIGURE SOMETHING OUT!” Rainbow Dash screamed, fed up with, what she perceived as, Applejack’s whining.

As the two girls stared each other down, the friends they had been searching for walked out of one of the destroyed buildings. Noticing them, Rarity turned to the Ginga Gang and said something that Rainbow and Applejack could not hear, before approaching them.

“Hello there darlings,” Rarity said, weakly.

“Rarity? Why were you with her?” Applejack asked in shock.

“Don’t you dare, Rarity, DON’T YOU DARE!” Rainbow snarled, knowing what was happening.

“Yes, I believe Sunset.”

“BUT-!”

“Applejack, Rainbow Dash, please respect my decision,” Rarity interrupted.

“But Rarity, she’s bad news!” Rainbow Dash tried to reason with Rarity.

“Really? I’m starting to doubt it,” Rarity told them.

“But Anon-A-Miss-” Applejack started.

“Sunset has everything to lose and nothing to gain from Anon-A-Miss. Even back when she ruled the school, everything she did had a goal besides to amuse herself. She wanted power, influence, praise. Anon-A-Miss just seems too juvenile for her,” Rarity interrupted again.

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash fell silent, but of course neither was budging from the ‘Anon-A-Miss is Sunset’ train.

“Just think about it: If Sunset had truly not changed, would she have helped us against the Sirens? Would she have accessed the Magic of Friendship to Pony Up?”

*////*

“Hey, if beating up your friends is the only way you can get them to listen to you, you should try that with Dash and Applejack,” Lightning Dust suggested.

“I’m not gonna beat up my friends, Dust,” Sunset sighed.

“Your choice, but just consider it. People tend to listen when they can’t walk away or push you away,” Lightning Dust winked.

Sunset sighed, “Even if I did try that, I wouldn’t be able to do much because outside of Ginga, I am a terrible fighter. Why do you think I avoided getting physical when I was a rampaging bitch?”

That caused the gang to pause. “Really?” Trixie asked.

“Ginga was guiding me in the fight,” Sunset answered. “All those moves, they were his.”

“Wow, so if anyone started swinging right now, you would fold like a piece of paper?” Lightning Dust asked.

“Well, Ginga did teach me a few moves already. I should be able to handle myself now.”

“That, and I’m right here,” Taro added, causing the girls to begin laughing.

Sunset then noticed Trenderhoof crawling out of his own ruined building, and into the street, Um, girls? Could you give me a moment?”

“Huh? Yeah sure,” Pinkie said.

“Thanks.” Sunset said, and began walking over to Trenderhoof, “Hey Trend.”

“Sunset,” Trenderhoof whispered, “What did I do wrong? What did I do, to make you hate me so?”

Sunset sighed, “Really? You’re still on about that? Okay, look, Trend, some advice from girl to guy: Girls, don’t like guys who come off as desperate. You ran here, from who knows where, for a girl you never met, confident that she could never say no, and then had no clue what to do when she did say no. Does that sound even remotely sensible?”

Trenderhoof paused at that, “Well, when you put it like that, it does sound rather daft.”

“Ya think?” Sunset snapped, before calming herself, “I don’t hate you, Trend. It’s just, with the monsters, and Anon-A-Miss, and my responsibilities as Ginga, I don’t have enough room on my plate for a relationship as well.”

With all these problems laid out in front of him, Trenderhoof sighed, “I suppose I can accept that.”

“Good to hear,” Sunset said, and began walking back to her friends.

“Sunset,” Trenderhoof spoke up again, “After everything is over, do you think that maybe, I could have another shot?”

Sunset mulled the question over for a moment before saying, “We’ll see.” When Sunset reached her gang, she found that Rarity had finished with Rainbow and Applejack, and for some reason Wallflower was giving her a smug smile, “What?”

“Told you so.”

“Wha...?”

“I told you refusing him would come back to bite us.”

“D’oh!” The girls the gang began laughing once again.

*////*

“YOU DAMN CHEATER!” Icarus shrieked.

“Why what’s wrong Icarus? Where has your confidence gone?” Metron said smugly, finally having wiped the bat’s own smug demeanor off its face.

“WHAT’S WRONG!? YOU KNEW THAT GIRL COULD ALTER GOLDON’S ABILITIES!”

“I didn’t know she could, I just thought it possible that she could.”

“Grrrr that-that-that-

“SILENCE!” A new voice growled out, causing both Metron and Icarus to snap to attention.

“MY LORD!” they said in unison.

“HOLD YOUR TONGUES!” The voice boomed again, “YOU TWO, THREW ONE OF THE PRIMARY REASONS ANON-A-MISS EVEN EXISTS INTO THE LINE OF FIRE! AND FOR WHAT REASON, I ASK!? BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD WIN SOME CONTEST FOR MY FAVOR!?” The voice laughed humorlessly, “UNDERSTAND THIS YOU TWO! I GAVE YOU LIFE, I CAN JUST AS EASILY TAKE IT AWAY, NOW CEASE THIS PISSING CONTEST AND DO WHAT I MADE YOU TO DO! A POWERFUL NEW SPARK DOLL HAS APPEARED, AND I WANT YOU TWO TO ACQUIRE IT FOR ME! DO NOT FAIL ME!”

As the aliens’ master disappeared, the pair realized just how hard they had screwed up.

Author's Note

Next time:

Tensions between Rainbow and Sunset are at an all time high as the enemy makes its move. Meanwhile, the delinquent Gilda finds a strange toy on her smoking corner, that Sunset wants for some reason. With everything pointing toward disaster, with Sunset be able to keep up her secret?

Yeah, next chapter title is a work in progress.

So, Goldon and Hoe.

Goldon dates back to the original Ultraman, while Hoe comes from Ultraman 80.
In case you thought I was exaggerating Taro's reaction for comedy, keep in mind that there were two Goldon in his episode, and one was killed by the humans.
Hoe gained the ability to create fog fairly recently in Ultraman Orb.

Until next time, farewell.

Interlude: The Do Over

The Ginga Gang were having a slumber party at Sunset’s. Originally, the Rainbooms planned to have sleepovers at each of their houses with Sunset’s place being the last. Unfortunately, Anon-A-Miss ruined those plans. Fortunately, with some encouragement from Rarity and Pinkie, Sunset was convinced to host a slumber party.

Sunset lived alone, which was surprising. How did she manage to find a place for herself and afford the rent?

The various Spark Dolls Sunset had collected were arranged neatly on a shelf. They looked like a kid’s toy collection, but appearances could be deceiving. These were actual monsters who had been turned into dolls and had their consciousness sealed.

Currently, the Ginga Gang were being astounded and amazed by the Great and Powerful Trixie! (tm)

“For my first trick, I request the assistance of a volunteer!” Trixie wore a set of purple pajamas decorated by moons and starts. She also had her cape on and her magician’s hat, holding a wand in her hand.

Her captive audience watched, and Pinkie Pie raised her hand, waving excitedly.

“Me! Pick me! Me!”

“Alright, come up on stage, Miss!” Trixie called and Pinkie skipped over to the magician. With a flourish, Trixie removed her cape and draped it over Pinkie Pie, covering her from the top of her head to her knees. “Now, I’ll wave my magic wand and with the magic words I shall make my volunteer disappear! Abracadabra!”

Trixie pulled away her cape and Pinkie Pie was gone. Her audience applauded.

“Shit, where’d she go?” Lightning asked. She wore a black tank top and green track pants for pajamas.

Trixie stepped over to Sunset’s closet and opened it, revealing Pinkie Pie as confetti exploded from the closet.

“Ta-dah!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

“That’s my line,” Trixie whispered, annoyed, but she put on a good-natured smile as she bowed. “Thank you, you’ve all been a lovely audience!”

“So, this is a human slumber party,” Taro remarked. He was the only male in the room, but since he was a Spark Doll, there was no problem.

“Yeah, they’re pretty fun,” Sunset said, but the slumber party made her remember what happened during the last one. It was after that one she was accused as Anon-A-Miss. Thankfully, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and now Rarity had turned around, convinced she was innocent. After they managed to bring Rarity up to speed regarding Ginga, the Ginga Spark, the Spark Dolls, aliens and the Dark Giant, they revealed their suspicion of Anon-A-Miss’ true identity to the fashionista. Naturally, Rarity was quick to defend her little sister, but when presented with the evidence, Rarity decided she would keep an eye on Sweetie Belle, and maybe even wait for a chance to check her phone or computer.

Sunset looked over at Wallflower and noticed that she seemed to be thinking,

“Hey, ‘Flower, what’s up?”

“Huh?” Wallflower flinched out of her thoughts, “Sorry, I was just, thinking about Metron and Icarus.”

“Why?” Trixie asked.

“Well, we’ve always just assumed that they were working together, but today we had two Dark Dummy Spark users fighting each other,” Wallflower answered. “Doesn’t that seem odd?”

“So? Rarity and Trenderhoof just went nuts,” Lightning Dust said.

“Usually, it’s always been one at a time,” Wallflower reminded.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sunset agreed and she snapped her fingers. “Aha, I got it!”

“What?” Fluttershy asked.

“They might have been made by the Dark Giant, but they’re still individuals. They likely don’t like each other very much, so they were probably fighting between themselves,” Sunset concluded.

“So I was just a pawn in their game?” Rarity gasped.

“Sorry Rarity, but it seems that way. Anyway, has Anon-A-Miss posted anything?” Sunset asked.

“They’ve gone oddly quiet,” Trixie said as she checked MyStable on her phone. “But you’re trending right now.”

“Me, or Ginga?”

“Ginga,” Trixie corrected.

“I thought so,” Sunset said, downcast. Suddenly, she thought of a topic to lighten the mood, “Hey Taro.”

“Yes, Sunset?”

“You’ve told us about the history of your planet, but what about you? What was your job there?”

“Ooooo, that’s a good one, tell us, tell us!” Pinkie Pie excitedly cheered.

“Well, I was a teacher,” Taro confessed, “More specifically, a combat instructor.”

“What about before that?” Trixie asked.

“I had a lot to live up to as my parents were the second highest authority in the Ultra Space Garrison: the Mother and Father of Ultra. I was trained very hard by my father.”

“Why were they called that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well their real names are Ultraman Ken and Ultrawoman Marie. My father gained his title in the time that Planet Ultra was conquered by Alien Empera. In a final duel with the invader, my father struck down the invader, but was wounded in the process. My mother was the medical officer assigned to him, and they grew close in the time he was there, eventually marrying.”

“Aw,” Fluttershy squealed.

“How romantic,” Rarity swooned.

“So where does Ultraman King fit into the story?” Lightning Dust asked.

“I believe you are confused by his name,” Taro said, “Despite being called ‘King’, he is not the king of Planet Ultra. He is far older, older even than the Plasma Spark, godly even. Before he appeared to Ultraman Leo, no Ultra had ever actually seen him in the flesh. He’s like a cross between the Earth’s gods, and Equestria’s Princesses. He stays out of the Ultra’s affairs for such long periods that it can make one wonder if he truly exists, yet, like the Princesses, he is real. Someone you can see and touch. It is the highest honor for an Ultra to be trained by him.”

“Wow,” Sunset gasped in awe, “He must be one hell of a teacher.”

“Indeed, one need look no further than Ultraman Zero for proof of King’s talent. Zero was the son of my ally Ultraseven, and very nearly the next Ultraman Belial. However, Ultraseven caught him before he could touch the Plasma Spark, and managed to negotiate with King to train Zero into something better. When Belial was freed from the Space Prison by an Alien Zarab, it was Zero that defeated him, where previously only King could perform the feat.”

Sunset could only gape at this. What could this Ultraman King teach Princess Celestia? Perhaps if he had, she would be more upfront in her teaching, and rely less on others to fix her problems.

“Um, not to intrude,” Fluttershy interjected, “But we have gone off topic; we were asking Taro about himself.”

“Oh, yes,” Taro cleared his throat, “When I was a young Ultra, my primary ambition was to join the Ultra Brothers, the most elite group of warriors on Planet Ultra. At the time its members included: Ultraman Zoffy, Ultraman, Ultraseven, Ultraman Jack, and my adoptive brother Ultraman Ace. However, my father was rather protective, and hesitant to allow me to join a force that primarily takes on the most dangerous missions at such a young age. Fortunately, an opportunity arose when my father’s old enemy, Juda, began to revive. The wicked creature created a monster called Grand King, that was mightier than all the Ultra Brothers together, leading my mother to call for my aid. I, with the help of my comrades, defeated the monster, thereby securing my place with the Ultra Brothers.”

“Woooo! Way to go Taro!” Pinkie Pie cheered, throwing a handful of confetti into the air.

“Why thank you Miss Pie. When it was my time to protect Earth, I was bonded to a human, Kotaro Higashi. Unlike most of my brothers, I did not remain bonded to Kotaro. Indeed, for my remaining time on Earth I fought most of my battles without a human host. After my time was over, I returned to Planet Ultra to take up combat instruction, even gaining a star pupil in Ultraman Mebius. And with that, my story ends.”

“Wait, you guys have been here before?” Trixie asked, “Then how come Trixie has never heard of you guys until now?”

“Likely the same reason the only monsters that have appeared until now were Equestrian, different universes,” Sunset summed up.

“Oh,” all participants at the slumber party drawled out.

“So! Who wants to play some games!?” Pinkie Pie loudly chirped, bringing the party back into full swing.

*////*

Meanwhile, in a gym, Rainbow Dash was working out some frustration. It was a half-hour until closing time, so she decided to use what time she had left to blow off some steam. The girl was furious as she delivered punch after brutal punch, imagining Sunset Shimmer in place of the punching bag.

First Fluttershy, then Pinkie Pie, and now Rarity. They all believed that Sunset was not Anon-A-Miss.

Sunset Shimmer had turned her friends against herself and Applejack. Now the Rainbooms were down to two. This steamed Rainbow Dash, especially after Rarity left them with several questions.

FLASHBACK...

“Sunset did help us beat the Sirens...” Applejack said thoughtfully.

“Applejack, not you too!” Rainbow Dash yelled in frustration.

“But it’s true!”

“It was an act!”

“She ponied up!”

“Well, she tricked us!”

“I don’t think so. I think we’re being tricked but I doubt it’s her doing the tricking.”

“Applejack, she’s just using these monster attacks to turn our friends against us.”

“You, Dash. She’s turning our friends against you. That’s what you believe. I don’t care what you think, but I’m not in the mood to lose my friends again.”

END FLASHBACK…

With that memory, Rainbow delivered a particularly savage punch to the bag. With all the BS with losing those three, now Applejack was thinking about bailing on her.

“WHY WON’T THEY LISTEN TO ME!?”

With that scream, Rainbow delivered a final punch to the punching bag. The punch was so strong that her fist literally pierced the punching bag.

“Wow, Dash. Did this punching bag piss you off or something?” Gilda asked commented

Gilda Griffin was Rainbow Dash’s childhood friend. An older girl, Gilda had graduated last year. She came to this gym nearly as often as Rainbow Dash. With brown skin, a muscular and athletic physique that was showed off in a black sports bra and matching shorts, Gilda possessed an attractive Amazoness figure. Her white hair with purple highlights was pulled into a ponytail and she wore earrings on each ear.

Rainbow huffed as she withdrew her fist from the damaged punching bag, “I wish. Rarity decided to side with Sunset today, and now I think Applejack is about to join her.”

Gilda sighed and rolled her eyes , “Of course it’s something about Sunset.”

“I mean, am I the only one who can see that Sunset is somehow connected to the monsters?”

“Who said she has to be connected to the monsters?”

“Dammit Gil, NOT YOU TOO!”

“WAIT A DAMN SECOND! I was going to say that she could be connected to Ginga for all you know. But what else should I expect from Rainbow ‘Bulldog’ Dash? Once an idea gets in your head, you latch on and refuse to let go, no matter how stupid or dangerous.”

Rainbow Dash snapped her head to Gilda with a snarl, “No I don’t!”

“Really? What about when Sunset convinced you that Applejack was trying to screw you over before Twilight set you straight? Or does that not count somehow?” Gilda challenged.

“Once they realize how wrong they were they’ll be begging me for forgiveness.”

“And what if you’re the one who’s wrong?”

Rainbow Dash never had patience for lengthy arguments, and even less when it was a losing one, “You know what Gil? I don’t have to take your shit, get lost.”

“Fine,” Gilda shrugged, knowing that if she disagreed with Rainbow, anything she said would fall on deaf ears. “But, if it does seem like you’re wrong, you’ll be the one begging for forgiveness.” And with those words, Gilda went to the locker room to take a shower and get changed.

“No, I’m right,” Rainbow Dash insisted. “I...I gotta be...”

*////*

Dressed in warm winter clothing, Gilda went out the backdoor of the gym for a smoke in the alley. As she was lighting up her cigarette, she was startled by a crash of metal against the ground. Looking over, she spotted a cat run out of the alley and saw a trash can that was knocked over. She let out a sigh of relief and continued to light her cigarette when something on the ground caught her eye. Putting away her lighter, Gilda curiously went to inspect it and pick it up.

“What’s this?” Gilda questioned herself as she examined it. It looked like a dinosaur action figure. Back when she was a little kid, while other little girls were playing with dolls, she liked dinosaurs, however with that hobby, came knowledge, and she was fairly sure that they did not look like this one. “Weird, but you’re pretty cool looking. I think I’ll keep you.” She would clean it up at home since it had been in the trash.

As she began to walk away, a certain pair of aliens were observing her.

“Did you see that, Icarus?”

“Yes, hm hm hm. I see why master wants this Doll now.”

“Unfortunately, it seems we have failed, another has beaten us to it.”

“Oh, Metron, hm hm hm, where you see failure, I see opportunity.”

“How?

“Hm hm hm, didn’t you feel it? The darkness within that girl’s heart? Why take the Doll, when that user already has one?”

Metron stroked the closest thing he had to a chin in thought, “Hm… Now that you spell it out, I think you might be onto something. Let us fall back for now, wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise for Ginga, would we?”

“Hm hm hm, I think that, for once, we are in agreement,” Icarus said, and with that, the pair teleported away.

*////*

Back at the slumber party, the Ginga Gang were in the middle of watching ‘Krampus’ when the doorbell rang.

“That must be the pizza!” Pinkie Pie cheered. They had ordered pizza over a half hour ago.

“Hey, since they’re late, the pizza’s free!” Lightning Dust added, grinning.

Yes, it was free, but Sunset was not going to use that excuse to avoid paying for the pizza as the delivery person was only late by five minutes. After all, it was probably challenging to deliver in this weather and the guy did deliver all the way to her place. She would pay the full price since it was free.

“I’ll get it!” Sunset went over to the door with the money and opened it. She paused when she saw who it was on the other side.

“Evening, Sunset.”

“APPLEJACK!?” The volume of Sunset’s exclamation caught the attention of the entire apartment.

Lightning Dust was on her feet and at the door so fast that one could believe she used magic to achieve it, “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here, cowgirl.”

The usual strength and confidence the farmgirl displayed often was noticeably absent, “Whoa there, I didn’t-”

“Come here looking for a fight? Then what do you call what happened a few days ago? Do you honestly expect me to think that you could just change, when you’re still hanging around that freakin’ psycho Rainbow Dash?”

“Now if you could jes’-”

Lightning made another attempt to cut off Applejack but Sunset put a hand on her shoulder, “Lightning, please? I can handle this.” Lightning Dust backed off, but maintained her glare at the farmgirl. “But she has a point, what in Tartarus made you think I would want to talk to you after what you pulled five days ago?”

“Yer talkin’ to Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie now, ain’t cha?”

“That’s different. Circumstances brought us back together, but you’re still an unknown element.”

Applejack was not liking her chances of winning Sunset over, “Sunset please, jes’ give me a chance to explain!”

“Like the chance you gave me?”

Inside, the girls and little Ultra cringed.

“Ooh, burn,” Pinkie whispered.

Applejack also cringed, Sunset had her there. “Okay Sunset, point made. Ah’ll jes’...” Applejack turned and began walking away, crushed.

When she had reached several steps away, Sunset suddenly called out, “Hey!” Applejack turned to her, “You really want to apologize!? Fine! You have one chance to explain yourself.” Applejack eyes started filling with hope, but then Sunset added, “However, you’ll have to do it like you’re delivering a marriage proposal. On one knee and everything.”

Applejack immediately acquired a flat stare, yet could not hold it against Sunset to want to embarrass her after she left Sunset crying in the hallway. ‘Well, ah made this bed, might as well lie in it.’

Anon-A-Miss had created a rift in their friendship ever since those pictures were posted. Since then, the monsters appeared, and everything began to change. First, Fluttershy decided Sunset was innocent, then Pinkie, and now Rarity. Applejack still wasn’t 100 percent sure, but after Rarity told her and Rainbow off, the cowgirl decided to stop and think. She realized that Anon-A-Miss really did not help Sunset gain anything. In fact, it was quite the opposite, actually.

If Applejack wanted any chance to repair their friendship, then she was willing to posture herself. She might be stubborn as a mule, but even she had limits to how pigheaded she could be. Rainbow, however, did not want to hear any of it, so that was why Applejack decided to go and meet with Sunset by herself.

Applejack sighed and walked over to the redhead, then dropped to one knee, but then she noticed that Sunset had assumed a posture akin to an eager fiancee, “Ah know yer tryin’ to embarrass me, but could ya not look so into it?”

“Nope,” came the simple reply.

Applejack sighed again, and decided to just get it over with. The only way Sunset could make this worse was to record it and then post it online, but Applejack knew that she would not. As doubtful as Applejack was about Sunset being guilty or innocent, the redhead had no need to humiliate the cowgirl further.

“Sunset Shimmer, I’ve been nothing but a stubborn fool. When I saw those pictures on Anon-A-Miss, I just lost my temper and didn’t think clearly enough. It just seemed so obvious. But now, after I cooled down, and actually think about it, I realize it just ain’t your style to humiliate somebody without gaining something. I mean, yeah, you did enjoy humiliating people, but you always got something out of it. After Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity changed their minds about you, I realize I risk losing all of my friends because of my stupid pigheadedness.

So, will you please do me the honor of forgiving this darn fool and accepting my apology? Please, Sunset Shimmer, will you forgive me?”

Silence briefly reigned until Sunset began snickering, “And you said I was into it? Come here you.” Taking Applejack’s hand and pulling her into a hug, “Just showing up was enough for me.”

“Ah was hoping,” Applejack said, “Could ah come inside? It’s mighty chilly out here.”

“Fine, come inside. We got pizza coming. You want any?” Sunset asked.

“Nah, ah’m not intending to stick around,” Applejack replied, “Wouldn’t want to intrude on yer party.”

“C’mon, the more the merrier!” Pinkie Pie chimed as she popped up from behind Sunset.

“Yeah, she’s right. It’s my party and you’re invited, AJ,” Sunset smiled.

“Trust me, ah’d like to, but there’s still things that need doin’ at the farm, and ah don’t wanna leave Applebloom alone.”

Applejack was welcomed inside to warm up. She talked with Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, reconnecting despite the rift created by Anon-A-Miss. When the pizza came, Applejack decided to have a slice.

When it was time for Applejack to go, Sunset saw her off at the door.

“We’ll talk later at school then,” Sunset said with a smile

“Sure. Oh, but ya might wanna be careful at school, Sunset. Dash’s on a warpath to prove you’re up to no good.”

Sunset’s good mood vanished in a heartbeat, “She… Thinks I have something to do with the monsters, doesn’t she?”

“Yep, but there’s no way she’s right about that, right?”

Sunset hesitated, unsure of how much she should say about her involvement with Ultraman Ginga. It was surprising that Applejack did not comment on the Spark Dolls she had displayed on her shelf. Applejack should’ve noticed their resemblance to the monsters that had appeared recently. She should’ve been very suspicious.

Sunset looked around her apartment at her guests for reassurance, but they were just as unsure as she was about how to answer. “Um, Applejack could we hold off this conversation until tomorrow? Nothing against you, it’s just I need to think about how to respond to that.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, but otherwise did not show any further suspicion, “Okay.”

‘Great now I’m losing her again,’ Sunset thought. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Applejack asked.

“I’m… Ultraman Ginga,” Sunset confessed.

The Gang gasped, Sunset had just blown the lid off of their operations, and now all they could do was wait to see Applejack’s reaction.

“Wait, what? Say what again?”

“I. Am. Ultraman. Ginga.”

Applejack should be laughing, thinking it was a joke, but the look on Sunset’s face told her that she was deadly serious.

“Really, Sunset. Don’t joke about somethin’ like that.”

“It’s no joke,” Taro said as he floated over and stood on Sunset’s shoulder.

“Aaaahhh!!!” Applejack screamed and all of a sudden punched the tiny Ultra right off Sunset’s shoulder. He yelled as he was sent soaring but Wallflower Blush caught him.

“Are you OK, Taro?” Wallflower asked.

“Yes, thank you for catching me, Wallflower.”

Applejack was currently having the biggest panic attack of her life, “WHY IS THAT TOY TALKING!? IS THIS MAGIC!? THIS LOOKS LIKE MAGIC!”

“It kinda is...” Sunset wasn’t sure how to tell Applejack, but Pinkie Pie decided to interject.

“Well, after we thought Sunset was Anon-A-Miss she ran into Wallflower and Taro. Then Sunset used the Ginga Spark to change into a monster - Sadola here - and then Trixie showed up but she was this monster - Lunaticks. Sunset-Sadola and Trixie-Lunaticks fought but then Sunset used the Ginga Spark to become Ultraman Ginga. Then Lightning Dust turned into a monster, then I turned into a monster, then Rarity turned into a monster, and Sunset fought us to save us. Oh, and then there’s these two aliens, Icarus and Metron, who are turning people into monsters so now we gotta stop them before the city is destroyed!” Pinkie explained quickly in a single breath.

“Uh…” Applejack drew out in a prolonged noise that could barely be called a response as she tried to process everything she just heard.

“Basically, yes, I’m involved with the monsters as far as stopping them goes,” Sunset summarised.

“Well, that would explain those action figures you’ve got on the shelf. I just thought it was just a weird coincidence,” Applejack responded.

“Nope, they are actual living beings turned into toys by a literal colossal D-bag,” Lightning Dust said.

“So, monsters and aliens, huh? Is that what you’ve been dealing with since Anon-A-Miss?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, but it’s a good thing I’m not dealing with it alone anymore,” Sunset answered.

“Sorry about that, Sunset,” Applejack said regretfully.

“Look, you apologized and I’m glad you came around. Let’s just move on from that.”

“So, these alien guys are turning people into monsters, huh? How is that possible?”

“With something like this,” Sunset said as she showed Applejack her Ginga Spark. “They’re using cheap knockoffs of my Ginga Spark and Spark Dolls to make people into monsters. And with Anon-A-Miss at large, they’ve got a large pool to choose from.”

“Oh,” Applejack said before the implications set in, “OH! Oh that ain’t good. Do y’all have any idea who it is yet?”

“They think it’s our sisters that made the account,” Rarity said. Applejack’s eyes practically popped out of their sockets as her jaw dropped. She had a look of denial and disbelief, which was understandable.

“No...no way. Bloom would never be part of this,” Applejack shook her head.

“Perhaps that’s what she’s counting on,” snorted Lightning Dust. “Nobody wants to believe their own family is capable of doing them wrong until they see proof.”

“We don’t even know if they are the culprits, or if they are, to what extent. Given the nature of our enemies, we cannot rule out that Icarus and Metron aren’t involved somehow,” Taro placated.

“That still ain’t exactly reassurin’. ‘Cause what ah’m hearin’ is either my sister is a cyber bully, or has an alien’s knife at ‘er throat,” Applejack said.

“Metron and Icarus don’t use knives. They are far more likely to threaten them with total vaporization,” Taro stated.

Wallflower flicked the back of the tiny Ultra’s head as Applejack launched into another panic attack, “Not. Helping.”

“Ah. Ah. Ah need to go. Ah’ve got to help her!” Applejack screamed, rushing for the door, but was frozen in place by a cry of-

“ULTRA PSYCHOKINESIS!”

Applejack stopped moving immediately by the little man’s psychic power.

“Do not act so recklessly,” Taro advised.

“He’s right,” Sunset added, “Rushing in there to ‘save’ your sister, will only serve to alert Icarus and Metron, likely getting her killed. Or if they aren’t involved, spook Applebloom into deleting the account, removing our evidence and leaving me the only suspect forever.”

“So what should I do?” Applejack asked, feeling helpless, a feeling which she hated.

“For now, just wait and see,” Sunset suggested.

Applejack kept panting in worry, she wanted to save her sister, but doing so would only put her in more danger, what else could she do but agree with Sunset, “Okay.”

“And there is one other thing...”

“Yes, Sunset. You’re back to being invited to my place for the Christmas party.”

The two hugged, Sunset finally glad that she reconciled with all but one of her friends. Convincing Rainbow Dash was going to be hard, but with most of the Rainbooms on her side, maybe, just maybe, the students would realize their mistake.

“HEY! I have an idea! Let’s take a picture for MyStable!” Pinkie Pie squealed with excitement.

“Um, are you, sure that’s a good idea with Rainbow still against Sunset?” Wallflower asked, uncertainly.

“You might just give Crash a heart attack,” Lightning Dust added with an encouraging grin. “Do it.”

“Well, I don’t see why not,” Sunset said with a shrug.

“YAY!” Pinkie Pie cheered, before gathering up the apartment’s residents in front of her phone camera and took the picture.

*////*

Rainbow Dash was alone and playing video games in her room when her phone vibrated. It was another MyStable alert. She hoped it wasn’t Anon-A-Miss posting more secrets. While she could just unfollow the profile, she still needed to see that Sunset was up to no good. In her own mind, it was her way of collecting evidence.

She paused her game and picked up her phone to check the notification. As soon as she did, her eyes widened in both shock and fury.

It was a notification on Pinkie Pie’s MyStable page and there was a picture of Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack with Sunset Shimmer together. It looked like they were having a slumber party.

The caption read: “Rainbooms Back Together”.

Rainbow Dash let out a scream of outrage and threw her phone at the wall.

Author's Note

So, the next full chapter has been taking a bit so this section was lifted to fill the space while we continue to work on it.

Hope to see you guys there.

Scavenger Hunt

The day following the slumber party found Rarity in class, distracted by her thoughts. After Applejack had left she had gotten the idea to ask Sunset about her ability to attract guys without trying.

The answer had been quite revealing.

FLASHBACK

“What?” Sunset asked, not entirely believing what she was hearing.

“You heard me, what is your secret to getting dates?” Rarity repeated.

“You’re right, I did hear you, I’m just wondering why you’re asking me about it.”

“Please darling, you managed to get Trenderhoof after you without ever speaking to him, and before Anon-A-Miss boys would approach you regularly. Come on, what’s your secret?”

Sunset seemed to become conflicted as to what to tell her until, it seemed, she got an idea, “Hey Wallflower, what do the guys say about dating Rarity?”

Wallflower, who was getting her hair braided by Fluttershy, replied as she looked at Rarity, “They wonder why you don’t just transfer to Crystal Prep.”

Sunset winced from the green girl’s bluntness, “Ouch, you could have laid it on gently at least.”

“I’m the spymaster, remember? It’s not my job to be gentle,” Wallflower casually replied. She could be subtle and savage, an odd combination.

Rarity, who had been staring at Wallflower open-mouthed, suddenly screeched, “WHAT!? WHY!?”

“Probably because you keep bringing up money whenever you talk about guys,” Lightning Dust replied from where she was playing video games with Trixie and Pinkie Pie.

“Not to mention you want someone of high social standing,” Sunset added, “How many guys fall into those categories at Canterlot High?”

Rarity blushed, “Well, fair enough, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THEY CAN’T TRY!”

Sunset shifted herself in discomfort, “Uh, yeah, see, that’s the other thing guys have a problem with. You’re… Uh... Pinkie if you were a boy, how would you describe dating Rarity?”

“Like owning an alligator. Only cool if you know how to take care of it,” Pinkie said before returning to the game.

Rarity paused, “...WHAT!?”

“She means you’re high maintenance,” Sunset clarified, really wishing her company would go easy on Rarity.

Rarity huffed in indignation, “I am NOT ‘high maintenance’.”

Suddenly the entire room became quiet, and Rarity realized, she screwed up.

“Oh really?” Sunset then did an impression of Rarity, even faking her accent. “‘Oh, my! A broken nail! This is the worst! Possible! Thing’! All I need now is a couch to collapse on. Rarity, you’re not just high maintenance, you’re melodramatic. You overreact at the tiniest thing.”

“That’s…” Rarity attempted to defend herself, but Sunset was not done.

“Or how about the fact you pack your entire house’s worth in suitcases for an overnight trip? Do you even register how unreasonable that is?”

“But-” Rarity attempted again, but to her shock, Fluttershy now joined in.

“What about your habit of dragging boys into doing favors for you without any payoff? Like those boys who helped you move the piano? It makes you look unfaithful.”

“E tu Fluttershy?” Rarity groaned, but now Pinkie dealt the final blow.

“Ooooo, what about how you always talk about what the guy can do for you? Never what you can do for him? Isn’t that kinda selfish?”

That was it, that was what finally broke her. She was just told that guys find her difficult to get along with and tiring. She could only stare absently in front of her in horror.

“Sorry, Rarity. Even if you weren’t as bad as I was, you can be a bit manipulative,” Sunset said.

“...Am I...am I a bitch?” Rarity asked worriedly.

“No, no, no,” Fluttershy said softly. “But you do act like a diva sometimes.”

“You’re not a bad person. You just need to work on improving some of your behaviors. Rather than losing your mind at a single drop of mud or sauce on a white dress, treat it as the minor annoyance it is. Rather than take all of your possessions for an overnight trip, try to condense it into a single suitcase, with only what you absolutely need. Rather than make eyes at guys to get favors out of them, then just ditching them, take a moment to get to really know them, or give them some monetary compensation so they want to help. Lastly lower your standards to something more realistically attainable, and you will find yourself far more likely to have guys approaching you more often,” Sunset finished with a smile.

Rarity lowered her eyes from Sunset in sadness, and croaked out “I suppose I could try.”

END FLASHBACK

Since then she had been thinking of some way that she could defend her behaviors, to prove her friends wrong somehow. However, no matter how she looked at the matter, the result was the same: the fault was never with the boys, it was with herself.

“Hey Rares’ whatcha thinkin’ about?” Rainbow Dash interrupted Rarity’s thoughts.

“Oh, nothing. Just how much of a fool I’ve been,” Rarity replied, not accounting for who she was speaking to.

Rainbow gave a vile grin, “So, Sunset finally admitted she’s Anon-A-Miss huh? YES! I knew she was! Did she confess to the monsters too?”

Rarity suddenly realized who she was speaking to, “Rainbow Dash! She did no such thing!”

“What!? But you said-!”

“I never said anything about Sunset. I’ve just taken a good hard look at myself and made to recognize my own flaws.”

“But, Rares, there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“I wish that were true, darling. Tell me, have I ever strung boys along to get what I want? Have I ever behaved melodramatically at something as small as a chipped nail? Do I behave like a diva?”

“Where is this all coming from? Did Sunset post something about you?” Rainbow demanded to know.

Rarity just pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand and massaged her temple with the other. She knew Rainbow Dash could be stubborn and while Applejack could rival her in that department, the athlete just was not the kind of person to admit defeat or admit she was wrong until she was backed into a corner. There should be a limit to how foolishly stubborn a person could be, but Rainbow Dash was just incapable of having such a limit. They were all worried that Rainbow Dash was just obsessed with being right about Sunset, that she was bad news, no matter what anybody said. It was almost delusional and they were worried about her mental health.

“Honestly, Rainbow Dash, you’d probably blame global warming on Sunset just because!”

“What the hell!? Why are you defending her? Last I recall, you were right there with me when we accused her!”

“That was only because you argued for it vehemently,” suddenly a thought occurred to Rarity, “Now that I think of it, why did you argue so hard for us to abandon Sunset?”

“Well, duh! She stabbed us in the back! Why shouldn’t we abandon her?”

“And sever our only link to Princess Twilight? And that’s hardly the point, you were beating that drum even before Anon-A-Miss posted anything about you. So, what is your true grievance with her?”

Rainbow became very quiet at that, confirming Rarity’s suspicions. However, before she could pry answers out of the athlete the class end bell sounded, allowing Rainbow to avoid answering Rarity’s query.

*////*

Gilda was on her way home from work. Inside her jacket pocket was the dinosaur-like figure she had found the other night. For some reason, the girl had grown attached to the figure. Well, it was a toy that reminded her of her childhood love for dinosaurs, but it was more than that. For some odd reason, Gilda felt as though it were alive.

The night she slept after finding the figure, she had a strange dream about it, only it wasn’t a 5 inch toy but instead a giant monster that had to be at least 100 feet tall. But she was not afraid, instead she was in awe of the beast.

It was also in this dream that she learned the beast’s name: “Gomora”.

Now carrying around a toy could get Gilda the wrong attention. She was an adult and she had a reputation to maintain. She did not need people talking behind her back, calling her childish or a baby who played with dolls. However, Gilda just didn’t have the heart to leave Gomora back at home.

Gilda never got into college. She just didn’t have the grades for it. Instead, she got a job as a mechanic. She was at least good at that and she made a decent living. Her boss was a decent guy. He might check her out while she’s working but he never made any rude comments or sexually harass her. He might have pervy eyes, but he was otherwise a good guy.

Right now, Gilda was craving a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows. She should make a stop at the Sugarcube Sweet Shoppe. Mrs. Cake made a really great mug of hot chocolate.

“Hey, G!” The scratchy voice of Rainbow Dash called out.

Gilda sighed, ‘Great.’ She returned the greeting, “Hey, Dash.”

Rainbow reached her delinquent friend and began walking beside her. Rainbow Dash was the last person Gilda wanted to talk to right now. Lately, Rainbow Dash was acting all obsessed and angry. It was honestly starting to scare her, though she would never admit it outright.

“So have any luck proving Sunset’s evil today?” Gilda pried.

“Tch, I thought I had her in class today, but Rarity just turned it around on me. Damn it what is happening with those girls? Just a few days ago they were all willing to back me up, but now they’ve all turned on me, and it’s pissing me off,” Rainbow ranted.

“I don’t know why you’re tellin’ me this, my thoughts haven’t changed since last night,” Gilda responded.

“Oh, come on, G! With everyone else bailing on me, you’re the only fallback I have!”

“What about the sports team? Don’t you have anyone there you can complain to?”

“Uh... Well, they started on my side, but when Pinkie’s post went up yesterday, they decided to stay out of it. Some of them even said they would join up with Sunset.”

“Maybe they got good reason to, did you think of that? What did your folks have to say about it?”

Gilda had met Rainbow Dash’s parents, Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles. Looking at them, it was easy to tell where Rainbow got her looks from as she had inherited her mom’s skin tone and her signature hair color from her dad. They were supportive of their daughter, to an embarrassing degree. Still, they were good parents. Hopefully, Rainbow Dash had gone to them for some parental advice. Then again, Rainbow’s parents likely contributed to her ego, even if their excessive show of support embarrassed her to no end.

“Yeah, they’re behind me, but that doesn’t really help, because they’d support me nose-picking if they caught me doing it.”

‘Damn it, those two are such damn pushovers. Can’t they see this blind support isn’t helping their daughter at all?” Gilda thought bitterly.

“I need the backing of the school to get rid of Sunset, but that can’t happen if people keep walking out on me,” Rainbow Dash complained.

“Look, I’m headed to Sugarcube Corner. You want anything?” Gilda offered.

“Sure, maybe I can gather some people there to help me bust Sunse- SON OF A BITCH!” Rainbow Dash suddenly screeched.

There, across the street, visible through the window of Sugarcube Corner, was Sunset Shimmer. And she was sitting in Rainbow’s seat.

*////*

The Rainbooms, sans Rainbow Dash, were seated at their usual booth in Sugarcube Corner. Wallflower, Lightning Dust, Taro and Trixie were absent. Lightning Dust didn’t say what plans she had, and Wallflower wanted to decorate her Christmas tree with Taro helping her. Trixie said that was going to the children’s hospital to perform for all the sick kids there.

When the other CHS students in the shop saw Sunset, they just glared at her but did nothing since she was in the company of the Rainbooms. This confused them. Weren’t they the ones who first believed Sunset was behind the Anon-A-Miss profile? Then why were they sitting with Sunset and acting like friends again?

School was interesting, to say the least. While Sunset was still getting glares from the student body, it was not as bad as before since she had most of her friends back and a few new ones.

The graffiti on her locker had been cleaned by the janitor so now Sunset, hopefully, did not have to look at such an eyesore again.

Her friends helped out as they went to their cliques and clubs to help to spread the word that she was innocent. There were skeptics and people on the fence, but they had no reason not to believe her friends. At least there was progress. Not everyone was against her, they were just afraid of going against the crowd. Not sure how she felt about that, but at least her time at school was no longer miserable with friends supporting her.

It was a bit awkward and tense between Sunset and the Rainbooms, at first. They did drop her without a good reason, even if it seemed she was behind Anon-A-Miss. However, they soon came around. They even realized that Sunset had too much to lose and she was smart enough as to not be so blatant as to paint an obvious target on herself with the profile. It was like the damn thing was designed to make her look guilty. It was a frame up job and they had eaten it all up. Fortunately, Sunset decided to give them another chance. Rainbow Dash still believed she was Anon-A-Miss, but Sunset had bigger things to worry about.

Right now, there was something way bigger and much worse than Anon-A-Miss at large.

“Maybe it’s one of the teachers,” Pinkie Pie suggested.

Right now, they were discussing about the Dark Giant and his agents, Metron and Icarus, when Pinkie Pie made the suggestion.

“You think a member of our school’s faculty could be the mastermind?” Rarity asked.

“It always happens in teen superhero shows,” Pinkie Pie answered. “And usually it’s the nicest one like your favorite homeroom teacher, or the school guidance counselor. Heck, in one show, it was the principal.”

While many would dismiss Pinkie Pie’s random ramblings at nonsense, more often than not, she was usually spot on so it was something to consider. Could the Dark Giant have taken possession of someone in the faculty? It would explain why there hadn’t been any action taken against Anon-A-Miss.

They would need to investigate the faculty if that were the case.

As the Rainbooms chatted between themselves, Sunset’s journal was opened in the middle.

“Yah know, thinking about it, losing you would’ve meant losing Twilight,” Applejack confessed as she looked at the journal. Besides the portal, it was their one link to their other-dimensional royal friend.

“Yeah, since Sunset has the journal, she’s the only one that can write to Twilight if we need help,” Pinkie Pie added, realizing how dumb they were.

“Relax, it’s fine,” said Sunset as she took out a pen. “Y’know, you can each write a Christmas message to Twilight.”

“Won’t she be too upset with us for what we did?” Rarity asked.

“Relax, I wrote to her already. She’s cool. She just asks that you don’t do it again or she’s coming through the portal to set you guys straight,” said Sunset. “Kinda wish Rainbow was here, though.” She wanted to patch things up with all her friends.

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?”

And speak of the devil, there was Rainbow Dash who had just walked in with Gilda. Judging by her yell, she saw them all.

Rainbow Dash made her way over to their booth, an angry scowl on her face. She just could not believe what she was seeing.

“Hey, Rainbow-” Applejack started.

“WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SITTING WITH HER!?” Rainbow Dash pointed at the ‘traitor’.

“Rainbow, we’ve spoken to Sunset-” Rarity began, only to be cut off as well.

“SHE’S NOT OUR FRIEND! SHE’S A TRAITOR! SHE SHOULDN’T BE IN MY SPOT!”

For a moment, Sunset wished she did have Ultra Psychokinesis like Taro so she could shut the irate athlete up.

Rainbow Dash felt a hand on her shoulder and would’ve decked the person in her angry state, but paused as she raised her fist.

“You’re causing a scene,” Mr. Cake said sternly as he stood behind Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth then spotted Pinkie Pie’s milkshake. She went to snatch it to throw it in Sunset’s face when Pinkie Pie snatched it up, faster than Rainbow could. The pink-haired girl sipped it all up in one go, even at the risk of a brain freeze.

“Nope! No wasting milkshakes!” Pinkie Pie chirped.

Rainbow Dash looked at each of her ‘friends’ and felt like she had been betrayed. They were being played for fools by Sunset, and none of them realized it. Seeing that she could not reason with any of them, she turned and stomped out of the sweet shoppe.

On the way out, however, Rainbow shoved Gilda out of the way, shaking Gomora out of her pocket, and into full view of Sunset’s gang. Gilda quickly snatched up the little monster doll and shoved it back into her pocket. She checked to see if anyone noticed before following Rainbow out.

The Rainbooms’ table was silent for a moment.

“Wait, that was…” Sunset started.

“A Spark Doll, yes,” Rarity finished.

“It looks scary,” Fluttershy said.

“And crazy strong,” Pinkie gasped.

“Now y’all just wait a darn minute. What make y’all so sure it’s one of them toys?” Applejack cut in.

“Have you ever seen a dinosaur like that, AJ?” Sunset replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Well no, but it ain’t like I know every dino ever.”

“There isn’t one like that in the fossil records,” Fluttershy suddenly said, causing her friends to turn to her. “I like animals,” she said, blushing.

Pinkie Pie was drawing on a napkin. When she finished, she gave it to Sunset.

“You should text Wallflower and send this to her. Maybe Taro knows what it is,” Pinkie Pie said. Sunset looked at the napkin and saw that Pinkie had drawn a picture of the Spark Doll in Gilda’s possession. It wasn’t a perfect likeness, but it had enough of a resemblance. Hopefully, Taro could shed some light on this.

“Let’s hope it’s a monster from his universe then,” said Sunset as she took a picture of the drawing with her phone then texted it to Wallflower.

*////*

“Wallflower, please! This is embarrassing!” Taro yelled.

Taro was perched right on top of the tree, dressed as a Christmas Angel. There was even a little halo on him. Honestly, it was cute, in a weird way.

“Oh come on, it’s adorable, Taro,” Wallflower squeed in delight as she held up her phone.

“It’s demeaning,” Taro protested. “Please don’t take a picture.”

“Oh I’m taking it, and you are going to like it,” she said as she prepared to press the button. She was stopped by a text message from Sunset Shimmer. “Oh really? You’re going to text me now of all times?”

“Thank you,” Taro whispered as he hovered off the top of the tree, thankful that he was ‘saved by the bell’.

Wallflower read the text message and cocked an eyebrow.

“Sunset says she found a new Spark Doll. Hey, Taro. Do you recognize this thing?” Wallflower showed Taro the picture Sunset had sent her.

Taro gazed at the picture in thought, “Well, the details are somewhat off, but if I were to guess, it would have to be…” Taro paused in recognition, “GOMORA! Wallflower, call Sunset now!”

“Wha- I mean, sure, why?”

“Just trust me on this,” Taro pleaded.

“Okay, okay,” Wallflower said, quickly pressing the call button, “Crap, this is gonna be a bad one.”

*////*

Sunset’s phone started ringing, “Wallflower’s calling.”

“Wow, that was fast,” Pinkie commented.

“Yeah, that can only mean bad news,” Sunset responded, pressing the answer button, “Yo, what do you have?”

“Don’t you think you’ve gotten out of this yet, buster. Once I hang up, you’re going back on the tree,” Wallflower said as her voice came through Sunset’s phone.

Sunset paused, “... Uh, what?”

“Never mind her,” Taro replied hastily, “Is everyone else there? They need to hear this too.” Sunset put her phone on speaker. “The monster you saw is called Gomora!”

“Okay? What about it?” Sunset asked.

“What about- Sunset, Gomora is an immensely powerful monster. A fierce close-combat specialist, capable of fighting Ultras to a standstill, without ever resorting to it’s sole ranged weapon, the Super Oscillatory Wave.”

“That sounds pretty bad,” Sunset replied.

“Yes, which is why it is imperative that you recover that Spark Doll immediately! In the wrong hands, it could spell disaster! Where did you see it!?”

“Gilda had it.”

“Aw, crap,” Wallflower said with a groan.

“What?” Sunset asked.

“Gilda graduated around last year, but even though she stopped bullying, she’s still a hardass tough girl. She’s fixated on that image and will do anything to protect it. Can’t say for sure but it’s possible that she’s Dark Dummy Spark material,” Wallflower explained.

“So, Gilda’s in danger as long as she has that Spark Doll,” Pinkie summarized.

“Correct,” Taro affirmed, “Anymore questions?”

“Just one, what was that about you going on the tree?” Sunset asked, however before Wallflower could answer the click of the call hanging up sounded.

“Aw, I wanted to hear about the tree,” Pinkie whined.

“Some other time I guess,” Sunset sighed, “Alright girls, listen up! You heard Taro! We need to find Gilda and the Gomora Spark Doll before Metron and Icarus do! She already has a head start on us so we will have to split up to cover the most ground! Are you ready!?”

“Yeah!” The other four girls cheered.

“Alright! LET’S GO!” Sunset cried.

“Actually, I got a better idea,” Pinkie Pie chimed in, stopping everyone as they started for the door. “Since Dash and Gilda have been spending so much time together, wouldn’t it be easier just to text Rainbow and have her bring Gilda to us? I mean, that way we won’t have to run around town looking for them or ask people if they’ve seen them.”

“...That does sound like a better plan,” Fluttershy admitted softly.

“Just one problem, Pinkie,” Applejack said. “Why would Dash listen to us? You know how stubborn she is and since we’re on Sunset’s side she won’t listen to us.”

“Well, what if we make her think we’re not on Sunset’s side?” Pinkie Pie suggested.

Sunset understood where Pinkie Pie was going with this. Well, not 100 percent sure, but she got the general idea. Still, she trusted Pinkie to set up the plan. It was easier to lure people in than to chase after them sometimes, especially if you had some very tempting bait.

“OK, but don’t do it too soon. We don’t want her to get suspicious,” Sunset permitted.

“Trust me, this will be a party she can’t refuse,” said Pinkie Pie as she started to type up her message. “We just need a place where we can meet up, a blindfold, a gag, and some rope.”

The party girl’s other friends stared at her uncomfortably.

“Uhhh... Let’s just get a place to meet, we don’t need any of the other stuff,” Sunset said, shakily.

“Oh, that stuff’s for me~,” Pinkie Pie explained before she added quietly, “Pinkie likes kinky.”

Sunset sighed, not wanting to get into another tangent, “Just… Just send her the text, Pinkie.”

“Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie said as she hit ‘send.’

“So, where did ya tell ‘er ta meet us,” Applejack asked.

“The gym back at school,” Pinkie answered. “I have a key since I need it to set up my parties in there.”

*////*

Since Gilda and Rainbow Dash could not have hot chocolate in Sugarcube Corner, they decided to just grab something from a nearby Starbucks. Yes, the drinks were overpriced, but Gilda was paying so Rainbow didn’t mind. Gilda certainly did, however.

“Thanks, ‘Bulldog’,” the tough girl said sarcastically.

“It’s not my fault! Sunset shouldn’t even have been there!” Rainbow pleaded.

“Do you think I’m buying your bullshit anymore, Dash? You just got us kicked out of Sugarcube Corner. Do you have any idea how hard you have to mess up to get kicked out of Sugarcube Corner!?”

“Sunset stole my friends and now she’s stolen my spot in Sugarcube Corner!”

“Yeah, and!? Why the hell does a Goddamn chair mean so much to you!?”

“That’s… I don’t have to explain to you!”

“You know, Dash!? I’m beginning to think this goes deeper than some jackass talking shit online. Now are you gonna tell me what this is really over, or are you content to just keep burning bridges? Because if not you can say goodbye to me too!”

Rainbow sat silently glaring at Gilda at that ultimatum until the text alert on her phone rang. Pulling it out, she saw it was from Pinkie Pie, “Oh, what does that traitor want now?” Rainbow opened the message. It was ironic that she called Pinkie Pie a traitor when the athlete had been the one to betray a friend

‘Hey, Dashie! U were rite! Sunset’s fooled us! Kwik, come 2 the gym! We got hr ready 4 u!’

The text was followed by a series of emojis: smiley face, smiley face, balloons, smiley face.

Rainbow’s eyes widened, “... I was right.”

Finally, the girls saw sense and realized that she was right.

“What?” Gilda asked.

“I WAS RIGHT!” Rainbow shouted in response, celebrating, “YES! SCORE ONE FOR RAINBOW!”

“WHAT!?” Gilda repeated.

“I SAID-!”

“No, I heard you, but listen here dipshit, we literally just saw them with Shimmer, and now their saying they want to meet up? This has ‘sketchy’ written all over it.”

“DON’T CARE! I’M GOING!” Rainbow yelled from the Starbucks doors. “WOOHOO! I WAS RIGHT!”

“Ugh, I should just let her run off. But, maybe she’ll get her ass kicked, and do I really wanna miss that? Dammit, no I don’t, HEY DASH WAIT UP!” Gilda called, following after her chromatic friend.

Meanwhile, sitting at a nearby table in his human disguise was Metron who smiled as he finished his drink.

“And here we, go.”

*////*

“OK, she’s on her way,” Pinkie Pie informed them. She and her friends were gathered in front of the school gym. The text Rainbow had sent back was in all caps:

‘BITCH IS MINE!!!’

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Wallflower said sarcastically.

Wallflower had arrived to school on her bike with Taro. For some reason unknown to the Rainbooms the tiny Ultra kept far away from the green girl and was perched on Sunset’s shoulder.

“So, when Rainbow shows up with Gilda, we need to separate them and grab the Spark Doll before she Lives into it,” Sunset explained the plan. “Taro, that’s where come in. You can hide somewhere to freeze her.”

“Yes, but stay on guard, we should expect Icarus and Metron to appear as well,” Taro warned.

“So we might actually see the aliens? Yee-haw! Ah’m gonna pummel ‘em for hurtin mah friends,” Applejack cheered.

“Oh, I’m sure Miss Applejack,” Taro said, then added, “If you can survive full body necrosis.”

“Say what?” Applejack asked.

“Icarus is capable of firing a ray of energy needles that instantly decays plant matter. I have never seen what happens when it strikes a human, but I imagine the effect is similar. So I ask again, can you survive full body decay?”

Applejack stayed silent for a moment, gulping at the mental image of rotting to death.

“Darn it, how are we supposed to fight these varmints?”

“Hopefully, you won’t have to.”

“Yup, so be careful. These guys aren’t going to hold back if we confront them,” Sunset warned. She had not met these aliens personally but she was cautious after hearing some of Taro’s stories. Aliens could also become gigantic.

“So Taro, what was Wallflower talking about when she said you were going back on the tree?” Fluttershy asked, not wanting to think about the danger they were in.

“Oh! As you know, Taro and I were decorating the Christmas Tree, and I got this idea to dress him up as a-,” Wallflower began excitedly explaining, but Taro cut her off.

“Quiet they’re here!”

*////*

Gilda eyed Rainbow worriedly as the prismatic-haired athlete just kept clenching and unclenching her fists with a fierce look of eagerness in her eyes. The girl was looking forward to finally putting Sunset Shimmer in her place and gaining her friends back.

Gilda was silent as she contemplated the situation. To be honest, it was highly suspect. From what little she saw, Sunset Shimmer and the Rainbooms had been getting along in Sugarcube Corner. For one of them to suddenly text Rainbow Dash, saying that they had realized the error of their ways, just didn’t make sense. However, Rainbow Dash was in no mood to listen to anything sensible.

Losing her friends, one-by-one, to Sunset Shimmer of all people was probably having a negative effect on Rainbow Dash. The girl was prideful with an ego that was inflated by her parents’ support. Gilda understood why they had done it, though. They wanted Rainbow Dash to gain confidence so she could push herself and get better. They were proud of their little athlete. However, such support could also cause Rainbow Dash to become overconfident and unwilling to listen to anyone else’s opinions, thinking she was right. It was difficult to argue with her as she was always determined to win and was unlikely to compromise.

Now, they were headed for the school gym. To Gilda, this just smelled like some kind of setup, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t listening to her. She wouldn’t be listening to anyone. All she cared about was being proven right, that Sunset was Anon-A-Miss, that the girl was and always will be a bad person. In Rainbow Dash’s mind, there was no room to doubt Sunsets guilt or to consider her innocence.

There was nobody at school, the school’s sports team had all been given a break as it was close to Christmas. The gym was open as Rainbow told Gilda that Pinkie Pie had a key so she could do her party preparation easily. It was a privilege that Pinkie Pie had never abused.

Rainbow Dash opened the door and went in with Gilda following.

“OK, I’m here!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she spotted all her friends. Sunset looked defeated - a good look for her - as she sat on the floor with the Rainbooms surrounding her.

“Glad you came, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack greeted while eyeing Gilda.

“Well, when Pinkie Pie sent that text, I couldn’t resist,” Rainbow Dash grinned as she looked at Sunset Shimmer. “I’m just glad you all came to your senses.”

“Yes,” Fluttershy replied before she mumbled, “Sorry, Rainbow Dash.”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash did not catch that.

“TARO! NOW!” Sunset yelled.

Wallflower Blush and Taro were hidden under the bleachers.

“ULTRA PSYCHOKINESIS!”

Rainbow Dash and Gilda both cried out in shock as their bodies just locked up and froze like statues.

“Hey!?”

“What gives!”

“Surprise!” Pinkie Pie threw confetti as Applejack and Sunset Shimmer went over to Gilda.

“Wait, what’s going on!?” Rainbow Dash yelled as she panicked, confused as to what was happening. Meanwhile, Sunset and Applejack were searching Gilda’s jacket. They found Gomora’s Spark Doll.

“Hey, that’s mine!” Gilda yelled angrily. “Give it back!”

“Sorry, but we can’t do that,” said Sunset. “This isn’t a toy. It’s dangerous.”

“Exactly.”

All of a sudden, a human-sized ball of energy dropped onto the gym floor. The force of its impact knocked everyone to the floor, including Wallflower Blush and Taro. This caused Taro’s hold on Rainbow Dash and Gilda to break. The Spark Doll also went flying and landed near the ball of energy.

The ball of energy soon vanished, revealing Metron in his true form. He had no need for a human disguise right now.

“Greetings, humans,” Metron greeted. “And also greetings to Sunset Shimmer, or should I say ‘Ultraman Ginga’?”

“Ultraman...?” Gilda’s eyes widened in shock.

“Ginga...?” Rainbow Dash uttered in disbelief.

“Alien Metron, I presume,” Sunset got up to her feet.

Metron picked up the Gomora Spark Doll and revealed a Dark Dummy Spark. He had no visible mouth, but Sunset could tell he looked smug.

“Thank you for finding this Spark Doll for us, Sunset Shimmer,” said Metron as he approached Gilda. Sunset was about to intervene but Metron stopped her, “I wouldn’t make any hasty movement. Icarus, are you here?”

“Right here! Hm hm hm,” Alien Icarus revealed himself as he stood on the bleachers with his fingers pointed at the Rainbooms. “One wrong step and you’ll rot! Hm hm hm.”

Metron went over to Gilda and the girl looked at him in fear as his huge fish-like eyes looked straight at her.

“I can tell you have some unresolved and caged up anger inside of you,” Metron said as he presented the Dark Dummy Spark to her. “How about you let it all out?”

Gilda’s eyes glowed the same color as the Dark Dummy Spark. Unable to resist, she grasped it. Metron smiled as he handed her the Gomora Spark Doll.

Rainbow Dash recognized the device as Lightning Dust had showed it to her.

“Gilda! Don’t!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she picked herself up and ran to her friend before she made a terrible mistake. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough as Gilda touched the sole of Gomora’s foot with the Dark Dummy Spark.

DARK LIVE! GOMORA!

Gilda was engulfed in dark energy before she vanished right before their eyes. Then, moments later, the ground shook and everyone heard a loud roar coming from outside.

“Later, Ginga! C’mon, Icarus!” Metron teleported away.

“Bye-bye!” Icarus waved as he also vanished, teleporting away from the gym.

Wallflower Blush crawled out from behind the bleachers with Taro on her shoulder.

“Dammit!” Sunset Shimmer took out her Ginga Spark and ran for the door, but Rainbow Dash stood in her way. “Dash, get out of the way!”

“Not before you answer some questions, Shimmer! What the hell is going on!?” Rainbow yelled.

“I don’t have time for this!” Sunset Shimmer shouted as she tried to get past Rainbow. Fortunately, Applejack was there as she grabbed Rainbow from behind, pulling her away from Sunset.

“AJ! Let me go!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

“Sorry, RD! No can do!” Applejack refused. “Sunset, do what you gotta do!”

Sunset nodded and took out a Spark Doll from her jacket, much to Rainbow Dash’s shock. So, she was right. Sunset Shimmer was involved with the monsters.

“ULTRA LIVE! AGIRA!”

Sunset Shimmer was engulfed in a pillar of light before she vanished as well. The ground shook once more and they heard another monstrous roar.

“C’mon!” Pinkie Pie held up some pompoms she had gotten out of nowhere. “Let’s show Sunset our support!” She did not want to miss a Mega Monster Battle.

The Rainbooms ran out of the gym, leaving Rainbow Dash stunned.

*////*

These past few days had been absolute misery for poor Officer Shining Armor. Sure the weird stuff at Canterlot High School happened, but those incidents were highly localized events and did not warrant police intervention. The monsters, however, they reached out far further from the school and did cause significant damage, requiring all available resources, including the Canterlot City Police Department. If it was not for that Ultraman guy, the city would be completely leveled. Yet the chief had a different opinion, he saw Ultraman as a dangerous vigilante that needed to be locked up. Unfortunately, there weren’t a pair of handcuffs or a cell large enough to hold the giant. Even then, Shining heard the chief praying for Ultraman when the monsters show up.

Shining Armor could not understand that man, he hated Ultraman, yet ran for cover and yelled for the giant whenever a new monster appeared. Hypocrite. Then again, the police force was not equipped to deal with giant monsters. Only the army had that kind of firepower to deal with a threat that big.

Then there was his sister at home, who was obsessed with the happenings at CHS and the monsters and Ultraman. Twilight Sparkle was a very science minded girl, always curious and trying to study new discoveries so she could make discovering of her own. Anything she did not know, required her attention as far as she was concerned. It was a handful to keep her from getting herself killed by running out into a monster attack or Ultraman fight. Then there was the older boyfriend, who he was sure was up to something. Adding on to that was the two other guys who seemed to answer to the boyfriend, and Shining was working himself to the bone with all the stuff he had to do.

Suddenly he noticed people were getting out of their cars and running by his vehicle.

“Get the army on the line! Now!”

“THE HORROR! THE HORROR!”

Screams like this and more, greeted Shining Armor as he got out of his patrol car. Picking the nearest person, he called, “HEY! WHAT’S HAPPENING!?”

“Take a guess, genius!” the unamused person yelled back, still running.

Then the ground shook, followed by a roar, “No. Not now. Not again! WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME GOD!” Shining Armor cried as the gigantic dinosaur walked into view.
Unfortunately, it seemed the dinosaur had heard him as it turned to face him.

“OH, COME ON!” Shining cried as he joined the throngs of fleeing people, as the dinosaur began chasing him..

Suddenly, another, smaller, giant dinosaur leapt upon the larger one’s back. The first dinosaur - Gomora - began to thrash about as it tried to throw off the smaller dinosaur - Agira.

Inside Agira, Sunset was trying to hold on as Gamora tried to throw her monster off.

“Gilda!” Sunset shouted, but she was not receiving any response. She tried again, “GILDA!”

Sunset only received a roar in response as Gomora managed to throw Agira off. The Capsule Monster fell to the ground and growled in pain.

It seemed as if Gilda had been completely taken over by Gomora’s feral nature and Sunset’s voice was unable to reach her.

Gomora stomped over to Agira and delivered a devastating kick rolling over the smaller dinosaur. This was followed by several other similar kicks before finally stomping on Agira’s chest.

Sunset grunted as she felt like her own chest was being stomped on. “GILDA, PLEASE!”

Gomora merely roared again and applied more pressure. Agira grabbed hold of its larger foe’s foot and attempted to lift the monster but Gomora shifted his weight and stomped on the smaller monster’s head instead. Agira stopped moving.

Gomora roared in triumph.

BANG!

A bullet connected with Gomora’s hide, causing the monster to pause. It turned its glare onto Officer Shining Armor who had his gun leveled at it.

“Shit! Shit!” Shining Armor cursed as he panicked and continued to fire until his magazine was spent. However, the bullets just bounced off.

What could’ve possessed the police officer to fire at the monster with a mere gun?

Well, it did not hurt but it sure got Gomora’s attention. It did not hurt, actually. It felt like a mosquito bite, to be honest.

Removing its foot from Agira, Gomora growled at Shining Armor. Gomora’s horns began to glow as it prepared to deliver its Super Oscillatory Wave.

“NO!” Sunset shouted.

Agira leaped to its feet just as Gomora was about to fire. It ran in the path of the monster’s attack, shielding Shining Armor with its own body.

The wave impacted like a bomb against Sunset’s back, yet she willed Agira to stand firm. The attack finally passed, only to give way to a swing of Gomora’s Megaton Tail, sending the little monster across the city. Agira wobbled back to his feet but Gomora had already closed the distance and grabbed his tail, then spun around, smashing Agira into more buildings before letting go. Agira flew across the city into more buildings and just laid there unable to fight..

*////*

“SUNSET’S GETTING DESTROYED OUT THERE!” Pinkie shrieked in horror.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash yelled, getting everyone’s attention. “How did Sunset turn into a monster!?”

“Not now, Dash!” Applejack yelled.

“No! Hell no! You guys sided with Sunset and you’ve been keeping things from me!”

“And so have you, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity countered.

“WHAT!? WHAT DID I DO!?”

“Do you think I’m blind!? You were championing Sunset being Anon-A-Miss before the blog said anything about you! You were always first to cut Sunset out of our activities! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WANTED SUNSET OUT OF THE BAND! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO REFUSES TO LET GO OF THE PAST!” Rarity screamed.

Rainbow gasped then glared back at her ‘friends’. Now, she saw the truth. They had all turned against her. However, she could not accept that it was her fault. There was no way it could be her fault, even if they said it was. She refused to believe it was her fault.

It was Sunset Shimmer’s fault.

All of a sudden, Icarus appeared behind Rainbow Dash, stunning the Rainbooms, Wallflower and Taro. With a smile and a wave, he grabbed the rainbow-haired girl and teleported away with her.

“What?” Fluttershy gasped.

“She’s gone,” Wallflower said.

The shock was cut short when Gomora roared again, reminding the Gang of the monster still rampaging unchecked.

*////*

Inside Agira, Sunset groaned in pain.

“Gotta get up...” Sunset willed herself. “We gotta get up. We need to fight.”

Gomora was on a rampage and it seemed that Gilda had lost complete control. If Sunset did not stop the Ancient Monster here and now, then the city would be destroyed and more people could get worse and hurt.

She was the only one who could stop it, but she could not do it alone.

Gripping the Ginga Spark tightly in her hand, she looked at it. She could never summon Ginga unless he allowed her to and always it was when she needed him the most. It was like he was testing her resolve and her courage.

“Ginga, please. I need you,” Sunset begged. She needed him to help her save the city and everyone in it. She needed him to him to help her protect the place she called home and the people she cared about.

As if responding to her plea, the Ginga Spark opened up and released Ginga’s Spark Doll. Sunset smiled as if she was looking at a good friend.

“Thank you,” Sunset said gratefully before her eyes hardened into a fierce look of determination. “Now, here we go, Ginga!”

ULTRA LIVE! ULTRAMAN GINGA!

*////*

Out of a pillar of light, Ginga rose from where Agira once laid and accelerated as he leaped at Gomora, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye. He stopped in front of Gomora and struck with a spinning roundhouse kick, knocking the beast over.

Shining Armor just gawked at the giant whose gaze then fell on him. Taking it as a message to get away, the cop ran for cover.

Gomora picked itself up and charged at Ginga who caught the monster by the crest with his bare hands. The Ultra landed a karate chop on Gomora’s snout before delivering a series of punches that hit the gigantic beast in its spiked chest. Gomora retaliated by using its Megaton Tail, but Ginga leaped over it before landing a kick to Gomora’s chest, sending it staggering back.

Ginga, feeling confident, closed in on Gomora for a punch but the monster caught his fist and twisted drawing a pained grunt from the Ultra. Gomora released Ginga’s fist, then delivered a right claw swipe to Ginga’s head, followed by a punch to his stomach, and finishing with a kangaroo kick. Ginga fell back onto another building, crushing it, but before he could stand back up, Gomora launched into a front flip, bringing its tail down upon his chest.

“... Ow,” Sunset gasped, before noticing Gomora was raising its left foot in preparation to stomp on Ginga’s chest. She willed Ginga to grab Gomora’s right leg, then rolled, sweeping it out from under the dinosaur, and sending it onto its back.

Ginga hopped back onto his feet then and pounced on the monster to hold it down in a MMA-style submission hold, before Gomora blasted him off with its Super Oscillatory wave. Ginga landed several yards away as Gomora got back to its feet. The first thing Ginga saw upon standing up, was Gomora in full charge.Ginga caught the monster by its crest, getting pushed back several feet before shifting his grip and flipping Gomora over his shoulder.

Gomora, now absolutely furious, stood back up and swung his tail so fast that Ginga could not prepare, striking him in the side, and sending him flying. He landed in a street several yards away as his color timer began blinking red.

*////*

Inside Ginga, Sunset was surrounded by a flashing red light. “I knew this thing was tough, but words can’t even begin to describe how hard this is.” She grunted as Gomora once again struck Ginga with its tail.

“Sunset!” Taro exclaimed.

“Taro, what do I do? She’s so strong!” Sunset said in a barely contained panic.

“Cut off her tail, and break her nose horn. Those are two of Gomora’s primary weapons! But be warned, his tail works like a lizard’s and will begin to flail!”

“What!? Nevermind, can’t complain now, that’s all I have to go on,” Sunset said, more to herself than Taro, as she willed Ginga to stand back up.

*////*

While this exchange was happening, Gomora had wandered off to resume its its rampage, assuming it had defeated Ginga. This also left it open.

‘I have my chance, I cannot mess this up here,’ Sunset thought as she moved Ginga into a steadily increasing run. When Ginga was just about to reach the monster, Sunset put her attack into motion.

“GINGA SABER!”

Gomora saw Ginga approaching and made to swing its tail, but Sunset ducked Ginga underneath the mass of muscle and bone and swung the Ginga Saber.

The tail came off in a single stroke, and the sudden loss of balance sent Gomora onto its face. Before Ginga could jump on the opportunity, however, the severed tail began flailing, striking him in the back.

“Ow! Motherf-,” Sunset growled as she and Ginga struggled with the runaway tail. Sunset noticed Gomora was back on its feet, and charging, albeit, clumsily. Deciding to give Gomora a taste of its own medicine, Sunset willed Ginga to swing the tail into the charging monster like a club, sending it back to the ground. Then Ginga threw the tail away while Sunset prepared to destroy it.

“GINGA SLASH!”

The tail exploded spectacularly.

Gomora growled and then roared as it prepared it signature Super Oscillatory Wave. In response, Ginga also started to power up his own attack. Inside Ginga, Sunset prepared as well with a new attack. Sunset brought Ginga’s to his chest then cocked his right fist back as his crystals turned red. Suddenly eight, magma like meteors surrounded the Ultra, as Gomora fired its Super Oscillatory Wave.

“GINGA FIREBALL!”

Ginga punched his fist forward, causing the meteors to fly at Gomora. Though Gomora’s attack managed to destroy some of the meteors, the final one struck it on the nose horn, breaking it, and sending the vibrations back into the monster, causing it to violently shake. Sensing victory was near, Ginga began the motions for his ultimate attack.

“GINGA CROSS SHOOT!”

The beam struck Gomora in the chest and caused it to erupt into a massive fireball.

*////*

On a nearby rooftop, Rainbow Dash and Icarus watched. They had witnessed everything.

“As you can see, hm hm hm, you never stood a chance against Anon-A-Miss as you are,” Icarus began. “With that power, even when people don’t know it’s her, Sunset Shimmer will have the adoration of the people. As Ultraman Ginga, she is their hero while you are nothing by comparison.”

Rainbow Dash had nobody left on her side. No one to turn to complain or persuade that she was right. Even now the school was gradually losing interest in Anon-A-Miss and leaving the bandwagon because of her friends joining Sunset and showing their support. Soon, she would be cleared of all suspicion.

It wasn’t fair. Sunset had stolen her friends and now she was a superhero who got the adoration and respect of the entire city..

“However, the iron is hot. Ultraman Ginga is nearly out of energy, and is vulnerable. If you take this opportunity, then you can take her place as the hero of this tale, hm hm hm. Take this, and everything you have ever wanted will be yours,” Icarus spun his lie, while holding up a Dark Dummy Spark and a Spark Doll.

Rainbow hesitated. She had seen the power of these objects first hand, and knew they were dangerous. However, between letting Sunset take her spotlight and being able to kick her ass, Rainbow knew which choice she would rather take.

*////*

Gilda opened her eyes to what looked like the Apocalypse. Buildings and cars crushed or burning and virtually all of it had been her fault. Standing over her was Ultraman Ginga, no Sunset Shimmer, with the Gomora Spark Doll entering the color timer.

“So why did you spare my life?” Gilda asked in a sad croak.

Sunset spoke from inside Ginga, simply, “Because, I believe in second chances.”

Sunset prepared to take off, but was then struck in the back by an energy bolt.

*////*

The Ginga Gang had been on their way to help Gilda when Sunset had been attacked.

“What!? Where did that come from!?” Wallflower asked, shocked.

“Those cheatin’ varmints, attackin’ ‘er when she’s weak ,” Applejack said disgusted.

Rarity was more focused on looking around for the attacker, but she saw something that made her jaw drop, “Darlings, what is that!?”

Turning to where Rarity was looking, their jaws followed suit. Now walking into their visual range, was a giant, but not any giant.

“A black Ultraman?” Fluttershy gasped.

Taro, however, had a bigger shock.

“Ultraman… Mebius?”

Author's Note

Next time:

A new Ultraman is on the loose and Sunset is out of commission. Meanwhile, Gilda works to save her best friend from herself. With the Sunset/Rainbow rivalry coming to a head, who will come out on top?

Rampage of Ultra

So, yeah a lot of work went into this one and I hope you all can see it.

Big thanks to my co-writer for helping make this thing happen.

Wait, why do you want facts about Gomora? If you've seen Ultraman, you know who this guy is.

Rampage of Ultra

Rainbow Dash was the best.

Rainbow Dash was awesome.

Rainbow Dash was #1.

That was a fact; a definitive truth in Rainbow Dash’s life, and there was nothing nobody could say against it.

Even if people said her ego was swelling like her head, it was just because they were jealous.

But Rainbow Dash started to feel less awesome in the recent days, and she did not like it one bit. It all started with Applejack’s nickname getting posted. The cowgirl then told her that Applebloom thought Sunset might have had something to do with it. Of course, they had their doubts, but Rainbow Dash was beginning to suspect it might be true.

Then the pictures and videos of their slumber party - which all came from Sunset’s phone - showed up on Anon-A-Miss profile page. It was all the proof they needed that Sunset was behind the profile and was using it to humiliate them with all their secrets. They all decided to cut her out of their lives. Even while she shed crocodile tears they did not turn back as they walked away, leaving her alone in the hallway.

That should have been the end of it; Sunset was never their friend so they pretty much ignored her.

Then the monsters began to appear, like out of a Godzilla movie, and along with them Ultraman Ginga showed up. However, what concerned Rainbow Dash were not the monsters or the silver giant, but what was going on with her friends.

First, Fluttershy decided Sunset was no longer guilty, then Pinkie Pie followed, then Rarity. Rainbow Dash thought that Applejack would not be swayed, but the blonde cowgirl had also decided that Sunset Shimmer was innocent and that all the evidence that pointed to her being Anon-A-Miss was circumstantial.

Her friends all kept telling her that they were wrong, that Sunset Shimmer was not Anon-A-Miss, but Rainbow Dash stubbornly did not want to listen. No matter what they said, only Sunset could’ve posted those pictures and she somehow got her hands on all those secrets to post online, humiliating more of their student body. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash could not convince them that Sunset Shimmer was playing some kind of con.

Why wouldn’t anyone listen to her?

Rainbow Dash even suspected that Sunset was somehow involved with the monster attacks. Finally, she was proven right when she saw Sunset transform into a monster.

Then Sunset Shimmer turned into Ultraman Ginga.

It wasn’t fair.

Sunset Shimmer did not deserve that power. She had divided people, destroyed friends, bullied people, humiliated them, and ruled the school with an iron fist.

How was it fair for Sunset Shimmer, the villain, to be Ultraman Ginga, the goddamn hero!?

She was deceiving everyone again. It was time for a real hero to step up and expose for the fraud she was.

*////*

The black Ultraman threw a punch, but Ginga slightly shifted his head out of the way, then rolled underneath a roundhouse kick. When Ginga stood back up and turned around, the enemy Ultra was already on him, delivering a left hook to his head, then a right jab. Ginga caught the jab in his right hand, then the left overhand with his left hand, then crossed Mebius’ arms across his chest.

“Damn, I can’t see who’s inside,” Sunset said. Suddenly she felt Mebius Dark kick Ginga in the side, forcing her to release the black Ultra. Mebius then followed up with a right hook into a straight left punch, knocking Ginga back.

“SUNSET! YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THERE! YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY TO KEEP UP THIS FIGHT!” Taro urged.

“Yeah, right! I’ll get right on that as soon as I have an opening!” Sunset snapped. Her entire body was screaming, now feeling like she was the only thing holding Ginga together. There was no time to dwell, though.The black Ultraman was preparing for another attack.

*////*

“She’s going to run out of time if this keeps up!” Fluttershy shrieked in panic.

“TARO, PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!” Pinkie pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

“WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO!? I CAN’T BECOME BIG SO I CANNOT WIN AGAINST THAT ULTRA!” Taro yelled, panicked.

“WE DON’T NEED YA TO WIN! WE JUST NEED AN OPENING FOR SUNSET TO CHANGE BACK!” Applejack growled.

“Can’t you just, I don’t know, freeze the other guy with your Psychokinesis!?” Wallflower threw out, hoping beyond hope that would work.

“DO YOU THINK THAT THOUGHT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME!? IF I HAD THAT KIND OF POWER, DON’T YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE USED IT!?” Taro snapped.

While this argument continued, Rarity continued to watch the Ultras battle with wide, terrified eyes. Suddenly, “GIRLS, SOMETHING’S HAPPENING!”

The Gang dropped their infighting to look at the two giants to find the black Ultraman was raising his hands over his head, causing an infinity symbol to arc between them. Then he moved his hands into a cross shape, firing a beam from his right hand. It struck true, sending Ginga to the ground, where he lay, unmoving.

“SUNSET!” The Gang cried, their friend having lost a fight for the first time.

*////*

Ginga lay on the ground as his color timer stopped flashing and became a dull grey color. As soon as it did, he was unable to maintain his gigantic physical form and vanished in sparkles of light. Once he was gone, Sunset Shimmer was left behind as she lay injured at the bottom of a crater.

Slowly the redhead at the bottom cracked an eye open to the night sky. She could hear sirens blaring as emergency services went to work on finding any survivors and treating any wounded.

“I...I never thought I would see the bottom of another crater when I became a good girl,” Sunset gasped out. She attempted to move her limbs to crawl out, but found her body unresponsive. “No, this is actually worse than back then. I can’t even move,” she sobbed out. Her body hurt all over.

“We’ve got another one down here!”

“Quick, get her on a stretcher!”

“We need to get her out of there first!”

Sunset began to lose consciousness as she saw men in white uniforms come into the crater. She felt strong arms gently lift her up before she finally passed out.

She still had the Ginga Spark clutched in her hand.

*////*

Back on Icarus’ rooftop, Rainbow Dash smugly paraded her victory in front of the bat-faced alien, “You know, you don’t need to thank me. For beating Sunset, I mean.”

Icarus, however, was regretting his decision to give the girl a Dark Dummy Spark, “Yes, yes, what do you want? A cookie? You still haven’t proven anything.”

“Yes, actually, I would like- HEY, WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVEN’T PROVEN ANYTHING!?”

“You haven’t finished the job. She’s still alive,” Icarus reminded. “And even then, Ultraman Ginga has been active for longer, while you have only just appeared on the scene. To put it in a way that your sports addicted brain can understand: you are the new rookie, while Sunset is the old crowd favorite. And your victory can hardly be called a fair one. Ginga was already running out of time and energy. If he had been at full strength, you wouldn’t have won. Face it: you won on a technicality.”

“Fine then! Get me a monster, and I’ll kick its ass too!” Rainbow demanded, irritated that the alien was talking down to her.

“YOU DIDN’T EVEN LISTEN TO ANY OF MY OTHER POINTS, GRRR! FINE! YOU’LL GET A MONSTER, TOMORROW! NOW GET LOST! GO PLAY IN TRAFFIC, OR KICK PUPPIES, OR WHATEVER IT IS YOU DO!” Icarus screeched, the prideful girl already driving him insane.

Rainbow continued glaring at the alien across from her, while Icarus matched it in intensity.

“Fine,” she growled, before walking to the roof access.

When Icarus had heard the door open and close, he hissed and rubbed his head, “Lord, please help me have the strength to deal with this girl.” The response he received, was not from who he was asking.

“Having fun?” The fish-eyed Alien Metron said from his perch, right next to Icarus. The alien did not even have a face to announce to Icarus that he was greatly enjoying his discomfort.

“I think I made a terrible mistake.”

“Look at the bright side: you’ve found a person who is 110 percent committed and motivated to destroying Ginga.”

“That’s all well and good, but she’s demanding for a monster to fight!”

“Just let me take care of that. I have my eye on someone. She’d do nicely.”

“So, what? We’ll just keep throwing monsters at her to make her look like a hero?”

“Look at it this way: the more people we have using Dark Dummy Sparks, the closer our master is to restoring his power. Then, when he’s back to full strength, you can take care of her. Problem solved.”

“Nothing. Would please me more. Than to personally shove that mouthy brat’s head up her own anus! Would be fitting, given that it seems her brain has already taken up residence there.”

“Then we are in agreement, she gets her days of fame, you get your revenge.”

“I will reserve my right to complain every step of the way, though. And make sure she struggles. I may not be allowed to kill her yet, but I will be damned if she gets a free ride for her behavior.”

Metron chuckled evilly, “Of course.” Then, in a flash he had turned into his transportation ball form and flown away.

*////*

Sunset Shimmer stood alone in the middle of a colossal battlefield as Ultras, gigantic alien lifeforms, and monsters battled before her eyes. It was like a massive battle royal between all parties involved. She actually spotted Taro as he struck down two monsters before he was swarmed by aliens.

She could feel the heat coming from the flames surrounding her and fear as she did not want to get crushed under gigantic feet. She ran, trying to avoid being squashed, but every avenue of escape was blocked by a gigantic foot.

Then she saw a colossal figure that towered over the battlefield, with evil red eyes and a Dark Spark in hand. She watched in horror as a wave of darkness swept across the battlefield, consuming all the Ultras, aliens and monsters, shrinking them down and stripping them of their consciousness. Taro was the last and Sunset finally screamed.

“NOOOOOOOO!!!”

*////*

Meanwhile, the Ginga Gang had arrived at the hospital. Trixie was the one who had called them to come. The ‘children’s hospital’ that she said she was performing was actually the children’s ward in Canterlot General Hospital. Trixie just went to grab some peanut butter crackers from a vending machine when she saw Sunset Shimmer being wheeled in. She was injured as she had been in a fight and lost.

While the Gang waited for Trixie in front of Sunset’s room, they discussed what had happened.

“I thought you said that she would be trapped inside Ginga when her timer ran out,” Fluttershy said to Taro.

“She should have been, remember though, not all Utras are created equal. Ultraseven, for example, was not bound by three minutes, only by his energy. In addition, he could recharge his energy by taking a soak inside the sun,” Taro replied, “Ultraman Ginga must have an ability to force an abort from his transformation, at the cost of being unable to heal the host.”

Trixie stepped out of Sunset’s room, holding the Ginga Spark. After some coaxing, the magician had managed to gently pry the device from Sunset’s hand. It needed to be kept safe as much as Sunset.

“How is she?” Rarity asked worriedly.

“Not good,” Trixie frowned. “She’s hurt really bad and she’s not waking up.”

Pinkie meanwhile, was looking sadly at the Ginga Spark.

“It looks so… dim now.”

“Well, after what happened, it probably needs time to recharge,” Lightning Dust assumed, “But I’m more thinking about that other Ultraman. Who is he? In both ways.”

“His name is Ultraman Mebius, my star pupil,” Taro informed the girls. “I don’t know who’s in control of him right now, but the Mebius I know was a young Ultra who wanted to honor the legacy of the Ultra Brothers. That black-hearted human that controls him now deeply insults both me and my student. Though, I should be thankful they only used the Mebium Shoot, Mebius has far more powerful attacks.”

Applejack knew she would regret asking, yet she did so anyway, “Like what?”

“Mebius Dynamite, based on my Ultra Dynamite, he can set himself on fire and self destruct on an opponent, then reconstruct himself, at a cost to his time. If Ginga was hit by that attack, Sunset likely would not be with us now,” Taro explained. “But enough about that, we need to find out who is using Mebius and what their grudge is against Sunset.”

“You’ve got a long list then,” Lightning Dust deadpanned. “There’s a lot of kids that are mad at Sunset and can’t forgive her for what she’s done. The whole Anon-A-Miss thing just gave them an excuse to be open about it.”

“Then a personal grudge, perhaps?” Wallflower suggested.

Fluttershy thought about it and then gasped in realization.

“Rainbow.”

The Gang turned to the shy member with questioning looks.

“Care to repeat, darling?” Rarity asked.

“Rainbow Dash is Ultraman Mebius,” Fluttershy repeated.

“What? How did you come to that conclusion?” Trixie asked.

“No, no, that’s the only possibility,” Wallflower answered, “Icarus showed up and took Rainbow while Sunset was busy fighting Gomora. Dammit, how did we not think of that!?”

“To be fair, there were more important things going on at the time,” Applejack reminded in her country drawl.

“That might be true, but if Rainbow is Mebius, we are in way bigger trouble than any Dummy Spark user before,” Lightning Dust said.

“What do you mean?” Wallflower asked.

Lightning Dust then stood up to pace, and began a speech that surprised the rest of the Gang with the intelligence on display.

“What do we know about Rainbow? Well for one, she’s athletic, working on several sports at the same time, including several black belts in martial arts. So she can fight, even without Mebius as a crutch. Second, she’s attention driven, I remember a time in middle school where she made herself look like a complete idiot because, and I’m quoting her here, ‘everyone stopped looking at me.’ Third, Icarus could have just given her another monster, but instead, she was specifically given an Ultraman Spark Doll. Did I miss anything?”

The Gang shook their heads, prompting Lightning to keep talking.

“With all of this, I think we are looking at a Single White Female scheme here. A plot to kill Sunset, and by extension Ginga, and replace them with this black Ultraman Mebius.”

Shaking off her surprise, Rarity asked, “But how? Mebius is not exactly very popular right now for what he did to Ginga.”

“Do you think I didn’t think of that, Princess?” Lightning Dust snapped, then resumed, “Never underestimate an attention whore. Rainbow’s probably roped Icarus and Metron into giving her monsters to fight to build her reputation with the crowd.”

“Oh. Oh, no. This is bad,” Trixie gasped, eyes widening, “This is like a worse version of Rarity and Trenderhoof, because Rainbow could do repeat performances as long as Sunset stays here.”

“Exactly! Which means we need to get Sunset and Ginga back on their feet as fast as possible,” Lightning Dust said, planting a fist into the palm of her left hand.

“But how? Our world doesn’t have anything that can heal someone quickly, or can recharge the Ginga Spark ,” Fluttershy said with worry.

“There might be a place,” Applejack spoke up, causing the Gang to look at her, questioningly. “We might not have ever been there, but if anyplace has what we need to get them up and running, it would be in Equestria.”

“What?” Taro gasped.

Taking a page out of Lightning Dust’s book, Applejack stood up and began her own speech.

“Listen to me. Taro said that Ultras get power from light, and he just told us that his buddy Ultraseven could take a dip in the sun to recharge. Now, where can we find a goddess that can control the sun?”

“Applejack,” Rarity gasped, “Are you suggesting, that we contact Twilight, convince her to open the portal, go to Equestria, get an audience with Princess Celestia on the remote chance that she can recharge the Ginga Spark, then, I don’t know how, heal Sunset in time to face Rainbow again?”

Applejack paused, then simply replied, “Yes.”

The rest of the Gang seemed reluctant about the plan. On one hand, they were not keen to put their trust in someone they had never met, especially one that Sunset had shown open fear of. On the other hand, they had no other options, and it was worth a shot anyway.

Lightning Dust sighed, “I don’t like it, but I guess we can’t really be choosy right now. Wallflower, write the message to Twilight.”

Wallflower nodded, then opened Sunset’s journal and began to write their message. Hopefully, Twilight got to it quickly. Once she finished, she closed the journal. Now, they needed to wait for an answer or for Twilight’s arrival.

“Should we confront Rainbow Dash about it?” Rarity asked.

“I don’t think it’ll be a smart move,” Wallflower said, politely rejecting the idea. “If we do, she might feel threatened and...”

“Squish us?” Pinkie gulped. Wallflower shrugged.

“Or worse,” Lightning Dust grimaced. Rainbow Dash was her rival and now she had power that dwarfed them all, except for Ginga but Sunset was currently out of commission.

“But we have to do something,” Applejack scowled. She hated being helpless.

“Some of us should stay with Sunset,” Taro advised. “Rainbow Dash may not be in her right mind and might come here to finish the job.”

“Um…” Fluttershy began, “Just to clarify, if Princess Celestia can’t help, what do we do then?”

“Well, let’s just hope Rainbow doesn’t get too mad about what people are saying about her online,” Applejack remarked with a tense grimace.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t count on that,” Lightning Dust said bluntly. If there was something Rainbow treasured, it was her reputation.

*////*

Rainbow Dash was back in her bedroom, lying on her bed. Normally, she would be chilling out while reading a Daring Do book. It was something she enjoyed as much as winning, but right now she was feeling too good, a feeling that paled in comparison to any victory or Daring Do book she had ever read.

She held up the Dark Dummy Spark and Mebius Spark Doll. To an outsider, she looked like a kid playing with her toys, but these were not toys; these were power.

Rainbow Dash turned over to look at the trophies she had on a shelf her dad had put up and the medals that hung underneath. She had earned each one, but winning sporting events just was not enough anymore. No, Rainbow Dash wanted more. She wanted to be admired by everyone.

She wanted to be a hero.

And now with the Mebius Spark Doll and Dark Dummy Spark, she would be the hero this city needed. No, wait. Not just this city, but the entire world. Sunset did not deserve to be a hero. That right belonged only to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash checked online for any news on her debut. When she found a video of her debut as Mebius Dark, she immediately clicked on it. She saw herself in action and grinned. It showed how easily she beat Ginga and Sunset Shimmer.

Then she read the comments and what she found infuriated her:

“BBC: Big Black Coward”

“OMG! He just shot Ginga out of nowhere!”

“Seriously, is he trying to copy Ginga? The colors aren’t even right!”

“Black Ultraman is L053R! Ginga FTW!”

On and on it went, condemning her actions as Mebius Dark and still praising Ginga. With a frustrated growl, she angrily threw her phone away and it landed facedown on the carpet.

They did not see her as hero, well then she would have to make them see her as one.

However, how was Rainbow Dash supposed to be a hero if she did not have a monster to fight?

*////*

In another teenager’s bedroom which had movie posters and a bookshelf full of DVD’s, a girl named Juniper Montage was watching a movie on her television. The movie starred a beautiful actress, someone she envied so much. She wanted to be famous, she wanted to be adored, she wanted to be loved. Unfortunately, for her, she just wasn’t all that impressive. She was just so plain to look at with her green hair in pigtails and her glasses. She wanted to be an actress and had gone to audition after audition, but she always failed to make the cut. Even if she did manage to be part of the show, she never had a starring role.

She wanted - needed to be a star, so her life could mean something, and she knew just who to blame: her idiot uncle.

Canter Zoom seemed to always be the one to ensure that she never got a part in any of his movies. It did not matter if she memorized the scripts and knew the lines by heart, he always casted some celebrity to star in his films.

He needed big time celebrities, not someone nobody had heard about. He wasn’t shooting low budget films with a no-name cast.

The only time she was allowed to be involved was behind the scenes, running errands for her uncle. Even worse, whenever she would confront her uncle about her problems, he would either give her a generic excuse, or deflect by giving her more work. THEN, there was his habit of hiring notoriously difficult actors/actresses, making filming even more of a nightmare than it already was.

None of that mattered though, she would get even with that idiot. She did not know how yet, but she knew she would.

As though in answer, Juniper’s window began emitting a bright light, glaring off the television, and ruining her viewing.

“Grr, what is that!” Juniper snapped and stomped her way over to the window.

The last coherent thought that ran through her mind was of the scream she emitted at the creature lunging through the window.

*////*

Wallflower Blush was jolted awake by the sound of her phone vibrating. Grumbling, she looked around. The Gang had fallen asleep in the hospital’s waiting room, which would make her phone vibrating odd, given that she turned it… Suddenly Wallflower was wide awake.

“GIRLS! GIRLS! WAKE UP! TWILIGHT RESPONDED!”

A nurse walking by shushed the green girl who blushed and quickly apologized.

The Gang awoke with a bleary-eyed start and began groaning.

“Wallflower, please, it’s too early to…” Lightning Dust began, but then Wallflower words caught up with her brain, “SHE DID!? WHAT’D SHE SAY!?”

“Hold on!” Wallflower demanded, digging out Sunset’s journal from her bag. She began flipping through the pages until she came to the one where the message had appeared:

“‘Meet me at the portal’,” Wallflower read. “‘And bring the Ginga Spark’.”

“That’s it?” Applejack asked.

“That’s all she wrote,” said Wallflower, shrugging. “Guess it’s too important that it’s something she needs to tell us in-person.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Lightning Dust asked impatiently. “Let’s go!”

“Now, hold on,” Trixie interrupted. “Should Trixie remind you that Sunset is in the hospital and completely helpless? We can’t all go lest she be unprotected.”

“Trixie is correct,” said Rarity. “A couple of us should stay to keep guard and watch over her.”

“Then I’ll stay,” Applejack volunteered. “I know I might not be tough enough to fight some aliens, but if Rainbow comes waltzing in then I’ll be able to take her down.”

“Same here,” offered Lightning Dust.

“Alright, so we have our guards,” said Taro. “Let us go meet with Princess Twilight.”

*////*

Sunset found herself someplace else. It was not the battlefield of the Dark Spark War, but it was no less terrifying.

It was Canterlot High, or what was left of it. It had been reduced to rubble. The statue where the portal to Equestria was located was also shattered to piece. However, what truly horrified the girl were the bodies strewn about among the rubbles.

It was all of her friends.

“It’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it?”

Sunset whirled around when she heard the familiar voice and saw someone she wished she never saw it again. It was a face that she had only seen in her nightmares since that night - the night of the Fall Formal.

“You.”

It was Demon Sunset. She was as she remembered her, with crimson skin, pointed ears, black eyes and hair made out of fire. She hovered off the ground with the aid of draconic wings and wore black boots with a black, red and yellow dress.

“It’s been a long time, me,” Demon Sunset greeted.

Sunset groaned.

“Of course, I’d see you in my nightmares,” Sunset Shimmer muttered.

“I’m part of you, Sunset. Always have been, always will be. You can try to forget me, but I’ll always be in your subconscious, reminding you of what you threw away,” Demon Sunset hovered around Sunset Shimmer.

“What? A lifetime of loneliness?” Sunset scoffed.

“Power, ambition, and everything Celestia owed us,” Demon Sunset reminded. “And then you threw it all away for ‘friendship’.” Demon Sunset stuck her tongue out in disgust.

“I was made to realize what was important.”

“Oh, of course, your friends are important. Tell me, wasn’t it those same friends who abandoned you?” Demon Sunset reminded and Sunset clenched her fists.

“That-”

“They didn’t even let you defend yourself. They wouldn’t even listen. They just turned their backs on you and left you.”

Yes, it had been painful.

“But they’re back now. They’re with me.”

“Only because of your power, Sunset. If these monsters hadn’t appeared, if you hadn’t touched the Ginga Spark, would they still be with you?”

*////*

The Ginga Gang, sans Applejack and Lightning Dust, arrived at Canterlot High to greet Princess Twilight Sparkle. When they arrived, Wallflower wrote a quick message in the journal, telling her that they had arrived.

Once the message was sent, it only took a few seconds for Princess Twilight to step out of the portal. This time, she was clad in more weather-appropriate attire.

“So, the portal can alter clothing too,” Twilight studied the winter jacket she wore which was one she had been wearing before.

“Twilight!” the girls greeted and the princess returned the greeting, but she had a serious expression.

“How’s Sunset?” Twilight asked.

“She’s hurt badly,” Fluttershy answered. “Right now she’s at the hospital. Applejack and Lightning Dust remained behind to protect her.”

“Alright then,” Twilight Sparkle said. “You said she got hurt by a black Ultraman. Was it someone using a Spark Doll?” Everyone was silent and from the silence Twilight came to a conclusion. “It was someone you know.”

“...Yes,” Rarity said regretfully.

“Who is it?” Twilight demanded.

“We think it might be Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie Pie answered.

“Rainbow hurt Sunset!?” Twilight yelled.

“Look, we know you’re upset,” Wallflower interrupted. “But we can’t worry about Rainbow Dash right now.”

Twilight forced herself to calm down.

“Right, you’re right.” Twilight remembered what she came for. “Did you bring it?”

“Here,” Trixie held up the Ginga Spark. Twilight Sparkle took it and noted its dim appearance. “Can your Celestia recharge it?”

“Princess Celestia should be able to,” Twilight Sparkle answered. “And she actually wanted to come here herself so she can check up on Sunset Shimmer, but I managed to convince her otherwise.”

“So she’s waiting on the other side of the mirror?” Taro asked.

“Yes, and she wishes to speak to you about the situation in this world and how Sunset got involved,” answered Twilight. “You especially, Taro.”

“Well, it was only a matter of time if Sunset Shimmer is so important to Princess Celestia.”

“I’m going too,” said Wallflower. She had met and befriended Taro first.

“The rest of us need to stay here and keep a lookout for trouble,” said Rarity.

“Then take it,” Wallflower handed the journal to the fashionista. “At the first sign of trouble, call us.”

“Have any of you tried calling Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.

“She hasn’t answered our calls or replied to our texts,” Fluttershy answered. “I doubt she’d talk to any of us.”

“Going to her house is also a huge no-no. We might make her go Ultra,” Pinkie Pie added fearfully.

“Look, I know it’s scary, but you’re her friends. Maybe she’ll listen to you,” Twilight advised. “If she truly is being influenced by dark forces, then the Magic of Friendship is the only way to bring here back. It’s risky, I know, but it’s worth it.”

“We’ll be back,” said Wallflower as she entered the portal after Twilight with Taro perched on her shoulder.

Wallflower tumbled out of the mirror and into Twilight’s library. The first thing she noted was that she no longer had arms or hands. Instead, she had hooves. Her body had also become equine with hind legs that ended in hooves as well. Her mane was in the same style as her hair and she still had freckles on her cheeks. She was also wearing her sweater, but not pants. If she could see her flank, she would see her cutie mark which was a flowerpot.

“Easy there, Wallflower Blush,” Twilight said as she stood in front of the earth pony. Yes, Wallflower Blush was an earth pony and she looked at Twilight whose true form was a purple alicorn, a pony with a unicorn horn and pegasus wings.

“Twilight...?” Wallflower asked as she stood up on her hooves, still trying to get used to the sensation and change to her body. “Whoa, this is weird.” She noticed she wasn’t wearing any pants and yelled, sitting down and pulling her sweater down to cover her lower half. “Where are my pants!?”

“Relax, Wallflower,” Taro said. He had not changed at all. “I don’t think there are any nudity taboos here.”

Wallflower Blush blushed and stood back up. She soon noticed that there was another presence. It was a white alicorn who was slimmer and taller with a ethereal mane that was rainbow-colored. She wore a golden collar, golden hoof shoes and also a gold crown.

“Welcome to Equestria, Wallflower Blush and Ultraman Taro,” the white alicorn greeted.

“Wallflower Blush, Ultraman Taro, meet Princess Celestia,” Twilight Sparkle introduced

*////*

Juniper Montage came downstairs to speak to her uncle. She lived with him as he was her legal guardian.

Her uncle was on the phone and it sounded like a very important conversation. Whatever it was about, it had to wait. They really needed to talk about her starring in his next film. Today, she was not taking ‘no’ for an answer.

She waited until he ended the call before she spoke.

“Uncle.”

“Oh, Juniper. Do you need something?”

“It’s about your next project. You’re going to make a Daring Do movie, right?”

Canter Zoom knew what his niece was going to ask.

“Juniper...”

“And Daring Do is my favorite book series and I know I could play a great Daring Do!”

“Juniper, you’re just not experienced or old enough to take a role like this. I’m sorry,” Canter Zoom reasonably answer.

It was the same thing again and Juniper hated hearing it.

“Alright, then who’ll be playing Daring Do then?” Juniper asked.

“Chestnut Magnifico. I just finished negotiating with her agent-”

“Chestnut Magnifico!? That diva!? What does she know!?”

“Juniper Montage, don’t you raise your voice at me like that, young lady,” Canter Zoom scolded. “And Chestnut Magnifico is a talented actress who will be able to play Daring Do. I just need to get A.K. Yearling’s approval.”

Juniper did not hear anything anymore. Her dad was going to cast some diva who likely never even read a single Daring Do book or heard of A.K. Yearling. Well, then she just had to show her uncle her acting ability.

She took out the Dark Dummy Spark and Golza Spark Doll, showing them while glaring at her uncle dangerously.

“Juniper, what are those?” Canter Zoom asked. They looked like toys but something in his gut told him they were anything but.

“Get your camera ready, Uncle, coz your niece is going to star in a new ‘Creature Feature’!” Juniper declared.

DARK LIVE! GOLZA!

*////*

Rainbow Dash was still waiting in her room when she heard a furious knock on her door. She got out of bed and pulled the door open.

“What is it, Mom?” Rainbow Dash asked, annoyed.

“You need to come down! You need to see the news!” Windy Whistles yelled.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes but it seemed urgent so she followed her mom downstairs. Her dad, Bow Hothoof was sitting in his armchair, wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. His eyes were glued on the screen.

Rainbow Dash watched the TV as well and saw Golza going on a rampage.

“Are you seeing this?” Bow Hothoof pointed. “It’s another one of those monster and it looks really close by!”

“Close by, huh?” Rainbow Dash smirked and she went for the front door, grabbing her jacket.

“Rainbow, where are you going?” Windy Whistles asked as Rainbow Dash stepped out of the house. Once outside, Rainbow Dash took out her Dark Dummy Spark and Ultraman Mebius Spark Doll.

“Finally, I’ll show them what a real hero looks like!”

DARK LIVE! MEBIUS DARK!

*////*

Golza roared as it went on a rampage. Panicking, Canter Zoom fled from his house as the monster started to chase him down. It was quite a shock for him when his niece was engulfed by a dark aura. When the ground shook and he heard a roar, he went out to check and saw a gigantic monster standing in their backyard.

When it saw him, it looked pissed so he decided to hightail it out of there. Golza stomped after Canter Zoom when Mebius Dark suddenly came out of nowhere and delivered a flying kick that knocked Golza back. Raising his fists, Mebius Dark decided to celebrate his victory prematurely.

“Ah, yeah!” Rainbow Dash cheered from within Mebius Dark. Aiming Golza with a determined glare, she went into action. She would destroy this monster and show everyone she was a true hero.

“GET OUT OF MY WAY!” Juniper screamed from within Golza and she willed her monster to attack Mebius Dark. He took its charge head on as Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth.

“When I beat you, everyone will see that I’m the hero they need!”

Juniper heard this and became angered. Somebody else was trying to steal her fame.

“I’LL DESTROY YOU!”

And thus, the two titanic terrors began their battle, uncaring of the destruction they would cause.

*////*

Taro and Wallflower both gave Celestia a quick explanation of what was happening in their world. Taro told Celestia about the Dark Spark War and how the Spark Dolls, himself and Ginga Spark ended up on Wallflower’s world. He also told her that the Dark Giant responsible for turning them all into Spark Dolls was likely at large and was sending agents to make people use the Spark Dolls to turn into monsters.

Wallflower also added that Sunset Shimmer was using the Ginga Spark to become Ultraman Ginga to fight the monsters and turning them back into Spark Dolls before claiming them so they would not fall into the wrong hands.

After hearing their explanation, Celestia spoke.

“And why is Sunset Shimmer able to use this ‘Ginga Spark’?” Celestia asked as she studied the strange device. She could sense a strange power from it. It was not magic but it was still otherworldly. All she could sense from it was some kind of light but it was pretty dim right now, like it was low on power. There was nothing evil or dark about it, but Celestia could not help but be suspicious.

Honestly, it just sounded so surreal. A war that spanned across many universes involving silver giants, monsters and aliens, only ending when a much larger threat turned all the warriors into dolls. However, looking at Taro, she knew he had no reason to lie. In fact, he sounded completely sincere.

Honestly, she was glad that Sunset had gained such loyal companions, but she was still worried for her former student and how she risked her life fighting these monstrous threats. She had even even gotten hurt. Princess Celestia had every reason to go through the mirror to drag Sunset Shimmer back, but if she did then the other world would be threatened by the Dark Giant. Only Sunset could fight this threat.

“I don’t know the true answer to that,” Taro answered honestly. “But I would assume that the Ginga Spark sensed something within Sunset, something that allowed her to use its power and not others.”

“She has always had potential,” Celestia confessed. “Maybe this was something she was destined for.” Sunset Shimmer used to act so entitled, that being Princess Celestia’s pupil meant she was special and deserved to be given everything. It was good to hear she had changed for the better.

“So, can you recharge the Ginga Spark?” Wallflower asked.

Celestia smiled.

“I will certainly try, my little pony,” Celestia said. She would try for Sunset Shimmer.

Celestia gripped the Ginga Spark with her magic and stood on the balcony. She then focused as she gazed at the sky. A ray of pure sunlight beamed down on Princess Celestia as she focused the energy into the Ginga Spark. Before Wallflower, Taro and Twilight’s eyes, the Ginga Spark began to shine again.

“It is done,” said Celestia as she finished recharging the Ginga Spark. “Now, take me to Sunset Shimmer so I may give this to her.”

Suddenly, the Ginga Spark flew out of the grip of Celestia’s magic. Wallflower and Twilight Sparkle ducked as the Ginga Spark flew at them. Taro ended up being knocked out of the air as the Ginga Spark flew past him and headed straight for the library. It kept going before entering the mirror portal.

“Where is it going!?” Twilight Sparkle shouted.

“Back to Sunset,” Taro answered.

Twilight’s journal began to vibrate and the Princess of Friendship opened it up. It was a message from the girls. Mebius Dark was back and fighting a monster.

“It looks like Mebius just appeared and is fighting a new monster,” Twilight Sparkle read.

“Guess we now know why the Ginga Spark went right back,” Wallflower deadpanned.

*////*

“If these monsters hadn’t appeared, if you hadn’t touched the Ginga Spark, would they still be with you?”

When Sunset Shimmer was unable to answer, the demon showed Sunset Shimmer all of her memories since Anon-A-Miss started. She showed Sunset how her friends accused her.

“It was you all along! You're "Anon-a-Miss"!”

“We trusted you, Sunset! We thought you were our friend!”

“How could you do this? After all we've been through together?”

“No, wait, you guys—I didn't do this! I could never hurt any of you!”

“But none of them wanted to listen to you. They just turned their backs on you and left, and then all the other students treated you horribly. You were once more the girl everyone loves to hate,” Demon Sunset cruelly reminded.

“Stop it!” Sunset snapped. “My friends came back! They came back!”

“Only because you’re useful! Like back after the Fall Formal, they just looked after you because Princess Twilight asked them to. Did they even try to include you in the band? Did they ever ask? No, it was only after you beat the Sirens, and even after that they never really trusted you.”

“But we did it together!”

“‘And at the first sign of trouble, when it looked like you were behind it, they left you. They’re only sticking with you now because you can fight the monsters, but what happens after? Do you really think they’ll stay once everything is back to normal, or will they throw you away again without a second thought.”

Sunset could not refute the demon’s words. Her friends had abandoned her once and, as much as she wanted to deny, they could do it again. She had done terrible things, and while they said they had forgiven her, they were still hurt by what she had done. They had never forgotten. Anon-A-Miss was just an excuse; they had wanted to be rid of her for a long time now.

“Sunset Shimmer, you and I both know that I am telling the truth. I’m the only one you can trust because I know who you really are. We are one in the same. You can trust me,” Demon Sunset held her hand out to Sunset.

*////*

Meanwhile, in front of the portal, the rest of the Ginga Gang were waiting for Wallflower and Taro to come back. They were all watching a live stream of the fight between Mebius Dark and Golza on their phones when the Ginga Spark suddenly shot out of the portal like a rocket and kept flying.

“WHOA!” Pinkie Pie yelled, shocked when the Ginga Spark suddenly flew past them.

The Ginga Spark continued to fly toward the hospital. When it reached Sunset’s room, the Ginga Spark easily phased through the surface. Lightning Dust and Applejack both saw the Ginga Spark as it hovered over Sunset Shimmer and began to bathe her in its light.

The two girls watched puzzled but could see that the Ginga Spark was not doing Sunset any harm.

*////*

Full of despair and feeling broken, Sunset was about to take Demon Sunset’s hand when a pillar of light burst out from the ground between them, repelling the demonic entity. Sunset’s eyes widened in surprise as Ultraman Ginga emerged from the pillar in human-size.

“Ginga.”

“You!? What are you doing here!?” Demon Sunset shrieked at the Ultra. “You can’t have her! She’s mine!”

Ginga stared silently, but then, he spoke, “No.”

The demon’s eyes went wild, “WHAT!”

“No. She does not belong to you. She belongs only to herself, and you, are not welcome here,” Ginga replied with finality. He then raised a glowing fist, and surged forward with a supercharged haymaker, that launched the demon out of Sunset’s mind, permanently.

Sunset was shocked by this display of power, though, the first words to the Ultra were decidedly off topic, “Ginga… You spoke.”

Ginga, fortunately, took Sunset’s comment in good humor, “Hm, yes, I suppose that would come as a shock to you.”

“But… How-?”

“Never believe anything a vile creature like your demon says. While you were in the hospital, your friends set about getting you on your feet again, managing to rope in the aid of Princess Celestia. Through her sun magic, I was recharged, and regained my voice and mind. You no longer need to become a monster to summon me. Now, while you might have more questions, we are, unfortunately, out of time. Rainbow Dash, who you will remember as the black Ultraman, is currently fighting a monster called Golza, in an attempt to replace us. The city needs you, Sunset. They need us, Ultraman Ginga.”

Sunset seemed unsure. This was all happening so fast, and now she needed to fight again? However, she could not afford to doubt herself now. Those people needed her right now. Her friends needed her.

With that final thought, all doubt was cast aside, and the face that once held uncertainty, now turned hard with determination, “Then let’s go, Ginga!”

Ginga smiled and shrunk into his Spark Doll form as the Ginga Spark appeared in Sunset’s hand. Taking of the Ginga Spark Doll, Sunset touched the foot to the tip of the device.

*////*

Back in the real world, Sunset woke up got out of bed and took hold of the Ginga Spark as it hovered over her. She felt a very familiar warmth from the device, like the warmth Princess Celestia gave off.

“Sunset, are you OK?” Applejack asked.

“I’m fine,” Sunset answered, smiling at Applejack and Lightning Dust.

The aches and sores Sunset had gotten from her last fight with Mebius Dark seemed to fade. She opened her eyes and smiled at her friends who stood agape as they surrounded her.

“Thank you,” Sunset said gratefully. “Thanks for staying with me and for looking after me.”

“Shucks, Sunset. You’re family,” Applejack answered. “And this time I really mean it. We won’t turn our back on you again.”

“So, there’s a monster attack, right?” Sunset asked.

“Yeah, and Rainbow Dash is fighting that monster and causing a huge mess,” Lightning Dust added as she showed Sunset the fight being shown online. It was a live stream and Mebius Dark was fighting Golza without showing any restraint or any thought of the damage she was causing.

“They need to be stopped,” Sunset resolved as she opened up the Ginga Spark and summoned Ginga’s Spark Doll. “Here we go, Ginga.”

She took hold of Ginga’s Spark Doll then spun her arms around before tapping the sole of Ginga’s foot with the tip of the Ginga Spark.

ULTRA LIVE! ULTRAMAN GINGA!

Ginga’s face appeared on the Ginga Spark as Sunset raised the device high above her head.

“GINGAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

A bright light engulfed Sunset then a pillar of light shot through the ceiling of the hospital room.

*////*

The black Ultraman and monster were in the middle of their wrestling match when Ginga performed a perfect three-point landing as she got between Mebius Dark and Golza, breaking the two apart. He rose to full height, his body shining before the shine faded, revealing his true colors to them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, he’s back! Ultraman Ginga is back!” a reporter on scene informed the viewers at home.

Inside Ginga, Sunset smiled at the Ginga Spark.

“Alright, Ginga! Together, let’s do this!”

“Sunset!!!” Rainbow Dash screamed as she willed Mebius Dark to throw a punch, but Ginga caught the fist before burying his own fist into Mebius Dark’s stomach. He then delivered a series of fast and hard punches into Mebius Dark’s stomach before flipping the black Ultraman onto his back.

Ginga turned around in time to see Golza coming at him and landed a kick into the monster’s chest, driving it back. Roaring angrily, the opening on Golza’s neck glowed purple as it charged up its attack before firing its Ultrasonic Ray from its forehead.

Using his hands, Ginga created his light shield and then redirected the beam into the sky. Then Ginga charged forward and struck Golza in the throat, causing it to choke briefly. He then grasped Golza by its mouth and horn then lifted it up before throwing it. Mebius Dark was getting back up but was knocked down by 68,000 tons of monstrous weight.

“Rainbow Dash,” Sunset spoke to her friend who was within Mebius Dark. “You want to be a hero, you want to be admired, but right now you’re going about it all wrong.”

“What do you know!?” Rainbow Dash snapped back.

“I know because you’re just like how I was, only thinking about yourself!” Sunset shouted.

Mebius Dark threw Golza off himself and then got up, breaking into a run.

“You don’t deserve to be called the hero! I’ll expose the fraud you are then everyone will know I’m the real hero!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

Ginga sidestepped a punch from Mebius Dark.

“Rainbow, please listen to me! That Dark Dummy Spark is messing with your head!” Sunset pleaded, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t listening. Mebius Dark threw a punch and Ginga blocked it. Mebius Dark followed up with a right hook and Ginga ducked before delivering an uppercut that sent Mebius Dark staggering.

Meaanwhile, there was a crowd watching from a safe distance.

“GINGA, BEAT HIM!”

“YEAH, YOU CAN DO IT, GINGA!”

“YOU’RE STRONGER THAN HIM!”

“GINGA! GINGA! GINGA!”

Rainbow Dash heard the cheers for Ginga and growled. These idiots didn’t realize that the giant hero they worshipped was Anon-A-Miss. She glared at them and decided to teach them a lesson.

Mebius Dark summoned the mebius strips of energy as he charged up his attack. He took aim and fired the Mebium Shoot beam at the crowd.

Ginga threw himself in front of the people and Mebius Dark’s beam hit him in the back. There was smoke rising from the contact point. Ginga turned around and glared at Mebius Dark.

“Rainbow, you could’ve killed them!”

“No, no it’s not my fault! It’s your fault!”

Sunset Shimmer’s eyes narrowed and then she attacked Mebius Dark.

“Ginga Fireball!”

Ginga launched flaming meteors at Mebius Dark and they exploded on impact.

“Fuck! Damn you, Sunset!”

But Sunset was not done yet, and neither was Ginga.

“Ginga Thunderbolt!”

The Ginga Thunderbolt struck Mebius Dark violently.

“Ginga Saber!”

In response, Mebius Dark formed the Mebium Blade. Both Ultras clashed, sparks exploding as their blades crossed. The two struggled with each other for a moment, but Ginga buried his knee into Mebius Dark’s stomach, knocking him back.

“Ginga Slash!”

Multiple light blades fired from Ginga’s forehead crystal, bombarding and exploding on impact once they connected to Mebius Dark, knocking him down.

Golza managed to catch its second wind and got back up. It had been watching the two Ultras going at it, waiting for its chance to strike.

Inside Golza, Juniper growled as she knew all eyes were on Ginga and not on her.

“I’M THE STAR!!!” Juniper screamed.

With a roar, Golza charged at Ginga like an angry rhino. Ginga pivoted on his heel when Golza got close enough and delivered a roundhouse that collided with Golza’s face, stunning it. Ginga then punched Golza several times in the face, chest and stomach before finishing off the combo with an uppercut. Golza staggered and Ginga grabbed it around the waist.

“Going up!” Sunset yelled.

Ginga took off with Golza as Juniper screamed inside her monster. Then Ginga came right back down and dropped Golza, causing the ground to shake.

Ginga hovered above the two gigantic beings. Inside him, Sunset crosses both her arms in front of herself as she ponied up, a golden aura flaring from her body as she accessed another one of Ginga’s attacks.

In the real world, Ginga’s Zenshin Crystals glowed bright pink. He mimicked Sunset’s movements then pulled his fists back to his sides.

“GINGA CELESTIA SUNSHINE!”

Shooting both his fists forward, Ginga delivered a bright and massive blast of energy that engulfed both Mebius Dark and Golza. Mebius Dark was just recovering when he was blinded by the bright light that enveloped him.

Inside the gigantic lifeforms, Rainbow Dash and Juniper screamed as they felt the light overwhelm them.

Mebius Dark and Golza were completely vaporized but then they reverted to Spark Dolls that entered Ginga’s Color Timer.

*////*

In the crater that was once Mebius Dark, a rainbow-haired girl stirred.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and saw Ginga tower over her. She climbed back to her feet, fists clenched and an angry look on her face.

“First, the school. Then, my friends. Then, my band. Now MY ULTRAMAN! WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STOP TAKING THINGS FROM ME!?” Rainbow Dash screamed at Ginga.

“Looks like you lost,” said Icarus. “That’s not good.”

“C’mon, give me another one!” Rainbow Dash demanded. “This time give me a stronger one so I’ll beat her!”

“Hm hm hm, sorry, but no,” Icarus sneered. “You’ve proven how unworthy you are of the power, so why don’t you just die?” He pointed his fingers at Rainbow Dash to deliver his lethal ‘Ray of Decay’. However, before he could fire, Ginga suddenly shrank down to human size and stood in front of the alien to deliver a punch to his face.

Icarus stumbled back, surprised, as Ginga glowered at him.

“You’re seriously going to protect her, after what she did?” Icarus pointed at Rainbow Dash in disbelief.

“Yes,” Ginga/Sunset Shimmer answered without hesitation.

“Whatever,” Icarus spat in disgust before he teleported away.

Ginga turned to look at Rainbow Dash who started screaming at him.

“Why!? Why are you so strong!? Why are you the hero!? You don’t deserve it!” Rainbow screamed at Ginga as she began to furiously pound his chest. “It’s not fair! It’s not fair!” Angry and frustrated tears began to fall from her eyes. “It’s not fair...”

*////*

Meanwhile, in another crater where Golza had fallen, Juniper Montage regained consciousness.

“Ugh...my head hurts...”

“Juniper!” she heard Canter Zoom call out.

“...Uncle?”

Canter Zoom appeared from the rim of the crater and made his way down to Juniper, “Oh Juniper, are you okay?”

“Uncle, what happened? How did I get here?” Juniper questioned, confused.

“You turned into a monster, but it’s okay now, Ginga saved you.”

The reminder of her anger before that creature attacked her suddenly came back full force, “So, what? Are you going to punish me again by snubbing my next audition?”

Canter Zoom’s eyes widened, “You… You thought I was punishing you?”

“Well obviously! Why else are you at every audition I’ve done, if not to make sure I never get an acting job!” Juniper snapped.

Suddenly, tears started forming in her uncle’s eyes, “Juniper, I am so sorry.”

“What?”

“It was never my intention to make you feel like I hated you. I was trying to protect you. Those… Divas, as you called them, they started around your age, and they don’t know how to handle their fame, so they become absolute monsters because of it. When they grow older, they are the ones most likely to destroy themselves with drugs, alcohol, and scandals. I didn’t want to watch you tear yourself apart like they usually do.”

Now it was Juniper’s turn to tear up, “But, why did you never say that!? Why couldn’t you just tell me this!?”

“Because I was too cowardly to be honest with you. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings by making that assumption,” Canter Zoom sighed, “Now I see that I hurt you regardless of my intentions. Juniper, can you forgive me?”

Juniper was now openly crying, “Oh, uncle, of course I forgive you.”

The two hugged, finally taking their first step towards recovery.

“You’re grounded, by the way,” Canter Zoom said.

Juniper merely laughed, and replied, “Fair enough.”

*////*

“Well, it was a good plan while it lasted,” Metron said, “Though, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you swear that you would kill Rainbow Dash”

“I was,” Icarus growled out while nursing a black eye, “But that Sunset Shimmer is such a goody two-shoes that she stopped me before I could rot her.”

“What was up with that anyway? After everything that girl put Sunset through, I would have gladly been rid of her in Sunset’s place.”

“I bet it’s Ginga. Ultras are always in the way of us aliens.”

“It’s more likely that pretty pony princess Twilight Sparkle!” a new, harsh, feminine voice interrupted the aliens’ musings.

The pair would deny to their dying breath that they had been startled by the newcomer’s appearance, but they did stumble into attack ready stances.

“Who are you!? And how did you find us!?” Metron demanded.

“Oh, puh-lease, like two aliens like you are hard to spot. Now, take me to your boss,” the woman demanded.

“Hm, hm, hm, let me have a think about that. How about NO!” Icarus sniped back, “Now get lost before you rot!”

“What, like you did to Sunset? Or Rainbow?”

That infuriated Icarus, “Okay, who the hell are you lady!?”

“The only one who hates Sunset Shimmer more than you two or your boss,” the woman stepped out of the shadows she was hiding in, revealing a far more wild looking Sunset, with sharper eyes, and hair styled to resemble fire.

“Herself.”

Author's Note

Sorry, no chapter preview this time, that still needs work. In the meantime, does anyone know what the policy is regarding f-bombs?

Once again, big thanks to KR Chrome for the help and keeping me on track.

So, yeah, Golza.

He was one of the first Japanese Ultra kaiju of the Heisei era of Ultraman.
He appeared in the first episode of Ultraman Tiga alongside Melba in September 7, 1996.
He has a more powerful form called Fire Golza, which he attained via a prolonged soak inside a volcano. This form first appeared in episode 18 of Ultraman Tiga.

Interlude: Marred Spectrum

Rainbow Dash wandered aimlessly in the city, feeling lost, broken and pathetic.

*////*

Ginga turned back into Sunset who glared at Rainbow Dash.

“You want to talk about fair, Rainbow Dash? You never even gave me a chance to explain myself. Why?”

“But you took everything from me!” Rainbow Dash accused.

“I never took anything from you! You threw it all away! Why? Because you’re a stubborn, spoiled and arrogant brat who refuses to grow up and act her age! You don’t even see the bigger picture!” Sunset yelled.

“...But, Anon-A-Miss...”

“Nobody cares about Anon-A-Miss anymore, Rainbow Dash. Not me, not the others, and you certainly shouldn’t. By now, you’re just using it as an excuse to make me look like the villain to soothe your own wounded ego!”

“But you are-!”

“I’m not the one who tried to kill those people, am I? And for what? For not cheering for you?”

*////*

Rainbow Dash could not make any excuses for nearly killing the people cheering for Ultraman Ginga. So, she just ran. Sunset didn’t even care to chase after her.

That was how insignificant she was.

“Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash heard her name being called and looked up. She did not realize that she was near the mall when Scootaloo spotted her.

“Oh, hey squirt,” Rainbow Dash responded, trying to crack a smile at her honorary little sister.

Unfortunately, Scootaloo noticed her dour mood, “What’s up? You look like Tank just died.”

Rainbow flinched at Scootaloo’s wording, “It’s that obvious, huh?”

“Uh, kinda. Did Sunset do something again?”

Rainbow flinched again. Yes, Sunset did do something. She showed Rainbow Dash how truly flawed she was and how far she was willing to go to soothe her own ego. This time, it wasn’t Sunset who was trying to kill people but herself, and it was Sunset who had shielded the people from being vaporized by an angry teenager with superpowers.

“We were supposed to spend Christmas together before Anon-A-Miss started posting stuff online,” Rainbow explained. It was a tough subject for her to talk about, but it needed to be addressed.

“Anon-A-Miss, you mean Sunset Shimmer, right?

“No, squirt. I’m starting to think I was all wrong about her.”

“...What?”

“Yeah, coz it took losing all my friends for me to see what she was going through,” Rainbow Dash confessed. “I was the first one to call her out on being Anon-A-Miss and left her alone. Now I’m the one who’ll end up spending the holidays without her friends. Funny how karma works, huh?”

“B-but you’re not alone, Rainbow. You have me, and your family!”

“Yeah, but my friends are like my family too, and now I don’t know how I can face them.”

*////*

“Think it was a good idea for me to let her run off like that, Ginga?” Sunset Shimmer asked the Ginga Spark.

“Sunset Shimmer,” Ginga responded, “While I am immensely powerful, I am not omniscient. I cannot see the future, or know what to say at all times. She will have to find her answers on her own for now.”

“I guess. It still doesn’t feel right though,” Sunset said.

“Life rarely allows for feeling right,” Ginga reminded, “Much like your snap judgment in the Battle of the Bands to tackle Rainbow to stop her from revealing your plan to the Dazzlings.”

“How did you even know that?”

“When we merged, we shared memories.”

“Okay, so I assume that means you know about the bullying and the she-demon transformation then.”

“If you think that I hold that against you, then no. That is in your past. What matters is who you are now and who you can be in the future. However, I also saw more in your memories.”

“Huh?” Sunset said, confused. What did Ginga mean by that?

“You seem to have unresolved business with your former mentor.”

Ah, yes. The pony who pretty much drove her away. Well, Sunset had been an entitled brat, so full of pride and anger.

So alone in a strange world.

“Princess Celestia. We did not part on the best of terms.”

“With the portal open, it should be easy for you to go and see her again. She’s just a stone’s throw away.”

“After everything I did, after everything I said to her, would she ever forgive me?” Sunset questioned.

“She recharged the Ginga Spark for you. Shouldn’t that offer you a clue?” Ginga returned reasonably..

“Uh…” Sunset couldn’t argue with that logic. However, she just wasn’t ready to see Princess Celestia again.

“I will not force you to confront her if you are not ready, Sunset Shimmer. I only ask you consider this. I do not wish for you to have any regrets.”

“Thanks, Ginga.”

“You are welcome, Sunset Shimmer,” Ginga replied.

“So, about Taro, how come I can’t restore him with the Ginga Spark?” Sunset asked.

“Again, not omniscient. Not even I know that answer.”

“Then that means we gotta find the Dark Giant and stop him for good. Is there anything you can tell me about him?”

“A name: Dark Lugiel.”

A chill ran through Sunset’s spine at the name, and she felt ready to drop the topic at that, alone, “Sorry I asked.”

“No need to apologize, Sunset. However, about that demon,” Ginga began.

“Ugh, could we not do this?”

“Unfortunately not. That creature was not some construct of your mind, Sunset.”

“What?”

“When you took hold of that forbidden book, you created a separate entity in your mind, one based on your worst traits.”

“No,” Sunset gasped, “It couldn’t be. That thing isn’t real!”

“I am afraid it was. Think of it in terms of genetics, a dominant personality and a recessive personality. The demon was the dominant personality when you were a bully at CHS, while the girl you should have been was struggling to break free. All the Elements of Harmony did was force the demon to become recessive, while the girl you are, now, took over. However, that creature has been vying for control ever since, and very nearly won this day.”

“But she’s gone now, right?”

“With luck, yes. But know this, Sunset. A powerful criminal, though imprisoned, may still hold power. As such, that demon could still influence the world around you from within your mind, without your knowledge.”

“What do you mean?” Sunset asked, worried about the answer.

“Nothing overt, for risk of alerting your friends, but in far more discreet, insidious ways.”

“That’s pretty vague of you, Ginga.”

“You should return to your friends lest you worry them.”

“Yeah, and they’re probably answering some really awkward questions about how I’m not in the hospital anymore,” Sunset remarked.

Sunset Shimmer put the Ginga Spark away and headed in the direction of the hospital. Hopefully, she would be able to save Applejack and Lightning Dust who were likely being interrogated by a doctor for allowing an injured patient to leave.

*////*

“Applebloom, I think we should stop.”

Scootaloo was on the phone with Applebloom.

“Stop? Whaddya mean?”

“Anon-A-Miss, posting all those secrets, it needs to stop, right now.”

“But-”

“But what, Applebloom? You set it all up to drive Sunset away from our sisters. Not only did it stop working, we’ve hurt Rainbow Dash.”

“She’s got thick skin. She’ll be fine.”

“You didn’t see her, Applebloom. She’s lost all her friends and looks so broken right now.”

“But that’s not our fault!”

“Isn’t it? Look, Applebloom. It’s over. Nobody is taking Anon-A-Miss seriously anymore since the monsters showed up. We haven’t gotten any new secrets to post and Sunset Shimmer’s got most of her friends back. I’m going to tell my aunts and Rainbow Dash. I’m gonna call Sweetie Belle and tell her to do the same.”

Suddenly, a feminine voice spoke in Scootaloo’s head, “Uh uh uh, you don’t get to go off script.”

Scootaloo was then assailed by a massive headache, then an empty calmness. Scootaloo raised her phone to her ear again and said, “I’m sorry Applebloom, I don’t know what came over me. Keep Anon-A-Miss going.” She hung up before her friend could reply.

“Good job.”

*////*

On the aliens’ rooftop, the newcomer seemed to have become lost inside her head. Suddenly, she became alert and said, “There, now that, that bit of mutiny has been quelled, I believe we were discussing how you were going to take me to your boss.”

“Hm hm hm, not a chance. For one, now that I see you, I can smell Ginga on you. Second, you are a dead ringer for Sunset Shimmer, and she isn’t on my friends list right now,” Icarus scoffed.

The girl feigned being shot, “You wound me Icarus. Is that any way to talk to the demon that made your scheme possible?”

Metron huffed, “What? You’re behind Anon-A-Miss? Not likely. We already know it was those three little girls. Now do us both a favor and die!”

The two aliens prepared to kill the doppelganger when all of a sudden they heard their names behind called.

“Metron, Icarus.”

The aliens froze when they heard their master’s voice in their heads.

“Bring the young lady to me.”

“WHAT!? BUT SHE’S-!” both aliens exclaimed.

“Now. Do not make me repeat myself.”

Cringing, Metron became his transportation form, while Icarus grabbed hold of the Sunset look-alike and teleported.

*////*

Dark Lugiel sat inside his lair, surrounded by his collection of Spark Dolls. In his hands, he was cleaning one of his Spark Dolls.

“We have much to talk about.”

He turned around to face the newest addition to his plot.

The Sunset doppelganger raised an eyebrow at the person in front of her, “Well, out of everyone you could have been, this is a surprise.”

“Choose your words carefully, demon. I may not be complete, but I have more than enough power to leave you naught but ash on the wind,” Lugiel warned, “Now, you have your audience. Speak quickly. I am in no mood for arrogance.”

The demon huffed, “Right. So, I am the Fall Formal Demon, or Fall, for short. As for why I’m here? Well, I was just sitting in Sunset’s head, trying to reclaim my body,” now the demon began mock crying. “Then, for no reason, Ginga showed up and threw me out.”

“So, history repeats itself,” Lugiel murmured.

“He didn’t even give me the required eviction notice,” Fall sobbed, then became serious. “Fortunately, I stole some of Ginga’s light when he punched me, allowing me to create this form,” she indicated her body.

“Then continue your personal plan. I fail to see why I should concern myself with your troubles.”

Fall glared at Lugiel, “You’re quite bad at this, aren’t you? See, I don’t want this body, I want Sunset Shimmer’s body. And I can’t have it, until Ultraman Ginga is dealt with. So I’m here to make an alliance.”

“What can you possibly offer me that I do not already have?”

Fall grinned, vilely, “Magic.”

Lugiel merely tilted his head in response.

“As you have no doubt noticed, magic and the Sparks play very well together. Remember how that slut Rarity actually made Goldon a viable threat? What if I told you I could make that happen consistently,” Fall tempted.

“And how do you propose to do that?”

“Well first off, I’m gonna need that,” Fall replied, pointing at a device next to Lugiel’s computer.

“Done, anything else?”

“Yeah, the ability to create Dark Dummy Sparks, and your name.”

“Dark Lugiel, and you will be granted that ability, with the condition that you be assigned a handler,” Lugiel then grabbed the device and tossed it to Fall, “Now Icarus, take her away, I need to decide who her handler will be.”

Icarus nodded, then grabbed Fall, and teleported away. Now alone, Metron voiced his concerns, “Are you sure taking her on is the best idea, my lord? She seems… flighty.”

“Why do you think I am assigning her a handler? She may have power, but she cannot defeat an alien. Now leave me be.”

Metron bowed, then flew off, leaving Lugiel to make his choice, undisturbed.

*////*

Meanwhile, in a Starbucks elsewhere in Canterlot, Rainbow Dash sat, trapped in her funk. She was all alone and she really had nobody else to blame but herself.

She was not alone for long.

“Wow, Dash. Never seen you look this bummed out since you broke your leg trying to do that stunt on your skateboard.”

Rainbow sighed, “Hey, Gil.”

“That’s it? Not gonna ask about how I am after I went Godzilla on the town?” Gilda cocked an eyebrow.

“Well, I could say the same to you, given what I just went through.”

“Huh?” Ginda was confused. Last she checked, she was the only one between them that became a monster. Unless… “Dash, what happened?”

It was not a question. It was a demand

Rainbow curled into herself and murmured, “I was the black Ultraman.”

“What?”

“I was the black Ultraman,” Rainbow repeated, loud enough for Gilda to hear.

Gilda had seen the black Ultraman in action and was not impressed. She had seen him attack Ginga while his back was turned and then there was that shot of him trying to blast people to smithereens. Thank goodness Ginga was there to shield those people.

Gilda knew Rainbow Dash long enough to know she would not lie about something like this. She took the seat across from her oldest childhood friend and looked straight at her.

“Shit, Dash. Why’d you go and do something stupid like that?” Gilda asked. Rainbow Dash was far from stupid, but she was reckless and when she let her ego and anger get the best of her, Rainbow Dash could make some pretty dumb decisions.

“You know, when we were kids, I wanted to be a superhero.”

“Yeah? Wait, what? You thought those two xenos could make that happen? Despite all the evidence that told you that they had zero interest in saving anyone? WHY THE HELL DID YOU THINK THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA!?”

“Because I wanted to prove Sunset was Anon-A-Miss!” Rainbow admitted.

That sent Gilda into a dangerous silence as she let Rainbow’s confession sink in. Once she had given herself time to calm down, she said slowly, and with deadly calmness, “You know, I can’t exactly entirely blame you, given who your parents are. But this time, I can’t hold back anymore. Rainbow, you don’t want friends, that implies give and take. No, what you want is cheerleaders, people whose sole purpose is to boost your ego and nothing else. And when they can’t do that, you throw them away like garbage!”

“That’s not true!” Rainbow Dash denied.

“Oh, really? Where are your friends now?” Gilda challenged. Rainbow Dash could not answer that but Gilda answered instead. “They left you to side with Sunset Shimmer. Seriously, Dash. What were you thinking?”

“I thought that if I could show everyone what a fraud Sunset is, then they’ll believe me. I thought I could show everyone I could be a better hero.”

“Well, Dash, you failed. You want to know what makes Sunset a hero? When she fights monster, she doesn’t do it for anyone’s approval. She does it because no one else can and if she doesn’t then people will get hurt. She’s not thinking about beating monsters, but saving people from them. You just want to show off and you nearly killed people when they were cheering for her instead of you. And even if you started beating monsters, you wouldn’t be praised for it, because you would’ve only got that position by jumping Sunset, which would just make you look bad.”

Rainbow put her hand to her chin, “I… I never thought of that.”

“Clearly!” Gilda snapped, before taking a calming breath. “Dash, you’re a good kid, never let anyone take that away from you, but you’ve got serious issues in your head to work out. Until you’ve sorted those out, I’m sorry, but we can’t be friends.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened, “What!? But Gilda-!”

“I’m sorry. When you finally get your head on straight, look me up,” Gilda said, then she walked out the door, leaving Rainbow Dash alone with only her thoughts as company.

Unable to stop herself, the proud athlete cried once she realized how royally she had screwed up.

Author's Note

Next time:

Lugiel has chosen Fall's handler, but she is now tasked with a demonstration of her usefulness. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash works out her problems and finds that she isn't the only one with trouble.

Wrathful Apples, Shining Rainbows

Yeah, the title is a reference to Hell and High Water. One of my favorite Anon-A-Miss stories.

Wrathful Apples, Shining Rainbows

Applebloom just stared at her phone after Scootaloo hung up.

“That was weird,” she remarked.

Scootaloo had just called her, telling her it was time they stopped posting secrets and put an end to Anon-A-Miss before she changed her mind.

Applebloom opened up the Anon-A-Miss profile on her phone. When Scootaloo brought it up, the redhead began to think. She looked at the number of followers and saw that there was a significant drop in numbers. Also, they had not gotten any new secret to posts from other students in CHS for days now. It was like Anon-A-Miss was yesterday’s news.

It had been a weird these past few days when giant monsters began to show up and then this Ultraman Ginga appeared to fight said monsters. Sunset was no longer isolated, alone and friendless. In fact, she had gotten some new friends. Applebloom had no idea who the green girl was, but Trixie Lulamoon and Lightning Dust were pretty well known and to see them hang out with the former she-demon was a surprise.

Then Applebloom and her friends saw Fluttershy joining them, and then Pinkie Pie. They soon became worried when Rarity joined them and Applejack too. Rainbow Dash was not with them, but it pretty much confirmed that they were all friends with Sunset Shimmer which meant Anon-A-Miss had not worked. Sure, they had rejected Sunset Shimmer at first, but it seemed that it had only been temporary.

Even the suspicion that Sunset Shimmer was Anon-A-Miss had died since everyone was more focused on the monster attacks and Ultraman Ginga. Micro Chips was even sending Anon-A-Miss conspiracy theories. They pretty much deleted those since they were not secrets Anon-A-Miss would post, but he still kept sending them.

It was hard for Applebloom to accept, but Anon-A-Miss had just been a passing fad and now people were joining another bandwagon, keeping an eye out for monsters to they could capture videos and post them online. They also wanted to see Ultraman Ginga.

And Applebloom could not blame Sunset Shimmer for ruining everything.

While Scootaloo had changed her mind, Applebloom began to think it was time to put Anon-A-Miss to bed. What was the point anymore?

“NO!”

Applebloom suddenly felt the biggest headache of her life, then an empty calmness.

“What is with you three going off script? Now, tomorrow, you will post that secret that you’ve been saving as a nuclear option. I need your sister angry to allow her to use a Dark Dummy Spark. Do you understand?”

“Yeah,” Applebloom replied, blankly.

“Good girl. Now, shouldn’t you be in bed now?”

Applebloom robotically turned off her phone, changed into her pajamas, and climbed into bed.

*////*

“You do realize that I’m not your handler, correct?” Icarus nagged at Fall. After he had teleported her out of Dark Lugiel’s chambers, the demon had dragged him out into the middle of nowhere, following the beeping on the device Fall had taken from Lugiel.

“Oh, shut up Icarus, I know that,” Fall replied, with an annoyed edge.

“Then why am I here when I could be making the next Rainbow Dash, or making another monster, or ANYTHING ELSE!?” Icarus demanded.

“Wow, what a whiner. You’re here because I need a witness. Your boss won’t just take me at my word. He will want a demonstration and in order to do that I will need magic.”

“And you expect to find some here? What could possibly be here that you need me to see?”

“If you could stop complaining so I can hear this thing, you would find out,” Fall venomously replied, struggling to hear the device over Icarus.

“What is that thing anyway? Lord Lugiel has never considered that device important, and now you’re telling us that it’s some ‘magic compass’.”

The device in Fall’s hand led her to a source of magic and she smiled.

“We’re right on top of it.”

Fall crouched down and began to dig. She was not afraid of getting her hands dirty. She soon found the source, a stone with an eye on it. The purple magic detector began to react.

“What is that?” Icarus asked curiously over Fall’s shoulder.

“Whatever it is, it’s full of Equestrian magic,” Fall answered with a grin. She also found something buried with the stone. It was a set of instructions on old parchment paper. “Ponies really should be more careful of what they toss in this world. You can never tell who will find it.”

Icarus was squinting while leaning around Fall, attempting to see the parchment, “What is that? I can’t read human.”

Fall grunted in annoyance, “This, dear Icarus, is called the Memory Stone. When aimed at a target it can delete any memories of the user’s choosing.”

“Deleting memories, hm hm hm? That sounds delightfully useful,” Icarus hissed.

Suddenly, Fall bopped Icarus on the head, “Idiot! This rock is useless for our purposes in this state. For one, it was created to battle magic users and other creatures like griffons and humans, not Ultras and aliens. Second, the people that Ginga defeats gain a resistance to mental attacks, which is why you two can’t reuse Dummy Spark users. No, we need something more general purpose. Fortunately, this device is far more than just a ‘magic compass’. ”

Fall then clicked a button on the device, causing it to open, drawing tendrils of magic from the Memory Stone into it. Once the stone was drained of all its magic, it crumbled to dust. Fall snapped the device close and had a wicked idea. If it was possible to drain the Memory Stone, then she could drain the Equestrian magic from the Rainbooms.

For now, she was content to have some actual magic to use.

*////*

Sunset managed to save Lightning Dust and Applejack from further questioning at the hospital. The doctor still insisted on checking Sunset’s injuries and was amazed by her quick recovery.

“What can I say? I heal fast,” Sunset said with a shrug. “And I wasn’t as hurt as badly as you thought.”

Seeing as there was nothing wrong with her and that the hospital was busy, the doctor had no choice but to release Sunset Shimmer and her two friends.

“So, what happened with Dash?” Lightning asked as she left the hospital with Applejack and Sunset.

Sunset scratched the back of her head, awkwardly, “Well the good news is,
we’ve upgraded from ‘openly antagonistic’. The bad news is said upgrade is to ‘it’s complicated’.”

“That bad, huh?” Lightning

“Yeah,” Sunset replied, downcast, before brightening up, “Oh, but the best news is that Ginga’s awake.”

“Say what?” Applejack said, “That don’t make a lick’a sense.”

“I mean that he can talk to me now, and the even better part is that I’m free.”

“Free?” Sunset heard the approaching Ginga Gang. Sunset had texted them and told them to meet her in front of the hospital.

“Of what?” Pinkie Pie continued.

“The demon from the Fall Formal. The thing has been sticking around in my head, waiting to take me again. Ginga kicked her out though so, hopefully, she’s gone for good now,” Sunset explained.

“That’s wonderful, Sunset!” Fluttershy squealed, happily.

“How do you feel?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Like a bad roommate just got kicked out of my place. I feel, I dunno, lighter,” Sunset answered. “So how about a round of milkshakes, my treat?”

The other girls cheered at the suggestion and began their march towards Sugarcube Corner.

*////*

At Sugarcube Corner...

“So, Wallflower, what did you make of Princess Celestia?” Sunset asked. The Ginga Gang sat in their booth with milkshakes in front of them.

Wallflower blushed, but replied, “She’s intimidating to say the least and way more regal than Principal Celestia. She was also so powerful that she could command the sun and used its power to recharge the Ginga Spark.”

“I’m amazed that she was able to awaken Ginga,” Taro added, awed.

“After 1,000 years, she’s learned a few things in her lifetime,” Sunset Shimmer shrugged. She used to believe that being a Princess meant being more powerful and smarter than anypony else. Clearly, she had been wrong in her assumption.”

“There’s more, though,” Wallflower added, “While she agreed to power the Ginga Spark, I don’t think she was particularly happy with Planet Ultra’s idea of peacekeeping. She spent a bit of time looking at the Ginga Spark suspiciously.”

Sunset sighed, “I’m not surprised. Princess Celestia really doesn’t agree with the concept of peace through violence. She would much rather resolve conflicts peacefully.”

“If we could resolve things peacefully, we would have. However, we needed to prioritize the safety of innocent beings,” Taro stated. “After all, those who hate violence could not exist without others fighting their battles.”

“Yeah,” Lightning Dust said. “It’s why we have laws that say we can kill in self-defense.”

“People who say that violence is never the answer don’t get that sometimes it’s the only possible way. Like putting down an animal infected with rabies, or when they are faced with someone who only has eyes set on destruction, like Metron or Icarus,” Pinkie said, shocking the rest of the Gang. Noticing their looks, she said, “My family firmly believes that if some psycho tries to force himself on you, you are well within your rights to kick their ass, be they man or woman.”

Fluttershy looked visibly upset at the topic. She hated violence.

Noticing Fluttershy’s discomfort, Rarity asked, “Could we change the subject? Fluttershy is uncomfortable with this topic.”

Suddenly reminded that their shy friend was in the room the Gang offered her a series of profuse apologies and several more milkshakes.

“It’s alright,” Fluttershy assured them. “Sometimes, using words won’t work and action is needed. If you didn’t fight, Sunset, more people could get hurt.”

“Thanks, Shy.”

“Just wondering one thing, Wallflower,” Trixie spoke up. “What was it like on the other side? Did you really change into a pony?”

“I did,” Wallflower blushed. “I came out as a pony and without my pants.”

Everyone, sans Sunset Shimmer, goggled at Wallflower Blush who, well, blushed.
“Nothing happened to me, though,” Taro piped up.

“Yeah, lucky you,” grumbled Wallflower.

“Clothing for ponies is optional,” Sunset explained. “While there are some ponies that enjoy dressing up, we mostly go without clothing. Special clothing is usually reserved for special occasions like the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“Oh, so like a formal ball,” Rarity summarised.

“I also had a weird tattoo,” Wallflower recalled.

“That’s called a cutie mark,” Sunset clarified. “It’s basically a mark that symbolizes your special talent. It shows up when you discover what your special talent is.”

“You know, there really is a lot about Equestria we don’t know,” Applejack said.

“Then it’s a good thing we have our own resident expert,” Pinkie Pie grinned.

Sunset smiled, though when Celestia was mentioned earlier, she began to think about her former mentor and if it was time for them to reunite.

“OK, Equestria sounds cool and all, but I really want to hear about how you beat Rainbow and the other monster, on your own,” Lightning Dust added.

“Trixie saw the stream,” the magician added. “It was impressive. You were stronger.”

“When Princess Celestia recharged the Ginga Spark, that must’ve given Ginga and I a boost,” Sunset surmised.

“Looks like those aliens are going to have a much harder time trying to beat you.”

*////*

Rainbow Dash walked into her home, silent and sullen. With nothing to do but think, she went over everything that had happened in the past few days and how she saw the situation and how her friends began to turn away from the idea that Sunset Shimmer was behind Anon-A-Miss. Rainbow Dash had stubbornly hung on to the idea, waiting for everyone to come around so she could say, “Hah, I told you so!”

Only that never happened. Then when Rainbow Dash learned Sunset Shimmer and Ultraman Ginga were one in the same, she foolishly believed that the girl from another world had conned everybody by playing hero. Well, Rainbow Dash decided to show that she could be a better hero. Unfortunately, that had not turned out so well.

Then she remembered what Gilda had said to her at the Starbucks earlier:

“You know, I can’t exactly entirely blame you, given who your parents are. But this time, I can’t hold back anymore. Rainbow, you don’t want friends, that implies give and take. No, what you want is cheerleaders, people whose sole purpose is to boost your ego and nothing else. And when they can’t do that, you throw them away like garbage!”

Friends were supposed to support and cheer each other on. And she wanted her friends to do that for her. But then, when her friends began to support Sunset Shimmer and cheer for her, Rainbow Dash felt jealous.

She was jealous because she knew, deep down, that Sunset Shimmer was better than her and she hated that.

Rainbow Dash opened the door to her house and immediately her parents were in front of her.

“Kiddo, are you OK?” Bow Hothoof asked. “You ran out when there was a monster out.”

“You’re not hurt, are you?” Windy Whistles asked.

Rainbow Dash smiled. Her parents might be embarrassing, but they were her parents, and they loved her.

“Mom, Dad, if I mess up you’d tell me, right?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Her parents shared worried looks then looked back at her.

“Dashie, is something wrong?” Windy Whistles asked gently.

“I just need to tell you guys something. We should sit down for this. It’s a pretty long story,” Rainbow Dash told them.

The family sat down and Rainbow Dash told them everything, omitting the parts about Sunset Shimmer being Ginga and Rainbow Dash becoming a monster, not to mention how other students were turning into monsters and aliens. She basically told them about Anon-A-Miss and how she believed it was Sunset Shimmer until her friends started to believe otherwise.

“And so we got into a fight and Sunset Shimmer told me something I didn’t want to hear but I needed to hear all the same. I think I really messed up,” Rainbow Dash finished. Her parents were silent. “Guys?”

“How, DARE SHE!” Windy Whistles growled.

Rainbow’s eyes widened, “What?”

“HOW DARE SHE TALK TO MY PERFECT GIRL THAT WAY!”

Rainbow Dash could not believe it. Here she was, telling her parents that she had serious issues, and they completely ignored her issues to offer more praise
This was what Gilda had been talking about. While her parents had started supporting her in order to boost her confidence and encourage her to do better, they were really doing her more harm than good. Rainbow Dash truly did appreciate all their effort, but right now she really needed her parents to help.

“Mom, shut up!” Rainbow Dash yelled, shocking her mother to silence. “Mom, please, Sunset was right. I’ve let my ego get the better of me. Right now I need you guys to help me fix this and make up with my friends.”

“We will not fix what isn’t broken,” Bow Hothoof replied, “If they threw you out to join that traitor, then they are no friends of yours.”

“SUNSET DID NOT BETRAY ANYONE! I DID!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “I WAS JUST TOO BLIND AND STUPID TO SEE!”

“No, they walked out on you, not the other way around,” Windy Whistles huffed.

“Only after they tried to reach out to me and I threw it in their faces,” Rainbow Dash countered. She remember the texts she received from her friends to at least talk to Sunset Shimmer, but she refused. “Remember when you guys thought Applejack lied to me? You told me I was better off without her and I listened. I didn’t even think that she might’ve been tricked like I was.”

“But you were tricked by Sunset Shimmer-!”

“Exactly! She was able to do that without us suspecting her and when I think about it, Anon-A-Miss looks like her. It doesn’t make sense.”

“But she tricked you once and you got smarter.”

Rainbow growled, deciding to put them on the spot, “So, if I told you that I tried to kill people for not cheering for me, you would just nod and say it was justified?”

Her parents froze. How do they explain this away?

“...Dashie, what are you talking about?” Bow Hothoof asked.

“I nearly crossed the line today, Dad.”

Her parents already knew about magic as she had shown them her wings when she ponied up. As usual, they were proud, calling her their ‘magical pony girl’. She really could not hide something like this from her parents.

“I was the black Ultraman, guys. I tried to blow away those people away for preferring Ginga over me. I wanted to prove the person behind Ginga was a fake but all I did was prove that I was the biggest fake of all.”

Unfortunately, her parents just saw this confession as a way out of the hole they were digging for themselves, rather than the worst nightmare of most parents.

“You’re not fake. You saw an injustice and sought to correct it. That is heroism,” Windy Whistles deflected. Big mistake.

“ARE YOU SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW!? I JUST TOLD YOU THAT I’M AN ATTEMPTED MURDERER, AND YOU’RE SITTING THERE SAYING I DID THE RIGHT THING!? NO! NO I DID NOT! I WILL NOT TAKE YOUR YES MAN BULLSHIT! WHEN YOUR KID COMES TO YOU AND SAYS THEY TRIED TO KILL PEOPLE, YOU DON’T START MAKING EXCUSES FOR THEM! I’VE HAD ENOUGH! UNTIL YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO SAY NO TO ME, DON’T COME TO ANY OF MY SOCCER GAMES!” Rainbow ranted, before storming up to her room.

Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles sat downstairs, unsure of where they had gone wrong with their daughter.

“Bow? What are we gonna do?” Windy asked her husband, but he did not answer, “Bow?”

“I… I don’t know.”

*////*

Applebloom woke up the following morning with a dull feeling in her head. Robotically reaching for her phone, she began to follow the instructions laid out by the voice last night.

Applejack made a deal with the Rich family that left the Apples financially ruined.

I guess she’s paranoid, on top of being a stupid hick.

Applebloom hit ‘post’ then began preparing for school.

*////*

“So ah’ve gotta ask, why Ultraman Ginga and not Ultrawoman Ginga? Surely Ultrawoman is a better fit fer ya,” Applejack pressed Sunset while walking into the school.

Sunset sighed, “You know, Rarity once asked me that, and Taro got a bit huffy about it, saying that humanity’s ideas on gender are limiting. He summed it up as Ultras not being picky about what parts their host have. In fact, to prove his point, he brought up how his adoptive brother, Ultraman Ace, had two hosts for a while, a man and a woman. So a Ultrawoman can just as easily have a male host, just like Ultraman Ginga has me as his,”

That was an interesting bit of trivia. An Ultraman with two hosts?

“Guess all them Ultras need hosts then, huh?” Applejack asked.

“Well, not really. Ones like Seven and Mebius can assume human form.”

Applejack decided to change the subject to something more important: Anon-A-Miss.

“Look, we need to confront Applebloom about Anon-A-Miss. I mean, when I look at her, and know what she’s gone and done, I gotta resist giving her an earful,” Applejack said.

“It’s still too risky,” Sunset argued.

“Well, then we tell Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna or we can take Applebloom’s phone without her knowing.”

When they entered school, the students in the hallway were looking at them and whispering.

“What’s going on?” Sunset wondered aloud.

Applejack, however, recognized this pattern. This was just like when Anon-A-Miss first posted. Pulling out her phone, Mystable confirmed her suspicions.

As soon as she saw the latest post, she exploded.

“APPLEBLOOOOOOM!!!” Applejack roared.

*////*

Rainbow Dash walked into school, dejected and alone. Breakfast with her parents was an oddly silent affair, just like dinner the night before. Really, how they not understand? How could they delude themselves into thinking that it was OK for her to nearly blow people to kingdom come?

As Rainbow Dash entered the school, she heard a yell in a very familiar southern drawl.

“APPLEBLOOOOOOM!!!”

“Shit, what now?”

*////*

Applejack knew her little sister’s schedule and where her homeroom was. She marched angrily to find her so she could give her a well deserved spanking. Behind her, Sunset was pleading for her to stop before she did something she would regret.

“Applejack, stop! You don’t want to do this!” Sunset yelled as he went after her angry friend.

“Ah’m pretty sure ah do now back off, Sunset!” Applejack shouted back.

“No! You look like you’re about ready to kill your sister! This isn’t what your parents would want!” Sunset pleaded.

“She’s right you know.”

Applejack froze, feeling a massive headache, then a dullness.

“Rather than taking your anger out on your sister, why not take it out on the family that got you into this mess? I think you should go brain that mouthy brat Diamond Tiara’s head against your shoe, then present her body to her parents. That should teach them for trying to destroy your family’s legacy.”

“Yer right, Sunset.” Applejack said plainly, “Ah shouldn’t get mad at mah sister for this.”

Sunset let out a sigh of relief, “Thanks, Applejack. Now, why don’t we just-”

“Ah’ll jes’ go break Diamond Tiara instead!”

“Wait, what? No! No, no, no! Don't that! That’s a bad idea!”

But Applejack had already gone off to find Diamond Tiara who was sharing Applebloom’s homeroom as well. Sunset Shimmer went to stop her and grabbed her arm, but the farmgirl shook her off and continued onward.

Rainbow Dash soon caught up with Sunset Shimmer and Applejack. The redhead looked to her estranged friend for a moment before trying to get Applejack to stop.

“What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Anon-A-Miss posted something and she just lost it,” Sunset answered. “Now she’s going to kill Diamond Tiara!”

“What!? Shit! Look, go get your friends. I’ll handle Applejack!” Rainbow commanded. Sunset hesitated but nodded, knowing that she could not do anything against the raging farmgirl’s strength.

“Please, stop her,” Sunset begged, before running off to fetch her friends.

Being the more athletic one, Rainbow Dash was able to catch up to Applejack and grab both her arms, stopping her in her tracks!

“Lemme go! She’s going to get what’s coming to her!”

“No, you’re going to do something you’ll regret!”

Rainbow Dash wrestled with Applejack in the middle of the hallway. The two girls were athletic rivals so it was definitely a pretty close struggle with Rainbow holding on while Applejack tried to break her grip.

All of a sudden, a fist connected with Rainbow Dash’s face, causing her to release Applejack as she was sent sprawling to the floor. Rainbow Dash lay groaning on the floor while she rubbed her cheek.

“The Hell?” Rainbow Dash then saw who had thrown the punch. “Sunset?”

The girl raised her foot and then slammed her boot into Rainbow Dash’s face, knocking her out. The last thing Rainbow Dash saw before she drifted to unconsciousness was the cruel smirk on Sunset’s face.

*////*

“Well, now that she’s dealt with, we can get down to business, Applejack,” ‘Sunset’ said to the farmgirl who glared at her.

“Here to try and stop me again, Sunset?” Applejack asked, threateningly. She had just seen ‘Sunset’ knock Rainbow Dash out with a kick to the face.

‘Sunset’ tilted her head to the side, the evil smile never leaving her face. “Stop you? Never, my friend. I’m here to give you a gift to aid you in your vendetta.”

‘Sunset’ then reached behind her back, and pulled out a Spark Doll and Dark Dummy Spark.

Applejack realized too late that this was not Sunset Shimmer. However, before she could reject the two items, the two items’ purple glow appeared in her own eyes as well. She soon succumbed and fell under the Dark Dummy Spark’s trance as many had before. Sleepily, she clutched the items, touched the Spark Doll to the Dummy Spark, and disappeared into the darkness.

From behind a corner, the chuckling Icarus emerged, “Hm hm hm, I must admit, I wasn’t sold on you. But now, dear Fall, I believe you are growing on me.”

“Hmph, flattery will get you nowhere, Icarus. Now, let’s split. I can hear Sunset’s little posse on its way,” ‘Sunset’ said, motioning Icarus over. The alien nodded, then took hold of her and teleported out of the school.

*////*

Sunset only managed to find Pinkie Pie, Lightning Dust and Trixie before she led them back to where Rainbow Dash and Applejack were fighting only to find the rainbow-haired athlete knocked out on the floor.

“Rainbow!” Sunset cried as she went and knelt beside her. Pinkie Pie quickly joined her. “Is she OK?”

“She’s got a pulse,” Pinkie Pie checked Rainbow Dash’s wrist. “And a gnarly boot print on her face.”

“So where’s Applejack?” Lightning Dust asked.

They felt the ground shake followed by a loud, angry and monstrous roar.

“Trixie believes that must be her.”

“Dammit, they got to her,” Sunset cursed as she took out her Ginga Spark. “Girls, get Rainbow Dash out and as far away as you can. I need to take care of Applejack.”

“Kick some ass, Sunset!” Lightning Dust said as she scooped Rainbow Dash up in a brival carry. The three girls made a run for it like the rest of the school.

“Alright, Ginga. Time to get to work,” said Sunset as the Ginga Spark opened and released Ginga’s Spark Doll.

*////*

DARK LIVE! RED KING!

The monster that appeared had a color scheme that did not match its name but it was still very ferocious. As soon as it appeared, it released a furious roar. Pretty soon, the students and faculty of Canterlot High started to evacuate and flee from the massive Skull Monster.

Red King spotted Diamond Tiara who was holding hands with her best friend Silver Spoon as they ran with the crowd.

“Diamond Tiara...” Applejack growled angrily from inside Red King, her eyes red with rage. She was the one who had exposed one of her deepest, darkest secrets. “DIAMOND TIARA!!!”

Applejack began Red King’s march after the two little girls, the monster’s massive frame smashing buildings on the way. Unfortunately for the two girls, Silver Spoon took a wrong step and tripped herself on her own legs, taking Diamond Tiara down with her in the fall. Feeling her revenge soon approaching, Applejack was swiftly upon them, raising Red King’s foot in preparation to crush the little girls.

Suddenly, a giant foot kicked Red King in the chest mid-stomp, sending the monster backwards to the ground. Standing protectively above the girls was Ultraman Ginga.

Inside the Ultra, Sunset asked, “Okay, Ginga, how are we playing this?”

“Prioritize Red King’s feet, while the monster is powerful, the flesh on its feet is tender,” Ginga replied.

“So just step on its feet a lot, got it,” Sunset said.

By now Red King was on its feet and charging fast, but Ginga merely side-stepped and kicked the inside of the monster’s knee, sending it to the ground again. Leaping upon Red King’s back, Ginga grabbed hold of the monster’s head and smashed it, face-first, into the ground, twice, before moving to the beast’s tail and heaving the monster over his shoulder.

Ginga hopped backwards in preparation for Applejack’s next attack. Red King got up, and charged Ginga, launching into a grapple, but Ginga simply lifted his foot, and stomped on the monster’s right foot. The reaction was swift.

“YEEOWCH!” Applejack cried, distracted by her now heavily throbbing foot.

Using this opening, Ginga planted his left foot against Red King’s chest, hopped backwards slightly with his other foot, then fell on his back, pulling the monster with him. Red King was thrown through the air and landed on its back once again. Sunset willed Ginga back to his feet, and turned to face Red King, but instead, found the monster shakily standing up, clearly in no condition to continue fighting.

“Huh, this was surprisingly easy,” Sunset thought, striking Ginga’s left wrist over his right, in a manner akin to striking steel and flint together, turning his Zenshin Crystals green.

“Ginga Comfort.”

The green ray of light rained down on Red King. Inside the monster, Applejack started to calm down as the angry red glow in her eyes faded. The farmgirl blinked in confusion.

“Huh? What happened?” Applejack wondered.

“Applejack, can you hear me?” Sunset asked from within Ginga.

“Sunset? What’s going on?”

“One of the aliens got to you and made you turn into a monster,” Sunset answered.

“No, wait, that’s not right,” Applejack responded, shaking her hand. “It wasn’t an alien.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

*////*

Meanwhile, Fall stood atop the school roof and glared at both Red King and Ginga for stopping their fight.

“This won’t do at all,” Fall said in disapproval. She then raised up the magic detection/containment device and opened it up. She then threw a bolt of pure magic at Red King.

The magic quickly took effect as it hit the monster and also Applejack. All of a sudden, the red glow in Applejack’s eyes returned with a vengeance as she released a furious scream of rage. A red aura of magic exploded from her body as she ponied up, but her form was corrupted. The pony ears were sharper, her hair became ridiculously long and unbound, and she had red vapor coming out of her glowing red eyes.

Red King began to go through a terrifying transformation. Its scales became charcoal black with glowing orange gaps between the scales to show lava flowing underneath. In additional, Red King’s forearms grew and became as bulky as Popeye’s with huge fists to match.

Red King had evolved into EX Red King.

“What the Hell!?” Sunset yelled.

“It’s EX Red King, Red King’s evolved form!” Ginga warned. “DUCK!”

Ginga ducked as EX Red King’s giant fist went sailing over his head but the monster then followed up with a punch that connected with Ginga’s ducked head, sending him tumbling. Standing up, Ginga saw EX Red King crouch down, before leaping onto its hands then launching itself into a flip, intending to deliver a double hammerfist to his head.

Ginga rolled out of the way mere moments before EX Red King came crashing down. As Ginga got back on his feet, the telltale beeping coming from his chest started as his color timer began blinking red. He was running out of time and confronted by a rampaging beast with augmented strength.

How were Ginga and Sunset Shimmer going to get themselves out of this?

*////*

Meanwhile, the students and staff of CHS were at a safe distance. Rainbow Dash was laid across a bench as she started to come to. She opened her eyes to see the faces of her concerned friends; Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Rarity was fanning Rainbow Dash.

“Ow,” Rainbow grunted as her face felt sore.

“Are you OK, Rainbow?” Pinkie Pie asked as she helped Rainbow Dash to sit on the bench.

“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Applejack turned into a monster and now Sunset’s fighting her,” Pinkie Pie informed the athlete.

“Its name is ‘Red King’,” Taro said, perched on Wallflower’s shoulder as she walked over to the group. “Though now it has become EX Red King.”

Everyone could see EX Red King and Ginga fighting from a distance, waiting for the silver giant to finish off the monster as he usually would.

“Red King?” Pinkie Pie looked at the monster. It was charcoal black not red. Even before its change, Red King had been a pale yellow. “The name doesn’t really match the color scheme.”

“What happened, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked her childhood best friend. Though things were complicated between them, she still cared for her.

“I was trying to stop Applejack from going on a rampage when Sunset Shimmer went to get you guys,” Rainbow answered. “Then Sunset came back and knocked me out.”

The Rainbooms looked at each other, puzzled, then back at Rainbow. They were confused and angry. Had Rainbow Dash not learnt anything at all?

“Rainbow Dash, are you accusing Sunset Shimmer of assaulting you?” Rarity demanded.

“Do you know anyone else with red and gold hair?” Rainbow Dash insisted.

“Rainbow, Sunset was with us the entire time the attack on you would have happened,” Pinkie Pie said.

“What?” Rainbow asked, “That can’t be right, Sunset was busy kicking my head in, how could she be with you?”

“It could be an alien doppelganger,” Taro surmised. “After all, they can disguise themselves as humans and ones like Zarab are fond of using imitations to confuse humans.”

Rainbow paused, horrified, “Shit, Applejack must have gotten suckered in by its disguise.” She had almost been tricked again.

“Oh, no,” Wallflower looked up at Ginga who seemed to be struggling to beat EX Red King. She could see the color timer blinking. “Sunset’s time’s running out.”

If only they could help. Unfortunately, there was only one Ginga Spark and they could not produce any copies of it.

“C’MON, GINGA!” Rainbow yelled. The encouragement did not seem to help, so she did the only thing she could think of, “Sunset, I know we didn’t exactly have the best relationship with each other. I was a huge jerk to you, there’s no denying it. Whether before, or after the Fall Formal I was always feeling threatened by you. You were prettier, smarter, and more talented than I could be, and I was afraid of fading out of popularity. After we beat you at the Fall Formal, I saw a chance to, I guess, shove you off the ladder. To push you out of the spotlight so I could retake it. When you took the mic in the Battle of the bands, I realized that you were climbing back up that ladder and I was losing to you again. So when Anon-A-Miss happened, I jumped at the opportunity to get rid of you, and regain control of the band again. But then I started losing everybody and I just couldn’t admit I was wrong so I just double down. When I realized my mistake and told my parents, they just smiled and let me get away with it all. I can’t even think of a time that they’ve ever grounded me. I’m sorry, Sunset. I’m sorry. I want to help you save Applejack, but I need to know how. Please, tell me HOW, GINGA!?”

At this final plea, a light emerged from Rainbow’s chest and coalesced into a crystalline blue imitation of the Ginga Spark.

“Wh-what?”

The Ginga Gang just stared in shock of what just happened..

“Is that...a Dummy Spark?” Rarity asked.

“No,” Taro gasped, “This… This is something else, something new, something purer. It’s a Light Spark.”

Fluttershy turned to Rainbow at Taro’s declaration, “Rainbow, this is a sign. Ginga wants you to help. To allow you to be the hero you wanted to be the hero you are meant to be. Ginga wants you to help Sunset and save Applejack.”

“OK, but I don’t have a Spark Doll,” said Rainbow Dash. A Spark was useless without a Spark Doll to use it with.

“Oh, don’t worry! I got something!” Pinkie Pie put her hand inside of her big and curly cotton candy pink hair and pulled out a Spark Doll. “Here you go!”

“Wait, but that’s-,” Rainbow began before Lightning Dust cut her off.

“Rainbow, now is not the time to be picky! You need to get out there now!”

“But you might wanna do it where nobody is looking,” Wallflower reminded them of the crowd that was around them watching the battle between EX Red King and Ginga. Some had their phones out to record or were live streaming it.

“Eh he, right,” Rainbow said, then hurried away for a place where she could use the Light Spark without being seen.

*////*

Back in the fight, EX Red King was now attempting to strangle Ginga, holding him by the throat in one of its massive hands.

“Applejack! Applejack!” Sunset yelled to try to get through to her friend.

However, it seemed that Applejack was no longer in control of her own mind, seemingly having been replaced by a primal being of pure rage and nothing else.

Sunset was also running out of time and growing weaker with each passing second. All the while, EX Red King’s grip tightened as it raised its other fist to smash it upon Ginga’s skull.

Suddenly, a light filled Sunset’s vision, and a red foot kicked EX Red King in the side, freeing Ginga, and sending the monster to the ground. Ginga was on the ground, groaning and massaging his throat. A hand extended to Ginga and Sunset looked up to see Ultraman Mebius standing over her. This time, he was no longer black-and-red but proper silver-and-red.

“Rainbow?” Sunset asked.

“I think it’s time for Ultraman Ginga to stop laying down on the job,” Rainbow snarked from inside Mebius, holding the Light Spark.

Ginga stayed kneeling for a moment before nodding, then clutching Mebius’ hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. The two Ultras stood side-by-side and truly made a heroic sight.

“So, how do we do this?” Rainbow asked.

“We’ll hit her with beam attacks at the same time,” Sunset said. “I’ll hit her high and you’ll hit her low, is that OK?”

EX Red King was now on its feet and ready to resume the fight.

“Yeah! Let’s set the table!” Rainbow cheered.

Mebius and Ginga charged at EX Red King, as the monster brought its fists down, causing a magma eruption to burst in front of the two Ultras. Mebius pivoted on his heel, spinning out of the way as Ginga leaped high.

“Ginga Thunderbolt!”

Ginga threw his attack and stunned EX Red King. Mebius followed up with a kick to the monster’s stomach then a karate chop to its head. The monster attempted to punch the Ultra, but Mebius nimbly backflipped away as Ginga delivered an axe kick to its head.

EX Red King was stunned by the attack allowing Mebius to close the distance and punch the monster in the throat, followed by Ginga grabbing it by the knees and ripping its feet out from under it.

Sunset willed Ginga to grab EX Red King’s tail, then turned to Rainbow, “Hey Rainbow!? Ever been to the rodeo!?”

“No, but there’s always a first!” Rainbow replied, willing Mebius to also grab EX Red King’s tail.

The two Ultramen then lifted the monster up by the tail, and began spinning, before releasing their grip, throwing EX Red King away. The monster landed a decent distance away, dizzy and vulnerable.

Sensing that Ginga was less than a minute away from timing out, Sunset decided to finish the fight now.

Mebius took his position as he prepared his Mebium Shoot attack, kneeling in front of Ginga as the other Ultra put his arms into position for his Ginga Cross Shoot.

“Ready, Rainbow?”

“I was born ready! Let’s do this!”

“GINGA CROSS SHOOT/MEBIUM SHOOT!”

The beams met in a brilliant display of light and color before smashing into EX Red King. The beast tried to withstand the beams but it was useless as the combined beams soon caused the monster to detonate in a massive fireball.

The two Ultras faced each other. Honestly, they could not forget the past few days with how adamant Rainbow had been about Sunset being Anon-A-Miss and believing Sunset did not deserve to be Ginga. However, looking back, Rainbow Dash realized how stupid she had been to not listen to her friends as they tried to reason with her. She must have been acting like some kind of paranoid nutjob.

At least, with this, Rainbow Dash could prove how sorry she was.

“High five?” Sunset Shimmer offered.

“Definitely,” Rainbow replied with a grin, raising Mebius’ hand.

Sunset clapped Ginga’s hand against Mebius’ with a massive, relieved smile on her face. It was then that she became aware of the cheering coming from the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight. It seemed that the two Ultras setting their differences aside to face a greater foe was far more appealing than two Ultras fighting amongst themselves.

Feeling her time running out, Sunset told Rainbow, “Enjoy it. Those cheers don’t just belong to me this time, they’re yours as well.” She then transformed back, leaving a tearful Rainbow to bask in the adoration of her new form.

*////*

Applejack groaned as she regained consciousness and found herself lying in the bottom of a crater.

“Darn it,” the farmgirl cussed.

“Hey, AJ!” Rainbow Dash called out from outside the crater. Sunset was with her. “Just hang tight, OK? We’re going to come get you out!”

Rainbow Dash descended into the crater before she helped Applejack up. The two of them then climbed up and out with Sunset Shimmer helping to pull them both out the crater.

“So, I’m guessing you both buried the hatchet, huh?” Applejack asked.

“Pretty much,” Rainbow Dash answered.

“Guess that’s a start anyway. You still owe Sunset an apology,” Applejack replied.

“I can safely say we’ve let bygones be bygones,” Sunset shrugged. “How are you feeling?”

“Like two bulls went into a headbutting contest in my head,” Applejack groaned.

“Well, you were pretty mad. Guess that’s how Metron or Icarus got to you,” Sunset said sympathetically.

“It’s wasn’t either of those two varmints,” Applejack answered. “It was you.”

“Huh?” Sunset blinked.

“Yeah...he he,” Rainbow Dash chuckled awkwardly. “You might have an evil twin around here.”

“Wait, what?”

*////*

Sunset could not believe what she was hearing. A girl wearing her face, and acting like a spitting image of her pre-Fall Formal days, was loose in the city and was apparently allied with Dark Lugiel and his aliens. It was far fetched, but there was only one thing she could be.

“Shit, it’s her.”

“Huh?” Fluttershy asked.

Rather than have this conversation in the crater, the three girls decided to wait for the rest of their friends and go to Sugarcube Corner where they were now discussing this new shocking development.

“Ginga said that the demon I became at the Fall Formal was more than just an aspect of me, but an actual entity with thoughts and emotions. She must have found a way to take a physical form and she joined up with Lugiel and the aliens,” Sunset explained. “It’s like my past sins are literally determined to haunt me.”

“And if she causes trouble, everyone will think it’s you,” Trixie said.

“Yes, Trixie, I know,” Sunset sighed. “But it’s not my reputation I’m worried about. I’m afraid she’ll take advantage of her resemblance to me to go after you girls. You wouldn’t even know it wasn’t me.”

“Unless we did something to tell you two apart,” Rarity said as she had an idea. “We can use code phrases that only we know.”

“You mean like in a spy movie?” Lightning Dust asked.

“Precisely, darling. When we see Sunset, we’ll give her the code phrase and if she gives the right response then we’ll know it’s her,” Rarity answered.

“Or we can ask her to show us the Ginga Spark,” Wallflower suggested.

“That could work unless the doppelganger has a copy in her possession too.”

“We’ll do both: you girls can ask me to show you the Ginga Spark and give me a code phrase to respond to yours,” Sunset compromised.

“OK, so we got Anon-A-Miss, aliens and now Sunset’s evil twin to deal with,” Rainbow Dash listed. “Dammit, when did our lives get so complicated?”

“The Fall Formal,” everyone chorused.

“Well, how about we deal with Anon-A-Miss first? We already have an idea of who they are,” Trixie proposed.

“Wait, you girls know who Anon-A-Miss is?” Rainbow Dash asked. “That’s great! Who is it?”

“Dash, you may wanna sit down brace yourself for this,” Applejack said calmly as everyone prepared for Rainbow Dash’s reaction to the revelation. Rarity also scanned Sugarcube Corner for the CMC so they would not hear this and find out that they were already discovered.

*////*

“WHAT!?”

*////*

After some rigorous placating, the Gang managed to calm down Rainbow Dash, and keep her from rushing off to find Scootaloo. Now the Rainbooms were sitting quietly at their table stewing on the information that had been revealed to the athlete. However, something was bothering them.

“Hey, Applejack?” Sunset began, “What was it that Applebloom posted that pissed you off so badly to begin with?”

The reminder of the post suddenly made the farmgirl very aware that she was now cornered by eight curious girls, with no escape route, “Ah made a mistake that nearly cost us the farm and our home.”

“What? How?” Pinkie asked.

Now visibly sweating, Applejack replied, shakily, “A-a-ah m-m-made a d-d-d-deal w-with Filthy R-R-Rich th-th-th-that m-m-m-made us l-l-lose a l-l-l-lot of m-m-m-money.”

This shocked the rest of the Gang, but not for the reasons Applejack thought they were.

“What!?” Sunset shrieked.

“Huh?” Applejack replied, confused by the redhead’s reaction.

“What the actual HELL made you think that made sense!?” Sunset demanded.

Applejack’s confusion suddenly turned to defensive anger, “What do ya mean!? If ah didn’t make that deal, the farm would’ve gone under.”

Pinkie Pie now joined Sunset in the argument, “But didn’t you just say that the deal almost cost you the farm anyway!? Which is it!? Would the deal save your farm or cost it!?”

Realizing that Pinkie had her there, Applejack changed her story, “Well... It sounded like a good idea at the time!”

“How!? Your family has never been hurting for money!” Rarity cried.

Oddly, this seemed to come as a shock to Applejack, “Wh-huh?”

“Wait, do you seriously not know?” Wallflower asked.

“Know what?”

“Applejack, Sweet Apple Acres holds a monopoly on apples in the region,” Trixie said.

“Did you think Applewood was just a name? No! Your family built the movie capital of the country!” Lightning Dust added.

“Your family has connections to the government for cryin’ out loud!” Rainbow threw in.

Applejack, ever stubborn, realized she was losing ground in the argument, so she decided to attempt to deflect, “Well, it wasn’t like I had my friends at the time to give me a second opinion!”

“Wait, when was this? Was this after I” Sunset paused when she realized when this took place. “Oh, oh shit. It was, wasn’t it?”

“Yep,” Applejack quoted her brother.

“It was during the time I split you guys up!” Sunset facepalmed. “Still, you could’ve consulted your granny or even Big Mac, right?”

That did it, that last question completely destroyed Applejack’s resistance. While it was true that Sunset had broken up their friendships at the time the deal was made, there was nothing stopping her from running it by her family first. “Uh… Well… Ah…” Applejack sighed, “Ah’m an idiot.”

“Oh, Celestia, it never even occurred to you to do that,” Sunset surmised.

“Please, don’t rub it in,” Applejack pleaded, weakly.

“I’m not rubbing it in. I’m just mystified that you made such a massive financial decision without thinking to run it by your family first. In fact, why did you never think to get a lawyer to look it over?”

Applejack just pulled her stetson over her eyes. Everyone took this as a signal to no longer talk about it.

“OK, but we can agree that your little sister went too far this time,” Lightning Dust said to Applejack. “Right?”

The table responded with a chorus of confirmations, including Applejack, who merely mumbled her agreement

“Look, I know we agreed that confronting them now would put them in danger,” Taro spoke up. “But this cannot be allowed to continue. Their actions are giving Lugiel more targets to turn into monsters.”

“We should let Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna know then,” Rarity suggested. “It’s finally time we get the administration involved.”

“Right,” Sunset agreed, “And Applejack?”

“Hm?” the farmer groaned.

“If you have any sense, get your extended family to pull some strings to bail you out of that deal. Also, take Taro with you.”

“Huh?” Applejack’s head shot up at that last part, “Why?”

“Do you think the Crusaders will just freely confess to what they did? Obviously not. They’re going to panic when they realize they’ve been caught. We need something that won’t allow them to deny their involvement, so Taro will be there to catch her in the act.”

“Oh,” Applejack said.

“But understand this, everyone, no matter what happens, Anon-A-Miss ends tomorrow,” Sunset declared.

With that ultimatum, the group left Sugarcube Corner and returned home to prepare for the coming day. Christmas was just around the corner and it was time to put an end to Anon-A-Miss for good.

*////*

“So I used the magic this thing collected to give Red King a boost. It almost killed Ginga before that other Ultraman appeared,” said Fall.

Icarus, Metron and Fall were in Lugiel’s lair.

Lugiel turned to Icarus, “And you can confirm her story?”

“Yes, my lord. I have been with her since last night and can say with utmost confidence that she will be an exceptional asset in our war. Hm hm hm, in fact, I gladly volunteer myself to be her handler.”

“Thank you, Icarus, but I already chosen someone to fill the position,” Lugirl informed his agent.

Icarus was greatly disappointed by the news, having hoped to be able to continue working with Fall for the foreseeable future, but kept his mouth shut. Lugiel turned to Fall.

“Let me introduce your new handler,” Lugiel said. “Baltan!”

The alien being stepped out from the shadows. It was a bipedal anthropoid whose facial features resembled a cicada. A dark exoskeleton covered its body and instead of hands it had a large pair of pincer claws. Its head was crowned by two sharp points and its orange eyes glowed menacingly. But all of this was nothing compared to the sound it made. It was an eerie laugh that echoed in the lair.

Space Ninja Alien Baltan.

Author's Note

Next time:

The time has come to bring down Anon-A-Miss, but a spanner is thrown in the works when Fall intervenes. Can Sunset prove her innocence and foil Fall's plan? Or will she forever be remembered as the creator of the wicked profile?

Merry X'mas

Yeah, I know you guys hate hyperlinks, but until the image feature on the site gets sorted, that's what you'll have to live with.

So, yeah, who's excited to see the end of Anon-A-Miss?

Merry X'mas

“HIM!? THE BALTAN!?” Icarus shrieked.

Lugiel raised an eyebrow at the bat-faced alien’s outburst.

“Yes, what of it?” Lugiel did not like having his decisions questioned by mere underlings but he was willing to hear them out before coldly dismissing them.

Nobody ever accused him of not ever listening.

Composing himself, Icarus explained, “Well, my lord, I would have thought you would want a handler with some investment in seeing your newest asset survive, as opposed to an emotionless psychopath that may kill her on a whim.”

“Exactly,” Lugiel retorted.

Confused, Fall looked between Icarus and Lugiel.

“Excuse me?”

“Baltan’s duty is to watch you and deal with you if you ever decide to betray me, Ms. Fall,” Lugiel informed Sunset’s evil doppelganger.

“What!? Haven’t I already proven my usefulness to you!?” Fall demanded.

Dark Lugiel stood up from the chair that he had made his throne, and approached Fall. Despite his current appearance, the aura surrounding him was still intimidating. Icarus backed away to put more distance between himself in his master and managed to bump himself against the wall. Meanwhile, Fall found herself frozen in the presence of Dark Lugiel.

“When I look into your eyes, Ms. Fall, I do not see loyalty but ambition. While I can respect the latter, I do not tolerate disloyalty. You do not want to serve but lead and you are simply using my resources, biding your time until you’ve gained enough power to do so. Well know this: I may not be well-versed in magic, but I know that while it may play well with Spark Dolls, it cannot harm them. So I chose an alien who could terminate you in an instant and not even flinch.”

Enraged, Fall lunged at Lugiel, grabbing him by his collar, “YOU BASTARD! THIS WASN’T THE ARRANGEMENT I AGREED TO!”

“Strike one,” Lugiel simply replied, calling Fall’s attention to the fact that Baltan was now aiming its pincers at the back of her head. Lugiel then grabbed Fall’s wrists and pulled her hands off his collar, “You’ve have just demonstrated exactly what I thought of you: short-sighted ambition, but not a single brain cell to pull it off. You believed that you held all the cards; that you could play me like a fiddle to your tune. Now you realize you have dug a hole that you have no chance to escape from. Afterall, you were the one who believed that mind controlling a horde of teenagers to conquer another world would make sense. Seeing as how you are such a simple creature, let me phrase this as simply as possible:You. Are. Mine.”

“And what if I told Sunset and her merry gang who you really are?” Fall challenged.

“Threatening my host, Ms. Fall? Really?” Lugiel laughed, then said in a gravely serious tone, “You would never make it to the door. Strike two.”

Baltan’s pincers began emitting heat in preparation to fire. Now truly cornered, Fall was forced to back off with a hiss.

“Fine.”

She hated the face looking back at her, and she hated it more when it wore a smug look of satisfaction. Fall clenched her fists but she did not react knowing it would not end well for her.

“Glad we could come to an understanding,” Lugiel chirped in fake joy, before returning to his serious tone, “Now you do have some liberties. You may deploy Baltan for tasks. However, these tasks must fall in line with my goals, and if you attempt to run off and squeal while he’s away, he will know. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Fall growled out.

“Good. Baltan, take her away,” Lugiel commanded, before realizing something, “Oh, as for your little scheme with Anon-A-Miss, I have a feeling it’s about to come to a close.”

“What!? That can’t be possible! I’ve planned it to the finest detail!

“Ginga’s host and her friends managed to figure out who was responsible for spreading those secrets. I overheard them the other day,” Lugiel explained.

“No! This can’t be happening! I won’t let my plan fall apart like this!” Fall panicked.

“Then I suppose you should get to work then,” Lugiel said as he tossed Fall a Spark Doll, before mockingly adding, “Merry Christmas, Ms. Fall.”

With that, Baltan grabbed Fall and teleported them from the room.

“Master, what do you wish for me to do?” Icarus asked.

“I need someone to clean my collection and dust the place,” Dark Lugiel commanded. “I also have a nice little outfit you can wear while you’re doing it.”

Alien Icarus found a feather duster in his hands and blinked but he knew better than to question and disobey his master.

*////*

After appearing on a rooftop, Fall smashed her fists onto the rail of the roof, furiously ranting within her mind by virtue of not wanting to give Baltan an excuse to terminate her early,

‘That bastard! How dare he say those things about me! “Not a brain cell to pull off my ambitions,” who does he think he is!? I’ll show him! Once I’m reattached to Sunset Shimmer, I’ll make sure that his death will be particularly slow. But first, I need to break her, and kill Ginga. If my plan is going to fall through, I will make its last stand, I will make it as savage as possible.’

“Baltan!” she barked. The alien’s sole response was to tilt its head in expectation of her orders. Fall threw the Spark Doll to Baltan, “Take this, and plant it and a Dummy Spark on Applebrat. I will implant a set of instructions into the heads of those twerps. Once you’re done there, take me to Camp Everfree, there is magic there that I need.”

Baltan nodded and blinked out of existence.

*////*

Baltan reappeared in Applebloom’s rustic bedroom, fortunately, without the girl inside it. Going by the voices downstairs, it seemed as though the Apples were preparing for something. What it was, Baltan cared not. It only cared to obey its master’s bidding.

Baltan began scanning the room before beholding the little girl’s bag. Soft as a ghost, Baltan walked to it, and planted the items, leaving it looking as untouched as it was when Baltan appeared. Baltan, objective complete, teleported silently from the room.

*////*

As an avid lover of plants and flowers, Wallflower Blush visited a certain flower shop frequently. Because of her plants, she never felt lonely. They had been her only companions.

Yeah, that might sound a bit sad, but as she was usually so easily forgotten, she needed something to feel good about herself. Now, though, she was a bit less lonely since finding Taro and befriending Sunset Shimmer and the others. She was also invited to a Christmas Party. So, she wanted to bring some flowers to liven things up.

As she looked at the various flowers for sale, something interesting caught her eye. She leaned in for a closer look and her eyes widened when she saw what it was.

It was a Spark Doll, hidden amongst the flowers. It was just lying in the flowerpot. Wallflower carefully picked up to examine it.

It was not a monster but an Ultraman. She would need to bring it to Ultraman Taro to identify.

Oh, wait, she had nearly forgotten about the flowers she was going to get. She would also need to pick something up for Taro. He was probably still upset about being used as her Christmas Tree Angel. Also, she had taken pictures of him dressed up as such.

He really should get into the Christmas spirit, really. Hopefully, a gift would help with that.

Now, what could she get for her tiny Ultraman friend?

*////*

The Apple Family home was decorated for their upcoming Christmas Party. All of Applejack’s friends would be coming and so were Applebloom’s friends. When Applebloom checked the decorations on the trees, she inspected the gifts that were under it. She found one with Sunset Shimmer’s name on the tag.

“Sunset’s coming?” Applebloom asked unhappily.

“Yep,” Applejack answered.

“But-”

“Look, I know you told me you think she’s Anon-A-Miss and we believed it, but after we cooled down, we really thought about it. To be honest, it’s just too sloppy to be her style.”

“So, you’re still going to let her come after all she’s done then?” Applebloom demanded.

“It’s all in the past, Applebloom. Let bygones be bygones. Plus, this is Christmas. We’re supposed to show goodwill to everyone. I mean, Jesus died for our sins and he even forgave the people who crucified him. I think we should be able to forgive people on Christmas no matter how bad they’ve been as long as they feel remorseful.”

Applebloom looked away, ashamed. When she checked Anon-A-Miss and found the post she had made, she had been horrified. She did not even remember putting up that post. However, it had already been seen by the students at CHS who were still following Anon-A-Miss.

Suddenly, Applebloom’s phone pinged a message alert from Sweetie Belle that simply read: Crusader meeting. Clubroom. Now.

Applebloom’s stomach sank. What had got Sweetie Belle so angry?

“Uh, AJ? Ah need to go.”

“Huh?” Applejack said, “Where are you off ot?”

“Oh, just meeting Sweetie and Scootaloo in the clubroom. I’ll be back later.”

“O-oh okay.”

As Applebloom left for the door, Applejack just sighed sadly. She knew why Applebloom was going out and it broke her heart to know that her little sister was involved in this whole Anon-A-Miss mess. However, they could not let the CMC know that they were on to them. They needed to be smart about this lest they lose any evidence that could prove Sunset’s innocence. There were many students who still believed Sunset was behind Anon-A-Miss, but there were also some that decided it could not be her. Most of them were still on the fence, though.

Applejack just hoped Applebloom finally decided to do the right thing.

Taking out her phone, Applejack sent a text to Wallflower.

*////*

“Is this necessary?” Taro asked. Wallflower had just taped a microphone to the Ultra’s body.

“We’re going to need some evidence to incriminate them in case they delete the account and deny it,” Wallflower said. “You’re small enough to go unnoticed.”

“I’m sure people will notice a floating alien doll,” Taro remarked.

“Just keep yourself hidden. This mic will get send everything to a recorder,” Wallflower told him.

“But how are we going to plant me inside their clubroom?” Taro asked. “It’s not like we have keys to the door.”

“Who says we’re using the door?” Wallflower asked. “You’re going through the air vents.”

*////*

Applebloom reached the clubroom and found Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo waiting for her, sitting in their beanbag chairs. When she entered, her two friends stood up. Meeting here, in their clubroom at school, was the safest as it warranted them privacy to discuss what needed to be discussed.

“Sweetie? What’s up?” Applebloom asked, attempting to be casual.

“Yeah, your text made you sound pissed,” Scootaloo said.

“Don’t ‘what’s up’ me, Applebloom, what the hell were you thinking, posting that secret!?” Sweetie Belle demanded.

Applebloom broke out into a nervous sweat.

“Uh, what secret?”

Sweetie Belle gave her a flat stare.

“You suck at lying ‘Bloom. THE SECRET ABOUT APPLEJACK’S DEAL OBVIOUSLY!”

“WOAH! Hey, stop screaming! What about it?” Scootaloo asked.

“I just had a talk with Rarity, and she said that they asked Sunset if she knew about the deal, and she said she didn’t know about it, and had no way to find out about it. She even showed them her old blackmail on Applejack just to prove her point,” Sweetie Belle replied, “So, again why did you post it?”

“But Ah didn’t post it!” Applebloom protested.

“Well I didn’t know about it, and Scootaloo didn’t know about it, so that just leaves you,” Sweetie Belle pointed out via process of elimination.

“But Ah don’t remember posting it!”

“Oh, what, so some person who also doesn’t know about the deal, hacked the page and posted it?” Sweetie Belle fired back.

“That’s not fair Sweetie,” Applebloom said, starting to become angry herself.

“Isn’t it!? ‘Cause that’s what it sounds like you’re saying!”

Applebloom growled, “Now listen here you!”

“STOP IT!” Fall screeched.

The Crusaders became silent as the headache came and went.

“WE ARE NOT DOING THIS RIGHT NOW, DO YOU HEAR ME!?”

“Yes,” the Crusaders monotoned.

“GOOD! NOW GO TO BED, AND FORGET THIS LITTLE SPAT EVER HAPPENED, UNDERSTAND!?” Fall ordered.

Robotically, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stepped out of the clubroom, unaware of the tiny alien that had been listening to everything.

“How strange,” Taro whispered, before returning to Wallflower. He luckily did not run into any rats. He really did not want to deal with such disgusting rodents.

*////*

Rainbow Dash returned to her house, nervous about the possibility of having to talk to her parents. However, she could not put it off any longer. This needed to be done. If she did not talk to them, then nothing would be fixed. After everything she had gone through, it was time for things to change.

Quietly opening the front door, she prayed that she could reach her room without having to face them.

No such luck.

As soon as the door opened, two pairs of puppy dog eyes were pleadingly staring at her.

“Dashie!?”

“Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad,” Rainbow Dash greeted halfheartedly. Great, just great. She actual planned on avoiding them before confronting them about their problem, but it looked like the universe had other plans. It looked like they had to skip straight to that. Well, it was now or never. “We need to talk.”

“Are we best friends again?” her parents asked, stars in their eyes.

“Wha- no!” Rainbow stammered, surprised by the sudden question.

The stars immediately dropped from her parents’ eyes and returned to a depressive look with a drawn out, “Aaaaaaaw.”

“Hey! None of that!” Rainbow demanded, only for the stars to return to her parents’ eyes, “... You guys have issues.”

“Huh?” came the blank response.

“Jesus Christ, look, just sit down for some heavy shit,” Rainbow commanded.

Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles tilted their heads in confusion, but complied.

Rainbow took a seat across from her family. This was going to be a pretty hard conversation to have with her parents. They had always embarrassed her with how loud and supportive they were of her. However, recently, she just learned that their support had deluded them into believing that she could do no wrong. She had confessed to nearly killing people and they still thought she had been doing the right thing.

Something needed to be done and she needed to set them straight. It would be difficult, but Ultraman Mebius had given her the courage to say what needed to be said.

“Mom, Dad, ever since I was a kid, you’ve done everything to make me feel like a winner. Yeah, some of the stuff you guys did was embarrassing but it cheered me up and gave me the confidence to become the very best,” Rainbow Dash said.

“That’s because you are the best, sweetie,” Windy Whistles interrupted, smiling. Rainbow Dash frowned.

“Yeah, well, that’s not true,” Rainbow Dash protested, causing her parents to gasp. “You wanted me to be my best, but I think the more you wanted me to believe in myself, the more you believed I was the best that I could do no wrong. It’s that kind of thinking that, well, makes me not see how wrong I was and that my actions have consequences. I wasn’t the best friend Sunset needed. I never gave her a chance and I was too bullheaded to listen to my friends when they finally came around and realized she was innocent. I even blamed her for stealing them when the truth was I was driving them away because I was too stubborn to listen. It took Sunset kicking my ass to get my head on straight.”

“But-” Bow Hothoof was about to interrupt.

“I was wrong!” Rainbow Dash cut her off. “I was wrong about Sunset but you guys didn’t even try to talk any sense to me and I can see the reason why. You’re set to support me, even if I do something wrong. I do want you to have my back, but you’re my parents. You’re not supposed to be my best friends. You’re supposed to punish me when I do something bad, not encourage me. We’ve got a problem here, Mom and Dad. I can see that now. If you’re going to support me then you have to agree with me. You need help. No, we need help. I think it’s time we all spoke to a professional.”

It was a hard pill for any of them to swallow. Rainbow Dash didn’t think she was as awesome as she thought and the parents needed to accept that supporting Rainbow Dash 100% needed to stop. There were just some things that they could not support. To support her all the time would mean letting her get away with murder. Rainbow Dash did not want to turn into one of those spoiled brats who felt entitled. Look at what it nearly cost her. At least now she had a chance to rebuild her relationship with Sunset and her friends.

“OK, Dashie, if that’s what you want then we’ll do it,” Bow Hothoof said. “We’ll go see a shrink.”

“Yes we’ll do it for you, honey,” Windy Whistles agreed.

“Now, just to be clear, you’re both serious about this, right? You’re not just agreeing just to make me feel better, right?” Rainbow Dash questioned.

“Honestly, if you think we have problems, then maybe we should talk to somebody. I may not be 100 percent onboard with this idea, but since you’re the one suggesting it, then maybe we should consider it,” Bow said. “I mean, I think letting you get away with murder is already crossing the line somewhere in Good Parenting 101.”

“Right now, I kinda feel like the parent here,” Rainbow Dash mumbled.

Windy Whistles’ eyes widened at that. She could see it, how motherly Rainbow was being in this moment. Donning a wistful expression, she thought, ‘Oh Rainbow, you will be a fine mother when you have kids.’

*////*

Since the previous week, a cyber bully dubbed ‘Anon-A-Miss’ had been posting personal secrets on their MyStable profile, humiliating students and causing fights between them. Sunset was believed to be the culprit, declared loudly by the Rainbooms who then abandoned her. However, it would appear that the Rainbooms had accepted Sunset Shimmer back into their group. Rainbow Dash’s absence, however, implied her own stance on the issue.

Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna really could not do anything. While they could ban the students from using their phones in school, nothing would stop them from using them once they were outside. They could block MyStable, but they would still encounter the same problem once school let out.

“So, you believe your sisters are the ones behind Anon-A-Miss,” Luna reiterated. With her was her sister Principal Celestia and the Rainbooms.

“Yeah,” Applejack confirmed. “It’s the only thing that makes sense when you think about it.”

“Well, we have our culprits, Celestia. It’s time to call them in,” Luna decided.

Celestia steepled her fingers. For days now, Anon-A-Miss had been tearing the student body apart and making Sunset the guilty party. To finally have the culprit’s names should make stopping them and punishing them easy.

“If they are the culprits, if they even suspect they’ve been caught, they might delete the profile on their phones and we’ll lose our proof,” Celestia informed her sister and the Rainbooms.

“We’ll simply have them hand their phones over when they enter our office,” said Luna.

*////*

It was an odd sight to see all of the Rainbooms reunited when just last week they had rejected Sunset Shimmer after they accused her of being Anon-A-Miss. It would appear that they had changed their minds and were now supporting her. While there was still students who believed Sunset was guilty, they were in the minority. Many were being convinced that Sunset was being framed and actually apologized to her. Some were still undecided, however, just waiting to see how things placed out.

From their table, the CMC just watched them with various expressions of disbelief. They thought they had succeeded in using Anon-A-Miss to set Sunset Shimmer up and therefore their sisters would not want anything to do with her. It seemed to work at first, but as the days went by, it looked like their plan ultimately failed. They didn’t know how it happened, but they knew it began with the appearance of Ginga and the monsters.

“Maybe it’s a sign,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “The universe is telling us to stop.”

“No, we just need to keep going-” Applebloom started but Sweetie Belle cut off.

“Face it, Bloom. Do you think doing more of the same thing will change anything? That’s just crazy.”

“What’s crazy is that they trust Sunset again,” Scootaloo countered.

“Well, maybe if someone didn’t post something Sunset could never know,” Sweetie Belle glared at Applebloom.

“But I don’t remember posting it!” Applebloom insisted.

“Likely story,” Scootaloo sneered.

“You girls need to get your acts together,” Fall’s voice appeared in their heads. “Turning on each other, really? Now? When the enemy is at your gates and closing in quick?”

The pain came and went, replaced once more by the dull sensation of Fall’s suggestion powers, “Now listen closely, you three are about to be called into Principal Celestia’s office, you are going to deny everything, understand?”

“Yes,” the three girls replied in unison.

“Good, now get to it,” Fall commanded as the intercom sounded its summons, causing the girls to stand up and begin walking to the office.

*////*

The CMC marched toward Principal Celestia’s office. They got their stories straight and agreed to deny any allegations of being involved with Anon-A-Miss. Together, united, they could conquer everything.

Applebloom knocked on the door.

“Principal Celestia. It’s me, Applebloom. You wanted to see me.”

“Come in,” Celestia said.

Applebloom opened the door and she entered with her two friends.

They froze.

They expected Celestia to be alone with Luna. However, that was not the case.

Before calling the CMC, Principal Celestia had made a few calls. This was a serious matter and so the CMC’s parents and guardians had been called.

Granny Smith’s had been called and had been waiting for a while now. Sweetie Belle’s parents; Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles were present as well. Finally, in attendance were Scootaloo’s Aunt Holiday and Aunt Lofty.

“Good, since everyone’s here, we can begin,” said Celestia as she steepled her fingers. “Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, please take your seats.”

There were three empty seats in front of Celestia’s desk and the CMC obediently complied.

“Hand over your phones, please,” Luna ordered. The CMC nervously paled. Luna looked at her expectantly. To question her or deny her would be a show of guilt. Nevertheless, the CMC took out their phones and handed them over to Luna. “You’ll get these back afterwards, probably.”

“Alright, so what is this about?” Hondo Flanks. “When you called us, you said it was something important.”

“What happened? What did Sweetie Belle do?” Cookie asked. “Sweetie Bell, are you in trouble?”

Sweetie Belle wisely kept silent.

“Everything will be explained, I promise,” said Celestia. “Now, to start with, are any of you familiar with Anon-A-Miss?”

“I heard our eldest daughter crying about it,” Cookie answered.

“My granddaughter Applejack complained about it too,” Granny added.

“Alright, but for everyone not familiar with it, then I’ll explain,” said Luna. “Since last week, a malicious MyStable user has been posting the personal secrets of the students in this school. It all started with Applejack’s childhood nickname and then the pictures from a slumber party at Rarity’s home. Due to some misunderstandings, a student named Sunset Shimmer was accused of being responsible. However, we have come to believe that isn’t the case.”

“But it has to be her!” Applebloom blurted out. “It’s only something she would do!”

Luna disliked being interrupted but she continued nonetheless.

“Sunset Shimmer may have done terrible things in her past, but this is something completely out of character. She has been working hard to redeem herself after she realized the error of her ways. To throw away all her efforts, all her friends, just to post their secrets just does not seem right. Also, it just seems too careless. I’ve seen the profile and it was made to look like her on purpose.” Knowing Sunset Shimmer, she would be smart enough to throw suspicion away from her, not focused on her.

“So, what does this have to do with Scootaloo and her friends?” Holiday asked, though Lofty seemed to know what was going on.

“Simply put, after much deliberation, and also after speaking with their sisters, we have reason to believe that Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle created Anon-A-Miss to frame Sunset Shimmer and make her a pariah, Celestia answered.

At once, the CMC exploded.

“It wasn’t us!”

“We didn’t do it!”

“Please, it’s Sunset! Sunset’s the one who did this!”

“I think I have an easy way to settle this,” interrupted Luna with a commanding voice. “Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, I want you to unlock your phones and open the MyStable app.”

“What?” Applebloom responded.

“Do it,” she insisted.

“No, you can’t make us!”

“Applebloom, do as VP Luna says,” Granny ordered.

“But, Granny!”

“Now, Applebloom!”

“Okay, okay!” Applebloom took her phone and unlocked it. Her finger shook as she began to tap the MyStable app icon.

“Scootaloo, you too,” ordered Aunt Holiday.

“That goes double for you, Sweetie Belle,” commanded Hondo.

The CMC could not deny their parents and took their phones. If they opened the app, everyone would know that they were Anon-A-Miss as it would instantly open up to the Anon-A-Miss profile. Even logging out now would not do them any good.

*////*

“So, the plan is to let their parents pressure them into confessing,” Lightning Dust said. “You sure that’ll work. I mean, kids lie to their parents all the time.” She was guilty of doing that plenty of times. Likely influence from her great uncle Wind Rider.

“True, but I think that if they keep the pressure on, one of them is going to slip then the whole dam will burst,” Sunset said. “Hopefully.”

“And what if those aliens try to stop them?” Applejack asked.

“That’s why we’re out here, waiting, just in case,” said Sunset as she got ready for anything.

The door to Principal Celestia’s office opened and the CMC stepped out with their heads hanging in front of them. They looked like they were walking to the chopping block. It was obvious that they had been given their punishments. They had likely confessed to everything.

Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were ready to speak to them next, but then Applebloom began to reach into the front pocket of her overalls.

While this was happening, Sunset began feeling something. A buzzing sensation, like a light electrical charge in the air, that felt both familiar and frightening to her. But what was it?

“SUNSET, WATCH OUT!” Ginga suddenly warned.

On reflex, Sunset drew the Ginga Spark as Applebloom swiftly drew a Dark Dummy Spark from her pocket and fired a beam at Applejack. Stepping in front of her friend, Sunset held out her Spark, creating a barrier to block the incoming attack.

“DAMNIT! I thought I had her!” Applebloom screamed in frustration.

“APPLEBLOOM, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? YOU COULD’VE KILLED HER!” Sunset shrieked.

“Yeah, that was the idea,” Applebloom(?) replied, making Sunset aware that she lacked her accent.

“Wait, something’s wrong. Who are you?”

“Guess there’s no point hiding it now huh?” ‘Sweetie Belle’ said.

“Hi, Sunset, remember me?” ‘Scootaloo’ joined in.

Sunset now realised what she had been feeling earlier. Magic. Knowing that left only one possibility.

“It’s you, my demon.”

“Call me Fall, everyone else does,” Fall said as her voice came out of the CMC as they spoke in unison.

“I think I’ll just stick to demon, if it’s all the same to you,” Sunset sneered.

“Yeah, right back at you and your little brain buddy,” Applebloom-Fall snarked back.

Rainbow looked between Sunset and the Crusaders with shock, “Sunset, what’s happening?”

“Rainbow, they aren’t the Crusaders, they’re the demon from the Fall Formal now,” Sunset explained to her athletic friend.

“What!? But how!? How is she doing this!?” Rarity exclaimed.

“Wait, you think this is some new development?” Sweetie Belle-Fall laughed, “Oh, honey, I’ve been active for far longer than this.”

“What?” Rarity asked, now even more confused.

“In a way, you were right to accuse ‘Sunset Shimmer’, just, not the one you made friends with,” Scootablo-Fall said.

Sunset’s eyes widened, “No.”

“YES! I AM THE REAL ANON-A-MISS!” Fall screamed, now cackling through the three girls.

“How is this even possible?” Pinkie asked, “I thought the Elements got rid of you?”

“Nope, all they did was shove me into a closet in Sunset’s head. I was still alive, just crazy de-powered and weak,” Fall answered.

“But then, if you were so weak, how can yah be behind Anon-A-Miss?” Applejack asked.

“Oh, I’ve been working towards this ever since she,” Fall pointed at Sunset, “First Ponied Up. That magic gave me just enough power to start tearing her down and rebuilding my empire. Nothing overt, didn’t want to get put back in the closet by the Elements again, but in subtle ways. However, there had never been an opportunity, until I felt the slightest feelings of neglect within these three girls, and I knew I had my chance.”

“Now hang on, if they were feelin’ neglected the would’ve come ta’ us,” Applejack retorted.

“Hm, maybe,” Applebloom-Fall countered with a shrug, “But that’s why I got them convinced that you wouldn’t listen to them, that you didn’t care. That Anon-A-Miss was their idea. And I did it all from within Sunset’s head.”

Rainbow began running at the mind controled Crusaders, barely held back by Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, “You bitch!”

“When you five ditched her that day I thought I finally had her back where she belongs: with me,” Scootaloo-Fall continued, “But then he showed up. That bastard Ultraman Ginga entered the picture and made Anon-A-Miss irrelevant. Then you girls got Princess Celestia involved and woke him up, getting me kicked out. The only reason I’m even alive right now is because I stole energy from Ginga on the way out.”

“Well if you have a body now, why are you still after me?” Sunset demanded.

“THIS. ISN’T. MY. BODY! YOURS IS! And I want it back,” Fall growled.

“Really? Well that’s too damn bad, you’re not getting her!” Rainbow challenged.

“Tough talk, but completely toothless given I have a Dark Dummy Spark and a monster,” Applebloom-Fall retorted, now pulling out a Spark Doll resembling a three faced totem pole.

Applejack’s eyes widened, “Don’t you dare, you monster!”

“Oh, I dare!” Fall threatened, bringing Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo closer to Applebloom, “You wanna prove your innocence Sunset!? You’re gonna have to beat me first!”

Applebloom-Fall then touched the two items together while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle took hold of Applebloom’s shoulders.

“DARK LIVE! JASYULINE!”

The dark light engulfed the trio of girls and became a pillar that shot through the ceiling. This was followed by the ground shaking as something huge landed outside.

“And here we go again,” Sunset Shimmer mumbled. “Ginga, let’s get to work!”

The Ginga Spark opened up and released Ginga’s Spark Doll. Catching the doll in her left hand, she addressed the group.

“Check on the adults!”

ULTRA LIVE! ULTRAMAN GINGA!

“Here we go, GINGAAAAAAA!”

*////*

Outside the school, the alien monster Jasyuline appeared. It resembled a totem pole with arms as legs and it had three faces positioned in a vertical line. The face at the top looked angry, the face in the middle looked manically happy and the face at the bottom looked sad. Even more disturbing, however, was that the faces resembled the Crusaders’: Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in that order.

Ginga touched down some distance away and assumed a fighting stance.

“What is this thing, Ginga?” Sunset asked.

“Jasyuline, an infamous alien collector that attempted to capture Ultraman Mebius in gold, and bring him to his planet. He was defeated when Ultra Father appeared, and revived Mebius, allowing him to destroy Jasyuline,” Ginga explained.

“HEY! Less talking, more fighting,” Fall taunted from inside Jasyuline, compelling the alien to charge.

“Fine by me,” Sunset replied, commanding Ginga forward.

Jasyuline threw a punch, but Ginga caught the punch and redirected the momentum over his shoulder, flipping the alien onto its back. Ginga then delivered an elbow drop to the monster, before heaving it over his head and throwing Jasyuline to the ground.

Ginga returned to his battle ready stance as Jasyuline got back to its feet in a frenzy, and charged again, swinging his arms furiously. The alien attempted a kick, but Ginga caught the leg, and kicked out the remaining leg keeping Jasyuline standing, knocking it to its knees. Ginga then threw two punches, one to the crying face, one to the happy face, then delivered a sidekick to the angry face, puting the monster back onto its back. As Jasyuline attempted to stand back up, Ginga performed a wrestling style bodyslam.

Ginga stood back up then began a slow walk around Jasyuline.

“You know? With all your confidence, I thought you would be a harder fight. But I guess your bark is worse than your bite. Hehe, I’ve always wanted an excuse to say that,” Sunset said.

Fall, however just began laughing as she commanded Jasyuline to stand.

“What’s so funny?” Sunset asked as she prepared the Ginga Cross Shoot.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Fall laughed.

“Against you? Definitely,” Sunset responded, nearly finished with the motions for the attack.

“Even if it sacrifices your chance to prove your innocence?”

This caused Sunset to lose focus, interrupting her attack, “What? What are you talking about?”

“I’ve linked the Crusaders memories of the past several days to Jasyuline. In other words, if you defeat Jasyuline then their memories of Anon-A-Miss goes with it!” Fall boasted.

Sunset glared at Fall, not wanting to believe her, “You’re bluffing.”

“Maybe, but are you willing to take that risk?” Fall taunted.

Sunset hesitated. She had no reason to believe her demonic counterpart. However, what if it were true? What if defeating Jasyuline caused her to lose the one thing that could clear her name.

Jasyuline took advantage of Sunset’s hesitation and conjured his boomerang weapon. With a swing of his arm, he hurled the weapon at Ginga, striking him in the chest. Sunset grunted from the blow.

“Sunset, do not let her get in your head!” Ginga advised.

“Sorry!” Sunset yelled back as Jasyuline caught the boomerang and prepared to attack again. “Ginga Fireball!” Ginga retaliated, launching the Ginga Fireball attack at Jasyuline. However, Jasyuline just used his psychic powers to catch the Ginga Fireball attack, freezing the fireballs in midair. “What!?”

“Take this!” Fall shouted as she sent the Ginga Fireball attack back at Ginga and Sunset. Ginga crossed his arms in front of him to shield himself as the fireballs exploded against his body. Sunset felt the burn as the fireballs exploded all over Ginga’s body.

“No holding back! Ginga Cross Shoot!”

Ginga powered up his signature Ultra Beam attack and fired. Jasyuline did not catch the attack this time but instead burrowed underground by rapidly spinning his body. He dodged the Ginga Cross Shoot as it sailed over his head while he went underground.

All of a sudden, the ground behind Ginga erupted and Jasyuline emerged. He grabbed Ginga from behind, holding him in place.

“The thing about Ultramen is that you’ve got a time limit!” Fall taunted. “I just need to waste your time and you’ll be a sitting duck!”

“I won’t let you get the chance!” Sunset challenged, breaking Ginga’s left arm free and attempting to elbow Jasyuline, but the alien blocked it, then kicked Ginga in the back.

“So predictable,” Fall taunted. She had inhabited Sunset’s mind so she knew how Sunset fought. Armed with that knowledge, Sunset’s demon had an advantage.

Sunset turned Ginga around, finding herself at a loss as to what she could do to win this fight. Clenching her fists, Sunset decided the best way to handle this fight was with pure brute force.

Ginga threw a punch that connected with the top face, knocking Jasyuline back. He then stepped forward, delivering a kick into the middle face, sending Jasyuline staggering back.

“Hyah!” Ginga jumped and performed a flying roundhouse, knocking Jasyuline onto his back, kicking up dirt and rocking the ground.

“How’s that for predictable!?” Sunset snapped.

Jasyuline swiftly rose back to his feet. An invisible force simply pushed him back to a standing position.

“Still predictable! GOL-JASYURA!”

Jasyuline concentrated and the wing-like structures mounted on his neck glowed before shooting a blast of energy at Ginga. Ginga quickly formed a shield to block the attack. However, the blast broke through the shield and hit Ginga. Once exposed to the blast, it was all over for Ginga as he was starting to be encased in gold.

Jasyuline pushed the now gold and petrified Ultra onto his back and took out his boomerang and started hammering away at his color timer.

Meanwhile, the Rainbooms and Ginga Gang had been watching the fight up until Ultraman Ginga was turned into a gold statue. They watched helplessly as Jasyuline hammered the color timer to shatter it.

“This is bad!” Taro panicked. “If Ginga’s color timer is shattered, he could die and Sunset could die too!”

“Sunset!” Fluttershy cried.

“Sunset, get up!” Rainbow yelled in encouragement.

“Sunset, you can’t give up!” Applejack yelled.

“Sunset, please, don’t let this be the end!” Rarity begged.

“Sunset, you gotta keep going!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

“Sunset!”

“SUNSET SHIMMER!”

The Rainbooms glowed as they ponied up. The light enveloped their bodies and all of a sudden they were beamed straight into Ginga’s color timer.

“Whoa,” Lightning Dust gaped.

When the light faded, the Rainbooms found themselves in a shining void, facing Sunset, who seemed to be in pain as the effect of Jasyuline’s Gol-Jasyura was slowly turning her into a gold statue. She was already in the middle of the transmutation when the Rainbooms arrived.

“SUNSET!” the Rainbooms cried out as they surrounded her.

Sunset’s eyes widened, and she turned to face her friends, “Girls? What are you doing here? How did you get in here?”

“Well we couldn’t just stand by and watch,” Fluttershy said, trying to see how she could help Sunset. The gold encasing her had already reached her midsection and slowly creeping up her body. Pretty soon, she would be a lifeless gold statue and be lost to them forever.

“You’re fighting for all of us,” Applejack added.

“And all by yourself,” Rarity praised.

“Even when we were being stupid and lousy friends,” Rainbow Dash said regrettably.

“You always came to save us!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

“Girls...” Sunset was touched and her body glowed with magic, causing her to pony up. The gold covering her body also began to flake off as the Ginga Spark glowed brightly in her hand. Five beams of light shot out of the Ginga Spark and hit the girls. A bright light began to shine from their wrists and form into bracelets.

Applejack’s bracelet sported apples, Rarity’s bracelet had diamonds, Rainbow Dash’s bracelet had a rainbow-colored lightning bolt, Fluttershy’s bracelet had a butterfly on it and Pinkie’s bracelet had balloons on it.

In Equestria, these were the cutie marks of the Elements of Harmony and their personal symbols.

“Wh-what are these?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know, darling, but they are FABULOUS!” Rarity gushed, unhelpfully.

The void inside Ginga shook as Jasyuline struck the Ultra again.

“Yeah, that’s nice Rarity, but that isn’t helping! We need to figure out how to beat that three-headed terror!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“That’s not helpin’ either Rainbow, we need to figure out how- wait,” Applejack began, before turning her bracelet in a certain way and spotted something. It gave her an idea. “Sunset, hand me the Ginga Spark!”

“What!? Why!?” Sunset asked, confused.

“Ah think ah’ve figured out how these things work, but ah need the Ginga Spark to see if ah’m right.”

“INCOMING!” Pinkie Pie shrieked, drawing the Rainboom’s attention to Jasyuline’s swinging hammer.

Out of time, Applejack snatched the Ginga Spark from Sunset’s hand and touched the tip to a Mark of Courage on her bracelet.

ACTIVATE! HARMONY AUGMENT! GINGA HONESTY!

*////*

In the real world, Ginga’s body flashed brightly and he was back to normal. It happened just in time as he caught Jasyuline’s hammer.

“Huh!?” Fall gaped.

With orange Zenshin Crystals, Ginga cocked his fist back, causing a glow to emanate from it, then launched it into the hammer, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Jasyuline staggered back in shock, before flying backwards from an equally supercharged push kick.

Ginga flipped back to his feet and went into a fighting stance. He seemed renewed and reenergized, ready to kick butt.

*////*

Within Ginga’s light, Applejack stood at the forefront holding the Ginga Spark to her bracelet.

“Ah was right. These things can allow us to control Ginga and power him up,” Applejack said.

“Oooooooo! Me next! Me next!” Pinkie chanted, taking the Ginga Spark from the farm girl, and touching it to her bracelet.

ACTIVATE! HARMONY AUGMENT! GINGA LAUGHTER!

*////*

Ultraman Ginga flashed again, his Zenshin Crystal now pink, and he threw his hands over his head, as if preparing the Ginga Slash. Jasyuline scrambled to his feet and prepared to block the attack. Instead of light blades, multiple lightning bolts shot out of the crystal in Ginga’s head. They seemed to spread out before converging and then slamming into Jasyuline’s back. The alien monster staggered forward as Ginga performed a somersault.

“Elbow!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she slammed Ginga’s elbow into Jasyuline’s top face. Jasyuline summoned his boomerang weapon when Ginga seemingly multiplied around him. “Come and find me! Which is the real me?” Pinkie Pie giggled.

“Hey, c’m on Pinkie, let someone else have a turn,” Rainbow said.

“Okie-dokie, Dashie,” Pinkie responded, handing the Ginga Spark to Rainbow Dash.

“Thanks,” Rainbow said, and touched the Ginga Spark to her bracelet.

ACTIVATE! HARMONY AUGMENT! GINGA LOYALTY!

The collection of Gingas flashed again, the Zenshin Crystals turning blue, and began moving in a circle around Jasyuline at such speeds that they became a blur. Jasyuline became dizzy as he tried to track them, causing Fall to become dizzy as well.

“Whoa, I’m fast!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“That’s nice, Rainbow, are you going to actually hit him or just run circles around him?” Sunset asked, annoyed.

“Huh? Oh, right.”

Ginga suddenly launched out of the blur, and began a blinding series of punches and kicks, until Jasyuline caught one of his fists.

“Gotcha,” Fall said, then compelled Jasyuline to knock away Ginga with a blow from his boomerang.

“Oh, crap!” Rainbow yelped.

Rarity rolled her eyes, then took the Ginga Spark from Rainbow.

“Allow me, darling.” She daintily touched it to her bracelet.

ACTIVATE! HARMONY AUGMENT! GINGA GENEROSITY!

Ginga flashed again, his Zenshin Crystal now violet, as he stood ready for the attack. Jasyuline threw his boomerang again, but Ginga caught the weapon, shocking Fall from within the monster. Ginga then tucked his left hand behind his back and assumed a fencing type stance.

Fall went from shocked to enraged, and commanded Jasyuline to attack. The giant alien threw two punches, but they were slapped away by the boomerang Ginga now wielded. Jasyuline then attempted a kick but Ginga responded with bringing his stolen weapon painfully onto his enemy’s shin.

“OW! SON OF A BITCH!” Fall shrieked, causing Jasyuline to begin hopping on one leg, clutching his shin, then fell face first to the ground, because Ginga had thrown the boomerang into the alien’s remaining leg.

“Hm, precision. I would expect nothing less from someone such as myself,” Rarity tittered.

“Hey! I have an idea!” Pinkie cried, “Lets see what Fluttershy’s does!”

“Why, what a splendid idea Pinkie,” Rarity said, turning to her shy friend.

“O-Oh, it’s okay. I’m fine just watching,” Fluttershy said, wanting to stay out of the fight. However, her friends gave her looks of encouragement that raised her confidence. Taking the Ginga Spark, Fluttershy touched it against her bracelet.

“Kick some butt, Fluttershy,” Sunset Shimmer said as Rarity handed the Ginga Spark to Fluttershy. The shy girl took the device and gently touched it to her bracelet.

ACTIVATE! HARMONY AUGMENT! GINGA KINDNESS!

Jasyuline roared and charged at Ginga, swinging his arms wildly. He threw a punch but Ginga swiftly dodged it. The alien monster saw the Zenshin Crystals were now yellow. Jasyuline went for another strike, but Ginga diverted the blow before shoving Jasyuline back with both his hands. Jasyuline started to throw punches but the circular motions of Ginga’s arms diverted them and left the alien monster open to a palm strike to all three faces, knocking him back.

“What’s going on!?” Fall demanded. “What is this!?” She could not comprehend what was happening.

Sunset held the Ginga Spark as her friends stood with her.

“This is our power, Fall! Together, with my friends, we can overcome anything!” Sunset proclaimed.

“You idiot! If you defeat me right now, your chance to prove your innocence will go up in smoke!” Fall screamed.

“As long as my friends are with me, as long as they believe in me, then everything is going to be OK!” Sunset smiled.

“Well said, Sunset,” Ginga responded proudly.

“C’mon girls! Let’s finish this!”

The Rainbooms all stood together in the Ginga Cross Shoot Pose. Smiling together with Sunset, eyes forward, they focused their magical energy for their finishing move.

Fall could feel the familiar energy radiating off Ginga as the Zenshin Crystal cycled through all its previous colors before shining with an aurora light.

“NO! NOT AGAIN!” Fall screamed.

“GINGAHARMONYSHOOT!”

The Zenshin Crystals shone with rainbow-colored light before Ginga fired off the Ginga Harmony Shoot. The beam slammed right into Jasyulina’s psychic shield but it shattered from the impact. The monster - and Fall - both shrieked as the beam punched a hole right through the monster.

Jasyuline stood now with a hole in its body before his entire body exploded. These exploded fragments soon faded away as the Jasyuline Spark Doll fell to the ground. The Crusaders also safely landed inside a crater as the Spark Doll landed with them.

*////*

On a nearby rooftop, Fall screamed and collapsed to her knees. She broke out in a cold sweat, her entire body shaking. Turning her head, she saw Baltan tilting its head at her.

“Give me some good news!” Fall demanded.

As Fall was finding out, speaking to the alien was a lost cause as it never spoke, merely stood in place occasionally tilting its head. Fall growled, “You’re no help at all. Well, no matter. Without the Crusaders’ memories, Sunset can’t prove her innocence, meaning I still win. Baltan, get me out of here.”

The alien nodded, and placed a pincer on Fall’s shoulder before teleporting them both away.

*////*

The adults were found unconscious in the office. Fortunately, none of them were hurt. They had likely been knocked out by some kind of spell cast by Fall as she took control of the CMC.

“Hey!” Wallflower nudged Principal Celestia, “Hey, wake up!”

Lightning Dust splashed Principal Celestia’s face with a glass of water.

“Lightning!” Wallflower cried.

“What? It woke her up, didn’t it?”

“It did, but now you have detention,” Principal Celestia replied, unamused.

“... Crap,” Lightning whispered.

As the girls went about the room, waking up the adults, the Rainbooms entered the room, carrying the Crusaders.

“Scootaloo/Applebloom/Sweetie Belle!” the parents and aunts shrieked.

“What happened to them?” Principal Celestia asked, worried.

“Fall happened,” Sunset replied.

“What? Who’s Fall, and what do they have to do with Anon-A-Miss?” Vice-Principal Luna demanded.

Sunset stayed silent for a moment, looking at the fretting families before leaning over to the principals and whispered, “Not here, let's talk in your office.”

The principals raised their eyebrows, but agreed. With a final look at the group in the room, Sunset and the principals relocated to Luna’s office.

*////*

“So, what we’re hearing is, that the demon you turned into at the Fall Formal was actually its own entity the whole time, and ever since the Battle of the Bands, has been attempting to undermine your progress in bettering yourself, and now it has its own body, but wants to get back into your head like some crazed stalker,” Luna summed up.

“Uh, pretty much,” Sunset said.

“Which would technically make you Anon-A-Miss,” Principal Celestia added to her sister’s conclusion.

“Uh, yeah?” Sunset said, uncomfortably.

“But you can’t be punished because Fall was operating outside of your awareness,” Luna said.

“Y-Yeah.”

“However, the Crusaders were the ones to actually make the page,” Celestia said.

“Yeah,” Sunset squeaked.

“And we can’t punish them either, because it was made under duress,” Luna concluded.

“Yeah,” Sunset sighed, now understanding what the principals were getting at.

“This is problematic, the two biggest suspects in this case and neither of them can be reasonably punished,” Luna said.

“Indeed,” Celestia sighed, “This was supposed to be easy. Bring in the Crusaders, prove they were Anon-A-Miss, have an assembly to prove it to the school, then have the page taken down, that was it. Then this demon enters the picture and goes ‘actually, I’ve been controlling things from behind the scenes’. Honestly, things were easier when magic did not come into the equation.”

“I’m sorry,” Sunset apologized.

“No, no, Sunset, this isn’t your fault. It’s just, someone needs to be held accountable, but there’s nothing in teacher’s training that could possibly help in this situation. Do I unfairly punish you for having the demon that you weren’t even aware of? Or do I just as unfairly punish the three little girls who were little more than victims of said demon? I just… Don’t know what we can do until the Crusaders wake up,” Celestia ranted, barely holding herself together.

Sunset opened her mouth in preparation to speak, but then, as though it were an act of divine intervention, the door opened, revealing Fluttershy, “Uhm, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting, but the Crusaders have just woken up.”

*////*

Sunset and the Principals reentered Celestia’s office to find the now awake Crusaders looking sheepish. Sweetie Belle was the first to notice the trio, and said, “Look, if this is about that thing with the noodles, I’m sorry. I kept telling them that it was a dumb idea.”

Celestia paused, confused by this statement, “Sweetie, that was last month.”

Upon hearing that, Applebloom became confused, “Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Sunset’s stomach dropped, “Girls, what’s today’s date?”

“November 14th, why?” Scootaloo said.

That was it. Fall had not been bluffing. While they might have saved the Crusaders, Fall still managed to win. As the CMC could not remember anything about Anon-A-Miss, they could not confess as it was like it had never happened.

It was all over now.

Sunset Shimmer shook her head. This was her one chance to save her reputation, but it was all gone now. The school would not fully trust her now. They will still suspect her of being Anon-A-Miss even if the profile was deleted. With the culprits unable to confess, there was just no chance of Sunset clearing her name.

“I’m sorry,” Sunset whispered, tears in her eyes..

“Sunset wait,” Wallflower pleaded, but Sunset had convinced herself in her self doubt.

“I’M SORRY!” Sunset cried, running out the office.

“SUNSET!” Wallflower called, running after Sunset.

“What? What did we say?” Applebloom asked, confused.

Deciding it was better to trust Wallflower with Sunset, the Rainbooms turned back to the Crusaders.

“Applebloom, check the date on your phone,” Applejack said.

“Why?”

“Jes’ do it.”

“Okay! I don’t know what yer expecting though…” Applebloom drifted off as she noticed the date on her phone, “Wha’? That can’t be right.”

Confused, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle leaned over their friend’s shoulders, and upon seeing the date, checked their own phones. The date was the same across the board.

“Okay guys. I know that we’ve played some pretty big pranks on each other, but this one isn’t funny,” Scootaloo said with a tinge of anger.

“We don’t bring in students to this office to play pranks, Scootaloo,” Principal Celestia reprimanded, “For the past eleven days, you three have been trying to tear the school apart using a MyStable profile called ‘Anon-A-Miss’ in an attempt to frame Sunset.”

“What, no we haven’t, we would remember doing something like that. Plus, the dates don’t add up,” Sweetie Belle retorted.

Vice Principal Luna sighed, “And that’s the complicated part.”

“Huh?” the Crusaders asked in confusion.

“Apparently, it wasn’t actually your idea; it was the idea of that demon Sunset turned into at the Fall Formal,” Pinkie Pie said.

“Wait, so Sunset turned bad again?” Scootaloo asked.

“No! I mean literally, the demon, they’re separate things now.”

“I’m so confused,” Applebloom said, tearing up in fear.

“Look, if it helps, we have a recording of you girls talking about whether or not you should continue with Anon-A-Miss,” Celestia said.

“Wait, you do?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Rather than answer with words, Celestia opted to just play the recording. While the argument played out over the speakers, the Crusaders looked on with shock.

Principal Celestia then showed the CMC the Anon-A-Miss profile page and made them look at each and every post. Vice-Principal Luna watched as the CMC went through a medley of expressions showing shock, disgust, and being appalled by everything that was on it. The comments were cruel too as the students mocked each other when their secrets were exposed.

When Applebloom saw the first post, she could not believe that she would post her sister’s childhood nickname, but only family knew it.

When the presentation was done Applebloom could only ask, “Why? Why don’t we remember doing something so horrible?”

“That was the demon’s last ‘fuck you’ to Sunset before her plan fell apart,” Rainbow said, “She scrubbed your brains of the memories of the last few days.”

“She must have also scrubbed the memories of the days building up to Anon-A-Miss,” Trixie added.

“Which explains why the time lost is longer than eleven days,” Rarity concluded.

The Crusaders’ shock gave way to anger. They had been used? Turned into cyberbullies to attack people at the behest of some demon with an obsession with Sunset?

Their anger was suddenly stopped when Vice Principal Luna said, “However, now we have a problem.”

“Indeed, Luna. Now that we know about the demon, Fall’s, involvement, we no longer have someone to punish for making Anon-A-Miss, and by extension, a way to stop the rumor mill, and the abuse leveled at Sunset,” Celestia revealed.

“Oh,” Scootaloo said. What else could be said? Sunset had a panic attack because she no longer could prove her innocence, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Suddenly, Applebloom gasped, “Ah have an idea!”

*////*

“SUNSET WAIT!” Wallflower yelled, still following behind Sunset.

Since the reveal of how much time the Crusaders had lost, Sunset had been running throughout the school halls, directionless, and wild. She just needed to get away and be alone somewhere.

Wallflower managed to catch up to the redhead and grab her arm, stopping her.

“Sunset, please! Just wait!” Wallflower pleaded.

“Let me go, Wallflower! It’s all over now!” Just let me go!” Sunset tried to pull her arm free, but the green girl just held firm.

“No, Sunset. I’m not letting you go.”

“Why not!?”

“Because you’re my friend,” Wallflower stated firmly. “That’s why.”

“And so am I,” Taro said as he stood on Wallflower’s shoulder. “And we’re not letting you be alone.”

Sunset just sighed, still crying.

“But Anon-A-Miss...”

“So what? Screw Anon-A-Miss,” said Wallflower. “Sunset Shimmer, what Anon-A-Miss did should not stop you from being who you are.”

“And what am I?”

“A hero. You’re someone who’s always trying to do the right thing and trying to make up for the bad person you used to be. Sure, not everyone thinks you’ve changed, but you’ve got me and the others who will stick with you even if the whole school turns on you. I mean, seriously, do you think we’re going to let you deal with this alone?”

Sunset met Wallflower’s eyes. Sunset Shimmer had almost forgotten that she had friends to deal with all this. Sure, Anon-A-Miss may never confess now, but what did it matter? Even if the whole school turned against her, she still had her friends.

She was Ultraman Ginga, the Giant of Light who fought monsters. She could do this with her friends.

“Sunset?” a small voice asked.

In an instant, the confidence that Wallflower had been building in Sunset evaporated. Turning to the voice, Sunset whimpered, “Hi, Applebloom.”

The young farmgirl, feeling terrible about the mess Sunset was in, suddenly launched into a hug, “Ah’m sorry, Sunset!”

Sunset was taken completely by surprise, but quickly managed to recover, “No, it’s okay Applebloom, you don’t have anything to apologize for.”

Applebloom released Sunset and backed up slightly, “Ah know, but ah still feel bad about it.”

Sunset’s eyes became downcast with the girl’s admission. She supposed it made sense for Applebloom to feel that way; afterall, she was the ringleader before Fall entered the picture. What Sunset did not expect, however, was what Applebloom said next.

“Which is why we’re going to confess to being Anon-A-Miss.”

Sunset’s eyes widened, “WHAT!? You’re- No! Applebloom, I cannot possibly ask you to do that!”

“Ya don’t have to. Ah’m choosing to do this, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have already agreed to it. Plus, ah’ve already cleared it with the Principals and our families, so this is happening with or without you,” Applebloom declared.

“Wh- No, please don’t, Applebloom. We-we can find a better way to resolve this,” Sunset pleaded.

“How? By telling the school that your demon escaped and was trying to ruin your life?” Applebloom snarked, “Yeah, the school has seen some stuff, but that’s kinda pushing what they’re willing to believe.”

“But-” Sunset attempted, but Applebloom cut her off.

“Sunset, it’s fine! We’ll have you and everyone else to keep us safe. Besides, we kinda owe you.”

Sunset looked at Wallflower who shrugged, then back at Applebloom. This was a girl trying to make amends for something she had done. While she had no memory of it, she still wanted to do the right thing. Therefore, she would need their support.

“Alright, we’ll help,” said Sunset. “But you’re going to need to sound convincing. Otherwise, people are going to think I blackmailed you into confessing.”

*////*

“Are you done yet, Icarus?”

Alien Icarus was dressed in a French maid outfit and dusting Dark Lugiel’s room.

“Nearly done, master!”

“Hey, Icarus! Looking good!” Metron mocked.

“Oh, bite me you fish-eyed weirdo!”

“Oh? And how would you like me to do that with no mouth?”

Icarus threw down his feather duster and snapped to Metron, “Listen here you-!”

Suddenly, a sharp displacement of air announced the arrival of Fall and Baltan teleporting into the room.

“Ah, so our conquering demon returns,” Lugiel jeered, “Tell us, how did your mission go?”

“Oh, shut up, I may have lost this fight but there’s always next time,” Fall swore. “Plus, after I wiped the Crusaders’ memories, there will be no way for Sunset to prove her innocence.”

“Hm, so you win either way?” Fall smugly nodded, but then Lugiel snapped, “THEN WHAT IS THIS UPDATE ON ANON-A-MISS CONFESSING THEIR INVOLVEMENT!?”

Fall recoiled from the angry titan, “Wh-what?”

“You stupid brat! Boasting about non-existent victories, while still managing to sabotage yourself!”

“What are you talking about!?”

“THE ENTIRE TIME YOU WERE CONTROLLING THOSE GIRLS, IT NEVER ONCE OCCURRED TO YOU TO LOG OUT OF THE ACCOUNT FROM THEIR PHONES!”

Fall froze in shock, “WHAT!?”

Lugiel responded by shoving his host’s phone into Fall’s face, with the relevant post opened on the screen, “Your arrogance and overconfidence completely sank what would have been a brilliant plan, demoting it into a merely mediocre one.”

“Goddamit! It was going so perfectly! I erased their memories so they wouldn’t be able to confess! I made Sunset a pariah but that didn’t work! Fuck Ginga! Fuck the Rainbooms! Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuck!!!” Fall screamed as she threw a tantrum. She then began to calm herself down, “No, don’t lose it yet, Fall. You still have those magical geodes, and you know just who to give them to.”

“What was that last part?” Lugiel probed.

“Uh, Lord Lugiel, I have a backup plan, but it will take some time to prepare, so, just do whatever until it’s ready please,” Fall deflected, sweating slightly.

Lugiel eyed Fall suspiciously, “That was a blatant deflection, but I am intrigued. Very well, take all the time you need.” Lugiel then turned to Metron and Icarus, “You two, come here.”

The two aliens snapped to attention, causing Fall to become aware of the maid outfit Icarus was wearing, “What the hell?”

“Lord Lugiel was punishing me for attempting to evade my duties to accompany you,” Icarus admitted sheepishly.

“Silence!” Lugiel barked, “I believe it’s time for you two to get out into the battlefield yourselves.”

Metron seemed to beam with excitement at this news, “My Lord, are telling Icarus and I to personally fight Ultraman Ginga?”

“Yes, you will attack Sweet Apple Acres during the Apple family’s party with the objective of killing Sunset and her allies in one fell swoop. And Icarus, you will be needing this.”

Lugiel threw a Spark Doll to the bat-faced alien, revealing a mostly complete hybrid monster, “There is only one piece missing, and I believe you know what to do. Now, begone, all of you! I believe you have preparations to make.”

The collective of aliens and demon nodded and left the room, shivering with anticipation of the coming battles.

Author's Note

Next time:

The Christmas Eve party is in full swing, when three unexpected party crashers from Sunset's past appear to end old grudges. Meanwhile, Metron and Icarus prepare for their attack.

The season finale: Boxing Day.

Yes, you read that right, Season Finale. Next season is Fall's show.

Interlude: Anon-A-Miss Ends

Anon-A-Miss’ reign of terror was over.

That was the general belief of CHS’ student body. The day after the CMC were confronted about being Anon-A-Miss, Principal Celestia has called the students for an assembly. Truth be told, Celestia did not want to expose the CMC as the culprits as they were still freshmen and after all the secrets they had spilled on Anon-A-Miss, the three girls would become targets.

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, with some coaching from Sunset Shimmer, revealed themselves as the culprit behind Anon-A-Miss. At first, none of the students believed them until Applebloom posted something on Anon-A-Miss with her phone.

Then the screams off outrage started. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack quickly went and put their sisters behind them to protect them from the students’ wrath. What really stopped the students was Sunset Shimmer who came forward. She silenced them with a bullhorn and addressed all the students, calling them out on their hypocrisy.

“These girls might’ve started Anon-A-Miss, but you all could’ve ignored it. Instead, you followed it, fed it secrets to post. You’re all responsible for Anon-A-Miss just as much as they are. So don’t act like you’re all innocent. You’re all part of the problem too.”

It turned out, most of the secrets posted by Anon-A-Miss had been sent to the Crusaders by the students themselves.

If the CMC were going down for Anon-A-Miss, those students who had sent those secrets would need to step forward too.

“And I can’t believe how easy it was to turn you all against me. Haven’t I proven myself? Or have you forgotten that, if it wasn’t for me, you’d all be the Sirens’ mindless slaves? Well, guess what? You’re all shown yourselves to be just as bad or even worse than how I used to be.”

Sunset Shimmer really needed to vent.

“I learned that not all of you will ever truly trust me or give me a chance,” Sunset continued. “Those people (you know who you are) have been waiting for me to slip up so you could cast me out, and say you were right. But when I didn’t slip up, you manufactured one using the profile these three girls made. You didn’t actually believe that I was Anon-A-Miss, you just needed something to blame me for. Well, guess what? While these three are getting punished, it will be nothing, compared to what you’ve got coming. ”

“Yes, yes, thank you Sunset,” Principal Celestia interrupted, suspecting that she was getting too into her tirade, “However, the point still stands. While the Crusaders will be punished for making Anon-A-Miss, those of you that willingly participated in perpetuating it, will receive much harsher treatment. This school will not tolerate this sort of mass, single-targeted bullying.”

At the principal’s ultimatum, a number of students began sinking into their seats in dread. Celestia’s patience was legendary, when she lost it, she was a force to be reckoned with.

Suddenly, the auditorium doors swung open, revealing Celestia’s secretary Raven Inkwell ask she briskly marched up to Celestia on the stage.

“What is it, Raven? We’re in the middle of a critical assembly,” Celestia stated before Raven pulled her head close to whisper into her ear.

“Uh oh, are we found out?” Scootaloo whispered to her friends.

“Ah don’t think so. This sounds like somethin’ else,” Applebloom whispered back.

Raven finally moved away from Celestia, who was wide-eyed in shock, “Are they sure?”

“No, but it seems to be the only thing they have to go on,” Raven whispered.

Celestia gained a disgusted look on her face before moving back to the microphone, “I apologize everyone, but it seems that we will have to cut this assembly short.”

The response was immediate anger and confusion from the student body. Anon-A-Miss was about to get what was coming to them only to stop halfway? Were the Crusaders actually going to get off scot-free?

Not wanting the students to get too riled up, and already short on patience, Celestia pulled out a whistle… and blew it into the microphone. The auditorium immediately became silent as the once agitated high schoolers cringed and covered their ears in pain.

“Now, as I was trying to say, before I was rudely interrupted,” Celestia continued, giving a pointed stare at the student body, “I have just received some… disturbing news. Last night, Gloriosa Daisy, head counselor of Camp Everfree, was attacked. She was discovered this morning by her brother, who was returning from an overnight trip to the city. The police are being tightlipped on specifics, but they have stated that the evidence points to some, at this time, unknown monster.”

The Ginga Gang exchanged alarmed looks. This was the first time they had heard of a possible monster attack happening outside the city, and it seemed that they were not the only ones. The auditorium had become abuzz with hushed conversations on the topic, mostly wondering what this meant for the Camp Everfree trip the following year. Fortunately, one student thought to voice this concern, “Um, Principal Celestia!? What does this mean for the Camp Everfree trip!?”

“I… I don’t know. Only time can clear that up. But, in light of this turn of events, I have decided to declare an impromptu half-day,” Celestia said, but as the students began preparing to leave, she cut through the noise again, “However! If those who contributed to Anon-A-Miss think that this absolves you, oh no. When you come back, we will be bringing each and every one of you in for punishment. But, for now, you are spared from my wrath.”

With a final shiver at Celestia’s promise, the students filed out of the auditorium.

*///*

In the music room, which had long since become the Rainbooms’ unofficial clubroom, the Ginga Gang were in an uproar.

“A monster!? At Camp Everfree!? How the hell did we miss that!?”

“I hope Gloriosa is okay, but Rainbow’s right. If a monster did attack, people should have seen it.”

“Not true, strictly speaking. If the monster is more figurative than literal, it’s possible that the attacker was Fall.”

“Yeah! But what about the aliens? Heck, what if it’s a new alien?”

“While that is true, let’s work with the assumption that Fall is behind it. In that case, there was something at Camp Everfree that she wanted.”

“But what? It’s not like Everfree is some major seat of power; it’s just a summer camp.”

“Well, Trixie thinks it’s obvious what she wanted.”

“Realy? What?”

“Magic.”

“That’s dumb. We would’ve know if magic was there.”

“Oh? Like you knew about the Dazzlings?”

“HEY THAT WAS… That’s… Okay, yeah, you got me.”

Sunset, who had been listening to this back and forth, finally spoke up, “Girls, look, I know you’re all worried about Fall and what she’s planning. Since we used to share a body, then her motives are simple: she wants to become more powerful and take my body for herself. So whenever she strikes, we will be ready.”

“OK, so what’s our next move?” Lightning Dust asked.

“I’ll go to Camp Everfree and ask Gloriosa a few questions. We need to know what kind of magic Fall might have gotten her hands on,” Sunset explained. “It might be stray Equestrian magic that got to this world.”

“I’m coming with you,” Rarity said.

“What? No, Rarity, I can’t ask you to do that,” Sunset replied.

“Oh, pish posh, I would never miss a chance to break out my noir outfit.”

“Oh, jeeze, Detective Rarity,” Trixie groaned.

Sunset rolled her eyes, “Well, if you insist. Just, please don’t start narrating to yourself.”

“I cannot make make any promises, darling. Plus, no busses are heading out in that direction, and you don’t have a license yet,” Rarity pointed out.

“Okay, yeah, that’s a good point. Why don’t you lead the way,” Sunset replied.

“Happy to, darling,” Rarity said, while sashaying towards the door, followed by Sunset.

*////*

“I have several questions,” Sunset said while stepping out into Camp Everfree, “When I suggested using Halen to get here, you said, understandably, that it was too overt, and that they would be too terrified to talk about what happened.”

“Yes?” Rarity asked innocently.

“THEN WHY THE HELL DID WE ROCK UP HERE IN A FUCKING LIMO!?” Sunset screamed while frantically waving her arms at the vehicle in question.

“Sunset, language! And what’s wrong with the limousine?”

“What’s wro-? Rarity, a limo is one of the most disgusting displays of wealth you could possibly find! We’re trying to talk to these people, not offend them by showing off how much better off we are than them.”

“Pish-posh, darling. Nothing wrong with riding in comfort, once in a while,” Rarity brushed off Sunset’s concern.

“A bus would’ve been as comfortable and less pretentious,” Sunset glowered.

“You know, for a former student to a princess, you seem to hate travelling in style,” Rarity observed.

“Sue me for preferring practicality.”

“You wanted to fly here as a monster. How practical is that?” Rarity deadpanned.

“Well, flying around as a monster is cooler and faster than this,” Sunset pointed to the limo. She exhaled, “Sorry, sorry, we’re wasting time. Let’s just go question Gloriosa and find out what she knows.”

“Sunset, are you OK?”

“No, not really. I’ve got an evil twin on the loose and working with the big bad behind these monsters. It’s just a lot to process and deal with.”

“Well, I wouldn’t worry too much, darling. I mean it’s not like Fall is… What is this?” Rarity drifted off as she and Sunset entered the camp proper.

Right in the open, in the center of the camp, was a brown-skinned, green-haired young man, assembling a small hut. However, what truly caught Rarity and Sunset’s eye, was the pink-haired woman frozen in the center of it.

The man, not even looking up from his work, spoke, “Look, I don’t know what you people think you’re going to find, I’ve already told you everything I know. Just, please, leave us alone.”

“Hello there,” Rarity said, trying to sound cheerful but failing as she saw the frozen woman. “We’re just concerned students from Canterlot High.”

“Canterlot High?” the young man looked over to them. “Oh, you guys are scheduled to come next summer. Hi, I’m Timber Spruce. Welcome to Camp Everfree.”

“I’m Rarity and this is my friend Sunset Shimmer. We heard about Gloriosa and just had to come speak with her,” Rarity said.

The young man’s face noticeably darkened, “That so? Well knock yourselves out, it’s not like she’s going anywhere.”

“Wait, that’s Gloriosa?” Sunset said, indicating the frozen woman.

“Yeah, that’s my sister. She’s been like this since...” Timber sighed.

“Since the attack,” Sunset finished. Guess asking Gloriosa any questions was out of the question but maybe Timber Spruce could shed some light on what happened.

Sunset bet it had something to do with an alien.

“So, uh, what are you doing?”

“Putting a roof over her head.”

“What? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just move her to one of the huts already here?” Rarity asked.

“You think I haven’t tried!?” Timber Spruce snapped, “By all means, give her arm a yank, or pick her up, or hell, try to remove her hoodie. It won’t matter, she is completely rooted to this spot!”

“He’s right, Sunset!” Rarity gasped, drawing Sunset’s attention, “Watch.”

Rarity first tugged on one of Gloriosa’s outstretched arms, then attempted to push her over, before finally trying to pull down the zipper on her hoodie. Nothing the fashionista did could move the woman in any way.

“What’s wrong with her?” Sunset wondered. It looked like a sort of stasis spell. The problem there was that stasis spells were all area of effect. Bubbles, not single targets. The other problem was that stasis spells needed to be actively maintained by either its caster or an artefact, and Sunset very much doubted Fall would waste magic to keep one summer camp counselor frozen. So then, if not magic, then what?

“If I knew that, don’t you think I would’ve done something about it?” Timber hissed.

“Sorry! Sorry! I was just thinking out loud,” Sunset placated, waving her hands defensively, “Look, we might know someone with some knowledge about this, but we need to know more.”

Timber suddenly brightened up, “YOU DO!? Well shit ask away!”

“Well,” Rarity began, “We do think that a monster is behind this, but we don’t think it was alone. The pair might have been after something, do you have any ideas as to what it could be?”

Timber huffed derisively, “Well that’s an awful lot of assumptions, got anything to back it up?”

“The fact that Gloriosa is out here for starters, and her attire. She has a coat on and zipped up, but is wearing sleeping shorts, meaning that she wasn’t expecting to have to come out here, and only had enough time to put on the coat and nothing else. Second of all, if the monster was the only one out here, I imagine she would have just stayed in the main cabin, and tried to remain unnoticed. Instead, she came out here to confront it, meaning she had reason to think that it was fake, like, say, a person standing next to it. Lastly, when I asked about what the monster could have been after, you deflected my question back to me, indicating that you do, in fact know something. So, are you going to answer me now?”

Sunset stared open-mouthed at Rarity. How the hell had this girl fallen, not just to her tricks, but Anon-A-Miss? She then looked to Timber Spruce, who appeared to have become nervous. It seemed that Rarity was onto something, “Timber. Whatever secret Gloriosa was hiding, you won’t help her by keeping it now.”

After some further hesitation, Timber sighed, “Goddamn it Glori. I told you those things would get you into trouble. I fricken TOLD YOU!”

So, Timber Spruce caved and told them that in order to keep Camp Everfree, Glorioso had borrowed money from Filthy Rich while putting the camp up as collateral. However, if Glorioso was unable to come up with the money to pay him back, Filthy Rich would take the land and tear down the camp to build his luxury spa.

Sunset glanced at Rarity, who nodded, then turned back to Timber Spruce, “I’m sorry, Timber, but I think your sister was conned.”

“What?”

“It’s true,” Rarity added, “Our friend Applejack got herself into an arrangement with Filthy Rich, that also meant that she had to pay him money. Fortunately, she has family in positions of government, so it was swiftly overturned, but in the process, it was discovered that he makes a habit of targeting paranoid individuals. These are people that he can easily convince need his help, without the fact checking that would normally be required to inform such a decision, like, for example, a highly family focused girl of losing her ancestral home.”

“What!? No! Glori wouldn’t do that!” Timber protested.

“Wouldn’t she?” Sunset asked, “Tell me, when your sister signed off this loan, did she have you there as a second pair of eyes? Or did she sign it alone, and only told you after the fact?”

Timber’s eyes widened in realization. What the hell was his sister playing at!? She made a major financial decision without his consent, and never thought about the implications of it. Filthy Rich stood to lose nothing in the loan, either Gloriosa paid the money back and set the camp back to square one, or he got his spa. One thing was for sure, he was going to see what his sister was spending the camp’s money on after these girls left. Speaking of which…

“Um, I think we got a bit distracted there. Long story short, Glori found something in a cave that she swears will get Filthy Rich to back off.”

“Really? What was it?” Rarity pressed.

Timber remained silent for a moment, then replied, “I don’t know. Apparently Glori didn’t trust me enough to let me in on her plan. What she did share with me, was that they were something powerful, and not exactly from around here.”

“Can you tell us where she found it?”

“Not really. Outside of ‘in a cave,’ I don’t know what direction, how far, or anything about it,” Timber then became thoughtful, “But she may have a record of it in the main cabin. If you could give me some time, I can look into it for you.”

Rarity winced, “ Are you sure you should be going through your sister’s things?”

“Right now, I just wanna figure things out and do something. Plus, it’s not like she’s in a position to complain right now. And I’m pissed about her hiding shit from me, like where the hell the camp’s money went!”

“Okay, we get it,” Sunset placated, “Here, let me give you my number so you can call me if you find anything. And nothing else, understand?”

Timber shrank back with a squeaked out, “Yes.”

With that, Sunset passed her number to Timber, and along with Rarity, returned to the limousine.

“So, what do you think happened?” Rarity asked.

“Glorioso found some Equestrian magic and Fall attacked her,” Sunset surmised.

“But she’s frozen in place and looks catatonic,” Rarity pointed out.

“True, but I don’t think a spell did this. While similar to Equestrian stasis magic, the effects don’t match. Then there are paralysis spells, but those wouldn’t affect her clothes. Petrification magic would, but in that event, she would look like she had gazed into Medusa’s eyes,” Sunset explained.

“Then, what about Icarus and Metron?”

“Maybe, but if they could do this, I imagine Taro would’ve warned us about it.”

“Meaning…?”

“It has to be a new alien,” Sunset concluded, opening the limo door.

“Very astute observations, Sunset,” Taro suddenly chimed in, causing Rarity and Sunset to jump in fright.

“Dammit, Taro, don’t do that! And what are you doing here anyway?” Sunset asked, while holding her hand over her chest in an attempt to calm her heart.

“Sorry,” Taro sheepishly replied, “I teleported myself here shortly after you arrived, using the light of the Ginga Spark to track you down.”

“Wow, stalker much?” Sunset whispered to Rarity.

If Taro had heard her, he made no comment, “You are right to assume that a new alien is in play, as Gloriosa’s condition matches the Red Freeze Ray of the Alien Baltan.”

“Oh, dear,” Rarity sighed.

“Indeed. Baltan are worse than even Icarus or Metron due to their complete lack of emotion and empathy. In fact, all they care about are their goals,” Taro said, speaking from experience. Members of the Baltan race have been a consistent enemy for the Ultra Warriors. “What makes them dangerous is their reputation as ‘Space Ninja’.”

“So, Fall’s working with a Baltan,” Sunset concluded.

Taro nodded, “Seems so. By the way, while you were away, Rainbow remembered something important about Fall’s appearance.”

“Really!?” Sunset was ecstatic, finally, a way to tell herself and Fall apart.

“Yes. She said that, before Fall stomped on her face, she could see something purple swinging from her neck. When she mentioned this, Applejack also recalled seeing a similar object on Fall’s neck, she merely didn’t think it was important to mention before now.”

“Why that’s wonderful news!” Rarity exclaimed, then paused, “But, what is this ‘purple object’?”

“I’m not sure,” Sunset said, climbing into the limo, “But if I know myself, which I assume Fall is based on, she wouldn’t have it unless it was important. It might even be related to Red King’s power-up in that fight.”

*////*

Tartarus was Equestria’s prison for the most dangerous of villains. Guarded by Cerberus, it was nearly inescapable. In the last 1,000 years, there had only been one ever known escape from the prison.

The prisoner in question, was Lord Tirek.

However, if one were to see him now, there would be very little lordly about him.

Old, decrepit, wrinkled and skinny, he looked relatively harmless. However, he had long since learned how to absorb the natural magic of ponies to strengthen and restore himself. However, the last time he attempted to take all the magic and conquer Equestria, he once again fell and was defeated when Twilight Sparkle and her friends used their Magic of Friendship to stop him and send him back to Tartarus.

Normally, the only thing Tirek was forced to endure was the silence and solitude. The other beings that were locked in here were not at all intelligent - mere beasts - really. He pretty much occupied his time by thinking of all the delicious revenge he would have on those ponies once he managed to break free again.

But now, Tirek had a visitor.

It was Discord, the Lord of Chaos himself.

Tirek scowled.

“Now, now, Tirek. It’s like you don’t enjoy my company,” taunted Discord as he shuffled a deck of cards. “How about a game of Poker? Or maybe Bridge? Or do you prefer Solitaire?”

“Are you here to torment me?” Tirek growled.

“Torment you? Why would I do that?” Discord said as he tossed the deck of cards back and forth between his hands. “Oh, wait. Was it because you stabbed me in the back and took my magic?”

“It was your own fault for trusting me,” Tirek mocked.

“A mistake I don’t intend to make again,” Discord shot back as he made the deck vanish and put on a tuxedo. “How about I tell you a few jokes? I’m getting good at stand-up.”

Tirek just turned away and covered his ears, wishing for Discord to go away or for anything to happen right now.

A swirling portal of fire suddenly opened up inside Tartarus. Discord noticed this and watched as two strange beings emerged.

Fall’s boot-clad feet touched the floor of Tartarus and she took a moment to appraise herself.

“So, using a different portal prevents my form from changing,” she said to herself. That’s good to know.”

She was followed by Alien Baltan who stood beside her, ever silent, ever watching. It was hard to tell what he was thinking since his face lacked the ability to emote. Of course, he could express how he felt through his eerie, haunting laughter.

“And who are you two?” Discord asked.

“We just came to recruit people,” Fall answered. “I’m Fall and my friend here is Baltan. You’re Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, right?”

“I am the one and only Discord,” Discord confirmed.

“Thank goodness,” Tirek muttered.

“Good, then you wouldn’t mind if I did this,” Fall said and she immediately pointed her device at Discord. Almost instantly, it struck him with a beam that drained the poor soul of his magic. He had not expected it and went down instantly.

Discord fell to his knees, the loss of his magic leaving him too weak to even stand, “Not again.”

Fall knew she could not recruit Discord. As she had Sunset’s memories, she remembered reading an entry from Twilight about Discord being their friend. It was much easier to get rid of him before he became a nuisance.

Cerberus noticed their arrival and snarled before barking out of its three heads. Immediately, the three-headed canine lunged at the intruders.

Baltan was ready and leaped to intercept Cerberus and struck its centre head with a hard blow, stunning it. However, the heads on the right and the left snapped their jaws at the Baltan who disappeared from their sight.

Baltan reappeared near the ceiling and he plummeted on Cerberus. The alien then slammed his claws onto Cerberus’ spine. The three-headed beast howled and collapsed, whimpering in pain.

Baltan grabbed hold of Cerberus’ tail then dragged it over to the pit. With incredible might, the evil alien tossed Tartarus’ guard dog into the pit.

Fall callously walked by the weakened Discord to Tirek’s cage.

Tirek, shaking off his amazed stupor, gave a vile grin and a round of applause, “Heh heh, HA HA HA! Brilliant! Fantastic work! Now, what business would a little demon like yourself have with the great Lord Tirek?”

Fall stopped within easy arm’s reach of the wicked centaur, “I’m here to free you, under the provision that you join me as one of my servants.”

“Hm, interesting offer, but I have a better one. I take that amulet, consume its magic, destroy you and that insect beside you, and return to Equestria to take my revenge!”

Fall scoffed, “That so? Well you’re welcome to try. Just know that you’ll have to reach it before Baltan can catch you.”

Tirek immediately lost his grin. This lesser being dared to mock HIM? LORD Tirek?

“I don’t need your invitation to try,” Tirek said, suddenly lunging for Fall’s amulet.

What followed was initially confusing for centaur, as a white flash crossed his vision. The first thing he noticed when his sight returned, was the outstretched, smoking claw of the bipedal insect, followed by a growing pain in his hand. The last thing he noticed before the pain fully took hold, was his hand, burned and blackened, and his ring finger missing, having burned off.

Tirek screamed in agony, pulling his ruined hand back into his cage, while Fall laughed, “Wow! You actually went for it! Did you really think that I would be this close if I didn’t think Baltan could beat you to the punch. Besides, it’s not like you’ll need this magic where we’re going.”

Tirek, still gasping in pain and cradling his injured hand, took a moment to look at Fall, “Baltan, show him what we’re offering.”

The insect slowly nodded its head, then launched a purple, dagger-shaped object into Tirek’s cage. The centaur, however, was not keen to touch anything offered by a creature that had burned his hand, and severed a finger. This seemed to annoy Fall, “Look Tirek, you can pick that Dark Dummy Spark up and get out of that cage, or you can stay there and I’ll peddle what I’m offering to someone else. I don’t strictly need you, but, I feel that your dark desires will make a very powerful addition to the team I’m building.”

“I don’t do team-ups,” Tirek growled.

“Do you want to know how Twilight Sparkle and her friends managed to beat you? It was because they had each other. You had Discord then you stabbed him in the back. All the power in the world means nothing if you wield it alone. Now, do you want to get out and see the power I offer? Or stay here to rot in your tiny little cell?”

Tirek glared at the arrogant demon. On one hand, yes, he did want out, but in order to do so, he would need to go against everything he stood for to do it. Then again, with that creature beside Fall, saying no would probably get him killed anyway, given what it did to Cerberus. With a growl, he reached a shaky hand out to the dagger.

The sheer, intoxicating darkness that engulfed him as he touched the Dummy Spark killed any of his remaining reluctance, “Yes. YES! I FEEL ITS POWER! Tell me, where did you find such a powerful device?”

“Agree to join my team, and you’ll find out,” Fall offered with a smile.

“YES! I AGREE! NOW LET ME OUT!” Tirek demanded desperately.

“Hm, very well. Baltan?”

The alien gave a slow nod, then leveled its pincer at the lock with a light from within, causing a series of clicks to emit from it. Within mere moments, the cage door swung open, unleashing Lord Tirek back into the world.

“Hah, free again. It feels so sweet!”

“Glad to hear it. Now,” Fall began, but was cut off by Tirek.

“Just one moment. I have some unfinished business.”

Tirek began walking to the weakened Discord, who was attempting to sneak away while he and Fall were speaking. Taking hold of the Draconequus’ tail, Tirek dragged him back to his recently vacated cell and tossed Discord inside.

“Let's see just how much your ‘friends’ truly care about you now,” Tirek said before slamming the cage door.

“Ah!” Fall gasped in realization, “I like the way you think, it’s poetic. Baltan, lock it up!”

Baltan slowly nodded again, and aimed its pincer at the lock, causing the mechanism to drop, trapping Discord inside.

“Now that that’s taken care of, tell me, where did you acquire this power?” Tirek asked.

Rather than answer verbally, Fall opened her amulet and ripped open another portal, “Your answer is beyond that portal.”

Tirek took a cautious glance at Fall before stepping towards the portal.

“Just one more thing,” Fall said, “I’ve made this particular portal to mimic the one that currently resides in Princess Twilight’s castle. This means you will be transformed into a form more able to hide among the population of that world.”

Tirek raised an eyebrow at this information, but otherwise remained silent as he crossed through the portal. As Fall made to follow him, Discord spoke up at last, “Heh, what? You think he’ll just march in lock step behind you? You said it yourself, the guy is a chronic backstabber, he’s just waiting for a chance to turn on you.”

“Oh, I beg to differ, Discord, do you know why?” Fall replied, “First, that demonstration by Baltan scared the ever loving shit out of him. Two, the power of the Dark Dummy Spark speaks to even the most cheerful of beings. And three? When he sees what else I’m offering, he will be begging to be involved further in my plans. Now be a good powerless chaos spirit, and stay in your cage. I wonder if your ‘friends’ will even notice you’re gone.”

Cackling, Fall and Baltan walked through the portal, leaving Discord alone in the now very empty-feeling Tartarus.

“Well Discord, how did you manage to manage to find yourself at both the wrong place, and wrong time, with all your powers? It’s almost like some higher power just wanted an excuse to kick your teeth in.”

*////*

“And that’s basically where we’re at now. The Crusaders got punished for Anon-A-Miss, but in more of a lip service way. They have six months of detention, but it’s more of a free period than an actual detention. They’re also banned from the internet while at school, but only in school, and have to turn in their phones to the front office. They thought that last one was a bit much, until a rather funny story Applejack told me where Applebloom found herself reaching for her turned in phone, and the first thing she told AJ upon seeing her was, ‘I get it now!’

“As for those who sent in secrets? Well, that’s still a work in progress, just by virtue of how many were sent in, on top of the severity of the secrets requiring a case-by-case basis. Though, I have heard of at least one person getting expelled because they tried to get a faculty member fired with a false secret out of spite. To avoid dwelling on it; person tried to sleep with faculty, faculty refused, person got pissed and lied about it to save face.

“You know, despite how much Anon-A-Miss hurt at first, I think we all came out of this better for it having happened. I don’t just mean the Ultraman stuff either. Like, it got everyone talking about their problems, instead of just acting like everything is fine.

“Oh! Before I go, we haven’t told the Crusaders about Ultraman Ginga yet, because we didn’t want to dump another bombshell on them so soon after they were freed from Fall’s influence. Don’t worry though, we’ll tell them soon enough.

“Your friend, Sunset Shimmer.”

Princess Twilight leaned back from the magic journal with a happy smile on her face. Sunset was right, for all the trouble Anon-A-Miss caused, the net positive seemed to far outweigh the negatives. She giggled. Of course, Ultraman helped it happen, but it was ultimately her friends who saved Sunset from Fall’s plot.

Twilight’s smile dropped with that name. Fall. The demon from the Fall Formal given physical form. Apparently, it was not only aligned with Dark Lugiel, but was pursuing magic, and had something Sunset called an “Alien Baltan” following her.

Twilight really wished she could be more help, but aliens, giant monsters and Ultramen were so outside her depth that she just wasn’t sure what she could do. She had gone and done some research and, to her surprise, found mentions of ‘Giants of Light’ dating back long before Equestria was founded. However, the most blatant reference to something that sounded like an Ultra, came, not from Equestrian records, but from the Crystal Empire.

It described a moment in the early days of the Empire, where builders disturbed a creature that held a massive, glowing crystal on its back. The enraged beast went of a year long rampage in what seemed to be an act of revenge for some, unspeakable crime that ponykind committed. Suddenly, some Earth Ponies appeared, asking for forgiveness on behalf of the monster. They said that they resided beneath Equis for millenia, and that the creature was their guardian deity, and offered to subdue it for the ponies. With magic and weapons proving useless against crystal beast, the Empire swiftly agreed to let these odd ponies try. One of the ponies then transformed into a giant, and battled the monster until it was finally subdued. As an apology gift, the “Subterranean Ponies” gave the Crystal Empire a powerful artefact in the shape of a heart, now known as the Crystal Heart.

The strangest thing about this story, and others like it, was that they just sort of, stopped appearing around the time Princess Celestia and Luna appeared on the scene. Did they do something to these “Giants of Light” that stopped them from appearing? Twilight did not want to think that way about the princesses, but the timing was too convenient to not seem like a possibility.

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off when a sound echoed throughout the castle that resembled a teleportation spell.

After a moment, Twilight uttered a cautious, “Hello?”

No answer. Closing her journal, Twilight crept up to the door of the library and peeked into the hallway. Nothing.

Suddenly, Twilight was startled by the pop of the teleportation spell going off behind her. Turning around, she found nothing but some loose papers fluttering to the floor… and the magic journal missing.

“Wha? What just?” Twilight spluttered, until she gasped in realization, “The portal!”

Twilight immediately began running through her castle, hoping beyond hope, that she could reach the portal before whatever had taken the journal could open it. On that thought, who or what could have taken the journal? As far as she knew, only herself, Spike, the princesses, and her friends, knew about the portal, but, could something else that she did not know about have discovered it. Thoughts like this, and more, flew through her mind as she approached the room that held the Mirror Portal.

“Are you... sure that this is a good idea, Auntie?”

Twilight’s eyes widened, and she skidded to a stop, “Wait, wasn’t that-?”

“I agree with our niece, sister. Suddenly packing up, and running to another world that neither Cadance nor I have ever even seen strikes us as reckless, and irresponsible.”

“It is! But, what?”

“Oh, stop complaining. I’ve already told you why we’re doing this. I recharged the Ginga Spark with the understanding that I would get to see Sunset. I didn’t get to then, but by Faust I’ll appear for the holidays! And I’m bringing the rest of her family to join her.”

Twilight completely froze at that voice, “WHAT!?”

Bursting into the portal room, the last thing Twilight saw of the intruders was a sun-shaped cutie mark, and multi-hued, ethereal tail, disappearing into the portal.

“... Oh, horseapples.”

Author's Note

Welp, there it is. The penultimate chapter for this season.

Boxing Day Part 1

“Oof!” “Ow!” “D’oh!”

These were the not so very graceful sounds that came out of the three major Alicorn princesses of Equestria as they fall face-first into the snow when they exited from the Canterlot High portal.

“Cadance, Luna, are you both alright?”

“I’m fine, Sister.”

“So am I, Auntie.”

“Alright, now let’s get up and...” Celestia trailed off.

“What’s wrong?” Luna questioned and then she looked at her hooves which were no longer hooves. “What has happened to my hooves!?”

“Stay calm, Luna. Twilight mentioned that this would happen,” Celestia placated, badly hiding how panicked she herself was.

“MY WINGS!” Cadance shrieked when she found her was missing her wings. “MY HORN!”

“It’s okay, Cadance. These human creatures don’t have wings or horns,” Celestia said while still trying to hide her own terror and confusion at the transformation.

“What!? Then how are we supposed to move then!?” Luna demanded.

“Um… Uh…” Celestia faltered. What was it that Twilight had said about this form? “Oh! Twilight said that they walked on two legs!”

“That’s great, Auntie. So show us how,” Cadance strangely challenged.

“Wait, what?”

“You heard her, Sister. If you know how to walk like one of these hairless apes, please show us.”

“What!? Why can’t you two figure it out yourselves?”

“Oh, we are sorry, Sister. We were under the impression that you were the teacher between us.”

“Yeah, and who was the one that always shooed us out of the room whenever this world came up in conversation?”

“But… That was…”

“Look, Sister! This ill-advised venture was your idea so you should take charge! So stop complaining and take charge!”

“Well… Fine, I will!” Celestia weakly declared. ‘Okay, Celestia. It can’t be that hard. Discord, the minotaurs, and the dragons do it all the time and you are over a thousand years old. So this should be easy. Oh dear, oh dear, how do I do this?’

Celestia used her new hands to push herself up onto her feet. Her balance was a bit wobbly at first as she tried to get used to a new center of gravity. Also, why was she wearing such odd shoes with such high heels? That just made it much harder. However, she was up to the challenge and managed to steady her new feet.

“Ha! That’ll shut you up!”

Unfortunately, neither Luna or Cadance seemed particularly impressed.

“Great… Now walk,” Cadance deadpanned.

Celestia’s smug smile immediately dropped.

“W-Walk?”

“What? Did you expect us to stand in one place the entire night? Of course, we need to walk!” Luna pressed.

“Okay, okay!” Celestia waved off, then uttered a whispered, “Oh dear.”

Starting off by moving her arms to her sides for balance, Celestia slowly, and shakily, lifted up her foot. As she attempted to move the raised foot to take a step, she suddenly felt herself falling forward. Bracing for the impact, she miraculously managed to catch herself on the outstretched foot, accidentally completing the step. Repeating the process several more times finally got the Solar Princess steady enough to walk like a human.

“There,” Celestia huffed, turning to her companions, “Now, can… we? Oh.”

It appeared that Luna and Cadance had already figured out their new limbs.

“Okay, so we can stand and walk. Now what?” Cadance asked.

"Well, Twilight said that Sunset was going to a party at Sweet Apple Acres. So-" Celestia began but was cut off by Luna.

“We have to stop you right there, Sister. For one, do you even know where it is on this side of the portal? And second, how did you plan to get there if you did?”

“Uh…”

“Oh! How lovely! She says ‘uh’!” Cadance harshly mocked.

“Oh, back off! Why are you two being so harsh?”

“Why are we-!? Tia, you basically foal-napped us, guilted us into compliance, stole your student’s magic journal, and jumped us through the portal with no preparation. Of course, we would be annoyed!”

“But if I told Twilight, she would have kept me from coming here!”

“And that would be bad how, exactly? We all have responsibilities back in Equestria, Auntie. The Crystal Empire’s getting ready for Hearth’s Warming and I was expecting to be spending the holidays with Shiny.”

“Really? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Cadance began making various angry choking sounds while pulling her hair.

“Why didn’t I-? That’s- you- but- GGGRRRRRRAAAAGGGGGLLLL! I AM MARRIED, AUNTIE! THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMMON BUCKING SENSE! If you could just drop the flawless goddess act long enough to get hitched yourself, you would understand this!”

Celestia gasped while clutching her chest.

“That’s hurtful.”

Before the argument could escalate further, a polite cough caught the princesses’ attention. Turning towards the sound revealed a pair of human females who were spitting images of Princesses Celestia and Luna.

The human Celestia sighed.

“Let me guess, magic?” She received three nods in response. “Sunset’s somehow involved?” Again, the princesses nodded. “And you’re aware that she’s not here, correct?” A nod and two glares followed. “I assume, then, you need a way to reach her?” Two confused looks and one particularly vigorous nod came in response. The human Celestia sighed again, “Alright, just let my sister and I finish our business here, then we’ll give you three a ride to Sweet Apple Acres.”

This stroke of luck caused Princess Celestia to brighten up significantly.

“Oh, of course! Thank you so much!”

The human Celestia nodded then walked into the school, followed by her Equestrian counterpart and her entourage. On the way, she took out her phone to send a quick text message to Sunset, telling her of some new arrivals from the other side.

*////*

“Pinkie Pie, I don’t think Spark Dolls make good Christmas tree decorations,” Applejack said to her pink friend who had put up the numerous Spark Dolls Sunset had collected up on the tree.

“Indeed,” Taro agreed, mounted on the farmgirl’s shoulders. At least it wasn’t him who would be put on top this time.

“C’mon, Applejack! It’s a theme!” Pinkie Pie said. “It shows how far we’ve come and we’re also celebrating Sunset being a hero!”

Speaking of Sunset Shimmer, she was with Granny Smith and helping her set the table. The Apple matriarch had prepared a delicious Christmas turkey in the center and Sunset was setting down the plates for everyone.

“Everything looks great, Granny Smith,” Sunset complimented.

“Christmas has always been special for the Apple clan. It’s a time for family,” Granny Smith told her.

“Even more than the annual Apple Family Reunion?” Sunset questioned.

“Now that’s a whole other story,” Granny Smith said. “I’m just glad you’ve recovered from that dang Anon-A-Miss mess.”

“Yeah,” Sunset sighed. Hopefully, the experience strengthened their friendship. She did not want it to be strained ever again.

“How about you? Got any family?” Granny Smith asked.

Sunset thought back to her life in Equestria. How she had tried so hard to get Princess Celestia to publicly acknowledge her as her daughter, only to get snubbed in favor of the newcomer Cadance, and then again with Twilight. Sure, Celestia had helped her defeat Mebius Dark and Golza, but that just could have been more due to her concern for Equestria than Sunset. With such a level of ambiguity, Sunset could only answer with:

“I don’t know.”

“Huh? Now just what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Granny Smith, you have to understand that not every family is like the Apples. Not everyone has that kind of tight-knit family unit, especially when the closest person to a parent in your life has only been there physically but never emotionally.”

“Eh?”

“My teacher, who raised me for most of my life, never really committed to the whole ‘parenting’ thing. Sure, she was a physical presence, but her heart just wasn’t into it, always keeping me at a distance. Then, some new girl shows up, and my teacher is pretty much instantly, ‘Yep, that’s my niece.’ I was in shock. There I was, working my a- er- butt off, trying to get her to acknowledge me, and this little upstart shows up and is adopted on the spot. I guess it was then that I really fell. If I couldn’t be her daughter, then I’d be her equal, maybe even superior to her.”

Granny Smith frowned. That was just not right, making a girl work so hard for what seemed like no benefit? What kind of monster does that?

Just then, Applejack entered the room.

“Ah’m not sayin’ you were in the right, doin’ what ya did, ah jes’ think your teacher is a bitch fer yankin’ yer chain like that.”

“Ya mean like Filthy Rich did to you?” Granny Smith coldly asked.

Sunset cringed with a hiss. These sorts of barbs had come out several times already, and every time one came out, Applejack's mood took a hit.

Deciding to save her from the awkwardness, Sunset asked, “Um, Granny Smith? Could Applejack and I have a moment?”

“Ya don’t need ta ask, hun. Yer a member of the family after all,” the Elder Apple said while shooting a pointed look at Applejack.

Offering a quick, “Thank you,” Sunset ushered Applejack out of the room.

Once they were alone, Sunset opted to just get straight to the point, “So, going by how frosty Granny is, you told them?” Applejack nodded. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but what actually happened?”

“Well…” Applejack began.

*////*

"I knew you were as stubborn as a mule, Applejack, but I thought you learned your lesson about comin’ to Mac ‘n me when talkin’ business!" Granny Smith was pretty pissed at her granddaughter. She had dug her farm into serious debt to Filthy Rich over a poorly informed deal. "Ah should bend ya over mah knee and give you a spanking for being so dumb and pigheaded!"

“But it seemed so good at the time,” Applejack weakly deflected.

“‘Course it did! That’s why it’s called a scam! They don’t make money if ya don’t believe in them!” Granny put her head in her hands, “Jes’... what were ya tryin’ ta achieve with this deal?”

“Ah… Ah don’t know. Ta show y’all that Ah was ready fer the farm ah guess.”

“Ready fer…? Applejack, yer still a dumb teenager, barely out of school yet. You’ve got a lot ta learn about running a farm. Yer can do the hard labor right, for sure, but this is a business. Why do ya think Big Mac is trying to get a business degree?”

Applejack visibly wilted even more with that barb, causing Ganny to add, "Now don't go takin' it personally. Everyone has been a dumb teenager at some point. But at least they can keep their story straight about their family. Now, while Ah git in in touch with the Oranges, you are going to be takin' on a lot more of yer siblin's chores, Missy."

*////*

“... she also said that she was gonna have me go through business school to avoid any future incidents like that.”

“Ouch, that sounds really rough. But, what was that last shot for? It didn’t sound like it was about Filthy Rich,” Sunset asked.

“Naw, that was about accusin’ ya of bein’ Anon-A-Miss after telling ya that you were family,” Applejack admitted. “That one really got ‘er goin’.”

"In other words, she sat in the sort of silent judgment that makes you worry for your life."

"Yeah," Applejack rubbed the back of her head. "Sunset, listen, I was blind and thickheaded. I shoulda known it didn't make a lick a sense, but..."

"Applejack, it's okay," Sunset put a comforting hand on the farmgirl's shoulder.

“But-”

“Applejack, while it’s true that we should never forget the past, dwelling on it can be just as dangerous,” Sunset warned. "So how about we forget the unpleasantness and enjoy the holidays, kay?"

Applejack stared at Sunset in silence, allowing the redhead’s words to sink in. It seemed wrong, to just sweep Anon-A-Miss under some carpet as a mere bad memory, especially with how much damage it had caused. Then again, wasn’t dwelling on the past exactly what gave Anon-A-Miss so much power to begin with? After all, the only real reason anyone had to accuse Sunset was her past as a bully.

Applejack realized how stupid she was for falling for Anon-A-Miss’ deception.

Why had it been such a good idea to turn their backs on Sunset Shimmer and drive her away?

What if they had another magical crisis on their hands?

It was Sunset who had called Princess Twilight Sparkle to help against the Sirens and it was Sunset who had helped them beat those Sirens too.

What if Sunset chose to leave the city and break contact with them because of how they had treated her?

They would then have to deal with all future magical threat without their full power.

Was their friendship truly strong and unbreakable? Applejack doubted it if they could only think the worst in each other.

Fortunately, before Applejack could carry those dark thoughts further, Sunset’s phone began ringing.

“Hello?”

“Is this Sunset Shimmer?” Timber Spruce asked.

“Timber?” Sunset asked worriedly, then hissed to Applejack, “Go get the girls.”

“OK, so I looked through Gloriosa’s things and found a journal. She was using our savings to try and upgrade and revitalize the camp, but none of them came through. So she took a loan from Filthy Rich while putting the camp up as collateral.”

“Guess she never considered putting the camp up for mortgage,” Sunset muttered.

“No, more than that. Glori’s biggest fear was admitting to our parents was that she wasn’t ready to take over the camp so she took the loan to cover it up.”

“So in trying to hide her screwup, she ended up digging Camp Everfree into even more trouble. It would’ve been poetic if she had deserved it, but as is, it’s just sad.”

“Yeah, well, some of the stuff she wanted to add was just stupid. Like, why would a summer camp ever need a paintball field? I mean, yeah it would be cool, but I understand that running one is a long term thing and that requires further funding for stuff like marker maintenance and the ammo.”

Sunset blinked at that, “Okay, yeah that’s pretty shortsighted. What about the cave?”

“Okay, that's where things get weird. She did put down the location and mentioned some kind of crazy powerful rocks, but if they were there, they're gone now. Believe me, I checked," Timber said.

“Aw crap. Well did she say what those rocks did? Or how she was intending to use them?”

“No, apparently she was still working that out when the incident happened,” Timber sighed.

“Damn, well, thanks for the effort anyway,” Sunset replied.

“Yeah, well now I’m the one that has to break the news to mom and dad. Which sucks because this should really be Glori doing it, seeing as how she was the one that dug us into this hole,” Timber groaned.

“Yeah?” Sunset said as her friends entered the room, “Guess you better get on that then.”

“WHY YOU-” *Click*

“So, darling, what did he say?” Rarity asked.

"Uh, the short version is, Gloriosa was an overachieving dreamer and used up the camp's funds trying to get a bunch of projects off the ground that never materialized. She was also terrified of admitting she screwed up to her parents and took the loan from Filthy Rich to look like she knew what she was doing. She also found some magic rocks in that cave but had no idea what they did or how they could help her situation. Not like that matters much now that Fall and Baltan have their hands on them," Sunset summarized.

“So, Camp Everfree is under threat of being shut down, because one person couldn’t admit that they needed help?” Wallflower asked in disbelief.

“That sums it up.”

“That’s dumb,” Rainbow said.

“Well, it probably seemed like a good idea for her at the time,” Sunset remarked. “But yeah, it was dumb.”

It would seem that Applejack and Gloriosa had much in common. Too bad that Gloriosa had gotten attacked before she could learn her lesson.

Before the conversation could carry on any further an alert pinged on Sunset’s phone.

“The hell? What? Did Timber forget something?” Sunset asked herself.

“Ooooo! Maybe he wants to ask you out on a date, Sunset!" Pinkie suggested gleefully.

“I friggin’ hope not! I specifically warned him not to use my number for that,” Sunset growled.

Upon looking at the screen, however, Sunset saw there was a text message she just received from Principal Celestia.

“Woah, what? It’s from Principal Celestia!”

“Oh dear, did something else happen?” Fluttershy fretted.

“Give me a moment and I’ll tell… you,” Sunset drifted off, wide-eyed.

“Uh oh. Wide eyes on Sunset is never a good sign,” Pinkie Pie remarked as she felt a tingle run up her spine.

"NO! NONONONO! I'M NOT READY FOR THIS!" Sunset shrieked, as she threw her phone away, and ran into the nearest closet to lock herself inside. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

*////*

Minutes ago in Principal Celestia’s car...

“... In summary, you managed to get one student to completely hate your guts, now terrified of you, and the other turned into a neurotic, dependent mess. And this isn’t a problem, how, exactly?” Principal Celestia questioned.

This and more had been the sound that had filled the entirety of the car ride to Sweet Apple Acres. Evidently, human sensibility was directly opposed to alicorn sensibilities.

"Well, of course, it sounds bad when you phrase it that way! And what do you mean Sunset’s scared of me?” Princess Celestia countered.

"I don't know. I mean, it's not like you can have her thrown into a nondescript dungeon somewhere- OH WAIT! YES, YOU CAN!" Vice Principal Luna barbed.

“But Sunset knows I would never do that,” Princess Celestia protested.

“Well obviously not, given that she opted to stay on this side of the portal,” Principal Celestia shot back.

“But th- Cadance! Luna! Why aren’t you helping me!?”

"HEY! KEEP US OUT OF THIS!" the pair barked. This "car ride" was uncomfortable enough as they were jammed into the back seat with Princess Celestia's fat plot between them and having to listen to her argue with herself. And that was without her trying to drag them into it with her.

“Traitors,” Princess Celestia hissed.

“I suppose, being forthcoming has not been a talent of yours,” VP Luna commented.

"You don't know the half of it," Cadance replied before mimicking Celestia, "‘Hey Twilight, get out of the castle to some backwater town and make some friends. Oh, by the way, my crazy sister is coming back from the moon today, and you'll need friends to beat her. Not that I'll tell you any of that last part'."

“What?” Principal Celestia asked, confused.

“But that was important!” Princess Celestia protested, “If Twilight knew about Nightmare Moon, and why she would need friends, she would try to force the process.”

“Because that’s your job?” VP Luna asked.

“Yes! Exact- I DID NOT FORCE TWILIGHT TO MAKE FRIENDS!”

“Of course you didn’t. You just forced her to make those specific friends.”

“I DID NOT!”

“Tia, the very same day you sent Twilight to Ponyville, she was supposed to attend a birthday for a filly named Moondancer, who to this day, still hasn’t forgiven Twilight,” Luna reminded.

“Oh, what? You would rather Twilight go to some birthday party and doom Equestria? Nice to see where your priorities lie, Sister.”

“Wow, Auntie. I am seeing so many sides of you tonight, and I like exactly none of them,” Cadance growled.

That made Principal Celestia pause.

"Wait, ‘Auntie'? You're her niece?"

Now it was Cadance’s turn to pause, “Yeah? Isn’t it the same here?”

“NO! Cadance is only slightly younger than I am and works as the Dean over at Crystal Preparatory Academy. Having her call me that would be creepy.”

“How does that happen?”

“It might surprise you to know, princess, but no one is immortal here, not even us,” VP Luna answered, “Though, now that we’re on the subject, I understand why Princess Luna is here, but what is your connection to Sunset?”

“Bold of you to assume I had one. I never even heard of Sunset until she stole Twilight’s crown,” Cadance replied.

The entire car went dead silent. That… The principals had not just heard that, right?

“Now that you mention it, you never told me about her either,” Princess Luna added.

Nope, they had heard right. Seeing the glares of the two principals, and the stares of her niece and sister, Princess Celestia began desperately searching for an escape. Fortunately, a familiar farmhouse appeared in her sights, allowing her to change the subject.

“Oh, look! It seems we’ve arrived! Let’s go meet Sunset!”

“Not quite yet,” Principal Celestia said as she parked her car, “Could you three give myself and I a moment of privacy, please?”

“Huh? O-okay,” VP Luna said, awkwardly. This was a strange night, where one could say that and be completely serious about it.

Once the two Celestias were alone, the princess rolled her eyes and asked, “Okay, we’re alone. What final, overly mean thing do you have left to say?”

“SHUT UP!” Principal Celestia snapped, turning around with a glare, “You are going to sit there and listen without any back-talk, understand!?”

Princess Celestia let out a Fluttershy-esque "eep" and swiftly nodded.

“Thank you. Now, this might surprise you, but I’m not usually this hard on anyone. However, if there’s one thing that gets my blood boiling, it’s oblivious abuse.”

“ABUSE!?”

“YES! ABUSE! When Sunset first appeared, she seemed so scared, so fragile. I just wanted to take her in as my own daughter, but… she just looked at me with such hatred, just for who I resembled. Then, when she began tearing Canterlot High apart, all I could think was, ‘this poor girl. What must her home life have been like to create such a, for lack of a better term, monster.’ Then, Twilight Sparkle appeared, talking about her kind, motherly personal teacher, that Sunset used to live with, and my thoughts then became, ‘that doesn’t sound right. How could this person have fostered such a cruel person?’ Now that I’ve met you, though? I am not impressed.

"For this entire ride, you have done nothing but attempted to dodge any kind of personal responsibility for the mistakes you made with Sunset and Twilight. Sure, Twilight absolutely adores you, but how much of that is just her nature, and how much is on how you raised her? That's not even getting into your apparent habit of secret-keeping, to the point that your own niece didn't even know about Sunset! And now, for some reason, rather than just coming here on your own, you brought both your Luna and Cadance. What are you trying to achieve with that? It's obvious that they don't appreciate it, and I very much doubt that Sunset wants anything to spoil her first real Christmas. So, if you're trying to force them to have some kind of relationship with Sunset, don’t.”

Finally having enough of the principal’s preaching, Princess Celestia attempted to fight back, “Oh, like you’re much better. Why didn’t you do something about Anon-A-Miss if you cared so much?”

"I think you're confused as to what the role of a ‘principal' is," the human said, "I don't make laws. I have to follow laws made by other people, with far more political power than me. I can't just snap my fingers and say, ‘hey, give me everything about this blog!' I have to go through a process for that information, at any point during which the whole thing could collapse, and stop the process dead. However, your question does prove one thing to me."

“And that is?”

"You're not a teacher. You're just a politician playing at being a teacher. Now, Luna and I are going to go up to the house first. You and the other princesses can wait by the car until we give the all-clear, okay?"

Princess Celestia nodded, hoping to not show how much the principal's assessment had actually impacted her. Was that what had strained her relationship with Sunset? Just treating her like another entitled noble looking for a handout, rather than as a student or even just as her daughter? She shook her head. No, she was here for Sunset now and that was what mattered most.

At least that was what she believed.

*////*

“Should someone get Sunset out of the closet?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. Sunset Shimmer had locked herself in and she was not coming out. Honestly, they had never once seen her freak out so severely before. Unfortunately, that phrasing made Rainbow Dash giggle immaturely.

“Hehehe, Sunset’s in the closet.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity reprimanded with a slap to the back of her head, “Now is not the time for juvenile jokes! Sunset clearly needs help!”

“I’ll get it,” Wallflower offered as she went to open the door. She was surprised to see Principal Celestia, Vice-Principal Luna, and another pink woman accompanying them. “Principal Celestia, Vice-Principal Luna, what are you all doing here?” She then spotted another Celestia over in the principal's car. The Celestia in the car noticed Wallflower and waved enthusiastically at her.

Principal Celestia noticed this and had to ask, “Have you two met?”

“Uh,” Wallflower hesitated, “...kinda?”

Principal Celestia raised an eyebrow, “Really? When did this happen?”

"Uh… HEY! YOU LOOKING FOR SUNSET!? I'LL GO GET HER FOR YOU!" Wallflower deflected, badly, before slamming the door and running back to the closet. "Hey, girls, any luck with Sunset?"

“Nope. Who was at the door?” Applejack asked.

“The principals, but that’s not important. Princess Celestia is in their car, RIGHT NOW!”

The Gang turned to Wallflower with wide, terrified eyes. Rainbow turned to Rarity.

“Okay Rares, say the thing.”

“What? Oh, yes! Ahem. OUT OF ALL THE POSSIBILITIES, THIS IS THE WORST! POSSIBLE! THING EVER!” Rarity shrieked, yet, in a surprising show of progress, did not overdramatically faint.

"Well that explains Sunset's sudden game of hide-and-seek," Pinkie Pie said.

“Ya think?” Applejack retorted, “Can’t you jest, Ah dunno, tell them it’s not a good time right now?”

“I don’t think so, seeing as how the Princess apparently brought two more Equestrians with her,” Wallflower replied.

“WHAT!?” Sunset shrieked, suddenly opening the closet door, “WHO DID SHE BRING!?”

Wallflower, still recovering from the surprise, answered, “Uh… One of them looks like VP Luna and the other one looks like Crystal Prep’s dean.”

“Are you kidding me!? SHE BROUGHT HER FAMILY!?”

“Um… I guess?”

Sunset went silent as the dread set in as Pinkie said, “Yeah, I don’t think she’s taking ‘no’ for an answer, Sunny.”

“AAARRRRGH!”

“Okay, okay! Look, Sunset,” Rarity said calmly, “You and Twilight have mentioned several times about how Princess Celestia raises the sun, right?”

“Yeah?” Sunset replied, unsure of where Rarity was going with this.

"Well, that means that she'll have to be out of here before the sun comes up, right?"

“Yes. Where are you going with this?”

“I won’t demand that you hug and make up overnight, dear. I just ask that you try to keep things cordial until she leaves. Do you think you think you can do that?”

Sunset thought about it. While Rarity did have a point that she would not have to put up with Celestia for more than a few hours. However, on the other hand, Sunset had a feeling that was just the beginning of a really bad night. Despite her misgivings, she nonetheless agreed.

“I guess I can try. But could you maybe have your sisters stay upstairs until we’re sure that it’s safe? I don’t want them to get dragged into a fight.”

With a chorus of agreement, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow went to explain the situation to the CMC, while Wallflower returned to the front door to let the princesses in. Sunset, meanwhile, trudged to the living room, already regretting allowing Rarity to talk her into this reunion.

"Why is this so much harder than fighting giant monsters?"

*////*

“This was a mistake,” Sunset fretted from her seat on the couch as she heard the approaching footsteps of her personal hell. She had run away for a reason and remained in the human world for the exact same reason. Now the reason she had fled her homeworld and remained here was about to come in.

“Sunset, chill,” Pinkie said as she massaged her friend's shoulders, “It’ll be fine.”

“You weren’t there, Pinkie! You didn’t see how bad it got when I ran through the portal.”

“I can guess,” Pinkie muttered.

Sunset paused, “...Wait, was that sarcasm?”

Before Pinkie could say anything further, a scream cut her off, “SUNSET!”

In an instant, the redhead was snatched up into the arms of the elegantly dressed human form of Princess Celestia.

“OH, SUNSET! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! ARE YOU OKAY!? TARO ISN’T BEING HARD ON YOU, IS HE!?” the Equestrian ruler rambled, unaware that her former student was beginning to turn blue.

“For goodness sake, Sister. She won’t be saying anything if you smother her to death!” the midnight blue woman - Princess Luna - chided as she entered after her big sister.

"Huh?" Princess Celestia uttered in confusion then looked at the redhead in her arms and released her. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry, Sunset!"

Sunset pushed Princess Celestia away and stepped back to take a breath. Seeing her former mentor after all this time was causing her to experience a negative reaction.

She was not ready for this! But then someone grasped her hand.

It was Fluttershy. The butter-skinned girl sensed that her friend was about close to suffering a breakdown and went to offer her emotional support. Holding Fluttershy's hand, Sunset began to calm down. While her heart still hammered in her chest, she knew she could deal with this with the support of her friends.

"...Hello, Princess," Sunset greeted, her tone stiff as her eyes narrowed. A medley of emotions swirled inside of her and none of them were tender. Yes, she might have been at fault in the past but the way Celestia handled her had left her with some lingering bitterness toward her ex-teacher.

Celestia frowned at that.

“Oh, please, Sunset. There’s no need for that. Just call me Celestia.”

“Given that it’s been years since we last saw each other, we’re basically strangers now,” Sunset retorted.

Princess Celestia made to counter. Before the situation could escalate further, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash stepped forward in a show of solidarity to support Sunset Shimmer.

“Auntie, maybe we shouldn’t go picking fights with our hosts? I really don’t want to have to sleep in a cold barn or something,” the pink woman pointed out.

“Yeah, but last Ah remember, it was common practice for guests ta introduce themselves?” Applejack prodded with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms.

“Indeed,” the dark woman replied, “I am Princess Luna, and this reckless foal is my sister, Princess Celestia.”

“Yeah, we could guess since you guys look like our principals,” Rainbow shot back before being jabbed in the ribs by Rarity.

“Forgive her, Your Highnesses. She still has scars from the time before the Fall Formal. Though, I am wondering about the third member of your party.”

“Oh! I’m Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Please, just call me Cadance.”

“Like Crystal Prep’s Dean?” Pinkie asked.

“Yeah, your principals said the same thing,” Cadance replied, “Uh, could we sit down? Standing up like this is getting really uncomfortable.”

With a chorus of agreement, the group moved into the seats that filled the living room.

“Wait, we’re missing someone,” Pinkie realized.

“Yeah, where’s Taro?” Rainbow asked.

“Hold on, I’ve got this,” Wallflower said, before clearing her throat, “TARO! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE BEFORE I SHOW THE EQUESTRIAN ROYALTY THOSE PICTURES!”

“Alright! Alright!” Taro barked as he floated out from under the couch. “I thought it would be better to stay out of this since I haven’t met the other two before.”

“WHAT MANNER OF DISCORD’S CREATION IS THIS!?” Luna angrily shrieked, while pointing at Taro.

“And that’s what I was afraid of,” Taro deadpanned.

“Calm down, Luna! This is Ultraman Taro, he’s a friend,” Sunset defended.

“HA! LIKELY STORY! A FLOATING, TALKING TOY IS SOMETHING ONLY DISCORD WOULD COME UP WITH!” Luna continued, standing up challengingly.

“He’s not a toy! He’s an alien!” Sunset protested.

"DO YOU TAKE ME FOR AN IDIOT!? ALIENS DON'T EXIST!" Luna declared until a polite cough drew her attention.

“Luna, where do you think you are right now?” Celestia asked.

Luna paused in realization, looked at the humans sitting opposite from her, then slid back down into her seat.

“But, how is this possible?” Cadance asked.

“Long story short, there was a big war that happened in another universe. During the climax, some asshole called Dark Lugiel showed up and turned everyone into dolls like Taro here,” Sunset explained, not wanting to linger on the question.

“And what is he?” Luna pressed.

“I am from Planet Ultra, in the M78 Nebula. As for my current state, I am what is called a Spark Doll,” Taro answered.

“He’s also my mentor,” Sunset Shimmer added.

“Mentor? In what?” Cadance asked.

“Oh, I’m sorry, let me introduce myself properly,” Sunset said, then stood up, “Ahem, I AM SUNSET SHIMMER! ULTRAMAN GINGA!” The entire room went awkwardly quiet as Sunset pulled out the Ginga Spark and assumed a ridiculous pose. Seeing that no one was impressed, Sunset shyly sat back down, “Ehehehe, sorry.”

“You wanna try that again?” Rainbow asked cheekily.

"No. But seriously, Ginga bonded with me through the Ginga Spark. When I transform, we sort of merge. He does the fighting while I guide his movements in battle," Sunset explained.

"I don't know why Sunset was chosen at first but Ginga has made the right choice," Wallflower said.

“Amazing. May we see this ‘transformation’?” Luna asked with a grin.

“Can’t do that. It only holds for three minutes and an Ultra defaults to giant size during the transformation," Sunset said.

“Actually, we can manipulate our sizes, all the way to microscopic. But you have never needed to change size during the transformation itself. As such, you have no practice in that area,” Taro explained.

“Amazing!” Luna nearly squealed, “And how did you all get involved in this?”

“Guess I started this whole thing when I found Taro and the Ginga Spark,” Wallflower began.

“Yeah, how did you find it anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

“Well, there really isn’t much to say…”

*////*

October 17, six days after the Fall Formal incident.

No one had seen it coming; that freak meteor shower that brought the Spark Dolls to Earth. As such, most neither saw nor cared that it was happening. For Wallflower, however, she was made violently aware of it.

Wallflower had been in her room, stewing about her latest embarrassing episode in school when an explosion rocked her house. Despite the possibility of it being dangerous, she still went to investigate.

Upon opening the back door of her home, the sound of shattering glass reached her ears, followed by the sight Wallflower’s beloved greenhouse being on fire. With panicked tears in her eyes, she grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to try and save as many of her plants as possible.

When she entered the destroyed greenhouse, she was surprised to find a crater in the center. The glass was punched in as if it had been struck from above. Before she could investigate, however, she needed to put out the flames. While she managed to save several plants, most of her garden was a lost cause, and she would need to get new plants to replace them.

With some difficulty, Wallflower swallowed her sorrow and began investigating the crater. When she looked into the crater, she noticed a faint glow emanating from its center, as if whatever had landed there was incredibly hot. Oddly though, she felt no heat from the crater, like the object had only fallen from a short distance. Just to be safe, however, Wallflower put on her gardening gloves before reaching into the crater.

After moving some dirt out of the crater, Wallflower reached in and removed the object, causing the glow to fade as it revealed the Ginga Spark.

*////*

“Well that explains that, but where does Taro fit in?” Rarity asked.

“Hold on, I’m getting to that,” Wallflower hissed.

*////*

November 13, the day after the Battle of the Bands

It had taken about a month, but Wallflower’s greenhouse was starting to make a recovery. Despite the damage the Ginga Spark had caused on impact, Wallflower had found herself quite enamored with it, even making it the centerpiece of a decorative shrine in her rebuilt greenhouse. Even better, it seemed to invigorate plant growth around it, causing her greenhouse to become even more beautiful. That, in turn, brought Wallflower’s mood up, allowing her to speak more confidently.

Indeed, Wallflower’s life seemed to be looking up. But, on that night, everything changed.

Wallflower walked to her greenhouse with a smile on her face. It looked like she had made the right choice to skip the Battle of the Bands the night before. Sure it was a big thing for CHS, but Wallflower could not stand the number of people and the noise at events like it. Then there was something about magic again, and Sirens?

Yeah, she felt highly justified skipping the event.

As she opened the door, however, something peculiar caught her eye at the shrine. A small, red figure at the base of the shrine was looking at the Ginga Spark.

Suddenly, the toy-like figure turned to look at her.

“Oh! Hello!”

Wallflower fainted.

*////*

“When I woke up, Taro explained his situation and asked me to try to use the Ginga Spark but it wouldn’t work for me,” Wallflower Blush finished.

“But I am still glad that you found me,” Taro said gratefully to his friend. He might be mentoring Sunset, but he would not forget how Wallflower had found the Ginga Spark.

"I finally had a friend I could talk to."

“And so the Spark worked for me and I used it to fight Lunaticks when Trixie turned into it,” Sunset Shimmer continued.

“Could you not have tried reasoning with her before resorting to violence?” Celestia asked disapprovingly.

“The Dark Spark drove her to violence and she was not going to listen to me,” Sunset Shimmer reasoned.

“Can confirm,” Rainbow said, raising her hand.

“Same,” Applejack added.

“I’m ashamed to include myself as a fellow victim of the Dark Spark,” Rarity admitted.

“There’s a bit more to it than that,” Pinkie glumly threw out.

“WHAT!? YOU TOO!?” Cadance shrieked.

“Yeah,” Pinkie sighed.

"Well, now I don't know what to believe," Luna awkwardly laughed.

Pinkie narrowed her eyes at Luna’s remark, but ignored it.

“It’s not just your violent emotions that the Dark Dummy Spark effects. It affects anything that could be considered a negative emotion. Like, look at me. I’ve always believed that there is never a good reason to be sad, no matter how really, really good of a reason it is. So, whenever I get sad for a bit, I would just push it out of my mind to be happy again. Heck, I’ve even had times where my parties got me into trouble since they go out of control because I keep believing that parties were the answer to everything.

“Anyway, when I tried to throw a party for Ultraman Ginga, in the middle of the Anon-A-Miss scandal, no one wanted to come. So I was pretty bummed out, until Alien Metron handed me a Dark Dummy Spark and Gango with the sole directive of ‘make them show up’. That was it! No violent thoughts drove me to take it, just the fact that no one felt like partying. I only got violent because Sunset’s friends at the time started insulting my parties.”

“What’s wrong with your parties?” Celestia asked, offended that anyone could insult Pinkie’s parties.

“Uh, they’re super samey, not really for everyone and not always appropriate.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? ‘Not always appropriate’. I have never known an ‘inappropriate Pinkie Party’.”

"She saw some guy being sad at school and decided to throw one of her parties for him," Sunset answered, "Yeah, bright colors and a surprise birthday party atmosphere really don't do anything when your party boy just lost a loved one just three days before."

Pinkie winced.

“Yeah, I really should’ve realized something was wrong then.”

“Wow! That’s up there with making a holiday celebrating your sister’s banishing, and then not telling her about it when she gets back,” Cadance said with a pointed look at Celestia.

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“There's an interesting story there."

“And far too specific. Do you have something to share?” Rarity added.

Before Celestia could respond, Sunset spoke up, “She’s talking about Nightmare Night, Equestria’s version of Halloween. It was made to celebrate when Nightmare Moon was banished to the… well, moon.”

“But, how does that relate to-” Wallflower started, but Sunset cut her off.

“Nightmare Moon was Princess Luna’s own she-demon phase.”

That particular detail made the entire room go silent and slowly turn to Celestia with a glare.

“To be fair, it wasn’t my idea,” Celestia badly placated, “After Nightmare Moon’s coup, the public needed some happiness, and well…”

Just then, Celestia’s salvation came in the form of Taro, who, sensing the room’s tension, decided to speak up, “Hey! Would anyone like to hear about some of my victories?”

“Oooooooo! Yes!” Pinkie squealed excitedly.

“Heck yeah!” Rainbow agreed.

“I’m not usually one for such stories, but that does sound delightful,” Rarity joined in.

“We would love to hear about your conquests, Taro,” Luna beamed.

“I wouldn’t,” Celestia grumbled. Though If the Ultra heard her, he didn’t bring it up.

"Alright, alright. Now, which story would you like to hear? Something funny, like my battle with the drunken space monster, Veron? Maybe something heartwarming, like Orphy, whose voice was used by the neighboring village to gauge their crop yield? Or something more serious, like the tale of the Alien Temperor?"

“Don’t you mean ‘Emperor’?” Celestia cut in.

"No, Temperor, as in the race," Taro corrected, "It happened on a day that I had been very much looking forward to, the day my fellow Ultra Brothers came to visit me on Earth. Unfortunately, Zoffy, our eldest was preoccupied elsewhere in the universe, so he couldn't join us. However, he suddenly appeared with dire news as an Alien Temperor had threatened Planet Ultra and was now on Earth. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to fight alongside my brothers. But, for some reason, they demanded that I defeat it on my own. After several attempts, I finally managed to pull it off. However, my ego went wild, endangering myself, my brothers, and Earth.

“Fortunately, my brothers and I pulled together when Alien Temperor returned, and we destroyed the alien for good. However, as time passed, I began realizing that my brothers’ actions had been unnecessarily dangerous.”

“What!? How?” Rainbow asked.

"Well, one of the reasons they gave was, ‘I need to learn to stop relying on them to save me'. The problem there was that, by the time the Alien Temperor appeared, I had already been on Earth for months, and the times I did call on them, I had good reason to do so. Like when I was ambushed by the venomous monster Birdon, that completely incapacitated me, requiring me to spend time on Planet Ultra to recover. The other reason they gave was not wanting to start a war with the entire Temperor race. However, as I have previously stated, this Temperor had already opened hostilities. By galactic law, Planet Ultra had the right to take down this alien without repercussion. When I returned to Planet Ultra, I brought these concerns up with my brothers. They conceded that using the attack as a test for me was in poor taste when billions of lives hung in the balance. Since then, Planet Ultra has never used such incidents for training again."

The room erupted into praise for the currently tiny Ultra, who blushed at the attention. However, Celestia merely stewed in resentment.

‘Are you kidding me? Even my sister and niece like this thing?” she thought, “I have to gain some favor here somehow. Oh! I know!’

“If I may, I have a story as well.” Celestia paused while the room turned its attention to her. “It’s about how Twilight saved the Crystal Empire.” She told them about the Crystal Empire about how it was ruled by a tyrant called Sombra before it suddenly vanished. Then, 1,000 years later, it came back. Celestia had sent Princess Twilight, Spike and the Elements of Harmony to investigate its return. However, all of this came with a catch, Twilight would have to deal with it without her friends.

Sunset raised her hand, “Question. Why? You’ve spent, however long, drilling into Twilight’s head that Friendship is Magic, and now you’ve told her that she can’t rely on them?”

“Yeah, mixed signal much?” Pinkie asked.

“Quiet, I’m going somewhere with this,” Celestia chided before continuing. Upon Twilight’s arrival, she found King Sombra attempting to invade the Crystal Empire as a mass of shadow, and a populace that could not remember their past. After researching the situation, Twilight discovered something called the Crystal Fair that could unite the hearts of the Crystal Ponies and the centerpiece of the entire empire, the Crystal Heart.

It was Taro’s turn to interrupt now.

“Wait, shouldn’t Twilight have known this already?”

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked.

"Well, surely you didn't just send her to an unfamiliar land without any guidance, right?"

“I had full confidence that my student could find her way.”

“YOU DID!?”

“Look, do you want me to finish the story, or not?” Celestia asked in a clipped tone. To her gratification, the Ultra stopped talking, though he did hold a glare on the royal. “Twilight went to locate the Crystal Heart while her friends remained at the Fair to keep the Crystal Ponies’ spirits lifted.”

“So she succeeded?” Taro prompted.

“Well...yes and no. She found the Crystal Heart but it was her assistant Spike who succeeded in restoring it to its rightful place, thus defeating Sombra for good. But Spike’s success is also Twilight’s success.”

“Agreed,” Taro said. “But that just means that Twilight would not have succeeded without her friends.”

“Which was the point.”

“What point? I apologize, but I fail to see what Twilight was supposed to learn from this experience.”

“The lesson she was supposed to learn was to rely on herself but never forget that she has ponies she can depend on when she faces difficulties.”

“And the moment an entire race of ponies hung in the balance was the best time for her to learn this?”

Luna leaned over to her sister, “The alien makes a point, Tia. That was a pretty poor time to test her.”

“Also,” Taro continued, “Where were you three in all of this? You, Celestia, spent your story talking about Twilight’s exploits yet never mentioned what your part was in everything.”

“Well,” Cadance said, “My Aunt left out the part where my husband and I had to keep a shield spell up for hours to make sure King Sombra couldn’t enter the empire.”

“Thank you, but what about Luna and Celestia? Where were they?”

“They… stayed behind in Canterlot.”

“Why!?”

“We needed to stay behind to draw up plans in the event that Twilight failed,” Luna replied.

“But why did that require you and Celestia? Surely, having you there would have eased Cadance’s burden,” Taro countered.

“He does have a point, Auntie. Trying to hold up that shield felt like it nearly killed me,” Cadance admitted.

Finally, having had enough of the Ultra’s attitude, Celestia snapped, “Now listen here you! I have ruled Equestria for 1,000 years and while it has had its problems it has prospered under my rule!”

“I’m over 12,000 years old,” Taro countered. “Compared to me, you’re just a child. Even my son, Taiga, is older than you and he’s like a teenager.”

“WOAHOHOHO! Good luck trying to swing the age card there!” Sunset jeered.

“Um, Sunset?” Fluttershy prodded, “Shouldn’t we be trying to stop this fight?”

“Hell, no!”

“Sunset, this isn’t helping anyone here,” Wallflower said, “And egging them on is only going to make things worse.”

“Yeah! I don’t wanna get caught in between them when Taro gets pissed enough to start throwing his mental shit around,” Rainbow urged.

“Oh, come on. Taro wouldn’t do that,” Sunset dismissed.

With the way Taro and Celestia were glaring at each other, you could almost see electricity spark between their gazes.

“Be that as it may, we have sisters to protect,” Rarity huffed.

“Oh yeah,” Sunset recalled and calmed down.

"Glad to see you're on board now, but I think we're past the point that we could break them up," Pinkie said while pointing at Taro and Celestia.

While the Rainbooms were talking, the argument between Celestia and Taro had escalated alarmingly fast now having moved on to Twilight’s other exploits.

“So, instead of doing something to help, you just assigned your student these dangerous missions without any sort of preparation or military reinforcements?” Taro questioned disapprovingly.

Celestia bristled at the criticism.

“I was trying to prepare her,” Celestia insisted.

“By throwing her into the water and praying she would swim instead of sink?” Taro questioned. “What if she had failed? Would you have jumped in when it was too late?”

Celestia hesitated, “... Well, yes. Of course!”

“You hesitated, which means that the thought never occurred to you as a possibility. Now tell the truth!” Taro demanded.

“Like you’re any better! Didn’t you say that your brothers pulled the exact same thing!?”

“They did, but I had the presence of mind to tell them that what they did was careless, cruel, and unnecessary! But now that you’ve brought us back to that subject: What?”

“Huh?”

“What is your problem with the Ultras? You act as though we are some, ancient, unforgivable enemies. But as far as I’m aware, this is the first time we have ever encountered each other. Why do you distrust us so much? Haven’t we proven ourselves by bringing Anon-A-Miss down?”

“Like Tartarus you did! Those three girls are just upstairs with full freedom right now!”

“Blaming three young girls for the actions of a demon that your neglect allowed into being hardly seems fair to anyone but that is hardly relevant to the topic. What has Planet Ultra done to make you so against Sunset aiding us to stop Dark Lugiel? Why do you hate us so much?”

“Because you Ultras could not keep your fighting away from Equestria! I had no choice but to transport it into a pocket dimension!” Celestia shouted.

Boxing Day Part 2

“What did you say?” Cadance asked in disbelief.

“I moved Equestria into its’ own pocket dimension to escape the Ultras’ constant fighting,” Celestia repeated, slowly.

“But, how!? That should be impossible! And, if it isn’t, I should have known about it!” Luna demanded.

“Yeah!” Pinkie agreed, “That’s like, loco in the coco! And trust me, when I say something’s crazy, I mean it’s COMPLETE BATSPIT!”

“In this world, it is,” Sunset interjected, “But in Equestria, it’s a simple matter of knowing the right guy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Rainbow snapped.

“In Equestria, there is an immensely powerful entity called Discord. He had control of reality at his fingertips. He could turn clouds into cotton candy that rained chocolate milk, or make houses float, or even make them grow legs and walk. If anyone could help her pull off a feat like pulling an entire planet into a pocket dimension, it would be him,” Sunset gazed at Celestia to gauge her reaction. Celestia was unable to meet her gaze. “So I was right. You enlisted Discord to help you with the move.”

Taro, meanwhile, had become distracted by Celestia’s sudden confession when it finally hit him.

“Wait! You!? You’re the one that caused Planet Equis to disappear!?”

“Wait, you know about Equestria, Taro?” Sunset asked, shocked.

“Yes and no. It was a planet that the Ultras had visited, but I was never there myself. We feared that it had been destroyed four millennia ago, but none of the usual suspects claimed responsibility. When there were no longer any leads, we had to drop the case.”

“Wait, FOUR MILLENNIA!? But our history regarding Celestia only dates to a millennium!” Cadance shrieked.

“Wow, you ponies really are clueless,” Rainbow snarked.

“Do not mock us, foal. We may not be as old as your little friend Taro there, (HEY!) but we are still much older than you,” Luna threatened. Rainbow, however, continued, undeterred.

“Look, just because your planet has a sense of time, doesn’t make that the universal one,” Rainbow explained.

At the princesses’ blank stares, Sunset added, “What Rainbow means to say is that time on different planets is kind of weird, and hard to track. With stuff like distance, which means that the condition of a planet that you can see with a telescope, may not be the condition that it’s currently in. Due to the speed of light, and the orbit of a planet around its sun, there are just too many factors to consider a single true measurement of time. As a result, intelligent life would just use their native units of time to make things easier. And that’s not even getting into what time is like in a pocket dimension.”

“While all of this is interesting, Sunset, I’m more troubled by Celestia’s motives,” Taro interjected.

“Taro’s right, Sunset. What kind of logic do you run on, Your Highness?” Rarity asked, peeved.

“My logic was perfectly sound!” Celestia barked, offended at the implied insult.

“Says the mare who couldn’t tell me apart from a bug wearing my face,” Cadance snarked, shutting Celestia up.

“Now, Ah don’t know much about Ultras, but Ah think he described them as, like, space cops?” Applejack said, unsurely.

“Right, but to them, they would be galactic City Guards,” Sunset corrected.

“Your point?” Celestia growled.

“They don’t go around causing trouble,” Wallflower answered, “They respond to someone else causing trouble.”

Celestia gaped in disbelief, before emitting two breathless huffs of humourless laughter, “Huh. Huh. I don’t believe this. This barbarian has all of you eating out of the palm of his hand!”

“BARBARIAN!?” Taro roared before Celestia violently snatched him up.

“You listen here,” she hissed, “If you think I will allow a violent creature like you to replace me in Sunset’s heart, you’ve got another thing coming!”

“HEY! PUT DOWN MY FRIEND!” Wallflower screamed, sounding the bell for the ensuing brawl.

*////*

Outside, lying in wait, a pair of aliens observed the happenings from the concealing position of their hunting hide.

“Oh, hm hm hm. Looks like something has got them riled up. I don’t know why the principals are there, or who that, quite frankly, offensively pink older woman is, though,” Icarus said from behind a pair of binoculars.

“Doesn’t matter. They’ll all die just the same,” Metron replied from the device he was tinkering with.

“That’s the other thing. Why haven’t we just grown and flattened the place already?”

“Why get our hands dirty when…” Metron paused for dramatic effect, as the last piece of the device fell into place with a whir, “They can do it for us.”

Icarus rolled his eyes, “Classic Metron experiment.”

“Are you complaining?”

“Hell no! I don’t like you, but while your kind has never taken the next logical step with it, it has been proven to work. All your kind was lacking was a more efficient dispersal method and you would’ve been golden.”

“Wow, that’s quite possibly-”

“Shut up! We’re not having a moment!”

*////*

From her secluded corner of the room, away from the fight, Fluttershy’s phone began ringing.

“Hello?” Fluttershy answered her phone then all of a sudden her eyes flashed red. She then took the phone off her ear and walked up to Rarity to smack her across the face, shocking everyone.

“Fluttershy...?” Rarity trembled as she held her cheek.

“You are an arrogant, vain and pretentious bitch!” Fluttershy snapped. “You act like you’re so much better than us because you think you’re a fashion expert! But you’re not! You also don’t listen, especially when I told you I was uncomfortable modeling for you! But you kept insisting!” Fluttershy then grabbed Rarity’s hair and started shaking her friend violently.

“Fluttershy!” Applejack and Pinkie Pie managed to break Rarity and Fluttershy apart. The fashionista had mascara running down her face while Fluttershy kept kicking and screaming as Applejack tried to restrain her.

“What’s wrong with yer!?” Applejack demanded as she tried to keep a hold of her usually gentle friend.

“She’s being influenced,” Ginga warned Sunset.

“By who!?”

“Sudden, horrifically violent outbursts like this is a hallmark of the Alien Metron.”

“METRON!? HE’S BEHIND THIS!?”

“It’s their favorite experiment. When smoking was wildly popular, they tainted cigarettes with a form of extraterrestrial poppy to drive humans to violence. When smoking fell out of favor, they moved on to infesting cell phones with a frequency to achieve the same effect.”

“What? When could he have-?” Suddenly, Pinkie’s phone began ringing, and Sunset realized, “Don’t answer that, Pinkie! Metron is using our phones to send some kind of crazy dog whistle! Pull your phone battery out, and then go make sure the Crusaders are okay!”

“O-okay!” Pinkie said, hair flat and scared, pulling out her phone’s battery, then running upstairs.

“Rainbow! Go with her!” Sunset commanded as she ran over to Fluttershy’s phone and reached for it, but a red, electrical barrier repelled her.

“Damn, I can’t reach it! I’m gonna have to break it!” Sunset yelled to no one in particular.

“Git the fire poker!” Applejack yelled from where she was still restraining the smaller girl, until Fluttershy gave up on attacking Rarity, and decided to attack Applejack instead.

“Here!” Cadance shouted over the fighting girls as she threw the metal rod to Sunset.

“Thanks!” Sunset chirped and then with a mighty swing, brought the fire poker onto Fluttershy’s corrupted phone.

It took several swings, but eventually, the phone was left in pieces, and Metron’s waves were silenced. Fluttershy, now free from the alien’s influence, slumped into a tired heap in Applejack’s arms.

The footsteps coming down the stairs announced the return of the rest of the house's occupants.

“What happened?” Sunset asked.

“Metron called Sweetie’s phone, but we managed to cut him off before she answered,” Pinkie answered, relieved.

“What’s happening?” asked Sweetie Belle, with a voice that sounded on the verge of tears.

“Not now! Rainbow, get to the window, and tell me what you see!” Sunset ordered, then went to Applejack and Fluttershy, “How is she?”

“Wore ‘erself out jes’ swingin’ like she did, but otherwise okay,” Applejack replied.

Sunset let out a sigh of relief at that bit of good news. However, her relief was short-lived, as she remembered the fight that was incoming.

*////*

“NO! DAMN IT!” Metron howled in frustration, as he smashed his device.

“Oh well,” Icarus shrugged, “It was a good idea while it lasted. However, I think that this will require a more… hands-on approach, hm hm hm.” Icarus began marching to the farmhouse.

“Yeah, seems so,” Metron growled, following behind the bat-faced alien.

*////*

“I know they’re out there, but I can’t see- wait a sec, here they come!” Rainbow said from her watch by the window.

“APPLEBLOOM! GET THE GUNS!” Applejack commanded the younger apple.

“What’s goin’ on!?” the terrified girl asked, “Are the aliens comin’ after our cows again!?”

The room went into confused silence as the group tried to process what had just been said. A gaze at Pinkie Pie also proved unhelpful when the hyperactive girl responded, “Don’t look at me, even I think that was out of nowhere. Which is weird, since I’m me.”

Applejack blinked, then just shook her head and said, “Jes’... Jes’ get them, ‘Bloom.”

“O-okay? C’mon, girls,” Applebloom said to her friends as they exited the room.

“What are you intending to do!?” Princess Celestia demanded.

“What do you think? We’re getting ready for a fight,” Sunset replied, “As long as they stay around human size, we might be able to beat them without ever needing to fall back on Ginga.”

“What!? No! This isn’t the way, Sunset!”

“Are you daft, Your highness!?” Rarity demanded from where she was tending Fluttershy, “You saw what those two ruffians turned Fluttershy into?”

“Of course I did but that doesn’t make it right to respond with violence!”

“Oh, what would you suggest then, Sister!?” Princess Luna challenged, “That we just lie down on our backs like a submissive manticore, huh!?”

“No! I think we should try to reason with them before things escalate!”

“They opened the hostilities, Auntie!” Cadance protested, “I highly doubt that they have any interest in talking things out.”

“That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t make the attempt!”

“Ah got the guns, AJ!” Applebloom called as she returned to the living room, now followed by Big Mac.

“AJ, what’s this about?” the usually quiet Apple asked.

“Uh, this is gonna sound weird, but there’s a couple’a aliens outside that want to kill us, and we need the guns to fight back,” Applejack summarized.

“Why? Are they here for the cows again?”

Another pause, followed by Pinkie screaming, “SERIOUSLY! QUIT TAKING MY JOB!”

Applejack shook her head again and handed Rarity a pump-action shotgun, “Here, this one’s yours.”

“If you think I’m going to use that massive thing, you are severely mistaken, dear.”

Applejack gave the fashionista a flat stare, “Rarity, we all know about how you got into competitive shooting after that Candle Wick movie.”

Rarity’s face turned red with embarrassment at that callout and sighed. Taking the shotgun and four shells from the farmgirl, she tucked the stock of the weapon under her cheek, performed a perfect quad-load, and racked the action. Her friends watched the process with great interest, save Applejack, who was currently loading a lever-action rifle.

“NO!” Princess Celestia suddenly screamed, catching the attention of the room, “I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TO ESCALATE FURTHER!”

“Sorry, Your Royal Highness, but this here is my family’s property and we have a right to defend it!” Applejack said firmly.

“Eyup!” Big Mac agreed.

“NO! I DON’T CARE! THIS BARBARITY IS NEVER THE ONLY ANSWER, AND I WILL PROVE IT TO ALL OF YOU!”

“And how do intend to do that, sister?” Princess Luna asked, incredulously.

“I’M GOING TO GO OUT THERE AND TALK THIS OUT! DON’T TRY TO STOP ME! THAT GOES DOUBLE FOR YOU, LITTLE TOY!”

Before anyone could stop the rampaging Solar Princess, she was already out the door.

*////*

Princess Celestia confidently approached Icarus and Metron, certain that she could end the fight before it even began.

“Hm hm hm, well you’re certainly not who we expected to see first,” the bat-faced alien said.

Celestia stopped several paces away from the pair, “Before we begin, which one of you is Icarus, and which is Metron?”

The bat raised its hand, “I’m Icarus, he’s Metron, and begin what?”

“Negotiations.”

The fish-eyed Metron emitted a horrid snort of laughter, “Negotiation!? You want to parley, is that it?”

“There will be no fighting here,” Celestia said as she stared down the two aliens. “You will not fight here. I forbid it.”

“Hm hm hm, you hear that, Metron?” Icarus chuckled. “She ‘forbids’ it.”

“Yeah,” Metron snickered. Who was she to command them anyway? She was nothing compared to their master, Dark Lugiel. “Sorry, but you’re not the boss of us.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed angrily at the two aliens.

“Go in peace and you will not be harmed,” Celestia warned as she summoned up her magic.

“Sorry, but we can’t do that,” Icarus remarked.

“Let’s make this quick. I have a ticket to go watch a Sapphire Shores concert,” Metron stated.

There was a pause as the fish-eyed alien’s words sank in.

Then Icarus screeched, “YOU WHAT!?”

“What?”

“We’re here on the cusp of possibly the most important battle of our lives, and you’re more concerned about missing some human popstar’s concert!? Where is your head at because I’m not going to get killed because you got sloppy!”

“Oh, me getting sloppy!? What about you!?”

“What kind of comeback was that!?”

“Who here has a shrine to Countess Coluratura!?”

Icarus let out a gasp.

“Lies! Slander! How dare you!?”

“Hey! You picked this fight! Are you going to finish it!?”

‘They’re not listening,’ Celestia thought with growing anger, ‘I need to force them to listen somehow. Wait, I can petrify them from the neck down to hold them in place until I can reason with them. Yes, I can still salvage this!’

Celestia threw her hands forward... in a motion that only served to attract the aliens’ eyes back to her.

“What are you doing?” Icarus asked, bewildered by the woman’s actions.

Celestia glanced at her hands, then repeated the motion.

“I think she’s trying to attack us somehow,” Metron said.

Celestia attempted her spell several more times before realizing just how powerless she truly was in her current form.

“Hm hm hm, I do believe you’re right. Shall we show her how it’s done?” Icarus taunted while raising his hands at Celestia.

“Gladly,” Metron replied while raising his own hands to attack.

“ULTRA PSYCHOKINESIS!” Taro shouted as he suddenly unleashed a psychic burst that knocked the two aliens over, sending them tumbling over each other. “Sunset, now’s your chance!”

Sunset dashed out of the house and dragged her former teacher out of the line of fire.

“They’re clear, open fire!” Applejack commanded loudly. The farmhouse erupted into a thunderstorm of gunshots and lead. Unfortunately, the aliens’ hide was made of much sterner material than human flesh, and the effectiveness was little more than if they were using paintball markers.

The bullets still stung, though.

“Okay! You brats wanna get rough!? Let’s get rough!” Icarus shouted pulling out a Dark Dummy Spark and Spark Doll.

DARK LIVE: TYRANT!

Icarus merged with the incomplete Spark Doll and grew to gigantic height. Now complete, Tyrant sported Icarus’ large ears as it roared.

“HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW, GINGA!?”

Sunset, seeing Tyrant, took out the Ginga Spark but Celestia grabbed her hand to stop her.

“Sunset, don’t!” Celestia yelled. She did not want to see Sunset get hurt.

Sunset looked at the hand grasping hers and then firmly but gently removed it.

“Princess, I have to. If I don’t, then that monster is going to go on a rampage and destroy Applejack’s entire farm and my friends. It may even go and destroy the city and hurt innocent people. I can’t let that happen.”

“But, Sunset...”

Sunset turned away from Princess Celestia and broke into a run, summoning the Ginga Spark Doll at the same time.

“Here we go, GINGAAAAAAAAA!” Sunset shouted as she touched the Ginga Spark to the Spark Doll’s foot.

ULTRA LIVE: ULTRAMAN GINGA!

The light of the galaxy engulfed Sunset as she merged with Ultraman Ginga who grew to gigantic size. Now, the galactic silver titan of justice stood in the girl’s place.

Princess Celestia's mouth hung agape as she witnessed her former student become an Ultra Warrior.

*////*

“This thing looks like a mishmash of monster parts,” Sunset studied the chimeric beast.

“You’re not wrong, Sunset. Tyrant is a monster created from five different monsters, possessing all their power in one body and is more than the sum of their parts,” Ginga explained.

“Well, it’s still just one guy. We can take him,” said Sunset confidently.

“Wait!” Ginga urged, but Sunset was already preparing a Ginga Thunderbolt.

“GINGA THUNDERBOLT!” she cried, only for the attack to be drawn into the markings on Tyrant’s torso, “What!?”

“That’s what I was trying to warn you about,” Ginga groaned, “That mark on its stomach is the mouth of a monster called Bemstar. It draws in energy attacks, and if your hand or leg gets caught in it, it will hurt.”

“Oh, now you tell me.”

“You didn’t even give me a chance to- Get ready, here he comes!”

Tyrant charged forward, right ax raised as though it were a screaming barbarian, but Ginga sidestepped the overhand swing, then caught its backhand. However, Tyrant easily escaped the grapple, throwing Ginga to the ground in the process. The misshapen monster then attempted to crush Ginga with its mace hand, but Ginga rolled to the left, leapt to his feet, and countered with an ax kick to the back of Tyrant’s head.

Not giving Tyrant a chance to recover, Ginga grabbed hold of the monster’s head and smashed it into the ground, followed by an elbow drop, before ending with a series of punches on the pinned monster.

“Grr, get off!” Icarus growled as he slapped Ginga away with Tyrant’s tail, but Ginga rolled back to his feet some distance away.

“What’s wrong? Can’t take a girl being on top?” Sunset taunted, charging Ginga at the now standing Tyrant. However, rather than meet Ginga’s charge, Tyrant opened its torso and sprayed a stream of toxic mist, bringing Ginga to a halt, and breaking Sunset’s focus with a coughing fit.

With Ginga distracted, Tyrant closed the distance with a right jab to his head and stomach, a left uppercut that launched Ginga into the air, then pushed him away with its Death Fire ray. Before Ginga could even correct himself, something wrapped around his ankle, and pulled him down to the ground with a crash.

“Uhgh, what was…” Sunset drifted off as she noticed a short spear, attached to a chain that was wrapped around Ginga’s ankle that led from Tyrant’s mace, “Oh, son of a…”

With a sharp yank to the right, Tyrant began swinging Ginga over its head like Applejack with her lasso, before smashing him back to the ground. Tyrant retracted his spear as Icarus laughed and mockingly slapped its ass at Ginga.

However, as Sunset brought Ginga into a kneeling position, a horrifying realization hit her…

“Wait. Where’s Metron!?”

*////*

While both giants fought, Metron remained where he was, leering at the group. While Icarus had Sunset’s attention, he could do whatever he wished with this group. Maybe even capture the Rainbooms for his master so Fall could suck out their magic.

“Well, time for me to take care of business,” said Metron as he decided to finish them off.

“No!” Wallflower denied as she stood in the alien’s path, surprising everyone but not impressing Metron.

“You? You seriously think you can stand up to me? You got no magic, no powers, and no chance. Face it, you’re nothing. But I’ll be merciful. Run along and just forget about all of this,” Metron said mockingly.

Wallflower’s fists clenched at hearing Metron’s dismissal. In truth, she was shaking in fear but hearing him talk down to her just brought back memories of being overlooked, underestimated, and being dismissed. It went so far as people just forgot she existed, which hurt and it made making friends hard.

And then she met Taro, and Sunset Shimmer, becoming someone important in this new war between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. While she could not use the Ginga Spark, she still supported Sunset, Taro and her new friends.

She may not be magically gifted like the Rainbooms or as strong as Lightning Dust and Gilda, but she sure as hell had spirit.

“No,” Wallflower whispered as her features hardened. “I’m not going to step aside! You want them, then you have to go through me!”

All of a sudden, a light began to shine in front of Wallflower and she reached out to it. The light faded to reveal a Ginga Light Spark. While Metron was stunned, she took out the Gaia Spark Doll and activated it with her Ginga Light Spark.

ULTRA LIVE: ULTRAMAN GAIA!

Wallflower emerged from the light as a human-sized Ultraman Gaia and she threw a punch that sent the stunned Alien Metron staggering back. Ultraman Gaia did not let up and delivered a series of fast and powerful punches.

“I’m so powerful,” Wallflower awed at herself as she looked at her hands then set her sights back on Metron.

“You little brat!” Metron snapped. “You think just because you fell into some power by luck, you can beat me!?”

“Given what I’ve seen from you so far, yeah, I think so,” Wallflower said with confidence.

Metron furiously stammered. Wallflower’s newfound confidence was seriously pissing him off. Unbeknownst to him, his anger had begun generating a dark aura, that finally reached its peak with a cry of, “I WILL CRUSH YOU!”

The darkness completely overtook Metron’s form and grew in size until the aura dissipated, revealing the now bigger alien.

“Okay, Wallflower, you’ve pissed him off. Now what?” she wondered aloud to herself.

“Wallflower!” Taro barked, “You have to become giant to match him!”

“How!?”

“Make a fist with your right hand, and thrust it skyward!”

“That sounds too-” Wallflower began, but the crumbling of dirt falling from a giant rising foot interrupted her, “Well it’s best I’ve got to go on.”

Assuming the pose Taro suggested, Gaia was engulfed in an aura of light that grew along with him, tripping Metron in the process.

“Oh, shit! It really is that easy!” Wallflower exclaimed in shock.

Metron recovered from his fall, then shook his misshapen hands in rage and charged while Gaia returned to a fighting stance. Metron attempted a jump kick, but Gaia sidestepped, then countered his backhand with a throw. The alien rolled back to his feet, and countered Gaia’s punch with a headbutt, then raised his arms for a double hammer strike, but the Ultra blocked the attack with his left arm before retaliating with a straight right punch.

Gaia charged at Metron again to press his advantage, but the alien now threw a curveball, as he raised his hands and a bright flash emitted from them. Wallflower desperately rubbed at her eyes, attempting to clear them, with Gaia imitating her motions.

Metron immediately used his opening, ramming Gaia with his shoulder. Gaia stumbled back but regained his balance before he delivered a roundhouse into Metron’s large head followed by another before driving a foot into the alien’s gut with enough force to knock him to the ground.

The alien grew angry. This was some human girl who lucked into power. How could she be beating him!?

“Alright girl, let’s see you play with the BIG BOYS now!”

Metron roared as he grew to his full, gigantic size.

Wallflower gasped as she saw how big her opponent had become and started to tremble in fear. However, a soothing presence calmed her down and filled her with courage.

“Two can play at that game!” Wallflower raised her first. “Let’s go! GAIAAAAAAA!!!”

Gaia’s body glowed as he bellowed and grew to match Metron’s height. Once he was gigantic too, the Ultra grabbed Metron and dragged him away from the Apples’ house. Gaia landed near where Ginga and Tyrant were fighting and punched Metron in the face.

“Wallflower?” Sunset questioned as she saw Wallflower inside Ginga.

“Het, Sunset! Need help?”

Just then, Ginga’s Color Timer began flashing, “Do I have to answer?”

“Let's switch dance partners!” Wallflower suggested.

“You got it, Wallflower!” Sunset agreed, “Just keep your hands away from Tyrant’s belly button, and you should be fine!”

The two Ultras switched and confronted their new opponents. Ultraman Gaia landed an uppercut into Tyrant’s jaw while Ginga kicked Metron right in the stomach.

“Come on, you fish-eyed freak! What’re you gonna do with those hands!? Tickle me to death!?” Sunset taunted, punctuating it with a punch to his face.

As if in answer, Metron crossed his right arm across his chest, then threw it forward with a flash, revealing a giant katana.

“... Or you can do that! That’s cool too!”

Metron charged at Ginga with a horizontal swing, followed by an upward swing, but Ginga nimbly dodged both. However, when Ginga sidestepped Metron’s chop, the alien kicked him in the back, causing him to stumble forward then slashed his back. Though the attack sparked against Ginga’s armor, it still hurt the Ultra. When he turned to face Metron, the alien cut his chest, producing more sparks. Ginga staggered back into a kneeling position, looking up at Metron, who stood with a savage posture.

Meanwhile, Gaia fought Tyrant. Their exchange had been fast, and brutal so far, with neither holding a strong advantage. Finally, Tyrant managed to tag Gaia with a chop from its ax, then an uppercut with its mace, then hooked its ax behind the Ultra’s head, and threw him away. The kaiju fired its spear, managing to ensnare the Ultra with the chain as it wrapped around his neck. Wallflower could feel the chain choking her and grasped it in her hands. As if responding to her peril, Gaia's body glowed and he changed.

Standing before Tyrant now, was a much bulkier Gaia, with blue patterns on his sides. The Ultra then took hold of the chain and pulled. Tyrant’s feet left the ground as Gaia swung him over his head like a lasso, before slamming him to the ground. Tyrant scrambled back to its feet and fired a stream of energy arrows from its ears, but Gaia threw up a barrier, before jumping over it to deliver a flying kick to the monster’s throat.

Back with Sunset, she had Ginga summon his Ginga Saber and sparks flew as she crossed swords with Metron. The flashing of Ginga's color timer increased in frequency. She was running out of time. Ginga pushed out of the blade lock, then rolled out of the way of Metron’s next attack which landed on the Apple Family’s barn.

"NOT THE BARN! Okay, now Ah’m mad!" Applejack yelled. As soon as she said this, her Honesty bracelet flashed and turned her into a ball of orange light which flew into Ginga's color timer. Applejack now stood beside Sunset within Ginga.

“Applejack?”

“Let’s make this varmint pay for smashing up my barn!”

Sunset handed her friend the Ginga Spark and she touched the Honesty bracelet with it.

ACTIVATE! HARMONY AUGMENT! GINGA HONESTY!

Ginga’s Zenshin Crystal glowed orange as Applejack took control.

Metron ran in a mad charge at the supercharged Ginga, wildly swinging his sword, but Ginga grabbed the blade in one hand, appearing to glare at the alien. The Ultra then punched the side of the katana, shattering the weapon, before dealing an uppercut that sent Metron flying skyward.

The alien landed on its back with a mighty thud, causing the ground to shake and tremor. Ginga, for his part, silently marched up to the alien, prompting Metron to quickly roll to his feet and fire a storm of lasers at the Ultra. The attack splashed off Ginga’s armor harmlessly while he continued to march up to the alien. Realizing that his attack wasn’t working, Metron swung his arm at Ginga, but the Ultra blocked it, slapped it away with a chop, spun the alien around with a backhand, then sent Metron skidding across the ground with a punch to the back.

Back with Wallflower and Tyrant, the fused monster was, again, sent sprawling by a blow from Gaia. The kaiju quickly got back to its feet and launched its spear again. Gaia caught it and began a tug-of-war with the monster.

Inside Ultraman Gaia, Wallflower was losing patience, “I. Am sick. Of this DAMN! CHAIN!”

With one last pull, the chain snapped with a sharp CRACK and sent Tyrant tumbling backwards. Before Wallflower could cast aside the broken spear, however, Taro suddenly called to her, “Wait, Wallflower! Don’t throw the spear away!”

“What!? Why!?”

“Charge it with your light, and throw it! That’s how I defeated Tyrant the first time!”

“Oh,” Wallflower turned to Ginga, “Sunset, Applejack! Throw Metron over here! I’ve got something for them!”

Ginga turned to Gaia, nodded, then turned to the charging Metron. Ginga caught Metron’s swinging right arm, planted his left hand against the alien’s chest, and launched him into Tyrant, who had only just stood up. Wallflower now channeled Gaia’s light into the stolen spear and threw it perfectly. It flew in a graceful arc through the air and embedded itself in both alien and monster, effectively stapling the pair to the ground.

“Now!” Sunset called, as she and Applejack reached their right fist out in preparation, while Wallflower brought her left hand to her chest, and raised her right hand straight up. As the Ultras performed their movements, a mighty cry sounded through the orchard.

“GINGA HARMONY SHOOT!” “PHOTON STREAM!”

Though the beams impacted separately, their power wasn’t diminished. The forms of Tyrant and Metron held for a moment before erupting into the biggest fireball anyone standing below the Ultras had ever seen. Once their foes were destroyed, Ginga dropped to one knee and began panting heavily as he dissolved into light particles.

“Sunset!?” Wallflower called, worriedly, as Gaia also disappeared and she turned back to normal.

*////*

Once Sunset and Applejack changed back, the adrenaline wore off and they collapsed once the fatigue caught up with them.

“Hoooo-weeee! That sure takes a lot outta ya when yer that close, huh?” Applejack gasped as she sat up with her hands pressed against the ground behind her to balance herself.

“Yeah. I mean, I’ve timed out before, but I don’t usually win when that close,” Sunset panted as she wiped the sweat off her brow. “Thanks, AJ.”

“No problem, Sunset.”

“Sunset!” They heard Wallflower call out, “Applejack!”

“Over here ‘Flower!” Sunset responded as she called the green girl over.

“Oh, thank goodness. Are you two okay?”

“Yeah, just a bit winded.”

Wallflower sighed in relief, but a sudden gust of winter air made her shiver, “Well do you mind being winded somewhere warmer?”

Applejack and Sunset laughed for a moment, before picking themselves up, and returning to the farmhouse.

*////*

When the trio reached the house, they found the Princesses Luna and Cadance excitedly talking with the rest of their friends. With a chuckle, they approached, drawing the attention of Applebloom who suddenly gasped. “APPLEJACK!”

In the blink of an eye, the youngest Apple had bowled over her sister in joy.

Sunset laughed, “Oh, yeah, sure. Go to her. It’s not like I’m the one wh-” She never got a chance to finish as both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran into her, knocking Sunset into the snow.

“That was so cool!” Scootaloo cried.

“Why did we ever doubt you!?” Sweetie followed up.

While the Crusaders fawned over their heroes, Princesses Luna and Cadance made their way over to the three girls.

“I wasn’t so sure it was such a good idea to come here, but that was totally worth it!” Cadance said with poorly contained joy.

“Indeed. That was stellar performance ladies!” Luna cheered with more subdued excitement.

The three ladies in question started blushing at the royals’ approval.

“Please stop,” Wallflower quietly squeaked, not used to such attention as she had always been in the background. She nevertheless smiled at being acknowledged and appreciated.

“Nonsense!” Luna jovially retorted, clapping Wallflower on the shoulder, “You were possibly the bravest of us all, throwing yourself in front of that beast as you did.”

A tap on Luna’s shoulder drew her attention to Pinkie, “Um, Your Majesty? Not that what you’re saying isn’t nice, but you’re kinda laying it on too thick for Wally.”

Luna paused, but then noticed that her hand was significantly lower now than before, probably because Wallflower was on her way to going into the fetal position in embarrassment.

Luna quickly recoiled from the girl, “Oh my goodness! I’m so sor-WAGH!”

Luna had attempted to bow apologetically, but she moved too fast, and only managed to lose her balance and faceplant into the snow. The laughter followed immediately and only grew at the unamused expression on the Lunar Princess’ face.

When the giggles finally died down, Applebloom took the Ginga Spark from her sister before she could stop her, “So how does it work!? Huh? Huh!? Can I try it!?”

Sunset snatched back the Ginga Spark from the irresponsible girl, eliciting a whine from the Crusaders until they noticed the glares from everyone.

“Do you think this is a toy? Like it’s just part of some game we were playing?” Sunset began seriously, “NO! If this needs to come out, it means lives are at stake! What? Did you think those aliens were making empty threats!? LOOK AT THE BARN! DOES THAT LOOK FAKE!?”

The Crusaders looked down in shame while tracing little circles in the snow with their feet.

“NO,” they answered in unison.

“Exactly! Besides, it only works for me,” Sunset explained.

“That’s not true!” Applebloom blurted out, “Applejack used it when you were fightin’ earlier!”

“Ah can only do that after Sunset has transformed, ‘Bloom. Trust me, we tested it,” Applejack retorted.

“And even if you could get it to work, you need a Spark Doll to actually activate it,” Sunset added.

That bit of information seemed to make Scootaloo perk up, “What’s a Spark Doll?”

“Uh, they’re kinda like toys, but they all have a symbol on their left foot, like this,” Wallflower explained, using the Ultraman Gaia Doll as an example.

“So, they’re like toys, and have an icon on their left foot?” Scootaloo’s eyes widened, “Holy crap!”

In an instant, the young tomboy had run off, leaving the rest of the group perplexed.

“What’s got her in such a hurry?” Sunset asked while looking at Rainbow who just shrugged.

*////*

Sitting a distance away, Princess Celestia stared forlornly at her former student and the excited humans surrounding her.

“Why? Why did things have to end like this?”

“Because they had already made up their minds to fight,” a masculine voice, revealing the source as Taro, said.

Celestia huffed, “Well, of course, you would say that. Your kind clearly thrives on combat.”

“This may come as a shock to you Princess, but we Ultras would also prefer to resolve all conflict peacefully.”

“Like what?”

“How about Ultraman 80, who once threw a fight to get a favorable outcome.”

That was news to Celestia, “He deliberately lost a fight?”

“Oh yes. A parent and child pair of monsters arrived on Earth after a disagreement in space. The parent wanted its child to return to space, but the young monster was being a brat and was refusing to follow its parent. 80 resolved the problem by attacking the parent, forcing the child to come to its rescue. Once the young monster had fully committed to its efforts, 80 willingly allowed himself to be beaten to finalize their bond being repaired. Once that was over, the monsters just… left. Earth was pleased because the monsters were gone, and the family was pleased because they were together again.”

“Aw, that was sweet,” Celestia cooed.

“The problem is that not all our enemies are unwilling or incapable of ending things peacefully. We also need to think about the innocent people who may get hurt when the aliens or monsters go on a rampage. Surely, it must be the same for you. Tell me, how many times have you considered getting personally stuck in, only to decide against it because ‘it’s Twilight’s responsibility’?” Celestia didn’t answer, her silence proving Taro’s point. “I see. And how many times has your inaction nearly doomed Equestria?”

Celestia sighed, “Far too many times, I’m afraid. But… What can I do? I intended for Twilight to take my place, eventually, but she can’t do that if I, myself, am still an utter mess.”

“Why does it have to be just you or Twilight? Why not both of you? Why not Luna and Cadance?” Taro paused, “Why not all of Equestria?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think that there is only ever one to six Ultras active at any point? Of course not! Planet Ultra has hundreds if not thousands of agents across the universe, along with our allies on U40 and O-50. You have a military just sitting around gathering dust with inaction when they could be aiding Twilight and her friends overcome their obstacles. You have a nobility that has grown fat, selfish, and lazy by coasting on old names and titles, while doing nothing to live up to them, when you, with your greater authority, could demand better from them. Keeping the peace in Equestria should be a collaborative effort, not a solo one. But then, after ruling alone for about a millennia, being told that you can do no wrong, it was only natural that you would actually start believing it.”

Celestia chuckled humorlessly, “Isn’t that the truth? I mean, I’ve basically spent the entire night making up excuses for my mistakes, instead of owning up to them.” She then let out a sad sigh and continued, “Now Sunset’s Hearth- er- Christmas Eve is ruined, and I have no idea how to salvage this.”

As tears began to fall from Celestia’s eyes, Taro could only pity her. She was a girl, trapped in a cage of mass expectations, only to finally get a moment of escape, to discover that she had failed to meet those expectations.

“I can’t tell you the entire process, but I have a good idea of how to start.” Celestia looked at the Ultra sadly, but, this time with slight hope. “Go over to Sunset right now and apologize.”

Celestia tilted her head, “Just like that?”

“Yes. However, you must be sincere and specific. If you apologize without actually acknowledging what you did wrong, it only perpetuates those bad habits you have built up over the past thousand years. Once you have done that, making up for your other mistakes will come naturally.”

“I don’t know, that seems too easy.”

“Of course it is, so long as you’re sincere about it.”

“But-”

“Oh, just shut up and talk to her, before I use my psychokinesis to make you talk to her!” Taro sternly commanded.

“Okay, okay!” Celestia said placatingly, and stood up, “Oh dear.”

*////*

“So what was that about the aliens stealing your cows?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Oh that!? Hehehe!” Applebloom began giggling, “Applejack’s a great sister, but she has moments that make ya go ‘wait ya thought that was a good idea?’ Years ago, she saw some squirrels eating some mushrooms, and she thought, ‘well they seem tah be fine, guess they’re fine fer’ me tah eat too.’ Sure ‘nuff, few hours later, she’s in bed, sicker than a dog, screamin’ about how the aliens are comin’ for our cows.”

The Gang erupted into laughter, save Applejack, who looked confused, “That never happened.”

“Enope,” Big Mac spoke up, “It definitely did.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow added, “I bet you were so baked that you forgot what year it was and if you were a guy or a girl!”

The Gang began laughing again, until they were cut off by a voice that could rival Fluttershy in meekness, “Sunset?”

The redhead turned to the voice, and found Princess Celestia nervously fidgeting with her hands, “Yes, Princess?”

That stung more than the Solar Princess thought it would, not even“Princess Celestia”, just “Princess”. That only proved how overdue, and needed, this apology was.

Suddenly Celestia went into a steep bow, “I’M SORRY!”

That threw Sunset for a loop, “What?”

“Sunset, I am so sorry my teaching methods convinced you that ascension was the only way to my heart. I’m sorry that I snubbed you of something that you really did deserve. I’m sorry that I hid you away from the world, then paradoxically demanded you make friends in your age group. I’m sorry that I failed to be the mother you so desperately needed growing up,” Celestia ranted, with increasing desperation, “But most of all! I’m sorry I banished you from the castle, leaving you with a lifetime of hatred and fear, that I refused to accept any responsibility for causing. I don’t want to lose you Sunset, can you ever forgive this out of touch old mare?”

Sunset was conflicted. As apologies went, it was not quite on the level of Applejack’s “marriage proposal”, but was more or less what could be expected from an immortal Alicorn Princess. However...

“Apology accepted. But!” Sunset barked before Celestia could get too happy, “Do I fully forgive you? No. You had years to correct how you taught me before I broke into the restricted area of the Royal Library and ran through the portal. Yet, through either ignorance or negligence, you failed. Sure it might’ve been unreasonable for you to try and make it up to me when the portal opened again naturally, but then Twilight found a way to keep the portal open, and you ran out of excuses to try. By your own admission, you only came through because you were more afraid of being replaced by Taro and Ginga than for my own sake. Someday, sure, I may forgive you, but that will be a marathon, not a sprint. If I have to work off my sins, then it’s only fair that you’re held to the same standards.”

Celestia drooped sadly, but replied, “Yes, Sunset.”

“Hey!” Scootaloo suddenly cut in, “If you guys are done with your little pity party I’ve got some stuff for you to look at.”

Dropping the bag she was carrying to the ground, she unzipped it, causing an Ultraman figure to tumble out.

“A Spark Doll?” Wallflower asked.

“Ace Nii-san?” Taro followed.

“What?” Rainbow asked.

“Sorry. This is my adopted brother, Ultraman Ace.”

“And there’s more where that came from,” Scootaloo continued, pushing the bag towards the Gang, “Take a look.”

Kneeling down to take a look inside, Sunset’s jaw dropped, “Holy shit, Scootaloo! Where did you find all of these!?”

“Dunno, apparently we thought that they were part of a scavenger hunt or something during our blank period,” Scootaloo suddenly shivered, “Hey, could we take this back inside? It’s cold out here.”

Realizing the tomboy had a point, the Gang retreated into the farmhouse.

*////*

Once the Gang was indoors, they began sorting through the Crusader’s Spark Doll collection.

“You know,” Sunset said, suddenly, “There’s something I don’t get, Applebloom.”

Applebloom cringed, “Is this about Anon-A-Miss?”

“Nono, nothing like that! It’s just, why do you and your friends call yourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, Cutie Marks don’t exist here, so what gives?”

Applebloom paused, “... What’s a Cutie Mark?”

“... Seriously?” Sunset asked, “You named yourselves that just at random?”

“We were stuck fer a name, and just pulled words out of a hat.”

Sunset sighed, “For the record, a Cutie Mark in Equestria, is a sort of magical butt tattoo that advertises what your special talent is.” Suddenly, a random stray thought passed through Sunset’s head, “Oh! How about, the Canterlot Mystery Club?”

“Huh?”

“It makes sense, right? You can still keep the acronym, and with the amount of stuff that happens at CHS, there are actual mysteries to look into. What do you think?”

Applebloom thought about the name, then gave Sunset a massive smile and glomped her, “I love it!”

Though Sunset was surprised by the sudden display of affection, quickly recovered to return Applebloom’s tight hug. Unfortunately, their tender moment was interrupted by Rainbow’s immature giggling.

“Hey, look! This one has a face on its dick!” she giggled.

“That’s Mukadender, the Trickster Centipede,” Taro corrected, “It’s capable of harmlessly detaching its own head and neck, while still maintaining control of its body. Its most severe weakness is that damage to its detached head is felt in its body, so if the head is destroyed, the body, lacking a controlling element, goes with it.”

Rainbow paused, “... So it’s a detachable dick.”

Rarity smacked Rainbow upside the head, “Honestly, Rainbow! There are children present!” She reached into the bag and blushed upon seeing the figure she had pulled out, “Oh my! Who is this Greek god of a man?”

The Doll was an Ultra, that much was certain, but there were some important details that raised questions over his identity. For one, he was predominantly black and red, with some silver, and gold sections. A blue star marked both his massive, helmet-like head and chest, unlike the Ultras the Gang had seen so far, that had fairly simple shapes for their Color Timers. However, his most outstanding feature was that, even by Ultra standards, he was massive. An absolute unit of pure muscle, that looked like he could break granite just by flexing at it.

“Ultraman Titas, from U40,” Taro answered, “He is from my son’s team, the Tri Squad.”

“Wait, U40? Aren’t you guys from M78 usually?” Sunset asked, scratching her head.

“In my home universe, there are several planets with their own forms of Ultra. Titas is from one such planet, U40. On that planet, only eight individuals can become giant Ultras, known as the Great Eight. Fate seemed stacked against Titas from the moment of his birth. See, he was descended from the Hellar Army, a collective of U40 traitors that believed that they should be conquerors, as opposed to agents of peace. As an aside, if Hellar had succeeded M78 would have stepped in. Despite his unfortunate ancestry, Titas, through great trial, and tribulation, managed to join the Great Eight, eventually joining up with my son, Taiga, on a mission to O50.”

“Does that have anythin’ to do with that body o’ his?” Applejack asked, with a blush of her own.”

“No, that was inspired by a late friend. He is quite proud of his physique.”

“Can you blame him!?” Cadance asked, fanning herself, “The stallion looks like he could bench Mount Canterhorn and still ask for more weight!”

“More like Ultraman ‘Tight-ass’ amIright?” Pinkie asked.

The pun caused the entire room to die inside

“Pinkie, what did we say about puns?” Sunset asked, groaning.

“Hey, I saw an opportunity and I took it!”

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should,” Celestia said.

“Glass houses, Princess,” Sunset barbed.

Celestia considered reprimanding Sunset but ultimately decided that Sunset had a point, and kept her mouth shut.

“I like this one,” Fluttershy suddenly said as she held a blue Ultraman, “He seems gentle."

"That's Ultraman Cosmos, Fluttershy. You and he would've gotten along," Taro said.

“Why?”

“Well I, personally, haven’t worked with him, but Ultraman Zero has and according to him, he is a great believer in defeating evil through kindness. Make no mistake, however, while the Luna form you see now lacks offensive power, he hides a blade under that silk. If Cosmos changes to his Corona or Eclipse form, he has deemed you as unsavable and must be destroyed. Fortunately, he would rather save that as a last resort.”

Fluttershy smiled, then turned to Scootaloo, “May I take this? I mean, if that’s okay with you?”

“Sure, take them all,” Scootaloo said, “You’d probably get more use out of ‘em than us.”

“I think that everyone should take some. Don’t want to get caught with a Light Spark but no Spark Doll on you,” Sunset said.

With a chorus of agreement, the room began dividing up the Club’s Spark Dolls.

After everyone had their preferred Dolls, the Christmas party resumed for another hour before Celestia looked at the time.

“Well, Luna, Cadance, I believe that we should be getting back to the portal now,” she said.

Luna looked at her sister, then uttered a disappointed sigh, “Yes, I suppose we should.”

“Aw, and I was having so much fun,” Cadance moaned.

“As you said, Cadance, your husband is waiting for you,” Celestia reminded.

“I can take you back,” Fluttershy said, “My car has enough space for all of you.”

“Wait, Fluttershy!” Sunset said, “Could I speak to Princess Celestia? Alone?”

Though she was surprised, Fluttershy agreed and led Luna and Cadance out to her car. Now, with their privacy, Sunset began, “Look, I know that I said that I can’t forgive you yet.” Celestia looked down sadly "But I also realize that I reacted poorly. I threw a tantrum like a brat and went through the mirror just to spite you. So it would be unfair to not give you some guidance to help us get to that point."

Celestia brightened up immediately, “YES! WHAT DO YOU NEED!?”

“I need you to apologize to Twilight,” Sunset said.

“For sending her out on those missions without guidance?”

“Well, that, and raising her into an overly dependent, neurotic mess, and dumping princesshood on her without asking what her plans for the future were,” Sunset replied.

“Oh,” Celestia said, “Yeah, that would be a good idea.”

“You don’t have to do it as soon as you get back, but just try to do it soon, okay?”

“Okay,” Celestia said. Then, Sunset did something that she hadn’t been expecting.

She hugged her.

“I want to forgive you, really, I do. But I need to know that you’re willing to change, and grow along with me,” Sunset explained.

Celestia’s eyes suddenly widened in realization, before her face softened and she returned the hug, “Sunset. I think I finally understand what I’ve been doing wrong.”

“Huh?” Sunset asked, pulling away.

“I’ve been the immortal, always right ruler for so long, that I no longer know how to be a flawed mortal. You have my word, Sunset, that I will make you proud to call me mom!”

Sunset was so taken aback by Celestia’s declaration, that she never got another chance to speak before her former mentor was out the door.

“What?”

*////*

In the mirror room of Ponyville Castle, Twilight paced anxiously in front of the portal with a crazed look on her face.

“I should go after them! No, it’s fine! It’s fine! They’re grown mares that can take care of themselves! Oh, who am I kidding! They know nothing about that other world! What will they do if they get mistaken for their doppelgangers!? Oh, buck it, I’m going after them now!”

Before Twilight could carry on the portal began glowing, throwing out a certain trio of Alicorn princesses.

“Oof!” “Ow!” “D’oh!”

“YOU!” Twilight shrieked, “WHAT WERE YOU THREE THINKING!? RUNNING OFF TO THE HUMAN WORLD WITH NO WARNING, OR PREPARATION!?”

“Hey, it was Celestia’s stupid idea!” Cadance said, but then continued, “Even though it did end up being an incredible time, with aliens, and monsters, and giants, and… I’ve just noticed that this isn’t helping, bye!”

Cadance teleported away before Twilight could begin a two-hour-long lecture, forcing the purple alicorn to turn her scorn to the remaining two, “What did she mean?”

“Uh… A pair of aliens appeared at the party, and Tia tried to talk to them,” Luna explained.

“WHAT!?” Twilight shrieked.

“It’s okay!” Celestia placated, “Sunset and Wallflower dealt with them!”

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT!” Twilight cried.

“You’re right, it isn’t,” Luna said, “See, while we were there, some things came out about our sister that I believe you should hear from her.”

“Huh?” Twilight asked, the wind taken from her sails.

“Yes, now if you don’t mind, I need to make sure that Blueblood hasn’t burned Canterlot to the ground.”

Luna teleported away as Twilight continued staring at Celestia, “Princess? What did Princess Luna mean?”

Celestia considered delaying the conversation until a later date, but her promise to Sunset snaked its way into her mind. With a sigh, she decided to just rip this particular bandage off, “Could we take a seat first? I’m sure that you would rather be sitting down for this.”

Author's Note

So, we don't have a preview for the next chapter as it's only an epilogue, but we will be back for a season two, eventually, so hold your horses (hehe).

So, yeah Tyrant, classic Ultra kaiju, terrible first episode. First appearing in episode 40 of Ultraman Taro, Go Beyond the Ultra Brothers, on January 1, 1974; he was little more than a framing device for a sort of Ultraman's Greatest Hits montage, before easily dying to Ultraman Taro. I think that a monster capable of defeating all the other Ultra Brothers of the time deserves more ceremony is my point.

Epilogue

Fall sighed as the magic window dissipated. What a shame. She quite liked Icarus to be honest. She could not afford to dwell on their defeat, however. She had students to teach.

“So, class,” she said, turning to a long table lined with people, “What have we learned from this?”

Her students were none other than the greatest villains Equestria has ever known.

Lord Tirek the centaur was now a human male. With his youth and vitality restored, he sported a muscular build. His silver hair was in a ponytail while his attire consisted of a white wife-beater with a leather jacket, denim jeans, and black leather boots. In short, he resembled a biker.

“Ultraman, huh?” Tirek remarked. “Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.”

Sitting across from Tirek was an attractive, black-skinned woman with pronounced canines like a vampire, green-blue hair, and clad in a form-fitting teal dress that showed off a curvy figure. This was the Changeling Queen Chrysalis.

“Wait, you know of this thing?” Queen Chrysalis asked.

Behind Tirek sat a vile yet regal-looking man with wild, jet-black hair done in a mullet and dense sideburns. He was wearing a metal-plated dress vest, a red jacket with white fur trim, and a silver crown. This was the deposed King Sombra of the Crystal Empire.

“What? You have never heard of The Giant and the Crystal Dragon?” King Sombra questioned.

Across from Sombra sat a trio of girls. The first, was an orange-skinned girl, with a matching mass of curly hair. This was the leader of the Dazzlings, Adagio Dazzle.

“That old mare’s tale?” she scoffed. “Get real.”

On Adagio’s right, sat a punkish looking girl with purple skin, and purple pigtails. This was the right hand of the Dazzlings, Aria Blaze.

“Yeah! A race of ponies that lives underground? Whatever.”

On Adagio’s left sat a ditzy, blue-skinned girl with matching hair that was tied up in a ponytail. This was Sonata Dusk, the third wheel of the Dazzlings.

“You guys, do realize we’re looking at a literal alien right now, right?” she asked, indicating Baltan, standing in a dark corner of the room, “I think we’re past saying that anything’s impossible.”

A young woman with maroon skin, piercing blue eyes, a red mohawk and dressed like a punk spoke next, “Well, would you look at that. The idiot of you three actually said something clever.” This was the commander of the Storm King’s armies, Tempest Shadow.

Standing beside Tempest Shadow was a tall man with a similar build to Tirek. He had dark grey skin, snow-white hair, and a matching beard. His attire consisted of a grey turtleneck with black slacks, leather shoes and a black trench coat over him.

This was the Storm King.

Rather than engaging with his commander and new comrades, he silently glared at the Baltan, remembering the events that led him here.

(Flashback)

Storm King had been preparing for his next conquest when Fall and Baltan walked through a portal into his throne room. When she proposed that he and Tempest join her, the resulting argument was a vicious back and forth that finally resulted in the Storm King declaring loudly, “ENOUGH! I AM THE STORM KING, AND I WILL NOT PLAY SECOND FIDDLE TO SOME HAIRLESS APE AND HER PET BUG! NOW SCRAM THROUGH THE PORTAL YOU CAME FROM AND DON’T COME BACK!”

“You can try to make us but I came here for a reason and I’m not leaving until I’ve completed it,” Fall challenged.

“Fine by us.”

“Would you like me to deal with them, sire?” Tempest asked.

“What and waste your talents?” Storm asked, “No, they ain’t worth it. Zee, go fetch me their heads!”

“Yes, sire,” the heavily tattooed female griffon replied.

As the griffon approached, drawing her sword, Baltan moved in front of Fall protectively.

“Oh, you wanna be first? Brave, but STUPID!” Zee shrieked as she swung horizontally.

The sound the blade made upon contact with the alien was akin to a railroad spike on a chalkboard. Yet, despite this mighty blow, Baltan remained standing until a translucent shell appeared and fell away as the alien laughed mockingly.

“Wh-what?”

“What are you doing!? Kill them!” Storm barked.

“Y-yes, sire!” Zee yelped and went for a vertical strike. This time, the Baltan did not just take the attack, but divided out of the way, creating two of the aliens!

This finally made the Storm King stand up and take notice.

“What kind of trick-?”

“Oh, no tricks, just Baltan science,” Fall taunted.

Zee hesitated, unsure of which of the laughing aliens to face. Rather than wait for the griffon to make up her mind, the Baltan on her left fired a white destruction ray from its pincers, throwing her into a pillar. While Zee survived the attack, her wing was broken, and her side was severely burned.

Tempest Shadow initially stared in shock at the display but then grabbed an Obsidian Orb with a snarl, “HOW DARE YOU!”

“Ah ah ah!” Fall said with a finger waggle, “I think you should check where you’re standing before you try anything.”

A harsh heat began building on Tempest’s back followed by the telltale laugh of the Baltan having already teleported behind her.

“Now about joining my team?”

(End flashback)

“Your Highness?” Tempest whispered. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Storm replied, not wanting to alert Fall to his contempt.

The last member of Fall’s small cabal of villains was a fairly new addition to Equestria’s long list of enemies. She was a purple-skinned girl with matching hair and a teal stripe running through it. She could have passed for Aria’s twin with her looks. Her name was Starlight Glimmer, former leader of the place known simply as Our Town, and self-proclaimed sworn enemy of Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Though now surrounded by Equestria’s worst of the worst, she was wondering whether she should have just taken Twilight’s offer.

“Um… Would you be so kind as to explain Mr. Tirek?” she asked.

The former centaur glared at her for not calling him Lord Tirek, but obliged, “Very well. Long before Celestia and Luna took their thrones, giant celestial entities watched over Equis. No one could say where they really came from, but it was known that they came from the stars. Ultramen. Every so often one would appear, followed by a few months of conflict, then several years of peace. Then, around the time the two princesses arrived on the scene, the Ultras just stopped appearing.”

“And when was this?” Fall asked.

“Oh… About a thousand years ago if memory serves.”

“So right around the time everything went to hell. Why did no one take action against Equestria before then?”

“I don’t think you quite appreciate how powerful the Ultras were in comparison to anything in Equestria at that time. The legendary Grogar, the (supposed) father of all Equestrian monsters, did attempt to stand up to them when he first arrived on the scene, but after numerous failures to create a monster that could defeat them, he decided to get personally involved. According to this, mostly, lost legend, he turned himself into a giant monster to battle the first Ultraman. While some versions of the story say he did survive the fight, he was severely injured, and was left terrified of them.”

Storm King scoffed, “If not even Grogar could stand up to these things, what chance do we have?”

Fall gave Storm a glare, “Tirek, please explain to this simpleton what makes us different.”

“Yes ma'am,” Tirek said, then walked to the front of the table, while pulling out his Dark Dummy Spark, “This is a Dark Dummy Spark, a device of immense dark power.”

“Really?” Storm King heckled, “Because all I see is a foal’s toy.”

Baltan raised a pincer at Storm King, causing the other occupants of the room, save the mouthy tyrant, to shrink in their seats. While not all of them had seen the Space Ninja in action, idle chatter while watching the fight had shown that the bipedal cicada was not one to test in combat. Chrysalis learned first-hand how brutal the alien was when it single-handedly trounced her entire hive at once and destroyed her anti-magic throne.

Tirek frowned, but continued, “Our... unruly guest aside, when the device is coupled with a Spark Doll, in this case, a... Um, What did you call this one?”

“Kemur Man,” Fall whispered to him.

“A Kemur Man! When the tip of the device is touched to the Doll’s left foot,” Tirek performed the action to demonstrate, becoming engulfed in a dark aura.

DARK LIVE! KEMUR MAN!

The aura dissipated, revealing a humanoid alien with a tube on its head standing in Tirek’s place.

“You become the Doll.”

“Big whoop! So you turned into a living toy. Am I supposed to be-” Storm King was cut off by purple slime splashing onto him, almost appearing to dissolve him. The event got the attention of everyone in the room.

“This toy is capable of spewing a slime from its head tube that transports its prey into a pocket dimension in its body,” Tirek explained then looked at the rest of his soon-to-be colleagues, “Anyone else feels like mouthing off?”

A chorus of no’s and similar responses came from the ‘class’.

Fall chuckled, “Alright, Tirek. As contemptible as I find that loudmouth, I still need him. Could you bring him back, please?”

Tirek grumbled, but complied, unceremoniously dumping Storm King back into his chair.

“Thank you. Now, there is more beyond the Dark Dummy Sparks,” Fall began, causing the entire room to perk up, “I’ve got another project in the works that will get even more mileage out of their power. Though, it will take some time to prepare. In the meantime, the Dazzlings will get you acquainted with this world. Being able to pass yourselves off as human will be absolutely critical to your survival here.”

“And how long will this “project” of yours take?” a voice boomed from outside the room

Tirek changed back into his human form with an odd dread forming in his chest.

“Who. Was that?”

Fall sighed, then said with a sneer, “My ‘benefactor’, Dark Lugiel.”

Footsteps entering the room, announcing the presence of the only other being with more authority than Fall. However, his appearance was not a face any of the cabal had expected.

“YOU!?”

Desperate Pies, Call for Desperate Parties

Unlike the last two magical incidents which were experienced by the entire student body and faculty of Canterlot High, a giant monster battle was not something so easily covered up. There was no doubt everyone had seen the two monster duke it out before a gigantic superhero appeared and killed one of them before it flew off.

CHS was immediately swarmed by news crews with reporters interviewing the students, teachers and even the janitor about what had happened.

The whole thing was also trending online with students posting videos and pictures of the battle. There were comments from skeptics who claimed they were doctored images, hoaxes, or just a publicity stunt for some kind of giant monster movie. The believers and conspiracy theorists, on the other hand, started posting all sorts of crazy stories and theories about what was happening. They ranged from aliens being involved to government genetic experiments, or mutations caused by toxic waste. The craziest was that the world would end as giant monsters wiped out humanity. Some even called the being dubbed ‘Ultraman Ginga’ some kind of ‘angel’ or divine being that was sent from Heaven to smite the evil beasts.

Anon-A-Miss was still a problem, but as teenagers were known to jump from one fad to the next due to their limited attention span, a giant monster battle right in their backyard was a bigger deal than a MyStable profile that was spreading secrets. Yes, people got upset about their own secrets being posted, but most of the students were more invested in the giant monsters and Ultraman Ginga.

A ragtag crew was currently gathered in the school library. They were seated in a quiet corner of the library, away from prying eyes or eavesdroppers. What they were discussing needed to be done in private.

Seated around the table were former Queen Bee and She-Demon Sunset Shimmer, shy and kind Fluttershy, the athletic and self-proclaimed rival of Rainbow Dash Lightning Dust, aspiring magician and local braggart Trixie Lulamoon, and Wallflower Blush.

They were quite the unlikely bunch. While they may not seem like it, but they all had one thing in common: they new the identity of Ultraman Ginga. Wallflower and Fluttershy knew because they had witnessed the transformation themselves, while Trixie and Lightning had fought Sunset when she was Ginga.

“Alright, you all know why you’re here,” Sunset started.

“So, you too, huh?” Lightning Dust asked the magician.

“Yes, Trixie was on a rampage as a giant monster,” Trixie confessed to the athlete. “It was Sunset who defeated me.”

“Yeah, she knocked me to my senses too,” Lightning Dust admitted. “After all this time, you still got it. Guess you’re not Anon-A-Miss either.”

“What makes you say that?” Wallflower Blush asked.

“Look, the old Sunset looked out for herself and she’d never risk her life for a bunch of people who hate her,” Lightning Dust answered.

“Indeed. She would’ve fought to defend herself, but not others,” Trixie agreed.

“She did save my life,” Fluttershy added.

“So, if you’re asking me to not tell anyone you’re Ultraman Ginga, Sunset, then I guess I owe you that much,” Lightning Dust crossed her arms.

“While Trixie would gain fame for exposing the true identity of the silver giant who saved the school, I have a feeling that would cause unnecessary problems that would make your heroic duties difficult so I will keep silent as well,” Trixie supported.

“Really? You, Trixie?” Sunset asked skeptically.

“Trixie has no desire to be trampled by a giant monster.”

“Say, where are the rest of the Rainbooms?” Lightning Dust asked. “If something weird’s going on, shouldn’t they be here?”

“We’re not on speaking terms,” Sunset frowned sadly.

“Oh, right. They dumped you after the slumber party post,” Lightning Dust recalled.

“Well, at least Fluttershy came around,” Sunset smiled at the pink-haired girl who smiled back softly.

“Right now, Sunset needs all the support she can get, not just because of Anon-A-Miss, but because she’s fighting these monsters and Dark Dummy Spark users,” Wallflower said. “We all know you girls got them from aliens, and it looks like at least two aliens are distributing Spark Dolls and Dark Dummy Sparks to people and letting them run amok.”

That was worrying. If aliens were giving people the ability to turn into monsters, they needed to find those aliens.

“Well, they seem to choose people who have been offended by Anon-A-Miss,” Trixie pointed out. “So, it’s safe to say that they’re targetting CHS students exclusively.”

“So, pretty much everyone who hates me is going to turn into a monster,” Sunset remarked. “Fantastic.”

*////*

“Hey, if you’re planning on keeping this ‘Monster Hunter Club’ of yours a secret, you’re going to have to talk to Dash. She saw me turn into a monster,” Lightning Dust informed Sunset and the group.

“She did!?” Sunset said with audible alarm, “Dammit, this is the last thing that I need right now.”

“Either way, point still stands,” Lightning said with finality.

“Not just her,” Fluttershy said, drawing attention to the shy girl, “I called you Ultraman Ginga after you beat Lightning Dust, and they overheard me. Luckily you had just flown off at the time, but Rainbow noticed that I knew something.”

Wallflower snorted in remembrance, “Rarity was asking her to allow her to meet the ‘dashing and handsome man behind the giant’.”

Sunset stared at Wallflower for a moment, before letting out a giggle, “Are you serious?” She absolutely loved the idea of being able to see Rarity’s face when the reveal happened.

“She was on the subject for a good ten minutes, until she came to the conclusion that I had already taken him, and ran off to drown herself in ice cream,” Fluttershy replied. “I still can’t quite believe that actually happened.”

“That’s dumb,” Lightning Dust scoffed.

“But oh so Rarity,” Sunset sighed, “That girl has problems. I just hope I won’t end up with me having to fight her.”

“At least you won’t have people suspect you of being Ultraman, Shimmer. They’ll be looking at guys to see who the giant hero could be,” Lightning Dust remarked. “Nobody’ll suspect it to be a chick, especially the one they think is Anon-A-Miss.”

Yes, being the villain was a good way to hide being the hero.

“You still need to talk with Rainbow Dash, Sunset,” said Fluttershy. “That’s not going to be easy.”

That was an understatement. Rainbow Dash was stubborn, much like Applejack. Both could compete for being the most stubborn of their friends. It was why they both stopped talking after their falling out before. It was thanks to Twilight that they were able to reconcile.

Suddenly, an alert sounded on their phones. Anon-A-Miss had struck again. Pulling out the devices, what they saw on the screen made them turn green.

“Dude,” Lightning Dust said, “That’s just so wrong.”

“What is this? Is the Dark Giant behind this?” Wallflower asked with a retch.

“No, with everyone more focused on Ginga and the monsters, Anon-A-Miss was starting to lose steam,” Sunset said, “This, this is someone desperate and struggling to remain relevant in that world.”

“That’s awful,” Fluttershy said sadly.

“Understatement of the year,” Lightning scoffed. When the first widely seen monster appeared, it was assumed that Anon-A-Miss would fizzle out and die off. But to keep going despite that, was a new level of pathetic.

“Uhg, this is going to make speaking to Rainbow and Applejack much more difficult,” Sunset muttered.

*////*

Pinkie Pie was trying to cheer everyone up. With Anon-A-Miss stealing secrets and putting them up online for everyone to see, there was a lot of sadness and anger in the air. A lot of kids got humiliated when personal secrets were revealed, unable to come to school as a result.

Pinkie Pie believed Sunset was behind Anon-A-Miss, but then Fluttershy decided she did not believe Sunset was Anon-A-Miss and decided to have lunch with her. This left Pinkie and her friends confused.

On one hand, only Sunset could’ve done it, but then Fluttershy said she did not do it, and Pinkie did not think her animal-loving friend was a liar.

Nothing was making sense and while Pinkie Pie enjoyed fun nonsense, this was nonsense that was causing no end of drama.

But now there were these monsters suddenly appearing, and a giant that came to save the day. It was all everyone was talking about now and Pinkie Pie wanted to hold a party to welcome the heroic giant; a ‘Welcome to Canterlot High, Ultraman Ginga’ party. But with Anon-A-Miss posting secrets and turning friends against each other, she doubted she’d be able to get everyone to come to the party.

What a bummer.

*////*

Elsewhere, a man in a red vest, blue long sleeved shirt and pants, and wearing a flashing yellow necklace found a discarded party invitation.

“Pinkie Pie?” the disguised Metron said reading the name of the party host, “Interesting, perhaps I should take a page out of Icarus’ book and meet this human myself.”

He began his march to meet with the pink party planner.

*////*

Pinkie was right to suspect a low turnout to the party, having found a decent number of invites that had just been thrown away or discarded. This depressed the party planner who only wanted to spread some cheer. What would she have to do to get people to turn up?

“Excuse me,” a firm, masculine voice spoke, “But you seem to be having some trouble.”

Pinkie sighed, “Well, I was going to throw a party for Ultraman Ginga, but no one wants to show up because of the mon-.” The party planner suddenly gasped, “OH MY GOSH! SOMEONE NEW! I NEED TO GET ANOTHER PARTY READY! LIKE, RIGHT NOW!”

Before the curly haired girl could get far, however, the man raised a hand, “How about you focus on the one you already have planned first.”

Pinkie’s hair deflated like a balloon at the reminder of the struggling party, “B-b-b-But nobody wants to show up to that party and I can’t come up with something to bring them in. Which is weird since I’m the number one Party Planner in the city. Wait, what’s your name?”

The man seemed annoyed, but answered regardless, “I am Metron, and I believe that I have what you need.”

This caused Pinkie to perk up, “Really? What?”

“Simple, give the attendees the chance to meet a monster,” Metron replied.

Pinkie’s hair reinflated as her features lit up, “That’s it! I can dress up as a monster, then get one of the guys to be Ultraman Ginga and-.”

Metron cut her off with a laugh, “I believe you misunderstand. I have something far more impressive in mind.”

“Huh?”

Metron then reached into his pocket, and pulled out a monster doll and a dagger-shaped device, “Take these, and all you desire, will come true.”

Pinkie’s eyes were locked onto the Dark Dummy Spark as her eyes began to glow with its colors. She went and took the device, grasping it in her hand. Metron smiled as the pink girl instantly bonded to the device. While her desire might be a pure one, it was not incorruptible. Even the best of intentions could be warped.

*////*

Rainbow Dash was headed home. Like everyone, she too had received an invitation to Pinkie Pie’s party, and like everyone else she decided not to go. She was not in the mood.

She could have told the reporters that Lightning Dust had turned into a giant monster and yet she had not. It just sounded so ridiculous that nobody would have believed her without proof.

She was also confused. Fluttershy said she no longer believed Sunset was Anon-A-Miss. How? It was obviously her and up to her old tricks again. She was never their friend.

Rainbow Dash bumped into Pinkie Pie on the way to Sugarcube Corner. This was not good. Pinkie would be upset that nobody was coming to her party, especially her friends. However, Rainbow Dash could not leave the pink girl without an apology.

“Sorry, Pink-”

“Dashie! So happy to see you! Look what I got!”

“Pinkie! What are you doing with that!?” Rainbow yelled as she saw Pinkie Pie holding a monster doll and the same magical device Lightning Dust had.

“I’m going to make everyone smile again!”

She touched the Dark Dummy Spark to the monster’s foot.

DARK LIVE! GANGO!

Rainbow prepared to run from another giant monster, but rather than grow, Pinkie merely changed shape.

When the darkness cleared, a monster as tall as an adult man stood in the girl’s place.

Rainbow took a cautious step towards the girl-turned-monster, “Pinkie? You okay?”

Pinkie was silent for a moment, then loudly chirped, “YEPPERONI!”

“Ahh!,” Rainbow exclaimed, “Don’t do that!”

“Okei-dokie,” Pinkie chirped.

“Seriously, are you okay? The last time I saw that happen Lightning Dust turned into a rampaging jet powered bird.”

“I’M GREAT! BETTER THAN GREAT! I FEEL LIKE I JUST ATE ALL THE PASTRIES IN THE WORLD AND NEVER GOT A BAD TUMMY ACHE! “

“So? No desire to go on a murderous rampage?”

“Hmmmmmmmmmm… Nope just a desire to make people SUPER DUPER HAPPY!”

Pinke clapped her hands and all of a sudden she and Rainbow Dash were in the school gym which was decorated for a party. DJ Pon-3 was at the turntable, rocking some tunes and there was a spinning disco ball.

Rainbow blinked, “What?”

“It worked. IT WORKED! THAT GUY WAS RIGHT! HEHEHE! THIS MONSTER GRANTS WISHES! I CAN GET EVERYONE TO THIS PARTY NOW!” Pinkie screamed, somewhat crazed.

“Um, Pinkie? Maybe tone it down a bit? You’re kinda freaking me out here,” Rainbow said uncomfortably.

“Oops, sorry Dashie,” Pinkie said. But the damage had been done, Rainbow was now worried for herself and the rest of the school.

*////*

Sunset’s crew meanwhile, had decided to hang out at Sunset’s house after school, having opted to avoid Pinkie’s party, knowing the rest of the Rainbooms were likely to attend. Trixie, however, had opted to just return to her home. Lightning Dust had been introduced to Ultraman Taro, and she seemed to take an immediate liking to him. Now, the four girls were ready to hear the answers they had been waiting for since the question was first asked.

“So Taro, now that we have some peace, why don’t you tell us about your home planet?” Sunset said with a smile.

“Oh,” Taro said, clearly somewhat homesick.

“You don’t need to, if it hurts too much,” Fluttershy said, disappointed that it seemed that they would not be getting be getting answers.

“No, it’s only fair that you hear the story of Planet Ultra,” Taro said, placatingly, then took a deep breath.

“I hail from the Star of Ultra in Nebula M78. We were not always Giants of Light. A long time ago, we actually looked like humans. While human civilisation was only in its infancy, our kind had advanced in terms of wisdom and technology. We were practically a utopia. However, one day, our scientists discovered that our sun was going to die. In order to survive, the greatest scientific minds came together to create our planet’s greatest achievement: the Plasma Spark. It was an artificial sun that would guarantee our survival in these dark times. However, at the time, they were unaware of the magnificent side effects of the Plasma Spark. Its energies changes us, transformed us into silver giants with incredible powers. Our planet soon became known as the ‘Land of Light’. Some time after, we decided to dedicate ourselves to become protectors of the universe, fighting for peace and justice, and thus the Ultra Space Garrison was formed.”

“So, you were like giant space cops?” Lightning Dust asked.

“That is an apt summary, Ms. Lightning Dust,” Taro confirmed. “Not all Ultras in the Multiverse were affiliated with the Garrison, however, but they still fought for the same reasons.” Then he whispered, “ Most of them anyway”

“Wait, what was that last bit?” Wallflower asked.

“Oh! Uh, nothing,” Taro attempted to deflect.

“Taro, don’t lie to us, what is it?” Sunset pressed.

Taro sighed, “Though the Ultras are known as heroes, it is, sadly, not unheard of for Ultras to stray from the light. Most infamous, was Ultraman Belial. A young Ultra with a bright future ahead of him, however, his aspirations were too high. He attempted to steal the Plasma Spark for himself, and was burned for it. We had no choice but to exile him into the stars where it was assumed he would eventually die. Instead, his immense hatred attracted a being known as Alien Reyblood. He fused with it, and returned to Planet Ultra as an unstoppable force of pure evil. It wasn’t until Ultraman King, the single most powerful Ultra, stepped in that he was stopped, and imprisoned in a massive space station above Planet Ultra.”

“Wait, if this ‘Ultraman King’ is so powerful, why couldn’t he beat the giant?” Lightning Dust asked.

“Lightning, Taro only said King was powerful, not all powerful,” Sunset reminded, “He could have been fighting a smaller battle elsewhere.”

“Or been ambushed-” no sooner had Wallflower said this, that she suddenly popped out of existence.

The other three inhabitants in the room simultaneously shot to their feet in alarm. “What the f-” Lightning began before she too, disappeared.

“Sunset, what’s-” Fluttershy vanished last.

Sunset was terrified, Wha- What’s happening?

*////*

The three taken girls reappeared in what appeared to be the school gym in the midst of a party. A banner reading ‘Welcome to Canterlot High, Ultraman Ginga’ hung above the DJ in colors matching the titular hero.

“What?” Fluttershy said. It was then that the girls noticed that they were not the only ones there. The gym was absolutely filled with their fellow students in various stages of dress, apparently having been plucked from where ever they were beforehand.

A monster suddenly danced onto the stage, startling everyone.

“Hello, everybody!” Gango yelled cheerfully, wearing a pair of shades and holding a microphone. “Thanks for showing up to the ‘Welcome to Canterlot High, Ultraman Ginga’, Welcome Party’!”

“Hm, a party and I was invited,” Wallflower remarked. It was a novel idea. She was often overlooked and never got an invitation. Well, now she was at a party but she wasn’t sure she wanted to attend.

“Wait, I recognize that voice,” Fluttershy realized. “Pinkie Pie.”

“That crazy monster is your crazy friend?” Lightning Dust gawked.

“You know, guys! You all made me really sad when you didn’t come to the party, but now that you’re here, we can finally have a good time! So, come on, let’s dance!”

The music dance and like puppets on strings the students danced but not of their own will. It freaked them out, and they began to cry in panic, but Pinkie Pie only heard cheers of joy.

*////*

“Fluttershy!? Wallflower!? Lightning!?” Sunset exclaimed when the girls suddenly disappeared. “Taro, what happened to them? They just disappeared!” Was this magic or something else?

“It would appeared they were teleported away,” Taro concluded.

“Is it the Dark Giant or one of the Dark Spark users?” Sunset asked.

“The latter. We need to rescue them,” Taro said.

“But where do we start looking?” Sunset asked.

*////*

Fluttershy did not like this, she did not like this at all. Being forced to danced as Pinkie Pie wore the skin of the monster was a terrible thing. Her feet were beginning to ache and she was exhausted already.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was oblivious to her ‘guest’s’ terror. All she cared about was having her party, but the guest of honor had yet to arrive.

“Hey, I planned this party for Ginga! Where is he?”

Fluttershy heard and quickly got an idea. She danced her way toward Gango.

“Pinkie, you really want Ginga to come?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, I set this party all for him!” Pinkie Pie whined.

“I can call him for you,” Fluttershy said.

“Really? You can? Really, really?”

“Yes, I can. I just need to get my phone.”

“OK! Call Ginga over!”

Fluttershy was given control of her body back and she took out her smartphone. She sent a quick text to Sunset Shimmer:

*////*

Sunset Shimmer took out her phone.

“It’s from Fluttershy!”

‘S.O.S.CHS. Pinkie’s a Monster.’

“Of course, it has to be in CHS,” Sunset frowned. That should have been the first place she looked. “C’mon, Taro!”

*////*

Sunset arrived at the school and could hear loud music coming from the gym, like there was a party inside. She went toward it when she was suddenly flung back by some kind of invisible barrier.

“It’s a forcefield!” Taro yelled.

“Now, you tell me,” Sunset groaned as she got back to her feet. “Everyone’s trapped in there. We need to get them out. But this forcefield’s going to be a pain for us to get through.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“If I had my unicorn magic I could just rip a hole open in the barrier, but I don’t have the luxury,” Sunset grumbled. That was the limitation of her human body; she did not have her magic which would’ve made this easier.

“Perhaps instead of getting inside, we bring the little party outside,” Taro suggested.

“You mean transform?” Sunset asked, “Nice idea but as long as Pinkie and the rest of the school is in there I would do more harm than good. Wait, I just got an idea.” She pulled out her phone and shot a text to Fluttershy.

*////*

“‘I’m outside, but Pinkie has made a forcefield to keep me out. I need you to piss her off so she comes out to where we can fight’,” Fluttershy read out loud.

“I don’t like this,” Wallflower said, “Making her angry is more likely to just make her more dangerous.”

“But Sunset can’t come in here. So we need some way to get Pinkie Pie outside.” said Fluttershy.

Lightning Dust grinned, an idea popping in her mind.

“HEY, PINKIE PIE! ANON-A-MISS IS OUTSIDE AND WANTS TO RUIN THE PARTY!” Lightning Dust yelled at the top of her lungs.

“Oh that’s not a problem, it’s not like she can come in. I made sure of it,” Pinkie said, clearly bitter about the slumber party.

“Crap, I thought for sure that would do it,” Lightning Dust said, sweating.

“That won’t work, there is only one way to get under her skin,” Fluttershy said, she took a few calming breaths, then screamed out, “THIS PARTY IS BORING!”

The entire room became deathly quiet, “What?”

Wallflower catching onto what Fluttershy was doing added her voice, “This party is just ‘another Pinkie party’ completely identical to your other parties!”

“What?” Pinkie repeated, with a slight growl.

“Yeah, your parties are all the same! Balloons, streamers, confetti and noise! Where is the difference!?” Lightning Dust joined in.

“WHAT!?” Pinkie demanded.

As Pinkie was distracted by Wallflower and Lightning Dust, Fluttershy went over to Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack, “Spread the word, get Pinkie mad so Ginga can fight her.”

“How could you know that?” Rainbow asked.

“Just trust me, please,” Fluttershy pleaded.

Rainbow stared at Fluttershy with suspicion, however, Pinkie still needed to be stopped, so she could only sigh, “Okay Flutters’ we’ll do it. One angry Pie, coming right up. Hey Pinkie…!”

Pinkie Pie was swiftly overwhelmed by dissatisfied party goers. They were bored? At her party? UNACCEPTABLE! But she did not know what else to do, so she just stood on the stage stewing in growing anger.

“Hey, Pinke,” Fluttershy spoke up one final time, “If you really want Ginga to show up, you should become a giant.”

That did it. That was the cake that finally broke the Pinkie’s back, “FINE! IF A GIANT IS WHAT YOU WANT, A GIANT YOU’LL GET!” She then popped out of the gym and once she was outside she began to grow.

*////*

“Hey, Taro. How strong is your Ultra Psychokinesis?” Sunset asked.

“Essentially, I can move objects,” Taro answered.

“Could you, I dunno, rip a hole open in a forcefield?” Sunset asked. “Just big enough for me get in.”

“That is not how Ultra Psychokinesis works. I cannot just rip apart a forcefield with it,” Taro said, offended by the question. “I can lift things, cause disorientation, and block projectiles. But for things like blocking prolonged energy attacks or breaking energy shields, it can’t do that.”

“Okay, I’m sorry, it’s just, we need to get inside to save everyone.”

“I understand, but trust in your friends. They can do this.”

Then the pair’s wait was rewarded by the sudden appearance of Pinkie Pie’s Gango, now gigantic, and very angry.

“Gango!? Sunset, be very careful, that monster is a wish-granter, anything Miss Pie wills is reflected on the world around it,” Taro warned.

As if demonstrating her power, the CHS suddenly turned into a massive bouncy castle at the metallic clang of Gango’s hands.

“Right, so it can do basically anything,” Sunset concluded.

Sunset dug into her backpack and pulled out the Miclas’ Spark Doll.

“Alright Miclas, you’re up!”

She touched the Ginga Spark to the sole of the Spark Doll.

“Hyah!”

Sunset raised the Ginga Spark up as it began to shine, engulfing her in its bright light.

ULTRA LIVE! MICLAS!

*////*

The screams of the students and faculty continued from inside of the bubble, further infuriating the now gigantic Gango Pinkie controlled.

“WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING!? YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LAUGHING! BOUNCY CASTLES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FUN! SO HAVE FUN!”

“That’s enough Pinkie,” a new voice declared, enraging her. Pinkie Pie saw Miclas, but the Dark Dummy Spark in her hand allowed her to see Sunset Shimmer within the monster.

“SUNSET SHIMMER! HOW DARE YOU SHOW UP TO MY PARTY UNINVITED!”

“Pinkie, look at what you’re doing! You’re scaring everybody! You can’t force people to have fun!”

“YES I CAN! THIS MONSTER CAN DO ANYTHING I WISH!”

“No it can’t! It can influence everything except people! That monster is not some ‘make people happy’ easy button! The longer you stay as that thing, the more likely you are to just kill someone!”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT I CAN OR CAN’T DO YOU PARTY CRASHER!” Pinkie let out in a final scream before charging at Sunset.

Sunset moved Miclas out of the way causing Gango to run right past and trip, faceplanting on the ground and shaking the city.

“Seriously, Pinkie! Stop this! I don’t wanna hurt you!”

“TOO LATE, ANON-A-MISS!” Pinkie swiftly got back up and attempted another charge with Gango, but Miclas just dodged her friend’s wild tackle again, once more sending her to the ground. “Ouchie. NO FAIR! YOUR MONSTER IS FASTER THAN MINE!”

Suddenly, Sunset felt sluggish, and Miclas began slowing down. “Oh crap.”

Gango roared and charged at Miclas. Unable to dodge, Sunset Shimmer was forced to put up her guard. Catching Gango, Miclas began to wrestle and struggle with its opponent. Sunset managed to win the wrestling match and got Pinkie into an arm lock.

“Pinkie! You aren’t violent! Please just give up!”

“LET GO!”

Once those words were said, an electric shock shot through Miclas, forcing Sunset to release
Gango. Pinkie was upon Sunset in a blur, swinging Gango’s metal claws wildly at Miclas, dealing damage on every swing and forcing Sunset back onto the defensive. Finally, Sunset managed to catch Gango’s right arm and countered with a right overhand punch to Pinkie’s throat.

“OW! STOP FIGHTING!” Pinkie screamed.

The effect of those words on Miclas were immediate, and very effective. Miclas dropped all offence and defence and just stood still as Pinkie charged again.

*////*

“Why isn’t Sunset fighting back?” Lightning Dust asked, watching the fight from inside the bouncy castle that was once the gym.

“Remember how Pinkie got us all here?” Wallflower said, “That monster grants anything she wants, so tell someone to dance, they dance. Tell someone to freeze, they freeze. Pinkie must have commanded Sunset to stop fighting.”

“Then we need to distract her somehow. With someone as ADD as Pinkie it shouldn’t be too hard,” Lightning Dust said as, outside, Gango body slammed Miclas again.

Fluttershy was terrified of everything that was happening. She knew the intent had been to anger Pinkie, but she did not think the party girl had quite this level of rage within her. Now Sunset was in trouble, and she could not do anything to help her. Another big hit shook the building, causing something to fall and drape over her head. When she threw it off in a panic, Fluttershy saw that it was the party banner. She was suddenly struck with inspiration.

“PINKIE! ULTRAMAN GINGA IS HERE!”

*////*

In an instant, Pinkie lost all of her rage.

“GINGA!? WHERE!? WHERE!?” she screamed excitedly, looking around frantically.

Sunset smiled, “Thanks, Fluttershy.”

Looking at Pinkie Pie, Sunset could not help but just pity the poor girl. She was so desperate for a party, to help cheer everyone up, that she fell victim to the alien that was giving out Dark Dummy Sparks, regardless of the consequences. The pink girl just wanted people to be happy, and while Sunset was still unhappy about the way Pinkie Pie had treated her due to Anon-A-Miss, she did not want her to become this monster.

Sunset Shimmer wanted to save her.

The Mark of Courage glowed on the back of her hand, triggering the Ginga Spark as it opened and released Ginga’s Spark Doll.

“Here we go, Ginga!”

ULTRA LIVE! ULTRAMAN GINGA!

Pinkie Pie was blinded by the bright light. When it died down, Miclas had disappeared and standing before Gango was none other than Ultraman Ginga.

“Sunset...You’re Ginga...?” Pinkie Pie gaped.

As if a spell was broken, Pinkie Pie’s will to fight seemed to fade away. Ginga was the one who saved them from the monsters, but Sunset was a huge meanie behind Anon-A-Miss, but Sunset was also trying to save everyone from her.

It was making her dizzy.

“Pinkie, I’ll explain everything later, but please trust me,” Sunset pleaded.

Pinkie Pie had trusted Sunset, but she had betrayed them, or had she? Was Sunset really behind Anon-A-Miss? Fluttershy did not seem to think so. And Sunset was Ginga, a hero, a hero could not be the bad guy behind Anon-A-Miss.

Pinkie Pie was mad at Sunset Shimmer but she adored Ultraman Ginga.

It was so confusing, but then Pinkie Pie listened to her heart. It told her what she needed to do.

“OK, Sunset. I trust you.”

Sunset smiled as she accessed another one of Ginga’s techniques. It wasn’t exactly an attack, but it would finish this fight. The crystals on Ginga’s body glowed green as a soothing aura radiated from his body. The green aura projected a shiny soft ray of emerald sparkles that rained down on Gango.

“Ginga Comfort.”

Inside Gango, the Dark Dummy Spark in Pinkie Pie’s hand disintegrated. This caused Gango to shrink down into a ball of light. Ginga caught the light and opened his palm to see Pinkie Pie resting in his palm as the Gango Spark Doll flew up and entered Ginga’s Color Timer.

“Pleasant dreams, Pinkie Pie.”

The bouncing castle vanished, freeing all the trapped students.

As Sunset watched the students and faculty slowly exit the gym, she smiled at their thankful looks and cheering, then lifted up into the sky.

*////*

“Where is she taking her?” Wallflower asked.

“Probably back home, better to get their talk done as soon as possible,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Speaking of, we should probably get back to Sunset’s place,” Lightning said.

“Can Trixie come with?”

The three girls turned around to see a shivering Trixie.

“Trixie? What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, Trixie was just taken from her home, so she isn’t exactly feeling very safe right now,” the magician responded, shakily.

Fluttershy was overcome with sympathy for the scared girl, and rushed over to hug her, “Oh Trixie, of course you can.”

Lightning Dust gagged at the display, “Can we go now? I think I’m getting a cavity just looking at this.”

The girls shared a laugh at that and made to leave the school, until the unmistakable voice of Rainbow Dash cut through the air, “FLUTTERSHY!”

The four girls turned around to see the chromatic haired girl being held back by Rarity and Applejack, “I KNEW YOU WERE INVOLVED IN THIS SOMEHOW!”

“Rainbow please, not now,” Fluttershy started.

“NO, NOW! WHERE DID GINGA TAKE PINKIE!? HOW IS SUNSET CONNECTED!? WHY WON’T YOU TALK TO US!?”

Lightning Dust suddenly stepped between Rainbow and Fluttershy, and said in a deadly calm voice, “Rainbow. I get that you’re frustrated, but taking it out on Fluttershy isn’t going to help. If you really want to know what’s happening around here, talk to Sunset. Until you work up the balls to do that, stay out of this.” With that, Lightning walked back to the other three girls, and began their walk back to Sunset’s home, while Rainbow glared at their backs.

Rainbow Dash swore, if Sunset was behind the recent monster attacks, then she would have to stop her.

*////*

In a nondescript section of Canterlot, Metron was not pleased, he had been so certain that the combination of Pinkie Pie and Gango would be a sure victory. But the girl had thrown the fight the instant Ultraman Ginga had entered the picture. Metron growled.

“Oh my, how surprising. The happiest girl in that school, with an adoration of Ultraman Ginga, failed to perform when Ultraman Ginga appeared, hm hm hm,” there was that damn bat.

“I do not need your smug preening Icarus.”

“Do you not? Any idiot could see that your plan was doomed to fail, hm hm hm. You just chose a manic party girl instead of someone with true malice.”

Metron growled, “That girl had every opportunity to end the fight, but instead, she decided to waste time with slapstick antics.”

“Yes, because, evidently her driving motivation is laughter, hm hm hm. She likely thought it would be funny.”

Icarus took out a tablet and then opened up the Anon-A-Miss MyStable page. He looked at all the older posts before he stopped at the ones that showed the Rainbooms at their slumber party. There were embarrassing photos and videos. Pinkie Pie was with them, as were the others. According to his investigation, these girls used to be friends with the girl who was now in possession of the Ginga Spark but Anon-A-Miss had caused a rift in their friendship.

Metron was losing ground in the argument, then a thought popped into his head, “Say, Icarus, would you like to make a wager?”

“Hm?”

“Tomorrow, we will each select a user with reasons to want to fight and pit them against each other.”

“Oh, a boxing match between users? Hm hm hm, sounds delightful. Very well Metron, I accept your challenge. Though, you do understand that Sunset Shimmer will not stand idle while it happens, correct?”

“Of course, which is why it will be judged by endurance, the first monster to fall loses,” Metron challenged.

Icarus sighed, “That sounds dull, but unavoidable. Very well, hm hm hm, tomorrow then.” He then faded from Metron’s sight.

“Yes” Metron said, pulling out a tablet and bringing up the sleepover pictures, “Tomorrow.”

Author's Note

Next time:

Pinkie Pie is saved and the Rainbooms are finally coming together again. Encouraged by the victory, Sunset decides to speak to Rainbow, but the arrival of the fashion star Trenderhoof throws a wrench into these plans when he latches onto her. Furious about being snubbed by the man, Rarity seeks his destruction, as Metron and Icarus' plan takes hold.

Trending Jealousy: Rarity vs Trenderhoof

Just a heads up, before this we are going to take an Interlude to deal with the talk with Pinkie, so watch for that.

So Gango

* Gango's original form is a rock that takes the form of anything you think of, from marbles to even a wife.
* He hails from the original Ultraman on September 25, 1966 in the episode The Rambunctious One From Space.

Once again, special thanks to my co-writer, KR Chrome, for helping make this chapter happen.