As usual, there was music as Armor approached the hacker’s domain. Steeling himself for another assault on his senses by gangster rap, to his surprise it sounded more like… opera?

Hm. Apparently, White Hat had more diverse tastes than he’d realized.

Then, he heard her voice. She was moaning, as if in pain. Her moans and cries distinctly getting louder, clearer with every second, even with the music playing.

Armor broke into a run, nightmarish images assailing his mind. Someone had gotten into her room, he realized. She’d left it unlocked before. And, fresh from Twilight’s latest accusations, he had to admit to himself that White Hat wouldn’t be the first witness to be viciously beaten by the Stillwater PD.

That’s why the change in music, he thought frantically, someone just put on a random soundtrack to cover the sounds of their brutality…!

He reached the door when he heard the scream, only slightly muffled by the steel as he grabbed his keys and hastily unlocked the portal and flung it open…

There was a second’s pause as he stared, frozen in shock. Then, she opened her eyes and looked over languidly… and saw him.

Instantly, she was in motion, scrambling for her sheets, shrieking, “JESUS!” And he was on the other side of the freshly slammed door, absolutely mortified.

There were some fumbling sounds from within, and the music stopped, leaving Armor alone with what had just happened.

She’d been naked. Flushed and shaking from climax, achingly beautiful. Several years younger than he was, but definitely of age. And no matter how he tried, the questions, along with the images, just wouldn’t stop.

He knew what a dildo was, of course. But that thing had looked more like a baseball bat than a sex toy.

Wouldn’t using something like that hurt?

Where did she get it in the first place? How did she get it into the building?

Should he confiscate it as a weapon?

And if he did, how would he fill out the paperwork?

And… why was it purple?

Then, mercifully, he heard another sound coming from within.

Laughter.

Thank whatever gods there are, he thought. At least I didn’t emotionally scar the poor girl for life.

Finally, reluctantly, he rapped his knuckles on the door.

“Oh,” she laughed, “Now he knocks!”

“I am really, really sorry,” he said, eyes screwed shut. “God, I’m sorry. Can I come in? Are you decent? I am so sorry...”

There was still mirth in her voice as she said, “You can, and I’m… well, shit, what are you going to do, unsee me?”

Carefully, slowly, Shining Armor opened the door.

White Hat was sitting on her bed, still slightly aglow, ruby hair tousled. She was wrapped in a white sheet, which did exactly nothing to diffuse the situation, but mercifully the giant phallus was nowhere in sight.

“I am so, God, I am so sorry,” he said.

She chuckled a little, shaking her head. “Don’t sweat it, Boss. Honestly, I think that was harder on you than me. I mean, if you’d really wanted to watch…”

Feeling himself grow even more crimson, Armor covered his eyes with one hand. “Oh, come on, don’t do that.”

He could hear the grin in her voice as she continued, “What? You know what they say, it’s always better with someone watching…”

He covered his face with both hands, saying nothing.

“Okay, you’re right,” White Hat said, her voice suddenly compassionate. “I’m sorry. You caught me off guard, and I’m sorry. I’ll be good, it’s okay, I’ll stop making you uncomfortable. Honest. I’m sorry.”

Nodding, still blushing, he lowered his hands and stared at the ceiling, saying, “And I do apologize for barging in on you. Seriously.”

“And I accept your apology, and offer my own, equally seriously.”

“Accepted,” he said, much relieved.

White Hat nodded, saying, “Can I safely call attention to one point of irony, though?”

“I… think so?”

“If you ever had wanted to find out what I’m into, I’m pretty sure it’s all on file somewhere,” she said. “When I was caught, the FIB did a thorough investigation on all my online activities, and they threatened to defame my character with them if I went to court.”

He stared at her, horrified. “You’re kidding.”

She shrugged. “Nope. They had me dead to rights anyway, but me being into kink let them add humiliation to the equation.”

He kept staring, absolutely outraged, and a moment later she laughed again.

“Okay, now you look like a protective dad,” she said, grinning.

He winced, and she sighed.

“Sorry,” she said again. “I didn’t know.”

He shook his head. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault, it’s mine.”

She sighed again, running a hand through her hair. “I guess today is our day for tripping on each other’s land mines, huh?”

He smiled a little. “Interesting analogy. But yeah, I guess so.”

There was a moment of silence, and then she said, “So, moving on to other subjects, what beings you to my little nook?”

Nodding, Shining Armor said, “I want you to look at every file associated with the Apple family and Sweet Apple Acres. And I mean do a thorough investigation, looking for any and all signs of possible in-house tampering, as well as what was most likely really done at the time. Before, during, and after the raid. And by whom.”

Suddenly, White Hat was all business again. With a speed he hadn’t thought possible, she maneuvered under her sheet, and then emerged safely clad in a black sports bra and shorts. An instant later, she was seated in front of her setup and typing.

After a few more moments, Shining Armor said, “You haven’t asked me why you’re looking into this.”

“Nope,” she affirmed, still typing, “I sure haven’t.”

After a few more seconds, he spoke again.

“This isn’t an official inquiry.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t get caught.”

Still hovering awkwardly, he added, “It’s not part of the investigation, so you don’t have to do this.”

“I’ve read Apple Bloom’s File. And you guys just raided her family’s old plantation. And you’re worried enough that you’re asking questions off the book. So yeah, I think maybe I do.”

More silence. Finally, White Hat spoke again.

“Okay, so just to clear the air,” she said, still typing, “You’ve got a ring, and you’re a total boy scout. Also, a dad.

“Protective dad, specifically,” she added with just a hint of a smile in her voice.

Then, serious again, “But you spend most of your nights in your office. Plus, you’re a cop. So, I’m guessing married, but separated. Right so far?”

“That’s right,” he said cautiously. “Four years apart, but I’m still married.”

“Right. So, it’s been a long time – like, a really long time, Jesus Christ – for both of us.

“But,” she added, holding up a finger, “I don’t do marrieds – not closed marrieds, anyway – and you don’t fool around. That sound about right?”

Armor felt himself relaxing a little. “That’s exactly right.”

She nodded, typing again. “Okay. So, we both know what you saw. And you are hot in every way there is to be hot. We’re not children. We’re not kids. But we’re also not doing anything, and we’re not going to do anything.”

She clicked on a few things, then resumed typing, saying, “So, we’re both going to be strong, and if need be, we’re going to be strong for each other. And someday you’ll get back with your wife, and when you do you’ll feel really, really fucking good about it. Because, and this is the important part… nothing happened.”

She pivoted in her chair to face him.

“Deal?” she asked.

He smiled, holding out his hand. “Okay. Deal.”

She shook her head, turning back around.

“Nonono, no physical contact,” she said. “Not yet. I am not ready for that. You just work on getting back with your wife, and I’ll fantasize about people in spiked leather with safety words. Okay?”

“Okay. Deal,” he said again. “And… thank you.”

She smiled. “No problem.”

Then, as he turned to leave, she flashed him a mischievous grin over a freckled, cream-colored shoulder.

“So, you gonna knock next time?”

He matched her grin with a wink. “Well, only if you want me to.”

She gave him a startled look, and then she started laughing again. Armor laughed as well, and both were still laughing when he closed and re-locked the door.

She listened to the sound of his footsteps retreating along the disused concrete hall. After a minute in the silence of her workspace, White Hat sighed, leaning back.

She thought about his shoulders, the way his suits fit him when he moved. His smile. The way his abs would feel. How strong his arms probably were.

All that, plus kindness, integrity, and a sense of humor.

She shook her head in disbelief as she worked.

“I am a saint,” she muttered. “I… am a fucking… saint.”

She finished the last line of code she’d been working on, hit Enter, and sat back, staring at the far wall.

“This world does not deserve me.”

The fallout shelter reeked of dust. It seemed to cover everything. The walls, the floors… oh, Sunset had cleaned the ceiling as much as she could, and sprayed the hell out of the place to get rid of the bugs. But Wallflower suspected that if she left tomorrow, the only real traces of Sunset having been there would have been the tracks she and her equipment would leave on the dusty concrete floor.

The ancient bulbs buzzed and flickered, yellowed with age, illuminating crates of various supplies left over from the Cold War. Rusted steel shelves were stacked haphazardly along one wall, along with rolls of unused carpet, filing cabinets, and broken desks, all covered with generations worth of dust and grime.

And lastly, the familiar pile of stone ruin that lay to the side. Huge, ancient pieces of shattered stone, brought in from above, long ago. A final memento of the day that everything had changed.

Sunset Shimmer was sitting at her workstation in the middle of the room, typing away, surrounded by tables of computer equipment, food, and air purifiers.

Wallflower knocked on the huge steel doors, shave-and-a-haircut.

In a flash, Sunset was standing, pistol in hand, pointing at the huge portal. Then, frowning, she lowered her firearm.

“Wally?”

Feeling miserable, Wallflower Bush let herself be seen.

Seeing Wallflower Blush de-cloak, or whatever it was, had always been disorienting for Sunset. It wasn’t so much like she popped into view, or even faded in, so much as the mind just suddenly understood that she was there. Like being a kid playing outside, and then suddenly looking around and realizing that it was dark out, and that it had been for some time.

Sunset let out a breath, lowering her gun. “God damn it, what the hell are you thinking?”

For her part, Wallflower just shrugged.

“I mean, not that I’m not glad to see you,” Sunset added. “It’s just… you’re going to get hurt, startling people like that. It’s not like when we were in school, you know?”

Still silent, Wallflower wrapped her arms around herself protectively, looking anywhere but at Sunset.

Frowning, Sunset rose and started to approach her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

And then, considering for a moment, she added, “Also, how did you find me? Again, not that I’m not glad to see you…”

Her voice trailed off, and she added a cautious, “I… am glad to see you, aren’t I?”

Wallflower shrugged again.

Gently, careful to avoid direct skin contact, Sunset reached out, put a hand on Wallflower’s shoulder.

“Hey?”

Finally, Wallflower spoke.

“I’ve known you were here for a while,” she said softly. “I mean, where else would you go? This is where you first came through the gate, where it all started. Where else would you feel safe?”

Sunset gave a sheepish chuckle. “Heh. Maybe I should move.”

The green woman shook her head, still looking away. “I wouldn’t worry. Somebody – I assume you – changed the school blueprints online. Officially, this place doesn’t exist, and never did. And since Armor never went to school here, the cops don’t have a clue.”

Sunset raised a knowing eyebrow. “Uh-huh. And how do you know that?”

Wallflower gave another shrug. “It’s my job to peek over the right shoulders from time to time. Especially when those shoulders are searching for you and your friends, and where you might be hiding. Which is kind of why I’m here, and kind of not.”

Sunset’s smile vanished and she took on a worried frown. “Your job?”

“You know I’m working for Trixie, right?”

“I’d… suspected.”

“Well, suspect no more. And however bad you think it is, it’s worse.”

“Do you need a place to hide? I’ve got space.”

“That won’t help.”

“But—”

Wallflower shrugged off her hand as she walked away from her, further into the room.

“Trixie’s got my hair,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where I am.”

“What? But she doesn’t have that kind of…”

“Those green amulets the Sirens had, during the gang war,” Wallflower sighed, shaking her head. “Somehow, Trixie combined them into one. Or maybe they were always the same stone, I don’t know. But her magic is super powerful now. There’s no escape. Not for me, not for any of us.”

“Wally?” Sunset whispered, growing pale.

Silence.

Sunset swallowed. “Wally, does she know where I am?”

Wallflower’s back was etched in sorrow as she shook her head again.

“If she asked, I'd have to tell her,” the green woman said. “I wouldn’t have any choice. But she's never asked.”

Then, with another sigh, she added, “Maybe she doesn't care. Maybe it's just never occurred to her. All she really cares about is that damn stone. It's taken over her life completely.”

Then, miserably, she finally turned to face Sunset, eyes filled with unshed tears.

“You wouldn't recognize her if you saw her, Sunny. She doesn't eat, she barely drinks anything… I don't think she even sleeps. She just fawns over her amulet and schemes, with the occasional break to kill somebody. It's like if a junkie’s drug was turning them into a demigod. I don’t know how long I’ve got, I…”

Sunset moved to embrace her, but Wallflower stepped back, shaking her head.

“No, no contact,” she said.

“But I wasn’t—”

“I know, but I can’t chance it. Anybody finds out too much about anything, even by accident, I’m as good as dead.”

“Then… Wally, why are you here?”

Wallflower sniffed, then looked away again.

“I’m here to lure Twilight into a trap.”

For a moment, all Sunset could do was stare.

“What?”

“Trixie wants to kill Twilight. And any other Rainbooms working with her,” Wallflower said dejectedly. “She’ll be at a set location, waiting with a small army, all armed to the teeth. And I’m here to make sure Twilight goes there.”

Despite herself, Sunset took a step back. Her sidearm, still pointed down, was nonetheless a reassuring weight in her hand.

“And I mean, sure, I want Twilight to know it’s a trap,” Wallflower went on, the tears flowing freely now. “I want her to win! And the whole way here, I kept thinking she could! But now…”

Arms still crossed, the green woman hunched over, her fingers digging into her arms as she finished, “But the more I think about it, the more I’m not sure she can, and if she can’t… Sunset, what the hell have I turned into?”

Slowly, carefully, Sunset moved to one side, so she wouldn’t be blocking Wallflower’s path to the door. She sat down cross-legged, the least threatening posture she could think of, and thought very carefully about her next words.

“I can’t tell you that,” she said at last. “I’ve never been in your position. And I sure as hell can’t look at this unemotionally. So, let me ask you this: are you deliberately trying to set up Twilight?”

Wallflower stared, putting her clenched fists to her chest.

“What? No!” she cried. “God, no!”

“Okay, then,” Sunset said, as calmly as she could. Her voice sounded cold, even to her. “Give me the information, and I’ll see to it that Twilight gets it. And I’ll make sure she knows it’s a trap, and how powerful Trixie is, and why. That’s why you’re here, right?”

Unable to speak, Wallflower nodded.

“Then just give me the information and go. The less you know from here, the better. Just in case Trixie does ask you.”

Finally, Wallflower nodded. “There’s one condition, though.”

Sunset felt a sudden, irrational surge of rage fill her.

You’re already putting Twilight into a trap, she thought wildly, one that you think is probably going to get her killed, and now you’re setting conditions?!?

Sunset grabbed the thought and the anger behind it, wrestled it down, forced it into a box in her mind. She would deal with that later. In the meantime, she hoped that her struggle hadn’t shown.

So, she kept her voice as calm and steady as she could as she asked, “What condition?”

“Twilight has to promise not to kill her. No matter what happens, Trixie lives.”

Sunset stared, and, once again, Wallflower turned away.

“You and me, we’ve both been under the influence of bad magic,” Wallflower said quietly. “So has Twilight. Remind her, if you have to. After all, the only difference between us and Trixie is that somebody was there for us. Somebody was there to help us, when we needed it the most.”

Then, looking back at Sunset, she added, “But when Trixie needed it, nobody was there for her. Not you. Not me. And so, some weird magical jewel got on top of her. Which means that everything she’s done, all of it, no matter how bad… that could have been us.”

Sunny nodded, her anger gone as suddenly as it had risen. “I’m pretty sure she won’t need reminding, but I’ll remind her anyway. And I’m sure that she’ll give her promise. And keep it.”

“And if she won’t?”

“I won’t tell her unless she does.”

Wallflower nodded. “Okay. I hope I can trust you. I mean, if I’m wrong about you, if you’ve changed for the worse, like so many others…”

Then, shaking her head, “God, I am so screwed.”

Sunset gave her a rueful look. “You know, for what it’s worth, my offer still stands.”

“No, I should go.”

Wallflower walked to the door. Then, turning back to Sunset, she said, “She’s at the steel plant. She said there would be about a hundred guys there, but figure more, and figure they’ll all be armed to the teeth and flying on something. And maybe other stuff, too. Trixie doesn’t tell me everything.”

“Okay, I’ll let her know. Thanks, Wally.”

Wordlessly, Wallflower Blush slowly pulled open the massive doors.

“You know,” Sunset said gently, “if Twilight didn’t promise, then I wouldn’t tell her. That means she wouldn’t go. And you know Trixie would take it out on you, right? You’re literally risking your life to save her. So, if you’re wondering what the hell you’re turning into, I think that’s a pretty good indicator.”

Wallflower hesitated, and for a moment Sunset thought she might say something else, or even change her mind about staying. But then she was gone, the steel portal slowly closing behind her.

Sunset looked at the gun in her hand with something bordering on disgust, and tossed it away, sending it skittering and spinning into the dust.

She rose, dusted off her jeans, walked over to the doors. Then she sat down again, her back against the cold steel that separated her from the rest of the human race.

“You’re a better friend than I am, Wally,” Sunset whispered. “Better than I’ve ever been, or ever could be. Thank you for that.”

She looked around herself at the filthy bunker that had become her life. Then, she closed her eyes, letting herself slump, forehead to her knees. Hugging her legs, she thought of her foalhood, years and worlds away. She thought of her friends, past and present. People she’d loved and hurt through the years, both living and lost.

Then, she forced her head up again.

“But that’s not today,” she said. “Today, I have things to do.”

With an effort of will, she stood, and made herself walk to her workstation once more.

“And if there’s a way that I can help make things better, then I’m going to do it.”

A minute later, she was typing again, carefully creating as traceless a virtual pathway as she could between herself and the woman who still held her heart.

Wallflower closed the massive doors, crossing her arms around herself once more. There was so much she’d wished she could tell Sunset. So much she wished she could undo, or go back and do differently, or even do differently today.

Still, it remained: there were a few things she could do, right now.

Wallflower Blush kissed her own fingertips, then touched the kiss to the door. Closing her eyes, she sent her power into the door and through it, along the concrete walls and through them, through floor and ceiling and back again. Strengthening the magic that encased the fallout shelter once again, as she had so many times before.

She sighed, letting her arm fall listlessly to her side. There were a lot of things she would have liked to tell Sunset about. Keeping her headquarters unnoticed and easily forgotten was just one of them. But the fewer who knew that she was doing anything to help at all, the better.

After all, she’d already trusted someone once, and that had landed her in chains. The second time could be fatal. And it wasn’t like Sunset would want to have anything to do with her after this, anyway.

Still hugging herself miserably, Wallflower Blush started up the broken stairs of her old school, alone as always, upwards into the ruins of her past. The shadows and dust reached out to embrace her, and then she was gone.

Author's Note

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Ending credits: A Question of Honour, by Sarah Brightman.