The Witchblade EqG: The 13 Artifacts

The morning light bled through the designer curtains in Rarity’s room, the fashionista lay sleeping in her plush, queen sized bed, but she wasn’t alone. Oh no, for you see, her bed was occupied with another. This other occupant sported well-toned muscles, freckled, sun kissed skin that was rough for a teen girl, but understandable for one that had been working on her family’s farm for most of her life. Rarity stirred awake, her clothes long discarded and laid strewed on the floor, normally such an action would be unacceptable, but considering the spontaneous, passionate outcome of their night together, it was something that could be overlooked.

Rarity continued to lie there on her right side, simply admiring the girl who had infatuated her for longer than she cared to admit. They were the most unlikely of people to get together, the farmer and the fashionista, one who was a straight up tomboy, and the other, she’ll admit, was a girly-girl. She remembered how Applejack marveled at the smoothness of Rarity’s skin last night against her own, and it seemed to worry her a little, prompting Rarity to ask what was wrong?

“Ah…Ah’m just afraid of hurtin’ ya is all.”

“Darling you’re sweet, but you needn’t worry about such a thing.”

“It’s just…when Big Mac and Ah did it…we could be as rough as we wanted, we knew each other’s limits and how hard we could be…Ah just realized when I felt you, you’re softer…”

Rarity remembered cupping the cheek of her lover and planting a comforting kiss upon her lips. “Applejack, you won’t hurt me.”

“B-But…”

“Shh…I trust you, Love.”

It took a bit of confidence building to get Applejack going, but eventually Rarity managed to get Applejack over her fear. What Applejack said last night only endeared the apple farmer to her even more, she was so concerned over hurting her during their lovemaking that it almost paralyzed her from doing anything else, but that was the beauty of this new relationship, exploring one another, finding out what the other loved and loathed, what they preferred in bed and what they were willing to experiment with. Admittedly, Applejack was a little rough with her, she raised the blanket a little to look down at her bare body. There was a small bite mark around her right breast, not deep enough to puncture the skin, but deep enough to leave a small bruise.

Definition of a “love bite”, thought Rarity.

While she did lament the blemishing of her flawless skin, it had turned her on quite a bit to be roughly handled. Perhaps she had treated herself so daintily that maybe she had developed a fetish for being manhandled in bed? The thought of having Applejack throw her onto the bed, rip her clothes off, and push her head into the mattress as her rugged farm girl used a strap-on to claim her from behind like she was an animal to be bred…Rarity gulped at the brief fantasy that played out in her mind. Discreetly, she placed a hand down towards her womanhood and blushed when she found herself quite moistened.

Her gaze fell back to Applejack and feigned an annoyed glare. Applejack, you’re corrupting me with lewd thoughts, and we’ve only been together a week.

That being said, she did find it a shame that Applejack didn’t treat herself with a little more care. While exploring her amour’s body, she found a few scars that were developed over Applejack’s many years of working on her farm. Some were scratches, other’s looked like puncture wounds, and she presumed that underneath the skin her lover had broken her bones more than once. Such was the life of living and working on a farm, you can be as careful as you can be, but accidents happened, and you get hurt. Applejack truly was a beautiful girl; her long flowing golden locks were frazzled with some split ends. She knew Applejack did the minimum of personal care to herself, but if she did a bit more, Rarity believed that others would see just how beautiful she was, just like Rarity did every day.

A good spa day, and the right wardrobe, she’d look absolutely gorgeous. Although it’d probably be a cold day in hell before she allowed me to subject her to all that, she wouldn’t let me do that much to her during Fall Formal.

Applejack began to stir, yawning widely and smacking her lips a little. Her eyes fluttered open as she stared up at the ceiling and then turned her gaze to the left. “Mornin’, Sug.”

“Good morning, my love,” Rarity replied. The fashionista lowered herself so she could rest her head on Applejack’s left shoulder, allowing the farm girl to wrap that same arm around her. “Sleep well?”

“Actually, yeah, Ah did.” A look of trepidation appeared on her face as Applejack asked, “Sorry if Ah got a little rough halfway through…”

Rarity giggled and wrapped her arms around her lover’s torso. “Darling, it’s quite alright. Besides, I think I might’ve developed a new fetish for us to try out next time.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow at that. “What kinda ‘fetish’ are ya talkin’ about, specifically?”

The fashionista tittered and replied, “Now, now, don’t worry, it won’t be something over the top or outlandish, but I promise you’ll like it. And it might appeal to a certain part of you that’s probably wanted to this particular thing to me for a long while.”

“Okay, now ya gotta tell me what it is.”

“Sorry, Love, it’ll be a surprise, but I promise the wait will be worth it,” Rarity assured.

Applejack sighed but decided to drop it, whatever it was, it must be something good if she’s not going to tell. “Alright, Sug, I’ll trust ya. So, what do ya want to do today?”

Rarity cuddled closer to Applejack. “Hmm, I’m currently debating whether or not we should just stay in bed the whole day, just like this.”

“Ah wouldn’t mind, but won’t yer parents wonder why we haven’t come down? Do they even know we’re datin’?”

“I haven’t told them yet,” Rarity admitted, “And you needn’t worry about them coming to check on us. They’re out on one of their weekend trips.”

“Huh, they normally do that?” Applejack asked.

“They haven’t as much, what with the Wendigo and The War, but once in a while they will, this just so happened to be one of those weekends,” Rarity explained.

“So, they leave ya to look after Sweetie on yer own?”

“Sweetie – despite that Anon-A-Miss debacle – is mature for her age, and so long as she stays away from the kitchen, she’s perfectly alright on her own, but otherwise, yes, I do look after her more often than not.”

Applejack smiled and laid back, but one thing did pique her interest. “What do you mean ‘so long as she stays away from the kitchen’?”

Rarity was about to open her mouth, but then stopped when she smelt something. “Pardon me, but do you smell something, Love?”

Applejack blushed. “Depends…we did work up a sweat last night…then there’s the, uh, ahem, ‘sex smell’ still in the air…”

Rarity blushed as well but shook her head in the negative. “No, not those smells, I was well aware of those.”

Applejack sat up and sniffed the air, trying to determine the smell herself, after a second she was picking up a different scent among the others. “It almost smells like…”

Rarity and Applejack came to the same conclusion and said at the same time, “SMOKE!”

As soon as they that word was uttered, the door to Rarity’s room opened up and Sweetie Belle strode in carrying a tray of black, sooty substances. “Morning Sis! Morning Applejack!”

“SWEETIE BELLE?!!!” Rarity exclaimed as she hurriedly raised the blankets to cover herself and Applejack. “What have I told you about knocking before coming into my room?!”

A sly smile formed on the young teenager’s lips. “Why are you and Apple Bloom’s big sis in bed together, naked?”

“Uh…well…ya see…” Applejack stuttered.

“It’s none of your business why Applejack and I are like this, Sweetie,” said Rarity.

“I knew it, you guys are totally dating! Did you guys…you know…last night?” Sweetie asked in a tone that told them she already knew the answer but just wanted them to say it.

“Sweetie Belle! That’s – well – we – that is to say – What business is it of yours?!” Rarity demanded.

“I was just wondering if I can start calling Apple Bloom my sister.”

The two older teens’ faces were turning bright red as the cheeky little teen continued to prod them.

“Uh, Sugar Cube, did ya need somethin’? Wait, ferget that, we smelled smoke earlier!” Applejack exclaimed.

Rarity sighed heavily. “Don’t worry, Applejack, I know exactly where it’s coming from, and it’s not a fire.”

Sweetie Belle proceeded to walk to their bed. “I made you two breakfast, I figured you two ‘worked out’, a lot, last night.” Again, the two older teens blushed. “So, I made you a little something!”

“Aww, Sugar Cube, that’s mighty nice of ya,” said Applejack.

“You won’t be thinking that in a second,” Rarity whispered under her breath.

Sweetie Belle placed the try on the bed, allowing Applejack and Rarity to see what she had made. Applejack thought that Sweetie might’ve made some toast, toaster pastries, frozen waffles and microwavable bacon, she didn’t fully expect or know if Sweetie Belle knew how to cook so she expected that much. However, what she saw was not what she expected at all. There were two plates, each had some unrecognizable black, burnt something’s placed upon them, one of them was long and another looked like mush. Next to those were two bowls that had black goop inside that bubbled, alongside that were two glasses of the same black substance.

“This…looks great…Sugar Cube…this oatmeal in the bowls?” Applejack asked.

“Nope, toast!” Sweetie stated innocently.

Toast?! H-How in the Sam Hill did she turn toast inta…to…black sludge?! Applejack thought, completely perplexed. Her gaze fell on the two glasses and dared to ask, “And, uh, what’s in the glasses?”

“Orange juice!”

HOW DO YA BURN JUICE????!

Applejack glanced to her girlfriend, wordlessly pleading with Rarity to explain this. Unfortunately, Rarity only offered a sigh and a shake of the head, another wordless gesture that indicated that Applejack didn’t know either.

Rarity leaned in close to Applejack and whispered, “You don’t have to eat it, you know. It would not be the first time I have declined her…ugh…homemade meals.”

Applejack saw expectant look on Sweetie’s face, she looked so proud of her efforts, and was trying to show her support for the relationship between her and Rarity. Steeling her resolve, Applejack picked up one of the burnt pieces of what was “food” from the plate. Rarity cringed and bit her lower lip, praying for her newly acquired girlfriend and secretly reaching for her cellphone in order to call an ambulance. Sweetie Belle’s eyes grew with wide glee, happy to see someone – especially a potential big sister-in-law – enjoy her cooking.

The apple farmer brought up the “food” to her mouth, opened it, brought the piece closer to her mouth, and then she bit into it.

{Agent, what do you have to report?}

“Well, let’s see…bupkis.”

{Are you kidding me?! You’ve been there a week; you should have something by now!}

“Sorry, a lot of leads to follow, nothing concrete. But then again, it wouldn’t probably be this messy if the people up top didn’t drag their asses in getting someone here,” said Tempest.

Silence hung for several seconds before the voice on the other end responded, {…………Just do your job. Signing off.}

Tempest heard the line go dead, with a bemused smile she put her cellphone down and looked at her desk. Although what she said to her agency contact was a lie, it was also a little true. Scattered across her desk were pictures and notes regarding multiple different incidents that had occurred in Canterlot City within the past few months. Crime scene photos and files that she managed to get ahold of through her contacts in the CCPD, the agency had moles in various places across the world, and in different counties and cities, and the contacts here in the city were particularly grateful to have a field agent come and do something.

The OSOD agent had managed to procure an apartment and set up shop. She had a wall dedicated to pictures, while her coffee table acted as her makeshift desk. On the wall she had several photographs, and each one had a red thread that connected to another picture. The one at the center was that of the girl named Sunset Shimmer. Why was this girl at the center of her Web of Conspiracy?

Case File 1-1:

· Subjects:
o #1: Sunset Shimmer
o #2: Pinkamena Diane Pie.
· Incident Report:
o Subjects were targeted by a human possessed by a demonic spirit, transforming them into a monstrous being. Subject 1, according to Subject 2, was impaled and gravely injured by the monster, later confirmed to be Beetle Underwood. DNA confirms that Subject 1 was at the scene where Subject 2 described, but Subject 1’s body was not at the scene. It was later confirmed that Subject 1 had somehow made it back to her home and was uninjured. Later that night, Subject 2 was attacked by Beetle Underwood again, but was then saved by the anomalous being known as “Witchblade”.

Case File 2-1:

· Subject(s):
o #1: Sunset Shimmer
o #2: Lightning Dust
o #3: Detective Shining Armor
· Incident Report:
o Subject 1 was reportedly attacked by Subject 2. Subject 1 has been the target of cyber bullying, not to her directly. The culprit posed as Subject 1 online and revealed secrets of her fellow classmates, causing alienation and animosity towards her, this seemed to be the culprit’s motive rather than the school as a whole. This in turn caused Subject 2 to attack Subject 1 to exact vengeance on Subject 1 on behalf of the students. Subject 2 nearly killed Subject 1, if not for the assistance of another student trying to stop Subject 2, which allowed Subject 1 to retaliate.
o A creature appeared calling itself, the “Harpy”, attacked later that night and killed a few people. The last victim, or victim-to-be, was the principal of Subject 1’s school and her legal guardian, Celestia. After taking Subject 1 to the hospital for her injuries, Celestia was abducted, a few seconds later, Witchblade appeared and saved Celestia.
o Subject 2 was later confirmed to be the Harpy, at night, when Subject 2 was thought to have been killed by her father, retired racing champion, Wind Rider. The first on the scene was Subject 3 and Witchblade. Witchblade did not kill Subject 2, but instead, according to accounts by Subject 2 and a teen girl who was at the site, Witchblade managed to extract the demonic presence, interrogate it, and destroy it.

Case File 3:

· Subject(s):
o Subject 1: Sunset Shimmer
o Subject 2: Rarity Belle
· Incident Report:
o Subject 1 and 2 were involved together, although Subject 2 was the main target. Subject 2 was a part of the fashion show that the city was putting on, Subject 2’s model, Silva Evergreen, was murdered by a demon possessed human (it should be noted that this was done in an attempt to sabotage Subject 2). Subject 1 became the Subject 2’s new model and entered the competition as such. During the competition night, one of the competitors, Suri Polomare, revealed that it was she who killed Silva Evergreen, and became a spider-like creature to try and outright kill Subject 2. Both Subjects managed to escape, but after their escape, it was Witchblade who ended Suri Polomare’s life.

Case File 4:

· Subject(s):
o #1: Sunset Shimmer
o #2: Applejack Apple
o #3: Detective Shining Armor
· Incident Report:
o It is unclear if Subject 1 was directly involved in this incident. Subject 2’s younger sister was kidnapped in front of Canterlot High School, upon which Subject 1 ran after the culprits. Subject 2’s younger sister, Apple Bloom Apple, informed police that she was saved by Witchblade.
o Subject 3, without prior knowledge of his captain or colleagues, infiltrated Flim & Flam Inc. and somehow managed to uncover that the owners were also possessed by demonic spirits, and worked with Witchblade to defeat them.

It was like this for the rest, Sunset Shimmer was either near, or at the scene of each of these incidents, and shortly thereafter, Witchblade showed up. With that in mind, Tempest started to work backwards from each of the incidents with Sunset as the main subject of each of them. The war between the entities of that called themselves Angelus and the Darkness. One thing that also stood out amongst the cases, was that Detective Shining Armor seemed to have some kind of relationship with Witchblade, as he has openly spoken with the armored heroine on more than one occasion and has been approached by her.

Yesterday’s little run in with Sunset wasn’t by accident, using the Wheel of Shadows allowed Tempest to meld with the shadows, essentially granting her the ability to teleport using any darkened, shadowy area, and travel in someone’s shadow as well. There was something that struck Tempest as odd, when she looked into Sunset Shimmer’s identity, she found two files. One belonging to a uber rich girl whose parents were killed five years ago, and then the one that was currently living in this city. It took Tempest all of a minute to verify that the personal records of the non-rich Sunset were recently created, almost four years old, at best. The work wasn’t bad, but if you know what you’re looking for, it was easy to see that the documents concerning Sunset Shimmer were fake. Someone intentionally entered her into the system.

Even stranger, it showed that the non-rich Sunset was living in a home that was rented and paid for by Celestia, her guardian. And not too long ago, she moved into her twin’s mansion. The rich Sunset Shimmer had records going back eighteen years since the day of her birth, mother and father are notated, and even the hospital where she was born. The other was an orphan on the street. Now it is possible that the parents got rid of the twin, Tempest would be damned if she understood all the crazy stuff rich people do, so it wouldn’t surprise her if that was the case. Although, a long-lost twin was kind of cliché.

Everything was just pointing to Sunset Shimmer being more than she seemed, and she confirmed that a bit at the mall earlier. When she saw that guy raise his shirt to show off his gun, she could see Sunset was already contemplating how to take him down while keeping her girlfriend safe, if she was Witchblade, it would’ve been easy for her to dispatch the thugs, but then again, revealing your secret identity wasn’t a good thing. So, Tempest stepped in, and found that the teenage girl was more skilled than she seemed, fighting with speed and strength that were on par with Tempest, and even having no sense of fear in her actions, fighting without any hesitation.

It might’ve been preemptive to show herself to Sunset Shimmer this early, but if anything, it might make any future encounters with her easier if she can establish a bond of trust.

Last night, though, was crazy. She had tailed Sunset back to the mansion, she didn’t follow Sunset and Pinkie inside, privacy and all that. But then she confirmed her suspicions of Sunset being Witchblade when she saw the girl fly out the back of the mansion in her armor. Tempest continued to follow after Sunset and watched as she and Ember fought together to take down Blood Sword, followed by a couple of girls coming in by car, with the driver of said car using some kind of mystical item to banish the demonic spirit of the sword that the possessed teen girl was using. Ember went in pursuit of the blood demon, but it escaped, even Tempest had a hard time locating the demonic creature.

Through some digging, Tempest was able to identify both of the girls who got out of the car. One was Twilight Sparkle, a girl who was the sibling of Detective Shining Armor, and the second was Sugarcoat, both girls attend Crystal Prep Academy, along with the rich Sunset. There seemed to be an incident that happened there not too long ago, but it wasn’t reported, Tempest had to do some digging of her own before she found out that it did involve the rich Sunset and Shining Armor’s younger sister.

Which brings Tempest to today, today she was going to have a little chat with Shining Armor, perhaps get him to confirm her theory. Or see how he reacts to it. After donning her trademark leather jacket, black pants, boots, and shirt, Tempest got into her car and drove all the way to the CCPD precinct that Shining Armor worked out of. When she arrived, she noticed that the station was still under repair, due in part to an attack by the Blood Kings gang, along with their demon army. Tempest headed inside and asked the Desk Sergeant to call Shining Armor to see if he was available. After about three minutes, Shining Armor arrived at the front desk and gave a casual smile to Tempest.

“Hi, Detective Shining Armor, you’re Special Agent Tempest Shadow?” Shining asked as he extended his hand forward.

Tempest smiled back and shook Shining’s hand. “I am, I was told you could help me with my investigation. There someplace we can talk privately?”

“My office will do, oh and sorry for the mess we’re still undergoing some repairs,” said Shining as he led Tempest towards the back. The two arrived at Shining Armor’s office, once inside, Shining closed the door behind him and took a seat behind his desk while Tempest took the open seat across from him. “I didn’t think the FBI were that lax on their dress code, or are you here unofficially?”

Tempest chuckled. “Somethin’ like that.”

“So, I wanted to ask, what kind of investigation is the FBI conducting here?”

Tempest leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees as she looked at Shining Armor directly. “It’s an investigation into the goings on around here in Canterlot City. As you’re well aware, your city has been a hotbed for supernatural occurrences over the past few months. Everything from mysterious murders, and then there was that little angels and demons war that your fellow police officers sided with the angels.”

Shining Armor seemed a little uncomfortable talking about that. “They weren’t exactly that angelic, believe me. But, yeah, we have experienced a whole lot of supernatural things lately.”

“Including a bikini armored young woman running around and slashing up monsters,” Tempest added.

At the mention of that subject, she noticed that Shining Armor’s body language changed. He sat straight up and folded his hands on the desk. “You mean, Witchblade, correct?”

Tempest leaned back into her chair, smiled, and nodded. “Indeed, I do, I mean, you have to admit that it’s a bit strange to have a half-naked woman teaming up with the police. Especially when said half-naked woman seems to be particularly fond of you.”

Shining Armor sighed. “I know what it looks like, but I’m not in any kind of personal relationship with Witchblade. We have a work relationship, we’ve teamed up for some investigations, but I use that term loosely. It’s more like we run into each other. However, that’s not strange given that I was on the task force assigned to investigate the ‘Mystery Murder’ cases.”

“No doubts, but it seems that you have gotten chummy, according to my sources.”

Shining Armor leaned in a little and asked, “What are you implying, Agent Shadow?”

“Just that you might know who she is,” said Tempest.

Shining Armor rolled his eyes at the accusation. “Please, Agent Shadow, you’re not the first person who’s implied that to me. I get that a lot from my fellow officers, and I’ll give you the same answer I give them. No, I don’t.” It was true, everyone from his captain to the chief of police have asked him who Witchblade was, and every time he gave them the same answer. Although, Shining was sure that she wasn’t going to give up on it that easily.

“Okay.”

“Okay? Okay what?”

Tempest shrugged. “I figured it was worth a shot, and that you’ve probably been asked dozens of times, and even if you knew, you wouldn’t disclose her identity that easily. Considering all that Witchblade has done for this city. So, in the meantime, we’ll talk about someone else I have an interest in.”

Shining arched an eyebrow as he took raised his coffee mug. “And that would be…?”

Tempest shrugged. “Sunset Shimmer.”

Shining Armor’s cheeks puffed up, having stopped himself from almost spitting his coffee in Tempest’s face. He made a strained expression as he forced the liquid down, coughing for a few seconds before regaining his composure. “I-I’m sorry, who?”

“Sunset Shimmer. I’ve taken an interest in this girl, she was one of the victims of the Mystery Murder cases, one that you worked. In fact, she’s popped up a couple of times here and there regarding the cases.” Tempest got up from the chair and began to do a little walk around the office. “You wouldn’t really realize it, I mean, there’s so much crap happening that it’s very easy to miss the little details. Like a group of teenage girls who seem to be either involved in the cases or connected to them in some way.”

Shining Armor chuckled nervously. “W-Well, that’s to be expected. Some of these cases do intermingle with some others, but I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say that they’re connected. Especially one particular girl…”

Tempest turned her back to him and spotted a picture frame of Shining Armor and his little sister. “Cute girl, a little young for ya, Detective Armor.”

“That’s my little sister, and don’t play coy with me, I’m more than sure that you know that much about me,” said Shining Armor with a little annoyance.

Tempest chuckled. “You’re right I do.” The OSOD agent walked back to the desk and placed her hands on top of it, and looked Shining Armor right in the eyes. “Look, Detective, let’s cut the bullshit. I know that Sunset Shimmer is Witchblade, there isn’t a thing you can say that can convince me otherwise. If you want to do this the hard way, I can just call in to my bosses and have a special team down here to look into her a little more deeply. If it turns out I’m wrong, then I’m wrong, but I wonder if we’ll find something else that might be concerning.”

Shining Armor’s left hand began to tighten into a fist, at the same time his brow knitted, and his jaw tightened. “What do you want, Agent Shadow.”

“A meeting, I want to confirm if Witchblade is a threat to us.”

Shining Armor rose from his desk and said, “I think her actions thus far have spoken for themselves!”

“Sorry, Detective, but my superiors require something more concrete. Thankfully, that’s why they sent me.” Tempest crossed her arms over her chest and leveled her gaze with Shining Armor’s. “All I want is a meeting with Sunset Shimmer, you have my word it’ll only be a talk and nothing more. My superiors want me to confirm that Witchblade is not the cause or the instigator of the supernatural events here in your fair city. If my investigation reflects as such, then there’s nothing to worry about. However, things will be worse if she doesn’t speak with me.”

“Worse how?”

“Worse as in, if I don’t give them a good report on her, they might deem her a threat and have me take her out. Believe me, you don’t want that happening.”

Shining Armor smirked as he placed his hands on his hips. “Seriously? Since you know she’s Witchblade, you probably know already that you can’t take her down that easily. She’s fought demons, and a megalomaniac who took on the power of two powerful entities, I don’t think an FBI agent will scare her any.”

Tempest took a few steps back and grabbed the Wheel of Shadows from behind her back. Almost instantly, Tempest was cloaked in her shadow form, with tendrils of sparkling shadows extending from her body. “You didn’t really think they’d send an ordinary person to deal with someone like Witchblade, did you?”

Shining Armor tensed up, at this point he wasn’t a stranger to people transforming into armored or monster forms, but it didn’t get any easier. His hand instinctively hovered over his gun, the only thing that kept him from drawing it was the fact that the agent before him hadn’t taken any hostile action towards him. “Guessing that’s rhetorical at this point.”

“Pretty much.” Tempest closed her glowing eyes, and in an instant her shadow form reverted to her normal state, with the Wheel of Shadows in her hands. “I can hold my own, Witchblade wouldn’t be the first supernatural being I’ve fought. It’s about nine now, tell her to meet me at the diner that her girlfriend works at, about noon. We’ll have lunch.” Tempest walked to his office door and looked over her shoulder as she said, “Good talk, Detective.”

“Wait!” Shining Armor exclaimed.

Tempest stopped and turned around. “Yes?”

Shining Armor walked from behind his desk and gave the OSOD agent a serious look. “You have connections, right? Considering that you’re this well informed about Sunset and the goings on here.”

Tempest shrugged. “I might.”

“I’m taking a big risk here, Sunset trusts me, we’ve been through a lot. She’s as much my partner as Spearhead is to me, not only that, but her ‘sister’ is dating my little sister, so that practically makes us family,” Shining explained.

Tempest crossed her arms and sighed as she said, “Don’t worry, I’m going make sure that she understands that I didn’t give you any choice in the matter. Which isn’t a lie, I’m not really giving you any choice.”

“No, there is a choice. I’ve read enough comic books in my day to know that you’re not with the FBI.” Shining watched as Tempest raised an eyebrow. “Sure, you’re most likely part of an organization, but I doubt it’s FBI. Probably some kind organization that’s higher than that, not completely government based, but high enough that you can do things that people like the FBI, CIA, NIA, DHS, and all those other alphabet soup places couldn’t dream of. Am I wrong?”

Tempest smirked; the detective wasn’t a detective for nothing. “Suppose I am, how does that change the situation for you?”

“Since I’m taking a risk in damaging my partnership with Sunset, I want your help with something.”

“Like what, exactly?”

Shining Armor went to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out a makeshift file he had compiled. He then handed it over to Tempest who opened it, revealing a photo, the name written below it was “Abacus Cinch”.

“She have supernatural powers or something?” Tempest asked.

“If being able to sweep abuse and creating a hostile environment for high school students can be considered as such, then yes. This woman has been creating that kind of environment, promoting a sense of Darwinism of survival of the fittest. I saw it when I was there, and I tried to mitigate it as best I could when I was in high school, me, and my girlfriend, who’s now the Dean of Students at that school. We’ve recently found out that that woman has intentionally turned a blind eye to my little sister getting abused, letting it happen to allow her to be the focal point of their frustration.”

Tempest grimaced when she heard this. What a bitch. “Aaaaaaaaand…what? You want me to merc her somethin’?”

Shining’s eyes widened as he waved his hands frantically. “NO! No, hell no! My girlfriend and I have been trying to dig up dirt on Cinch since we’ve found out what she’s done, but whatever she did it’s been buried.”

The OSOD agent closed the file as she seemed to understand what was going on. “So, whatever protections this person has go up high enough that a cop can’t touch her. But you’re thinking I can?”

“I’m hoping you can.” Shining Armor ran his hand through his hair as he released a long sigh. “Listen, I’m running out of options here, aside from having my little sister hack the court computer systems and me going around and kicking up rocks and pissing off a lot of people…”

“Sounds like you’re considering it.”

Shining’s expression turned serious. “I am. They’ve been hurting my little sister for four freaking years, right under both our noses. I should’ve seen it, but I didn’t. Part of this is out of guilt, but the other part is the cop that wants to see justice done.”

“And some revenge, there’s a little of that in there, too,” said Tempest.

“Possibly…”

Tempest closed the file and smiled. “Well, fortunately for you, I hate bullies and stuck up, high profile bitches who think that they can get away with anything because they’re rich or powerful. And I get a kick out of kicking them off their pedestal. So, here’s the deal then. Make good on your part about calling Sunset for our meeting, and provided how well the meeting goes, I’ll dig up everything I can. Sound fair?” Tempest extended her hand towards Shining, waiting to seal their deal.

Shining Armor didn’t really know if this person would honor their deal, or if she was just telling him what he wanted to hear to make him do what she wanted. But right now, after hearing what Cinch made Twilight do, and the threats she levied against his little sister, he was willing to make a deal with the devil himself if it meant seeing Cinch taken down. Shining reached out with his own hand and shook, sealing their arrangement.

“Alright, I’ll be expecting her in a few hours, and you have a call to make. I’ll see myself out.” Tempest, once again, made for the door and said, “Good talk, Detective Armor.”

Thanks to Sun’s fiery entrance when she saved Twilight and Sugarcoat, the Sparkle residence was left with a gaping hole in their house, and thanks to the flames there was some worries about structural integrity. So, to make up for the damage, Sun decided to have Twilight’s family stay in her mansion while repairs were being made. Paid by her, of course. The Sparkles, Sunset, Sun, and Pinkie were all sitting at Sun’s dining room table where Mrs. Velvet and Pinkie made a large breakfast for them all.

While they were eating, the two parents couldn’t help but remark at the striking resemblance between the two girls. Their daughter was sitting to the left of the Sunset they knew, while this other girl, Pinkie, was sitting to the right of Sunset’s twin.

“Kinda weird, isn’t? Meeting me like this, I mean,” said Sunset.

“Well…just a bit, sorry. We never knew you had twin sister,” said Velvet.

“Who was also named, Sunset,” added Night Light.

“Yeah, Mom and Dad weren’t exactly creative with their naming,” said Sun.

Sunset pointed to herself and said, “When we’re both in the same room, you can call me Sun, and my little sis over there,” Sun pointed to her twin, “you can call her Sun.”

“But when we’re alone you can just call us Sunset,” the younger twin advised.

Velvet and Night Light looked at each other with an expression that said, “That’s gonna a bit confusing”. Twilight seemed to pick up on what they were thinking and assured them, “It did get a little confusing at first, but it’s actually easier than you think.”

“Yep! I can totally tell which is my Sunny!” Pinkie stated.

Sunset smiled coyly at her girlfriend and said, “Oh, really? Are you sure I’m not Sun?”

Sun picked up on the tease and turned her head towards Twilight. “And are you sure I’m not Sunset?”

Both girlfriends rolled their eyes at the obvious tease. Pinkie lightly bonked Sunset on the head and replied, “You’re my Sunny, silly!”

Twilight smiled and lightly flicked Sun on her forehead. “And you’re my Sun.”

“Shoot, we really need to try harder,” said Sunset.

“I know, right, we’re making it too easy,” Sun replied.

Velvet and Night Light lightly chuckled at the little teasing that was going on. At the same time, they couldn’t help but feel comforted by the scene. Ever since Twilight told them about the abuse she had been suffering at CPA, Night Light and Velvet felt shame for not trying to pry more into their genius daughter’s life, they took for granted her maturity and intellect, believing that she could deal with anything that school life could throw at her. Little did they know that the school itself made her their personal punching bag. However, it seemed that fate, God, or whatever you want to call it, brought a godsend like Sun into Twilight’s life.

They could see just how happy Twilight was around Sun, even though they never thought their daughter would fall in love with another girl but considering all that Sun was doing for their daughter, it was something that they could care less about. Velvet and Night Light could also see that Sunset was a nice girl as well, her girlfriend, Pinkie Pie, was a bit eccentric, but she was quite the happy girl and good in the kitchen as well.

“So, Sunset, do you also go to Crystal Prep?” Velvet asked.

“Nah, I go to Canterlot High School, same for Pinkie,” she replied.

“Ouch, those schools have a rivalry, what with the Friendship Games and all,” Night Light commented.

“Yeah, but we don’t let that get in the way of being besties!” Pinkie stated as she quickly zipped over to Twilight’s side of the table and gave her a big hug. “And Twilight’s one of my besties, too! ‘Specially since we’re both dating a Sunset!”

Twilight blushed but giggled at the actions and words of the hyperactive girl next to her. Pinkie then returned to her seat next to her Sunset and scooted a little closer so that their shoulders were touching.

“Do you two have any plans for today?” Velvet asked.

Sunset shrugged. “Not much really, I was thinking that we just head out, do whatever. Unless you have something in mind?”

“Oh, oh! Can we go for drive on your motorcycle?!” Pinkie asked.

“Sure, let’s head out.” Sunset took one last bite of her breakfast and rose from her seat. “Thanks for the meal, Mrs. Velvet, and you too, Pinkie.”

“No need, it’s the least I can do, considering you’re both putting us up in your own home,” said Velvet.

“Well, we do have a lot of space,” said Sun.

Pinkie finished her meal and went to the sink with Sunset to wash her dishes and put them away. On the way to the garage, Sunset received a call on her phone. She pulled it out, smiled, and then answered it.

“Hey, Shining what’s up?…Uh-huh………Uh-huh…” Was all they heard as Sunset and Pinkie left the room and entered the garage, closing the door behind them.

Now that they were all four alone, Night Light and Velvet asked the question that they were wanting to since they arrived.

“Sunset, we’d really like to thank your parents, too. Are they around?” Night Light asked.

Twilight flinched at the mention of Sunset’s parents, a reaction that was not missed by Velvet and Night Light, which let them know that they just possibly stumbled upon a landmine. However, Sunset, didn’t have much of a reaction.

“Well…they’re dead, going on five years now,” Sunset stated.

“Oh, dear, we’re so sorry!” Velvet apologized.

“Heh, don’t be, really. You didn’t know, and Sparky didn’t tell you because she didn’t want to violate my privacy.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think it was right to talk about it without you around.”

Sunset reached out and hugged Twilight with her left arm. “Thought so, and I’m happy you were thinking of me like that.”

Velvet and Night Light realized now that the twin Sunsets have been living on their own, in a big empty mansion. The matriarch of the Sparkle Family rose from her seat and walked around the table, she then proceeded to give Sunset a gentle hug, catching Sunset off guard.

“Oh – wow – o-okay…”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” said Velvet.

“R-Really it’s no big deal…I cried it out years ago…I’m fine really, Mrs. Velvet….” Sunset felt the same feeling from when Celestia said she was family to her, a mother and father’s love, something that she hadn’t felt for the last five years. Without thinking much on it, her arms moved and wrapped themselves around Velvet, hugging her back. “……but thank you.”

It won’t be long…It won’t be much longer…don’t waver, Shimmer!

Tempest waited at the diner that she had specified to Shining Armor, it was getting to be about three minutes to noon, and still no sign of her. She didn’t think Shining Armor was one to go back on his word, nor did she think that Sunset Shimmer would back down from someone calling her out. Just about then, Tempest’s cellphone rang, she picked it up and saw that the caller ID read “Daring”. With a chuckle, she answered and said, “Hello ‘Rich Bitch’.”

{Fuck you, too. How’s it going?}

“Dunno, the girl hasn’t shown up yet, I really don’t want to have to hunt her down or get into a scuffle with her. She seems pretty okay. Oh, that reminds me, did you happen to look into her weapon at all?”

{It’s been…interesting. I’ve found many references to warrior women throughout history, while the person changed, the weapon hasn’t. It seems the weapon itself is called ‘Witchblade’. It’s some kind of symbiotic, living weapon, powerful, dangerous, and sentient from what the texts say. But…there’s something else that’s concerning me.}

Tempest raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

{There are also some manuscripts that talk about the Witchblade, in conjunction with other mystical items. There’s a vague reference in some parts about changing fate, I don’t know. I’ll have to get back to you on that.}

“Huh…that does sound interesting. Keep me posted if you find out more, if I find out something from Sunset, I’ll hit you up.”

{Okay, and I know you don’t need me telling you this but be careful. Fizz.}

The call ended and Tempest smiled, the two of them met during a mission some years back. They butted heads a lot during that mission, and yet, somehow by the end of the whole thing, they became best friends. The bell at the diner door drew Tempest’s attention, she smirked upon seeing that her date had arrived. Sunset was standing at the entrance, she had a black leather vest with spikes around the collar, an orange blouse that exposed her shoulders, violet skirt, and a pair of black boots. Tempest watched as the teenager glanced about the room, it didn’t take her long before she spotted Tempest, her face morphing from serious, to surprised, and then to cautious.

The OSOD agent waited as Sunset approached her booth and stood before it. “S’up, kid?”

“Agent…Shadow? From the other day, you’re the person that Shining Armor contacted me about?” Sunset asked.

“That’s me, cop a squat and let’s chat a bit,” said Tempest.

Sunset did as Tempest requested, sliding into her seat opposite the older woman. “Just so you know, you’re cutting into my time with my girlfriend.”

“Ouch, sorry, kid,” said Tempest, her tone sounding genuinely apologetic.

“So, are you really an FBI agent? Was that card you gave me just for show?”

Tempest shook her head. “Nah, the phone numbers are legit, but nah, I’m not with the FBI. Although I am an agent.” The orchid-colored woman leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. “Although, this is a serious conversation, depending on your answers today, things might become easier or harder for you. Do you understand?”

Sunset’s brow furrowed as she crossed her arms. “Yeah, I understand. But let’s cut the bullshit then, you know I have the Witchblade, however, I also know that you have an Artifact. Something powerful of your own, otherwise they wouldn’t just send a regular agent.”

Tempest chuckled. “Damn, kid, you are good. You’re right, cards on the table then.” Tempest reached to her left brought the sundial disk, the Wheel of Shadows, onto the table. “This is what helped me to save your girlfriend back at the mall, it’s also what’s helped me to sneak around and find out as much as I have. It’s called the Wheel of Shadows.”

Sunset’s bracelet glowed for a second. “Okay, now that that’s out of the way. What do you want to know? I’m pretty sure you know all about me by now.”

“I know a lot, but some things aren’t jiving. Why don’t we do a little quid pro quo? I’ll ask you a question, and you can ask me one,” Tempest offered.

Sunset nodded in agreement.

“Okay, first question. Where are you from? I’ve looked into it, and I can’t find any real record of Sunset Shimmer that isn’t about your ‘twin sister’.” Tempest made air quotes to emphasize her point. “There is one, pretty good forgery, but to a well-trained eye, it’s obviously fake. So, spill, where are you from ‘cause it’s like you just appeared out of thin air.”

Sunset squirmed in her seat, she rubbed the back of her neck, looked out the window, sighed, and faced Tempest. “What I’m going to tell you is going to be really out there, but I swear to you it’s the truth.” From there, Sunset went into the explanation that she was in fact a sapient unicorn mare from the land of Equestria, that she was much older in her world, about in her early to mid-twenties. Her explanation continued about Equestria, about how it was filled with other sapient creatures, with ponies being the more dominant of them. She told Tempest about their sprawling cities, quaint villages, and of her immortal goddess of a ruler, well, both rulers. “And that’s the truth…”

Tempest blinked. “Wow…well…I’ve seen and heard a lot of things, but a parallel universe filled with talking, magical ponies…that’s a first. Does that mean there’s another me running around over there?”

Sunset shrugged. “Not necessarily, it’s not always a one-to-one comparison. According to my friend from that side, there are some people here whom she hasn’t seen in Equestria, but that’s also not completely out of the question since I found my parallel self here and – Hold up! That’s two questions!”

Tempest chuckled again. “Sorry, my bad. Okay, you get two in exchange.”

“Fine, first question. If you don’t work for the FBI, then who do you work for?”

“Figured you ask that. I work for the Organization of Supernatural and Otherworldly Disasters, or OSOD for short. Our job is to monitor, contain, or neutralize, threats of magical, supernatural, and as the name states, otherworldly nature. The OSOD has been around for a number of years, how long is kept a secret, but basically, whenever something goes bump in the night, we bump back.”

Sunset was shocked, but now that she thought about it, perhaps it was this OSOD that made sure that the world wasn’t as magical as it apparently once was. It seems there were other magical things happening in the world and this organization was keeping them from ever being known or hurting people. “Okay, second question: why are you investigating me?”

Tempest nodded expectantly. “Honestly, I wasn’t investigating you. You see, the Mystery Murders, and that war between the Angelus and the Darkness, those have proven to be a complete embarrassment to the OSOD higher ups. These incidents happened one after the other and no one managed to prevent them from happening before they got that out of hand. OSOD prides itself on secrecy, so they couldn’t act when that war happened, and because the Wendigos were keeping a low profile, it was hard to pinpoint where they were, since they were hiding in human hosts and were ethereal, buggers were hard to find.”

A waitress came over, one of Pinkie’s coworkers, sliding up on her rollerblades as she said, “Welcome, may I take your order? Oh, hi Sunset!”

“Oh, hey, uh…”

“Go ahead and order something, it’s on me,” said Tempest. “Actually, I’m hungry, too.”

After ordering their meals, Tempest and Sunset went back to their Q & A session.

“Okay, kid, let’s just get down to the nitty gritty. What are your plans, more specifically, what are you planning on doing with the Witchblade?” Tempest asked seriously.

Sunset went into deep thought, the wrong answer could mean the difference between her staying in this world or being exiled back to her home, in truth, this place has now become as much of a home as Equestria had. “I meant what I said to you back at the mall, I want to become a detective, I want to help people. I want to make up for all my past sins by protecting the people, from both crimes by other human beings as well as those committed by supernatural forces. Witchblade won’t come off me, it’s said as much, we’re bonded until death. So, what better way to utilize his power than to do what I just said? Honestly, Tempest, that’s all I want to do.”

Tempest leaned back in her seat, mulling over her answer. This was what she came here to find out, and her gut was telling her that Sunset’s words were true. Despite the fact that she was – according to Sunset herself – a she demon bitch in the past, Sunset seemed completely committed to her role as a protector. And while the Wendigo incident seemed to be partially her fault, it was Sunset who ultimately fixed that and saved the city, and the world, not once, not twice, but three times. If she wanted to conquer the world, Tempest had no doubt that Sunset would’ve done so by now.

“Alright, I believe ya, Sunset,” said Tempest. “Q & A aside, if you really want to step up your game, you could consider a position in the OSOD.”

Sunset blinked. “Really? But…aren’t they worried about me? Isn’t that why they sent you?”

“They sent me to investigate what’s been happening here, but it might make them feel less edgy if they know you’re thinking about joining us. Of course, you’ll be on probation, it’s probably best you go through the police training, that way you can establish yourself since this place is turning into a magic hotbed.”

“That’d be great!” Sunset stated excitedly and with relief.

The waitress brought their food over and their conversation ceased while they ate. Halfway through their meal, Sunset had a thought. “Hey…Since you know about me, you must also know about my double. I know we’re not really sisters, but it just feels right. You’re not going to do anything to her, are you?”

Tempest gulped down a swig of her cola and said, “Aaah, that’s good. Truthfully, so long as she keeps her nose clean, and so long as you keep an eye on her, I don’t see a reason to look into her. She hasn’t done anything to warrant looking into, and let’s keep it that way. Okay?”

Sunset nodded in agreement.

After their meal, Tempest paid and both of them walked out of the diner. It seemed both women had a penchant for motorcycles, while Sunset rode a speed demon of a bike, Tempest rode a Harley.

“Nice ride,” said Sunset with a whistle.

“Thanks, yours is badass too.” Tempest mounted her bike and put on her helmet. “I’ll let you know what my superiors say. I still need to look into a few things to finish my report, but you don’t have to worry, for now we’re on the same side.”

“Thanks,” said Sunset.