The Witchblade EqG: The 13 Artifacts

Somnambula was quietly enjoying a cup of tea on the rooftop of her current residence, reveling in the calm of the moment. She was happy to know that the funeral went well from her young student, and that they even got to speak to her friend’s spirit. She was told that it was one of her friends who used a magical Artifact called the Heart Stone, and it was this item that allowed them all to see Applejack’s spirit so that they may say their final goodbyes. She counted them lucky, not many got the chance to say their final goodbyes to their loved ones, especially in that fashion.

However, as she sipped her tea, Somnambula couldn’t help but feel great unease. The arrival of Pandora’s Box could’ve become a catastrophe, just like the rogue Cardinal, Neighsay, who sought the powers of the Angelus and the Darkness. The Blood Sword, the Witchblade, there were too many powerful items making their way to this city. The Spear of Destiny, too, was a powerful relic, and so was her Rapture. All these relics coming together in one city, what were the odds of such a thing? Too great, at least that is what she thought.

She had been praying for God to send her a sign or to give her some clarity as to what was happening here. Somnambula could sense something bad stirring, a storm that was brewing on the horizon that would engulf everything. The problem was, Somnambula had no idea how to stop it, it was almost as if someone or something was orchestrating this from behind the scenes. But before that, she had to a guest.

Somnambula glanced over her shoulder and spotted her shadow elongating until a person emerged from it. The shadows around the person receded and revealed Tempest. “Nice to see you again, Agent Tempest.”

“I figured it was you whom my student told me of from Equestria Land. It’s been, what, three years since our last team up?” Tempest asked.

“Ah, yes, the incident back in the Parisian Catacombs,” said Somnambula.

“Heh, heh, yes…so many skulls. Ahem, anyway, I need your opinion on something,” said Tempest.

“Come and tell me.”

Tempest walked over to Somnambula and sat down across from her. She rested her arms on her thighs and sighed heavily. “There’s this girl, I don’t know if she’s possessed or if she’s just lost it, but I figured I talk to you because you’d know better than anyone if it’s the former.”

“And if it is, you wish for me to perform an exorcism?” Somnambula asked.

“That would be ideal, yes, could you?”

Somnambula nodded. “Of course, I do owe you for saving my life when we encountered that Nuckelavee back in Scotland. That thing was surprising powerful.”

“No sweat…” Tempest looked up into the sky and sighed once again. “I’m honestly stuck between a rock and hard place right now. OSOD wants me to take the Witchblade from that girl who saved us all a couple of weeks ago.”

“Hmm, you mean Sunset Shimmer, my former student speaks highly of her.”

“With good reason, she’s a great kid, and with some training, she could be a real force for good in our world, but…that’s not how OSOD sees it?” Tempest raised her fist and struck it against the roof. “They want me to make her give up the Witchblade, and failing that, they want me to take it from her by force!”

Somnambula took a sip of her tea and said, “Now you see why I am freelance, I owe allegiance to no one, and I can still follow my believes. You, too, still have that option, Agent Tempest.”

“Tch…even if I thought that was an option…”

“You possess a powerful relic, don’t you? Same with me. If all else fails, why not team up with me? You who can control the flow of time in objects and people and can move freely through the shadows. And me, one who can traverse the realm of Hell and grant mercy to the damned, we’d be quite the duo,” Somnambula suggested.

Tempest stroked her chin in contemplation and smiled a little. “We’d be hunted by the OSOD if I did that, don’t think I’d be good for business.”

“I’m not well liked by the Vatican and a variety of other organizations, and yet that hasn’t stopped anyone from seeking out my services, paying me, or hampered my ability to work. I see it as a plus, another pair of eyes to watch my back, and another pair to watch yours.”

“Heh, I’ll keep that in mind.” Just then Tempest’s phone rang, she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled it out. Seeing that Daring’s name was the caller, she quickly answered it. “Hey, Daring, what’s up?”

{Tempest, we have a problem.}

“I’m doing great, how are you?”

{I’m serious, Tempest!}

“I know you are, but would it kill ya to open up with something less bleak? I have not had a very good day.”

{Well, it’s about to get worse. I’ve been doing research on all the items that have been causing you trouble in that city, and I’ve found out that there’s a common link between them!}

Tempest’s eyebrow raised. “Hold on, I’m here with someone who I want to hear this, I’ll put you on speaker.” Tempest switched it to speaker and placed it on the roof between them. “Okay, go ahead.”

{I’ve been trying to find a link to the Witchblade, Angelus, and the Darkness, I’ve found some legends and stories that tell about the beginning of the universe and how Witchblade is the child of those two. Don’t ask, too complicated. Anyway, the more I dug the more I found that they are connected to something, something bigger. The Witchblade, Angelus, and the Darkness are considered the Trinity, but there are other Artifacts of power, ten more.}

“Whoa, wait, TEN more?!” Tempest asked.

{Yes. One of them is your Wheel of Shadows, the others are the Ember Stone, Glacier Stone, Blood Sword, Pandora’s Box, Heart Stone, the Spear of Destiny, the Rapture –} Tempest and Somnambula looked at each other with wide eyes at the news that they were wielding ancient and powerful Artifacts. {– the Coin of Solomon, and one more that’s just called the Thirteenth.}

“Wait, all these others have names, but the very last one doesn’t?” Tempest asked.

{There’s not much information on it, almost as if someone was trying to keep any information about it under wraps, no, more like trying to erase it from history. But unfortunately, they weren’t as thorough as they probably hoped they were, I’ve found some references to the Thirteenth,} said Daring.

“And what did you find?” Somnambula asked.

{Even if one was to gather the other twelve, it’s pointless without the Thirteenth. Think of the other twelve as the doorway and the Thirteenth is the key, without the Thirteenth, the rest are just powerful weapons, but with the Thirteenth their true power is unlocked, and together, they can rewrite reality.}

Tempest chuckled a little, albeit nervous chuckling. “C-C’mon, Daring, that’s a little over the top, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve seen some weird shit, but that’s gotta be someone exaggerating, probably just grants someone a shit load of power, right?”

{No…I’m afraid that’s not it. In every text I managed to find, it speaks of the reality shaping power of the Thirteen Artifacts. It got me thinking…what…what if this world we live in now isn’t the world it used to be?}

“Daring–”

{Don’t talk, just listen!} Daring scolded. {Think about it, how would we know if this was done before? If someone has the power to rewrite reality, then anything from the previous world is erased. And yet, these Thirteen Artifacts remain. There’s legends and lore, stories, and accounts, but someone is actively trying to erase any information on them regarding their universe altering power. Why is that? I think someone is trying to bring them together again, but can’t actively get involved, at least to a degree. I think our world is a recreation, someone must’ve done it already, but for some unknown reason, they can’t erase the stories of the Thirteen Artifacts, as if their very existence must be known.}

“Then…are you saying that the Thirteen Artifacts, are being actively gathered to this city?” Somnambula asked.

{I’d say that’s half right. They probably have a kind of attraction to each other when there’s more than one in a certain place the rest are sure to follow. But I suspect they’ve had help, but moreover, we need to scatter them! We need to–!}

The line went silent.

“Daring…?” Tempest asked.

The silence continued.

“Hey, Daring, don’t screw around with me! I know you write a lot and like to build up dramatic suspense, but now’s not the time!”

There was a rustling in background.

“Daring Do you better say something right the fuck now or I’ll come through your shadow and kick your ass for freaking me out! Daring!”

{…………Here I thought I erased all the information on the Artifacts’ power. It’s quite annoying, no matter how many times I’ve done this, this is the one factor that persists that I can’t alter. It’s infuriating.}

Tempest and Somnambula gasped upon hearing the distorted new voice. Tempest grabbed her cellphone and shot to her feet with an enraged look on her face. “Who the fuck is this?! What happened to the person I was just talking to?!”

{Oh, the woman. You needn’t worry about her anymore. Honestly, you needn’t worry about anyone, because soon, all of this will be erased.}

“YOU BASTARD!!! WHO ARE YOU?!” Tempest demanded.

{Hmm…for now, you may call me Thirteen. I’ll be in Canterlot City soon, the final act is about to begin.}

With that last cryptic warning, the line went dead. Tempest’s glare intensified as tears started to form, Somnambula placed her hand gently on Tempest’s shoulder and gave her a comforting look.

“I am sorry, Tempest,” said Somnambula.

“Screw OSOD on this one, that bastard just made it personal…He’s after the Artifacts and he’s coming to us.” The realization just hit Tempest. “We have to get the others together! Sunset, her twin, your student, we have to warn them!”

Fluttershy was hard at work at the animal shelter, after Applejack’s funeral yesterday, she felt like being surrounded by the animals she cared for. Animals have a way of sensing a person’s sadness, and they sensed hers as they gathered around her in the play pin. Although she knew that Applejack was alright in Heaven, it was still sad that she was gone, sad that she wouldn’t get to hear her soothing voice or feel her reassuring presence. One of the puppies that was in the pin came up and licked her face, Fluttershy giggled and petted the little pup on the head.

“Thank you, but I’m the one who’s supposed to be cheering you all up. Guess I’m not doing a very good job of that today, huh?” Fluttershy asked.

*Bark*

“Heh, sorry,” said Fluttershy as she grabbed a rope. She then dangled it in front the pups. “C’mon now, let’s play.”

Some of the pups started to bite down on the other and began pulling it away from Fluttershy, she got into a little tug of war with the canines, giving them some slack before pulling back. She played a little more with them before one of the shelter employees came in.

“Fluttershy, you have a visitor,” she said.

“Oh? A visitor?” Fluttershy walked over to the table outside the play pin and unlocked her cellphone. She didn’t see any messages from her friends, nor any from her family. “Did they give a name?”

“She said her name was Sunset Shimmer, and that she was the other Sunset, she insisted I emphasize the ‘other’.”

Fluttershy’s brow arched a bit, Sun was here, visiting her at the shelter? That was, well, not quite odd, but it was different. “Okay, I understand, I’ll be right out.” Fluttershy went back in the pin and played with the puppies a little more before leaving them with some treats. She made her way down the hallway and to the reception area where she spotted her friend, Sun, leaning against one the support pillars in the lobby. “Hi, Sun.”

“Hey, Flutters, good to see you,” said Sun.

“This is unexpected, I didn’t know you’d be coming to see me,” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah, sorry for dropping in on you so suddenly, but I needed to talk to you, is kinda urgent. Is there any place in here that’s private?” Sun asked.

Fluttershy nodded her head. “There’s a meeting room for adoption interviews, we can talk there.” Fluttershy led the way back down the hall, turning left at a corridor and opening the first door on their right. The room was nice enough, a round table at the center with a few chairs, some snacks, and a water cooler off to the side, and some fliers and newsletters from the shelter pinned up on a board on the wall. Fluttershy motioned for Sun to sit down, and the flame haired teen did so. “What’s on your mind, Sun?”

Sun clasped her hands together on the table and looked at Fluttershy, her expression growing serious. “I’ll cut to the chase here, Flutters…I need your help.”

“Oh my, what with?” Fluttershy asked.

“It’s not easy to ask, but……I need your Spear of Destiny.”

Fluttershy was surprised by this request, to say the least. “Um…Sun, why do you need the Spear?”

“It’s too complicated and really, I don’t have much time. I’m asking you as a friend and as a person of God to please lend me the Spear of Destiny, I need it to help someone, someone important to me. If I’m being honest, it’ll help every single person on this planet,” said Sun.

Fluttershy was feeling a bit skeptical about this claim. “Sun, I know my Spear is powerful, but it’s power can’t reach the whole world. I want to trust you, but I need you to tell me what exactly you’re going to use it for.”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“I just can’t.”

“That’s not a good enough reason, Sun.”

“It’s the only reason I can give you.”

“Then I’m sorry, I can’t.” It was rare that Fluttershy spoke sternly about anything, but when it came to the Spear, she couldn’t budge. “The Spear of Destiny is a weapon of God Himself, it’s not something I can just lend out without good reason, Sun. I trust you as Sunset does, but even if she asked me, I wouldn’t give it to her without a good enough reason. Telling me it’s to save everyone is too vague. If you need the Spear, I can help you and use it alongside you, but I cannot give it to you.”

Sun sighed heavily as leaned back in her seat. “Flutters, I’m on a time crunch here, and things have been set in motion that can’t be undone unless I have the Spear of Destiny.” Sun closed her eyes for a moment, but when she opened them, the turquoise color changed to a bright orange. “I know you love this shelter, Fluttershy, and the last thing I need on my conscience is a lot of dead rescued animals and shelter workers. But that’s how far I’m willing to go.”

Fluttershy shot to her feet, causing the chair to fall behind her. “You wouldn’t!”

Sun raised her right index finger and lit it on fire. “I’m very serious, Shy. I don’t want to hurt the people in here, but I’ve come too far to stop now. Everything is in place, and I need to bring the final pieces together. Please just give me the Spear, don’t make me have to make my big sis cry over another friend.”

Fluttershy narrowed her gaze at Sun and then lowered her head. “I see…then…” With barely any warning given, Fluttershy spun around and delivered a roundhouse kick to Sun’s head, sending the teen flying across the room and slamming against the wall as an audible crack filled the room. Fluttershy knew that wouldn’t keep Sun down, her Ember Stone’s regeneration powers would heal her quick enough. The shy teen rushed outside and pulled the fire alarm, the bells rang loudly throughout the entire facility, causing everyone to scramble out.

The alarm will make sure that everyone gets out, along with the animals. I just need to keep Sun occupied long enough, either that or get her outside, Fluttershy thought.

The holy assassin went back into the room and saw that Sun’s neck was on fire, the Ember Stone’s telltale sign of it healing Sun. The flame haired teen’s neck snapped back into place as she sat on her rear on the floor. “Dammit, Flutters, you have any idea how much that hurts? And you didn’t even hold back!”

“You threatened the lives of everyone in this shelter, and the innocent creatures. Also, it’s not as if you were going to die, I knew the Ember Stone was going to heal you.”

“You could’ve taken my Ember Stone off after knocking me out, you could’ve ended it right there,” said Sun.

Fluttershy crossed her arms over her chest and said, “I’m not so gullible, I’m sure that your Ember Stone would burn anyone, other than you, if it were taken off.”

Sun chuckled, impressed my Fluttershy’s perception. “Well damn, Flutters, here I was hoping you would do that. Quick thinking on the fire alarm too. But I’m sorry to say that it’s too late…”

Before Fluttershy could inquire further, Sun raised her left index finger up, showing a ball of fire that was the size of a grain of sand.

“You might want to call for the Spear right about now…”

The grain sized fireball rapidly grew bigger and bigger.

“NO!!!!” Fluttershy screamed, but she knew that she didn’t have time to stop her. The holy assassin reached out with her left hand in the direction where she felt the Spear of Destiny and called out, “AD ME!” Upon speaking those words, the Spear of Destiny pierced through several walls of the building and appeared in Fluttershy’s hand. “SPEAR OF DESTINY THIRD FORM: VIRTUTUM ARMIS!”

The moment that Fluttershy spoke those words the sphere of fire exploded outwards, growing until it engulfed the entire facility. Cars stopped all around and witnessed the inferno burn down the animal shelter, and everyone else who didn’t manage to evacuate in time. Within the flames, only two people stood, one was Sun, already in her burning form, while Fluttershy was garbed in the golden Armor of Virtue, granting her protection against the searing flames. Fluttershy’s eyes watered as she cried, shedding her tears for the lives that were needlessly taken, the people and the animals, just snuffed out of existence.

“How could you?!”

“I warned you, Fluttershy. You just needed to give me the Spear and they would’ve lived; I wasn’t asking for much. Now, please, give me the Spear of Destiny, like I said, I don’t want to make my big sis cry over another dead friend,” said Sun.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and got down on one knee, she then began to pray. “Dear Lord, forgive Sun her sins, I know not why she has done this, but I as your holy warrior, will carry out her punishment on this Earth before she meets your final judgement. Amen.”

Upon her finished prayer, Fluttershy dashed towards Sun and delivered a haymaker punch right to her face, sending the pyromancer flying out of the burning sphere and into the sky. Fluttershy bounded after her, leaping from the street and onto rooftops as she pursued Sun. The wielder of the Ember Stone stopped herself in midair and waited for her target. Fluttershy jumped high into the air and came down with an ax kick right on Sun’s position. Sun threw up her arms and caught the kick on her forearms, grunting from the hard impact that created a small shockwave that radiated through the air.

“Please don’t make me do this, Flutters! Just give me the Spear!”

“You killed innocents, and you won’t even tell me why you want it!”

“Yeah, because if I do then you won’t give it to me, but I need you to trust me when I say it will save everyone!”

“That’s still not a good enough reason!”

Fluttershy backflipped and then struck Sun with a spin kick, once again sending her flying. The holy assassin released the armor and let the Spear of Destiny return to its original form, with a flick of her wrist she made the Artifact hover underneath her and landed on the shaft with both feet. The power of the Spear radiated through the soles of her feet, connecting her to it so that she wouldn’t fall of. With another flick, the Spear flew forward, allowing Fluttershy to ride the divine weapon like a surfboard.

Sun managed to right herself again, but now saw Fluttershy coming straight for her. With a determined look, Sun changed direction and jetted off in the opposite direction of Fluttershy. With a narrowed gaze, Fluttershy willed the Spear to fly faster, creating a sonic boom from the sudden increase in speed.

“Sun, you will tell me the reason why you want it! Because I will not accept anything less than the truth for the innocent lives you have taken! Spear of Destiny Second Form: Mille Nostre Gladii!”

Fluttershy jumped off the Spear, allowing it break apart and transform into a thousand holy swords, two of which she landed on, acting like skies. Using the other nine-hundred and ninety-eight swords, Fluttershy willed them to attack Sun. The pyromancer yelped when she saw the barrage of blades coming towards her, she quickly began evasive maneuvers, weaving around the blades, and releasing fire blasts, letting the explosive force push them away. While this did manage to protect her against some of the blades, she couldn’t stop all of them. One of the blades slashed her across her right side, causing liquid lava blood to come seeping out of her wound. Another one came down and slashed her left leg. Still, Sun continued to fly, not willing to stop.

Fluttershy looked down and noticed that they were leaving the urban areas and getting closer to the old warehouse district, a place that was mostly abandoned. This is better, now there won’t be anyone to hurt. However, she was through chasing Sun, this was going to end now. Fluttershy slashed her index fingers through the air, like a conductor in an orchestra, commanding the swords to enact her will.

The blades began to spiral together, forming a giant tornado of shining blades that completely engulfed Sun. She hurriedly released an explosive wave of fire, but the action only caused the tornado to expand before contracting back to its original state. Sun kept lobbing fire blasts one after the other, trying to get the tornado to break open. It was thanks to this spinning vortex that she wasn’t able to make out when the first blade was loosed. Sun grunted painfully when she saw the glimmering blade of a sword jutting out through her stomach, a second one struck through her left forearm, and then the right. Two more were loosed and embedded themselves in her thighs.

Without warning, the blades dragged her body downwards. The vortex opened, allowing her to see that she was about to smash through the roof of an old warehouse. Sun braced herself as she broke through, forced to smash through several floors and old machinery before finally landing on the bottom floor. The swords pierced through into her, making her wail loudly, it felt as if they were acting like railroad spikes, pinning her to the floor of the building to prevent her escape.

Fluttershy appeared through the hole in the roof and landed a couple of feet behind Sun. She glared at her friend and cautiously approached her. “Tell me why you did it that, Sun. I need the truth.”

“Or what? Are you going to kill me? What are you going to tell Sis? She won’t forgive you if you do!” Sun warned.

Fluttershy stopped walking, paused for a moment, and then said, “I don’t want to kill you. I just want the truth.”

Sun laughed mockingly. “The truth? The truth is I need the Spear of Destiny, the truth is I need Sis’ Witchblade, too! I need these Artifacts and I hate it because I know that you won’t give them to me willingly, and I that I have to hurt you in order to get them! Because the truth is, I need to remake this world and kill the man who killed my parents!”

“Sun…” Fluttershy knelt before Sun and looked upon her with sad eyes. “Revenge won’t make things better; it won’t bring back your parents.”

“He killed them using an Artifact, something similar to my Ember Stone and your Spear of Destiny. He’s a danger, he’s still out there! I need your Artifact to kill him and undo the damage he’s done! That’s the truth! So, let me have the Spear!” Sun begged.

“If this man is as dangerous as you say, then Sunset, you, me, and even my teacher, we can stop him together.”

Sun stopped her struggling and sighed heavily. “I wish it was as easy as that, otherwise I’d have asked you all to help me take him out. But it’s not just about my parents anymore, because this also concerns the person I’m in love with.”

“The one you’re in love with? You mean Twilight?”

“Yeah…and she’s sorry too.”

“What do you – AAAHHH!!!” Fluttershy screamed as a piece of rebar suddenly lodged itself in her chest. “W-W-What…h-how…?”

Up ahead, from the shadows, two pairs of glowing eyes stared back at Fluttershy. The eyes came closer until they were in the light, revealing Twilight Sparkle. Her hair was darker, her skin color was a darker shade of purple, and in her eyes, there were tears.

“T-Twilight…w-w-why…?”

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…” Twilight apologized as three more rebars flew like missiles through the air and pierced Fluttershy, one through the heart, and two through her stomach and abdomen.

Fluttershy coughed up blood as she looked from the rebars in her chest, to Sun, and then to Twilight. The swords dispersed into particles of light, reforming into the Spear of Destiny which clattered to the floor. Sun’s wounds began to heal as she got to her hands and knees and looked at Fluttershy, her eyes, too, had tears in them.

The former holy assassin of the Church merely smiled at them and said, “I…I forgive you…”

Fluttershy, the kindest, most gentle soul either of the girls had or ever will know, fell to ground, dead. Blood pooled beneath her as her body grew still and lifeless. Twilight’s physical changes dissipated when she neared Sun, Sun changed back to her normal state, and both girls just stared at Fluttershy’s dead body. Time felt as if it slowed down, they almost couldn’t comprehend what they had just done, but there it was, Fluttershy was dead, and they had killed her.

Twilight dropped to her knees and grabbed at the hem of her skirt. “We…We had to do it…right?”

“Y-Yeah…” Sun replied.

“W-We needed the Spear…we’re…we’re bringing her back…Right?”

“Of…Of course…We can – no – we will bring them back,” Sun affirmed.

“Okay…Okay…I know that…I know that…so then why…” Twilight’s vision blurred as the tears began to flow. “Why does it hurt so much…?!”

Sun didn’t answer, just like her girlfriend, the tears were flowing heavy, she struck the ground several times, and then released a pain filled scream into the air, her voice echoed throughout the warehouse, filling every nook and cranny with the sound of her pain. Hatred she could deal with, scorn, betrayal, she was prepared for this, she was prepared to receive those kinds of looks. But not that. Not that smile, and not those words. She forgave them…

“Dammit Flutters…why do you have to be such a goddamn saint, right up to the fucking end!” Sun wailed.

It felt like hours before either of them was able to stop crying. Sun was the first to get up, she walked over to where the Spear of Destiny lied and picked it up. She looked towards Fluttershy’s body and pointed her right hand towards it. With a flash, Fluttershy’s entire body was wrapped in intense flames.

“They don’t need to see her like this,” said Sun.

Twilight got up, wiping her face, and nodded. “I understand.” They watched the impromptu funeral fire burn Fluttershy’s entire body to ashes, once that was done, Twilight spoke, “We…We won’t have much time. We should head to Sugarcoat and get the Heart Stone next.”

“You go ahead, I can’t lug this around or Sis and the others will get suspicious. I’ll lock it up, call me if you manage to get the Heart Stone before I get there,” said Sun.

“Okay…”

Sun placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. “It’ll be alright, Sparky. This isn’t the end of them, everyone will be reborn in the new world.”

“I know…this is the hard part…I won’t let you down,” said Twilight.

The teen genius stepped back and teleported away, leaving Sun alone in the warehouse. “I know you won’t, Sparky……” Sun looked at her right hand, which now transformed into a dragon’s claw. “Killing Fluttershy was this hard. Will I be able to do what I have to when the time comes…?”

Sunset drove around town, not sure what to do after what she saw with Twilight. She had powers, and she used them to kill everyone at Crystal Prep. Granted they were awful people, but who’s to say that they couldn’t have changed? Okay, Sunset believed she was just wishful thinking, but if she went around believing everyone was a lost cause then Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo would’ve been dead by her hands a long time ago.

“What am I supposed to do if she’s not possessed?”

}}} I would assume the answer comes down to, is she willing to kill again? {{{

I don’t think so…really, I hope not. I want to believe that the Crystal Prep massacre was just her seeking revenge for what they put her through. In some…small way…I could forgive her for that, but it’s the unknown that worries me. What if she uses her powers on someone who’s just having a bad day and takes it out on her? With the trauma she’s suffered, she might have a kneejerk reaction.

}}} Then it’s a matter of ensuring that she does take another life unnecessarily, would you feel better if she knew that she wouldn’t kill without reason? {{{

I’d prefer if she didn’t kill at all. But I want to believe in her…

Just then, Sunset’s cellphone went off. “Answer,” she said into her headset, “This is Sunset Shimmer.”

{Sunset, we have a problem!}

“Rainbow? What is it?!”

{The animal shelter where Fluttershy volunteers at, it went up in flames!}

“WHAT!!!!!” Sunset hit the breaks of her bike hard, causing the tires to screech as she came to an abrupt halt. The cars behind her began to honk at her, and some cursed at her from out their window. “When did this happen?!”

{About five minutes ago, the fire alarm went off and then, just, poof! The entire place went up! I’ve been trying to get ahold of Fluttershy but she’s not responding to my texts or calls! Sunset, she was supposed to be there today!}

A pit of dread formed in Sunset’s stomach. “Keep trying to call her, I’m heading to the animal shelter now!” The tires on Sunset’s bike screeched as she peeled away, leaving the honking cars behind as she blew through several red lights on her way to the animal shelter. It didn’t take long for her to get there, several fire engines and police cars were already on the scene, dousing the inferno and trying to contain it so that the flames didn’t spread out towards the other buildings.

“Faust above…what did this?!” Sunset looked around and spotted a worker from the shelter. She hurriedly took off her helmet and ran towards them. “Hey! Hey you! Hey, did a girl make it out of there?! Her name’s Fluttershy!”

The worker looked at her and shook her head. “I don’t know, it all happened so fast! We barely managed to get some of us out of there! But…oh god…the rest are dead! Fluttershy…I’m so sorry…”

“No…No…Nonononononononono! That’s not true!” Sunset turned around and called out to anyone, “Did…Did anyone see anything else!”

A male employee heard Sunset and spoke up, “I-I did! I thought I saw a streak of fire and something else pop out of the fire and head out that way!” The employee pointed his finger the direction that he saw streak go.

“Thank you!” Sunset exclaimed.

Sunset quickly mounted her bike and raced in that direction. She didn’t know how far she needed to go, but she knew there was no way she was going to find it on the ground. Sunset pulled into an alley and stopped. She glanced about to make sure that there were no cameras or people, once she was certain, Sunset unleashed the Witchblade, letting it tear through her clothing and don her in its supernatural armor. Now armored up, Sunset created her metallic bat wings and shot straight into the air. Now with a bird’s eye view, she headed back in the direction that the employee had showed her. She soared through the sky, scanning the area below for any sign of battle or any sign of Fluttershy.

Sunset knew that Fluttershy wouldn’t die that easily, she had the Spear of Destiny, surely, she would’ve called on it if it looked as if her life was in danger. That had to be it, whoever or whatever caused the fire was after Fluttershy, and she used the Spear to do battle with the one responsible. The only question is, how far did they go? And was she alright? Sunset flew further and further, but she still hadn’t found anything. Soon she came upon the old warehousing district, and it was here that she saw the first sign. There was a hole in the roof of one of the warehouses, but not due to natural causes, it looked as if something had broken through the roof.

Without wasting any time, Sunset descended through the hole and hovered in the air once she reached the ground floor. “What can you sense?”

}}} I sense sadness here, pain, and…strange. {{{

“What?”

}}} There’s also traces of Artifacts, energies similar to mine were here. {{{

That gave Sunset pause. “Okay…well…the Spear of Destiny is an Artifact; can you tell how many?”

}}} I’d say three, but there is something you should know. One of them is the Spear of Destiny, the other is unfamiliar, but the last one…is the Ember Stone. {{{

“Okay…So…So Sun might’ve found Fluttershy and was giving her backup! She probably hasn’t called me yet to tell me what happened, or…or maybe they’re still in trouble?!”

Sunset landed on the floor and investigated the area; however, it didn’t take her long to spot the traces of blood, and a charred spot on the ground. The former unicorn’s eyes widened as she dropped to one knee before the small pool of blood. “No…it…”

}}} Calm yourself, Sunset. We don’t know whose blood this is, it could be anyone’s. {{{

“Y-You’re right, I gotta stay calm and think. I need to call Sun!” The Wtichblade’s gemstone glowed and produced the cellular device, Sunset retracted the armor around her hands and quickly dialed Sun’s number. A minute of ringing went by before the line was picked up. “Hello?! Sun, are you alright?!”

{Whoa, Sis, calm down. Why are you asking if I’m alright?

“Because the animal shelter that Fluttershy volunteers just went up in flames, literally! I think someone or something caused it, and whatever it was, I think Fluttershy used her Spear to fight them! I tracked them to this warehouse, but the Witchblade said that it sensed three Artifacts! One was the Spear, the other was yours, and the last was unknown! So, I’m asking if you’ve seen Shy?! Are you with her?!”

{N-No, I’m not. I don’t know why the Witchblade is sensing my Ember Stone there, but I’ve been with Twilight this whole time. Where are you, I’ll come by and help you look!}

“No, no that’s fine, just…ugh…on top of everything else…! Okay, I’m going to track her down, I want you to get Twilight back home until I can figure out if there’s anything else going on!”

{Alright, be careful, Sis.}

Sunset ended the call and let the cellphone absorb back into the gemstone.

}}} There is something amiss here, and I do not like it. {{{

Sunset glanced at the gemstone and asked, “What are you talking about?”

}}} I am not mistaken in my sensing of the Ember Stone; we’ve been in close contact with your twin long enough for me to discern it from the background energies of the other Artifacts we have collected under her mansion. And I doubt that getting the Ember Stone away from your twin is an easy feat. {{{

“Are you saying it was Sun who did this?!” Sunset asked incredulously.

}}} I am saying keep an open mind. {{{

Sugarcoat was lying in her bed, reading through a crime thriller book she had purchased not too long ago and hadn’t gotten around to finishing it. Her parents were out on a date, which left Sugarcoat to enjoy some private time alone in her home. She had the Heart Stone on, lately Sugarcoat had started to wear the Artifact regularly, wanting to get used to its power. She kind of felt bad that she wasn’t able to give everyone more time to speak to Applejack, had she practiced more, perhaps they could’ve spoken a little more?

But when she thought about it, perhaps that was for the best. Applejack was able to say what she wanted to say to her loved ones, and everyone got to say their goodbyes, the goodbyes that they weren’t able to do on the day of her murder. Sugarcoat was glad she was able to do that with her grandmother. It was honestly making Sugarcoat conflicted as to what kind of career path she wanted to pursue once she graduated.

Becoming a lawyer was her original plan, but now that she possessed the Heart Stone, she could help people in ways that were not originally accessible to her. Perhaps becoming a private investigator was a better option? The Heart Stone allowed her to read auras, so she could easily see if someone was lying or had killed someone, and with its power to speak to the dead, she could talk to the departed spirits and ask them who killed them and what she could do to bring their killer to justice. Or maybe take up her grandmother’s habit of just being a wandering Samaritan, doing good for people who needed help.

“For all the abilities you grant me, you’re not making my decision easier. Well, one thing’s for sure, I’m not missing out on being a proper friend to Twilight. I’ll go to the same university, and we’ll start over, I’ll be someone she can confide in, someone who can help her, and whatever else a good friend is supposed to do!”

That was probably the one thing that Sugarcoat was certain of. The guilt was still there, it would never truly go away, but Sugarcoat was determined to make up for that from this point forward. Being a good friend to Twilight, she believed, was the first step on her long road to making up for her actions in Crystal Prep. She was involved in some of the hazing, but only because she was a part of Sunny Flare’s clique, and if she didn’t, she’d be targeted like Twilight was. Not only that, but she practically used her body to skate by having to go through any of what Twilight went through. It still made her sick thinking she had to whore herself just gain some modicum of respect and protection.

Just then the doorbell rang, making Sugarcoat’s eyebrow rise. “Weird, not expecting anyone…” Sugarcoat got out of her bed and walked from her room, down the stairs, and to the front door. Once she opened the door, she was surprised to see who it was. “Twilight?”

“Hi, Sugarcoat.”

“Um…wow…Uh, I wasn’t expecting you,” said Sugarcoat.

“I wanted to stop by and speak with you, sorry for not texting you. If this is a bad time, I can come back?” Twilight insisted.

Sugarcoat shook her head. “No, it’s fine. My parents are out so we’ll be free to talk about whatever you want without having to be secretive about it.”

Twilight smiled and followed Sugarcoat up the stairs and into her room. Sugarcoat, upon having Twilight enter, just realized that this was the first time she’s had her over. She suddenly felt very self-conscious about her room, and her attire. Her room was spacious, velvet, turquoise colored carpeting made up the floor, while a maroon colored, ornate rug was at the center of it. A desk was placed against the wall next to the door, with a large computer monitor, some books, and writing material. There was a shelf filled with mystery novels and some other books on law and the like, indicative of her plans for the future.

Sugarcoat, despite the way she acted at school, was kind of a messy person in her own room. Some of her clothes were lying on the floor in different locations, along with some of her underwear. Then there was her attire, a pink t-shirt with purple boy shorts, and of course she wasn’t wearing a bra either. She hoped Twilight wouldn’t notice, honestly, she didn’t know why she felt embarrassed, Twilight was with Sunset Shimmer, it wasn’t like she was going to pounce on her.

Twilight hummed a little as she looked about Sugarcoat’s room, she then turned to her friend and said, “This is my first time I’ve been to a friend’s home, not counting Sunset.”

“Heh…well, this is a first for me as well,” said Sugarcoat.

“But I thought you, Sunny Flare, and the others would have slumber parties at your houses?” Twilight asked.

Sugarcoat sat on her bed and shrugged. “If you can call those slumber parties…As far as I was concerned, it was just a way for us to plan our next ‘evil scheme’, talk shit about the other students, and…ugh…play the occasional truth or dare. Guess who got saddled with the sex themed dares?”

Twilight winced. “Sorry for bringing it up.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Sugarcoat as she waved it off. “So, what brings you over?”

“Actually, I wanted to speak to you about something important.”

“Okay, what is it?”

Twilight rubbed her left arm as she looked away from Sugarcoat for a minute. “There’s something I need from you, Sugarcoat, and, honestly, if I don’t get it, it could be troublesome for everyone.”

Sugarcoat knitted her brow. “Okaaaaaaaay…what did you need?”

Twilight looked at Sugarcoat and then pointed to her right wrist. “I need the Heart Stone, Sugarcoat.”

Sugarcoat’s left hand quickly clasped around her wrist. “You do know that this was given to me by my grandmother, it’s the last memento I have of her. Plus, you know it has powers.”

“I know, Sugarcoat, I know how important that is to you. But I need you to trust that I wouldn’t ask you for something so precious to you if it wasn’t important,” said Twilight.

“If you need it, then I’ll come with you and use it for whatever it is you need it for. Otherwise, I’m sorry, I can’t give it to you. It’s not just a powerful magical item, to me, it’s part of grandmother.”

Twilight hugged herself and said, “I thought you were trying to be my friend now, Sugarcoat.”

Sugarcoat sprang to her feet and said, “Don’t do that! Don’t use that against me! I want to be your friend – I am your friend now!”

“And friendship is built on trust.”

“Not blind trust, that’s what got me into the position I was in back at Crystal Prep!”

“Really, which position was that? Doggy? Missionary? Sixty-nine? You don’t strike me as the sort who would favor cowgirl,” Twilight mocked.

Sugarcoat turned beet red as she furrowed her brow further. “How dare you!”

“You’re all talk, Sugarcoat, when push comes to shove, you back down. You’d rather take the easy way out, which, in your case, involves spreading your legs for every boy, and opening your mouth for every girl!”

Sugarcoat had had it, she walked right up to Twilight and slapped her across the face, tears forming in her eyes. “Do you think I liked having those boys have their way with me?! Do you think I liked getting on my knees and pressing my face between a girl’s legs?! I hated every single moment of it! You don’t get to criticize me when all you did was take it, too!”

“Oh, you think I’m to blame for everything that happened to me?” Twilight asked as she crossed her arms.

“Tch, yes, I do! You had the option of going to Dean Cadence! You had the option of going to your parents and telling them what was happening to you! You had multiple chances to make it all stop, but you didn’t! You didn’t stand up for yourself, Twilight! That’s all you needed to do!”

Twilight rolled her eyes at the insinuation. “Stand up for myself, right. It’s thaaaat easy. Because, you know, it’s not like the school was being run by a woman who had her hands in some deep pockets, and could easily ruin my academic career, and black ball me from any future career in science that I want to pursue!”

“At least you would’ve had your self-respect, but no, you just endured it! Yeah, you might’ve had to do deal with some crap after you left, but at least you wouldn’t have been getting hazed every day, and you definitely would’ve been getting raped every other day by Indigo Zap!” Sugarcoat stated.

“I can easily throw that back at you, Sugarcoat!” Twilight began advancing on Sugarcoat, making the bespectacled girl have to back up. “You could’ve told someone about what was happening to me, you could’ve told your parents about the kind of toxic environment that Crystal Prep had, all of those options were yours, and yet, you decided to join up with Sunny Flare, and you decided to become the school whore! Which, to be honest, is way worse than being its whipping girl!” Twilight accentuated her point by pocking Sugarcoat in the chest, causing her to fall backwards onto the bed. “Face it, you’re not any better than them! And you’re worse than me!”

Anger was welling up in Sugarcoat, a great anger, one that wanted to lash out and hit Twilight again, or at this point, turn it into a brawl. But that anger was cooling in place of self-loathing. “You’re right…I am no better than you, I’m worse. I had the chance to speak up, but I didn’t. I became something disgusting, and I can’t take that back…I’m such an idiot…What was I thinking? I don’t deserve to be your friend, fuck, I don’t even deserve to try!”

Twilight’s expression of anger was faltering.

“I’m sorry…I never really apologized for the role I played in your suffering…but, from my heart, I mean this, I’m really sorry…” Sugarcoat lamented as more tears fell.

Twilight couldn’t keep up her façade and began to cry as well. “Dammit…I needed to hate you…I needed you to hate me…But…I can’t…” Twilight fell to her knees and cried.

“What…What are you talking about?” Sugarcoat asked.

“I wanted you to hate me! And I was trying to dredge up my own hate as well so that I could…I could take the Heart Stone from you! To make it easier for me to do it! I wanted you to get angry with me, so angry that you wanted to hurt me!”

“And…that’s why you said all those things?”

“Yes!” Twilight confessed. “At least then I might not feel as bad later, but then you just…you just agreed with me! You became so repentant that…”

Sugarcoat tapped into the power of the Heart Stone, she could see a chaotic mixture of auras, but the most prominent among them was the black, the aura of death. It was blacker than it was the first time she saw it, and now, Sugarcoat had an idea as to why that was. “Twilight…did you kill everyone at CPA?”

“Yes…I did…I sent you, Sunset, and Cadence away by hacking your phones and sending false messages about needing you to be somewhere else. I ejected the janitorial staff from the building halfway through Cinch’s speech, and right after…I executed my plan,” Twilight explained. “I wanted to save you, because you were my first friend…aside from Sunset, but she’s my girlfriend now.”

Sugarcoat took a moment to absorb that information, Twilight was the one who killed all their classmates, and the faculty. She killed Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, and Principal Cinch. “Twilight…did you kill Lemon Zest, too?”

Twilight nodded. “She was the first…but I didn’t mean to kill her…! I was just going to track her down so that my brother could arrest her! But then…I tried to confront her on my own, and then…she threatened my parents, Sunset, and me…I-I just couldn’t take it anymore, I lashed out! I killed her! And afterwards…I felt free! I felt good! I was finally able to put an end to someone who hurt me with my own two hands! And that’s when I got the idea, I leaked all that information about Crystal Prep little by little over the course of the week, with the crescendo being Friday’s assembly where I ended it all!”

Sugarcoat was disturbed by this, the psychology books she had read told her that Twilight was showing the classic signs of being emotionally disturbed, and given all she went through, something like this was inevitable. The real question was, would she kill again? Well, it seemed that she tried to with her, but she couldn’t because she didn’t feel anger towards her.

“Is the reason you want my Heart Stone because of what you did?” Sugarcoat asked. “If you wanted to speak to their spirits, I could do that for you…?”

“I never want to see them again, as spirits or anything else!” Twilight stated sharply. “But no…that’s not the reason. Just believe me when I say this Sugarcoat, what I want to do with it will help me and everyone in this world. Your Heart Stone is more powerful than you think, along with Sunset’s Ember Stone!” Twilight reached out and clasped her hands together with Sugarcoat’s. “Everything will be alright once it’s over, Sunset will make a world where we’re best friends, where we never go to Crystal Prep! Your Heart Stone is an important piece to the puzzle, so I’m asking you, please, let me have it!”

Sugarcoat looked at the Heart Stone on her wrist. She wanted to believe Twilight, but all this talk about making a new world sounded crazy. She knew that magic and monsters existed, that was a fact now that could not be disputed, but to say that there was a power that could change the world like that it…it just sounded too farfetched.

“Twilight, have you considered that this endeavor, whatever it is, is just a farce?” Sugarcoat asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re saying that Sunset Shimmer will be able to change the world if she has my Heart Stone, but I’m guessing there’s more to it than that, right?”

“Yes, there are other Artifacts that we need to gather, but once we have, Sunset will be able to change everything!” Twilight said excitedly.

“And who told her that, or rather, how did she come about this information?”

Twilight sat on the bed next to Sugarcoat and began explaining how Sunset came to know this information about the Thirteen Artifacts, and how their power combined could rewrite reality. “So, you see, all we have to do is get the last few together! Which is simple because most of them are in the city already! And once we defeat the one responsible for killing Sunset’s parents and get his Artifact, we can fix everything!”

Sugarcoat put on a serious expression. “Twilight, I think this guy is playing her, and Sunset is playing you.”

“W-What did you say…?”

“Think about it? The guy who killed Sunset’s parents let her live just so she could go out and gather all these other Artifacts, what guarantee did he have that Sunset would be able to accomplish this? And if he did know she could, why would he tell her that they have this kind of power? I think he’s lying to her, or…”

“Or what?”

“Or Sunset’s lying to you. Maybe she’s the one who wants to gather the Artifacts together and change the world to something that she wants,” said Sugarcoat. “Think about it, if she’s successful, she can do whatever she wants! Who’s to say that she’ll still be with you?! If she can change reality, she can make it so she can have any girl she wants! Twilight, I think Sunset is just using you to help her get what she wants!”

Twilight looked down at the floor as her body trembled, her bangs obscuring her face a little. “How could say that…Sunset…Sunset loves me…”

“I’m telling you this because that’s what a friend does, Twilight. I don’t want to see you hurt again, and if Sunset’s setting you up for a fall, then I have to save you before you hit the ground! Let’s talk to her sister – parallel self – whatever, let’s just talk to the other Sunset, maybe she can shed some light on this or –!”

Before Sugarcoat could finish, Twilight’s hands shot out and wrapped themselves around Sugarcoat’s throat. Twilight’s hair turned darker, while her purple skin became violet. When Twilight turned to look at Sugarcoat, her eyes were glowing. “How could say that, Sugarcoat?” Twilight kept squeezing, and Sugarcoat tried to fight back, but for some reason, Twilight was far stronger than she used to be. The teen genius forced Sugarcoat to fall back onto the bed, getting into a straddling position as she continued to apply pressure.

“Sunset Shimmer loves me, I love her with all my heart, and she feels the same! She would never use me! She would never hurt me like that! I’m not being tricked, and I’m not being used!”

Sugarcoat tried scratching at Twilight, but every time she managed to claw her, the wounds would heal almost instantaneously, and what was worse, it was as if Twilight wasn’t even registering the pain at all. “T-Twilight…S-Stop…A-AAH…!”

“She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! She loves me! She would never betray me! SHE LOVES ME!!! SHE WOULD NEVER BETRAY ME!!!”

Sugarcoat thrashed under Twilight, bucking her hips wildly to try and throw Twilight off her, but no matter what she did, Twilight wouldn’t budge for anything. Her eyes started to turn blood shot, the skin around her face was changing to a shade of blue, and tears started to stream once again. Twilight kept repeating her words over and over like a mantra and all the while squeezing harder and harder and harder–

*Snap!*

Sugarcoat went limp, her thrashing ceased. Twilight noticed that Sugarcoat’s eyes were no longer looking at her, they just had this dull, blank look to them now. She wasn’t even making any gagging noises either, she was completely silent.

“Sugarcoat…?” Twilight released Sugarcoat’s throat as her head limply turned to the left side. “Hey…I-I’m sorry I did that, Sugarcoat! You can stop pretending now!…Sugarcoat…?” Twilight pressed her hand to Sugarcoat’s heart, she couldn’t feel a heartbeat. “No…” She sent out a wave of energy to check her body and found that her neck had been broken. “No…please God…no…no – NO! I didn’t mean it! I didn’t mean it! Sugarcoat!” Twilight grabbed her friend’s shoulders and began shaking her as if to wake her. “Please, wake up, Sugarcoat! I didn’t mean it! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it! You’re my friend! I wanted you to live! Sugarcoat please don’t…don’t leave me!”

Despite her pleas, Sugarcoat did not wake. Twilight sobbed into her deceased friend’s chest, she didn’t want this, she didn’t want to kill Fluttershy either, but she had a chance of convincing Sugarcoat to give her the Heart Stone, she had a chance to take it from her. But she killed her, with her own two hands she took her friend’s life, someone that she saved, that she had deemed worth saving from her wrath on the Crystal Prep. Now she was gone.

Twilight rose and looked down upon her friend’s lifeless body, her eyes then shifted to the Heart Stone bracelet that still rested around her wrist. Carefully, Twilight slid the bracelet off Sugarcoat’s wrist and placed it into her left skirt pocket. She felt hollow inside, like this wasn’t real, but the reality was that it was real, and until the Artifacts were gathered, this would remain permanent. Twilight used her power to lift Sugarcoat’s body off the bed, she made the blankets move back and gently placed Sugarcoat’s body onto the bed. Once there, she made the blankets cover her. Twilight closed Sugarcoat’s eyes and stroked her hair gently.

“This…This will all be a bad dream…W-When you wake up…I-I promise…It’ll all just be a bad dream…” Twilight leaned down and kissed Sugarcoat on her forehead.

Twilight, with a shaky hand, reached into her right pocket and pulled out her cellphone, she immediately called Sunset who quickly picked up.

{Sparky, are you alright? How did it go with Sugarcoat?}

“……She’s…Sugarcoat’s asleep now…but I got the Heart Stone…”

{………I see……It’ll be alright, Sparky. None this will have ever happened once we’re through.}

“Okay…And, Sunset?”

{Yeah?}

“Y-You’re not lying, right? W-We can bring them all back, you can change everything?!” Twilight asked desperately.

{Of course not, Sparky, I would never lie to you! I meant what I said, I swear on my parents’ graves that it’s not a lie! Once we’ve killed that son of a bitch, we’ll have all of the Thirteen Artifacts, and I can make everything right again!”

Twilight glanced to Sugarcoat’s body. “I believe you, I just…I just needed to hear you say that again. I love you, Sunset.”

{I love you, too, Sparky. I’ll always love you.}

Twilight hung up the phone and sighed sadly. “You’re wrong Sugarcoat…you’ll see…she loves me, and I…I’m willing to place my life in her hands!”

Twilight’s body was enveloped with magenta light, and in a second, a flash of magenta light went off in the room and she disappeared.