The Nightwatcher Chronicles: Hunt Turned War

I woke up around 6:30 am the following day. I began waking everyone and telling them to get ready for school. As one could expect when you interrupt someone's beauty sleep, I got several groans or muffled complaints. Orange Bunny gave me her famous one-finger salute face down on her pillow.

I did my morning routine. The rest of the group did the same. Well, not exactly. About a third of the group didn't even make up their cots. Of course, I made sure they did that. After getting everyone going, I finally ate breakfast: nothing too big, just something to hold me over to lunch.

When I returned to my room after eating, Jesus was sitting on my bed. I sat down next to Jesus.

"Matthew, I sent you visions last night. I'm sure you didn't understand them," Jesus said as he placed his arm around me.

"That was you? I thought it was Satan messing with my head. The ending seemed terrifying."

"No, that was me. Remember, don't fear the future. As King Solomon once wrote: Have no fear of sudden disaster or the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and keep your foot from being snared. Proverbs 3:25-27."

I glanced at my watch. The time was 7:10 am. We had about fifty minutes until the tardy bell at CHS rang. I wanted to be there early. When I turned to Jesus to tell him I had to finish getting ready, he had disappeared, but he left a little note that Jesus wrote in cursive.

It read:

Matthew,

Remember that you will reveal your and your friend's identity to eight people and a dog (Trust me on that one). They will be essential to your mission here. I'm always with you.

Love,

Jesus Christ

When I read the note, it turned into dust. I got up and went into the living room. Everyone was eating cereal. Jessie was eating two granola bars. She's a health nut. Then, I walked over to the group. They were mainly making small talk. Nothing too interesting.

"Why do we have to go back to school, man?" Levi complained groggily.

"It's a cover for the public. They can't know who we are. Kind of like the Flash. He works as a forensic scientist at the Central City Police Department as cover," I responded.

"Dude, he was already working there when he became the Flash," Hannah corrected.

"Okay, bad example. You catch my drift?".

"Lo que."

(Spanish) "Whatever," Levi mumbled.

For about fifteen minutes, we talked about random things and finished eating. After that, I went into my room and grabbed my jacket. I put one of my pistols into a built-in holster—courtesy of the CIA. The coat was thick so that no one would notice the pistol. The coat was made of synthetic material that would throw off metal detectors. You never know when the Black Snake will show up. Then, I slipped on a black baseball cap.

I walked back into the living room. Almost everyone else had the same clothing on. Hannah and Jessie didn't carry guns, so they didn't have a jacket. A few minutes later, we were walking to high school.

We had to leave Orange Bunny behind because Canterlot High didn't allow pets. I also needed her to monitor the apartment so no one would try to break in. Plus, it would be weird to have a talking rabbit at school—especially a rabbit who cusses people out or can kill someone. I didn't want to explain that to the police, either.

Everyone walked in silence. Jessie and I walked together, holding hands. I could tell she was nervous. Going to a new school was hard for her. Jessie had to make new friends and try to fit in, which she was never good at. No offense to her.

When we arrived at the school, the front was crowded. The jocks were arm wrestling. The geeks were doing whatever geeks do, etc. Every once and a while, some students would glance in our direction and stare.

The group and I made our way into the building and spent the next few minutes looking for the office. Eventually, we found it. Principal Celestia welcomed us into her office.

She was a tall lady. She looked like she was at least six feet tall. She had white skin. Celestia also had light pink, blue, and green hair. Like the girls in the parking lot, her hair color looked natural.

"Hello, you must be Matthew Wilson," she said.

Principal Celestia stuck her hand out for me to shake.

"Yes, I am," I responded as I shook her hand. "This is Brody Kriegel, Dalton Lunday, Dylan and Devin Cochran, Hannah Wilson, Jessie Anderson, Eric Pantoja, Lance Wallace, Daniel Baxter, Levi Rodriguez, and Justin Williams."

"Pleasure to meet all of you. Welcome to Canterlot High School. Please have a seat."

Her office was more extensive than most, although it looked like the others I've been to. I saw some basketball trophies that I later learned were from her high school days twenty years ago. One of them was a city championship trophy. Just for us, she had put out eleven chairs. We sat down. Then, she handed us a few papers. The papers were stuff we had to sign and things like that.

The bell rang in the middle of Principal Celestia talking to us. She paused to give a few announcements and told everyone to go to the gym over the PA system. She finished and continued talking to us for a few more minutes until she asked if we had any questions. Jessie raised her hand.

"Matthew told me that Canterlot High is having a musical showcase this weekend. Can we sign up for that?" Jessie asked.

"Sure. If you have a band, that is," Principal Celestia responded.

"We do. Matthew is lead guitar and vocals. Dylan plays the guitar and vocals. Devin plays bass and vocals. Brody-"

"Jessie will give you a list of who does what later. We'll sort out the details at a different time," Dalton said.

Jessie gave Dalton a dirty look for interrupting.

"Matthew, may I ask you a question?" Principal Celestia asked.

"Sure," I replied

"What happened to your cheek? It looks like you were cut with a knife."

"Oh, that. I was walking down the street, and a guy tried to mug me, and I fought back. He cut me with a knife during the fight."

"Well, I am glad you are with us here today. I'll let you and your friends go to the gym to meet the students. If you have any questions, my door is always open. My sister, Vice Principal Luna, is also available."

We walked out of her office. I was about to walk away when I realized I didn't know where the gym was. Brody must have had the same realization because he asked for directions from another student. Much to my stupidity and embarrassment, the gym was fifty feet down the hall in our direction.

After we arrived at the gym, we tried to find a place to sit. I got a dirty look from a group of kids after accidentally stepping on a poster they were working on. We managed to find a spot in the bleachers.

The gym was highly different. On one end was your typical basketball goal, but on the other was a stage. The stage looked like the builder placed it there permanently.

Students were scattered everywhere like ants. They were making posters for that musical showcase.

We sat there for a few minutes until a girl approached us.

The girl had orange skin with red and orange hair. She wore a black leather jacket and an Orange, yellow, and pink skirt. The girl wore tall black leather boots. I assumed she was going for a biker look. She had a maroon shirt with a sun that matched her hair colors.

"May we help you?" Hannah asked.

"You are new kids. I've never seen you before," the girl questioned.

"Yes, we are," I replied. "My name is Matthew Wilson."

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Sunset Shimmer. Welcome to Canterlot High."

I froze. What Sunset Shimmer had said was in my dream the night before. Then Jesus spoke to me in the quietest voice a human could hear.

"This is one of the people you are supposed to reveal your identity to," He said.

I raised an eyebrow at this.

"Same to you," Jessie said.

Then, there was that awkward silence when you first met somebody.

"Do you want to meet some of my friends so that you can meet some people here? They are a good group of kids," Sunset asked.

"Sure," I replied.

The group and I got up and followed Sunset Shimmer.

As we walked across the gym, people started mumbling and giving us weird looks. One kid grabbed my arm and gave me a pleading look.

"Whatever you do, don't trust her," the kid whispered, pointing his finger at Sunset Shimmer. "She's bad news."

"I'll trust who I want to trust," I snarled as I yanked my arm from the kid's grip.

Sunset led us to a group of girls sitting next to the gym door.

There were about six girls in the group. They were making a poster like everyone else was. They stopped what they were doing and looked at us. The girls looked like they were between 16 and 18 years old. One of them motioned for us to sit down.

"Hello!! Welcome to CHS!! My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but you can call me Pinkie!!" one of them said, greeting me loudly.

The girl who greeted us had curly, long pink hair. Also, she had light pink skin. She wore a white undershirt with a blue jacket. I noticed she had on blue knee-high shoes. She also had a soft pink skirt that had three balloons on it.

"Thanks. My name is Matthew. And these are my friends, my sister, and my girlfriend."

"Oh, cool. What are their names?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Going in alphabetical order of their first name, I introduced them. Everyone in my group waved when I called their name. The group of girls introduced themselves.

"Howdy. My name is Applejack," said one of the girls.

Applejack spoke with a country accent. She wore a white shirt with a denim skirt. On her head was a worn-out cowgirl hat with a crescent cut out of it, and she wore cowgirl boots.

"Hello. My name is Rarity," said another one of the girls.

Rarity had a British accent, which was very interesting. Considering the fact this was a different dimension. She wore a light blue shirt and a purple skirt. Her skin was white like the girl, Sweetie Belle, that approached us the day before. Also, she had on knee-high shoes like Pinkie Pie. She also had dark purple hair that looked like the hair was done by one of those professional movie stylists.

"Hi, my name is Rainbow Dash," the next girl said.

Rainbow Dash had light blue skin and rainbow-colored hair. She wore a striped pink-and-white shirt with a cloud and a rainbow-colored lightning bolt coming out of it. She also wore a light sports jacket. Rainbow Dash had a raspy voice, like she had screamed too much. She also had blue and white knee-high shoes. I had assumed that was the style there.

"Hello, um… my name is Fluttershy," said the last in a soft and quiet voice. I probably wouldn't have heard her if I didn't have mutated senses.

She had pale yellow skin and pale pink hair. She had a white tank top and a light green skirt with pink trimming. She also had on knee-high shoes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you guys," I said.

"Are you guys in a band since you are making a poster together?" Jessie asked.

"Yeah. We call ourselves the Rainbooms," replied Rainbow Dash. "What about you guys."

"We are in a band. I'm the manager. We call ourselves Teens of Christ Band or TOCB."

"That's cool. Who plays what?"

I play lead electric guitar on the first part and lead vocals," I said. "Hannah, who is my sister, is also vocals."

"Same here. How many play guitar?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Hannah, Justin, and Dylan raised their hands.

"I play bass," Devin said.

"Well, stuff me with feathers and call a pillow, I also play the bass and the vocals," Applejack said.

"Who plays the drums? There's always drums in a band," Pinkie asked.

"I do," Brody replied.

Pinkie nearly knocked the twins down, trying to high-five Brody.

"I play tambourine. Does anyone play the tambourine?" asked Fluttershy quietly.

"I can play tambourine. Any percussion instrument you have, I can play it."

"What do you play, Rarity?" Hannah asked.

"I play the most elegant of instruments. The instrument is the crown jewel…."

"Just tell them already, Rarity," demanded Rainbow Dash.

"I play the keytar," Rarity said. Then she stuck her tongue out at Rainbow Dash.

"What do you, Daniel and Lance?" asked Fluttershy.

"Daniel plays the violin, and I play the cello," replied Lance.

"What does Levi, Dalton, and Eric do?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"They are in a different part of TOCB. The main part, which is us, is heavy metal. They are rappers," I responded.

"I can tell they rap because of their outfits. The caps facing backward give it away," Rarity said. "The rest of you don't look like you play heavy metal."

"Looks can be deceiving, amiga," Levi replied. There was more truth to that statement than the girls realized.

"What do you do, Sunset Shimmer?" Jessie asked.

"I'm not in a band. No one has asked me yet. I wouldn't mind being a band manager, though."

"I could show you a few things about being a manager if you'd like," offered Jessie.

"Thank you."

Then, there was that pesky awkward silence. To break the silence, Rarity asked us questions that sent us scrambling for answers.

"What brings you to Canterlot?"

I started to sweat. Levi's dark skin somehow managed to turn a deep red. Devin started to speak, but I interrupted him.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," I said nervously.

"Try us. We've seen things that are pretty different," replied Sunset Shimmer.

"Sag nichts, Matthew."

(German) "Don't say anything, Matthew!" Eric snapped.

I mouthed that he needed to trust me in Russian.

This time, Jesus didn't say that these were the people I should trust. Instead, He told me to go with my gut instinct. Thankfully, I was right.

"To be honest-" I said in a low voice. "- we are from a different dimension."

My group was silent with shock.

"Been there and seen that," Rainbow Dash said, much to my surprise.

"Do you know Princess Twilight?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Princess, who? No, we are from another dimension," I responded. "I operate as a government assassin. Everyone except Hannah and Jessie is a government assassins-for-hire. We are looking for a terrorist leader named Headhunter. He leads the terrorist group called the Burakkusunēku or the Black Snake."

"I know who you are talking about. What is horrible is that the police can't catch him or his group," Rarity stated. "They either get away, fight until they are killed, or...commit suicide."

"That's the Japanese for you," Brody said.

"Anyway, he escaped a mental hospital and raised an army of terrorists. He has committed many crimes in our dimension."

"Who do you work for?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"A national security intelligence agency called the Central Intelligence Agency."

"Why did they enlist teenagers to do adult work," asked Fluttershy.

"We all have powers, except Jessie. People call us mutants," I replied. "You can't tell anyone about this. I don't feel like sitting in an interrogation room explaining that I'm not insane."

"Then why are you telling us this?" Applejack asked.

"I have a feeling I can trust you enough to keep it quiet," I said.

Pinkie Pie picked up her poster and smiled. It was a painting of a pink guitar and a blue drum set. It was lovely. It smelled good.

"What is that smell?" I asked.

"Oh, I used cake frosting instead of paint," responded Pinkie Pie.

"Let me smell," Daniel said.

Pinkie shoved the poster in Daniel's face, almost knocking him over. Daniel pulled the sign off of his face. There was frosting and sprinkles all over his face. Lance and Dalton chuckled.

"Umm…Daniel, you got a little something on your face," Applejack announced.

Daniel immediately wiped his face off with his sleeve. Then, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna walked into the gym.

Vice Principal Luna had dark blue skin with the same color hair. She was a little shorter than her sister. She seemed to be the silent but thoughtful type.

"Good morning, students. I just wanted to tell you how pleased I am that so many of you are going to participate in the first-ever Canterlot High School Musical Showcase," Principal Celestia shouted as she walked through the amassed students.

The students cheered. The noise was louder than the Gotham City Knights Stadium. It took the principals a few moments to quiet the students down.

"This is an opportunity to raise money for all our after-school programs here at CHS, so keep working on those signs and posters. I think this will be one of the most exciting events we've had at CHS since the Fall Formal," continued Principal Celestia after quieting the students.

Every student turned and glared at Sunset Shimmer with hateful glares. Some students, who were close to us, said some pretty awful things under their breath. Let's say it was similar to what Orange Bunny would say. Someone shot a spitball, behind the principals' backs, at Sunset Shimmer, but Devin caught it mid-flight. He then tossed it into a nearby garbage can.

Sunset hid her face in her hands, slumped against the wall, and put her head in her lap.

The group and I were confused about why the students looked at her that way.

Principal Celestia walked over to us and told the girls they could go to the music room. Rainbow Dash invited us to come with them. We accepted, and we followed.

Brody walked up behind me and slapped me behind the head as we walked down the hall. Eric pushed me into the lockers to my right. There was a dent in the locker door.

“Ben je gek geworden. Waarom heb je onze identiteit onthuld?”

(Dutch) "Are you out of your mind? Why did you reveal our identities?" Eric asked gruffly.

“Ich weiß was ich tue. Vertrauen Sie mir diesbezüglich.”

(German) "I know what I'm doing. Trust me on this," I replied.

“Ik vind het moeilijk om dat te doen, Matthew.”

(Dutch) "I'm finding it hard to do that, Matthew."

The music room was several doors down the hall to the left. The room was large. In the back was a large window. The window was near the room, so only tall people could look over it. To my left was a grand piano. On the other end was a bunch of percussion stuff. In the middle of the room were the Rainbooms instruments.

Sunset Shimmer sat on top of the piano and put her head in her hands. She was upset about the thing that went down in the gym.

"I'm never going to live that down," Sunset Shimmer groaned.

"You were pretty bad at the Fall Formal," Fluttershy said as she grabbed her tambourine.

"Okay. What did you do at the Fall Formal that gives you such a bad rap," Hannah asked.

"It's what she did before, too," Applejack said.

"Care to elaborate," Jessie added.

Rarity looked over at Sunset Shimmer. She picked her head up and gave Rarity a look of approval. Probably to tell the story. Sunset Shimmer put her head back into her hands.

"When Sunset Shimmer first came here, she was, for lack of better terms, a jerk. She was like that for a long time," Rarity explained. "A girl named Twilight Sparkle, a princess from another dimension, came looking for her crown with magical capabilities, which Sunset had stolen from her. Long story short, Twilight helped Sunset begin a path of reformation."

"What kind of magic did the crown have?" Dalton asked.

"The magic of friendship," Sunset Shimmer replied.

My group, including Jessie, cracked up laughing. It was the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Dalton laughed the hardest, being a Chaos Magic wielder.

"That's the most stupid kind of magic I've ever heard of," he said.

"It is not. It's probably the most powerful kind there is," retorted Applejack.

"What makes it so powerful? That sounds like something from a TV show for kids," I asked, trying to calm myself down.

"It is mighty. Sunset Shimmer is from that dimension, so she knew about the crown. In the crown, had something called an Element of Harmony. The Element had the Magic of Friendship in it. Sunset Shimmer stole it from Princess Twilight. She used to turn herself into a… what were you exactly?" Applejack said.

"A she-demon. I turned into a raging she-demon," responded Sunset Shimmer.

"And she tried turning everyone here into teenage zombies for her army," Pinkie Pie added.

"Compared to our chaotic dimension, that's pretty mild," Brody said.

"How is that mild?" Sunset Shimmer asked, sounding surprised at Brody's statement.

"A New York city was invaded by an alien army led by an Asgardian named Loki. The army was borrowed from a Titan named Thanos, the third most powerful being in the universe. Another alien, named Darkseid, is the second," Brody explained.

"You guys have quite a few alien problems," Fluttershy said.

"It happens less than you think," Jessie added.

"Who is the most powerful being in your universe?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The guy we worship. His name is God."

"That's original."

"He's been alive forever, so in his defense, that's pretty original."

The girls went over to their instruments and put them or sat behind them in Pinkie's case. The girls started to tune their instruments. A part of me was jealous that they were playing.

"Do you mind if we play a song for you?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"No, we don't mind," Jessie said.

Some of the guys tried to object, but Jessie shot them down.

"This song is called Better Than Ever," Rainbow Dash announced.

The song was perfect. It was a toe-tapper.

During the song, something happened that caught all of our attention. The girls magically grew pony ears and long ponytails. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy grew wings. To be honest, the sight was pretty cool. When the girls stopped playing, their bodies returned to normal. The group and I were stunned.

"What the heck was that?" Devin asked.

"I don't know what it is. It always happens when we play," Rarity said as she took off her keytar and put it on the rack.

"I would like to know why it happens. Princess Twilight took her crown back to Equestria. Shouldn't the magic have gone back with her?" Applejack.

"Here's what has happened. Think of this magic as a virus. When the magic was released, you were 'infected' with it. It still resides in you even if the source is gone," Jessie explained.

"That makes perfect sense," Pinkie said.

"Who cares why it happens! It makes my band awesome," Rainbow Dash put in.

"Oh. Your band?" Rarity asked.

"Well, duh. My idea was to create the Rainbooms so we could be in the showcase. Plus, I'm the lead guitarist and singer of the band."

Suddenly, the door opened, and a teenage boy walked in.

The boy was a tall, skinny kid. His skin color was light Orange. He had blue hair that was swept back and spiked. He wore a light blue shirt and blue jeans. On his was a navy blue shield with a large yellow lightning bolt. Also, he wore a navy blue jacket. He looked like a rock star or something like that.

"I heard you outside. You guys sound really tight."

"Uhh... We're getting there. Rarity is still coming in late on the second verse, and Applejack's bass solo needs better work. They'll get it by the time of the showcase," Rainbow Dash said.

Applejack and Rarity gave Rainbow Dash a dirty look. I automatically felt some growing tension between the girls.

"And who are you?" Lance asked.

"I'm Flash Sentry. I'm the lead guitarist and vocals of my band, Flash Drive."

"Hey, I'm your position," I announced.

"You guys are new. What are your names?" Flash asked.

I introduced the group and myself. Each one waved as I said their names. Flash tried to keep track because I babbled.

"Nice to meet you, guys," Flash said.

"You, too," Jessie replied.

"I don't suppose any of our friends from...uhh…from out of town would come to the showcase. You know, it is a special charity event and all." Flash asked.

"Sorry, Flash. I don't think Twilight will be back at Canterlot High anytime soon," answered Applejack.

"Haha...yeah...okay. I...you know...thought I'd ask," Flash said, embarrassed. "Keep in rocking it."

He tried to walk back out the door but backed into the wall. Flash blushed and moved over, and backed out the door. Anyone would've guessed the Flash had a crush on this princess from another dimension.

Rarity chuckled and said, "Well, someone is quite the smitten kitten."

Sunset Shimmer looked a bit hurt. I couldn't tell if she was jealous or remembered a terrible memory.

"Oh, sorry. I always forget that you and Flash used to be an item," Rarity apologized.

"It's okay. Flash is a great guy, but I never really liked him. I was only using him to get more popular," Sunset Shimmer replied.

"That is what we call a 'player,'" Daniel announced.

Right about then, I heard some glass shatter. All of us pulled whipped around and pulled out our pistols. The Rainbooms were shocked at the sight of guns.

A large circle, about two feet in diameter, had been cut into the window. Then an orange bunny hopped out behind the drumset. It was Orange Bunny. We all put our guns away, but Fluttershy made a bad mistake. She approached Orange, pulled out a carrot, and knelt in front of her.

"Um... Fluttershy. I wouldn't do that if I were you," I warned.

"What could a sweet, little, cute bunny do to me?" Fluttershy said.

"I heard bunnies will attack you if threatened," Dylan announced.

"They will not," Fluttershy replied. "They are the sweetest creatures ever to roam the earth. Come here, bunny rabbit. It's okay."

Suddenly, Orange jumped at Fluttershy with her knife pulled, ready for the kill.