Aya was sitting in the break room listening to Rarity regale her on her latest commission; the ‘interesting challenge’ of a full denim ensemble. Fluttershy was humming softly to herself in front of the toaster oven ticking away and AJ was flipping through channels on the new TV. Technically two of the three hunters should have gone out on patrol at this point but it was Sunset’s first day back and with Rupert off for the day, that left Aya the boss at the moment, and she wasn’t in any particular rush.

With Dash also teasing that they’d be arriving with a small surprise, she felt the probably uneventful drive could wait another hour. Fluttershy was mum on the details, only saying that Sunset wanted everyone to see it. Soon enough the nurse’s phone chimed, signaling their arrival. Making sure her food wasn’t about to burn, she led the way to the garage entrance. They could hear the gate opening as they approached, expecting to see Dash’s old civic roll down the ramp any moment.

The pleasant surprise of an unfamiliar, compact suv making its way to the garage’s maintenance bay met them instead. Rainbow’s colorful mane could be seen in the passenger seat next to Sunset’s, the mechanic rolling a finger as her lips read ‘a little more’ before the tires landed in position on the lift. With a thumbs up from her passenger, Sunset cut the engine and hopped out with a beaming smile.

“TA-DA!” she cried and threw her hands up. She then wrapped her arms around the vehicle's black painted frame “Isn’t she beautiful?!”

“It’s your first car, of course she’s beautiful” Aya smiled back, chuckling softly at the redhead’s excitement. She glanced at Rainbow pulling her bag out of the back “Cherokee, huh?”

“Yeah, figured something reliable over fancy would be best for Sunny’s first ride.” she smirked “Though I honestly hadn’t thought of a Cherokee until we kind of just lucked out with this. Friend of my Dad’s had to get rid of a couple of his cars when his wife complained he had too many. When I heard this was one of them, I knew I had to scoop it up.”

“What’s her name?” the blonde asked.

“JILL!” Sunset announced happily “Dash says she’ll last forever so long as I take good care of her; That she’s like a little tank.”

“Well, mine certainly took quite the beating before finally giving out on me” Rarity commented, a slight blush creeping to her cheeks. A melancholy reached her smile with a sigh “Trust me dear, if yours is anything like mine was, you’ll rarely if ever just be let down out of the blue. It was such a sad day when I finally had to retire the old girl.”

“You didn’t take care of her,” Dash pointed out.

“Yes, though not for any lack of desire to.” the fashionista countered somberly “I simply couldn’t afford the maintenance. Funds were not in abundance in those days…”

“Yeah I know,” Dash shot with a grin and winked “I’m just giving ya a hard time.”

“Well,” Aya looked at the redhead. “Do you think she’s up to her first patrol?”

“Up for it, sure. Available for it?” Sunset jerked her head toward the maintenance bay “Not today.”

“Yeah I gotta install the gps, sync it up with the MIST systems and then put in a safe storage for gear since it’s an open trunk” Dash rattled off before turning on the lift to expose the suv’s underside “And while my dad’s buddy took good care of her, I still think a full tune up would be for the best. Then we gotta do all the paperwork to get it registered as a MIST vehicle, although that can wait ‘till you guys get back.”

“Busy day for you then” she smirked at the mechanic, who to her credit took it in stride with a shrug. The veteran hunter looked back to Sunset with an exaggerated sigh “Guess we’ll have to settle for Claire again.”

“Oh however will you manage?” Rarity quipped, earning a laugh before the pair started toward the locker room and left Rainbow to her work. However, as they neared the hall they spotted Applejack, who had so far not said a word.

“Hey AJ! Long time no see.” the redhead smiled at the cowgirl. She tilted her head “How you been holding up?”

“Oh, well uh… pretty good, consider’n that was a might friendlier reaction than Ah thought Ah’d get… or deserve.” the hunter shuffled awkwardly. They hadn’t seen each other since the incident at the bar. The younger hunter furrowed her brow “Well either way, Ah gotta apologize fer the way Ah acted at yer party.”

“You really don’t have-”

“Yes Ah do. Ah made a right ass out of mahself and ended up hurt’n a friend cause Ah couldn’t check my temper.” the cowgirl insisted before offering her a grocery bag she was holding. Sunset took it, noting what felt like wine. She pulled the plastic away to see it was a bottle of ‘Sweet Apple Acres Hard Cider’ “So y’know, here. Belated birthday gift.”

“You already bought me drinks that night, and that was after I didn’t want to celebrate.”

“Well then an apology gift. Just take it will’ya? Ah ain’t good with this kinda stuff'' she argued “Now that is tha hard stuff, so be mindful not to get as off yer ass as Ah was.”

“Thanks AJ” she returned, looking the bottle over “Gonna have to find something worth having it to celebrate with now, huh?.”

“Yer’s now Sugarcube. Ya can drink it whenever ya want.” the Apple shrugged “Heck, I’d say you could down it now if we weren’t at work.”

During the exchange, Aya had continued on to gather the gear, the veteran hunter now reappearing with Sunset’s equipment in tow. The other set of gear wasn’t hers however. In fact it looked a lot like Jacquelyn’s typical set.

“Here, you two got more catching up to do” she handed the pair their equipment with a wink “Don’t worry, you’re checked in.”

“Been a bit since we’ve patrolled together” Sunset gave as they made their way to the Apple’s truck.

“Like old times” the blonde grinned back.

As the pair made their way back to the station, they received a text telling them to ‘not worry about the crane’. Sure enough, when they turned the corner, they were met with the sight of a large crane sitting in the half cordoned off street in front of the building. Thankfully they could still get to the garage, the whole bottom floor filled with the sounds of construction as they exited the vehicle.

“Hey guess what!” They heard Dash shout over the commotion and her own ear protection from the maintenance bay “We’re finally getting the elevator fixed!”

Flashing the mechanic a thumbs up, they began their way through the noise. The break room was empty, not shocking considering the ruckus. It was thankfully not so loud on the ground floor and the two soon found the rest of the girls had gathered in Twilight’s lab instead. They opened the door to find a thoroughly amused Fluttershy with a pair of rats on her shoulders, giggling as their whiskers tickled her cheeks. A third sat in Rarity’s hands, sniffing curiously at the fashionista making kissy faces at it.

“And here I thought you were trying not to get attached to them” Sunset smiled at the encumbered nurse.

“Well now I have to if I want to find them the best homes,” she nuzzled the rodents at her cheeks and cooed “Don’t I?”

“The tests are already done?” the redhead blinked and looked to Twilight and Applebloom.

“The first round yeah,” The youngest Apple returned “We’ll be start’n another series in a week or so, after gett’n through all the data.”

“Hopefully more than just the control will survive this time…” the bespectacled scientist added glumly.

“You still learned a lot. More will survive in time” Fluttershy of all people consoled her, only a mild melancholy behind the sentiment “And until then, well… greater good, right?”

“Right” Twilight smiled gratefully back at the nurse. Regathering herself, she brightened and looked at the returned pair “I don’t suppose either of you would like a new pet?”

“Can we even have uninfected pets?” Sunset arched an eyebrow.

“I’ve had Opal since I was a teenager” Rarity answered simply “And while the old dear would probably love to return to her prime, she won’t be getting infected by either Sweetie or I.”

“While they carry infectious mitochondria, it’s very rare for an NMH to actually be infectious themselves” Twilight explained “As an Awakened, it would even less likely for you. It can happen, but it usually needs some fairly exceptional circumstances. Thankfully the… two examples we have are also stable.”

The scientist’s somber mood returned at the end, her friends looking at her sympathetically. While the former pony had yet to hear the story and have her suspicions confirmed, she thought she knew who the two examples were. Twilight didn’t seem ready to share though and while she may not know much about friendship yet, she still knew the social fopa it would be to push. Especially in front of everyone. So instead she returned to the original question.

“I’m… not sure I’m ready for a pet” she pressed her lips with an apologetic look. Applejack however, appeared to be genuinely considering it.

“We haven’t had a proper pet in the family since Winona…” She gave and looked to her sister “What D'ya think? We ready fer another critter?”

“Ah’d reckon it’s been long enough” Applebloom smiled back and then shrugged “Rats are pretty low maintenance too. Ah think it’d be a good first step back inta it.”

“Ah guess that settles it” the cowgirl concluded. She turned to Fluttershy and couldn’t resist a hearty chuckle at what she saw. The animal lover looked like Pinkie trying to contain herself at a party; a beaming grin was plastered across her face as she bounced excitedly on her stool, waiting for the pair's decision “Reckon ya can get us started?”

Laughter found the rest as a loud Squee escaped the nurse.

The rest of the week went by smoothly with Sunset falling back into the routine easily enough. It was a little weird getting used to thinking of most of her co-workers as friends now, mostly because life really wasn't all that different after the revelation. The biggest change was simply how she viewed things, not in how all her interactions went. Nevertheless, she found her mental state significantly more stable. Cadence was proud of her progress if nothing else.

The Apples ended up taking in all three of the surviving rats, with Granny Gertrude positively loving the idea of new pets the moment she heard it. Fluttershy was also quite happy, as they’d do better if kept together. The nurse even donated an extra large cage with plenty of stimulating toys from her own collection. Sunset knew because she had been the one ‘volunteered’ by said Nurse to help deliver it. Not that she minded much. It taught her that she could fit a lot more in Jill’s trunk than she thought she could.

They had just finished setting it all up at the Apple home when the three MIST employees received simultaneous texts. The trio had the day off but it seemed they were needed at the station right away. Even more concerning was that when they arrived at the station, they were promptly called to the group briefing room. They practically never used the room as they very rarely needed to be briefed all at once. They entered to find nearly the entirety of the branch’s hunters and medics present, as well as a number of people Sunset didn’t recognize. Though if she had to guess, she was figuring Feds.

“Alright, now that we’re all here, we can begin.” Rupert started as they found their seats. “We’ve just received word of a large gathering of cultists this evening, the largest since Canterlot High.”

Sunset shifted unconsciously as one of the agents spoke up.

“Received word from who?”

“Our informant within the cult’s communications network contacted us just a few hours ago.” Rupert returned.

“Which was confirmed by one of our moles shortly after” Shining added from his place next to the director.

‘We have an informant? We have moles?’ Sunset blinked, though after a second’s more thought, she supposed it shouldn’t have surprised her. She was still relatively new and just a hunter, still in only the written phase of study for investigation work and not likely to take on the role anytime soon. The two men upfront continued before her mind could wander further.

“The gathering will be in this warehouse district” Rupert stated after the lights dimmed and the screen behind the two men flicked over to a map “Just recently, this same district was where one of our hunters discovered and eliminated a Brain Stinger with the aid of a local officer.”

Sunset shrank into her seat slightly, grateful Rupert hadn’t gone into any further detail of how the Stinger had been dealt with. That still didn’t stop her spotting a few smirks on her co-worker’s faces though.

“So this is a location of frequent activity?” one of the agents asked.

“No, actually. In fact our records don’t show there being any other incidents in the area, not even low level infestations.” Shining returned. BonBon spoke up next.

“Are we thinking someone’s been keeping the area clean themselves to avoid suspicion?”

“We can’t confirm it but that does seem to be a strong possibility” the director explained “The original cause of the officer’s presence was a call of suspicious persons in the area. We never found anything concerning in the area after the incident, let alone said persons, but it’s possible someone could have been preparing the area for this gathering.”

“So the stinger could have been an accident?” Sunset looked to see it was Gallus that asked the question.

“Possibly” Rupert nodded “Though whether intentional or accidental, the mere possibility of an NMC as advanced as a stinger being connected to the cult raises a myriad of concerns.”

“Which is why both teams have been assembled” Shining cut back in before clicking his remote, changing the screen to a more detailed overhead view of the familiar warehouses. “The bureau’s strike team, led by myself and Agent Marini, will take point in the initial breach.”

“So we’re just the backup?” Lyra’s voice emerged from the darkness.

“Marini’s team is trained in breaching maneuvers and anti-personnel tactics” The MIST leader countered “We fight NMCs Heartstrings, rarely people.”

“That’s fair, I guess” Sunset suppressed a snort at Lyra’s response. MIST hunters actually were trained in more conventional combat and conflict resolution but like Rupert said, it wasn’t something they had a lot of experience in and was best left to the specialists.

“MIST will be present to deal with any unexpected NMC presence or NMH’s that offer resistance.” Shining added.

“Are we expecting NMHs?” One young man asked with a hint of concern, and Sunset didn’t blame him; she was now a touch more concerned herself. Rogue NMHs were rare, even moreso were any willing to risk exposing themselves by developing their powers, but they existed.

“It’s a possibility” A man sitting up front, who Sunset suspected to be Marini, looked over his shoulder to the man “Most unregistered find themselves in the cults.”

“Cultests, monsters and now freaks with powers? Might as well fight some aliens too while we’re at it” a murmur escaped someone Sunset couldn’t see, certainly louder than they intended.

“Watch your tongue Vickers, unless you want one of the ‘freaks’ present to take it from you” the strike team leader snapped at the offending agent. A muted apology came as one of the silhouettes jumped at the rebuke. Marini continued “Don’t worry boys, any infected or creepy crawlies show up and the hunters will be right behind us.”

Rupert gave a nod to the man now flashing a bright smile to the pair up front before he and Shining dove into the finer details of the assault. Sunset did her best to listen but found her attention divided, her eyes regularly darting to the dim figure of the agent who grumbled the complaint. She’d never actually been insulted for being an NMH before. Sure some of the others have referred to themselves as ‘freaks’, but it had always been in a self-deprecating, humorous kind of way. This was the first time she heard it from someone who, even if he intended no offense, actually meant it.

‘I guess I really am lucky I ended up here…’ she thought somberly, now even more glad she chose to stay. The thought brought her gaze to Aya sitting next to Marini. She’d yet to say a word with her focus unwavering from the plan being laid out before them. Sunset did her best to shake off the distraction and follow her example.

She did her best to.

Soon enough, the briefing was concluded and Sunset found herself sitting in the back of AJ’s truck on the way to the forward rendezvous, fidgeting at the unfamiliar bulk of the heavy gear she’d been loaned. She normally just wore what most the team affectionately referred to as a ‘Chicken Plate’ when in the field, sometimes with arm and shin guards if needed. But for the amped up risk of this particular mission, even with her just being back up for the back up, it was deemed everyone was better safe than sorry and assigned extra protection.

‘Still, it's probably a damn sight more comfortable than the full combat armor some of the others are stuck wearing.’ she reasoned ‘Maybe I’ll save up my BP for something special fitted like Aya’s…’

“Ohhh!” Rarity abruptly wavered in her seat, bringing a hand up to her head with a wince. The moment only lasted a few seconds but the fashionable woman had to take a few more to shake off the disorientation “That was certainly unpleasant…”

“Y’alright there Sugarcube?” AJ asked, even pulling over to make sure her partner was okay. Rarity returned an only slightly off smile.

“Oh yes dear; while not entirely sure why it hit so hard, I’m fine” she then pressed her lips together though “We do seem to have a few NMCs with some rather unfortunate timing however.”

“Haven’t seen any NMC hit you like that” Sunset commented.

“Perhaps I just wasn’t expecting it.” the fashionista shrugged, “Sometimes it can surprise me.”

Applejack opened her mouth to argue but was cut off by Rupert’s voice cut in from the radio.

“Apple, what’s wrong?” his deep tone asked as they spotted the director’s own car pull up behind them.

“Rare’s felt some NMCs, got her all distorted” Jackie returned, earning a huff from the woman now rolling her eyes “That kinda reaction, don’t think we can just leave it.”

“No. We can’t” The director murmured. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again “Belle, mark the gps with a search zone and transfer your gear over here. Apple, you and Shimmer take care of it and head to the rendezvous as soon as you’re finished.”

“Yes Sir” AJ returned and waited as Rarity did her best to pinpoint the faint sense as best she could on the truck's gps. With her closest estimate in, she bid the pair adieu and stepped out of the truck “She’s on her way boss.”

“Sorry to separate you two but-”

“But y’all need her senses a lot more than we do.” the cowgirl interrupted cheerfully “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. Y’all just watch yerselves out there. Apple out.”

“And here I thought we’d be anxious and bored waiting by the cars.” Sunset quipped as she transferred to the front seat, returning the fashionable hunter’s wave as she and Rupert drove past. “I really haven’t seen it ever hit her that hard before though…”

“If it catches her off guard it can really throw ‘er. Doesn’t happen often but Ah’ve seen it a few times. She’ll be alright.'' The senior hunter tried to ease the redhead’s concern. They turned off from the previous route toward their new destination “Prolly just somethin’ more energetic than most, like some flans or tha like.”

“Hopefully” the fiery haired girl muttered “Hate to find out the mole got the meeting place wrong and we’re about to stir up a hornet’s nest without backup.”

“Nah, our girl knows her stuff too good fer that” she returned confidently, though failed to elaborate. Sunset didn't take it personally. Despite the fairly casual environment MIST cultivated, there were still levels of clearance and things she just didn't need to know. She would be lying if she said she wasn't curious who their informant or informants were, but it wasn't as if she didn't have enough on her plate as it was.

They had reached Rarity's search zone and began their sweeps. They were circling an old factory district, not actually that far from where they had been headed originally; the factories could have easily been part of the warehouse's supply for all she knew. The better part of an hour had passed with Applejack shifting in her seat more and more, double checking they were in search zone every few minutes.

“Y’all feel anything yet?” she asked with a huff.

“No…” Sunset frowned as looked around. “I actually don’t feel… anything.”

“That’s wut Ah was afraid of…” the blonde pulled the truck over, checking the gps once more just in case but it still showed them having completed a least three circles of the area. She pulled out her phone, sending a quick text to Rupert before resting her lips against her knuckles, looking out over the maze of long factory buildings and dilapidated storehouses of the gradually darkening district. It wouldn’t be much longer until night rolled in completely.

“What’re you thinking?” Sunset eventually broke the silence as they waited for a response.

“Ah’m think’n something is definitely off here. Rare rarely gets false reactions, and certainly not like that. There’s noth’n that could be here that would have set her off like that we wouldn’t be able ta feel in the middle of it.” she took a breath and shook her head “But here we are right in tha middle and not only do Ah not feel any NMC’s but even yer feeling fuzzy right next ta me!”

It was true, the pair were only a stick shift’s width away from each other yet the blonde’s presence felt… muted to Sunset. It’s true there were things that could impede their senses of course, distance and landscape being the biggest factors. Buildings of certain designs and materials could also interfere with what were already fairly vague senses for most of them but they required sufficient knowledge about neo-mitochondria to construct already. Also, while she was sure Twilight could build a room even Rarity couldn’t sense a thing in, Sunset couldn’t remember learning about anything that could dull their senses outside to a degree this strong. Not that wouldn’t draw the attention of all their other senses at least.

“Aaaand now Ah don’t got a signal” AJ announced, looking down at her phone. Sunset quickly pulled her own out to see she also had no bars. The senior hunter huffed “Yep, I’m calling it then. Even something that could cloak or suppress itself wouldn’t have tripped her that far away, not without there being more than we wanna face just the two of-”

The blonde’s words were cut short when, as she turned the truck’s headlights back on, a tall-headed mutation materialized just ahead of them. Screeching at the sudden, blinding light, the NMC leapt back between two more letting themselves stubble into the viewable spectrum as well. The first gave one final hiss before the trio scuttled off toward an arch between two of the factories, more blurred movement scurrying inside as they arrived.

“Or it’s just a mess o’ stalkers…” Applejack’s palm met her face “If the buggers kept stealthing all asynchronous like, that could definitely mess with us and Rares.”

“I… haven’t fought a lot of stalkers…” The younger hunter announced apprehensively “And didn’t you say if it was enough to mess with Rarity that far that we shouldn’t handle it alone?”

“Noth’n to worry about if we just take it slow. Got a couple flash bangs in the back too,” She explained as they climbed out of the truck and started gearing up “Knocks them out Hard. We’ll be fine. Prolly won’t make it back ta the others in time though.”

Sunset just nodded quietly, following suit behind AJ now taking point. She gave a casual gesture over her shoulder, signaling them to set up around the corner to the arch the stalkers fled to. The older hunter hefted the cylindrical explosive and pulled the pin before tossing it around the corner, quickly turning back to join Sunset covering her ears. Even so, the blast rattled their teeth in their heads and forced them to flinch away from the flash. Still, as mildly unpleasant as it was for them, it hit the waiting NMCs a hell of a lot worse.

With a distant ringing in their ears, they saddled around the corner to see four of the crawling mutations screeching as they flailed helplessly on their backs. They seemed a lot less scary now, she almost felt bad for them. AJ’s first shot made the redhead jump, reminding her of their purpose there. She shouldered her rifle and walked up to one of the now more panicked creatures and put a round into its elongated head, then a couple more before it finally stopped thrashing.

“Pretty tough for such scrawny things, huh? Twi told me it’s got to do with them being all stretched out, something about bones and tendons. That’s what I gathered ‘fore she fell into that science talk of hers at least.” she smirked at the redhead before finishing the last two with her shotgun’s more powerful shots. Sunset returned the smile and they took position next to the door to the factory. Applejack reached down to flick on the flashlight under the barrel, nodding for the younger hunter to follow suit.

A muted yet rapid thumping sounded from the wall, before settling just on the other side of the door. Sunset’s breath grew short suddenly, hitching as the door rattled under the steps of the NMC rotating along it. She teetered slightly before sagging against the wall, forehead slick with sweat.

A hand landed on her shoulder, snapping her out of the episode. She shook her head and straightened, pushing off the wall to see a very concerned pair of green eyes locked on hers. She didn’t say anything until the thumping continued past them and down the wall until they couldn’t hear it anymore.

“Y’alright there, Sugarcube? Didn’t think ya’d be as sensitive as Rare with this…” she mumbled after asking, looking the girl over.

“Yeah. Yeah, sorry. Just…” she shook her head again, taking a deep breath before righting herself. Her eyes darted away as a blush raised to her cheeks before muttering more of an answer “It was just... a flashback to the school…”

“Ahh, now THAT Ah get. Real kick in the teeth, ain’t they? Ah’d love ta tell ya they go away but even now they still occasionally catch me off guard. They will get better though” she smiled sympathetically, the hand still on Sunset’s shoulder giving a small squeeze “Listen if you wanna just head back ta the truck, Ah don’t mind waiting for the others-”

“No.” the younger hunter quickly cut in. She took another breath and rolled her shoulders “No. I’m good.”

“Ya sure?”

“Yeah.” she only somewhat lied. Her gut was screaming at her something was off but she pushed on. If nothing else, she wanted the catharsis of killing that thing for affecting her so much “I’m good.”

That seemed to be good enough for Applejack, who just nodded and moved back into position. The door was unlocked, sending another uneasy feeling down her spine, but they still pushed in. A wall lay just in front of them, a long entrance hallway opened to their left. AJ tossed in another flashbang, the sound and flash not hitting them nearly as hard from outside this time.

They breached to only find one stalker flailing this time. Sunset stepped forward to finish it before Applejack could. A chuckle sounded behind her.

“Feel better?”

“Not as much as I hoped.” she admitted. The blonde patted her on the shoulder and took the lead again. They reached the door to the factory proper, the windows set in the double doors practically pitch black. She gently cracked one open, peering inside.

“Damn, really feel’n like I wasted that second grenade. Remember the night sweep protocol?”

Sunset gave a quiet affirmative. AJ returned a nod and gestured to move in slow. It was just as dark as it had looked through the window; she could tell it was a much wider and taller space, not surprising considering it was a factory. Her flashlight swept across the floor, eventually landing on equipment to her side. A surprisingly ramshackle bundle of wires and cables hung along a fenced off area, hooked up to a massive, concave circle.

‘Is that a speaker?’ her face twisted in confusion. The beam of light turned upward to a catwalk above them.

A clearly human figure flinched away from the light.

“FBI! Show us some hands!” AJ shouted before every light blazed to life, sending the hunters stumbling at the abrupt blindness.

“BROTHERS AND SISTERS! REJOICE!” a masculine voice boomed across the space. Sunset struggled to open her eyes, only able to make out the blurry silhouette of a robed man, his hands raised high. “WE SOUGHT TO ENTRAP THE SEER BUT THE GODDESS HAS INSTEAD DELIVERED ONTO US ONE OF HER CHOSEN!”

Cheers erupted from the catwalks at the declaration. The redhead felt Applejack meet her back and squared up to cover her side. Vision finally clearing, she could see at least two dozen people among the catwalks and behind makeshift fences surrounding them. Most were armed, a quick glance back to where they entered showing another pair behind an almost certainly now locked door. A chill ran down her spine as she realized they were all wearing robes. The very same kind of robes of the gathering at the school.

Fresh dread filled the former pony as she recognized the same smell as well.

“ONE OF HER ARCH-ANGELS, BLESSED WITH THE POTENTIAL TO BRING ABOUT HER RETURN,” the leader continued his shouted sermon. His head turned down to the pair, showing his face coated in dried blood, painted in a crude mockery of a stranger. “TONIGHT WE CLAIM THE BLOOD OF AN AWAKENED!”

“AJ?” Sunset whispered shakily, aim snapping between too many targets now whooping like animals, banging their weapons on the rails and machinery.

“F-B-I!” the hunter shouted again “STAND DOWN IMMEDIATELY OR-”

Whatever consequence she was going to give was cut off by the sound of a heavy switch being thrown and the whine of rapidly building electricity. They flinched back as some of the cables leading to the massive speaker sparked. The hunters glanced at each other, clueless to what they hoped to accomplish with the emitter but they both knew in that moment they didn’t want it to happen. Both of their weapons snapped to the large bowl-

A moment too late to stop the first pulse sending a rattling wave of sound into the factory.

The effect was instantaneous. A sudden, massive disorientation sent them both reeling, struggling to simply stay on their feet. Another pulse of undefined noise slammed into them, a heavy nausea and fatigue brought with it. The third sent them to their knees, weapons falling to ground as their owners were rendered unable to even attempt to use them.

Sunset’s world spun, the jeers of the cultists surrounding them reaching her in uneven echoes. In a matter of seconds, every drop of strength was stripped from her. The sound felt a complete antithesis to her mitochondria, leaving her drained beyond anything she felt before. Even with nothing left, the pulses keep coming, crippling her senses and leaving her completely bereft of her new abilities.

‘But not my old ones!’ a rage flared in the redhead and her hand lashed out. A bolt of golden lightning crashed into the speaker, obliterating the dish within. Silence reigned as the cultists stood aghast at the unexpected show of power; some in shock, others in an almost reverent awe, but silent all the same. ‘That’s right fuckers, that’s real magic. Now I’ll… I’ll… aw crap…’

Despite the brief surge of arcane might and the destruction of the speaker, the energy her new physiology needed was still gone. The edges of her vision began to fade and exhaustion took her into the dreamless darkness.

A buzzing, hot darkness.

The pastor stood pensive as he watched the young woman finally fall limp. Several more tense moments passed before he finally released his held breath.

She shouldn’t have been able to do that.

Their patron informed him these kinds of speakers had been used to contain the goddess’s former host; these two shouldn’t have stood a chance! The blonde had passed out as quickly as they had expected and while the awakened having a greater reserve wasn’t unexpected, the use of any powers should have still been well beyond her.

A subtle din of shuffling and muttering reached him, his disciples growing restless.

“TRULY BLESSED ARE THE CHOSEN!” he quickly called out, bringing his followers some calm. “Such strength! She has delivered us a great gift indeed! EVE EMBRACE US!”

He smiled as his flock regained their vigor, repeating the chant again and again. He looked back down to the unconscious pair, reveling in the quality of their bounty. They had sought the seer, intending to use her senses to gather more of the lesser ascended, those the hunters called NMCs. Their blessed blood was a key to her light. They were not the only path but they were by far the simplest, also serving as a test of worthiness. But surely with the blood of an awakened, fewer would fall to the holy flame, and perhaps even more would gain her grace without losing themselves. Joy filled his heart.

“Bothers and sisters, be proud!” the chants grew quiet at his words “We have claimed a greater path to her glory than we dreamed! The sacrifices of our brothers and sisters deceiving the contemptuous hunters of MIST will not be in vain. REJOICE!”

The chants returned, washing over the preacher like a wave, filling him with so much warmth it was almost uncomfortable. Still, he embraced it as a sign, basking in their faith. At least, until something troubling caught his eye.

The girl was stirring again.

Concern wrinkled his features as he stepped forward, clutching the rail as he witnessed the slow, deliberate movements of the fiery haired girl pushing herself off the floor. His knuckles whitened as his grip grew tight around the metal, she wasn’t even teetering as her legs gradually found their place beneath her. He would definitely be having a word with their patron about these speakers.

By the time the awakened had managed to stand, he had already signaled those armed to take aim and stand ready. Yet she showed no reaction, continuing to simply stand there, a bit duck footed and slumped with the drape of her fiery hair obscuring her still down turned face. He waited, sweat beginning to build on his still hot skin. The silence began to grow stifling, ever warmer as they waited for any kind of reaction.

Then a scream erupted from his flock, a woman flinging herself away from the fence as her hands suddenly ignited. The others scattered as she flailed wildly but before they could even think to help her, the man to the pastor’s side burst into flames as well. And then another… and another. The cult leader scrambled to retrieve one of their fallen rifles, but froze as he turned back to the pit.

She was staring at him, features completely passive. Only her eyes standing out...

Cyan rings burning brightly from within pools of black.

A quiet curse escaped the rainbow haired mechanic's mouth as she found herself right back where she started, the last location the system pinged her friend's truck. She’d just finished her third circle and hadn’t managed to find any sign of the AWOL hunters, let alone any NMC activity.

It’d been over an hour since the pair split off and they still hadn’t reported in. Concerned at the silence, Rupert had sent Dash to check on them. Now it was dark and for all she knew the operation was already underway, if not over. She huffed angrily as her gaze darted through the maze of factory roads already too dark to see very far in.

‘THERE!’ her tires squeaked at the abrupt breaking. Reversing far faster than was safe, she swung back and turned toward the truck gleaming in the faint moonlight. Pulling behind where Applejack had parked, Rainbow snatched her MP5k from the passenger’s seat and hopped out, rushing to the quiet vehicle.

Nothing seemed amiss; no broken windows or shell casings, and the doors were still locked. She placed her hand on the hood, finding it still decently warm. Just looking around though, she couldn’t tell where they might have gone and the heavy shadows the factories cast weren’t helping. She thought she heard some loud bangs earlier, with some distant pops that could have been shots but she definitely wasn’t hearing anything now. The fact that some of these factories were still up and running made those sounds questionable too.

‘Speaking of though…’ she did see some lights on in the upper windows of one of the closer factories, making itself her first choice. If nothing else, she could ask whoever was inside if they heard anything.

Not a second after she had the thought, the sound of automatic fire rang from within. Several terrified screams followed. Sprinting toward the door, Dash skirted a growing puddle of NMC goo and crashed into the obstruction full force.

“Mother fucker!” she growled, rolling against the frame and clutching her shoulder. The door hadn’t even rattled; a solid weight held it firm on the other side. She backed up, looking the building over as more gunfire echoed from within. A loud clatter came from around the corner, Dash rounding just in time to see a side door fly open and a blood curdling scream filled the air.

A woman completely engulfed in flame stumbled out, flailing in agony until collapsing after only a few steps in the backup hunter’s direction.

Rainbow quickly sprinted to the fallen form but it was too late; she was already dead. She had little time to grieve when her face blanched at the next realization however; not only was the body already completely immolated, but they weren’t normal burns either. While she had never witnessed an example in person, she’d seen and studied the photos more times than she could count during training. This woman had burned from the inside out, from her mitochondria igniting inside her very cells.

“Meaning she either injected herself…” she mumbled with a frown, meaning she was a cultist or one of their experiments or… she looked back to the now open door from where the victim had immerged “Or we’re dealing with something a lot worse than Rare thought.”

She crouch-ran to the corner of the frame, peaking in just in time to catch a pair of men in the bloodstained robes of NMC cultists scramble into view at the end of a short hall. One suddenly burst into flames, prompting the other to spin around in a panic and blindly unloaded his knock off AK at whatever was following them.

Rainbow went stiff as he was wrenched into the air by an unseen force, held only a moment before his body wretched back, his spine folding way too far in the absolutely wrong direction. Her blood ran cold and she started shaking; there was only ONE thing she knew of with actual fucking Telekinesis…

EVE.

‘Oh fuck’ was all she could think, frozen in place as the body was lazy tossed aside. Her heart skipped as she heard steps in the oppressive silence, steps and the steady growl of fire growing slowly closer ‘ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck-’

A very familiar main of fiery red and gold hair stepped into view, the fiery aspect far more literal at the moment.

“Suns-?!” was all Dash could choke out before a crushing force slammed into her from every direction, the girl’s head snapping to her the instant of the utterance, hand flying up in a gripping motion. A desperate sweat almost immediately drenched the mechanic as her temperature skyrocketed and the pressure around her increased, locking her in place to only stare back at her friend’s cyan eyes now shining brightly out of the pure darkness beneath a single horn of golden light upon her head.

But then, Sunset blinked. Her head tilted almost imperceptibly as the heat and pressure, while not lessening, stopped growing. The glowing gaze subtly darted about the colorfully haired woman’s form, her features staying utterly passive as she studied her prey.

The forces abruptly vanished as quickly as they appeared, allowing Dash to collapse to the ground when the redhead’s hand dropped and she turned away to continue down the hall. Taking just a moment to catch her breath and wipe away whatever sweat she could, she collected her fallen weapon and forced herself to stand. Uneasy on her feet, she nonetheless moved in pursuit of the young hunter.

“S-Sunset!” She called at finding her just around the corner, moving at an almost casual pace through the factory. If she noticed the call, she didn’t care, ignoring the mechanic as if she wasn’t even there. Dash considered trying to grab her but rethought the idea at the flames dancing around her friend, blazing without burning as she walked with an almost unnatural grace. Now that she wasn’t seconds away from dying, she couldn’t help but notice they weren't perfectly aligned with their master, forming a familiar shape walking in sync with the girl.

‘Is that… a horse?’ she could only ponder for a moment before the glass of the window to Sunset’s side exploded in a hail of bullets, another pair of cultists opening fire from the office on the other side. The hunter’s head turned to them, expression still blank as the glass and lead simply dissolved against the Equine shaped aura. She made a rough yanking gesture and both were wrenched through the air, one crashing into the wall before falling in an unmoving heap. The other wasn’t so lucky.

Rainbow turned away, slamming her eyes shut as he was literally crumpled into a ball like a piece of paper. She flinched at the sound of wet meat hitting cement and only opened her eyes when she heard Sunset moving again. Skirting the mess she refused to properly look at, she followed as Sunset stepped into the factory's large, mostly empty loading bay. She hung back at the entrance as the flaming girl stepped into the center of the area and began looking around passively. She searched for a few seconds before flinging her hand upward, sending a flurry of fireballs to explode against the top of a series of shelves along the tall ceiling.

“OH HO HO!” A voice called over the flames and a tall figure dropped not far from the redhead. Dash resisted the curse that bubbled into her throat; it was a fucking Golem. “You ARE something special, aren’t you Shimmer?”

The hunter didn’t react beyond slowly turning to regard the masked, elongated soldier.

“Oh?” the Golem leaned forward curiously, hand brought to his chin “Oh I see! You’re not even awake, are you?”

‘Not awake?’ Dash’s brow furrowed as she skirted the space, trying to get around behind the super soldier. A normal Golem was bad enough, that was something she HAD unfortunately learned first hand; but a talking one? On top of whatever was happening to Sunset? ‘Yeah, we definitely fucking overlooked something tonight…’

More flames erupted at the Golem, prompting it to leap back to the shelves. At the second failure, Sunset’s face finally gained a semblance of expression. A small scowl creased her features as the horn of light upon her forehead blazed even brighter.

“Ah-Ah-Ah! Can’t just burn us up girly!” he mocked and wagged his finger before tapping a few buttons on his oversized gauntlet “But I think your mitochondria have had quite enough fun for one night. Don’t you?”

He hit one last switch and a horrid pulsing filled the space, the source unseen. It irked at Rainbow but other than a slight disorientation with each pulse, she shouldered off the effect. She saw Sunset wasn’t nearly as resistant though, her aura shuttering as she stumbled with every beat. Finally, the flaming equine dispersed and the redhead fell to the ground unconscious.

“Don’t worry girl,” the Golem dropped from the rafters and began walking toward the fallen hunter “You’ll be having plenty of testing your limits soon enough.”

A twisted laugh was as far as he got before Dash burst from her cover, fire erupting from her weapon. She actually managed to land a couple shots before her target leapt away with a shouted yelp. She ran out to stand protectively over her friend as her adversary landed a notable distance away with the single leap, reminding Dash of just what she was up against. The golem growled as he pulled a hand sticky with blood away from his mask.

“So the hunters’ have a friend, huh!? MIST actually deemed the silence enough to send another away from our little diversion?” he squatted, completely ignoring the mechanic's weapon aimed his way “Just a measly human though... and here I thought they cared about their people a little more.”

The movement was so abrupt, Dash barely had time to even think about pulling the trigger before he disappeared into a blur of twisted air and all but the safety lights snapped off. Gaze darting around darkness and the shadows cast by the shelves, her weapon snapped about with the beam of her flashlight sweeping erratically.

A shimmer in her peripheral was all the warning she got before a clawed gauntlet shot out an inch from her face. Feeling the tips of her hair grazing the metal she rolled back and raised her gun, only just missing her opening as her opponent fell back into his light bending camouflage. Laughter echoed through the space as she regained her footing.

“My, you’re actually pretty quick for an uninfected.” Dash returned to her place over Sunset as the voice seemed all around her “This might actually be fun.”

“Yeah? Good luck keeping up!” she shot back, head on a swivel. A clatter of tools sounded from the shelves, followed by a chuckle at her reaction. She could talk big and was no slouch herself, but she knew better than to think he was doing anything but toying with her. She had to think of something.

“Oh, and a spicy one too!” Dash smirked as his tone came back amused.

“I mean if a few Army grunts can wipe out a platoon of you guys when you have freaking Laser Swords, then I like my chances.”

“Mindless dregs with basic programming” he countered almost off-handedly “Certainly nothing close to my level.”

“So you’re like that one that bombed Akropolis Tower? The one that was at the Shelter? Number 9?”

“NINE?! That unauthorized tool?!” the voice called back, clearly offended. “He was obsolete before he was finished! To even compare me to the likes of-”

The rattle of Rainbow’s smg filled the darkness as it shredded the wood of the shelf before her. She blinked away the spots from the rapid flashes to see she had guessed wrong.

“Did you really think that’d work?” the Golem whispered through his helmet’s speaker, now hovering right next to her ear. The metal claw returned to the visible spectrum as it rose to the frozen mechanic’s neck, hovering menacingly as he pulled the gun from her hands “Don’t get me wrong. If you got Nine monologuing then that totally would have fooled him. But like I said; already obsolete.”

She held her breath and slowly closed her eyes, waiting. She fucked up and now all she could only hope for is that it'd be quick.

A few moments passed without any pain.

Then a few more.

She finally cracked open an eye and took a subtle breath before turning just enough to see his mask turned away out of the corner of her eye. She heard what sounded like a muffled ‘roger’ from beneath before he let his hand drop and stepped away. She turned slowly, eyes wide as he laughed softly.

“It’s your lucky day 'Crash.” he took another couple steps back before turning and leaping to the shelves. He turned back just as he reached one of the windows “Don’t bother trying to keep up.”

She stood there staring for at least a minute until the sound of sirens echoed through the district and the flashing of blue and red could be seen.

A heavy breath and a small number of tears escaped her as she collapsed to her knees.

Pain and exhaustion filled the darkness, the usual motes of light dim as they floated by, listless. One would occasionally flicker, though whether it was gold or red seemed to be up to chance.

…sun...et…

They were all red not long ago. Red, hot and angry. But that anger had cooled, extinguished with pounding force. Now they floated as gently as she had been, perhaps even more so.

Pro…ct…

She was so tired, even as she rested. She couldn’t reach out even if she wanted to, her magic practically gone.

…gic…

She hugged herself tighter, willing the wind to cease so she could sleep.

Only the faintest whisper of it unheard as she returned to her rest.

…more

“-nd you’re cert-... -e grabbed you like that?”

Voices slowly pulled Sunset from the dreamless dark. She couldn’t quite bring herself to open her eyes yet though, not with the pounding in head.

“I’m sure Twi, I couldn’t have imagined that.” she could hear Rainbow, along with a lot of commotion further beyond. It sounded like when they needed a clearing team before sending in the cleaners, only with a lot more people.

“But then she just… stopped?” she recognized Twilight, who continued after a brief pause “Well… well, that’s good! They actually still recognized you as a non-threat, so that’s good! …if also still a little troubling.”

“Who recognized her?” she asked with a rasp and made acutely aware of her dry throat. She tried opening her eyes only to slam them back shut at the light.

“Sunset!” she heard Twilight rush up to the side of whatever she was laying on. She tried to open her eyes again, more carefully this time, to see the scientist standing over her as a blur. She moved to sit up but didn’t even need Twilight’s hand on her shoulder to keep her down; the dizziness hitting her hard before she rose even an inch. “Yeah, that’s really not advised. Take a moment, get your bearings.”

She didn’t argue and took another deep breath. She screwed her eyes and blinked rapidly, vision thankfully clearing to actually see the purple maned woman giving her a concerned smile.

“Any better?”

“Not really.” she admitted. She brought a hand up to rub at her face only to find she had an IV in her arm. Frowning, she looked around to see she was lying in a stretcher next to an ambulance parked outside the factory. Dash was sitting in the open door at it's rear. Several other vehicles blocked her view but it looked like half the police force was there moving about, as well as at least half of the team sent to the main objective.

“Sunset?” Rupert’s voice reached her as both he and Aya jogged into her view “You still with us?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m still here” she returned confused, and not a little worried at the expression of concern on the director’s face. It hadn’t escaped her that he had actually used her first name either. It wasn’t surprising he was concerned, Sunset learned a while ago he felt more than he let on, but for him to actually show it so openly like this…

‘What the hell happened? The last thing I remember was AJ and- "AJ!” she shot up in the stretcher before nearly falling out of it when her head felt like it just exploded and the ground suddenly became the sky. The trio were thankfully quick enough to keep her from toppling to the pavement.

“It’s okay Sunny! It’s okay.” Aya quickly soothed as they set her right. Twilight huffed as her patient fought against them actually laying her back down, now that she was actually sitting up, but didn’t argue. Aya continued, “Jackie’s fine, just… tired.”

Now That Sunset could understand. Even with that spike of adrenaline, she felt absolutely wrecked. She honestly should have let them lay her back down but this isn’t something she could take like that. She still had some reputation left to keep up.

“What the hell happened?” she finally asked again. The group shared some uneasy glances before Twilight spoke first.

“How about you tell us what you remember first, yeah?” she offered.

“Ok… well, we searched the area Rarity marked for what felt like hours until we noticed our senses were dulled and we couldn’t get a signal. We were just about to turn back when we spooked a stalker out of its cloak and it retreated with a couple others. Figuring it was just them messing with us, went after them.”

“You didn’t think anymore of the lost signal?” Rupert interjected. The redhead blushed and fiddled with her hands.

“AJ didn’t seem worried anymore, and I can think of at least a few places in this city where I always lose my signal…” she shrugged and waited until he gestured for her to continue. She shook her head and rubbed her brow again “We took four out in front of the factory and then a fifth just inside the entry. When we entered the factory proper, the lights turned on and blinded us... They were cultists, all around us and blocking our way of retreat. The preacher started yelling about us being a gift from EVE, to ‘deliver them our blood’... he seemed especially pleased to catch me…”

She tried and failed to suppress a shudder before feeling Twilight’s hand on her shoulder. The rest waited patiently for her to regather herself and continue.

“They then turned on this giant speaker and…” she faltered. She didn’t even know how to put it, or rather she knew how to put it but it wouldn’t do any good to describe it as mana drain to the extreme “It… it felt…”

“It felt like being drained with every pulse.” Aya finished for her, her head down. The blonde turned her sight back up to her with a sad recognition “Like every wave of sound was exactly what your mitochondria aren’t. I’m right, aren’t I?”

Sunset nodded solemnly. Rupert cursed softly and the rest sighed heavily. Twilight spoke again.

“They were at the Shelter. They were used to help contain… certain test subjects. We don’t know exactly how they work but they seem to inhibit the production of the unique bioelectricity Neo-Mitochondria produce. We thought they may have been too complex or expensive to field outside of any such facility, as they were only used in a single area but… it would seem that was a stupid thing to assume.” she finished quietly. Before anyone could say anything Aya cut back in.

“Applejack said she was knocked out in seconds. Did they hit you that hard too?” the redhead nodded, to which Aya gave a grimace “The ones in The Shelter weren’t nearly that potent. It wasn’t nothing but I was still able to function and destroy them.”

“I tried to fight it. I thought I even managed to destroy it but I guess it doesn’t matter since I passed out anyway.” her face fell even further than it had been. “The next thing I knew, I was waking up out here to Twilight talking to Dash.”

“You’re sure that’s it?” Twilight looked at her almost desperately as she asked. She nodded again, and again saw several worried looks between everyone else. Twilight took a deep breath and looked at her sadly “There's no way to sugar coat this so I'll just say it: Sunset your mitochondria manifested. If I had to guess, they were trying to protect themselves and took control when you lost consciousness.”

She didn’t even know how to respond to that. Manifestations were bad enough, but they took control? That meant they were aware, which meant they could… it meant they could have turned her into an EVE. Her lips fumbled slightly as she failed to make any kind of sound.

“To say the least, we’re all very glad it’s you that woke up…” the bespectacled scientist gave an uneasy smile. Despite the poor timing, it was enough to finally wrest a response from her.

“So… I fought back?”

“That's putting it lightly...” she heard Dash scoff under her breath, though not quite under it enough. When she realized she said it out loud, it was her turn to fumble with her words. Rupert shot her a look before explaining.

“We sent Dash after you two when we failed to receive any response. She found Apple’s truck and was soon drawn to the sound of gunfire within the factory. She witnessed the death of three cultists… just before encountering you ‘covered in fire and eyes glowing’. You took hold of her and nearly caused a mitochondrial combustion.”

“OH MY GOD DASH-”

“I’m fine!” she held up a hand to stop the girl snapping to her “I’m fine… you stopped. It wasn’t pleasant but you let me go.”

“It’s encouraging actually!” Twilight tried once again with forced cheer “The fact your mitochondria could recognize her as a friend suggests they were just neutralizing threats. That’s a good thing.”

“If also still troubling?” the doctor gulped as her words were parroted back to her. Sunset simply stared at her hands, eyes distant “I killed them?”

“Sunset look at me” Aya shouldered her way to her side, forcing herself into the girl’s field of view as she took her hands “Look at me.”

Slowly but surely, their eyes met.

“You aren’t your mitochondria. You don’t have a choice in what they do, but you do in what you do. You didn’t choose this. You can’t blame yourself for this kind of thing; it’ll destroy you. You can’t let it. Do you understand?” she asked, getting a small nod “I need you say it Sunny. You won’t let it.”

“...I won’t let it.” she repeated, even sort of feeling it too. Aya didn’t seem entirely convinced but stood back up.

“I think that’s enough for tonight, we can cover the rest later.” The veteran hunter declared and looked at Rupert, who simply nodded after a moment. After assuring she was fit enough to walk, they helped Sunset to Dash’s car. Aya hung back as the others returned to the scene, leaning against the frame as she studied the young hunter. “You sure you understand?”

“I’m sure I already have an appointment with Cadence tomorrow to make sure I do, but yeah, I understand. Or if nothing else, I’m sure I can last for at least one night.” she assured her, before looking away with blush “But uh, y’know… thanks.”

“Part of the deal kiddo” she smirked and leaned in further to look to Rainbow “And you?”

“I’m good Brea.” She gave a tired smile back. The blonde nodded and closed the door, patting the roof before stepping away to let them leave.

It was a quiet ride back, and not just in part to Sunset falling back asleep for most of it. Dash seemed especially pensive, though with everything that happened, what she must have seen, she couldn’t really blame her. They reached home and Dash helped her out of her seat and into the house.

“I’m sorry…” she muttered.

“Now don’t start that Sunny. Like Aya said, you’re not your mitochondria. And like Twi said, it’s actually kind of cool they don’t want to kill me. I accepted the threat of this shit when I learned Flutters was in for long haul, so don't worry about that.” she assured her as they moved inside and toward the hall. However Dash abruptly stopped as they reached the dining table and slipped out from under Sunset’s arm. “We do need to have a talk though...”

"Dash I'm wreaked, can this wait until-"

"No."

Sunset stiffened at the notably colder tone. Now braced against the chair, she watched as the mechanic took the seat opposite to her.

“Take a seat pony girl.”

It was delivered simply and without threat, but Sunset's heart skipped a beat nonetheless; only the sense of pure shock was keeping her standing. She stared into the red eyes beneath Dash's prismatic mane, but could only see a slight impatience growing.

“W-what?”

“I said: sit down, pony girl.” she reiterated, this time with a note of force. Sunset complied, numbly easing into the chair as she felt her already fragile sense of security begin to break. Dash gave a sigh, and rubbed at her eyes. She sucked at her cheek, looking around the room before finally turning back and simply asking:

“So… Magic?”

Author's Note

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Wait no, it's My birthday...

But yes, I wanted to get another chapter out by at least today; not just for all of you but just the sense of some kind of accomplishment for putting out a chapter as a gift to myself. Bit of a tough one, this chapter. Getting things to have at least a semblance of flow without over explaining and having an even longer chapter. Pretty important event too, if you didn't catch that, so I hope I got it right. Sorry about the long wait, I'll try to not have as long of one for the next.

Also while I did do at least 3 passes in editing, I'm sure I still missed things so I any mistakes standout, please feel free to let me know and I'll get them fixed up right quick

But for now, as always; Thanks for reading and I hope to see you for the next chapter. Have a good one!

EDIT: Well slap my plot and call me Rarity, this story just got featured! Happy Birthday indeed! Guess I really will have to try harder to get that next chapter out quick now, huh? BUt seriously: Thanks for all your support guys; without you all, well there wouldn't be much point to this, so here's to all you and another year