The Empressess, A Continuation of a Continuationby Stalin with Da SpoonChaptersBack in Bed, Again...The MeetingWhat is the Price of Ruling?The Big RevealThe PlanBack in Bed, Again...It had been 3 hours since Sunset was splashed with that searing hot coffee, and she was already back in her bed within her medical room, around a dozen nurses and doctors swarming her bed, taking her temperature, checking readings, heartbeat, bombarding her with questions, and ice packs being shoved into her face. The pain had already been numbed quite a bit, and even though she still could not open her eyelids, they were not hurting nearly as bad as they were upon first contact with the literal magma temperature coffee. However, Sunset was too zoned out to truly pay attention to these little details, as she was hung up on a single question that had been eating away at her since she was returned to her room. Why did the servant refer to Fluttershy as 'Empress'? Was it some sort of title she gave herself? Was she a leader now? Did she have her own nation? It made no sense to sunset, especially since she wasn't really the type of pony to refer to herself like that. A title that would make more sense for her would be 'Queen'. She then thought about what happened to that servant who splashed that red hot lava on her face. Honestly, she did not blame the poor fellow for his mistake, everyone can trip at any time, Sunset knew this better than anyone. She wondered what happened to the poor fellow, as she was too busy wallowing in pain and being surrounded by paramedics for her to see, but she could swear she heard screaming as the paramedics loaded her onto a stretcher, and as she looked towards the source, she swore she could see an ornate amethyst scythe raised in the air as it was brought down and another scream followed. The thing that truly caught her attention was... It had a cutie mark she had never seen before, yet she felt it was familiar... Something was wrong... Very wrong, and she had to find out soon, but right now, it didn't matter, as she snapped back to reality, with most of the nurses and doctors now having left, with her slowly trying to sit up in bed, straining her arms as she did so, taking a deep breath. "Oooooh, damn it that hurts..." As she grunted, one of the doctors walked over quickly to assist her, supporting her back and ensuring she did not hurt herself. The doctor then put his hand to her head, which was still warm, however the doctor's hand was absolutely frigid cold, like as cold as the frozen pole she got her tongue stuck to as a kid. She kinda winced at the coldness, but it actually helped cool her off, making her feel slightly better, as the doctor spoke out to her. "Careful now, you're still quite weak, and we do not know if that splash of coffee had any adverse effects on your already weakened condition. I highly advise minimizing your movement." Sunset nodded at the doctor's words, considering that she did indeed still feel like absolute weak shit. "Yeah, thanks for the concern... Man your hand's cold, doc." "Apologies, and please, refer to me simply as Robert." "Right... Anyways, thanks for help... Tell me, where are my friends?" "Oh, the emper-" He stopped himself before he could finish his sentence, remembering what it would mean if he revealed their true status to her. "Your friends, are... Are..." The doctor was very nervous, maybe even panicking a little bit, before he spit it out. "They are making you the best get well soon card you have ever seen." Sunset smiled at the thought of her friends making a nice get well soon card. "Thats good to hear... Thanks for the help Robert." "Anytime, madam Sunset." The doctor slowly stood up as they walked to the door, which was already opening, as standing there would be Fluttershy, as the doctor nodded towards her. "The patient is ready, lady Fluttershy." Fluttershy simply nodded towards the doctor, smiling at both the fact sunset was awake and well, and that doctor knew how to address her in the presence of Sunset. As she moved to allow the doctor to leave, she turned and smiled at Sunset, who in turn smiled back, as she quickly walked up to the side of sunset's bed, kneeling down and giving her a tight hug. "Are you okay sweetie? Are you still hurt? Do you need more ice?" "No, Fluttershy, I feel fine, those doctors know how to fix burn wounds." "Indeed, we made sure to get you the best there is..." She then paused, as a tiny tear slowly streamed down her cheek as she slowly looked away. "Im so sorry... Its all my fault... if I hadn't..." Sunset slowly patted Fluttershy on the back, smiling at her. "Hey, don't be sad, its not your fault, in fact, its not even that one guy's fault either, he simply just tripped, no need to blame anyone here." Fluttershy slowly looked away, feeling a small amount of remorse and sadness for the poor servant... It was because of her that he dropped the coffee on sunset, it was because of her what Midnight did to him... And the next question sunset spoke only made her regret what she did even more. "What even happened to the poor guy? Must be worried sick, maybe we should tell him what happen-" "That... Won't be necessary... Twilight... Took care of it..." She grimaced at the mention of it, praying sunset heard nothing of the... Execution. The next query to arise from sunset's mouth truly frightened Fluttershy. "Why the heck did he call you empress, anyway?" Fluttershy went blank, thinking that the illusion had come undone, that she had seen everything, but she still tried to keep calm and explain things to her. "Well... Its just ummmm... A nickname, yes, a nickname! Just a little joke started around the place!" "Ahhhhh, I see... Weird, I always thought of you as more like a queen." The words slightly touched Fluttershy, feeling happy that her friend would think of her like that, as she smiled, patting sunset on the head. "Now get some more rest dear, tommorow we can try going for a walk again." Sunset nodded, slowly lying back, closing her eyes, and hitting the hay, as Fluttershy stood up and slowly walked out, feeling both at ease, and tense at the same time. As she exited the room, she found the doctor standing right beside the door, as he appeared to be listening, when she gave him a look of suspicion, he turned away from her, walking away slowly. She payed no mind to it, as the doctor breathed in a sigh of relief. Sunset could not help but feel that Fluttershy was hiding something. In fact, she felt all of her friends had been hiding something from her, and she felt like she had to find out soon. Meanwhile, doctor Robert quickly made his way through the halls of the tower, past the guards wheeling by weapons and materials as he ducked into a supply closet, pulling out a small communications device, and making a call. [Establishing connection...] [Establishing...] [Connection confirmed.] Commander, this is agent Roberts, target has successfully recovered from burning wounds of coffee, and will be on the move again tomorrow. Hopefully, the illusion can be shattered then. Excellent work, roberts, this means were back on track, continue observation and alert me if anything changes. Remember, the world is at stake here. If we fail to get her out of there before they get project reunification up and running again, then we are all well and truly screwed. [Connection terminated.] Author's Note Super proud of my first chapter for the story, drew inspiration from various writers to help me make this. Remember, any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated! The MeetingDate: UNKNOWN. Location: UNKNOWN. A tense atmosphere filled the room, as six tall women stood at round circular table, each one of them shrouded in darkness as they sat at their seats, only their eyes illuminated in the darkness, looking at what appeared to be a holo map of russia, or at least, what it looked in current day, as the holo table displayed the country in absolute chaos, with fighting on all fronts as the resistance managed to somehow easily resist the forces of the empire, with one of the women growling in frustration, her orange eyes flaring up as she spoke in an almost enraged tone. "How can this even be possible? We have superior technology, firepower, and yet they still hold out!" Another voice sighed, as a pair of ice blue eyes replied in a more calm tone. "It is simple my friend, these 'russians' are much more resistant than we believed, and plus, we are fighting on their home territory, they are much more experienced in handling the terrain and weather. They are thanking one 'General winter' for their success in repelling us, which I assume is a metaphor for the element of snow and ice being in the russians favor..." As they stated the facts, the orange pair of eyes seemed to dim a bit, as a new pair of pure golden eyes flaired open. "And are yah sure it ain't just cuse our generals are incompetent?" The voice spoke in an un-expected southern accent. As she said this, a pair of dark pink eyes then shot open, filled with a bit of excitement. "Ooooooooor maybe its because these russians are being boosted by some sort of macguffin they found! Like maybe a sort of magic book or something?" All the other eyes in the room turned towards the one speaking with confusion in their eyes. Then, a turquoise pair of eyes spoke up with a more stern and less 'excited' tone. "I suspect that they appear to have found a new leader to follow... One that easily matches the tactical intelligence of our generals with ease... I am not sure who yet, but I suspect they are the same person who thwarted our plot to infiltrate changelings into their base. They even used the beacon we deployed against us, attacking our own frontline base and taking it over, effectively crippling our forces! Whoever they are, we must not underestimate them like we did Starlight Glimmers forces. Speaking of which, where is she now? The cold blue eyes of the empress known as rarity or, by her title 'Eternal Beauty', spoke up to reply to her friend. "Well, I believe that our changelings did manage to at least wound her, but I fear all that did was cause them to let this new commander take over... So technically, we just fueled the fire the resistance had been burning out of...." The other women in the room sighed at this news, realizing they had just caused this war to likely drag on by several more months. It was true, they had superior technology and manpower, yet they just kept getting beat back... Suddenly, the orange pair of eyes, belonging to 'Spectrum Beam' Or Rainbow Dash, were filled with anger. "Aggggh! Can't we just go there ourselves and blow them to bits!?!" The other women in the room sighed at Specturm's outburst, but were not suprised, as it was normal for her to do so. A new voice spoke up, as the empress of kindness herself, ' Fluttershy, attempted calm her friend down. "Its okay, Rainbow, soon we will have crushed all remnants of this resistance... Hopefully by the time sunset has fully healed." Upon mention of their still recovering friend, everyone had different reactions, Pinkie had one of joy and excitement, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow all appearing pleased, but Midnight reacted with a bit of annoyance. "If only that foolish servant had not spilled that coffee on her, she would already be healed..." Fluttershy could not help but feel sorry, as she opened her mouth to apologize, before Midnight stopped her. "It is not your fault, and I know it was not even his fault. But it had to be done... I trust his body has already been removed from the roof?" She said turning to applejack, who simply nodded. "Good... That brings us to our next issue... Project Reunification..." Everyone in the room gasped, as rarity spoke up. "What you speak of is madness! She is not yet ready!" As everyone else made noises of dis-agreement, midnight raised her hand, signifying that she was not finished. "I know that, and that is why tomorrow we will expose our true forms under the guise that we have simply... Oh, I dunno, we will figure something out, I am sure." Everyone else nodded in agreement, seeing the plan could potentially work. "Its best we do it now, as sunset is no doubt growing suspicious... In fact, she heard the servant refer to me as an empress... She is going to learn sooner or later..." "Ah I hope this goes well, twi, cause if not, she may never forgive us..." As the room went quiet, everybody thought about the cowgirl empresses words. What if sunset reacted the wrong way? What if she saw them as monsters? What if they lost her forever... "It doesn't matter, we have to do it. Its for her own good." Everyone nodded towards rainbow, as she spoke in a defiant tone. As they said this, they all vanished from the room, as they made preparations for tomorrow. Location: The Resistance Central Headquarters, Siberian mountains. The room was well lit, as the walls of soundproof concrete surround them, as at the center of the room, stood 6 men, surrounding a red holographic table, slightly flickering and glitching as it displayed a map of Russia, highlighting both their forces in red and the enemies forces in purple, including projections of locations of both allied and enemy bases, as a man wearing a lab coat spoke up. "In my professional opinion, we are doing quite well all things considered. Our recent encirclement of the enemy troops defending Khabarovsk allowed us much needed breathing room." Everyone else surrounding the table nodded as another man in a black military uniform spoke up. "Yes, but it could be better, the enemy fuel depot to the south needs to be captured soon or else our enemies will be fueled up enough to launch a second offensive, and by then, general winter will have faltered in his snowy assault..." As the generals mumbled and argued to each other, a figure at the far end of the table, raised his gloved hand, smacking it down onto the table, making a distinct metal sound, as they spoke through the gas mask on their face. "Gentlemen, we are in a time of desperation... And desperate times, call for desperate measures... As you all know, subject Sunset Shimmer has awoken from her 4 year coma, and already, her so called 'friends' make plans to turn her into yet another monster... And at the same time, the equestrians from another dimension plan to use her to help establish a connection to their Equestria and leave us to die..." "We shall not allow this. We must get to her first... As such, tomorrow, we will prepare to expose her to the true nature of the world, and then, once the time is right, extract her before our enemies can. Am I clear?" The figure said, raising his head to reveal two blood red glowing lights behind the mask, unmoving, and clearly full of vengeance. The other generals nodded, as the commander waved them away with his hand. As he stared at the table, he thought to himself. "Hold onto your socks, mighty empresses... You say it would be stupid to directly attack or infiltrate your capital... Well... I guess I'm pretty fucking stupid then." He said with a chuckle. What is the Price of Ruling?Sunset's Room, Canterlot City Castle. Loud snoring filled the air as Sunset peacefully slept in her hospital bed, lightly shuffling in the sheets as all people who struggle to find comfort in any possible sleeping position do. She was slightly shivering, as the room's air conditioning was quite strong, easily producing enough cool air to combat the spring heat. The only part of her body exposed was her head, which still had light burn marks from the coffee incident, and surprisingly, still stinged a bit. The window to the right of her bed currently had it's shutter closed, blocking any sunlight. Slowly, the door to her room creaked open, as Fluttershy peeked her head in, smiling at the sight of Sunset peacefully sleeping, as she opened the door further, a small amount of light flooding into the room, Sunset being undisturbed as Fluttershy slowly moved over to the window, and slowly opened the shutters, letting a large amount of sunlight flood into the room, a ray of light hitting Sunset square in the face, as she slowly opened her eyes, scrunching up her face in annoyance. "Agh... Too bright..." Fluttershy lightly giggled as she walked over to her friend, sitting on her bed with a smile on her face. "Good morning, Sunset." Sunset fully opened her eyes to look at her friend, smiling back. "Hey, Fluttershy... Man, my head hurts..." Fluttershy had a slight look of worry on her face, as she pressed her hand up against Sunset's forehead. "Oh dear, your head is still quite hot... Are you certain you wish to go out for a walk today? Are your legs even fully healed?" Sunset slowly nodded in confirmation. "Yep, the doctor's themselves said my leg muscles should be fully healed. Or at least partially, so I won't be completely crippled, which is better than being wheeled around in a wheelchair, no offense." Fluttershy lightly nodded, happy to see her friend in happy spirits and full of bravery, an aspect she always admired about Sunset, seeing close similarities to Rainbow Dash. "That is good to hear, Sunset. So, you wish to try and walk on your own?" "Yeah, or at least try to. Like they say, if you don' try, you may never know if you can." Fluttershy simply nodded, as she slowly began to help Sunset out of the bed, helping her sit up before pulling her into a hug, feeling good just to embrace her friend, a couple tears of happiness running down her face. She soon pulled back, as she heard Sunset's stomach gurgiling, and let out a light chuckle. "Are you hungry, my dear?" Sunset rapidly nodded, grasping her stomach. "Yeah... Haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning... Whats for breakfast?" "Oh, well, I believe we can have breakfast in the cafeteria if that's alright with you, I believe that pancakes are on the menu." Cue Sunset having a look of excitement on her face, having always loved pancakes. "Awesome! Alright then, let's get going!" Fluttershy nodded, slowly beginning to help her friend stand up off the bed, as Sunset stood straight, wobbling a bit, but still standing defiantly, as she raised her fists in victory. "YES! I HAVE CONQUERED MY COMA!" Fluttershy let out a silent cheer of enthusiasm, both happy for her friend, and for her increased health and fortitude. Of course, Sunset still had some difficulty walking, as she had not done so in well, four years, so Fluttershy helped support and guide her, at least until she got the hang of it, as Sunset gripped the door handle and managed to open it, doing a silent fist bump, opening a proverbial door to life. "The others are waiting on the observation deck." Sunset nodded, letting Fluttershy lead the way. Meanwhile, Doctor Roberts was watching intently from behind a corner, as he pulled out a phone and texted a message. She's on the move. Understood, continue observation, and if needed, prep the charge. Elsewhere in the Castle... The elevator slowly climbed up through the castle, with the princesses expecting to see things the same they were yesterday. However, it appeared as though the soldiers all around them were moving more frantically, some carrying more weapons and ammunition then usual. And Twilight could swear she saw a cart full of body bags move past them. Before anyone could ask, Midnight answered for them. "If your wondering what has caused us to become so frantic, it is due to the resistance recently launching a large scale counter offensive, managing to encircle a pocket of our forces, something I honestly never expected." Midnight said, huffing out of annoyance, with Luna having a slight smirk on her face. "You of all people should have known not to under-estimate humans. After all, you used to be one." Twilight had a look of confusion on her face, wondering how humans could overcome magic infused armies, especially with their training and technology. "How would those humans be able to overpower your magic infused armies? Was it just dumb luck?" Midnight turned to her, gritting her teeth as she remembered the reason why. "It's that commander of theirs, his tactics are... Whats the word... Brutal. He seems to be utilizing the tactics of the soviet union during operation Barbarossa in World War 2, a clever move. He has even resulted to raiding old army depots of WW2 and cold war era equipment to fight us with." Luna let out a chuckle, finding it funny Midnight's 'unstoppable empire' was being beat by some old war technology, and Midnight proceeded to give her a stare more intense than even Fluttershy's, so Luna knew to quickly shut up. Celestia secretly respected the humans for their courage and willingness to fight. Not even her own soldiers were as brave as them, but then again, her soldiers were not necessarily born for war. Wishing to break the ice, she asked the question her fellow princesses were thinking. "So Sunset is fully healed from yesterday?" Midnight slowly turned and nodded, slightly smiling. "Yeah, she was always resilient... Of course, still have to meet her in human form. Well, actually... We are planning to reveal our true selves to her today... Even if it has a negative effect, the illusion is completely draining of our magic reserves." "So you will cancel out the illusion?" "Not the entire thing, exposing her to it all at once may be too much, likely to overload her senses. Well, I dunno exactly, I studied science more than medical, so you'd probably need to ask Fluttershy." Celestia nodded in acknowledgement, as the elevator reached it's designated floor, opening to reveal the rest of Midnight's friends, except Fluttershy. "Greetings, everyone, again." All the empresses politely nodded, Applejack just tipping her stetson hat, which she absolutely refused to remove even in her empress form, no matter how much her friends begged her. "Is everyone ready? Remember, human forms until she is ready." Midnight's friends nodded, all of them being enveloped in light and appearing as humans, and Midnight then snapped her fingers, as everyone teleported away. Meanwhile... The commander let a small smile creek across his face, watching Sunset appear on the top deck of the castle through his cameras. "Today marks the beginning of our push for ultimate victory... Wait, hang on, that sounded evil, lemme re-phrase... *Ahem* Today marks the day we rise from the ashes and fight off our oppressors. Yeah, that sounds much better." The Big RevealCanterlot City Castle, Central Rooftop. As Sunset slowly stepped out onto the roof of the building beside Fluttershy, she shielded her eyes from the bright sun, as it shined bright in the sky. After a few short seconds, her eyes had adjusted to the brightness, and she lowered her hand, to see the typical surroundings of a hospital roof, or as it was called, a viewing deck, with benches and some bushes placed around, and an amazing view of the entire city, as Sunset slowly walked over and looked over the railing at the city below. The sky was clear, cars and other vehicles slowly made their way through the traffic of the streets below, people could be seen walking to their jobs and homes, going about their day normally, happily waving and greeting as they walked past each other. Sunset always enjoyed the sight, while Fluttershy stepped up and viewed the world totally differently... The sky was filled with dark grey smog of the several massive factories churning out war machines for the Empire, as troops marched in the streets, followed by armored cars and the occasional light tank on patrol. The only civilians seen were those heading off to work in the factories, as part of the recent imperial labor order to try and slow the war machine's grinding to a halt as more and more resources were wasted in the east. The citizens, while not totally depressed and devoid of joy or happiness, were much more gloomy than from Sunset's perspective. Fluttershy was secretly happy Sunset didn't see the world like this, because even after becoming the cruel empress she is, it still saddens her to see her people all sad. It's the main reason why Pinkie said that as soon as the war was over, she'd throw the biggest parade in the world to cheer everyone up, an idea that Fluttershy supported. Fluttershy of course, made sure to conceal her feelings, ensuring her friend did not grow suspicious, or suspect that something was amiss, even if it did make Fluttershy feel like a dirty liar. As Sunset took in a deep breath of air, she smiled, before coughing a bit. "Ugh, the air feels thick today..." It was then Fluttershy realized the illusion magic wasn't strong enough to conceal the presence of the thick pollution and smoke in the air, causing Sunset to still inhale it, even if she didn't see it. Fluttershy silently cursed herself for not thinking of this possibility, but thankfully Sunset did not seem too suspicious. She made a quick mental note to remind her friends of this fact and attempt to try and find a way to conceal the air's thickness. Hearing the distinct sound of the elevator, Fluttershy turned to see her friends, as well as the Princesses slowly emerging from the elevator, as she gave them a quick wave. Of course, everyone was wearing their disguises, and Sunset soon turned to face Twilight, smiling wildly with light tears in her eyes as she opened her arms to her friend, who happily embraced her. In a few moments, all of Sunset's friends, even Princess Twilight, were embracing her, all glad to see her up and walking again. Princess Celestia and Luna just looked on, happy to see that not only Sunset had healed, but her friends still very much cared for her. As they finally broke the hug, Sunset quickly recognized princess Twilight Sparkle, as her face visibly brightened. "Oh hey, Twilight!" Suddenly, Twilight felt a sudden rush of grief flow over her, remembering how it was basically her fault that Sunset was in this position, before Sunset decided to envelope her in a hug, slight tears in her eyes. "H-hey Sunset... Good to see you." "Good to see you too, Twi. And before you say anything, don't blame yourself, it ain't your fault." Sunset said as she looked her friend in the face, while Twilight visibly brightened up at that statement. As Sunset embraced Twilight, The Commander watched from a currently hijacked camera, and he couldn't help but speak out loud. "I gotta say, this is the most wholesome thing I have ever seen..." Just then, the Commander's Assistant spoke up. "Indeed, Commander. Is beautiful, no?" "Da, comrade, is beautiful. Even if her friends are tyrannical monstrous demons and in the case of the princesses, beings from another dimension, it is good to see their bond has not wavered. Of course, I still feel little sympathy for the empire, but eh, I am trained to feel no emotion, so no changing that..." "You could say your... Cold as ice?" Cue a loud metallic thud as the Commander slapped his Assistant across the face with his metal fist. "Your lucky I don't have you shot for your bad puns, Assistant." "Apologies, Sir." "Don't sweat it, Assistant. Now shut up and let's watch how this thing unfolds." As Sunset and Princess Twilight hugged it out, Fluttershy turned to her friends and silently whispered to them. "Do you think we should show her now?" "Ah reckon it's for the best." "Indeed, darling, better to tell her now rather than later." "Honestly, I can't stand being in this human form, so the sooner we do this, the better." "Hoooo boy, it's gonna be the big reveal!" "Now remember, nice, slow, and steady..." The girls slowly nodded, as Twilight quickly turned to Princess Celestia and Luna, who gestured for them to go right on ahead, as they also believed this was for the best. As Princess Twilight finished her hug with Sunset, Sunset turned and smiled at her friends. "So how ya guys been?" "Well, we've been... it's quite complicated, but I believe it is best that we show you, Sunset. Now, no matter what, try and remain calm, getting too excited might cause adverse effects on your health." Sunset slowly nodded, a bit of suspicion visible on her face, as she, the princesses, and even the Commander watched in anticipation, as the six girls were enveloped in a large burst of white light, as everyone shielded their eyes, except the Commander and his Assistant, who were wearing movie glasses. "Dang, it's bright." As the light dissipated, the true forms of the six girls were on full display, as Sunset gawked at her friends new forms. The first thing she immediately noticed were each of her friends had massive pairs of wings extending from their back, with Twilight's being a dark purple shade, Rarity's a dark shade of amethyst, Pinkie's being pure hot pink, Rainbow's wing's being less refined looking, being a dark shade of blue, while Applejack's wings were a more darker orange. Fluttershy meanwhile, instead of having normal wings, possessed wings similar to that of a bat, colored in a dark shade of red similar to that of blood. Another thing Sunset noticed was that their skin were more darker shades, and their eyes seemed different in color, but the major thing she noticed, was that it was no longer Twilight Sparkle who was in front of her, but rather her infamous alter-ego, Midnight Sparkle. "Midnight!?!" "In the flesh... Well, it's a bit difficult to explain..." "Oh yeah, I bet it is, I mean, I expected Midnight to take the proverbial wheel, but what the heck happened to the rest of you? Fluttershy looks like a dang vampire?" Cue Fluttershy having a guilty smile on her face, giving away here fangs. "Wait, your actually a vampire!?!" "Surprise..." Cue Rarity having a lightly chuckle. "Honestly darling, I thought you would enter a fit of panic, but instead your asking genuine questions." Cue Applejack giving Rarity a slight elbow bump. "Of course she's asking questions, she must be scared out of her mind!" "Well actually... I thunk you guys look pretty cool!" Cue everyone on that roof, including the Commander who had just spat out his coffee all over the screen, looking at Sunset with a look of pure confusion, before all simultaneously asking the same question. "WHAT!?!" The Assistant simply shrugged. "Talk about a plot twist." Author's Note Hooooo boy, sorry for the long wait folks, had to take a short break to let my burn out simmer down. But I'm back baby! The PlanESTABLISHING CONNECTION... CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. Commander, we have confirmation, the empresses are moving to take her outside once again. Understood, you are to move in and prepare the device on the top level. Once it is in position and activated, it shall release the distortion wave and undo the illusion, exposing the subject to the world and hopefully resulting in the full rejection of her 'friends'. But commander, something un-expected has occurred. What is it, agent Robert? I do hope you have not been exposed. No commander, my cover is intact, but it seems the empresses are preparing to reveal their true forms to the subject, as I have heard them speaking to several other doctors and nurses, the empress of 'kindness' herself approached me and informed me of their plan... They may be doing this as a way to ease the subject into reality. I see... Well, we will have to wait and see how that goes, so observe carefully. If the subject reacts the way we expect her to, it may not only buy us time, but give us the window we need to move in and extract her. Of course, she needs to know the whole truth first. I leave that courtesy to you, Roberts. And remember agent, a lot of people are counting on you to complete the mission. Do it by any means necessary. Understood, commander. For the resistance! Da, comrade. For the resistance. CONNECTION TERMINATED. Ring... Ring... Ring... The sound of a phone slowly being lifted off the dock can be heard. "Yes?" "Commander, this is Pixelated, we have a problem. The resistance has an agent in the capital as well." "This... is worrying... How do you know?" "I believe it was already evident that the resistance would attempt a plan similar to ours commander, but I have now confirmed it. I recently intercepted a transmission between the agent and the commander of the resistance. They intend to fully expose the subject to the outside world." "Don't those idiotic humans know the risk of such a thing!?!" "They seem to be aware, commander, as they are taking extra precaution. What worries me is that they know of our intentions, meaning our phone call was intercepted..." "Well then, its a race against time then... We can't allow them to take away our only hope of undoing this mess just to save their sorry human behinds. Do not interfere with the agent, for they may try and expose you. It is best to just lay low until the time is right." "Understood commander, Pixelated out." The phone can be heard being hung up on the other end, as the one holding it begins to dial in a new number, as the phone rang again. Ring... Ring... Ring... "Princess Celestia, we have a problem."
Back in Bed, Again...It had been 3 hours since Sunset was splashed with that searing hot coffee, and she was already back in her bed within her medical room, around a dozen nurses and doctors swarming her bed, taking her temperature, checking readings, heartbeat, bombarding her with questions, and ice packs being shoved into her face. The pain had already been numbed quite a bit, and even though she still could not open her eyelids, they were not hurting nearly as bad as they were upon first contact with the literal magma temperature coffee. However, Sunset was too zoned out to truly pay attention to these little details, as she was hung up on a single question that had been eating away at her since she was returned to her room. Why did the servant refer to Fluttershy as 'Empress'? Was it some sort of title she gave herself? Was she a leader now? Did she have her own nation? It made no sense to sunset, especially since she wasn't really the type of pony to refer to herself like that. A title that would make more sense for her would be 'Queen'. She then thought about what happened to that servant who splashed that red hot lava on her face. Honestly, she did not blame the poor fellow for his mistake, everyone can trip at any time, Sunset knew this better than anyone. She wondered what happened to the poor fellow, as she was too busy wallowing in pain and being surrounded by paramedics for her to see, but she could swear she heard screaming as the paramedics loaded her onto a stretcher, and as she looked towards the source, she swore she could see an ornate amethyst scythe raised in the air as it was brought down and another scream followed. The thing that truly caught her attention was... It had a cutie mark she had never seen before, yet she felt it was familiar... Something was wrong... Very wrong, and she had to find out soon, but right now, it didn't matter, as she snapped back to reality, with most of the nurses and doctors now having left, with her slowly trying to sit up in bed, straining her arms as she did so, taking a deep breath. "Oooooh, damn it that hurts..." As she grunted, one of the doctors walked over quickly to assist her, supporting her back and ensuring she did not hurt herself. The doctor then put his hand to her head, which was still warm, however the doctor's hand was absolutely frigid cold, like as cold as the frozen pole she got her tongue stuck to as a kid. She kinda winced at the coldness, but it actually helped cool her off, making her feel slightly better, as the doctor spoke out to her. "Careful now, you're still quite weak, and we do not know if that splash of coffee had any adverse effects on your already weakened condition. I highly advise minimizing your movement." Sunset nodded at the doctor's words, considering that she did indeed still feel like absolute weak shit. "Yeah, thanks for the concern... Man your hand's cold, doc." "Apologies, and please, refer to me simply as Robert." "Right... Anyways, thanks for help... Tell me, where are my friends?" "Oh, the emper-" He stopped himself before he could finish his sentence, remembering what it would mean if he revealed their true status to her. "Your friends, are... Are..." The doctor was very nervous, maybe even panicking a little bit, before he spit it out. "They are making you the best get well soon card you have ever seen." Sunset smiled at the thought of her friends making a nice get well soon card. "Thats good to hear... Thanks for the help Robert." "Anytime, madam Sunset." The doctor slowly stood up as they walked to the door, which was already opening, as standing there would be Fluttershy, as the doctor nodded towards her. "The patient is ready, lady Fluttershy." Fluttershy simply nodded towards the doctor, smiling at both the fact sunset was awake and well, and that doctor knew how to address her in the presence of Sunset. As she moved to allow the doctor to leave, she turned and smiled at Sunset, who in turn smiled back, as she quickly walked up to the side of sunset's bed, kneeling down and giving her a tight hug. "Are you okay sweetie? Are you still hurt? Do you need more ice?" "No, Fluttershy, I feel fine, those doctors know how to fix burn wounds." "Indeed, we made sure to get you the best there is..." She then paused, as a tiny tear slowly streamed down her cheek as she slowly looked away. "Im so sorry... Its all my fault... if I hadn't..." Sunset slowly patted Fluttershy on the back, smiling at her. "Hey, don't be sad, its not your fault, in fact, its not even that one guy's fault either, he simply just tripped, no need to blame anyone here." Fluttershy slowly looked away, feeling a small amount of remorse and sadness for the poor servant... It was because of her that he dropped the coffee on sunset, it was because of her what Midnight did to him... And the next question sunset spoke only made her regret what she did even more. "What even happened to the poor guy? Must be worried sick, maybe we should tell him what happen-" "That... Won't be necessary... Twilight... Took care of it..." She grimaced at the mention of it, praying sunset heard nothing of the... Execution. The next query to arise from sunset's mouth truly frightened Fluttershy. "Why the heck did he call you empress, anyway?" Fluttershy went blank, thinking that the illusion had come undone, that she had seen everything, but she still tried to keep calm and explain things to her. "Well... Its just ummmm... A nickname, yes, a nickname! Just a little joke started around the place!" "Ahhhhh, I see... Weird, I always thought of you as more like a queen." The words slightly touched Fluttershy, feeling happy that her friend would think of her like that, as she smiled, patting sunset on the head. "Now get some more rest dear, tommorow we can try going for a walk again." Sunset nodded, slowly lying back, closing her eyes, and hitting the hay, as Fluttershy stood up and slowly walked out, feeling both at ease, and tense at the same time. As she exited the room, she found the doctor standing right beside the door, as he appeared to be listening, when she gave him a look of suspicion, he turned away from her, walking away slowly. She payed no mind to it, as the doctor breathed in a sigh of relief. Sunset could not help but feel that Fluttershy was hiding something. In fact, she felt all of her friends had been hiding something from her, and she felt like she had to find out soon. Meanwhile, doctor Robert quickly made his way through the halls of the tower, past the guards wheeling by weapons and materials as he ducked into a supply closet, pulling out a small communications device, and making a call. [Establishing connection...] [Establishing...] [Connection confirmed.] Commander, this is agent Roberts, target has successfully recovered from burning wounds of coffee, and will be on the move again tomorrow. Hopefully, the illusion can be shattered then. Excellent work, roberts, this means were back on track, continue observation and alert me if anything changes. Remember, the world is at stake here. If we fail to get her out of there before they get project reunification up and running again, then we are all well and truly screwed. [Connection terminated.] Author's Note Super proud of my first chapter for the story, drew inspiration from various writers to help me make this. Remember, any suggestions or ideas are greatly appreciated!
The MeetingDate: UNKNOWN. Location: UNKNOWN. A tense atmosphere filled the room, as six tall women stood at round circular table, each one of them shrouded in darkness as they sat at their seats, only their eyes illuminated in the darkness, looking at what appeared to be a holo map of russia, or at least, what it looked in current day, as the holo table displayed the country in absolute chaos, with fighting on all fronts as the resistance managed to somehow easily resist the forces of the empire, with one of the women growling in frustration, her orange eyes flaring up as she spoke in an almost enraged tone. "How can this even be possible? We have superior technology, firepower, and yet they still hold out!" Another voice sighed, as a pair of ice blue eyes replied in a more calm tone. "It is simple my friend, these 'russians' are much more resistant than we believed, and plus, we are fighting on their home territory, they are much more experienced in handling the terrain and weather. They are thanking one 'General winter' for their success in repelling us, which I assume is a metaphor for the element of snow and ice being in the russians favor..." As they stated the facts, the orange pair of eyes seemed to dim a bit, as a new pair of pure golden eyes flaired open. "And are yah sure it ain't just cuse our generals are incompetent?" The voice spoke in an un-expected southern accent. As she said this, a pair of dark pink eyes then shot open, filled with a bit of excitement. "Ooooooooor maybe its because these russians are being boosted by some sort of macguffin they found! Like maybe a sort of magic book or something?" All the other eyes in the room turned towards the one speaking with confusion in their eyes. Then, a turquoise pair of eyes spoke up with a more stern and less 'excited' tone. "I suspect that they appear to have found a new leader to follow... One that easily matches the tactical intelligence of our generals with ease... I am not sure who yet, but I suspect they are the same person who thwarted our plot to infiltrate changelings into their base. They even used the beacon we deployed against us, attacking our own frontline base and taking it over, effectively crippling our forces! Whoever they are, we must not underestimate them like we did Starlight Glimmers forces. Speaking of which, where is she now? The cold blue eyes of the empress known as rarity or, by her title 'Eternal Beauty', spoke up to reply to her friend. "Well, I believe that our changelings did manage to at least wound her, but I fear all that did was cause them to let this new commander take over... So technically, we just fueled the fire the resistance had been burning out of...." The other women in the room sighed at this news, realizing they had just caused this war to likely drag on by several more months. It was true, they had superior technology and manpower, yet they just kept getting beat back... Suddenly, the orange pair of eyes, belonging to 'Spectrum Beam' Or Rainbow Dash, were filled with anger. "Aggggh! Can't we just go there ourselves and blow them to bits!?!" The other women in the room sighed at Specturm's outburst, but were not suprised, as it was normal for her to do so. A new voice spoke up, as the empress of kindness herself, ' Fluttershy, attempted calm her friend down. "Its okay, Rainbow, soon we will have crushed all remnants of this resistance... Hopefully by the time sunset has fully healed." Upon mention of their still recovering friend, everyone had different reactions, Pinkie had one of joy and excitement, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow all appearing pleased, but Midnight reacted with a bit of annoyance. "If only that foolish servant had not spilled that coffee on her, she would already be healed..." Fluttershy could not help but feel sorry, as she opened her mouth to apologize, before Midnight stopped her. "It is not your fault, and I know it was not even his fault. But it had to be done... I trust his body has already been removed from the roof?" She said turning to applejack, who simply nodded. "Good... That brings us to our next issue... Project Reunification..." Everyone in the room gasped, as rarity spoke up. "What you speak of is madness! She is not yet ready!" As everyone else made noises of dis-agreement, midnight raised her hand, signifying that she was not finished. "I know that, and that is why tomorrow we will expose our true forms under the guise that we have simply... Oh, I dunno, we will figure something out, I am sure." Everyone else nodded in agreement, seeing the plan could potentially work. "Its best we do it now, as sunset is no doubt growing suspicious... In fact, she heard the servant refer to me as an empress... She is going to learn sooner or later..." "Ah I hope this goes well, twi, cause if not, she may never forgive us..." As the room went quiet, everybody thought about the cowgirl empresses words. What if sunset reacted the wrong way? What if she saw them as monsters? What if they lost her forever... "It doesn't matter, we have to do it. Its for her own good." Everyone nodded towards rainbow, as she spoke in a defiant tone. As they said this, they all vanished from the room, as they made preparations for tomorrow. Location: The Resistance Central Headquarters, Siberian mountains. The room was well lit, as the walls of soundproof concrete surround them, as at the center of the room, stood 6 men, surrounding a red holographic table, slightly flickering and glitching as it displayed a map of Russia, highlighting both their forces in red and the enemies forces in purple, including projections of locations of both allied and enemy bases, as a man wearing a lab coat spoke up. "In my professional opinion, we are doing quite well all things considered. Our recent encirclement of the enemy troops defending Khabarovsk allowed us much needed breathing room." Everyone else surrounding the table nodded as another man in a black military uniform spoke up. "Yes, but it could be better, the enemy fuel depot to the south needs to be captured soon or else our enemies will be fueled up enough to launch a second offensive, and by then, general winter will have faltered in his snowy assault..." As the generals mumbled and argued to each other, a figure at the far end of the table, raised his gloved hand, smacking it down onto the table, making a distinct metal sound, as they spoke through the gas mask on their face. "Gentlemen, we are in a time of desperation... And desperate times, call for desperate measures... As you all know, subject Sunset Shimmer has awoken from her 4 year coma, and already, her so called 'friends' make plans to turn her into yet another monster... And at the same time, the equestrians from another dimension plan to use her to help establish a connection to their Equestria and leave us to die..." "We shall not allow this. We must get to her first... As such, tomorrow, we will prepare to expose her to the true nature of the world, and then, once the time is right, extract her before our enemies can. Am I clear?" The figure said, raising his head to reveal two blood red glowing lights behind the mask, unmoving, and clearly full of vengeance. The other generals nodded, as the commander waved them away with his hand. As he stared at the table, he thought to himself. "Hold onto your socks, mighty empresses... You say it would be stupid to directly attack or infiltrate your capital... Well... I guess I'm pretty fucking stupid then." He said with a chuckle.
What is the Price of Ruling?Sunset's Room, Canterlot City Castle. Loud snoring filled the air as Sunset peacefully slept in her hospital bed, lightly shuffling in the sheets as all people who struggle to find comfort in any possible sleeping position do. She was slightly shivering, as the room's air conditioning was quite strong, easily producing enough cool air to combat the spring heat. The only part of her body exposed was her head, which still had light burn marks from the coffee incident, and surprisingly, still stinged a bit. The window to the right of her bed currently had it's shutter closed, blocking any sunlight. Slowly, the door to her room creaked open, as Fluttershy peeked her head in, smiling at the sight of Sunset peacefully sleeping, as she opened the door further, a small amount of light flooding into the room, Sunset being undisturbed as Fluttershy slowly moved over to the window, and slowly opened the shutters, letting a large amount of sunlight flood into the room, a ray of light hitting Sunset square in the face, as she slowly opened her eyes, scrunching up her face in annoyance. "Agh... Too bright..." Fluttershy lightly giggled as she walked over to her friend, sitting on her bed with a smile on her face. "Good morning, Sunset." Sunset fully opened her eyes to look at her friend, smiling back. "Hey, Fluttershy... Man, my head hurts..." Fluttershy had a slight look of worry on her face, as she pressed her hand up against Sunset's forehead. "Oh dear, your head is still quite hot... Are you certain you wish to go out for a walk today? Are your legs even fully healed?" Sunset slowly nodded in confirmation. "Yep, the doctor's themselves said my leg muscles should be fully healed. Or at least partially, so I won't be completely crippled, which is better than being wheeled around in a wheelchair, no offense." Fluttershy lightly nodded, happy to see her friend in happy spirits and full of bravery, an aspect she always admired about Sunset, seeing close similarities to Rainbow Dash. "That is good to hear, Sunset. So, you wish to try and walk on your own?" "Yeah, or at least try to. Like they say, if you don' try, you may never know if you can." Fluttershy simply nodded, as she slowly began to help Sunset out of the bed, helping her sit up before pulling her into a hug, feeling good just to embrace her friend, a couple tears of happiness running down her face. She soon pulled back, as she heard Sunset's stomach gurgiling, and let out a light chuckle. "Are you hungry, my dear?" Sunset rapidly nodded, grasping her stomach. "Yeah... Haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning... Whats for breakfast?" "Oh, well, I believe we can have breakfast in the cafeteria if that's alright with you, I believe that pancakes are on the menu." Cue Sunset having a look of excitement on her face, having always loved pancakes. "Awesome! Alright then, let's get going!" Fluttershy nodded, slowly beginning to help her friend stand up off the bed, as Sunset stood straight, wobbling a bit, but still standing defiantly, as she raised her fists in victory. "YES! I HAVE CONQUERED MY COMA!" Fluttershy let out a silent cheer of enthusiasm, both happy for her friend, and for her increased health and fortitude. Of course, Sunset still had some difficulty walking, as she had not done so in well, four years, so Fluttershy helped support and guide her, at least until she got the hang of it, as Sunset gripped the door handle and managed to open it, doing a silent fist bump, opening a proverbial door to life. "The others are waiting on the observation deck." Sunset nodded, letting Fluttershy lead the way. Meanwhile, Doctor Roberts was watching intently from behind a corner, as he pulled out a phone and texted a message. She's on the move. Understood, continue observation, and if needed, prep the charge. Elsewhere in the Castle... The elevator slowly climbed up through the castle, with the princesses expecting to see things the same they were yesterday. However, it appeared as though the soldiers all around them were moving more frantically, some carrying more weapons and ammunition then usual. And Twilight could swear she saw a cart full of body bags move past them. Before anyone could ask, Midnight answered for them. "If your wondering what has caused us to become so frantic, it is due to the resistance recently launching a large scale counter offensive, managing to encircle a pocket of our forces, something I honestly never expected." Midnight said, huffing out of annoyance, with Luna having a slight smirk on her face. "You of all people should have known not to under-estimate humans. After all, you used to be one." Twilight had a look of confusion on her face, wondering how humans could overcome magic infused armies, especially with their training and technology. "How would those humans be able to overpower your magic infused armies? Was it just dumb luck?" Midnight turned to her, gritting her teeth as she remembered the reason why. "It's that commander of theirs, his tactics are... Whats the word... Brutal. He seems to be utilizing the tactics of the soviet union during operation Barbarossa in World War 2, a clever move. He has even resulted to raiding old army depots of WW2 and cold war era equipment to fight us with." Luna let out a chuckle, finding it funny Midnight's 'unstoppable empire' was being beat by some old war technology, and Midnight proceeded to give her a stare more intense than even Fluttershy's, so Luna knew to quickly shut up. Celestia secretly respected the humans for their courage and willingness to fight. Not even her own soldiers were as brave as them, but then again, her soldiers were not necessarily born for war. Wishing to break the ice, she asked the question her fellow princesses were thinking. "So Sunset is fully healed from yesterday?" Midnight slowly turned and nodded, slightly smiling. "Yeah, she was always resilient... Of course, still have to meet her in human form. Well, actually... We are planning to reveal our true selves to her today... Even if it has a negative effect, the illusion is completely draining of our magic reserves." "So you will cancel out the illusion?" "Not the entire thing, exposing her to it all at once may be too much, likely to overload her senses. Well, I dunno exactly, I studied science more than medical, so you'd probably need to ask Fluttershy." Celestia nodded in acknowledgement, as the elevator reached it's designated floor, opening to reveal the rest of Midnight's friends, except Fluttershy. "Greetings, everyone, again." All the empresses politely nodded, Applejack just tipping her stetson hat, which she absolutely refused to remove even in her empress form, no matter how much her friends begged her. "Is everyone ready? Remember, human forms until she is ready." Midnight's friends nodded, all of them being enveloped in light and appearing as humans, and Midnight then snapped her fingers, as everyone teleported away. Meanwhile... The commander let a small smile creek across his face, watching Sunset appear on the top deck of the castle through his cameras. "Today marks the beginning of our push for ultimate victory... Wait, hang on, that sounded evil, lemme re-phrase... *Ahem* Today marks the day we rise from the ashes and fight off our oppressors. Yeah, that sounds much better."
The Big RevealCanterlot City Castle, Central Rooftop. As Sunset slowly stepped out onto the roof of the building beside Fluttershy, she shielded her eyes from the bright sun, as it shined bright in the sky. After a few short seconds, her eyes had adjusted to the brightness, and she lowered her hand, to see the typical surroundings of a hospital roof, or as it was called, a viewing deck, with benches and some bushes placed around, and an amazing view of the entire city, as Sunset slowly walked over and looked over the railing at the city below. The sky was clear, cars and other vehicles slowly made their way through the traffic of the streets below, people could be seen walking to their jobs and homes, going about their day normally, happily waving and greeting as they walked past each other. Sunset always enjoyed the sight, while Fluttershy stepped up and viewed the world totally differently... The sky was filled with dark grey smog of the several massive factories churning out war machines for the Empire, as troops marched in the streets, followed by armored cars and the occasional light tank on patrol. The only civilians seen were those heading off to work in the factories, as part of the recent imperial labor order to try and slow the war machine's grinding to a halt as more and more resources were wasted in the east. The citizens, while not totally depressed and devoid of joy or happiness, were much more gloomy than from Sunset's perspective. Fluttershy was secretly happy Sunset didn't see the world like this, because even after becoming the cruel empress she is, it still saddens her to see her people all sad. It's the main reason why Pinkie said that as soon as the war was over, she'd throw the biggest parade in the world to cheer everyone up, an idea that Fluttershy supported. Fluttershy of course, made sure to conceal her feelings, ensuring her friend did not grow suspicious, or suspect that something was amiss, even if it did make Fluttershy feel like a dirty liar. As Sunset took in a deep breath of air, she smiled, before coughing a bit. "Ugh, the air feels thick today..." It was then Fluttershy realized the illusion magic wasn't strong enough to conceal the presence of the thick pollution and smoke in the air, causing Sunset to still inhale it, even if she didn't see it. Fluttershy silently cursed herself for not thinking of this possibility, but thankfully Sunset did not seem too suspicious. She made a quick mental note to remind her friends of this fact and attempt to try and find a way to conceal the air's thickness. Hearing the distinct sound of the elevator, Fluttershy turned to see her friends, as well as the Princesses slowly emerging from the elevator, as she gave them a quick wave. Of course, everyone was wearing their disguises, and Sunset soon turned to face Twilight, smiling wildly with light tears in her eyes as she opened her arms to her friend, who happily embraced her. In a few moments, all of Sunset's friends, even Princess Twilight, were embracing her, all glad to see her up and walking again. Princess Celestia and Luna just looked on, happy to see that not only Sunset had healed, but her friends still very much cared for her. As they finally broke the hug, Sunset quickly recognized princess Twilight Sparkle, as her face visibly brightened. "Oh hey, Twilight!" Suddenly, Twilight felt a sudden rush of grief flow over her, remembering how it was basically her fault that Sunset was in this position, before Sunset decided to envelope her in a hug, slight tears in her eyes. "H-hey Sunset... Good to see you." "Good to see you too, Twi. And before you say anything, don't blame yourself, it ain't your fault." Sunset said as she looked her friend in the face, while Twilight visibly brightened up at that statement. As Sunset embraced Twilight, The Commander watched from a currently hijacked camera, and he couldn't help but speak out loud. "I gotta say, this is the most wholesome thing I have ever seen..." Just then, the Commander's Assistant spoke up. "Indeed, Commander. Is beautiful, no?" "Da, comrade, is beautiful. Even if her friends are tyrannical monstrous demons and in the case of the princesses, beings from another dimension, it is good to see their bond has not wavered. Of course, I still feel little sympathy for the empire, but eh, I am trained to feel no emotion, so no changing that..." "You could say your... Cold as ice?" Cue a loud metallic thud as the Commander slapped his Assistant across the face with his metal fist. "Your lucky I don't have you shot for your bad puns, Assistant." "Apologies, Sir." "Don't sweat it, Assistant. Now shut up and let's watch how this thing unfolds." As Sunset and Princess Twilight hugged it out, Fluttershy turned to her friends and silently whispered to them. "Do you think we should show her now?" "Ah reckon it's for the best." "Indeed, darling, better to tell her now rather than later." "Honestly, I can't stand being in this human form, so the sooner we do this, the better." "Hoooo boy, it's gonna be the big reveal!" "Now remember, nice, slow, and steady..." The girls slowly nodded, as Twilight quickly turned to Princess Celestia and Luna, who gestured for them to go right on ahead, as they also believed this was for the best. As Princess Twilight finished her hug with Sunset, Sunset turned and smiled at her friends. "So how ya guys been?" "Well, we've been... it's quite complicated, but I believe it is best that we show you, Sunset. Now, no matter what, try and remain calm, getting too excited might cause adverse effects on your health." Sunset slowly nodded, a bit of suspicion visible on her face, as she, the princesses, and even the Commander watched in anticipation, as the six girls were enveloped in a large burst of white light, as everyone shielded their eyes, except the Commander and his Assistant, who were wearing movie glasses. "Dang, it's bright." As the light dissipated, the true forms of the six girls were on full display, as Sunset gawked at her friends new forms. The first thing she immediately noticed were each of her friends had massive pairs of wings extending from their back, with Twilight's being a dark purple shade, Rarity's a dark shade of amethyst, Pinkie's being pure hot pink, Rainbow's wing's being less refined looking, being a dark shade of blue, while Applejack's wings were a more darker orange. Fluttershy meanwhile, instead of having normal wings, possessed wings similar to that of a bat, colored in a dark shade of red similar to that of blood. Another thing Sunset noticed was that their skin were more darker shades, and their eyes seemed different in color, but the major thing she noticed, was that it was no longer Twilight Sparkle who was in front of her, but rather her infamous alter-ego, Midnight Sparkle. "Midnight!?!" "In the flesh... Well, it's a bit difficult to explain..." "Oh yeah, I bet it is, I mean, I expected Midnight to take the proverbial wheel, but what the heck happened to the rest of you? Fluttershy looks like a dang vampire?" Cue Fluttershy having a guilty smile on her face, giving away here fangs. "Wait, your actually a vampire!?!" "Surprise..." Cue Rarity having a lightly chuckle. "Honestly darling, I thought you would enter a fit of panic, but instead your asking genuine questions." Cue Applejack giving Rarity a slight elbow bump. "Of course she's asking questions, she must be scared out of her mind!" "Well actually... I thunk you guys look pretty cool!" Cue everyone on that roof, including the Commander who had just spat out his coffee all over the screen, looking at Sunset with a look of pure confusion, before all simultaneously asking the same question. "WHAT!?!" The Assistant simply shrugged. "Talk about a plot twist." Author's Note Hooooo boy, sorry for the long wait folks, had to take a short break to let my burn out simmer down. But I'm back baby!
The PlanESTABLISHING CONNECTION... CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. Commander, we have confirmation, the empresses are moving to take her outside once again. Understood, you are to move in and prepare the device on the top level. Once it is in position and activated, it shall release the distortion wave and undo the illusion, exposing the subject to the world and hopefully resulting in the full rejection of her 'friends'. But commander, something un-expected has occurred. What is it, agent Robert? I do hope you have not been exposed. No commander, my cover is intact, but it seems the empresses are preparing to reveal their true forms to the subject, as I have heard them speaking to several other doctors and nurses, the empress of 'kindness' herself approached me and informed me of their plan... They may be doing this as a way to ease the subject into reality. I see... Well, we will have to wait and see how that goes, so observe carefully. If the subject reacts the way we expect her to, it may not only buy us time, but give us the window we need to move in and extract her. Of course, she needs to know the whole truth first. I leave that courtesy to you, Roberts. And remember agent, a lot of people are counting on you to complete the mission. Do it by any means necessary. Understood, commander. For the resistance! Da, comrade. For the resistance. CONNECTION TERMINATED. Ring... Ring... Ring... The sound of a phone slowly being lifted off the dock can be heard. "Yes?" "Commander, this is Pixelated, we have a problem. The resistance has an agent in the capital as well." "This... is worrying... How do you know?" "I believe it was already evident that the resistance would attempt a plan similar to ours commander, but I have now confirmed it. I recently intercepted a transmission between the agent and the commander of the resistance. They intend to fully expose the subject to the outside world." "Don't those idiotic humans know the risk of such a thing!?!" "They seem to be aware, commander, as they are taking extra precaution. What worries me is that they know of our intentions, meaning our phone call was intercepted..." "Well then, its a race against time then... We can't allow them to take away our only hope of undoing this mess just to save their sorry human behinds. Do not interfere with the agent, for they may try and expose you. It is best to just lay low until the time is right." "Understood commander, Pixelated out." The phone can be heard being hung up on the other end, as the one holding it begins to dial in a new number, as the phone rang again. Ring... Ring... Ring... "Princess Celestia, we have a problem."
