Sunset paced back and forth under the streetlamp, its dim lighting the lone source of illumination in the dark parking lot. Gravel on the asphalt crunched under her combat boots. Despite the moderate temperature of an early summer’s night, her entire body was shaking as if she were naked in a snowstorm. It was a mix of fear, anger, anxiety, and many other emotions she didn’t care to label.

Ring

She was lucky. They were all lucky. For some reason, Lightning Dust hadn’t shown up yet. That gave them ample time to prepare, time that was absolutely essential if they wanted to take her down.

Ring

Unfortunately, since Rarity hadn’t shown up when she was expected to, it was nothing but time wasted. As the clock drew closer to three in the morning, Sunset began to wonder if they’d be caught with their pants down for the third time in a row. And after the encounter at the bar, she didn’t want to know whether or not they’d get a fourth chance.

Ring

Much like at the bar, she wanted nothing more than to indulge her vice. One quick puff was all she needed. Anything to get her body to stop shaking. That was burning energy—something she was critically low on—and she needed to conserve every bit she had.

Ring

So instead of smoking, she alternated between two tried and true methods of restless stimulation: pushing her lip rings with her tongue, and biting her thumb. And in the beginning, that was good enough. But that was more than an hour ago. She’d done both so much since then that she hardly had much thumbnail left to bite, and her bottom lip already felt swollen.

Ring

Sunset prayed she would hear Rarity’s voice in a moment. Her actual voice, not the answering machine recording. If she had to hear that one more time, she’d scream with a force so loud, it would shatter every window in the old abandoned mall.

Ring

Her jaw tightened with every ring. If her teeth sank any further into her thumb, she was liable to bite the appendage clean off.

Ring

“Pick up the fucking phone already!” Sunset hopelessly shouted into the receiver. “You’ve been on the ground for over two hours! Why aren’t you answering?”

Ring

As much as Sunset loved her friends, she was ready to light Rarity up with every curse word she could muster. This was serious, and her taking forever to arrive made it abundantly clear how little she understood this. She’d never been so mad at one of her friends before, she couldn’t wait to lay into her and–

*click* “Sunset, I have already told you I’m going as fast as I can!”

“I know! Sorry, I just need to know where you’re at.” She answered, hoping her seething rage wouldn’t burn a hole through the friendly veneer she presented.

“I understand you need me there but I don’t know what you else you expect me to do about it. Do you have any idea how difficult it was to return from Manehattan to Canterlot City on such short notice? I had to grease more than a few palms to catch even a red eye flight back here, and even then, the boarding and exiting process took forever! And don’t get me started on all the ignoramuses on the road at this hour! The rules of the road apply at all hours of the day and yet-”

A loud honk and an even louder shriek interrupted the fashionista's rant, booming through Sunset’s speakers.

“Why are you only going ninety-five in the fast lane you witless idiot!?”

Surprisingly, hearing Rarity’s intensity was enough to coax a laugh out of Sunset, one she forgot to move the phone receiver away from her mouth for.

“I’m so glad you find my transit perils amusing!” Rarity huffed indignantly through the speakers. Even though Sunset couldn’t see it, she knew her friend was fixing her with one of her patented icy death glares.

Sunset coughed. “Sorry, but I really needed that. Things are a little tense around here.”

“Darling, I’m no less tense than any of you. Has Lightning Dust arrived?”

“Not yet,” Sunset answered. “Kind of surprising considering how late it is.”

“That’s good. I– hang on a moment.”

Sunset could hear tires squealing through Rarity’s microphone. She held her breath until she heard Rarity’s voice once again. Sunset thought about asking what that was about, but decided it wasn’t worth getting distracted by.

“Anyway, at this rate, I may have a trail of police following me when I arrive, but I swear I’m not wasting a moment.”

Rarity’s often impeccably maintained accent faltered for only a moment, but Sunset knew that was something that only ever happened when Rarity was truly stressed. Upon hearing the sheer exhaustion in Rarity’s voice, Sunset felt her anger relent.

“Look, just focus on driving, and please get here as fast as you can,” Sunset replied. “Lightning Dust could be here any second.”

Rarity hummed in agreement. “I’ll see you then, but if it comes down to it, I’m sure the six of you will do a fabulous job keeping things under control until my arrival!”

A person shaped object flew right past Sunset's face. It was Applejack, her back hitting the streetlamp loud enough for the sound to reverberate through the empty lot. Sunset looked at AJ writhing on the ground, unable to make a sound.

“What? What was that noise?”

A second later, Rainbow Dash joined her, Applejack’s body absorbing much of the impact as the speedster crashed directly into her.

Sunset looked at the two groaning in pain while sprawled out on the asphalt, the phone shaking in her hand.

“Hurry.”

Sunset could hear Rarity shouting as she hung up the call, shoving her phone into her jacket pocket. She rushed over towards her fallen friends.

“Shit, shit, shit,” she cursed. “Are you two okay? Anything broken?”

Applejack wheezed, shaking her limbs one at a time. “Don’t think so. Hurtin’ like hell but, I’ll live.” She wheezed, trying and failing to pull herself up. “I’d be even better if Dash here would fuckin’ get off me.”

“Come on, even if your powers aren’t working right, I’m not that heavy,” Rainbow countered, ungracefully rolling off AJ’s stomach and onto the rough blacktop.

Sunset helped the two of them to their feet. “I know I’m asking for a miracle here but try to be careful. Fluttershy’s not here yet, so we don’t have any heals, but she should be here with Pinkie real soon. Just got off the phone with Rarity, she’s on the way too.”

“Ugh.” Dash rubbed her head. “Rares better get here soon or we’re gonna get our asses-s-s-Sunset! Behind!”

Swiveling her head around, Sunset’s gaze was met with crackling electricity running right at her, yellow eyes closing in with pure malice. Her heart nearly stopped in its chest as every survival instinct she had failed her completely, leaving her body paralyzed in fear. A deer in headlights, picoseconds away from being run through with enough speed and force to turn her into a fine mist.

Every bad choice, every failed relationship, every regret flashed through her mind, one after another.

“Your father and I have tried to be understanding, but you just insist on making this so difficult on all of us.”

“Sunset Shimmer, if you are going to continue down this path of arrogance and cruelty, I will no longer have you as my student.”

“Kid… this is gonna be it between us. After today, you won’t be seeing me again. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of, but… it’s better this way.”

“You will never rule in Equestria. Any power you had in this world is gone. But tonight, you showed everyone who you really are. You showed them what is in your heart.”

“I can’t sleep! Every time I close my eyes, I see Midnight! It’s been days, and it won’t stop! I don’t know what else to do!”

“How am I supposed to get back at you if nothing I do matters!? I hate you!”

“Look, I’m sorry, Twilight. It’s not you, it’s just… I don’t know how to feel that way about anyone. I don’t know if I can feel that way about anyone.”

“Well… I’m gonna find a nice line to wait in so I don’t ruin it for you again. You deserve to have a good day, Sunset.

“I know you’re still in there, Twilight. You’ve beat Midnight before, you–”

The ghosts of her past were banished by an overwhelming warmth overtaking Sunset’s body. It took only a moment for her to recognize the familiar purple glow surrounding her arms, her body yanked right out of her assailant’s path the very next. Lightning Dust missed by mere inches as she ran right past the spot Sunset stood moments ago.

Sunset sat shell shocked on the ground. She could hear someone talking rapidly, though the words were unintelligible. A pair of hands gripped her shoulders, narrowly stopping her from falling over and kissing the asphalt. That was a touch she’d recognize anywhere. Even if she still couldn’t see, Sunset only knew one person that could yell a mile a minute like she was. Her eyes were wide with fear behind her square specs.

Sunset’s ears were still a little fuzzy, but she gradually understood more and more as she regained her equilibrium.

“Sunset… okay?.. Almost… Oh gosh, if I was just a second later…”

Even with the life or death circumstances surrounding them, it was so endearing when she got like this. But Sunset knew better than to let her go on too long, lest Twilight encounter an error and need to close.

Sunset placed two hands on Twilight’s shoulders.

“Hey.” Sunset’s voice was firm. Somehow, despite her brush with death, Sunset managed to offer an easygoing smile. Her half lidded turquoise eyes met bespeckled purple.

“I’m okay, now breathe.”

She started inhaling, silently encouraging Twilight to follow her lead, the two exhaling at the same time. Sunset kept her eye on Lightning Dust, craning her neck to the side every other second to make sure Applejack and Rainbow Dash were still keeping her occupied.

Sunset almost wanted to laugh. Twilight was the one that saved her life, and yet she was the one having to ground Twilight. That was far from unusual, and even further from the first time it had happened, but somehow, she still found it amusing, as weird as she felt about that.

Watching over Twilight’s shoulder, Sunset saw Dash and Dust collide with one another repeatedly, the two blurs almost impossible to keep up with. Not far from their clashes, Applejack pulled one of the many lightposts that lined the parking lot out of its concrete base as if it were a weed on her lawn.

“How many times have you saved my ass now?” Sunset asked, hands still on Twi’s shoulders and vice versa. “Eleven, right?”

“Twelve.” Twilight answered immediately. Of course she’d keep track.

Rainbow Dash ran a loop around the perimeter of the parking lot with Lightning Dust close behind. Seemingly at random, she swerved at an almost perfect ninety degree angle, but that didn’t seem to shake Dust off her trail.

Meanwhile, Applejack held the light pole like she was getting ready to swing a bat, at least to the best of her ability with an object that large. Right when Dash was about to zip past her, AJ hurled the steel post forward with all her strength.

A loud *CLANG* echoed through the empty parking lot.

Sunset chuckled and patted Twilight on the shoulder. “I owe you one, but don’t use that as an excuse to get into any near death situations, okay?”

Twilight seemed to loosen up, her panic fading into a comforted smile.

One moment, Sunset was looking down at Twilight. The next, she was locking eyes with the woman who nearly vaporized her mere moments ago. A pit of dread formed in Sunset’s stomach as she realized it wasn’t Lightning Dust that Applejack managed to hit.

Lightning Dust wedged herself between the two of them, forcing Twilight to let go of Sunset and vice versa. The wind was suddenly knocked out of Sunset as Dust shoved her palm into her chest.

With Sunset tumbling across the ground, Dust was left in the spot Sunset stood before. Twilight stood defiant, at least until Dust leaned in uncomfortably close, cupping her chin.

“You know, I really have to wonder: how have you lasted this long? You always look like you're about to shit yourself, you know that?”

There was no reply. Suddenly, Twilight couldn’t move, speak, or do anything at all.

As Sunset pulled herself up from the ground, she could feel her own body trembling. Not out of fear for her own wellbeing, but seeing where Lightning Dust had her best friend. Her eyes narrowed with fury. In a moment, the danger of Lightning Dust’s power left Sunset’s consideration as she ran directly at her. Each stomp became heavier until it felt like the pavement might crack under her feet.

“Let her go you bitc-”

Sunset didn’t even see Lighting Dust move before her hands gripped her throat. In one fraction of a second, she was rendered just as helpless as Twilight. She attempted to claw at the hands on her neck, stopping when Dust channeled lightning through her arms.

“Didn’t exactly think that through, did you?” Lightning Dust’s smug smirk suddenly soured. “Also, hey, where’s that drink you were gonna get me? You paid for it, right?”

In lieu of an answer, Sunset spit in her face.

Lighting Dust blinked, a heated arc of electricity shooting past her cheek, instantly evaporating the stain

“…Well, regardless, you’re going to pay for that.”

She lifted one hand from Sunset’s neck, holding out her index finger. A spark formed and crackled on the tip as she inched it close to Sunset’s face at an agonizingly slow pace. Sunset grunted, hoping the defiant glare she gave her captor was enough to hide that she was, in fact, very scared.

“I don’t know why you’re bothering trying to resist at this point. You and I both know you’re screwed—all of you are. Don’t you just want to get it over with?”

Lightning Dust eyed the sinew of saliva dripping down Sunset’s chin. A wicked smile spread across her face as she eyed the two rings on both sides of her bottom lip.

“Oh man, you really didn’t think this through. You picked a fight with a chick made out of electricity when you’ve got two perfectly good lightning rods in your mouth!”

Dust hovered her finger over one of Sunset’s piercings. As much as Sunset wanted to struggle with more intensity, Lightning Dust’s grip on her throat was gradually depriving her of oxygen. Her vision was steadily fading.

Twilight stood behind, still seemingly frozen in fear. Sunset wanted to scream, break Twilight out of her stupor and beg her to do something, but found it impossible to make any noise with her throat compressed so harshly.

"Do you know what happens when you put silverware in a microwave? If not, you’re about to see what it looks like.”

Sunset eyed Twilight again. The look of utter hopeless terror on her face mirrored the one on Sunset’s own at this point. Would Twilight truly not snap out of this before it was too late? And where were the rest of her friends? Shouldn’t they have been there by now?

This couldn’t be how it ended. She was so close. This was the last time they were ever going to have to deal with a magic incident. After this, she knew how to fix this. All she needed to do was survive this.

Instead, this is where she would meet her end, and the solution to their problem would die with her.

Out of nowhere, some kind of pie struck Lightning Dust, splattering all over her face. She winced, and when she opened her eyes, she looked bewildered.

“Cinnamon?”

Sunset immediately shut her eyes as hard as she could as the pie exploded into a cloud of bronze powder. Dust’s grip finally faltered causing Sunset to fall to the ground. The moment her back touched the asphalt, she took a deep breath, immediately regretting it when her mouth was filled with the cloyingly sweet taste of excess cinnamon.

Lightning Dust charged away from the scene, running straight into a lamp post more than once as she fled. The dim lighting of the late night parking lot and shroud of acerbic spice made it difficult to get a clear look at her hero, but there was only one person Sunset knew who could do something like that.

Before she had a chance to stop coughing and thank her savior, she was assaulted by more words than she could process.

“Hi, Sunset!” Pinkie Pie greeted. “Sorry we were late, I just wanted to make sure we were super duper prepared because I was only super prepared last time, but I ran out of ammo at the worst time, so I didn’t want that to happen again, so I made sure to bake extra cakes and pies and cupcakes and cookies and–”

A set of rapid footsteps interrupted Pinkie’s undoubtedly endless list.

“Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash called. “Hop on!”

“Don’t worry Sunset, I’ll kick that big meanie’s butt for you!” Without skipping a beat, Pinkie Pie piggybacked onto Rainbow Dash’s back. Reaching into her mass of fluffy hair, she pulled out yet another pie. “Onward, trusty steed!”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “Could you please not be weird about this?”

“I SAID ONWARD!” Pinkie screamed.

Dash took off immediately after, Pinkie Pie’s “weeeee” gradually getting quieter as they went after Lightning Dust, followed by a drum solo of confectionary explosives in the distance.

As Sunset continued to roll around on the ground, sputtering and trying to clear her eyes, her vision gradually cleared. Two figures stood hunched over here. Sunset could tell from the silhouette that one of them was Twilight, but before she had a chance to guess who the second one was, water splashed across her face.

“Sunset!” Fluttershy patted Sunset’s face with a rag. “Are you okay?”

She wheezed in response, still trying to catch her breath.

“Oh my gosh, Sunset, I’m so sorry.” Twilight sounded close to hysterics. “I-I don’t know what happened, I–”

“It’s okay, I’ll be fine in a second,” Sunset spat between coughs. Truthfully, she wasn’t entirely sure of that. Her head was still spinning and her lungs felt lined with sand, but if they were going to win this, she had to at least pretend she didn’t feel like she was dying.

“Have you heard from Rarity?” Fluttershy asked Sunset, her soft voice punctuated by at least a baker's dozen pops on the other side of the parking lot. “I felt a little woozy after healing Rainbow Dash, but my blood sugar is still fine. I’m just not sure how hard I should push myself after yesterday.”

Sunset blinked, suddenly recalling that they were still down one member.

“Still on the way.” Sunset snorted and spat out a cinnamon flavored loogie. “Going about a hundred miles an hour down the road last we spoke.”

“Oh dear, I hope she actually makes it without incident this time.” Fluttershy shuddered.

Sunset attempted to chuckle, but only coughed. “Hopefully another street light doesn’t sprout out of the middle of the road.”

“Hopefully,” Fluttershy echoed, punctuated with a giggle. “Um, I-I’m sorry we’re late, by the way.” Fluttershy spoke up, at least, as much as her soft voice allowed. “Pinkie Pie had to be sure she baked both enough ammo, and also that she had enough left over for me when my sugar drops.”

“Sorry, Fluttershy. Saving my life is just not good enough.” Sunset gave a playful smile after that.

Fluttershy rolled her eyes before returning the gesture. She placed her hands on Sunset’s shoulders, gently dragging them down to her arms. She continued down Sunset’s body as she closed her eyes. As she did, Sunset let her head fall back, feeling her bruises and other tender spots slowly evaporating.

“How about that?” asked Fluttershy.

Sunset winked. “That’s a fair trade.”

Sunset then noticed that the crackling of electricity and the percussive sounds of improvised explosive delectables suddenly ceased. That could mean Dash and Pinkie finally had Dust cornered, or Dust had managed to take them down.

Fluttershy finally let go, the three of them taking off to find out where the others were. It didn’t take long for them to catch a faint blue light emanating from around the edge of one of the abandoned mall’s buildings.

When they rounded the corner, they saw Lightning Dust surrounded by Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Despite having the numbers advantage, they seemed to be locked in a stalemate, and none of Sunset’s friends looked all that confident.

Be that as it may, Lightning Dust looked worn out, her body covered head to toe in cake and icing. The neon blue glow her body radiated before had faded considerably. The arcs of lightning that swirled around her body seemed faint, few and far between. She was heaving, occasionally breaking into a coughing fit. Even if Pinkie missed every shot afterwards, that initial cinnamon smokescreen pie was still enough to knock and keep the wind out of Lightning Dust.

But then Sunset looked over to their friends, and it was obvious that they weren’t doing too hot either.

Rainbow Dash was panting, her body looking one wayward gust away from collapsing like a house of cards. Applejack was holding a concrete bollard, but even with the tip of it resting on the ground, it looked like she was struggling to hold it. Pinkie Pie held two cupcakes with sparklers in the icing. That was an ammunition she seldom ever used, and the fact that she was holding it at the ready was a telltale sign she was out of any other kind.

All that combined with how much magic they’d all expended over the last three days, and they looked no more likely to win than Lightning Dust.

If they didn’t wrap this up soon, it was all going to be over.

Rarity, if there were ever a time to randomly drop in... Sunset thought.

Still, even if they couldn’t purify the magic out of Dust yet, she was weak enough now that they could incapacitate her until Rarity finally arrived.

Though, maybe they didn’t have to.

“It’s over, Lightning Dust.” Sunset took a step forward. “We beat you, now let’s stop–”

“Bullshit!” she shouted, immediately wheezing afterwards. “You think I’m done? I’m just getting started!”

“You can’t keep running around in the state you’re in,” said Rainbow Dash. “You can barely breathe! You’re gonna collapse any second!”

For the first time since this all began, Lightning Dust looked genuinely frightened, as if not even she believed she could make it out of this.

She began to step backwards. “I’m just getting you all close together so I can fry you all at once!”

“The only thing you’re fryin’ is your brain from lack of oxygen,” said Applejack.

“We can help you,” Fluttershy gently appealed.

“Help me?” Dust repeated doubtfully. “How? By taking away the one good thing I have?”

“Lightning Dust, this isn’t a game,” said Sunset. “This is serious. You have no idea what kind of power you’re messing with.”

She laughed, nearly descending into a coughing fit.

“And you all do? I've been running circles around all of you for days, and you've been on the ropes the whole time.”

Dash stepped forward. “Look, Eldi–”

“Don't call me that!” she shouted, baring her teeth.

“Fine, Lightning Dust, whatever,” Dash conceded. “This still isn’t a fair fight.”

“Come on, Dash, are you really going to try wailing about how unfair this is again?”

“No, that’s not what I mean.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes darted to the sides momentarily, as if she wasn’t even sure what she was going to say next. “We’re still down a member, and we still managed to corner you.”

Dust looked even more incensed, but didn’t seem to have an argument.

“If all of us were here, you’d have lost. So why not just give up? Even if you beat us, you still won’t feel like you’ve won.” Rainbow Dash took another step forward, holding out her hand. “I’m sorry about what happened between us. But if you let us help you, I’ll try to make it right.”

Lightning Dust backpedaled another step, the rage in her expression now equally mixed with fear. She nearly fell over as her back hit the concrete base of a lamp post behind her.

When she looked up, her eyes met the light above her directly. A wry smile slowly spread across her face as she held up her hand.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what are you–”

The light bulb in the streetlamp above exploded, startling all of the girls as they got out of the way of the broken glass raining down on the concrete.

When the coast was clear, what Sunset saw caused her stomach to fall through the floor.

An arc of electricity snaked out of the port where the lightbulb once was. It danced down the pole, meeting Lightning Dust’s hand as she laid her palm against the steel. She stood there, her exhaustion giving way to an eerily serene smile as she absorbed the electricity. Her dull blue glow marginally strengthened.

When she looked back down at the girls, she flicked her hand. All at once, the bulb in each lamp lighting the parking lot shattered into pieces, the asphalt blanketed in darkness and glittering shards of glass. Streams of lightning shot directly toward her, causing her to glow with brilliance that rivaled the sun itself.

“Holy shit!” Lightning Dust cackled, and whatever hopes Sunset had to end this fight quickly were stamped out like a cigarette on the sidewalk. “Honestly, I didn't realize I could do that until now! This magic shit just keeps on giving and giving! No wonder you all wanna keep it to yourselves.”

Sunset looked at Fluttershy next to her, at Pinkie and Twilight standing just a bit further. Applejack’s jaw dropped, and Rainbow Dash looked completely exasperated. They all wore different shades of the same feeling: abject terror. For a brief moment, they all shared the thought that this might actually be over.

So far, the one saving grace about magic existing in the human world is that most humans never understood the true depth of power magic could give them. Lightning Dust seemed no different than anyone else before her, yet no one had discovered a power of this magnitude before. This was the absolute worst case scenario. All the more reason the leaks had to be stopped, assuming they lived through the night.

“You know what, Dash?” Lighting Dust cracked her neck, clearly drunk from the fear she could taste in the air. “You’re wrong. Even if you’re not all here, I know I’ve won. And to prove it, you get to watch me fry all your friends!”

She immediately zipped to where Pinkie and Twilight stood, grabbing their arms before either could get away. “Starting with you two.”

Sunset felt her heart stop. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Fluttershy running straight at Lightning Dust, the color drained from her face. Sunset jumped to action herself, feeling as though time itself was slowing down. Her mind knew there was no way she could make it in time, but she charged forward nonetheless.

Thankfully, a chromatic blur flew right by Dust. Twilight and Pinkie disappeared from her grip, leaving behind a gift for Dust in the form of a tall, muscular woman in a stetson.

Applejack, true to her no nonsense nature, didn’t bother with a quip of any kind. She just swung her fist directly into Lightning Dust’s face as hard as she could, sending her careening across the parking lot, bouncing several times against the pavement as she flew. Sunset could see the ghost of a smirk on AJ’s face as she shook her hand. She had to be relishing that bit of payback after Dust did the same to her earlier.

A very disoriented Twilight appeared next to Sunset, glasses and bowtie askew. Dash flew by Fluttershy, dropping Pinkie Pie right next to her, prompting Fluttershy to throw her arms around her.

Unfortunately, Dust managed to get back up much faster than anticipated. A single streak of blood ran down her chin. Even though she was visibly injured, she didn’t look particularly upset at this turn of events. If anything she looked… excited?

Lightning Dust gave AJ a wicked smile, her teeth stained red. “Oh, you got me good cowgirl! I’ll let you have that one, but…”

A second later she was standing in front of Applejack, who didn’t so much as flinch. “Now it’s my tur-”

Another punch interrupted Dust, but this one didn't come from AJ, but the returning rival speedster: Rainbow Dash.

Lightning Dust wasn’t allowed a chance to move as Dash rained blow after blow down on her, zipping all around her in a multi-colored whirlwind. Pinkie cheered for Rainbow as if she were in a wrestling match. Sunset felt Twilight clutching her arm on instinct, allowing Sunset a moment to be grateful she was safe, and that they were all still in this together.

That didn’t mean things would stay that way. They may have had the upper hand on Lightning Dust yet again, but after absorbing all that electricity, Dust undoubtedly had more left in the tank than Dash. As if right on cue, she saw Dust finally grab Dash’s fist, forcing her to stand still.

The two rivals just stood there, eyes drilling into one another with bitter contempt. It was all uncomfortably familiar for her, reminiscent of her first encounter with Princess Twilight all those years ago.

Pinkie had ceased her yelling. The entire parking lot was deathly quiet now. No one was sure who would make the first move, or if they should make a move at all.

Despite the blood streaking out of her mouth, Lightning Dust growled, bending Dash’s fist so hard that Sunset wondered if she was going to snap it off.

“Surprised you actually got back up. You’re looking really rough, you know? Even more than usual.”

“You sucked up all that electricity and you still can’t finish me off?” Rainbow Dash exuded confidence, but Sunset knew better than to think it was genuine. Dash was merely buying time. “I always was better than you.”

She could also feel the genuine rage coursing through Lightning at that statement, to the point that Sunset was worried she was gonna start shocking Dash to death right there.

But she didn’t take the bait. Instead, she met Dash’s smirk with one of her own.

“Oh Dashie, you're just the same as you were in high school. Still trying to act hard, always needing to play the tough girl. That was always one of your cutest qualities.”

She wrenched Rainbow’s fist, her devious smile widening at the same time as her eyes narrowed. Rainbow Dash’s bravado was beginning to falter. Grabbing onto her wrist with her other hand, she tried to pull her arm out of Dust’s grip to no avail.

“But we both know that’s a front. You want to be the tough girl, but every time I see your face, I just think of all those times you cried in my lap like a little bitch. And now, I’m gonna savor forcing that smarmy ass smirk off your f-”

A punch from Applejack ended her threat prematurely while Dash broke free from Dust’s grasp, giving AJ a nod of appreciation before disappearing in a flash of color.

Dust growled in frustration, a stream of voltage bursting from her hand in AJ’s direction before she felt a tap behind her. When she turned around, she saw Rainbow standing with that cocky smirk still firmly intact.

“For the record, Dusty, I don’t act hard. I’m just a hard act to follow.” She punctuated that with a strike to Dust’s face, followed by another furious flurry of fists. Lightning eventually managed to dodge one, following with a stream of energy Rainbow Dash barely avoided. The two of them raced around the parking lot in an intertwined spiral of rainbow and neon blue.

Sunset, Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy could only barely keep up with the spectacle, Dust and Dash seeming to blink in and out of existence, exchanging attacks and insults all the while.

But while they were evenly matched at first, eventually, they noticed that Dash’s movements were growing increasingly sluggish, her breathing labored. It seemed like every attack or dodge was draining just a bit more of her energy reserves and it wouldn’t be long before the tank was empty. Meanwhile, Lightning Dust was hardly breaking a sweat. With the boost she got earlier, she could probably go for days before feeling any fatigue.

It wasn’t just Dash that was showing signs of depletion. The rest of the girls were in a state of exhaustion or panic. Trying to follow the action was a laborious task in itself. Nobody looked like they knew what to do, and all of them were undoubtedly looking to Sunset for a plan. Unfortunately, she was just as clueless as the rest of them.

And Sunset still didn’t know when Rarity was gonna be there, or if she would even show at all.

Sunset’s hopeless contemplation was brought to a pause as Rainbow Dash’s limp body skipped across the asphalt, hair wicked with blood and sweat stuck to her face.

Both Sunset and Fluttershy tried to get closer, but Lightning Dust was standing right over here a nanosecond later, an even more wicked and contemptuous grin on her face than earlier.

She picked up Dash by the collar, holding her up in the air.

Dust swiveled her head around, flashing a triumphant smile to each one of the girls. “If any of you move from where you’re standing, I’ll fry her to death right here.” As if to emphasize her point, arcs of electricity swirled around her feet, smoke rising from the asphalt below her.

Nobody budged an inch. Rainbow Dash grunted and groaned, her legs kicking in the air until Lightning Dust’s fist made contact with her face. A tooth came flying out of Dash’s mouth. Another strike, blood splattering out of her nose.

Another strike.

And another, and another.

Sunset felt compelled to do something, but her feet were rooted to the ground, much like the rest of her friends.

“Aw, come on Ardi! What’s the matter? Where’s those clever one liners? Those adorable defiant looks? I thought you were a tough girl! You can’t handle a few punches?” Lightning Dust mocked, shaking Rainbow Dash’s limp body before delivering a blow to her ribs.

“Stop!” shouted Fluttershy, sounding as though she were on the verge of hysterics. “Why are you doing this? What’s the point?”

Lightning Dust responded with a cackle. “Honestly, I had reasons, but now? I’m just doing this for fun.”

She laughed as she continued, delivering another strike to Dash’s midsection for every thing she listed.

“She abandoned me! She was always one-upping me! She got me kicked off the team! She said she loved me but she ruined my life!”

The further down the list she got, the more intense her voice became, and the more maniacal she looked.

“All that, and she gets to have super powers? It should have been me!”

“It is you!”

Lightning Dust’s fist stopped just shy of Dash’s stomach, her head creaking in Twilight’s direction. Similarly, the rest of the girls’ looked at Twilight as well.

“You have super powers now—magic,” continued Twilight. “Just look at what you’re capable of.”

Twilight pointed to the broken streetlights. “You did all of that because you thought about it. If you can do that, imagine what else you can do.”

The girls all exchanged confused looks. Sunset stared wide-eyed at Twilight, mouthing what are you doing as clearly as she could.

“If you can pull that much power out of a bunch of street lights, imagine what you could get from a power line, or the city’s power grid. You could be doing so much more, yet you’re wasting your time with us, and for what? So you can feel better about what happened in high school?”

Lightning Dust’s eyes widened with intrigue.

Applejack attempted to cut in. “Uhh, Twilight, what the heck are you–”

“And once we’re gone,” Twilight continued, “who else are you going to have to fight? We’re your only real opposition. But imagine how much stronger you could be while fighting us. Imagine how much harder you could win.”

Dust’s face was twisted into a frenzied elation. She was inspired by Twilight’s words, and while that might have been buying them some time, that time wouldn’t matter if Lighting Dust became unstoppable as a result. Given the alternative, it was the only choice she could think to make.

Dash fell to the ground in a bloody heap.

“Holy shit! You’re right!” Dust slapped her forehead. “Ahaha, how did I not think of that myself? You really are the smart one!”

Sunset tensed up as she watched Lightning Dust saunter over to Twilight. Lightning Dust ran her fingers through Twilight’s hair, delivering a kiss to her forehead afterward. “When I come back for you, I’ll make sure it’s nice and quick.”

Every cell in Sunset’s body was brimming with fury, but she didn’t dare move from her spot. With her that close to Twilight, she was afraid of what Dust might do if she made any sudden movements.

As if she weren’t angry enough, Lighting Dust then shoved Twilight to the ground, chuckling as she walked away.

“Come on, everyone. Don’t look so sad! Thanks to your friend here, you losers get to live another few days!” She spun around in place, holding her arms out in a theatrical motion before coming to a sudden stop.

“And only a few more. I’ll be back for all of you. You won’t know when, you won’t know where, but I’ll be back much sooner than you think.”

Lighting Dust skipped away from them, acting disturbingly giddy as she did. “Anyway, check the news later tonight! I’m sure I’ll be on every channel by the end of the week.”

And just like that, Lightning Dust blinked away from them so fast, they couldn’t even see which direction she went.

Once she was gone, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack dove to Rainbow Dash’s side, AJ attempting to patch up any bleeding with Pinkie assisting her, and Fluttershy using her healing abilities to the fullest extent she could.

Sunset stared at Twilight, her jaw agape. Twilight stared back, trying every syllable she could until she landed on something coherent.

“I-I-I didn’t know what else to do!” she cried. “I-If I didn’t say anything she would have killed Rainbow, and I–”

Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of tires screeching against pavement reverberated through the empty parking lot. Rarity burst out of the driver’s side door, not even bothering to turn the car off. She ran as carefully as she could in her heels, dodging the many shards of glass strewn about the asphalt.

“I’m here! I’m here!” she screamed. “I’m so sorry I was late but I’m–”

Her paces grew slower as she got close to the group. “I’m… too late aren’t I?”

Sunset glared at her, nodding slowly. Before she could say anything, Dash gurgled loud enough to be heard over the girls crowding around her. When Rarity looked down at the heap that was Rainbow Dash, her jaw dropped, a gasp loud enough to be heard for a mile escaping her mouth. She dove toward Rainbow Dash, frantically asking her ten million questions she had no hope of even trying to answer.

With that, Sunset could wait no longer. She reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out her pack of cigarettes and a lighter. The sun would be rising any minute, and yet it still felt like she was in for a long night.

As everyone tended to Rainbow Dash, Sunset looked outward to the parking lot. Rarity’s car was still on, her high beams still illuminating the parking lot. Sunset watched as it rolled forward into the lot, much too far away from her to stop it. The car rolled forward onto the asphalt, the glass strewn about the lot undoubtedly puncturing all four of the tires. Suddenly, the vehicle was stopped, the front fender bending around the base of a streetlamp.

It wasn't funny, but Sunset couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Author's Note

We've been working on this chapter off and on for over a year, and it's probably one of the most difficult scenes either of us have ever worked on, but I think we managed to pull it off well enough. Originally, this was even longer than the first chapter, but we managed to trim it down for the sake of pacing.

If at any point you found yourself saying something to the effect of "electricity doesn't work like that," try to remember that this is a fanfiction, and that you should really just relax.