Shadows Over CHS

Chapters

Chapter 0: Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 3

Chapter 0: Prologue

Sunset Shimmer

There wasn't much that got by the eye of the school's premier tyrant. At the top of the social ladder, and the monarch responsible for keeping everyone separated to their own cliques, she made it her business to know everything going on at Canterlot High School. If there was to be a party, she knew when and where, in addition to those who attended. Sometimes, she even deigned to attend such an event.

It was for that reason that Sunset Shimmer found it very interesting that one managed to slip under her radar—dare she say, she was impressed. The only reason she even knew that one had happened the weekend before the new school year began was mention of it in a MyStable post. As she was taking her morning coffee, she saw that Score, the captain of the CHS rugby team, made a comment about really enjoying the party that Dumb-Bell hosted at a cabin this past Saturday night. This, of course gained a response from Hoops telling him to keep his mouth shut.

What have you boys been up to?

She switched her phone over to the instant messenger application. For a moment, her thumb hovered over the button to Flash Sentry, her ex. Instead, she opened the group chat with her two underlings, Snips and Snails. Normally, she didn't need to know what went on outside of the semester, but a niggling worm of doubt insisted it might have an effect on her entire experiment. Sipping her dark roast with an amused expression, she tapped out a message.

Sunset: Boys, I need you to do some digging. Dumb-Bell threw a party on the weekend. I want to know who attended besides Score and Hoops, and what happened there.

Why? I thought you didn't care what happened over the Summer? :Snips

Is this because you didn't get an invite? :Snails

Sunset: I'm simply curious; that's all. They had to go through a lot of effort to keep it hushed up until Score spilled the beans after the fact.

Her stooges didn't answer, but she didn't expect one. She knew from experience that they'd fill her in at lunch. That left her free to finish her coffee and take a shower. After all, she had far more important things to worry about. The portal to Equestria would be opening soon, and she would need to begin making preparations.

First and foremost, she would need to begin probing. She knew not how long had passed on the other side, nor if the mirror had at all been moved. She would make an excursion or two and search for a powerful enough magical artefact—one powerful enough to secure her reign here. Then, with her at the head of the herd, she'd be able to lead these humans into a new era of magic and peace. But she had a little over a month to prepare for that. In the meantime, she needed to keep everyone in line and under her thumb.

Rinsing her mug and placing it in the drying rack, she made her way into her basement apartment's bathroom. While the shower warmed, the former unicorn began brushing her teeth. Upon catching sight of her pronounced canines, she wondered whether it was even worth it trying to unite humanity under her rule and elevate them. She wanted to make something of herself to show Princess Celestia that she was worthy of being her daughter. Leading a technologically advanced race into the future with magic and tech at her back seemed like a good start. Yet when she saw those teeth, she had doubts.

She'd done enough research into the species' origin to know that although they were omnivorous nomads, they were predators. Their earliest ancestors were persistence hunters, and what they lacked in magic or any sort of natural weapons or defences, they made up for with tools, ingenuity, and spite. That said, competition for resources always brought them nothing but strife, and she could see no other future for them beyond driving themselves to early extinction. Although she managed to climb to the top of Canterlot High's social ladder, would these evolved apes even allow her to help them?

I can't quite shake the mental image of my Canterlot consumed in nuclear fire, Sunset thought as she doffed her pyjamas and stepped into the warm droplets of the shower. If I screw this up and they discover the portal... That could be home. As she rubbed mane and tail horse shampoo into her long, fiery locks, she knew that she was walking the razor's edge with this entire scheme. Too gentle an approach would open the opportunity for things to get out of control, while going too hard would risk indiscriminate retaliation. Plus, she needed to also keep her wits about her, lest the power go to her head. She was so close to the breakthrough she needed!

At least her social experiment with the student body was beginning to yield some results. Since forcibly breaking the student body into their cliques and working to ensure those social barriers remained intact, she'd observed something akin to a pony's special talent beginning to manifest. None of it was magical like a pony's cutie mark, but her peers actually seemed to be starting to excel at what they did. The Wondercolts football team, for example, was looking at going to the nationals, while several of the fashion crowd were already getting into the industry.

Can humans as a whole evolve if pushed into cliques? Or was it all coincidental? It's possible the proximity to the portal might have been related.

"If only the outlook for the Friendship Games was as good," Sunset mused aloud as she rinsed her hair and began scrubbing herself down. "The big problem with the method I used for breaking them all into their societal places is that it discouraged unity, and that's the core focus for the games. I need to find a way to encourage the improved talents without creating further disharmony. Things as they are, I doubt Mom would approve."

When she stepped out of the shower, a wave of vertigo washed over her. It wasn't quite like the head rushes she'd gotten during times of low blood pressure or rising too quickly. It was closer to what she felt the first time she met Princess Celestia—an overwhelming sense of magic washing over her. It even came with the familiar tingle at the centre of her forehead. Just as quickly as it came, it left. The suddenness of it all barely left her with enough time to catch herself on the towel bar.

Yet that wasn't the oddest part. For just an instant, Sunset thought she glimpsed something. A fallen angel in purple, flames, and Crystal Prep and CHS students looking on in fear... Then... the void. Just the void. It was odd.

Of all the things she'd learned about under the Princess of the Sun, though, none of it involved things like divination. Visions and soothsaying was an imprecise art and barely even real magic. Were it not for the fact that she'd just felt a surge of magic far above normal ambient levels for this world, she might've even considered what those glimpses meant.

As she towelled off and made her way back into her bedroom, she resolved to inspect the portal. It was the only thing that made sense as to why she might've felt such a magical surge reverberate through her home. It shouldn't be open for another four weeks, though...

"New blood joins this earth, and quickly he's subdued," was the first thing Sunset heard when she started her car and the radio came on. "Through constant pained disgrace, the young boy learns their rules."

Back in Equestria, if somepony was listening to melancholic music outside of classical, it was almost certain that pony was sad. There was no hidden meaning or secret purpose to doing so; it was just an expression of how they felt. Then again, when any member of the populace could break out into a heartsong at any moment, it made a weird sort of sense.

Humans, however, seemed far more complex in comparison. With how awful this world seemed at times, she'd have thought that all anyone would want to listen to was happy, uplifting music. There was catharsis in music here... A safe way to experience emotions in a detached way.

She found herself strumming her thumb on the steering wheel as she went, as she imagined the tabs for the song. Her ex, Flash, introduced her to this world's 'rock music', and easily disabused her of that notion. Some of the most upbeat songs had the most depressing lyrics, while sad sounding songs had a hopeful tone to them. There were even bands whose drug-fuelled ramblings birthed an entire genre of absurdist bliss. It was all strangely beautiful, and one of the things she remained grateful to him for, even if they both ended up wanting different things from the relationship.

That being said, the pony part of her mind couldn't help but suggest that the first song she heard on the radio would dictate the mood of the day. It was a silly thought, and one that had no basis in fact. If anything, when Green Day's Basket Case replaced the Unforgiven, she couldn't help but feel a bit more pumped for the first day of class.

"Knowledge has power," she whispered to herself, remembering something she'd once read. Both a human and pony had managed to share a similar thought between two separate universes, so it stuck out to her when she came across it here. Well, appealing to her ambition also helped. That was why she didn't have the same disdain for learning that her peers did. "It controls access to opportunity and advancement."

The radio had cycled through several more energetic songs by the time she pulled her coupe into the student parking lot. Several other students had already arrived, picking out some of the best parking spots, and several more had chained their bicycles to the bike rack. Of course, since freshman year, the best spot always seemed to be occupied by the beat-to-hell pick-up belonging to that country girl.

Putting her car in park, Sunset paused in thought. Had she had any sort of interaction with the farmer beyond shared classes since she destroyed her peer group in freshman year? She shook her head and stepped out of her car. The girl's name wouldn't come to her. She knew it was Apple something, but damned if she could remember. As long as you couldn't hear her atrocious accent, she actually sorta just blended into the background.

Rather than enter the school through the entrance facing the parking lot, she made her way around the front of the building. A wry smile spread across her face as she statue that the portal was built into the base of came into sight. Truly the situational irony was lost on the students and staff of the school. That a great rearing equine was poised atop a portal to a world where everyone was a pony was just too perfect.

Nothing particularly stood out to her when she reached out and touched the inset mirror. Her hand grazed the cool surface, but did not sink through. There was no change in the flow of ambient magic leaking through. Oh to be sure, the build-up that preceded the portal opening was there, but it was not quite at its peak. Definitely another three weeks at least.

That left a big question on her mind as she turned and made her way in through the front entrance of the school. If it wasn't the portal I felt, what was it? Sunset was too experienced a mage to mistake the feeling of a surge of magic, and if she felt it, it was possible that the humans might've detected it too.

"Gonna have to check the news at—"

Her train of thought came to a halt as she passed the principal's office. Though she caught sight of the door swinging open in her peripheral vision and stepped back, it wasn't enough to stop the young woman from crashing into her. Only the fact that she kept herself in shape was enough to keep her from joining the girl on the floor.

Sunset tried to recall if she'd ever seen the girl before. Aside from her eyes and hair, there wasn't much that stood out about the girl. If she dressed in faded blues and greys like that every day, she might very well have been one of the many wallflower students that knew how to keep their heads down.

It was only when the pale girl dazedly met Sunset's gaze that she realised that she'd been crying. The lenses of the fallen student's glasses helped obscure it with the light glinting off of it, but there was no mistaking the puffiness to her pink eyes. The school year hasn't even started yet, and she's already been crying in Principal Celestia's office?

A male student in the hallway noticed the predicament, and let out a whoop. "Oh shit, guys! Bad Luck just ran into Sunset!" Just like that, several students rushed over, and a small crowd formed around them. Some even had their phones out in anticipation of a tongue lashing. "Tough luck for the freak to piss her off on the first day."

Recognition finally set in on the floored student's face, and her grey skin managed to take on an entirely new level of pallor. Soon after, she began to tremble, and quickly averted her eyes. "I'm s-so sorry, Ms. Shimmer!" she all but whispered. There was an odd lifelessness to the girl's voice, Sunset noted. "I wasn't looking where I was going, b-but please don't hit me."

Looking from the girl to the students gathered around with their phones out, Sunset frowned. Honestly, she had better things to do than to push someone who looked like they were already teetering on the edge of a breakdown—if she was calling her by her surname with the honorific, she must've been petrified. Similarly, an offence like this wasn't exactly deserving of getting her social life destroyed. What was she to do?

A devious thought crossed her mind that would benefit both her and the girl. Everyone watching was clearly expecting something, and she did have a bit of a reputation. Why not let the girl save face while letting everybody else think she's got something coming? Leaning down close, she said, "Don't let it happen again." Holding out a hand, she evenly added, "Never let it be said that I can't be generous when the mood strikes me so."

Little Miss Bad Luck hesitated at first. It was clear from the emotions playing out on her face that she was on the verge of having a panic attack. After taking a calming breath, she took Sunset's hand, although not before looking at it as though it might turn into a snake and bite her. All of the students around them gasped as the red-head hauled the white-haired girl to her feet. She barely managed to stammer out a "Thank you," and an "It won't happen again," before gathering her fallen bag and running off.

As Sunset started walking through the halls towards where her locker waited her, she started listening in on some of the whispers.

"... never seen her do that before..."

"... thought she was going to rip her head off..."

"... Charm's a dead girl walking..."

"... bet she'll get her revenge by day's end..."

All of it brought a frown to her face as she opened the locker. Sure, she'd set up her reputation in such a way that she'd remain aloof from the rest of the students, but she hadn't realised just how vindictive they all thought she was. The girl just bumped into me, for Celestia's sake, and they all acted like I was going to have her murdered. She glanced at the mirror she'd taped there at the beginning of last semester. She couldn't see the evil that the others seemed to see in her.

Slipping everything but the stuff she needed for first class—the schedule had come in the mail last week last week—she let out a sigh. Maybe I did too good a job putting myself on another level. Being called the Bitch Queen of Canterlot High was one thing, but she wasn't a psychopath; she never did anything without reason, and never anything that wouldn't benefit her or the experiment in some way. Maybe I should pull the plug and just join congress instead.

Jinx Charm

"Can things get any worse?" Jinx Charm asked herself as she coiled a snow-white lock around her finger. "Who am I kidding? Of course it can." She'd managed to get to her locker and her AP Maths class without anybody that knew knew her crossing her path, but there was no changing the fact that she'd barrelled into the school's little despot, Sunset Shimmer. This was made worse by the fact that Sunset let her go, word had spread fast, and she shared a several classes with her. She never just let someone go.

While waiting for Harshwhinny, all of the students around her were whispering. They were probably all wondering the same thing—what was she going to do to Jinx. Even now, Sunset was in one of the corner seats in the back row. Between the aggravated look on her face as she flicked through a little black book and then glanced at Jinx, nothing good was coming. Was she having an even worse morning, somehow?

Her mind drifted to the deck of tarot cards in her purse, and wondered if it was worth looking for insight. It wasn't like most of the junior and senior years didn't already know that she was the 'fortune teller' or the 'paranormal girl'. Hell, some students—Lyra Heartstrings, for example—regularly came to her for readings, and even paid to do so. Even without knowing someone, those who used her services swore her readings were scarily accurate.

Before a decision could be reached, however, the classroom door opened, and in stepped a tanned woman with a business-like demeanour. "Good morning, students." If her voice and resting bitch face was to be believed, nothing about this morning was good, but those who'd had her last year knew from experience that the woman always sounded like that. She was actually fairly pleasant when you were on her good side, and even had a love reading done by Jinx last year. "I am Mrs. Harshwhinny, and this is AP Maths 201..."

The rest of Harshwhinny's spiel was tuned out as she thought about what she'd just said. It was subtle, and wouldn't matter much to those who had her for the first time, but she was a missus now! Back in May, she wasn't even sure she wanted to marry her partner. I wonder if she took my advice and popped the question? As bad as the last few days had been, that thought lifted her mood a bit.

"Jinx Charm?" Harshwhinny called out as she took attendance.

She raised a hand and called out, "Here." As soon as the teacher made eye contact, Jinx could just make out the slightest trace of a smile on the woman's stony face. She totally did!

Any joy that thought might've brought quickly ended as she caught sight of Sunset in the corner of her eye. She was rapidly turning through her little black book now, searching for something. She quickly jotted something down with her pencil, and then slipped a bookmark in it before putting it away. I guess she's decided my fate...

With a sigh, Jinx took out a pen, pencil and fresh notebook. Not too long after the teacher got through the attendance, she went into an explanation of the things she expected everyone to know going into the semester, as well as the course materials. As Jinx's eyes wandered from the notes she was jotting down, she found more than a few students looking panicked. Idly, she wondered just how many of them didn't realise what they were getting into when they picked this course up.

Her mind slowly drifted back to the teen tyrant. For all the scare she had given her, she was kinda thankful to have run into her. After all, she'd been in the midst of an anxiety attack when she rushed out of Principal Celestia's office. If nothing else, the encounter had been enough of a shock to her system to bring her down from the precipice. Unfortunately, just the thought of why she'd been there in the first place was enough to threaten a relapse.

The young woman fidgeted with the largest curved bead on her necklace as she sat waiting outside Principal Celestia's office. If not for Ms. Raven Inkwell, she wouldn't even need to speak to the principal to plead her case. It should have just been a simple matter—go in, request the contact information and address of a peer, and get out.

Unfortunately, the secretary had other plans. Oh sure, she was pretty sympathetic to the girl's cause. Who wouldn't be given the situation? Unfortunately, stupid things like procedure and privacy laws got in the way. The only one who could make that decision was Celestia. So Jinx had been told to take a seat while the secretary spoke to her.

Things in life would never be that easy. After all, most high school students didn't need to grow up fast at the drop of a hat. Now, though, she was in another shitty situation, and unlike the one that put her out of school for a year, she didn't have any faith that the principal would be able to help.

"Ms. Celestia will see you now, Jinx," Raven said in a soft voice as she exited the office and returned to her desk. As she passed the young woman, she added in a quiet voice, "Good luck."

With the permission given, she rose to her feet and plodded her way into the principal's office. As always, Principal Celestia was seated behind her desk. Her face was a well-practised mask of serenity, but there was the slightest hint of strain on her face. For one, the woman's smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Good morning, Ms. Charm," she greeted, beckoning towards the seat opposite her own. "Raven tells me that you have an information request that she can't approve by herself. Please, tell me what the problem seems to be, and why you need a student's home address."

Jinx chewed her lip, and clutched her bag against her chest. "I was invited to a party on Friday night at a cabin," she explained in a shaky voice. "I had to drive Hoops there, and I know Dumb-bell was hosting, but..." Her voice caught in her throat. "I don't remember anything after being given a beer. There's just a huge gap in my memory until I woke up in my bed at home, freshly showered on a Sunday afternoon." She gave Celestia a pleading look. "I need to know what happened there, and none of the ones I know attended will pick up the phone, and they've blocked me on social media!"

The principal's calm facade cracked for just a moment, and there was some genuine pity in here eyes. "I hate to ask this, but have you made a police report?" When Jinx shook her head, the woman sighed. "I want to help you, but legally, my hands are tied. If you believe you may have been drugged and sexually assaulted, you need to go to the police—and the hospital if you haven't already."

Tears began to track down the grey student's cheeks as she let out a bitter bark of laughter. "Oh yeah, the same police force Score's father is on?" she asked. "Everyone knows their fathers are just as close as they are. Don't you remember last year how things just so happened to get swept under the rug when Lily Valley accused Score of taking an upskirt shot and spreading it online?" In a quieter voice, she murmured, "I go to the cops, and suddenly I'm gonna be facing trumped up DUI charges and they'll skate by."

"I'm sorry, Jinx, but there's nothing I can do," Celestia apologised, looking away. "If something happened at the school, things would be different, but I can't mete out justice for things that happen outside school when the semester hasn't even started. What I can do, however, is schedule a meeting with the school counsellor."

The rest of her morning classes passed by fairly mundanely. By sheer luck, none of her classes had those boys or any of the members of their social group. If she'd been so unlucky, she thought she might've cried. After all, she was missing an entire day after going to a party with a bunch of boys. It was hard not to think about what might've happened.

That said, things didn't get any better. By the second period, everybody was staring at her. At first, she thought they were staring at her because of the whole Sunset thing. Some of them did have pitying looks in their eyes, but just as many were starting to look at her in disgust.

Around the time the staring took a turn for the worse, so too did the whispers. She could only catch stray bits like "I can't believe..." or "...the whole rugby team!" It didn't take an idiot to figure out what was going on. Someone had set their own rumour loose before she even found out what happened at the party or how she wound up at home. Was this Sunset's work?

It seemed like an eternity before lunchtime finally came. In fact, she couldn't get out of Mr. Time Turner's physics class fast enough. The bell had barely rung and she'd crammed everything into her bag and rushed out of the room. She needed to get somewhere quiet and safe and just try to calm down...

Passing in front of the lunch room, one of the school's tech clique geeks approached her. She'd seen Micro Chips around before, but hadn't had much interaction with him. She wasn't a member of the tech clique, so she didn't have much reason to. That was why it was so surprising that he'd approach her.

"Hey, uh... you're Jinx, right?" he asked, fidgeting with his suspender straps. He seemed particularly nervous, not quite able to meet her eyes. He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper as his face flushed. "How much are, uh, your services?"

She blinked, unsure as to why he seemed so skittish about a tarot reading. "I mean, it depends on the complexity of the reading you want," she explained, "but usually it'll run you anywhere from ten to forty bucks."

The boy's violet cheeks turned a dark purple, as he shook his head. "No, not those services..." In an even quieter voice, he added. "A classmate told me that you... that you break in virgins."

A wave of nausea washed over her as what he said began to sink in. Oh God. She recoiled away from the bespectacled boy, putting her hands up in front of her as if to ward him off. "I dunno who told you that, but they're lying!" she shouted. "I dont... I've never..."

She blinked and found herself running to the halls away from him. Only a stumble saved her from once more crashing into Sunset Shimmer, who was now accompanied by her two lackeys. She couldn't shake the startled look that the girl gave her as she froze in place and began to shake. She might've even tried saying something, but Jinx didn't listen... Instead, she made her way into the nearest girl's bathroom and hid herself away in a stall, just in time to hide her panic attack from the rest of the school.

Chapter 1

Sunset Shimmer

With a disinterested frown, Sunset picked at the salad that the elderly woman manning the food counter had given her. For once, there were no apples or bits of bacon to be seen on her plate. Maybe some of her complaints about the lack of vegetarian options had finally made it back to the old Apple and she'd finally seen sense. That small victory should've been worthy of celebration, yet she felt nothing.

Instead, as she sat at her corner table in the Canterlot High lunch room, she merely glanced around. There wasn't too much out of the ordinary for the first day of school. A few new students here or there, seemingly lost for where to go in a school where the lines were very clearly drawn. At least they seemed to be picking up on the cliques well enough. They'd probably join one by the end of the week.

Worth noting, however, was the fact that the football team seemed to be keeping its distance from the rugby team. From the beginning, the two teams weren't particularly close, but it still struck her as odd. Has the sports clique had a schism of some sort? she wondered, noting the dark look Spitfire seemed to be giving Score, Dumb-Bell, and Hoops. I guess I know what else I'll have the boys investigate.

After a few more minutes had passed, Snips and Snails finally sat down across from her. She was nothing if not a patient researcher, so she allowed the pair to dig into their hamburgers before plying them with questions. "So what have you found out so far about that party?" she asked as she pushed aside her salad as the smell of meat killed her appetite. "Anything I should be concerned about?"

Although Snips and Snails had been in her employ—so to speak—since they began in the CHS Middle School program three years ago, they weren't privy to the fact that this was all one big experiment to her. Oh, they knew that it was important to her that the student body remained split into the many factions, but the only thing they knew was that keeping them divided gave her a degree of power over them. It made them all easier to keep tabs on and keep them in line. It also helped that, to a certain extent, the groups were mostly self-policing.

The lankier of the two gave a shrug as he ate, but Snips put his food down long enough to give a waggle of his hand. "From what I've heard, it was mostly just the rugby team," he answered, turning his gaze over to the tables occupied by the two sports teams. "Aside from pissing Spitfire off by trying to invite a bunch of the girls from the football team, there's not a whole bunch of drama there."

That's one question answered, at least.

Finally, Snails nodded and swallowed his mouthful of food. "Well, there's also the five girls they paid to have sex with them all," he added with a dopey grin. "Word going around the school is this one girl did them all free of charge—even refused payment. Bad Luck Charm or something." After a thoughtful pause, he turned to Snips and asked, "Do you think she'd give me a go?"

What they said caught her attention. If it was a sex party, she could understand Spitfire keeping her girls away from it. The last thing the Wondercolts football team would need is a bunch of teen pregnancies sidelining some of their best players when their inherited line-up put them on track for nationals. Especially with Spitfire set to graduate with a full sports scholarship this year.

That said, some of what else they were saying was slightly worrying. Although none of the rugby team was particularly desperate for money, it didn't seem like the sort of thing they'd be able to afford, even as a group. Although prostitution seemed to be legal in this world, there was apparently a lot of scrutiny and licensing involved. No way a bunch of high school students would be able to get away with that—especially if their clientele had such loose lips.

"Hold up," she finally asked as what Snails told her settled in. "Bad Luck Charm? You don't mean Jinx Charm, do you?"

When he nodded and said, "That was it!" a frown creased her face. So the girl she'd encountered outside the office this morning—one who just so happened to be in a state of despair—had been to the rugby team's little get together? Not only that, but a rumour about that same girl was quickly spreading that she'd had sex with the entire team? Hell, she'd nearly run into Sunset in a similar state of panic at the start of the lunch period. Something about all of that didn't sit right with her.

Fishing her little black book out of her jacket pocket, she opened it to the page she'd slipped a cloth bookmark into during her first class. The picture glued in was definitely a few years out of date—possibly even from 2008—because it hardly looked like the same girl. First and foremost, the girl in the picture was flat as a board, had orthodontic headgear, coke-bottle glasses, and an awful case of acne. Her hair was pulled into messy twin-tails, and she looked so happy.

That was in part why she had such a hard time finding Jinx's entry. It was a stark contrast to the girl she'd encountered today. Gone were the headgear and braces, and her glasses were now far more dainty. Her hair was now voluminous, long, and straight, save for braiding going around the back of her head. But for some freckles, her skin was flawless, and it was clear that she'd been a late bloomer who'd been hit hard by puberty. Maybe the starkest difference was the cold, lifeless look in her eyes.

Name: Jinx Charm
Sex: F
Age: ~~15~~ ~~16~~ 19 (I need to do a better job keeping entries up to date)
Year: ~~Freshman~~ Junior
Clique: N/A | Outsider (Goth?)
Hobbies: Occultism, Witchcraft, 'Magic', Fortune Telling, Reading
Academic Potential: High
Blackmail Potential: Low
Threat Rating: Non-existent
Notes:

Quiet
Keeps to herself (Social anxiety?)
Doesn't have many student associates
A bit naïve
Very shy about the locker room (Fillyfooler? Prude?)
Had to repeat ninth grade after missing too much time (Family deaths)
Lives alone (???)
Seems to do tarot readings for extra pocket money
Interests do not align with Human Advancement experiments. Not a viable subject for observation.

None of what her notes said painted Ms. Charm as the sort of girl who would apparently have sex with an entire sports team, money or not. Closing the book, she glanced back over to the rugby team's table. How many such parties have gone unnoticed during the experiment? Sunset mused, narrowing her eyes as she took in the carefree expressions on each of their faces. The only suicide I heard about was before I even started, and from what I could dig up that was entirely unrelated to anything that was happening at school. I can't even fathom what had to be going through that girl's mind at the time, and the thought of pushing someone that far makes my stomach turn. There have been a number of unusual transfers between semesters, though. How much of my experiment has been tainted by you boys, I wonder?

Biting her lip, Sunset looked back to her assistants. Although the three of them weren't without dirty hands, she thought she'd done a decent job keeping these children in line. Whenever it seemed like things started going too far from her side of things, she knew to step back. When it came to conflict between the groups or individual socialites, it wasn't too hard to make people back off. A little threat here, a little blackmail there, and people fell in line—even the lesser bullies like Gilda, Lightning Dust, and Diamond Tiara. Violent incidents were at an all time low since she initiated the plan.

After all, the subjects of her experiment were no good to her if their mental health deteriorated to the point where suicide was a possibility. She didn't particularly care for any of them as people—professional distance and all—but she also didn't want them dead. One of the last things she wanted was to lose one of her more promising specimens or contaminate the entire test pool. Not only would it threaten her entire plan, but it could put a lot more scrutiny on Sunset herself.

Her false identity could stand up to cursory scrutiny, but a deep dive would reveal a whole slew of irregularities. The birth certificate would be the first to throw up a red flag. Similarly, the court document she'd given Vice Principal Luna that declared her as an emancipated minor wouldn't match up to anything they might keep in the courthouse's records. Once that bell was rung, she'd either have to disappear or return to Equestria with her tail tucked between her legs.

Not wanting to give her Mom the opportunity to say 'I told you so,' she'd have to get to the bottom of all of this. "Snips, I want you to find out if there have been similar parties in the past," she demanded. "I want as close to exact dates as possible. I don't care if you have to burn some blackmail material to get this information."

It didn't take any prompting for Snails to ask, "What about me, boss?"

She gave him a look. "You said there were five girls. Was this including Jinx, or in addition?" He opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off. "Either way, I want you to find out who they all were. If Snips finds out about more parties, I want you to find out about those girls too. If you need bribe money, let me know."

Although both of them gave an affirmative nod, neither moved. Instead, they started to finish off their lunches. That lasted all of thirty seconds before they realised that Sunset was staring at them. It didn't need saying; just a single look and it was clear what she wanted. They immediately stuffed the rest of their burgers into their mouths and got up with their trays. In no time, her stooges were out of sight and she was left alone in thought.

I don't want to get involved if I don't have to, she thought, eyeing her discarded salad with disdain. She knew that with her human metabolism, she couldn't just skip a meal, even one as light as the salad. But as a mare, I can't turn a blind eye if those boys did something unconscionable. Grabbing the salad and her fork she dug in. If it requires getting every single one of them arrested to preserve myself, what I've built, and the dignity of the school, so be it.

Jinx Charm

The smell of cigarette smoke filled the inside of the truck. Slumped in the driver's seat with the hood of a hooded cardigan drawn over her eyes, Jinx let death metal riffs of Dethklok deafen her to her own heartbeat. The only thing keeping her remotely calm at the moment was the delectable poison filling her lungs. Even then, she was pretty sure most of her cigarette was going to waste just burning away in between puffs.

"I'm the conjurer of demons, I'm the father of your death," came the gravelly voice through her speakers. "I bring forth the ancient evil, I control his every breath."

A bitter laugh came from the young woman as the ash fell from her cigarette and burned a hole through her leggings. "Dunno whose death I'd rather father," she murmured, thinking back to yesterday morning, when she'd awoken in her bed. She'd been so sore back there when she first woke up that she didn't want to roll off her front, despite the discomfort that compressing her chest created. "Part of me wants to just say fuck it and join my parents... but I'd rather they all burn in hell."

In her free hand, she held up her cheap flip phone and grimaced. Your online friends were always telling you to get a new phone... 'Oh, it's 2013; just get a smart phone already! It's got all sorts of cool features like back-ups and GPS.' Given that whoever had brought her home went and deleted all of her text messages with Hoops, she knew she probably wouldn't get any sort of justice. Wish I'd taken their advice.

Her phone provider hadn't been any more useful. Without a warrant, they refused to help due to some stupid record protection act enacted when she was thirteen. Going to the police without any evidence was off the table because of Score's father... All she could do is go to the hospital after school, let a nurse do their thing, and hope she could get some evidence down the line. If only they didn't beat me to the chase by putting out all sorts of rumours.

With another tearful laugh, she took another drag of her cigarette. As if it wasn't bad enough that she'd been approached by Micro Chips, one of the fucking middle schoolers approached her outside the bathroom asking the same questions... and then there was that snob Rarity. "'Oh darling, you really shouldn't sleep around so much,'" Jinx parroted in a mocking tone as her anger spiked. "'With as little reputation as you have, you can't afford to become the school bicycle. Judgemental bitch!'"

It was no wonder that she skipped the second half of her third period class. It'd gotten too much and she had to have a cigarette... Of course, nothing in walking distance meant that she had to drive somewhere, fighting off intrusive thoughts as she went.

Once her cigarette was nothing but the stub of the filter, she rolled down her window and flicked it into the open-top jeep next to her truck. After all, it'd been the same one she'd seen parked at the cabin on Friday night. Why not be petty if she couldn't give them what they had coming?

She wasn't stupid, of course. Kicking her truck into reverse with a smirk, she backed out of her spot into the empty one directly behind her, one row over. Once her window was rolled up, she killed the engine, grabbed her bag, and got out. Even if she'd missed the first forty-five minutes of English, she should still make a token appearance before gym.

Before heading directly to the class, she stopped by the office for a tardy slip. After all, that teacher would just make her go back and get one anyway, so she may as well save herself a trip. If only Raven didn't give her such a pitying look when Jinx wrote 'Mental health emergency' in the 'reason' field. Once it was signed and marked excused by Raven, she shoved it into her hoodie's pocket and left.

When she reached the classroom's door, she paused. Despite how the year had started for her, she didn't want to just set the tone for the entire school year with the teacher in question by barging in. After all, they were a no nonsense teacher, but ultimately fair as long as you put in the work. Instead, she took the slip in one hand and knocked on the door with the other.

The door opened to reveal a cerise woman wearing green and white. "Sorry I'm late, Ms. Cheerilee," Jinx whispered, presenting the tardy slip. "It won't happen again."

It seemed, at first, like Cheerilee might comment on the fact that Jinx still had a hood down over most of her face. She certainly didn't approve of the smell of cigarette smoke, if the sniff she gave was any indication. As soon as she saw the still-damp tracks on her cheeks, the woman sighed. "Please don't make a habit of it. Stop by my desk on the way out and I'll give you the information packet I gave everyone else." When Jinx went to enter the class, Cheerilee stopped her. "You know we're here if you need help."

Thirty minutes later, Jinx found herself in the girls' locker room, changing into her exercise attire. The entire rest of the previous period, she felt her classmates' eyes on her, and even after getting herself a secluded corner of the locker room to change in, that feeling wouldn't leave her. She knew it was just paranoia, and a bit of her usual social anxiety. When she looked around as she did up the front zipper of her sports bra, she saw nobody looking her way—nobody but Sunset Shimmer.

Mind you, she wasn't sure if the redhead was actually looking at her. If anything, she looked confused—lost in her own thoughts while changing and Jinx just happened to be there. It was odd; she hated being the centre of attention, and if she so happened to feel another's gaze in locker rooms, she only got more and more self-conscious, but Sunset's gaze didn't really trigger that reaction. It kind of reminded her of the detached look of a doctor, or maybe a scientist puzzling something out.

Not long after pulling on her spats, a loose tee, and trainers, as well as cinching her cardigan around her waist, it occurred to her that her peers might have been avoiding looking at her entirely. It didn't really set in while she was putting her stuff in a locker and slapping a lock on it; rather, it wasn't until she started passing her classmates to enter the gymnasium—when she caught a pair of girls who'd been chatting change the direction they were looking as she passed them by.

It felt like what little joy there was left in her world was slowly starting to bleed away. She wasn't a fool... Most of the girls she'd seen in the locker room—Bon-Bon, Roseluck, Flitter, and Fluttershy, chief among them—were on the prudish side of things, and probably didn't approve of her new 'reputation'. Even those like Cloudkicker and Cloud Chaser, who were notorious for promiscuity or general sex positive attitudes, were keeping their distance. In just the span of a few hours, it seemed like she'd gone from a nobody weirdo to a social pariah, and on the first day of school no less.

As she exited into the gymnasium from the locker room, she found a sign instructing her and the rest of the girls to report to the outdoor track field. Even the doors to the far side of the gym were propped open and she could see plenty of other students making their way outside to where Coach Iron Will was waiting. If she'd thought that the way the girls were treating her was bad, however, she quickly found herself wishing the boys would do the same. Instead, most of the guys out there started leering at her with lust in their eyes or just plain snickering—especially Score.

In fact, the only students out there who weren't leering seemed to be from the football team or Sunset Shimmer's ex-boyfriend, Flash—not that it really made her feel any better. Those who weren't glaring at Score's little gathering were looking at her with pitying looks. I'd much rather someone say something, but I know nobody's gonna listen to me now.

Once all of the students were out on the field, Coach Iron Will blew on his whistle to get everyone's attention. "Good afternoon, students!" he bellowed, looking at all of the students with a look of sadistic glee. "I hope you all haven't been idle over the summer, because to start the year, we're doing the twenty metre shuttle run!"

There was an almost unanimous groan from the gathered students, and more than a few comments of disbelief. "You should all know how this works by now, but for those of you who've transferred to CHS this year, I'll explain." He pointed down to a boom box beside him, and then out to a pair of chalk lines drawn down the length of the field, twenty metres apart. "This is going to play a series of beeps with decreasing gaps of time between them in stages. In those gaps, you need to run from one line to the other and back. If you fail to keep up twice in a row, you're out." Turning his gaze across the student body, he frowned. "I expect all of you to reach at least the seventh stage, but to those of you who were on athletics teams last year, I expect you to reach the eleventh stage at a minimum."

To Jinx's satisfaction, many of the guys looked anxious, Score included. "You all have five minutes to pair up with someone else and ensure you're plenty limbered up before we start." He pointed a thumb to one side of the field. "Boys over there, girls over here... Remember, the person you partner up with will not only be your partner today, but for the entire year. Every time we run this over the year, you'll be working together. Build camaraderie or rivalry from it, but use it as a motivator to improve your scores."

When he blew his whistle, all the guys went off to the other side of the field and started breaking off into pairs. Meanwhile all of the girls quickly broke off into their own clusters of pairs. Everyone avoided looking at Jinx, until the only one without a partner was Sunset Shimmer. That was sort of odd; given her position in the school hierarchy, shouldn't she have been swarmed with people wanting to be her partner? Was she really that bad?

Hesitantly, she made her way over. "I'm sorry again about this morning," she quietly said as she approached the girl at the top of the social ladder. "I'll follow your lead, and I won't drag you down. Honest."

Surprisingly, there was no disdain in Sunset's eyes when she finally looked at her. Her mouth drew tight, but ultimately she just shrugged. "Do you know yoga?" When Jinx shook her head, Sunset sighed and led her over to an empty space away from the rest of the girls. "Follow my lead as best you can."

So it was that Sunset ran Jinx through some beginner poses. Although she was firm with the monochrome girl, she wasn't at all as harsh as she expected her to be. Jinx kept expecting Sunset to say something snide or derogatory to her, maybe something about the rumours, but nothing ever came. She didn't even mention the encounter earlier that morning.

In fact, the only thing Sunset did say was in the form of a question while running her through an assisted back bend. "So how exactly did you hide those udders of yours?" she asked as she leaned forward. With their elbows linked, Jinx was bent backwards. "It can't be an easy thing to accomplish."

If not for the genuine curiosity in Sunset's voice, she might have felt insulted about the jab at her chest. Instead, for the first time, she felt some genuine mirth. "You're kidding, right?" Jinx asked, turning her head slightly as she leaned forward and took Sunset's weight across her back. "Gotta have a really good sports bra when they're this big or else running's a pain. Honestly, I'm kinda jealous of you. I miss when my shoulders didn't hurt like they do now."

Before the class could start the actual shuttle run, however, there was a loud three note tone played over the PA. This was followed by the voice of Vice Principal Luna. "Attention all staff. Canterlot High is now in hold-and-secure." As the announcement repeated three times, the students all broke into quiet whispers. Could it be a drill?

It wasn't exactly bedlam, but it took a few moments before the mustachioed gym teacher let out a long shrill whistle. "Alright, alright, you should all know it works by now," he bellowed, picking the boombox up and pointing to the still open doors. "Back inside, all of you."

Unable to help herself, Jinx gave Sunset an uneasy look as the two made their way into the gymnasium. Neither girl was stupid. Hold-and-secure only ever happened if something serious was happening in the area, but wasn't an immediate threat to the school—things like police action, serious accidents, or even active shooters.

A number of students seemed scared, while others seemed convinced it was just a drill. The only thing that seemed universal among the students was that they were grateful they didn't have to start the year out with the shuttle-run. If not for the fact that Coach Iron Will had to be prepared for further instructions, potentially even an evacuation or lock-down, he'd have had them all running laps of the gym.

With that in mind, students were mostly just milling about idly chatting, or kicking around some balls the coach rolled out for them all. Those like Jinx, who didn't actually mind the idea of the shuttle run, slowly began running laps around the outer edge of the gym. All the while, she kept her ear out just in case there were further announcements. To her surprise, her apparent partner was right there alongside her, easily matching her pace.

All of a sudden, one of the girls who never went anywhere without their phones called out, "Holy shit." Before anyone knew what was happening, the girl rushed over to where the coach deposited the boom box. She fiddled with the knobs on it and turned it on before shouting out, "Everyone, stop what you're doing and listen!"

"—getting word of a disturbance at Crystal Preparatory Academy," boomed through the gymnasium. "There have been reports of a wild animal loose in the building, attacking indiscriminately. A video stream from inside the building depicted utter carnage before it was terminated. Calls into the building are going unanswered, and the police have set up a cordon around the school. A SWAT team is preparing to enter the building as we speak. I repeat we—"

Chapter 2

Jinx Charm

The sun was shining down on Jinx as she lingered at the designated smoking area outside Canterlot General Hospital. A cigarette hung from her lips as she sat on a bench, lost in thought. This entire trip was pretty much a waste of time. As if it wasn't bad enough that she had been drugged, violated, and had her reputation preemptively shattered, she had to deal with crabby nurses harping on her for waiting so long and showering—as if that second bit even mattered given that whoever brought her home had cleaned her up before leaving. The only plus was that if they found Rohypnol traces in her urine sample, she might be able to make a case—without mentioning any names—with police to pull her phone records and text messages, and start an investigation.

Pretty big fucking if, though; the way the nurses were speaking, they didn't expect to find anything.

Even the fresh cigarette, the bill for her visit in her hoodie pocket, and the admonishments of nurses echoing in her head couldn't take her mind off what she'd heard over the radio, both in class and on her way to the hospital. Even if Crystal Prep was her school's rival, it was awful thinking about just how many parents might be finding out they'll never see their sons or daughters again. Pompous rich kids or not, nobody deserved that... I still remember when...

From the way the guy on the radio was talking, things were super bad at the academy. It was obvious that there had to have been at least some deaths, but was it really an animal attack? Or was it just phrased that way to not give any attention to a school shooter? It'd certainly cut down on rumours and not stroke someone's ego if that were the case.

They might've gotten more information out if an exec for the company owning the station didn't put the kibosh to the broadcast, citing a request from the Canterlot Police Department. Jinx didn't like it, but it was only fair. If someone's kids had been killed, the radio should be the last place they heard about it. Leave that to the police or something.

As she sat there, ambulance sirens filled the air. It was hard to tell, but it sounded like maybe two or three. Are they finally dragging out casualties? she wondered as she looked to the road. The smoking area was a perfect vantage point to see the emergency room entrance and the road, so she imagined she wouldn't have long to find out.

Sure enough, not too long after she first heard the sirens, a pair of ambulances screamed in to the E.R. bay, quickly followed by a pair of police cruisers. The ambulance crews and hospital staff were like a well-oiled machine, quickly offloading a woman who had to have been a member of Crystal Prep staff based on the emblem on her sleeve. Although she looked conscious, she was in pretty bad shape from what Jinx could see—covered in scratches and bruises that could be seen from this far away, and a piece of rebar piercing through her abdomen.

The other ambulance carried a girl of pale mulberry complexion who couldn't have been more than sixteen, wearing a bloodstained Crystal Prep uniform. She looked to be unconscious, and based on the way her indigo hair looked near black going down one side, she probably had quite a head wound. Unlike the woman in the first ambulance they'd drawn a sheet up to cover her lower body, but there was no disguising the grievous wound that even now seemed to be bleeding through.

As Jinx watched them unload the unconscious girl, she noticed something peculiar. Some wild trick of the light made the girl's shadow seem darker than all the shadows around her. It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it sort of thing, but it left the CHS student feeling uneasy—cold even—as if someone somewhere had just walked over her grave.

All the while, police officers exited both cars, but if anything, it seemed like three of them were trying to keep the fourth one from following the medical staff inside. Even from the distance of her vantage point, she could hear everything and clear as day; it was hard not to when the one restrained man screamed at his compatriots, "You can't stop me! That's my fiance and my sister they just took in there!"

It was patently not true that they couldn't stop him; no sooner had those words exited his mouth when a woman from the other car, with a sergeants stripes on her shoulder no less, smacked him in the back of his head. "I know you're worried about Cadance and Twilight," she growled, pointing him over in the direction of the smoking area, "I would be too, in your situation... but you need to go cool your head before you do something stupid. We'll keep you updated, but you being in there right now isn't gonna help anything."

The man's posture changed, and he nodded numbly as his fellow officers released him, and went inside. She felt nothing but sympathy for him. Having lost her parents to complications from an accident involving a drunk driver, she knew how helpless it felt to just sit in a waiting room, hoping for good news that might never come. For a quick moment, he actually looked like he might run inside after all, but he ultimately chose to listen to his sergeant.

Dazedly, he walked towards the smoking area. It wasn't until he was practically on top of her that he actually paid her presence any mind, and immediately she could see him narrow his eyes. "You look kind of young to be smoking," he commented in a tired voice. "I'm gonna need to see your identification."

Pain in the ass though it was, she didn't fault him for doing his job. "Of course, Officer—" She glanced at the nameplate on his uniform. "—Armour." Knowing the way some police interactions went, especially in high stress situations like the officer was going through, she glanced at his body camera before slowly putting her hands where he could see them. "I'm just going to reach into my purse for my wallet. Nice and slow."

He nodded and fixed his eyes on her left hand as it slowly reached down to the purse sitting beside her on the bench. Jinx took extra care to make sure that only her index and middle finger dipped into the purse to make it clear that she wasn't about to pull a gun or something. When her hand came out with a purse between her fingers, she slowly opened it and removed her driver's license and passed it to him.

Officer Armour held up her ID to the sun as he checked its legitimacy. She could see his eyes looking at the subtle markings illuminated as light bled through the card, as well as his gaze looking at all the dates and such. Finally, he passed the card back to her with an apologetic look. "Sorry about the hassle," he commented, taking a seat to her right. "Rules are rules, and all."

She just nodded, returning the card to her wallet and putting it back in her purse. When she brought her hand back out, it held her pack of cigarettes and the lighter tucked within. She held the package up in front of him, and said, "You look like you could use one."

Honestly, she sort of expected the man to refuse. He certainly seemed like the sort of straight-laced guy who was above that sort of thing. Instead, to her surprise, the officer took the pack, fished out a cigarette and the lighter, and lit up. It amused her the way he winced as he took a drag, but she didn't comment. Instead, she just looked back to the front of the hospital and took another long drag of her own.

"Just how bad is it over there?" she found herself asking without thinking. "The guy on the radio made it sound like there was some kind of wild animal loose in the school, but..."

Officer Armour let out a long, shaky breath, filling the air in front of him with smoke as he leaned back on the bench to look up at the sky. "It's really bad. My..." His voice cracked as he seemed to struggle for something he could actually say. "My fiance and my sister were in a room converted to a small lab when a wall collapsed on them. That seemed to protect them from whatever was loose in there."

Turning her gaze to the man, she gave him an unsure look. "What was in there, anyway?"

He shook his head. "I really shouldn't be telling you this, but we don't know," was his quiet answer. "Special Weapons and Tactics swept through the entire building several times, and couldn't find anything. Nothing could've gotten in or out of that school, but there was no trace of whoever or whatever butchered all those kids and staff."

Somehow, Jinx didn't think he was supposed to say that last part out loud. She also knew better than to pry and risk upsetting him more. He was likely thankful that his loved ones were still alive, and she didn't want to risk him getting in trouble. Instead, she watched the front of the hospital as she finished her cigarette.

Even if I can get evidence that I was drugged and raped, I doubt the police'll put any resources on investigating when that just happened, she thought bitterly. There's no justice in the world. As she thought those words, she felt another chill... like someone was watching her. Not for people like me, and not for people like that girl.

Sunset Shimmer

Lacking any meaningful homework on the first day of school, Sunset sat at the coffee table in her living room. Spread across the surface were a few open folders, each with pages that had been removed from her little black book in the past. After noticing how out of date her entry on Jinx Charm had been, she resolved to go through her notes, and make sure she removed those who had graduated last year, or those who'd transferred out.

It was a fairly basic system of organisation—at least as far as the human world was concerned. One folder was labelled Graduates (Observation Subjects), while another set aside was labelled Graduates (Other). The final folder was simply labelled Transfers, which was made up of a few students she felt worth observing, but had been forced to transfer out for one reason or another. Once she was finished, she'd lock the folders back up in her safe, along with her research notes.

In the past, not very many pages ended up in the folder for the graduating subjects. Early on in the project, her position in the school hierarchy had not yet been cemented, and it was more of what humans called the 'Wild West'. Only a few students stood out during her middle school years, and she hadn't had the reach to get much concrete information on them. They mostly just served as legacy data points for comparison once the project went into full swing.

Luckily, very few of her subjects ended up transferring out. That said, there was something worth noting that gave her grounds for concern. Last year, six girls had transferred to other schools. The year before that, it was only four, and when she was in ninth grade, only two. Compared to the boys, whose numbers stayed even at about three per year since she began, it was an unusual trend.

I might need to pay Chips a visit, she thought, glancing at the safe hidden within the ottoman where she still had a good number of Equestrian bits stored. I don't want to leap to conclusions, and his deep dives haven't led me astray in the past. She shut her little black book, and started gathering up the folders. If it turns out that I need to intervene, I'm gonna have to get Snips and Snails to start getting info on the new students, too. She was loathe to rely on them that much, but she'd rather her hooves—or rather, her hands—be free to act.

As she set the documents beside the perfect starter-hoard for a baby dragon inside her safe, she frowned. Paper records were the norm back in Equestria, but she couldn't deny that—compared to the digital databases of this world—it was a much more inefficient system. It'd be so much easier to sort and standardise her records if she could keep them all in a database, and she wouldn't even need to do things like cut pages out of her notebook to store records for references. That said, things like data architecture were more of a college/university level computer science course, and Sunset wasn't entirely convinced that she wanted to go that route.

It wasn't exactly like she could pay someone to build a database for her, either; even Micro Chips, who she regularly paid to find information online, would baulk the moment he saw she wanted fields labelled Blackmail Potential and Threat Rating in her database outline. The kid was practically a genius when it came to computers, and since she knew that he sometimes got into things like police records for her, she knew she'd have to keep everything entirely offline, lest some other nosy hacker get into her notes and started asking questions. Or using my blackmail information themselves.

Once she closed up her safe and retreated to her sofa, she clicked on the TV. Immediately, the dinnertime news began to play. Unsurprisingly, they were running what appeared to be around-the-clock coverage of the incident at Crystal Prep. Currently, the hosts were discussing theories as to what had happened over footage of shell-shocked police officers and paramedics hauling sheet-covered stretchers onto the waiting ambulances.

The ticker at the bottom of the screen declared it a mass casualty event affecting nearly 100% of the school's occupants. Casualty encompasses injuries and deaths, but they're being very careful to avoid mentioning mortality rates, she noted. Sombrely, she imagined that there wouldn't be any Friendship Games at all this school year. What does this mean for the other schools in the district, like CHS, though?

"Hold on, we've just received footage allegedly shot from inside the school during the incident," one of the talking heads suddenly announced. "Our team has done its best to clean up the video while respecting the privacy of the victims' families, but this video is nonetheless horrific. Those squeamish or with small children are advised to change the channel for the next five minutes."

Hold on, they're not really going to...

Without further warning, the TV cut to a black and white video taken in portrait format. It looked to be from someone's cell phone, and depicted several students hiding in a library behind some overturned tables. All of their faces and voices were blurred or distorted.

"What do you think's going on?" warbled one voice, whom Sunset suspected was the one recording the video. "What's with all the screaming and the lock-down?"

"It can't be a shooting," a deeper, distorted voice responded as what appeared to be a male student peered over the top of his overturned table. "You'd be able to hear shots clear across the—"

Whatever the boy was about to say was cut off as he threw himself to the floor. Something censored with a mosaic blur flew through the space his head had just occupied, and when the girl with the camera turned her perspective, she let out a strangled scream. Due to the extreme level of censorship, it was hard to tell what she was looking at, but if Sunset squinted her eyes, she thought she could make out a torso and half-severed arm...

The screen quickly panned away to the door of the library, but the sound of vomiting could still be heard. It looked as though the shadow of something had just ducked behind a nearby bookshelf, but something seemed off to the former unicorn. The lighting should have been overhead, rather than from an angle to project a long diagonal shadow across the floor. Plus, it was way too indistinct to be that of a person or an animal.

Then, all at once, it seemed as though the shadow rose up from the floor. It rushed towards the girl holding the camera, smashing through what must've been a solid oak table. The camera, or rather, the phone, crashed to the ground, facing the ceiling just in time to show a girl stepping out of frame clutching a bloody stump as both she and the young man screamed. Moments later, a distorted black mass speckled with white surged over the camera, and then the screams stopped. The video didn't end immediately, however... Instead, the tearing of flesh and the sound of something eating could be heard.

As the feed switched back to a pale-faced newscaster who was quickly hiding a paper bag, Sunset frowned. Something about the way that thing had moved didn't seem right. It almost reminded her of a video of an octopus moving inside a cloud of ink, except this was quite clearly on land, and there seemed to be way too many tendrils. "That can't possibly be real," she murmured. "At least, I hope not..."

Using the built-in DVR feature on her cable box, she rewound to the point the creature surged past the screen and then paused, hoping she could get a better look. It wasn't easy, given both the original video quality, and the compression used to put it online. The specks of white across the creature's body almost appeared to be eyes and teeth. That's not something native to this world, she thought as she leaned closer to the screen. For a split second, she thought she saw one of the frozen eye-shapes twitch, directing a blood-red iris at her, but when she blinked, nothing seemed more out-of-place than usual on the image.

When she returned to the live news feed, one of the news anchors seemed to be admonishing someone off camera. "That's irresponsible and sick!" she was yelling. "How dare you give us a student's little film project when we're covering such a serious event? You better hope your union rep thinks you're worth fighting for, or you'll never work in this industry again!"

Shaking her head, Sunset shut the TV off. There were other things that needed doing—things that wouldn't get done if she just sat there, watching television. First, she needed to drop her rent money off with her landlord, and then figure out what to have for dinner. Not only that, but she needed to start making plans for the coming weeks.

If she intended to appropriate a magical artefact for use in her experiment, it would likely mean an extended trip to Equestria. Depending on whether her adoptive mother had moved Starswirl's mirror, she might not even have enough time to locate some viable artefacts, or if she did, she might find her timeline extremely tight. The last thing she wanted was to get stuck in Equestria for however long it'd take for the portal to once again open on Equestria's side; a trip through the last time it had been open had revealed anomalies in the flow of time, after all. Around ten years had passed during the time the portals were closed, although it seemed to synchronise up while the portals were open.

Mentally, she began reviewing artefacts that might be of use. Although it was known for its corrupting influence, the Alicorn Amulet was locked away in a Royal Guard evidence locker when she left Equestria. There was also word of the Staff of Sacanas having resurfaced. Even if she couldn't get her hooves on either of those, most of Mage Meadowbrook's eight magical items were locked away in the Canterlot archive, and breaking in was trifling when she was a filly.

As she plotted, however, her mind drifted back to the video. The newscaster had dismissed it as some sort of mix-up or joke in poor taste, but that eye—even if it was a hallucination stuck with her. It felt like she'd been being watched in that specific moment. Not only that, but it reminded her of what she'd seen and felt during that fainting spell that morning.

Sunset stood proud in the centre of the bedlam, staring up at the source of it all. Where once stood a meek Crystal Prep geek now floated what could only be described as a harbinger of doom—a fallen angel, if she were so inclined to use this world's analogies. Like some twisted mockery of an alicorn, raven-black wings jutted from the back of the young woman, and a jagged teal spike of crystalised magic stood at the centre of her forehead.

Even as the foolish human used her newfound magic to create tears between universes, she fixed Sunset with a malevolent look, magic flickering like flames where once her glasses stood. "You were right!" the girl purred, as she tore at the fabric of reality like a kitten with a ball of yarn. "I didn't understand magic before, but I do now!"

The grounds in front of CHS began to crackle and flake away as more and more rips in space and time were created. Crystal Prep Academy and Canterlot High School students fled and struggled to help one another as the gaps threatened to consume them all. "Equestria!" Sunset cried as, through the massive tear in the ground, she sighted the town of Ponyville. She returned her gaze to the villain responsible for all of the havoc. "Twilight, you can't do this!"

The mocking smile that the magic-infused Twilight fixed her with would have been a challenge to her past self. Once upon a time, she'd never allow anyone to have such an expression of smug superiority. It made her want to wipe it off her face. "Why not?" crooned Twilight, gesturing at the otherworldly apertures. "There's a whole other world right there, and it's just filled with magic!"

A curious sensation washed over Sunset. Fear. There was genuine fear of what this girl could do, not just to her former home, but her new one as well. My new home? But I plan on returning to Mom when I've done what I set out to do... There was also an intense desire to protect that home. No, not just this place... all these people. "But you're destroying this world to get it!"

"So what? There's more magic there, and I want to understand it all!" she exclaimed with manic glee.

The scene shifted, and Sunset was holding a strange technological construct in her hands. It was humming and glowing slightly. Despite her fear, she stepped forward. "This isn't the way!" she pleaded. All around her, students watched her with worry and... hope? Where's all my pride and self-assuredness? Why is my tone so full of... empathy? "I know you feel powerful right now, like you can have everything you want! I've been where you are, I've made the same mistake you're making! I put on a crown and, just like you, I was overwhelmed by the magic it contained! I thought it could get me everything I wanted!"

She was so confused. Where were all of these words coming from? How had so much time passed without her knowing? Why did she feel so guilty for the one who was trying to destroy everything she'd rebuilt? Rebuilt? But I... She wanted to clutch her head in confusion, but it was like she had no control of her own body.

Again, the world shifted. Despite the bright white void that surrounded herself and the power-drunk human, there was no fear now. She felt so warm and safe—so powerful. She could feel herself brimming with magic. Not even in Equestria had she felt so energised.

The same could not be said for the dark one, who practically curled in on herself. Cowering in the all-consuming light, it almost seemed as though this place was causing her immense pain. It made a strange sort of sense; creatures of darkness often fled the light, and if the magic that Twilight had stolen was reacting with the darkness in her heart, why wouldn't she cringe away?

Reaching out a gloved hand—Since when do I wear gloves?—to the human, she said with a sympathetic voice, "Take my hand, Twilight. Let me show you there's another way... just like someone once did for me." It sounded strange to her ears, as though it were somehow older—almost motherly in a way that reminded her of Princess Celestia.

The manic look was gone from Twilight's eyes when she looked to Sunset. Rather than the eyes of someone who wanted to tear down reality itself to see how it worked, and the consequences be damned, these were the eyes of what she really was deep down inside: a scared little girl who had never known the warmth of friendship. She eyed Sunset's offered hand with suspicion, but when she sensed no deceit in her gaze, she reluctantly accepted it.

An orange, purifying flame washed up Twilight's arm when the two touched. Her fear bled away, and it no longer looked like the mere act of existence caused her pain. Her pitch-black wings and the crystalline horn burned away into flecks of darkness.

All light faded and gave way to darkness, and she could no longer see her own limbs. She wasn't even entirely sure she was still herself. There was just a sense of nothingness—of being alone—and yet there was also some sort of pressure bearing down on her. She was now sure that it was a dream of some sort... so why wasn't she waking up? Wasn't that how things worked? Didn't dreams usually end when you became aware that you were dreaming?

"No! I will not accept this!" It was such a quiet voice that she barely even noticed it. Then, it noticed her. All around her in the darkness, she could see countless eyes staring at her. "If I can't have her, maybe you will do instead." More than that, though, it felt like something was reaching for her... grasping at her very being with icy tendrils.

As the cold pierced her body and began to spread, Sunset felt a wave of helplessness rush through her. It was all she could do to not writhe in agony and impotent rage. All sorts of unfamiliar thoughts and feelings clashed inside her head as she mentally pushed back against the invading presence—two distinct tracks of thought. One insisted on seizing power enacting her darkest desires upon the world, that if she should just seize power for herself and force all mankind under her hoof. The other had that familiar and yet out-of-character tone, pleading with her to protect her friends and peers. It insisted that there was good in this world, and should she succumb to this darkness, there would be nothing left to save.

Perhaps it was hearing her own voice in that second train of thought, Sunset found her strength. Warm amber flames surrounded her, pushing back the darkness. It almost reminded her of her own magic, yet it struck her as more akin to what she'd seen purify Twilight. It gave her hope that she would not become like that crystal prep student.

"Get out of my head!" she bellowed with such force that the force that had been pressing in on her body and mind retreated. Greedy for the extra space, the flames surged out to keep the void at bay. "Get out of my dreams!"

"It is no matter," the voice in the darkness whispered her ears. Even as the pitch black void faded away to reveal her foalhood bedroom, she could yet feel its presence. "Humans are full of dark desires just waiting to be unleashed. They may not be as powerful as you, but even they can make for useful hosts."

Sunset stood there, still entirely human, with her hands balled up into fists as she scanned the ornate bedroom for any sign of the darkness. While there were plenty of photos of her and adoptive mother, and knickknacks only a foal would value everywhere, there was zero indication that it lingered. In fact, as soon as she could no longer feel the presence, that protective flame died away.

The touch of a hand on her shoulder nearly startled her awake. What she saw when she turned shocked her nearly as much as everything she'd gone through thus far. Standing before her was a copy of herself. It was not exact, and it looked as though it was more of an image projected onto a cloud. The copy's hair flowed as if caught by breeze, just as her mother's did, and a glowing white spire of energy jutted from her forehead like a horn. Her outfit consisted of a pink and white dress, gold armlets bearing her cutie mark, and familiar white gloves. Weirder still was the pair of ethereal wings fanned out behind her.

"It's not too late, you know, " her doppelganger said with a tired look. "There's still time to do the right thing, Sunset... and Mom might not approve of our methods, but if you fix our mess and tell her you're sorry, she'll forgive you." As soon as the words left her mouth, her copy began to break into tiny motes of life. "I've done all I can to protect you... Everything is in your hands now."

Sunset Shimmer awoke in a cold sweat. If not for the fact that her body seemed completely paralysed, she probably would have screamed. Probably for the best that she couldn't; Nurse Redheart tolerated a lot, but waking up to Sunset having a nightmare might convince the school nurse to reassess their arrangement. She certainly didn't relish the thought of getting a new apartment at the start of the school year.

Instead, she simply lay there, puzzling over everything she'd experienced. If not for the fact that she rarely ever had dreams that vivid, she could easily dismiss it as just that—a vivid dream, or perhaps a nightmare. So what in the world was that? A vision of things to come? A warning?

Slowly, as the sleep paralysis wore off, she sat up in bed and shook her head, as though that action could somehow free her mind of the intrusive emotions and thoughts. Why do I need to do any of that? My research is starting to bear fruit, and the conclusion of phase one is nearly at hand.

That's what she wanted to believe, but whatever it was that had just happened, it stirred something inside her that she hadn't felt in a long time—guilt. Maybe it was her copycat's words, or the way the Canterlot High students were looking at her in that dream, but it made her question if she was doing the right thing. What would people even say if they read my research notes, the project outline, my hypothesis, and all the data I've gathered? It stung, because she knew exactly what people would do. They would compare her to monsters like Mengele or Wirths.

None would see what she was truly trying to achieve, and any attempt to explain it would likely land her in an asylum. Humans believed magic to be mere folklore and the subject of fantasy, and they didn't have the concepts or the belief needed to comprehend cutie marks. Their value and the benefit they could have for mankind was lost on them without some sort of proof, and the last thing she wanted to do was expose Equestria to this world before its people were ready for it. It would just turn into one of the bloodiest resource grabs in human or Equestrian history.

When a glance at her alarm clock revealed it to only be quarter to three in the morning, she decided to lie back down and return to her sleep. She didn't know what to think about that dream/vision/whatever, as she didn't personally believe in that sort of thing. Sunset would have loved to have just dismissed it as nothing, but something about it felt important somehow.

Rolling onto her side and nuzzling her pillow, she murmured, "Luckily I have someone into occultism and fortune telling whose brain I can pick."

Author's Note

Don't worry. There are more survivors than the 100% casualty rate might make you believe.

Chapter 4

Jinx Charm

The first day back after what the press was calling the Crystal Prep Incident started out surprisingly normal. Maybe it was just the fact that the entire student body was in shock, or the distraction of having armed security at the doors, but nobody seemed to pay Jinx any mind when she came in. It let her hold on to the hope that maybe everyone had either seen through the lies about her, or simply forgotten.

Of course, things were never that simple. It quickly became apparent that rather than forgetting about the rumour, they were all giving her the cold shoulder. The only ones who would look at her were those with looks of either lust or disgust in their eyes. A student passing out a hand-out in Mrs. Harshwhinny's maths class pretended to not see her, and she'd been forced to draw attention to herself by pointing out that she never got a worksheet.

Between first and second periods, a member of the CHS cheer squad intentionally bumped into her in the hallway, only to remark, "Watch where you're going, Slut Charm." Before she could leave the quickly gathering circle of students, it was quickly followed up with, "Yeah, keep walking! And stay away from my boyfriend!"

By the end of second period, Jinx was actively concerned that her teeth were going to explode if the muscles in her jaw didn't relax. The leering boys and the withering stares of the prudish were quickly coming to irritate the young woman. It took all the restraint in the world not to yell at anyone or throw something. Instead she counted down the minutes until lunch, at which point she could go out to her truck and have a smoke.

"Throughout history, groups have taken and held power through various means," Mr. Noteworthy, her social studies teacher, explained. "One of the most popular means of holding power is known as 'controlling the narrative'. Can anyone explain what it means?"

Jinx raised her hand, and much to the displeasure of some of them, he pointed at her. "It means getting on top of things, telling the story of what happened your way, before someone else can tell it better or more accurately," she said with a glare to all of her peers. "The idea is that through narrative control, you can sway enough to your side and control how they perceive the world, usually in ways that favour you. Those who control the narrative will vilify anyone that goes against their ideals, or poses a direct threat to them."

Mr. Noteworthy nodded, smiling. "Very true. A good example would be the story of Robin Hood." The teacher began writing on the board, talking as he went. "The narrative as told by the supporters of King Richard portrayed Robin Hood as a force of balance, taking back from the nobility to give to the needy and worst hit by John's high taxes and tight rule. Conversely, King John would have the masses believe Robin to be no more than a brigand."

"Another example," she interjected with a bitter laugh as she cast another baleful look around the room, "is smearing a victim of a crime before they can speak out, so that nobody will believe them." Although the teacher looked like he planned on saying something, some sort of reprimand perhaps, Jinx was saved by the bell. It took her no time at all to sweep everything into her backpack, and before anyone else was out of their seats, she was already out of the room.

She stormed through the halls, barely cognisant of the looks and whispers. The catharsis of indirectly calling out everyone who immediately believed the rumour the boys set out wouldn't last, but for the moment, she was riding the high. It seemed most likely that Noteworthy might pull her aside at the end of the second half of class, but she didn't particularly care; Jinx was tired of it all already.

The wind quickly left her sails as she reached her locker. As soon as she saw the sheet of paper taped to her locker, her right eye began to twitch. 'Jinx Charm's Happy Ending Service,' the paper read, citing all the things that she was allegedly willing to do. There was a space beneath for people to sign up, and all of the provided slots were full of initials followed by dates and times. When she opened her locker, only for a number of wrapped condoms to spill out onto the floor, evidently shoved in through the vents at the top.

"What the fuck is wrong with these people!?" she almost screamed. From her purse, she retrieved a disposable shopping bag. After tearing the mocking sheet of paper from the door and stuffing it in the bag, she hurriedly did the same with the condoms. Once that disposable bag had been crammed into her purse, she threw her backpack into the locker, slammed it shut, and locked it.

That was it. She was well past her limit. It was bad enough with everything they'd done thus far, but this was actively mocking her. Even if she had no way to feasibly tie it to them, she knew deep down that it had to be them. Tears of rage began to stream down her face, and it became hard to think.

When she entered the cafeteria, the room fell silent as most conversations died. The only ones still talking were at the table occupied by Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and one of the senior students she didn't know the name of. None of them were even looking in her direction, too caught up in whatever joke the latter was telling. They even notice her until she stopped on the other side of the table from them.

"You fuckers, have a lot of nerve," she yelled, reaching out and toppling a food tray into Hoops' lap. "You bastards invite me to a party with the promise I wouldn't be the only girl there, drug me, and rape me, but is that enough for you? No. You go and tell everyone I consented and that I'm just a huge slut, and now you're fucking mocking me."

"Dunno what you're talking about," Dumb-Bell says, crossing his muscular arms in front of him, fixing her with a smirk. The rugby senior mimicked that confident stance. "Got any sort of proof to back up those claims? That sounds an awful lot like slander where I'm standing."

Although two of the boys seemed confident, the tall Hoops looked a lot less certain. "I don't know what your fucking game is, but if you think I'm just gonna take this like the whore you painted me out to be, you're sadly mistaken." When Jinx growled, he even winced. "You might've destroyed all the evidence this time," she hissed in a trembling voice, sweeping the other two lunch trays from the table. "B-but one of these days, you fucks are gonna slip up, and when everyone sees your little r-rape club for what it is, I'll be there cheering them on when they cage and c-castrate you like the goddamn animals you are."

Without warning, a pair of arms hooked under hers, and began dragging her back. She thrashed and tried to get a look at her assailant, but it was no good. She'd been lifted off the ground and couldn't get leverage or the right angle. All she could do was scream and kick impotently.

Sunset Shimmer

As one of the school's new security guards hauled her gym partner out of the cafeteria—presumably towards the office—Sunset took in all the reactions of everyone in the cafeteria. A lot of the ones who'd been so quick to believe and spread the rumour looked a lot less sure of themselves. The members of the football team present looked outraged.

Already whispers were beginning to spread throughout the room. As if trying to seize the narrative, Dumb-Bell stood up and loudly said, "Don't tell me you actually believe her! She's just saying that because her reputation is trash!" That didn't particularly interest her, because that was exactly the sort of thing she'd expect them to say when called out like that. It'd have been more surprising if he didn't try to save face.

Instead, she had her eyes on the boy who looked like he would have been better served on the basketball team than the rugby team. Though his shaggy brown hair kept his eyes covered, Sunset thought she could see a bit of the colour drained from his well-tanned face. Even during the girl's short tirade, he was the only member of the jock group who didn't look at her. He didn't even seem to register the fact that he was wearing his lunch.

He may be the weak link in the group, she thought to herself as Snips and Snails joined her. It didn't escape her notice that he chose to sit beside her, rather than across like he usually did. Sunset's eyes were drawn to the shiner marring the stocky youth's face. It looked like he might've also had some bruising on his arms, but his cardigan did a good job covering it up. "So, I take it that's the work of one of the rugby team members?" she asked with something approaching the tone of concern. When he looked away, she sighed. "Snips, I already know, so you don't have to pretend you didn't spend a night in a locker."

That gets a surprised look from Snails, who evidently hadn't been told. What is it that humans do when they're trying to comfort or reassure others? A hug is out of the question. She glanced at her hand, and then gently patted him on the shoulder. He unsurprisingly went rigid, as this was not the sort of thing she usually did. "It's okay," she said, trying to imitate the tone she recalled using in her dream. "I'm not mad at you. That they went that far just confirms they have something to hide."

To her surprise, he actually smiled. "That's an understatement," Snips said in an almost joking voice. "Anyway, here's what happened...

"Not long after the hold-and-secure was brought to an end on Monday, students were released from classes to gather their things and leave. I happened to be tailing one of the sophomore members of the rugby team, hoping to get one of them alone and away from the rest of the group. Instead, however, he led me right to an impromptu team meeting in one of the back hallways.

"The team captain, Score, was grilling the team on who'd started a specific rumour, and it was getting pretty intense. 'Which one of you morons said we paid five girls?' was what he was asking," he explained. He glanced over to where the three rugby members were glaring at him. "He was talking about how suspicious that particular rumour was. I took out my phone to start recording them, but I accidentally took a picture, and the flash was on."

Sunset nodded. "They saw you, probably broke your phone, and roughed you up a bit before shoving you in a locker," she concluded. When the boy nodded, she sighed. Since it was a damage incurred while doing something she asked him to do, it was partly on her. "Give me a day to move some money around, and I'll have a replacement for you by Friday. It'll be up to you and your mother to visit your provider's outlet and get a new SIM if the old one's gone though."

Both boys gaped at her, as if she said something strange. She mentally played back what just happened. Was it really so out of character? In the past, she probably would have just blackmailed whoever broke the phone into paying it back. Still, loyalty should be rewarded, and I work these boys pretty hard.

"That's, uh, awful nice of ya, boss," Snails stated after a few moments. He almost looked like he was gonna say that it was kinda suspicious, but ultimately refrained.

"It's in my best interest that I'm able to reach you, and you're of no use to anybody if you get stuck in another locker," she commented. For a moment, she considered giving him her first phone, but she thought better of it; there might still be sensitive information on it. Instead, Sunset reached into her purse and withdrew a digital voice recorder. It was one of the spares she usually used for keeping notes to herself, rather than for blackmail material, but there was nothing sensitive stored on it. "In the meantime, if you stumble into any more conversations like that, use this instead of your phone," she said, placing it on the table in front of Snips. "I'd say don't go snooping in the past recordings, but unless you're interested in shopping lists or a reminder to get measured for a new bra, there's nothing worth listening to."

Both boys' cheeks flushed at that last remark, but Snips took the device in his hand and looked it over. "This is a pretty expensive piece of kit, boss." He wasn't wrong; it was top of the line last year, and she'd gotten it to replace the cheap analogue micro-cassette recorder that kept going on the fritz. He quickly shoved it in his pocket before anyone in the cafeteria could really notice it. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? You're not usually this nice to anyone unless you're up to something."

That made Sunset's jaw muscle set, and she forced a smile. It was the sort of smile she usually wore when she was feeling particularly malevolent, or when she intended on making an example of someone. "Who says those are related?" she said in a venomous tone that she hoped would mask the slight unease welling up inside of her. Fetching the other recorder from her purse, she slid it into her jacket pocket and rose from her seat. "Come now, boys. I believe I still need to remind a certain captain who runs things around here."

While she moved over to the waste bins to clear her tray of what remained of her lunch, the boys hesitated, sharing a look. Both silently agreed with but a single nod that Sunset was acting odd. Whether it was a good odd or a bad odd was yet to be determined. Either way, it was without a doubt unsettling to the boys.

Once the boys followed, Sunset began leading them on her search for Score. She had a few theories where he might have been, since he was not in the cafeteria with those three. The first was that they were getting take-out, in which case they would be coming back through the student parking lot entrance. Next was the idea that they might have been out on the field. Lastly, they could have been at whichever club room had been assigned to the rugby team for the year. To find out that last point, however, she would need to swing by the administration office. It wasn't like there weren't other reasons she needed to find out where that room was.

Since the office wasn't that far from the cafeteria, that was the first stop on their little expedition. As soon as they opened the door into the office area, however, they were greeted by the sound of someone practically screaming and crying at Vice Principal Luna. A quick glance through only half-closed blinds revealed Jinx Charm, upending a shopping bag on the Vice Principal's desk, spilling out more than a dozen condom wrappers and a roughly crumpled sheet that the fiery-haired teen couldn't make out from there.

While her stooges gawked, she turned to the secretary, Raven Inkwell, and smiled politely. "Good afternoon, Ms. Inkwell," she said, immediately earning a wary look from the woman seated at the desk. "I was wondering if you could tell me which club room the rugby team has this year?"

The secretary's eyes darted from Sunset to Snips, and narrowed. The boy, for his part looked away, so as not to present his bruised eye. "If your friend has miraculously remembered who placed him in the locker, we can get you in to meet Ms. Luna once she is finished with her current meeting," Raven stated in a measured tone. "You know how tit-for-tat retaliation has gotten out of hand in the past, Ms. Shimmer."

In ninth grade, there had been a series of escalating 'pranks' throughout the school-year between two formerly friendly freshmen, culminating in a club room filled entirely with bubbles, and a locker damaged when someone filled it with bread dough to let rise. It also served as a gentle reminder not to blatantly do anything that violated school rules. With an 'innocent' smile, Sunset said, "But of course, Ms. Inkwell. I merely have matters that I wish to discuss with them." She held her hands palm-up and shook her head. "I believe Nurse Redheart gave my proposal regarding fundraising activities at yesterday's meeting. I merely wished to ask him to consider arranging a charity match with one of the other local schools."

The suspicion never left the secretary's face, but her warning expression relented a bit. "One moment." Turning to her computer, Raven began tapping away. "It says here that the rugby team requested club room seven on Monday at lunch, and officially began using it that afternoon."

"Thank you, Ms. Inkwell." With that, Sunset and her little posse exited the office and started making their way to the back of the school. Once she was far enough from the prying ears of any faculty members, she turned to the boys and said, "Even if we can't catch Score and put him in his place before lunch ends, I'd like to get this recorder planted in that room... and leave a note about that match, of course."

Much of the rest of the day up until gym class went off unremarkably. Sunset never did manage to find and corner Score, or give him what-for. It didn't particularly feel urgent this early in the year, although she knew that the longer the attack on her subordinate went unanswered, the more her authority would be challenged. Being this close to when she intended on introducing magic and seeing how her control group responded, the last thing she wanted was anything short of complete control, especially if that magic manifested in unpredictable ways.

There was a reason that Sunset had chosen to remain in Canterlot, Oregon rather than migrating to some smaller backwater town. Sure, the proximity to the portal, and the infinitesimal bleed of Equestrian magic into the world, made for a good starting base. Travelling as a minor in this world wasn't something that was easy, and a stand-out from Canterlot might make for easier prey for ne'er-do-wells.

Instead, it was the cultural bleed-over that held so much of an interest. Names like Celestia or Flash Sentry were more the norm than names like John Addams or George Washington, and the humans in this specific region already mimicked cutie marks with their own personal emblems. It would serve as a good basis for introducing magic and guiding humans down a more pony path. If the first and second phase of her project showed fruit, the most logical progression would be to turn Canterlot into the Mecca of Magic during the third.

As she made her way to the girls' locker room to prepare for her last class of the day, she couldn't help but once again ponder if, when Starswirl created the portal, it initially did not transform those who passed through it. First contact between the indigenous tribes of the area involving undisguised ponies might explain the pseudo-cutie marks, the ease with which the naming convention was adopted, and the way things in the area had equiform puns. It was pretty well known that many of Canterlot's inhabitants were distant relatives of the tribe that once occupied the area; it wasn't too far a stretch to see the Equestrian influence.

When she caught sight of her gym partner for the year entering the locker room ahead of her, she wondered what the girl's emblem was. Most of the people she saw when coming to this world seemed to display theirs proudly, if not on some article of clothing, then on some sort of accessory like a pin, hair-clip, or necklace. Meanwhile, Jinx didn't seem to wear anything distinct enough to match the pattern.

Perhaps that was why the young woman didn't fall into any of the social cliques. After her apparent glow-up, she probably would have been quite popular anywhere else in the country based on looks alone, and yet here she so easily fell to the wayside. Back in Equestria, young ponies who had yet to earn their cutie mark were often excluded from the group. Perhaps it was a similar phenomena.

Hurriedly changing into exercise clothes, Sunset made her way out into the gymnasium. It didn't surprise her that the sign directing the students out to the field, so she immediately made her way outside and found a spot to start her stretches. Shortly after, she was joined by Jinx, who wordlessly began following Sunset's lead. Whatever fire had fuelled her blow-up in the cafeteria at lunchtime had quite clearly been snuffed, and she once again seemed about as lively as a reanimated skeleton. It was almost like dealing with that Fluttershy girl, but rather than sensing any sort of fear from Jinx, it was closer to apathy.

Once the stretches and exercises were done, Coach Iron Will began the shuttle run audio track. Students immediately kicked into gear, darting between the two lines drawn down their sections of the field. Watching her partner run only gave sunset more and more questions about her enigmatic partner. It wasn't immediately obvious to anyone else around them, who would no doubt be focusing on their own movement, but she wasn't just following her partner's pace; she was letting Sunset dictate it and matching it.

On and on they went, through levels one to seven. Honestly, at that point when the other bookish students started dropping out, Sunset half-expected the young woman to start to fumble and eliminate herself. Although she clearly had worked up a sheen of sweat, she kept going without complaint. She doesn't even seem winded.

As they completed the tenth stage, Sunset was almost convinced someone was screwing with her. Despite never once faltering or slowing down, her partner simply stopped, sat herself down, and began to watch. There was an almost content look in the girl's eyes as she looked from Sunset to the other students. Why would she quit though? Instead, she put her underachieving partner from her mind, and continued along.

Eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth, and fourteenth levels passed without issue, slowly weeding it down to just those on the sports teams, Sunset, and a few other overachievers. During the fifteenth level of the shuttle run, she began to notice something odd in the air. It reminded her somewhat of the build-up of static electricity, and the air certainly felt alive with energy, but it didn't seem as though anyone else was aware of it.

The moment she began to recognise the magical build-up for what it was, however, it vanished. It was not unlike a rubber band snapping back into place after being pulled taut, and there was a loud snap that filled the air. This was quickly followed by a scream of agony from one of the boys.

A piercing whistle filled the air, and Coach Iron Will quickly yelled, "Everyone stop!" He pointed to one of the faster students and quickly instructed, "Go get Nurse Redheart."

As that student darted into the school building, Sunset turned to look at the source of the agonised screaming. What she caught sight of was rather sickening. Hoops was trying to hold his partner—another rugby player—down, as the boy thrashed and screamed while clutching at his leg. The injured student's right knee was definitely not supposed to bend in that direction.

She quickly looked away, quickly feeling her lunch threatening to come up. How does that just happen? Sunset wondered, turning to look at her partner. The white-haired girl quickly covered her own mouth, as if her own gorge was rising, but it wasn't nearly quick enough for Sunset to miss the slight upward turn at the corner of her mouth. Those eyes weren't the eyes of someone about to be sick, though; she was quietly laughing. Given what Jinx had accused the rugby team of in the cafeteria today, she didn't blame her for a bit of schadenfreude.

Besides, in Sunset's mind, there was something far more important to consider. There'd been a magical build-up out here, but it most certainly hadn't been her own magic, nor should it have been the portal. Unless someone was trying to force it open... But if that was the case, I wouldn't have felt a build-up on this side, unless they were specifically trying to open it from this side.

That couldn't have been the case, though. If someone had the sort of power necessary to force open the portal to Equestria, she would have known about them long before now; one simply could not mask that sort of magical presence. No, this is something else, she decided. Is this related to what I felt yesterday morning?

Author's Note

Story will resume in five weeks.

Chapter 5

Sunset Shimmer

That night, Sunset Shimmer lay in her bed unable to fall asleep. The day's events still lingered in her mind, and left a feeling of disquiet building up inside of her. It was hard enough hearing her gym partner publicly accuse the rugby players of sexual assault in the middle of the cafeteria, giving some credence to her concern that those boys were out of control and at risk of ruining the entire experiment. Then there's the potential human cost in all of this.

Then there was the event this afternoon. She was almost certain now that she hadn't imagined that magical build-up. She'd been asked by Red Heart this evening if she'd seen the boys doing anything unusual when it happened, and when Sunset confirmed that they were only doing the shuttle run, she seemed rather worried. Nothing about that exercise should have been able to build up the force necessary to shatter the boy's kneecap, snap his tendon, and bend his leg ninety degrees the wrong way. It pretty much had to be tied to that build-up and discharge.

Sitting up in bed, she tiredly rubbed at her temples. I never did study local phenomena in the weeks leading up to the portal opening, she thought to herself. It's entirely possible that due to the portal's nature as a stable artificial worldgate, or wormhole as the humans describe the concept, that the magical build-up could create eddies and anomalous gravity pockets. If someone were to hit one the right way, it might explain what happened to his knee.

Deciding that she wouldn't be getting any sort of rest for the time being, Sunset got out of bed and made her way out to the kitchenette and grabbed a glass of water. The only problem with that theory is that surely such anomalies would have been noticed before now, if not by me, then someone else, she thought as she sat herself down at her table. I wish I had Starswirl's notes on the mirror. If anyone, or rather, anypony knew more about this sort of thing, it would have been him. He created it, so surely he would have extensively studied all phenomena related to it.

She leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose. She wished there was someone she could ask about this. Then a stray thought began to work its way up in her mind. The journal... Maybe I can ask Princess... She blinked as the thought fragmented and dispersed before it could complete itself. Why did I think there was another princess? Princess Celestia's the only princess. That wasn't entirely true. There was also that upstart pegasus-turned-alicorn that Celestia sought to replace her with—the one she blamed for her falling out with her adoptive mother. She knew of course that Cadenza was no mage, and likely never would be, no matter how much time passed in Equestria.

As her thoughts drifted towards her former family, she once again found herself asking what the Princess would think—really think—about all she was trying to achieve. Putting aside her methods and cruelty for the moment, would she be able to see the value in what she was trying to accomplish? Would she recognise that her efforts to introduce magic and recreate cutie marks were the first steps needed to guide humanity down the path of Harmony? Or would she see it simply as an attempt to seize power?

Sunset set her glass down with a sigh and rose from her chair. Maybe it was a side effect of what that apparition said in her dream, but she actually felt a strong desire to reach out to the solar alicorn, so she found herself subconsciously drawn to her computer desk. That was where her tired mind told her that the magical journal that she once used to keep in contact with the alicorn was, but she quickly dismissed that as some sort of mental contamination from that vision.

Instead, she made her way over to the hidden safe, retrieved the book, and then sat down at the desk. As she grabbed a pen, and opened the heavy leather-bound tome to the last message that her adoptive mother wrote, she froze, unable to tear her eyes away from it. She'd read it many moons ago, but she'd still been so angry and self-righteous that none of the words ever truly sunk in. Now though...

My Little Sun,

I've turned the events of that night over and over in my head so many times over the years. I find myself asking what I could have done differently in raising you. How did I fail you, or make you believe you were in any way inadequate? To this very day, I regret losing my patience with you, and it is only now that I realise that your anger over Cadance's ascension wasn't just about whether or not I thought you worthy of power. You were angry because you thought that I was replacing you.

I regret showing you Starswirl's mirror, and even more, I regret telling you that night to get out of my sight. You were never a disappointment to me—I hope you know that. That night, when you exited through the portal, I followed you through in hopes to find you, to apologise, and bring you home. Every night until the portal closed, I went through in search of you. I never gave up hope that if I just kept searching, I might find you. Ever since, when you would not answer my letters, I worried that something happened to you there, that you were hurt there in that strange world, or worse...

Sunset, if you are still alive, if you're still out there, please, just give me a sign. It hurts so much knowing that I drove you away, so please let me know that you're okay. Though years have passed here, I want you to know that I forgive you, and I hope you can forgive me. You still have a place here, in Equestria, at my side. Please, just come home, My Little Sun. I want us to be a family again.
With love,
Princess Celestia

Now that she read the last message from Celestia with a clearer head than she had, she found her eyes misting. I really was a brat. Lifting her quill-style pen to a fresh page, she paused, pondering what she wanted to say. A week ago, she might not have even considered this course of action, but with her new doubts and this strange phenomena, she wasn't so sure. Again, she was beginning to feel guilty over all she'd done for the sake of her experiment. Steeling herself, she pressed the tip to the page and began to write.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I apologise for not writing to you sooner. I don't know how long has passed in Equestria since I came to this world, but from my perspective, six years have passed. There was no excuse for me to not at least let you know that I am alive and well. Back then, I was so angry and so self-righteous, convinced that you didn't see me worthy as your daughter any more. I was convinced that I had to come home with something to show for myself, to show that I was still worthy of your love.

It is somewhat ironic, because now... I'm not so sure that I am worthy to call myself your daughter. When I came to this world, I found myself but a child once more, and in order to blend in, I was forced to attend school and learn of this strange place. The funny thing is that the school I attend now—the building outside which the portal to Equestria stands—is run by your counterpart in this world, although she is but a high school principal and nothing more.

This world has so much potential and is full of technology, yet it is so full of hurt, and everyone is so divided. There's magic here, but it is so weak that it can't have been used in centuries. I thought that if I could bring the magic of Harmony to these people, and unify them, you might take me back... that you would be proud of me. Yet I was so hurt and full of anger back when I set out on my plan, leading me to take unethical action. I became a bully or maybe a tyrant, and broke the school into its base cliques and kept them all in line through lies, threats, and blackmail.

Although the division of the school has begun to foster something akin to our own special talents, there is nothing magical about it yet. Those in their little groups began to excel at what they were passionate about. I've even considered introducing magic through the use of Equestrian artefacts in a later stage to see if cutie marks might be possible here. Yet for all I've accomplished, I find things lacking. By my own hand, or hoof, there is no unity, and I worry that this progress will go to waste if I begin unifying them.

It is for that reason... for all I've done and what I've become, I don't think I am worthy of that title.

This is not entirely the reason I am writing to you, however. You know that in the past I have put little stock in prophecies, visions, and divination, but I find myself at a loss. Two days ago I felt a magical surge that I can't explain in this world, following which I glimpsed a vision. Later that day, there was an incident at a nearby school that defies explanation, causing massive injury and the loss of several lives. That very night, I experienced a vision of an intermural event that would have happened later this academic year if not for the incident that day... I saw myself protecting the students of both schools from a girl who had become drunk on magical power. The Sunset in that vision saved the girl and purged the darkness from her, but then I found myself in a void, with that darkness trying to take me... but the iteration of myself from the vision saved me from it. She actually reminded me a lot of you... and she seemed genuinely happy.

I don't know why, but since that experience, I haven't been feeling entirely myself. I detached myself emotionally from the student body as I conducted my experiment, but now I can't help but question whether I was ever doing the right thing. There's this sense of guilt over what I've done and become, and I feel that same desire to protect my peers as I felt in my dream. It's possible that I'll need to protect them, from something, because today I felt another magical build-up, and at the very point that it discharged, a boy's leg was snapped in a way that shouldn't have been possible given the activity he was doing. I fear the possibility that my dream and what happened at the other school aren't unrelated, and that something dark has leaked into this world.

Why do I suddenly feel this way? What should I do, Princess Celestia?
Your former student,
Sunset Shimmer

Jinx Charm

It was Friday morning now, and Jinx was emotionally exhausted. Although the majority of the school was no longer staring or whispering behind her back, there were still some glares. That and some boys still didn't get the message that approaching her for sexual services was not cool. That wasn't the worst part, though. She'd gotten detention yesterday for slapping a guy that got fresh with her.

When she opened her locker door, a slip of paper fell to the floor. Evidently, after she left yesterday, someone slipped it into her locker. When she bent down to pick it up, she couldn't help but cock an eyebrow. Although she hadn't yet read the paper, the method of communication was unmistakable. It looked like someone cut letters out of a magazine, pasted it on paper, and then photocopied it. Someone's been watching too many movies, she thought as she adjusted her glasses to read the message. Seriously, ransom note typography? Any amusement she might have felt at the absurdity of it quickly died away as she read the message.

If you know what's good for you, you'll stop saying shit about what happened. We know where you live, and we have plenty of unflattering pictures of you that we can share if you don't keep quiet. If you don't believe us, here's one of the cutting scars on the inside of your right thigh. Unless you want everyone to see those fat tits of yours or worse, you'll back the fuck off.

Sure enough, at the bottom of the page was a close-up picture of several thin crisscrossing white lines standing out on the grey inside of her thigh. They weren't the sort of thing anyone could notice unless they were staring in the locker room, and her spats always did a good job of hiding them from the rest of her peers. The only person she ever wanted knowing about those scars was her therapist.

No... No no no... She whimpered as she felt her heart-rate began to pick up, and it felt like she was going to throw up. Why are they doing this? Was raping me not enough?

Slamming her locker shut, Jinx slapped her lock on it and rushed for the bathroom. Tears began to run down her cheeks so quickly that she didn't even see who she barrelled into; she just slammed into the person, stumbled, and tried to wipe her face with her forearm. It was all she could do to not hyperventilate on the way down the hall.

She dropped her bags the moment she got into the bathroom, and rushed into the nearest stall. Most days, she would have regretted not eating breakfast, but when her stomach purged itself, she was definitely thankful that she skipped breakfast today. The taste of bile wasn't all that reassuring, but it beat some other tastes.

When flushed and made her way back out of the stall, she made her way over to the sink and ran the cold water. Jinx then removed her glasses and splashed cold water onto her face. It wasn't the best way to calm her, but it helped. There'd been something she'd read about splashing water activating the vagus nerve, triggering a decrease in heart rate and breathing.

As she slipped her glasses back on, she was startled to find none other than Sunset Shimmer leaned against the bathroom counter. Whether she was her gym partner or not, it would've been unnerving to have the school's queen bee showing up after the incident the other morning. The more alarming part was that the fiery redhead was looking at a very familiar piece of paper in her nitrile gloved hands.

There was a dark look on her face as her eyes flicked across the threat Jinx received. "I take it this is the rugby team's retaliation for what happened on Wednesday?" Sunset asked in a flat voice. When Jinx only flinched and looked away, the young woman sighed. "Don't look so surprised. There very little that goes on in this school that I don't know about." She tapped the threatening note with the back of her hand before continuing. "If something happens that I think will affect the school, I make it my business to know."

Jinx wrung her hands as she struggled not to make eye contact. What did Sunset want from her? Was she going to offer her help, only to expect something in return? Or was she going to use this to get rid of the boys and then keep her cutting as leverage? She doesn't seem like the type to help out of the goodness of her heart... Even if the rumour, that she was behind the school's new fundraiser for the Crystal Prep families affected by Monday's incident, was true.

"When you've calmed down, we're going to Celestia and Luna with this," she said in a firm voice as she folded the paper and slid it into her pocket. "You might not be the first girl they've done this to, but you're the only one to actually speak out. Even if Score's father is a police lieutenant, this—" She tapped her pocket with emphasis, anger furrowing her brow. "—isn't something that can be ignored. Even if we can't prove it came from them, a threat like this has to be investigated. He can't just make them drop it without raising suspicions."

Although her anxiety was still high, it was finally dawning on her that Sunset Shimmer was wearing medical gloves. The entire thing gave her mental whiplash. Why does she have...? Before she could voice that question, Sunset seized her by her hand and started leading her toward the door. Jinx barely had time to snag her own backpack and purse on the way past. Wait... she's taking me to the office? She shook her head and weakly tried to pull free. Doesn't Sunset know what'll happen if we go to the police?

The hall was packed with students by this point, and she couldn't help but wonder what they thought as the pair swept through the halls. On the one hand, there was Jinx, who looked like she was on the verge of another panic attack. On the other, you had an angry Sunset Shimmer dragging the poor girl along. Given that just days ago people were calling her a slut, Sunset probably looked like she was wearing gloves so as not to touch her.

Ms. Inkwell was certainly surprised when Sunset stormed into the office. Casting a look between the unlikely pair, she asked, "Sunset, Jinx, is there something the matter?"

While Jinx quietly shook her head, as she really did not want to be there, Sunset nodded. "We need to see Ms. Luna and Ms. Celestia, ma'am," she said in a formal voice that did not belie the gravity of the situation. The last thing Jinx heard before her legs gave out and the world went dark was, "This situation is getting out of control."

Luna

The Vice Principal Luna's office was quiet, and the lights were kept dim. Luna sat at her desk, awaiting the arrival of the police, occasionally glancing at the youth huddled in the corner, hugging her knees. She didn't press Ms. Charm for details, though. She'd been informed by her sister that Jinx didn't have any faith in the police, and given what had happened last year with Lily Valley, she shared the girl's doubts.

At the same time, though, Sunset Shimmer was correct when she said this was out of control. After the blow-up in the cafeteria on Wednesday, and the harassment that triggered it, a threat like the one Jinx had found in her locker was beyond mere high school drama. This was blatant blackmail, with a thinly veiled threat of further retaliation. Although there was nothing to tie it to the previous event, and Jinx Charm wasn't sure she wanted to chance the police, the school had no choice but to get them involved.

Her eyes drifted down to the threatening note in question, now sealed in a clear bag. As her gaze lingered on the self-mutilation depicted on the page, she worried for the student in the corner. As it stood, Jinx barely looked to be holding herself together. She held none of the furious vitality she displayed in that very office two days ago, instead looking like a scared animal. Did those marks indicate that she might resort to self-harm if pressed? Had it already started once more?

As much as this situation was a nightmare, the head disciplinarian was thankful that Sunset dragged Jinx in and brought this to their attentions. It was no secret to the staff that the redhead was a borderline problem student who seemed to have a finger in all of the pies, but beyond some disciplinary issues in the seventh grade, her record was spotless. A counsellor described the girl as a destabilising influence in the eighth grade, but in recent years she'd become the queen bee, ensuring the hive stayed stable.

Now, though, they seemed to be seeing another side to Sunset. It was clear that up until now she was acting out of self-interest, although to what end Luna had no idea. Now, though, she was showing more compassion and empathy. The fundraiser idea was a good example, straying outside her established pattern of behaviour. It wasn't the first time that she'd gotten herself involved when bullying seemed to be getting out of control, but this was the first time she'd seen the young woman angry on someone else's behalf.

"It's disgusting that they're doing this to her," Sunset had argued while Celestia and Raven saw to Jinx during her fainting spell. "I'm pretty sure she doesn't have anyone else to rely on, and those pigs are doing everything they can to destroy her emotionally, like they want to make her..." Though she was clearly trying to hide it, Luna couldn't have missed the glimmer of unease in the girl's eyes.

It must gall her to no end having to rely on others for a change, she thought with a shake of her head. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a knock at her door. With the blinds drawn, she couldn't see who it was, so instead Luna called out, "Come in."

The door opened, and in stepped a uniformed police officer. As she caught sight of the man's face, she couldn't help but thank her lucky stars that they'd sent him to interview Jinx Charm. "Vice Principal Luna," said Officer Shining Armour. "We received a call that a student had found a threatening letter in her locker this morning. They didn't give me any of the details, but it must be quite the threat that you are getting us involved."

The woman nodded at her soon-to-be nephew, but when she glanced at Jinx, she saw the girl was staring wide-eyed at the police officer as she got up off the floor. "Officer Shining Armour, this is Jinx Charm," she explained, pointing to the girl. "She's the one that received the threat."

When he turned to regard the young woman, Luna caught a look of recognition on his face. "We've met," he responded, grabbing one of the free chairs and dragging it over to the desk. His expression grew to one of concern as Jinx began to fidget and tried to look anywhere but at Shining. Turning his attention back to Luna, he raised an eyebrow. "I take it she wasn't entirely on board with the involvement of police?"

With a shake of her head, Luna let out a sigh. "Jinx, I know this is hard for you, and you might not trust the police very much right now—" That got another worried look from the police officer. "—but Shining Armour is one of the most incorruptible men I've ever met. It's okay... You can trust him."

For the first time since the young woman had come to after her little episode, she spoke. "C-can you stay while we talk, Ms. Luna?" There was a horrified look on Jinx's face as she raised her hands defensively. "Not that I think you'd do anything to me, it's just..." Her hands fell, and soon she began to fidget with the bottom of her shirt. "It'd make me feel better."

As Jinx began answering Shining Armour's questions, the vice principal couldn't help but feel for the young woman. It must've taken a lot of willpower to get over her fear that the police wouldn't be of any use as she explained who she thought left the message, why she thought it to be a credible threat, and why she thought she'd received the threat in the first place. Nobody should have had to face this sort of torment, especially not at Canterlot High School.

Hearing the girl talk about how she'd been invited to a party, drugged, and sexually assaulted, Luna was taken back to her own college years. After all, she'd nearly had a similar experience at the hands of Celestia's ex-boyfriend at a frat party. If not for my sister, who knows what that bastard Sombra would have done to me? Just nearly being assaulted left her having nightmares for weeks. I can't even fathom what she's going through right now.

To her surprise, Jinx actually produced documents the hospital had given her just when Shining said he thought he had everything he needed from her. After the man gave the young woman his card, Luna dismissed her to her next period. She couldn't help but shake her head as she watched the girl go.

"I'm going to need to interview those she accused, but my partner should be able to assist in that, if he's finished with that witness girl," Shining groaned, heaving a sigh as he too watched the door shut behind Jinx. "I don't get why she's so reluctant about this, though. She almost seemed afraid to even hint at it."

"It's because of the father of one of the boys that she's accused," Luna answered with a sigh. "I understand that Score's father, Even Playing Field, is a lieutenant with the Canterlot P.D."

That got a grim look from the young officer, and she thought she heard a muttered, "Son of a..." before he stared up at the ceiling. "I'm gonna be honest, Luna. Ideally, I'd stay away from this case once it gets passed up the chain in order to avoid any sort of conflict of interest, since I've got some history with Jinx... but knowing that Lt. 'Get Even' is the father of one of the suspects, I might have to keep an eye out regardless. At least with your heads-up, I can contact the I.A.B. if he tries to torpedo the investigation."

He stood up from his chair, and collected all of the documents into one neat stack. "Since many of those she accused are minors, I won't be able to interview them without a parent present," he concluded. "If you could forward me the contact information for those families that'd be great."

As the officer turned to exit the office, Luna called out, "I hope your sister gets better soon, Officer Armour."

Chapter 6

Jinx Charm

Saturday nights were the worst. While most people her age would be hanging out at a mall, going to the movies, or going to parties, Jinx got no such respite. Although her boss was understanding about her working half-shifts on week-nights during the school year, he was not merciful on the weekend, friend of her parents or not. She worked the night shift Saturday, and then the afternoon shift on Sunday. At least on the night shift, he lets me do my homework during the dead hours.

At least the gas station she worked at was close to the trailer park she lived in. Besides being only a short jaunt home, almost nobody from school lived in this part of town; even if her peers were out enjoying their weekend, it wasn't like anyone was likely to come across her. That was good, because she didn't fancy facing anyone right now.

"I believe in you," came a voice over her earbud as she worked. Since it was so late, it was a perfect opportunity to restock the cigarette displays behind the counter, while keeping one ear out for customers. "I can show you I can see through all your empty lies. I won't stay long in this world so wrong."

The fact of the matter was that Jinx still felt rather on edge about yesterday. Even if Officer Shining Armour was one of the good guys, she wasn't so sure getting the cops involved would actually help anything. She couldn't prove that it was Score's goons that left the note, and the school did not yet have cameras in the halls; all they'd have to do is lie about involvement or use connections to make it all go away. Then they might potentially come after her for making 'false accusations'.

"Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight," she sang along, occasionally turning an eye towards the window as she worked. "Don't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight."

And what is Sunset Shimmer's game? While she couldn't deny that she was getting along rather well with her partner for the year, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had some sort of ulterior motive. That was the girl who single-handedly got Gilda and Lightning Dust to back down from starting an all out war between the school football team and Gilda's gang last year. You have to be one scary bitch to make those two psychos back down, and yet she's almost coming off as caring. What's she trying to butter me up for?

All Sunset really accomplished by forcing her hand was putting her in further danger. The boys might keep their heads down, but she knew they would not be happy about the cops getting involved. If she was lucky, they might not start getting more malicious. Wasn't that how it worked? You got the cops involved, and then they turn everything up to eleven that they can while staying under the radar?

Crouching down, she pulled a few cartons of Marlboros from one of the boxes she brought out from the back. As she stood up, however, she saw something in her peripheral vision that startled her. In the window, she caught sight of a dark figure standing beside her. Reflexively, she dropped the cartons as she spun to regard whoever it was that had somehow come in and got behind the counter without making a sound.

As she looked around the gas station storefront, however, there was nobody there. Even a glance at the security camera revealed there was nobody hiding behind the shelving units. This whole thing has me so worked up that I'm jumping at shadows now, she thought without the least bit of amusement. With a sigh, she lifted her glasses and rubbed at her eyes Lack of restful sleep isn't helping any, either.

Jinx quickly got back to work. Once she finished stocking the cigarettes and saw that there were still no customers. That said, she quickly noticed that the pump attendant that was supposed to be on shift—a California native who moved to the area to bask in its unique atmosphere—was nowhere to be seen. It was odd, because the man was usually pretty good about letting her know if he was taking a smoke break.

Come to think of it, I don't think anyone's been by for gas since I clocked in, and I didn't see him clock in either. Just a few folks getting smokes or snacks.

When half an hour passed and she saw no sign of her co-worker, she grabbed the store phone and rang up her boss. "Hey, Mr. Fumes?" she said after the man grumbled something unintelligible on the other end of the line. She didn't exactly blame him. It was after eleven in the evening. "It's Jinx Charm down at your Everfree Road gas station. I was wondering if you heard anything from Greg? I haven't seen him at all tonight."

There was a moment of silence on the other end before finally her employer groaned. "Shit, I forgot to tell you that you'd be alone tonight," Mr Fumes grumbled. "Greg's off with the flu, and I just got an email saying that lazy girl, Hokey Smokes, can't get in for the next shift either. If you're only now noticing that Greg's not there, it must be pretty dead out there, so I want you to close up at midnight and head home."

That actually caught her by surprise. "That's very kind of you, sir, but I don't mind finishing out my full shift."

"Nah. Them idiots at Canterlot P.D. ain't caught that critter that tore up all those people at Crystal Prep yet," he said with a jovial laugh. "Your folks would come back and haunt me if something happened to you."

"Thank you si—" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a black Crown Vic pull up to one the pumps. "I've gotta go, Mr. Fumes. Got a customer at the pumps."

Hanging up the phone, she grabbed the keys clipped to her belt and made her way out the door. She stopped only long enough to lock the door behind her before making her way over to the vehicle. Immediately, Jinx was a little unnerved. The windshield had a dark tint that made the driver hard to see. There were two types of people, by her reckoning, that used tinted windows: cops, and crooks. Not that one doesn't preclude the other.

Even as she came around to the driver's side, she couldn't see the driver until he rolled down his window. Somehow, she wasn't surprised to see the person inside was wearing police blues and a badge, with short-cropped black hair. "Fill'er up with fifty bucks worth of premium," he demanded, leaning out the window as he brandished a fifty in his Persian grey hand. "And wash my windshield while you're at it."

"Of course, sir," she replied, taking the bill over to the attendant booth. Propping open the door, she did a cursory check to verify it was authentic, and then authorised fifty dollars worth of gas. As she returned to the pump, and plugged the nozzle into his car, she couldn't help but notice that he was leering at her with familiar green eyes. When she came around to the front of his vehicle with the squeegee, she caught sight of the brassy bars on his collar and the nameplate on his shirt proclaiming him to be Even Playing Field. That name alone made her blood run cold.

His gaze never left her as she washed down his windshield. She wasn't sure if he was appraising her, if he was just hoping that her work polo got wet, or if he was just a creep. No, he's trying to intimidate me. She wasn't stupid; she seldom ever saw cops here, unless she was the one to call them, yet here was the father of one of her assailants a day after she'd spilled to the police.

As she finished up with his windscreen, she saw that the pump finished its job. Moving back to unhook the nozzle and setting it back in its place, she asked, "Would you like a receipt, sir?"

The man just shook his head and fixed her with a smile that made her stomach churn. "Nah, I'm good." He started to roll up his driver-side window and started to pull away, but stopped. "You be safe now, little miss," he warned, managing to sound almost threatening. "Dark streets like this aren't a kind place for a pretty young lady like yourself."

Despite the unease she was feeling, Jinx managed to ignore the fear of what that man represented. It was mentally exhausting dealing with all the leers and jeers that'd been happening because of the rumour started on the first day, and even after her call-out on Wednesday, there were still guys who didn't seem to get it. After Friday's threatening letter, she felt one step closer to the edge and breaking...

I'm tired of being nice... I'm tired of being trampled on...

"Lieutenant, I know you know who I am." Her hands clenched into fists as she held them tightly at her sides. "You should also know that it doesn't reflect well upon you as an officer of the law to show up at my place of work. when there's nobody else around, to intimidate me—especially after your son was named as a suspect for a number of crimes against me." Crossing her arms beneath her breasts, she glanced up at the camera. "So stow the false concern and piss off before I make a call that will ruin your career."

Even Playing Field's eyes narrowed at her, but in spite of that, he smiled at her. "See ya 'round, little lady," the officer said with a chuckle. As he pulled past, he gave her a two-finger salute, as if he was tipping a hat.

Jinx didn't return inside immediately. Rather, she watched until the running lights of the car were out of sight before unlocking the door and going inside. For better or worse, no other customers stopped by that night. That left her free to count out her till and move everything to the safe. Luckily, Mr. Fumes taught her how to close up shop for events exactly like this.

It was only after she'd locked everything down and switched the sign over to 'Closed' that she began to feel that something was up. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and she was covered in goosebumps, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. As she put her keys in her purse and slowly started walking down Everfree Rd. towards the Everfree Pines trailer park, she couldn't help but glance about.

Everfree Pines was on the edge of Canterlot closest to the Everfree Forest National Park, which meant that it wasn't out of the question that there might be a puma or a black bear in the area. At the same time, though, they tended to stay out of the city limits. The only place she'd even heard of a puma sighting was out near Sweet Apple Acres. Didn't I overhear Applejack say Mac took one out with their .22 long rifle the one time? If it had been a wild animal in the area, though, she wouldn't hear the symphony of crickets and peepers. This was probably a different kind of predator.

With a sigh, she cast a glance over her shoulder. Was it her imagination and paranoia, or did someone just step out of a street light down the street and into the shadows? And is that the light of a cigarette? Unsure whether she actually wanted a confirmation, she clutched her bag close and picked up her pace.

Not five minutes passed before she glanced over her shoulder. This time, she could discern that she was indeed not alone. Silhouetted in a street lamp maybe five lights back was a dark figure on the other side of the road. They stopped walking the moment she looked, but a moment later, they threw something off into the ditch. Even still, she could feel their eyes bearing down on her. The moment she turned her attention forward again, the person began to whistle a familiar children's nursery rhyme.

♪All around the mulberry bush...♪

She once again picked up her pace.

♪The monkey chased the weasel...♪

A glance over her shoulder revealed that the figure was now only four lights behind her. In response, Jinx broke into a sprint. She may not have been on the track team, but she was fast.

♪The monkey thought it was all in fun...♪

She could hear the pounding of footfalls on the pavement behind her. When she glanced back, the person following her was even closer than before. Am I seriously getting chased down by some sort of Olympic sprinter?

♪Pop goes the weasel.♪

The weight of the person slammed into her from behind, sending them both sprawling to the ground, and her glasses skittering off into the darkness. She tried to get back to her feet, but he—for she was definitely certain now—was on her in an instant, rolling her onto her back. He straddled her chest, and forced her to stare up at his gaunt face and greasy blonde hair as he smashed the back of her head into the pavement and pinned her arms down.

Not again... Please no.

"I heard an easy mark worked at that station, but damn, I hit the jackpot!" She quietly whimpered and sobbed as he started to tear at her shirt. Tears spilt down her face, and much to her horror, he leaned close to lick them up with sadistic glee. "I was just gonna rob you, but I could definitely spend a bit extra time with you..."

Please, someone help me...

"I can help you..." she imagined hearing an almost feminine voice whispering in her ear. Were it not for what she was already going through, it might even have put her hair on end, because it sounded like her own voice. "Let me in... let me feast... and I will become your justice."

Please, anything... I don't want this... not again... An inky black mass punched up out of the darkness beneath her, and something splattered across her face. Suddenly, the man was soaring backwards through the air, knocking him flat on his back in the middle of the road. Slowly, it coalesced into a vague animal shape looming over her. With a vicious snarl, the creature lunged for her attacker, and pounced on his still-prone form.

He was already screaming as the shock wore off. She spared only a single glance at the creature as its forelimbs tore into the man, and she couldn't quite be sure of what it was. She wanted to say that it was bear-shaped, but there were way too many gleaming eyes all over its body... and it seemed like whenever it drew back one of its arms, the head became the next arm to swing down.

Jinx didn't waste any more time getting to her feet; as soon as she pulled the tatters of her shirt together, she started running, not looking back. The sound of flesh ripping and the screaming of the man was all she could hear for a long time. It sounded like she was still right next to it, even when she'd gotten more than a mile down the road. She had to get away.

It took her longer than she was proud to admit before the thought of calling the police. Shakily, she dipped her hand into her purse and pulled out her flip phone. Her body was screaming for her to stop, even as she dialled 911 and pressed the phone to her ear.

"Nine one one, what is the nature of your emergency?"

In a shaky voice, she said, "I was attacked by a man between the gas station and the trailer park on Everfree Road. He was going to... going to..." Finally, she could go no further, and slowed down to slump against a light pole and pant. "Some kind of... some kind of animal knocked him off me, and I managed to get away, but... I can still hear it tearing him apart."

Shining Armour

It was oh six hundred hours when Officer Shining Armour stepped into the Canterlot Police Department. His shift wasn't set to start for another half hour, but it never hurt to stop in early. It gave him an opportunity to check his internal CPD email for memos or correspondence regarding cases at one of the communal computers afforded to patrol officers. Given the recent goings-on of Canterlot, it never hurt to check for updates. After all, they were no closer to solving the Crystal Prep Incident.

It was strange to say the least. Normally, there'd be some sort of evidence left behind, be it some sort of DNA left behind, shell casings, or discarded weapons. What happened at his sister's school, on the other hand, didn't line up with a typical school shooter scenario, nor did it quite line up with animal attacks. For one thing, the officer couldn't think of anything real that could tear through the building superstructure like had happened at the school.

Then there was the wounds on the injured and slain throughout the building. Although a large portion of the Crystal Prep casualties were attributed to superstructure collapse or walls getting knocked down, there were also a lot of inconsistent wounds. Some students appeared to have been shot with some indeterminate projectile, whilst others had some of the cleanest cuts he'd ever seen. Some appeared to have been thrown with great force, but many of the deceased appeared to have bite wounds. Maybe the weirdest part was that those apparent bites had no saliva or bacterial traces, or even consistent bite patterns.

Security cameras in the school hadn't been much use either. One of the first places damaged in the rampage was the wiring closet that the security cameras all fed through, rendering more than half of the school's extensive security cameras inoperable. Those that weren't downed only showed an indistinct dark shape moving through the building. Sometimes it moved like a human and seemed more solid, while other times it almost appeared to move like liquid across the floor. It almost seemed as though it was in search of something specific, but it disappeared completely after breaking through the walls of his sister's lab. Those had to be malfunctions though, right?

Why is the only thing that comes to mind some kind of berserk nanomachine blob from some sci-fi horror?

As he sat at one of the free desks and signed in, he saw something he really didn't want to see. It was a notification in his inbox stating that a case he'd opened just the other day was closed a little after midnight this morning. The reason listed in the email stated as 'lack of substantial evidence'... Further explanation was given pointing out that the only prints on the paper were those of the 'alleged' victim, and the members of the accused all had alibis for the period of time during which the note could have been deposited. What made his blood boil, however, was the name of the one responsible for closing said case: Lieutenant Even Playing Field.

Before he could draft an email to Internal Affairs, the atmosphere of the room finally reached him. Everybody seemed on edge, and there was a lot of whispering. This wasn't like how the squad room felt after the Crystal Prep attack; people seemed more angry than anxious. Nearby, he could hear the conversation between two female officers.

"What's the deal with that girl in the interview room?" asked the rookie whose name he thought was Glitter Breeze. She seemed genuinely concerned. "She's covered in dried blood, her shirt's torn and covers almost nothing, and she was just sitting huddled in a corner on the floor when I looked in."

The sergeant, Emerald Cuff—the same woman who'd been Shining's training officer years ago—shook her head, glaring off in the direction of what civilians just called the 'interrogation room'. "It's disgusting, I know," she responded with a shake of her head and a sniff. "I heard they brought her in just after midnight, after she called in that she was attacked by some pervert, but then some thing killed the guy who was trying to attack her. Dunno why they haven't at least let her clean up if they're gonna hold her until she's coherent enough to talk."

A guy taking his coffee at the nearest desk snorted. "Way I hear it, the El-Tee has it out for her. Must be a recidivist, because he seemed almost elated the chance to make her sweat a bit before he charges her. It seems excessive to leave her there six hours though." He shrugged and turned in his chair. "Can't tell if he actually believes that little thing tore that crack-head to pieces like that... Don't think Cap'll approve when he finds out."

The more Shining Armour heard, the more he burned through his temper. He hoped against hope that he wasn't leaping to conclusions, but there was a reason Even Playing Field had the nickname Get Even in the squad; he never held grudges because he'd always find a way to even the score. Last I heard, there aren't very many young women on his shit list, so...

Signing off from the computer, the young officer ran a hand through his short blue hair and stood up. "Hey, Sarge, is the captain in?" he called over to Emerald Cuff as he reached the door. The woman gave him one look, and—maybe catching his grim expression—nodded."How about Get Even?" There was a shake of her head this time. "Good."

Exiting the room, Shining made his way through the halls toward Captain Fair Shake's office. On his way past the interview room, he peered through the door. What he saw made his blood boil. Just as Glitter had observed, there was a young woman in a bloodstained polo and slacks huddled on the floor, facing the corner. It was hard to tell what colour her hair was with all the blood in it, but from the skin on the arm he could see, it was grey.

He couldn't tell if she could feel his eyes on her, or if she just so happened to look in the direction of the door, but as soon as he saw those lifeless pink eyes, he was certain. Even without her glasses, he could tell that it was Jinx Charm in there. What he couldn't wrap his head around was why. Even if Even Playing Field had lost his mind, he shouldn't have been this obvious... Did naming his son really push his buttons that much?

When the young woman's empty gaze returned to the corner, he made his way down the hall toward the captain's office. He knocked on the office door, and waited quietly for an invitation to enter. "Come in," came a gruff voice from inside the office. As he opened the door, he saw the ageing police captain sat at his desk, looking over some reports. At a glance, she even caught Crystal Prep written across one of the closed file folders. When the man finally looked up, he fixed Shining Armour with a smile. "Ah, Officer Armour, good morning. A bit early to be clocked in for your shift, isn't it?"

The young officer couldn't return the man's smile. "Sorry, sir, I'm not on the clock yet; rather, there's something I think needs to be discussed." He closed the door behind him as he stepped into the office and sat down in the seat opposite the captain. "Sir, are you aware that Lieutenant Even Playing Field's son was recently named a suspect in regards to a credible threat of violence and revenge pornography towards a female student at CHS, as well as a potential sexual assault?" When the older man slowly nodded, Shining sighed. "Sir, could you bring up case file 'oh one three oh nine oh six dash sixteen b'?"

When the captain turned to his computer and started typing, a frown creased his face. Shining knew what he was seeing: the case file for Ms. Charm's incident on Friday, and the appended statements from Jinx, Sunset Shimmer, and the suspects who had been interviewed. Maybe the note had also been scanned and added to the digital case-file. "What should I be seeing, son?" the captain asked, his brow furrowed. "I admit, it's a bit soon to see the case closed and... hold on..."

Once Captain Shake's expression started to become grim, Shining continued. "That's not all, I'm afraid," Shining said as he clenched his fists on his lap. "I just saw that same Jinx Charm in the interview room, where she's apparently been sitting by herself since being attacked last night. Word is that the lieutenant had her put there. She hasn't even been allowed to clean the blood off of her or get into some clean clothes."

Slowly, the captain's face sank into his open palm as he pulled up the file of last night's incident. "Christ's sake, Playing Field, are you trying to get the department sued?" he muttered to himself. A shake of his head later, the captain looked back over to Shining. "Officer Armour, you seem to have some rapport with the young lady. Since the statement she gave the first officers on scene seems to indicate it may be related to Crystal Prep, I don't see any reason to further hold and torment her. Could you talk to her, and then get one of the female officers to take her to the showers, and work out where she's going next?" With a nod of acknowledgement, Shining rose and started for the door. "Oh, and be prepared to talk to Internal Affairs."

In quick order, Shining marched back out to the squad room. "Sarge, I need to borrow the rookie for a few," he said, inclining his head back in the direction of the interview room. "The woman over in the interview room's being let go, but it might make her more comfortable if a female officer handled the clothing situation and waited outside the shower. I figure it might be a good learning opportunity for her."

Emerald Cuff gave the younger officer an approving look. "Sure thing," she said, glancing over to the aforementioned rookie. "Go with Officer Armour, Glitter." With a bit of a smirk, she added, "Keep her for the day."

Without a word, Glitter Breeze followed Shining Armour over to the interview room. She seemed kind of surprised with the ease he walked in there, just enough to be heard, but not so close as to make the girl uncomfortable. "Jinx Charm," he called out in a soft voice. "I'm sorry you've been kept in here for so long."

She turned her head just enough to peer at him out of the corner of her eyes. "We've gotta stop meeting like this, Shining Armour," she murmured in what he assumed was supposed to be a joking tone. If anything, though, she just sounded defeated. Turning her gaze back to the wall, she let out a sigh. "So am I being charged?"

"No!" the rookie cried out, startling not only Jinx, but Shining as well. "You're a victim! Not a—"

Before the rookie could say much more, he raised his hand. "What Officer Glitter means to say," he softly explained, "is that Lieutenant Playing Field should never have had you locked in here by yourself in the first place."

He didn't miss the wince at the mention of the man. He was stunned at her next words, though. "He was there last night..." It was so quiet that a pin dropping would have been louder than her voice. "Just before midnight, he showed up trying to spook me. It's all on the security cameras."

Shaking his head, Shining glanced at his temporary companion. "Glitter here is gonna take you over to the showers so you can get cleaned up, and find you something clean from the lost and found." He didn't like how still Jinx was and just how dead her eyes seemed. "In the meantime, is there anybody I can call to pick you up? Someone who can be there for you so you don't have to be alone?"

After an extended silence, Jinx simply shook her head. She finally climbed back up to her feet, her knees popping as she rose, turning to face them both. It didn't even seem to faze her that her bra was visible due to the way her torn shirt hung down. Tears ran down the bloody trenches on her cheeks as she looked at him. "I'm all alone... My parents are gone, no family left, and no friends to speak of."

It broke his heart how scared and lonely she sounded. "Glitter, go get her cleaned up," he instructed the rookie. "I've gotta make a few calls." When the pair were gone from the interview room, he took out his phone and started typing away.
Hey, hon. Can you do me a favour?

It was a few moments before his fiance responded.

Shiny, it's six twenty in the morning...

Can you send me the contact information of your aunts? One of their students was attacked last night and has nobody to turn to. She's in shock, and given all she's been through lately, I don't think she should be alone.

There was another pause before Cadance's reply appeared.

It's that girl from the hospital, isn't it? Jinx?

Cady, you know I can't...
Yeah, it's her.

After a few moments, his fiance gave him the number for the school principal, Celestia. With a sigh, he dialled in the number, and let it ring. He didn't particularly fancy the idea of waking someone up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday, especially not one who might not even be able to offer any help, but...

"Good morning, you've reached Celestia," came a surprisingly chipper voice. "May I ask who is calling?"

"I apologise for the early call, Celestia," he said with a sigh. "I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Cadance's fiance, Shining Armour."

"I seem to recall seeing you on Friday, Officer Armour. What can I do for you?"

"We've got Jinx Charm here at the police department..." Before she could say anything, he quickly interjected, "No, she's not in any trouble, but she was attacked last night; I really don't think she should be by herself right now, and she said she didn't really have anyone she could lean on..."

He could practically hear the reassuring smile in the woman's voice. "Say no more, Officer Armour. I'll be down there in half an hour."

Chapter 7

Sunset Shimmer

The late summer sun beat down on Sunset as she stepped away from the wall to examine her work. The large mural depicted all sorts of domestic animals gathered around a yellow-skinned woman in a lab coat and stethoscope. On the veterinarian's shoulder sat a cockatiel fussing with the woman's cerulean hair. Every creature looked as though it had seen some sort of medical treatment, but all looked happy... grateful for the saintly woman. All in all, not her worst piece, but today, that didn't matter as much.

With one paint-stained sleeve, she wiped the sweat from her brow. In the other hand, she held a spray paint can. A painting respirator covered most of her face, while a hood and goggles covered everything else. With nitrile gloves covering her hands, there wasn't a single bit about her that anybody could identify at a glance. When doing street art, she had to be careful, lest some tagger get uppity that her art usurped their signatures's space. Gilda and her 'griffons' in particular seemed none too happy with her last few pieces.

Even if she wasn't trying to maintain anonymity today, it never hurt to make sure nobody from school knew about this. As much as graffiti might match with the bad-girl queen-bee persona that she'd built up over the years, something cutesy like this wasn't her usual modus operandi. She was more inclined to do something abstract or stylised. If she added her usual Flanksy signature, it might keep people guessing, but then again, the one that commissioned this piece knew who she was.

Before she could switch back to one of the other paints, the yelp of a siren behind her. With a sigh, she slowly put down the spray can beside the messenger bag she kept her supplies in and turned around. Sure enough, a police cruiser pulled up behind her while she was lost in her work. One officer was still inside the car, but another familiar looking officer was already standing beside her with his hands on his hips. Although he looked fairly relaxed, she imagined he was ready to start running if she were to flee.

"We received a tip that there was a hoodlum tagging a wall around here," Officer Shining Armour commented, taking in the mural. It occurred to Sunset, however, that he was talking to the fresh-faced young woman in the driver's seat. "Never in my life did I expect to actually find one doing something this in-depth in broad daylight. What do you think, Glitter?"

The officer in the cruiser pulled down her mirrored sunglasses, and seemed to assess the mural. "Oregon Revised Statutes one sixty-four point three eighty-three, and point three forty-five," She answered, glancing at her partner. "Unlawful Application of Graffiti for one, and it could fall under Criminal Mischief Three—potentially even Criminal Mischief Two if damages exceed five hundred dollars, I think."

Sunset winced at hearing the state laws being recited. She'd done her homework and knew her creative outlet could land her in trouble, but she'd tried to be careful about where she did it. Usually if she made a piece, it was intended to be unobtrusive and inoffensive. Nothing that would draw too much attention, and she would only ever do it at night. Until today.

Slowly, so as not to provoke any reaction, she raised her hands, palms out toward the officer. "Officer Armour, this is all a big misunderstanding," she tried to explain. "If you go into the vet's office—this building—and ask the receptionist, she'll tell you that the office commissioned this mural."

This entire interaction seriously made her reconsider ever doing commission work ever again. Not only did meeting spec put a serious damper on her creativity, but now she had to deal with cops. That was the last thing she needed! Celestia help her if they tried running a background check.

All I wanted to do today was relax after being scared awake up in the middle of the night by that magic surge. It had to be just after midnight when it happened. Just like in the field, it was a sudden build-up of tension that snapped back like a rubber band, but it was much further away. Except this time, the snap wasn't immediate; it held for several minutes before dispersing. There was something different about it this time... the energy I felt made me feel cold.

It looked like Shining Armour was about to turn and suggest the other officer go check in with the vet office, the door swung open. A woman who resembled the one depicted on the mural stepped out onto the sidewalk, and quickly went to join the officer. "Is there a problem, Officer?" she asked, before turning a look to Sunset. "Are these officers hassling you, Sunset?"

Just the weekend before last, Sunset had been out at an abandoned warehouse that she used as a test-bed for practising her art. She'd noticed all the feral cats in the area plenty of times over the years, but she hadn't realised that there was actually a feral cat colony in the area. As a result of the clinic's head vet being in the area, she'd been caught in the middle of doing a self-portrait of how she'd looked back in Equestria. Rather than rat her out for graffiti, the woman 'asked' if she'd be interested in doing a mural for a nice chunk of cash—easily enough to recoup any paint she used.

"No, Dr. Fauna," she said, lowering her respirator and pushing her goggles up to her forehead. Shining Armour raised an eyebrow as he recognised her face. "Just a misunderstanding is all. I'm almost finished, though."

With a smile, the veterinarian returned her attention to the police officer. "Sunset here is being paid for this mural," she stated before moving back toward the door. "There should be no issue as I own this building."

Officer Shining Armour nodded. "I understand," was his response. "I'll get out of your hair then, ma'am."

He watched as the vet re-entered the office, but he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he watched as Sunset put her protective equipment in place and leaned down to pick up another spray-can from a bag at her feet. As she pulled out a stencil she'd prepared, she let out a chuckle. "I can feel your eyes on my back, officer," she snarked and held the stencil in place. "Is there something else I can help you with?"

There was no answer from him for a few moments, perhaps as if he were considering something. In the police car, she could hear impatient muttering from the other officer. "You convinced Jinx Charm to come forward about the threatening message and her assault, right?" Sunset let out a sigh, but nodded. "Do you consider her a friend?"

That was not a question she'd been expecting to hear from the man. Of all the things she'd been expecting, she wasn't expecting such a... Princess Celestia sort of question. Honestly, she was expecting him to ask if she had any other potential leads, or if she could confirm some part of her previous statements. What kind of question was that?

Do I consider her a friend? I hardly know the girl beyond what little notes I have on her. She was her gym partner, and one of the higher scoring students in the school... but none of that really makes her my friend. She chewed her bottom lip as she recalled the vision and what she wrote to Princess Celestia. I don't have friends. I have associates, accomplices, and tools. That's not the sort of answer he's expecting though.

"I think she needs one, but I doubt I'm the right girl for the job," was her answer after some thought. "I don't have the best track record in that department." She turned and regarded him with a questioning look. "Why do you ask?"

Scratching at his face, he glanced away. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but she was attacked last night, and she's pretty shaken up," he said in a soft voice. "If she comes to school tomorrow, could you watch out for her? She needs some kindness in her life right now." Before he got into the cruiser, he handed her a card. "In case anything else comes up, or if you can think of anything else related to the case, could you give me a call or an email?"

That evening, Sunset found herself lying on her couch. Ear-buds connected to an old MP3 player given to her by her ex-boyfriend, and the music she was listening to was doing an inadequate job of helping her blank. She was having difficulty wrapping her head around everything. Between what she'd begun to think of as mental contamination from the vision, her reassessment of her experiment, and what that officer said to her, some old feelings she'd long-thought buried or conquered made their presences known once more.

"What do I do to ignore them behind me? Do I follow my instincts blindly? Do I hide my pride from these bad dreams, and give into sad thoughts that are maddening?" Back in Equestria, Sunset had been orphaned by a magical disaster at a young age, until she earned herself the attention of Princess Celestia at her trial for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. When she not only received a full scholarship to the school, but an adoption by the princess herself, it set her down a hard path.

"Do I sit here and try to stand it, or do I try to catch them red-handed? Do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness, or do I trust nobody and live in loneliness?" There were a lot of expectations placed on her back, and she'd been almost certain that the teachers and her peers had been trying to sabotage her due to her lowborn status making her 'unworthy' of Celestia's love. Others she was sure were trying to use her to elevate their own social status. It'd been torturous and pushed her to excel, but it also made her distant and bitter.

"Because I can't hold on when I'm stretched so thin. I make the right moves, but I'm lost within. I put on my daily façade, but then I just end up getting hurt again..." Human psychologists had a term for what she'd experienced throughout her last years in Equestria: impostor syndrome. To feel worthy of being Celestia's daughter, she'd thrown herself into her work to the point that she had no hobbies, and any slip-up made her doubt herself. It'd gotten to the point where Sunset dominated academically at CSGU until graduation, and if anyone got in her way, she made sure to destroy them.

It'd bred arrogance and entitlement to her as she started to believe in the persona she created for herself. After all, her magical and academic prowess should have made her an invaluable resource to her adoptive mother, and any answer she didn't have, surely the princess would. Celestia herself had told her she was destined for greatness early on. That was why Mi Amore Cadenza's sudden appearance set off her downward spiral. The secrets of ascension to alicornhood had been held back from her, but a former pegasus from some backwater earth pony town had been deemed worthy? How was she not supposed to think she was being replaced?

Looking back, Sunset couldn't deny that she'd ignored a major portion of Celestia's teachings. She'd dismissed the insistence that she make friends as the elder alicorn's attempt to live vicariously through her; the average pony lifespan must have seemed like a fleeting moment in the princess's life, so making her own friends must surely have been painful for her. Then there was the matter of the fact that the only ponies around to choose from were nobles hoping to climb the social ladder, or those she had absolutely nothing in common with.

"How do you think I've lost so much? I'm so afraid; I'm out of touch. How do you expect I will know what to do when all I know is what you tell me to?" Here on Earth, was Sunset not making the same mistakes she'd made before? In some ways, it could even be argued she was worse than she was back in Equestria. She'd used Flash Sentry to help adapt to this world and build up her reputation. She'd played with his emotions, and pretended she didn't even care when he broke up with her over the monster she was becoming. Then she went and made the whole school believe she broke up with him. That was the sort of thing those snivelling nobles back home did.

Glancing down at the MP3 player. Flash gave it to her on the Christmas of the first year they'd been dating, loaded with his entire music library. Even if he didn't know that she was a pony from another realm, he'd been sharp enough to notice that she didn't have much, and his family accepted her with open arms. Hadn't it been Flash's family that helped her get an apartment with Redheart after finding her living out of a factory warehouse?

With a sigh, she shut the device off. There were a few albums that told of sadness and anger. How much of that was an outlet for him? How much of that did he hide from me? The Hybrid Theory album in particular reminded her of him because track twelve perfectly embodied their break-up, and was why she could never listen through the entire album.

As she pulled the earbuds from her ears, she heard a faint buzzing sound coming from her hidden safe. It'd been so long since hearing that particular sound, and her first thought was that she had left her back-up phone turned on. The thought of a phone, however, reminded her that her journal was in there. Her journal was chiming, meaning that Princess Celestia wrote something in her own linked journal.

Sunset all but threw herself off the couch to pull the cover off of the concealed safe. Without wasting any time, she punched in the code and withdrew the leather bound book. Making her way back to the sofa, she ran her fingers across the depiction of her cutie mark embossed on the cover. Anxiety welled up in her chest, as she knew that she would probably not like some of what her mentor had to say.

Taking a steadying breath, Sunset took a seat and opened the book.

My Little Sun,

I could scarcely believe my eyes when I found your message. After thirty years of silence, I had nearly given up hope that I would ever hear from you again. I cannot begin to express how elated I am that you are alright. This might even be the happiest I've been since my sister's return.

After consulting my sister, it would seem there are three ways to assess what you described. The first way is that, rather than any sort of metaphysical manifestation, your dream was a psychological representation of your fears, internal struggle, and a hint of what you could become. It could be that you feel remorse for the things that you've done, but you are either afraid or do not know how to make amends for the wrongs you have done to those around you. It would mean that your subconscious is telling you that there is a better way than falling to the darkness within one's soul.

The second assessment would be your traditional prophecy. If this were the case, then you glimpsed a literal future where ponies, or people as you called them, would look up to you with admiration not because you force them to, but because you are willing to protect them. If this were the case, it would indicate that the magic of the world in the mirror will become active soon, and at a very rapid pace.

Given, however, that you have indicated that the intermural event you described is unlikely to happen because of an event that day, it is more likely to be a glimpse into another time. It would mean your vision is a window into something you could have with the right efforts. Though things you've seen might never come to pass, you could have a life very similar to what you've seen if only you take the right path.

None of these, however, can adequately explain the void phenomena, your other self, or the altered state of your mind. If there were intense distortions in space and time in your vision, there is one last potential explanation. In the presence of spatio-temporal distortions, harmonic magic can have very strange effects. Add chaotic, dark, or wild magic to the equation and a phenomenon known as sharding may arise. A shard is a portion of magic which contains the memories and feelings of its creator immediately prior to the shard's birth. Shards typically return to those they belong to, and due to temporal displacement, it can result in the diversion of time's intended path. It was a very common phenomena during Discord's reign, and although some of them definitely helped guide my sister and I to the Elements of Harmony, I still occasionally experience shards of the past.

A shard may explain the heightened state of empathy and your conscience regarding the things you have been doing in that world. I will admit disappointment in your actions, but I can see in your writing that you are not beyond redemption. You have expressed guilt and a desire to protect your peers in spite of all you have done to them. Whether this desire to change is wholly your own volition or a result of a fragment of potential future is irrelevant, as in the end it is still all yours.

As I see it, you have several options available. Although I do not approve of what you have been doing in the least, you have the option of continuing as you are. You may yet reach a life akin to that of the Sunset Shimmer in your vision. I cannot speak for what you might have experienced or what be to come, but sometimes a pony must be humbled before they can better themselves. Alternatively, your misdeeds may catch up to you, and you may end up alone and miserable.

Your next option is to use your vision as the jumping off point for the start of a new phase in your life. Take responsibility and begin making amends with those you've hurt. Unify those you have divided, and use your resources to help, rather than harm. I know in the past you previously spurned my advice to make friends, but you may find your life far more rewarding.

The final option is for you to come home when next the portal opens. So much has changed in your absence, and there are so many ponies I would like you to meet. My dearest sister has been returned to me, the Elements of Harmony have been recovered after one thousand years. Discord is being rehabilitated, and the long forgotten Crystal Empire has returned and become an Equestrian protectorate. I want to show you this new golden age of Equestria, but more than anything, I want you back at my side.
With love,
Princess Celestia

It boggled her mind. In spite of everything she had done before coming here... in spite of all she had done since coming here, Celestia was all but welcoming her home with open arms. It sounded too good to be true, and Sunset couldn't deny that a small part of her mind warned that it could be a trap, that this was just a ruse to draw her home so that she could face trial. Her adoptive mother had been a grand-master when it came to chess, planning, and schemes. Yet for all of her plots, she wasn't the type of mare to lure you in and then back-stab you. She didn't have to when she could all but make you do it yourself and convince you it was your idea.

At the same time, though, a lot of the things she said made a lot of sense to Sunset. More than that, it resonated with something inside of her. Everything she'd done here was her responsibility to fix, and if the school was on the verge of some sort of magical catastrophe, she wasn't sure she could just shrug her shoulders and say, "It's not my problem." The Sunset she used to be might have been content to step back, watch, and then take notes, but the Sunset that vision wanted her to become couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

There was also something about what the alicorn wrote that bothered her. She never addressed Sunset's assertion that she wasn't worthy of being called her daughter. That could mean that she was in silent agreement, or that she found the assertion that Celestia would ever stop loving her ridiculous. Either way, it didn't fill the former unicorn with confidence.

With a sigh, Sunset snatched a pen off of the coffee table and began writing to her former mentor.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I think I'm closer to a decision on what I must do, but I cannot come home just yet. As much as I would love to return home to your side, there is yet much I must fix before I can return to Equestria. It's like you said; even if not physically, I've hurt people and divided an entire school. Worse, I've destroyed friendships in order to ensure that none could undermine me. I need to make amends.

I have twenty-two days until the portal opens to figure things out, and then seventy-two hours from that point onward before it closes for another three years. I would like nothing more than to return home, meet our world's Luna, and return to studying under you—properly this time—but I don't want to make a promise I might not be able to keep. Even if I can't make it home, I want you to know that I'm sorry for all I've done and put you through.
Your former student,
Sunset Shimmer
P.S. Does anypony there even remember me?

Once the message was penned, Sunset shut the journal and rose from the couch. Rather than immediately placing it back in the safe, Sunset paused. She hadn't heard its chiming over the music, but the buzz might be enough to carry through the ceiling. If it could, the sound might disturb Redheart, or worse, give her the wrong idea. No, she needed something to muffle the sound.

Her eyes drifted over to a coat-rack by the door. In addition to her jacket and the hooded sweatshirt she wore when she was doing street art, there was a hoodie her ex had given her hanging by its hood. She hadn't worn it since their break-up in the spring, and even back then it was growing tight around the chest. It might not fit any more, but it'd serve as a perfect means of muffling her ringing journal.

After grabbing the hoodie and wrapping the book, she deposited the bundle back into her safe. She put the cover back over it, and flopping back down on the couch. The MP3 player sat just beneath her palm, so she raised it up to examine. It was a bit beat up, and while it wasn't anything that'd been top of the line when he gave it to her in '08, it was by no means a cheap thing. Flash... He's probably one of the ones I hurt the most...

Setting the device down on the, she reached for her phone on the coffee table. It took a moment for her to find Flash's contact information, because she couldn't remember what she'd renamed him after the break-up. Just changing it to 'Ex BF' would have been too simple. No, apparently she'd been so angry that she'd chosen to indulge in this world's vulgarity and changed his contact name to 'Asshole'.

Her thumb hovered over the call button for a long while. Can I actually do this? She pulled her thumb away, and bit her lip. The two definitely needed to have a discussion, but was the phone really the best way to have this sort of discussion? No, it needed to be face-to-face, but there was no way he'd agree to have any sort of discussion with her if put on the spot. Still... She jabbed the button on her touchscreen and held the phone up to her ear.

It rang for a long time. In fact, it rang long enough that she was almost convinced that he wasn't going to answer—that she was going to go straight to his voicemail. At the last moment, however, there was a click on the line. "What do you want, Sunset?" Flash Sentry groused. He was definitely angry, but she was surprised by just how much disgust he managed to put in his voice. "I believe your last words to me were, and I quote, 'Tartarus will freeze over before I ever talk to you again.'"

That comment made her wince. She'd been way too bitter about that. "Hey, Flash," she answered, only now aware of how shaky she was. Why am I shaking? Why do I suddenly feel so vulnerable? "I'm not calling to start anything. I promise. I just... Can we talk?"

"I don't know..." He suddenly seemed a lot less sure of himself. "You really hurt me Sunset. You used me, and then threw a tantrum when I walked away."

Letting out a sigh, she tried to keep the tremor out of her voice. "I know, Flash," she whispered. "Do you think you could meet me at Sugarcube Corner after school tomorrow? There's something I need to talk to you about, but the phone isn't the right medium for the discussion." After a moment's thought, she added, "No schemes, no plot. I may have been a lot of things, but you know that I was good to my word. I promise that I just wanna talk."

"I..." She could tell that he was shocked. Maybe he was picking up on something in her voice? "I'll think about it."

Even though he couldn't see it, Sunset nodded. "I'll be there until six if you decide to go through with it."

The next morning, Sunset left home early. With her, she took her laptop and the cable required to connect to her digital voice recorder. She had no doubt that the device had long since run out of charge, but it'd draw enough power from the laptop to remain on until she got all the files off of it. At lunch, she'd set up in the library and sift through the recordings. Depending on what she found, she'd plan her next moves.

When she arrived at the school, she wasn't surprised to find there was barely anyone there yet. The vehicles belonging to the principal and vice-principal were in the staff parking lot, as well as a few others belonging to teachers or janitorial staff. Other than that, only the beat up pick-up truck belonging to the Apple family seemed to be present. Good. Less chance of witnesses.

Inside, she saw spots high-up where they were in the process of wiring up the school with security cameras. The entry hall and the main hallways on the first floor seemed completely wired up, but as she crept towards the part of the building the club rooms were located in, she found no operational cameras. Sure, there were places where tiles in the drop ceiling had been put aside while cabling was run, but no cameras had been installed.

That made getting into the rugby team's club room one step easier to achieve. After making sure the coast was clear, she knelt beside the door, put on a pair of nitriles, and withdrew a bobby-pin and a small flat-tip screwdriver from her jacket pocket. I won't have many opportunities in the coming days to do this sort of thing, she decided as she used the screwdriver to create tension while she used the pin to start moving the pins. By her estimate, they'd have the whole school wired by Wednesday.

As criminal as it was, she couldn't deny that it was rather satisfying being able to get through a simple lock. In addition to getting her access to the abandoned factory she lived in for nearly two years, the skill helped her train her dexterity. She always enjoyed the satisfaction of opening a lock, and it had served her well in getting blackmail information from some lockers.

When she turned the knob and pushed open the door, she didn't bother turning on the lights. Instead, she made her way over to the bookshelf where she hid her recorder last week. Just as expected, none of the books the device was hidden behind looked to be disturbed, and the device was exactly where she left it. Quickly pocketing it and returning the books to their proper places, she exited the room and re-locked the door.

Once she'd put away her gloves, she went about her morning like normal. At one point, she and Flash crossed paths. The blue-haired boy gave her an uncertain look, but aside from a polite nod of acknowledgement, she paid him little mind, and made her way to class just before the bell. Her mind was elsewhere as she sat waiting for class to start, and her gaze was locked on an empty seat. Usually she's here by now.

Jinx Charm did not show up to that class, nor did Sunset see her at all in the halls between classes. Come lunch time, she had half a mind to go check in with Ms. Celestia or Ms. Luna. After what that officer said to her yesterday, it was hard not to worry about the girl. 'She needs some kindness in her life right now.' Her mind still lingered on her response to him. I think she needs one, but I doubt I'm the right girl for the job.

With a shake of her head, she made her way to the library with her laptop bag and set up in an out-of-the-way corner. She plugged her earbuds and the voice recorder into the computer, and transferred the large audio file over. I'm impressed that it actually recorded for three straight days. It wasn't at all surprising that, when she imported the file into an open-source audio editor, it took time for the file to load.

As expected, there were plenty of periods of silence. Anything that barely peaked on the waveform she ignored, as it was likely background noise or things happening outside the room. When she got to the first batch of activity in the room, she found it to be just normal team meeting stuff. Rather than listening through entirely, she popped through every other minute, keeping her ear out for anything that sounded useful. She quickly determined that it wasn't all that important and did the same with the next couple of instances.

Finally, Sunset came to what, by her reckoning, would've been Friday after school. There was a portion of normal discussion, and then the audio was nearly peaking the mic. A smile crossed her face as she knew she'd found something good. She set the cursor to the start of the exchange and hit play.

"Hey, Score," came Hoops' voice. "Now that we're all here, you mind telling us what this is all about?"

There was a bang, as if someone had slammed their hand down on a desk. "Which one of you did it?" demanded Score. "Tell me now, which one of you morons had the bright idea..."

"Uh, did what?" That was one of the no-names that Sunset had never bothered to remember the name of.

There was a snarl from score before he all but yelled, "Which one of you dumb motherfuckers had the goddamned bright idea to threaten her!? Why bring up Jinx's nude pictures!?"

There was a simultaneous cry of 'Wasn't me,' from Hoops and Dumb-Bell, followed by a period of silence. during which Sunset could practically hear Score glaring at them. The silence dragged on for over a minute before there came another voice. "I don't see what the big deal is, man. The note finally shut her up, didn't it? I saw how spooked she was this afternoon!" That was Sideline, one of their offensive players.

There was a loud crash and a pained grunt, followed by a strange rasping sound. "You have no idea what you've done, you retard!" growled Score. Was... was he choking him? "She went to the fucking cops! I just finished getting my head chewed off over the phone by my Dad. He said he's gonna do what he can to make sure we don't get investigated too hard, but also said that we can't keep fucking up like this, and if we make the same mistake with girls he made in high school, we'll have to live with that rest of our lives... Whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean."

It sounded like Sideline was trying to say something, but he was having a hard time speaking. "I can fix this!" he pleaded after a minute. "Gimme a day, and I can make it all go away!"

"Tell me wh—"

That was the end of the file. Evidently the battery had given out at that point and truncated whatever discussion they'd been having. It wasn't everything she hoped it would be, as there was no mention of the party or what they did to Jinx Charm, but it was something. She had one member of the rugby team essentially admitting to leaving a threatening note in the girl's locker, confirmation that pictures existed, and a plan for further harm against her. She didn't know anything about the attack against her gym partner, but that was potentially related.

Shaking her head, she clipped that section of audio and exported it to her hard-drive, and backed a copy up to a cloud storage. Following this, she closed the audio suite out entirely and navigated to her preferred email provider, and quickly began typing out a message. A malicious smile crossed her face as she set her plan into action.

To: m1cr0ch1pz@cantermail.net
Subject: A Request

Hey, Micro. I need a favour. You don't need to fulfil it if you don't want to. I know how exactly how suspicious it seems, but I need a list of email addresses for every student, teacher, and PTA member that you can get your hands on, except for the members of the CHS rugby team. Those animals have overstepped the bounds of all morality, and everyone needs to hear what it is they've done. This isn't about power, or manipulating people. For once in my life, I'm asking because I want to do the right thing.
Sunset
P.S. You no longer need to feel indebted to me for helping you all those times. I should never have held it over your head to get you to work for me in the first place, even if I was paying you.

Chapter 8

Sunset Shimmer

The rest of the day continued much like the morning did. Things were quiet, almost unnervingly so, and she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something about the school's atmosphere that she was missing. Even the rugby players were keeping their heads down. Whenever she did catch sight of them, she couldn't help but notice they were uneasy, and almost at each other's throats.

Before the start of her second to last class of the day, Sunset took a chance to check MyStable on her phone. If she couldn't glean anything from hallway chatter, eavesdropping, or from Snips and Snails, it was a decent fallback option for intel gathering. That was when she came to the discovery that there was another incident suspected to be related to the attack at Crystal Prep. Apparently someone had been attacked and torn apart in the middle of committing an undisclosed crime, and the media quoted a cop commenting, "No person or animal could have done this..." Somehow, she didn't imagine that the police intended for that to be heard by a member of the press.

It was in the middle of that class that Sunset received a surprising email. Snips and Snails finally turned up some leads regarding previous parties. They'd gotten the names of four girls who had been to 'parties' run by Score's gang last year: Allie Embic, Shine Song, Silver Script, and Party Thyme. They were names that Sunset recognised from past years, but now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen or heard about any of them in a while. Given Snails' findings, it made sense. All of the girls listed had transferred to different schools elsewhere in the district.

Shine and Thyme had both been pretty social students, but rather unremarkable. The former was a member of the school choir, while the latter had been the head of the school baking club. Allie and Silver, on the other hand, had been competitors for the highest chemistry scores in the school, and had been on Sunset's observation list until they transferred out suddenly last year. Hell, Allie Embic was a name she recognised from back home, belonging to an alchemist she'd gone to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns with.

Interestingly, Snails had used enough forethought to give her the email addresses for three of the four girls. He couldn't get the last one, but only because Allie told him that Silver Script was currently in a psychiatric hospital, and didn't want any of the negativity of CHS to risk ruining what progress she'd made. It was bad enough that those animals had done this to numerous girls, but how many of them had suffered enough psychological damage that they had to be admitted to a mental health facility? It was possible that some might have been even worse off than Silver—some that might have killed themselves.

I refuse to recognise Score's group as a school team any longer, and by tomorrow, nobody at Canterlot High School will.

Between classes, she sent an anonymous email to the three. Rather than name any one of them in the subject line, however, she remembered what Micro Chips had told her about sending out mass emails. Unless you wanted everyone to know who had received an email, use the 'Blind carbon copy' feature. So, out of respect for the privacy of the three girls, she set the account's own email address as the primary recipient, and filled the provided email addresses into the Bcc field.

To: CHSTorchOfJustice@cantermail.net
Subject: Victims of CHS Rugby Team

You do not know me, but I know of your plight. The rugby team of Canterlot High has victimised several young women at parties over recent years, and it is high time that they are stopped. You, like many, may never have gotten justice for what they did to you. I have, however acquired evidence implicating the team in a conspiracy to cover up their actions and silence someone following their most recent victim publicly accusing them of sexual assault. It is the sort of evidence that the police cannot ignore. This evidence will be disseminated to the school, the PTA, the press, and the police later tonight, but in order to emphasise that this is a repeated pattern of behaviour, I wish to include the names of other victims. Principal Celestia will have no choice but to expel their group, and Score's father cannot save them this time. If I have your permission—if you will stand alongside their newest victim—you will be named a previous victim of this group in the email, and more victims may be willing to come forward.

It is time you all see justice.

The final class of the day went by with no sign of Jinx Charm. It was probably for the best, since the gossip mongers in the ladies' locker room were already speculating about Friday and her absence. Most of it was wild speculation, although a fashionista—Rarity, Sunset remembered her name was—was probably the closest in her guess... that the appearance of police on Friday was related to the blow-up in the cafeteria on Wednesday.

"If what the poor dear claimed in the cafeteria was true," the fair-skinned young woman had said, "then that's probably related to why the police showed up on Friday. If so... I so owe her an apology."

That was certainly true; the exchange between the two that first day of school happened right in front of her, although it wasn't the most heinous thing slung at the girl. Honestly, it was sort of tame compared to all the rumours and sexual harassment. Besides, Rarity wasn't exactly difficult to guide around by the nose in the first place. Her entire friend group fell apart after the Freshman Fair with just a few spoofed texts, emails, and misdirection.

An errant thought kept flitting back to the forefront of her mind as she drove home to drop off most of her things. What was the reason I broke their group up for in the first place? Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Apple... jack. She was sure that's what that name was. It couldn't have just been because their group ignored the rigid clique system Sunset had decided to enforce. Of the five of them, three were stand-outs among the community, and popular within their own rights. Not only could they prop each other up while together, but they could easily unite the school if they put their minds together. Besides, Rarity served as actual competition for the title Princess of the Fall Formal. Why was I even so hung up on that in the first place? Princess of a popularity contest was a far cry from being an alicorn princess.

Princess Celestia said that I should take responsibility and make amends, and if there's something I'm responsible for... it's that.

Sugarcube Corner was the go-to after school hangout for Canterlot High students. Prices were good, and the food was even better. Even in her Queen Bitch role, Sunset couldn't deny that the Cakes made incredible baked goods. For all the trouble she caused at the school, or even some of their part-timers, she never involved their business in any of her schemes.

Perched in a booth furthest from the entrance, she was mostly out of sight, but still able to track the comings and goings in the café. Between the chocolate shake she ordered, and the email she had to send out, she had no shortage of things to do while she waited for Flash. Although homework was something she wasn't ignoring, it was hardly the most pressing matter with everything that had started up.

By Celestia, if that isn't a strange thought. Looking at her academics as something she could put aside was something entirely foreign to the former pony. At CSGU, and again for the first five years spent in the human world, Sunset had treated her academic excellence as an extension of her 'place at the top'. She wanted to show everypony, and then later everybody, that she was at the top of the food chain socially and academically. Even if she didn't see herself fall under the geek, nerd, or bookworm category, her knowledge and studies had been a big part of her life. Even if she was trying to fix what she broke with her experiment, it didn't feel right to put it all on the back-burner.

Being a better pony was hard.

By the time five thirty rolled around, Sunset received the emails she'd been expecting. The first two, from Shine Song and Allie Embic, consented to being named in her killing blow against Score's group. Party Thyme's email demanded she be left alone and not be contacted again over the matter. Finally, Micro Chips sent her a list of email addresses for her to send her exposé to. After plugging the entire list into the Bcc field, alongside some news media tip-off addresses, Sunset gave the email one final look-over.

To: CHSTorchOfJustice@cantermail.net
Subject: Crimes of the Canterlot High Rugby Team

It has come to my attention that, in recent years, Canterlot High has become host to something cancerous. It is no longer a safe place for young women, if the growing numbers of female students transferring away is any indicator—six last year, four the year prior, and only two the year before that. One could blame drama, or the division rife through the school, and while that may be a compounding factor, it is not the root of the problem. No, that seat of honour goes to the CHS rape rugby team.

Under invitation to exclusive, hushed up parties so secret that even the nosiest CHS student body members can barely verify the existence of, young women—some of whom lack any sort of support in their lives—are lured in. Oft they are met with promises that they won't be the only girls there, only to find the opposite true. They are then drugged, sexually assaulted, cleaned, and sent home. If they try to speak out, they are gaslit, discredited, or threatened with photographs and/or violence.

These animals do what they do because they see themselves as untouchable. The team captain, Score, is the son of one Lt. Even Playing Field of the Canterlot PD. If they are close to getting caught, dearest daddy makes all the problems go away. After all, who better to protect the scum of the earth from the police than an oath-breaking police officer?

That is what has been happening with their most recent victim, Jinx Charm. On the first day of school, they set out several rumours inferring her to be sexually promiscuous. When she wasn't immediately cowed into silence, when she publicly accused the team of what they had done, they left her a heinous, disgusting threat of further harm and exposure.

Jinx is not their only victim. Finders contracted through a third party have uncovered four victims from the previous year. Two of them, Shine Song and Allie Embic, both former CHS students, have consented to being named. One wished to be left alone, and the last could not be reached. Given her situation, she can hardly be blamed. Some of these victims no longer attend CHS, but it is doubtful that they were the only ones. How many remain quiet, afraid to speak out?

Don't take my word for it. Enclosed in this email is an audio recording from Friday afternoon following the involvement of the police. In it you will hear confirmation of the existence of explicit pictures having been taken of the victim, the identity of the individual responsible for leaving threats of harm and exposure, and various instances of criminal conspiracy implicating not only the members of this group of individuals, but a police lieutenant as well.

Before the recording device failed, as indicated by the end of the recording, it is worth noting that one of the involved parties stated that they could 'make it all go away'. While it is only speculation on my part, rumour has it that Ms. Charm was attacked on Saturday night, and has not been seen by her peers since then. Given all that has happened thus far, is it so far a stretch to assume that they attempted to make good on their threat?

How, then, can these animals be allowed to remain at CHS, and in the CPD? How can they be allowed to walk free? It is my assertion that they can't. I am passing the torch of justice to all of you now. If you or somebody you know has been victimised by the rugby team, do not be intimidated away from seeking help. Talk to the police if you can, but if that is too much too soon, bring your plight to a teacher, your guidance counsellor, or a member of administrative staff that you trust.

Make being called a Wondercolt something to be proud of once more.

Rather than immediately send the email out, Sunset thought it better to make it appear that she was otherwise occupied. Although she knew it to be the right thing to do, a layer of plausible deniability wouldn't hurt. If people knew for certain she was the one to send out the email, they might begin to assume that this was some sort of stunt to remove someone that had slighted her, and question the veracity. That was what led her to schedule the email to send out ten minutes from now, and it was why her own personal email address would be receiving a copy.

Putting away her laptop, she cast a glance at the young woman at the register. Except for her uniform and her eyes, Pinkie Pie certainly lived up to her name. She was just as lively as her pink locks were curly, even when working. It was almost as if she didn't care that her closest friends since middle school were not a part of her life any longer. Again, that feeling of guilt, and the desire to fix her wrongs flared up.

It wouldn't be long until the rush kicked in, and Sugar Cube Corner switched over to a more restaurant-style service, with Mrs. Cake at the till while Pinkie acted the role of the waitress, collecting orders from groups or newcomers. That'd be the perfect opportunity to not only put out a tip, but also slip her a little note. Fetching a pen and a scrap of paper from her bag, Sunset quickly penned out a message.

Have you ever thought about how suspicious it was that your friend group broke up like it did? Have you ever thought there had to be something more to it? Would Fluttershy of all people really ask for a raucous party for her shelter's fundraiser? What would prevent Rarity from volunteering her help in decorating at all of those school functions? What sort of break-up in communication could convince Applejack and Rainbow Dash both that the other cancelled for the bake sale? Take this as a tip to take a closer look at everything. Someone wanted you all apart; it's just a matter of looking at how they did it and why they did it, and the truth should be in your hands. It's not too late to take back what you've lost.

At first glance, the note was merely some advice in order to get the girl talking to her friends once more. However there were several faint pen marks on the page that at first glance merely seemed to be accidental, until one noticed that they were all beneath letters. Sunset knew she needed to make it right, but coming right out and admitting fault might just come off as some cruel joke intended to cause more drama. It would result in the opposite of what she intended.

That was where the hidden message came in. If Pinkie got everyone talking, and showed them the note, they might see the obvious answer to the question of "Who did it?" highlighted by the tip in your hands. With an even closer look, they would see the message for what it was: an expression of her guilt and an apology. It was hard for Sunset to admit to herself that she was wrong, never mind admitting that to others.

Not too long after she put her pen away, the bells above the main entrance to the café alerted Sunset to the arrival of her ex, and then she noticed that the owner was now behind the register. Pinkie quickly met the boy, and was probably asking if needed anything before he seated himself. Not long after, he started making his way over to her table, forcing Sunset to quickly retrieve forty dollars from her wallet, roll the note up in it, and slip it into her jacket pocket.

Folding her hands on the table in front of her, she waited until Flash seated himself on the other side of the table from her. In fact, she waited until he spoke to meet his eyes. "Sunset," he said simply, a tone of annoyance present in his voice. "What was it that was so important that you couldn't just talk over the phone?"

Steeling herself, Sunset took a deep breath, but just as she was about to speak, a pink menace with impeccable timing showed up. "Can I get you two anything? Muffins, donuts, shakes, or cake?"

Weakly, Sunset nodded. "A refill of my shake and a plate of brownies, please," she answered, earning a somewhat startled look from Pinkie and Flash both. Turning to her ex, Sunset quickly added, "I asked you to meet me, so food's on me."

"A strawberry shake and a chocolate glazed doughnut. Thanks, Pinkie." When the waitress took Sunset's empty glass and merrily skipped off, he returned his attention to Sunset. Flash no longer looked as frustrated with her; if anything, he seemed amused. "Please, huh? That's new."

Even if she never felt the same way about him that he felt about her, the tone he would always take when he teased her never failed to get a blush out of Sunset—even now. "With everything that's been going on," she started, leaving the actual cause up to his own speculation, "I've been forced to take a look at all I've done and what I've become." Forcing herself to look at her hands, she continued. "I've finally realised that I'm not a good person—hell, I was bordering on evil—and that I don't want that to be my only legacy. I don't simply want to be known as 'the girl that broke the entire school into cliques' and forever voted 'biggest meanie' in the yearbook when it's not even a category."

She paused as Pinkie Pie returned with a tray holding the plate of brownies, the two shakes, and Flash's doughnut. When the plate of brownies was set before her, Sunset pushed it to the middle of the table to indicate it was to split. "Thanks, Pinkie," Sunset idly said as she considered her next words. Again, she couldn't help but notice how they reacted to her being polite. Once Pinkie went back to doing her thing, Sunset shook her head. "I realised just how much I've hurt people, and how much my actions may have indirectly harmed more. I—"

Just then, she was interrupted by the sound of several notification chimes going off simultaneously in the cafe. Everyone in the café had gotten the email. She made a show of fetching her phone from her purse as Flash retrieved his own from his pocket. As she schooled her expression to be one of shock, as she opened the email, she heard Flash's surprised remark. "Holy shit..."

For a few moments, the entire joint was quiet as everyone, even Mrs. Cake and Pinkie, looked at their phones. Shock and disgust was voiced all around, and even Flash looked sick. "I didn't realise it was that bad," he quietly said to himself as he continued to read. Then, someone began to play the audio file on their phone at max volume, and everyone went quiet to listen. At the end of it, Flash muttered, "God, I hope she's okay," as the air filled with cries of outrage.

Once things calmed down, Sunset put her phone away and once more found herself unable to face him. She found her eyes misting slightly as she stuffed a brownie into her mouth. "I can't help but wonder how many girls that were hurt by those guys had no friends to turn to because of the divide I created," she whimpered as fresh pangs of guilt washed over her. "I hurt a lot of people... I hurt you, and I didn't even consider what you might have been going through that you couldn't tell me about..."

Flash shocked her by reaching out and putting his hand atop hers. "Sunset, what are you...?"

She looked up, and admitted, "The MP3 player you gave me for Hea—for Christmas that time. I never realised just how much of the music on it was depressing until recently." Weakly, she pulled his hand out from beneath his and sipped at her shake. "Were you... I mean... did you ever have feelings of wanting to... when we were together?"

This was clearly not the Sunset Shimmer the young man was used to. The confidence and the sense of superiority she was infamous for was gone. Hell, she was clearly having trouble putting into words what was going through her head when normally she could string together cutting comments or convince almost anyone that she was in the right. Sitting across from him, there was instead a young woman who seemed to have far too much empathy and the weight of her sins was now eating her alive.

"No," he said in a voice so firm that it startled her. "I'll admit I had issues with depression and self-image in elementary school, but even at your worst, you didn't make me feel that way." Finally seeming comfortable around her, he let out a chuckle. "I'll admit, there were times where you would make me depressed, or feel like I was less of a man... and I was worried you were gonna take 'wearing the pants in the relationship' to the literal level..." With a shake of his head, he ate his doughnut and a brownie as he considered his next words. "But no, I never wanted to kill myself while I was with you."

Her shoulders slumped and she tilted her head back to look up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch, Flash," she managed to get out after a moment of silence. Forcing herself to cheer up, she entertained his concern about the pants. "Although, with some foundation, some padding, and a wig, you would look pretty cute in one of those Crystal Prep uniforms."

"No, absolutely not!" he quickly interjected with a bark of laughter. That was quickly followed up with a sigh. "You know, I missed stuff like this," he admitted as she finally managed to stop her eyes from watering. "I know we'll never have that kind of relationship again, but I wouldn't say no to being friends."

She started to smile, but then that smile fell into a frown. "I'm not sure I'd deserve it," she remarked, only half-joking. "Could you do me a favour, though?" He leaned forward in interest. "After seeing everything in that email, and everything we heard, could you try and get the guys to give Jinx Charm some space if... no, when she comes back? A police officer who spoke to me yesterday said she was attacked and pretty shaken up, so the last thing I want is some idiot who didn't get the memo to make a pass at her and stress her out. She needs a friend... not teenage boys being teenage boys."

He nodded, finishing his own shake and snacking on another brownie. "I'll see what I can do," he agreed, rising up from his seat. Flash started to walk away, but paused, looking back at her. "Oh, and Sunset? I'm sure people wouldn't be against being your friend if they saw this side of you more."

The part of her mind still wired for dominance and control was disgusted by the idea, and promptly informed Sunset that doing so would show weakness and likely invite retaliation; meanwhile the growing part of her that embraced the empathy found the idea to be a nice one. Despite herself, she finally allowed herself something approaching a genuine smile. She found herself waving goodbye to her ex... Or is he my friend?

Once he was gone, she pulled out the exact change for the food and signalled to Pinkie Pie that she was ready to pay. When the young woman brought over the cheque, she handed her the cash. To her surprise, Pinkie began to walk off once more. Was I really so awful that she doesn't even expect a tip from me? That was quickly halted when grabbed the young woman by her wrist.

The pink waitress looked down at her with more than a little bit of fear, and that didn't end when she saw the amused smile on Sunset's face. "You forgot your tip," Sunset said plainly as she removed the rolled up cash from her jacket pocket and slid it into a pocket on the young woman's apron. She couldn't stop herself from giggling at the confounded expression on Pinkie Pie's face as she got up from her seat and began to leave. Maybe being nice isn't so bad.

Jinx Charm

If her parents could see her now, she wondered what they'd think. How upset would they be seeing their daughter on her second straight day of not eating, just sitting on her bed in nothing but her underwear and a cami, and watching tokusatsu for the nineteenth straight hour? Would Mom tell her to get a hold of herself and set her up with an appointment with a counsellor? Would Dad try to distract her by talking with her about the latest series she was watching, immersing himself in the one hobby the two had shared?

"You can't keep doing this to yourself," that voice in her head whispered. Ever since she'd been attacked on Saturday night, that voice would occasionally speak to her. At times, it seemed almost helpful, like reminding her to drink water and go to the bathroom. Other times, it begged her to let it loose so that it could enact bloody vengeance on those who wronged her. "You are no prey animal, Jinx, and you need to stop acting like you are."

After that night she spent in that interview room—"Until you're willing to tell us what really happened and not some monster fairytale,"—she was beginning to doubt her own sanity. Every waking moment since then, it felt like something was watching her. Even when she knew she was alone in the police station showers, she felt like she wasn't alone... like there was something or someone lurking in the shadows, no matter how small those shadows were.

Then there was the voice... She had already tired of hearing it. Intellectually, she knew what an internal monologue was, but this didn't seem to be anything like it, even if it used her own voice. She actually found the use of violence to be abhorrent, and yet the voice wouldn't stop talking about it. Oh, it tried to hide behind getting justice for what was done, but she could feel the lust for blood in its words; it craved violence for the sake of violence.

In the interview room, when she was left alone covered in blood for six hours at Even Playing Field's orders, the voice started insisting that she 'let it hunt and feed on these corrupt cops.' She had to talk it down, if for no other reason than she was scared and alone, pointing out that not all of the police were responsible for Lieutenant Field's actions. Even if she hated the man for what his son did to her, and for trying to intimidate her, she didn't want unrelated parties getting hurt. When Officer Armour showed up with Officer Breeze, it only reaffirmed that good people would be harmed if she let the voice have its way.

At least it cares about my well-being.

It made far more sense that her mind couldn't cope with everything that'd been building up since she woke up after the party; witnessing another human getting mauled by an animal, even if he was attacking her was just too much for her good-natured heart to handle. The darkness doesn't just become solid and attack people, right? The shadows don't speak to you.

Wasn't it far more likely that it was a manifestation of her rage conjured by her fracturing psyche? Her mind went and compartmentalised all her rage and hurt, and it grew and it grew, until finally it took on a mind of its own. It was much more reasonable to believe one's self to be crazy than it was to believe in talking shadows that eat people.

"Oh please, I'm not merely some talking shadow," came the expected scoff. It always had an answer ready whenever she got distracted from the shows her father got her hooked on so long ago and began questioning her sanity. "Also, I will only accept so much insolence. Do not 'fuck around and find out.'"

Closing the video app on the computer connected to the TV, she couldn't help but speak out loud when she took the bait. "Then what are you?" she sarcastically inquired. "Do you even actually know what you are?"

The voice did not respond right away. There was even this prickle at the back of her mind that she couldn't explain. "I suppose that you could say that I am analogous to the 'Imagin' of your 'Kamen Rider Den-O'," it answered after a time. "Except instead of going to your past and wrecking the timeline for my own purposes, I carve out your justice in the now. Put another way, I am a manifestation of magic and rage. The more you allow me to act, the more powerful I become. The more powerful I become, the more I can do for you. If you must call me something, call me a shade."

Jinx frowned and glanced over at the clock. It was after seven in the evening now, and if she didn't eat anything soon, she'd be moving onto her third full day of no food. Was it really worth it to sit here dissociating and arguing with herself for days on end? My grades are just going to suffer, even if most of my teachers would give me excused absences.

"All you've shown me is that you have access to my memories," she retorted as she finally decided she should just check her email for forwarded homework. After that, a shower was in order, and then she'd finally go out for food. "You couldn't do that if you were some external entity merely leeching off my rage. Even if you could read surface thoughts, I haven't thought about that series since I watched it with Dad in middle school."

Apparently pushed to its limits of patience, the newly minted Shade let out a snarl, and there was something akin to a door slamming inside her head. With a sigh, Jinx grabbed her wireless keyboard and navigated to her email. As expected, Ms. Cheerilee's newest English assignment was there, alongside the well-wishes and math homework from Mrs. Harshwhinny. Not only that, but there was also a message from Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna asking her to contact them if she was intending to take an extended break while she recovered.

That said, there was something rather unexpected in the inbox. There was an email from Lyra, which wasn't all that unusual given that the girl was one of her tarot reading customers. However, Lyra didn't usually forward her stuff; not even the 'If you don't forward this to ten people, your cat will die in seven days,' crud that some people fall for. What's all this then?

From: luvheartstrings96@cantermail.net
Subject: FWD: Crimes of the Canterlot High Rugby Team

Holy crap, Jinx. Have you seen this!?

As she read the forwarded text and listened to the included audio, a gamut of emotions ran through Jinx. First and foremost, she felt her anger towards those boys surge, earning a dark chuckle from the Shade. Next was vindication and a bit of relief. Whoever sent this email had nailed the bastards to the wall by their balls, and even Lieutenant Field wouldn't be getting away. She was thankful for them, but at the same time, she wished they'd done this before the boys assaulted her.

Yet that wasn't all she felt. It left... she didn't exactly know how to describe it. Cold? Hurt? Even though she was glad those monsters would get what was coming to them, whoever did the digging to the information included in the email hadn't cared enough to ask her opinion on being named, especially given that it specifically didn't arrive in her mailbox by their design. Who knew just how many people this had been sent to?

With a groan, she threw aside her keyboard and rose from her bed. A wave of dizziness washed over her due to how low her blood glucose probably was from lack of eating. Soon... I'll eat soon, she thought to herself as her stomach let out a long growl of complaint. Slowly, she grabbed a towel and made her way through the dark trailer until she was in her bathroom.

Unable to help herself, Jinx found her attention drawn to her reflection while the hot water heater did its thing. Dark bags hung beneath her eyes, and her hair normally well-kept silver hair was tangled and greasy. Anger welled up inside her, and she fought the sudden urge to smash the mirror. "I should have let that guy kill me," she hissed, as she saw the scared girl looking back. "Nobody could ever love damaged goods like me." Tears began to spill down her cheeks as she took her spare pair of glasses off. As she shut her eyes to stem the flow of tears, she set the glasses don on the edge of the sink. "That's all I was to those boys once they were done with me... little more than an ugly used up whore... Filthy... Unclean..."

"You don't seriously believe that, do you?" asked the Shade, sounding more behind her than inside her head. When Jinx opened her eyes once more, she saw a blurry shadowy form standing behind her in the mirror. A glance to her back showed it wasn't there, but it nonetheless remained in her reflection. "I mean, yeah, right now you're kind of a mess, but when you take care of yourself, you're selling yourself short." In her reflection, she could see what appeared to be an arm thrown over her shoulder, and she could almost feel like something was touching her. "You're prettier than you give yourself credit for, and if you had even an ounce of confidence in yourself, you'd be sexy. Then people wouldn't just look at you with pity."

Ignoring the Shade, she stepped into the now warm shower and began to clean herself. It did nothing to stop the now very chatty mental aberration, of course. Even as she washed her hair, it was still talking. "Studies have shown that the psychological trauma brought on by sexual assault can have a severe impact not only on your mental health, but your physical health as well," it said in a matter-of-fact voice. "You're a perfect example. You aren't eating, you've hardly slept at all since the party, and you're an emotional train wreck. I'm actually impressed by how you seem to ping-pong between apathy, hate, self-loathing and heightened fear with ease. Hell, you've even been dissociating and smoking just trying to numb it all."

As she rinsed her hair, she couldn't help but snipe back. "Well aren't you the scholarly little brain parasite," she spat, turning her blurry gaze to the shadow reflected on the sliding glass door of her shower. "You know a surprising amount about things that I certainly never read into."

The Shade just gave off the motion of a shrug. "My previous host was an even bigger bookworm than you," it replied casually. "Too rooted in science, though. A lot weaker-willed. Got what she wanted and hated every bit of it." Somehow, she could tell that it was smiling at her. "Not you, though; more open-minded." There was a dark laugh as it faded from view. "You and me? We could get a lot done if we work together... and when I'm done, you won't even recognise the world."

"That's what I'm afraid of..."

Its voice seemed to wander off, growing distant. "I'm just saying, don't let what those boys did define and control you," it whispered. "Own your sexuality... Own yourself. Be the you that you want the rest of the world to see, rather than the one they're made to see." One last haunting laugh filled the shower as she began scrubbing roughly at her body. "We'll destroy anything that gets in the way of reclaiming control of your life."

Chapter 3

Sunset Shimmer

When her alarm went off, Sunset barely felt rested at all. Although the rest of her sleep that morning was thankfully dreamless, she couldn't quite put that dream out of her mind. Up until the void, it all felt too real. Even now, she could remember the feeling of the magic coursing through her. That wasn't anything she'd ever experienced in her dreams before, and even now, she could sense a lingering disturbance in her own, formerly dormant, magical reserves.

It was marginally better than thinking about what had happened at Crystal Prep, mind you, but all it did was leave her feeling conflicted. She didn't want to believe that this was some sort of prophetic vision or a portent. That would mean putting stock in the idea that she'd had some sort of vision, and that was all just pseudomagical hokum. Yet something about it nagged at her.

It hadn't come to mind when she woke up the first time. After all, she'd been more concerned about the sleep paralysis and the emotions the dream had provoked. Thinking back, however, the dream matched up with the flashes she had during that weird episode the previous morning. What was it that Princess Celestia used to say? 'Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is a pattern.' Admittedly, it was more to do with when cookies vanished from the royal cookie jar, but still.

As she made her way into the kitchenette and put coffee on, she wondered what it all meant. If not for the unmistakable surge in the ambient magic the previous morning, and the lingering excitement in her own personal magic, she'd have been quite inclined to dismiss it all. As it was, it felt a bit beyond the realm of mere coincidence.

It reminded her of her earliest days after coming to this world. With the complete change in species, she futilely grasped for something familiar: the touch of her magic. Try as she might, though, she couldn't do more than sense that it was inside her. Similarly, she could detect that the world had a magical field, not unlike Equestria's, but it was so still that it was almost imperceptible. The only time she'd felt any sort of excitement in the magical field was when the portal opened.

Pouring herself a cup of coffee, her thoughts were interrupted when there came a knock at the door to the upstairs. Sunset quirked an eyebrow. It was a bit early to get a visit from Redheart, and she usually gave a bit more notice before stopping by. "Come on in," she called out as she sat at her small table.

The door opened to reveal a tired woman already dressed in her usual light-blue scrubs, although she hadn't yet tried her long pink locks up into her signature bun. She still had a cordless phone handset clutched with one hand. "Hey, Sunset." She sounded like she wished very much to go back to bed. "You haven't listened to the radio yet this morning, have you?" When the teenager shook her head, Redheart ran her free hand through her unkempt locks before glancing down at the phone in her hand. "I just got off the phone with Luna."

It always caught the former Equestrian off guard whenever Red mentioned the other school staff members without their job title or even an honorific. That was something the woman only ever did when she was being serious. "The school board has determined that classes should be cancelled for the day, although all faculty is still required to come in for a meeting," she explained standing opposite from Sunset. "It would seem that the school board is having security assessments done on all schools in the area, and there will probably be increased security at the school in the future."

The raised eyebrow from the amber teen did not go unnoticed. "Don't look so surprised, Sunset," the nurse remarked as she started walking towards the door back upstairs. "Despite the decrease in physical incidents in recent years, the district has been looking for excuses to start wiring the schools with CCTV, and what happened at Crystal Prep just gave them their justification. It might not get done all at once this year, but you can expect to see security when you go to class tomorrow."

Although she shut the door behind her, Sunset waited until she heard Redheart's footsteps upstairs before retreating to her sofa. She barely paid any mind as she turned the TV on to the news and took a seat. With a sip of her coffee, she began to consider her next moves.

First and foremost, what, if any, interference will guards and cameras create for my plans? Security guards could become obstructions, or useful pawns depending on the incidents. If she set up the right scenario, and pushed the right buttons, someone could easily be removed if they became a thorn in her side. I don't like the idea of weaponising people who are supposed to protect us, but if someone gets violent, I want them gone.

Cameras, on the other hand, could be more of a nuisance. Depending on placements, it'd make dealing with troublemakers a lot riskier to both her and her assistants. Would they be able to justify full audio recording all over the place or... She couldn't exactly whip out the blueprints she'd gotten her hands on while Redheart was in the house, so she couldn't extrapolate the best placements or potential camera angles just yet.

"I'll have to wait and see what they do," she murmured, watching as the weather forecaster predicted clear skies the rest of the week. There were, of course, options to make that situation a bit more favourable. With the right conditions, she could probably adjust the cameras over time to create a dead zone. Depending on whether they're actively watched, or only checked in the event of an incident, such blind spot could easily go unnoticed.

"—we've received preliminary numbers regarding yesterday's incident at Crystal Preparatory Academy," came the voice of the the same news anchor who, just yesterday evening, was lambasting a studio employee live on TV after they aired alleged footage from inside the school. The woman sounded a lot calmer, and far more sombre. "Twenty-three students, and one member of staff are confirmed deceased at this time. Over eight hundred students and thirty faculty members have been hospitalised, one of which is still in critical condition. Nine students are missing, and the police have not yet been able to contact their families. Our hearts go out to those grieving their losses."

The number was staggering. If there were eight hundred hospitalised students, that likely meant that the load had probably been spread out among the three hospitals in the Greater Canterlot Metro Area, and a few further out. This wasn't even one percent of the city's population. Even after all these years in the human world, the population numbers still caught her off guard.

When she was still in Equestria, it was considered a dense population centre if there were just 20,000 ponies living in a place. Discounting the Equestrian Royal Guards stationed in Canterlot, there was only a population of 12,000 in her homeland's capital. Seven percent—rounded up—of the entire population of Equestria's Canterlot being hospitalised would have likely caused havoc. Worse, if that seven percent was comprised mostly of children, Princess Celestia herself would not rest until every one of those foals was healed.

These people don't have an immortal demigoddess protecting and guiding them, though...

Her mind drifted back toward the dream she'd had, and the faces of all the Crystal Prep and Canterlot High students that watched in fear as she tried to talk down a power-mad girl. She didn't understand why she would ever put herself in that sort of situation, and yet the image of people looking at her with hope in their eyes stirred something in her. How hard must all of their families be taking this? How many are going to have their savings ravaged by medical bills? Then her mind drifted. What would Mom do?

She shook her head, trying to dismiss the thought. Feelings like that had no place in her experiment. She didn't need people to like her; they only needed to respect the authority she built herself—or fear her if it came down to it. Yet, she couldn't deny that it could be useful if she could improve her image. It'd make setting the groundwork for phase two that much easier. Plus, she needed to test if things could still work if the school were to unify, even temporarily.

Yes, that's it. It's about my image, nothing so silly as conscience.

With that solidified in her mind, she grabbed a loose sheet of copy paper from the coffee table, and a pen. She quickly penned out a rough proposal for a fundraiser campaign to provide aid to the families of those hurt or killed. Bake sales, car washes, maybe even an auction. Hell, she even wrote a suggestion to announce that they were taking further proposals. A tiny part of her was tempted to not sign the document at all—just pass it off to a member of staff and ask to remain anonymous. After all Princess Celestia would never approve of using charity as a mask to improve one's image—even if it was a common tactic used in both worlds to gain political capital.

Instead, as she heard the heeled footsteps of Redheart heading for the door, she hastily signed her name and threw on a pair of sneakers. Many humans might have baulked at the idea of running outside in their pyjamas, but Sunset had no such reservations. She quickly threw open the door leading outside, ran up the steps, and around the front of the small split-entry home.

Evidently, Redheart was surprised by her sudden appearance in the driveway, because it took the woman a moment to roll down her window. "Could you give this to Principal Celestia before the faculty meeting?" she asked, passing the sheet of paper to her landlord. "I think that, given the situation, she might like the idea."

The nurse readily accepted the piece of paper, but quickly looked over it. Her eyebrows quickly rose as she regarded her student-tenant. There was a mix of emotions on her face, suspicion and surprise chief among them, but there was something else there that Sunset couldn't quite put her finger on. Even as the nurse nodded before backing out of the driveway, she couldn't identify what she'd seen.

That afternoon, Sunset's mood had not improved in the least. Although she'd finally put that dream out of her mind, she quickly found that things were not going her way. While she'd been paying extra attention to the network of students associated with Canterlot High on MyStable, she noticed a number of students expressing concerns for their safety. The PTA members didn't typically didn't interact with the day-to-day student discussions; even they were expressing doubts as to the safety of their kids.

She couldn't exactly blame them; if such a thing could happen at a fancy private school for the best of the best, what hope was there for an average high-school in the suburbs? Still, the whole situation put her Human Advancement experiments at risk, because if the situation didn't change soon, she would likely see some of her most promising subjects transferring to different districts.

Also not helping things was what she'd heard from Snails. The boy hadn't required her to provide him with any money for bribes just yet, but he'd managed to get her some useful information in just a day. None of the girls flagged in her notes for promiscuity, nor those most likely to flock to the jocks, admitted to being at that party. He hadn't yet gotten around to asking those who might be easily pressured into such a thing, but she didn't imagine he'd have much luck when he got a chance to continue.

This is giving me a bad feeling, she thought, considering her next steps. It didn't make sense that, given Score's law enforcement father, he'd be dumb enough to involve actual prostitutes when most of the rugby team is minors. Then again, it might just make him arrogant enough to believe he's untouchable. She certainly couldn't just make moves against him willy-nilly. I need to hear back from Snips before I start planning any major moves.

Just as she was retrieving all the ingredients from the fridge and pantry for dinner—eggplant parm, a comfort food she loved back in Equestria—she got a text notification on her phone. She had hoped that it might be her other associate, finally contacting her with his initial findings. It'd be much easier to determine if she needed to make a plan to deal with Score and his accomplices, if things really were as bad as she was starting to believe, with a bit more information.

Hey, boss? :Snails

Have you heard from Snips since yesterday? :Snails

Sunset: No; I was hoping you might have.

Damn. He was supposed to meet me at the arcade after school yesterday, but he never showed. :Snails

He isn't picking up his phone, either. :Snails

Although Sunset was too rational a person to believe Snips had suffered some grim fate similar to that of the Crystal Prep students and staff, a tiny part of her mind thought it was a bit suspicious—more than a bit, if she was being completely honest with herself. The same day she asked him to investigate an extremely suspect party, he just so happened to disappear? That was just too convenient.

She was just getting ready to call the missing boy's mother when she heard the house's front door open and close. Evidently, Redheart was home, which in itself wasn't unusual. What was unusual, however, was the fact that the nurse's footsteps seemed to head straight for where Sunset recalled seeing a liquor cabinet. She'd only been upstairs a few times, but she was almost certain that was where it was. The thing was that you could hear wherever someone moved in the part of the house above her, and the nurse seldom went to that cabinet.

It was tempting to ignore it and simply leave the nurse to drink in peace. That said, if she intended on improving her image, being able to pretend to be sociable outside what was necessary was a must. Plus, something was clearly bugging her, so wouldn't it be right to go up and check in on her?

Setting her phone down on the kitchenette counter, she made her way over to the door to the upper portion of the home. Although there were doors at the bottom and top of the stairs, they were usually kept unlocked out of mutual respect. The only times they were ever locked was if one or the other had guests. Making her way up the stairs, she wondered what had gotten under the nurse's skin so bad.

"Redheart, do you mind if I come up?" she asked as she knocked at the door.

There was a moment of silence as the nurse made her way into her own kitchen. "I don't mind," she responded in a tired voice. When Sunset opened the door, she saw Redheart retrieving ice from her freezer, dropping it into a glass. As the nurse wandered back over to the counter, where a bottle of whiskey sat, she remarked, "It's a bit of a surprise. Usually I'm the one looking to talk."

Sunset looked a bit sheepish at that. Although she knew the landlord/tenant relationship the two had was unusual, she couldn't help but realise just how little Red expected of her socially. "I heard you go to your liquor cabinet, and thought you might want to talk," was her only explanation. "Long day?"

With a nod, Redheart poured a few fingers of liquor into the glass. "Like you wouldn't believe," she commented. Taking a gentle sip, the nurse sighed. "Not even a day into the school year, and not only are we completely reassessing our security policies, but we've also had a student spend a night in a locker."

That actually elicited a blink of surprise from Sunset Shimmer. Something like that hadn't happened since before she graduated from the CHS middle school program. In fact, it was how she met Micro Chips in the first place: finding out who had stuffed him in said locker and ensuring that didn't happen again. Most of the people who attended CHS seemed to have far more sense than to do such a thing, given that if someone ended up trapped over a weekend, someone could be hospitalised or killed.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly," Redheart continued, reclining against the counter. She shook her head in frustration. "The boy was pretty roughed up, but he refused to say who did it." With her free hand, the woman rubbed her eyes. "Honestly, he was lucky that anyone was even going through that hallway. With how dehydrated he already was, he would have been in really bad shape if he'd spent another night in there."

As she schooled her expression, Sunset let out a sigh of her own. What was it about today and things that happened to be way too coincidental? "It was Snips, wasn't it?" she asked. It was hard, but she managed to keep the rising fury out of her voice, especially given the look of alarm that quickly crossed Redheart's face all but confirming it. I would have hoped you'd be more careful, Snips... But if they're that sensitive about probing, they definitely have something to hide.

"Look, most of the staff is aware you use those two boys to keep tabs on the student body," Redheart said in an even voice while finishing her whiskey, "but if you're thinking about retaliating on his behalf, don't. The police are already involved."

Sunset didn't meet the woman's eyes, instead turning to return to her own apartment. Unfortunately, given that the one who did it was probably Score or someone in his posse, police aren't going to be doing anything, she thought bitterly. The fact that they were confident enough to strike out at her assistant for asking uncomfortable questions made her surprisingly angry. Those boys weren't theirs to punish for perceived slights; they were hers.

Those jocks were seriously starting to get on her nerves. Not only were they jeopardising her entire experiment, but now they were attacking her associates. You boys definitely have something to hide, but if you think that hurting my underlings would scare me off, you're grossly mistaken. Several different ideas began to run screaming through her mind. At first, you merely had my interest, but now you have my full attention.

Jinx Charm

If there was something Jinx thought she'd be doing today, joining a police officer in visiting his fiance and sister in the hospital definitely wasn't in the cards. She'd been called in to give another sample after initial testing detected Benzodiazepines in her system. Of course she'd rushed over to provide another sample to verify, and despite the building being packed full of Crystal Prep casualties, it had mostly been an in-and-out affair. Fingers crossed, they'd be able to say definitively that she'd been drugged.

It was when she was on her way out that she ran into the police officer she'd spoken to yesterday—Shining Armour. He was clearly off-duty, what with the chinos and polo shirt he was wearing, and the bag at his side. For a moment, she thought nothing of seeing him again. Then he did a double take and approached her, putting her entire day on its head.

"You know, when I saw you yesterday, I could have sworn we'd met before," he commented, stopping in front of her before she could pass the front desk. "Do you remember a police officer bringing you here a few years ago?"

That was... that would have been when her parents were hospitalised after getting hit by that drunk when she was sixteen. Come to think of it, wasn't there a pale-skinned officer with blue hair that night? Her eyes widened as she looked at him with recognition. "That was you," she said in a voice so quiet that it was nearly a whisper. "I never got to thank you for staying with me that night."

He nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss, by the way." He fixed her with a considering gaze. "Though I am curious what brings you by the hospital again. Do you volunteer here perhaps?"

Shining Armour seemed like a nice enough guy, but since he was part of the Canterlot P.D., she wasn't exactly comfortable just yet. "That is... a bit personal," she remarked, folding her arms in front of her. She pointed at the bag at his side. "I don't imagine you're here to talk to me, though. I'm sure your fiance and sister would rather you didn't keep them waiting."

The man glanced down at the bag at his side and then chuckled. "Fair enough," he answered. He made to leave, but paused. "They're keeping Cadance in for observation for a few days, so she's already going stir-crazy. She might appreciate having someone other than a nurse to talk to." His expression fell and he looked away. "Twilight is being kept under sedation for the time being. Probably for the best..."

She wilted slightly at that. "Sorry to hear that." She didn't exactly want to let him pressure her into joining him and his beloved, but it wasn't like she had much to do until her shift at the gas station. "I guess I could join you for a while."

It felt weird to Jinx, following the man through the halls to one of the recovery suites. She didn't really know why she was engaging this bit of whimsy. An act of kindness and charity? They weren't well off, but on top of living below their means, her parents were always into that sort of thing, and she'd even spent her middle-school years volunteering at a soup kitchen with them. Giving this man and his fiance some company in the hospital felt like the sort of thing they'd do. It's just neighbourly, Dad'd say.

Moving through these sterile halls made her uneasy, however. Following Shining Armour only intensified that anxious feeling, because it was so easy to imagine it was the day she'd been led down these same halls to see her parents. If she'd known it was going to be the last time she'd see either of them alive, she would have properly said goodbye. Instead, she'd been a hopelessly stupid little girl, and only said, "Mom, Dad, come home soon, okay?"

When they got to the room his little sister and his fiance were being kept in, he led her right in. "Hey, Cady, sorry for the wait," Shining said with a casualness Jinx could never imagine matching. The way the woman lying in the bed gave him a cocked eyebrow and half-smirk told her that this wasn't unusual. "I ran into that girl I was telling you about—the one I helped on my first night on the job."

Now that she got a better look at Cadance, Jinx thought she recognised her. Yeah, she'd definitely met the woman just before starting high school. Crystal Prep had scouted her for her grades, and Cadance was the guidance counsellor that had given her and her folks a tour of the facility at the time. Her folks were more than willing to shell out for her, but between the stuffy atmosphere of the school, and the fact that she knew it wouldn't be cheap, she'd ultimately decided not to attend.

"Hello, Ms. Cadance," Jinx said, idly rubbing her right elbow. "You might not remember me, but you gave me and my parents a tour of Crystal Prep a few years ago."

As she brushed a golden lock out of her face, Cadance smiled and nodded. "You've definitely blossomed since last we met, Jinx Charm" she noted. "Cinch was disappointed we couldn't get you." Her expression dimmed slightly, and she broke her gaze. "May she rest in peace."

Unsure of what to say, Jinx instead bowed her head in silence. She never met Principal Cinch, but she knew of the woman by reputation. Online, students liked to gossip, even with students from outside their own school. Often, the woman was described as driven, and invested in the growth of the students. Unfortunately, that investment was apparently rather stifling, and students considered her something of a hardass.

Looking to change the topic away from the dour nature of what had happened at her school, Cadance pointed to the necklace around Jinx's neck. "That's a pretty necklace. I've never seen anything quite like it before."

Jinx unconsciously moved one of her hands to caress one of the beads on her necklace. "It belonged to my Mom," she said softly. "Before she met Dad, she used to travel a lot, and collected odd little mementos. Mom swore up and down that the three jade beads warded off evil and brought good fortune." Inadvertently, she let out a bitter laugh and muttered, "Funny how when we needed protection most, we both left it at home..."

If either adult noticed that last part, they chose not to mention it. Instead, Jinx happily engaged in Cadance's idle chit-chat. Did she like it at CHS? What were her thoughts on the Principal and Vice Principal? Pretty much anything to fill the air. All the while Shining Armour pulled up a chair beside the other bed in the room. After putting a pair of glasses on the table beside the bed, he seemed content to hold the occupant's bandaged hand.

Talking with people like this, without the thought of what had been done to her, or what had happened at her rival school, turned out to be a bit cathartic. For the first time in days, she actually felt something approaching normalcy. She didn't even mind that, when her paranormal hobbies and tarot came up, Shining Armour joked that they'd all get a lecture from his sister if she could hear them. It made her feel like something other than a victim.

Somehow, some way, I'm going to make those bastards pay, she thought, tightening her grip around one of the beads.

That sobered up the mood awful quickly. For the most part, she'd kept her back to Shining and the unconscious Twilight. Yet, now that the attention had been drawn, she couldn't help but wince as she took in the sight. The girl in the bed looked to be covered in bandages or plasters. There was gauze wrapped around her head, likely for some scalp wound. An occasional wince and twitch played across Twilight's features, as though she were caught in a nightmare.

It didn't help any that Twilight was so pallid that she was closer to Jinx's own grey tone than her natural colour. That seemed to be addressed with a blood IV bag. There wasn't really hiding the reason why she needed blood. Despite it being covered by a nice cosy hospital blanket, she could see that the girl's right leg terminated at the knee. "They tried their best," Shining commented as he caught her gaze lingering, "but... well... Crush injuries are no joke."

Jinx looked down at the floor, noting once more that the shadow of the occupied bed seemed somehow darker than any of the other shadows in the room, as if it was trying to swallow all other darkness in the room. As she stared at that dense shadow, she came to a decision. You didn't deserve any of this... whatever happened over there... She wasn't sure she bought the media story that it was just a wild animal given how easily it came and went, and then there was the almost demonic fervour with which it tore through the school. You need this more than I do.

Stepping over beside Shining Armour, she slowly took off her necklace. Jinx stared at the memento of her mother and sighed. Her mothers words were practically ringing in her ears. Yeah, I know Mom. 'It's the right thing to do.' "I know you said she doesn't believe in this sort of thing," she said in a quiet voice. To her surprise, Shining Armour didn't stop her as she reached down and wrapped the beaded necklace around Twilight's free hand. "Hell, I'm closer to a sceptic than a true believer, but... if any of it really is real, then this should bring her luck, and maybe even keep her safe."

As she was about to step back, the twitching and pained looks from Twilight faded. She felt a hand close down on her shoulder. It shouldn't have startled her nearly as much as it did, but it took all her effort not to jerk out of Shining Armour's grasp and scream. Again, if it was something either adult noticed, they didn't comment. "She'll probably be upset that we let 'some mystic fraud' near her, but I know that deep down, she'll appreciate the sentiment." A look to her side showed that Shining was smiling. "I certainly do. We see a lot awful stuff on the job that starts to shake my faith in humanity, but it's things like this that lets me hold out hope."

Now that Twilight was still, she had an almost peaceful look about her. The shadow cast by the girl's bed no longer looked darker than any of the others in the room, either. Perhaps that really was the spectre of death looming over her. It amused her to think that something as silly as a trinket could ward off death itself, but it seemed to bring comfort, so who was she to judge?

Glancing up at the clock, Jinx paled. Is it really that time already? "Sorry, I gotta get to work." She apologised, stepping towards the door. "I hope you and Twilight get better soon, Cadance."

Both Cadance and Shining had noticed something was bugging the girl—it was impossible not to hear that earlier muttered sentence—and their professions and compassionate natures insisted they offer the chance to lighten her load. She just seemed to be so emotionally closed off. It was clear as day that their conversation was as much for her own distraction as it was Cadance's, and that bothered her as a former counsellor.

Shining Armour in particular already suspected what was up. Between the flinch, mentioning not having protection when it was most needed, and visiting the hospital two days in a row, he feared the young woman was the victim of sexual assault. He wondered why she tried to hide it earlier, then... unless she didn't trust the police to help her.

Although she opened her mouth to speak, Cadance never got the opportunity to make an offer to talk. As soon as Jinx finished speaking, she was out the door at a hurried pace. After all, her place wouldn't pay for itself. None of those she later came across noticed—or cared—that the pale young woman's shadow seemed to flicker like a dying flame. Then again, it'd been a miracle that she was even perceptive enough to notice Twilight's heavy shadow.