Shadows Over CHS

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."