The Adventures of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!

Chapters

BLOOD COLORED BLUE - PART 1: A Typical Night for Sunset
BLOOD COLORED BLUE - FINALE: The Mare and the Prince
SHORT STORY: Detective Soarin and the Diamond Dogs
NIGHT OF THE FLUTTERBAT - PART 3: Soarins Rescue
BLOOD COLORED BLUE - PART 2: Within the Depths of Hell
BLOOD COLORED BLUE - PART 3: Sunset Vs. Iron WIll
THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 1: The Great and Terrible Trixie
THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 2: Crossing the Line
THE DEADLY SECRET OF GABBY GUMS - PART 3: Confrontations
THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 4: A Strange Call
THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 5: The Sisters Rescue
THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 6: Sunset Vs Cercus
THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 7: The Outing of Gabby Gums
THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - FINALE: Alliances
SHORT STORY: Working Through Pain
SHORT STORY: Sergeant Shining Armor
SHORT STORY: Nurse Red Heart
A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 1: Arson
A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 2: Trouble at the Farm
A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 3: Robots and Revelations
A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 4: Failure
A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 5: A Family's Love
A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 6: Questions and Answers
A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 7: The Super Cider Squeezy 6000
A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - Part 8: Sunset Vs The Flim Flam Brothers
A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - FINALE: Motivations
SHORT STORY: Special Agent Sweetie Drops
SHORT STORY: The Lord of Chaos
SHORT STORY: Late Night Test Run
SHORT STORY: Scootaloo
NIGHT OF THE FLUTTERBAT - Part 1: Something Positive
NIGHT OF THE FLUTTERBAT - Part 2: Do you like us?

BLOOD COLORED BLUE - PART 1: A Typical Night for Sunset

Author's Note

I'm still very new to writing, and this is a fic I not only want to continue, but definitely want to improve on overtime. So criticism is always welcomed just as much as praise!

BLOOD COLORED BLUE - PART 1: A Typical Night for Sunset

THREE MONTHS AFTER THE FALL FORMAL

The blood dripping down the corner of my mouth seeps through the fabric of the mask, and the leather of the gloves stick to the opening cuts on my knuckles. They surround me, five of them, all tired, bruised, bloodied, and pissed. Their stares are full of hatred as they carefully keep their distance from me. Ideally, I would be standing tall against them, unwavering and devoid of any fear or signs of strain. Like a relentless monster here to prey upon their sins and punish them for their corrupted deeds. But this isn’t an ideal world, and the grips of reality have caused this to be a less than ideal situation. I’m stuck in a corner, with one hand on the wall supporting my body, and the other pressed tightly against my abdomen, clutching what I assume are broken ribs. My fedora hangs low, and the purple tattered cape conceals my bloodied costume.

It had only been three weeks since I had dawned the persona of the mysterious Mare-Do-Well. A character that I had originally conceptualized as part of a plan to teach Rainbow Dash a lesson in arrogancy during her winning streak on the soccer team. But stopped when I realized that the last thing that I should do after the girls already hesitantly accepted me into their group, was meddle in their lives, even if it was with good intentions. Thankfully the other girls had a reasonable discussion with her and solved the issue in a normal manner. I guess I always had an itch for the theatrics, and now look where that has gotten me. Dressed up as some purple costumed crime fighter trying to help people as a way for what? To amend my past mistakes? To seek some sort of redemption or purpose within me? Or was it to stop my self-loathing and hatred for my past actions, and my realization that no matter how hard I tried to do good in the school and Canterlot Highs local community, no one would ever forget, let alone forgive.

But for the love of all things Celestia, how stupid could you be stupid Sunset Shimmer? Going around fighting criminals with the minimal karate experience and wits obtained back at Equestria is beyond foolish, yet here I am. Jumping into an abandoned building to fight five drug dealers. What a service to the community. Idiot.

The man to my furthest left wields a heavy, rusted chain. His body language indicates that he’s the most frightened out of the five. His footing is constantly shifting, and his eyes continually gaze from his partners to me. I can hear his breathing intensify, and see his tatted fingers clutch the metal links tightly. I keep my guard up, half expecting him to lunge at me out of some sort of misplaced desperation, like an animal attacking a predator out of fear. But my expectations are thwarted by the man in front of me. He charges at me with his bare knuckles, cocked back ready to explode. The pain in my ribs caused my reaction to be slow, and I barely managed to throw my arms up, blocking the full power of his fist.

The man with the chain takes this opportunity, and comes running towards me, spinning the end of the chain, preparing to swing it. A man with a metal baseball bat to my right comes charging at me as well. I want to attack both, but the pain in my body screams for my brain to shut down, and the guy in front of me won’t stop swinging. Without even thinking, I throw an uppercut at the gut of the one who’s in front me, a large trail of salvia and blood splashes on my arm. As he stumbles back in pain, I quickly attack the left thug with the chain. Noticing he was lunged a bit forward, a side kick was instinctively thrown, and the heel of my boot smashed against his nose. But the pain was so unbearable that I didn’t have time to react to the baseball bat wielding thug. I couldn’t turn around and attack him, and my burning ribs were preventing me from jumping away. So out of desperation, I raised my arm, bracing for the attack, and by Celestia it was an attack I was not prepared for.

He swung the bat and although my arm took a good portion of the attack, the tip of the bat landed on the side of my head, causing a loud smack to echo out into the room as the metal crashed against my skull. I tumbled away, as the pain in my head made the pain in my arm feel like nothing. My vision was starting to blur, and the world became dizzy. I couldn’t control my breathing, nor my footing. I could feel myself starting to black out. Amidst my daze, the thug next to him took the chance to charge at me. I could feel his giant mass pick me up off my feet, like a football player tackling me through the air. Before I knew it, I was chucked through the window, crashing through the glass. The cool breeze of the night could finally be felt, and through my blurred vision and aching head, I watched as the window grew smaller and smaller. The building was on a dock and thank Celestia that I fell into the Canterlot river. Being swept away by the ferocious current, my swing in and out of consciousness made the entire ordeal a hellish nightmare. The struggle to keep myself afloat took all of my remaining strength, for I knew that if I had let the water sink me, my body would surely have given up amidst the cold, desolate solitude of the river’s depth. Maybe that would have been the best outcome. The end of this silly childish game I have taken to playing. The world would have finally been rid of the she-demon Sunset Shimmer, and perhaps everyone would have celebrated that event. Maybe Pinkie would have thrown a party, cheering in the notion that they didn’t have to keep up the façade that Twilight had asked them to. Maybe the drug dealers of Canterlot could finally be rid of their minor annoyance.

But I think about that first night, and the little boy I had rescued from a collapsing house on fire. The pure joy in his eyes, and his never-ending gratefulness to be alive. It’s the only thought I need to use all my strength. My hand stretches out of the water, and through what could only have been described as a miracle, I grab onto the bars of a ladder. Once I’m on the dock, I take off the soaked fedora, lift my mask up halfway, and start puking out water. Breathless, I look up at the Canterlot skyline. The city is surrounded by a large land of suburbs. One that I choose to protect.

Wincing in pain, I slowly get off of my knees and onto my feet. Holding my side with one hand and clenching my fedora in the other.

“Way to go hero, you really showed them.”

CANTERLOT HIGH, TWO DAYS LATER

Thankfully the hateful stares at me had stopped last week. Now I’m more of a ghost walking through the school than anything. Still, any interaction I have with a student is met with a tone of either annoyance, hesitancy, or disgust. As I walk through the hallway, my body is still in pain. The bruises on my arms are dark and cover my entire forearm. Thankfully the sleeves of my leather jacket cover it, but I’d honestly doubt anyone would even ask. Another large knot is on the side of my head where I got hit with the baseball bat, but my hair is so thick that you could hardly even notice it. The only noticeable injuries are the bandages wrapped around my hands to stop the bleeding from my gashed knuckles, and the purple bruise around the corner of my mouth, along with a black eye. Still, I try to keep myself calm and composed, and walk in a straight line to my locker, speaking of which.

The red painted words “She-Demon” are splattered over my locker. I look around the hallway at the other students, all of which are either averting their gazes, or giggling amongst their groups. Princess Twilight really showed them the “magic of friendship” I think to myself with an eye roll. But I stop myself from continuing with those thoughts. These students have every right to do this to me. I have to remind myself that I’m the bad guy, and they’re the victims. So, I just sigh to myself and open my locker, grabbing whatever it was I had come to get. That was when a charming voice with a distinctive country flair grabbed my attention.

“Aw shucks sugercube. They graffitied over your locker again? I had told vice principle Luna about it, but I reckon they just haven’t gotten around to catching them. I’ll stay with you after school to clean it off,” Applejack said from behind me. A slight smile escaped my mouth, followed by a sharp pain from the bruise. Applejack had such a way of showing kindness to people. She was the first of the girls to give me a chance. To show me the love and kindness that I had robbed from them a year ago. Even now, the other girls still haven’t entirely opened up to me, just her. My heart aches anytime she talks to me.

“Thanks Applejack, but it’s okay. Honestly, I’ll probably just keep it on this time,” I said closing my locker door and turning around to face her. Her smile dropped quickly when she saw my face, and was replaced with a look of concern.

“Oh my, sugarcube what happened?” she asked, placing her hand on my shoulder. I smiled at her before moving away.

“It’s nothing, just bumped into a wall is all." We started walking down the hallway to the music room where the other girls were.

“Just like last week? Listen, Sunset, I know you probably don’t think we care for you, but we do. Is someone hurting you? I know the bullying has slowed down, but still. Be honest with me.” I hate myself for getting annoyed. For getting irritated that this kind and caring person is trying so hard to be there for someone as horrible as me. I don’t deserve any of that. I honestly deserve to be in prison for what I did. Principal Celestia found it somewhere in her heart to take pity, and not press charges or get the authorities involved since no one was hurt, other than me of course. Princess Twilight decided to not involve Equestrian justice or Celestia after the fall formal. She had complete faith in her friends that they could reform me, and that I didn't deserve punishment, but rather a second chance. But honestly, I should really be dead in some alley.

“I’m being honest Applejack, everything is okay. Let’s just get to the music room to see whatever it is that Rainbow wanted to show us. That girl practically spammed our group chat about today,” I said while fake laughing, trying desperately to move on from the conversation. AJ just stared at me for a bit with concern, before changing the topic. Though I could still hear the worry in her voice.

“Well, I reckon that crazy girl has gotten herself into another ridiculous situation, and just wants to rope us into it,” Applejack exclaimed. I couldn’t help but giggle to myself. AJs and Dash’s banter was always fun to hear, because despite the constant back and forth, I knew just how much they cared for one another. I can’t believe I tried so hard to kill off such a special friendship. Suddenly the bruises feel worse, and I feel hollower. We eventually arrived at the music room. Even from behind the door, we can hear Pinkie’s rapid firing of utter nonsense. Me and AJ just smiled at each other. If Pinkie ever stopped talking, that would be a sign of something we should be concerned about. After giggling to ourselves like two little girls, we enter. Rainbow grins as she sees AJ, before rolling her eyes and hopping off the chair she was sitting in.

“Finally. Could you be any slower cowpoke?” Dash teases. AJ rolls her eyes before dropping her bag off in front another chair.

“My bad girls, Mr. Cranky kept us up for a bit after the bell. Trixie wouldn’t stop being annoying, and the whole class had to suffer because of it.” The other girls just groaned.

“I swear, that Trixie can be such troublesome for the rest of the school,” Rarity commented.

“Yer tellin me. I’m pretty sure she’s the one who graffitied your locker sugercube,” AJ said, giving me a look of such genuine concern that it would have melted anyone’s heart. I crossed my arms and leaned against the door. I still never felt fully comfortable being in the same room as the girls.

“Yeah, I already know it’s her,” I said. AJ just blinked at me blankly, no doubt puzzled as to why I haven’t done anything about it.

“How do you know that, Sunset? Why haven’t you done anything about it?” AJ asked, a bit of irritation was hinted in her voice. I just gave her a weak smile. Mainly because I was exhausted.

“Well, she’s not hurting anyone. And besides, I know I’m not too high on Principal Celestia's list of priorities. Trixie is a star student here, and well, I’m a monster.” The look on AJ’s face completely shifted. I could tell that she was not happy with what I just said. As I looked around the room, none of the girls bothered to object to my statement, which was not to my surprise really. In fact, most of them were just averting their gazes. I wasn’t stupid, I know no one wanted to talk to me about it, let alone talk to me period. If I’m being completely honest, I feel AJ is the only reason why the girls even bother to drag me around. From what I can tell, Rarity and Pinkie feel indifferent towards the entire situation. Though they’re slowly starting to engage with me on some small level. Mainly bouncing off of whatever me and AJ are talking about. Rainbow and Fluttershy I feel still have some level of resentment. I think Rainbow is just annoyed with my presence and Fluttershy I know still is completely distrustful of me. I know she doesn’t hate me, but she’s far from forgiving me. Which makes sense, I was utterly cruel towards her. Honestly, I think I bullied her most. Putting her down so harsh that…well…I think I killed her self esteem until Twilight reunited the friends once more. Not only did I treat everyone in this room like they were nothing more than dirt under my feet, but I also shattered their entire friendship. I played with these girls’ feelings. Put them down and pulled apart their entire worlds. A small part of me wishes the guys had killed me back on the docks.

So far AJ is the only one who is willing to talk to me, even without the other girls present. Whenever me and her talk about something, the rest of the girls just keep quiet. I usually just end up trying to brush off the conversation, not wanting to interrupt their friendship that I no doubt am hindering. Afterall, how are you to catch up on lost time with your best friends when the one who caused that lost time is in the same room as you.

But unlike most times, Rainbow was staring intently at me, and before AJ could respond to my statement of obvious self-deprecation, Dash made a comment.

“Whoa. Hey Shimmer, you, okay? Your face is looking pretty messed up.” There wasn’t much, but there was a small hint of concern present in her voice. I don’t know why I was so taken aback by this. Afterall these girls may feel some sort of resentment towards me, but they’re not monsters. They are still kind and caring people. Not degenerate scum like me or the filth that try to kill me every night. Am I really so full of self-loathing that I completely thought that no one would question the bruises on my face? I’m being careless with this.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s all good, don’t worry about me. Anyways, what was is it that you wanted to tell AJ and the rest of the girls?” I tried so hard to move on from the subject, even attempting to cover up the less clean side of my face with my hair. I could feel AJ’s look of worry burning holes in the side of my head. I couldn’t bare to return the look. Pinkie and Rarity just looked at each other, neither of them looked to pleasant at the sight of me. Pinkie wasn’t even smiling anymore. Fluttershy even slightly looked at me from behind her pink flock of hair, which is an act she solemnly ever does. Any time I see her, she will always avoids eye contact with me. The negativity inside of my own head just assumes they’re giving me looks of pity. I continue to give Rainbow a fake smile, waiting for her to get to her point.

After she looks at me for a while, she slowly speaks up, agreeing to move on from the topic. Still the concern in her eyes is fixated on me.

“Well, like I hinted in the group chat last night, what I wanted to tell you guys is that I decided I wanted to start a band. I even came up with the name, the Rainbooms!” Soon, Rainbow’s usual joy and enthusiasm returned to her voice as she went on and on about the ideas she had for her band. Though I could tell she was trying hard to avert her gaze towards me. I went ahead and made it easier for her and just sat down on the floor with my back still up against the door. Eventually, Pinkie and Rarity put their focus on Dash. But I could see AJ and surprisingly even Fluttershy give me worried looks every now and then. I decided to shut it out, as I let the girl’s conversation play in the background like a sort of soothing rhythm. Hearing them have fun while I sit in the background was always my preferred dynamic for this relationship. Sorry Twilight. Besides, I had to think about tonight.

After Friday night, I had spent the weekend trying to find those same five guys from the drug deal I had crashed and had gotten my own ass handed to me at. But that had proven to be more difficult than I had originally thought. Through further investigations, I had managed to find where one of those guys hung out frequently. In downtown Canterlot, there’s a bar on the outskirts where most of the low lives frequently visit. That’s where I find my guy. More specifically, the one that swung a baseball bat at me. I found out that he was the primary one that handles imports of drugs from outside of the United States. I believe that this is another operation of Spoiled Rich, the wife of filthy rich and abusive mother of Diamond Tiara. I was already trying to build a case against her, as I knew of her other illegal activities in Canterlot, much to the cluelessness of Filthy. I had wanted to get personal with Filthy to discuss where the other shares of his wealth go into, but the security of his penthouse is a little more difficult to penetrate than I had originally anticipated. Still, there were two names that I had frequently heard during my weekend investigation. I had learned that the guy I’m going after tonight answers directly to an individual named Prince Blueblood, which all but confirmed my theory of Spoiled Rich’s involvement. He was an aristocrat who had just graduated from Crystal Prep Academy. A playboy millionaire who was Canterlots prince charming. I knew about him from Rarity, as she was always going ga ga for him whenever she saw him in a magazine or out in public. But I had known he was working for Spoiled Rich in some illicit activities. Still, I don’t have enough to go after him personally. But hopefully I can put a dent into this drug ring to really hurt their wallets. But that leads me to the second name that I keep hearing of. A name that I don’t recognize entirely. But from what I can tell, he is a powerful crime lord in the state of Washington.

The Kingpin known as Sombra… Looks like I’ll be busy tonight.

BLOOD COLORED BLUE - FINALE: The Mare and the Prince

ABOVE THE ROOFTOPS OF CANTERLOT CITY

Canterlot city had an interesting layout, one that I’ve never seen back at Equestria, and from what I can tell, neither from this world. No other city seems to structure itself in any sort of similar way. You see, the city worked like levels. At the very bottom of the city’s foundation was the maze of alleys and cramped spaces that I’ve been in all night. But above it was where a majority of highways and roads were built, acting as a sort of divider. You could honestly say that this was the true first floor of downtown Canterlot. The city must have thought so too, since they built ramps that took you directly to this second floor, making the foundation of the city entirely avoidable. In fact, you’d have to go out of your way to get into the foundation, or what it’s more commonly referred to as, the slums. But the higher up the buildings you go, the more you realize that the rich and elite have nestled themselves into comfortable birds’ nests, overlooking the vast landscape of Canterlot. Honestly, I found up here to be a closer resemblance of Hell than down there. I had just emerged from the depths of the underworld, narrowly avoiding death at the hands of the juggernaut Iron Will. I hope the police have reached him by now, and I know they’re more upset at the fact they’ll be spending all night trying to remove him from the ruble rather than the damage our fight had caused. But their levels of frustration are nowhere near the same caliber as the frustration I’m feeling at this moment.

I’m tired, in pain and beyond pissed. I can’t tell from the dark colors meshing with the night sky, but I’m pretty sure my entire costume is stained with blood. The entire sleeve of my left arm was torn off, reveling my orange, bloodied skin. A torn part of the sleeve was sticking out of my glove. My mask was miraculously in one piece, though I knew for certain that the entire thing was stained in blood. I haven’t looked in a mirror yet, but I’m positive it looks awful. Though my fedora was thrown off my head before the ferocious battle within the smelting factory, it was thankfully still near the dumpster when I had exited the building, with minimal damage. The same couldn’t be said about my cape, however. All along it were tears and rips, yet it still blew in the breeze elegantly. Still, the outside of my appearance was nothing compared to the damage I had sustained. I’m pretty sure I had more than two fractured ribs, and every joint in my body screamed in bloody agony with each movement I took. I was dreading going home and looking in the mirror, but the softness of my bed was a pleasant thing to look forward to afterwards. However, as much as I wanted to go home and pass out, I had to make a quick stop.

It took a dislocated jaw, but eventually Gary spilled out the location of Prince Blueblood. I’ve been dying to confront him the entire weekend. To make sure he knew that things would change, that I would stop his operation. At least that’s what I tried to myself. But the crushing realization of how utterly insignificant I am to this entire thing was a hard pill to swallow. Prince Blueblood was evil, but powerful and well established within high society. He may be scum, but he was somebody. On the other hand, I’m scum and a nobody. Still, the stupidity in me told me to go through with this. Besides, like I said, I was beyond pissed.

I stood over the ledge of the roof, peering down to the city’s nightlife. From up here, I could see the outskirts of Canterlots residential suburbs. I never really realized how big Canterlot High was until I’ve been ontop of a skyscraper to gauge it. Despite everything, and the world of shit I’m in, I’ve always found it peaceful up here. The cool breeze of the winds, and the glistening light of the moon and stars, accompanied by the melody of car horns echoing from the street always made the roofs of Canterlot a peaceful area. But what really brought the whole environment home was the isolation. No one was up here but me. I know it’s probably a morbid thought process and is most likely doing only harm to my already depleting mental health, but after the fall formal I’ve always believed that total isolation was what I deserved. I don’t like being with the girls because to me, it’s a sense of belonging. A sense of comfort amongst friends, and a distraction from the mess of your own thoughts. I don’t deserve to be in such a position. I don’t deserve to ever be at peace, or to be loved or cherished. No, isolation, pain and self-loathing are a fitting punishment, especially if I can’t face any real form of justice.

As if to add insult to injury, the heavy pouring of raindrops begins to crash down from the dark clouds, followed by the terrifying shocks of lighting. I should be terrified. I should be wanting to get off of this roof given the undesirable conditions. Especially when I’m standing on a ledge over a hundred feet in the air, ready to pass out from exhaustion. It would be so easy, especially with the wind speeds picking up, blowing my cape to my side like a flag hurling against mother nature’s powerful blows. I’m sure that followed by the occasional lighting strike must portray me as some sort of entity, watching over the city like a silent guardian. But in reality, I’m debating to myself if I should just allow death’s grips to take me and fall forward. But no, I don’t get to escape that easily. The memory of the boy I saved from the burning house flashes in my mind amidst the sparks of lighting, and I’m reminded of why I should be doing this in the first place. Not for my self-loathing, not for redemption or forgiveness, and certainly not for pursuit of deaths caress. But for him, and for people like him. For my fellow classmates that I terrorized, and the girls. For the innocent people of this city. I do it to keep them safe from anyone as evil as me. So, I step off the ledge and walk over to the high-rise window cleaner elevator to begin my descent down to Bluebloods floor. I really need to look into getting a grappling hook.

On the way down, passing by each floor of darkened windows, I stared at myself in the reflections of the passing glass. My fedora hangs low, as the pounding of rain droops it over my eyes, and the weathered cape behind me continues to blow rapidly as the storms power increases. The continue flashes of lightning only highlight the white sparkles in my eyes, as the rest of my body stands still like a motionless shadow. I never really took the opportunity to look at myself with the costume on. In fact, I think the last time I actually saw what I looked like as the Mare-Do-Well was on the first night when I was done making it. At the time, I felt like I looked ridiculous, and for the most part, I always felt I looked a tad foolish wearing this thing. At some point, I decided to keep wearing it for the sole purpose of concealing my identity so that the girls or anyone affiliated with me would never be targeted. But now that I look at myself through the windows reflection, especially given my current state and the nature of the weather, I never realized just how terrifying I must look out there. A chill ran up my spine as I stared back at my emotionless reflection. I really did look like a ghost. Like some sort of true monster. I need to start using it to my advantage.

Eventually I made it to the balcony of Bluebloods penthouse. I stopped the elevator right next to it, and quietly hopped onto it. Bluebloods apartment lights were on, and I could see the man pacing back and forth in his loft on the phone. He was clearly pissed about something. I never realized how tall he was. He had silk white skin, long flowing blonde hair, and a body that was chiseled to perfection. He was wearing a blue collared shirt with his sleeves rolled up, black suit pants and a pair of black loafers. In one hand was the phone he was shouting into, and the other was a shot glass of what looked like bourbon. Prince Blueblood is Canterlots prince charming. A young aristocrat playboy. He graduated from Crystal Prep High as valedictorian and could have gotten into any college he saw fit. But from what I could tell, crime was more his speed, and he quickly became a top enforcer for Spoiled Rich’s mafia. I only really know of him for this, and whatever Rarity gushes over in her high society magazines. It always breaks my heart when she idolizes these people. She wants to be like them so much that I don’t think she ever saw her own self-worth. I want to tell her sometimes that she doesn’t need to be high society. She’s already leagues above these people. These people are down to my level, not hers. So greedy and power hungry that they’ll topple over anyone who stands in their way…just like I did.

I too was high society. Back at Equestria of course. I grew up in Canterlot and lived in Celestia’s castle for a number of years. Even when Celestia was already teaching Twilight personal lessons, and our relationship was deteriorating, I still carried a high social status amongst Canterlot elite. So, I know very well what it’s like to be a rich selfish asshole.

Slowly, I began to open the glass door from the balcony, standing idly by in the door frame. Blueblood was still pacing back and forth, shouting obscenities to the phone, and failing to notice my presence. But eventually he stopped dead in his tracks as a large bolt lighting illuminated the balcony, revealing myself momentarily. Bluebloods face dropped in fear, but then it turned to a look of anger.

“I’ll call you back,” he quietly said before hanging up the phone. He walked over to his personal bar, pouring himself another glass of whiskey. His gaze never darted away from me. “I don’t suppose you’d want a glass, my caped friend?” he asked. I just stood there in the darkness, being pounded by the rain, staring at him through the white, emotionless eyes of my mask. He smiled to himself before putting the bottle away. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.” He took his cup and walked over to a couch that was no doubt more expensive than my entire apartment. He plopped himself in the middle and took a sip. I slowly began to step out of the rain, and into the apartment. I tried my best to stand up straight, and to make sure there was no sign of any fatigue or pain present. I used my damaged cape to conceal my entire body as best as I could, so as to not show any damage to my persons. Though, I could tell he knew I was in rough shape.

“Well, oh my, it appears our little caped crusader had quite the awful time with Iron Will. I do apologize, he can be quite vicious you see,” his smug expression never left his face. “Please do cease from entering my premises, you look absolutely filthy, and I do hate filth,” he said. I of course ignored his objection and continued walking inside the loft. Until I was standing right over him sitting on his couch. I could tell the mud and dirt staining his expensive and pristine carpet was striking nerves. But he continued to take a sip from his drink, trying his best to remain calm.

“I’m here to tell you Blueblood that your little operation is done here,” I declared. I pulled out a large septum piercing stained in blood. It was the ring from Iron Will’s nostril. I threw it on the floor in front of Blueblood, staining his carpet with red. He looked down at it, and I could see his veins budging from his forehead. “I don’t know what kind of crystals you’re importing for your boss, but you need to stop. Having this drug on your streets is dangerous,” I said. Bluebloods eyes met mine, and his look of anger was now visible.

“I’ll have your head on a stick,” he declared. With that, I turned around and began walking towards the door to the balcony, but stopped when I was in the door frame. “I’m watching you Blueblood, and your bosses. It’s only a matter of time before I take you all down,” I warned.

“Fuck you,” He spat. I didn’t bother responding. I stepped back out into the darkness and hopped off the balcony and back onto the elevator, making my decent down to the floor. Whatever it was I had just declared, I’ll know in due time if it was the right thing to do.

Author's Note

Thank you all who have been following and supporting this story. As you can probably tell from the chapter titles, this will be more of an episodic fic with an overarching plot. Each set of chapters will act as parts to their respective story arcs. I know this arc may have been a tad boring, but I can assure you that the next ones will start to get the ball rolling. More characters will be introduced and the entire thing won't just be Sunset focus. I just needed to establish how the fic is formatted and lay a foundation in this first arc. Hope to see y'all in the next one!

SHORT STORY: Detective Soarin and the Diamond Dogs

AT AN UNDISCOLSED LOCATION

“Oh my God”, was all I could mutter. The scene that was playing out before my very eyes had horrified me more than anything I’ve ever seen in my entire career as a cop. The pure savagery and violence that was on display was insane. My name is Soarin, and I'm a detective for CPD, or more specifically, Commander Easy Gliders unit, the Wonderbolts. I had been working undercover on a case for the past two weeks. A case that would lead me directly to a hidden stash of stolen diamonds carried out by an underground gang known as the Diamond Dogs. The purpose of my mission was to infiltrate the criminal underworld and gain leads on where the diamonds were being sold. Through weeks of snooping around the shit cesspool of degeneracy and human cockroaches, my investigation led me to where I currently am at the moment. An underground fighting ring ran and operated by the Diamond Dogs. It was a popular place amongst criminals to come and bet, do illicit transactions and just to hang around. But right now, everyone was here for a different reason.

My main goal tonight was to wait for an informant to come and meet me. From there he would get me into another more high-rise area where they sold the stolen diamonds, leading me closer to the source. But as I was waiting, the fights announcer stopped everything, letting everyone know that tonight's fight was special. To my utter shock, two large Diamond Dog gang members barged through the doors of the entrance, dragging somebody by the leg. I couldn’t see this person, but the roaring of the crowd told me that it was somebody of importance. The Diamond Dogs violently threw the poor son of a bitch into the ring in the center of the room, and that’s when my eyes widened in shock. It looked to be a woman dressed in an all-purple attire. With a purple cloak, purple mask with blue eyes and a purple fedora. I believed I was looking at the vigilante that had been rumored to exist. She had appeared to be in an almost daze like state, and her condition was beyond battered. When they threw her into the ring, they lowered a large cage over the entire ring, locking it together so she couldn’t escape. The announcer had picked up the mic and spoke as he paced around the cage.

“We found this little shit snooping around the place, threatening the boss and shit. Seems like we got ourselves a fucking rat. And what do we do to rats?” the announcer gleefully asked.

“KILL THEM, KILL THEM, KILL THEM!” The audience yelled in unison. At this point, the vigilante was barely getting to her feet, stumbling around a bit as she tried. It looked like they beat her badly before dragging her in here. Satisfied with the audience's reaction, the announcer opened one of the cages entrances, letting a group of three Diamond Dogs into the cage. The thing about the Diamond Dogs where their size. We believe that the gang was consisted of members of a large family that specialized in diamonds and other jewels. Three of the younger sons of the family actually attended Canterlot High, though we’ve never had any trouble with them. Good kids from what I hear. They were distinctive with their grey skin, green eyes and massive bodies. It seemed all of them had some kind of natural inhuman like strength. Well, they just sent three of these beasts into a fighting ring with this girl. All three of them towered over her, and the poor girl still looked so out of it.

“You heard the crowd boys, kill the bitch. First one to kill her and strip her corpse naked will get a million dollars!” said the announcer. The three of them raised their hands in the air and howled in joy. That’s when the vigilante stood up, and took a fighting position.

“I’m not in the mood for this shit...bring your boss out or I swear to God I will put all of you bastards in the ICU,” she snarled. Her voice was so cold and foreboding that it sent a shiver down my spine, despite her clearly being at a disadvantage. The three men had howled in laughter, pounding on their chest and stomping on the floor. The crowd began to chant louder, and louder. After the show of power, the three rushed at her all at once, and she charged right back at them.... that had been over two hours ago. Over time the audience had stopped cheering. Had stopped the excitement, and were now just watching the carnage unfold. For two hours the vigilante fought. Beating the first three, then the next three, then the next. At this point she must’ve fought over ten guys, who were now all sprawled across the floor bloodied and barely breathing. At some point, members of the audience began to leave, scared at what would happen when the cage opened. Some even believed she would rip the bars off since she was acting so crazy. That’s when a man named Ripper, the boss of the establishment and one of the highest generals of the gang came down himself, and entered the ring. At that point the crowd had entirely dispersed, including the announcer. He was twice the size of any Diamond Dog, and scars littered his tatted body. He had one good eye, as the other had been lost years ago from a bar fight rumors say. He was one of the best fighters in Canterlot, yet for the past twenty minutes since he entered, he could not take down the vigilante.

She stood there in the corner, eyeing him down like a lion. Her cape was entirely ripped off, and the state she was in... God she shouldn’t be alive. Her entire left sleeve was torn off, along with the right pant leg. Half her mask was shredded, revealing part of her face. I couldn’t even see what skin color she was, there was so much blood. Her eye that was exposed from the torn side of the mask was blood shot red, I didn’t even think she could see from it. For the past two hours she’s been ganged up on and almost beaten to death, but she kept getting back up. She didn’t seem human. At this point in the fight, she had gone full ravaged. Like an animal blinded on rage. Even through that one bloodied eye, I could see the pure hatred and anger displayed. I swear to God I couldn’t even tell if some of the guys on the floor were dead or not. I saw her stomp on the jaw of one of them earlier, and twist another guy's arm in multiple directions.

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!” Ripper shouted, pounding on the floor like a gorilla. The vigilante yelled back, her voice cracking in the process as she violently pounded on her chest like some kind of crazed monkey. I wanted to call for units, but the mission would have been jeopardized if I had done so. But in all honesty, I think I had just been lost in the carnage. My informant had been standing beside me, I don’t even know when he arrived. But like me, he too stared in awe at the scene in front of us. They pounded each other relentlessly, splattering blood all over the already red stained matt.

Ripper picked up the vigilante by the throat, and slammed her into the ground. He then picked her up again, and slammed her down repeatedly. I don’t know how she was even still breathing. As he attempted to pick her up again, she jabbed a fist into his throat, causing him to drop her and stagger back. From there, she charged him, tackling him into the iron cage. With his back up against the bars, she began to violently beat him. Throwing fist after fist at the side of his face. Even when he was vomiting out blood, spitting teeth out, she didn’t ease up one bit. I don’t think she was even aware of what was going on. Everyone had ran off by now, even my informant left realizing that the scene was getting bad. But that’s when I saw something that I couldn’t explain.

As she was beating Ripper to a bloody pulp, an orange like aura surrounded her. I don’t know what the hell I was looking at, but she appeared to be.... levitating a bit. But that wasn’t all. Through the top of her mask, what looked like horse ears protruded out, and her hair started to flow out from the bottom of her mask. Despite the vicious state she was in, her hair was almost hypnotic. Beautiful in a way, the fiery design it had was one I’d never seen before. It grew long as if it were a horse tail. I can’t explain it, and a part of me was terrified looking at her. But the other half was mesmerized, lost in the sheer beauty that was in front of me. In a fucked-up kind of way, she was gorgeous, despite not even seeing her face really, and the part that was exposed was a bloodied crazed mess. Regardless if the sight was trance inducing, it didn’t detract from the brutality on display. She continued to violently beat Ripper, ignoring what was happening to her as if she wasn’t aware. Through the torn bottom of her mask, it looked like she was smiling. Through bloodied teeth, her grin was wide and sadistic. I had never seen someone look so psychotic in my entire life.

After what seemed like an eternity of violence, she picked up the large man with both hands, and hurled him at the cage, shattering the bars in half as Ripper flew out of the ring, and crash landed into a table next to me. I fell out of my chair and onto the floor, terrified at what I just saw. It shouldn’t have been possible, but she just threw a man through iron bars. She flew out of the ring like a bat out of hell, and landed directly on top of Ripper. He started to vomit out blood as her boots dug into his stomach, but before he could get a drop out, she violently grabbed his face, covering his mouth as blood splattered all over her hand.

“Alright you fat piece of shit, you better answer my questions or I’ll take your God damn head off,” she angrily yelled as she punched Ripper hard in the stomach. “You stupid mutts are working for Sombra. One of your underlings told me you bastards locate the crystals that Sombra is selling. He told me all this before I dislocated his jaw. Now I’ll do a lot more to you if you don’t tell me where the hell you swine’s are finding them!” Her voice was so haunting. So cold and devoid of any emotion other than rage. It sounded as if she had been in a long, terrifying nightmare. She didn’t immediately uncover his mouth, instead tightening the grip around it while repeatedly punching his stomach. Ripper's pupils constricted as the pain was evident on his face. Eventually she removed her hand, allowing the man to gasp for air and cough out the blood that had been stuck in his throat.

“Alright...alright. Just please don’t hurt me anymore. We have a team that goes out north past the Everfree Forest. On Mount Everhoof, inside the caves there’s tons of this shit.” She applied more pressure onto his stomach, making him rile around in agony. “AGH! I swear to God that’s all I know! They don’t tell us what they do with this shit, they just pay us for getting it. Honestly.” With that, she hopped off him before socking him one last time across the face, knocking him out.

I sat there terrified, looking at the beast in front of me, and the aura around her slowly vanished. The ears had disappeared and her fiery hair retreated back into her mask. Her breathing was slowly steadying, and her fist unclenched themselves. She looked over to me with her one bloodied exposed eye piercing me down. It was the eyes of a predator, and underneath its gaze, I felt so weak and small. After a minute of looking at me, she turned around and walked back into the ring, grabbing her torn fedora off the ground.

“Did you get all of that.... detective?” she said without looking back to me. The rage in her voice was gone, and it was now instead a cold, raspy whisper. My blood ran cold for a moment, and I sat there paralyzed in fear. How the hell did she know that I was a cop?

“y... yeah. I got that,” I muttered out like a scared child. She stood there for a bit, not moving. It seemed like she was swaying, or that she was lost in some kind of thought.

“Good. Make sure you inform Commander Easy Glider,” she finally said, before walking off the ring, and exiting through the back door. Even after she was gone, I sat there in utter fear. My mind wasn’t even racing. It was just at a complete standstill, trying to process what in the hell I had just witnessed. With wide eyes, I looked around me. The place was completely empty minus the scattered knocked out Diamond Dogs around the ring and myself.

Up until this point, I had thought of the vigilante as nothing more than a myth. Even despite the witness testimonies with Cercus. I thought it was just something that the inmates down in lock up made up to mess with us. It wouldn’t be the first time. I mean, some son of a bitch once told us that him and a crew of bank robbers were stopped by some pink chick who called herself the ‘Masked Matter Horn’ over in New York. Crazy bastard said this costumed individual shot energy beams at them or some shit. Well, I had just assumed it was some bullshit story like that. Or if the vigilante did exist, it would have just been some stupid nutcase in a costume one day away from getting themselves killed. But....holy hell I never expected this.

This vigilante, this Mare-Do-Well as the degenerates called her. She wasn’t just some vigilante. It wasn’t just some nut in a costume. No, this was a true monster. I don’t think she’s even human. She has to be a ghost. Something that’s already dead. The pure rage, the unwavering brutality of combat, and the...well...whatever magic shit just happened. No this couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be a human. This was something far greater. A true force of nature. I had to see her again. Building up the nerve to just move, I grabbed my phone from my pocket, and dialed HQ.

“Hey sergeant, it's Detective Soarin, I'm coming back in.”

Author's Note

Don't worry, just one more short story before we get into the next major arc. Promise!

NIGHT OF THE FLUTTERBAT - PART 3: Soarins Rescue

DOWNTOWN CANTERLOT: THE PROJECTS

I’ve never given much thought about law enforcement. I mean why would I? I actively break the law on a daily basis, even before I started wearing this jackass costume. The only time I ever bothered to learn about the inner workings of the Canterlot Police Department prior to my nightly adventures was when I first arrived to this world. In my little twisted fucked up mind, I had it in my head that in order to achieve greatness here, I was going to eventually be faced with the opposition of both military powers and law enforcement. So, I took up to studying its entire structure, especially here in Canterlot. I wanted to learn who every officer was, their positions, locations, the innerworkings of each precinct, corruption scandals, I mean everything. Of course, this knowledge has helped tremendously with my job as the Mare-Do-Well, which in return has made my partnership with Commander Easyglider extremely beneficial, as well as giving me a new profound respect for our boys and girls in blue.... but at first, I learned all of this with the expectations of.... well... killing them.

My original plan involved using the crown to take over the school. Afterwards I expected law enforcement to strike, most likely Lieutenant Fleetfoot along with the entire Canterlot High precinct would arrive first. From there I would have annihilated them. One officer in particular that I thought was going to be a problem was Detective Soarin. At the time he was just a patrol officer, but even then, he was one of CPD’s best cops. I’ve only met him once, the night at the Diamond Dog fighting ring, and Easyglider always tells me how great of an officer he is.... my point is, I will never treat the lives of people, especially law enforcement, lightly like that again. That hasn’t been truer till tonight.

I was standing on top of a building, staring down at the northside apartment complex where Soarin lived, which was across the street from me. Appearances be damned, he made enough money to actually live in the suburbs like most cops did, but he’s always been insistent on staying in the area he grew up in. The Canterlot projects. Easyglider tells me that he prefers to be closer to the real action. To the filth and degeneracy that the Canterlot projects produced.... the day I run out of money, I might move here.

“Do you see anything Sunset,” asked Red through the earpiece. I scanned the empty streets like a hawk eyeing for a rat, only to be rewarded with jack shit.

“No.... but it’s still a quarter till one. Spoiled’s guys work with exact times, especially scum like Donathan and Travis.” I knew who the hit men were of course. They killed a few back-alley pushers a couple of weeks ago, and later I found out through Max, the thug that attacked Lyra and Bon Bon, that they were on standby to kill the girls if Cercus and the Changelings failed in capturing them. Donathan used to run a chop shop down in California, but he had a more acquired taste for murder. From what I can gather, he came into contact with Travis, who was already and established hitman for Spoiled. It’s unknown how he met him, but the two hit it off almost instantly on account of their one common trait. They were two psychotic sons of bitches.

Seriously, when examining the crime scene photos of their victims, it’s not pretty. They’re more commonly known as Donny the Hyena and Eye-stealing Travis. I’m pretty sure it’s obvious why they have the nicknames.

“Has Spoiled Rich been known to kill cops,” asked Red. I hunched over a bit more, blending in with the row of gargoyle statues beside me. There was a certain art in standing completely still, and I don’t mean just holding your breath and hoping to God no one sees you. I mean actually being so still in the shadows that you really are invisible. I never realized how sensitive the human ears were until my first couple of nights. I’m light as a feather, and even tiptoeing causes shit to creak or rumble. It’s insane to me how people that are so high on crack can still hear you in the shadows.

“Many people don’t know this, but back in the 90s, when she was eighteen, she used to do hits for her father. Some of the people she killed were cops.” Even without hearing it, I could tell by Reds voice that she had a gasp trapped in her throat.

“Wha- you serious? The Queen of Canterlot has actually killed people with her bare hands?” It was a little bit of an eye opener for Red to learn about the true nature of the Rich empire. Much like every Canterlotian, she always viewed aristocrats like her and Prince Blueblood as typical rich celebrities who were successful entrepreneurs, not even suspecting that they operated criminal empires. Of course, people had theories about this shit, but to actually have it confirmed to her was a huge shock. I gave her every file I had on not only Spoiled, but Blueblood and the rest of the gangs. She took them home one day and stayed up all night reading them. Needless to say, she was speechless the next time I saw her. Spoiled’s past though was something I still hadn’t put into my case files since most of it was based mainly off of rumors rather than absolute proof.

“This wasn’t in Canterlot. Not even in the United States. This dates back to her home country of Italy.”

“You mean, Spoiled Rich is Italian? Diamond Tiara is half Italian?”

“Sicilian more specifically, but yes. However, Diamond doesn’t know that. Nobody here does, including Filthy. She’s gone through great lengths to hide her past. She was a member of the Sicilian mafia by association of her father, who was a capo for the Cosca in Palermo. What I’m about to say is more hearsay than absolute certitude, but its allegations backed by some pretty solid evidence. Although she was born in Enna, her family moved to Palermo when she was sixteen. That’s when she first became a full-fledged member of the family. Rumors say she still has the tattoo on her back, but I haven’t confirmed this. It's unknown why, or how, but it’s believed she used to collect protection money from businesses, and somewhere between the ages of seventeen and eighteen, she became a hitman. Killing business owners, journalist and even cops.”

“Oh my God.... and her family just allowed all this? How.... how did she end up over here meeting Filthy?” I shifted a bit, furrowing my brow as I continued to stare down the road where the dim presence of two headlights emerged from the darkness of a nearby alley.

“I don’t know. I have no information on any of her family. No names, no addresses, nothing. I don’t even know who her father is. It’s like that entire period of her life doesn’t exist. I know everything about her time here in the US. But I know virtually next to nothing about her time in Italy, or about what happened between her time over there and over here.” I stood up, unholstering my grappling gun as I watched the truck pull up in front of the complex. Two large men wearing trench coats and fedoras stepped out of the vehicle, collars up and hands in their pockets. They took a quick glance at their surroundings before entering the building.

“From her files it doesn’t seem like her organization has any dealings with the Italian or Sicilian mafias. Or with southern Europe in general. How can you confirm any of this?”

“Well, I can’t 100% confirm her early dealings in organized crime, but I know for a fact that she’s from there. Her great grandpa was a high ranking official under Mussolini's regime during the second world war, and her grandpa was a scholar at the Vatican City. I’m not sure how her parents moved to Sicily or how her grandpa even achieved such a position in the Vatican country though.” Even from across the street, I could hear the banging on Soarins door as the two hitmen violently attempted to kick it down. Soarins silhouette ran past the window, and the accompanying sounds of shouting soon followed.

“Sunset.... how do you know all of this? You’ve clearly had this information prior to you becoming the Mare-Do-Well,” asked Red. The loud burst of gunshots echoed from the building, and the small window that led to Soarins apartment lit up like a rave. I aimed my grappling gun at the rooftop directly above it, and took a deep breath.

“Trust me Red, you don’t want to know how I spent my spare time in this world for the past three years.... looks like a firefight has broken out, I’m going in,” I said before firing the gun, launching the hook like a missile towards the building. Once it connected, I reeled it in lightly until the rope was tight.

“I... Sunset.... just be careful, okay?” The concern in her voice made the corners of my mouth purse up.

“Always.” Without delaying any further, I jumped off the roof while letting go of the trigger. The steam from the gas tank within the chamber blew out like the whistle of a locomotive, and I was reeling towards the building at break neck speeds. Once I was a good yard away from the window, I shot my body forward, raising my knees up and coiling my legs in like a spring. Bracing for impact, I yanked the gun violently, dislodging the hook from the building before crashing through the window feet first, wrapping my cloak around me to protect myself from the explosion of glass.

“WHAT THE FUCK,” I heard Travis yell as I rolled across the floor. I immediately took cover behind a door frame that led to a bedroom as I got back to my feet. Quickly surveying the room, I saw Detective Soarin across the one-bedroom apartment taking cover in the door frame of his small bathroom, looking at me in shock as he clutched his Taurus .38 special. The rest of the apartment was a standard sized living room, with a small kitchen that connected to it, and a now broken-down door at the entrance where both Travis and Donathan were hiding behind, firing their Walther P5s. Spoiled always had a taste for the German variety of weapons.

The barrage of bullets sent dust and debris flying into the air as they crashed into the walls adjacent of where me and Soarin were hiding behind. The detective kept looking over to me, still stunned by my sudden entrance. But the eruption of a bullet blasting the floor next to him snapped him back to the situation, and he continued to return fire. But after three more shots, the clicking of his revolver made his face go white, and after frantically searching his pockets, the realization that he was out of bullets dawned on him. That’s when I knew it was my time to act.

The opposing gunfire ceased for a moment, the sounds of pistol mags hitting the floor told me that Tweedle dum and Tweedle dee were starting to reload. Quickly, I pulled out three smoke pellets from my utility belt and hurled them out of the door frame and into the living room. No sooner than about four seconds did the entire place fill with the black smoke, and that’s when I hopped out of the room and began charging towards the entrance where the two would-be assassins were. But unfortunately, what I thought would be a swift take down wouldn’t be so easy.

To my utter shock, Travis shot out from the smoke in front of me, head lowered and arms reached out as his entire body trucked me like a damn tackle dummy. With my stomach slammed against his broad shoulder, I was lifted into the air and tackled across the room, before being thrown into the wall.

“AGH,” I yelped as my back busted a large hole into the wall, pieces of drywall following me to the ground as I landed on my side. Trying to get onto my hands and knees, a fiery pain erupted in my stomach as Travis swung his foot into my abdomen, kicking me a few times before stomping my head into the floor.

“You’ve been nothin’ but a pain the ass ya God damn freak. I’m ‘bout to get me a big ol’ fuckin’ paycheck once I kill ya bitch,” snarled Travis. Everything was blurry for me at that moment, and I didn’t even feel his large hands grab me by the throat and lift me off of the ground. It wasn’t until he slammed me up against the wall, both hands gripped tightly around my neck, that the wind came back into me. Trying to regain my senses, I grabbed his hands, attempting to pry my fingers into his tight grip just to loosen the strangle hold he had me in. From the corner of my eye, I could see Soarin trying to wrestle a knife out of Donathan's hand. A part of me was happy that he was taking on Donny, the short scrawny fuck. But the trade off was that I had to deal with Travis, who was built like a damn linebacker. My vision was starting to get blurry as I felt the blood rush to my head. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pry his hands away.

“Heh, I can’t believe Iron Will and those fuckin’ Changelings had such a hard time doing this, even with their stupid powers,” said Travis. Without even thinking, I swung my foot into the large man's groin, the audible crack of his testicles rang out, and immediately, he dropped me onto the floor as he grabbed his crotch in pain. “AGH, YA MOTHERFUCKER,” He began screaming out. While on the floor, I was trying to just breathe again, my gasp for air sounding more like wheezes. Once I felt my windpipes open back up, a fury overtook me, and like a lion ready to strike its prey, I pounced on Travis and began throwing punch after punch at him. Although he was no Iron Will or Cercus, punching his face still felt like hitting a concrete wall.

But my relentless attack didn’t last long, because in a blind state of rage, Travis held onto me, and the crazy son of a bitch sprinted towards the window, using me as a shield as he leaped through the glass. Within the blink of the eye, me and the brute were hurling from the four-story building with shards of glass accompanying us during our fall. I didn’t let this interfere though, because even in mid-air, I was still swinging at the bastard. But when we passed the second story floor, Travis caught my fist, crushing it in his giant hand while his other grabbed my neck. He pushed my head forward, and before I could even think about doing anything, the world turned red for me as the two of us crashed on top of a parked SUV, denting it inward as glass from the windows and headlights exploded around us, and the cars alarm began to sound out.

“Ugh.... shit,” I muttered as I rolled off the cars smoking roof, grunting as I collapsed onto the pavement.

“Sunset, what happened,” asked Red. Slowly, I got up to one knee, fighting to keep myself from blacking out. With a sharp pain running down my neck, I stared up at the building, seeing the light escape the destroyed window on the fourth story floor that we had just flown out of.

“I... I just got tackled through a window. Fell a couple stories into a car,” I managed to spew out.

“WHAT!” I had to grab my throbbing head, Red’s sudden shout hurt a lot more then it should have.

“Yeah, I think I’m okay tho- WHACK," I was cut off by something grabbing my head, and slamming it against the shattered car door next to me, blowing my fedora away in the process. The giant hand that clutched my skull like a baseball pulled me out of the wreckage, and turned me around to face its owner. With blood pouring down his face, staining the light stubble around his iron-like chin, Travis scowled at me with wide, furious red eyes. He was panting heavily, saliva and blood dripping from his mouth like an erupted volcano.

“Now I’m fuckin’ pissed.” The pure venom in his words sounded repulsive, like the devil himself were whispering in your ear. He turned me back around to face the car door, his hand still gripped around my head while I was on my knees. Ferociously, he swung the broken car door open, throwing my head into the vehicle, and slamming the door right into my throat.

“ACK!” I felt my windpipe being violently crushed as the behemoth put all his weight into the car door. Bastard was trying to snap my neck, and with each second, the popping inside my throat told me he was only a few more grams of pressure away from achieving this goal. With the new wave of adrenaline coursing through me, I despairingly felt around the ground for anything that could help me in the few precious seconds of life that I had left. That’s when I grabbed a large shard of glass. Ignoring the pain from the sharp edges, I clutched it tightly and rammed it straight into Travis’ leg.

Just like that, the pressure alleviated off my throat, and I was able to breathe again. But my moment of relief wasn’t granted to me for long. Travis pulled me out of the car by my cape while yanking the glass shard from out of his leg, slamming me onto the pavement with one arm. Giving me no second to react, he raised the glass shard up and swung it down at me with a motion he had all but perfected through experience. With instinct taking over, I raised both my hands, catching his arm and stopping the ferocious stab midway through.

My panting increased as I desperately tried to push his arm away, but he was slamming his hand down with his other arm, making the shard grow closer inch by inch. Eventually his overwhelming strength conquered me, and the jagged edge of the glass shard rammed into my shoulder.

“AGH,” was all I could yell as the shard dug deeper and deeper into my flesh, the sadistic grin on his face growing wider and crazed as my screams of pain no doubt sounded like music to his ear.

“Ya wanna act like some kinda fuckin’ ghost so bad cunt? Well why don’t I help ya become a real ghost you fuckin’ costumed bitch!” I had to retreat one of my hands away from his arm, making the glass shard go a couple more centimeters into my flesh. But with my new free hand, I clutched the grip of my grappling gun that was holstered in my belt. With great struggle, I managed to aim it at a full aluminum trashcan across the street from us.

Well... *pant*... why don’t I help you get a concussion.... motherfucker.” I squeezed the trigger, and the hook shot through the bottom of my holster, speeding towards the trashcan. Once it pierced through the aluminum, I let go of the trigger completely, and the large shiny bin full wasteful shit flew towards our direction, speeding across the street as piles of garbage flew out from the top. Before Travis could even notice what was going on, the trashcan bashed across the back of his head, garbage flying out as the impact dented the aluminum. The hit was so hard that my hook yanked right out of the can, small trails of dreg blowing out with it.

“ARGH!” Blood and saliva spewed out of Travis’ mouth, and with his eyes rolling back, his now unconscious body collapsed on top of me as the trashcan landed beside us.

“Sunset? You there? Say something,” repeated Red. I laid there on the pavement for a moment, trying to catch my breath, before throwing the giant man off of me. Slowly, I sat up, wincing from the sharp pain that ran down my back. I was already having some major back problems, but now I was practically shitting myself thinking about how painful it’s going to be to get out of bed later. But the main source of my pain was in my shoulders. Slowly, I gripped the glass shard that was sticking out. Taking a deep breath, I counted to three before yanking the piece out, groaning a bit from the sharp pain.

“Yeah... I’m good, I just took down Travis,” I responded. With some difficulty, I stood up off of the ground, popping my back out with a deep stretch. Once I felt... well for lack of a better word fine, I looked down to the knocked-out man lying beside my feet. “Note to self, don’t underestimate Spoiled’s guys.” After handcuffing him with one of my custom steel cuffs, I pulled out a small medical kit from one of my belt's pouches.

“You sound pretty winded, though that’s no shock considering you just plummeted on top of a car. Are you okay?” I took out a compress pad and a role of medical tape, carefully pulling my tops neck line down to reveal my bleeding shoulder.

“Yeah, but I got my throat caved in by a car door and got stabbed pretty deep with a shard of glass. I’m happy I listened to you about adding a medical kit to the belt,” I said while applying the pad, pressing onto the wound deeply.

“Oh my.... please try not to damage it too much. Did you take the shard out? I don’t know why I’m asking, of course you did. Violently no doubt. Just try to keep pressure on it until I see you again. For God sakes Sunset, you get so sloppy with stab wounds.” Red’s adorable when she gets frantic like this. Ignoring her ramblings, I finished taping the pad onto the wound, and stared up at the building where Soarins window was.

“Yeah yeah. I’m going after Donathan next. Hopefully he’s not a pain in the ass.” But as I was about to leave the scene, I stopped in my tracks by the sound of a gun being cocked.

“Don’t you fucking move,” the voice of a sniveling weasel ordered. I turned around to see Donathan, holding Detective Soarin at gunpoint. Soarin was slouched a bit and panting heavily while holding his bleeding arm, he clearly had been shot. I would have been surprised that Donathan got the better of him, but after the Hell I just went through with his partner, I wasn’t. These two were clearly professionals at what they did.

“Don’t listen to him Mare-Do-Well. I’ll - AGH!” Donathan wacked Soarin across his back with the handle of his pistol, sending the young detective down onto his knees.

“Shut the fuck up pig. Oink again and I’ll put fucking holes in your brain,” he said, pressing the barrel against his neck.

“You’re making a big mistake Donny. Drop the gun and I promise I’ll only fracture your jaw,” I warned, trying my best to stand up straight and make it look like I didn’t just get my ass handed to me.

“Oh piss off freak. This ain’t no concern of yours. I don’t know how you knew about this hit, but I bet someone told you, and I promise I’ll cut their fucking head off when I find out who they are.” I thought of Diamond, and my fist began to clench. The rage and energy that had been knocked out of me was quickly pumping through my blood.

“I promise you Donny, you’ll never see the outside of a cage if you pull that trigger.”

“Oh really? Well, how about...... I..... I..... what the fuck is that?” Donny began to trail off mid sentence, squinting his eyes a bit as he stared off into the distance past me...... or more specifically, he was looking into the sky. Even Soarin looked a little puzzled. That’s when I heard something strange. The loud flapping of...... wings?

“Are you flying? What’s that sound?” asked Red. The collective signs that something was indeed behind me told me to take my eyes off of Donny and turn around. When I did, my heart almost dropped.

“Wha.... what is that,” I mumbled to myself. Emerging from the dark clouds was a large animal with wings. Each flap sounded like the winds from a tornado soaring through fields. I couldn’t make out the details, but it looked like.... a large bat. The wingspan of the creature must have been at least twenty feet across, and as it got closer, that number only seemed to grow.
Its eyes were red, glowing a bit even amongst the dark sky. But as it got closer, I was able to make out a few more details. When I did, my blood ran cold. The creature was in fact, some kind of giant bat. Its nose was perked up like a vampire bats, its fangs looked larger then the tusk of a walrus, and its big hairy ears looked like those of a northern long-eared bat. But what was most peculiar about the creature was it’s color. Its fur looked yellow, and it had a long streak of hair flowing to one side. The hair however looked.... pink.

“Is that.... Fluttershy?”

BLOOD COLORED BLUE - PART 2: Within the Depths of Hell

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BLOOD COLORED BLUE - PART 3: Sunset Vs. Iron WIll

AT THE DESTENATION DEAD END BAR IN CANTERLOT

I consider myself as someone who has experienced plenty of pain before. Back at Equestria, in pursuit of knowledge during my tenure as Princess Celestia’s pupil, I’d put myself in needlessly dangerous situations. Training myself to handle different types of powerful magic, and turning myself into a skilled fighter, much to Celestia’s dismay. You see, I wanted to be dangerous. I wanted to be someone that ponies feared, and I wanted to use all the power and skills I had acquired for selfish purposes. But my point is, I’ve felt pain before. Even during the Fall Formal, the magical blast that Twilight and her friends had shot at me didn’t exactly tickle. If I wasn’t in the form of corrupted magic that I was in at the time, I would’ve surely been turned into ash. I say all this so as to not undermine my pain tolerance. To highlight that I’m used to damaging my body and feeling agony. But the pain I had been feeling as the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was something else. Something indescribable. For the past three weeks, I’ve been ganged up on, beaten with bats. crowbars, brass knuckles and kicked with steel toe boots. In a way it’s exhilarating, but unbearable at the same time. Still, none of the beatings could ever live up to the one I was experiencing tonight.

All I remember after being tossed across the bar by a man named Iron Will, was being hurled out of the window next to the door. Have I mentioned how awful it is to be thrown through windows? I’m not sure why, but I always had this preconception that making harsh contact with any glass object wasn’t painful. After all, in the movies the hero would always make dramatic entrances by smashing through windows, and I will admit that I have made dramatic entrances in such a manner. I would feel a little sharp sting throughout my legs, but the pain subsided shortly after. However, that is not the same as being picked up and forcefully chucked through one. It always feels like my backs on fire afterwards, and It’s difficult to stay in conscious, especially if the only cushion you have on the other side is concrete.

I felt my body crash onto the concrete floor, and skid across it until a metal dumpster halted my painful slide across the ground. A cool breeze tickled my exposed skin, as my sleeve had torn apart. I really should look into leather since the thin cloth tore so easily. It didn’t help that anytime my costume was damaged, I did a poor job at stitching it up. All throughout my uniform was tracks of stitches holding it together. Especially on my mask and cape. My fedora was already having tears. It’s times like these I wish Rarity knew who I was. She’d have this uniform look brand new every night.

With a surprising amount of difficulty, I managed to stand up from the ground, though my vision was already starting to blur. The injuries I had sustained during the previous nights still haven't healed, so my body wasn't in the best condition already. The swinging doors to the bar flung open, and the hulking giant slowly emerged from the disheveled bar. His eyes seemed to be completely white under the night sky. My heart was pounding out of my chest as he walked towards me. I had to move, but the aching pain in my joints told me to shut down. Eventually he was standing over me, cracking his knuckles one by one. Despite his massive size, he was fast as a snake. I couldn’t even process the speed of his movements. Within the blink of an eye, his massive hand was gripping my entire face, blowing my fedora off my head.

I could feel blood starting to pour out of my nose and eyes as his grip tightened around my face, and my muffled screams made me seem like nothing more than a child. His grip tightened even harder, and my body was being lifted from the ground. My pathetic attempts to punch at his massive forearms only made him laugh. After dangling me for a bit like a worm on a fishhook, he proceeded to slam me back and forth onto the dumpster and the wall. I could feel my ribs break, and my body going numb as I was slammed against metal and concrete. I was beginning to drown in my own blood, as more and more of my own red fluid was gushing out of my mouth and nose. Eventually, he stopped, and threw me again at one of the buildings windows. Crashing through it, my back collided with the bars of a metal walkway. Attempting to pick myself up, a sharp crack echoed from my back, and I howled in pain. I think I relocated a dislodged bone. The blood was seeping though my mask, and my breathing was heavier than ever. With my tired eyes, I scanned my surroundings. I was on top of a metal catwalk with the window right next to me. It appeared I had been thrown into the basement of one of the buildings, where what looked like a smelting factory was located. Although it was dark, the fuzzy moonlight from the window gave me a good look at the area.

It was a large factory, with furnaces, conveyor belts and smelting equipment all over the place. My mind was lost in the sheer size of the factory, but my focus quickly snapped back into reality as I heard Iron Will enter the catwalk through the broken window. I wanted to collapse so bad, but if I didn’t get out of this situation, I’d surely be dead.

“I like your tenacity crusader, but it’s not enough. Iron Will is going to break you,” exclaimed the brute.

“Come on Sunset, get up. Get the Hell up you pathetic, useless piece of shit. Get up damnit,” I muttered to myself. With the support of the guard rails, I managed to get onto my feet. “You working for Prince Blueblood? Spoiled Rich? Or Sombra?” I tried to keep my Mare-Do-Well voice dominant, but it was difficult when all I wanted to do was scream in pain. Iron Will chuckled to himself as he began to unbutton his shirt.

“Well, you’re in the ballpark. My guy, Gary, told me about his encounter with you back on the docks. He works for me, but, well, I don’t need to tell you who we work for.” His muscles were now in full display as he threw his shirt over the guardrails. He began to dig through his pockets, and he pulled out a small box. Opening it revealed a syringe with some type of red liquid. His smile started to widen, and his voice was becoming cheerier. “You know, I never really get the chance to use this stuff. I always ask my boss if we could import more of this chemical, but he says it’s too much. I always want to use it, but everyone I fight ends up dead before I can get serious. So far, you’ve taken the beating, now we can have some real fun.” He lodged the needle into his arm and pressed down on it to inject the liquid. His chuckles slowly began to turn into maniacal laughter, and his muscles began pulsating. The red liquid could be seen traveling through his veins all over his body, and his size began to increase. His eyes were now all red. It had appeared that he was transforming into a true monster, a mutated juggernaut of some sorts.

“HAHAHAHAHA, IRON WILL IS GOING TO TAKE YOUR HEAD OFF.” The monster proclaimed. This was no time to worry about the state of my body, I had to move. Iron Will stomped his foot on the metal catwalk, and the poles holding us up instantly snaped in two. The catwalk was now caving in, and it was almost a two story drop to the factories floor. I grabbed onto one of the guard rails as I was now hanging on for dear life. I really need to get some sort of grappling hook. To my fear, I could hear Iron Will running towards my end from the other side of the now collapsed catwalk. The juggernaut leaped over the newly created pit, and with arms now bigger than my body, he wrapped them around me, pulling me away from the rails and towards the ground.

Thankfully he took the blunt of the fall, but pain was still felt everywhere. His grip loosened enough for me to slip out of his clutches and I plopped onto the floor. Quickly, I stood back up, ignoring the broken ribs that I had. It took him a second to get off his back, like a turtle trying to roll over. Eventually he did, and he stood as if nothing had happened. If I fell onto the floor like that, I would have surely been paralyzed. He grinned at me, and then took a running stance. My eyes widened, and immediately I jumped out the way. Iron Will charged right at me like a speeding bullet, crashing into the wall I was standing in front of. My jaw dropped at the hole in the concrete wall, and the hulking giant shook his head like it was nothing.

He then ran towards me again, throwing his giant fist at me. I dodged it, barley. The punch collided with the concrete floor, smashing a giant hole in it. I know that if one of those punches connected, it would been game over.

“Come on Sunset think. How am I going to beat this guy?”. I thought to myself. A straight up fist fight was out of the question. I’d probably just end up shattering my entire arm if I tried that. But I knew that I wouldn’t leave this place until I defeated him. Iron Will continued to wail at me. Throwing punch after punch. The only thing saving me from certain doom were the precious seconds it took for him to unclog his fist from the floor. Blood was spewing out of the large gashes of his split knuckles, though this barley seemed to phase him. Whatever was in that red liquid, it not only amplified his power, but it also seemed to make him immune to pain. Just what I needed.

It felt like minutes of just jumping away from each attack, narrowly avoiding the firestorm of cannonball sized fist hurling at me. Eventually, he had managed to back me into a wall. Taking no time at all, he hurled a right hook towards my head, but I managed to duck quickly, missing his fist by mere millimeters. The impact of his fist against the wall blew a hole in it, and rubble and small pebbles fell on my head. I had tried to run past him, but choked as I felt my cape being pulled. While one of his hands was logged into the wall, he tightly held onto my cape with the other. I tried desperately to take it off, but by the time I found my fingers, he had dislodged his other hand. With another howl of awful laughter, he grabbed onto my cape with both hands, and began to spin in circles at high speed. I was like the blade of a helicopter, suffocating from my own cape. Vomit began to erupt through my mask, now stained with blood. I couldn’t tell how long the giant meat head was twirling me, but eventually he let go, sending me flying to the roof. My head collided with one of the metal structural roof beams, no doubt leaving a bloody gash across my forehead.

As I fell towards the ground, I crashed landed inside of a large smelting bucket hanging from a crane from the roof. At this point the adrenaline took my mind off of the pain radiating from my broken body. While in a dazed state of mind, I managed to get to my feet and peak over the buckets rim, though it was difficult given the height. I had to use a lot of strength to pull myself up just so that my eyes could peer over. Iron Will was already climbing up the smelting equipment trying to reach me. There was no way I could get out of this thing without a rope or grappling hook, as I’d surely break my legs if I jumped out. But if he made it inside of this thing with me, he’d easily be able to beat me to death.

The bucket started to move rapidly, as if something was trying to pull it down. The sounds of heavy chains rattling told me that Iron Will had managed to grab onto one of the large, heavy metal chains that were dangling from underneath the bucket. Each time the bucket moved; I could tell he was slowly climbing up it. I looked up to what was keeping this thing suspended in the air. The bucket was attached to a large metal hook being lifted by steel cables. There was no way I was going to be able to move this thing. The hook and bucket alone must’ve weighed more than an eighteen-wheeler. But I could hear the chain rattling getting closer, and the buckets shift in weight told me that he was fast approaching. The impending approach of doom was when an idea popped into my head. A crazy, stupid idea.

Fighting the pain of my broken ribs, I pulled myself up from within the bucket and onto the rim. From there, I analyzed the metal hook. It was larger than I was, and bolted with a large screw that was the size of my torso. There was no way I was loosening it. But my eyes fell upon something else. Above the screw was a large safety pin that connected the cables to the hook. It was lodged in there and made of iron…but it seemed possible I could loosen it just enough for the cable to disconnect from the hook. The added weight of the mutated Iron Will was enough to drag this thing down if the pin was loosened. In other words, this heavy ass metal bucket would fall to the ground with Iron Will under it. Whether I survived was a different question, but one that I had no time, or choice, to ponder. I wasn’t sure if Iron Will would survive it. After the events of the Fall Formal, I don’t’ think I could live with myself as a murderer. Princess Twilight stopped me from being one, and I’ll be damned if I become one afterwards. Besides, I already hate myself enough. But, I was running out of options.

Using all of my remaining strength, I pushed both hands against the pin. At first, it seemed like an impossible task, but eventually I could feel the pin slowly slide as my muscles were being torn. My palms were starting to bleed against the metal, and my screams were escaping my mouth as my body was reaching its limit. Tears were soaking through my mask, and the bone in my arms were beginning to rattle. It didn’t help that all I had to stand on was the thin rim of the bucket. But the shaking underneath me as Iron Will was only a couple inches away from the bucket told me to use everything I had.

With a loud scream of desperation, I kicked my body into overdrive, giving the hardest push of strength I’ve ever given. I made the pin loosen more and more, until eventually the bucket began to sag. If it wasn’t for the weight of Iron Will, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplished it, but the pin flung right out of the socket, disappearing into the factory’s shadows. As the bucket began to unlatch from the cables, I jumped back inside it, and braced for impact. My stomach was turning into a knot, similar to when you drop from a high roller coaster. All I could see was that we were speeding down towards the ground. As the bucket crashed, the impact sent me flying out of it, and back onto the concrete floor. No doubt I had more broken bones. I laid there for a moment, wondering if I was dead.

I’m not sure why, but I thought of Princess Celestia. About how I took everything that she had to offer and spat it in her face. Sometimes I had dreams about going back to Equestria and begging her for forgiveness for my stupidity. Kneeling and bowing like a dog before her, hoping that she would take pity on a horrible creature like me. But I always received her laughter as an answer. I would raise my head, a miserable expression plastered on my face, and my eyes would meet Princess Celestia, accompanied by Princess Twilight. She would have the crown, proudly on top of her head, and she would stare at me with utter disgust. She and Princess Celestia would look at each other with looks of amusement.

“What should we do with her?” asked Twilight with a hint of pleasure in her voice. Celestia would look at me and giggle.

“I think that’s up to you Princess Twily. I would personally keep her as my pet, for that’s all she’s good for. Sending her to Tartarus would be too light. But she did try to damn you in the human realm, so maybe you should decide her punishment,” Celestia would always respond. Twilight would look back at me, and her smile would widen from ear to ear. Out of nowhere, her friends would appear around me. Dash, AJ, Rairty, Pinkie and Fluttershy would surround me, glaring down at me with eyes full of hatred. I would look up to Celestia and Twilight with desperate eyes. They would be on their thrones accompanied by Luna and Cadence, all laughing and giggling to themselves. I would then feel applejacks hooves buck my spine, paralyzing me from the waist down.

“I reckon you’re now as useless as ever Sunset,” AJ would tease. A blue magic choker would appear around my neck, forcing me to look up at its caster. Rarity would slam her hoof into my face, rubbing it aggressively in my eye.

“Oh Applejack, she isn’t Sunset. In fact, she isn’t even worthy of being considered a living creature. No, it is a she – demon,” Rarity would announce. Soon, the throne room would be full of all of Canterlot High, all laughing at me and cheering for the girls to finish me off. To exact their desires for revenge.

“KILL THE SHE – DEMON,” Flash Sentry would shout, now sitting right next to Twilight.

“YEAH, KILL IT,” Trixie would add. Eventually the chanting was unified, as the entire school had gotten together for this occasion.

“KILL THE SHE–DEMON, KILL THE SHE–DEMON, KILL THE SHE-DEMON,” they would all chant. With watery eyes, I would look over to Luna, begging her to end this nightmare. But all she did was laugh and inform her that this wasn’t a nightmare. That this was true justice. That this was what I deserved. Eventually the girls would all take turns beating me and tearing me apart limb from limb like savage animals. The school would then jump in, taking the opportunity to spit on my corpse and parade around the severed parts of my body. All of them were finally happy, rejoicing over the death of the she-demon. Twilight would use her magic to levitate my head towards her and the other princess’, smiling at my severed head as if she had won a trophy. She would then keep my head as a souvenir, placing it atop of her throne. I’ve had this same nightmare ever since the Fall Formal, and since this isn’t Equestria, there was no Luna to comfort me in my own thoughts of Hell. But I knew better. Even if she was there, she wouldn’t help me. Because I don’t deserve her help. I deserve to be locked in my own thoughts of self-guilt, and hatred. I deserve to view myself as nothing more than a putrid creature, deserving of death. I hate you, Sunset Shimmer. I think that’s why I always go out at night, to save myself from sleep. To keep myself from looking in the mirror and spitting at my own reflection. I hate looking at myself. I hate hearing my own voice. I hate being alive, it’s not fair to any of the people or ponies I’ve ruined. I was hoping I’d be dead, but the slow opening of my eyes disappointed.

I saw a dust cloud covering the crashed bucket. The cold ground sent a chill through my sleeveless arm. I tried to prop myself up, but a sharp pain ran through my body, causing me to cry out. Slowly, I got to my hands and knees, lifting my mask up halfway to cough out a large amount of blood. The red substance was leaking from my nose and mouth, and I’m pretty sure my eyes too. It took a while, but I managed to get myself onto my feet. One arm was pressed tightly against my abdomen, and my other hanging limply down my side, I limped over to the crash site. As the dust cleared, I saw Iron Will underneath a mountain of destroyed metal. Thankfully, I could see he was still breathing, though he was in bad shape. His nose ring was ripped out of his nostril and was laying right beside my heel, followed by a bloody trail back to Iron Will. With that, I took a deep sigh of relief, knowing that I had won the fight. But my moment of peace was interrupted by the sounds of someone climbing up the ladder to the catwalk behind me. Turning around, my eyes landed on the two guys from the bar. Gary and the other grey one. They must’ve followed us into the factory and watched our fight. But I wasn’t going to let either of them escape. I picked up a piece of the destroyed ground and aimed it at the grey man who was in front of Gary on the ladder. With my good hand, I threw the debris right at the grey one’s head. The hollow clock echoed around the factory as the concrete bounced off his head, knocking him out instantly. His limp body fell off the ladder, knocking Gary down with him. As they crashed onto the floor, I quickly limped over to them, kicking the grey man’s body off Gary, who was no doubt seeing stars right now.

Despite being a heap of pain, I still needed answers, or all this effort would be useless. I slammed my boot onto Gary's throat. Applying ample amounts of pressure as to not choke him to death, but still enough to where he struggled to breathe.

“You still have answers to give me”, I growled. This time I didn’t need to try to sound intimidating. I was just beyond pissed at this point that any word that escaped my mouth was covered in hostility and rage. Gary wrapped both his hands around my boot, trying to lift off some of the pressure, but I wouldn’t allow him.

“Okay, okay. Fuck me. Me, Larry and Iron Will answer directly to Prince Blue Blood. Right now he’s running a large trade deal of drugs from across the country”, Gary spewed out.

“Does he answer to Spoiled Rich? What does she want with drugs? It’s never been part of her MO,” I demanded.

“No, he doesn’t answer to Spoiled Rich. They both answer to someone higher. Neither of them really has interest in the drug market, but the man above them does." At this point, I applied more pressure on this throat.

“WHO?” I yelled.

“Sombra. The Kingpin Sombra.” He answered. A chill ran up my spine. Although I haven’t heard of him in this world, The name was familiar. I just didn’t know if we were talking about the same Sombra.

“What drugs were being shipped from the warehouse?” I asked, slightly releasing my boot from his throat. I have my theories, but I’m hoping I’m wrong.

“I don’t know. Seriously. But it’s something I’ve never seen before. Sombra found these dark crystals. No one knows from were. But the properties in them make you go…crazy. They turn you into a savage beast full of untapped power. What Iron Will just took was a sample of it”. My heart dropped, and my worst fear had come true. I lifted my foot and slammed the heel of my boot onto Gary’s face.

“Take me to Blue Blood”.

THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 1: The Great and Terrible Trixie

CANTERLOT HIGH GYM

It had been almost an entire week before I had returned to school. My body had shut down when I got home the night after my fight against Iron Will. I ended up sleeping through the entire following day. The pain was so bad that I did eventually have go to a medical facility to at least get my hands on some pain killers, though, with much great hesitancy. I was nervous about the staff questioning how I sustained such injuries, but thankfully they took my word that I took a nasty tumble from a bike down a hill. After some stitches, bandages, cleanings and painkillers, I was good to go.

Surprisingly Rarity was the one who kept texting me wondering if I was okay. She had even stopped at my place accompanied by Rainbow of all people. But I didn’t bother answering the door. Selfish I know, but I just wasn’t in the state to be seen by anyone. When I took my mask off in front of the mirror, my face wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. One massive black eye next to the old one, and a large cut that did end up getting stitched across the bridge of my nose, accompanied by some light bruising throughout my cheeks. The day before I went back to school, Applejack and Rarity stopped by, but unlike the past times, I did answer the door. The look of horror on both of their faces told me that it was going to take some convincing to assure them that I was fine. It was times like these that I really wished they would just forget about me. After assuring them that everything was peachy and that the injuries were nothing more than a clumsy mistake from a bicycle, they eventually took my word, though I could see Applejacks suspicions painted on her face.

The girls told me that I had a lot of schoolwork to catch up on, though to be honest, I kind of just gave up on academics. I don’t even know why I was still going to school. But one thing that the girls mentioned that did pique my interest was what was going on in the school paper. From what they told me, an anonymous writer who went by “Gabby Gums” had been revealing deep secrets from fellow classmates within the paper. Earlier in the week, on the front page of the paper, it was revealed that Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon were secretly a thing, much to everyone’s surprise. A couple of days later, another front-page story had revealed Bulk Biceps apparently enjoyed dancing. Now, I personally found nothing interesting about these stories, but our fellow classmates found this to be a big deal. I just found the whole thing tacky that someone would reveal secrets so casually for the intent of others entertainment. Though I suppose that would be hypocritical of me to say. I didn’t think much of it however, and after letting them know I’d be back to school the next day, they left, and I went straight back to bed.

Now I’m back at school, utilizing the gym. I haven’t seen any of the girls today, as I came in a bit late. Principal Celestia warned me that if I took another unexcused leave of absence again that I’d be expelled. Oh well. I never did like talking to her, because she was just like the princess back at home. An unsplendid thought that would constantly haunt my nightmares. I hope I never see Princess Celestia ever again. It’s just too much shame on my end to see her. I think I’d break down. Anyways Principal Celestia was already enough, she clearly still hated me for the Fall Formal. But it didn’t matter, anything she said to me just plopped out the other ear, I don’t think I really cared about getting expelled. Besides, I had too much to think about. The gym at this time was empty and quiet. I used the gymnastics equipment to practice an assortment of different skills from handstands, flips, strength and coordination. All for the night activities of course. I don’t really have anywhere in my apartment to fit gym equipment in, and besides, the isolation gives me time to think. I had to think about exactly where the crystallized drugs were coming from. The talk with Gary and the fight with Iron Will was enough for me to understand the true essence of these crystal drugs.

I hopped on the balance beam and entered into a handstand position, wincing a bit at the pain I still felt at my side. Holding the position intently, I continued to carry on with my thoughts.

The Kingpin Sombra is who Gary told me ran the whole operation. He was the guy at the very top that both Prince Blueblood and Spoiled Rich were answering too. I had heard the name mentioned briefly during my first two weeks scouring the underworld, but I didn’t think the name had any correlation to the Sombra that I know. Goes to show how stupid I am. The confirmation of a crystalized substance and the title of kingpin crowned Sombra all but confirmed my greatest fears. This world did have a King Sombra, and he was just as wicked as his Equestrian counterpart. But the way he utilizes crystals is rather peculiar.

Back at Equestria, the legend of King Sombra is one that shakes the bones of fillies all across the land, and even terrifies grown stallions. A powerful and ruthless tyrant who conquered the ancient Crystal Empire, enslaving its citizens and defeating both Celestia and Luna. All with the help of dark crystals he had used from the land. From what I recall, the properties of these dark crystals were still somewhat of a mystery. For only he could actually create them with Equestrias special Crystals from the Crystal Empire. But these dark crystals gave Sombra great and immeasurable power, and its corruption of any poor soul’s mind was one of its greatest weapons. It could pick apart, manipulate and demoralize anyone. From some of my own personal readings within Celestia’s castle, and the library from the ruins of the two sisters’ older castle, I suspect this manipulative property is what set the seeds in princess Luna to become Nightmare Moon. I theorize Sombra utilized these dark crystals to play with Lunas mind during the sister’s climatic battle to dethrone Sombra, and it was through this that the hatred and jealousy Luna had been feeling popped out. I mean, I don’t think it was a coincidence that Nightmare Moon appeared shortly after the war with Sombra, leading to the second great Equestrian civil war between the sun and moon.

But anyways, the crystals here seem to have a different Property. Gary told me that the drug enhances the strength of its users. After Iron Will had used a small dosage of it, he became an utter monster. If it wasn’t for dumb luck, I would surely have been killed. I’m not sure what Sombras plans are, or how these crystals are made, but all I know is that I can’t let any more of these dangerous drugs into Canterlot city.

Amidst my current position, I slowly raised one arm off the beam, keeping my entire body suspended in the air with one arm. I could feel the drips of sweat falling from my face onto the mat below, while my arm shook with the weight it was carrying. Clenching my teeth, I aimed to hold the position a bit longer, but the sudden slamming of the gym doors broke my concentration, and quickly my face met the ground. Groaning to myself in pain, I looked up to see who it was that had just barged into my moment of solitude, only to be utterly disappointed at the sight of Trixie accompanied by her two little friends.

“Well well well, looks like we found a wild animal in its cave, huh girls.” Trixie teased. Her two friends snickered at each other as the trio walked over to me. I looked up at her with a look of annoyance, but honestly no matter how hard she or the other students bullied me, I never had it in me to challenge them. Like I said, it’s what I deserve.

“What do you want Trixie?” I grumbled, trying to stand up. But my attempt was thwarted by Trixie’s hand wrapping itself around my face and pushing me back down on my knees.

“Oh, please Sunset, stay down there like a good girl. The ground suits you so well,” she snickered. All I could do was look up at her with a dead expression. I didn’t challenge her, nor did I make any attempt to get back up. By now, I had all but accepted any humiliation or torment by the students at this school. “Look at her face, did you get beat up in some alley she-demon?” Trixie’s blonde-haired friend mocked, causing the trio the laugh.

“Well, While I’m here, might as well get some good pictures out of this,” said Trixie. She pulled out her phone and began snapping pictures of me. It was only then I realized the outfit I was in. Whenever I did use the gym, I was practically naked. Wearing only a sports bra and briefs. My face began to turn red as I watched the flash on her phone light up multiple times as she took pictures. A feeling of rage began to build up inside of me, but immediately shot down when Trixie spoke again.

“You know girls, this little twisted bitch once stole my clothes in the locker room and took videos and pictures of me naked running around trying to find them. All for blackmail purposes of course,” Trixie explained. My rage was swiftly replaced with guilt and utter disgust for myself, and my eyes and head lowered to the floor, accepting whatever it was she wanted to do to me. It was true after all; I did do those things to her. Prior to arriving to this world, Trixie was the biggest bully at Canterlot High. She, in a sense, ran the school. Though nowhere near as cruel or unjust as I did. So, my solution to that was to hit her hard. The most effective and quickest strategy I utilized for my claim to power was blackmail. I’d have Snips and Snails, two more poor kids I damaged, acquire personal secrets and dirt of students, which I’d use as blackmail for their complete submission. With Trixie, I was especially cruel towards. I made sure that she knew that I would show the whole school her nudes if she ever dared crossed me, and from then on, she never got in my way. I guess now I’ve reaped what I sown.

“So, tell me Shimmer, do you still have those photos of me?” she asked, now holding up her phone sideways to record a video of me. I took a deep sigh and continued to stare at the floor, not daring to meet her gaze.

“No Trixie, I deleted them. Along with every secret I’ve ever had,” I admitted. Which was true, I destroyed the hard drives I had them on. I could hear Trixie scoff.

“Well, aren’t you a saint. Look how the dreadful she-demon Sunset Shimmer has fallen. I think I’m going to keep these pictures, Sunset. Maybe post them on the weird side Mystable and see what happens,” Trixie threatened. However, my degradation came to a cease when Rainbow Dash’s voice filled the loud space of the empty gym.

“Hey Trixie, don’t you have some mirror to talk to? Why don’t you leave her alone?” My eyes gazed up to see Rainbow leaning on the frame of the gym’s entrance with both arms crossed. She glared at Trixie with cold eyes. My bullies glared back at her, returning the look of abhorrence. Trixie put her phone up and began walking towards Dash and the entrance.

“I don’t know why you lot of idiots keep her around. Especially after everything she’s done. She’ll just betray you in the end.” Trixie looked over to me one last time with a grin plastered on her face. “Besides, I’m pretty sure she’s the one who’s this Gabby Gums character who keeps exposing everyone’s secrets. Obviously in some pathetic desperate attempt to have some form of power. Pathetic,” she accused. I just continued to look down at the floor. I didn’t even have it in me to object to her false claims. She turned her head back to the door, and with her nose held up high, her and her friends walked out the gym. Rainbow Dash made sure they were gone before closing the door. I didn’t have to raise my head up to know that Dash was staring at me intently. The sound of her footsteps echoed through the gym as she walked over to me, still kneeling with my head down. I’m not sure why, but the closer she got, the more I could feel my heart begin to race. I’ve never actually talked to Dash one on one. Just the two of us alone. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve talked to any of the girls in such conditions other than AppleJack.

The tips of her boots were now directly in my sight as she stood over me. My hands started clutching the end of my briefs as the inside of my mind began to jumble around. Thankfully, Dash broke the silence.

“Sunset, please look at me.” Her voice had a hint of disappointment as she sighed her words. All I could do was grimace as I kept staring at the floor. I didn’t feel like deserved to face her. To look her in the eyes as equals or friends. Oh, how I wish she would take the opportunity to degrade me like Trixie did. No one would know, and I would never say anything. But of course, only someone as awful as me would ever think a person like Rainbow Dash would scoop to such levels. She took a deep sigh and dropped her bag to the floor before taking a seat next to me. I still didn’t take my eyes off of the floor.

“Why do you let her treat you like that? Everyone in the school knows that it’s her who vandalizes your locker. The more you let her walk all over you, the more other students will take the opportunity to follow,” she explained. I didn’t respond, nor did I change positions. Dash continued after the moment of silence. “Look, just tell her to back off. She clearly only messes with you when we’re not around, so stand your ground Sunset.” I responded to her with silence, still staring at the floor. Whatever it was that she was saying, I wasn’t paying attention to. After another moment of silence, frustration began to build in her voice. “Damnit Sunset, what is wrong with you? Are you just going to sit there and sulk?” After another moment of silence, Dash cursed to herself and stood up, grabbed her bag and began walking away. I should’ve just let her, but my brain decided to go on autopilot, and the question just slipped out.

“Rainbow…why are you girls doing this? Pretending to be my friend I mean.” I raised my head and looked at her with tired eyes. Dash stopped in her tracks and turned back to face me. A sorrowful look of anger was present on her face, but quickly turned to a look of sympathy, all while her eyes were averting my direction. She walked back over to me, laid her bag down and sat next to me again. This time however, her stance was different. More relaxed than before. Not the body language of someone trying to cheer someone else up but doesn’t know how. But rather the body language of someone that just wanted to talk.

“Look Sunset, at first it was just out of respect for Twilight, but AJ believes that you do deserve a second chance, and she’s trying to give you it. I guess at first, the rest of us were just doing it out of respect for her too,” said Rainbow. I had figured much. I never believed they wanted me anywhere near them, let alone to be a part of their posse. There was just so much bad blood and damage done at this point to salvage any meaningful kind of relationship.

“I thought as much. Look, Rainbow, it’s clear that I don’t deserve any kind of chance, and I’m only hindering you girls’ bonding time. I think it would be best for all of us if we just go our separate ways.” I said bluntly. I was hoping for her to agree with my solution.

“And where would you go Shimmer? Would you just be on your own and subject yourself to more bullying?” Dash asked. I just gave her a shrug, my way of telling her that it’s okay. “Besides, you didn’t hear me. I said at first. Sunset, I know we may not have been doing our best at showing it, but we think AJ and Twilight are right. I don’t know what it was back at your home world that caused you to have so much anger and hatred, but I don’t think being alone is the solution to that. Look Sunset, I can’t say I forgive you. You damaged a relationship that I hold very dear. I consider those girls my family, and the bond I’ve had with them has been there for a long time. You destroyed that with no remorse, and ridiculed and manipulated all of us. Especially Fluttershy, who I’ve known the longest.” Dash said. Each word felt like a knife being twisted in my stomach. For the first time in a while, I could feel tears building up inside me, but I didn’t let them come out.

“But,” Dash continued. “We don’t want to hold that against you. We don’t want revenge or satisfaction from knowing you’re hurt. We all want to move on and look forward to a brighter future. If moving on means sharing it with you, then we’ll do it. Twilight Sparkle is someone I have nothing but respect for, and if she believes that you’re worth hanging onto, then we’ll do it. AJ’s faith in you too was enough to convince us. I’m sorry Sunset that we haven’t been reaching out to you like AJ has. Like I said, it’ll just take a while to forgive, if ever we do. But you have to work with us too. This is just going to take a while to heal from.” I stared at Dash, with glassy eyes. I didn’t really know what to say to any of this. I almost apologized to her right then and there. It was something I hadn’t done yet for anyone. I did say sorry back at the fall formal after the girls turned me back, but it wasn’t a heartfelt apology. It was just something I spewed out at the moment after realizing that I attempted to kill them. But I never believed in apologies. If I was really sorry, I wouldn’t have done it to begin with. My actions can’t be undone. So instead, I just lowered my eyes and gave her a slight head nod to show I understood. Dash gave me a weak smile before getting back up to her feet. She gave me a pat on the shoulder and started to walk towards the door. But as she was about to grab the doors bar, she turned around to face me and spoke.

“You know there’s a rumor going around that you’re Gabby Gums. I guess with the nature of secrets being revealed, you’re the easiest person to point the blame towards. But for what it’s worth, we don’t believe for a second that it’s you.” She gave me another weak smile before turning back to the door. “Oh, and Sunset, please be careful on bikes. We don’t want to see you hurt anymore.” With that, Dash walked out the gym, leaving me alone in my thoughts. I had a lot to take away from that little conversation we just had. A part of me wanted to believe her. Wanted to believe that I deserved some level of happiness. That I could move on from what I used to be and become another person. But as I looked down at my bruised knuckles, I knew the truth. The second I put that mask on I made my decision, and despite everything she had just said, I was going to put the mask back on tonight and delve back into the repugnant cesspool of evil. All in a vain attempt to stop it as a means of continuing this silly never-ending crusade I had taken upon myself. Mine alone.

That’s what I decided to be.

THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 2: Crossing the Line

A BAR IN THE SLUMS OF CANTERLOT

“I’LL FUCKING GUT YOU BITCH!” A thug yelled as he lunged at me wielding a hunting knife. I quickly hopped onto the pool table behind me and bucked him in the face with both legs. Both heels of my boots crashed into the sides of his face, causing him to fly into a nearby wooden table, dislodging a couple teeth in the process. I barely had time to regain my composure when I suddenly yelled out in pain as I felt a pool stick being cracked over my back from behind. The stick broke in half, and the top part went flying across the room. Suddenly another thug ran up to me wielding a crowbar. I ignored the pain, and despite my body telling me to shut down, I had to act quickly. As he was right under me, I grasped a chunk of his hair with my hand and smashed his skull onto the edge of the pool table, leaving a trail of blood to splatter onto the green cloth as I let him go. With my other hand, I grabbed a nearby pool ball, and then with one swift motion, hurled it at the guy behind me who hit me with a pool stick. The red striped ball smashed against the bridge of his nose, and an audibly loud crack echoed across the bar as he dropped the bottom half of the broken pool stick, and he clenched both hands on his bloody, broken nose before falling to the ground.

Trying to catch my breath, I stood up, still on top of the table. The bar around me had been a complete wreck, as unconscious and bloodied members of the changeling gang littered the floor. All that remained was one more member, cowering in a corner with a knife clenched in his hands, shakily pointing the tip towards me. I took a deep breath before hoping off the table. The purple cloak around me draped off my shoulders and concealed my body, and like a ghost, I hovered over to him.

“Get the fuck away from me,” he whimpered. While still on the floor, he attempted to plunge the knife into my leg, but I gave a swift kick to his hand and the knife flew out of his grip. He yelped in pain, and tried to comfort his hand, but I stomped on it, violently pinning it to the ground between the heel of my boot. He attempted to cry out, but with my other leg, I kneeled down onto his chest, putting all my weight on top of him while I kept his hand still pinned down with my other leg. He tried to punch me with his free arm, but I grabbed his hand and began bending his fingers in the opposite direction one by one. The pops that his dislocated bones were making accompanied by his screams sent a shiver down my spine. It was never my idea to be to cruel towards criminals, but after spending the past forty minutes fighting a bar full of eight grown men affiliated with the changeling gang, my patience was wearing thin.

The Changelings were a gang that dominated the western hemisphere of the country. They were an odd bunch, as from what I heard, their gang was almost cult like. They all wore the same black leather jackets, black cargo pants and all had a greyish skin tone. What was really peculiar however were their eyes. All of them had dark blue eyes. Tonight was the first time I ever encountered the gang, as they like to nestle themselves deep into the slums of Canterlot. I had heard that they mainly isolated themselves in the sewers. A ridiculous rumor I had initially thought, but the putrid smell of shit that irradiated off them was enough for me to consider that possibility as true. The reason why I had gone after them is because the intel I’ve gotten from Gary revealed the gang to be the primary delivery boys for the imported crystal drugs. Though admittedly, this was a group I had preferred to stay away from. If there was any correlation to the changeling species I had read about back in Equestria, then this was a group I’d prefer to not be at odds with. But I suppose that’s a fool’s wish given the nature of this little game of mine.

“You scumbags are picking up trash for Sombra. Where?” I demanded, trying my best to use the ghostly voice I had been practicing. The man kept his lips shut but didn’t deny anything. The frustration began to build in me, and I pierced my knee deeper into his chest, and began wailing at his face violently. His blood was splattering all over me, mixing with the blood of others that had stained my costume. Although that’s just what I choose to believe. In truth I couldn’t tell if the blood was there’s or mine. In all Likelihood it was probably a blend of both.

After a good five to seven punches, I ceased up and slightly took some pressure off his chest, allowing him to take a deep gasp of air.

“Okay, okay. Just stop, please. We pick it up from the sewers. At the North dam entrance outside of Canterlot.” He confessed. I took a fistful of his hair, and brought his face closer to me, cocking my fist back in a threatening manner.

“When?” I demanded. But before he could answer the unthinkable had occurred. Without a moment’s notice a loud bang echoed from outside the bar, and suddenly the side of the man’s head erupted, and blood and chunks of flesh began pouring out the other side of his head like a volcano, dripping down onto my glove. His body then felt limp in my clutches. My eyes were wide in horror, as this was the first time I’ve ever seen a dead body so close. I had figured at some point the horrors of death would plague me the longer I continued this, but it was never something you could prepare for. The loss of life being so instant would haunt me. But I wasn’t given the opportunity to process what I had just seen, as no sooner than a second was a barrage of gunfire blasting through the windows and door. A bullet grazed my wrist, causing me to instantly drop the corpse from my clutches.

Quickly, I leaped over the bar, and took cover from the hailstorm of bullets. Throughout my time in this world, I’ve gotten to know many of humans’ technological feats. It was something that I was in utter awe by. For you see, they didn’t possess magic, the foundation of life in Equestria. They didn’t have wings like Pegasi or the natural strength of earth ponies. Nor did they have the magical properties of our world. In all honesty, being a human has its disadvantages. They were a rather fragile species physically, possessing no real power in their natural forms. When I arrived here, I still possessed the knowledge and skills of fighting I had learned from the head Royal Guard back in Equestria. But the sudden transformation to a human made it a little difficult to utilize. I came here almost two years ago, and I had to train my body to be as good as my equestrian counterpart during that time.

My point is humans rely on technology and science to accomplish the feats that we’re able to. I’ve managed to study so many wonders of humanity. But none have shaken me to the bone like the weapons they’ve crafted. We had blades and swords in Equestria, but magic, flight and strength were always the weapons we used. But the humans had many items they utilized as weaponry in replacement for our feats. But one stuck out to me the most. Arguably the most dangerous and terrifying thing I’ve ever witnessed. Something that rivals our world. An invention that could put the fear of Celestia in anyone. A weapon of great power, influence and fear.

I’m talking of course about guns.

When I first started attending classes, I was always eager to obtain knowledge of history. When I was under Princess Celestia’s wing back at Canterlot, I was quite the scholar much to the same fashion as Twilight. Magic, the arts, combat and especially history. So, I was always excited to learn about this worlds historical events that have shaped their modern society. But I didn’t realize how awful it could be. More specifically with how this world handled armed conflicts. Equestria is no stranger to mass warfare. The Great Equestrian Civil War between the earth ponies, unicorns and Pegasi. The changeling wars. Both major Equestiran wars were between the poines, griffons, bison’s and dragons. All the way to the two most recent wars which were the war of King Sombra, and the second Equestrian Civil war against Nightmare Moon.

But warfare was a rare occurrence. The war with Nightmare Moon ended over a thousand years ago, and we’ve never had a major conflict since then. But for humans, war seemed like a constant occurrence, and the primary weapon of choice after the age of explosives were guns. These lessons always awed me with their weaponry, but at the time I didn’t think much of it. To me, guns were a mere child’s play compared to the great power of Equestrian Magic, and even afterwards, I still believe that holds some merit. But I never realized how terrifying they could be until I encountered one. Guns are practically nonexistent in the suburbs of Canterlot, so I never saw one until my first night as the Mare-Do-Well. I had encountered a group of drug dealers, and they pulled out the usual knives, chains and pipes, but during the fight one of them pulled out a snub-nosed revolver and began firing at me. He ended up hitting one of his friends on the leg, and just like that, the fight was over. They had all ran saved for the one who had a bullet in him.

But the sound was something that pierced my eardrums, and the instantaneous effect was something I was still shocked by. Occasionally, throughout the following weeks a gun would be pulled out every now and then. But nothing like this. The continuous firing from what I assumed were machine guns lit the bar up like a Christmas tree. Killing everything in its path with no care. Whoever it was that was outside, they clearly sought death, and didn’t care who came in its way.

After what felt like minutes the firing halted followed by the collective sounds of guns being reloaded. I kneeled by the corner of the bar, trying to get a peak of my assailants outside. Through the torn-up windows, I could see trucks and multiple changeling gang members armed with what looked like AK-47s. The sound of a megaphone ripped through the air, and someone’s voice spoke.

“WE KNOW YA IN THERE YA CAPED FREAK. IF YA STILL ALIVE, YA HAVE TO THE COUNT OF TEN TO EXIT THE AREA AND SURRENDER YA’SELF TO THE CHANGILINGS. IF NOT, WE’RE GONA LIGHT THIS MOTHERFUCKA’ UP LIKE THE 4TH OF JULY!” the voice declared. I looked around my surroundings, desperately searching for a way to escape the pickle I found myself in. I knew the only way was through the front door. Unfortunately, the bar I was in had a similar structure to the Destination Dead End, in that the bar was on the first floor of a skyscraper wedged at the end of an alley. In other words, it appeared I was screwed.

As the man on the megaphone began counting down, my eyes darted around every direction, but amidst my panic-stricken mind, I don’t think I was really processing anything. But once the man got to the count of five, I suddenly remembered that some bars on lower levels of buildings contained an upstairs storage room, with walls so thin you could theoretically smash your way onto the floor above. A major code structure violation for sure, but an oversight that could just save my life, for whatever value it still offered.

Quickly, I ran across the bar and flew into the kitchen that was in the back. Without any hesitation, my body threw itself towards a nearby ladder that thankfully led to a trap door in the ceiling. As I got up to the top of the ladder and pushed the door in, the man finally counted to ten. Within mere seconds as I threw myself into the storage room, a barrage of gunfire ignited the bar. Blowing right past the bars wall and into the kitchen. The sounds of metal pots and pans being shot at deafened my hearing, and a large cloud of dust trailed up the ladder, being abruptly halted as I shut the door.

The room itself was small, no bigger than an ordinary closet. Two wooden crates were stacked on top of each other, and a few crumbs of rotten food were in a corner. I had to keep myself from screaming at the sight of a giant rat feasting on whatever it was it was feasting on. But I knew I didn’t have time to observe my current surroundings. I had to bust through the ceiling before the gunfire ceased, or else they’d hear me up here once they come in to check the area. So, I hopped onto the crates and felt around the ceiling. That’s when I felt a loose floorboard to the second floor, but it was still tight enough to where I had to use force. I had then proceeded to lay down onto the crate, and with both my legs, I bucked the ceiling with a good three kicks until the board broke. Luckily, it was just in time for the gunfire to stop. Like a desperate rat, I crawled into the ceiling, and out onto the second floor, leaving my costume dirtied and covered in dust and cobwebs.

The floor comprised of a long hallway with the lights off. It had appeared to be an office space, though of course no one was here at such a late hour. I took a second to catch my breath, before running to a nearby bathroom. After bargaining into it, I ran into a stall and began vomiting into the toilet.

“Damnit, son of a bitch,” I kept muttering. I looked down to my shaking hands, seeing the chunks of brain and skull fragments splattered all over me. I hurled again. After what seemed like an eternity of throwing up, I flushed the toilet, slowly got back onto my feet and walked out of the stall, holding myself tightly as my body trembled in fear. My brain was now processing the death I had just witnessed firsthand, as the adrenaline was starting to wear down. I looked around the restroom, noticing how clean it was, despite the new blood stains that were on the floor. It was almost as if no one had ever used it. In fact, the whole office seemed like that.

I was sure I was safe for the time being, as it would take a bit for them to figure out that I was still in the building, if they did at all. With wobbling legs, I walked over to the sink and mirror, turning the faucet on and immediately throwing my gloved hands into the sink. With desperation, I began whimpering as I washed away the flesh and blood, doing my best to not vomit again. Once I was sure my gloves were clean enough, I took a deep breath and took my hat and mask off, relishing the cool air hitting my skin. It was enough to calm myself down and get my head leveled. Thankfully my face wasn’t too banged up, just a few scratches. I think the girls would really start questioning my actions if I went to school later today with even more injuries. But I dreaded the thought of what the rest of my body looked like. I could feel some of my stitches rupture, and the liquid of my blood-soaked various parts of the costume. I could never really take the stains out, so it was a good thing the costume was a dark purple. Makes the blood a little harder to see, especially at night. I frowned though at the new tears in my cape and shirt, along with previously sewn tears opening right back up, revealing my blood covered skin. What really hurt though was my wrist where the bullet had grazed me. Painfully, I slowly removed my glove, wincing as the fabric peeled itself off of the wound. There was a deep gash at the side of my wrist where the bullet had cut through. But luckily for me it wasn’t anything too serious. I could clean it, albeit crudely, with some bandages and alcohol I had in my pack.

I was about to put my mask back on, but for some reason my reflection caught my attention. I stared at myself for a bit, contemplating who it was that was staring right back. Was it the She – Demon, full of hate and bitterness? Was it a Sunset Shimmer that was loved and who loved everyone back? Or was it the Mare-Do-Well on a quest for self-destruction and isolation. After the talk I had with Rainbow Dash today at the gym, I honestly couldn’t tell anymore. Without any concrete answer, I put my mask and fedora back on, exiting the bathroom and reentered the dark empty halls like a forgotten spirit. I didn’t want to look back into the bathroom. Especially since I wasn’t going to leave the building for a while, and besides I had to get my stuff back. So, I headed for a nearby elevator.

ON THE ROOFTOP OF A BUILDING IN CANTERLOT CITY

I watched my feet dangle from the edge of the skyscraper. I always loved being up here. Every night I’d come to the city as the Mare-Do-Well, I always left my stuff on top of one of buildings. Security was almost nonexistent and whenever I needed to make a quick getaway from any major threats, like tonight, I’d be able to come back up here. The criminals of Canterlot’s slums would never think I’d be up here. They’d have to imagine that I’m somewhere down there, trying to escape from the maze of alleys. So, they’d have all their men patrolling them attempting to find me. I usually just ended up sleeping up here until morning. Then I’d change and head back down. Afterwards I’d grab some breakfast and head for the city bus to take me back to Canterlot’s suburbs for school. It was an inconvenient method for sure, as I never really was able to get any proper rest and was always late for class. Along with smelling like shit and never properly cleaning myself. But it kept me going all through the night. Which was always the priority over my long-term health. As counterintuitive as that sounds. Tonight however, I didn’t think I would get any sleep after what had happened in the bar.

My wrist was bandaged up and disinfected, but I knew it was going to hurt even more by the morning. I took my hat off and lifted my mask a bit, revealing my mouth. The cool breeze of the wind felt refreshing on my sweat covered face. I had my school bag next to me which had my textbook, incomplete homework and my spare clothes. On my other side were my leather boots I’d wear all the time, covered by my favorite leather jacket. Fishing through the bag, I pulled out a small plastic tray that had a salad inside of it, along with a bottle of water. My hands were still shaking, no matter how hard I tried to calm down. This made it difficult to hold the stuff, but after thinking about the dead man, I suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore. Despite a bagel from the previous morning being the only food I had all day. I put the salad back into my bag and just sat there, taking in the soothing sounds of city life. This time was probably the only time I felt at peace, regardless of the current situation. I ended up fishing through my bag again and pulled out a rolled-up stack of paper. It was Canterlot High’s newspaper. I bought a copy before school had let out.

But upon glancing at the first page, a frown formed across my face, and my cheeks began to flare. Posted right at the center of the front page was a big picture of me at the gym, on my knees with my head lowered in the little attire I had on. In big bold letters the headline read, “SUNSET SHIMMER THE SHE-DEMON OFFICIALLY DEFEATED.” I could feel my cheeks burn as I continued reading. “Sunset Shimmer, former bully admits having deleted all previous black mail of students, rendering the former bully powerless”. The rest of the article was full of previous information about my time as the school’s biggest bully, and my defeat at the hands of Twilight and the girls. As aggravating as it was, the boiling rage inside me quickly subsided, and a long sigh escaped my mouth. This was something I had coming. I guess it was just about time I felt the same humiliation I’ve given to others. I just knew that school later today was going to be fun. What really caught my eye though was the author of the story. Gabby Gums.

“Trixie”, I muttered out loud. Though, truthfully, I didn’t expect her to be the main culprit. For one, the photo had actually credited her as the photographer. But I had a hunch that she knew who it was, as she clearly supplied the story to them. But something else caught my eye. On the next page was another story brought to you by the mysterious Gabby Gums, and my eyes widened at the page. The headline above read “DOUBLE FEATURE, FLUTTERSHY EATS DOG FOOOD??”

The picture to accompany the headline was a photograph of Fluttershy at the pound, squatting down around a group of puppies while holding a bag of dog food. Her other hand had specs of the food on it, and she was sucking on her finger. Immediately I knew that this was an outright lie. Fluttershy would always taste test the food she would feed her animals to ensure they had the highest quality of food. Gabby Gums was clearly fabricating stories now. I had no real quarrels with myself being exposed. She could post my nudes for all I cared, but lying about Fluttershy, a sweet thing that has gone through enough torment, was where I drew the line. Perhaps I could do some good as Sunset.

CANTERLOT HIGH

The bus back to town took a little longer than I had expected. Primarily with the large police presence that was back at the bar. I had saw ambulances around the perimeter, and my mind had instantly thought of the man that had died in my hands. I couldn’t really sleep that night, as evident by the dark rings around my eyes. At first, I thought they were just part of the bruises, but once the black eyes started fading away, the shadows didn’t.

Eventually I did make it to school however, in time as well. But once I went inside the school, I had thought so much about the man and how his life was snatched instantaneously that I almost didn’t notice the crowd of stares that were fixated on me. The entire school was looking at me, giggling amongst themselves. I wasn’t an idiot of course, as I expected it. With a deep sigh, I lowered my eyes and continued to walk past the group.

“So, she doesn’t have any real power anymore,” I heard someone whisper.

“Maybe now is our chance for some revenge,” another voice chimed in.

“Did you see the picture? Who knew Sunset was such a slut,” a voice behind me said, this time no longer lowering their volume to a whisper.

“What a loser, at least she has that going for her,” added another one. Finally, I heard Trixie’s voice somewhere in the crowd.

“To bad she couldn’t rule the school. Maybe she should put on that outfit and go be a hooker.” A good number of the students began laughing. I thought about what Dash had said the other day, and for the first time in a while, I could feel my heart begin to break. Damnit did I hate it. It shouldn’t be hurting. It should already be beyond repair. It should have already accepted its place as nothing. But, thinking of Rainbows words, I felt…human for a bit. That’s when I felt the warm trail of tears pouring down my cheek.

“Damn you Sunset, cut that shit out right now,” I whispered to myself, trying desperately to wipe the tears away with the sleeve of my jacket. But the more I deprecated myself, the more pain I felt, causing the tears to not stop. What made it even worse was what happened at the bar earlier at night. The image of his blasted-out brains wouldn’t leave my mind. Suddenly, I could feel my breathing starting to intensify. The constant ridicule by the other students and my self-hatred accompanied by the images of death was starting to get to me. I started to second guess my actions. Did I really need to beat that man to a bloody pulp? Did anyone else get killed by the gunfire? I never realized how loud the students laughed at me. The tears wouldn’t stop falling and my mind wouldn’t slow down. That’s when I felt a pair of hands grab my arm and pull me into a nearby classroom.

“Hey Sunset, relax it’s….it’s okay,” Rarity’s voice said, trailing off a bit at the end. I opened my eyes to see the girls alone in an empty classroom. Fluttershy and Pinkie were sitting on top of the front desk, looking at me with concern. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were in the front rows, sharing the same look of worry as the other girls. Rarity was standing right next to me, mouth a gaped as her hand was still around my arm.

“Sunset…are you okay?” Rarity said. I could feel some tears pouring down my face, and my breathing was so heavy. I think my eyes were twitching a bit, and then suddenly, the reactions of the girls all made sense.

Damn I thought to myself as I started aggressively wiping my face. This was the last thing I ever wanted them to see. I knew how caring these girls could be, and I never wanted them to waste that on me.

“Sunset…” Rarity muttered, placing her hand on my shoulder. I quickly shrugged it off, walking towards the nearby corner of the door and throwing my bag on the floor.

“I’m fine…” I lied, trying to calm myself down. I never had a panic attack like that before. I think the talk with Rainbow and the sight of death was enough to crack the bottle I’ve been filling ever since the Fall Formal. Or Hell, maybe even the one from Equestria. Once my face was dry and the tears were absent, I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed, taking one giant deep breath, and looking at the girls with an emotionless expression. My mind was calmed. I didn’t mean to snap like that, but being seen as anything more than a ghost to them was unacceptable. Despite what Dash said. Still, all the girls continued to stare at me, with looks that displayed even more concern than before. Thankfully for me, the sobs of Fluttershy broke their concentration. Pinkie had her arm wrapped around her, trying to comfort the distraught girl.

“How could someone be cruel and spread lies?” Pinkie said. The other girls walked up to Fluttershy, doing their best to offer comfort to the poor girl. Though they would all still look back at me with uneasiness.

“This Gabby Gums character is taking things too far. We otta bring this up to Principal Celestia. Does anyone know who they are?” Applejack said. I pulled out the newspaper and walked up to the girls, still keeping a good distance away from them though. I figured contributing to the conversation would be a good way to segment away from the little episode I just had.

“I was going to confront Trixie, since she was the one who took the photo of me. I doubt she would be the perpetrator since she threw accusations about me being Gabby. Though, either she knows who this person is, or she may be this person. My money is on the former. Trixie may be a bonehead, but I don’t think she’d credit herself as the photographer if she was the writer,” I chimed in.

“Hey Sunset, I wanted to ask you about that. Those photos were from the gym yesterday…I didn’t know she was taking pictures of you. You looked…why didn’t you stop her?” Dash asked, a bit of iteration was hinted.

“Wait, what happened yesterday? I too was curious on how the pictures were taken,” asked Rarity. Rainbow sat on top of the desk next to Fluttershy, squeezing the girl’s hand softly.

“Trixie was giving Sunset a hard time with her friends. I had to step in and tell them to back off…but I didn’t know she was snapping photos of her,” Dash answered.

“Well why didn’t you try to stop her Sunset? It looks like you were just…accepting it,” Applejack pointed out. I didn’t bother looking up from the paper. I knew what the girls were trying to get out of me.

“I guess we can look on the bright side. At least my story is on the front cover Fluttershy. I should be taking most of the ridicule. You know how much this school loves to put the she-demon down, especially with things like this. Nothing like reducing her to a whore. I’m sure the school has completely overlooked the lies about you by now,” I said while letting out a light laugh. But I immediately hushed up upon raising my head to look at the girls. All five of them were staring at me with unsettled looks, all aside from Dash who seemed more pissed than anything. Admittedly in hindsight, my attempt at trying to lighten the mood was, for lack of better words, in poor taste.

“Sunset….” Fluttershy croaked. The look of genuine heartbreak present on that innocent face of hers was enough to shatter anyone’s cold heart. It almost shattered mine. The memories of me putting such a kind person down were beginning to creep themselves to the forefront of my thoughts. I couldn’t handle it, the look of care she was giving me, so I quickly moved the topic along.

“Applejack, Rarity, both of your sisters are a part of CHS’ newspaper, right?” AJ kept her arms cross while she stared at me, clearly still bothered by what I had just said. Letting out a deep sigh, I rolled my eyes and looked over to Rarity, who although still shared the same expression as AJ, at the very least gave me a slow nod.

“Well why don’t we go talk to them and see what they know? I mean someone on that team has to know the identity of this character, right?” I was still met with silence and looks of concern. Realizing that this was getting us nowhere, I grabbed my stuff and began walking towards the door. The rest of the girls paused for a bit before following.

“We can talk to them at lunch, see what they know,” said Rainbow Dash. I nodded my head in agreement, more relieved than anything else to have finally hopped off the awkward moment we all had just had. Though, my moment was quickly shattered as Rainbow walked over to me.

In a whisper, she said “don’t think we’re just going to let what you said about yourself slide Shimmer. We’re going to talk about that later,” before walking away from me and heading to her classroom. As all the girls departed away for the daily schedules, each of them would give me a worried look before leaving. Eventually I was standing in the hallway alone.

“Way to go Shimmer,” I thought to myself.

THE DEADLY SECRET OF GABBY GUMS - PART 3: Confrontations

Author's Note

I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the support! It means the world to me. I have so many things planned for this fic that I can't wait to write. I sincerely apologize for the late chapter posting and the late replies. Life just kind of got busy. I also apologize for this chapters lack of any action, I just needed to bridge the last chapter and the climax and finale of this arc. I'll try to post more frequently going forward.

THE DEADLY SECRET OF GABBY GUMS - PART 3: Confrontations

CANTERLOT HIGH CAFETIERIA

There weren’t many places among the school grounds that I considered to be an ideal peaceful place. The hidden corner of the library, the gym after hours and the rooftop were the only ones that came to mind. Obviously, none of those compared to the skyscraper rooftops in the city. But surprisingly enough, I had to add the cafeteria to that little list of mines. At least after the fall formal. Before, I would never set foot here. Just the thought of being around people who I once considered inferior wasn’t my ideal way of wasting time. So, I’d usually just go outside and plan more elaborate, and ultimately pathetic, ways of ruling this world and Equestria. What a sad little worthless existence my life has been.

After the Fall Formal I eventually did end up coming to the cafeteria. Albeit once Applejack invited me to come sit with them for lunch a week or two after. Though admittedly, that first month was a little rough. I was still bitter and angry despite getting my own ass handed to me by the power of friendship and was regretting the actions I’ve taken up to that point. So, my social side was practically nonexistent. But who am I kidding, it still is. During the first couple lunches I sat with the girls, there was an ambience of silence accompanied by awkwardness. I would always just stare down at my tray of food, occasionally fiddling with whatever was on it with a fork. Fluttershy and Rarity never looked at me, while Dash would sometimes look up to shoot a glare. Pinkie would occasionally try to break the tense moments with her positive attitude, and Applejack would always attempt to get us to socialize. Though, my responses to whatever she would ask me were always dry and one note. One day Dash got so annoyed that she threw a tangent directed at me. I don’t want to go into any detail about what was said, but I didn’t bother responding. I just walked out of school that day. Eventually she did apologize, to which I told her not to. What she said was true, and she had every right to feel angry. That was the last time I had any real conversation with her until yesterday at the gym. After that I was just hanging around like a ghost. Today and yesterday are honestly the most conversation I think I’ve ever had with the girls.

I wasn’t exactly in the healthiest mindset after the Fall Formal. I think I was just lost and confused. Analyzing my actions and everything I did up to that point. I guess soul searching would be the right word. Eventually I concluded that I was just an awful person. A spoiled brat so bitter and angry with Celestia that I just wanted to hurt everything and everyone. When you boil it down, it was all just a rebellion against everything Celestia ever stood for. Just pure malice out of spite for believing I had been robbed of greatness. Sometime after, instead of forgiving myself and seeking redemption, I just ended up hating myself. What I should have done after my revelation was trying to make something out of this weird friendship the girls are trying to give me to become a better person. To accept the past and move on in hopes of developing a brighter future. To seek forgiveness and grow. Instead, I choose to isolate myself out of self-hatred, preferring to be forgotten and abandoned. Putting myself on a trajectory of suicide for this stupid crusade. I hate myself so much, and I can’t stop it. What I hate more is Rainbows words from yesterday actually made me believe for a second that I did deserve another chance…and I hate that. I hate it so much. I hate that these past days I’ve been feeling … I guess sadness. Before it was just anger followed by emptiness. But now I’ve almost teared up twice already.

I think I really want to be their friend. But no. Just no damnit. It’s too late for that.

I stared back down at the piece of paper that was in front of me. My tray of food was moved over to the side. I never really ate. I was sitting alone for the time being. I always arrived at lunch early when most students were still finishing up class. There were always around four students in the cafeteria with me at this time. On the paper was a map of Canterlots updated sewer system that I had printed out at the library. Accompanied by another sheet of paper with more detailed schematics that were outdated. It was like a maze down there, and if I had any intention of getting to the dam’s entrance for those drugs, I had to study and remember the layout of the operating and defunct sewer lines in order to navigate it. Especially if the sewers were in fact Changeling territory. I know it would seem more logical to just go to straight to the dam’s entrance, but the area was surrounded by mountains and valleys. It just wouldn’t be ideal to traverse the harsh terrain. Especially at the dead end of night while being hunted down by whoever was involved in this.

“If I enter through the manhole next to the fire department, I should have an almost straight shot to the dam if I can just locate this abandoned sewer line under it.” I said to myself. With a pencil, I circled the general location of the department, then put the eraser end of the pencil in between my teeth as I continued to think. “Shit, I should have asked that guy if the line was an operating or abandoned line. I assume it’s abandoned and sealed off. If only I had asked him before…” The thought of his dead body crossed my mind, and my mood began to dip again. I put the pencil down and looked over at the five empty seats next me. I always made it a priority to sit at the very end, never wanting to be in the middle of the girls. As I said before, I never wanted to hinder any of their bonding time. The thought of the girls back in the classroom crossed my mind. The obvious looks of distress at my self-deprecation almost made me feel a little sad. I figured since I had those thoughts 24/7 that no one else would bat an eye at whatever comment I made in relation. But I forgot at that moment that I still needed to censor myself with those damning emotions around other people. Well, at least with the girls. Most of the school would probably love nothing more than for me to just slit my wrist or blow my own brains out. At least that’s what it always feels like.

I was so deep in thought that I didn’t even hear the footsteps of someone approaching behind me.

“Hey Sunet, you’re here early again!” Pinkie said with her usual whimsical voice. She gave me a light slap on my back, causing me to drop my pencil and yelp lightly in pain. The sudden reaction caused her to stop in her tracks with the rest of the girls beside her. My whole back was still in pain from the previous night after getting a pool stick cracked over me. I had a large purple bruise that ran vertically from my trap all the way down to my lower back. It stung at just the slightest touch, but I did my best to not scream in agony.

“Whoa, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry Sunset, I didn’t mean to hurt you, are you alright?” Pinkie asked worriedly. Mustering up everything I had, I shot the energetic girl a sheepish grin.

“Yeah, don’t worry Pinkie, just had a nasty fall when I was working out, you’re good,” I lied.

“That sounded like more than just a fall Sunset,” exclaimed Rarity. She walked up behind me with her lunch tray clutched in her hands, “You know, a good ice pack could…do…. Sunset? What’s that?” Rarity had asked about the sewer maps in front of me. Damnit, I was so lost in thought that I had forgotten to put them away before the rest of the girls came.

“Oh, I was just looking at some old architecture of Canterlot for a project,” I responded, just quickly pulling something out of my ass.

“Huh. The old sewer systems? I think Granny actually has even older schematics from when she was younger. Back when the family moved into Canterlot, she helped out with some of the development. I think I have some maps if you’re interested in them sugercube,” said Applejack while taking her seat next to me. I looked over at her with a perplexed look as I put the maps back in my bag. Anything older than the maps I found would be extremely helpful in finding routes.

“Whoa, yeah. I’d really appreciate that Applejack. Would it not be too bothersome of me to borrow those?” I asked. Applejack waved her hand dismissively while she rolled her eyes.

“Sunset please, I’m pretty sure those maps are just dusting away in the attic. Besides, I’d gladly help out a friend.” My smile dropped slightly at the word ‘friend’.

“Yeah…. thanks Applejack. Just bring them to school whenever you can, no rush,” I responded, the slight joy in my voice was replaced with a more monotone flair. Applejack looked at the other girls with a look of dejection before turning back to face me with a light smile.

“You know Sunset, we’re having a sleep over at my place this Friday to celebrate before the apple harvest and to get things ready for the coming months. You know, to get ready for harvesting and cider production for the summer. It would mean a lot if you came. ‘Specially since I haven’t ever shown you my place.” Applejack said with a sheepish smile. I could feel my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. The other girls shifted around nervously; except Pinkie whose smile was wide as ever as she eagerly waited for my answer. Rarity and Dash kept looking at each other with nervous looks, as if the fabric of their friendship hindered on my answer. Meanwhile poor Fluttershy kept her face down staring at the food on her tray. I could guess the girls’ hopes and wishes based off all this. Pinkie was just delighted to make new friends, regardless if they were shitty people. Rarity and Dash were now more open to being my friend, but were still hesitant on how to do it, and Fluttershy I don’t think really knew what she wanted. Either way, it was probably predictable at this point to guess how I felt about the whole thing.

“I’m…. I’m honored that you’d invite me to something like that, but I’m not sure I’d be able to make it, I’ve just been busy with stuff. But…. thanks Applejack.” Her smile went from being genuine to being forced. She couldn’t hide the disappointment in her eyes, she was too honest of a person to do so. Pinkie’s smile dropped a bit, and although her hair was still poofy, it did deflate a little, however impossible that might sound. Dash gave me a look of utter disappointment as she shook her head, while Rarity just slumped a bit in her chair. Fluttershy’s eyes looked up from her tray to me, before letting out the quietest sigh I think I’ve ever heard.

“Oh…um, sure thing sugercube. Don’t worry about it. I’ll try to bring those maps over tomorrow if you can’t make it,” said Applejack. I felt awful, but truthfully, I needed those maps as early as possible. I couldn’t wait till the weekend to go into the sewer. I could tell though by the different expressions and awkward silence that my answer was rather disheartening. But I just didn’t feel comfortable being in her house. For her own good. Regardless, I had to change the subject.

“I spoke with principal Celestia before coming here about the school paper,” I muttered. Thankfully the change in topic was enough to change the melancholic mood that hovered around us.

“Really? What did you tell her?” asked Fluttershy, staring at me with her one uncovered eye. I leaned back into my chair with my arms crossed.

“Well, I told her that the students found the articles in the recent school papers to be appalling and an invasion of privacy. I told her that the most recent article in particular caused an unprecedented amount of harassment towards you Fluttershy.” The pink haired girl adjusted her hair so that her other eye was staring at me too.

“You told her that the harassment was also targeted at you right? That you were a victim too?” Fluttershy asked. I stared at her blankly before letting out a deep sigh.

“Sure,” I responded dismissively. “Anyways she informed me that she and Vice principal Luna were already trying to get to the bottom of it. No one in the school paper knows who is behind these articles, and Diamond Tiara herself said she received the news anonymously. Though, seeing as she’s the directorial editor of the school paper, I find that fact a little hard to believe. Thankfully the paper is shut down until they can get to the bottom of this. Which means no more secrets being exposed by this Gabby Gums character.” I leaned my head onto my hand as I looked at the girls. “Still, I wonder what the point of all of this is. What’s Gabby’s end game?” I asked.

“Now that is a question I would certainly love to get answered. Exposing innocent people’s secrets like that to the school population is just heartless and cruel. I have no idea why anyone would do such a thing. We haven’t had any major incident like this other than when you Sunset were….” Rarity quickly covered her mouth with both hands as she stared at me with wide eyes. The other girls shared the same expression of shock, as their eyes darted from Rarity to me to back at Rarity. I took a deep sigh before responding, not intending to beat around the bush with this.

“No Rarity, this is different. I’m not sure why Gabby Gums is doing this, but I’m confident it’s not the same as me. I’m a heartless monster that wanted everyone to know I had the capabilities to expose them at any given moment. I never did the things I did anonymously. My exposing of secrets was for power, but I don’t get that feeling from Gabby. Either this is some kid’s idea of a funny joke or there’s something more going on. I just can’t put my finger on it.” I’m sure that one of the girls made a comment on what I said, or they were all staring at each other awkwardly. But I didn’t notice. My mind had already begun to think about what Gabby Gum’s motive could possibly be. I was split on this conundrum. A part of me felt like there was something more sinister at play here, but the other part of me felt like I was severely overlooking what could be a very straightforward conclusion. But as I was deep in thought, the sudden entrance of three young girls into the cafeteria caught my eye. The Crusaders. We were going to ask them if they knew anything about this since they were on the newspaper team. I looked over at AJ who gave me a quick nod before whistling to the girls.

Applebloom looked over at us, an annoyed expression was plastered all over her face. She and Sweetie Belle made their way towards our table, with Scootaloo trailing behind, appearing to be dissociated with her surroundings. When the girls got to our tables, they were clearly in no mood to traverse with us. Applebloom had her arms crossed and was avoiding eye contact with any of us. Sweetie Belle kept her hands in the pockets of her cardigan. Although she didn’t look as visibly irritated as Applebloom, she didn’t look anything close to her usual cheery self. She kept her eyes on the floor, standing behind Applebloom like a shy child cowering behind their mother. But out of the three, Scootaloo’s demeaner caught my attention the most. The girl looked…well…miserable. She had dark eye bags, and her eyes were almost lifeless. She kept the furthest distance back, staring off into space. Sweetie and Applebloom looked annoyed and irritated, but Scootaloo just looked as if she wasn’t even in the same reality as the other two. She looked so tired and lifeless. Now I just had more questions than before.

“What’s up sis, you called?” said Applebloom, looking at her sister. Applejack gave her a warm smile.

“Just wanted to check up on you Applebloom. I haven’t really seen you at home. You usually just been going straight to your room after school the past days. You feeling, okay?” asked Applejack, a concerned tone was present in her voice. Applebloom just shrugged.

“I’m fine sis, really.” Applebloom responded. Rarity spoke up, looking over to Sweetie Belle.

“What about you Sweetie? You’ve been dreadfully quiet the past couple of days. Is everything alright?” Rarity asked, with the same level of concern as Applejack. Sweetie simply looked up at her sister and gave her a slow nod before shifting her gaze back down to the floor. Applejack took a deep sigh before looking over to me with a stern look. I simply nodded to her. Since this was her sister, I decided to not lead the questioning.

“Applebloom, we actually wanted to ask you about the Canterlot news club. We know you girls are a part of it and with the recent…uh…controversial articles coming out…well, I reckoned you may have some sort clue on who this Gabby Gums character is?” AJ asked. Her tone was more careful, not wanting to accuse the girls of anything or put them in a difficult spot. Admittedly, it was a tone I don’t think I could ever achieve. I was more of a direct person, and given my nightly activities, that directiveness had become more violent.

The shift in Appleblooms and Sweetie Belles demeanor upon hearing the question was interesting. Appleblooms eyes lifted a bit, before an angry look replaced it. She continued looking at the floor, but she shifted her feet uncomfortably, clearly wanting to just be anywhere but here. Although Sweetie Belle didn’t raise her eyes from the floor, she too was now showing more discomfort than before. She took one of her hands out of her pockets and began to hug herself with it. Her eyes looked as if they wanted to burst into tears. Scootaloo on the other hand just continued to stare off into space with a look of disconnect. The awkward silence around us was getting us nowhere, so I decided to speak.

“Look girls, we just need some information on who this is. You three seem to spend a lot of time in the newsroom, surely something peculiar had to be present?” I asked, trying not to beat around the bush. But the moment I opened my mouth, Applebloom shot a disgusting glare of hatred at me.

“I’m sorry, but was anyone talking to you?” Applebloom spat. Admittedly I was taken a back by this showcase of hostility by the young girl. Applebloom could be hot headed, but I never knew her to be hateful. I just stared at the girl with a dumbfounded expression, not knowing how to respond.

“Applebloom! Now why would you say such an awful thing as that? You apologize to Sunset,” demanded Applejack. Applebloom looked over at her big sister with uncertainty, then back at me with anger before shaking her head viciously.

“Nu uh sis. I’m not apologizing to her, and I don’t know why you and the rest of ya’ll are hanging out with her.” Appleblooms voice was starting to get louder, drawing the attention of nearby students. Even Scootaloo seemed to have snapped out of the trance she was in and was now looking at her red-haired friend with an expression of uncertainty. Sweetie Belle looked around nervously, noticing the eyes of other students gluing themselves onto the scene that was playing out. She placed her hand on Appleblooms shoulder and spoke to the girl in a hushed voice.

“Applebloom just let it go, come on,” she pleaded. But Applebloom just shrugged her hand off and gave her full attention to me.

“I’m sorry Sweetie Belle but I just can’t. I just have to get this off my chest. I don’t know why y’all are just sitting with her as if she’s your friend. Especially after everything she’s done. Sunset Shimmer, you caused a lot of pain to my big sister. There’d be nights she’d cry because of the awful things you’d done to her. Do you have any idea how heartbroken she was the day she and Rainbow Dash weren’t friends anymore? All because of you. I won’t ever forgive you Sunset.” At this point the whole cafeteria had their attention on our table. Sweetie Belle was desperately trying to get Applebloom to leave with her, but the young Apple held her ground and continued to berate me with my sins.

“Dangit Applebloom, this is unnecessary. Let’s just go,” said Sweetie Belle. Applebloom looked over at her friend, changing her look of hatred to a softer look instantly.

“Come on Sweetie Bell. Don’t you remember how she treated your big sister to?” Applebloom looked back over at me with anger. “You’d also make Rarity miserable. Like the time you not only made fun of her brand-new dresses but sabotaged them before she was supposed to show them off at her junior fashion contest. You had her crying for days, and Sweetie Belle wouldn’t know what to do. I don’t trust you, Sunset. My sister and friends might, but I don’t.” At this point Sweetie Belle loosened her grip, and tears were starting to form in her eyes. I guess the painful memories got to her and no sooner was she running through the doors of the cafeteria with her hands covering her face.

“Dangit Applebloom. Ya can’t just…we’ll talk about this later at the farm,” said Applejack. Even though she tried to sound authoritative, I could hear the defeat in her voice. Cleary Applebloom had dug up suppressed memories. The entire time…I couldn’t muster up the courage to even look the girl in the eye. So, like a damn coward, I stared at the table. Applebloom calmed down, and took off after Sweetie Belle, leaving a stunned Scootaloo behind. For a while she just stood there, while all of us avoided eye contact with one another. Letting the deafening silence wrap itself around us like some kind of bad juju. I could feel my insides turn, and my heart becoming hollow again. The past two days I was starting to believe that maybe there was some chance that we could all just move forward from the nightmare I caused. That in some way maybe I could find redemption in the strangest of places. In a concept that I truly believed was nothing more than a hindrance to success. In the back of my heart, somewhere lost in all the hate and corruption, there was a small light that had been lit by the words of Rainbow Dash and actions of Applejack. A light that made me consider for a second that I could find a better path and accept the friendship these girls were offering.

But all that had just been snuffed out in that very moment. After what Applebloom had just said, there was no going back. If there was ever a moment I really did want to die, it was that moment right there. What I should do is talk to Applejack and Rarity. Hell, talk to all the girls privately and give a sincere apology for all the pain I’ve caused. To let them know that I’m willing to seek redemption and drill into them that I will do everything in my power to make up for everything I’ve done. But I know better. That’s not what I’m going to do at all. No, the clutches of the Mare-Do-Well just became tighter around me. Applejack was the first to break the silence.

“Sunset…. listen I-” I quickly cut her off, raising my eyes off the table and directing my attention to Scootaloo.

“Scootaloo, is there anything you can tell us about the school paper? Anybody that may or may not stand out to you amongst the staff?” I asked. I could feel the judgmental eyes of the others peering down on me. But I ignored it and continued to look at Scootaloo. From the moment the three girls entered the cafeteria, something was very wrong as evident by their body language. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked almost paranoid, but Scootaloo just looked, well, almost broken in a way. The exact opposite of her usual upbeat and energized personality.

“Are you serious Sunset? You still want to question the kid after all that?” Said Rainbow. I looked over at her briefly, not wearing a necessarily friendly expression.

“You want to solve this damn thing or not Rainbow?” I didn’t mean for the statement to come out as hostile as it did. A little bit of the Mare-Do-Well was starting to seep through, and it was especially evident as Rainbow of all people didn’t say anything in response. I looked back at Scootaloo, who was nervously rubbing her arm.

“To tell you the truth Sunset, I’m not part of the Canterlot High news club. I sorta just dropped out of it a couple of weeks ago. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are the ones that are always there. I’d question Diamond Tiara about it if I were you since she’s the directorial editor of the club,” Scootaloo said. Great. As if my mood couldn’t be even worse. I had a lot of things I’ve wanted talk about with Diamond Tiara, but not as Sunset Shimmer. Plus, she already told Celestia that she had nothing to do with the papers, so that just meant I had to push her a bit. But that was something I had no intention of doing if I was being honest. But before I could let the look of annoyance paint itself all over my face, I took a deep sigh and regained my composure. Afterall this wasn’t a Mare-Do-Well situation, so I needed to stop acting like it was.

“Thanks, Scootaloo,” was all I could say. The young girl looked at me for a couple of seconds, clearly not knowing what to say in response. She ended up just giving me a little nod before turning around.

“I’m gonna try to find Applebloom and Sweetie Belle…good luck on finding this person,” she said in a quiet voice.

“I’ll talk to you later, okay Squirt?” said Rainbow Dash. The almost mother like caring tone in her voice took me off guard. Scootaloo gave her a light smile before walking away. Leaving the six of us back in the solitude of awkwardness. At this point the other students had already looked away from the previous commotion and were back chatting amongst themselves in their own little world. I knew that Rarity and Applejack wanted to discuss with me what was just said, but I just wanted to ignore it. I’ll hate myself over it later. So, before anyone could say a word, I looked over at Rainbow Dash with a look of concern.

“Hey Rainbow Dash. What’s wrong with Scootaloo? She seems a little…down.” I asked. Rainbow shifted in her seat uncomfortably, staring down at her tray of food.

“It’s…well…it’s kind of private. She’s just been dealing with things at home. At least that’s what she told me. Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on with her, she won’t give me any details, and of course I’m not going to just press on the kid,” said Dash. I knew Dash and Scootaloo were close, very close. From what Applejack told me a while back, the two bonded over a camping trip with Applejack, Rarity and their sisters. Something about Scootaloo getting scared and telling Dash just how much she looked up to her. Ever since then, they were pretty close. If Scootaloo wasn’t involved in the news club, then her distress was from something else. As much as I wanted to investigate it, I figured it wasn’t any of my damn business. Besides, the last thing that girl needs is someone like me meddling in her life. Which brought my attention back to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

“Had the other girls always been that irritated? Or is this behavior something that’s recent?” I asked Rarity and Applejack. The two looked at each other, then back at me. Judging from the looks on their faces, they were probably still bothered about Appleblooms episode. I probably looked like such a jackass to them right now. After a bit of hesitancy, Rarity spoke up.

“Admittedly, although Sweetie can be a bit of a handful, she has been acting stranger than usual lately. I’d call her behavior almost paranoid. Anytime I ask her about it she brushes me off,” said Rarity.

“Yeah, Applebloom is a hot-headed little girl, but lately it seems she’s been more frustrated than anything. I can’t quite put my finger on it, I know something’s up,” added Applejack. All this pretty much confirmed what I had already figured out. Those two girls knew something. Either they know whose Gabby Gums, or they know something about Gabby gums. I stood up from the table, grabbing my backpack and tray.

“I’m going to go talk to Diamond Tiara, see if I can get something out of her. I’ll…...I’ll catch y’all later,” I said. But as I was beginning to walk away, Applejack reached out and gently grabbed the sleeve of my jacket. With sad eyes she almost pleaded with me.

“Sunset…please. Can’t we just talk about, you know, what just happened? Please?” It took everything I had to not burst out in tears right there, but Celestia knows I was close to doing so.

“Applejack…I,” I was beginning to say, but stopped as the words got caught in my mouth. Damn, I really didn’t know what to say. I just wanted to go and get away from these girls. I was already in a weird spot mentally and emotionally before this. But now I just felt myself regressing back to how I felt right after the Fall Formal. I was tempted to just move my arm away and walk off. But that would no doubt make the whole situation even worse than it already was. But in all honesty, there was nothing I could have done at that moment to not make the situation any worse. So instead, I just took the coward way out like I always do.

“I…I can’t Applejack.” My voice began to crack at the end. I could feel my eyes begin to water. Applejack looked at me as if I had just shattered her heart, and she slowly let go of my sleeve. Before I could let any tear drop escape my eyes and walked away from the girls and out of the cafeteria.

THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 4: A Strange Call

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THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 5: The Sisters Rescue

AT A WAREHOUSE ON THE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF CANTERLOT

I really need to look into getting some form of transportation or build that grappling hook I’ve been designing. Running and hopping on top of trains and buses wasn’t the most ideal way of traversing the city. But thankfully the abandoned warehouse that Spoiled Rich once used to store legitimate goods wasn’t that far of a run from Filthy’s mansion. I was on the roof of the structure, peering down into the building through the yellowed stained skylight. The position gave me a clear view of the main warehouse where I saw something I had hoped to never see. Leaned up against some crates in the center of the room were Applebloom and Sweetie Belle with gags in their mouths and hands tied behind their backs. Tears stained their terrified faces as they looked up to their capturers. Changelings. Just great. Spoiled Rich is now having them kidnap minors. Just another crime to add to the ever-growing list. There were two changeling members standing in front of the terrified children. The one near Applebloom had a cigarette poking out through his lips and wielded a large crowbar. The other standing next to sweetie belle had a large chain wrapped around his left forearm with the end dangling to the ground, and a machete clutched in his right hand. Both were sporting the black leather jackets that the changelings were known for. Slowly, I creaked open the skylight, and climbed my way through it, landing on top of the scaffolding that was directly under it. Quickly, I ducked behind some empty wooden crates, and quietly began to climb down behind the scaffolding. It was a bit difficult given how close to the wall the metal bars were. Being in such a tight space made me feel like I was in a Daring - Do novel. Eventually I made it to the ground, and like a rat moving through the shadows, I darted behind some nearby crates. From here, I peeked over the boxes and observed the area.

“Damn, we finally got this bitch to calm down,” said a voice from the entrance. Two more changeling members entered the main room dragging…Applejack. The state she was in sent a chill down my spine. She was being dragged by the end of a rope that had been tied around her body, entrapping her like a cocoon. But what horrified me the most was her face. She had been badly beaten as the side of her face was bloodied and swelled. The changelings threw her in front of Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, who began whimpering louder behind their gags.

“The Hell took you two so long?” Asked the changeling with the crowbar. The other two that had just entered were wiping blood off their hands with a dirty towel.

“This fucking farm cunt was a real pain in the ass. The entire time we had her in Cercus’ trunk, the bitch wouldn’t stop pounding. Even Teneye had to smack her with the butt of his shotgun and she still had some fucking fight in her,” said the Changeling. The other Changeling that had entered the room with him had a Remington pump action shotgun flung across his shoulder. He pulled out a carton of cigarettes and placed one in his mouth.

“Little cowgirl is one tough son of a bitch. If we didn’t barge into that farm by surprise, she would’ve put up one hell of a fight.” After the Changeling was done lighting his cigarette, he aimed the tip of the shotgun right at Applejacks face, pressing the barrel into the side of her head. With a wicked grin he chuckled. “Shit, it would probably be easier if we just blow her fucking head off right now.” My blood began to boil at this point, and I was sure my knuckles were turning white underneath my gloves. The Changeling with the machete looked at the frightened girls, then down to Applejack lying in a pool of her own blood. He took a deep sigh and shook his head disapprovingly.

“Man, this is so fucked. Can someone explain to me why we’ve just kidnapped a bunch of children? Are we really about to kill some fucking kids?” He asked. The Changeling with the crowbar blew out some smoke from his nostrils as he stared down at the three girls.

“You’re telling me. I mean, I don’t mind killing them, but fuck. It’s gonna bring a lot of heat down on us. I’m just wondering what the fuck these little shits did that would make Spoiled’s bitch ass so riled up. I mean for Christ sakes, how old do you think these two bitches are? Eleven? Twelve?” He spoke while pointing the machete at both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. The shotgun changeling took the barrel of the gun away from Applejacks face and flung it back over his shoulder before looking at the others.

“Shit if that. I know they’re the same age as Spoiled Riches little bitch daughter. I’m just more annoyed we have to wait for Spoiled’s men to come down here. The fuck do they need to be here for? To question them? I would’ve figured having us kidnap some children would’ve been past the point of questioning. This shits such a pain in the ass. We should’ve just killed all of them back at the hick's farm. This whole little showbiz shit is such a waste of our time. You know if it wasn’t for Chrysalis, I’d kill so many of Spoiled Riches guys by now. Those stupid mafia fucks are so full of themselves. Not even those motherfucking Griffon biker bastards would have the nerve to kill children over the smallest shit. These fucking crystals better be worth it man. That’s all I’m saying.”

The mention of crystals piqued my interest. It had seemed as if there was a bit of reluctancy between the two criminal factions over this. But the name Chrysalis really caught my attention, and much like Sombra, the name sent a shiver down my spine. I dreaded to know what this worlds counterpart of the infamous queen would entail. They did have a point though. This all seemed a little extreme, but I suppose extreme violence was something Spoiled Rich was known for. Still, the murder of school girls, let alone girls that went to the same school as her daughter seemed ludicrous. Surely, she must know that if this links back to her, there would be a lot of pressure on her and her organization by authorities. No, there must be another angle to all of this.

From what Diamond Tiara told me, this all started back when Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo joined the Canterlot High news team. No doubt in their never-ending pursuit in finding a special talent. I think the fear of not fitting in has always been their drive to finding different hobbies to relish themselves in, and the news team was no different. At first, they weren't very good at it, or rather they just couldn’t meet Tiara’s unrealistic expectations. Every story they turned in was met with disapproval by her. Shortly after, Scootaloo had left the team, probably on account of those personal problems that Dash was talking about. Afterwards, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle would submit the story on Bon Bon and Lyra. Tiara found the story to be quite entertaining, and told both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle to continue finding more personal secrets of the students of CHS. They went by Gabby Gums as a way of concealing their own identities. But apparently at some point, the girls had a change of heart. They wanted out, but Tiara wouldn’t let them. She threatened to tell the entire school that it was them who were Gabby Gums, and when the two girls warned her that they’d go to Principal Celestia, Tiara told them that she would ensure that they would never be involved in any club within CHS ever again.

Now for the girls I’d imagine this is all a pretty serious conundrum, but things quickly escalated into something more dangerous. Diamond Tiara said that the two young girls sought to find a way to blackmail her. Although Diamond claimed it was all just to get one over on her, I believe Applebloom and Sweetie Belle just felt cornered, and the only way their young minds could think to get out of the situation was to find something on Tiara and use against her. That something was her mother. The two girls would trail Diamond after school until they eventually found the dirt they were looking for. Tiara told me that the next day Applebloom and Sweetie Belle confronted her about Spoiled’s little ventures.

They had a recording of her mother on the phone with someone discussing an assassination attempt on an unamend rival gang leader, an import of cocaine and the crystals, and some of her racketeering operations. Spoiled had been over at Filthys mansion to pick up Tiara, and was having the phone call in the back yard. The girls hid in a bush and recorded the whole thing, then later sent it to Tiara to show that they weren't lying. Tiara informed me that she didn’t really know what her mother was talking about, and I don’t think Applebloom or Sweetie Belle really knew either. I’d have to imagine that all they heard was murder and drugs, and that was enough for them to realize they had some top-notch dirt. Although she didn’t know the exact details of it, Tiara knew exactly what her mother does, so in a panic she informed her and showed her the video. Even though she didn’t tell me, the bruise on the side of her face told me that she received a beating for this. Spoiled Rich then sent one of her goons after Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Diamond Tiara doesn’t know how, but they managed to talk to the girls privately, and informed both that they would hurt their families if they ever showed anyone the video. No wonder they were so frustrated and paranoid. Poor girls must’ve been terrified.

Diamond Tiara figured that everything was back to normal, and continued her school as if nothing ever happened, forcing the two girls to continue publishing Gabby Gums articles. It sounds morbid I know, but I don’t think Diamond truly understood what her mother had just done. The day after the threats, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle would submit the article on Fluttershy, and Diamond threw in the story on me after Trixie submitted the photos. But for some reason, Spoiled decided to go on ahead and have the two girls killed, causing Tiara to panic. That’s when she called me. But my question is why? None of this makes any sense. I told Tiara to send the video to a specified number, which would be for my burner phone. I’d look at the video later tonight. But still, it was all weird. Why have the Changelings commit this crime? Could it be to keep the murders as far away from her as possible? No, it couldn’t be. Even an amateur detective could trace this back to her. It also couldn’t be because she wasn’t able to carry this out. She clearly had the manpower and associates who could not only track, but confront the girls privately. Also, why not have the girls killed back at the farm? I mean thank Celestia that the scumbags didn’t, but it doesn’t make any sense. What could they possibly want to question? Spoiled knows that these aren’t cops or criminals. They’re just little girls who’d keep their mouth shut by an empty threat. So, what possible information could they possibly ring out of them? My thought process was broken by the sound of someone else entering the room.

It was another changeling, but this one was much bigger. He was as big as Iron Will before the crystal injection. He wore a black tank top tucked into blue jeans. His golden cowboy belt buckle shined brightly amidst the dreary scenery, and the steps of his black cowboy boots dominated the quietness. He had on black shades, and his thinning hair was slicked back. The light stubble was all that was on his square chin.

“Shit,” I mumbled to myself as my eyes widened. He was dragging Rarity by the hair. She was a mess, mascara running down her face, and her clothes were covered in dirt. But she didn’t look injured.

“Cercus, where the Hell were you?” asked the crowbar wielding Changeling. The hulking brute threw Rarity next to Applejack. He then spoke in a low, deep voice that sounded rough as nails. The voice sounded familiar, and after rejogging my memory, I recognized it. It was the same voice from the megaphone back at the bar. The same voice that ordered the gunfire that tried to kill me, and did kill the man within my clutches. I could feel knots tightening around my stomach.

“I went back to the farm real quick. Checked to see if the old hag or the big fucker was back. They’re still out unfortunately. We can go back later and kill them after this shit.” Easy Sunset, I had to tell myself. But hearing these bastards talk so casually about killing Applejacks family was beginning to piss me off. “That’s when I found this bitch snooping around. I think it’s the white one's older sister,” the man named Cercus said. Just as I thought before coming in here. Rarity had hung up earlier because she had to go pick up her sister. She probably got to the farm after they were gone, and this bastard found her. Rarity got to her hands and knees and hovered over Applejack. Her sobs grew louder as she held her bloodied friend. She looked over to Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, then back at Cercus with pure rage.

“How dare you! You cruel monsters! Let my sister and my friends go you -” with unfathomable speed, Cercus punched her square in the face, shooting Rarity straight to the cold concrete ground. I hadn’t even processed what had just happened before Cercus was on top of Rarity beating her senseless.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH. KEEP YOUR WHORE MOUTH SHUT AND DON’T EVER TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” Cercus yelled as he stomped on Rarity. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle cried out, begging him to stop through their gags. All while Applejack’s one good eye widened with anger. She desperately tried to break free of her bondage, but her worn out body just couldn’t build the energy up to fight. Even the other changelings stepped back in fear. At this point I had enough, it was time to stop this madness. But I couldn’t just jump in there like a dumbass. The girls were right by them, and one of them had a shotgun. I couldn’t risk getting them killed. Quickly I looked around the warehouse, hoping to find something I could use to distract the group. That’s when my eyes fell upon a fuse box right behind me. Moving as swift and quietly as I could, I hurried over to the box, and breathed a sigh of relief when I found it wasn’t locked. Without thinking, I flung the door open, and began to violently rip out random cables. Immediately the lights to the entire warehouse turned off, engulfing the area in darkness. You couldn’t tell from behind the mask, but a grin was plastered on my face.

Cercus’ beating ceased, and him and the others looked around in confusion. Even through the darkness I could see his pearly white teeth shine as he smiled.

“The caped freak is here. Kill her,” he ordered. Just as I hoped for, the four other changelings dispersed in opposite directions, away from the girls. Now I can really do something. The unarmed Changeling walked over to the fuse box, grumbling to himself in annoyance.

“Who’s here? Seriously that fucking psychopath is just dumb. Ain’t nobody fucking here, it’s just this piece of shit short fused,” he grumbled to himself. Once he was Infront of the box, he leaned in closer to examine in, and that’s when I slowly crept my way up to him.

“Huh, that’s weird. It looks as if someone ripped- CRASH” I slammed his head face first into the box causing sparks to light up all over. The electricity and force of the impact wouldn’t kill him, I already told myself I didn’t want to be a killer. But it would definitely leave scars. With his hair still clutched in my hand, I threw his limp body onto the floor, before disappearing back into the shadows. As I made my way through the back of the scaffolding, I heard footsteps approaching. Instinctively, I jumped onto a nearby crate and climbed up the second story of the scaffold. From here I could see the machete wielding changeling making his way down the aisle with caution. As I waited for him to walk under me, I crouched down, waiting to pounce on him like a lion hiding from its prey. Once he was directly under me, I jumped from the scaffold and crashed down onto him. He didn’t even have a chance to react before he was engulfed by my cloak. The heels of both my boots crash landed on top of his head, and within seconds he was down on the floor. Before he could regain his senses, I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him back down onto the concrete floor, knocking him out as blood shot through hit nose. Two down, three to go.

Both the Changelings with the shotgun and crowbar were above me. The sound of their boots rattling the metal balcony told me exactly where they were. I hopped back onto the crate and began climbing up the scaffold until I was within reach of the second-floor balcony. I grabbed onto the ledge and skimmed my away across to where they were. Thankfully the darkness was still concealing me. Once I was under them, I grabbed the foot of the closest changeling, hoping it was the one with the shotgun, and dragged him down through the railing and flung him off the second floor. His body crashed through a wooden crate, and I could see him squirm around in pain inside the box before going limp. To my utter dismay, I saw the crowbar lying right next to the box, followed by the sound of a shotgun being pumped. Without even thinking I jumped onto the balcony, barley avoiding the shotgun blast aimed at me. The shot was so loud that my ears were now muffled and ringing. But I couldn’t focus on that right now. I charged right at the thug before he could pump the shotgun again, tackling him to the ground. As I did, he let out another shot, this time way closer to my face. I was pretty sure I was going to be deaf in my left ear for a while. We wrestled around on the floor of the balcony for a bit, before I crashed my elbow into his side, applying all my weight until I heard the sound of his ribs snap. He let out a howl of pain, and his grip around the gun loosened. I took the opportunity to rip it out of his hand, dislocating his finger that was still stuck in the trigger. Before he could even move, I slammed the butt of the gun down on his face two to three times before he knocked out. Breathing heavily to myself, I threw the gun over the rails, hearing it land on some metal. After regaining my composure, I made my way down to where the girls were. To my shock, Cercus was nowhere in sight. I told myself to be suspicious about this, but the sight of the girls overtook my instincts, and I rushed over to them. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle began cowering under me, terrified by my presence.

“Shh, it’s okay. You girls are safe now, I’m here to help. I won’t hurt you,” I said. This seemed to calm them down enough. I untied Applebloom, then Sweetie Belle. Both jumped up and embraced me in a tight hug, much to my shock. I wanted to push them off, but the warm tears of their sobs into my stomach told me not to. This was the first time anyone came to me for comfort. All my life I’ve been use to people fearing, hating or being jealous of me. But never have I felt this sense of comfort and compassion. It was the most real human expression I’ve ever felt. Especially since in the same day, both of these girls expressed just how much of a monster I’ve been in their lives. Ignoring my feelings as Sunset Shimmer, I tried to comfort them as the Mare-Do-Well, something I should’ve probably done with Tiara. With one arm, I gently wrapped it around both of them, trying my best to remain calm.

“I know, I know. But come on, we have to leave. More could be coming. Help me with your sisters. The two girls slowly let go of me, and ran over to their respective sibling. The sight of them wasn’t pretty. Applejacks face was covered in bruises and blood. Her right eye was swollen, and her hair was a mess. Applebloom wasted no time untying her. Rarity looked awful. Her face was also bloody mess, and she was clutching her stomach. I could only imagine the pain she was feeling after such ferocious kicks. Sweetie Belle was holding her tightly, crying her eyes out.

“Sis, I’m so sorry. Please be okay. Oh gosh, don’t die.” She looked up at me with a look of panic. “Is she going to be, okay? Please help!” she begged.

“She’ll be okay, but we need to get her and Applejack to a doctor. I’m going to need your help carrying her,” I said. I began to walk over to them, but stopped dead in my tracks from the sounds of footsteps approaching from behind. With the weight of tension building up in me, I turned to look over at Cercus, who had a crazed look on his face. Applebloom had managed to untie the knot, but she was now looking at the man with scared eyes. I could hear both hers and Sweetie Belles breathing intensify.

“Well, I’ll be damned. You actually came. You know we were worried you wouldn’t come. I found the biggest flaw in all of this was how we were actually supposed to get you to find us. But somehow you managed to follow some clues and come for the girls. Bravo hero,” Cercus said with enthusiasm. That’s when the awful realization hit me. What Cercus just said finally answered my question on why any of this was happening. It wasn’t about the girls. It was all a trap for me, and I stupidly caught myself in it.

“There is no one coming, is there?” I asked, realizing that Spoiled Riches men weren't heading here. Cercus giggled to himself while shaking his head. The entire time he didn’t blink or break eye contact with me.

“Nope, this was all just for you. We only agreed to this because I was promised that I’d have the chance to kill you. Nobody fucks with the Changelings,” said Cercus. I raised an eyebrow at this. Sure, he was a big guy, but I’ve fought bigger. Plus, I had already taken out the other four guys. Surely This couldn’t be the big plan to get rid of me? That’s when Cercus pulled out a small black box tucked behind his pants. I couldn’t but help sigh and chuckle a bit.

“Crystals huh? I wouldn’t bother with that Cercus. You may put up a good fight, but I’ve taken out a crystal user before,” I said confidently, remembering the battle I had with Iron Will almost two weeks ago. Sure, the fight had pushed me to my absolute limit, but I gained experience through it. Already at this moment, I was surveying the warehouse. Analyzing different methods to take out the soon to be raging beast. I just had to get the girls out of here. But to my surprise, Cercus just howled in laughter. He removed his shades, revealing his crazed twitching eyes, and threw them to the floor. Opening the box revealed not a syringe like Iron Wills, but a medium sized red crystal.

“Oh please, you crack me up. That fool doesn’t realize the full potential of these things. He only ever took it in small dosages. Breaking up the material into an easy, injectable liquid. He was just too much of a pussy to take in the crystal's full potential. But not me.” He took the crystal out of the box and held it firmly in his hand. His insane laughter grew louder, and louder as the crystal began to glow. The sole light that was being illuminated from the shard shined over Cercus, covering him in a sinister crimson red hue. Suddenly I didn't feel so confident anymore. I turned around to face the girls, and with urgency in my voice, told them to get out of here. Applejack was slowly getting to her feet, coughing out some blood as she got to one knee.

“I’m alright sugercube,” she said to Applebloom as her little sister tried to help her up. “Just go help Sweetie Belle get Rarity up, I don’t have the strength in me to carry her. You’re going to have carry her out of here with Sweetie.” Applebloom hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding her head in understanding. She ran over to her friend and knelt down on the other side of Rarity. The two girls grabbed an arm and took a deep breath. With a bit of struggle, they managed to lift her onto her feet, using themselves as a sort of crutch on each side. They then slowly made their way to the door. Applejack looked at me with her one good eye.

“Wait, I’m so grateful to you for saving my family. But who are you? What’s going on?” She asked, slightly hunched over and grabbing her side.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just here to help. Your sister can explain everything to you later. Just get out and call 911, I think it’s going to get really bad in here,” I responded, turning my attention back to Cercus. Blood was oozing from his hand down his forearm. The shard slowly began to dissolve into his hand, and red like electricity began to flow all throughout his body. It was as if he was being charged like a battery. His laughter grew louder and louder, echoing all around us in an unnatural manner, and what happened next filled me with dread.

Cercus began to grow in size, his clothes ripping apart and exposing his bare skin. But his flesh tone began to darken until his pigment turned to pitch black. His skin began to turn sharp and jagged. It looked as if it was hardening. His eyes started to glow red, and they began to bulge out of his eye sockets. It resembled the eyes of a fly. His jaw popped out of his mouth, and his teeth began to turn sideways. The sickening crunching sound of his bones rearranging themselves was horrific. His mouth looked like pinchers from an ant. As the skin around his torso began to tear open, another pair of arms shot out, spraying a gooey green substance all over the floor. The new pair of arms had large pinchers for hands like a scorpion, and speaking of which. A large tail began to protrude out from the base of his spine. It must've been at least fifteen feet long. His back was contorting and cracking, and just like the new arms and tail, a set of fly wings shot out from his back, squirting more of the green substance out.

Cercus was already a big guy, but now his size was incomprehensible. He easily towered over Iron Will, even juiced up on the crystal. It hit me quickly that this wasn’t the same as Iron Will. This was a true monster. Taking in the entire raw crystal instead of an injectable liquid turned him into some kind of grotesque bug creature. His voice was different too.

“Oh, fuck that hurt like a bitch. But I feel...alive. Hehe, you’re so fucking dead freak.” It didn’t sound like it was coming from his mouth, but rather the source seemed to be coming from everywhere. The voice was also echoey, as if more than one person was speaking. For the first time since I’ve put this suit on, I was truly terrified. Applejack stood there in shock, and I could hear Sweetie Belle and Applebloom crying out loud as they carried Rarity out the door. Trying to quell my fear, I turned back to Applejack.

“GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!” I yelled. She looked back at me and shook her head.

“But...but...how are you going to beat that thing? You’re going to get yourself kill-”

“GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW APPLEJACK!”, I screamed back. I didn’t care how aggressive it sounded, I needed all of them out of the building. Applejack closed her mouth and turned around, limping quickly out the door.

“Go ahead, I don’t care. I’ll kill them all later. Right now, I just want to kill you,” said Cercus. I didn’t know how I was going to beat this thing. This was suicide, a lose lose situation. There was absolutely no way I could win this. I was going to die here, I was sure of it. My body was paralyzed from fear, shaking uncontrollably. I never felt so powerless. Even being banned from Equestria and losing to princess Twilight back at CHS, I didn’t feel as small as I do now. My body was telling me to run. This was impossible.

“Bring it on” I muttered.

THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 6: Sunset Vs Cercus

AT A WAREHOUSE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF CANTERLOT

It was safe to say that my previous fight with Iron Will had really shown me the extent of my pain tolerance. Up until tonight I have been beaten, stabbed and hit with baseballs bats, chairs, pool sticks and metal chains. Yet the feeling of being smacked with a mutated scorpion tail through a concrete wall had easily taken the cake as the most painful thing I had ever experienced. Cercus’ Scorpion tail wasn’t like an insect's hard shell, but rather a stone like texture. Rough, sharp and solid. In simpler words, it felt like being hit with a boulder.

I was in the other room now where abandoned forklifts were parked. The smack had me skidding across the ground like a rock being thrown across a pond. When I tried to stand up, I fell back down to my side. Blood was beginning to fill my mask, and the burning sensation down my spine was excruciating. The worst part is, this was all just the first hit.

Through my blurry vision, I looked around for my fedora. I know at that point it shouldn’t have been my priority, but you don’t really think about the important things after having the shit knocked into you. I felt around the ground until I found the hat, and slowly put it back on.

“Alright Sunset...” I coughed out some blood in between words. “Clearly jumping straight at him is out of the question...stupid bitch.” Once I saw Applejack exit the doorway, I had charged right at him, only to be met by his tail swinging at me. His speed was incomprehensible. Within under a second, he had that thing flying at me. Despite how girthy it is, I couldn’t see it. The speed made it nothing more than a blur to me, and its pitch-black color made it almost invisible in the dark space. Which brought me to another horrifying revelation. This place was dark, and I was fighting an opponent that was entirely pitch black. The darkness was my ally, but it could very well be my determent in this situation.

Stumbling for a bit, I managed to get to my feet, trying to let me vision adjust. I looked over to where I had just flown in from. The newly formed hole in the wall was huge. I was grateful I didn’t just pop like an organ filled balloon upon the impact. As I tried to regain my composure, I heard a crunching noise. Like a crab moving its legs.... The sound was coming from directly above me. When I looked up, my heart skipped a beat. All I saw within the dark shadows of the roof were a large pair of bright red bug eyes staring back at me. He could climb walls like a bug too.

The giant creature came hurtiling down at me, stringer at the ready. Without thinking, I summersaulted away from the area, barely avoiding him as he smashed into the floor, stinger first. The concrete floor erupted underneath him, revealing the dirt underneath the foundation of the building. Holy shit was he strong. If that stinger hits me with force like that, I’ll be nothing but blood and organs splattered on the walls. Quickly I jumped into the shadows underneath the scaffolding, attempting to hide from him. I just needed to catch my breath, and formulate a plan to stop Cercus before the cops get here. It would be a damn blood bath if they arrived with this monster still loose.

“Oh, you silly fucking billy, you think the shadows are your ally? You believe it’s your safe haven from me? But you’re misguided in that department. I don’t have the senses of a human. I can feel, hear and smell everything. Insects are such marvelous creatures. They can see where we can’t, and right now I see you.” His red eyes were now staring right at me, and a low menacing giggle escaped from his fangs. What made it worse was the horrid voice was echoing from everywhere. It sounded like he was whispering right in my ear. The buzzing of his wings began to sound off, and the wind around him started to blow the dust into the air. Like helicopter propellors rotating. His speed surprised me yet again, and no sooner was he hovering off the ground, to flying right at me. He shot his stinger into the shadows where I was, and once again, I had to jump out of the way as his stinger plunged itself into the wall. It went straight through it, and effortlessly, he retracted it back out from the ruble.

“Damn, I’m one strong motherfucker. I gotta get use to this power,” he said. I wasn’t safe in the darkness with him, he could easily find me. What was worse is I still couldn’t really see him. Just a rough outline of his huge body, and his glowing red eyes. I didn't even see him throw a punch right at me.

“UGH!” I grunted as I went flying across the room, crashing into the side a forklift and toppling it over like a domino. Vomit and blood puked from my nostrils and mouth, and I had to lift the mask up just to let the liquid out. I could feel hot tears escaping my eyes as the pain was so unbearable. It was like being hit with a car. But I wasn’t given the luxury of relief because immediately I howled in pain as I felt one of Cercus’ pinchers snatch my leg. The edges of the claw were digging into my leg and I was dragged across the floor and up into the air.

“HAH, you’re like my little punching bag. Let’s see how many hits you can take before you fucking die,” Cercus joked. He swirled me over his head like a rag doll, and smashed me through the top of a wooden crate. With his pinchers still crushing my leg, he lifted me out of the crate and back up into the air.

“That was one! How about two?” I felt myself being flung to the ground again, slamming into another wooden crate, crashing right through the top of it. It happened so fast that my body couldn’t even process the pain from the first hit, and Cercus wasn’t going to allow me to process this one either. Immediately he picked me right up from the destroyed box and back up into the air.

“Still awake? Yes? No? Maybe so? Ah fuck it, let's go for three more!” Everything was starting to go black; I couldn’t take the pain anymore. But my torment wasn’t over just yet. He slammed me into another wooden crate, then another, and then one more after that, like he was playing drum kit. After the fifth one, he flung me across the room at another forklift, toppling this one over as well. My breathing was akin to wheezing, and I could feel air through the tears and holes in my costume. I got to my hands and knees and vomited out more blood. The bottom part of my mask had been completely ripped off, exposing my mouth. But this wasn’t over just yet.

“Come here you little shit, don’t die on me just yet.” I felt my cloak being pulled from behind, and I was being lifted up yet again. This time tough I was being choked as I hanged from my cloak. Cercus raised me to his eye level, and I could feel the pressure being built up in my skull from my own make shift noose.

“Aww, what’s the matter hero? Can't breathe? Why don’t I give you some fresh AIR!” he hurled me right at the window near the ceiling. I crashed through it, being stabbed and scrapped by the glass shards around the frame. The cool breeze from outside hit me as I flew out of the building. My struggle to remain conscious made me fail to realize that I was now flying from the second story. It only became aware to me when I crash landed onto the grass below me.

“Ugh...ugh....ah damnit....” I stammered to myself. My body felt stiff, especially my right arm that I landed on. It hurt so much to move. The pain was indescribable. I Slowly got to my knees; my arm was protruding out a bit. I think it was dislocated. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my shoulder where the dislocation was, and building up all my courage, I pushed my bone back into its socket.

“AGHHHHHH,” I screamed. As much as I wanted to tell myself I deserved all this for all the wrong I’ve caused, it was hard to keep that mentality when everything hurt like hell. When I tried to stand up, I fell back to the ground. The damage on my leg was severe from Cercus’ pinchers. Multiple holes ran up and down my thigh oozing blood. Trying again, I managed to get back onto my feet, applying all my weight onto my other leg. I slowly limped towards the building, only to be stopped by the garage door being busted open. A chunk of it flew at me, scrapping the side of my head and blowing my fedora right off, causing me to fall back down again. Cercus had to hunch a bit to fit through the door as he exited the building.

“Fuck, you still alive?” He asked while breathing in the fresh air in an exaggerated motion. I could only mumble in agony as a response, making him chuckle. He walked over to me slowly, humming to himself as if this were all some kind of game. His footsteps rattled the ground beneath me, like miniature earthquakes setting off.

“Aw, does little baby need to take a nap?” He mocked. I could only wheeze as I struggled to get the air out of my lungs. He raised his tail high into the air, pointing the stinger at me. As tears slowly rolled down my face, my life began to flash before my eyes. I remember my time back home. My family and how much I disappointed them. I remember Celestia, and the shouting match we had with one another before I stormed off. I remember all the hurt and pain I’ve caused to others. My life up until this point was pathetic, and meaningless. I was just another villain in the grand scheme of things. A spoiled brat needing to be stopped. That’s all I could think of in these final moments.

“Time to die.” Cercus cocked his tail back, ready to strike. But before he could move an inch, the sudden voice of a little girl stopped him.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!” Applebloom shouted. With barely any energy left in me, I turned to look at her. She was standing over a hill next to some utility poles.

“Applebloom…..no,” I muttered. But I couldn’t move. Everything in me felt broken. Cercus howled in laughter.

“HAHAHA, oh this is fucking rich. Okay, you don’t go anywhere, I just have to go deal with some stupid redneck bitch.” He walked over me like I was nothing to him, and his stomps began to fade away as he approached the little girl. I could see Applejack limping her way over to her, desperately trying to reach her little sister. But she kept stumbling and falling to the ground. Mustering up everything that I had, I attempted to pick myself up.

“Come on Sunset…. come on you useless piece of shit. You don’t get to die that easily…. they need you,” was all I could tell myself as I pushed my body to move. Blood, tears and snot were dripping onto the grass as I struggled to get up. I needed to move. I can’t let them die. Not the girls, not the innocent, nobody.

“GET UP!” I shouted before getting to one knee. I looked around the area, and my eyes fell upon a truck parked next to the building. It was a water tanker. I looked back to see Applebloom paralyzed in fear as Cercus approached her…right next to power lines. A wicked smiled escaped from my bloodied mouth.

“Please, oh Celestia please give me some luck tonight,” I whispered to myself, trying desperately to walk over to the parked vehicle. Hearing Apleblooms screams was all I needed to kick whatever energy I had left into overdrive, and ignoring the pain in my leg, I ran over to the vehicle. Thank Celestia it was unlocked, and even better, the keys were tucked in the visor. I dropped the keys while trying to place them in the ignition, my hands were shaking badly. After a third try, I managed to put the keys in, and started the truck. The rumble of the mechanical beast jolted me awake with joy. Wasting no time, I pushed in the emergency brake, shifted to drive and slammed my foot on the gas pedal. The truck floored it through the grassy open landscape, right towards Cercus and Applebloom. Cercus didn’t seem to notice, or didn’t care about the truck speeding his way. Once he was directly above Applebloom and under the power lines, I steered the vehicle towards the nearest pole, slamming my foot on the pedal.

“Eat this you cocksucker!” Bracing for impact, the truck rammed into the wooden pole, snapping its base in half, and causing the wooden pole to fall straight onto Cercus. The power box slammed on top of his head, while the wires began to cover him like wild vines. He screamed in agony as the electricity flowed through his body, but I knew it wasn’t going to be enough. Hoping for another miracle, I jumped out of the truck and ran towards the back of the tanker. A large water hose was rolled in a container underneath the tanker. It was already heavy, but my weakened state made it difficult to throw it out. Once I did, I rolled it out in front of me, grabbing the metal nozzle and aiming it at Cercus.

“APPLEBLOOM, RUN!” I shouted. The young girl looked over at me with terrified eyes, shaking and breathing uncontrollably. I had to shout her name out again to snap her out of it. Eventually she got the message, and took off. Cercus, who was still being electrocuted slowly turned to look over to me. Despite the emotionless, blank stare that was present in those bug eyes, I could see the hate filled in them. I hoped he saw my bloodied teeth smiling at him. Grabbing the valve, I turned it with everything I had, and water began to jet out of the hose. I was relieved to know that the tanker still had some water in it, albeit it was dirty. But that didn’t matter. Cercus was drowned by the ferocious stream, and the electricity amplified, violently shocking him to such an extreme degree. My goal wasn’t to kill him, and I was hoping that he wouldn’t die from this, but I just couldn’t see any other way of beating him.

“AGHHHHH FUCK!” his haunting vocals echoed. Even outside, his voice seemed to bounce off everything. Smoke started to eradiate off his body, and the smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils. Once the water was all used up, the electricity died down. Bit by bit, it lowered until it was nothing more than a fizzle. Cercus fell onto his knees, then plummeted face first into the ground. The sparking wires around him didn’t budge. He was either dead, or passed out. Either way he was neutralized.

My grip around the hose loosened, and it fell to the ground. Stumbling a bit, I had to catch myself from falling down. Blood and tears continued to seep its way through my torn mask. It took everything I had to not fall to my knees and break down crying. Sweet Celestia did everything in my body hurt. I was about to take my mask off to feel the desired sensation of the cool wind. Despite everything that had just transpired, the chirping of the crickets, the crescent moon and the shining stars illuminating the grassy plains of Canterlot’s outskirts was rather peaceful. But the sounds of footsteps running towards me snapped me back to reality. I was quickly being embraced by a sobbing Applebloom. Honestly, her sudden hug almost knocked me to my ass. But I knew now wasn’t the time to be weak. Especially since I could see Applejack limping towards me. Regardless of what my body was telling me, I couldn’t show it in front of them. Sunset Shimmer might get hurt, the useless bitch. But the Mare-Do-Well has no limits. Straightening myself up, closing my mouth and controlling my breathing, I looked down to the sobbing child.

“I... I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I’m so stupid. I almost got my sister and friends killed. I’m so sorry.” The pain in her voice was all you needed to hear to understand the damage that was done here. I wrapped one arm around her, and held her tightly. Although to some degree, there is some responsibility that she and Sweetie Belle will have to carry, none of what just happened was her fault. It was all mine. All of this was because of me. I underestimated the extent Spoiled or the Changelings would go to kill me, and because of my stupidity, these innocent girls were nearly killed. Some hero I am Diamond Tiara.

“Shh, it’s okay. Nothing here is your fault. It was all these animals. You don’t need this weight on your shoulder kid.” It was a little difficult keeping up with the Mare-Do-Well voice when all I wanted to do was scream in agony. But it seemed to get through to her regardless. With her big, glossy eyes, she looked up at me, trying to keep the snot from running down her nose.

“I... I’m scared. What if this isn’t over yet? I don’t wanna lose my family. Especially not for my mistakes.” Something about those words got to me. The vivid memories of my own family flashed in my eyes. The family I destroyed back in Equestria.

“It is over. Your family will be safe. Don’t blame yourself for this, I’ll always watch over you, and everyone you love. I won’t let anyone hurt you again kid, I promise,” was all I could think to say.

Applejack walked up to us, taking Applebloom into her own arms. She looked at me, a bit of hesitancy in her face, but not fear.

“I don’t know who you are, but I’m mighty grateful to you for saving my little sister and friends,” said Applejack.

“I’m nobody ma'am. I’m just here to help. Don’t thank me please.” I said coldly. The gesture wasn’t just for the sake of the crusader act. I genuinely never wanted anyone to thank me ever. Not someone like me. Especially anyone from CHS, and especially not her.

“Don’t you pull the lone wolf act on us. Please let me thank you properly, I’m in your debt,” she pleaded. I shook my head slowly, denying her of her wishes.

“No, don’t ever say that. When it comes to me, you’re never in debt to anything. Don’t even think about me.” Applejack looked me over, no doubt seeing the blood dripping from the bottom of my cloak. She looked back at Cercus and shivered.

“I imagine you took one heck of a beating from whatever that is. You should wait until an ambulance comes.” She looked back at the giant bug creature, then back to me with a look of confusion. “What even is he? I ain’t ever seen anything like that. Is it some kind of magic from Eque...” she stopped mid-sentence and averted her gaze from me. “I mean...never mind that. Come on, I hear the sirens approaching.” She began to turn around with Applebloom helping her up, but I didn’t move. Quietly I spoke.

“Applebloom, don’t tell the police about Gabby Gums.” Both her and Applejack turned to look at me with shock.

“Wha? How did you know about -”

“The person that sent these people after you is very powerful. I’m not sure how much of the police she owns, but just keep those details to yourself. As far as any of you are concerned, you were victims of a kidnapping. The police will suspect that they were trying to use your farm as a smuggling route for drugs.” I turned around and began walking away from the confused sisters. I could hear Applejack voice her confusion and horror at the revelation she just heard. It wasn’t the ideal way of dropping such a bombshell on her like that, but she had to know the truth. “Stay safe out there,” I said before walking off. Applejack tried to call out to me, but I kept walking.

The promise I had made to Applebloom was a promise that I intended to keep. Up until this point, I hadn’t done much saving. I’ve just been after criminals. Jumping into gang infested areas and fighting off multiple bad guys was all I’ve really been doing. But when the lives of people, especially ones as close as the girls are in danger, getting them out of helpless situations suddenly put a whole new weight on this little venture of mine. I still feel like a failure. I still hate myself. I almost got Applejack, Rarity, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle killed. There is no denying that this is my fault. I don’t consider myself to be their friend, nor do I think I’m any kind of hero. I’m just the bad guy torturing herself at the end of the day. But that doesn’t change the fact that there are very real monsters out there, and I suppose I’m the best the city’s got. The girls are the real heroes. Them along with princess Twilight are the light in the darkness. They saved the school, and probably the world from the evil she-demon, Sunset Shimmer. But this level of depravity that the criminal underworld supplies doesn’t need such light. It needs someone as low as itself to keep it in check, and that’s what I’ll do. Looking back to the siblings, I gave them a light nod, before walking into the darkness. Beaten and alone. This is just the path of the Mare-Do-Well.

THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - PART 7: The Outing of Gabby Gums

SUNSETS APARTMENT

BEEP BEEP ...BEEP BEEP ...BEEP BEEEP

My eyes slowly crept open, taking in the ray of sunshine passing through the curtains. The alarm next to me bellowed, demanding me to rise from my slumber.

“Ugh...wha? What time is it?” Through groggy eyes, I stared intently at the alarm until my vision adjusted. Only to be met with shock at the information that was presented to me from the device.

“Son of a bitch. It’s ten in the morning. I’m late for school...wait. Does that say Friday? Oh shit.” I had been out for two whole days straight. The night after the fight with the Changelings, I didn’t remember anything. I don’t even remember how I got back home. Everything became a blur after I left the scene. Like my mind went on autopilot or something. When I attempted to move, my body felt sluggish and sore. As if every joint in my body had been encased in a tomb for over a hundred years. I slowly picked myself up from the bed, examining the state of my living space.

My bed was covered in blood and bandages. The sheets were just lying on the ground, also stained in blood. I looked over the railing of my lofts second story to the living room down below. On the countertop at the end of the room was an absolute mess. There was so much blood everywhere. Napkins, towels and bandages were scattered all across the countertop and floor. All stained with crimson red. Two empty boxes of surgical string and two bloodied needles were lying next to four empty bottles of whiskey, and an ash tray jammed pack with cigarette buds. I looked down to my leg, realizing that I was completely naked. Messy attempts at stitching were present all up and down my thigh. The gashes that were caused by Cercus’ claws were now stitched and white bandages were crudely wrapped over them.

“I guess I was just so drunk and buzzed, I don’t even remember patching myself up,” I thought to myself. I looked over to my night stand where my phone was, and with reluctancy, retrieved it. Bracing for the worst, I opened it up. Their were over a hundred missed calls and texts. All from Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

“Great...just great. Way to go Sunset. You just had to be a pussy and knock out for two days. Well damn, this is a mess.” My blood felt like it was rushing to my head as I got out of bed. It was so bad that I almost fell back down. First things first, I needed a mirror. There was a small limp in my walk that resembled that of an old lady, which sucked considering I was only eighteen. At least I believed so. Years were weird in this world; they were much shorter then back in Equestria.

Upon entering the bathroom, I was a little annoyed to see the state it was in. More blood and bandages were littered everywhere, along with my costume lazily thrown onto the floor. I assumed when I got home, I showered, got pissed drunk, tried to tend to my wounds and just passed out when I was done. The costume itself was in pretty rough condition. It was so stained in red at this point that you could barely even see the original purple colors. But given the dark hue, you couldn’t tell at night. At this point I should just buy another one, but chose not to. I didn’t want anything connecting me to this, so I wouldn’t buy things for it unless I absolutely had to. Besides, I think the costume still had some more fight in it, after a few more stitches of course. Speaking of which, the mask was absolutely shredded. The entire bottom portion from under the nose was ripped off. I could only hope that Applejack and Applebloom didn't get a good look at me in the dark. That or my mouth was completely covered in blood. I’d have to sew a whole new part for it later. The hat and cloak were in decent condition. A few tears and holes here and there, but nothing that warranted any kind of patch up. The worst of the damage was to the left leg. Cercus’ claws did pretty serious destruction to the costume. The entire pant leg needed to be replaced as the whole thing was pretty much shredded. I’d have to get on this immediately when I return home. Two days is too much time to be doing nothing. I need to get back out there, and get to work. The stakes are now getting higher.

The costumes damage wasn’t as bad as the damage present on my body however. I looked like hammered shit. There was a large, purple bruise all around my neck. I remembered the feeling of being choked by my own cape as I dragged my fingers across it. This, along with the bruise on my cheek and near my lip were going to be the harder things to explain. Thankfully, the rest of the damage was on my legs, shoulder and torso. It was awful to look at, especially my back. The whole thing was purple and red. The old wounds didn’t heal yet, so the damage must be severe. I was thrown into multiple wooden crates, a concrete wall and two forklifts after all. Not to mention being hurled through the glass of a second story window. I’m pretty sure something eternally was broken. But it didn’t matter how bad the injuries were. As long as they were concealable. And anything not on the face was concealable.

But first came the part I dreaded the most, and ironically, it wasn’t the eagerness to jump back into Hell and fight the low lives. It was going back to school. The pessimistic side of me kept telling myself that no one would care about the state I was in. But I don’t think that would be the case. What I really needed to know was how the girls were doing. The notifications from Applejack told me she was okay, and I prayed to Celestia that the same was for her sister, Sweetie and Rarity....Oh Rarity. The memory of her being beaten to a pulp crossed my mind. How could I let such atrocities happen? This is all because of my dumbass. Hopefully the authorities were able to contain Cercus. I’ll have to check on that later.

Figuring there was nothing to lose, I decided to shower and clean myself up before I went to school. When I was done, I quickly put on an outfit with some level of thought. No skirt today. Not with my leg looking like a bloody mummy. So, I put on a pair of blue jeans tucked into my boots. To hide my neck, I decided to wear a black turtleneck sweater. There was no way I could hide the damage on my face, nor explain my absence. So, I was going to have to use an excuse that was pretty extreme. One that I didn’t want to use so early on since it was only believable for one time. But I didn’t have many options.

Satisfied with my appearance, I put on my leather jacket, grabbed my book bag and headed out the door. Though, the grumbling sounds coming from my stomach told me I should stop to get some breakfast. I hadn’t eaten for two whole days after all.

CANTERLOT HIGH

I hated being around Principal Celestia. Absolutely despised it. Not because of her herself, but because of the memories talking to her brings me. Principal Celestia was as kind and caring as Princess Celestia back in Equestria, and just like back home, I was a hot-headed closed-minded fool with her.

“Sunset Shimmer, care to explain why you were absent for the past two days?” She asked, leaning forward in her chair with her fingers crossed on her desk. Her stare was stern, yet comforting as paradoxical as that sounds. I had my arms crossed in defiance, building up a wall in front of myself like I always did around people. Especially her. I didn’t answer. Not because I didn’t want to, there was just nothing I could think of at the moment. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, relaxing her eyes to an almost tender expression.

“You okay Sunset? Everything okay at home?” Her voice was almost motherly. It was a little hard not to crack in front of her. Me and Principal Celestia haven’t been on the best of terms. Ever since I arrived in this world and began cold heartedly tearing apart the students of this school, I was pretty much immediately at odds with her. Early on, I pushed Fluttershy into a locker and one of her friends snitched on me. Celestia gave me detention afterwards. That was actually one of the first reasons why I wanted to destroy the girl's friend group. That and they were clearly the most capable students to get in my way. After that I was given numerous detentions by her and Vice Principal Luna for bullying, vandalism and cheating. Though I never served them. After I tried to kill the girls, brainwash the school and blew a big fat damn hole in the schools front entrance, boy did she lose it. After the big dance, I was in her office being chewed out by her and Luna. I never met Luna back at home since she’s banished to the moon, so that was the first time I’ve ever heard her shout. Though with Celestia, it was painfully familiar. It took me right back to my last day in Equestria, and I guess I just completely broke down that night because of it.

She was pretty set on not only expelling me, but getting the authorities involved. But for some reason, after she talked to Twilight in private before she left, she had a change of heart. I personally believe she didn’t get the cops involved because, well, how the hell are you supposed to explain all the stuff that happened that night? But what I don’t get is why she didn’t expel me. Not only that, but she wasn’t as harsh with me as before. We still didn’t get along, but at times it genuinely seemed like she was trying to reach out to me. I bet Twilight gave her some kind of sob story, and now Celestia thinks I’m some troubled kid who needs guidance or some bullshit like that. Well to hell with that, I don’t need the sympathy. I’m doing just fine.... or at least I'm trying to convince myself that I am.

“Everything is just peachy Principal. I don’t imagine you called me in here to discuss my personal life.” I really tried not to be so hostile with her, but at times it was hard. It was Celestia after all. All this did was confirm to me that I was not ready to face the Princess if I ever went back home.

“I just want to know how you’re doing. Those injuries look new. Another bike accident or act of clumsiness I presume?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. There was only so many times such ridiculous excuses would past by her I suppose.

“Don’t worry about it. Is there anything else you need?” I responded.

“Look Sunset, I know I can’t force you to get aid for whatever it is you’re going through. I wish I could. But not only are you legally independent, you have no personal identification, no background and you’re a magical pony from another world. So, believe me, I’m aware I can’t just simply call CPS or anything like that. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t regard you as my student. You may be in a peculiar situation, but I will not give up on you, just like I won’t give up on any of the students here. I take responsibility for the wellbeing and safety of the students at this school.... including you miss Shimmer.”

In all honesty, I was a little speechless. In my mind, I had always just assumed Celestia hated me. I was actually considering just dropping out, thinking it would take the stress away from her. No doubt having some bratty power-hungry bitch constantly in your school amongst innocent students wasn’t exactly a comforting thought. I’m not sure why I hadn’t just dropped out yet. Maybe deep inside, I didn’t want too. But what Celestia had just told me made me question some of my initial perceptions. Though, the cynicism in me convinced me the mask of kindness was just to try and ensure I wouldn’t go ape shit again. Either way, I did what I do best. Run away.

“Sure...Is there anything else?” Although my eyes stayed on the ground, I could envision the disappointment on her face when she sighed.

“No Sunset, that will be all. I’d give you detention, but I doubt you’d actually show up. Just remember something, I hope you take responsibility instead of shutting everything out. Not to account for your actions, but just so you can find some solace here at CHS, and not be tied down to your past.” Her final words were now going into deaf ears. I had already shut her out. With nothing left to say, I exited the office and headed towards the music room where the girls always hung out. Apparently, they're really trying to get that band Rainbow had proposed going. I hadn’t planned on seeing them, but I just needed to know that Applejack, Rarity and their two knuckleheaded sisters were alright. I also need to check on Diamond Tiara. Celestia only knows if that monster of a mother of hers did anything to her. I don’t think Spoiled is too happy after I kicked the ass of yet another one of her superhuman psycho’s.

When I got to the room, I could hear them talking through the door, relieved to hear the distinctive country accent of Applejack and fancy flair or Rarity. Taking a deep breath and quelling my nerves, I slowly opened the door and entered.

Suddenly everyone in the room fell silent as their eyes turned to look at me. Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were present in the room as well, thank Celestia. Ignoring everyone, I went straight to Applejack and Rarity. They looked awful. Applejack had bandages around her forehead, and a band-aid on the bridge of her nose. A black eye was formed around her right eye, and I could see bruises all around her arms. But she still looked as confident as ever. Standing up straight with a smile that could warm any cold person. Rarity was also looking quite disheveled. The whole left side of her face was swollen and bruised. She couldn’t quite sit up straight, no doubt because of those nasty kicks she took to the gut. One crutch was rested on the desk she was sitting atop of, probably to help her walk straight. But regardless of her physical injuries, she still carried herself as she always did. Her hair was still as kept and elegant as it has always been, and her sense of style was untouched. I didn’t expect any different of a reaction from either of the girls.

“Oh, thank Celestia you girls are okay. I’m so sorry for leaving you in the dark!” Truthfully, I met what I said. I was so happy to see them, to know that they were okay. I also felt terrible for just being away like that. Even if I didn’t consider myself to be their friend, I wanted them to be safe. Before I even let Applejack or Rarity respond, I looked over to their siblings. Thankfully, they didn’t look injured at all.

“Are you two, okay?” I asked with genuine concern. This was the first time I’ve seen any them since back at the warehouse. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle backed away from me cautiously. Sweetie avoided my eyes, and Applebloom glared at me with hate. I didn’t want to admit it, but it did hurt. A stark contrast to the girl holding me tightly, drenched in tears and covered in fear.

“We’re alright sugar cube. We got checked out of the hospital last night. Nothing to serious,” comforted Applejack.

“Yes, the whole ordeal has been a nightmare, but the police and hospital staff have been splendid. Everything’s okay Sunset dear,” added Rarity.

“What happened! I heard you guys got taken by some awful criminals!” I asked intentionally dumbfounded. But before anyone could get a word out, the shouting of Applebloom silenced the room. Took me by surprise too.

“Oh, be quiet! It’s none of your business!” Even Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were taken aback by Appleblooms sudden outburst.

“Applebloom...please not right now,” muttered Applejack. Her voice wasn’t filled with some authoritative tone she had back at the cafeteria. It was low, quiet and lacked any form of energy.

“Nah sis. She doesn’t need to know what happened. Only my family does, and as far as I’m concerned, everyone in this room is my family except for her. She couldn’t even be bothered to check on you two!” she angrily declared while pointing at me. I could see that Applejack just didn’t have any fight in her to control her sister...or didn’t want to. Which I don’t blame her. The Apples have gone through enough the past days.

“Fair enough. I’m sorry for asking Applebloom. You’re right, it isn’t any of my business.” I calmly replied. The young girls face softened a bit at this. I don’t think this was the response she was expecting. I was about to take my leave, satisfied in knowing the girls were okay, until Rainbow Dash spoke.

“What happened to you Sunset? You look awful,” she said. The other girls nodded their head in agreement as they eyed me down. I guess now was the time to use that excuse I’d been saving. It was an extreme excuse that I couldn’t use again, but it was one that wasn’t entirely false.

“Oh, I got jumped after school two days ago. Guess I got hit in the noggin really hard because I passed out pretty much immediately when I got home. Didn’t wake up until this morning,” I said nonchalantly. I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction to expect, but maybe I shouldn’t have said it like it was no big deal. The faces of everyone in the room looked horrified. Even the three little girls had looks of concern.

“What? You got beat up? From Who? Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Are you okay Sunset?” Pinkie suddenly bombarded me with questions.

“I’m fine Pinkie, really. I don’t know who it was, since it was dark out, but some guy just cornered me in an alley and beat the tar out of me. Stole some change, nothing much,” I said, yet again speaking as if this wasn’t big deal. It was a lie after all, well most of it anyway. I did get an ass beating after all.

“Are you serious? Did you go to the police? We have to inform Principal Celestia and the authorities Sunset,” added Applejack. I quickly shook my head, raising my hands up dismissively.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. It was just fifty bucks,” which is what it will cost me to get more medical supplies and another bottle of alcohol.

“Are you actually joking? Please tell me you’re joking. Because if you’re not taking what happened to you seriously then we’re going to have big problem. I can’t believe you’re just blowing that off and chopping it up to some money being lost. You could’ve been killed!” shouted Rainbow Dash. She left me speechless for a second. The concern and pain in her voice was crystal clear to me.

“I’m fine Rainbow...” I managed to retort, getting a little irritated. “I’m not dead so it’s water under the bridge. I just wanted to see if the girls were okay. I don’t need to know the details about it because Appleblooms right. I'm not her family and I’m not her friend, so it’s none of my business. Just like what happened to me isn’t any of yours. So just back off, okay?” My voice was beginning to raise at this point. I don't know why, but anytime anyone showed concern for me, it just pissed me off. A look of guilt was on Appleblooms face as she stared at the ground and rubbed her arm, probably because of what I just said. I don’t know why, it’s not like what she said was wrong. I was just reaffirming her wishes to have shit all to do with me. Their safety was the Mare-Do-Wells business, but it wasn’t any of Sunset Shimmers. If anything, she seems to be the only one here that has the damn decency to treat me like the piece of shit I am. At this point I was starting to get mad at everything, especially myself for acting this way. But I needed to stop. Because I was starting to get the same feelings I use to have. The same feelings of anger and hatred. So, I took a deep breath, calming myself down, and averting my gaze from Dash, who was now glaring at me with anger.

“I’m sorry...I didn't mean that...I just -” I was interrupted by the voice of Celestia speaking through the Intercom, which was impeccable timing for me since I felt tears swelling up.

“Good morning Canterlot High, this is Principal Celestia. My apologies for interrupting your day, but I and Vice Principal Luna ask you all to join us at the gym for a very important announcement. I repeat, we ask you all to head to the gymnasium for a very important announcement. Thank you.” I stared at Dash with a confused look, and she gave one back at me. An awkward silence filled the room, and Rainbows eyes softened. Eventually Fluttershy of all people broke the silence.

“Uhm...I’m sorry, but we should probably go to the gym now...if that’s okay with everyone...” A voice so soft yet so loud at that moment. Dash sighed, relaxing her body and looking at me with a look of sadness.

“Yeah, you’re right Flutters. Let’s go to the gym.” She turned away and walked out the door with the rest of the girls behind her. Sweetie Belle helped Rarity off the desk and supported her other side as they walked towards the door, but not before stopping to look at me. Rarity placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me a weak smile, before exiting the room with the rest. But Applejack and Applebloom stayed behind staring at me with different looks. Applejack had stern look on her face, as if she was analyzing me or something. But Applebloom just looked sad.

“I’m...I’m sorry Sunset. I didn’t mean to say those things...I’m just, mad, I guess. It’s been a rough couple of days. I know I’m kind of at odds with you, but that doesn’t excuse my behavior,” she said. Honestly her apologizing for her comments upset me more.

“Don’t be kid. You didn’t say anything that was wrong. Don’t worry about it,” I said coldly, still staring at Applejack. Applebloom looked back down at the floor with a sad look, before slowly walking out the door. I don’t think that’s what she wanted to hear. Still not in the mood, I asked Applejack what was wrong.

“What’s up Applejack? Something on my face or something?” I crudely joked. But Applejack continued to stare at me sternly while crossing her arms and squinting her eyes.

“Nah, just something about your voice when you were spouting utter nonsense to Dash just seemed...familiar I guess,” she said. I gave a light chuckle before turning around to the exit.

“Oh, believe me, nothing about what I said was nonsense. As for anything about me sounding familiar to you, well, that was just a bit of my old side coming out right there. Won’t happen again,” I said. Applejack hopped off the desk and followed me out the door.

“If you say so Sunset...” I heard her whisper to herself.

AT THE GYMNASUIM

The gymnasium was full of students, all mumbling to each other in confusion. The girls also talked amongst themselves, asking each other what this gather up could all be about. The entire time though, I was staring across the room at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, relieved to see the young girl was okay, and didn’t have any new bruises or scars.

“Thank Celestia she didn’t take her anger out on you,” I mumbled to myself.

“What was that Sunset dear?” Rarity asked, somehow catching what I said amidst the noise.

“Oh nothing. I see Celestia and Luna going onto the stage. Let’s see what this is about,” I responded. The Principal and Vice Principal both stood at the front center of the gyms stage, looking out into the crowd of students that were below them. Celestia walked up to the microphone, and removed it off its stand. Tapping the mics grill, the sound coming from the speakers quieted the banter amongst the students, and everyone had their attention on Principal Celestia.

“Good evening students of CHS, I apologize for interrupting your busy schedules, but I unfortunately have matters to address of great importance,” the principal started. “I wish that I did not have to resolve the issue at hand in such an extreme manner. But me and Vice Principal Luna are running out of options. So, I regret to inform you that the purpose of today's meeting will not be a pleasant one. I’m sure that all of you are aware of the individual going by Gabby Gums, who has been terrorizing and harassing students by creating awful gossip and exposing personal information”. I heard a light gasp next to me, and I turned to see Applebloom and Sweetie Belle with terrified faces. Looking back across the room, I saw Diamond Tiara with an equally terrified expression.

A part of me was relieved however, because now I knew that the girls followed my directions and didn’t inform the police on why they were targeted by the Changelings, or else they surely would have notified Celestia. The other night, I didn’t want the girls informing the police that the reason they were attacked was because of the video they took exposing Spoiled Rich, for fear of unwanted attention. I don’t imagine Spoiled Rich would want to connect herself to any of this, and having the Changelings involved could distance herself from the entire fiasco. Assuming she had ways of keeping the five Changeling members silent. Having the police department know that the girls have such valuable information of Spoiled could be problematic. All it takes is one dirty cop to spill the beans, and since it didn’t seem like the Changelings had any knowledge of why they were after the girls, it’s safe to assume that Spoiled didn’t tell anyone else. Besides, the whole thing was for me. Still, better safe than sorry. But now, with Celestia and Luna still bent on finding the culprit, which to be fair, the girls did hurt people, this was going to be an issue. Especially after they had gone through such a traumatic experience. Plus, Diamond Tiara would get in a lot of trouble too...probably have her parents informed about it too. Shit. It’s too dangerous for Spoiled to suspect anything, even if it is baseless. Knowing her, she would just convince herself that Diamond would tell Celestia and Luna everything. Who knows what she would do with that thought. Vice Principal Luna took the mic from her sister.

“We have tried to find the culprit but to no avail. So unfortunately, we must resort to this. If the culprit does not come forward by the end of the day, we will suspend all major events for the rest of the year. That includes the musical showcase, prom, the Friendship Games and the school field trip to Camp Everfree.” I felt so relieved upon hearing this. All the girls had to do was ignore the request, and no one would ever know, I mean who gives a shit about school events. I had thought this was the best news all week, but for my fellow classmates, that didn’t seem to be the case. The students of CHS were prideful, especially after Twilight united everyone. So, school events were an important subject for the students here, and the whole school was looking forward to them after the new sense of school pride. Especially the girls that were eager to play in the musical showcase. That’s when I looked over to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, who looked to be on the verge of hyperventilating. I was being so selfish and narrowminded. Of course it all seemed so easy to me. I was looking it through the eyes of a suicidal, low self-esteemed costume crime fighter. The Mare-Do-Well was all I had going in my life. But that wasn’t the mindset of the girls of course. To them, the school and their classmates were their lives, and this must’ve been a huge weight that had been thrusted onto them. Especially after the traumatic event they had gone through, the last thing they wanted was to be ostracized...like me. Diamond Tiara looked just as freaked out as the other two.

I looked back at Applejack and Rarity, who were trying to calm their sisters down. But to no avail. The look of panic and uncertainty present on both of their faces broke my heart. I knew this wasn’t easy for them. I knew that both girls knew the right thing to do was to come clean. Not just for the sake of the school, but for the victims of Gabby Gums. But, how could they put their little sisters in the crossfire after what happened the other night? Same with Diamond Tiara. She may be a bully, but the nightmare she experiences at home is enough torment, and if she was outed as part of the whole thing, Spoiled would know and undoubtedly take her anger out on the poor kid. Or worse.

As I was lost in my thoughts, I heard Applejack whispering something in her sister's ear, which caused tears to stream out of her eyes. Her face alone begged her older sister to stop whatever it was she was about to do.

“Applebloom, we have to. It's the right thing to do,” I heard Applejack say. The other girls were speechless, clearly not knowing what to say or do in this situation. Lost in their morality on the whole thing. What happened next seemed like it was in slow motion, and my mind went to autopilot. I saw Applejack turn to face the front, and she raised her hand in the air, high above the heads of all the students. With a loud, shaky voice, she yelled.

“Principal Celestia I have something to-”

“I’M GABBY GUMS. IT WAS ALL ME!” I found myself interrupting. The whole gym went quiet as all eyes were on me. The girls stared at me; mouths opened in shock. Applebloom looked dumbfounded especially.

“Sunset...what are you...” she mumbled. But I didn’t look at any of them. My mind was already set. This wasn’t the right thing to do, I know that. But I’ll be damned if I’m letting these girls get into more trouble. My reputation was already beyond repair anyways. What’s adding another shitty action to my list going to do. Besides, the way I look at it with the Mare-Do-Well, I’m already dead in the grand scheme of things anyways.

“I’m Gabby Gums. It was all me, and me alone. Please don’t punish the rest of the school,” I pleaded as I stepped out of the crowd and walked towards the front of the stage. I felt the heat from the angry glares piercing my back as I looked up to both Celestia and Luna. The whispering of the students from behind me made me feel so small.

“I knew it, of course it was Sunset shimmer.”

“We all saw it coming, no doubt she was trying to regain her power back. It's pathetic.”

“Hopefully they expel her. I hate her still being here with us.”

To my surprise however, I heard other whispers not as confident as the rest.

“That doesn’t make any sense, why would she post something about herself if she was Gabby Gums?”

“I’ve never even seen Sunset enter the news room, is it really her?”

But I blocked all of it out. I didn’t care, there was no going back anyways. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna looked at each other, both showing uncertainty. Could they also not believe me? There was no way, I was sure it would have been believable. After a while, Celestia grabbed the mic from Luna and cleared her throat before speaking.

“That will be all. You are all dismissed for the day, please go back to your classrooms or other activities. We thank you all for your time,” she announced. The room was quiet for a bit, before students slowly started to make their way out the doors. I peeked over my shoulder to see the girls standing by the door in confoundment. Applejack just shook her head, and Rainbow looked pissed. I don’t think either girl was happy with what I just did. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom stood by them with stupefied looks. Applebloom straightened up, and was beginning to walk over to us with a determined face, but Diamond Tiara grabbed her arm from behind. She looked at her bully with angry eyes, but Diamond was saying something to her. After she was done, Applebloom looked back to me with sadness, before walking back to her friends with her head lowered. Tiara was looking at me as she walked out the door. I couldn’t tell if she was angry, or sad. It didn’t matter though. That's when Celestia spoke up.

“Sunset Shimmer, my office, now!”

THE DEADLY SECRETS OF GABBY GUMS - FINALE: Alliances

PRINCIPAL CELESTIAS OFFICE

Did I ever mention how much I hated being around Celestia? How much I absolutely despised it? Well, no matter how many times I restate it, I can’t emphasize it enough. I was sitting in front of her desk, arms crossed and avoiding eye contact. Principal Celestia was leaned in her chair, fingers crossed on her desk and staring daggers at me. The same situation that we found ourselves in not even an hour or two prior. The only difference is, Vice Principal Luna was standing next to her.

Neither of us have spoken since we’ve entered the office. It's been more of a silent death match to see which one us would crack first, and right now, it was anyone's game. Eventually after some more time, Celestia took a deep sigh, and finally decided to end the tense silence between us.

“Sunset Shimmer, well this has been quite the unpredictable predicament.” My sentiments exactly. I was not expecting to find myself in this situation. In hindsight, this may have been a bad idea, but one I would do again. I wasn’t going to allow those girls to face anymore torment than they’ve already been through.

“Yeah...it is. So, what’s my punishment?” I said bluntly, rather not wanting to dance around the issue, and just get straight to the point. The sisters looked at each other with disquieted expressions.

“Miss Shimmer,” began Luna. “We would have you expelled in heartbeat...if we were entirely convinced that you were being truthful to your claims.” This I did not see coming. In almost an abrupt manner, I stood up from the chair and slammed both my hands on the desk.

“Oh, come on! You too? Look, I’m Gabby Gums! Isn’t it obvious?” I proclaimed. Celestia leaned back in her chair, and raised her hand underneath her chin as she observed me.

“Tell us Sunset, why? Why would you even do this in the first place?” Celestia asked. I rolled my eyes and hopped back into the seat.

“Isn’t it obvious? I hate every student here. I was stripped of my power and influence by those annoying girls and ostracized by the entire school. This was all revenge. I figured if I couldn’t have it my way, then I’d ruin as many students as I could,” I lied.

“You seriously don’t expect us to believe that do you Sunset?” asked Luna with a raised eyebrow. Celestia took a deep sigh while pinching the bridge of her noise.

“Very well, let’s go along with this then. You claim that this is all tied to your past actions, but to tell you the truth Sunset, that is utter nonsense. The power-hungry Sunset driven on anger and greed, that you yourself are proclaiming to be presently represented for, would never stoop to such a level,” said Celestia with eyes so cold that they could freeze my blood.

“Indeed. If this truly were the actions of yourself that you’re proclaiming still represents who you are, then that must mean you have entirely different principals. The old Sunset wouldn’t humiliate herself for starters. She’d have too much pride for such an action, or use it as a strategic advantage to manipulate more students,” said Luna. I lowered my eyes to the floor, knowing where she was going with this. “Also, what concerns us even more, is the article on you in specific. Don’t think we’re foolish enough to ignore the picture. That state you are in and the look of misery painted on your face. You seriously mean to tell us that you’d willingly share something that would make you look so weak? Your angle is to just cause havoc? No, Sunset, you’re smarter and stronger than that,” finished Luna.

“On the topic of our observations, you still haven’t told us why you have injuries all over your face. Those bruises are fresh, not like the old ones. Or do you mean to tell us that you were in another bike accident or fell down stair's multiple times in a row? Despite you being one of the sharpest students in this school? Your attire is new as well. Are you hiding more injuries?” Celestia questioned even harder. I was pinching my arm hard, fighting back the urge to either cry, or scream. Either one was slowly building up inside me. Celestia relaxed her stare, and spoke in the caring voice of a mother that most people, especially me, knew her for.

“Sunset please. We don’t know what you’re up too, but we fear that you’re hurting yourself both physically and mentally. Sunset, I know you’re not an evil person. You just made some bad decisions spur of the moment. But I believe that your heart is bigger than you want to let on. If you know who Gabby Gums is, you don’t need to tell us. Your actions alone tell us that you have reasons to not disclose that information. But please, talk to us, let us help.” My mind was racing at this point. I could feel my face burning, and my eyes were starting to water. My heart was hurting, and it was frustrating me. It shouldn’t be hurting. It shouldn’t feel anything. I was being selfish for even allowing such sentiments to be said to me period. So, I shut everything out, stood up and glared at the two sisters.

“I’m Gabby Gums. Okay? I’m the one who exposed the secrets of the students at this school. So just expel me. I hate it here damnit, and I hate this world, and I hate all of you. So just go ahead and expel me!” I yelled. Though, you could easily tell this was more of a plead. I couldn’t even fool myself. Celestia was just staring at me, unamused. Disappointed, heartbroken, but she didn’t waver.

“Very well. Sunset Shimmer, I’m not going to expel you,” she declared. I looked at her defeatedly. At that moment, I had really wanted her to just get rid of me. “But I will be placing you in out of school suspension for the next two weeks. Not as punishment, but I believe you should have some time to reflect on yourself. Some time away from this school. Being away from the nightmare you’ve trapped yourself in might do you some good. When you return, we will work on this, and also help you with your failing classes, which is something else we should discuss later. Is that understood?” I was honestly thrilled upon hearing this news. Two weeks of no school...no interruptions...no distractions. I wasn’t going to waste that time on something as pointless as reflecting on myself. No, this would allow me to continue my work as the Mare-Do-Well. All night, and all day long. Nonstop

I nodded my head and stood up, before walking towards the door. But stopped when Celestia softly spoke.

“Sunset...you may have your reasons, but please let me inform the students of your innocence,” she said. I looked over to her with dead eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m Gabby Gums, I already told you,” I responded in a monotone voice. Celestia lowered her eyes and sighed.

“Very well, if you’d like to play this game, I’ll allow it. Just this once”. With that, I exited the office, slamming the door a tad bit harder than I had intended.

AT THE FRONT ENTRANCE OF CANTERLOT HIGH

I was sitting on the front steps of the school with my head in hands. I honestly didn’t know whether to call this week a victory, or a humiliating defeat. But right now, wasn’t the time to ponder such a question. I needed to get back out there. I needed to get into the sewers and locate the exchange area. I also need to analyze the video Applebloom and Sweetie Belle recorded, and plan out my next move accordingly. This was all my highest priority. Now I know that these drugs aren’t some kind of power enhancer, but full on transformational, almost magic like drugs. Cercus was nothing like Iron Will. That was something far more terrifying, and I need to make sure that that kind of power isn’t available on the streets.

“First things first Sunset, get home, fix the suit up and watch the video.” I said to myself. Having a plan in mind, I took a deep breath, picked up my bag and began walking down the steps. That’s when a familiar voice caught my attention.

“Shimmer you evil monster!” I heard Bon Bon yell from behind. Before I could turn around to face her, she pushed me down the stairs, sending me crashing into the concrete floor below. It would’ve hurt if my entire body wasn’t already in so much pain from the previous fight.

“Bon Bon! What the heck are you doing? Stop it!” Lyra shouted from behind her. But clearly her pleads fell on def ears, because no sooner was Bon Bon on top of me, slapping me across the face back and forth.

“Back off Lyra, this wicked monster has had this coming for a long time! All the hell you put us through wasn’t enough Sunset Shimmer? You just had to keep pushing, and pushing. Couldn’t you take the hint that no one wants you here?” Bon Bon shouted as she grabbed me by my jacket and raised me towards her. The look of red-hot anger on her face was a bit unnerving. Obviously not as intimidating as some hoodlum high off coke and charging at you with a damn metal pipe, but it was pretty nerve racking.

“I know, I know babe. I’m mad at her too for exposing us like that. But we’re not these kinds of people. Don’t sink to her level. This isn’t right,” said Lyra. Bon Bon glared at me. The look of pure hatred was slowly being replaced by glossy eyes, and soon the tears began to leak out.

“Damn you Sunset,” she whimpered as she threw me back to the ground. Lyra ran to her love, and both held each other tightly. I slowly lifted myself to my bottom, and sat their watching the two. Even if I wasn’t Gabby Gums, Bon Bon was right. I still tormented them for a long time. Bullied them into submission and tore them down. Especially Bon Bon. She was a girl with spunk. Always had an attitude and didn’t take shit from anyone. I respected it, but she was one of the first along with Trixie, Vinyl and Octavia who really stood in my way. So, like all of them, I went after her the hardest. I wasn’t as ruthless with them as I was with the girls, but I was particularly more maniacal with my approach then I was with other students. Of course, with Trixie I humiliated her with the whole nude's thing. But with Bon Bon, I had a more non directive approach. I had decided to use her and Lyra as my guinea pigs for the plan I had with the girls that involved breaking them up. I had wanted to see just how easy it was for me to manipulate and tear some of the strongest bonds apart.

So, with Bon Bon, I found her weakness within Lyra. When Applebloom and Sweetie Belle exposed their relationship to the school, everyone was shocked to hear it. But I had already known about it a year before. It was so obvious that they cared for each other in a way that insinuated they were more than just friends. What made it so convenient for me was Lyra. Now of course I see her as an amazing person. Someone who’s kind, caring and always trying to avoid the confrontations of life. She loves this school, the students, the teachers, her family and especially Bon Bon. But at the time, I found it pathetic. I found it as my entryway to playing with her. At the time I saw her as nothing more than a weak-minded naive fool. It really was so easy. Oh Celestia, why the hell did it have to be so easy? A few lies here and there, a few false rumors sprinkled in with innocent photos of Lyra and Octavia hanging out after school for a project, and the whole thing crumbled so effortlessly. Not only with Bon Bon, but with Vinyl as well, who was dating Octavia at the time. I knew that Bon Bon and Vinyl were hot headed, and would act off emotion rather than logic like Octavia or Lyra would. Just like that they had so easily believed their soulmates were out whoring with each other. Watching Bon Bon and Lyra, and even Octavia and Vinyl deteriorate their relationships made me laugh harder than I ever did in my life, because for the first time, it felt like I had real power. I remember seeing Lyra curled up in a ball in the corner of an empty classroom sobbing her eyes out. Pleading with God to fix things. And all I thought at the time was that I had everyone in my hand, ready to obey me like my own pets.... I hate myself the more days go by. I hate myself so much. I wish I had the guts to just off myself instead of playing dress up and deluding myself into thinking I'm making some kind of difference when the truth is, I do it for punishment. Because death is to light for me. No, Diamond Tiara was wrong. I’m not a hero. I’m just a foolish piece of shit. I wish Bon Bon didn’t stop slapping me. I wish she had turned those slaps into punches. The aching to go back out tonight as the Mare-Do-Well starts to grow.

Our attention gets diverted to the front doors being opened, followed by the girls walking out. Rainbow Dash looked at me sitting on the floor, then up to Bon Bon and Lyra holding each other.

“What the heck happened?” Rainbow blurted out as she walked down the stairs. She ran towards me and knelt beside me, checking to see if I was okay. But I rudely waved her away. She turned to glare at the couple standing next to us.

“What happened here Bon Bon?” growled Rainbow. Bon Bon let go of Lyra and faced the angry athlete.

“Oh bug off Dash. How dare you give me that look. How dare you even try to defend that piece of trash after knowing what she did. What she did to all of us. We were all willing to let you girls give her a chance, but after today? You’re a fool if you still stick by her side.” Bon Bon angrily declared. The rest of the girls were now down the stairs and Applejack began to speak.

“Listen Sugarcube, I know you’re mad, but this isn’t her-” I looked up at her and shot her an angry glare. It was a stare that I only ever had when fighting criminals as the Mare-Do-Well. A look that was never met to be directed at innocents, especially not anybody at this school. But I’ll be damned if just let Applejack tell the truth. The country girl froze in place, staring at me with shock. She slowly backed up a bit, clearly unnerved by the look. Shutting her mouth, she averted eye contact with me, and with a disappointed and shaky voice, she simply said “I... never mind.”

I felt awful. I didn’t want to scare the girl, but I knew Applejack was tough, so I needed kill her confidence with one look to keep her mouth shut. Making her go against her values of honesty wasn’t an easy thing for me to do. Even though it should be at this point. I looked at all the girls with cold hard stares, making sure that none of them would speak. Dash was the only one glaring back at me with anger. After a while of silence, Bon Bon opened her mouth in disbelief.

“Are you all serious? You all are still going to defend her? Why the heck would any of you do that? Are you just dense or something? Did you just forget the nightmare she put us through. I mean Fluttershy, she literally spewed slander against you, and you’re okay with this?” The shy girl hid behind her long pink hair, trying not to involve herself in this. That’s when Dash stood up and confronted Bon Bon.

“Of course we remember Bon Bon. But if you don’t back off, I’m going to get pissed. You think you’re mad at her? We should be more pissed at her then anyone in this school. She destroyed my friendship with these girls. A friendship that we’ve had since Elementary. She’s bullied and harassed all of them, and to top it all off, she literally tried to kill us at the Fall Formal.” Dash looked over to me with a disappointed look. But I didn’t face her. I just couldn't. I stared at the ground, hating myself as she recounted my sins.

“Do you know what it’s like Bon Bon? To have someone try and kill you with forces beyond your control? To have other worldly magic that you don’t understand flow through you just to stop something so evil that it wants you and friends dead? You don’t.” Dash looked back at Bon Bon and continued. “So don’t speak for us. Don’t question our decision to stick by her side. I won’t ever forgive her, but I won’t let her go down this path alone. She’s stubborn and hard headed, but I can see there’s regret in her. If you don’t, then that’s fine, we’ll never hold it against you. But don’t ever dare speak to us as if we don’t remember any of the crap we went through.” With that, Bon Bon just stared at her dumbfounded. She clearly wanted to retort. Wanted to get the last word. But it was evident that she didn’t have anything else to say. Lyra pulled her arm, nudging her to just leave.

“Come on babe, let’s just leave it. It isn’t worth it,” she said. Bon Bon just sighed, and turned to walk away with her girlfriend. With Bon Bon wrapped around her arms, Lyra turned to face dash with a saddened expression, and mouthed the words “thank you” to her. Dash gave the mint-colored girl a light smile and nodded, before watching them enter back into the school. Her smile faded immediately, and she turned to me with an angered look.

“That is the second time I’ve gotten your ass out of a sticky situation.” She reached her hand out to me and sighed. “Are you going finally stop being a hard ass and let us help?” I smacked her hand away and got up from the ground myself.

“Help with what? I never asked you to help me in the first place. I’m fine,” I said with annoyance. Dash started to get more irritated.

“Oh, for the love of, would you just stop? You wouldn’t have handled anything. All you would have done is let her beat you, or insult or whatever it was she was doing. Also, I don’t need your permission to help a frie-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Rainbow Dash. I mean it,” I barked. It clearly came out more hostile than I had intended it too because Rainbow stared at me a bit unnerved. Even Pinkie and Fluttershy looked terrified, as they backed closer to Rarity, who also wore the same unnerved expression as Dash. It felt like the Mare-Do-Well was so slowly taking over my personality. The way I shouted didn’t feel like It did before. I would always get angry and scream, but it was always like a spoiled brat snapping when she didn’t get her way. Now however, it felt more ravaged. More cold and angry. Not like a spoiled brat, but like the scream of someone that’s truly crossed a line of sanity. Everyone looked disturbed other than Applejack, who was just staring at me intently. She looked at me up and down, and slowly walked towards me and Rainbow Dash, stepping in front of her rainbow haired friend.

“Sunset...how extensive are the injuries on you?” She bluntly asked. The question took me by surprised, and no sooner did the mask of anger quickly fade, being replaced yet again by a weakened expression. I avoided her gaze and rubbed my arm nervously.

“Why do you ask Applejack?” I asked coldly. Applejack looked down at me and again, noting what I was wearing.

“I don’t remember the last time you wore pants or a sweater sugarcube. I think you’re not being honest with us. I think it was more than just some mugging.

“Yeah, I didn’t really notice it since the whole Applebloom situation, but you are wearing different clothes now. Are...are their more injuries on you Sunset?” Pinkie asked, her hair deflating a bit as she stared me with watered eyes. I was pinching my arm tightly, resisting the urge to say anything I was going to regret. After not responding, Applejack sighed and spoke again.

“Sunset...why’d you lie to the school? You didn’t even know what was going on,” asked Applejack. The tone in her voice sounded more caring than it did confrontational.

“Oh come on Applejack, anyone could’ve put two and two together. Your little sister and Sweetie were practically having a panic attack back there. It was obvious her and Sweetie Belle were Gabby Gums,” I responded. Rarity stepped forward, using her crutch to propel her a bit, while Rainbow Dash quickly grabbed her arm for support.

“Yes, Sunset dear...but why? That was rather...well...crazy what you did back there. Why would you do that?” asked Rarity. I took a deep sigh, trying to regain my composure from the events that had just transpired.

“Yeah well...given what’s happened to those girls the previous days, I didn’t think it would be in their best interest for the whole school to hate them. Besides, it would be easier for everyone to just believe it was me,” I responded.

“Sunset....” mumbled Rarity. Here face told me that she didn’t know whether to thank me, be mad at me or pity me. Same with Applejack. Rainbow Dash on the other hand didn’t look too pleased.

“But Applebloom didn’t even tell you what happened that night!” Protested Rainbow Dash. I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed my book bag.

“It doesn’t really matter Rainbow Dash. Like she said, it’s none of my business, just like what I do isn’t any of yours.” I turned around and began walking away. But Fluttershy surprisingly spoke up.

“Sunset, where are you going?” she asked quietly. I turned back around to face them.

“I’m suspended for the next two weeks. So, I'll catch y'all later I guess.” Rainbow looked at me puzzled.

“Wait, Celestia didn’t expel you? Then...she doesn’t believe you either," said Rainbow. I shrugged my shoulders and began walking. I could hear the girls mumbling to themselves. More specifically Applejack speaking.

“Girls, I think we should talk,” I faintly heard her say. But I didn’t really care. I had something to do tonight. Or more specifically, someone to see tonight. It’s about time I pay CPD a little visit.

THE CANTERLOT POLICE DEPARTMENT: DOWNTOWN PRECINCT HEADQUARTERS

Another stormy night. The rain slowly drizzled down from the brim of my fedora to the metal gate floor of the buildings outside emergency stairs. I hid in the shadows as I peered into the window of the police headquarters 7th floor corner office, where a big burly man was pacing back in fourth inside. He stood about six feet tall, had light yellow skin and a clean shaved face. On his head was a dark grey Barret styled hat with the Canterlot police pin in the middle. He was wearing a dark grey button up shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks, and his signature dark pilot jacket was resting on his chair along with a black pair of aviators on his desk. His name was Easy Glider, commander of the Canterlot Police Department. Or as the boys in blue like to call themselves in the spirit of Canterlot, the Wonderbolts finest.

I never met Easy Glider back in Equestria. He was retired and was living comfortably in Canterlot. But he was a living legend in Wonderbolts history. When I left Equestria, Spitfire had been appointed active commander of the Wonderbolts, but here Spitfire was a lieutenant at CPD. With Fairy Flight as Captain and... Shining Armor as Sergeant. Above Easy Glider was Deputy Chief Fairweather, Assistant Chief Purple, and surprisingly at the very top was Chief Firefly. All legends in our Equestrian history. I had originally thought that the Wonderbolts would have been military or air force, but it seems in this world, they were the police department.

I have my reasons for going to Easy Glider over anyone else. If my reading is anything to go by, and usually it is, he seems to be the most understanding of the big guys. The real cream of the crop the royal guards use to call him. Spitfire was just too young to be trusted and Shining Armor...well, I have my reasons for not wanting to meet him.

He was on the phone, clearly upset about some matter. I decided to move a little closer to the window, letting my cloak drape around my body like a ghost. I had fixed the costume today when I was watching the video. The stitches weren't noticeable in the dark, but the stitch line across my mask made it seem like I had a large frown across it. I was standing mere centimeters away from the window, standing as still as a statue. Eventually a streak of lightning illuminated the sky, and Easy Glider froze in place as he stared out the window at me. Slowly, he walked towards the window, his hand on his sidearm, and opened the window carefully, letting the pouring rain splash into his office.

“I’ll call you back,” he mumbled before hanging up the phone and putting the device in his pocket. He backed away slowly, allowing me some space to enter his office. I emerged out of the shadows and hoped onto the woodened floor beneath me. The wet stomp of my boots must’ve sounded louder to him then it did to me. Still soaking wet, I slowly hovered towards the nearest corner where the light of his lamp couldn’t reach. Like a ghost finding comfort in the cold darkness. Commander Easy Glider slowly sat on his chair, and faced me cautiously.

“So....you’re actually real,” he spoke. I just stared at him through the lifeless eyes of the mask, not making a word or sound. He opened a drawer in his desk, and retrieved a carton of cigarettes. While he was lighting one up, his eyes never left me. As he blew out a cloud of smoke, he continued.

“You know we got some guys down lockup who swear to God they were attacked by some shadowy ghost. Rumors have been spreading of your existence from the mobs' lower guys to the Changelings. Course none of us believed it, yet here you are standing in my office. The skeptic in me wants to just arrest you for playing some cruel joke, but since none of this is even in the public eye, and you’re just standing there like some creepy son of a bitch, I’m led to believe you’re the real deal,” said Easy Glider. Through the cold, dead raspy voice I’m slowly starting to perfect, I spoke.

“Is Cercus in lock up?” I asked. Easy Glider chuckled aloud, before taking another drag of his cigarette.

“Shiiiit. So, it really was you. Yeah, they quickly extradited him to Tartarus Max Security Prison. Him along with Iron Will. Another asshole you tussled with I presume?” My silence to his question only made him grin. “Yeah, I thought so. By the way, thanks for the mess. Had to get some of my guys to clean that shit up. Anyways you look like you’ve been through it. I don’t imagine those tears and holes on your cape and hat, nor that stitch line across your face are design choices. So, you’re clearly not some supernatural entity. Meaning you’re just some nut in a costume, and I should have you arrested for not only public endanger, but endangering yourself.” He leaned forward in his chair and glared at me. “You better give this shit up before -” I interrupted his useless banter by throwing a hard drive on his desk.

“If you’re done stating pointless assertions Commander, I think what’s on that hard drive will interest you,” I said. He stared up at me, clearly a little irritated before picking up the hard drive and examining it.

“The hells on it?” He asked.

“Some criminalizing evidence on Spoiled Rich,” I responded. Easy Glider looked up at me in shock, before throwing the drive back onto the table as if it were cursed. He got up from his chair and walked over to the door, opening it and looking around as if he were checking if the coast was clear. Satisfied, he closed his door and locked it before looking back at me.

“Alright...you got my attention now. Now I see why you came to me instead of anyone else.” He walked back to his desk and picked up the drive. “Does anyone else know about this?” He asked while letting the cigarette dangle in his mouth.

“No,” I said. He put the drive back on his desk and took a seat again. Nodding his head in approval.

“Good. So, I guess you’re not just some nobody nut case in a costume. You’re a nut case that’s going after the big fish. Well let me tell you, it’s suicide. Spoiled Rich controls this entire city. Hell, I can’t even tell who’s legit or on her payroll in this very building, and you wanna go after her?”

“No,” I responded. “I want to go after the Kingpin Sombra. I believe we can work together on that front.” Easy Gliders face went white at the mention of the name. He looked back down at the hard drive, then to me, then back to the drive, clearly contemplating something. After a while, he calmly extinguished his cigarette into a glass ash bowl, sighed, and looked back up at me.

“Alright you wackjob...what do you know?” A light grin formed from behind my mask.

SHORT STORY: Working Through Pain

IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEWERS

I have to stay conscious; I can’t pass out right now. But sweet Celestia the pain is so unbearable. The sewer water rises up just below my knees, and my cape is so torn that it doesn’t even touch the water. I don’t know where I’m at. Shit, I should have studied the map before just jumping down here. Stupid, stupid, stupid, useless piece of shit. The maps somewhere deeper in the sewer, I'm not sure. I dropped it along with my flashlight after I narrowly escaped the third Changeling scuffle of the night. Or is it still night? Is it morning? Damnit, it could be well into the next day for all I know. It was hard to tell down here. In this maze of darkness. In my attempt to evade the army of Changelings down here, I think I went deeper into the catacombs beneath Canterlot. I’m at a point where there are no manhole exits or storm drains to crawl out of. I don’t even know if I’m in the main sewer system anymore. I think I'm in their depths now. In their layer.

I can hear their footsteps through the water, and their high-pitched laughter from everywhere. There must have been hundreds of them around me. Or...damn...is it just in my mind? I can’t tell anymore. All I know is I’m tired, I’m in pain...and... I’m scared. Oh Celestia I’m scared. I can’t see shit in front of me, but I can feel the fur of rats scuffing past the exposed holes of my costume, and the constant tickle of roaches climbing up my body. I can’t walk straight, there’s a knife plunged deep into my thigh, and a bullet hole in my arm. There must have been over fifteen or sixteen stab wounds across my body. I don’t know, I lost count of how many times I’ve been hit and stabbed after my last fight with a group of five Changelings just waiting for me near the last manhole exit I came across. I lost sight of everything when some Changeling, must have been no older than me, punched me square in the nose with brass knuckles. I can’t breathe through one of my nostrils, so I’m positive it’s broken.

“Ugh...damnit,” I wept as I fell onto my hands and knees, lifting my mask up a bit to allow some blood to spew out of my mouth. The liquid falls into the stream of sewage, blending into the other filth flowing by me. My tongue runs against my bloodied teeth, and I can feel one gap where one of my front teeth should be. I think it got knocked out when that son of a bitch hit me with the brass knuckles. Or...was it earlier when I got clocked square in the face with a metal wrench? I don’t know, but my tooth is gone. When I try to get back up, I'm only met with a burning pain across my leg.

“AGH SHIT!” I yell. Slowly, I drag myself to the wall, and sit there leaning against it. I try to keep my wounds out of the sewage water, but at this point I’ve been walking around it for hours, so there's probably already some infection. I can’t move, I can’t think, my mind just blurs as I sit in the streaming waste of shit and piss. I think to myself it’s where I belong. The rats continue to squeak around me, probably waiting for me to die so they can chew on my bones. But I can’t die here. Not yet. I need to get up, but the knife in my leg is preventing me from doing so. I have to take it out.

“Alright Sunset, don’t pussy out now. Just take it out, and find some way to cauterize it. Just to close it up and kill any bacteria.” I looked around my surroundings, trying to find anything I could use to create some kind of heat. But in an area like this, it would be stupid to ignite anything. I am sitting in shit after all. That’s when my eyes fell upon cables above me. Electric cables to be more specific. Damnit this was going to hurt.

“Okay, easy breaths. On three,” I said to myself as I carefully wrapped my fingers around the knives handle. The whole blade was deep in my leg, and it wasn’t a pocket knife either. The hunting styled dagger was jagged edged, so there was no telling how much damage my leg was about to receive. But if I didn’t take it out and tend to it, I’d collapse from blood lost. Speaking of which, the bullet wound in my arm was still bleeding too much, but thankfully the bullet went straight through. Though, I’d have to cauterize it too.... along with some other deeper cuts around my body. Just to save myself from getting an infection.

“Okay, three.... two....” I violently yanked the blade out, feeling the blades jagged edges tear through my flesh. The pain was so sharp as it ran through my leg and up my spine, but I did my best not to scream. The blade must have been at least five inches in length. I’m just lucky it didn’t pierce through my bone. But now came the sucky part.

Slowly, I got up to my feet, and placed both my hands on the cable. Using all the strength I had left in me; I began to rip apart the cable by its metal bracket until it split in half, sending electricity sparking from both of the torn ends. With shaky hands, I raised one of the freshly torn cables up to my face, watching as blue electricity sparked from the ends of the different colored wires protruding out the black cable. Then I looked down to my bleeding body.

“Oh Celestia.” I ripped some more of the cable out of the wall, allowing me enough length to reach the end of it down to my leg. My breathing intensified as I hovered the electrified end over my open wound, hearing my heart beat rapidly as even from a distance I could feel the heat over my leg. My knuckles must have been turning white from clutching the cable so tightly. Without giving any more time for thought, I thrusted the cable into my wound, howling in pain as the electricity burned my flesh together. My entire body began to spaz out, and quickly I jolted the cable away from my leg. The worst part about using electricity over fire was that fire wouldn't shock your entire body. One wrong step and I could fry my insides. Speaking of which, the smell of burning flesh began to fill my nostrils, even amongst the putrid stench of shit. As I breathed heavily, I took my glove off and ran a finger across the newly formed scar that had sealed my wound shut. It was squishy, bloody and hot, but the hole was sealed. I could feel my warm tears seeping through the mask, and my breathing began to increase as the sharp pain in my arm told me what was next.

“I can’t...I can’t...it hurts too much,” I wept to myself. I looked up the ceiling of the decrepit tunnel, sobbing to myself as I reflected on all the events that had gotten me to this position.

“I’m...I’m sorry Princess Celestia. I’m sorry everybody...please just make the pain go away.” But I knew better. I knew the fruitlessness of begging for forgiveness. Of begging for the pain to go away, not just physically. So, when my pointless pleads and pathetic apologies were only answered with the buzzing of the electricity and the squeaks of the rats in the darkness, I tightened my grip around the cable, cursing myself for being so stupid, before plunging the cable deep into the bullet hole.

EQUESTRIA: CELESTIAS GARDENS TEN YEARS AGO

“I hate this Shining Armor, this is stupid!” I whined as I rubbed my forehead. We had been doing sword fighting all day, and I was getting sleepy from it. But mommy insisted I ask Shining Armor to train me on proper sword technique for some reason. Though, mommy’s always like that. Always trying to make me the best at everything. But I guess she just can’t help it; I am pretty great.

“Oh, don’t give me that Sunny. That was barely a tap!” he said. I stuck my tongue out and gave him one of my mean faces, which only made him giggle.

“That’s easy for you to say, you’re like freaking twice as bigger than I am! You hitting me feels like a damn... OUCH HEY!” he levitated the wooden sword and bopped me on the head again.

“Language Sunny,” he said with a mean face.

“Yeah yeah, watch my potty mouth,” I rolled my eyes and levitated my sword back up from the ground. I was ready this time! I was going to catch him by surprise. So, as he kept blabbing his mouth off over some stupid words, I charged him with my sword, ready to wipe that smug look off his face. But he must’ve been like, psychic or something because he moved out of the way, raised his sword up to my eye level, and I ran into it! Could you believe that? I, of all ponies, I ran into the freaking thing.

“Ouch...that really hurt Shining Armor,” I could feel some liquid running down my nose, and Shining Armor just chuckled to himself before releasing his sword of his magic.

“Come on you little trouble maker, let’s get you cleaned up and I’ll get you some ice cream,” he said, which really made me happy. I like it when Shining Armor takes me to get ice cream. He levitated a nearby towel towards me, and gently wiped the blood off my nose. It kind of tickled a bit, which made me laugh.

“That tickles bro-” but I quickly shoved my hoof into my mouth when I realized my mistake. Shining Armor just looked down at me. He looked a little shocked and his face started to get red like a tomato. “I’m sorry, I take that back, that was weird!” I began to cry out. But Shining Armor just laughed out loud, which made me confused.

“Oh Sunny, I don’t mind you calling me that. I have a little sister who I love more than anything sure, but I cherish the time we spend together as well. Besides, I’m sure you get bored in the castle anyways,” he said while ruffling my hair. I smiled up at him, happy that he wasn’t mad at me. He was right, it does get a little boring in the castle. I mean Celestia is cool, but we only ever talk about magic and stuff. The guards are no fun either, they just stand there or tell me to buzz off. I never see mommy or daddy, both are just busy I guess, and I can’t remember the last time I saw my big sister. Apparently, she told me that I have a big brother too, but I think she’s lying since I’ve never seen him. Oh well, at least I have Shining Armor to play with me. But what he just said made me a little curious.

“What’s your little sister like? I don’t think you've ever talked about her.” At this point we began walking away from the gardens and to the castle. Which made me really happy since the gardens are scary. With that big maze and the creepy statue of Discord, who Celestia told me was actually him!

“Really? I never told you about Twily?” he asked. I just shook my head. “Huh, well, she’s probably a year younger than you. You two are a lot alike, yet incredibly different,” he said. I tilted my head a bit at this.

“How so?” I asked. I was now really curious about this filly.

“Well, you both are bookworms, but not on the same level. I mean, you love to read and learn magic, but Twily? She’s practically obsessed with learning. She won’t ever come out of her room or talk to anypony except for me or her babysitter.” He got red at the mention of the babysitter. I think he liked her. “Anyways, you on the other hand are a little more adventurous than her. You know, she’s really gifted at magic, like you. Celestia is seriously considering making her a protege alongside you,” he said. I came to a stop when he said this, and looked at him with my mouth wide open.

“What? But, no, I don’t want that!” I protested. I must have said it a little angrily I guess, because big bro Shining Armor looked at me a little weirdly.

“Why’s that Sunny?” he asked. I shook my head rapidly, not wanting any of what he said to be true.

“Because I’M supposed to learn all the magic. I’M the one who’s destined for greatness. No pony else!” I shouted. It was true after all. Celestia chose me, therefore It should be obvious that I was the pony who was the best of all others. Having to share that with somepony sounded dumb! Big bro looked a little mad, which scared me a bit, but his face relaxed quickly, before he just smiled down at me and continued walking.

“You can’t think like that Sunny. That’s a little selfish don’t you think? Anyways I’m sure you and Twily will get along well,” he said. I just mumbled angrily to myself. I’ll talk to Celestia about it later, but I had another question on my mind.

“Hey big bro, I actually have something to ask you. How do you deal with pain?” He kind of stopped walking for a bit and just looked down at me weirdly, before he continued trotting along.

“Why do you want to know?” His voice didn’t sound too happy about my question, but I had to learn the answer to it.

“Well, I don’t wanna wine and cry like I did back there. I wanna be a tough pony! Who isn’t afraid of getting hurt! Who isn’t afraid of fights or danger! So, tell me how you do it. How do you not feel pain or anything like that?” He chuckled to himself quietly, but his voice sounded a little shaky.

“And why would you think I would know how to do something as impossible as ignore pain?” He asked. I tilted my head a bit, confused at what he was talking about.

“What do you mean? You’re like, a legend big bro! You single hoofily defended Canterlot from the Griffon army! You’re like, one rank below captain or something! So of course you’d know about that. You’re like a tank!” I was starting to get excited retelling the stories I’ve heard about big bro. But he didn’t look as happy. He kind of looked...a little sad. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm alright Sunny. But I think I should tell you something. A little secret between us, is that alright?” he asked while stopping. He took a seat and looked at me with a smile, and I nodded my head in understanding as I took a seat next to him as well. We both looked out on Canterlot, the place we were both born in. The place we called home. It really was a nice day.

“Look Sunny, I know that everypony likes to view me as some unstoppable soldier, but the truth is. I get scared too. I feel pain and... well.... there’s nothing you can do to ignore it,” he said. I looked at him with my mouth wide opened, shocked at what I was hearing. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. So, I just listened as he continued.

“I’ve watched my friends die Sunny; in battle I mean. Getting clawed at by Griffons and having everypony around you drop like flies is terrifying. I was scared Sunny. Scared for my life, and I was in pain. I wish I could give you some kind of wisdom on how to not feel it. How not to feel scared, or hurt, or regretful, or suffer. But there isn’t any real answer to that Sunny.” I was getting a little scared myself after hearing this. I mean, if big bro feels all those things, then how vulnerable does that make me?

“But....how do you like...work through it?” I asked, my voice was a bit shaky. That’s when big bro smiled at me, and said something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

“Well, you just do what you can, and keep moving. But don’t worry Sunny, as long as I’m around you’ll never have to experience anything like that in your life. ”

IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEWERS: PRESENT

I can’t tell how much time I’ve wasted just cauterizing wounds. I think at some point after my vocals were ripped from screaming, and my tear ducts were dried out, I was just frying anything that looked like a cut. My body is on fire, and every now and then I’ll start twitching. But at least the wounds are all closed, and the blood loss had ceased. Though, I think a medical professional would gasp in horror if they saw my poor attempts at self-care. But I can’t think about that right now, I need to find a way out.

After what seemed like more hours of walking, I could hear the faint sound of tires speeding above, and car horns blaring through the thick walls. I must’ve been under the city at this point. After a couple of more minutes of traversing the dark maze of sewage, my heart skipped a beat as I came upon something that almost made me cry in joy. A ladder that went up to a manhole.

“Oh, thank Celestia, I've finally made it!” I began to cheer to myself, but stopped when sudden dread rose back up in me. The sound of footsteps splashing in the water echoed behind me, and the rattling of heavy chains followed. From the darkness that I had just emerged from, there was a glint of light being reflected off multiple objects. Metal bats, crowbars and chains. My heart began to pound intensely as four men exited the shadows, and into the light of the small lit chamber I was in. It was four Changeling gang members. A new set this time. Two guys my height were at the front, one wielding a crowbar, and the other a machete. A tall lanky man was behind them, and clutched in his hands was a tire iron. Finally, was a big fellow a little bigger than big mac. He had a heavy set of rusted chains dangling from his monster-like hands.

“Well well well, look at what we got here boys. Look at what the fucking cat dragged in. You looking a little shit there ya fucking freak,” the Changeling with the machete mocked. He sounded like a weasel when he spoke, and looked like one too. But his appearance didn’t fool me on just how dangerous he was. The deranged look in his eyes told me alone. The tall one spoke next, he had a bit of a country accent similar to Applejacks.

“I tell you what, how bout we fuckin’ splatter the bitch and use her corpse as a blow up doll.” The others around him chuckled at his remark. But the one with the crowbar raised his hand, silencing the group.

“Now wait just a minute you guys. Our little friend here ain’t no one to fuck with. Remember, she took down Cercus, and just pummeled a whole, fucking shit load of our guy's tonight. So watch ya selves' boys.” The bigger man behind the trio spoke in a low, deep voice.

“Yeah mick, but like, she must be awfully tired after all that fighting. I mean look at her. I can see her tits through her torn-up costume,” he said with a disgusting smile as he stared at my half exposed chest. He was right though, I was exhausted. And after electrifying myself repeatedly, I didn’t think I had any energy left. But, something crossed my mind. I don’t know why it did, but something someone told me a long time ago. Someone that I’m probably dead too at this point, told me that you do what you can do, and keep moving. The bastards in front of me couldn't see it, but a grin was starting to form on my face.

“Well, are you bastards going to just talk shit? Or put your theory to the test,” I whispered as I raised my fist up. The four stopped smiling, and looks of anger were starting to show on themselves. One by one they yelled out, and charged me like a group of ravaged wolves. I screamed out loud as well, and charged right back, ready to fight them to the end.

EQUESTRIA: FOUR YEARS AGO

How utterly shameful. How disgraceful. How dare she deny me of what is rightfully mine! Damn you Celestia, how could you shame me like that. I am destined to rule this world, and I don’t need your guidance to do so anymore. I hate you. I hate everything you represent, and I swear on your name that you will rue the day you casted me out like I was nothing to you. You never loved me, you never cared for me. You were just terrified of the greatness I could become. Well, have fun with your new lap dog Sparkle, but I’m going after what I rightfully deserve.

I was storming out of Celestia's chambers while being escorted by two royal guards. We had just had our breaking point, and for the past hour it had just been a shouting match between me and the princess. It ended when Celestia denounced me as her pupil, claiming that Sparkle would now be her primary and sole pupil. To insult me further, she had the audacity to ban me from this wretched kingdom. Well, see if I care, she’ll regret it. The look of fury on my face must’ve been apparent to the two guards, because they kept looking at me with fear. Good, they should fear me. I’ll put fear in them like they haven’t felt since Nightmare Moon ravaged this land.

“Wait, halt!” somepony shouted from behind...it was big bro. He came running to us, asking his guards to stand down. They looked at each other with hesitancy before stepping back a couple of steps.

“Yes sir Shining Armor, but be advised we have strict orders from Celestia to escort her to the edge of Equestria.” Big Bro nodded his head in understanding, before looking down at me. He wasn’t angry, just incredibly disappointed.

“Sunny, what are you doing? Are you trying to make enemies with Equestria?” I didn’t respond. I didn’t want to. I had nothing to say to him, this was between me, and Celestia. But he kept pressing on. “Damnit Sunny, answer me, you’re about to be banished from Equestria. Please, go back in there and apologize!” I snapped at this request.

“TO HELL WITH CELESTIA!” I shouted. I could hear the guards behind me shifting around, probably furious with what I just said. But to hell with them too. Big bro backed up a bit, clearly petrified by my statement. But I have had enough of ponies telling me what to do. My mother and father, my teachers, the guards, and Celestia. I won’t let big bro be another obstacle in my way. “I’m not apologizing for anything! She has denied me for the last time! If what she said is how she really feels then so be it. Banish me for all I care, replace me with that bitch Sparkle-” I was cut off as big bro hit me across the face, sending me crashing into the floor.

“DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK OF MY SISTER IN SUCH A WAY!” The guards behind us stared in shock, not knowing whether to intervene or not. It hurt so much, and a part of my heart shattered in that instant. But I wouldn’t let it be seen. So instead, I glared up at him as blood ran down my nose. Instantly, big bro... no...Shining Armor’s anger was replaced by regret.

“Sunset, I’m sorry. I just-” he began. I spit out some blood, got up and began trotting away. The guards looked at me, then back to Shining Armor, then to each other before saluting Shining Armor and following behind me. He kept shouting my name, begging for me to turn around. But I wasn’t going to. This place was dead to me. I didn’t care if my heart felt like it was tearing apart, who needed it anyways. It would just get in my way.

As we approached the exit, I turned back to look at Shining Armor, who was just standing there in that empty dark hallway alone, his head lowered to the floor as tears ran down his face. But I didn’t feel anything, screw him. Without ever turning back, we exited through the main entrance of the castle for what I assumed would be the last time ever.

“Miss Shimmer, are there any possessions that you wish to take with you? We can stop by your parents' house if you wish,” said one of the Royal Guards. I almost scoffed at the idea of seeing my parents or family. No, they were dead to me too for denying me true power.

“No... just take me to the edge of Equestria”

AN ALLEY IN DOWNTOWN CANTERLOT: PRESENT

“GAAAAASP” I took in the fresh air as I opened the manhole back to the surface. The putrid smell of sewage slowly faded from my nostrils. I made no haste to climb out of the hellhole I had been in, leaving behind the broken and bloodied bodies of four unconscious Changelings. Once I was out of the sewer, I collapsed into a pile of trash bags nearby. The soggy repulsive contents felt like a pillow to me, especially as the cool breeze tickled my skin. I could see the night sky clearly through one eye as half the mask had been torn off. Some previous wounds had opened back up, and newly fresh ones were scattered across my body and face.

I was so relieved to be back on the surface that I didn’t even realize that I still had the metal chain wrapped around my neck from the last fight I just had. Once I threw it off, I laid back down in the garbage, and stared at the night sky. For some reason, the moon reminded me of that night. The night I had left the castle for the last time. I remember staring at the night sky from the window of the train, surrounded by numerous royal guards. The moon with the banished sister looked so beautiful that night. I reached into my shirt and dug around in my bra, retrieving what I had come for. Feeling the sharp edges and hard surface of the item, a light and weak smile formed across my face.

I took out the small red crystal from my bra, and raised it up into the air, letting the moonlight shine past through the crystal. It was almost hypnotic. I clutched it tightly, before putting it back into my bra. Now I had something to study. Now there was some tangible evidence Easy Glider could get. The thought made the whole hellish experience worth it.

Satisfied that everything was okay for the time being, I wrapped myself into whatever was left of my cape, curled into a ball amongst the garbage, and quietly sobbed to myself underneath the cold, unforgiving night. Repeating to myself that no matter what, you do what you can, and you just keep moving.

SHORT STORY: Sergeant Shining Armor

THE CPD HEADQUARTERS

“Shining Armor...SHINING ARMOR,” Spitfire yelled to catch my attention.

“Sorry lieutenant, I must have been zoned out for a second,” I responded. Spitfire stood in front of my desk with her hand on her hips, giving me one of her well-known glares.

“What, you still thinking about your little sister?” she asked. I blankly nodded my head, agreeing to whatever it was she said. Although Twily had been on my mind lately, that wasn’t what I was thinking about at the moment. No, my attention was elsewhere. I had been staring at the Commanders door for the past ten minutes, where I swear to God, I saw IT in there with him. I could faintly see its silhouette sometimes, moving across the doors glass. It had been visiting the commander for the past week. I don’t know what it is, but I have a hunch that it’s our little night owl the boys in lockup have been talking about. Spitfire must’ve realized where my true attention was, because her eyes were now following mines.

“Oh, for the love of, are you still fixated on the commander? Sergeant, I already told you earlier this week that what the commander does in his time is none of our concern,” she said. I turned to look at her with tired eyes, grimacing a bit harder than I intended.

“Oh, come on lieutenant, you don’t find it a little suspicious that for the past week around this time the commander shuts his door, and talks to himself?” I asked. Spitfire rolled her eyes and sat on my desk with her arms crossed.

“What are you blabbing about, the Commander is obviously on the phone,” she insisted. I shook my head at this response.

“At two in the morning?” She just shrugged at this comment.

“Could be his wife asking him when he’s coming home. Could be one of his superiors, point is who cares, it’s none of our concern. What you should be concerned about are your officers. Where is your superior?” she asked looking around the quiet office.

“You are ma’m,” I said straightly with a grin. Spitfire rolled eyes again and smiled.

“Not me you numb nuts; I mean OUR superior.” I sighed and gave light chuckle before leaning into my chair and throwing both feet onto the desk beside her.

“Shit, Captain Fairy Flight went out with officer Thunderlane. Something about a shooting in the sewers or some shit. I told the captain it would be a waste of time, but you know him. Always eager to strike fear into the hearts of the criminal underworld. ” Spitfire giggled to herself, before looking down at my desk, more specifically, at the framed picture I had of Twily.

“You still heading back to Crystal Prep to talk with Principal Cinch?” She asked.

“Of course. Twily has been...well.... a little more reclusive than usual, and with the friendship games coming up, they wanted me to come over and give her a little prep talk.” Spitfire raised an eyebrow at this.

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” She asked. I sighed and sat forward in my chair, looking at the picture of my little sister.

“Twily isn’t someone that has a lot of school spirit. Her work is all that really matters to her and Cinch is afraid she won’t want to compete in the friendship games. So, as an alumni and previous champion of the games, I could...well...you know, convince her of the game's importance.” Spitfire looked at me if had spoken an entirely different language.

“That’s gotta be the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard. Who gives a shit about the friendship games? If your little sister wants diddily fuck to do with the damn things, then just leave her alone.” I figured she was going to say this.

“It’s not that simple. Crystal Prep is an honorable school, and to represent it is an incredible honor. My sister should be honored to-”

“Holy fucking shit sergeant, it’s been like, four years since you graduated. It’s just some preppy high school, you can’t seriously believe that it was the prime of your life,” she interrupted. I sighed and slumped a bit in my chair.

“No, of course I don’t really care. It’s just, Twily hasn’t really been talking to me or our parents. Especially after a couple of weeks ago. I went to mom's house last week and she was mumbling something about magical energy at the dinner table, which I might add, she was on one of her gizmos the entire time ignoring that I was even there,” I truly didn’t really care about Crystal Prep or the games. I was honored to have graduated from such a school, but I just wanted Twily to do anything other than stay in her own little world. Spitfires face softened a bit, and she took out a carton of cigarettes from her shirt pocket.

“Well sergeant, I can’t say I relate to you,” she began while lighting her cigarette with a match. “But, and I mean this in no disrespect, don’t you think you’re being a fucking idiot?” She asked while offering me a cigarette. I laughed while declining, I wasn’t much of a smoker.

“And what is that supposed to mean Lieutenant?” Spitfire blew out a cloud of smoke while loosening her tie. Only she could keep her uniform clean and proper after a long day at the office. I never understood it. It seemed after the first hour I come into work my tie is already off, my shirt sleeves are rolled up and my shirt is halfway untucked. But Spitfire? No everything was still in line.

“I mean what kind of fucking sense is that supposed to make? Your solution to making your sister more sociable is to make her do things that she doesn’t want to do? Seems a little counterintuitive don’t you think?” She was obviously right about this, but my mind had been so preoccupied with work that I felt I was just going with the flow. We’ve been busy the past couple of days. The drug market has ramped here in Canterlot, and to top it all off, we don’t have a single trace to the source. What concerns us however, is the recent two criminals we found left by our little night owl. Iron Will, an enforcer for Prince Blueblood...well, suspected at least. We found him in a smelting factory off 12th Ave drugged up on some kind of red substance we’ve never seen before. He was as big as a semi-truck, with muscles as hard as steel. It took boys down in medical twelve hours to drain the drug out of his system, the first two hours were spent trying to find a needle that could pierce through his skin. But the second finding really has everyone down in precinct on edge.

Lieutenant Fleetfoot down at the Canterlot Highs precinct was called in for quite the shocker. Some high schoolers were kidnapped by Changeling members, and taken to an old warehouse. The two older kids were beaten badly, and the younger ones were scared shitless. We found four suspected Changelings...along with something far beyond what we’ve ever seen before. A monster of some sorts was located outside the building. Far bigger than Iron Will. I arrived on scene a bit after they took it in, which they needed a helicopter to extract it. We thought it was dead on account of the electricity burns all across its body, but miraculously it survived. No one down in medical had ever seen anything like it before, he was like a giant bug man or something. They couldn’t find any traces of the substance they found in Iron Will, and the effects of whatever it was that created the thing seems to be permanent, but we are certain it was a human at some point. DNA testing confirmed that it was a well-known criminal named Cercus, a hitman for the Changeling gang, and someone who had quite the wrap sheet. He killed a number of people over in Philadelphia, starting with his grandma when he was twelve. Bashed her head in with a hammer, real gruesome shit. It’s still unknown why he did it, but the man is...demented for better words. Other than that, we don’t know anything about him. Where he came from, his parents, where he went to school, when he came to Canterlot, nothing. Just two arrests, one off his first murder and another years later for skinning a woman's dog alive. For someone like this to have the ability to turn into whatever the hell it was he turned into, well, we’re a little scared.

To make matters worse, it seems like we have a vigilante in our city. Numerous reports by some guys down in lockup say that some ghost had terrorized them for the past weeks, and we’re certain that this ghost took down Iron Will. We’d ask him, but the damage in his mind is beyond repair and Blueblood has denied questioning...again. But the other night we found Cercus, one of the hostages says that they were saved by some ghost dressed in black, though, they claimed they didn’t interact with whoever this was. All they know was that they were kidnapped on account of extortion for their farm or something. The four other Changelings refuse to talk and Cercus is still knocked out, so who knows. But I suspect our little ghost friend has been visiting the Commander, I can feel it.

“You make a point Lieutenant. You been back to Canterlot High recently?” I asked.

“Christ, I try not to. Hated going to that school, but apparently Fleetfoot went over a couple months ago. There were complaints about loud explosions and some old man said he saw a fucking rainbow in the sky...at night. Fleetfoot says the front of the school was blown up, and a large hole was by that statue. You know, the white one. Principal Celestia said it was a gas explosion or some shit, but they never bothered checking up on that. I did go the past week for their career fair. Some punk kid named Flash Sentry was pretty interested in joining the department. He plays in a band, but he seems like a good kid. Another kid that seemed kind of interested was this one rainbow haired girl with spunk...she kind of reminds me of myself,” Spitfire said. I smiled and leaned forward in my chair.

“Great, just what we need. Another one of you on the force.” She nudged my arm lightly before extinguishing her cigarette bud on a nearby ash tray. Our conversation ended abruptly by the sound of the Commanders door opening. Commander Easy Glider walked out, rubbing his eyes from exhaustion with his coat wrapped around his arm. Before he closed the door behind him, I swear I saw some kind of red crystal glistening on his desk.

“You two still here? Damn it's been a long night.” He said. Spitfire hoped off my desk and stretched her arms out in front of her, popping her shoulders in the process.

“You’re telling me Commander. Any word on Firefly?” She asked. The commander sighed and shook his head.

“Nah, city hall hadn’t gotten back to her about it. Fucking suits. They’re trying to tell us how to do our jobs with their hands tied around their balls. I wouldn’t expect anything from it.” Spitfire sighed, staring at the ground disappointingly. The it he was referring to was more funding for a team Firefly had wanted to implement. A team designed for the strange threats like Iron Will and Cercus, but city hall didn’t seem to interested.

“Well, I’ll see y’all later today,” the Commander said while putting his hat on. I stood up and spoke, stopping him in his tracks. I had wanted to talk to him about another issue I had on my mind.

“Sir, permission to go with detective Soarin for tomorrow night's undercover mission?” I already knew the answer to this, but that didn’t stop me from asking.

“Denied sergeant. If you want to go with him, I’ll demote you personally back down to detective if that’s what you want,” he said. I stood up straight and stared him in the eye.

“Yes sir, I’ll accept that if it means I can go with him.” Easy Glider scratched his chin as if he were deep in thought, before turning around and walking towards the exit.

“Denied on that too sergeant. Now stop asking me,” he ordered. I sighed and slumped back down in my chair. Spitfire was laughing to herself as she walked back to her office.

“Smooth Shining. Real Smooth. I know you’re worried about your detective, but he’ll be fine. Soarin’s clumsy, but he’s one sharp son of a bitch,” she said before she entered her office. I looked back to the Commanders door one last time, staring intently at the dark window.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Hey, does it kind of smell sewage?”

SHORT STORY: Nurse Red Heart

SOMEWHERE ON THE EDGE OF CANRTLOT CITY

I really should try to start leaving work early since the bus ride back to my apartment wasn’t always the quickest. But over time, I grew to enjoy the peace the night had to offer. The moonlight and stars added a sort of comfort to my ride back home. Especially the walk from the bus stop to my complex. Although I lived a little close to the downtown limits, I was still in the area most residents of Canterlot considered ‘safe’. The suburbs that surrounded Canterlot High and Crystal Prep Academy. But I would hear the occasional police sirens and police choppers passing by, and although a much rarer occurrence, gunshots sometimes echoed just down the street near the entrance of the downtown slums. But nothing ever went past it. I say all this because in my entire life of living in such a wonderful and peaceful community, I’ve never once been scared. That was until tonight.

I hadn’t noticed them at first, but ever since I hopped off the bus and began walking to my residence, a group of three men began following me. They were originally just hanging around the parking lot of a closed McDonalds across the street from the bus stop. But once I got off, and the bus left, they began to cross the street towards me. I had never seen the three of them before, but their demeanor, well, I hate to be so judgmental, but they looked like hoodlums. I guess it didn’t help that I was the only one that got off the bus, and this neighborhood, or the entire Canterlot suburbs for that matter, didn’t exactly have a lively night scene. Everyone usually went to bed or stayed indoors after 8pm, which was around the time I got home.

Doing my best to ignore the trio, I began walking towards my place. I could hear the three giggling to themselves right behind me, and it was obvious that they were following me. The sounds of their footsteps felt heavy, and although I’m not somebody who fears my fellow man, I started to fear for my life the second they began to call out to me.

“Damn baby, where ya going?” one of them shouted. But the way he said it though is what really scared me. It wasn’t in the typical way you’d expect some creep to cat call you, nor did it sound like some dumb kids messing around. The way he said it was monotone, fast and abrasive. It sounded as if he were on some type of medication or substance. I started to pick up my pace, and to my utter horror, I heard their footsteps quicken as well.

“Hey, come back here. We just wanna talk!” At this point I had turned my walk into a run, and the sounds of their heavy steps matched in speed. They began to laughed like a group of wild hyenas. But again, much like his voice, it didn’t sound natural. As panic started to form in, I ran into the alley of my apartment complex. It was a single building with about five tenets on each side. Once I ran past the corner behind the building, I was tackled off my feet and into the ground. My assailants didn’t allow me a moment to breathe, as I was forcefully lifted up off the ground, and thrown into the nearby fence.

My heart started to beat rapidly, and tears began to form in my eyes as I looked around. The three of them cornered me like ravaged wolves hunting for prey. All three of them looked dirty and unkept. The one in front of me was tall and lanky. He had a black hoodie and long dark green shorts. His wallet chain clanked as he walked towards me. Light whiskers covered his face, and he had on a black beanie that covered half his eyes. But still, it didn’t detract from the horror in his eyes. They were lifeless, wide and alert. He didn’t blink or take his sights off of me. His constricted pupils seemed to be glowing through the darkness.

“We said we just wanted to talk, yeah.” His voice still sounded unnatural. The man to the left of me grabbed my medical bag and purse and ripped them from my grasp. He was shorter than the other two were, but much bigger. He had on black pants, a brown sweater and a black bucket hat. His eyes were no different from his friends, but he seemed to have been breathing heavily. The man to my right was as tall as the one in front, though he slouched a bit. His body movements were just as unnatural as the others. He let both his arms dangle down to the floor, and his face kept changing from a smile to a frown. Although his eyes were similar to his friends, they kept twitching. It was obvious that all three of these men were on some kind of drugs.

“Please, just leave me alone,” I began to sob. But the one in front lunged at me, pinning me up against the fence while covering my mouth with his giant hand.

“Shhh,” he began. “I don’t like it when you scream. It ruins everything. Just hush now, and your treacherous life of suffering and agony will soon end.” I didn’t see him pull it out, but my eyes widened in terror as the cold steel of a knife pressed against my throat. I began to move around, trying to fight against him, but his grip around me was so strong. His two friends stood beside him, both shoving their faces into mine.

“Wait, I want to see.”

“Her eyeballs, her eyeballs. I want her eyeballs!”

The world began to turn red for me, and through watery eyes, the three monsters began to blur and darken. But their nasty smiles still etched themselves in my vision. These men were going to kill me and do God knows what afterwards, and there was nothing I could do about it. But I didn’t want to die, not like this, so I kept trying to fight until the very end. But as I felt the blade pierce through my skin, I knew it was all in vain. So, as I looked up, their faces were all that I could see, and they would be the last things I ever set eyes on. The dedication I had for helping people would all end in some alley next to a trash can. As I slowly began to cease fighting, I just sobbed quietly. Even with his dirty hand covering my mouth, I sobbed uncontrollably. But that’s when it came.

I barely saw it jumping from the roof of my apartment and landing on top of the guy that was holding me. It was as if the shadows themselves consumed him. He let go of me completely, and his blood curtailing screams were all I could hear as the ghost dragged him into the shadows. Once he was gone, there were horrid sounds of bones cracking, followed by a frightening silence. The other two looked at each other, both clearly petrified. That’s when the ghost shot out of the darkness, jumping straight at the man to my left. I fell onto the ground, huddling up against the fence out of fear. The ghost wrapped its claws around the man’s head, and began slamming it into the concrete.

“Lunatic,” It snarled. Its voice was so haunting. I couldn’t even process the speed at which it hopped off the man, and jumped right at the final culprit who had been running away. I could barely see as it began to repeatedly beat down the man, grunting violently as it did so. Once it stopped, the ghost simply stood up and disappeared into the shadows. I sat there curled in a ball, crying to myself. I couldn’t even process everything it was that had just happened... and then the ghost came back from the darkness, extending its arm at me. It was clutching the straps of my purse and medical bag.

“It’s okay, you’re safe now,” it said to me. Despite its foreboding voice, I felt calm in its presence. The way it spoke to me was with kindness and compassion to the likes of which I haven’t heard in years. I felt comfortable enough to retrieve my items from its hand. Wiping away my tears, I cleared my eyes and looked up at it, stuttering to get the words out.

“Th-thank you. Really...you....oh my God,” that’s when I got a clearer look at my little ghost hero. Though, that’s when I realized it wasn’t a ghost. The state my hero was in was horrible, the dark purple costume that hugged their body was ripped and torn beyond whatever its original recognition. What I assumed to be part of a cape blew ever so lightly as the piece of ripped cloth hung just below their shoulders. Their mask was shredded on one side, exposing half their face. The one eye that stared down at me was bloodshot red, and the amount of blood and other stains they were covered in was staggering. Even with that awful looking fedora lowered to cover their face, I could still clearly see the fatigue that was present in their eye.

“You, oh my God, you need to get to a hospital-”

“NO” she shouted. The ghostly whisper in her voice broke and revealed the sound of a woman underneath. I moved back in fear, taken off guard by her anger. She must have noticed this because the next words that came out of her mouth weren't as hostile. “Just, no, forget about it. You’re safe, that’s all that... matters. Call the police so they can have... these guys locked....” She started to trail off mid-sentence as her body swayed back and forth. That’s when she collapsed to her side.

***

I paced back and forth in the living room of my apartment, my mind racing as panic filled my thoughts.

“Okay, just calm down Red Heart. No need to panic. Just take a breather and think,” I kept repeating to myself out loud, but it failed in quelling my nerves. I looked down to what was clutched in my right hand. A torn up, blood-soaked purple mask. I could feel the weight of it as I stared deeply into its one blue acrylic eye. That’s when I heard the ruffling sounds of bed sheets coming from the young girl who was lying asleep on my now blood-stained sofa.

“Oh Sunset...what have you gotten yourself into?” I walked over to the dining table next to the TV, throwing that awful mask into a trash bag with the rest of the tarnished...whatever that uniform was. I then took a seat and watched the girl rile around. The anguish on her face told me just how much pain she was in. It also told me she must have been having a nightmare of some sorts.

On the list of people I’d never expect to be in my home, Sunset Shimmer was pretty high on that list. To say that me and her were on the best of terms would be a lie. A year ago, she shoved Fluttershy into a locker, and once the staff had gotten her out, I took her to my office to bandage a cut she had received. Poor girl was so traumatized that she didn’t even speak. Eventually when they caught Sunset, I had gone to Principal Celestia’s office to confront her personally. She sat there in the chair with her arms crossed, examining her nails with a smug look on her face as if all of this were a game.

I remember yelling at her, “how could you harm such a kind girl like that? You cut her arm when you pushed her in the locker and left her in there for over an hour. You know Fluttershy can’t scream that loud!” My blood was boiling at that point because all Shimmer did was roll her eyes and throw her feet on top of the principal's desk.

“Oh please, it’s not my fault baby shy doesn’t have a back bone,” Sunset said.

“You’re an awful little girl miss Shimmer, maybe one day you should learn that -”

“Ms. Heart, please. That's enough,” Celestia had stopped me. Sunset just snickered to herself.

“Yeah, Miss Red Heart, that’s enough. Go back to giving little kids lollipops you failed wannabe doctor.” I hate to admit, but I cried to myself in my office after that rude remark. That was the last time I spoke to Sunset Shimmer. Even during the Fall Formal, I didn’t check on her after Twilight and the girls had blasted her into a crater. Maybe it was because I was so shocked at the display of other worldly magic, but perhaps that’s no excuse. I hate myself for thinking it, but at that moment all I viewed her as was a monster from another world, but even so, the thought went against my principals. There were times when she sent other students to my office for minor injuries like cuts and bruises. Usually for tripping them or shoving them into walls or lockers and such. Each time I had wished...well...I wished one day she got a taste of her own medicine. Because each time Celestia would just give her detention or in school suspension, which she would never go to. I just didn’t like people who hurt others. Who cause pain and suffering to others. The health of people was a sacred thing, and Sunset would treat it as mere child's play. Much to my own hypocrisy, I wanted her to feel what it was like being on the receiving end just once.... but.... dear God not like this.

I had spent the past two hours tending to her wounds, to which there were so many. Stab wounds, two gunshot wounds, shards of glass stuck in multiple parts of her body, fractured hands, a missing tooth that looked to be infected, torn blood vessels in both her eyes. I’m surprised she didn’t wake up when I recentered her dislocated nose, and the bruises. So many bruises all over her stomach, chest, arms and face. There were two huge gashes on the side of her head, indicating that something very hard was smacked over her skull. Another thing that took a while to fix were the multiple awful looking burns. Especially two on her leg and arm. To my horror, it looked like an attempted self cauterization. A very crude, and awful attempt. I had to wash her too, the smell of sewage and feces was incredibly strong. I might be up all night disinfecting my apartment, and I'd probably spend half my Saturday replenishing medical supplies.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Sunset began to rile around, mumbling to herself and shaking uncontrollably. I was about to stand up to go check on her, but taking me by surprise, the girl gasped for air and shot up from the couch. Sweat was pouring down her face, and a look of terror was etched in her eyes.

“Huh? What? Where am I?” she started to say, the panic in her voice was evident by how fast she was speaking. I stood up from my chair, raising both my hands up to try an ease her down.

“Hey, shhh, it’s okay Sunset. You’re safe,” but this only seemed to put the girl further into panic mode. She touched her face, feeling her soft skin with her bare fingers. Her eyes widened as she threw the sheets off her and looked down, seeing the white t-shirt and grey sweatpants she was wearing. She then looked up to me with wide, horrified eyes.

“No,” she muttered to herself, and shot up from out of the couch. “No no no no no no,” she started to back away from me before bumping into a wall. I slowly got a bit closer, trying to calm her down like she was some scared animal.

“Hey, it’s okay Sunset Shimmer. Just calm down, okay? Just breathe and relax.” This seemed to have sort of worked as Sunset’s breathing started to slow down and her eyes stayed maintained on mines. The black circles around them were now more noticeable than before, and judging from how sunken in they looked, I questioned when was the last time this girl slept.

“Okay...alright, who else did you tell?” Sunset asked, the panic in her voice almost completely disappeared, and was replaced with a sharp and serious tone. I looked at her a bit confused, tilting my head with a raised eyebrow.

“I... Sunset nobody knows you’re here. I brought you in here because you collapsed outside. You know, after you saved my life,” I said, trying to keep my voice as low and steady as possible. Sunset looked around the place, analyzing her surroundings.

“Where’s my face?” she said. Though it was almost like a growl, low and foreboding. Her left eye was twitching as she said this.

“What?” I asked, genuinely unnerved by this. Sunset shook her head, and rubbed her face with her hands before taking another deep breath.

“Sorry, I just...where’s my uniform I met?” Her voice was a lot calmer, returning back to how it normally sounded. I pointed at the trash bag on top of my dining room table, and Sunset practically sprinted towards it. She ripped open the bag, like a wild cat tearing open dead prey. After fishing around in it for a bit, she pulled out the mask, clutching it in her hands tightly. It almost seemed like...she had calmed down entirely because of this. The panic and dread that she had displayed only a couple of seconds ago had completely vanished. It was almost as if that mask had grounded her back to reality.

“Why did you help me?” she asked, still looking down at the mask. I was taken aback by the question.

“Why would you ask that Sunset? You were literally dying; I wasn’t going to just leave you there to die.”

“You should have,” she whispered. It was so quiet that if it wasn’t for the deafening silence in the complex, I would have missed it. I chose not to respond to this, instead moving on to the burning question I had.

“Sunset...what is this? What are you doing?” The girl just stood there, staring down at the mask with an emotionless stare.

“It’s none of your business Nurse Red Heart,” she said coldly. This was the first time Sunset had ever addressed me by my proper name. It was usually ‘wash up’ or ‘wannabe doctor’ or some derogatory name.

“I’m sorry miss shimmer, but when one of my students shows up on the verge of death after rescuing me, it is my business.”

“I’m not your damn student,” she said bluntly. I had never heard Sunset say something so cold. Nor have I ever heard her swear before. Sure, she had always been a heartless bully in my eyes, but it was akin to a spoiled whinny brat. But this, I mean the way she said it. It sounded so... dead inside. She was a little intimidating if I was being honest. But I tried my best to regain my composure and stood up straight.

“Believe what you want Sunset. But you are a student at Canterlot High, and as the nurse of the school, your wellbeing is also part of my responsibility. So please, tell me what this is about.” Without turning her head, her eyes looked over to me, and my composure immediately cracked. Her eyes were stone cold, devoid of any light or emotion other than deep-rooted anger. My confidence shattered right there under her intimidating glare. I stood there in silence, scared of what she would do next. But to my surprise, she just sighed and threw the piece of cloth back onto the table, and took a seat where I had been sitting only moments before.

“Okay, since you’ve seen me like this, I guess there’s no point in hiding anything from you. What do you want to know?” My words were stuck in my throat, and I began to have cold feet. I really didn’t think she would be so forward with this. She must have noticed this because she took another sigh, and began speaking.

“The media hasn’t picked up on any of this yet, just the police. But I’m on a mission to take down an elaborate drug operation here in Canterlot. That's all you need to know.” That left more questions than answers, but a part of me was a little scared to ask any more questions. Yet, I did anyways.

“You’re...a vigilante?” I asked. She shrugged and leaned back into the chair.

“If that’s what you want to call it, then sure.”

“But why? Why are you doing this?” I asked. She looked down to the floor, as if she were ashamed of something. That’s when it started to click together for me. “Sunset... are you doing this out of guilt?”

“I don’t know anymore.” Her voice sounded so defeated. She looked back up to me with a stern expression. “Regardless, don’t tell anybody.”

“Sunset you know I can’t-”

“FOR GOD SAKES RED HEART, PLEASE.... please.” Something about the way she said the final word touched my heart. But my primary responsibilities as part of school faculty still took lead.

“Sunset. Look at you. I cannot in good faith let a student of mine put themselves through-”

“I’m not your damn student, I've already told you that. Honestly, what the hell is yours and Celestia's problem? I don’t even belong in this world. I’m just some demon that came into your world and caused nothing but pain!” Tears were starting to fall from her tired eyes, and her voice began to crack. “I’m not worth it! I've treated all of you like nothing. Red, you should be hating me. Wanting me to suffer for God’s sakes. I am nothing but an awful person who causes nothing but pain and sorrow everywhere I go.” She continued to weep, holding herself tightly as she shut her eyes and grimaced her face. I stared at her with my mouth wide open. I didn’t know what to say, but I had heard enough. So, I walked over to her, and wrapped my arms around the girl, embracing her in a hug. She tried to fight back a bit, but eventually caved in and cried harder in my stomach.

“Sunset... you saved my life.” She cried even harder as she held me tightly.

***

It had been late into the night, but honestly time seemed to stand still. I sat on the other side of the table, watching the young fiery haired girl scarf down what must’ve been the third plate of rice and steamed vegetables. After our little embrace, the rumbling of her stomach interrupted the silent moment we had. After which I asked her when was the last time she ate, to which she said she didn’t remember. Nor did she remember the last time she fell asleep. She told me she’d been out in the city since Friday, the day she got suspended. Speaking of which, I now realize the whole Gabby Gums incident wasn’t her doing. She of course stubbornly wouldn’t deny it, but I wasn’t stupid. But still, that would mean that she’d been out crusading for about a week straight. No food or rest minus the occasional moments of unconsciousness after fights. The horrid smell was from some adventure she had in the sewer. She wouldn’t tell me why she was down there, but she also told me she didn’t know exactly how long she was down there for. She believes it was for an entire day. Afterwards she had jumped straight into finding another group of bad people, finding herself competing in some underground fighting ring, to which she of course wouldn’t tell me the details of. But even if she wanted to, she said that she sort of blacked out near the end of the fight, not knowing exactly what was going on. My guess is her mind and body went on autopilot after days of no sleep or food. For the next hour afterward, we just talked as I cooked a meal for her.

“You feeling better?” I asked, resting my head on my hand.

“No,” she said, still shoving the food into her mouth like an animal. I smiled and reached for the trash bag on the ground, pulling the mask out and examining it.

“You know, you should really fix this thing.”

“I’ll sew it back up when I get home. I gotta go back out later tonight anyways. On the trail of something.” She continued to eat every last piece of food on the plate. I wanted to say something in protest, but tonight showed me just how futile it was.

“Why don’t you tell your little friends about this? Maybe that fashionista can make you something new. Something better and more practical.” She glared up at me from her plate.

“Absolutely not. First, they’re not my friends. Second, they’re never going to know about this shit.” I rolled my eyes at this and leaned back in my chair, dragging my fingers through the hole in the mask.

“Of course, silly me. I almost forgot that the big bad Sunset Shimmer doesn’t need anybody. Especially not a group of kind girls trying to offer her friendship," I mocked. She grinned, before scarfing down the remainder of her plate.

“Exactly,” she said once she was done. She stood up and grabbed the bag from off the floor, taking out its contents and throwing them onto the table.

“You're leaving?” I asked, throwing the rugged mask to her. She caught it with one hand, and threw it onto the table with the rest of the uniform before taking her shirt off, revealing the white bandages and stitches I had given her.

“Yep, like I said, I have to get home, fix this shit, shower and get back out there.” I looked at her, eyeing her up and down, feeling my heart shatter a bit.

“Fine. But remember, once you put a stop to the drug game here, you’re done. That’s our deal for me keeping your secret. If you don’t, so help me, I’ll inform the police.” Sunset nodded in understanding, slipping on the torn-up cloth spandex suit over her body. She then draped her cloak, or whatever was left of it anyways, over her shoulders.

“And Sunset. I swear to God if I see you hurt beyond any form of repair, I’m putting a stop to this once and for all. Also...if you kill anybody...if you cross that line, you're done. Do you understand?” She looked at me, and nodded again before putting that awful mask back on. After putting on her boots and leather gloves, she grabbed her hat and began walking towards my window. It didn’t feel right, letting her go off like this. I was allowing her to practically kill herself. Not only that, but I was allowing her to hurt others, something I was strongly against. Regardless if they were awful people like the ones who had attacked me tonight. But after tonight's long, insightful and honestly depressing conversation, I believed I would do more harm than good if I tried to stop her. Sunset was hellbent on this, and the state of mind she was in... well, I felt it was best if we came to an agreement. Besides, she told me that she doesn't kill anybody nor ever will, and the sincerity in her eyes and voice made me believe her on this. As I sat there wondering if I was making the right decision, Sunset stopped right at the window, and turned her head to the side to look at me through her one exposed eye.

“Hey... Red Heart.”

“Yeah Sunset?” She turned to face me fully, and what came out of her mouth next changed my whole perspective on this situation.

“I’m sorry. For everything I’ve ever done to you.” I sat there shocked. Earlier when I was cooking, Sunset told me she hadn’t apologized to anyone for her actions for various reasons. So that met this was the first time she ever did so.

“I forgive you Sunset Shimmer...please, if you ever need medical attention, come to me.” I met it too. If I was going to just allow her to go down this path, I'd be damned if I would just stand back and let her do it alone. She nodded, and turned back around, opening the window and disappearing into the night.

I don’t know if I made the right decision tonight, but only time would tell.

A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 1: Arson

MONDAY: DOWNTOWN CANTERLOT

It was hotter than hell out in Canterlot today, a strange change in weather given it was still the coat end of winter. As the sun bared down onto the crowd of people standing in the middle of the street surrounding the crime scene, I stood in the far back in an alley, hiding in the shadows perched up on top of a dingy air conditioning unit that was hanging over a door to some underground club. The crowd had been blocked off by a line of yellow police tape, blocking them from the crime scene, which had been a destroyed restaurant on the corner intersection of 5th and Marwood Ave. It was some Indian joint called ‘The Tasty Treat’, or used to be at least since the place was completely burned down. I never had it myself, but one time I heard Rarity and Pinkie recommend it after they visited it for some project. Who I assumed to be the owners of the place were sitting down on the steps of the entrance. A heavier built man with a mustache was holding a weeping woman with long curly hair. As insensitive as it is for me to say given the circumstances, she was quite beautiful.

A fire fighter and police officer were standing above them, jotting down notes as they talked to the two. Though, the man looked irritated throughout the discussion. Eventually another police cruiser pulled up to the scene, and stepped out from the driver side was Lieutenant Spitfire. On the passenger side was the man himself, Commander Easy Glider. He wasn’t wearing his signature fur collared pilot jacket, no doubt due to the heat. He took out a piece of white cloth from his shirt pocket and wiped the sweat off of his forehead with it. He was saying something to Spitfire, and the two nodded to each other before taking off their sunglasses and entering the scene. It was hard to make out what was going on, so I decided to sit back in the shadows and wait for Easy Glider to get away from Spitfire and the other officers.

After about five minutes, Easy Glider stepped out of the burnt down establishment, looking over to Spitfire and gesturing for her to talk to the two owners. Old bastard clearly didn’t like talking to civilians. He pinched the bridge of his nose and stepped to the side of the restaurant’s main entrance, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. I took this moment as my chance to signal for him.

Pulling out a glass shard from within my cloak, I put it out of the shadows and into the sunlight, slanting it a bit so that the sunlight reflected off the glass and towards the Commander. A bright light flashed across his face, causing him to squint his eyes and cover them with his hand. He peaked through the slits of his fingers, staring right at me from across the street. Contempt with where he was looking, I put the glass shard down. His eyes widened, and he looked around at the officers. After a moment, he pulled out his phone, tapped a nearby officer on the shoulder, and told him something while pointing at his phone. The officer nodded and returned to his position. My guess is he told him he was going to take a call.

Commander Easy Glider slid past the crowd of on lookers, somehow avoiding notice of anybody. He ran across the street with his hands in his pockets, and walked towards the alley I was in. Once he was directly under me, he leaned up against the wall next to the clubs' entrance door, taking out his phone and pretending to call someone.

“Haven’t seen you all weekend. Nor on Friday night” he said, still staring at the crowd on the other side of the street while pretending to be on his phone. He put his cigarette in his mouth, blowing out a cloud of smoke before letting the stick dangle from his lips. I pushed myself deeper into the shadows, making sure that nobody could see me.

“Sorry, I’ve just been busy,” I responded in my ghostly whisper. This of course wasn’t entirely true. On Friday night, after I left Red Hearts place, I returned back to my apartment. My original plan was to stitch up the costume, wash it, take a shower and head back out for the night. But once I got home, I immediately stripped naked and collapsed onto my bed, passing out for the rest of the night. I ended up sleeping all day Saturday, and half way through Sunday. Apparently, Rarity and Applejack came by, but I was way past the hell out to have even heard the knocks. I have to call them back later. When I had woken up late into Sunday, I was shocked to realize just how long I had been out. I guess operating on no sleep or rest took more out of me then I thought it would. Still, I had been awake for almost an entire week straight.

After my little break, I was clearer in the head to realize that my costume had been beyond screwed. The thing was so torn up, infected with shit from the sewer and beyond any form of repair that I just had to chuck the thing into the garbage. I of course kept my boots, gloves and even my mask and fedora, giving all of them extreme disinfected cleanings. The only real thing I had to patch up was the mask. The fedora had multiple holes and tears along the brim, but it was still wearable. Besides, good fedoras aren’t exactly cheap. For the mask I had to re-stitch some new cloth to where the tears were, along with replacing one of the acrylic eyes. A few hours and some YouTube videos and the damn thing was functional again. As for the spandex themselves, I had to buy another full purple suit at the mall twenty minutes before it closed. I didn’t want to buy another one, in fact if I can avoid it, I will. Now with a cop on my side, I didn’t need him snooping around to try and figure out my identity, even if I did trust him. It wouldn’t be hard to find me if I ordered a shit ton of dark purple suits. It’s not like there were many shops that sold them to look through. I also had to buy some cloth for a brand-new cloak, which also took the rest of my Sunday night making. It was times like these I wished I could tell at least Rarity about my true identity.

“You don’t say. You know one of my detectives saw you at the Diamond Dogs fighting ring. He said you went really fucking ballistic.” I looked down at him for a bit, before turning my attention back to the scene that was across the street from us.

“Did he tell you about their involvement?” Easy Glider sighed before taking another long drag from his cigarette.

“Yeah. But damnit, it’s not like we can use his statement to authorize any kind of operation out there.” I looked down at him, a little surprised at his statement.

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“Well, we can’t take the confessions of a man that was almost beaten half to death by a vigilante. The DA won’t sign off to that. Especially given the manpower and resources we’d need to even get an operation past that God damn forest and up that mountain.” Shit...I hadn’t really thought about that. But to be fair, I wasn’t really thinking at all that night. “Also, what the fuck was up with that...I guess transformation you did?” He asked. I looked back down at him, confused at what he was asking.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, my detective said that during the fight, you transformed into some kind of...I guess horse girl thing.” What the Hell? I didn’t remember any of that. My heart skipped a beat as I remembered the night of the fall formal. The magic that Twilight and her friends were using. Had I tapped into that power the other night? There’s no damn way that was possible. Although Easy Glider couldn’t see it, panic was spread across my face. Trying my best to regain my composure, I spoke.

“Interesting. I’ll have to look into that,” and look into that I most certainly will.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. If you didn’t see anything, it probably didn’t happen. Detective Soarin’s got quite the wild imagination. Plus, the poor bastard had been pulling doubles in his operation. He probably just hallucinated the thing,” said Easy Glider. I wasn’t contempt with this explanation at all, but I’ll focus on it later.

“Sure...so, I just need to find you a different piece of evidence that the DA will authorize?” I asked, trying to move on from the topic of magic.

“That, or you can go up that damn mountain and dismantle the operation yourself. Either way, my hands are tied at this moment.” I was a bit disappointed to hear this, but wasn’t entirely surprised.

“Do you have anything on Spoiled?” I asked.

“Not on her specifically. But we were able to get some intel pertaining to Blue Blood. You were right, we, or at least I, now know his connections to the mob. Got some word by my officers that he’s holding a party this Friday. Only super high members of society are allowed in. But Spoiled Rich will be there.” He blew out some more smoke, and turned his head sideways, barely looking up at the AC unit I was crouched on top of. “We actually managed to snag two tickets. Obviously, members of law enforcement aren’t allowed in... but perhaps you’d like to check it out?” A huge grin shined underneath my stitched-up mask.

“Of course I’d be interested,” I responded. Easy Glider smiled, and turned back to face the crowd.

“Cool. Swing by my office later tonight or any night before Friday, they’re yours,” he said. Happy with the results of our conversation, I decided to ask the burning question I had ever since I got here.

“What’s going on over there?” Easy Glider sighed, and dropped his cigarette to the floor before snuffing it out with the heel of his shoe.

“I was actually going to talk to you about that. We’ve had some arson issues of late. Independent businesses have been going up in flames. We believe they’re all connected. But for some reason, the owners are too terrified to tell us anything of worth. If I’m being honest, we’re kind of stumped on this one. Look, I know our... weird relationship is solely based on stopping Sombra and the drug operations here, but do you think you can look into this one?” I hesitated to answer for a moment. I was only really interested in taking down Sombras mob. But, the words of Red Heart echoed in my mind.

Sunset...you saved my life

Then I suddenly remembered Diamond Tiara, and what she told me that other night.

You’re kind of like a hero

I didn’t consider myself a hero of any sorts...but maybe just this once....

“Yeah, I’ll look into it.” I finally said. Easy Glider took a sigh of relief, as if a tremendous weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

“Great. Stay right here, I have something to get.” He ran out of the alley, and back across the street, still with the phone up to his ear. Making his way past the crowd of spectators, he got back into the police cruiser. After a while, he emerged out, holding a yellow folder in his right hand, and the phone up against his ear with his left. He then ran back across the street and back into the alley.

“Here,” he said throwing the folder on top of a nearby trash can. “Its’ everything we have on this case. Don’t worry we have extras. Also, here’s some wreckage we found at this crime scene. At all the scenes, there’s mechanical parts scattered everywhere. Thought you could make something of it.” He pulled out a small piece of red scrap metal from his pocket, and threw it on top of the folder.

“I’ll keep in touch.” I said. He nodded, before putting the phone back into his pocket and walking out of the alley. Quickly, I hopped off of the AC unit, grabbed the items from on top of the trash can, and disappeared into the blackness of the alley.

SUNSETS APARTMENT

"Sunset, this is not what we agreed on!” Red Heart said through gritted teeth. She had been standing behind me, replacing the bandages around my head and cleaning the wound from the two large gashes. I was sitting down on the sofa of my living room, eating an apple while I stared down at the case file in my lap.

“Check this out Red, apparently the fire inspectors have evidence that points to a high frequency of concentrated flames. Meaning this shit isn’t some grease fire or accident. I think it’s a flamethrower,” I said, ignoring Red's protest.

“I’m serious Sunset, this wasn’t in our agreement. We agreed that you would focus on taking down the mob and stopping the drug game here, as impossible as that already is. We didn’t say anything about you adding on more danger to your life.” I turned my head around and looked up at her.

“Oh come on Red, these people have had their livelihoods destroyed, and the police can’t figure out who’s behind this.” I turned back around to the sheets of paper in my lap. “Whoever is doing this is ruining good, innocent people's lives. I have to bring them into justice.” I could hear Red snicker behind me.

“Oh wow, so the big bad Sunset Shimmer wants to actually help people?” She gasped in an exaggerated manner. “And here I thought that she was just doing this out of some misplaced sense of guilt and depression. Do my ears deceive me?” The mocking tone in her voice almost made me smile.

“Oh be serious Red. Our agreement is still on, but I have to check this shit out. If you’re just going to be a pain in the ass then the doors right behind you.”

“Oh as if.” Red scoffed. “If it wasn’t for me Shimmer, the terrifying ghostly Mare-Do-Well would be dead. Besides, if I wasn’t here, you’d probably just take all these bandages off and go jump into another sewer or something. Also, who reminded you to eat today?” I looked down at the apple I was munching on, blushing a bit as I knew she was right.

“Yes, lucky me. What would I do without you.” I still wasn’t on board with Red Heart knowing my identity. The screwed-up part of my brain didn’t like how much it grounded me to an extent. Now I’d have to worry about an innocent woman's life since she’s now affiliated with me.... but I can’t lie. It’s kind of nice having someone around. It makes the voices in my head go away sometimes. “Anyways, have you ever been to any of these restaurants?” I asked, handing her one of the sheets of paper. She took it from my hand and analyzed the sheet.

“Let me see. Oh wow, the Tasty Treat got burned down? It’s actually a really good place, and the owners are a father and daughter. Real nice people.” I rolled my eyes and looked back down to the other sheets.

“Yeah, that’s what Rarity and Pinkie said,” I mumbled.

“Well look at you. You know for someone that hates everything and wants nothing to do with those girls, you sure do talk about them a lot.” I didn’t have to look at her to know she was grinning.

“Just keep reading the damn paper,” I growled, to which she just chuckled to herself. After a couple of seconds, Red put the piece of paper in front of me and pointed at two of the establishments listed.

“These two aren’t restaurants. This first place called Quills and Sofas sells furniture and writing utensils. The second one is a Pawnshop just outside of downtown,” she said. I grabbed the paper from her and re-read the two lines.

“Interesting. So, what the hell? What are the connections between the two?” I asked out loud. If the connections weren’t amongst restaurants, then it had to be something else. But, what the hell could it be? I mean, a damn furniture store and some shitty pawn shop? This was getting weird. My focus had been broken by my phone buzzing beside me. Glancing at it, I saw that it was a message from Applejack. “Shit,” I mumbled. I grabbed my phone and opened the message. It read:

Hey Sunset. None of us have seen you or heard from you for over a week. We’re awfully worried about you. I know you probably don’t want to talk to any of us, but we just want to know that you’re okay. It would mean a lot if you could come down to the farm for a bit. Just you and me, I promise. I got those maps you were looking for. If not, then I won’t bother you anymore.

I sighed and threw my face into my palms. Red stopped wrapping the new bandages around my head and tilted hers in confusion.

“What’s up?” she asked. I handed her the phone without lifting my face up. I don’t know why to be honest. It wasn’t any of her business. But I guess I just needed to hear someone else’s opinion. After a moment of her reading, she sighed. “Well, looks like someone has some friends that are worried about her,” she said. I lifted my head back up, allowing her to wrap the new bandages around me.

“Screw you,” I blurted. But she just giggled to herself.

“Well, what are you going to do miss Shimmer?” she asked.

“I’m going over there after this. Just for those maps. I need them before I go back down into the sewer.” I could feel the mood in her change after I said this.

“Wait, you’re going back down there?” the sadness in her voice was almost deafening. Almost.

“Of course. The Changelings are still operating down there and trafficking the crystals. I need to stop them. But I need those maps to get a better understanding of the old sewer's layouts so I don’t just jump in there unprepared like a dumbass. Barely made it out alive the last time I did that,” I responded. Red didn’t say anything for a bit. I don’t think she was too thrilled with the prospect of me going back down such a hellhole...and to be honest neither was I. Eventually she spoke up, trying to lighten the mood.

“Well, I think it’s wonderful you’re going to talk to Applejack. You need a friend to talk too right now,” she said as she finished applying the new bandage. I rolled my eyes and stood up before walking over to my wardrobe. “So, what are you going to tell her?” Asked Red.

“Tell her what?” I asked grabbing a pair of blue denim jeans and a grey t-shirt.

“About your injuries. Granted you look a lot better than before I worked my magic, but you still look like hell,” said Red. I looked into the mirror on my wardrobe door, examining the state I was in. To her credit, she was right. I looked like hammered shit. The bruises were fading away, but they were still plenty of them around my face. The large white bandage around my head was going to be very difficult to explain, and I still had a massive fresh scar across the bridge of my nose. Additionally, my hand was still wrapped due to a hairline fracture, and the most difficult one of all to explain was my front missing tooth.

“I don’t know, I didn’t really think about it,” I said taking off the baggy white shirt that I had on. I saw Red grimace to herself before looking away. Her face expressed clear sadness as I undressed. It didn’t surprise me to be honest, the state my body was in was, well, horrific. My entire torso was covered in stitches, scars, bruises and bandages. I dreaded to see what my failed attempts at cauterizations looked like once I took my bandages off. I looked over to Red again, frowning a bit to myself as I recalled just how awfully I treated her in the past. She really was a gifted health care provider. But her skills made me have one burning question.

“Hey Red, can I ask you something?” I asked, putting my jeans on and hopping a bit as I lifted them to my waist by the belt loops.

“Hmm? Sure, I guess, what’s up?” she asked, still looking away from me as I got ready. I grabbed a black leather belt from the bottom of the wardrobe, and began to insert it through the loops.

“Why aren’t you a doctor?” I asked bluntly. Red finally looked over to me with a puzzled look. I threw the grey t-shirt over my shoulder and closed the wardrobe door, before looking back over to her curiously with my hands on my hips.

“What, you’re still trying to give me crap Sunset?” she accused with a raised eyebrow. I smirked before shaking my head.

“No, I’m serious. I mean, you’re really good with medical practices. You’re right, I would be deader then shit if it wasn’t for you. You really patched me up. I mean, your skills are the equivalent to a doctor,” I explained. I slid on the t-shirt, tucking the front of it right behind the silver belt buckle, while letting the rest of the shirt drape over my waist. Red leaned against the back of my couch, crossing her arms as she stared off into space.

“Well, I did try to become a surgeon.” This definitely piqued my interest.

“No shit. What happened?”

“It’s kind of personal Sunset. Long story short, it didn’t work out for reasons. So, I went for the next thing I wanted to do, help children.” I couldn’t help but smile at this answer. The innocents in it made me...a little happy. I walked over to the front door, grabbing my boots and putting them on.

“So what, you couldn’t be a pediatrician?” Red laughed pretty hard at this.

“What miss Shimmer, is something wrong wanting to dedicate my life to school children in a school?” She asked with a sly grin. I chuckled a bit while tucking my pant legs into my boots.

“It’s a little shitty compared to being a pediatrician is all I’m saying. With skills like that, you could have quite a lavish career, making a shit ton of money,” I retorted while grabbing my leather jacket off the metal coat rack next to the door. Red just smiled and shook her head in disagreement.

“I think I see what your issue is Sunset.” I looked over to her with a raised eyebrow. “All you’ve ever cared about in life is power. You’ve only ever let your selfish desires dictate your actions. Never seeing the value in anything deeper than your needs and logical reasonings.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes to this.

“I thought you were a nurse, not a psychologist. What’s your point Red?” I asked, rather unamused. Red gave me a stern, serious look, staring me directly into my eyes as she spoke.

“Sunset, you only ever listen to the dark parts of here,” she said while pointing at her brain. “But you never allow yourself to listen to what’s in here,” she said pointing at her heart. I was left rather speechless. Granted, it was one of the corniest things I’ve ever heard. But...I can’t remember the last time I ever thought about anything other than my own desire for power, and my fallacies of perceived objectiveness I had with it. It’s been years since I’ve ever done something simply because I thought it was the right thing to do. Even with all of this Mare-Do-Well shit, it really just came down to me me me. The part that really got to me though as I thought about this...I can’t remember the last time I was truly happy.

“It’s an interesting thought,” I said seriously. But one I don’t think I was ready to face just yet. So, like I always do, I averted any attempt at self-discovery. “Screw all that bullshit, where would I be if I followed my heart?” I jokingly said as I grabbed my phone and house keys. Red sighed before smirking.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe properly atoning for your actions in a healthy way by apologizing to those you’ve hurt? Then grow a genuine friendship with those who are trying to offer it to you? Then probably seek mental help from a licensed therapist about your self-loathing and deteriorating mental state, all while finally allowing yourself to be happy and form a genuine connection here. I don’t know about you, but that sounds a lot better than running around a grimy city losing your sanity by fist fighting every gang member, junkie killer you find. Just a thought.” I shook my head and smiled.

“You kidding? And miss out on getting my ass beaten to death? Sounds boring.” Red sighed and chuckled to herself, but I could tell behind that mask she wasn’t kidding. But...like I said, I wasn’t ready, nor did I want to be ready for a discussion like that. As I approached my front door, I looked back over to her and sighed.

“Listen Red, I’m going to give Applejack some bullshit explanation that I’ll pull out of my ass while I head over there. But I’m going to need you to back me up on it as a witness. I think they're starting to see past my shit. Especially her.” Red’s eyes widened, and she began rapidly shaking her head in disapproval.

“Oh no, absolutely not! You are not going to involve me in your lies with this. I won’t do it Sunset,” she said firmly. I began to open the door, ready to head out of my loft.

“Well, I wasn’t asking Red. Besides, you’re already involved in my bullshit. Should’ve just left me to die out there,” I said before walking out the door, slamming it behind me before allowing Red to even open her mouth for a response.

That really was not the conversation I wanted to have today.

A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 2: Trouble at the Farm

SWEET APPLE ACRES

I had never actually been too Sweet Apple Acres, which is shocking given my extended time here in this world. The Apples were kind of a big deal here in Canterlot, as the name itself carried great weight. Even back in Equestria most ponies knew about the Apple family, even if you weren't well versed in earth pony history. You see, I know compared to this shithole of a world, Equestria seems like paradise, but, that’s not entirely true, and this isn’t just my own screwed- up skewed experiences that are formulating this opinion of mine. No, Equestria does have its own shitty history and shitty attributes. One of those are the prejudices that all three ponies have for one another. But the traits of racism were more prevalent amongst Unicorns, even up to the point I had left.

Unicorns had a certain...well...for lack of better words, arrogance to them. Being the only wielders of pure magic, we carried ourselves with very high self-esteem. There’s no easy way to say this, but the perceptions that we had towards the other two ponies were pretty nefarious. Unicorns, especially the snotnosed pricks in Canterlot, viewed Pegasi as barbaric brutes that were violent. For earth ponies, unicorns saw them as stupid, unsophisticated and worthless creatures. Mud ponies is what they liked to call them. Now, I personally never shared these views. In my mind, everyone was beneath me, egotistical of me I know.

But, even despite all of that, lots of ponies all throughout the land knew about the Apple family. I mean, how could you not? They dominated vast amounts of Equestria’s lands, farming all kinds of shit. If I’m being completely honest, I think a lot of Equestria would have died to famine if it weren't for those farm ponies. That little theory of mine was already kind of proven during the first major Equestrian civil war between the earth, pegasi and unicorns. I learned that years before my bitch ass was born, some of the Apples had set up a small town just below the mountain that Canterlot was rested on. A town called Ponyville, just next to the Everfree forest. From what I heard of the place; it was one of the first communities that really united ponies from all kind. Well, before Manehattan and Phillydelphia became major metropolitan areas of course. I never bothered reading anymore of the Apple’s history or what became of Ponyville. I guess at that point my mother...well...let’s just say at that point I was hellbent on power.

My point with all of this shit is, I understood how tough those Apples were. So, when I came to this world for the first time, I was shocked to know that there was an Apple right there in the high school. Damn me...but Applejack alone was one of the reasons why I targeted her group of friends.......anyways, the farm was quite magnificent. It was vast and expansive as it rested on the edge of the countryside bordering the outskirts of Canterlot. You could see the edge of another neighborhood in the horizon. On the farm itself, the trees were each equally separated in distance, and I could see their freshly grown leaves spotted with red juicy apples. I’ve heard that AJ’s farm produced some of the finest apples in the United States, but I’ve just never tried one. When I was a raging bitch, we hated each other so much that whenever she brought food for parties or events, I never got any, nor did I want any. After the Fall Formal I just didn’t feel like I deserved any of her treats. A notion I still feel to this day.

As I walked down the dirt path to her house, I twiddled my fingers around in the pockets of my jacket while kicking up dirt in the air, causing my boots to get all dirty. I don’t know why I was so nervous, but I just was. I’ve talked to Applejack loads of times before, granted they were pretty one sided, but I was still able to carry a conversation with her without tensing up. But something about going to her house just rubbed me the wrong way. Going to the place she called home, where her family lives and a vessel that was only opened to her closest friends. I guess I just didn’t feel worthy coming over. I mean I didn’t even feel like I was worthy to just walk on this dirt. I could have stood there all day contemplating my life's actions that led me to believe this, but I snapped back to reality when I saw myself standing on her drive way. Looking up, I was facing a red two-story house with a barn right next to it. Obviously, it wasn’t as grand as the ones I’ve seen in the pictures back in Equestria, but it was still a very nice and cozy house.

I took a deep breath, listening to the chirping of birds and howl of light wind. I don’t know why the hell I was freaking out so much. I mean, all week I've been in fights with sick killers, lost in a dark maze from hell and almost got killed in some underground shit stain fighting ring. Yet, this moment is what made my stomach turn to knots. With one final deep breath, I decided I had spent enough time pussying around this, so I walked up the drive way, up the steps and to the door. With shaking hands, I took my right hand out of my pocket and proceeded to knock on the door. Seconds felt like hours as I waited patiently for someone to answer. After what had seemed like an eternity, I began to get cold feet, and seconds later I found myself turning around and walking off the porch. That’s when the door behind me opened.

“Sunset Shimmer?” the voice of a little girl called out as I was facing away from the door. Turning around, I grimaced when I saw Applebloom standing at the doorway. She was still in her normal clothes, meaning she probably just arrived from school.

“Yeah....hey. Is your sister home?” I asked, averting eye contact with the girl. Damnit, I felt so intimidated by her, and I don’t know why. For Celestia sakes Sunset, you’re the damn Mare-Do-Well, stop being such a pussy, I thought to myself.

“Um...yeah, she’s upstairs taking a shower right now. We barely got home from school,” said Applebloom. She too was avoiding eye contact with me as she rubbed her arm awkwardly. Taking this as my cue to piss off, I sighed, put my hands back in my pockets and began to walk down the steps.

“I see...well don’t worry about it. Sorry to bother you.” But as I was walking away, Applebloom spoke up quietly. Not Fluttershy quietly, but quietly enough to hint that she wasn’t too confident in what she was asking.

“Hey...do you wanna come in? You know...just to wait for her?” I turned back around to look at her with my mouth hanging wide open. Out of everything she could have possibly said, that wasn’t something I expected to hear from her.

“I don’t know Applebloom. I don’t think that’s such a good -”

“Please?” I looked at her again, into her pleading eyes. She was pretty adamant about me coming into her house. As much as I wanted to just piss right off, the way she spoke restricted me from doing such an action. Taking a deep sigh, I looked down at the floor, contemplating what I should do for a moment. Eventually I just nodded my head and followed her through the door.

The interior of the house was just as cozy as its exterior. Smooth wooden walls with an almost pristine like carpet really added to the whole old school cottage feeling the place had. It really was a very nice house. I followed Applebloom through the main hallway and down to the kitchen which was in the back. Just like the living room, the kitchen was equally as cozy.

“Can I get you something to drink?” asked Applebloom. I leaned against one of the cabinets with my arms crossed, and just stared out the window that led out to the backyard. Sitting on a rocking chair was Granny Smith taking a nap, and from the distance, I could see Big Mac picking apples off one of the many trees and throwing them into a large basket.

“No... I’m okay.” Applebloom tilted her head, looking at me with a light smile and a raised eyebrow.

“You sure? We have a fresh supply of apple cider, even you have to admit how delicious it is,” she exclaimed proudly. I kept looking out the window, watching Big Mac continue his work.

“I wouldn’t know, I've never had it.” I could almost hear Appleblooms jaw drop at this revelation.

“You serious? You’ve never had our cider? But we bring it to school all the time!” I looked over to her with a small smile and a raised eyebrow.

“Are you really that surprised?” Applebloom closed her mouth and sighed.

“Nah... I guess not. Well here, let me get you a bottle,” she said while digging into the fridge.

“Applebloom I’m serious, I don’t want any -”

“Here ya go!” The kid practically shoved the bottle into my arms, refusing to have any sort of argument on this. I looked down at the bottle in my hand, it’s cold glass practically freezing my palm. The green label with the words Apple Family's fresh apple cider wrapped around the bottle.

“We also have an alcohol version...but it’s down in the cellar,” said Applebloom sheepily. Alcohol did sound really good right now. Especially since Red didn’t allow me to have any whiskey when she was over.

“It’s fine.” Applebloom watched me excitedly, waiting to see my reaction to her family's beverage. This wasn’t the first time I had been offered it of course. Applejack did offer me some when I first arrived, but eventually stopped once it was apparent that we were never going to be on the best of terms. During this year's Fall Formal, I had practically outlawed it. I really did have a stick up my ass this year. After realizing this girl was not going to stop staring at me until I drank the damn thing, I sighed in defeat and held the bottle up.

“Lemme grab you a bottle open-” she stopped mid-sentence as I raised the top of the bottle to my mouth, clutching the cap in between my teeth. Applebloom looked at me with concern when I did this, probably because of the lack of a tooth. With no real effort, I yanked the cap off with my teeth and spit it out into a nearby trash can.

“Bottoms up,” I said before taking a sip of the drink. I couldn’t lie, it was probably the best beverage I had ever had. Its creamy fizzy taste sent my mouth into heaven. My eyes widened as the cold refreshing liquid poured down my throat. As dramatic as it sounds, I was ready to tear up because the drink was so damn good. After a second or two of drinking, I lowered the bottle from my mouth while smacking my lips together and taking a deep sigh of satisfaction.

“Wow, that’s actually really good. You weren't kidding.” It still didn’t feel right consuming Applejacks homemade foods, but damn was that amazing. My smile quickly faded however when I looked up at Applebloom. She looked as if she were about to cry. “Hey what’s wrong kid?”

“Sunset...are you alright? Your tooth is gone, and your face is covered in bruises and scratches...I didn’t wanna say nothin’...but It’s really noticeable now that I’m looking at you.” The genuine concern in her voice took me a little by surprise. I smirked, and just shrugged nonchalantly.

“Hey, trust me, I’m the last person you should be concerned about. I’m fine,” I said. She looked down at her feet, twirling her fingers around as if she had something else on her mind. I continued to sip the tasty beverage, letting the silence between us linger. Eventually she looked back up to me with a frown.

“I... Sunset...why did you do what you did back at the gym?” And just like that, she asked the question I was really hoping we’d avoid. The main reason why I didn’t want to come into this house. Sighing, I placed the bottle down on the counter beside me and crossed my arms again.

“No particular reason. I just did what I did. Is that a problem?” I asked.

“Well...yeah, I do have a problem with that. That wasn’t none of your concern. You didn’t even know what was going on,” she huffed. I smiled and took the bottle from the counter.

“Well, I don’t really give a damn kid. You looked like you were having a panic attack in the gym, so it was obvious that you were Gabby Gums, and after the experience you had the day prior, whatever it was, it seemed like the last thing you needed was to be public enemy number one in the school. That’s my job after all,” I said while taking a sip from the bottle.

“But...but...I didn’t ask you to!”

“And like I just said, I don’t give a damn if you did or didn’t. I already told your sister, what I do is my business. If I felt like taking the blame for your little debacle, then that’s my business, not yours. Besides, there’s no point in getting upset about it, it’s already done. Besides, if you were really upset about it, you would’ve came forward anyways.” I looked at her intently, curious if she would challenge my presumption. It was probably an unfair statement sure, but I didn’t feel like having this discussion. She averted her eyes from mine while rubbing her arm sheepily as she wasn’t sure what to say next. I smiled and took one final sip from the bottle before throwing it into the trash can.

“Relax kid, I’m just messing with you, trust me, I get it. Don’t worry about it, just don’t do it again,” I said. She looked back up at me and smiled shyly.

“I’m really sorry about how I treated -”

“Stop,” I interrupted. My smile vanished and I looked at her with a dead serious expression. “Don’t ever apologize or thank me. Ever.” She stammered on her words, clearly unnerved with the shift in my demeanor. I didn’t want to scare the shit out of her of course, but people apologizing to me, especially an Apple was out of the question. After not being able to say the words she wanted to say, the silence between us returned like some kind of omen. But eventually she broke that omen and decided to change the conversation to another topic I wanted all but piss to do with.

“Why did you bully my older sister Sunset?” To say the question took me by surprise would be the understatement of the century. I had to give the kid credit for having the guts to just confront me like that...no one's ever asked me this question before...and to be frank, I didn’t have a good answer.

“Because I’m not a good person. Because I’m stupid and selfish. That’s it Applebloom,” I couldn’t even look at her in the eye. Not for this answer. Not when knowing my answer was probably not what she wanted to hear as the reason for all the pain I’ve caused to her older sister. But there was no other way I could have put it without morphing it into a lie. But, as it seems to be the trajectory of this out of the bloom conversation, the little girl yet again subverted my expectations in the most unpredictable ways.

“I don’t believe that...not anymore,” she said. This time, I looked back up to her, shocked at what she just said. Unlike before, Applebloom wasn’t looking at me with uncertainty. No, this time she was staring at me with confidence. “I think you’re just spouting nonsense Sunset. I mean, there’s no other reason why you would have taken the blame for me if you were a bad person...and I guess I just never gave you a fair shot at proving it.” I looked at her with my mouth a gaped. A part of me wanted to yell at her, tell her how wrong she was. Or maybe I was just trying to convince myself? No, that’s not it. She was wrong, she had to be. I wanted to tell her that, but as she stared at me with such certainty, it was hard to argue with her. But there was no way I would ever accept that. Hell no.

“Well, I don’t know about that kid.” I looked up to the ceiling, hearing the sounds of footsteps approaching the stairs. Applebloom looked behind her out into the hall, and soon Applejack came walking down the stairs and into the living room. She wasn’t wearing her signature hat nor her normal outfit. Instead, she was wearing her blue CHS sweater and a pair of grey sweat pants. Her hair was let loose and flew over her shoulder while she rubbed the back of her head with a towel. Much to my relief, it seemed like the bruises on her face were fading. I didn’t say shit like this often, but AJ really was one of the prettiest girls at the school. Hell, maybe even in all of Canterlot.

“Hey Applebloom, could you tell Bic Mac if he can-” She stopped mid-sentence as she entered the kitchen, eyes widened as she looked at me.

“Oh, hey sis. I hope you don’t mind, but Sunset came over so I treated her to some of our cider until you got out of the shower,” said Applebloom. Applejack looked at her little sister, the look of shock was almost amusing to an extent. Though, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous.

“Really? No, it’s alright Applebloom,” responded Applejack. The older sister looked back up to me, her expression of shock was slowly fading and being replaced by a look of horror.

“Oh my...” she muttered. I just hugged myself and smiled, which probably wasn’t the brightest idea considering I was missing a tooth.

“Hey Applebloom, you think you can go help Big Mac for a bit? I just have to talk to Sunset.” Applebloom looked at her sister, then back to me. She didn’t look too pleased with the request, but she smiled and nodded her head anyways, grabbing another bottle of cider from the fridge and turning to face the kitchen door that led out to the backyard. But before she left, she did something that yet again, took me by surprise. The little girl looked up at me and smiled, raising her fist up at me and letting it hang there in the air.

“Well, you believe whatever you wanna believe Sunset...but I guess you’re okay in my book now,” she said. Now although I refused to accept that, the second I opened my mouth to protest, Applebloom shook her head and stared at me with a stern cold expression. “I don’t wanna hear that nonsense outta you Sunset. I do what I wanna do too, just like you.” She held her gaze at me defiantly, refusing to back down from this. All I could do was stare at her with my mouth hanging open like some kind of dumbass. I vividly remembered harsh words of detest she had towards me just two weeks ago, and now it seemed like a completely different person had been talking to me...admittedly, I didn’t know how to feel about this.

“Sure, whatever you say kid,” I responded, raising my fist up to give her a light fist bump. AJ looked even more concerned when she saw the bandages around my knuckles, but returned her smile when Appleblooms face beamed with joy. Satisfied, she walked out the door and out to the backyard, leaving just me and Applejack in the room. AJ crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame, watching out the window as her little sister ran across the land to where her big brother was. The warm smile on her face was enough to fool me for a moment that everything was okay.

“Looks like y’all two finally made peace,” she said. I rolled my eyes and leaned back onto the counter, putting my hands in my jacket pockets.

“If you say so,” I said dismissively.

“No, seriously Sunset, you have no idea how much that girls been thinking about you ever since that stunt you pulled in the auditorium.” My eyes looked over to her, and I could feel my cheeks turn red.

“She...she’s been thinking about me? What for?” I asked, genuinely surprised at the idea of Applebloom of all people having me on her mind.

“She’s, well, I don’t know. I just think you may have shattered some of her views on you after that,” said Applejack, still staring out the window with a smile. But a few seconds later, the smile vanished entirely, and her warm expression was replaced with a disapproving look as she turned to face me. “I reckon you’re not going to tell me about all of this?” she asked, looking me up and down.

“Tell you about what?” I asked a little agitatedly.

“Stop. Just stop. Stop talking to me like I’m some kind of fool. Those are fresh new injuries, and they look worst then before.”

“Oh for the love of, that’s none of your-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence! You do not get to say that after everything we’ve been through. Especially not after getting yourself suspended over my sister without any of our input. You don’t get to just enter my life and then disappear out of nowhere.” Applejack took a deep breath, regaining her nerves and softening her tone. “Sunset, for a while after the Fall Formal, it felt like at least you and I were slowly making amends. Then out of nowhere you just decide to run away. You’ve gotten more hostile in your voice, more isolated and you’re getting more injuries every time I see you. For crying out loud Sunset, you’re missing a tooth!”

The entire time I wasn’t looking at her, typical of me. No matter how much I wanted to deny everything she just said, I knew there was some truth to it. Perhaps it’s just my fault for talking to her after the Fall Formal incident. Maybe I should have just pissed off after Twilight defeated me. I’ve had multiple opportunities to do so, so why the hell have I not? Why do I keep sticking on to these girls when I tell myself multiple times that I want nothing to do with them? What the actual hell is wrong with me? I wanted to argue with her so much on this, to just storm out of here and be done with this shit, but the little moments of joy I had with her were probably the only times in my life I was truly happy...at least after I was a filly. I suddenly remember what Rainbow told me at the gym about a week back, and what Rarity had told me on the phone prior to my fight with the changelings. The thought that I could have some hope at making amends with my actions crossed my mind, and the urge to just piss off suddenly vanished...should I just tell Applejack the truth? With how I feel about all of this? About how much I despise myself? About the Mare-Do-Well? About how I wish she treated me like shit.... or should I just tell her I was sorry for everything? I was able to apologize to Red, so why could I not with her or any of the girls? I stood there with my arms crossed, refusing to look up at her and debating what I should say next. But my mouth started moving, and the predictability of my own stupid nature took charge.

“Why do you even care about me?” AJ stood there in silence, clearly thrown off by my selfish question. Regardless of the nature of the question, I wasn’t asking it to run away from a chance to be happy, nor to punish myself. I genuinely wanted to know. I got an answer with Rarity and Dash, two people I’m going to have to follow that conversation up with eventually no matter how much I wanted to run away from it. But I haven’t heard a reason from Applejack. I knew all the girls had their own reasons for going along with Twilight’s wishes, I still haven’t had any kind of serious discussion with Pinkie on it and I’m terrified of talking to Fluttershy the most out of anyone. But Rainbow told me that AJ felt the same as Twilight in regards to second chances. Still, I wanted to hear it from her mouth. She shifted around for a bit, loosening her stern expression and averting eye contact with me almost as if she didn’t really want to have this discussion either.

“I guess...I don’t know Sunset...I just don’t think you’re an awful person.” I nearly scoffed at this, and agitation began to build back up.

“Are you serious? Applejack, I tore apart your friendship. Ridiculed and humiliated you and your friends' multiple times! I tried to brainwash the school, including your sister, so that I could use them to start an army, and on top of all of that, I tried to kill you and your friends that same night!” I could feel tears begin to roll down my face as I thought just how awful of a creature I really was. “How could you possibly think that there’s any good in me? That I deserve any chance at being your friend? Why do you care about me? Why do you care if I’m injured? Why can’t you accept that I’m evil and to just make this easier for us and to just forget about me?”

“Because if you really were an evil person, why are you crying right now? I just watched my little sister forgive you after you stood up for her. I’m still mighty upset about that, but you just didn’t do that for no reason. I think there’s goodness in you wanting to get out. I’ve even thought about it since you first arrived.” I backed down after hearing this, astounded at what she just said.

“Since I first arrived?” I repeated. Applejack wiped away a single tear from her cheek, regaining her stern confidence as she looked me in the eyes again.

“Yeah...you and I had a lot of anger for one another, and I was angry at you for so long. I detested you...but, deep down inside, I felt sort of conflicted. I don’t believe people are just bad for the sake of being bad. I’ve always wanted to ask you why you were so angry? What caused you to have such a hatred for everything, and after Twilight had revealed that you and her came from another world...well, I wanted to know why you felt so much hatred for our world? I don’t think it’s because you're evil Sunset, your willingness to accept defeat at the Formal kinda proved it to me. I think you’re just angry...and I think you just need friends. Sending you off on your lonesome with that kinda weight wouldn’t do you any good. I don’t want to hate you Sunset...I just want to start over, and I think deep down inside, you do too.” I stared at her speechless. I couldn’t even tell just how much I’d been crying. The words to respond to this were caught in my throat, begging to be released. But that little part of me, that pit of blackness wouldn’t allow me to just reciprocate those feelings. I guess she could see the internal conflict I had going because she decided to speak for both of us.

“Sunset...please. As your friend, can you please tell me what’s going on? I know you’ve been lying about those injuries, and I’m really worried about you...please be honest with me. I think I have some ideas...but I want you to be honest with me.” She gave me a light smile as tears slowly began to pour from her eyes. “I promise whatever it is, we’ll work through it together, you don’t have to be alone anymore.”

“I- I” I was lost for words. The black pit in my heart was starting to waver, and the words were slowly beginning to make their way to my mouth. All I could focus on was her warm, friendly smile. “I’m...I’ve been,” I kept stuttering. I was ready to tell her the truth. The bullshit I had made up on my way over here was now lost, I didn’t feel the need to lie to her. She stood their patiently, never letting that smile escape her face. The more I stared at her, the more inclined I felt in accepting her friendship. In letting her into the shithole I’ve put myself into. “Okay...the truth is that I’m-”

“APPLEJACK! APPLEJACK!” Applebloom barged into the kitchen, interrupting the little moment we were having. Both me and AJ turned to look at her, startled by her sudden intrusion.

“Applebloom! What did I tell you about interrupting people?” she said, but concern grew on her face as Big Mac followed right behind her. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“They’re back! The two brothers are back!” Applebloom exclaimed. Her eyes almost looked glossy, and Big Mac looked a little rattled.

“Oh no... are they outside?” asked Applejack, the light fear in her voice was enough to concern me. Big Mac nodded his head and pointed out the window.

“Eyup.” Me and Applejack turned our attention to the backyard where we saw two men talking to Granny Smith. Applejack pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

“Alright, let me go talk to them,” she said. I looked over at her with a confused face.

“Hey, what’s up? Everything alright?”

“Yeah...just...wait here, okay? This is some Apple business I need to handle.” She followed Applebloom and Big Mac out the door and to the back yard. I cracked the window open just a hair to see if I could hear the conversation. I know it's kind of messed up peeking into her business, but the looks on all of their faces was enough to pique my curiosity. When I looked outside, my sight was immediately attracted to the two men standing in front of the family. Both were very tall and lanky, and were wearing white slacks, white shirts with blue striped vests, and had the same red colored hair. They looked almost identical, except one had a well-kept mustache.

“What the hell?” I mumbled to myself.

“We already told you; the sales of this season's apple harvest won’t be in for another month. We’re barely getting our cider production going,” said Applejack. The one with the mustache leaned on his twin, with an unamused look plastered on his face.

“Oh Apples, please. You knew the conditions when you signed the contract,” said the one with the mustache.

“Yes, indeed, that you knew very well. It was laid quite clearly within the paper,” said the other. Applejack mumbled something to herself but I couldn’t hear what it was. The two just chuckled to themselves before continuing.

“Yes indeed, need we remind you of our agreement? You’re trees clearly couldn’t support themselves given the conditions they were in,” said the one with the mustache.

“Yes, quite so. Which you were able to confirm that it was the result of a new disease that effected the trees! All in documentation,” said the other.

“We were the only ones in Canterlot who had the means of curing the disease with our special tonic. Now your trees are bigger than ever! In exchange for the agreed upon price,” explained the one with the mustache. I could see Applejacks fist clench.

“Yes, I’m aware of that. But you have to understand that the product won’t come out for a while.” The two men laughed to themselves at this.

“Well, it seems you’re going to have to come up with the money somehow. Or else you wouldn’t want to lose the farm now, would you?” asked the one with the mustache.

“Yes, may we remind you what happened to Quills and Sofas?” my interest peaked at this comment.

“No...” said Applejack through gritted teeth.

“Excellent!” said the two in unison.

“We expect the payment by the end of the week,” they said as they began walking off. Applejack put her face in her hands, sobbing to herself lightly. Applebloom hugged her leg, and Big Mac wrapped his arm around her.

“Hey, it’s alright darling. We’ll figure something out,” assured Granny Smith. As I watched the family comfort each other, I could feel my fist clenching, and the rage inside of me building. Without saying anything, I ran out the kitchen and into the living room, bursting through the front door. In the driveway, I saw the two get into a van before speeding off.

“KRV-1978,” I read the license plate. Without saying goodbye to anyone, I exited off the property and began walking down the dirt path.

“Alright, let’s see what you two jackasses are up too.”

A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 3: Robots and Revelations

A WAREHOUSE SOMEWHERE IN CANTERLOT

Another warehouse...great. Despite it being hot as shit earlier in the day, it was now freezing outside, but I guess that’s just to be expected with how far up north we are. The hills and mountains that surrounded Canterlot didn’t help either. I was hunched over on the ledge of the building, looking out into the parking lot that was in front of an empty field. In the distance were tall mountains stretched over the night sky, and the howling wind and distant rumbling of thunder accompanied by the chirps of crickets sounded so soothing to my ears. I wrapped myself with my cloak, attempting to block out the cool breeze. But it was a futile attempt. It was times like this that I wish I was still a pony. I hated wearing clothes, but without fur, they were the only real protection against the cold. I’ll need to find some way to insulate my costume before the start of the winter this year...assuming I’m even alive for that long.

Still, I think I can confidently say that I love the night. I was a little disappointed with the weather when I first arrived in this world. Since Canterlot is so far up north bordering with Canada, we experienced long winters, long nights and short days. The sun was never out for long, and when it was, it was usually covered behind thick grey clouds. But now, I find it rather comforting. If I wasn’t the Mare-Do-Well, I think I’d still choose to not sleep just to experience the beauty of the night. My light daydreaming was interrupted by the voice in my ear.

“Okay, I rechecked the plates. You’re at the right place,” said Red through the earpiece under my mask.

“Yeah, I already know that. Give me the files on the Flim Flam Brothers,” I demanded.

“Oh, well a little thank you would be nice. Honestly, I’m up at one in the morning with you on a school night and that’s how you thank me?”

“You’re the one who insisted on this stupid communication channel. I told you to just go home, but no, you wanted to play oracle with me in the middle of the night.” I could hear her scoff on the other end.

“Don’t start with me Shimmer. I am literally letting a student who attends the school I work at go out and play dress up at night to fight bad guys. All while knowing she isn’t all the way there mentally. If you think I'm just going to let you go out there alone without keeping tabs on you then you should have your head reexamined just as much as I should have mine.” I sighed and rolled my eyes. This little set up of ours didn’t really bother me, but it was just something far out of my comfort zone. I guess on the bright side, I wouldn’t be talking to myself like a crazy person while I’m out here.

“Fine, but at least make yourself useful.” I stood up, turned around and began to walk across the rooftop of the warehouse, letting the cloak drape over my shoulders like a ghost. I could hear Red typing on my computer, presumably looking for the documents I had created on the brothers earlier today after I left AJ’s place. I didn’t need them of course, but I figured it would be better than just letting Red sit there bored out of her mind or worry so much that she’ll end up coming out to look for me. Besides, depending on how long this little shindig agreement of ours last, perhaps this could be favorable in the long run for times I do need someone at a computer for me.

“I don’t know if I ever said this, but I hate that voice you do when you wear that thing. It sends a shiver down my spine,” she said while typing.

“That’s the point.”

“Yeah but, I mean, I think you find comfort in it. Earlier today when I was patching you up, you kept letting it slip out.” I didn’t say anything as I entered the door of the rooftop exit. “I mean, you have a really nice voice Sunset. The few times you let it be heard without anger or sadness...it’s a beautiful voice. This one though, it just sounds so dead. I know you say it’s for the persona...but the growl in it, I feel like it’s slowly becoming your-”

“Be quiet. I’m in.” I didn’t like talking to her like that, but I didn’t need someone playing psychiatrist with me. Not when I’m wearing it. I know this is hard for her, and her worries will always stem from her being a nurse for school kids, and I unfortunately am a school kid...But I don’t give a damn. She’s going to have to learn that there is no screwing around when I’m out as the Mare-Do-Well. Sunset doesn’t exist when I’m in this thing, only the ghost. Regardless of what the agreement is. My demand must have gotten through her head, because after that she didn’t speak.

As I walked through the dark hallways of the office floor of the warehouse, I peered out the window that led to the warehouses ground floor. It was too dark to see anything, but I could faintly see the silhouettes of large machines tucked in the furthest corner. I continued to walk, not making a sound as my boots met the carpet floor. I’ve been getting better at moving silently like a ghost. Eventually I arrived at a door, the only one that was marked. A plaque that read Shill was the only indication that this entire place wasn’t abandoned. I reached into my left boot and pulled out a set of lock picks. I really need to look into getting a utility belt. Wasting no time, I dropped down to one knee and began to quietly pick the doors lock. After a few silent moments, an audible click from the doorknob was heard, and just like that, the door opened effortlessly. I put the picks back into my boot, and then pulled a small flashlight out of the right one.

The office was small, and surprisingly quite empty. No pictures, or papers, or even a computer. None of the type of shit you’d expect from a typical office space. The whole thing felt quite peculiar. The only thing in the room was an empty wooden table with a single pen in the center of it, and a loan chair facing the corner across from the desk. I shined the light over to the chair, unnerved by the sight of it. It looked stained with something, but the stains were so black that I couldn’t tell what it was. I turned the light over to the desk and walked over to it.

What the hell? I thought to myself as I walked around the desk, perplexed that nothing was around it. That’s when I noticed some drawers on each side. Pulling out the first one, I was surprised at what was in it.

“There’s a box of bullets in a desk on the second floor of this place,” I said, picking up the box with one hand while shining the flashlight at it with the other. “It’s a box of a hundred 9mm rounds...but,” I set the box down on the table, opening it up to confirm what I worried.

“But what?” asked Red.

“There’s not even a fraction of that in here.” I began to open the other drawers, slowly realizing that there was no gun in either of them. When I opened the last two, my heart skipped a beat at what was in them.

“There’s a rope in one of these.” I picked up the rope and shined the light at it, my heart beating rapidly as I did so. “It’s a short rope, probably no longer then fifteen feet. The fibers are loose on it, and it’s stained in blood.” I shined the light back to the chair that was in the corner, grimacing to myself as I concluded what this was. “I think they tortured people in here.”

“Oh my God,” said Red. I could hear her voice muffle, probably because she covered her mouth in disbelief. I threw the rope back into the drawer before opening the last one. Inside of it was a thick envelope with multiple papers. Throwing them onto the desk, I lifted my mask up halfway, putting the flashlights end in-between my teeth to hold it. With my now two free hands, I began to dig through the file.

“What else is in there.... Sunset?” I ignored Red, skimming through the sheets of paper. Damn, each paper had information on various business establishments. Quills and Sofas, Canterlot pawn shop, and a few restaurants. But two in particular really grabbed my attention. I looked at the first document, it was one about the Tasty Treat restaurant that had burned down last night. It was unbelievable what information was present on this paper. Sales revenues, profit margins, expenses, liabilities, assets, every number that went into running a business. The price of every single item that was in the kitchen to the chairs was listed. Looking over to the next sheet though really turned my blood cold.

It was profiles on the two owners of the place, Saffron Masala and Coriander Cumin. Everything about them was listed. Addresses, social security numbers, bank account numbers, social media logins, family addresses. There was even information dating back to their homeland. Old addresses in India, more family, where both went to school, anything you could think of. The part of the document that really interested me though was what was said at the bottom of the paper.

Refer to hard drives for contracts

I looked all around the desk again, then rechecked the empty room, but there weren’t any hard drives in sight. This hard drive must’ve been on their persons I thought. I went back to looking at the other set of documents that caught my attention. It was about Sweet Apple Acres. Just like with the Tasty Treat, it had every single monetary value listed that went into running that farm, and just like the Tasty Treat, it had another paper listing every bit of information on the apple family. I stared at the picture of Applejack that was on the paper, clenching the sheet as I felt anger build up in me while I read the information present about her. Deciding I’ve seen enough, I put the sheets back into the envelope and took the flashlight out of my mouth.

“They’re extorting businesses,” I said.

“What? What do you mean?” asked Red. I put the flashlight back into my boot and left the office with the files in my hand.

“They have files on all of the businesses that burned down. I think they’re extorting them, trying to generate income off of them before burning them to the ground.” Reaching the end of the hall, I took the stairway exit, planning to go down to the warehouse itself.

“Wait, you’re saying that the Flim Flam brothers are extorting small businesses in Canterlot? How are they pulling that off? Didn’t you tell me that they threatened Applejack? Surely someone would have came forward.”

“Well, I overheard them talk about some kind of contract, and on the sheets, it refers to a contract on a hard drive. I don’t know how yet, but I think somehow, they’ve swindled these people into signing some kind of partnership with them, I assume to just make the income seem legit to the IRS. Once the victims wise up and threaten some kind of legal action, they pull out blackmail. Easy Glider told me that every business owner they’ve questioned had shown some kind of fear. Which makes sense, it would be terrifying to have criminals name off every single piece of information that pertains to you, especially with family members. If any victim can’t keep their end of the contract, they destroy their business and threaten them even further if they say anything. It just leads to more fear for the next victim. Would you want to go to the police if some maniacs who you know nothing about could just destroy your livelihood and threaten to harm your loved ones? I don’t blame you if you wouldn’t.” I exited the stairway and entered the warehouses main floor. Much like the office space, the whole area was empty save for some larger objects and crates in the corner.

“I guess you’re right. Okay, so just take the documents to Easy Glider and let the police deal with it.”

“That’s not happening.”

“Are you serious Sunset? You’re not going to do the responsible thing?”

“Think for a second Red. This isn’t enough evidence to get the police involved. It’s weird as hell, but nothing criminal, even if they could make some kind of connection with the establishments that had burned down. I mean I don’t even know if this building is legally in their name. On top of that, I don’t know what these brothers are capable of. If I have the full weight of law enforcement on them, then they might do something drastic with the information they have. I mean for God sakes Red, they have the entire school schedule of Appleblooms cousin Babs who lives all the way in New York. I have to assume that the information in this file is also on the hard drives.”

“And what? They won’t do anything drastic with you on their tail?”

“No. I’m not the cops. I’m just some nobody nutcase in a costume. They’ll think they can handle me. Now, tell me what’s on the files for Flim and Flam.” I heard Red sigh on the other end accompanied by the sounds of a mouse clicking. When I got to the objects in the corner, I pulled my flashlight back out and shined it over them. They were covered in a black tarp, but they were clearly huge, towering over me like Cercus did. I focused on the crates in front of me first, examining them while Red spoke.

“Okay, let’s see. It says here that Flim and Flam both have criminal records. The earliest record dates back to 2007, at least for both. Flam seems to have a theft charge from 2003. He stole clothes from stores and flipped them. I can’t find anything earlier on Flim though.” I wrapped my fingers around the lid of the crate, sliding it off and throwing it onto the floor.

“What’s the charges both had in 2007?” I asked while shining my flashlight into the crate.

“A minor fraud offense. Looks like they scammed some people down in the south. They were trying to sell a tonic that promised it could heal any injury with one sip. I can’t believe people would fall for such an impossible medical feat.”

“People do dumb things when they’re desperate,” I said. Inside the crate were green and blue canisters divided half in half. Picking a green one up, I looked at the label on the back, the only thing that was on the can, frowning to myself as I began to read it. “I think I know what they’re doing now.”

“Really? What’s your theory?”

“It’s not a theory, I’m positive I’m right. I think they’re artificially creating problems for these businesses, and when the owners get desperate, they come in with an artificial solution, binding them into a contract in exchange to deal with it.”

“Wow, that’s some theory. What makes you think that?” I threw the green cannister back into the crate before picking up one of the blue ones.

“Because, I'm looking at a crate full of pure Imazapyr, a type of herbicide.”

“Say what now?”

“Imazapyr is a slow acting inhibitor that’s used to destroy invasive plants, primarily trees. It’s one of the strongest types of herbicides you can use, normally not recommended for home use since the effects of it can remain in the soil well past a year. It messes with the synthesis of proteins that are exclusive in plants. They mentioned that AJ’s trees were dying to a disease and that they had the solution to it. I think they’re injecting this into their landscape, and I assume the blue cannisters are an agent that can reverse the process of the herbicide. Poor Applejack, she has no idea how much they’re playing with her.”

“VERY SMART INDEED OUR LITTLE GHOST FRIEND,” said a loud speaker above me. I threw the blue cannister back into the crate and jumped away quickly, retreating into the safety of the shadows. “OH THERE’S NO USE FOR THAT, YOU’RE GHOSTLY DISAPPEARANCE CAN’T HIDE FROM US,” said the voice.

“Shimmer, what’s going on?” Red asked.

“They’re speaking to me through the buildings intercom system. I don’t know if they’re in the building or not, but they can clearly see me. They must have night vision lenses, but I can’t find the cameras,” I whispered quietly while hiding behind my cloak.

“WELL BROTHER OF MINE, IT APPEARS THE CITIES RUMOURS ARE TRUE!” said what I assumed to be Flim based off the voice and the files I read.

“INDEED BROTHER, IT DOES SEEM LIKE THE GHOST OF CANTERLOT DOES EXIST. WHAT’S IT’S NAME? I DO TEND TO FORGET,” said Flam.

“THE MARE-DO-WELL I BELIEVE IS WHAT THEY CALL IT. THEY SAY OUR FRIEND HERE IS A WOMAN. IT APPEARS SHE HAS A FRIEND CODENAMED RED SOMEWHERE ELSE THOUGH.” I heard Red squeak on the other end.

“Did he just say-?”

“Relax, they think it’s a codename. Which means whatever system their using has amazing audio pickup. That’s why I’m whispering to you right now, so just calm down and refrain from saying my name. They haven’t said anything about that so it’s safe to say they aren’t eavesdropping onto this call,” I whispered quietly. I stepped out of the shadows a bit, looking into the air, trying to find any camera or light.

“YOU’RE QUITE THE SMART ONE MARE-DO-WELL. I WON’T SAY YOUR HYPOTHESIS IS CORRECT, BUT I WILL SAY YOU’RE FAR MORE INTELLIGENT THAN WE THOUGHT,” said Flam.

“OH YES, FOR SURE BROTHER. WE CAN NOW SEE WHY THE NEANDERTHALS THAT INHABIT THE WRETCHES OF THIS CITY HAVE BEEN HAVING QUITE THE DIFFICULT TIME EXTERMINATING YOU,” added Flim. I think I’ve been severely underestimating my influence in the underworld.

“Give it up you two. Turn yourselves in and hand over all evidence to law enforcement. I’m only going to ask you to do the right thing just this once,” I declared. But my declaration was mocked with the howl of laughter by the two maniacs.

“OH PLEASE, AS IF WE COULDN’T HANDLE YOU!” The venom in Flim’s voice when he said that last word almost unnerved me. “OH SHIIIIILLLL,” he sung. The sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the warehouse grabbed my attention. I didn’t even realize someone else was in here with me. But my caution subsided when all that emerged was a short skinny grey man with slicked back dark grey hair and a dark grey suit. The nervousness plastered on his face puzzled me, as if he weren’t entirely on board with whatever was transpiring here.

“SILVER SHILL, BE A GENTLEMAN AND EXTERMINATE THIS MINOR ANNOYANCE FOR US,” ordered Flam. The man gulped and looked up to one spot on the ceiling, nervously nodding his head in understanding. “I DO WISH WE HAD THE PLEASURE TO MEET IN PERSON MARE-DO-WELL, BUT YOU’RE JUST NOT THAT IMPORTANT TO US. SO, WITH GREAT CURTESY ON BOTH ME AND MY BROTHERS PART, WE WISH YOU ADIEU.” With that, the warehouses intercom system went dead. I looked back down to the man named Silver Shill, standing up confidently with my fist clenched as I walked over to him.

“I don’t know what this game is sir, but you and I are going down to the police station.” He nervously backed away, keeping one hand in the pocket of his suit while he raised the other up defensively. My instincts told me to be smarter, that something was wrong. But my stupid head decided to engage with him based solely off his appearance. But I stopped dead in my tracks when his nervous smile turned into a freakish grin.

“I’m not going anywhere, but you’re definitely going somewhere. TO HELL!” He flung his hand out of his pocket and pointed it at me, clenching a small remote control with a small joystick and red button in the center. He slammed his thumb down onto the red button, and a small red light illuminated from the front of the remote. The sounds of gears turning and the screeching of machinery roared in the darkness behind him, and my knees began to tremble when two large red eyes shined from right behind him before slowly elevating in height until it stopped right under the balcony of the second floor.

“What the hell is tha-UGH." A large metal claw shot out of the darkness beside Silver, shooting at me at such great speed that I couldn’t even process it until its metal grip clamped around my entire body, making me drop the files. “AAARGH!” I scream as the clamp tightened around me, crushing me as the popping of my bones echoed in the warehouse.

“SUNSET, WHAT’S GOING ON? ARE YOU OKAY?” Red shouted, but I just continued to scream.

“Oh no no no. I won’t let you die that easily Mare-Do-Well. I want to have some more fun with you before I flatten you,” exclaimed Silver Shill gleefully. He looked down at his remote, flipping it open like a flip phone, revealing more buttons. “Hmmmm,” he sarcastically thought. “Let’s see what this button does!” He slammed his finger onto a random blue button, and the metal arm became engulfed in electricity.

“AAAARGH,” I screamed in pain as I felt my body fry from the shock, all while Silver jumped up excitingly like some kind of happy school girl.

“Oh my God, Sunset please respond. What’s going on?” Red pleaded. The shock lasted about five more seconds before subsiding, and slowly the rest of the robot began to emerge from the shadows. Its main body was a red sphere with gears and tubes protruding from its back while smoke ventilated out of the exhaust pipes sticking out of its shoulders. Its arms were chrome with red gauntlets around its wrist, and iron clamps for hands. With each step it took, the ground cracked under its thick elephant like red feet.

“I’d like to introduce to you the Super Speedy Clamper 3000. Or, the crusher as we like to call it. Though, I do assure you that it can do a lot more than crush things. Like this!” Silver turned a nob on the controller, and the robot's arm that was holding me began to spin in a wide circular motion, causing steam to blow out of its arm. Within seconds I was swirling around and around faster than any ride at Equestria Land. Eventually my entire body began to feel overwhelming pressure closing in around me while the wet sensation of blood spewing out of my nose and ears felt warm against my mask. After what felt like an eternity of spinning at high speeds, the robots clamp released me, sending me flying into one of the crates like a speeding bullet. My attempt to stand up was in vain, as immediately I fell back onto my side out of dizziness, vomiting out uncontrollably through my mask. “Ouch, that looked really painful. I’m honestly surprised you’re not dead. How about we go for another spin?” mocked Silver as he pushed on the joystick on his controller, controlling the robot to move towards me.

“Sunset, please say something, are you okay?” said Red again, the terror in her voice sounding more apparent. I got to one knee, lifting my mask up halfway to spit out any remaining bits of blood or puke.

“I’m good, I just felt like my insides were being crushed.” I felt the warm trickle of blood escape my eyes and roll down my cheek, but I didn’t bother wiping it off, instead pulling the mask back down. “Send the police to this location in five minutes.”

“But why in five minutes?” I grabbed my fedora off the ground and placed it back on my head before taking one of the canisters near me that had fallen onto the ground after being knocked out of the crate.

“Because I’ll have this mechanized son of a bitch taken out by then.”

A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 4: Failure

“Sunset, please tell me you're okay!”

“Damnit Red, just shut the hell up and keep that phone on standby!” The destructive power of the rapid firing of bullets followed me as I sprinted across the warehouse, desperately trying to avoid getting hit by one.

“WHY DON’T YOU JUST FUCKING DIE!” The revulsion in Shills voice was so sharp that it was enough to add another layer of tension to the already dire predicament. The minigun on the robot's arm continued to fire at me, lighting up the dark warehouse like a damn Christmas tree. Trying to take cover from the bastard was as useful as a jack rabbit attempting to fight a cheetah, every time I jumped behind one of the few crates scattered across the place just to catch my breath, the freaking terminator here would decimate it like it was nothing more than paper. I was now taking cover behind the last remaining crate, still clutching the cannister of chemicals.

Damnit, I just need a moment to get near it

My thought process was interrupted by the wood of the crate combusting from behind me, and yet again I was back to running away. I tried running back to the stairs that led to the second floor, but the damn thing tore apart the stairs support beams, causing the entire pathway to almost collapse on top of me. But to the surprising little luck I have, the firing ceased just as the bullets were only a mere inches away from hitting me.

“DAMNIT, I’M OUT OF AMMO!” Shouted Shill. Wasting no time, I sprinted at him, planning to knock his ass out before he could press anything else, but my attempt was too late because he quickly pressed a random button, and the robots arm swung right at me, colliding with me at full speed. As my entire body flew across the warehouse, my back slammed across the dock gate. I wasn’t even back on my knees as the tin can flew right at me, fire ejecting from the bottom of its feet like some kind of jet engine. The robot's claw crashed into me, and punched right through the dock gate. I was now flying across the warehouses parking lot, my momentum coming to a halt as I crashed into one of the lots light poles. The ground beneath me began to shake as the robot emerged from out of the warehouse and into the night. As the world around me rumbled, I slowly got back to my feet, feeling the wet stains of blood seeping through my costume.

“I think some of my old stitches busted open,” I grunted, applying pressure to my stomach with one hand.

“WHAT? Sunset, what the hell is happening? Please tell me!” cried Red through the earpiece. I lifted my mask halfway up to spit out a glob of blood before pulling it back down.

“Mr. ED-209 from Robocop here just knocked the shit out of me through the front dock gates. We’re now outside in the parking lot.” I pushed my fedora down onto my head while I glared at the metal contraption walking towards me.

“Oh my God, Sunset, you need to figure something out or that thing is going to kill you.” I looked down to the cannister gripped around my fingers, then looked up at the robot, more specifically at the tubes and exhaust pipes that were protruding from its back. A grin slowly began to form across my face.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take it out right now. I just needed it to burn through those bullets.” Ignoring the burning pain across my torso, I kicked it into overdrive and began to run full speed at the robot. It raised both arms forward, opening its claws wide, and two holes opened in the center of them. Immediately, the heads of two missiles popped out of both of them, and the projectiles shot out of its arms like a canon, rocketing towards me. The whistling of the air as they sped at me grew louder and louder as they approached. The first one came right at me, and I quickly weaved around it, feeling the heat of its base as it flew past me and landed onto the pavement. Ignoring the blast that erupted from behind me, I ran towards the other missile. This one however shot down in front of me, erupting the concrete like a volcano. With no way of slowing down, I jumped through the blast, diving out from the other side with flames scattered across my cloak, before rolling back onto my feet across the pavement. Now within range of the robot, I leaped onto its arm, and began scaling the machine until I was now on top of its head. The robot began to flail its arms around, desperately trying to throw me off of it, but I held onto one of its exhaust pipes like a bull rider. With one arm wrapped tightly around the burning metal, I unscrewed the cap of the green cannister, raising it up the opening of the pipe where smoke was emanating out from.

“Bottoms up you stupid android son of a bitch.” I began to pour the entire bottle into the pipe as electricity began to shoot out of the robot. With one leg hanging down its back, I started to violently kick on the tubes and hoses, crudely dislodging them from their respective sockets. Feeling as the robot was now beginning to move around violently, I threw the rest of the chemicals into the exposed sockets on its back before jumping off the now crazed bot. Slowly, parts of the robot began to explode, and more electricity started to shoot out everywhere as the bot began to short circuit from the inside. Eventually, it stopped moving entirely, before the whole thing combusted into a large explosion, forcing me to shield myself with the cloak as parts of debris scattered across the field. After the intense moment, I peeked over my cloak to see nothing more than a large crater where the robot used to be. The static in my ear continued to echo until the voice of Red interrupted.

“Sunset, are you there? I just called the cops.” Poor woman must’ve been clenching her chest tightly during the whole ordeal.

“Yeah, I’m here. I took the thing out. I’m going in after Shill.” I began to sprint towards the building, intending to capture Shill until the police arrived. But an audible click coming from behind the exposed hole through the gate ceased my pursuit. Not even a second later, flames shot out of the warehouse's windows, splattering fragments of glass all across the parking lot and field like confetti from hell, followed by a total ignition of the entire building, before the whole thing completely detonated. I was propelled across the parking lot, kicking up a trail of white smoke as the blast had me sliding across the pavement. Multiple fragments of metal pelted me as they flew in every direction, all while the ringing in my ears was deafening. I had to rip out the earpiece just to ease the pain as I grabbed my head. Eventually, when the ringing began to subside, I peered up at what use to be the warehouse, now similar to the robot, it was nothing more than a ball of flames reduced to ash.

“Those bastards,” I found myself muttering as my relaxed hands clenched into fist of rage. “THOSE GOD DAMN BASTARDS!” I started to pound on the floor like a toddler having a tantrum, fury reaching my head as the underlying truth of what just happened began to set in. The Flim Flam Brothers just destroyed an entire warehouse of evidence, including documentation of what they had on their victims. My act of paroxysm was invaded by the impending sounds of police sirens approaching, signifying the end of my own crybaby time. But if one good thing could have come out of this entire outcome, it was the sudden intrusion of an object rolling into my knee. Looking down, I couldn’t help but smile to myself like some kind of lunatic as I stared at the blue cannister of chemicals that was on the floor. The chemicals used to eradicate the Imazapyr the two assholes had been injecting into AJ’s farm. Satisfied with this, I grabbed the can and the ear piece off of the floor before exiting the area, taking one last look around to see if Shill had run off somewhere. I hope he did.

SUNSETS APARTMENT: THE NEXT DAY

I’ve always been a more hands on kind of girl, preferring to get out into the field to conduct research rather than be couped up in a library reading books. Of course, that’s not to say that I’m illiterate, I’ve read probably thousands books back in Equestria and here, I just always opted to get my hands dirty when learning new things. With that being said, I felt like a clueless buffoon at the moment. I paced back and forth in the living room space of my loft, looking over the multitude of books on chemical reactions and plant life I could find. My hair was disheveled, and I could feel the weight of the bags under my eyes as if my skin were carrying dumbbells. The scene looked as if a tornado had ravaged through a library, note sheets and opened books were flooded everywhere on the floor and countertops. With twitching fingers, I put out the cigarette bud I had been smoking on a nearby ash tray, exhaling the misty cloud of cancerous vapor from my nostrils before taking a sigh of annoyance while putting my safety goggles back on and buttoning up my lab coat. The makeshift laboratory of beakers and test tubes on my kitchen counter would have given any credible expert in the field of science a damn heart attack. If the police had busted in here, they would have surely mistaken my experimentations on deducting a formula of chemicals for some kind of meth operation. But of course, my dumbass would do just about anything to achieve some stupid goal, even if it did mean exposing myself to unknown chemicals or dangerously operating without the proper environment.

With protected gloves over my hands, I picked up one of the test tubes on a rack with the blue chemicals I had drained out of the cannister from back at the warehouse. With my other hand, I grabbed some tongs and carefully removed the flask I had over a Bunson burner, the steam eradiating from the bubbles collectively piling on top of the white liquid flew through my kitchen like a fog. Again, I should have my head examined for this. I poured a bit of the blue liquid from the test tube into the flask, watching as the chemical process caused the liquid to turn fizzy before converting into a shade of purple.

“Interesting, but what the hell is it? Damnit I can’t figure it out,” I thought before placing the beaker back over the burner and lowering the flame down a bit. Amidst my frustration, I heard the jangling of keys behind my front door, followed by the locks unlocking and the door swinging open. Red emerged from the townhome's hallway, impressively carrying two bags of groceries with one arm, and closing the door with her other. She was still wearing her nurse uniform, as she had just got off of work. Behind her back was a large black backpack that she often took with her to work. Upon entering, she tilted her head, staring at the damn death trap set up in front of me with perplexity.

“You know Sunset, when you asked me to steal all of that from the school's lab, for some reason I thought you would conduct experiments in a more...well, I guess controlled environment, not where your food is made,” said Red as she placed the bags on my coffee table in the living room. With tired red eyes, I glared at her before turning back to face my work while speaking through a tone of agitation.

“Yes, and when I gave you spare keys to my place, I didn’t expect you to barge in here every day after school, yet here we are. Seriously Red, you haven’t been home in two days.”

“Well, I just got back from home. Had to bring some clothes and personal care items.” Red removed the back pack from her shoulders, placing it on the ground before unzipping it. She pulled out some shirts, pants and flip flops, along with some personal hygiene products. Annoyed at what this met, I rolled my eyes and turned back to my work again, scribbling some formulas on a sheet of paper with gritted teeth.

“Well make yourself at home why don’t you. I don’t recall ever saying you could stay here. You passed out on my computer chair last night and I had to wake your ass up for work. I thought you said I’d come to you if I ever needed medical attention. That was it. That was the most your involvement in this was supposed to be.”

“Oh, don’t you even start with me missy. I said that before knowing just how severe this was. You didn’t come back home until four in the morning, and I had to tend to the broken ribs you had.” I grimaced while touching my side, feeling the bandages wrapped around my torso from under my shirt and lab coat. “Also, do you know how much blood you were losing? I had to re-stitch ten different cuts; all of this medical equipment is both mine and the school's property by the way. Then after you fell asleep on the couch, I re-stitched that awful costume of yours the best I could, washed it and passed out two hours before work. I’m exhausted right now.”

“Then why don’t you piss off back home,” I quietly mumbled, but Red heard it very clearly, agitation building in her voice as well. I really didn’t want to argue with her, I’ve just had a stick up my ass today.

“Because, I know you’ll do something stupid, I know you won’t take care of yourself, and I know you won’t feed yourself. As your medical professional on standby and legally one of your guardians as I’m one of your school's faculty members I might add, I’ll be staying here for a while. So, get used to it.”

“That guardian shit only applies when I’m actually at school.”

“Don’t even start Sunset.” I rolled my eyes again and continued to write.

“Whatever, just wash my sheets if you sleep on my bed.” Truthfully, under my own anger and arrogance, I really didn’t mind this. I was barely ever home to begin with. “Anyways, sorry for raising my voice, this shit is just pissing me off.” I looked at her and swung my head to the countertop, signaling where the source of my attitude was coming from. She took a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders a bit before walking towards the lab.

“I see...I was wondering what you were mad about this time. I guess I’ll add science to the list of things that makes Sunset ticked. What exactly am I looking at here Albert Einstein?” What surprises me the most about Red was her sarcasm. I would have never expected such a side to her. Ironic of me I know.

“I’m trying to decode what chemicals were used to create this solution. I wish I could have gotten my hands on another cannister of the Imazapyr, I would have loved to study it since they must have put something else in it to make the chemical reaction in it react so fast. Imazapyr is not a fast-acting herbicide since it's not readily metabolized in plants. I’ve been trying to break this shit down to see how they created a compound capable of reversing the effects of this super Imazapyr so quickly. It could give me some clues on where the hell they’re operating.” Red leaned against the counter; arms crossed as she raised her eyebrow in confusion.

“So... any luck identifying the chemicals?" I tsked, lowering my head with a light grin on my face, shaking my head in dejection. Red sighed and smiled, as if she already knew the answer based on my attitude.

“Nope. Just some theories. But I can’t freaking decode this shit, not with the shit I have.” my eyelids half lowered, and I found myself cupping my face with both of my hands. “Damn all mighty, I’m such a dumbass. I bet Twilight could figure this shit out.” For some reason, what I had just said took me by surprise. I feel like lately, I’ve been comparing myself to her in every aspect of how I operate. But I’ve never said it out loud. I guess the obvious truth to me was, I was far inferior to her in every possible way. I was starting to second guess myself, questioning why on earth I even had the thought I was smart enough to solve this formula. I’m no genius, I’m a failure. I can’t even catch two knuckle heads extorting good innocent people. Extorting my frie.....a girl who I already hurt enough. Who's already gone through so much. As I took a long, exacerbated sigh, I felt Reds warm hand gently plant itself on my shoulder.

“Hey, stop that Sunset,” she said. For the first time since that night she uncovered my identity, she spoke to me in that soft, comforting voice. A voice I’m sure she’d use for hundreds of scared children in her care. “Why are you calling yourself dumb? Sunset, you’re one of the smartest kids at the school. If not the smartest.” I stared at her blankly, my mouth hanging open just a bit as I processed what she had just said. After several seconds, the disbelief vanished, and I found myself chuckling while shaking my head, refusing any form of adulation.

“Yeah, real genius I am. Look where my big brains have gotten me.” I brushed her shoulder off and began to unbutton the lab coat before turning off the burner. “The intelligent Sunset Shimmer, the prime example of a genius, right?” Red's face was showing clear dismay, and she crossed her arms while standing up off of the counter.

“Sunset that’s not fair to yourself,” she said. But I could only laugh at this statement, throwing the lab coat onto the floor while walking into the living room, grabbing my leather jacket off the sofa. I reached into one of the pockets to retrieve the carton of Marlboro reds, taking one of the sticks out and placing it in between my lips.

“Screw fairness to me. You should already know that word doesn’t exist when it comes to someone like me,” I muttered through partially closed lips. I took my silver flip lighter out of the same pocket, lighting it and raising the flame up to the sticks end, letting the flame dance around it before flicking the lighter close while blowing out a cloud of smoke from behind the cigarette. Red stared at me, but not with anger or annoyance, but with sorrow. She didn’t say anything or object to the action...good. I threw on my jacket and squatted down onto the floor, beginning to put my boots on. “I’ll be back, I’m going over to AJ’s place. I’m going to see if she can tell me where she signed those documents. Hopefully it’s not at the damn warehouse that those two shit heads just blew the hell up.” Red just stood there, avoiding eye contact with me with half closed eye lids and a small frown.

“I’ll make dinner when you come back...,” she quietly said. I rolled my eyes and opened the door.

“Whatever,” I said before exiting.

SWEET APPLE ACRES

Yet again I find myself returning to places I wish I didn’t need to. Unlike before however, my mood wasn’t that of nervousness, but rather repressed rage. Rage from my failure of last night, and of my continuous failure into the day. Rage with how I'm treating Red, especially after begging to be forgiven by her because of my past actions, and failing to realize how lucky I am to even have her by my side. But what else is new honestly? I guess my real power is just turning everything into a shit fest. As I waited at the front door of AJ’s home, my finger was twirling a stray lock of hair that ran down my shoulder, while I impatiently kept hitting the boards of the porch with the tip of my boot. My patience was soon rewarded by the front door opening, which like last time, took me by surprise.

“Oh my goodness, Sunset?” You have got to be shitting me. It’s been feeling like I’ve been taking it up the ass as of late, and right now just made the cruelty of it all ram up there even harder. Of all the people that had to answer the damn door.

“Hey... what’s up Rarity?” The tone in my voice made the statement sound more forced than I would’ve liked it to. All of a sudden that built up anger just tore down, and a skyscraper of fear shot its way up in its place. No longer was I standing up straight with an irritated look. Now I was wearing a sheepish smile while rubbing the leather of my jacket sleeve with my hand, tracing the folds and creases through each finger. But that’s when Rarity did something that took all of it away. Taking me by complete bewilderment, the young fashionista wrapped her arms around my neck, embracing me in a tight hug. I can’t remember the last time someone hugged me. I mean really hugged me. Sure, Applebloom embraced me back after the fight with Cercus, but that was more for the Mare-Do-Well. It’s been years since someone hugged Sunset Shimmer for anything. It felt...nice.

As if they had a mind of their own, I found one of my hands gently patting her back. That was all I was allowing though; I mean I knew I couldn’t completely embrace her back. Or at least, I knew I wasn’t allowed to. She deserved better. Eventually I felt that it was just too much comfort for me, so I gently pushed her off. But such a kind person didn’t take the gesture with offense, but rather understanding.

“I’m so sorry darling, I didn’t mean to invade your private space... you’ve just been on my mind as of late. I haven’t seen you or heard from you in what feels like forever. If we’re being truthful, I was worried about you.” Damn I hate myself so much.

“I’m fine Rarity. It's you I should be concerned with. How are you feeling?” Thankfully she wasn’t using crutches anymore, and the bruises around her face were healing up. But the still visible black eye made me tense. I wish I could have pounded that Changeling bastard even harder for ever laying a finger on her. Still, only Rarity could look magnificent under such circumstances. However, her light smile soon vanished, being swiped and replaced with a look of concern I've seen all too many times at this point. I was really starting to hate that look.

“Oh my...Sunset what on earth has happened to you? You look simply dreadful, I mean more dreadful than before,” said Rarity. I crossed my arms and leaned against the porch’s column, trying my best to remain, or at least appear, as cool as Fonzie. But in reality, I probably just looked like some guilty kid trying to act normal after doing something really screwed up.

“Just stupid stuff. Don’t worry about it. I didn’t expect to see you here, is Applejack home?” I tried brushing this off, I really did. I already wasn’t too thrilled to question Applejack on such a sensitive and private matter, nor was I too thrilled about even coming back here in general after the last shit show of a conversation we had. I should have just come at night as the Mare-Do-Well, but I’m sure as shit that she would have started questioning my ass. I’m not stupid; I know she has her suspicions on what I do. I wasn’t exactly concealing my voice that night I saved them, mainly because my insides felt all jumbled up. Besides, I was at a point where I just couldn’t keep explaining the injuries, and AJ is a smart girl, she’ll put two and two together. I think the nail in the coffin was the stupid shit I pulled at school with her sister. I mean it should have been so obvious at that moment. Honestly, I just couldn’t face her as the ghost. No matter how tough and heartless I like to think I am, all she has to do is mutter my name gently while I’m wearing the damn thing and I’ll probably crack... probably. But it wasn’t a test I was willing to go through.

“Sunset... no,” said Rarity, almost laughing a bit in disbelief, as if what I said was the stupidest shit she had ever heard. “No, don’t give me such an answer of mediocrity, please.” She eyed my face down like a detective questioning a murderer, I swear to Celestia, the girl can stare you down. “You’re missing a tooth.... you were jumped again, weren't you? Oh my god, Sunset, is someone hurting you?” Well, I guess she’s halfway right.

“What? No don’t worry Rarity, it was just some stupid accident.”

“You’re lying to me Sunset. The injuries you have aren’t from an accident, they never were. This has got to stop. Sunset, you’re a missing a tooth for heaven's sake. What’s going on?” My tongue ran through the gap in between two of my front teeth, feeling the empty socket where a tooth should’ve been. I still don’t remember how I lost it; it was either the baseball bat, crowbar or brass knuckles. I don’t know, I was too out of it in the sewers.

“Well, honestly, it’s none of your business Rarity.” I could see her teeth gritting. I suppose that was a phrase she’s just as tired of hearing as I was with their concern.

“Don’t even start with that again. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect after the day you got suspended, and I know, we all know you’re hiding something,” she said while getting closer to me. “I don’t deny that your private life is yours, and I don’t ever want to interfere with that. But when my friend is in danger, then I feel obligated to step in.”

“Oh, for the love of, I’m not your frie-”

“You are my friend, and I want you to stop saying otherwise,” she interrupted. The authoritative tone in her voice was honestly enough to shut me up. She never broke eye contact with me, as her face was now only a couple inches away from my face. As we stood there in silence eyeing each other down, the moment had been broken by Applebloom yet again coming to my rescue, walking right up to the door from behind Rarity.

“Hey Rarity, my sister wanted to know who you were talking t-” she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she saw me leaned up against the column. The smile that widened across her face suddenly brought my nerves back up.

“Hey...what’s up Sunset! I didn’t expect you to be back here so soon, well come on in! Granny Smith just baked two Apple pies,” she said. But before I could object, she already turned around and walked back in, as if I was some valued member of her family like her and AJs friends were...damnit. Rarity looked over to me and sighed, before giving me a light smile.

“Not our friends huh? I’m glad she’s forgiven you,” she said with a light smile, moving a bit to the side to allow some space between her and the door so that I could go in first. “I was here just to pick up Sweetie, but I can stay a bit longer if you plan on staying. Or perhaps you’d like to speak with AJ another time,” she said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Taking a sigh of defeat, I lowered my head and proceeded to head in, realizing that this day was not going to turn out like I had intended it to. Whether that was good or bad, I guess I’ll see.

A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 5: A Family's Love

IN THE LIVING ROOM OF THE APPLES HOME

“So, on that day, Applejack here turned the whole reunion into a disaster like a tornado on a summer day,” said Granny smith, rocking on her chair as she retold the story of how Applejack was tasked with planning the events of her family's yearly reunion, and subsequentially over thought the process and sort of ruined the whole day. Well, ruined it until the family got together to fix the barn that had been destroyed in one of the events. In a funny sort of way, me and her have that level of dire meticulous planning in common. Well, at least I did at some point. Lately I’ve just been beating people up and going from there. We were all gathered in the living room, listening to past stories Granny Smith had in regards to the residents of this household, more often than not they were in some form related to AJ and Applebloom, usually embarrassing stories. Big Mac was leaning on the wall next to the window with a bottle of apple cider in his hand, chuckling as he reminisced from the stories. Both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were sitting on the floor in the middle of the living room, staring up at Granny Smith with such innocent looks. Applejack and Rarity were both sitting on the couch together, Rarity had one hand over her mouth giggling as AJ covered her face with the brim of her hat, blushing slightly from the embarrassing tale.

“Oh my, Applejack would take things to the extreme when it comes to her family,” Rarity teased, making Applejack blush harder. Meanwhile, I just stood there at the living rooms entrance, leaning on the wooden column with my arms crossed like some kind of outsider. Occasionally Applebloom would give me a side glance.... so would the girls. As in character as it would be for me to say, I truthfully wasn’t forcing the light smile I had on my face. Hearing these stories and experiencing this family's bonding time was really nice. Especially after experiencing nothing but the worst of humanity for days straight. Still, I chose to keep quiet for as long as I could. What was supposed to be me just asking Applejack a simple question turned into a hangout. But.... I didn’t mind it to be honest.

“Things should be better next reunion with Pinkie joining,” said Applebloom.

“Yeah, I suppose so, though it’s going to be interesting with her family coming,” responded Applejack. I had once heard that AJ and Pinkie were related. Distant cousins or some shit? I don’t know, but it’s still kind of crazy to me. They celebrate Christmas, which I found out was this worlds version of Hearths Warming, at each other's houses every year. That sounded like a nightmare to be honest, but how the hell would I know? I don’t celebrate Christmas. Never did celebrate Hearth’s Warming back in Equestria either.

“Well, I reckon you should invite the girls too this year, they’re practically family, I’m surprised ya never did,” suggested Granny Smith. AJ looked at Rarity with a curious look, as if she were pondering the suggestion with great wonder.

“You know, You’re right. I don’t know why I never did. Guess we’ll have to plan it.” Rarity smiled back at her, taking a sip from the bottle of Apple cider in her hand. The entire time I was staring at the clock, my finger itching the leather folds of my jackets sleeve as dawn was slowly emerging. I couldn’t stay here for long, I had work to do. Honestly in hindsight, I shouldn't have come here period, I had a whole folder of other victims in Applejacks position that I could have asked the same questions too.... so why didn’t I? Perhaps after this story, I’ll just say screw it and dip. Or at least, I was hoping it would be that easy.

“How about you Sunset? Would you like to come?” The old voice of Granny Smith snapped me right back into reality.

“Huh? Sorry what?”

“I said, would you like to come to the next family reunion?” I had to stop myself from visibly scoffing at the idea. My instincts were about to take lead, and the urge to just laugh at the question had almost become a reality. But the looks of everyone else made me freeze up. Big Mac was looking over at AJ as if her opinion was all that mattered, and Sweetie Belle was nervously looking at Applebloom. Rarity was taking a deep sip from the bottle, slowly looking up at me nervously. Though, the two looks that really made me tense were AJ’s and Appleblooms. Applebloom looked a little too excited, her smile growing a bit bigger as I stumbled on an answer. I fear she may have forgiven me too easily after yesterday. Applejack on the other hand wore an apprehensive look. I don’t believe it was because she was opposed to the idea, but rather deep down she already knew my answer.

“Oh...I uh...thank you, but I have to decline Misses Smith. I’m not sure that would be the best idea.” AJ’s apprehensive look morphed into one that verged on disappointment as her eyelids lowered and she turned to face the ground. Applebloom on the other hand, the disappointment was as obvious as a flashlight hitting your face, her smile evaporated almost instantly. All I could do was put my hands in my jacket pockets and look away.

“Oh nonsense Sunny. I know there’s some bad blood between you and my granddaughter, but that’s history. We’d love it if you came,” said Granny. I just awkwardly smiled and looked to the ground, shaking my head slightly. I swear to Celestia, you have got to love the straightforwardness of the elderly sometimes.

“I uh...I don’t know.”

“You could even bring your own family. I’m sure they’d love to meet their daughters' friends.” Again, you seriously have got to love the straightforwardness of the elderly.

“I don’t know... I haven’t seen them in years.” The silence in the air that followed was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I hated the pitiful looks everyone was giving me, but it was understandable. Truthfully, I shouldn't have said anything, but it just slipped through my mouth. Even Granny Smith had stopped smiling. Refusing to just let the loom and gloom overtake the previously joyous moment, I gave a light smile and spoke.

“But.... if you think I’m worthy enough to attend it.... then perhaps I’ll come,” and just like that, the cloud of sorrow had dissipated. Appleblooms frown turned upside down, and the look of excitement returned instantly on her face. Big Mac and Sweetie Belle were smiling too, I think mostly at Appleblooms reaction. Granny Smith smiled and nodded at me in understanding, silently agreeing. The only two in the room that weren't smiling were Rarity and Applejack. AJ was still staring down at the floor, while Rarity was looking down at her bottle, twirling the tip of her finger around the top. I really should have just kept my damn mouth shut. I was hoping that that was the end of it, but of course it wasn’t. Adding onto previous sentiments, you have got to love the straightforwardness of a child just as much as the elderly. Damn do you have to.

“Wait, what do you mean you haven’t seen your family,” asked Applebloom, as if what I had just said finally clicked in her mind. Her smile disappeared again, but it wasn’t an expression of disappointment that had replaced it, but rather one of concern.

“I just haven’t talked to them in years kid. I have no reason to. Simple as that really.” Her brow furrowed, as if the concept was totally alien to her. What should I expect from a child whose family is everything to her. If she was anybody else, I would have told her to mind her own damn business. But I have more control than that.

“But...that doesn’t make any sense. I get your life is a little weird, but surely you have to still talk to them. Don’t you love them? They’re your family!” The concern on her face was honestly a little overwhelming. Everyone else in the room was just dead quiet, staring at the two of us with a mix of nervousness and curiosity. Well, except Rarity and Applejack. Rarity looked as if she were about to say something, but Applejack beat her to the punch.

“Applebloom! Those are private questions that you don’t ask other peo-”

“No. I don’t.” I had to slam my hand over my mouth to keep any more words from shitting out. Applejack and Rarity looked over to me, with wide eyes and mouths a gaped. Sweetie Belle, Big Mac and Granny Smith took their eyes away from Applebloom, staring at me with equally shocked looks. Meanwhile, Applebloom looked like she was on the verge of tears. I don’t know why the hell I said that. I didn’t mean to. But just like everything in this conversation, it just slipped. I guess I just haven’t thought about...well...that part of home in so long that my mouth just spouted my feelings on the subject. I don’t know what hurt more though, the fact I just dropped that onto these good people that didn’t need to hear shit like that.... or the fact I didn’t even hesitate on the thought.

.......Do I really hate my......yeah.... I think so.... forget it, it’s not worth thinking about it. Right now, I just need to fix this situation.

“I’m sorry, that was incredibly insensitive of me. It just came out,” I said, trying to alleviate the tense air that hovered around us. Though, even a damn idiot could see just how futile of an attempt it really was. Wearing a sheepish smile, I realized that there was no real way of getting out of this shitty scenario, so I just took a deep sigh and turned around. “I’m sorry.... I’ll just catch you guys later,” I said, ready to depart. But as I was about to leave, the light laughter of Granny Smith stopped me in my tracks.

“Well hold on now Sunny, ain’t no reason to get all shy. I’m sorry for pushing it onto ya,” she said. I spun around like a spinner top, looking at her with dismay.

“Oh no! Please don’t feel responsible for that, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just being foolish that’s all,” I said with a hasty quavering voice, my hands raised as if I was trying to reassure a scared puppy. But Granny Smith just tisked and waved her hand dismissively.

“Nonsense, everybody's got their personal issues, ain’t no reason to feel any lesser of a human because of them,” the smile she gave me was one that really appeased my mind in that instant. “No one's gonna force ya to do anything you don't wanna do, but the offer still stands. We’d be happy if ya came deary.” Appleblooms distressed face vanished and another wide smile appeared.

“Yeah! It’s next month too! Maybe....well, maybe you and I can really start over at it. I’ll introduce you to my favorite cousin Babs,” Applebloom exclaimed, as if the previous issue had already been long forgotten. As much as I had wanted to just run out, I couldn’t help but give a light smile to this. I could feel my face blushing, and I nervously twirled my finger around the lock of hair that hung over my shoulder, avoiding eye contact with the group.

“Well...then I guess I can come...if you’d all be okay with that,” I found myself stuttering.

“We’d be delighted with that,” said Granny Smith. The somber feeling that was in the air had vanished, and the joyous smiles and light hearted laughs returned. Even Rarity was giving me a small beam. Applejack did too...but I could tell she had something more on her mind. The hunch was all but confirmed when she sighed and stood up from the couch, stretching her arms into the air as if a previous weight had been lifted.

“Welp, I’m glad we could settle this, but we oughta get things wrapped up. The kitchen needs to be cleaned, Granny’s gotta hit the sack and the farm equipment needs to be put up. Also, you still got homework to do sis,” said Applejack. Applebloom groaned, but stood up anyways, knowing better then to question her sister. Rarity looked over at the clock and almost gasped.

“Yes indeed, we must head off before it gets late. Sweetie also has homework to do and I believe I have a Calculus test to study for...ugh,” said Rarity. She stood up and stretched her back out, popping her joints as she extended herself like a cat. “Come now Sweetie, I’ll pick us up some food,” she said. Sweetie Belle smiled and jumped up in the air before rushing to her sister. AJ looked over to Big Mac and spoke.

“You think you could handle the farm stuff and help Applebloom get Granny ready for bed? Also probably help her with her homework? I’ll clean the kitchen later tonight. I just gotta walk Rarity and Sweetie out.” Big mac cocked an eyebrow, confused on why that would require so much time. But then Applejack whispered something, and the two looked over at me. Big Mac then let out a sigh and smiled, as if everything made sense.

“Eeyup,” he said, waving bye to me, Rarity and Sweetie Belle before walking out of the living room. Granny wished us a farewell as well, and Applebloom hugged Sweetie Belle before venturing out of the living room with her. But before she did, she stopped by me and raised her fist up. I rolled my eyes and smirked, giving her a light fist bump. Her face lit up before she took off. Afterwards, Applejack escorted us out the front door. Standing on the porch, I took a deep breath, relishing the fresh air. It felt like I was stuck in a holding cell in there. As the three of us stood there staring out to the horizon where the sun set, I felt something tug on my jeans. Looking down, Sweetie Belle was staring up at me with a smile as cute as a kitten.

“Um...what’s up kid?” Applejack and Rarity looked over to us, curious to know what was happening. The little girl put her hands behind her back and looked to the ground nervously, her face turning red as she struggled to get the words out.

“I um.... well.... I never got the chance to say I’m sorry...or thank you...you know, about what happened last Friday.” Terrific, I got another kid thinking I’m a better human being then I actually am.

“Oh, hey, don’t worry about it. You don’t ever have to thank me or apologize to me. It was nothing.”

“No, seriously, I do. The whole Gabby Gums thing got super out of hand, and me and Applebloom were responsible for it. You didn’t deserve to take that punishment...I’m also sorry I just sort of let you do it,” she said, her voice wavering as she looked as if she were on the verge of tears. Not wanting to see some little kid cry over me, I knelt down beside her and spoke to her in a calm, almost caring voice. Or at least I tried to. One thing Red was right about was that my voice had been getting rougher, angrier, almost snarling at times. Also, my vocabulary hadn’t been improving either, I’ve noticed I’ve been swearing a lot more often, which Red pointed out to me a day ago. I didn’t really notice until now, but I guess that’s what happens when you spend constant nights around shit heads and screw ups. Still, I tried my best to reassure her.

“Look, I know you girls have gone through a lot. You don’t have to tell me anything, but from the little I know, you two definitely deserve a break. I know you two aren’t bad girls, so I’m sure the whole thing was an honest mistake. Besides, trust me, with how easy I got off of all the crap I did, getting suspended is the least I deserve,” I said with a light smile. But Sweetie still didn’t look too pleased. I’m sure that’s not what she wanted to hear.

“I don’t think you deserve it.... I know you and Applebloom are sort of, I guess starting over...well, I’d like to be your friend too.” Damnit, this is all going where I didn’t want this conversation to go. It was impossible to deny her though, the way she looked up at me with those puppy dog eyes. I guess I’m softer than I realized. I sighed, more in defeat then anything, and stood up.

“Um...sure kid, we can start over too.” Putting my hands in my jacket pockets, I turned back to face the far horizon, expecting the conversation to be done with. But my expectations were once again not met as I felt the warm embrace of Sweetie Belle warping her arms around my waist, trapping me into a tight hug. I could feel my face warming up as I stood there like a moron, not knowing what to do. That’s the second time today I’ve been embraced, and much like the first time with Rarity, it felt nice...but weird. AJ and Rarity covered their mouths, hiding the smiles that were expanding across their faces. Even though I’m sure my face was as red as a tomato, I still had a pretty annoyed appearance. Eventually Sweetie let go, and looked up to me with a curious look.

“I know you said that since you weren't friends with Applebloom back at school that your problems aren’t any of our business...but since we’re friends now, I wanted to ask you if you were doing okay.”

“Why would you ask that?”

“You look really hurt,” said Sweetie while pointing at her own face, indicating what in particular she was talking about. I know I’ve already said this, but damn do you really have to love the straightforwardness of kids.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Just stupid stuff, it’s no big deal.”

“Those bad guys aren’t hurting you anymore, are they?” I had completely forgotten that the kids were in the room when I used that excuse.

“Nah, of course not. It’s no big deal,” I said. Rarity cleared her throat, choosing to finally speak up. Probably because she didn’t want Sweetie to keep asking more private questions like that.

“Come now Sweetie, Sunset is doing alright. It's getting late, we must get going,” she said. Sweetie nodded, and departed off of the porch with Rarity. The two turned back to look at me and AJ, waving goodbye before entering her SUV. As me and AJ watched the car pull out of the driveway and down the road, we waited until the tail lights were completely gone before saying or doing anything. AJ leaned against the porches railing; her hands were dangling over them. I chose to lean onto the front column, my hands still in my pockets as I stared out into space. I figured she’d been waiting to continue the conversation we had yesterday, and after the shit show that happened inside, I’m sure she had more to talk about. Besides, I still had shit to ask too.

As we stood there enjoying the orange sky slowly turning darker, I was half expecting AJ to pester me about some bullshit. Either to ask me what it was I was going to say yesterday before the two shit heads arrived, or drill me about my injuries, or apologize for the awkward intrusion of my life in there, or let me know about the Apple family reunion and either tell me not to come or to not worry about it. But she didn’t, instead she just stared out into the horizon, a small smile plastered across her face. Eventually she spoke, still staring out into the distance.

“You know, every year we have a reunion, two shooting stars always fly over. Always. Granny Smith tells us that its ma and pa, attending from the other side,” her smile widened as she continued. “There’s...well, I guess there’s some comfort in that thought. You know, Granny Smith didn’t like ma originally. Pa would call her Buttercup, but she was from the Pear family. They used to be longtime rivals of ours. Granny, and well, I guess grandpa Grand Pear didn’t like it, not one bit. They tried mighty hard to keep them from being together, but they loved each other, so much. Eventually they married in secret, the mayor allowed it, back when she was a spring chicken of course. The only two to have gone to the wedding were Burnt Oak and Mrs. Cake, they’re closest friends. When Granny and Grandpa found out, Granny came around to it, but Grandpa? Nah, he wouldn’t allow it. So, Ma left her family, and became an Apple. It was the hardest thing she had to do, she loved her family, but she loved Pa too. Granny Smith tells us all the time, she had her doubts about ma, but every time she looks at us, she can’t help but be proud of the woman Pa married. She’d tell us, ‘wow, the best decision I’ve ever done was not let my bitterness cloud my judgement, and accepted Pear into our family. Because all things holy, I have the most beautiful grandchildren anyone could ask for.’” AJ wiped a tear rolling down her cheek, but her smile never left her. “I....sometimes I’m scared I’ll forget Ma and Pa, we were so young when they...well, we were just so young. But the love we have for each other was unmatched, and that love is spread through our family. Despite everything we’ve gone through, I wish more than anything for you to come to the reunion, and experience it.”

I stood there, listening to every word, and holding onto that precious memory she shared with me such delicacy. I’m not a good person, and one day I will pay for my actions, or burn in hell at the end of it. But what she shared with me wasn’t a foreign concept, and in that moment, I found myself smiling. The sincerest smile I’ve had in a very, very long time. There was no way I could refuse it. So, I nodded my head, letting her know that yeah, I’ll be there. A part of me felt like adding to it. Sharing a memory of...well...my parents...bastards. But that would have been incredibly selfish of me to do. What she did wasn’t an invitation to share personal stories. No, it was her way of letting me know, that regardless of what shit I have deeply suppressed in the screwed up confides of my mind, that she was willing to show me what real love is. What a real family could be like. I didn’t need to say anything, she could figure it out. But alas, the tender moment was quickly grounded into reality.

“Tell you the truth Sunset...I’m scared,” she said, her voice croaking a bit as her eyes began to water. “Those two men that came over the other day...we owe them a lot of money. I’m not sure if I can keep the farm...or protect my family.” Her voice grew whispery on those last words.

“Who were they Applejack?”

“The Flim Flam Brothers. Tricky fellas really. First time I met them was when I had to get my guitar back from their pawnshop, I knew they were trouble. But then things started happening to the farm, they could fix it and well, I got us stuck in the mud pit. I should be smarter than that, I really should, but when they showed up with a solution to our problems, it was a few days after we were kidnapped by those men. I guess we just weren't in the right mindset. Applebloom was terrified, and I didn’t need the threat of losing our home hover over her poor little head. But....Sunset they’re not playing. They’re....Sunset I don’t know what to do, and I’m scared,” she admitted, her voice fully cracking by the end of it. She looked at me with pleading eyes, almost begging if I had some sort of solution. I didn’t know what to say, I really didn’t. Not without just flat out exposing myself. But I had to say something, Applejack was one of the toughest people I knew, and seeing her like this...well it just didn’t feel right. So, I did something I wouldn’t have ever thought to do. I took her arm, and embraced her in a tight hug, my third one of the day. AJ held me tightly, lightly sobbing into my jacket as I held her.

“It’s okay. I promise everything is going to be okay. We’ll figure something out. You, me and the girls...I promise,” I gently reassured her. But inside, I felt the familiar cold sensation of hatred and violence build up. But for once, it wasn’t for punishment, or self-deprecation, or the pursuit of death...no, for the first time the fire inside of me was the longing for justice. To become a guardian instead of leading with blind hatred. To be what this shit should have been from the beginning. The Mare-Do-Well shouldn’t be a symbol of self-punishment, that’s stupid Sunset Shimmers job. But it should be a protector, a guardian, a ghost of justice. The spirit of righting wrongs.

I have work to do tonight.

A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 6: Questions and Answers

DOWNTOWN EQUESTRIA

Damnit it’s cold. If there was one thing that I never got acquainted with in the human world, it was the wild unpredictable nature of the weather. It never really dawned on me just how wild humans were. Back home, the Everfree Forests ecosystem and climate was the equivalent to this entire world. Nature was controlled by its own forces, and it sought to do whatever it desired. We were all just simple organisms living in its domain. Problem is, I had a hard time adjusting to not knowing what the weather was going to be like every day. Sure, the weatherman would give us a forecast, but it was all predictions. Granted, they were scientific predictions, but not always based off one hundred percent certainties. It sucked ass sometimes. As much as I love being in Downtown Canterlot on the rooftops, when it was cold nights like tonight, it wasn’t a very ideal place to be. The cloak provided me with some warmth, but I really need to find a material that’s well more insulated.

I stood perched on top of a flagpole that was anchored on the side of a building with the American flag flowing elegantly underneath me. Even through my mask and cloak that was wrapped over my body, my breath could be seen blowing into the air. The traffic had died down after a while, and soon the streets were empty, its solitude being broken by a passing taxi or a police cruiser. But I wasn’t here to sight see, I was here for the line of food trucks that were parked on the sidewalk underneath me, more specifically, I was here for one particular Indian food truck.

“Were you able to find it?” The voice of Red asked in my ear.

“Yeah, the Tasty Treat truck, I’m staring at it right now.”

“I’m surprised they were able to get a truck so quickly after their restaurant had burned down.”

“I’m not, the amount of donations they received was staggering. I’m just happy they found some way to keep their business alive.”

“Well, let’s hope that the brothers don’t try to extort this one.”

“I’m sure they’ll try,” I said, standing up slowly from the crouching position I was in. “But I won’t let them.” I hopped off the flagpole, and onto a nearby store sign, quickly hopping off of it and landing onto the sidewalk. Slowly, still sticking to the shadows, I walked over to the truck, letting the cloak drape over my body. Once I reached the back of the truck, I did something I haven’t ever done while wearing this suit, I knocked on the trucks back door. The commotion inside came to a quiet halt, followed by a string of low whispers before coming to a complete silence once again. No doubt I must’ve spooked the residents inside the vehicle, the firm knocking of your door in the middle of the night is not what I would call a comforting surprise. But those who are inside should consider themselves lucky...the Mare-Do-Well never announces its arrival.

After some more shuffling around, the knob turned and the door creaked opened ever so slowly, faintly teasing the light blue eyes of a beautiful lady from behind. Her eyes widened at the sight of me, but she didn’t close the door. As much as I wanted to believe it was because she felt no danger from me, it was most likely she was frozen in fear. The costume is already dark as shit, Celestia only knows how terrifying it looks in the dead of night. Red tells me that all she can see are the two bright blue eyes in the mist of blackness. The emotionless expression of the eyes, she says, is unnerving. I imagine the voice I do doesn’t help, and I wish I didn’t have to do it in front of this woman, but I have appearances to keep up. Still, I toned it back on the growl, trying to make the dead whisper as inviting as possible. The same way I did when I talked to Diamond Tiara, AJ, Applebloom and even Easy Glider.

“It’s okay Miss Masala, I’m mean you no harm. I’d like to discuss a certain issue that we both are having. An issue involving brothers.”

“What are you,” she asked, her voice shaking a bit.

“A silent presence here to watch over you. If you’d be willing to talk to me, I can assure you that this entire nightmare you and your father have been through will end with justice.” She looked behind her, staring at who I assume was her father, before looking at me again. After some hesitation, she opened the door all the way, stepping aside to give me some space to enter. The inside of the truck was quite spacious, and the lingering smell of Indian cuisines felt like warm hugs in my nostrils, I was really hoping my stomach wouldn’t growl on me right now. I haven’t eaten since the apple I ate yesterday. I don’t get hungry, but damn, whatever was cooked in here smelled really good. I guess Rarity and Pinkie were right. I stood in front of the door, refusing to enter any further. Although I was now in full display under the light, the cloak still covered my entire body, and the large brim of the fedora concealed most of my face. I must have still been a horrific sight to see, because the looks on Masala and Cumin were both mixtures of curiosity and fear. Cumin was sitting on a chair next to the front door that led to the truck's driver seat, while Masala stood beside him, holding his arm like a scared child taking cover behind her father. We kept our distances from each other, which was good. Although I was here to protect them, I didn’t need innocent people thinking I was some kind of angel sent from heaven, I still wanted to be perceived as an abomination from the pits of hell.

“I know the reason for the destruction of your previous place of business wasn’t an accidental fire. It was the Flim Flam brothers,” I said, deciding to not beat around the bushes. The father and daughter remained silent, still staring at me with that mixture of fear and curiosity. “I know they’ve been extorting you. They tricked you into going into an agreement with them, I assume by tampering with your food or equipment unbeknownst to you, and came into your lives with the false promises of a solution they conjured up to a problem they caused. Once you figured it out, they threw black mail at you, tracing back relatives all across the United States and even back to India. Is this correct?” Masala slowly nodded her head, not challenging or correcting any part of my claim, which I knew she wouldn’t. I was correct after all. “When you couldn’t meet their impossible to reach interest rates, they sent a man named Silver Shill to your restaurant and he destroyed it with a robot.” Once again, Masala nodded, her eyes watering as she held her father's arm tightly.

“Who are you?” Cumin asked, clearly unnerved at just how much I knew.

“Someone here to help. I’ve been conducting an investigation to see that the brothers and Mr. Shill are brought to justice.”

“You’re a vigilante...aren’t you,” Masala said, choosing to come out with the straightforward truth. I just looked at her, refusing to acknowledge her question.

“What I need to know is if you met them or have any clue on where they’re place of operations could be. I originally thought it was the old warehouse north of here outside the city next to Greenwood Rd, but their willingness to destroy the place and the lack of equipment in there leads me to believe otherwise.” Both Masala and Cumins face altered at this, looking more shocked than anything.

“The Greenwood Rd warehouse was destroyed?” Asked Masala, gripping her father's arm tightly as tears began to flow from her eyes.

“Yes, why? Is there...something...” I started to trail off as I looked down to Cumins arms. He was rubbing his wrist with his right hand, and I could see visible bruises around both wrists. The kind of bruises you’d get when you were bounded. After this, I began to notice more of his face, and the bruises on both of his eyes and cheeks became apparent. Masala was now crying, while her father held her hand tightly. After a while, the young woman calmed herself, sniffling a bit before looking back to me.

“We, we did business at that awful location. That was the last time we saw the brothers; we were signing contracts in the office upstairs. Afterwards, we were brought back in a couple of times when we couldn’t pay. At first it was just to show us all the information they had of our family...but afterwards they...they,” her voice began to break, and I could see the fear on her face form as she started to shake. Cumin shut his eyes; the anguish was clear on the man as he no doubt began to remember the torture they put him through. I raised a hand up from out of the cloak, signaling her to stop. I knew what she was trying to say, I saw the damned office myself.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to go into detail with that part, I know what happened. The brothers were never present after the first meeting with the documents, correct?” Masala recomposed herself before continuing.

“No, they were never there for any of the visits afterwards. It was all Mr. Shill from there.” That didn’t make any sense. I had a hard time believing Silver Shill was capable of torture, the scrawny son of a bitch. “We don’t know if there is another building or hiding spot though. After the restaurant was destroyed, we hadn’t heard from them. They threatened us with our family if we talked to the police, but since then it’s been silent on their end.... until yesterday,” explained Masala. She entered the truck's cab, shuffling around a bit in the glove compartment before returning with an envelope in her hand. When she handed it to me, I quickly opened it, reading the handwritten note. It was a threat demanding more income signed by the brothers. Damn ass hats. The nerve of them after what just happened at the warehouse. I guess they really don’t view me as any kind of threat...good. But what piqued my interest wasn’t the content of the note, it was your typical bad guy shit. No, what I was interested in was the paper and the envelope itself. It was a cream color, almost silk like texture. A very specific kind of paper, but one I recognized. Only one company used these types of letters, Super Squeezy Cider Productions.

SSCP was an old company that manufactured apple cider in the 20s, before the Apple family moved in. Eventually they went under and the facilities were abandoned. Canterlot has four abandoned factories, one in the city and three on the outskirts. It's still going to be difficult trying to find them in all four of those maze-like industrial jungles, but these dumbasses just narrowed the search for me.

“I just wanted to cook our family's food with my father...that’s all I wanted,” muttered Masala. She was wiping tears out of her eyes as she struggled to get the words out of her mouth. “We didn’t do anything wrong...I don’t know why these people are hurting us...why they hurt my father,” she said through tears. I retreated my hands with the envelope back into the shadowy confides inside my cloak, looking up at the weeping woman clutching her father.

“Because they’re insane Miss Masala...I promise you that this will be the last time they ever communicate with you. I’m going to crumble their entire operation, and the next time you see them, they’ll be wearing orange jumpsuits in front of a judge before spending the rest of their lives in Canterlot Penitentiary.” I turned around, ready to leave, satisfied with the new information I had. But the deep voice of Cumin spoke up.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Save it. Don’t ever thank me.”

“.... Before you go to face evil, there’s something else I must tell you. The man who beat me when I was tied up in a chair. We know who he is,” revealed Cumin. I turned my head around, slightly facing him.

“So, Shill wasn’t the one who tortured you.” Both Cumin and Masala shook their head. I had figured much.

“No, he just watched, tormenting me while my father was being beaten. The perpetrator was someone else. Please, let us tell you who,” said Masala.

ON THE ROOFTOP OF AN APARTMENT COMPLEX: DOWNTOWN

The Griffons. Damn Griffons. The most powerful biker gang in the country. The Griffon MC is known for their violent behavior and efficiency in organized crime. You need someone dead? Hit up the Griffons. You have a fresh supply of sex slaves you need exported across the country? Hit up the Griffons. You need basic hired thugs to carry out extortions, beatings or robberies? Hit up the Griffons. You need drugs smuggled across the border? Hit up the Griffons. The cartels especially love them. I’m still investigating the inner workings of their gang; it's just been difficult for me since they’re rarely ever this far north, let alone in the border state of Washington. They usually ride through the west, mid-west and south, trafficking things for the cartel from Mexico. But with them being here, I don’t like it. It could also mean more underlings for Sombra, and with the Diamond Dogs and Changeling gangs working on the Crystal drug ring, the last thing I needed was another group of jackasses added to the mix.

I stood over the edge of the apartment complex, watching stray cats skedaddle through the dark filthy alley fifteen stories below. I looked behind me, staring at the beaten man lying unconscious and bounded with one end of a chain wrapped around his legs, and the other end tied around a small and skinny turbine vent. He was a pretty large son of a bitch, with a long and thick beard, and a receding hairline. Piercings littered his face, and his leather biker vest and white tank top were splattered in his own blood. His name was Titan, an enforcer for the Griffon MC. It wasn’t hard to find him at a nearby bar, but getting him was a pain in the ass. I had my mask raised halfway up, pressing a napkin against my mouth as I tried to stop the bleeding from my busted lower lip.

“Jesus Christ Sunset, I can’t believe you just stormed into that bar like that,” scolded Red from the earpiece.

“Tell me about it, I didn’t know there were two more of those biker jackoffs in the shitter. Damn, they’re ruthless fighters. Not like the Changelings,” I said. Red took a sigh out of frustration.

“That one girl could have seriously killed you.”

“Crazy bitch with the chain around her fist? Yeah, she can throw a damn punch alright. I got to be honest, when she tackled me through the door, that almost took me out,” I said while trying to extend my body, feeling the tight pain around my ribs burn.

“What was her name? Grifa?”

“No, it was Gilda. I wish I could have apprehended her and the others for the cops, but I had to get the hell out of there with Titan before more bikers came, and this lardass wasn’t very easy to carry across the city,” I said. Red took another agitated sigh.

“Oh my God, whatever. So, what’s the plan now Zorro?”

“Well, I could spend all night running around the metroplex and barging into each factory trying to find these dipshits. But I don’t really want to do that. So instead, I'm going to give Mr. Sons of Anarchy here a taste of his own medicine, and beat the ever-loving shit out of him until his ass is in a coma. If he still doesn’t want to talk, then I’m throwing his ass over the balcony.” I could hear Red spit out whatever drink she was drinking.

“ARE YOU INSANE?” she shouted. Satisfied with the amount of blood I cleaned up from my lip, I threw the napkin over the roof, watching it slowly dance down into the black pit beneath me.

“Relax, there's an open dumpster beneath us with bags of rotten food. It won’t be like landing in a mountain of pillows, but it won’t kill him either,” I tried to justify.

“Uhm, excuse me, that could paralyze him still,” argued Red.

“I don’t give a damn. Asshole is still alive, that’s all that matters. In case you’ve forgotten, this piece of shit beat the shit out of an innocent old man in front of his daughter. So what if he’s confined to a wheelchair. Besides, he’ll be fine, I won’t miss the dumpster.” I could hear the man shuffle around behind me, his voice groggy as he slowly began to wake up. “Anyways, that’s his decision. I’ll get back to you, he’s waking up. Time to get into character,” I said while lowering my mask and switching my voice back. Once I heard Red stop talking, I stood up and walked over to the man, my fist clenched tightly as I felt the anger build in me. The same blood lust that I feel overtake my soul every time I engaged with scum like this.

“Huh? Where the fuck am I,” he mumbled through dazed speech. But his squinted eyes shot wide open when I came into his focus, and the fear and panic hit him like a bucket of cold water, splashing the dire reality of the situation in his face. He tried to move, but the rope that had his hands tied and the chain wrapped tightly around his legs prevented him from moving anywhere, so he squirmed like a filthy worm under my glare. “Get the fuck away from me you fucking freak,” he whimpered. I couldn’t help but grin from under my mask at the sight of him, the feeling of total power that I once desired came crawling back into the forefront of my mind. Deciding to not waste time with this, I knelt down onto his stomach before plunging my fist right at the center of his throat. He hacked and gagged in agony, desperately trying to raise his hands over his throat, but alas, his confined state prevented him from doing so. So, I began to hit, and hit and hit until his cries for help became nothing more than blood gurgling mutters.

“Oh my God,” I heard Red whisper, before the static of the earpiece went silent. I guess she couldn’t stomach this kind of shit. After about seven continuous punches, I stood up off of him and slammed my foot over his head, digging my boot heel against his cranium and against the hard floor.

“Two words, Flim Flam. Ring a bell?” I snarled. But he just whimpered, closing his eyes tightly as blood poured from his nostrils. I pressed harder, hearing his skull quietly begin to crack under the pressure. “Let's try that again, Flim Flam. You have two seconds to answer before I splatter your brains all over this rooftop.”

“FUCK! OKAY! OKAY! I was hired muscle for them, did some odd jobs. That’s it really, I swear to God.” I took my foot off his head and grabbed his leg, proceeding to drag his fatass across the rooftop.

“Wrong answer, tell me something I don’t know,” I growled.

“Wait, what the fuck are you doing? Oh God, let me go,” he begged. Once we got to the edge of the roof, I dropped his leg and grabbed the folds of his leather vest, picking him up and throwing him against the barrier. Without giving him any chance to talk, I headbutted him right in the temple before pushing him over the buildings edge. As his screams died down as he fell, the chain followed pursuit until it reached its full length, stopping as the tension tightened around the vent.

“OH GOD! HELP! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE! I DON’T WANNA FUCKING DIE MAN!” I watched as he dangled from the chain like a worm hooked as bait, screaming for dear life as the remaining twelve stories of darkness below was all that greeted him.

“TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BROTHERS! WHERE ARE THEY?”

“FUCK MAN, I TOLD YOU, I JUST DID SOME JOBS FOR THEM. THEY PAID ME TO TORTURE SOME PEOPLE, BEAT THEM UP AND STRONG ARM THEM INTO SUBMISSION! I DON’T ASK FUCKING QUESTIONS; THAT’S NOT HOW THE GRIFFONS WORK.”

“I’M GOING TO KICK THE VENT IN AND SEND YOUR ASS TOPPILING DOWN, AND I SWEAR TO GOD WHEN THE POLICE FIND YOUR CORPSE, YOUR CRACKED OPEN SKULL WILL HAVE BEEN USED AS A KITTY LITTER BOX FOR THE STRAYS DOWN THERE IF YOU DON’T GIVE ME SOMETHING USEFUL!”

“ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, FUCK. THEY BUILD ROBOTS AND MAKE CHEMCIAL SHIT AT THE OLD CIDER PRODUCTION PLANT OFF OF MAIN STREET EAST OF HERE. YOU KNOW, THE ONE BY PEACHES FARM,” he finally cracked. That's all I needed to know. Without saying anything else, I turned around and walked off. “HEY, WAIT, ARE YOU STILL THERE? GET ME FUCKING DOWN FROM HERE YOU FUCKING COCKSUCKER!”

“With pleasure,” I mumbled. Before I reached the door to the rooftops exit, I stopped by the vent anchoring the chain, it was already bending from the weight. Without hesitating, I kicked the vent inward, causing the whole thing to snap, and sending the chains end racing towards the edge. Titans' screams filled the air as I heard his voice grow more distant as he descended, until the loud collision of his ass hitting the trash broke the screams. I waited there for a few seconds, listening intently to make sure he actually did land in the dumpster. After a few intense seconds, I smiled as I heard his groans of agony, followed by his enraged screams.

“AW FUCK, YOU DISLOCATED MY LEG! YOU’RE SO FUCKING DEAD FREAK! YOU FUCKING HEAR ME? DEAD! THE GRIFFON MC IS GONNA FUCKING FLAY YOUR ASS AND HANG YOU THROUGH YOUR FUCKING EYEBALLS! YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD MEAT MOTHERFUCKER! FUCK YOU.” Even from that far down, his voice carried like distant music to my ears. I walked through the door with the biggest smile on my face.

THE CIDER PLANT: EAST OF CANTERLOT

I should have figured as such. It would obviously be a Cider production plant; it offered all the necessary components for production of robots and it had a stellar lab for chemistry. After this is all over, I need to create a file on the brothers. I have a hunch it’s them creating this shit and not Shill, so I believe that they have a more colorful background then just simple con artist. As I walked through the outside of the mega facility, the static of the earpiece returned, letting me know that Red turned the headset back on.

“You okay,” I asked.

“Yeah...sorry, I just, that was intense back there,” said Red. I sighed as I hopped over a fence, entering the factories main premises.

“It’s okay. I understand. I’m sorry for putting you in an uncomfortable situation like that.”

“No, it’s not your fault...I guess it’s just to be expected in this line of work...you didn’t miss the dumpster, right?” I smiled as I began to climb a ladder to the roof on the side of the main building.

“Of course not, Titan is fine. Pissed. But fine.” Red gave out a long sigh, I guess that was weighing heavily on her conscious. “I told you Red, I don’t kill...but criminals don’t need to know that.”

“Yeah, I know. Never doubted you on that.” I could practically hear the smile on her face. When I got to the roof of the building, I crouched on the edge, surveying the layout of the plant. Another building was across from this one, and two tall industrial chimneys that haven’t blown smoke out in years were next to it. What really caught my eye though was what was directly below me sandwiched on the pathway in between the two main buildings...or rather who it was.

“The brothers are right outside. I see them,” I said.

“What? Just like that? What are they doing out there?”

“I don’t know, it looks like they’re waiting for someone.” As if on cue, the headlights of a vehicle shined from the distance, growing closer and closer, until it went past the front gate. Upon looking at it closely, it looked sort of familiar. “I see a vehicle. I think it’s a 1950s Chevy pickup truck. But...hey, I know that truck.” Once the vehicle came to a halt in front of the brothers, the headlights turned off and the driver side door opened. The person who stepped out of the vehicle nearly made my heart drop.

“Oh no...Applejack.”

A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - PART 7: The Super Cider Squeezy 6000

The brothers led Applejack inside of the building and up to an upstairs office. The facility, more specifically the main building as opposed to the rest of the abandoned factory, was the stark contrast to the warehouse where I had my fight with one of Shills robots. For one thing, the place was not empty, far from it. The conveyor belts were fully operational, and on them were multiple mechanical parts for what I assumed were the robots they made. As for why they were so infatuated with their construction, I have yet to find out. In another room upstairs from the ground floor factory was a science laboratory far superior to any that I have ever seen, of course with the exception of the one back at Princess Celestia's castle. Cases upon cases of tonics and potions were stacked in the labs corner, the brothers were clearly educated in the fields of chemistry, robotics and mechanics. Far from the typical con artist as I originally had believed. I was able to see the entire factory layout from atop of the roofs skylight window that oversaw the ground floor, and two separate skylights that were over the office and lab. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see if there were any other rooms on the second floor. I wanted to enter, but if the warehouse was any indication of the brothers' security measures, I would end up tripping an alarm without knowing it, possibly putting Applejack in danger.

I perched over the skylight that oversaw the office, watching carefully as the trio entered the room with one pane lifted slightly up to hear the conversation. Flim pulled out a chair for AJ to sit in, while Flam walked around the executive desk in the middle of the room, plotting down onto the leather office chair across from AJ. The pair had on the same happy go lucky jolly smiles that they wore back at the farm.

“Well Applejack, this surely was an unexpected surprise my dear. You could imagine our surprise when you called to arrange this meeting,” said Flam, fiddling with his thumbs as he smiled at AJ. Flim paced back and forth behind her with his hands behind his back, and his nose high into the air. The brim of his hat was lowered over his eyes, casting them in a shade of black. The way his white pearly teeth shined in that state was a little off putting to say the least.

“So, I do hope that this party you’ve orchestrated is because you possess the money,” said Flim. AJ stared at the floor; her legs closed in together with her hands pressed tightly against her lap. Seeing her look so weak and shy just didn’t sit right with me.

“I uh...well, no. That ain’t exactly why I’m here.” Even behind his bushy beard, you could see Flam’s smile drop. It was even more tense when Flim stopped pacing, yet his smile never changed.

“Then, what is this meeting for? For your sake, I hope it doesn’t waste our time.” The threatening tone in Flim’s voice masked by his smile was enough to have me on edge, preparing me for whatever would happen next. AJ twirled her finger around the folds of her skirt, clearly petrified on how to speak whatever was on her mind.

“I uh...well...I don’t have the money, and I wanted to discuss other ways we could-”

The sudden slam of Flams fist on the desk made AJ freeze up like a cat with its hairs risen. Still staring intently at AJ, he spoke to his brother who was standing behind her, still wearing that creepy smile across his face.

“Dear brother, have we had any word from Titan or Mr. Shill?”

“Unfortunately not,” Flim sighed. “Titan hasn’t answered his phone at all tonight and Mr. Shill is still missing after the warehouse incident. We’ll have to deal with the biker's unprofessionalism later, but for tonight you and I will have to take charge on the discipline.” Flam, still staring at AJ, grinned menacingly.

“Oh good, it’s been a while. Couldn’t ask for a better person to do it too.” AJ shifted around the chair uncomfortably, nervous at what the two brothers were insinuating.

“Wha...what are ya’ll talking about? What are y’all going to do to me?” Flim placed both his hands on the headboard of the chair from behind, causing Applejack to remain firmly seated out of fear.

“Well my dear, it pains me to say this, it really does. But you have to learn the consequences of your actions,” said Flim. Flam opened a drawer on his side of the desk, shifting around a bit before pulling out a cordless drill and one large screw. AJ eyed down the objects as the growing worry started to form across her face.

“For every time you don’t pay, you will be punished accordingly. So, I’m going to need you to put your hand on the table. You're going to drill a screw into it and you're going to rip it out,” explained Flam.

“What? You people are insane,” cried out AJ. She stood up from the chair, backing away from the table without a single objection from either of the brothers. Flim didn’t move an inch, still smiling at her with the brim of his hat covering his eyes, while Flam just stared at her with a smug expression.

“Oh, indeed we are. But you’re going to go through with this,” said Flim.

“No, I’m going to the police, y’all have taken this far enough,” declared AJ. Flim began to step closer to her, breaking the grip of fear that grasped her. She stood their defiantly, one leg stepped back as she was ready to strike on either of them if they should try anything funny. But neither of the brothers seemed bothered by it.

“Oh my dear, please don’t make this difficult on yourself,” said Flam. AJ gave a light, albeit nervous, smirk.

“Heh, you two scrawny backbreakers won’t be able to touch me. I’ll knock both of your daylights out.”

“Oh I have no doubt, you are physically superior to us, and we are both aware it would be impossible to restrain you. Well, we do have ways to do so, but that’s not the point. You’re going to do all of this on your own accord,” said Flim.

“And what makes you bozos think that’s going to happen?” Suddenly, Flam picked up the drill and screw, and slammed his other arm onto the table before aggressively throwing everything off of it. Papers and pencils went flying across the other side of the room, and once the desk was cleared of all its content, he slammed the base of the drill back onto the desk violently.

“YOU’RE GOING TO DO AS WE SAY YOUNG LADY, OR IN THE NAME OF GOD WE’LL HAVE OUR MEN HEAD OVER TO YOUR FARM AND THEY’LL BEAT THAT OLD HAG OF A GRANDMOTHER OF YOURS TO DEATH,” yelled Flam, the shift in his tone from gentleness to pure venom made even me jump a bit.

“Quite so. Or perhaps you’d prefer to have that stupid hick brother of yours shot down in the street? Or maybe you’d like that little brat sister to be abducted when she’s walking home from school or out with her friends, and the last thing you’ll ever see of her is her photos on some escort site. Hell, we’ll even nab her friends as well. But why stop there? We can send your cousin Braeburns head in a box to your front door, or make your other cousin Babs seed die from a drug overdose, pinning the blame of it on her older sister. Wouldn’t that be fun? Flam, where were those two located again? Amarillo Texas and Brooklyn New York?”

“Last I checked brother, yes. Though, it wouldn’t be too hard to find any new address they move to. If it is, well this family is big enough to grab others. Isn’t that right Applejack,” smiled Flam. “Now, pretty please with a cherry on top, put your apple fucking hand on the God damn table and pick up the drill.” AJ stood there completely frozen, her mind struggling to grasp the severity of the situation. I could only imagine what was going through her head at that moment. I knew to AJ, she felt responsible for her family, so all she was taking from any of this was the very real notion that these sick and twisted bastards were going to kill them...or worse. After a while of just standing there in utter horror, Flim sighed and turned to his brother.

“It appears she rather take the hard route. Very well, Flam, please pass me the phone so I can call our contacts in Texas to head over to the Apple farm in Amarillo.” The words suddenly woke AJ up from her mused state, and as if the weight of it all overtook her, her legs began to wobble and she fell onto her knees, her eyes starting to turn glossy as her breathing intensified.

“No, please...leave my family alone...I’m begging you,” AJ cried out, but both brothers just glared down at her.

“Too late young lady,” snarled Flam. The entire time, I didn’t even notice how tight my fists were clenched, and I felt the sudden rush of violence overtake me. I’ve heard enough, and have had enough of the abhorrent scene playing before me. It was time to act.

“Hey Red... contact the police. Use the burner phone on my nightstand. Ask for Easy Glider and tell him to send as many units as he can to the abandoned apple cider factory off of main street near Peaches farm. I’m going in,” I said speaking to the earpiece.

“Roger that Sunset. Making the call now. Make sure you get that girl out of there,” responded Red. I stood up, taking a few steps back from the skylight, enough to get a running start. “Oh, and Sunset,” continued Red. “Be careful.”

“Of course.” With a smile spread wide across my face, I ran at full speed towards the skylight, jumping high into the air when I reached its base. With my legs coiled in like a spring, I shot them through the glass, crashing through the skyline and shooting into the room like a missile. The rugged edges of my cloak flew in every direction as the upper half covered my body, and with one arm outside of it, I pressed a hand over the top of my fedora, keeping it firmly in place as I flew in from the ceiling. I crash landed directly onto the executive desk in the middle of the room, shattering it to pieces as if it were made of nothing more than glass. Flam flew off of his chair, shielding his face from the falling bits of glass and metal that rained around us accompanied by the sudden intrusion of moonlight into the room. Flim stumbled into the wall, while Applejack curled into a ball next to the door, both shielding themselves from the flying pieces of debris from the desk scattering all over the room. Hunched over a bit, I peered up at Flam, shooting him a deadly cold stare. Through his fingers, I could see the fear and shock displayed in his eyes.

“I warned both of you. I would only give you one chance to do the right thing. Now you’ll pay the consequences for your blatant disregard for the law,” I growled. The three individuals in the room peaked from their cover, staring at me with astounded looks from my sudden coup de main. AJ just looked more terrified than anything, while the brothers' mouths were wide open. Without warning, Flam grabbed the drill and lunged at me, the sound of its buzzing replacing the previous silence that engulfed us. Stupid of him, I thought. Without much effort, I dodged his futile attack and threw a round house kick to his stomach. He fell to his knees, holding his gut as his hand dropped the drill. Wasting no time, I picked up the drill with one hand, and grabbed the collar of his shirt with the other, before repeatedly bashing the drills base against his face. The loud crack of his nose followed by his whimper didn’t stop my relentless attack, but what did stop me was the beep sound from behind me.

Halting my vicious attack, I looked over my shoulder, and my heart suddenly dropped. Flim held a small remote controller in both of his hands, a small red light at the top of it was blinking rapidly. The wicked smile on his face told me all I needed to know.

Shit.

“APPLEJACK, RUN!” was all I could shout before the large metal arm of a robot came crashing through the wall in front of me. Its metal claw wacked me across the room and out through the office window next to the door. While dazed, I felt myself flying over the second-floor balcony, and crash landing onto the conveyor belt of the first-floor factory. While the dust around me settled down, I rolled off of the conveyor belt, falling onto the hard ground on my hands and knees. “Ugh...damn. Stupid of me. I should have checked the factory before jumping in there. Damn my hot-headed temper,” I said to myself out loud. Not even two minutes inside of the factory, and my whole body was already on fire. I was getting really sick of being tossed across dangerous facilities like factories and warehouses. Just once I’d like to land on top of pillows or something instead of forklifts or crates or conveyor belts.

“Sunset, talk to me. Are you okay?” I heard Red say through the static noise in my ear.

“Yeah...bastards decided to take out another robot I guess.” I looked up to the second-floor balcony, wincing at the giant hole through the office window I had just shot out of. I saw AJ barging through the door, and running for dear life across the balcony. Thankfully, she was far enough down the balcony when the rest of the robot came crashing through the wall, shattering the balcony and everything around it into pieces. The robot was huge, its lower half crashed through the wall of the first-floor room directly below the office. AJ ran down the stairs, narrowly avoiding the rest of the balcony collapsing in on itself like dominoes. Once she got to the first floor, she froze up when she saw me in the middle of the floor. She looked as if she wanted to come help me, but I glared at her before shouting at her, “GET OUT OF HERE APPLEJACK! NOW DAMNIT!” The urgency in my voice was enough for her not to challenge my order, and even though it was clear she had to fight back an urge, she nodded and ran out of the factories exit door.

I stood up on my feet, clutching my side as I felt a sharp pain on my abdomen. The robot slowly emerged from the huge cloud of dust caused by its sudden intrusion through the concrete walls. By all things Celestia, the damn thing was massive. Far bigger than the one back at the warehouse. It almost looked like one of those old tin windup toy robots, with the blocky body and goofy ass legs. It even walked like a windup toy. The whole thing was red, with bits of chrome peeking out from its joints. The front of its torso had multiple lights and meters blinking different colors. Its chrome clampers for hands were a lot bigger and thicker than Silver Shill’s robot, and the back of it, much like the other one, had multiple exhaust pipes protruding out, like the quills of a hedgehog, shooting steam into the air. There was a massive glass dome for its head, clouded in fog so you couldn’t see inside of it. Once the damn contraption was completely out of the smoke and in full view, it stopped. The dome on its head slowly began to open, releasing the fog into the air. Once it was completely up, and the fog had dissipated, the two brothers were in full sight. It looked like they were seated in a cockpit of some sort. Levers and buttons on a control panel were in front of them. Flim had both hands-on different levers, while Flam had one hand on the dashboard and another pressing a towel under his nose to stop the flow of blood leaking out of his nostrils from when I broke it. Unlike Flim, he wasn’t smiling at me.

“Well, this has certainly been a surprise. We didn’t think you’d find us so quickly. I assume the reason for the biker's lack of communication is because of you then?”

“Heh, you’re the smart asses, you tell me,” I retorted. Flim sighed, and pulled a lever centered in between the two, causing the dome to close back over them and fill with fog. He spoke through a speaker coming from the robot's center.

“Never mind that. You being here actually makes things quite easy for us. We call this glorious invention of ours the Super Cider Squeezy 6000, named after our very own humble abode. With it, we’re going to squash you like a bug.” The bot began to move towards me, each step omitting miniature earthquakes causing the whole building to rattle.

Damn, how am I going to take this thing down, I thought to myself. I began to think back to the previous encounter I had with a damn giant mechanized beast, and my attention went to the exhaust pipes protruding out of its back. I could...no, damnit I can’t. I have nothing to pour in there, I thought, remembering the chemicals I used to destroy the previous robot. That’s when I suddenly remembered the lab, and all the toxins and unknown chemicals piled in the crates. There was just one problem with that idea. The second floor was completely destroyed, and I didn’t know how I was going to get up there to the lab in the back of the building. Let alone with this giant hunk of shit blocking my way. But I had to figure out something, and fast before the police arrive. No telling how many officers could be in danger with this thing still standing.

With the robot only a couple of feet away, it raised its arm, and steam blew out around the claw, filling the air with an ear-piercing screech of hot air like a boiling tea kettle before the claw shot out of the arm like a cannon ball. The speed of the projectile was so fast that I barely had any chance to dodge it, jumping high into the air as the claw crashed into the ground below me, its base connected to a long cast-iron chain that was coming out of the end of the robot's arm. Quickly seizing the opportunity, I landed on top of the claw that was still lodged into the ground, before running up the chain and climbing onto the robot's arm. My plan was to climb up the robot, and jump onto the shattered remains of the second floor to reach the lab, but my plan was kaput once I was on the robot's shoulder.

“Oh no no no no no! That simply will not work my dear,” echoed the voice of Flam from the speaker, and without any warning, the robot ignited in a shield of electricity, engulfing every inch of it from head to toe.

“AGHHHHHH,” I screamed as I felt my entire body fry, electricity coursing through my insides. Every organ in my body felt on fire, and I could smell the smoke emanating off of my flesh. The shock caused my entire body to tense up, and I couldn’t move an inch, my feet were firmly planted on the robot's shoulder as its defense mechanism continued to electrocute me. Through my own screams and the deafening noise of the static shock, I could faintly hear the brothers laughing through the robot's speaker. They could have kept me like that until I was nothing more than a burnt corpse, but either because the attack only lasted for a short period of time or they simply wanted to keep my torment going even longer for their own amusement, next to my foot a small compartment opened up, and a small metal black ball shot into the air, hovering near my face for a second before it lit up red.

KABOOOOOM, the little ball exploded next to my face, and my entire smoke covered body flew off of the robot's shoulder, crashing onto another pile of metal scraps and shards, blood gushed out of my mouth as my horsed voice yelped in agony.

“Sunset! What was that? What’s going on,” Red repeated, but I could barely hear her. All I could hear was white noise, and the vision of my right eye where the bomb blew near was hazy, almost turning black. I was sure I went blind in that eye. Attempting to get up, the jagged edges of the scrap metal underneath me tore through my cape, stabbing my back like hundreds of little needles. The pain was so unbearable. My attempt to stand up amounted to me rolling off of the mountain of debris, and falling onto the floor. Desperately trying to regain my senses, I failed to hear the dozens of marble like objects falling to the ground around me. I was only aware of their presence when my vision slowly cleared up, but when I saw what the objects were, my eyes widened in fear.

Oh shit, was all I could think of as the dozens of balls around me lit up like fire crackers, the sea of mines exploding all around me. I felt myself being shot into the air; parts of my costume were on fire as I flew like a damn shooting star. My fedora at this point had flown away, and the only thing that stopped me from my flight of pain was the hard impact into the robots outstretched claw, catching me mid air like a baseball.

“GOTHCA,” Flim shouted gleefully. The hand closed in around me, and I was stuck inside of it like dirt in a construction cranes claw, all while I was desperately trying to put out the bits of fire that now felt a million times hotter in the confined space of iron. “Let’s see if you can survive this,” I heard the muffled voice of Flim say from outside the claw, but I was so dazed from the previous explosions that I couldn’t comprehend what was happening. The attacks didn’t give me any room to breathe. I felt the claw shoot out into the air, causing me to slam against the iron walls of the tight space like a ball in a rattle. I assumed that they were swinging the claw with the chain all around the factory, slamming it against walls, machines and other objects. All while I violently shook around inside of it, my entire body rattling back and forth, and up and down as I fought the urge to slip out of consciousness. After what must have been at least two minutes of slamming me around, the claw opened up, and I was thrown like a baseball right into the upper windows of the factory.

Crashing through the glass barrier, I felt the cool breeze of the outside world send chills all around me, and given just how cold it felt, I imagined my costume was hanging on by threads. As I flew out of the building, I flung right into the side of Applejacks truck, denting the door in as my back felt like it was on fire.

“Ugh...damn...everything hurts right now,” I found myself muttering. Red was saying something, but I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even register it. Falling out of the truck, I fell onto my side, the cold concrete floor felt strangely comfortable, especially on account to the ass beating I just endured. Rolling over on my back, I could hear my struggle to breathe, and my vision was slowly returning. That’s when I saw her.

“Oh my God...Sunset?” I turned my head more to the side to see Applejack standing next to me with her hands over her mouth and tears rushing down from her horrified eyes.

What the hell did she just say? My tired eyes shifted to the trucks broken off door view mirror that was lying beside me, and suddenly fear grew in my mind. Half of my mask was completely torn off, exposing half of my face. Large flocks of my fiery hair were sticking out of rips atop of the mask, even with burnt tips, the color was clear as day. Bits of my skin was showing through the unprecedented amount of blood and black ash, and the color of my cyan irises could still be seen through my red, blood covered eyes. I could only see my face, but I imagined the rest of my costume wasn’t so different. Barely breathing, and struggling to stay alive, I looked back up at applejack, feeling the drips of bloodied tears fall from my face and onto the ground.

“Oh no...”

A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - Part 8: Sunset Vs The Flim Flam Brothers

“Sunset, are you there? Please say something! The cops will be there any minute.” Red’s voice sounded more like a distant mumble, unregistered in my fading mind. As Applejack stood there like a frightened child walking in on a crime, her along with the rest of the world was fuzzy and blurred in my eyes. The only thing that I could really hear at this moment was the pathetic attempts of my lungs trying to capture air. Damnit...I have to get up, I repeated to myself, and I tried to roll over, slamming my knuckles into the ground for support to pick my body up. But every time I attempted to get off of the ground, I would hack out a lump of blood from my mouth and nostrils, and the pain everywhere became unbearable. Eventually AJ snapped out of it, and she found herself next to me, with one arm around me and another gently under my stomach, slowly lifting me up off of the ground.

“Easy sugar cube, just take it nice and slow. You’re bleeding everywhere Sunset,” she said, her voice becoming clearer as she stood me up and leaned me against the side of the truck. Once my vision cleared, my hearing returned and my breathing stabilized, I stood up straight, gesturing her to let me go. Hesitantly, she did, still eyeing me up and down in complete horror, occasionally she would glance down at her now blood-soaked hands, trembling a bit as the overwhelming pressure of reality was starting to dawn on her. All the while I was just trying to regain my senses.

“Applejack,” I started to say through pauses of coughing up more blood. “You... you have to get out of here... cops are on their way...” But as I was trying to speak, AJ just kept staring at me as if what I was saying was entering through one ear and exiting out the other.

“Sunset I... I had my suspicions after that night... but... oh my God, why? What are you doing? This... Sunset what is this?” It sounded more like she was talking to herself then she was to me. The entire time Red kept trying to speak, asking me why Applejack was calling me by name. But the only sound I was really paying attention to at the moment was the rumbling coming from within the main factory. I didn’t have time for this, so I grabbed AJs shoulders and slapped her across the face, snapping her out of her own thoughts.

“DAMNIT APPLEJACK, JUST SHUT THE HELL UP AND LISTEN TO ME,” I shouted. She stopped talking to herself and looked at me with wide, attentive eyes. After confirming that she was indeed in the same universe as me, I took a deep sigh, hating myself for raising my voice like that at her. Lowering my voice, I continued. “Listen, I know you have questions, and I promise I’ll answer them, but right now there’s a damn twenty-foot-tall robot being controlled by two very pissed off psychopaths. I need you to calm down, and get out of here while I deal with it. Can you do that for me?” For the first time during this entire exchange, AJ gave me a sensible look as opposed to the shock she was just displaying. unfortunately, it wasn’t a look of agreement. It was one of her iconic ‘are you serious right now?’ mugs that was usually reserved for Rarity, Rainbow or Applebloom. Only now she looked more irritated than I’d ever seen her look before.

“Are you crazy Sunset? If you really think I’m just gonna high tail it out of here and leave you, then you’re stupider than that silly costume you have on right now. For God sakes, look at yourself, your completely covered in blood.” I looked down to the rest of my body, grimacing a bit at the state I was in. She wasn’t wrong, I did look, and especially felt, like hammered shit. My entire left sleeve was torn off, along with the entire right pant leg and mid-section of the costume, exposing my midriff. I couldn’t even feel my cloak anymore because the whole thing was burnt off, leaving only a small tether of it flowing just a little below my shoulders. The parts of my skin that were exposed were drenched in blood and ash, if it wasn’t for the light strands of my hair sticking out, you really couldn’t tell who was underneath this piece of shit right now. Still, I didn’t want to argue this with her. But... damn I was having a really hard time not only staying conscious, but staying alive as well. Truth was, I really didn’t know how I was going to beat the brothers. That’s when my eyes fell onto the broken shards of glass from the truck's door, and slowly an idea was starting to pop into my head. After thinking about it for a moment, I looked behind us at the other side of the factory where the two large plant chimneys were, and the cluster of ladders, pipes, stairways and beams surrounded it like some kind of nightmare jungle gym. In the distance just passed the fence, I saw a mobile operating crane parked in the factories deteriorating parking lot.

“Alright fine, but listen to what I’m about to say very carefully. I think I know how we can stop them,” I said, spitting out more strands of blood. But AJ just shook her head.

“No, stop. If the police are on their way, then we’re going to get out of here together or hide until they show up. They’ll handle the Flim Flam brothers. But right now we need to get you to a hospital or stay put before you kill yourself,” protested AJ.

“I can’t do that. They're going to obliterate the first responders that come down that road. How many cops do you think will get killed before they can somehow take them down?”

“I hope none, but frankly that ain't our job, its law enforcements job, now come on, get in the truck,” AJ said, beginning to put her arm back around me to support my swaying body. But I grabbed her arm, holding it tightly to stop her. She looked at me with bewilderment, taken aback by the action while I glared at her.

“If you really have had your suspicions, then you should already know.... this is my job now Applejack.” She stared at me with a mixture of uncertainty and exasperation, clearly unsure of what to make of my statement. She then looked over at the factory building where the rumblings were growing louder and louder, then back to me with a pissed off face.

“God damnit, you stupid stubborn fool... what’s your plan Sunset?” I grinned, before quickly telling her the bullshit I just pulled out of my ass a couple seconds ago. The entire time she was shaking her head in utter disbelief, but we both knew we didn’t have many options right now. At the end of my quick explanation, she backed away a few inches, eyes wide and mouth hung open, struggling to comprehend what I just asked her to do.

“You’re.... you’re insane,” she said just before the front of the factory exploded, kicking up dust and debris all into the air. Even behind the thick cloud of smoke, I could see the silhouette of the robot slowly emerging from the hole in the factory. Sighing, I stood up straight, ignoring the burning pain I felt everywhere.

“Trust me I know... you can tear me a new one about it later. Just get in the truck,” I grunted. AJ jumped over the broken door on the ground and hopped into her vehicle, starting the engine while glaring daggers at me.

“Oh believe me Shimmer, I am gonna tear you a new asshole after this. You better hope that thing works.” With that, she shifted the trucks gear and drove off past the factory’s rear gate, disappearing into the night. The robot stepped out of the smoke, turning to face me with its fogged clouded dome. Even if I couldn’t see them in there, I knew they were looking right at me.

“Come on you sons of bitches, come and get me.” With one foot stepping out of the smoke, it slammed into the ground, cracking the pavement under its ferocious step, followed by the next step, and the next. The rumbling around us along with the noise from the inner mechanisms of the bot was almost deafening. But I didn’t cover my ears, nor did I display any signs of exhaustion. Not in front of the enemy. After a few more steps, the robot stopped, now fully emerged from the smoke. As steam began to blow out from its exhaust pipes and shoulders, its arm raised, aiming right at me. Steam shot out from around its claw, and the robot's large gauntlet like wrist fanned out, followed by the emergence of two large miniguns on each side of its claw. A long ammo belt protruded out of the side of its upper arm. It was so long that the end of it plopped down onto the ground like a falling snake. The entire time I gritted my teeth and tensed up, fearing what kind of destructive power this new weapon would entail.

“It’s shocking you’re even still alive Mare-Do-Well, so let’s just see if you can survive this too. We’ll fill you up with holes until you look like a piece of cheese,” Flam said through the speaker. Without even waiting for the robot to make the first move, I turned around and darted into the other side of the factory where the two chimneys were, diving into the main plant's power site. Mere seconds following, the ear popping sound of both guns ignited into the air, and the sheer savagery of bullets trailing behind me could be felt as they tore apart the ground. I hopped onto an upper beam, swinging myself onto the plants second floor while the bullets tore through the bottom floors beam like it was carboard. With the spike of adrenaline washing over me, I ran across the second floor, wincing as I could feel the air shattering behind me as the tail of death grew closer and closer. Running up the stairs to the plants third floor, the bullets continued their relentless pursuit, and as I approached the fourth floor, they didn’t let up one bit. All the while the robot inched closer and closer to the factories power plant, raising its arm up higher and higher as its guns followed my every step of ascension. Eventually the firing stopped when I arrived on the eight floor, I was so high up on the infrastructure that I couldn’t see the robot anymore.

Panting heavily, I peeked over the floor down to the bottom, where much to my horror, I couldn’t see the damn thing. As my hearts beating intensified, I looked all over the place for any sign of the robot as dread filled me. But after a few intense seconds, the entire infrastructure began to shake so violently that I almost fell over the edge. That’s when the robots arm shot out from the floor as if it was emerging from the pits of hell, followed by the rest of the robot's upper half.

“Peak-a-boo,” said Flim, and the robot raised its arm towards me, opening its claw wide before it shot out like it did back inside the factories main building. I didn’t have any time to avoid the hit, and the claws top half clashed against my stomach, shooting me towards one of the large chimneys that were directly next to us.

“UGH,” I grunted out in pain as my back slammed against the rough concrete structure, while the metal claw pinned me up against it, digging deeper into my exposed midriff. I couldn’t move my hands or legs, yet I still squirmed around trying desperately to break free, regardless of how futile it was. I looked up to the towering structure, even this high up the chimney was still a good distance high.

“How about we fry you again, little rodent,” said Flam. The claw began to warm up, and I started to breathe heavily as it got hotter and hotter. Eventually smoke began to emanate off my stomach, and I had to stop myself from screaming as the heat ramped up. After about ten seconds though, I couldn’t stop myself any longer. I let out a blood curdling scream as the heat turned into electricity, the robot powered on its electric shield like before, and just like before, I was helplessly stuck as I felt my insides cooking. But with the claw pressed against my exposed stomach as opposed to the underside of my boots, the pain from the electricity was much worst. My body began to spasm amidst the robot's tight grip, and I could feel my toes and fingers curling in all directions. My ear piece short circuited, sending out a mini shock into my ear canal, but with the unspeakable pain that was traveling all throughout my body, I didn’t even notice it. I guess my dying screams gave Applejack a signal, because the loud eruption of an engine from below caused the brothers to cease my prolonged torture, turning off the robot's electric shield.

“What was that,” asked Flim. My body fell limp as smoke exited through my mouth, nose and ears, and I could feel myself go completely numb. All the while, a blood covered grin was etched across my face.

“Heh... fry this you pricks.” Suddenly the large arm from the operating crane came crashing through the chimney’s base down below us, I could faintly see its hook swinging underneath the infrastructure by its cables, and just like that, the entire chimney began to fall forward, collapsing right onto the brothers and their damned robot. The robot stumbled back, before collapsing through the structure underneath it, more debris pounding it as it did so. Its claw went limp, releasing me from its restraint, peeling a chunk of my burnt skin off as it did so. I watched as the claw flew down into the cloud of smoke underneath us, and I now found myself following right behind it. As I fell, the world around me went mute, and the pieces of debris that fell with me seemed more like shooting stars in my mind. I think at this point I had just accepted death knowing that the robot would be buried under all that debris and the collapsed steel of the plants structure. Besides, I just couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. So, I closed them right before I fell into the cloud of smoke down below. I couldn’t feel the hard landing I took when I fell onto the dirt ground, nor could I feel the waterfall of blood seeping out of my mouth as I laid there in the darkness. The red shine of the robots scattered pieces were disappearing as they were buried under the falling chunks of concrete... but miraculously nothing landed on me.

After the last pieces of the chimney touched the ground, the world became still and silent, the destroyed robot was no longer making any noises or movements. A couple yards away I could barely see the upper half of the robot buried under a pile of concrete and metal beams, its dome now shattered and depleted of the fog. Even after everything, I hoped that the brothers were still alive. As I let the silence overtake me in the comfort of the smoke cloud around us, my eyes were starting to close again. But that’s when I heard the sound of footsteps approaching towards me, and I saw Applejack standing over me, covering her mouth with her unbuttoned shirt. She kneeled down beside me, squeezing my limp hand while she placed my head on her lap. The warm drops of tears splashed on my face, and threw hazy vision I could see AJ crying, begging me to stay with her. But the whole thing was just a blur to me. Still, I could hear her voice as if it were a distant call.

“Stay with me Sunset. Please! Just stay with me!” With the remaining strength I had left, I let out a pathetic attempt of a sentence through dying whispers and gasps of air.

“Take... take me home.... doctor... at home,” was all I could say before I gave out, shutting my eyes as the world went to black.

***

Occasionally my eyes would open, I could see the world pass by through the window of AJ’s truck as she sped down the road back to the city. At the same time, I could feel the cool air of the outside world rush through us from the doorless opening on the driver side, and the shattered window in front of us. But the moments were sporadic as the entire time I kept swinging in and out of consciousness. Still, I was looking away from the window and over to AJ, who was driving as if someone's life depended on it. It was strange to me. I wanted to tell her to forget it and let me die, or tell me whether or not the cops apprehended the brothers, or tell her to keep her mouth shut about all of this. But through my dazed mind all I could really see right now was a girl who looked like an angel. Even covered in dust and dirt, hair all over the place and her face stained with tear trails...she looked great. AJ really was a wonderful person, someone who deserved nothing but happiness and love. I don’t know why the hell I’m thinking about this right now when I’m on the verge of death, but I think back to the story AJ told me about her mom, and I couldn’t help but smile. She looked over at me, and doing her best to not sound like a panicked mother, she spoke in a somewhat apprehensive voice.

“Hey sugar cube. You still with me? Just hang in there, we're almost home. What are you smiling about right now?” She said it so quickly that I could barely understand her, or maybe it was just because of the state I was in right now. But I just couldn’t stop smiling.

“Nothing... I’m just thinking about your mom... she sounds like a wonderful person.” I had my eyes closed, but I could tell that AJ was looking at me as if I were crazy. But she didn’t say anything. I could still feel the wind blow against my face, feeling myself going back into deaths clutches. With my eyes still closed, and my breathing slowly fading, I muttered one last thing.

“Applejack... I’m.... I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you... you’re truly a wonderful person.”

A FLIM FLAM PROBLEM - FINALE: Motivations

My nightmares seemed to evolve each time I allowed myself to enter them. They have gotten crueler; more savage over the past months. But they were always the same. I’d be bowing before Princess Celestia in her chambers, begging her to forgive me, only to be killed and humiliated by Twilight, her friends and everyone else I’ve ever wronged. It was the main reason I never slept anymore, because I would always be taken right back to that moment. Always. Now adays I only return to the land of sleep whenever I’m unconscious or blacked out, but when I do return, the nightmare would slowly morph into something new. You could say that it adapted to my current struggles. Now was no different. I found myself stripped naked; a collar was around my neck, with its chain leash anchored down into the ground. Handcuffs bind my wrist together; they were so tight that my skin would tear with each slight movement. I wasn’t in the castle anymore, but rather in a void of pitch-black darkness. It was so cold that the airs sharp stings on my bare skin were agonizing, but the state I was in and the change of scenery weren't the only alteration to my mind's dreamland however.

I don’t remember when, but at some point Celestia and Twilight had stopped appearing. Hell, everyone that used to be in my repeated nightmare stopped showing, but that didn’t mean my punishments were never served. Instead, the punishers were replaced. I raised my head up, looking straight ahead as far as the chain leash would let me. In the pitch blackness I could see the dimly lit faces of my new punishers. Multiple Changeling gang members, Diamond Dogs, Griffon bikers, Spoiled’s mob and the countless thugs I’ve taken down, all staring at me through the shadows. But High above them were the bigger fish. Spoiled Rich, Blueblood, Iron Will, Cercus and the red beaming eyes of Sombra. Just like the previous time I’ve had this specific nightmare; I screamed in pain as I slammed my head into the floor, trying desperately to cover my ears from their quiet whispers. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, my slowly growing rogues gallery, but the whispers felt like having a knife plunged into my ears. At some point during my screams, a mask was thrown from the crowd, landing right in front of me. It was the ghost’s mask, the Mare-Do-Well. Eventually the whispers stopped, and I looked up from the ground, seeing a new addition to the gallery.

Standing behind the shadowy silhouettes of my villains was the towering robot of the Flim Flam brothers. It’s dome however was yellowed and cracked, though I couldn’t see either of the brothers inside. The stares of all of them lingered on me, full of so much venom and wrath. These stares were different from the ones I’d get from Princess Celestia, Twilight or any of my classmates. Their stares were always full of anger yes... but not like these stares. These were the stares from people who were truly evil. They didn’t hate Sunset Shimmer, they hated it. They hated the ghost.

I could hear the robots' gears start to turn, and its engine revving up. After a minute of nothingness, the robots arm shot up in the air, aiming right at me before shooting its claw out like a canon directly towards me. With my eyes shut, I braced for it to collide with me, to splatter my corpse all over this void of nothingness. To finally kill me... and like all the times before with my other villains, it would.

SUNSETS APARTMENT

GAAASP

I was sitting on my bed back at my place, sweating my ass off and almost hyperventilating. My eyes raced all around my surroundings, and my body was shaking profusely.

“Wha... what the hell...” It was just a dream I reminded myself, and slowly my breathing and trembling slowed down once I began to realize that I was indeed in reality. Coming to my senses, the pain hit me like a freight train, and I laid back down on the drenched mattress. Everywhere hurt. Damn was it agonizing. I looked down to the rest of my body, clenching my teeth together at the sight. Even after all of the close encounters with death and the shit state I was always in, seeing everything covered in blood-stained bandages almost made me freak out. All I had on was a black bra and black underwear. Almost everywhere else was wrapped in white bandages, but especially my stomach. Speaking of which, my entire torso felt like a stick of dynamite blew a hole through it, damnit did it burn like hell. My breathing began to intensify again as the pain was becoming overwhelming, that’s when I heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.

“Oh my God, you’re awake!” Red came rushing to my side with a shot in her hand. She kneeled down beside me, grabbing my arm and slowly inserted the needle into my forearm before wiping the blood away and wrapping the area with more bandages. Almost instantly my body felt at ease, and the pain began to fade away.

“What the hell was that,” I said with a shaky voice.

“Morphine. Some really strong morphine I might add. A friend of mine at the hospital gave me some yesterday. Don’t ask how. I knew I was going to need it because you were screaming like crazy when I was trying to work on you.” She was right, it was some pretty strong stuff, I felt totally relaxed. I’ll take her word though on refraining to ask how she was able to get some.

“How long have I been out?” Red looked at me in disbelief, before shaking her head and checking on my bandages. Only a week and she’s already used to my bullshit.

“Two days. Applejack brought you back home Tuesday night. You’ve been knocked out all Wednesday and Thursday. It's Friday today, eleven in the morning to be exact.”

Shit...shit shit shit shit shit. Applejack....SHIT

“Shit...Applejack?” Red didn’t respond for a minute, making my stomach turn to knots.

“She’s out buying groceries right now. She’ll be back in a bit. It’s been a wild two days for her,” she finally said. Well, that wasn’t exactly what I was asking. But before I dig any further into that however...

“The Flim Flam brothers?”

“They’re at the CPD headquarters right now. They’ll be taken to Canterlot Penitentiary to await they’re trials. That’s all I know.” Well, at least there’s one good thing. I take a sigh of relief, happy to know those wack jobs are behind bars. Looks like the police were able to recover evidence...or Applejack spoke to them. Since I’m not behind bars right now, I’m guessing either she didn’t tell them about my involvement, or did but left out a few key details.

“That’s good to hear...but...seriously Red... Applejack.” Red took a deep sigh, finishing the process of checking on my bandages before standing up.

“She’s... I don’t know Sunset. I don’t think she’s told anyone. But she’s pretty pissed.” Great

“What the hell? You don’t think she’s told anyone? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I don’t know,” Red snapped back. “Look, she brought you back here the night you took down the brothers. She was in complete shock... I think when she saw me open the door, her mind kind of froze. We didn’t say anything to each other the entire night, we’ve just been focusing on treating you, which, it’s a miracle you’re even alive.” She glares at me after those last words. “Anyways, after we stabilized you, we both kind of sat there in silence, not knowing what to say. She asked me how I knew, to which I retold the story about that night you saved me. She didn’t ask me anything else that night. Instead, she told me she was going to go down to the police station, but didn’t answer me when I asked whether or not she’d spill the beans about your secret. She didn’t come back until the next day. When she came back, she told me she didn’t tell anybody, not even her family. But she did confess to everything else that happened though, and gave a full statement on the events of the night. Even about the Mare-Do-Well saving her life. Evidence at the scene pretty much criminalized the brothers after the statement. When they asked her why she wasn’t there when they arrived, she just told them she was scared and ran. Principal Celestia gave her and her brother and sister the rest of the week off of school, and Granny Smith, Big Mac and Applebloom as of now are spending the week at their Grandpa Pears place. Just until police can make sure they’re 100% safe. They’re doing the same thing with the rest of the brothers' victims. Applejack said she’d stay and watch the farm, insisting to Commander Easy Glider that she didn’t need police officers watching her.... but she’s been spending all that time here...waiting for you to wake up.”

I stared at the ceiling as Red finished up her recap of the day's events, digesting every detail as if I were re-reading a book for a major project at school. After taking a moment to fully grasp the situation, I took a deep breath and asked the next question that was eating through my brain.

“What about Silver Shill? They found him yet?” Red sighed and shook her head.

“No... they’ve arrested numerous known criminals associated with the brothers, including Titan... but no word on Silver Shill. It’s like he disappeared off of the face of the earth,” said Red. Damnit...I’ll have to talk to Easy Glider later today. But first I needed to deal with the bigger issue. I threw my bandaged hands over my face, screaming into them with built up frustration. Red just kept silent, letting me release my anger. After my little hissy fit, I took another deep breath and decided to ask the question that should have been my main concern right now.

“What’s the damage Red?” She just looked to the ground with a smile, shaking her head in disbelief as if I had seriously asked what 2+2 was.

“Well, like I said, it’s a miracle you’re even alive. You should be deader than dead right now Sunset. First, the burns. The right side of your face was burnt pretty bad, I had to bring a lot of tools from the hospital to fix that by the way. It's a miracle you didn’t lose your eyeball. We’ll have to wait and see if your vision comes back though, without the proper equipment and eye doctors, it’s hard to tell the extent of the damage in your right eye.” That’s when I noticed that I had a large medical cloth taped down covering the area around my eye. It felt like I had a huge eyepatch on. I also felt some bandages wrapped around my head, covering my right ear entirely.

“I think it was the bombs,” I muttered

“Bombs?”

“Yeah, they had these mini pellet bombs that blew up in my face,” I explained. Red had to blink a couple of times to really acknowledge what I just said, before pointing a finger towards my ear.

“Well, okay... what happened to your ear then? The whole canal was pretty much burnt inside out.”

“The earpiece short circuited and blew up, I didn’t even notice it to be honest.” Clearly not wanting to know any more of the details concerning the fight, she moved onto the next bits of her diagnosis.

“I guess what happened to your stomach is why it short circuited. It’s the worst injury so far. Your entire midriff was charred. I mean Sunset, there was a line of melted skin above your belly button, and your entire stomach in general was black. I did my best to take off all the damaged skin and treat the rest of the area, but it’s not pretty. God only knows what your insides look like right now... but I... I’m really shocked your even alive.” Well, that’s better than I could have expected. I don’t feel dead, and my insides feel...I guess normal. That's all that matters right now. But I’m sure it’ll be a bitch when the morphine wears off. “The rest of your body is the usual. Some previous stitches burst open, had to stitch new cuts, mainly on your back, and of course you have an entire plethora of new bruises and are going to have a lot more scars now... but you’re alive.”

“Good, I need to get up. I have to head over to the CPD, talk to Easy Glider.” I was starting to get out of bed before I felt Red's hand push me back down.

“Now wait just a minute, you are in no shape to be going out right now, you need to -”

“Red... don’t start,” I interrupted. We glared intensely at each other for a few seconds, before Red sighed and looked away, losing our stare off. She knew better at this point.

“Damn you, Sunset.” Yeah, many have and many will. She grabbed a bag and my fedora from underneath my bed, handing it to me with a sour expression. “Here, Applejack managed to find your hat surprisingly.” The hat was still in one piece, but it's definitely seen better days. Tears and scuffs were littered across the brim and crown, but it was still wearable. Inside the hat was the mask. Stitch trails ran through it like train tracks, and a new eye was sewn into it. “It took a while, but I managed to fix it,” Red said. I put the mask back into the hat before throwing it on my nightstand, then I began to dig through the bag. Inside was a brand new full purple body suit, and a new cloak to. I peered up at Red with a raised eyebrow. “Your costume was beyond any form of repair. Seriously it’s like you were wearing rags. I had to get you a new one... much to my inner objection.” I threw the bag down onto the floor and sighed before sitting all the way up. Even on morphine I still winced from the sharp pain in my stomach.

“Thank you.” With a bit of difficulty, I managed to get out of bed, stretching my arms into the air as every joint in my body popped. Now that I was up, it did feel like my insides were mangled together like a cup of noodles. Ignoring it, I began to put on the uniform. But as I was doing so, both me and Red froze as we heard the front door open below.

“Welp, there she is,” Red said, before going back down the stairs. I slid the costume on all the way, zipping the back up before grabbing the mask and fedora and following behind her. Bracing myself for the unpleasant conversation I knew I was going to have, I took my last step off of the stairs, coming into view of Applejack who was putting the bags of groceries onto the counter. We both froze in place as we made eye contact, and everything went so quiet that even the passing cars outside sounded nonexistent. AJ eyed me up and down, her brow furrowing with each passing second. Eventually she was the one who broke the moment of silence.

“Why are you wearing that?” She turned to Red with a pissed off look. “Did you seriously get her a new one?” Red raised her hands innocently and backed away.

“I’m going to... well I’ll just let you two handle this. My lunch breaks almost over and I have to get back to the school. I’ll see you later tonight.” Me and AJ didn’t say anything as Red exited the door. No doubt a thousand thoughts were racing through her head, but for mine, I didn’t really know what to say. A blank state was what my brain could be described as at this moment. The entire time though, she didn’t let up her glare for one bit. This time I was the one who broke the silence.

“You okay?” Her eyes softened, body relaxed and she allowed herself to breathe. Coming out of her defensive stance, she sighed and leaned against the countertop, arms folded as she stared at me with sympathetic eyes.

“I’m okay, it’s me who should be asking you that question.” I chuckled quietly to myself, leaning against the back of my sofa with my arms also crossed.

“Well, I’ll let you know how I'm doing when the morphine wears off.” AJ gave a light smile, but the moment was short, and her mouth uncurled itself. I decided to continue when she didn’t add anything else. “I’m going to the CPD headquarters. I have to talk to the police about the other night.”

“So, you have the police involved in your night owl activities now too?”

“No, not really. Just the Commander.” That clarification clearly didn’t help much because AJ still didn’t look pleased at all. Deciding not to beat around the bushes with this, I came out with the hard-hitting question. “Have you told anybody else? The girls or your family?” AJ stared at me for a moment with a blank look, before shaking her head and sighing.

“No... trust me, I was really debating it, especially since it seemed like you were about to die in my truck. But, well, I decided against it. At least for now. I wanna hear what you have to say first.” That was a relief, for now.

“What do you wanna know?”

“Oh, for the love of, why are you doing this? I can put two and two together Sunset, you’re a vigilante. But why?”

“I don’t know, really -”

“Don’t give me that,” AJ snapped, her voice carried that authoritative tone she’d use when Applebloom screwed up. “Just, don’t. You know I’ve had my suspicions since after that night with the Changelings. My God it all clicked. You’ve been growing more distant and distant. The injuries too, and your voice. I’m stupid for not saying anything during the whole Gabby Gums fiasco. So no, you don’t just say ‘I don’t know’ to something like this. That’s not -”

“I JUST NEED TO, OKAY!” AJ stopped yapping once she saw the tears flow from my eyes. “I just...I just need to do this Applejack.” I held myself tightly, my body felt cold as I sobbed. I don’t know why I was crying to be honest; it was the same feeling back at Red’s apartment when I snapped at her. Perhaps it was a moment of truth for myself, and Celestia only knows how well I do with those revelations. AJ calmed herself down and walked over to me, placing her hand on my face to wipe away some tears. Her voice switched, becoming more caring and quieter than before.

“But why? What’s forcing you to go out there in this suit, fighting bad guys and getting yourself killed?”

“Applejack... do you know how much I hate myself?” Just like that, I said it out loud. She retracted her hand away from me as if I said something offensive. I could only imagine the look of shock on her face since I wasn’t looking at her directly, instead staring at the floor. “I can’t stand looking in the mirror. I can’t stand hearing my voice. I can’t stand being alive. I’ve done nothing but hurt people and ponies all my life. I just... I need to do right by my sins. I know how evil can destroy lives. Good, innocent lives.” I looked up to her, the sorrow was plain on her face. “I know that because I hurt people like you. When Applebloom told me just how much I’ve damaged you, when Sweetie Belle told me the same with Rarity, or when Rainbow told me just how precious of a relationship you girls have, and how I destroyed that without care... the pain I’ve caused to Fluttershy, how I used kids like Snips and Snails, or toyed with people's emotions like Flash Sentry. Even back at home I’ve done nothing but put ponies down. At first this was just a way to hurt myself. To punish myself for all the wrong I’ve done... but...” I looked down to the fedora clutched tightly in my hands, taking the mask out to stare into its blue eyes. “Seeing your family the other day warmed my heart, and I can’t remember the last time that ever happened, and when you told me about your mother, that's a story I’ll always hold dear to me. But what really broke me was how you let that wall of yours collapse. How you showed me your weakness... your fear... your desperation because of the brothers. It really hurt me to see you like that. Because now I know what it’s like to hurt good people like you, for evil to absolutely destroy the love and happiness that good people like you bring... Applejack this costume isn’t just my tomb for punishment. It's to make sure that people like me don’t ever hurt people like you. That’s why I need to do this.”

At this moment I solidified what the Mare-Do-Well was. This wasn’t just me explaining my purpose to her, but also to myself. I have a lot of issues I need to work out, if I ever do. But as far as the Mare-Do-Well, it’s clear to me now what its purpose is, and I need her to understand that. The perplexed look on her face tells me that she’s fighting with herself, wondering what’s the right thing she can do in this shitty situation. Unfortunately, there isn’t any appealing options. I feel awful for even putting her into such an iniquitous situation. She looks away from me, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth.

“Damnit... I... I wanna stop you Sunset. I wanna tell you how wrong you are about all of this... but you saved my life. You saved my family’s life, twice. I can’t ever repay you for that. You know Applebloom constantly talks about you. About how you saved her life from a monster. I... I don’t know where I’d be if you didn’t come crashing into that warehouse with the changelings, or crashing through that window at the factory. I woulda loss my family if it wasn’t for you. How can I stop you or get in your way after that?”

“Applejack, all I ask is you don’t tell anybody.” This hurt me the hardest more than anything. Applejack was the element of honesty. Lying went against her values, and I was asking her to break them. But there weren’t any options. She stared at me, fighting back the tears that she had locked behind those green eyes. But eventually they broke through, and she hung her head low in defeat.

“Alright Sunset... I won’t say anything.” Despite that being exactly what I wanted to hear, it shattered my heart. I sighed and walked away, grabbing my boots and gloves that were resting beside the front door. As I was putting them on, Applejack spoke up again. “Sunset?”

“Yes Applejack?”

“Back in my truck, you said you were sorry for everything you’ve ever done to me.... I forgive you,” she said with a light smile. I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore; they broke through and began to flow down my face as if the baggage of years was being partially uplifted from my soul.

“Thank you,” was all I could weep out, but AJ just shook her head, still smiling.

“No, thank you for saving me,” she retorted. But I shook my head at this too, wiping my eyes with my sleeve before taking a deep breath.

“No, don’t ever thank me. You’ll never have to thank the Mare-Do-Well.” I met it too. But it wasn’t in the self-sacrificing manner that Sunset Shimmer preferred. It was the Mare-Do-Well's duty speaking on that front. Nobody would ever need to thank me. Applejack wiped her own tears, nodding her head as she calmed herself down.

“I hope you know that this means I’m gonna be a part of this. You’re crazy if you think I’m just gonna sit on the sidelines and let you risk your life.” I nodded before putting the mask on. I knew she was going to say that, and I knew there was nothing I could say that would stop her just as much as there was nothing she could say that would stop me. I of course didn’t like it at all, having Red involved in my private affairs was already too dangerous. But I’d have to make this work somehow. As I grabbed the doorknob, fully dressed, I looked back at AJ.

“Go home and get some rest... I’ll be okay for the rest of the day.”

CPD HEADQUARTERS: DOWNTOWN CANTERLOT

“I’m telling you Chief, Mayor Mare has been up my God damn ass all fucking morning over this Flim Flam bullshit, I..... yes ma'am I’m aware of that but....... I already have officers stretched thin with.......yes ma’am......I understand that but......Understood.” Commander Easy Glider slammed the phone onto his desk, cursing up a storm as he sat down on his chair and lit up a cigarette. The entire time I was in the corner of his office, hiding in the shadows.

“I take it Chief Firefly isn’t too happy with how you handled the brothers arrest,” I whispered. Not even looking at my direction, Easy Glider blew out a cloud of smoke, resting his head onto his hand with his elbow planted on top of his desk.

“Fucking Mayor Mare. She doesn’t understand that I need officers watching the victims of those two shit heads down in lock up. The amount of blackmail and information on all of them is insane. But the Mayor is insistent that I move officers away from the victims and keep this whole investigation private. Some bullshit about not wanting to stain the city's image with the rise of these so-called super villains. Fucking shit stain.” He took another drag of his cigarette, turning around on his chair to face me as smoke exited his nostrils. “Problem is, you know Tenderhoof? Lead writer and reporter for the Canterlot paper?” It was hard for me not to know who he was; Rarity never shuts up about him. He’s always trying to find the juiciest stories to elevate his career, exposing gossip, starting trends and riling up politicians with his unfiltered work. “Well, he got word from lock up about what happened at the factory, and he’s already posting stories about you, the brothers and the whole fucking thing. He’s already been writing about the Changeling incident with those girls at CHS, and now the fucking mayor is getting pissed about not only your existence, but these powered up fuckers as well. I am too actually; it’s going to fuck up our investigation with Sombra.” I figured it was only a matter of time before this shit got more publicized.

“Any leads on Silver Shill,” I asked, trying to put this conversation back onto the right path. The commander took a deep breath, calming himself down while taking another long drag off his cigarette.

“Unfortunately not. It’s like he just disappeared from Canterlot after the warehouse incident, which by the way, fuck you for that. Whole place was wiped off of the fucking map when we got there.”

“I told you, the warehouse self-”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I heard you the first time.” He stopped himself from saying anything further, taking another deep breath before speaking again. “Okay, let’s look at this on the positive side. We have the restaurant arsonist in lock up with enough evidence to send them away for a long time. Win for us, I guess. Oh, by the way here.” He shuffled around his desk before retrieving two tickets from a stack of papers, handing them to me. They were solid black, with the words embedded with what looked like diamonds. Upon reading the words, I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.

“The Grand Galloping Gala,” I said out loud.

“Yep. This town and its fucking horse names I swear. Anyways, as promised there’s the tickets to the event. Should get you closer to Spoiled Rich and Blueblood. I don’t wanna know how or what you have planned of course. As far as I’m concerned someone stole those tickets,” Easy Glider said. Smiling underneath my mask, I pulled my hand back inside my cloak and began walking towards the window to take my leave, but Easy Glider spoke up, stopping me before I could exit out the window. “Hey... thank you for helping out with this case.” With one leg already out into the night air, I glanced over my shoulder to him.

“Don’t worry about it. Just trying to help.”

SHORT STORY: Special Agent Sweetie Drops

BONS BONS HOUSE

I hated wearing dresses. I’ve always had. But for tonight, I was eager to put on the black dress lying on my bed. It’s been a while since me and Lyra have gone out on any form of a date, so imagine her face when I told her we were going to this fancy expensive joint in downtown Canterlot. I never really had much of an appetite for the expensive grub, nor have I ever cared about the five-star ratings that Zesty Gourmand, a world-renowned food critic, would give to establishments. If anything, I would have been contempt with just going to the Tasty Treat, but it burnt down and Lyra was insistent that she wanted to check this new place out. I didn’t care though, as long as I was able to spend time with her. Besides, the agency was paying for it... speaking of which.

“Any new readings on any magical disturbances,” the voice from my phones speaker asked. I was in the bathroom applying mascara while I was on the phone with my... well let’s just say my boss. We’ll call him Mr. Z. The less known about him the better.

“Negative, it’s still quiet over here in Canterlot sir, there hasn’t been a single anomaly since the Fall Formal incident, well unless you don’t consider the rise of those drugs the police have been having a hard time with.”

“I don’t.” Of course he doesn’t. I think I’m getting a little too ahead of myself. I’ve been with the SMPCA (Supernatural, Mythical and Paranormal Containment Agency) for about four years now, but now that I’m legally an adult, this is my first year out on the field as an agent. So, forgive me if anything that seems odd makes me a little jumpy. The main objective of the agency was to contain all supernatural elements in this world. It may come as a shocker, but throughout history, this world has seen its fair share of magical entities and monsters, all of which have been contained at our black site, though we still don’t know much about them. It was quiet for years until a couple of months ago when an incident happened at my school during our annual Fall Formal. I won’t go into too much of the details, but we had some serious magical power unleashed by a stuck-up class mate of mine, only for her to be stopped by a girl from another dimension. I would have called it in, if I wasn’t brainwashed by her, but it seems Twilight and her friends handled the situation just fine...but still.

“I still don’t understand why we can’t just bring Sunset Shimmer in; I mean we -”

“We’ve been over this Special Agent Sweetie Drops, as of now the council prefers she remained untouched, she could be a valuable asset to humanity if anymore magical entities find their way into our dimension. Since she’s a classmate of yours, we’ve put a lot of trust into you to monitor her without any aid as you requested... but if you continue to take this personally, I will remove you from the mission. Especially if you have another outburst towards her like you did the other day, is that understood?” I could feel my fingernails dig into my palm as my fist clenched tightly.

“Yes sir...understood,” I grumbled. I really tried to remain professional about this, honestly. But Sunset Shimmer just makes me so mad. I hated her with every fiber of my being. Because of how much she hurt Lyra, because of how much she used me and played me like a fool. When I started dating Lyra, I was still in the SMPCA junior academy, training to be an undercover field agent in Canterlot. But when I met Lyra, I found another purpose. She was the one thing that felt so real in my life, I loved her so much... and Sunset ruined all of that for a while with a few photos and lies, and I believed it so easily. Me, a special agent in training believed her manipulation. Then she goes and tries to kill us all, mind controlling all of us.... controlling my Lyra. Hearing her admit to being Gabby Gums, exposing something that me and Lyra wanted to keep private sent me over the edge. Even without properly looking into her claims, I believed it, and I attacked her unprofessionally outside of the school.... I hate her, but now I don’t think she was Gabby Gums. I have my reasons for believing this.

Once Mr. X hung up on his end, I saw my phones background screen of me and Lyra at the park, and a small smile crept its way across my face. I wish I could tell her about my double life, but it’s too dangerous for her to know... and I’m not allowed too anyway. But I hope I can someday, and I hope she’ll still love me when that day comes. Once I was done putting my makeup on, I left my bathroom and entered my bedroom, staring at the dress that was spread across the bed. I was going to put it on, but my eyes darted across the room, and landed on the newspaper on top of my nightstand. The front page had a sketch of a black figure with a thick cloud of shadows surrounding it, and ghostly lifeless eyes. The headline read:

THE GHOST OF CANTERLOT DEFEATS ROBOT AT OLD CIDER PRODUCTION PLANT!

This ghost of ours is becoming quite the famous celebrity here. The first time I heard of it was from the police file about the Changeling incident. I only asked for them because Applejack, Rarity and their two little sisters were taken by those animals, and I wanted to make sure they were okay. That’s when I learned about the ghost and drugs that turned one of the gangsters into a monster. But, as he just said, Mr. X doesn’t consider it a job for us to handle. So, he told me to ignore it and let law enforcement deal with it. I didn’t tell him about the ghost though. The Mare-Do-Well as the criminals call it. Now, we’ve had reports of... well let’s call them superpowered individuals, before. A fellow agent reported a flying person who went by ‘The Masked Matter-horn' out in New York. Another agent reported a costumed individual that went by ‘Zapp’ who could create storms out in Las Vegas. But I have a hunch that this ghost isn’t supernatural at all, but just some lunatic in a costume. Rolling my eyes, I looked back to the dress and began to put it on.

DOWNTOWN CANTERLOT

“This place better be worth it Lyra, that’s all I’m saying. I can’t stand walking in these heels,” I grumbled. I swear, we must’ve stopped like three times on the way just so I could readjust my black high heels, it felt like walking on a toothpick that was jammed into my heel. I don’t know how some of my coworkers are able to operate in heels, it’s a real pain in the ass. Still, the entire time Lyra had her arm around mine, leaning into my shoulder as we walked in unison down the street, really taking in the atmosphere that was downtown Canterlot.

“It will be Bon Bon, just relax and try to enjoy yourself for once, it’s a beautiful Saturday night after all,” she said while giving me a light peck on the cheek. The gesture did calm me down a bit, but walking through this city always has me on edge. Even taking the bus straight to the main district, passing the bottom slums of the maze of alleyways down below, this place was still like a jungle from hell. Even coming onto the nicer areas, we passed homeless junkies spasming out on the sidewalk, hookers trying to sell us a deal for a couples special and the occasional crowd of hoodlum's cat calling us. The entire time Lyra still wore her happy smile, but I could feel her fingers tightening around my arm. It never used to be this bad, but slowly the entirety of downtown was becoming a crime hotspot; I was even debating just going somewhere else in the suburbs shopping area where most of us go to now. But Lyra was pretty adamant about coming, she says she doesn’t get to see the city life that often... but after the fifth group of sketchy guys we came across, I think she was starting to understand why.

“Let's take a short cut, I don’t like how that group is staring at us,” I said, leading Lyra into a nearby alley. In hindsight it was probably a stupid idea, but the large group of guys blocking the sidewalk just made me uneasy. Lyra didn’t object.

“Seriously Bon, you have to lighten up, not everyone in the city is a deranged lunatic.” Of course she was right, but I’ve seen enough of the crime that plagues the city to be on edge about the whole thing... I’d rather deal with another Sunset Shimmer then a group like the Changelings or the Griffons.

“You’re right, schools just been stressing me out lately,” I said, narrowly avoiding a stray cat that ran past us.

“Is it still about the paper? Bon Bon, we’ve moved past it, the whole school has done nothing but support us after the Gabby Gums incident, it’s okay babe,” Lyra said, wrapping her other arm around mine and snuggling closer.

“I know... but... you think Sunset actually did it?” This caused Lyra to stop in her tracks, halting me as well. Her face was puzzled for a moment, but that smile I fell in love with quickly returned.

“Wow, out of all the people to give her the benefit of the doubt, you’re not someone I’d suspect. Especially since you were pretty hellbent on tearing her a new one that day.”

“Trust me, I still hate her... but after having a moment to calm down, the whole thing just doesn’t make sense. I mean, we’ve put up with her antics for more than two years... something about this one just doesn’t seem right.” Lyra put her finger on my lips to shush my ramblings, staring at me with half lidded eyes.

“Babe, don’t worry about it for tonight. She comes back to school on Monday, you can worry about her then. For now, let’s just enjoy the weekend,” she said, trying to comfort me. Only she could pull off such a feat. I take a breather and grab her hand, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Yeah, you’re right. Come on, let’s go -” I snapped into focus by the sound of a bottle rolling down the alley. Looking behind us, my heart dropped. “Lyra stay behind me,” I said, pulling her around me as I stood between her and the group of guys we avoided on the street.

“Oh no...” she muttered, holding my arm tightly. Even without her pressing up against me, I could feel her heartbeat quicken. There were five of them, blocking the way we had come through. I couldn’t make out their faces since they were wearing ski masks and bandanas, some had on hoodies, while others wore nothing but plain t-shirts and tank tops. All of them were armed with some sort of weapon though. Two of them wielded metal chains, one had a hunting knife, another had a pipe. But the guy in the center had me concerned the most. He was clutching the handle of what looked to be a revolver tucked into the front of his sagging pants.

“Lyra, just run and don’t look... back.” Turning around however, fear began to wash over me like a cold shower when we saw three more armed individuals behind us, blocking the exit to the alley. Our attention then shifted to the adjacent alleyway to our right, were two more guys emerged from its black void. We were now surrounded by ten of them. I felt around in my purse, cursing to myself as I remembered I left my issued pistol at home. Stupid of me. I didn’t know what to do, but all I could do was keep Lyra as close to me as possible. My training only allowed me to fight one, maybe two grown men. But ten? I was starting to panic, and Lyra's heavy breathing wasn’t helping.

“Guess it’s our lucky night boys. Two fucking broads got trapped in our web. Let’s try not to kill them before we’re done like what happened last time,” the one with the gun said, his voice sounded broken, as if he were trying to cough out built up mucus.

“Whatever, I want the bitch with the green hair. She’s mine first,” said another guy behind us.

“YOU STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HER YOU PIGS!” I shouted, but my threat was only met with their howls of laughter.

“Ya know, for a fucking carpet muncher she’s got some balls,” one of them mocked.

“Yeah... let’s change that. I’ll take her personally. Who knows, maybe before I put a fucking hole through her heart, she’ll enjoy being on the other team.” The group began to get closer and closer to us, backing us up into the wall. I stood in front of Lyra, at this point she had her eyes closed, sobbing and praying into my back, but I wasn’t holding out any better either. I was scared, shaking even. This was my first time dealing with some kind of threat out in the field, and it wasn’t for any mythical, magical or paranormal monsters either. It was a group of normal people driven to a point of madness with no return. Their crazed eyes were enough to break me, to break my spirit. At that moment I knew I was going to die right here. I was going to watch them do unspeakable horrors to my Lyra, and to me, and there was nothing I could do about it.

SMACK

I was so lost in the hopelessness of it all that I didn’t even feel the back handed slap that was smacked across my cheek, fumbling me to the ground. Lyra screamed as she tried to rush over to me, but two of them were already on top of her, throwing her into the ground and wrestling with her arms and legs. I tried to get back up, but the side of my face was met with the heel of a foot, digging my head into the wet ground. I could feel my hands being restrained, and the back of my dress violently being ripped off. The entire time I watched helplessly as a group of them surrounded Lyra, two of them were also trying to violently rip her clothes off, but she continued to struggle.

“STOP IT! GET OFF OF ME, NO BON BON PLEASE!” She shouted. God knows I was trying to get up, but I had a crowd around me as well, forcing me to stay on the ground. The world began to get blurry from that point, and Lyra’s screams were all that I could focus on as tears started to escape from my eyes... but that’s when it came down. I didn’t even see it, but I felt the foot over my head lift off, and I saw its owner being pummeled into the ground by it. The Ghost of Canterlot, the Mare-Do-Well as they call it, was on top of the man's screaming body, beating him down viciously. I couldn’t even make it out as a person, it was like a giant shadow moving with the darkness, controlling it to its will. I couldn’t even register what I was seeing before the shadow was already off my assailant and on top of one of Lyra’s. The man who was ripping her dress off was now backing away in terror, stumbling as he tried to lift his pants back up, but the ghost was already on top of him too, bashing his head repeatedly against the nearby dumpster, rats and roaches scattered from underneath it with each slam. Lyra was now sobbing in the corner trying to hold her dress up, horrified as she watched the ghost jump from one guy to the other. The thugs, like us couldn’t even process what was happening, all of them were stumbling to grab their weapons or to just stand up, all as the ghost continued to pound them into the ground one by one. When it beat the daylights out of the fifth thug, one finally shouted, “IT’S THE FUCKING GHOST MAN. IT’S FUCKING REAL!” As if they finally realized what was attacking them.

The ghost leaped at that guy next, getting him onto his stomach while holding his left arm. It was so fast that I couldn’t even tell how it did such a feat, but the guy's arm was then twisted in the opposite direction, a loud crack echoed through the alley followed by his howls of pain. But his screams were cut short as the ghost slammed his face into the pavement with its foot, scattering teeth all over the floor. Just like that, it was already leaping towards the next assailant, the cloud of darkness that embodied it looked like some kind of demonic wings, dazing anything that got close to it. One guy did have the courage to strike at it, swinging his metal pipe at whatever he could see of the ghost, but the pipe swung right through its shadowy wings, and the ghost grabbed the guy by the throat and pulled him into its shadow. Once it was done with him, it jumped at the last two guys, leaving a bloodied mess of a body under its void.

At this point I was crawling to Lyra, ignoring the screams and groans of agony all around me. Once I got to her, I held her tightly, crawling up into a ball with her in the corner as we watched the ghost beat thug after thug. Finally, it came down to the last guy, the one with the gun. He was on his ass, his face full of fright as he was stumbling to get his gun out of his pants. Meanwhile the Mare-Do-Well just stood over him, still as a statue as it watched him like a harbinger of death. The only details of it I could make out were those blue, emotionless eyes. Eyes that looked like they could stare daggers into your soul.

Eventually the man was able to pull the gun out, but the ghost quickly grabbed his hand, crushing his fingers between the guns handles and its own palm. The man yelled in agony as we heard his fingers pop and dislocate, and soon the gun was out of his hand and thrown across the alley. That’s when the ghost spoke.

“Hello Max. You’re supposed to be on probation. I have some questions to ask you,” it said, speaking directly to the cowering man. It’s voice, like it’s entire demeanor, was so cold and lifeless. A voice that would give me nightmares. It was quiet, a little raspy and it carried hell with it. The man, Max as he was called, raised his one good hand into the air with a face trying to convince anybody looking at him that he was innocent.

“Hey man, honest to God I was just about to go see my parole officer. I ain’t fucking do anything – AHHH." The Mare-Do-Well grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and slowly began dragging him towards the adjacent alley next to us. But before it did, it stopped and looked over to me and Lyra, and with a voice that still carried that deathly whisper, it spoke in such a caring manner that I just wanted to cry into its arms.

“It’s okay. You girls are safe now. Police will be here any second.” With that, it disappeared into the darkness of the alley, dragging a screaming and kicking Max with it. Eventually his screams disappeared as well, leaving both me and Lyra sobbing into one another with a floor littered with beaten and broken thugs. Not more than five seconds later, the sirens of police cruisers filled the air, and the first black and white pulled into the alley, two cops exited with their guns drawn.

“Alright, alright, what the fuck is going on here?” said one of the officers, but stopped when he saw me and Lyra balled up together. “Ah shit, hey, call medical to get an ambulance out here,” he said to his partner. He rushed up to us and knelt beside Lyra, who was still shivering and sobbing into my arm. But I was still staring into that alley, my mouth hung wide open from shock at what I just saw. The officer was trying to ask me something, but my attention was entirely focused on that alley.

The Ghost of Canterlot, the Mare-Do-Well... our hero. Perhaps it isn’t just some lunatic in a costume.

Author's Note

Yeaaaah, I really did want to incorporate the Bon Bon revelation from the Slice of Life episode into this fic. Please don't hate me :fluttershyouch:

SHORT STORY: The Lord of Chaos

SUNSETS APARTMENT

SLAM

I peeked an eye through the buildup of bubbly shampoo over my hair, startled by the sound of my front door being slammed shut. Even through the pounding of the showers head, it was pretty loud. Peeking out of the curtains, I yelled, “GEEZ RED, COULD YOU SLAM THE DOOR ANY LOUDER?” I didn’t get any response though. Shrugging, I continued to whistle to myself as I finished up my shower, chugging the whole thing up to Red just having a bad day. Once I was done, I turned the shower head off and slowly exited the tub while wrapping my nude body with a towel. Being naked never bothered me, but I didn’t want to get water all over the floor.

“Ouch! Shit,” I yelped, grabbing my side as I stood in front of the mirror. It was stupid of me to go out last night, but I had a lead on a known pusher for Blueblood, and I had to question him. It was a good thing too since I found the scumbag attacking Lyra and Bon Bon in an alleyway with his friends. Thank Celestia I arrived just in time... I could only imagine what they would have done to them if I didn’t intervene.

Still, Red warned me that I needed more bed rest, and damnit was I starting to regret not heeding her warning... for the most part of course. I wiped away the layer of fog that was covering my mirror with the palm of my hand, staring intently at my face in the reflection. Slowly, I lifted the bandage up that was covering my right eye, grimacing at the sight of it. It hurt just as bad as it looked. My eye was still bloodshot red, and the skin around it was still burnt with some stitching going across my eye. Shit, it was going to leave a really bad scar. I’ll probably have to get a new hair style just to cover it up. My main concern though was my stomach. I began to unwrap the bandages around my torso, gritting my teeth as I felt the cloth pick my damaged skin off. Reds huge line of stitching was still very much visible across my midriff, and the surrounding skin was still black and charred. Sighing, I reapplied the bandages and began to fix myself up.

Once I was done, I slipped on a baggy pair of grey sweat pants, and a white tank top, exiting my bathroom as I tied my hair into a ponytail. I heard Red in the kitchen, moving around pots and pans while the stove was on. With my eyes still closed as I finished up tying my hair, I walked into the living room, my mouth practically watering from whatever Red was cooking.

“Hey Red, make sure you don’t put any butter in that, you know what it does to my stomach.”

“Oh of course my dear, you don’t need to worry about that.” My eyes shot open, and ignoring the pain, I spun around in a defensive stance. That was not Red's voice, or Applejacks, or anyone's that I knew.

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?” I shouted. The man standing in my kitchen was cooking some eggs, a sly smirk and his half-lidded eyes were focused entirely on the dish. He was tall, really tall, and was wearing a disheveled brown suit, brown slacks, black dress shoes and an orange shirt with a blue tie. His skin was dark grey, and he had black slicked backed hair with white sides, bushy white eyebrows and a white beard that dangled under his chin. But what really unnerved me were his eyes. They were dark yellow, with red pupils. I didn’t think he was human.

“Feisty aren’t you? Even after I just finished making you breakfast. Or, what would this be for you? Dinner? Considering you haven’t slept all night.”

“I’m going to ask you again; there will not be a third time. Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house!” But my threat was only met with an exaggerated yawn from my intruder.

“Boring,” he said while lifting his hand up, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, I found myself seated in the middle of my kitchen; my island was replaced with a fancy dining room table. In front of me was a plate of steaming hot eggs, hashbrowns and bacon strips, and sitting across from me was my intruder, taking a sip of wine with a steak in front of him.

“Wha- what the hell?” My mind went blank at what just happened, and admittedly, I was starting to panic.

“Oh, my apologies my dear, I know how much you ponies revolt at the sight of meat. Silly me, I would have thought by now you’ve been used to it. What would you like? Pancakes? Waffles? French toast?” The entire time he was snapping his fingers and the plate in front of me changed coinciding with what he was saying.

“Wha- wha- what? Wait, wait wait wait wait wait. Wait damnit. What the hell are you?” It did take everything in me to not freak out, which believe me, not many things could freak me out, but this was pretty close. The man in front of me just kept smirking, leaning back into his chair as a lit cigar just magically popped into his mouth.

“Honestly Sunny, I’m hurt you’d fail to recognize me by now. After all, my statue would give you the creeps all those times you trained with Shining Armor back at the castle gardens.” My eyes flung wide open, and I could feel my whole body begin to shake. It wasn’t possible, but the shit I was seeing right now told me otherwise.

“You’re... no way, that’s not possible. You’re supposed to be imprisoned back at Celestia’s gardens.” I stood up quickly, backing away a few steps out of fear. Discord. The lord of chaos... damnit. My mind began racing at that point. How is he free? Celestia and Luna imprisoned him centuries ago. Oh my... did he take over Equestria? Is everyone I know dead? No no no, this can’t be happening, this just can’t.

“Relaaaaax my dear. Your thoughts are so loud. Equestria is just fine.” I froze at this. Shit, can he hear my internal monologuing? “Yes, I can. But to establish trust, I’ll stop. But you must use your words my dear.” Great. Okay, just take a breather Sunset. I slowly sat back down in the seat, watching as Discord happily sipped his wine and dined on his steak. Trying to find the right words, I decided to ask my first question.

“Why are you free? How did you come to this world? The portal shouldn’t be opening for another couple of weeks!” He lightly chuckled to himself.

“Oh believe me, my little pony, I do not need portals to venture through the vast cosmos of time and space, let alone to something as simple as another dimension.” I don't know what I was expecting for an answer to be honest. “Anywho, as for why I’m not stuck in a cold stone prison, well I am officially reformed thanks to Twilight and her friends, well, mainly Fluttershy but I suppose I can give the whole group credit.” Of course... why am I not surprised. The explanation had me more inclined to believe him. But still, it didn’t answer my burning question.

“Why are you here then? In my place of all places I might add,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest and doing my best to not show any fear. It wasn’t really working. He put down his cigar in an ash tray that randomly appeared on the table, and crossed his hands together, still smiling at me with that smug expression.

“Well, I wanted to see you of course!” His voice was already starting to irritate me. It sounded so whimsical yet so sophisticated... I hated it. He must still be reading my thoughts because he smiled even wider, deciding to continue speaking before I could say anything else. “You know, Twilight talks about you occasionally. Or, oopsie, I met Princess Twilight.” My ears peaked up.

“She... she talks about me?”

“Oh don’t get your hopes up too much, it’s not often, if ever. She just sometimes wonders if leaving you in this world was a good idea or not. She wonders if you’re capable of reformation or if the girls here can even do it. Sometimes she asks that little dragon of hers whether she should have brought you back to Equestria to face justice.”

“Oh...” That.... that honestly hurt a bit. Discord, still smiling decided to add salt to the wound.

“She doesn’t talk about you with Celestia either, and the old princess herself never asked about you when she returned.”

“....oh.” I looked away from him, fighting to keep my tears inside. But... I don’t know... I figured I wasn’t worthy to be on their minds, I tell myself that all the time. But having it confirmed to me just made me feel like a piece of shit. His damn chuckles broke my thoughts.

“Yep, I would feel like shit to. From one piece of trash to the other, don’t think about it too much. Or do, I don’t care.” Wiping my eyes, I glared back at him, regaining my composure.

“That doesn’t answer my question, what are you doing here?” His smile turned into a twisted grin as I could feel his eyes burn a whole through my heart. I’m sure they could’ve if he wanted to.

“Well, I have a reason for being here, you’re not entirely that reason. But I just wanted to check on you, see the damned pupil for myself. I’ve heard stories about you. I remember you in those gardens, and I wanted to see how much of a failure you turned out to be. This world has its own version of the girls back home, and when I heard what you did to the Fluttershy here, well... let’s just say you were going to wish you were dead.” Those last words left me terrified as his voice got more demonic. But he then went back to his normal voice and his sly smile returned. “But, imagine my surprise when I arrived here, and I don’t see you in a pathetic state. I don’t see you in a corner full of rage and regret, withering away like the vermin you are. Now don’t get me wrong, you are still full of regret, rage and a lot of self-hatred, which is pathetic. But the surprise I got was far better than any punishment I could have dished out to you. I must say, this, was a marvelous idea on your part.”

From underneath the table, he pulled out the Mare-Do-Well's mask. I didn’t even flinch or object as he held it, at this point I just accepted whatever was going to happen. Not because of his words though, I tell myself that same shit enough. But just because of the nature of him.

“You know Sunset, one thing that fascinates me about this world is its natural chaos. These creatures are absolutely despicable. It’s a breath of fresh air really. The stark contrast to the typical monster in Equestria or evil God hellbent on power, to the simple rapist, murderers and druggies in this world. It’s incredible just how much chaos these humans can unleash to one another without magic. You my dear, seemed to have fit right in. Your attempts to control all of this is absolutely hilarious. Sad, but hilarious.” His laughter echoed from everywhere in my house, but the entire time I just stared down at the plate of food, accepting everything he said. Once he was done, he stood up, stretching his arms out while grabbing a golden cane from midair. “You know! I want to see you in action for myself!”

He snapped his fingers and I suddenly found myself standing over the edge of a rooftop in downtown Canterlot. The sun was gone and the moon was high in the sky, despite it just being eight in the morning. I was now wearing the costume; my cape was blowing viciously to the side. Discord was standing beside me, both his hands placed over the top of his cane. He took an exaggerated sniff of the air, breathing out in satisfaction.

“Don’t you just smell that chaos,” he cheered.

“What are we doing here? What’s your game?” I demanded. Discord looked over to me, that sinister grin slowly returning to his face.

“I don’t believe you’ve changed Shimmer. I believe you’re still the selfish brat from before. I could smell it off you back in Equestria.” He looked down to the alleyway below us where the shrieks of a woman were ringing through the air. I looked down below, my eyes widened at the scene. A man and a woman were being beaten by a group of four thugs. They were beating the man as two of them held down the woman. I turned around to glare at Discord.

“What is this?”

“Oh don’t look at me. This is just the reality of this world, the untamed chaos that these humans have unleashed. Why don’t you go do what you’re supposed to do ‘hero’ and fix it.”

“Fuck you,” I snarled before jumping onto the buildings storm drain, sliding down it until I reached the floor. The entire time I could hear Discords laughter howl into the air. The loud thud of my boots hitting the concrete ground made the group look over to me.

“The fuck? What’s with the Halloween costume freak?” said one of the thugs.

“That’s enough. Leave them alone or else.” The four of them let go of the couple, one of them grabbed an empty beer bottle off of the floor.

“Or else what? Bitch.” He lunged at me first, swinging the bottle towards my head. I ducked and tackled him to the ground, pounding away at his face. But after the fourth punch, I stopped and grabbed my side, wincing from the shock of pain that ran across my stomach. I didn’t take the morphine this morning. The only reason I was able to go out last night was because of it, but now that it’s worn off, I could feel all the pain again from the Flim Flam fight. For that brief moment I stopped, someone from behind me swung a metal pipe, hitting me right at the side of my head. In my dazed state, another guy dragged me to the ground by my cape, before kicking me repeatedly in my side. Curling up into a ball like a fetal, the other guy began to slam my back with the pipe. The pain was now unbearable, and mustering up everything I had, I swung my foot back, crashing my heel into the pipe wielders knee, causing him to drop the pipe and fall to the floor. The loud crack followed by his screams made the kicker stop for a minute, and with that brief period of time, I grabbed the pipe off the floor and bashed it into his ankle, sending him falling to the ground.

With the hit of adrenaline still washed over me, I got to my feet and began to hit the pipe over him repeatedly, my grunts of anger were accompanied by Discords maniacal laughter from up above. Satisfied with the bloody mess lying before me, I threw the metal pipe at the face of the third thug, and jumped at the fourth. He tried to stab me with a large hunting knife, but I was able to grab his wrist, twisting it in multiple directions until he dropped it. Finishing him off, I smashed my knee over the side of his head. With the adrenaline starting to drop, I stood up, panting heavily while holding my side. The only one that was still conscious was the one with the busted knee. He was trying to crawl away, scared out of his mind. Sighing, I looked behind me at the scared couple, trying my best to speak in a calm tone.

“It’s okay... you’re safe. Get out of here.” Without questioning, the two ran out of the alley.

“NO NO NO NO NO!” Discord yelled from up above like a child having a tantrum. Within the blink of an eye, he was down the building and standing right next to me, the look on his face was a mixture of annoyance and un-amusement, as if I had just taken a shit on his birthday cake.

“What do you want now,” I said in frustration. Discord was looking at the thug trying to crawl away, then back to me, his glare looking uncharacteristic of him given the brief time I’ve met him.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Kill him!”

“Are- are you serious? I’m not going to kill him you deranged lunatic. I’m going to tie him up with his friends and leave him for the cops.”

“DON’T GIVE ME THAT SUNSET SHIMMER!” The switch up in his voice made me back away in fear, it was loud, echoey and almost demonic like. “DON’T SIT THERE AND ACT LIKE YOU’RE SOME KIND OF GOOD PERSON! YOU’RE NO BETTER THAN THIS SCUM! IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THEN ACCEPT YOUR PLACE AMONGST THE FILFTH AND KILL HIM!” This set something off in me, and I suddenly found my confidence again.

“NO!” My sudden shout made even Discord look surprised. “No... you’re wrong. It has nothing to do with being a good person. It’s about doing what’s right! If I'm going to do this, I’m going to do it right!” I already told Red, I’m no killer. I was so close to crossing that line during the Fall Formal, I will not make that mistake again. Discord gritted his teeth, his eyes glowed red and his body started to change. Hair began to grow around his face, and the rest of his body started to extend like a snake. Horns began to protrude from the top of his head, and his teeth grew large and turned razor sharp. Soon he was in the form that I knew him to be, that all of Equestria knew him. The draconequus, the spirit of mischief, the lord of chaos. As the giant hybrid dragon stood above me, I did my best to be as fearless as I could be as I stood before him.

“Fine, if you won’t get the job done, I will!” He turned to face the crawling thug, and lunged at him with his mouth wide open, his rows of razor-sharp teeth were ready to strike.

“NO,” I yelled, and without even thinking, I lunged in front of him, standing between the him and the downed thug. With no hesitation, I threw my arm up into the air, lodging it between his mouth and stopping Discords attack. He chomped down, digging his teeth into my arm. I yelled in agony, but continued to hold my ground against the relentless beast. Even with my arm in his mouth, he still spoke in my mind clear as day.

“Why? Are you telling me you’re willing to risk your life just to save this trash?”

“YES!” I could feel his mouth slowly give. “You’re right, I’m not a good person. Nothing I can do will ever change that or make up for the pain I’ve caused. But I will not cross that line! I’ve spent my entire existence devaluing the gift of life, I almost killed innocent people at my school. I will never go back to being that person. Whether redemption is possible or not, I will do everything I can to save people, and do so without playing executioner. Because I learned that I am not above anybody. Not in this world or Equestria.”

“You’d refrain from killing criminals? Even if that damns you to a never-ending war against crime?”

“So be it. I will not spend the rest of my life as a monster.”

“Then you realize this is all in vain then.”

“No. Because of me people are alive and safe. Because of me violent criminals are behind bars. Nothing you say or do will ever take that away. Regardless of anything else, that’s the one thing I’m not ashamed of. If you want to kill this man then you’re going to have to tear me apart, because I don’t give a damn if you’re some kind of God or not, I will do everything I can to stop you Discord.” He didn’t say anything after that, and we were in the same position for a while, staring each other down, refusing to back out. But eventually he yielded, he opened his mouth and released my arm from his grasp, floating away as he continued to stare at me.

“Heh... you ponies, I swear.” With the flick of a finger, the world around us began to turn white, and everything began to fade away like the floating specs of a dandelion after being blown. Eventually I found myself back in my apartment, wearing the clothes I had been wearing after my shower. All the injuries I just sustained during that little scuffle were gone... except for the bite marks Discord gave me. Speaking of which, he was no longer in his natural form, but was back in his human form, tidying his suit and adjusting his tie.

“Huh? None of that was real?” I said, looking around in confusion. Discord just chuckled to himself.

“No my dear, none of that was real... except that bite I gave you.” I looked down to my arm, grimacing at the four punctured holes that were leaking blood onto my floor. “I could fix it, along with all your other injuries... but I won’t.”

“What was the point of all of this then?”

“I just wanted to see what you would do. You didn’t disappoint. I was lying to you, Twilight does talk about you quite a bit, and Celestia does ask her about you from time to time. Would you like to know what she says?” I smiled, and sighed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a dark thunder cloud had dissipated from around my heart. I collapsed onto the couch near me, closing my eyes with a grin.

“No... I don’t want to know.” Discord smiled, and began to walk towards my door, but stopped when he was in front of it.

“You know, I always wondered about this place, why the old wizard never gave much care to it. He only ever saw it as a dumping ground for monsters and dark magic. I always just assumed this place was far beyond saving... I guess I was wrong.” I raised my head over the couch's backrest, staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t worry about it. Hopefully I’ll see you again soon. This was quite the most fun I’ve had in a while, but I must get going, I have a tea date with Fluttershy. Too-da-loo.” With that, he snapped his fingers and disappeared before my eyes. Not trying to question the breakage of physics I just witnessed today, I laid back down on the couch, holding my blood-soaked arm while just staring at the ceiling.

“Fucking waste of a Sunday.”

SHORT STORY: Late Night Test Run

DOWNTOWN CANTERLOT

“Sunset, you do know that you have to go back to school tomorrow? It’s already close to midnight,” Red unfortunately had to remind me of such an unpleasant idea right when I was about to do something pretty exciting. I was crouched on the edge of a building, peering out into the quiet streets of downtown Canterlot. I can never get enough of this city.

“Oh please, like that’s going to stop me. I was considering just skipping to be honest. I have to plan for the Grand Galloping Gala anyways,” I said. I could hear Red scoff through the earpiece, which admittedly made me grin.

“Absolutely not young lady! Celestia will extend your suspension or just expel you if you do that.”

“I fail to see the issue here.”

“Sunseeeet,” she said with a tone that sounded like an angry mother warning their misbehaved child not to touch something. Rolling my eyes, I stood up, letting my cloak lightly flow with the wind.

“Fine, whatever. No promises to coming back home in time though. AJ called?”

“Sure did. She’ll be back a little later tomorrow, she went to go pick up the family at her Grandpa Pears place, but she says a nasty storm is anchoring them down for the night.” This was at least somewhat relieving to hear... I still didn’t know how I was going to deal with her being involved in this, and I knew she would’ve been huddled right next to Red all-night condemning both of us for this shit, and I didn’t really want her to screw up her sleeping schedule like I’ve already screwed Reds up. Besides, I didn’t want her getting into Red's head. AJ was really bothered that our school nurse was aiding in this, nothing I said could really change that. So, I told her to just get used to it, to which she wasn’t happy about either.

“Damn... I still can’t believe she knows,” I muttered.

“Are you serious? It was only a matter of time before she’d figured it out, and with that eye of yours practically blasted away, I’d be surprised if no one else does.” I stared out down the road, watching as a black pick-up truck slowly drove towards the building I was on.

“Well It’s a good thing you helped restyle my hair. Unfortunately, it’s a little shorter than I’d like it to be, but it should cover my eye up just fine.”

“Yes, and now you look like your fourteen and you listen to The Cure. I just love helping my school kids discover their true selves.” Despite Red’s obvious sarcasm that I’ve grown accustomed to, she was right. The hairstyle wasn’t something that I would personally have done if it weren't for the injury, but I’d lie if I said it didn’t grow on me. It did take a lot of cutting and stylizing to keep it in that general shape, but the end product did have me looking like a young emo girl with half my face covered by my one-sided bangs. Though with Reds shitty nonexistent hair stylist skills, it looked more grunge than emo. But perhaps it did fit right in with my current mood. Besides, I did like The Cure quite a bit... Just Like Heaven was the first song I tried to play on guitar when I first arrived to this world. That song was the catalyst for my awkward transition from using magic and hooves to fingers with instruments... It’s a damn good song too.

“Yeah well, thanks for that, seriously.” The truck came to a stop right below the building the I was standing on. All four of the doors opened, and out exited four men wearing all black with ski masks. The ones on the driver side had crowbars and large empty potato sacks, while the passenger side guys had flashlights and also wielded crowbars. One of them shined the light above the building's doors, illuminating the ‘CANTERLOT FINE JEWERLY’ sign that hung above. Smiling to myself, I stretched my arms out and let out a yawn.

“Alright Red, time to put this shit into our first field test,” I exclaimed, throwing my cloak over my shoulders to reveal my body. More specifically, to reveal what was around my waist. Smiling to myself like a giddy little child, I looked down to the dark purple utility belt that was clasped loosely around my hips, damn I’m a little too skinny. It had multiple large pouches that went all around the belt, its center was latched with a silver buckle. On the side of it, weighing half of it down, was a holster that carried an item I had been working on for a while. I stepped onto the edge of the building, unholstering the makeshift gun and examining it carefully.

The grip was a matte black carbon grip that I took off of a Dan Wesson revolver. But for the frame, I was able to do quite the modifications. It, just like the grip, was also plated in carbon, but at the end of the frame was a bulge where a spool was placed inside of it. Wrapped around and connected to the spool was over fifty feet in length of a strong monofilament wire that was capable of carrying two tons in weight. The barrel of the gun was shorter and thicker, yet the exit hole was smaller in diameter then a normal gun so the wire could run through it smoothly. Sticking out of it, were the wire connected to, was a claw like grapple. Above the frame was a small gas tank the size of my hand, yet with enough pressure to blow up a car... It was difficult connecting it and feeding the small tubes of it to reach the other gizmos and mechanical shit connected to the spool, but after months of reading and understanding the mechanics of gas-powered tools, I was able to finalize it earlier today after my... well, let’s just say my weird mini adventure with a God-like being from back home. I finally understood it all after figuring out how Flim Flam and Shill got their robots to fire their God forsaken claws out. I won’t go into too much detail, but I basically was able to take that design and shrink it. Red still couldn't understand how I was able to figure it out all by just looking at it... but when you’ve read about it since you first put on this stupid costume, shit just falls into place, I guess.

I had two more mini gas tanks in one of my belt's pouches, along with a mini tool kit in case I had to repair the grapple gun or use for any other means. The belt carried a lot of things that would make my life easier. Lock picks, a multipurpose flash light that had infrared and black light, finger dusting kit, a portable camera, hidden recorder, mini torch, an extra earpiece, tracker, portable charger and four custom made steel handcuffs. It took a while to put all this shit together. But one thing that I was putting a lot of time into, almost as much as the grappling gun, was the baggie of small black pellets in the front pouch. With the gun in one hand, I took a handful of the pellets in the other, watching as the men down below began to break through the window of the jewelry store. I began to get excited when the stores security alarm blared out. That left me five minutes before the police would come... with my new artillery, I’ll have these punks wrapped up in a nice little present in half that time.

“Oh... please be careful Sunset. Your arm could tear if you don’t use that grappling gun right. Remember, I just stitched up your arm after that dog attacked you this morning.” I grimaced a bit, remembering the strange day that I had.

“Yeah... dog,” I repeated. Fucking Discord. Brushing it off, I waited as the guys down below finished up stealing as much jewelry as they could. These guys must’ve been experts because it didn’t take any longer then forty-five seconds for them to jump out of the store through the broken window. The two empty potato sacks were now large and full, I could see the glistening reflection of diamonds, pearls, silver and gold peeking out from the top of the bags.

“Alright... here goes nothing.” Taking a deep breath, I let my body lean forward before diving off of the building. It felt a lot harder during midflight from such a height, but I was able to keep my nerves at edge and fire the gun towards the quickly fading rooftop, a spark of steam shot from behind the tank and towards my face. As before when I was testing it, the grappling hook shot out from the barrel, the thin wire following in pursuit as its speed ruptured the sound barrier. Much to my relief, the hook lodged itself into the buildings side, and quickly I began to take some pressure off of the trigger.

“Remember Shimmer, to quickly add slack, hold the trigger down. To repel and lose the slack, let go of the trigger. To control the speed, alternate in pressure,” I quickly reminded myself. With barely any pressure on the trigger, the wire stiffened and became tight as the grappling gun slowly gave slack, and just like that, I found myself slowly floating down to the ground. The smile that was stretched from ear to ear under my mask could rival Pinkies right now. Getting me even more excited was the second tool in my other hand.

As I slowly descended towards the group, I threw half of the pellets in my hand down at them, each of them popped and let out a cloud of black smoke as they crashed into the ground.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” The guys stopped and began to freak out as the black smoke from the pellets began to engulf them. Using this element of surprise, I let go of the trigger entirely, yanking the rope to take the hook out of the wall and let myself fall into the middle of the group. Amongst the night sky and black smoke, they didn’t even notice I was there... my tools were working perfectly. I threw a right punch at the guy in front of me, knocking him to the ground before lunging with a side kick to the head of the guy behind me, knocking him out next. With the smoke still in the air, the other two hadn't even realized what just happened. But the smoke was slowly dissipating, so I threw down the remaining pellets in my hand, shooting up a brand-new cloud of smoke.

“HEY WHAT THE HELL’S GOING ON?” Another rapid fire of punches at another one, knocking him down before finally leaving the last terrified thief. He lunged out of the smoke, panicking as his eyes darted everywhere.

“What the fuck? Hey where the fuck are you guys?” As he was nervously looking around, I jumped out of the smoke and landed on top of him, his screams of fear were muffled as I grabbed his face and smashed it into the ground once, knocking the final thief out. Just like that, what usually took me at least ten minutes to do, I did in less than thirty seconds. All with the new tools at my disposal. As the smoke disappeared, I rounded up all four punks, handcuffing their hands together and leaving them in a nice little circle. I was able to connect them all together with two of my custom handcuffs, I would have to make more since I was most likely not getting these back. Its just that the material for them took a while to get since I was making it with untraceable metals, which weren’t easy to obtain. Still, it was totally worth it. Standing up straight with my fist on my hips, I felt a sort of pride that I haven’t felt in a very long time. Is it fucked up it’s for the one thing that’s going to kill me? Probably, but my new grappling gun and utility belt is going to bring a whole new edge to this life of mine.

“I don’t hear any more cries of pain or anything... so I’m assuming the test run was a success?” Red asked, breaking my little proud moment.

“Correcto. It worked incredibly.”

“That’s good to hear, now get back home, both of us have to go into school tomorrow.” I listened as the police sirens grew closer and closer, the smile on my face never leaving.

“You kidding? Hell no, I still have plenty of pellets and three full gas tanks. This field test is far from over,” I joyfully exclaimed, aiming my grappling gun up ahead at the building's roof before firing it. Once I felt the hook connect to the building, I let go of the trigger entirely and began to ascend up the side of the building... no more having to climb emergency ladders or stairs, or waste my energy on parkour. I could hear Red sighing in defeat.

“I don’t know why I even bother. Fine, let me make some coffee.”

Author's Note

Seriously, "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure is a really damn good song!

SHORT STORY: Scootaloo

SCOOTALOOS ROOM

I couldn’t sleep last night... I have a hard time sleeping nowadays. Every time I try to go back to bed, I keep remembering that day. The day the police officers arrived at my house, sat me down in the living room and told me that my mom and dad were missing... when they told me they found my dad's chopped off hand in their tent... I love Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty, but nothing they could’ve said or done after that day could make me feel any better. Aunt Holiday doesn’t talk much anymore, I mean dad was her little brother after all, I could only imagine what that feels like. So with the sun still set, I just stood in front of my bedroom mirror, seeing how long I could keep my eyes open before they began to turn red. I counted thirty seconds.

I looked awful, I really did. I never cared much for the girly stuff like Sweetie Belle, but I at least use to do the basic hygiene stuff. Wash my face, do my hair, that kind of stuff... but lately it’s been difficult doing that stuff too. My hairs always a mess, it’s been growing out and I haven’t been bothered to cut it nor shape it anymore. I just let it hang down, it’s almost covering my eyes now, it’s already gone past my ears and closing in over my shoulders actually. Diamond Tiara teased me saying it looks like I rolled off the bed and just walked out of the house, but at some point, when I stopped reacting, she backed off... though, she’s been getting kind of distant too after that whole Gabby Gums thing.

I stared at the five framed photos that were under my mirror. The first one was of me and my parents... Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood are their names. They’re adventurers, traveling the world to study rare wildlife, cultures and sometimes hunt treasures. But Aunt Holiday tells me they usually prefer to do science stuff then archaeology. She always tells me how important their work is, which I never doubted. It just sucks I don’t get to see them for a long time. If I’m lucky, I’d be able to see them at least three times a year... but that didn’t happen last year. It didn’t even happen once. They were out in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, traveling with some other wildlife scientist, something about discovering a hidden part of the jungle. But that was the last we ever heard from them. Dad sent me one last letter before they went quiet. For a whole year there was no word, but I got distracted with all the crazy Fall Formal stuff. Afterwards though, at the beginning of this year is when the police told us they think they were kidnapped. Dad's hand.... well, I’ll just say there was a lot of other evidence for them to believe that... unfortunately since it’s in another country, there’s not much that they can do but leave it up to Brazilian officials to solve the case... since then, they’ve been the only thing on my mind. Auntie Lofty had to lock my door for a while because I was serious about going to Brazil to find them myself... I think Aunt Holiday was to. But Auntie is smart, she knew how dumb that would be... it’s the Amazon Rainforest after all.

Sighing, I looked over at the photo next to it where me, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were at a demolition derby, one of our many attempts to find something that we’re good at. I don’t know why, I guess we were just scared that we would be jobless after school... I miss doing that stuff though, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle still find hobbies, the newsroom being the latest, but I stopped after the police visit. I haven’t told them the truth, but they know somethings wrong. I was going to, but after they were kidnapped by that Changeling gang over the Gabby Gums stuff, I figured they had enough on their plates. Plus, it seems Applebloom had even more issues when her family was being blackmailed by two other criminals, they almost killed Applejack too until the Ghost of Canterlot saved her... I wish the ghost could save mom and dad. I wish I could find a way to call out to it if the stories I’ve seen on the news are true.

The next photo was the three of us with our sisters and their friends. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were standing behind the three of us while we were all posing in front of a roller coaster at Equestria Land. One of the best days of my life, it happened right after the Fall Formal. I’m glad those girls are friends again, though I don’t know how I feel about Sunset Shimmer hanging out with them now. We didn’t invite her that day for obvious reasons, the Fall Formal was still so fresh on our minds, we just wanted a break. Plus, Applebloom was pretty serious about not inviting her. But after recently? It was crazy of her to take the fall for the Gabby Gums stuff, and I don’t know what happened, but both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are friends with her now... I still don’t know what the think about her, plus we’ve never really talked. Even back when she was the number one bully, our paths never crossed.

The fourth photo was of me and my aunts, and the fifth was me and Rainbow Dash at a soccer game she took me to... I still haven’t told her either. She knows I’m dealing with stuff, but I haven’t said what. I feel awful because Rainbow Dash is the coolest person I know; she’s like my big sister and I want to be brave just like her! But... I’m not. I’m so scared, and sad, and I don’t know what to do. I just want my mom and dad back... I want them to be safe, but I’m scared their dead or being hurt.......... they’re most likely dead already...... I don’t think they’ll ever find their bodies...... the suns rising, I should get ready for school.

CHS

It's pretty cool Rainbow Dash started a band with the other girls. I was in the band room with them, sitting on the side steps on the right side of the room. Sitting next to me was Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, we were all on the edge of the steps as the girls jammed on, Rainbow taking the forefront as she shredded her guitar. I got to admit, even in my current mood, Rainbow Dash could always get a smile off of me, even if they weren't the smiles like they use to be, it was still something. As she shredded her axe, the other girls slowly eased off their instruments, looking annoyed at Rainbow Dash as she bounced up and down, feeling in sync with the music that she was playing. After some time, she began to float in the air, the wind around us started to pick up like a mini tornado, sparks of rainbows shot out from her, and eventually her hair grew long like a tail, and horse ears popped out of her head. But what really awed me were the wings that shot out of her back, and as she neared the end of her solo, she flew down to the ground, sending a rainbow shockwave across the room. It was like a hurricane blaring across the music room, sheets of music were scattered in the air as Rainbow Dash closed out.

“Wasn’t that awesome,” she said, but the other girls didn’t look as happy as she did.

“By awesome, if you mean hogging up the lime light, then sure. Anyways I’m more curious about those ears and wings of yours. You ponied up again,” said Rarity, staring at Rainbow Dash as if she was a zoo animal. Dash looked behind her, seeing her wings slowly start to disappear. It was weird, I didn’t really understand any of it, but occasionally when they played their instruments, they would ‘pony up,’ as they called it, just like back at the Fall Formal. I’m guessing it’s that other worldly magic Twilight brought... or something like that.

“Whatever it is, it’s super awesome,” shouted Rainbow Dash again.

“Oh oh oh oh! What if the magic is connected to our instruments! Like some kind of magical battery! Kind of how like how when I eat cupcakes and I get like, super-duper extra-duper hyper,” said Pinkie. The thought of an even crazier Pinkie kind of disturbed me.

“I guess that could be one explanation... but it’s not like our instruments themselves are magical,” said Fluttershy so quietly that I’m surprised anyone was able to hear her at all. Still, don’t let her timidness fool you, one time me and the girls had a sleepover at her place, Rarity was busy that night, and to keep us from trashing the house, she gave us this really scary stare. Shut us up right then and there.

“Yeah, well, I’m sure someone here could explain it,” said Rainbow Dash. As if on cue, we all looked to the back corner of the room at the girl was who sitting against the wall. Sunset Shimmer had her knees up against her chest, with arms wrapped around them and her head lying between them. Quietly, she was snoring with her eyes closed, stuck in a deep sleep.

“She’s still asleep through all of that?” Sweetie said in disbelief. Rarity sighed, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head as her keyboard dangled from the strap over her shoulder.

“She’s been asleep since we got here. I was the first one here and I found her nodding away in that corner,” said Rarity.

“Yeah, which is a real shame too since I was going to give her a big mega hug since we haven’t seen her for two whole weeks!” exclaimed Pinkie.

“Yeah well, I was going to give her a piece of my mind. She hasn’t been answering my calls or text at all the past two weeks, and she’s missing a tooth. Plus, I’m still mad at her about the Gabby Gums thing, when she wakes up, I’m going to give her a talking to,” declared Rainbow Dash.

“I’m more surprised she’s even tired, she had two weeks off of school. Imma try and wake her up,” said Applebloom with a big grin on her face. She was about to get up, but stopped when Applejack cleared her throat loudly enough to grab all of our attention.

“Nah, just leave her alone, we still got a couple of minutes before the bell rings. I know other than me, Rarity, Sweetie and Applebloom, none of y'all have seen her for a while, but I’m sure the girls got a good reason for hitting the hay as hard as she is.” The entire time, she wasn't looking at any of us, she was focused on tuning her guitar. That’s when we were all startled by the sudden shouts coming from Sunset Shimmer.

“NO! I’M SORRY!” Sunset Shimmer was now wide awake, breathing heavily as if someone dumped a bucket of ice water on her. We all stood still in silence, staring at her with puzzled faces... all except Applejack who was still tuning her guitar. She didn’t look surprised by Sunsets sudden episode at all.

“Morning sleepy head,” Applejack said, looking away from her guitar and to the shaken-up Sunset. Looking around the room, Sunset’s breathing quickly steadied itself, and almost with the snap of the finger, she looked calm. I was kind of shocked how quickly she was able to get a grip... it sounded like she was having a pretty bad nightmare.

“Dang... how long was I out? I don’t even remember coming in here,” Sunset said, rubbing her one tired exposed eye with the back of her hand. I just now realized she had a new hairstyle, her long bangs were covering her right eye completely, and the rest of her hair was kind of shaggy and messily hung around her shoulders. It was a bit 90s grunge if you asked me... but I kind of liked it, it looked cool. Only now was I starting to see that missing tooth Rainbow Dash was talking about... it looked really bad. What really struck me though was her one exposed eye. The dark bags that hung around it and the bloodshot red state of it reminded me of my own tired eyes. I knew she hadn’t been sleeping much because even after a nap that hard, she looked so exhausted.

“Just for about twenty minutes... long night?” asked Applejack, a warm smile was stretched across her face. Sunset took a deep sigh and leaned her head back against the wall, grinning back at AJ.

“Yeah... really long night.” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and glared at her, letting her guitar hang from her shoulder strap. But before she was about to say anything, Rarity leaned a bit forward, getting a good look at Sunset, her brow furrowed and she looked like she was forcing a smile.

“Oh my... uhm... forgive me for being so straightforward darling... but what on earth did you do to your lovely hair?” If you knew Rarity for long enough, you knew she was holding in her screams right now. Sunset stared at her with a blank face, blinking a bit as if she had no idea what Rarity was talking about. Only after a couple of seconds did the blank look get replaced with a small smile, as if the comment finally made sense to her.

“Oh, this? Just wanted to try something new is all. I’ll admit though, it isn’t my best work, but I like how it came out.” She stood up from the ground, stretching her arms and legs out as if she were stuck in a sleeping pod for years. I was starting to notice that she was beginning to wear jeans all the time now, but I guess it makes sense since its still pretty cold. But I don’t know, she usually never wears them. The only other style change that caught my eye were the fingerless gloves on her hands. Those were new I thought. But she was still wearing the black leather jacket everyone knew her to wear, and that purple t-shirt with that wicked sun logo... I don’t know why I was so interested in what she was wearing, but for some reason right now just feels like the first time I’m really looking at her. I kind of dig her style. Smiling a little, I spoke.

“Rough nightmare?” I don’t know why I said it, but it just slipped out. Everyone in the room looked over to me, probably surprised that I actually spoke. Even Rainbow Dash looked a little shocked that I said something, to Sunset nonetheless. I don’t blame them though; I don’t think I’ve really talked to anyone for more than three weeks now. I've just been kind of a ghost at CHS for a while. But Sunset didn’t look as surprised, she just gave me a smirk while picking up her bag.

“Something like that kid.” I couldn’t help but grin, ignoring the looks I was getting from everyone else.

“You got any advice on how to get rid of them?” The silence that hung in the air was pretty awkward. From the corner of my eye, I could see Rainbow Dash and the other girls giving me weird, almost concerned looks. But I chose to ignore them and keep my eyes on Sunset. Although she wasn’t giving me a weirded out look, she didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she kind of stood there for a second, tilting her head curiously as she stared at me. I mean really stared at me as if she was like, analyzing my face or something. After like, two seconds, she smiled while scratching the back of her neck.

“Nope, I’m probably not the best person to ask that specific question. But whatever's bothering you, it’ll go away when you confront it,” she said, walking down the stage and brushing past me. “Or it won’t, it all depends on you kid.” I looked back to her, a little stunned. Something about her straightforwardness... I kind of liked it. Though, admittedly that wasn’t the answer I wanted, but it was probably going to be the best answer I would get.

“Where are you going?” asked Applejack, still messing with her guitar as she watched Sunset approach the door.

“Principal's office, I was supposed to go there this morning. Was the ride back to Canterlot alright?” Applejack sighed, putting her attention back to her guitar. I couldn’t tell whether she was upset at her, or happy with her. It was a weird mixture of both.

“It was pretty smooth, would’ve been better if the dang storm hadn’t reared its ugly head.”

“That’s good to hear. What about you kid? I know it must’ve been a crazy week for you,” said Sunset, looking over to Applebloom.

“Aw shucks, it was nothing. I’m just glad my sister is alright. She told you about those dirty brothers and their robot? And how the Ghost of Canterlot saved her!” She stood up from the steps, raising her fist up and punching the air as she started talking about the Ghost of Canterlot. “Just like how the ghost saved us from those darn gosh old Changelings. The way it punches and fights is so cool.”

“Well, I wouldn’t idolize him to much deary. I’m sure the ghost is a vigilante,” said Rarity.

“I heard it was a woman in one of the papers,” added Fluttershy.

“Well, whatever it is, they have my support. Anyone who stands up against evil and saves my friends is awesome in my books,” declared Rainbow Dash. Much like everything, I agreed with her on this. The Ghost of Canterlot saved my best friend and her family twice now... I wish I could contact him... maybe he can do something about my parents.

“Well, I don’t support it. I’m glad he or she saved your lives, but I wouldn’t call them a good person,” Sunset said. We all kind of looked at her a little confused.

“Whaaaaaat? How could you say that Sunny! We have our very own superhero in this city!” said Pinkie. But Sunset just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

“More like a wackjob. If some lunatic is serious about playing Halloween, jumping on rooftops and beating up people with their bare hands, they probably have a screw loose or something. Like seriously, when did breaking the law become okay? Should people just start hurting themselves because they think they’re helping others?”

“Oh you’re one to talk,” muttered Rainbow Dash from under her breath. That’s when the air in the room went from awkward to tense.

“Dangit Rainbow, take that ba-” began Applejack, but Sunset stood in front of her with her arm raised out, stopping her from continuing.

“No, she’s got a point. I am one to talk, right Dash? After all, I tried to kill all of you, so who am I to talk about right and wrong or the law?”

“Dangit Sunset, just hold on a min-” Applejack tried to say again, but this time Rainbow Dash put her arm up, glaring at Sunset as the two stared each other down.

“Stay out of this AJ, I’m not taking anything back. I’m not talking about your past Sunset, and I wasn’t talking about the law either. I was talking about that stupid stunt you pulled two weeks ago,” shouted Rainbow Dash. Sunset’s glare eased a bit, she almost looked a bit taken by surprised. Lowering the tone of her voice, Rainbow Dash continued. “You don’t get to judge people for doing crazy things to help others when you yourself did the same thing.”

“Oh for the love of God, I already told you it’s whatever.”

“No, it’s not whatever. Have you seen your locker Sunset? It’s more vandalized than it’s ever been! For the past two weeks I had to grit my teeth while students talked trash behind your back, talking about how they’ll make your return to school a living hell. All because you wanted to take the fall for the kids. The only reason I haven’t said anything is because Applejack was right, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle have already gone through enough and they don’t need more crap on their plate. But don’t you stand there and tell me that you taking the fall was no big deal. What’s pissing me off though is you’re just accepting it. You’re not trying to fix anything!”

“And who ever said I wanted anything to be fixed? What do you want me to do Rainbow Dash? I tormented this school and tried to kill everyone. You want me to go around holding people's hands shouting kumbaya? I took that blame because I can handle it. I’m already known as a bully so it is whatever. Don’t compare my actions to the vain conquest of a lunatic!”

“ Well that lunatic saved our friends lives, and their families! Did you know the Flim Flam brothers were going to hurt AJ’s family? Even Babs and Braeburn? Say what you will about this vigilante all you want, but Pinkie is right, we have a hero in this city who stood up to save our friends... just like how you did with the kids. If that makes him an idiot, well then so are you.” I could see Sunset begin to grit her teeth. I don’t know why, but she seemed really bothered by the Ghost of Canterlot. Or actually, I don’t think she liked the idea of heroes at all. More specifically, it seems like she herself didn’t like being compared to one or being seen as one. Which I think upset Rainbow Dash the most. The fact she would do something so selfless like take the fall for the Gabby Gums thing, but she’s refusing to acknowledge it as a good or bad deed, and just letting the school degrade her down.

“Whatever,” sighed Sunset, turning around and walking towards the door. But Dash still looked pretty ticked.

“Well hold on, we’re not done here. You still have injuries, and don’t think I haven’t noticed your missing tooth. Are you going to finally tell us what that’s all about? Rarity’s been worried sick about you for the past two weeks. Even Fluttershy and Pinkie were going to go to your house to make sure you were okay.” Sunset stopped, and glared back at Dash.

“It’s none of your business, I’m sick of repeating myself,” she snarled. The statement honestly took me by surprised, and Rainbow Dash looked like she was about to erupt again, until Applebloom stepped forward.

“I’ve been worried about you too Sunset... are you still being hurt by those guys? I know you said you don’t like the Ghost of Canterlot, but maybe he could help you.” There was a silence afterwards, and Sunset just stared at Applebloom with a blank face, until she erupted out into laughter. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sunset laugh, let alone laugh as hard as she was doing now.

“Oh... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh out like that. Trust me kid, whoever this idiot is, I’m sure they have much more important things to do then waste their time on me. I’m fine Applebloom, honestly,” she said, holding her stomach and wiping away a tear. She took a deep breath and composed herself, looking over to Rainbow Dash with a light smile. “Listen... I'm sorry for blowing up like that. I've just had a rough weekend... we cool?” Rainbow Dash stared at her for a bit, before relaxing her brow and taking a deep breath.

“Yeah... I’m sorry too... we’re cool,” responded Rainbow Dash, though she still didn’t look too happy. Sunset sighed and looked over to Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy, smiling at the girls with an uncharacteristically warm smile.

“Thank you for your concerns, it means a lot. But I promise you, I’m fine. No need to worry about me.” Fluttershy blushed a bit while hiding behind her hair, looking away while fiddling with her tambourine. Rarity just took a deep sigh, probably relieved that Rainbow Dash and Sunset didn’t erupt into another fight like last time. Pinkie was still smiling, happy that Sunset and Rainbow Dash quickly apologized and made up. The one person who didn’t look happy though besides Rainbow Dash was AJ. The entire time she was just glaring at Sunset, clearly ticked off about something. “Anyways, I should go see what Celestia wants, I’ll catch you guys later at lunch,” said Sunset before exiting the room.

“Well, that went better than I had expected to be honest,” said Rarity once the door shut.

“Dang girl is way too stubborn... like you Dash,” said AJ. Rainbow rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

“I just wish she would be more open with us... more trusting of us. But she still has a wall up and I don’t see it cracking any time soon,” said Dash.

“Just be patient girls. Sunset hasn’t been on anyone's good side for more than three years, I’m sure this friendship thing is still new to her. She’ll open up when she’s ready,” said Rarity. As the group talked amongst themselves, the conversation went back to the Ghost of Canterlot and then to music. The entire time though I was still staring at the door. Something about Sunsets reaction to the Ghost seemed a bit too personal.

It’s probably nothing though. The bells about to ring, and it’s right back to the nightmare.

NIGHT OF THE FLUTTERBAT - Part 1: Something Positive

CHS: NURSES OFFICE

“You’re such an idiot for taking the bandages off, you know that?” Red criticized. I rolled my eyes as she continued to clean up the wound that was around my right eye. She kept getting annoyed because she had to keep pushing my bangs back since they now naturally fell over my face, but I kept telling her that it is what it is. I was sitting on the medical bed in her office, slouching a bit as Red did her work. Standing in the corner with her arms crossed was a rather upset looking Applejack. What was her problem, I thought.

“Yeah well, having a big ass bandage wrapped around my God damn face isn’t the hallmark of what I would call, keeping it low-key,” I retorted. But Red just frowned at me.

“Don’t be a smart ass with me Shimmer. You said your vision is slowly coming back?”

“Yeah, I’m beginning to see through my right eye now. It’s blurry, but it’s not pitch darkness anymore.”

“Well, that’s a relief, the blood is dying down, it’s just keeping these stitches and burnt scars clean since you don’t want to have a bandage covering it. Otherwise, it looks like you’re good to go,” said Red, wiping some blood off my face and then packing her medical tools away. I looked over to AJ, who was still glaring at me.

“What’s up your ass?” AJ’s mouth hung wide open after I said that, as if I had just taken a shit in her lunch.

“Are you serious? What was that crap you pulled off in the music room?” Red stopped packing her tools for a minute, looking over to AJ, then to me with a confused look.

“Oh, don’t get on my ass for that. Seriously, Dash took that discussion way overboard,” I said. Which was true after all, I don’t know why Rainbow Dash had to get so anal when we were talking about the stupid Mare-Do-Well. It pisses me off when she tries to judge my life decisions, but the look on AJ’s face right now told me that she didn’t necessarily agree with my sentiments. She sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“Yeah, I know Dash can be a hard head most of the time, which is why I’m so ticked at you right now. Because by now you should know how Dash reacts to things, you should have known that years ago. So why the hay did you feel the need to give your opinion about the Mare-Do-Well? You should of just kept your darn mouth shut and let the girls have their own discussion about it, but noooo, you just had to voice your opinion on the matter, knowing Dash would have said something.”

“Yeah, I have to denounce my support for it AJ, I have appearances to keep up,” I responded, but this only seemed to infuriate my country friend even more.

“Don’t give me that crap Sunset. You and I both know why you opened your mouth; it had nothing to do with you trying to keep up appearances. It bothered you hearing the girls support the actions of the Mare-Do-Well, for some reason, it angers you when people call you a hero,” said AJ. I was pinching my arm pretty tightly, avoiding eye contact with her and Red. I knew she was right... I just hated being called a hero, especially by them. It just... it doesn’t seem right. AJ probably could see my guilt and frustration, because she just took a deep breath and calmed herself down, walking over to me and plotting right down on the bed beside me. “Look sugar cube, I don’t mean to give you a hard time... I guess it’s just that this whole thing is still confusing to me.” Well, she was right about that, I guess. Red sighed and closed her medical box, walking over to a nearby cabinet and putting it inside of it.

“How’s your stomach doing?” asked Red, trying to move on from the topic at hand no doubt. I stood up from the bed, raising my shirt to reveal my bandaged stomach.

“Still hurts like a son of a bitch.”

“Yeah, well, you were grappling up buildings all night, so I don’t expect it to heal any time soon.... you want an excuse note to get out of class? You can rest here if you’d like,” said Red. I don’t know why, but something about that just made me happy... I really am lucky to have Red on my side with this, despite my negative thoughts on the matter.

“Nah, it’s okay. I have a calculus test next period, and I need to get Celestia off my ass about my grades. So I have to take it,” I said, lowering my t-shirt and slipping on my leather jacket.

“What grade do you have in the class?” asked AJ.

“A 54.” Yeah, I wasn’t doing so hot in school. I never did homework anymore, and most of the time I was sleeping in class, albeit for short periods until the nightmares jolted me awake. Test were the only things keeping me afloat in most classes. I knew the material well enough to get solid Cs and Bs, a few As on test, but I just had more important things to do then study or do homework. Still, both Red and AJ didn’t look too happy. Honestly, I didn’t really care, but Celestia and Luna just told me that they were going to crack down hard on me if I didn’t pick my grades up, so the least I could do right now is bump that F to a C.

“Why don’t you get your friends to help you study for classes?” asked Red, but me and AJ both looked at her with unamused expressions.

“I know the material Red; I just don’t do the work,” I said.

“Well, how about we go back to your injuries. If these are going to be a regular occurrence, and God forbid they get worst, you’re gonna need to start coming up with better alibis. Seriously Sunset, your injuries are what first made me suspicious, I’m surprise the girls haven’t caught on yet, and it’s not like you can cover all of them like you’re doing with your eye right now,” said AJ. Truth is, I never really cared for explaining them. I was so hell bent on a suicidal path and had already made my mind up on pushing everyone out of my life... but with recent events... well I don’t think I want to do that anymore.

“Yeah... I think you’re right. The excuse I was using is already really suspicious. There’s only so many times I can say I got mugged, and I can’t keep telling people to piss off when they ask me. Okay then, what do you have in mind?” AJ sighed, looking over to Red as if the two already had come up with an excuse.

“Me and AJ were actually talking about this over the phone... we think you should do MMA.” You have got to be shitting me, I thought.

“You have got to be shitting me. Are y’all serious? I’m not doing MMA,” I retorted.

“We’re being serious Sunset, we think it's a perfect alibi. Granted, it probably can’t explain the stab wounds, gunshot wounds or burnt marks... but it can help explain the bruises and cuts on your face, along with those bloodied knuckles of yours that are hiding underneath them gloves, which is what really matters. Besides, it can help you stay in shape and sharpen your fighting skills, which we both know you need,” explained AJ.

I hated to admit it, but maybe she’s right. Most of the more extreme injuries were in places I could cover up; it was just the black eyes and bruises that were hard to conceal... also I could sharpen my skills more. I could fight, sure. But I usually took way more hits than I’d like. Most of the time I used the element of surprise to knock as many guys down as possible, but when the people I’m fighting regain their nerves, it’s a bit harder to hit them by surprise, so I’m usually letting my more brutal, animalistic side unleash and just wailing on them like a psychopath. The day I fought the Diamond Dogs in their underground arena was probably the worst I’ve ever been at combat. I was really just going crazy... and I didn’t really like feeling like that. I need to be swift, brutal and tough sure... but I don’t need to become unhinged and beat people nearly to death... when that does happen too, I feel like... well I feel like the she-demon.

“.... alright, I’ll listen to both of y’all this time. Just because I need to train more. But where am I going to find an MMA gym?”

“Big Mac’s actually in one,” said AJ with a smile. Gotta be honest, that was a bit of a shocker.

“Your brother can fight?”

“Well, he isn’t Mike Tyson or anything, but he does it to keep in shape. The gyms kind of hard to get into, but he can get you into it for free.” I pondered for a moment, thinking really hard, before ultimately nodding my head in agreement. I would just have to find the time to attend. Getting that out of the way, I wanted to talk about something that was kind of bothering me for the past hour.

“Hey, do you know what’s up with Scootaloo?” I asked AJ. Her smile went to a frown and she tilted her head a bit.

“To be honest, I was gonna ask you about that. Dash said she’s dealing with stuff, but I don’t think she knows either.” I sighed, looking to the ground as I began to go into a deep thought.

“I remember back at the cafeteria when your sister yelled at me that she was looking really depressed. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but today reminded me of it. She clearly hasn’t been sleeping, and I doubt that new hairstyle of hers was by choice.” The other thing that unnerved me was the question she asked me. About nightmares.... I may have to talk to Rainbow Dash about it later. I would talk to her myself, but I feel like I’m crossing boundaries. “Anyways we’ll talk about this later, I got to head to class, see you at lunch AJ, see you at home Red.”

CHS: CAFETERIA

“I can’t believe she’s back at school.”

“Looks like the she-demons returned.”

“We would have been better off if she would have just stayed away.”

“Hopefully now she’ll realize how pathetic she is and leave us alone.”

Although they were just whispers from the students around me, they sounded really loud to me. I was sitting at our usual table in the cafeteria, alone as I always came in early. In front of me was a plate of salad, sitting there uneaten as I just poked at it with a fork. The entire time, the whispers and murmurs around me continued, but I just tried to shut them out. Which was easier said than done when the voices grew louder and louder. Eventually, I felt something hit the back of my head, and upon spinning around, I saw an orange rolling on the floor and a group of students sitting at a table glaring at me with hatred. I was glaring back, but stopped before I could let any anger build up in me.

“What are you looking at she-demon? You gonna expose our deepest secrets too?” said one of the boys. I sighed and picked up the orange, walking over to the table and handing the fruit back to the group. They all just stared at me with uncertain looks, but I just didn’t have it in me to fight with them. I never do with the students here.

“No... It was wrong of me to do that... It was wrong of me to hurt you guys... I’m sorry,” I said. I really did feel shitty, and I was hoping that the group in front of me would have just laughed their asses off and push me to the ground... but they didn’t. They just sat there with their mouths hung wide open. Eventually the boy who I assumed threw the orange at me snatched it out of my hand and returned it back to his plate.

“Whatever...sorry for throwing this at you,” he mumbled without looking at me. The rest of the group just went back to their lunches, ignoring me as if I didn’t exist. Honestly, I was a little surprised from this reaction. Sure, they didn’t forgive me... but they didn’t tell me to piss off and go to hell either. I guess it's a step in the right direction. I gave a light smile before turning around to go back to my seat... but I stopped when I saw who was sitting at my table staring at me... it was Fluttershy... shit. Trying not to look anymore awkward then I already looked, I returned to my seat, me and Fluttershys eyes were still locked. I really didn’t know what to say... I’ve been really avoiding Fluttershy to be honest. Pretty shitty of me, I know, but I was just damn terrified to talk to her. I really treated her the shittiest out of anyone, and I hate myself so much for it. Fluttershy is an amazing person, and I’m such a piece of shit for putting her down. I’ve been a pussy about this, but I just didn’t know how to approach her. I really didn’t, and I don’t think she knew how too either. But right now was the first time it’s just been me and her together. Thankfully, and surprisingly, she broke the awkward silence between us.

“I’m sorry the other students are giving you a hard time about what happened,” she said so quietly that if it wasn’t for the fact that the cafeteria was still kind of empty, I wouldn’t have heard a damn thing. Coming back to my senses like a dumbass, I waved a dismissive hand and spoke up.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, I can handle it.”

“Yeah... but you shouldn’t have to though.” The silence fell over us again, I didn’t like where she was going with this. I didn’t like the sympathetic tone in her voice, I detested the idea that this kind person could share some sort of compassion with a heartless bitch like me. So, like I always do, I ran away from the topic, changing it quickly before this shit fest could go any further.

“You’re here early, you get let out of class?” Fluttershy looked at me for a moment, before lowering her eyes down to the sandwich on her tray.

“Yeah... Mr. Cranky surprisingly let us out early. I don’t think he had a lesson planned today,” explained Fluttershy. That was a shocker, that man would come up with torture methods for students if he really wanted to.

“Oh... well that’s cool.... uhm.... how’s the shelter running?” At this point I was just pulling anything out of my ass for it to stick, trying to shit through this shit predicament.

“It’s uhm... It’s going well... I might actually have a part-time job there soon since I’m doing so well with volunteering. It’s great actually, I.... uhm.... well, never mind, I don’t want to bore you.” For a second there, she seemed to have raised her voice a bit, showing a little bit of excitement. I guess she remembered who she was talking to, no doubt some painful memories were in the back of her mind... I need to stop pussying around and try to move past that.

“Actually, I would love to hear more about it. But I thought you worked at the pet store?”

“Oh, I do, but that’s part time too, I'd be working two jobs,” Fluttershy said, that previous enthusiasm was slowly growing back in her voice. “I know it sounds like an awful lot, but I was already practically working at the shelter to begin with. But now I can do more hands-on things with the animals, which is all I really care about.”

“Well, that’s honestly wonderful to hear, Applejack told me that you discovered your talent with the tambourine at the shelter? You could really control hamsters like that?”

“Oh yes, they’re actually very attentive creatures if you know how to communicate with them, I just love them so much.” One thing that always fascinated me about Fluttershy was her ability to communicate with wildlife. Truly it was a skill, no, a gift that defied the laws of nature. Even back at my own magical shit world, that ability was unheard of. Fluttershy was a really special girl, even when I was a bitch to her, I found the talent of hers to be other worldly.

“I wouldn’t really know, I’ve never even seen a hamster in person,” I said, which made Fluttershys jaw drop a bit.

“Really? You've never even seen a hamster?” I simply just smiled at her and shook my head.

“Nope, I’ve never seen one.”

“You haven’t even seen one at a pet store?”

“Well, maybe if I’ve ever been to a pet store yeah, but I’ve never been to one, so I can’t say I have. I’ve always been terrible with animals, I don’t think they’ve ever liked me much,” I responded. Which was absolutely true, I didn’t have much, if any experience with animals, both wild or domesticated... I don’t have a very good history with them. The few times I’ve ever been around a dog or a cat, they either growl or hiss at me. No doubt animals really can smell the scumbag off of you, maybe Discord was right about me after all. Spike honestly was the most I’ve ever been around a dog, and that doesn't really count to be honest. The only times after I encountered any kind of animal was on the streets as the Mare-Do-Well... one of the worst nights I ever had looking back on it. I was fighting a group of gang members in an alley, and one had a damn Doberman with him. He let that big ass fucker go, and the son of a bitch mutt took a bite out of my leg. While I had this big ass stupid dog chomping down on me, I was trying to get him off while fighting some other bastard who was pounding away at me with a crowbar.... damn I really don’t have any positive life experiences. Anyways, I would never tell Fluttershy this, but I ended up socking the mutt in its snout and then swinging the dog by its chain at the brick wall.... when the fight was over, I didn’t realize that the impact severed the dog's spine, and he was completely paralyzed below his torso. The way he whimpered and his upper bottom spasmed.... well, I ended up snapping its neck to put it out of its misery.... I was so broken at that point that I didn’t even shed a tear.

“Oh my.... well, I can tell you that animals can grow on you, they don’t hold hatred in their hearts. They were probably just scared of you, but I’m sure if you try again, your experience can change with them!”

“.......Well, I don’t know about that Fluttershy, I’m pretty sure any animal would hate me,” I said. Fluttershy’s little smile disappeared, and she looked back down to her tray, and once again, the deathly silence fell over us. I glared daggers at my salad, cursing myself for ruining the small little talk we were having. What the hell was wrong with me? Why did I always have to put the negative in every little thing I did? Why could I not just try to grow for once in my shitty, miserable life? Was all I living for really just to hate myself in the day, and then dive into the cesspool of the deplorable wretched toilet of humanity's shit at night? Did I not learn a damn thing with Applejack? I’m trying to grow as the Mare-Do-Well, trying to stand for something, so why couldn’t I do the same as Sunset Shimmer? I’m at a point where I consider Applejack and Red.... well.... friends. So why couldn’t I do the same with the rest of the girls? I just tried to apologize for my past actions at the table of students behind me, so why was it so difficult to keep positive with Fluttershy, the one girl who I should be on my knees for, bowing my head down at her feet and begging her for forgiveness.

Clenching my fork tightly in my hand, I sighed and looked back up to Fluttershy, deciding to hell with these monkeyshines.

“If you’d be willing to... maybe you can help me learn how to be better with animals... I can help you at the shelter whenever if you’d like?” Fluttershys eyes raised from her lunch, and slowly, the frown on her face curled up into a smile as all the color returned to her face.

“.... really? I’d like that very much... you doing anything after school? I could use some help with the new dogs that just came in yesterday. I have to get their cages comfy for them.”

“Yeah... I’d love to come help you today.”

“Thank you, Sunset.... that means a lot.... I’ll drive us over there after school.”

“Sweet, that sounds like a plan!” We both smiled at each other before returning to our lunches. The silence fell back over us.... but for once it was comfortable. For once I didn’t feel like I had a black hole in the pit of my stomach, and for once Fluttershy was smiling around me. Genuinely smiling around me!

Honestly, I was excited about today, I didn’t even think about the Mare-Do-Well at all. We sat there in silence, smiling at each other until the rest of the girls came.

NIGHT OF THE FLUTTERBAT - Part 2: Do you like us?

CANTERLOT ANIMAL SHELTER

Of all the places I’d never even dream of setting foot in, the animal shelter was pretty high up on that list. For a number of reasons of course. My terrible track record with animals and the fact that Fluttershy was always here being the two major ones. Yet, here I was, rubbing the belly of a big ass Rottweiler while Fluttershy knelt beside me, smile as wide as I had ever seen it before. Even the smile on my face was bigger than it's been in a very, very long time. The innocent creature that was lying on its back squirming around excitedly as I scratched his stomach was surprisingly a sight that made me feel nothing but joy. I think when you’re so used to the cruelty of it all, and the violent nature of life, you sometimes forget just how precious it really is. Celestia only knows I do.

“You know, for someone who claims that animals dislike her, these dogs seem to like you a lot,” said Fluttershy. As if on cue another dog, a small corgi, came up beside me and began brushing her head against my thigh. I kept one hand scratching the Rottweilers stomach and placed the other on top of the Corgis head, gently patting it as the dog drew closer to me. This was honestly not what I had expected today. Suddenly the tickle that ran across the light bite scar on my arm had faded away, and the warm feelings of... dare I say happiness... were filling up in my jumbled-up stomach.

“Oh, trust me Shy, this is all a shocker to me as well. Honestly, I don’t think I would be able to do this if you weren’t here. I would fu.... mess something up.” I don’t know why, but swearing in front of her just felt... wrong. I don’t even like swearing in front of Applejack to be honest. With Red it’s different.... I don’t know how, but it just is. Fluttershy’s smile dropped a bit, and she looked back down at the happy animal lying in front of her. It seemed something was on her mind, or more specifically choked up in her throat. She let her hair dangle a bit in front of her face, gently petting the dogs head as I continued to scratch its belly. I guess the touch of an animal is enough for her to gain her confidence, because that’s when she finally spoke up.

“Sunset....uhm.... may I ask you something?”

“By all means, ask away.”

“It’s kind of.... well.... it’s kind of personal,” she said those last couple of words a little too quietly for my comfort. My scratching slowed down a bit, but the dog didn’t seem to mind.

“Uhm.... yeah sure, what’s up?” That took a bit more hesitancy to say then I had wanted it too.

“Do you like us?”

....... I stopped scratching the dog's stomach for a moment, staring at Fluttershy with a puzzled expression before taking a deep sigh, and returning to give my new animal friend some more belly rubs. It took everything I had to not react aggravatedly to that question. I had to remind myself who I was talking to, and I’m not just referring to her timid personality. If anyone deserved to ask such a thing, it was her.

“Why.... what makes you ask that?” Fluttershy averted her attention away from me, instead looking down at her fingers as they traced the folds on her skirt.

“I don’t know.... sometimes I just get the feeling that...... you rather be anywhere else but here.... in our world I mean,” she said, her voice growing quieter as the words trailed out until it was nothing more than an inaudible squeak. But I knew what she said, or at least what she met.

“No, Fluttershy, don’t ever think that. I.... look.... I have a lot of things to sort out here, but right now you girls are the best things that’s going on in my life right now, and I mean that.” Probably the first time I actually admitted that out loud. She looked up to me, blushing a bit as more strands of her hair began to fall in front of her face.

“Really? You really mean that?”

“Yeah, I do. I know I haven’t been doing a good job showing y'all it as of late.... I guess I just don’t feel like I deserve it.” Fluttershy tilted her head a bit in confusion at this.

“Why would you say that?”

“It’s just that.... look.... I.... I’m just....” I couldn’t get the words out. The exact words I needed to say to her. The words I’ve already told Red and AJ. I don’t know why I couldn’t say it as it seemed Fluttershy had already moved on, or was at least trying to. The fact that she even let me come to this, to her fortress of solitude, her one place of absolute peace where she can be herself, showed me that she’s moved past the years of torment I’ve delt out to her, but I just couldn’t do the same. Amidst my struggles to dish out that one sentence, I felt her soft, warm hand touch mines, and her smile told me that everything was okay.

“Sunset.... look, whatever it is you need to say, don’t force it out. When the time comes, I’m sure you’ll be able to say the things you want to say. But in the meantime, I wanted you to come with me today because I too feel like I haven’t been doing a good job welcoming you as a friend.” I felt a nerve get pinched by this, the joy I had felt moments ago felt as though it had dissipated.

“Fluttershy no, don’t say that. You don’t need to do anything like that, it’s me who needs to earn that from you,” I cried out. But she just smiled and shook her head.

“Whether that’s true or not Sunset, I want to be your friend. I’m ashamed to admit that I was scared of you after the Fall Formal.... forgive me for saying this.... but I was really nervous with you being with us. But lately it seems like you’ve been incredibly distant, as if everything was weighing down on you.... after you took the fall for the Gabby Gums incident, which admittedly I too have my issues with what you did, I felt at that moment that you did change”. She took my hand into hers and stared deeply into my eyes. “My point is.... I can tell that things are eating you up, and I don’t want to keep avoiding you or letting you feel as if you need to face your issues alone. I want us to heal, and move on from the past.... I don’t want to see you hurt, or sad anymore, which as of late it seems like we’ve been seeing you that way more and more. You have more injuries then usual.... and I won’t ask you about them because I don’t want you to be upset with me. I just want us to be friends and trust each other.” I guess the element of kindness really is no joke.

“I.... I.....” A thousand thoughts raced through my head. I didn’t want her saying any of this, but at the same time, it really did feel like a light was opening at the end of the tunnel. The time to say what I needed to say was right now. I’ve been avoiding this for too long with her, I needed to apologize to her for everything. For the horrible things I’ve called her, for all the trips in the hallway and locker shoves. I had already accepted trying to move on with AJ, and as shit as an attempt as it is, I’m trying to move on with the rest of the school. But I needed to start with her. With the kindest girl I’ve ever met. But as I was stuttering to get jumbled words out of my mouth, the sudden interruption of my phone blaring in my jackets pocket stopped my attempts.

Me and Shy both stared at each other for a moment, both of us a little taken aback by the loud noise intruding on our little episode here. After regaining my thoughts, I pulled out my phone and read the ID. It was from Red. Realizing that this was probably important, I took a deep sigh and smiled sheepishly at Shy, who just smiled back and nodded her head while rubbing her arm awkwardly. I then stood up and walked out of the kennel and into the shelter's hallway, answering the phone with a sigh of relief.

“What’s up?”

“Hey, you should probably come home right now. You remember your burner phone that you had? The one you asked Tiara to send the Spoiled video to,” asked Red. I stopped walking and stood dead in my tracks, remembering the night that Diamond Tiara called out for me and told me everything about Gabby Gums. About how the whole fiasco escalated when Applebloom and Sweetie Belle recorded a video of Spoiled Rich discussing nefarious acts. I had asked Tiara to send me that video to a spare burner phone I had, don’t ask why I had it. It’s a damn shame Easyglider couldn’t use it in a court of law, but at least I got names from it.

“Yeah, why? What happened?” The panic in my voice sounded clear even to me.

“She just messaged it.”

CANTERLOT PARK: MIDNIGHT

I hated walking out on Fluttershy like that, but she told me she understood and that we could talk later. I promised her I'll tell her what I needed to tell her tomorrow after school. But now I was needed elsewhere.

Although the entire suburban district of Canterlot was safe all things considered, I still wouldn’t want my thirteen-year-old daughter walking around here at the dead end of night. I mean for the love of Celestia, it was approaching one in the morning, and here was this little girl walking around an empty park wearing a damn Luis Vuitton jacket, fucking Filthy Rich. Diamond Tiara slowly traversed down the path that led deeper into the parks small forest, nervously looking around with one hand in the pocket of her expensive yellow leather jacket, and another clutching her smart phone. The blue light illuminated off her face, and as she walked away from the main park's center, away from the street lights, the phones screen was becoming the only source of light around her.

The sound of her leather boots clicking on the pavement walkway sounded louder than the chirping of crickets accompanying it, which seemed to cause the girl to be more nervous. Underneath her jacket was a grey zip up hoodie, with the hood up covering her head. Situated under it was a white baseball cap, its brim lowered down concealing her eyes. My guess was that this was her way of trying to be inconspicuous.... but ignoring the fact that she’s a little girl walking around in the middle of the night, she still had on her bright expensive clothes, and the brightness of her jewelry was still noticeable. Yeah.... real fucking inconspicuous alright.

I would have met her at her house like last time, but her message was pretty adamant about meeting me in the forest at the park. I can only imagine she didn’t want to take a risk in telling me whatever it is she needed to tell me. After walking further into the forest, she stepped off the main pathway and entered the cluster of dark trees, shaking profusely as she was no doubt terrified of entering the forest. Her walking came to a slower speed, and pretty soon she came to a complete stop, surveying the darkness that surrounded her. Every chirp of a cricket, hoot of an owl or scattering of a critter set her on edge. The rustling of some nearby bushes caused her to squeak in fear, and slowly she backed away from the sound, body facing the opposite direction of where she was going. That’s when she bumped into me.

“HOLY SHIT,” she yelled, screaming as she spun around in fear while falling onto the dirt floor.

“Relax Miss Tiara, it’s just me,” I said, emerging from the darkness, letting my cloak conceal my entire body and the brim of my fedora hide half my face.

“Real smooth,” I heard Red sarcastically whisper in my ear. Admittedly, I didn’t mean to scare the shit out of the poor kid, but I didn’t see any other real viable way to show myself given the environment that we were in. Tiara’s breathing came to a steady pace, and she quickly regained her composure, standing up and dusting herself off from the dirt.

“Jesus Christ, don’t do that! You scared the heck out of me, made me get my clothes all dirty,” she complained.

“Word of advice Miss Tiara, I wouldn’t wear things so expensive or so colorful out at this time of night,” I said.

“Well what else am I supposed to wear? Anyways, don’t worry, I’m fine. Nothing bad happens on this side of town anyways.”

“Does your father know you’re here?” She rolled her eyes and gagged.

“As if. Daddy’s probably out with some girls or something, and the house butler and maid are asleep. Even if they were a wake, I doubt they’d even do anything.” Great, she’s got a psychotic mother who beats her and a neglectful father who ignores her and gives her money.... speaking of which. I extended my arm out of the cloak, placing my finger underneath her chin and gently raised her face to look up at me.... she didn’t try to stop me.

“What happened,” I asked. She had a large bruise around her left eye. Grimacing, she shook her head away from me and stepped back a bit, lowering her hat a bit more before placing her hands in her pockets.

“Don’t worry about it.... mother just got a little mad that’s all....” her voice croaked, and I could see her eyes begin to water for a moment. But she turned away from me before a single tear could escape her eye. I retreated my arm back into my cloak and just watched her like a statue.... I wanted to do something. Hug her or something. But that’s not what the Mare-Do-Well would do. She called me here for a reason.

“Your message, why did you ask to orchestrate this meeting? I already told you that it’s incredibly dangerous to be in contact with me. Besides, you shouldn’t be trusting of me at all,” I said coldly. Tiara wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket before turning around to face me.

“I know, I heard you the first time. Anyways, I trust you a hundred percent now after that night. You saved those idiot classmates of mine.... and for that...... God I don’t say this often, but for that I thank you. If you ever need anything in return from me just let me know,” she said. As incredible as it was to hear Diamond Tiara of all people utter words of thankfulness, I still had to set some boundaries.

“What I need from you is to be safe. Doing things like this doesn’t ensure that Miss Tiara. I’m at war with your mother, and the last thing I desire is for her to find out that you’ve been talking to me.... I don’t want to see you anymore hurt,” I said. She gave me a little smile as she kicked up some dirt with the tip of her boot.

“I.... thanks...... you know you’re the only person that’s ever said anything like that to me. Look, I didn’t call you over here just to say thanks or talk about my crappy life. I needed to tell you something. Mother’s gonna have a police officer killed later tonight. I couldn't tell you this at home. I think mother has the place wired or something since those two idiots recorded her.” The mood of this entire meeting suddenly shifted. Despite the general consensus others have about her, Tiara was a good kid. It’s become clear to me that she only calls me when someone’s life is on the line.

“You could have just sent me this information in a text,” I said, but she just smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

“Yeah but, don’t like, people track that shit or something?” I’ll give her an A for using her head at least.

“No one will track those messages. Anyways, who’s being targeted, when and where?” She shifted around her pocket for a moment before pulling out a small piece of paper, reading to me out loud what was written on it.

“It’s um.... a detective. Detective Soarin? She’s sending Travis and Donathan.... uhm, they’re two guys who work for her, to his apartment in downtown Canterlot in an hour. I uh, I don’t know where the Hell he lives, sorry. From what I heard he found out something about a tunnel underneath her penthouse. I’m not sure what that means, but it must be big if she’s going to kill the guy.... I just don’t want anyone else to die that’s all.”

“It’s alright, I know where he lives, thank you. Go home now, I’ll take care of it.... you just saved a man’s life Miss Tiara, be proud of that,” I said before turning around and walking towards the trees. But I stopped when Tiara asked me a question.

“Hey wait. Why do you do this?” For once, her tone didn’t sound snobbish or grossed out. It sounded genuine, soft and a little compassionate. Without turning around, I answered her.

“To make sure good people like you are safe.” With that, I disappeared into the darkness of the forest. I could faintly see a small smile shine across her face as a single tear rolled from her eye. She rubbed her arm for a moment before exiting the area. I wish I could do more for her, I really did.

“Don’t you think you should have been more comforting towards her? Maybe tell her that you’ll stop her abusive mother or something,” Red said in my ear. I walked towards the edge of the forest, watching Diamond Tiara walk out of the park from the tree line. Once she was completely out and heading towards the direction of her mansion, I reentered the forest, heading towards the other sides entrance that was in the city's direction.

“That’s not my area of expertise Red. Besides, I can’t make promises like that. The only way to save that little girl is to bring her mother to justice, and it’s going to take me a while to do that. For now, Detective Soarin seems to know something important, and I intend to know just what that is.”