Change Isn't Easy

Sunset leaned against the fence post with Watermelody and Silverspeed, occasionally making jokes as they watched some of the school ponies trotting out of the school house.

“Hey, what’s going on over there?” Watermelody asked suddenly and the mare pointed a hoof at some smoke pouring out the front door as Sunset and Silverspeed both shared a worried looks.

“I don’t know,” Silverspeed answered slowly as the grey pegasus licked her lips nervously. “But I’m sure as hell gonna find out. Giddilee!”

The unicorn was talking to some parents before her head turned to look at the three mares and she trotted up to them.

“Where’s my daughter?” Silverspeed demanded and peered around the mare in case she missed Silver Spoon in the crowd of kids.

“Last time I saw her was with Diamond Tiara. I had to help push Spades wheelchair otherwise I’d have been the last out of the building,” Giddilee answered and she looked back at the school. “I don’t know what happened. I was giving a lesson and suddenly the room started filling up with smoke. Royal Guards are checking it out now.”

Silverspeed paced back and forth as Diamond Tiara trotted up, tugging on the taller pony’s tail.

“Uh Miss Silverspeed? I don’t see Silver Spoon anywhere,” Diamond Tiara commented and the four older ponies looked at each other. “I heard something behind me but I couldn’t see anything. Is she okay?”

“She’s missing,” Sunset answered and faced the stallion trotting up with a piece of paper and a pair of broken glasses as Sunset’s eyes widened with Silverspeeds.

“Those are her glasses,” Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow as Silverspeed took them.

“We also found this,” the stallion hoofed Sunset the paper and her eyes scanned it before her eyes hardened and she narrowed her eyes as everypony around her took a step back excluding Silverspeed hugging the mare.

Sunset dropped the paper and took the glasses in her magic as Silverspeed bent down to pick up the paper.

“Come back to the cafe and then get on the next boat to Trottingham and the filly will be released,” Silverspeed read as Watermelody tried to push down her anger. “Sunset, what are we gonna do?”

Silverspeed turned to hug Sunset again but the mare was gone.

Hard Hat sat a table, sipping a coffee with a newspaper before it glowed a bright red, being crushed into a ball and thrown as a very angry looking Sunset threw his coffee away and flipped the table to the gasp of the started patrons.

Sunset swept his legs out from under him and pressed a foreleg against his throat as he gagged, waving a hoof around desperately.

“Where is she?” Sunset growled in his ear and loosened her hold on his throat. “Tell me quickly and I’ll be nice and not break all your legs.”

“Hey, what’s going on?” A waiter apparently found his courage and tapped Sunset on the back. Courage that very quickly faded as she gave him a cold look.

“Mind your own fucking business and go be a waiter!” Sunset snapped and he nodded hastily as he paled. Sunset locked eyes on the squirming stallion under her. “Answer me or I’ll slam your head against the floor. Don’t test me.”

“She’s in a carriage headed out of town,” Hard Hat gasped and Sunset nodded. “She’s safe, I promise you that. She will be released once you are on the boat headed to Trottingham.”

“Safe is with her mother,” Sunset growled down at him. “Not being kidnapped from her classroom.”

The cafe gave the stallion angry looks as some of the stallions that were ready to intervene sat back down. None of them really wanted to get into a fight with a mare who would potentially mop the floor with them.

“I’m telling the truth. She’s with Dusk, Cement and two others,” Hard Hat promised and Sunset examined him before getting off him as he breathed in relief.

“Don’t ever let me catch you in this down again or I swear, I’ll drown you in the harbor,” Sunset threatened as she got up. “And that’s a promise.”

Hard Hats eyes widened slightly and he screamed as Sunset’s magic enveloped one of his hind legs as it made a snapping sound, sticking at a sickening angle.

“You crazy bitch!” He screamed and wiped some tears away. “You said you wouldn’t break my legs!”

“I said I wouldn’t break all of them. I never said I wouldn’t break one,” Sunset looked back at him with a scowl. “Have a good walk sir.”

Sunset turned back away from him and galloped away, leaving a shaken cafe full of ponies.

Twilight slid to a stop outside Sunset’s apartment, pounding a hoof against the door, not caring about her neighbors that would most certainly complain.

Sunset opened the door and Twilight gave her a confused look as the mare tightened her saddlebags on over her cutie mark.

“Sunset, what are you doing?” Twilight asked as she bent over panting. Running wasn’t really her strong suit. She idly made a mental note to get more in shape.

“I’m leaving. I have a boat ride to catch,” Sunset said simply as she turned from Twilight.

“What? You can’t go! Spitfire is rounding up the other Wonderbolts. Watermelody and Silverspeed told us all what happened. Wallflower, Spike and Fuchsia are searching the back roads. We will find Silver Spoon,” Twilight promised and rested a hoof on Sunset’s back. “Breath. Watermelody is looking for her too. Half the town is looking. But we can’t just run around recklessly like this. We need to come up with a plan, contact Celestia and Luna.”

“They took the kid, Twilight damn it!” Twilight took a step back as Sunset spun around and glared at her. “I have every right to be mad. I can’t even imagine how Silverspeed must feel. If I’m this angry, imagine how terrified she is.”

“I’m not saying you don’t have a right to be angry,” Twilight answered and stood in front of the door. “I’m just as angry as you. Get a glass of water and relax. Please.”

Sunset paused and nodded as Twilight sighed in relief. Angry Sunset always scared Twilight. And she had every reason to be scared. She heard all about Sunset’s altercation at the coffee shop with the stallion that Twilight watched get arrested.

“You don’t even know what they would do to you on there. You’re outnumbered most likely,” Twilight turned away to close the door as Sunset breathed out.

“Forgive me,” Sunset said quietly and shifted on her hooves as Twilight glanced back and gave her a confused look.

“Forgive you? Forgive you for what?” Twilight asked in confusion as Sunset gave her a regretful look.

“For this,” Sunset answered and slammed a hoof into Twilight’s jaw as the purple unicorn saw stars.

“Look at all the stars,” Twilight waved a hoof at them as she swayed on her hooves.

Twilight glowed red as Sunset caught her before she could fall and Sunset levitated her onto the couch with a pillow.

“I’m so sorry Twilight,” Sunset sighed and shook her head as she levitated a blanket over her before placing a bottle of Advil and water on the coffee table.

Sunset closed the door and galloped down the hall, ignoring the annoyed looks the neighbors in the hall gave her as Sunset jumped over the railing of the stairs.

Spitfire trotted down the runway of the clouds above the Wonderbolts HQ in front of the assembled Wonderbolts with Silverspeed pacing behind her.

“Alright listen up! Silver Spoon got kidnapped and as you know, that’s my sisters marefriends kid. So she is damn near family. We’re gonna split up in teams of two and search the town from above. Wallflower, Spike and Fuchsia got the back roads covered. Twilight is calming Sunset down and Watermelody is gathering the town folks,” Spitfire announced and paused to look at them. “If anypony wants to not help, you’re free to go back.”

Spitfire looked them in the eyes and none made a move to leave as she nodded before glancing at a surprisingly angry looking Surprise and Soarin.

She knew Soarin occasionally got mad but Surprise? Surprise rarely got mad or angry. If she did, it’s because somepony pushed her to that limit. Spitfire would be lying if she said a angry Surprise wasn’t scary.

Spitfire glanced over at Blaze as the mare shifted on her hooves and the two made eye contact as Blaze spit out her gum into a trash can next to her.

“Alright, excellent. Surprise and Soarin, go fly over the outskirts of the town. Rapidfire and Silver Zoom, go to harbor and lock down the boats. Nopony leaves and especially not my sister. Sabotage the engines if you gotta. As for you all, partner up with a pony and let’s get moving,” Spitfire turned to Silverspeed but the mare was gone. “What is with ponies and randomly leaving without letting me finish talking in this town?”

Silverspeed looked down at the hastily drawn pony that High Winds had drawn of the ponies she had seen Sunset talking to that all the Wonderbolts had as the pegasus glared down at the earth pony underneath her before inhaling, jumping off her cloud.

“What the hell?” The stallion managed to get out before Silverspeed bit his tail and fluttered her wings harder to lift the stallion up to her cloud, dangling him over the edge as he gave a terrified scream.

“I know you helped take my daughter. Got ten seconds to tell me where she is before I drop you,” Silverspeed threatened and patted the bow next to her. “Or I’ll shoot you with an arrow. My special talent is shooting arrows.”

“Let me go. I’ll count to fifteen and if I’m not safely on the ground, you’ll get it.”

“And I’ll count to five,” Silverspeed answered and loosed her grip on his tail. “One. Two. Three.”

“Alright, alright! I’m afraid of heights. She’s headed out of town. Your wife already broke my friends leg and jumped him. Please don’t drop me,” he looked down at some ponies pointing.

“Good, I’m glad she did,” Silverspeed dropped him and watched as he screamed before flying down to watch him. “Don’t mess with my family again.”

“Do you know how dangerous that was?” Silverspeed jumped slightly and looked up at Sunchaser and Whirlwind behind her hovering. “We’ll take him from here. Go find Silver Spoon.”

“You uh aren’t gonna arrest me for dropping him, right?” Silverspeed asked worriedly Sunchaser and Whirlwind started placing hoof cuffs on him.

“I didn’t see anything,” Whirlwind said casually with a wink as he started tugging on the stallion. “Come on, let’s move it.”

Silverspeed sighed in relief at that. Last thing she wanted was to end up in jail.