Harry Potter and the Harmony Kingdom

Sunset Shimmer rested against the bark of a tree, trying to enjoy the pleasant day. It was the weekend, and she had nothing to do. No homework, and her part-time job had closed temporarily. So, with nothing else to distract her, she decided to check her phone.

Technically, it wasn’t her phone. It belonged to some jerk who had tried to make a pass at one of the girls at school, but that was beside the point. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she ended up opening the front camera.

Most teenagers would groan at such a mistake or maybe snap a quick selfie. Sunset, however, took a moment to study her reflection.

A round face, blue eyes, and that familiar mix of fiery red and gold hair that reminded anyone of a sunset. A toned, athletic build, and a punk style that made her look like she could take on the world. No doubt, many would call her the dream girl, whether they were guys or girls.

She let out an unladylike growl and shoved the phone into the pocket of her jacket. She hated how much she had to remind herself of her appearance, yet it was something that she couldn’t escape.

No, what bothered her wasn’t the reflection—rather, it was the reality that loomed just around the corner.

Her parents would be back soon.

That should’ve been a good thing. Normally, that would be something to look forward to.

But she was far from normal. And she wasn’t human.

She was a unicorn.

And this body? It wasn’t hers.

Escaping from Equestria to this world had been one of the best decisions she’d ever made, but it had cost someone else their life. There was no way she could stay in this world forever. The guilt would consume her. Not to mention the risk of a time-space anomaly tearing a hole in the school courtyard if she didn’t leave soon.

Stupid runic systems. Stupid kaleidoscope spells.

She gritted her teeth and headed toward her motorcycle, adjusting her helmet. A ride through Equestria, Texas always helped calm her nerves. The familiar roar of her Harley beneath her and the wind in her face managed to temper her boiling anger, even if only for a moment.

What was she supposed to do? Go back to Equestria, where she might face the wrath of her former mentor, Celestia? She doubted that even the Princess of the Sun would accept her after all the mess she’d caused.

Why did she even care? It was just one more stupid fight from her rebellious teenage years, something that had escalated far beyond reason. And yet she still carried the resentment. That’s all it had ever been—an angry tantrum over something she barely remembered anymore.

*“But what a disciple you are, Sunny.”*

The soft, velvety voice of her past mentor cut through her thoughts, biting with sarcasm.

*“Throwing tantrums at fourteen and holding grudges for six years over something insignificant...and to top it all off, impersonating someone else for all that time. Brilliant. Truly marvelous. You’ve learned so much, haven’t you, my little pony?”*

The words stung, sharper than any wound. Her grip tightened on the motorcycle’s throttle as she revved the engine. Her anger flared, the roar of the engine momentarily drowned out by her own furious scream that echoed into the empty streets.

She hated her mentor. She hated her parents for abandoning her to that hell. But most of all, she hated herself for becoming everything she swore she never would be.

And right now, she hated the group of punks tailing her.

The "Children of the Night" were a relatively new gang in town, making their presence known with every passing day. They’d taken over Equestria, Texas, as their base of operations a couple of years ago and started recruiting from local schools and other gangs. They were always looking for new blood.

When one of their recruiters tried to press her into joining, Sunset didn’t hesitate. She knocked the guy out, took his wallet (including his gun), and told him to get out of her school.

But the bastard came back for revenge, bringing his friends along, hoping to intimidate her.

Sunset knew how this would end. She wasn’t one for intimidation, but when the group got too close, she didn’t hesitate to fire a bullet straight through the face of the first idiot. With the last of her magic, she dealt with the rest of them and erased all evidence of the encounter.

Except for one guy. She left him alive to spread the word.

Afterward, Sunset spent days locked in her bathroom, vomiting until she couldn’t anymore. She eventually pulled herself together, but the guilt still lingered.

Now, as the gang followed her once again, Sunset gritted her teeth. She could see them in the rearview mirror—same idiots, same tactics. They weren’t here for a conversation.

She’d deal with them, like she always did.

But this time, she wasn’t going to walk away unscathed.

Sunset Shimmer’s fingers curled tightly around the grip of the Colt M1911 as she revved her Harley, her body coiling with anticipation. She could see the gang’s reflection in the rearview mirror, all of them pulling out weapons—bats, pipes, machetes—each one thirsting for the blood of the so-called "Sundowner." The name they'd given her after one of her many altercations.

A wild grin spread across her face, a grin that wasn’t born from fear, but from the thrill of what was coming. Her pulse quickened, her heart syncing with the rhythm of the roaring engine beneath her.

(This is it, isn’t it?) she thought as she slammed the throttle forward, her motorcycle lurching ahead with a growl that echoed into the streets.

The wind ripped past her, the familiar sound of her bike drowned out by the pounding rush of adrenaline in her veins. She had no intention of running away, not today. She was done with that.

She could feel their presence behind her, the hungry, desperate energy of the gang pushing to catch up, thinking they could take her down. They thought they were predators, and she was their prey. But they couldn’t be further from the truth. They were walking into her trap.

With a swift flick of her wrist, she popped the safety off the M1911 and held it steady at her side, the cold metal gleaming in the sunlight as it hung there, ready to speak. She knew they were getting closer—could hear the clatter of their bikes and their raised voices shouting curses. They were getting cocky, thinking they'd take her down like the others before.

But Sunset wasn't like the others.

Her eyes narrowed in the mirror as the first of them reached her, a thug wielding a crowbar, his face twisted into a grimace of excitement. He swung for her, hoping to knock her off her bike, but she was faster, and a quick swerve to the left sent him veering off course.

Without missing a beat, Sunset spun the bike back into line, and with a smooth, practiced motion, she raised the Colt M1911. The crack of gunfire split the air, sharp and deadly.

The thug with the crowbar jerked violently, his expression frozen in shock as he collapsed onto the pavement, the blood trailing from his body like a scarlet banner.

The others hesitated for a split second.

It was all she needed.

She swerved again, dodging a machete that came slicing toward her side. The blade whooshed through the air, missing her by mere inches as she gunned the throttle once more, weaving through the streets. She could hear them closing in, but this time, she was the hunter.

She was the one with the advantage.

A second gunshot rang out, a thug in the front of the pack falling from his bike as the bullet tore through his chest. The gang’s mood shifted, panic settling in as their leader, a hulking figure with a spiked baseball bat, roared in fury.

"You think you can take us all on, Sundowner?" he bellowed, but the mocking smile never left Sunset’s lips.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she shifted gears and pulled ahead again, leading them deeper into the labyrinth of Equestria's winding streets.

They thought they were chasing her. What they didn't know was that they were already trapped.

The sun was setting, and the day would soon belong to her.