The rigorous, strict rules of Crystal Prep by daylight created the most chilling atmosphere in their halls- a high school full of teenagers where there was barely any noise outside of footsteps and the occasional hushed conversation. Now that it was completely quiet, it felt even more eerie. Lemon Zest and Sugarcoat had to walk very slowly through the hallways of their school, careful to not attract any patrols in the hallway.
Thanks to the nurse's laptop, Lemon's l33t hackzor skills (her words) and a memory stick that had all the software required to break into the school's CCTV systems (that she may or may not copied from her dad's PC with or without his permission, but that was a discussion for another time), they were able to replace the normal feed with looped videos of nothing in strategic places. After gathering what they needed into two duffel bags, they reached back to the recording studio door.
They were gone for less than 20 minutes, but it seemed like the interrogations had concluded. Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap and Sunset Shimmer were outside the booth, looking at them expectedly.
"Did you get everything?" Sunny Flare asked.
Lemon Zest smiled for both of them, as they placed the duffel bags on the table. "Yep! All you asked and more!"
"Did he talk?" Sugarcoat asked.
Sunset Shimmer sighed. "He told us everything. Most of it wasn't good news."
Lemon Zest and Sugarcoat shared a glance, then sat at the two chairs and listened. Sunny Flare coughed and started with a little smile.
"First of all, we were correct about that necklace. According to our hostage, Sombra was really sensitive about it and didn't want anyone near it."
"He went ballistic when one guy tried to touch it," Indigo Zap added "almost got his arm snapped by a shadow tentacle!"
"As concerned I am by the news of his magic being able to easily break bones," Sugarcoat said "it's good to know he has a notable weakness that we could exploit."
"Yeah, that's awesome news!" Lemon Zest said smiling. "Now we just have to get Sunny Shimmy wait, only Pinkie was allowed to say that, but whatever, close to him, so she could snatch it, punch his face into oblivion and call it a day! I mean, you can do that, right?"
Sunny Shimmy nodded. "I can squeeze a few spells before passing out. That's not the actual problem, though."
"What, the four other Mini-Bosses? They'll give up as soon as Sombra falls, right?"
"Except," Sunny Flare interjected "they already know she's running on fumes. As soon as they figure out she can't defend herself, they'll leave the hostages and hunt her, or Sombra, down. As far as they know, Sombra is only a lesser threat than Sunny Shimmy and they would turn on him as soon as she's defeated."
"Please don't tell me this nickname will stick."
"So we need to take them on as well," Lemon Zest hummed "not counting Sunny Shimmy, there's five of us and four of them, so if we take one each, that means... NOT ME!" She was met with a few raised eyebrows, a facepalm and whispered comments she couldn't hear. She looked at her friends and shrugged. "What!? I'll help where I can, but I can't beat up grown men!"
Sunny Flare rolled her eyes. "Fair enough, you're more useful as a support anyway."
"Woo! I'm a girl on a chair, baby!"
"EHEM!" Indigo coughed. "Aren't you forgetting about the 'bad' part?"
Silence. There were no words said for a while, but both Sunnies looked down.
Lemon Zest swallowed. "That wasn't the 'bad' part?"
Indigo shook her head. "The Mini-Bosses weren't all that Sombra had planned. Once they are dealt with, he was supposed to send Sunny Shimmy to the "last level". Remember when he said that he released the other students and teachers? He lied. He put a few dozen of them in the gym and has at least six other guys keeping watch and armed with guns."
Sugarcoat blinked. "It does sound bad."
Sunset groaned angrily. "Those six guys weren't supposed to beat me, only delay and exhaust me! And they did a bang up job of it, too!"
"This is why I insisted on the interrogations," Sunny Flare interjected "now that we know about the worst part, we can start thinking of an actual plan."
"How about 'not barging in the front doors, guns blazing', for one?" Indigo Zap said first. A brief pause later she shrugged. "What? Even I had a plan for Shimmy after I consulted the other Sunset. And you have the bruises to prove it!"
Sunny Flare coughed. "Exactly, we're better than that. And before you question our fighting capabilities, yes, we're not monsters like you. Or Indigo."
"HEY!"
"But we have an ace up our sleeves, a few of them in fact!" Sunny Flare said. She opened one of the bags and presented the contents to the other Sunny.
Sunny Shimmy stared blankly at the content of the bag and nodded. "Oh."
"Just because you and Indigo can fight bare handed, doesn't mean we have to. If we cheat the living hell out of this, then we stand a chance!"
Shimmy pointed at one thing in particular. "Who is using this thing?"
"This one's Sour Sweet's!" Lemon Zest answered. "You wouldn't believe what she could do with this thing... wait, now that I think about it, where is Sour Sweet?"
Indigo pointed a thumb at the recording booth. "She said he was hiding something and she was going to find out what it was!"
Lemon Zest blinked. "...what?"
She turned towards the giant window, where inside she saw her roommate, standing over a tied up, grown up man lying in fetal position, his crying face right under her shoe. She was definitely talking to him, but the soundproof nature of the room prevented anyone from hearing anything. Which was probably for the best.
"Oh... my... god..." Lemon cringed, then turned to the others "are you trying to tell me that the three of you COMBINED don't have a full soul? What were you thinking, leaving him alone with... with HER!"
Sunnies and Indigo shrugged, nervously avoiding eye contact.
"She said she had a hunch and I trust her instincts." Sunny Flare explained.
"I would've done it myself, but I need to preserve my strength." Sunny Shimmy said.
"She gets the job done." Indigo shrugged.
“To be fair, only you have enough guts to stand up to her when she’s 100% Sour.” Sugarcoat commented.
Lemon Zest only managed a facepalm. "You three are a bunch of sociopaths!" She pointed at the window "Those are NOT the tears of a pervert enjoying being humiliated by a high school girl! And he doesn't seem like the type to enjoy an occasional accidental upskirt shot either!"
"You're not exactly better than any of us." Sugarcoat commented. "Also, gross."
"I think she's done!" Sunny Flare announced and pointed at a friend they were glad was on their side, as she left the crying mess and exited the recording booth. She first approached Sunny Flare.
"So, about that lawyer...?"
"You're safe, I'll make sure of that."
"Good!" She smiled as she announced. "Because my hunch was right! He was hiding something important!"
Everyone nodded and awaited the news. Sour Sweet kept silently smiling, breathing heavily, as some sweat passed through her face.
"That's great news!" Lemon Zest said happily. "So, on with it! Does Sombra have a weak spot we can use? Or there's a mole in his midst that we could ask for help? Come on, don't leave us hanging!"
Sour Sweet turned slightly away, her smile slowly faltering.
"Sour, seriously, the more you wait, the more you make us think it's more bad news and it can't get much worse, can it? Of course it can't, it's the worst it can be, right? Right? Sour, say something already!"
Sour Sweet finally sighed and started talking, neither sourly, nor sweetly. "There is one more hostage, but not inside the school. He called it a "bonus level". He made sure there was someone else he could use if everything else failed. He placed her away from the action as someone he could use against Magical Girl Sunny... or the Police Captain."
All faces paled at the same time. There wasn't any doubt what she meant.
"Dean Cadence!" Sunset said, as her heart temporarily stopped beating.
Sour Sweet nodded weakly. "They moved her away from the school just before it started. She's guarded by two armed men in one of the apartments."
"Where?" Sunset asked sternly.
"75th Coltshire Road, third floor, apartment 31."
"That's only a few blocks away from here!" Indigo said.
"They're supposed to move her away to a random place if they don't hear from Sombra every few minutes."
"Weren't all the signal blocked in this dome?" Indigo asked.
"There's a landline in the Dean's office," Sunny Flare announced, before facepalming "of course, that's how they keep in contact with the outside! I should've realized it sooner!"
The room went silent once again.
"So, we're doing it or what?" Indigo asked.
Sunny Flare nodded. "I guess we should start..."
Coco asked and she received her answer. Knowing that Sombra was powered by an object that could be taken away from him was the information she needed to calm down, if only a little. She also realized that there was no way she could do anything about it as long as he kept her on a figurative leash. Close enough that he could keep an eye on her, but far enough that he was able to react if she tried anything. She didn't know if this information would come in handy at any point, but it was better than not knowing at all.
She wanted some information about the power source, but for some reason she got more than she asked for.
"I never hated him growing up."
A lot more.
"I know that in the grand scheme of things he was kinda evil, but it's not like he was a bad person to me, or to my mother. Where I come from, having a shelter, food, water and education wasn't exactly a commodity available to everyone. But he made sure we got all we needed. This is where you should ask where I'm from, Miss Pommel."
Coco meeped and stuttered. "I-I, I mean..."
Sombra laughed. "Relax, I won't bite. But it's a lot easier to talk if there's someone to bounce off of."
Coco blinked. She watched Sombra lounging on the very comfortable looking leather chair, looking at her with the edge if his eye. She swallowed. I never signed up to be a therapist, but here we go...
"W-where are you from?"
"Golgen. A tiny country in the middle east, I wouldn't blame you if you haven't heard about it. It's one of those unstable regions constantly on the verge or during a revolution. One day it's on the map, the other it isn't. I think by now people are so tired that they stopped editing the wiki. And internet sucks there!"
Coco did hear about Golgen in passing. Crystal Prep teaches a lot about the current geopolitical situation, though all the textbooks that mentioned Golgen were sparse on the details. All she knew was that it's a relatively young nation that had several civil wars, subpar living standards and a crystal mine that made their neighbors (and others) interested. And a lot of terrorist activity that went outside the borders, though very little of it was officially confirmed. One name was pretty infamous online.
"Your father... he is the real Sombra!"
"Sombra Senior, to be exact, the original. The most wanted man on earth... until he was caught, at least. And I feel offended with implications that I'm a fake only because I'm not the first one!"
"S-sorry!"
"Nah, no offense taken."
Coco swallowed. Until today, his name was mentioned only as an urban legend. There was no mention of Sombra, senior or junior, in the textbooks.
"I... I heard some rumors. Are they true?" She asked quietly, slowly gaining more courage to speak. It seemed to please her captor.
Sombra shrugged. "Some of them, I guess? He's not a monster, if that's what you mean. Nah, he's as human as all of us... which makes him a monster in a different sense. Meh, semantics. He had powers that most people couldn't comprehend and those that saw them were either on his side, died before knowing what hit them, or were spared to send a message to deaf ears. I mean, who would believe some ramblings of a shellshocked lunatic who saw his entire squad die before his eyes in a gruesome manner, talking about living shadows and a guy impervious to bullets? Now that the existence of magic is publicly confirmed, in no small part thanks to our mutual 'friend', those ramblings sound way more believable. But I doubt he cares about that at this point," he shrugged "now that he's rotting in jail."
Coco couldn't help but hear an odd dose of satisfaction coming from those words. She heard that Sombra Senior was sent to some secluded prison on a lifelong sentence, but she never investigated the details. By the time she was indirectly fighting crime, the world had all but forgotten about "The Terror of Golgen" and she had no incentive to research it.
"You took his powers, didn't you? That's why he was caught!" She said, earning a hushed laugh in response. "You said you didn't hate your father, but that was past tense..."
Sombra sighed, slowly turning his head in her direction. He smiled weakly. "Very perceptive. Just a few months ago that question could get you killed... but that was then, everyone will find out anyway. And really, who could resist the urge to monologue about their dark past? Just a fair warning, there's no happy ending."
Coco nodded, eagerly awaiting the tale. Silver lining to this whole mess: she wasn't going to be bored.
"He wasn't always like this. For most of my life, he was just your typical freedom fighter: a crazy terrorist shedding blood in the name of his people. He cared about his land and his people, just not nearly as much as he did for his family. And he did it like any other middle eastern terrorist- with his small army of loyal followers, machine guns, guerrilla tactics and his own blood, sweat and tears. It wasn't until I was eight. That's when he received more power than any human should have. And eventually, we all paid the price..."
"...and that should be it," Sunny Flare sighed, wiping the sweat of her forehead "as long as we all do our jobs, don't screw anything up and nothing unexpected pops up, we will be fine!"
"So yeah, no pressure!" Lemon commented.
"Any objections?"
Sunset turned to her. "Plenty.... but there's no other way. But still, I don't feel good about leaving all the terrorists to you. Four unarmed guys each, sure, but the gym, with guns and hostages? I've been through moments like this before and I got by only thanks to my magic!"
"Except we don't know exactly how much more you can take. That's why you're only dealing with the two problems none of us can do anything about."
She hated to admit it, but Sunny Flare was right. Saving Dean Cadence meant leaving the dome, which she alone could do. Just teleporting someone else out there was more straining than taking two trips by herself and even if it wasn't, having one Shadowbolt less for later was a poor trade. And then there was Sombra himself. Nobody other than her could get close enough to land a single blow, but if his cowardice was anything to go by, one shot was all she needed. They hoped it was the case, because one shot was most likely all she had left.
She was brought back from her thoughts by Indigo, who gently touched her shoulder.
"We know our strengths. We would never try anything if we weren't sure we could pull it off!" Indigo said with a smile.
It managed to cheer up Sunset, but only just barely. "I guess so. I just can't help but worry about you all. You never fought in a life or death situation."
Sugarcoat shrugged. "There's a first for everything."
"That's what she said!" Lemon quickly responded.
"Lemon!"
"What? She did!"
Sunset blinked. "That was usually my line..."
Indigo coughed. "I'm more worried about you. Are you sure that you can do your part?"
"Of course I can, who do you think I am?" Pause, followed by a nervous laughter. "I mean, I'm used to fighting with magic so I'm not sure how well I can perform without it. And the last few times I tried I almost got my ass handed to me, but hey, I promised Captain I will save his wife no matter what. I just need to step it up, I guess, haha... ha..." she laughed nervously, barely hiding the increasing panic in her eyes.
"Right, about that," Indigo approached Sunset "I've been thinking about your fighting style and I noticed a... weakness. If you want my feedback, that is."
Sunset shrugged. "At this point, I'll take what I can get."
"Good. Because I noticed..."
The two of them walked to the side and conversed in private. While they could hear all that they were saying, they were too busy with their own preparations. In particular, Sunny Flare carefully examined a small black box from the duffel bags.
"Are we doing it?" Sugarcoat asked.
She checked her wristwatch and nodded. "The time is right. Get in positions!"
About this time Indigo and Sunset to concluded their conversation.
"I... I never thought about it that way," Shimmy hummed, but nodded "I'll think about it."
Indigo nodded back. The two didn't say anything else, as Sunny Flare clapped to get their attention.
"Alright, it's about time to move out. I will repeat because it's important, we need to synchronize our movements down to the second and we have a very tiny room for error, so," she raised her hand, revealing the stylish, navy blue wristwatch "we need to synchronize our watches, on my mark."
The other shadowbolts nodded, all raising their hands as well, each having a watch of her own. All except one.
"One problem," Sunset raised her watchless hand "I don't have a watch and the plan requires one, so..."
Sunny Flare smirked. "Yes, I figured as much."
She snapped her fingers and as she did, the other four formed a row behind her, standing still with their hands behind their backs. Sunset raised an eyebrow as the speech commenced.
"Normally this kind of occasion requires a full assembly of teachers and students, a ton of paperwork and a rehearsal, but as the student council president I've been given the permission to omit the rules in special cases, such as weather incidents, wars and terrorist attacks."
"What are you doi-"
"Shush! Don't interrupt my speech! It's hard enough doing it on the fly even without your comments! Rude."
Sunset, confused, raised a finger and opened her mouth, but decided against talking.
"Despite what you might hear from the outside rumors, Crystal Prep is NOT a school for rich people. It's true, most of the students are from the upper-middle and high class, but wealth was never the main factor (though it helped to get the best tutors). What Crystal Prep truly treasures is intellect; the willpower push thyself beyond your limits; as well as the will to sacrifice part of yourself in search for perfection (though that last part has mellowed recently). And among the students are those who exemplify those ideals the most- The Shadowbolts."
Sunset blinked.
"This name is shared amongst twelve teenagers, deemed to be the potential future movers of the world. Future leaders, scientists, artists, athletes and more. Growing up in the shadows, away from prying eyes and distractions, eventually they are meant to strike fast and hard, pushing the world to next level and bringing the much needed change to the status quo. All the alumni did so, each in their own way. This is who the Shadowbolts truly are. This is who they are supposed to be. Sunset Shimmer!"
Sunset straightened up.
"Normally the membership is decided by voting of the committee and involves a lot of formalities, however... I saw how you did on the entrance exam, I'm well aware of your current grades, as well as your... extra-curricular activities. It's only a matter of time before the inevitable happens, but since we're short on time I'm willing to stretch my privileges. Sugarcoat?"
The stoic girl walked towards Sunset, pulling a rectangular purple box from behind and holding it in front of the confused magical girl, then opened the lid, revealing its contents.
Inside, sitting atop the red linen cushion, was a wristwatch. It had a small silver frame, with dark purple bottom and contrasting silver dials, the top case made out of diamond-like sturdy looking glass and with a thin matte black leather strap. With a tiny glance to the side she noticed that Sugarcoat was wearing the exact same watch on her hand. And so was Sunny Flare. And now that she was actively searching for it, so did Lemon Zest and Sour Sweet, lifting a bit of their sleeves to show it off. Even Indigo Zap had one, though she was certain she hadn’t been wearing it during their duel.
"Don't let its old fashion design fool you, what this watch lacks in functions like stopwatch or calendar (who needs it when we have smartphones anyway?), it more than makes up for in quality. The case is made out of dense, nigh indestructible crystal, the strap is hardened calf leather capable of withstanding enormous strain and the battery will last for thirty or so years. So far less than five hundred of them were made, they can't be bought with money and have only been given to those chosen to be the Shadowbolts. Those who got it should wear it with pride, just like the title it is attached to."
Sunset blinked again. She looked between the watch and the smiling, but otherwise completely serious Sunny Flare. Sugarcoat interrupted her by pushing the box into her hands.
"The official assembly will be held next month, but unofficially it's already been decided," she cleared her throat as she made the unofficial announcement.
"Congratulations on becoming a Shadowbolt, Miss Shimmer. We expect great things from you!"
Sunset blinked, again and again, switching her wide open eyes between the watch she was given and the hastily made assembly of five. Before a thought of saying anything even crossed her mind, she was interrupted...
Clap. Clap. Clap.
...by clapping from Sunny Flare, soon to be joined by the rest of them in a long round of applause. For the longest time all she could hear was clapping and all she saw were the smiling, confident faces of her new friends. Even Sugarcoat seemed like she was smiling. Or rather, she just realized that she was smiling this entire time, but it was the first time she felt it.
"Th-this..." she finally managed to speak once the applause ended "this is... this is just ridiculous!" She started laughing weakly. "You know y-you could've j-just let me borrow it, or... or..." she said something after that, but it was hard to decipher it between the sniffing and choking on her own tears.
"I know what I'm doing," Sunny Flare proudly admitted "if you don't like it, we could find a diffe-"
"N-no!" She shook her head, while tightly gripping the box she was looking at. The red linen cushion absorbed everything very well, but the tears that fell on the crystal case were there to stay until wiped. "I-it's p-perfect!" She managed to mutter through the tears, as she closed the box to her chest.
Sunny Flare shook her head, also tearing up a little bit, but not nearly as much as the crying mess of a superhero. She looked back at her four friends and exchanged warm smiles with all of them before looking at Sunset again.
"You're welcome, Shimmy! Just to warn you, I'm putting all my credibility on this, so don't you even TRY dying OR failing the next few exams, or else!"
What was once a barely held back flood of emotions just broke, as Sunset let loose and started openly crying in front of the five girls. No longer strangers as she considered them just this morning.
"I think she likes it!" Indigo Zap commented, inspiring a few smirks and giggles from the others.
"She'd better!" Sour said sternly, then smiled. "Because this is where she belongs now, whether she wants to or not!"
Lemon Zest meanwhile distanced herself from the general celebration, about to commence what might be her most risky plan ever. Standing in the middle of the row, with Sugarcoat to her left and Sour Sweet and Indigo to her right, with Sunny Flare in front, she was in the best position she was going to get.
Now or never!
She grabbed Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap by their elbows and rushed forward, pulling the two with her.
"What the..."
"Huh?!"
They were already in motion before they knew what was going on, losing their balance and tumbling forward, catching Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare along the road.
"Lemon, what are you...?"
"Gyah!"
Right in front of them was Sunny Shimmy, still distracted by her new watch and teary eyes. That's why she didn't notice the human pile reaching her until she heard Lemon Zest shouting.
"FORCED GROUP HUG!"
"What..."
CRASH!
They weren't sure exactly how it happened, but they sure felt the conclusion! Sunny Shimmy especially, as she was lying on her back on the bottom of the pile, with Sunny Flare directly on top of her. One photo was all it would take to ruin (or improve?) both reputations, involuterely touching with every parts of their bodies except heads (that miraculously avoided accidental kissingcollisions) and chests, separated by a luckily placed black box. On top of them, lying sideways was Sour Sweet, crushed by the combined forces of Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat, with Lemon Zest atop the pyramid, as the only voluntary member of it.
"Nailed it! Haha!"
"Lemon, what the hell?"
"My ribs!"
"Who's feeling my bu-"
"NOT INTENTIONALLY!"
"Run while you can," Sour Sweet muttered "cause when I get out, I swear I will kill you!"
"Pfft, yeah right! You've been saying this all this time, but the furthest you got was smacking me in the back of my head! Face it Sweetie, you like me and you can't deny it!"
"Mumble, grumble," it wasn't exactly what she said, but it sounded like "I will never admit it!"
"That's nice to hear," Sugarcoat deadpanned "but what was the point of this stunt?"
"It was a perfect moment for a group hug but every time I suggest one, you all reject it because your egos can't handle a few fuzzy wuzzies!"
"Fuzzy wuzzies?" Indigo asked. "What are you, five?"
"Nope, but I'm on top of the Shadowbolts now, suckers! Nyahaha!"
"G-good for you," Sunset Shimmer groaned from below everyone "but I really can't breathe!"
The tower only lasted a few more seconds before collapsing, sending everyone flying all over the tiny room, bringing the much needed air and dignity back to two Sunnies. But even when they collided with the floor and had bumps all over, they couldn't help but keep smiling at each other, until one by one they started laughing at each other. Everyone laughed until...
SMACK!
"Oww! Worth it!"
Sunny Flare cleared her throat. "That was a good... change of pace, but we should go back to fighting crime."
Everyone nodded, got up and wiped themselves from the dust. After putting on the watch, Sunset raised her hand and proudly admired her new addition. Getting her earrings back in the day seemed like a fair reward for her accomplishment, unlike this one. But she didn't want to give it away, instead work harder to earn the right to keep it!
"Okay, synchronizing in 3... 2... 1... go!" On a signal all clicked on their timers and were now displaying the exact same time. "And with that, the preparations are complete. operation 'Superior Shadows' is officially comme-"
"Wait!" Indigo suddenly raised her hand and voice.
"Ugh, what this time!?" Sour Sweet muttered.
"There's one more thing!" She stepped forward and pulled her hand forward, palm downside and looked at the other girls expectedly. They looked at each other and couldn't help but crack a smile, as one after another went forward and added their hand onto the pile, until there was only enough space for one more hand to join them, for the first time.
Magical Girl Sunny was a shadow (no pun intended) of her usual self. She was tired. Wounded. Almost out of magic. Completely out of tears. With most of her clothes destroyed, replaced with a borrowed sweater. No mask. Against more adversity than she ever faced.
And yet...
She slowly walked towards her team and firmly put her hand on top of it. Despite everything, she felt more confident than ever before.
"Let's do this!" She stated, getting a nod back.
"Let's show them what real shadows can do!"
"They've got nothing on us!"
Indigo finally announced. "Okay, on my count!"
Looking at the five new friends around her filled her with the kind of power she never felt before.
"Three."
She had a suspicion of what it was, but she didn't want to jinx it by even loudly thinking about it.
"Two."
There was one more thing she lost along the way: her earlier fear was gone.
"One."
Because with friends like that, she no longer considered defeat an option.
"LET'S GO, SHADOWBOLTS!"