Sunset and Applejack tried to keep their cool when the creature walked towards them with its blade pointed at the pair. But in the face of a being covered completely in skeletal armor, it was hard to remain calm. Sunset and Applejack slowly backed away from the creature, which chuckled at their efforts.
"Oh please, don't try to run," it said, though the mask that was made from an actual skull distorted its voice. "You won't be able to escape me. Now you have two options: You can come quietly and neither of you will be harmed, or you can run and this gets a whole lot more fun."
"Why does this keep happening to me?" Applejack asked. Sunset didn't answer, since she was far too busy glancing around to see if there was anything that could help the two of them. "And why do ya want our magic so badly? Who are ya anyway?"
"Someone that plans to take your magic. And someone that can't stand you and your friends," the skeletal knight replied, its voice sending shivers down Applejack's spine. "Now then, don't try anything or else I'll..."
"As soon as I distract her, you make a break for it and get our friends. Or Diana. Or both," Sunset whispered to Applejack. Applejack flashed her a look, thinking that Sunset had gone crazy.
"What are you whispering about?" the knight asked.
"Nothing much; just wondering if you're any good at dodge ball," Sunset replied. The knight tilted its head in confusion, wondering what Sunset meant. The moment Sunset sensed the confusion she pulled out her phone and chucked it right into the knight's face. "RUN!" she screamed at Applejack the moment the creature was distracted.
"That didn't really go with what ya said," Applejack pointed out as the two turned and sprinted away from the knight.
"Oh, I'm sorry, it's hard to think up witty one liners when a monster has a sword pointed at me!" Sunset snapped back. A howl of fury erupted behind the two and they glanced over their shoulders to see the knight tearing through the air after the both of them.
"I will tear you apart for that, Shimmer!" the knight screamed at them as it rapidly gained ground.
"Separate!" Sunset instructed Applejack. "It's after me now! That'll give you the chance to get away!"
"And leave ya alone to face that thing?! No way in hell!" AJ replied stubbornly.
"Neither of us are a match for it! Go get Diana!" Sunset bellowed. Applejack would have argued longer, but Sunset took a sharp right and headed down a separate street from the one that they had been running along. AJ glanced at the knight to see it bellow and turn after Sunset. AJ skidded to a stop, planning to go after the pair. But Sunset looked over her shoulder at AJ and motioned for her to run. "Please," Sunset mouthed.
"Yer gonna get yerself killed," AJ said with a shake of her head before turning and racing off towards the school. Sunset watched over her shoulder as AJ ran away from her. Sunset then let out a sigh as she came to a stop next in a small park, leaning up against some playground equipment that was there for children to play on.
"Finally decided to accept your fate, huh? Or are you just taking a breather before you run like a coward again?" the creature asked while it floated down across the playground from Sunset, who slowly turned to glare at it with wrath burning in her soul.
"I'm done running. All I've done for years now is run. But this time," Sunset began as she brought up both of her fists and slid her right leg back, taking up the stance that had been beaten into her. "This time I'm going to fight." The skeletal creature stared at her for a moment before it threw its head back and laughed up at the black sky.
"You have got to be joking me! I have armor forged by a god! You're a fool if you think you can even touch me!" the knight cackled as it lowered its head and slowly began to advance towards Sunset, twirling its blade in its right hand. "But thank you for making this fun. I've wanted to knock that smug look off of your face for a long time, Shimmer."
Sunset did not respond with words. Instead, she took in a deep breath to calm her nerves before slowly advancing towards the knight. The two moved closer and closer with neither making the first move, both curious to see what the other would do. Then the knight's patience wore out and it swung the blade at Sunset. Sunset caught the motion and turned her body to the left, feeling the air being sliced apart as the blade cleaved the space where she had been a moment ago.
"What the...?" the knight asked, not believing how quickly Sunset had moved. Seeing that her opponent was confused, Sunset let out a yell as she dug one heel into the ground. She the pivoted her body so that her second foot was set on a course right for the knight's head.
The sound of foot striking bone echoed throughout the empty park. The knight staggered back under the force of the kick, but Sunset nearly collapsed to her knees as pain lanced up her leg. She let out a curse as she crouched down to check on her leg, which hurt when she touched it gingerly.
"Huh, didn't know that you were a fighter," the knight said as it began to advance towards Sunset again. "But even if you can fight, your attacks can't hurt me in this armor. All you'll do is kill yourself trying to hurt me." Sunset ignored the pain in her leg as she pushed herself back up, a snarl on her face while she brought up her hands once more. "You can't beat a god, Sunset."
"Please, I've fought someone far stronger than a god. And you're not on their level," Sunset spat back. The knight snarled before lunging at Sunset, blade extended and aimed right at her heart. But once more Sunset easily moved out of the way, choosing to duck under the blade of crimson. She moved forward as rapidly as she could to close the gap between the two. The moment she was within striking range, she threw three quick punches to the armored chest of the knight before slamming her palm into the side of its skull-like helmet.
"You little-" the knight tried to say, but with another yell Sunset spun on her heels to build up momentum before driving her left elbow into the center of the helmet. The knight cried out as it staggered back, but once again Sunset did more damage to herself than her foe.
"Damn it, that hurt," she whispered while clutching at her left elbow, removing her hand to see blood upon her palm. A glance at her elbow showed that she had sliced herself open on the boney headpiece. Forcing the pain down once more, she spun towards her foe and resumed the attack. She hurled herself at the knight, wrapping her hands around the back of the knight's helmet and pulling its head down while bringing her knee up to meet it.
"Not this time!" the knight bellowed before slamming a fist into Sunset's chest. Sunset felt the air get punched out of her chest before she was hurled across the playground, landing on her back hard. If she had any air left in her lungs after the punch, it was expelled the moment she hit the ground.
'Got to...get up...can't give it...a chance...' Sunset realized as she struggled to push herself back up.
"GRAH!"
Without bothering to look behind her Sunset threw herself to the side, just in time to watch as the blade came down and cleaved the ground where she had been laying. The knight turned its head towards Sunset with the eyeholes blazing with fury.
"You are such a nuisance!" the creature bellowed as it thrust the blade at Sunset, who was now on her feet. Sunset moved to the side to dodge the blow before retaliating with another palm strike. This time the knight was ready and caught Sunset's wrist with its free hand. Sunset tried for another strike, but with a bellow of fury the creature flung Sunset across the playground once more with only one arm. Sunset crashed into a jungle gym, where she cried out as her body struck metal.
"Look at you now, Sunset. The queen of Canterlot High beaten and broke in the dirt, where she belongs," the knight spat at Sunset, who was trying to untangle herself from the metal bars. "Remember back when you were so popular? Remember when you were so perfect? Because I don't."
"Have we...met before?" Sunset weakly stammered out. The knight let out a laugh before lunging forward once more. Sunset used whatever strength she had left to hurl herself out of the way of the knight, who sliced the jungle gym to pieces with three strikes of her sword that severed the metal easily. Sunset crashed to the ground as pieces of metal fell around her.
'I can't keep fighting her with my bare hands. I need a weapon,' Sunset realized as she glanced around at the metal pieces. She spied a piece that was fairly long in length and grabbed it, using it to push herself back up before she took up the second stance that was beaten into her.
"What's this? You're really going to fight against a godly being using a piece of metal?" the knight asked her before throwing back its head once more and letting out a cackle of madness. Sunset roared in response as she lunged and swung the metal piece the way Diana had taught her...only to watch as the skeleton knight swung its sword and cleaved the metal piece in two. Sunset only had a second to glance down at her severed weapon before the knight slammed the hilt of her blade into the back of Sunset's body, sending her straight into the dirt.
"You're lucky that my master wants you in one piece," the knight informed Sunset. It reached down and grabbed hold of the girl's hair, slowly pulling her back up to her feet. "Because if it was up to me, I would make you suffer every single humiliation you forced upon me. What do you say to that?" Sunset responded by driving her forehead into the helmet of the knight.
"Oh, that looked like it hurt," the knight cackled as Sunset cried out in pain. The knight released Sunset as the girl staggered backwards, clutching at her head. The knight's sword flashed once more and Sunset screamed as she felt a burning sensation in her side. She clutched at the blazing pain while nearly falling to her knees.
'I...can't win,' Sunset slowly realized as she pulled her hands away from the pain in her side. Blood began to stream down her body, pouring into the dirt as she glanced back to see the knight advancing towards her once more. 'It's too powerful. I can't even make a dent in that armor. So has all this training been for nothing?! Am I really so helpless that I can't-?'
The knight rushed forward and slammed its fist into Sunset's face, knocking the girl to the dirt once more. With tears of both pain and rage streaking down her face, Sunset clutched at her side in agony. 'I'm so useless. I can't help my friends. I can't even help myself. I'm just so-'
Then her fingers brushed against something that was wrapped around her hips, something that blasted away all the doubt and pain when she touched it. Something that helped her to see the truth.
"No..." she spat out through the pain as she pushed herself up. Her fingers began to undo the rope that was wrapped around her, feeling the truth seeping through her soul. "No, I promised that I would no longer be the weak girl that I was! I will not be weak any longer! I am strong! And I will fight!"
Sunset then spun to face the knight, cracking the rope like a whip as she did so. The knight laughed at the display from Sunset before lunging at her once more, blade held high over her head. Sunset grabbed hold of the lasso with both hands, lifting it so that some of the lasso was between the sword at her. The knight let out another cackle as it swung down...only for the laugh to die when the sword was stopped by the lasso.
"But...how...?" the knight asked in disbelief.
"Do you think you're the only one that's got a god in their corner?" Sunset asked before she moved, wrapping the lasso around the blade. With all of her strength she tore at the sword, wrenching it free of the knight's grasp and hurling it away from it.
The creature let out a roar of fury as it threw a punch at Sunset, but in a blur of motion Sunset wrapped the lasso around the knight's fist. Sunset then pulled the trapped arm over her shoulder while also driving the heel of her foot into the back of the knight's knee. The knight roared as it was forced down to one knee, but when it tried to get up, Sunset brought its elbow down upon her shoulder.
"Your armor might protect you from my blows, but it can't protect your joints," Sunset said as the knight howled out in pain. She then cranked the knight's arm up behind its head, causing it to cry out even louder as the torque nearly tore its arm off. "Now...you're going to answer my questions...and don't bother lying...because this lasso doesn't let you."
"You little-GRAH!" the knight cried out once more as Sunset applied more force.
"Now then, who...are you?" Sunset weakly asked, the pain and loss of blood beginning to get to her.
"I'm...I'm..." the knight began to say as it struggled against the power of the lasso. Then it lifted its head towards the sky and for a moment, Sunset thought that she could see a smile underneath the helmet. "I'm out of here." Smoke erupted from the knight and moments later the lasso fell to the ground, with the being that it had trapped gone. Sunset glanced around to see if she could spy where it had gone before the pain flashed through her body. She cried out weakly before collapsing to the ground. Her vision started to go black as she felt herself getting weaker and weaker.
Then something at the speed of a meteor slammed into the center of the playground next to her. The impact tore the playground equipment out of the ground and sent it flying in different directions. The ground itself was shattered and cracked by the impact, but the only thing in the playground that hadn't been affected was Sunset. And that was because the source of the impact had taken her into its arms.
"Diana?" Sunset weakly asked as she pushed herself to gaze through her blackening vision, recognizing that her teacher was wearing the same outfit that she had when she crushed the nightmare. Diana stared down at Sunset with a look that was one half absolute fury and another that was terror and fear for her student.
"Dear gods in Olympus, Sunset, what has happened to you?" Diana asked with a voice that was filled to the brim with concern and fear. Diana then glanced around the area for whoever had dared to touch her student, but there was no one around. Sunset weakly opened her mouth, but Diana shook her head with a kind, and worried, smile. "No, don't speak. Save your strength."
"But Diana...you need to hear this," Sunset protested as she used what little strength she had left to smile. "I did it, Diana. I defended myself. I used what you taught me...and fought off...a god...ly...creature. It was stronger...faster...had a sword...and I...beat it...I did...as you...taught. Did...I...make you...prou...?"
"Sunset?" Diana asked as Sunset closed her eyes and leaned her head against Diana's chest, before going completely limp and motionless. "Sunset? SUNSET?!"
Diana is so about to go mama bear on who did this to Sunset. I get the feeling that when Sunset comes to Diana will tell her how proud she is of her, and then remind her not to fight things like this without powering up. Her magic form would have been hopefully a way to even up the battle.
Oooooo, Hades is so in for it now!
(I would have said "so dead", but he's the God of the Dead, so I seriously doubt that he can be killed.)
But watch Diana prove me wrong on that one before this story is over.
'Cause I figure she'll figure out who sent Agatha against Sunset before too long.
God I Am complex already? Always like that with those who go dark magic... At least, in Sunset's case, she didn't intentionally seek dark magic, only got corrupted magic from her greed.
But Agatha crossed path with Sunset before? No one seems to remember her as a former student so...
Holy throne, that was intense! Let's hope Sunset pulls through.... And as always, amazing work on the story!
Given that this story takes place AFTER Friendship Games, is there ANY chance that Sunset might mention the "Anon-A-Miss" incident to Diana, perhaps as a nagging fear in the back of her mind regarding her friends and her self-confidence?
Sunset didn't win, but she did survive. Sometimes that's victory enough.
Dear gods, Sunset actually managed to put her training to good use! But she's in such bad shape now...
Still, Agatha is probably not going to be able to hide the fact that she was injured. I mean, Sunset almost managed to tear her arm off. If Diana can notice those injuries, she might be able to put two and two together and get "Agatha made a contract with Hades." And I can just imagine what Diana would have to say to Agatha.
"Making a deal with Hades was not what I meant when I talked about you realizing your true potential, young woman."
Agatha you had godly armor, a sweet sword, Hades support, and you were drunk on magic yet you managed to loose to a bacon haired human.
7088160
With a magic lasso and amazonian training. That´s a big diff.
Well, now I am curious to see the background where Agathas hate for Sunset came from. Was Agatha at CH at some point and Sunset bullied her so much that she had to leave and carries that grudge from that time? Then again, Agatha seems just like the kind of person who percieves insults against her person in anything ever so slightly negative and makes a mountain out of a mole hill over anything. Having Cinch and Crystal boss her around would then propably don´t do her obviously damaged psyche any good.
7088190
That still doesn't excuse Agatha had the upper hand half the fight yet still blew it
Sunset? ...Sunset? SUUUUUNSEEEETT!!!!
7088160 As Sunset says Its Not Bacon
7088203
That is because she made a classic newbie mistake and got drunk on her new power, as you pointed out. Instead of simply knocking Sunset and AJ out, she played with them, letting her petty feelings getting the better of her.
7088267
Fair enough but she must have some form of magic training since Diana caught her casting spells.
Round 1, complete. Winner: Sunset.
Round 2: Wonder Woman vs Soon-to-be-literally-Dead Kinght, FIGHT!
Holy crap.
7088269 "Magic Training" doesn't seem to prevent power madness in ANY fiction. And odds are she's NOT trained, but self-taught.
7088486
Well that about kills my argument.
7088593 True. Qualified victory then.
Great chapter and it was awesome to see Sunset in action, but...the ending ruined it for me. Not because of anything inherently wrong in the writing, but because Metal Gear Solid has conditioned me to this format being over the top, and I heard Diana in suitably dramatic and hilarious fashion shouting "Sunset".
Damn what a wicked fight. I'd almost be worried about Sunset if she wasn't a mane character but still that had to hurt getting shanked like that.
How did she resist the lasso? Nothing resists it. She should of have to reveal who she was.
KO awesome chapter, looks like might have a new Wonder Women in Canterlot High.
7090750 She didn't resist it, she escaped before she could give a proper answer.
Although, TECHNICALLY she was telling the truth saying: "I'm out of here".
7090750
It's not unheard of for those wrapped in the lasso to resist temporarily, and she escaped before the lasso could overwhelm her resistance. It's also been shown that giving partial answers can work as a delay tactic, like saying "I am the son of X and Y" instead of cutting straight to your name. Eventually the lasso will overcome the target or a more direct question will get the answer they really want, but there wasn't time for that. Like all things in comic books, the lasso of truth doesn't always work quite the same way.
Took long enough. "Huh, that divine steel was stronger than my squishy mortal flesh the first three times, but maybe it will be different if I hit it again!"
FIANALLY!!!!
See, I am not too hard to please, I just need some scenes of Sunset fighting and actually doing something of worth in this fic and I am happy. This whole fight served to show off what Sunset has learned and to demonstrate her growth as a fighter. It also showed that Sunset can be a hero in her own right.
However, I still have problems with a few things. One, is Agatha. I get it, she's been bullied and now has turned to the dark side in order to gain more power so she can make them all pay and yadda yadda. I just kind of wish we had more screen time and development with this girl in order to see why she would jump from "Bullied" to "I am all of the power, muhahaha" Seems kind of a strech and maybe it would have helped with we had at least a few scenes showing how badly she was treated. As it stands, it just comes off as random.
Also, the Dash subplot is kind of...annoying now. I think we have hit every single cliche with the jock character that we could now. We have the annoying father, the over confident block head, and the grades are preventing you from helping the team. What is worst is that there is nothing to supplant these cliches or to make these ideas seem fresh. It all seems like they add up to nothing other than "Dash is a jock so she must be ignorant of her grades." Heck, I look further on and there is going to be more problems with this subplot but I'll get on it. But for right now, it's annoying and feels added on at the very last minute.