//------------------------------// // Ch. 4 // Story: Hexes and Horsepower // by ShadowFall //------------------------------// Pinkie had gotten up to answer the door, and none of the girls would have dreamed who it was.   Sunset Shimmer entered Rainbow’s apartment. She still wore her trademark leather jacket over jeans and boots. She walked as if she’d learned quite a bit about being human in the eight years since they’d seen her. There was something else in her body language, something the rest didn’t recognize.   For half a second, there was absolute silence. Then, pandemonium broke out. All of them were trying to talk at once, trying to greet Sunset, asking questions, expressing their own personal surprise.   Rainbow’s voice carried over the rest as she pointed her finger at Sunset. “I knew that was you!”   Sunset raised her hands. The others respectfully fell silent. To Rainbow, she said, “I couldn’t say hello at the time, but I’m here now. It’s been so long.”   “I was just about to say that m’self,” remarked Applejack.   “We were just about to have a party!” Pinkie broke in. “Though even I didn’t know you would be showing up, Sunset! Here, take off your coat and stay awhile.”   She yanked off the jacket before Sunset could react, though Sunset did try, hands moving in a blur, though not quite as fast as Pinkie.   As the jacket came off, everyone saw a handgun holstered on her right hip and extra magazines on her left.   Sunset’s hands poised as if trying to cover herself but wasn’t sure where to put them. The rest of them had already seen, however, so there was no point in trying to hide anything now. She crossed her arms and looked at the floor.   Her old friends fell silent once again as their eyes gazed upon the firearm in its holster.   “So I suppose you all have a lot of questions.” Sunset rubbed the back of her head.   “That can wait just a second,” said Pinkie. “You’ve got so much tension in your shoulders! Here, I bet it’s this.”   Sunset made another grab for the next thing Pinkie pulled off her but was again too slow. Pinkie came away with a black wooden object, about eighteen inches long and slightly curved. It had been strapped to Sunset’s back.   “What’s this?” Pinkie asked. She turned it over in her hands.   Shhhh-clang!   A polished blade slid out of the sheath and fell on the floor.   “Oh, a wakizashi!” said Pinkie. “Cool, I’ve never seen one.”   “I-Is that a samurai sword?!” Twilight moved towards the blade on the ground, looking over the thousand-folded nippon steel weapon.   Pinkie picked it up and resheathed it, putting it with Sunset’s jacket on the couch. Twilight gave her a look, finding Pinkie’s nonchalant attitude about discovering that her friend was harboring a sword to be severely out of place, even for her.   Sunset let out a long sigh and took off her pistol belt. “Here, you might as well take this, too.” As Pinkie took it and turned to set it down, Applejack glanced down at the gun in the holster. “Wait, what’s that there switch?” Her eyes widened. “A Glock 18!? Ain’t that full auto?”   Sunset sighed and continued to look at the floor, arms folded.  She shifted from foot to foot. “Well, if you didn’t have questions before, you probably do now,” she muttered.   The girls were silent for a few seconds longer, until Pinkie raised her hand.   “Alright Pinkie. Go ahead.” Sunset braced herself.   “Well, I got like a million billion questions, but here’s one to start! Did you know that Twilight got accepted to work at Wendigo? Isn’t that amazing?!” Pinkie smiled and put both of her hands on Twilight’s shoulders.   “Oh Pinkie, I think Sunset should have the spotlight here…” Twilight turned back to Sunset, and saw that the color seemed to drain from her face.   “Uh, Sunset? Are you okay?” Twilight asked again.   “Oh my, it’s like she’s seen a ghost.” Fluttershy remarked.   Sunset shook her head, then took a deep breath. She exhaled. “Okay.”   She looked over the faces of the six girls, now women who had taken her in after all of the chaos and destruction she had caused back at Canterlot High. Even with Princess Twilight Sparkle still back in Equestria, she felt complete once again as she was finally reunited with her friends. It only made what Sunset had to tell them even harder to wrench from her mouth.   “I disappeared from college because Wendigo sought me out.”   The six other women simultaneously asked in amazement, “You went to work for Wendigo?!”   “So why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you talk to any of us for these past eight years?!” Rainbow Dash pressed further for an answer she’d wanted for a long time.   “Because I couldn’t!” Sunset snapped back, but regained her composure as her friends were taken aback, “I… couldn’t. They wouldn’t let me at all.”   “What the- why would they do that? Is that what they do to all of their researchers?” Twilight asked.   Sunset shook her head, “Wendigo Magical Research and Development is a facade. Wendigo is a private military organization.”   They all fell into shocked silence once again, still processing what Sunset had said. Then, Applejack spoke. “Wait, wait, hold up here. As in, Blackwater kinda stuff? As in the same kind of company that tried to hire my brother after he got out of the Marines?”   Sunset once again shook her head. “Listen, I’m… being tracked. Sort of. They planted a tracking device in my motorcycle, but I finally figured out where it was hidden and got it out. Everything I’m telling you, I can get killed for.”   At this point, the girls realised that Sunset probably wasn’t in the safest of situations, and as Rainbow Dash went to shut the blinds of the glass doors to her balcony, she lifted an eyebrow, “Then why aren’t you telling the cops about this? And what the hell is going on?!”   Sunset, once the blinds were closed, and getting up to look through the peephole of Rainbow Dash’s door, sat down in chair she got from Rainbow’s dining table.   “I’m sorry I’m telling you all so late at night, but you’re the only ones I trust in spilling these secrets. As for the police…” Sunset looked down at the floor, “Let’s just say that Wendigo has influence and reach wherever they want, whenever they want, and to whoever they want.” As Sunset spoke, her friends started to get more and more afraid on what was going on behind a set of curtains they didn’t even know existed.   “You all ready for what I’m going to tell you?” Sunset asked.   The women all nodded.   “Wendigo is a private military organization that’s attempting to unlock the potential to weaponize magic.” Sunset started.   “Weaponize?” Twilight asked in confusion.   “Yeah. Equestrian magic is… a bit more consistent than the magic you guys have. No offense.” Sunset strayed off a bit, “But these guys, they want to get that consistency, and put it into soldiers. Super soldiers. Think about it, a fighting force that can teleport, lift tanks with just a gesture of their head, conjure impenetrable energy shields, and other, more horrible things than any of us could conceive.”   Sunset paused.  “It would be the most sophisticated fighting force the world has ever seen, controlled by a company who wouldn’t think twice about using it for profit.”   “So you’re telling us that Wendigo is in fact not a research firm focused on understanding magic for the betterment of humanity, but a paramilitary organization attempting to exploit it all in the name of profit and power?” Twilight looked like she was about to be sick.   “That much power in the hands of people who value the dollar over human lives…” Sunset looked at her knees, “The sorties I’ve run for them. The kind of equipment they’re transporting around the country. The number of people jumping onboard to get a piece of the profit… and the kinds of people…” Sunset shook her head, “It’ll be a disaster. And they’re keeping every research breakthrough secret inside of their operations.”   “But you’re here. You had to escape from them?” Fluttershy asked.   “Yeah. It’s not about knowing what they’re up to, because the pay and equipment satisfy the kinds of men and women who come aboard, but it’s what happens when you try to leave.” Sunset explained.   “Which is…?” Pinkie’s attitude deflated, as if knowing the answer already.   “You try to run, they kill you. They find out beforehand, you’re beaten over and over, or locked up. All communication with the outside world, gone.” Sunset kept going on.   “Oh my god…” Rarity clasped her hands on her mouth.   “Well, why not run with this to the news? The police? Wendigo can’t bribe every single one of them.” Rainbow Dash asked, a huge swath of suspicion in her voice.   “Trust me. They can, or they have contingencies in place to discredit you. And when you do run, they’ll pick up your trail and silence you.” Sunset Shimmer shook her head, “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already gotten to the police in town and either paid them off or fed them a story about some made up crime I did.”   Rainbow Dash stood up, looking down at Sunset.   “You know what, why in the hell should we trust you?! You went off to work for Wendigo, even if it wasn’t what you thought it was, and never told us? That could’ve at least been a starting point to know what you could’ve been doing! You just disappeared and fucked off! How do we know you didn’t do some kind of crime and are using this story to get us to help you?!”   Sunset stood back up, fire in her eyes, and walked towards Rainbow Dash, “After what I had to go through, don’t you think for a fucking second that I’d be lying to you! And why would I lie? All of you are the only people I trust out here! That’s why I came!”   “So where’s the proof?” Rainbow asked as Sunset was in her face.   “It’s not here.” Sunset admitted, flat out.   “Well, there we go, girls.” Rainbow Dash ducked out of the way of Sunset.   “You know, I had a feeling that none of you would believe me. I at least thought you would, ‘Miss Loyalty’.” Sunset shot back at Rainbow Dash.   “I’m loyal. Not gullible.” Rainbow Dash stared at Sunset and then shook her head. “I don’t believe this. Just get out of here.”   The others fell silent.   Sunset didn’t say a word.   “Get out.” Rainbow Dash insisted. “It’s your problem now. Not ours. Whatever guns and shit you’ve got on yourself, the guys chasing you must have more. I’m not going to endanger myself, or my friends to them.”   “And I’m not your friend?” Sunset crossed her arms.   “Eight years kinda does some damage to that word.”   “It wasn’t even my fault. I couldn’t-”   Rainbow Dash snorted, then spoke again, “Show me proof. I want to know that everything you say is true. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Hard evidence of what Wendigo is doing.”   Then, Fluttershy spoke up, “Rainbow Dash, she wouldn’t have come in so distressed if she didn’t need our help.”   “Help. Yeah, but with what?” Rainbow Dash walked back up to Sunset, “What do want from us?”   Sunset was silent for a few seconds before she replied, “I want your help to stop a force that could endanger the entire globe. You might be the only ones who can. And if you want proof…”   Sunset trailed off, then looked back at Rainbow Dash, “I have proof. I’ve been compiling it and sending it to a deposit box at the local bank here. Secretly.”   “And how in the name of hell have you managed to do that-”   “Do you want to see it or not?!” Sunset almost shouted.   The remainder of the group of women had been silent through all the arguing. Only Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer seemed to be locked in the verbal exchange.   “Bank’s closed right now.” Rainbow Dash pointed out.   “First thing tomorrow. I’ll get it.” Sunset held out her hand, “Deal?”   Rainbow Dash looked at Sunset’s palm, outstretched.   She took, and firmly grasped it, shaking it once.   “Deal.”     “First thing tomorrow. I’ll get it. Deal?”   …   …   “Deal.”   Two men listened in from the adjacent apartment’s rooftop, a laser microphone mounted on a tripod. The latest in technology, it detected minute vibrations from the apartment window and deciphered the conversation into the headphones that the men wore.   “So this is where the escort went to.” one said to the other, “I’ll go inform FMJ.”   “Alright. I’ll keep listening for anything else.”   One walked away, and pulled out a cellphone, dialing up the secure line.   “Report in,” the voice came from the phone.   “Sir, we tracked the escort down. They’re staying in town, it looks like. And she’s been talking about ‘proof’. Think she may have evidence about what we’re gonna do,” the Wendigo soldier explained.   “How many are with her?”   “Looks like five or six others. Wait… yeah. Six.”   On the other end, FMJ cursed, the background noise of the armored Land Rover truck droning in the background.   “I won’t be arriving until around four, over there. The bank over there opens at nine. Right?” FMJ asked.   “Yeah. Should be.” the soldier replied.   Full Metal Jacket inhaled, then spoke back into the phone, “Do you think the others are armed?”   “Doubt it. Though, we did just started to listen in about fifteen minutes ago, after following her here.”   Full Metal Jacket spoke again, “Keep tabs on them. Do not engage. When I get down there, we’ll assess, then act. Got it?”   “Yessir.”   Full Metal Jacket thumbed his cell phone, disconnecting the call.   “If anyone’s putting a bullet in her head, it’s me.”