Trance beats thrummed through the catwalk to the accompaniment of a simply magnificent cello performance. Vinyl Scratch—the DJ from last night—spun her turntables on the main stage of Hoofbeats while the crowd went mad with shouts and cheers. However, tonight she wasn’t alone. This evening, the indomitable Octavia Melody had joined Vinyl on stage.
Octavia had graced almost every concert hall and opera house in Canterlot. Sunset had attended her concerts dozens of times, but never once had she seen the musician quite so passionate.
Sunset had never heard dance combined with classical before, but she had to admit, she liked it. She liked it a lot. It sounded—for lack of a better term—epic.
Even Moon Dancer was swaying to the rise and fall of strings and bass. And Moon Dancer—despite her name—was a terrible dancer. Sunset had to use all of her self-control not to burst out laughing at Moon Dancer’s twitching tail and tapping hooves. She almost wanted to tell her to stop so she didn’t give them away, but it was too damn cute.
Thankfully, Moon Dancer presently didn’t look anything like Moon Dancer. She looked like some random stagehoof with a curly white mane, a blue coat in a black suit. The illusion charms had worked perfectly for everypony. At least in application.
Why’d I have to end up with a white coat and a green mane? Seriously? A green mane?
Moon Dancer had laughed herself silly when she’d seen Sunset’s disguise.
The club itself was a coruscating living organism of light, sound and color, all moving around a massive central pillar. Tonight’s charity donations floated in a giant forcefield construct acting as the concert’s centerpiece. Set below the massive dome dominating the ceiling of Hoofbeats, thousands of bits and gemstones swirled around in a dazzling light show that pulsed with every beat of the music. It was spectacular—if somewhat gaudy—but it was definitely impressive. Not only because of the design, either. It showed how much money Coloratura and Coco Pommel had managed to rake in for the schools of Manehattan.
Sunset had inspected the construct beforehoof and found it an excellent example of master spellcraft, apparently the work of several professors of the Manehattan Institute of Technomancy as a gift for tonight’s event.
Okay, in reality, it’s really gaudy. Still cool though.
Sunset managed to keep her smirk under control as she tapped the small magical transmitter in her ear.
“Anything yet?” she whispered over Gateway’s secure communications channel.
“Negative,” Gateway’s replied. “Minor accident at the south entrance, but Crabgreen was being klutzy again.”
“Sorry, sir,” Crabgreen’s tiny voice said over the line.
“What accident?” Sunset asked as she covered her other ear to hear the security chief easier.
“The foal thought he found an intruder. Turned out to be a janitor. And before you ask, yes, he used the detection spell on her. She was clean.”
“Why’d he think she was an intruder?”
“She had the audacity to be sweeping the floor on the second level where your little entrance ripped a hole in the ceiling. You know… doing her job.”
“Sorry, sir,” Crabgreen said again.
“Kids these days,” the chief muttered.
“It happens, Gateway,” the gravely voice of Chief Stablemaker interjected. “You get used to it.”
“Anything on your side, Chief?” Sunset asked.
“You ain’t my boss, Miss Shimmer,” Stablemaker growled back at her. “You’re just lucky the Princess is in Vanhoover right now or else I’d have thrown your pretty little tail out of here hours ago. The only reason I haven’t stopped this is because, somehow, you actually came up with a semi-decent plan.”
Chief Stablemaker was obviously still miffed she’d tried to ‘horn in on his precinct.
“Answer the question, Stable,” Gateway said. Sunset could hear Coloratura’s Chief of Security rolling his eyes. “It’s a legitimate one and I was about to ask for an update myself.”
“You Canterlot types are all too big for your yokes, you know that?” Stablemaker groused. “No. We’re fine. Trotter’s got the west wing covered. Hops is covering the sublevel. I’ve got Silver on crowd control in civvies and Mayberry on east. Elm’s topside. Nopony’s reported a single peep.”
I don’t like this. This pony—or ponies—has to be here already. There’s no way anypony trying to sabotage Coloratura would miss this chance. There are so many ways this could all go wrong.
What could she be planning? Sunset wracked her brain.
You could always ask me.
No! Sunset snapped back at her angry little pony. I don’t need you messing with my life any more than you already did. You already enjoyed the meeting in the VIP Lounge way too much!
Come on. This whole thing has your hoof-prints all over it. This is exactly your style. What would you do in their place? And what would they do to make it all work?
“We’re about three minutes from Spotlight taking the stage. Are you two ready?”
Sunset, you know I’m right, the voice cajoled. You can’t deny it. This is your gift. Power. Control. Using it to influence and manipulate.
I’m a better pony than that! Sunset snapped.
No, you’re not! Don’t delude yourself. Just because you’ve been able to push me back doesn’t mean I’m gone.
“Miss Shimmer?”
“Sorry,” Sunset said, trying to buck the voice out of her skull. “We’ll handle anything that happens. You can count on us.”
“I don’t like this, Shimmer,” Gateway growled. “Spotlight is a friend of mine. Her putting herself in harm’s way…” He paused and Sunset actually heard the grinding of teeth. “I will hold you personally responsible if anything happens to her. And I don’t care if you’re the Princess’s personal student or not.”
Now, that’s a threat I can respect. He’s not afraid of you.
No, he’s protective of his friend. Something you know nothing about!
But the voice had a point. She didn’t want to admit it, least of all to herself, but this kind of scheming was something she had mastered, once upon a time. She’d manipulated professors, students and even Celestia herself—if only barely—for years before the former Dean Slate almost destroyed her entire life.
That’s it. It’s not so hard, the voice cooed. Just think like me.
I really hate you.
Come up with something original already. Doesn’t matter. I’m still here and I’m never leaving.
She gritted her teeth as her eyes searched the dance floor, the VIP Lounge, the sound booths, the catwalks… anything that might give her some clue as to what was going to happen.
Finally, Sunset bowed her head. She couldn’t deny it. She needed that edge right now. She’d never forgive herself if something happened to Spotlight on her watch. She’d made a promise. To Coloratura. To Coco Pommel. To Gateway. To Spotlight.
And to herself.
She may have done a lot of really screwed up things in her past. But she could make that actually mean something. She could make it useful.
So, what would I do?
“One minute,” Gateway called.
Sure enough, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody were wrapping up their set. Ponies of every race and color danced, laughed and generally had the time of their lives. Sunset spotted a familiar rainbow mane dancing rather intimately with a blonde one and grinned a little. Magic lasers pulsed over the audience. Sunset wished she was down there enjoying the party, but she had a job to do and a promise to keep.
She refocused on the task at hoof.
Sunset stared down at the stage and the mic that was already set up for Spotlight’s opening remarks. They’d triple-checked the trap door beneath the stage and made sure it had been bolted shut. They’d double-checked every piece of stage equipment. Every piece of sound equipment. Every instrument. Everything.
With a final flourish, the two musicians finished their set to absolutely thunderous applause. Sunset had to grab the catwalk just to not fall over from the sheer vibrations the ponies below were sending through the building.
What would I do in the saboteur’s place? I could take a page from Slate’s book and impersonate Spotlight like that mare did when she impersonated me. Then maybe humiliate her? But that would be an easy fix after the truth came out… probably...
Sunset shook her head. That couldn’t be it.
I could stage somepony getting injured in front of the whole audience. A member of Hoofbeats staff would be best. Then, assuming there were more of them, I’d probably put a spotlight right on that pony. Mumble something about being too tired and overworked…
That was a possibility, but they had the catwalks covered. There was no way anypony was going to get seriously hurt tonight. She put that idea aside.
Think dammit! Sunset pounded her own head, trying to come up with something. I could steal the bits from the charity, but there’s no way to get it out of here, not without teleporting. And unicorns who can teleport are few and far between. No, if they had somepony with that level of power, they’d have done far worse by now.
Vinyl and Octavia took one final bow.
Sunset’s mind raced until she remembered her meeting with the sponsors. Threats against their business had barely worked, but when Sunset had mentioned the importance of saving face, that had gotten their attention.
In a city like Manehattan, reputation was everything. Everypony had seen Gateway’s security staff out in force tonight. Everypony knew that the Grade School Gala had to have taken every possible precaution. Everypony had seen Sunset Shimmer, Celestia’s personal student, give her stamp of approval.
At this point though… even something completely beyond their control would be taken as a failure on the staff’s part. No matter how chaotic the situation, anything but perfection would look horrible for Coloratura and Spotlight.
No matter how chaotic the situation…
Sunset thought about that fateful day when Moon Dancer had stood up for her. And what had happened beforehoof.
She wouldn’t…
She couldn’t…
“Spotlight’s on!” Gateway cried. “Places, ponies!”
Below were the some of the richest and most powerful ponies in Manehattan. And more than anything, what matters more to ponies like that?
The same thing that matters to the elite of Canterlot, answered a smug voice in the back of her head.
Sunset nodded to herself.
Appearance.
As Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody gave an encore bow to the rampaging crowd, Spotlight slowly stepped out with a wide grin on her face. Sunset caught sight of the faint magical field Minuette was generating to help the older mare walk without pain. Spotlight wore a smart dark gray pantsuit that made her look every inch the professional—and also happened to hide her bandages. She shook hooves with the performers and waved for one more round of applause. The crowd happily obliged.
If you can’t go after the pony directly… go after the audience!
Sunset remembered Spotlight’s little smirk.
“It’s one of the most classic things used in the performing arts, my dear. In a word… misdirection.”
Spotlight approached the microphone.
“Anypony see anything?” Gateway demanded.
Several of his security guards sounded off, but none of them had seen anything suspicious.
“Nothing on our end,” Stablemaker growled.
“My area’s clear,” Minuette replied. “Though I don’t understand why I couldn’t have gotten a better spot to watch.”
“Focus, Minuette,” Cheerilee said. “Nothing on my side.”
“Topside’s clear,” Moon Dancer reported from beside her. “Sunny?”
Sunny was scanning the crowd, trying to find something, anything that might give a hint as to what’s going on.
“We’re missing something,” Sunset whispered. “But what?”
“Thank you, everypony!” Spotlight cried into the microphone. “And another round of applause for our spectacular opening duo of DJ-PON3 and Octavia Melody. I know I look forward to seeing what those two talented minstrels cook up together!”
Once more, thunderous applause echoed through the massive dance hall of Hoofbeats. Bits of plaster dust rained from the ceiling and around the clear dome that looked up into the Manehattan night sky. The dome itself still shimmered with the colors of the opening act.
That’s odd… that should have stopped with the music.
“Now, there’s been some concern as to the state my health!” Spotlight called out. “As you can see, the rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated. As Miss Shimmer was kind enough to communicate to you all before tonight’s festivities, I had nothing more than a cold from running myself ragged making sure you fine ponies have a wonderful evening! Show business is a most difficult business, is it not?”
There was a round of chuckles and some minor applause from the crowd.
“Now, I’m happy to announce that the moment you’ve all been—”
A resounding boom echoed through the entire dance club. Sunset lurched and almost fell off the catwalk. Moon Dancer dropped to the steel surface, her illusion glamor shattering on impact, but managed to hold on.
“What in Equestria—” Sunset cried, looking around wildly.
Another resounding boom exploded through the dance hall, seeming to come from everywhere at once. One of the speakers to Sunset’s left suddenly blew out, sparks flying as the quaking broke something in the arcano-tech device. A few ponies below screamed. Sunset reeled from the feedback but managed to keep her hooves under her, though the blast had shattered Sunset’s illusion charm.
“Report!” Gateway bellowed over the radio.
Sunset caught sight of a figure in the VIP Lounge across the club staring out with almost gleeful anticipation. It could have been a stallion, considering the build, but with that mess of a mane, it could have just as easily been a mare. There was one more figure in the auxiliary sound booth located directly above the lounge.
Could that be…
“Just… just a moment everypony!” Spotlight cried, though panic had started to slip into her voice. “I’m sure it’s nothing—”
Another boom crashed through the dance hall, only this time, several of the doors on the east side of the room erupted in plumes of smoke. More screaming echoed through the room. Ponies started to run to the exit.
“Somepony give me a damn report!” Gateway shouted.
“We’ve got an explosion near the main electrical breaker!” somepony cried. “It looks like—”
A second explosion slammed through her earpiece, making Sunset yelp as she ripped the thing from her ear. The catwalk shuddered as another speaker exploded… right before every light in Hoofbeats went out.
Now, the screaming started in earnest. Sunset could hear the cries of panicking ponies below her and knew she had to do something. She charged her horn and prepared to throw out the most powerful light spell she could muster. Then she saw movement through the dome above the still-intact forcefield containing all of the charity donations.
“Sunny…” Moon Dancer whispered beside her. “Tell me that’s not…”
A gigantic claw delicately reached through the dome and ripped it out of the ceiling with such care and precision that not a single shard of glass fell to the ground.
Sunset gaped and forgot about her invisibility spell. In fact, the entire world seemed to vanish save for what she saw next.
A massive head with two enormous slitted eyes lowered itself into Hoofbeats.
The black dragon scanned the suddenly frozen crowd below as ponies peered up at a snout that could swallow at least five of them in one bite. Its eyes burned, spearing various ponies like incandescent spotlights.
Sunset heard an agonized scream and thought she saw a light on the other side of the room, but her view was blocked a moment later when the dragon’s head finally shifted around to stare straight at a dumbstruck Spotlight. The mare was white with terror, frozen in the gaze of the enormous dragon.
It smiled wickedly at her.
“Thank you for adding to my hoard,” it said with an almost silky smooth voice. “I’ve been waiting some time for this chance.”
Okay, that’s… not what I expected…
Sunset was mildly surprised to hear her angry little pony saying those words, but found herself agreeing wholeheartedly.
Then, before Sunset could do anything, the dragon’s head snapped straight down. Giant teeth clamped around the construct containing every gem and bit donated for tonight’s event.
To Sunset’s horror, the dragon was actually pulling it out of the floor.
Another agonized scream pierced the room, but nopony else seemed to notice it. Everypony was too transfixed on the dragon slowly dragging the massive tube containing the treasure out of the dance club. A few ponies in the back snapped out of their trance and ran.
This can’t be right. How can nopony have noticed this outside the club? The police should have sent in a Pegasi Squadron! Or the Royal Guard! Somepony!
Sunset cantered to the side, trying to figure out some way to make the dragon drop its prize, but she couldn’t get a clean shot at anything vital. The angles were all wrong.
However, moving did allow her to see a brilliant pale magenta star burning in the sound booth.
No… it couldn’t be...
Sunset flared her power, charging her detect magic spell as hard as she could. The second it was ready, she unleashed it in a blast of teal force that swept across the room.
The dragon’s head rippled under its effect.
The spell also revealed a pulsing, chaotic line of orange magic connecting the dragon to the sound booth.
I knew it! Illusion magic. Plus, something else!
Sunset growled under her breath. “Moony! She’s in the auxiliary sound booth! Get everypony there, now!”
Sunset lined up her shot. She couldn’t see the pony inside the booth because of the blinding light of what had to be the other pony’s horn… but that horn made the perfect target.
She flung herself forward and unleashed a bolt of pure kinetic force. After years of training with the Royal Guard, Sunset had honed her gift for precisely-controlled spellcasting to an art form. And it showed.
The teal bolt shot through the club and struck true. Sunset heard a startled cry of pain and the light winked out.
The dragon vanished. The dome reappeared in a blur of magic, though a large circle on the top was missing.
Okay, that was impressive.
As the ponies below started shouting, Sunset supercharged her light spell. A miniature sun soared into the air, illuminating the darkened nightclub in a blaze of false sunlight. The ponies below demanded to know what in Tartarus was going on, but Sunset ignored them.
Instead, her eyes locked on the cloaked figure now fleeing toward the east side of the sound booth.
“Moony, I’m going after her!” Sunset shouted. “Get everypony to the east side and secure all the exits!”
Without waiting for a reply, Sunset teleported directly into the sound booth. She stumbled, a little woozy from so much magic in such a short time. After taking a few seconds to steady herself, she bucked the door open and gave chase.
Smoke filled the doorway into the staff entrance on the east side of the Hoofbeats. Sunset hesitated just long enough to light her horn. Then she dove into the roiling mass of gray and black.
Instantly, she knew there was something strange. There was no heat or ash. No smell of anything burning. In fact, it seemed more like the clouds from a… a smoke bomb.
She gritted her teeth and pushed onward, her ears perked and listening. Finally, she heard the sound of a slamming door and she galloped forward. Half-visible walls flew by her and she almost ran headfirst into a door before she stopped and shoved it open.
Sunset found herself in a smoky stairwell lit by emergency lights. She couldn’t see the ground floor, but she could see up several levels all the way to the top of the club. She glanced down, only to hear another door slam above her.
She’s going for the roof.
Sunset reached for her radio, only to realize that she didn’t have it anymore.
Dammit, I must have left it back on the catwalk!
Sunset galloped up the stairs, only to find that the third level door was ajar. Sunset hesitated, looking between the door and the stairs
Come on, Sunset, that eager little voice said. You know how this is played.
With a growl, she threw open the third level door and found herself in the old storage rooms just as the club’s lights came back on. The same rooms Sunset had teleported everypony into a few hours before. She slowed down and listened, but heard nothing but the background noises of the club.
Gritting her teeth, Sunset slowly crept forward, looking for any sign of the intruder. With all the activity in the last few hours, the dust had already been disturbed enough to make it impossible to track any hoofprints through the maze of storage rooms and old offices. She muttered to herself and began to check the doors as quietly as she could. She ignored the locked ones, but there were still too many doors for her liking.
It wasn’t until the broom closet she heard something from a few doors down. It almost sounded like panicked breathing. She froze, her coat tingling as she heard the quiet scramble of hooves.
Sunset whirled and saw a flicker of movement, then it was gone. She swallowed and tried to ignore her pounding heart. She carefully slipped forward, trying to look everywhere at once.
Then she heard a different sound. It was muffled and she couldn’t quite make it out. To Sunset’s surprise, it was coming from the very room they had teleported into only a few short hours ago.
Sunset readied her best shield spell and took a deep breath. With a final glance up and down the corridor—all the while hoping this wasn’t a terrible idea—she slowly pushed the door open and peeked inside.
There, cowering behind a desk, just barely visible in the dim light of her horn, sat the small form of a familiar cloaked pony.